Miki Agrawal: These 3 Questions Create 9-Figure Brands #MindsetSeries

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the show. Today I'm gonna be joined by Mickey Agrawal. Mickey spoke at the Capitalism conference back in September 2021, and people were talking about her keynote for a full year afterwards. And here's why. I work with a lot of entrepreneurs who have big goals. I teach people how to have really big exits. I. I had an eight figure exit. The foundation of what we teach inside of the capitalism incubator is all about getting an eight figure exit. And Mickey has done that multiple times. But she's done it in a way that is really, really fun and authentic to who she is. So she has this very unique mix, this very unique blend of accomplishments on the financial side, which is what every capitalist wants, which is what you want. It's what I teach. But she also has this side of her that is probably more noticeable than the financial side. It's just part of her that is playful, that is fun, that makes her have an impact and want to create change in the world. And she has this very unique ability to bring those two things together. And as a result of focusing on the playful, fun, impactful side, she's had nine figure exits, right? She did one digit greater than me. I just had eight figure exits. She has nine figure exits. Multiple ones, right. And so she just threw down the mic at the Capitalism conference. So my mentor, JP Newman, and I sat down with her for our series, which is called Investing on Purpose, and we interviewed her in person about her success in these companies and also how she embodies creativity, how she embodies the impact that she wants to make in a way that was really helpful for me to hear because it gave me some practical ways to actually use it. If you enjoy this and you want to hear more from JP and myself, we have a separate feedback feed called Investing on Purpose. Make sure you're subscribed to that on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify. All right, let's start the episode with Mickey Agrawal. Hi, everyone. Welcome to Investing on Purpose. I'm Ryan Daniel Moran, joined by my mentor and friend, J.P. newman.

Howdy, howdy. So great to be here today.

And today we are blessed with the presence of Mickey Agrawal. And we were talking before the show about how Mickey is sort of a living example of everything that we believe in in the show of leading with impact, of leading with the intent to create good in the world and creating outsized returns as a result of embodying that idea. So, Mickey, we're talking about you in the third person. Like, you aren't sitting Right next to me. But you really are the example of everything that we believe in here on the show.

I've been really excited, Mickey, to have you on. You really are. When Ryan and I started the idea for this show, you were on our short list of really a shining example of leaders who are bringing creativity to solve some of the world's biggest problems.

And jp, we're just gonna keep talking so Mickey can't get a word in. Yeah, but jp, I don't think I've ever told you the story. When Mickey spoke at the capitalism conference, people were talking about it literally for a. Has it been a year? Yeah, a year after like a year. Maybe you should come back. I have more things to talk about because. More things to talk about. You didn't get it all out in 50 minutes on stage of this idea of the way I interpret it was Mickey just has this way of lining up with the energy first and then everything just kind of flows out of that. Would you say that's a fair summary of your thought process as an entrepreneur?

Well, I mean, I think, I mean, you know, for. We're talking about capitalism. I mean, capitalism is really around money, right? One of the sport of creating and building money. But money is energy. Yeah, like money is energy and it's an energy exchange. It's like I give you this energy if you give me this energy, if you give me your physical energy, I give you this other type of energy which can get you other type of energy like food or place to live. So it's all energy based. And I think, you know, if, if we, if we approach life from that lens and approach business from the lens of energy exchanges, like what makes it a value exchange for the customer, for the employee, for the investor, for the supplier, for the planet, for everyone in the room. How is it the best energy exchange possible? And actually that is the definition of conscious capitalism, conscious business. And that type of energy exchange business can sometimes out can outperform major indices like straight business by up to 14 times as conscious capitalism is.

And is that something that you had to cultivate as a practice or does that come naturally to you? Because as a traditional capitalist dude, this is something that I intellectually get and I can even teach this, this is something that I sprinkle in with the people who follow my work and our students of trying to think more with their heart or body rather than their brain and lining up with the impact that they want to make and in. Although I can talk about it and teach it, I still have to work hard at practicing that. So does this come naturally to you or is this a muscle?

I mean, I think, you know, like fortunately and unfortunately for the dude, you know, we live, we live in a world, you know, at least coming from the conditioned patriarchal system where men aren't allowed to really feel as much as women.

Oh, I feel a lot.

Right.

I feel all kinds of things.

Right. But yeah, but you're not as much allowed to express that. Right. So there's that brain body, the brain heart connection that exists internally but oftentimes from a, an expressed, you know, in the world way. It is, it is a pretty.

It'S, it's. It's a muscle that, you know, that have been a little bit atrophied for men and that's definitely well developed for women. And so there's now the muscle of building business and sort of, you know, being more like having the more masculine part of women come through. And masculine doesn't mean like manly. Masculine just means our productivity, our sort of like just go getterness or getting shit done mentality like that. The women of the last generation has been building that muscle while men has been building the muscle of like feeling, you know. And so I think once, once that happens, I think men will also. I mean, I think. Let me look at jp. I mean the way he runs this business is heart based, you know, and so, and I'm sure you as well, I don't know as much except for the epic conferences that you put on.

They are pretty okay.

They're dope. They're dope, you know, so there's heart based business entrepreneurs that exist of course all over the place as far as men goes. But I think just from a nature nurture.

Hunter gatherers. Men are hunters, women are gatherers. Not just by nature.

That makes sense. We were having a call this week with an influencer named Jimmy Darts. He's a kindness influencer. He has about 10 million followers. He has this amazing story about how we got got into it and I played a very small role in it. He came to one of our events and it kind of opened up some opportunities for him. But, but I was listening to him talk about how he's built this following in the last year and a half to two years and how he has a show coming out with a, you know, an A list actor and how he's doing collabs with Mr. Beast and all like all these huge influencers and it's happened in the last 18 months.

Wow.

And the thing that stood out to me about what he was saying was he was not trying to build a business. He was lining up with like this. I mean, he called it God. He's like, I get in tune with God and I just do what he tells me to do and I just follow that impulse. And it reminded me a lot of what you shared on stage about how you just kind of connect to the impact and the change that you want to make. And business kind of take care, takes care of itself, which in my brain, like I want to figure out the exact step by step plan of how that's going to happen. And I don't get the vibe that you care so much about how it unfolds.

Well, I mean, you know, I'm, I'm an athlete. I like the sport, you know, like, like everyone else, money is important to my family, to us, as from a lens of an energy exchange, be able to pay for things and all that. But the way I approach business is really more of like an innate feeling. So it's like, oh, I need this thing for myself. And so like, you know, in my, my first book, do Cool Shit, I talk about the three questions I ask myself before starting any business. The first question is, what sucks in my world? That should be something that sucks in my world. And this can't just be like, oh, I'm gonna start another T shirt company. And it's like, how many of those exist? But like, what truly sucks in my world? Question number two is, does it suck for a lot of people? Because if it sucks for a lot of people, then it's an opportunity. If it sucks for just me and you, that I'm a diva and like, whatever, it's not gonna, it's not gonna create a very big business that has to be a problem that sucks. So let me give you examples for my business and I'll give you the third. The third question. Next question number one is, what sucks in my world? So my first business was my restaurants. You know, born of a stomachache, I started the New York City's first gluten free farm to table pizza concept. And it was a first in 2004, 2005, when gluten free farm, table, organic, local were not the buzzwords of today. They were like Subway was like the big healthy chain, you know, and so. Right. And so it was sort of like, oh, you're Birkenstock wearing, like smelly guy with dreadlocks who go into health food stores. Like, that's literally the type of healthy food we're talking about. I'm talking about Pizza. And so what sucked in my world was having stomach aches when I ate regular pizza. You know, does it suck for a lot of people? Wow. Like, one in five Americans now eat gluten free. One in five Americans are lactose intolerant. There's a lot of people have a lot of GI issues and gut issues. Sucks for a lot of people. And they can't eat their favorite comfort food, pizza without having a horrible stomachache. So let's go back. My next company thinks, what sucks in my world? Having period accidents. You guys are both. Neither of your women. But, you know, if you were sitting on a white couch on your period, it would be like a worry for a woman if she's on her period. Right? And so for me, every time I had my period, it was a challenge, it was a problem, it was an annoyance. Playing soccer. D1 at Cornell, right? I was like, ref. You can't just be like, ref, Stop the game. Let me go change my tampon. You know, you can't be like my older sister's head and neck surgeon. She can't be like, yo face while it's open and bleeding. Let me go and change my pad while you are just cut open. Like, she bleeds through every one of her blues. If you're a ballerina. The number of ballerinas who've called me crying, grateful, because they do grand plies and her tampon flies out of their vagina like in the middle of stage or if you're stuck in traffic or if you're defending your thesis or if you're, you know, like on a date or if you're sleeping or whatever you're doing, it's a problem. What sucks in my world, that is a suck for a lot of. Every woman sucks for a lot of people, you know? Yes. My current business tushy. What sucks in my world? You know, I had, you know, some. Some thyroid issue which led to some, you know, gi. I had hyperthyroidism.

Yeah, I have. I have that too.

Yeah, well, let's not. But let's not label them because I got rid of mine. And so. That's awesome.

Yeah.

And so. And so my mind, I'm completely normal, but one of the side effects is pooping up to eight times a day. Like, it was a lot of fucking poop, you know, and so I really, during that period was really hard for me. And so what sucked in my world? Pooping a lot. Having a red butt, you know, does it suck for a lot of people? You know, like one in seven have thyroid issues. One in four have GI issues. You know, there's chronic UTIs, hemorrhoids, fissures, itching, bacterial vaginosis. You know, men's ailment. Mean you have dingleberries if you have hair back there, which every man has hair back there, you know, and so there's. Right.

And sucks for a lot of men. This is our next business.

I have no, let's do it. We've identified a big problem. Maybe we'll do like a little thing to cut them or shave them or.

You know, I'm gonna throw up. Oh yeah.

Million dollar idea.

Yeah.

So there's so like what sucks in my world does suck for a lot of people? It's, I mean, millions and millions and millions and millions. And the people who have, who care about the planet. 15 million trees are cut down every year. People care about like killing trees. People care about so many different things. You know, today there's a, there's a huge opportunity. So the third question is the most important question. So what sucks in my world? Does it suck for a lot of people? And the third question is, can I be passionate about this issue cause or community for a really long time?

Yeah, that's a really good point.

It takes 10 years to be an overnight success. We know that saying over and over again. Question for you, do you guys know how long, how old? Lacroix. You know the Lacroix, those lacroix drinks.

Yeah.

How old is that company? Because you know, it popped up out of like, feels like popped out of nowhere, right?

12 years.

I would say 10, 5, 7.

Yeah, yeah, 5 to 10. 12.

Yeah.

35 years.

Really?

35 year old company. And so people have note, most companies are older companies that just somehow have a moment that's interesting and then they have their moment.

I'm actually really glad you said that because in and the especially the Internet entrepreneurship space, it is like boom.

Yeah, I'm a crypto billionaire and you're like venture capital.

We need you to be 10x in the next 12 months. We need you to grow 10x and then we need you.

That's like winning the lottery. Yeah, it actually is. And people are like, oh, well, look, all these people win the lottery. Well, right time, right place, right. You know, there's all, there's a lot of those for sure.

Can you imagine if there's an entire industry of how to win the lottery and there's all these people who are just depressed because they haven't won yet. That's what it feels like. The online entrepreneurship Space is. Sometimes it's like, yeah, but that guy became a billionaire and this person's making $10 million a year. And I've been at this for eight months and I'm only making 100 grand a month.

Yeah, I know. It's just like the comparison thing is also a big killer. Yeah. So compare yourself here.

I have a question for you, Mickey. Though of course I met you. Actually, I kept the Capitalism conference. I had to, like, I, like, after I heard her speak, I'm like, I need to know that person. I hunted you down.

And I honestly hunted you down too, because I was like, wow, that guy is such great energy. And I remember an energetic connection. I was like, this. I need to be. And so I remember you're talking to Justin, my co founder for Tushy, and I was like, oh, great. That's when I got your number.

Now check this out. We met at the Capitalism conference.

We did dun dun, dun, dun. I wanted to hear Peter Diamante speak. I didn't even know who this Ryan Moran was. All of a sudden I'm like, you're.

Like, he's handsome as possible.

There's a thousand people and there's this kid named Ryan Moran. I'm like, who's interviewing who? Is that Ryan Moran? My God. And so I texted him and said, can we ever grab a cup of coffee? You seem like. And I'm like, you never know if you're gonna get a response. Yeah, we had coffee and that was. The rest is history, right?

BFFs. BFFs.

But I had a question for you, Mickey. So you are hyper creative in such a great way. You're one of the most creative people that I know. It's something I love about you. So when you're saying these things, I get it, I'm roadmapping you. But a lot of people, honestly and mental, we're 50% less creative. Let's just say by default. So how do you. How do you. How do you translate what you're saying? If you're like out there in the audience and this is someone saying, I'm starting a business, I would love to do what Nikki said and follow these three things. Something, you know, that you just mentioned. A problem, A big problem. And what was your third one you just mentioned?

How can you be passionate about this?

How can you.

Passionate about.

Exactly.

I'm a guy for a long time.

I take 50%.

Yeah.

So how do you translate, like, if you were to give advice to. To someone who maybe doesn't have your Hyper creativity or somewhere between writing a really boring business plan and some boring thing about the same thing about how you're gonna raise your money, like, and what you're saying. What advice would you, like, give to people?

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I have a thesis around changing culture, first of all, like using innovation, using a product, which I'll talk about in a second. But ultimately every single person's a creative. In my book Disruptor, I talk about the story of this guy named Gordon McKenzie, and he's one of the head creative directors at Hallmark. And every single, you know, couple of months he goes to his elementary school locally where he, where he works, and, and he gets. And he goes into all these young kids classrooms to get creativity. Boys, girls, everyone. And so he goes to kindergarten students and he goes, who hears an artist? And literally, like every single kid's like, like, screaming, me, me, me, me. Like, every kid is like, literally off their seats, like, leaning on their. Just, like, just rowdily, like just shouting that, I'm an artist, I'm an artist. He goes to the first graders, who hears an artist, Half the kids are raising their hands like this. By the time he gets to sixth grade, who hears an artist. One kid is like this, Right?

Right. So we lose that innate confidence.

We lose that confidence just from the lens of the. Not by, not, not. Not on purpose, but the normal school and the common school systems that were created to create during. To create basically cogs in the machine during the Industrial Revolution. I mean, children are learning still to this day with standardized tests and rows of desks the way kid. Kids were taught long time ago to basically, you know, support the, you know, the, the assembly lines.

Right.

You know, so if someone gets sick, they just throw one in there and they're basically like a machine. Right. And kids obviously are taking ADHD medicine, all this stuff, because that's just not how kids learn. And yet we're just kind of taking all the juice and the creative art, you know, the creative artist incredulousness out of their eyes and kind of like making them little machines. And so I think the way to undo that is by helping them play more and by bringing playfulness back into adults. Right? So one of my girlfriends, Daniella, started this really cool thing. Instead of brainstorming, she's calling it Play Storming. And it's this thing for adults. She goes into Ikea and huge companies that basically, you know, like Shopify and all these companies and reteaches all these executives how to play again. And so playing means Going in nature and doing things like, you know, climbing trees or, you know, or going into a playground or going to an adult Disneyland or going to, you know, some.

Place where you can go to Antarctica.

Boat to Antarctica, like to the. To the Drake Shake, you know, and going to Burning man like I do every single year for the last decade.

Yeah.

That is the ultimate place of play for adults.

That's where I rediscover it fastest. And I have three days of resistance and then my ego dissolves.

That's right.

And I'm just playing.

That's right. And so I think I go sober too, right? Yeah. Going back to playing. I think putting ourselves in positions and doing the artist's way is a great way to do it. Like, the artist way is a really cool kind of workbook that this woman named Julia. What's your last name, Basically put together that really walks people through the. How to think creatively again.

Yeah.

And so everybody. You're a creative, you're a creative. We're all creatives in our own way. We just pretend like we don't. That doesn't exist anymore. Kind of like we're saying like, I'm an introvert, I'm an extrovert. That is just a tag that we're putting on ourselves. That's just bullshit. All of this labels, labeling stuff. It's like, I'm not creative. I'm more left brain. I'm more right brain. That's just what you've decided is true.

Right?

But that's my book. Disruptor is about disrupting all of that. You know, the notion of like, what is true, what isn't true. Why do I need more stuff? Why do I need to have be in a monogamous relationship? Why do I need to have make money? Like, what is money money? Like what every single thing is just is. It's about like, wait, we can invent any new possibility.

Right.

For ourselves. As long as not like killing people and hurting people. As long as we're doing something that's. That feels pro humanity and pro life and pro ourselves.

Yeah.

You know, is like a really beautiful.

Practice, you know, and also back to currency and the energy of currency. I find for me, the more relaxed I actually am and not trying to make something happen.

Right.

The more it happens, so.

Exactly. And so from the lens of creativity, I always find the most creativity when I'm clear. So when I'm meditating, like you said, the most quiet, when I'm not trying hard, when I'm walking in nature, when I'm Playing when you're showering. Yeah. All these ideas come through in the showers because you're just not thinking hard. The more we try, the more.

Like, can also tell you, as I'm mentoring more and more people who are a bit younger back to people's energies. Someone can. Three people could have the same business plan. And I can tell someone who's either trying too hard or is a little desperate. It turns me off. And I don't even. Like, you'll never hear those words from me, but I won't make a point to, like, if that person's asking for help or money or an investment. Like, you tend to be turned off. It's like you're almost looking for that young, bright person who for some reason has that, like, feeling of, like, clarity, purpose, execution and. And like a wisdom.

Yes.

It makes you feel safer. Like as an investor or somebody wants to put time, like, do I want to see this person again and give them any more advice and. Because my. All I have is my money and my time and my health.

Absolutely.

So. So there really is something. I never really thought about it until you said that, but I think that's. We.

We just did pitch week@capitalism.com where we have. Our students have been working on their business plans for the last three to six months.

Amazing.

They present to a panel of people who are there to consider writing checks. And we stream it to our NFT community. We stream it on YouTube. And these are all investors and advisors who are looking to write a check to our best performers. And you can tell a big difference. And it usually happens when it comes to trying to justify the valuation, when someone is justifying the valuation with logic and facts and you can see them sort of shut down and get weird about the money. And now they've sort of lost touch with the purpose of why they're doing it. But. But when they stay in this energy of we're going in this direction, we're going to do this, this is who we're here to help and what we're doing, then all the investors are scrambling and competing with one another and their valuation starts to be driven up, even if they started with a lower valuation. And so when they're staying in that zone.

That's right.

It just sort of unfolds.

There is such a. I mean, I say this to, you know, some of, some, some advisees as well. It's like there is such a fine line between, like, you know, knowing your shit and being confident and then just like, there's a, like a Desperation of needing the money, right? There's like.

There's a fine line.

There's a fine line. It's kind of like it's not just needing the money.

For men, I think also it's validation. Like, once we're successful, then we are somebody. Women too, but men even more. We are the. We are the hunter gatherer. So in a way, I think there's a lot of that put upon us, that pressure of, like, I need to show you that I made it totally.

My. My friend. My friend Max says there's a. There's always a fine. There's like a fine line between fuck, fight, and play. You know, it's like a fine line. The same thing. It's like, there's a fine line between seeing, like, overconfident, not confident enough, desperate. There's really a line to toe. And knowing, like, how to hold yourself. And I think the way to hold yourself is. Is like, being in that integrity, energy of yourself. And I think, like, you know, my first business, when I was first starting out, I tried to raise money by putting on my investment banking suit and, like, having coffee meetings with potential investors. And I just. I raised zero dollars. Cause I was, like, so uncomfortable in my skin.

Yeah, interesting.

Energetically. I wouldn't work. And so then after six months of raising a big fat donut, I was like, what am I doing that's not bringing me out? And I was like, oh, because I'm not me in these environments, where am I most me? And I was like, oh, I know. On the soccer field. And so, for example, in college, I would bring boys who I like to come watch me play soccer. And I'm. I'm. You know, I was really good at soccer, and so I just. They would just fall in love with me after watching me play. Right? So I was like, okay, I can't bring investors to soccer field. Where else do I shine? And I was like, oh, I shine at dinner parties. Like, I throw the best dinner parties. I've grown up throwing dinner parties. We always make it intimate. Everyone leaves feeling so connected and so good. And so I'm gonna start throwing fundraising dinner parties, and I'm gonna be, like, the best host. And everyone's gonna feel like when they leave, they've made epic connections, they've made best friends, and they feel like they're now part of a tribe that they want to put their money in. And that's literally how I raised the first 500k for.

Oh, that's really smart.

That's amazing. That's Amazing.

Yeah.

I also noticed.

I have ideas right now.

I also noticed. Nikki, it's funny, after Antarctica, which you threw quite. Quite. Talk about bringing a community together on a boat. This was not a normal trip to Antarctica. This was a once in a lifetime. But it was funny because you have another product which we probably won't talk about quite yet. I know you're in development on something.

Or are we not allowed?

I don't know.

I mean, we can touch on it. Yeah. It's called Hero, named after my son. Yeah.

Can we talk a little bit about what it is or not? Okay. So I'm excited. I invested in it. And I mean, the idea, again, taking a problem for you, something that sucks for you and sucks for a lot of people, which in this case is diapers and plastics in general. And finding some incredibly partnering app with. What's your partner's name? He's amazing.

Taro.

Taro, of course. Who has.

You're partnering with Taro?

He's my co founder from Forcing Medic.

Cool. And so you're taking somebody with like how many generations of mushroom.

13 generations.

13 generations mushroom farmer. And coming together with realizing that the mycelium, which is the roots of a mushroom, certain ones have an ability to decompose plastics. So instead of it sitting in a Mickey or I'm sorry, this is just so much fun to take a diaper that would just sit there and create plastics and let it dissolve.

And not only is that takes 500 years to decompose in a landfill, the very first disposable diaper still in landfill today.

But the Mickey was telling me then you got. Then you get to the golden part. You get to the poop. And a baby's poop is. Is liquid gold. And Mickey, again, I even your wording everything about it. Like I hear so many pitches and so many presentations, but again, you just. It's the communal experience. It's how you think. I couldn't say no. And I can't. Honestly, I couldn't stop thinking about it. You and I talked about it for five minutes and I. And I hear all kinds of climate things and I'm like, that is just brilliant. Because I understand that you and I talked about where this could go after diapers. The applications are endless and it really could put. I mean, not just a problem for some people, this is a problem for the planet. And I just so respect that about you, who you brought on your approach. And then of course, one thing we haven't talked about is then how you communicate because it's one thing to have a great idea as an entrepreneur, it's another thing to be inspired, passionate, kind of hit your three questions. But then how do you communicate that problem in a way that's fun not to. You pick really hard things, you know, women's periods, poop, poop, diapers. You're not picking really sexy subjects. And then somehow you just throw these crazy curveballs of creativity to communicate and get people thinking about things that you wouldn't ordinarily be thinking about. So what's that about for you? Like, how do you communicate that?

Or I mean, so I have like a three pronged thesis around changing people's behaviors because that is the hardest thing for people to do when it comes to trying a new product. Yeah, my mom and dad have been using a toilet paper since. Or my grandpa, my great grandparents using toilet paper generation. I would never. Why would I ever change what, I'm broke. But it's like you're smearing shit around. You're sitting on fecal matter all day, like kind of broke. But anyways, so it's, it's so, it's, there's a lot of ingrained habit. I eat my Joe's pizza in New York City. Like, I'm not switching healthy shit. Like whatever, period underwear. I bleed in my underwear. Disgusting. You know, so it's like all the old conditioning that's. That, that, that needs to get undone. Right. And so the three pronged thesis that has worked across every one of my companies is, you know, point number one is, I mean, pretty basic and obvious. Best in class product. It has to be the best. It can't be like, oh, it just fits enough or it's, it has to be like the most delicious. Has to feel like a sexy lingerie underwear. It has to feel like a product that like hits you right in the b hole, in the right temperature and the right pressure. You know what I mean? Like, it's just perfect.

That's awesome.

It has to be the right product. Installs in 10 minutes or less. It's so easy to install. It looks beautiful. It doesn't look like a weird contraption. It feels like you feel like you've upgraded your bathroom. You feel cool, you know, so best in class product number one. First and foremost, that's the baseline. Second prong is considered artful design across every touch point of your brand. A lot of people do not consider art as part of the brand. Like, oh, what can be a branding thing? But it's like, no, no, no. I look at art books I look at, I go to museums, I go to like nowness.com and find like real artful interpretations of nothing business related, all art. And then how do I basically take some of that art and translate it into art for my businesses? And so lots. Most of my inspiration doesn't come from like other companies and other brands, but it comes from the world of art that's never seen the light of day in the branding world.

And it's very obvious, like when you're looking at what your subway campaigns, that. Yes, I think so.

Like, it's, it's art, it's gallery art. It is ready and then the four and then the third prong, which is I think the most important one from a lens of communication is accessible, relatable language. Like you're texting your best friend. Oftentimes we try to be very academic, very clinical, very medical, very technical around what we're trying to sell. And it's like, got this value prop and that thing and it's got this technicality and that thing and this technology and blah, blah, blah. And you're like, what? It's like, over my head, does it work? I don't get it. Delete next swipe. And so I've learned that all of those things being too heady, being too clinical, being too technical, medical, it does not work. The what works is how do you text your best friend your things? You're like, oh my God, I discovered this new thing. Like, check this out. Like what? Oh my God. Like you, you, you're just, you're messy, you're clunky, you're authentic, you're yourself, you're you. And it's like that shines through in how you text your friends versus, like what do they want me to say and exactly how they want me to say it.

How do I position, how do I.

Position this in a way that's perfectly aligned with these different types of demographics? It's like, you know, and I can totally tell within five seconds that it's so inauthentic, it's so put on. It's such bullshit.

Remember the first question I asked you, Mickey, on stage at Capitalism? I got up, I got up as a stranger and said, how come ad agencies are so full of shit and I'm watching your stuff. Insane. It totally is. Like, it resonates with me and yet it feels so artificial, like saccharine, sweet, poor humor trying to get my attention. And it all feels so inauthentic and fake. And I think that's the difference of what you're talking about, right?

And it's like, whereas when you, when you kind of engage with, with our brands, there's this affinity. There's a kinship. There's a feeling of like, oh, you're talking to me.

Your main spokesperson for hello Tushy is an asshole.

Yeah, like actually an asshole.

It's an actual asshole.

If you go to, if you go to hello, if you Google hello Tushy, I'm an asshole. You'll see the spot and it's really good.

Take time because it'll, it'll make you laugh and it'll make your whole day. And by the way, check it out.

By the way, don't go to tushy.com. it's a very graphic anal por.

Go to hellotushy.com hello. We've had investors go there, We've had customers. And then we're like, no. And then that cookie follows you for a long time. So be careful.

Yeah, this is how I'm processing this right now. I had, I reacquired a company that I sold in 2017. Private Equity Group ran it into the ground, so we're buying it back for pennies on the dollar. And I was just, I was just meeting this morning with my partner on it. We were talking about the new product line. And we're getting more done in the last two weeks since we took over than the private equity group got in the last five years combined. But one of the products that we're launching is a supplement that will restore your gut. And it's something I've had an amazing amount of success with. And I mean, the things that come out of you once your gut is healed, like houses and cars come out, come out of you. And we're sitting there trying to talk about, think about how to talk about this product. And we've gone down like that. Do you go the medical route or what? But as you're saying, just like you're texting your best friend. Well, I would text Alex. The best marketing campaign in the world is if I could just do hashtag BPC poops and take. And because, because if people posted photos is body protective compound. It's just the name of one of the ingredients.

Okay, cool.

And, and so I would say, like, if people just took photos of what came out of them and Posted with hashtag BPCpoops, this would be best selling.

Thing in the world.

Which I don't think we're to go quite that route. But I'm thinking about the actual things that I have sent you about this product and how it has impacted my life. And it would be so much more of an effective campaign than anything that we even brainstorm this morning. So it's so true what you think.

About what you're texting your friends and that should be the thing that you should be making.

Remember on yours I still have a T shirt campaign that make I'm pitching to about through composting about. I soiled myself.

I love that.

And I basically shitting our like to encourage people to actually do composting which I learned in Antarctica is the number one thing we can do as human beings about climate. That's like the most active thing you can do is not waste food and compost. So I want to do a whole campaign with Mickey one day around.

I soiled myself and soiled myself and.

Soiling yourself T shirts brilliant. You know, trees coming out of your armpits. Just about all about soiling yourself and relishing soiling yourself. Which means composting.

Genius. I think that's genius.

Mickey. I'm telling you, if you ever have time. This is like this is what came out of Antarctica for me. Besides my kids throwing a raging party without my permission was these are the two byproducts of your cruise.

I'm.

I'm so. No, seriously, let's talk about it like for real.

I mean the, the home composting composting market is enormous right now with what Pila has done. I know with the Lomi. I mean they, they've made it cool.

I soil myself could be a brand name in and of itself.

Right.

You know that's yeah, that's yeah.

How are you taking this approach into the new company? What can you share?

Well, we're, we're. Plastic composting is going to be a big part of it as well for us as well. Like using our technology, proprietary hero technology.

And yeah.

Is the technology the product that is compostable or is it the actual mushroom strain?

It's the mushroom. It's the mushroom strain that we are, that we are basically inventing strength. I mean taking from nature and putting this combination together that will decompose the diaper within a few months and then also plastic and landfills as well. So it's a double generative innovation.

Will the, the, the actual compound be applicable to other plastics?

Yes.

That's what's so exciting about that is really exciting. It could be a game changer.

That's like we have like seven full time scientists working on it last couple of years and we've you Know, we just signed a lease on a lab here in Austin, so we're moving the whole operation here to Austin. Yeah, so.

So I'd love to. When it's time.

Yes. No way. The. The design, I mean, we're gonna. We're gonna create a whole education space so people can walk through and really understand how plastic mushrooms exist and how it works.

And theoretically, if you have a pile of plastic somewhere, you can take this fairy dust and sprinkle it on, and all of a sudden, yeah, it's soil. Yeah, I will stay tuned.

We're talking one of the biggest problems in humanity. Right. No joke. And throwing. Throwing a. Throwing a new. And of course, applying nature to nature.

And harnessing baby, like, baby's nature to solve that problem. To be. Basically, to be the fertilizer fodder. What's the timetable for this 2024 launch?

All right. Yeah, I'm ready. I just want to know what you would say to. I mean, I speak to capitalists and aspiring entrepreneurs who often get into the game thinking that business is going to solve a financial problem for themselves. And so. And I tell them, if you're trying to start a business to solve a financial problem, worst way, it's almost like having a child so that you can have more free time.

Well, I'm not going to see my friends anymore, so I guess I'll have more free time. It's just not quite how it works, at least in the short run. And. And you have a very different approach to it. You have solved many financial problems, but not setting out to solve a financial problem. You solved a big world problem. And so there is sort of this. This tug between, like, I want to go out and create a company with a big vision that I'm excited about, but also I need to make money in the short term is often the mindset that entrepreneurs come in. I've dealt with that. Right. And I've overcome it to some extent, but, like, that still exists for me, just not at the same level it did at one point. So what would you say to somebody who is getting into the game and notices that that's coming up for them, that.

That they want to do it for financial reasons?

Well, they can tell that that's holding them back. Like, I understand, like, like what we talked about earlier. I understand a lot of what you say intellectually, but the embodiment of it is a different thing. So I can look at an entrepreneur and say, if you're starting this to solve a financial challenge, this is going to be hard. And Like, I get that intellectually, but I actually do need to solve a financial problem.

Well, that's, that's, that's why, like, I, I always say you start with these questions. What sucks in my world? And if it's, if, if it's only solving a financial problem, likely the business that you're starting isn't solving a real world problem. It's probably just being like, oh, I'll start another shoe company and become like the next, like, Toms. And then it'll just fail because you're not really passionate about it, you know, or like, or it's commodity business and you're just like, it's a race to the bottom and it just, it's just margins become this and it's just not worth it. So it's like solving a real, actual problem that you face and that when you're. I have so much more energy to solve my own problems. Knowing that it solves the problems for other people, but especially my own. Like, I'm motivated all hell to like, solve a period problem, a poop problem, and these diaper problems. Like, I want to solve these problems, you know, for, for myself, for my family, for my friends, with people around me. So that's enough motivation. And if it's solving a real problem that a lot of people are facing, it's a real business.

Yeah.

And I think when people are doing a vanity thing where it's like, quick, quick buck thing. Like, look, I mean, crypto is up and to be like, I'm such a crypto millionaire all of a sudden, they're.

Like, not, you know, now I'm a crypto thousandaire.

Exactly. And so it's like, it's like, unless you're really like, people. That's why for me, like, like most people who are in crypto are in it for that money thing versus for like, wow, like, changing currency and like the system and like, whatever, and really trying to change it from the ground.

Democrat.

Democratizing all the things. Like.

But the people who are. Have been in for a time. Long, long. Exactly.

Yeah, exactly. They've been like, like, you know, like blockchain architects or whatever, you know, and so I. There's different levels of respect in the same way I have different levels of respect for people in business where it's like, I can tell that that person's just doing it for the buck or that person's doing it to gather community, create a thing, create a space for people to gather. Like, you can tell what the motivation is. And then based on that, oftentimes the most successful ones are the ones who have the right energetic motivation, like, most.

Often, you know, perfect answer. So I just want to say thank you for being an example of this, because I talk about this stuff. Right. I am practicing becoming an example of this. Right. But part of my mission is I sort of dance in the world of big business and distill it back down to me 10 years ago and make that possible for entrepreneurs. And I know that the transformation I'm on right now is going from getting this in my head to embodying this. And so you serve as an example for entrepreneurs like me who get this and want to be more like it. And lots of people talk about it, but you actually just live it. So thank you for that.

Yeah. Mickey, it is so great having you. Thank you for sharing with us. And remember when we started the show, my inspiration, like, having you here is just so great. It really is to inspire people that you can make outsized returns by really bringing that why and that purpose and early. And you are such a living embodiment of it. And it's actually inspiration for me because I think I'm fairly creative, but now it just makes me want to play more. Guy who likes to play, I'm like, play more and create more.

Well, I will say, you know, like, thanks. Like, we, we, you know, we sold it recently and our initial investor made 60 times their money.

6 0.

66 0.

Fantastic.

You know, people with 25k walked away with 1.5. Like, people put in like one walked away with a lot, you know, like, amazing stuff like that.

What was that time frame?

Meaning from the point of starting the business to selling?

Yeah, from that. From first check in to first check.

In was like 2014, and then I sold in 2019. But then these, they sold. So the. This, these. This final sale happened in 21. Okay. Yeah.

Seven years. Not bad.

60X in seven years.

That kind of works. I can do the math on that.

Like, I guess that's an okay.

I think it might be an okay return.

Yeah. And I'm hoping to. To exceed that for this next one.

Yeah.

And show that we can do that and change the world at the same time. For real.

Yeah.

This is.

They're all big, but this one, this one. Really talk about, you know, number two, how. How many people have this icky problem? I'd say it's all of us earthlings.

All.

All nine billion of us.

So this is. And can we harness it for good? I know, you know, we've harnessed cow shit for Good, right? You know, I love it. Yeah.

But if we ultimately take one of the hardest problems and fix it through a mushroom, that would be amazing. Mickey, thank you so much for your love, your passion and everything that you do.

Thanks, Mickey.

Same.

And now a quick word from Katerina, one of our members from the capitalism.com community.

I would definitely join. I would join. 1% it is. There's so much learning to do in there, but you'll get so much business from other people and helping each other with that. And as long as you give, because you have to give to get right. So that if you need help and everything, you've got to figure out what is it that you can offer. Like every week I have a goal, every week I do a give. So I think all week, what can I give the group? What is. Even if it's something small, it might be something small, might be something bigger. But based on what I've been reading this last week, what is it that I can help everybody with? So figuring out how you can refer somebody to somebody else, like whenever someone has, like the guy that Christopher Cho with the spice thing, I said, well, contact Myra, find out, you know, so you can collaborate with each other and that's the kind of thing that will help you in 1%. But if you just go in there and sit there and, and not participate, you're not going to get much out of it.

If you found value in this podcast and you're ready to go Deeper, here are three resources where we can help you. One, you can grab my book 12 months to 1 million on Audible or Amazon. It has over a thousand reviews and it's the playbook to building a seven figure business. Second, you can join our community of entrepreneurs who are following a plan to build a 1% net worth by building businesses and investing the profits. You can get plugged in@capitalism.com 1. And third, if you're looking to go deeper and build a seven figure business that you can sell, you can work closely with us inside the capitalism incubator and you can get on the waiting list and find out what we do over at capitalism.com Inc. That's capitalism.com Inc.

SA.