Mona is a vested employee, appears to be dedicated to "Your Business " when she doesn't have to. No one will ever care about your thing as much as you. She deserves VP of operations. Or she will eventually look elsewhere. You'll go far by keeping her. This is only my perception and opinion. But keep moving forward with Mona. She's great.
office manager? This woman should be a least an OPERATIONS Manager. She's done everything from after-hours work to running half the company. She's almost co-owner at this point. Pay this girl, come on man.
She seems highly VALUABLE. I get it that you can't pay $100K to everyone, but this girl sounds like she went above and beyond. I'm not talking about gender equality stuff either. She seems like she worked hard to do whatever to get ahead. Work ethic above par....
@@neoda91 I hate to say it but TITLES do matter. So if she wants to leave the company, it would be difficult for her to find the same pay if she is just an office manager. The way the video made it sound was that she wasn't making any money. She started out at 12 an hour. She said they had a conversation about making a certain amount of money and that's why she started an only fans.
Facts. I love his personality he displays in his videos, but there are definitely some things he says when it comes to the business side of things that make me cringe.
This!! She stated that because she had a conversation and about getting paid more and it couldn’t happen, she created the OnlyFans. I love Maxx & have followed for years, but this was pretty disappointing. I truly hope some reflection is done and Mona is compensated and titled as she deserves! Office Manager & making under $100k/yr is a slap in the face.
Its like Suits with Donna and Harvey... she was basically his secretary and he always thought of her like that.... and then realized that she was wayyy more important to the success of the company. She needs to be elevated.
Max, in Silicon Valley startups, the first (and most important) employee typically gets 1-5% of the company as part of the sign-on package, even if they leave after a certain number of years (vesting). Give her some equity. Read "Nassim Taleb - skin in the game", also Warren Buffett talks about the importance of your most important employee having a stake to align incentives long-term. Don't be short-sighted. Think several decades out. Good relations are rare, and relationships compound like interest. Never disrupt the compounding.
I have no doubt Maxx is a good dude and good boss. It's a learning curve for everyone. But "Office Manager" isn't cutting it. She's likely deserving of a title like "Vice President of Operations" or "Operations Director" and the salary to go along with that position.
what do you mean learning curve, man? max is not a first time boss/entrepreneur! when he says "i dont know what to pay people, incentives etc." how can you even buy it? like minimum 5 years of being a business owner you still dont know who deserves to be remunerated how much?
Maxx is so quick to ask people how much they make but when it’s his employee he doesn’t. Maybe now he will realize why people don’t like to talk about income.
@@dhl2112 I literally just explained why it's not the same thing. Again, Joe is a multiple business owner, who has had great success recently. Mona is a salaried employee in another person's business. Ye I get that it's just an observation, but damn this comment section turned negative over something that's not even that deep.
Great episode guys! If you don’t wanna lose Mona you should title her- VP with a high Salary and also receiving profit share of the company. She played a partner role sense the beginning of these companies and they wouldn’t be where they are without her. Think about it their will never be another person who helped you build Sour Strips from the ground up. There’s nothing more value able than people especially ones that are willing to put it all on the line. Don’t take this wrong, big supporter of you guys! Been following sense you moved to TX. Awesome podcast!
Absolutely, it’s a huge learning curve. 95% can’t relate to what it takes to grow a company from the ground up. At the end of the day people who put it all on the line are your most value able asset. Takes a long time to learn this an it’s not easy.
8 year follower here. Great episode, my takeaway was to increase Mona’s pay, give her that VP title, and maybe the gift of a % of the company to her (I understand these things come with time). Much love to you both and the brand, life long fan here guaranteed.
Max mark my words, “you will never find anyone else as humble and hard working as Mona.” She believed in your vision and stuck by your side through everything. Now that is someone you need to promote not demote. She needs to be a COO. The amount of respect and love she has not just for you but the business. This woman is Gold. Mona is a gem.
Maxx makes all these video where he's like Oh my gosh I had to pay this many thousand dollars to cut down trees, or I gotta pay this many thousand dollars to do x,y,z unnecessary cosmetic thing to my car or house like we're supposed to feel sympathy. Meanwhile is next in command made an only fans to get a better income. Ive been watching since the mts sponsorship days for context. Hope you reflect on some on these comments man. Nothing but love in the end
I’d love to hear him talk about the feedback on this in an upcoming video. I think he clarified a lot towards the end but would love to see how he reflects on it
As much as she’s done and was doing for all companies and for you personally I honestly thought she was a partner or held a much higher position so to speak. In my most respectful humble viewpoint I would view her as a stake holder, partner, or something of that realm. This really brought light into how important Mona was for the growth of all Maxx, EF, Sour Strips, etc…she should never have to consider getting another “job”…. Love y’all
I really hope Mona gets shares in sour strips. As much as Max has invested his money, Mona has invested her human capital in Maxx from day one. And the day sourstrips becomes a billion dollar company or gets bought out, I hope Mona gets a nice 7 figure pay out.
I think it’s clear Mona isnt invested in the company even when given ample opportunity. Maxx has been more than fair and generous. Then she puts the brand in danger after starting an onlyfans. I have a hunch that someone felt they had liability to tell maxx that mona had an onlyfans literally 30 minutes before the podcast was filmed because you know free publicity on behalf of sour strips 🤷♂️.
@@chrisgill8023 because Mona is a part of the sour strips brand on youtube pretty much. Everyone who follows maxx knows Mona. If maxx did something you disliked how likely would you not buy his products?
Okay, I'm all for Mona getting a raise but Mona gettings shares is totally up to Maxx. Also, Mona "invested her human capital" or Maxx gave her a big opportunity. Again, I'm all for Mona growing because she deserves it but everybody out here making her seem like a god.
Titles (and pay) matter. Our office manager books meeting rooms for us, orders pens and notebooks and arranges a restaurant for team celebrations. Mona is doing clearly A LOT more than that. Mona is the COO of Sour Strips in terms of what she is doing. Praise and appreciation will only bound her to Sour Strips for so long. My boss has been doing the same thing to me for years now and it has opened my eyes. I no longer open emails after hours or during weekends and when a good opportunity comes around, I will be gone. If you truly value Mona (which I am sure you do) and want her to stay for years you change her title to one that matches what she does for the company and give her a salary that goes with it.
She doesn’t have any equity yet in helping such a booming company? Absolutely baffles me Maxx, promote her to VP/partner and give her some equity/shareholder package included in her contract
I'm kinda shocked that Maxx doesn't realize what am imposition it is to ask someone that he calls an Employee to do work while they are on vacation. And the fact that Mona doesn't think twice about doing it shows her personal commitment to the brands and to Maxx. I really hope he can find a way to provide either a higher salary or a vested interest in the brands to her. Her attitude and willingness to work is NOT Replaceable. You can tell he was genuinely shocked she has an Onlyfans to make more income and he was embarrassed that this person who has been a big part of growing both of these businesses had to create a side hustle.
Mona is definitely a VP of Operations in my eyes! the both of you have such an incredible relationship and to see her loyalty is unmatched keep it up Maxx, love this podder, love the work you continue to do, and love how much you're able to learn about yourself as a business owner through Don't Be Sour
Mona needs a VP tile and more than like a raise! I'm glad you're learning and now not to call your employees after hours. It's definitely a learning curve. I love that to told her if she's bored you wouod change her role that day. Definitely VP of Operations. An office manager is someone who orders office supplies etc not handles all that she does. And i hope she has a great health plan etc. love you both! Love your dynamic together but please upgrade her title. She deserves it!!!!
It sounded like you were giving Mona the send off. You basically downplayed her contribution, alluded to her dropping the Ever Forward ball, called out her OP channel and told at least 20 times how much you were going to miss her when she leaves.
First off all I have no clue what Mona gets paid (she might be making $8k plus monthly which she’s worth imo), but she (if she was doing all this in my company with this kind of passion for you and the company) she would for sure get equity and would probable more of a COO. A person like Mona (from what it sounds like and what we see) she is basically impossible to replace, passion and heart is rare in this day and age. Love you guys and Sour Strips, I’d put 100% focus on SS and drop EF. I’ve said this 100 times in comments, SS will be huge! Actual Candy = Billion dollar company. Mona needs equity 😊
Loved having a Mona episode, she's such a mystery. Always in Maxx's videos I remember her joining you and it was great to see her open up a little on this episode. As a (small) business owner I understand the struggle Maxx feels with job title, delegating, salary, etc. His vlog where he talked about the July P&L statement really helps anyone who doesn't understand how business works really open their eyes to the massive amount of overhead associated with running a business.
Underrated comment, unfortunate to see the masses of people in the comments not realize that Sour Strips is still is just now probably entering it's toddler stage and the best is yet to come.
VP of operations or director of operations should be her title. Office manager is definitely not her role. I don’t know what she makes but she should be making at least a 100K a year. The other employees can be scalable but Mona is your top employee.
I enjoyed this podcast. Mona is such a sweet and humble person. Max u better make sure u do w/e u can to keep her as an employee. Hands down u can tell she is loyal and dedicated to her work. I’m sure u treat her amazing as a boss bt always go that extra step for employees like her.
Damn.... I really liked Maxx for YEARS up until this podcast. He comes off as self centered and a bit of an egomaniac. Taking care of your employees is the first thing a good business owner does. Giving employees leadership positions helps companies grow, and Max does not seem to do that-- EF is an example of that. EF is dying a slow death. I think the fact Mona had to even consider doing a side hustle shows she is not being taken care of, yet Maxx is driving around in nice cars, with a big house etc.
@@StoicGrow totally agree with this comment. She came across as almost TOO humble imo. Homegirl was even taking care of his personal appointments too on top of all her other work? Nah. She deserves to be compensated better. Maxx saying he is inexperienced in xyz only works to a certain point.
@@StoicGrow That's wild to say about someone you don't know, Mona taking initiative in creating an additional source of income shows the contrary, she's a go-getter. Everyone acts like Maxx having two RUclips channels hasn't become a "side hustle" for Maxx as well, everyone is doing what they deem fit to obtain financial security.
I actually really like you but this is actually sad. The fact she mentions she needs to support her Mom and sisters still! given how much she has invested into the business and you! You could at least give her equity compensation if you can't afford to pay her out right! But damn! This interview is an eye opener, hope you rewatch it and try to think how sad this situation is
It blows my mind he actually released this. The fact he didn't realize it sheds a bad light on him says a lot. I actually think he's a little bit of a narcissist now
@@laurenm8147 lol i've always said this about maxx from his early vids but people always defend him. he is not a terrible person but he needs to check himself and reflect on these things
Maxx you honestly found one of the best hard working people in the world. Be grateful for her & the person she is! You don't find many of those. But you are killing it! Love the person you are! I hope I get to meet you one day 😭
Shoutout to Mona. Moved states for 12hr to start bold af. It's said the Maxx wouldn't be where he is without Christian however Mona deserves credit as well.
Truly hope this also is kind of an eye-opener for Maxx himself. She is litteraly a one in a million. See a lot of people talk in the comments bout the amount he pays her, and I kind of hope he realises it, but nevertheless this EP is crazy good!
mona looking like she ate too many sour strips and shes always puckering from the sourness!!! hahahah stop with the botox and fillers..., you are naturally bbeeauuutifulll
No offense to these comments. But it’s not just as easy as “pay her more”. Just because a company is making millions, that doesn’t mean there is all this cash laying around. Maxx started his companies with cash just like we did with Anabar. When you’re holding millions in inventory, that ties up all of your money. Plus payroll, rent, taxes, etc etc. It’s hard to balance. You want people around you that trust you and see the big picture. In 5 years Sour Strips will be a 9 figure company and Mona will be 2nd in line.
Nah this ain’t it man smh. Maxx literally looks comes off as an egomaniac business owner. Mona has given her heart & soul to this and has not given her fair share. Really disappointed to see this podcast. Instead of “sending dood to college” we should really be looking at paying mona what is deserved. You also have a guy like shawley who’s come on this podcast talking about how he threw a huge Miami party for his crew & treating them correctly. Be better
MAXX gave his Video Producer a birthday gift of a nice Speaker setup for his video editing desk at work. It's a work expense you should have bought anyway. (MAXX you probably claimed it on tax too) Its an essential item to ensure he can do his job well and with professional equipment. You need to ensure your employees have what they need to do a great job and make their jobs more enjoyable, which makes them love their work. I saw MAXX mention people made this same comment in a previous video mentioning the "Birthday gift” and Maxx was clearly very offended and angry by this point being mentioned. But MAXX it's not a birthday gift when its something you as a BOSS should provide anyway and you made such a scene about it like your giving someone something cool for their Birthday, actually it's a slap in the face. Its like saying 'Here bro here's a gift which is essential for doing your job!’ I work as a video producer too and having a professional setup with a pro editing desk setup makes the job enjoyable and more efficient. I bet he was using headphones like a college student before that, because you didnt want to spend money on decent speakers for him. It's very disingenuous. A gift is something he can keep and is for him personally, not something you own and stays at your Business! Come on man! Maxx your response shows you are very out of touch with what it's like to be an employee who is paid an average wage and grind as an employeee somewhere everyday, treated like you gave a gift which is actually owned by your business and a business expense that is tax deductible. Its not like you bought speaker for the guy for him personally to keep at his home.
You're jumping to conclusions, the speakers were a gift, Oz can surely take those with him as he pleases that's not for anyone to assume, we simply don't know/don't need to know. You're also saying Maxx doesn't know what it's like to grind every day but from the outside looking in, none of his employees are grinding as much as Maxx is to produce the quantity/quality of content and run Sour Strips & EF. Insane amount of judgement on one post specially considering everything you're saying is speculation and 0 facts.
It's tough but as a business owner you should strive to get to the point where "key" employees do not need to ask for raises/more money. From the outside it doesn't look like this means paying everyone at SS/EF x-amount more. Just the critical few that will be in the trenches with you come rain or shine. A salary/bonus structure related to company PnL would perhaps make sense and scalable and keep the troops all pulling towards the same common goal. If the company does well, the critical guys do well. Although Mona claims not to be money motivated, the very fact she has started an OF (which is not not a slight), is rather contradictive. We are all money motivated to a sense whether we care to admit it or not. I guess it all boils down to whether her position/role/trust/responsibility is easily replaceable or not.
Im agreeing with your. It may be true that she’s not consciously money motivated, but if the lifestyle that she wants requires a lot of money, then she will absolutely go where the money is. She said she likes to travel and that requires some money.
Disappointed in maxx. Mona deserves a better job title than a office manager. Also I believe mona is wanting to chase more money and maybe she feels like she is underpaid. Don’t let people go especially if they are loyal to you and to the companies you own.
I always assumed Mona had a small equity position in EF or got launch bonuses and the fact she moved half way across the country for 12/hr is unbelievable. If I recall correctly Maxx pays himself 256k from the holding company just like Christian. He deserves a lot of credit but EF wouldn’t be where it is without her and Sour Strips probably wouldn’t exist. Can’t afford decent pay because of overhead but can buy a million dollar house and 200k of vehicles. If you want pay to scale with profits then offer bonuses or vested profit sharing. Makes me not want to buy any EF or SS products. Maxx is ignorant on running a company but that also makes him a bad boss and employees like Mona suffer.
Mona out here starting an OF to make more money while Maxx is buying margaritas and parts for his jeep lol. Love maxx but with context it’s pretty messed up considering how obvious it is that she contributes way more than a normal hourly employee
Man I hope she’s been getting paid very well because it sounds like she’s been getting taken advantage of. Maxx can’t be easy to work with as much as he seems as a cool “dood”.
So she basically doesn’t make enough, even though she’s worked for you for 4 years so she had to make an only fans? Wow. Max I love you, but she helped you build both companies. She deserves better
Bro you gotta take care of Mona! Whatever pay scale you create or come up with doesn’t really apply to Mona. She is not an “employee.” She’s a partner. Just my two cents. Also she owes nothing for the rug. Maxx is the company owner with the open dog policy. It’s on Maxx! Again, just my two cents. 😉 Loved the podcast!
The dog is HER responsibility and it's actually embarrassing for him to have to address this with her. Again, like the OF it should have been done in private.
@@JEHOVAH485 lol do u rly think he was gaslighting her about the dog? it was dripping in sarcasm and is clearly a joke between them. also him talking about her OF on this podcast is only going to bump her exposure + revenue, something im sure both knew.
@@boyofin-j5g A dog defecating in an office is disgusting. An accident is one thing, but 10 times? At least get a diaper. If you recall, the rug was very expensive.
Sooooo nice to hear more about Mona she’s always around but pretty quiet! She needs one of the highest titles! If she was there to grow these businesses and be your right hand she deserves premium compensation which it sounds like your doing everything to make that happen. The sky is the limit for you two keep pushing
Hello Maxx, been following you for years and im from Morocco 🇲🇦 Mona has been doing a LOT for your brands, i honestly think she should be a business partner at this point 😁 Great podcast as always !
It's awesome to see the perspective of someone that's been and seen the growth of all these companies that max has built. Its hard to find people someone that would have a strong belief in someone's potential. Can't wait to see what great things yall accomplish
haven’t lost a key employee yet I see. you pay people based on the effort required to replace them, not just on their tasks alone. if Mona leaves, you’re going to be in a mess for a while. match her salary wants before she realizes she can be making significantly more on her own
It’s nice to hear Mona’s side of things and to see more of her personality. She seemed more shy when she first came on Maxx’s channel, but it’s so cool to see her grow and learn more about her
Been watching maxx since 2014 and this episode kinda made me look at him a little differently. Still a fan tho. Also, hopefully EF can survive, really like the quality/style of the clothes.
Maxx as someone who's been in a few industries from business to government work, one of the biggest ways to help your employees grow is through education. Mona is a keeper, and with a few semesters going to school, she could take your business to the stratosphere while letting you focus on the promotional side.
Maxx lacks social awareness as it pertains to his employees. Why is her title “office manager”. It seems you really don’t value her. If Mona has any career goals and wants to move up any corporate latter, the title office manager isn’t gonna help her.. that’s awful
Unfortunately, I was excited for this podcast but it really only focused on you. Mona is the backbone of your companies and I wanted to know more about mona independently. It just felt like you were tying every question back into yourself. Lemme add in this part bc I don’t want it to seem like I don’t know that you’re a genuine caring guy. I can tell that you are from your vlogs but I was just expecting something different.
I think people kneejerking and calling Maxx cheap should take a step back. Mona said herself in this podcast that there's things that people just don't see behind the scenes with the company and two, she obviously enjoys working there, she could've easily left at any point in the 5 years if she hated it. I also think people don't understand that Sour Strips is still very much in its infancy and Maxx is still very much in the early stages of figuring out how to manage a corporate team. He has been transparent about that. It's not like he has this incredible cash flow, his first company EF had to almost die off in order for Sour Strips to start; he also has been transparent that the revenue he makes off of the company almost directly goes back into it and how a good chunk of the purchases, lifestyle choices you see on his social is from his disposable income: RUclips, endorsements (MVMT, Ghost, etc...) he also has been pretty transparent about that. I also wouldn't be surprised if equity is in the works for someone like Mona, just hasn't been shared here. I just think people need to understand some perspective before gaslighting this notion that Maxx is mistreating Mona lol, like c'mon now.
Before reading the comments, I came here to say she is not an Office Manager!! An Office Manager is basically an administrative assistant. She’s should be Operations Manager or Chief Operating Manager.
After watching the pod & seeing the comments about pay. Without seeing the whole picture, she defo goes above and beyond. But yea I would agree with ppl in the comments.
Max, you really need to revisit your compensation especially for a loyal employee such as Mona. The fact she has resorted to OF out of necessity, does reflect on you...
@@sneezygibz6403 Max has zero self awareness!!! He uses his ignorance as a crutch, this is not the first startup in the world. There's info out there, the fact Mona has help built this business and only has a salary, which can't even sustain her. While Max is living out his dream is SHAMEFUL!
Only commenting because you posted your story about getting wrecked in the comments.. Maxx you have to understand that we all, for the most part still work 9-5 and getting raises for what we do and value we bring is hard to come by often. We’re well aware you’re a start up but you can’t post about the house you bought and the amount of money you spent on the remodel and all the vacations etc and then get mad when we find out you could only pay her 12-14 an hour at first or that she wanted more money but couldn’t get it due to cash flow. The amount of work you had her doing was def a 6 figure salary. Hopefully you’ve been paying her that. We don’t hate you, man the interview was just cringe at times when you blatantly said you didn’t know how much to pay people
Lmao Maxx had no idea! But I understand Mona💯 That 10k about to go up! good for her👏👏👏 Imagine this came after she said “I want to travel” 😅 GREAT CONTENT
Would love to see you have a guy like Alex Hormozi on the pod. Super fit but a business savant. I feel like you two would have an unreal convo about managing cash flow, scaling businesses, etc. but also touch on balancing all that with fitness
Learned a lot from this Podcast. When Mona talks about her decision to join OF after realizing that there are some salary limitations within Sour Strips, like an amazing entrepreneur, she took initiative to acquire another source of income. Kudos to her, and her mother and sister(s) are lucky to have someone who is looking out for them and their future. Already seeing people in the comments talking down on how much Maxx pays Mona, but I think beyond the monetary pay, working for a small owned business often means having amazing incentives outside of just the 9-5 grind. It's clear Mona appreciates working for Maxx and the environment/culture he creates for his employees, working some a great employer adds so much value. Lastly, I hear Ever Forward is looking for an Office Manager, where do I submit my resume?
That's fine and all but if you are going to work for a super small business (1-2) employees that plans to grow or die, just make sure you get some equity. Take a look at what happened to Spanx. The owner made billions, and early employees who you could argue worked just as hard on the company received a "first class round trip vacation". Smart sweets which I think could be considered a comparable company to a future Sour Strips sold for 360 million. Even just a 1% ownership of that is a life changing payout. This is coming from someone who made that above mistake of not asking for equity at my first job, when all my other coworkers were getting some. The company later sold for 100 million. I probably missed out on a few hundred thousand.
“Early employees who worked just as hard”. That’s not how business works. If the company were to fail, the owner assumes all financial consequence…not early employees. The owner takes all the risk and then gets the reward. Employees should be fairly compensated though
@@aoverhol1028 Finally someone saying this in the comments. People always want equity upside and not the downside of equity. What they really need is better incentives from Max aligned around role + rev growth.
@@aoverhol1028 This is how business works in tech where equity based compensation is much more standard. Especially because startups can't afford engineer base pay which nowadays is a minimum of 6 figures. If that's how you do things you are going to get 9-5 employees. Nothing wrong with that. But if you expect someone to work 24/7 for less pay than they could get in an office job you need to give equity. If you can somehow convince someone to work 24/7 for less pay and no equity (which may or may not be happening here), congrats!, you are an excellent business owner. But I can't help feel bad for that employee when the owner cashes out and the employee gets nothing.
@@JackTN678 The downside of equity for the employee is you can spend years working more hours for less pay, just for the company to fail. At the very least offer the ability for employees to buy options in the company at it's current valuation.
I was wondering this too, but Christian doesn't seem cheap with anything. He also basically made Becca a partner with the womens collection so I almost doubt it.
VP of Operations sounds way better than “office manager”. That ain’t cutting it. Treat her well! She deserves it!
Don't be a mom. Let him handle his business the way he sees it. He is a lot more, lot more closer to it than you. Don't be a simp.
Mona is a vested employee, appears to be dedicated to "Your Business " when she doesn't have to. No one will ever care about your thing as much as you. She deserves VP of operations. Or she will eventually look elsewhere. You'll go far by keeping her. This is only my perception and opinion. But keep moving forward with Mona. She's great.
office manager? This woman should be a least an OPERATIONS Manager. She's done everything from after-hours work to running half the company. She's almost co-owner at this point. Pay this girl, come on man.
I hope she got at least some equity.
Yeah office manager is almost offensive..... should be COO or VP of ops or director of operations or something like that
She seems highly VALUABLE. I get it that you can't pay $100K to everyone, but this girl sounds like she went above and beyond. I'm not talking about gender equality stuff either. She seems like she worked hard to do whatever to get ahead. Work ethic above par....
you dont think she gets paid dude? you see what she drives and lives in? shes making over 100k..
@@neoda91 I hate to say it but TITLES do matter. So if she wants to leave the company, it would be difficult for her to find the same pay if she is just an office manager. The way the video made it sound was that she wasn't making any money. She started out at 12 an hour. She said they had a conversation about making a certain amount of money and that's why she started an only fans.
"Office Manager"??? Dude, you're lucky she's still working for you! That job title is a slap in the face.
She deserves a better title and a raise definitely! She is a loyal one!
You know fk all about what she makes, so don't be cringe.
nah, that's a trick
Mona is clearly a DIRECTOR of operations. Office manager as a title would be a slap in the face. Mona should have a stake in Sour Strips.
Completely agree!!
I love you maxx but you’re definitely giving me the “here’s a pizza party instead of a raise” type of vibe 😆
😂
Oof 😂😂
Gimme a Liter O Cola !!
Lmaoooo I mean facts
Facts. I love his personality he displays in his videos, but there are definitely some things he says when it comes to the business side of things that make me cringe.
This felt like a 1 on 1 meeting with a manager lol
“Not that I’m not paying enough”.. yes, Maxx, you not paying her enough is what led her to find a side hustle. She literally told you just now.
This!! She stated that because she had a conversation and about getting paid more and it couldn’t happen, she created the OnlyFans.
I love Maxx & have followed for years, but this was pretty disappointing. I truly hope some reflection is done and Mona is compensated and titled as she deserves! Office Manager & making under $100k/yr is a slap in the face.
Facts
not getting enough money is usually an excuse to start an onlyfans not the reason lol
Its like Suits with Donna and Harvey... she was basically his secretary and he always thought of her like that.... and then realized that she was wayyy more important to the success of the company. She needs to be elevated.
Office manager is like making sure the printer is full of paper lol. She's legit running a big part of the company.
its a lot of paper
I think office manager downplays Mona's role. She's more like your Director of Operations for Sour Strips. Love these podcasts!
nah thats actually someone else but office manager does downplay it
Max, in Silicon Valley startups, the first (and most important) employee typically gets 1-5% of the company as part of the sign-on package, even if they leave after a certain number of years (vesting). Give her some equity. Read "Nassim Taleb - skin in the game", also Warren Buffett talks about the importance of your most important employee having a stake to align incentives long-term. Don't be short-sighted. Think several decades out. Good relations are rare, and relationships compound like interest. Never disrupt the compounding.
Couldn’t agree more 👏🏼
I agree. But he doesn’t have too.
I have no doubt Maxx is a good dude and good boss. It's a learning curve for everyone. But "Office Manager" isn't cutting it. She's likely deserving of a title like "Vice President of Operations" or "Operations Director" and the salary to go along with that position.
Office manager is usually aka receptionist smh
@@anthonynguyen8031 lmao they don't even call people receptionists anymore, it's just office manager, same thing
what do you mean learning curve, man? max is not a first time boss/entrepreneur! when he says "i dont know what to pay people, incentives etc." how can you even buy it? like minimum 5 years of being a business owner you still dont know who deserves to be remunerated how much?
Mona needs a significant raise and a better job title than Office Manager, like VP of Operations of Dood Holdings.
Maxx is so quick to ask people how much they make but when it’s his employee he doesn’t. Maybe now he will realize why people don’t like to talk about income.
Great point! Didn’t even notice that
Haha totally noticed this
He asks successful business owners how much their businesses make. It's completely different asking an individual employee what their salary is...
@@willk161 lol come on bro it’s the same thing. Also he asked Joe how much he makes. It’s ok I am just stating an observation, all good.
@@dhl2112 I literally just explained why it's not the same thing. Again, Joe is a multiple business owner, who has had great success recently. Mona is a salaried employee in another person's business. Ye I get that it's just an observation, but damn this comment section turned negative over something that's not even that deep.
Great episode guys!
If you don’t wanna lose Mona you should title her- VP with a high Salary and also receiving profit share of the company.
She played a partner role sense the beginning of these companies and they wouldn’t be where they are without her.
Think about it their will never be another person who helped you build Sour Strips from the ground up.
There’s nothing more value able than people especially ones that are willing to put it all on the line.
Don’t take this wrong, big supporter of you guys! Been following sense you moved to TX. Awesome podcast!
Well said!
He’s in a learning phase, I can imagine within the next year lots of things will change.
Absolutely, it’s a huge learning curve. 95% can’t relate to what it takes to grow a company from the ground up. At the end of the day people who put it all on the line are your most value able asset. Takes a long time to learn this an it’s not easy.
Role* she’s not bread
Totally agree with this. Mona is a very valuable asset!!
THIS!! Came here to say this!!!!!! VP FOR SURE!!!!!!!!
8 year follower here. Great episode, my takeaway was to increase Mona’s pay, give her that VP title, and maybe the gift of a % of the company to her (I understand these things come with time). Much love to you both and the brand, life long fan here guaranteed.
I couldn’t agree more!!
Also og subbie. Mona should move on for her own growth and development
I agree with this one! Also an 8 year follower. NO ONE can or will ever replace Mona!
Max mark my words, “you will never find anyone else as humble and hard working as Mona.” She believed in your vision and stuck by your side through everything. Now that is someone you need to promote not demote. She needs to be a COO. The amount of respect and love she has not just for you but the business. This woman is Gold. Mona is a gem.
I hope Max doesn't think that he doesn't need to give Mona a raise because she's doing well on OnlyFans. Mona deserves a raise.
That's exactly what I was thinking too. Now he's gonna think she doesn't need a raise
Maxx makes all these video where he's like
Oh my gosh I had to pay this many thousand dollars to cut down trees, or I gotta pay this many thousand dollars to do x,y,z unnecessary cosmetic thing to my car or house like we're supposed to feel sympathy. Meanwhile is next in command made an only fans to get a better income. Ive been watching since the mts sponsorship days for context. Hope you reflect on some on these comments man. Nothing but love in the end
I’d love to hear him talk about the feedback on this in an upcoming video. I think he clarified a lot towards the end but would love to see how he reflects on it
As much as she’s done and was doing for all companies and for you personally I honestly thought she was a partner or held a much higher position so to speak.
In my most respectful humble viewpoint I would view her as a stake holder, partner, or something of that realm. This really brought light into how important Mona was for the growth of all Maxx, EF, Sour Strips, etc…she should never have to consider getting another “job”…. Love y’all
SAME I thought she was making bank there!
Yep this interview really reflects on Maxx. She took a chance on him and he didn’t repay her as the companies blossomed.
Same!!
I really hope Mona gets shares in sour strips. As much as Max has invested his money, Mona has invested her human capital in Maxx from day one. And the day sourstrips becomes a billion dollar company or gets bought out, I hope Mona gets a nice 7 figure pay out.
I think it’s clear Mona isnt invested in the company even when given ample opportunity. Maxx has been more than fair and generous. Then she puts the brand in danger after starting an onlyfans. I have a hunch that someone felt they had liability to tell maxx that mona had an onlyfans literally 30 minutes before the podcast was filmed because you know free publicity on behalf of sour strips 🤷♂️.
Why would the brand be in danger because she has of
@@chrisgill8023 because Mona is a part of the sour strips brand on youtube pretty much. Everyone who follows maxx knows Mona. If maxx did something you disliked how likely would you not buy his products?
Okay, I'm all for Mona getting a raise but Mona gettings shares is totally up to Maxx. Also, Mona "invested her human capital" or Maxx gave her a big opportunity. Again, I'm all for Mona growing because she deserves it but everybody out here making her seem like a god.
@@kevinbenitez42 what's there to dislike about OF?
JUSTICE FOR MONA!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
LOL!
Titles (and pay) matter. Our office manager books meeting rooms for us, orders pens and notebooks and arranges a restaurant for team celebrations. Mona is doing clearly A LOT more than that. Mona is the COO of Sour Strips in terms of what she is doing. Praise and appreciation will only bound her to Sour Strips for so long.
My boss has been doing the same thing to me for years now and it has opened my eyes. I no longer open emails after hours or during weekends and when a good opportunity comes around, I will be gone. If you truly value Mona (which I am sure you do) and want her to stay for years you change her title to one that matches what she does for the company and give her a salary that goes with it.
She doesn’t have any equity yet in helping such a booming company? Absolutely baffles me Maxx, promote her to VP/partner and give her some equity/shareholder package included in her contract
I'm kinda shocked that Maxx doesn't realize what am imposition it is to ask someone that he calls an Employee to do work while they are on vacation. And the fact that Mona doesn't think twice about doing it shows her personal commitment to the brands and to Maxx. I really hope he can find a way to provide either a higher salary or a vested interest in the brands to her. Her attitude and willingness to work is NOT Replaceable. You can tell he was genuinely shocked she has an Onlyfans to make more income and he was embarrassed that this person who has been a big part of growing both of these businesses had to create a side hustle.
I couldn’t agree more. He was definitely shocked…hopefully it was an eye opener!
Mona is definitely a VP of Operations in my eyes! the both of you have such an incredible relationship and to see her loyalty is unmatched
keep it up Maxx, love this podder, love the work you continue to do, and love how much you're able to learn about yourself as a business owner through Don't Be Sour
Maxx interviewed Mona and just asked her a ton of questions about himself 😂😂
Wish you interviewed her more than asking her questions about you and the business
I completely agree. Wish I got to know Mona more as a person, and less as his employee!
Mona needs a VP tile and more than like a raise! I'm glad you're learning and now not to call your employees after hours. It's definitely a learning curve. I love that to told her if she's bored you wouod change her role that day. Definitely VP of Operations. An office manager is someone who orders office supplies etc not handles all that she does. And i hope she has a great health plan etc. love you both! Love your dynamic together but please upgrade her title. She deserves it!!!!
Quit chasing titles
😂 Maxx reaction to Mona saying "More than I make here" lol ! I think I replayed that part like 10 times and still found it funny!
It sounded like you were giving Mona the send off.
You basically downplayed her contribution, alluded to her dropping the Ever Forward ball, called out her OP channel and told at least 20 times how much you were going to miss her when she leaves.
Make a part 2 Maxx, ask her more questions about her!!!
First off all I have no clue what Mona gets paid (she might be making $8k plus monthly which she’s worth imo), but she (if she was doing all this in my company with this kind of passion for you and the company) she would for sure get equity and would probable more of a COO. A person like Mona (from what it sounds like and what we see) she is basically impossible to replace, passion and heart is rare in this day and age. Love you guys and Sour Strips, I’d put 100% focus on SS and drop EF. I’ve said this 100 times in comments, SS will be huge! Actual Candy = Billion dollar company. Mona needs equity 😊
Loved having a Mona episode, she's such a mystery. Always in Maxx's videos I remember her joining you and it was great to see her open up a little on this episode. As a (small) business owner I understand the struggle Maxx feels with job title, delegating, salary, etc. His vlog where he talked about the July P&L statement really helps anyone who doesn't understand how business works really open their eyes to the massive amount of overhead associated with running a business.
Underrated comment, unfortunate to see the masses of people in the comments not realize that Sour Strips is still is just now probably entering it's toddler stage and the best is yet to come.
VP of operations or director of operations should be her title. Office manager is definitely not her role. I don’t know what she makes but she should be making at least a 100K a year. The other employees can be scalable but Mona is your top employee.
I completely agree - office manager down plays her role. She needs to be Like Chief Operating Officer or director of operations
I enjoyed this podcast. Mona is such a sweet and humble person. Max u better make sure u do w/e u can to keep her as an employee. Hands down u can tell she is loyal and dedicated to her work. I’m sure u treat her amazing as a boss bt always go that extra step for employees like her.
So you only paid her 12.00 to basically run your business ? Bless her heart
If people are willing to do it for a low pay such as that so be it, less money for the owner. Gotta look at it from business perspective
@@LusciousBodybuilding yeah I get that side of it.. I just thought max was better than that
@@ThatsBadTV I think that was in the early days when she wasn’t doing as much. He did say her pay went up quickly as the years went on.
@@emma_m0 I hope so..
Mona is a day one Homie. I think she deserves more.
Damn.... I really liked Maxx for YEARS up until this podcast. He comes off as self centered and a bit of an egomaniac. Taking care of your employees is the first thing a good business owner does. Giving employees leadership positions helps companies grow, and Max does not seem to do that-- EF is an example of that. EF is dying a slow death. I think the fact Mona had to even consider doing a side hustle shows she is not being taken care of, yet Maxx is driving around in nice cars, with a big house etc.
Also like him saying ‘hope the day you leave never comes’ LIKE THEN MAKE HER MORE MOTIVATED TO WORK EVEN HARDER BY GIVING OUT EQUITY bruh
I was surprised she had to do a side hustle too…
I lost a ton of respect for him
@@StoicGrow totally agree with this comment. She came across as almost TOO humble imo. Homegirl was even taking care of his personal appointments too on top of all her other work? Nah. She deserves to be compensated better. Maxx saying he is inexperienced in xyz only works to a certain point.
@@StoicGrow That's wild to say about someone you don't know, Mona taking initiative in creating an additional source of income shows the contrary, she's a go-getter. Everyone acts like Maxx having two RUclips channels hasn't become a "side hustle" for Maxx as well, everyone is doing what they deem fit to obtain financial security.
I actually really like you but this is actually sad. The fact she mentions she needs to support her Mom and sisters still! given how much she has invested into the business and you! You could at least give her equity compensation if you can't afford to pay her out right! But damn! This interview is an eye opener, hope you rewatch it and try to think how sad this situation is
It blows my mind he actually released this. The fact he didn't realize it sheds a bad light on him says a lot. I actually think he's a little bit of a narcissist now
@@laurenm8147 lol i've always said this about maxx from his early vids but people always defend him. he is not a terrible person but he needs to check himself and reflect on these things
Maxx should def see Mona as a day one and not just any other employee in the company. She should at least have a little bit of equity in the company
Why?
@@jjcarley He thinks she’s important enough to be on the podcast
Maxx you honestly found one of the best hard working people in the world. Be grateful for her & the person she is! You don't find many of those. But you are killing it! Love the person you are! I hope I get to meet you one day 😭
Shoutout to Mona. Moved states for 12hr to start bold af. It's said the Maxx wouldn't be where he is without Christian however Mona deserves credit as well.
Maxx needs to interview the people to learn more about them. Not to learn about how they know him and his business lol
Narcasist
I would be so embarrassed to release this after that conversation. The fact he doesn't see that says a lot
LOL
Truly hope this also is kind of an eye-opener for Maxx himself. She is litteraly a one in a million. See a lot of people talk in the comments bout the amount he pays her, and I kind of hope he realises it, but nevertheless this EP is crazy good!
Thotty OF girl w a little g*y dog.. yeah, 1inaMillion bruh 👌
mona looking like she ate too many sour strips and shes always puckering from the sourness!!! hahahah stop with the botox and fillers..., you are naturally bbeeauuutifulll
How much does he pay her?
@@boston2874 oh damn, yeah I understand all the comments saying she needs a raise wtf
Feeling like Mona is undervalued 😩
No offense to these comments. But it’s not just as easy as “pay her more”. Just because a company is making millions, that doesn’t mean there is all this cash laying around. Maxx started his companies with cash just like we did with Anabar. When you’re holding millions in inventory, that ties up all of your money. Plus payroll, rent, taxes, etc etc. It’s hard to balance. You want people around you that trust you and see the big picture. In 5 years Sour Strips will be a 9 figure company and Mona will be 2nd in line.
Thank you Ryan! I didn’t know how to say it
Equity
Nah this ain’t it man smh. Maxx literally looks comes off as an egomaniac business owner. Mona has given her heart & soul to this and has not given her fair share. Really disappointed to see this podcast. Instead of “sending dood to college” we should really be looking at paying mona what is deserved. You also have a guy like shawley who’s come on this podcast talking about how he threw a huge Miami party for his crew & treating them correctly. Be better
I used to think Shawley was egotistical and stuck up but seeing how he treats his employees compared to maxx made me think differently
MAXX gave his Video Producer a birthday gift of a nice Speaker setup for his video editing desk at work. It's a work expense you should have bought anyway. (MAXX you probably claimed it on tax too) Its an essential item to ensure he can do his job well and with professional equipment. You need to ensure your employees have what they need to do a great job and make their jobs more enjoyable, which makes them love their work. I saw MAXX mention people made this same comment in a previous video mentioning the "Birthday gift” and Maxx was clearly very offended and angry by this point being mentioned. But MAXX it's not a birthday gift when its something you as a BOSS should provide anyway and you made such a scene about it like your giving someone something cool for their Birthday, actually it's a slap in the face. Its like saying 'Here bro here's a gift which is essential for doing your job!’ I work as a video producer too and having a professional setup with a pro editing desk setup makes the job enjoyable and more efficient. I bet he was using headphones like a college student before that, because you didnt want to spend money on decent speakers for him. It's very disingenuous. A gift is something he can keep and is for him personally, not something you own and stays at your Business! Come on man!
Maxx your response shows you are very out of touch with what it's like to be an employee who is paid an average wage and grind as an employeee somewhere everyday, treated like you gave a gift which is actually owned by your business and a business expense that is tax deductible. Its not like you bought speaker for the guy for him personally to keep at his home.
You're jumping to conclusions, the speakers were a gift, Oz can surely take those with him as he pleases that's not for anyone to assume, we simply don't know/don't need to know. You're also saying Maxx doesn't know what it's like to grind every day but from the outside looking in, none of his employees are grinding as much as Maxx is to produce the quantity/quality of content and run Sour Strips & EF. Insane amount of judgement on one post specially considering everything you're saying is speculation and 0 facts.
It's tough but as a business owner you should strive to get to the point where "key" employees do not need to ask for raises/more money. From the outside it doesn't look like this means paying everyone at SS/EF x-amount more. Just the critical few that will be in the trenches with you come rain or shine. A salary/bonus structure related to company PnL would perhaps make sense and scalable and keep the troops all pulling towards the same common goal. If the company does well, the critical guys do well.
Although Mona claims not to be money motivated, the very fact she has started an OF (which is not not a slight), is rather contradictive. We are all money motivated to a sense whether we care to admit it or not.
I guess it all boils down to whether her position/role/trust/responsibility is easily replaceable or not.
Im agreeing with your. It may be true that she’s not consciously money motivated, but if the lifestyle that she wants requires a lot of money, then she will absolutely go where the money is. She said she likes to travel and that requires some money.
Disappointed in maxx. Mona deserves a better job title than a office manager. Also I believe mona is wanting to chase more money and maybe she feels like she is underpaid. Don’t let people go especially if they are loyal to you and to the companies you own.
I always assumed Mona had a small equity position in EF or got launch bonuses and the fact she moved half way across the country for 12/hr is unbelievable. If I recall correctly Maxx pays himself 256k from the holding company just like Christian. He deserves a lot of credit but EF wouldn’t be where it is without her and Sour Strips probably wouldn’t exist. Can’t afford decent pay because of overhead but can buy a million dollar house and 200k of vehicles. If you want pay to scale with profits then offer bonuses or vested profit sharing. Makes me not want to buy any EF or SS products. Maxx is ignorant on running a company but that also makes him a bad boss and employees like Mona suffer.
Yup and he admits to being bad at cash flow yet tries to give business advice? What a joke
Mona out here starting an OF to make more money while Maxx is buying margaritas and parts for his jeep lol. Love maxx but with context it’s pretty messed up considering how obvious it is that she contributes way more than a normal hourly employee
Christian gives himself a personal budget of 90k
@@theodorelasso7466 pretty sure he spent 400k in renovations alone. He’s mentioned couple times how his Jeep cost over 100k by itself.
@@tedthetrain from 4 years ago ruclips.net/video/1ntB6Y8LAuU/видео.html
Man I hope she’s been getting paid very well because it sounds like she’s been getting taken advantage of. Maxx can’t be easy to work with as much as he seems as a cool “dood”.
Disappointed on how Mona is treated in the company. She needs a raise and a better title .
Damn that was sad when Mona said she feels Like she lost a friend.
Mona bout to make 100K this month no cap
So she basically doesn’t make enough, even though she’s worked for you for 4 years so she had to make an only fans? Wow. Max I love you, but she helped you build both companies. She deserves better
Bro you gotta take care of Mona! Whatever pay scale you create or come up with doesn’t really apply to Mona. She is not an “employee.” She’s a partner. Just my two cents. Also she owes nothing for the rug. Maxx is the company owner with the open dog policy. It’s on Maxx! Again, just my two cents. 😉 Loved the podcast!
The dog is HER responsibility and it's actually embarrassing for him to have to address this with her. Again, like the OF it should have been done in private.
@@JEHOVAH485 lol do u rly think he was gaslighting her about the dog? it was dripping in sarcasm and is clearly a joke between them. also him talking about her OF on this podcast is only going to bump her exposure + revenue, something im sure both knew.
@@boyofin-j5g A dog defecating in an office is disgusting. An accident is one thing, but 10 times? At least get a diaper. If you recall, the rug was very expensive.
I hope you're paying mona good bro. she's been there since day 1 and she is loyal and cares. its hard to find employees like mona
Sooooo nice to hear more about Mona she’s always around but pretty quiet! She needs one of the highest titles! If she was there to grow these businesses and be your right hand she deserves premium compensation which it sounds like your doing everything to make that happen. The sky is the limit for you two keep pushing
Hello Maxx, been following you for years and im from Morocco 🇲🇦
Mona has been doing a LOT for your brands, i honestly think she should be a business partner at this point 😁
Great podcast as always !
Been watching maxx since 2014 and starting to look forward to these podcast more than the regular channel… honest feedback brother keep this going!
She should be a VP of Operations she deserves that
Mona is your director or VP. Pay her well, she deserves more!
If things would crumble if Mona up and left then that’s a sign that you should be paying her well
It's awesome to see the perspective of someone that's been and seen the growth of all these companies that max has built. Its hard to find people someone that would have a strong belief in someone's potential. Can't wait to see what great things yall accomplish
haven’t lost a key employee yet I see. you pay people based on the effort required to replace them, not just on their tasks alone. if Mona leaves, you’re going to be in a mess for a while. match her salary wants before she realizes she can be making significantly more on her own
Mona, could be making triple elsewhere easily in different markets….
It’s nice to hear Mona’s side of things and to see more of her personality. She seemed more shy when she first came on Maxx’s channel, but it’s so cool to see her grow and learn more about her
Mona don’t shortchange yourself. You deserve shares in the company.
This needs to be completely redone! It felt so much like a job evaluation rather than an interview.
It feels like a send off. Why would he confront on the podcast about OF and not in private. Remember, he's going to miss her when she leaves.
Been watching maxx since 2014 and this episode kinda made me look at him a little differently. Still a fan tho. Also, hopefully EF can survive, really like the quality/style of the clothes.
I feel like these conversations had to happen between both Maxx and Mona. The podcast we've been looking forward to! 🙌🏼🎉
Max/Mona you guys have created a special bond. Happy to know a little bit about Mrs. Brown/Razi, her heart is in the right place.
Maxx as someone who's been in a few industries from business to government work, one of the biggest ways to help your employees grow is through education. Mona is a keeper, and with a few semesters going to school, she could take your business to the stratosphere while letting you focus on the promotional side.
Maxx lacks social awareness as it pertains to his employees. Why is her title “office manager”. It seems you really don’t value her. If Mona has any career goals and wants to move up any corporate latter, the title office manager isn’t gonna help her.. that’s awful
Mona could definitely start and grow her own business with the support of let’s say Heidi !!
Unfortunately, I was excited for this podcast but it really only focused on you. Mona is the backbone of your companies and I wanted to know more about mona independently. It just felt like you were tying every question back into yourself.
Lemme add in this part bc I don’t want it to seem like I don’t know that you’re a genuine caring guy. I can tell that you are from your vlogs but I was just expecting something different.
I think people kneejerking and calling Maxx cheap should take a step back. Mona said herself in this podcast that there's things that people just don't see behind the scenes with the company and two, she obviously enjoys working there, she could've easily left at any point in the 5 years if she hated it.
I also think people don't understand that Sour Strips is still very much in its infancy and Maxx is still very much in the early stages of figuring out how to manage a corporate team. He has been transparent about that. It's not like he has this incredible cash flow, his first company EF had to almost die off in order for Sour Strips to start; he also has been transparent that the revenue he makes off of the company almost directly goes back into it and how a good chunk of the purchases, lifestyle choices you see on his social is from his disposable income: RUclips, endorsements (MVMT, Ghost, etc...) he also has been pretty transparent about that.
I also wouldn't be surprised if equity is in the works for someone like Mona, just hasn't been shared here. I just think people need to understand some perspective before gaslighting this notion that Maxx is mistreating Mona lol, like c'mon now.
This! In Jan we got a vid where Maxx disclosed how much he makes a year. So let’s not pretend like Maxx is robbing his employees.
I call bs. Mona is clearly worth more.
@@Sithaari you work at sour strips?
We all need a Mona in our life!
Before reading the comments, I came here to say she is not an Office Manager!! An Office Manager is basically an administrative assistant. She’s should be Operations Manager or Chief Operating Manager.
i feel sorry for her...the podcast was meant to be about her and this dude cant stop talking about his businesses...pull your head in buddy
Dude Mona has so much respect for you - she deserves so much more!
If she’s gonna have a title it should be COO or something like that…operations manager, office manager? Come on man
Sounds like a way to undervalue/ pay his employees.
❤️ this episode.. I think I almost shed a tear when Maxx said “ he will never find another Mona” love the friendship you two have .. 😘
After watching the pod & seeing the comments about pay. Without seeing the whole picture, she defo goes above and beyond. But yea I would agree with ppl in the comments.
I was thinking you should get Mona an assistant and then you have someone who knows enough that she can relax and she will get help and have a friend.
I love Maxx and Mona. It feels like she is underpaid. Maybe I'm wrong. Take care of her Dood!
I’ve been waiting for this episode since the podcast started!
Pay the lady!
Good hearing from Mona!
Great pod episode buddy.
Growing a business with my wife and looking to hire people this one had SO MUCH VALUE! Thanks Maxx!
Max, you really need to revisit your compensation especially for a loyal employee such as Mona. The fact she has resorted to OF out of necessity, does reflect on you...
Lol
Yeah maybe give her a salary instead of hourly pay. Paid 2 week vacation, 75k salary.
@@sneezygibz6403 Max has zero self awareness!!! He uses his ignorance as a crutch, this is not the first startup in the world. There's info out there, the fact Mona has help built this business and only has a salary, which can't even sustain her. While Max is living out his dream is SHAMEFUL!
@@sneezygibz6403 I bet she already makes more than 75k
Only commenting because you posted your story about getting wrecked in the comments.. Maxx you have to understand that we all, for the most part still work 9-5 and getting raises for what we do and value we bring is hard to come by often. We’re well aware you’re a start up but you can’t post about the house you bought and the amount of money you spent on the remodel and all the vacations etc and then get mad when we find out you could only pay her 12-14 an hour at first or that she wanted more money but couldn’t get it due to cash flow. The amount of work you had her doing was def a 6 figure salary. Hopefully you’ve been paying her that. We don’t hate you, man the interview was just cringe at times when you blatantly said you didn’t know how much to pay people
Doesn't know how much to pay his employees but knows how much to pay himself.
Lmao Maxx had no idea! But I understand Mona💯
That 10k about to go up! good for her👏👏👏
Imagine this came after she said “I want to travel” 😅
GREAT CONTENT
Would love to see you have a guy like Alex Hormozi on the pod. Super fit but a business savant. I feel like you two would have an unreal convo about managing cash flow, scaling businesses, etc. but also touch on balancing all that with fitness
Agree that would be a really interesting conversation
Yesssss!
I agree!! That man could change your world in business
I don’t know if Maxx is ready for Alex tho but definitely would love Alex insights on how SS should grow
Learned a lot from this Podcast.
When Mona talks about her decision to join OF after realizing that there are some salary limitations within Sour Strips, like an amazing entrepreneur, she took initiative to acquire another source of income. Kudos to her, and her mother and sister(s) are lucky to have someone who is looking out for them and their future.
Already seeing people in the comments talking down on how much Maxx pays Mona, but I think beyond the monetary pay, working for a small owned business often means having amazing incentives outside of just the 9-5 grind. It's clear Mona appreciates working for Maxx and the environment/culture he creates for his employees, working some a great employer adds so much value.
Lastly, I hear Ever Forward is looking for an Office Manager, where do I submit my resume?
That's fine and all but if you are going to work for a super small business (1-2) employees that plans to grow or die, just make sure you get some equity. Take a look at what happened to Spanx. The owner made billions, and early employees who you could argue worked just as hard on the company received a "first class round trip vacation".
Smart sweets which I think could be considered a comparable company to a future Sour Strips sold for 360 million. Even just a 1% ownership of that is a life changing payout.
This is coming from someone who made that above mistake of not asking for equity at my first job, when all my other coworkers were getting some. The company later sold for 100 million. I probably missed out on a few hundred thousand.
“Early employees who worked just as hard”. That’s not how business works. If the company were to fail, the owner assumes all financial consequence…not early employees. The owner takes all the risk and then gets the reward. Employees should be fairly compensated though
@@aoverhol1028 Finally someone saying this in the comments. People always want equity upside and not the downside of equity. What they really need is better incentives from Max aligned around role + rev growth.
@@aoverhol1028 This is how business works in tech where equity based compensation is much more standard. Especially because startups can't afford engineer base pay which nowadays is a minimum of 6 figures.
If that's how you do things you are going to get 9-5 employees. Nothing wrong with that. But if you expect someone to work 24/7 for less pay than they could get in an office job you need to give equity.
If you can somehow convince someone to work 24/7 for less pay and no equity (which may or may not be happening here), congrats!, you are an excellent business owner. But I can't help feel bad for that employee when the owner cashes out and the employee gets nothing.
@@JackTN678 The downside of equity for the employee is you can spend years working more hours for less pay, just for the company to fail.
At the very least offer the ability for employees to buy options in the company at it's current valuation.
Damn this episode made Max seem cheap with his employees, wonder if Christian’s the same.
I was wondering this too, but Christian doesn't seem cheap with anything. He also basically made Becca a partner with the womens collection so I almost doubt it.