WEBVTT - Ryan Wilson & TK Petersen Interview 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:06.560 Wait in the morning Breakfast Club. Morning. Everybody is DJ 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:09.800 Envy and Ngula Yee, Charlomagne and the guy. We all 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:11.720 the Breakfast Club. We got some special guests in the 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:15.440 building from the Gathering Spot. We have Ryan Wilson and T. K. Peterson. 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:18.479 Welcome guys, good to be here, Greenwood and the Gathering 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:20.799 Spot there. Well, let's let's break it down for people 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:23.919 that don't know what is the Gathering Spot. So the 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:26.560 Gathering Spot is a private network that we established in 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:29.360 Atlanta in twenty sixteen. We're in the community business. We 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:32.199 figure out how to connect people. Youngest members twenty one, 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:36.360 oldest is ninety. So we spend time building connections, hosting programs, 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:39.160 and we have physical clubs across the country. I actually 0:00:39.240 --> 0:00:42.840 just had Mary J. Blige's um Yes Stan Devon Woman. 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:45.720 Their whole entire event was there at the Gathering Spot. 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:48.200 So how can people become a member if they wanted 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:50.720 to become a member of the Gathering Spot. So you 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:53.520 go online, right, we have a process that starts there. 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.040 You'll get in contact with a person on our membership 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:59.240 team and then we interview everybody. Right, It's really important 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:01.600 for us to get to know every single member of 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:03.880 the community. To make those connections that I was talking about, 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:07.120 We've got to spend time really understanding what makes you 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:09.520 you and then from there we send out acceptances. So 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:11.839 it kind of works like college. You put your application 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:15.120 in and then we'll tell you soon after if you're 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:18.080 if you're a member. How many members are there? There's 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:21.680 twelve thousands of the country across the country that with membership. 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:23.160 What does that include? What do I get with the 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:25.839 membership and how much is membership feeds? And why would 0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:28.120 somebody want to do it? Got so the membership includes 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.400 access to the physical locations we have so in Atlanta 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:34.040 we have about twenty five thousand square feet in DC 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:37.080 on LA roughly the same size, so physical clubs that 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.039 have events space, a private restaurant and bar, and a 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:42.720 workspace where private offices and conference rooms. That thought being 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:44.400 that anything you would need to do in a modern 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:46.440 day's worth of work you can do inside of the space, 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.440 both professional and social. And then we have our own 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:54.280 content platform digital platform there and local perks and different benefits. 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.320 But the biggest attraction to being a part of the 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.520 community is that one another you're meeting other people who 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:03.320 are are like minded and highly driven and see value 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:05.520 and being part of something that's larger than themselves. So 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.240 very similar to college where you're meeting people who are 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:11.280 lifelong friends and partners and different things. This is how 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:15.079 you keep that connectivity beyond the educational setting and with 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.680 you for the rest of your life, hopefully. Interestingly enough, 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:20.720 you know, when I started at my private label store 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.280 and Detroit, the meeting that I had with my partner 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:25.720 Mikey was at the Gathering Spot. So that's where we 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:29.079 actually had our first initial meeting in person to kind 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:32.720 of talk about getting things started. So like stories like 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:35.040 that or what it's about for us, Like we look 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.320 now it's been all seven years since TJS open, and 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:40.799 there's so many business partners in relationships. We even have 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:43.440 TGS babies where people are like I met I met 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:45.880 at TGS and now now look at us. That's why 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:51.359 we started side Piece at the Gathering Spot. Hey, look 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:55.520 there there are a lot of different I say. And 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:57.639 that's that's again the one we were talking about this 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:00.919 in twenty thirteen. That was the plan. How do we create, yes, 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.480 a place, but a network where we can build with 0:03:03.480 --> 0:03:06.960 one another. Right knowing that there's not enough places around 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.000 the country to be able to do that. So we 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.360 started in Atlanta, but we're building them all over the country. Now, Now, 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:13.040 what is membership fees? How much is it supposed to 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.040 be a membership? And can I bring in people? Because 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:17.360 you know, how does that work? Yeah? Great question. The 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:19.560 fees are it's two hundred dollars a month or two 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:21.120 thousand dollars for the year to be a member of 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:24.360 the gathering spot. And yeah, you're allowed three guests pretty 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:26.480 much at any time without giving advanced noise. If you 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:28.200 need more than that, we asked that you reach out 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:30.320 so we can make sure that there's enough space for 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:32.560 your for your guests. What made you decide Atlanta was 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:34.760 the right place to start. I think Atlanta is one 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:36.640 of the more important cities in the country, right, and 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:39.640 we've believed that for a really long time. But you 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:42.600 look between the colleges and universities, the big businesses that 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:45.520 are there, the small businesses and startups that are there, 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:47.840 and then you've got the culture that's coming out of 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:51.360 the city, right, that special sauce. We we couldn't pass 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:53.240 that up, right, That's what you see inside of the club. 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:55.720 You'll see people who are wearing suits and tires sitting 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:57.840 next to people who are wearing t shirt and jeans, right, 0:03:57.840 --> 0:03:59.360 and so our goal is to try to figure out 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:01.320 how to make them talk to each other. But you 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:03.240 have to be in a city that understands and kind 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:06.320 of moves in that way already, and so we planted 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:09.120 in Atlanta. But we're in the community business, So I mean, 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:12.240 we're at this point able to do this work all 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:15.800 over the country. Camp in DC, right, So, yeah, DC 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:18.440 was the second one, and then we recently opened another 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.599 in Los Angeles, and that's the physical clubs where we 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:27.640 have membership communities. Actually one here in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Charlotte. 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:30.720 So they're TGS folks everywhere. Now, I was going to ask, 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:33.320 you know, Drake talks about kicking it with Jack Harlowe 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.680 at the Gatherer Spot. So you have celebrities as well 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:37.640 out of members or do you have celebrities that you 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:42.080 know come through because they feel safe? Yeah? Yeah, yeah yeah. 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:44.640 Terms of brother Man, he is a long time support 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:46.120 that showed us a lot of love the whole Grand 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:49.680 Hustle team. We're forever thankful for their support very early on. 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:52.479 But yeah, we have we have celebrity members. Oftentimes we 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:54.960 have a lot of people whom the team around the 0:04:55.520 --> 0:04:58.880 celebrity is oftentime the member, so they're like manager, they're 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:04.120 assist sent their attorney, so the apparatus around them. And 0:05:04.160 --> 0:05:06.359 then because of that, they're familiar with the space and 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.480 because it's a private community, they have you know, private 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:13.440 get together as regularly. So we're fortunate that we've We've 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:15.880 worked with Drake and an Oval team several times over 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:17.680 the years. It's always a great time with them. Now, 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.360 why would you turn somebody down if they wanted to 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.760 become a member? Why would you turn them down? So 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:24.960 we're looking for people who are connectors, right, So if 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:27.160 you're one of those people that likes to walk in 0:05:27.240 --> 0:05:28.960 rooms and just pass out your business card and not 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:33.240 say anything and the interaction is really transactional, you're probably 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:39.600 not a good fit for TGS. But this is about relationships, right, 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.359 So if you're not a person that displays interests in 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:45.320 building real relationships, this is probably not the best environed 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:47.680 for you. I Mean, we ask a lot of questions 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:49.680 in our interview, but the main thing that we're asking 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:52.560 and the question that everyone gets is what animates you 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:55.040 outside of the office, and we like, we really care 0:05:55.080 --> 0:05:57.000 about the answer to that question, Like you have to 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:00.200 talk to us about that other thing that you're passionate about. 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:03.279 That's what we ultimately build programs around. So it's important 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.360 to get to you, like the real you. And if 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:07.760 you don't want to bring that to the table again, 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:09.320 like this is probably not the best place for you 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:11.440 now right now, this always fascinates me. So I want 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:13.880 to get to the Greenwood part. When you guys have 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.640 done this whole partnership. Now, the wording is they did 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.920 Greenwood acquired the gathering spot, and so as people who 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.800 have built this up right as a baby from the beginning, 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:26.039 what was the decision that what was the thinking behind 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:29.279 you making that decision to go into business with Greenwood? 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:31.840 So there are a lot of things in this, right, 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:34.320 but first and foremost, if you look at what we've 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:36.800 been talking about at TJS for years, right, So, the 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:40.520 pandemic hits and we had a very vocal campaign called 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:42.480 we All We Got and the thing that we were 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:45.080 talking about was we've got to support one another and 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:48.520 like be radical in that support. That's us talking a 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:51.080 lot though about money, right, and so The conversation that 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:52.880 was happening a lot in the community is that we 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:54.880 just don't have access to the right resources and the 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.880 right tools to be able to advance our personal and 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:01.160 our business interests. So what we're doing with Greenwood is 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:04.480 is something that that really is is special. Right. When 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:06.719 you hear the term black on black, a lot of 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:09.920 times that phrase doesn't end positively, but in this this 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:12.080 context it does. Right, This is black on black m 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:16.240 and A. And we're working together to build a really 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:18.800 really big company. Knowing that we bring the community that 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:22.320 we have at TGS now together with the financial tools 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:26.320 and resources that Greenwood has. Those those two things together 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:29.320 are super super powerful. So we decided it was it 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.840 was better to go with each other than to be 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:35.600 trying to build a business separately. Now, black people only 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:39.160 allowed at the gathering spot. You just said, Jack Harlowe 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:41.720 is there, but I don't know he's a member. He 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:43.840 might have came with somebody else that somebody I'm asking 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:52.960 both both. No, So look, we are we are specific 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:56.880 at TGS and at Greenwood that while everybody is welcome, 0:07:57.440 --> 0:08:02.040 we are speaking to our commune directly, right, and so 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:04.240 that is where we are focused, right, we're talking to 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:07.040 black folks and if never mixed words about that. It's 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:09.720 important for us to have places you mentioned safety earlier. 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.560 We have to have places where we are safe and 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:16.240 can build and grow with one another. So again, everyone's welcome, 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:20.720 but we are definitely specific about where the perspective. I 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:22.840 think something that Ryan has said over the years as 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:26.040 true is that there's places where we're tolerated or accepted. 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:27.840 This is a place that was built for is this 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.560 is black owned, black man is black operated. This is 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:33.360 our platform. Now let me ask you this sale. We 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:35.800 talk about working in tandem, right, black on black but 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.360 in a positive way. So why acquiring and not a partnership? 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.640 So I mean that really got down to just the 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.280 way that the best way to construct the deal, right. 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:48.120 I mean Greenwood is a big platform, right if you 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:51.600 look at just technology companies generally, the way that they're 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:53.400 able to scale a little bit different than what we 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:57.040 were doing. But the way that this works truly day 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:59.280 to day is that we are partnering, right, Like our 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:01.720 teams are working with one another. Weird. I think this 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:05.160 is an example of like again for other business owners 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:08.640 that are out there, it's possible to find arrangements, like 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:11.560 we've been working together for a long time. We just 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:14.440 have expanded the family and are proud to work with 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:16.840 Agreen with team Dane Damp. Now, how difficult was it 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:18.760 to get everything together? I meant, you know off saying 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:21.560 you want to have a membership club, How difficult was that? 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:23.120 Because you need a vision and it has to be 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:24.679 a vision of not just one of two people, You 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:27.679 need a bunch of people because to join a membership 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:29.520 type of club, I can't just as just me and 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.520 one person like you need numerous people. So how difficult 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:37.319 was that? Big difficult? Big difficult. So the hardest thing 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.840 as always you guys know as entrepreneurs as well as 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:43.720 you need capital, which is the first step. So something 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:45.640 we talked about is that we got ninety seven knows 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:47.560 before we got the first yes when it came to 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:49.920 get an investor. And then when you finally make it 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:52.640 to the part where you have the capital to build 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:55.760 out the location, then you start operating the business. And 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:58.480 like you said, we're a private membership club and people 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:00.600 want to see it before they sign up, and you 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:02.200 wouldn't want to come to a place that doesn't have 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:04.760 anyone in there, So it was. It was we say 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:06.600 hand to hand combat every day we went out and 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:10.200 we were in Atlanta and meeting as many people as possible. Yeah, 0:10:10.240 --> 0:10:12.080 I mean, we're just getting to the place honestly where 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:15.679 we can talk about that part of the journey. Um, 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.000 I mean it was it was like super rough. A 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:21.280 lot of people told us no and like not the 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:23.920 like no, I'm not interested, polite nose. We were getting 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:26.400 like no, like get out of my office, I don't 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.480 like this. You're gonna fail knows. And you know, it 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:32.719 took just us continuing to believe that like the thing 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:35.880 that we saw that could really be a thing that 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.880 we could build. We just had to figure out how 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:40.560 to make that happen. That we see this as as 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:42.880 like assignment work, right, this is something that we feel 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:46.160 uniquely called to do and didn't want that part of 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:48.640 the process to stop us. But I mean, when you 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:54.120 don't get paid for years, right, it's you know, it's 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:56.600 a difficult. Yeah, And we we spent the first several 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:58.960 years of the business really trying to figure out one 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:01.320 how to make it happen, but then to how to 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:04.360 keep it on everybody else that works for you around 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:06.840 you cannot pay yourself. At first, all the money goes 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.439 back into the business. It would be the people that 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:11.400 work for you, but they're the ones that are making 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:15.120 money while you're Yeah, there were years where it was 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:18.360 like everybody in this joint is making more money than us, 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:22.000 like truly every we weren't paying ourselves anything. But I 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:23.640 mean you you got to see it through. I mean, 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:26.040 we we kept going knowing that like there would be 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:29.000 a day where we'd be able to participate to and 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:30.640 we just had to stick around long enough to make 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:33.040 that happen. And that's why that's gonna say. That's why 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:35.920 we're forever grateful to the founding members of the club, 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:39.760 particularly in Atlanta, because they bet on two guys and 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.559 a and a concept way before there was any proof 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.640 and to put in. So we have people who signed 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:47.920 up in twenty fifteen to become members just because they 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.959 met us. So they saw they saw a post on Instagram, 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.320 and they just liked the concept and they wanted to 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:56.079 truly support. And that's why, like every time we talk, 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.720 we always say like first and foremost were we just 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.120 work here and we're happy to serve and be a 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.440 part of this organization. But it's member left. It's all 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.520 about the members and the twelve thousand plus people who 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.840 have invested, but particularly the people in Atlanta, the founding 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:14.520 members there who made it possible. Salute to Mayor dickens 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:17.000 In in Atlanta, who's a founding member of the club 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:19.280 who recently got elected as a mayor of Atlanta. Like 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.480 that's how that's how long and deep rooted we are 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:23.400 in that community. I was going to ask, So, now, 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.920 who handles checks and balances? Right, two hundred dollars a month, 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:31.520 Sometimes a two hundred dollars gonna get decline? So who 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.280 calls that person? And if that person decides to come 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.760 to the gathering spot after they've been declined six times? 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:42.640 Who says My grandmother used to say, I ain't talking 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:46.920 about anybody, but I'm talking about somebody. Yeah, I mean 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:50.440 we have a team, right, So that's actually tek's responsibility 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:54.360 inside of the business. So for everybody out there talk 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:57.240 to t Yes. But honestly, there hasn't been a huge 0:12:57.240 --> 0:12:59.160 problem for us. I mean this, there's a lot of 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:02.199 things that you get with the TGS membership, and you know, yes, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:04.920 access to the space itself and the programs, but like 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:07.120 the people, right and so people don't want to miss 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:10.479 out on being able to continue to build those relationships. 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.439 What about pictures? Can you take pictures in the gathering spot? 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:17.440 So you were you were allowed to take pictures of yourself, 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.800 you were not allowed to take pictures of other people. Right, 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:25.000 So no, We've had a lot of special moments to TGS. 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:27.640 But I'll knock on wood, but none of those things 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.760 have have gone out to the public. Right. People take 0:13:30.800 --> 0:13:32.880 it seriously, honestly, one of the most special moments. We 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:36.640 were fortunate that we hosted John Singleton back in twenty sixteen, 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:40.040 his last um, his last and speaking engagement before he 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:44.160 unfortunately passed, And we're celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:46.360 Boys in the Hood. This was brought to us thanks 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:50.720 to our brother Shakazoom at DTP. And he was supposed 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:52.040 to be like a thirty minute talk and he ends 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.240 up speaking for like two and a half hours because 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:55.880 he's so comfortable and he's trusted in the room, and 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:57.920 two is the end. He's like, Hey, I'm gonna show 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.840 you something I'm working on, like I just got trust y'all, 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:03.240 please don't record any of this and don't show anyone 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:06.280 And then he shows us like the first fifteen minutes 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:11.280 of snowfall didn't leak right because everyone understands it's a community, 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:14.680 so you can't you can't violate that trust and so 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.000 you know we that was I mean, there's many special 0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:19.040 moments to this point that are like that where people 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:21.600 just took seriously the fact that we're there for one another. 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:24.240 We've got to we've got to be responsible to one 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.400 another in that way and now working together as partners. 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.680 I think it's important to talk about that balance too, 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:34.480 because I think a lot of times in business, getting 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:38.120 into partnerships with the right people means so much. So 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:40.040 what are the skills that you guys bring because I 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:43.880 think sometimes I've had experiences where you can't go into 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:46.280 business with somebody who you'all both do the same exact thing. 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:48.520 It has to be like, this is my responsibility, you 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:51.600 said t case responsibility is calling people whose credit cards 0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:54.480 didn't go through. But what are the ways that you 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.960 guys work together that makes it happen? Because sometimes we 0:14:58.000 --> 0:14:59.280 want to do things, we don't want to do it 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:00.920 on our own. We want to find the right partner, 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:06.360 but it's not easy. Ahead the fortunate things that we 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:10.000 have complimentary skill sets. So Ryan is a lawyer by training. 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.320 He went to Georgetown Law all that good stuff, and 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.320 I studied financing accounting. I was a portfolio manager before 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:18.400 I started doing this. UM. So we have defined lanes 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:20.640 and I think that is that is a critical um 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:22.560 part of it, and I don't I don't want to 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:24.720 downplay the friendship part. That is important because there's a 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.400 level of trust that has to occur for a partnership 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.160 to work properly. Like there's there's no one I speak 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.440 to more often than Ryan. There's there's no move that 0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:37.520 I make that he's not aware of, because everything we 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.720 do impacts the other person and impacts the business. So, UM, 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:42.560 if we weren't friends, I WoT I wouldn't be sure 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:44.640 how long it take to develop that like level of like, hey, 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:46.000 I'm about to go do this, so I'm going to 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.440 visit my mom. I will do that. UM. And they're 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.400 like having defined areas where it's like if it's something 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:55.040 with marking or our strategy, like that's Ryan's lane, We're 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:56.840 gonna do that. If it's like I want to move 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.000 to this accounting platform, I want to set up this 0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:01.920 type of payment process system, it's like okay, like TK 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:05.160 said it, let's do that. And having having your areas 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:07.800 and spears. I think our core parts of being able 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:10.520 to operate as as a partnership and be friends and 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.480 then understanding that like the truth is like the dynamic 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:16.240 of our friendship has changed because we're business partners and 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:19.000 like we were at his family's house on Sunday and 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.360 we still end up talking about work because like that's 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:24.240 that's that's what. We just have a drink. I mean, 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:26.240 but we're honest with each other. We have been the 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:28.520 entire time. Like we don't we don't mix words with 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:30.960 each other. We hold each other super accountable. So if 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:32.920 I dropped the ball, he tells me he drops the ball, 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.160 I tell him, right, And we've tried to keep ego 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:37.920 out of this, right, I mean even now working with 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:41.480 new partners, we have the same sort of energy right 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:43.560 where we're just trying to get the thing done, like 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:45.760 what is the best way to get there? And if 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:47.640 you got the skill set to do it, then like 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.320 go in the game, like shoot the shot, right. We 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:53.840 we we've always tried to keep the mission ahead of 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:57.080 any of the personal stuff because some people's friendships get 0:16:57.240 --> 0:17:01.560 damaged over working together too. And so that's why I 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:03.800 think that's important because we've seen that happen a lot 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:05.880 where people fall out with each other. So when y'all 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:10.359 don't agree on things, what happens. So we set ground rules. 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:12.959 So I'll say this first, we set ground rules at 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.600 the beginning of this process, and we we planned out 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:17.560 when we had those, like when we have these moments, 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:19.760 how are we going to get through them? Right? And 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:22.760 so it's in our operating documents. It's a part of 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:24.640 how we have like understood how we're going to talk 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:27.520 to each other. And that's helped, right because when a 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:30.880 thing happens, we go back to that playbook and are 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:33.000 able to march through. Okay, so this is the decision. 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:35.200 And again we like we have different twim lanes. So 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:39.760 if it's something that ultimately is in his lane, he's 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:43.080 got to be the person that that that it's you, 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:46.120 it's on you. Yeah, and he respects the same thing 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:49.439 when when it's something that's in my universe. So like 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:51.520 one hundred, like it would be like Ryan would be like, hey, 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:53.360 I want to like I want to do this activation, 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.160 I want to invest in this, and I'm like, ah, 0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:56.399 I'm not sure if I want to do it to 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.199 that level. And it's like sometimes it's okay, bet, like 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.359 we can we can kill downs. Other times it's like no, 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:03.359 like it's really a point that we do this. So 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:05.720 I'm like, if we're gonna shift some budget over there 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:08.240 a better hit, I mean, I'll give I'll give you 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:10.120 an example. So a year ago I went to Ticke 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:12.160 and I was like, hey, look, we're opening the club 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:14.679 in DC and I want to fly private plane with 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.480 all of the members to the club. And he was like, cool, 0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:19.480 we'll get like you know, ten twelve seed or something. 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:20.640 And I was like no, no no, no, like we need 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:22.840 to fly like over one hundred people like and he 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:24.960 was like like, I don't what you mean on a 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:26.480 hundred people? How are we gonna do that. I'm like, 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:28.720 I don't know, man, Like like you got to figure 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:30.880 that part out. But like we got to figure out 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.639 how to get our folks up to DC. And you know, 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:35.679 you know, I did my part of the work, he 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.920 did his part, and we flew the plane up and 0:18:38.080 --> 0:18:42.520 it was seven It was a seven thirty seven thirty 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:44.400 seven to thirty seven. But yeah, it was a beautiful 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:46.720