Welcome to the Daily Grind podcast, everybody. I'm your host, Colin Morgan. Listen, are you tired of not living a fulfilling life? Do you believe you deserve more?
Do you want more? Is it finally your time? If yes, then stick around. I welcome you to the Daily Grind.
Hey, everybody, happy Monday, and welcome back to another episode here on The Daily Grind. Today, we are joined by a special guest, Johnny Serpilla. Johnny is the founder of Encourage LLC. He's an entrepreneur, a passionate leader, and a committed family man.
He has endured personal tragedy, which created the foundation and beliefs that led him to understand the leadership style he has been called to serve. Johnny is an active public speaker and promoter of reshaping thoughts through difficult times to accept, grow, and eventually thrive. His company is a self-funded small private equity firm with four divisions—encourage healthy living, encourage leadership, encourage investments, and encourage adoption. Listen, today's episode is super powerful.
As always, everyone, be sure you have a pen, a piece of paper, sit back, and really dive deep in today's interview with Johnny Serpilla. Enjoy. Well, Johnny Serpilla, welcome to The Daily Grind. How are you?
I'm doing well, Colin. How are you today? Fantastic. Thanks so much.
Johnny, for people listening, whereabouts do you call home today? I am in Naples, Florida, which is where we spend our winters. And home outside of that in the summer and better weather up north is in Canton, Ohio. Oh, beautiful.
You're in Ohio. Gotcha. I didn't know that. Yeah, about seven months a year in Florida.
Gotcha. Awesome. Well, Johnny, for people, it would be a pleasure to introduce you today if you wouldn't mind just kind of speaking a little bit more as to who you are and what it is that you do. All right.
Well, thank you, Colin. First of all, first and foremost, I'm a father and husband. I like to say that falling in love with my wife was really easy. And that happened really naturally.
But having a family for us was not so easy. And so we struggled to build our family. And it was a long, emotional, life-challenging time. But all in all, we're better for the tragedy that happened to us.
And so I'm a father of three children today. And we lost our first three children, Nicholas, Mary, and Peter. We had triplets that died 25 years ago. So we had those three first.
And then we were blessed with three more, Beau, Bella, and Stone that are 20, 22, and 24 today. So I define myself first and foremost as a father and husband because that's really all I ever wanted to be growing up. Of course, there's a professional side to me, but that personal side is big. And, you know, hanging in my office building in the lobby is a quote from Mother Teresa that I just love.
And it says, if you want to change the world, go home and love your family. And that's a principle and mantra that I've tried to live by. Why was family so important to you? You know, Colin, it's just I was raised by incredible parents that, you know, taught us, my sisters and me, you know, taught us the value of hard work.
My mother is 81 years old and still works six days a week in one of our family businesses in the clothing and home furnishings business. And my dad was a hard worker right up until the day he died about 15 years ago. And, you know, for us, we just were taught the value of faith, the importance of family. And it just has always been where I felt most comfortable and really most proud.
So I'm just all about family and for the honor to be a dad and and create my own family with my amazing wife of almost 30 years. You know, for for there's a long, dark time that it didn't look like that was going to happen for about four years of trying. And, you know, after the passing of our first three kids, you know, you look at each other and say, you know, our careers are going great, but our family life and what is going to really define our happiness. You know, we're spending a lot of time at a cemetery.
And fortunately, we were blessed with our first son via adoption, our son Bo. And he brought a very bright light into a dark time. And then we were one of those couples that, you know, within 19 months had two more babies. And, you know, we found ourselves with three kids under the age of four and, you know, two surprise pregnancies that were very rough on my wife.
But she got through it and and we were off and running as a family. Wow, that's amazing. Well, good for you guys. And how about how about professionally, you know, for people who don't know what you do for work and professionally, if you want mine speaking about that as well.
Absolutely. So I came into a family business over 30 years ago. My dad was a pioneer in the RV industry and I ran our family business for about 15 years. And then which we were at Circle RV, RV dealership in Akron, Ohio.
And then I sold it to what was a new roll up company called Camping World. And which is kind of like the RV version of AutoNation going out and buying up car dealers. Camping World approached me as one of the first acquisitions early on back in 2003. And I sold my business to Camping World and was blessed to play many roles on the senior executive team, including the president of the retail stores.
And then I retired as our chief business development officer as we had north of 10,000 employees and $4 billion of revenue. And at the time of our IPO, it was on my 50th birthday. And I was there in New York City at the stock exchange floor. And I'll tell you, just God had it on my heart that it was time to go.
And I thought it meant to just hurry up to get home back to camp for my son Stone for his football game. He's a quarterback. And I wanted to get home for that. And then as I kind of reflected a little bit more, it was, it's just time to go on to the next phase of life.
And so I prayed to God to put people in my path that I meant to serve with. And I feel that's exactly what he did, which leads me up to what I'm doing now. Amazing. Was it ever difficult, A, for you to, because it was a family business, was there ever a difficult decision selling it and then how about leaving it?
Oh, Colin, is that a loaded question? Because, oh my goodness, you know, for a beautiful Catholic Italian kid who, you know, always wants to please his parents and honor the family. And that was incredibly hard for me to sell it. And I was so blessed that my dad was so supportive.
He died shortly after I sold it, but was there for the first year or so after and got to see the success I was having moving up in the corporate ladder of corporate America at Camping World. But I was blessed because my dad said to me, you know, Johnny, I had my time. This is your time. And if this is what you want to do, then you do this.
And so I love being part of a team and I wanted to kind of have my imprint on the industry the way my dad did. And it just didn't feel that that was going to be running one dealership, you know, for the next 30, 40 years. And so I had the chance to, you know, work at the very top of Camping World, you know, around, you know, amazing people. And, you know, I took that.
And so it was really hard to sell. But then, you know, the larger Camping World family became my family. And then I say that retiring was the most selfish thing that I've ever done and the hardest thing that I've ever done because I love the company, love the people that I worked with, but just felt it was on my heart that it was time to go do other things that were important to me. And, you know, maybe a little bit of that was turning 50 that day in New York City, but I had to follow my heart and that's what I did.
So great train. Like for you now, all of a sudden you've retired. Now you want to sort of pursue things that mean more to you. What was the next step for you?
What was the next chapter? What was the next chapter? So what I did is I thought about exactly what I wanted to invest in. I had invested in a number of companies during my time while I was still working full time and just kind of side investments.
But I really decided that I wanted to focus on a small family office and really following passions of mine. And so I started a company called Encourage LLC and Encourage is really, it comes from a biblical verse of Thessalonians that says, so encourage one another and lift each other up just as if as you are already doing. And I thought, you know, I kind of do like that. I love lifting people up.
I love inspiring people. And, and so that was the birth of Encourage three years ago. And in that I have four different divisions of the company, Encourage healthy living, and that has my population health management business in there that I've invested in. We're delivering health improving products and cost reducing products on the insurance side at the same time.
So really honored to work with just a insurance industry leader in that, a gentleman by the name of Larry Dustin. So we're really doing some exciting things together. Our cancer risk assessment program in there with Dr. Always playing the game of business with real people and humans that, depending how I interact with them, they might go home in a better or worse mood because of the environment that we create at work.
And that's a big responsibility. So being countercultural and being that leader that is completely thoughtful of your team and looking out for them, you know, it's giving them the ability to perform at their highest level when they feel supported, but when they know very clearly what their instructions are and what their expectations are, it's something that I'm honored to do. So I like talking about that and thought management, reframing our thoughts, so many different topics like that. Yeah, leadership is a really interesting one because, you know, oftentimes how people act as a leader is what they've seen leaders act like.
It's kind of what's been taught to you. And, you know, we work so hard, people work so hard because you want to get in the leadership role, but we're never actually taught how to act and how to help people once we're in that role. Don't you find that? Colin, that's exactly what happens.
I think, you know, oftentimes a leader can take the worst habits of their previous leaders and manifest that into their own leadership style. And all the things that they said that they would never do or what they didn't like about their boss because there isn't thoughtful, good instruction giving to them. And really just on the human level of the company talking to you about, all right, I want you to really appreciate that. We want to give incredible customer service, but it's got to be genuine.
And that genuine customer service doesn't happen in an environment of yelling and screaming and putting people down and then expecting when the customer shows up that they're an actor all of a sudden. They're going to be able to put on this front and really deliver a genuine customer experience. But it's not talked about enough. It's not put out there enough where, you know, we call executive VPs on the fact that they're playing games and they're undermining another division in the company.
And ultimately that that is going to hurt the company, right, and hurt the brand. And even at the highest levels of leadership inside a company, especially big companies, you see so much division and they get competitive and territorial. I always say that insecurities are the root of all workplace conflict. And there's a lot of insecure people that have a leadership title and it just runs down the chain to their team and it creates tensions and ultimately hurts the brand.
Yeah, it's so true. I've always said, you know, like I think the more power you give someone, the more money you give someone, the more they sort of show who they truly are. That's exactly right. You know, I think it all, I think it comes from what you said.
It's like, it's almost like an esteem issue. It's like now that they have this title or position or money now, they think now they think more of themselves and they start to act and say things more that they actually other things they actually believe. You're right. And Colin, I tell my kids that when someone, you know, really shows who they are, hear them, acknowledge that, and don't ignore it because people give you very good clues that are really, that clue is meant to say, stay away from me, right?
Because here's how I'm going to mess with you. Here's how I'm going to play games. Here's how I'm not going to be straightforward with you. Here I'm going to say one thing and do another.
And when they really show that, accept it. You know, you can try to, you know, get your head around it and figure out why. And, you know, there could be, as I said, insecurities rooted in that, but, you know, it's important that especially young people coming out of college and going into their work, I always tell them to be careful who they follow because just because somebody has a title, it doesn't mean that their actions are that strong and merit to be emulated and followed, but they have a title in a company. But in the large company that I was in or even my company today, you know, you do need to be careful who you follow because if you want to take on the actions of that leader that's doing a poor job, I'm going to notice that he's doing a poor job.
And he or she might get moved out of that role and they're out of the country. And then you kind of hooked yourself to their wagon by taking on their attributes and traits. And then likely you could be the next to go. But if I allow those traits to continue in the company, I should expect that those that that person leads sees that that is what I want in leadership traits because I'm tolerating it.
And too often today, companies are tolerating poor leadership because the leaders are getting the job done, but they're not looking at the total picture of the wear and tear that it is on the brand in the process. That's actually like, that's such a good point. And it's a really tricky balance, right? Because you need to get results, but oftentimes it's like, it's the same thing.
It's a win at all costs mentality, similar to sports, right? But it's a very, very tricky balance. It is. You know, we're in a competitive workforce today.
And if you're, you know, the board I'm on of a publicly traded company, we do need to deliver results, but I can tell you that from our CEO down and throughout the board, doing the right thing is critically important. And that, that company has a corporate psychologist on staff and Dr. Amber Selking is doing amazing work and it has a great podcast. It's worth following.
It does amazing work in working with associates through all 12,000 employees in the company and being able to make a difference. And she's lowered our company's attrition rate. People are not leaving as frequently as they were before because they find that they're connected to something and everybody, of course, people are working because they need a paycheck, but everybody wants to be connected and feel valued. And, and, and so it can't be production and money at all costs because those costs are going to be the human capital.
And then when the human capital rotates in and out the door, when you have turnover that high, you're not going to get the results that you need in the company. So it does have to be a top consideration. Yeah. So you brought up a really good point of, you know, kind of younger people, people starting out and even, you know, for older people as well.
Like when you're looking up to someone, it's, it's, it's sometimes difficult because you look at what they have on social media and you look at the things they have and what do you look for? Like when you're following someone, what are the traits specifically that you look for that are important to you when, when deciding on this person to be a mentor or this person is who I should follow? You know, I, I like that question because, you know, when I think about myself today, like who I, who am I authentically? I don't even think, Colin, I know that answer anymore because I'm the sum of the blessing of so many amazing leaders that I've been around from receiving mentorship from men and women that I really admire.
You know, I feel like I've grown from the beliefs and the encounters that I've had with people that I have seen make an impact. And so, jeez, I don't know. I think I'm just really a fan of taking all of that in and then putting it back out there in my own way. And so I say, I don't really know the real me anymore because I've been influenced by so many people that are truly good.
And I want to make an impact the way that they have. And so I'm drawn to people that certainly have an energy that I have and a positive outlook and an enthusiasm to engage. But I'm also drawn to people that are a little bit offbeat and that just have something unusual about them that I'm intrigued by. And I kind of like pulling back the layers of that onion, if you will, and understanding what motivates them because there's thoughts that people have that I can really get into digging into and thinking about a lot.
And, you know, I love the diversity of personalities and experiences. And, you know, I think the more, the older I get, the more I realize that I don't know what I don't know. And I'm really incredibly comfortable with that. You know, my wife and I joke because I'll tell her that she's right all the time.
And it seems like the older we get, the more my wife says something. And I'm like, geez, that is exactly right. And, you know, it's not after 30 years of marriage. The older we get, the more we fight.
It's not at all fighting because it's just like acknowledging it without any ownership of anything. Like, you're dead right on that. And I'm good with that. And, of course, that's reciprocated back.
And I'm a big believer that for every action, there's a reaction. And when I get a reaction that I don't like, I have to look at myself first because all they're doing is reacting off of my action. And so the control freak in me, if you will, wants to make sure that my reactions that I get are positive. So I can control that by what I put out in my actions.
Yeah, you know what? It's so funny as you're speaking, I'm like kind of reflecting because, you know, like I started the show, it's kind of like a young punk, you know, that's how I kind of consider myself. And as as I started, you know, speaking with people like yourself who are very successful, I realized, like, I feel like the more successful people I speak to, the most common trait is how humble and how they say they don't know things. And it just blew my our lives because we had them for an evening.
Why couldn't that be enough? Why do we have to have more of everything? And so, you know, I got to the point of saying I'm not gonna dishonor Nicholas Mary and Peter's lives and make it insignificant because they were brief. Their impact was huge.
It, you know, 25 years later, we're still talking about them every day. Bo, Bella, and Stone, our children today, know through us their older brothers and sister and we honor them on their birthdays. We talk about them a lot. You know, it is a very positive thing that happened in our lives because it shaped our hearts today.
It shaped the way that we were gonna parent and in this time where we always want more of everything, it was a great lesson in learning to find the blessings in what we were given and say thank you. And I still get to be their parent for the rest of my life, but I'm just not here with them on this earth raising them like I am my other kids. But that doesn't mean that I didn't have a blessing there that we need to celebrate. And so reframing our thoughts to something that's positive and good and uplifting.
I like thinking of them and smiling as opposed to the first several years of being in such a point of pain and having a hard time functioning that it was so heavy. I needed to look at it differently and I really encourage people that anyone that has a challenge in their life, whether it's losing a job, it is losing a relationship, you know, look back instead of with the bitterness on that and just find everything good in it and seal that in your mind. Learn the life lessons you needed to from it, but then seal all the positive pieces in it and reframe it that way so that when you think back on it, you can lift yourself up a little bit as opposed to feeling just beaten down by something that didn't work out. Yeah, I love that.
I think that's just a wonderful message for a lot of people. I don't know a better way to end here. But Johnny, what's the best way people can connect with you, learn more about your journey and kind of what's coming on and what's next? I appreciate that, Colin.
My website is encourage33.com. There's even some other podcasts I've done on there as well. There's a little bit about my story and the various companies. My email is Johnny at encourage33.com.
33 is an important number in my family. So I worked that into a lot of my different business names. But the encourage33.com website is where you can find me. Amazing.
That is encourage33, everyone. I will share it in the show notes section if you didn't catch it here to make it super simple to go ahead and visit and follow along with Johnny. And Johnny, I want to thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule and sharing your wisdom and really opening up with the Daily Grind audience today. I truly appreciate it.
Thank you so much, Colin, for the opportunity. You can also catch me at Johnny Surpilla on Instagram. But, you know, again, thank you for what you're doing out there and getting people's stories out. And I love listening to your podcast and getting inspired by so many people.
So thanks for what you're doing. Thank you very much. And everyone, if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure you subscribe to the podcast, leave a comment. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
And share this out with a friend you feel like could really benefit from today's show. We'll be back with another podcast. Until then, everyone, Colin Morgan signing off. And always remember to keep on grinding.