Latest / Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals / The Hidden Cost of Scaling a Business Nobody Warns You About - Ep. 202 w/ Robert Courtney Collins

Transcript

The Hidden Cost of Scaling a Business Nobody Warns You About - Ep. 202 w/ Robert Courtney Collins · Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: things cost more like always plan for more spending because anything that you think is going to like whatever your projections are for the cost to do something it's going to always be more and I'm learned at through this build out.
• 0:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've learned that in scale in my team and
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: build in the conference like all those things, my mind and my mind of what I thought it would cost to grow it.
• 0:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's been probably triple or quadruple made to move.
• 0:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was a risky scary move at the time and taking over a 3600 square foot space to do work that I've never really done before in a formal format.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's been absolutely amazing.
• 0:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: We are.
• 0:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: firefighters, we are solution seekers, we are pivoters at the highest level.
• 0:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: And sometimes you can feel like you got it completely figured out.
• 0:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then next thing you know, you get hit with something that makes you literally ball that plan up and throw it away.
• 1:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm building things that should continue to carry a life of their own that don't necessarily need me to be the focal
• 1:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: work in professionals, creators, entrepreneurs, I need you out of tap the end.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: Listen, if you tie out of fighting distractions at home or bouncing around from coffee shop to coffee shop, then Bamboo has exactly what you need to be able to lock in and get your work done.
• 1:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: In addition to having flexible meeting rooms and event space, they if got a community to actually support you.
• 1:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: while you're in the building.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: So if you're ready to like and some space right now, guess what?
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: I got you head over to bamboocoar.com right now and use the promo code Black Friday 20.
• 2:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: You get 20% off any of your rental bookings.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Don't waste any more time head over to bamboocoar.com and take care of that.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Use that promo code.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'll be seeing you at a bamboo location sometime soon.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now let's go ahead and get back into the episode.
• 2:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Without no Black Friday's family, welcome back to another installment at the Black Friday's podcast.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Before we get into today's episode, hit that like button, subscribe, drop a comment, since the video's the family friends of Logan, so that we keep this thing going.
• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now that we got that business out of the way, I think I guess somebody on here who might hold the record for most appearances on the Black Friday's podcast as they started appearance on here.
• 2:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: So you should be very well acquainted with them, the founder of Robert Courtney and Associates, social media store, Bill,
• 2:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: and creator con Mr. Robert Courtney Collins how you doing today for that.
• 2:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love it.
• 2:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I think that's the first time I've accomplished that on somebody's show.
• 2:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Which means we built it together.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: But show me one of those stories that we tell where it was like, man, you was the main person home me down on the podcast.
• 2:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Most definitely and yeah, it was three years ago three years ago with our first podcast interview and so so many They feel like it feel like ages ago Yeah, because like we both was in different spaces.
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: I know like physically was in different spaces like as we said in the Social media store in the last time that we did this last year this space when you finish We don't grow in the infinity wall.
• 3:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, I wasn't that wasn't complete.
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, one even it wasn't even finished yet So I'm curious.
• 3:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Uh-oh I know
• 3:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, the fifth we watch and I'm sure you see over here listening, but in terms of, I would love to know from Oxford, New Year's standpoint, from that first conversation that we had at that time frame, I should say in 2023 to now three years later, what would you say is some of the things, I'm going to take it different spin on there, what would you say is some of the things that you had to unlearn about Oxford, New Year's ship that you thought might be true back then that you like, not that that went in.
• 3:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Man, that's such a great question.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I haven't been stumped in a long time, but where are things that I had to unlearned?
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I look at it like, you never, I never really unlearned things because I think there's a beauty in
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: having something that you believe to be true and then being able to use that information to help guide the next action or next step.
• 4:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I don't think I'm ever unlearning on but there's definitely there's definitely been lessons that has uh that's been
• 4:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: had through the last three years and over an entire my entire entrepreneur journey where now I use that as the primary tool to help other entrepreneurs in their path and to help them grow.
• 4:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: But if I had to point to a couple things, it's just things, things cost more.
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: like always plan for more spending because anything that you think is going to like whatever your projections are for the cost to do something.
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's going to always be more.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm learned that through this build out.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've learned that in scaling my team and building the conference like all those things, my mind and my mind of what I thought it would cost to grow
• 5:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: On the flip side that same principle is if you set your intentions to achieve it, nothing's out of reach.
• 5:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: So sometimes we'll look at something we'll say, man, in order to, in order to do an event at the Huntington place, it's going to be way out of my budget, like I cannot afford that.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: That thought process will keep you from ever doing anything, but if your thought process is, tell me what it is.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now, I'm going to create a direct path of intentionality to accomplish that goal and you'll find that opportunities literally start coming out of the world works to allow for you to do what you need to do.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think those are probably the two biggest lessons and they're actually really connected to one another.
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: In turn, one of the things that you had mentioned that is in terms of being able to empower other people with the work that you do and with the different businesses that you have developed, that was something that you had mentioned in our first interview and I'm curious too, like over the last few years, how have you been able to kind of expand and develop and create those opportunities for other people?
• 6:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, that's always been my work, like from the very beginning of anything.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: my mission has been to a bring people together and then to be help them reach their fullest potential.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Even when I probably need somebody to help me reach my fullest potential, the goal was always supporting to other people, but over the specifically over the last three years, there's probably been more work done in the last three years that I have in the 12 years of leading up to that conversation.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that has a lot to do with the resources and
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: the the scaling of the companies that I was building and it provided more revenue and giving me more bandwidth in order to create the opportunities that I always wanted to create.
• 7:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm I'm seeing it play out through build Detroit through creator-con through social media store when it comes to the youth given them a space to be able to
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: visualize what a career in social media could look like and so it kind of starts there.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: We do these social media story experiences.
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: We bring in schools, 30, 40 people at 30, 40 kids and teens at a time come to the store.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: We take them through a whole experience where they learn firsthand what marketing looks like, how us activated brands that we currently work with.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: influencers.
• 7:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then we teach them about the cameras.
• 7:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: We teach them about podcasting.
• 7:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: We let them podcast.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it starts there and then for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to use
• 8:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: who want to learn information, we now have build Detroit, which we haven't talked much about, but I'm sure we will.
• 8:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
• 8:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then creator kind is obviously the platform for people who've already been doing work.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now they're looking for exposure in different places because creator kind is about bringing the country to us, the other poppin states to us versus us having to go and travel to these places all the time.
• 8:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I'm seeing
• 8:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm seeing the fruit of my labor like I'm in that season where it's like it's nice to pause for a second and kind of look back to three years ago and say like none of the stuff existed and then now here we are and all the things that we've talked about and I've preached and I've set on podcasts now have actual real life examples of those playing out and so it's pretty dope.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: And before we break down the brands, I want to ask you real quick, in terms of being able to offer people opportunities.
• 8:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: One thing that I've noticed is that in that time frame, probably within the span of year, maybe let's say 18 months or so, you haven't been opposed to being able to go and get the mentorship or the education.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: And things like that, because I know that you were part of Detroit, Wolf Club and then with Ebony Cochrane and then also.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: with the a coaching for impact with the Chase Bank, which is right next door.
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so being a part of those things, what has that been like for you to been on the receiving end of the education and opportunities that come from being in spaces like that versus giving out opportunities?
• 9:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, I think you should always be a student.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think if you're, if you are,
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: ever feeling like you're at a point where you don't need education or mentorship or to be inspired, then you're probably writing a fate that you aren't going to be happy about when you finally arrive there because I think success is built on.
• 9:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: success is built on being inspired, being given new information that you can then use to create opportunity and new ideas that didn't exist before.
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that's the people that don't make a regular habit of learning new things.
• 10:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think they realize the disservice they're bringing to themselves because it's like you don't have the information to be innovative and create something new.
• 10:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I'll make it a point.
• 10:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, last year I flew out to San Juan for like a four day mastermind and mentorship.
• 10:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it was the first time that I've traveled abroad to go get like higher level learning.
• 10:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not that money is the goal, but clearly these individuals have information that I'm not aware of or that could help me and doing the work that I'm looking to do.
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so it's more than for me now, it's more than just even local opportunities and connections for learning.
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like, where do I need to go to get the very specific framework that I can then use and bring back and create the systems and the processes going to help the people that surround me?
• 11:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Speaking of those framework systems and processes, breakdown the portfolio for us again.
• 11:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: So since we first met to where we are now, the portfolio looks different.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: If I'm not mistaken, it all starts with, what actually starts beyond RCA, but in terms of the like the current iteration, yeah, starts with RCA and then kind of goes from there.
• 11:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: So what are the different entities?
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 11:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: So there's two ways to explain it.
• 11:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: In terms of my origin story and how things have played out, everything nothing would exist without RCA.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that is the machine that has afforded us to opportunity to create all the things that exist at this moment.
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: And RCA is essentially a social media management agency, very specific and heavy on the management part.
• 12:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've really dialed in on making sure
• 12:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: a CEO or a marketing director can absolutely be disconnected from their social media presence and have complete trust that we got to take in care of.
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I have the most incredible team in place, my CEO, Katherine does a phenomenal job at making sure that every client is accounted for.
• 12:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's a torch I passed over the last 12 months.
• 12:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because honestly, I felt like she does a better job at keeping those clients happy than I do.
• 12:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's because I'm a squirrel to some degree, right?
• 12:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like, like, I want to take advantage of the next best opportunity and all the different capacities that we're working.
• 12:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so she keeps the day-to-day running at the highest level.
• 12:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that's the machine, that machine created the opportunity to build creator con,
• 13:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: magnetism tool to attract creators and business owners to us versus us having to go look for them.
• 13:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that idea just came from the fact that we're a a maturity trait based organization.
• 13:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we want to work with other maturity traits based based organization as well as creators who can give exposure to the companies and the brands that we did management for.
• 13:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: through CreatorCon, we started to build a pretty extensive database of creators and individuals who can move the needle for brands.
• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now it's like, how do we give, as we learned more about what the Creator needed?
• 13:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like, how do we give them a better and bigger opportunity to create framework around what it is that they're trying to do?
• 13:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so,
• 13:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: that's where the social media store kind of came in at and it's our content studio based around a concept of take our space and use it for anything that has to do or that is related to social media and this has been open since February of 2006 and it's been
• 14:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: was presented as an opportunity two months after a social media store opened.
• 14:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I had a tough decision.
• 14:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: The social media store is about 1100 square feet.
• 14:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was supposed to be around $3,000 square feet.
• 14:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I was actively looking to expand on the space, but using this is kind of like a concept to test.
• 14:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then Bill was presented to me and it's like our mission from the beginning
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: people build small business and understand entrepreneurship better and what better place that already is built out has a history and a legacy of helping entrepreneurs already in the community and after a couple conversations with a few people it was like I can't it's almost like it was it was almost like it was granted to me you know and it's like
• 15:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Internally, I don't think I would have been able to sleep if I had passed up on that and so I made the move, it was a risky scary move at the time and taking over a 3600 square foot space to do work that I've never really done before in a formal format and it's been absolutely amazing like
• 15:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: like what I'm was happening over there now there's no way I would have been able to articulate that if I try to put together a business plan or if you had asked me a question a year ago I'm just taking on a life of this on and I couldn't be more happy with where it is.
• 15:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: And that was dope to see from the outside looking in because I know when you're opening up the social media.
• 15:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: So that was the main thing.
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like when we had that conversation, when there's still being built.
• 16:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was like, I got to get this thing up and run in like this, this thing come here like how water is about to happen.
• 16:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, like you said, you opened up two months later.
• 16:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, hey, bro, you want to, you want to take this for me?
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: So this is a game of pivoting and if you notice as entrepreneur and any entrepreneur out there who has success, know that we are firefighters, we are solution seekers, we are pivoters at the highest level and
• 16:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: sometimes you can feel like you got it completely figured out and then next thing you know, you get hit with something that makes you literally ball that plan up and throw it away and do it makes sense.
• 16:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that's what happened.
• 16:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, three months I was locked in on making social media store the biggest thing that I had ever um
• 16:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: ever put together from a concept standpoint and then build spoke to like my heart like you know where my passion stem from and they're both very powerful drivers right like one is like monetarily and financially I can do things with this concept that will help me scale fashion anything
• 17:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: from like a passion standpoint though, build allows me to help more people than I can ever imagine helping in an environment that also complements the work that we're doing and it's like when I finally throw in the towel completely and I say you know what I take the gloves off and the shoes off and I say I'm done.
• 17:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Would the money make me happier or will the amount of people that I was able to impact make me feel like I live the more for feel life and it's just like The people like it's it's an easy answer and that's really will make me not that we won't do work with the social media started high level but right now in this season is all about impacting as many lives as possible.
• 18:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Dope and before we I got plenty of more questions for you about all the business that you do, but before we get into that you should know what time it is It's time to freestyle Friday Oh, you can't go on here three times this be your third time.
• 18:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: You got a bar to that.
• 18:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah, it's like what did you ask me what the bear is before?
• 18:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Of course Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got a bar hit.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: I got I got the tape.
• 18:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: We ain't got no bar.
• 18:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm feeling well.
• 18:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll give you some broke some broke elementary bars
• 18:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's say that for the end.
• 18:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: All right, we're gonna do it the normal way then in terms of the rapid-fire questions.
• 18:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: So first one I want to ask you, let's say Nike give you a blank shoe canvas that you're Jordan one.
• 18:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's all white, you gotta color it.
• 18:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: But you also have to name it based off of your entrepreneurial journey.
• 18:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: What would you call it the shoe and what color would it be?
• 18:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: What would be the color when?
• 18:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would call it,
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll call it probably, probably the entrepreneur, like, would I owe, so I would see this as like a collection, okay, and I'll call it the entrepreneur collection and our probably
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know if I've ever told you this or if we've ever talked about it.
• 19:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: So there's a lot of detail in like how I built my brand.
• 19:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so if you see, if you see the white with the black, that's social media store.
• 19:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 19:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you see the black with the white, that's RCA.
• 19:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you see the yellow, that's me personally.
• 19:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And each of those colorways is the lead.
• 19:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: in whatever that activation is.
• 19:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so, I would probably have Korean- with Greene's creator-com.
• 20:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Greene's creator-com, exactly.
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: There, there, all of it is typically black and white, because I learned a long time ago when I was doing my clothing line, it's the easiest thing to create merch for from a cost standpoint.
• 20:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: So if you can get creative on a black and white palette,
• 20:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: that you never have a problem with creating merch to support whatever the brand that you're trying to push.
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was really worried that concept came from, but I'm always heavy on the black and white with a pop of one color to kind of like separate it and make it feel different.
• 20:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Build is black and white and turquoise.
• 20:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: As an example of that, but...
• 20:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I would so I would make it the entrepreneur collection and then I would have a black, there will be black and white based then it would be a yellow pop, a black and white only and a green pop to kind of represent the different organizations that I built and
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I shot.
• 20:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's a great idea.
• 20:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I keep my eye to hit you up.
• 21:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it's a tough deal.
• 21:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: I really have an entrepreneur's like, they don't collection that exists.
• 21:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, I might have to, yeah, you're going to tap down.
• 21:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if they'll still over there or not.
• 21:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, wherever it's CEO and like, yeah, I type in, yeah, I want to say, we watch it.
• 21:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: We do have some great things.
• 21:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's make something happen.
• 21:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: So Courtney is your middle name.
• 21:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Correct.
• 21:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Pritz.
• 21:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: How did you get the middle name?
• 21:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Quentin, I meant to ask you that, like, episode 12.
• 21:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was actually a dose story connected to Courtney.
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: So my mom and dad married for forever.
• 21:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: When it had me, my dad was like 32.
• 21:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: And my mom was around the same age, but
• 21:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: like they have very, they're very different personalities.
• 21:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: My dad is like very calm and laid back and chill similar to how I am.
• 21:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: My mom is like really has strong and very vocal about her opinion and I think when I'm, when everything is all good on my dad, if anything goes wrong, you don't want to see that side, but that's like my mom that comes out.
• 21:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: But anyway,
• 22:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: In the hospital, they were debating on whether I was going to be the third or not.
• 22:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Whether they were going to name me Robert after my dad, which would have made me the third.
• 22:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: My dad does not have a middle name.
• 22:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: So he's a junior named up his father and he wanted to name me Robert Collins the third.
• 22:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: My mom didn't want me to be a third.
• 22:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: She wanted to name me something else, but she just didn't have a name.
• 22:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so they're going back and forth in the hospital when they're trying to finalize this decision, they end up running into this man who they end up having a great conversation with.
• 22:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: The man was like so connected to them through the conversation that he gave them four silver dollars.
• 22:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now, we don't even see silver dollars no more.
• 22:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like the big old school, yeah, silver dollars.
• 22:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: And my dad was like super appreciative of it.
• 22:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And my mom was super appreciative of it.
• 22:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And my
• 22:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: What if we, in appreciation for these coins that we're going to say for me, when I get older, we, we name and Robert Courtney Collins, which technically makes me not a third, which is where my mom was trying to avoid.
• 23:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it made my dad happy because I got his first name.
• 23:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I added the fourth in as like I want it like I love the fact that you know part of tradition and in my family so I always put the third I said the fourth My son is the fourth okay.
• 23:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll always put the third on everything but like on my birth certificate There's no there is Robert Courtney Collins so she'll all right so all right hey that I think the math
• 23:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: He crazy into my head going so your son.
• 23:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, is he your junior or is he a four?
• 23:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's Robert Corning Collins the fourth on his verse to be good.
• 23:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, no, okay.
• 23:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: All right.
• 23:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: All right, so in the lineage.
• 23:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 23:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 23:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: The fourth Robert corrects But would that technically make him Robert Corning Collins junior?
• 24:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, if we go by the legal way that is usually recognized and I don't even know that's a legal rule or that's just kind of like what I don't think it is Yeah, I think you could yeah, whatever the name on the verse it certificate is that's what it is, but usually people
• 24:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: only counts you as a second or third if the name is exactly the same as it was for your father.
• 24:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so yeah, I remember we kind of broke that system.
• 24:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: One of my classmates from college, we used to argue with them if they were the second or if they were doing your nail like, no, I'm the second.
• 24:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: You look like, what you could be doing it like, no, no, no, no, no.
• 24:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's not what this is, it's not how it is.
• 24:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was, it was really like,
• 24:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: When I got older, I might maybe I wish I wouldn't have my dad's name because it comes with a lot of extra-curriculate that you don't expect, social security number and him things on my social security number being from things that he had done because we would have the same address for so many years and things like that, I'm credit-reporting stuff like that.
• 25:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's pros and cons of having the same name, more pros and cons.
• 25:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: I appreciate you walking me through that one of my favorite questions nowadays asking people how they got their name.
• 25:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's supposed to be like years ago.
• 25:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's kept people sharing stories.
• 25:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, people really be having stories.
• 25:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: One of the craziest ones I saw.
• 25:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Some like, yeah, I would name after both of my granddad's ex-girlfriend.
• 25:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, my god.
• 25:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's like they names combined.
• 25:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's why.
• 25:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm not the same one.
• 25:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: Sorry, sucks.
• 25:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: They left the impact, they let the impact for sure, and last but not least, if you could get in the room, you have 48 hours to be with a particular entrepreneur or somebody that you hold in a high regard that you haven't worked with yet or haven't come in contact with yet, who would that be?
• 26:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, there's not even, like, I should have known that.
• 26:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: There's not even a close second.
• 26:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, there's a lot of people that I admire and would love to be in the room with them.
• 26:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like Gary B y'all there.
• 26:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 26:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: What do you think y'all will be?
• 26:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, that's a good question.
• 26:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: No, you big in the collectibles right now.
• 26:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: No, you got your collection.
• 26:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: I know.
• 26:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know what?
• 26:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't like my passion for collectibles is nowhere near what he is.
• 26:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that's what he grew up on.
• 26:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that's a part of his DNA.
• 26:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's a branding mechanism for me, like I understand, like people organize things naturally in their head, based on things that they like and things that they see.
• 26:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so me adopting like the Jordan one collection was more about, I love the shoes and I don't mind wearing them every day.
• 26:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like it's almost like you would typically never see me in colors like this.
• 26:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: You just today just happen to be a day where,
• 26:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I didn't really get a chance to go back home and but I like to pull up in a very brand it and very branded a peril because I feel like.
• 27:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: you wanna be quickly and easily recognizable like wherever you show up.
• 27:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And typically, it's our hat, black shirt, black jeans, Jordan ones, like, if people close their eyes and think about me, I wanna picture the pop up in their head.
• 27:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like, my side profile, my heart hat.
• 27:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: These are all things that I've done from a branding standpoint being very intentional about that.
• 27:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so, yeah, so I think we would probably build
• 27:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: social media, or not even a social media, but mechanisms, a mechanism that helped people grow their brand faster and more efficiently, and I think together we probably could come up with some pretty dope ideas.
• 27:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Nice.
• 27:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: And a lot, I won the last question, I got one more to almost forget, what's the biggest misconception about rubber recordings?
• 28:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: think I mean for some reason.
• 28:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: I get a lot of assumption is around me making people uncomfortable or I don't know if I uncomfortable is aware.
• 28:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like my quiet reserved
• 28:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: nature make people uncomfortable.
• 28:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes since uncomfortable vibe of like he's unapproachable or you know, I don't know what to say to him or people get nervous or would have you and it's like the fire this thing from the truth.
• 28:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I like I've always been, always been a naturally quite almost even shy to some degree.
• 28:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: But as business became number one
• 28:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, talk, you don't eat, like it, it, you got to almost go into a performance to some degree to make sure that you can build what you're trying to build.
• 29:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, so as me doing was necessary, but in my normal state, like, I'm the cool quiet guy in the corner, just kind of observing and listening and speaking when I have something to say, but like, I'm just not that super like outgoing, overly bubbly personality,
• 29:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: thinking you're too good, or ego, or whatever a person would consider the lack of engagement or conversation, but at the end of the day, I try to be as approachable as possible, and try to make people feel as comfortable as I possibly can.
• 29:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: what that would you say you're an introvert?
• 29:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 29:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 29:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm an introvert, an extrovert.
• 29:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 29:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: You can flip the switch.
• 29:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 29:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now, after a lot of practice, I can definitely flip the switch if necessary, but if I'm choosing the flipping the switch,
• 29:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: drains me, like when we leave this podcast, mentally, like I'm done, you know, for this hour, two hours, like, as long as I need to be on, now is one of the things, I remember Clubhouse, of course.
• 30:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, like, Clubhouse, Clubhouse burnt me out.
• 30:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, we were on Clubhouse from probably November 2020 to probably March April.
• 30:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: We kind of started coming out of the pandemic and people started getting back outside.
• 30:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
• 30:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: And,
• 30:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: There was still be conversations happening.
• 30:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And around like March, it was so hard for me to click on that app.
• 30:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would feel like the anxiety and the mental strain come over my body at the idea of chiming in or couldn't app on.
• 30:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it was like, I couldn't imagine what would happen if we did years of this like how we consume social and like these other platforms which is also why I knew like it was in the last and much longer like the popularity of it's people didn't even understand.
• 30:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: the mental drainage that was happening through that particular app, but yeah, that's actually a great question.
• 31:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, when I think about Cleopows, all I can remember is when people want to be screaming at each other, and you just got one part, hey, I want Mike, you want Mike, you want Mike, you want Mike, you want Mike, you want Mike, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 31:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: A Cleopowse is dope, like it was definitely a new experience to audit it to only be able to use your voice to let people know, that's where the yellow came from.
• 31:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: the uh, yes, the yellow part of my brain came from clubhouse because you had to do everything you could to stand out on the phone and my background being yellow got me a lot of attention and gave me opportunities to speak inside of that app.
• 31:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I like Dana's powerful.
• 31:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I stuck with it.
• 31:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: For sure.
• 31:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 31:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: But thank you for taking the freestyle Friday.
• 31:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: It wasn't me.
• 31:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 31:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: I forgot you all some bars.
• 31:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, I'm not sure.
• 31:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I know you too.
• 31:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: But in terms of being able to talk about business aspect of what it is that you do, you had mentioned the opportunity to be able to take over build and then I also think about as you were developing a social media store as well with both of those entities.
• 32:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: In terms of what you thought that you were going to, what you thought you were building and what it actually came to be and how it functions today, what has changed fundamentally about those things for you.
• 32:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: So just to make sure I'm asking the question right, are you talking about as far as the original bill Institute concept?
• 32:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, first is what we decided to to to brand it as currently or like if from how you decide to brand it when opportunity presented itself.
• 32:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: And then where currently stands now like what has changed since then.
• 32:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: So initially the thought process was we would operate as a traditional co-working space on where we would just have anchor businesses that would take up the bigger rooms and then anyone that's looking to use a co-working space for building their business, they could come in and use the common areas to conference your own kitchen rent to space out for events and things like
• 33:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that was going over well, we're getting attracted to it, but we were just like all the other co-working spaces.
• 33:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when you go and you are a burger joint and you realize like there's Burger King, there's McDonald's and they all have been there.
• 33:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like you gotta do something unique in order to stand out to make people decide that they wanna go with you versus in another interesting thing happen.
• 33:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: We opened Bill Detroit and then a month later
• 33:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: uh, uh, uh, Michigan Central opens their co-working space at the same price point almost, um, and obviously a much more elaborate, um, space and opportunity.
• 33:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so, you know, those things,
• 33:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Just made me go and like rethink the strategy because at the end of the day, it's like the reality is for this Pride price point and these type of Accommodations it make more sense to go spend the money over there and so I went back to the drum board and I said I'm you know my main goal here is to do two things.
• 34:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's to build entrepreneurs and it's to help them
• 34:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: market themselves better.
• 34:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Delta to two things I know more than anything else, and you know, if we're going based on stats, like I'm very confident that I could do it with the best of them based in this area, right?
• 34:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I, the key switch that I made was I put myself out in front from a mentor and
• 34:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: entrepreneurial guidance perspective.
• 34:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I say, you know what, we're going to do my set Mondays every single Monday and through that pipeline, I'm going to fill this place up.
• 34:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that was the big switch that I made in terms of marketing it because before that, it was like come use the space as a co-working space, like regardless of what industry you're in and like it's a good fit.
• 35:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's just very generic.
• 35:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now it's like come here, learn on Mondays,
• 35:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: you also will get a build membership.
• 35:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm going to personally teach you everything I know.
• 35:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to introduce you to my network.
• 35:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to provide you with strategies on marketing.
• 35:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to allow you to use the social media store for your content creation.
• 35:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that you is hard to say no to that, right?
• 35:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so in the last just 90 days we've added 23 members as a part of our mindset one day program which is now going to it's going to be rebranded as the builders community so that's happening we finished our first 12 weeks it was a phenomenal
• 35:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: cohort of just very ambitious entrepreneurs and people like just hungry for information to get their stuff off the ground and that's the dopest part of it's like
• 36:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: $49 a month and really the $49 is like just let me know your serious like you're committed you're willing to spin your money to be in a room and then I'm pouring some so hard like talking about leaving like exhausted we go hard for two hours and it's also like this has this is kind of unrelated to your question but I think it's a very it's a very important thing to add
• 36:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm a social media management agent.
• 36:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have a social media management management agency and I preach this and I didn't apply it to my own business, which is your audience, you don't know what your audience is.
• 36:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's so many mechanisms, tools, platforms to reach your audience that we can leverage, but a lot of times, because Instagram is what we're used to, we're pushing on Instagram more because TikTok is what we're used to, we're pushing on TikTok.
• 36:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Or because email and text and where I'm off is what we've been used to like we push in in those places and we neglect to try to search out new ways to get our message out there and that happened with Bill for me because in my mind I'm like linked in I'm like my platform to my Instagram buildy trait.
• 37:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do you know in the last two months?
• 37:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: barely.
• 37:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've grown almost 2,000 followers on TikTok through bill detrates, TikTok page.
• 37:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm talking about the activity is insane.
• 37:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like people are coming to that page, flood net page.
• 37:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've had seven tours in the last two weeks of people wanting to see the space.
• 37:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that's been a really big help that was unexpected.
• 37:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: We never accounted for it.
• 37:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the organic growth, we're in it like right now.
• 37:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm predicting that this rate, like we're going to be a capacity for members within the next two, three months.
• 37:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm sure because we decided to put it everywhere and to use every channel to try to create that momentum.
• 38:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: So me as
• 38:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: me put myself in front to bring in members was probably the first key move and then leveraging places that we didn't necessarily initially think would bring us the new members has also been like a key, a key move in the whole process.
• 38:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I think that's a dope pivot from the standpoint of number one understanding, okay, just saying, hey, this is the coworker space pull up pay your fee, do what you do that wasn't going to work because of the level of competition and like literally right down the street, but being able to get creative about the package of it, which is something I've been learner.
• 38:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: from different coaching that I received through podcasts and through ausprinorship, things like that.
• 38:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're really just getting creative with what you have and that's how I was able to even start the podcast and doing it from going from audio to cell phones to all the technical stuff.
• 38:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and like I was telling you, last time we did this, I had the phone's not got the cameras.
• 39:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just being able to start with something and be creative about your packaging and things like that.
• 39:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think that that was a super dope thing to identify and then be able to say like we got to do this different.
• 39:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
• 39:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, that's really the nature of entrepreneurship and I think like.
• 39:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: My program that I run now is built on four pillars, there's my set, there's marketing and branding, there's systems and processes, and then there's growth and scaling in the company, right?
• 39:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: And those are pillars that I've always leaned into, I think those are like, if you don't understand those for things, then you might as well stop.
• 39:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's why I teach the entrepreneurs that come through build now.
• 39:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: But that mindset part, I've spent a lot of time there because I need to prepare you mentally for what you're about to be up against.
• 39:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if my mindset conversation scares you, then you're in the wrong spot.
• 39:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because building your business is gonna be way scary.
• 39:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you're really about to lean into it and one of the things that we see a lot is, people who've got one trick.
• 40:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like you, you open up out, it will be me opening up the space doing the coworking thing as a general offer.
• 40:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Them opening up and me filling defeated and then me closing the doors and walking away.
• 40:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's what happens.
• 40:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: And probably 80% of entrepreneurial stories.
• 40:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: It doesn't work for them and not it's like, what do I do now?
• 40:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if you, if you're really serious, you need like,
• 40:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: five, six, seven next moves.
• 40:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: This happened.
• 40:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's try this.
• 40:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's try this.
• 40:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm not, I'm not talking about like for a month or or a couple months, like a year of going as hard as you can on that thing.
• 40:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it don't work.
• 40:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right.
• 40:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's pivot another year, and everybody doesn't have the circumstances to give it that much time, but again, maybe entrepreneurship isn't your back.
• 40:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe you need to switch.
• 41:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe you need to have a steady income and do entrepreneurship for three hours for hours a day until you figure out your thing.
• 41:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: But those are the type of conversations that we have on Mondays that
• 41:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: to me is helping prepare the outlook.
• 41:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I had a lady tell me, she sent me a two-page Facebook message after coming to a mindset Monday and she thanked me and she said, the greatest thing you may me do is realize entrepreneurship isn't for me.
• 41:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: And to me that's a win.
• 41:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, like I just saved you a lot of pain and heartache.
• 41:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: You don't say like why go through that if you're not going to make it it's like you can go work a job Make $100,000 and be happy and content is nothing wrong with working a job You know and you just have to be self aware enough to know what your path is and if entrepreneurship isn't for you Like that's perfectly fine for sure.
• 41:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I got some things.
• 41:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'll say Come on in that's a
• 42:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: The creative union.
• 42:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, okay.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 42:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah
• 42:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: What advice would you have for them in terms of like getting started?
• 42:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like what would you tell them if you could coach them for like or just give some game to them like 15, 20 minutes?
• 42:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: What would you tell them to start?
• 42:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, without telling them now is pull up to build on Monday.
• 42:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's making one of the talk in theory.
• 42:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Which I have to say before I ask you a question, is that right there is probably the single greatest
• 42:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: The average or random interested person who would ask a question like that and now I got to give them this very thoughtful answer of like all the things you need to do in an elevator style conversation.
• 43:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: don't worry about money, don't worry about anything, come pull up for a couple hours.
• 43:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you like what you hear, you keep coming back.
• 43:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you don't, no harm, no file, so I'll get it.
• 43:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I've never been able to do that before.
• 43:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's always like, hire us.
• 43:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I don't got the bandwidth to coach you.
• 43:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, so there's no way to put what I call Kevin's.
• 43:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: And Kevin is like, it's a profile of,
• 43:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's an avatar of who I would, who I benefit the most with the information that I have.
• 43:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: In Kevin is like this aspiring entrepreneur who was like super passionate and like have great ideas and then he's ambitious.
• 43:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And he wanted to do things similar to what I've done and space is similar to what I've worked in.
• 43:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I have a lot of Kevin's in my mindset one day group and it's because like I speak to Kevin.
• 44:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: understand Kevin because Kevin was me 10 years ago, 15 years ago, um, but to me like that's the profile of a person that would be asking this question.
• 44:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
• 44:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if they're not coming to build, I'm saying to them.
• 44:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Basically, you have to proximity is probably the most important thing when you're just not sure what your next move should be and you don't feel like you have a person or resources that you can talk to to give you a blueprint and so the next best thing that you can do is look up events, look up places, look at conferences, where can you go or you're going to
• 44:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: the best starting point because you need hope and inspiration, and a lot of people don't talk about this, but you need to be inspired to create or to build something.
• 44:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if there isn't a emotional story person experienced that you can attach to what it is that you desire to do, then a lot of times you run out of gas, like you run out of steam, and you come with the idea of concept, you have a family member in a friend tell you that it won't work.
• 45:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: or that it's going to be hard or any discouraging information and the next thing you know you walk in the way from it.
• 45:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I think Korean proximity around like minded people, I'm not going to even be like Facebook groups.
• 45:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: That could be mentor groups, virtual groups.
• 45:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: You just need to be around those people.
• 45:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that would be my starting point.
• 45:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then from there,
• 45:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: creating intentionality.
• 45:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Intention is an extremely powerful thing too because when I say I'm going to build the social media store and make it the place for creators to come and build the brands that they want to build, the vibration of that goal,
• 46:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: is what makes the go happen because now it's like the world start conforming to you to some degree.
• 46:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like people who hear your go connect with it.
• 46:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now they want to come and empower you.
• 46:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: They want to be a part of it.
• 46:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: It gives you more inspiration.
• 46:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then next thing you know, you're talking to a partner who want to invest or you know, like things start to happen because you're talking about what did it just trying to create.
• 46:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: When I say, I'm building the largest conference in the Midwest.
• 46:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's probably not the largest conference in the Midwest.
• 46:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like I know that I'm sure there's conferences doing more than 1500 people, however, because I'm saying it, I'm going to mention to make that the reality of what it actually is.
• 46:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And every energy every piece of my body is creating an opportunity for me to do so.
• 46:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: As long as my actions match my intention, then a lot of times those things come true.
• 46:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I set goals for myself that to a lot of people might feel unattainable, but because I've watched these things, we said in the story that wasn't built, now it's built.
• 47:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: We said, you heard me talk about built, and then now you see it actually happening, that's intention, and that's putting your money, where your mouth is, your actions, where your mouth is, and that to me is the starting point
• 47:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: and speaking of being able to get in the room around like my people you mentioned creator con yeah conference and being able to develop that into what it is that you want to be so talk to us about creator con twenty twenty six is coming up and when people here this would be a couple of weeks away what it what what
• 47:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: define it one more time for people who haven't heard the previous two episodes or not familiar with the conference just yet and then also what can people expect because you got some heavy hitters.
• 47:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: I told you guys some of my favorite folks that's going to be in the building so I would love for you to be able to tell people what they can expect if they walk through them door.
• 47:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely so creator con is a
• 48:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Conference designed specifically for small business owners, creators, founders, individuals who want to make connections that they wouldn't typically be able to make on a regular day.
• 48:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: The goal has always been put different types of people, different types of industries in the same room at the same time and kind of let the magic happen like plant your seed has always been the mantra that we've used and that came from the idea that
• 48:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: When you go in as a person who's looking to build business or build partnerships, when you have these conversations, you're planning seeds of what could potentially become a connection, a conversion, a relationship, a deal, a partnership, et cetera.
• 48:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And from the very first one, we saw that magic happen.
• 48:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like we saw that energy exchange, and we saw the excitement in a room that probably only had 200 people.
• 49:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: is taking on a life of his own from a standpoint of people now understand what the term creator even means, which is a major deal because in year one, two, three, we're explaining creator more than we're explaining the conference itself, like you just need to understand who is who the conference is for.
• 49:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: And real quick, for people who don't
• 49:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: the way that the, I believe the IRS had restructured the code in for basically creators are considered immediate companies or entities been know how you structure your business.
• 49:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: So this is like the actual NAA CS code.
• 49:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, four creators know.
• 49:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, which is, which is why it's real.
• 49:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a whole different conversation for a different podcast that people really need to pay attention to for sure.
• 49:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because that's actually a code for
• 49:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: media companies.
• 50:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And like they use that code.
• 50:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it just kind of tell you, it's a very, it's a very subliminal.
• 50:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: acknowledgment of how the government is seeing this explosion that's happening in the respect level that they're given it, which hasn't existed.
• 50:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm glad you bring that up because if local government, local organizations, if what we're saying doesn't
• 50:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: get you to move like this is the first major hint that we have like it's coming and when it comes, if we're really trying to capitalize on building spaces and environments that want to keep people here and prevent them from leaving or attract people here.
• 50:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is something that requires energy and framework to support.
• 51:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Otherwise, it'll be just like the tech industry where, yes, you can say you're building a tech melting pot to some degree where people can come here and do these things.
• 51:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: But if the framework doesn't exist, they come and they go, you know, and so,
• 51:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: We got a lot of creators that's here locally.
• 51:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: You have so many high schoolers and college kids who are looking to become creators, meaning using their internet activity to monetize and generate revenue for themselves is all we're really talking about.
• 51:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you don't give them framework, they're going to go find framework.
• 51:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Framework exists in LA.
• 51:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Framework exists in Vegas.
• 51:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Framework exists in Miami.
• 51:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: It doesn't exist here for real.
• 51:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, so I think that's a major, a major thing to pay attention to as we think about the economy here, the economic landscape and what it'll look like in the next five years and how quickly it's changing.
• 52:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: But, create a con is essentially a marketing and small business conference on when you break it down to his core.
• 52:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Although that ever get confused, you're going to learn all the numerous ways to market and generate awareness for the thing that you're building or the thing that you've already built.
• 52:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Especially if you come from a place where
• 52:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: you've used traditional ways of marketing for a long time and now you're realizing like I need to get what creators to move the needle.
• 52:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I need to get a better understanding of how AI work when it comes to my business.
• 52:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: I need to get a better understanding of how to do partnerships without your charge or I'm sorry, what I should pay in order to have someone run my social media or
• 52:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is all the information that we, everybody know we need it.
• 52:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like every small business owner has saw the impact of a creator, attaching himself to their business.
• 52:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Everybody knows that.
• 53:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: No one knows the underlining factors of what it looks like to make that type of collaboration happen.
• 53:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so people are throwing out questions there randomly, inboxing creators asking about pricing or asking can they come do something
• 53:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But we have a conference built in design to answer all those questions all on one over one weekend.
• 53:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, or are you excited?
• 53:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's going to be a part of the conference this year.
• 53:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm excited about so many different things.
• 53:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: David Shands, somebody that you know very well that I follow for a long time actually I've
• 53:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: develop somewhat of a friendship and have spoken to on several occasions.
• 53:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Super heavy in the podcast world.
• 53:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so he's coming Nicky Saunders another person we both know.
• 53:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: She's she's pivoted a lot but this conversation is going to be around incorporating AI into your your content strategy.
• 54:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I'm excited about that.
• 54:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Larusso.
• 54:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 54:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want to say he's probably the dopest
• 54:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's a dopest business man that built his brand on rap and throwing events and he took a completely new age approach to building this brand through content social ads.
• 54:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: He is he is the personification of like how to leverage being a creator to create multiple streams of revenue Yeah, I'm super excited.
• 54:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a fire side chat.
• 54:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm super excited to have Nicky is a keynote And then we have Jason Wilson Yep, who is another person.
• 54:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm excited to have on the other side.
• 54:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: He recently
• 54:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: took a hiatus from social media, went away for several months because he felt like he was doing some stuff for the wrong reasons.
• 54:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was less about education and more performative and I'm excited to have that conversation and how it felt to disconnect when you have such a large audience and people expecting you to show up.
• 55:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: um, people who are in silent, who are silently listening to your videos to get through the day, and now you like you step away from it, like what does that internally look like when you know you carry such a responsibility in a weight, so I'm excited to get answers like that, because I'll be doing that conversation with him, and then we have 36 workshops,
• 55:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: We have over 60 vendors in the marketplace.
• 55:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: We have 10 pollcasters in the podcast playground.
• 55:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: We have six creator group activations.
• 55:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And these are full-fledged buildouts for creators to come grab content, pictures, showcase the experience.
• 55:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: In this year, we're doing the creator kind, kids showcase, which is us, given the kids a platform to embrace entrepreneurship.
• 56:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: And to me it's like you're 16 year old self, you're 15 year old self.
• 56:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: going to like a talent show and performing like something you get excited about.
• 56:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: But instead, it's like a business talent show.
• 56:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 56:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And you get this showcase yourself to me the energy and the excitement that that's going to create in the inspiration to do it on the bigger level, that's going to create for, you know, these these young 15, 14-year-olds.
• 56:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm super excited about that too.
• 56:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it's a lot in store for a creative kind of weekend this year.
• 56:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's dope, especially the, um, addition of creator kind of kids because, like you said, you think about 16 year or so for me, my version of that was BPA, but that was getting me prepared to work and corporate.
• 56:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: As you told me, there were the version of that that I could have did at 16.
• 56:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'd be the world's biggest game stream right now.
• 56:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: I promise you, I'm saying that from this is this is like,
• 57:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: they do, you know, the gamer universities now, like these places where people can just can go to and get, um, accept it, into it.
• 57:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 57:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's why I was like Krenakon kids has really been something that I wanted to do for a few years now.
• 57:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, honestly, the only reason I haven't done it was because I was worried about the parents.
• 57:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it just, it comes with a
• 57:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: a lot of accountability and like dealing with personalities and like everybody wanting everybody feels their kid is the greatest at anything that they do and so I found a great partner to help me navigate that landscape, you know, she does it, her name is Taylor Taylor.
• 57:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yep, yep, so your audience is familiar with her, but she does great work in that arena right now.
• 57:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so when she was going to work together, she didn't even get them kids.
• 57:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, she was, she had a special sauce for that that I don't have.
• 57:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: I've never had it.
• 57:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I appreciate her jumping on board and helping us develop that.
• 58:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it's going to be super dope and it's going to take on the life of his own.
• 58:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, there's going to be a day dedicated to kids.
• 58:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: I can already see it in the future for career to kind of fire fire and in terms of, I'm going to switch gears a little bit because I want to touch on.
• 58:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: So we talked about.
• 58:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: getting people in the room and in the space and the essence of what creator kind is for to be able to help people make those pivis or to start that thing that they want to do and be able to actually get it going.
• 58:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: But when I think about that, I think about a post that you had made recently that got a lot of engagement and it was about how there are different people that are putting positions.
• 58:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: We can say the city or just in general.
• 58:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 58:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: that to make decisions for entrepreneurs that are not or never have been entrepreneurs themselves.
• 58:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: So before I kind of at my two cents to it, I want to first ask you like where did that come from?
• 58:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: And then like what kind of mode was you in when you had made that post?
• 58:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: And then if you could library a little bit more on kind of like what was the the energy behind like why that was because insured I agree, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 59:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: first and highest like our our grit to post I will never delete anything because it was an emotion that was happening in that time and it was one of the few times where it was just like it was an emotional reaction to an email that I received that basically basically like we're not going
• 59:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: my initial reaction was more about this was like the 20th dialogue of someone saying like it's not in the scope or um it is not feasible for them or whatever the rationale or um the reason was and so it was like it was kind of like
• 1:00:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: is my communication for the value that this conference can bring to the thing that you're doing because I'm also watching all the activity happening around the city, the hundreds
• 1:00:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: the efforts that I'm making where just in looking at it is like the space is much larger, the amount of people is much larger, and it's not to say that the mission of whatever's being supported is in great, but it's like this mission is important too, and so like trying to understand the thought process is where I was messing up, right?
• 1:00:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because it's not my place to
• 1:00:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's not their vision as your vision.
• 1:00:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can expect someone else to understand your vision.
• 1:01:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know what's all your decision is more about.
• 1:01:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Are you going to build it any way or are you going to spin your energy trying to make people understand what it is that you're what you're building and that was all through reflection, you know, and you know, we're all humans.
• 1:01:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: So like sometimes a motion get get the best of us and that was just one of those times where a motion kind of got the best to me because I know the people involved in the decision for that specific message.
• 1:01:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: didn't have the experience and the due diligence in the space to deliver that type of message.
• 1:01:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And almost felt like a little disrespectful.
• 1:01:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: It won't be a super honest.
• 1:01:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's where the emotion came from.
• 1:01:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: But since then, like, I've recalibrated it.
• 1:01:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's like, I'm nowhere.
• 1:01:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like last year, I was more in that place.
• 1:01:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 1:01:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: This year, I'm in such a completely
• 1:01:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: so empowered by the support of the community like we have almost a thousand people register for this event and we still two, three weeks away which is when usually the biggest surge of ticket sales happen and so it's like
• 1:02:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: The proof is in the pudding.
• 1:02:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: He told him saying, it's like, we're here to deliver for the people coming through the door, not necessarily the naysayers or the people on the outside who we're trying to partner with.
• 1:02:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: And really the outreach for the partnership is only to make for a better experience for the community.
• 1:02:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's not like, it's money going in my pocket.
• 1:02:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, this is a, let me be very clear and looking to the camera.
• 1:02:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is a break even event.
• 1:02:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, there's not
• 1:02:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: money being made at this point.
• 1:02:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Has there been money made?
• 1:02:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
• 1:02:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: But it's like the level up that comes with like a Huntington place also means a level up in the amount of money that has to be spent in order to make it happen.
• 1:02:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we both know like, Karen Detroit, we have to walk a fine line.
• 1:02:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was telling you before we started with
• 1:03:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: The experiential, what you're going to receive for the amount of money paid, the people that's going to be there, you know, and there's, there's judgment that I don't care about.
• 1:03:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can say I had the greatest event of the worst event.
• 1:03:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm gonna internalize it to the same way because I don't get low or high.
• 1:03:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like I try to stay very even kill because everybody's gonna have an opinion one way or another.
• 1:03:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: However, the judgment impacts the people who may or may not come.
• 1:03:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, so that's why it's important to factor in.
• 1:03:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Everybody's not mentally strong enough to go see for themselves, or to kind of break through the peanut gallery or the rhetoric that's happening around the event.
• 1:03:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so you have to be intentional about answering the call of what people felt was left out or what they felt wasn't included.
• 1:03:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, you answer everybody, absolutely not.
• 1:04:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like the biggest culture, con, and vests fest.
• 1:04:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I forgot the other one that happened
• 1:04:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: They all receive tons of constructive criticism.
• 1:04:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, even not even constructive.
• 1:04:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: A lot of just straight criticism, you know, these are from people who ain't go.
• 1:04:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: People who have completely like literal essays and long-form posts and videos about how bad the experience was.
• 1:04:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it wasn't even there, which is wild.
• 1:04:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: But as an event organizer, you have to be prepared for that.
• 1:04:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like it's coming, whether you like it or not, you can't create a perfect situation for every single person.
• 1:04:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: All you can do is have the right intention, try to deliver in all of different aspects, and then take the feedback.
• 1:04:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: into consideration when doing the next one so that you can just create an overall better experience for everybody.
• 1:04:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: No doubt.
• 1:04:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:04:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that in terms of like you making a post and then being like, I think it about a little bit later, I'm like, all right, I maybe I necessarily have to do that.
• 1:05:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 1:05:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, at the end of the day, you human, and then like I can resonate with that because I got my feelings and like, my wife, she had to take me about it because I didn't get a certain award or I'm
• 1:05:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: you put the being human, you kind of put validation of certain things like what it is that you're doing or saying that you're really passionate about, you know, in the hands of the people, which is fine, like the worst things that we could do.
• 1:05:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it was crazy because once I let that go, the fact that that didn't happen.
• 1:05:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: other things just opened up and then I was able to, you know, get recognition and flowers for other work that I did stuff that I didn't even expect that felt so much better than if I would have got that particular war.
• 1:05:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: But then I'm petty at the end of the day and go ho, so it's just life for me, it's just kind of like,
• 1:05:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm gonna show you like at the end like it when it when it stuff like that happened or I get to know or it's like I feel The night it's like What's the well?
• 1:05:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm forgetting I'm thinking about somebody that'd be like basically like you're gonna you you're gonna bet like you know You're gonna fill it, but that's that's kind of what I do.
• 1:06:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I can tell you there.
• 1:06:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: You go like bad.
• 1:06:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's like bad.
• 1:06:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's a bad Yeah, they said
• 1:06:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Michael Jordan.
• 1:06:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, yeah, yeah, I think a person.
• 1:06:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he literally likes any.
• 1:06:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: He made a mental know of everybody that got picked over him.
• 1:06:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
• 1:06:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, he just went down the list, but you know, I think that's the competitive nature too.
• 1:06:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like, you know, there's there's a ton of competition in business.
• 1:06:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I don't think that's a negative thing.
• 1:06:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that comes from a really honest
• 1:06:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, you, you, we're proud entrepreneurs and we do this work at a level where you want to be, you know, you want to be respected.
• 1:06:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I don't think recognition is always a thing, but it's just like, you want to be respected for the energy that you're putting into the work that you're doing.
• 1:06:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sure.
• 1:06:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes it's like,
• 1:06:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: it's like, you know, other factors are being considered when evaluation is happening and it creates an unfair plan for you.
• 1:07:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: And you, you either have to rise above it and get to a place where you're like, you
• 1:07:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: you understand the game that you're playing and so we're going to play it anyway, you know, even with the ref not calling any calls for us, we still don't win the game, you know, at the end of the day.
• 1:07:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: So that's kind of been, that's been my approach to the situation.
• 1:07:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think, um, I think,
• 1:07:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: to the trait, the environment that we're in here, for whatever reason, sometimes like peer acknowledgment or recognition, is sometimes more important than it should be.
• 1:07:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's not a easy thing to overcome, but I think I finally arrived to a place where it's like,
• 1:07:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really don't care what anybody think I respect your opinion, but I don't care and I'm going to push forward and make it happen no matter what until I just personally feel like I'm done yet and I'm throwing the towel and right off into the sense that I think it's one of those days where
• 1:08:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: I've heard in different instances that people think about you less than you think they do and then people I think about it in two different ways people that you think what care or you want to care Think about you less than they actually do or you would think that they do and then people who you think pay new no attention
• 1:08:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: pay more care more way more than you think that you would and it's just like how you build an audience or you build a thing and it's typically the people it's not always people in your circle and media circles people that you may have never been in your circle yeah and then they're they showing you the most love they like you don't know this video there for me you don't know what this this speech that you gave today there for me like it's it's those things and that type of love that like really make it make it make it make it
• 1:08:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: You got to, you, and that's why it's important to just put it out there and let it attract.
• 1:08:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: When it's coming from the right place and it's authentic and it's being done in tent, you put it out there and then you just, you let it bring you the person that it was meant to bring you.
• 1:09:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think, you know, that's, that's like, inner work.
• 1:09:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's like the evolution of, to me, just being a human and getting to a place where you can operate.
• 1:09:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: that way and it's true to what it is.
• 1:09:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: A lot of people will say, like, I don't care if we would think, yeah, but we know like they actually care what people think exactly.
• 1:09:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so at least a couple people say, you have to evolve through doing that type of network.
• 1:09:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: And also dealing with circumstances that put you in those situations that makes you kind of like rise above the situation itself and do it for the
• 1:09:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: So we have in this very enlightening conversation now, where do you, where do you see things going in the future?
• 1:09:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: We haven't different iteration, not the same conversation for the last few years, but in terms of the future, looking in the next five years, Robert Courtney and associates, social media store, creator kind, Bill, what, what does the future hold?
• 1:10:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: The future is going to be a lot slower than I would tell you that for 100% like I
• 1:10:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've always, probably every time that we've had this conversation before them, before this one, I felt like I had an unlimited supply energy, like I could just go and go and go and I'm not planning on stopping for the first time since being an entrepreneur.
• 1:10:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I can see the end of the road, like I can kind of see a space of me waking up and not really doing anything and like enjoying my kids games and or my kid to games, my son and my daughter's dances and you know, just being like just being like
• 1:10:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: unattached to an outcome or not having to do work because I'm responsible for something.
• 1:10:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I do see that like in the next five years or even sooner, but I'm building things that should continue to carry a life of their own that don't necessarily need me to be the focal point or at the center of whether it works or not.
• 1:11:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that's an exercise like RCA functions very much without me.
• 1:11:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: in my business life, I've been able to accomplish that, and that's a dope feeling like now I can't even explain what that feels like from a day to day to be laser focused on freedom kind and know that RCA is operated at a high level with high level clients.
• 1:11:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so that's a cool, that's a cool spot to be in, but I see more of that.
• 1:11:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I see more of evolving
• 1:11:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: evolving my leadership scenarios with all the different entities that I'm a part of, um, because CreatorCon includes me and at the core of it, right?
• 1:11:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And imagine CreatorCon where I'm not involved, which it was RCA 15 years ago, I was at the core.
• 1:12:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now, you know, I'm going to outskirts kind of looking in, chiming in periodically, um,
• 1:12:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: But that is that is the goal to make it how RCA is across the board and you know We'll have to do an interview in Florida or Paris or Somewhere somewhere else But yeah, that's that's what the future look like for me
• 1:12:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: love it and then when you say do the interview somewhere else you've put in the bill for the first time.
• 1:12:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, fine, we're telling you in say less.
• 1:12:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm fine.
• 1:12:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, we're for that.
• 1:12:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so for the people who haven't done so just yet from the first two interviews working people find you if they want to tap in with you.
• 1:12:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: They want to follow your story.
• 1:12:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: They want to get tickets to coach a creator kind, how can they tap in?
• 1:12:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:12:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:12:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, Robert Corning Collins on Instagram is probably where I'm the most active.
• 1:12:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: You send a message there.
• 1:12:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm likely to respond.
• 1:12:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: But Robert Corning Collins across all platforms and you can find CreatorCon tickets at CreatorConExperience.com, which is a new site.
• 1:13:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: We haven't promoted it much but on flyers and advertisements like it's there.
• 1:13:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Book CreatorCon, experience.com, has every detail of this upcoming CreatorCon event on for you to be able to plan your show.
• 1:13:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: So you can go in and click, plan your show.
• 1:13:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it'll give you questions that'll help you pick the best sessions and workshops and things for you to attend.
• 1:13:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: So that's a new feature.
• 1:13:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: But you can also buy your tickets there
• 1:13:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: fire fire so Rob we appreciate you for pulling up again and I got a I got a fact check it, but I think you got the record So yeah, you got the record from those appearances.
• 1:13:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I might I might have to make you get you some merch or something So I'll be I'll be happy and proud to wear a Black Friday podcast merch.
• 1:13:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: So let me know for sure.
• 1:13:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, for sure.
• 1:13:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, we appreciate you again.
• 1:14:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: There's always thank you for the work that you
• 1:14:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll shoot them.
• 1:14:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just kill your end there, my bad.
• 1:14:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: There we go.
• 1:14:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: And get out of that again.
• 1:14:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yep, there we go.
• 1:14:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: So Rob, we appreciate you once again.
• 1:14:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you for all the work that you're doing, as far as the creator economy, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, creatives in the city.
• 1:14:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: It definitely is important, especially with what you have going on with creator kind.
• 1:14:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's going to continue to create those opportunities and provide people that space and that platform to be able to figure out what that launch pad is for what's next so thank you Absolutely and next year we're going to plan earlier for your involvement so you don't have a trip to go for sure Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going to get that together No doubt so everybody watch it.
• 1:14:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's see.
• 1:14:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to tap in with y'all soon.
• 1:14:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Peace see