You need to go to Church! - Episode 036

I don't even know what we're talking about.

Yeah, it's, it's hot. So the headphones are off. Both switching to shorts. Oh man. Yeah. Welcome back.

Yeah, it's hot here in Washington. It hit 80 degrees.

Yeah. Yeah. Hey, it hit 90. All right. It was, honestly it was good for.

Me to be in like Idaho and South Carolina or Alabama right before this week because like this is like, this is so nice here because it's not humid.

Yeah, that's.

But even Idaho it was like 98, 99. Oh yeah, it was dry, but it was hot.

Yeah. Dude, I don't know how the folks do it in the South. That's brutal. Jumping right in to a big topic. You probably saw the news and I'm a self proclaimed stoolie.

Bought back Barcelona for a dollar.

Let's go.

I, I don't have like the specifics but they're starting to come out. But I'm like, dude, that sale, it needs to be studied in like business finance classes.

Well, this is the thing.

So I want, Yeah. I want your initial reaction.

Yeah. But the deal is they were, they were basically abandoning it so they could go after ESPN which is a bigger player. So still for Penn Sports, it's still a good play and like their stock has reacted well to it because ESPN is still a bigger brand than Barstool.

Yes.

And so this is the advantage of playing in a big boys pond is the fact that you might get a little a winner because simply due to the fact that it's small potatoes.

Yeah.

Right. So they're like, oh, $500 million, no problem. Let's go ahead and assume it's worth 800 million and give it to you for a dol. And then we'll have an 800. $800 million write off. So that's what they did.

Yeah.

Did an $800 Million dollar write off. $800 million write off on a $500,000, you know, thing that they bought. Right. So they, they basically still got out. Okay. Because they're going to take that off of their profit and then not pay taxes on it. Yeah.

It's wild though. Like how do you have a deal where both parties win so obviously.

Yeah. And the consumers like it's gonna be better for the product itself. Yeah. That's the funny thing about like finance when it gets into public companies is like there's, it's more about financial like architecture and financial like figuring that whole game out. Instead of like the product or like what makes sense financially, there's just so Much you can do because it's public shares and, you know, they made more money just. But stock increase just instead of writing that off. So, like, it's just interesting. It's just an interesting thing that, um, once you go public, there's so much more you can do.

Yeah. So what it. So what does the worth of Barstool look like now, being privately owned? Like, what would you say?

Well, this is the thing, because if he sells again, he has to pay half of it back to Penn. So he's not. That's why he's saying I'm never gonna sell, because he doesn't want to go sell it for a billion and have. Have to give half of it back to Penn.

Yeah. So which he'd still make a lot of money.

Yeah, he would. But, like, he doesn't want to give halfway of anything. And so it's in his best interest to keep it and not sell. At least keep it private or if he does take it public, like, do some sort of negotiation with them. So I think it's a win for them because from a tax perspective, they basically upgrade ESPN from Barstool. And I think they proved that they could do it at Barstool. And they're like, okay, now espn. Like, if you look at it from this perspective, they wouldn't have gotten ESPN to commit without having Barstool on the books. And, like, this is what we did, and it worked well. And, like, everything went good. And so it's still a net win for them. It's a net win for espn. Barstool's obviously happy. The users are happy. So it is a win, win, win. But that would never happen in the private market. Cause no one's gonna be like, here, let me take something I get for 500 million. Just give it to you for a dollar. That's not ever gonna happen in the public market. You can do that because stocks are just weird.

Yeah, no, I'm excited. Like, as a stoolie, I've been following Barstool for a long time, so I'm like, I'm excited to see them kind of, you know, dog off the leash, if you will. As one of their personalities tweeted. They just tweeted in all caps, the dog is off the leash.

There's an element where we all crave authenticity, and I think that's what we try to do on this podcast as best as we can. But, you know, you have a lot of real people involved in your life with employees and stuff. But I just love their authenticity.

I don't know how he gets away with all that stuff.

I know.

Like, I get it. This is the thing. They did it from the beginning and that is like, we're gonna put everything out there publicly in terms of what's going on internally in the business. But, like, there's just so much of that. Like, if you actually went and did that in your business, you would lose half of your people in like a day.

Yeah.

Like, if you went in and like, I saw one little short of him going in and be like, where are all these people? Like, they're not here on us.

He calls them morons.

Yeah. Just like calling people names. Like, just outright saying horrible things and posting it online.

Yeah.

Like your employees. Like, I just can't believe that people will stick around. The thing is, because that's the brand, they come to expect it when they join and that's part of the culture. It's just very interesting.

So, like, if you say you're a media company, you can basically get away with saying anything you want about anyone as long as it's not liable.

As long as when you signed up for that media position, it was like, oh, by the way, every disagreement we're going to film, you can't walk away from the camera when we're talking and we're going to be like saying slanderous things about you and you got to like, own it.

Yeah.

I guess it's about setting expectations because, like, you go into any company, any company, small, large, medium sized business and you say that stuff, you will have half the team leave. Yeah. And even if the person has respect like Dave does, in terms of money and experience or whatever, people still leave. They don't want to deal with that.

Yeah.

No one wants to publicly be humiliated and told their morons in front of the public. That's going to see it millions of times.

But unless, but, but I think with barstool employees, like, they know it's all like a bit. It's all just for content in a way. Like, I don't think you genuinely think, like, Dave is a bad guy.

No, no. But regardless of whether it's for content or not.

Yeah.

There's people involved.

Yeah.

And.

Like, it would. It. I understand. Like, it's for the media, it's for the bet, but man, like, it'd just be tough to sell that in any other business. Yeah. Essentially.

Yeah.

My concern with it is people see like, oh, we did this great business deal, the $500 million thing, right. Yeah. And then it's a matter of like, is that what every other business owner should do and how they should operate in order to achieve that. No, no.

Yeah.

And that. That's the problem I have.

Yeah. But the authenticity sells. And I feel like that's why I'm a fan of barstool.

Yeah.

Like, they go by the beat of their own drum. And then, of course, you know, he, He. Dave himself post the clip of him walking in the office saying, like, where are these morons? Like, his employees of the business he just bought. And then all the hit pieces came out. Right. All the media brands that hate him were like, dave Portnoy calls his employees morons the first morning of his ownership or whatever.

Like they did with Elon.

But it's like, but. But he's like, well, yeah, but now everyone's talking about me. I got more clicks. Like, there's more buzz. I'm trending on Twitter again. Like, so he plays the media game well. And that's where, for me, I think part of the reason I am a barstool fan is because I don't think Dave is genuinely a bad guy. Just what he has done for the military and small businesses and, like, all the money he gave away during COVID to, like, pizzerias and stuff. Like, I don't think you can say overall, he's a bad guy. I think he just understands content and media on a level where he. He knows exactly where the line is and he'll never cross it. You know what I mean?

I don't know. I've heard some things he crosses well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm not defending the guy, but I'm saying, like, I think he knows where the line is and he plays it really well.

Yeah, I think. So this is my question, and this is how I kind of think about this. So I, I. Especially with the comedia, when we go out and we actually do these, you know, turnarounds or like, we talking to business owners, it's. We know what would make the story better. Like, me overreacting or yelling or saying something real harsh. We know that would double and triple in whatever, the clicks and more attention. But the question that I ask is, when you do that, the people who are above you. So, like, we're looking up at Dave. Yeah, People above Dave. When they see that, what did they think about that? Right. And that's who I'm trying to not. Not really impress.

Yeah.

That's who I think of when they're looking at people. Like, I don't really care what people quote, unquote, below me are thinking, it's like, what are the people above me? How would they portray my success and how I'm doing it? Like, I'm very. Like, how you become successful is really important. And so I feel like if you got into a room of billionaires, they might look at him differently than someone who treated their employees with respect. That was what they were known for. They didn't stir up drama, whether it was for the clicks or not.

Yeah.

Like, that would be. I think. And that's like, even with Elon, who. I feel like a lot of people have lost respect for him in that regard. Like, obviously, it's all for drama and things like that. It's like, well, like, you're just kicking things up. And I think he would probably lose a little bit of respect from people that are in those. Those levels that they live a little bit quieter of her life. They try to do their very best for other people and for their employees and for their team. And I would like to be the guy that can do that same level of success but not have to push those limits.

That's fair.

Yeah.

And it's not. I guess it's not to say, like, I want to be like Dave or I want to.

You're right. He's a genius when it comes to meeting.

Yeah.

Playing like a fiddle.

So good.

It's so genius. Yeah.

And, like, one of the podcasts that I listen to. Pardon my take. It's, like, the biggest sports podcast in the world. As soon as Dave bought him out, they went through, like, a laundry list of ideas they had that Ben said no to, and they were all just, like, horrible. Like, just. Just grotesquely inappropriate ideas that they were like, yeah, now that Pen's not around, like, we could do these, like, so anyways. But I just wanted your initial thought. I thought, interesting business deal. Yeah. We'll see how it plays out. I think it'll make the barstool brand stronger. Yeah, I think it will. They can be more authentic and have no one pulling strings. I think it's important for them and for Dave, so.

Okay, I'm gonna pull one out on you, bro. So here's the deal. I had a question I was thinking about on the weekend because, like, you always ask me questions.

Yeah.

You know, perfect. This one's gonna get personal because you asked me personal questions. I have a feeling that you get personal questions in this episode, so. Oh, yeah, In. In the. Now, we just talked about Dave Fortnite talking about personal things, so here. Here's my question for you. Okay, so you went to. You and your wife in Chicago. In Chicago, at Bible school.

Moody Bible Institute, Babylon.

Okay, so now you don't go to church currently?

Yeah, I don't. Like a home church.

Correct. So give me. Give me what that. What that means to you. And as someone who is religious, what, you know, what church plays in for. For you? Like, what does that play in. In the.

Yeah, no, that's a good question.

I think you weren't expecting. No, I wasn't. That's totally. I'm fine with that. I'm totally fine with it. Yeah, I guess for context sake. Yeah. So I went to Moody Bible Institute. As you know, this is for the audience. I have a bachelor's in theology, I. E. The study of God. Obviously, for Moody, it is a Christian, you know, non denominational, generally evangelical, generally Calvinistic in their teaching. And I would say my theological belief is that we were made to be part of the body of Christ, which is his church. And in doing so, you are supposed to attend a church. For me, personally, I know.

Why is that?

Why is that?

Yeah, why is it important to go to church?

Yeah. Well, I mean, from.

From that perspective.

From that perspective, and biblically speaking, is that because we are supposed to commune with our brothers and sisters in Christ and that Christ designed us and built us to live in community. And there's lots of different Bible verses to back that process up. And then obviously we have the New Testament that tells us about the acts of the church and how we are supposed to behave and how we are supposed to worship and how we are supposed to practice the sacrament and various beliefs that I believe as a Christian, and those are supposed to be done in community under the headship of a pastor or someone who is leading that group of people in, you know, modern English.

A pastor. Yeah. Right. So.

So yeah, I guess for me, personally, I think my wife and I want to find a church, but it's just like, honestly, we just put it on the back burner. And I think to a fault. You know, there is a phrase that I. That I hold to, and that's like, marriage is a ministry. And I think that a lot of people should really consider that before they get married. Like, don't just get married for love. Don't just get married for whatever your reasons are. Like, marry with the premise that you are going to live a life where you out serve that person every day to them or other people to them specifically, you serve them first. If you. If you serve the Lord first, you serve your spouse first, second. Right. It's like 1A, 1B. And then you serve your community, your church, and those around you. And I believe that a lot of people don't hold that in high enough regard that you are supposed to serve. And that's. That's what I write in every single wedding card. If I ever get invited to a wedding. I say, live, live, live each day trying to out serve each other. That's my biggest piece of marriage advice. Live each day out trying to out serve each other. You'll have a blessed marriage if you do that. And so I think for my wife and I is like, our. Our marriage is our ministry. And so, like, we pray together, we commune together, and, you know, we put Christ at the center of our relations. I'm going full unfiltered now. Like, Christ is the head of our marriage. And we both believe that and we both hold to that. And should we be involved in a community? Should we be regulars at a specific church? Yes, I believe that, and I feel that I've fallen short in that regard. But I also feel like we aren't doing anything sinful by not going to church. Some people would say that, and I would say we aren't. But we do need to get involved in a community. And I would say that that is something that we have. How long?

Three years?

Four years?

Four years.

But we were going to church off and on the first couple years, and then we moved two years into marriage, and then we just, like, haven't found a church that we've gone to a few, but we just haven't found one that we really like. And I hate this phrase, but, like, it's coming from a Bible school. Church shopping. That's what people say. Like, you go church shopping. Like, I want to find the right vibe and the right pastor and the right. And like, I know what I believe the theologically. So that's all I'm looking for in a church is like, what. What is their mission statement? What do they actually believe? Do they hold any, you know, ancient biblical creeds? Like, what are their scriptural basis for their. Their teachings? Like, that's what I care about. And I just haven't put in the effort, honestly.

Cool.

Just being honest.

I just had the thought in the week and I was like, I've got to throw a curve.

That's a great question. But we'll watch, like, sermons online.

Cool.

I think that's not good either because there are people that, like, they use that as an escape. Yeah, well, I never have to be like, I don't have to go to church because I can just live stream it. And I do feel that Christ created us to live in community. And so my community right now is my wife. And I feel that we should take part of the whole body of Christ, which is the church as a whole. But we just haven't really, like, found a church to like, nestle into.

Cool. All right. I was just curious, dude.

And I don't want to see now. I don't want to go down like a whole rabbit hole, but like the town we live in, sort of like reformed churches, which then they got some theology that I'm not like a huge fan of. So it's like a whole thing. And like.

Yeah, so that'd be really interesting because, like, you take it from a very academic point of view because you do have that. So it's not like even a matter of like, okay, proximity to my house as much or like, even the pastor or, you know, the people or their worship. It's like, I want to know, like, what. What are the ABs and Cs of this organization? Yeah, that's an interesting.

Most churches have, like, if you go to their website, like, they have a faith statement, a declaration of fai, something along those lines. And so, like, for me, that's like the first thing I do if I'm going to go to church. I'm going to go online and look that up. Like, are you theologically based correctly? And if you are, great, then I'll attend and then I'll. I'll assess your worship and your pastor and the vibe.

Right?

It's like, but are you theologically based? Like, if you go on there and your statement of faith is like, love everybody. Okay, great. Not bad. Good start. But if you're claiming to be a Christian church, right, you got to have a statement of faith. You got to tell me why you believe that.

So I was just, I was just interested.

No, no, yeah. What are your thoughts on that? You, you. You're actively participating in your.

Your church? I think, I think for me it's like part of, like take the religious part off of the table for a second and it's like a matter of, like, being. Having a sense of community. I don't have a partner like that either. So it's extremely important. I feel like, to be part of something that's other than like, my world and is dangerous for me. I think sometimes the fact, like, 99% of my day is spent with people that I'm employing. And so either a, I have to, like, go out to Conferences or like go with other business owners and network or some point. And there's nothing like that here at all. And so like church for me is like that one point. Like no one knows about my business stuff. They don't look at me any differently.

Yeah.

And it's like a little bit refreshing, just like not have to worry about being a leader.

Yeah.

I can be a follower.

And so I think it's also a skill. I think it's important is to still be able to switch into follower. And like most of my day and everyone I'm interacting, my relationships with is like, I'm the leader and what I say goes. And like that's not necessarily always a healthy thing to be the person always that's in that role. Yeah. And I think being a good follower is important. And I've actually, like, from the church perspective, like, probably step back from a leadership perspective. Like I used to, you know, lead youth, youth services and organize all that sort of me very involved, like speaking and all the rest of it. And so the past few years being more of like support role in the back, like behind the scenes, helping as I can with like the church stuff like that. That has been a good thing for me to like flex that muscle.

Yeah, that's good. I think too, for me, like, I have a group of. And you said I went to the wedding while it was one of these guys was like three of my best friends from college. Like, we have a group chat and so we keep up with each other. We ask each other to pray when there's big events or like, hey, this is going on. Just want to let you guys know. And that's part of our community. And like, whether we go to the same church, which we don't, because all four of us live in different states, we are still practicing the body of Christ. Like we are men. Three of us are married. So like, we're. We're husbands. Some of us are fathers. And it's like that is our community. And Christ has brought us together to check in on each other and make sure we're holding each other to a higher standard and leading our relationships faithfully. But I still think that biblically speaking, like, you should attend a church. You should be part of your local body. And that's where you get into what's called, like, the global church. Like, globally, we are all one church under Christ, but locally, you have to participate as well. And so that's where I think I've failed.

Well, like, if I'm being my own, gather yourself together. More so.

Yeah.

And so some people are like, well, I can gather together on Zoom. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can watch live streaming.

My church has Zoom premium. So we're good.

All right. Sorry. That was a diversion from the. The seas.

I liked it.

Hey, see, you could set up for church. Church unfiltered.

Church suite. Unfiltered. There we go.

Yeah, yeah. Like, for. For me, it's an interesting. The past few years, like, stepping back a little bit more, like, and being more behind the scenes stuff. And then, like, because I have the business side, I see everything through the lens of business. Right. So it's been interesting. Like, my dad started his own church, you know, what was it, a year and a half ago? Two years ago now. So, like, seeing that, like, from a leadership perspective and like, what that looks like from a very, like, much of like, my mindset of business. And then, like, you've probably seen it too, and this is probably what keeps you away from some churches is like the church being ran like a business. Oh, yeah. Or like that really, like, the pastor should be a business person. They shouldn't necessarily be a pastor.

Yeah.

And just because you're an alpha and a leader in the business world doesn't necessarily make you a great pastor.

Totally.

And so those are things that, like, I'm very aware of now because, like, I see what leadership, I have a better understanding. I feel like over the past few years of what leadership at a large scale looks like. And so it's just interesting. And I, like, I've been. I've tried to be helpful to my dad on areas and more the business side that I feel like, you know, that's my kind of not calling, but, like, the thing I can help with is like, that's that side of things.

Yeah, that's fair. Cool. Well, thanks. Thanks for prying. That was an unexpected question. I'm happy to answer.

Poor.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know.

So what are your thoughts on religion and. Yeah.

So how do you feel about the sacrament and Catholicism? Interesting. So you wanted me to kind of ask you without any preface. I'm aware, you know, when things aren't going right in the business, but I feel like in a way and tell me if I need to do something different, if things aren't going well, I just don't bring it up. I'm like, if you need my help, you're just gonna ask or you're just gonna tell me to do something. So a little bit of a rough week last week for copilot and P4P and a few different things and Augusta.

So, you know, it's funny. So the reason I'd say, hey, we should talk about this is because, like, it wasn't necessarily any much more than usual.

Yeah.

It's just like, sometimes I think in your business, even if it's like the same level of stress or like things going on, like, sometimes you just have like a week where it just like hits you harder.

Yeah.

And so, like, like, for me, my weakness is when I know customers aren't happy.

Yeah.

And it's even worse if it's people like the franchisees. So, like, when those things intersect of like, issues going on in the different businesses, like, I am signing up, like, I have to figure this out. Because when, when you have all these different softwares that we're working with, there's always going to be issues. It's never going to be like, bug free, like, regardless of what software you use, like, we use some really big software of companies that are worth hundreds of billions of dollars and they still have bugs. And like, so, like thinking that, like, there's got to be this utopian, like, perfect world is like a flaw that I have. And so since you were so vulnerable and you're, you're.

I'll.

I'll say my flaws here and it's handicapping. So, like, even the other day, like, I had to go for a walk, like, my chest was hurting. Yeah. And like, as soon as something really negative happened, like, I just slipped into this. Like I was tired, lethargic and like, I'm like, I know I slept good. I know that I'm not like, stressed out, I'm not like burnt out. But like, I have this like, physical, visceral response, like, disappointment of other people or like, people that are like, they're having struggle in their business because of me. Brutal. So unfortunately I put myself in a spot where I have to figure this out.

Yeah.

So, like, it's something I have to like, really work on. I'm trying to figure out like, even ways to like, release the pressure a little bit. And we're coming up on like 10 years of Augusta. And so, like, I've always said, you know, 10 year swings. And we've talked about a little bit a couple pods ago. It's like, you know, for the past 10 years, I've worked seven days a week. Most days I still work past midnight. I do like my second shift usually. So.

Like, that's gotta change. Especially if I'm going to run myself to the point where like the other day, like, I'M like, I have to leave. Like, I have. Like, I'm physically not gonna be.

Well, yeah.

Like, you can feel it in your heart. Like, I'm pretty. I know I'm a little bit over indexing, like, how I feel. Like, my heart rate. I can. I can basically tell you my heart rate is usually without looking at anything. I can feel, like, a lot of stuff. And I feel like adrenaline and cortisol. Like, I feel that.

Yeah.

So I. I'm. I mentioned the faith, the franchisees. I'm like, I'm trying to label it more. And yeah, I'm not stressed. I just feel like a lot of cortisol pumping through my blood right now, which is just natural response to feeling like. But your body can't be in that for too long. Like, your body is not built to be in constant cortisol and adrenaline pumping. And that's what I feel like. I get to at some point, these points, like last week where it was, like, for several days, that was happening. Like, your body's just not built for it, man. Like, mentally, I'm like, okay, this is fine. Like, your body's like, no, no, no, no. So I'm trying to figure out a balance. It's not working less because I enjoy it. It's a matter of, like, how do I compartmentalize and, like. Like, get myself on the spot where, like, like, it's so. Yeah, dude, it's so weird. Like, I'm able to control, like, like, my heart rate a lot and even just, like, thinking of good thoughts and, like, thinking thankful thoughts and grateful. Great. Being grateful, like, for a few minutes, like, change really quick. So I just gotta get better at it. I'm, like, looking into, like, a couple things I could potentially do, like, kind of unplug and still work, but, like, get me out of, like, just my desk and a chair and things like that. So. Yeah, we're. See. We'll see.

What about, you know, we talked about the spiritual side now. So, like, emotionally, have you thought about, like, a therapist, Emotional mental fitness?

Yeah, I have. This is the thing I would, you know, back to you being, you know, giving yourself a pat on the back about being theologically sound. Okay.

I feel like I'm. I know. I know what to do, and I know why it's being triggered. And I do. I know what the steps are, and I've just put a lot of those things off for a long time because of what I want to achieve. And eventually it's like, okay, you. You still want a lot more to Go. You have a lot way of this race to go. Like, in order to do it, you're going to change your, you know, kind of strategy on things. And so I know exactly what I need to do.

Yeah.

And now I got. I got to execute on it. And it's very, very difficult because, like, I've been doing the same thing for 10 years. And I was like, if you see a challenge, you work harder and harder and harder to fix it, and then you fix it. And now when, like, the team's getting more dispersed, it's getting more. There's technical things that I can't do. Worrying about it and working hard on it is not gonna help anything. And so, like the other day, like, where I'm developing, I'm waiting for 12 midnight. So the team in the UK wakes up and is working. Like, that's not a good thing. I need to, like, figure out delegation better. So, like, those. That hits other people before me.

That's what I was gonna say. If I can cut you off there, I was gonna say, for lack of a better word, distancing yourself from all these problems. And I know you've toyed around with the idea of, like, an executive assistant or like, someone taking your emails or, like, and you were like, I shouldn't be checking my email. When you said it to me, my gut reaction was like, you do still check your email.

Like, why?

Like, I still email you and get a response.

Yeah.

Like, it shouldn't be at that point.

Well, I don't know.

So that's an extent.

This is the thing. It's like a struggle because, like, I do. I hope to be someone that is, regardless of the size of business, still accessible and still.

Not, like, so removed. You know, I would assume I would aspire to be that person, but I also realize that compounds, like, that's not possible.

Right.

And so that's hard because, like, if someone, you know doesn't. If someone DMS me, I don't usually get it. But if someone tags me, whether be in the Facebook group for Augusta or like, online care millionaires Facebook group, like, I get it. I usually respond, yeah, like, nothing slips in the cracks. And like, I've developed my entire system of, like, living and operating system around. Like, you don't miss anything and missing something and forgetting something, to me is like the cardinal sin. Yeah. Like, I don't forget stuff. Like, it doesn't happen. And if it does, I just hate life. Yeah. And so the problem with that is, like, you have to start letting. Figuring out what to Let slide through the cracks because it's not as important as the things you should be focused on. And so, like, I think the next level I have to figure out is, like, how do I put people in place that, like, are the kind of the EMTs and I only deal with as the doctor once it gets to me.

Well, that's what I was going to say, because. Not to interrupt, but I feel like that's a little bit what Liz Chuck, myself are for you. Like, I have problems that I just solve for you and don't tell you about until later and hope that you agree with the decision.

Right.

So, like, you already have some of that in place. It's just further distancing or delegating with a team around you is what you're saying. But that's hard for you to just take that step backwards.

Yeah. Like, it's always part of it is, like, just financially, it's like, we run everything so redline turn. Like, as soon as I start adding that layer, I know it hurts profitability. It also removes me from the product, which I think is super important, whether it be Augusta. Like, I still very much know almost everything at Augusta. Right. Like, I could not answer the phone at command center necessarily right now. Like, that operational level, I don't know how to do it, but I know how it works. I understand every single operational thing copilot. Like, I understand every page. I understand. And, like, as you start adding more things, it's like, you can't do all of this. Like, you're gonna hurt yourself. And so I'm kind of coming to grips with that. I did the math the other day. It's, like, 140 people now that, like, in some way, shape or form are being employed by me. And, like, I should not expect myself to, like, have tabs in all of them. And that's a horrible thing because, like, I know, like, there's people like Gary Vee that say they talk to all their employees and, like, follow them on social. Like, that was, like, the benchmark for me. I want to be that guy. Yeah. But, man, it's draining. It's. Yeah, it's tough. So I'm just trying to figure it out. I'm not the best at it. It was somewhat of a blow to my ego, like, last week to, like, have to stop because, like, physically, like, I'm gonna, like, have a problem here. And I didn't have, like, a convulsion or anything like that. Yeah, I don't have, like, those sort of things, but, yeah, just Trying to figure it out.

Yeah, you gotta got the instant ideas.

Like some breath work or. No, no, dude. So for me, I think my is like I said when, when, when someone complains, everything is my fault. And that's like the extreme ownership thing. Right. But if you do that on everything.

Every little thing, and the business gets bigger, well, you're just always going to live in this constant state of like constant pain and you gotta like unplug for it, man. So I want to work. I love working. I need to figure out ways to do it in a way where my body can relax but I can still be working. So I am looking into.

Sounds so bad.

I don't know where this is going, but I'm stoked.

So I. I'm looking at me joining a boat club.

Oh, cool.

Yeah. Because like I'm right next to the water.

Thought you're gonna say cryotherapy.

No, no, no, no. Like I'm not like that sort of thing. I think it's good.

Yeah.

I think a lot of times it's like a band aid to like a bigger problem.

Next pod, we're in the cryother chamber.

I'm a fan of those.

Yeah.

Yeah. I would do like a cold plunge. If I had like the space in here and stuff, I would do a cold plunge.

Yeah.

But what I know I need is my brain needs to be able to work, but my body needs to relax and I need to be taken out of the ability to have instant contact from a bunch of people. So like at any point in time. Yeah. So it's like you're a yacht club. Yeah.

You just don't want to say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not gonna be that guy.

Don't be that guy. Okay.

Well, my dad bought his boat for retirement. My mom was like, it's a nice boat. I was like, no, mom, it's a yacht.

I was originally think about buying a boat. Right. So just for everyone to clarify, a boat for me is good because I'm right next to the water. I'm five minutes from the. From the marina. The marina in there. And then five minutes from the. From the command center is also a marina. Now, I'm not stupid enough to go buy a boat because everyone says the best day, two days of buying a boat is the day you buy it and buy the day you sell it. Two best days because you regret it and you sell it like, oh, thank goodness it's done. And then when you buy it's like, oh, it's so exciting. So not dumb enough to do that, but there's a really good program where I have access to like 40 plus boats. I can reserve them up to four times a month and it's a six.