The Perfect 100

Hello and welcome back to the Perfect 100.

Today we have as my guest, Dorette Bonds, who is the owner of Pain in the Grass Sanitation
in Spanaway, Washington, a suburb of Tacoma, which is a business that solves a problem

most people don't want to talk about, but are very grateful when it has handled well.

What I love about Dorret is she's built a business around consistency, responsibility, and
doing the unglamorous work really well, which honestly feels like a perfect metaphor for

business leadership and networking.

She's also a true fan of the show.

She's listened to every episode, invested in CliftonStrengths, not just for herself, but
also for her daughter who works in her business and her husband who supports her in it.

and she applies what she learns.

That curiosity and commitment is exactly why I invited her to be a guest.

So today we're gonna talk about her business, her BNI journey, her strengths, and we're
also gonna rewind a little bit and explore how she became someone who sees a mess and

says, I'll take responsibility for that.

And yes, there will be at least one dog poop analogy along the way.

Welcome, Dora.

Thank you so much.

so happy to be here and I'm a little little fangirling if I can.

Well, we're just we're just people talking we're in BNI we're all good But I appreciate
you it will talk more about it later but I so appreciate that you're not even from the

area and you've become a fan that is Absorbing all the information that you know That's
the thing reason why I wanted to do this is I wanted to be able to support people who

wanted to get more out of

you know, BNI and their business and their strengths.

So I'm happy it's reaching the masses, so to speak.

So let's kick off and let people tell you, I've kind of gave you a little intro, but let's
let people, let's let you tell people what you do.

Hi, I'm Dorret Bonds, the owner of Pain in the Grass Sanitation here in the Pacific
Northwest.

We service the greater South Puget Sound area.

And that's right, we scoop dog poop.

So commercial and residential properties, we go in, we let them know when we're on the
way, we scoop the poop, we haul it away at no additional charge.

We make sure the dogs are loved if they're out there, and we make sure the gates are
secure.

One thing that's a great referral for me would be seniors aging in place.

So somebody in this area who's having a tough time having a dog with dignity, they can
have that because they have somebody that's going to come in once a week or the frequency

that they choose.

Scoop up the poop, take it with us.

I'm Dorret Bonds, owner of Pain in the Grass Sanitation.

We'll take your dog's poop.

Seriously.

hilarious.

All right.

So let's rewind a little bit if you don't mind.

Before Pain in the Grass ever existed, what kind of kid were you?

Well, if you uh peek into my strengths, you'll see exactly the kind of kid I was.

Talk too much.

The report cards always said, Dorret is a pleasure to have in class.

She talks too much.

Dorret should focus on her work before helping others.

That was a huge, huge thing for me, not only as a kid, but as I was a growing
professional.

I would always want to jump in and help somebody and they're like, get, you know, focus on
your things.

Okay, but this person needed my help.

So um I am a problem solver.

was going say, were you organizing, fixing, taking responsibility or did that kind of show
up later?

I love a list.

Whether or not I get to the list sometimes is a different challenge, but I love making a
list.

I've always made a list.

like rearranging my room as a kid.

I was always helping my friends and trying to bring everybody along.

so initially I thought, you know, empathy, included, whatever it might be.

No, apparently I was just trying to develop everybody wherever I could with every step.

And um that, that was me.

You know, I'm pretty carefree.

I can laugh at, know, you follow, you make

sure you're not hurt, laugh.

You have to be able to have some humor and some positivity in it.

ah But yeah, if you look at my top 10 even, bet some of them are stacked really close.

I was surprised in the order.

Yeah, I find that uh once people know what their strengths are, that when they start to
think about it, they can reach back into the past and say, oh, that's what that was,

right?

And I was the person that asked a lot of questions as a kid.

I used to drive my mom crazy and both my parents, because I always wanted to know why,
whatever they said.

And they thought I was just being kind of, I don't know what the right word is.

Defiant I guess you know why why you know do this thing why you know?

But it wasn't it wasn't because I didn't want to do the thing it was because I want to
understand the process like what is what are we trying to do here right and they when

you're little that doesn't come across that way, but As you grow you start to go.

Oh, that's what that was no I because I remember being very curious as a child

I was the I know kid.

I always said, I know, I know, I know, even if I didn't know, I know.

Do you, when's first time you remember thinking somebody's got to own this so it might as
well be me?

in any...

position I've done, I've been moved to a leadership position.

So even the um fifth and sixth grade, you go out and you put the flag up on the pole and
you raise it, right?

I was part of that group.

I was picked of a special group.

um I'm aging myself, but there used to be these giant disks called laser disks.

And we did a laser disk project in my elementary school and I was one of the chosen to do
that.

I didn't do anything special.

I don't have special gifts per se, right?

But I was chosen for that.

I helped in uh

I didn't do sports.

I'm not athletic.

I can fall standing still.

But I helped with sports teams.

I did the medical and scorekeeping and such for football and wrestling.

And I was always put as the head trainer or head.

I've always been moved to the top.

And so even in jobs, I was moved to leadership.

And I think it's because I accidentally start telling people what they should be doing.

And maybe I say it in a positive way.

But I always will take responsibility, let alone if you ask my chapter, if there's even
three

seconds of awkward silence.

Other people just call it silence.

It's awkward to me and I will fill that space with something.

yeah, it's in so we haven't we're nowhere near the reveal yet of your strengths, but
Dorette and I have I think I counted four or five one two three four five But most of the

like three of the top five are the same.

So I feel your pain uh and people look at it sometimes are

set of strengths can be annoying to other people because we just see things other people
don't see and we just want to take charge of it, right?

So, but we have to learn sometimes there are blind spots in your strengths that we have to
recognize sharing the why behind why we, you know, it just comes naturally to whatever

your strengths are.

It doesn't matter if it's the same ones we have.

It's just whatever your strength.

Sometimes there's a downside.

most of the time if you're working in it and understand what it is, it's an upside.

recognizing that it is what it is is the first key, right?

There's a reason for why we are the way we are, because that's just what we were born
with.

ah So you did not choose a flashy business, you kind of choose an unglamorous problem.

What made you look at that messy problem and decide it was worth building a company
around?

Um, so I was a stay at home dog mom for a short stint and I always equated it to my Leo
personality that I just had control issues and you know had to be doing something to help

but who knows there's probably other pieces in this as well.

And I was paying the bills watching the money going out but I was feeling guilt,
responsibility probably, because I wasn't helping now right?

Even though I was, it wasn't in the way that I needed to and we at the time we had a
mastiff, a bull mastiff, Italian mastiff,

mix for the Mastiff world.

They would want to know which kind.

And we had a lab Mastiff mix.

And we were sitting, I don't remember what sparked it, but I just have sparks that come
sometimes.

And I thought, well, nobody has more dog poop than we do.

Like, why can't I just do that?

And so I looked into it.

I created a business plan.

I did all the researchy things that I should do and would do.

And I presented the business plan to my husband and my daughter at our kitchen island.

My daughter's an adult daughter, I should say.

just five running around the house and I said what do you guys think about this because
I'll need your help when we get to this many clients I'll need your help to this many

clients right and they said yeah let's do it so we started in December of 2021 is when I
got my first client and here we are now a little over 300 clients

Awesome.

That's a nice trajectory.

um Slow study build, but that's a lot of yards.

that's awesome.

Service businesses live and die by consistency.

Where did that standard come from for you?

Yeah.

I like a process.

And I like when I'm the one that creates the process because I understand it, because I'm
the one that created it.

It came from my brain.

um I'll always remember I took an assessment when I was in the retail world in management
and the actual statement, which I had funny enough said to somebody earlier that day is,

Dorette doesn't understand why the world doesn't see things the way she does.

And so for me in this business, even with having my daughter who's mirror image of me, she
does things the same and consistent.

If I'm hiring somebody, I still have nerves, right?

Because are they doing things the same way I am?

And I again used to equate that as I have control issues, but no, I just want that
consistency for everybody.

So are you making a noise before you open the gate to make sure that there's no unsafe
dogs out?

Are you making sure that gate's closed and shaking it, you know, twice or three times to
make sure it's correct?

Did you go through the yard in the correct pattern, depending on the yard, because they're
all different, to make sure that something wasn't hiding behind the

grass.

There's so many different things where it needs to be consistent.

There's a text to the client on the way, you get a text when we're done.

If they want a picture, they get a picture.

It's all built in to the everyday route.

when you have a dog sitting on the back of a couch Tuesday between 9 and 11 looking for
you because they know that's the time that you come, the best feeling in the world.

I can't even explain and it's not even your dog.

So it's awesome.

fan.

So any dog that wants to come is waiting to see me makes me happy.

You mentioned working retail.

What did you do in retail?

I worked for Hot Topic, so some people are familiar with Hot Topic, the mall chain.

It's loud music, rock clothing.

It was back in its beginning days where it was a little more gothic, turned into pop
culture.

It was my first job.

I walked in and said, will work here.

And he said, okay.

So we interviewed.

I started.

I...

the sale, I will be working for you now.

Yeah, yeah.

And of course, you know, he liked that confidence and such.

And so I grew within the company and went into store management.

And then I would take over underperforming stores to make them perform correctly.

And um I loved it.

It was such a uh fun job.

Aside from the leadership, my favorite thing was when you knew you had a new t-shirt in
the back for somebody and that customer comes in and you know they're just going to love

the new nine inch nails t-shirt, for an example, and you just go hang on one sec.

and you run in the back and you grab it and you know their size and they're so excited.

So the sale, whether it was five dollars or six hundred dollars, it's them being so happy
with whatever's in that bag that they were able to find in that particular store that you

can't find in another store.

So that was just like cup filling for me every day.

well, I love that.

I didn't, we hadn't, I don't think we talked about that before and yeah, I worked retail
forever.

And I think I may or may not have said, I don't remember.

I always feel like if somebody is going to be in sales, retail sales is the best training
ground because you just never know what you're going to get.

I sold, I actually worked at the Gap when I was in,

high school, college, like summers and that.

So I've been into clothing, but I've also been into, you know, repair work and all that
kind of stuff.

So retail and car repair is not a pleasant, it's not a like, I'm going to love that new
t-shirt you held for me.

It's a, I got to drop, you know, $600.

I wasn't planning on breaks today and that is not a happy experience.

So it's it's, it's a great way to cut your teeth, so to speak on how you can deal with
people.

So if you've got kids,

that you think if you're listening to this and you want your kids to run a business, you
think they're gonna be in your business one day, have them work retail, because that's a

really great way to learn how to deal with people, you get all kinds and have all kinds of
weird situations.

So I love that.

Yes.

you say hi to the cashier and they're like, you said hi to me.

You should know how to talk to people and deal with people and be on the other side of
what they've dealt with to put your item back if you're not getting it, whatever it might

be, right?

Everybody should have to do it.

Right.

done that, I've also that, you know, along the way, I was a bartender, all the fun things
and, you know, dealing with drunk people is a whole nother thing.

But serving is, you know, if you've ever had to serve food to people, anyone that's
listening knows how hard that is.

And, you know, people, especially in today's world are a lot more empowered to be rude
than I think they used to be.

So.

um You know, given them that, and they don't make that much money in comparison to a lot
of jobs, so it's an interesting thing.

yeah, you'll never get a better training ground than that.

So what part of your running your business today would surprise the version of you who was
just getting started?

that I even have a business at all.

I am the type of person that learned just enough in school to pass the test.

During career days, I had no idea what I wanted to do.

My parents and family, it's, know, turn 18, move out, get a job, right?

We weren't college driven.

We weren't, are your aspirations?

My parents were great.

Don't get me wrong.

Love them to death.

They were hardworking folks that came home and ready for the next day, right?

So that was the example that we had.

So for me,

I didn't do business classes.

I didn't do any of those things that would have prepared me.

Life is what prepared me for having a business, right?

And I thought I don't want to go into another nine to five or be beholden to somebody
else's processes, even though I'd handle them greatly.

There's a lot of stress when other folks around me aren't and I clearly take
responsibility and want to fix it all.

So for me, having something that's mine and I can keep it paired down to where it's just
me or I can grow it to where

seven of us, whatever it might be, right?

So I'm not looking for a billion dollar business, I was just looking for security for my
family.

But the fact that I have a business at all would be what would surprise the younger me,
because I have no idea what I'm doing.

oh

So I'm clearly figured it out.

All right.

So let's roll over to your power of one and Palms report.

And I know you and I spoke, you've been consistently in the green for a long time, but
this month you dipped into the yellow and I actually love this because it kind of reflects

real life.

Not all of us can be consistently, you know, all the things all the time, every minute.

So let's read your report for those that can't see it.

So Dorette has a score of 65 in the yellow, 20 points for attendance in the green, five
points, looks like my screenshot had a little thing on it, five points for referrals per

week, zero points for visitors per week.

20 points for one to ones per week in the green and 20 points for CEUs in the green.

So basically three greens and two grays.

And then we'll also might as well cover your palms while we're here.

So this is a 25 week report.

You've had no absences, all presents, referrals given inside 10, referrals given outside
three, referrals received inside 15, referrals received outside three, one visitor.

$2,598 and thank you for closed business given and 122 CEUs.

All right, so talk to me about what you saw there.

Well, you can see where my skills lie.

drive about 5,000 miles a month.

So that allows me a lot of time for listening.

And um I had went through everything in Business Builder that I could listen to.

So no judgment, people.

So that's why I was able to find some outside podcasts like yourself.

Another member of our chapter mentioned it.

And I was like, oh, something else to listen to.

Yes, please.

And so for myself, recording activity is

isn't always a challenge, however, I took over as vice president this past June.

And so for a term and a half is when I'll be vice president.

So doing all the other things and, you know, the 20 hours a week that I'm working within
for making my chapter a better chapter, not all of it is recordable activity.

And I'm not one to say, that'll count as a CEU or, we just did a one-to-one because we saw
each other for five minutes.

It truly should be quality activity.

so that's something where

relearning in our culture as our chapter and we are hmm some folks haven't liked that so
we're a little smaller in numbers I'll say but I certainly my my

Developing areas are twofold.

One, I can certainly be reaching out to folks outside my chapter, because we have plenty
of chapters near us that I can connect with, and I do and I have.

I need to be more intentional about that.

Ultimately, I lost one of my technicians in November around Thanksgiving, and previous to
that, I'm in yards.

I'm still scooping.

I can talk to the dogs all day long, but they don't have great referrals to share.

It's awkward if I meet a client for the first time.

I can't just go, so what do you do?

Like, that's kind of awkward when they're paying me money.

to ask what they do.

So I'm in a weird spot in that way and my other networking um avenues, since I'm in the
yard so much, I'm not able to get out to those pieces.

So that's where my dip in referrals and one-to-ones, but it's not that I don't notice
because I'm clearly aware and um I've already had a stern talking to myself and that won't

be the case again.

And I have set times where I can do those one-to-ones.

you know, other folks maybe have a little more freedom in when they can schedule it.

literally, my route has to be done at a certain time and as we talked about the dogs are
expecting me at a certain time so it's harder for me to carve out two hours in the morning

and then do my route.

I'm up against sun up and sun down so referrals and one-to-ones are my big piece that I'll
be refocusing on.

Yeah, well, you're one to ones, you're good.

You've got plenty.

know, 25 weeks you had 30.

So, but that's where referrals are coming from, Is if you've exhausted the, you have a
little smaller chapter, it's not terribly small, but I think it was 17 when I looked, 15,

okay, small enough that that makes it harder to, you you do 15 weeks of one to ones and
you've seen everybody.

So that makes it a little more challenging.

But like you said, the other chapters, where, so I had a conversation with someone who, in
this market, that does pool sales, basically.

They do sales and service visits.

And so essentially, the same thing you're doing, they're showing up in a backyard, looking
at a pool, you're looking for different things, they're not necessarily, somebody has

called in and the owner,

dispatches this person to go check out whatever the issue is, whether they want to buy a
pole or upgrade or service or whatever the means.

And the conversation that person had with me was, so I'm not even necessarily seeing
anyone.

So how can I give referrals?

Right?

How do I, I'm just showing, I get in the truck, I drive, I go to the place, see, I maybe
see the people, maybe I don't, but what he was, I said, well, let's track this a little

farther.

So I said, at some point,

you have to give the findings to someone.

And he said, yes.

And that was the person that lived there.

And I said, do people ever come out while you're there to talk to you?

And he said, sometimes.

So, okay, so there's two opportunities is we have, for sure we have to tell the homeowner
what the issue, whatever we've done, we're talking about it, at least for him.

He's delivering information.

You're kind of, it's sort of on autopilot, I imagine.

Yeah, they don't necessarily need to talk to you, but that doesn't mean you can't build
that in, right?

doesn't mean you couldn't follow up with a different way than I was going to recommend for
him.

What I recommended for him was that, so all of us want to get our money for what our thing
is first.

You know, here's my service, you've paid me, we've done the thing, we're good.

At the end of that, and they have, and I just happen to have one here from, because the
chamber that I am a ambassador president for does this.

We used to have these, so if you're not watching on YouTube, they have, this is the old,
and I don't know if in the new kits, because I haven't seen one yet, they don't have this,

okay.

So this is a business, I'm holding up a small, I don't know, it's maybe five inches tall
by however wide a business card is, wide, and it has little plastic pages that you can

slide business cards into.

For him, what I recommended was something like this is, okay, while I, and I used to do
this when I was portrait photographer, while I'm helping them pack up their stuff, I

didn't even have, I didn't need this.

You can, it doesn't have to be this, but it's just a nice way.

It can be a, it can be a folder, can be, you know, a pamphlet, could be whatever
everybody's name is on.

Here's a list of the people that I trust.

you know, I'm out here to service your pool today.

Is there, you know, let me have you look at this while I'm wrapping up my paperwork.

Is there, and I know like my HVAC guy comes in while he's writing up the ticket.

It's a perfect time to say, I mean, he's, cause he's still old school.

He's writing it on a piece of paper, right?

However we're doing it, there's a minute where we can be, we can be busy doing our thing
and say, you know, what is it?

These are people I trust.

So while I'm here, this is my circle.

I'm very well connected.

Is there anyone here that you'd like to meet?

And inevitably, they'll be like, you know, oh, actually, I do need a new lawn solution,
which is the card that's in here that I'm pointing at.

So I was looking for something, you know, along these lines.

And you're like, great, because I can, this is somebody I use.

If you don't use them, that's okay, because you trust them.

They're in your chapter.

You know about them.

You've heard testimonials, which...

Side note, at the end of the meeting, when we go around at the referrals and testimonials
portion of the meeting, which is what's supposed to happen there, not how many CEUs, not

what one-to-ones, not all those other things, is referrals and testimonials for that
reason.

Because you might not have done business with them, but you need to hear other people who
have done business with the people in the room, even if you've already said it a couple

times, because there might be a new visitor in the room, or sometimes people aren't
listening at that moment.

You know, so I can, I know, right?

They're not on their phones, come on.

But it's, I can borrow their testimonial to use for myself to say, I know that they do a
great job because my so and so and so so so and so I'll use them, right?

Even if I haven't.

So it's a great opportunity to build.

And in your case, it might be a send you, send a, you know, we were, don't know what your,
I know you have a process.

You might, if you're not already doing that and you may very well be doing that already
as.

you know, here's an opportunity to connect periodically with my client.

I always love to say I know everyone, because I do.

I mean, almost.

And if I don't know, you're going to find you soon.

they're like, oh, and what I always, my most successful line is, is who do you need to
meet?

And they look at me, my clients are like, what?

You know, at the end of the transaction, who did you, who?

who else, you're a whatever you are, because they're all business people for the most
part.

So you're a realtor who in your lineup of people that you rely on are you missing right
now that you needed to meet?

And they're like, oh, actually, I just got kicked the roof over a person I used to call
off the team.

So who do you, and I'm like, yes, I've got five.

So just some ideas.

I don't know if you have any thoughts on that.

Yeah, I love it.

I have a sheet that has QR codes for everybody in my group on it.

I've created, just haven't put it into use yet, right?

Oftentimes I get a little imposter syndrome, little nervous to actually, you know, jump
out and put it out there.

And then also I'm creating a link to go on my site that I'll include with my welcome text.

because everything's automated nowadays, right?

So a lot of folks, just text and that'll include that same information for folks if they
need somebody.

So yeah, we're on the same page.

I love it.

Yeah, well, and I, you know, I'm thinking my lawn, because I just said the lawn person, it
spurred that that reticular activity and the advice just kicked in.

My lawn person puts a little, and we talked about, actually, I coached them.

um They, talked about making door hangers.

um They, they actually put the ticket that they were, so people A, know that they were
there, but B, here's the service that we did.

Then they put it inside of a little sleeve for your doorknob, right?

yeah.

we talked about making uh little inserts like cardboard, know, the little flyer, you know,
they're about this size basically.

And so I'm holding up the booklet thing again with the cards, but they just, they could
slide in, here's other services that we do for them because they offer other things, which

is why we talked about it.

But for you, that could be, are my trusted referral.

team or whatever, who do you need to meet?

And that could slide right into, and if you've got the QR codes, so you might want to
rethink that because you want them to come to you because you want you to be the person

that they connect through because then you become the resource.

But that could be, you know, here's the list of the people that are in my network that I
trust.

So if you're looking for any of these services, let me know because you want to connect
them to get that referral, right?

So just a different thought.

Love it.

Ideation at its best.

We both have that.

All right.

So um you've listened to, if not all of them, almost all of them of this show.

So what have you applied that you learned that was different that maybe somebody hadn't
heard yet?

um So I've listened to all of them and a couple of them twice because I find that I
sometimes you just have to listen more than once to get all the information right and um

I don't remember the name and pardon me, but the most impressive one I listened to so far
was the gentleman who used his chapter as independent contractors.

And although we all do it, thank you.

Robert loved hearing your podcast.

Um, the, fact that we all do it, the way he named it was just amazing.

And that was a real like,

Let me stamp that deep in so I can bring that out during a vice president report or
whatever other piece that I can you know remind the chapter that this is a way that we can

look at it and it's that was just really like aha and so Judy from Tacoma Trophy who
shared with me this podcast She also was like, my gosh, did you hear this guy?

And so we thought that was really Really an interesting way to take that and spin it not
only for BNI but for your business like that worked twofold with information

Yeah, I love that also.

And you'll hear my surprise in the if you listen to the episode, Robert is the heading is
branding.

em And then you'll see a picture of Robert on there.

em But it was so because now we brought it up, we have to tell a little bit more about it.

But go listen to the episode.

But it's basically uh he runs his business with basically all of his chapter people as
1099s, you know, where they are.

He doesn't need to hire because he's utilizing them as business people in his business
that he just doesn't have to pay directly, right?

They're getting paid through obviously BNI and the referral process.

But it was a light bulb moment, not from the aspect that like, this is what we do in BNI
every day, but in how you think about it.

Because when you start to think more strategic, when you're strategically thinking about
how can I look across the landscape of BNI,

in my area or not in my area because they don't all have to live there depending on what
your service is and utilize them to grow my business without having to actually hire

people.

So it's pretty cool when you think about it like that.

I love that.

All right.

So we've been hovering around the CliftonStrengths.

Let's let's go to those now.

So your top five are number one is strategic.

You quickly spot patterns and issues that others miss.

You generate alternative paths forward and choose the most effective one.

Number two is developer.

You recognize and cultivate the potential in others.

You spot the signs of each small improvement and love when you see someone make progress.

Number three is maximizer.

You consistently ask, how can we make this better?

You don't settle for good enough, but push for excellence.

Number four is achiever.

You work hard and possess a great deal of stamina.

You take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.

And number five is responsibility.

You take psychological ownership of your commitments.

You are dependable and embrace values such as honesty and loyalty.

And since you've also done the full 34, I am going to give the rest of the top 10.

So number six is ideation.

Number seven is activator.

Number eight is consistency.

Number nine is restorative and number 10 is positivity.

So you you've listened to all the podcast episodes and by the way, folks, if you're
listening, there were 30 somebody told me several people in the last couple of weeks.

have told me that they're only seeing four or five.

They only knew, they only thought there were four or five because of the way that YouTube
algorithm works.

Somehow they're not realizing there are more.

So if you don't know, there were 30 episodes in the first season, which was last year.

And so far, I think we've published at least one.

There'll be another one out tomorrow as of, well, as of this one, by the time this comes
out, there'll be three for new ones for this year.

So there is a whole host of 30 some hours of content that you can go and listen to.

You just have to go to the actual page on YouTube and then look for the ones where there's
two pictures on it, not just two people talking.

Those are called shorts.

So people are seeing the shorts.

thinking that's the episode.

So I just want to set that straight.

So back to you.

So the, what did you think when you saw your report?

First on the top of the tabs it says shorts and podcasts.

If they just click in podcasts, they'll find it.

Look at me developing and maximizing.

These 10 words are me.

This is my DNA.

This is me.

I was reading it to my husband and he's smirking and he's like, why are you telling me
about you?

Like this?

Yeah, it's 100%.

Me and I was nervous when I was taking it because there were times for those who haven't
taken the Clifton strengths You have two choices and you choose which one you believe

more.

They're not actually opposites or anything They're just two different statements and there
was so many that I didn't want to run out of time But I was so torn so I do the neutral

It's not gonna get me at all because I keep clicking neutral It still got me it figured
out another question to ask to pinpoint it exactly and as I mentioned I would have thought

that some of these were maybe Labeled differently like I would

have thought of myself as uh more empathetic or you know more of a relator.

Not at all.

Apparently it's my maximizer and developer that's in there that are you know showing those
same things but if you asked me to choose the words before I knew the words those were the

words I would use.

uh But it's interesting

to put a name to it because again, I know how I am, but it helps me be able to adapt more
to how I talk to other people, right?

If I just jump to the answer because I've already worked out the 12 other things, that's
not fair to the people who haven't, they don't know about the 12 other things first.

So I have to do a better job of introducing and saying, oh my gosh, that's a great start
to an idea.

I also thought of now this because you said it and sometimes I accidentally forget

just sometimes just every once in while Tammy every once in a while.

I forget to Explain how I got there or to thank the person who started the idea, right?

I just pounce right on it I just pounce and I'm like this is what we're doing and why and
why don't you guys all see that and as the vice president of a chapter that can get tricky

because I'm you know, I'm doing it to make everybody better, but I have to be careful
because it can come across as just like accident

negative even though I'm saying positive words while I'm saying it, right?

So...

Yeah.

your pain and most of that, yes.

I'm like, why aren't you getting it?

We should all be in the green and not everybody takes that report card as, you know, the
framework of what you should be doing to be successful.

They just think, why are we even looking at these colors?

Who cares?

I'm doing my bits that I'm supposed to do.

And it's like, are you, you might be getting the thank you for closed business and the
money, but what about the person next to you or what about the new person?

You write it like your stats aren't just about you.

And, um and so for me, I can accidentally go a little too hard in some of those areas.

because I know everybody can be better and I expect everybody to do better.

Yeah, and I think you just had a little light bulb moment there is when we show the power
of one, our first indicator of, when you look at it, the first thing you do is look at

yourself, right?

We put it up on the screen once a month when it comes out, that next meeting it's shown up
on the screen and everyone looks at themselves because you got to see, okay, where am I in

relationship to everyone else, right?

And.

Some people take it as a negative because they're at the bottom.

And if you're at the bottom and they're all green, that's fine.

But if you're at the bottom and there's gray or red, then people start, they start feeling
uh defensive, right?

Because oh this is now what you said, a report card, and I'm not doing what I'm supposed
to do.

But what you said there, the light bulb moment is it isn't always about you, is it is
about what you're bringing to the table or not for yourself and for others.

So the power of one and you know why this podcast is the perfect 100 isn't because you
know, you should just be 100 and just that's what you're supposed to do.

It is because there's value in all of the measurements that come that add up to 100.

adding value to your business and in BNI, our overarching theme is givers gain, what you
bring to everyone else because that's what we all signed up for is to support each other

in our business growth.

So, and we try to look at when we do our chapter success meeting, we look at not only who
is at the top and where the ranking is, but also breaking it down into the palms report,

which is why I also show that to say,

who isn't getting what they need, who is doing what they're supposed to, but not getting
what they need.

Because if you never look at the Palms Report, the power of one may or may not tell the
whole story.

When you start to really dive in and look at, you can pull a six month Palms Report or a
12 month Palms Report.

I think it might default to six now, but when you start to dive in a little bit, you see,
my gosh, this person really is supporting everybody.

they're really not getting much, you know?

And that's a conversation that we need to have early and often with anybody who's coming
in, especially the newer people, give them a chance to get ramped up.

if they're, that's why we do this seven month review is when it's seven months in, if
you're not getting what you need, but you're doing what we prescribe, there might be a

different problem, right?

So then it's a, how are you getting or not getting, I'm in a backyard, I can't get
referrals for people because I don't talk to people.

How can we modify that so that we can get more?

You because you get, you're getting, you're receiving, but you want to give too.

So let's iron this out.

And somebody like me loves those problems because that's what I do.

Right?

So I love all day long, bring me those problems.

So love that.

All right.

So strategic and achiever, you see a path forward and you move.

How do you decide what truly deserves your energy?

sometimes the wrong things.

ah Oftentimes I daily have to remind myself

I can't care more than that person.

I can't.

It makes no difference to them.

They're not thinking about me as much as I'm thinking about them, right?

And I'm specifically talking because as I'm driving and as I'm scooping, those are great
ideation popcorn moments for me.

And I think of all the things and sometimes I can't write them down.

Sometimes I can.

And I thought, why am I thinking about that one person if they're in the gray or red and
they're not trying to do the things, you know, you open yourself up and say, ask me any

questions if you need it or if

you're asking me a training question why aren't you going through the training or why
aren't you getting those CEUs to find the information and um so I use my energy where I

feel I can get the most out of it but sometimes that isn't me getting it right it's the
person I'm helping that's getting the result but it still you know fills my bucket for

lack of a better term so um I would drop five of my problems if somebody else I know has a
problem and I know that I could be of help or at least in my mind I know I

Yeah.

Sometimes it's not the case and I have to remember to ask permission before starting to
help.

But oftentimes it's the thing that I can solve the quickest and then move on to that next
thing I can solve the quickest.

Every once in a while I'll challenge myself and try to eat that elephant in more than one
bite.

because I think I can tackle that thing depending on if it's something that's exciting to
me.

Like if it's dog related or something like that.

Yeah, for sure.

Well, and you brought up another point.

So we have another episode coming out soon.

Look for Jeff Kimbro.

He's a banker.

It's not out yet, but it'll be live soon.

They drop every Tuesday.

So we've already recorded it, but it's coming out.

um So in his episode, we talk about, so he just had his year renewal.

He just signed on for a new year.

And he was in the bottom end of the Power of One for some time.

And it was because

he didn't fully understand.

Now we're a high performing chapter, we're the number one chapter in the region, but he
didn't fully understand how that worked.

So, and he's a smart guy, it's not because he didn't, you it's not super complicated when
you look at it, but nobody explained it to him in the way that made sense for, if I do, I

got to do all these things and it's 20 and whatever that looks like.

Sometimes it's just that we haven't done a good job teaching, right?

So we come in and know, BNI's a lot of things that

especially when you're in a bigger chapter, it's confusing, it's a lot to absorb.

We tell, you know, we have mentor coordinators that kind of set them off on the path, but
that's a lot of information to digest at once.

So sometimes it's because if you're looking at the bottom and saying, because I've
definitely have had that thought myself is, look, you're not contributing.

So, you know, are we going to spend time here?

And the old adage from sales is you don't spend

time with your bottom performers, you spend time with your top performers because your top
performers are going to give you, that's the 80-20, your top 20 people, 20 % of people are

going to give you more than your bottom 80

to help improve performance, you look at the top people generally, how can I help them be
more successful in sales.

Now from a BNI perspective, it's a little different because we're all doing different
things.

Sometimes it's just checking in and saying, you understand?

Do they under, not that question necessarily, are they, have them tell you what they think
it means and then you're gonna know what happens.

And it took some figuring out to, he's turned it, I mean, it didn't take long to turn it
around when you know what you're supposed to do and apply effort towards it.

So sometimes it's just that people don't get it and that's on us because we just missed
that bit.

ah So developer and maximizer, you're wired to make things better.

How does that show up with customers or family members in the business?

Well, my siblings would tell you a whole different story, but working with my daughter, uh
she's our lead technician and she's all relational without going into her top five at all.

I had to look to see if it was an error.

It was so interesting because we're so different.

But she is, she gets me, right?

She's known me her whole life.

So she understands how to deal with, mom's, you know, having a mood or whatever it might
be.

And it doesn't help that I'm in my late forties.

you know, emotions can run high sometimes, which is interesting, but um it's...

I'm always looking for, and it's so weird to keep saying me, me, me, me, me, right?

But this is about me, I guess.

But I'm always looking for how can we make it easier?

Or if she sees a problem or, I have this route and it doesn't look like it's going to,
like, I feel like I'm going to be backtracking.

You know, this doesn't make sense.

This client needs us here before 11 because the lawn guys come at 1130.

So sometimes you just have to look at that big picture and go, oh, just move this, this
and this.

And she's like, oh, well, that was easy.

But maybe her brain didn't see it.

the same, right?

I always, as a youngster and even in my free time, where's Waldo, word searches, find the
seven differences in these two pictures, right?

Those are things that I like doing and even though that's maybe more strategic than
Maximizer Developer, it's seeing that big picture and I kind of just meld them all

together.

So I don't even know, oh I'm using this piece right here, it's just this is my brain, this
is how it works.

Yes.

in dog poop land you can't really use that as much however you do have to I don't want to
double my steps I don't want to cross the yard four times you want to put your bucket in

the right spot so that when it's full you're in the right spot to empty and not having to
tread back four times up the hill to wherever you've said it in the beginning you have to

Use um your best, like looking at the yard, especially if it's a first yard, you've never
been there before, you don't have the comfort, and you have to make sure you grid it in

the right way to make sure you're not missing anything.

The one thing you don't want is a text from a client that you've missed an area.

If there's gravel versus mulch versus grass, right?

You have to maximize the scooping.

There's no other way to describe that.

But in that physical moment, I have to be quick.

Time is money.

The client needs

to know that we're done.

The dogs need to come out.

Maybe I'm in there at the moment that it's their potty time and maybe they aren't a safe
dog.

So there's so many ways that we need to be efficient and quick and thorough, but always
consistent in the whole thing so that nothing's missed.

Yeah, well, and people don't, you know, I share those two things I share.

I strategic and maximizer I share.

the two things you talked to talked about there, it is impossible to not be thinking about
for me and I'm sure for you not to how to make things better.

Right.

How can I take that little thing and tweak it to it's more, you know, it's just going to
be infinitely better with all these little tweaks.

And you just can't help yourself because that's the way your brain works.

You see the pattern.

It's not working.

Let me fix it.

And

That is not innate.

Strategic, as I've said many times before, is not something, your number one is strategic
and so is mine.

It's not something you can teach, you just are it.

It's just who you are.

uh I make my husband crazy because I look at his business, at all the little things, and
he's like, that doesn't matter.

And I'm like, but it does, you know?

Because it's money, you You're spending money, and the things we were talking about is
what, are you tracking how much you're spending on each of these different things?

Well, that's just a little bit.

And I'm like, but every little bit adds up, you know, it's like, I can't, I can't help but
see it because it's just who I am.

And he knows that but it's not his main thing.

So, you know, it's a give and take for people.

But if you're trying to grow your business, having somebody with that innate set, set, set
of things is a superior way to grow when because you can't see it.

It's just not something you look at if that's not where you are.

And if you don't know that strategy is not your top thing, then take the assessment and
find out.

So I love that.

All right, so it isn't.

Yeah, it's a little bit more expensive to have coaching, but the coaching teaches you what
to do with it and how to aim it and how to talk to people and all the things and how to

grow your business with it, which is the main thing, right?

So.

One more on that responsibility.

You take ownership.

Where has that been a strength and where have you had to learn boundaries?

all encompassing in everything I do.

It is a blessing and a curse because I feel like I need to do it and sometimes it's,
nevermind I'll do it myself because it's easier than teaching somebody else.

Sometimes it's not even in my wheelhouse of things I should be thinking about and I might
overhear something and I'm like, oh, have you thought about this?

It's not my business, right?

So I often need to remember, Dorette here,

Right.

ask you if you need, you know, if they need help or if they...

oh

maybe somebody doesn't realize that, you know, I do have that idea and then maybe my
achiever and activator and everything else goes into it like, you know, a little dog

wanting to help.

But I do have members slash now friends, because of course we build friendships with a lot
of people that were in the chapter with and they will during a one to one share a random

problem, right?

It might not have anything to do with what the official form is, but here my brain goes
taking responsibility for it and trying to fix it.

So all day long,

That's what I'm thinking about is trying to fix their problem.

They didn't ask, but they mentioned it.

So since they mentioned it to me, that was an asking, even though it wasn't technically so
responsibility.

That piece can get me in trouble a lot because I will overstep, you know, again, blessing
or curse if I'm in, you know, if I'm in the store and somebody can't reach something, I

got to help them reach it.

Right.

They're taller than me and I'm still trying to find the solution for them to get that item
they need.

So.

it's a it's you know, I think that the knowledge is power.

So when you know that that's your thing, then tempering yourself is a number one, you
know, by asking permission is number two, which you've already said you've recognized that

sometimes people don't want your input.

um So asking can be but oftentimes they do, you know, and then that givers gain in us is
what was appealing to you know, lot of things about BNI is I can come in and help

everyone, you know, and that's why I'm a coach is because

I see so many things that if only you could see those things for yourself, then you would
be better.

um Your business would grow.

Not you'd be better, but your business would be better.

um You'd get more clients, whatever the thing.

So yes, I'm with you.

All right, so.

that, you gave me a light bulb moment and I apologize.

I didn't mean to interrupt.

Also an issue of mine.

just get going and interrupting is a conversation in my childhood land.

We would just talk.

As vice president and even just in the chapter in general, you want to fix it, right?

And I just want everybody to see that it's that easy to do those things.

You can't, and you can't make them put that activity in.

I can sit and show you and I can do all these things.

And I had this great point and now because I prefaced it, it ran and it'll come back when
it doesn't matter and then I'll be interrupting again.

But it is, it's a...

It's a unique piece because I have the way that they can do it.

And I listened to all the CEUs.

I had, there it is.

That was it.

I listened to all the CEUs because I needed to have the answers for when people ask me
those questions.

I don't like not having answers, right?

So I had 250 CEUs last year and I got a third in our region, uh but because I need to have
the answers, I don't like not knowing.

And I think that piece is probably responsibility in there too.

rearing its head so sorry I'm glad it came back to me.

Yes.

I do that all the time.

Anybody who knows me knows.

Cause I get going on one thing and like, there's all these good things here.

And then I'm like, wait, I'm like, where did we start?

Wait, I have to bring, have to bring me back.

So yeah, I'm with you.

All right.

So what's next?

What excites you most about what you're building right now?

Gosh!

Partially the unknown because I need to live in the uncomfortable kind of like when I said
yes to this I immediately started panicking um Because I knew my strategic brain I'd have

eight different answers and what if the one I picked wasn't the best one and I think about
it all day long that I should have said this um And then we're continuing to grow we're

gonna continue to be family-based and then I'm also because of my you know popcorn brain
and always thinking ideas I'm looking at um alternate streets

of helping folks and using my superpowers for good versus evil.

Yes, nice.

And what do you want Pain in the Grass to be known for five years from now?

um The service in the Pacific Northwest that was the most consistent and had the most fun
while doing it.

Okay, well and that kind of leads into my next question is if somebody wants to build a
service business that lasts, what's the first thing they should get right?

um have a plan and look at everybody else and how they did it and find what excites you
about what they did and then find what you don't like and get somebody else to do that

part.

Nice, yes, kind of like use your strengths.

um

look at what everybody else is doing or has done, because how do you know, right?

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

Oftentimes the, what everybody else is missing is what, um, where the, the, the gold lies,
right?

Is what they're not doing well is you can see, you can see it because you have that, that
ability and you can fix it.

All right, cool.

So let's go into our quick fire round.

just some quick fun, you know, questions, quick answers.

scoop first thing in the morning or end of day cleanup better.

First thing.

be out there for three hours now if I wasn't here with you.

uh

is is directly from your social media supervisors helpful or micromanagers

the best.

There's one pit bull that she follows me around every step of the yard to make sure I
found it all.

Yeah.

those listening, the scupervisor is the dog that lives there.

He likes to oversee what's happening in the yard.

yes, yes.

um Biggest myth about dog waste removal.

I don't use my hands, it's not as dirty as you would think.

We use tools, it's double-bagged.

We're part of the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists, so for everybody
that doesn't think that you're held accountable, we're still held accountable.

Okay, who knew?

Who knew there was a whole thing around that?

I guess everything makes sense.

It's probably, there is someone in my chapter that does, and I've shared that with Dora,
that does part of what her business is, scooping poop.

She's more animal care, but she will do the service of scooping the poop for you.

uh But I, and she comes from a lab background, so very technically oriented.

uh You know, she's got her SOPs and all the things, but I never thought about like, where
does it go and what happens after that.

I actually bought my husband a, he was just kind of, he's gonna hate me for saying this,
he had a shovel and like a piece of wood and he was just kind of like pushing it into the

shovel.

so I actually.

using your hands.

A scooper.

Yep.

Yeah.

We use the rake in the bucket.

Approved by scoopers.

Yeah.

he was, I see him all over now, but like he was just getting like the immediate nearby and
now he's all over the whole yard.

So it makes me happy.

All right, so um systems matter more than motivation, agree or disagree?

Yes, because with the processes, once you start, that motivation is already there.

You just have to start.

As soon as you log in and click start shift, like that's the motivation to get on the road
and get going on the route.

So that would be my answer.

Yeah, I love that.

the motivation can twinkle if you don't have a good system set up.

yeah.

One thing every dog owner should know, but usually doesn't.

Your dog poops two to four pounds a day.

And it doesn't matter small or big, it depends on what you feed them and their metabolism,
just like humans.

Okay, interesting.

um What's the most satisfying part of removing the doo?

I'm taking away two to four pounds a day.

um The best thing, now you would think it would be helping the customer and the human and
having a clean yard and all that, but when you have a dog come trotting out and they poop

right away because you've cleaned their space, you can tell where their favorite spots
are.

If you're a dog owner, you know they have favorite spots.

So having that area clean and having them so excited to come out there, again, the most
rewarding thing.

I love it.

read that on your social media that, and I didn't know this, that they like to go in a
certain area, but if it's sturdy, they're not going there because they don't want to step

on it any more than we do.

So that's an interesting.

dirtiest look from them because their favorite spot isn't cleaned up yet.

Yeah.

Best business ideas come from solving what kind of problem?

Annoying or urgent?

Ooh, both and if it's annoyingly urgent it's even better.

However, I'm gonna say annoying because then once you've solved that problem like every
time you come across that solution you're like yes I don't have to deal with that anymore.

I can't think of a specific analogy which is really rare for me.

I always have a story but yeah annoying I think.

one habit you never skip no matter how busy things get.

uh This makes me sound so bad.

When I get home, my Great Dane, who's 32 inches tall, will kick anybody off the couch
that's on there and put her little head down on the seat waiting for mom to come so that

she can cuddle.

So that is the routine that I can't skip because everybody's going to hear it with her
bark and it's just my moment to recharge after I've given everybody else the energy

whether they deserved it or not.

Yeah, well, I don't think that anybody's gonna think poorly of you for that.

to say something cool like X or something like they're supposed to be something cool in
there, right?

Yeah, no, it's whatever.

I feel the same way.

That warm, fuzzy hug is always the best.

um So finish the sentence, success to me smells like.

The humorous answer would be dog poop because that's how I make my money.

But believe it or not, it's not as bad as you think, although we do travel with it in our
car.

Again, the smell of my dog, because that means I'm done with my route, I'm home, it's been
a successful day.

I can still get stuff done on the couch with her on my lap, but each of our dogs have a
specific smell.

And so any of those just trigger the best for me.

Yeah, so that's success.

One of mine smells like cookies.

She smells like cookies on top of her head.

it's really, yeah, it's really great.

It's really great to.

Yeah, no.

Yeah.

All right.

So this episode is a great reminder that in business and in BNI, progress isn't about
pretending there's no mess.

It's about knowing how to handle, clean it up and keep moving forward.

And honestly, Dorriette, you might be the most qualified person I've had on here to teach
us that.

So thank you so much for being here.

Any parting words from you?

I know, thank you so much and if you have a dog and you can't scoop it, don't be ashamed,
find somebody that can.

All right, awesome.

And before we wrap up, I want to thank everyone listening, for fellow BNI members for
being here.

I appreciate your support.

If anything in this conversation resonated with you and it lets you think differently
about how you're going to do BNI or your business or any of those kinds of things.

If you've had a givers gain moment, be sure to give back by subscribing to not so you
won't miss future episodes.

And if you share it.

to other business owners, they might get something out of it.

And if you like and comment it, that helps me, because it pushes it up in the algorithm.

So, and if you want to take a page out of Dorette's book and take it a step further, you
want to reach out and know what your strengths are, feel free to contact me about getting

your assessment.

And she didn't just become a super fan, she invested by getting her results and knowing
more about it and helping her business with it.

So if you're curious about that and you wanna take it, get it, and then do coaching, guess
what, I'm here for you.

So thank you for being here and we'll see you next time on The Perfect 100.