067 From Chaos to Clarity: How Christopher Wick Turned Disaster into a Path to Freedom for Entrepreneurs

Welcome to Beyond the Words!

Hello, it’s Dimple Thakrar here, and I am thrilled to welcome you to this inspiring episode of Beyond the Words. Today, we have an extraordinary guest, Christopher Wick, a highly successful entrepreneur, investor, and business strategist, with a heart full of purpose. We dive deep into his journey, not just about growing a business empire, but how he built it all with service, heart, and a guiding principle that goes beyond financial success.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Christopher shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to becoming a multi-business investor and entrepreneur. Christopher’s story is one of relentless determination, starting out with uncertainty but always holding onto one guiding principle—how can I serve? Despite experiencing a catastrophic event, where half his home was destroyed by a hurricane, Christopher turned adversity into opportunity. His passion for helping entrepreneurs achieve true freedom shines as he explains his “Freedom Framework,” a pathway from being an operator to becoming a true business owner.

Key Takeaways:

• Purpose Over Profit: Christopher’s journey proves that having a guiding principle of service can lead to both personal and business success.
• The Power of One Decision: His story emphasises how one decision can change the trajectory of your life, especially when it’s rooted in service.
• Becoming Free: He explains the difference between being a business owner and an operator, encouraging entrepreneurs to create systems that allow them to step away and enjoy freedom.
• Turning Adversity into Opportunity: Christopher shares his experience of losing his home to a hurricane and how it led him to create a stronger mission to help others.
• The Importance of Relationships: He also highlights the strength of his relationship with his wife and how they navigated the challenges together.

For all the entrepreneurs out there feeling tethered to your business, this episode will show you how to take back your time, scale your business, and achieve the freedom you’ve always wanted.

How to Contact Christopher Wick: You can reach out to Christopher and learn more about his work through his website at christophermwick.com, where you’ll find links to his books and information about his “Freedom Formula” and mentorship opportunities.

Thank you for joining us, enjoy the episode!

Dimple Thakrar Resource Links:

Website: https://dimpleglobal.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dimple.thakrar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dimplethakrar/

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introduction
• 2:53 Christopher's Humble Beginnings
• 8:08 The Power of One Decision
• 13:23 Becoming an Entrepreneur
• 19:53 Turning Adversity into Opportunity
• 27:33 The Freedom Framework
• 33:38 Resilience in Business and Relationships
• 39:03 Choosing Love Over Being Right
• 43:23 How to Achieve Freedom
• 47:53 Final Thoughts and How to Contact Christopher

Transcript

Beyond the Words

[00:00:00] Dimple Thakrar: Hello and welcome back to Beyond the Words with me Dimple Thakrar, your host today. Have I got a guest for you. So this beautiful man I have known very briefly in this physical realm. However, we met at online Through Platinum Partners, Tony Robbins. It was a brief encounter and there was something about this man and I couldn't put my finger on it when I first met him.

[00:00:31] Dimple Thakrar: And then out of the blue, he reached out and he messaged and he said, Dimple, let's jump on a call. I really want to connect with my Platinum Partner brothers and sisters. And I reach out to people regularly. And what was so beautiful about this message was, It was very clear, the intent. It wasn't about, and he actually put, this is not, please don't sell anything or I won't sell anything.

[00:01:00] Dimple Thakrar: And the, that really hit my heart because the purity of just the value of wanting to connect and build a relationship with another human being. Is what this man is about. And it's what, why he's, in my opinion, created the empire he has because his pure heart. Without further ado, I would love to introduce you to Christopher Wick.

[00:01:31] Dimple Thakrar: Christopher, thank you for being on Beyond the Words. Just thank 

[00:01:36] Christopher Wick: you so much for having me on. This is marvelous. 

[00:01:39] Dimple Thakrar: Yeah, so I wanted to start really by I love to start actually with people's stories. Now, I know you've had something quite horrific happen to you recently and I absolutely want to touch on that.

[00:01:54] Dimple Thakrar: Before we do, I would love for people to know where did it all begin? You're an incredibly successful entrepreneur at a very young age, I would say. And yet the thing that stands out to me the most is your heart. I would love to know. Where did it all begin? Please, if you wouldn't mind sharing. 

[00:02:17] Christopher Wick: Dimple, my story is likely a lot like yours, and like a lot of your listeners.

[00:02:22] Christopher Wick: When I grew up, I just knew that there was something I was here to do. There was someone I was here to be, but I didn't have clarity at first. And I remember when I was in business school, I was 24 years old and I begged, borrowed and stole so I could go to business school. I saved all my little pennies so I could go.

[00:02:41] Christopher Wick: I come from very humble beginnings. And on the first day of business school, they asked every student to stand up, say their name. And tell the class what they wanted to do with their lives. My last name is Wick. So I was one of the last people to go at the end of the line, the girl that loved baking, she wanted to open a bakery, the boy that loved technology, he wanted to be in the technology business.

[00:03:04] Christopher Wick: When I stood up, I didn't have clarity. And I said, my name is Christopher Wick. And that's it. That's all I said. And I don't know that impressed the professors, that lack of clarity, but the reason why I share this when I share my story is if there is a listener who's thinking, what am I doing?

[00:03:21] Christopher Wick: What in the world is going on? That is normal and what I believe is when you have a guiding north star or a guiding principle that everything's going to unfold. So when I was 24 years old, I went to business school. I'd saved all my pennies and dollars so I could go and I made a commitment To myself and my higher power and I said, give me one opportunity and I will run with it.

[00:03:47] Christopher Wick: I won't look back. I won't second guess. I won't have doubts. I'll just run with whatever is presented in front of me. And when I was 25 years old, I got my very first client who needed help with marketing and I was not a marketing person. I didn't know anything about social media. Yeah. But I made a promise to myself and my higher power that I was going to run with it.

[00:04:10] Christopher Wick: And so for this client, I got certified as a professional social media manager. And that one decision, Dimple, and this is so important because your listeners are just one decision away from being on their next journey. That one decision led me to creating An award winning social media agency. And before the age of 30, I personally help over 500 companies use online marketing to grow their business.

[00:04:38] Christopher Wick: And how cool is that? So then I sold that company and there was another moment of decision that I always like to mention. And this is when I was 29 years old. When I was 29 years old, I thought, okay, I've helped hundreds of companies. I'd written books, traveling all the world, giving seminars. But I thought I wanted to go to the next level, and I know your listeners, especially since you and I are platinum partners, all of the plots are wanting to go to the next level.

[00:05:03] Christopher Wick: And so at the age of 29, I asked myself, what are the greats doing? And the greats are, Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, Tony Robbins. I said, what are they doing that I'm not? And the answer was. Having a portfolio of companies. So when I was 29 years old with no formal training, no education, I became an investor in businesses.

[00:05:22] Christopher Wick: And as I stand here before you today, I'm 35 years old. And in the past four years, I've done over 30 merger and acquisition transactions. Yeah, pretty cool. And that all started because I was a 24 year old college kid who said, I just want to help people. And that's what brought me here. 

[00:05:41] Dimple Thakrar: What a story. Thank you so much for capturing it so concisely.

[00:05:48] Dimple Thakrar: I would love for a few pieces to really land because things that jumped out at me in your story is at 24, you knew one thing, that was the only piece of clarity you had. And having worked with many male entrepreneurs, that's how they all start off. Being married to one, that's how you all start off. There isn't that absolute plan, that absolute direction, but there is one piece of clarity. And that piece was for you helping people, right? So if the people out here who are listening, who are viewers, who are watching, you just need one piece of clarity. Just one piece. And then the other thing that stands out so profoundly is weren't scared to take action, even though it wasn't the direction that you like.

[00:06:44] Dimple Thakrar: And actually, I feel and I want to ask you this, was it helpful to not have Any other direction, if you'd have been like, Oh, I'm really, I only want to go in the tech field. You would have maybe missed the opportunity of the marketing 

[00:07:02] Christopher Wick: client. Totally. I would have missed it. Had I assumed something else or had I forced myself into a box, I didn't feel quite right.

[00:07:10] Christopher Wick: What's amazing is even here I am over a decade later and whenever anything gets tough, because as an entrepreneur, life gets tougher. When anything ever gets tough, I ask myself, how can I serve? And even the way that I reached out to you when I said, Hey, every week I like to connect with a fellow plat.

[00:07:28] Christopher Wick: That's serving. Cause I always ask my plats, who's a good client for you? Who can I send your way? And then even before this interview, it's second nature. As I reflect on what we were talking about before this interview, I said, Hey, is there anything special I can say today for you to, and that is my nature.

[00:07:41] Christopher Wick: And that is So special. And so when you know that, and what I believe about guiding principles and having a North star is it can't be something tangible. If my 24 year old self knew I want to become a billionaire. Then that quest for wealth is going to be a little zigzagged. Now it's okay to have targets.

[00:07:59] Christopher Wick: You can have KPIs. You can say, I'm going to be a millionaire by this time in a deck, a millionaire by here. But if your guiding principle is serving other people, you're always going to hit those KPIs. Whether it's an honest donation on a GoFundMe page, or whether it's meeting with someone, your mastermind, or whether it's by going to a media interview to serve.

[00:08:18] Christopher Wick: And so for me, that's really helped me. And as I stand here before you today and all of your listeners, I always tell my students, when you listen to advice from someone who has it. I have the homes, I have the cars, I have the businesses, I have the awards, and let me tell you from someone who knows, money will not fulfill you long term.

[00:08:38] Christopher Wick: Money's helpful, But what's going to fulfill you long term is pouring into other people and making an impact. And for some people, it's animals. For some people, it's those with special needs. For me, it's for entrepreneurs and to serve them at a very high level, whether it's through marketing, whether it's through investing in their company, whether it's through acquiring their business, to serve them so they can Go through their chapters of what they need to do.

[00:09:01] Christopher Wick: Because when I'm investing in businesses, I'm meeting people in chapters. They've gone through a divorce or they're burned out or their business partner and them aren't getting along. And I'm able to come in and help them solve whatever that issue is and then carry along that business for its legacy. 

[00:09:16] Dimple Thakrar: I just love that.

[00:09:17] Dimple Thakrar: And you're absolutely spot on. You are the only guest, not that there's anything wrong with any of the other guests, but you are the only guest that the first question you ask me is, how can I serve? How can I support you today? And I was actually taken back because I, this podcast and me inviting guests on is actually, how can I serve you today?

[00:09:41] Dimple Thakrar: And it did take me a moment to go, Oh, and this is your, I want to, the word that's coming through is default almost. This is your default. It's who you are. It's, and it's quite extraordinary because it comes so naturally to you. So a question that comes through for me around that is that often entrepreneurs have been known to be very cutthroat.

[00:10:09] Dimple Thakrar: Yeah. And The refreshingness about your approach is that, in my opinion, you trust that there's enough for everyone. So there's an abundance mindset. Is that something you've always had, or is that something you've cultivated? Because your north star, your guiding star was, how can I help others? 

[00:10:35] Christopher Wick: You're right, in that some people believe that there's not enough for everyone, and there is some cutthroat, especially in the world of investing.

[00:10:42] Christopher Wick: I have met other investors who are very sharky, and they want to get a good deal, and they want to go out there and, find the best opportunities. For me, what makes me a really good investor is I ask myself a powerful question. And this is so good. You'll want to write it down. Your listeners will want to write it down.

[00:10:59] Christopher Wick: And I'm not going to take credit for it. One of my mentors, Dr. Julie Caldwell, taught me this question. Most people think it's an either or world. If I want to go have Italian for dinner, but Dimple, you want to go have Mexican, already we're at odds because we want different things. But when you ask a powerful question that leads you to powerful answers, and so the question I love is, how can we both get everything that we want?

[00:11:23] Christopher Wick: How can we both get everything? So if I want Italian and you want Mexican food for dinner, instead of saying Dimple, I'll go to Mexican food with you tonight, and then tomorrow we'll go have Italian. In that moment, I'm actually giving up something. I'm actually giving up my desire. Instead, it could look like this.

[00:11:40] Christopher Wick: Dimple, I heard that you wanted to go to have a Mexican restaurant. What are you really hoping to have? Tell me about your motivation and maybe you really want the chips and salsa. And then you'll ask me, you were going to go have Italian food. What are you really wanting out of the opportunity? I say, I really want to have that Italian wedding cake for dessert.

[00:11:57] Christopher Wick: And so we make a different choice. We don't say it's going to be or, instead we say great. We're going to go to the Mexican restaurant to have the appetizers and entrees. Then we're going to drive to the Italian restaurant to go have our dessert. And in that moment, everyone gets exactly what they want.

[00:12:14] Christopher Wick: And as an investor, I'm the same way. If someone is telling their company, or they need growth capital, I'm My question is not, how can I make the most returns? My question is how can we both get everything they want? My client wants to sell their business. I'd like to buy their business. My client would like to sell for a lot.

[00:12:31] Christopher Wick: I'd like to make sure it's a good deal. How can we both get everything that we want? When you behave that way, what's amazing is most of the time it repels people who are cutthroat because, like attracts like. That's why you and I got along so well. When I told my wife yesterday that I was having a podcast interview, I said, Oh, I'm having it with Dimple.

[00:12:50] Christopher Wick: Remember, she was the one that I had this great conversation and she was very intuitive. And my wife knew exactly who you were because like attracts and that call was so meaningful. I shared it with her. So in the entrepreneurial community. You're not losing anything if you're authentic and transparent.

[00:13:05] Christopher Wick: I tell my students, my private clients, you can ask me anything. Nothing is off limits. If I can legally tell you with NDAs, et cetera, if I can legally tell you, I'm going to tell you for your benefit, because we've had enough of entrepreneurs showing their Lamborghinis and their mansions. We've had enough of that.

[00:13:22] Christopher Wick: We need more entrepreneurs to show. Here's why I did this decision. Here's how I'm handling this tough thing. And that's why, about a month ago, when something very horrific happened to me, One of the first things I did was post on social media because everyone is used to seeing the successes. Everyone is used to seeing me winning the awards and giving another seminar and I knew in that moment this is happening for me so I can serve others in a better capacity and so then I just posted about it.

[00:13:51] Dimple Thakrar: It's so brilliant because I know we were booked to have this podcast, right? And you had to cancel and I want to shift gears now. And I want to talk about that. If you're open to talking about what happened to you and how it impacted firstly, your family, and then how you made this a win situation for you and for the greater good of the world.

[00:14:17] Dimple Thakrar: The people you serve both personally and professionally. Would you? Oh, yeah. Totally. 

[00:14:24] Christopher Wick: So what's amazing is one, this is my first media interview since it's happened. And two, this is the first time I'm speaking publicly about it on interview and telling the story. 

[00:14:36] Dimple Thakrar: And I will 

[00:14:36] Christopher Wick: tell it exactly like I experienced it.

[00:14:40] Christopher Wick: I live in Houston, which is in the Gulf of Mexico, and it's prone to hurricanes. And I've experienced lots of hurricanes. It's just another day in the office when you live in Houston or down here in the South. And luckily, I was staying with family over the weekend of the hurricane because we knew we were going to lose power.

[00:14:58] Christopher Wick: So we're all just going to huddle together. And here's what happened. I was laying on the couch with my wife and we had no power and there was storming rain. And I told my wife, cause she was a little nervous. She saw some of the shingles flying off. She saw, stop signs floating in the roads. And I told her, I said, I'm not worried about anything.

[00:15:18] Christopher Wick: Everything's going to be fine. And we just continued to hunker down and be there. Within 10 minutes, I got a text message and a phone call. And I missed a phone call three times from one of my neighbors. And it was like one after each other. And then I got a text message from one of my neighbors. That said, Hey, your living room is done.

[00:15:42] Christopher Wick: Sorry to break it to you. And I remember thinking this is interesting. So I told my wife and I sat up, I said, I'm going to call my neighbor and I'm going to see what's going on. And I talked to my neighbor, the one who called me three times, because the one neighbor on the left of me was the one who texted me saying your living room is done.

[00:15:58] Christopher Wick: The neighbor on the right, she was the one who was calling me multiple times to get a hold of me. And the service was terrible, because cell phone towers are down, trees have fallen, and you know how when you're talking to someone, but you can hear like the, you can't really make out every word.

[00:16:11] Christopher Wick: So I say, hey, what's going on? And it's like she said, there's a tree and your house. And I said what's going on? And she said it's storming and I can't see, but there was a really loud noise. And I said, okay. I said we'll talk later. Just call me when you can and be safe. So then we wait about an hour.

[00:16:29] Christopher Wick: And I tell my wife, I said, I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure. A tree has fallen and has knocked out half the home. And then about an hour later, service became better because the rain let up. And I spoke to my neighbor again, the one who tried to call me. And she said, I'm standing in front of your house.

[00:16:45] Christopher Wick: And I asked her, I said, Crystal, are the windows broken? And she pauses and she doesn't say anything. And so I'm wondering, maybe it's the service. I said, Crystal, are the windows broken? And she said, no. No, but it wasn't certain. And that's when I realized this wasn't like a little tree, like banging on the house, it had destroyed half of my home.

[00:17:07] Christopher Wick: And in that moment, what's amazing about life is we're all experiencing it together. My neighbor on the side who texted your living room was done. Then my neighbor who's calling and I can hearing her uncertainty as she's standing in front of my home. And then me and my wife, thankfully at another place laying on the couch.

[00:17:24] Christopher Wick: So then we drove over. And even to this day, Hurricane Beryl, which was the name of the hurricane that came in and damaged our city, to this day, I've not seen a more destroyed home than mine. And as my wife and I were driving, and we're seeing trees falling down and homes destroyed, I told her, I said, when we go in the property, here are the top 3 things that we need to do, because I'm very calm.

[00:17:46] Christopher Wick: I'm trained in crisis management. And she was like, okay. And so we drive to the property and we see. Half the home is gone and we've all witnessed this in some way. The tree that fell down on the home and destroyed the property, the neighbor who texted me in the middle of the night, he crawled over the tree to make sure I wasn't home.

[00:18:08] Christopher Wick: The neighbor on the right was the one who called me over and over again to get my attention. And what this is so beautiful is it reminds me and hopefully reminds all of your listeners, That in every moment, we're never alone. But you might think that falling a tree on the home and destroying half my home is the worst part.

[00:18:28] Christopher Wick: And that's actually not the worst part of the story. Because I'm a real estate investor, that house actually had incorrect insurance. It wasn't, it didn't have the insurance for what's called a primary debt dwelling. It had renter's insurance. So when my home was destroyed, None of my personal items were covered, so all of that ought to come out of pocket for all of that.

[00:18:50] Christopher Wick: What we can basically do is just basically rebuild it. Also, here in our country, we have something called FEMA, which is what happens when emergencies happen, and FEMA will give money to families who need help rebuilding their homes. Right now, I've been denied from FEMA three times. I had A home destroyed, improper insurance, I'm gonna have to come out of pocket, and FEMA has denied me for whatever reason.

[00:19:15] Christopher Wick: They've actually walked through my property with me and they've denied three times and who knows why. Maybe it's a clerical error. I don't know because I won't give up. But in this moment, what's great is one, everyone is alive and well, my neighbors are well, me and my wife are well, our pets are well, but number two, I have something that most entrepreneurs don't, I have a backup plan, I have an exit plan.

[00:19:39] Christopher Wick: I have an emergency fund and I'm not an operator for any of my companies. I'm an owner. So when I had to spend two weeks packing and helping rebuild and tarping up the house, cause all the contractors were busy cause there's all these homes destroyed. While I had to take weeks to take care of that, everything was fine in my world financially because of what I do.

[00:20:01] Christopher Wick: And so in this process I posted about on social media right away. So one, people know what's going on. But also to let people know, if it could happen to me, it could happen to you. And you've got to have an exit plan. You have to have a backup plan. And what's so sad is. 80 percent of businesses in our country will never sell because they're owner operated.

[00:20:22] Christopher Wick: They're not owned. And when something is owner operated Sorry to interrupt you. 

[00:20:27] Dimple Thakrar: Can you explain that for the viewers? Because I understand the language in the Tony Robbins world. Yes. Can you just define for me the difference between an owner and an operator? Just that. For sure. 

[00:20:41] Christopher Wick: And this is going to be hard for some people to hear, but I will tell you, don't worry.

[00:20:46] Christopher Wick: There is a solution. If you work in your business daily, and if you couldn't take a vacation for a month or six months, and you went and come back to a bigger business. You actually don't have a business. You actually have a fancy job, and your job is for your company. Now, ask me how I know. That amazing agency I created in my 20s where I helped hundreds of companies before the age of 30?

[00:21:10] Christopher Wick: I was owner operated, so I could take a vacation for two or three weeks, but if I was gone too long, something would break. Or if I was a little bit not connected to email or Skype from my team, something would go wrong. But when I was 29 years old and I started investing, that's when I realized, oh, in order to buy more companies, I need to become an owner, not an operator.

[00:21:32] Christopher Wick: And when I was 31 years old, I sold my agency to where it could become a company. Owner operated, have an owner business versus an owner operator. And I went through that transformation myself. And that's something that I have created since this hurricane has happened. Because when this happened, I really asked my higher power.

[00:21:51] Christopher Wick: I said, what do you want me to do with this? Because clearly this is happening for me, not to me. Clearly it's happening for me that I had the wrong insurance because I didn't pay attention because I'm a real estate investor. I've got multiple homes and then FEMA has denied, even though FEMA has walked through my home, who knows why.

[00:22:09] Christopher Wick: And. I know this is happening for me and what I knew deep down is I knew this is the time to be an example. And so I created the freedom formula. And so now I am totally lit a flame to help business owners wake up and become owners and not operators. If you can't leave your business, if you work more than 40 to 50 hours a week, if you can't take long vacations.

[00:22:34] Christopher Wick: You are an owner operator and I want to help you become an owner and walk you through exactly what I do with my agency and what I've helped dozens of companies do and going through the Freedom Framework. Because the whole reason we created businesses and the whole reason We became entrepreneurs so we could be free, so we could serve our family, so we could make lots of great incomes.

[00:22:54] Christopher Wick: We can make lots of great impact. And most people are chained, trapped and stuck in their business. And when this horrific thing happened to me. What I did is I said, I'm going to serve. And if people go on my social media, they'll see this picture of me sitting in the rubble and I'm smiling. And as the message behind that picture, I briefly talked about in my post, but as I'm going through the rubble, my life is saying, be careful because I'm, going through bricks and there's electricity lines.

[00:23:24] Christopher Wick: It's very dangerous. But what I was really intent on keeping was artwork that I had from all over the world and books that were very important to me. I'm a minimalist, so I don't have very many things, but the things I do have are important. And as I'm like reaching into the rubble and trying to salvage what I can, my wife says, please be careful because you have more people to impact.

[00:23:46] Christopher Wick: And what a great sentiment. She knows the way that I'm going to stop and be careful is remembering my purpose. Smart 

[00:23:56] Dimple Thakrar: woman. Smart woman. 

[00:23:57] Christopher Wick: Yes, she is very smart, isn't she? She knew. She knew exactly what she had to say. Because she was right. Because I don't care if I'm going to get hurt in the rubble, but I do care so I can survive.

[00:24:08] Christopher Wick: So I can impact people. So although the hurricane has been wildly disruptive, and majorly inconvenient, One of the greatest gifts in this process is in addition to having a very successful portfolio of companies, I am now so passionate about taking people through my freedom framework so they too can be liberated and they can have the freedom that they thought they would have when they became an entrepreneur.

[00:24:31] Christopher Wick: Because I want people to wake up. If you don't have an exit plan, a backup plan, a savings account, or if you're an operator, you're one hurricane, tornado, sick family member, injury away from catastrophe. 

[00:24:44] Dimple Thakrar: Wow. And just, most people in that moment would be devastated and will be still crying right now.

[00:24:54] Dimple Thakrar: And you have turned You know, lemons into, they say lemonade. I would actually say lemon champagne, like you turned it into something so refined and extraordinary in service of others, right? It's so beautiful. So how do people, how does that work? If some if I'm a business owner who is basically.

[00:25:20] Dimple Thakrar: An operator not an owner, right? If I am an operator, how do I get in touch with you? What is the process? Do you do mentorship? What does that look like in terms of the freedom formula? 

[00:25:35] Christopher Wick: Yeah. So the first thing our listeners have to do is they have to realize, okay, I am an operator. And the good news is I'm hearing that someone can help me change it.

[00:25:44] Christopher Wick: So the first thing is being really honest with yourself of yeah, I really can't take a long vacation and I can't be away too long. So I'm really tethered to my business. And the second thing is find a mentor. And I was taught very early on. Find someone who has what you want. And then do whatever you can to work with them or serve them or learn underneath them.

[00:26:01] Christopher Wick: And I've been mentoring people for over a decade. If people wanna work with me, they can go to my website, which is all my links and all my books. It's christopher m wic.com, Christopher M as in Michael, WIC k.com. And there's gonna be a big button that's gonna present to you the Freedom Formula, so you can learn how you can work with me.

[00:26:21] Christopher Wick: And here's what I'll tell you. It's actually going to be quicker than you think when I decided, okay, I need to sell my company because I need to go to the next level and start investing. I actually gave myself a nine month deadline. And I thought, if a human being could be built in nine months, I can certainly figure out the biggest problem being an operator in nine months.

[00:26:40] Christopher Wick: And here was the amazing thing. I did it in less than six. And so when I coach with people, I take them through a six month process and it's six months to freedom. And I'll tell you, you could go all in and you could be an owner within six months, but even if you did it imperfectly, even if you didn't do all your homework, you're still going to become free F R E because freedom is actually an acronym.

[00:27:03] Christopher Wick: Would you like to hear about the acronym as well? 

[00:27:06] Dimple Thakrar: Freedom 

[00:27:07] Christopher Wick: is F R E D O M. Now D O M is where I hang out, and you'll know when I share what the acronym is, you'll know why. But the first thing that you have to do, remember I said is, be honest with yourself and know okay, I am tethered to my business.

[00:27:21] Christopher Wick: I'm very successful. I'm making great money, but I really just, I really do have a job. F is find your focus, which is what exactly you want. And when I was in my early thirties and decided, yes, I'm going to sell my business. I'm going to go and start investing in companies. I just focus. And my focus was nine months.

[00:27:38] Christopher Wick: It took less than six. Then there's arm. Which is restructuring for scalability. Most business owners who are in their business, they're probably the rainmaker. I call them one of two roles. They're either the rainmaker or they're the client keeper. So if you're a roofer, you're maybe not going out and doing the estimates, but you're making sure the job was done correctly because you're the client keeper.

[00:28:00] Christopher Wick: Or maybe if you are in home remodeling, you go out and do all the bids, but you don't do the actual work. So you're either the rainmaker or the client keeper. And we have to restructure that for scalability. Then there's the two E's. The E is empowerment, and that's empowerment through delegation of maybe your team, or if you're a solopreneur, because I have a client right now, we're doing the Freedom Framework work, and she's a solopreneur, is delegating through tools and automation and AI.

[00:28:25] Christopher Wick: The second E, Is establishing efficient systems. That is free. We're going to become free by finding our focus, restructuring for scalability, empowerment through delegation, and establishing efficient systems. Then the DOM is where things become powerful. So once you've done that, and you can't go to DOM until you become free, you have to become free from 

[00:28:48] Dimple Thakrar: it.

[00:28:49] Christopher Wick: D O 

[00:28:49] Dimple Thakrar: M 

[00:28:50] Christopher Wick: is when you start preparing for your exit and D is develop a growth strategy because now that you're not an operator, now that you have efficient systems, now that you have delegation, now we can go sell more and get more profits. We can go grow and sell more home remodeling or go sell more roofs or whatever your business is or go sell more agency clients.

[00:29:09] Christopher Wick: So D is develop a growth strategy. O is optimize for profitability. So our books will show great profits. And then M is my favorite and M is make your exit and then you exit your business. Either you exit it completely and sell your company like I did, or you exit and then you become the chairman on top of the board of directors.

[00:29:32] Christopher Wick: And that's where I hang out as the chairman. I am the chairman of my portfolio of companies, so I'm not in any of them. I'm overseeing the management team, so you don't have to exit completely if you don't want to, but you do need to make an exit to where you're no longer involved in the day to day. And here's what's really cool.

[00:29:50] Christopher Wick: I did it with my own business and I went from working 80 hours to 70, 70 to 60, 60 to 40, 40 to 35. I hung out at 30 to 35 hours for a really long time and then I made another cut and I work on average about 20 to 25 hours a week across all my businesses. When you're working less than 5 to 10 hours in your primary business, you are now an owner.

[00:30:13] Christopher Wick: And if I was able to do it on my own, certainly you and your listeners will be able to do it. But we have to follow the framework. We have to go in order. We can't go sell a bunch of stuff and hope that we can exit. That's only going to trap us more. Getting more clients is sometimes part of the problem.

[00:30:29] Christopher Wick: But first you become free, and then there's ultimate freedom. And how cool is that? And so since the hurricane happened, I just knew, okay, this is my mission. And this is what I'm I am glad to do right now to help people because had I been tethered to my business or had I not had an emergency savings fund or had I not had backup plans, I would have been toast.

[00:30:49] Christopher Wick: But I wasn't because the me, the entrepreneur in my 20s, the entrepreneur in my early 30s, Prepared for this moment. I didn't think it was going to be a hurricane, but I knew I always wanted to be okay And I know there's an entrepreneur listening or watching right now and when they go to sleep, They're worried about the retirement.

[00:31:07] Christopher Wick: They've got no retirement plan They're worried that yeah Even though they make great money all that goes out the window And then even though they're successful and they're making over six figures in profits They're not happy and they thought they would be, but they're not. And that's where freedom comes into play.

[00:31:21] Christopher Wick: And that's, I'm so passionate about that and that I have been what's amazing is I'm about to release a book and it's so good, but I actually explained the entire freedom framework and how I did it for myself and I've helped dozens of companies do it, and I'm just so excited and this, if this.

[00:31:36] Christopher Wick: Dimple was the thing to come out of the hurricane. What a great gift. And I'll deal with the major inconveniences. I'll deal with the messed up insurance and FEMA denying me because I know this was to help me serve more people, because this is incredibly relatable. Cause we've all been through something, haven't we?

[00:31:53] Christopher Wick: We've all had a health issue, fun type of catastrophe. 

[00:31:57] Dimple Thakrar: Yeah. And I, as you're speaking, Christopher, I'm feeling very much that the universe provided you with this test to test your formula to actually, for you to be able to say with absolute heart and credibility that this works because you've been through it.

[00:32:14] Dimple Thakrar: You're going through it. And what are we talking? You've developed all this in a month. Is it a month since this happened to you? It 

[00:32:21] Christopher Wick: has been today. It's just under two months since the home was destroyed and construction hasn't even started because the wheels of justice move slowly, but you're right within two months to do all of this.

[00:32:33] Christopher Wick: What a great gift. And I don't want another hurricane to happen again. I do appreciate the gifts that the universe gives me when things like this happen, because you're right. Some people who've had their homes destroyed, they go through depression or they become very sad or they lose their job. That's why we got to go out and help those people because I don't want anyone because imagine if someone was denied by FEMA three times and they're the government supposed to help people, can you imagine what maybe a single mom would do?

[00:33:03] Christopher Wick: Or can you imagine what a young entrepreneur would do when he's got all of his eggs in one basket? And that's why it's like, y'all, you never know. You're only one instance away. I don't. I know when Tony Robbins taught me years ago, most people will do things to avoid pain versus going after pleasure. And I realized that because when the hurricane happened, that's relatable, because everyone can relate to what would I do if half my home was destroyed?

[00:33:27] Christopher Wick: How would I go through the rubble to get my belongings versus the pleasure of Hey, you can be, you can exit your business or you don't have to do this. Sometimes we have to have challenging things happen. So we built some character and we go to the next level. 

[00:33:41] Dimple Thakrar: Yeah, it's beautiful.

[00:33:43] Dimple Thakrar: What an inspiration you are, Christopher. What An absolute pleasure it is to meet you. I want to switch gears a little bit. So you talked about how the hurricane and your home being destroyed completely impacted your world and how you were able to recover from a, from it financially because you prepared, you were liberated in the business world.

[00:34:10] Dimple Thakrar: I want to, And you touched on it. I want to talk about now your wife and your relationship and how she also was very powerful in that moment. And, where did you guys meet and how have you created what seems and sounds a very extraordinary relationship where Even a hurricane won't disarm or disable you.

[00:34:41] Christopher Wick: Yeah, that's such a great question, Bimple, because I remember the day that we were having contractors come bid on the home rebuilding project, and I learned a new term. There's something called a large loss, and like a little remodeling company can't replace half your home, you have to get a restoration company.

[00:34:58] Christopher Wick: So I've learned a whole lot about life and real estate and insurance. As my wife and I were walking around, one of the contractors came up to me, and he's actually the guy I ended up hiring, and he said, You and your wife are so focused. Y'all are just looking at what needs to be solved. He says, I really admire that.

[00:35:17] Christopher Wick: What's a great gift is in relationships, I believe that there's a yin and a yang. And in the yin and the yang of my relationship with my wife, she has so many skills that I do not have. She can look at an empty home and she can start to put it together and start decorating it. When we went into the property, my wife is so handy.

[00:35:38] Christopher Wick: She was actually the first person to start tarping up stuff. And then she knew just exactly how to pack things so we could make our exit. And what was great is in that moment, we have the strategy person, we've got the negotiator, we've got the visionary, which is myself. And then we have this person who is handy, starting to focus on the solution and just focusing on serving and getting it done.

[00:36:02] Christopher Wick: One of the greatest things about this experience is being able to look around and see all the people that have helped, whether it was the neighbor crawling over the tree and they're pouring rain to make sure I wasn't home, or their neighbor who called, or the wife who's tarping up things herself. And even today, I'm wearing this little red bracelet, and this is a bracelet that my wife gave me, and it symbolizes the string of fate.

[00:36:25] Christopher Wick: That no matter where we are, no matter what time it is, And whether it's a hurricane, which is not your best moment, or whether it's the highlight of getting married, That is the connection that we will always be tied together. And what a great gift that is. So she's been a total rock star. She has been amazing with tasks.

[00:36:45] Christopher Wick: And as I was handling the money and the negotiations, the insurance, she was so great at getting the stuff. And this has completely rocked our world. And this would have destroyed most people. Most, what I know about entrepreneurs is their businesses are just one instance away from being totally messed up.

[00:37:03] Christopher Wick: And then also their relationships, because they focus so much on their business, their relationships are very fragile. So one thing happens and that's going to break. What's amazing is even today, as I was getting ready for this, I got to, give my wife a kiss and, say, have a great day. And she's off to her business to do her thing, and we're still here.

[00:37:23] Christopher Wick: So we're still standing. And what a great gift that is. And you may want to ask yourself. With your primary relationship, what would happen if our home was destroyed and how would we handle that? And that might be a little tough for people. And that's where you got to really go back to the basics of we're going to be connected no matter what.

[00:37:40] Christopher Wick: And this is just another chapter in our life. 

[00:37:43] Dimple Thakrar: It's so beautiful. What would you say has got you both to this place? Cause it sounds like you have so much balance and this is something, as you say, entrepreneurs really struggle with having balance of. The drive for the business and often at the cost of the relationship.

[00:38:03] Dimple Thakrar: There, it's almost I'll invest in the relationship once the business is up and running, except the business never gets up and running because there's always another thing and another thing. And so what would you, if you could gift our viewers. Just a gem of wisdom of how you have maintained and grown an extraordinary business in your young 35 years and maintain such an incredible marriage that can withstand your home being destroyed and you both.

[00:38:36] Dimple Thakrar: Just work so synergistically together. Would you give us 

[00:38:40] Christopher Wick: a piece? Totally. Yeah, absolutely. And as you asked that question, I was chuckling because I was remembering this one moment we were trying to fit my office desk into her SUV. And she was certain it was not going to fit. And I was certain it was going to fit.

[00:38:56] Christopher Wick: And I'm remembering this little uh, tough that we had as we're trying to get this to ask, and she's taking it apart and we're putting it in her SUV and she was right. It was not going to fit. And so those are the magical words. You are right. Those are, that's even better than I love you. You are right.

[00:39:12] Christopher Wick: And I'm remembering that moment because I think the most relatable thing to people listening is realizing. It has not been easy. The hurricane, there's been plenty of discussions and disagreements about the hurricane, but also the reason why I am so resilient through my home being destroyed is because of other things I've been resilient and the way that the universe continued to evolve.

[00:39:36] Christopher Wick: Help me build my armor, which is basically a pretty way of saying, because things have been tough in the past, I'm really ready for this moment. And it's also saying that's very similar in my relationship with my wife, Shannon, there have been major things we've gone through together. As early as our third month of dating, a huge catastrophe happened and we just found each other.

[00:39:55] Christopher Wick: And one thing that we're very good at doing, even if we're arguing about the SUV, is always choosing each other. And what choosing each other looks like. And I'll go back to the desk moment where I'm certain it's going to fit and she's certain it won't fit. Is once I realized there was some tension about the desk, I simply just said, Let's just stop.

[00:40:17] Christopher Wick: And I just walked away and started packing something else, because sometimes choosing each other is choosing not to say something. Sometimes choosing each other is giving grace. Sometimes choosing each other is saying, she's feeling a little upset right now, I'm gonna give her some grace even though she was a little sassy.

[00:40:33] Christopher Wick: Or I know he was a little tough with his language, and I know he's just really stressed right now. And choosing each other, It's just like choosing yourself in business. Without you, as the operator, your business will not thrive, and you have to choose you by saying, no more, and I'm going to become an owner.

[00:40:51] Christopher Wick: Years ago, I had a business coach, and he was One of the best coaches in the world, literally. He was ranked and he asked me once, who's more important, you or me? And I said me, because I'm the client. He said, no, who's more important, the doctor or the patient. He said the doctor is, because if their doctor is not here, there is no patient.

[00:41:15] Christopher Wick: If there is no business coach, there is no client. And so whether you're choosing each other in your relationship or you're choosing yourself, you have to know your priorities. And one of the greatest gifts is when I met my wife and we went on our very first date. I was 27 years old and I said, I want to let you know that I live by a hierarchy of values.

[00:41:37] Christopher Wick: And my top three values are this. Number one, my relationship with my higher power, because if that's not here, I can't serve anyone. Number two, how I serve people through the vehicle of my businesses, because doing business is the most spiritual thing I do. And number three, relationships. And I said, so I'm not saying you're not going to be number one.

[00:41:58] Christopher Wick: I am saying I live in the hierarchy of these values, because if I don't have my relation to my higher power, and if I'm not serving, there's no me for my relationship. And so I remind my wife all the time. This is the decision I'm making for me because if I'm not here, there's no marriage. There's no relationship.

[00:42:14] Christopher Wick: And I have to choose me. You have to choose you and we have to choose us. So if you're feeling run down cause you're working too much, you're not choosing yourself. So your marriage is going to deteriorate. If you're thinking one day it's going to be better and we'll have a better relationship. When I hit six figures in profit or when I make my exit, that may never happen.

[00:42:32] Christopher Wick: And so you have to live in the now. I even said to my wife yesterday. We were talking about hurricane stuff because now my home has been vandalized since it's just sitting there out in the open. So there was like, someone spray, it's been a whole thing, but I told my wife, I said, let's just make the most of all this time because this time we're so close and we're so connected.

[00:42:53] Christopher Wick: We don't know if it's going to be a week, a month, a year, and let's just make the most of it. So that's a highlight. And I want everyone to know, you can have that amazing marriage. Yeah. Even if you're arguing about the desk fitting in the SUV, because that's being human, isn't it? That's not being perfect and having this perfect thing.

[00:43:10] Christopher Wick: We see on social media, wow, they look so happy. And what's really amazing is hearing someone say, yeah, it's not always easy, but we always choose each other. 

[00:43:19] Dimple Thakrar: So good. So profound. Choosing each other. I have this saying that I use a lot, which is, am I choosing love over being right? 

[00:43:27] Christopher Wick: Yes. Oh, so good Dimple.

[00:43:30] Dimple Thakrar: Am I choosing love over being right? And that's love for myself first and then for my beloved, right? And I love your hierarchy and your truth and how you express that. And then she was at a choice point for herself. Is that, is this the man I want to be with these, this honesty and hierarchy of priorities.

[00:43:51] Dimple Thakrar: She was liberated in that moment. 

[00:43:53] Christopher Wick: She was. She had one of the most profound things she ever said to me is we've been dating for probably about two months and we had a really fun date called a marathon date where we did, we hung all day together. I took her roller skating. We went out and had boba tea.

[00:44:10] Christopher Wick: It was so amazing. And we went out to dinner that night. And my wife said to me, I'll never forget this. She said, I see what you're doing in this world. And I want to do whatever I can to support you in your mission. And that was just such an amazing moment. And so I knew very early on that my wife was the one I wanted to marry.

[00:44:30] Christopher Wick: I just knew I just fell in love with her and I never wanted to get married before her, but meeting her and the freedom that she provided for me, just like the freedom I teach now, that just hooked me. And having someone really see you, because intimacy is. Into you, into me intimacy, into is her saying, I see you, I see what you're doing, and I want to do whatever I can to help.

[00:44:52] Christopher Wick: And that was For me, it was game over, really being seen like that. And what a great, that was over seven years ago. And I remember it like it was yesterday. 

[00:45:01] Dimple Thakrar: Wow. The impact of just, and I say just in a very loose way, just seeing somebody for their mission, for their purpose and desiring that for them in service of them is just.

[00:45:19] Dimple Thakrar: So profound and what a smart woman. What a smart woman, right? That she saw that she, in order for her to see that, she would have had to put aside her things, her purpose, her mission, to see your vision and to decide from that point of view, right? Yeah. And realize that actually it's aligned for her also.

[00:45:42] Dimple Thakrar: Yeah. She needed to go there first. What a smart woman. Wow. What an incredible story. What an inspiration you are, Christopher, because of your desire to serve. And something, a thread that from the moment I met you, this thread has been running through like a gold thread. And I felt it the whole way through this interview is your absolute, Honesty.

[00:46:13] Dimple Thakrar: The way that you are on, like your standard for honesty and truth is so profound and so high that it's magnetic because it means that we feel your integrity. We feel your honesty and your desire. Truly from every cell in your body to help others. So thank you from my heart. Thank 

[00:46:39] Christopher Wick: you Dimple. Thank you for providing such a great space to be so open.

[00:46:44] Christopher Wick: I love listening to your episodes and I love the authenticity that you bring out in people. So job well done, my friend. 

[00:46:51] Dimple Thakrar: I appreciate you so much. I really do. Because this podcast has. Prior to me starting it was five years in the procrastinations. And then I just went, okay, let's go. I didn't know how I would interview or anything.

[00:47:05] Dimple Thakrar: I just was like, follow your heart, girl, follow your heart. You'll be fine. So without further ado, I would love to complete this incredible conversation with you today, Christopher, by asking, and of course, before I do that, everything that you've talked about, every way to get hold of you, your book, everything will be in the show notes.

[00:47:26] Dimple Thakrar: So please know if you want to get hold of Christopher, it will be in the show notes, everything that you need will be there. Okay. So this question. If you could gift the viewers, the listeners, one piece of advice that goes beyond the words, I know you've dropped many, what would that be? 

[00:47:50] Christopher Wick: If I could give one piece of advice to your listeners and watchers that goes beyond the words.

[00:47:56] Dimple Thakrar: Yeah. What would that be?

[00:47:59] Christopher Wick: Sometimes people think they have trouble finding their life purpose. And one of the things that I teach my clients is your purpose is to live and to feel good. And if you don't feel good in your business and you feel trapped or tethered, all you have to do is make a different choice. And the whole reason you did this, just like Dimple was inspired to start her podcast, just like I was inspired to start my agency is we wanted to love.

[00:48:25] Christopher Wick: We wanted to live. We wanted to serve. And there is always a time to make a different choice. It's never too late. And so I would say if there was one piece of advice I would give you is make the commitment to achieving freedom, whatever that looks like for you. 

[00:48:40] Dimple Thakrar: Make the commitment to achieving freedom in whatever that looks like for you with choices.

[00:48:48] Dimple Thakrar: Christopher Wick, thank you so much for your time, your grace, your love, your presence today. To the viewers out there, Thank you. It's a privilege to serve you. It's an honour to have you spend your time with us today. We don't take this lightly. We see this as a true honour and privilege. Please take care.

[00:49:10] Dimple Thakrar: Have the most incredible day. God bless.