We were lucky to catch up with Gabriel Campolla recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gabriel, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re very focused on here – improving our ability to make decisions. Everyday, we’re faced with decisions that can impact the future of our careers, businesses, relationships and more and so one of the most impactful areas for personal development, in our view, is decision-making. Can you talk to us about how you developed or improved your decision-making skills?
This is an interesting question: folks near me often make mention about my unusual ability to try or learn new things. It all comes down to making a decision. Whether it’s creatively experimenting or making a large personal decision or even a business decision, my process is the same. I identify the goal, and determine what it will take to accomplish. Then, and most importantly, I determine what the greatest risk is. Usually, the risk isn’t very high; and when it is, I proceed in the most reversible way possible. Let me explain:
I own a vintage car that isn’t in “perfect” condition, but it is in really, really good condition. When it comes to improving upon one of the smaller imperfections or making a modification (I always do these projects myself), I source a donor part to use and keep the original aside – just in case I want to revert back. This is what I mean by keeping my risk reversible. I wanted to change the wooden trim inside the car, so instead of modifying my originals, I sourced used replacement wood trim to customize. I had it in there for a little while, but I wasn’t quite satisfied with it, so I reverted back to the original. Ultimately, the risk was a few bucks for the replacement wood trim, the materials, and a little time. So, the decision to try this was easy.
Business is similar. Though not as easily “reversible,” getting concept products made usually doesn’t cost much and we can try them in real-world scenarios. We can even soft-launch them to close customers and friends to get their opinions. If any changes need to be made, that can happen too; the risk is minimal.
Life in general brings each of us many decisions every day. Almost all of them are so inconsequential, you’d probably not even remember them by the time you go to bed that night. I’ve spent time with many people who view any decision, no matter how small, as a life-altering event. It just doesn’t have to be like that. Find the risk, determine if you’re good with losing, and go for it. If you’re good with losing the risk, and you carry on to the next decision, you’ll discover great things. Those who “win” are actually the best losers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Gabriel and TEYKO is my brand. TEYKO was born to fill the gap between watered-down automotive-care products and pricey detail services. Customers enjoy easy-to-use, high-quality, no-nonsense products that instantly show results. Building the products and the company is fun, but we’re paving the way to inspire young minds across America that doing something meaningful is not hard. (It’s not what I would call “easy” either, but it isn’t as hard as most people would think.) Through the use of dream cars, we’re looking to inspire people to take action toward their dreams. We want to make young minds shine just as much as we make cars shine.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think having a strong sense of compassion and empathy is important in any endeavor. The world seems to lose more and more of these qualities by the day, so those of us that really strive to embody them stand out a great deal – and it always leads to positive results. In practice, this helps with dealing with critics, customers, vendors and even yourself. I learned that giving compassion to critics really softened the criticism. A lot of times, critics mean well but just don’t deliver their message in a constructive way. They also will help you spot areas of improvement. I learned quickly that critics (especially negative ones) have absolutely no idea how to do what you are doing. They are vocalizing their thoughts, ideas, or emotions and have a complete disregard for logistical practicality. Some even get upset when you try to enlighten them.
Empathizing with customers is also important. Potential customers will give you lots and lots of rejection. When they do, it’s important to know that they aren’t rejecting you – they’re rejecting the sales pitch. I’ve run across many, many people who I know will love my product, but just won’t give me the time of day. I empathize that they have probably been sold a bunch of junk and just don’t trust new things anymore. That’s ok – they’ll see me again at another car show, and they will get curious and eventually, they’ll buy. It happens all the time.
Vendors too – have compassion and empathy that they just may not be able to deliver what you need when you need it. Work something out, but be kind to them – there are not many options for that specific thing you need and finding another may just break your business.
Lastly, have compassion for yourself. MOST days, especially when starting something new, will turn lackluster results. Don’t get tied to the results. Stay consistent and build your castle brick by brick. It’s hard to start a business or bring something to the market. It’s hard to pitch it to customers. It’s hard to get them to want to spend their hard-earned money on your product. Understand that your hard work will grow into something beautiful.
Getting things done right – whether that’s learning the skills and doing it yourself or hiring a professional.
I have enjoyed so much leverage just because my brand *looks* like a big corporation. I don’t get to mark every to-do as an accomplishment, but I get a lot closer to it than most others do. Having such a professional appearance demands respect from anybody you talk to: vendors, lenders, customers, and even friends & neighbors. Take the time to carefully design your products, your website, your business cards, and your marketing material. It’s going to help you down the line.
I applied to a national auto-parts retail chain last year. I didn’t make the cut because my brand was too young and didn’t have enough following. However, I got an answer from them and actually enjoyed a detailed conversation. I got a first-hand pep talk about what I needed to do to get my product on their shelves. This was because my brand and products are so well done and “retail-ready.” This retail partner could tell that TEYKO is a serious company with real goals and real capabilities. Usually, applicants won’t even get an answer from these companies, let alone a full blown conversation and path forward.
It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about building a national brand or a local service company – focus on the details, make all of your customer touch-points cohesive, and really stand out among your competitors.
A word of warning: One thing that has happened that I did not see coming was that TEYKO looks so professional, that a lot of folks *won’t* buy it because they think it’s a franchise. People think I am the area sales rep for a multi-level marketing initiative selling car-care goods. Getting people in my city to understand that I am actually the creator of this is shockingly hard to do.
Having an “I can do anything” mindset has also been helpful in my journey. Design products? I can do that. Build a website? I can do that. Create logistical plans? I can do that. Build supply chains? I can do that. Build software to handle all of this and our in-field services? I can do that. Building trade show exhibits? I can do that. You name it, I’ll find a way to do it. Approaching my venture in this manner has greatly reduced cost and increased cohesiveness. I am not easily overwhelmed, and this would overwhelm me if I were reading it – so… I don’t want anybody to build an expectation that they have to do it all. My brain is weird, I just have a knack for figuring things out. I don’t suggest you build your project so convincingly reminiscent of a giant company. But going after any of your goals with this kind of mindset will bring you results that you will be surprised with. I can do that… and I know you can too!
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
This is such an interesting question. Though I believe I have more than a decade left, I feel like time is slipping away so fast and (bleep) is getting real. I’ve been taking moments to pause and reflect on my past or inspire my future, so this question fits right into my little world right now. If I only had a decade left, I would allow TEYKO to grow organically. No more grinding, no more pushing, no more nonsense. I would serve the customers I have and they would tell their friends about TEYKO and whatever happens, happens. It’s gonna be a good life; I get to share my gift, and cherish the feeling of other people enjoying my creation. I’d ditch the material goals, well – most of them, and enjoy today for today.
This might be a little cliche, but it’s true. (And it’s what’s actually happening currently! Let’s see how it turns out.)
I’ve spent the last decade incessantly chasing numbers and goals and blah blah blah. I accomplished some of them and some are still in the future. But I’m over it. I don’t have anybody to impress, I do have everything I need – why am I putting myself through all this nonsense? I use my incredibly strong sense of empathy to evaluate my life when I talk to my elder friends and neighbors. I imagine myself at 80 looking back and missing so much of my youth because I’m after that one more sale. Or because I have to take this call, or I must post this on social media. My time is slipping away and of those things I used to prioritize, I have nothing to show for them.
TEYKO sells more products and services through word-of-mouth than all of our advertising campaigns put together. People see things on social media and forget about them 3 seconds later. Do I really want to spend my life creating these things just to be forgotten? Sure, with enough effort those tables might turn. But, I value my peace and the time with my family so much more than that. I also believe that if I am running on my ideal energy, I will find much greater opportunities as they come along.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.teamteyko.com
- Instagram: @teamteyko
- Facebook: @teamteyko
- Youtube: @teamteyko
