Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis
7x Mr. Olympia 212 Champion Flex Lewis presents Straight Outta The Lair, the podcast that aims to bring you vital information for your life's ambitions, providing valuable insight from interviews of the many many different faces that walk through our doors at The Dragon's Lair Las Vegas and a few from the man himself.
Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis
Addict Turned Millionaire | Shawn Meaike | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast Ep. 89
Ever found yourself at the edge of giving up, only to be swept up by a tale of transformation so powerful it reignites your drive? Shawn Meaike's journey from the depths of struggle to the zenith of entrepreneurial success does just that. As he peels back the layers of his life, revealing the hardships and breakthroughs that have carved his path, we traverse the unpredictable world of real estate, the resilience in the face of economic crashes, and the strategic pivot that led to the foundation of a life insurance empire. Shawn's story isn't just about financial triumph; it's a masterclass in leadership and the raw authenticity that shapes a genuine personal brand.
The heart of this episode pulses with the human elements that underscore business acumen—humility, culture, and overcoming addiction. We uncover the creation of a workplace where judgment is checked at the door, and every individual is empowered to rise. Shawn's candid reflection on personal battles with substance abuse, and the transformative influence of sobriety on his leadership, offers an intimate look at the man behind the success. It's an exploration of the delicate balance between celebrating victories and navigating losses, a testament to the tenacity required to lead both a company and oneself out of the darkness.
As we wrap up, Shawn leaves us with more than just an inspiring narrative; he imparts wisdom on the power of perseverance, faith, mentorship, and the indomitable belief in oneself. Through heartfelt anecdotes and practical insights, he provides a blueprint for those daring to rewrite their own rags-to-riches tale. It's an episode that doesn't just chart the course of Shawn's life but also invites every listener to believe in the possibility of their own transformation, no matter how late in the game they find themselves. Join us for a conversation that's as much about the conquest of the insurance industry as it is about the relentless pursuit of personal growth and success.
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----- Content -----
00:00:00 - Intro
00:09:56 - Real Estate, Insurance, and Overcoming Challenges
00:17:02 - Lessons in Building a Successful Business
00:23:41 - Maintaining Humility, Cultivating Positive Culture
00:31:34 - Business and Life Insurance Stories
00:41:41 - Overcoming Addiction and Finding Purpose
00:49:06 - Leadership Evolution and Faith Journey
00:53:28 - The Power of Perseverance and Faith
00:58:15 -
I need you to understand something. I have stage three pancreatic cancer. I won't be here in three months.
Speaker 2:Straight out the lead. Straight out the lead. Join today by somebody who is a entrepreneurs entrepreneur, has grown several businesses and exited over several million dollars. Has one of the biggest, if not, excuse me, the biggest insurance marketing agencies. Is that correct, Correct, In the country? I had to get this right because this guy truly has a story. My guy. Welcome to the show, Sean Mike.
Speaker 1:Thanks for having me, man. It's an absolute honor, bro.
Speaker 2:Man, I didn't know where to start with this story because when we started we spoke briefly and we were just we just get to meet. But I said we got to get you on the show. We've got to because it's truly a rags to riches story and we love that and straight out the lead. First of all, we have several friends in common. Yeah, and your name keeps on coming up Appreciate that.
Speaker 2:And now we get to meet literally in the flesh. Yeah, but what a story, man, what a story. And let's talk about first of all. You have 35,000 agents in the United States. What a feat. And how, first of all, how on earth do you even control such an empire from the seat to sit tonight?
Speaker 1:First of all, thanks again for having me. Your name has been coming up forever and I came in here about a month ago to decide a big idea to work out with Merriman. I hadn't done legs in about 18 years. So he says let's do legs. And I was like, yeah, it sounds good. By halfway through he tried to trick me Was how many circuits, how many? He was trying to get me to cop out, but I'm like I'd rather die than quit. So my legs actually were genuinely embarrassingly sore for 11 days which is good.
Speaker 1:Then we went and did a mid workout and thought my heart was so good. It was good level up for me.
Speaker 2:I'm going to talk about Sean Merriman, the legend Sean.
Speaker 1:Merriman is my buddy, the legend, no doubt about it. And so it's funny. Because Flex I got into the life insurance business 15 years ago and I had already been in real estate, sold the company ex-adapt that was great Waste management. I've been doing a lot of different things and I found that industry and I worked for another guy for five years and it was a pretty good size company, the company I got. We did about $800 million last year in sales for the year and it's bigger than anybody else out there in our space.
Speaker 1:But I worked for somebody for five years and I was like dude, I don't hear all the things I don't like. So, like in my life when I've done something, I pay a lot of attention to the things I don't like, the way they're done. If you grow up and you're like I don't like my parents doing that Shit, don't do it, just don't do it. So I learned a lot and then we started yeah, I was CEO, cfo, coo, cto and it just started getting really big and I never built it. To have 30,000 agents or do We'll do a billion in premium this year for a year? Wow, and I never built it. For that reason I just hated where I was at and wanted to start something on my own, and I did, and it's more from 12 of us to 35,000 and still growing man 35,000.
Speaker 2:And you just said that you're possibly going to hit a billion this year.
Speaker 1:I will definitely do a billion, definitely.
Speaker 2:Definitely. How would you stay so motivated knowing that all our cash flow is coming in? Yeah, and you still get up to listen. I followed you. I've seen what you do and who you're around. You're so motivated daily and you preach about it to leading from the front. How is it that you've got a bank account with a lot of zeros in it and you still got your foot in the gas?
Speaker 1:I really, truly was raised with nothing. That's the other reason I started to start doing some of the stuff in the podcast your stories. First thing about your stories is true, and the problem is a lot of people's stories aren't true. There's people watching shit on a daily basis and those guys are not telling the truth.
Speaker 2:And we know some of them, and we know them intimately.
Speaker 1:It's dude, that's not true, that didn't happen to you and that's actually a disservice to other people. If you want to just be asked people, that's fine. But when they start following you, taking your advice, doing things for their family based on what you've said and you're lying, you can hurt them right. You can legitimately harm them as people. I think for me, as you, as you start looking at what we were doing I didn't have anything. I got nothing. So my motivator and this was never money. I wanted to live a better life than I was raised in, but I didn't have any delusions of. I wasn't like, oh my God, I'm going to make a million dollars when I got out of college play baseball, that was it. I was going to join the Marines and went through my ASFAB, did all that. The army was 17. My mom's not joined the military. I think in her mind she want to be like my dad, so he was in the military, so somehow that was a correlation for her. So she's going to college and I'm like I don't want to go to college, we have no desire to go to college. And then my buddy was going to play baseball and he's yo they need. They were trying to recruit you. But you ain't got nobody to talk to. Parent wise. So like, why don't you call him up? So I went and got a degree. But all I ever want to do at that point in time was make a hundred thousand dollars a year. That's what I want. I'm like you know what, one day I got it.
Speaker 1:I graduated college in 95. I'm like, if I can make a hundred grand a year, I'll be set. I wanted to not live the way I lived. Took my job, got a job, went to the police academy. They threw me out of there. To be honest with you, I was four and a half months. I made about four months. I was out of control. I was 21. Guys are getting my face. I'd be like fuck you. And then I was like if you, yeah.
Speaker 1:I know it's hard to believe, but if you can kick my ass, you can talk to me that way, and if you can't and you might be able to we need to find out. I said I wasn't, I didn't have that, I wasn't raised that way. I had a lot of anger, a lot of bullshit. So then I, my buddy, after they were kicking me out, they were like dude, we're not going to keep you here. Like you're going to get arrested while you're a police officer which is probably true, like I was at Ethics class and they said they're like hey, you pull over car and it's 11 o'clock at night and there's nobody around and there's 200,000 dollars in cash. What do you do? And I'm like, fucking, keep it. Like why would I give it to you guys? What are you going to do with it? And it was just ongoing.
Speaker 1:From there I didn't do well and I liked the physical part of it and all that. And then I got a job as a social worker and I'm like I remember flex. It was probably. I was probably 28 or nine and I'm like dude, I made a hundred thousand dollars for the year. I worked all my overtime and then I was doing like I made a hundred grand and then from there I was like all right, so money's never motivated me. Then I didn't. I was accumulating real estate like crazy, but I wasn't really. I was cash falling. But every time I made money I bought a lot of money. I bought another building, so I started buying buildings. I was like 20 years old.
Speaker 2:How do you get into that thought? A thought edge. What was the? Was it a person that the Sahih listen invest in real estate? The thought edge.
Speaker 1:My my mom got a real estate license when I was like nine or 10. And she quit after four months and I had this massive chip in my shoulder anyway because the way I thought everybody treated us, the way they looked at us. My mom moved us into a nice school system, which meant we went to the very bottom. There weren't many people that had less than we did in the town like at all, and I was a better area. She moved us too, but I liked my old area better because I understood it better and I thought I had better friends and I could connect with people. I didn't feel inadequate For me.
Speaker 1:I was like trying to look for something to do and I had a baseball coach who was I played professional baseball for years and it was John Ellis. He passed away recently and he came and coached a travel team. I was on. We had a really good team and I just started watching everything he did and then I'm like, how did you make your money after professional baseball? I said real estate and I said why real estate? He said because anybody can do it. He goes, it just takes balls and I was like I don't have a lot, but I got that. So I'll try it.
Speaker 1:And I bought my first piece of property yeah, like at 20. And it was, and I bought us a piece that I was going to try to turn to a three lot subdivision in. The realtor and his name is Nancy she's at the time God 40s and I go through the process and I go from submitting an application to when I know anything about this stuff. Right, like I want to do a subdivision. I go to the town planner. The engineer I used got arrested for tax evasion so they locked all my records in so I couldn't get that out, waste the money with him. And I was young and have a lot of money. And I went through the process and she, about eight months into it, she called me up and she said how's it going? I said it's not going. I bought it from you for us. How long ago was it? I bought it from you for 40. It was next to a junkyard. They claim there was contamination.
Speaker 1:The asshole I bought it from got mad that I was doing a subdivision. He was in his sixties I'm sure he's long dead now and was nothing but a pain in my ass because he was like why are you going to make money. I'm going to make money. And she said would you consider selling it to me, what you have into it? I said why would you do that? Because this thing's a fucking loser. And she said because I've been doing this forever and I'll get two lots out of it. I won't make much, but you're going to be successful in this and we'll do more business together. And I was like why do you? I don't know If I'm not good at a lot, I'm really good question asker. So it's like why do you think I'll be good at it? And she says you don't take no for an answer. You have a good work ethic and people. I think she likes they like you. So she bought it back from me, got her two lots, made a few bucks and then we did tons of deals together, moving forward.
Speaker 2:So she's seen something in you that was going to be a long-term play.
Speaker 1:I didn't see it in me. She lived in a nice house. I never lived in an apartment. From apartment to apartment I had gotten my area was. Living at time was okay, but it wasn't like it wasn't great. And she saw something I didn't see and she was very well put together. Her and her husband were great people. He was very successful. She was very successful in my world. They were like ultra rich. Now looking back on it now I'm like dude, I'll look at what I've accomplished. But to them they were like ultra rich and I just I and I liked it. It was like juice for me, like I would buy. I started buying buildings everywhere and I made a decision to buy everything within four square miles and I lived 10 minutes away and I accumulated hundreds and hundreds of rental properties and then I end up selling them all down the road and had no idea what they'd be worth. But I, when I got paid, I was like damn and that was my first exit out of any kind of company.
Speaker 2:Can you say what the number is?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, millions and millions. The three companies I've sold have been in excess of it's hundreds of millions of dollars.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, keep it on the timeline. So this was the real estate chapter and you wouldn't get twenties.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Cause. Let's just pick up on on the timeline, because since we've gone down to childhood which we can talk about, we can circle back on, but this was your first entrepreneurial 100%. You're dipping the tour and then you put the full forth in and then you went full out. Where were you then? We used to do then just take the timeline.
Speaker 1:So I'm doing real estate. I'm dumping my money back in every time I get something. I went into subdivisions and I went into land development and I was making my brother's putting everything back in Cause. I was like I don't think I was trying to build an empire, I was just competitive and I'm like I'm watching other people do it and they have really good lives. Why can't I do it?
Speaker 1:So I rode that out through man the better part of 10, 12, 14 years and then I still had the company and we started cashflow and at 36 years of age I was buying a property and a guy says to me why don't you get your life insurance license? And I said, why would I do that? And he said because we have leads. And I was like damn, I never had a lead based business. Real estate was sphere of influence. I'd have to ask you hey Flex, who do you know? I come to the gym? I asked you you refer me to somebody else. There's a lot of networking, which is fine, but I couldn't scale it with a business like agency. I bought properties and that's how I scaled. It was a lot of active work, it wasn't passive. And he said you can build an agency. You recruit people, put them in when they sell policies. You make money. And I'm like give me the leads. So he goes to the trunk of his little civic, grabs me some leads, hands them to me. So I take my cell phone out and I call him. Call the first lead of God. I got no insurance license. Call him up and it has a lead. So I just base it as you have, like Flex, yep, sean, hey, man, what's up? And you're like what's up? Do I know you? I'm like yeah, did you fill this form out? Here's your date of birth. You said you want insurance. Here's how much you can get. I'll see you tomorrow at noon. And the guy on the phone was like sounds good. So he looked at me and he goes how did you know how to do that? I go. They fell out of the freaking form. What do you mean? How do I know how to do that? I said do you not do it? He's no, I haven't even called him yet. I said can I go see him? He's needing insurance license. I'm like shit, how do I get that? So I got my insurance license and started calling him and I loved it.
Speaker 1:In real estate people always said to me that happened in 08. So the market, real estate market, crashed, yeah. But you know, when people said to me I understand why I got a real estate, I'm like and I don't make excuses I said, dude, a lot of people stayed in it. 08 didn't ruin me. I was fine, I had a lot of properties, but I got out of it because I wasn't positioned to do the things they were doing. I had my properties Actually forced a lot of people into rentals. I actually did a little bit better.
Speaker 1:But the reality is that, no matter what we've gone through, somebody was successful Economic pandemic. It doesn't matter. So my thing is what I ask people when I try to recruit them. I go what are you doing now? And they'll tell me, and then I'm if they're like I work at this company and it sucks, I go somebody makes money there, why weren't you? It might have some flaws, but why weren't you making money there? And it challenges people because I like accountable people Like when I fuck up, no problem, I don't. And I'm the hardest on me.
Speaker 1:I got into life insurance, still had my real estate and launched a life insurance company and actually I'm sorry, worked for five years from another guy and about four years into it I went to him and I said hey, dude, your model's flawed. I'm the biggest sales guy here and I'm the biggest team and I don't make any real money. I'm grossing 1.4 million and shit. I'm keeping 150 ranch the sink in a work Okay, and if I'm your number one it's not gonna work. And the guy was you know some people. I call it liquid courage. They're super nice to your face. Then they get a few pops in that night and they get on the phone and say shit they would never say to your face. And I was like I'm not gonna let a grown man speak to me that way, cause I don't speak to grown men that way. I'm not going to let them speak to me that way. So I was like I'm going to quit. I just didn't know what I was going to do and waited about a year and I found cause.
Speaker 1:Yet when you have distribution, you have to find a carrier insurance carrier, no different than if you're in real estate. You need more whatever your whatever's feeding you and paying the bills. So I need insurance carrier and I found one that would take a chance on me. I met with a guy. I was calling people and nobody, because, dude, it was just me. And to run a marketing organization or an agency you need a lot of people, you need an infrastructure. I didn't have any of that and just me.
Speaker 1:And I met with a guy and he said why should I contract you? And I said look to you up online to be honest with you. Your dad's a very successful high school football coach in Texas. And he said yeah, he is. And I said let me tell you something If you contract me, I'll be the best fucking linebacker you've ever met in your life. Full bag, I'll run everything over. Nobody will outwork me. So if you don't, if you're not, if you're questioning yourself, go back to your dad. Take a video of me talking to you and ask your dad if you believe, if he believes I'm telling the fucking truth. And he goes that's a weird answer, but he contracted me. Wow.
Speaker 1:And so then, basically, we took that and I got sued because the company left. And that was the funny thing. That's what I knew. It wasn't going to be okay, because everybody's what do you? I got sued and I got sued in federal court, state court. I didn't know there's this many courts and these guys all call me what are we going to do? And I'm like what do you mean? What am I going to do? We're going to go fucking work. What do I care? I'm like I'm more worried about what I'm going to get for lunch. Shill, I don't bother me.
Speaker 1:And then I kept working and I hired an attorney. They're like hey, if you keep working there, get a restraining order against you. And I was like fuck it, let's do it. They filed a TR. They got it granted temporary restraining order. My attorney's called and said you're out of business. Now I had already had money. I wasn't freaking out. Plus, money was never my motivator. Now I was like I'm going to win. Yeah, no matter what happens, I'm going to win. So I remember my attorney called me and said it's over.
Speaker 1:I was doing a meet in Destin, florida, and it's like somebody kicked me in the stomachs. Now I got about 140 guys with me and I don't want to let him down. And I was like so I hung up as having to meet and let me call you back. When in the meeting did the meeting. That's the other thing. Like shit happens. What are you going to do? When in did the meeting got done, called them back.
Speaker 1:I was like, hey, I'm no attorney, but if it's a restraining order and I violate it, I'll have to go to court. Yeah, mike, let's do that. Then let's get in front of the judge. I'm going to violate the shit out of this thing. Every clause I'm going to violate. Let's go to court and let's talk about the validity of the contract and I'm going to get all the people at work with me signed whatever document meaning to sign to, because I didn't make them do anything violated. They filed the violation on the way to Greensboro.
Speaker 1:My attorneys, you might have to. The judge can be upset. I'm like. We don't know if he's upset. Stop being sad. Stop being such a fucking just bitch.
Speaker 1:Who hired you? I hired you. Matter of fact, my first hearing, I fired my attorney. I left the law firm because he was awful, he's like shaking and we're in federal court. So we went in for research. What do you think? I'm like? You're fired. I'm like, and the other guy came out and I'm like dude, why don't you handle my case? He's a pain in the ass. He's a partner. I'm like he sucks. So he left. He was hit, set a few things as he got out down the road, You're not going to be successful. I was like, fine, good luck. I called him little John and made me feel better because he was like 120 pounds and he left and that guy that was at the law firm. I convinced him to quit and start his own law firm. Shit, yeah, and he's. How do you know? Like I said, dude, I'm going to get sued all the fucking time and I'll always use you like you and your coach. I'll always use you Like you'll always be my guy until this day.
Speaker 2:Wow, Like you're my guy. How long is that being Dude?
Speaker 1:10 years Like you're my guy, no matter what, and there's bigger and better right His law firms and like you, and they scale from nothing to a pretty decent sized law firm. And I remember I went to court, run the way and they're like the judge might like he might be upset and if he thinks you're in contempt court, I'm like what am I going to do? Spend three days in Greensboro federal prison, dude, that's better than most places. That's better where I grew up and it's not real prison, it's not a stupid story. And I got in front of the judge and I'll never forget. He looked over and he started to ask me about. He said hey, they're saying because contracts require consideration.
Speaker 1:I always tell people like, just because you have a contract and I'm not an attorney, so I'm just telling you I violated the shutters all the time. What I mean by that is, if you change, there's no concern. If you and I are partners, if you and I are partners, if you and I are partners and we agree, we're 50, 50 and I leave here and I don't do shit In two years later. You're like you and your wife are like Sean don't do nothing, like first, he doesn't do anything and you go. You know what. You're right, he doesn't do anything. You have a conversation and I still don't do anything. There's consideration that I was supposed to bring 50% to the table, effort equity, whatever we agree to. I don't bring shit and you go ahead and go. You know what. I'm going to just give 100% of the money and I go ahead and sue you. Dude, you get to go. Okay, explain to them how you held up your.
Speaker 1:Where was my consideration for me and my family? Judge started asking me questions about leads and training. He's who provides leads. I'm like, dude, I get leads, I get my own leads. Then he's who does the training? I'm sure I do have to train at the company. I'm not even that good. Why do I have to pay myself to train? He just kept listening to me and asking me questions and asking me questions. We left like eight days later. He's nope, we're going to drop their strain order. And I was like, oh, y'all are screwed. And then we went to work. I went from a hundred agents to. I recruited everybody. Anybody did. My pitch was why are you not fricking working with us? Explain that to me. I paid the best, we had the best training and do this one on the mission.
Speaker 2:So explain that to me from you getting paid, bringing in what 1.2, 1.4,?
Speaker 1:you said 1.4 million.
Speaker 2:And you were taking home. He was kid, they were 100.
Speaker 1:150. That's crazy, insane. And what got me flex was in my income, because I had some money, real estate, some stuff was coming in. I was like, if I'm the number one guy, that's these guys.
Speaker 2:What are they?
Speaker 1:And they're looking at me dude, I'm driving, I'm not there yet. Now I knew I was building a real estate deal, that eventually. But just on this deal, then I'm like they're looking up at me, at my income Shit, I'm leaving them to path of destruction. I don't mind leading myself in the path of destruction. That's my choice, but I don't want to lead anybody else in the path of destruction. That's where I that's my guilt kicks in. I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm OK, run out and do something stupid, but if you're my buddies, hey, I'm jumping out of the building. Don't jump out of the building. You could break something. You have to be pissed. I'll jump out the fucking building. I don't care if I get hurt. You know what I mean, and it really was. It was. But you know what I learned so much about business Like I got I think I got a degree better than anybody could ever get any business school in the time out, because I was in charge of everything I'll never forget when I was doing my first exit and they're like, who are your C level executives?
Speaker 1:And I was like what does that mean? And the lady looked at me like I was like ma'am, I'm not trying. I just don't know what you mean. And if I don't know, I'm going to ask she's a CEO. Ceo, I'm like, oh, that makes sense. C level executives. Ok, I'm like, I'm all of them, every one of them, bro. And so I learned a lot about delegation and growing the company and obviously it's taken off like this and, yeah, it's been unbelievable. Man Covid, we grew 700 percent a couple of years because it's life insurance and I also really love what we do. That's the other thing. I liked real estate, I liked waste management, but I love life insurance and I think you know you talked about your journey.
Speaker 1:You loved it, loved it, dude, even if you're talking about drinking soup and chicken and I'm like, dude, there's none of that sounds good. You're like I like, but you just loved it. Yeah, I love the life insurance business.
Speaker 2:So you said you were a standard crew. Then everything right, everybody. What was it that you learned and transitioned from your old company into the new? Obviously, you said that you look after your guy. You pay the best. Yeah, so obviously pay being on.
Speaker 1:I took everything that I didn't like, so I sat down, how you do with your notes. I sat down. I was like, all right, let me just attend things I didn't like about the way of the structure Got it. Ok. Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to go over here and I'm going to counter each one of those. I don't like the way people are getting paid. I'm going to pay higher, ok, got it.
Speaker 1:Training where most people fail in business in general, that I've seen from a training perspective is they do it based on seniority. Ok, so they go. All right, you know what? Tom has been here 10 years. Let's let Tom train. And I'm like but Tom don't do nothing anymore.
Speaker 1:So our deal was if you wanted to have a voice at the company, you had to be productive, you had to be doing something. If you weren't productive, you didn't have a voice. Then we're like let's generate leads, but let these guys will teach them to generate their own leads. They can go do it Like. So we empowered the hell out of people. We put a profit sharing deal together. That's now done really well with employees. Hey, you know what guys? Let's grow it together. Y'all want to make more money. I'd like to make more money too. Here's what we're making as we grow the net. You can make this percentage more and share the shit out of it.
Speaker 1:Now, the first three years, I tell people all the time we were doing like significant volume. I remember when I was getting sued. Actually they wanted to subpoena my tax returns. I told my attorney why are you fighting this? He's like why do you want to have your tax returns? I'm like dude, this company. I put every dollar back into it. I'd actually like everybody to see what I'm doing. Number one it would teach them something. Number two, the guys that work here. I think they love me. Right, they would love me even more. I'm not keeping any of it. Every dollar they came in, 99 cents went out the door.
Speaker 1:Now, thankfully, I'd done some other things that I was doing. I wanted, but I wanted to scale it and what people were saying is the model you have is not going to work. You're not keeping enough money. And I said, all right, guess what If I make it three years, y'all are totally fucked. The competition might be right, you might be right, and I do other things, but once it started to make, then it was just like then. It was a snowball and I think also flex the hands-on deal. There's psychology of selling and there's psychology of making money in an override. If I come into the gym and I'm paying you to train me, dude, there's some psychology behind the fact that you better bring me value, or, after a while, I'm like, dude, I'm just wasting the money.
Speaker 1:I used to have a personal trainer. I'd walk in, dude, like eating a honey bun. It's pathetic. I wasn't trying to compete, I just didn't want to die early. I don't want to be in good health. I want to take my shirt off and not feel bad about myself. I was the fattest I ever was when I had a personal trainer. Wow, we didn't give a shit about me at all. I'd come in, I was strong. I couldn't run 25 feet.
Speaker 2:And honey buns will do with you.
Speaker 1:What's that? The honey buns invention man? I didn't know what I was doing, but we couldn't do. And then I got rid of him and started to do my own thing. But we call it the psychology of an override, and our business is an override. If I sell a policy, you make money. I'm cool with you making money as long as you're doing something. But the minute you're not, after a while, I'm like, hey, you don't do nothing. And then three or four or five of us go. No matter how big and bad the person is, enough people are mad at you, dude, they'll throw you over.
Speaker 1:So it was just learning that and also being in business with people I didn't like when somebody told me that they were my upline. It's like dude, you just work here like me and I don't like them. I don't do it with anybody when they're like. I was doing a meeting recently. This kick him up to me. He's what's it feel like to be in charge. My dad says you're the boss. I said dude, your dad's the boss. He's an independent dude, it's his company. Your dad's badass, wow. And the guy's like why'd you say that I might do? Number one? It's true, and number two your kid, you're running your own business under this umbrella. Yeah, my job is call me whatever, tell me I'm not above you two. Big to the small things. You'll be too small to the big things, and you talked about early, when we were bullshitting, being humble.
Speaker 2:Humble is the key.
Speaker 1:Dude, I, being humble, I could. What separates the guy sleeping up the street and doing stupid shit? Those are thin lines. I mean, I've been sober 23 years but if I was still drinking and partying, smoking, cracking, using coke and eating fucking mushrooms, I'd be up some fucking street fighting somebody at two o'clock in the morning at a fucking Burger King and going to jail again.
Speaker 2:I want to put a pin on that because that is a massive part of your life. But talking about family first life, yeah, you've created such a culture in that company 100 percent through respect, transparency. How would you keep that culture? What do you do to keep getting that workforce to turn up as as driven as you every day?
Speaker 1:It's? First of all, it's a big judgment free zone. People come in with their own baggage and I want everybody to understand that they can achieve whatever they want. Number two humility is huge. The top guys and girls that train the minute they start talking about how great they are. I don't let them train anymore. We just did an event with six thousand people in Irving, texas, and one of the guys said to me man, like all the people are so relatable. I said do you know how we achieve that? And I did it.
Speaker 1:Every in the south, the events I take very seriously. We would every event, morning and afternoon we have a speakers meeting, go through what they can talk about. But the big thing was, guys, if you convince them that you're great, now, first of all, you have a great work. I think you have courage, you do have all those things, but you're not superhuman. But training, everybody could do it. Everybody can't do what you did. You know they can't know they can't know they can't. That's a different level and there's some ability that's required. God had to give you something that you took it to a different level. But in life insurance sales, everybody's completely equal.
Speaker 2:Even playing field.
Speaker 1:It's like literally doesn't discriminate in any capacity, as long as your work having a good attitude. So one of the greatest things we do culture wise to get every man and woman to go I can do what they're doing. And then they're saying, yes, you can. So I bring my top guys up on stage all time and now they know to be doing it long enough and I'm like, is there anything you do that they can't do? And they some of them want to say how great they are. And if they say that there's some shit that they're great at and they can't do, I'll never let them fuck and speak again. Just, number one they're lying. They're lying in. Number two you're demotivating everybody.
Speaker 1:Now, most of the companies I was part of they bring these people up and they'd raise them above their whole ear than the other, better than everybody else in the entire world. And then people like, look, I can't do what he's doing, so it's a built in. You actually allow the person, you validate their excuse because I can't do it now. And then you have a company doesn't grow and you're like why isn't it growing? Because you're all egotistical. So people bring me in and consult. I was with the company recently, small company, nice people, and I'm like, dude, you're all egomaniacs, Like you're, mega limit, this is out of control. And I'm like you're an egomaniac You're and they were cool after a couple of hours are, like dude, really appreciate your feedback. I'm like you're demotivating them. I don't know where you're going to come from. I don't know if it's insecurity, that's your business. But at the end of the day, most of the people that start with us, dude, they're struggling with their self image. They're struggling. Their people come by this gym intimidated to come in.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, Absolutely. They see the Instagram and they be like.
Speaker 1:I'm not big enough. How I'm not big, I hear it all the time Correct, but where's that come from?
Speaker 1:Insecurity, insecurity biggest causation of insecurity is lack of unconditional love. The thing about my mom while it was an interesting childhood, my mother would pick me up after I got arrested and the first thing she would say to me is I love you. She'd be mad, she would. She would, no matter what. She worked her three jobs, three in the morning, going to bed. I love you. It didn't matter, and I think it really allowed me to have a healthy self image.
Speaker 1:Man, the culture is everything. I'm rabid about protecting it and I make sure I lead with zero ego and complete humility. And anytime somebody comes up to me to say anything it's, I always want to. I want to be like a mirror and give the attention back to him. I ain't a window with that shit. Give it back. You're right, you man, I can't believe what you do.
Speaker 1:I'm like I have great people, man, you guys are bigger than anybody else. I have great people, he's great. Our lead, this one's right. You see him, he's great. And then the meantime telling them hey, you are great, but now your job is convincing them. They're great.
Speaker 1:You start acting like you're great in the world. I'm going to take away your power to talk to them, because I'm running it with complete humility. That's how you do it and also, dude, we things in our lives could change like that. Yeah, man, it's true. So I ain't going to complain about shit. I'm going to be happy every day. I'm going to be good, I'm going to. I'm going to be persistent and getting around good people. That's how I met you Finding good people that I got around that know you? Sean Merriman built a business with us. He does all kinds of things but he's doing I like I love this. I didn't grow up with this stuff and his story. Growing up Like he's doing. Nobody I knew had life insurance. I'm like come join us. He builds a business. We got a lot of guys that are doing that, that are coming out of pro sports, so how did you guys link up?
Speaker 1:So it's funny, because he is a guy named Brad Alcantin, who knows him local guy, and he says you should meet him. I said, sure, so I go to do a podcast. But he was doing something, so I showed up and never met him. He was with another guy that I work with and the other guy's man look, he's a monster, he's a fucking monster and he's some human man. I said why don't you go to the other guy? Why don't you go train with him one day? He's, I'm not training with him at all and I know Sean at all. And I said can I fight you, merriman? He goes, do you want to? I was like, dude, how badass is that? First of all, there's nobody thinks I'm going to win Number one and, dude, I'm not saying I'm going to him, I'm sure I'm not. But what a badass situation to walk out of a busted lip or a broad guy that you gave to me.
Speaker 1:So I'm not even going to give you this to me, bro, like I thought his ass it's a good guilt trip to a great, so he would. But we started laughing and we connected.
Speaker 1:And I just, and the thing for me with him was I he was very relatable and everybody that I brought around him. He was super fucking cool to a nice two and I was like I really like this guy and I love what he's doing with lights out and I like talking to him about it and just hear it. I'm a big party of a sponsor. I like doing that because he's just a good human being and I got to a point in my life where I'm like I'm going to try myself with good people. Yeah, I just am, and I discern who I like by my interactions with them. I love it, Not this, because that's never actually worked for me ever. So I'm like dude, I appreciate it, but I'm a grown up, I don't need your fucking opinion and I'm like thank you so much for that, Like I got me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sean, he's a stud. In the gym there's no one fine, he doesn't interact with it comes up to him and takes a photo with it and again talking about defecting the compliments. And you're looking, you're in great shape. I love that. I'd be honest.
Speaker 1:It's unbelievable.
Speaker 2:That's why I pride myself on the culture in the gym and I know the viewers are kind of you and me. Talk about this many times, but if I'm not going around the gym fluffing my feathers and I pay the light bulbs, who the fuck are these guys coming in? Right, so we've got rid of people.
Speaker 1:And nobody did that when I was here. I'd never been here and I'm I wouldn't intimidate to come in, but I'm like dude, I'm going to be in the worst shape in the place, right, and I come in and I'm like dude, everybody, like everybody. Super nice, super cool. This was none of it, dude. I've had more people out of damn the one that's 12 bucks a month with more attitude and shit than in here. You're like dude. Why are you throwing the weights around, bro? Calm down, calm down.
Speaker 1:I can do that. I'm 51. Like you're 24, bro, have some respect for yourself.
Speaker 2:Wow. I want to go back to the employment set of things, because if this view was watching this, then no, we're thinking man, I would love to get into life insurance, but you said that you've got all walks of life that have stepped foot in there, regardless of past, and obviously you have a past which I want to talk to you about. So how does somebody go about now getting into life insurance? Listen to this.
Speaker 1:First of all and I'm going to I'm biased, Like I'm biased, I'm an objective. You should work with him for his life. Like I'm just saying, it's a great industry game. You want to work with somebody else? You can, but you can get your insurance license any state. We go ahead and get you a pay for the class for you. You can hit me up on Instagram. I'll find a guy or a girl local to help you. Oh, you pay for it too.
Speaker 2:I'll pay for the class.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, you got to go and pay your state fee and take your test, but you got to finish the course first, we'll pay for it. Then you get rolling, and but I think that's the thing. For me. What's been so cool is see people who thought they could never be a businessman or businesswoman, because there's this crazy misnomer that, like you, need to come from certain background, or do. I started with no business acumen. I accumulated along the way Real estate means now I can walk into about any meeting in the state If I'm familiar with. I grew up in Connecticut. You put me back in Connecticut. You give me a piece of property Did? I've done it so many times. It's just I've continued to, just like you trained. I just continue to.
Speaker 1:I was in it all night long. I was reading. I was reading stuff. I know the shit, I know the wetlands, I know what happens. I know what a vernal pool is. I know what you're supposed to hear. I understand the crossings Wetlands.
Speaker 1:I get it, but I did it for so long so I but I also, I think growing up thought I had a chip in my shoulder so I wanted to do it. I wasn't sure I could do it, but I just wanted to give it hell to see if I could do it. Anybody could do that. You find me on Instagram. My last name is M E A I K E. I'm the only one that I think has that. You're going to find a Sean Mike with the same name and I hit me up fanfirstlifecom. But it's a great industry, no matter where you might work with somebody else, I'm sure they're great, but it's a rewarding industry and I'll give you a quick story flex.
Speaker 1:I was doing this for four months and do I liked it. Don't be wrong, it was really, I really. But I think the day I loved it was I went to meet with a lady and I had a form. I didn't have an appointment. So what I would do is, if they didn't answer the phone, I would take the lead, write a time on it and circle it and I'd show up and I'd knock and I'd be like hey, I'm here for our appointment today at two. You'd be like appointment today at two. I'm like yeah, it's right here in the lead. You fill out two o'clock Tuesday, I'm here. I'm like I'm gonna take my shoes off. That was always my thing. I just start to shoes off. And again, my mom always taught me and before you know it, I'm in the house, so I'm like the church, right? So I do that.
Speaker 1:And the lady says, before you come in, I need you to understand something. I have stage three pancreatic cancer, 32 years old. She goes, I won't be here in three months. I was like Damn and she said Can you help me? I said I'll be really honest with you. The only policy you can get with your condition is what they call a graded policy, which means you got to live two years and if you die any time in the next two years, all you get your money, your benefits, your money back in a little bit of interest. But that's what I can offer you. She's I'm not interested, I want to get life insurance. I'm like, yeah, there's no companies going to issue you full policy where you die in three months or two months that you get paid. So she's like hey, thanks for super, just like for a lady who's dying with two young kids. She's just like super. I mean, she's super good person Walking around to come walk around the corner.
Speaker 1:Here's my man. He's got a. He's got the motorcycle cut on ponytail cuts the sleeves off his shirt. He's a monster, he's a fucking monster. And he's. He looks at me and he goes who the fuck are you? And I go. I looked at her. I said Do you have a dog? And she goes no, I go. Oh, that makes sense, cause I'm thinking he wants to feel good about himself so he doesn't laugh and he's get off my property. And I was like you're what he's like? Get off my property. And she stops, she goes. Listen, he's been super nice. I filled out the form he does life insurance and he looked at her. He goes. I told you to stop asking for he was just frustrated for her.
Speaker 1:And I told you like we can't get this stop. And I said she goes, come on in. I was like, Okay, and you can tell he's fuming and I'm thinking he wasn't mayor man like out of fucking, dropped him like a fucking. But anyway, I was trying to be nice and so I sit down. I never forget. I'm like in this, I'm this recliner.
Speaker 1:They're both in the couch and he's thinking we're going to talk about her situation, like we'll get a life insurance. And I said hey guys, listen. First of all, thanks for coming to your house, I'm sorry for going through. I looked at him and said do you have any life insurance? He loses it again. F bomb after f bomb. Here's a half life insurance through work. I said you have to understand when you have life insurance through work, you don't own the policy. They could change it, they can take it. You leave your job, do ownership cut benefits? Million things happen. She looks at him and she goes let's just hear him out. So I go hey, dude, at your age you can get $250,000. Here's all it's gonna cost. The coverage starts today. He's healthy, as can be, dude, I don't have a medication. He goes to the doctor. He's healthy ship. And he goes back and forth on it. Then he says I'll do it, but I'm not. And she did most of the clothes and I just let her do it right. And he said I'll do it, but I'm not gonna pay today, I'll pay when it comes in.
Speaker 1:The way life insurance works is your. The coverage isn't bound until they've taken money. So if I meet with you and I write a policy for you, your wife's a beneficiary and I'm like, all right, cool. And you go, hey, dude, I'll pay it when it comes in. If you die, from now until then, there's no benefit. Life insurance companies like Ted, we didn't get any money. You didn't bind us. So and I didn't like I always did that way. I'm like did I'm not taking that come? I don't know anybody's ever gonna, when they're gonna die, but I'm not taking that chance. So I told my side can't do it that way. He's, I understand us to listen. Today is whatever day it was, it's gonna come out tomorrow, next day, and if you want to change the date that it comes out in the future and she's looked at him, she was just stopped like we can afford to pay for it, let's do it.
Speaker 1:Two days later in my office, my staff Nicole. She comes in crying and I was like, are you okay? And she's shows me the local newspaper. Well and dude, I don't, I don't have a big business.
Speaker 1:That point in time it wasn't hard to track my clients and she's you had a client die yesterday and I was like, damn, and I immediately start thinking about the 81 year olds, that don't start. And she told me his name and I'm like I took it and I was like, holy shit, he the day I was at his house. He wasn't supposed to be there. And I don't believe things happen by accident. I do have a faith I. He wasn't supposed to be there but he was running late for work, I know at a point. But I showed up, he was leaving for work the next day and then we saw it in the paper day after that, on his motorcycle, dear runs out in front of him, nice day. He ends up laying the bike down, his head in the pavement, dies. And I was like, oh shit, let me see if it got approved and they dropped the payment which they had. You're talking about it. I don't want to call her like right now. Hey, I just saw your. I'm like I want to make sure I'm there, for Let me figure it out.
Speaker 1:Next day I get a phone call. It's her brother, and he comes right at me. He's I'm so-and-so's brother. How dare you Tell her that she's gonna get? I said first of all, bro, I don't know he why I'm not talking to you. I said you're calling from the bank. Don't you have an insurance license? Because a lot of people, the banks, do? And he said, yeah, I go. Then why don't you give her a policy? I'm not gonna talk about if it's your sister or not. I can't violate conf. I'm not gonna talk about anything, but calm. And if I told somebody something, it's true. That was my first death claim. Family got 250,000 dollars. She died shortly thereafter cancer and the kids went to aunt With a quarter million dollars. And I was like dude, it's on meaning like I ain't leaving people unprotected anymore. And I wasn't really leaving them unprotected begin with, but I was like dude. I am like this is what I'm passionate about, and I just felt I fell in love with the business. One day, though. One day.
Speaker 2:Like I was fighting hell bent for his wife never thinking in a minute I'm gonna raise these kids by myself and they lost both their parents. Sad situation, very sad, but the best in that circumstance at least it was coverage right. The bottom line is what we're getting at right, yeah 100% we don't keeping in that like in the family realm. And you mentioned something earlier about your fight with alcohol Drugs. Yeah, how did that come about?
Speaker 2:first of all, more. What was the timeline in this? My I grew up. My parents weren't together. They spoke when I was really young, which is probably good.
Speaker 1:My father was a really big drinker and most of the men were very young and most of the men that I was around were big partiers. My my old man wasn't didn't use drugs, but a lot of the dudes he was with used drugs. So I was around it when I was really young. I I remember I was like nine or ten and he would come over on occasion or I would see him on and there'd be beer. I remember taking a Miller light when I was maybe ten, out Like down the street up in the woods and drinking it. I Can remember it.
Speaker 2:It's weird. What the hell is this shit? I had my first beer.
Speaker 1:Yeah and I'm like, but I wanted to do what the dudes around me were doing, the men grown-ups around me, what they were doing. I thought to me they were everything my uncles, his friends. I didn't realize that there's probably a lot of things I didn't want to do what they were doing. But I'm like, dude, these guys are badass, they're not afraid. There was a lot of. There was a lot of physical violence, some stuff that shouldn't have happened, without a doubt, because you don't ever put your hands on a woman, ever. That's him. Yesterday I was doing pockets worth. They hit you first. I'm like you better fucking run, you better not be playing. I'm just like, anyway, but he. So I remember that I was.
Speaker 1:I started drinking, I started smoking weed when I was probably 12 or 13 and and I loved it and it took me to a different place and that's what I wanted. I played football, basketball and baseball. I started using cocaine At a pretty young age too. I loved that and then I was introduced to crack cocaine when I was 17 and I fucking loved that. Don't do it, but I loved yeah, it's the best 25 minutes of your life all by the worst fucking 40 of your life ever To roller coaster. So I did that and along the way I have everything I eat mushrooms I would I drink every day. I may drink every day for Seriously, probably every single day. From the age of 16 to the day I quit, it was I didn't go a day without Drinking, not one day, and I didn't go a day if I drank. I got fucking intoxicated.
Speaker 2:So all through school, you know every day.
Speaker 1:I guess I smoke weed every single day before high school.
Speaker 2:And the teachers never knew any.
Speaker 1:Of this just put my sunglasses on, walked in and I'm smart Like I did well when I wanted. But I try it all to also think and I'm not blaming I'm not there who they are. I think I fell into my that's whole labeling theory. I just fell into how I was labeled. I'm like they think I'm a rug rat. They know that we ain't got no money. They know that I have a single mom and back then people didn't have single moms.
Speaker 2:Especially not school system.
Speaker 1:No not where she moved me to and even back then divorce wasn't like it is now. You didn't fit in. You were very much anomaly. If it's like where's your dad? He's not around.
Speaker 2:Like I'm gonna escape system hundred percent I'm gonna be somebody else.
Speaker 1:And then it and I loved it, and I found a group of guys that that were hardcore. Now Most of them aren't alive. That's the other thing, dude, I most of them are not here and, thankfully, my friends that got into heroin, oxy, or should I? I the my mother Never forget this. She was massively in denial, but she had told me one day I'm gonna, why she's, I love you very much and I'm like she always wanted to let me. She was just, do me a favor, make me one promise. I'm like all right, mom, like what, she just don't ever do heroin, ever Now. Because I was already like, but she's just don't, just don't do it. And she might have told me two things, which those things didn't scare me, but she was so passionate about it and then I just wouldn't do it, we wouldn't do it. When sniffing wouldn't shoot, I was like not y'all do what you want, I'm not and nobody's gonna make me do anything anyway.
Speaker 1:It was around you was around me everywhere, wow. And then what took a couple of my friends after that was oxy that's play a lot of. I played baseball in college and then I started traveling over country playing softball and they pop oxy later, tick-tock's, and I was like no dude, that's like opiates, I ain't fucking with that. I just wasn't gonna do it. What I was afraid? It was like I'm just my mother, I'm over here fucking eight ball, driving around 42 beers, fighting this guy. But my mom said not to use heroin, so I can use it. But I just didn't. I just didn't and I was in. I was in Tampa, florida, and I was at a softball tournament and I was on the third floor of a real shitty hotel at 28 years of age and my brother was in the parking lot and and one of my buddies like yo, your brother's getting in the fight and I remember some of it, but certainly not all of it and I jumped from the third floor. I was a car down there and these are the guys and I landed on the car and and then they took off because I think they're like shit. This dude just jumped on our car. What's wrong with him? So I fell off the car they drove what I chased them now, dude, I ain't fast, anyway I wouldn't catch a nobody but I tripped, there was like this Concrete wall like a divider, and I'm looking at them and I hit it and I went over.
Speaker 1:I woke up in the morning with so much blood in my bed and I was stuck, everything stuck to my, and what's weird is I woke up and I was completely jacked up. We were playing I don't know what field we're at, but I and it wasn't that because I was almost like I woken up with my face stuck to my pillow. So they punched me to head a couple times like I just we get really fucked up. And it became who I was and I went to the game and Slow pitch sawpals ain't like the greatest men's game, come on, dude. But was a bunch of former college baseball players, a lot dudes played in the pros. So we had a good team and I took.
Speaker 1:I loved my teammates, I want to win, like they're my boys, and I remember the way they looked at me, like when I walked in, like disgusted and when you're fucked up, friends think you're disgusted. I was like dude and I actually said to myself I'm done, I'm done. I sound fucking done. I knew I was gonna want to have kids too. I went home to tell my wife at the time I'm, we got married twice, got divorced twice. That didn't. But I said I'm done and she said why? And that was we. And then we had a very codependent relationship. That's why it's always tends to work. It's codependent and that was it done. Ever drank and ever did a drug again. Nothing, never once. And from that day, never one time.
Speaker 2:How long has it been so you've been sober now?
Speaker 1:23 years. Wow, you know September 24th. So it's, that's it. Man came home and I had a call. He's OG, my buddy, that I knew from work in the state. There's a hardcore dude, new Britain guy in Connecticut, like old school motherfucker and he had been sober and about a month before they pulled me aside he said you'll be dead before 30 if you don't stop and you'll definitely get fired from here. He said eventually, and he's nobody's got the courage to tell you. But I'm telling you and I respected him the way he carried himself and I always had that back in my head. So I came back and I told him. I said hey, man, I'm done. And he said tell as many people as you can. You need the accountability. I mean you're around.
Speaker 1:Anybody mentioned it, I don't care who it is, no matter what. Peer pressure is the most powerful person in the world, never forget. He told me that. So I would tell people and I'd like my friends to look at me like I was crazy. And then I just lost those friends, which is fine, and I don't think they were mad. I think they were just like. They thought I wasn't going to judge them, but like they were doing their thing and hell shit If I was the most out of control of everybody. So yeah, dude, I don't miss waking up, and I didn't spend 20 years in Rikers, but I didn't miss waking up in certain places and being held for the weekend either. Do what I do, you know what I mean. And so, yeah, that was, that's my journey, man.
Speaker 2:If that was such a big part of your life, how hard was it to fight off certain times? You've had a lot of wins. You've also had a lot of times where it's a shitty fucking day. How tempting was it to not be able to celebrate the wins and also drink when you've had a lot of losses?
Speaker 1:First of all, if I hadn't had kids, if I was honest, I don't know that I'd be sober. To be honest with you, I think that what always grounded me the most was like I didn't want them to see any of the stuff I saw growing up, so I flashed there. That was a big deal for me. It took my focus on partying, doing stupid stuff. I was doing it. I was like, ok, I want to be a great father, I want to be productive and I want to lead other people.
Speaker 1:And it's funny to talk about the insurance company one of the. I'll say it all the time too. And they'll say something like I'll talk about, because I have a lot of people that are in recovery. They come work with us and they're like yo, I won't be able to get contracted, why I was in recovery and like, dude, the damn people who run the insurance companies drink too fucking much. Relax, don't worry about it, I got your back, you know what I mean. And they just look like they've been they, they, they want it so bad. And it's funny because when you look at that, I'm like dude, that became like my calling and what I want to do, and I'm a big fan of the. You talk about the.
Speaker 1:I like an underdog dude and I like like a walk on, comes there and gives everything he's got and when it got really good, I stayed grounded. I never my buddy always just say don't get, it ain't never as good as you think, it is, never as bad as you think it is. So I just keep an even keel and put myself in situations where I knew what I couldn't do. I didn't go to places for two years Bars and shit. I stayed away because it was really hard. So I was like I quit playing fucking softball, I quit hanging. I just didn't do anything. So I'm like I don't trust myself. But, dude, after like probably the first, I couldn't sleep. Oh shit, I couldn't sleep for a long.
Speaker 2:I'm sure you couldn't sleep at all, like at all.
Speaker 1:And that was the hardest time, because I'm like dude, I just need to do something to go to sleep, like I actually got to go to work in the morning because the thing with me was always worked. So I would go out and get fucking torn up till 4 am, getting a fight, have blood on me. Did I show up? You tell me to be there at six, I'll be there at six. Tell me to be there at five, be at five, I won't sleep.
Speaker 1:I used to work at UPS on low trucks in college. I would get loaded, drive my drunk ass to UPS, fucking Jefferson Avenue and in Rhode Island it was cramped and I think getting a truck, you get sober real quick when you unload a truck for fucking hours. I'd get out of there, grab a shower, baseball practice, school practice again and then just start drinking. And but I just always I tell people, if you want to stop doing something, fast forward to one of the worst days and one of the worst. What's the worst? What's the worst thing that could happen? And it just kept me focused on the bigger picture.
Speaker 2:Having all that history and I know we've jumped a little bit all on all over the timeline a little bit. I hope the viewers are holding on to it all across the year because I'm enjoying learning that as we're going along. But the leadership that you have and from all the life's lessons, how has it evolved over the years? Because you must have started with a and you've got an eye and fist for yourself. First of all, you're very hard on yourself, as am I. There's no person that when you look in the mirror, that's the person you have to answer to, right? I feel like I'm a very harsh person and leading myself alone. So how has it evolved for you now, as an entrepreneur that's grown so many companies, exited companies, to where you are today?
Speaker 1:That was awfully early on. You're right, I wouldn't. I was a dictator. I knew how to do it and I want you to do it one fucking way, my way, because I knew best for you which was really limited, which was really a mature, which was really barbaric. And there are times in your business when, listen, if we're on a boat and sinking, we don't need new ideas. If you had the most experience on when boats are sinking, how we live, listen to you. But when the boat's moving along and is doing shit, we don't have to act like it's sinking.
Speaker 1:I almost was like so over the top on how I was with me that I had a really small organization, but we were tight, culture was good, culture was good. But I remember I sat back one day and I was like who wouldn't want to work with me? And that list was really big. Wow, okay, if the guy didn't like this or if it was too much for him. So I started to realize I'm going to start listening to people a lot. I used to say the new idea department is closed. How stupid is that? I have really smart people around me. Honestly, flex, I really my staff meetings went from me talking for an hour and a half to me not being in there, but once every three months the meetings started. I started delegating a lot and it was people wanted to do more because I also thought, like hell, I can make all the sacrifices in the world because I'm super hard on myself. I'm still getting better every day, but I've really learned to because now I hope anybody out there is like dude, I'll, I'll work with them Like I don't, like I'm good and I had to learn that and I've taught this to a lot of people because I finally learned it myself.
Speaker 1:Dude, I grew up in a different time and what I mean by that is I always laugh when I watch the coaches and stuff. I'm a football coach who grabbed him by the face mask and straight punched me in the fucking helmet. You know what I mean. It was a different time when they said run to you, throw up. You ran to you, throw up. But I liked that. But I liked it because I was really messed up and I needed it and you know what I knew. That felt like love to me. I want to be loved. The dude cares about me and loves me, and I started realizing the people I work with that. They don't need the things I need. They don't and they might have. They're busy at their own journey in trauma.
Speaker 1:But I really started to take a step back and I got a degree in social work. I have a master's degree in criminal justice, study psychology, and I started literally thinking a lot more. I was always just doing and then when things start to get good, it gets a little freaky Because you're like, dude, there's no trauma right now and drunk, when am I fighting? Man? Flex was sue me and I was fucking fighting him and I was fighting this guy over here and I started creating my own problems. So I really just have evolved and a lot of that as I wake up every day and I want to get better as a leader and I started asking people how I can get better and sort of become really approachable and really developed amazing leaders in the group. I was always humble, but it was like I was trying to be way too hardcore and, dude, it ain't a football team and ain't a bodybuilding deal, like it's a little different. Or rugby, or rugby those guys are down.
Speaker 1:I was 10 years old. I went to Ireland and I remember when I was a kid. I remember walking to cafeteria in one of these places and I looked at the guy's face and I was like what happened to you? He said you're not a rugby man. And I'm like rugby man. I don't really know what does that mean? He's rugby, you know. This is what he mean. Just another day.
Speaker 2:I'll show you my fighting, my Darwin on hand. These are teeth Max.
Speaker 1:I imagine, bro, I can see those things smoking people.
Speaker 2:But you'll snipe good as good as I got God as good as given to. But we'd always buy a pint for each other after shift. If you knocked my pint 2000, you're buying me a pint. I love it. That's a gents sport. There's always left on the field. But do you think that question is did faith change a lot of this mindset?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I, when I was young, my mother was like Sunday school teacher, church above everything. My parents split and then I played football on Sundays Like you, grew up in little leagues like micro midgets, peewee's, a whole deal, so I don't think I'd ever. I left it. But I didn't get sober by myself. God reached down, picked me up off that freaking car, told me to get my head out of my ass. I didn't see anything. It wasn't like some. I just felt this overwhelming feeling of I got you. You're good. Like I got you, let me help you.
Speaker 1:That wasn't my buddies in the parking lot, it wasn't my mom. To me it was God, it was my faith. And so I started also sharing that with people and just talking about it. And when I go to make decisions now I like you're going to think whatever you're going to think. I mean all I can do is the best I can do. You're going to think whatever you're going to think.
Speaker 1:But I'm sure it's how worried about being judged and I think I should be, and I think also it's allowed me to have a friend of mine one day and we were talking about something. I was like dude, I don't know, you complain a lot and I just I'm worried that if I complain I'll be given some shit to complain about, like some real shit. So I'm going to matter what's going on. I just that's how I feel. I'm not man, whatever. It is like I'm going to do what I got to do. But my faith is deep and I made a lot of mistakes in life. I know I have, and I told the guy the other day is beat himself up. I'm like dude, relax. Like Jesus dropped the charges, bro, calm down.
Speaker 2:Like Jesus dropped the charges and dude you got to do good, like you got to try to get better.
Speaker 1:We're all but like, like you can't live in this the rest of your life and I think that's a big part for me to see people hurt. Let's not love going to meetings, man. I see you can look in their eyes and you know they want it and they're trying to believe in themselves. And my job is get them to believe in themselves. Get them to believe that an idiot like me can run companies and sell them for that amount of money and manage 35,000 people Shit, you can do it too, and everyone's going to have some other challenge for me. You say that, but people can't do what you don't do. That's your limited scope. They can do it. You just are convincing yourself, because that's the problem you haven't done it. So you want to act like there's something special about somebody else. They're not. Yeah, there's nothing special. You're far from an idiot, I think.
Speaker 2:As soon as you get up on that stage and you start seeing, it's like what's your excuse? And then you come back. That was this will happen to me, Correct. And then they're running out of them and it's okay.
Speaker 2:And then you got a soul search and maybe it's that small little win that they have. I seen something that you mentioned about a lady that was just about to give up on one of her sales calls and she got that, that first sale, and it changed the whole perspective because she didn't believe that she was going to get that sale. And then everything changed.
Speaker 1:Dude, you look at the successful entrepreneurs and they thought about quitting a lot that he's didn't quit. When you just think about quitting, I'm not a quitter, but, dude, it's hard and I think I had to understand that. To people like I've almost quit a lot, I'm like, dude, I don't quit anything, but I'm like you know what, though I understand what they're saying and I think that's that struggle right, you're, you're, you read all these books and they you're reading Think Girl, rich and this one. They're great books and they have all these analogies about this guy and they found gold and he stopped digging here. And but, dude, like your life's that way.
Speaker 1:At the end of the day, there's plenty of times you could have quit doing what you're doing and none of those trophies would be out there. You wouldn't, and who knows what you'd be doing? You'd still be doing something great. You're a smart guy. You work your ass off, you're fine, you'd figure something out, but it wouldn't be that journey because you had given up on it. And there are a lot of other people probably that were pretty good. They gave up on it. Too many, too many, and they're probably really good.
Speaker 2:I mean, I know a lot of personal people who are incredibly genetically, whatever. It could be 100%. They just didn't have the mentality to persevere through the storm.
Speaker 1:Quit on themselves and people say stuff like they self-sabotage. I'm like that's another. I don't even know what that means. I think that's such a cop out. What do you mean? So now, you didn't do it because you intentionally sabotaged it, so you weren't at fault. I was, but I was worried about being so good and no, you're just weak in your character and constitution. You can get strong in both, dude, and I think that's what I really thrive. That's why I started doing this online. Honestly is really.
Speaker 1:I was just doing a podcast and the guy was talking about one of the guys and I try to be nice because my buddy's dude, you don't have to call him out all the time. I'm like I'm not trying to call him out, but he says these people say stupid, shit's a lie and they didn't do those things. They didn't sell drugs, they didn't get beaten up, they didn't go to jail. Stop lying, just tell the truth. It's so funny because when I was growing up I said this to Westy I was talking briefly. I was like dude, it's funny because now the story you got everybody wants that story. They're lying about it to have it. But 30 years ago they didn't want that story and people discriminated against you, but now it's I'm going to get a badge of honor and you're like bro, you know you didn't. That's not your story. You can barely go to the bathroom without getting nervous. You didn't go and it's not a bad thing. Just be who you are, and I think that's what I want people to do. Be who you are, because people will get nervous if you're not like me. Good, bad and different. I'm who I am. I'm who I am and I'm 51 years of age. I'm who I am. I do what I do. Whatever you like and don't like, I'm just doing the best I can on a daily basis. You don't like it Okay. You like it Okay.
Speaker 1:But I'm going to keep doing what I think I need to do. I'm going to answer to what I need to answer to. I'm going to keep my faith in lock for me. So I'm making this. I'm still going to make mistakes and then, if it ain't great for my spiritual life, my family life, my business life, why do I got to do it? And that just that kind of keeps me going in.
Speaker 1:And but it's hard nowadays because people have been manipulated through faith, so they're defensive and I don't. I ain't qualified to preach to anybody. I'm just trying to not spend eternity in a bad place. I'm trying to do best I can on a daily basis, but I think that's you got to kind of. We think about that too. There's so many things that people are like. You can say this, can't say that. I'm like dude, I'm going to say whatever I want. Whatever I want if you like it, if you don't, I can't. And it's not really that deep either. I'm not trying to solve all the world's problems. I know who I am, but my faith was big and I think without it I wouldn't have people.
Speaker 1:I was what class did you take? Did you go to AA? Did you do this? You do that. I'm like dude, I just have faith and all the stuff works.
Speaker 1:By the way, I didn't go to anything, and it wasn't that I had gone to some A meetings when I was still drinking. Weirdly enough, I went with my uncle a few times. He was trying to get sober and I just you got to do what works for you. You know what I mean, and I was in such a place where I'm like dude, I ain't going to tolerate anybody. I just know that about me. I'm not going to tolerate them. And when they get up and start saying stuff and start telling me the story, I'm like I'm not going to tolerate them and so I just I had to be away from everybody but I took my addiction.
Speaker 1:That's something about addictive personalities. You guys, when people say to me, man, I'm in recovery, I say congratulations. They go, thanks, go, congratulations on being in recovery, that's good, and congratulations on having an addictive personality. They're like what do you mean? I'm like, dude, congratulations. Hey, you didn't do what you do without having an addictive personality. You just turned it to training, you turned it to your sport, your craft, but you could have turned it to something else, absolutely so congratulations.
Speaker 1:I say to people you have an addictive personality. Let's take what do you want to be addicted to? Providing for your kids? Because people say I'll die from my kids. I'm like bro, you wouldn't work 30 hours a week for your kids. You wouldn't die for them. Stop doing that. If you won't work full time for your children, you're broke and you won't work full time for them. You would not give your life for them. You won't even give 40 hours a week for them. You lying sack of shit. And it's okay to know that about yourself, change it. But you can't have it both ways. There's no way you can say all those things. The greatest gift I hope I've given my kids is teaching them a work ethic, faith. They got Okay, we talked about it when they were growing up and that's awesome. It's their faith and they've actually taken to a better level, I think, than either me or their mother did. But work, ethic and attitude and that that for me, dude, is paramount.
Speaker 2:Man In landing the plan. I'll give you two more questions. What is the thing that you're most proud of?
Speaker 1:Being a good parent. Yeah, you talk about your kids a lot. Being a good parent.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry. Yeah, you can elaborate if you want. Yeah, no Listen.
Speaker 1:I didn't know if I'd be a good parent, and I do admit tons of mistakes, but I'm just saying, like, being there for them, being present, making sure they're a priority, that's important to me. Yeah, that's always been important to me, no matter how kids I've always wanted to have, I want to have a lot of kids. I want to have a lot of kids Like I, I, I that's really important. I think part of it, too, is growing up. It's funny because it'll take a couple different paths, like I'll meet people and I'll go.
Speaker 1:I don't want to have kids because of what I went through and I don't judge anybody have kids, don't have kids, have 100 of them, have none, you do you, but for me, it was. I owed that because that saved my life, because my faith was deep. But no kids, bro, I ain't sober, I'm not sitting here doing anything. I'm not, and that's okay. I had a different path in life. So being a parent, I think I'm the most proud of and I just watch every day, because when you have kids like you created a life, and that's when everything changed for me, cause I was like dude, I ain't letting them down for nothing and I want them to be proud of their last name. Be proud of who they are. I'm still going to make plenty of money. Be transparent with them.
Speaker 2:I was going to say you know, the kids know all this.
Speaker 1:Everything, dude, everything Like it is what it is and I think, also having some of these issues. There is plenty of research that shows you how predisposed people are from a genetic standpoint. So I I share everything I was sharing with them early on, like you might have a problem. You have to understand this. You have to. I didn't want hey, if they're going to make decisions, I didn't want to make them with lack of information. I'm to have all the information. I didn't pretend to shit. I don't shirt my daughter.
Speaker 1:My daughter was student of the year, her high school senior year. Same day she's student of the year. I'm in the newspaper Fucking police logs. Same day. Now, loaded gun airport.
Speaker 1:I forgot stupid shit. I've been arrested plenty of times for that. I hadn't been arrested since they were born, but it is what it is. I didn't walk in and want to have a loaded gun. I forgot, say, the clinic it. They don't have much discretion, they have to arrest you and but it was like a microcosm of look how great what she's done is.
Speaker 1:I'm still a fucking train wreck. I'm doing the best I can, right, but what am I going to act like? It's just and I remember just. We laughed about it? What are you going to do? And I think that I wanted them to have that, that, that that Desire to protect other people too. And I think that is when I get around people like I like talking to you a lot. I liked talking to you last night, I like the way you carry yourself, but also like that there's this sense of anybody is okay in my presence, they're going to be safe. I'm never going to speak down to them, I'm never. There's none of that shit. And I like that a lot. I think part of if we've had some success or are in a position to physically protect to whatever it is, we have an obligation to do that and I think that's cool. I like that. I like you know what I mean. It's.
Speaker 1:It's funny because I remember when my kid, my, my son, was like man, weak, old, and somebody tried to break into my little apartment we lived in, mother was sleeping, my daughter was sleeping, and so I opened and I opened the door. I just opened the door and just put my right in. Guys, that was it. I just opened the door and I was like what's up, bro? Just like that. And then he freaked out. Of course he was and I wasn't going to shoot him. He was running away. It ain't a movie, but I want him to know. And my neighbor was like oh my God. And I said I'm glad they didn't come to your door. And she was like why? I'm like, oh, I'd much rather have them attempt to rob me because they're probably not going to be successful.
Speaker 1:And for years, she, we moved shortly after it was just not a great area and two young kids and my neighbor's actually got in a fight and he, the dude beat, was beating his girl up in a in a yard. I went out there and started throwing his skinny ass over the yard, whacked him. Once cops pull up, she the woman it was he was beating jumps on my back. She started scratching the shut of me and I was like and the cop was like dude, what are you doing? Like he arrests him and he's like next time, mind your own business.
Speaker 1:I'm like I can't. He's like then move. If you can't mind your own business, move, because you're going to get arrested, you know. And so I think that that when we start doing this, parents and what your kids are young, but as they get to do things, it's cool ride, dude. It's cool to watch the independence. It's cool to watch them become an adult. It's cool to watch them get better at things than you are. It's cool to get to a point where you eventually take advice from them. It's really cool.
Speaker 2:They're at the stage now too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, In the 20s I had a guy tell me about my you have a boy and a girl, Boy and a girl. Okay, You'll go through three phases with your boy. Psychologically, say, every every father does First phase. He will idolize you and if you're really good dad, he'll idolize you, probably for too long. Then he'll go through a phase where he demonizes you. It doesn't matter what you do, He'll hate it. He'll hate it. It doesn't matter what it is you can be doing the exact same sugar and then he'll humanize you. I coached my sons football, basketball, baseball. I went to every game with him and so it's just it's really cool to watch. And you call me that day and he's like I'll give you some advice on your podcast. It's actually good advice. And he's like what are you doing? And you should be doing this over here and why are you trying to put your this who you are already? And I'm like shit, Like that's actually good and I'm like super fricking proud.
Speaker 2:I was going to say are you reciprocated of that advice? Hell yeah, okay good.
Speaker 1:God, yes, that's what I want, right, that's what I'm supposed to. My daughter will give me that dad, because she should try to keep me calm and do it Absolutely Like I'm proud of who they are and I'm along for the ride. Dude, I love it. Oh, and I think that's the one thing about your daughter too You'll learn, because you're an intimidating guy, so you're eventually she's going to meet somebody eventually, and I know it's so hard because this is what you're doing.
Speaker 2:It's not fucking happening, man, I know it's not. It's not happening, sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm, but I'm trying Don't fucking smack me with them hands and nothing, but I'm trying right here. But let's say, when she's a hundred fucking years old, okay, yes, right, that's right. When she's a hundred, okay, she's going to meet somebody and that's going to be the first time that the dude that talks to her will not be afraid of you because you're an intimidating guy, and he won't be afraid because his motives are the same as yours. He wants her to be okay. He doesn't want to hurt her. He's got a good heart. He wants her to be safe. So if you want her to be safe and he wants her to be safe, you'll never be at odds. You're on the exact same team. Why would he be afraid of his teammate, and that's my daughter. I get to a point where I met a guy. He's not bad, you like him. Yeah, he's not afraid. I could rip him in half, but he's not. But he's not afraid. We're on the same team. He definitely wants what it's, dude, it's just a you'll. You got a lot, it's cool.
Speaker 2:Have you seen the movie Den of Thieves?
Speaker 1:Yes. Remember the scene where exactly right 50 cent? Yes, that guy 100%.
Speaker 2:So my boy is Oolly monster the. He has the fastest knockout. He was on that scene. We just done a podcast.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:Okay, and he's in. He was in the garage training with all them and that is going to be played.
Speaker 1:There's no question. It should be played.
Speaker 2:It's going to happen. I've already envisioned it that I'm going to have every fucking goon from this dude in my show.
Speaker 1:And I'd like to show up just to be there, because I'd love to be there and and but. But I'm telling you, the right dude will be like yeah, like the right dude, the right dude, yeah, he'll be like thank you, and, sir, I'm good, we're on the same team, but I'm hoping it's the wrong dude.
Speaker 2:Just to do that fucking scene, I know.
Speaker 1:Every guy I talk to that is has a back and it's dude. Before I was. It's not happening. I'm like she's four. I'm like I know dude, it's just, I know. I'm just in minds 22 it, but it's gut wrenching dude.
Speaker 2:My gun collection grew when my wife was pregnant.
Speaker 1:I can do it. Don't even run. They don't even need the guns and be freaking out already.
Speaker 2:Oh shit, that's good. That's good. Fast forwarding five, 10 years from now, personal brand and family first life. Where'd you see yourself?
Speaker 1:We'll do a billion. Sure, I want to continue to scale the hell out of it. I want to create a lot of wealth for a lot of people and I want to put a lot of protection in place for people over the country. We also focus on middle American families, so that's really cool. Not that we'll sell life insurance to anybody. A lot of lead generation is middle American, so like it's really detrimental they don't have it. It's really amazing if they do Not. That I don't enjoy selling policies to anybody, but when you realize, dude, this is the one thing that can separate you from foreclosure, being homeless like a completely different life. So we'll keep cranking on that. We'll do billions of dollars a year and that's great.
Speaker 1:And the personal brand for me is now become a like getting with you is it's an honor, and I don't say if I didn't mean it, I wouldn't ever say it. It's an absolute honor the things you've done, who you are, what you stand for. And even last night I said don't I hung up to Andromite. Dude, that's one of the nicest, most genuine, smart but good dudes I've met and I would just talk over the phone and I want to build it because from a business standpoint, entrepreneurial standpoint.
Speaker 1:I've been through about every part of the journey. I know my shit. I won't give you advice on personal training. Talk to my man over here, I don't shit about that. I won't give you advice on bodybuilding professional level, I won't be advice and, being a professional athlete, I won't give you advice on getting as big as you are podcast. But I want to be able to. I want to be a place where somebody that actually wants to be an entrepreneur, a safe place they can go to and I can help them. We started doing that. I started doing some coaching.
Speaker 2:I was like shit, yeah, coaching, yeah, you're just talking about that.
Speaker 1:I started doing that and people are coming in. I'm like I just I spoke in the event recently. A bunch of people reached out and said what do you have for an event? I was like shit, we're doing a 100 person event in April and I want it to be a place where and listen, I'm not mad at guys that they have a money grab good for them, they charge you good for them. Dude, I'll feed you a bunch of times, bring in, make a few bucks. I'm happy with that. How do we do the life insurance deal? They're like that's all it costs. I'm like, yeah, that's all it costs. Dude, I'm going to keep going. It's capitalism. I want to make a few bucks. I ain't do it all for free and I like to get back and do a bunch of things, but I want to help you and I think for me, I want people to understand that there is true, there is a true game plan, there is a true blueprint and I love giving advice and if I don't know, I'll find somebody that does. If you ask me something that's not on my wheelhouse, dude, I love it. Hey, I don't go ask this guy. What do you know about AI? I know a lot of people know a lot about it. They want to know. I'll connect you with them. I don't know, dude, but I'll connect you with them. But I can pontificate about what I've read with that help. But I got good people that I can get you around. So, dude, that's been life changing. I do training in public speaking.
Speaker 1:What is your EBITDA? How do you build a net? What is the exit, what's the multiple? And I went through all that and I asked all the questions. That was the other thing, dude. When I, before I even wanted to sell a company or exit one, I was like shit, who buys them? I didn't know anything. Right, he's probably like.
Speaker 1:I started meeting with people all over New England. We're just going to meet with them. I did shit. I met with 12 different large companies. I never did anything with any of them, but I got a lot of experience and I made connections with guys that I've reached out and said, hey, I started another fund. Would you want to invest? And I do stuff with them. Right, still do stuff in real estate that I like. I do a bunch of stuff in New York that I still love doing and I'm very passive, but it's cool to see.
Speaker 1:But I want to grow the personal brand to a point where people understand that there are really good people out there that want to help. I had Shannon Sharp on the show. We were talking and he was asking me about where we're going and what we're doing and he said the thing about that what you're doing is what you're separate. He said honestly, like you actually want to help people, you just have to separate from everybody else, like no different. We have, like you, to separate from everybody else. And I think that I'm very candid, I'm very upfront, I'm very honest with you about what you can do. But I also have this information that I can give it to you. So that's been and.
Speaker 1:I was. I grew up playing ball. I loved coaching. I coached forever. I coached basketball, baseball, football, learned a lot about all of them. I'm as a baseball and football. I play basketball to sustain shape. I hated basketball, hated it. I can hate it. Running Hated. There's not a lot of physical contact I'd foul. I could foul out in one half. You know what I mean? Like I knew my role. Yeah, don't shoot it. My coach would be like why are you shooting my ball? And I'm like I got to rebound Is give it to Mike. And I was like shit, I didn't see Mike. I don't give a shit where Mike is. My buddy scored 35 points a game. Give it to Mike. So my job was fucking rebound. Give it to Mike. If I was in the paint I was ought to go back up with it. Give it to Mike, go, set a screen for Mike. If somebody fouls Mike too hard, whack the guy. I'm like I can definitely do that for him.
Speaker 2:I love that job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's what I want to grow it to man and have fun. I'm having fun doing this. This is fun, yeah, like I'm having fun doing it.
Speaker 2:And we can't skip over the Shana Sharp podcast, which is huge.
Speaker 1:right now, shana Sharp is massive.
Speaker 2:Like probably the most trending podcast right now. Obviously, he's had some savages on, and he just said Kat Williams, on which broke the internet 100%, and then he was just on your podcast, too 100%, which plug it away, close and conquer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we started that about a year ago. It was punching the face for a little bit and I got around some people that were doing a lot better than me. I'm a big taking advice kind of guy and they're like find something you can always talk about. I'm always talking about closing and conquering yourself. The whole deal had Shannon on, first of all. Really good dude, great guy, just a great dude man. Really, what a great story and we had the opportunity to do something.
Speaker 1:We jumped in and flew back together and I just picked his brain man and talked about what he's doing and how it trends and a lot of good advice in the pod too, just talking about how he engages and what he lets the guests do and what he does. We just it was just there was so many enlightening things that got out of it the way he carries himself, the way he talks about, what he talks about his upbringing's hardcore, like he shared some stuff and you're like God, grandma and grandpa and had a family tragedy and then don't call him at practice, let him do that Like they were. They he's locked in and D2 football I'm like when did you NFL is? I was always going to the NFL. But you went to, I was always going to the.
Speaker 1:NFL. Okay, got it Like it was. I was going to the NFL, but more so, I learned a ton from him. It was great to be around him, yeah, and he's dude. I ain't betting against him. This is going to be the biggest. What he going from what it was a great move to go to first take and that that's obviously been a little nightcap. What he's doing with Ocho and want to get him on, it's going to some at the airport the other day. He's just genuinely good people do. When I didn't know his nickname was, I think, a peewee. When he was younger, he was small.
Speaker 1:And I was like dude, get out of here. He's a guy that I was small. I'm like I don't know if I buy that Like small relative to who, yeah, yeah, but he's just a great testimony to my rags to riches it's a great testimony to country guy in trying to get out and do his thing and self-believe Dude.
Speaker 1:That I think that it's talking to you about what you did Honestly was the closest I've heard and I don't know if I remember anybody else doing it to what he did in football. You just went to a different place real quick. You're like here's why, here's what I was doing, free gym membership, my dad, brave heart speech, I'm going to go here. Why not Boom? And then here was this and here was this, and here was this and here was this.
Speaker 2:You say my you left the door. Stop for control. Yeah, I didn't know, you said that about grandparents.
Speaker 1:I'm like I don't know what you want to do with that, that one was for you to share.
Speaker 2:I'm not disrespecting those damn trophies.
Speaker 1:I got a good memory, but I'm disrespecting those damn trophies, because I wouldn't be keeping it as a door to my grandma to do whatever she wants.
Speaker 2:Grandma could do whatever she wants. You know that, man. It's been a pleasure to have you on. If there's anything you want to land the plan on the camera is there.
Speaker 1:Promote that event, please, if you want to yeah, first of all, I appreciate you, man. This means the world to me and that you took the time because you can have anybody you want on, and I'm very humbled by it and very appreciative, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart, bro. Yeah, man, you can find me on Instagram again. Last name is M E A I K E. Closing conquerors podcast on YouTube. It's my name. That'd be great if you check down there, subscribe, share, be awesome. I'd love to have you on our podcast if you would do it.
Speaker 1:I put you in the spot here, but we'd love to do it. We're doing in person event in Boca. We're tone Florida in April. So here we're down in Boca.
Speaker 2:It's like you used to live Really yeah.
Speaker 1:Then when you come back down you to come hang out, we'll do something. We'll jump on a boat, go to game, do whatever you want to do, and we do that. We bring a and we have intended I do events a couple of times a month, smaller more, about 15, 20. And do I do them at my house? Yeah, I do my place. Man, I started like looking around and I'm like dude, you know what we go to these other places. It's a little bit more sterile, it's easy to get to, what do I care? Like, it's just cool, it's a better environment.
Speaker 1:Take care of people for a couple of days and pour into them, that's my big deal. I don't if you don't leave there a lot better than you were when you got there and you're not equipped to get better at what you're doing and do success stories Like I tell people. I want to see other people do so much more than I've done. I want to be like dude hey, I took, and I took this piece and simple stuff, like I guys will call me and say I sold my company, I have an earn out, I can make more money of a million dollars. I'm like OK, will you help me? I'm like, yeah, come to the course. And I got just got to reach up to me and I was like, hey, I hit it. I made another million bucks and a lot of the advice you gave me. I'm like so, a couple of grand for a million bucks, that was a good ROI. He just laughs. So it's, I want to do that.
Speaker 1:So you can find DM and Instagram. I will, I'll respond. I promise you it's. I just love real people. There was a slogan we launched for him first life. I did it. Real estate, the same thing Waste management, real people, real numbers, real results and that's what I want. So you can find me anywhere. Flex is not an abroad. You are a legend and you took that and dumped it into here. And when I was talking to Merriman I was like, dude, I got to get on the podcast and so I really appreciate you. Getting me in Super Bowl Week was huge for you. I know you played a game and knocked some people around, but you're still here, brother.
Speaker 2:I don't know about. My knees are still in the fucking field, but you're here, but I'm here.
Speaker 2:I'm here. We did have that conversation. I was like I will be hard blend, so don't ask any questions. We're good to go. But man, it's true, truly a great story.
Speaker 2:Let me just end this podcast by saying a true rags to riches and them asses. Riches. I grow in, but you're pouring back, seeing other people see their true and better self, and that's what I want on this podcast is to hear stories such as this, because so many people are in different circumstances and they think the train is gone or this has happened or that has happened. I can't do it because I've got a record I fucked up 20 years ago. It doesn't matter, that was a chapter of your life and, as you mentioned earlier, I have all walks of life for Omi. But one thing is everybody's there for one another. I'm all trying to better ourselves, regardless of what happened in the past. We're all on a rocky ship. It's just hold the fuck on Amen and that's where we're going right. Amen To the moon, but on that note, straight out to the left from me and this savage we are out.
