Filip Mac - The Power of Blind Faith & Breaking Through Mental Barriers

Welcome back to the Casey Adams Show. Today we are joined by Phil Makielowski, the founder and CEO of Registics. Thank you so much for coming the show, Phil.

Thanks for having me.

So today has been quite the day, man. I was visiting family in Virginia, came down to Charlotte, and just being here with your team in the office, it's been quite the day. So again, thank you so much for having me today and super excited to dive into the conversation.

Yeah, I'm glad we could make it happen. I know we tried to make the Vegas thing happen and just didn't work, but we made it happen today. So I'm hyped that you're able to come in and we can get on the show here. So it's pretty sick.

Absolutely. So based on what I've learned about your story, it's so cool to hear about your journey. But for those that might not know what Registics is, I'd love for you to give a quick high level of what that business is before we really dive into your story.

Yeah, so we're a reverse logistics provider, which almost nobody knows. I didn't even know when I got into this business, but most people are used to, like, retail product going into stores, and nobody thinks about what happens, like, when you return product and what you have to do with it. So we basically are the ones that handle the product after and build out essentially like a business model on the back end for, you know, large vendors, primarily in the home improvement sector, to recover cost on the dead, depreciating overstock inventory. I mean, if you think about, to the average person, it'd be like Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. Right. And so Nordstrom at some point decided that, hey, like, we're losing money and we need to figure out a way to, like, recoup some of that instead of just writing it off. And so they created Nordstrom Rack. We basically are. If Nordstrom came to us, we'd take it, build out a program and figure out how to move it outside of a Nordstrom rack to other mom and pop stores. So we just do that nationwide. And then we own the transportation, the freight aspect of that, which we added into the business. And that's basically it. We recoup cost for those vendors and try to help them, you know, offset their losses on that, on that inventory.

It's such a cool industry that I know nothing about. And it's cool to hear that not only you're in that, but just I'm excited to dive in today. And I gotta say, where did that journey begin of logistics and just your entrepreneurial journey as a whole.

I mean, my parents. I grew up there from Poland. So, like, growing up, my parents owned a restaurant, and my mom owned a catering business, and my dad owned a seed business. And, like, a big order came in. I'd be in the kitchen packing seeds with my dad and packing pallets off the porch with him. And then he finally got, like, a small little warehouse. And so I've always been in that kind of just, like, helping out my parents. Like, I guess it's kind of just like a European thing. It's like, they're like, we're not paying for labor. Like, I got you and your brother, you know, like, you're helping me.

Did you grow up in Poland or.

I grew up. So me and my brother are born here. We're first generation. But my. My parents and the rest of my family are all from Poland. Live in Poland.

Wow.

Yeah. So we're basically the only two that were born here.

Wow.

And, yeah, I mean, that's kind of. That's kind of the genesis of, like, just, like. I guess it's in me, right, to, like, start something. My parents would start a business and close the restaurant, and my mom put a hydro medical spa, and my dad was in seeds and whatever else. So that kind of was always, like, growing up. I was just in that, you know, inadvertently got it.

So. And you grew up in Chapel Hill? Yeah, North Carolina. Like, what were you. What were you doing in the early days of your childhood? Like, middle school, high school, high school. And where did you. I mean, it's very innate in you, of having that entrepreneurial bug and that drive. But when did you start to venture off into your own businesses and ventures?

I mean, I had a pretty good travelers, like, playing in the woods, and we were, like, lower middle class and sometimes a lot lower than that. And I feel like probably my parents tried their best to give us everything, but now looking at. I'm like, damn, y' all were stretching yourselves, you know, like, definitely, like, money on credit cards and, like, trying to just fill the gap and make it happen and run a restaurant and also, like, be home and not pay a babysitter and. But really, like, my entrepreneurship started when I went to school. I went to Queens University for one semester. I mean, I was a absolute degenerate in high school. I have some teachers that I still keep in touch with from high school that love me and, like, kind of saw, like, I was more than school, but for the most part, just, like, partying, drinking, Go to football games, you know, and just, like, run amok. And.

Did you play sports in high school?

I didn't. All my friends did. They're like D1 athletes. I was just like, the drunk dude in the stands, like, would drive two hours to go watch them play.

Wow.

But, like, I never played. And so, like, you know, they all went to college, right. And had, like, a real path, and I had to beg my way into school. I remember, like, UNC Charlotte denied me, UNC Greensboro denied me. ECU denied me, which is like, you get denied from ecu, you're really not on a great path, you know? And so, like, I begged my way into Queens, which I don't know how. They basically gave me like, a, you know, a free pass to get in. And I don't know. I always wanted to start my own business. We have a friend we grew up with, and my brother interned for Mike, and he owned a performance car part company. And I remember in high school. I was in high school. Yeah, my brother was. He would always see him at, like, Nissan 240 SX and all these performance cars, and he was, like, making, like, 40 grand is like a year, junior, senior year, high school. And my brothers thought it was mind blowing. And he had an intern for him. He grew a massive business, very successful guy. So I always kind of hung around him. I think I thought it was cool that he would have a space kind of like this, like a warehouse with cars and have beers with your buddies, but also, like, have a business that works like that.

Yeah.

Tussle kind of like, I don't know, like, Fast and Furious. Rob Dyrdek Fantasy Factory like, seeing that, I was like, I always liked that idea of, like, man, you could have a really cool job and work with your friends and make money. Yeah. Maybe it was like a pipe dream, but somehow I saw somebody else around me, like, kind of make that happen. So I went to Queens and we started. Me and my brother want to start a business. We started a silly band company. No, silly bands are really big. Yeah, we made, like, company called XL Bands.

And we got, like, similar to silly.

Bands in a sense, literally, in the silly band packet. And we did a Jersey Shore theme pack.

No way.

Smush and Grenade and whatever was the words. And like, I still probably have, like, 10,000 of these.

I was just. I was just with one of my good friends. Robert Crow founder, Silly Bands. Okay. It's. It's so. I'm just so curious about that because, like, that was such a phenomenon that I. We even Talked about recently, I was the 12 year old kid with silly bands up my arms. Like that was such a.

That was the eras, like that was the era, the livestrong bands. Yeah, that was that time, right?

Yeah.

But we only wanted to do that to like make a quick buck.

Yeah.

Like, you know, you saw that we're like Jersey Shore. Like we could make a more adult version of this and ended up not really working out. We made Matt. That works for me funny enough. Like the other other Matt Shaven, like he built our website, made our logo.

That's great.

You know, these are all people I grew literally like I grew up with most of the people that I work with. And so we end up partying, you know, end up like just the business didn't work out and we just kind of went our separate ways. My brother was a senior in college and finished school and got his marketing degree and went on and I was like, dude, I don't want to go back to school. And so I just remember I just like pulled myself out. I was just like, I. I want to keep doing some sort of version of a business. And so I pivoted from that to I wanted to do clothing brand and I started a brand called Laced Alternative. And it originally was, I grew up skateboarding. So I was going to do shoelace belts that we tire shoe.

Right.

And like I was going to do like a higher end, nicer like tips and nicer fabrics and like that's where the name came from. And then, you know, my mind just kind of ran rampant and went towards like making clothes and all these other things. And that was really like my first kind of dive into like doing my own thing, being out of school.

And this was. So you went to school for you said a year.

Just a semester.

A semester after begging, then you drop out.

Yeah, because you tell my dad. Wow. Yeah.

What was that conversation? Like? It was when they found out I went back home.

It was like Christmas break or something. And then like he's like, you know, three weeks went by, he's like, aren't you supposed to go back to school? I'm like, nah, like not yet. And and then like, and then he really realized after like six weeks, like, dude, you need to be back at school. He's like, if you're not going to go back there, like you need to go to like Durham Tech registered dermtag, like skip classes, whatever. And probably for like 2 1/2, 3 years he was just like, school, school, school. And I get it. Like my parents are from Europe, they're like, this is a privilege. You have this ability to get this education. Like, bruh. Like, this is a honor to be able to do this. Like, you have it all in front of you. And I'm just like. I kept telling my dad, like, I'm like, I should be doing. I don't want to do that. Like, there's something else I need to be doing.

What? I'm so here. I feel like I didn't go to college. I graduated high school a month later. I moved across the country with some of my best friends, where we ended up starting my tech company that I sold last year. And it was for me, you come to a point where you make that commitment, where it's like, that path isn't for me. And you really draw the line and you shift. When was that for you? When you wanted. Felt like you needed to draw the line in the sand and not succumb to these outside influences. Because I think that's what, you know, not only sets your entire trajectory, but a lot of people are unwilling to ever make that decision. And then they go down the path that they truly feel that they aren't desired to go down, and then they have regret. And that's, like, the biggest thing where I think a lot of, you know, could have been very successful people just don't take that risk. When for you, did you realize, like, hey, I'm dropping out. And was it a quick decision? Was it, like, built up?

Did you think about it? No, it was wrong. I definitely, like. Like, just, like, kind of fucked around for a while. Like, I was in town and I was in this bubble of, like, make enough money to, like, be able to go out, go to the bars and party, and I'd have a couple little wins, like, I'd make. I end up making clothes and having a clothing brand and meeting some artists. And, like, I got in a store in Puerto Rico reached out to me from, like, you know, I started when, like, Shopify just came out, and it was big commerce and woocommerce. And I got into a store in Puerto Rico, which blew my mind. And, like, the guy ordered, like, $3,000 worth of product, and I'm like, I'm rich, dud, dude. You know, I'm like, I really thought I was. And I blew it in, like, three weeks at the bar, basically. And I kept doing that. I get, like, little pockets of small wins, but, like, nothing to, like, really, like, move the needle. And I just remember I got to a point, I was, like, working out, not getting Anywhere, doing business, like, anywhere. And I remember my friends that I graduated with, their siblings that are two to three years younger than them were graduating, going to college. And that was like a threshold of me being like, dude, I like, I can't go back now. Like, I've been dicking around for two to three years and kind of doing it, but not really. And like, there's no turning back. Like, they're going to call it, you know, they're getting out and like going to get jobs and all these things like this. I got to do something.

Yeah.

So I basically just like audited my life. I was like, what am I. What are my goals? What am I doing to accomplish those things? And who am I hanging out with? And I remember just like every friend I hang out with is going out drinking. That's not getting me towards my goal of trying to work out. If I go work out, they want me to go drink. I was like, I need to find friends that want to go work out. And if I don't, I just need to do that myself.

Yep.

I need to stop, like, spending money on alcohol. I want to grow my business. I'm like going out partying and all I'm doing is wasting money. Alcohol. Like, I could be putting this towards my business. And I just, I just did that for like a month and I just like cut everybody out and said, like, basically screw this and like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna buckle down. And that really was like the, A huge turning point for me where I literally spent like another two years off social media, boots on the ground, just hustling. I met Matt and that's kind of when like registics came to me and I just like, was right in the spot, mentally, physically, emotionally, and like, hungry, where I was like, dude, this is it. Like, this is the thing that I'm going to take and run with and like, it, you know, it worked out.

Wow, it's so cool to hear you. Like, that month Sprint that you took, like, made a dramatic shift. So talk to me how you met Matt at your. An office in Chapel Hill, at your first office. How did you guys meet? And just. Yeah. Talk to me about the origin of registics. Right? Like you talk about from like silly band type company to clothing brand, like reverse logistics. That's like a pivot. That is like a whole completely different, unique industry that again, I'm not too familiar with what led you to going down that path. And did you meet someone that was in the industry? Because it's a very unique industry. That I'm fascinated about, and I'm curious to learn more about how. And what led you to go down that path.

Yeah, I mean, I probably tried, you know, clothing turned into websites and web development, and I made some money doing that. And a guy begged, do you do python development? In my head, I'm like, no, shot. And. But I'm like, I can find somebody to do it. And I'd quote them. And I kind of built a good little business like that, but I was. It'd be against sprints of money. And I just remember being a creative person. I'm like, I always want a space to go to. Like, my house isn't creative. Where I live isn't creative. Want a space. And I remember I found this space in. In Carrboro, which is. I mean, Chapel Hill is a frat town. Like, it's frat town, usa. I was wearing Chelsea boots and combing my hair like this. And people are like, dude, where. Like, who are you? Like, you don't. You're not from around. Are you from Europe? Like, you know, this is like, I'm an outsider, basically. And so I wanted a space that I could go and, like, do my creative stuff and feel like it was conducive to that. And I also felt that nobody else out there was doing it, but I'm sure there's other people that want that. So I kind of made this office and I posted on Instagram, and somehow, through me, reaching out to this kid Linus, that did photos, and I was. I did a photo shoot with him. Matt was using him, and he saw the space and basically just reached out to me, was like, dude, I see what you're doing. I've never seen a space like this around Chapel Hill or anywhere. Raleigh, Cary. And, like, I would love to come and meet with you because, like, that seems really cool. And to me, that was like, a slight validation towards, like, yeah, okay, somebody else recognized that if I put this out there, somebody will come and appreciate it. And so we met and tried to do a podcast, and he was running an agency out of there, and I was subletting part of it to him because I really couldn't afford the whole space myself.

Yeah.

I just was, like. Knew that, like, getting the space was the right direction.

Yeah.

It's kind of like, I'm always like, this feels right. I'm just going to go for it with my gut.

Yep.

And the lady. There's a lady that walked by my office every day. She tried pitching me popcorn. She was doing wholesale real estate Using the closing attorney next door. And she finally popped in office, said, hey, this space looks really cool. Like, what do you all do here? And that time I was just building websites and building out like this web agency. And she was like, yeah, I buy, I flip real estate and I furnish houses with this discount furniture I get from this liquidation website. And if the people like it, they like the staging. I'll sell them the furniture for pennies on the dollar. Because I got it for pennies on a dollar and helps me sell my. The house and helps them out and helps me. Right. I make a little extra buck. Looked at the website, I was like, dude, I. I can't make money on any of this stuff. They sell everything, Baby clothes, furniture, plants, I mean, cell phones. And one of the things was just major appliances. And I was like, dude, there's like a $4,000 fridge on here for 400 bucks. Like, how can I not make money on this?

Wow.

So I remember, I just was like, screw it, dude. Like I'm gonna just buy three of these. My credit card. And I swiped my credit card bottom and learned the first thing about freight. They're like, dude, you gotta come pick this up or schedule a truck. And I'm like, how do you do that? And they're like, I don't know, man. Like, that's not. We could do that. But it's like eighteen hundred dollars. I'm like, I don't have eighteen hundred. I didn't, I didn't factor in eighteen hundred transportation costs.

Yeah.

So I had a buddy and me go in his pickup truck and go pick it up in pallets.

Three fridges.

Yeah. On the big ass F250.

Wow.

Went to Wilkesboro, North Carolina is like a two hour drive. And picked them up and brought them back to my dad. Had that small warehouse space.

Yeah.

And I just marked them up like 150 bucks.

Bought them for 400 soldiers.

Sold them like that as is where is, you know. And I sold them and I just was like, okay, I'll buy six more and three more. And started trying to find better ones and would realize that like, they're so inconsistent. Like one's really beat up, one's new, one's 10 years old. I'm like, this makes it really hard. I don't know what to do with this really beat up old one. So I found another person or another group that sells them by the truckload. And I was like, okay, I'll get some consistency in this. And then I bought a truckload and Unloaded it, filled up my dad's whole space. I'm like, I need to get this out of here by the weekend. And just marked it up again, like, I don't know, fifteen hundred dollars. And somebody came and, and bought them. And then I would put them on, on Facebook online. And, you know, I'd go through, like, what's the retail value? Make a printout of what, where, what store it's from, how much you. How much it's worth, what I'm selling it for, you know, all my conditions. And I would, you know, go from there. Found a bigger warehouse where a guy let me sublet like 10,000 square feet. And I would run sales on the weekend and I'd do the swipe with square and I'd load the appliances with them. And then I'd get people like, this is moldy and want to return. And through that kind of that journey of doing the individual sales and running basically like a mom and pop wholesale store, I was like, there's just seven key things in this business that I keep seeing as an issue. Freight's never on time. When I reach out, nobody, you know, nobody picks up. Supposed to be here at 9am Driver calls me at 9pm at my gate. Like, where are you? I'm like, dude, I'm back home an hour away in Chapel Hill. Like, I'm come tomorrow, you know, and like, you know, I supposed to buy new in box half. It's scratch and dent. Or, you know, it's supposed to be customer turns within a year. It's customer turn within, like 15 years old. You know, like a hallway. And so I basically said, like, if this is frustrating for me and these inconsistencies are costing me money as a small business, like, I'm sure there's a bunch of people out there that would be into that, you know, that would appreciate somebody figuring that out. And I basically would get Bols from every distribution center. Stuff would come from. And I cold called for six months.

Wow.

Probably 90 distribution centers between Best Buy, Lowe's, Home Depot. I, yeah, probably 90 cold calling, cold calling. Every one of them be like, dude, like, nobody told you to call here. And I, I just would lie. I'd be, hey, Lowe's told me to call here. You guys have some appliances you need picked up that are scratch and dent. And they're like, dude, nobody told you to call here. Absolutely not. And just click, click. Or, hey, I'm calling about reverse logistics. I call Lowe's corporate and they're like, what is reverse logistics? Like they have no. Nobody knew.

Yeah.

And I didn't know. But Lowe's was really kind of building out the reverse logistics business at that time. So I finally called a bunch in that same Wilkesboro facility that I had picked up my first appliances from. It's their Internet return center. I cold called them probably the 10th time, and some guy just picked up. I was like, yo, man, I don't know who told you to call here, but this is the guy you need to call at Lowe's. And he gave me this dude's cell phone number. Called him, left him a voicemail. I was like, dude, I'm doing 10 trucks a month. Like, I just want some consistency. And he called me back, like, a week and a half later. Drove back from doing a sale in my warehouse. It was like 7pm I pulled up outside of the Trader Joe's parking lot in Chapel Hill, right next to the Starbucks. He's like, hey, man, sorry for calling you late. Been busy. Hope it's not too late. And I'm like, no. And he basically just ran through the game. He's like, dude, we're just really starting this up. And, like, you know, I would love to sell you appliances, but just, like, one thing. Like, once you turn this faucet on, like, it doesn't turn off. And I'm like, dude, I'm Jesus in the desert, bro. Like, give me the faucet. Like, I'm. I will take these appliances, and I will promise you, like, I will be a consistent customer for you for life. And he was like, all right, man, let's do it. And would send me a list, and I'd buy two, and then he'd be like, I have appliances in Ohio. You got a customer? I'm like, no, I don't. But I go on Facebook Marketplace, and, like, know my sale, I had a sales pitch that I'd do, and I would reach out and somebody be like, okay, I just mark it up really quick just to sell. And, like, we just build out these customers. And I just took it from there and ran with it. And then, you know, my best friend hired my best friend and just told him, like, first things first, dude. Like, we need to start a freight brokerage, because nobody has the transportation aspect figured out. And.

Yeah. So you guys. I mean, just again, hearing all this, too, hearing you talk about that journey from that one lady that walked into the office that kind of showed you this shout out to her, by the way, that's so incredible to hear. Let's talk about the team building aspect. I know, like, you've vertically integrated the business in a sense. You've worked with a lot of people you've grown up with. What is the culture been within the side of the organization. And how have you gone about building that vertically integrated aspect of it?

Well, like, for. From the freight aspect, that was the first thing. Right. And we had a. Next door to my original office was a freight forwarder. So I was using them. And I know the hardest part about building a freight business is having material to move. You're a freight broker today. You got a cold call people to be like, can I move your shit? And do it for a price that's competitive?

Yeah.

I'm like, I have the stuff. So, like, if I got 30 truckloads a month of stuff, like, why pawn it off to somebody else? I got the hardest part figured out. I just got to get insurance or whatever else. And everybody basically told me, like, too much infrastructure, you got to hire people, insurance. I don't want any part of that. So my buddy lived in Orlando, worked for a big mining company. He's super smart, one of my best friends, and I basically told him, he's like, dude, I want to move to Denver. And I remember I made like, in a couple months, I made a hundred thousand dollars in profit. And I was like, if I made a hundred thousand like this, I could probably make another a hundred thousand. And if I pay him six figures and me six figures and we just work together, I'm happy, you know, like, cool. And so I brought him on. And first things first. I was like, start a freight burgers, figure out the insurance, everything else. Because, like, we have the hardest part figured out.

Yeah.

And we weren't wrong. Like, that's a big asset of our business. But it's also the money. Aside from the money, it makes us super dynamic.

Yeah.

In terms of hiring friends and stuff, like, it's a very slippery slope.

Yeah.

I have some friends we've hired and we fired, but most of the talent that I hire, like, I just happen to be friends with some really smart people. And whether that's smart, street smart, that haven't gone to school but have spent 10 years grinding at their craft and they're like honed in on it or they were at school and they have that, you know, that degree or whatever it is, and then have gone and worked for a huge corporation. And there's like, I'm sick of the corporate wheel.

Yeah.

I just like, those happen to be a lot of my friends. And I'm like, I'd rather pay my friend and have a great, you know, experience with them and building a business. And also, like, we're best friends. It's just.

Yeah.

It's drawing that hard line of, hey, we're friends. But, like, when it comes to work, shit, like, I may come down on you because I expect that you can get the job done, but, like, we also. We need to get the job done.

Yeah.

And some people can't handle that.

Yeah.

They're like, but we're friends. I'm like, yeah, but you cost money. You know, like there's. It's definitely. It's a fine line.

Totally.

But it's an interesting one. But I think it's always been my vision, like, Fantasy Factory has always been my vision.

Yeah.

We've kind of gotten, you know, we're somewhat there in a lot of ways. You know, there's going to be another iteration of this office.

Yeah.

But it's definitely just like setting expectations from the get. That's. I'm very like, upfront. Here's what I expect. If you think, like it's private jets and yachts all the time. Like, it's not like that's 20% of one day and the 75% of the rest of the day and every other day is like in here grinding late nights, early mornings, like crazy calls. 10:31's going south. And you know, it's just like, it's not like that all the time. So you're not willing to do all that. Like, you don't deserve to be here for all the other cool stuff. That's a small percentage of what we do.

Yeah. So important you brought that up. I think it's especially nowadays. And I know when we were talking downstairs, you weren't on social media for a long time, right?

Yeah.

And then I think it's so easy, especially for young people, you see maybe things and items and you think like, oh, wow, how do I achieve that? But you don't see the late nights, the early mornings. And that's the gold, right? That is the gold. And I want to talk about some other passions of yours. I know when it comes to luxury homes and getting into real estate projects. Sure would love to shift the conversation a bit because I know today we might go swing by and check out some different properties. I haven't had a chance to boots on the ground with you yet, but when did that become a passion of yours? From the success of registics, being able to actually get into these different projects. I know you spent a lot of time and effort and money on these. What does that look like in your life? And when did you start getting into real estate and the projects that you have?

I bought a beach house because I grew up going to the beach with my family. And I was like, this would be the epitome of success if I bought a beach house at this beach that we grew up going to. Wrightsville Beach.

Yeah.

I mean, I took my dad down there and we walked in an island. He's like, dude, I could die happy here. And I'm like, yo, man, you're like 69 years old. Like, if that's gonna make you happy, I'm like, I'm buying this house. Like, that's it, you know, like, that's enough for me. Like, we can make no money on this. It could be. I'm like, just giving you that was enough. And then just seeing, like, how, you know, the tax advantages of it and if you reno it and do the right work, that there's upside and it's tax free upside. And so when I kind of wrapped my brain around that idea, I was like, okay, like, maybe we should do this into another one. And as we made money and profit and registics, I'm like, nothing worse than stroking a check to the IRS for a million bucks and being like, oh, man, like, that's painful. And it's like, how can I. How can I utilize that money that, you know, give it to the irs and whether they use it for right or wrong or you agree with it or don't, I'm like, it's in somebody else's control. And if I can control before that, that it goes into something that's going to benefit us from a tax standpoint, but also allow me to get into my creative side from the clothing aspect, where it's like picking out the furnishings and picking, like picking all the tile and the counters and restructuring this, this kitchen and then thinking about, like, what gives more upside and the value proposition of different things and creatively financing some of these aspects. Like, I don't know, it was a culmination of like my business side and that creative side, you know, that I yearn for always. And finally coming to head where I can make money. Because I've in the past, I was like, all the things that I think are sexy and fun never make money. They're just a money pit. Yeah. And this non sexy broken item business, you know, of returns and damaged goods and salvage, like that makes great money. I'm like, it's finally like, I can pull my Creative aspect back in. And it's just not closed now. Right. It's houses. But you can transform the outside, the inside, and there's a process and then you can implement design and tile and then you can vertically integrate aspects of that. And I don't know, it kind of was like came everything I liked about all these different things I do to one thing. And so like, and then there's, you know, there's financial upside to it. So I don't know, it kind of just brought all the things that I was really into into kind of one thing. So it's definitely like a passion of mine.

Yeah, I love to hear that. And I'm. I'm reading a book right now. Have you heard of Rick Rubin?

Yeah.

So his new book, the Creative act talks about the creativity at a super high level. Business, just life, just in many aspects of life. I got to ask you, like, what does creativity mean to you? And like, do you believe that you were born in this creative field? Or how has that become just important in your life from clothing to now houses? Because I think a lot of people like, they lack creativity. And maybe that's from circumstances or like self doubt, but. And I find myself like at times I'm extremely creative. At times I'm like more dull. And how I think about things. I'd love to hear like, what do you think about creativity? And is this something that you've always had throughout your life?

Yeah, I like, I grew up skateboarding. So like skateboarding got me into videography because like you're like, bro, I want to film a 411 movie, you know, or like the next element video with my friends. And like, how do we do that? Like, let's all put money together to get a camera and then shoot this film. And then how do we edit this on, you know, imovie and all throw money in to get final cut. And so like I think creativity was just like, I don't know, it always was a part of me. But like, I didn't think of the creativity of real estate. It's just like when I got into it, you kind of just like once you really get into the meat and the bones, you're like, oh, there's a lot. You could just be a creative in real estate and you could just be the finance guy and you could, you can be all these different things. It's no different than a business. It's like, it's understanding what you're good at and then filling in the gaps with the people that are truly like What I call integrators. Like, hey, man, if I'm. I can handle finance up to a certain point, and then it's like, I need to hire a finance guru that can not only do this, but then take it and run with it and grow it for me. And if it's interior design, like, interior design, I can lend so much to that. But there's somebody who really knows, like, the true nuances and how to truly map out, like, a vision board and, like, turn that into real things and fabrics. And so I don't know, it's like, it's. You know, it's. I don't know, it's. Real estate was a great vehicle for that, for me to bring all those things together again. But I just naturally think I'm creative, but I think you can feel uncreative and hop into an environment that makes you feel creative. And that's kind of like the office is that idea where I'm. Like, somebody doesn't feel safe or feel nurtured enough to where they are creative. And they come in here and, like, dash want to be here and, like, I want to. I want to work out and I want to shoot content and I want to learn about editing. And they may pick up, like, this creative skill that they just weren't in the right environment to understand and feel the fire, to actually go search for it and learn about it.

I love that. And speaking of that, so this is called the damn Good hq. Correct. I know you talked about it briefly. Right. Fantasy Factory and just understanding that world. I grew up watching Rob Dyrdek the whole thing, and over the years, I've had.

You get it.

Yeah, I had drama on the show. We've done events. Rob Dyrdek came and spoke at one, and just hearing his thoughts on the Fantasy Factory of it all, what that was obviously from a TV show, but also just the skate park and the way to bring friends together to express yourself. I see a lot of similarities here, and I'd love to talk to you and ask you, what is it that you want people to feel when they're here? I know we've dabbled on it, but just the damn good HQ and it's being developed as we speak. What is your goal with it and just how does it make you feel? And what do you want people to feel when they do come here?

Yeah, like, this is kind of like my, my. I mean, every office to me that I've done is like my safe space. Like, this is a space where I can come in and Be super creative. And it's like, it's. It's built for that. And then I want to share that with people that have that same desire and want, but they feel like they. There's not a space for it. For me, business and fitness go hand in hand. Like, I need to be in the best shape, mentally, physically, emotionally, so that I can crush at the highest level. And so, you know, Covid, I put a gym in my. My garage, right? And then we opened this other office, and we put, like, a garage, like, gym in the warehouse. And, you know, I eventually was like, we could build out a legit gym. So, like, when this space came available, the gym was basically there, the foundation of it. I was like, dude, this is. How can, you know this is the most epic gym on itself? And then it has office space and a kitchen, and so you can, you know, the health part of, like, meal prepping and all that's here. The gyms here so we could work out. And bringing in Matt and the people he knows from the fitness space, I'm like, this is a space where, like, the elite of the fitness world can come in and work out and create content and think about brands and ideas and concepts, and then business people can come here and just do business stuff, but also see the energy from the gym. Like, the energy in here is, like, palpable. It's like, it's. You know, and I want people to come here and say, man, I don't know what y' all do in here, but I just want to be in here. And I want. I need this energy because it makes me want to do more than what I'm doing now. And there's not a lot of spaces you can walk into and feel like that. I almost equate it to, like, when I go into Restoration Hardware, I'm like, dude, I want to design something with this. Like, this makes me want to design something epic and so sick and well curated and perfectly put together, and the color palettes and the fabrics, like, that's how I want to feel. I would just want. I want to, like, stoke that flame in somebody that doesn't feel creative or doesn't feel there's a space to do it. They're like. They come here like, dude, I. This is, like, the outlet, man. Like, I want to come here and put energy into this because, like, everybody here is, like, just on it, you know? And, like, it's a tough thing to, like, wrap into, like, a nice box and put a bow on it and say, this is what it Is. But, like, it's just a feeling. And, like, coming in here and, like, we're just being elite in all ways, like, business, fitness, health, talking. We like. We almost, like, have, like, our own version of being in therapy. Like, we talk very openly, and we, like, call each other out for our. And, like, what I'm like, this is like, a very raw, real space where, like, the energy when you are in here, you're like, dude, like, I'm gonna just dominate if I stay in this. It's like, how you feel after 75. Hard. Like, the. You can't tell me exactly what that feels like. But, like, you're like, dude, I just feel different. Yeah, like, that's the same feeling in here. It feels different. And, like, the fact that this exists makes people feel like shit's possible.

I love.

I don't know. It's a tough thing to really wrap something, but.

Very well said. Yeah, very well said. And I got to. I have to flip the script here because I think. And I'm sure you can really, like, growing up small town in Virginia, right outside of Richmond, like, there was nothing close to this that I experienced, which led to such a. Like, a isolation factor, right? Where it's, like, not feeling uncreative and feeling like I, you know, have to go to, like, travel. And I remember, and I told you this briefly, but when I was a junior senior in high school, I was traveling probably, like, once or twice a month to different events in California.

And you follow you, man. I used to see it.

I appreciate it. And, like, doing those things with my version of, like, coming to a place like this, right? Like a place where you can speak freely, you can discuss ideas, you can meet different people. And being, you know, 16, 17 or young at the time, let's just call it, like, entrepreneurial and lacking that feeling of, as you said, like, whatever this is, I feel is. So it's the opposite of just positive, right? It's not. It's a negative thing, but it's reality for a lot of people. And I'd love to discuss, like, was there moments throughout your journey, of course, where you were in environments like this and, like, how did you manage to, like, you know, crawl your way out to realize that, hey, I need to put myself in positions like this from an environment perspective? And, like, what were those evolutions for you, considering beginning this conversation? Right. Someone that used to party, drink all the time, like, to make massive shifts in life is not easy. And it's different for everyone considering their circumstances and family background. But for you take us to a time when you were in an environment that was the opposite of the damn good HQ and how you were able to, you know, grow from that.

Yeah. I mean, dude, I remember, like, just being in my bedroom at my dad's house, like, crying, thinking about, like, dude, is this the right thing? Like, am I just, like, lying to myself about, like, these things that I want. These things I want to do and, like, actually trying to be in business? And, like, it's tough. Like, that isolation's tough. And, like, it. Like, you have to go through that in some respects. Right? Like, it's not. It's not totally.

It's part of the process.

It's not easy. I. I don't know. I talk about this, like, 1% rul I have with myself. I'm, like, always on the verge of, like, 50 of me wants to keep going. 50 of me wants to quit. And the 1% is just, like, you can either 1% in the way of quitting or 1% in the way of, like, one more day. Like, it's one more call, one more, you know, one more meeting. It's one more workout. It's one more rep. Like, whatever it is, I'm like, it's always pushing for, like, I'm just gonna give it, like, another day. Like, that's what it is, man. And, like, it would just be like, that. I've had clear moments in my life where I'm like, I want to give up. And I gave it one more day, and literally, the next day, phone call that changed the game order. That changed. That gave me Runway for the next four months. Like, it's. It's that the line is that thin. So, like, to me, finding that space was, like, my first time. Going to New York was, like, capturing that feeling. Went to New York, and I was like, bro, I'm broke as. But, like, this energy in the streets. I'm like, I remember I would, like, I paid. I would get a contract to go to New York, and if I didn't close a contract, I didn't have enough money to fly back. But I'm like, I know I'm. I'm gonna close this deal. And then they would pay me only a little bit to pay for, like, a place to stay. And I would tell the guys, I owe him three grand. I'm like, I got 1800. I'm gonna withdraw over. Withdraw my account. No, he's gonna put me in the red. But, like, I'll then, you know, pay him fully, and I'll stay here. And then, like, I'll make enough money to pay the over draft. Like, I was always just chasing that, like, because I was like, I want to be in the energy.

Yeah.

So, like, I don't know, like, it's, it's. Some of. It's like blind faith in myself. Chasing that feeling is like a big thing. Like, a lot of my decisions are not necessarily, like, business tact or fully there or. I got it all figured out. Like, I'm like, in my gut, I know this is the move. I don't know. It's. It's into the fog a little bit.

Yeah.

But I know I'm going to figure it out because I'm willing to do the work and I was going to spend the time and do the effort to make it happen. And at this point now I also have a team that can assist in that. But a lot of that's just like, dude, either you believe in yourself or you don't.

Blind faith. Absolutely. I love that and the way you describe that. And I was telling the story earlier to Matt. I ran a Marathon last December 1st marathon. It was this big physical endurance thing for me. And prior to that, I interviewed a guy named James Lawrence, who he's known as the Iron Cowboy. Are you familiar with him? So he broke the world record for consistent Ironmans back to back. Like, it was prior to him doing it, it was five Ironmans over the course of five days. Then, oh, God, he broke the record. And Instead of doing 10 and doubling it or maybe tripling it, he did 50 Ironmans in 50 days in all 50 states.

How is that possible?

His whole thing's about mental toughness and really breaking that down. And this will come back to a point that's similar to what you said. And outside of that, and I always say the 50, 50, 51st, because that was in 2018, in 2020 or 2021. He decided to break it again. And instead of 51, 55, he did 101 Ironmans over the course of 101 days. Back to back, no deviation. Every single day. 95, I think it was 95 days. He was running on a fractured leg. And I interviewed this guy in preparation for my marathon to just, you know, I could read his book, I could watch a video.

But you want to know where that energy is from.

I want to know where the energy's from. And it just. They understand how he thinks. And one thing that always stuck with me and I interviewed him and I. Before I asked these questions, I was asking him, like, hey, I want you to answer this and give me the answer that you'd want me to hear when I'm on mile 22 of my run, because I'm going to listen to this. And I ended up doing it. And it was cool because he changed his tense from talking to me on a random Wednesday to, wow, I'm talking to you when you're in Hawaii on mile 22. Let me give you this energy. And it's going to sound so simple. But he's like, focus on the next step. If the next step won't kill you, you can keep pushing. All right? And it breaks down to what you said, like, that 1% rule. It's like, if you know that one next step is not going to kill you, you can physically keep going that one call that one order, whatever it may be. And it's like so many people just don't take that next step. And then they quit, they fail, they stop. And that's when everything just. You go back to the normal ways of how you think and how you act and just the habits that you formed that weren't propelling you forward. So I just want to share that story because I think it's just so aligned to that. Like, what you said, the 50, 50, everybody.

I feel like a lot of people have their version of, like, yes. Like, it's even, you know, it's like the sayings you hear your whole life. There's so many, for sure, cliches that I've heard and, like, made no sense to me. And there was times when I was like, 27, 28, that I would hear a cliche and I'd be like, damn, that makes all the sense in the world right now. And it took to getting to that point of being in that situation, hearing that to, like, for it to click. And then it just, like, shifts how your brain thinks a little bit. It's just like a different click. It's a different gear. And then, like, that allowed me to understand a different cliche and a different thing. And then, like, you just really, like, reformulate how you. Your perspective on how you look at things and how you approach people and how you look at business and just, I don't know, it's just like, these things, but you got to be, like, yearning for it. You got to be, like, thinking that there's more than what I'm doing now. There's something I don't know yet, and I need to go out there and find it. And. And a lot of that just gut, like, go to New York somewhere. In New York is going to be something that's going to help me understand better, or the energy is going to change how I look at things, or the person I meet in New York on that energy is going to tell me something that put me in front of a deal that changes my life. Like, you got to think like that. If you don't, then like, you're never going to make those little steps, those 1% steps to like get there. And again, it's just like blind faith and like chasing that thing that you can't even put a finger on yet. You know, it's so interesting because the.

Way you break that down, like of your trip to New York, I've never heard someone say it like that. That I truly resonate with. And like so much like those blind faith trips that like, don't make sense. There's no reason you should be going. Maybe you can't afford it, whatever it may be. And then just the dots connecting when you reflect the Steve Jobs quotes. And I won't say the whole thing because I'll butcher it. It's just simply you can never connect the dots looking forward, but always looking backwards. And you have to trust that things will go right or you will learn something, whatever it may be. And it's so real. And just hearing you say it the way you have on this interview and this conversation, I heard it in a different way, the way you said it. So thank you for that.

I'm glad that somehow I said it in an eloquent way that makes sense.

So I have a couple more topics I want to discuss. I know just hearing your story and I think for the listeners, just understanding you, you've been through the grind. You've had moments where you're overdrafting and you've had moments where you're buying a private jet. And they're like you're the same person with the same morals and you've grown and experienced a lot of different things. As someone that's more recently getting into aviation, because of my friends, they are buying and flipping different plan. I just love all things aviation. And I gotta give a shout out to my buddy JR Garage and my friend who's a pilot, Owen, I follow.

Him, I follow all those guys. I don't know them, but I know of them for sure.

Owen. And all those guys, they're buying planes. They just took me on their citation one and then they have a bonanza and just all things planes. You have a private jet. What has your experience been owning a plane, buying a plane, I'm just curious to hear your perspective on that whole.

World buying a plane. The first 30 forays of trying to buy a plane, I thought it was the most unorganized industry I've ever been a part of. How somebody could offer to give you three, four, five, six million dollars for a plane. And, like, people are so shady and deals fall through that make no sense. And the amount of effort and expenditure just, like, emotionally to try and do stuff, like, is wild to me. I mean, we bought a plane that we had to return because it was, like, unairworthy and, like, it was just. There's, like, a lot of, like, the aviation industry is a wild industry.

Did you have any. I gotta ask. Did you have any experience from, like, relationships or.

None, but I have. My buddy is a pilot, and he was starting in, like, a management business for planes. And so, like, he knows very well. And that's why I always say, like, integrators are key. If I want to get into aviation or if I want to get into starting an energy drink. What. I'm like, I need somebody that's been in there that knows the path and. And just, like, didn't have maybe the right team or tools or capital or whatever, like, that can go. It's like, start a restaurant. I need somebody that's been in restaurants and knows front of house, back of house, all these things. Like, otherwise, like, I'm likely to fail. And so, like, he definitely was guiding me through that and helping me understand planes and pedigree and hours and what plane's good and for what uses we have, and pilot pools and there's. There's a lot of new. And insurance. I mean, all the requirements. There's a lot, right? And so the first, like, go. The first year, it didn't work out, and I was just, like, burnt. And then again, like, it's. A lot of this revolves around, like, taxes, right? And so, you know, like, there's a lot of benefits to planes, you know, from a tax perspective. And then on top of that, it's just like, you know, going. Traveling so much, going through airports. I'm like, yeah, I'm burning time. And then you follow somebody like Grant Cardone and a few others, and, like, the time you save, and I don't think you really know until you experience it. But getting the plane. We got a smaller one at first, a CJ one, which we still have. We got a CJ one plus. And I was like, cool, we'll do some east coast trips and do a lot of projects at the beach get us there in 30 minutes instead of three and a half hours driving and three and a half hours back. Yeah.

And we're going to the airport.

Yeah, yeah. It's like, it's, it's such a time saver. So I was like, this is a low cost plane relative to the situation that, you know, if, if worst case scenario, we don't use it as much. Like we could sell it, probably make some money or break even. And like, it's not a too much money and we use the hell out of it. Yeah. Packed it. First trip, Aspen, hardest airport to fly into. Six people overstuffed with stuff. And like then trip after trip. And then we started going west coast and fighting, you know, headwinds. And, you know, we put a ton of hours on the plane. I know a guy that has a CJ one plus. He's like, dude, you put more hours in three. We bought in December. By February. Yeah.

Wow.

By February, he goes, you put more hours into three months than I did in 13 months of owning mine.

Oh, my gosh. And so how many miles did you guys fly? Do you know that ever.

I had to look at the hours. Like, I mean, a lot of hours. Yeah, I mean, just a ton of hours. And, and, and we were loading it up with people and baggage and started realizing, like, we're making a ton of stops to go out west. And so, you know, when I have something like that or I build out a team, whatever, I'm like, how can we maximize this group or this thing? Right? And so I'm like, yeah, like, what deals can we make happen? If somebody like, hey man, could you fly out to Houston tomorrow to come meet me to look at this liquidation inventory? I'm like, normally I'd be like, do that. And the flight's at three, and that three doesn't work. So like maybe six? I'm like, yeah, I could go at seven o', clock, fly there, meet with you for an hour, come back, and I'll be back by lunch. I'm like, bro, you can't. The likelihood of that happening in commercial is slim to none. Yeah, it's just not feasible. So, like, when you take it and really maximize, I'm like, dude, it's the, the time you save, the money that can be made. The leverage that it brings just from a time aspect is unheard of. That's no different than why people love real estate. The leverage that comes with that. It's a different type of leverage, but like, leverage is powerful and leveraging your time, like you can't buy time. So like, that's the only way you can really like leverage and somewhat buy time back.

Yeah.

And go have a meeting in Houston, come back and have meetings here. Like, it's unheard of, you know, it's crazy.

That's incredible. And even the use case of maximizing the value, it seems like that you're doing that. I mean, even things like today you picked me up in Richmond, you brought me here to Charlotte, not only did that save me so much time, but the efficiency that it brings to your life with relationships, clients, with your family, all these different things, it seems like you're just winning with it.

We send the plane up at 7 in the morning or whatever. It's like likelihood of you a flight being from Richmond to here at the time that we need to like lock this in. And let's say, I mean, you're staying in town, but let's say you had to leave today. Like, we can make that happen. The flexibility, it's no different freight. I'm like, the flexibility it gives me.

Yeah.

Like that's a very powerful. And so like knowing that and harnessing it, like that's, that's like the power of, of having the plane. Sure, there's other benefits. You know, it's sick, it looks cool, whatever, great for content, awesome. But like, really from a business perspective, like, it just like the minute you put it to work, like it will work for you.

Yeah, I love that. And it's. I gotta ask, when was your, like throughout your entrepreneurial journey, you're talking about like saving time, right? Like there's a, you know, there's this conversation, right? Saving time, saving money. When did saving time become a priority for you? Maybe it was your entire life, but like, when did it become such a priority where you started considering that for maybe entrepreneurs out there that are, either, you know, have considered it or you hear things like the tax benefits. I'm just curious to get your thoughts on that perspective.

I mean, the first way to save time is hiring people. I think people. The, the problem with every single one person, you know, entrepreneur, solopreneur, is you look at employees as like, oh, that cost me money. And that's the wrong way to look at it. Like, if you're hiring somebody, they should be able to do something in a part of your business that they could do better than you or alleviate your time on and the ROI is double. So if I'm hiring you for sales and it's 60,000, like, you should be bringing me back at least 120 and then some. But, like, so that when you go and do that, like, when I hired Rob, we were gonna make a hundred, that turned that into 600,000. And I'm like, I could never do this. The sales and the freight and build that out. Right? And like, when I did that, I'm like, bro, like, we just. We just teleported. I just, you know, saved a year of trying to figure out freight and do sales. And, like, you were able to just hone down for two months and build it out? Like.

Yeah.

And if you look at it like, it's. It's. Every hire is a way for freeing up my time that's in something that's sucking me down. So they can not only do that task, but then, like, turn it into their lane.

Yeah.

It's like, dude, the. The ROI is huge, you know, and then it's like, all right, what am I spending my time on? Like, now I need to do. It's either big picture or it's just part of the business or whatever. And, like, that's the first way to save time, in my opinion, 100%. But it is scary to say, oh, man, I'm spending money, like $100,000 a year. I break it down to, like, it's not a hundred thousand. I'm going to test them out for 30 to 60 days or 90 days. It's going to cost me only 30. Right. And like, if we're business is sustainable enough, like, that's a drop in the bucket. Right? And so, like, hire fast, fire fast. That's also saving time. Yeah, like, dude, I'm. I'm. We're friends. But like, dude, you're not cutting it. Like, that's. And that's not anything personal. It's just like, dude, I'm running a business. Yeah, we can go on the wake boat later. And I'm not gonna hate you. But if you can't do both, like, I gotta tell you, like, bro, like, this isn't working out with you working here. And like, again, that's like, decision decisiveness is a time saver. People, like, marry themselves to ideas. I'm a creative. It's hard not to be. Like, bro, this brand, I got a mill. I got a folder like Matt does with a million brands and a million concepts and LLCs. I've never used for ideas that never came together. But it's like when you. You have to realize, like, to, bro, this isn't it. This isn't working. Move on. Like, you can't marry yourself to Every single idea. It's good to have a ton of them. But like, I don't know, those are easy time savers. But it's also as simple as saying, drink water and be healthy. It's really hard to drink water. I don't know why. You know, so like, some bits just getting in that, in that mind frame.

Absolutely. Two more questions we wrap up. When it comes to.

I'm rambling.

No, you're good. I love it. When it comes to giving yourself, you know, 18, 21 year old Phil advice, what advice would you give to yourself and why? About all things business, life, relationships, you name it.

I mean, the biggest power, most powerful time in my life was 25 to 29. I felt like every year I was a different person, same core, me. But like, what I knew, what I learned, how I looked at people, how I approach things, it shifted. I'm like, it's so Dr. It was such a dramatic shift that I just felt like I was like transcending. It was nuts. And I was like, this is crazy. And the genesis of that was me just literally sitting down and being like. The self audit was huge. The problem with self audit is like, people have a hard time being real with themselves. I had to be real. And so I'm like, bro, you're being a degenerate going out five days a week. You're being a spending money. I'm not. There's nothing wrong with going out, enjoying life. But like, if you got to make a choice sometimes, man, you can't have it all all at once. And I was like, dude, I can't. These people are not moving me towards my goals. I gotta stop hanging out with them. I gotta stop pretending on social media that I'm making it when I'm not. Like, my favorite quote is like, do you really want to win or just look good losing? That's a little brother quote quote. That's a phenomenal quote. So many people are on social media looking good, losing. They go to bed at night sweating bullets, not paying rent. My tire blows out of my car, I can't afford it, I can't pay my food. Like, and it's because they just want to look cool on social and buy all these things that look cool. But it's like, bro, you need to fix yourself before you can fix anything else. And if your mind and, and your mentality and your body and everything's off, it's like, bro, like it's. You could only go so far. So like, the biggest thing for me was just like, the self audit. Like, who are your friends? What are your goals and what are you doing to get there? And are the people you're hanging around and the energy that you're with, are those people and those things helping you get towards them? If not, it's not anything personal, dude. It's not like, I hate you. Just like, I can't be around you right now. And then I turned off social media. Tuesday, I popped up. People like, man, would you hit the lottery? I'm like, no. I just, like, got to it, man. I got real with myself. Yeah, you need to get real with yourself first. And people have a hard time. I'm not saying it's easy. By no means is it easy, but it's like, at a certain point, it's like, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Yeah.

And like, that's just a feeling that you have, and like, you just. I'm sick of it, dude. Like, what am I doing? And is it. Where does it get me? And that's it. I mean, it's. Most things in life are simple concepts. They just don't make sense until they make sense.

Yeah. This is powerful. I know we. We talked about this off camera, but for this being first podcast you've been on, you're so articulate and your story from key, just what you're aware of in your life that has been impactful for you. I love it and kudos to you for just the way you're again saying this. It just resonates very strongly and I know it is for the listeners as well. Last question before we wrap up. Phil, what are you most excited about moving into this year, moving forward? I know you have so many cool projects you're working on, from real estate to businesses to this warehouse to building teams to maybe doing more content on social. So much going on. What are you excited about and why?

I'm getting married next month. Wow.

That's number one on the list then.

Yeah, dude. My fiancee would kill me if I didn't say I was excited. And I'm thrilled, honestly.

When are you getting married?

June 6th.

Dude, congratulations.

Yeah, thank you. Super excited about that. I'm excited to, like, I don't think family and holidays and all those things. And like, my friends, like, I enjoy sharing this experience with people and so finding a partner to experience it just on, like, that next level and, like, have a family and, like, continue to grow in that aspect is super exciting. This space is super exciting. We have a lot of business ventures that are exciting. I don't know. I love like the unknown. I kind of like, I thrive. Like I told you. I don't like prep. Like, it's not. It's never been. I'm not, never studied for tests unless I like, I don't. Life is a constant test. And so it's just like, I know and I know that. I know that, like, on the days I feel great and want to work out for three hours, I should because tomorrow I might not want to lift a leg to go work out. And I need to, like, maximize my wins so I could weather my losses. And so I'm excited about building out this team, especially from the creative side. Like, this is new for us. We've tried a couple forays of this, but, like, I feel like we finally have the right space and people and energy and capital to like, make it happen. But we have. Registics is growing and we're going to continue to grow and the freight side is going to grow. Real estate's going to grow and we've had some losses this year. We've had some businesses that didn't work out and ideas didn't work. And that's part of the process. Yeah, it's take. It's not saying that's a loss. Like, what did I learn so that I can pivot that or whatever way I take it to, like, turn it into whatever. It's usually, you know, the first iterations never hit it. It's usually the 50th. Right. And it never looks like what you thought. I mean, if I told you I made the bulk of my money selling used appliances and doing freight and damaged goods, I'd be like, you're smoking, dude. What are you talking about? It's going to be clothing brand, right? Like, yeah, yeah, it's never that. So I'm just excited about the potential of the team and the infrastructure at where it's at now and knowing that in one year this can be so much more because I know how quickly, like one year it can be such a pivotal, huge change. So I'm just excited about kind of the unknown, but knowing that, like, we got the right energy of people to just like push into that and like, see what that looks like.

Yeah, I love that. Well, in the spirit of the unknown and like this entire operation that you're building, where's the best place that everyone can follow you on social media and learn more about damn good HQ and everything you're up to here?

Yeah, so we have damn good HQ on Instagram. I'm on Instagram. D I, T, R, L I, which is dream it. Then real life. It's got. Stole that from Big Sean way back in the day. Mixtape days. Like, finally famous volume two or something.

Wow, that's awesome.

And, yeah, we're on YouTube also. That's about it, I think. Plug it in, I'm sure.

Yeah, I'll link everything down below.

Of course, we got a podcast since I was broke. Podcast. Yeah, man. You know, I'll make sure to drop.

It all down below. And, Phil, again, thank you so much for having me here today for coming on the show. It's been such a pleasure, dude.

I'm just happy that you want to interview me, man. It's like, one of those things, right? It's like, it's always as an entrepreneur, it's like, some days you think you're good enough. Other days, like, am I? Is this. I still have that feeling when I was in my bedroom. Like, is what I'm doing the right move? I still always feel that. Like, I think a lot of people think that, like, when you reach success, those feelings of doubt go away. And so, like, it's. It's those things of validation where it's like, I used to follow you when we both were nobody. You went on this amazing path and created this, like, great brand. And, like, I've done these incredible things, and to think, like, I'm like, I've done some great stuff, but, like, would I be good enough to go on his podcast? And to, like, be here in this moment and be on the podcast, to me is just like, that. I need it to, like, that little validation where it's like, bro, we're like, this, what we've been creating, like, it's worth it. This is, like, makes me want to push that extra 1%. So it's been. It's been a blessing. It's been sick.

I love that, man.

I appreciate it.

Of course. Well, thanks again for coming on the show. For everyone listening or watching, thank you so much for tuning in today. I'll make sure to drop all the links down below so that you can follow Phil and everything he has going on. And once again, if you are new here, make sure you subscribe, and I will talk to you guys soon.