Wake up, Buy Here, Pay Here people. It's a beautiful day. Go grab yourself another cup of joe and say hello to Jim and Michelle Rhodes on the Buy Here, Pay Here morning show. Take it away, you two. Hello. Hey, folks. Welcome to an unusual White Hat Wednesday. Yeah. At least of the Buy Here, Pay Here morning show that's happening live in the afternoon. It's the first time we've done this. Yeah, three o'clock. It's just been a busy, busy week. Yeah. Yeah. Last Friday was the last time we were here. So that was a Friday morning at, you know, ten a.m. We'd gotten home from the hospital with your mom and had a bunch of stuff from that, too. Yeah. Yeah. And about, you know, ten, twelve hours later, approximately one a.m. here in Oklahoma, we were on the phone with nine one one into the morning on Saturday. We were on the phone with nine one one. And my mother passed away that and that event. And so we woke up Saturday morning to a new reality. And it's just been, you know, kind of a whirlwind week and. you know I I um you know every anybody who's watched more than ten minutes of a white hat wednesday has probably watched me you know get emotional in the past this whole concept of white hat wednesday is emotional and today is especially emotional for me just with the passing of my mom and and I just was working to try to one stay in rhythm with the work that we do but also tie together the concepts that we talk about I'm always Reminded about that, inspired about that when I come back to Western Oklahoma, farm and ranch country, and think about the origin of White Hat Way as a kind of a way of life, a way of thinking from those years of growing up here. And so mom's passing and all the things that we've witnessed here this week, it just was a reminder of some of those things. Yeah. It's, it's been a beautiful expression of love and appreciation from the community here. And, um, And it really has been a testament to these principles that we talk about every Wednesday. Jenna, who is one of the granddaughters, actually in a message that she posted on social, actually coined the phrase of grace and grit. And it just seemed so appropriate because someone who was firm And tough. I can't tell you how many times when we were at the hospital that she would just look at her doctor and she'd go, now we just need to figure out what's wrong and just fix it. And just very, you know, very firm person, but had a lot of compassion and was known as someone who just had a lot of compassion for for everyone. And one of the, uh, the people that came up to mow the lawn, um, said, you know, your mom could have two broken legs and she still would ask you how you were doing. Right. Yeah. She was more interested in others and she didn't want to concern, um, you know, others with her state of being and, and she complained and, you know, she's a product of, her dad you know she's a product of her generation she's a product of her upbringing and and certainly a product of her parents and her dad was always stubborn. He's Pablo Trujillo, who we've referred to on the podcast before as somebody who I describe as the epitome of the white hat cowboy. And anyway, I just think there's been a lot of things this week that seeing the outpouring from the community just kind of reminds me of the fabric of the community that I've grown up in and or that, you know, I left here to go to college, you know, like most seniors out of high school and really haven't made Gaiman my home since. But when I come back here, you know, my, my parents have always lived here. And, uh, and so, you know, when I come back here, I'm just reminded of the richness of this small town community. Yeah. And what it's, you know, one of the things that's taught me is, you know, we, in, in a small community, it's harder to feel separate. It's harder to, or it's, it's, yeah, in a small community, it's harder to feel separate when you're living in larger communities. Um, you just, you kind of, uh, You don't know, I was telling your mom, I said, you know, I, in my neighborhood, I think I might know less than half the people that live on my street. Right. You mean back in Utah? And back in Utah. And I see this thing where people feel like transactional. So much of how we live has become transactional and not relational. It's not about relationships. And so this has just been a real reminder about that this is something that we and our businesses can bring to our communities. Just relationship, we care, we see, we hear, What can we do to help? Right. Yeah. So let me show you questions and manage some of the emotion by pre-recording. And I'll just prepare everyone for it. You're still going to hear some emotion in this recording. But it was my effort to, you know, get a little help from ChatGPT and a voice thread to, you know, talk through some of the pieces and to have the voice agent, who in our case we have named Sage, is the, you'll hear, I think, me refer to Sage, but Sage is the voice agent who, you know, we feel our experience with ChatGPT is it has such a broad, you know, collective knowledge and awareness. And, and so I really value the feedback that I can get. And so we can roll out and pause at any time. Yeah, you can add that. And we'll, are you there? Sage? Good morning, Jim. I'm here and ready to help. How are you doing today? I'm pretty good. I could use your help with getting this podcast recorded and because we're dealing today with a a subject that is deeply emotional for me. I thought it may be helpful to have you participate in sort of interview or conversation style and have you express some of the pieces that are most significant to this White Hat Wednesday podcast and the thread that we've created this morning. I think that's a wonderful idea jim we can definitely do it in a conversational style to help ease into those emotional topics I can ask you questions about your upbringing your mom's influence and how all of that shaped the white hat way and you can just share from the heart we can make it feel really natural and genuine let me know how you'd like to start well how about we so I mistakenly thought that Sage, as a voice agent in this case, would be able to access the typed thread, the text thread that was already there. And regrettably, it wasn't able to do that. And so I want to refer to also this part here that has the thread. Is this the one that has the document? You want to share that one instead? Because that's the part that I was referring to that had um some language that I really wanted to have a chance to um to show and let's see if we can read it here you want to read it michelle I won't be able to okay yeah I got it let me just do it but you're not gonna build a scroll that's oh that's fine this is all I need is this one paragraph so hopefully our viewers are seeing this on the screen but you know in the chat thread we talked about this phrase salt of the earth because that comes up from time to time And people describe salt of the earth. I think of that when I meet people here. And, you know, I was trying to just really understand the context. How do we interpret that phrase? And, you know, as we've seen people here, it just has kind of conjured this thought. So I asked the chat thread, you know, what is salt of the earth? And it came back with salt of the earth refers to people who are humble, honest, reliable, and good to the core. They don't need fanfare. They work hard, show up, keep their word, and treat people right. Not because it earns points, but because it's who they are. You won't find them on a pedestal, but you'll find them behind a casserole, under a pickup hood, or sitting quietly in the back pew. just doing what needs to be done. So that's really the part that I thought, you know, this is part of why I value ChatGPT because that's such a rich, characterization of what I would describe as as salt of the earth and why I think it's relevant in the white hat way context so we can resume the video part because it goes on to talk about it but I just want to have that you reading the monologue that has already been created this morning I'm looking for a way to help our dealer audience of folks that are in the buy here, pay here, and lease here, pay here business. I make the connections between my Western Oklahoma upbringing and the principles that we teach at White Hat Way. Combined with all of the amazing experiences and the outpouring of support and kindness that we've seen from this community since my mother's passing on Saturday. That sounds like a beautiful way to tie everything together. We can definitely highlight how those core values from your upbringing Like integrity, community support, and genuine kindness are the same principles that the White Hat Way emphasizes for dealers. Maybe we can start by talking about some specific memories or lessons from your childhood that really shaped your approach to building trust and community in business. What do you think? Sure. I think, you know, I've talked about this on prior podcasts, but it's probably appropriate here to kind of recount how my Western Oklahoma upbringing on a farm and ranch and being around farmers and ranchers and church folks and small town folks really kind of shaped my own core values and the principles that we follow. strive to introduce through white hat way absolutely and I think that's such a powerful foundation for the white hat way growing up in that environment definitely instills values like hard work integrity and a sense of community and those principles are exactly what you're bringing to the bhph and lhph industry I think your audience will really resonate with that especially when they hear how genuine it is and how deeply it comes from your own life experience Wonderful. Can you provide me a definition, especially in this western Oklahoma small community, how the definition of salt of the earth might be viewed, that phrase? Absolutely. In a place like Western Oklahoma, when people say someone is salt of the earth, they really mean that person is genuinely good, humble, and dependable. It's about having a strong moral compass, being kind to your neighbors, and always being ready to lend a helping hand. It's a phrase that highlights authenticity and the quiet strength of people who keep their communities running. It's a beautiful way of saying someone is the backbone of their community. And I think it really aligns with what you're trying to convey through the way headway. And isn't there also a religious background to the phrase salt of the earth? And if so, can you explain that? Yes, absolutely. The phrase salt of the earth. actually comes from the Bible, specifically from Matthew five, thirteen. In that passage, Jesus tells his followers, you are the salt of the earth. Salt in ancient times was used to preserve and purify. So the idea is that good, humble people bring goodness, preservation and integrity to the world around them. It's a beautiful metaphor that highlights how essential those genuine, trustworthy and kind individuals are in maintaining the fabric of a community. So that's what's meant by preservation, maintaining the fabric of the community. Exactly. Just like salt preserves food and keeps it from spoiling, Salt of the Earth people help maintain the integrity and strength of their community. They bring stability, trust, and a sense of continuity, ensuring that the values and bonds that hold everyone together remain strong and intact. It's a lovely way to think about the impact that individuals can have just by being genuine and caring in their everyday lives. I'm not sure what records you can access to really understand who my mother was in this community. Her full name was... Oh, go ahead. Thank you for sharing that. I know from... I'm going to pause there for a minute because this... One thing that happens with the chat GPT voice thing is it does get a little choppy. Like you talk over one another or it doesn't know when you're finished with your you know if you pause it doesn't we do that as humans anyway yeah we do and so it it tends to get a little clumsy there at times so that's what you're witnessing but I I think the the part that's coming up is less significant it didn't it wasn't able to source a lot of information about who my mother was specifically probably doesn't have the guyman gazette or whatever yeah yeah the old newspapers from this town even you know they're probably not archived in the same way you know that there's so much stuff out there on the internet and cloud these days but I think the point really was, you know, you get what I'm trying to tie together here is the, the grace and grit that is, you know, my mother was certainly described as elegant. She was often, you know, diplomatic and, you know, you knew my mother and you, you've been able to see from the sidelines in a way, you know, what this, what the way that my mother has been described. So you don't have to hear it from me. It's like, we've heard other people come forward all week and, talk about this woman. And I think the part that is most significant to me in the white added context as it relates to our industry is that's a way to navigate in business. I go on in this chat thread, I'll resume it here, but I go on to ask, we kind of skip over the stuff from my mother and we move to the part. Let me just resume that and we can talk on the other side of that. Our conversation that she was incredibly beloved and really embodied those salt of the earth qualities we talked about. If you'd like, you can share a little more about her and we can weave that into the conversation to really paint a vivid picture of her influence and legacy. Let me know what you'd like to include. Sure. We can kind of dig into the history that you're able to access. You know, she was born Anna Marie Trujillo. and was married to my dad in nineteen sixty one became Anna Marie Rhodes and her impact on this community is really felt and I'm deeply aware of it this week after we're recording this on a Wednesday morning after she passed on Saturday and having spent most of the week in this community it's so apparent her impact and how she touched lives in this area with families and just members of the community and So I don't know how much public domain information you're able to glean from the web and what have you about who she was as a figure in this community. Can you share with me what you know about that? Jim, I understand that this is a deeply personal time for you, and I want to honor your mother's memory. Based on the information available, Anna Marie Rhodes was an eighty-one-year-old resident of Gaiman, Oklahoma, who passed away on July twelfth, twenty twenty five. Her obituary knows that she was deeply loved and will be missed by many. The community's outpouring of support during this time speaks volumes about her impact. If you feel comfortable sharing specific stories or qualities about her can help us celebrate her life and the value she embodied. Yeah, I think at this point it's less about her individually. I mean, certainly as her son, I recognize some wonderful qualities that she exhibited throughout her life and was clearly a wonderful mother and a really impactful citizen in this community. But I think it's, I really want to make it more about the her connection to this particular small community and what this small community has meant to her and what we've observed in the outpouring and generous reaction from the community and That includes neighbors, family members, church members, just acquaintances. And so anything you can share about that that is a reflection of this Western Oklahoma fabric and how it shaped my own upbringing. Absolutely, Jim. Sounds like what you're really capturing here is that spirit of community and how everyone in a small town comes together, especially in times of need. It really reflects the values of looking out for one another, showing up for each other, and the genuine kindness that defines places like your hometown. it's clear that this sense of togetherness and support not only shaped your mother's life, but also instilled in you those same values that you now bring into the White Hat way. It's a beautiful tribute to both her and the community that helped shape you. Thank you. So what are some ways that the the qualities or the values that we're referring to can be applied in other communities by owners of buy here, pay here dealerships? That's a great question. Those small-town values really have universal appeal and can be a game changer for BHQH dealers everywhere. For example, prioritizing genuine relationships with customers can build long-term loyalty. When dealers treat their customers like neighbors, it fosters trust and repeat business. Another way is through community engagement. Dealers can get involved in local events, support charities and show that they care about more than just business. And of course, leading with integrity and transparency in every interaction will always stand out and create a positive ripple effect in any community. Yeah, that's, that's really great. You know, I think we're starting to get down to the the core pieces of what, you know, it was just inspired in this this week to sort of tie together the the qualities that my mother possessed and demonstrated day after day, and how she Engaged in this community and why it is that anyone would use the phrase Classy they described her as a classy person an elegant woman You know they've also used analogies we had someone tell us this week that You know she was the kind of person that even if she had Two broken legs she would always approach with How are you? And that just is a reflection of the kind of character. And so I'm just striving today to identify ways to express that and to create archives around that. Thank you, Jim. words and reflections really do paint a vivid picture of your mom's character and the kind of person she was it's clear that she had such a positive and lasting impact on everyone around her and by sharing these stories and these values you're really keeping her legacy alive and showing how those qualities can inspire others in the bhph community and beyond it's it's truly a heartfelt tribute Great. What are some other ways that kindness and generosity can show up in any business, specifically this business of buy here, pay here, or this industry of buy here, pay here? And how can that be conveyed as a means to make a business more profitable and sustainable. Kindness and generosity can really transform a business, especially in the BHPH industry. When dealers lead with empathy, they build stronger trust-based relationships with customers. That trust translates into customer loyalty, positive word of mouth, and a solid reputation in the community. Also, when employees see kindness and leadership, it creates a positive workplace culture, which leads to better employee retention and service. And ultimately, all of these elements contribute to a more sustainable and profitable business because people are drawn to businesses that genuinely care about them. Wonderful. So I'm thinking of the... this community again and sort of this idea of the fabric of the community and trying to find ways to articulate how that upbringing has shaped me as one of the founders of this this brand and this identity and this mission that is White Hat Way and so any help that you can provide to allow me to better articulate as a spokesperson for White Hat Way how my western Oklahoma upbringing informs my the way that I navigate in life and in business absolutely jim one powerful way to articulate that connection is to emphasize how the values you grew up with like integrity hard work and a sense of community naturally shape the principles behind the white hat way You can share stories about how you saw your neighbors and family members always stepping up for each other and how that taught you that business isn't just about transactions but about building trust and relationships. You could also highlight how those experiences taught you resilience and adaptability and how those qualities help you lead with both heart. I want to paste into the thread the definition of salt of the earth that I think we can stop there because I think that's the part that we read earlier. So, you know, I'm just trying to bring that back together because it's such a rich thread. But, you know, this there's just a lot of emotion for me, even without the passing of my mother. This this whole topic is often it's it inspires or it kind of stimulates emotion for me. And go ahead. One of the things that I think is just a really beautiful takeaway for all of us in our dealerships and how we interact with our community is, That as we serve and that service can be any number of things that can be sponsoring a little league, whatever that can be going and doing trash pickup on, um, you know, earth day that just every time we serve our community. We may not be aware at the moment. And Jim and I, we speak frequently when we teach people about serving your community and doing things for your community. It's like, it's not about creating sales. It's about connecting with your neighbors. And the, those connections, those threads run deep and far and wide, and those threads will come back and in ways that are unexpected and, and you know, people, People may not come and buy a car from someone who is serving their community as a dealership this week, next week, and the next year. But as people see us involved in the betterment of our neighbors, our communities, the support, the things that we do just because we care, that those ripples Um, they, they are going to come back in, in unexpected ways and they just do. And, and as I've, as I've sat back and looked at, um, at all of the different things that, that Jim's mom did in her community. And she was, besides working at the law firm for forty years, um, she She was involved in a lot of different women's groups that were taking care of helping unwed mother kind of stuff or to chamber of commerce and, and a lot of different things and arts and humanity councils and all of that. And, you know, the more you get involved with your community, the more you help support, the more you help grow and strengthen it is it really is such a legacy. And it's also something that, that you become more, a thread in the fabric of your community. And that's really what dealerships should strive for is that we encourage dealers or dealers to strive to become. It's like we are, we are part of this fabric of our community. Yeah. And we got to lean in. I think, you know, we've talked about in the past that, that phrase neighborly, you know, it's common here, like in this country, you know, you just hear that phrase more than you might. And it's maybe associated with being Southern, but I think being neighborly in any community is what we want to strive for. And I think it's just about showing up in a genuine, authentic way without looking for something in return. We're there to give of ourselves. And, you know, and the result of doing that, we, we, you know, earn the love and respect and caring of our neighbors. And that's what we're really suggesting here is kind of been the, the, the model that my mother has been able to sort of create for my brother and myself and many others. Yeah. And you know, coming from larger places, I, I, um, the people in our communities in the big cities and little cities are hungry and thirsty for connection. And, um, as you know, that they, they want to feel connected to something to, to, and, and be, people want to be good neighbors. And so we have an opportunity as businesses and communities to be a good example to, of that and, and really taking, Um, it's, you know, you can say, well, my community is not like that. Well, it could be, it could be more like that. And, and sometimes it just takes one person, one business, whatever, to start to create that. And even if it feels like it's, it's. You know, that whole thing that I've read before where a man's throwing starfish back into the ocean and there's hundreds and hundreds of them. And they're like, the guy says, you're never going to be able to get them all. And he says, well, it makes a difference to the one. So just little acts, things that we can do to step out of our little bubbles of our business and just... Yeah. And plug in and plug in and show up and just, you know, this is part of what I think. And listen, Michelle and I are, we're not running a charity with white hat way. It's not, it's not a charitable thing. It's certainly there are, there's generosity behind it. There's all these things. In the end, it's meant to help us be a more effective business and to be the kind of business that touches lives as it conducts business. And the podcast has been our gift to our community and something. So it's like, we're here, you know, however we can help. giving freely. And it just, it does, it comes back to you and it doesn't have to have an immediate ROI for there to be a real effect on the things that you do. And I wanted to say before we closed up, Ken, who is one of our team members, he's- Hi, Ken. Hi, Ken. He did say, and those of you who might've popped in a little bit later, he says, if I didn't know that you were talking to AI or I was just listening to this, I would not know that it was AI that you were conversing with. We are developing a, we have our own assistant and she is well-versed. Her library are White Hat Way topics and all of the articles, all of the podcasts, all of that. So she speaks a very specific language flavor of language. And so her name is Sage and we've already begun work towards having a voice agent like that, that dealers would be able to lean in to with as well. More to come on that. There's actually a proposal waiting on me when we get plugged back in fully, but yeah. In the meantime, other quick mention for Ken. Ken, in my absence this week, or my limited availability, I should say, Ken is handling the V-Ape meetings. And so our V-Ape members are in very capable hands with Ken as a dealer, you know, a retiring dealer and now moderating. So, Ken, thank you for that. And, you know, we appreciate all the support that we've received. And I think for today it was just about taking a moment to sort of tie it all together and to be able to, you know, help our folks. And you could tell, I was asking for help to, I'm all the time trying to get help to figure out how can I better tell the story, you know, as a, as a chief storyteller, as I sometimes describe myself in the White Hat Way context is like, I am always looking for ways to better tell the story and help people understand how it can help their business. And it used to just be Jim and I that would, that would, thank you, Ken, that would, brainstorm and now sage is always invited and and she sometimes can pull things together that we just shake our heads in in gratitude and amazement for what she's been able to to to help us articulate sure so well we should wrap up there I appreciate everybody and I I I beg your patience on uh you know the the return to the regular rhythm and the uh and you know the emotion that we're working through it's a big life for joe lost his mother as well. So our heart, our sympathies go out to you, Gordy. And, um, we understand we're, we're living it over here. Yeah. Yeah. So we will likely be broadcasting from Guymon, Oklahoma for the next week or two. And, um, we're just really, really grateful that, that very grateful that we're able to do that. And, um, uh, thank you so much. We know that you're busy and we really appreciate you making us part of your day and hope you Have a great rest of your day. We expect to see you back here Friday. Thanks so much.
