Episode 020: Mikey Taylor - Professional Skateboarding, Real Estate Investing, and Taking Risks

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This is the Rise of the Young podcast, bringing you insights from the most innovative entrepreneurs and influencers of this era. Hosted by 17 year old entrepreneur, author, public speaker and branding expert, Casey Adams. Now let's get right into the show.

What's going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome to the Rise of the Young podcast today. Today, episode 20, we have Mikey Taylor, professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, real estate investor. He is the man. So first off, getting started. First off, Mikey, tell us more about who you are and how you started your journey.

Okay, do you want me to start from the beginning? I mean, I've talked to you about it. It's a long journey for sure.

Just overall, the short little one, two minute, just your journey.

So basically I started skateboarding and it was at a time where skateboarding wasn't very, it wasn't big. Like having a career as a professional skateboarder wasn't very, there was just no longevity in it. So my parents were really worried about that choice when I made it to do this. And I started skateboarding professionally. And right at that point, skateboarding pretty much blew up, started getting really big. You were able to not only make a significant amount of money, but reach a lot of people. Right? But there was still the longevity in it wasn't, you know, like if you were 35 as a pro skateboarder, that was a long career, right, where everyone else, you know, you can go until you're 65, 70, whatever, so. So there was always that, there's not a lot of longevity. So I always looked at it as, okay, this is going to be a great experience, I'm going to do something I love, but I need to look at this as how I can use this kind of platform that I've built into what I want to do after. So basically throughout my journey, I started kind of seeing the power I had on building other people's brands through sponsorships. And so I kind of made a stance and decided I was going to market. All the brands I was going to market, I was going to own, basically. So. So I started basically building businesses and I learned. I didn't go to college, I learned all this just by doing. And some worked out really well, some didn't. And learned a lot of valuable lessons through those failures. And basically it's gotten me to the point now where I own a handful of companies and, uh, I am in the middle of building another one that we're gonna launch first quarter this year.

Cool. Sick, man. So, yeah, I know that the first time we talked, you told me your whole entire journey. And like, just the first time I heard you talk, I was like, dude, I gotta get him on the podcast. And so coming from someone that's kind of experienced, like filling their passion, going into skateboarding and making a successful career from that. So for my first question to you is for all the people listening that are passionate about something, whether that be some sports or skating or just entrepreneurship, building businesses, what would be your number one takeaway from following your passion that you'd want to tell yourself before you've made it big?

In a sense, dude, for me, I think, like, you kind of nailed it with passion, right? Like, I do believe that everything you do, you should be passionate about because it brings on this. This drive and this. You, you just without even realizing you're doing it, you give so much more at it when you're passionate about it, right? And you get in this scenario where it doesn't feel like work because you enjoy it so much and you start getting so much more out of it. So, like, I think a big one is like recognizing that passion and what it is. And then like, for me, my model's always been become very like laser focused and almost obsessive with what you're doing and just go do it and don't let you know. I think now at this point, I see so much. I really see failure holding people back more than anything. And that's really probably the biggest lesson I learned from skating is that you can't look at failure as this monster, right? Failure is just part of the journey. It's just the things you go through to achieve. So really find out what you're passionate about. Don't let any type of fear hold you back. And if it is, that's a sign for you to just jump in even further and just do it. For me, it's like, I Jump into things. And I just know I'm gonna figure it out. And I think most people will figure it out. It's just, I think the fear of failing stops them from even jumping in. Definitely.

Definitely. So I know that you talked about you've learned a lot of different things and you didn't go to college, but you've also failed a lot of things. So when it comes to overcoming negative situations and people you hear all the time like they're letting fear stop them, it's holding them back when what's your one tip of advice you've given to someone that they're falling into that trap of getting caught in the fear. What would be that one thing that you've learned along your journey?

Dude. So with skating, it really comes down to skating, right? And I think the process that we go through to really what it comes down to is these video parts, right? For skateboarding, it's not about contest, it's about video parts, right? And for us, it's. It takes about three years to film one video part. And that's what our whole career stands like. The video part is what basically makes you who you are in skateboarding, right? And it takes us, dude, usually three to four hours to film one trick, right? And involved in that trick is a lot of pain, right? We're jumping off stairs, it does not feel good to fall, right? And it's, dude, four hours of fail, fail, fail, pain, pain, fail that, that we go through to achieve that one. Land right Then on like the more macro scale, it's over a three year period, we put all that failure and pain into creating a three minute video part. And so like, it really brought, brought like this. It really made fear just me look at fear differently and not to be scared of it, to just accept it for what it is, learn from it and, and keep moving. And I think for me, the thing I had to do was like, if I'm ever scared of something, that's a good sign of me pushing forward, right? Or like, if I ever, like start doubting myself, that's when I know, okay, I'm doubting myself. It's time to make myself move forward. And that's kind of been, I think, the biggest learning experience through it. And really what I think helps me continue to accomplish my goals for sure.

Definitely. So I know when we first talked, man, you were talking about like how you evolved into the skateboarder you are, but then you told me about like the pivoting point that you had when it comes to like not reaching a peak in your career but wanting to do something different. You like, excelling at certain things, and you felt like you've reached the pinnacle in your skating career. What do you think was like, your pivoting point? I know that we talked about how you got into doing a lot of real estate, so what was your pivoting point in your career that was just a massive breakthrough for you.

A breakthrough that led to the transition? Yeah. Yeah, dude. For me, it actually happened in the beginning of 2017, and I had my biggest sponsor, which was D.C. i had like a year and a half left with my contract with them, and they found like a loophole in it and got out of my deal and basically said, look, take us to courtifier if you don't like it. Right? So it put me in this, like, you know, I had in my eyes, a year and a half until I was going to fully make the transition, and it just kind of forced me to go, okay, this isn't going according to my time. I just have to kind of just do it now. And instead of, like, leaving on my terms, it's just time to do it now. And it was really that moment that put me in this place of like, okay, where do I really want to head with this? Where do I think my. My real potential is? And. And how can I really achieve that? And. And that was like, with. With me losing that major sponsor put me into this place of like, what do I really want to do? And. And in my eyes, it was. I really. I really have a passion for real estate, actually, and just the process of. Of negotiating deals to get the buildings, the design aspect of it, it's just a. A real fitting space for my personality. And then also we're doing this learning site for entrepreneurs, basically teaching them the tools that you would need to know to start, market, sell, operate a brand in today's market and really kind of get to this place where, like, I'm doing this thing and I'm able to kind of give back for these kids who are doing it now from the last 15 years of experiences, I've learned essentially, definitely. Yeah.

So regarding.

So it was me. It was me losing a sponsor.

Yeah, yeah.

Made me go, okay, you're all in now.

That's so sick. So when it comes to real estate, I know that, like, the real estate is such a big topic, but when it comes to the actual getting into it and becoming successful with it, number one. So what kind of real estate do you do in particular? And then for people that are listening, that maybe are interested in getting into real estate, maybe they're. They want that same pivoting aspect in their life right now. But what would you say is the three biggest tips to just. Instead of just saying I want to do real estate, to actually taking the next steps to start doing it.

So the space that we're in is multifamily. We do value add multifamily. So basically we're renovating kind of older rundown buildings into these kind of nicer, newer places. The thing that, I mean, dude, the crazy thing is it's all the same. Skateboarding, beer, real estate. It really all goes back to just not being scared and executing right. For real estate. It's like you first have to understand the space, right. For me, it was like I really had to understand how to analyze these deals, how to like how the model worked, right. And at that point, then it's just, okay, now let's just go make it happen. And it's really like a big thing is networking, building a team, building relationships, building these, finding these areas and kind of creating a team in that space and then just executing really. It's like, it's crazy how many similarities there are to all these different categories, right? I mean, dude, I learned everything from like, I'm doing this with a few people, so I. One of my close friends was doing multifamily and basically she wanted to do it at a larger scale and build this kind of brand around it where she reached out to me to kind of do this with her and accomplish that. So for me, it's like I always try to find, if I don't know the space, I like finding somebody in the space to help mentor me or partner with me. And then at that point you just gotta execute. It's just do and make it happen.

Definitely, definitely. So regarding that, the website for young entrepreneurs that you talked about, do you mind going into a little detail about what that site is and what you plan on taking it from right now the idea to where you think it will be in the next year or so?

Yeah. So the site is called Ovni Intelligence, which we are. We have a launch date of about February. And really, to me, it's like I want to create something that like, to me I see this big issue with schooling, right? Like one, maybe I'm a little biased cause I didn't go to college and I learned all this on my own. But like, I don't see how this model is going to survive. Right. I don't see how like all these kids are Going to go to school, Come, come on, bring on so much debt. And really, in my eyes, learn less than if they would have just jumped in and learned it on their own. Right. So, like, I see, like a flaw in the learning system where, like, I just want to get people wherever they want to go. I want to try to get them there quicker and save a lot of money in the process. Right. So it's like really just trying to incorporate what I've learned through this process and give it to, I shouldn't say kids like, you know, I hope I could help older people, but I think kids are just a little bit more in tune with online learning and this new way to learn as opposed to like just going to night classes or a school to learn it. And I want to. I want to build like a. Like, I want it to be, like, cool. I want it. I want there to be like a brand behind it instead of just like. And I'm doing it with one of my good friends. But it's going to be less focused on just like me and more about, like, this overall vision of what we're trying to accomplish.

Definitely, definitely. That's super dope, man. Definitely gonna have to keep me updated so that I can start dropping it on the podcast.

We're doing a podcast also, so I want to get you on the podcast. Now that you've launched one, I'll definitely be hitting you up with kind of hearing about some of the struggles or what was good, what was bad about. About doing it.

Yeah, man. Cause I literally started mine, like the few days after we talked that one time, and now it's. This is. I know this is episode 20 and we just hit 11,000 downloads, which is cool.

I love it.

Our goal is to hit a million this year in 2018, so that's like a goal of mine. But, dude, so coming into, like the last few questions, I know that you're building that whole entire online thing for, like, people that are like, you said there's flaws in the education system. And for me, dude, it's like I'm 17 in high school. So, like, I'm your living example of what you were just talking about, in a sense. And I totally agree with you when it comes to, like, I've learned more in the last year and a half since I got injured in football, since I started reading, self educating, traveling, finding, mental. I've learned more in that little one year gap than I've learned in the past eight or nine years combined when it comes to just the math equations and Chemistry and all that sort of stuff. So when it comes to, like you said about the young generation, you see a flaw in the education system. What would you say are your biggest three takeaways that you'd want young entrepreneurs to know when it comes to the execution that needs to be taken. Because I know for me there's a lot of people that read books, there's a lot of people that listen to this podcast right now, but they're not having results because they're not executing. So what would you say are the three biggest tips to start really seeing results in whatever thing you're doing?

So we'll go away from like anything fear based or mindset, just actual things to incorporate. Yeah, I mean, dude, for me, like you, you really have to start with understanding who your consumer is or who your target audience is. Right. And if you don't understand them, to me, there's no connection with your product and what you're selling to them. Right. So one, I think it's really understanding who that person is.

Two.

You have to build, in my eyes, you have to build a brand or a story or a connection with that person past the product. Right. And so I think like, you really need to develop a brand and story that's authentic to you and really have that be the driving force behind the marketing that you're doing to reach those people who are going to buy your product. And then I think it really comes down to like if there's a third, which there's probably 10 or 15, right? But if there's a third, I think like, dude, the beauty of today is all this target marketing, which I know you are like really on top of. It's like you're really able to reach that target audience that you just picked out in a way that you never could before. So, dude, I think those would be the most important steps is like, which really all comes down to like understand who you're selling your product to and the, the story that you're selling it and how you're selling it, which would be in my eyes, all the Facebook retargeting. I mean, doing funnels, I mean there's so many different ways to do it, but that's a, I mean we could do like 10 or 15 podcasts, definitely. So. And then I think too, it's just like, dude, and then you just do it. It's like you're going to figure out so many things along the line, along the way that it's just like, just make it happen, you know?

Definitely, definitely. So we had someone just comment. So when it comes to just self education, do you have any like one book that you would recommend to people listening or if you don't read what's one thing. But when it comes to a book, what would say is your biggest or favorite book that you've read that has impacted your life?

God, the big books for me were, I mean dude, Rich Dad, Poor dad, the Millionaire Next Door Principles. God, there's man, there's a lot. There's a lot. But to tell you the truth, dude, Even Grant's book 10x, even 10x I thought was like, which did just from like putting your mindset in the right place was like I think massive for me. But really it's, I think it's more specific on what the category is in a sense. Like for me it's like start with yourself. Start with like building your mental and basically investing in yourself to be able to go do it. Then start reading or taking courses on the specific category and then it's just make it happen, man. I think execution is such a big thing.

100% and so. All right, so when it comes to last question before we wrap up this interview. So I totally agree with you. When it comes to the execution is everything. One of my buddy Kilimatics, he always says don't be a gunner. A lot of people say they're going to, they're going to do something, they're going to write a book, they're going to do all that stuff. So when it comes to kind of rephrasing everything you just said, so if you were to look back five years ago, 10 years ago, whenever, when you were a teenager, what would you tell yourself in one sentence that you'd want to take away from all of your experiences thus far? In one sentence, man.

For me, what would have done it the most for myself would have been don't let other people or other people's negative experiences or, or comments affect what I'm trying to accomplish. I think, I think that would have been what would have had the biggest impact on me and, and help basically instead of me waiting, I think I would have saved 10 years of, of this journey. I would have just blocked out all that and had more confidence in myself knowing that because somebody's self reflecting their issues doesn't mean that's going to happen for me and, and shouldn't ever change my mindset and what I'm trying to do or how I'm going to accomplish that.

For sure. For sure. I mean, that being said, man, I definitely appreciate Your time. So my last thing before we end this. Where can people find you? I know a lot of people are watching right now. Where can they go? Instagram or website, Just wherever. Just drop it below.

And the biggest place to reach me directly would be Instagram. My Instagram just. MikeyTaylor, send me a DM. I respond to everybody. Um, if you send just a. If you're just commenting on a photo and I have a lot of comments, I might overlook them, but send me a DM if you really want to talk to me. And that's probably the best way to connect for sure, man.

Yeah. I mean, that's how we connected. I know that you started just hitting me.

I mean, dude, look what happened from us. It's like I found you, followed you. You DM me. We had then. Now it's like you're like my homie, dude.

And that's so funny you said that, because I literally all the time people ask me, and I made a few podcasts on this. It's just like Instagram itself. The power of DMing and building a brand. Because you obviously saw me from the brand that I've built, what I've been able to do. But it all comes down to, like, the positioning of it, you know, so you found me, I hit you up dm. And just. I think a lot of people aren't taking advantage of, like, the whole branding aspect that's available, especially on Instagram right now. But yeah, guys, listening. Make sure you go follow Mikey. His information will be also in the description of the podcast. And that being said, thank you so much for tuning in to the Rise of the Young podcast. Make sure you subscribe, make sure you rate this. Share it with a friend, let me know what you think, and I will see you guys on the next episode. Peace.

Thanks, Case.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters An Apple original Series. The world is on fire. I decided to do something about it on November 17th. This place, it's not ours. Believe me, the most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything. I promise.

Oh, my God.

Go, go, go. Monarch Legacy of Monsters streaming November 17th only on Apple TV.