Latest / Ready To Drink Podcast / Relationships Over Budget: How Highlandia Built a Hemp Beverage Community | Adam Borson, CMO at Highlandia

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Relationships Over Budget: How Highlandia Built a Hemp Beverage Community | Adam Borson, CMO at Highlandia · Ready To Drink Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Adam Borson, Director of Marketing for Hylandia.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: So give us a give us a kind of flyover on Hylandia.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: What type of product is it?
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Where are you sold?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: And kind of the rundown for the audience to get a snapshot before we jump into your stories.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, great.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: So you know Hylandia is a you know a premium beverage that is in the so happens to be in the THC space.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're actually based in Wisconsin.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: Our parent company is Lifton Made.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: We're one of the pioneers of the hemp arrived space.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, what you see out there in the market when it comes to hemp to arrive gummies, right, or other types of product lines, we really paved the runway for everyone else to fly.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: So over the last 10 years of being in this space, you know, we really saw what the future was going to be.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really going to be in the bever space, somewhere that mainstream can really be accepted and socially provided to people throughout the country.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where it's been a real labor of love to build this brand from scratch and to bring it to, you know, currently, right now, we have distribution in Wisconsin in our backyard to, I think, over two to 300 stores currently in less than four months.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have now gotten expansion into uh Florida with distribution there along with Texas and Illinois.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: So um truly, like I said before, a labor of love to bring this premium THC brand um over to, you know, throughout the country, just one customer at a time.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And when did you uh when did you when was the business founded?
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: The business was founded like a little over 10 years ago, the company itself.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the beverage side, you know, we've been working on this um probably for almost like two years now.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know, for us, it's not about it's all for us, it's really about doing things the right way, not the quick and easy way.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: I think in this space, what we've really seen is all right, be the first to market, put something on a, you know, just put something in a bag or in a can and get it out there.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: And we've seen that in this space.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, it's become very much more and more saturated over time.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, for us, it's that's not what we were about.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: We're about, you know, bringing a true like CPG brand that just so happs to do THC drinks.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's the our mentality here.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's you know, really over the last two years, just little by little, really thinking very thoughtfully through the process, looking at the states, looking at regulations, just making sure that when we do come to, you know, to the starting line, that it's you know, people are gonna be really excited the moment we show up.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's perfect.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So before you uh did a foray into the beverage space, we're what what what aspect of the hemp industry were you guys in before?
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And this is again, I want to educate the audience.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: I know the answers.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: I know this is very much a beverage, you know, forward, you know, uh podcast, but it does but to learn about a story really lets you know how we got to this point.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: And also, you know, in all seriousness, Nate.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we were the first company to do edibles that you know, you hear about hemp-derived edibles in this space.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: Started, you know, we're like I said, you know, we paved that runway and um first to do the whole portfolio of vape products, you know, live resin.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: So like really this unique category that we help bring out.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so over time, you know, we've seen it all.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we've seen the ups and downs, left to right, A, B start, you know, we found that all the codes people are trying to use in the space.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um so, you know, over time, what we've learned is that it's just not enough to put a product out there.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's about creating a story that will gravitate people to yourself.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: But in order to have a good story, before any of that can happen, you got to have a quality product.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta have something that tastes good, it's effective, um, it's fully compliant.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's one of the things we know about this space is the compliance factor that um, you know, using third-party testing on purity and potency.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we are GMP certified, right?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like, no, like you don't really hear that too much in the in the cannabinoid space of being GMP certified, at least on the hemp side, because it's not regulated.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's not required.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: So we are doing things above and beyond what is required because we want to do a service to anyone that's going to enjoy um, you know, the experience of our product lines overall.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: What has been kind of your experience so far with navigating all of this?
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason, and I want I miss this of every founder because, you know, even in the past two years, we've over-indexed our our attention and time as our as an agency into this space.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's been a lot of learning, and I've seen a lot of comparatives from the alcohol industry uh to what you know, what I was working with in the craft beer industry back in 2010.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: We had a lot of not exactly a ban, but we had a lot of hurdles and challenges to get access in the state by state uh regulations that exist in alcohol.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Have you, you know, what's your feelings about where things are right now and where things are going?
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: And how do you how do you navigate?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: But also as the chief marketing officer, you know, how how do you navigate emotionally and stay focused while all this?
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I just got off of three hours of uh association meetings from state and federal today, and my brain's fried.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't know which way to go.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, yeah.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look, I mean, I have uh I have an MBA from you know Kelly School of Business at NEA University, right?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: I come up from very traditional MBA background, and I talk to my friends about what I do day to day, and like, this is insane what you have to deal with because everyone else just like can sell in every state.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have the Google, all these hurdles and challenges.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I think what's been great about being the position that I'm in, where our company's in, is that we've become like a leader, a thought leader, an advocate in this space.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we invest everyone that purchases, you know, whether it's our, you know, our our our D9 edibles or our beverages, a percentage of that goes into advocating efforts.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: So actually, uh Nate, I was just on the on one of the calls with um we're members of the Hemp Beverage Alliance.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're on the same, we're on the same call then, yep.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: We were just on that call.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's we have to be the advocates for the industry and and be the and be the thought leaders.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: So um that's that's a starting point, right?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Is there's right there being with like-minded people that are trying to drive that change.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: But you gotta drive it the right way.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the things we've noticed in the space is that there's a lot of fractions of like different groups, but not one single voice.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're starting to get to that point with groups like the HBA that has that single voice that you know, um, you know, DC is hearing, state um officials are hearing more and more.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, our our CEO, our founder, Nick Warnder, he, you know, he's what like he's literally a pioneer in this space.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: So, and he, you know, I I I I you know, I'm I'm marking it.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: My job is to hype up our guy, our people, but he's a very just uh soft-spoken individual.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: But he will meet with every state official.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: He travels all over the country, talking with him, being at Senate hearings in the states, um, really just letting like officials know like the truth about how this all works, like how it should be regulated the right way about common sense regulations, no different than what's happened in the alcohol space or any other legitimate industry.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: So he really does, and all of us do, we take our time meeting with these officials and you know, giving that right insight because it's very easy, like, you know, obviously, you know, from a PR perspective, there's a lot of spin that happens in this space about the uh adverse effects or the negative, you know, the negative press that comes with it.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um there's and look, I'm not gonna share a code, there's a lot of bad actors in this space, you know, because the regulations need to meet the standards that we're trying to set in this space.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I think just meeting with the people face to face, educating them on you know the realities of space, how this can work, because over time, what you've seen is, you know, people want just another option.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not gonna be an alternative, like, oh, look, a replacement to alcohol or to wherever they enjoy in life.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: It could be anything, right?
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Just something different for them that they can enjoy.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: They know it's safe.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they know it's been vetted.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and look, at this point, the toothpaste is out of the bottle.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's gonna be really hard to put it back in.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: And look, we all know what's coming up um in November.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: It can go in a million different directions.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: But for us, at least you know, with Highlandia, we're setting ourselves up long term because, you know, whatever is gonna happen in this space on the THC side, we're working on um diversifying our portfolio, right?
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: So it's always about adapting and moving forward.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that's one of the great things about a company over these years that we've been very versatile, right?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever regulations, wherever something changes in the market, we're gonna be the first ones to um, you know, bring something different.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we're already preparing for, you know, a line of non-TAC beverages with Hylandia, so then whatever comes um, you know, later this year, um, you know, Hylandia is it, we're we're positioning ourselves for uh for the long run here.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what type of uh organization, staffing, how many people are involved?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: And kind of tell us a little bit about the uh the company culture as a whole.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, uh it's great.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh glad you asked her, Nate.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, our our CEO, um, Nick, you know, he he found he founded Lift and Made, that's the parent company, a little over 10 years ago.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And for a lot of us, we all have like a similar story.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like I remember when I joined him, we we were talking, he was talking about like why are we here?
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the reason why why we're here, because we've all been personally been um impacted by um the war on drugs um and really what happens in just in the pharmaceutical industries, right?
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: And we want to find a way to improve the quality of people's lives in a way that doesn't hurt or harm people.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: And we all have our personal experiences, and we realize that um I remember you know growing up on the DARE program.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: We all we all did Dare, right?
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: I got two of the shirts in my dresser.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: I got the Ninja Turtles one too, just to throw that.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that one where the Ninja Turtles were like, weed is for dweeds, man.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's kind of funny when you think about it with like Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatella, Raphael, like turtles eating pizza.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: You if you don't, if you don't, if you're not telling me that that might have been some influenced by cannabis, influenced those characters.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you tell me.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Especially Michelangelo's entire personality was the stoner personality, you know?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: For sure, right?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: But here's the thing that I really learned, right?
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, like I said, like I come from a very traditional MBA background, right?
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: So like I'm not, you know, this is so what I've learned, you know, being in this space is that um they say cannabis is the gateway drug.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: Remember that?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: In reality, cannabis is the exit drug.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, really think about it, right?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: People that um are looking for alternatives to, you know, when it comes to pain medications, right?
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, something that's gonna not have these long-term adverse effects, perhaps.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, that it's there's there's things about this plant.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um when I started this in when I started in the space, I worked on the C V D side.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I actually worked directly like with um medical schools.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: So like that was my background.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: So my whole background, all of our backgrounds are like about improving people's lives.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's our first and foremost um, you know, mission of ours.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and we live it every day.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: So when I was, you know, when I first started in the space, I launched a CBD beverage line back when I was living in California.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we also had a clinical grade C V D product line as well.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I would work with, you know, um, you know, uh holistic practitioners, medical doctors, um, even like acupuncturists.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: I worked with medical schools.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: We even did, we were one of the first um people to do a um board-approved uh continuing education on CBD for neurological inflammatory conditions for um for MDs for their CEUs.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like, so that's always been where we start.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Every anything we do is knowing what we're gonna do is gonna positively impact people's lives.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that's where Nick's you know journey started.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's where my journey started.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Our president of Highlandia, Brian McCaslin, he was one of the founders of Vita Coco.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: So he is someone that is very, very well versed in how to bring a CBT level beverage like Vita Coco to market and several other ones.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: So to have him on the team, um, Nick is our fearest leader, uh, you know, is this really great core group that um are doing things the right way, know the business, know how to build a brand in the beverage space and in the cannabis space.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: So now we're merging it together in one holy matrimony for everyone to uh you know live a better life.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh you speak my language because uh I'm not sure how familiar you are with the show, and I talk about this a lot for everybody, but I'm three and a half years uh coming up in December, it'll be four years sober uh alcoholic medication.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so uh pretty big, pretty big uh pills and alcohol addiction.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: And the biggest struggle for me was coming into that's why I got into this, uh, is is really it was it was originally something of like look at the C BD world and I was kind of selling the same thing chiropractors, homeopathic, uh holistic, and then COVID hit and it was all remote, and that was kind of a little bit more of a challenge.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then all of a sudden I was still drinking and still, you know, taking pills that were legally prescribed by a doctor.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I was not grabbing these things off the street.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I just had a very hip hill happy doctor and uh and basically could was so confused as to okay, I can't I gotta kick this, I gotta kick all this, it's destroying my life.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: But also it's confusing because it's all readily available and regulated.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: And then all of a sudden, the CBD drinks and things like that, they started working a little bit where I was like, okay, I'll I can take a break a little bit.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: But once the non-alcoholic beer started tasting good, uh, to be really honest with you, and it was able to really be that crutch to get me through that first year.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then as soon as I got into that, December 22 is when I started finally, I tried four or five times prior, but December 2022 was when it finally stuck.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: And December 2022, then all of a sudden was when the hemp beverages become more prevalent and things like that.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I was able to get those crutches for the first year.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm coming up on four years, and I don't ritualistically drink any of these things anymore.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: I I made it a goal that it was like one year to get out of it, and then also it can't be 5 p.m.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: fulfillment.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: I can't be taking one thing out and putting another thing in from the psychological.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: So when you break this, I even do it with coffee.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes on Saturdays and Sundays, I just don't drink coffee because I don't want to, I don't want to become uh cyclical and when that starts.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess my long story short is I appreciate your perspective of why you're doing this because you're you doing what you do and everybody else in this industry, while I'm also a part of this in a business aspect.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: My business comes from a place of principle and passion.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a solopreneur.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: Everything I do in my business is a reflection of my personality.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's the that's a little bit of a difference in running a business.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: And when you when you tell me that that's kind of where you go with it, that's what gets me excited.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's what people need to hear is that this is, yeah, there's a big money game and there's all this stuff going on and all these things, but at the end of the day, there's a lot of people in this that are in this because of the individual person and the ability to change their life in a positive way moving forward, which is a ripple we all need in society, especially today.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: First off, first and foremost, congratulations on your sobriety.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, like, you know, it's uh I know I personally with my own family and friends, you know, I've seen I've seen the bad side of it.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: And anyone that can overcome that is um, you know, uh deserves to be recognized.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: So first and foremost, congratulations on that, Nate.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: No, thanks, I appreciate it.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you're right.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I think what I love about this industry in itself is this goes beyond the product.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're really impacting people's lives.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: What I one of my favorite things to do, honestly, is I reach out to our customers.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, when it comes to when we get re reviews um or emails, I get emails.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's one um that, you know, she let me know that she was uh breast cancer survivor and she really was going through chemo, couldn't sleep.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing was helping her sleep, and obviously doctors are trying to prescribe her whatever.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: We, you know, she learned about our um, you know, we have a a line of um uh dummies and they um are very much sleep focused.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: And she lets me know, like Adam, like I don't know what I would where I would be if I didn't have this, like daily, like to help me fall asleep.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Another person um I I've talked to who's on a who has a kidney failure and he's he's on a kidney dialysis, and it helps him, you know, just with this just a day-to-day life and just helping him through the pain management and everything that goes through with dealing with you know with a kidney disease.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like saying to myself, like business goes beyond making money for me.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if I've really like look, if I really wanted to make money, I would have been on Wall Street or I would have to do that.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I was trying to tell everybody.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really like that's the crazy news.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I didn't do this to make money.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if if you're in this industry to really like that's your priority goal, that's great.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, look, you know, more power to you.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I just know for me that like hearing these stories of like how we've improved people's lives, um, it just makes I just want to work harder for them.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and just do what's right for them.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's what we're all we're all here at Highlander trying to do is um just to make sure that, hey, look, there's a place here where you can, you know, be yourself, you can escape whatever it is that's going on in your in your life to somewhere that can just, hey, look, help you however we can.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like what wherever, however, um, and just just hearing those stories and knowing that's what's really come about over the years, it's uh uh, you know, that's the legacy I want to lead when my time.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna read a story uh every episode moving forward.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: I receive those testimonials as well through the different advocacy campaigns.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: We work on a PR aspect of things with uh we we have one uh regulate don't ruin nc.com that we run across North Carolina.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll read you one right now from that campaign so that the audience can hear this as well.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: So this is from John in Buford, North Carolina.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: As a U.S.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: Navy veteran, I often defer to hemp beverages in lieu of the VA prescribed pills.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Not only does it keep me from becoming addicted to these highly addictive pain pills, but it's also cheaper.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: If this option for me goes away, I will likely move to a neighboring state that has already approved legislation.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: If I was a lawmaker in North Carolina and somebody was saying they're moving, that's I get chills every time.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: I've read this a hundred times and this is the first time I've read it publicly, and I get chills even reading it to you right now.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, for me personally, it's that as well.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: And and I still work in the alcohol industry, so I want everybody whoever just catches episodes here and there, I have products, I have spirits under my desk right now.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: I I have it in my car all day long because I love the industry and I love the people, and it's what I've always done.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up in it.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: I started when I was 19.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: I will never leave it.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: At the same time, I will fiercely defend it as well as this.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that's one of these things that I want to expose these stories and these testimonials of these consumers more because I feel like at this point in the stage where we are, those are the stories that are gonna make the impact to these lawmakers.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think we've we've ad nauseum shared our stories over the past six, twelve, twenty-four months.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if anybody's listening here that's not in the industry, now is the time to call, not email, call.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: Call your local, and I'm gonna take the same thing we talked about in the HBA uh meeting today as well.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: I want everybody also to know how do I help?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: Emailing is great.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Phone calls are important.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: Why are phone calls important?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, number one, not enough people call.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: And number two, because voicemails and phone calls don't happen that often, lawmaker staff amongst themselves are required with their own personal internal regulations, I guess, or maybe there's a law, but they have to record them manually.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so one of the things is that you are you will be guaranteed to get rid of the congressmen or lawmakers or senators desks if you leave a voicemail or if you call.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I want everybody also, as we're talking about this, we don't want to leave anything away without any action items as to how you can help with this, as well as the business owners that are in this and haven't done that yet.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in this industry and you make money on this industry and you've not made a phone call or shaken a hand of your local lawmakers or federal, you're not doing the industry service and you're not helping anybody.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_01: It just reminds me of like what this industry is.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: I always, when people talk to me about like this industry, it's like I it's a community-based industry, right?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're not competing against each other, right?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: We need to join as a community to help bring this to mainstream, to advocate it, and to really make sure that that gentleman in North Carolina can stay in North Carolina.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: Or, you know, it's so it it you we all gotta help each other out.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's that's why it's so that's why this industry is so different in any Else because we don't have this camaraderie that you may have in the other industries, right?
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, to your point, right?
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, for everyone that's listening, like who this can really impact, like day to day.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're giving our stories, right?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: Right away, we get thousands of reviews, like thousands of people, right?
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just telling you two.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: You're just telling one, right?
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: We do a partnership with um an amazing veterans organization called Hero Grown.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they help uh, you know, with thousands of veterans, help them get free access to um to cannabis.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we work with them.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we I mean got an email from the founder recently says how much that they that they love the support we provide to their veterans um to help them with the relief that they need.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if we're not helping our veterans, then what are we doing with our lives?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, for real, like seriously.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like these are the people that have given up everything for us.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Everything for us to literally be having this podcast right now.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: And the least we can do is support them in the things that they need the most, right?
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: And um so to your point, if you're not making that phone call, if you're not, you know, even just like at bare minimum sending an email, there are those people, those veterans that may not receive that uh, you know, the care that they need.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: And what's going to happen?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: What's going to happen is that there's, you know, like things they're gonna things are gonna, you know, they might uh revert to something worse.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: There's gonna be a black market gets created where things get more dangerous than safe.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: So there's real implications, real life implications to people.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's that's it's kind of crazy to think of it that way because, like, well, you know, you're just you know, you're selling, you know, THC drinks.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it goes so beyond that that I think I I I really wish, you know, people that are listening to this podcast and talking to people that be, you know, this is um something that just goes beyond a product, beyond a can.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: It goes into people's lives.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: And the more we can help each other as a community, um, however you can play a role.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um it there's gonna be no better feeling for everyone that does that when you know you know the future, you know, however this future moves and moves, if it does move in a positive direction, you can honestly say to yourself that you had a small part in it.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: And there's gonna be no better feeling in the world when you do that.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: And when you talk about community, I think that's the biggest thing is now if we can shift our gears as from a storytelling standpoint to telling these real stories, and whether it's them telling these stories or it's us relaying the stories that are submitted through our websites, that's where the non-consumer becomes also an advocate.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a number one problem as well, because and that's how we get past the stigma in society.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because when Susie's at home and she hears that Jane down the street is having, you know, ailments and pain relief and things like that, and she's finding it hell in a healthy manner, he will come in and stand up for her neighbor.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where we are, that's where we need to be.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, that's not where we are right now, and I think that's where we need to be in a very short period of time, mainly in the next couple weeks.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think that that's the scale which we need to hit.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we need to hit that scale, and I think everybody, I want everybody also to understand that the way if your idea is to activate your consumers once they watch the products being pulled off the shelf, you've not forever lost the battle, but you've definitely built yourself a mountain when you had a molehill in front of you.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's uh that's what makes this this industry so unique and and also so special is that you everyone can have a personal investment into this space.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's something you really can't say in most industries.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what really drove drew me into this space, is for again my own personal experiences, but just hearing the stories from others and just um, you know, the more we can work together, um, and just again, play just play that small role, right?
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: You're you're you won't believe like 20, 30 years from now wherever we are in this space, you can honestly say, Yeah, I played a little part of it.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I was part of it, and you get to smile about it, you get to tell friends and family about it.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's just a cool feeling.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, there's so there's a lot of things going on in this world right now.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: And look, I just want to play a part of just improving people's lives.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's all I care about.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like that, that that's really it.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: However, I can do it in my own way, you know, I'm going to do it.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I found my lane here.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: No, that's perfect.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go, uh let's shift yours over to uh to like the mechanics of the business.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: You guys you mentioned uh five or six states that you guys are on the shelf in.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: Is that true or a little higher?
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so yeah, currently right now, so we have, you know, we actually um, you know, from a distribution perspective, um, yeah, we like I said we have distribution in um you know Wisconsin.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um we're also, you know, like I said, we're expanding into Texas, into Florida, into Illinois, um, you know, working at several other states right now.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: But we also do online.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we can deliver directly to your door as well.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so obviously, as long as it's um, you know, legal in your state, um, we can deliver it from our warehouse in Wisconsin right to your front door.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: When you guys uh switched over into distribution in those states where you're actually on the shelf, how what was the learning process like?
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm assuming you guys had to go with beverage distributors and stuff like that.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: So coming from the gummy side to then going with beverage distributors, there's a little, the mechanics are a little different and the relationships are probably different.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: Was that a um was that a jarring experience or was it kind of like really listen to them on what on the on the direction and lean in on your distributors to understand how to go to market?
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think the way we reapproach it is building a partnership because I think it's like it's it's kind of like symbiotic, right?
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: Where it's like, you know, distributors that you know we work with, um obviously, you know, they're they're they're guiding us along the way.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, we have a great leader, Brian McCaslin, who's already, you know, he's been there and done that in this space.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: So like we already have that great, um, like I said, you know, great personnel right here on our own team.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: At the same time, a lot of distributors are just getting educated on what this is all about, what it is.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: So what we've done is really help on the education side with distributors, right?
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: So having them understand what cannabinoids are, effects, onset, dosing, um, just so they have an understanding of like, all right, they can feel more confident about bringing this, you know, you know, we're we're so we're in hundreds of locations already.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: So like when they're going to Total Wine, like we're in Toto Wine right now, right?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: We're in fresh time, right?
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: We're even in hotels right now.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: So it's um, I think that's what's really great is the way we approach things is a partnership.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's not, you know, hey, here's product put up on the shelf.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like it doesn't work that way, right?
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: And we work with distributors on the other side, like on the cannabis.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: You work with distributors as well.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: So we already have that framework in place, you know, it's just tweaking it now in the beverage space, um, you know, and working, you know, hand in hand with their teams to make sure that they got the best information, not just about our brand, who we are, what's our story, but you know, to that, you know, to that liquor store that's, you know, they never even knew this was a thing.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh, this is gonna get, you know, this is gonna be terrible.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have that education yet.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we, I will, I'll come to with them.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: I do ride-alongs with every distributor and meet with them, you know, you know, person to person with, you know, whether what whether it's a big chain that we're working with or that little convenience store.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, we're there to help educate, communicate, you know, really why this would be a great place to put space, you know, on on your shelf that is gonna come off the shelf and people are gonna come back more for it.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: For let's say any other brands that are in here that aren't as you sound like you're very hands-on.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: I wasn't expecting to hear that a CMO goes out on the ride with.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a that is a very awesome uh thing.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm I commend you on that.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times the CMOs will kind of hang on the back, and you know, that that's not really what they do.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're out there, I mean, how do you how do you kind of how do you take that mentality or not mentality, let me let me rephrase this, the mission that you have and localize it when you're out with those, with those distributor reps?
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, understanding distributor reps, you're probably, I'm gonna assume in alcohol houses and stuff like that, who probably have a hundred plus brands, if not 200 brands, in their portfolio.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: What are some of the ways, and I don't you don't need to share the secret sauce or anything like that, but like outside of incentives and outside of paying through like attention, how do you go through that education?
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: Is it you let you give a presentation and then you you ride along with them, get to know what kind of makes them tick and maybe and build a connection from a human-to-human aspect as opposed to a broad scale type of education?
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think a very intimate approach, right?
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think what I've learned in this space um is exactly it.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's like like, wait, you go on to ride along?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah, how else am I gonna really get to know who we're selling to?
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: How else am I gonna know the people that are, you know, like you said, we're not the only beverage, THC beverage they're selling.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: They're selling, you know, dozens of other beverages, right?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why that partnership mentality is so important to me, because I want to make sure that they know that they got someone here that's gonna like my now.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: Here's my analogy.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's like one of my favorite analogies.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: Is like I tell this with my team, is like like John Wick is one of my favorite movies of all time, right?
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: All these distro reps, right?
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_01: They're my assassins.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: They're my John Wicks.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the armory, right?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: I will provide you all the weapons you're gonna need to um to accomplish your missions, right?
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it's that long-range sniper rifle for, you know, or that, or that, you know, or maybe some brass knuckles, wherever that weapon is that you need, I'm gonna, we're gonna make it and customize it for you, right?
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: And listen to them on what they need, not just to, you know, to bring into the stores, but what to help to bring them out of the store as well.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just um that's just how I've always been.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: I've always been that person.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really translated really well, you know, with working with our distro distributors, um, especially in Wisconsin.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: And the proof, the proof is in the pudding now, right?
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: So like the tactics are working.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason why I can say this confidently is um just recently, um, you know, with um with uh with Badger.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we love our we love Badger Distributor Distribution, their amazing partner, working with them um hand in hand.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we just launched this brand earlier this year, maybe four or five months ago.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: We're a top five brand in Wisconsin now.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_01: So we so do taking the approach of a very personalized, really meeting them where they need the need those weapons and helping them however we can.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's really what we've done to help succeed because we know how saturated it is.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: We know there's a lot, we know there's other THC drinks out there with a way larger budget than us, right?
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: And they can just throw money at at the situation.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: We like to throw passion at the situation.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we're I think now um you're seeing that now with our with sales in Wisconsin, and that's why we're able to now expand from there just with that approach.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's um it's one of those things that everybody sometimes will look down on, let's say an educational sampling, uh two-hour event at a retailer or something like that, and they'll be like, well, that's below me.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm talking as a founder or anything like that.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: I've had these conversations where, oh, I have a team for that.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I I always laugh because I'm 22 years in this alcohol and all this beverage, adult beverage regulation business.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: And even a month ago, I'm still working a customer service party out in the parking lot.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: And people are like, Why are you doing that?
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your short staff.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: No, because I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about if I'm not standing in front of a consumer and hearing what's going on in their life.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: I intentionally want to I want to say I intentionally cursed on that because I'm that passionate about the fact that if you are in this business, profiting from this business, and you have not shaken the hand or looked a consumer in the eye, whether in a good or bad scenario, in the past month, you're out of touch of everything that's happening.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you have the best staff in the world that's relaying all the feedback, there's something important and there's something back to the human connection about standing in front of somebody and hearing one good feedback.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, uh when I was in the brand manager role, we we sat in the boardroom and all day long, you know, breweries would come in with their growlers and say, How much can you sell for us?
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: How much can you sell for us?
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I was on the other side of the table.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: And when things didn't sell, because not everything was a success in craft beer, you know what I mean?
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like some brands were the same.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was it it when you transferred, let me just say it this way in craft beer, the biggest struggle was those that have the tap rooms and run them very well right now, right now, as you look at it, in the beginning, it was very challenging for those brands to get on the shelf and understand what the shelf economy is.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you're standing in your tap room serving people all day long, you lose the psychology because everybody's already walking in the door with their intention of consuming and enjoying and spending time and having a good time in your tap room.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's not the same when you're on the retail shelf with the hundreds of other brands and a consumer has to choose, and that's the important conversation to stand inside that retail place, interact with that consumer, and have them also tell you why they don't want you or why they don't like your stuff.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're only feeding the cyclical journalistic aspect of what serves your ego, you are not a sustainable brand.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care how much money you have.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh last week we just had an episode where we talked about uh with mate uh protein water, and he made the greatest joke ever.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: He was like, I'm from Australia, I have 25 brands, I'm in Georgia, and Kylie Jenner started her her protein water the same time.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: She and we joked around because she has unlimited resources and network.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: She's closed and he's open.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: So you tell me what is sustainable and what's not.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's all it's all based, it's not based on scale.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's based on who can withhold their community and who can withhold the support of that community.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_01: I love everything you're saying, man.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like this is awesome, first and foremost.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, I would so just recently, um, you know, we were the first DHC beverage to be sold at a festival in Milwaukee recently at Pride Fest.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: Tens of thousands of people there.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'm right there at the table, right?
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_01: Meeting and greeting everyone.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: And what's so cool about an event like that is that everyone's already so like just, you know, open-minded and they really are caring and passionate about like, you know, raising awareness for their own communities as well.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, just meeting people.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and you know, the funny thing is like they meet us and they don't know a goddamn thing about TAC.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're helping them learn about it.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then they talk to us and like they try to drink.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: Some a lot of people love it.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'll tell people like, I didn't like this flavor.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: We love knowing what we're not good at.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: And anyone that doesn't want to hear bad news, well, sorry, not everyone likes you, no offense.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I just love like being there, for instance.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, like we were at Pride Fest, right?
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_01: Just um, you know, meeting people.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm right there, right?
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'm at um, we also, you know, supported Christian Yelich's um, you know, MLB star, um, his uh yeah, the charity concert.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: And all these different local charities were there, and we were there providing our beverages and just again, just meeting people, learning their stories, and helping them understand what this is all about.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what the best part is sometimes they go, what I I there's some people I love hearing, they go, you know what, this isn't for me, but I love what you guys are doing, anyways.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, that's fine, that's totally okay.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: We're not trying to win everyone over, right?
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: We're trying, we really just want people that just are looking for um something different.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: It could be an al it could be a replacement or it can be an alternative alcohol, just something that makes their day better, makes their life better.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really what we're just trying to do.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_01: And uh we just keep doing that every day, you know, uh we're we'll we'll keep growing.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, hey, I want to remind everybody uh that there is no script, there's no agenda.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: Adam and I have never met, we've never been to a brewery, we've never been to a festival, we didn't, and that's about it.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: And we were introduced.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you to Patrick uh for introducing everything in here and uh putting us together.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I wanna I want to also just thank you, Adam, for the courage that it takes to do that.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, to come on a podcast that has no script and no agenda, no questions in advance, no prep.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that is something that I get rejections more than I get acceptances, and I own that.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: I've been in I spent my whole life in public relations and business development, market with development work.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm used to 90% of those.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I have very thick skin.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: The reason I also smile when I say that is because I call it my asshole detector.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_00: Is uh if you can't come on and talk for an hour about your business without questions, I have questions as to whether or not what the infrastructure is and what the legitimacy is of your business, as well as your passion, as well as why you're in business.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: So uh thank you, Adam, for coming in.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: And also, I don't want to undervalue kudos as a CMO for going out on a crew drive because I can tell you, and I'm any breweries that listen, if CMOs feel triggered by this, I'm not sorry.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_00: The amount of CMOs that would come in on a crew drive, they would spend 80 to 90% of their time taking phone calls in my office while I was doing all the training and everything like that, and go out on the crew drive.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to tell you that I've been firsthand experiencing what it means to travel and come on a crew drive as a CMO, and kudos to you for taking it and doing it the right way.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, hey guys, Kyle, closing out here, Adam, real quick for everybody that maybe just got sucked into the story and forgets the brand, hit all your social medias, hit the website, hit how everybody can find you and support you guys moving forward.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_01: Go check us out at highlandia.com.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there we have a store located.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_01: You can see where you can buy in your nearest locations, or you can just uh you know order it delivered right to your door from our website.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you go to again hylandia.com.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um go to social media, Instagram, X at drinkHylandia.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, thank you both, and Adam, thank you for doing what you're doing.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll close out here with the same thing that I give everybody every every single episode, the five minutes a week challenge, 20 minutes a month of kindness to a stranger.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: When you're walking down the street, put your phone in your pocket, look at the strangers while you're walking by.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be creepy, read the language, read the behit body language and make sure if you can say hi or not.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: And when you're at the gas station filling up your cup of coffee, everybody's been in this situation, you're bumping elbows of somebody else, ask them how they're doing today.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: Shut your mouth, don't focus on yourself, focus on them.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: You might have a full life with your husband, your wife, the dog, the picket fence, whatever it is you have and whatever's bringing you joy, but know that a majority, if not whatever around you is not having a good time that day.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: Assume most people are not having a good day and put the kindness forward.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: You're lucky when you're if you have a life that is full in this world and that you should be feel blessed every single day.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_00: At the same time, if you do have a blessed life, you do have an obligation to make up build other people up around you.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_00: So please remember heed the warning, heed it all.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: The best ROI you can give is 20 minutes a month.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you affect one person's life, there's a lot of people to listen to this show.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's a lot of lives we can affect every month, and it costs nothing.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: It costs nothing.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: So again, gentlemen, thank you guys so much for coming on.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: I look forward to many more conversations uh like this as as uh as the things heat up over the next couple weeks and months.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: So you guys have a good rest of your day.