Chapter 1: The Core Questions

Let me axe you somethin’…

Everyone you’ve ever heard of with a successful automotive venture worth a damn started out as gearheads like us. I’m going to interview gearheads like this for TGP Volume 1. We’re gonna go deep.

And not just because I want to share their knowledge with you (though that’s a big part of it).

We all see their big wins, their awards, the fruits of their labor. We see the upside. We don’t see the hustle and grind behind the scenes. We don’t see the tenacity—the grit—that makes these folks special.

We gotta respect that. We gotta celebrate that.

When you are your own boss, the only thing standing between feast and famine is your character. Yeah, there’s potential for fame and fortune, but while brand and revenue absolutely matter, it takes a special kind of person to assume that much responsibility.

Think about it. Why does flipping burgers only pay minimum wage? For the same reason the median salary in the United States in 2018 was only $62k. We’re compensated in relation to the problems we solve. More responsibility. More money. It’s that simple. https://seekingalpha.com/article/4193310-june-2018-median-household-income

These people have built things that matter and I want to celebrate it.

I’m going to be recording these conversations as podcasts, so I can’t just read through a list of questions. (Or can I?) Man, I hope this isn’t asking too much. Here’s what I want to know (and why).

Table Stakes

• What have you built / are you building?
• How long have you been doing it?
• Does it pay the bills? (How so if not?)

Discovery & Action

• Looking back to the early days, how did this idea come up?
• Why did you go after it? What appealed to you?
• How did you go about it—all-in, side hustle?
• Starting out, what was one of the hardest/scariest things you had to deal with? How did you deal with it?

Upsides, Downsides, & Keeping It Real

• Walk us through a day in the life. What time do you get up? What’s the morning routine? Is it like those over-stylized Instagram posts or a mad dash to get the kids to school before your first call?
• What’s the rest of your day like? Do you have any kind of schedule / consistent tasks?
• When do you go to sleep?

Balance vs. Parallel

• How well does all this align with the rest of your life & interests?
• How do you balance this all this with family / other demands?
• How much of what you do feels like fun vs. work?

Paying It Forward

• How did building cars back in the day prepare you for where you are today?
• Who inspired, supported, and/or helped you get where you are today? How?

Wrapping Up

• If you knew then what you know know, what would you have done differently? Why?
• The hardest part about being your own boss is _____ — but it’s worth it because _____.

What do you think? Anything else we should be asking? Leave me a comment or get in touch. Half the fun of build threads is getting to know the people who give a shit about the project!