I have always been a big believer that you should make a plan before taking action. The problem is, sometimes your plans disintegrate. So what do you do in that situation?
For me, I struggle with taking action without feeling like I have every little detail mapped out because I don’t want to make any mistakes along the way. But while I’m sitting there and “brainstorming” (in the moment I try to put a positive spin on just being lazy) I’m not doing anything to get me closer to my goals.
Yes it’s good to have a plan, but in the future somebody who takes consistent little steps towards their goals and makes the plan as you go will be miles ahead of somebody who waits to take action until they have the perfect plan. Any day. It doesn’t matter how perfect the plan is. There will always be something that breaks a plan where you have to make changes. And if you get in the habit of not taking action until you feel perfect about it, you’re just going to get further behind.
That doesn’t mean throw caution to the wind, it just means stop trying to spin laziness and fear into something positive to make yourself feel better. Set positive goals, and then take daily actions and adjust as needed. I’m speaking to myself right now.
Chase Harrington is a perfect example of this. His life goal was to become a dentist but didn’t get into dental school. And yes he felt crushed, but didn’t let that hold him back. He just found a job to support himself, excelled at it, moved up, and now is the COO of Entrata. It was nowhere near what he expected to do, but life rewards you when you are taking action and putting in the work.
Transcript
Kyle Bringhurst: Okay, Fail Nation, I am sitting here today with Chase Harrington from Entrata. How are you doing, Chase?
[00:00:05] Chase Harrington: Doing well.
[00:00:06] Kyle Bringhurst: Good. So he is the COO of Entrata has been here since the early, early days. He’s been here for 12 years. And Entrata for those of you who don’t know, they’re a company who has just been killing it with property management stuff.
[00:00:20] Right. Isn’t that what you do? Like website? Software. Perfect. Yeah. So they’re doing over 200 million a year. He has also won the 40 under 40 award and the CXO of the year. So I am just very honored that you would take the time to sit down and talk with me today. And I can’t wait to dive into it a little bit.
[00:00:37] So for our guests out there first, do you want to just do a little bit of an introduction about what Entrata is maybe kind of the backstory of it, where it, or how it came to be. Sure.
[00:00:48] Chase Harrington: So, Entrata like you said, we are a software company at heart we’re in the heart of Silicon slopes and provide software to multifamily housing companies.
[00:00:56] So apartment communities in the enterprise market, So as long as they, they are professionally managed, we kind of sit at the heart and soul of their operation, providing them any solution end to end from their websites to rent collection, utility management, backend accounting, software, you name it.
[00:01:13]We do it all.
[00:01:14] Kyle Bringhurst: Wow. Where did the idea for Entrata come from?
[00:01:16]Chase Harrington: Yeah, so Dave Bateman and the founder and CEO, he lived in an apartment community and didn’t love the way that things were run and how they took checks and made paper ledgers, and had to record it and just thought there was a better way and actually entered the BYU business plan competition to create software, to automate a lot of those processes.
[00:01:38] And that was kind of the beginning of where we are today. And it’s pretty cool to see that full business plan have come to life and actually be fulfilled as written.
[00:01:46]Kyle Bringhurst: Yeah. It’s awesome. Definitely cool to see the growth and what you guys have been able to accomplish with that. How long did it take before and try to finally start to like pick up a lot of steam and gain a lot of success?
[00:01:58] Chase Harrington: So the company was founded in 2003 and it was about 2008, 2009 that it really started to take off, started to grow exponentially at that point.
[00:02:08] Kyle Bringhurst: Yeah. I want to bring that up because I actually was just talking to one of my friends today and he started a business, an online business about five, six years ago. And he actually just made a post on LinkedIn about how he is just now starting to see the results coming in and the success to start really actually growing.
[00:02:25]So I wanted to ask with this too, and just point out that no matter what idea you have, even if it’s a grand slam, like Entrata was a grand slam idea, you guys are crushing it, but yet it still took so much time to get off the ground. And get established in the marketplace. So it definitely is a game for the long haul.
[00:02:43]You’re not going to find day traders doing business ideas.
[00:02:46] Chase Harrington: There’s no get-rich-fast scheme.
[00:02:48] Kyle Bringhurst: Exactly. So you got to stick with it. So I want to talk about you a little bit. You are now the COO of Entrata, which is a huge position. What does that entail for you on the day-to-day side of things. What is it that you oversee? From my understanding, correct me, if I’m wrong, your responsibility as a COO is basically to establish the day-to-day operations of the company, right?
[00:03:13] Chase Harrington: Yeah. So, just overseeing everything day to day. So from hiring onboarding, corporate strategy execution of the corporate strategy, product development, all of those pieces, right. Just being at the top, aligning them all. Right. Bringing it together, bringing the big picture together, making sure the departments are aligned and we’re all moving in the same direction.
[00:03:34] Kyle Bringhurst: Right. Very cool. And I want to jump into that a little bit later at the end. Just kind of for our listeners who have smaller businesses, get a little bit of your advice for creating systems and processes in place, because I think that’s one thing I personally struggle in on and I know a lot of other people do too, but I want to go to the beginning kind of with you with your history.
[00:03:54]Have you always been involved in kind of the building of businesses? Have you always had sort of that kind of mindset where you wanted to be involved with growing a business?
[00:04:03] Chase Harrington: Not at all. So my original, well kind of course, I guess in life, from the time I was about 14 or 15, I thought that I would be a dentist.
[00:04:13] That was my direction. Everything I did was with the, in the goal of becoming a dentist. And so I was heavy in the sciences. I actually left high school after 10th grade and I went to college, and in 11th and 12th, did a special program in Texas called Texas Academy of Math and Science, merely to start building my resume at that point to get into dental school.
[00:04:36]And so I graduated from high school with my associates degree in college, then went to BYU, and did my undergraduate in exercise science, being really heavy on the sciences.
[00:04:47] And so that was the direction, that was where I thought it was going, and kind of for 10 years, that was where all of my heart and soul and efforts went to, so.
[00:04:54]Kyle Bringhurst: Where did the switch come from being a dentist and now being a COO?
[00:04:58] Chase Harrington: It’s Freedom to Fail, right? The first failure was I never got in, so I didn’t get into dental school and I had to either determine was I going to keep going towards that path? Or was I going to pivot?
[00:05:09]Kyle Bringhurst: Okay. Let’s just talk about the pivot side of it, because it still seems like a very dramatic shift from being a dentist to now working on the corporate side of things. What did you do after you didn’t get into dental school? What were your plans?
[00:05:22] Chase Harrington: So kind of leading in to get into dental school, I became a EMT paramedic, to again, strengthen the resume, do all the right things.
[00:05:30]Kyle Bringhurst: Where you planning to try and get into dental school again at that point?
[00:05:34] Chase Harrington: I hadn’t applied yet and I did this kind of just trying to get in.
[00:05:37] And so I did all of those things, applied actually, I moved back to Utah at this point. I graduated, gone home to Texas and then decided to move back to Utah. And as I finished my EMT paramedic, I knew I had this period of time that I had study for the debt, the dental mission test, but I had to work.
[00:05:54] So I got a job at a blood plasma donation company as the medical supervision. It was a, physician substitute is what they called it. And so I worked there as the paramedic EMT on site overseeing medical reactions and things like that at the facility and was applying to get in dental school and, you know, one of the biggest failures in my life that I would consider is not getting into dental school. And I remember not getting in and just thinking like crap, 10 years of my life has been this. That was my high school, my undergraduate, my choice in like my first career, becoming a paramedic, all of these things were to like lead to this.
[00:06:30]And to be honest, I had been like really fortunate and had never failed at much. Sounds really weird to say. I was academically strong. I made really good grades. I was able to do this college program in Texas that only 200 students out of all of Texas that get to participate in. So I had never thought, it won’t happen.
[00:06:50]It was kind of like, this is just the next, apply you get in, you go to dental school. And then I got that letter and I was just like, Holy crap. This is not what it’s supposed to happen in my life, I always get in. And I apply and I get in, and so there was kind of this really big wake up call and I did a lot of inflection. And honestly, it was like, okay, I didn’t get in, but yeah, I’m going to. This is just the stepping stone to get in.
[00:07:10]And it’s not uncommon for people to have to apply to med school or dental school multiple times. And so I was like, okay, like take a deep breath. The world isn’t over. This is what I’m going to do. So I just kept working and was going to study to retake the DAT again. And apply the next year.
[00:07:23] And then my job started kind of changing. So I had become the facility manager at that one location. And then within about six months of that became the director nationally. And so really quickly kind of on this tangental career path that I wasn’t really intending to become a career path, I started to get in on the business side of this other business and things started kind of escalating and producing. And I had moved to California at this point to be the national director and was kind like, what’s happening? I’m not supposed to do this, right? Like, this is not my career path, but I started to make money. And so I was like, do I walk away from this for 12 more years of education?
[00:08:01]Just looking at all of the different things. And so I kind of kept studying and I was like, I’m still going to go to dental school. I’m just gonna ride both waves, figure it out. So then, things got really good at this company. It was a small family owned business and basically the conversation with the owner was like, you and my son are going to take over and run this one day.
[00:08:18] So I was like like, what? Like, this is not what I was planning to do with my life. And I was like, but it’s on the medical side. And so maybe this is a good transition. And so I kind of thought, you know what, I’m going to put dental school on hold. I’m still young. I graduated from BYU in two years because I had done my degree.
[00:08:34]It wasn’t like I was old and I’ve got to make this decision right now. So I kind of was like, okay, I’m just going to ride this wave. I’m going to go with it. And so really had a blast. We started growing this company and we started opening more plasma centers across the nation. And so I got a lot of the business principles and doing that of opening new locations, hiring people, running a budget, running an operation, was a highly compliant operation and was having a blast.
[00:09:00]And then, I’m trying to think of the year, 2008, my world came crashing in. I graduated in 2004, so I had four years of being in this and like things had blown up really fast in those four years. It was exciting. I was living in Huntington Beach on the beach, running this business.
[00:09:19] Everything was good. And then I remember the owner called me, me and his son end to his office and he was like, Hey, you guys need to sit down. And I was like, okay, this is weird. So we come in and we sit down and then he said, we have been sued and we’re closing up shop.
[00:09:33]Kyle Bringhurst: All of them.
[00:09:34] Chase Harrington: Yes.
[00:09:35] And I was like, what? I had no idea, did not see this coming. I ended up spending the next three months flying around to all of our facilities nationwide, I think it was 24, laying off 600 people at 24, knowing I’m next. We’re closing the doors. It’s not happening.
[00:09:51] That in and of itself is a surreal, bizarre experience because it went from like being on top of the world to like, it’s gone, right? And I remember being like, Oh my gosh. So I stayed for almost six, nine months not taking pay.
[00:10:07]It was kind of like, are we going to redo this? Are we going to build it back up? What are we going to do? And I remember I had cashed in my 401k. I was living off my credit card and I woke up one morning and I was like, I can’t do this anymore. And I just remember breaking down and was like, I didn’t get into dental school. I made a bet on this. I’ve just wasted three years of my life.
[00:10:27] Now it’s all gone. I’m starting over again. You know, I was like, this was not the plan for Chase Harrington’s life. Right? Like this was not what I had planned from the time I was 14. And so it was really hard. And I remember I went and I rented a U-Haul. I loaded up my apartment. I drove into the office and I broke down and just said, I’m out. I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t do it. I don’t have a penny to my name, the U-Haul’s packed and I’m out. And the owner was very kind and said, I get it.
[00:10:54]And so I drove to Utah without a single plan. I didn’t know where I was going to live. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had friends that were still here, so it crashed on my buddy’s couch. And I was like, I get to start over. Right? And so now I have to start from scratch. And so immediately it was like, I’ve got to find a Job, push come to shove. I don’t care what it is, Costco, whatever. I got to get a job. And so I started looking and started talking to friends and people about Utah and this is 2008. Tech was just kind of starting. And I was like, you know, that’d be fun. And, so I started looking at different tech companies that were kind of burgeoning these small startups and didn’t really care about pay, it was just, I needed a paycheck to live. And then Property Solutions, which is now Entrata, was hiring and kind of said, you know what, like it’s a job. I went in, I interviewed.
[00:11:42] Kyle Bringhurst: What was the position for?
[00:11:45] Chase Harrington: It was for associate director of services, which sounds really big. It was not. There was 22 employees, so essentially it was, looking at support.
[00:11:54]That was the job. And I remember I went and I interviewed and I thought it went really well and no phone call. I was like, that’s weird. Did I say something? Did I do something? Admittingly, it was temporary. This was like, I just to a job to get a paycheck until I can take the DAT again, I’m going to go back to dental school.
[00:12:11] We’re going to pivot back to the original goal of dental school. That’s what I’m going to do. And so I called back and I was like, Hey, like I interviewed, nobody’s called me. What’s going on? Like, Oh, we can’t afford you. Like, you’re way over qualified. You’ve been this national director. We’re this startup with like 20 employees, we can’t afford you. I was like, well make an offer.
[00:12:29]I’ll make the decision not to come here. Just make an offer. So they made an offer. It was a 70% pay cut. So it was like 30% of what I was being paid before. And I just remember thinking like, Oh, I’m really starting over. And admittedly, it was temporary.
[00:12:43] I was like, okay, well it’s a paycheck. And then I started and, you know, really started digging in and, and I, I like to succeed. I have that drive, so it wasn’t, even though I knew it was temporary, I wasn’t going to just halfway do it. Right. Like I was going to put my all into it and I really started to love it. I didn’t love the pay admittingly.
[00:13:03]It was like, this is not a career long-term path for me and where I see myself. And so I was studying to take the DAT. And then a sales position opened. I remember, Johnny Hanna, who you’ve interviewed, kind of going to him and saying I want to sell. I knew what they were making. And I was like that’s a good living. Right. I had never done sales. And so had to do a sales pitch and things like that and move to Texas. And so I did a sales pitch and, it went fine. I got it. Yeah. Right. So I think it went well. I’d never sold. So I didn’t know. And got the position and then picked up and moved to Texas again.
[00:13:36] And, looking back part of it was, I just need to make money, more money than I was making. And I want to get into dental school, but admittingly, I was starting to question would I get into dental school? I’ve now been out of school for years. I’m trying to take the DAT retake it. Am I going to be a top candidate? Cause I’m not the fresh person out of school with a 4.0 that I’m competing against. And so that was kind of in the back of my mind, but I still was like, you know what, I’m going to go do sales. I’m going to try to make some money. I was still struggling cause I’d lost everything.
[00:14:07] So I moved in with my sister when I moved to Texas to save money and tried to start rebuilding again. And then I really realized like, Hey, I’m kind of good at this. I enjoy sales. Like this is awesome. And so then again, kind of deja vu, I’m like, okay, I’m going to hold on dental school because I’m enjoying sales. I like it. And the money’s coming in and this was a whole new experience even from before, because that was plasma and a different operation. And now I’m in sales and it’s a whole new business experience. And it went really well. And, kind of from there, the rest is history and, and the promotions and movements within the organization got me to where I am today.
[00:14:46] So then moving into EVP of sales, chief strategy officer, and then COO and now president and COO.
[00:14:53] Kyle Bringhurst: That is probably the most interesting story that I have ever heard.
[00:14:57] Chase Harrington: It’s a weaving path. It was not a straight line and it was not what I intended. The interesting thing I’ll tell you, between the sales position and I think EVP, I started to question the career path, again.
[00:15:10] Kyle Bringhurst: Okay. Why?
[00:15:12]Chase Harrington: I think that I had this innate, like I’m supposed to be a medical, that’s my education. That’s like what they did that. And I was like a paramedic. And now I’m walking away from all of this education and like, What I did in my undergrad and what I did in my, you know, all of my schooling and, and post schooling, like, and then just walking away from it.
[00:15:32] Right. Like, and so I actually applied for a different school to go be a profusionists in that time period, thinking like, okay, I’m going to get back into med school or dental school somehow. And so I found this med or this school in Texas, I think there’s only two or three in the nation. And it’s to run heart bypass machines and open heart surgery and different things where they have to completely put an individual on bypass.
[00:15:55] Yeah. And so I applied, took the tests, did everything kind of on a whim, to be honest, it was like one of those, like, I don’t want to say midlife crisis, but this moment of like, what am I doing? Yeah. And I interviewed, I remember calling my parents. I was like, this. Interview. I just bombed, like, it didn’t go, well, maybe I just need to stick with this, whatever.
[00:16:16] And then the next day I get a call that I got accepted and they accept like five people. Well, and I was like, Oh, now I have to make a decision. And. not to get on the like spiritual church side of things. There was just this really big moment in my life that I felt like I have to make a decision in the direction of where I’m going and looking to a higher kind of power to help guide that.
[00:16:37]And, in that moment, there was just this stupor of thought of like, what are you doing? You keep getting pushed back to this other direction. You keep getting opportunity in this other direction, but yet you’re being stubborn to what you want and where you want to be. And you have been all but hand led to this other path.
[00:16:56] Which I was kind of like, I’m just a sales rep. Like this makes no sense. This is stupid, right? Like why? And I just remember breaking down again and being like, why, you know, but said, okay, I’m not going to deny it and went down that path. And you know, now looking back, looking backwards is always 20, 20.
[00:17:12] I’m like best decision of my life. But I didn’t know that. Right. Like it was petrifying, and I thought I was giving up a lot and I’d finally gotten an opportunity I’d been working for and then walked away from it. So yeah, it’s been an interesting journey to say the least, I should say the least.
[00:17:28] Kyle Bringhurst: That is so wild. I love listening to it. So let’s backtrack a little bit to kind of both of these situations, the moment when you didn’t get into dental school the first time. And then also the moment when you found out that your other position was basically going to become non-existent. How are you feeling in those moments? Like what was going through your mind?
[00:17:49] Chase Harrington: Try to forget them. I mean, I went through, what is it? The five or seven stages of grief? Like you’re mad, you’re sad, you’re depressed. You’re in denial, you’re angry. I think it’s healthy and natural, and you have to work through those, but I mean, I was. It was crushing I was a 14 year old, had gotten into the top science program in Texas, you know, walked away from BYU top of my class and then didn’t get in. And that was just not an option. I never had that. Like I excelled academically. I did great on the dat. I got a score that you should get in.
[00:18:22]My resume for dental school was like picture perfect. And so I would just remember being so mad and angry at like, I did everything I was supposed to do. And it was furious. I mean, probably lasted a good month of just like what the crap. But I think part of my nature is like, okay, I can sit here and do nothing and wallow or I can figure out what am I going to do now.
[00:18:47] Yeah. And so that was where, you know, the first time it was immediately picking up and, and becoming a paramedic and like, okay, what’s the next thing I can do to strengthen my resume? What can I do, to get there. And I think it’s interesting because as I look at the experiences, had I not done many of these critical items, even though they seem unseemingly attached, I still wouldn’t be here because that’s what got me going and getting my EMT license, which is what got me my first job that I got the business experience, which led to yet another crushing experience.
[00:19:18] But, had I not had all of that experience, I wouldn’t be here. You know what I mean? Yeah. So they don’t seem attached, but then when you look back, you’re like, uh, now I know how this worked out, but I was not focusing on that, cause I was still focused on dental school, not looking at these other pieces, right? We even had a family friend who was a dentist and, I had always dreamed of like being brought into his practice and, that was just like all of these dreams crushed, kind of in a moment, right? Like you do everything and they just sit and wait, and then you get this ominous letter, right.
[00:19:48] And I was at my parents’ house and I just remember, like, I didn’t wanna tell anyone. I got it. And there’s almost that shame of like, I failed. Holy crap, I didn’t do it. And then you have your friends who are getting in and getting accepted. And you’re just sitting there and you’re like, what? What did I do? And then your mind just starts racing of like, I could have done this and I could have done that and I didn’t do this. Right. I didn’t do that. And you just kind of don’t understand like why? Never figured that out. I don’t know why. Yeah. It still doesn’t make sense to me, right. I still, I think when I look at it, I get it. I get like anxiety inside thinking about it, cause I’m like, it doesn’t make sense. I should have done that. But I’m grateful now.
[00:20:24] Kyle Bringhurst: Yeah. It led you to where you are now.
[00:20:25] Chase Harrington: Like, you know, I have been nothing but blessed after that to be in the position and the path and career that I’m in. And, those devastating things had to happen for me to be here. Had I not gotten into dental school, if I had gotten in, I could be a failure of a dentist for all I know.
[00:20:39]I could have gotten in and tried to do it and not been successful. That’s true. Right. And so it’s interesting to kind of see the bigger picture of things. And I still feel like relatively young in my career, and don’t know what, the second half of my career entails, and where it’s going to go.
[00:20:54] And, but I do look back at some of those experiences and while I hated them not getting into dental school, the plasma centers going bankrupt, I really thought like I’m being dealt the short end of the stick. I’ve done everything I should have in multiple occasions and I just keep hitting a wall that you’re not going to make it. And I was like, what am I doing? Right. Not realizing in reality I think that they all built me up where I am.
[00:21:19] Kyle Bringhurst: Exactly. And that’s the whole premise of this podcast is that failures help propel you towards the success in the future. Even if it’s not in the same industry.
[00:21:27] Chase Harrington: Yeah, they suck, like in the moment it sucks and you don’t understand it.
[00:21:33] You don’t know why. It’s not fair. You can’t see the next day much less the next 10 years, in that moment.
[00:21:39] Kyle Bringhurst: Exactly. Yeah. You’re just right there and you can’t see it, so you can’t see clearly. It just looks really, really painful for you, but you have to have that faith and you have to also look for the opportunities to be able to pivot, which is exactly what you did.
[00:21:52] So the last thing I want to talk about and touch on with these failures that you mentioned, quote unquote, because some of them weren’t your fault. I mean, you did all you could to have those opportunities, it just was out of your control. You mentioned that along the journey there were multiple times where you kept wanting to come back to being a dentist and being in the medical field and returning to that path. You tried to go back into the medical industry over and over and over and over again, because deep down you felt like you were supposed to be in that field.
[00:22:25]Did it feel like you failed as fulfilling your purpose? Is that why you kept trying to go back?
[00:22:31] Chase Harrington: I had, I had created this is my purpose in life, right? Like I’m good at math and science. And so my contribution to society will be X and I think I’d become so stubborn, and, frankly, I’ll tell you still stubborn because I still look at, I have second half of my career. Maybe I’ll pivot back into it. It’s one thing I can’t let go of. I go do humanitarian trips still on the medical side with a bunch of doctors, and I’m not. But I that’s what I want to go do, right. and I think it’s interesting because I have found you can still have those passions and still contribute, but my contribution is different than what I probably had depended on. But it doesn’t mean that I have to walk away from it, if that makes sense. Yeah. That took a while for me to figure out that even though I had to pivot in my career, it doesn’t necessarily mean I have to pivot in my contributions and my desire.
[00:23:23] It may be different. I’m not the doctor or the dentist, but I can go assist and I can go still be a part of that. And so I do think that’s interesting that I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but I have let go of it. It’s still there. But you know, for a long time, that was like, I felt like a failure in my life, and everybody knew that Chase was going to be a dentist. I didn’t hide it. It was what I told everyone. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a dentist. When I was at BYU, I was an officer in the dental club at BYU, you know, like my whole life was that. And so then I think we put so many emphasis on that, frankly, that then it was like, wait, what is my life?
[00:24:01]If it’s not this, what is it? And so that was tough to kind of swallow. But you know, the biggest thing that got me through it, I can tell you, and I think I got this from my dad is just stay busy and work. Right. And that was the biggest thing. And yeah. For better or worse, I think I was in a financial situation I had to.
[00:24:19]But at the same time, that’s my nature, right. Sometimes it falls on the bad side of things. If you don’t want to deal with something, you just work, because it goes away. You’re right. Busy hands make for a good mind. I’ll tell ya. When I have those things, I may veer on the wrong side of it, but in these situations, sometimes it’s only through getting back to work, even if it’s not anything important, other things start to become clearer. Yeah. Because you’re not thinking about the baggage. So the path forward becomes clear and those types of things. Luckily, I think that was definitely something that got me through that was like, just don’t stop.
[00:24:53]Kyle Bringhurst: I definitely have those tendencies as well, just to stay busy. And you said it best. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad. Sometimes it’s just a mask, something that you don’t want to deal with. And other times it’s to actually put yourself back on track to find success.
[00:25:09] Chase Harrington: So is the second half of this, the counseling for that?
[00:25:12]Kyle Bringhurst: No. One thing that you just mentioned though, I really, really liked. And it was the fact that a lot of times, people, especially in America, in the United States, we tie our self worth to our career almost exclusively. When someone asks you, Oh, what do you do? That’s always a career-based question. It’s not about what you contribute to society or anything like that.
[00:25:35] And so I love the way that you said that. You work here, this is your career, but you still keep those passions alive because that still is a part of you. And I think that one thing as well, that we as business people need to keep in mind .Even if something doesn’t work as a business, it doesn’t mean you should stop doing it.
[00:25:54] Right. It just means you have to be smarter with your time and allocate that time to make sure to keep it as like a habit, but don’t get rid of it. If you love it and you wanted to do it for that long, then there’s a reason for it. So I think that that is super good advice and just a really good insight that I got from this as well.
[00:26:10]Let’s go back to the failure side of things now. You’ve gone through a lot of challenges in your life, a lot of ups and downs, for sure. More than I think a lot of people would, especially with how drastic those were. What keeps you moving forward to face potential failure in the future as well? Because it’s not a sure thing that you’re not going to fail in the future.
[00:26:31] And for a lot of people, I feel like in those situations they would have curled up in a ball and just been like, you know what? I’m good. I did my best. Didn’t work out. Let’s just go and find a very small nine to five and not worry about that anymore. What was the difference for you to keep you going?
[00:26:47]Chase Harrington: Oh, I mean, you know what, at the moment, I don’t know that there was a magic pill, right? I mean, I think, one, I think it’s okay to take the moment to curl up in the ball, you know, and just embrace the emotion and let it out. And I don’t know if this is just being a man that’s not normal or come as first nature to just like let the emotion out, right.
[00:27:11] And I think I learned that in these processes because I bottled it up and that’s not unhealthy. It gained 50 pounds lose all your hair. You can look at me and see the example of it, right. But. I think that first and foremost, like taking that opportunity to just take the time. Right. Like let it out.
[00:27:25]And I think the moving forward becomes easier when you do that. And then also knowing there doesn’t have to be a plan. I think that was really hard for me of like, okay, well, what’s the next step? Because I had always had this plan and definitely a planner as well. And it was like, okay. I go, you know, I went from Tams, this Academy, to my mission, to BYU, to dental school. So like here’s the steps, here’s the plan. And I have to take the dat and then I’ll take the dat and then I get accepted and then you get in. And then everything just goes away and you’re like, what is the next step to nothing. I don’t know what to go do now.
[00:27:56]And if you would have ever asked me in my life, if I would have been in business, I would have been like, are you joking me? Like, that’s so boring. And like, not my forte, but I think by allowing yourself the openness to just say, I don’t know, and just work, right. Some things just come up because of that, right?
[00:28:12] Like you’re putting yourself out there. You’re allowing that next step to kind of present itself where sometimes we want to control it. I think, that’s always an issue that we will always want to control. What’s the next part of my life. What’s the next step in my life. And your completely out of control in that moment, and I think embracing it and just like, okay, work. I’m just going to get out of bed today. I’m going to go find a job and come what may.
[00:28:36] And then it’s things become clear and you get through it, right? and I think that that was honestly the saving grace and had I not done those things, none of these opportunities could have presented themselves as far as curl up on the floor of my room. I couldn’t have had the opportunity that I did.
[00:28:50] Kyle Bringhurst: You have to put yourself back out there at some point. Yeah. It’s good to experience those emotions because you have to do that to be able to move on eventually, but then you can’t do that for too long. You have to get back.
[00:29:00] Chase Harrington: I will say the one thing too, this may contradict everything you’ve ever said, but it doesn’t get easier. Yeah. Failing doesn’t get easier. It’s not one of those things that’s like, Oh, very I know how to fail. And it’s great. cause it’s always different. What part of life you’re in? What part of your life it is. Okay. You know, it doesn’t get easier. Right.
[00:29:18] But I think the part that becomes different is, you know that there is another side of the failure. Those first few times you think like, this is it, there’s nothing to live for, and this is it’s over, right. And then you realize like, Oh, you know what? Like this sucks. But you know you will get through it. You know, that there’s a path on the other side. And that’s the part that I think helps manage. I wouldn’t say that there’s not still a fear of failing. I think that that is, I think at least human characteristics like, at least for me, I can’t get over that, right.
[00:29:48] I still always have a fear. you have a little post stress view that I would say that it’s kind of like, I never want that to happen again. So I’m doing everything I can to make sure I don’t go through it again. So there is still that fear, but there’s not the fear of the future.
[00:30:00] So that’s the difference in it, I guess.
[00:30:02]Kyle Bringhurst: I guess what I would say is that the first side of it, just having that fear, it prevents you from taking action. But having that outlook that your future is still going to be there, even if things crumble in front of you, that is what allows people to take action.
[00:30:17] At least that’s what I’ve found in my life, because there have been plenty of times where I’ve gotten so close to trying something, and then I stopped because I’m just too worried about it. But now that I know, Oh, Hey, I failed before. And it sucks really, really bad. For example, my listeners know this, but I’m divorced.
[00:30:32] And so that was super hard to go through. And I didn’t think I was going to bounce back from it. Right. But yet, here I am. And it’s a testament to the resiliency of us as humans. We are going to do what we need to do to stay alive. So yeah, once you get to that point, it’s like, okay, And especially in my case, going through a divorce was the hardest thing that I’ve ever gone through.
[00:30:48] And I mean, I’m still young, so there may be harder things in life, but I can’t really imagine anything in that difficult. So it allows me to still take actions, even if there is the chance of failing with whatever it is that I’m looking to do in my life. So this has just been awesome.
[00:31:04] I’ve loved talking to you so far. The one thing I want to touch on before we go into our lightning round is like I mentioned earlier with strategies and systems in place. I guess, just with a business, you have to have strategies and systems and making sure that there’s a good day to day process so that you and your employees know what they are expected to do. And so that your customers get a consistent experience every time.
[00:31:26]This podcast is obviously for people who have dreams, but especially like entrepreneurs or future entrepreneurs. So I want to ask you if you were to go back with the knowledge that you have now, from this experience at Entrata, from plasma, from your dental school experience, all of that, what would be the first three things that you would do as far as systems to make sure that your business could run smoothly?
[00:31:53] Chase Harrington: One of the biggest things that you have to realize is, you cannot let perfection hinder progress. And there isn’t a perfect process. Every process is flawed and every process has the opportunity to improve.
[00:32:07] And I think sometimes we hinder progress because we’re trying to find the perfect process. And so then we just don’t progress and you see that over and over and over that it’s like, just move the ball forward, right. Just take this first step forward. And it may be a shaky step. But then you’re going to know what shaky and you can fix it.
[00:32:25] And the next step is firmer, right? And so I think you see that at all levels and all times within a business, right? You’re always implementing new processes. You’re always doing new things and sometimes we’re hesitant to do it partly due to the fear of failure, and not knowing, but if it’s going to make something better, you’re going to iterate again.
[00:32:42]So second thing kind of going with that is you have to embrace change, and I hate change. I don’t do well with change. I think that I put on a good face that I do. It sucks. It’s hard. But in order for a business to progress and to move forward, it has to change, every step, always evolving and changing. How you’re operating as a startup versus a million in revenue, 10 million, 50, a hundred. It doesn’t stop changing. It has to, or it can’t support the growth. And I think that’s one where it’s kinda like, I figured it out and it’s just going to stay this way. Well, it will it won’t grow.
[00:33:19] Yeah. It has to continue to change. And so not letting perfection, hinder progress and embracing change. The third, surround yourself with smart people. Whether it’s in the business, it’s friends, it’s family, mentors are absolutely critical to anyone’s success.
[00:33:36] And I think they change, right? It’s not like, Oh, I have this one. I don’t know some people do, but like, I think in your phases of life and the different things, you need to have those people, you can go to, to ask, what do I do with this problem? It’s not that I’m the smartest person, right? It’s that I know people I can go ask and be like, Hey, and they’re like, Oh yeah, I did that.
[00:33:52]And having that network really makes a difference to be able to like bounce things off of, and, and have that ability to grow with.
[00:34:01]Kyle Bringhurst: I want to touch on that because I think when people hear mentors, they get scared because they think it’s reaching out to someone and setting up a formal interview and doing all this stuff. But that’s not what it is. 99% of the time. For sure.
[00:34:13] It’s just conversations that you have and surrounding yourself with it. So when people hear the word mentor, they feel like it’s a very formal relationship, but it’s not. It’s just finding someone that you admire and you respect. And cultivate that relationship with them to the point where you can send a text message or jump on a call for five minutes and be like, Hey, I want to just rack your brain and see what you think about this situation.
[00:34:35] It’s not something that has to be formal. And in fact, when people make it seem too formal, nobody wants to do that. Treat it like a normal relationship with anybody else that you want to learn from.
[00:34:44] Chase Harrington: I mean, one of my biggest mentors is my best friend. Actually met him working at Entrata and we were peers and, he’s gone on and done some pretty incredible, great things, but we’ve had this relationship that we can call each other.
[00:35:00]And I probably lean on it more than him, and kind of pass things by, the good and the bad, right. Like, I will reiterate with success does not come happiness, right? Like that is not the source of it. And it sucks at times. And there are some really hard times that are harder than failing.
[00:35:15]But having mentors and people surrounding that you can talk to and that can empathize and talk you through things. I mean, I couldn’t have done it without it. But yeah, it’s not always this formal professional relationship. Right. I don’t know, in fact, that any of mine are. There are people that I’ve met along the journey that I’m like, wow, I really want to be like them. You know, we had the fortunate opportunity of, we have a summit that all of our customers come to and we get different people locally and nationally who come in and talk. And every time, you know, there’s people in that, that I hear them talking, I’m like, I’m going to stay in touch with them because I love their view on that. And their experience on it.
[00:35:51]It’s work though, let me tell you. It’s not just like, Oh, I met them and now I can call them in three years because of this problem. You have to cultivate that relationship. You have to keep it up. And that takes effort. That takes time, of making sure you continue to reach out and just stay in touch even when there’s not a problem or a question it’s just a true, genuine relationship. And I think those are the people you get the best advice from.
[00:36:15] Kyle Bringhurst: And the thing that I would add to that too, is people can tell if you were only using them totally to use their advice.
[00:36:22] Chase Harrington: They felt used, it’s disingenuous. It doesn’t feel like you care about me. Exactly. You want to use me. Yeah.
[00:36:28] Kyle Bringhurst: And so what I do, or what I try to do is just find a way to contribute to whoever yeah.
[00:36:33] Add value. That’s just the way that you’re going to find success in life is add value in whatever you’re doing, especially with mentors or with people that you want to learn more from. Don’t just take, take, take, because that’s exhausting. If you’re on the other side. Yeah, exactly. So let’s wind down by jumping into my lightning round really quick.
[00:36:52] These are a bunch of rapid fire questions. Just want to get what’s on the top of your mind, what comes to mind with these? So the first one is what is your biggest fear?
[00:37:01]Chase Harrington: Failure.
[00:37:02] Kyle Bringhurst: There you go.
[00:37:04] Chase Harrington: It doesn’t go away.
[00:37:05] Kyle Bringhurst: Yeah, mine too. So we’re on the same page. The next one is what is your personal definition of failure?
[00:37:12] So if your biggest fear is failure, what do you consider to be failure?
[00:37:17]Chase Harrington: Inability to meet or exceed expectations or goals.
[00:37:21]Kyle Bringhurst: Your own or who’s?
[00:37:22]Chase Harrington: I think it depends on the situation, but I mean, I think we’re all our biggest critic.
[00:37:27] Kyle Bringhurst: Okay. The third one is habits establish routine and consistency that really helped find success.
[00:37:33] So what is one that you have in your life that has helped you?
[00:37:36]Chase Harrington: I would say, and it sounds probably cliche, but good old fashioned work ethic. I don’t think I would attribute success and other things to luck. And now there is timing and things like that. Yeah. But hard work always pays off. And I think that that would be where I would attribute most of my success and opportunity was from hard work. Which also contributes to being in the right place at the right time. And so I think that just understanding and knowing, and it not being that I expected a return on the hard work. But knowing that the hard work would lead me to where I needed to be.
[00:38:13] And it wasn’t like I’m going to get paid more or my manager’s going to like me more, or, you know, I’m going to be noticed because I’m doing it. It was a genuine desire to work hard. And I think that that in and of itself creates opportunity, lends itself to opportunity. And that’s where I would put a lot of it.
[00:38:31] Kyle Bringhurst: And what I was going to say too, is, one quote that I hear a lot that is true is opportunity comes where preparation meets luck or timing.
[00:38:39] So that is how you’re going to find these potential career opportunities like you did. You didn’t just sit around, you prepared, you worked, and then you got in that situation.
[00:38:47]Chase Harrington: It’s a fine line. And I would say, I don’t know that I have the balance. I’m probably on the other end of it, which is a fault, in that, you know, I love work.
[00:38:54] I enjoy working and I don’t want to just sit at home and do nothing. And I think that has its own balance, because at times I probably err on the other side, but I also attribute a lot of where I am because of it.
[00:39:04] Kyle Bringhurst: Perfect. The next one is, what is your favorite book and why?
[00:39:07]Chase Harrington: Oh, man, I love to read. It changes all the time. I am a die hard George Bush fan. I love the Bush family in general. And I have pretty much every book you can imagine about the Bush’s. And so Decision Points was absolutely amazing. Highly recommend reading it. I think there’s lots we can learn.
[00:39:28]It was a really interesting period of time for our nation and looking at how those decisions were made, although they can be highly critiqued, I think it was interesting to see like what information was available and how that was processed to come to the decision. Was it always the right decisions, no, but it was the decision having moment. So that that’s one, that’s just like close to my heart that I love because, we prayed for George every night in my family’s home. And people didn’t know who George was and they were like, the president? And we were like, yes.
[00:39:54]But the next one would probably be Multipliers. Okay. And being the accidental diminisher. I just love the concepts in that book because I think it applies to all of us at all levels. And it’s not something like you read once. And it’s like, Oh, I changed It’s one of those things, you can read it over and over and over. And you can realize the areas where you are a multiplier or you may be an accidental diminisher, and it’s a constant progress and adaption to do that.
[00:40:20] Kyle Bringhurst: Cool, I’ll have to check that out. This has been awesome, Chase. I really appreciate it. I’ve learned a lot and I can’t wait for our listeners to hear this because this has been top notch.
[00:40:28]Chase Harrington: Well, great. It’s great to be here. Thanks for coming by and give me the opportunity.
[00:40:32] Kyle Bringhurst: Of course.
