Episode 29: Matt Jones and Garrett Paul talk about why the best salespeople ask questions instead of pitching — how building genuine rapport, reading a client's intent, and believing in what you offer are what actually move a sale forward.

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• thejonesgroup.us
• Watch: https://youtu.be/k5dtb-H4CZc

Episode 28: NIL money is flowing — but most athletes don't know what to do with it once it hits their account. Cody Chrest joins Matt and Garrett to break down salary vs. distributions, S-corp structuring, and the financial planning mistakes costing young athletes big money. #NIL #NILAthletes #SportsFinance #Entrepreneurship

Heading into Q4? Garrett Paul and Matt sit down to cover the tax strategies every business owner should have on their radar before year-end — from renting your own home to your business tax-free (the Augusta Rule), to SEP IRA and Solo 401(k) contribution limits for 2026, to late S-Corp elections that can save newer or unexpectedly profitable businesses real money on self-employment tax.

Plus: why overpaying a CPA for a simple S-Corp filing is a bad sign, and how to know if your CPA relationship is actually working for you.

🌐 The Jones Group: thejonesgroup.us 🌐 The Entrepreneur Lounge: theentrepreneurlounge.com

In this episode, Garrett sits down with executive coach and sales trainer Billie Jo to unpack what it actually takes to build a thriving career — with or without a college degree.

Billie Jo shares her journey from a small town upbringing steeped in entrepreneurship to becoming a sought-after executive coach, sales trainer, and keynote speaker working across industries like automotive, oil and gas, and professional services. She breaks down why the automotive industry remains one of the few places where hustle and grit can outweigh credentials, and why implementation — not information — is the real bottleneck for most people chasing success.

The conversation dives deep into: 🎯 Why the best performers in the world all have a coach — no exceptions 📅 The difference between a calendar and a schedule (and why it matters) 🔍 How a personality assessment should really be used for self-awareness, not just team management ⏱️ The hidden cost of interruptions and task-switching on productivity 🤝 What true accountability and coachability look like in high performers

Garrett also gives a first look at his upcoming book, "Zero to One Million: A No Degree Founder's Playbook," and the two swap stories on golf, football season, and the entrepreneurial hustle that connects it all.

If you're a business owner, sales leader, or anyone trying to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be, this episode is packed with practical, no-fluff advice.

🔗 Links & Resources

The Jones Group | CPA Accounting & Advisory Firm https://thejonesgroup.us/

The Entrepreneur Lounge LLC https://theentrepreneurlounge.com/

Connect with Billie Jo Bell https://www.linkedin.com/in/billie-jo-bell86/

In this episode, Garrett sits down with Guy Gilmore, founder of a Houston-based company that specializes in live scoring, event production, and entertainment for charity golf tournaments. Guy shares how a layoff from an artificial turf sales job led him to the Golf Academy of America, and ultimately to building a business that has completely changed how charity tournaments run — replacing paper scorecards and clunky manual tabulation with real-time digital scoring, sponsor integration, and polished award ceremonies.

Guy walks through the full client experience: from building out custom scoring tablets branded with sponsor logos, to managing on-course participation, to running a seamless, MC-ready awards ceremony on a 110-inch screen (or his 12x7 LED trailer). He also dives into the entrepreneurial journey behind the business — early partnerships with international golf software companies that didn't pan out, the leap to build proprietary software with a hand-picked developer, and the challenges of scaling a company that now supports 300+ tournaments a year.

The conversation also covers Guy's crowd-favorite activations, including his signature air cannon setup and the "Glass Challenge" — inspired by Golf Channel's Big Break — which has become a staple at events ranging from local charity outings to The Masters and John Daly's celebrity tournament. Guy also shares how he sources talent by hiring U.S. veterans and matching them with activations suited to their interests, plus how word-of-mouth and a data-driven approach to finding Houston's most tournament-dense market (55,000+ charity events) fueled his growth.

Garrett also opens up about his own experience running his firm's first charity golf tournament at Memorial in Houston, and the two discuss what it takes to plan, staff, and execute a standout event.

From the NFL to NIL: How Cody Chrest Found His Second Career (and Why Athletes Keep Getting It Wrong with Money)

This week Garrett and Matt sit down with their Entrepreneur Lounge partner, Cody Chrest. Houston native, Harvard and Sam Houston State football alum, and former Green Bay Packer turned financial advisor.

Cody shares the story he's never fully told: how he sat in the parking lot of three or four networking events and drove home before he ever walked into one, and how the event he finally forced himself to attend (in his words, "a really bad event") is the one where he met Garrett, launched a partnership, and ultimately gave him the confidence to walk away from football for good.

From there the conversation turns to the work the three of them are doing now with NIL and pro athletes. Nineteen year olds with seven figure deals and no plan. Players transferring away from schools they love just to cover a tax bill. Six figures parked in a money market account at a 1.5% fee. Advisors who will only take an email during business hours from kids who are in class, film, and weights all day.

They break down their actual process: quarterly tax planning, showing an athlete what they will owe if they do nothing versus what they will save, then giving every dollar a job and automating it so a $50,000 check does not feel like $50,000 to spend. Plus the real payoff Cody keeps coming back to. An athlete who is not lying awake studying finances is an athlete who can focus on the game.

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Can you build a high performer without paying top dollar for one? Matt and Garrett break down the "hire vs. train" debate — using the Seahawks' Super Bowl roster and NFL salary cap rules as the perfect analogy for why young, coachable talent can outperform (and out-earn) the expensive veteran hire.

They also get into:

Why culture, leadership, and a real training system beat "just hiring experience"

The roles & responsibilities talk every business owner avoids — until it costs them

How to correct behavior without making it personal (and why specificity beats "you're always late")

Why being visible in your network matters more than being on social media — and how one coffee turned into real business, live on the mic

Plus: Hard Knocks, GLP-1 jokes, and why "shake hands and kiss babies" still works.

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Garrett Paul and Matt kick off the episode with a quick studio update before diving into pricing strategy for professional services: hourly rates vs. fixed fees, and why a clear, documented scope of work can save a project (and a client relationship) when things go sideways. Garrett shares a $75,000 stainless steel manufacturing job that turned into a $150,000 win, purely because the scope was airtight.

From there, the conversation shifts to highest and best use of time — why business owners often fall into the trap of thinking they need to do everything themselves (the "best thrower should play quarterback" fallacy), and how to identify tasks that should be delegated to a team member or handed off to AI. Matt and Garrett trade real examples from running their CPA firm: payroll, bookkeeping, tax research, and client onboarding, and how passing off the right work at the right level actually multiplies output rather than diluting it.

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