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Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal
Froothie founder Mario Nawfal is our guest today joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots podcast interview.
He is an entrepreneur who enjoys the challenge of building businesses that scale globally.
It was just a few years ago, back in 2012 when he started his first e-commerce business.
After going door to door selling blenders he came up with the end of doing the same online –Froothie Australia was born.
With just $300 in the bank, he was up and running, and by building into this process unconventional marketing techniques, efficient logistical systems and a team of global contractors That company became a smash hit.
He propelled Froothie to $1m in year one and over $10m in year 2, all bootstrapped.
How The Dots Joined Up ForFroothie
After replicating the same model with a wide variety of products, he then established GoGlobal, an accelerator which identifies businesses that have a high-potential for growth.
They partner with quality manufacturers in the niche and leverage their global marketing and customer support teams to sell the products around the world.
But this is just a glimpse at the business’s bursting forth of our guest today.
So where does he come up the ideas, as this seems a stumbling block for so many people online today.
And does he ever worry that he is taking on too much and he could lose focus?
Well lets find out as we bring on to the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr Mario Nawfal
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty subjects with Mario Nawfal such as:
Why he is such a fan of Jim Collins “Good To Great” book, and loves the pebbles analogy.
Why being an expert really helps, but you only have to be able to be one ahead to truly inspire and coach someone else..
Why Mario now feels that it is so important to have a Plan B to ensure a safety net, something he wasn’t big on at the beginning.
Why there is no such thing as an overnight success no matter how many people seem to state that they are.
How To Connect With Mario Nawfal
Return To The Top Of Mario Nawfal
If this show inspired you to go after the dream yourself then check out Growlr Founder, Richard Lynch Band, Tim Templetonand the amazing Laura Roeder
Of course if you want to hear all our amazing shows then jump over to the podcast archives to hear thousands of interviews by simply clicking here.
Audio Transcription Of Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal
David Ralph [0:00]
Join me each month as I show you how you can follow our process to start an own your own life changing online business. This is business masterclass at its best, head over to join up dots.com and book your place for the next training session. And I’ll see you there.
Intro [0:17]
When we’re young that we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling join up dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK David Ralph
David Ralph [0:42]
Yes. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, and welcome to a course join up dots the motivational, conversational, inspirational show that brings the movers and shakers, the entrepreneurial folk and the people with a different type of story. And today’s guest I suppose, blends all three of those because he is an entrepreneur who enjoys the challenge of building businesses that scale globally. Now, it was just a few years ago back in 2012, when he started his first e commerce business and after going door to door selling blenders, he came up with the idea of doing the same online Ruby Australia was born. Now with just $300. In the bank, he was up and running and by building into this process, unconventional as he says marketing techniques, efficient and logistical systems and a team of global contractors. That company became a smash hit he propelled through v to $1 million in a year one and over 10 million in year two all bootstrapped. Now, after replicating the same model with a wide variety of products even established go global and accelerator which identifies businesses that have a high potential for growth. they partner with quality manufacturers in the niche and leverage their global marketing and customer support teams to sell the products around the world. But this, of course, is just a glimpse of the businesses bursting forth of our guest today. So where does he come up with the ideas as this seems a stumbling block for so many people online today? And does he ever worry that he’s taking on too much and he could lose focus? Well, let’s find out as we bring on to the show to start joining up with the one and only Mr. Mario Nawfal. Good morning, Mario. How are you?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [2:23]
Good man yourself, David i love the intro, how clear it was. And you’ve done your homework. You mentioned things that got my brain going as well.
David Ralph [2:31]
It’s one of those intros, and I must admit, I do a lot of research on the guests. And you’re one pricks my interest because for so many reasons. Number one, without being you know, I’m an old fart basically, now, you’re a young guy, okay? You started it with just 300 pounds in the bank. And you seem like you’re in the ideas burn. And through join up dots were very much focused on saying to people out there, the ideas aren’t the problem. It’s the restricting the ideas that come to you once they stopped flooding in businesses a to a penny, did you have that same same stumbling block at the beginning, but you couldn’t sort of get going, you couldn’t get your brain into gear?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [3:10]
It was sort of thought you ask you what I’ve had too many ideas. So it’s the shiny object syndrome, where I’m watching one thing after the other after the other, is that the problem that you’re affected, because I definitely have that problem.
David Ralph [3:21]
But not just now is at the very beginning, what we find very beginning is people can’t get going, because they can’t think of a idea. But then once they do get going, they start flooding towards them. Are you the same?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [3:36]
Yeah. Look, what I recommend for anyone starting out, it’s about finding something that works, it’s really difficult to find something where people will pay you for it. And there’s Jim Collins has a book Good to Great he calls it the pebbles. So you throw pebbles at a boat or whatever. And then one one pebble hits when someone buys your product. So one person, you’ll get the incredible feeling First off, as is a proof of concept. And then he’s doubled down like crazy. So that’s what I did. When I started my business. I sold everything Dorito I started with water filters and coffee machines and LED lights, TV spots. And then when something clicked, which was high end blenders over commercial blenders initially, when something works double down like crazy. Now I relied on going out there knocking on doors. It with today’s technology got something called Google Trends, which is free, but it’s underrated. Not many people are using it that allows you to find things that work allow you to research industries that you can enter that are not too competitive, but they’re definitely on the upside. So doing your homework finding an industry to get into will be a great step. And then you just got to do it. You just got to take that first step and test the market.
David Ralph [4:50]
Okay, so did that first step. Okay. Everything you said, totally clear understand it. But I think there’s a self limiting beliefs people have to be experts in that thing. They need to know the ins and outs, they need to know the ducks backside, as we say in the United Kingdom, old that product. Is that true? Or can you find teams and find a way of starting something, but you really aren’t an expert in
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [5:19]
being an expert house. But it’s not necessary at all. When I started selling blenders I knew nothing about when I started knocking on doors. I was doing banking at finance and university I was more of an introvert very, you know, kept to myself not shy. But I was definitely not the type of person that would like to be kicked out of an office by some some found some Secretary that has an ego. So I hated that. But I did it. I took that step. Now with blend this, not only was I not an expert, I’m still not an expert, I’ve just hired experts around me. So you definitely don’t need to be an expert, whatever it is that you’re doing. Just got to be better than the next person that just take that step ahead. If you’re teaching people so a lot of people now are getting in the educational space teaching others how to do things. Even when you teach. Tony Robbins was talking about it with some other guy they’ve launched a mastermind just go mastermind calm, they were talking about it. And they said even if you’re teaching things, when Tony Robbins and the guy that he’s with started, they were not experts, when they started doing what they’re doing. They just had to be that one step ahead of everyone else. And they’ll teach them the next step. And they’ll learn as they teach. Catch Me If You Can the movie. They asked him it’s a true story. I forgot the name of the guy. But do you know who the movie I’m referring to? Yeah, we
David Ralph [6:39]
know Joe and Tom Hanks.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [6:41]
Exactly. Yeah. So the Austin the one part that wasn’t in the movie, but that actually happened. He became a teacher, I think is a physics class, you know, I think was University College. That’s how did you do it? You knew nothing about physics, I think it was physics. And he said, you know, all I had to do was learn one chapter ahead of everyone else. That’s it. So you’re just one that one step ahead of everyone, you’ll be able to teach them that step while you learn the next step. So you can spend forever to become an expert. And then it becomes an excuse for you to delay the uncomfortable first step, taking that step forward. You could delay it forever with that excuse. But once you take that first step, you realize that you don’t need to be an expert. I was not an expert. When I launched my blog, my business selling blenders and juices. I’m still not an expert. And I was not an expert when I launched my blockchain consulting firm, back two years ago, two and a bit years ago, I think, not less, two years ago, and I was not an expert. I knew nothing about blockchain. But what I did was always a step ahead, no, always learning every single day, I brought experts around me, I learned from them. And within six months, I got a bootstrap to seven figures and six months and consulting firm. So and I was not an expert in blockchain, either. I was more of an e commerce entrepreneur.
David Ralph [7:51]
Well, I must admit, in my previous life, I used to be a financial trainer. And I used to stand up doing courses. And the majority of time I was teaching people that new data side more about that subject. When I did, I just knew that one thing that I was having to teach. And then the next day, I’d learned another thing, and I would just teach them back. And a week later, it was in one ear out the other, you know, I couldn’t remember it. I just knew what I needed to know. And presented it with competence. And it’s that confidence where I think the online world struggle at the beginning to make it look sexy. And I think they’d be interested in your point of view in this area. I think a lot of people actually try to over sexy things, and almost fabricate a fantasy lifestyle, where you see them on YouTube. And I’ve always by an infinity pool, or there by some beach or a boat and you think you’re just on holiday, maybe you’re on holiday, and you’re making that video making it seem a lot better. Is that a problem? Do you think do you think people over 65 things when actually they don’t have to?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [8:58]
They do and the market has reacted. As more and more people are doing that. There’s even companies I heard that offer that service. And what happened now is that people are starting to shy away from anyone with those fancy cars, that fancy holiday, you know, I’ve got I’ve done really well. I’ve been very, very comfortable. I’ve been traveling for six years. If you look at my Instagram, which my team launched, they started doing my Instagram a few weeks ago. Now it’s very new, I think, a month and a half ago, and nothing to do with there’s no fancy cars always take, you know, fancy background, they told me to make a video about it. I just did it in my Airbnb, I said, You know, I don’t want a fancy office, because I kept it very raw and genuine. And even though that’s an overused word, be transparent and genuine and all that it actually works because everyone is trying to fake their lifestyle, which is not great for them because they feel like sh*t when the camera goes off, because they don’t have that lifestyle. But also, people will see through it, and people are starting to get turned off by it. Now I’m not saying it doesn’t work at all. Otherwise tai lopez the influencer would not do it. Tai Lopez does. And he’s a smart guy. He does it because it gets awareness. But once you get people’s awareness, and I prefer to get my awareness just being genuine in the first place. But once you get that awareness with fancy cars and fancy hands, because that’s aspirational, people want to get to that level. Then if you start giving value, that’s all that counts. That’s what followers don’t matter, people that follow you because you have a Lamborghini and a half naked girl next to you. That doesn’t count. But what counts is people that will follow you engage and learn from you and take action by your program afterwards. And then tell you to us later how you’ve helped them. It does bring a lot of fulfillment. And that’s where the fake photos on Instagram and YouTube videos and all that does not help.
David Ralph [10:38]
He’s nice to have the naked girl by the side of it. Hey,
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [10:42]
I’ve never had a naked girl and a Lamborghini by my side.
David Ralph [10:48]
You can choose one Mario, you can’t have both of them. What? Are you gonna go with it?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [10:51]
I’ll go with a naked girl. I don’t need a Lamborghini I’ve driven in Vegas is boring as hell. Just quick question is cursing allowed on your podcast. So I’m careful for
David Ralph [11:00]
I always say to people, if you’re happy with some kid hearing what you’re going to say even go for it. And you know, it’s it’s, it’s up to you. So that’s why we say
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [11:13]
did you do on purpose?
David Ralph [11:15]
No, not at all. That’s just how we roll on join up dots now. If you want to launch into something, you go for it, there’s there’s no problem at all. Now let’s take it back. Let’s take you back to that door to door salesman, okay. You started your business, he had hustle. And that is a hard job to do. And I know because I’ve done it myself. And you learn people skills, you learn the ability to take a relationship and build a relationship very, very quickly. Did you learn more from that than anything else that you’ve done? Since I would suggest you probably did.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [11:52]
It’s absolutely true. I’ve done I was doing banking and finance University. I was obsessed with learning. I would read books hours a day I was doing a degree at university, I was doing a diploma on the side. And I was doing any course I can buy online, including some Harvard courses that they used to sell back then. So I was working like crazy. And then I jumped into door knocking. And I got into that because I saw a video of a young boy called Farah gray. And I was 2021. And he said how he’s made his first million dollars at age 13 or 14. And I realized I wasn’t too young. And then I started going out there and door knocking. And it’s the best learning lesson I’ve had. I was so driven after seeing that video. So that’s it, I put my mind into it. And I went door to door knock, it was the most uncomfortable thing to do. But it was one of the most effective tools that I’ve built over the last few years to get me to where I am now. And to give me the confidence to do literally anything whether jumping on a podcast or I was doing a webinar an hour ago, my first webinar or talking to investors talking anything, nothing scares me anymore. Because I went through the door knocking face I got the toughened me up really well.
David Ralph [13:00]
Review, I used to be a cold caller on the phones, I used to have to pick it up. Yeah, and I used to do that. And then I ran a team. And it’s not that much different from this, it really isn’t that we connect three seconds beforehand. And hopefully we can build a relationship that translates to useful information. I think that was the the podcast training of my life. The the code coding is interesting helping dots do join up wherever you look.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [13:28]
The church and I before that as well, I did Toastmasters. And that helps you Public Speaking of Tampa, Toastmasters and I started studying body language as well. So I tried to prepare myself as much as possible. But nothing prepares you as much as just jumping in and doing it and failing. In the first few times. You know, that’s human nature, humans are survivors and they adapt. So when you start doing it, whatever it is, you will adapt whether you like it or not, this takes time and takes persistence.
David Ralph [13:58]
Well, let’s play some motivation. No words. Now we’re going to be coming back to Mario,
Jim Carrey [14:02]
my father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could have survived. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.
David Ralph [14:29]
Now, I was just interviewing a guy before you Mario, who was telling me a story about how his first company that he set up, he started it just to make some money. And it went off to a point. But he sold it a few years later for several million, which ran propelled him to build a number one that was 300 million, and he’s done very well for himself. Now he was saying, if he hadn’t got the success with that first one, he would probably be in a totally different place. Today, he wouldn’t have the competence to actually think bigger, dream bigger, and push forward. Now we’ve through v. Australia, looking back on it, thank God, it was a success, because you’re doing so well. But would you say a similar story. But if it had been a failure, you might have ended up being a totally different person.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [15:19]
I should really look I’ve never been asked that question before.
It’s how hindsight is 2020 it’s hard to tell, I don’t know, I think I will continue hustling, I’d be a different person, maybe. But I would still look for that next opportunity because I was young and hungry. And you when you’re young and hungry, and your goal is to make money and back then it was to get out of that now had no money really. And it was to make money in the early stages. And then it became more more than that. You find a way as long as you’re just hustling and looking for that next opportunity. So honestly, I would think I would have just found another opportunity enough proven that as well. I’ve been through hell and back over the last few years, have almost lost everything I’ve had start again, I’ve had to bootstrap other business this is and that drive is what always got me to find another way to to make money.
David Ralph [16:09]
It always seems to me that an immediate success is in many ways the wrong way of doing it. Now we see this in the United Kingdom. And I’m sure in America and Australia with programs like x factor and American Idol, where somebody comes through the competition, by win it by suddenly have a number one record and then you don’t hear from them ever again. Where the real bands that have got going on the ones that have worked through pubs and rubbish bars and just worked hard at over years and years and years. Is there. Is there a problem nowadays that people think that there’s an X factor to online, and there isn’t that hustle and persistence?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [16:53]
For every Steve Jobs there’s another thousands of steve jobs out there that probably just as smart, if not smarter, or had a model the same tools or that had the same knowledge, or the same dreams or the same ideas. But they’ve got no money in the bank today. No one knows their name. So that’s why I said earlier, when you find something that works when you’re in the right time, the right place at the right time capitalize on it, there is no such thing as an overnight success, you’ll hear of them. I’m not saying Steve Jobs has an office, nice success, the point I was making is that you’ll hear that X Factor watch X Factor, I don’t know what it is, I think it’s similar to American Idol where you sing in your window, you can do something, there is that winner that that manages to succeed. But don’t forget, don’t let your brain trick you. And make you forget the thousands that applied that did not even go through, they sat there waiting to go through. And they’re right now living in their mom’s house in their parents house. Because they did not get on to X Factor, they had no plan B instead, you know, hopefully you get the overnight success. Luck plays an important factor in life. And if you’d be silly to forget that. But if you depend on it, you’re taking a massive risk go out there. Look for the next opportunity when you’re working hard and we go your eyes open looking for the next opportunity, luck will help you out. So there is no overnight success. It’s very, very, very rare to land on an idea that will lead to overnight success. So instead look at you know, building that that Lego brick by brick, and that’s what will lead that’s what leads to 99.999% of successes out there. It’s not that 1% that depends on luck, or that wins the lottery.
David Ralph [18:31]
Yeah, and no matter who it is listeners out there, you know, the legends of music, the legends of business, whatever. There’s a backstory, there’s a backstory of persistence. And what you should do is get autobiographies out or get onto YouTube and watch autobiographies because you will realize, but the overriding success factor is persistence. That’s my token, believe what you think Marissa?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [18:57]
Exactly every time there’s someone that says open success. But if you read the story of that person that’s considered an overnight success. And I mentioned Steve Jobs earlier, read Steve Jobs biography or less million other people. I haven’t actually No, I’ve never seen an overnight success business person. Maybe the Instagram story is one. I haven’t read their story. But it’s been rare to find that what does that say out of the millions of billionaires out there self made billionaires, if you can’t even find one, or you struggled to find one, or 10 or 100. overnight successes, just do the math. It either doesn’t exist or if they exist, it’s very, very miniscule. If you got to sit down depending on that you shouldn’t even be listening to this podcast because you need to take steps to work hard and build this step by step. Good things take time.
David Ralph [19:46]
Now, one of the things that interested me was the fact that you said that you’ve just done your first webinar, and certainly in the environment, but I mean, I’m doing webinars all the time, I’m doing podcasts, I’m doing all that. And it took me by surprise, starting my show, right? I could do the show very well, but the amount of upscaling and learning but I had to do behind the scenes to make it a success. I was naive, I was green when I went into it, is that something that still takes you by surprise that literally 80% of your efforts are about upscaling to get those 20% rewards.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [20:29]
I would say it’s not I didn’t sit there preparing for the webinar. And I was very comfortable on the webinar. But if I compare it to my first podcast interview, it was it was it was tough. But I don’t look at what I’ve done in the last few weeks or few months to prepare for that webinar. I look at my life over the last six years when I started my first business. If the same Mario six years ago that was at university before starting to do and I believe in what to do or not. There’s no way I would be speaking to you the way I am now I had to construct your construct to your don’t look at who you are either. It’s who you becoming. So who am I who am I going to be tomorrow, the next day or in a few hours. So when when you want to do something, it’s really tough. You prepare for a show, but there’s nothing that will get you to becoming a person that can constantly do it until you jump in and do it. So webinar just got on and did it. Actually I was late for the webinar, the guy organizing it had a technical issue. I had nothing prepared except the points I want to talk about. But I just jumped in and get it got it going. I had a bit of nervous for a first few seconds. And then it just disappeared. And I had my an attorney on the call as well as it was me and him during the webinar. And it was really comfortable. So I honestly think with everything I’m doing now, it’s how I personal and business is taking that first step that counts. It is so important. And I’m just imagining some of the sitting there struggling to take that step. It will free you in so many ways. And I’ll say this someone on a personal level as well. I said you’ve got to open up and take those uncomfortable types of minds. Tim Ferriss, I think he said it, the amount of someone said in his book towards the title, the amount of he can measure someone’s success by the amount of uncomfortable things they do in life, whether it’s an uncomfortable discussion, or an uncomfortable experience or uncomfortable first step, it makes a tremendous difference. The people that will if you’re sitting there competing with someone else, you’re worried to take that first step, but they take it, they’re going to be ahead in life. So webinar interview business, asking a girl on a date, take that first step, if you fail, you still have another leg to take the next step.
David Ralph [22:32]
Yeah, I can totally understand what you’re saying. But in a business, a lot of times you’re in the weeds, and you’re fighting through the weeds, and you don’t know what you need to do to build that business to scale that business until you go into it. And it takes everyone by surprise. So with your multiple income streams, how far removed? Are you from those weeds? How far removed? Are you from the kinds of things that bogged down. So many of the entrepreneurs out there, we’ve sales funnels and email marketing and lead magnets and PDFs and all that kind of stuff.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [23:06]
I do it I’ve done it all. Now I delegate it now. But I still jump in and go through the I do a lot of copywriting now, that’s one thing from sales. So I go, I look at the ad, I fix things I look at the website, they’re missing one of our websites from magenta to Shopify, I’m digging in looking at the copywriting on that website, looking at the landing page they’re sent to me last night to look at. So I do all of that all these weeds, I still get in there. And I’m listening to podcasts every day to stay sharp. I think if I if I take myself out completely, which I did two years ago. And it’s good to get to that level. But losing touch completely when you get to a stage or at where I’m at is not a bad thing. But it’s a risky thing to do, especially if you don’t have the right people around you. I hope that answers your question.
David Ralph [23:50]
28 Day does, because it always interest me. I used to run teams up in London many, many years ago. And one of the things that I always did was I knew their job better than they knew them themselves. And so if I said to me, I’ve got too much work, I could look at it and go, No, you haven’t, that can be done. And I just I knew the nuts and bolts of it. And it just seems to me that there’s this this balance, I suppose that people are walking where they want to free themselves from their business. But ultimately, they’re losing the control. And they’re putting the trust in people too much. As far as I can see. Now I said Mario, you’ve got to separate yourself from it. But I see people separating themselves from it too much. And actually being at risk.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [24:37]
Look, it’s if you want to scale to to the hundreds of millions, or 10s of millions, you’ve got to get to a stage where you can support yourself where you have people doing the work, they better at doing it than yourself, it will fail it failed me because I hired the wrong people. But now if you tell me to jump in certain areas of my business, the people doing it know better how to do it the I do. It is a risk. It’s very easy to say for entrepreneurs, they do this all the time, they would, they would say that I’ve delegated someone that didn’t do a good job. I’ve actually gone through someone now that’s telling me this over the last few days, he works in my company, but he’s doing his own thing as well. And I delegated. They did it and they did it wrong. And when I look at how they delegated the work, they barely gave the person doing it any tools and the person doing it was not even qualified to do so. So having the right team members that are better than you There’s a saying, No, my goal is to have when I go in the boardroom to have people around me smarter than me. Yeah, I would rephrase that was smarter than me at doing what what it is that they’re doing hiring intelligent people is so important when I say intelligent actually mean intelligent, intelligent in terms of being clearly something they don’t know. Because everything is changing all the time. They’re in a position where they can learn it. And I’ve never thought about its iPhone for hire an AdWords expert, or a Facebook marketing expert there expert says expert the description they know what they’re doing. But there’s such a difference when they hire Facebook expert. That is just as a person in life, there’s also curious and wanting to learn new things that understand things very quickly, versus someone that just knows ABC because I read it in a book. And therefore they do. That level of cleanliness, I don’t know if that makes sense is so powerful. And the best person for this is my brother and my co he came in the company’s a cool we person very fluid. He came in, he didn’t know a lot of things. But whenever there’s a fire and I put him in, somehow he learns things and he comes to me, Mario, this is not as complicated as it looks. So clearly, the other people call them full stack people that are full stack employees, they know everything about everything in anything they don’t know they can learn, they very important to have as well, because they can come in and break down what other people are doing. There will be a lot of inefficiencies, especially when you hire the young people. So it’s a long winded answer. But in brief, hiring the right people, whether they call whether they’re full stack or an expert, a subject matter expert in whatever it is they’re doing, hiring the right people will allow you to take a step back, if you take it without hiring the wrong people, you’ll end up like me, you’ll shoot yourself in the foot. But if you hire it with the right people and the right systems that you’ve set up, you can then focus on the next thing. And I can take a year off from my company. So I now come back and they’ll run. I will say just as well as maybe just as well, because I’ve hired the right people around me to do what they’re doing. Well, that
David Ralph [27:29]
leads us into the perfect segue to the next question. Just before we started recording, I asked you, you know, are you from Australia? And you said, Well, I don’t know anymore? Because I travel around so much and not really. I’m connected with somewhere? How are you operating your business? When you’re in Dubai at the moment? Where did you have a head office? Do you have any kind of regional office? Is it all online?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [27:55]
Lots of our team members are in mind we have an office. So we’ve always had my first office ever actually they moved a few months ago, but was originally my first office and that’s in Australia. But that was the most of my e commerce businesses then we still have it there with a with a warehouse. But most of the team members are remote. I people ask me question, how do you manage remote people remotely, etc. And because I started my businesses that way, you know, I was working out of home. And then I scaled to 3030 something countries in the first two years, I had to hire remotely in Germany, in France and Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Czech and that it was natural for me. Like why not? Some I can work from an office the same way they can work from home, how do you monitor them, there are tools where you can record their screen, you can look at what they’ve achieved, they can send you a weekly report. So for me, it’s just the way I run my businesses. And even to this day, I’ve been traveling for six years. I’m just used to it. That’s just I don’t know, it’s just my lifestyle. Now, I just got into that lifestyle. And let’s just show the six years ago and haven’t haven’t settled since I’ve only been back to Australia once a few months ago. And even I’ve just built that lifestyle. Even when I go to Australia, I was there. As I said I was there two weeks ago, for a few months for three months, I was staying at an apartment next to my office. But they expected to see me there all the time. And I couldn’t, I’m used to working in malls and shopping malls. So I would always go to the mall, a laptop and work, especially when they close, it’s all empty, but I can still go in or go there the lightest alone, I would avoid my coffee and I work in malls. So built that lifestyle that I’m used to now. And I don’t think there’s one right way of doing it. I think having an office has a lot of advantages, able to see people that physical interaction is really powerful. But some of our best team members work remotely, I try to encourage video calls that have them. Sometimes I’ve met all my team members at least once, it does help to do so. But I’m hiring people now that I’ve never met. Actually, there’s a lot of people that haven’t met that work closely with me, including all the people on the webinar three, the dead, that was me three people on the webinar. And three, two of them. One of them was going my CEO, my brother, who I’ve met too many times, and then the other two people I’ve never met, one of them is my business partner. And another is the guy that does a lot of my personal branding and pumping out content. So it just makes sense for me. You don’t need to have people at an office.
David Ralph [30:21]
So what would be a normal day for you? Are you sort of somebody that could pretty much work seven days a week or not work seven days a week do you have to check in or you know, what’s a normal day,
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [30:33]
I do two things in life, I dance and I work I love would both I just do what I love. I’ve got a very comfortable life. And I sometimes have to close my eyes and just appreciate what I have, even though I’ve been through hell and back in the last two years. It’s been a crazy two years from a business perspective. But I love working. I love the hustle of building something. I hate the stress of it. But I love the business and the people that rely on the company that helped me build the company that love dancing. So I would wake up and jump on calls, do my daily exercise in the morning, start my calls, work, work, work, work, practice, dance, maybe a bit research, practicing a daytime as well and then go dance at night, seven days a week. That’s essentially all I do. And of course, sometimes I might travel to events, etc. But I’ve stopped doing that recently.
David Ralph [31:20]
So So where’s the stresses coming for you, Marissa what you hate the stresses, what’s what’s big on your feet missed?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [31:28]
Look, as long as the company’s financially healthy, I am fine. Surviving. Finances kicking, that’s when it’s tough. And last he was about a year ago was really, really tough. One of my companies almost went bust because it was scammed by team members people that I was very, very close to. And that’s what kicked off my personal branding. I didn’t have LinkedIn did not Facebook, Instagram, I was very, very private, and team members that I wanted them to be the face of the company. And I really built, built them to they started leading the company, they took advantage of it. And it was an industry that was really was a lot of hype. And then I was a scam pretty badly as a legal case against them now, and and it was really, really low. What they did is very painful on a personal level and business as well. I’ve even spoken about it now on YouTube videos, and I’ve done an interview with a cold, they want to speak to me and understand the full story of what happened. So that that’s one example of stress. That’s just really just graduated. And really, that’s part of success of every single entrepreneur look up. And I see the successes, surprisingly, and I did not expect this. All of them have not all but most and I’ve been through similar phases, where the world, the world, but when that happens, I read the book. The obstacle is the way it’s a stoic book by Ryan Holliday I’ve read about last year, but also just remember one thing and it’s so true to fact and this historic quote, and apparently, but whenever the world feels like it’s coming to an end, David it probably isn’t. And whenever it’s feels like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. There’s nothing, nothing, don’t when you’re launching a business, don’t look for that opportunity that will make you a millionaire in three days, or three weeks or three months. Because if you do see such an opportunity, and they come up all the time, they’re probably fake and they usually up. And at the same time when you feel like everything just gone to zero. It probably hasn’t. And just take a step back, relax. And I’ve had that feeling a lot last year. And when the world and especially the last two years world felt like it’s coming apart complete. I’ve lost everything. And then it turns out, it’s not the case.
David Ralph [33:42]
I totally agree with you with join up dots I got to $1 basically $1. That’s all I had. And I could not see your way of supporting the show and growing the show. But you get through it. And I look back on it. And I think to myself, yeah, okay. But that was the worst time when literally it was bankruptcy of and get back into employment and get a job. But I couldn’t go back. I just knew Marissa, there was no way that I could step back away from building what I’m building and working for somebody, I would have been so miserable. So do you have to have that kind of no plan B? Or is it better to have loads of planes, and then find the one that suits you best and keep moving forward.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [34:27]
And I’m learning all the time. And from people that are much smarter than me, they will say the more you plan, the more you’re prepared. I didn’t have Plan B. Now I do. By the reminder, I use a lot of reminders on my Asana project management tool had to always you know, what are my plan B do like a what if exercise, what if this happens? What if that happens? I don’t do it as often as I should. My brother is really good at doing it with me. And he’s always by my side during stressful periods of time. But I think it’s important to have a plan B when I say Plan B, it doesn’t have to be employment, but even employment, you know, sounds miserable, I’ve never been employed. So I would not have know how I function. But then when you get into that stage, when your employees for example, even when you’re when you get there, you realize it’s not as bad as you think you might have an important job. But doesn’t mean you can’t do something on the side a day as 24 hours. That’s plenty of time to do other things on the side as well. So the words when you start thinking about the worst things that could happen, and the obstacle is the way he talks about it, what’s the worst that could happen? Imagine it close your eyes and imagine it. But when you do that, you realize that hey, now it’s actually not as bad as I expected to be if I could survive. The worst thing I could do right now is I could lose all my companies David all the people that I that trust me and I trust them. Team members, family members ever will just go to zero. But people are survivors, I’m sure they’ll find another job, I’m sure they’ll do well. And what will happen to me will I’m as long as I can Death Watch dance, I can put music on my phone and dance practice and then go up costs $10 for that. And to get it to the club, 10 2050, depending on the country, if I don’t travel, I don’t care i’m sick of traveling anyway, are several somewhere. And I’ll just do my next thing and build my next business. And if anything, that failure becomes a you know, a tool in asset because I can tell people about it. When my when sh*t hit the fan and my other company was scanned. I took that as an opportunity to document how to deal with a scam and they made a video about it. So I’ve got it all documented. And you can actually watch me because while documenting it, I started realizing that actually there were more people that were scamming me involved in it. And I was on the call. And my videographer was recording me was saying no way that’s not true. And it was all documented. me finding out that the scam was a lot deeper than expected. When I thought it was over was actually continuing. And the optical the issue, the worst case scenario turned up, I turned it into an opportunity and I kicked off my personal branding. Now I’m helping a lot of people going to incubators speaking on podcast is trying to bring as much value as I can. Something I would not have done if that didn’t happen in 2018. I’m sure I wouldn’t have done it at least not yet. But to answer your question directly, Plan B is always good imagining Plan B and having it ready to get more prepared, the better.
David Ralph [37:20]
Well, let’s listen to a man who I’m not sure if he did have a plan B. But he certainly had a good way of talking his Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs [37:28]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [38:03]
Well, just hearing you on the podcast, Mario’s office that you’re enthusiastic, your youthful you’ve got passion. But where do you where do you put your faith? As he says, When you’ve got a trust in something? Is it yourself? Is it a process? What would you look for?
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [38:21]
Sure, I’ll answer that question. And alpha gave it some thought while listening to jobs about Plan B. I wanted to mention one quick thing there David if you don’t mind, I think it’s important for people to realize this. The human brain is not made to plan. And I was just saying it to someone earlier, they asked me to predict something in one of my companies and I said the human brain can’t predict comp plan. So it’s it’s it helps to have plans and and be prepared. But at the same time, your plans could go to nothing when something happens because really hard to predict those things. And that’s been my experience. I’ve never really been prepared for the things that happened. So as to clarify that point. Now, in terms of what I believe in, many got tough questions. What do I believe in? And so in terms of believing like, what will what I believe will get me through whatever it is that I’m facing? Is that a Amman and incentive question right there?
David Ralph [39:15]
Yeah, I think so.
Unknown Speaker [39:17]
What will get me through
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [39:21]
I know that I know how to make money. I know that I am in it sounds very basic, and then potentially superficial, but also know that money is what pays for me to have, and pays everything it facilitates the lifestyle that I have is not a fancy lifestyle. I’m very, very down to earth. So how facilitates travels, facilitates my family who works with me, facilitates the the employees have been with me for years. I know how to build businesses, and have. And that’s what i believe i believe that I will no matter what happens. It’s in my nature now that I will fight through when on the the first crisis hit about two and a bit two and half years ago was in Slovenia, I went through four nights of no sleep. And I managed to to, I couldn’t sleep, but I just couldn’t go to sleep because I had to fight it until I knew there was a way forward, I knew what was going to happen. So that Dr. Knowing that no matter what happens, I will find a way is one thing that drives me and just being stoic in the way I look at everything. Plus, I’m lucky to have family members that work with me. there’s pros and cons to that. But the pros for me outweigh the cons. And the people I trust, I know that they will be there by my side, no matter what the people I can trust. And that helps me get through a lot of the tough times I’ve been through.
David Ralph [40:43]
Well, it certainly sounds like you’ve got it all worked out. And I wish you the best as you move forward. Now, of course, maybe the younger version of you would need some of your help. And this is the bit that we call the Sermon on the mic, when we’re going to send you back in time to have a one on one with the young man yo. And if you could go back in time and speak to the younger version, what age would you choose? And what I advice would you give him where we’re gonna find out, because I’m going to play the music. And when it beats you up, this is the Sermon on the mic.
Unknown Speaker [41:19]
Go with
Unknown Speaker [41:22]
the show.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [41:37]
I’m trying to think of a time where not only our to be very valuable to me. So I wanted to be very selfish. And I’m thinking about when I was at university, I’d say two things to myself back when I was at uni, even High School. First thing is just drop out of UT, it’s not helping you become an entrepreneur. So that’s the first thing, don’t waste your time there. But the second thing is do the uncomfortable things. Get out there. And this learn as much as you can do as many things as you can. Back then I was behind the scenes, always learning, always constructing myself, which was good, it helped. But it took me a while to go out there and get my hands dirty. So I think if I get it in there sooner, and jump into the battlefield sooner, it will have will bring me value even even earlier than that. So that will be the thing I would give myself as a recommendation. And when the world repeat one thing, when the world feels like it’s coming apart when the world feels like it’s coming to an end. It probably isn’t. Just always remember that. And I think that applies for everyone. Remember that no matter how tough it is. I’ve been through hell in the last two years. And I’m telling you from experience is not my life is just as good as it was three years ago.
David Ralph [42:57]
Right Stuff. Mario, what’s the number, the one best way that our audience can connect with you.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [43:04]
I’ll just go to my website, Mario norful.com. So Norful is awful, and is not spelled that way and Fanelli a file for W fo whiskey f4, Fred a file files larry.com or four.com. You’ll see everything there. And I’m starting to educate as much as I can. So you’ll see tremendous value on there for free.
David Ralph [43:24]
We will have over links on the show notes to make it as easy as possible. Mario, thank you so much for spending time with us today, joining up those dots. And please come back again when you got more dots to join up. Because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past it’s actually the best way to build our futures. Mario Thank you so much.
Froothie Founder Mario Nawfal [43:42]
love to chat. Thanks David
David Ralph [43:47]
Wow, he was sunny infused yesterday, compassionate wasn’t that great to see that somebody is willing to really give give it a go in such an optimistic way. Because I think so many people just moan and groan about stuff. And they say, Oh yeah, because of fat I couldn’t do. There’s nothing but you can’t do and because of fat, you get stronger and you learn better ways of doing it. And every failure I’ve had in my life, I certainly look at it now. And I think thank God for that. Really, it wasn’t pleasant at a time but certainly as made or a better show a better personal life, a better everything you learn you grow. And that is where true value comes from. Until next time, thank you so much for being here. jump over to join up dots at join up dots.com Connect with us bear. Join us on the monthly calls where we’re going to show you how you can start your own business, not just giving you the idea but showing you the whole process of online strategy. And until that time, I will see you again Look after yourselves. See ya bye bye
Outro [44:52]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become so he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to join up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on join up dots.
