Flourishing In The Freedom Economy – with Andrew Crapuchettes

Transcript

Linda J. Hansen: Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101® Breakroom Economics Podcast. My name is Linda J. Hansen, your host and the author of Prosperity 101®- Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, and the creator of the Breakroom Economics Online course, the book, the course and the entire podcast library can be found on Prosperity101.Com. I seek to connect boardroom to break room and policy to paycheck by empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs. My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement and retention, and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. Listen each week to hear from exciting guests and be sure to visit Prosperity 101.Com.

Thank you so much for joining with me today. Today my special guest is someone who has been on the podcast before, but I know you'll enjoy hearing the update. You have heard me speak often about Red Balloon, the non-woke job board where you can be free to work and free to hire. Red Balloon is uniting the community of good businesses and reliable, motivated job seekers who value freedom, hard work, merit-based recognition, and a productive workplace culture free from divisive woke nonsense. And my guest today is Andrew Crapuchettes. Andrew is a pioneer in the labor market, data and analytics industry, and he is the visionary behind Red Balloon. As I said, he's been on before, but I am so thankful to have him join on the podcast again. Welcome back, Andrew.

Andrew Crapuchettes:

Thanks for having me, Linda. It's always nice to talk to you and love to kind of catch up and have an opportunity to catch up with everybody who's listening.

Linda J. Hansen:

Well, you have such great energy and I love the growth that is occurring with Red Balloon and what you are bringing to the nation's economy and to the job market all across the nation. Can you give us a little update on the growth of Red Balloon and what is happening with the freedom economy?

Andrew Crapuchettes:

Yeah, absolutely. Red Balloon, we'll start there, just continues to be a blessing both to me and the people who we are serving, because it is an opportunity to work together. As we all know, a lot of people in the mainstream media want us all to believe that we're the only ones that think the way we do, and we're all probably idiots. And that's not true. In fact, there's a huge movement that is happening in America today where a lot of conservatives and Christians are waking up and realizing that the agenda that's been pushed down their throats is bad for their family, bad for the nation. And so we're getting to work with people like Public Square and many other businesses who are saying, enough is enough. Let's stand up for freedom. And it's a lot of fun when you start to do that. And so, as a consequence, red balloon.

We grew 100% a quarter for the first couple of quarters of this year, which is not relaxing, but is super duper fun when you have that kind of growth. And just having the opportunity to get thank you notes from perfect strangers every single week. Just know you changed the trajectory of my family or you saved my marriage because of the job that I got through. Red Balloon has been a real blessing. So that's been really fun. We continue to add functionality. We're going to have an applicant tracking system, an ATS here early in the new year. So if you're a business out there that's interested in that kind of thing, we definitely want to be a blessing to you. The other thing, Linda, that we're doing, and I won't go into this in too much detail, but we actually started this for Louder with crowder, and we're now doing it for have done it for almost 100 different positions for these businesses. There's a lot of small businesses in America, especially in the Freedom Economy. Hiring is terrifying, right? Think about it for a minute. If you ask the wrong questions in an interview, you might get yourself a lawsuit. But if you don't ask those questions, you might get a bad culture fit, and then you get a lot of heartache, and then you get a lawsuit trying to deal with that person. And we all know that the cost of a bad hire is tens of thousands of dollars for a business, and small businesses can't afford it. And big businesses are tired of dealing with all of that stuff. So a lot of businesses post jobs in Red Balloon.

We've been able to solve that problem, but many of them actually would love us to just take over this hiring process for them. And if you've used recruiters before recruiters, there's some really great recruiters out there, but they can get very expensive. You can spend 20% to 40% of the first year compensation for the person they help you hire, which can be anywhere from $20 to $80,000 that you're spending just to get a new person in your business. And a lot of businesses can't afford that. And so we realized that there was probably another way to do this where we could come alongside and bless a lot of these small businesses. And when we talk about Prosperity and Prosperity 101®, all of this is about how do we bless businesses? How do we allow the businesses that are in this freedom economy to function, to grow, to do what they're great at instead of having to deal with HR nightmares without dealing with bad hires? And a lot of the work you're doing to educate people is part of that story. And what we're doing is trying to help people get them in the door in the right way. And so we'll actually come alongside a business and we will help write that job posting and job description. We'll do a compensation review for you to make sure that you understand what the market is paying that position. We'll also interview you and understand your culture and make sure that we can turn that into an interview rubric for the new employees that we're going to be talking to for you. Because we want to get people who are culture fits in your business because that's going to have a disproportionate impact on the success of your business.

If you have good people, then we go through this whole process of sourcing candidates, of interviewing candidates for you. We'll do a first cultural interview for you and then we will bring values aligned, Skill Fit employees to your business as part of this two month process that we run for businesses. And instead of charging the $20 to $80,000 that a recruiter might charge, we only charge $4,500 for this process. Because we're a job board and we're doing things at scale. It allows us to be able to serve our customers at scale and bring some of that white glove service to our customers. And so that's kind of a new development and I think it's a little bit disruptive in the market because all of a sudden these businesses can afford to get that kind of level of service for only $4,500 and they know that they're going to get values aligned, Skill Fit employees. And we had one employer down in Texas, actually who we were working on one position. We sent him ten awesome candidates. He ended up hiring four of them for only that $4,500 because he was paying us to do the work of $4,500. And then we delivered a lot of candidates to him and then he decided which ones he wanted to hire. So it's not a success fee. It is a you are paying us for our labor and we are working very hard on your behalf. And every employer gets a weekly report on market analytics on what are they seeing and that's my background. Labor analytics, market analytics, on what people are saying.

If people say I'm interested in this job, but it's not the right fit because we're going to pass that because on to you as an employer. So you're not trying to hire blind. You're actually in a position where you know that there's a team that is going to cold call over 20 people a week on your behalf, get people into interviews and make sure that we're bringing you the people you need so your business can succeed. And we're now scaled up and we're able to do this. I think we're working on 50 positions right now and it is so fun to just come alongside businesses. We had a small christian radio station who was just looking for an executive assistant. And he's like, you guys are such an answer to prayer. Because hiring an executive assistant, if you get someone in here who's a really bad culture fit, it could have a huge negative impact on our business, he says. And to know that I can go to someone I trust like Red Balloon to just do that hiring process for me, he ended up getting a hire and he's like his only disappointment through the whole process is he couldn't hire everybody we sent him because we were able to send him such awesome people. So anyway, so that's kind of an update on Red Balloon. It's a new process that I think is going to really disrupt the recruitment market.

Linda J. Hansen:

That's very exciting. And I'm so glad that we are talking about this now. And while it's new and you can bring this service to so many employers around the nation and employers, I do want you to go back and listen to the other broadcasts that we've done before with Andrew. So you can go to my website, Prosperity 101. Com. You can search his name in the podcast page and listen and you can hear the growth too. And what really led him Andrew, was in a company. He's been a serial entrepreneur. And what led him to starting Red Balloon was that he found himself pushed out of a company because of his beliefs. He was too Christian and too conservative and even though he was doing a great job. And so that kind of opened the door for this new opportunity to start Red Balloon. You can hear about that in I believe it's episode 101 and first time he was on and he's been on other times. But this is just great what you're bringing to America. And I think with Red Balloon public Square, what I try to do with Prosperity 101®, we are trying to really awaken people to the fact that we don't have to swallow the leftist dogma that is coming through.

So employers and employees, when you hear that, oh, I can't talk about that or I can't work in a place like that because they don't exist. Or if I say I want to work in a values aligned place, it's talking about politics or something. And I hear all these excuses, but I tell people the left has taken over the workplace. I mean, they've got CRT, Dei, ESG, all the acronyms, alphabet soup of programs and ideas that they're pushing down everybody's throats and in their HR departments. So the Freedom Economy, the freedom loving people who just want to go to work, they want to hire great employees, they want to be good employees, whatever it is, they want to run their companies in an honorable way, and Red Balloon is helping them to do that. So you mentioned the Freedom Economy index. So could you bring that up a little bit too yeah.

Andrew Crapuchettes:

So Freedom Economy Index is a project we've been doing for a couple of months now with Public Square, and we basically go out to the over 70,000 businesses that are either part of Red Balloon or Public Square or both. And we do a monthly survey, and we ask them a variety of questions around inflation, the economy, politics, what their hiring plans are, what they think of higher education and the product of higher education. And it has been a real eye opener. And the reason we're doing this survey is because a lot of those small businesses, they're just kind of keeping their heads down and trying to make their business survive through the Biden economics that's eating their lunch right now. But we want to give them a voice. A lot of those businesses don't have a voice out in the marketplace. The media doesn't pay attention to them, and politicians definitely don't pay attention to them. And so we asked them a whole series of questions, and it has been really fun to be part of that first, and then we'll jump into some of the results. First, if you want to be part of the Freedom Economy Index, you can sign up at Redballoon Work. That's RedBalloon work, not redballoon.org. You can go there, and you can sign up as a business.

You don't have to buy anything, and you're going to have an opportunity to be part of the Freedom Economy Index. It's about a two minute sign up process, and that way we know that you're part of this, and then you're going to get that survey. Or you can go to Public Square, publicsq.com Sign up as a business, also Free, and that's going to put you on this survey as well. So the results of this survey have been a real eye opener, and I'll kind of give you the macro overview, Linda, and then we can jump into some of the specific results. Overall, small businesses, particularly small businesses in the Freedom Economy, don't trust people in Washington, DC. Shocker. They don't trust their politicians. Shocker. But a lot of them are just taking responsibility for their business, and their business is actually doing fairly well, even though they have a lot of uncertainty and nervousness about the economy today. So a lot of these businesses are kind of showing the puritan work ethic of, I'm going to take responsibility, I'm going to work really hard, and my business is going to do okay. Maybe it's not going to thrive in the way that it wouldn't if it didn't have so many headwinds coming from the government, but it's doing pretty well. But they're still concerned, and they don't trust them. One of the questions we asked is, do you believe anybody in Washington, DC. Whether it's Democrat or Republican or the President or Congress or Senate, anyone will ever balance the budget? And 98% of our businesses said, no, we don't think anyone will do what we have to do every single day of balancing the budget. They simply did not believe that that was something that anybody had the ability, the desire to do in DC today. And I think that kind of captures the sentiment of a lot of these businesses. There's a deep disconnect between those who are in the mainstream media, those who are in politics, and the man on the street, the small business in America that's just trying to make ends meet.

Linda J. Hansen:

Well, small business is the largest employer, and it is business that runs the economy, not government.

Andrew Crapuchettes:

Absolutely right.

Linda J. Hansen:

And so helping people understand that their voice really does matter and they can make a change by being more involved is part of what I do with Prosperity 101® really helping to help people become informed, involved, and impactful. And I just feel like it's so important, all these efforts that you are doing, that I'm doing. We are really trying to promote basically the foundational principles of our country. And that is what has helped America to flourish over the years. So how we flourish is to have this freedom economy. It is all about allowing the freedom and opportunity for these businesses to grow, these people to be employed, the freedom to work where it fits your life and your gifts, your abilities. That is not what happens in socialist nations or communist nations. We don't have that. And America has been able to flourish in the past because we've had freedom.

So we want people to thrive. We want them to flourish in this freedom economy and we want all these businesses to flourish. What would you say to employers who want to encourage their employees to be more engaged, to pay attention to the policies, to understand why Red Balloon is important, why Prosperity 101® is important, why Public Square is important? And just a note to the listeners, I've also done an interview with Christina Warner from Public Square shortly after that company went public. And so you can look for that on my website as well and search just Christina Warner or Public Square and you should be able to find it. But it's an exciting story. And these freedom economy businesses are really making a difference, helping to turn not only our economy, but kind of the mindset in the country around employers.

Andrew Crapuchettes:

Yeah, absolutely. And it is a fun adventure to kind of turn things around and be standing up for the right side. What I would tell employers is something that I tell every employer, whether you're part of the freedom economy or not, you need to paint a vision of how your employees are part of something bigger than just their job. Right? And we all know that employees that are engaged are employees that have autonomy and mastery, where they realize that they have some impact on whether they're going to be successful or not. And they have the ability to gain the skills, knowledge, ability to be able to master their task and really make a difference for themselves and for their business. And when we've lost this meritocracy in America, that's where you get people who are totally disengaged. And Gallup put out a poll that said something like 70% of employees believe that this coming year, 2024, they are going to be looking for a new job. Think about that. Of the entire US. Economy. 70% of employees say they're going to look for something new because they're not happy where they are right now. And I think that's on the employers to make sure the employees realize it's something bigger than just them.

Whether that is you're part of rebuilding America, whether that is you are part of building this freedom economy, whether that is you're deeply blessing our customers, and without that, they wouldn't be able to provide for their families. To provide for their communities. We're building our community. You just need to be able to paint a picture and or star for your employees. That's a lot bigger than just you. That is a lot bigger than just your business. And when you do that, you're going to get more engaged people who are going to be coming up with ideas and interests that are beyond just I'm trying to punch the clock and get my job done, right. And that's obviously what Prosperity 101® does, is we help employees understand the nation that we're in and why it is important to fight for those things, for businesses in this freedom economy. I think you need to make sure that your employees know that we're in a fight for America right now. And I know that sounds dramatic, but the reality is we're in a fight for America right now. And I was just talking to a former Navy Seal who went on to be a Delta Force guy, and he's like I said, what's the most important principle in all of the work that you did? He said, whoever realizes they're in a death match first wins. Whoever realizes they're in a death match first wins. And I think the left, unfortunately, has realized they are in a death match. They are trying to win a culture war for our nation, for the hearts and minds of our kids, for our grandkids. And a lot of us on the right have just been like, I'm going to keep my head down and just kind of do my job. But the reality is we're in a culture war, and I don't think that people hopefully realize that is reality at this point. And so when you're a printer repair man or when you're a secretary or when you're a framer or when you're in manufacturing and you're building things in America rather than having it outsourced to China, you're part of the culture war, right? Everybody's part of that. And I think any employer who actually takes the time and energy to make sure their employees understand where they fit in this larger battle plan will get exponentially more engaged employees. And so that's what we're encouraging people to do. That's part of the reason that a lot of employers are saying, you know, look, I'm posting jobs on Red Balloon partly because I want to signal to my employees that we're part of the fight. We're in this together, and that's really important. But that's what I would tell people, is make sure that they understand where they are in this larger battle. And then you can be cheerful warriors, because, like, okay, this is my job. I need to do what's in front of me. Chop the wood that's in front of me. Not worry about all the things that are happening in Ukraine or Israel. You can pay attention to those things, but pay attention to making sure that you're being faithful where you are right now, because that's how we win the war. One small business success at a time, right? And as long as people understand that, your employees are going to be happy.

Linda J. Hansen:

Well, that's true. And when the employer helps the employee understand that big picture, it's like I say, with Prosperity 101®. Helping them understand all these issues increases loyalty, engagement, and retention. And once the employee knows the employer cares enough to share truth with them, that is when you'll really get engaged employees and more successful business. And you mentioned that this is a longtime culture war. It is. And when we talk about the left or the know, for those of you who may not really pay attention much politically or anything, there truly is a culture war happening in America, and you must see it. You must see the violence in the streets. You must see the change in culture, in what's being taught to kids. You see it, and you see the degradation of our society. And our economy is suffering. Our national security is suffering. Families are suffering. Inflation is skyrocketing. We see so many policies that are hurting families and businesses all over the nation. And when America is strong, the world is stronger. So we need to help create a strong America, a stronger world. And that is part of what we do. Like, you say, chop the wood in front of you. And we want everyone to flourish in the freedom economy. So this has been just great. I so appreciate the update. Do you have any closing comments that you'd like to share with the listeners?

Andrew Crapuchettes:

Yeah, I would just encourage everybody. If you think about the best story you've ever read, whether you're a big J. R. Tolkien fan and you like The Lord of the Rings or you like C. S. Lewis and the you know, whatever's your best story, think about the people who you remember from the story and all the characters you don't remember. And the people you remember are the people who actually did something right, who decided, you know what? I'm going to go off to mordor, or I'm going to go fight the white witch, or I'm going right. It was the people who did something, not the people who sat on the couch and wrung their hands and watched Fox News and thought how bad things are. And so think about as you're building the world that your kids and your grandkids and your great grandkids are going to live in, who do you want to be in the story? Because 100 years from now, we're all going to be dead. And I don't mean that as a Morbid thing. That's just reality. So who are you going to be in the story? How are your kids and your grandkids going to remember you as someone who just tried to keep their head down and ignore the culture war or someone who did something? And doing something doesn't mean you have to go to Mordor. That's the good news. But it does mean that you need to say something at work. You need to stand up for the truth at an office party. You need to do the right thing. And when you do that and you know what it is, we all know what it is, we're just trying to pretend like we don't. When you do that, you're becoming that person in the story that we all love to read. And so that would be my encouragement to you think through what's your favorite story? And then how do I be like that person who was the hero of the story and be the hero for your kids and grandkids? Because that's how we're going save America one business at a time. And obviously do all your hiring on RedBalloon work because it's the best.

Linda J. Hansen:

Well, it truly is. And so businesses make sure you go. Actually, you can go. And there is a code you can help Prosperity 101® and Red Balloon if you sign up with the Prosperity 101® code. I think it's in the show notes. We'll make sure we have it in the show notes, but please use the Prosperity 101® code to sign up for Red Balloon and you help both of us. But along with that, you can go on the Prosperity 101® dot website and become a Prosperity Partner. We need you to partner to help these podcasts stay on the air. So thank you to all the Prosperity partners we have. Please go to the Prosperity partner. Link on Prosperity 101®. Dot to support this podcast, but also go to Redballoon.org and use the Prosperity 101® link to sign up to be part of the freedom economy. We want you to be able to flourish in the freedom economy, and we just are so grateful for what Red Balloon is doing so people can be free to work and free to hire. And you're helping people hire with your recruitment and your interviewing and everything that you're doing with applicants, and you're helping employers that way. And then with the Freedom Economy index that you're doing with Public Square. You're just providing valuable information. We're so grateful for what you're doing. So thank you for stepping up and doing something. And thank you so much, Andrea. I look forward to having you back again.

Andrew Crapuchettes:

Thanks for having me, Linda. Always nice to talk to you.

Linda J. Hansen:

Thank you.