Kind: captions
Language: en
all right we've got a new segment coming
up now with my boy drama in the house
from young and reckless you guys have
ever seen the fantasy factory which
literally it was my fantasy I remember
when the show first came out I was
freaking out that there was this
entrepreneur out there that had built
something so crazy and this nut so young
man was part of the cast of that and is
now good what's up well it's good to see
you how are you man built his own
company from the ground up we are
honored to be here dude it's awesome to
have you here this is great I've watched
all the show so I feel like I'm on like
one of my favorite TV shows you know
nice yeah that's awesome
I literally and I told you this on your
podcast I freaked out when they said
that you'd ask me to be on your podcast
yeah I was like wait a second drama from
young and reckless drama yeah that made
me so happy yeah so yeah the the cool
thing for me so not only did i watch the
fantasy factory but back at Quest when
we were really getting social and we
were doing our because we did quest
apparel briefly he's now turned into
something much more logical The Hobbit
at the time we were doing like like
actual apparel apparel mm-hm and we
found your contents that this is an
example of staying on brand yeah you've
always done an amazing job of yeah that
means a lot because that's literally
like probably the one goal of mine that
is like the biggest nightmare in my life
why well just because it's so important
to me and I would say that if I'm
anything I probably lean most towards a
marketing or branding person and I see
the power of young and reckless and what
we could accomplish if we really
hammered home and stayed on brand so
like it's literally every marketing
opportunity every everything that comes
across my plate I just try to like I
obsess over whether or not it fits and
try to make sure that it always does why
do you think staying on brand is so
important because I literally think that
you either do that or you do nothing and
the way when it comes to building a
brand and the way that I explain it a
lot to younger people is like building a
brand is almost like building a human
being and you want that human being to
be trustworthy and reliable and
and all those things and so imagine if
you met somebody and they showed up and
they were really funny and quirky and
whatever you like I really like that guy
and the next time they showed up they
were completely different and the next
thing you you don't trust that person
you don't want to hang out with that
person anymore because they're probably
a serial killer right and so not only
are you trying to construct this sort of
human being type thing but you want it
to be you want people to love it and to
want to support it and to like it and I
just think like I don't know when I name
the brand young and reckless I saw the
power that it could potentially have but
it's a gift and a curse because the word
the words mean something so everything
you do
people are gonna question it
automatically whether that is young and
reckless or not you know so how do you
think about as you've matured how do you
think about like staying true to who you
actually are or do you do you think that
the brand should in some way represent
who you really are
no to be honest I don't think the brand
should really I mean the brand's values
come from my basic values right which is
that young people I my goal in life is
to encourage young people to sort of
break out of the mold I know you say
break out the matrix which I love break
out of the mold and do what they want to
do right and I think that the education
system is very flawed and I think that
the way a lot of people are parented is
very flawed and I think that true
happiness or success only comes from
breaking out of that and doing what you
want to do with your own life right so
that is how I look at my own life that's
where I think that I found a life that I
never thought I would be able to have
and been able to find true happiness so
at the foundation of it it comes from me
and Who I am on a surface level I
realized that like my wardrobe is not
gonna be young and reckless forever I'm
not gonna be young forever I'm not gonna
know who the hot new rappers are forever
who the hot new artists are I'm just not
and I think that where a lot of people
go wrong is they hold it too close and
they try to keep it with them forever
and it's like it's not at some point a
an 18 year old kid is not gonna want to
dress like you know this 35 year old man
so there that's where the handoff is for
me now as you get into doing content
which I I think is
really interesting that you're now doing
the podcast and obviously you and I have
talked off-camera about finding a way
into really giving people usable
information yeah do you think at all
about sort as this entrepreneur movement
happens that you're gonna be able to
help them the young and reckless crowd
reckless to find the way that you just
to find it yeah
really find their voice and find their
ability to succeed in business or in
whatever they want to do I do and I'm
gonna be honest it wasn't actually like
a deep-seated passion of mine to be and
I really hesitate like calling myself
any sort of teacher or coach I'm Way
more a student right but it just kind of
so happens that some people know who I
am so I have a bit of a built-in
following content is obviously bigger
than ever and the entrepreneur thing is
bigger than ever and so what that means
to me is there's way more people
listening and there's way more people
that have the ability to access what
you're saying than ever so it's almost
like the way I see it is everything's
kind of aligning to like you're stupid
if you don't do this right but the way
that I look at it is the reason why I do
my podcast for instance I'm learning
from each of those episodes I'm not
teaching so I'm saying here are people
that used to be young and reckless and
they're the ones that made it now let's
listen together to how they made it
right and when I do like a video blog or
something there's my camera filming
right there it's all I'm simply saying
is watch come with me as I try to figure
it out right I try not to be too preachy
or anything like that and then with
young and reckless my job is to
spotlight the people in the trenches
going through it here's a hot new rapper
that's really cool that went through
hell to get out of Atlanta and he just
signed a deal with Interscope and I'm
gonna do a spotlight on him so it's like
here's the next group here's the people
who made it and here's me going along
for the ride that's kind of how I look
at the whole thing I love that and walk
us through then as the learner how did
you pull off what you pulled off so you
obviously growing up in Ohio where
you're at today is not exactly the most
obvious no I mean literally in this
house is probably the polar opposite of
Ohio a Beverly Hills mansion is is the
polar opposite of what I do
same with Tacoma Washington together
that's the beauty of it what was the
question so how did you do it how did
you pull it off how'd y'all end up
you've got this multimillion-dollar
brand they built from scratch yeah I
think there are misconceptions about how
you built it yeah and how seriously you
are I was gonna say how seriously you
take yourself as an entrepreneur but
you're actually a for-real entrepreneur
meaning you run a company you're not a
figurehead yeah we should run a company
yeah so I would say this is if I could
explain kind of how I did it I guess I
would say because this is what I try to
make sure that I keep doing every single
day is I just I chased opportunity like
viciously chased opportunity then I
learned once I got there and then I
didn't hesitate to apply it right and I
think that I still to this day try to
balance those things because if you
spend your time learning too much and
never acting you're gonna fail right if
you spend your time acting acting acting
but you're never learning what you're
doing you're gonna fail if you spend
your time chasing the opportunity and
never doing anything you're gonna be at
best in some famous person's entourage
right I think that's how those people
end up there because you see opportunity
but you never act my point is really
insightful that is how I believe unless
you grew up with that person whatever
but here's what a funny thing happens
and I can tell you firsthand when you're
around success the same way you say when
you dream too hard you feel it when
you're around success you really feel it
okay you really feel like you're a cop I
mean you're waking up in the morning
maybe you're going to some hot Hollywood
party you're waking up in an amazing
house you're going to an award show why
do the work you already have all the
rewards and you're so close to it except
for one day
that person stops or stops being your
friend or kicks you out and now you're
screwed in your whole life is has no
meaning because now it's like wait a
minute what happened what did I really
do so the point is you people so for
people that don't know you how did you
end up in in a very successful entourage
well so what happened was I born and
raised in Akron Ohio the moment I turned
18 I moved to LA simply because I loved
skateboarding in LA as the skateboard
capital of the world but I knew I wasn't
gonna be a professional skateboarder
because funny enough I had a really bad
traumatic brain injury
I know that we're big on brain stuff
right now yeah it was in a coma for four
days that's brain bleeding and just
fractured skull and blood clot in my
brain yep the [ __ ] happened I just I was
leaving a skate park and I went to hop
down a set of stairs and I meant to kick
my skateboard away but I landed back on
it instead and I just literally like
whiplashed onto my thing and woke up
four days later yeah I had no idea yeah
so so that kind of it wasn't you know
there wasn't too much long-term like
craziness from that but it definitely
like derailed you know like the passion
for because you know after multiple of
those you're really screwed so anyway
point is so I moved to LA kind of
blindly just following a love for
skateboarding I thought was probably
gonna work at a skate shop or something
and my cousin who was a pro skateboarder
at the time six months after I got here
started filming a pilot for a potential
MTV show and to us that was like what
the hell you know the ones that even
mean right MTV was so far beyond any of
our like expectations and sure enough I
mean the long story short of it is the
show ends up getting picked up it's a
massive success it's called robbing big
I was his real life personal assistant
at the time so I get tied into the show
as sort of the whipping boy sort of a
joke but of all the jokes assistant and
but I will say that at the time there
was never a piece of my brain that said
I want to be famous or I want to be on
TV
I just knew once again this is
opportunity I don't know what it is but
I'll take the jokes because there's a
better life at the end of this I'm just
not sure what it is yet so anyway that
happened that went into a show called
Fantasy Factory on MTV that was the
moment where I said okay this is my time
right I've learned now for a few years I
have my plan together I know what I want
to do and I'm not gonna let this
marketing opportunity of being on
another TV show pass me by and that's
when I really went full steam on my
clothing brand and and you know like for
instance like I don't have like I loved
being a part of the famous entourage but
I always looked at it as fuel it was
never the end like it it
it was cool but it drove me nuts because
I didn't want to work at a in a mansion
all day and then drive back to my studio
apartment I wanted to come over and
visit my friend and then go back to my
mansion next door and there was never a
part of me that was ever tricked that it
was mine but what it did do is it showed
me that it was possible and I watched it
happen and I watched a TV show be made
and then become a hit and I watch brands
remade and so that's what I owe so much
to and that's what I think has turned
into a bit of my life goal right is to
say here watch me watch this person
watch us you can do that too because I
saw what that did for me that changed my
life I mean I have family members and
friends that were in jail or addicted to
drugs or you know blah blah blah I truly
believe this is a really deep concept
but I are a really deep statement but I
think a lot of that misery comes from a
lack of purpose or belief that you can
do it and so you just spiral your brain
is really powerful so it's gonna be
sitting there thinking all day long if
you don't have anything to think about
or goals or anything
you're gonna start popping some pills or
smoking a bunch of weed to just calm it
down right and then you know that's
where problems come that is amazing how
aware you were in the process we're when
it was happening are you thinking this
stuff like one day this goes away one
day the show isn't there anymore oh yeah
he kicked out whatever one hundred
percent a hundred percent and and I
don't not to even sound like I just knew
reality TV was not a career right yeah I
knew that and I think we all know that
and the cool thing was we never liked
our show was never about our real lives
it was never dramatic about our dating
lives or anything like that we knew it
was just a fun thing and we used it to
market our products and our businesses
and that's about it but but yeah I was
aware that I needed to hurry up quickly
and create a real career because that
wasn't one but it was an incredible
opportunity to start one right and I
also knew yeah that I didn't want to be
the entourage I can't say that
necessarily my view was as I couldn't
probably have said it as clear as I can
say it today sure but it just I always
felt like it was driving me nuts
like I always felt like I don't want to
be the third guy
I don't want to be the you know the guy
that just is the third guy to walk
through the door I want this to be my
thing what do you say when people are
like mom and that's so ego-driven
like just be appreciative for what you
have drama no I think that that's where
the I think that's where ego I think
that's where ego can be taken wrong and
I think that achieving and creating
opportunity and an amazing life for
yourself and wanting great things and
wanting to give people great things and
create great things is not ego I think
that had I walked around like I was
better than I was at the time that would
have been ego I acted like I was third
in line like if you watch Robin big
there was no ego in me like I was like
sure right this is what I'm gonna do
this is this is funny this is I'm gonna
go through this and one day I'll be able
to be in a position where I can be in
charge of something I have to say it's a
religious watcher of the show I'm not
sorry not Robin big I've actually not
seen that but man you get a kick Natalie
we know each other pretty funny to see
me on that make holy cow but watching
Fantasy Factory
yeah and seeing like your endless good
humor about everything yeah and then
what I found so interesting is what you
did after that and then really building
a business and because there was so much
parallel it was like you were blowing up
young and reckless as I was trying and
failing by the way to blow up quest
apparel yeah and so seeing that in there
like you were really becoming an
entrepreneur that was able to execute
yeah which is such like there's no
evidence of that in anyone until they do
it right you can never know that
somebody's going to be a successful
entrepreneur and to do it so it's pretty
incredible that you were able to make so
much out of and I'll say this I don't
like you know I questioned it you know
like they're like this is how it works
right when you're sorry - spoiler alert
or whatever anyone was a super diehard
fan but like there was an episode for my
21st birthday where they shaved the
center of my head because they said that
I was balding and this is why I was
gonna look like when I was old
right so they shaved me that guy was a
bald old man I wore a suit we got on a
party bus we went to Las Vegas and we
partied all night for my 21st birthday
with me looking like a crazy old man
right they came to me first and said hey
we have this idea we want to shave your
head we want to blah blah blah the
problem is you look at it and you're
like that's hilarious right you know
like that's absolutely we can do that
I'm not gonna who am I to say no I take
myself too seriously that's too far dude
I don't think there was hardly any ideas
that I ever said we're too far I
realized that was my role on the show
and I realized it was hilarious
so like Who am I not to do it and then
you know you film it and you act like oh
my god you're shaving my head this is so
crazy I and now I will say I did 100%
worried that it would limit me from
being able to ever be taken seriously
why do you think it hasn't I don't know
that it hasn't I still think it might I
still think that even though here's the
conundrum even though I wouldn't have
had the opportunity to start the
business had I started the business
without that history maybe people would
be like oh my gosh he is the greatest 30
year old entrepreneur this guy is a
genius we're not like Alice drama I
think I don't know but it's all her to
me it's just how you it's just how you
use it to me it makes people relate to
me much more it makes people feel like
damn like I watched him go from this
little assistant getting picked on to
like he's doing well now and I think
that that adds a lot more depth to who I
am so it was my only way in it was my so
I can't question it or I can't even
really spend too much time on it
I think it was my only way and I think
that I played it how I wanted to play it
and I think that it's led to an insane
story and something for us to be able to
talk about on camera you know to me this
is one of the most important principles
of entrepreneurship is waiting for the
perfect opportunity is a death sentence
and taking the opportunity that you're
presented and then figuring out later
how you're gonna make the most of it I
think is super smart so there are
countless times where at Qwest that
impact Theory an opportunity comes up
and I'll tell the team look this is not
the perfect opportunity but it's an
opportunity so we're gonna take it we're
gonna get momentum this is where that
whole concept we have the shirt called
momentum matters yeah and it's
like getting people to understand
[ __ ] momentum yeah is everything and
if you can't build momentum with
something with whatever opportunity yeah
then you just I agree a trillion percent
I would say in my own case like young
and reckless as a whole was a bit of a
piece of momentum right like I mean I've
always been interested in clothing and I
always wanted to make my own business
and blah blah blah but like did I grow
up in in Akron Ohio making sketches of
street wares because might know I saw
the opportunity I saw that these things
were converging and I could use the show
to market this product and it was a good
product to do and then you could you
could send it to Pacific Sun wear and
everything lined up for that one keep in
mind I also tried music production
I tried microwave burritos I've tried a
little bit of this microwave burrito
called loudmouth burritos and it was
like pizza flavored and so I've tried
other stuff this one just worked but my
point was so I followed the momentum I
followed the instincts I created the
brand it worked it lined up and then
there was a moment when young and
reckless became really successful and
the show was ending where I started
taking it too serious and I started
saying no to good opportunities because
I wanted to protect the brand so closely
and I think that was a big moment for me
of learning like whoa whoa whoa don't
get too serious here and still don't
forget to follow that flow you know cuz
it's not always gonna go how you want
it's not gonna be perfect you're you
just have to protect it within the
boundaries of the Opera to protect the
brand within the stream of opportunity
and keep pushing it would be my opinion
all right we have a fan question this
one comes from Cage hits question on
personal branding the new thing is to be
the face of the company and stepping out
front much like Tom is doing here at IT
however what amps me up is being like
Batman in a sense where you take on this
huge role but you do it all from the
shadows so in business terms it would be
like building a huge business like a
quest but being able to leading it but
being able to lead it like Batman if
that makes sense would love both of your
opinions my opinion is that sounds
really cool
and I would love to do that too but I
don't believe that it works
as well I don't believe there's a plan
on how to do it I believe that you're
relinquishing a lot of control up to
just the universe and I'm just a firm
believer sure I'd love to live in some
weird mystery hundred million dollar
mansion and pull the strings from my
macbook but it's not there's no plan of
action there there's a plan of action to
get out front talk about what the brand
is talk about what you care about and I
don't know that's why I I like the idea
of it but I can't see a way to do it I'd
rather attack and be up front yeah so
first I'll say that bat Batman's company
is called Wayne Enterprises and so let's
start with that um and I think that in
any other time in history I would have
been in the background and any other
time in history I think that I wouldn't
be able to succeed to the level that I
have because my innate personality the
things that I love and and by innate I
mean that I've spent since the time that
I was a kid Fanning these flames of you
know focusing on my compassion and team
building and all those things which I
did get early resonance with and so
that's what I love doing and building
community being inclusive like those are
all things that I like and pre social
media could be rewarded for that taking
care of the customer never used to be
the most empowering marketing vehicle
you could possibly ask for it was always
good yeah but it was always a long play
right it would take 10 years for your
reputation to get out there and in a
startup world that's that's a huge
financial investment to make to hope to
reap the rewards in 10 years which is
why so few companies did that in the
past yeah and why so many companies are
doing it now because social media allows
you to when you're good to somebody
unintentionally they will spread the
word or when you're bad to somebody they
won't intentionally spread the word so
we're living through an era where I
think as an entrepreneur if you're not
looking at the tools that are available
to you and taking advantage of those you
just being a fool yeah so if you don't
have that skill set then don't do it and
if you don't want to build that skill
set don't do that but I would say you
need somebody in the company that can
because this is how people engage with
brands and content yeah also forget
about Millennials
for a second start looking at gen Z Gen
Z is going to demand that you tell them
who you are you're gonna need a live
camera on your face at all essentially
right and if for no other reason then
they really want to know like are you
supporting people are you helpful are
you inclusive are you empowering people
like it's what they care about so if you
understand that that's your consumer
that's what they care about and you need
to build a company that is going to give
them something that they feel is
valuable not that you think is valuable
they think it's valuable you're gonna
have to do that so like you I would have
much rather been in the background and
for at least two years before I started
stepping out front a quest my marketing
department was heckling me you know to
do it and they're like dude you've got
to step out they wanted to do a reality
show like we were growing so fast that
like this is so impressive nted we could
get somebody to cover this I was like
absolutely not no way I have no interest
in stepping out front and it wasn't
until it was just getting so obvious
then it was the most powerful marketing
vehicle and that things were moving away
from the traditional way people thought
of social media to now personal branding
yeah that I think in a few years it
won't even be looked at as a strategy
it's a necessity
like I don't it's like saying I wish I
could have a really really big company
but just not have to worry about a silly
little customer service department right
you know it's like I know that that
would be cool but I just don't think and
I don't know anyone personally who has
chosen the strategy of being mysterious
and it's paid off in any way I think
that it just appears that way in some
companies but it's not yeah that's my
opinion all right so we've got a
giveaway we're gonna be giving away a
young and reckless way and fur as much
fun as you guys made of me let's get
this bad boy over here nice so is it the
bag and everything in it nice so we've
got dope hat got some shirts got the
backpack nice look at all the way to a
hoodie alright and the question here is
what episode number of the short story
long podcast was Tom on what number
of the short story long podcast which is
dramas podcast was I on alright drop
that in and you can win all this amazing
young and reckless swag that's good
alright I think we had another question
yeah this is fun here we go this is from
Tina Kohlberg drama before the accident
coma did you always think this way real
with yourself perspective about ego it's
really funny that's a funny question
because that's something that my cousin
Rob makes fun of me for a lot is like
he's like man you you were kind of dopey
before you had that head injury and you
just woke up an entrepreneur but it's a
joke I don't I think
obviously I think about it a lot and I'm
really you 18 and I'm reading phantoms
in the brain right now
the Ramachandran book and I say that
right yeah and there's all this stuff
about brain injuries and all the effects
that it can have I'm just sitting there
thinking myself like was I the same did
I really think this way the honest
answer is yes I think to be honest I
personally don't think anything is
different nobody that I know has
honestly said anything is different the
only thing that I did was four years it
gave me really bad anxiety because what
happened was I had a blood clot in my
brain and I couldn't leave so that
happened in July I was trying to move to
California I had to keep going back and
getting cat-scans over and over and over
every month to see if the blood clot had
went away and finally by November they
said look it still hasn't went away but
we're not gonna keep you here you can
move if you want so I'm like alright I'm
out of here but they said like there's a
very very very serious chance that you
could have seizures that you could have
you know repeating issues so I literally
when I first moved to LA I was a little
anxious anyway but anytime I would feel
like even slightly lightheaded I'd be
like here I come I'm having a stroke and
a seizure all at the same time you know
like I'd be like it's over so it gave me
this sort of lingering weird anxiety of
like something terrible's gonna happen
to you at any moment that I I I had to
get over but that was it didn't turn me
into Superman unfortunately that is a
little unfortunate yeah but that's like
really scary yeah like that's a for real
brain injury something that knocks you
out for five minutes is terrifying
yeah for days it was bleeding brain back
here and then had a concussion in the
back and then in the front from it
bouncing back forward and then the the
blood clot was from the skull fracture
it was weird the weirdest thing is you
wake up four days later and like your
fingernails are longer and your facial
hairs and it just feels you know cuz
you're like what is going on
Wow like these things happen that you
don't think of what was that moment like
I mean that's like out of the [ __ ]
movies I'm gonna be honest as best as I
can remember it was sort of this like
look you knew something happened it
wasn't like where am I get me out of
here and it also wasn't like I heard you
talking the whole time it was just sort
of like you knew that something happened
but you didn't know what or or where
because I don't remember all I remember
is eating breakfast that morning whoa
yeah yeah I don't remember so the rest
is people telling you about it yes and
so I was the filmer for the group right
I was the camera guy and so there was I
went home there's a couple stories I
went home and I looked at my camera and
I'm like who filmed all this stuff and
they're like you did and I didn't
remember and I'm talking and I'm doing
all this stuff and I don't remember any
of it crazy and then I also when I woke
up I couldn't taste food at all
I had zero taste I couldn't read and I
also remember I went home and all I
would do is be on my computer because I
was editing videos I just loved my
little computer and I went on I remember
i clicked on safari on the browser and i
didn't know how to work it like i
couldn't figure out how to operate how
long it was and i was like oh my gosh
I'm screwed forever
that was well so four days we'll say in
a coma maybe two days in the hospital
then I got home the next day so a week
after whoa but I couldn't lay on my left
side I couldn't sleep on my left side
cuz I would feel like I was gonna throw
up like there was just all these weird
little things but they just got all gone
I still don't sleep on my left side but
I don't know if it's because of that or
not really yeah but uh yeah but I can
everything else I haven't noticed any
longer term side effects you got so
lucky like look I'm like holy cow I
dodged seven bullets oh my god that
brain damage and losing my wife those
are my two fears yeah tell me about it
crazy yeah alright we've got another
question here from Angela Monette Angela
Monette Smith how flexible should you be
with the direction of your brand or
should you define the brand vision and
not straight to catch the momentum
age-old question and age-old debate I
believe that the answer and I'm sorry
that this isn't more direct is like you
have to know the middle and like I don't
know maybe I'm compared to being in a
relationship right with your boyfriend
and girlfriend and you got to know how
far you want to bend to benefit the
relationship and for them and you gotta
know when it's time for you to say bye
and only you know that nobody else knows
that I've seen it all happened I've seen
people refuse to let go of their brand
values to the point where they run it
directly into the ground I've seen
people be too loose where it never gets
off the ground you've seen I mean you
got a look at you I've been using this
example a lot lately but because it's so
massive look at what's happening right
now with Nike and Adidas and we're
talking about Nike right arguably was
the best brand in the world they did a
little project with Kanye West he got a
little squirrely they let him go they
said you know what we don't need you who
cares Kanye West goes over to adidas
adidas explodes and adidas explodes off
of influence or marketing meaning like
artists and rappers and all these
different people and based around Kanye
West and the Jenners and the Kardashians
insane right
Nike who has had a tradition of never
straying from nothing but elite athletes
and running never we will never stray
that's why they straight from Kanye West
their latest campaign is with Travis
Scott and Bella Hadid because now
they're having to say oh crap we missed
something and an adidas is on to stuff
and their new collaboration is with
Virgil who's a designer and they're you
know like they're now Nike is saying oh
like we gotta so there is no magic
answer on that you have to feel it out
for yourself but feel it like do
something that feels out of your comfort
zone if it felt bad don't do it again do
you know hold tight if it feels like
you're not growing loosen up like it's a
constant it's an everyday thing there's
not one thing
can write in a mission statement and
never stray from it's not that easy yeah
it's interesting so when I think about
mission to me it comes down to what are
you willing to show up and fight for
everyday even if you're failing right
because the struggle is guaranteed but
the success is not so if like building
that business is just exciting enough
for you that you want to do it no matter
what you know hey I got to collect a
paycheck and all that I get it but I
went through the hardship of chasing the
dollar instead of having a mission and
steering by that and letting that be the
filter by which I made decisions and it
was a [ __ ] nightmare so I've learned
the lesson on the opposite side of the
coin which is you can have all the
financial success in the world and still
absolutely [ __ ] hate your life
because you don't believe in what you're
doing so true so for me with impact
theory we have a mission and I would say
if you have a mission don't ever stray
from it you know not for any reason but
make sure that your mission is very
clear it's the absolute center of who
you are so if we were to say young and
reckless is actually about being able to
help young people develop what they need
to go and be successful with that
whatever that is right to get out of the
box the recklessness is about not
letting society put some pressure on you
to hold you down it's really defining
your own life on your own terms bucking
what everybody says is safe yeah okay
that's that's a framework even I could
get passionate about right like I could
totally connect to that and be like okay
I'm behind this [ __ ] brand let's do
this yeah the path to me is irrelevant
so the path right now may be streetwear
yep but if you realize that there's
something more empowering or just
because one thing I want you to
understand about this young entrepreneur
here is he understands the business
dynamics of his industry of his company
insanely well I really fell in love with
you at that dinner that we did where you
just broke down like the clothing
industry was like goddamn like from the
retail perspective where it's going it
was really incredible so he he
understands all that he knows how to
execute so if you needed to pivot
because you saw like where the
industry's going this doesn't make any
sense to continue to invest in here like
that's not my mission my mission isn't
about clothes closes the path to my
mission of helping them break
the box and really do something that
matters and you know control their life
so when you have a mission that that's
like that it's people focused it's broad
enough that it doesn't require XYZ
business dynamics so then I think you
can stay true to the mission and so
that's how I think about it here at
impact theory is the studio is a path
the mission is to pull people out of the
matrix so to give them an empowering
mindset so if I realize that the way
that we're doing it now doesn't make any
sense and then I'll switch gears but I
think that if you can switch off of your
mission too easily then it wasn't real
to begin with um so or maybe it was too
small like one thing that I would just
put out there is like a lot of times
people's mission is too small and too
close minded of a mission and so it's
too easy to deviate off of right and so
everything is a threat to it and if that
keeps happening maybe it's time to
broaden your mission a little bit a
quick example we have the time is like
when I first came up with the concept
for young and reckless the concept for
the product was this I'm from Ohio
there's no cool clothing options there
it's just you take what you get in the
mall in LA in New York people line up
around the block for cool brands like
supreme and all these cool street wear
bands I want to create a brand that has
that same feeling but is available to
the kid in the mall the problem is over
the years that model that there's no
longer a market for that because most of
those brands have started selling to the
malls and social media has opened it up
and that's just not reality anymore so
now my strategy is I want to be able to
make more fashion on-trend
clothes that are really good really on
trend really really cool but affordable
because it's always been this mission if
I want it to be accessible right it's
all whether it's I want to create a cool
brand and it's accessible or I want to
create a really good valuable product
for an accessible price but at the top
of all of that the young and reckless
brand mission statement has never
changed it's always been to get young
people to break out of the box in it and
be what they want to be so it's like
maybe you need to broaden you know the
mission if you're keep getting jammed up
too quickly
I think cuz things will change you know
know for sure that makes a lot of sense
so where do you see yourself going from
here what's the what is that plan to
help people redefine themselves I think
that like when I look at what I've done
like truly what I've accomplished or
like people that I have impacted I think
that I've just scratched the surface and
I think that you know now that I'm
getting way more into this content stuff
in the podcast stuff and I just think
that my the drama universe will be ten
times bigger in even a few years than it
is or has been this whole time and I
think that it's through like I said
educating with the podcast and showing
my video content and what I'm actually
doing and building up the brand the
young and reckless brand and I just
think like I think that when you when
young people think of me now they think
like oh yeah I think he was on that TV
show and he does that young and reckless
thing that's pretty cool but what I
would like them to think is like oh
that's drama he I just watched his vlog
last week and he just had Tom on his
podcast and he just you know he just
went on a rant about marketing and the
blah blah blah and like he really I know
him I have a relationship with him and
this is what he's doing and there's
charity elements and he's helping people
start businesses whatever it is I just
think that like when you think of me
I'll be a lot more meaningful to people
and a lot more relatable and a lot it'll
be a lot clearer in a few years and I'll
just build on that as I go that's my
life goal is to do that what role does
music play and what you guys are doing
so music we work with a lot of music
artists with what we do the reason why
to be 100% honest with you is because I
really personally am drawn to it and I'm
really drawn to like the hunger
especially in rap music especially with
a lot of these young rappers and they
just portray the hunger so well and on
top of all that it's cool because one
thing that I always argue too is at the
end of the day I'm not really running a
media company yet or I'm running a
clothing company and I have to work with
people that look cool right so you have
to be you know people have to want to
dress like the guy in my photos
right it can't be a guy sitting at a
laptop unfortunately with our new
teacher nobody's gonna buy it so it's
kind of like how do you wear my real
sweet spot is right now is young hungry
passionate people that look really cool
and music artists are a lot of those
people yeah music is something that I I
know we had talked about and possibly
even doing some sort of collaboration
music to me is is a driver of community
and so what I mean by that is we're
trying to do the same we call impact
house which to create the studio the way
that we want we really need to involve a
lot of creative people that are hungry
to do something really amazing that are
looking for collaborators that are
looking for inspiration that are looking
to be a part of something bigger that's
really a cultural movement and so the is
powerful as the Internet is and as
powerful as social media is I think the
real juice is when you connect like you
and I connecting in real life right so
bringing people together here at the
house doing sort of creative salons and
the vision was always to bring in a
musical act someone up-and-coming create
a space where they could perform get
people attracted to that and then you
have like the you know the breakout
sessions you've got musicians
celebrating the Hunger the whatever and
then you've got that break out of and
now let's really create something yeah
yeah it's just cool it's a cool
it's just cool the same way it's cool to
have at a party or cool to have at an
event it's cool to have in your clothes
and it's a cool story to tell and I
think that it's a really easy and I just
love it like I said I used to want to be
a music producer you know and I just you
were DJing for a while working so the
first thing was I was actually producing
music I was making beats and sending him
out every day and I was calling myself
drama beats and I was and I really
thought I was the next Scott Storch
right and then I kind of tried DJing a
little bit and whatever but they just
weren't connecting him there wasn't fun
the way it was going I just didn't like
it but I just have such a passion for it
and for creating a song and what goes
into that and just the passion of these
young artists and I don't know it's just
something I'm really drawn to all right
we have another fan question yeah this
one is from Carlos Becerra drama you
mentioned that you tried
several of the businesses in the past
did you at that time think of bringing
value to the people or what was the
purpose so when we were back making
burritos yeah what not as much I will
say that I do think that as I've gotten
older I've understood the concept of of
sort of bringing value to people more
more than just like a product I used to
kind of look at it as like now you
create a cool business it's
cost-effective you sell it here which
still works for a lot of people but now
I'm much more driven by that value
concept so the answer is what changed in
you by the way well I think I've matured
you know I just think that like when
you're young and you're just kind of
looking at what people are doing because
I don't think they teach that enough
right like I think that if you go to
business school I've never been I'm just
guessing they teach margins and
distribution and maybe the concept of
the business and the creative knowledge
stuff but they don't know that the
concept of really adding value to people
and asking them to buy product in
exchange is taught yet properly so I
just think I got older and I realized
that that is what really works and
that's what people really resonate with
and the reason why we had so much
success on our TV shows was because we
were creating entertainment value for
people and they were inspired by the
episodes we were doing in the stuff we
were doing an intern they were buying
our products and they were subscribing
to sort of our lifestyle you know and I
just think I understood that more as I
as I got older so the answer what is not
really like I wanted to be a music
producer what's the value you're really
creating I wanted people to dance in the
club to my stuff I wanted microwave
burritos I just saw the opportunity that
our demographic are a bunch of like
young college kids who are probably
going to 7-eleven and grabbing some
microwave burritos so I want to create a
cool brand that was it was cheeseburger
flavored Pizza flavored it was kind of
like this Corky burrito thing who taught
you to think about demographics and
stuff like that where'd you learn that
like I didn't learn that stuff till way
later I don't know I think it just made
sense to me I think it just made sense I
think that that's why I am where I am
that's the part I don't know that's the
part that I think that's in me and
that's what sort of carried me to where
I am because I started think
I was gonna be a professional
skateboarder then I thought I was gonna
work at a skateboard shop then I thought
I had no idea but but there's been this
element of me that's just kind of
followed instincts learned and then
viciously applied how do you go from
thinking you're gonna work at a skate
shop which is essentially a minimum wage
like that to really dreaming big and
becoming an entrepreneur this is why I
love that that's my whole point my brain
couldn't think more than working at a
skate shop like I my dream I remember
sitting on my friend's roof in Akron
Ohio a week before I left to move to LA
and I said man six months from now I'm
gonna have my studio apartment we're
gonna be able to drink all the beer we
want I'm gonna have a full-time gig at
this skate shop out in the valley and
like we can just skateboard on the
weekends and sell skateboards during the
week and it was a dream come true right
and it's just that my mind opened up you
know you just see things you see what's
possible you see that they're not saying
you were seeing was was what was going
on with Rob like yeah with Rob I had all
these other friends that were you know
you just become friends with I had one
friend who was making music for a
up-and-coming rap group and all the
stuff that Rob was doing and just all of
our circle there was just so much
happening there's so much happening in
LA and you just see like well I don't
know if this guy can do it and this guy
can do it then why can't I do it and is
that the big hurdle for you you just
never thought that that was something a
kid from Akron did yeah you just don't I
think that and that I think that that's
how a lot a lot a lot of young people
are is they dream and they watch a lot
of garyvee and they do all this stuff
but they they don't actually believe
that they can do it and I just wasn't
you on the podcast the other day on Joe
Rogan's podcast that said you told a kid
he could have whatever you want and he
said a million dollars yeah it's exactly
that it's exactly that and it's sort of
like not only saying you can have more
but look at these people that are having
more look at us we're just two normal
guys sitting here having a conversation
right some people look at us like oh
they have it all figured out they had
some gifts or they have
whatever and it's just not that's what
I'm trying to break down right you know
and so yeah I don't know that that's
that's why I love that because that was
my wildest dream and now the thought of
working is obviously you know makes so
what's something in becoming an
entrepreneur that surprised you that you
want anybody out there considering
becoming an entrepreneur to know just
that you can do it and that like you
just gotta pay attention and like I said
be humble and learn and apply it but
nobody's nobody's that smart like
nobody's that you know I mean even me I
go in every week to our office and I'm
like well I don't know let's try this
alright like here's our plan we got a
pretty good inkling that it's the right
you know we think we know why we're
doing this but let's go for it and I've
watched people build massive businesses
and that stuff and it's just from
collecting information and taking your
best shot at it and I think that people
underestimate like I said their own
power and their own ability to to do
stuff yeah you know know for sure
alright so unfortunately we are running
out of time getting the segment come
back at like 3 a.m. just give me a call
my man I like careful and careful what
you offer here we go we need so
everybody dramas gonna be back at 3:00
a.m. if you join us dude this was
awesome thank you so much for coming on
and guys check out what he's doing at
young and reckless
I'm telling you after being on his
podcast after going out with him to
dinner after spending time with him here
at the house like really getting to know
who he is as a person I think what he's
doing is incredible not only is he
executing well but the changing vision
of what the company can be and how it
can help people I think is really really
cool I think this is a brand to watch an
entrepreneur who's now getting out there
and letting you learn with him in real
time is super super cool I love it a
very welcome voice in the podcast world
and thank you again for having me Amin
was incredible yes and thank you for
being here thank you
hopefully we'll we'll see you back here
3 a.m. and don't forget guys do we have
a winner on the segment yet we do up
there it is ok so the winner of the
amazing young and reckless swag is Mike
Burkhart yay Mike and Mike is an active
member of the community so there it is
so super excited Mike well played and
you know something that I don't I don't
even know what number do you know what
number of your podcast I was 61 62
62 for the answer that is for the win
well well played I'm at it all right
well brother thank you so so much
you