and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes than anyone. now you can get it, too. welcome to the party. good morning. coming up, steve jobs had one, so did president trump and even albert einstein. how create ago work uniform may give you more time at work. a kentucky-based interior designer discovered the key to acquiring customers is interviewing them. and will this fireman convince hsn executives to let him sell his coffee on their network? we have got your back. so let's grow fast and work smart. that's all coming up next on "your business."

♪ ♪ >> hi there, everyone. i'm j.j. ramburg. welcome to "your business." in junior high school, i wore a uniform to school. deciding what to wear probably saved me hundreds of hours a year. as i was sifting through old photos, i thought, wouldn't it be great to have a work uniform? we know ceos who use this idea. would that take away part of what makes us who we are? and even if it does make sense, it seems edz for men, but what about women? i set out to find what a work uniform is all about.

>> what do stee jobs,ve jobs, b obama, mark zuckerberg and albert einstein have in common? they all embrace the idea of a work uniform. with so many decisions to make, they all took one big one, what to wear, out of the mix. samantha eddis known for her daily productivity tips thinks they're on to something. >> how does the decision of of what to wear in the morning, how can that derail your day? >> we are forced to make so many decisions every das every day. with our clothing and our wardrobe, we tend to constantly rethink it. so it becomes this decision cycle of pain before we even get to work in the morning. >> choosing an outfit every day uses up energy and time. and many people believe that kind of brain power and those

precious minutes are better spent on the more important decisions throughout the day. >> we can eliminate one decision you have more energy for the things that matter. >> take the famous founder of apple and his trademark look. a black turtleneck, blue jeans and new balance shoes. according to his biographer, steve jobs liked a uniform for the daily convenience. and its ability to convey a signature style. the former leader of the free world alternated between gray and blue suits so that he could free up his mind and morningings for more pressing matters. obama told ""vanity fair,"" quote, i'm trying to pair down decisions. because i have too many other decisions to make. and to say that the founder of of facebook likes gray t-shirts would been an understatement. mark zuckerberg said that he owned about 20 identical tees. he once said, quote, i feel like i'm not doing my job if i spend

any of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous about my life. it's clear it can work for men, but what about women? don't we have the pressure to look different every day? i went to meet the co-founder of cuyana, the company that focuses on fewer, better things. >> that whole movement of being intentional was your choices is something that cuyana was intent on. >> could she help me with a work uniform? >> i grew up wearing a uniform to school. it feels like to me that would clear out half of my morning. >> i think women know if they're going to wear that, they're going to feel great. a woman who feels confident feels unstoppable. she knows and can play effectively and strategically. >> as someone who doesn't love shopping, this sounded perfect to me. for my uniform, shilpa first focused on tops. >> the silk tee is one of my favorite pieces because it dress

us up and dresses down so seamlessly. we think color is an important part of the woman's expression. so we do make this in other beautiful shades and we'll have some for you to try on. and then just a very nice beautiful wrap skirt. so a wrap skirt we love because it fits many different body types. it's very easy and fluid throughout the day. we actually have an extra tie so you can keep this closed. and then if you're going out at night and you want to loosen the bottom, you can. so it gives you versatility. >> let's give it a shot. >> my uniform. >> it looks beautiful. >> i mean, what i love about this as a uniform is it's pretty and it's not in your face so you could wear it every day. >> exactly. >> but it has a little something to it. >> personality. >> it feels totally appropriate for work. it feels appropriate to go out with drinks afterwards. >> do you feel like you're more confidence to get ready in the morning? >> a thought times. this is exactly, when i think of

of a work uniform for women, this is exactly what i think of. >> is this my look? are you going to see me in some version of this on my show for the next year? we'll see. but if i am, know that it's because i'm spending all that extra brain power on something much more important. i'm here in florida at the campus of hsn, the original television shopping network. and i'm here for our elevator pitch segment. this is a big deal because the stakes are huge. our pitcher is going to show their product to two executives from hsn. one runs the american dreams program which finds entrepreneurs from all over the country and brings them on to the show. the second one is the head of qc, quality control. if there's something wrong with the product, he is going to know about it. if they get the on-air sign from these executives, that means they get to pitch their product on hsn to the 91 million

households. this could be life changing. >> mike. >> j.j., how are you? >> hi. good to see you. the paramedic coffee guy. >> yes. >> what's the name of your product? >> firehouse coffee. >> and what will it mean to you to be on hsn? >> oh, wow. this is life changing. this is huge. it's an unbelievable opportunity and i can't thank you enough. >> do not thank me. here, let's go walk to see how you do in this pitch. but do not thank me. you've put in how many years of work in this? >> for about 11 years. >> you're going to have the chance to pitch to two people who will decide if you're going to be on hsn where you will have the chance to sell to millions of people. they are going to hear what you have to say. i know you're going to do great. >> thank you. >> okay. >> hi. how are you? >> hi. we're fine. >> my name is mike adams, i'm from al.entown, pennsylvania. >> it's matt. >> i got you some coffee. some firehouse coffee. please help yourself.

>> go ahead. >> ooh, i got a flavor. >> good. >> i hope you like it. that's our wild rum and caramel coffee. >> wild rum. whew. >> one for you. >> no alcohol. it's all favors. >> go ahead. ready when you are. >> as a paramedic, i work long nights and challenging days drinking and depending on a lot of bad tasting coffee merging my passion for emergency services and my love for coffee, i created firehouse coffee, a gourmet brand of coffee centers around firefighters, paramedics, doctors nurses and police officers. it creates can havee with a unique firehouse theme. here are some of the coffees that we offer. cpr, trauma maul ma, wild rum and caramel coffee. every day i go to work and help people at their time of need. today you the buyers have the

opportunity to help a paramedic resuscitate his small brand and turn it into a huge reality. thank you for the consideration. >> wow. >> thank you. >> all right, mike. right before you went on, the last thing you said to me was, i hope i don't mess up. and you did not mess up. congratulations. you did a great job. >> thank you so much. >> i want to hear feedback from you guys. what did you think of the pitch? >> fantastic pitch. you nailed it. you talked about your benefits. you talked about some of your features. love the names. extremely creative brand. >> thank you. >> so really like that. what about you, matt? >> yeah. coffee, good. right? i love coffee. and, you know, dare is right, really creative with your names. it's true, you have a real strong commitment to first responders and that really comes through in your product. you're in a highly competitive market in terms of premium coffee. so really being able to stabbnd out from the pack is critically

important. how do you get that affinity with your future customers. >> i'm just here smelling it. it smells so good. did you have one more thing to say? >> i really just want to ask, what are your retails? >> retail, it averages on the size of the bag. anywhere from $11.95 to $12.95 a bag. a 12 own bag might be $8.75 to $9.50. >> all right. i'm going to let you two talk for a little bit. they're going to decide if you get the chance to go on hsn and sell your product to millions of people. you guys chat. and i have to say to you, thank you. you're providing two things people really need, their lives as a pair neddic and coffee. and you've been working on this for how long? >> about 11 years. >> okay. here is the moment. we can look on the on-air sign and see will you have a chance to sell on hsn. >> unfortunately, not.

i think it's a great product. it's a highly competitive market. i'm just not sure it's right for hsn. >> our audience. >> but, really, i think you've got the right start within the market that you're working. think about growing, right, from that. organically expand. so that you open up that market for yourself, you can continue to grow and maybe then we'll see you in our local super markets. >> i want to know from two people who have tasted this, how did it taste? >> i loved the taste. i will tell you, i will be a consumer. i just think right now, our space on air is very crowded with coffee. we have a lot of locally grown and we have some national brands. so from a price point and fitting into our mix right now, probably not right. but i'm just going to say probably not right right now. >> thank you for the consideration. what an opportunity. thank you. >> wonderful. thank you.

pleasure. >> so a good product. a great product. >> thank you. i appreciate it. this was -- >> but not the right fit for this, which does not mean not the right fit anywhere. all right. thank you for coming on to the show and sharing this with us. it's so awesome. >> thank you. >> i'm going to take one of these to go. >> absolutely. cheers. >> come on up. all right. how do you feel? >> i feel good. disappointed, obviously, but you know what? i wanted opportunity and, you know, i think i'm -- it's hopeful that maybe one day, something will come along and blow it up. >> and i think, really, it all comes down to what's in there. what is in the cup and do people like the coffee. >> absolutely. >> and it sounds like so far you've gotten great feedback on that. >> yeah. we have a lot of customers and we're going to keep plugginging. >> i wish you the best of luck with everything. >> thank you so much. >> thank you.

one kentucky based interior designer is more than happy to answer any questions they have as long as they're willing to answer hers, as well. it's an inquisitive approach to business that has a colorful effect. >> liz, really, i believe, listened to what wid to se had and did exactly what we needed. >> she and i are a really good match. i think she has a great way of matching her clients to the product that they want. >> john stratton and robin miller know that liz makes it her business to ask a lot of questions. the owner of polka dots and rose bud interiors in lexington, kentucky, since 2009, liz discovered early on that she needed to dig deeper and learn more about her clients' wants and needs. >> i didn't think i needed a psychology degree to be able to decorate someone's home, but you do. you really have to understand

somebody. >> after a few rough business decisions, she came to the realization that every conversation is crucial when it comes to connecting with the right customer for her company. >> as a young business owner, you want to help anyone. but after a couple of times of experiencing someone who really wasn't a great fit and that was the point writ was like, okay, we need to have some questions and get a little bit deeper in the beginning and not be halfway through the process before we realize that maybe this isn't going to work. >> which is why liz started interviewing her clients about the homes, storefronts and offices they wanted to decorator renovate. >> they may catch on that it's a little bit of an interview process, but it's not something that's an interrogation. it's just very conversational and there are natural questions that pertain to the project. >> liz knows how to get customers talking. she has her list of go-to questions to get the ball rolling. >> who is using the space? how will it be used? what their timeline is and we need to know about budget. >> the process is much like a job interview.

a simple phone call is usually the first step. in some cases, it's the last one, as well. >> not everyone that calls is a good fit. we may not be able to service them the way that they want. and so we have to figure that out before we go ahead and go out and meet with them. >> if liz thinks there's potential, she schedules a time to chat in person. remember, her questions are fairley routine. but the answers can make or break the relationship. as liz sees it, there isn't only one right answer to her questions. she knows everyone's style is different. but the responses set the tone and the timing for the rest of the project. >> usually from seeing the space and coming up with a plan, that's maybe two to three weeks time. so it's very important that we're clicking and that we understand each other fully in the beginning and we know what we're getting ourselves into. >> from that point forward, the questions get more detailed so that liz can come up with a game plan and create a look. >> we have to ask them specific questions like, colors they like, patterns they like, more

importantly, the colors and patterns they don't like. because that can be more telling. >> her primary concern is giving clients what they want and not what she thinks they might want. liz also tries to identify the decisionmaker in her client interviews. there's nothing worse than having to deal with people who can't agree. >> sometimes it's a tug of war and a balancing act between a husband and a wife to be able to say, well, she likes this and i don't like that. whose opinion is going to win out? what do we have to do to balance that? >> it doesn't happen often, but liz will turn down jobs based on the outcome of her interview. >> just like the customers need to know themselves, you need to know yourself as a business owner. there's a little bit of a gut reaction. you can just tell. if i get that feeling, we don't do it. >> liz's customers get the sense that the interview process has made her a better listener. >> in the beginning when you meet somebody new and you have ideas in your head and you're trying to, you want the others

to understand, i still remember the day they came to the office with everything to show us what they had learned from us and it was exactly on. >> she, i think, has listened to me take it in the most basic level and translate that into something pretty phenomenal for the decor in my home. >> liz says she'll continue to ask, listen and learn from her customers. she believes it's the best way to give her clients top notch service that they won't forget. >> i want to be able to help the client and leave them with a good feeling based on our experience. i work very hard to be able to do that with clients. so the communication doesn't stop after that first interview process. it keeps going. and that was just the foundation for it. ten years ago, my next guest did away with the human resources department of the company that he had founded two years before that. he had a mock funeral and everything. bruce is the founder of the travel company g-adventures, one of canada's a fastest growing

companies and has been named one of the top ten employers for young people. so good to see you. >> thank you. >> i am fascinated by this, particularly because you have 2,000 people working for you, not even including contractors. >> yeah, all around the world. >> so you need someone who is thinking about human resources. but you guys do it in a different way. tell me what you put in place of the hr department. >> well, hr wasn't working for us. especially as a fast-growing company and a company that wanted to be focused on our people. so the elements of hr, to me, were about managing the lowest underperforming people, you know? and it -- and you manage to the lowest common denominator. and we wanted to learn how to manage our stars. and the other part of talent that was hr that was really important is how you manage your culture. so we decided that we wanted those two elements to be the main parts of our -- well, what used to be hr, which we formed the talent agency and g-force that manages our culture. >> i think this is interesting that you divided those two

things up. the person who has the ability to find the stars and manage them is not necessarily the same team who has the skills to be in charge of culture. they're put together under hr, but it is truly two different skills. so let's talk about, first, what the star agency does. what does star mapping mean? >> star mapping is how we manage all of our people. so -- and managing our bottom 10% on how we look at managing those people, up or out, which is a very, you know, hard thing to do when you're a new company and you are trying to get a great culture. >> forget a new company. when you're an existing company, it's even harder to do, i think. >> top people want to work with other stars. and every company's goal should be to put a star in every seat and get the right person in the right seat on every bus, but a star on every seat how does the talent agency do this differently than a typical hr department? >> well, they manage people completely different. we look at how we recruit, how

we retain, how we attract the best talent, how we write ads because we're looking for a certain type of people to fit our culture. >> but every hr department will say they're doing that, too. to. we are doing this to try to get the best people. >> i think they are trying to get the best skills to do a job. we find we need people to felt our culture, and that's more important. we believe we can teach people anything. but people have to fit within our team. and our teams are to develop high-performing teams that demand excellence. you need a certain type of people for every team. so culture fit. we created the g-factor, which is an interview process. after you have been interviewed by all of your directors, vps, and you have been decided on as a candidate, you are interviewed by three random people on culture fit that don't know what level you're applying for. they don't know the position you're applying for. and you are being interviewed. if you fail culture fit, you can

never be hired again. everyone is brought in by the concept. when someone gets a job, they feel they have been kind of approved by the rest of the company, and everyone welcomes people because they are part of our culture and represent our culture. >> i love that. if you have a strong enough culture that everyone fits it then, yeah, they should be able to be interviewed by anyone. that is so good. another thing you talk about that the talent agency does is recognize the brilliant jerks. those are hard people to get rid of it. >> it is actually bringing them in. brilliant jerks, when they come in, they promise all kinds of great things. sometimes they can bring lines of business, new partners, new ideas, new concepts to bring to the business. and you might want those skills. but it is not worth it on your culture if they don't fit. it's too expensive. they don't fit into your culture. >> this is so fascinating. >> they will become a cancer in

the organization. >> this is where the final enter is view comes in. say i'm in charge of ad sales. this guy comes from my competitor. he has done a killer job over at the competitor. >> it's not worth it. >> and i want him more than anyone. >> it's not worth it. >> he goes to three people not in the department -- >> it happens all the time. >> bruce, i'm so happy you stopped by. that is such a neat tip. great to meet you. >> thank you. thanks for having me. >> this week we're talking to kara golden, the founder of hint water. when the doctor told her she was prediabetic, she quit diet soda and created hint water. give us some feedback. the podcast is still pretty new. we love hearing what you think. it is called been there, built that. find out whatever you get your podcasts. still to come, is there a down side to boeing the sole owner of a business?

why you may not want to try everything new yourself. ♪ ♪ (baby crying) ♪ ♪ don't juggle your home life and work life without it. ♪ ♪ and don't forget who you're really working for without it. ♪ ♪ funding to help grow your business... ♪ ♪ another way we have your back. ♪ ♪ the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. as we continue to grow our

company and maybe we're meeting with potential partners, is there a downside to being a sole owner? >> when you think about whether or not there are upsides or downsides to being a sole owner, you have to think about what your goals are. as awe sole owner, you have full responsibility, full control, and full accountability. as you think about bringing on additional partners, think about how much you want to relinquish our responsibility and accountability. what is it you need? do you need additional capital? do you need additional experience? do you need support in plates where you are not currently doing business and where you want to expand? be creative how you bring on paurps. talk to your financial and legal professionals about what the best structure would be if you potentially bring on partners. understand ultimately if you want to maintain control, stay a sole owner. we now have the two tips you need to grow your business.

ali webb, founder of dry bar, specializing in just blowouts is. they have stores across the united states. and josh is the co-founder of gus toe, a payroll company supporting 60,000 companies nationwide and valued at more than a billion dollars at your last raise. congratulations to you. you have both started it and seen these companies through. what is one tip other people need to know about? >> as a founder of a very small company can, which is all i thought dry bar is going to be, i think we learned early on the importance of bringing in people who know things that you don't and bringing on people who are smarter than you who have skill sets and expertise and that you don't. it was important to bring in people who could grow and scale and not mess up, frankly. >> this whole vision comes for you, your vision. >> right. >> then to have people say you should do this, you should do this. was it complicated at times to

say you do that. >> yeah. as a founder, it is the hardest personally, the hardest part of growth for me is allowing other people to make decisions. you know, i think you really seek out good people that you feel are aligned with your culture and your vision you have to trust them. unfortunately they don't always make the decision you might have made. in order to grow your company and your culture, you want to give those people the opportunity to shine and make decisions on their own. and fail on their own. that's how you learn. >> not to do the heavy lifting yourself. some of the hats are worth wearing. things like improving the product, quality, giving a great experience to your customers, hiring great people, some of the points ali made. in some of those like taxes, filings, all the payments by hand are not worth doing and not how you stand out but are necessary. find a trusted partner.

that's literally why we started gus toe, to help simplify and make all of those things much, much easier for the companies. >> on that note, i always say running a business you do not have to reinvent the wheel. so much of the logistics of running a business, either you can outsource or find an adviser or friend who has done it before, and you concentrate on the stuff that is just about your business. >> highest and best use. >> yeah. >> we have had that conversation so much internally. you want people to have experience in things that you don't know how to do. you know, it should be a partnership. you should work together to make sure that everything does stay intact the way you want it to be. but you have to -- i agree, let other people in to help you build your company. >> a lot of these folks, again, didn't start the company because they wanted to do taxes. they wanted to offer a product or service or serve their community or hire a great team. and that's actually the way they stand out. >> it could be anything, right? i need a payroll service. hey, go ask everyone what

payroll service are you using. you don't have to spend all of your time researching it. >> there is the internet, social media. >> what's the internet? thank you guys so much. . >> thank you. >> thank you. can you tell where this week's your biz is selfie is located? susan stone of hired hands massage located in las vegas. they are providing massages at the opening of a golf club. take a picture and accepted it to us at yourbusiness@msnbc.com. include your name, the name of your company and its location fpltd we love seei. we love seeing the photos. thank you so much for joining us. we love hearing from you. if you have any questions or comments about today's show, send an e-mail to your pwp

yourbusiness@msnbc.c yourbusiness@msnbc.com. head over to our website, msnbc.com/yourbusiness. we put up all the segments of today's show and a whole lot more for you. we have even more on our digital and social media plat forms as well. remember to check out the podcast been there, built that. we look forward to seeing you next time. until then, i'm jj ramberg, and remember we make your business our business. ♪ ♪ don't work your way upfront without it. ♪ ♪ and don't watch her dance, like nobody's watching without it. ♪ ♪

early ticket access... another way we have your back. the powerful backing of american express. don't live life without it. ♪ morning glory, america. i'm hugh hewitt. last week we had breaking news as a barrage of missiles had been fired on syrian targets on friday night. this week a mid week blockbuster. secretary of state dez gnat mike pompeo went to north korea over easter and met with kim jong-un. there are other stories this week, including president trump's meeting with japan's prime minister abe, and the spirited defense how tough he is on russia to talk about all of these stories of the week, i have james holman of the "washington post", anna palmer of