Chloe Sacco Interviews CMC Gold Co-Founder Maurice Sacco in a Chat About Life & Business

Chloe Sacco  0:01  
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Hey, everybody, we are chatting to Maurice today. A lot of people want to hear more from Maurice. So we're going to have a few more episodes with Maurice and I said, Today we're going to new, go back and chat about where he came from how we started. And all the fun things about Maurice & Maurice is very quiet. Talking, but this is gonna be fun. This first podcast, I love that. So we'll start with Hello, Maurice. Hello. We will start with a background first. So I know this about you. But for people that don't what were you like growing up, and how did you become a businessman with the business mindset?

Maurice Sacco  1:29  
Okay, so yeah, pretty much growing up, I always grew up around business, because my parents owned family, takeaway shops. So spend a lot of my childhood pretty much behind the counter serving people, which I actually enjoy, because I just got to see how they would react. And it was also fun. waking up early with my dad and my school holidays and going to work with him and picking up the fresh bread in the morning and

Chloe Sacco  2:04  
say like, this is not normal. Like, this is what when I said Maurice is definitely one of a kind, like he's not well in the head. He enjoyed waking up early on his school holidays to go to work as a kid like he's broken. Alright, keep going.

Maurice Sacco  2:20  
I wouldn't say broken, 

Chloe Sacco  2:21  
that's definitely broken, fresh bread fresh. He cares about fresh bread like...

Maurice Sacco  2:26  
anyway. And then you just get in the newspapers. So things to get the shop ready in the morning, because we would get like the truck drivers coming in the morning and buying the paper and getting doughnuts. So you'd set up like doughnuts and bread in the correct spot. So they would buy those in the morning. And then like, as the day went on, you'd sort of switch around the product. So you can move donuts in a different spot and put other things there. So I think early on, I learned a bit about like product placement to a small degree. Say I just enjoyed doing stuff like that. And yeah, just watching how the business went through their foot. For me. I think maybe it was just normal. But yeah. And then yeah, we, my parents sold the business when we bought businesses when we were older. So probably by the age of 13 -14. It was just normal life after that. So yeah, throughout high school, I'd still sell things like loose cigarettes.

Chloe Sacco  3:37  
Unbelievable.

Maurice Sacco  3:38  
The kids at school and like bags of chips. 

Chloe Sacco  3:42  
It's illegal everywhere. 

Maurice Sacco  3:44  
Yeah, but yeah. So just stuff like that. So I feel like I would have always had like, some sort of, yeah, business going. I was younger, if you want to call it that. But yeah, I've just really enjoyed sort of creating my own path from early on. But yeah, I was never really into school. Like I enjoyed that part. We got to hang out with mates and being learning for me about things that like either no geometry or maths or random stuff I never felt like I'd be able to use in the real world. I worked school a lot of days and really only finish year 12 to make my parents happy. Yeah, when I finished, I pretty much took the first job I could find which was a cabinet making apprenticeship. Yeah, work full time doing that and also worked at MCAS three days a week as well because the wages were pretty, pretty bad for a first year apprentice, so I had to work else elsewhere as well to sort of survive. Yeah, then I did that for two loaves 22-23 and sort of just partied a lot and went out every weekend or during the week as well, probably.

Chloe Sacco  5:13  
It's amazing that you married someone totally opposite to you. Like, I'm a teacher, and you went to school. I didn't go and not find out. Oh, hold again.

Maurice Sacco  5:22  
Anyway. And then. Yeah, so did that. And I mean, by the end of it when I was maybe 22. I felt like, I wanted to do more. And I sort of always had that feeling. When I was working as a cabinetmaker, like, the thoughts in my head were that I was never going to continue that and always work for someone, I was always like, wow, like, I'm going to start my own company making business one day like, I wonder how that would be? or What am I going to do? Because Yeah, when you're younger, you sort of always wonder, I always wondered what, what 10 years would look like. And it's normal for me. Not say when I got to be around 23. Because I've been going out I'd met a lot of people like, out nightclubbing and met a lot of people ran a night and just made a lot of sort of friends or clubby friends, if you want to call it. So yeah, at the time, my these friends that I was in the same group with at high school, though they were running there, or not. So at nightclubs, so I thought I'd just help him out and actually took it serious. I was just a promoter. But like all things I take very seriously and go hard at it. So yeah, I sort of treated it as a part time job was sort of only a weekend thing. And it did the best I could and did that for about seven months, and eventually told them that I wanted to be a part of their business. Yes, so we did that and had great success with it, sort of about a year in and then we purchased our first nightclub, I think, towards the end of 2013, with with these older guys who'd been in the industry for a while, and we bought the venue with them. And we were running nights at their venue. So they sort of helped us get that ball rolling. And I think from then, was my first experience into running like a I wouldn't say like looking back now not a big business. But it was a it was a seven figure business. So it was it was decent. And it was it was a lot of learnings from that. Yeah, and we did that for a few years while also in between. We ran larger scale events while and also touring international artists. And also, I had a photo booth business which I started with my business partners at the time. Yeah, so about six years into the club business, I think is when we started theme seagull. So yeah, we were you like you? That's how we met? I'm sure. I don't know if people know that like,

Chloe Sacco  8:15  
yeah.

Maurice Sacco  8:17  
My club stuff. So we were you were still working a door and you had been for a few years. But I think at that point, yeah, we were married. Yeah, we were.

Chloe Sacco  8:26  
When we were we

Maurice Sacco  8:29  
Yeah, we started saying. Yes. Married for like three years actually said Yeah. Yeah. Say I think just trying to juggle starting that business at the time with the current business, and you're working full time.

Chloe Sacco  8:45  
And that was hectic times.

Maurice Sacco  8:48  
Yeah. So that was towards the end, because I was sorting getting over it a bit by about the seventh year. And that was probably a year into CMC gold. So we will just look in your mortar settle down and find like build a business elsewhere. So I think, for me, the whole club thing was just like, learning so it was never going to be the thing was always the thing to get to the next thing.

Chloe Sacco  9:18  
I think your whole life. He's the thing to get to the next thing. Yeah. Well, we're always doing one thing to get to the next thing.

Maurice Sacco  9:25  
Like the photobooth business. I built our own website on Wix. Good time. So that helped when we launched CMC gold, because why did our website Shopify, so that was pretty easy, actually. So earrings for days. And then yeah, the whole nightclub thing you learn a lot. You deal with a lot of different people from all sorts of walks of life. And yeah, at the time, I guess I was dealing with drunk babies. Now we're having real babies. So I think there's a bit of a comparison there. But yeah, I mean, give five years, six years. And then yeah, so seven years, I did that for and then pretty much left that on the seventh year, because I think a century ago, we could see that it was starting to grow. And we could see the potential with that. And obviously, I was just a bit over it. So yeah, parted ways, with my partners, and they're still, you know, running that business to this day, and it's still around. So via the same day gold thing for us is the next chapter. And we're five years in. And yet, it's been really great doing it with you to an exciting time. And you're surely happy with how everything's gone and how we've grown together and we've grown a business that a family and

Chloe Sacco  10:58  
we have, Mikey, Yes, we are. Alright, so after running your first business, which was your clubbing stuff? Why did you decide I had decided that running businesses is what you wanted to do. I mean, usually people run a business, a lot of people start a business and think, no, we're not doing this anymore, which I understand now. But why did you go No, I'm gonna keep working. And million hours a week

Maurice Sacco  11:28  
for number one, because I love it. And it's just a part of me and not couldn't imagine my life not running a business.

Chloe Sacco  11:37  
Yeah, like, living with this guy. He works seven days a week. I didn't work. But what is yours? Yes. So he's at the warehouse, seven days a week, not working. And then he comes home.

Maurice Sacco  11:58  
And by not working? I mean, I didn't classify it as work. I love what I love. Working I got

Chloe Sacco  12:06  
you, friend. Um, I don't think anybody thinks like that, about their own workplace. And even like when we get home, like this morning, we're having breakfast and we're still talking about work. It's always work. maurices just work. I think if he married somebody that was not happy about the work, they'd kill you, but you are literally 24 hours a day, seven days a week of work. So yeah, I don't even know how many hours a week of work you do. But sorry, work again, work. There's a lot of work. There's work for days you love work. Alright, so after running the clubs, why did you think right, I'm gonna do this, again, at a different scale on a whole nother level of baby stuff. Like who would have thought?

Maurice Sacco  12:55  
Well, I've been down the path of working for someone. And, you know, while I always respected the people I was working for. I always worked as hard as I could. And I could always see that working for someone, in my opinion, is an opportunity missed. And I just think it's an opportunity. Or when you have your business or look to do something on your own, it's an opportunity to test yourself and grow something and you know, have yourself to blame if things do go wrong. I just got I just enjoy the process of building a business more than anything compared to working for someone else.

Chloe Sacco  13:36  
Okay, so what is your day look like?

Maurice Sacco  13:40  
My days are usually similar is I can make them while also being different since I'm trying to wear so many different hats in the business. So I guess my day starts off at 4:45am wake up, then I had 245 class at 5:30am. Then after that, I go to work which takes me about two minutes because it's literally around the corner so I have no excuse not to go because it's on the way which I love. Then I'll get to work at about 6:30am take care of any urgent things I need to attend to. Then 7am have a quick meeting to start the day with our floor manager and run through just a quick plan of the day with him. So he can handle things while I'm doing my stuff. From there depending on the day I'll either have zoom calls with marketing first up as well after that, or also any calls with any mentors that I have some learning sessions with. If not morning meetings I'll usually have them spread out in the day with other people to discuss opportunities to help out group business grow. Probably takes us to a About a, then I'm usually booking in orders then and getting everyone else's day sorted. Everyone, all the staff here, they work off orders slip. So I spend a lot of the day doing this so they can keep going. And so there's a good flow to that. After the first load is done, I'll reply to emails and do customer service. Because Yeah, both of us are still really involved with customer service. That usually takes about an hour or so. Then once that's done, I'll usually book more orders in which takes me to about 11am. Then Then I'll try to just do some things on my list for about an hour. Yeah, so then at lunchtime, I'll usually do another block of emails and reply to customer service. I will also have lunch while doing this on my computer. Yeah, I don't like to. I like to do things in blocks, in case you haven't noticed. So I don't get distracted. And I'm just doing one thing at a time. Yeah, once that's done, I'll see how everyone else is traveling downstairs, how their day is going. And if I need to book in more orders to get through the day. I'll do that for them. Once all this is handled, I'll usually spend about two or three more hours to working on things on the business like things to help us grow more and things that I've got on my to do list in my diary. I'll do then do the last bit of customer service and emails for the day. Then, that's probably five o'clock. I'll book in more orders and for the morning. Yeah, just so everyone has stuff to do when they first come in. And I can sort of do my things in the morning. Yeah, then 6:15am I'll by pm Sorry, I'll go home. And then I'll be home in time for dinner or home to help you look after the girls while you can get dinner prepared. And when I'm when I'm home, though, like I like to switch off completely. As much as you think I talk about work. I think that's you at home. Yes. So I like to be home like we're on holiday, you can't get me to do anything, because I'm pretty switched off when I'm on holiday or at home. So when I get home, I pretty much like to just switch off and spend time with the girls and spend time with you as well. If I ever do things, I think it just be more reflecting and planning for the next day rather than anything else when I'm at home.

Chloe Sacco  17:35  
I can't do that. Switch off. You should try it ever.

Maurice Sacco  17:41  
Well. Yeah, I'm pretty light routed by the end of the day. Like my brain is pretty fried from being focused for like 1112 straight hours. And plus, you know, I actually enjoy being home and playing with the gills and being present in the moment there.

Chloe Sacco  18:00  
Yes. Yeah. Then money. What are we up to? It's big day.

Maurice Sacco  18:06  
Yeah, just put Cassia to bed, read some books. Have a show and then in bed by about nine 9:30pm and then do it all again. And repeat and repeat.

Chloe Sacco  18:16  
Alright, so obviously you're very motivated. You I don't know anybody like you. So that like even the other night it was like torrential rain. And it was your break day from running. So in between f 45. You haven't been because we've been locked down. So you've been running at night instead. And the day that it was like torrential rain. You had happened to me the one day you had off running, which was a good day. And then I said Thursday supposed to be the same which was the next day and your answer was I don't care. I'm gonna go for a run tomorrow. Like you very motivated. It's definitely not Wow, running in torrential rain.

Maurice Sacco  18:57  
Imagine seeing like pissing down rain. And you, see some guy running? People would be like, that guy!

Chloe Sacco  19:10  
get that. See that guy? I made amazing ways you running to

Maurice Sacco  19:17  
success

Chloe Sacco  19:18  
Yes. So where do you get your motivation to get up at 430 every day and do your exercising or when you get home at night when everybody's tired? And you're running 15 Ks. Wait. Yeah. Yeah, the day I'm laying in bed, and he said to me, oh, my legs is so sore. Next week, I'm gonna run half marathon.

Maurice Sacco  19:47  
Because it's cool, cool story. Oh my god. I want to be the guy who started running less than two weeks ago and then in three weeks and a half man Yeah,

Chloe Sacco  19:58  
it's cool stuff. Find anything to do. So yeah, where do you get your motivation? Tell the people, because we all need it. Oh,

Maurice Sacco  20:08  
I don't think motivation is a thing. To be honest, I think it's more about being focused. And that's what keeps you going. Because motivation comes and goes like you could be so motivated at one point when you're talking to someone, but then when you're by yourself, you're not doing anything. So I think it's more about just being focused and having a goal set out, and knowing what the steps are to get there. So for me, I got to a point where we were talking about, like exercising. For me, I got to a point where I was so focused purely on growing the business over the first four years, that I didn't focus on myself physically, and aim to have a healthy diet. Because when you're so focused on one thing, and not a diet, you sort of just eat things that are easy and accessible, like fast food and all that sort of stuff. So you're just over just recently, I've just decided over the last few months to also incorporate staying food while also focusing more on diet on a regular basis. And I think that's also helped you eat healthier and eat healthier and get skinny. Even if you don't need to get skinny. Because you have skinny,

Chloe Sacco  21:25  
you're skinny. It's good. I like when you get healthy and you eat healthy, because it makes me get any it's good stuff. But we still have at least snacks.

Maurice Sacco  21:33  
Yeah, we do. Just deciding all this motivation. Yeah, it does play a small part. But it's more about being focused on the goal that gets me up every morning and just making a routine of it. Because once you get into a habit of doing something, it's it's easy, just part of your day. So yeah, for me, whether it's before or after work, it doesn't matter to me exercise is now something that just needs to be done. And it's part of my day, I also think it's great to create a stronger mind and push yourself while also helping release like endorphins into your brain, which also helps relieve stress and also serotonin, which you know, helps your overall mood and well being which I'm sure you would love hearing all that sort of love that stuff. Yeah, so that that sort of stuff that I'll look into in why I love running now just because helps me unwind at the end of the day, or helps me get started at the start of the day.

Chloe Sacco  22:34  
I'm going to run one day. Yeah, one day. All right. So this question I get asked, so we get asked a lot on the same scene, Instagram page. What are your top three pieces of ice? So if somebody said they wanted to start a business tomorrow, what are your top three pieces of advice? Go one? Guy? Wow.

Maurice Sacco  22:57  
Well, yes, I just had to say three. I would say to start a business involving something you are passionate about, or have knowledge about. If you're passionate about something, but you don't have too much knowledge about it, then no, I would say learn everything you can about it before beginning. Number two, make sure it's actually something people want. Or they need and it's actually solving for a problem. I mean, you could be passionate about something that people might just not want,

Chloe Sacco  23:38  
or find your place in the market.

Maurice Sacco  23:39  
Yes. Number three, just pretty much back yourself. And be careful who you take advice from in the beginning because you know, someone might have your best interests at heart, whether it be a friend or family member, but may not know what they're talking about. So I would say just be careful with who you take advice from early on.

Chloe Sacco  24:06  
All right, so during the day, and when you're working and when you're running, you are flat out listening to podcasts, you listen to a lot of them. I know your favorite one. But what are some of your favorites or have you gotten any advice for people who want to start listening to podcasts that keep you motivated or that you'd like listening to

Maurice Sacco  24:27  
motivational podcasts? Yeah, I've been listening to one for ages and it's called Impact Theory. with Tom bill you Yeah, I started pretty much from he started his podcast in like 2017 and he releases episodes flat out so I've been trying to catch up for ages and I think I've only gone three years so yeah, there's just so much to catch up on but I that's motivational business everything pretty much all in one. Yeah, did you still Listen to business ones, Shopify masters was one of them. And how I built this. They were business podcast just related to the edges. They would interview people who had businesses and just their backstory and how they got there, which really interests me. Because, yeah, when I go to someone's website, that's the first thing I look at their about me and how they got there, because that stuff really interests me. Yeah. But if you're just talking about straight motivational stuff, I would say early on Gary Vee stuff. And then Simon Sinek and Tony Robbins. But if you're wanting something a bit, Hodge Ed with a different point of view, then I would say David Goggins, which, you know who I'm talking about? He's a military man that the hardest man alive. He's just got a very different point of view.

Chloe Sacco  25:57  
But he's amazing, too. Yep. good ones. I've listened to some of them. Now, work life balance. How's yours going? Five? Easy.

Maurice Sacco  26:08  
Oh, for me, personally, it's great. Yeah, I think work life balance. Yes, I think it should be best directed and say, how's your happiness five years in rather than balanced? Because I don't think there's ever balanced with what we're trying to achieve from outside is looking in just because of the ridiculous hours that we work or my work. But my happiness five years in is amazing. Because I'm getting to do what I'm what I love. And yeah, I've got the support from yourself, have been Luckily, lucky enough to have someone who, you know, understands what we're trying to do. And you're on board with everything. So I get the opportunity to do you know, my thing between 5am to 6:30pm? Well, you know, you're home with the girls, and then doing your thing as well. But I guess yeah, as we've gone and evolved and had Casio Nin Charlie's went from me working viny 200 hours a week for the first three years to cut in it, you know, down to about 70 to 80 hours a week now. So I think as we go and as we grow, and as we employ more people, I think I don't want to say it'll be because it would just be more opportunity for Yeah, there's never gonna be bad things. But yeah, there'll be balanced like we were having Sundays off. Yeah, here and there now, working less on the weekend. So yeah, it was always the thing to begin with that we were both aware that the hours would be ridiculous building, building our business early on. But as we grow, we can sort of relax a bit and leave it to other people. to him.

Chloe Sacco  28:12  
It was much easier when I was doing those hours Wi Fi. Now you do them on your own, and I've got to be at home. That's sad for me. Yes. But now I've come to terms with being a mom at home, but that's fine. actually enjoy myself. Alright, finishing on top three pieces of advice. Have your favorite quotes about life or business. quotes, whatever, gets the motivation for people. Any kind of fun night quotes?

Maurice Sacco  28:43  
Well, yeah, the one I always go by, and the one that I've stuck with, and it necessarily isn't a quote, but more of a question. I asked myself and you've even seen I've had this plastered next to my table. Table. Yeah, and the question I asked myself is, what story do you want to tell? So? Yeah, this is a quote, I've seen or more than a question I asked myself every day. So we all are all writers have our own story, which we are lucky enough to continue to write every day. Until, you know, day we sort of passed from this earth. And we all have the opportunity to write the book about anything. Pretty much we get to choose, which is the best thing. So yeah, I'm continuously writing my story every day and you know, if there ever gets to a point where I'm struggling always just ask myself that question, which helps me get through that. Good. One, yeah, talk to me. Number two, quote, this too shall pass. shall pass. Yeah. Which pretty much based around the same thing, which just means whatever you going through a won't last forever. So you know, if you go into a struggle, just remember won't last forever. Yeah. Number three would probably just be something that ties into number two. And just a quote I just saw recently, I think Steve Harvey said it was I saw that his face was next to the quote, I assume he said it. But yeah, if you're going through how, why stop there, keep going. So pretty much the only way to get through what you're going through, see, keep going. Never give up. And there's always something I'm better on the other side.

Chloe Sacco  30:44  
Oh, Mrs. Some good, quiet. I love that. All right. Thank you for coming back at the other room from my office. So welcome. Thank you for being in my office right now. I will see you again. On the next podcast. I think a lot of people want to ask some specific questions for ourselves to answer next time. So we'll do that next next episode. Thank you. All right. Bye, everybody. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of good as gold. We hope this episode has brought some value into your life. And if a house Remember to subscribe and follow for weekly episodes, we want to grow this community so if someone you know will benefit from this podcast, please share it. In the meantime, we love what we do and we hope you do to stay amazing. Until next time, bye