S2:E7 Brian w/ Declan James Watch joins podcast Interviews with Dads

Yep, I don't have my notes with me, so you're gonna have to tell me. You reached out, how you found us, uh, you know, what your thoughts were, if there was a topic we were going to discuss or if we're just kind of winging it.

No, I think— well, I, I don't know if there's a topic that you had wanted to discuss in particular, so I presume that we're just going to wing it. But I had found you somewhere on the internet or social media, and I just kind of started looking into what you're doing, and I really like it because I felt like, you know, it's interesting as you become a father, right? Like, things change. They change for a lot of people, and things change for me, and I think the same way they change for you. And I read your story and how you kind of arrived to where you're at today, and it just resonated with me, and it resonated with what my brand, my watch company, was trying to accomplish for my children and for our family. And so, you know, it's really that simple. I think I just found you from social media, and you know how it works. You find, you find one person and then it's just, they bombard you with other people.

Yeah. So the— it's Declan James Watches or something like that, right?

Declan James Watch Co.

Okay, so tell me about that.

So Declan James Watch Co., uh, was a company I started prior to me exiting the military in 2018. Okay. And, and I started the company because I'm— one, I love watches, and two, as I was exiting the military, I wanted to— the, the old advice is follow your heart and the money will follow. I just wanted to do something that I loved because I was really afraid of going back to corporate America and getting in this job that just sucked the life, sucked the life out of me. So I started the watch company because I love watches. I want to do my own thing, and I also wanted to teach my son the lessons in life that I learned in the military that I feel made me successful, that I feel made the watch company possible. And so the whole idea was to do what I wanted to do and kind of keep— get my sons involved and let them learn through seeing me, not just me telling them.

Uh, so what branch of the military were you in?

Uh, so I'm sorry, what brought me to the military?

What branch in the military were you in?

Uh, the Navy.

Okay, how many years did you put in?

So I did 8 years active duty as a SEAL in the West Coast, and then I separated in 2018, and then I joined the Reserve. So I'm kind of still in the military but as a reservist. Though I do weekend warrior stuff. Okay!

I was about to say because aren't the SEAL guys usually lifers or at least 20-year?

I think it's a mix. It's really a mix. I, you know, you'll find and people find this strange but people who, when there's a war going on and it's active in there, you know, and there's a lot of business to be had if you will. I think people tend to stay in longer, but when there's not a war, like such as now, you find a lot more people just kind of separating because it's not what they thought, or they did their time and they're ready to move on into something else. Okay.

Okay. Uh, all right, so you did 8 years in the Navy. Uh, did you go in right after high school? No, you said you were in corporate America, right?

Yeah, so I, I got a degree in finance in college, and then I didn't join— I got a job in commercial real estate, and I didn't join the military until I was 29 old.

Oh, okay. All right, so you weren't in late?

I went in very late, very, very late.

Okay. Uh, and so, uh, what's your deal with watches? Just something you've always kind of been attracted to, or?

Yeah, I, I love watches. I had a buddy of mine gave me a watch when I was, I don't know, first or second grade, and then ever since then I've just loved watches. I, to this day, you know, my top, my top The things I enjoyed most was I sold watches in high school at Dillard's Women's Watches, the women's section. Like, I— like, that's how much I love watches. I sold watches there. Being in the military and doing this, I mean, those are my top 3 things that I just have enjoyed the most. I couldn't tell you what it is. I just, I just got, I got addicted. I got hooked. I love it.

Okay, so are you, um, are you like a sales and distribution side of it, or are you in the manufacturing side of it? Or design?

So, so I do the design. I have— I do design and assembly. We manufacture overseas. We have— we use Swiss movement that get imported from Switzerland, and we put that together into the watch. And then so I— you go to my website, DeclanJamesWasco.com, you buy them directly off my website. So I'm my own brand. Okay.

And so you have components you're ordering or designing to be ordered and you're assembling in the US? Okay, interesting.

Yeah, yeah. So I have a team that I work with, um, they specialize as— and they specialize in watch design. Essentially, they're like, they're like engineers, right? So I work— I, I don't have any CAD experience, so I tell them what I want and then they make it possible. I tell them what kind of movement I want and they're like, all right, if you want to put this in there, this is what we have to do. So it's a back and forth process. With what I want and what's mechanically, if you will, feasible.

So are these like, um, are these fashion watches? Are they, uh, designer watches? What's the— I guess, what do you gear towards?

So they're, I guess, fashion slash designer watches. They're currently— we have 3 styles. They're all leather bands. You could surely put a metal band on it, but I designed a fashion watch rather than a military-style watch or a dive watch, because there's a— I mean, there's a lot of military-style watches out there. And it's not that I won't design like an outdoor rugged watch in the future, it's just I— that's not how I wanted to launch the brand. Sure. Um, and, and also when I was separated, I was like, all right, I probably gotta— I might actually have to get a real job in life, so I probably should get a nice watch. So it was all part of like It was all part of the process.

Okay, uh, so 8 years in the military, and you started the company while you were in the military, right? That's right, the process of it.

Okay, yeah, so I, I was separating I think in 2018, so I started the process about 2017 and just went down this journey of not getting where I wanted to go. And then finally, just one day, I met someone who helped me out, and just things started to fall into place here and there.

That's always good. So you mentioned some characteristics, you know, you wanted to teach your kids characteristics you learned in the military to start the business, and you wanted to pass those things on to your children, uh, right? Look out, I guess, uh, let's elaborate on that, uh, you know, what kind of characteristics did you pick up in the military that helped you in business that you want to pass on to your kids?

Yeah, yeah. So I'm very fond of my experience in the SEAL Teams and in the military in general. I feel like Even at age 29, it helped me grow to who I am today. And I'm happy with who I am today. But I remember when I was working corporate America, I really was failing to launch. I was really failing to find my passion in life. I just wasn't happy. And I noticed that I didn't want to excel. I didn't want a promotion 'cause I didn't want the extra responsibility. I didn't really wanna go to grad school 'cause it didn't interest me. I just wasn't happy where I was at. And so I had a mentor of mine, my boss actually, he basically said, "I can keep you on for a little bit longer, but we both know where this is gonna end." Meaning that he's gonna have to let me go because I'm not really doing much to add value to the company. And he knew that I wanted to join the military because I kind of had talked about it, but I just didn't have that push that I needed. So, and this was during the 2007, 2008 economic crisis. And so, you know, he kind of gave me that nudge to join the military and I had joined, signed with a contract to become a Navy SEAL. So I had to go to BUD/S, which is our selection course. And if I made it through BUD/S, I would have become a Navy SEAL. If I didn't, I would have been basically scraping barnacles off a ship. You just go to the bottom of the, they're like, "Sorry," and then you just go to the end of like, here's what's left that no one else wants to do. But I remember showing up at BUD/S and being in a line with these guys on the first day, and I'm tall and skinny. I've always been tall and skinny, and that's who I am, but I remember standing next to these kids and these young men, and they were just jacked. I mean, they were like varsity football players, you know, quarterbacks. They were just jacked, hatted up, and all this stuff, and I remember thinking to myself, I'm never— I don't have— I don't stand a chance. Like, if these guys to my left and my right, they can out-bench me, out-squat me, and there's way more of them than me, I'm not gonna stand a chance. And it was interesting because I had that mentality for a while going through selection. It's 6 months long. And then I finally had an epiphany that those are the first guys to quit. And it wasn't me against them. It wasn't me against the world. It was me against me. It was me against that voice inside my head that decides I'm going to quit or not, or I'm going to move forward. And that's really what BUD/S is designed to do. And so having that mentality, learning that mentality gave me a lot of confidence in life to not worry about failing. Gave me a lot of confidence in life that just said, "Hey, let's just try this. Who cares? Let's see what happens." And that is what I want to impart on my kids is that, 'cause they're gonna see me struggle in this business. And I'm gonna struggle. And whether I fail or not is gonna be up to me whether I decide to quit or not, right? And so, I want them to see me struggle. I want them to see me do all that stuff. And I want them to see me overcome that. And I want them to learn through observing me and hopefully getting involved too that it's really up to me. It's about me and that voice in my, inside my head and all my insecurities that I have that are holding me back.

Yes. Yeah, I assume you overcome that if you pass that program. Yeah, at least 99% of them.

Well, I'll say, you know, I've always felt, you know, I'll watch TV and like an Army show or whatever comes on, I'm like, oh God, that is so awesome, that is so awesome. Then I gotta pinch myself, I'm like, I did that, right? So I still feel like the kid I still feel like a 16-year-old kid just waiting to get picked on the football team and being the last one to be picked, or maybe not the first one, and being disappointed about it. And the point is, I still have insecurities in life, but the difference is, is I'm okay with them. I'm okay recognizing them. I'm okay saying, hey, let's go, let's go fix this, or what's wrong, let's go. If I'm a horrible public speaker, I don't like being in front of someone, or whatever it may be, now having that experience, I'm the type of person that says, all right, I'm going to thrust myself into that situation to overcome it or just get past it.

Yeah, sure, because I mean, I would assume, I mean, you face some of the most difficult stuff you can face physically, uh, and probably mentally as well, um, and that you had— you know, you just don't have a choice but to overcome it. So you already— you've already known you can push yourself to those limits, right? That's, that's really— I mean, I feel that way, you know, with some of my wrestling background. Yeah, gosh, I've done things that are way harder than this. And, you know, I've gone into things where I'm insanely nervous or I don't feel like I fit in and, and, you know, at least participated. And so, you know, that always is kind of some sort of motivation to keep pushing forward. And it doesn't really matter if you feel like you fit in or you feel like you're— you belong or something like that. And I imagine that's somewhat similar.

Yeah, and I've kind of learned through the whole process is it's never as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Yeah.

Like, we become our own worst enemy, and everything from learning how to skydive to whatever it was, you know, being tortured in the ocean, on the beach, it never really was bad as I thought it was going to be. And I just, even looking back now, it's like, yeah. That's interesting, kind of what we do to ourselves. We become our own worst enemy. We hold ourselves back almost to the point of failing to launch, essentially.

Interesting. So, uh, so besides pure rugged determination, what else did you pick up in the military that's kind of helped you push forward in this business?

Yeah, that's a really good question. And I wouldn't say in business, I would say life in general. I had a good mentor in the SEAL Teams tell me one time when I was a new guy and we were, you know, I was finding my way. He said, "It's not that Navy SEALs are good at what we do because we're Navy SEALs." He said, "We're good at what we do because we pick ourselves back up." And so learning and having that mindset opened the possibility of everything for me. It's not about failing. It's just that It's— I don't even think failure is failure. Failure is just attempting to do something and not getting it. Maybe you don't get it right and like, all right, let me try again. We grow up with this mentality that failure is such a bad term. It's a bad word. And it wasn't really until being in the teams that failure is like, oh, I just tried. I learned that failure is like, I just tried. It's something I tried, right? Like, you can say I tried and it didn't work out. But if you're like, I failed and it didn't work out, like that has so much— that like cuts a little bit deeper for whatever reason.

Well, I would think if you're not failing, um, if you haven't failed or you're not failing enough, then as you get older, you're going to have a whole lot more regrets. And so you kind of choice between facing it now or, you know, being older and sitting there saying, man, I never even tried, and just having, yeah, immense life regret.

And that's, that's scary to me. I, I, I—

exactly. So I think that's the biggest fear, is that's scary to me, to be older and be like, man, I just wish I had— like, I would rather strike out and, you know, and do everything wrong and, you know, screw it all up now while I'm in my 30s or 40s than, you know, be 75 and just, I never even tried, and just, you know I would just imagine at that age it brings on a heavy level of depression and sadness.

Oh yeah.

And I don't want that.

No. I mean, I got enough stuff going on in life, you know. I just— that's a big fear of mine, honestly, is having that regret. And I try to live my life without any regret. And sure, there's things I would have done differently. But like I said, I'm happy where I'm at. And things just happen the way they have. I remember when I was going through the process of joining the— of wanting to join the military. And there was a point where everyone, to include my parents, were like, "Are you sure? You're 29 years old. Like, what's— like, you're crazy. Like, what's going on?" And so, it's not that they didn't support me. They just kind of discouraged me from wanting to join. And I remember for some reason, like this is my own— the only moment of genius I've ever had in my entire life. I remember thinking to myself, like, "All right, if I'm on my deathbed," and my grandson comes to me with his exact same question or problem, what would I tell him? And that answer that I came up with was the answer that I needed to tell myself. Sorry about that. And so that really propelled me to kind of live a life without any regrets or just to be more methodical about the decisions I make in life because I wouldn't want to be in my deathbed and, have any regrets, you know. Yeah, I'm sure that's gonna— I'm sure it's gonna happen, but it's not really.

Not, not if you do the things that you really want to do. You might make strategic choices not to do certain things.

Sure.

I don't think it's one of those, you know, there are groups of people that sit there and say you should experience everything, and, you know, I just, you know, I'm, I'm never going to drop LSD in my body. I'm never going to trip on acid. I'm not going to snort cocaine so I can feel like Superman, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to regret that when I'm 80.

So, oh, absolutely, absolutely. But I, I think regret comes from the, from a place when you're, when you're, I don't know if I should do this, I don't, I mean, with drugs, drugs aside, right? But like, you have no desire to do that, so you're never going to regret it, right? If you had a, if you had, if you're like, I want to start my own business, or I want to join the military, or I wish I tried out but I was too scared, I I didn't wanna fail. That's where regret comes. Oh yeah, yeah. I agree. So, yeah, and so that's kinda what I wanna part, teach my kids that it's up to them and failure's not a bad word. Failure's great, go out and fail. Go out and fail multiple times. And that's kinda what I wanna impart on to my kids through this whole entrepreneur process.

And if you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough.

Yeah, I agree. And it's interesting, my son now is, is, uh, is 6 years old. And I, I don't know how old your kids— how old is your— how old are your kids? You have 3, 3 boys, right?

Yeah, 3 boys. You got 10, 7, and 4.

Okay, so you absolutely can relate to this. Now my son gets so frustrated and he's like, I'm never doing this again. And it's funny, we just bought him a lacrosse stick the other day, and he like grabs this lacrosse stick so excited, and throw the ball to him, misses it right away. Throw the ball to him again, misses it right away, and he starts getting frustrated. And I'm like, all right, this is like the perfect time. Hey man, like, relax, just keep practicing. You're gonna do this. We're gonna get it. We're gonna take care of this. Keep this up. And it's interesting to see the frustration at the kids' young— at his age of not wanting to do something because he's afraid to. He's tired of, you know, he doesn't put that— they don't put that effort forward until they start learning that it's okay to put that effort forward.

So he does— he wants that instant success.

He wants that instant. And I think every— like, I'm not— I don't blame him. I want that instant success too. I absolutely feel like shit when I'm playing, when I'm with my platoon mates and we're playing football and they basically hand the ball off to me and I drop it, right? Like, I feel horrible about that too. But the point is, is I know that like, it's just a thing. It happens to all of us and it's no big deal. And the failure part comes if I let it beat me down.

Yes, so I think I have one kid I don't know, it's really a mixed response, um, because my oldest is a little bit more OCD, so he will, he will practice and practice and practice till he gets something right and better. But there are some things that if he, if he doesn't have a natural talent at it, he just doesn't even care to, um, uh, to put that effort and practice into. Or like, he loves basketball, so he's willing to play basketball all the time. Um, and he'll miss shots all the time, but he's willing to keep doing that. But trying to think of another sport, uh, there's been a few other sports where we've tried to put him in and he's just like, ah, I'm not good at it, I don't want to do it, you know, I want to go back to baseball and basketball. And, uh, and then my other one, my middle one, uh, I mean, he almost doesn't even want to try. It's weird. He just has like Now that's sports specific. Um, he just doesn't— he's not motivated in that way. He doesn't— he sees his brother's good at sports and he's just like, nah, that's not going to be me. Which is weird because I—

go ahead. How does, how does that make you feel? How do you process that? I'm curious.

Oh, I don't care. I genuinely don't care. Um, you know, if he wants to— there's a few reasons I want him to be in sports. Um, One of them is because I was just, I was a sports kid, but mostly, you know, for health reasons. I want him exercising. I don't want him sitting around all the time. So I do want him to be involved in something that, you know, gets him up and moving just for the pure health and exercise standpoint. I think sports teaches a lot of good lessons, failure being one of them, teamwork, you know, get your job done, overcoming challenges. I mean, you know, a structure of, you know, just like the military, a, uh, you know, a pecking order, um, you know, leadership skills, following skills. I mean, there's, there's a lot that can come out of sports that can certainly come out of other things. Um, so I'm, to a certain extent, we're going to kind of force him to do some things. He's got to at least experiment with them. But I'm by no means going to be a dad that like forces him his whole life to do sports because I want him to be good at sports. Um, I just, I just want him to be, you know, happy. If he, if he's happy drawing, or if he becomes really good at video games or something like that, which probably isn't going to happen because we don't do video games in our house. But, um, like, whatever he's good at, whatever talents and skills he has, you know, I'll certainly foster. Um, yeah, you know, he doesn't need to grow up to be just like me, you know. And so that's my, that's my opinion. So I really It doesn't matter to me. You ask me how it feels, I don't care. So there's certain things I'm going to push him towards, um, you know, for, for specific reasons. But, you know, how he turns out is, is, you know, I want him to be him, if that makes sense.

Absolutely. I, I think, and the reason why I asked is, um, you absolutely want your kids to be who they are, and that's important. And I, and I, I would feel horrible if my son—

not everyone feels that way. I mean, there's a lot of, there's a lot of dads out there that are trying to recreate themselves and, and, uh, and trying to make up for the things that they didn't do in life.

I, I worry about that as a, as a father myself. I worry that— am I, am I trying, am I inadvertently doing that through my— because what I think is cool and what I like, like we're doing, like that's just my personality, it comes out, like it's gonna happen. And I always wonder, I, I have to be super conscious of and cautious of doing that. Am I trying to recreate myself in my son, or am I letting my, excuse me, both my boys, or am I letting them be who they want to be? But I do say this, and I think I do agree with you. I think I talked about with my wife, whether my son, I don't care if my son plays basketball, football, whatever it was. I wasn't super good at sports, and I didn't really kind of figure things out in life until I joined the military at age 29. But sports, I will say, a structured activity, some sort of sport, whatever it is, I think is— my sons will do. And if it's tennis or I don't know, whatever sport out there that I never thought I would have ever played, but that they like, they're going to do. And our thought behind this was, you know, sports are really applicable to just life in general. I think they're more applicable to life than going to college, you know, because you learn teamwork, you learn determination, you learn hard work, you know, you might lose a few times, you might win a few times. I just think that whole, like you said, that foundation is more applicable to life and success in life, however you define success, than say going to college and learning. But it just depends on what you make of it, depends on what you know, I'm not saying college is not, is not good. College is great. It depends what you get out of it. But my boys are 6 and 2, so we're not worried about college right now. We're worried about giving the foundation for, you know, their early age.

I think you mentioned extracurriculars. Um, you know, I, I, I don't think it's healthy or good for kids to be sitting around with not much to do and just kind of bored. And that's where I, you know, in sports is certainly one of the big extracurriculars. Uh, that's where I think those things come into play. And they, they occupy time. I mean, and really, that's in while teaching those lessons, um, but especially, especially in those high school years, man, if, if school ends at 3 o'clock and then you've just got nothing else to do, man, that's where trouble finds, finds a home. Yeah, so stay— staying busy is probably one of the things that, uh, saved my teenage years from, you know, making some stupid and bad decisions.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think I'd probably agree too, 100%. So where are you guys now? You're in California?

Not yet, uh, we're in, uh, where are we, uh, Tuscan? No, Tucson, Tucson, Tucson, Arizona.

So I've read a little bit and I think I understand. So you, you're traveling the country to promote your business, to promote what you're doing, the message you're putting out there.

Strong fatherhood, yep.

Yep, and I imagine also it's not just that. I mean, you're spending good quality time with your boys or going on an adventure with your family, and it's gotta be, that's gotta be part of the motivation also. I'm wondering.

Oh yeah, 100%. I mean, this is, This is a very rare opportunity that, that anybody would get to do. Um, and, uh, yeah, I, I mean, this is certainly gonna be something I'm gonna remember the rest of my life. My wife's gonna remember, uh, the kids are gonna remember. It's gonna have a, a huge impact. I was a little nervous in the beginning before we did it that, um, what that impact would be, you know, because essentially you're shoving 5 people into a small sardine can. Um, with no relief. And there is the potential there for that not to go well, to where, you know, you get to the end of it, you're just sick of each other. Um, and so far so good. You know, I think we're 10 months in, and, um, uh, it, it has stressed our marriage in certain points because, you know, we never get a break from each other. I mean, it's a, it's a, it's a weird scenario because it's not like we have multiple vehicles or we go out and do things like we're just together 24/7, and you're not even really different rooms because it's an RV. I mean, you know, the living room looks at both bedrooms, so like you're just— you're always near each other. Um, and so there have been times where that was a challenge where we like kind of needed to create some breaks and separation. Um, yeah, but I mean, this is a— it's, it's been, it's been absolutely amazing. And it's going to have huge effects on the kids' lives, which I'm glad. It's opening up their perspective, and even in their education, you know, when they're learning geography, history, you know, whatever it is, they're going to have seen and experienced most of it. And I think one of the smarter things we're doing is we are documenting a good chunk of it. And so even the 4-year-old who, you know, typically wouldn't remember quite a lot, uh, we're able to kind of go back and watch those home videos that kind of cap or touch on everything that we've been doing, and it re-triggers his memory. So he's not forgetting them, not forgetting they existed. And so it kind of, uh, re-engages, you know, the mind. Uh, and so it helps for me and the boys too, because I mean, we've been to what— I think this is our 52nd, um, site. And then off of each site, we're going to like, you know, anywhere from 5, 10, 15 different places. Uh, so we've done a lot and we've seen a lot. And so, you know, even for me, sometimes I forget some of the things. We're watching videos for the kids, I'm like, oh yeah, we were there, that was awesome. So, uh, and so I've actually become a proponent of, uh, of fathers documenting or parents documenting, like pulling out the camera a little bit more often, taking some pictures more often. Not all the time, but that's something before we left that I was a little bit more against, like, don't live your life through a screen, be present in the moment. And, uh, now that I'm older, and I wish there were more of those videos of me and those pictures of me when I was younger that don't exist, um, and they do exist for my wife, um, and like watching the kids watch themselves on what they've done just on this tour alone, uh, it's something I'm really glad. It doesn't take that much time. So that's something I've really changed my tune on, of, you know, pull out the camera when you're at the playground, or you go to, you know, a park or wherever it is, and just, just do little short clips of filming. And then, and then put them together and like create a monthly or quarterly or yearly little video. So it's not boring footage. You can kind of trim it down a little bit with like a free video editor. And yeah, then you have these things to go back and watch, and they're just, you know, it triggers a lot of good memories. And it's, it's a, it's a real kind of feel-good thing. And kids like to watch them. Grandkids in the future are going to love watching them.

Well, that's what it's about.

Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, yes. So when we sold the businesses, you know, certainly the natural path for me, because it's my natural inclination, it was to start another business. You know, sell one and just go into a different field and push hard and, you know, take this and grow it into more. And, you know, we will turn 100% Dad into a business. Hopefully. That, that is the intention. But at the same time, we're feeding this thing, and, and, you know, you know, foot's on the pedal kind of, but it's also kind of not. It's also really hard on the family pedal. So yeah, you know, and whether that's making up for, um, you know, I was always around, uh, you know, we had our own businesses, you know, there were days I was there breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And there were also times when the business needed me and I was just pushing hard, uh, and so yeah, I wouldn't say that I'm making up for any lost time. I, I think I was there a lot.

So that's good.

I mean, perks of having your own business is the family can come visit you and you can kind of just, you know, on your way to something, you can swing by the house. So, because we homeschooled as well, so it was a lot of availability.

I think it's great what you're doing, and I admire in many ways My goal was to, I hope I can grow this business to long-term success and I hope that my boys want to be involved in it and we can work together. But if not, that's fine. They might not, they might wanna go do their own thing and that's totally cool, that's totally awesome too. But my goal as I get older is, when I left for college, I left. I see my parents on the holidays, we talk, but like, and I love my parents, we have a great relationship, but I don't have the relationship with my parents that I want to have with my boys. I want to work with my boys, I want to be with them 24/7. I want, when they're out of college, if they choose to go to college, I hope that we're working together. I hope that one day I can call up like, hey, I need you to go run this, and they're this, this, you know, the, the production on the watch is behind you. I need you to go take care of that. You know, I had that vision of being with my boys and working with my boys. That'd be cool. And I hope, and I hope it works.

And well, you'll get at least some of it because, you know, in their teenage years or, um, early formative years, you know, they'll just, they'll just be there with that. So, you know, they really don't get a choice with that. It'll still be good. They won't know any better. It's not like they're saying, oh no, my passion is this and you're forcing me to do that. I mean, you know, that day might come, but it won't be in those years.

And I admire what you've done is because you've kind of turned, I mean, you've turned your passion into a business, but you've also successfully somehow managed to make it a part of the family business and the family too. And I don't know behind the scenes, you know.

To be fair, the business is that right now, this is, it's more like a mission 'cause we're feeding this thing a lot of cash. Is very expensive. And, you know, worst case scenario, this is our— what would you call that— mission charitable option. And we're just putting out good content. And I think we'll be able to flip it to a business. We've got to grow our following and get some, you know, corporate sponsors or partnerships or things like that or somehow create monetization, which we did actually. Just— I just flipped on the store, I think last night. So I've got to start playing with that and see how that works, which is just selling merch. Yeah, so we're starting to get to that phase. But yeah, for the last year we've just been feeding it. It's been a lot of family activity together and that's been a blast. And we are— I mean, we're— I was worried in the beginning, I said this earlier, we're either going to come out of this like the, the most tightly bonded family ever or we're never going to want to see each other again. And we're definitely heading the trajectory of we're going to be like the tightest bonded family ever. And it helps that we get to do a lot of stuff too. So we aren't just like crammed in a tin can. We are going out and exploring all these different national parks, state parks, all these historical sites, constantly learning about different vegetation and different animals. We just went to a donkey farm a couple days ago and learned more about donkeys than I ever thought I would ever know. Um, like, did you know mules, uh, mules can't breed? I never knew that.

Uh, I, I think— well, I think I knew something like that, but yeah, I knew a mule was a horse and a donkey.

You put a horse and donkey together and they create a mule. Um, I did not know that mules cannot breed. Their, their chromosomes just don't match up. Their DNA doesn't work. Like, they cannot procreate. Um, so you always have to have horses and donkeys to create mules.

And, and what is the purpose of a mule?

Uh, it's just that hybrid variation. Um, I know they use them a lot for, uh, so horses require a lot of water and tire easier, and donkeys are hardier. They require less water, uh, and their muscle structure is a little stronger, uh, but they're not speed demons by any means. Although there is something called pack racing that donkeys and apparently it's big in Colorado where they race donkeys.

Um, okay.

And the place we were going to had some of those and they were training them while we were there. Um, and so you can do everything except ride the donkey in these races. You can carry them, you can push them, you can pull them. Uh, and that's pack racing. They do like 27-mile races. And it's, it's weird. They actually rent them out to runners in Colorado because I guess runners get bored training for a marathon, so they just run with a donkey. So I guess that gives them something to do, and they rent them like, oh, a few hundred bucks a day, I guess. Or, you know, it was a good chunk of change.

That's interesting.

So anyway, go back to the mule. So mules— mule can be ridden. I think that's what they use like in the Grand Canyon when they're transporting people down. Um, but, you know, they're just that hardier, stronger, uh, require less water, uh, animal.

So do you feel so— well, let me I would venture to say that your kids are getting a lot more on this road trip and your tour than they would get being at home or in some— I mean, I gotta imagine that you guys— I mean, for me, when I was in the platoons, we always had issues. There's always problems to solve. Nothing ever goes to plan, right? And so you grow and become a smarter person by solving these problems. Whatever it may be, whatever it may be, right? Um, and I imagine that you guys encounter a lot of issues and problems being on the road. Not, not saying that you run out of gas, but just logistical issues, all sorts of type, all sorts of weather.

We have, we have come close to running out of diesel in Montana where there was like no— it was a part of Montana that's a little mountainous and it was like 79 miles between services, and my gauge told me I had like 150 miles. So I'm like, oh, Well, my thing says 79 miles or 150 miles to empty, and there's 79 miles to the next service. And apparently that gauge was not fully funky because it kept dropping faster than it should have. And we got to the next available, um, fuel station going up the hills of Montana in a place where there's no emergency lane and it's hilly, and we're pulling a 20,000-pound trailer. So it's not like— there's a couple things: nowhere to pull over and block in the lanes over blind turns, and you know, the ups and the downs. Uh, which is never a safe scenario. And even if we find the next gas station, what are the chances I can maneuver in there at like 70 feet long and my height and weight? Like, am I gonna shave off a canopy? Can I make the turns? Is it a sharp U-turn to get in there? Um, but anyway, so we did find a place and they did have truck lanes. And when I pull up to the pump, I had 2 miles to empty, which—

oh God—

was, um, I mean, you talk about nerve-wracking. That would not have been— oh, I bet that was a moment of do not talk to Dad while I figure this out. Like, I do not want to entertain any questions while I am zoned into this problem.

But your kids are learning, and, and, and I, I really believe, like, you— for me, you only learn through encountering those problems. Like, you, you would never have otherwise had that experience if you didn't go on a road trip. Your kids never would have otherwise, you know, maybe learn something from that experience and solving that problem.

Well, yeah, and in RVs and vehicles, there's always maintenance. Um, you know, nicest RVs in the world, there's always, um, you know, an issue with something electrical or water or this or that. Um, and so certainly they get to kind of see those things. But honestly, you know, it's kind of how we've always lived our life though. I mean, the houses have issues too. I mean, you know, sometimes dad's got to fix stuff. You know, Dad has to maintain things. Mom does too. And at the business, you know, we had assets. So we had coffee machines and vending machines that were always, you know, we always had massive piles of things that needed to be fixed. And so, you know, they would see that. And if they ever wanted to get involved and, you know, they could kind of help participate in, you know, turning screwdrivers and replacing parts and things like that. You know, and problem solving. I mean, that's my— probably my favorite part of life is just coming up with like unique solutions to a problem that like you don't have the appropriate OEM fix or whatever it is, and like you just gotta like find something that will work that gets the job done. Like, that's my favorite thing to do.

I love it. I, I would agree. I think it's fun.

I know military guys always get that, and, uh, most— a lot of small business owners when it's like in a service trade like that, and farmers Farmers are the other people. They always get that. That's why they have piles of stuff everywhere, because when it's harvest season and the daggum tractor breaks, or the, you know, the harvester breaks at, you know, 7 AM in the morning and there's no repair guys available, you just got to go to a pile and figure out how you're going to get that thing fixed. And you just find something to make it happen. And it's— I, I love that. It's a thrill to me.

It gives me goosebumps just talking about it. I think about all the shit I did, like, I just was like And it's interesting too, because most people are like, oh, he can just fix stuff. But when I think about it, I'm like, this is my— this is how I become creative. This is my way of expressing my creativity, because that's really what it is. To solve problems, you have to be creative.

And, uh, unique solutions. I, I'm— one of the ones that sticks out is, um, when I was a kid, uh, my Jeep— because I was like 16— my Jeep broke down in downtown Orlando. Uh, and it had like these big oversized wheels. And so my dad, like, it's probably like midnight, my dad came back down from St. Augustine, rented a U-Haul trailer, one of those, um, where all four wheels get on there. It was like, I forget what you call them, but car, car dolly, car, uh, car hauler. And, uh, so we get the, we get the Jeep finally up on the trailer, and then like those big wheel, like, things that go over the wheels to hold the car down don't fit because I have these stupidly big wheels.. And, uh, you know, we didn't have ratchet straps or anything. We're just, you know, outside of the internet frustrated. Uh, then I came up with the idea of simple solution, just deflate the tires. There we go. So we deflated the tires and they fit. So it was kind of like we had to like create like 2 inches of room on each tire. And, uh, you know, and the problem was the clutch had gone out. Um, so I couldn't really shift anymore. And so we also couldn't like drive it to get it up on the car hauler. So we ended up putting it in first gear, uh, because we couldn't figure out— we tried pushing it a couple times, we just couldn't get it up the ramp. Um, so put it in first gear, then started the engine, and then the starter would crank it in first gear and roll it up. And then you just have to be able to shut it off in time and nail the brakes before it drove into the truck. So that was just one of those moments that kind of stands out when I first kind of figured out, because my dad was sitting there like, damn, it's a good idea. So just got one of those, you know, moments that stand out.

Yeah, it's funny. My oldest son, he wants to do, and I always say to him, you never know unless you try, right? And so he'd say to me on some things, he's like, I wanna go do this. I'm like, it's never gonna work, man. It's just like, it's not gonna work. He's like, how do you know it's not gonna work? I'm like, well, my experience, my intuition. It tells me it's not gonna work. He's like, Dad, you never know unless you're gonna try. And I'm like, all right. So I go down this path. It's happened to me a couple times where we're doing this. I'm like, I'm just like waiting for it to not work. And it works. I'm like, wow, like you got me. Like you literally got me. You literally, literally got me, man. Yeah, that's funny.

Yeah, so do you guys do, One thing that's fun is they're kind of a pain to do because they're usually messy and they, you know, take a while to set up and all. But they end up being really fun. Is like, you ever get those science experiment kits? You can get them at like Hobby Lobby, or you should jump on those every once in a while. Just fun, like just creating electricity with, you know, powering a light bulb with a potato, you know, those kind of things. Or there's little mechanical engineering sets, um, they're just kind of fun.

So if you had to guess Uh, what do you think your boys are going to be when they grow up?

I hope one of them's a lawyer. We need a lawyer in this family. The oldest one, the oldest one certainly argues enough. Um, I have no idea. My guess is they're probably all gonna, um, uh, do small, small business type stuff. Yeah, I, I couldn't imagine they go work in a more structured environment. When they've seen Dad just live a lifestyle that's very free, even when we didn't have money, you know, there was always, you know, I, I can do things in the middle of the day with them, especially with them homeschooling. Like, we could just always do stuff, you know. We could always go to— if we wanted to go to Disney down in Orlando, we could just go down there, you know, on Tuesday afternoon.

Yeah.

And, you know, not have to wait for weekends and Uh, you know, we kind of operate opposite of the rest of the world, so we don't have to deal with like crowds and stuff like that. And it's just been a lot of, you know, it's just, it's a nice way to live, um, where you're not having to do everything at the same time everybody else is doing it. You're not having to shop on Friday night or Saturdays, and you can just do it in the middle of the day. Um, and that, that I couldn't imagine that they grow up that way and then go to the corporate world where they are 9 to 5. Um, and weekends are for the kids and things like that. I just— that, that's my guess. But they're still too young. I mean, you know, if you ask my kids, um, they're going to be magicians and, um, you know, superheroes and a professional basketball player.

I mean, none of those are really unlikely. I mean, a superhero obviously can be a superhero, you know, whatever that means. Obviously his idea of a superhero is different, but Yeah, his name is Super—

no, Aiden Superhero Ben Ben. That's his name. That's the 4-year-old. And then Levi, you know, wants to play professional. He's not sure if he wants to play professional basketball or baseball or football, but, you know, he wants to sign some big contracts for that. That'd be fun for him. It's always good to keep your options open.

I'm sure you want him to sign some big contracts.

That's always nice. You know, but there's a lot of ways to make money in this world. It's not just sports. It's not just celebrity status. You can make money just about doing anything.

Yeah. I don't know what my— so my youngest is 2. I obviously, I have no idea. But my oldest, who's 6, you know, I'm not sure. I think he might get into entrepreneurship too, but he He also, obviously he's drawn to the military a little bit because of my experience. I hope he doesn't go that route, but he gave me so much in life that I wouldn't be heartbroken if he did go that route. But again, he's so young. I still try to pin him down like— Go ahead.

Why wouldn't you want your kid to go that route? Like a multi-generational military family.

It's not that I'm opposed to it by any means. By any means. I would just, well, let's just say, I hope that my son, when he chooses to do the things he does in life, he doesn't, so if he decides to join the military, I hope he doesn't do it because he feels he has no other option in life. I hope he does it for other reasons. And I wanna be able to provide that for him. For me, I did it because I kinda felt like, it's a double-edged sword. I didn't really feel like I had other, you know, I had a good job, I was being paid well, but like me personally, and my personal growth, and where I was headed in life, or not headed in life, if you will, I really feel like I didn't have any other options. Um, but the military is dangerous, you know.

Uh, okay, so just fear for his safety?

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I, I know what it's about. The military is dangerous. I know. Um, I, I know what he's gonna be expected to do, but who knows if he— he says he wants to be a pilot, and that's very, you know, that's, that's cool.

That would certainly be military.

That'd be a good way to Yeah, but I guess my concern is we kind of talked about this earlier, is I don't want to unconsciously influence him. I want him to be— I want him to be who he wants to be. I don't want to constantly influence him into being someone that I want him to be. So I get concerned that like he only knows about the military is because of me and because like that's kind of what I am, you know.

Well, I mean, if you're having those type of conversations his whole life of Hey, you know, these were the good things about the military, what it did for me. You know, obviously I would think if one of my kids wanted to be a doctor, I think I would encourage them to go the military route, um, part selfishly so I don't have to fork out like $300 grand in their tuition, and I wouldn't want them to go into debt for it. Um, but it's the same thing with the pilot. Like, I mean, those are good— there's some seriously good career paths that you can gain by joining the military.

Oh, it's given me everything that I have today.

Well, and they pay you and they give you your, you know, you know, obviously that structure and the environment of the military kind of can straighten out your life or enhance it. But I mean, there's just a real, a real value there of A, you could serve your country, B, they will pay you while you get to learn skills that you can use in civilian life and, you know, 5, 10 years down the road.

Uh, so I mean, I mean, now that we talk about it, maybe I'm not so apprehensive. I mean, I just want them to do whatever they want to do that makes them happy, really.

Well, and I— sorry, and that's where I meant to go with that conversation when I first started answering, was like, if you're having that conversation with somebody like, hey, this is what the military did for me, Uh, and you know, this is where, you know, I think it's good. And like, these are also the, you know, the downsides to it. Um, you know, and I don't want to impact your life. I want you to have the knowledge and everything of it, but I want you— I want you to always make your own decisions and not just try and replicate my life. I think if you're having those type of conversations, you know, from age 0 to 18, that, that's not even going to be a concern at all. You're not manipulating, you're not forcing anything, you're just having real conversations. So it's, um, you know those are valuable.

Yeah, yeah, we'll see what happens. It's definitely—

it's when you get kind of devious and you're, you're kind of trying to guilt them into the military or not into it, and you're trying to control them, um, without— whether directly or indirectly, I think that's where it— that's where you'll just never find yourself. So, because your worst case scenario is you would say, buddy, I don't want to make this decision for you, but, but, you know, this is how I feel.

Yeah, you know, the funny— he's only 6 years old, and it's funny that as a parent I think about this stuff a lot, and I always have to remind myself, I'm like, all right, he's just 6 years old. Don't— like, just don't worry about that. Worry about— you know what I'm saying? But that's what— that's what— that's what dads do.

Well, I think having that long-term vision is good because that's kind of— that helps guide what you're doing right now, is thinking about the, the, the adult you're trying to mold. And because if you don't have that end result in your head to some extent, your decisions today are going to get dicey.

Oh yeah, because then I would agree, your decisions are just— I mean, if you're just making your wings for today. Yeah, exactly. If I made all my decisions for today, oh God, I don't, I don't know.

I, I mean, I've seen some crazy things in parenting, um, uh, where they're just clearly not thinking about long-term, uh, you know, whether it's giving into those, those tantrums constantly or making threats that are never, uh, delivered on. Um, you know, we've, we've got friends where, I mean, their kids are terrors, absolute terror, and they're always threatening and never delivering, and Of course, like, nothing is what I want to say. Nothing you do will ever fear that kid because they know you're lying. They know you're full of crap. You don't ever come through on it. Like, it's just— and, and what that's doing long term is just, uh, it's idiotic. Yeah, it's absolutely idiotic.

I think about— I'm like, God, I, I really could screw this up. And people like, no, they're gonna be fine. I'm like, I, I know a lot of jerks in this world. Like, yeah, we really could screw this up.

Well, yeah, there's a lot of impact there, um, and it's double-sided, right? I mean, I, I love the story of the twin boys. Uh, dad's an abusive alcoholic. One of them grows up incredibly successful, never touches alcohol. Interviewer asked him why, like, how did that happen? He said, well, my dad was an abusive alcoholic, you know, I'm never going to touch that stuff, I'm never going to live that life. And they go to the other twin boy, he's a homeless drunk under a bridge, and saying, you know, how did you turn out this way? He said, well, my dad was abusive alcoholic. I had, you know, no other way to turn out. So there is an extent to it where, you know, these kids are, they're real humans and they have their own personalities and they're going to make their own choices in life. And we, we are trying to guide them the best we can and put them in the best position to succeed, but You know, just because your kid fails doesn't mean it was your fault, and just because your kid succeeds doesn't mean you were the reason. So no, there's a lot of, there's a lot of bad parents out there taking credit for their kids' successes, and it was despite them, not because of them.

I, I've always, I've always said that it's, it's what you do and don't do that's going to lead to the success and failure of your kid. But it's, you know, it's— and don't— in the don't do part is, you know, the two, the two twin story. Or what you do, you know. I mean, I, I, I just want to give them the tools to be successful no matter how they define their success.

And, and if you're making that effort, I, I think that gives them the best, the best, because they're going to see that. They're going to recognize, especially as they get older, they're going to realize. And if you, you know, you have those intelligent conversations with your kid of, hey, You know, this is why you can't go to the Bob Marley concert that goes till 2 AM when you're 16. I don't want you around that drug culture. I don't want you around an unsafe environment. Nothing good happens past midnight. You know, as your father, I want what's best for you, and you're not going to a freaking whatever concert till 2 AM. Not happening. Yeah. So, I mean, they're going to be mad at you and they're going to throw a fit and everything, but, you know, either years down the line or even in that moment, they're really going to know dad's just doing what's best for me. Like, He's not just being an a-hole. And I think when you have that intent and that kind of effort, you know, the day-to-day tactical decisions, while they're important, mean a little bit less because they understand where it's coming from.

Yeah. I'll never forget this. So I had a neighbor and he was real bummed out one day. And I said, yo, man, I asked, what's going on? He's like, oh, his son was like 10 or 10, I don't know, 10, 11, 12 or something like that. He's like, he's like, my son just told me he hates me for the first time ever. And I'm sitting there, I'm like, I was like, shit, my son just said that to me and he's only 4 years old. I'm like, oh God, man, like what's going on here?

That's usually a sign of, that's usually, not always, a sign of good parenting.

I mean, I'm like, he just said that to you for the first time ever. My son literally is 4 years old. I know he has no idea what he's saying to me, but like, the fact that this came out of his mouth because he got it from somewhere, and I'm just cracking up. I'm like, yeah, that's, that's funny.

Yeah, but you know, I put out a meme once: if your kid hasn't gotten mad at you, you're doing something wrong.

Oh yeah. Yeah, CAD. So how long is your tour going to be now? When you— where— how much longer were you gonna—

so we originally intended around— we originally intended around 2 years. Um, we are 10 months in, I believe. Uh, we left May of 2020. Uh, and we're in Arizona now. We still have, you know, the rest of Arizona, SoCal, uh, Nevada, um, going up the West Coast up through California, uh, the Washington, Oregon area, um, and then we've kind of covered all the west of the Mississippi stuff, um, and then we'll jump over to kind of like that Mideast area of like Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio. We'll probably push up into the Northeast from there. Because we know the southeast part of the country pretty well, so we probably won't spend a lot of time down there. Um, and you know, so the West Coast will probably take us into the summer, um, and then we'll kind of jut across a little bit and then, uh, finish out the summer in the fall pushing up into the northeast and then ride out winter as long as we can. Um, you know, and we're kind of— we'll be winging it at that point. Luckily, winter, there's— you could— you can— you can wing winters better than you can the summer, uh, because there's always spaces, open places, because that's where most RVs are put up in storage. Uh, the full-timers are down in the tips of Texas and Florida. Um, but, uh, yeah, like in the summer, like we're struggling now to get— to get— find places to— in certain cities, at least places we want to go to, because they're, you know, they're booked out 6 months in advance or a year in advance. So, so that's kind of the intent right now. So we might, you know, come winter we'll have to decide whether we want to push through this winter, you know, maybe head down to Florida, you know, the stomping grounds, and do like South Florida and the West Coast of Florida that we don't see very often, and then maybe re-emerge in the spring and finish what we didn't get to. You know, then we just kind of have to decide as a family, do we want to keep you know, popping around and touring. If we're going to do live events, that might be a worthwhile thing. Or do we want to go home? And I, I really like traveling. It's very hard from a business standpoint to, you know, solitude, structure, those kind of things help me in business, and I have neither of those here. So, you know, I I mean, just, just getting connected online sometimes is very difficult. Uh, I mean, we, we recently went like on a 3-4 week stretch in Texas to where I just had no signal. Um, every once in a while I could walk to a spot and get like a crappy signal, uh, but like Big Bend was just horrendous. And before that we were in Hill Country, Texas, uh, where that big winter storm came in, just knocked out all the daggum cell towers, uh And yeah, so, so that it, you know, even like we just launched that store and we're doing print on demand for like the shirts and, and hats and things like that. I mean, that's something if we were at home and I had my office set up, like I would buy that stuff in, we would be storing the different varieties and the different sizes, and you know, we'd be able to order in bulk and bring the price down and then sell through the store and, and you know, us actually package and ship out those items. Where now we're doing print on demand, and, uh, you know, like, we just turned the store on, and, uh, like, there's already problems with the print companies that they use of like, hey, we don't have gray shirts anymore. So now if you go to the website, there's some like, you know, you might like this shirt but want it in dark gray, and that's going to show as like unable to fulfill like not available. Whereas like, if we just had an office, I could solve that problem very easily. I could find a great, even if it was just going to a local print shop saying, hey, I need this type of shirt, gray with this print on it. It's gonna cost me more than it costs to sell, but I can at least keep that from being a, you know, a problem in the customer company cycle. You know, 'cause when you have obstacles like that, it's not good for the look of the company or the feel of the customer. And so I would rather spend more and have a non-profitable item there temporarily than to aggravate a, a customer that may or may not return. So absolutely, but we're kind of stuck with this print-on-demand thing because I can't carry supply here. Like, there's just no space for it.

That's interesting. I talk to a lot of people and they love the— they love the print-on-demand, or I guess they call it dropshipping. And, uh, I, I looked into it For my business, and obviously, you know, selling t-shirts is not, it just wouldn't be something I would sell, wouldn't be my core business, but you have no control really. I mean, you kind of do, you just set parameters, but outside that.

Yeah, that's it.

Is it gonna get shipped? Is the right one gonna get shipped?

Yeah, there's a lot of potentials to look bad because somebody else's company screwed up. Yeah, and to be fair, I, we probably took, you know, I kind of went through it, um, very ideally in the beginning and said like, oh, look at all these options, and you know, that'll work out well. Um, and I probably need to go back through it and really scale down the amount of options to just kind of get to some core competencies. I just don't know what people like or want or if there will be any demand or things like that. So I, so I left more on the table than maybe I should.

Um, and that, I mean, It's got to be a good alternative for you right now though. It's probably the best alternative, the best solution for you.

It's either that or do nothing, or partner, you know, find a, um, some sort of print company somewhere, maybe even in St. Augustine, and just say, hey listen, I'm gonna go and buy these, put them on the shelves, you guys fulfill them. Um, but at this point, you know, we're, we're more about just continuing to build awareness of the brand Um, so like even the shirts, like we sell the shirts for like $9.99, we make zero money. It probably costs me money to even have this thing operating. Um, you know, we'd probably have to sell like 1,000 units a month just to break even. Um, anything under that, it'll be at, uh, at a loss. Um, so yeah, so, so that's the easiest path. And yeah, that's so that way even, even if we were to do the like a physical tangible thing with another company to where it's, it's already made and they ship them out, then you got to cut them on a piece of it. And that, I, I think that would probably drive up the cost more than the print on demand would allow. Yeah, but, but t-shirts aren't how you make a ton of money unless you're selling massive amounts of them. I mean, you know, for us it's about getting the brand out there. If we, if we can get some people representing the brand, you know, when they're on the street and, you know, it helps us grow, then You know, I'm okay that being a break-even strategy.

I mean, it's not bad.

Plus, I mean, for very real tax purposes, you know, businesses need to generate income. You can't just have a business that operates at, you know, $200,000 a year losses and expect to be able to write those down. I mean, you need to prove it's not a hobby and a valid business.

Yeah, yeah.

So, so we, we do need to, you know, create traction on those things.

Yeah, I mean, it's every— I mean, you've started business before, it's every entrepreneur's dilemma.

Yeah, yeah, it's a fun one. I like the challenge of— I, I wish I could more consistently be connected and have the tools, uh, and the consistency, um, but I don't. I mean, a lot of times even when I work on it, there's, you know, kids running around screaming or, you know, whatever it is. My schedule is not mine. It's, it's very fun, it's very unique, um, and it's very frustrating all at the same time. So it's very enjoyable as a father, very, very frustrating as a businessman.

So where, where are your— where's your family now? You kick them out of the RV?

Yeah, they're at the pool.

Oh, perfect.

Yeah, I, I wasn't— there's— so we're at a spot with great signal. I'm on 5G, which, um, for those of you that don't have 5G phones, is slower than 4G, even though the commercials say otherwise.

And I heard it's single-handedly responsible for the coronavirus.

Yeah, like, I was excited when we got the 5G phones. Um, I'm like, oh, it's gonna be great, you know, more speed, better, helps me get stuff done. And I'm like, there's been times where I'll speed test on 5G And then I'll turn 5G off, switch back over to 4G, and do a speed test. And the 4G test out literally tests out faster than 5G.

Yeah, it's stupid.

It is absolutely stupid. Um, I think one— I think they've laid the framework for 5G now, but they don't have the speed cranked up. So right now they're more about— it's on a lower frequency, so it gets out a wider signal to, uh, to show up on more people's phones saying they have 5G. And then one day, once the infrastructure is in place better, they'll crank up the frequency and get some speed. But, you know, on T-Mobile's network, 5G is not faster. It's baloney.

Yeah, I, I was under the impression like 5G wasn't really out just yet.

Yeah, so no, it's out. It says 5G and it's slower than 4G.

Um, well, that's, that's what I'm, that's what I'm saying. Like, it's, they say it's out, but it's not like, it's not It's not— yeah, it's not— it's not worth— yeah, I don't know, that's just my— but I could be wrong.

It's an absolute— and so, yeah, so we're— so at this campground we've got great signal. Um, they have some functioning Wi-Fi in the clubhouse, so that's where I was like all last night till like midnight and, uh, this morning. Um, so that's like the first time I was able to get like out of the RV and, you know, plugged into a wall sitting at a table because really for most of coronavirus I haven't even had that option. You know, most RV places, their clubhouses are shut down, um, you know, and, uh, like coffee houses have been shut down. Like, I haven't even had that option. Um, you know, it's— where else? Uh, like co-works and things like that. There's been a few places where I— like, if I can find like an independent co-work, I've been able to work at. But, um, yeah, most of the stuff's been— it's been difficult to find internet and a desk or, or table to work at. But that's what it's about. Yeah, so the kids are at the pool. I was at the clubhouse, came back here because my phone was dying. I need to plug in because we were going to talk. And, um, you know, this is one of the few RVs— it's been a good RV park. Um, you know, they have a heated pool, uh, and a hot tub that actually works. And I know everyone says their hot tub's on and working, and, uh, I've been in a lot of hot tubs in this country and they are all full of crap. So their hot tubs are always broken.

So are you guys winging your schedule? Like, you're like, hey, we want to stay a couple weeks here, or—

so, so the winter's been different. Um, we were very structured in the beginning, um, because— and yeah, and spring, summer, fall, you have to— places will fill up, like you have to be planned. Uh, the winter, uh, in Texas has been great. Like, we've really kind of just, uh, we're gonna stay a little bit longer here. Oh, we'll go to this place now. We've been able to cancel and, and change, right? Because every RV— none of them have been really full, um, busy but not full. Uh, so we've been able to be very flexible, which has been nice. Um, we are going to get into a more structured, uh, path coming into the spring and summer, uh, simply because it's a necessity. You know, California, all those national parks and everything, we're going to have to, uh, it's just You know, RV world is very busy. COVID has really skyrocketed RV sales and, uh, camping type places because you can't go anywhere else. Now you can travel the world. So, so, uh, so, so that'll be more structured, but that's where we stand.

Cool, that's awesome. You got room for one more?

Yeah, at a considerable, at a considerable rent. All right, so you got a 6-year-old, one boy, is that it?

I have two boys, so 6-year-old and 2-year-old.

Oh, that's right, you told me that.

Yeah.

So you're married, how long you been married?

Um, geez, 10 years.

Okay.

Yeah, 10 years.

Yeah, so you got 4 years without kids. That's good.

Yeah, it just kind of happened that way. Um, I had my first kid right before I went on deployment, um, and so I didn't really get a chance to see my first son for about a year, year, I don't know, almost a year and a half. I saw him here and there, but I never really like developed a relationship with him. Per se. So when I got back from my first deployment, like I just wanted to spend as much time with my son as I could and, you know, be a dad and get to know him. So I wasn't interested in having, I wasn't ready to have another kid because I needed to know the current kid I had, so to speak. And, you know, kind of 4 years later, I was like, all right, you know, maybe, Everyone kept bugging me for another kid.

Yeah, so I mean, because military, um, that's the one thing that sucks about it is, um, you know, I know that happens to a lot of military guys where they have a kid that they just don't get to see, or they only get to see the birth and they don't, you know, sometimes don't even see the kid for 6 months or, you know, however long when they're getting deployed. Um, I also know there's a lot of, you know, for everything good we talked about the military, where a lot of, um like business value there and life values and good things that come out of it. I know there's another dark side to it as well. You know, I know PTSD can be a real thing that really kind of messes with some guys when they come back. Obviously not being able to be there for your kids and—

Yeah!

I know some people kind of get addicted to— they like being over there almost more than they like being home. You know, seems like a lot of guys and I talked to someone about this. I couldn't quite remember the reason why. But a lot of guys jump in the military, you know, the 18-year-olds, and then immediately get married. And I feel like it was financially driven, like you get paid more if you're married. So you had a lot of like quick marriages that have no real foundation, and then you're gone for like the first year and you're not fostering that relationship. And so a lot of divorce that comes out of that.

Yeah, yeah.

Or, you know, affairs and drama, that kind of stuff. And then a lot of financial stupidity for those young guys who just got started getting, you know, some regular money. I've always heard, you know, I guess a few hundred yards within like a military, every military base is just like all the stupidest decisions you can make. Oh yeah, a lot of, a lot of guys make that, you know, rent, you know, renting wheels or, you know, the paycheck, uh, is that paycheck loans, things like that. Uh, oh yeah, just a lot of bad decisions.

You'll make, when you go on deployment, you can make a decent amount of money because if you're gone for 6 months or a year, you can get rid of your apartment. You essentially might not have any living expenses. But, so you make some decent money doing that. But you'll see a lot of these young kids who'll be driving brand new, brand new spanking cars. Young kids, they're like 18, 19 years old. And I always remembered when I saw these kids doing that, I'm like, what Navy do you guys work for that you can afford this car? Because I know I make a little bit more than you and I can't afford this car. But you're right, they're just, they get a steady paycheck for the first time ever. And they don't have necessarily a lot of expenses per se. And they go out and buy a car that is, you know, they shouldn't buy. And they get in a lot of trouble financially because they overextend themselves.

Oh sure. And yeah, and there's lots of people— it seems like there's a lot of people willing to prey on that real quick, which is unfortunate, which is really unfortunate. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You would hope that the military— I know they've got a lot to do, um, but for all those new guys coming in, there'd be some sort of classes almost like you do in college. Like there's some like 'Hey, this is adjusting to life on your own, um, you know, let's run you through the basics.' You'd think that'd be applied to the military too, of some sort of like financial responsibility and, um, relationship, uh, advice and counsel for what you're about to deal with, to kind of come down on some of those issues.

They absolutely do that stuff, 100%.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, you know, they, they absolutely do that stuff. I don't think it's Well, I'll say this. For me, you know, I had— even maybe for you, like, you get that education, you're aware of the education, but for me, like, I wasn't ready to receive it until I was ready. Yeah, you could have— you could have even told me that stuff at age 18, 19, I could have been like, yeah, whatever, I got it, but I'm not ready to receive this or take this on board and/or listen to it. And so I think that's part— I think the maturity level honestly is part of it, but they do make a very good effort, almost an annoying effort to take those classes. Even, even— that's good for— even for me in the reserves, I still have to take like finance class, or I have to listen to all stuff. I'm like, this is the same class I learned 8 years ago every single year, you know. But, um, yeah, they, they do a good effort to do that. I will say to make it very annoying effort, actually.

But yeah, because I feel like even as an 18-year-old, even if someone's, you know, if, if someone they're sitting there saying, hey, all these things right outside the base, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. You're going to want to do it. This is why you're going to want to do it. Um, it is a dumb, dumb move. That's at least going to register, no matter your maturity level, it's going to register and click a little bit. Obviously, you know, still do it, but I feel like enough guys are going to be like, well, they gave us 10 examples of guys who have done this and how broke they were 5 years later, so maybe I won't do it.

Yeah, I'm sure it helps a little bit. It's got to, otherwise It helps, it helps.

I'm good.

Yeah.

All right, um, anything else you want to make sure you hit on, talk about?

No, man, I really appreciate the opportunity to be on the show. Uh, I, I love what you're doing, envious of it in many ways, so thank you. I, you know, that's it.

Thank you. Thanking me for the envy?

Thank you for doing what you're doing. Thanks for letting me be on the show.

I appreciate it. Um, no, yeah, glad you came on. The whole watch thing was interesting. I didn't realize, uh, uh, I just never thought about it. I never thought you could just order components and design them and bring them in and make your own watches. I figured it was going to be kind of like a distribution thing. Um, that's pretty cool.

It is the 21st century. Just like you can drop ship t-shirts. Now I'm not drop shipping my watches, but like business is a lot easier than— oh yeah, sure, it is a lot easier. Uh, I, I don't want— this is not easier.

The availability thing is much easier.

Yeah, no, yeah, that, that's the one I'm looking for. Yeah, yeah.

If you need, um, I don't know what pieces you have in there, if you need a blah blah blah gear, it's a lot easier to find now with the internet than it was 30 years ago. You know, they don't have watch gears in the, in the phone book even back then. You'd have to be interviewing different watch guys, asking who their suppliers are, trying to get trade magazines. It'd be a whole lot different than it is now.

Exactly, exactly.

How fun.

Well, cool, man. I appreciate the opportunity.

Oh, thanks for coming on.

All right, be safe. All right, thanks. Bye.

That was Brian with Declan James Watches on our podcast, Interviews with Dads. Glad to have him on. If you want to be on the podcast, Interviews with Dads, just reach out, make message, email, phone. You know, we do have struggle scheduling them because there's oftentimes where I don't have signal, but if we can get a time knocked down, I'd love to have you guys on. Remember, www.100dad.com. And we're going to finish with a little video audio from the Declan James video on Brian's website. See you next time.

I find myself I find myself thinking a lot about legacy these days. That probably just happens when you become a father. You think about what you leave behind for your kids. The quality of their lives. You think about time. I don't really think about watchmaking as a business. I think of it as a lineage of craftsmanship. Tradition. Tradition passed down from father to son. Flawless design, unyielding standards, and quality that lasts through generations. It's not just about creating products or building a business. It's about paying tribute to those who came before us.