1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversation Masterclass. I am your host, 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: ra Sean McDonald. I recognized that we all have different 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: definitions of success. For you, it may be the size 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: of your paycheck. Mine is inspiring people to accomplish their 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: goals and live their very best life. It's time to 6 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: start reading other people's success stories and really start writing 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: your own. People always talk about your purpose and gift. 8 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: If you have a gift, lead with your gift and 9 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: don't let your friends, family, or coworkers stop you from 10 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: planning or living your dreams. My guest today is Derek D. Hayes. 11 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: He was recently featured on the Couple of Essence magazine 12 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: his vision for his restaurant, Big Dave's Cheesecake beginning twenty fourteen, 13 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: as he aimed to merge his passion for community food 14 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: and business. We'll started as a small water water water 15 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: water ice shop in UH seven throughly seven unfit square 16 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: food shell, gas station. They're done with the Georgia. Since 17 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: sixteen has generated nationally on Big Day's Teesecake. If you've 18 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: not been there, I recommend you go there. He's right 19 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: down the street from my Bill is my staff. They 20 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: need they need to have stock in these business that's 21 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: how much they go. There a thriving cheesecake in power 22 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: with store and mobile locations all across metro Atlanta. Hayes 23 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: is also the founder of Dave and Derrick Hayes Foundation 24 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: and co owner a vegan cheesecake concept, Thinky's with Sloody 25 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: Vegan Atlanta CEO and vegan restaurant phenom Pinky colt in 26 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: hayes passion for community and food, lending him an illustrious 27 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: spot as a four one next one thousand on the REAP. 28 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: Let's discuss this journey into Big Dave's Cheesecake, being a 29 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: community leader, being bigger than food. Please, welcome to Money 30 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: Making Conversations Master Class, Derek D. Hayes. How are you doing, sir? 31 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,400 Speaker 1: I'm good man. Thank you so much, Mr Shan McDonald's 32 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: for having me. Man. Appreciate your brother hey man, and 33 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: had to lay it out there for you, Derek, because 34 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: because now you did, man, that was good. You know, 35 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: sometimes hearing you know the stuff that you did, you 36 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: know along the way, it feels good. You know, uh, 37 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: oh your heart wreak. You know, somebody else is honer 38 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: and so it's always a blessed well the thing about it, 39 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: and you should be because sometimes as I have a segment, 40 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: I do a local show uh bu show syndicates, and 41 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: I do it live every Tuesday. I love to invite 42 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: you only by the Way on w c LK every Tuesday, 43 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: and it's called a bragging segment, and I encourage people 44 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: to call in and talk about there what they've done, 45 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: because we tend to be too humble about our business. 46 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: And I always encouraged people to remind them that, you know, 47 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: McDonald braggs forod Braggs, and we need to brag about 48 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: what we do. So everything that you have accomplished, it's 49 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,079 Speaker 1: part of your success story. It's not what we see 50 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: when we get that sandwich because the cheesecakes that, because 51 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: what happens is there's a journey to get there. So 52 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: how did I hear the date? I hear the small 53 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: gas station. I hear seven undred fifty square feet, which 54 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: is the size of my apartment in college. So I 55 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: know what that feels like. So talk to us about 56 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: it because obviously there was a walk in. There wasn't 57 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,959 Speaker 1: a sit down dinner. Tell us about the whole concept 58 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: of of what you are turned into an empire so 59 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 1: far and it's growing well. Well. First, um, I wanted 60 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: to start off with saying the mission and you know, 61 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: and the honor was my father. You know, that was 62 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: everything that the reason why I built Big Days. Um 63 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: he passed away from lung cancer and uh two thousand nine. 64 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: And my dad, Dyane wish was for me to you know, 65 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: stand on my own ten toes and change my generational 66 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: patterns and you know, not to get in trouble. And 67 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: you know, he worked his whole life and he thought 68 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: he left a lot behind and he didn't. So I 69 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: was able to see a blue collar working my whole 70 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: life and now transpiring to me building my brand and 71 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: honor and my father. It was it was you know 72 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: a lot of hard work, but it was something that 73 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: my mission and my passion what I really wanted to 74 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: do because just think about it, a lot of people 75 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: build brands just for money. You know, I built this 76 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: for a purpose of really you know, believing that my 77 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: father has you know, his dreams and where he wanted 78 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: before he left fair So it actually helped me and 79 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: tricked me into the winting more out of my own self. 80 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: So when I built Big Days, I didn't know anything 81 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: about business. I didn't know how to you know, pay 82 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: sales and use text. I didn't know anything about you know, 83 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: getting a DP. I didn't know anything about food calls. 84 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: All I wanted to do was better my life and 85 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: you know, get out of situations I was in at 86 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: the time. But in the midst of all of this, 87 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: I was able to start in a small gas station 88 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: because nobody want to rent me in space out you know, 89 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: I'm going all over Atlanta what I'm saying. You know, 90 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: I got the money, you know, you know I need that, 91 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: you know, need the space, and everybody's like, you know, 92 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: but you don't have the business experience. It only took 93 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: me as one shot. I always learned this and like 94 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: one shot can change your life forever. And that gas 95 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: station was my shot because the Indian guy rented me 96 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: that space. And you know, I had no business experience, 97 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: and I was able to make that nationally known. You know, 98 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: in seven years of my hard work. Now along the way, 99 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: I had a lot of roller coaster rides. You know, 100 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: I got taken advantage of a lot by contractors, um 101 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: even you know, employees, you know, because I had a 102 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: you know, soft heart, you know, you know, I wanted 103 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: to see everybody grow at the time, but it built 104 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: my tough skin along the way because I had to 105 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: understand for me to scare this business, I had to 106 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: become a real entrepreneur. So I started really, you know, 107 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: doing my Google university, my YouTube university. I'm learning, you know, 108 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: how to really you know, do these things. And so 109 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: I don't get taken advantage of because I didn't finish school. 110 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: You know, I got a high school deplumma, but I don't, 111 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: you know, I didn't finish college. So and I got 112 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: forty some tattoos on my body, so I don't look 113 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: like the average CEO. So when people look at me, 114 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: you know, I gotta come on my things together so 115 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: they could take me serious. And the way I did 116 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,600 Speaker 1: that was to build multiple successful businesses alone the way 117 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: throughout the years. We'll be right back with more money 118 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. Can I have your 119 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: attention for aim and and friends? How would you like 120 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: to earn an extra thousand dollars a month if your 121 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: homeowner as possible when you call out sponsor American Financing 122 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: American's Home for home loans with the process starts with 123 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: a free mortgage review. Yes, so you're not paying up 124 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,840 Speaker 1: front of hidden fees. You're not getting me pressured, You're 125 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: just learning. By custom home loans, they can save you 126 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,039 Speaker 1: up to a thousand dollars a month plus tens of 127 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: thousands long term, because there's more to a refinance than 128 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 1: just a lower rate. 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Now, 138 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:44,359 Speaker 1: let's return to money story with a regular guy with 139 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: a dream driven by a passion that was motivated by 140 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 1: your passing forth. That's that's that's taught And a lot 141 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: of people got that passion. Yeah, they got that passion, Derek, 142 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: But then again, what takes him to that next step? Now, 143 00:06:57,680 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: when you saw this gas station. There's a gas stay 144 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: seven hundred fifties properly they said, you said seven before 145 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: the Now I'm just gonna say something, give one most 146 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:08,039 Speaker 1: grate foot seven fifty something scrap fret Why at what 147 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: area of town was there? Were done with it? But 148 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: what area of done withy? And why did you think? 149 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: And what you you have to bring it because this 150 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: is a gas station. Now you're cooking in the gas station. 151 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: So talk about that set up and then being able 152 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: to sell the concept to the community and to your friends, 153 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: because the friends really is a hard sale because they're 154 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: gonna tell you it's not a smart idea. So so 155 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: that's how I actually winded up in the kitchen cooking 156 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: myself because I tried to get a cook took the 157 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: cheese steak, and my friends was like, nah, it's not home. 158 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: And not to mention, I am in this little gas 159 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 1: station with one grill and one fire and it's all electric. 160 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: You know. I don't know if a lot of people 161 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: know cooking on electricity and cooking on gases totally different 162 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: because the grill goes in and out. You know, a 163 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: temperature is different. When you pick colds, no um items 164 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: on there you lose temperature. So I had to actually 165 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: learn how to cook on these disadvantage um you know, 166 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: equipment that I had, and then I was cooking on 167 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: used equipment. At the same time, I had no no 168 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: employees at the time. It's just me being a cash 169 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: are the cook, accounting um inventory anything that I had 170 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: to do to make it because I wanted to be 171 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: successful in the way I had to do that was 172 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: put myself in all these situations to be able to 173 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: you know, work hard to do that myself, because I 174 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: didn't have the money at the time to to you know, 175 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: give people to help me. Because at the end of 176 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: the day, I blew my money no and I and 177 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: I spent my last no building Big Dave. So I 178 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: really had to get it out the mud. So I 179 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: would say that self belief is more than anything that 180 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: I had to do along the way is believing in myself. 181 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: If you don't believe in yourself, there's no way that 182 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: you can get somebody else to believe in you. So 183 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,559 Speaker 1: when I started believing in myself more, I started to 184 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: get you know, a little bit of traffic. And to 185 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: be honest, man, I tell everybody, Eve the Rapper, Eve man, 186 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: she was a big play, you know, a big part 187 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: of my story because and it missed me, know going 188 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: through this year and now open, I don't have no traffic. 189 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: Still I'm going under you know. Of course, if you 190 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: can't pay the bills, eventually you're gonna have to shut 191 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: them doors. And she posted me on her social network. 192 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: Man at this I made a chicken cheese steak for her. Man, 193 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 1: And you know, so I did, I did you I 194 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: did because rapper famous, you know, great following, so loyal 195 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: following first of all. And so where were you at 196 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,559 Speaker 1: for that connection to make that you know her? Or 197 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: she found out about your fude, somebody recommended your food, 198 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: tells her about that. I was a friend. It was 199 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: a friend, and it was a friend a friend of 200 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: a friend. And she was shooting barbershop, you know, she 201 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: was shooting the movie. And um, I waited for her 202 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: to come like a kid on Christmas. I'm talking about it. 203 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: She ain't come, man, you know, you know I didn't 204 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 1: get discoverage that. I said, you know, I'm gonna keep 205 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: on fighting. And the next day she really came. And 206 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: as I was making this chicken cheese steak. You know what, 207 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: she told me. She said, if this sandwich is good, 208 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna post it on my social media networks. Now 209 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: you gotta think of by that. I'm a kid from Philly. 210 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: I'm all my rest sides as I exhausted everything, and 211 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 1: now I'm like ship my life depending on this. I 212 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: gotta make the sandwich the best I can make it. 213 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 1: And when I made this sound, when she bid it, 214 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: she wasn't crazy. She said, oh man, you brung me home. 215 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: And she put it on every social media outlet she 216 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: had at the time. And when I tell you, the 217 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: next day, I made five thousand dollars. That was my 218 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: biggest day ever at the time, and it was just 219 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: up from there. I started to be able to get 220 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: the community more involved because they've seen traffic. You know, 221 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: people eat off of their eyes. You know, they see lines, 222 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:36,599 Speaker 1: they say, well, I gotta be good. So I was 223 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: able to start building lines. And then the next part 224 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 1: of my journey that was a very big part of 225 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:45,079 Speaker 1: my mission was in two thousand and eighteen, um I 226 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: was picked to go to a sandwich competition and Orange Beach, Alabama, 227 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 1: and I ranked number seven in the world and Orange Beach, 228 00:10:54,480 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: Alabama sandwich competition Okay, Now this ain't New York, you, 229 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 1: not even Atlanta. You're an Orange Beach, Alabama sandwich competition. 230 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: So see that's what I love about you. You know 231 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: you you you tell this story is just so normal 232 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: to you. But Orange beat Alabama. I don't think going 233 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:15,719 Speaker 1: to Orange be Alabama gonna do anything for anybody, but 234 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: tell us about this competition and why it was important 235 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: to go. So so it was important to go because, 236 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: for one, I wanted to represent that not only had 237 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 1: the best cheese steak, but I wanted to have the 238 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 1: best sandwich. And honestly, it was an opportunity for me. 239 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: You know, I was hungry, you know, I had the 240 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: fire in my belly for success. I was waiting for 241 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: my moment, and when I got picked, I was ready 242 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: for it. But to be honest, when I got there, 243 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: you know, it was a little discussion because I was 244 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:45,719 Speaker 1: I was cooking on a barbecue grill. Now, mind you, 245 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: how do you make a cheese steak on a barbecue 246 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: grill because they don't have flattops. So what I had 247 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: to do I went to Walmart and gotta skillet like 248 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: a flattop and I put it over that gas grill. 249 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: And I got that thing hot, and I made them 250 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: cheese steaks, just like I was that big days. You know, 251 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:03,839 Speaker 1: I took my obscles and I pivoted, because that's the thing. 252 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: When you don't pivot my stuff happened, you're gonna sink, 253 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: You're gonna give up. You know, I'm already a disadvantage, 254 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: you know, to the American society. I'm a black man 255 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 1: that come from the ghetto, so I'm supposed to be 256 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: here anyway, you know. So the way I was looking 257 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: at it was, this is my opportunity to make some 258 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: noise for me and my people, to show that I 259 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,839 Speaker 1: deserved to be here. And I'm saying when you say that, 260 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,959 Speaker 1: then the diversity at this competition was not much. When 261 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,200 Speaker 1: you make a statement, I can't I can count on 262 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 1: my my uh my fingers, how many blank people in 263 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: this competition. And the probably was, um, maybe fifteen thousand, 264 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: could have been could have been no, a little a 265 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,440 Speaker 1: little less, a little bit more. I'm not sure, but 266 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 1: I know that it was a good amount of people, 267 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: you know, trying to qualify um for this, for this 268 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: uh cooking competition. And honestly, I never forget I gave 269 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: bold Jackson A Dave's Way, and I said, I know 270 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: I had a big shot because I knew I was 271 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: making this sandwich. But you know, all of my grand 272 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: my blood, sweat and tears, all these years of me working, 273 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: I said, I ain't come here to lose, man, you know, 274 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: I can't here to show out and show on and honestly, 275 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: and they called Derek Hayes. They said, you know, top qualifiers, 276 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: top ten in the world. And when they called me, 277 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 1: I was talking to somebody because we was in this 278 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: big facility and I was looking at them like they 279 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: just called my name. And it was mind blowing because 280 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:29,440 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, you want to win, 281 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 1: you want to get to the mountaintop, you want to 282 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,719 Speaker 1: get there. But when they really call your name, all 283 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: your years of your hard work and everything you've been 284 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: through start to paying out. And honestly, it was emotional 285 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: for me because again, just like you said, it was 286 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: an Orange Beach, Alabama and me as a black man, 287 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 1: when anything at Orange Beach, Alabama was a win for 288 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: me on a barbecue grillecue barbecue was killing for Walmart exactly, 289 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:57,719 Speaker 1: you know, And that's how a lot of my a 290 00:13:57,800 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: lot of my journey was built up of bloss swelling 291 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: hares and getting it out the month for real because 292 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: I wanted people to see a real, authentic side of 293 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:07,599 Speaker 1: what I was building. I don't want people to, you know, 294 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: see that anything it was given because I wanted them 295 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: to see that if the resources were short and they're 296 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: looking at me, they can do it too well. The 297 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: beauty of this conversation that I'm having with you is 298 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: that I know that establishing your brand, because setbacks are 299 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: part of your old growth now in we all faced 300 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: the pandemic and that at that point we didn't know 301 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: what to do, and so you used to word pivot 302 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: early in your conversation, the word pivot, which I think 303 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: is really important this conversation, we talked to young oportuneers 304 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: or have a have a goal setting places this is 305 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: how I'm going to do it. And sometimes when something 306 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: interrupts that go, they frustration sets in or they throw 307 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: their hands up. When when COVID the country was set 308 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: down in the month of March, how did you react 309 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: to that and did you have a game playing Dave, 310 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:55,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say this in a I'm gonna say this 311 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: in the most humblest way my life was a pivot. 312 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: I kind of in West Philadelphia. I come from the jungle. 313 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: I come from Atlanta. Opportunity if you wanted, because you 314 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: gotta go get it. So when this happened in this pandemic, 315 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: of course, nobody ever seen this tragedy happened in the 316 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: world like this, But I knew the city I came 317 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: from from taking me how to pivot. So I wasn't 318 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: gonna quit. I was gonna find out a way to 319 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: help people while I was helping my brand be able 320 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: to grow at the same time. And the way I 321 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 1: was able to do that was I was able to 322 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: give a thousand plus mills to the community because those 323 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: same people that was going through those hard times for 324 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 1: the same people standing on my lines. And then I 325 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: wanted to help the healthcare workers, those front line workers. 326 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: Those were the same people that was paying their life 327 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: on the line every day for people that had COVID, 328 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: and we didn't really know how dangerous COVID was at 329 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: the time, so those people I wanted to help. I 330 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: had forty plus hospitals in a month of COVID the 331 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: first month, you know, really, you know, we didn't know 332 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: what was going on. And I paid my life on 333 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: the line just as well going to those hospitals because 334 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: I believe that it was a bigger purpose that they've 335 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 1: seen an entrepreneur, a young black kid to come from 336 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,680 Speaker 1: the ghetto standing up, some other people would stand up, 337 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: and then we will all stand up together. And we 338 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: were We were reunite and be able to get our 339 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: communities back together. In downtown. I was able to help out. 340 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: I donated twenty six thousand dollars to help businesses get 341 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: back open. So for me, it wasn't about making the 342 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: money in the pandemic pandemic, it was about helping others 343 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 1: get their doors back open so that people can see 344 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: what type of person I was and what I stand 345 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: for and what I represented, what I wanted out of 346 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: my own self. If you can look through a vision 347 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: and me, you can look through the vision of the 348 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: community and we can grow together. And that's what I 349 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: was trying to do. Well, you did it, and because 350 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: it was We'll be right back with more Money Making 351 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. Now let's return to Money 352 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass with Rashan McDonald. You were recognized by 353 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: for next one thousand on the read. Now again, you 354 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: know that goes back to Alabama. You know you got that. 355 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: You're in a tent. You know they call your name. 356 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: Didn't know that was gonna happen. You shocked. Now you're 357 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: doing all this great work for the for the community. 358 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:07,479 Speaker 1: You know, like you said, not one point in your 359 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 1: conversation when you're talking about selling, you're talking about uplifting, giving, giving, 360 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: giving twenty six thousand, their thousands sandwich. You' said. All 361 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,720 Speaker 1: about the drive is if I give, then they show support. 362 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,399 Speaker 1: It creates loyalty. That's a business model the corporations do 363 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: all the time and that comes from service. Now, service 364 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: drives your business. Customer service is a high priority as 365 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:33,680 Speaker 1: far as how you communicate with your with your customer base. Correct, yes, yes, 366 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,880 Speaker 1: but I think I think um with me, um with me, um, sir. 367 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 1: I think with me is people see that I'm real. 368 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: They see the authentic side of it, like I'm not stripted. 369 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: You know, I showed my flaws. I showed my my 370 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 1: my ups and downs, so that you don't make the 371 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: same mistakes that I made. I'm not selling you food. 372 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: I'm selling you hope, and I'm selling you a dream, 373 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: a kid like me believing they want to make a change, 374 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,159 Speaker 1: and when they see that, they picked the food to 375 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: the side for a second. They know I make good food. 376 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 1: Everybody loves my food, but they also love the passion 377 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: and the story that I'm petting out because there's so 378 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: many other people out here in the world that need 379 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: that help. You think about it. It could be a 380 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: young kid that looked just like me thirty four years old. 381 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 1: He might be in the hood trying to get out 382 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,440 Speaker 1: of not being no, selling drugs or a bad situation. 383 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: He can go in and punch on Instagram and look 384 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: at me and say, listen, I know this kid came 385 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: from the same thing I came from. I could do 386 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: it too. That's bigger than me than any money. That's 387 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:32,680 Speaker 1: that's the biggest thing for me. You know. I could 388 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: be walking in the market and somebody will walk up 389 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: to me and say, hey, man, you don't even understand. 390 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:39,680 Speaker 1: You saved my life. You made me want to change, 391 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: You made me want more out of myself, and I 392 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 1: used the food to be able to step and stone 393 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 1: the trigger that I was told this once upon in 394 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: my life. My hunt was bad on cancer In two 395 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,120 Speaker 1: thousand and five. Her name was Teresa Hannigan. She eventually 396 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,640 Speaker 1: passed away, But in the middle of this, I went 397 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: to a church with her and a pastor. He told 398 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,200 Speaker 1: me in my heir, he said, you're going to be 399 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: a pastor. Now at the time I'm playing basketball, I 400 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: had who dreams to make it to the NBA, I said, 401 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna be no pastor. A pastor is not 402 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: about getting on the pulpit. It's about spreading the message. 403 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: It's about giving a message so other people that receive. 404 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: And right now, every day I spread the message. When 405 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: these people out here seeing big day build these two locations, 406 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: young black kid come from the ghetto, bill multimillion dollar 407 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 1: companies left and right right now, they get motivated by that. 408 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 1: So for me, that's the biggest motivation for me. It 409 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: ain't about the money. It's about the motivation for my people. Well, 410 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: you know the interesting thing about it. You know when 411 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:33,639 Speaker 1: I saw you on the cover of Essence, So you 412 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: know usually you know when you're the cover Essence, you 413 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: know you it us elbow. You know what I'm saying, 414 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,119 Speaker 1: You know, Michael B. George, what I'm saying, that's man, 415 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 1: that's the legendary man. Go co co co. That's it. 416 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: Now you're smiling, y'all, y'all, y'all, Audio, I gotta tell 417 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 1: you he's straightened up a little bit when I started 418 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: talking about being on the couple of essence, because that's 419 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 1: just like, you know, because I'm older than you, that 420 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: that's you know, that's embony back in my day. That's 421 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: Jet magazine back in my day. You know you saw 422 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: that you left that on the coffee table when you 423 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't happen because you know, that was an announcement about 424 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: your brain. But it's even a bigger announcement for you 425 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: because it wasn't entertainment driven your parents on there. It 426 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: was about you as a person, what you do for 427 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: the community. And you're being able to step out. Like 428 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 1: you talk about your background, you come from humble beginnings, 429 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,399 Speaker 1: You come from Philadelphia, You come from a neighborhood like 430 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,400 Speaker 1: I came from a neighborhood where people stereotype your success. 431 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,680 Speaker 1: You know, you know you're driving the neighborhood. Then people 432 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 1: will question why you come out. How it's like you 433 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 1: you you lucky, use terms like that, you know, like 434 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: you belong here, like you you're like you don't deserve it. 435 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 1: And I think, see, and that's what I'm trying to 436 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: teach to you know. I was asked this question yesterday. 437 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: I was having a conversation and they said, why do 438 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: you think our culture, you know, handle things differently? And 439 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 1: the reason what that being is just imagine if you 440 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 1: was a kid on Christmas, right, everybody got this toy, 441 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,399 Speaker 1: but this one kid got the best toy that everybody wanting. 442 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,160 Speaker 1: That if that kid never was told how to share 443 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 1: that toy because he never had the resources to feel 444 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: good about having anything that feel good, then how can 445 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:10,159 Speaker 1: that kid ever know he's going wrong? When you win 446 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: an environment of everything a certain way, that's what you're 447 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: accustomed to. Now, what I'm trying to show different is, Okay, 448 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: we step out of these boundaries of these inner cities, 449 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: these lower um lower income communities, and now we got 450 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: social media outlets showing us when it's right from Rome. 451 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: But the leaders that got the voice got to help 452 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: out and say listen, now that we got the ball 453 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: in our hands, let's stick together and change these communities 454 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: out and get resources. Let's build community centers, centers, Let's 455 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: build uh financial literacy program so that when kids get 456 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: to high school, and when they're about get out of 457 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 1: high school, they ain't lost on about a credit card 458 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 1: or or how they going to do their financial literacy, 459 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: or how they going to get through college. They know 460 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: that spending over thirty on their credit card gonna mis 461 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 1: state credit up before the bill cycle hit. They know 462 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,679 Speaker 1: that they can now you know, utilize their their capital 463 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 1: before that bill cycle hit, so that now they're not 464 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: getting pilots for interest. So they rotating this money making money. 465 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 1: They know how to get cash back, cash rewards cards 466 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: when they're spending money to pending, and they save his 467 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:08,879 Speaker 1: account when it when it earns enough money to now 468 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,240 Speaker 1: move the money. And this free money off of spending money. 469 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 1: But we can't teach that, and we don't know that, 470 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: and all we can know is what's going on these 471 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: communities to survive. Like I said, why I come from 472 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: that in Philly. I was born to just survive. In 473 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: my day of living, it was my dead survival. I 474 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: ain't thinking about tomorrow, So I'm trying to teach my generation. Now, 475 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,680 Speaker 1: let's worry about tomorrow. Because when you've got kids, you 476 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: gotta lead them set up for when you ain't here. 477 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: You gotta take care of them from the grave. You 478 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. That's why we're doing as a 479 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: life insurance initiative right now. Wow, you know I love 480 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: as we progressed through this interview, Derek, how you your energy, 481 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: your comfort zone with me have just picked up and 482 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: keep transferring to an even more positive level. But the 483 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: number one thing when I talked about and I meet 484 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 1: individuals like you because your self made person like you're 485 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: not ashamed of your journey now because at the beginning 486 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: I always talk about friends, family, and don't let anybody 487 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: stop you from living your dream and stop you from 488 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: planning your dream. Okay, when you talk about the community. 489 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: In the next step, what is Big Day's future? How 490 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 1: do you? How do you conceptualize that? Do? Who do you? 491 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:15,360 Speaker 1: Because you know it ain't you know more than seven 492 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty square foot Shill gas station by yourself. 493 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: You have to put a team around you. What does 494 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: that team look like? So I'll teach so our listeners 495 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,239 Speaker 1: and our viewers can understand. When you grow, grow has 496 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,640 Speaker 1: to be surrounded by quality. You have to spend money 497 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:30,879 Speaker 1: to keep that quality around you in order if you 498 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: dream to grow, I like this topic right here because 499 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 1: a lot of people, you know, um, they might tell 500 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 1: me I'm too top heavy with the locations that I have. 501 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: But the thing is, if you ain't if you're ready, 502 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:45,959 Speaker 1: you ain't gotta get ready, you know when that moment happens. 503 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 1: So I'm about to open my third location in Jones, Georgia. UM, 504 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: hopefully you know the doors are open this summer. You know. Um, 505 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 1: a lot is going through with the pandemic, so it's 506 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: pushing a lot of materials back, you know, and a 507 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,480 Speaker 1: lot of um stuff is on whold uh what in 508 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 1: the midst of in a in the midst of everything 509 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: that I'm done with my brand, I'm about to pay 510 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 1: eight rows in the market where you're about to be 511 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 1: able to go in um your nearest stories and be 512 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: able to make your own eight rows whenever you want 513 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: big days. And that's gonna be a big thing for 514 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: me because that's a dream of mind is going to market. Um, 515 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: I'm coming out with the new Big Dave seasoning. You 516 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: wanna be able to come in Big Dave Stories and 517 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 1: you're gonna be able to pick up the same season 518 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: that we make the product with. So when you want 519 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:28,959 Speaker 1: to become your own big Dave at home. You can 520 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: do it. Um, you know, I just went for me, 521 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: Like philanthropy is a big thing for me, you know, 522 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: building this brand. I love it just as much as 523 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,399 Speaker 1: I love, you know, the restaurant space. I love talking 524 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 1: to people because, for one, I know that I'm giving 525 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: them real game that I've been through in my life 526 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: to help them change theirs. No, I don't think I 527 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: know everything but me at thirty four years old, I 528 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 1: was blessed in a lot of ways that you know, 529 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,440 Speaker 1: a lot of people may not and I have got 530 00:24:57,520 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: to yet, and I can now help them when they 531 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: get to the situation in their life they're not making 532 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:04,160 Speaker 1: those same mistakes. That mean, let me tell you something, 533 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:09,480 Speaker 1: Mistakes costs in the business. When you're in business, mistakes cost. 534 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: It costs. When I mean it costs, it's more than money. 535 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 1: It hurt you in the finance side, but scaling the 536 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: business you need. It's c r O to be good. 537 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: It's CEO to be good, your gms to be good, 538 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: your assistant managers to be good. Your frog cooks, your 539 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: grill cooks. Everybody is a is a motor that works 540 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: together to operate this vehicle and Without that, you can't scale. 541 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: And it took me years to really be able to 542 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: get that together because, like I said, I love hard, 543 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 1: so I see the best out of people. Sometimes they 544 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,719 Speaker 1: don't seeing themselves. But I was also told this by 545 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,119 Speaker 1: multiple different billionaires, and this is my blessing. You know, 546 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 1: you're never going to scale if you don't get thick 547 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 1: skin to be able to do it, because these same 548 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: people aren't gonna be with you. The ones that belong 549 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: with you're gonna be with you because they want to 550 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,960 Speaker 1: better themselves along the journey. But the ones who just 551 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: tagging along and the business growing and they're not growing, 552 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: you know you're gonna eventually have to leave them or 553 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 1: the business gonna leave you. And if the business leave 554 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: the CEO, you know what happens after that goes It 555 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: goes down the drain and and and that's what I'm 556 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: not building. Like I told you, this a high This 557 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: to my father, I know, and the end of this 558 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna building. I'm building a billion out of business. 559 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: I'm had big daves everywhere. Um after Jonesboro, we are 560 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,840 Speaker 1: gonna leave the state because I feel like, uh, it's 561 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: enough big days right now in the state of Georgia. 562 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,600 Speaker 1: UM And I don't want to oversaturate the market. I 563 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,680 Speaker 1: want people to really um continue to love the brand 564 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: the way they love the brand. UM and I want 565 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 1: to keep on setting the bar high and setting the 566 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: culture and what I got going on outside of you know, 567 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,879 Speaker 1: just the Big Dave's brand. You know, UM, Me and 568 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 1: Pinky we jumped in real estate heavy. We're buying up 569 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: a lot of real estate right now. And the reason 570 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: why we're doing that is because we're trying to build 571 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 1: up these communities. So and stuff ain't looking right in 572 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 1: these communities. Which better to say, it's it's people that 573 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,200 Speaker 1: look just like the people that's from these community is 574 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: building them up and ain't developers tearing them up and 575 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: moving them out. You know what I'm saying, We're gonna 576 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: keep them. We're gonna keep them and we're gonna give 577 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: them jobs. And the way we're gonna do that is 578 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: all these companies were building. I love it. You know 579 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: some First of all, when jones Burgh opened up, you 580 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: better contact me, okay, because I want to be there. 581 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,400 Speaker 1: Like I said, I'm right down the street, uh from 582 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,119 Speaker 1: your location over there. Brand mark right now, that's for 583 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: you at I'm right down the street from that, and 584 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:32,440 Speaker 1: so so my staff supports it. First of all, a 585 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 1: joy they talked to you. Your passion, your information, um, 586 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: your gift, man, your gift, and a blessing your entrepreneurial spirit. 587 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 1: You are what America is built on, a land of opportunity. 588 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: You know, we should never be denied based on the 589 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: color of our skin or the education that people perceived 590 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: we don't have. You are the person that I bring 591 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,880 Speaker 1: on the show to educate my audience that anything is possible. 592 00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: And I want to thank you for coming up money 593 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:01,160 Speaker 1: making conversation, mask class. Thank you man, and I thank 594 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,160 Speaker 1: you for having me. And I want to I want 595 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: to release one more thing oka people listening. So it's 596 00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 1: not about how you start. It's not about what's gonna 597 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: happen in the middle of that race. You shoot, get untied, 598 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,040 Speaker 1: you're so getting messed up, you sneak and fall off. 599 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: Just finished the race. Don't worry about the place you're 600 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 1: gonna be in because as long as you finished the race, 601 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 1: the job is done. And when the job is done, 602 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,200 Speaker 1: guess what you can say at the end of the day. 603 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 1: I finished the marathon because I wasn't worrying about the race, 604 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. So at the end of 605 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: it all, you gave it all you got. As long 606 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: as you give it all you got, and you finished 607 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: that line as long as you crossed it. Be proud 608 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 1: of yourself and your journey, and stop sizing yourself up 609 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: to other people, because God got everybody journey for themselves 610 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: to be able to better other people. You don't know. 611 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:49,440 Speaker 1: It may feel like that man or that woman got 612 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: that success of a night, but you don't know what 613 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: they've been through to get that success. It's not attract 614 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: met as a marathon. So I always remember that. I 615 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: love it because I always tell people that you know 616 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: they're looking at that's the old it's say, and don't 617 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: look at somebody else's y'all. You know, you don't have 618 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: to explain the word I finished versus I quit. I quit. 619 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: You have to explain I finished me and I made 620 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: maximum effort to get the job done. That's all you're saying. 621 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: And I love it. Brother. We're gonna talk in person 622 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:16,240 Speaker 1: because I want to sit down and just chat with you. 623 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: Appreciate your time, man, because you're special. Again, I've had 624 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,440 Speaker 1: Pinky on the show both of y'all the special but congratulations. 625 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: You know Mr ins ever a Big Dave's Cheesecake. You 626 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: know Mr Sexy, Mr Sexy, Mr good looking, got the 627 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: teeth all out there, you know for the three tattoos 628 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 1: straight out of filling Big dave Cheese steak If doing 629 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: your thing, I see be in the kitchen. Weapon up 630 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,960 Speaker 1: your cheese steak man. I love it, man, Stay strong, 631 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 1: Biese steak man. Thank you. All right, we talk soon. 632 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: If you want to hear us see any of my 633 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: interviews or moneymaking Conversations, please go to Moneymaking Conversation dot com. 634 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:53,840 Speaker 1: I'm with Sean McDonald. I am your host