Episode 034: Christopher "Drama" Pfaff - Young & Reckless

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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, episode 34. We have someone I'm honored to have on my show, honestly. We have Christopher Drama Pfaff. A lot of you guys may know him as Drama from the shows like mtv, Robin, Big and the Fantasy Factory and Drama. We're going to be talking a lot about today, just not about just the shows you've been on, but like the entrepreneur journey that you've been able to manifest throughout your years. And a lot of you who don't know, Drama is the founder and CEO of Young and Reckless, the streetwear brand that has been amazingly blown up over the last years that I've been repping it. The people from all over the world have been repping it. So Jama, honestly man, it's been a pleasure to have you on and I look forward to getting into this interview.

This is really cool. I'm really excited and that intro made me feel real special.

I appreciate that, man. Yeah, man. Every time I kind of have a podcast, someone I'm interviewing, I just kind of like to keep it conversational. But the first thing I like to ask is always like for the people who may not know who you are, but where are you from and just how did your journey as of success as an entrepreneur, as a actor start in general?

Yeah, yeah. Well, it's getting kind of long now, like 31. I feel like my story is starting to get pretty lengthy, but version of it is I'm from Akron, Ohio. I grew up skateboarding Skateboarding was all that I dedicated my whole life to. And so I knew from a very young age that the moment that I graduated high school, I wanted to move to la. Not only because it was the skateboarding capital of the world, but just because there was so much action out here. And I knew that obviously there was nothing in Ohio, and I just had to kind of get out and figure something out as soon as I could. So right after I graduated, pretty much that winter, I moved to la. Ended up becoming close with my cousin who lived out here for years before that, and who we ended up doing all these shows together with, and that's Rob. And I remember right when I first moved here, he was kind of throwing around the idea of, like, having this opportunity to create an MTV show about him and his bodyguard best friend, which ended up becoming Bob and Big. But it seems so foreign to us, you know, it seems so like an MTV show and reality. We didn't know what any of it really meant. So, sure enough, after about a year, year and a half of me living here and a lot of trial and error of kind of messing around with different content types and whatever, MTV bought Robin Big. And so that ended up being in the air. I kind of squeezed my way into that as his little cousin slash assistant, slash butt of all the jokes, Slash, you know, just kind of squeezed whenever I could. So we did three seasons of that show, which ended up being this crazy, massive hit. And it really changed everything for us. It not only changed the way that we looked at content and marketing and how to market products, but it changed, obviously, our lives. I mean, people started recognizing us walking down the street and stuff like that, and that was really foreign to all of us. So the whole time, our biggest priority was always having businesses or running businesses or very entrepreneurial stuff. Like, we didn't want to be famous for a living or be entertainers for a living. None of us did. So after three seasons, Robin Big, we, Rob and Big Black just stopped doing it. They just were over it. It was too taxing. It was too much time spent doing nothing and just joking around. And like I said, they wanted to work, and so we stopped doing that. About a year later, MTV came back and said, we want you guys to do another show. You can do anything you want. We just need familiar faces back there. And Rob is now literally the face of mtv. I mean, he's the golden child for mtv. So they were like, whatever we can do to get you back will do it. So that's where he came up with the concept for Fantasy Factory. At that time, Big Black had had a child and moved to Texas, and so was Rob and I. And I. And for me, I thought, like, man, this is my shot. This is my time, you know, starting this new show. I'm finally the second in command, you know, and I finally, hopefully will have enough power to be able to market products and be able to really make some money. And that's when I kind of rushed and came up with the idea for Young and Reckless. And, you know, long story short, with that, I always wanted to. I was really inspired by, like, skate culture because I grew up in that and by streetwear and all of those things. But I knew that I had this massive platform that was mtv and I knew that I was hitting almost, you know, all these millions of living rooms across the country. And so I wanted to create a brand that was big and could be sold anywhere, but still had a little bit of that skate or streetwear feel. And that's where I came up with the idea for Young and Reckless. So I instantly started wearing it all over the show nonstop. And we did a couple episodes about it, and then we just hustled. Like, we just. I did all the marketing I could with other people, like rappers, athletes, influencers, anyone, because I didn't want it to be my merch brand. I wanted it to be a legitimate clothing line that everyone just kind of looked at and said, where'd this thing come from? It just came out of nowhere. Now everyone's wearing it. And so we worked as hard as we could. Like, we got that, we got everyone wearing it and it. And it really blew up. I mean, obviously we've had our ups and downs and the changing of retail and all these different things and switching to E. Comm, But I've been very fortunate. And that kind of been my baby and my main thing all along, you.

Know, for sure, man. So, yeah. So when it comes to Young and Reckless, how many years has it been? Like, when did you start it? That's my question.

Nine years ago.

Nine years ago. Wow, that's. That's so sick. So kind of my next question regarding, like, how you said looking at MTV as a platform or like, you were able to distribute products, like when you first kind of started the entire brand or idea that you had, like, from a back then standpoint of your mindset, like, did you expect it to not only get this bin, but, like, not only to get this big, but just being every major retailer. Pacsun, I know you're in there as well, but like, what was your initial reaction to, like, the incremental growth over time, like, looking back?

Yeah. So I'll say this. Like, obviously that's, you know, kind of a common question. And I think a lot of people usually go the humble route and say, like, no, man, I never expected it. I'm going to be honest, though. When I sat and came up with the idea, I pictured walking through malls and seeing it everywhere. I pictured billboards, and I pictured, you know, now here's also the truth. When it actually started happening, it was crazy. I mean, still, when I still will go home for the holidays and I'll go to the local mall and walk into a PacSun and buy whoever's in the store. Young and reckless. Or do whatever I can, because still, walking into a mall that I used to walk into as a kid and seeing young and reckless front and center at a store that I used to go to is still crazy. So it's a little bit of a balance between. Of course I expected it. That was the plan all along. And also, absolutely not. The whole thing is crazy to me, but that's where the balance is.

That's super dope. Because even for me, like, every time I go in there, I'm like, damn. Like, the fact that I have you on my show, man, it's like, dude, like, it's everywhere. It's not just, you know, it's like, especially from your standpoint, but when it comes to how, like, you as your cousin Rob. Rob Dyrdek, for everyone listening, when it comes to, like, the entire show in general. Like, I know that I was watching your interview with Gerard Adams, who's a huge mentor of mine, and how, like, you started off by. It was your. You were his assistant, right? So when. Like, when. When that kind of opportunity came along, was that something that it was just a random thing that arose, or was that something that you're always like, all right, maybe I can hit up Rob, like, as when I graduate high school or when I want to move forward. Stuff like, what was that whole situation? And how did that evolve over time?

No, it kind of just unfolds. And here's what I'll say now that I look back at it, too, like, in hindsight, and have a little bit clearer, sort of. I have a little bit clearer explanation for it, you know, and that is that what. What I was really doing, the only thing that I can take credit for is I was following the momentum. Like, I was following the positive energy. I was following where the opportunities were, and I knew and I still try to do that to this day. And I try never to get, like, jaded or sort of lazy, not doing it along that you kind of skip that thing that, you know you should go to, or you skip that meeting that you know you should have. And that's really what got me so far, is I just followed the next thing that felt right and felt like there was action there. And so I moved to la. And then, like I said, I didn't know my cousin very well at all. Growing up. I had seen him probably a total of about five times because he's about 12 or 13 years older than I am. And so he has lived in LA since he was 16. So he moved to LA when I was 3, so I didn't know him. And when I moved here, I knew he was here. And I knew that, you know, obviously, hopefully he would, I don't know, let me film him skating or something. Maybe I could get paid for that. I knew maybe I could make it happen. But I was supposed to get a job at a skate shop. That was actually my dream at the time. And just came one day, his assistant quit, and he came to me and said, hey, man, do you want to be my assistant? And I was 18 years old and I was like, man, I don't even know what that means. I don't know what an assistant does. I literally had no idea. Akron, Ohio, they don't have personal assistants. But I also knew. And all his friends came to me and said, hey, man, don't do it. It's going to ruin your relationship. He's really serious when he works and he doesn't joke around. And they were like, it's going to ruin your relationship. You really shouldn't do it. Just let him have a different assistant. But once again, in my mind, I was like, man, here's where the action is. Am I going to go work at a skate shop? Which I can always do if this doesn't work out, the skate shop will still be there, or I want to try to get in on what's going on here and learn and be a part of, you know, at the time, he was still just a pro skateboarder, but he was doing endorsement deals with DC Shoes and Monster Energy and doing these exciting things that I wanted to learn about. So I said, sure, I'll just go for it. And it just kind of unfolded. And then I was. Then Matt ended up. We ended up getting an MTV show, which obviously I knew I wanted in on that, and then this and then that, and then that and then. But it was really when you really whittle it all down, what I became clear on it. It was nothing more than following my instincts of where I knew the action was for sure.

For sure. Just following the opportunities that arose, in a sense. Correct? Yeah.

And I think a lot of people.

Wrong.

They're very narrow minded with sort of dreams or goals. Right. And I think that that's why I hate when a lot of people say dream big or get too heavy on the like follow your dreams thing. I think that a lot of young people grow up with this like very narrow minded dream. And so they're trying to figure out how to do that one thing and you become blind to everything else. And I think when I was growing up, my dream was to be a pro skateboarder. It wasn't to be a clothing line owner, podcaster, whatever. But now I wouldn't change my life never to be a pro skateboarder. There is no chance. Right. But I think that if you sort of follow the opportunity of life and the flow of life and then fill that gap in with ways to create businesses or have fun or do your thing, I think that's a way more realistic strategy than being too narrow minded about one dream, you know, for sure.

For sure. I like that perspective. That's dope. So when it comes to, I know, like at the forefront and how you looked at it as a platform, do you see that same type of stage regarding social media today? As in like you have the reach and capability to get a product or let's say a clothing line in front of people? Like what's your intake on like the transformation of platform from just like TV to now like social media? I'm sure, like as you already know. But what's your thoughts on the like transformation of platforms?

Yeah, it's crazy too. Cause I've been very like, I've been very involved in the entire transition. Right. So the way that it used to work was you would always try to get like there were sort of these big media like gatekeepers, right? Like MTV, VH1, whatever they are. I mean even getting a, filming a movie or getting a documentary or getting a comedy special. But you had to get past the gatekeeper. So you're, the way that you lived your life was you worked really, really hard and you made, maybe you made some like, you know, in skateboarding, we used to call them like sponsor me videos. Right. But you made videos and you tried to get somebody to, to pick you up, whether it be a network, a like a Movie studio, record label, anything. But you had to get past that. If you got past that, then you kind of had a chance of maybe actually getting something out and whatever, whatever. Then if you made it. Like, back when we were really just cracking on mtv, social media was looked at only as, like, a way to talk to your fans. It was almost like responding to fan mail. But it was not a platform. It was just an access point. So the way that that's changed is now those gatekeepers, the old networks, the old whatever, are almost completely irrelevant. Like, there is an argument to be made that MTV, VH1, Interscope Records, Warner Brothers Records are all irrelevant.

Right?

It's a little extreme, but I think that it's true. Where now your main goal is to build your own platform on social media. And so, like, now the model is, instead of let me become a TV star who talks to my fans through Instagram, it's let me become a social media star, but then gets a TV show just to help my social media. It doesn't become your thing. One of these big Gary Vee, like, he did, he did Planet of the Apps. That's not his thing. He's not gonna go off on that platform. All that does is helps what he's doing on his YouTube and his Instagram. It's just a totally different sort of flow of how these things work and what matters, you know, for sure.

No, and I totally agree, because, like, for me, like, coming from a small town, like, I'm 17, still in high school, and literally, like, building a personal brand on social media, like, the fact that we're talking, like, a dm, you know, and that's all I talk about to my audience all the time about, like, the power of a dm, because so many just a DM has just changed a lot of stuff for me. And a quick question for you, because regarding, like, for me, for example, like, you have millions of followers on Instagram, and the fact, like, I remember when I messaged you to be in my podcast, so just some night you posted a book on your Instagram story, and I was like, yo, bro, I'd love to have you on my podcast. So when it comes to, like, your interaction with fans or people that, like, for me, for example, that would want to get you on my podcast, what's your intake on responding to people, but then also, like, taking the time to, like, go out of your way to get on a podcast like this, like, what's your intake on communication with people on social media from, like, the drama perspective?

Yeah, I Do the most that I absolutely can. So I go through almost every comment and I go through almost every DM because I know that there's great opportunities in there, right? Like, I've, I've had a lot of great opportunities come from DMs and sometimes there's people that I know that maybe just don't have my number or whatever that will DM me. So I. Almost every one I at least see. The only part where I'm really lacking is I try to do the whole like, engage with everybody thing. That's just a little hard on me. I have trouble sitting and just sort of writing back like, yeah, dude, thumbs up, good for you. You know, like, that's hard. But anyone who has any, like, I really try to comment or at least give a like or something on any sort of feedback that's meaningful or anything like that. And then when it comes to podcasts and stuff like this, I mean, I don't know, man, I think that the model just has changed and I think that, yeah, you could still get an interview on like maybe me, I could get it, I guess on, I don't know, Bloomberg or CNN or something maybe huge. But like, the model is more now a bunch of little ones and you just do everyone's and you build a network and you talk to you and you talk to 10 other youths and you talk to this guy and you talk to that guy and there's not really one thing anymore that's gonna make or break your career or your sales or your social media followers. It's a building block of like, even for you, like, this is really cool. You said that you were really pumped to have me on your show. I'm not going to change your life. It's going to be doing a hundred for sure. Going to the impact, you know what I mean? And then it's going to be like, damn, he's killing. His podcast is the greatest thing ever. But the days of having that one thing are just gone, you know?

Definitely for sure, man. That's. I like the response for sure. But also another question. Whenever I have someone on, I always like to just kind of give them this to see what the reaction is. So when it comes to. When you think about the word success, like, who is an individual that you look up to or aspire to be? Like, who comes to mind when you hear that word?

I don't know, man. I think that when I really think about it, I like, I piece, I piece people together, you know, Like, I piece aspects of people's lives together. Like, maybe one person's family is great, one person's work life is great. And that's kind of what I aspire to be. Like. I was actually thinking about it this morning when I was doing my little workout was I was like, is there one person that sort of embodies everything that I want to be? And there really isn't me personally. It's a lot of different pieces. But I don't know. I mean, even my cousin who I did all those shows, he's really successful. He's making a crapload of money. He has a great family. He just had his second child. He's, you know, he's definitely a successful guy. And don't get me wrong, I'm surrounded by really successful people, but for my own, it's a little bit of a.

For sure. That's dope. That's dope. Like, personality traits from other people that kind of form your individual self in a sense, right?

Yeah, that's dope.

That's dope. Yeah. So I know that, like, regarding how I've been following you regarding your podcast, the content that you've been putting out on social media, but to kind of. I know that, like, you're the CEO of Young and Reckless. You're doing all these things. You have the podcast. So what's like your, like, daily routine or how do you keep stuff organized in a way that just allows you to just live without stress in a way that you have all these big things, like what's. The habits or things that you kind of rely on to keep you focused?

Yeah, yeah, I'm working heavily on that because I'm a big believer in that. And I'm trying to really evolve it, get better at it, and stick to it. But for right now, I usually wake up at 7am I do my. I leave my phone right, because I'll instantly start. You respond to one email, and then all of a sudden you get a response and this. And then before you know it, you didn't. You didn't get the point. Like, it's real important to me to wake up and clear my mind and then enter the day like on my own terms, if that makes sense. If not, I'll just kind of wake up, just like be scattered and just go for it and not be very effective. So I usually wake up, I do some little meditation stuff. I just started a gratitude journal where I write five things that I'm really thankful for that day. So I start out real positive. I then grab my phone for only one second And I text my mom every morning and I say, mom, I love you and I hope you have a great day. And then I get to the phone sometimes, if I have a lot of time and I have a real good day, I'll read for 30 minutes. Because it just once again starts me off real mellow and gets on my. Anyway, the point is by, you know, 8 o', clock, I'm going through my inbox, responding to emails, texts, whatever, whatever. And then I also make sure that I take break. So I will break to eat or to relax for a second and then I'll get back on. I've noticed that as much as I can be disciplined with the time that I'm like, this is email time. For the next hour, it's email time and break for 30 minutes and then this. And you know, like that really helps me to, to segment, you know, as opposed to trying to do everything at once. So the big thing is this. I try to have my entire calendar be scheduled the night before so that even if it's break time or check Instagram time, schedule it in my calendar.

Okay, that's dope. No, that's. I like that a lot. And even for me, when it comes to like things I've been testing, I definitely, when it comes to like the little things like you said, like check Instagram time, I usually just have like a block of like, what am I gonna do next? You know, But I like how you said like, even the little things you said, right? Like every little bit'll think so it's just like a constant, like switching blocks and switching segments. That's dope.

Yeah, it's important and it's something I've seen occurring in like very high achievers, high output people. So many of them do it, you know, and I think really important.

For sure. For sure. Yeah. I mean, as someone like you who is like busy, you have all this stuff going on, managing a company, having your podcast, interviewing guests all the time. What would you say is like the number one thing that not keeps you organized, but keep in a perspective of just handling everything? Is there things that have just like allow you to keep on progressing? Is it just the long term vision? Like, what's the motivation and like the drive and like passion? I'd say that you could just pinpoint as like an overall, like, this is why I do what I do in a sense.

Yeah. You know, to be honest, I don't know and I wish I, I wish I knew, but this is what I know. I know that on the, the Times when I, A, get lazy or B, start to feel like I'm something special and don't work as hard because I feel like I can just cut things on autopilot. Those are the times when I'm most miserable. And when I'm challenging myself and trying new things and trying to progress things forward is when I'm just truly, truly the happiest. And so I don't know what that all means. Big picture, like meaning of life, you know, really where it's all headed. But I know that I'm the happiest when I'm learning and taking some risks and just feeling like I'm moving things forward.

Yeah.

And I'm the worst off when I'm just relaxing on my, on my.

Definitely, definitely. That's dope. So when it comes to. I always like to give a few, like, practical things when I'm interviewing people. And especially for you, like a clothing brand, like young and reckless, that is literally like massive in a sense. So I know on Instagram and people that I know personally, they're trying to start a brand or teacher brand. So what would you kind of suggest and like pinpoint that people should know moving forward into starting a clothing brand? What would be kind of your insights about that? Because I know there's a huge niche right now regarding just people starting little brands, but to kind of stand out. Like, what would be your kind of tips and advice from someone that has done it successfully?

Yeah, I think the biggest thing with any business, I think this is where a lot of people go wrong, including myself. When I was younger, I didn't do this perfectly right by any means, but is really, truly educating yourself on the entire picture and being able to answer any question. And I would urge them to go to people that they trust, to be honest with them and give them real feedback on what they think about their idea. Is there customers for it? Is there a place to market it for a price that you can afford to pay, which is probably free, which is the best way? Where are you going to sell it? I mean, that honesty, I can't stress enough how much. If you can't find anyone to be honest with you, please be really honest with yourself and just be able to know what the product is, why it's different, where you're going to sell it, how you're going to market it. And just know, I hate to say this and sound negative, but just because you like it, because it's your idea, doesn't mean everyone else is necessarily going to. You need to have A reason why they like it or why they connect to it. That's why I think a lot of people go wrong. It's natural to come up with an idea, think it's the best idea in the world and think that when you put it out it's going to explode. But unfortunately that's not really how the world works. And you need to be able to explain why people are going to connect with it, decide to buy it over the 5,000 other options that you have today. You know, there's so many options.

Definitely, definitely. That's dope. So I got like two or three more questions for you man, but regarding. I know like I remember one time like when I first DM'd you, it was like when you posted a picture of a book. So when it comes to just self education and just the modern education system, I always like to ask this question, like, what's your thoughts on like the modern education system? How was it an effect in your life? Or did you go to college and that kind of route to now, I'm not talking about the whole story, but just kind of your thoughts on the entire system in general and where you're at now, which is like the self development aspect of things.

Yeah, it's good because the story is really short for me. I didn't go to college at all. I didn't take my SATs. I had no plan of ever going to college. It was just not something I was going to do. I think it's terrible. I think the education system is horrible. And not only are kids learning things that are absolutely not necessary and not learning things that are so necessary, which is mind blowing to me and I can't figure out why it's like that. But yeah, now that I, you know, for instance, I didn't read one single book. I checked this with my mom this year at Christmas. Actually I didn't read one single book my entire childhood, my entire high school career. My school just didn't was retirement. There was no classes that made you read a book. I remember like four years ago I read Start with why by Simon Sinek. And I was like, oh my God, this guy was able to put all of these things that I kind of feel like instinctually into like a book. Like this is crazy. Then I got another one. Then I got another one. And it's been really, you know, it was really hard for me, like focusing to read a book was really hard. And it's just from doing it over and over and over that now, I mean, this year my Goal is like as much as I can go through about a book a week because now I'm noticing that as I'm absorbing the right information, it's so mind blowing and everything kind of connects and it does make sense and it is all the answers that you were looking for all along. But I don't know, man. Unfortunately, I don't know if it'll ever change or maybe it's a very, very slow evolution that is always behind the curve, but with the way technology and the way everything is going, everything's moving so fast and school is not. I hope like maybe Elon Musk like figures out a new school, you know what I'm saying? Jeff Bezos High school or something. But it needs fixed because I think so much pointless frustration and failure comes from just a lack of education. And you don't know any better than 16, you know how to figure it out.

Yeah, for sure, man. And I think that's funny because I'm actually, I'm a senior this year and I graduate in June. And like just the entire like literally when I was like a sophomore in high school, that was like I was kind of more into school. But then as all these different opportunities and building a brand, like that stuff that now like I've learned on my own in a sense that you would never in a million years learn in school. And like that's like the new, like the fact that I'm talking to you or that I've met Ty or I'm going to meet Gary, like the building a brand in a sense in this whole new wave, like that's the most relevant stuff right now, you know, and like the whole. They're not even talking about that. That's insane. But I'm regarding. I know you said a book a.

Week, but there's people that write me. There's people that write me and say like, oh, I learned more from your podcast than I did in all of high school or whatever. And I'm like, number one, that's ridiculous. But number two is probably in some ways not too far from.

Yeah.

From true. Because they're not. I mean, you know, I would like to sit in on a high school class and remember what, what they're teaching 16, 17 year olds. But really, I mean, you're learning algebra but you don't know how to do your taxes.

It's great for sure. Literally I 4 classes this year, man. And I think I'm in government and they're talking about just like how the government. Government originated in 1800s and this like irrelevant stuff, you know, that's like no.

One just has know about government, you know, for sure, for sure.

But regarding just. I know that you said reading a book a week and I've like two more questions for you, man. But regarding just two books that doesn't have to be in particular what books, but just two books that you've kind of found yourself that have added value to you that you'd recommend to the audience. What would those two books be?

You know, what I would say is. And I always kind of, people have started asking me now like friends, and I always kind of try to cater it to them. But I would say for the sake of this, I would say think and Grow Rich, which is just an absolute classic.

Yeah.

Really opened my eyes a lot. But I will say was difficult to read. Like, it's not an easy book to read. It's not fun either. But I would suggest everyone try to get through it or at least get the audiobook because it's mind blowing. And also I think that I'll say Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. And the reason for that is because it's kind of the polar opposite of that and it is really easy to read. And it's an incredible story. It's a real story about obviously how Nike was created. And it was really cool to me to see how much Phil Knight didn't know what he was doing when he was starting Nike and how many mistakes he made and how much was just guesswork and how many times it almost went out of business. And you just look at a brand like Nike now and you think, oh, it's just perfect. And it's probably always been perfect. And Phil Knight is probably just some alien genius, but really bring that down to earth and see, like, he's a normal guy who started a brand just like anyone else was really cool for me. So I'd say those two.

That's dope. That's dope. That's pretty. That man. So, last question. I know that you've been going super hard on the podcast. I've been literally like whenever I'm working out or going to school, I'll be listening to it. But when it comes to your kind of like why you started your podcast, as well as like your thoughts on the podcast industry, the voice industry, like Gary Vee talks about, like, what's your kind of mindset on that and like your, your starting point of why you started your podcast in the first place.

Yeah. So the podcast, the reason I started it was because, you know, I had Been doing TV and that stuff for years. And obviously, I'm reaching millions and millions of eyeballs, but I kind of came to this realization a few years ago that I'm reaching. I was reaching for about eight, nine years. Millions of eyeballs, not really with a character of how I wanted to portray myself or what I'm really interested in.

Yeah.

And so, yeah, like, a lot of people knew who I was, and I had a lot of Instagram followers, and I was walking down the sidewalk, and people would come up to me, but they're not coming up to me or following me for what I actually like to do. And so I just started thinking of, like, man, how can I start to build my own personal brand, okay. And start to really put out as much content as possible about what I'm actually passionate about? And the real thing is, at the end of the day, I'm not a. I'm not a comedian. I'm not an athlete. I'm not even some crazy clothing designer. I'm just a young entrepreneur from Ohio who had nothing but a high school education and sort of figured out how to make some things happen. And I want to talk about and talk to other people like that and also spread as much knowledge as I possibly can. And to be honest, I have a lot of faith in podcasting. I think it's really a huge. And it's. It's easy. You can do whatever you want. You don't have to answer to anyone. It can be as long as you want. You can say whatever curse words you want. You can do it whenever you want. And that's what I like. So that really sort of like.

Like.

Got me into the content thing. Now I'm doing little videos for Instagram. I'm doing this. I'm gonna try to start doing video blogs and more content, but that's what really sort of broke the seal for me on that stuff. It comes to where it's going. I think podcasting is absolutely massive. I'm not, as I would say, educated, I guess, on, like, the whole voice thing, like how Gary is about Alexa and all that stuff. I believe him. He's a smart guy. He knows what he's doing. I have one in my house. I use it for, is ask what the weather is, just for the hell of it. But I don't doubt that he's right and that. That definitely the future. But I will say everyone on Earth, literally everyone on Earth, should have a podcast.

Oh, yeah. I love that, man. And it's fun that you. I literally started Mine like three weeks ago and just I'm loving it. Literally the first one I did, I had like my Apple headphones. Now I have like my a better mic, the better quality and stuff. I just feel like the simplicity of it as well as like, like you said about someone reaching out to you saying like they've learned so much about more than they did in high school. Like even for my audience that I have of like 100,000 followers, whatever. I've been getting the most messages throughout the last week and a half of just people listening to my podcast giving me responses than any Instagram piece of content or YouTube video that I've ever put out. Just because I feel like it allows me and I'm sure you would agree to just express yourself in the most genuine way conversational wise, you know. So I mean I think and that's for sure. I mean I definitely love appreciate you having you on regarding the how you've had your podcast, you've been a huge inspiration to me to even starting mine. But that was some dope insight regarding just what your thought was on that for sure.

Yeah. Thank you. And same here. Like I started doing it at a desk in my office with some crappy mics and then I realized it was kind of working and so I bought some better mics and then I just built the whole. I mean the set is right here in my office that's clean. Literally just one wall in my office. Video looks really fancy, but here it doesn't at all. But that's all you need, you know. And yeah, I just think, I think it's a really important thing. I think that anyone with anything to say or to sell should start a podcast now.

For sure. For sure. I love it. For everyone listening Go starts our podcast. Like I always make sure people like they're listening, but they're on doing. And that's my biggest thing is just like execution on anything. So. Last thing before I let you go, man. When it comes to I have a big audience of just young entrepreneurs, whether that be they have businesses that they're following me from other entrepreneurs that I'm associated with like Gerard Adams or Ty. What's like your biggest insights that you'd want a young entrepreneur entrepreneur to know? Just regarding entrepreneurship in general as something that you've learned or taken away from just your journey so far.

I will say and once again I want to make sure this comes off right. But I think entrepreneurship is hotter than ever. Right. And it's very on trend and there's a lot of People that are following the Gary Vee's of the world and, and feel like entrepreneurs. And of course, it's great to feel like an entrepreneur and it's great to call yourself an entrepreneur because you want to go work for yourself, make a lot of money and meet a lot of really cool people. Sure, that sounds great. But I think what people aren't talking about enough and aren't being honest enough about is the ups and downs and the brutal pain of it and the, the fear of it and resourcefulness of it and the feeling of if you win, sure, you win. And it looks great on your Instagram, man. When you can't post it on Instagram, it feels terrible and it's all on you. And you know, I've had a lot of wins and losses. I've got to hire and work with some amazing people, but I've also had to sit across the desk and fire very close friends.

Yeah.

And those are things that people don't talk about. And I think that's great. It's all part of the journey and it's why I love it. But I think with this rise in the trend of entrepreneurship, I just want people to really buckle down and be prepared for the battle because that's going to separate who actually makes it and gets to bag on Instagram and who doesn't are the people who can really take the beating and learn and continue to educate and drive forward and just continue to do the right thing. I think those will be the people who really come out on top when the trend is over for sure.

That was dope. That's a boom. That was amazing ending, man. So for just the fire that you just dropped, man, like for the people that haven't heard of your podcast before, where can they find it and how can they follow you more like closely on social media, man?

Yep. A short story long is name of the podcast. It's on itunes. All the, all the podcast places. The main place where I actually interact and post stuff is on Instagram, which is brahma. And then YouTube is where I'm putting a lot of energy, which is YouTube.com drama. Drama. I post all the. I post all this podcast videos there. I started a new little news piece with my business partner called Group Chat and I'm gonna start doing video blogs and that type of stuff. So those are really the three main, main spots.

Dope for sure. Yeah, everyone. And for sure, if you guys want to go down, link in description, I'll have all that there as well. But drama, man, just regarding this entire episode, man. Honestly, man, I really appreciate you having me on and allowing me to just pick your brain, man. It's been a pleasure. But for everyone that is not subscribed yet to the Rise of the Young podcast, make sure you subscribe, make sure you leave a rating, drop a review, and let me know who you'd want me to have on my podcast. Because literally, I talk about all the time just the power of a dm, how insanely powerful it is, and just networking. But drama. I really appreciate you having me able to interview you, man. Appreciate it so much.

Yeah, thank you, man. Thanks for having me. It's really cool what you're doing.

For sure, man. Appreciate it, everyone. I will see you guys on the next episode. Peace.

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