Care, Curiosity, and Creative Leadership

What does it take to lead a team of creative thinkers while building a business that serves clients across the South—all from Tupelo, Mississippi?

In this episode of IgniteCast, Judd Wilson and Taylor Tutor sit down with Josh Mabus, founder and CEO of The Mabus Agency, to explore the leadership principles that have helped grow one of the region's leading marketing agencies.

From launching his business in the Renasant Center for IDEAS to mentoring entrepreneurs through the CDF Pitch Competition and helping shape the Find Your Tupelo brand, Josh shares why curiosity, intentionality, and caring about people are at the heart of great leadership.

The conversation dives into leading creative teams, navigating different personalities and generations in the workplace, setting clear expectations, and why the smallest details often make the biggest difference. Josh also discusses why he chose to build a nationally recognized agency in Tupelo and why investing in your community can be one of the greatest leadership decisions you'll make.

Whether you're leading a creative team, starting a business, managing employees, or simply looking to become a better leader, this episode is packed with practical wisdom, memorable stories, and plenty of laughter.

🎧 New episodes drop every other Thursday, packed with insight, inspiration, and actionable ideas to help you grow as a leader—right where you are.

Want to learn more about the Ignite Leadership Conference?
 Visit 👉 www.igniteleadership.com

Transcript

S8 E5 Josh Mabus
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[00:00:00] Taylor Tutor: Foundation, your chamber of commerce and economic development engine for Tupelo and Lee County. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, iHeartMedia, for powering this season of IgniteCast. I'm Taylor. 

[00:00:35] Judd Wilson: I'm Judd. 

[00:00:36] Taylor Tutor: And welcome to IgniteCast

[00:00:42] Judd Wilson: Well, it's that time again. Another episode of IgniteCast. 

[00:00:47] Erica Dhawan: Woop, woop. 

[00:00:48] Judd Wilson: She always gives the woop, woop. I love that. And, and we're, we've exercised. We had a little dance break with the- ... intro music, which is always good. Sometimes our guests dance or move their arms. [00:01:00] Sometimes they just sit there. But Josh, he moved his arms.

[00:01:04] Josh Mabus: I wanna bring it. I wanna bring the energy. I'm glad to be here. 

[00:01:08] Taylor Tutor: Yeah. I think you got some nice moves, Josh. 

[00:01:10] Josh Mabus: Well, thank you. I'm, um, have very little, uh, rhythm. Y- you look pretty good. Okay. You look 

[00:01:16] Judd Wilson: pretty good doing it, 

[00:01:17] Josh Mabus: actually. Fake it till you make it. 

[00:01:18] Taylor Tutor: It's- That's right. That's my motto- I love it ... in life. 

[00:01:20] Josh Mabus: I love it.

[00:01:21] Josh Mabus: This is a business podcast, right? I mean, it's- It is. Number one rule, fake it till you make it. Yeah. Uh, 

[00:01:26] Taylor Tutor: speaking of rules, advice, things we live by, um, we start every episode with this question, so I wanna ask you, what's the best leadership tip you've ever been given? 

[00:01:36] Josh Mabus: Huh, that I've ever been given. I don't know.

[00:01:41] Josh Mabus: Can I, can I twist that? 

[00:01:43] Taylor Tutor: Sure. 

[00:01:43] Josh Mabus: Can I say the best bit of leadership advice I've given? I love it. I love it. And, and listen, th- that sounds, everybody that's listened to this that knows me will be like, "Of course, that's what, what would happen." 

[00:01:54] Judd Wilson: Josh, Josh Mabry is just with us. We all know that. 

[00:01:56] Josh Mabus: Well, it's, uh, what is that, uh, Michael Scott?

[00:01:59] Josh Mabus: "You miss all [00:02:00] the shots- That's right ... you don't, you don't take." Wayne Gretzky- Yes, yes ... and Michael Scott. 

[00:02:04] Judd Wilson: Yes. 

[00:02:05] Josh Mabus: No, I mean, I would say this, I, it's really hard to single that out, instead of sitting here and saying uh and um. Ok- Because there have been so many great leaders that have poured into me, they just kind of like, uh, not one's jumping out because I'm, I'm a, I'm a soup made by many chefs.

[00:02:21] Josh Mabus: But there was an interesting thing that fell out of my mouth one time when somebody asked me, and they said, "What, you know, what's your secret to leadership?" And I said, "Uh, not that I have any secrets and not that I'm particularly a great leader, but know everything." Mm-hmm. And they looked at me like, "What?

[00:02:37] Josh Mabus: What are you talking about? You can't know everything." And what I really mean by that is curiosity. Always be curious. Try to under- you know, know your employee's birthday, know when their dog's sick, kn- know when the client has stress. Um, I think what has worked for me is, is that. And, and really it translates to caring.

[00:02:59] Josh Mabus: It, it [00:03:00] sounds egotistical or like some crazy goal, but it's really care and be curious. So try to know everything. 

[00:03:07] Judd Wilson: I love that. 

[00:03:08] Taylor Tutor: Yeah, I 

[00:03:09] Josh Mabus: like that. And we tell ourselves we can't, but I mean, we believe the lies that we tell ourselves. Try at least. Mm-hmm. Be, try to know, put that onus on you to, to know what's going on around you.

[00:03:19] Judd Wilson: Yeah, 

[00:03:20] Taylor Tutor: yeah. I think it can be intentional too. You know, be intentional with your coworkers, your clients- Mm ... um, employees, different things. Just be intentional with knowing their birthdays, even if that, it's a, maybe seems a little less genuine if you have to set a reminder for it- Mm ... but they don't know that.

[00:03:35] Taylor Tutor: No, exactly. And, and it's special to them. It makes people feel like they're cared about, so I think that's really good. 

[00:03:41] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:03:41] Judd Wilson: So Josh, I, it, when you said that, I, I th- I was thinking about this. Um, World Cup's going on while we're recording this- Yes ... so everybody's kinda having to learn the game of soccer, football.

[00:03:52] Judd Wilson: But- 

[00:03:53] Taylor Tutor: Sorry, I'd have played soccer 

[00:03:54] Judd Wilson: too ... e- exactly. But I, I remember, so now I'm kinda re-watching Ted Lasso, and one of the key things that happened in [00:04:00] Ted Lasso that kind of what you said, when he first started, the equipment manager- 

[00:04:05] Taylor Tutor: Mm-hmm ... 

[00:04:05] Judd Wilson: his name was Nate or Nathan, and when he first met him, Ted Lasso said, "What's your name?"

[00:04:11] Judd Wilson: And he, the guy paused and couldn't s- He said, "Nobody ever asked me that." 

[00:04:14] Josh Mabus: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:15] Judd Wilson: And he said, and then he, they just waited and he said, "So what is it?" I mean, he didn't even know how to say his name. 

[00:04:21] Josh Mabus: No, it 

[00:04:22] Judd Wilson: just- But it was just kinda like he just said his name, and it just made him feel important and valued.

[00:04:27] Josh Mabus: Yeah, I think that, a- again, the, you know, we talk about employees' birthdays, but again, just like, you know, that I, I hate the title of that book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. I think it's all small stuff, right? Yeah, 

[00:04:35] Judd Wilson: yeah. 

[00:04:36] Josh Mabus: And I think we should, um- reorient our scale, right? The, the big stuff that we feel like is super big and overwhelming, shrink that down to, to something else.

[00:04:49] Josh Mabus: Yeah. You know? 

[00:04:49] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:04:50] Josh Mabus: In relation. I, I, I think, um, I say birthdays. I mean, my, if my staff listens to this, it's gonna be like, "Yeah, yeah, right, buddy." Um, there's one [00:05:00] that y'all know. I, I'll give, um, Emma Geiger a shout-out because it's a, it's a running joke that in, in her 13 years I've never told her happy birthday on her birthday.

[00:05:08] Josh Mabus: But now it's just a thing. 

[00:05:10] Judd Wilson: And- You think Emma's is February the 30th or something like that? Yeah, yeah. 

[00:05:13] Josh Mabus: It's at least, yeah. Uh, October 23rd. Yes, 

[00:05:17] Judd Wilson: yes. 

[00:05:18] Josh Mabus: But no, it, it is those, um, people care, and I think we've just gotten into this thing, um, where as connected as we are, um, we're, we're as disconnected as we've ever been at the same time.

[00:05:32] Josh Mabus: And those small things, those small, um, but again, uh, sure, the small things like birthdays or whatever, and maybe they're big d- you know, there are people with birthday weeks, Judd. Um, months. Um, but y- again, just the little client struggle, being able to understand the nuance of, hey, I think they're a little stressed about this or that, and being able to come in hopefully with empathy.

[00:05:53] Josh Mabus: You know, and, and, and Taylor, to your point, I believe in trajectory. You know, intention, trajectory. Um, know [00:06:00] everything is an unattainable goal. Some people don't do well with those. I do really well with it keeps me trying even if I know I can't reach it. That whole, um, I'll, you know, I'll actually go back and answer your question, um, because-

[00:06:15] Josh Mabus: um, it, it did hit me just then and it, it, I'm a little slower than most. Um, Duane Burch, one of my mentors- Mm-hmm ... who, who, um, y'all got to know early on, um, at CD, uh, you know, Brun, uh, he, he came here from out of town, and you could tell, and, um, helped me jump off the cliff, held my hand while we jumped off the cliff, but w- um, into, into, uh, business ownership.

[00:06:37] Josh Mabus: And, um, he told me, now this is a, again, a quote of somebody else, but the whole saying of reach for the, uh, reach for the stars or reach for the moon, which, 

[00:06:47] Judd Wilson: w- We, we can do both. Casey Kasem said reach for the stars, but I've also- Yeah ... heard reach for the moon. 

[00:06:52] Josh Mabus: Um, shoot for the moon. Yeah. Shoot for the moon.

[00:06:54] Josh Mabus: I think that's, uh, it, shoot for the moon, uh, or, or reach for the stars. If you miss, at [00:07:00] least you won't come up with a handful of mud, is the rest of that saying. 

[00:07:03] Judd Wilson: Okay. 

[00:07:04] Josh Mabus: And so if you, if you aim for big things, you know, um, your likelihood to, to achieve the, you know, achieve something better than bad- 

[00:07:14] Judd Wilson: Yeah, 

[00:07:15] Josh Mabus: yeah

[00:07:15] Josh Mabus: is, is better. 

[00:07:16] Judd Wilson: Yeah. I love that. I love that. Mm-hmm. So Josh, our, our, our, we've known each other for a while, even before I was at CDF- 

[00:07:23] Josh Mabus: Yes ... 

[00:07:23] Judd Wilson: through the theater and things like that. But you, um, you, you kinda mentioned, uh, Mr. Birch and, and, and that, um, going at the Renaissance Center for Ideas. Mm-hmm. And I think one of the sayings you said, it's not, I mean, it's the Renaissance Center for Ideas.

[00:07:38] Judd Wilson: That doesn't mean every idea is good. I mean, it could be the Renaissance Center for bad ideas. 

[00:07:42] Josh Mabus: So, so I wanna say this. That was Lynn Blanton. Oh, was it Lynn? It 

[00:07:46] Judd Wilson: was 

[00:07:46] Josh Mabus: Lynn. Yeah. 

[00:07:46] Judd Wilson: Now I knew it was one of you guys when 

[00:07:47] Josh Mabus: we came through the- No, it was, it was, I was in that meeting, though. Um, I think I quoted him back to him, and he had kinda forgotten as we...

[00:07:54] Josh Mabus: There was a pitch, and I'm not gonna name the name because you know who it is. It's a, it's a relatively, [00:08:00] uh, prolific business owner in Tupelo, but his... He looked around the room and said, "Well, they didn't say it's the Renaissance Center for good ideas." There it 

[00:08:07] Judd Wilson: is. There 

[00:08:07] Josh Mabus: it is. And he's the perfect person to say that.

[00:08:09] Judd Wilson: Yeah, yeah. But- 

[00:08:10] Josh Mabus: But I quote him often ... but 

[00:08:12] Judd Wilson: I mean, you, you came through there, uh, and then, you know, with your own agency as well. And the good thing is, I mean, you've given back. You've done, uh, a couple of seminars for me over there- Mm ... at the Renaissance Center for Ideas, and then most notably the pitch competition, which we've been doing now since 2016.

[00:08:27] Judd Wilson: Yeah. It's hard to believe. We looked, both of us- Quite an evolution. Yeah, we both looked a little different back in 2016 probably. But the neat thing that y'all do is work with those businesses that are coming up. Yeah. What is some advice that you've given them, but maybe you wish you could've given yourself back when you were starting?

[00:08:47] Josh Mabus: I, I, I go back to that sweat the small stuff. Make sure the details matter. Like, um, you know, care about the things maybe that you don't love to do. I mean, I think that's one of the, the worst parts, um, of, of business [00:09:00] ownership that you just have to get used to, entrepreneurship, is there's a lot of parts you don't like doing.

[00:09:05] Josh Mabus: And I think there's nothing wrong with calling those out, um, and setting those things up for, uh, you know... And I don't, I, I, I mean this quite literally. Please, God, help me find help for- Yeah ... those areas. Um, I mean that as a prayer. Um, and if you're not into that, then whatever. Um, universe or whatever you, whatever you're into.

[00:09:30] Josh Mabus: Hope- I think the, the, the, the audience of this will, that'll resonate with them. But, you know, um, be willing to categorize those things. Um, try to spend more time doing what you love, what your, you know, the, uh... In real estate they call it the highest and best use of a property, right? And I think that works well in, in many things.

[00:09:49] Josh Mabus: Understand what your highest and best use- uses are. And, um, you know, one of the things I always look at, whether I'm a judge or a mentor, because, you know, the mentor and you're judg- judging a bit. You're, you're finding [00:10:00] who you, who you, you're picking who you want to mentor, is do they have the team? Do they have the ability within it?

[00:10:07] Josh Mabus: Um, are they... You know, we said fake it till you make it, but there are some people that are, um, at the pitch level, the idea level, are faking it. 

[00:10:17] Judd Wilson: Yes. Yes, we've seen that. 

[00:10:18] Josh Mabus: I call it the rocket ship to Mars. Like, everybody or, you know, it's kinda strange sometimes. Not, not in our room, but, but I've seen it in other rooms 'cause I do this, you know, some other areas, and they're just, like, enamored, and I was like, "This does not exist."

[00:10:29] Josh Mabus: They are really good at selling. 

[00:10:30] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:10:31] Josh Mabus: And, um, they don't have any of the ability to pull this thing off that they're talking about, and it's really impossible. But yeah, um, assessing, um, you know, the, the baseline is assessing what, what you can do, what you can contribute, and then what are your gaps. That, uh, you know, I, I, um, as a younger man tried to eschew things like, um, the SWOT analysis, right?

[00:10:57] Josh Mabus: That's too hackney. That's overdone. But [00:11:00] hey You know, some of the s- some, some, some people don't need new tricks, right? And understand your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. There's another letter that some people throw in. I can't remember what it is. I think it's another S. But yeah, know what you're doing, know what your gaps are, um, you know, um, and play to your strengths, and try to, uh, you know, minimize your weaknesses.

[00:11:22] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:11:23] Josh Mabus: I know that's- 

[00:11:24] Judd Wilson: It's- 

[00:11:25] Josh Mabus: Not profound ... 

[00:11:26] Judd Wilson: but it's going back to the basics of 

[00:11:28] Josh Mabus: that. Yeah. 

[00:11:28] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:11:29] Josh Mabus: Well, the thing we find, you know, is, uh, obviously we do marketing, we do digital marketing, we do all this modern stuff, and people come to us to modernize their marketing a lot of times. But our, you know, desires and motivations as consumers have not changed.

[00:11:44] Josh Mabus: You know, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if we look through psychology, uh, some, some modalities are outdated and some thoughts are outdated, but we wanna feel secure. We, we don't wanna make a ba- Why, why is Nike popular? Why would you buy Nike? Well, you know, just do it, run, run faster, [00:12:00] jump higher. No, it's because you know if you wear a pair of Nikes, you have a, a very small risk of being uncool.

[00:12:06] Josh Mabus: Right. You know, if you jump out, you know, I don't know if these New Balances are popular right now, but, but if I wear Nikes- And, and how did they do that? You know, through brand and things like that. But those are, you know, that, that, that began in the '70s. And whatever the medium is that we're, we're talking to people, whether it be, you know, a digital medium or social media or something like that, those motivations, those core motivations are still very similar to what they've been since the beginning of time.

[00:12:34] Josh Mabus: Yeah. We like safety, we like security, we don't like surprises, we don't like to be scared. And, you know, those things kind of, uh, always tend to play out. So those old things, um, tend to be, um, true. 

[00:12:46] Judd Wilson: Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. 

[00:12:47] Taylor Tutor: I wanna touch on, you know, things not changing over time and staying with the basics, but every year a, a new group of college grads hits the workforce, and we end up working with several different generations [00:13:00] in the same office.

[00:13:01] Taylor Tutor: And for you, yours is very diverse in the types of people. Introverts and extroverts- Right ... and creatives are kinda hard to lead because they don't really fit into a box. Um, we had an Ignite speaker, I think it was 2024, it was Erica Dhawan, and she spoke a little bit about that. I want us to listen to that clip.

[00:13:20] Erica Dhawan: One organization, a nonprofit organization, the leader realized that in all of their meetings, extroverts just took up most of the air time. So he changed it up. He always sent a quick agenda two days before the meeting with questions he wanted everyone to be ready to answer at the beginning of the meeting.

[00:13:39] Erica Dhawan: Then at the beginning of the meeting, he had everyone share their answers in, sometimes it was in person, so in the white- on the whiteboard, and sometimes people were virtual, so in the chat tool they'd share their answers. And then he'd call on those with the most diverse or unique ideas. He told me he's heard more from his introverts and his junior colleagues using this format in a way that he [00:14:00] had rarely heard from them in the old school traditional model.

[00:14:04] Erica Dhawan: First of all, just by setting that agenda, introverts had time to think. They weren't caught off guard. They were ready with their best ideas. Second, by getting everyone to write their ideas first instead of turn-taking, it allowed junior team members to feel like their ideas mattered just as much as senior team members So how are we connecting intelligently today?

[00:14:24] Erica Dhawan: Whether it's with those introverts, giving them time to think, rotating, whether it's extroverts 

[00:14:31] Taylor Tutor: So I know just from here at CDF, you have people who need that time, they wanna think about it, they wanna plan for what they're gonna ask, and then try to think about how everyone else is gonna respond. I'm speaking about Darren over here.

[00:14:45] Taylor Tutor: Then you also have people like me, who you could probably give me time to think about it, and I'm not going to, because I w- I am going to think better bouncing ideas off of people and on the fly, like Judd. So how do you manage a team [00:15:00] of diverse people, extroverts, introverts, and, you know, what's been difficult about creating an environment for multiple generations to thrive in?

[00:15:08] Josh Mabus: So I go back to something I said earlier, and that is, um, kind of letting some of those truths that feel true go. Uh, I don't disagree with you, but I don't tell myself those things. Um, and, uh, uh, you know, one of the other things I would say that, um, just to throw in anecdotally is, I think one of the key things to success in business is delusion, um, believing you can do a thing that, that, um, um...

[00:15:34] Josh Mabus: There's a M.C. Escher quote, um, I get this backwards, but the meaning's the same, is, "Only those who dare, um, the impossible will attain the unachievable." And so what I say to that is, um, I, I try to treat things like that, a- a- and again, it, it's tough to say this because you said it, right? But when I have those thoughts, that's a lie, Josh.

[00:15:57] Josh Mabus: Mm-hmm. They're not hard to manage. You just have to figure it out. [00:16:00] Um, I think we spend so much time like, um, it's, it's to your point, I'm, I'm very similar. I would rather, like, uh, give me a, a subject and I'll give you an impromptu speech. That was my favorite part of speech class. Shout out Deborah Tears.

[00:16:15] Josh Mabus: And, um, you know, the... So I, I, I don't think it's that hard because, I mean, even this, this lady, what she says, I mean, this is not profound advice. Make an agenda. 

[00:16:26] Judd Wilson: Mm-hmm. 

[00:16:27] Josh Mabus: It's things we all know we should do, and guess what we forget to do so often to give everybody that chance to weigh in? This is, this is, uh, an important part.

[00:16:35] Josh Mabus: So we, we, um, have generally all of our people in the same place, and we're a little bit opposite. Our clients are all remote. 

[00:16:41] Erica Dhawan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:16:41] Josh Mabus: And so that empathy and all of that that I dealt with earlier, some people, or talked about earlier, we deal with, and it is, you know, you, we present creative ideas, which is a heady experience.

[00:16:52] Josh Mabus: You know? It's, um, you put all your heart and soul and it's completely subjective, and you think it's right, and it's on strategy and yada, yada, yada. And you have to put that in front of the client who [00:17:00] it's their work, right? 

[00:17:01] Judd Wilson: Mm-hmm. 

[00:17:02] Josh Mabus: And, uh, woo, that's a tough day to do. Uh, it's like curtain, you know? I hope I don't...

[00:17:08] Josh Mabus: You know, there's always that thing in there, like, "I'm off book, I know my lines," but hmm. And we've all kind of- Yeah ... stepped in it, and luckily w- we, we've have really good, um, cast members that, that, that help us. You, maybe you've never done that, but I, I've, I've jumped to scene three- ... plenty of times. But anyway, it is, it, it, it is giving, uh, time.

[00:17:30] Josh Mabus: It is understanding that, that thing about know everything- Mm-hmm ... is understand how people bring their ideas together, um, differently, right? And, and try your best to accommodate or, or either accommodate or set an expectation. Mm-hmm. Okay? Um, I, um, conversely, I did a, a meeting, um, a very successful meeting type where we needed to make some really quick decisions.

[00:17:54] Josh Mabus: I had a diverse group of people and, um, I printed out all of the [00:18:00] questions that I had for this meeting and I, uh, it was about 20 questions, and I printed them out face down in front of everybody, and they had to flip it over and answer the question off the cuff. And I think there's sometimes to prep, there's sometimes not to.

[00:18:12] Josh Mabus: There's a little bit of knowledge or, or, you know, when you call on people, how you call on people, all of, all of that through this. But the agenda and giving people, um, you know, a chance to, to answer is fantastic. But- You know, but really understanding who that audience is and, and making sure that those people who won't speak have the chance to speak.

[00:18:32] Josh Mabus: I've got somebody on my staff that is, um, absolutely profound, but just does not like to talk, and even this method is difficult- Mm-hmm ... um, to get this person to, to speak up. And so sometimes you need the... There's no, there's no silver bullet, I guess I would say. 

[00:18:47] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:18:47] Josh Mabus: And that's the thing is a lot of our, our, um...

[00:18:50] Josh Mabus: As leaders, it is our goal is to understand and facilitate, but sometimes I would say I'm the kinda guy that is a little bit old school, that [00:19:00] sets an expectation. Even with young people, you know how they don't like to be managed and told what to do. No, no, no. There is comfort in, in knowing there is leadership when you have that confidence.

[00:19:10] Josh Mabus: And, uh, maybe you have to explain the why a little bit more, but, um, I, I, I think both sides work. There, there's no silver bullet. Mm-hmm. You, you, some meetings need to be led stringently and some need to be- 

[00:19:21] Taylor Tutor: I think it's all about expectations, too. Knowing your expectations. That's it. I mean, you can apply that to any relationship, friends, family, spouses, work.

[00:19:30] Taylor Tutor: If you know your expectations, things are gonna run a lot, whole lot smoother. Yeah. So I think you have to be clear in that. 

[00:19:34] Josh Mabus: I'll give you one more quote. 

[00:19:36] Taylor Tutor: Yeah. 

[00:19:36] Josh Mabus: Um, an uncommunicated expectation is a pre-manufactured resentment. 

[00:19:42] Taylor Tutor: Yes. Most of mine and my husband's arguments come from unmet expectations- ...'cause nobody communicated anything.

[00:19:48] Josh Mabus: Yeah. Well, uncommunicated ones, right? Yes, yes. But you didn't meet it because I expected you to clean- But- ... uh, you should have known to take the trash out. 

[00:19:55] Judd Wilson: Right? 

[00:19:56] Josh Mabus: And it feels like this affront. Like, what, what skin is it off [00:20:00] your back to- Yeah ... ask some- "Hey, I need some help." 

[00:20:03] Erica Dhawan: Yeah. 

[00:20:03] Judd Wilson: You kind of touched on this, you know, about your clients being remote.

[00:20:07] Judd Wilson: Um, Josh, you have clients all over the country and, um, but you're still located right here in Tupelo, Mississippi. Mm-hmm. And give back to the community, we kind of already mentioned that already. What keeps you here? We love that you are, but I mean, what's the decision to say, "Hey, I'm, I'm, I'm, we're, we're putting our foundation and staying here"?

[00:20:26] Josh Mabus: Well, I mean, a lot of it just is simply inertia. I mean, I know that's not the- ... the best answer. An object at rest tends to stay at rest- Yeah ... an object in motion tends to stay in motion. It, it's an incredibly affordable, um, you know, um, base, um, to operate from. I mean, I tell people all the time, I remember the first house I bought when I was recruiting people.

[00:20:45] Josh Mabus: I, I, I bought a 2,500 square foot house for $102,000. Now, that house is a $285,000 house now. Thanks inflation and- Yeah. Mm-hmm ... um, anyway, I won't go into- ... you know, debate, uh, the, where, where that inflation came from. But, um, it was [00:21:00] around the pandemic, right? And everything, um. But no, it, it, it's, so Tupelo, as y'all know, because you, you sell it more than I do, makes so much sense from a cultural standpoint, um, from a, from a finance standpoint, but then the community standpoint.

[00:21:16] Josh Mabus: Um, when, um, when you're here, and that, that, I go back to that know everything, I mean, you know, it is a wonderful thing to be able to go into Waffle House and, and see somebo- See somebody's back and say, "I, I know that..." I literally, I say, "I know that person, but I don't know who it is." And being able to see somebody I know and love, um, just, just when I go grab a, a late dinner And all of that, that is so much more additive.

[00:21:45] Josh Mabus: Now, I've found that in almost every community I'm in because m- Right ... you know, like y'all, I mean, that's, that's just who I am. I'm- I'll go 

[00:21:50] Judd Wilson: to New- or that was me in the Waffle House, by the 

[00:21:52] Josh Mabus: way. 

[00:21:53] Judd Wilson: Yeah. So 

[00:21:54] Josh Mabus: I'll go to New York City and make friends on the street. 

[00:21:56] Judd Wilson: Yeah. 

[00:21:56] Josh Mabus: Um, and what's strange is I'm not particularly that much of an, [00:22:00] um, extrovert.

[00:22:00] Josh Mabus: Um, I'm actually, um, um... I, I don't know exact- I mean, it's, they say introvert, but I just have a lot of anxiety. I don't like meeting new people. It doesn't come across normally, but it's just like, eh, I'd rather not. Yeah. But, but, um, I also, like, try to, I don't know, extend my energy, right? And not to be new age or anything, but, um, yeah, I'm very interested in people and things like that.

[00:22:24] Josh Mabus: But I mean, it's so much easier, um, here in Tupelo to do that. And, you know, we're right between two universities. Um, and then Southern's a little bit further away, so we get a lot of designers from them. But I mean, it has its challenges, too, right? You know, getting, um... We wanna recruit, um... You know, we have a small population as a state, period.

[00:22:41] Josh Mabus: Um, um, what is it? Two-thirds of our population exists below f- 55 or below. Um, so North Mississippi- Yeah ... is even more sparsely populated. And so getting people here, um, is a, is a, um, a challenge, uh, especially creatives who are in, you know, th- [00:23:00] they're wanting to go to Austin. Um, you know, they're wanting to go to Nashville.

[00:23:04] Josh Mabus: And I think, you know, CDF has done a wonderful, wonderful job of helping us frame that, um, and, and make that case. And we've been able to recruit people that, that, quote, shouldn't be here. Right. Because once you get here, and once you investigate it, everybody... You can't describe it. I mean, that's been part of our problem.

[00:23:21] Josh Mabus: It's all of our job to, to, to sell Tupelo. And, um, it's real- you know, we can say the Tupelo spirit and all that, but there, there is, um, something that you have to feel, and, uh, so that makes it difficult to describe. I can tell you all the facts, right? 

[00:23:36] Judd Wilson: Yep. Yeah. 

[00:23:37] Josh Mabus: But I don't, you know, every time I feel like- You know, man, this would be easier sometimes in an Austin or a Atlanta.

[00:23:45] Josh Mabus: First, the cost, right? But then it's like I, I don't wanna leave. Uh, thi- this feels so comfortable and, um, even though I was not, I'm not from here, um, uh, I think none of us are from... 

[00:23:58] Judd Wilson: Darren. 

[00:23:59] Josh Mabus: [00:24:00] Darren. 

[00:24:00] Judd Wilson: Darren's the... 

[00:24:01] Josh Mabus: Yeah. Um, uh, but, um, you know, it, it's absolutely home. It, it welcomes you, even with its, um, you know, blemishes.

[00:24:09] Taylor Tutor: Yeah, 

[00:24:10] Judd Wilson: I 

[00:24:10] Taylor Tutor: love that. I wanna do a little, uh, I guess praise and shameless plug, but you've helped us tremendously with our Find Your Tupelo brand and the initiative for talent recruitment here in Tupelo, and The Mabus Agency has done great with that. Thank you. Um, we are very proud of it, and we hope to, you know, promote that in larger cities to show people that they can find their Tupelo right here, and it is really a unique place to live.

[00:24:39] Taylor Tutor: We're very affordable. We have wonderful quality of life, and we can back all that up. We can tell people that all day long. Mm-hmm. But we, we really can prove it once we get people here. But Josh, we are coming up on our time, and I thank you so much for giving us your time today, sharing your wisdom, and we thank you for what you do in the community, too.

[00:24:58] Taylor Tutor: You're such a leader here in [00:25:00] Tupelo, helping young people and mentoring those businesses, so we appreciate everything you do here. 

[00:25:05] Judd Wilson: Well, thanks, y'all. Appreciate you, Josh. 

[00:25:07] Taylor Tutor: Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Ignite Cast presented by iHeartMedia. For more leadership insights and engaging conversations, be sure to hit subscribe.

[00:25:17] Taylor Tutor: And if you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to leave a review. And remember... Go forth and do good [00:26:00] things