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Podcast Description

Full Show Notes at the Bottom!

Watch Jim and his brothers Jake and Jordan on Episode 162

Jim DeCicco is the Co Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Brand Officer of Super Coffee!

We discuss:

How a leader can effectively handle stress.

How a great culture gets built.

How to maintain great health & fitness as a busy entrepreneur.

+ so much more!

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01:12 Current Chapter in Life

Personal Growth

  • 01:35 Jim feels he is more patient and less reactive than before.
  • 02:19 He realizes that he needs to get back to the basics and put in effort like he did when starting out.

03:13 Building Endurance

  • 03:31 Endurance training helps with focus and being present.
  • 04:09 Motivation comes from wanting to challenge oneself and see if they can do it.

05:37 Running a Marathon and Managing a Company

  • 05:57 Jim did not hit the wall at mile 20 as expected but found it difficult at mile 24.
  • 06:18 To push through, he reminded himself that he only had two miles left, which was less than 15 minutes of running.
  • 06:35 Despite physical pain, Jim felt emotional upon realizing that he was close to achieving his goal time of three hours.

Managing Stress in Business

  • 07:12 Jim’s mantra is “nothing is as good or as bad as it seems,” which helps him deal with bad news without being disappointed or interrupted.
  • 07:34 When faced with challenges, Jim immediately gets into action mode to solve problems.
  • 08:10 Jim leads by example and communicates lessons learned from experiences to his team.
  • 09:19 The team’s constant themes are working hard to be nice to people and being Super Coffee’s barrier to entry.

10:46 Focusing on Core Values

  • 10:46 Jim stresses that it is important to have a single-threaded fiber that runs through an organization as its core.
  • 11:02 He believes that instead of introducing new concepts, leaders should focus on repeating important priorities, goals, quotes, and cultures to their teams.

Navy SEAL Story

  • 11:20 Sean shares a story about a former Navy SEAL who was fired over a million bullets in his life but still practiced the same fundamentals every time he went out on the range.
  • 11:48 He explains that there is nothing extraordinary about Navy SEALs; they are just exceptionally good at the basics.

Back to Basics in Business

  • 12:17 Jim believes that people often try to find a silver bullet for success instead of focusing on fundamentals.
  • 12:34 He shares how his company launched over 50 products and spent heavily on marketing but eventually had to discontinue 30 SKUs and reduce their team and marketing budget significantly.
  • 13:58 However, he sees this as a painful but necessary transition back to basics.

Making Tough Decisions

  • 14:34 Jim explains how setting goals informs tough decisions such as cutting back on massive categories or letting people go.
  • 14:51 He also emphasizes adjusting to macroeconomic changes such as prioritizing profitability over growth when necessary.

Importance of Controlling Own Destiny

  • 16:10 Raising money is not an option for them currently.
  • They need to become a profitable company to control their own destiny.
  • Once they have enough cash in the bank, they will have no choice but to make dramatic moves.

Learning from Experts

  • 16:55 Jim’s process involves talking to 10 experts before making a decision.
  • Checking intentions with people who have experience that they don’t have is their number one move.

Setting Up Accountability Within the Organization

  • 17:53 The setup at Super coffee is unique where there are three founders who happen to be three brothers.
  • Although the Jim’s title was CEO, they didn’t have decision-making power or veto power over Jake and Jordan.
  • Setting up accountability within the organization is critical to decision-making.

18:32 Building Internal Confidence

  • 16:55 Jim has been seeing a therapist once a week every week since 2020.
  • This has helped them evolve and find confidence in themselves.

Setting Direction at Super Coffee

  • 19:29 Without accountability without a clear leader there will be chaos everywhere.
  • It’s Jim’s responsibility to set that direction at Super coffee.

20:03 Vulnerability as a Leader

  • 21:00 Jim is certainly vulnerable to advisors, board members, and c-suite in meetings where they’re making hard decisions.
  • With 100 employees and mostly remote, the speaker thinks people don’t want to hear them say “guys I’m afraid right now.”
  • It could be a little bit of that but also saying “hey this sucks” and acknowledging difficult situations.

21:35 Building a Strong Team and Culture

  • 22:07 Chain of command was critical in building a team quickly.
  • 22:24 Leaders should trust and empower their teams to get the job done.
  • 23:10 Leaders should recognize their role and not get involved in work that is not theirs.
  • 23:27 Recognizing those who don’t fit and moving quickly on them protects the culture for everybody else.

Building Company Culture

  • 23:41 Culture is an extension of the human beings who work there and their values.
  • 24:01 Brand is a reflection of the culture.
  • 24:18 Work hard and be nice to people are key values that attract like-minded individuals.
  • 24:33 Recognizing those who don’t fit and moving quickly on them protects the culture for everybody else.

Assessing Potential Employees

  • 25:24 Skills or experience may not matter as much as perseverance and dedication to hard work.
  • 25:39 Jim hired an employee with no sales experience or knowledge about beverages based on his willingness to work hard.

26:31 Assessing Internal Drive in Candidates

Screening Candidates

  • 26:47 Jim relies heavily on recommendations and referrals when screening candidates.
  • 27:07 Grilling references has become a critical part of their hiring process to determine how candidates respond to adversity and challenges.

Asking References

  • 27:45 Jim recommends asking references about when the candidate was at their best and worst to gain insight into their work ethic.
  • 28:21 They avoid hiring “unlucky” people who make excuses for not showing up or being unreliable.

32:01 Taking Extreme Action When Your Back is Against the Wall

  • 32:18 Jim DeCicco doesn’t hesitate to take action on most of his ideas.
  • 32:36 However, some good ideas don’t become priorities or lack the courage to put pen to paper and make something happen.
  • 34:34 When in a dire situation, Jim finds a way to step up and make a play. There’s new stress and urgency that puts him in a different mentality than day-to-day maintenance.

Raising Money

  • 35:10 For Jim, it always comes down to raising money. He led all of their fundraising efforts over the years.
  • 35:27 If they’re going to be out of money in six months, that probably means they’ll be out of money in four months. This means having a deck ready next week.
  • 36:03 When there’s 12 months to do something, Jim doesn’t get any slides on paper. But when there’s only a week left, he could build a 30-page deck that is tight and ready to go.

Internal Dialogue

  • 34:52 When times are dire, Jim thinks about who’s going to make the play when someone needs to make it.
  • 36:21 He starts writing papers or building decks at night before they’re due because of bad habits from college.
  • 36:40 The goal is not just taking notes but building a mosaic of what Jim DeCicco is all about and what can be taken from his experience.

37:09 Prioritizing Health and Consistency

Consistent Daily Routine

  • 37:45 Fitness is a non-negotiable for the speaker. He aims to work out every day and sweat regularly.
  • 38:02 Sleep is also a priority for the speaker. He tries to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
  • 38:17 Hydration and nutrition are also important for Jim. He drinks electrolytes and water regularly while avoiding sugar and eating grain bowls or salad bowls instead of bread or dairy products.
  • 38:55 Jim admits that he sometimes gives in to cravings but tries to maintain consistency in his routine.

Development of Consistency

  • 39:12 Jim has always been into fitness since his college athlete days where he trained for 30 hours a week.
  • 39:44 Nutrition has been a part of his life since starting Super Coffee, which aims to remove added sugar from America’s diet.
  • 40:04 Sleep became more important in the last two years as he started prioritizing it more.

Social Component

  • 41:25 Jim credits his girlfriend Allison for unlocking potential, happiness, health, and energy that he didn’t know existed before. Having social interaction with another human has made everything else better for him.
  • Overall, consistency is key when it comes to prioritizing health through fitness, sleep, hydration, and nutrition. Jim’s routine has evolved over time, but he admits that he is not always consistent. Having a social component in life can also greatly impact one’s health and well-being.

42:36 Finding Love and High-Performing Friends

  • Jim resigned himself to being single forever until he met Allison.
  • Their relationship is effortless and makes them both better.
  • The speaker considers their relationship a rare fairy tale situation where one plus one equals three.

High-Performing Friends

  • Spending time with high-performing friends like Devin Leves ue and Dan Churchill has helped the speaker become better.
  • These friends challenge each other to be better, whether it’s running races or pursuing business ventures together.
  • Surrounding oneself with high-performers elevates one’s game and opens up possibilities that were not previously considered.
  • To attract high-performing friends, one must do things that they are attracted to as well, such as attending events or participating in challenging activities.

Mentors and Advisors

  • Having mentors like Jesse Itzler has opened up Jim’s eyes to what is possible.
  • Mentors can help individuals shoot higher than they would on their own by unlocking new possibilities.

47:54 Imposter Syndrome and Setting Goals

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

  • 47:54 Doing the work helps overcome imposter syndrome.
  • 48:13 Achievements are a result of team effort.
  • 48:27 Pushing oneself to do more than what is comfortable has helped them achieve success.

Setting Goals

  • 48:45 Falling short of goals can still lead to a good outcome.
  • 49:03 Missing revenue plans by a significant amount can be deflating for the team.
  • 49:23 Changing the mentality and culture around falling short of goals is important.
  • 49:43 Being proud of accomplishments even when falling short is crucial.

49:59 Mental Challenges and Marathon Training 

  • 49:59 Training for a marathon was mentally challenging due to the progression required.
  • 50:21 Showing up for track workouts, hill workouts, and long runs took mental discipline.
  • 50:40 Signing up for something hard and putting in the work was difficult but rewarding.

Finding Inspiration from Others

  • 51:12 Chad Wright is an example of someone who overcomes mental challenges through endurance races.
  • 51:32 Keep going – one foot in front of the other – is a key takeaway from observing Chad Wright.

52:57 Moving Mountains

  • 52:57 Chad moved a mountain by moving one stone at a time, reminding us that there is no secret to success other than hard work.
  • 53:27 Jim emphasizes that while the basics are simple, they are not easy. He shares a picture of his notes from five years ago where he was thinking about an investment and breaking down his thoughts on Jim.
  • 53:45 One of the things Jim wrote down was “what drives him?” He asks Tom what his internal motivator is.

What Drives Jim?

  • 54:05 Jim’s motivation is twofold: not letting his teammates down and ego. He feels responsible as a leader to not let investors, employees, or customers down. Additionally, he enjoys the challenge of doing something that people say can’t be done.
  • 55:01 Jim also talks about how he has always been a natural leader since childhood and recognizes the influence he has on others.

Recommended Book

  • 57:03 The book “Smart Brevity” by founders of Politico and Axios has been impactful.

57:55 Interviewing Teddy Roosevelt

  • 57:55 Jim expresses his admiration for Teddy Roosevelt, calling him the American dream.
  • 58:19 He mentions that he has read everything there is to read on Teddy and would love to spend time with him.
  • 59:18 Sean quotes a description of Teddy as someone who “lived intensely and entirely in every moment.”
  • 59:01 Jim mentions perseverance, determination, and compassion as qualities he hopes people will associate with him in a hundred years.