Josh Landan - From Filming To Getting Acquired by Miller Coors

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On Apple TV plus Maruchan super fans are everywhere. From the busy moms who want to deliver maximum flavor in a flash to dorm room diners who want to put some slurp in their step. There are a ton of copycats you could use, but if you want to bless your bowl, there's only one true Maruchan. Whether you choose instant lunch, ramen bowls, yakisoba, or restaurant quality gold, Maruchan is the only Ramen worth obsessing over. Smiles for all Maruchan. See what all the Ramen hype isabout@maruchan.com. what is going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. On today's episode, I sat down with Josh Landon. Josh Landon is the founder of the San Diego based company, Ashland Hard Seltzer. Josh started a hard seltzer company after great success in the craft beer industry with his brand Saint Archer. After starting Saint Orchard, he sold the company two years later to Coors in 2015. So talk about an exit there. But on today's podcast, we talked about not only the alcohol business, but his entrepreneurial drive, how he got into the alcohol business, how he had an exit in two years, and what he's working on now. So please take a moment to share this episode with a friend. Leave a rating and review on itunes, and if you are new here, make sure to follow me on Instagram AC and let me know you are listening to the podcast again. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy today's podcast. Let's get into it. All right, what is going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. On today's episode, we have Josh Landon here with us, the founder of Ashland, and I'm super excited to have him on today. Thanks so much.

Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to it.

Me too, man. So, Josh, like I said, it's a pleasure to have you on the show today. You sold your last company to Coors, man, and you have quite the story that I'm excited to get into today. How did you get involved with the alcohol industry and where did this journey begin?

Yeah, I mean, I guess it's a little bit unorthodox. I grew up in Ventura, which is about 30 minutes south of Santa Barbara here in Southern California. And, you know, I grew up surfing, grew up at the beach, and was a huge fan of surf films and actually was a filmmaker for. From ages 18 to, you know, even right now. Like, I make all the films for our brands. And so really, you know, I had no ties to the alcohol industry at all. Right. Like, I didn't. I wasn't a brewer. I didn't know anybody in the beer business. I didn't really know anything about anything when it comes to alcohol. And I just happened to be on a surf trip with a few friends that are pro surfers, and, you know, they got approached by a tequila business about investing in the company and being an ambassador. And they asked me what I thought, and I didn't really think it was that great. And I said, you know, why don't you do a craft beer? You know, like, everybody drinks beer. Like, why not? Why not beer? And then in that moment, the light bulb went off and I said, craft beer. Like, how come no one's ever done that? From our culture of skateboarding and surfing and, you know, film and art and photography, all the things that kind of make up our, you know, real authentic kind of California culture that we all grew up in. And it's always been, like, the bigger brands coming into our culture and. And trying to influence it and. And, you know, nobody really cares. Right?

Yeah.

I thought, like, the one universal product that everybody was consuming was beer. So I got a bunch of my friends together and I had the idea for Saint Archer, which is. Which is crazy looking back, right? Because, like I said, I wasn't a brewer and I didn't know anybody in the beer business, but I had an idea to do a craft brewery and, you know, kind of went home and told my wife that I was quitting making films. And my daughter was three and a half, and my. My oldest son was six months at the time. And I said, we're moving to San Diego to build a craft brewery, and I'm going to raise $3 million and do what's called a capital raise, which I had never even heard of before. And she said, I'll find us a place to live. Sounds good.

Wow.

And here we are. Yeah.

What year was that when you made that decision to move to San Diego to start this?

Yeah, about 2011. So about 2011, we moved down here. We put everything we had into the. Into the business. We had no money, and I had to do a capital raise. We're raising $3 million, which I like, not going from knowing what a capital raise is to, you know, raising $3 million inside of four months. I still don't know how I pulled that off. And I mean, you know, I've probably raised, you know, over the last six or seven years, roughly 40 to 45 million privately for all the businesses that I've built now. And that first 3 million, I think, was probably the most impressive. Obviously, it was the first, so there was no track record, but I think, you know, people ask me all the time, you know, how have you raised so much capital for all these businesses? Like, how. How do you do it? I've never gone to venture capital firms or. It's always been like, folks like you, like, hey, man, do you want to be a part of this business with us? And you're like, yeah, sure, I got 10 grand.

Yeah. Yeah.

It's. It's. I think people, like, what they saw in me was really, you know, here's a guy who just moved his family to San Diego, and he's got two little kids, and his back's against the wall, and this is his whole life. And generally, when people's, like, livelihoods on the line, like, you know, people get excited about investing in that person, right? Like, nobody knows anything about craft beer. Just, like, they don't know anything about hard seltzer, anything else that I'm doing, but they invest in me, really. And you. You want to invest in a person who has all their chips in the middle and has jumped into the deep end, right?

Totally. When you raised that 3 million, was it, like you said, the $10,000 checks? Was it just more so family and friends and going out and raising a seed round? Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to hear that.

Like, just ran. I mean, it was people, like, a lot of my friends, you know, like the pro skaters and surfers, you know, a lot of people think that they funded the whole business, but, like, you know, they probably made up, you know, 750 grand of the 3 million. So it wasn't even. It wasn't as much as people think. And I think people have a misconception that, you know, if you're a pro skater, you know, you're. You're making, you know, hundreds of thousands, some case, millions of dollars, and that's just not the reality.

Right.

Like, most of my friends and the most famous in the world are not making the type of money that I think everybody thinks they are. So it was, you know, it was a. It was a big deal. But, yeah, family, friends, people That I didn't even really know. It happens actually kind of often where people will be like, oh, I. My. My. My friend was an investor in Saint Archer and. And I'll be like, really? Who was it? And I'm like, I don't remember that.

That's hilarious.

It actually. Yeah, it actually has happened more than once, which is kind of funny.

That's amazing, man. And I know that. So you raised 3 million, then a couple of years later you raised 10 million. Is that correct?

Yeah. So we raised 10 million in total over the next couple of years. And I needed to raise 10 more million to keep going and kind of build out the brewery. And, you know, we started with 17,000 square feet and we were up to 42,000ft. And ultimately we needed to take the entire 70,000ft of the building. And I needed 10 more million dollars to do that. So I signed on with an investment bank in LA called First Beverage, and they were going to help me raise that money. And one thing led to another and, you know, we sent that. You know, I got a couple of calls from folks that were interested in purchasing the business, which. Which seemed crazy, only being around for two years. Wow. I think, like, it just seemed crazy. But, you know, I. I have always been comfortable in those types of negotiations. And, you know, having First Beverage with me too was great. And wound up selling the business to course.

And that was all within how many years when it comes to inception to sale?

Two.

That was two years.

Three.

Okay.

Yeah. So in total, like, when I first had the idea to selling the business. Three years.

Wow, that is incredible, man.

Quick.

And what was.

Yeah.

Why do you think it happened so quick? Obviously there's levels of execution and raising capital and just building out what you were set to do. But looking back, what do you think you did right to grow so quickly, to have a exit at that size?

Yeah, I mean, I think it's a couple things. I, I feel the same way about Ashland now. Ashland is. Is bigger than Saint Archer ever was, probably times five. And I think, I think it's a combination of things. It's. It's the right brand in the right category at the right time with the right liquid and. Right. All these, all these different things. And really in craft beer at the time, you know, there were no brands. That's what kind of got me excited about craft beer. I would look at the space and like, I didn't know anything about any of them. Right. When I. When I look at all the brands that I look up to in skateboarding, and, you know, I know everything about supreme, and I knew everything about Girl, and I knew everything about all these different brands just because, you know, skateboarding, it's some of the best storytellers there is, right? Like, you just know everything about all these great brands that have been created in our. In our culture. And I didn't see any of that in craft beer. Right. It was a bunch of beers on the shelf that nobody really gave a shit about. Right. They just were buying it out of repetition and taste. Not so much. Like, I really connect to this brand. Right? Which is. Which is how we are with everything else that we. That we enjoy, right? Like, from clothes to shoes to whatever it is. And so I think, like, for me, it was just creating a brand in a space that doesn't have any and telling a story. And it was the right. Like I said, it was. It was the right brand in the right category at the right time. And it just went bananas. Like, it was crazy. It was just, you know, and then now doing. And, you know, a lot of the people that were promoting the brand that owned me, you know, Eric Costin and Paul Rodriguez and Shawn Malto and Mikey Taylor and all of these guys, they're kind of speaking to the same audience, right? Like, on Instagram, you know, Eric Costin's followers probably follow P Rod, right?

Totally.

That's probably what happens. Whereas with Ashlyn, this time around, it's been fun to have all the boys back, Atiba and. And everybody. But, like, now having Jared Goff and Cody Bellinger and, you know, having all these different, you know, Chris Lane and Adam Devine, and now we're kind of. And all these different female influencers. Like, it. It really is speaking to all walks of life, and. And maybe that's why it's so much bigger. But Saint Archer was really just kind of scratching the surface of that, you know?

Yep. So when you sold Saint Archer, what was the game plan following the acquisition? And where was your mind at coming off of that exit? Being only three years into business, from starting that to not knowing what. How to raise capital, to having that exit like you. You moved quick and you executed. And I think moving past that, like, what was next for you that led you to where you are today?

Yeah, I mean, I think, like, you know, I had every intention to stay at Coors, and I think it just didn't work out. You know, it wasn't like this big, like, kind of sexy story. It just. It just didn't work out. And I think, like, ultimately, I wasn't in the headspace to stay there and, like, feel like I was content with that in where I was in my life. I. I still had things I needed to prove to myself.

Yep.

You know, and so I. I, you know, I only made it there 18 months, and I think it was just time for me to move on. You know, it's a lot of. A lot of people ask. The other question they ask other than how did you raise so much capital? Is, you know, when did you, like, what did it feel like to make all that money? Right.

Yeah.

That's what people generally ask, is that when you were proud of yourself or, you know, all these things? And it's funny, because a lot of the reason why I sold Saint Archer is I wanted to see how I would feel, you know, I wanted to see if I would be, like, content now that I, you know, financially don't have to worry about the things I did before. And, you know, my wife and I come from. We had no money. Right. We've been together since we were 15.

Wow.

We've been together since high school.

Wow.

We've been through it all together. So we've been on both sides now. But how would you feel? Would you be fine? And you made money, and the success in your eyes comes from the house or the cars you buy or whatever the hell it is. And for me, I felt nothing. I didn't feel anything. And I knew that at that moment that I was not motivated by money in any way, shape, or form. I was really motivated by the competition of it and was motivated to continue to disrupt and really kind of started seeing myself as a real entrepreneur. There's a big difference between entrepreneurs, business owners, and, obviously, employees. But there's a huge distinction between business owners and entrepreneurs. If I was a business owner, I would have created Saint Archer, and I would have stayed and worked at Coors, like, probably until I retired. It's a great place to work. But I've started six businesses in the last three, four years, and so clearly I'm not a business owner, and I'm an entrepreneur. Right.

I love that.

I think with Ashlyn now, this is it for me. You know, I've proven to myself the things that I needed to kind of settle and. And get content, and I'm excited to not do another startup. Jesus. Ready for a nap?

Yeah. That's amazing. When it comes to the six businesses that you started. For those who aren't familiar, what are those six different businesses?

Yeah. So we did an organic coconut water called Villager, and then an Organic kids juice to go along with that, called Little Villager, which was a kind of a sub brand of that. And then we started, we got back into the alcohol business and Harlan Brewing here in San Diego, Scout Distributing, which is an alcohol distributorship. And Claxton Cellars, which is a wine business. And then past that is now the sixth in Ashland.

Very cool.

So it's been busy for sure.

How do you, how do you manage your time nowadays when it comes to having so many ventures and companies that you're running? Where do you spend time and what are you excited about with your organization moving forward?

Yeah, I mean, for me, like I, you know, I think when you. It's funny because I've worked with a lot of the same people, but now I kind of have the luxury of bringing in the people that I like to be around and that are beyond competent in the roles I put them in. So a lot of the day to day business is not me. And I've been able to kind of take a step back and do the high level things. And Ashlyn has, you know, we've gone from, you know, we're selling, you know, we went from zero. This is our first year, we went from zero to selling about, you know, 400,000 six packs a month.

Wow.

I mean, inside of, you know, a few months, which has been, it's. I've never seen anything like it. I've never, I've never. And I've, you know, owning my own alcohol distributorship and creating Saint Archer, you know, I've seen what brands can do. I've never seen anything like Ashlyn. And I've never. I, I mean, it's just, it's been a pretty phenomenal thing. So constantly strategizing about that. But, you know, it's, it's, it's nice to now be focused on one thing, you know.

Yeah.

There's other folks that run those alcohol businesses day to day and it's fun for me to be kind of narrowed it down to one here.

I love that. Why do you think Ashland has been so successful when it comes to the scale of it over the past year?

Again, I think, you know, I think it was like serious. I mean, Hard seltzer was still pretty new.

Yeah.

When I had the idea of it, it's funny, like I had the idea from idea to can. Being in the market was five months.

Okay.

Which is, you know, really fast. And I think it was like what I saw on White Clon Truly and some of these other folks, you know, there was no brands again. Right. Like it was there. They were big, kind of faceless, corporate nothing kind of brands. And hard seltzer was exploding and, and it really needed like that, a craft version of those things. Something that was a bit more tangible and you know, people could get behind and you know, people aren't getting behind these big brands.

Right.

There's nothing to get behind. And I saw a big hole in that category for, for something like Ashlyn and, and the timing was right. It was right to like really rush it and push it and be the first real independent craft hard seltzer that didn't come from an existing brewery. And. And it exploded.

I love that. I want to talk about getting into any type of oversaturated market. I know, I know that you like to talk about this topic in particular. What's your advice to people thinking about stepping into a market that they think may be saturated? Right. Whether that's alcohol or whatever it is. Like, what have you learned from that experience?

Yeah, I mean, I think for me, I think indifferent. Like I don't really believe in. I believe I look at categories where I feel like I can out brand the competition. Right. Like I can kind of, you know, tell better stories or create better packaging or create, you know, really stand out. There could be 8,000 craft beers, but I think I can do it better. And, but I think like, you know, there's not a lot of really cool brands in the hard seltzer or beer space. Right?

Yep.

Domestic beers. I mean, I think, you know, Budweiser, you know, especially Bud Original is the cool. That's the best there is. Right. And I think. But if you're like on the craft level, it's, it's really, it's really. There's not a ton of great looking brands and. But I think if you're trying, you know, I think saturation is real. Like in the clothing business.

Yep.

Like, yeah. I mean if you're trying to do a clothing company in the skate industry or surf or. I mean, there's a million great looking brands.

Yeah, for sure.

I think even for. So for me it's really just taking, you know, all of that culture and putting it into industries that doesn't have anything like that. And I think that's probably been the most successful part of it is, you know, saturation doesn't matter when the category doesn't have the type of brand that you're going to build. But if you're going into a category where there's a lot of great brands that are just as good as what you're doing, then that's going to be an uphill battle for sure.

What have you learned about the.

And there's a. Yeah, go ahead.

I was going to say, like, you talk a lot about just building brand. What are your. Some of your key differentiators when it comes to building a great brand that has character, that's not, not like you said before, that just corporate brand that you can't get behind. Like, what makes a great brand great?

Yeah, it's a good question. I mean, I think it's a lot of things, right? It's. It's. I obviously it always starts with packaging, which is the first thing that I always do, and looking at what the rest of the space is doing. And then I usually go the other way. Like in hard seltzer, everything was slim cans that were black and white dominated colors with fruit on them.

Yeah.

So, like, I went the complete other direction. I went a 12 ounce beer can and the cans were colored and there's no fruit on them. And it's, it's easily identifiable. And like, it went the complete other direction. I think that's step number one. That's scary. Right. A lot of people want to follow that trend of like, well, this is what everybody's doing. I'm just going to create like a me too brand. And there's really just no creativity in that. Right. So I think that would be another one. Number one is not being scared to go the other way. Especially if it's the aesthetic that you enjoy, like you and your friends and your family, that's what you guys all enjoy, then you should be doing it for you and them anyways and not really worrying about what everybody else is going to like. Right. And then I think it's, you know, I think it's creating a group of, you know, for me, I have the luxury of having, you know, pretty influential and I guess famous friends that can help authentically get the word out there of what we're doing. Right. And that's, that's really just, you know, something that I've been blessed to be able to do. And, you know, having all these friends that believe in Ashlyn as much as I do. Right. Like, yeah, Jared is. Jared Goff is just as passionate about Ashlyn as I am. And so I think when you, you know, getting out that word, that's authentic and real, like, hey, we're really doing this hard seltzer, we want you guys to enjoy it too. I think that really resonates with people and, and that can go On a small level, too. Like, right, if you're just creating a business in whatever town you're in and you get a bunch of your friends together, like, there's no better advocates for brands than local people in your town. Right? Like, that's why a lot of the investors that I choose for these businesses, you know, are influential. They could be business owners. They could be just, like, they grew up there. They could, you know, any of these different things, having those people, you know, flying the flag for you and telling their friends to. To drink it or wear it or use it or whatever. That stuff goes a long way, man. You know, you. You don't need Cody Bellinger and Chris Lane telling people how great your product is to have something successful. Like, just, you're starting on. Like, I'm starting on a different scale. Cause you're reaching, you know, millions of people. But, like, if you're just doing something in your town, starting small, one step at a time, and, you know, I think that that's the way it happens, you know?

Totally. So you guys, from idea to creation, that was five months. How are you able to launch so fast? And what's your advice for just getting your idea out there as quick as possible?

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, depending on the. You know, for me, obviously, it's a unique situation. You know, we own our own alcohol distributorship. You know, we have access to a lot of capital, and, you know, we know how to build out these brands. Right. So it's. You know, it's. For me, it's a bit different than other folks, but I think going back to when I was starting Saint Archer, you know, that. That's probably. I mean, I'm no different than anybody else. Like, I entered into a space. I didn't know anybody or anything. Like, I didn't go to college. You know, Like, I don't. I didn't go to business school. I didn't go to any of that shit. I didn't do any of that. You know, Like, I didn't. So, like, I'm no different than everybody else. And I think the biggest thing is it's just like my, you know, oh, I have ocd. Really. Just OCD thoughts. And that. That creates this kind of obsessive nature.

Right.

And I kind of get it in my head, like, I'm doing this brand no matter what, come hell or high water, like, I'm fucking doing it.

Yeah.

You know, like. And I don't care how long it takes or what that means or. And so really, the Biggest thing is just persistence. Like, if you think about it, like, if you work on anything for the majority of your day, every day, day in and day out, you're gonna make progress.

Totally.

You're gonna make shit happen. Shit is going to happen. There's. There's absolutely no way around that. And, like, whatever brand you're creating, you know, as you kind of step up the ladder, it's just, you know, things are going to happen for you. And I think as. As, like, you get, like, small little wins, and then they motivate you to keep going and keep going. And that's how it was with Saint Archer, you know? Like, I mean, think about how daunting that is when somebody tells you, yeah, you're going to need $3 million to build a brewery from swimming scratch. And, like, every day, I just started, every single day, I was like, I'm gonna meet with this person and I'm gonna meet with them. And then. And then every time I meet with somebody, I'd be like, hey, do you know anybody else who'd want to invest? And, like, do you know? You know, like. And I'm not a salesman. Like, I'm not a sales guy. Like, I'm not a. Like, I don't network or do any of that. I don't do any of that. Like, I don't. So it's, like, not. It's not, like, innately in me to, like, just be this, like, kind of salesperson of my brand.

Yeah.

But, like, that's what I was going back to before about jumping in the deep end and it being your only priority. When your back's against the wall and you have to perform, like, dude, you'll be. You'll do whatever it takes.

Yep.

And, you know, and I think, you know, I was of the mindset then and am now, like, you know, I'm going to win my definition, I'm going to win by any means necessary. Like, there's. I'm winning. Like, there is no, like, losing is not an option ever and never will be.

I love that.

And so, like, it's. It's really just like, you know, if you kind of wake up with that mindset, and then, you know, I raised my first hundred grand and it was 500. And then it's like. And then I'm, like, getting momentum. Like, dude, I can actually do this right. But all that is is just persistence of doing it right. And then maybe you get into that and you can't raise the money, and then you go, well, dude, this. This idea Wasn't meant to be and, you know, go on to the next one. But I think it's hard, you know, it's like there's. There's. There's no magic. There's no magic bullet answer, you know, which is what I think most people want. Right? Like, I don't read business books or. Or any of that kind of stuff. I. You know, I think, like, people want to read or hear. Hear me say something, and then they go. And then, like, the light bulb goes off and then they're. They're suddenly a, you know, an entrepreneur and a multimillionaire. Right? Like, yeah, there's no. There's no. That doesn't exist then for sure. It's. It's a grind and it's. It's 99% of the time, it's not fun, you know, like, being an entrepreneur is fucking hard. And it's like. It's not only hard on me, it's hard on my family. It's hard on, like. You know what I mean? It's a gnarly road. And I think people, like, see it on magazines and they see it in social media that, like, you know, you're an entrepreneur and all this. That's not reality. Yeah, it's not reality at all.

Totally. I do want to take a step back to, like, early on in your career when it comes to videography and just being a creative director. How did you initially get involved with that? And I know that you said you didn't go to college. What was your early plan when you were stepping into your career?

Yeah, yeah, my plan was to be a filmmaker, man. That was the plan. Like, that was.

Sure.

You know, I made. I started filming, you know, growing up in Ventura. You know, Ventura, Santa Barbara, has some of the best histories in our sports. You know, I mean, has some of the best surfers in our sports history right there and in those two counties. And I just happened to grow up there, and, you know, a lot of those guys were surfing, and Taylor Steele, who's a filmmaker, surf filmmaker, was my hero. And. And a lot of the guys that were surfing up there were in his movies, and I started filming them and gave it to Taylor Steele, and then I started working for him, and I started making movies by myself. And some of the documentaries that I made won a lot of film festivals, and they did well. And then I got a manager as a director. His name was Pat Magnarella. He managed Green Day and the Goo Goo Dolls and bands like that. And I started directing music videos in la and Like I was doing it. Yeah, I was. Like I was doing it.

Very cool.

And. And then the, the idea for Saint Archer happened and kind of threw the filmmaking career out the window. And that's what I'm saying. Like, I just turned on a dime.

Okay.

Like the, the career that I had been building for the last 10 years, like, literally went away overnight.

Really? Was there any fear in that or what made you make the decision so quick?

Yeah, I mean, that's one thing that, you know, it's funny because I have fear in my personal life. Right. Like, I've had anxiety and, you know, mild depression and points and, you know, but for some. So you think fear would be there in my, in my business mind, but for some reason I had never had that mechanism. I've never been scared when it comes to business. I've never asked what if it doesn't work out? I've never, I really don't have any fear. And like, right when I make the decision, that's it. Like I'm doing it and it's 100 miles an hour. And I don't know, I guess that's just in me, you know, I think like a lot in a lot is there's a lot of things you can learn, but there's some things that you can't. Right. And, and like there's some things that are just God given.

Yep.

Right. Like your dality is kind of a God given deal, you know, like you're not going to turn yourself into this person that like people authentically believe in. Right. Like it's, it's either you have the ability to articulate your vision and articulate your plan and have people like authentically believe you. Yeah, right. It's not bullshit. Like, it's, it's. And they can tell that it's not right? Just like they can tell if you're full of shit when you're, when you're asking them to do something with you. And that's just like, that wasn't learned. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know, it's just when I'm super passionate about something, I think it really comes across in the way that I speak about it, whether I'm talking to future employees or investors or whoever you. I think most people get off the phone or walk away from a meeting with me and go, I mean, I.

Believe him for sure. Totally.

So I think I, I think, I think you can't really learn that. Right. Just like, you know, doing this podcast, it's kind of hard if you have the ability to do this right. It's in your personality to comfortably do this. And obviously, you get better through time as you go along. But, like, this is just in you, man, for sure. I appreciate it in you to do this right. You know what I mean? It's like. It's not like, you know, if you went to college or you did all this stuff, it would have nothing to do with your success of what you're doing right now with this.

Appreciate that. No, absolutely.

This is all your. This is all your personality, straight up, right?

Yep, for sure. And I wanted to touch on something you said with just networking. That's not your type of personality. I did an event last year with Drama from Young and Reckless. We had Mikey Taylor come out and speak. And I know that you said that earlier, but I've done a lot of events in my career, and this podcast has been a great way for me to network, but it came down to just pursuing what is natural to me when it comes to conversations and being curious and just going with what I believe is right for me. Like, when did you know that you weren't the type of person that is the networking type or that was the social, go out there and shake hands type of person? Was it something you identified early on? Did you grow into it, or what made you realize that you were that type of person?

Yeah, honestly, it was probably after I sold Saint Archer was when I really noticed it. I think in that situation, you know, people are. Especially around the time of it when it was big news and everybody hears about it, and it's a very public thing. You know, I think you can either go two ways. Like, some folks go out and they want to seek the attention, right? They want more attention. Like, they want people to tell them how great they are. And it's kind of like an addict. Like, you're like. It's like a drug, people telling you how amazing you are. And people want to keep feeding their ego like that. And that's. That's one way when you experience something like that. And then the other way is you go. Is you go quiet and you go home and you got kind of withdraw a little bit, and you. You get more comfortable around the people that you trust the most and your best friends and your family, and, you know, that's where you're the most comfortable. And that was me for sure. I went the other way and didn't want all the attention and, you know, just wanted to spend time around people that I cared about, and I didn't. And I Think in that moment I realized, like, I'm not really. I can be extroverted and, like, be kind of the center of attention, but I think my natural place is in the back and quiet.

Love that.

And I think it's. I'll do whatever it takes, but I think you don't really know until it's, like, really a thing. But then looking back, you know, I think I was always shy and, you know, I was an only child, and I was really seeking approval from all these different things. And I think that's the only reason why I was a real extrovert, because I wanted approval. But, like, you know, now. Now that I'm content with myself and all these things, you know, I'm more in my natural position of kind of being an introvert and a bit more quiet.

For sure. No, that's self awareness at its finest, right?

I try, man.

For sure. I try.

I'm working on it every day.

Yeah, 100%. That's super cool, man. Two more questions before we wrap up here, Josh.

Sure.

When it comes to something you said earlier that really stuck with me with just, you know, meeting your wife, you're 15 and building and growing as someone for so long. How has that impacted your life, and why is it so important to you?

Yeah, I mean, you know, I fell in love with Jeanine the first day of our freshman year of high school.

That's so cool, man.

You know, fortunately for me, I met her early in life, and, you know, she's. She's been the most important. You know, I think in a lot of situations where, you know, in a lot of ways, the spouse, male or female, they kill the entrepreneur's dream. Right? Or the business owner's dream or whatever, you know, like, you know, think about 99 men or women out of 100 when their spouse comes home and says, I'm leaving. I'm quitting everything, and we're moving our family to a place, you don't know, doing something I've never done before, they say, you're out of your fucking mind.

Yeah, right. For sure.

You're not. You're not doing that. Like, you're not doing that. And I think ultimately a lot of people's dreams die right there with their spouse. And fortunately for me, like, I chose correctly with Janine, and she has been the best support, you know, creatively. She's had input and opinions on everything I've ever done. She's probably changed more things about the brand than I maybe even created over the years here. But I think it's been a huge deal for, you know, to have that person that, you know, having that comfort of having somebody that, you know, loves and trusts you unconditionally at all times. I mean, I don't think there's anything more important than that.

Love that, man. That's super cool, man.

I think, like, go ahead. Being like, you know, this. Yeah. Being an entrepreneur and especially being at the top, you know, the CEO or founder of these. These pretty big companies, you know, it's pretty lonely place. It's lonely. I mean, it's. You know, that was one of the things that, you know, one of my first investors in Saint Archer ever told me was, you know, this is going to be the loneliest you've ever been in your life, and you need to get ready for that. And he was completely right. It's been, you know, you don't really have anybody who's. Who you can confide in, because there needs to be separation between employees and. And you as the founder, owner, and decision maker. And, you know, and a lot of times, like, the only person I have is Janine to confide in and talk through problems with. And if I didn't have her, I think it would be, you know, much more lonely and in a lot of ways, depressing state of mind, for sure.

Totally. No, I appreciate you sharing that, too. That's definitely something I wanted to talk about because it definitely. I think it's important. And you said that earlier, for sure. Last thing before we wrap up here, Josh. Just moving forward with business and your career and your family, what motivates you and what keeps you excited about the future?

Yeah, I mean, what motivates me now is, I think with Ashlyn, and what I didn't really get with Saint Archer was I want to compete on the national scale at the highest level. Right. So with this brand, I always want to compete against the best. Right? So, like, you know, and for me, the best is truly and White Claw. So now, like, my. My. My sights turn to them on a national scale. And, you know, I think my. So my goal is competing with them on the highest level. Maybe that's, you know, everywhere from grocery stores to liquor stores to, you know, restaurants, bars, when they open up all across the nation. And really like seeing how good of a brand we've really built, right? When it's apples to apples and they're in every store and I'm in every store, and we're right next to each other on the shelf, you know, who wins on the largest scale in America? And I Think once I hit that plateau is like ultimately where my goal is to be a top three brand in the U.S.

Love that.

It's going to take some time, but that's where we're going.

Very cool. And I'm excited to follow the journey, man. And for everyone that's listening today, where is the best place for them to stay in touch with you and the Ashland team? And where can they actually get the product?

Yeah, good question. It's been tough to keep it in stock, but for me, just my Instagram, which I have like a love hate relationship with Instagram. Just easy one. My name Osh Landon. And then Ashlyn is at Ashlyn Hard Seltzer. But all over Southern California, you could pretty much find it everywhere. Every grocery store, everywhere people shop for their groceries. It's pretty much there.

Love it. Well, Josh, I just want to say thank you so much for coming on the show today, man. I had a great time and your story is not only inspirational, but I think you're so right about just the first impression and how you first. When you came on the podcast, I was like, all right, this is gonna be a good episode. Just you come across so authentic and so real and it shows, man, and I appreciate it.

Thank you so much for having me on, man. Let's talk soon. Monarch Legacy of Monsters An Apple Original Series the world is on fire. I decided to do something about it on November 17th.

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