WEBVTT - Drew Bledsoe Full Interview 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.080 Listening makes us smarter, more connected people. It makes us 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:06.240 better partners, parents, and leaders, and there's no better place 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:09.280 to start listening than Audible. Audible is where so many 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:12.600 inspiring voices and compelling stories open listeners up to new 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:15.760 experiences in ways of thinking. Audible members now get more 0:00:15.800 --> 0:00:18.880 than ever before. Members choose three titles every month, one 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:22.000 audiobook plus two Audible originals that you can't hear anywhere else. 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.760 Members also have unlimited access to more than a hundred 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:29.280 audio guided fitness and meditation programs. 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Explore all the ways listening on Audible 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:06.360 can help improve mind, body, and soul with entertainment, information 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:08.800 and inspiration. You can get titles from your favorite I 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.000 Heeart talent such as Chelsea Handler, Danny Shapiro, Charlemagne the God, 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:14.399 and Bobby Bones on Audible. Start listening now with a 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.360 thirty day Audible trial and your first audiobook plus two 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.880 Audible originals are free. Visit audible dot com, slash I 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:24.600 heart or text I Heeart to five hundred five hundred. Hi. 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:27.840 This Rashane McDonald. You're listening to money Making Conversation. He 0:01:27.959 --> 0:01:31.120 is on the phone. I know because we just cracked 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:33.760 jokes together. My next guest had a had a fourteen 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.080 year NFL career as a quarterback and a very good 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:39.800 Pro Bowl quarterback. Bark. He was an one pick in 0:01:39.840 --> 0:01:44.160 the NFL draft and you know, number one. Since retirement. 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:47.320 He is the founder Bledsoe Capital Group and co founder 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:49.840 of Double Back Winery and Walla Wa La Vala in 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:53.280 the state of Washington. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations. 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:57.640 Drew bless So, good morning. How are you man? Drew? 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:00.400 You got that man? You got? That's that's that cold voice. 0:02:00.480 --> 0:02:04.800 Drew Hey, Man, you know, you know it's uh, it's 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:08.760 not early here. We got in really late last night 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:11.639 from bring break trip of the family, so it feels early. 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:13.440 So I got my coffee going. But I don't know, 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:15.000 I kind of like the morning voice. You know, you're 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:20.280 on the on the radio morning voice from you sometimes, Drew, 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:24.079 Hey Jue. Before we get started, Man, I would looking 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.360 at your bayo. I know you're the big name, but 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.040 I gotta give some props to your wife. Uh. You 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.239 know she she plays a major role in the winery. 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:34.880 Could you tell my listeners exactly the role she plays 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:38.600 in the business. Yeah, you know, it's it's really enjoyable 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:41.040 for us to be able to work together on this project. 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:42.639 You know, when when I was playing football, it was 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:45.720 all about me and Vanfire and for us after I retire, 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:48.240 we're able to do this together. She has a huge, 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:52.040 huge impact on our business in multiple ways. She's she 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:54.320 serves as a as a you know, a board member, 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:58.240 helps us direct what we're doing, both from what we're making, 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:01.560 how we're selling, you know, how we're gonna market uh, 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:03.519 and then the other thing she does that that's that's 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:06.000 hugely important. She's got a great palette. So when we 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.680 do our blending trials to figure out what's ultimately going 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.840 to go into a bottle of line, she's the final 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.720 she gets the final vote um, and so far she's 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:18.320 she's done a great job. So so that I don't 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:20.480 want to slay everybody down because you know, some you 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.240 come from that audience, a beer drinkers, that's your fan base, 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:28.600 and now you're in the wine business. Is that is 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:31.920 that something that's part of your your history or something 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.600 that you got into as you were playing football looking 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:36.160 at the next step of your life. Can you give 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:38.000 us a little background on why you are in the 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:41.800 winery business. Yeah, yeah, you know, because you're right. So, 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:43.560 I mean I grew up and I grew up in 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:45.560 in wheat farming country, and then I went to school 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:48.839 at Washington State University. I mean, this is this's beer 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:52.360 drinking country and and and it's uh, you know, and 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:53.840 the same thing you know with the with the fan 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.200 base in the NFL. But uh, the thing that that 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:59.080 happened when when when I got into the league, and uh, 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:01.640 is that I discovered that there were a lot of 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:04.360 a lot of guys on my team, especially early on 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:07.040 with the Patriots that really wanted to try something different, 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:09.120 and so we started drinking wine and talking about it. 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:11.600 And the and the thing that would surprise most people 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.880 is the guys that got into it the most with 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:18.160 me were linebackers, you know, Teddy Brusky and Ted Johnson 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.279 and Mike Brable and and then a couple of my 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:27.200 lineman Bruce Armstrong, big wine guy, and love those guys. Man, well, 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:29.800 Bruce Armstrong should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:32.480 but that's another subject for at at the time. Um, 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:34.440 but you'd be kind of surprised that we would get 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:36.640 together and I would tell those guys to bring over 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:39.320 a fancy bottle of line and I would bring something 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.960 from my little hometown out here in Walla, Walla, and 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:43.719 we would put them in paper bags and we would 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.279 blind taste them, you know, just being complete you know, 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:49.200 wine dorks and and uh and we would just be 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:53.480 tough football player. Absolutely you would, Yeah, you did, you did? 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:55.960 You know? Lat back as they move forward, they don't 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:58.560 move back. And but then all of a sudden you 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:00.440 got one of these big tough guys with this little 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:03.680 pinky finger out swirling wine and a wine glass it. 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:05.800 But the cool thing when we did that, I would 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:07.720 bring some wine from my hometown and we would put 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:09.720 them in paper bags and we would win, you know. 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:11.760 But I would bring these these wines that that nobody 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:13.800 had ever heard of, and we would win the competition. 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.080 So I kind of got my mind working and thinking 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:17.960 maybe that would be a that would be a potential 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:21.400 career after I was done. Now that's you hanging out 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.120 with the fellas. Now when did you move your wife 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:27.160 into saying okay, I think we may have something was 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:30.080 was shed to you know, because I'm marriage so I 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:32.720 know the role that a wife can play because there's 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.560 sometimes the light bulb will go off faster with them 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:38.800 than with me sometimes, you know. So how how does 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:40.599 she come into play? Because, like you said, when it 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:43.800 comes to running the business, the board, the palette, how 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:47.320 does she play a role in that next step? Well, uh, 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:49.880 you know, the biggest, the biggest thing. And she and 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:53.000 I both had this the same fear because we had 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.320 seen people as they've made that transition out of the 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:58.240 professional sports and into the rest of their life. Um, 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:00.480 there are a lot of guys that released good with that. 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.839 And when I when I looked at um, at that 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:05.800 it was it was scary. You know, I was in 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:08.039 the middle of my career and you know, but you know, 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.679 you're playing professional sports. I mean, it's it's the coolest 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:13.240 thing you could ever possibly do. That I loved every 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:15.120 I loved every second of it, and I'd go back 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:17.279 and do it all over again. But one of the 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:19.920 hard parts is that that that if you're really really fortunate, 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:21.560 which I was, you get to play into your mid 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:23.720 thirties and then they show you the door, and and 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:25.160 you you've got to figure out what to do with 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:27.520 the rest of your life. You know, we're both both 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:29.400 afraid of that. And and she when I when I 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:31.520 first of all, when I retired from football, she challenged 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.880 me really hard as to whether I was ready to retire, 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.679 when I was ready to not do that anymore. She 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.640 pushed back on me really hard. But then once I did, um, 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:43.640 you know, I think we both knew that that I 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:46.080 was going to need to be um, you know, I 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:47.560 was going to need to be productive. I was gonna 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:49.839 need to have something that that was engaging to me, 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:53.560 you know. And uh, and so she was entirely supportive 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:56.440 of of of you know, this wine business, and plus 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.279 you know, it's it's enjoyable and something that she was 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.560 passionate about as well. So it worked out really well. 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.040 And then the other part is that she she just 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:05.280 she knew I was gonna be a have to be 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:06.640 out of the house and she was gonna kill me 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:10.200 I was around too If I was around too much, 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:13.320 it was not gonna work very well. So uh, but no, 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:16.120 it was really a thing that we that we designed 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.760 and built and grew together and now we have a 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:20.960 lot of fun with it. Okay, great, Before we go 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:22.480 in the front, I want to talk. I read this 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.520 big old article on uh it was on ESPN dot com. 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:29.360 It was talking about NBA players how they have an 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:33.240 affection for wine, and it was really and to hear 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:35.840 you talk, so it's really I like bringing it up 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:39.360 because athletes in general have this certain vision of be 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:42.360 tough for being a guy that you know, you're the 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:45.120 words man's man. And when you get wine. You know, 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:47.600 my wife is a big wine drinker. You know, I 0:07:47.640 --> 0:07:50.400 got you know, she she she she looks at it 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:53.320 from a certain different a different angle. And when I 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.640 when you when I got excited about the whole prospect though, 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:59.600 you know, talk about Lebron, James, Chris Paul All these 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:02.600 are big time wine drinkers. When you I don't know 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.120 if you're familiar with that story, does that when you 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:07.360 hear stories like they get out that doesn't help your 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:10.120 your brand, doesn't help your industry? And how do you 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:13.200 use that like market? Can't you use that to market 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:18.240 your your brand? And we encourage you know now you 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:19.720 know one of the one of the reasons you know 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:23.360 that that guys are are are going that direction because 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:25.360 it's it's it's healthier, it's it's actually good for you. 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.400 And there's some studies out there. I mean, there's a 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:31.200 there's a recent study that that needs to be shared 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:33.520 everywhere that if you drink more wine, you live longer. 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:37.360 Um and uh so, uh so so I need I 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:41.760 need to catch up with my wife absolutely. You know, 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:43.440 you don't want her, you don't want her to be lonely, 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:46.920 So you gotta live as long as she does. You 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:49.160 gotta drink a lot of wine, housing money that she's 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.600 gonna have some money. That's a sad point. I am 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:54.520 officially gonna start sampling with her from now on. There 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:56.920 you go. I love it, I love it, but no, 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:59.839 it's it's extremely helpful for our business. A matter of fact, 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:03.240 Braun took took great care of me. What a year 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:06.720 and a half ago during the playoffs there was the NFL. 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.680 It was NBC did a little, uh, a little blur 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.880 about our winery, and Lebron sent sent a tweet asking 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.480 me for some wine, and and so that that that 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:18.480 that certainly certainly helps them sales. So I obviously sent 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:20.520 him off a couple of bottles to to try. And 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.560 but yeah, it's no, definitely beneficial and uh, you know, 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.400 it's just it's a it's an interesting beverage. It's different, 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:29.760 you know, at least to me, it's different from uh 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:33.520 from beer whiskey. It's just it's it's got a complexity 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.959 and some interesting aspects to it, and it just really 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.160 really elevates some meal when you sit down to have 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:42.360 a glass. I know, I know you in Washington, which 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:45.600 is the northwest part of the country. Uh CJ. McCullen, 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.640 Port Latreille Direct Blaze is a big wine drinker, and uh, 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:52.560 Damian Leonard they was in that same article. So just 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:55.400 letting you know, Lebron will in Cleveland, and there's some 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.680 bars right there in Oregon, you might want to drop 0:09:57.679 --> 0:09:59.240 a couple of bottle of wine because he's a big 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:01.800 wine drink. Because I know it's all about relationship. That 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:05.080 social media is so powerful. You can take those screenshots 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:06.880 and just share them and all that good stuff. So 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:09.080 that's a that's a big move by Lebron because he 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.840 is by far the most powerful athlete in the world, 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:14.760 in the in the in the sport of football, in 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:17.600 the sport of basketball, and the sport of baseball that 0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:20.560 America has to offer. So let's talk about your your 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:23.920 your vineyards, my friend you and uh and you launched 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.920 the double back and the state focused winder that produces 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:31.320 world class uh cabinet from the Walla Walla Valley. So 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:34.920 is it about the soil? Because I was doing my research, 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:36.720 I was I was trying to get ready for you, Drew. 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:38.920 I would try to get ready for you man. Yeah, No, 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:41.920 it's it's it's about two things. It's about your soil 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:45.440 and about your weatherum and our our little valley has it. 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:47.840 It's it's too long for this segment, but our little 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:53.400 valley has a really interesting uh uh geological history. There 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:55.719 was some huge flood got two breaks that we got 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:57.440 two breaks drew, So you can talk about we've got 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.000 two breaks there. We had there were there were some 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.920 these these there were some floods that happened during the 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.800 last ice Age. There was a massive lake that backed 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.000 up behind an ice dam, and and every forty years 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:08.600 or so that ice dam would break, and we had 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:13.199 floods that came across the Pacific Northwest that were cataclysmic, 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.880 cataclysmic in nature, I mean to do these massive, massive floods. 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:19.840 When that happened, there was a cliff band that just 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.160 outside of the valley and it pushed all this sedimentary, 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.040 all this water up into our valley, and all this 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.480 sediment dropped out. So we've got this really deep, very 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:30.240 mineral rich soil. And then, because you know, most of 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:32.599 the people that have not spent time in the Northwest, 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:34.760 all you think about is all the rain in Seattle 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:37.640 in Portland. But what happens is you do You've got 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:39.960 the Cascade Mountains and that traps all that rain on 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:42.280 the coast, and our climate we're in we're in a 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:45.280 high desert climate, um and so what we get to 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:48.080 these long hot summer days, we get really cool nights, 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:50.679 and we've got this deep, porous soil with you know, 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.640 with you know, rainfall, it only happens in the winter 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:55.840 and the summertime we can control it. And so you 0:11:55.920 --> 0:12:00.200 just have this confluence of events that allows us to 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:02.240 grow some of the best wine grapes in the entire world. 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.000 That's so sol and the and in the background of 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:08.480 where you came from is really what makes his work. 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:11.440 Now you have so you have to two different winery. 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:14.280 You have the Blitzel Family Winery and you have a 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:17.880 sister project called a double back winery. Yeah, and so 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.320 what we did when we started the business, you know, 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:22.559 everything that we do is designed to go into double 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:24.840 back cabinet. We're trying to make this wine compete on 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:27.600 a national stage, and we've we've established that we can 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.360 do that. Uh and even on an international stage, you know, 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:33.640 are the wine will hold up against against any wine 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.040 in the world. So every grape that comes in the 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:39.240 building is where we're intending to go into double back. 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:41.080 But when you bring you know, when you go to 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:42.839 your blending trials, and when my wife and I sit 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:44.960 down and do blending trials with our winemaker, there's a 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.480 certain amount of wine that doesn't make the cut, that 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:51.240 doesn't you know, it's just not stylistically you know, uh 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:54.040 fit doesn't quite fit with Double Back. Well, we initially 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:55.920 we just we needed a place for that wine to 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:58.439 go rather than just dumping it down the drain or 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:00.680 you know, selling to somebody that it in in a 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:03.720 cheap and some other cheap label. And so we started 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.600 the Family Winery so that now we have we can 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:08.600 we can bring in even more fruit and be more 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:12.160 selective with what goes into Double Back without having to 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.320 just you know, eat the financial loss of the of 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:18.080 the other wines. And it's also it's also allowed us 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:20.800 to to experiment with some other varietals. You know, we're 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:22.559 doing a little bit of shardoned, we do a little straw. 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.560 We started doing some rosea this last year. Uh, those 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.080 all going to the Family Wine. Don't go into the wine. 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:29.720 That's my next break because I want to go down 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.280 with I want to go down each wine so you 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:34.920 can tell us about each wine. But also I want 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:37.400 to educate my audience on what wine goes with what 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:40.040 food because the fact that I'll just be looking at 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:41.920 our wife she should be or that sea food. I 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.200 gotta have this, or that steak, I gotta have this. 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:46.800 I go okay, I just have some water, sir, Just 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.680 give me some water. But but the thing that I 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:53.440 really was admired about the whole process of just just 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.120 seeing you making this transition because it's so important. Like 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.360 you said that, so many athletes, you hear the sad stories, 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:01.040 and I wanted to get you on my show because 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:04.559 you're not a sad story. Your family, guy, I love 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:06.840 the fact that your wife has engaged in the business, 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:10.439 and I call your power couple. You know. I love 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:12.240 to get home on the show one day, just interview 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.520 her because she's important to the process, because he's a force. 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:16.959 Like you said, you used to be the big name. 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.680 Now you guys are shared the big name. And so 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:21.360 I want to talk a little bit more about the 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:24.200 the wines uh at the Bled. So I want to 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:25.840 talk about the wines at the double back. We'll be 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:29.000 back more with Drew Bledso thank you. Hi. This ra 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:31.800 Sean McDonald. I'm back and with money making conversations on 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:35.640 the phone. I have a fourteen year NFL quarterback. Uh. 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:37.640 He was the number one pick in the NFL draft. 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:40.560 He retired and became founder of the Bled. So but 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:43.520 that's so Capital Group and co founder the Double Back 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:46.160 Winter and Walla Walla Valle in the state of Washington. 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:50.040 Please welcome back to money making conversation. Drew Bledso and Drew, 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:53.320 how you doing? Oh man, so good, hey Drew. Before 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:55.400 let's start making some money. Now let's talk about money. 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:58.200 You have a wine club. Tell everybody about this wine 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:02.000 club because it was something that you guys started and it's, uh, 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.520 it's it's a lot of ways revolutionary because people can 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.880 get wine on a monthly basis. Please explain. Yeah, yeah, 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:09.320 I know what we wanted to do. We wanted to 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.560 make it easier for people. If you know, if you 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:13.240 just want to if you know that you that you 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.800 like what we do and and you don't want us 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:17.840 to bug you all the time with with emails and 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.360 decide what to order, you can sign up on our 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:24.920 our wine club on at the Bledsoew Family Winery and uh, 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:27.160 twice a year we'll just we'll ship we'll ship wine 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.440 to you so and with that you get you get 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:34.840 a variety. You'll get our rose chardonnay, uh, some surraw 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:38.160 and and also some some cabernet. Don't have to think 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:40.920 about it, just will arrive at your door. Um, twice 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:42.880 a year. Okay, now, how do they sign up for 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.680 the wine club? Because if you have blood, yeah, thank 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:48.120 you know, you go to Bledsoew Family Winery dot com. 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:51.120 Uh if you just if you just search search my 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.280 name Drew Bledsoe and wine, it'll it'll pop up search 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:57.520 just naming wine, it just pop up. I just love it. 0:15:57.600 --> 0:15:59.520 This is a man who knows you know that, who's 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.960 all talking about how proud, uh we we are are 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:06.920 what you're doing, because that's the big negative spirit about athletes, 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:09.560 you know, when you know you have more negative story 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.360 than positive story, and you're a positive story. And and 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:15.480 that's that's when I created money Making Conversation. One of 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:17.920 the goal was to show the next step of athletes 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:21.560 who prepare what time? And we talked about a little 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:25.040 bit earlier. You know the lightbulb, you know looking at 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:27.920 other players, was that the key to saying, I better 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:30.280 have my act together when I when they kicked me 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:34.320 out of this league. You know, it was um, you know, 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.320 I mean it was I mean, there's there's a definite 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:39.800 fear component to that. You know, you you know you 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:45.080 have a successful life and a successful career and uh 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.000 and a significant head start in life and you know, 0:16:48.040 --> 0:16:50.280 you don't want to screw it up, you know, and 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.440 and so there's a fear component to it. But then 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:55.400 I also, you know, I mean for me, um, you know, 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:57.680 I really wanted to find something that I could learn about, 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:00.560 something that could be engaging to me, that that they 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:02.440 got me excited about getting out of bed in the morning. 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:06.040 And I've been retired from the league for for you know, 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:09.040 over a decade now, and um, I haven't I can't 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.000 recall the morning where I got up in the morning 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:12.320 and tried to figure out, Man, what am I gonna 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:17.800 do today? I'm before and it's been it's been engaging. Yeah, 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.320 I mean it's uh you know, so it's been, but 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:25.000 there's there's a there. It was probably it was probably 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:29.000 about halfway through my career I started in football. I 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:32.000 started to think about what was next, uh, and started 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:34.240 to plan for that and started to try to figure 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:35.960 out what that looked like. And so when I did, 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.520 I decided to retire after the two thousand and sixth season. 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.280 It wasn't I wasn't leaving football because I didn't want 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:44.399 to play football anymore. I still love football to this day. 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:46.840 But I was ready to execute on the plans in 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:50.080 the next phase and and go uh and go try 0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:52.639 something new and and uh and it's been it's been 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:54.160 everything that I wanted it to be in a whole 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:55.720 bunch of things. I had no idea it was going 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.840 to be. It's been stressful and hard and hiring people 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.480 and you know, trans listening away from from certain employees 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:06.960 and then you know, shaping the business and Double Back Winery. 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:12.240 It's four state venues out there on the Double McQueen, 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:17.320 Bob Haley, Lafour, and the Flying b in Walla Walla Valley. Uh, 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:24.320 these different wine uh grapes come from each state. Yes, yes, yeah, 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:28.240 what Yeah, it's really amazing if you get out there 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:31.480 and uh, we did this, we did, we did, we did. 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:35.320 The valley is spectacularly beautiful. If if you really like 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:37.399 wine and you want to I tell people, if you 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:39.399 want to go to the Walla Walla Valley, it's like 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:41.560 getting in a time machine and going back in time 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:44.720 about forty or fifty years. Man, it's still just farmers 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:47.040 and pickup trucks and you know all of that, and 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:50.400 the wines are fantastic. But but the thing that's really 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:53.200 striking to to if you go out into the vineyard 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:55.320 and we just did this recently with a group. You 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:57.479