Today's episode features a captivating chat with Chris, a former US Marine turned entrepreneur, as we reflect on his unique journey from Northeast Philly to the Marine Corps, and eventually into the pharmacy industry. We reminisce about our shared experiences at the notorious Philidor pharmacy and discuss the thrills and challenges of launching a moving company from the ground up. Chris offers practical advice on balancing a full-time job, family life, and multiple business ventures, while stressing the power of perseverance and proving doubters wrong. Whether you're navigating personal struggles or dreaming of entrepreneurial success, Chris's wisdom and hustle will leave you inspired and ready to tackle your next challenge.
C&T Moving Company
215-239-8513
thank you for being a part of this journey
info@dailyamericanpodcast.com
www.dailyamericanpodcast.com
Today's episode features a captivating chat with Chris, a former US Marine turned entrepreneur, as we reflect on his unique journey from Northeast Philly to the Marine Corps, and eventually into the pharmacy industry. We reminisce about our shared experiences at the notorious Philidor pharmacy and discuss the thrills and challenges of launching a moving company from the ground up. Chris offers practical advice on balancing a full-time job, family life, and multiple business ventures, while stressing the power of perseverance and proving doubters wrong. Whether you're navigating personal struggles or dreaming of entrepreneurial success, Chris's wisdom and hustle will leave you inspired and ready to tackle your next challenge.
C&T Moving Company
215-239-8513
thank you for being a part of this journey
info@dailyamericanpodcast.com
www.dailyamericanpodcast.com
Can you hear me? Yeah, yeah, yup, cool. What's up, man? How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm good. I just took my family on vacation last week. We went down to Florida, disney SeaWorld and all you know living the dream.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you like those lines though 53 minutes for like a roller coaster was like 100 degrees outside.
Speaker 2:I'm like this is crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it is crazy down there. Y'all that's cool, though At least you got to go down there. What's wrong with your daughter? Everything good.
Speaker 2:She had some kind of stomach thing and they like put her on like antibiotics and just let it run its course. I was like, oh, all right.
Speaker 1:Cool, she'll be all right, though right, just antibiotics, everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Despite the temperature, she started like throwing up this morning so I was like geez and then I took her over to urgent care and then came back.
Speaker 1:How many you got, how many kids?
Speaker 2:Total of four, Two biological got how many kids?
Speaker 1:uh total of four? Uh two biological, two inherited, but they're all mine. Beautiful, beautiful. I got one on the way, dude your life will change, trust me yeah, I mean, it already has me, like you know, like fucking stressing because I lost my job and shit, obviously. But besides that, I'd still be stressing because now you got somebody to like I, I'm irresponsible, I'm selfish and irresponsible and I got something that's coming that I've really got to take care of. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:That will all 100% change as soon as that baby come in the world and you're older for the first time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That will change every bit of your mindset. I mean every priority you think you have now. That will all change.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it doesn't. For some, though, there's like you know, there's some dead beats out there. That's like my biggest fear, bro. I'm not trying to be one of those guys. You know what I mean all you can do.
Speaker 2:My job in life because I have I have two daughters. My job in life to make sure they don't end up on the pole. All right, that's my job. Yup, I mean, you've been there all around every military base, you know what it is. Right outside them front gates.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's wild. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, I'm going to kick this thing off, all right, and you got to roll it at 11. So we'll do like. What a 20-minute one Is that cool? We'll play it. All right, A recording is already in progress. Huh, it's just not recording, as far as I know, recordings already in progress. That's odd. As you can tell, I'm not too prepared, chris. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:That's all right Fuck.
Speaker 1:What the fuck would be recording in progress. You know what? Let me check. Google the other. Nah, chris, what I'm going to do is I'm going to exit out real quick and just refresh it, alright.
Speaker 2:Alright.
Speaker 1:Thank you All. Right, there we go. Actual recording in higher quality. All right, yeah, I guess it already kicked it off. Sweet, so I can edit that beginning part. Welcome back to the Daily American. Today we got on the line US Marine Christopher Kipple. Chris, welcome. Hi Yo, kick us off. Tell us about you know where you were born and raised, and a little bit about you know growing up, and we'll go from there.
Speaker 2:So I was born and raised in Northeast Philly, graduated from Lincoln High in Northeast in Northeast Philly, graduated from Lincoln High in Northeast. I was raised by my grandparents. I went in the Marine Corps like three days after graduation, spent time in Iraq. I was on board a ship for about nine months, been all around the world hitting ports and stuff on ship Got out in 2010. In my four years got out and just been working in the pharmacy world ever since and that's where we happened to meet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, good old Philidor. Yeah, For those of you that don't know, philidor was, I guess, a mail order pharmacy that had a pretty. I thought it had a solid business model and I respected the owner. And you know, I guess he found a loophole in the insurance company. Is what I like to say. But I don't. I don't really know exactly what happened. There's a documentary about it if you guys want to check it out. But, chris, what do you think? I mean, what was Fodor? What do you think you were on the computer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, their downfall was the fact they were like sending out all these brand-name meds to people that didn't even want the medication and go to the insurance. Well, we sent the meds, so now you guys got to pay us now to the insurance. Well, but we sent the med, so now you guys got to pay us now and people were complaining and all that good stuff. So that started to catch on and the fact that they were. So if you were stationed out of the pa store, we had all the different stores around around the country but we would bill out of those stores for with their mpis and then um, and then we would ship it out of the pa store, which is unethical. It wasn't illegal, but it's unethical because you're supposed to be shipping out where you bill it from. So that was one of the big downfalls that happened yeah, I mean, I dude, that was a.
Speaker 1:That was a crazy place to work. Man, I was fresh out of college, I guess. Did you go to school too, did you go to college?
Speaker 2:no, no, I got. I mean I was. When I got out of the marine corps. It was I was supposed to go to school. It got all screwed up, just started working and then I scored this job. I just applied online and got the job. And then they were like well, you can work as many hours as you want.
Speaker 2:I was like really there were times where I mean I was there till like three, four o'clock in the morning just just billing stuff out, I mean, and then they train and then they move me from the floors from adjudication, like the billing the meds, actually filling all the stuff in the pharmacy.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that place was a madhouse and the growth of it was ridiculous. I mean, it gained me a lot of experience, as it did most people, you know. I thought it was cool. He brought in the recruiters. He squared away like our resumes, our LinkedIns, and found most. I mean we all we found jobs. What do you do now?
Speaker 2:I actually work in a long-term care pharmacy. I do, I'm an automation coordinator. I take care of all the machines. I take them apart, clean them, put them back together, fill meds. I fill meds. I call some nurses, doctors, a little bit of everything. It's a smaller long-term care pharmacy but because they're smaller, I got my hands in everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thoroughly enjoy it. Yeah, that's crazy. You're even taking apart machines. Um, yo, growing up, you mentioned you grew up with your, with your grandparents, if you don't mind, or why'd you? Why'd you grow up at your grandparents rather than your parents?
Speaker 2:so my, my dad was never in the picture. I mean he left like right before I was born. Um, my mom, she was not really a mother figure, I would say, she was more like a big sister. She couldn't sustain herself, so my grandparents kind of like raised me and my sister.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:So yeah.
Speaker 1:That's awesome though, man, because obviously you turned out pretty damn good, but you know, so many people deal with that it's got to be crazy. I mean, my parents were tough, but I should be fortunate that they were both around, because a lot of people you know, even people come on this podcast similar, similar stories as as as yours and it's you know it's. It's why it's got to be difficult, it's got to be a little difficult, and then you go straight into the, into the marines. You know, if it built you for the, for the marines, and I guess that's how it works right.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I was thoroughly scared of my grandfather. I mean, if my ground said something, I kind of like laughed at her or whatever, disrespect her in any way. If he stood up, I was running, no matter how big I was. I mean I played football in high school, even when I was in the Marine Corps. When I first got back out of boot camp I thought I was top shit. Well, I said something wrong to my grandmother and he kind of put his forearm into my throat and posted me up against the wall. I said have you ever talked to your grandmother like that? I won't fucking kill you. I was like oh yes, sir.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he sounds like a badass. And then, growing up in the Northeast, you know that was probably a challenge of its own as well. Right Cause it's. You know it's tough down there in Philly. It's not just your typical suburban life of suburbia lifestyle.
Speaker 2:I mean it's what I grew up with, it's what I know. I mean now that I mean I actually live in like the suburbs now levittown. So now that I'm like now, now I'm in the suburb life, it's like I can see like the just everything changes. Like like like I don't, like I was okay with living down there. I mean I still want to live in the city. I, I thoroughly enjoy the city life. Um, but my girl was like you're not raising my kids in the city. So I was like, oh, okay, so so my trade-off was live right outside the city. I mean I still go go to the city, get my hair cut, chill with the boys, do whatever. So yeah, that's all.
Speaker 1:You still got your freedom, dude. You still got your homies down, down, down in the hood.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, what?
Speaker 1:Well, what was I going to say, Chris? What are some of your hobbies? What do you?
Speaker 2:guys do, you and your boys. So I mean I'll be honest, I don't really party anymore. I barely even drink anymore. I mean I drink probably like twice a year. So me and my buddy, about five years ago we actually started a moving company, CMT Moving. I mean it's been going good for the last uh, couple years. Um, I mean, my buddy works full-time. He's a labor for the union. I work full-time at the pharmacy. So nights and weekends we're we're always moving, always hustling. So um, past that I mean I really don't do anything but spend time with my family and work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, you're out there getting it, dude, Working all day. What do you work? 40 a week, and then you just work at nights and on the weekends most of the time.
Speaker 2:At least 40. I still do overtime. I come in early, stay late and then at nights during the week I do all the small stuff, like a pickup job I got to pick up a mattress or a couch or something and drop it off. The weekends I do full house moves, apartment moves, stuff like that. I mean, look, it's great side money. Me and my partner got a business license to do it and all. So I mean we're legit, I mean it's good, good side money. Um, and then on top of that we got our full-time jobs and I mean we're I'm not gonna say we're, we're doing okay I mean yeah, that's all that matters.
Speaker 1:How many is it just you two that that handle the the bigger moves as well?
Speaker 2:I mean I do have a couple side guys that come and help, but other than that, if it's just like an apartment, it's me and him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I used to work for a moving company, hughes, back in the day before I joined the service, and it was tough work. I remember one time doing this scumbag truck driver, because you get assigned to these truck drivers, these CDL drivers, and they don't do anything, they literally just drive you there and then you say I was moving like westchester university with some guys or something like that. He you're, he's supposed to pay you. At the end of the night, this one, this one guy tried to like jip me like a crazy amount of money and like he basically did, like he pretty much like punked me. I was like 17 years old, you know, I mean this is some big ass dude. I freaked on him but like, what am I gonna do? Like you know he's truck driver, I'm a fucking skinny ass little kid, fresh out of high school, like he's a grown-ass man, you're.
Speaker 2:You're a kid. He's trying to take advantage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly exactly what he did. But the bottom line is that that work it's tough work, especially when you're doing whole, whole houses and shit and you know.
Speaker 2:You got to know what you're doing too, because you're dealing with a bunch of valuables yeah it's good the marine corps taught me how to pack shit right, yeah I bet you know what, though, chris?
Speaker 1:I got a, I got this website up for this podcast, and one of my ideas is for veterans or any business owners pretty much definitely veterans who come on Um, when I released your episode, if you want, I'll throw your business up on my website to get it. So do you do you have? Even if you don't have a web, do you have a website?
Speaker 2:I got a Facebook page.
Speaker 1:Okay. So you got a Facebook page. That's cool as well. And then you got business cards obviously Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Cool. So I'll throw your business card up there so people will be able to get your number, um, and you know, if anybody Googles, not only where your Facebook page come up, but probably my website will come up. They'll be able to, you know, whatever moving company local, so it'll it'll be good advertisement. If you want, um, we'll do that for you.
Speaker 2:Hey, that's fine. We can work something on the back end? Yeah, I'm not even worried about the back end.
Speaker 1:I might even get you on a move with me. Yeah, you already know, I know what I'm doing. You just need those blankets. So now you're about to head into where's the office at right now for the pharmaceutical long-term facility care, mr Feasterville Trevos, the Nesham Interplex. Gotcha, so you'll be in there until when, like 7 o'clock and then 8, 9?.
Speaker 2:I don't know, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:So the wife, she holds down how old are your kids actually.
Speaker 2:How old are your kids actually?
Speaker 1:The oldest is 16, 14, and then my two are 8 and 3. Spread out. Spread out.
Speaker 2:Seems like evenly, though Do the older ones babysit, the younger ones Try not to. I mean there's a couple times where they had to but try not to. Um, I mean there's a couple times where they had to, but uh, try not to. I mean, uh, so my girl works uh at a warehouse. She's like a warehouse manager. She starts work at like 5 am and she gets off about two. So I drop the kids off at grandmom's house, um, or like the babysitter, for like a couple hours and then then I go into work. So it works out. I drop the kids off in the morning to like the bus stops and stuff, so you know, doing a whole dad suburbian thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's crazy, man that's a lot that's. You know it's a lot. You got the kids, you got a small business and you're working over 40 a week.
Speaker 2:Fuck, I got no excuses not to not to get after a little bit harder. You know, look, the funny part is we started the moving thing from nothing, like we just started just uh. My girl's mom was like, hey, uh, you got a truck, you don't drive it at all. So, uh, I mean this person needs this picked up, this person needs this. It was at the end of covid where everybody had all this money and they're spending all this stuff. So I was like, so we started it then. And then from there it just like one after the other, after the other. I'm like, oh, geez. And then, uh, and then we were like, well, we can move into apartment moves, like, do smaller stuff. So I mean that. Then we started to do houses, apartments, and, uh, we've been to ohio, virginia, new york, jersey damn movie yeah yeah, now what do you do?
Speaker 1:you, uh, does anybody? Do you or your partner have their cdl like, do you need a giant tractor trailer for some of these moves?
Speaker 2:okay, nope, um. So if you go to uh like penske, they have like huge trucks that you don't need a cdl to drive it's like just just a step down from the cdl.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, dan, so that's how you guys do it. That's pretty awesome. That's crazy, because they're lucrative dude, if you're moving people across state, you can make some money.
Speaker 2:The only thing you have to pay out of pocket is like so just say we need a bigger truck. I mean, we have like two trailers now, but just say we need a bigger truck. We can go to U-Haul, penske, whatever for local stuff and then, depending on the distance, whatever, I mean, the money's all on the customer. So I mean most of the most of the stuff is just all right. So I paid 300 for the trail, for the uh, the truck. Here's 300. The rest we split bang done like shit, that's, that's a, that's a.
Speaker 1:Come up right there. Um, yeah, you know me. I mean, I'm out here ubering. I was making bank in my old company. I've been hustling my whole life though man, cutting grass, moving pizza delivering. I'm not doing the uber eats, so that's some bullshit. They try to get me to do the uber eats. I can't. They say no, jobs too small. But no, I'm not going back to delivering food again. I can't. I can, I can't go, I can go back. I can take some steps back. I ain't going all the way back, though, chris. Right.
Speaker 2:My buddy does Grubhub and I mean he can make like anywhere from like $80 to like $200 and like $300 a night doing like.
Speaker 1:Damn, I didn't know that. What Grubhub? Yeah, shit. Yeah, uber seems like it's all right so far. Here's the situation, though. There's different levels based off of the vehicle and how many rides you do, and then like your rating. If you get to the premier level, it's almost like double or triple. Like an uber x ride. An uber x rides like junk. And then the other day I I ordered an uber black, which is like top tier, just to take me to my vehicle right down the road. One mile yo 30 for a mile in an uber, in an uber black. So like that's kind of like, you know that's that's pretty decent money. I think you can make a good living. You just gotta. You gotta put in a little bit of time first, before beforehand. Um, it's not something I want to do long term, but by any means necessary, I'll do what I gotta, do you know?
Speaker 2:Like. Our first investment was like an open, like a utility trailer. That was our first investment. We still use that same trailer to today. That thing's been paid off probably at least 20 times over. I mean it cost us $1,200. And then we've moved people across states just with that.
Speaker 1:Damn, that's nuts. So it's a utility trailer. So it's like you hitch it to a truck, correct? That's it my truck. But it's enclosed or no? Oh, okay, it's open. Damn yeah, that's crazy. See up and shit down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely got to watch the weather and all. But the open trailer is just like the way to go for us. I mean, I literally just keep it in front of my house, I strap it up and I go and we've moved apartments and everything just with that by itself and everything just with that by itself.
Speaker 1:Now, what do you charge typically for, say, a two-bedroom 1,000-square-foot apartment? Say 1,200 to 1,000, with nothing super valuable you know nothing's like you know Is it first floor or third floor.
Speaker 2:First let's say, yeah, that's a good point. Ground level, no stairs, whatever.
Speaker 1:I mean you're probably looking at anywhere from maybe a thousand, like 1500 bucks yeah, that's not bad because, I'm sure these other companies that have all that overhead are charging way more you're doubling that yeah, yup, beautiful, all Well, that's good to know, cause I'm sure I'll be out of here in this. I'll be out of here relatively soon. Uh, probably not too soon, but if I, if I roll, I could use a hand. You know all my, but you know how it is. Well, look, chris, I'm gonna let you. Well, actually, you got you. What's one piece of advice you got you got for for the, for the listeners out there?
Speaker 2:look, just keep your head down and keep it pushing. I mean there's I mean there's always something that you can achieve. I mean I started something out of nothing and I mean just keep going, just keep pushing, keep your head to the ground and keep going. I mean don't let someone tell you you can't do anything, because I mean the ones that are telling you that you can't do it are the ones that are like haters are your biggest fans, and if you have one hater now, you better be looking for your second one.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Just keep the hustle going. I mean just keep going.
Speaker 1:Hell yeah, adapt and overcome. Yup, that's excellent advice, chris. Look, man, we appreciate having you on on the show. You're welcome back anytime. I'll be in touch to get the information on your business Throw up on the website. See if we can get some more traction. Go ahead and tell the audience one more time what the business is called.
Speaker 2:CMT moving. Just ask for Chris or Tim.
Speaker 1:I mean the numbers will be on the card Beautiful. Well, you're welcome back anytime and keep up the good work, Chris.
Speaker 2:Thank you, sir, appreciate it.