Champion Mentality Meets Compassionate Advocacy: Bryan Bickell’s Remarkable Journey

[00:00:00] There’s a strong chance you’re not that far off from winning in business and at the game of life. It just takes one idea, but you gotta have unwavering belief and burning desire. If you can couple that with a lockdown strategy, that’s fueled by heart, hustle and muscle, you got a shot at winning. There’s one thing that all champions have in common.

[00:00:22] They get shit done. So welcome to the get shit done experience.

[00:00:28] All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Get Shit Done Experience. We also call it the GSDX. We are thrilled, thrilled to be bringing this podcast to you. My name is John Morris. I’m the Vice President of Brand and Demand Marketing for TTSG, GSD Technologies and 20Twenty Design. So the big question would be why in the world.

[00:00:55] Why are we doing a podcast? My role at the organization is to tell the brand story. And the best way to tell the brand story is through content creation. That’s authentic, vulnerable, entertaining, and educational. Every small to mid-sized business in the world right now needs to become a media company.

[00:01:18] The biggest challenge that I think I see in the marketplace right now is you have large companies that have an inferior product or service, but they have the revenue to create. Commercials, advertising, branding, marketing. So they can create more awareness and attention for their organization, but they’re ultimately selling an inferior product or service to the marketplace.

[00:01:47] And I find that to be part of what business is about, right? It’s part of the way that the working society operates, right? If you’ve got the most chips in your deck, in your stack, you’re going to be able to control the narrative. But we see so many small to mid-sized companies, including the ones that we partner with, that have a superior product or service.

[00:02:17] But just don’t get the attention and awareness that they deserve. So we feel compelled to not only tell our brand story, but to be the secondary reaction in the marketplace. Meaning we want to bring on customers. We want to bring on prospective clients. We want to bring on innovators. Authors, entertainers, people that really do get shit done, right?

[00:02:44] Like champions, people that are doing amazing work that are doing charitable work that are maybe under the radar and we want to bring them to the forefront. When you look at entrepreneurs, you have to come to the realization that at some point they made a decision. That decision was to push All the chips in, they took a huge risk.

[00:03:06] Many of them cashed in their 401k, their life savings. They borrowed big money from friends and family. They had a dream. They had an idea and they wanted to provide an opportunity for all of their employees. They wanted to better their families. They want to create a legacy, but moreover, they want to create an elite service.

[00:03:29] For their customers. They want to change the world and make it a better place. And it’s a shame that many of them don’t get the exposure that they deserve. So what is the get shit done experience all about? It’s about creating a platform for our amazing customers and our prospective customers and all of those out there that are doing amazing work, but maybe just don’t have a way.

[00:03:57] To creatively get that message out at the level that a large organization could. We want to be that vehicle to do that. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Now, you might be thinking, okay, you’re in, office equipment distribution and service, right? We’re, we’re TTSG is a distributor of Kyocera, Hewlett Packard, Zebra Technologies, Elite Service, and GSD Technologies.

[00:04:27] GSD, I’m sure you can recognize what that stands for. Technologies is a, MSP, so managed service provider. So anything you can think of as it relates to IT Solutions pretty much if it needs to be on a network, right? If it needs to be protected, like data recovery and cyber security and, If it needs to be cabled and it needs to essentially run efficiently and effectively at a third of the cost, but massively more efficient and effectively for a small to midsize business, then GSD Technologies is the answer for that.

[00:05:11] And then 20Twenty Design is a boutique marketing firm that’s doing digital marketing, pay-per-click, Google analytics, content creation, helping small to midsize companies to get their message out. So you’re probably thinking to yourself, okay, are you going to do a podcast talking about those things?

[00:05:33] And the answer is absolutely not. Yes, we want you to look into our organization. Yes. We would love to partner with you. Yes, we do sell things. I know there’s, that’s a big challenge in the marketplace, right? Nobody wants to be sold to. Okay, there’s some studies done that consumers want 85 percent of the buying process to be human less.

[00:05:56] So cool. So how do you get your message out then? You have to tell brand stories. You have to create content, but if your content isn’t infomercial, and your content is all about your products and services, who in the world is going to tune into that? Certainly I don’t. Certainly you shouldn’t. What you want to know.

[00:06:18] Is how the best of the best in all industries got that way because they didn’t just roll out of bed as experts. They probably face massive amounts of adversity. I know personally for me, I have faced overcome and still face adversity on a regular basis. I’ve had a semblance of Success, but man, if I told you the stories of the amount of hurdles that I’ve overcome in order to just get to this level, it’s a story worth telling.

[00:06:57] So just think how many small to midsize business owners and CEOs and executives and directors, innovators, authors, athletes, how many of them have just had an easy road? They haven’t. And there’s one thing that they all have in common, as I say in the intro. They, grind, they get shit done.

[00:07:20] They put their head down. They have a plan. They have burning desire. They have a strategy. And they execute daily. And they take three steps forward. They might take two steps back, but they’re still a step ahead. And they just keep going and going. There’s so much to learn from that. So what we want to do is we want to entertain the heck out of people.

[00:07:42] But we also want to educate them.

[00:07:47] Some of the pain that myself, our CEO, Tim, our executive team, and all of our customers and all of our guests have gone through, we want to bring you those stories, the pain that they had to overcome. So it makes it far more gratifying that they’ve reached the level of success. That they have and that the ultimate depiction of an expert is that they bring people with them.

[00:08:19] They can teach it. So our guests are coming on to, yes, promote their organization, but they’re coming on more to promote how did they get their organization to where it’s at? How did they reach a level of success? That maybe we admire and respect and want to emulate. So what you should expect is to be inspired.

[00:08:44] You should expect to be informed. And you should be, you should expect to be influenced to maybe take some sort of action. So I want this to be a podcast where, of course, you’re going to laugh. Maybe you get some moments that are touching. Maybe we bring a tear about, but you feel supercharged when you’re listening to it.

[00:09:06] And afterwards you are compelled to want to implement one, two, or three of the recommended strategies that our guests have brought to your attention. There’s going to be a lot of commonalities and there’s going to be a lot of credibility that is displayed on this podcast. And within that, I would hope that you would look in the mirror and dig deep.

[00:09:33] And say, you know what? They’re better than me right now, but they’re not better than me as a human. They just have a better plan. They’ve executed that plan. They’ve stayed true to that plan. They’ve given and given. And because of that give they’ve received and they’re on a journey much like I am, but they’re just steps ahead.

[00:09:56] And I have so much that I can gain from paying attention to that and applying that. We also want you to know who’s steering the ship here at TTSG GSD technologies in 20Twenty Design. So that brings up this story. Many of you might know that I previously have had a career as A sales leader and a sales strategist.

[00:10:22] And I progressed into podcasting and content creation and branding and marketing a level that I didn’t expect and it was quite a journey. like in any case, we are always striving to be better people. I ran into a bit of adversity as, we’ll get into as the show progresses down the road, but I ran into a bit of adversity and decided that I needed to make a massive change.

[00:10:53] So without a safety net, I decided to resign from. a career with a company that I greatly appreciated. Fantastic company. In fact, a customer of TTSG and we are a customer of theirs and fantastic people. Unbelievable experience for me. But I had to look deep in myself. And decide that it was time for me to make a change and go another direction.

[00:11:20] In doing so, I had resigned from my role with no safety net, no, no real, plan or strategy other than the fact that I knew that it was time to bet on myself. And so I had gone through this period of time in between my previous career and now, this lovely opportunity that I have here.

[00:11:45] To essentially build out a consulting firm. I was going to start a go to market strategy consulting firm. And I was going to use podcasting as a vehicle to teach companies how to open up the top of the funnel to create more demand, more lead generation, build out their brand. When you’re rolling something like that out, it’s wise that you go out and you network and you tell that story to as many people as possible.

[00:12:12] So I was in the testing phases to Pitch my story and pitch my strategy my plan and see if Executives and entrepreneurs and people that I admire thought it was a good idea. So I went to a fantastic level up networking event. This was not their traditional event. This is a C suite event. It was a 10 or 15 owners, founders, and executives.

[00:12:39] And, we sat around the round table. By the way, you should attend level up social club. If you’re in the Chicagoland area, David Horbinko and Spike Engelman have done a fantastic job of building that out and I’m happy to be a part of it. so I, we go around the table. And we’re introducing ourselves.

[00:12:59] And it’s if you remember when you were in sixth grade, you came back from the summer and, the teacher said, okay, so what’d you do this summer? Introduce yourself, tell us what you did this summer. And the other students got to hear a story and it was a great way of introducing yourself.

[00:13:15] So it goes around, it gets to me and I tell the story. Of, where I was and where I am in my life and what my life goal is and where I’m going with my career. And I look around the room and I see the people are fairly compelled and interested. but there’s a seat that is empty. And, as I finish it goes to the next person, and then this gentleman comes.

[00:13:42] Storming in. I apologize that I’m late. I had a fantastic call with a customer. It went amazing, and I had to put my customer first. So I apologize that I’m late. And he sits down, and he looks across the table, and I see him, and he sees me, and we recognize each other. I’m not so sure who that is.

[00:14:03] And then I realized, boom, it’s Tim ward and Tim realizes, whoa, that’s John. Now we had been following each other on LinkedIn for three years and we’ve been supporting each other’s content. And he had been a active supporter of my previous podcasts. And, but he didn’t hear the story. He thought I was still with my previous organization.

[00:14:28] He didn’t know. So he goes and he tells this story about he’s his three brands and what he’s looking to achieve. And it’s just a fantastic story. Tim has faced tremendous amounts of adversity has overcome and, has built an unbelievable, set of brands, a family of brands, but moreover, he’s reached a level of success in his life.

[00:14:52] which is to be admired. So here I am sitting there with admiration, listening to his story, and it comes back around. And, somebody comments, it’s interesting, John, now that you’re no longer at your previous organization, and you’re talking about Top of Funnel, and Tim says, Whoa, wait a minute!

[00:15:11] You’re no longer with your previous organization. And, at that point, it was okay, I see some interest here. So all along, I’m thinking that Tim might be interested in my services. And, the event comes to a close and some people are leaving and we’re, the stragglers are sticking around and networking a little bit further.

[00:15:38] It’s only one o’clock in the afternoon. We’re figuring out what we’re going to do next. So David Horbanko, who’s leading the event, needs to get back to his office. He took an uber. He needs a ride. Tim had driven. I was parked in a parking lot. And Tim says, come on, get in the truck. So we hop in his beautiful Cadillac Escalade and, we drive David back to his office.

[00:16:03] Tim says, stick with me. And, we drove around for 45 minutes around the Chicago area and Tim, about 25 minutes into the drive, says, hey, you want a coffee? I said, yeah, he goes, let’s go to Starbucks. So we drive around like 25 minutes. We passed six Starbucks. He goes, no, I want to take you to the really, good one.

[00:16:25] So we pull up to this Starbucks and he parks his car, leaves it running. He gives a significant tip to this gentleman standing there, says, I’m just going to, I’ll be right back. Just getting a coffee. Just watch the car. So we go in and he goes, go ahead, order. So I order a black coffee. And, the woman at the desk says, what will you have, sir?

[00:16:46] And he goes, I’ll just have a bottle of water. So I look at Tim and I say, Tim, we just drove around for 45 minutes to find a Starbucks to get coffee. And you ordered a water. He goes, yeah, I don’t drink coffee. I go, Tim, we just drove around for 45 minutes looking for coffee. He goes, I know it’ll make a great story.

[00:17:06] Won’t it? At that point, I thought to myself, this is somebody who understands making moments. This is somebody who understands making memories. This is somebody who understands doing things that are a little bit different because it captures the hearts and minds of people and it creates fantastic stories.

[00:17:27] So what a great story during that car ride, though. We had pitched each other on where the brands were going and what Tim’s vision was. And I pitched what my vision was of how I would create awareness and attention for a brand to open up the top of funnel. And create awareness and attention that compels people to want to dive deeper into the organization and potentially engage with that organization and how you can do it in a way in 2024 and beyond that it’s educational and entertaining and it avoids all of that pushy salesmanship, right?

[00:18:12] That aggressive nature, it gives people reasons to buy rather than being sold. And again, it aligns with all of the polling and market research that shows the consumers want to research. They want to follow. They want to learn and be educated and they want to be somewhat entertained. They want to align with the brand’s core values and principles.

[00:18:41] They want to be aware of what those things are. They want to know who’s steering the ship. They want to know the value and benefit that you provided to other people. They want to know who you associate with. They want to know that you have a track record. They want to know all of these things before they even engage into products and services and price.

[00:18:56] So I had pitched the idea that we need to create that energy around brands so that people get to know your brand before they get to know your products and services and the people that will bring that to, to them. Moreover, price, if people are compelled to, and entertained and educated by the people that steward an organization and they say to themselves.

[00:19:31] Much like what Seth Godin believes that people like us do things like this. If they can say, I really like those people, I really like the way they think, I align with them in principle and purpose. And, I think I would like doing business with them if they can get all of that before they actually engage with the salesperson that makes the sales process much smoother and easier.

[00:20:00] Moreover, it starts the process off in, a much cleaner way in that there’s trust already established, so you’re already getting two challenges and the solutions required for that. So the hope is that it makes for a better buying experience. But moreover, it becomes far more solo solutions focused rather than bells and whistles, right?

[00:20:31] It’s about outcomes. So if you can talk about those things before you actually are even known, As it relates to your, your, offering. There’s a strong chance that when you do make the offer that folks will enjoy buying from you rather than feeling like they’re sold. So it really changes. The way that the organization is perceived and the obligation of a brand is to go far beyond satisfying, right?

[00:21:06] Far beyond surprising. We want to delight, but moreover, we want to empower. We want to get to a point. Where we are such a connection with our customers that we’re an extension of their brand, that we are part of the family and that they recognize that in order to operate at the most effective manner for their business, we are a part of that.

[00:21:34] We actually empower them to operate their business in the most efficient, innovative, and profitable manner. That is when you reach the ultimate brand.

[00:21:48] And that aligned with Tim and Tim’s vision aligned with mine. And within weeks, we had come to an agreement that he shouldn’t hire me for services, but that we should partner and we should create the get shit done experience. And we should get that message out to the world and we should create.

[00:22:13] A platform for our customers, prospective clients, and all those out there that are getting shit done to tell their story, to influence others, to take those actions and to drive to the highest level they possibly can. And that there is no magic bean. There is no silver bullet. There is no pixie dust. It takes heart, hustle and muscle.

[00:22:41] It takes a strategy. And it takes getting up every day and showing up and it takes finding your lane and pursuing it with every ounce of zest and energy that you can possibly muster up. It takes never giving up and never giving in. It takes never quitting. It takes positivity. It takes a mindset that is Teflon.

[00:23:06] It takes collaboration. It takes influence and inspiration. We want to bring that to you. That is the Get Shit Done Experience. Again, my name is John Morris. I will be your host on this journey. I couldn’t be more excited. What should you expect content that is constantly entertaining and educational that is coming out daily, weekly, monthly, in large form, and in short clips on multiple platforms.

[00:23:38] You will find us on LinkedIn. You will find us on Instagram. You will find us on TikTok. You will find us on Apple, Spotify, and our YouTube channel. Please take the time. If you enjoy the show, or if you’re my friend, or if we are, we have collaborated together, we have partnered, or you are just excited to be part of the community, please download us on Apple, Spotify, subscribe on our YouTube channel, follow us on our LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok pages.

[00:24:16] Get involved. If you want to be a guest on the show and you have a compelling story to tell, I don’t care what your position is. If you have overcome adversity, and you hold true to the principles that I discussed earlier and you get shit done. We want you on the show. We want you to tell your story.

[00:24:43] I couldn’t be more proud to represent Tim Ward. I couldn’t be more proud to represent the team here at TTSG, GSD Technologies, and 20Twenty Design. I couldn’t be more excited to tell their story because they are in the trenches. Our service department, our techs and our marketing teams might not want to get on camera and tell the story, but they all have a story and they all play an instrumental role in building this brand and creating empowerment for our customers.

[00:25:17] I am pleased and excited and inspired and motivated to be the face and voice, hopefully more the voice than the face as you can see. Of those fantastic people. Moreover, I can’t wait to tell the story of our amazing customers. That allows us the opportunity to partner with them and be part of their family.

[00:25:43] They deserve a platform and we’re going to give it to them. Thank you so much for tuning in. Please rate the show. Give us a rating. If it’s a one, give us a rating, but I know it’s a five. So give us a five, please. Give us a review. Help us to launch this show so that we can touch as many lives as possible.

[00:26:07] And again, subscribe on YouTube and follow us on all of our pages. I promise you, you will be entertained. You will be educated, you will be inspired, and you will be compelled to get shit done. Have a great day. Cheers.