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What Do I Do for Businesses?

As a Mentor And Business Coach, I Have Mentored Thousands of Successful Entrepreneurs Through Their Journey to Success Including, But Not Limited To, the Video Testimonials Founder HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/

When I started the concept for Elephant In the Room Men’s Grooming Lounge in 2011, I obsessively pondered the following things:

STEP 1 – What is the problem we are solving? Men in Tulsa, Oklahoma do not have a service provider available that provides a quality men’s grooming experience while also offering a man-focused high-end country club style atmosphere.

STEP 2 – What Is the solution we are offering? I started Elephant In the Room Men’s Grooming lounge to offer men of Tulsa a quality haircut in a high-end country club style atmosphere.

STEP 3 – How much will we charge for the solution, services, and products we are going to offer? I sat down with myself and did the math. I determined that if I could make a profit of approximately 20% per haircut then I could have a viable business.

STEP 4 – How can I nail it and scale it? In order to start Elephant In the Room I methodically developed the following aspects of the business listed below. In order for YOU to become a successful entrepreneur you must learn how to master the following business development areas and more:

1. How to save the money needed to start a business
2. How to develop a credit score sufficiently high enough to sign a commercial lease
3. How to document a scalable linear workflow
4. How to name the business
5. How to create the logo
6. How to develop the branding
7. How to develop the business cards
8. How to develop the marketing print pieces
9. How to develop a website that wows
10. How to create a proforma
11. How to track the unit economics of a business
12. How to optimize the website to dominate the search engine results
13. How to create social media advertisements that generate leads
14. How to create online retargeting advertisements that follow your website visitors around the internet
15. How to develop social proof via real client testimonials
16. How to develop social proof via public relations and media appearances
17. How to develop social proof through celebrity endorsements
18. How to develop in-bound calls scripts
19. How to develop out-bound sales scripts
20. How to develop the linear workflow for the actual men’s grooming services that we provide
21. How to create an atmosphere with the right overall image and ambiance that our ideal and likely buyers would appreciate.
22. How to generate leads (first time customers will to try out the Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge Experience)
23. How to convert leads into paying customers
24. How to properly insure a business
25. How to create a handbook for hiring new employees
26. How to hire new employees
27. How to inspire new employees
28. How to train employees
29. How to retain employees
30. How to price the products we offer
31. How to price the services that we offer
32. How to create packing for our customers that purchase products
33. How to develop the music playlist and overall musical ambiance to create an upbeat men’s grooming lounge experience
34. How to develop a proforma (a projection of future financial performance based upon known variables)
35. How to develop a linear documented workflow that is scalable
36. How to find a location
37. How to build out a location
38. How to manage the contractors that are building out the location
39. How to fund the creation of the store (I paid cash)
40. How to lead a team
41. How to lead weekly meetings
42. How to manage a staff of employees and how to hold employees accountable
43. How to deal with people within the company who chose to cheat on their spouse
44. How to deal with people within the company who chose to use the company credit card for personal expenses
45. How to deal with people within the company who chose to date employees while managing them.
46. How to deal with people within the company who chose to buy a company vehicle without approval
47. How to deal with people within the company who chose to attempt to promote their mistress into a management position
48. How to manage people that choose to be chronically late
49. How to manage people that refuse to use a to-do list
50. How to manage people that refuse to use a calendar and the concept of time blocking
51. How to build a checklist for everything
52. How to design and storyboard an end-to-end customer service experience that wows

How Do I Help Businesses to Grow?

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

“A Carnegie or a Rockefeller or a James J. Hill or a Marshall Field accumulates a fortune through the application of the same principles available to all of us, but we envy them and their wealth without ever thinking of studying their philosophy and applying it to ourselves.”

– Napoleon Hill
(The best-selling author of Think & Grow Rich whom I named by son after)

To discover the success systems and processes taught by Napoleon Hill listen to the following in-depth podcasts:
LISTEN:  https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/napoleon-hills-6-step-success-formula-hour-1/

LISTEN: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/napoleon-hills-6-step-success-formula-hour-2/

2012 

2012 was a year of discovery. This was a year where I relentlessly focused on finding what our customers wanted and what they didn’t want in their haircut experience while continuing to refine our workflow, systems and process. Upon further review, our clients wanted a 27-minute haircut and not a 1-hour haircut. Our clients wanted a simple and easy to understand menu and our customers wanted us to be on-time all-of-the-time and thus I worked tirelessly on refining the workflow, upgrading our staff and documenting the systems that wowed our customers while removing aspects of our service that customers did not like.

This year was a year filled with constant public relations and media appearances that I was drumming up for the brand. This year was filled with cold-calling all of my personal contacts and inviting every male human in Tulsa to come out and try out our men’s grooming lounge. This year was a year filled with begging friends, and business associates to visit our stores and to refine every aspect of the business on a daily basis.

Listen to this podcast I recorded on how to find your niche in a crowded marketplace HERE – https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/finding-your-niche-creating-a-business-that-stands-out-in-a-crowded-marketplace/ 

In order to succeed as an entrepreneur you must develop the habit of over-delivering and exceeding expectations of each and every customer that you have the opportunity to deliver a product or service to. This must become your normal. 

1. You must aim to show up early for every meeting and to over-deliver the level of quality you deliver to each and every customer you provide services and products to!
2. You must deliver the products and services to your customers faster than you promised. 
3. You must deliver the products and services to your customers in a way that exceeds their expectations.
4. You must dress the way you want to be addressed.
5. You must create a decor in your office that makes your customers want to hang around for more.
6. You must be intentional about the smells in your office and the smells your customers experience when they do business with you.
7. You must be intentional about the music you play in your office and that music must create an atmosphere that wows your customers. 
8. You must aim to WOW each and every customer NOW.
9. Your packaging must blow the minds of your customers.
10. The food you serve must be first-class.
11. Your business cards must be first class or nothing. 
12. Every aspect of your business must be the best or nothing.
13. Your website must wow!
14. The “About Us” video on your website must wow. 
15. Remember, if you are half-ass your whole life will be terrible.

2013

My (Clay Clark’s) men’s grooming atmosphere and experience business model was gaining momentum by offering exceptional Tulsa men’s haircuts, precious men’s beard trims, relaxing hot towel treatments, mind-blowing paraffin hand dips, luxurious essential oil scalp massages and rejuvenating face moisturizer. In combination with offering the first service for just $1, the men of Tulsa were wowed by the men’s grooming experience that I had endlessly endlessly documented, refined and tinkered with. My philosophy was deep empathy. As with all businesses that I start, refine and scale, I was obsessed with talking to our  customers and learning from them about how I could improve their haircut experience.

I then expanded to open my second location at 91st & Yale in Tulsa, Oklahoma behind Russo’s Italian Restaurant which is across the street from Wholefoods. At this point, I had now successfully opened up three Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge locations.

For all of the aspiring or current entrepreneurs that may be reading this, section of The Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge History, I want to encourage you to read Napoleon Hill’s book Think & Grow Rich where he discusses the power of The Mastermind and the 30 major causes of failure including:

1. Unfavorable Hereditary background
2. Lack of a well-defined purpose in life
3. Lack of ambition to aim above mediocrity
4. Insufficient education
5. Lack of self-discipline
6. Ill health
7. Unfavorable environmental influences during childhood
8. Procrastination
9. Lack of persistence
10. Negative personality
11. Lack of controlled sexual urge
12. Uncontrolled desire for “something for nothing”
13. Lack of a well defined power of decision
14. One or more of the 6 basic fears * I cover all 6 in the episode
15. Wrong selection of a mate in marriage
16. Over-caution
17. Wrong selection of associates in business
18. Superstition and prejudice
19. Wrong selections of a vocation
20. Lack of a concentration of effort
21. The habit of indiscriminate spending
22. Lack of enthusiasm
23. Intolerance
24. Intemperance
25. Inability to cooperate with others
26. Possession of power that was not acquired through self effort
27. Intentional dishonesty
28. Egotism and vanity
29. Guessing instead of thinking
30. Lack of capital

As you grow a business and develop yourself as a person you must remember that the Bible was correct when it reads:

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” – Proverbs 13:20

If you have people in your life and in your organization that are perpetually dysfunctional, don’t let them hold you back. It’s hard to build an organization if you are working with people that insist on being disorganized. It’s hard to have a drama-free work environment when you are choosing to consistently work with people that are always engaging in dramatic behavior. It’s hard to build an organization where people trust each other when you choose to work with people that cheat on you and your business financially while cheating on their spouses.

You can’t focus on solving big problems when you are surrounded by people that self-sabotage.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Don’t let toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.” – Zig Ziglar (The legendary best-selling author and motivational speaker)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” – 1st

Corinthians 15:33

I am dwelling on this aspect of growing a business because nobody wants to talk about it, yet it is the single biggest reason that most businesses fail. You cannot allow your business or your life to be plagued by people who self-sabotage.

Listen to this podcast on the importance of removing self-sabotaging people from your life and business: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/put-on-earmuffs-not-everyone-deserves-to-be-heard-yet/

2014

As my (Clay Clark’s) Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming brand expanded to reach the greater Tulsa metro-area our membership model continued to resonate with people because I endlessly refined our workflow, systems and overall based upon the feedback that I was receiving from our wonderful and candid customers. At Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge we began to introduce men to new concepts such as men’s grooming professionals, tailored / custom haircuts and the overall idea of men’s grooming being a desirable experience. After further refining the business model, I then opened my third Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Mastery is not about being special or more gifted than anyone else. Mastery is a direct result of pigheaded discipline and determination”. – Chet Holmes (The legendary business consultant, business growth coach and the best-selling author of The Ultimate Sales Machine)

Listen to this Thrivetime Show Podcast I recorded on the importance of optimizing your branding materials HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/optimizing-branding-materials/

To learn more about the systems and processes I install into every brand that I develop read the following Tulsa People article: https://www.tulsapeople.com/five-questions-clay-clark/article_bf59b8f0-bb0d-5607-8e3d-1ffcb73c8ba3.html

To learn more about the systems and processes I install into every brand that I develop read the following Tulsa World article:

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/business/clay-clark-success-formula-works-for-entrepreneurs/article_dce4a33d-9ae4-5a0e-bb38-faf47744cad4.html

Successful people know where they are going, when they are going and they know what needs to be done. However, most people don’t know where they are going, when they are going and what needs to be done.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Begin with the end in mind.” – Stephen Covey (The best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First, The 8th Habit and many other top success books, etc. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University (USU) at the time of his death.)

2015

After opening the third location of Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge I began obsessively fine-tuning our customer support and scheduling center in an attempt to remove any friction points from our linear workflow. My goal was to create a men’s grooming lounge where the phones never rang in the store and where our stylists never had to be interrupted with a phone call so that they could be 100% focused on wowing our customers. During this year of the business I obsessively focused on creating checklists and documentation for everything that makes Elephant In The Room great!

Listen to this podcast I recorded on the importance of creating checklists for everything HERE: – https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/create-daily-checklists-for-everything/

To learn more about the systems and processes I install into every brand I business, every business I build and every client I mentor read HERE: https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/business/business-viewpoint-with-clay-clark-of-thrive15-what-ive-learned-from-missing-out-on-a/article_b0a17d01-7329-5749-ad95-a213c8e7ff2e.html

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/business/business-viewpoint-with-clay-clark-the-pain-and-gain-of-entrepreneurial-success/article_921d51b7-b3f7-53a6-b290-61363d597dc0.html

How Clay Clark Grew ShawHomes.com from $16 Million to $160 Million + How to 10X Your Business NOW with Clay Clark and Aaron Antis – READ – https://www.eofire.com/podcast/clayclarkandaaronantis/

2016

2016 was a year of refining, recruiting and pruning. My goal was to continue to elevate the brand experience to accommodate more walk-in clients and first-time Elephant In The Room customers. Although we are a membership-based business, I wanted to make sure that we never turned a customer away because we were “too busy” to wow a first-time customer.

about that for a second. You can’t be looking overwhelmed, disorganized and perpetually distracted. If you are going to build an organization you are going to have to create the plan and then get your employees to implement the plan and no hard-working ambitious person will work for a leader who is constantly disorganized and operating from an emotional state that broadcasts to the world that they are overwhelmed. Thus, you must wake up two hours before you see another human. Today, my alarm went off at 3 AM. Why? Because I want to get up and organize my day before other humans, partners, employees, clients, podcast guests, event organizers, influencers, authors and the rest of humanity begins to bombard me with questions that are often both urgent and emotional.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Drifting, without aim or purpose, is the first cause of failure.” – Napoleon Hill (The best-selling author of Think & Grow Rich and a man considered to be the best-selling self-help author in the history of self-help books)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “If you give someone a present, and you give it to them in a Tiffany box, it’s likely that they’ll believe the gift has higher perceived value than if you gave it to them in no box or a box of less prestige.  That’s not because the receiver of the gift is a fool. But instead, because we live in a culture in which we gift wrap everything — our politicians, our corporate heads, our movie and TV stars, and even our toilet paper. Public Relations is like gift wrapping.” – Michael Levine (The public relations expert of choice for Nike, Pizza Hut, Michael Jackson, Prince, etc.)

Listen to my interview with the legendary public relations guru, Michael Levine HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/uncategorized/entrepreneur-podcasts-how-public-relations-works-teaching-how-michael-levines-tiffany-theory-works-an-interview-w-legendary-pr-guru-why-advertising-is-what-you-pay-for-pr-is-what-your-pra/

2017

As The Original Man of the Elephant In The Room (as the founder of the company, I named the company, I signed the first lease, I designed the workflows, etc.) I knew that it was time to move our 16th and Boston location to a bigger location. We had invested five wonderful years developing the first Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge location), but we simply needed a bigger physical location to keep up with our needs so I relocated the Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge to 18th and Boston. And as we relocated the downtown location and as the brand continued to thrive, just like with any business or family, certain people within our organization were no longer a fit because they chose to pursue new opportunities, they decided to move, they decided to move on to new careers or because of the perpetually bad life choices that certain individuals were making.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “With no clear picture of how you wish your life to be, how on earth are you going to live it? What is your Primary Aim? Where is the script to make your dreams come true? What is the first step to take and how do you measure your progress? How far have you gone and how close are you to getting to your goals?” – Michael Gerber (Thrivetime Show Podcast guest and the best-selling author of the E-Myth Revisited

Perhaps, my standards are too high, but I simply refuse to spend my time with self-sabotaging people who choose to be unfaithful to their spouses and to their teammates. It creates weird staff meetings and a weird office environment when employees look more and more pregnant and when other co-workers begin asking if the person who impregnated them is married to someone else. When the focus on the staff Christmas party is who is sleeping with who? It creates a bizarre atmosphere when certain team members choose to show up late for 80% of staff meetings and so I had to do some pruning.

To learn more about installing guard rails and finding A-players to work within your business, listen to the following Thrivetime Show Business Podcast HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/installing-guardrails-and-finding-a-players/

You Become the Average of the Five People That You Spend the Most Time With

Having worked with literally thousands of clients to help them scale their business models while also having scaled business models that I myself have owned, I have discovered that many people are never able to start a successful business because they can’t stop self-sabotaging themselves or they can’t stop surrounding themselves with people who simply will not stop engaging in self-sabotaging behavior.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” – Proverbs 13:20

What Is a Company Culture?

As a business owner, your culture is simply the culmination of that which you allow to grow and in my businesses I simply will not tolerate a culture where managers are sleeping with employees they are not married to. And if you are reading this, I would highly recommend that you would not allow self-sabotaging people to remain on your payroll either.  When you allow people within your organization to remain on your payroll while they self-sabotage themselves through perpetual drug use, unfaithfulness to their spouse, partying, poor spending habits, relentless sexual lasciviousness, drunkenness and screwing over the very family and friends that have helped them the most, you are celebrating this behavior. In fact, one of the keys to eliminating constant drama from your life is to remove constantly dramatic people from your life. When you have managers that are late for every meeting and who use the business credit card to take their girlfriends on dates, this sends a message that you like this behavior.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “People around you, constantly under the pull of their emotions, change their ideas by the day or by the hour, depending on their mood. You must never assume that what people say or do in a particular moment is a statement of their permanent desires.” – Robert Greene, Mastery (A guest on the Thrive Time Show podcast, An iconic author on strategy and power. When reading Robert Greene’s books it is important to know that people that do not read the Bible and who do not adhere to God’s laws often use The 48 Laws of Power against you in a nefarious way. I believe that it’s important to know the moves that nefarious people will use against you so that you can protect yourself against the evil moves and the problems they will cause you. He has written seven international bestsellers, including The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law (with rapper 50 Cent), Mastery, The Laws of Human Nature, and The Daily Laws.)

To provide you with the added encouragement needed to remove perpetually self-sabotaging people from your life and business I would encourage you to read the following notable quotables from people that are more well known and respected than me:

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” – Proverbs 13:20

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” – 1st Corinthians 5:11

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Don’t associate yourself with toxic people. It’s better to be alone and love yourself than to be surrounded by people that make you hate yourself.” – Robin Williams (Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time.)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “I will not allow anyone to walk in my mind with dirty feet.” – Mahatma Gandhi (An Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule.)

2018

During 2018, we sold our first franchise location to long-time friends and clients of mine by the name of Nace and Geordan Roberts. During this process I worked to oversee the actual sight selection, the buildout and every aspect of the successful grand opening. The Elephant In the Room Men’s Grooming Lounge has been serving the Oklahoma City area since 2018.

Nace and Geordan Roberts joined me for this episode of The Thrivetime Show to help me interview Grant Cardone. https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/grant-cardone-on-if-youre-not-going-to-fight-for-it-youre-not-going-to-have-it/

During the year of 2018, we all worked tirelessly to get the word out about the Oklahoma City Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge while also refining all of the systems and processes to take the Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge Experience to the next level. 2018 was a year defined by pruning the tree and removing any friction points in our linear workflow and processes with the aim of wowing each and every customer throughout the state of Oklahoma.

To learn more about enhancing the efficiency of a business listen to this Thrivetime Show podcast HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/office-efficiency-enhancement/

PRO-TIP #1 – Block out time in your schedule for what matters. Today, I am writing this chapter of the book before most people are even awake. Why? Because I blocked out time to write this chapter of the book. Is anyone telling me to write this chapter of the book today? Is there a boss following up with me about writing this book? No. So why am I writing this chapter of this book? I am writing this chapter of the book because I BELIEVE IN YOU and I chose to block out time to write this chapter of this book on this very day.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker (The legendary management consultant educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of modern management theory. He was also a leader in the development of management education, and invented the concepts known as management by objectives and self-control and he has been described as “the founder of modern management.)

PRO-TIP #2 – Avoid spending time with negative people that do not understand how to become a successful entrepreneur. Negative people are like cancerous growth and people that do not know how to become successful will constantly bombard you with their bad ideas and their bad advice. When possible choose to spend time with successful people that are going places with their life. You will become the average of the five people you spend the most time with whether they are positive or negative. Block out time in your schedule to be around super successful people. If super successful people don’t want to spend time with you, offer to intern for FREE or to work in their office for FREE. Find a way to be in the room with super successful people.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.” – Brian Tracy (The legendary best-selling author, sales trainer, business growth consultant and keynote success speaker)

PRO-TIP #3 – Use social media, the internet and your computer as a tool and don’t allow yourself to become a tool. Be very intentional when you will use your computer and when you will not. Don’t allow the internet or your computer to consume your day with mindless clicking, scrolling and screen time that is not related to achieving success.

FUN FACT – “American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading or generally interacting with the media.” – Time Flies: U.S. Adults Now Spend Nearly Half a Day Interacting with Media – READ – https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/

PRO-TIP #4 – Always work via appointment. When possible schedule appointments with people as opposed to playing endless phone tag with humanity all day every day. When possible, schedule a specific time to talk to people and make these interactions as short as possible.

PRO-TIP #5 – Refuse to engage in small talk and gossip. Small talk leads to the achievement of small goals and tasks only. Go out of your way to not participate in gossip filled conversation not related to the achievement of a goal. Run away from emotional conversations filled with urgent emotional arguments, feelings and opinions. Choose to only engage in conversations related to the achievement of big goals when possible.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “27 Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. 28 An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends. 29 Wickedness loves company—and leads others into sin.” – Proverbs 16: 27-19

PRO-TiP #6 – Don’t go out to dinner and lunch with people unless it’s related to the achievement of your goals. I see so many entrepreneurs who tell me they don’t have time to achieve their goals, yet spend massive quantities of time going out to dinner with people to engage in small talk. When possible, eat quickly and get back to the achievement of your goals.

PRO-TIP #7 – Don’t watch TV or movies that are not related to the achievement of your goals. Instead of watching movies about other people, why don’t you live a life that people would want to make a movie about.

PRO-TIP #8 – Spend more time planning your life than planning your next vacation. Design your days and life in a way where you love each day so much that you sincerely don’t want to escape your daily schedule to go on vacation.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “With no clear picture of how you wish your life to be, how on earth are you going to live it? What is your Primary Aim? Where is the script to make your dreams come true? What is the first step to take and how do you measure your progress? How far have you gone and how close are you to getting to your goals?”

Michael Gerber (Thrivetime Show Podcast guest and the best-selling author of the E-Myth Revisited

PRO-TIP #9 – You must carry a to-do list at all times. You must always write down the tasks and actions items you need to be working on so that you don’t drift throughout the day without purpose and without focus during each and every minute of your day. If you have a “BIG IDEA” write it down. If you have a small item that you don’t want to forget, write it down. If you are making a shopping list in your mind, write it down. If you think of something important, write it down. The pen is for remembering and the mind is for thinking.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Mastery is not about being special or more gifted than anyone else. Mastery is a direct result of pigheaded discipline and determination”. – Chet Holmes (The legendary business consultant, business growth coach and the best-selling author of The Ultimate Sales Machine)

PRO-TIP #10 – Block time to schedule and plan your day and you must carry a calendar with your schedule at all times. What gets scheduled gets done. Stop forgetting appointments. Stop double booking yourself for things and stop running out of time to get things done and start using a calendar at all times. I have never met a SUPER SUCCESSFUL PERSON that does not use a calendar and to-do list at all times.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “The secret of your success is largely determined by your daily agenda.” – John Maxwell (Thrivetime Show guest and the best-selling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership).

2020

As The Original Man behind The Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge, I can tell you that 2020 was a wild year filled with lockdowns, quarantines, mandates and perpetual economic challenges, we kept The Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge open and we continued to optimize and refine our processes, systems and people through relentless training and focus. During the year of 2020, we added incredible talent to our roster and dramatically improved our ability to accommodate walk-ins and the predictable schedule issues that arise when you are working with thousands and thousands of wonderful clients that often need to schedule and reschedule.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE –  “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker – (An Austrian-born American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation.)

To learn more about how to successfully scale and improve a business listen to the his podcast training on the importance of measuring what you treasure as a business owner HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/how-to-create-and-install-tracking-systems/

Listen to this interview discussing the wild events of 2020 with the legendary neurosurgeon, Ben Carson HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/ben-carson-overcoming-poverty-in-route-to-becoming-an-award-winning-neurosurgeon-and-the-17th-united-states-secretary-of-housing-and-urban-development/

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.” – Elon Musk (The entrepreneur and engineer behind Tesla, PayPal, SpaceX, etc.)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE –  “Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” Mark Victor Hansen (The best-selling author behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books)

2021

During the year of 2021, the world economy settled into a new normal, and business bounced back! To accommodate the growth and the renewed interest people had in being around people again we expanded the hours and the size of the staff while also installing wonderful training bonuses for the key members of our training staff.

“Action Is the Real Measure of Intelligence.” – Napoleon Hill (The best-selling author of Think & Grow Rich) 

With the ability to be fully opened and operational without health restrictions we again began focusing on implementing updates and nuances designed to wow our new and existing customers. 

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.” – Jack Welch (The CEO who grew GE by 4,000% during his tenure)

It is often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I don’t know whether that is always true or not, but I do know that the vast majority of our competitors in Tulsa, Oklahoma are now former employees or teammates and I believe that is because of the standards and expectations that we have set at Elephant In The Room such as: not allowing leaders within the company to date employees while they are married to other people, not allowing team members to use the company credit card like it is their personal card, etc. As The Original Member of the Elephant In The Room, the man that named the company, the man that signed the first lease, and the overall founder of the company, I can sincerely tell you that the team we now have is the best team we’ve ever had at Elephant In The Room!!!

To learn how to create systems designed to wow your customers check out the following Thrivetime Show Podcast: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/create-wow-moment-new-customers/

2022

With a wonderful team of drama-free teammates Elephant In The Room has been able to expand our hours of operation, our menu of services and the family environment we have been building since our inception. In 2022, we put an emphasis on diligence, consistency and wowing the customer with the little things in a BIG WAY!

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn (The legendary best-selling author, trainer and motivational speaker) – WATCH – https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/consistency-is-king-and-essential-to-becoming-successful/

2023

During the year of 2023 we put our core F.O.C.U.S. on Focusing On Core Tasks Until Success. Our focus was to WOW each and every customer each and every day and thus we invested in the update and overhaul of our barber chairs, our shampoo bowls, our decor and the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that improves the customer experience (the call center, the relentless training, the mystery shoppers and more).

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “The majority of people begin to drift as soon as they meet with opposition, and not 1 / 10,000 People will keep trying after failing two or three times.” – Napoleon Hill (The best-selling author of Think & Grow Rich)

To learn more about the power of focus, listen to this Thrivetime Show podcast: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/f-o-c-u-s-focus-on-core-task-until-success/

2024

2024 is a year where we have focused on WOWing each and every customer through the hiring of the most inspiring and skilled professionals we can possibly find to cut the hair of our great Tulsa men’s haircut clients. While hiring the highest skilled and highest character people available we have also relentlessly emphasized the importance of using checklists and systems designed to create memorable customer service experiences for our clients.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “We don’t like checklists. They can be painstaking. They’re not much fun. But I don’t think the issue here is mere laziness. There’s something deeper, more visceral going on when people walk away not only from saving lives but from making money. It somehow feels beneath us to use a checklist, an embarrassment. It runs counter to deeply held beliefs about how the truly great among us—those we aspire to be—handle situations of high stakes and complexity. The truly great are daring. They improvise. They do not have protocols and checklists. Maybe our idea of heroism needs updating.” – Atul Gawande

Having helped to grow thousands of businesses to scale and grow, I use my experience to offer you the best Tulsa men’s barbershop and men’s grooming experience possible and that starts with WOWING YOU! 

Because I have committed nearly 15 years to radically improving the Tulsa men’s grooming and Tulsa men’s haircut experience, I have refined, and fine-tuned the skill , the art and performance of men’s haircuts. Because my team and I are obsessed with offering you the best men’s haircuts and the highest level barbershop experience in Tulsa, Oklahoma you can be assured that you will love your $1 first haircut experience at Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge. Having introduced Tulsa to the phrases, “Tulsa tailored haircut,” “Tulsa men’s grooming” and the concept of “grooming professionals” and not just stylists, we are just getting started. 

At Elephant In The Room we will continue to pioneer how to over-deliver the ultimate men’s grooming experience to wonderful clients like you. My passion for providing you with an exceptional Tulsa men’s haircut experience is something that is hard to describe!

What do you guys do?

At Elephant In The Room Tulsa Men’s Grooming Lounge & Tulsa Men’s Haircuts we recognize that the image you present and the first impression that people have of you really is important. Thus, at Elephant In The Room Men’s Grooming Lounge we hire, train and retain the highest quality Tulsa grooming professionals to guarantee that your Tulsa barbershop experience is the best it can possibly be. We are like a country club for men’s grooming. We are an exclusive men’s grooming lounge and we offer a variety of products and services. From our tailored haircuts and precision shaves to our beard trims and scalp massages, at Elephant in the Room we provide superior products and services for the modern male in a distinguished environment. Our Grooming Professional Experience is the gold standard for the men’s grooming lounge industry and we would love to serve you. 

Are we a barber shop?

We are an exclusive men’s grooming lounge. We offer a variety of services from tailored haircuts and precision shaves to scalp massages and beard trims. Let me ask you, how did you hear about us?

“Elephant In The Room, we are obsessed with providing our customers with the best-possible Tulsa men’s grooming and Tulsa men’s haircut experience. Providing the hard-working mens of Tulsa with a custom-tailored men’s grooming experience since 2011.”

Clay Clark
Founder of Elephant In The Room
Father of five kids
Amazon best-selling author of 30+ books 
The former “U.S. SBA Entrepreneur of the Year” for the State of Oklahoma, the founder of several multi-million dollar companies, and the host of the Thrivetime Show podcast which has been number one overall on the iTunes business podcast charts 6 times. 

Who Is Clay Clark?

Clay Clark is a member of the Forbes Business Coach Council, an Amazon best-selling author and the host of the Thrivetime Show podcast which has hit #1 on the iTunes charts in the category of business 6 times. Throughout his career he has been featured in Fast Company, Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, PandoDaily, and numerous other publications. He’s been the speaker and consultant of choice for top brands throughout the country including: Hewlett Packard, Maytag University, Valspar Paint, and O’Reilly’s Auto Parts. Clay is also the co-founder of 5 children, and is the proud owner of thousands of trees, dozens of chickens and 13 cats.