"Life is Hard But I'll be Okay: A Story of Inspiration and Encouragement" with Johnny Sirpilla

This week on the Here's What We Know Podcast, our host Gary Scott Thomas welcomes our special guest, Johnny Sirpilla, an entrepreneur, founder and chief encourager of Encourage LLC, and the best-selling author of Life Is Hard but I’ll Be OK. Johnny opens up about how he inherited not only a successful RV business from his father but also an ethos of hard work and integrity. He discusses how these values have shaped him into who he is today—driven, and perfectionistic, yet always striving to honor his family name. We also delve into the respective childhoods and parental expectations, highlighting both differences in upbringing and common threads such as love, support, and setting standards. This episode is filled with insights on personal growth and dedication towards family values. Tune in now!In this Episode:Gary and Johnny share amusing anecdotes about their distinctive hairstyles during their younger years. Discover Johnny’s impressively long bio and wealth of experiences.Discussions on full-blooded Italian traits lead to light-hearted banter about food preferences between Italy vs America.Insights into how family expectations shaped and influenced Johnny's decision to continue his father's legacy while creating new avenues within the RV industry.Hear about reflections on parental expectations, love, and support while also setting standards around honor, integrity, and a hard work ethic without spoiling children materially.As a board member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnny shares his passion for football and his favorite player.This episode is sponsored by:Winchester Western Wear (Be sure to tell them Gary sent you so you can save 20%!)Dignity MemorialBio:John A. Sirpilla is a 1988 graduate of Miami University with a degree in Accounting and a special interest in Psychology and Finance, a 2000 graduate of the University of Phoenix with a master’s degree in Organizational Management, and holds a certification in Executive Presence and Influence: Persuasive Leadership Development from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. In 1992, Johnny became President of Sirpilla R.V. Center, Inc.. Within a few years, he was recognized out of more than 3,000 dealers as the National RV Dealer of the Year for best overall run dealership in the country. In 2003, Johnny was one of the initial acquisitions by Camping World and sold his family business to become part of the executive team to attempt the first RV dealership roll up plan in the industry’s history.Johnny served as President of Camping World, a 140-store nationwide retail chain serving the RV industry and was promoted in 2012 to Chief Business Development Officer for the parent company, Camping World and Good Sam with annual sales of nearly $4 billion. Johnny retired from Camping World in 2017 after a successful IPO.His company, Encourage LLC, has various holdings in industries including leadership development, population health management, employee benefits, medical device innovation, e-commerce roll up, executive leadership and consulting, fashion and interior design, senior living communities, and has become an international best-selling author with his book, Life Is Hard but I’ll Be OK.Johnny has been married to his college sweetheart, Susan for over 30 years, and they reside in Canton, Ohio and Naples, Florida.  They have three grown children, Beau, Bella, and Stone who all reside in downtown Chicago, Illinois.Website: https://johnnysirpilla.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-sirpilla/www.GaryScottThomas.com