#116 Keith Hawk: Relentless Focus on the Process

Keith "Pistol" Hawk was VP of Sales at LexisNexis where he led a salesforce of over 1,000 people. He co-authored "Get-Real Selling: Your Personal Coach for REAL Sales Excellence" and he's given many keynote speeches at corporate events about leadership. 

In this episode we discuss:

-How his upbringing helped him become self-reliant at an early age

-The power of presence when raising children

-The keys to a long, happy marriage 

-Pitfalls of leadership

-Having hard conversations at work, and more

Key Timestamps & Topics

[00:00 - 05:30] The Pistol Pete Origin Story

• How his kids nicknamed him "Pistol" after Pete Maravich

• Early athletic influences: Pete Rose's "Charlie Hustle" mentality

• The value of effort over pure talent

• Growing up in small-town Ohio

[05:30 - 12:00] Early Lessons in Self-Reliance

• Selling seeds door-to-door at age 11

• Paper routes and ice cream sales at ballparks

• "You lose the fear of the word no"

• Parents who didn't helicopter - letting kids deal with adversity

[12:00 - 18:30] His Father's Inspiring Journey

• Dad went from factory welder to engineering degree

• Driving 45 miles each way to night school for 8 years

• Graduating college the same week Pistol graduated high school

• "He really worked hard for a guy that didn't like school when he was young"

[18:30 - 25:00] Parenting Philosophy: Presence Over Interference

• Not being helicopter or "lawnmower" parents

• The one-match fire challenge and building self-reliance

• Being available for counsel without leading by the nose

• "Very good for counsel, especially my dad"

[25:00 - 32:00] The Ultimate Dad Move

• Missing only 2 games in AJ's 11-year NFL career

• Splitting games with his wife during college overlap years

• "You go to your kids' games, right? I just get to do it for a longer time"

• AJ flying back for kids' games during NFL Draft weekend

[32:00 - 40:00] Youth Sports Coaching Wisdom

• Focus practice time on playing the game, not calisthenics

• "These are kids. They're already in shape"

• Multi-sport over specialization: "It's about competing"

• The "running a Trotwood" team-building exercise

[40:00 - 48:00] Marriage: Keeping It Fresh After 45 Years

• The daily ritual: brushing teeth before going home

• "I want to treat her like I'm going on a date with her"

• Avoiding the trap of taking each other for granted

• Being intentional about being a servant leader

[48:00 - 55:00] Sales Philosophy: Success Follows Customer Success

• Writing "Get Real Selling" only on airplanes

• "My success can only follow the success of the customer"

• Why great salespeople are listeners, not talkers

• The stereotype problem with sales

[55:00 - 65:00] Leadership Lessons: Front Lines vs. Ivory Tower

• Leading a 1,500-person sales organization

• The importance of being on customer calls

• "There's no substitute for direct communication"

• Focus on process metrics, not just end results

• "What are the plays we're running that are successful?"

[65:00 - 75:00] Hiring: Simulations Beat Interviews

• AT&T's all-day simulation process

• "Interviews are useful, but are not enough"

• Looking for organization and listening skills

• Putting candidates in the "natural habitat" of the job

[75:00 - 85:00] The Career Pivot That Changed Everything

• Getting replaced as head of sales

• Proactively approaching the new CEO with a solution

• "I am a collection of experiences, skills, and knowledge"

• Five years as the "battle-tested" customer problem solver

• Coming back as "a sharpened weapon"

[85:00 - 92:00] Golf and Making Yourself Available

• The "Join Us" philosophy on the golf course

• Meeting 70-80 new people in four months

• "If you make yourself available, people really appreciate that"

[92:00 - 98:00] Rapid Fire: Books, Advice, and Legacy

• Recommended episodes: Kat Cole, George Raveling, latest Hawk Boys episode

• Book recommendations: "The Score That Matters," "In Search of Excellence"

• What he hopes his sons say about him: "He was always there for me when I needed him"

[98:00 - 102:00] Three Career Success Principles

• Organize your life: Be proud of how you go about your business

• Become a tremendous communicator: Public speaking can help you "outrun your other skillset"

• Always be a great teammate: Not just an individual contributor

Key Quotes

"My success can only follow the success of the customer."

"Great players are easy to scout. It's the good ones that lure you into thinking they're great."

"You've gotta fight through the nos to get to the yeses."

"It's our duty as a leader to be in a good mood."

"Little eyes are watching all the time."

Resources Mentioned

• Book: "Get Real Selling" by Keith Hawk and Michael Boland

• Book: "The Score That Matters" by Ryan Hawk

• Book: "In Search of Excellence" by Tom Peters

• Podcast: The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

#115 Ariel Kaye: The Art of Progress Over Perfection

Ariel Kaye is the founder and CEO of Parachute, the Los Angeles-based home essentials brand she launched in 2014. With no prior retail experience, Ariel transformed a simple observation about the lack of quality, non-toxic bedding into a multi-million dollar company that has redefined the direct-to-consumer home goods space. Before founding Parachute, she worked in marketing and media, experiences that proved invaluable in building a brand known for its storytelling and customer-centric approach. Today, Parachute operates retail stores across the country and has partnered with major retailers like Target, all while maintaining its mission of bringing comfort and quality into people's homes.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why "I'll figure it out" is a legitimate business strategy – How embracing uncertainty and learning as you go can be more powerful than having all the answers upfront

• The transformative power of belief – How one friend's confidence in her abilities changed everything, and why believing in others (and telling them so) can literally change lives

• Why asking for help is your secret weapon – How to overcome the fear that not knowing everything makes you weak, and why the best leaders are the ones who know what they don't know

• How to handle rejection without losing momentum – Practical strategies for dealing with hundreds of "nos" from investors while staying focused on your vision

• The art of progress over perfection – Why small, consistent actions often matter more than grand gestures, especially for high achievers who get stuck in perfectionist cycles

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Check out the t-shirts for the podcast: https://www.bonfire.com/to-the-top-4/

Check out Parachute here

Follow Ariel on LinkedIn here

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SHOW NOTES:

Key Timestamps & Topics

Opening & Background (0:00 - 12:00)

• [0:00] Introduction and episode overview

• [1:30] Ariel's background and current role at Parachute

• [3:00] Growing up with entrepreneurial parents

• [5:15] Her mother's pioneering work in service learning education

• [7:20] Her father's chiropractic practice and how her parents met doing tai chi

• [9:45] How her unconventional upbringing shaped her worldview

• [11:30] Early career struggles and feeling "lost" after college

The Pivotal Moment (12:00 - 22:00)

• [12:00] The dinner at The Mermaid restaurant that changed everything

• [14:30] Eddie Kim's six words: "You're a CEO, you are a founder"

• [16:45] The immediate impact of having someone believe in her potential

• [18:20] The phone call to her parents announcing her decision

• [20:15] Her parents' reaction: surprise, concern, and ultimate support

• [21:30] Why she wasn't asking for permission, but announcing a decision

Taking the Leap (22:00 - 32:00)

• [22:00] Leaving New York for Los Angeles

• [24:15] Strategic reasons for choosing LA's startup ecosystem

• [26:30] The "I'll figure it out" mentality and embracing uncertainty

• [28:45] Joining an accelerator program in fall 2013

• [30:20] First realizations about not knowing everything

• [31:15] The transition from fear to acceptance of inexperience

Learning to Ask for Help (32:00 - 42:00)

• [32:00] Why asking for help initially felt like weakness

• [34:30] The accelerator experience and access to mentors

• [36:15] Discovering that all startups solve similar core problems

• [38:00] "People are generous with their time" - the revelation

• [39:45] How asking for help became her "superpower"

• [41:20] Building a network of fellow entrepreneurs and advisors

The Funding Gauntlet (42:00 - 52:00)

• [42:00] "Hundreds of meetings" with investors who said no

• [44:15] Common objections: "Where's your technical co-founder?"

• [46:30] Learning that investors look for reasons NOT to invest

• [48:45] How rejection taught her to refine her pitch and preparation

• [50:20] Finding her unique value proposition as a consumer advocate

• [51:30] Not internalizing doubt from investors who "didn't get it"

Launch and Early Success (52:00 - 60:00)

• [52:00] January 16, 2014 - official Parachute launch

• [53:30] Going from 6 to 20 to 40 orders per day in the first week

• [55:15] The emotional impact of seeing orders from unknown towns

• [57:00] Obsessively checking Shopify and watching live site activity

• [58:30] The first large order: "This has gotta be fraud, right?"

• [59:45] Media coverage and validation from strangers

Building a Mission-Driven Company (60:00 - 68:00)

• [60:00] Customer stories that shaped Parachute's deeper mission

• [62:15] Products appearing organically in Sex and the City

• [63:30] The power of comfort in people's most intimate spaces

• [65:00] Letters from customers during life's biggest moments

• [66:45] Partnership with Target and retail expansion

• [67:30] Why internal team collaboration matters most to her

Leadership and Paying It Forward (68:00 - 72:00)

• [68:00] Her leadership philosophy: empathy and believing in people

• [69:30] Mentoring other entrepreneurs and the power of encouragement

• [70:45] "Texting someone 'I believe in you' can change their life"

• [71:30] Building culture where people feel "happy, seen, supported"

Life Lessons and Advice (72:00 - 75:00)

• [72:00] Balancing motherhood and running a company

• [73:15] Three key pieces of advice for early career professionals

• [74:00] "Progress, not perfection" - why good enough is often enough

• [74:30] "Be kind" - it costs nothing but impacts everything

• [75:00] The importance of building community with fellow entrepreneurs

Key Quotes from the Episode

"I had never felt so consumed with an idea. Never felt so impassioned, had never felt so sure about something... mind you, I had no idea what I was doing."

"He looked at me and said, 'you're a CEO, you are a founder'... that single phrase fully changed the trajectory of my life."

"I realized that people were really generous with their time and if you have a question and you can ask it with clarity and you can ask it to the right person, people want to help."

"Investors are genuinely looking for reasons not to invest, not why they should invest. That was a real shift in my perspective."

"It's the power of progress, not perfection, that actually moves the needle."

"Texting someone like 'I believe in you' can literally change the course of someone's life."

Resources Mentioned

• Parachute - parachutehome.com

• Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Book: The Five Types of Wealth (mentioned as recent read)

• Target Partnership - Parachute products available at Target stores

• Eddie Kim - Early investor and board member who delivered the pivotal encouragement