The Trifecta of Marketing With Logan Paul and Roland Frasier

Great partner, great product. And again, the marketing is built in. That is the trifecta. Partners, marketing, and product.

How much more successful would you be if you had lunch once a week with insanely successful entrepreneurs who share their biggest secrets on how they think and achieve success?

Grab your seat at the table, because.

This is Business Lunch with Roland Frazier and Ryan Dice. Welcome to another episode of Business Lunch. And today's a snackable episode with Roland where he's going to get into some more tactical strategies that you can start using to live a rich and happy life. If this is the first snackable episode you're hearing, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to some of the other episodes that Roland has put out. And if you want to get notified every time we release a new episode, go to the new businesslunchpodcast.com website and we'll send you detailed notes along with every episode. That's businesslunchpodcast.com www.businesslunchpodcast.com and you can sign up for the free email newsletter where you'll be able to get all the highlights and resources from the episodes.

How are you? How is everyone? This is great. This is great. Okay. Okay, cool. Yeah. Thanks for having me, man. I'm honored. Hopefully I say something important.

Well, I want you guys to all imagine that these clear water bottles say prime and have your drink. He's got it. We were going to have him out here, but had a chance to try that backstage. It's actually pretty good.

You liked it?

Did you have anything to do with the tasting and formulation of that?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Almost everything.

Yeah, yeah, tell me about that. So, yeah.

Prime hydration. Truthfully, this is probably the most promising fruit of my labor.

Yeah.

Yeah. It is the quintessential thing that embodies everything I've built. Prime hydration. It's a hydration beverage. And we. I mean, can I. Can I brag a little bit?

Tell me the backstory and brag. Absolutely.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we saw a hole in the market in dehydration market, where we knew that we could create a better, for you, better tasting, hydration beverage because we are disruptors. And when I say we, I'm referencing my partner, JJ, also known as KSI. He is the UK's biggest influencer, a phenomenal partner and boxer.

I was gonna say. Not a bad boxer.

Not a bad boxer. He beat me. So. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He.

We fought twice and we came up with this idea, and I didn't feel like doing it alone. I. I found that Personally, amplification is something that really works well for me. And when I can find good partners and make a good product. And then obviously, the marketing is built in. We kind of hit the. The perfect. The perfect trilogy of things to make what. What has become pretty successful business. We're on Track to sell 100 million bottles in our first year.

Nice.

In eight months. Prime now is 1% market share in the hydration category. So that means for every 100 bottles of hydration sold, prime is one of them. We aim to be at 5% by the end of next year. And I'll say it. I'll say it right here, right now, in January of 2023. We are also going to attack the energy category.

We got two trademarks, I think, that were applied for.

I saw that.

Yes, I was.

Tell us a little bit about that.

You do your research. This guy is great. And the questions you sent me, by the way, are fantastic. I appreciate the diligence that you've done today.

Thanks.

And that's why I help him with. I hope I say something important because, you know, I've done a decent amount of these. I have a podcast called Impulsive and I talk, man. I talk. Can I swear?

Absolutely.

Talk a lot of shit. Talk a lot of shit. A lot of stuff that comes out of my mouth is, you know, it's whatever. But I hope today I can say something that, you know, someone can take home or even that surprises me and that I haven't heard myself say before.

That would be awesome. And what you've got here is a very, very cool bunch of intermediate to advanced marketers. And so some of the things that you open with even saying, I saw a hole in the market and things like that, how you approach this will absolutely help everybody here. So there's nothing. There's no way you don't give these guys amazing value.

I hope so.

So. So let's start with that. You talked about a hole in the market. How did you see it? What was it? How are you addressing it?

Yeah, I mean, you know, what are. What are our competitors? Body armor, which is fairly new, but going back even further. Gatorade. Right. Gatorade has been around forever. It's a legacy brand.

And what's your percentage of market? Do you know?

I do not know.

I wonder.

I should. But they've just been around forever, and in my opinion, they're archaic. They are the prime hydration beverage currently, but also 140 calories a bottle, 26.

Grams of sugar, a lot of sugar.

We have 25 calories and 2 grams of sugar, and we taste immensely better. We are better for you and better tasting. BCAAs 850mg of electrolytes were a phenomenal product with a story built in. Into it. So there are going to be a few things I continue to harp on today. One, I already said the word amplification. I love that word. I love what it implies. I love how.

What does it mean to you?

Compound compounding. Like, yes, I am an entity. I have built a thing. Cool. A lot of people have done that. But when you can partner with other people who do the same thing and amplify what you're doing, you know, I mean, it pays dividends. Like, the benefits are exponential. And Stories is truthfully birthed out of. Out of. Out of love. I mean, I know it sounds weird, but jj, my partner in the United Kingdom, and I fought each other twice. We beat each other up twice. I convinced myself at one point in my life that I hated this kid.

I was gonna ask, did that start as a true.

Yeah.

I don't really like it.

It was 100% real. Like, when you're getting in a ring with someone, you have to convince yourself a little bit that you don't. You don't like that part, you know, and. But we really didn't like each other. The dust had settled. He beat me in the fight by one point. I'll never forgive you, Jack Reese, for taking away two points. You lost me that fight. But also, I'm not sure, if I had won the fight against jj, I'd be sitting on prime right now. I took the L on the chin, and I had no problem giving JJ and telling JJ he was a better man that night. And I think he respected me enough to open the door for a conversation.

Nice.

Had a podcast, did a couple collabs. Realized I kind of liked the kid. And then I wondered what would happen if we did something together if we launched a company. Two enemies, like bitter rivals, coming together out of a place of, hey, I respect you. And actually, I kind of like you.

Yeah.

Like, JJ is a friend now.

Yeah.

And great partner, great product. And again, the marketing is built in. That is the trifecta. Partners, marketing, and product.

So what. How do you guys, like. Are you both kind of adding the same thing, or do you have different responsibilities with respect to how you guys are approaching the business or how does that work?

So. So. So he's based in the UK that's where his value comes in. He pretty much runs the UK Okay. Especially Internet culture. Like, he's.

He.

He's the God over there. And I think more so, like, again, like me, he's a disruptor. Like, when he does things, they're innovative, they're new, they make noise. And as someone who likes to think I do something similar, it takes a massive weight off my shoulders because I don't have to carry this company on my back alone. Yeah, he works just as hard as I do, which is not easy. Yo, I work hard. I work really, really hard. I've gotten better as I've gotten older at working smart as well. And just like everyone in this room, you know that the more you get out there, the more you do, the more you learn, you're gonna get better. I'm 27 years old, dude, and I've been doing Internet content marketing, disruptive stuff for almost a decade now. Like nine years.

Yeah.

And I can finally feel the work that I've put in contributing to building something really impactful.

Yeah.

And that's important to me.

That's awesome. Tell us about the energy drink thing. How did that.

Yeah, I can't say too much, but we found that with prime, we are adding incremental dollars to the hydration category. When I say that, I mean at the moment anyway. We're not. We're not trying to compete with.

You're not taking away. You're actually bringing new people in.

Bingo. And that's what we found with prime has. You know, we passed Powerade in Target in sales.

That's awesome.

But Powerade sales didn't drop. We are bringing millennials and Gen Z people who didn't want to drink a date, a Gatorade on the daily because it is simply bad for you to a lifestyle beverage. That's what we are. We're a lifestyle beverage. You can take this thing with you anywhere you go. And similarly, we see a hole in the energy category and our partners, again, another word. I'll keep harping on. No energy like the back of their hand. They are the. The creators and distributors of Alani. Alani knew the. The caffeine beverage. And, you know, you drink a Red Bull, it tastes okay.

A lot of.

A lot of sugar. I mean, I don't know. Mixed with vodka. Yeah. Tastes okay.

Then you fix it.

Tastes okay. But again, like, another thing I'll probably be harping on a lot. And I love this analogy. I love to be the buccaneer, the person who goes second. Yeah. Right. Pioneer and buccaneer. Being a pioneer is great, but when the pioneers came to America, they were riddled with famine, disease, war. Like, bad. They got killed off. They were, you know, faced with a slew of issues they didn't know how to deal with. The Buccaneers did. They knew what to expect. They came in, surveyed the landscape, and then made decisions on what to do to fulfill their goals. I like seeing what the market is doing. I like seeing what our competitors are doing, my friends are doing. Right. And then I wonder, and I ask myself, can I do that better? If the answer is yes, how can I do that better? Right. And that's where you get smart.

That's pretty cool.

Yep.

So if we were looking at the energy drinks, what do you feel is going to be better? You're going to be doing better there than where the market currently is.

First off, there's 10 calories and 0 sugar, and it tastes phenomenal. I tasted it out of the can officially for the first time, I think, two days ago. And I know I'm probably a little biased, maybe because it's my company, but it's a phenomenal product, man. It's a really good product. And in the same vein as prime, it is a better for you caffeinated beverage that tastes better.

So let's say that you. You talking about partners, and you've got J.J. right? When you're thinking about the other people that you're gonna bring in to realize the vision that you guys have, those are partners also, ideally.

So it was the opposite. Okay. They had the vision.

Okay.

They pitched me. I said, okay, I like where your head's at. What can we do with this? What can we make? Conceptualize a product. Let's do a hydration beverage. Let's call it Prime. I drew this on a piece of paper one day and said, can you make the logo like this? He just made the logo exactly like that. And then we pitched JJ and he liked it, too. He saw the same thing we did. So vision was a kernel that started with them and then became what is now a really blossoming young business that looks really promising.

So when you're thinking about partnerships, do you prefer to be approached, or do you prefer to kind of have an idea and then reach out?

It's a great question.

I have one or two.

You have a lot of great questions.

Hmm.

Because I've done both.

Yeah.

I will say, being approached by really adept people who already have their shit together was much easier.

Yeah. You know, kidding, right?

Dude, when I. I'm. I am a creative. I can spit 100 ideas out a day. The end, most are bullshit. But there's gonna be some good ones in there. There's gonna be some good ones in there. But I have so many ideas. I am an ideator.

Yeah.

I am not an executor all the time, and I fall short in that category. So when I have someone who's, like, good at the thing that I wanna do already and they're pitching me, say less. Like, if I like the idea, it's organic, it fits, and I wanna do it, I'm in.

That's awesome. How do you not get overwhelmed by all your ideas that you've got?

I smoke a lot of weed.

That makes sense. Yeah. Smoke slows it down.

Smoke a lot of weed.

I like it.

No, I'm just kidding. You know what I've gotten better at? I'm sorry? I've just, Just like I said before, you get better at the thing, you continue to practice. I've been doing this for nine years.

Right.

I'm at a point where bad ideas don't make it out of my mouth.

Okay, great. Nice. I like it.

You know what I'm saying? Like, they'll pop up. I. I'll. I'll play around with it in my conscious and, you know, bury the bad ones and. Because, dude, I messed up a lot. Like, fall short a lot. And I will continue to fall short. But there's, There's. There's so much value in failure. You know what I'm saying? As long as you win more than you lose, you are a winner.

And you can't win if you don't fail. Right.

Bingo.

You can't. That's something to me that just because you said that, that's super, super important for everybody. How do you deal with that when you thought you did everything right? But something fails, something doesn't work out like you'd hoped it would. How do you keep not let that get you down.

Yeah.

Not make that make you afraid to do something else.

It's the education fund.

Yeah.

I got a lot of money put in the education. I have millions of dollars in an education fund that I have lost doing xyz.

Yeah.

But I've gotten. I've gotten good at failing because I know how valuable it is. Yeah. I think there is so much power in having up as the only direction you can go.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

I totally do.

Yeah. I mean, I mean, like, ask yourself, what's the worst that could happen? Can it get worse?

Right.

It probably could, but maybe it won't. Right.

But I have a good imagination. I think of how bad things you could get.

Pretty. Pretty bad. But still, like, I even. Not. Not to sound too pompous here, but I think. I think, like, why do. Why do people pay attention to me? I think one reason is I am not perfect by any means. And you've seen me not be perfect. Like, I make my mistakes in front of you. Behind the scenes, I'm kind of boring, dude. Like, I'm quiet. Like, you see me backstage. I'm drinking Prime. Maybe I'll, like, get up and, like, yell or something sometime, but, like, I'm pretty chill, you know? But I've. I've failed, and people see that. And I've also done the opposite. I've won. And I've. I've looked around and gauged the landscape and asked myself, like, what can I do to improve? And I have the blessing of sitting here today with what I'd like to think is a pretty inspirational story arc.

Yeah.

Now, I've been through trauma. I've been through tragedy. I've survived it. I've weathered it. I've learned from it. I've come out on the other side, and now I sit here comfortably, you know, and it hasn't always been like that, but, man, I like having one direction to go.

So, speaking of, you've been doing this for nine years. You've had ridiculous success, over 100 million followers, I think, across all the different platforms. What is it that you do uniquely, you think that really drives so much interest in social for you? Or what are you. What is your approach when you're thinking about social that you think makes that.

I think. I think it's based on what my interests are. Again, I am blessed that I am incredibly curious. I like to explore what's possible. I like to push myself. I love to innovate. I love doing things that, on paper, make no sense and should be impossible. And there's hope in that.

What impossible thing are you working on right now?

Selling prime for multiple billion acquisition.

Do you have a target?

Five.

Nice. That's awesome. You'll make it. I saw a guy on YouTube that said, this is why Logan Paul will be a billionaire.

But you know what? It's. It's. I think that's great, but it's not like I. I have a. I have an interesting and kind of fucked up relationship with money. And again, I say this with privilege, but I don't. I don't let it dictate my life. And I haven't always, which is why there's millions of dollars in the education Fund like. Like, dude, I. I'm. I'm. I'm good at making money, I'm better at losing money, but I can see it flipping.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? Early 20s, trying stuff, putting money here and there, learn a little bit, see what works, see what doesn't. And, you know, eventually, again, you're going to be right more than you're wrong. And I've continually made the right decisions and hopefully keep making the right ones.

What's helped me with it is, I call it. I have a healthy disrespect for money. It's like, it's great. But if that's the thing that you're after, it's just. It's the wrong thing.

Bingo. Yeah, it's a. It's a pretty cool byproduct of the things that I love to do.

Yeah, exactly. So you did some training early on with the Groundlings, and what was the Upright Citizens Brigade for kind of comedy training. How was that helpful to you in doing what you do? And would you recommend that other people kind of, like, do that to diversify themselves or get extra skills?

How was it helpful? It wasn't.

Okay.

It wasn't. Take that with a grain of salt. But maybe there's something here. When I moved to Los Angeles, age 19, I wanted to be the biggest entertainer in the world. That was my goal.

You had that goal. Nice.

That was my goal. I would, in the morning and at night, look at myself in the mirror and repeat it every night and every morning, 10 times.

Wow.

I'm a lunatic. Like, and I don't. I don't care who was at my house, whatever. I'm the guy talking to myself in the mirror, saying, I will be the biggest entertainer in the world. I will be the biggest entertainer in the world. It's the only thing I want to do.

You just do that on your own or had you seen or read something.

That says, I'm big into manifestation?

Okay.

I've been since I was 14.

All right?

Like, dude, when I was 14 years old, I would just. I would just write on a paper over and over and over again, I will be more successful than anyone I know. I will be more successful than anyone. And what does that mean? I'm a 14 year old in Ohio. How does that manifest itself? Not so bad. It worked. Understand the power of saying something, speaking to the universe, and then if you're willing to put in the work. I've seen it happen so many times. I got like, no one can tell me anything's Impossible, because I've done it and I'm going to continue to do it. What was, was the question? I got away from it.

No idea. I never listened to.

No, no, please, please, please. It was a good question.

No, I was just asking about the comedy training.

The comedy training. Okay. That was my goal.

Yeah.

I thought a traditional cinema was going to be my vehicle to get there. So I wanted to sharpen my blades. I wanted to become a great actor. I wanted to hone in my improv skills so I could. I could be funny on the fly. And so I attended these classes weekly for two or three years.

Did you?

Yeah, I put in a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of money. These classes are expensive. You're in L. A. I'm going to the best teacher. Getting private classes, auditioning. Turns out I don't have it. I am not an actor. I'm not a comedian.

Not yet. You might find that you're.

Dude, it's one of those things I just don't think I have.

Yeah.

And I've since pivoted. But I tried. I really tried. I practiced my skills and I tried to sharpen the blades for something that I thought I was going to do. But I was confident enough, I was confident enough with myself to admit that this might not be my thing. Even though I thought for the last five years it was.

Did that change the goal that you had or was it okay? How did it change it?

I just didn't really care about it anymore. I thought to myself, I don't know if I'm gonna be the biggest entertainer in the world or at least not through like that traditional path. Yeah. Like, and then one night I'm fighting Floyd Mayweather and I look around at a sold out stadium in my Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. And you know, millions of people are watching on TV and I'm like, yo, I think at least for tonight, I might be one of the biggest entertainers on the planet.

That's pretty cool.

So in a weird, roundabout way, I was able to check that box off, but forget about that for a second. I think the ability to just be honest with yourself, be candid. Be candid with people around you too. Like me and my friends have honest conversations. Right. And especially with art as a creative. In a creative world, it's hard to tell someone that this thing sucks. I didn't resonate with that video. I don't like that photo. And obviously everything's subjective, but some things aren't. Dude, some things suck. And like, you gotta be Honest with yourself. If your thing sucks, if you're not an actor, if you're a singer and you can't sing, you need a homie to tell you that. Yo, like, pivot. Pivot. And I did. And I was. And I was. And I, you know, again, took the L on the chin. But I tried.

Yeah.

I really did.

Yeah.

And I was okay with. With. With. With falling short in that category.

How do you know when it's the right time to say this isn't the path versus sticking it out and making something happen? Because I think a lot of people wrestle with that for sure.

It's a great question. I asked Kevin o' Leary this when he came on my podcast, and he gave a. He gave a number. I think he said, if your business isn't producing, like, what was it, like 5 million in three years, it's time to pivot. Whatever it was, was, like. He gave an answer that it was a tactical, like, metric you could track. Okay. You know, it's. It's a balance. How much do you love the thing you're doing?

Right.

I don't love acting.

Okay. Okay. That's great.

I don't love acting. I don't even. I don't. I don't love improv. Why do you think I don't love it? Because it's not my thing.

Yeah.

I convinced myself it was my thing.

Right.

And then I had to look in the mirror. I was like, I'm. I'm not the Hollywood machine.

Yeah.

I'm a disruptor.

Yeah.

And I can do this because I have an iPhone Right there. So much power in this thing, dude. When I was a kid, I had to work for two years before I could afford a video camera to post videos on this brand new platform called YouTube at age 10.

That's awesome.

Yeah. I threw two birthday parties with snow. Blow in the winter, mow lawns during the summer at age 10, trying to hustle. But now, like, yo, I just don't want to hear any excuses for people trying to make it on the Internet. If you have this, you can do.

Anything with the content that you create, because you've been creating a vast array of different content for a long time now. Where do you find inspiration? And how do you not run out of things to. To create?

It's a great question. The honest answer is I don't know.

Okay.

I don't know.

Are there, like, do you find in particular that when you're thinking about something or you're in a particular state or.

A place or it's because I do a lot, because I love to live. I use life as my inspiration. I do a lot. One of my favorite quotes is, life is not short. You just have to do more. And in that you will learn more about yourself, what you're good at, what you don't like, things that interest you. In my business, if something interests me and I can craft a story around it, I know how to make media. I will invite the audience on a journey of learning, on a journey of improvement, growth of an arc, and apparently it resonates.

Do you think about the end result and then actually craft a story? You mentioned that around things. Do you find that that's kind of the way that you process that?

Yeah, yeah. I'm super visual. I always. I always have been. I think. I think the one thing that I do believe I was, like, gifted with was my ability to see things that don't exist yet and then turn them into reality. I love directing. Right. But it's because I can like literally see a scene before I shoot it and then just like show myself what I want it to look like, then make it happen. And same with my life. I can see what that end goal looks like. I could see myself across ring from Floyd Mayweather. The first time my manager suggested a fight. On paper, that made no sense, but I saw it. You know, reality just had to catch up.

That was your manager's idea?

Yeah.

Did they just not like you? Is that.

He's back there. You know what you should do?

You should fight.

No, he said, he said, he said, would you ever fight Floyd Mayweather? And I was like, like out of left. I was like, that's. That's the dumbest question you've ever asked me. Why, why would. Why would Floyd fight me? But like, yeah, sure, I'd fight him. June 6, 2021. Here we are.

How long did it take from that first conversation until it actually happened?

A while. Floyd is finicky. Yeah, finicky and tough to deal with. And he's smart. He won't tell you when he's going to sign the contract.

Really.

He'll bait you until he thinks you're least expecting it. And then you'll have six weeks to prepare for a fight against the greatest boxer on the planet. Lucky for me, I knew he did that and I was training the entire time that it became a kernel of an opportunity. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yes. I did not wait. Yeah. I was a bet on that situation happening because I saw in my head and I knew what it could do. And I knew it make Floyd a lot of money. And it did. And he still hasn't paid me yet in full.

I like it.

You.

You've created so many different things. Logan Paul vs. Yeah, you created and then you sold to Comcast. That's kind of dealing in a very, very different and sharky environment. How was that? What did you learn? Any takeaways?

Yeah. Not ideal. Logan Paul versus was the show again, love life, love to push myself, love to see what's possible. So I decided to wrestle a bear, do a demolition derby, try to cook for the chefs on top. Slack line across a canyon 300ft high in the ground. Things I've never done before. So it was Logan Paul versus I put myself in. In a. In a scenario that humans shouldn't be doing. Right. Wilderness survival, just. Just crazy stuff. Things that interest me. Yeah. But as soon as I gave it to a corporation, the magic was lost for me.

What happened? What killed that?

It became a production. It had a director, and it wasn't you. I'm the director. That's what I'm saying. Like, like that had to be you. Oh, yeah. Like, and, and to this day, to this day, I think that's. I think that show is a really great, good concept for someone like me, for someone who likes to do stuff, put themselves in, in, in, in.

In.

In circumstances and isn't afraid to just, you know, be an idiot or be vulnerable or, or cry on camera. Like, but we, we put the traditional machine behind it and it. It didn't work. So the message there is like, I know this now. You. You just. You have to remain authentic. You have to remain authentic to how you create and who you are.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Yeah.

What do you have any strategy that you think of for, like, really connecting with your followers, your audience? And it's hard. Yeah.

I'll be honest with you. It's hard. Like, I don't go out a lot, but I, I do try to connect with people who are even the slightest bit invested in what I do when I see them in the streets. And, and you know what I do do? Well, I listen.

Yeah.

I listen whether it's in person, whether it's reading comments. Right. You know, you have a lot of creators. Like, they don't, they don't let read the comments. I'm super open to feedback. I love feedback, and I consider feedback good and bad. Like, I don't care what it is because I've developed a really thick shell right now. Like, you know, if someone's comments. You know, Logan, you're so. You were so stupid. This episode of impulsive.

What?

I'll. You know, I'm not offended.

Yeah.

Was I being an idiot?

Right?

Like, I'll consider it for a second. Yeah, I'd listen.

And what about haters that aren't really giving legitimate feedback that are just hating to hate?

I have a decent answer to this, and it's gotten me out of a lot of mental trouble.

Nice.

Okay. You know, everyone, I think, deals with their own form of haters or critique negative feedback, whatever you want to call it, because I operate, I'd like to believe, with a backbone of logic, reason, rationality, like facts, truth. That's kind of. That's how I Kind of how I work my business. I will. I will genuinely consider what the hater is saying. Yeah, right. Some of them have truth to it, and then I view that as an opportunity to improve. That's great. You've said again, like, Logan, you talked way too much in this podcast. You interrupted the guests. Like, you're honestly so fucking annoying. You're way too egotistical to be hosting a show. Like, maybe they're right, you know, but maybe they're not. Maybe you've said something that is so. Just not even remotely true to me. It's like telling me the sky is green.

Okay, okay.

If someone comments on a YouTube video, Yo, Logan, the sky is green. I know. The sky is not green. You know what I'm saying? I know. I'm not dumb. So, like, everyone has an opinion, but is it true? And be honest with yourself again, be candid with yourself. Is there truth in what this person is saying? If you can look yourself in the mirror and say to yourself, there is absolutely zero truth in this. You should be unbothered. And that's the word, unbothered. I love that word. Operate with that. Be unbothered. But also listen, like, if it hurts, might be a little truth to it.

Right.

You might have to confront a demon. You might not want to.

Right.

But that's okay. That's okay. I look forward to those opportunities. Please prove me wrong. Please correct me. Please help me be better, you know? But as far as haters go, man, a lot of it just. It's. It's noise.

Yeah, that's. That's so true. What about wwe? What. What's the appeal?

Wwe, man. So cool. So cool. I love the wwe. I am. I'm excited that I get to attack another vertical. And I use the word attack intentionally with the fervor and the Passion that I like, that I like to move at and operate at. Obviously the wwe, if not one of the biggest media conglomerations in the world. They are incredible.

They really are.

And I am fully aware of the opportunity they've given me to leverage what I've built, to do what I want to do in the future. As long as I show up, as long as I put in the work, as long as I hit them. Five star frog splashes off the top rope onto Miz at the table on SummerSlam. Like, I live for moments like those I love. Again, I love to disrupt, I love to push myself and I love that when I watch my promos back in my wrestling, I know I can improve so much. That excites me. Yeah, I'm nowhere near. I want to, where I want to be. I have so much room for growth and that's cool. Like, I see limitless potential in this specific vertical that I can be doing, God willing, if I stay healthy for a while. And they, they seem to, they seem to like what I'm. What I'm laying down. It's working out pretty well.

So you said it's going to help you get to where you want to be. Is that in that vertical or where you want to be generally? What, what's it going to help you do?

I mean, look, man, although. Although the initial goal has become less important. I'm an entertainer. I love to entertain. I don't box because I want to be a boxer. I box because I love the sport and I want to entertain. And WWE is the epitome of that. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done. It is harder than boxing.

Is it? Yeah.

It's so hard to think about performing physically in, in an environment that makes no sense. Like, go, go, go to one WWE match and tell me if you understand what you're seeing. It is absurd. The dedication, these people, the showmanship, physicality. It's wild. And it's one of the most well oiled machines that I've ever been a part of, but man, I just love it.

That's pretty cool. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about Maverick clothing. And I read something. I think it was an inter. Or maybe it was an interview I saw. But you said you hit a million dollars in a day and then you hit the million dollars the next day and the next day. Tell us a little bit about how you got into that. What do you see happening with that? What's your vision for it?

Yeah, shout out Black Friday. That is A. That is a good weekend for merchandise. 2017, YouTube, man, we, we. We hit, we hit the merch wave on YouTube. And I, even back then with the. I still have little knowledge, but especially back then with the little knowledge I had about building, knew that I did not want to put my face on a shirt. I wanted to make a brand. The word maverick has resonated with me for my whole life.

It fits.

It fits. Yeah. I do things different.

Yeah.

And I attribute damn near all my success besides to my father. Shout out Greg Paul for the work ethic he instilled in me, but to the fact that I just, I do things differently. It's so easy to see what everyone else is doing and go, how can I be different? How? Like what, what has not been done? And the maverick is that it's, it's, it's the independent, unorthodox person that trailblazes and made it into a clothing company, had some success. We did $50 million my first year in revenue, which is absurd as a 22 year old. No 22 year old should, should have that much money. And that's where, you know, a lot of the money was lost in the education fund. But, but it worked. My hypothesis was correct. I created a brand that resonated with people. And it is so easy about that.

Like, like when you were creating a brand that resonated with people, were you thinking that that was what you were trying to do or were you trying to take your feelings about yourself and what you wanted the clothing brand to embody about yourself? Well, both. Okay, Both.

I believed in the message. I still believe in the message I got. I just, I just think, I just think if you, if you survey the landscape and question yourself a little bit, what can I do that I have not seen yet that is different? It's really easy to break in.

Yeah.

And on YouTube at the time, it was easy to break in because no, no one, no one had, no one had attempted. That's, that's not, that's not true. There are a few, there are a handful of YouTubers who had attempted to make a brand out of merchandise. And some of them worked and some of them didn't. And again, we had a good product, a marketing machine, machine, machine. Every single day, daily vlogging, in your face. Kids coming home, watching me. Almost, almost, you know, like a ritual. And they paid attention. They bought into what I was selling because I really believed it. And I still do.

What's your vision for that?

I am on a, I am on a mission to Explore what is possible in life.

I.

Like to believe that I embody possibility, the essence of possibility.

Pretty great.

That's my goal. I want to do things again that on paper should not happen. I think that's amazing. I think it can be inspirational for a lot of folks out there. And the more I continue to do that, I think the message of being a maverick, of doing it different, believing in yourself, of not not following the traditional path, will become a model of success for a lot of people.

That's really cool. Tell us about. You've got 99 originals and you've been kind of playing around with crypto. What are your. But there have been challenges in volatility. What's your current feeling about it? And how is the 99 originals play into that?

So two part question, you know, current feeling about crypto, Damn, I wish I would have bought some more eth way back then. But I believe in crypto. I think it's. I think it's really cool and I think it'll make its mark somehow and fit nicely in society. But yeah, 99 originals. I mean, I could talk about this all day. This was.

Well, tell us about. Just for anybody doesn't know, let's get kind of an Overview.

And then 99 originals. Okay. I had just fought Floyd Mayweather. I didn't really know what to do. I had a what now? So I partied for six months, like straight, like, I went hard. I was like, I just fought Floyd. Like lived it, lived. I lived. So I was gonna live. And about three months into this, like pure, pure degenerate behavior, I had a creative like light beamed into my head and in three days conceptualize an idea that I believed could become my magnum opus. And it was called 99 Original. So basically I took a Polaroid camera, I traveled around the world in 99 days. I traveled 84,000 miles. I took over 4,000 Polaroids. I spent $10,000 in film alone. And I would try to take and capture moments of the most significant, coolest, artsy aesthetic things I could find. I selected 99 final images at the end to mint as NFTs and auction off one by one daily over the period of 99 days on originals.com the buyer of the NFT gets the physical one of one Polaroid.

Yep.

Here's where it's going to get a little complicated. But bear with me. If you buy an original, you are a member of the originals Dao. Half of the money that is made selling the originals half goes to me, half goes into what we Call the Community Treasury. So if you have an original, you're a member of the dao, a decentralized, autonomous organization, and you can contribute and decide what the community does with the money, essentially building what I call the future of community, or I hope to become the future of community. I mean, truthfully, one of my proudest projects. I am. I am humbled by how well it was received. I have never gotten better feedback on a single piece of content I've posted, ever.

That's pretty cool. It's.

It's amazing, man. Like, again, new vertical dog photography. I just fought Floyd Mayweather, and the next thing I wanted to do was take pictures, like, but I loved it. And then I had a flashback to when I was 8 years old. The first thing I did before I bought the video camera was use a digital camera. Before that, it was a Polaroid. And so again, and I'm so blessed, and I'm so grateful. I don't. I'm not religious, but I pray every day, and I don't ask for anything. I just say how grateful I am because I'm overwhelmed with gratitude in this life, and I don't know what to do other than just, like, express that. But I'm getting to do things that I have been interested in my whole life. I'm inherently curious. Like I said, I have this zest for life, and I'm getting to do things now that I've always wanted to do. And it's fun, man.

Is there anything on the bucket list of.

I have a bucket list?

Yeah. Share a little.

You want to?

Absolutely.

You guys want to hear my bucket list? There's some odd ones on here, man.

Yeah.

All right. I want to hear those.

Those are fun.

Find a pearl. Nice. Hit someone in the face with a frying pan. I don't know. What, like. I don't know. Just, like, you know, like, Tom and Jerry type. Ride an ostrich. Do an MMA fight. Fight at Madison Square Garden. Sail to the Galapagos. That's a beautiful place. I had this jump from the top rope in WrestleMania. Like, got that one that ended up happening. Skydiving. Skydiving to my ranch when my boys fight an adolescent big cat. All right, I told you they're odd. But, like, I like that, you know, I like to do stuff, dude. I like to do, like, what am I gonna find out about myself when I'm fighting that adolescent big cat?

That's pretty cool. You never know. You never know. Now, are you doing any brand deal? Because you've got a lot of things that you're doing yourself, which to me, the brilliant model for any creator or influencer these days. Are you doing any brand deals with people that have other brands where you're more a spokesperson or is it only equity things that you own parts of?

Rarely. Yeah, rarely. If something makes sense and it's something that I don't believe I can build myself because of whatever complications and it's organic and the deal makes sense, I'll consider it. But you're right, I prefer to build.

How would the deal make sense? That's what I have a hard time with that. Like. Yeah, it would have to be a lot though, right? Yeah. Example or something you had no. Maybe no direct interest in doing yourself or something like that.

Yeah, exactly. Like. Okay, I'm an ambassador for the Barstool Sportsbook. Big barstool guy, love barstool. And they came to me with the deal for the sports book and it made sense. It was a healthy deal. And again, I am in bed with them already and I'm actively talking about sports and I like gambling myself. And so, yeah, I thought that was organic and I thought it made. So I took it. Okay. And have a deal coming up with Sandbox, the Metaverse. That, again, I think made sense. And I'm in the NFT land and crypto world and thought, yeah, we can activate and I can make an impact to be a good partner for them.

Nice. And in the podcast space, you've got impulsive, you've got all kinds of cool things going on there. What do you feel is happening there? Where is it going in the podcast space? Yeah.

Can I tell you where I hope it's going? I would love for you so we can get acquired. Yeah. So impaulsive. My podcast is. It's really a show. We're visual guys, me and my two co hosts, who are also my best friends. And we are primarily on YouTube. We're syndicated across all platforms. But I hope podcast is going to have a healthy crossroads with. With where video sort of becomes synonymous with audio podcasts, because that's where we thrive. And I'm cognizant that it is incredibly hard to break into podcasts now. This was another thing where I think we got lucky. We did something really early, caught some steam, got some. Got some traction. But it's another space where it's just hard to make waves. And I also think there's so much. There's so much value in the podcast listeners. You know, these people are. They're high quality. It's a High quality audience. They will listen to you and your friends talk for hours on end. It becomes again, almost like a ritual. Every week they carve out some time to watch you. And I consider it the spine of my operation. Yeah, always on every single week. 345 episodes deep and I can stay topical, talk about things that are important to me. Invite guests on. We've had some of the coolest guests in the world. On yesterday, we had Sebastian Maniscalco, the comedian. We. Rob Dyrdek. The day before that, Gabriel Iglesias. Fluffy. We have Shaq this weekend live in Vegas. And then David Blaine Featherson. We just get to talk to the coolest people. And I am fortunate that they want to sit down and have conversations with us. That similarly to this, I hope when people watch they can have one takeaway.

Right. And are you picking the guests yourself or do you have kind of a.

So we have a team that will suggest. But the general rule is I, I have to be intrigued by the guests. Like you could, you could be doing the coolest thing in the world, but, like, if I'm not interested in it, it's going to be difficult for me to have a conversation. Yeah, we, I mean, at this point, man, we could talk to a fucking wall, to be honest with you. Especially with Mike. For those of you who know Mike. The guy can talk. The guy can talk. But yeah, it's, it's, it's amazing. I'll be doing impulsive for a very long time.

That's really cool. Now, you did mention getting acquired. So are you thinking about exits with all the things that you do, like when you get into something or when you're running a business or like, does that play into it at all?

It's funny you're asking me that at a really interesting point in my life. Really, dude, I've never been acquired. Think about it. I don't know what that's like. All right, so am I thinking about exits? I guess because. Because I was told you're supposed. Like, not supposed to, but, like, I can see it on the horizon. Yeah, I could see it happening, but I don't know what it's like. I don't know what that feeling is. So I don't know. I'm doing this stuff because I love it. And in the same way that that money happens to be a byproduct of the thing that I love, I'm doing these things that I love. And I'm sure something will happen eventually where I can be like, oh, cool, like prime just sold for $5 billion.

Wow.

We were on, we were on top of the bus in the United Kingdom when we were launching prime. And it was me, Mike, J.J. was there, like just our friend group, our managers, our team, the people building this thing. And Mike said to me, he goes, yo, fuck the acquisition. This is what it's all about when we are just on top of this bus, launching a product in the United Kingdom. It's fun. It's fun. So while it is. It's idealistic, it's something to look forward to and like, we'd all love it to happen. Like, I'm enjoying the time right now and I'm making sure to savor these moments, being here talking on stage about a product that did not exist in December 31, 2021. And now again, 1% market share in hydration category. Like, it's cool, it's fun.

We got to. We had Richard Branson here a couple of years ago and he was talking about how when he launched Virgin Cola, that the other cola folks were playing really, really dirty and ultimately kind of pushed him out. Have you experienced any of that kind of thing as you've gone to market with this?

Not from the big dogs.

Okay.

We've had a cup, we've had a couple cats. Yeah. They got a, a pretty strong cease and desist letter and pulled their product from retail immediately. They did. Okay, yeah, they were called King. They looked exactly like this, like they ripped us. And so. So they're done. But no, no, we haven't, we haven't been, we haven't been like bullied or like approached per se, because like the fighter coming out of me will tell you, like, there, you cannot stop us. Yeah, good. Good luck.

Yeah.

I know how powerful I am in my entity and what I bring to the table. And I know how powerful my partner JJ is. And together, like again, fighter coming out of me, I just, I just don't see how, you know, we're gonna be affected by the old dogs.

I like it.

There's a new sheriff in town.

So if you were, if you, with all that, you know now it's gonna, you have to follow this because it's not gonna be articulated well. But if knowing everything that you know now, you were back to your 14 year old self starting from scratch with nothing, what platforms and approaches might you take?

Tick tock.

Nice.

Swear. TikTok's algorithm is so good for discoverability. Like it's almost too easy.

Yeah.

Again, you got iPhones now. Dude, I was using editing program before Windows Movie Maker. If you know what that, like, I'm talking way back, it is so easy to create content now and post it, edit it on your phone and post it. Like, you don't have to do the memory card and have the little like, thing to connect it to the computer so you can upload your. It's all here. And so again, you have the resources and TikTok is the way to go for now.

And so if somebody is thinking I.

Want to do it, I want to.

Do it, but I'm afraid because I don't like looking at myself on video or I'm afraid that I'll get laughed at or whatever. What advice would you give them?

You will get laughed at. You will get laughed at. Plan on everyone around you thinking you're absolutely fucking insane. And guess what? You are. And that's why it's going to work.

I like it. Do you follow any particular resources or trend reporting things or like that?

You know, a lot. A lot of. A lot of my peers in this space are really big into analytics, and I am too, but I prefer to lead with substance. Yeah, I'm a storyteller. I believe if I'm telling a good story. And again, I've gotten better at it. I was shit dude, like, up until.

Even.

Even now, like, I don't know, like, I think I'm okay, but some things I put out, like, just don't resonate and some do. And I'm going to continue to get better. But I don't know, I think. I think. I think chasing numbers could turn you into something that you're not sure. And that's happened to me before. And I've seen how dangerous that can be. And so I stay away from that. And I try to stay true to myself, who I am. What do I want to say? What do I want to do to resonate with people and then attack full force?

Have you done anything like, Are there any resources that have helped with your crafting a story? Like George Lucas with the Hero with a Thousand Faces. He said that kind of helped him with the whole Star wars thing. Is there any resource like that that you particularly like?

I'll be honest with you. Not really.

Okay.

Not really. My team, you know, I have a videographer who is incredible. Kevin. He's out here somewhere. I think he's probably shooting me right now, and I don't even know it. That's how good he is. Where are you, Kevin? I have amazing editors, amazing manager. Like, those are my resources.

What is the ideal team?

I prefer to stay Skinny. We are fairly lean for the type of operation we're running. My brother's the opposite. Walk into my house. I'm with my boxing coach and Kevin.

Okay.

Jake, my brother has 15 people around him and everyone does it differently. But personally I like to stay lean. I just, I don't. Extra bodies, extra weight that doesn't add significantly to what we're trying to do is I think, unnecessary.

Okay. Are there any tools that you like to.

Yeah, you see this thing on the back of my phone? It's called a Fly Grip. This is not a brand deal. In fact, this was the first brand deal I ever did as a 19 year old on Vine.

Really?

Fly Grip paid me 2000 doll to do a six second video, something I was already doing. I was making six seconds. So now you're gonna pay me. All I have to do is use your product. Eight years later, I'm still using it. And back then I asked for 10% of the company and they said no. And I don't know how they're doing now, but I still use their product to this day. And as silly as it sounds like, the ability to be nimble with my phone and do all this aids immensely. And again, not to get too tactical, but like you have the resources. Imovie on iPhone. If you want to make a video, you can do anything you want in that program and post it immediately.

What are, what are some of the things that. That you haven't been asked yet by me or other people that you really wish somebody would ask?

Oh God. You're the interviewer, dude. I know.

Let's just try to get you.

You want me to interview myself?

Yeah.

Yikes. Can I ask you a question?

Absolutely.

What makes you happy?

Really?

It's being able to share with other people. This to me, like I like people, so I get energized. It does not take anything out of me. It actually gives me energy. So the ability to interact and share.

An extrovert.

I'm not.

You're an introvert who likes people.

Yeah, it's weird. I don't like to be out. Like I like people, but I just as soon not have to talk to any of them.

Okay.

But still be able to share and help.

Good talk.

Makes sense.

I mean, yeah, I'm not like at a.

At a party.

I'm definitely not going out going, you.

Know, hey, it's great to meet you.

You know, as I'm kind of in the corner and you know. But I'm happy to talk.

Yeah, man. I think as I Continue to get older. I'm often asking myself, and maybe this is the question that I'm going to ask myself. I guess what's happening here is why. Why am I doing this? What am I doing it for?

See, now I'll do my job. So why are you doing this?

I want to be significant.

What does that mean?

I want to leave this planet feeling like I made an impact. That's important to me. And recently, I've become. I can feel this. I can feel this. This fire that's been ignited in my brain for leaving behind a generational legacy. And that doesn't just include the things that I'm doing. I. I think they're cool. And. And who knows how long the things that I am doing and will continue to do will be remembered. But the idea of being a father to humans who will become the future of this planet and being a good father who raises, you know, respectful, useful, beneficial members of society is important to me. I think that's an amazing responsibility that I'm really excited to attack because, like, yes, I'm doing some stuff, but how much cooler would it be if I've used what I've learned in my life to create another human who can continue to build or chase their own passions and do what they want and make this world a better place? And if I do my job right as a father, he'll do the same with his kid. And creating a lineage of. Of just. Of just good, good people, Good, impactful people who make a difference in this world is important to me, and I'd like to do that.

How will you know if you achieve the significance that you want to achieve?

I think, honestly, honestly, I'm really grateful to say I am personally fulfilled. Yeah, my goals are checked. That night that I fought Floyd, dude.

That was a big.

That was it. I swear that was it. Everything that happens now is just a bonus. And I think that's why I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. Like, it was muddy. It was muddy at one point in my life. Made it out, looked around, okay, I've survived. Now what. And then started. Started doing things and believing in myself. And, you know, next thing you know, we're. We're doing these things that. It's just. That seemed impossible, and I think I've done it. I'm not afraid to say I'm living life now and doing what I do because I love it.

That's awesome. And last question for you today. From a philanthropy standpoint, giving back, what is your. What are your thoughts and your plan on that? What are you doing now?

I love this question. Have you read the book the Second Mountain?

I have. Not.

Me either. Fantastic. But, but if I had. But if I had. I hate reading. I hate reading. I do not read. I don't even listen to audiobooks. But this book, the Second Mountain, you should read it. It's the one, evidently, after you are done climbing your first mountain, the one of personal fulfillment and whatever achieving the goals that you want to do, you approach mountain and it is that of service. I am looking forward to using what I've learned to be useful for the world. And you mentioned philanthropy. And I've, I've, I've again, as I'm growing slowly into a mature adult, I'm finding and, and figuring out which one I want to attack, because I'm going to attack one day.

It's vertical, right?

Or multiple. Yeah, yeah. And not, not a philanthropy per se, but I want to reform education. I looked at all the different philanthropies and charitable organizations and verticals in the space, and one of them was education. And I looked and saw an archaic system. And it's archaic. And I believe that if you reform the education system, teach the youth of the future the right way, empower them, teach them to believe and love as well. Love thy neighbor. We can create a generation that is gonna reverse all the wrongdoings that, you know, the people before us and even our generation is currently dealing with. And as a person who likes to again, attack, I think again, education is, it's a, it's a root. It's a root and the tree has been birthed. But we can change it. We can make this a beautiful big old redwood, right? This, if I plant a seed, God knows what type of redwood is going to grow from that seed years from now if I do it right.

Do you have thoughts about what you see happening there?

I do, I do. I'll answer the question, but I don't know if this is it, but I want to, I think I want to empower. I think I want to empower young people who, who seem to be interested in a certain thing at a very early age.

Okay.

I, again, I say this with privilege. Get to do the things that I loved at age 7. Not everyone gets to do that. But as a child, as the blank canvas, my interests were very specific and they have not changed two decades later. There's something important in that, right? You see a six year old who's counting tiles on the floor in the bathroom. Maybe this guy likes math. Maybe there's something he can do there. And who knows what's gonna happen in his life or what direction he's gonna be pushed. But let's hone in on a student's inherent gifts and amplify the shit out of them. I think if you create some really powerful people in that vertical, almost like creating a future wave of geniuses in their own regards, we can work together in a really balanced way.

That's really cool.

Ever wonder how some people build real wealth through acquisitions while others just sit on the sidelines? Well, I'm here to tell you it's not about luck. It's about having the right system, the right deals and the right guidance. And that's exactly what we give you in the EPIC Deal Fast Track. If you've been thinking about buying a business, but you keep getting stuck, whether it's finding the right deal, structuring the financing, or negotiating with sellers, you are not alone. Too many people waste months, even years just thinking about acquiring a business while the real opportunities pass them by. The EPIC Deal Fast Track is not another course. It's actually an implementation program. And it's designed to get you from the idea to the acquisition in just 16 weeks or less. We work with you one on one to help you find, fund and close your first or next deal. And once you do, we're going to plug you into our elite EPIC board community so that you can keep scaling through acquisitions. We install three powerful systems in your business. The first is the Deal Flow engine so you always have high quality off market deals coming to you. Number two, we give you our offer and funding system so that you can structure offers that get accepted and fund them creatively many times with no money out of your own pocket. And number three are closing and integration systems so that you don't just buy a business, you actually successfully run and scale it once you have acquired it. Plus you'll have direct one on one support from an EPIC Deal Advisor every step of the way. And that's people that have actually come up through this system and done these deals themselves. That's the only way to become an EPIC Deal Advisor. And if you're serious about acquiring a business this year, don't just sit on the sidelines. Just text I'm in to 334-458-9034 and we'll get you in. So text I'm in to 334458, 9034. We'll get you in. No fluff, no wasted time, just real deal making from people that are actually out there. Doing deals right now.

I'll see you there.