Episode #108 Scaling Without Selling Your Soul: The No-BS Guide to Culture-Driven GTM ft. Earl Foote

What if building a high-growth business didn’t mean burning out your team or selling your soul? In this episode of Bridge the Gap, we sit down with Earl Foote, Founder & CEO of Nexus IT, to talk about why values-driven leadership isn’t soft — it’s a go-to-market weapon. Earl built a 27-year IT powerhouse on culture, conviction, and calling BS when he sees it. We talk about burnout as a sign of misalignment, why work-life balance is a lie, how to build GTM teams that last, and why most leaders still don’t get it.

Follow Earl: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earlfoote/

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Transcript

This is Bridge the Gap powered by Revenue Reimagined, the podcast where we dive into all things revenue. Each episode, we bring you the top founders and go-to-market leaders to challenge how you think about growth and help you bridge your biggest go-to-market gaps. I'm Adam Jay. And I'm Dale Zwizinski. 

As always, thanks for hanging with us. There's a million ways you can be spending your time and we're grateful for you choosing to spend it with us. Be sure to check out our newsletter if you want the show notes and tactical advice on how to bridge your GTM Gaps. Let's get to it. 

Welcome back to another episode of the Bridge the Gap podcast powered by you guessed it, Revenue Reimagined. Today's guest is Earl Foote, founder and CEO of Nexus IT Consultants, host of the Tech Beat podcast, and someone who's been running a values-driven GTM operation longer than most people have been in SAS. 

Earl scaled Nexus from a solo consultancy into one of the top managed IT and cybersecurity providers in the country, which is super cool, but he's best known for how he leads. Character, conviction, and my favorite, zero tolerance for BS. What are you in for today? A masterclass on what happens when you don't compromise and why that is actually a go-to-market strategy. Earl, welcome to the show, man. 

Yeah, thanks, Adam and Dale. It's a pleasure to be here with you guys. I really appreciate your invitation. 

I mean, with me, not with him, but let's do it. 

Hey, you did the best part of the show, and now we can do the other part of the show. 

I think it's a lie, man. Have fun. 

I can see Earl taking the guitar out and like strumming to that watch. 

Hell yeah. There you go. Adam, you're quite the spinster there. I mean, I appreciate the kind intro, but it's probably, you know, that's a tall order to live up to there. 

I've spent about five years in radio. If I could do one thing, it's an intro. I often say if we could just record podcasts all day long and do nothing else, I'd be a very happy person. Unfortunately, we can't do that. You have to work for a little... Come on, Dale. 

Earl. Take the show off, man. Yeah, so impressive. The first part of the show, we'd like to talk about scaling the business without selling your soul. It's kind of like we're relieved that. And so you've been running Nexus for over two decades. That's really rare in this day and age. Like you see a lot of people coming in and out of things. What keeps you in it? And what keeps the business growing as you're going in it, especially through these different times through, you know, all these AI, business-driven type things? 

Yeah, very good questions there, Dale. You're right. Entrepreneurship has taken on kind of what I call the churn and burn sort of model where it's a three to five year, let's start something up, let's get it 0 to 10 million and let's sell it. And I don't discount that in any way. In fact, I deeply understand kind of the pros of that model and having some time off, I have plenty of friends that have been in B2B FAS or other types of ventures, consumer goods and that kind of stuff. And that like taking off one to two or three years in between, regenerating yourself because we all know like building a business is a serious commitment, right? And having that time off in between to kind of regenerate, get clear again, come back with some fresh ideas, you know, and then solve some new problems. 

I totally see the value in doing that sort of model. I have been a long hauler and in fact, you know, it held 27 years actually, the September it will be. It's almost three decades. Almost three decades. Yeah, I'm afraid of it. Almost three decades. 

Started at the age of 23. And yeah, you know, we've been deeply committed from the beginning to build a business with what we call heart and soul, right? Values aligned, purpose driven, you know, mission driven type of organization. And that's, you know, really been a big part of our secret to success is, you know, our team believes in what we're doing because we have a mission that's larger than some of our parts, right? And that mission specifically is to elevate IT. And when we say that, we mean it, you know, of course, first and foremost for our clients. Like we were committed to a world-class experience, you know, for them across the board. In order to create that world-class experience, the predominant sort of formula I've used over the past nearly three decades is that rewarded, fulfilled, happy people create happy clients and happy, correct clients create healthy revenues, right? And so, you know, we as leaders in this organization and we understand and know that, you know, that culture is leadership behavior at scale throughout the organization. 

So, you know, top-level leadership starts by modeling, you know, the type of behavior that we want and the culture that we want within this organization. We are not exceptions and that's a, you know, I see that error very often. I'm not going to be critical, you know, but oftentimes in executive roles, you know, we feel like we've earned a bit of a pass on, you know, some of the, you know, the intricacies of day-to-day, you know, interactions and duties. And we here at Nexus don't believe that. Like we believe that we set the tone and we set the bar. 

And so, you know, we're here to set that stage of, you know, what we're building and why we're building it and the type of environment we want to create. So we talk about... 

Adam, did you hear that? You actually should be doing some more too, not just barking orders. 

And listen, I'm a... yes, agreed. I'm going to say something that you would have been able to misinterpret, so we're not going to do that. We talk about... 

I love it. Just quickly, we talk about building an environment where people can do the best work of their career here. And because, you know, our team believes in, you know, in providing that environment to each other and then really providing a world-class experience to our clients and building something extraordinary, you know, we're aiming for the stars. 

Top 10 MSP, MSSP nationwide for regulated industries, that's what we're aiming for. And the teams align. The teams show up, right? They take care of our clients. They're aligned to grow, you know, grow themselves while we're growing the business, which is not easy. You know, when you're growing at a quick pace, everybody in the organization has to grow professionally and personally at a commensurate clip or we don't keep up with the growth curve, right? Anyway, sorry to interrupt. 

Yeah, no, I love what you were saying when you talk about, like, making sure that people inside the organization of Nexis are actually taking care of first because they're taking care of your customers and those customers then generate revenue for the organization. And I think sometimes there's a disconnect on, especially in the executive team, we need more customers who generate the revenue, but then they forget about the people that are actually servicing the clients that are generating the revenue. So I just love that perspective that you guys are running on. 

I may have read an account. 

And if Adam writes it down, he's probably going to write a post about it. 

So, you're shat, look for a post. I'm not going to be shatting on this. 

All right, all right. Well, Adam will make a famous. I always look for the one nugget. 

Yeah, I love that. I think it's missed way too often and it actually starts very early. So as you said, you've been running almost for decades now and it's obvious if it comes from the top that that's going to be the culture that you're driving through the organization. So I was curious early on as you guys, as you started building your organization, you started this opener, what were some of those early decisions that you made that now still are impacted on how you run things today? Like, what are like one or two things that you did early on to say, like, yes, people are important, but what in that people management side did you do early? 

Yeah, really good. And I would say, Dell, early on, you know, I wasn't nearly as adept at understanding, of course, how to operate a business, but then really how to build, you know, really constructive, productive cultures. I was 20, 30, right? And I didn't study business. I studied civil engineering. Started my career studying architecture, pivoted in civil engineering, then pivoted into technology, right? But there was always something that was just, you know, core to my own personal kind of, you know, way to show up and believe in people. And that's just it. I mean, at my core, I'm a humanitarian, right? 

At my core, I believe in humankind, our ability to be able to show up and do extraordinary things, our ability to grow and evolve, right? And I always, you know, from the very beginning when we started, you know, hiring teams, because my brother and I started the business together. We're not in business together anymore as of 2012, but we started the business together in 1998, and we were the first two employees, but then, you know, over the first 12, 18 months, started to hire some additional employees. And we just, we looked from the beginning for people that got what we were doing, that wanted to be involved, you know, and aligned with purpose, not just wanted to show up and punch the clock, right? And, you know, whose core values fit the DNA of the organization, the core values that we use to, you know, to determine how we show up and behave within the organization. You know, we'd look for people that that was, you know, that was just aligned with their inherent, you know, kind of personality, and who wanted to have a good time, because building a business, you know, at times can be, it can be rough, right? It can be very fun, it can be very rewarding, and there's those times where it gets a little bit challenging, right? Maybe not a little bit, it can get really challenging. And so, you know, having people who are like, you know, who don't get psyched out very easily, who want to show up and have fun, who want to have a positive attitude despite whatever challenges you're trying to solve, right? We always look for that stuff from the beginning, and then we just continue to build on it. 

And I will, you know, I'll be the first to admit, I've made several cultural, you know, cultural errors throughout my tenure, in nearly three decades as a, you know, founder, CEO, you know, early stages, you know, being too kind of broculture, too, you know, too lenient, you know. 

You and your brother, hey, you and your brother, there's no HR. 

Yeah, exactly, right? You know, and a bunch of 20-year-old, you know, 20-something-year-old, you know, techie guys, right? You know, it was a very different sort of environment, but that, we didn't set the bar well enough, right? And then I overcorrected, kind of, you know, I thought I had to go from being the very lenient, likable boss to the asshole boss, right? 

And that wasn't the right move either. I ultimately found, you know, I have to find the happy medium of, you know, we have to set the bar of excellence within the organization and set expectations very high and make those very clear in terms of what we measure, why we measure it, what, you know, what our purpose is behind that. And then, of course, you know, looking for the people who want to perform that naturally, because, you know, you always want to be helping people stretch and grow. But if, you know, if they're 30% the way there to, you know, to where you want them to be, you're not going to get them there. You know, if they're 70% or 80% the way there, then you're going to be able to coach those people and, you know, stretch them to continually achieve new heights, right? 

So, anyways, that's, you know, kind of, you know, some of the methodology that we've used. And I wouldn't say that we're, you know, we have it absolutely perfected today. We're pretty damn good at what we do. Our chief people officer, you know, this is his deep expertise is, you know, how to build high performing, you know, constructive cultures. 

And so he's been a game changer for us over the last four or five years since he's been involved in the organization as well. And it's still stuff that we're assessing, you know, on a weekly monthly basis, you know, as an executive team, even, you know, we anonymously pull our team at minimum quarterly to get their feedback on what's working and what's not, right? What's in a what's empowering their success, what is undermining their success, right? And so we're constantly assessing and then tweaking, you know, what needs to be changed so that we can improve the experience for our people. And they're like, we've proved the experience for our clients. So let's, let's talk about HR and people and culture. 

And there's this myth of a work life balance. And you have made a public comment that work life balance is a fallacy. Yeah. Un-talk that for me a little bit. Yeah, I think. 

Yeah, because I'm trying to still figure it out. You and me both. Please tell him like what the real deal is. 

Yeah, obviously that title Adam is a, you know, it's clickbait, right? 

Yeah, absolutely. It got some pretty angry responses, I can tell you. You know, but overall, I mean, I think that particularly in leadership chairs, we have to recognize we know what we signed up for. Like, you know, rarely does that a 40 hour week, right? More often than not, it's going to be a 50, 60, you know, in really demanding industries at 70 or 80 hours a week, right? That's pretty norm. So Dale, shouldn't it only be working 20 hours a week? No, no. 

Unless you, you know, I mean, I know you guys have a couple of extra help thoughts here. 

Earl, I just let AI do the rest of it. There you go. It's fine. It's like 60. 

If you can send me that, you know, whatever it is, the agent of AI that like, you know, you can replace you. I mean, I'd love that. Anyways, man, I totally got lost. What was the question? 

Work-life balance. 

Oh, yeah. Being a fallacy, we were talking about how as a founder, you might have to work 50, 60, 70 hours depending on the industry. Yeah. So Gary Keller, who built Keller Williams, excuse me, Keller Williams Real Estate, in his book, The One Thing, which I think is a fantastic book, you know, really the power of hyper-focusing, which has been another one of the things that's been, you know, part of our success at Nexus. He talks about do away with the concept of work-life balance and think of it in terms of counterbalancing, right? I do believe that, you know, predominantly in today's work society, granted, I believe that we required and asked too much of people for a long time. Like when we were asking front-line contributors to consistently work 60-hour weeks or 70-hour weeks, like that's not fair, right? It's not fair and it's not sustainable. And, you know, people are, you're going to burn them out. And so, again, I think we're pendulum over-correcting to, you know, work-life balance means that I get to work anywhere, when I want, how I want, and the hours I want, which is about 10 hours a week, but I want to get paid for 50. 

And I commensurate compacted. And that just isn't reality, right? That, you know, a business in order to be able to be financially sustainable has to have people that produce, you know, at minimum a 40-hour work week, right? 

And a quality 40-hour work week. And so, you know, Gary Keller's, you know, a book there, he talks about, you know, time blocking and just making sure that, like, you know, define your roles, what's important to you in life, what do you want to do? Like, you know, fitness, family, some people say, or, you know, whatever your spirituality, right? I'm a yogi. You know, meditation, yoga, or a big part of my life, breath work, you know, chanting, which, you know, people, that's a little off, you know, kind of funky, but I enjoy chanting quite a bit. So, you know, you got to just find those things that are like, what are really important to me? And I'm going to be very disciplined about, you know, making sure I set aside time for those things. 

And I'm going to flex. And sometimes that means, you know, we as, you know, leaders or founders, you know, we may have to decide our work hours outside of normal, you know, 9 to 5, 9 to 5 work hours, particularly when my kids were younger. They're all grown up and adults now. But when they were younger, you know, they played competitive sports, particularly competitive soccer. And I even coached to like the rec soccer, you know, leagues during the winter and stuff like that. And so there were often days I'd have to be, you know, I'd have to, you know, head out of the office at 2.30 or 3pm, pick them up from school, take them to their soccer games, right? And then I'd, you know, come up, you know, we'd get dinner and all that kind of stuff. 

And then I'd come home and I'd work another three or four hours, you know, into the evening. So just time blocking and figuring out, you know, where do the things that are important to me fit in? And I'm going to take a disciplined approach about making sure that I stick to that, you know, that sort of scenario. I think, you know, for me, that's what creates work-life balance is understanding, you know, how to manage your kids. your schedule and your priorities and counter balancing those with each other. You know, the expectation that I can work 10 hours a week and get paid for 50. That isn't, you know, it's not realistic. And, and, you know, there are a few people in a few industries that have figured that out, kudos to them, right? In services, like you have to show up for 40 hours a week and take care of the client. That's just the reality. Yep. 

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I like the counterbalance part. I think that makes a lot of sense. I think the enabling to be in a place where you can do the things that you want and like to do. There's a, there's a saying, like, my wife says this to me all the time, because I'm like, oh, I have to go do this. She's like, no, you want to go do this, right? There's that subtle, that subtle like transition part of from I have to, to I want to, back to, you know, deep breathing, meditation, chanting, that kind of stuff from a mindset perspective brings people into a place of like not feeling like this is a task is more of like what you enjoy doing. 

And I think that's the other part of it. Like when you get to a place, do you really need like work life balance? If you are enjoying and doing what you like and enjoy to do, because if you, if you are doing that and you find people in your organization back to the first question on culture, if you find people that have that same passion in the place that you're going, it's going to feel less like work and you're not going to have to convince them of this counterbalance that you're going to have to run in the new organization. 

Aligning people around the purpose and again, that being inherent to them, you know, it totally, you know, for some people, they want to work 50 hours, right? Because they feel aligned, they feel fulfilled, they feel like they're doing something meaningful and impactful. And particularly, you know, in the services industry again, with engineers, most engineers are motivated by making impact, you know, to a whole that is larger than themselves, right? 

That's like when you do all those strength finders tests, you know, you know, disk or whatever, you know, methodology used. Engineers predominantly want to be part of a team that makes an impact that is larger than some of the parts, right? You know, self-people and of course, as we go to market podcasts, you know, most, you know, self-people are coin operated, right? 

They are transaction, you know, get the hit, get the commission, yeah. You know, but that isn't the way that engineers think, right? You know, and granted, there's those who kind of are the hybrid, you know, but engineers predominantly, they want to show up with purpose and do something impactful and meaningful. And if they feel aligned, you know, many are willing to put in that 45 or 50 hours a week, a week without, you know, without feeling like they're being abused or, you know, without it, burning them out. Yeah. So burnout generally is a sign of misalignment is what it is. 

Like, you know, and that's one of the things that we've really, you know, learned over the years is if somebody's not aligned, you don't want them to be part of the organization. They're an energy drain. They're like, if they're burnt out because they're misaligned, they're sucking energy from the rest of the organism, right? And that becomes toxic over time. And so, you know, hiring for and then managing to alignment and everybody being, you know, part of the vibe you're creating together is one of those secrets to creating a thriving organization, in my opinion. 

I love that. Burnout is a sign of misalignment. Yeah. 

I like that a lot as well. What, um, along those lines, so like work, life balance, needing to work real hours, um, what are GTM leaders doing? Kind of what I'll say, cow tailing to this a little bit, that they just need to stop apologizing for and like, get with the program. Yeah. 

Yeah. I mean, first and foremost, like if you're in a cell drill, the expectation is production. Like that is your reality. And then, uh, predominantly what, what happens within business where people, uh, are unhappy or, you know, they don't feel fulfilled or they're not hitting the mark, you know, it comes down to a cognitive dissonance, right? Like if you're in a cells role and, and don't believe that you don't have to show up and like, you know, do everything you can every single day to, you know, produce leads because, you know, not all marketing or not all SDR, BDR teams are going to be able to fill your funnel all the time. So if you're, if you're a closer, you probably got to be a hunter as well, right? You got to be prospecting. You got to be, you know, getting out there and, you know, um, uh, connecting with your network and all that kind of stuff, right? So in a cell role, you just have to connect to the reality of the role. 

Like I have to show up. I have to produce leads. I have to work those leads, you know, in a, in a disciplined manner. 

Um, I need to close, you know, and I have a quota to hit. And while I'm working those deals, I have to continue to prospect because we all know that that cycle of death that, you know, reps get on where, you know, they prospect, they fill their funnel, they close a whole bunch of stuff, you know, and they have this big win. And then it's this huge fall because they didn't prospect while they were working all the deals. And now they've got a quarter or two to try to, you know, get back on track. And most of them are going to get fired, you know, uh, for missing a quarter or two, right? 

Before they ever are able to fill their funnel again. And so that discipline, in fact, I think it's, um, the Jeb Blunt, uh, fanatical prospecting, you know, um, that's a fantastic book. That's a, you know, like everybody in our DTM team, that's like, that's the Bible when you join us, here's your Bible study at Noah. Live it. 

Right. Um, and so I think if you're in a, in a go to market role and you're just not connected to that reality of like my job is to help grow the organization. Um, so that, you know, there, there is financial wellbeing within the organization that allows us to be able to service our people and to service our clients the way we want to, then you're disconnected from the reality of, of the role and the career. And you probably need to get out of it. Right. 

My opinion. Well said. So very well said. 

Yeah. So let's, let's shift gears a little bit. So leading for the front, even when it's lonely is like a big thing. So, um, you built strong community presence, you know, from podcasting, which I, I, is amazing. 

Cause I think many founders or the CEOs, they have to like this challenge with like podcasting to being on board seats, but leaving from the front does have a cost. So what does that look like for you? Like what is that, what does that cost Earl in that all that work? Yeah. 

That's, that's a good question, Dale. Um, it is a, I would say a mindful commitment to wake up every day and committed to showing up as the best version of yourself that you can for that day. And some days that looks like you're a total rock star. Some days it looks like you want to close the door to your office and curl up in the fetal position. Like, um, you know, that's just the truth. Like us, us founders, you know, building a business is a mental and psychological and emotional roller coaster. Um, you know, I being the, the yogi that I am, I focus a lot on self mastery. Right. 

I focus on, on emotional regulation. Um, you know, but that doesn't mean that I'm, I'm perfect at it. Right. And, and there are most certainly, you know, those days where you're thriving, where you're in your, in your groove, right. And, you know, you're really feeling like you command, you know, that the chair that you're sitting in and things are going really well. 

And there are days where you feel like the chair is way too big for you. Right. Um, and, um, you still got to figure out how to show up elite. You got to show how to figure out how to get centered, how to help the team fill your presence, because that can't be underestimated leadership presence. When, when the team filled, uh, you know, uh, like the, the core leaders, you know, particularly CEO, but then, you know, um, the executive team, when they feel like there is a lack of confidence, a lack of surety or trust in the team or the mission and what you're building together, you know, subconsciously we, we pick up on all this stuff. 

The team picks up on it when a leader doesn't show up with presence mastery in command, you, you can bet that that team is going to have challenges. Right. Um, there's going to be. 

Sorry. I, I, I want to pause you and I'm sorry, but that is the truest thing that I mean, you've said, you've thought a lot of things that I'm going to steal and repost and give you credit for. But if you as a leader, if you as a leader don't have the mastery, how can you possibly lead coach? I talk about culture of coaching a lot, coaching guide someone. Now, does that mean that I'm going to be able to do a better cold call than a BDR? Absolutely not. They do it a million times a day, but if I'm going to coach on it, should I be, should I have mastered the principles, the basics, the fundamentals, the format to be able to give them intelligible insights? Absolutely. And I think that applies to all aspects of everything that you're leading. 

I say often, you know, when engineers, um, will try to provide, you know, guidance on selling and guidance is one thing, but like, try to like, Oh, you need to sell this way. Like I don't know how to code. I've never been trained in how to code. You do not want me telling you how to go build your product. Like I'm not skilled for that. 

You wouldn't want me coming to your team to do that. It's the flip, right? You have to earn that credit and have that credit. So I very much appreciate that you call that out. Yeah. Yeah. 

And it's, you know, having confidence in, in the function that you're leading, right? Um, the knowledge, the background is important, but it's more than that. It's having confidence in yourself, in the team, you know, trust in that team. Because, uh, gentlemen, I think that we're seeing the greatest shift in the market, in the working environment of the market that's ever happened, right? Um, yeah. I agree. At least in, you know, recent history that we know of over the last several, several years, right? You know, post COVID, post Gen AI, right? Um, the workplace is, is evolving and changing. 

And I believe the human race is evolving and changing, right? Um, we're looking to do, to do business in a different way. And people who are not realigning their businesses right now are struggling. You know, your traditional B2B SaaS businesses that are not becoming very value aligned, um, they're struggling and you're seeing it all over, right? Fire cells from BCs, you know, down rounds that are happening, you know, um, you know, massive layoffs and that kind of stuff. I mean, we have, you know, unfortunately, several of those stories here in Utah, you know, that B2B SaaS became unicorns and over the past couple of years, you know, had to strip down, you know, to a quarter of their team size. 

You know, some of them have, you know, um, sold off their, their massive office buildings, moved out of state or gone fully remote. Um, we're going through a compression stage in the, in the, in the market. And what I'm observing is companies who are not delivering real value are struggling companies who know how to deliver real value for their clients and their people. And if they can to a broader mission of the community are thriving, right? 

And that for me is, is part of this, you know, the, the formula to success right now is you got to show up and do real stuff that helps people, right? That helps your client and helps your, your employees. And if you're not, you know, if you're just showing up for, you know, the, the financial metrics, uh, you know, and, and, you know, Lucinda, Yvonne, uh, and shareholder returns, uh, candidly, you know, you're, you're misaligned and people pick up on it right now. Clients pick up on it. Employees pick up on it. They don't want to be involved with us. Right. It's time to get values aligned in my opinion. Couldn't, couldn't agree more. 

Let's, um, let's shift gears a little bit. We, uh, we're, we're running up on time, which is always not fun. Um, we're going to go a little rapid fire. Sure. 10, 10 words or less is the goal. I say that because they'll struggle to do anything in 50 words. Um, but we're going to try here. What's one leadership quote that you actually live by and isn't just a quote. You live by it. 

Um, man, you did put me on the spot on that one. Um, pass. 

Let's see. Um, I know there's, there's one, but I'm, uh, I'm just, I'm drawing a blank. I like literally pass. Let's go to the next one. 

Yeah. Who's, who's the leader? Most people overlook, but should deeply respect. Um, yeah. 

I mean, it's hard to say it, but I think just in terms of somebody who has figured out how to disrupt regardless of how they do it or not, you know, it's Elon Musk, right? Whether you like the guy or you hate him, it's very polarizing, right? Um, but, you know, has he, has he disrupted, has he shifted reality, you know, for the market and for, you know, um, modern, the modern world? Absolutely. 

Um, so I would say that's a, that's somebody who's, I think, has been underestimated and it's had a, an impact that, you know, is far deeper than any of us really understand. 

What's, uh, what's one trait you look for that always signals a strong higher? Hmm. 

A, a personal commitment to ownership and growth. Like, um, in my opinion, in business, you do not thrive unless people, uh, hold themselves to a high bar. It's one of our core values, absolute ownership. Like if you've accepted a position and the duties of that position and the deliverable of the position, it is yours to deliver on, right? And if, if you're not going to deliver on it, then you're not in the right chair. Um, you know, uh, nobody wants to micromanage, right? 

And nobody wants to be micromanaged. So, um, we look for people who have a track record of showing up with absolute ownership who say, look, you know, this role, I know what, you know, what's in my purview and I will give it my best. It doesn't mean that I'm going to, you know, I'm going to, um, always hit the mark a hundred percent, but if I'm not hitting the mark a hundred percent, I'm working with my manager, my supervisor, my leader, whoever on, you know, on rectifying that and how I'm going to get there for the next, you know, measured period, whatever that, you know, week, months, you know, quarter, whatever it is. 

Um, and I'm being proactive at owning where I have gaps, right? Uh, and growing as an individual, I look for growth mindset as the other piece to that, right? That is part of, you know, our organization, one of our other core values is growth mindset. And if you, particularly in, you know, in a high growth organization, if you hire people with fixed mindsets, you're constantly going to be turning those people. If you hire people with growth mindsets who want to learn and grow and, you know, and challenge themselves to do it at a significant pace so they can keep up with the business of growth, fantastic. If not, they're not going to work out. 

Agreed. Last one as we wrap this one up. What's your favorite song? That wasn't the playing guitar. Nope. That's okay. That's okay. What's your favorite song to play in guitar and can you riff it for us here? 

I mean, I got an acoustic back there. I'm more of a bassist actually. So, um, what's my favorite song? I really like, um, come together by the Beatles, you know, but I like that bass line. Um, you know, of course, I'm a 90s kid, you know, so I grew up listening to the Flea, you know, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Les Claypole from Primus who, you know, were like bass gods, you know, and then there's guys like Victor Wooten and all those guys out there. Um, I can't play like those guys. I'm, you know, um, I'm, uh, I'm not that talented, but, um, yeah, come together as great, a great bass line. I really, I've always been good playing it. Yeah. 

I love it. I love it. Good talk. Earl, thank you so much for joining us on Bridge the Gap. Where can people go learn about Nexus? 

Yeah. NexusITC.net or look us up on, you know, social media, NexusIT. Um, thanks guys. It's been a lot of fun. I appreciate the time. Likewise. 

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