Latest / Beyond Fulfillment Podcast / Entrepreneurship on Your Own Terms: Building a Legacy in Logistics with Tristan Bordallo

Transcript

Entrepreneurship on Your Own Terms: Building a Legacy in Logistics with Tristan Bordallo · Beyond Fulfillment Podcast

• 0:00
  Today, we welcome Tristan Bordalo to dive deep into his entrepreneurial journey.
• 0:06
  We start with how his background as a competitive cyclist shaped his mental toughness and approach to business.
• 0:12
  Tristan draws strong parallels between cycling and entrepreneurship.
• 0:17
  The unpredictability, the need for quick decision making and enduring periods of hardship all helped him build resilience for the long haul of building and running companies.
• 0:29
  He shares how his drive to find his own path rather than fit the traditional expectations set by his family led him into the world of freight and logistics, where he started as an agent and eventually transitioned to owning
• 0:42
  both a brokerage and an asset based trucking company.
• 0:46
  We explore the challenges and lessons Tristan faced as he set up both businesses simultaneously, highlighting the steep learning curve that came with navigating the operational differences between brokering loads and owning assets outright.
• 1:01
  He explains the benefits of having control over his own fleet, especially amid today's rising freight fraud and double brokering, saying that asset ownership allows for better service, more reliable outcomes, and deeper customer trust.
• 1:16
  Tristan also underscores how focusing on niche markets and delivering personalized service has enabled his company to thrive, even as many competitors struggle with low rates and high market volatility.
• 1:30
  Tristan's philosophy is deeply rooted in community building, transparency, and a mindset of vibes, positivity and intentionality in business interactions.
• 1:41
  He talks about the importance of doing business with people who care, both on the customer and carrier side, and maintaining high standards and a strong support network have been key in tough times.
• 1:53
  Whether you're in logistics or just love a good entrepreneurial story, you won't want to miss this inspiring conversation.
• 2:01
  As always, if you found value from this content, please like and subscribe.
• 2:07
  All right, Tristan Bardalo, welcome to Beyond Fulfillment.
• 2:12
  Thank you, Dave.
• 2:14
  Yeah, appreciate you being here.
• 2:16
  Okay, so Tristan, first question.
• 2:21
  How did your experience as a competitive cyclist influence your mental toughness and approach to the long haul of building your businesses?
• 2:31
  Oh, wow, that's a good one.
• 2:33
  You pulled that one out.
• 2:36
  That requires a lot of training.
• 2:38
  It's not just getting on the bike and there's a lot of moving pieces to cycling, to the gear you have to how you take care of your equipment, how you eat, to how you train.
• 2:53
  And it's, it's, it reminds me a lot of running a business because even though you have everything set up to for success, you're prepared.
• 3:03
  You never know what's on the road.
• 3:05
  Cars are on the road, another cyclist.
• 3:07
  It's not as, you know, it's, it's not as like unpredictable.
• 3:13
  There's a lot of things that are unpredictable.
• 3:15
  And, you know, you gotta be able to move quickly, make decisions quickly, or you'll end up on the ground.
• 3:21
  And one of the hardest things that I've done in cycling was climbing and being able to keep on holding on to someone's wheel.
• 3:30
  So, you know that pain cave that you're in, I call it, and you're suffering and you're just holding on for dear life.
• 3:38
  And that's exactly business.
• 3:40
  And it's really trained me to be mentally tough for running a business because just like cycling, no matter how prepared you are, it's going to be a tough ride.
• 3:55
  In my world, a personal brand is invaluable.
• 3:58
  A year ago, EasyDC was brand new with just a couple of customers and no online presence.
• 4:04
  Then I found Hicks Marketing.
• 4:06
  They helped me amplify my personal brand, build a solid content strategy, publish my podcast, and 10x the number of customers we serve, all in less than one year.
• 4:16
  Do you need a marketing partner who gets you and cares about your success?
• 4:20
  Reach out to aliciaxmarketing.com for more info and tell her Dave Gula sent you.
• 4:27
  Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 4:29
  And so you, we were just talking off camera and you mentioned you've been an entrepreneur now for 21 years.
• 4:36
  So what was it that made you decide to go that route rather than the conventional way of just getting a job?
• 4:45
  Well, I, I don't think I'd be a really good employee anyways.
• 4:50
  Right.
• 4:51
  I'm always questioning things, I'm hyper, curious.
• 4:53
  I always question why.
• 4:55
  And even my mom, coming from Filipino parents, my mom is a nurse.
• 5:02
  And in the Philippines you have to be a doctor, a nurse or a lawyer.
• 5:07
  And you have to be, you have to go to a four year college.
• 5:11
  And I asked my mom, well, how much does a nurse make?
• 5:13
  And this was back In, I'd say 25 years ago, they make 78,000 to $85,000 a year.
• 5:20
  And I broke it down to myself.
• 5:22
  So I said I only need to make $300 a day and I could do 1099 and I'll crush it because it's better than a W2.
• 5:31
  So five days a week, $300 a day, 52 weeks, that's $78,000.
• 5:37
  And that's all I, you know, that was my goal.
• 5:39
  And I, and I think my first year I did that and I didn't.
• 5:44
  I got my mom off my back and everyone else and they actually thought I was selling drugs, but I was actually hauling freight as a sales rep.
• 5:51
  And I was also DJing on the side too.
• 5:53
  So Yeah, I was always hustling.
• 5:55
  Definitely those are the entrepreneur.
• 6:01
  You know, that's what entrepreneurs do, is they hustle and they just don't want to get a job, so they're naturally finding the easiest way out.
• 6:09
  But I can tell you it's not really that easy.
• 6:11
  It's just a lot better than being told what to do and doing it on your own terms.
• 6:16
  Okay, and so what was the moment that made you transition from.
• 6:22
  From being the agency owner with.
• 6:24
  With Covenant to.
• 6:25
  To taking the leap and then founding your own companies?
• 6:31
  Well, I mean, it was having a franchise and, and no disrespect to agency ownership, but, you know, you.
• 6:39
  You evolve into wanting to own everything, right?
• 6:44
  You're wanting to.
• 6:45
  Have to.
• 6:47
  To learn the money side of things, cash flow, and.
• 6:49
  Because when you're a commission rep, you don't get to learn all that.
• 6:52
  You don't build relationships with vendors.
• 6:53
  You build relationships with carriers, but you're not building relationships with vendors.
• 6:58
  And so that was more of what I wanted to do and actually take more of the.
• 7:05
  The responsibility and expose myself to that risk because I knew there was going to be a better payout.
• 7:11
  So what?
• 7:12
  And I wanted to hire more people.
• 7:15
  I wanted to make an impact.
• 7:17
  When I was an agent, I felt like I hit a.
• 7:22
  This ceiling and I just was making money for myself.
• 7:26
  So it's.
• 7:27
  It's like a glorified sales rep with a couple of assistants.
• 7:31
  But if you really want to run a fully operational business, you're going to have to run.
• 7:35
  You're going to have to figure that out by having your own brokerage and having your own trucking company actually launched, both at the same time, which was crazy on my part, but that's.
• 7:44
  Ignorance is bliss.
• 7:46
  You never really know how.
• 7:47
  How hard it is.
• 7:49
  You think it's all, I've done this for so many years, I could do it.
• 7:52
  So, yeah, I mean, just the whole agency part.
• 7:54
  And plus I was.
• 7:55
  If I was going to build something, I was there for 10 years.
• 7:58
  And it's.
• 7:58
  It's almost like building a McDonald's.
• 8:00
  Right?
• 8:00
  You don't actually own McDonald's.
• 8:02
  You.
• 8:02
  You own a franchise and it's not your business.
• 8:06
  And I wanted more of a legacy for myself.
• 8:08
  And I wanted, you know, I had kids and I turned 40 that year, and I wanted my kids to.
• 8:15
  To know that that name on the truck or that name on the company was.
• 8:18
  Was the name that I came up with, not that I was building something under.
• 8:23
  Ah, okay.
• 8:25
  All right.
• 8:25
  And so you mentioned you started the, The Asset based brokerage and the, the, the non asset based at the same time.
• 8:33
  So what, what made you decide to do that?
• 8:38
  Well, I mean I've always been a brokerage so it was, it's asset based trucking company.
• 8:41
  So brokerage has no assets.
• 8:45
  We've for, for a long time.
• 8:47
  You know, I wanted to have control of the outcome.
• 8:51
  So, so as a non asset based brokerage you are hiring carriers to do your pickups and your deliveries and it's hard to find really great carriers.
• 9:03
  And so I thought I'd build it myself.
• 9:05
  I could probably move up market by having my own trucks and my own drivers and my own trailers and being able to control the outcome versus being a broker where you're, you're, you're selling capacity that's not even yours.
• 9:23
  Right?
• 9:23
  You're not and you have no idea.
• 9:25
  Sometimes it's, it's like a trick.
• 9:27
  Everyone thinks just because you're a broker you could get trucks doesn't mean you know what's on the other end.
• 9:32
  I mean if you, if only the public knew how we covered loads as a broker, it's almost like hey Dave, you have a load, Great.
• 9:39
  I could do it for X price.
• 9:41
  And what happens is guess what, I don't even have a truck.
• 9:43
  I'm going to go out there and post your load and see if I could find a carrier.
• 9:46
  That's if I don't have a relationship with someone who could do that.
• 9:49
  Remember we're covering all 48 contingent states.
• 9:52
  It's impossible for you to have someone unless you're regional that will cover the whole United States.
• 9:57
  So what you're doing is you're trying to find capacity for something that you quoted and then you didn't have.
• 10:01
  But as, as now asset based trucking company, I could just go to any company and say look, I have trucks and I could send them anywhere you'd like as long as you're willing to pay me.
• 10:11
  And that was all about the control and, and being able to provide that service because I'm, I'm big on making sure that I, I really serve the ones I set out to serve because I felt like I was
• 10:24
  underserving them on the brokerage side.
• 10:26
  And some customers really like that.
• 10:28
  You have a brokerage and they don't care who you find to get the, the carriers to do the, the loads for you.
• 10:35
  That's why you hear a lot of fraud, a lot of like double brokering and the guy that you hired is not the person that the broke.
• 10:42
  So I mean there's a lot of that going on.
• 10:44
  So you know, having your own trucks makes you a little bit, it gives you that competitive edge by providing a real truck, a real driver, real visibility, real everything versus I wouldn't say fake but for the most part
• 11:00
  it's, it's, it's, it's, it's a coin flip on the brokerage side and I was tired of that game.
• 11:07
  Okay.
• 11:08
  And so you know, one thing too I've heard from other, I guess brokers is, or informer, even trucking company owners is kind of the boy.
• 11:20
  I'm, I had a fleet and boy, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that anymore as far as owning the assets and the maintenance and everything that goes along with, with that.
• 11:29
  So I mean now that, now that you've been doing it for a while and, and done both sides simultaneously, I mean what's your, I guess in hindsight what's your take on the situation as far as having a asset
• 11:44
  based trucking company compared to just a brokerage?
• 11:48
  Oh man, that's a loaded question.
• 11:51
  Some days I feel just like everyone else that say the same thing.
• 11:55
  I've had my own assets, I have a headache in doing this and there's days where I'm like, wow, I'm so glad I have my own assets.
• 12:02
  So like anything in, in business or in entrepreneurship, it goes up, down, up, down, up, down.
• 12:10
  Same thing with your feelings.
• 12:12
  But I think I'm at a good place with, with it now.
• 12:15
  There's, there's, there's been a lot of pivoting and you know, it's, there's that moment where I, I set out to do events because I knew that was going to be something that could, that's, that's moving up market, right?
• 12:31
  That's really having like.
• 12:33
  We just went to the Country Music Awards, we left this Friday and I looked at that Raycon and I said man, this is crazy.
• 12:41
  This is what it was all about.
• 12:42
  There's no way I was able, I was never going to get that type of customer if I didn't have my own trucks.
• 12:48
  Right.
• 12:49
  And the money that we're making back and forth, it's really what a sustainable rate would look like.
• 12:54
  And so that makes it all worth it for me.
• 12:58
  We just, we also did, just did sneaker conversations.
• 13:01
  So we're doing more conventions, we're doing more of the little.
• 13:07
  There's a lot of risk and a lot of exposure so that you can't even fail.
• 13:10
  It's like a no fail load, right?
• 13:12
  You do concerts, you do, you do big events.
• 13:15
  And you know, I've done lights for Coachella.
• 13:17
  Like, things like that are very.
• 13:20
  You can't be a broker and do that because you don't have the drivers or you don't have the assets, you don't have the control, you don't have the visibility.
• 13:28
  There's no way in the world I would be trusting a broker, me brokering out a load to someone who I have no idea who's going to be on the other end.
• 13:38
  So, yeah, I mean, that, that, that question is.
• 13:44
  It just depends on what you're after and what you're.
• 13:46
  If you don't find the niche and you're just running pallet loads.
• 13:50
  Yeah, you're going to keep getting that feeling where it's not worth it because a lot of the freight out there that's moving into the Walmarts and the targets.
• 14:02
  Yeah, those loads are, not everyone can do those loads.
• 14:07
  You've got to set yourself apart.
• 14:08
  And if that's what you're building your trucking company for, you're gonna, you're gonna hate owning trucks.
• 14:15
  Okay.
• 14:16
  All right.
• 14:17
  And so when you did, you know, start both, both companies simultaneously, what was the biggest?
• 14:26
  I mean, I guess how steep was the learning curve after being an agent for so long?
• 14:32
  I would say very steep.
• 14:35
  And I always say this.
• 14:37
  When you're in front of a computer and you're, you're booking loads, you're not really out in the real world of trucking.
• 14:46
  It's a, it's, it's two different cultures.
• 14:49
  And I think one of the things I will always say this is that I learned more in owning assets in one year than I did the 16 years before because of what it actually takes.
• 15:05
  I mean, trucking is so hard.
• 15:06
  I don't think we get enough credit as an asset based company that there is a lot of moving pieces to it.
• 15:16
  And you know, in brokering, it was easy.
• 15:20
  You, you find a customer.
• 15:22
  And I'm not saying that if you're a carrier, it's easy to find customers too, because there's a sales side.
• 15:26
  Right.
• 15:26
  Remember I said it's two different cultures.
• 15:28
  As a carrier, you know how to do operations really well, but as a broker, you know the sales side and the customer side really well.
• 15:36
  So.
• 15:37
  But I had no idea what it took to actually get the job done.
• 15:41
  And that's when I realized, wow, I'm so glad I'm learning their culture because I already know what brokerage is like.
• 15:50
  But this side, I'm still learning every Single day.
• 15:53
  There's so many different policies and compliance rules and regulations that we constantly have to stay on top of and insurance and how, what's covered, what's not, what are exclusions?
• 16:08
  And it's funny because now I think for them, I'm like, I am so glad that in the 16 years that I was brokering that I didn't have to deal with all the crazy things that are not covered under
• 16:21
  insurance.
• 16:22
  I guess I got really lucky because when you look at an insurance policy, When I look at an insurance policy today, I do that on my brokerage side too.
• 16:28
  I go, man, these guys are not.
• 16:32
  This insurance policy is not going to cover us at all.
• 16:35
  But those are the customers that I let them know.
• 16:37
  I go, look, hey, if you're going to ship out these pallets, just know that I'm not going to be responsible for it when something happens because this is a really crappy carrier that we're hiring to do this.
• 16:47
  And some of the customers, they don't really care, man.
• 16:49
  They just really want cheap pricing, and that's okay.
• 16:53
  That's what they want.
• 16:54
  So.
• 16:55
  But the customers that are, you know, it's crazy when I see things online and I see someone say, okay, I have my fall launch of clothing, right?
• 17:06
  Or my new bikes that are coming out this summer, and they.
• 17:09
  And it goes missing.
• 17:11
  And then they go online and they cry about, oh, my God, I can't believe I don't have anything to sell for my fall season.
• 17:16
  Oh, summer's coming.
• 17:17
  I don't have any bikes to sell.
• 17:19
  Well, that's what you get for hiring.
• 17:20
  I hope the $300 that you saved at the $400 that you saved was enough savings that you did not have anything to sell for your fall and your summer bikes.
• 17:30
  You know what I mean?
• 17:30
  Like, those, those type of things are, are, are the consequences of, of cheap and, and trusting that brokers are going to have it versus paying someone that has assets and saying, hey, why don't you just pay 300, $500
• 17:47
  more?
• 17:47
  It'll get there, but you'll have something to sell.
• 17:49
  I mean, service is everything when it comes to trucking.
• 17:53
  Yeah.
• 17:53
  And just following up on that, I mean, clearly, like you mentioned the fraud and the double brokering and all that' heavy over the last, you know, year, year and then some.
• 18:05
  And I mean, all by all accounts, I mean, it's at record highs in terms of the, the theft and, and whatnot.
• 18:12
  How is that that aspect of it impacted your business?
• 18:18
  It's actually great, you know, like I, not that I'm glad that it's happening, but it's, it's definitely the consequences of what we've been doing prior, right there's, it's, it's an evolution of what has.
• 18:32
  I saw this coming a long time ago and this is, you know, going back to your other question, I remember thinking, wow, that is the reason why I like owning my own trucks, right?
• 18:40
  Because I don't have to worry about that.
• 18:42
  And I worry about it on my brokerage side when we're giving it to someone that we are, we don't know.
• 18:48
  And so I, we came up with something in the last year and a half here saying, hey, guys, we're only going to work with carriers that we care about and that care about us and that we know.
• 18:56
  Because I had no idea that this was going to turn out this bad.
• 19:01
  I mean, we've got, we got rid of a lot of awesome carriers in the last couple of years.
• 19:06
  So right now you either have the, all the big guys.
• 19:09
  This is what the future of freight looks like to me.
• 19:11
  You have all of the big guys and all of the crappy guys.
• 19:15
  All the guys in between are going to be gone because a lot of, a lot of the, you know, when the middleman takes over and controls pricing, here's what happens.
• 19:25
  They have, you have the big guys that they don't care about because they're not going to get, they're never going to get the assets from the, the Schneiders and the Covenants and the, you know, JB Hunts.
• 19:35
  They're not.
• 19:36
  But they're going to get the carriers that are on this side.
• 19:39
  And now they're gonna have to vet which one's the best that could do their load for them.
• 19:44
  All the in between guys.
• 19:46
  You made them do it at the price of these little guys or, sorry, the guys that are shady.
• 19:53
  I mean, there's a reason why there's so much fraud right now.
• 19:56
  There's not a lot of great carriers left and it's scary.
• 20:00
  And that's why, you know, it's, it's, it's a good time to have assets and to be a good human being because it's, it's great to, to turn down loads.
• 20:10
  And I, I've, I think in the last year I've had three customers call me Tristan.
• 20:16
  I got this much stuff stolen.
• 20:19
  We only want you to do it, Tristan.
• 20:21
  I got this stuff stolen.
• 20:23
  I trust you.
• 20:23
  Can you do it, Tristan?
• 20:25
  You're the only one.
• 20:25
  I saw you on LinkedIn.
• 20:26
  Can you help us?
• 20:27
  We have this stuff stolen and it's awesome because it's an opportunity for me.
• 20:33
  I guess the more we mess around, the more we find out and it's, it's a great opportunity for the ones doing the right things.
• 20:43
  And you mentioned too, like you, you only want carriers that, that care, right?
• 20:50
  And one of the things, talking about LinkedIn, you're always posting care for all and you know, you're, you're building community.
• 20:58
  So can, can you talk about more, more about where that comes from?
• 21:04
  Yeah.
• 21:04
  So I'm part of a entrepreneurs organization I've just joined in the last two years and, and that's really opened up my eyes and gave me the lens to building a community because you know, I'm in an industry that's
• 21:18
  so fragmented and I, I felt what if I apply some of the real community building skills and things I'm learning in this community of entrepreneurs.
• 21:32
  And I thought, you know, I don't, I shouldn't be worried about changing the whole industry, but I, I'm not, I don't want to go against it, but I'm going to be for this community.
• 21:39
  I'm going to care for all where we are, taking care of both sides because I know how hard it is to be a small carrier and I know how hard it is to be a broker who's scared to
• 21:50
  hire carriers that are out there.
• 21:52
  So if I build a community based on everyone and the principles of only do business with the people that care about you and that you care about and I think would be in a better place, at least in
• 22:04
  that community because everything is going to happen anyways, I don't want to be a part of it anymore.
• 22:12
  It's not that I'm against it or this is a better option.
• 22:15
  I just want a community that's for something.
• 22:17
  And if it's for carriers that want to come in and say, hey, I'm tired of getting, you know, ripped off or I'm tired of, of, of, of staying afloat and being stressed out about not paying my bills.
• 22:31
  Let's get together.
• 22:32
  I'll give you my capacity if we can find me the right customers.
• 22:38
  And today I'm way more intentional about the customers I'm getting.
• 22:43
  I'm no longer just going for the low hanging fruit and to, to, to just ship stuff just for revenue.
• 22:49
  I'm really about, okay, am I really making an impact?
• 22:53
  Are we really making an impact?
• 22:54
  Are we really helping the carriers that are doing this and the drivers?
• 22:57
  Because if the more we help our carriers, the more they can help the drivers and I always say that, you know, the customer will dictate what type of drivers we get.
• 23:07
  Okay.
• 23:08
  And so clearly a noble way to do business with, with that mindset.
• 23:17
  How challenging is it considering, you know, the freight market especially has been, the rates have been low.
• 23:25
  There's been a lot of brokerages going under over the last several years.
• 23:30
  There's been certainly a slowdown, you know, since the COVID high a few years back.
• 23:35
  And there's been some overcapacity like how, how challenging is that operating from that mindset given the realities of, of the freight market today.
• 23:51
  You know, it's funny because I always think, okay, if it's really challenging, I would have had to get a job 21 years ago.
• 23:58
  Right?
• 23:58
  There's.
• 23:59
  And I'm not trying to be on the front of Forbes or magazine and trying to have the biggest brokerage or the biggest trucking company.
• 24:06
  I'm just trying to help as many customers that want to be helped.
• 24:09
  And I think, you know, it is like you said it was.
• 24:13
  It's a noble thing to have a trucking company that's, that's caring for all and a brokerage that's caring for all.
• 24:18
  But there are customers that do support us in our vision.
• 24:22
  And so I'm very lucky and excited to have made those connections versus worrying about what's going on around me because it sucks.
• 24:34
  If you're a carrier that is.
• 24:36
  Is and a broker that's there for money, then you're, you're going to go out of business.
• 24:42
  I mean, if you're not making impact, you're not caring about the outcome and the consequences.
• 24:48
  Consequences.
• 24:49
  And it shows by how you operate and how the brokerage operates and how you treat carriers.
• 24:56
  And so I think, you know, we've got, it's, it's a really tough market right now, but in, in there's a lot of customers that could keep a small company like myself and other brokerages.
• 25:09
  I have friends that have small brokerages that you'll never even hear of and have the same customers for 20, 30 years.
• 25:16
  I mean, I have two customers that are 20 plus years and some of them 18, 17.
• 25:21
  I mean, there's really great customers out there supporting that will care about you.
• 25:29
  And I care about them deeply as well.
• 25:31
  And that's the reason why I bought trucks.
• 25:34
  Okay, all right.
• 25:36
  And then coming to, you know, present day, right, as we record this, we're in late April, the tariff situation is still very much up in the air as far as how that's going to go you know, the China
• 25:51
  negotiations are ongoing, but we have no resolution there.
• 25:54
  I mean, various people are predicting a big slowdown.
• 25:58
  Some people are saying there's going to be a lot of empty shelves starting soon.
• 26:01
  And one of the areas potentially that's going to get hit hard is ports, particularly on the west coast, and then freight.
• 26:11
  What's your outlook for the coming months based on how you see the situation right now?
• 26:19
  I think I'm in the same boat, pun intended.
• 26:24
  Just kidding.
• 26:25
  I'm probably on the.
• 26:26
  On the same boat as everyone else.
• 26:29
  You know, there's a lot of uncertainty.
• 26:31
  I.
• 26:31
  I'm part of Harbor Trucking association and California Trucking Association.
• 26:34
  It is something that what we really talk about, especially, you know, I went to a Harbor Trucking association meeting last week, and I never saw that many people.
• 26:42
  I mean, it was standing room only, and there was more people outside.
• 26:47
  And I know everyone's looking for the answers, but one of the things I do is anything can change at any moment tomorrow, someone can say in the administration, okay, just kidding, we're back to normal, everything's okay.
• 27:04
  And then there's another camp that I've been able to see where they're resilient.
• 27:09
  I have Chinese customers that are telling me that they're already moving quickly to assemble, like in the Philippines or Vietnam, and trying to figure out what they're going to do.
• 27:19
  And so I have faith in that.
• 27:23
  Everything is going to, you know, of course there's going to be a lot that are going to be suffering, but there's also ones that are going to be fighting.
• 27:29
  So it's like, let's go back to cycling, right?
• 27:33
  In cycling, there's, there's, there's a competitive side to everyone.
• 27:36
  They want to stay in that pack.
• 27:37
  They want to stay in the peloton, and they're going to do whatever it takes to get there.
• 27:41
  And if they don't make it in that peloton that weekend, they're going to work their butts off the next couple of months or days, and then they'll be in that peloton.
• 27:48
  There's those people.
• 27:48
  Then there's like, oh, those guys are too fast.
• 27:50
  I don't even want to hang out with them anymore.
• 27:52
  And then they just stop and they just hang out and be.
• 27:54
  Be a coffee shop writer, which that's fine.
• 27:56
  I'm a coffee shop writer today.
• 27:57
  Or actually, I'm on.
• 27:58
  Just on the peloton, on the indoor bike.
• 28:00
  But what I'm saying is that there are people that want to compete and there are People that are going to want to make these.
• 28:08
  I mean, entre.
• 28:09
  There's some awesome entrepreneurs out there, and I don't think this is just.
• 28:12
  Everyone's just going to sit back and wait.
• 28:14
  There are going to be those that are willing to take that risk and still go at it no matter what.
• 28:21
  They're not just going to abandon their freight.
• 28:24
  They're finding ways to make this work.
• 28:29
  And those are.
• 28:30
  That's the camp that I want to start, you know, hanging out with and trying to find versus the ones that are just negative, because I don't have time for that.
• 28:40
  Yeah, agreed.
• 28:43
  Something else, too, that you post often is.
• 28:47
  I mean, I think you.
• 28:48
  You sign off, you say vibes.
• 28:49
  Vibes, y' all.
• 28:51
  And yeah, you've posted about the import, you mentioned positivity there, and you talked about the importance of your vibration and, and, you know, and your attitude and all that.
• 29:01
  Like, how.
• 29:01
  How do you think that mindset has.
• 29:04
  Has impacted your success as an entrepreneur?
• 29:08
  Yeah, it's just.
• 29:09
  It's just being free, right?
• 29:10
  Not caring, not.
• 29:12
  Not saying, not caring about the outcome, but.
• 29:14
  But it is what it is.
• 29:15
  You surrender to the outcome, right?
• 29:18
  Like, there's nothing I could do.
• 29:20
  There's.
• 29:20
  There's.
• 29:21
  There, there's.
• 29:22
  There's not much I could control.
• 29:23
  And that's why if.
• 29:25
  If you just have.
• 29:25
  If you just.
• 29:26
  If you just vibe at really high vibrations and.
• 29:29
  And I think good things will come, and.
• 29:31
  And I.
• 29:32
  And a lot of people say I'm lucky, right?
• 29:34
  Oh, you're lucky.
• 29:34
  I mean, I don't.
• 29:35
  I don't think it has to do with luck.
• 29:37
  It's.
• 29:37
  It's a lot of it.
• 29:39
  It's.
• 29:40
  It's how you.
• 29:42
  What you put out there is what you're gonna get.
• 29:44
  And I truly believe that.
• 29:47
  Because if you.
• 29:49
  If you always vibrate in the highest vibrations, which is being joyful and just being positive, and good things will come, and you just keep working towards it.
• 29:59
  Because if, you know, for someone who's been an entrepreneur for this long, and I always say it's got to be something, and it is the vibes, right?
• 30:10
  Like, it's how you vibe.
• 30:11
  If you surrender to what's going to happen, of course you could cry about it and get upset, but if you just go back and not let it get to you and just go back to being positive and working
• 30:24
  towards something and, you know, because action is always like, okay, let's go, let's go, let's go.
• 30:30
  And that.
• 30:32
  That.
• 30:32
  That's the vibe right there.
• 30:33
  Because I think that gets you through a lot of hard stuff.
• 30:38
  And, and, and I think when I could share that with others, I feel that it, you know, makes them smile inside and out.
• 30:50
  And that's something that I want to give.
• 30:52
  And I was, I was given a gift to, you know, to be able to talk to you guys on podcast.
• 31:02
  So I might as well use it for good versus complain about what's happening out there because that would be so boring, man.
• 31:10
  I mean, I, I can't have a conversation about all the bad stuff.
• 31:13
  I.
• 31:14
  Dude, I don't even watch tv, Dave.
• 31:15
  Not one, not one hour, not even one minute of tv.
• 31:19
  It's, it's, it's crazy how everybody goes, dude, you don't.
• 31:22
  I never watch tv.
• 31:24
  Like anyone that knows me will say, dude, you never turn on the TV because it's all negative.
• 31:30
  Like, I, I, I read a lot and I hang out with a lot of friends.
• 31:34
  I connect a lot because that's the, that's the stuff that's, at the end of the day, that's what makes me happy, is connecting with others, being able to, to talk about life and deep things and connect like human
• 31:49
  beings.
• 31:50
  And that's really where my vibes, y' all comes from because that will turn any bad day, any bad event, any bad things happening around you, and, you know, I'm hoping I could make an impact on, you know, and
• 32:04
  I get a lot of dms and, and that makes me feel good because I know it's affecting them and I'm making an impact.
• 32:11
  All right, well said.
• 32:13
  All right.
• 32:13
  And Trip, Tristan, if people want to learn more about your companies, your trucking company or your brokerage and find out how you could potentially help them, what's the best way that people can reach out to you?
• 32:25
  Well, we have IM Freight.com which is the asset based trucking company, Freighttopia.com I'm also on LinkedIn and X.
• 32:35
  I don't really post on X much, but those are the four ways of getting a hold of me.
• 32:40
  And yeah, send me an email.
• 32:42
  Tristan Freight.com or TristanRaighttopia.com that's spelled with an eight, by the way.
• 32:48
  The number eight.
• 32:49
  Okay.
• 32:49
  All right, we'll link all that in the show notes for everyone as well.
• 32:53
  Awesome.
• 32:53
  Thanks, Dave.
• 32:54
  Yeah.
• 32:55
  Thank you so much for being here, Tristan, and sharing all this valuable wisdom from your journey with our audience.
• 33:00
  We greatly appreciate it.
• 33:02
  I appreciate you for having me on.
• 33:04
  Thank you so much.
• 33:05
  Okay.
• 33:06
  All right.
• 33:06
  And that's all the time we have for now.
• 33:08
  We'll see you next time Sa.