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Intro / Outro 0:06

Welcome to No Strings Attached untangling conversations about shady topics. Hosted by Roger McEllene, this podcast pulls back the curtain on the window covering industry with expert insights and a splash of Brazilian flair. Whether you're an installer, designer, dealer, or just set up with crooked blinds, get ready for real tips, industry know-how, and plenty of laughs. Now, let's get untangled.

Why Spotlight Interviews Start

Joe’s Elevator Pitch Explained

Roger Magalhaes 0:33

Hello, hello! Welcome to another show of No Strings Attached. My name is Roger McGallis, and I am your host. If this is your first time here, welcome to the show. And if you have been here before, welcome back. Today we are going to do something very different from what you are used to. But before that, I just want to remind you that Blinds Online is our sponsor. They offer a great selection of window coverings at very affordable prices. If you are a contractor, a decorator, homeowner, or even a shade dealer looking for something affordable that sometimes your price not even can get to it, blindsonlines.com is a great resource for you. So check them out. They are our sponsor. So today's show, I am doing something that I never done it before. As you know, if you listen to a show before, it's all solo acts. It's my only voice on a show talking 10-15 minutes, sharing stories, sharing something that worked well or something that went sideways. This is my mindset. I've always been like that. How can I deliver more options? Different point of points of view. Make the show more interesting. So instead of just switching ears completely, I am going to do what I call spotlight shows. So once a month, I am going to interview someone to share their uh visions, to share their experiences, and this is going to be either window covering people or small business owners because their points of view, their experiences, their stories going to help us being better professionals, being better human beings. Learning from each other is the best way to go farther without really wasting our times trying to figure things out. So we are going to start out today with Joe Gibarra. Joe Giabarra been in the industry uh for a very long time. And he is an installer, very good friend of mine, lives in in Miami, Florida, and I'm gonna read his bio quickly. So his name is Joe Gibarra. He's a husband, father, friend, cancer survivor, and a window treatment expert. His business is called Jay Addison Interiors out of Miami, Florida. I'll share his social media in the show notes if you want to get in touch with him. And he is passionate about window treatments, helping retailers facilitate sales by doing measuring and installation. He's also a HDIS partner, is also passionate about clients, their own life experience, especially because he's a cancer survivor, is a former teacher, is just a kind human being. And you're gonna learn a lot from him on the interview. So I really hope you enjoy. Please share your feedbacks with me because this is something I I am going to, or at least I wanted to do these on the regular month. And if you know someone that will be a great candidate to be on the show, please send my way. So here's the interview. I hope you enjoy. So really pretending we're just having a cup of coffee, a beer, a drink, whatever, just feel relaxed, don't feel tight.

Joe Gebara 5:16

A brahma beer.

Roger Magalhaes 5:17

That's it. And uh we'll go from there. So I'm gonna start out with uh what what they call, I mean, I do a lot of networking groups, and they call this the elevator speech, right? You meet someone, go into the elevator, you only have 30 seconds to kind of introduce yourself and say what you what you do for this stranger, right? So you get into the elevator with this guy. How do you describe what you do in 30 seconds?

Joe Gebara 5:53

I describe what I do as literally helping people find the right window treatments for their windows, but most importantly, a step further, I assist retailers who sell these products from making common mistakes of encouraging the purchase of a window treatment that may not work perfectly well for the application we're dealing with. That's what I do.

Roger Magalhaes 6:20

All right, I understand what you do, but talking to someone out of the blue on the street, you just tell them that you work with dealers, kind of you don't work with retail people, is that what it is?

Joe Gebara 6:35

Yeah, so we we are to the trade. Uh-huh. So we basically work with retailers in the window treatment industry. We work with Hunter Douglas dealers, we work with different manufacturers also, or people who sell different manufacturer manufacturers' products. And our role is basically in a nutshell to help them with measurement, ordering sometimes, even, and of course the installation part of it.

Roger Magalhaes 7:00

Sure.

Joe Gebara 7:00

And we assist their installers also.

Roger Magalhaes 7:03

Which is a lot, right?

Joe Gebara 7:05

It is, it is. Sometimes it feels like you're you're hand holding, which which is needed because in the end, the better they do, the better you do, and the more we learn from each other at all times. Right. And how long have you been doing this, Joe? Roger. So my father worked with his father. They sold fabric, curtains, and draperies. I work with my dad. I literally might be able to find a picture of my mom changing my diaper on a fabric cutting table. But that's that's not really what I thought I'd go into. My background's in education. I was a former special ed teacher, but I've been installing full time since 1997. And installing because I found it to be something fun, something new. I'd go to different places every day. I'd meet different people every day. And that that aspect of it was wonderful. And the one thing I tell people when they ask me why I got out of teaching to continue installing, it was one thing in particular. Living here in South Florida and the wonderful views and the beaches. I said I love the fact that I could eat lunch where I want, when I want, however long I want with whomever I want. And I don't have to ask permission, as I did as a teacher.

Roger Magalhaes 8:31

Right, right.

Joe Gebara 8:32

So that's the beauty of what I do, and that's that's how long I've been in there since 1997.

Roger Magalhaes 8:36

It's almost 30 years.

Joe Gebara 8:38

No, man, I feel old.

Roger Magalhaes 8:41

I feel old. Well, you feel old because this job really is very physical, and as much as we enjoy, Joe and I are both installers, that's a lot of pressure to get things done, to get things done right the first time, you know. So the stress is big, and we deal with people with money, high-end products, every bit of mistake, we feel the pressure on the back of us.

Joe Gebara 9:14

So yeah, and we're the last ones in, so we get to feel it most.

Roger Magalhaes 9:17

Right, pretty much. Now, you said you were a school teacher before, so how your previous life help you doing window treatments today? Is there any benefit being a teacher prior to these? Did you learn, or is that any technique or any experience that you kind of brought into the winter treatments to make you a bad installer?

From Special Ed Teacher To Installer

Joe Gebara 9:46

I I really think the main ingredient from being a teacher and being an installer now is the fact that we're entering all these different modalities and motorization systems now. And the only way I think it helps me is I I really do think because I work with small children, I have a different level of patience. Where I find myself sitting with the older customers who are weary of technology, who created their own barrier by saying, I'm not gonna understand it, just give me the remote control. I don't want to use an app. And to sit there and set a plan where I can explain it as I would one of my students, it certainly helps. But overall, I think just the fact that dealing with small children, having patience, has certainly helped me. And I've always been an even keel type of person. I don't get too high or too low. And and that's that's helped me as a teacher, and that's helped me as an installer. Dealing with the different personalities, too. I could tell you as a teacher, dealing with adults might have been the more difficult part than dealing with the kids. And with what we do, you deal with different personalities, and you're you're better off taking care of that bridge so you can both cross it together. You're better off, you know, closing the door politely and not slamming it. So working with little kids, you learn to measure your temperament and you learn how to talk and say things mildly instead of the way you might want to say it on the inside. That's that's the one way I would tell you it helps me. It's just dealing with people in general.

Roger Magalhaes 11:23

It helps you, right? Yeah, patience, patience primarily. So a lot of times we think things gonna get done right the first time, and you know, we're missing bracket, or one of the sheets doesn't want to connect to the app.

Joe Gebara 11:39

Roger, you know what? You just jog the memory for me. I can tell you, as a teacher, there have been times where I sat down and I wrote what I thought was the most amazing lesson plan ever. And 20 out of my 25 kids failed the test. And I'd have to go back and go, what the heck did I do wrong? And how often does it happen now where you've installed 30 shades, you know what you're doing, you've programmed them, you know what you're doing, and you hand the customer the remote or their device back in on the app, and something goes wrong, and you're saying, What? What? So, yeah, that that level of patience for yourself too, right, is so important. So you don't get too high or too low.

Roger Magalhaes 12:28

Absolutely, absolutely.

Joe Gebara 12:32

Checks and balances, man. Contain your emotions, right?

Patience With Tech And People

Roger Magalhaes 12:35

Yeah, yeah. So given the topic that you you feel everything's gonna go right and sometimes doesn't, and you talk to your friends or you talk to your family, probably not as much now because you're already been in business for 30 years, but you talk to someone for the first time outer of our industry. What do you say is a misunderstanding, a misconception that these people have about our industry?

Joe Gebara 13:09

I think the biggest misconception that someone outside of this industry has is the idea that anyone in layman's terms can look at a window and go to a big box store, pick something off the shelf, go back home and try to install it, and it doesn't fit perfectly on the inside of the window as they intended. So they put it on the outside of the window like it was not intended to go, and it's okay, it looks okay, but it lacks that professional touch. I I find that that's the biggest misconception. And also in evaluating the product, the service, and the price you're gonna pay, too often the misconception is why am I paying, for example, $500 for a blind that I can get off the shelf for $100? And it's that that that separation, that bridge that you're trying to mend, it's very difficult sometimes because we know what it takes to perfectly measure, have it custom made and then properly and professionally installed. And that misconception happens all the time. I I equate it to instead of measuring and trying to get it done, you're better off spending five dollars on a paper ready shade, cutting it to size and stick it on the window. It'd be the same effect. Now, if you hire the right professional, yeah, you get the right touch, right product, right everything. But that notion that window treatments, it's a cheap product, it's an inexpensive product, I can get it anywhere. Why would I spend thousands on my home when I could spend a couple hundred bucks? That's a flaw. That's a flaw. It's the same as saying, why change my oil every 3,000 miles? That oil can really recycle itself for maybe seven, 10,000 miles, and then you get the car problems, you know?

Roger Magalhaes 15:15

Sure.

Joe Gebara 15:15

Why why exercise? Why eat healthy? Why not pick the right window treatment too for the right price?

Roger Magalhaes 15:22

Right. I go one step down or deeper. So when I first started and guild us charge because I not even knew this was an industry to start off with. You know what I mean? Say, you know, I learned about this industry through my cousin, and he said, I'm hanging shades. I say, uh, you hang shades, then people pay you to hang shades. And then early on, I went to this lady. Actually, no, it was a guy. I was hanging his shades, and he said, and you know, just having a conversation. So, Roger, what do you do for a living? And I say, I hang shades. No, no, seriously, what you do for a living, I say, yeah, no, seriously, that's what I do for a living. So people don't get it, that there's professionals, that is an industry behind. And as you said, people don't understand why I need to pay this much. So, because you're paying a professional to do the job, to measure proper, you know.

Joe Gebara 16:27

Yeah, Roger, a lot of people don't understand the fact that this is a real and profitable career path. You know, I I have a college degree, but yet I make two, three, four times what a teacher makes today.

Roger Magalhaes 16:43

Right.

Joe Gebara 16:44

It's it it's it's it's profitable, it's a career, and and there are many, many, many options in there. A lot of people aren't aware of that.

Roger Magalhaes 16:53

I I just remember you said that one other job, this guy called me, he was a carpenter and he said, I already measured the windows, I just need you to install. And I say, I'm happy to install, but if something doesn't work because you know you didn't want to write, he he was buying from online at that time, and I say, You still need to pay for my for my trip to your house. I'm a carpenter, I know what what I'm doing here, I know how to read the tape measure. I say, okay, but behind the scene, I was like, that's a lot more to just measuring width and height. You need to know projection, you need to know, you know, if the product works this way or that way, control left, control right. And guess what? I get to the house, it was vertical blinds at that time. He didn't have the right brackets, he didn't have the right projections for the valence. I couldn't do the job, and the guy was really, really mad at me, thinking I didn't want to do the work. And I said, you just don't have the right thing, even though you know how to read a tape measure, and pretty much it. Absolutely.

Joe Gebara 18:04

Yeah, that's the basic, that's the basic reading that tape measure.

The Biggest Window Treatment Misconceptions

Roger Magalhaes 18:07

Right. And speaking about mistakes and you know, things that didn't go well, or people don't appreciate, what is something that if you had learned that early on in your career, what would make your job a lot easier? Something that you did the hard way for the longest time just because you didn't know any better?

Joe Gebara 18:32

For me, this is simple. I I when I was teaching, I would use every possible available technology to help my kids learn. But yet, installing even nearly 30 years ago, I kept it simple. My tape measure, my drill, my screws that I made work no matter the application, the same drill bit no matter what, because I mastered that and I prevented myself from learning more. And I especially wished that I incorporated technology as much as I do now, back then, however primitive it was back then. So if I knew today, if I knew then that today our industry would be so motorization driven because we're trying to get away from cords, yeah, I think I certainly would have applied myself a lot more. I probably would have gotten a low voltage certification. I probably would have become an electrician. If I if I knew that, if I allowed myself to adapt to something new rather than in the 2000s, I think it would certainly would have helped me grow my business more and have that self-confidence to take on those projects that sometimes I turn over to A V company, that sometimes I have to bring an electrician in, that sometimes I have to bring an integrator in. So that ignorance on my part, and perhaps that I'm already good at what I do, I've mastered my little toolbox, it's working, every customer's happy, and I didn't allow myself to grow. That's the biggest thing. Now I incorporate technology in practically every aspect of what I do, from a laser with Bluetooth to my iPad to a telescopic pole to lasers while installing.

Roger Magalhaes 20:47

So, bottom line, if you were more open to new technology for what's coming, as opposed to I know it all, I don't need to be taught anything else. That model is what you said?

Joe Gebara 21:05

Okay, yeah, most definitely. I I I wish I had the foresight, or at least the lack of I know it all, to have accepted that you know what someday that $900 motor might be a couple hundred bucks, and everyone's gonna want it.

Roger Magalhaes 21:24

Right.

Joe Gebara 21:25

So I find myself learning now what I could have done then, which would have made the future even easier, right?

Roger Magalhaes 21:33

Right.

Joe Gebara 21:33

And profitable.

Roger Magalhaes 21:35

Absolutely. So uh yeah, we see these on Facebook groups like that there's gonna be a training. Who's gonna go? Oh, I don't need to go. I already been installing for 30 years. Say, dude, the minute you think you know everything, you're just you're already behind, you know.

Joe Gebara 21:52

You always say that. You always say that. We're always learning. Yeah, you have to always learn. There, I I I could be in this industry 30 years. There's someone who's been in it maybe five years and has a little nugget of something to share for me to get better, or someone who's been in there 40 years who's seen so many more for me to learn. We could always learn.

Roger Magalhaes 22:13

And here's the other thing because I have trading app, the consulting side, I talk to people all over the country. So what works in New England is different than what works in California, which is different than what works in Florida. So as much as I know window treatments, each region, each construction code is different. So you are always learning if you want to learn, right? Otherwise, you can just resist. Now, having said that, if you need to start your life over again, would you pick this industry again? Or you said, oh, you know what? I'm burned out. Here's my hat. I'm gonna go plan B. Would you stay or would you go?

Mistakes, Measuring, And Missing Parts

Joe Gebara 23:06

Knowing what I know, you mean? Uh-huh. Well, Roger, so I'm gonna be 52 years old in May. Okay. Knowing what I know now, I would have installed for 10 years and then opened up a gallery somewhere. Okay. And save my back, my knees, everything. Now, I just got done telling you how amazing the last 30 years have been.

Roger Magalhaes 23:33

Right.

Joe Gebara 23:33

Because I understand the blessing that I've had to land in this industry and make a life out of it, raise a family out of it, pay for school out of it. But the reality is your question really forces one to reflect. And I would have installed for about 10 years. And in my mid-30s, I would have gone retail because essentially, as well as we do as installers, that's where true income comes from. Sales. If I could do it all over again, that's what I would do. 10 years in installing and then move on to retail and more sales and building a team. As opposed to. But you will still be in the same industry. 100%, man. Okay. 100%. There's so much that I enjoy about our industry. One of the big parts that I love, Roger, is the fact that every single day we as individuals outside of this industry, we cross paths, right? And not a word is said. We have the luxury of yet yesterday I was at five different people's homes. We spoke, we drank coffee. That's a luxury I have in our industry. And over time, I've become friends with customers. And that aspect of it, I wouldn't want to change for anything. So yes, I'd absolutely find myself in the same industry.

Roger Magalhaes 25:12

Right, right, right.

Joe Gebara 25:13

Maybe wearing a different hat.

Roger Magalhaes 25:15

Sure. I understand that completely. One thing that I feel extremely blessing in this industry, today I am going against you on a job. Okay. But tomorrow I get a job that's too big. I'm gonna hire you to be my partner on that job, even though you're still my competitor. Yeah. And then on the third day, I might be too busy, and I actually pass the job over to you. And no, people are so helpful, friendly. Everybody's supportive, and everybody's trying to help each other out. Obviously, there's a few that we kind of wish they couldn't be in the industry, but for the most part, most people are nice and reciprocating and kind of it's just a lovely industry, I think.

Joe Gebara 26:15

Absolutely agree. Look at the uh IWCE events. You you you you meet people and you become lifelong friends. You know, and and that part about, like you said, if you're too busy, then you pass along a job. And it goes not just for retail, it goes for installing. How many times have you leaned on me or I've leaned on you? And that that aspect of it, I don't think you get anywhere else. And then the fact that it builds trust and relationships, lifetime relationships, man. I mean, we've vacationed down to the keys a couple times with our wives, you know? Well, my wife and I are in Tampa, we visit you and go chow down in some, you know, Lebanese restaurant or something. Right. That would not have happened if not for our industry. How else would I have met you, you know?

Roger Magalhaes 26:59

Absolutely. 100% that, man. I appreciate that for sure. Now, speaking, if you're coming back to the industry, if you stay, if you go a different path, how about 20 years from now? What do you think you're gonna be doing it? Because you already said your back hurts, I'm gonna install it myself, my knees hurt, my neck hurts. It's a lot of physical work, as I said earlier. So, what is your plan for the future? How do you see yourself 15, 20 years from now?

Joe Gebara 27:36

Well, Roger, you're one of my best friends, man. If I'm alive 15 to 20 years from now, it's gonna be a great blessing.

Roger Magalhaes 27:43

That's great.

Technology, Training, And Staying Humble

Joe Gebara 27:44

Well, let's let's start with that, right? Realistically, I see myself in this industry till my last dying day, probably. Maybe in a different capacity. Now that I have my son installing full-time, holding the reins and doing well, it's gonna allow me to hopefully, 15, 20 years from now, hopefully, in a part-time capacity, focus on sales, branching out in other ways, training maybe, but being in the industry because the freedoms that it allows me, I I can't find anywhere else. And I I I would be a fool to spark the knowledge and the expertise I have to do something else. I enjoy it. I hope 15 years from now I'm healthy, I'm alive and well, and thriving in some different aspect of the industry, definitely on a part-time basis. Yeah, my wife's gonna retire in about 10 years, and she would kill me if I was still alive, and she would kill me to retire also. So maybe on a part-time basis, I'd still be in the industry for sure. Yeah. 15, 20 years from now, definitely. Complaining about something, but I'll still be there. I'll still be there.

Roger Magalhaes 29:01

Right. So I joke with Team Sanders, much younger than us, a big guy in the industry, growing like there's no tomorrow, growing like grass in Florida. So he he he has a lot of years ahead, so he's gonna be here for the long time. But he he says something that this industry is the best hidden secret, which means you can make good money. You don't need to work as much if you don't want to, you go to nice places. Angelo Carpetas, also a friend of us, also says this is the most well-paid part-time job you can have in your life. You know, you sell a job a week, you still can make thousands of dollars based on your knowledge, based on your connections. So it is really being a fool if you truly wanted to get out of the industry, because you don't need much to keep the money coming. You know, you can sub out installations, you can still sell, you can work for a retail company, you can do as you said, you can be a teacher for new installers. There's so many options. Even being older, you can still be very active, you know.

Joe Gebara 30:26

Oh, yeah. With hard work and the right systems in place, right people around you, whether it's installing, retailing, training, the success is around the corner in this industry for sure. Because there's a need, there's a need for help.

Roger Magalhaes 30:40

There's a need for that, for that, absolutely. Now, let's stop talking about window treatments for just a minute. I know you're passionate, I'm passionate, we can talk shades all night long here. But outside of this industry, what else are you passionate about? I already know the answer because of your friends, but for the people that don't know us.

Joe Gebara 31:06

So, Roger, a lot of people don't know this, but outside of the industry, and for the past 25 years, I've been a child advocate here in Florida. Okay. I was the PTA president for the county, I was the state vice president of education for Florida PTA. So my passion is advocacy, advocacy for children, advocacy for public education, healthcare, etc. Now, you know my story as well as my wife and my family members, because you were there next to me in 2021 when I was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.

Roger Magalhaes 31:42

Yes.

Long-Term Career Plans And Saving Your Body

Joe Gebara 31:43

I'm healthy. I'm nearly three years cancer free now. And it's thank you, man. And it's opened up another area for me that I'm deeply passionate about. And it's advocacy. It's advocacy for adequate health care for people, it's advocacy to get people screened early, because no matter the statistics and the fact that we all know someone who's died of cancer, cancer is highly treatable if detected early. So now I find that on my time off, I'm assisting people going through the journey right now, getting adequate health care, helping them fight insurance and denials to get healthier, to get better. If I were to get out of this industry, it would probably be for one thing to focus on better advocacy and care for cancer patients, pediatric cancer patients, and all those avenues of advocacy. You know this very well. I'm alive today because I was at the right institution at the right time, and I had a lot of people advocating for me. Most importantly, though, I'm alive today because of people's generosity. Cancer treatments cost nearly 200 grand for me to be here, and so many people were so generous. You included, man. You include, I remember I was in the ICU at South Miami Hospital. I coded the day before, and you came down to visit. And Roger, at that moment, and I know you don't do these things for publicity, I know you don't even want to talk about it. But the reality is, I'll never forget the gift that you gave my wife and I. I won't say what it was. But talk about it. But guess what? I'm talking about me, how fortunate I was, but not everyone is as fortunate as Jojo Barra to have wonderful friends, to have community members who advocated for them. So I find myself filling that gap often now for those in our community who don't have the resources and who deserve the best health care and to be alive for their family, friends, kids, wives today, like I am. So that's that's what I'm deeply passionate about these days outside of our industry. You know, reminding people, have you had a colonoscopy? What a what a what what a what an icebreaker? Hey, how are you? Have you had a colonoscopy? It's like, why are you asking me this? Why? Because it can save your life. Yes, you know, have you had your breast exam? Excuse me, because it can save your life. My sister went through it, those kinds of things. So I find myself talking about cancer more than maybe most, but it's for a good reason, man.

Roger Magalhaes 34:54

I watched your battle closely, and I knew you were going so to survive just because how resilient and how optimistic you were, and I knew for some reason I just knew it. God had a plan for you. You know what I mean? So amen, man. That's why you're here, just to spread the word, to show people that it is a possibility, you know, if you agree, if you believe. And I almost died four times myself. So I think that is the reason why I'm here, you know. So I try to always bring positive to people. You know, people complain, oh, today's kind of a bad day. And I say, dude, how about if you think the other way? You're still here, you know, you're still standing, you know, in the hospital. So try to see the positive side of things. And a lot of people don't understand that.

Joe Gebara 36:03

They don't, and Roger, it's very difficult at times, but I I use the analogy, you know, where people say, Is your glass half full or half empty? Yes. Listen, man, you hand me a cup, a glass, and it could have a crack in it, and it could be dripping water. I swear to your brother, I'm gonna tell you at least I have some drops in it. Absolutely. And if we don't defeat ourselves mentally first, we're gonna be fine. If we stop defeating ourselves mentally, and and it also depends on who you have around you. You know, I talk about this all the time. You have the right people around you, you're gonna literally get up and find a way to move a mountain. If you have the wrong people around you, you're gonna sit and let the mountain fall on top of you.

Roger Magalhaes 36:50

Yes, but here's how I see it. If you it's some awareness that you need to be willing to absorb in trying to understand your surroundings, if everything is kind of not working out, see what's around you. Maybe your surrounding is actually dragging you down. Maybe you need to move away from your circles, you know. If you are the smartest person in your circle, you are in the wrong circle. You need to grow problems. You need to grow. So everything is doing is going wrong. Maybe you are on the wrong spot, maybe you need to move, you know. So your point is valid. So it's good to have good people, good support, and everything. But if you're not moving, maybe you're not just on the wrong spot. And that's for sure. Maybe awareness right there. Now, having had this discussion here, and kind of you said that I kind of made you think going back to answer some of these, if you met the same guy at the elevator again for the first time, how would you say what do you do in 30 seconds? Would it be the same? Would you change anything?

Joe Gebara 38:20

Yeah, I definitely change it. I definitely change it now, especially now these days. And in 30 seconds, now I make it a point to smile at everyone. If we make eye contact, I'm gonna say hello. I'm gonna hold a door because those little connections make people feel good too, not just you. Yeah. So if I'm entering the elevator, I'd say hi, how are you?

Roger Magalhaes 38:41

And if I haven't done your colonoscopy yet, I'd find a way, man.

Joe Gebara 38:46

I would honestly find a way. And I I cold talk to people to the point where it's like, hey, how you doing? I'm doing good. And if there's time, it's you know, I'm a cancer survivor. Have you had a colonoscopy?

Roger Magalhaes 39:00

Right, right, right.

Joe Gebara 39:00

So, yeah, that talk would change. If I'm talking to someone in the industry and they know me, that's where I'm going first, man. Cancer screening, it could save your life. You love the industry, you love providing for your family, you would love it a lot better if you were healthier. You'd love it a lot better if you were fighting cancer but thriving. Yeah, and it was a hard lesson to learn for three years, but we've made it through, and hopefully we could change that with other people also and the way they're thinking, you know?

Roger Magalhaes 39:29

Yeah, absolutely.

Joe Gebara 39:31

So that guy in the elevator would find a way to call my doctor and get a colonoscopy, that's for sure. Yeah, scare the crap out of them.

Roger Magalhaes 39:39

Hey, no, here's Scott. Hey, check this guy out.

Joe Gebara 39:42

That's right, man. That's right.

Roger Magalhaes 39:44

You're funny, whatever it takes.

Joe Gebara 39:46

Whatever it takes.

Roger Magalhaes 39:48

So, while the you know, we're coming to the end of it here. I want you to leave a message as your last words to our listeners. What do you want them to remember of you the most? Well, advice or something that you want to leave.

Cancer Advocacy And Screening Conversations

Joe Gebara 40:13

Man, whether in business, whether in marriage, whether in friendship, saying thank you is easy, do it. Saying I love you is easy, do it. The basics, man. Returning a phone call, returning a text, it gives value to that person, it gives value to that relationship you're trying to build. My thing is making a human connection at all times, not just when I'm measuring through your shades, but after the fact. If I heard you talk about someone's having surgery, I'm gonna follow up with, hey, how's your mom doing? Any option, any opportunity we get to make a human connection, do it. Do it. You make eye contact, old school, man. Just say hello. Just nod, smile, hold the door. Damn, it's too easy. It's too easy. It'll make you feel good, but you have no clue what anyone else is going through in life. That door being held might be the only smile they get, the only door being held they get. That that that appreciation. So if I was to leave one message, just be a good person. Just be kind. It's easy. It is too easy, man. What's thank you? What's your welcome? What's I appreciate you? That's my message, man. Daily. Do it daily. It makes life easier. Lighter. Lighter, man, more fun, more enjoyable. Yeah. And we need it. Look at the chaos in the world. You know, outside of politics, just the absolute chaos in the world. If I can make someone happy, if I can tell a joke, if I could introduce myself and say hi, why not? What's the worst that could happen? You get ignored. Move on. Shame on them, right?

Roger Magalhaes 42:12

That's right, man. Absolutely. Joe, as always, as always, it's a pleasure talking to you. Whether he's here, whether in Key West, whether IWCE, your energy is just great to be around.

Joe Gebara 42:28

Likewise, brother, you know it, man. Likewise. I really appreciate it, man. Always, man.

Roger Magalhaes 42:33

So that's what we have for today. It's a different type of show. We are going to do these once a month. You're still gonna hear me on a solo episode three times a month. And we have a special guest, Spotlight, once a month to make things a little different, to see a different perspective, a different point of view from people in the industry, also from other small business owners struggling, having fun, so we can all learn from each other. Joe, I appreciate you. I appreciate all the listeners here. And as always, if you have any questions, any comments, send me all your messages. I read them all, and we'll take it from there. Thanks so much for listening. I'll see you next time. Take care.

Intro / Outro 43:23

That's a wrap for this episode of No Strings Attacked, untangling conversations about shady topics. If you enjoyed today's discussion, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast with fellow industry pros and window treatment enthusiasts. For more expert insights, follow Roger on social media and visit ShadesandPlace at www.shadesandplace.com. Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep your shade stylish and your conversations shaded.