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If you need a quick hit of inspiration, follow your nose to Mike Rowe, who may or may not have recently crawled out of a septic tank.

This week on our snack-sized edition of , I dug into the archives to unearth a chat I had with the legendary host of Dirty Jobs, champion of America’s essential workers, and founder of the , which has raised millions in scholarships for people pursuing skilled trades. Mike is a hilarious guy, but he’s also dead serious about closing the skills gap in America and helping workers and business owners unlock opportunity through skilled labor.

Listen to the podcast below, then read on to see Mike’s insights broken down to help you scoop up some success in three, two, one!

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Three Key Insights

1. It’s Okay to Be Out of Ideas

Mike told me that Dirty Jobs evolved from him performing disgusting stunts into “more of a crucible of pain and daring,” with higher stakes and tougher tasks. It wasn’t by design — it was out of necessity. At a certain point, he felt like the gross-out well had run dry and had a choice: “When you run out of ideas, you can either admit it or pretend you haven’t,” he says, “And in my experience, there’s no real upside in pretending.” So he turned the show over to the fans, asking for their suggestions. It worked, leading him to people, professions and storylines he would never have known about. “The fans program it. The fans watch it. And we just try and stay outta the way.”

Takeaway: When you hit a creative wall, don’t fake genius—admit it, involve your audience or customers, and let them help steer what you build next.

Related: Author Susan Orlean Says to Trust Your Instincts (and Your Weirdest Ideas)

2. Find the Bigger Point Behind the Joke

Mike is the first to admit that he could have built a career just telling hilarious stories about “feces from every species,” but he realized, “There had to be a point to it.” Initially, that point was a tribute to his grandfather, and over time, it grew into , which has funded “millions and millions of dollars” in scholarships for people learning skilled labor.​

Takeaway: Whatever your business, attach your hustle to a mission bigger than the punchline or the product so that what you are doing is more meaningful to you and your audience.

3. Think Like Both a Missionary and a Mercenary

Mike has a self-described “weird business” where he does a lot of different things—TV, podcasts, advocacy—and he’s refreshingly honest about the strategy behind it all. He described how all of these things, when approached strategically, can fuel one another. The show allows him to talk about the foundation, and the foundation allows him to promote the show, for example. “There is a mercenary position in a missionary play,” he explains. “I think there’s a missionary and a mercenary position in just about everything…and both of those positions are underrated.”

Takeaway: Build your career so your mission (what you believe in) and your mercenary side (how you get paid) support each other rather than compete.

Subscribe to the  for more insights and inspiration.

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Two Great Ways to Learn More

1. You can hear more of Mike’s stories and philosophy on his very funny podcast .

2. To go deeper on the marriage of making money and doing good at the same time, check out this story: How to Build a Mission-Driven Business That Makes Money.

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One Question to Ponder

Mike realized he couldn’t just be “the guy who just told gross stories” — he needed a bigger point behind his work. So your question to ponder: What’s the point behind what you’re doing right now, and how clearly could you explain it to a stranger in one sentence?

Email or send a video answer to howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com and it might be on a future episode!

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About How Success Happens

Each episode of shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It’s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.

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