I am blessed | Interview with Arnie Twitty | Ep. 21

But when I envision what a man is, I think of my grandfather, I think of my dad, and those who come before me, the ones that we know their names and the ones not. To me, a man is one that's willing to always adapt and evolve and keep adding to his tool bag.

Welcome to the Rising Tribe. I'm Jared.

And I'm Austin. And our goal is to inspire young men to build strong families and discover their potential as men, husbands, and fathers., and we'll do this by having authentic conversations about faith, family, health, and business as we strive to level up our lives and the lives around us. Welcome everybody to our May episode of the Rising Drive, uh, Rising Tribe with our special guest. Uh, Jared, how about you introduce us to our guest today?

Yeah. So today on the show, um, we have a special guest, uh, another member of the United States Air Force, Arnie Twitty. Brother, what's up? How you doing?

I'm blessed yourself.

We are, we are rocking and rolling, man. So, uh, it's been pretty fun because the— since we started doing interviews, most of the, or all of the guests that we've had so far, uh, have been connections through Austin Maser, primarily either in the, in the church community or in the door-to-door community, crossovers of the two. Um, but, uh, Arnie, you are our first guest who's also a military member, which has been, uh, it's been kind of a, uh, just a part where we we've been lacking a little bit just because like I'm the one in the Air Force over here and Austin's in the door-to-door world, um, back in the States. And so, uh, there's just, yeah, a little bit of a disconnect for us to be able to, um, get to talk to more military members. So I'm super excited to have you on, dude. Uh, from the first time that we sat down and had a conversation at the 21 meeting, dude, I was like blown away. Austin, so it was just kind of like, it was like small talk conversation. You're just supposed to like network and get to know other people in the operational logistics community. And Arnie and I were talking and I can't remember even how it got brought up, but we started talking a little bit about financial independence, I think, or like personal finances. And then like Arnie let slip just a little bit that he like, he was hustling on the side with a side hustle. And I was like, oh, like, tell me more about that. And then we started talking. I was like, dude, this is a kindred spirit right here, brother. So we got talking. He was telling me about his, the businesses he started before he before he finally went active duty after commissioning. And then I was telling him about how I had that break and I went and did some solar sales and dude, I'm just so excited. Arnie is a unique individual by every definition. So I'm super stoked. So Austin, is there anything you wanna toss in there before we get going?

No, I, when I got on the call with Arnie, I'm like, how are you? He's like, blessed. And that's true. Like, it's such a good way to think, man. So I, that's one of the first things that stood out to me about you, just very happy guy. It's, it's cool that you guys are connected. And it's cool that you guys get to work together out in Italy. I heard from Jared that you do like all this vending machine stuff, and that you're just a really good man. And so that's one of the reasons why we wanted to have you on the podcast, not the vending machine stuff. But he just said like, yeah, Arnie is just a really good man who has a really good thing, really good things coming for him. That he's building towards in his life. And so that's, yeah, I, I, I've been excited for this all week, man. So we're, we're happy to have you here, brother.

Glad to be here.

So we'll, uh, we'll go ahead and just kind of give everybody a little bit of context. So, um, I'm curious, one, like how old are you? And then, uh, like your background of like how you got into the Air Force in the first place. Uh, and I think this is, this'll be like a, a really important kind of like keynote to then talk about what it is that you're doing and what your goals are for the future. Um, cuz you know, a lot of people may have in their minds like military members are such and in such a way like, you know, everyone's kind of the same. They all join to do the same thing, but that's not true. You get everybody from every walk of life. So I'm really curious about you. So yeah, give us a little bit of your background, dude.

All right, perfect. So ever since I was a kid, my father was a pastor, mother was a minister, my grandmother was a pastor. So I come from a big Southern Baptist Bible Belt of America background. Basketball was the go-to, and then it was school and sports. Jesus Christ runnin' through these veins. But as far as getting to how I got to the Air Force, so I'm the fourth or the youngest of four children. So from North Carolina, Polk County area if you know it. And my father was like, I paid for the first three, we're gonna have to figure out how we're gonna get you through school on, you know, the last, you know, you the last one. We're still gonna pay for this. And so my brother who had, been through school and law school, he was like, you can join and get the military to pay for it. And at first I was like, I never would see myself in the military. And when in high school I did Marine Corps JROTC, so that kind of put me on the military track. I was like, okay, I think I could juggle with this idea. And so I got to college, I sat down with not a recruiter, but it was orientation. And one of the individuals at NC State I told him, "Hey, I'm thinking about doing Air Force ROTC." And he was like, "What's your email?" And out of nowhere, I got a recruiting email or email from a recruiter saying, "Hey, come out on Tuesday, 5 o'clock in the morning." And the rest was history. I got there, I loved it. I seen how everyone was in uniform and realized like the stability of it. I was like, "That's what we're doing, we're running with it." So that's what got me in the Air Force. I would say more of a money thing, but then the longer I stayed in it, I was like, I can travel, I can make money. So all these extra things, I started realizing it was going to help me get to that, that ultimate level of like generational wealth that I'm striving for. So yeah, a little bit of that, dude.

And then where did, where did you go to school again?

North Carolina State University. So go Pack, you know.

And was it, um, did you, you went through Air Force ROTC then?

Yes.

Okay.

Uh, political science major.

So, uh, for, for everyone who's, uh, unfamiliar, when you commission into the Air Force as an officer, there are a couple different routes that you can go. One of them is, uh, to go to college like, like Arnie, to go to, uh, any college that has a program and to do an ROTC program. Um, and then you, like, you go to classes, you have military classes built in, you have military PT built in and all of that. Um, and then at the end of your first 2 years, uh, you have to go through like a kind of a field training, selection training where, uh, you either get dropped from the program or you get to stay in. Um, and then pretty much if you, if you stay in after that, um, then you will go ahead and graduate and then commission as an officer. Um, and then you, uh, you, you kind of put in preferences of what kind of job you want to do. Um, and then you find out a couple months later what you actually get picked up for, uh, as is the nature with the military. You tell them what you want and then they tell you what they want. And sometimes those, those paths cross and sometimes they don't. Uh, but I think I'm convinced they, they always cross based on what God wants. And so that's a, that's an important thing for sure. And then, uh, yeah, after you find out what job you have, you get picked up for, then you put in your preferences for what, uh, what base you want to go to. And then same thing, you put in your preferences and then the Air Force tells you where you're going to go. Um, and so Arnie, I believe this is, I think Italy is your first base, right?

Yes. Yes. It's my first base. So 3 years here. Um, I believe they switched it a few years before I commissioned. Well, now your first overseas duty station will be 3 years.

Yeah, right on. Because normally, um, if you're single, then it's 2 years, and if you're married, it's 3 years. Um, but you got here for 3, so that's, that's pretty sweet. Uh, and then the other avenues for going to become an officer are to either go to one of the service academies, um, like I did. You go to the school, it's like 24/7, uh, you're in the military sort of deal. Um, or you can get your degree and then you can kind of like apply to then go to officer training school and whatnot., to become an officer. So, uh, Arnie is a logistics readiness officer. Um, and I'm an aircraft maintenance officer, but both of those career fields are technically part of the operational logistics, uh, more broader career field.

Is that, uh, Arnie, is that what you wanted to get into? The logistics and everything?

It was the second choice out of 8. Um, they give you a sheet and it say 8 jobs you can do according to your, degree. So it was number 2 on the list. So I wasn't upset. Um, Intel didn't want me, but now that I've been in a little bit, I'm glad they did not want me.

Like, I—

it didn't make sense for me not to be an Intel officer. So yeah.

So that's cool.

God needed me to be.

Yeah, that's, that's how things typically work out. It's like, oh wow, I dodged a bullet there and I'm where I'm supposed to be. Uh, that's, that's exciting. So I, I would love to know why, uh, well, my dad is in the Air Force for 20, 21 years, went to the Academy just like Jared. Why Air Force? Did you have family members in the— you're a lot of your family were pastors and, you know, and, you know, worked doing like that. Like my grandpa was a chaplain. And so I'm just wondering, yeah, like, so why was the draw to the Air Force as opposed to any other branch? Was it just because that was there? Or, I mean. I think the Air Force is the best because my dad went to the Academy and everything. So I'm like, yeah, no way. You gotta go to Air Force. Yeah. Kind of help me understand that, man.

Um, so no one in my direct line of, uh, I guess genealogy went. So my grandfather didn't serve in Vietnam. Uh, no one that I know of before then, but my uncle served in Vietnam. So when I have conversations with them, they would tell me like, oh, you know, when we was in Vietnam, we did this, but they were in the Army. And, uh, then when I did Marine Corps JROTC, all the Marines were like, go to the Air Force. If you're going to do any branch, go to the Air Force. Like, you know, you want to be hard, do hard things, Marine Corps. But no, forget that, go to the Air Force. That is why I joined. That's what made me choose that branch. Like, that sold it on me. I knew I didn't want to do nothing with like Navy and water. So Air Force all day, hook. Here we go.

That's cool. My, uh, I always felt like the, the general stereotype of the Air Force is that it's way— and this is a good thing— that it's way more friendly for families. And I don't know if this is a good thing to say, like, you can get in trouble saying this, but like, typically, like, the Army route, it isn't as, as functional for families. It's a lot harder. And that's just what I've heard all across the boards, that like the Air Force is a way to go. But, you know, it's like, it's way more family-friendly. Um, just with how you're, you know, you can still serve the country, but it's like you don't have to do some of this crazy stuff. Like, you know, I don't know if that makes sense. Like the Marines, that's so funny. The Marines are like, go to the Air Force.

Nah, for sure. Like my brother, he's a captain in the Marine Corps right now. He's on the reservist side. Um, we did active this past year, but even it's, it is more I guess, better on families with the Air Force. But talking to, like, see my brother who lives the Marine Corps life, it's still—

he's fine.

I mean, there's just certain things he have to go through that I might not have to go through. So it keeps my mother up late at night. She's a little more worried about him when he's deployed than probably myself. Yeah, right.

That's, uh, that's something we often, we often use, but like when, when we're talking about like consoling families who have a a member who's deploying for the Air Force, like, um, we had friends asking like, hey, are you going like directly into this, this hot zone? Like, no, that they wouldn't stick million-dollar airplanes right there because that's, that's where, where it's hottest. You're gonna stick them a couple hundred miles away from where things are going, going crazy, uh, to protect those assets, protect those people. And then the jets will fly off and go do the thing and then come back. So, um, generally, generally speaking, uh, most Air Force individuals are, are farther away from the fight. So, okay. So here's a huge question, right? So Austin's dad, 21 years in the Air Force, uh, was he a full bird colonel, Austin? I think he was.

He's a, he's a Lieutenant Colonel. He did not decide to stay, uh, long enough to do, you know, full colonel, a colonel, because he would have had to go to war school down in Alabama. And it just wouldn't have made sense for our family at the time. So he retired and he's, uh, he got out as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Yeah, which is, uh, remarkable, really. It is, uh, especially 21 years, man. That's— so there's kind of two sides. At the one side, you look at that, you're like, dude, 21 years of your life in the Air Force. Like, why would you do that? Like, what on earth would compel you to do that? And then on the other side, you look at it and you're like, dude, 21 years. If you get in— let's see, what, uh, how old were you when you graduated and commissioned?

Myself? I was 22.

You're 22, right? So if you do 20 years, you'll be 42. You'd be 42 years old, retired with a pension, you know, every month for the rest of your life, disability benefits, most likely. And then also, if you like, if you should die or anything should happen to you during that time, like benefits to the rest of your family for the rest of their life. So why, why not just do that? Like, that sounds like on the one hand, you're like, dude, that's a lot of time. And on the other hand, you're like, bro, but you know, you'd still only be 42. And I don't know about you guys, I'm planning to live to be 100 and A lot more than that. So like you still got a lot of life ahead of you. And so the reason, reason I ask is, you know, I don't know whether or not you're intending on staying in 20 years or not, but I know that you are highly motivated and you are hustling to provide generational wealth for your family. You're, as far as I know, you're not married and you don't have any kids right now. You are out here. So what is motivating you when you could just sit back, spend all of your, you know, spend all your money and just say, I'm going to— my retirement plan is I'm going to stay in for 20 years and then I'll be taken care of forever. Why are you going above and beyond?

Oh man, that's a loaded question. So there's a passage in the Bible where— this is where it starts for me, I guess. Anything I do in life isn't for me. Anything that God gives me, I realize is not for me. Even being stationed here, family has come out. Like my sister's coming in July, if you will. My brother's been out here, my two cousins, my mother. So I realized like everything I'm doing will be for my future generation, future kids. Like, you know, I look forward to the day like y'all are, you know, have one on your side and one coming. You know, I look forward to those days and then I look forward to the days where I can be that grandpa. That's sitting on the porch drinking some water and my grandson or whatnot want to come and say, hey, I think I want to go stay in Europe or this part of the world for 3 months. All right, well, let me pay for it. You know, here you go. And then it branches out to children who are unfortunate, you know, like that. For me, it's just like this is a small— like this is something I have to do so I can do what I want to do in the future. That's kind of how I look at the Air Force. It's like, all right, I have to do this. When I get to that point in my life, I can do what I want to do. And honestly, I don't know whether that is a political route or a philanthropist route, truthfully. But that would be why, like, in the passage it says, like, people were blessed because they knew Abraham and Abraham knew God. It wasn't that the people knew God, it was that Abraham knew him. And just because they knew Abraham, they were blessed. So That, that's just kind of how I look at life. Like, as long as I stay near God and, and that's the case because I know him, people around me will be blessed as well. And it's been, it's been true so far for the last 24 years. So I'm just like, I'm just gonna keep going with it. That's why that would be my answer in a nutshell to that question.

Dude, that's really cool.

I, I think that God gives to the people, to his— God gives to his children that are going to give those resources to more of his children. I think he really sees the intent of our heart. And so I've had friends that haven't been in the best situation financially, but their hearts are so pure where they just want to make an impact and change lives to where it's just a matter of time before they strike gold, and God's gonna bless them with those resources to bless lives. And I think I see that in you, man. Like, I see that you want to help not only your family, but then that's going to be an extension to other people in need. And there's a lot of people in need, and, and not just in need financially, but just of the things that you're gonna learn and the things that we're learning as we strive for like financial independence and for wealth. Those, those things that we learn, like, that's more valuable in my opinion than the money in the bank. You being able to teach your kids and your grandkids all of those things, like the, the attributes and, and the knowledge to be able to create that wealth. That's just what I've been seeing, and I'm, I'm stoked for you. I think God's going to use you to bless a lot of lives. I can just see it, just, I can hear it when you're speaking, man.

It means a lot.

Well, and I firmly believe, I, I totally agree with Austin. I believe that when when we set out to do something or to become a certain kind of person, we're going to start to attract opportunities that, you know, that provide opportunities that if we jump on them would then provide the evidence for that belief that we're genuinely trying to do. Something I was just thinking about, Austin, as we were talking about financial independence, when my wife and I first got married, we started talking a little bit about credit card rewards, like points and miles and stuff. And I was like, super deep in the rabbit hole of like credit card rewards and, you know, how to maximize them and stuff. And my wife was pretty skeptical, skeptical about credit cards in general. And we started talking about how military members get their annual fees waived and how if we just treat it like a debit card, this, that, and the other. And so we slowly started accumulating some points here and there, and then we kind of went like hog wild. And I mean, just like card after card after card and the points and the bonus and the offers and like all the things. And so then we had racked up a whole bunch of points and we We had a whole bunch of conversations though, along the way about what's the purpose of these things, like these points, if these points, they could translate into actual money for us, but also what could they provide us other than that? And one thing is like, we get to go on like fun, lavish, incredible vacations that we never would have paid for, but we've come to find that it is so much more fun to use those points and miles on other people, to bring other people on trips or to pay for someone else's trip. And we've done it, we've done it several times and I don't bring it up because like I want to boast about. Doing it, but like, that's, it brings us so much more joy and happiness. And if you looked at it at like an entirely selfish perspective, like, wouldn't you do what makes you the happiest? And it just so happens that what's making us happier is getting to spend those points on other people. And so like, my little brother is getting married in a couple months and I was talking to him, we're going out for his wedding and he's like, dude, like we're, we're kind of like, you know, strapped for cash and I'm trying to figure out what to do for our honeymoon. And, uh, and because I mean, they're both college students, like They're, you know, they're barely making, barely making anything. And, uh, I was talking to my wife. I was like, hey, we've got all these points in this, you know, IHG points that we, we haven't used in like a year and a half. Like we've had these points forever and I don't see us using them in the near future. Why don't we use this? And before I even like suggested, hey, let's, maybe we could, uh, we could use these to pay for a hotel stay for them. My wife was like, well, why don't we just use our IHG points and offer to pay for a hotel for them? For, you know, like a week or whatever, uh, as their wedding gift. And I was like, you are the most incredible human. I love you. Like, I mean, just, just that, like, we've had those conversations over and over again about what do we do with our resources and why do we have them. And it's given us the opportunity to, um, to, to bless other people in ways that we've seen ourselves blessed time and time again across, you know, across our entire history. And Austin, I'm, I'm pretty sure, dude, uh, I'm pretty sure you shared experiences like this, you know, similar to this with me before.

Am I wrong? Uh, just about giving, like just being blessed.

Yeah, just like having received and then wanting to go out and give back, you know, or paying it forward.

Yeah, like it's like there's so much. I just feel so, oh, I feel so blessed sometimes, man. Like I'm like, wow, like we have all this that God has given us. Obviously it's come through a lot of hard work, but there's no way I could have done this without God. And we just have different vehicles. Like you guys are both in the Air Force. Jared, you do your credit card rewards. I do door-to-door and sales training. And then Arnie, like, I think it's all— we have this, like, vision to, like, make an impact and to give. But every person is going to have different vehicles to create wealth and to create income. And I know Arnie's got a couple that I wanted to hear about specifically, because I, I had never thought of one of these. And it's— well, tell us about vending machines, man. Like, I want to hear more about vending machines.

Okay. Um, so one thing, uh, just, and I'm tying into this, I promise I'm going somewhere with this.

Yeah. Yeah.

You commission, uh, ROTC, they kind of make you stay in this inactive reserve period. Um, you're not getting paid, but you still have to like make sure you're keeping up with the fitness standards and things of that nature. And so for logistics officers, you'll be waiting around 10 to 11 months. So you'll have to basically like a civilian, you have to find work. And I'm constantly thinking, how can I generate wealth? How can I generate money? If I have an idea, I'll write it down. And so, um, yeah, at the time I was just, I had a buddy and he was like, man, how can we make some money? And I just, something popped in my head, I was like, vending machine. Like, it was like, okay, cool. And it's funny because a lot of times people are like, oh, someone's watching us. Because as soon as I said this, I started getting on Instagram and seeing, oh, vending machine business, vending machine business. It was like, all right. Is this what it's like? So, um, so I reached out to my buddy and I was like, hey man, I think we can, we can do this. And I'm the type of person, I don't like sit around waiting. Like, we make a plan, let's go do it. Like, let's take action on this. So in the state of North Carolina, I believe it's $128 to fill out a, um, uh, not to get your EIN, what is it?

Your LLC.

Yep, your LLC. Thank you. So to get that and Filled it out, got the information what we needed. Boom, there we go. We got a business. We got it, got it started. Uh, reached out to another buddy of mine because engineering is a big thing at NC State. So, um, reached out to a buddy, was like, hey, can you create me, uh, like, like a thing for my business? Like a, uh, you know, like a logo, a design. Yeah, like just a cool design that makes us unique. And so he made it and Here we are. We got a Coke, you know, I mean, not Coca-Cola, but we have a vending machine. Like, I'll see if I can even put it in there, but let's see, can I get in it?

Yep.

So that's like the vending machine logo, if you can see it.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

L&T vending.

Yep. L&T vending, man. So like that, and his wife works at the school and she started saying, hey, I know someone that can put a vending machine here. Started reaching out to churches, new construction sites that were building um, like, not complexes. Well, hey, we can provide you a vending machine. That was a YMCA that was opening up. So it's like cold calling, doing all that, and just saying, hey, we can provide this for you. Went to the bank, open up a line of credit, boom. Like, and just went with it. And it's, you know, generated some, some good returns here, if you will.

And yeah, so, okay, so before we just like skip over to the— and then we had vending machines and now we're making money— like Where did you— where do you go to buy vending machines? Like, how do you— and then how do you— how are you stocking them? Is your buddy filling them up? Like, you paying a high schooler to like— like, work us through the whole logistics, man.

Okay, all right, no problem. So there's a place in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and you can— Google is your best friend if you're trying to make money, for sure. Because there's Google, like, places that sell vending machines, um, so you can like find some that are used and they'll like fix them, or go on YouTube— or not YouTube, but, uh, Facebook Marketplace selling like vending machines. Or, uh, there are sales in your area that you can go to and just look and find a vending machine and go buy it. And you find somebody with a truck or rent a truck, go pick it up, install it. Some will need an outlet, so just keep that in mind. But, uh, that's how you find your vending machines. You get it, and then as far as stocking, to keep costs low, whatnot, you can do it yourself. But after you get a certain amount of locations, you can literally do— it's what they call buying a route. And so after you get a certain amount of routes, you can literally buy a route. Like right now, if you guys like, I think I want to open up a vending machine company, you don't even have to open it up. You can go buy a route, like a legit— somebody already got the vending machine set up for you and you're just buying that route. And now it's passive income and you just pay one person to take that route and refill those vending machines and check in on them. So that, that's pretty much how we do it. But to answer your question, my buddy or business partner, he, uh, cause he, we live in the, in like the small town. So he, he lives there. He was one of the ones that like, I don't need to go and see the rest of the world. I can live here. Yeah. We have it. So I was like, all right, well now we don't have to pay someone to go do it. Or actually he is on the payroll to do that. So he's getting paid from my own business.

Yeah.

Dude. So how many machines do you have?

Like right now we only have 6, like 6.

Well, that's 6 more than like 99.99% of America.

So yeah, 6 right now, dude. Well, like, hey, you got things going.

Yeah, dude, that's awesome. And, and how much did, how much did it cost you on average for each machine? Are we talking like a grand? Are we talking like 10 grand? Like what, what are we looking at?

Depends on what you're wanting. If you're talking to a YMCA Obviously they want state-of-the-art things in there, so you want your vending machine to look more flashy. That's probably gonna cost you between $4,000 to $7,000. But if you're looking at a warehouse where people aren't gonna be seeing the back of it, $1,200. And you might even do a deal where you can get one for $800 and then buy the card reader and get it installed. You can install it yourself. I'm a big person doing things myself. It's like, I'll buy it for $800, get the piece, and install it. Got a vending machine for $900 to get the card reader. So it just depends on what route you decide to take.

Yeah, I run into DIY guys every day, Arnie. They're tough to switch sometimes for pest control, right? I think— I don't know, man. I don't know. Pest control, maybe you'd hire that one out. But so, dude, I think it's so cool that the DIY mentality is so cool though, because I— Kaya and I started doing some of that stuff last year. Because somebody actually made a comment within my circle, and it's the biggest blessing of my entire life that they said this. But I was struggling with something and figuring something out with like how to use tools and all this. This person saw it and they made a comment around some of my other friends and said, yeah, like he doesn't know how to do much. Like if there was at the end of the world situation, he wouldn't be able to do anything.. And I was like, it really made me mad. I was like, that guy, he's— man, I can sell, I can make money. But then I'm like, wait, he's right. And so, so I started learning how to DIY stuff. And it's so, it's so much fun. Like the DIY mentality, just go figure it out. You set it yourself. Google's your best friend if you want to figure something out.. And it's just that belief system. Like Jared, for a little while, had something on his computer screen that said, is it, I'm the type of person that can learn anything? Was that the phrase, Jared? Yeah.

Had on that for a few years.

I think that's true. I think if you believe that about yourself, like there's, there's an abundance of knowledge out there that if you're just looking for the right, in the right places, you'll see it. And whether or not you, whether or not the, the phone heard you say the word vending machine. I— maybe it didn't. And maybe you just were more aware of that and you were looking for opportunities. But I do think our phones listen to us. So if I see vending machine ads after this, I will confirm that our phones listen to us. So yeah, I think it's cool that you just figured it out. And, and I think that's something I see in Jared too. Like, yeah, I'm just gonna figure it out and get it done. But that's really cool that you did that, man. And hopefully it continues to grow. I mean, people overlook these businesses like vending machines. I'm sure your vending machines cash flow more than some real estate properties, right? Like these 6 vending machines, nobody would have thought that you could make good cash flow off of a vending machine over a house. Where in all reality you can. There's, there's so many fun ways to make money. Quick question, you are offering, right?

You're not—

are you having to do a profit share with these places, or you're just like, hey, I got a vending machine, I can help?

It really depends. Like, um, you would create a contract. Sometimes it's 10%, so it's like, hey, I'll give you 10% of the earnings. Uh, but also you could do that route Or like for a church, you can be like, hey, this is a donation to your church. So now it's a tax write-off, right? So like there's different ways you can— yeah, yeah, this is right. So do it that route. Or, um, there's a way to let's say, okay, I'll give you 10%, but if it's in an office, right? All right, well now my business can also provide you oranges and bananas and things like that and set up a coffee spot for you, and we'll just bill you an invoice at the end of the month for these prices. So you get your oranges, a bundle— who's gonna keep it simple math— $5. All right, but you're charging that service overall something else. You can now make money off of that. And are you really losing 10% in the vending machine itself? Like, there's so many different ways that you can, you can definitely make money.

But a lot of people are not, they're not charging you for the space on the floor. They're happy to have you bring in a vending machine.

Exactly, exactly.

They know that's really cool.

Like, you're using the power and things like that. So when offering, or when I put in an offer, hey, we can offer you this or provide you this, I'll throw in there, hey, yep, just so you know, because we're using your power or something along those lines, uh, we, we'll give you 10% because it's just Doing great things. Right. Like, just, you know, I'll scratch your back, you scratch my back in that case. Right, dude.

Arnie, I don't think I told you this. I was this close to buying a vending machine when I was in college. Like, I was so close. I had— what happened was we had gone— I'd gone back to California on break, some holiday break, and we'd gone to a, um, we'd gone to this, uh, the store called Kong's. I don't, I don't know what it's called now. They changed the name, but it's like, it's basically stuff where they— it's a place where they sell like Goods that are physical or that are, uh, what's the word, like cosmetically damaged. So like the, the pallet got scratched and so all the boxes on here are scratched or like kind of squished or stuff like that. And, uh, dude, they had like energy drinks, like pallets and pallets and pallets of them. And it was usually like one on top of the pallet broke and just dripped all over the other ones. And so now they're all considered bad. And so they're selling the whole pallet for like something to the effect of like 50 cents a can. I mean, just like super, super cheap. And I was like, dude, All you got to do is clean them, man. That's it. You just got to clean them. You toss. And I was like, yo, okay, so if we do, we could make— and I was like doing some numbers in my house, like, yo, I could, I could get one at school. And so then I started looking into whether or not it was legal for me to have a vending machine at the academy. It turns out it was not. So I wasn't able to do that. But we were close. We were really close. And then I got in trouble with legal because I was cutting hair instead and I was infringing on FSS contract for barber shops and stuff. So ended up not doing it, but dude, I was, I was close. So this is, dude, that's freaking hilarious. And then, okay. And then it doesn't stop with vending machines, dude. Like those 10, 11 months that you were, you were waiting around for your commission to finally, or for you to finally go active duty. So you decide to, uh, start a, was this trucking business with your cousin?

So it was with my cousin and a friend and how it started was my cousin called me and he was at the time working for Amazon, uh, in their distribution center, he driving the, like the trucks. And he was like, I think I wanna start a business. And he calls me cuzo. I was like, dude, start a trucking company. And, um, then I had my other friend from State who does the engineering part, like the designing of, you know, whatever he's like, he's more in the marketing, but he was engineering. He calls me and he was like, yo, I think we gotta get into the trucking business. Like we, we can make some money.. And I honestly was like, I'm not interested at all, but what I'll do is hook y'all two up together and y'all can do whatever you want to do. And, um, and so we got all, all got on a call and I introduced them to one another and they was like, yeah, but we need somebody like can kind of drive or like just not that person that's just going to be there and say, hey, I'll call, I'll make a call or whatnot, an admin person, admin. And I was like, okay, I'll be an admin. Like I'll do that part.. And, um, yeah, so it was like, let's do this. So I literally got on the computer that night, created an LLC. It's called HNT Trucking, created an LLC, submitted it, got the business in, and then, uh, got our EIN number. All right, we got a trucking company. And so then I started doing research and was like, all right, how much does it cost to get DOT certified? How much it costs to get this, that, and the third. And people was charging like $1,800, um, and up for them to establish your business, get you compliant on the road and all these different certs. And so I was like, there got to be a better way. Do it yourself, right? So come to find out, I ended up doing more research and was able to apply for myself. I only spent $300 to get DOT compliant. Like, that's all it took to get federally compliant with the government, with the government. They were charging me $1,800 to do all this and up. And I was like, I need to get in the business of charging $1,800.

Dude, you got to be selling the pickaxes and gold mining equipment, dude.

So, uh, yeah, and we had a business. We got our own, like, authorization number. You know, when you go on site, when you're driving past a truck in America, they have, like, an authorization number, and that's your number for your company. And, uh, and then when you go and you get bids for, you know, hey, we'll move your stuff for you. You give them that number and they plug it in and see how long you've been on the road, how many wrecks your company has had. It has all of that. So, um, yeah, so we, we started it. My cousin slash business partner, he was like, I want to drop trucks. So he did that route. He was like, all right, you go to trucking school, my friend, you get the business part. Um, like, you know, you create the logo, the business statements, all of that. And then, uh, my job was so Another thing I did not tell you when we first met, Jared, was that I buy salvaged vehicles and resell them, like fix them up and resell them. So I was like, all right, I can get us a vehicle. That's no problem. Called my father who brought me into the business of how to do that. Got us a Sprinter van. So that was like our start. It was like, all right, we get a Sprinter van and you know, then we move up to the box truck and then we get to like the transfer trucks. After my cousin get his like CDLs and things along those lines. So yeah, yeah, we just, we just kind of made a roadmap and we was like, we're gonna go and we're gonna do this. And it was like, nothing's gonna stop us. And then I moved to Italy, um, right? Like, so like the business has been good, it's profitable, uh, but it's— I'll, I'll tell you like upfront, we, because of all of us being business partners, my cousin we wanted to get the business established and say, okay, can this make money? And we proved that it can make money. But now my cousin, uh, because it, it can get expensive. So what my cousin slash business partner done is he got his CDLs, but now he's driving for another company at the moment out in Arizona, actually, because insurance is like crazy high when you have new drivers. Things along those lines. And then my other business partner, he's working on getting his cybersecurity so he can like work for the United States government and do that side of the house. So everyone's kind of like doing their own thing and we're kind of like, this business, okay, it's been established. We're keeping it afloat. Like we're all putting money into it. So when we do come back together, we can go ahead and just buy a truck. He can run the fleet and like own his own business. Cause that's just like the roadmap. We just want to get established and then, right. You know, so yeah, so that just like, it's where we're at.

Well, and not to downplay where you guys are going, but if you guys decided to close up shop tomorrow, this would not be a failure story like that. This entire process is what is so cool is that you guys were like, what can we do with our brains? Like, what ideas can we have and how can we move our bodies and our resources like in line with that idea? It's just that curiosity of What could happen if... and you guys are just proving it out. I mean, like, who's to say that we're, any of us are going to be doing the same thing that we're doing now, or even a fraction of what we're doing now, 30 years from now. Like, probably not. I mean, who knows what God has in store for us and what, you know, what opportunities could come our way. Um, but I think it's just absolutely remarkable that you, you're just like, well, let's, let's Google it. Let's find out what, I mean, we sit and ask ourselves all the time, man, but what would happen? But I know it probably won't work because this, and then people are going to think that, oh, and I'd have to do this. Like, I don't I know, I'll just keep going back.

Yeah, no, that's true, man. I have a— I seen a saying the other day and I definitely incorporated it, and it was like, comparison is the enemy of joy. And I was like, what? Like, that's, that's so true, because like, if I'm always comparing myself to someone else and thinking, oh, I can't do this because this person did and they failed, or can I really do that? One, it's killing my joy, and two, it's killing my confidence. I, I try not to never tell myself no. And just find the right crazy person to tell me yes. Like, there's no such thing as no, find the right crazy person to say yes. It's like what I believe. So, um, yeah, no, it was, it's, we, I'm like I said, we acquired some Sprinter vans, uh, was in the process of getting a box truck and decided business, like, hey, let's hold off because you can make money in this. Like Sprinter vans will bring you starting out $3,000 a week if you have a Sprinter van., and then box trucks, they bring in around $13,000. So honestly, when I was doing the numbers, you can bring in around $250,000 a year with one box truck. So you, you bought 4 box trucks on the business credit, that's $1 million a year, like obviously net, but, or gross, but it, you can scale it real fast. Like there's a 19-year-old in Washington State right now. Been in the business 2 years and already worth $2 or $3 million off of 2 trucks in his fleet. You can, you can definitely make money fast with— I mean, because we took the route of, hey, everyone's busy, we got the business established, now let's go work on our individual careers and come back. But if we want it, we literally could— all right, I'm gonna hire a driver. Get 2 more Sprinter vans and now have these people driving us. And you can like buy Sprinter van, you don't even have to have an LLC. You can just literally go buy like, I know Austin, you're into the homes, take some of that money, go buy 1 Sprinter van or 2, hire some drivers and say, hey, I'll pay you this much. And they literally would go and go to UPS or Amazon. There's literally trucks outside of those places that say, hey, we can't deliver all these things. We need help. There's a company— like, there's so many different ways that you can make money fast. And you're, you're here in Italy, you can— that you can go— and I see the smile on Austin's face. He's like, I'm going to buy Sprinter tomorrow. But like, you can go on Indeed and look up like, um, companies that need Sprinter vans or whatnot. And some companies will even rent out your Sprinter van and say, we'll provide the driver, the insurance, and all of that. We just need your Sprinter van. But indeed, I kid you not, like, shameless plug. I'm trying to tell you, like, there's so many ways that you can make passive income that is unreal. So like, trucking, like, transportation business is really where it's at. Sprinter vans cost— like, you just gotta worry about tires. Like, now if you— when you start getting to the box trucks or like the bigger vehicles, now things can get a lot more expensive if things break. But with the Sprinter van, I mean, A tire pop, I just go buy another tire, tax write-off. I had to spend money. So it's out there. It is money to be made. Like I said, 3 Sprinter vans, that's $9,000 a week. Multiply that by 4, math in public, $36,000 a month from 3 vans.

Yeah. And your car payment, the payments on that, on that debt is not $36,000.

At all. And it's almost—

so you have a really different perspective on debt. It's like, hey, it's a tool, like, give me, give me that money, I can use it to make more money. And I think there's a— man, it's just, you're very creative. I can see it as you're talking. Like, I have one of my friends, he's, he just says there's so many ways to make money. I told, I showed him this piece of land out here in Georgia. He says, you need to buy that. You could do this, this, this, and this. You can rent out this spot, you can do horses, you could do, you know, parking. And I'm like, man, you're right. But it's just like, you got to start thinking that way in order for those ideas to start coming. Like exercising is the same way. It doesn't all come at once. So it's good to be around people like you, Arnie, that think like that because you can, you're like, wow, like, well, how would Arnie think about it? And I'd be like, oh, he would think like this, you know?

So, dude.

Well, and I think the, um, the story in the, the story in the Bible, the Matthew— they call it the Matthew principle in, uh, in economics— is that, um, you know, there's a story to— there's 3 different dudes, um, and their, their lord gives them— like, gives one guy 1 talent, one guy 2 talents, and one guy 5 talents. Um, and he tells them to go and, uh, you know, like, give it to the bankers or do whatever. And when I come back, I'm gonna collect on what, you know, what you've done with this, with these talents. Talents being money. Uh, and when he comes back, the guy who had 5 talents doubled it and he had 10. The guy who had 2 doubled it, he had 4. But the guy who had 1 went and buried it because he was afraid of the Lord.

And he was—

he said he knew he was a, you know, a serious and a strict man, um, who reaped where he hadn't sown. And so he went and buried it. And then when the Lord came back, he returned that 1. The Lord gets upset and takes the 1 talent from him, and he gives it to the dude who had 5 and doubled it to 10. And the reason that, that story just like sticks out to me is that the Lord says exactly the same thing to the guy who had 5 talents, to the guy who had 2 talents. It was just the fact that they both went out and doubled what they had been given. They'd both gone out and taken risks and they had, in the scriptures, I think it says that they went to bankers, um, and just made the money, but just looking at like, they took what they had and they went and they multiplied it. They went and they, they took some risks and, you know, maybe along the way there was some money lost there and then money came back. Like, who knows what the actual, you know, full story is., um, that could have happened with these dudes. But the guy that the Lord gets upset with isn't, you know, the guy who didn't return as much as the other dude. It wasn't a comparative thing. It was just the fact that that guy didn't take any risks and he was afraid. He lived his life in fear of that Lord. That, that's the guy that the Lord gets upset with. And I think, well, like, what, what talents have we been given? And not just like, you know, your gift or your talent, you know, that you've been given, but like the resources that you have, the person that you are, the brain that you've been given, the, the mind that you have, like, what are you doing with it? Are you surrounding yourselves with yourself with other people who think differently, who look for opportunities. Like it might have been that the dude with 5 talents was like, hey, there's a, there's a banker here. And he, you know, he said we can make this investment. And then he tells his buddy who only got 2 talents. He's like, hey, you know, come, come invest in me.

Let's go.

Let's go. Let's both go to this dude, you know? And like maybe there was a little bit of that, you know, proximity. But who knows? But what Austin and I are trying to do here with this podcast is just to freaking talk to more people, right? And then to have conversations, you know, building each other up and then talking to more people and finding out, hey, like, what do you think? What do you believe? Where, you know, what's going on in your brain. Because what I've come to realize with all these people that we've met, um, is that there are so many great people out here just trying to multiply the talents that they've been given in whatever field it is that they are. Like, dude, you freaking live in Italy and you're— you and your cousin and your brother and your friend are running these businesses back in North Carolina and in the States. And Austin Maser is in Georgia, dude. He, he sells pest control. He goes knocking on people's doors saying like, hey, You've got too many bugs. Let me help you. And people are like, yeah, freaking come spray them all. Like, I mean, like, it's just, it's totally wild. There's so many ways to play the game of life and it's exciting. And all really like what, what connects us is just the idea and the curiosity of like what could be, what the, what the potential is out there. And I like, it just gets me fired up, dude. I just like, I just want to see what could happen. Like just the what if. I love, I love playing the what if game because man, life is so cool. There is so much cool stuff going on. And it's just a matter of finding, like finding new cool things and just like what else is out there. It's just like an exploration, dude. And I freaking love it.

It reminds me of my brother, Austin Maser. He told me, he was like, everyone's objective is to get to the top of the roof. And we all start off getting to the top of the roof. Some people gonna get to the top by coming in on a helicopter. Some people gonna take the elevator. Some people going to take the stairs, but as long as we all get to the top of the roof and reach that objective, that's what it is. And that's what it remind me of. It's like everyone goes to get to the top of the roof, but we all gonna take different routes to get there. Some probably might take a sky lift, who knows? But like, as long as you get to the top of the roof, that is the goal. So like you said, like we all have this objective, but we're all doing it different, which is like amazing. And I would have never thought to do the credit card thing. I would have never thought pest control. Like that's one thing I wouldn't have looked at him like, Hey, this is going to bring some money, you know? I mean, but it, like you said, blows my mind, Austin Maser, literally. So yeah, totally.

So I think it's, I think it's cool that like, you're right. It doesn't matter how you're getting there, just that you're headed that way. And I think with, you know, or where you're at right now, just the, I think direction is more important than speed sometimes. I really do. I think direction. If you're going the right way, then eventually you'll get there. And as long as you're taking those steps— now, there are, there are phases in life where maybe you want to run up some stairs as opposed to, you know, walk and then take a break. Or like, it's just all about, it's all about like intention, heading the right direction, and then going with momentum and not stopping. That's another thing is like, once you get the ball rolling, like with you, you thought about doing the trucking business, and then you just acted. Like right then and there. And you, it wasn't necessarily, you didn't wait a long time and talk about it forever. And that's important. If you spend time talking about it, that's when the idea dies. So writing it down to get it on paper and then acting on it and, and executing is huge. But speaking about, you know, where you're headed, how does, how does faith play into your vision and your dreams and goals? On a day-to-day basis. You kind of, kind of help me understand that. Like, how does your faith play a role into your vision for your life?

Gotcha. So, um, it's just the number one priority, uh, in my life. Like, it is the foundation, foundation laid on that, and we go from there, man. Like, even, uh, the desires that I have in my heart, right? Like, when the Bible says, delight yourself in him and he'll give you the desires of your heart, I don't— I think a lot of people get that misconstrued when, uh, he says that, because it's not that he'll give you the desires of your heart. You delight yourself in Christ, your desires will change to his. He will give you those desires that are in your heart because your heart is now chasing after his. And that is, that is what you're just like— that's what you go after. And then you get into John where he says, ask anything in my name and I'll give it to you. Well, what I'm asking for is what you gave me, so it just that the faith piece is so big for me, um, that it's unreal. Like, you know, like literally, that's my identity. I don't care if I have a church. I don't— I'm not Second Lieutenant Twitty, uh, or any US— like, no, I am child of the Most High. That is who I am. So when it comes to faith, that's one thing I don't play about. Like, I have a lot of friends, we had these conversations and we can agree on a lot of stuff, but the moment I get to talking, I'm like, oh no, I can't, uh, that ain't like— if I believe, then, then I'm gonna hold you to it just like I'm holding myself to it, you know. Like, that, that faith piece is a big thing, and it, it weaves itself into every facet of my life that it can. And do I do everything right? Absolutely not. Um, at the same time, that's what I love about David. A lot of people say David was a man after God's own heart. It's not that his heart was like God's, but it was that his heart, he was constantly chasing God. So his heart was literally after God's heart. Like, he was chasing, how do I get as close or near to you? How— like, that's the, that's the whole point. So as long as I'm chasing after God's heart and likeness and understanding my place, that, that is everything else fall in line.

Um, so with that, dude, with that, how are you preparing yourself for the day when, you know, when you get married, when you find a wife, uh, and then when you, when you have kids? Like, how are you prepping yourself now for, for that day?

And I prepping myself in that way, man. I, I, and to let you guys know, because I don't think she'll hear this podcast, I hope she doesn't, uh, before November. I have a trip planned in November And I'm thinking about popping the question in Egypt and doing the thing. So it's been a long time coming. So yeah, if that answers partially the question, but how I prep myself for it is just realizing like, God, what have you given me? Who have you placed in my life? Is this again consulting him? Consulting Christ? Is this coming from you or just coming from self? And then vector check it around other like-minded people and saying, all right, yeah. So that's, that's, uh, so, and so with that, one thing I love about Marines, getting back into that, my brother, uh, when I talked to him about it, he was like, one thing that Marines do, or, or the commanders, they'll draw out a plan and then they'll turn it around and hand it to their, their peer and say, think of every possible way that this plan can fail. Vector check me, because we have this natural thing to just automatically say, oh, trucking company. Oh, that's a good thing. But not once turn around and say, hey, how can this like mess me up later on? So, you know, like, is this a good decision? So now, like, act now. So in that, that's how I prepare myself. I get a vector check, and I don't ask people who haven't been there or, or not. I'm like, hey, I like, I would come to you guys, hey, um, I'm thinking about getting married. Well, you know, like, put a brother on. What, what, what I need to look for? What should I have already accomplished? You know, so like, that's how I prepare myself, you know, like I have an idea again, the desires come from Christ, but before I just act and move, let me, let me seek advice from those who are in the been or going where I'm going.

Touching on that, my, my thoughts on marriage is that it was the, the fastest way to accelerate as a man than any other thing I've ever had in my life. And to add on top of that, a daughter was just another, just, it's like taking a can of lighter fluid and dumping it on a fire. Like all of my, all of my goals got bigger. Um, like I went from being an average sales rep to like one of the best in my company. Um, been number one some years, been number two, but like going from average to really good, like that's. That's just because I was having a daughter is what happened. But what I was going to say, so like just without getting too into the weeds there, but like about marriage for my, in my opinion, you do, you don't have to have accomplished anything. If that woman is on the same like wavelength as you as like for aspirations and goals for the future and family, then you just jump. And then one of the beautiful things about marriage is like for us was just struggling a little bit in the beginning with like finances and not knowing where to live and not having jobs. Like those are the, those are some of like the most cherished days of our marriage because it was a forming, it was a forming, like trying phase. So it's exciting, man. I'm stoked for you. So hopefully just don't tell her you're on a podcast so she doesn't say, oh, I want to listen to it.

We won't tag you in any of our posts about it.

Thank you.

Thank you. I'll let her after I ask the question. I'll be like, you behind, you know, you 7 months behind.

I recorded this like 8 months ago. Dude, no, I 100% echo what— I echo what Austin said, dude. Like, um, I— man, I did not know so many things about myself until Marisha and I got married. Like, I didn't know I had opinions about everything, but apparently I did. I had these secret opinions that I didn't know until we were like trying to figure out what couch to buy and what lamps to get. And like, and dude, I was like, I'm like such an easygoing person. Like, dude, we're— yeah, we can put whatever we want out. And then she's like, she spends like 3 hours looking at like these 50 different lamps that she wants like in the house. And in like 5 minutes, dude, I've said no to all of them. And she's like, you're the worst. And I'm like, apparently I am, actually. I had no freaking idea. And like, I would say things that were like totally contradictory, and she's like, what do you mean?

You just said the opposite.

Like, in this scenario, that's the same. I'm like, no, that's not the same. It totally was the same, dude. Like, I mean, just So many things I just did not know about myself that I wouldn't have known unless I got married, dude. And yeah, and with, with having a daughter, dude, forget about it, dude. You, I mean, like, like what Austin's saying, like it's gonna amplify like all of the desires in your heart, man. And you're just, you're just gonna go from like level 1 to freaking level 10, like, like that, dude. It's gonna be like, I'm, I'm stoked for you, man. Like this is, it's an exciting, exciting time of life. And I just think like back to before I got married, Austin, how old were you when you got married? Were you 24?

I don't know. I'm 28 now. Okay.

I think we got married like at the same time. Uh, yeah, we were probably like about, about 24, dude. And like, yeah, dude, as soon as you get married, we were like, dude, life just got so much better, man. Just so much better. And the ambition just like went up even more because now it's not like there's part of it that's like, I've got to provide, you know, it is my duty. It is my responsibility to take care of these other people. Um, But dude, I don't even think that's close to the biggest driving factor for me. It's the excitement of getting to do all of these things with them, getting to take my wife places, getting to like, dude, I never understood that impulse that like, you know, in movies or whatever, the dads have to like spoil their children or to spoil their wife or like want to, you know, buy them the Gucci and the whatever, dude. I freaking like, I like want to spend all of the money we have on my wife. Like all the time. And, uh, my wife has to like dial me back, like, no, like we shouldn't be, you shouldn't, like, I don't want that. Like, you know, but I just like, it just, it just comes out of you. She's like, I just want the best for you because it makes me happy. Like, I don't, I don't know where that came from, but it's here. And the same thing for my daughter, dude. Like, it's, it's the exact same thing, man. And it's, it's just awesome. Like, how cool that God instituted the family for us to be able to experience this, man. Like, it's just the greatest blessing that could possibly exist, man. So I'm, I'm so stoked for you. I didn't realize that you were, you were thinking about getting married already, dude. I'm all for it, brother.

We won't tell her. I think, I already, I think we have, I think I have like 2 last questions for you. So actually bringing that up, Jared, like when Jeremy was out here visiting, we talked and it was like, men are pretty simple. Like, they really like, we crave like, appreciation and intimacy, obviously, like, I always joke like, that's pretty much like, that's all I need. And then just appreciation of our work, and for people to appreciate what we're working towards. So appreciation and just that physical connection with a spouse too, like, those are huge for a man, like, and then being able— I was looking at my lawn. And I was like, man, that's a good lawn. And I'm like, man, I'm just turning into the stereotypical dad now. And he's like, no, no, this is an actual feeling. Like, a man loves being able to look at what he's created.. And I think that's a huge thing with family too, like being able to look at your family and be like, this is our family. And it's, it's so cool. But Arnie, I have this, one of them's kind of like a, it's a scary question, right? It's like, it's like, what are you most afraid of? And I don't want to end the podcast on what is Arnie most afraid of?

No, no, no.

It's just one of our last ones. But, but one of the, the next one is, what do you think it, what is it to be a man to you? So maybe, maybe you can kind of play with both here, but like, what are you most afraid of and what does it mean to you to be a man?

Okay, I'm most afraid of— we'll start there. So, you know, um, yeah, so I don't know if you're familiar with Les Brown. Yeah, he's a motivational speaker. And one of the things he said that stuck out to me was like, imagine being around your deathbed, and instead of all your loved ones and family around you, it's all the things that came to you for you to birth, and now they're going to the grave with you. Um, and oh, this idea— and it tells you, I came to you so that you could birth me because only you had potential and you did not. Or this gift saying, I came to you and you didn't help these people, uh, and you had that potential. And honestly, that's the biggest thing I'm afraid of, like dying one day and, and knowing that I did not do the best or the most I could do, whether that's for my children, my wife, my brothers, my sister. Mother, friends, friends of friends, doing the most that I could do and having had that ability to bring those things through or even just start them because like plant a seed and I may not see that tree grow or that shade or enjoy the shade that tree casts one day. But knowing that that seed came to me and I didn't even think once to plant it, which gets into a whole bigger thing of I think the world would be great if we could plant seeds knowing that we'll never one day enjoy the shade that it gives. The world would change. But yeah, that would be the biggest thing I'm afraid of. Going into— and me saying that, I have thought about that question a lot. Besides like the clowns and the spiders and the snakes, I don't like that stuff either. I'm scared of that too. But, um, yeah, but gearing to what we've been talking about, that would be my biggest fear. But to be a man, oh wow. I don't know, man. I'm 24, okay? Like, I just got my first big pay, like, just to be honest with you. But when I envision what a man is, I think of my grandfather, I think of my dad, and those who come before me, the ones that we know their names and the ones not. There's a saying that my dad would always say when I would study in basketball film, and it's, "Take the meat, leave the bone." And, um, so when I look at the— even you two men before me today that I'm on the podcast, okay, what can I take from these two gentlemen, uh, that'll make me a better man? Um, so to me, a man is one that's willing to always adapt and evolve and keep adding to his tool bag or toolbox. Uh, so yeah, that, that's what I would say. And, and willing to admit and say, hey, I was wrong in this instant, let me change and be better. And still keep my morals and backbone along with that, you know. So that, that would, to me, that's what I think a man should be. So again, I'm 24. I don't think I'm there at that point yet at all. But that's what I'm striving for.

Yeah, I'll tell you, man, this is, that's a great answer. Because you, the reason Jared and I started this is because we wanted wanted people to have— we wanted men or young men to have other men to look towards as an example. And hopefully Jared and I can be that for some people, but we also look towards a lot of men in our lives as examples. I had Jeremy Davis on here who came out the other day to visit us, and he's a huge person I look towards as an example. People will listen to this today, Arnie, and look towards you as an example. And it's huge. And I love that you said I just think about my dad and my grandpa because we need those examples in our lives. And some people don't have them. Like, and that's, that's why we're doing this. And dude, this has been probably one of my favorite recordings that we've done. It's, you're a good man and your energy, I can, we're doing this over like Riverside, right? But I can feel your energy. Just through the, through this computer screen, you know. And so hopefully I get to meet you one of these days in person.

Pleasure be mine, dude.

Yeah, seriously, Arnie, man, thank you so much for coming out, man. This is, this has been awesome, dude. And like, just thinking, you know, when I was 24— I said as if it was a long time ago, I'm only 28, so like just, just a few years ago— like, um, just there's so many thoughts that I wasn't having yet, just so many things. Like they say, like, the, the male brain doesn't develop fully until you're like 26, dude. I'm pretty sure like I turned 26 and then I woke up, like, I don't even know who, who that was before then. Like, just the way that I didn't think, like, I didn't think about so many things, man. And so just to hear you saying, like, dude, these are all the things that I think about. This is what I've been doing. And here's, here's how I can take advantage of being in Italy for my family and what this can provide for them. And I'm like, dude, you, man, you are on, you are on a trajectory, my brother. Like, I'm so excited to see, uh, you know, see what happens next year, 24 months from now, 3 years from now, 10 years from now, dude. Like, and I, like, I really hope, man, that you get all the opportunities to continue to bless other people, because I know you will, right? You're the kind of person who, if given 5 talents, is going to turn them into 10 and give them to other people. Like, that's, you know, that's who you are. And so I'm excited, brother. And obviously we'll stay in touch too. Freaking see you at work. But, uh, Austin— I'm sure if you ever have any questions for Austin, brother, he's, you know, more than happy to talk, man.

We—

this has just been an honor.

Thank you for having me on and even considering having me here. Means a lot. So Yeah, honestly, when you asked me first, I was like, can I tell anybody? Especially when I've seen the captain rank, I'm like, my man just promoted like—

Well, Arnie, Arnie, you got our invitation.

All right.

Ready? Just for one day, we're going to invite you for one day to be a guest on the Burpee Squad.

What is the—

so we're gonna do— we do 150 burpees a day for the rest of the month. And then it goes up to 160 next month. You don't have to do a full commit to the whole year. But you know, join us for a day. Are you in?

For a day? And when did you start this? I gotta, you know, now, now my, now my logistical brain is kicking in.

We, yo, we started this on March 19th. That was when, that was when we got invited to the challenge. And so we were doing 130 every day from March 19th until March 31st, then 140 for the whole month of April, 150 for the month of May. Yeah, that's what we're doing. And, uh, we're gonna—

you're welcome to join.

Oh no, no. Yes.

I'll, I'll commit and say yes, I will, depending on what day you say we start or what day.

You just want one day, dog?

Yeah, just one day.

Okay, I can fit in the morning, 50 in the afternoon, 50 at night. We good like that. Look at that.

Yo, just shoot us a text. Shoot us a text when you've done it, man. We'll share it. We got a little group chat going on.

That's how we get you though, Arnie. We'll get you to do one day and then, and then we'll say, hey babe, what about another one? And another one.

And that's the thing, so like in my position on base I have a unique position in the case that, like, being a second lieutenant, I have the power to tell lieutenant colonels and colonels and majors like, no, sir, you can't do that. So I'm gonna stick to my no. Love it, man.

Well, dude, you rock, man. Appreciate having you. If, uh, Jared's always good about reminding everybody on this, but please share this with anybody you think benefited from it. And Jared and I, that's our, that's our, our fee. Do not share this with anybody that Arnie knows that knows his future fiancée, okay? That is the only thing we ask is do not share it with anybody in that network because we don't want her to know. But please, please share it with a friend or a family member, uh, we, uh, or that would benefit from this. And, and I think everybody would be uplifted to hear from Arnie and vision and his mission in life and his faith, man.

I—

that's so, so inspiring. Thank you, Arnie.