An Interview With The Authors

1. Unlike most business books that go deep into research or factual content, you chose to share the principles for success in business and life through a story. Why did you write the book in a story form?
• Story telling is a very effective and great way to communicate an important message. Reading a good story provides a great way for business leaders to relax, recharge and learn all at the same time. Fact is, most business people are so busy these days that they never finish most books they start reading. Even though the directives in Janitor Bob are life-changing, it is the story line that keeps everyone glued to this book.



2. Why is the concept of an older "mentor" so critical to the story?
• Ray and Todd have both had many great mentors in their lives. Each helped them realize the importance and value of having a mentor and in mentoring a younger person. There is great wisdom in asking questions and seeking advice from those who have gone before us and have "been there, done that", both in family life and in business. It has been said that a smart person learns from their own mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others. Roger is wise in that he can prevent making future mistakes (and possibly correcting current ones) by applying the lessons that Bob has learned in his past and is now passing on to Roger.



3. As business leaders, fathers, husbands, community leaders, and authors, you two must be very busy. Who do you relate to most from the book, Roger (the young CEO), or Bob (the wise counselor)?
• Todd: Everything about the book is very real to me. I can definitely relate to Roger and much of what he went through. I am sure most CEOs can. The directives Bob shares to help Roger experience life and business to the fullest are the very principles I have found that help me keep life balanced. My goal is to give priority to those areas of life that are most important and eternally significant.
  
  Ray: Like Roger (and Todd Hopkins), I can truly relate to being so busy that sometimes it is difficult to focus the time on the truly important things in life. Like my family, friends, and investing into the lives of others. I am so glad that older men have taken the time to build into my life from a young age, and now that I am getting older, I am beginning to invest in the lives of younger people. Therefore, while I am closer in age to Roger than I am to Bob, I can identify with both characters. I only hope that as I grow older, my life looks like the wise Janitor Bob.



4. As co-authors, how did you guys work together on this project?
• Todd and Ray both contributed the directives shared by Bob in the book. These six directives are Todd and Ray's answers to how busy people can find balance in life. Todd created the story line, often reflecting on his own experiences and relationships in the janitorial industry.



5. Where did the 6 directives (principles) of the book come from?
• We first prayed that God would give us direction and help us choose directives that had influenced us and that would greatly impact readers. We wanted to be able to teach the readers in parable form how they could get out of the rat-race of life and transition to living a life with purpose. From Todd's personal experiences and Ray's teachings, they came up with the six directives shared in the book. Both of us could share special stories that would relate to each directive. A simple example that comes to mind is that Todd discovered the power of "recharging" while reading Beyond the Limits by Franklin Graham, just as Roger did in this story. Ray has spent nearly the last ten years conducting training and workshops, particularly encouraging people to think about what will be their lasting legacy, and training and coaching them on developing a game plan for establishing a legacy that will help them make the world a better place.



6. Among the 6 directives in the book, which one do each of you think is most important?
• As authors, if we had to choose one lesson that we believe is most important to us, for Ray, it is "Leave A Legacy" and for Todd it is "Invest, Don't Spend". But this is a very difficult question to answer, because each of the lessons that Janitor Bob teaches is very important in its own unique way. To say that one is absolutely the most important is very difficult. For example, we might suggest that "Leave A Legacy" is the most important. But quite often one of the ways we can best leave a lasting legacy is to live a life where we focus on the principle to "Pass It On," which is all about sharing and giving to others, which in turn is what allows us to leave a legacy to those who will come after us in life. "Pray Don't Pout" is very closely related to "Recharge vs. Discharge" in that prayer and focusing on the eternally important things in life in its own way helps us to 'recharge' ourselves by causing us to focus on things other than our current problems or circumstances. So, as you can see, the six lessons are all intertwined, and we should focus on applying all of them in life.



7. People are so busy these days, and their schedules are jam packed with commitments and obligations. As authors, what do you want people to take away from reading this book?
• We would like for the modern busy person to learn how not to get so caught up in the busyness of life. Life is too short to waste by not focusing on what is important. For example, we have never heard anyone on their deathbed say that they wished they had spent less time with their children. Yet, so many people sell out trying to get rich and in exchange miss out on very important years with their children. Hopefully, this book will help bring healing to many damaged family relationships. We would also love to see readers grow in their relationship with Christ. And we would love to see many of the older readers become mentors because they still have much to offer and God is not done with them yet.



8. The book has had incredible success in South Korea with over 650,000 copies sold, why do you think this is so?
• Korean people are wonderful. They still value their ancestors, listen to their (elders) grandfathers and grandmothers and basically have a desire to do the right thing. The Janitor represents all that is great about having a grandfather type figure to look up to and seek wisdom from. It also is a book with mass appeal. We are finding that it not only connects with the younger generation who desires to be successful in life, but also sends a very powerful message to the elderly that they still have much to contribute to society. There are millions of people who can relate to either Roger, Bob or Darlene (Roger's wife).



9. Do you have any mentor or books you greatly influenced as Roger had Bob? Please let us know.
• Ray has an older gentleman who is 70 years old that he meets and talks with several times each week. He has been very helpful when Ray has faced difficult decisions and challenges in life. He has helped Ray learn to balance all the demands of work and personal life. For Ray, growing up there were two men (other than his father) who took the time to mentor Ray just like Bob does for Roger in the book. These men played a very important role in Ray's life, particularly in his early adult years when there were many difficult decisions to make.
  
  Todd has written a book, Five Wisdoms for Entrepreneurial Survival, that describes the relationship he has with his business mentor, Richard Sickels. Todd believes that God sent this older man to be a mentor to him at a very critical time in his life.



10. Which authors, what kind of books you usually love to read?
• As you might expect, we love business parables and any kind of book that can help us grow stronger as family and business leaders and in our walk with the Lord. Of course, the greatest book of all time is the Holy Bible.



11. For future writing, what kind of subject do you want to deal with?
• We are just finishing a new book which, like Janitor Bob, is a business parable. It is titled "Carrot Chaser." It communicates the four truths to finding real success in life. It really takes the directives covered in Janitor Bob to a deeper level.

Conclusion: Todd and Ray both want to give God the full credit and glory for the inspiration behind Janitor Bob and the great success it has had. We also want to say "thanks" to the many Korean people who have told a friend about this book and who continue to buy copies to give to those they know who can benefit from this life-changing message.