In part one of this two-part episode, Charlie sits down with Michael Childers, a Broad River Retail Legend and first ballot Hall of Famer to discuss his memorable stories from his over 12 years at the River.
Michael gets raw, real, and vulnerable here as he discusses what he felt like when he first joined the Company, the valleys and adversity he’s overcome during his time with the Company, and the sequence of successes that he’s experienced along the way.
Michael shares his thoughts on character and how scripture influences his perspective. He also discusses his best memories, his favorite people, his favorite accomplishment, and his favorite quotes. In fact, get your notepad and pen ready, because there are several memorable quotes and one-liners that you’ll want to jot down as you listen to this conversation.
Episode Notes & Quotes:
Michael’s advice for keeping the lugnuts on your Operation tight:
“Don’t skip leg day.”
On humbling himself and overcoming adversity:
“Mountain peaks are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valley.” – a favorite quote of Michael’s from Billy Graham
“”I won’t be defined by my worst moment.””
Michael’s career path: Starting in Mooresville (The Lake) to University (the U) to Gastonia (The Game Changers) and then to the East Region beginning with Durham (Bull City Bombers), then to Cary (Cary Crushers) to Four Oaks (The Rock) and with a couple of stints in our Raleigh stores (Raleighwood and Oak City)
Michael’s mindset on leading through the valley of the pandemic:
“Someone’s gotta stay on the ship steering this thing.”
“Where do you need me, how can I help, where do you need me to go.”
Remembering a story from his Shark Tank Business Plan presentation:
Michael: “I’m not a numbers guy.”
Charlie: “You’re not a numbers guy right now. It’s a weakness. Make it a strength & you’ll be unstoppable.”
Michael’s Favorite quotes:
Babe Ruth: “Yesterday’s home run doesn’t win today’s game.”
King Leonidas of Sparta: “”Molon labe”” (“Come and take them.”)
“How you do anything is how you do everything.”
“How far are you willing to drive to be successful?”
“What is the mileage limit you’re willing to drive to be successful?”
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Visit storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes.
Stories from the River Podcast explores the personal journeys of Broad River Retail’s very own Memory Makers. Whether it’s interviews or standalone narratives, Stories from the River will bring you closer to what it’s like to thrive inside the company. This show will share personal experiences from stores, distribution centers, call centers, and corporate campuses, giving listeners a front row seat to what it’s really like to be a Memory Maker furnishing life’s best memories every day.
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FULL TRANSCRIPTION
Charlie:
August 28th, 2019, also known as Purpose 828. What does that mean to you?
Michael:
Purpose 828 was a phenomenal day. You know, we had some amazing speakers come in. It was a day for me that was difficult. I just experienced a loss, a pretty sudden one. One of my best friends in life, one of my favorite coworkers that I’ve had here at the River had just passed away. And we actually had some speakers that it was almost as if I was meant to be in the room that day and I was meant to hear the things that were said.
And, you know, Justin Barns, it was the first time I got to hear Justin Barns speak, and just hearing some of that testimony was very healing, and it made me reflect on what our purpose is as an organization, you know, furnishing life’s best memories. And it gave me a piece of joy when I was going through that difficult time just to be able to reflect on those memories that I created with Andy over the years. And, you know, have some time of fellowship with my
teammates.
Intro
Welcome to Stories from the River, a podcast brought to you by Broad River Retail, where we’ll explore the personal journeys of our Memory Makers and share real stories from across the organization. And now for your host, President and CEO at the River, Charlie Malouf.
Charlie:
We are here with a Broad River Retail legend, one of my favorite all-time authentic leaders. Man, I’m so excited for this episode. You ready?
Michael:
Yes, sir.
Charlie:
Let’s go.
Michael:
Let’s do it.
Charlie:
Michael, let’s. I always like to start by just let’s let the audience know about your career before joining the River?
Michael:
Okay. Excellent. So, I came into this business really at a point in my life when I was very clueless. I was about to become a father. I was 18, just graduated high school, and I had dreams to play, you know, college football. I played safety, and I know you played safety. So we had that in common and had an ACL injury.
So I was rehabbing back from that, and my girlfriend at the time, which is now my beautiful wife of almost 13 years, she got pregnant. And so I was in a situation where you know, I had a difficult childhood. You know, my parents struggled with addiction as a kid. That’s really what I experienced. And kind of lived in that environment.
My grandparents raised me, and, so I really didn’t have anyone to lean on at that time. And it was a situation where I had to figure it out. So, you know, I got some advice and it was: “find a job at commission sales”. You know, you’re 18, you’re not going to get a job somewhere hourly to be able to support a family the way that you want to support them.
And that was the best advice I’d ever gotten. At the time I worked at the Subway in food line, so I was a sandwich artist. You know, the extent of my sales background was selling double meat and bacon on a sub, right? So very inexperienced. So I literally borrowed clothes from my uncle and he arranged to interview with Michelle Bivins.
And man, I remember that interview like it was yesterday. I mean, you’re I’m talking about the shaky hands, the sweaty palms voice was cracking, just not very confident. You know, I was underqualified and I knew that I needed that opportunity. And so, you know, towards the end of the interview, I just asked Michelle, I just told Michelle, I said you know, I’m 18, I make 12 bucks an hour.
I’m about to have a kid. I just need a shot. I said I don’t care if you fire me, I will not take it personally, but please let me try this. And she gave me that opportunity and changed my life forever.
Charlie:
Wow. Do you remember when we first met?
Michael:
I do. I do. I was in the Mooresville Home Store. I remember you came up to me. I was towards the front of the showroom, and you came in, introduce yourself to me. And I was already kind of nervous, you know, to see you guys interacting with the Managers at the time. And, you know, you want to make sure you’re doing and saying everything right and you’re making a good first impression.
Also, I stuck out like a sore thumb, right? The Retail industry and home furnishings at that time was not a very youthful industry. So it was glaringly obvious that I was new there. And so you came up to me and introduced yourself. And I think you probably just asked one of those like a cliche, you know, getting to know a new employee in your company: “Hey, tell me a little bit about your background, where you coming from?” And I just remember like a wave of embarrassment, going over me, right? So I was like “Subway”. You know, I came from Subway, but you just kind of like looked like that all surprise. And, but it was awesome. It was funny. It wasn’t awkward or anything like that.
Charlie:
It’s worked out well.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
It’s worked out well.
Michael:
Sure.
Charlie:
Probably shout a note, hey, where are you guys sourcing your talent these days.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
But it’s worked out well. So I called your Broad River Retail legend.
Michael:
I appreciate that.
Charlie:
And so let’s tell the audience take us through your career. I mean, you’ve had an amazing career, one of growth. What was your first day?
Michael:
So my first day was January 25th, 2010.
Charlie:
2010, January. So you’ve been here for over 11 years?
Michael:
Almost 13 years.
Charlie:
Almost 13. I’m not doing my math right I’m sorry. I’m trying to do my math on fly here.
Michael:
Well, I mean, 13 years next January.
Charlie:
Okay. And do you remember, I tend to believe everyone remembers the first day? Do you remember your first day?
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
Tell us about your first day?
Michael:
Well, so I’ll start by telling you about the night before my first day.
Charlie:
Okay.
Michael:
The night before my first day, I was literally physically sick. I was so nervous. I mean, you’re talking about like you know, an athlete before a big game or, you know, a musician before a concert, right. You know, I was literally vomiting, like just nauseous, sick.
Charlie:
Does that still happen to you?
Michael:
No, no. I was just so nervous. So nervous. And so I just remember being so nervous that night before and coming in. It’s odd because I remember what the showroom smelled like that day.
Charlie:
Your senses were just on.
Michael:
Yeah. It’s just everything was on ten. And so it was actually a really cool day. We went and toured the Simmons Factory. So that’s how long ago that was.
Charlie:
That’s the mattress main factory that we used to do business with, yeah.
Michael:
Right. Yeah. And it’s funny because a week later we announced we were no longer selling Simmons mattresses so, but it was cool to experience that. And so that was my first day. It was at the University Store doing like a one-day, you know.
Charlie:
Immersion.
Michael:
Yeah, yeah. Fire Hydrant, you know, training, just everything on you at one time. And, you know, thankfully, Heather has changed, our training program.
Charlie:
She’s made a lot of things a lot better.
Michael:
Absolutely. Absolutely. But my first day in the showroom is funny because I believe it was Leah mentioned in her episode how her first interaction has come through the side door. And that kind of made me chuckle a little bit because my first day I walked right in that front door. And Paul Ellis, I don’t know if you remember Paul?
Charlie:
Yeah, sure.
Michael:
He said: “Son, come here for a second”, and he said: “Make sure you duck when you come in the door.” That was back in the day when you had the duck.
Charlie:
Yeah. They weren’t coming from the top there. It was bilateral.
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
You have to go under it. That’s funny. That’s funny. Well, take us through your career with Broad River since 2010, over 12 years ago?
Michael:
Yes, sir. So I’ll probably get the dates mixed up or the years. It all kind of blends together. But I started my career in the Mooresville Home Store. I was very blessed to come on to a team that had a lot of veterans in the industry, a lot of knowledge, and some very talented salespeople. So I was able to really just follow those folks around like a puppy and learn.
Charlie:
Yeah, just shadow.
Michael:
Yeah. And just learn the industry, learn about product, learn about salesmanship, and really how to be efficient running my personal business, right. And so really just learned the craft and started becoming a top performer in the organization towards the end of that year, right. There was a little bit of a ramp-up period.
Charlie:
Sure, well you were only 18.
Michael:
Yeah, getting my feet underneath me. But that second year, I really took off. And I think I finished third in the organization in sales that year.
Charlie:
Wow.
Michael:
Behind Andy and Kenny Fisher. And so that opened some doors for me. You know, I got an opportunity to become the Sales Manager of the University Home Store. I did that for a few years.
Again, amazing team. It’s interesting because it’s like every team that I’ve been involved in, it’s like those individuals were so necessary at that point in my life and development in my career. So served as a Sales Manager there. And then we had a leadership transition. And so there was a vacancy for a General Manager in that location. And Rick Rush became our General Manager.
And when I tell you from day one clicking with someone that’s what my relationship with Rick Rush has been. And so he really took me under his wing and developed me as a leader. I became as Assistant General Manager. We used to have AGM and man, we did some great work together. I think we I think I was his AGM for two years, something like that.
Charlie:
Can I tell you something that Rick told me early on in those days?
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
I may not have ever shared this with you.
Michael:
Probably.
Charlie:
Yeah. Rick was, he saw the potential in you and saw that you had such a high ceiling. I remember vividly he came to me and said he, this guy, talking about you, he’s gonna run the company one day. I said that’s great. I can’t wait.
Michael:
We can talk about that sure.
Charlie:
Yeah. I think you’re ready.
Michael:
Yeah. So served as this Assistant General Manager for, I think two and a half years, something like that. And then I got the opportunity to become the General Manager of Gastonia. I was chomping at the bit. I was asking for a shot, and you guys gave me one. And, you know, that was the time in my life. I think I was 20 years old, maybe, maybe 21.
Charlie:
That part gave me a little bit of pause what do we do here, guys? Put in a 20-year-old, 21?
Michael:
I’m sure. I’m sure.
Charlie:
But it worked. I needed to get comfortable with that’s all.
Michael:
And so I believe at the time Gastonia was like the bottom Store in the organization and sales per guess. So it was kind of one of those situations, like, all right, if you want one, here it is like go for it. And man, we had a ton of success. That first month we finished first in the organization in SPG and we just took off.
Charlie:
Tell our audience what SPG is?
Michael:
Sales per guess. So to me, that is the money metric. you know, that includes everything that you do, every process, every behavior, how you treat your guests how you train your associate. That’s one metric to identify how efficient your business is.
Charlie:
That is right. What are you doing with the customers who are coming in –
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
Like traffic is coming in and it all boils up into.
Michael:
It’s measurable at any location, right? That’s what I love about it.
Charlie:
Apples to apples. It levels the playing field.
Michael:
Exactly. Exactly. So served as a General Manager there for, again, I think about two years. And then you and Todd Jones sat down with me about a big opportunity. You know, you guys knew that I grew up in China Grove, North Carolina, which is, you know, about 30, 45 minutes from Charlotte. And all my family was here and how important that was to me.
But we were about to open our first 6.0 Home Store in Durham. And you specifically said that you wanted me to go and train and develop that team and open that Store. And so I took on that challenge. And, you know, some, some folks know this already, but I didn’t move to the Raleigh area for two and a half years.
So two and a half years I was commuting from China Grove to Durham, every day to run that location. Yeah.
Charlie:
How long of a commute was that?
Michael:
It was an hour and a half If I had a heavy foot, let’s just say that. Let’s just say that.
Charlie:
Oh wow! But one way?
Michael:
Yeah, one way.
Charlie:
So you’re commuting 3 hours or more roundtrips per day?
Michael:
Absolutely I was, yeah. And it was kind of one of those situations where I wasn’t fully committed quite yet to, you know, becoming a member of the East Region. You know, I was a little apprehensive I didn’t want to move my family and then turn around. And there was an opportunity back in Charlotte, but I quickly realized that that’s where I belong.
And so a couple of years later, we had an opportunity to go and open the Kerry Home Store as the General Manager of the Kerry Crushers and that’s when I made the move and decided to burn the ships and, you know, moved to the Raleigh area and bring my family. So I served as the General Manager in Kerry for again, probably two years. It seems every two, two, and a half years I had a transition there and then went and opened Four Oaks at the Rock.
Charlie:
Let’s, what happened in between Durham and Kerry? I think there’s a little bit of adversity there?
Michael:
Yeah, for sure.
Charlie:
Can you be open about that?
Michael:
Absolutely. Absolutely. So that was one of the most important moments of my leadership career.
Charlie:
So why?
Michael:
It just taught me some very valuable lessons you know, we had a situation where operationally my failure to be thorough, operationally created really a chaotic situation once I transitioned and some of the different things that went on on the back end of the business. And so before I kind of viewed this business as a, you know, show up, score touchdowns, win the day, go home, and I wasn’t very thorough on the back end.
And so, you know, that put me in a situation where I exposed the organization to some unnecessary risk that, you know, it didn’t deserve. And so, you know, I think for the first little bit, there was some denial there. You know, I wanted to place blame on those that were directly involved. But, you know, ultimately, looking back on it, I was the best thing that ever happened.
So I went and served as an RPM for I think about 60 days. Actually got to reconnect with Rick and work with him in Raleigh Wood. And that was very refreshing. I got to go help Northeast Columbia on the weekends some when they were they were first opening up.
Charlie:
It’s kind of like maybe I’ll give you a metaphor like a major league baseball player, a slugger who’s just pounding home runs. And so but his batting average dips because he’s getting some strikeouts and yet he had to maybe go back to double or triple to work on his swing.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
So you did that. You worked on your swing. You fixed that chink in your armor.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
But you took that humbly. I mean, you had a chance to look.
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
Say: “I’m not going to do that.” Well, but you had had such tremendous success in the organization. But there’s that chink in the armor.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
And you humbly accepted that went right back to double-A or triple-A. I didn’t see it as a demotion. So it is I’m going to go work on myself, look at the game.
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
And he came back and then, and then you went to Kerry?
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
And so what happened with that?
Michael:
Oh, we blew it up. We blew it up. We had a dynamic team there. A lot of talent, you know, you’re talking about, you know, going back to triple-A, the best way I could describe it to you as I was skipping leg day, right. I was going to the gym and I was skipping leg day, right?
Charlie:
Nobody likes leg day.
Michael:
I wanted the big sexy arms, right. I wanted to score the points, but I didn’t want to do legs. I didn’t want to focus on ops. And so that was such an important moment in my career.
Charlie:
I think I think this may be quotable. “Don’t skip leg day”.
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
You’re going to get a lot of quotables from Michael’s chat.
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
I know he’s got a lot of quotables because I’ve heard them for a dozen years.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
But don’t skip leg day, that’s a good one. Don’t skip leg day. Okay. So then you came back and I think you told me at one point that situation that happened in Durham, the chaos will never happen again. And you made sure that you were going to be both offensively and defensively sound.
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
Both the arms and legs are going to be strong.
Michael:
So from that day forward, I did made a decision. I was going to own all aspects of the business instead of just the sales-side.
Charlie:
Okay.
Michael:
And you know, before I can just be honest, that wasn’t a priority for me. And so what that did, like I mentioned before, it exposed the organization to unnecessary risk and the individuals that worked inside of the Store.
Charlie:
So why was that an important part of your career?
Michael:
So I think that was a period of my career where I really needed to, you know, humble myself to become a better leader and learn about operations. So, you know, one thing about Rick Rush, he’s one of the most operationally sound leaders in our organization. So for me to be able to spend that time from him and learn, you know, one of my favorite quotes is a Billy Graham quote: “Mountain peaks are for views and inspiration, but the fruit is grown in the valley.”
And so I needed that moment of being in the valley to grow some more fruit to take me forward. So I went from there to go and lead the Kerry Crushers and had a ton of fun with that team. The very dynamic, very talented team, and then got the opportunity to go up in Four Oaks. And that was, that was interesting.
I remember going out there for the first time and just looking around like we’re putting a Furniture Store here. And we did. And it was like that field of dreams. If you build it, they will come moment.
Charlie:
Absolutely.
Michael:
And it worked out, man. And, you know, we are rolling at The Rock, and I’ve been serving as an Area Manager for the past six or seven months over the Rock Wilson Warriors and Oak City now.
Charlie:
So let’s just recap for just a moment. So you went through this adversity. You humbled yourself you used it as a time to grow fruit in the valley and you learned, you grew, you determined that your character was not going to be defined by that event. So you didn’t walk away from the challenge.
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
You used it, you got better for it, and you wanted to make sure that your legacy with the company was going to be stronger, not, not that.
Michael:
Right. That was an important piece as well. You know, I would say there was a period of time throughout that process where I definitely evaluated where I was professionally and what I wanted to do.
I just moved my family to the Raleigh area. It was not a great time to be going through that, but I really view that as something I couldn’t run away from because it could potentially stain my legacy with the organization.
And also I really wanted the opportunity to earn the trust back from some of those that I let down or maybe had a wrong perception of me or what happened. I wanted to show people, you know, I don’t need to deflate the footballs like Manny’s favorite quarterback to win football games, yeah.
Charlie:
Well, that metaphor aside, I really love that about your character you know, I think there’s something there’s some great truth there that I’m not going to be defined by my worst moment.
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
I’ll use that and I’ll do better for that. And if we could all use that perspective or learn something from that perspective, I think we can,I mean, I think leaders that’s leadership defined.
Michael:
It’s fight or flight right?
Charlie:
That’s right.
Michael:
Fight or flight.
Charlie:
That’s right. And then you went to Kerry and you get to work with your best friend growing up, Randy Shepherd.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
An all star also.
Michael:
Yeah. Well, he came in to help me open the Durham location.
Charlie:
Okay.
Michael:
He actually started with the University and worked with Rick for a while. And then when we moved to Durham, he made that transition with me.
Charlie:
And then he was in Kerry with you guys for having success there. And so the reason like, again, you were handpicked so front to Durham to kind of help us plant our feet in the east region, in the Raleigh Durham market. And then Four Oaks, I know you said it was a big field, but it’s right off the interstate.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
It is the largest investment the company was ever going to make.
Michael:
And it was worth it.
Charlie:
The first time we were ever going to do a Supercenter, which was an all-in-one Home Store, plus Outlet, plus Learning Center, plus Call Center, plus you know, Distribution Center, right off I-95 to service the entire region. And we just needed to make sure that we had the right leader. So you were handpicked and I think you recall that, right?
Michael:
Yes, sir.
Charlie:
That was gonna be your Store. We were confident. We needed to make sure it performed at its peak level. And that’s why you were handpicked I was very passionate about that.
Michael:
The most interesting piece of of of that, as you know, that I believe was the 23rd Store that we opened. And you know, the number 23 is very significant for me. That’s the number I wore playing football, that’s the number my kids wear and baseball and football. But it also we built that building 12 miles from my front door.
And so I had moved to that area three years prior and just the fact that like it was being built right down the road, it’s like, it’s just it was meant to be.
Charlie:
Well, we knew where you lived.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
We wanted to know that your commute would, and your quality of life would rise. We’re taking that on. And then two years ago, Covid happened.
Michael:
Yes.
Charlie:
And you never, some of our stores had to close and some folks elected to furlough. You never did that.
Michael:
No.
Charlie:
You stayed in the fight.
Michael:
That wasn’t an option.
Charlie:
And we aren’t judging anyone for –
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
the decisions they needed to make for their family. But I will tell you, we have eternal gratitude for those who helped us survive and get through it. And you were, I mean, tell us about running Stores and the different Stores and experiences you had in those first few months of COVID?
Michael:
Well, first, I’d start by saying I absolutely respect and understand anyone that took furlough. That was a scary time. But for me, it was very important that the company stay operating, that we continue to help guests, that we continue to take money in, for the long-term health of the organization. I really viewed myself as, you know, someone’s got to stay on the ship.
You know, steering this thing. And so it wasn’t really an option for me to go on furlough. Just from that perspective. And for me, my career became, where do you need me? How can I help? Where do you need me to go? And it was just understanding that this thing was going to have ebbs and flows and nobody knows really where it’s headed.
So I just wanted to show up every day and do my best to put cash in the call and make sure we were good.
Charlie:
And you got a great, I mean, you performed well.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
Exceptionally well. And think you had loaded your first month at Oak City?
Michael:
Yeah. I got to go hang out with Oak City. That was a lot of fun. You know, that was a Store at the time. It was kind of untapped, had been open for a little bit, but never really performed to where we all knew it could get. And so it was fun to go over there for a month and, you know, show them what they were capable of doing.
Charlie:
The art of the possible.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
We raised our expectations.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
After you and your leadership kind of took hold. So, you know, adversity doesn’t… going back to the adversity, it doesn’t come when we want it to come came at your you just take it on a house note you had some experience of selling negative experiences. Selling the old house happens at the worst time for your family. You hung in there, COVID happens. I’m sure there’s a lot of stress in your family.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
And you stay in, you and you stayed committed and helped us get through it and just so grateful. Now you’re an Area Manager, you see three Stores, the front line. Why the front line?
Michael:
The front line. So for me, the front line, like, that’s, you know, you pick the target, we’re going after it. You know, we’re going to be the first ones on the battlefield. We’re okay being the sacrifice, you know, and just having that mentality, you know, I love the story about David and Goliath. And David running quickly to the fight.
And so for me, that’s what the front line represents. You know, whatever that battle is, whatever that fight, me and my team we’re going to run. We’re going to run to it quick. And we’re going to be innovators. We’re going to execute and we’re going to have a smile on her face and a lot of enthusiasm doing it.
Charlie:
That’s awesome. So you’ve quoted you just quoted some Scripture there. And tell us about your I want to take a quick detour because you’ve told me this story before. Tell me about the meaning of the tattoos and the conversations that you’ve been able to have that you’ve got on your arm?
Michael:
Yeah, well, that’s funny you bring that up. So as funny, my grandfather, he’s, you know, old country guy not too big of a fan of tattoos. And, you know, when I got this one on my arm, it’s a Daniel in the Lion’s Den. And I’ve got Saint Michael the Archangel, I’ve got Philippians 4:13. Just some very important stories or verses that have been impactful in my life.
But my grandma said: “Son, why do you keep getting them tattoos?” And I just said, Papa, when’s the last time you told someone the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den? And he just kind of got quiet. And I said, well, I’ve at least told 50 people about it this past week. And so he’s like, all right, well, I guess I guess if that’s how you’re going to use them, right?
So they’re inspirational to me. They tell stories, stories that even if you’re not, you know, in touch with your spirit, your spirituality, or your faith, you can pull inspiration from. And so like Daniel in the Lion’s Den for me, that represents focus. You know, Daniel was so locked in and faithful, right? And so God sent the angel to shut the mouths of the lions.
And so my spin on that, and I’ve even told this story to my Retail teams is that to me represents your focus your purpose, right. And as long as you stay in tune with your why your purpose, then the Lions can’t harm you, right? The lions of greed, of comparison, of limiting beliefs. If you are locked in on your why, the mouths of the lions will be shut, right. And so there’s just so much that I pull from Scripture that relates to real-life spiritually and just personally day today.
Charlie:
So good. I told you guys, this is good stuff here. A lot of quotables. Okay, that’s a great segway.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
You served on the Purpose of Activation Committee?
Michael:
Yes sir.
Charlie:
We started this episode by talking about the original purpose 828: Furnishing Life’s Best Memories, which you mentioned earlier, is our organizational purpose four simple, yet powerful words when put together.
So thinking about life’s best memories, let’s, let’s go into your, the art of your career and pull some of those great stories out. What have been some of your best memories here at the River?
Michael:
Oh, my goodness. There, there are so many. It’s super difficult to recall. But, you know, just thinking back on that question, the Saturday morning breakfast with the University team after a win, we used to celebrate every Saturday and have a potluck breakfast. I always cherish those memories, fighting it out late at night with the Kerry Crushers, you know, getting it done with Sam and Randy and that crew was was was amazing.
But some specific memories, getting to meet and eat lunch with Inky Johnson, one of the most influential speakers in my life, to be able to sit down, and you arranging that was just an amazing moment, going to the Purpose Summit in New York City. So somehow you got the kid from China Grove to New York City. I always said I would never go, right.
But had a great time, you know, exploring and, you know, just that was an amazing experience. Got to go to Tampa with Tony Robbins. And there’s tons of other just little funny memories that I have. You know, dropping my award walking out of the gala and shattering it into a million pieces, working all year for it, and having it for 5 minutes. That was, that was a funny one.
Charlie:
Was that the first award or the second award?
Michael:
It was the first one.
Charlie:
You had to go win it again, right?
Michael:
Right, right.
Charlie:
To not drop it.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
Tell me about the Gastonia Black Friday weekend?
Michael:
Yeah. So, that was a phenomenal memory. Thanks for bringing that up. At the time, we had only had three HFCs on the floor. And so we were coming up against Black Friday. And so thankfully we had some corporate volunteers. So Todd Jones was our VP of Sales at the time and love Todd, he was amazing. And Burton Oxford decided to come over and help me out. And I think that store did $43,000 a year before, and I believe we finished at like 127,000 bucks.
Charlie:
Wow. Triple?
Michael:
Yeah. So we worked, I’m talking about open to close, no break and we went to dinner after, after work that night, and just kind of looked back like, wow, that was fun.
Charlie:
That just happened.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
Tell me about opening Durham and what that meant?
Michael:
Opening Durham for me was very significant because it was almost like when you open something brand new, you put together the product, you smell the paint on the walls, you know, you’re training the associates, you just have so much more pride. And so I was just so prideful of that location in that Store, you know, getting to be the first leader of that Store and kind of creating the legacy or the reputation of what that Store is going to be known for.
You know, we achieved some amazing things in that location. The first location to achieve over $500, SPG, and just had a ton of success. But for you guys to make that sort of investment in me and think that highly of me to call on me to lead the first six-point of design store was really there was no way I was going to fail.
Charlie:
That’s awesome. I remember you used to go to apartments and sent out fliers. You did a lot of guerilla grassroots marketing, and to really get the Store to get the traffic.
Michael:
Yeah, took a little bit, took a little bit.
Charlie:
You didnt wont to accept that there was like not enough traffic. You went and sourced some traffic.
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
That was amazing. You mentioned purpose 2030, where we took our PAC or Purpose Activation Committee, plus Manny.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
For a few days to New York City and we had a great, you know, these in-person events. You talked about Tampa and the Ashley Domination event, where Tony Robbins and many other speakers spoke. We took 40, we had the most, the largest presence, we had 40 of our folks.
That’s crazy, flying 40 people down we were just like, well let’s make sure that nothing goes wrong here. And then you talked about the Gala, and I know you mentioned the You.
Michael:
Yes.
Charlie:
Tell me about like maybe the memories of reconnecting with your old gladiator friends and the You at the Gala?
Michael:
Yeah. If I could do one thing before the end of my career with Broad River, I’d love to just go work the floor at the You one more day. You know, there still some, some just pillars of that team still in this organization today. You know Rick Rush, still an amazing leader for us. Dwayne Baker, Richard Peterson, Chris Barrier, who is now an Area Manager, all of those folks. Jamaal Ray, you know. I’d love to be able to get those guys together and just work the floor one more time with them. Even Cindy, even Cindy back then was part of that crew.
Charlie:
It was like Future Hall of Famers –
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
Before they became like in their prime. It was, it’s really cool. Okay, this may be a two-part or three-part of this.
Michael:
Okay, yeah.
Charlie:
I told you, I got a lot of content here. Let’s keep going. Tell me about the Shark Tank. What is the Shark Tank presentation? And I know you’ve got a story about the Shark Tank, the presentation.
Michael:
Yeah. So that was a key moment for my development as a leader. Again, not you just show up and score touchdowns. This was before going through the previous thing we talked about, right? So we had to come and bring our business plans. And so I came in and I was super confident. I was ready to roll.
Charlie:
And presented to the Shark.
Michael:
Exactly. We had it presented to the Sharks and it was basically, would they invest in your plan, in your business, in your vision? Right. And so I had all that down. All the boxes were checked. I had the vision. You know, I had the suit picked out. I was ready to go and deliver this message to you guys.
And I remember getting to the numbers portion, you know, where you kind of start to project out how we’re looking at critical KPI’s and analyzing data. And I remember mentioning to you, you know, I’m just not a numbers guy.
Charlie:
We did the numbers perfectly success at that time.
Michael:
Exactly. Which, by the way, no one ever have the wrong numbers with Charlie. He will catch it.
Charlie:
They need to be tight.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
That keeps the numbers tight.
Michael:
So you challenge me on it. You said, Michael, it’s a weakness, make it a strength and you’ll be unstoppable. And I did that. You know, I started to obsess over understanding the data. And really, that’s where being an athlete my entire life kind of came into play because I realized that the data, the KPI were just like statistics in a sport.
And so became really fun for me to work on that, you know, batting average or, you know, work on a certain metric that, that maybe wasn’t super attractive or stood out, but had a huge impact on the ripple effect of the business, right. And so I started to look at the data like I was analyzing game film, right.
And that would tell the story of what our process looked like, how we were engaging the guest, and I could adjust from there.
Charlie:
Yeah. I mean, the quote “I’m not a numbers guy”, really takes to identity and how you saw yourself. And we know that identity is incredibly powerful.
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
That’s all we say purpose begins with identity.
Michael:
Right.
Charlie:
So I think the quote or the response was, you’re not a numbers guy right now.
Michael:
Right now, yeah.
Charlie:
Go change that. It’s a skill you can develop. It’s a muscle that’s atrophied. Or it needs some development. Now, are you a numbers guy?
Michael:
Absolutely, absolutely.
Charlie:
That’s phenomenal.
Michael:
From words and backward.
Charlie:
And knowing you’re, I mean, you were even telling me, not only do you do bottom-up budgeting now to figure out how. Tell us about bottom-up budgeting, and how you – you’ve taken being a numbers guy into like really understanding how to go with that goals and budgets?
Michael:
Yeah. So first, one very valuable lesson I learned early on was 10x-ing your targets, right. And so that was the old Grant Cordon strategy of basically if I want to be here, let’s aim here, right? But really build your process to get there. And so understanding that you can pair that goal and look at your projection. You can look at what’s your traffic trend, you know, what, what is the data say as far as how many guests are going to come through your door?
And then you can really kind of hack your business and understand, hey, I need this many transactions this week to drive this conversion rate, to drive this SPG, and this is how it breaks down per HFC. And so there are so many different metrics that if you just pull over here and pull over here, you can make a huge impact.
But if you’re not aware of those things, you know, if you don’t measure it, it’s never going to be improved. There’s a lot of things, that can be measured that aren’t so surface layer, right? You kind of got to get down in in the data to really see what exists there.
Charlie:
You sound like a numbers Gronk. I mean, this is very this is becoming a very analytical conversation. I hope we’re not losing anyone, but I think it’s phenomenal that you made that such a strength.
Okay, let’s shift gears just a bit. Let’s talk about some of your favorites.
Michael:
Okay.
Charlie:
Maybe we’ll talk with some of your favorite people from Denver. So I’ll just give you a name and let you respond to it.
Michael:
Okay.
Charlie:
Andy Gragg?
Michael:
Oh, man. So, Andy was, gosh, so Andy was my first true friend as an adult. He was an amazing man. He, you know, took me out, went hunting with him. And you know that if anyone’s against hunting, I’m sorry, but I got my first deer with Andy. I played my first round of golf ever in my life with Andy. But he also taught me so much about the business, and he taught me how important it was to connect with people.
He was the type of person that, he wasn’t perfect. You know, he had his flaws, but he connected with everyone. You know, you stop at a gas station and you’d be like, can you hurry up? Because he’s in there talking with the person behind, behind the register. And so he just really taught me the importance of connecting with people, making people smile no matter what you’re going through.
And he really pulled joy from providing joy to others. So, you know, he’s, he’s somebody that I know that he’s still present to this day.
Charlie:
Yeah. Well, I know he passed right before the August 28th event, that we spoke about earlier. And you guys did something really special that honored his legacy. Maybe we’ll save that for another episode.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
Let’s keep going.
Michael:
All right.
Charlie:
Randy Shepherd?
Michael:
Randy Shepherd. So, Randy, I’ve known since I was like ten years old. Randy and I actually went to rival middle schools. And so, you know, I went to Corriher Lipe Middle School. Randy went to China Grove. I think he actually went to Southie. He likes to hop around schools, that’s a whole other story. But Randy was a friend from the moment I met him.
And someone that I really hung out with a lot in High School and was very close with. And one day, I was in food line in China Grove and walking down the cereal aisle, which is the best aisle at Food Line, by the way. And I see Randy and he’s shopping, he’s shopping and I think he was with his mom at the time.
And, you know, went talked to him. He’s like: “Hey, man, how you been and how’s the furniture business?” And he was telling me he was a VIP manager at a nightclub. And I just told him, like, man, you have got to come and do this with me. And he did. And so we got the opportunity to work together for several years.
And it was fun. It was fun. It was like playing sports with them again. It was like playing football or baseball or basketball with them again.
Charlie:
Kevin Kimmon?
Michael:
Kevin Kimon. That’s my, that’s my brother, man. He’s, he’s always been there for me. You know, he’s somebody that, he’s received a lot of recognition, and he deserves it. You know, he’s done a lot of things for this organization, and he truly cares about Broad River and every person in Broad River. And so I know sometimes that can be difficult to see from the ground level, but he’s someone that has my respect and my love and my admiration, and I just appreciate that man to death.
Charlie:
Awesome. Lisa Griffin?
Michael:
Lisa, so momma Lisa. So momma Lisa was, was so influential, influential to me personally and professionally. Lot of people don’t know this, but me and my wife actually got married just on a whim. I had proposed to her actually before we found out we were having Branson, and we kind of put that off, right? We had a child.
So we’re like, you know, we’ll do this later. And we kept putting it off, putting it off, putting it off. And I remember I was in Mooresville one day, and Lisa, Lisa said to me: “Why don’t you just go get married?” And I said: “OK, that’s what we’ll do.”
And so literally the next day, my wife and I and my mother went to the Magistrate’s office and got married. It was funny. We you had to have three witnesses. I only had my mom. So we literally pulled strangers off the streets to to officiate or be a witness to the wedding, right.
Charlie:
These stories are coming.
Michael:
Yeah. They crazy man.
Charlie:
These stories coming from the woodwork.
Michael:
They’re crazy. But Lisa was awesome. She was awesome.
Charlie:
Osvaldo Rodriguez?
Michael:
Such an inspirational guy. You know, his story is one of those stories that, you know, if you have the opportunity to to hear it and hear his testimony, and what he’s been through, and see the smile on his face and the joy he brings everyone, he’s just a great leader. He’s a great man. He’s like my brother as well. I’ve got a lot of siblings throughout the organization.
Charlie:
Yeah, that’s great. The U?
Michael:
Yeah. So again, that’s just such a special team. Such a special team. I’d mentioned before, you know, Chris Barrier, Richard Peterson, Dwayne Baker, Jamar Ray, Lisa Griffin, Rick Rush.
Charlie:
Lorenzo Jordan.
Michael:
Lorenzo Jordan, you know, Zaphir Mohammad. I mean, we were stacked. And that was just a dynamic team. We were very talented but we were very close-knit. Everyone truly wanted the person to their left, and right to be successful.
Charlie:
That’s awesome.
Michael:
And that’s what made that Store so special.
Charlie:
Yeah. Missy Charity?
Michael:
Missy Charity, I truly believe is, is one of the things that keeps this company going. One of the people that keeps this company going.
Charlie:
That’s a great adjective.
Michael:
She’s, she is an unsung hero. She has received recognition. It’s been well-deserved, but she is one of the hardest workers and she truly cares about the quality of her work. And she will outhustle anyone, right. So I’ve always loved my time with Missy, and she’s been amazing to partner with over the years.
Charlie:
Okay. Samantha Bengissen, SVG?
Michael:
She’s a beast. She’s a beast. So, Sam honestly is one of the most talented salespeople I’ve ever worked with. And it was just fun to work with Sam because she kind of saw the business the same way as I did. You know, I really see the sales process almost like a set of plays that you call, right. And it’s like reacting in a football game or something like that.
And Sam kind of sees the business that same way. So when we would approach a guest for a TO, I’d be like, hey, I’m going to do, and she loved the indifferent close. That’s sarcasm. She does not like she’s a direct close, right. But I’ll be like, Sam, I think I’m going to do indifference here. And she’s like: “Oh, my gosh, don’t do that.”
But, we’d be able to talk through different sales strategies that were just a little high level for someone that’s just coming into the industry. And she really sees the business, and she’s, she’s a beast.
Charlie:
Nancy Hendrickson?
Michael:
Nancy helped me become an adult. She helped me with setting up my 401k. She helped me with, you know, just navigating through life. She was always there to support me and answer silly questions that I had. But I love Nancy, Miss Nancy. She was, she was amazing.
Charlie:
One more. Head coach, Stacy McCormick?
Michael:
Stacy. So, Stacy, you know, I truly believe God puts people in your life during certain moments when you need them. And I’ve shared this with him, and I hope that he understands how genuine it is. I truly believe that about Stacy. I relate a lot to him both you know, from his upbringing. I know that we had different life experiences. But overall, the way that we were raised and the morals and the values that we have are very similar.
But a lot of people don’t know this. When when my wife had the medical episode that she had last year, she was actually in a coma for a short period of time. And Stacy asked to pray over her. And it was just me and Macy in the room. And I put Stacy on speakerphone and he prayed over Macy. And I’m not joking. 2 minutes later, she woke up.
Charlie:
Wow.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
That’s incredible.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
That’s incredible. I’m glad that asked you that question. Favorite quote? I know you’re a man of many quotes.
Michael:
Yeah. So let me recover from that question.
Charlie:
Well, while you do, can you stay a little bit longer?
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
We’ll make this a two-parter.
Michael:
Let’s do it.
Charlie:
If our podcast agency will be okay with that.
Michael:
Yeah, let’s do it.
Charlie:
All right, let’s keep going because this is great, great nugget. So, favorite quotes?
Michael:
I love Babe Ruth. “Yesterday’s home run doesn’t win today’s game.” There’s, there’s a lot you know. The Greek quote: “Molon Labe – come and take them.” You know, that’s a big one for me. That’s just a that’s a certain level of swag and attitude, like, you can have it if you want it. If you if you want the title of which you got to come take it, right.
And so that’s been a good one that I’ve always leaned on. I mentioned the Billy Graham quote before, “how you do anything is how you do everything.” You know, that’s a big one. Just caring about the quality of everything that you do. You know, if it has your name on it, you should care about it because you could potentially be judged by that. And so, no matter how big or small it is.
Charlie:
You mentioned one to me about driving and commuting. What was that?
Michael:
Yeah. So that was kind of, I kind of got tired of people asking me, gosh, you drive all the way from China Grove to Durham. So I was like, man, how can I address this question and get people to stop aggravating me about this? And I just started asking people like, how far are you willing to drive to be successful?
You know, is it 15 minutes is a 25 minute? It’s like, What’s your cap? Because I don’t have one. And so I’ll drive to Durham, I’ll drive to California, but if I need to provide or feed my family or chase something down, I’m not worried about the commute.
Charlie:
“What is the mileage limit you’re willing to drive to be successful?” That’s Michael Childers, originally.
Michael:
There you go.
Charlie:
I know you’ve been an innovator. What are some of your top Retail secrets?
Michael:
I think, use your tools, is critical. There are so many tools that we have within our organization that just kind of collect dust. You know, if it’s an HFC scorecard, just understanding the intent of the tool, you know, trying not to impose your belief and just trust it, right? A hammer can be… a hammer can build a house or it can be a paperweight, you know if you decide to use it or not use it.
And so what I would say, use the tool, have a blind trust, use the tool, go after it, use your downtime wisely, run your business. I think one thing that’s consistent amongst all top performers throughout the organization is they take themselves seriously. They don’t just view themselves as, you know, I got to work today and clock in and do the bare minimum and then go home.
You know, the direct result of improving yourself here is more money in your pocket. And that’s the difference between going to Myrtle Beach or Miami. That’s the difference between ordering the two for 20 at Applebee’s, or just get whatever you want, right? That’s the difference between your kid picking out the pair of shoes they want or hey, these are on sale right? And so it just unlocks all this possibility.
Charlie:
Being intentional and serious about your craft, yeah. And trusting the process.
Michael:
Exactly.
Charlie:
We mentioned about being a creator and an innovator. I believe you’re responsible for this thing called The straight line close. What is the Straight-Line Close?
Michael:
I don’t know if I can take credit for the Straight-Line-Close. Jordan Belfort might get upset with me on that one, but that was a strategy. Jordan Bellfort Wolf of Wall Street, right. He used for calling, sales calls. And so basically the premise of it is you have a starting point, which is typically your opening, or your greeting, or if you’re calling someone when they answer and you have your finish line, which is the sale, right.
And you have all these key components that are built-in, all these processes that are built-in every step of the way. And the key to the straight line close is to be able to circle back if you miss something until you get to the end, right. And so what we did is I took that straight line close concept and applied it to our VIP business or finance business.
And I thought about, you know, if we’re so intentional with selling sleeps, sleep represents 20% of our business, right. Finance represents 65% of our business. Why would we not be as intentional with the way we sell financing to our guests when they come in our showroom? And so created that process and it took off and we had a lot of success with it.
Charlie:
Yeah, it’s been phenomenal for us. Okay. What are you most proud of or who are you most proud of impacting and developing?
Michael:
So, you know, I’m careful answering that question because I truly believe that everything earned in this business is exactly how I described it. It’s earned. You know, I didn’t do anything for anyone. But I definitely helped open the doors for a few folks and returned the favor that someone did for me. You know, just like Rick Rush recognized that in me and poured that into me.
I’ve had the pleasure of being able to do that for several individuals throughout the company, you know. I think of Osvaldo Rodriguez, I think of Carolina Reyes, I think of Chris Barrier and the impact of hopefully was able to make on him and our time together. And, you know, Sam, Josh Stanley, you know, David Walters was there for a short period of time in Kerry.
And so there are so many folks that I could talk about, but I just would acknowledge the fact that all that I did is help provide them an opportunity and teach them what someone taught me and they did the rest.
Charlie:
Love it. Do you have a favorite accomplishment?
Michael:
Every time someone was able to go on a trip, or buy a home or buy a car if I was able to influence them and they were able to do something for themselves or their families, that was – those are my favorite moments. Definitely winning General Manager of the year both in 20 was it 2019 and 2020? Yeah, 2019 and 2020 back to back. That was awesome for sure. But I truly pull more pride from seeing those around me thrive.
Charlie:
That’s awesome. You talked about, we talked about the PAC. Tell me about what serving on the PAC meant, like in this concept of infusing purpose into business?
Michael:
So, furnishing life’s best memories is a sentence, right? What the Purpose Activation Committee did was brought life to it. And so by impacting the community directly, we were able to get involved with great organizations like Beds for Kids, and Hope to Dream, and that’s something that’s always been near dear, near and dear to my heart is pouring into the youth.
And so, you know, I’d previously mentioned some of the things that I’ve been through in my life, and so I can relate to those kids going through the things that they’re going through and just having the ability to, to give back. And we, it’s like we get paid to do it, like we’re just doing a job, right. But understanding how that connects to being able to impact the lives of the children in our community.
Charlie:
You’ve always been one of the most vocal about like when we do a one for one event, buy a mattress, we’re going to give a mattress to a kid in need. And I’ve seen that you’re like, this could change the trajectory of a kid’s life.
Michael:
Absolutely.
Charlie:
And you started the deal. I think about the kid at the Kerry Store putting all the letters of all the kids who get a mattress you know, behind the counter and just making a big deal about that. And even the work that we do, at St Jude Children’s Research hospital.
Michael:
Yes sir.
Charlie:
So I really think that you’ve tied.
Michael:
Yeah.
Charlie:
And just, and then all the learnings and the readings that we did while being on the PAC. Best salesperson? Talk to me about, just what you mentioned – three names and tell me how you think that they were, in what way they were the best? Andy Grand?
Michael:
Andy was the most natural salesperson I ever worked with. You know, it was just easy for him. He was just goofing off having fun.
Charlie:
Sam Bengisson?
Michael:
She is a hammer. She is a hammer. She analyzes, she understands, like I said before, she gets the game like she just understands how to sell. She’s a beast. She’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with.
Charlie:
Most relentless.
Michael:
Most relentless, yeah.
Charlie:
Randy Shepard?
Michael:
Just most nonchalant. Make it look easy. God we had you know, it seemed that his conversion rate was just through the roof. He could sell anyone, right? But he just made it look easy.
Charlie:
Well, this was part one of Stories from the River, the Michael Childers episode.
Welcome to Stories from the River, a podcast brought to you by Broad River Retail, where we’ll explore the personal journeys of our Memory Makers and share real stories from across the organization. And now for your host, president and CEO at the River, Charlie Malouf.
