From Dreams to Reality: Entrepreneurial Success with John from D-Town Coney Island

What if you could transform a simple idea into a thriving business? Join us this episode on the "Let Us Become Sharper / TNS Podcast" as we introduce CJ Clippers LLC, a venture committed to revolutionizing the barber and beauty industry. Our special guest, John from D-Town Coney Island, shares his extraordinary journey from Highland Park, Michigan, to establishing a bustling Detroit-style Coney Island restaurant in Dallas. Through John's story, we uncover the grit and determination required to turn dreams into reality, offering invaluable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.

https://www.facebook.com/dtownconeyisland/

We also celebrate our personal milestone of 16 years of marriage and 20 years together, emphasizing the importance of going beyond the bare minimum in relationships. John delves into his catering services and food truck operations, providing a behind-the-scenes look at running a successful business. As we explore the concept of "staying dangerous" in the heat, we highlight the significance of supporting local businesses and fostering a vibrant community atmosphere. Tune in for an episode filled with practical advice, heartfelt stories, and a call to personal growth and resilience.

Transcript

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CJ: 0:14

Welcome back to Let Us Become Sharper slash TNS podcast. We are back, we are live and you know bringing you in with the title of Let Us Become Sharper. The reason, the meaning Is it's based off the business, the LLC, CJ Clippers LLC. What I want to do, moving forward, I like to put my business up. All the barbers, you are welcome to come and become sharper. The credo, the mantra, you know self-explanatory, but it also had to be explained. I was once asked well, what is the nature of your business? What do you do? Well, the barbers are primary. You know they have an income, they have a business, a talent, they use their talent. We also had a program called Get to the Bag to scale the businesses and, you know, just bringing professionalism to the forefront. But my business is, if they're making money, you know, if you can provide, if you can bring anything into the storehouse, to the household, why not enhance, why not upgrade, why not become sharper? My business is to upgrade to those who bring the income and provide the service in the barber and beauty industry. Let us become sharper CJ Clippers LLC.

CJ: 1:40

The slash of the Let Us Become Sharper slash TNS podcast stands for TNS Thursday Night Society. This is the society, the revered, the popular, the fashion, the world. You know, this is the place where dreams come true, going from the hours of 7 pm to 2 am. This is where dreams come true. You know, I want to be frank with you guys. A lot of you out there are living in a life where you, your work, is coming true and your, your responsibilities are. You know, you're working on it, they're becoming fulfilled, but your dreams aren't coming true. Are your dreams coming true today? Ask yourself, you know, privately, is my dream coming true? Are my dreams coming true? Thursday night society is where dreams come true. Thursday night society where dreams are made and where dreams come true. The podcast has begun. We're talking about prosperity and power. I got my brother here. Got my brother John D-Town, Coney Island. Talk to him, brother. What up?

John: 2:45

though, what up, though, what up though.

CJ: 2:46

D-Town Coney Island. Tell him about it. We going from Detroit to Dallas. We going from Dallas back to Detroit. Now, we going from Detroit back to Dallas, from Dallas to Atlanta, atlanta, la, new York, to Milan, italy. We going around the globe, baby. D-town Coney.

John: 3:07

Talk to the people. What up, though? Yeah, this big john man d town, coney island.

CJ: 3:10

Um, what's going on, cj? Oh man, you know you, clipper, man, clipper man.

John: 3:13

Yeah, happy to be here. Yeah, on the show man, on the podcast man, thank you for bringing us along in here.

CJ: 3:19

Yeah my brother called me on the phone. He said listen, I'm, I'm coming in time. Let's get the story straight. Yeah, first of all, I called him a week prior and we have another constituent that wanted to reach out to him. You know, down in Dallas he was in the area and you know we always make sure. You know, no matter how much time lapse or how much, it does not matter what you go through in life.

CJ: 3:41

There have been so many ups, downs, pitfalls. You know, we from Highland Park, michigan, we come straight out of 48203. So for all of our Highland Parkers who see this show, look at us now, look at us here we go Now. We need more of y'all coming up here on this show. You see, we got the platform, what you going to do Now. We got John on there, d-town, coney Island, so we had a conversation prior to him coming here. I get a phone call a week later. He tells me I'm going to be in your area, your neck of the woods, and I want you to show me everything that we got set up. I said well, john, you know the first stop is the podcast. That's your first stop. He got his own personal story you're going to make, but the first stop is the cast. You come on with me, you ride with me.

CJ: 4:28

Now he has the best. It's D-Town Coney Island. I remember it's an inception, it's conception. He had a bright idea. He said listen, you know, this food is classic. Everybody knows about this food, everybody know. Everybody who has had this food loves this food. We're talking about Coney Island, a Detroit staple. Yeah, when you come in town, or if you from this town, you know about your neighborhood local Coney, your Coney dog with the onions on there. I like mustard on mine, just personally. But you love the chili cheese fries. You love everything from Coney. You love it.

CJ: 5:17

He was intelligent enough, smart enough. He and his wife, his family they build it from the ground up took the Detroit-style Coney down to Dallas. I saw it with my own two eyes when I flew down for the Detroit Lions game. You know the Lions play. The Cowboys Flew down there and I saw the whole operation. And I watched the operation up close and I also like to watch the operation from afar and I saw the business. I saw the business. I saw how it has grown, how it has advanced to a high level. And now we got him here on the podcast. He's going to give you all the information about his business. Tell him something about it.

John: 6:04

John, talk to him. Yeah, man, we started off just with an idea and a dream just sitting at the table, just like we're doing right now. Just with an idea and a dream, just sitting at the table, just like we're doing right now, and it just manifested into a business. You know, manifested a business. You know. My idea was when we left Michigan. We got down to Arlington and I was like, well, I was just going to work at GM, this is my idea. I said, well, I'll get down here and get a job at the plant money through Friday and on weekends I just get a hot dog cart. You know that'll be my side hustle Everybody in Detroit got two or three hustles.

CJ: 6:36

Yeah, your first thought, that's the first thought, first thought.

John: 6:39

Then me, my wife, her sister, we sat down and was chopping it up and then, you know, we was like scratch the hot dogs, dan. Let's just go here to the to the cone. We started getting a lot of problems with arlington as far as, like, trying to get the thing going and street vendors. So I was like, well, we need to build. So we found a building and, man, it took off from day one. Yeah, there was no lapse in the game. It was like it was one of them things that they were the people was waiting on.

CJ: 7:08

Yeah, desire for it. Desire, it's a desire for it, it's a demand for it. It's called supply and demand. So what John did was he moved something that's always in demand. The Coney's here are 24 hours, seven days a week, and that fits the demand. That's the demand to be able to operate 24 hours, seven days a week for all the days of my life, for all the days of your life. You've seen that you don't. You rarely see them close.

CJ: 7:39

He took that format and just moved it to another location. Now that was genius within itself and we congratulate you on your brother business. We owe your business, brother. We glad that you have had the fortitude to step out on faith, because you had to have a high level of faith to just step out, first of all to move, second of all to move and create such a business. And when you come down there, I'm telling you, I'm telling you the new locations are coming.

CJ: 8:06

But when I was there in Dallas, I saw it. I saw it. I said wow, man. I said wow, this guy really fulfilled a dream that he had. That was based on the conversation that we had sitting in my truck. Remember that we're sitting in my truck talking about it and he telling me about it. I'm like, ok, that sounds like a great idea, anything you need from me. But he didn't need nothing from me. All he needed was the blessings, all he needed was a lending ear, and he made it happen. Very proud of you, brother.

CJ: 8:36

So we got the. We got the HPT shirts. The HPT shirts are on deck. So what I want you to do is I want you to recognize the Highland Park t-shirts. He got Joe size. We're going to show the t-shirts. I'm going to actually make a video for you and I'm going to tie in with the editing process where you can actually see the shirts clear as day. And he has the D-Town Coney Island T-shirts. So he got everything for you know you want to, you want to set up, you want to see a prosperous business, you want to see something that was built from the ground up. It's D-Town Coney Island. He took the Detroit Coney Island style to Dallas. Now let's address something before we go any further about this D-Town Coney Island. Talk to me Dallas and the D, detroit and the D. Now there's a competition rivalry over the D. You've lived in both. Right, the D is the D Detroit, but the D is also they call that the Big D, they put big.

John: 9:47

Which it is, because it's seven to eight million people in the W Metro place. Yeah, yeah.

CJ: 9:55

So we have to address it because but Dallas is called the Triple D, now they call it the Triple D, yeah, yeah.

John: 10:00

Their name is the Triple D. If you say I'm from the Triple D Dallas, you know. But if you say I'm from the D, it's Detroit, okay. So it don't make a difference where you go, you know, just like old songs, I'm from the D, that's not Decatur, not Denver, not Dallas. You know what I'm saying. So, no matter where you go, the D is just the D, and everybody know that. When you say I'm from the D, it's a staple, no matter if you're in Arizona, if you're from LA, okay, yeah them boys from Detroit. Okay, yeah them boys from Detroit.

CJ: 10:27

John always had a way of clarifying things. That's right. So that same clarity is the clarity that when he do that food crystal clear clarity, perfect, perfect entree every time. So that's what you get. So, yeah, he took the Detroit Coney Island style and moved it to Dallas. So now the people in that region that may be from Detroit or people just trying a new experience can now enjoy Detroit Coney Island. All right, well, I got you here, man.

CJ: 10:54

On the podcast, you know, like I say, we want to make it a D-Town Coney Island thing. We want to make it, we want to dedicate the show and actually take the attention of the podcast and put it in your direction, brother, for your business. That has been established. We always start to show off with mine, but now we have yours. Let's take a deep dive. The topic, the topic. The podcast always has a topic. It always has a topic, and today the topic is this is going to be unfair to you, but this is going to be. This is going to be unfair to you, but this is going to be fair to you.

John: 11:36

Sorry, not sorry.

CJ: 11:37

Sorry, not sorry. Now, you know what Somebody said no disrespect, here it comes, here it comes, ring the bell. Oh man, here it comes. I don't mean no harm, yeah, here it comes. I don't mean no harm, yeah, here it comes.

CJ: 11:56

My last podcast that I did I was you know, I'm on the panel. I, you know, create a big panel, but I've been doing these podcasts by myself because it's the platform, right, so that means I can come in, I can do the podcast as I choose, create the podcast, you build the platform, the foundation, and now we have our topics. Normally we have a panel, but today I just got you, so I'm going to ask you a question. The last podcast topic was what she want you for. What do she want you for? Now, this is going to be a little unfair to you, but we've been rocking for over 30 years yeah, plus years. So I have to ask John, yeah, I know you got the town Coney Island. I know, I know your extensive history. I know that you are an MC, I know that you are a businessman, I know that you are a provider. You are a great man, you're a respectable man. Even in high school you were an ROTC, so I mean just a well-rounded brother, you know. But I have to ask you.

John: 13:11

Yes, sir.

CJ: 13:12

You had a beautiful wife, man.

John: 13:13

Yes, sir.

CJ: 13:14

Happy wife, happy life.

John: 13:16

Yes, sir.

CJ: 13:17

But what she want you for. Well what do she want you for For?

John: 13:31

Well, I would say it like this you got to bring something to the table, you have to bring something to the table and in most cases, you got to bring more than one thing to the table. You know, something is just enough to give back, but more than enough is what a provider does. Okay, so we've been rocking since. Well, we just celebrated 16 years of marriage 20 years overall. You know A marriage, 20 years overall. You know we talking about from she cheerleading. We met at Wayne State.

CJ: 14:14

She cheerleading.

John: 14:15

I'm playing football, so we nothing with nothing, making something.

CJ: 14:22

Making something. So she wants you for your ability to make, to create something. Yeah, is that true? No, we, definitely. We've been creating since we've been together. We've had several businesses.

CJ: 14:41

Is that what you want them for? That's probably one of them. Oh, I'll put heat on. Oh, I'll put heat on. I'll put heat on. I'll turn up the heat on you. He answered successfully. We got the nod, the green light, of what she wanted. I told y'all last podcast what my woman want me for and since I said what she want me for, and since I said what she want me for, we've had conversations about what she want me for and I want to get her in here so she can tell you what she want me for, because she said that what I said was wrong she did. She said what I said was wrong. I said she wanted me because I'm a dog. That's what I said, what you want me for yeah who would want me?

CJ: 15:36

yeah, any, any relationship. I ever was there. What you want me for?

John: 15:41

well, why would you? Why would you want me? But you know what? It's based on the air yeah it's based on the air and the time, so you in a different air.

CJ: 15:47

Who wants this air?

John: 15:48

There you go.

CJ: 15:49

Who wants this version of me? There you go. Who want me? So she checked me quick. She said that ain't the real. So we're having in-depth conversations. We're going to bring the women in and we want to see what you want them for. We as a people have to understand that we are we forever shooting dice and always forgetting the point. What do you? You gotta know. You're the road, your point, four times, still shooting at the point that you forgot what the point was and left the money on the money right there. So we need to be knowing what do you want me for, what do she want you for and what do you want her for? I already put you in the hot seat, john. I know you've come a great distance from Dallas.

John: 16:40

And you had to separate the ones from the knees too.

CJ: 16:42

Yeah, that's a great deal, but I ain't going to double hot seat you and ask you what you want her for. I'm just going to close this off. We just going to close this off. D-town Coney Island, y'all, d-town Coney Island, y'all. Make sure, y'all, make sure, john, give them the number, just all the specifics. I'm going to flash it for y'all because, like I say, the editing process, but we want them to have the number and the location of the business and any Instagrams, facebooks or IGs that's available that have access to show anything involved in the business. Let them know, right now what's going on?

John: 17:18

Well, you can always hit us up by telephone 214-288-4598. You can also reach us on all social media platforms TikTok, d-town Coney Island. Instagram, d-town underscore John or D-Town Coney Island. Facebook, d-town Coney Island. We do all types of catering for all type of events, not just Coney Island food, but everything from shrimp and grits. We do parties, we do repairs, I mean everything Corporate events and we also have a food truck. So we mobile, so you know you can reach us anywhere. If you look on any of the sites that we have, you'll find out our location, where the pop-up shops are at, and any major event that's going on in the city we're always going to be a part of.

CJ: 18:08

I love it, that's what I love to hear. So we got, we want to make this personal. We want to, like I said before earlier, we want to make sure that we dedicate this to HP Highland Park. We want you to see us now. Look at us. Now we have the podcast, we have the businesses with us. We have the reason what she want him for and I'm pending on the reason what she want me for. Who want CJ? And for what you want me for Today, cj, today CJ, I see the old CJ who was nice and young and full of glee. But what you want me for? I don't know what you want me for. But we down, we getting squared down the business and prior conversations, we getting down the business. Now we ain't playing To our supporters, the people.

CJ: 18:58

And I got a personal supporter, my brother, who came to me and said listen, man, this is for the podcast, gave me some cash. He said, listen, this is for the podcast. All me some cash. He said listen, this is for the podcast. All cash is verified. So we're going to verify that cash that was given to support the podcast this studio time and to keep this podcast going. I've been floating it. You know how I roll, but I got help too. Don't let me just get up here in front of these microphones and cameras and make you think that it's just a CJ thing.

CJ: 19:27

I got some help in this. Like I said, the help is increasing. It's coming in, but we love to keep this going. This is an art form, so we'd like to say all cash is verified. Anything coming in or anything going out is verified. We thank you. To my personal supporters, the people who support me and believe in me, thank you as well, from the bottom of my heart. So now we've covered what I saw with my brother. We're going to take your business and put it in. We're going to highlight it on the platform, which is the podcast. We're doing a great job doing so. We also asked him what she wants you for. He gave a clear enough answer. She said that's one of the things they're going to have.

John: 20:04

They're going to talk in the car.

CJ: 20:08

It's going to be a talk in the car, trust me, a conversation is going to be had, and what he want her for, that's the heat he going to feel tonight. He might cancel all our plans tonight. She goes what you want me for. It ain't going to be no radio, it ain't going to be nothing. But I told my brother I love you, I'm not going to put you in the hot seat. No disrespect, not trying to offend, but I had to put you in the hot seat. No disrespect, not, you know, not trying to offend, but I had to throw him in the hot seat because that was the topic the topic.

CJ: 20:35

That's what it is so that y'all talked that out amongst y'all self, but you did give a great answer, brother, coming from a standpoint of creating together is a great thing. Yeah, that's something that we always have to. You know me, me and mine had to do the very same thing. We've done some creating in our time, so that's a great thing, brother, we got the topic covered. The business was to highlight your business, especially specifically today, and you gave me the information. We want everybody to support. We want everybody to support. He told you if you need to cater to the event, if you need rep, if you want to just get, if you, if you feel frisky and want to just treat your friends, this business is now established and ready to provide service for you, business for you and a great experience and a high professional level. I vouch it and I double vouch it experience and a highest professional level. I vouch it and I double vouch it. So to the next time.

CJ: 21:35

In the meantime, in between time, y'all check out Prosperity and Power. Prosperity and Power is just a personal vlog that I've been doing, a personal rant that I've been doing when I can't make it to the podcast. I still have to keep my skill sharp. I have to become sharper. So I go to a disclosed location and rant. You want to hear my rant? Tune in to Prosperity and Power. Tune in to Let Us Become Sharper podcast. Now I normally close the show by telling you to stay safe out there, but today I want to tell you stay dangerous, hot outside. Stay dangerous out there and make sure you support D-Town Coney Island. We out of here man. Anything for him.

John: 22:22

Amen. Like you said, it's hot outside. It's hot outside, everybody outside. I like that it's hot outside.

CJ: 22:28

That's enough in itself. It's hot outside. It's hot outside, everybody outside. I like that. It's hot outside it's hot outside. That's enough in itself it's hot outside in more ways than one and we used to be but it's also cold outside, so that's a double line challenge in there. Stay dangerous out there and take care of yourselves until the next time we'll see you again. Let us become sharper.