## Welcome to A Scrap Life Podcast

Welcome to **A Scrap Life** – a podcast solely focused on the hustlers, grinders, operators, and business owners who live and breathe the scrap metal industry every day. Here is your host, **Brett Eart**.

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### New Series: Q&A Mondays

**Brett Eart:**
Welcome everyone! We don’t have Metal Monday today, and thank God cuz it’s bloody out there. But we do have a new series we’re starting and we’re going to try and push this out on Mondays – it’s **Q&A**. I get hit up with a lot of questions on LinkedIn. A lot of them are awesome questions, and I think a lot of people get value. There’s a lot of opportunity for us to help. We have a renewed focus at Scrap Life and our podcast with Chad, where we do the trade. Our goal is to give as much insight to the small and medium-sized operators out there who are trying to find their way, need some guidance, or have questions for reassurance on if they’re going in the right direction.

I love listening to Q&A podcasts, like when Gary Vee does it. There’s awesome Q&A podcasts out there, and the podcast forum always kind of can be a Q&A. We’re going to address questions we’re getting from LinkedIn, our website, and our other podcasts. Let’s see if we can help some people out and give them some insight from our perspective.

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### Starting from Scratch: Advice for New System Creation

**Question from Seth Burish, Farnsworth Metal Recycling:**

*“What would be some advice for someone starting from scratch on creating systems in a scrapyard? What are some key things to consider?”*

**Brett Eart:**
This is a question we get a lot, especially when you have one yard and you’re fairly green. The focus is on how to put your processes into place. You first need to attract customers to your facility and make it as convenient, clean, and organized as possible. Even if you’re starting with a dirt corner lot, make the best customer experience you can with the tools you have. The first system to create as a small operator should be a customer experience system.

From there, organize your grading to max the value of your materials. Having a streamlined customer service system with organized bins and boxes helps. Buying your first equipment like rolloff trucks can also make a significant difference. The idea is to go from attracting local traffic to servicing businesses with drop bins and boxes.

Establishing these systems may take some trial and error. Software components can help improve organization and protect you from losses. Good software, like Rematter and Scrapware, may seem expensive but are invaluable in the long run.

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### Staying Motivated: Continual Improvement

**Question from Ishu Benzal:**

*“What steps do you take to continuously improve your ability and stay motivated in achieving your goals? Hashtag never stop learning.”*

**Brett Eart:**
I love this question. Staying motivated is about always putting yourself in a position to learn something new. Knowing your purpose and having a plan for your career helps immensely. My motivation comes from knowing my “why” and understanding my role in the business. I believe in the underdog mentality. There’s something motivating about believing you can compete even when the odds are stacked against you.

What you fill your brain with will affect you, so I focus on positives and limit negative inputs. Actions also matter – they’re the antidote to anxiety. If you’re feeling off, take action in some form, be it exercise or a proactive business move. Manage both wins and losses effectively; don’t get too high on wins or too low on losses. Balance is key.

Surrounding yourself with the right people who believe in your mission and listening to those who are where you aspire to be helps a lot too. The goal is to create positivity, take action, and always aim for better.

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### Conclusion

Thank you, Seth and Ishu, for the questions. We want more! We’ll put some posts out for you to send your questions to us, and we’ll do this every **Q&A Monday**. Switch it up, and everybody have a great week!