Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / One Leg Up With Myron Welik, Canadian Businessman Who Overcame Criippling Anxiety 3-23-24

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One Leg Up With Myron Welik, Canadian Businessman Who Overcame Criippling Anxiety 3-23-24 · OneLegUpAlex Media

0:02
Here's your host to Alex Deren in three two one. All right, well,
0:13
I don't really ought to have a deal maker like this one on my
0:16
podcast, but Myron Relick, when I hear your affiliate with Heidi Klum,
0:20
Madison Square Garden, the New England Patriots, I have to bring you on
0:24
my show war w Up with Alex Garrett and Myron Wallack. Thanks for joining
0:29
me straight from my podcast guest dot com. Oh, it's an honor.
0:34
Straight from Montreal, Canada, that's where I am so and talking to the
0:37
Big Apple. That's my wife is from Brooklyn, so I gotta I love
0:41
the Big Apple. In one of my lives, I was born there without
0:45
me knowing I was born there. But it's an honor to be here,
0:47
Alex, thank you so much for having me. Ironically, I was at
0:50
the Garden to see the Rangers take on the Canadians not too long ago.
0:53
So how about that. Yeah, that's a classic bribery. But lately I
0:58
can't talk brag too much about it because when I play the Canadians, the
1:02
famous Canadians, where the dynasty, you know, and the most well the
1:06
most certainly the most glorified hockey team winner of more Stanley Cup than anybody else.
1:11
But those days are on hold for a little while now a little bit,
1:15
although the carry price heres were something to watch. All right, we
1:19
can talk sports all day, In fact we might because you've got some connections
1:23
into the sports world. But tell us about Myron Wallach. For those who
1:26
may not know, I mean, you've reinvented yourself as a businessman. I
1:30
want to talk about the reinvention right here, right now, right No,
1:34
I'd love to. So basically, I'm seventy one going on fifty one.
1:38
They call me to Jack Camber in the next few minutes, it'll be clear
1:42
why. I probably have more energy and most people in their twenties and thirties,
1:46
but I am seventy one. So when I was forty nine, bottom
1:49
line is I'll just give the highlights. I had a business of twenty eight
1:53
years, and unfortunately I lost it for a lot of reasons, but most
1:59
of all, I didn't run the business stay. I should have run it
2:02
in terms of reinventing myself, adapting and and expanding properly. And eventually it
2:09
caught up with me and at forty nine I lost it and and going you
2:15
know, it was it was. It's rough, to say the least,
2:17
not just for all the obvious reasons Alex, the money and all that.
2:21
But but I had no idea, you know that I would, you know,
2:24
I almost lose myself. So I wrote an article for a newspaper and
2:29
I called it Starbucks orphans because I spent the first year vegetating and Starbucks,
2:35
you know, because they think about a coffee shop, Starbucks or anywhere.
2:38
You can go there and be anonymous. It's like an orphan. If you
2:40
want to talk to me, you can. It's not you don't have to
2:43
and they don't bother. You can sit there all day, the same cup
2:46
of coffee, generally speaking, or they could back then. So so so
2:50
that was, needless to say, not a fun experience. It took me
2:54
about sixteen years to reinvent myself. It wasn't until six seven years old the
3:00
two things, and many many, many times during that sixteen years I felt
3:06
like either ending it all. I was on too many pills, like anxiety
3:09
helping pills. I would suffer from tremendous, tremendous anxieties. I don't wish
3:14
on my worst enemy. Well, but I don't, because anxiety very serious,
3:19
devastating anxiety. As anybody who was experience it knows, it's like you're
3:23
having a heart attack. I used to fall to the floor and the showers,
3:27
not knowing until I understood it never happened before, but it came,
3:30
you know, for stress and all the bad stuff. But it was very
3:35
severe, very severe. I used to lock myself in the car, go
3:38
to a park here called like a central park here, it's called biblike and
3:44
kind of in the summer, lock the windows, I'll put the air conditioning
3:46
it. I really, it really was a bad, bad time, tough
3:49
time. I did the odd jobs and shiny shoes, cleaning carpets for offices
3:54
and banks at night. But this was for sixteen years, not sixteen weeks
4:00
or sixteen days or one year. So again it wasn't until sixty seven.
4:02
For some reasons, somehow I never surrendered, and probably for two reasons,
4:06
and I really don't know why. Eventually I helped myself together two things,
4:10
two major things that I would suggest to anybody going through hell. And then,
4:15
like Churchill says, when you're going through hell, keep going, and
4:17
you know, to the point is because one is I would for some reason,
4:23
I get up every morning. I would not sleep in because that was
4:25
like in a thema, you know, to me, I would not sleep
4:28
in a curse to me as if I was going somewhere. Generally I was
4:30
not or not going anywhere very exciting. But I did wearing a shirt,
4:34
not at a tie, wear a shirt and pants, as if I was
4:38
going to an office, you know, or a business or work. But
4:41
I did go to a lot of networking events, meaning where principally inhabited by
4:46
people under thirty or twenties, thirties, let's say, or even in the
4:50
early thirties. And these are all young entrepreneurs going to brainstorm collaboration, you
4:55
know. And there's networking events in every city Montreal and New York, Chicago,
4:59
everybody has and they continue to have them. They're great meetups where they
5:02
made me talking about technology principally it because that was a vast majority we're talking
5:08
and basically they're all full of excitement and optimm I. Remember these are people
5:11
in their twenties and thirties. They better be right, so they're failed with
5:14
the future, as the expression goes, And it rubbed off of me.
5:16
So it was great. So and the other thing that helped me get through
5:21
it. I'm very fortunate. I have this woman who in Brooklyn, who
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I've been married now actually tomorrow, I'm married thirty seven years and she stuck
5:30
with me. So I'll like to say to anybody, if you're lucky enough,
5:32
very lucky enough to have someone love you, no matter who it is
5:35
or what it is, you have someone you can't wait to come home to.
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It comes in handy at times. So Myra is very interesting. I
5:45
want to say, you want to be anonymous out of Starbucks? Now?
5:48
What would drive you to want to be anonymous where there are people after you
5:50
after the business bell or oh no, no, I want to be anonymous
5:55
because I don't want to talk to anybody. And that was part of the
5:59
anxiety. I'm guessing yeah, that was all the anxiety. I didn't want
6:01
to talk to anybody, you know, so I wanted to be myself.
6:04
So basically, and what happened also is it took me, like I said,
6:11
it took me sixteen seventeen years to reinvent myself. And basically, one
6:16
day in one of these networking events, there was a guy in real estate
6:20
there and he basically he should have been there. It was an early early
6:27
thirties building a young entrepreneur building his real estate business. He needed help.
6:30
I helped him in terms of finding extra dollars, and then it moved on
6:34
he need help in finding properties. I helped him find properties, and then
6:39
I realized there's a skill I could find out I can help others, and
6:42
I've expanded since then. Well, I do love that you've gotten back into
6:46
helping. I think that's sort of a paying forward in a sense for you
6:49
is like making other dreams happen. But I want to talk about your dream.
6:54
So how did you at sixty seven become back up back on top from
6:59
more million dollars, you know, catastrophe back to forty million dollars of real
7:04
estate investments? I mean, come on, that's right. Rebound. Yeah,
7:08
that was that was, you know, off on top. But that
7:11
was over over four years. Now it's been and and close to four years,
7:15
and it's been by by my investors, and it's just been by being
7:19
a jack camera, by helping them find opportunities that makes sense for them.
7:23
Mark, you know, it takes to my skills by being uh what's the
7:27
word U tenacious? You know, uh, being creative kind of to reinvent
7:32
the business and focusing and there's an opportunity there and finding these opportunities for for
7:38
potential investors. It's not my investments, it's these investors or who are buying
7:43
mainly apartment buildings. Is the main focus out. You know. I feel
7:46
like in those sixteen years you had to really really get that I back for
7:50
going out that with the tenacity right, going out for the tennacity. So
7:55
while you're cleaning in the carpets, while you're doing all this other stuff,
7:58
did you feel that tenacity building inside you, like, Okay, I'm going
8:01
to do bigger than this one day once again. You know, it's a
8:05
great question. But I just didn't want to die, you know what I
8:07
mean. I just didn't want to die. I wasn't ready to give up
8:11
yet. And I don't know why or how. And I kept going even
8:13
though there were so many days when when there was no hope around the corner.
8:18
I mean, every day looked like the other, you know, today,
8:20
yesterday, the day before and the week before, and there was no
8:24
reason to keep going. Like like I said, well why would I keep
8:26
going? You know why? I mean it didn't look like I mean sixteen
8:31
years to have a long time to try to touch things around for anybody,
8:35
whether you start at twenty or fifty or sixty. So there's good reason not
8:37
to keep going, and it's good reason probably to give up because it doesn't
8:41
look like it's going to get any better, because it's not getting any better.
8:46
Well for you, though, you become this deal maker once again,
8:50
and did some of these deals happen for you during the last three years,
8:56
like say with the Patriots or even the Garden or was that prior. There's
9:01
two things. One is real estate happened the last four years since four yeah,
9:05
six seventy one, yeah, last four years. Real estate and the
9:09
strategic partnerships also happened in the last three four years. The Heidi Club New
9:13
Balance happened in two thousand and ten or twelve. That was a very interesting
9:18
scenario that happened. All I was going through hell, but it still happened
9:22
because the people I was working with then had the rights the world rights Alex
9:26
to Heidi Clue and h She was just finished her pregnancy with steal at this
9:37
for twenty ten, twenty twelve. She was married to him then and they
9:41
were looking for opportunity. I suggest it's a real to a running shoe brand,
9:46
athletic brand. And she loved the idea. And then she said kind
9:50
of like come ups of suggestions. At that point, I did my research,
9:54
my homework. I saw a new Balance was not a public company.
10:01
I suggested it to you, like the idea. It took me six months
10:03
maybe more to reach out and fund contact people. This is all cold,
10:09
and then a year a year and a half later, if I remember correctly,
10:11
they made the partnership h K and B. The New England Patriots came
10:16
about when CEO, who's a very famous singer some of your audience may or
10:20
may not know, uh was one time he's not and she and he he
10:26
was was during COVID actually, and he loved the New England Patriots. I
10:30
don't know why, but he did. Maybe he comes from England and he
10:33
do a lot about football and and and so I reached out to He said
10:37
he'd be interested in maybe some kind of partnership. I reached out to New
10:41
England Patriots cold. I did contact them. I did connect with them,
10:43
believe it or not, all on theirselves because it was COVID. Nobody was
10:46
in the office. If you remember, then and I did reach out and
10:50
we did have a zoom with Seal. They loved Seal. It went extremely
10:54
well, but he wanted more dollars than they were willing to pay, so
10:58
unfortunately it didn't work out. Otherwise, they were looking for him to sing
11:01
the national anthem. So it's pretty cool. Well, let me ask you
11:05
this, because it sounds like you've had two sides of the coin. For
11:09
me to take a year and a half to sell, you know, the
11:11
Heidi Klum brand a new Balance sounds kind of crazy. She's Heidi Klum.
11:16
Why did it take so long? But at the flip side, it's maybe
11:18
inspiring others. Okay, if you just keep at it, you two can
11:22
stay connected to people like Heidi Klumb. It works both ways. You see
11:24
what I'm thinking here. Both parties have to bring something to the table Alex
11:31
that together they're stronger, or they're more powerful, or it's more lucrative,
11:35
more attractive to the which it was shoe brands in the world to bounce.
11:39
The quality is up second to none, even in the world which are all
11:43
great, great, but where people there's no question bit around Forever Blue Balances,
11:48
Iconic Better Rounds is early nineteen hundreds. They make one of the best
11:50
run isshoes in the world. There's no question, a lot of best.
11:54
Heidi Klum has an opportunity to connect with a well known, established iconic brand
11:58
and take the fact of power which really wasn't there forte and marry it with
12:03
a well known name, so against instant recognition. So it's a win win.
12:07
It's extremely gratified and exciting. I mean, I declume in the Balance
12:09
has been around the longest and that's so it's I think its name is still
12:11
out there to twenty ten, twenty twelve, so what is that twelve years
12:16
or something. It's crazy. So that's great. I'm glad. I mean,
12:18
because a lot of times, you know, they don't last for a
12:20
lot of good reasons. They've run the course, you run out of energy,
12:24
run out of relevant. See, it's still abound. It's probably not
12:26
the same potency of power that it was twelve years ago. But that's okay.
12:31
It goes up and down, it evolves as high as the lows.
12:35
The fact that it's you know, it changes because it has, especially in
12:39
the fashion business, as you well know, has to change adapt to the
12:41
times. I want to I want to point out that you had written that
12:46
what you've dealt with prior to all that for those years after your multimillion dollar
12:50
business collapse was paralyzing. Of course, I I deal with those, and
12:56
I'm friends with those who are really paralyzed disability wise. But talk about the
13:00
mental paralysis that one might find themselves in and can adapt to or adapt in
13:05
the ways that they get away from it if you will. I'm an example
13:09
that there is life after death, so to speak, and and there is
13:13
an opportunity and maybe maybe ironically, Alex, by by going through that hell,
13:20
it's maybe stronger and better and more prepared for what I'm trying to do
13:24
now. Maybe who knows. It doesn't matter. This is so important for
13:28
people that you know, we mentioned COVID four years here we are I find
13:33
that some have not been able to recover from that disaster and pandemic. Have
13:37
you found that you've been advising those who have also felt that paralysis due to
13:43
COVID and talking them through it. You know that's a good question too,
13:48
Alex I you know, whether it's COVID or something else. I I I
13:54
am. I work very hard today. The only way I can answer that
13:56
it may not be satisfactive for anyway, is that I work very hard to
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see and it may sound cliche, is and naive to make sure the glass
14:05
is half full not half empty. So I'm an optimist by definition. Maybe
14:09
that's another reason why I survived and and and because I wouldn't if I wasn't
14:15
an optimist, I never would have There's no question. So I believe,
14:18
no matter how dark things are, and they can get very dark, that
14:24
there is a silver lining. Now maybe that's that that's a cliche, and
14:26
maybe that's naive. Call it what you want, but it's it's it has
14:31
worked for me in terms of survival. Uh. And then after survival to
14:37
try to prosper, I think that's essential. And they call it mindset,
14:39
right, I guess I think I think without that, uh, you're gonna
14:46
have a lot of trouble to deal with any any form of adversity could be
14:50
very small, very minor, or a major. In fact, I don't
14:52
know how you're able to you know, people people talk to me and say,
15:00
how do you overcome your you know, rolling on one leg? And
15:05
it doesn't be like overcoming. I just try and stay positive about it.
15:07
And I am positive about it. So, you know, it's amazing those
15:11
who are well off might go through a lot more than I do. Isn't
15:16
that weird? I think that's an interesting kind of world we know, because
15:20
you know, I also don't change what I can. People talk about the
15:22
weather, you know, the same thing. You know, what what are
15:26
they talking about the weather for? I mean, you know, it's freezing
15:30
cold, there's a lot of snow, it's very humid. Uh, it's
15:33
very dad. I don't okay, So I don't wait, I don't talk
15:37
about that. I can't control it. I don't want to hear about it
15:41
really, you know, except to know what's going on, so I know
15:43
what what I do. Yeah, from a practical point of view, yeah,
15:48
of course I want to know the weather. I have to know the
15:50
weather in terms of where I'm going, what I'm doing, what I'm planning,
15:52
and that's the end of it. But it's not a conversation for me.
15:56
I'm not interested. A lot of things are not a conversation. I'm
15:58
not going to talk about. How should I say, I don't know.
16:03
I'm very discriminative, you know, I want the conversations to matter, you
16:07
know, But generally speaking, I don't have a small tack kind of guy.
16:11
Then. In other words, no, no, not generally no.
16:14
And let me ask you that how people are successful when they get away from
16:17
the small talk and say, all right, what are we talking about with
16:19
this real estate dealer, let's go down to brass tacks. It seems like
16:22
you're kind of motto here. Yeah, I think so. I mean,
16:26
everybody has family, and there's ordinary Sometimes the ordinary things are extraordinary things and
16:30
you have to savor it. I mean, one of my best loves is
16:34
my dog, my dog Brooklyn. You know, she's color, She's Brooklyn
16:37
Whating Terrier. She's tween half years old, and you know, I love
16:41
her in the crumbs. But I think, I think what's important is to
16:45
keep the mind focused on whatever you want to do. You know, my
16:48
case is real estate or whatever I want to achieve, and not to let
16:52
myself be emotionally or mentally distracted. Correct. I think so. And I
16:56
think anybody trying to do big things or great things, or have very serious
17:03
ambitions, whatever they may be in his or her life, you know,
17:06
it takes a lot of mental power, right, It takes a lot of
17:08
discipline, takes a lot of focus, and you don't want to lose too
17:14
much time on destruction. You know, there's a very famous expression as that
17:18
says, you know, you know, you know, do whatever you want
17:22
to do. Make sure you do whatever you want to do in life,
17:23
because one day you wake up, there won't be any more time to do
17:26
it. And that's why you're twenty years older, you're eighty years old.
17:32
Well, you're now in your seventies feeling like everybody's seventy one, feeling like
17:37
you're fifty and even a younger. So obviously you feel like you still got
17:41
a lot of time left on this earth. Is Is that what I'm hearing
17:44
from you? Well, I don't control that. So what my attitude is
17:48
I treat I try to each day with a sense of urgency. Anything can
17:52
happen healthwise as long as I have my health, of course I do.
17:56
I can do what I need to do. Well. Out of course it's
18:00
an actio. I'm screwed, So I don't know. You know, there's
18:03
no question, like anything, as you get older in life, more stuff
18:08
happens medically and physically. It's just a fact I can't control that. Change
18:12
that so much stronger powerful people than me, have deteriorated and continue to deterior
18:18
as we see as people age, if you watch them and see photos of
18:22
great stars other than in their twenties, thirties and seventies and eighties, just
18:26
unfortunately, it is part of life no matter what. And at this point,
18:30
so until science figures out, which they probably will by the way,
18:33
I think, how to slow that down dramatically, people will live longer.
18:40
I have no doubt that's going to happen. But for now, in twenty
18:44
twenty four, going you know, twenty twenty five, it's just I'm very
18:48
cognizant of my age and my health, and I have to leverage that and
18:52
take advantagement as long as I can because I don't know when that's going to
18:56
end. I don't know. If you want to get political here, we
18:59
don't have to you. But obviously age is a big deal. In twenty
19:02
twenty four. Are you almost thinking, like you know, his age?
19:07
Really? Is it disappointing you? That's become a talking point in politics as
19:11
well. I want to ask you that, No, no, it's not
19:15
because quite frankly, I think at late seventies and all that, I think
19:18
he's done. I mean, I think it's a tough age to be the
19:21
president, the most powerful man in the world. There's no question. It's
19:23
very tough. So if he lasts four years in his eighties, it's very
19:26
challenging. I have mixed opinions, not all. I mean, there's no
19:30
doubt, you know. I don't know even now how the man endure said
19:34
at seventy seven or seventy eight, what he is, how he endures the
19:38
pace because if you look at young much younger men and know whether the forties
19:41
or fifties became president, look at them in the beginning, and look at
19:45
them when they finished the four years, only they're not the same person.
19:48
And I understand it myself. With the weight literally of the world twenty four
19:56
to seven on your shoulders, no matter where you go, what you do,
19:59
everyone in the world, and now it's just more than ever. I
20:02
don't know how he functions. I don't know how he maintained. I just
20:04
don't know. It's it's mind bocley, how he how he still isn't good
20:08
of its seemingly in spite of all the issues and people talk about is articulation
20:15
and it's it's it's miraculous with everything that he has to endure and and and
20:21
and be because he's the president of the United States of America. It's my
20:25
buncley. He's able to function the way he is. All right, Well,
20:30
it's so true. And by the way, I suggest you read something
20:33
you wrote in the floor in the Florida publication. That's logo that you sent
20:37
me. Also more and we should talk about that. Ye should stay young
20:42
for anyways. You just send that to the White House. Maybe that will
20:45
help him. I don't know. I'd love to say to the White House.
20:48
Actually, I think you know what the challenge always is. Alan.
20:52
I think mister Biden, President Biden excuse me, would love it. I
20:55
definitely think he would love it. And if I met him, I think
20:57
we get along very well. I'm much saying I agree just as politics.
21:00
I'm talking as a person. I'm not going into that into that. That's
21:03
not the point podcast. We're talking as a human being now coffee with cough.
21:07
But I think he would love it. I think his wife would love
21:10
it. I think a lot of people would love it. But whether you're
21:11
thirty or forty, or eighty or ninety, I think people love it.
21:15
You don't have to be seventy or eighty to love it. But I think
21:18
he would. I think you're right. I don't think my dad was a
21:21
vibrant eighty five and actually cancer took him out last year unfortunately, but he
21:26
was a vibrant eighty five and I always love to see people in that age
21:32
range to keep going. You know that means a lot because I saw my
21:34
dad do that also. He was like a hero in that way for me.
21:37
Yeah, I can appreciate that. You know, one of the things
21:40
in the forty Ways, I don't know if you had a chance to look
21:41
through it is I say one of the forty ways is says listen to the
21:45
Beatles as much as you can. I think the Beatles should be mandatory listening
21:51
before the pledge of allegiance every day. Well, you know this is interesting
21:56
because I feel like you're helping us keep the brain stay young. And music
22:00
does actually help those who have to mention whatnot. And I want to say,
22:07
uh, you can impact those people as well just by this influence.
22:11
I mean, especially you know, brain stay young, especially the Beatles,
22:15
because you know the music generally is is catchy Singapore. It's simple. Uh,
22:21
it's very up. Be positive, talking about the right themes generally,
22:26
you can't you can't help. But whether it was composed in the sixties or
22:30
I don't know whenever they did in the eighties and the leader, you can't
22:33
help but jump around and get excited and feel good. Listen to them.
22:34
You gotta you got you gotta be dad not to be able to be excited
22:37
listening to that, all right, I gotta be imagine. This is featured
22:41
on The Jack Camera Effect. These forty Ways. Have you talked about it
22:45
on your podcast? No, no, no, I haven't, No,
22:49
I haven't. I just kind of composed it a little while ago. And
22:52
one of the ways also was, uh, I think I said five someone
22:57
that you can't wait to come home to. I mean, there's forty different
23:00
things, and I think they're all and they're all very doable by anybody.
23:04
You know, you don't need to be a billionaire. You have to be
23:07
anything. You could be anybody. You just got to do it. Like
23:08
everything else, you just got to do them as much as possible. Well,
23:14
you've had a wife of thirty seven years, and so let's go back
23:17
to the catastrophe of two thousand and two when you lost your business. How
23:19
was she there for you? And what was she frustrated with you at times
23:23
because of maybe decisions you made? Or was she always loving no matter what?
23:27
Well, she was always there. She just was always there because it
23:32
was just you know, as time go on, twelve years, fifteen years,
23:34
you know, I think she just got frustrated. The point is,
23:37
but it was good frustration is that by she encouraged me to get myself together
23:45
and find a path for myself, do something. And she encouraged me in
23:48
that way and there was very forthright in the very but in a very positive,
23:52
constructive way, not mensing words. And that's good because you know what
23:57
you could expect at hope and people, I love you. Whether it's a
24:00
wife, husband, it doesn't matter friend. It's constructive criticism and encourage you
24:06
construct That's worth a lot. That's important. Well, my stubborn you know,
24:11
my stubborn self is learning that with my fiance. She's sets me straight
24:17
a lot. And I really appreciate that because it's needed, you know,
24:19
I mean, you need that as long as it's constructive and when you know
24:23
they're right and it's coming from coming with the KIZZI damn, whether you live
24:26
or die, it's it's urgent that you hear it because you know, a
24:30
lot of times we realize that we don't realize it, so we need that.
24:36
I want to get into So I want to get more into the podcast
24:38
or what do you talk about on and in your book? The Jackkamer effect,
24:42
right, the book is the Jackammer effect. How to break down doors
24:47
and make business deals happen for those who believe they can't. It's really very
24:51
much geared explorts people early stages, just starting other early stages in their business.
24:57
Entrepreneurs, small businesses, a medium sized businesses. It's kind of a
25:02
workbook guide, it's amazazine and on you know, if you're just starting to
25:07
conceive the idea of what your business is, test out your business, uh,
25:14
and then and then you know how to try to find customers for your
25:17
business, what to do to help you find customers, and if you do
25:25
find interest to help you, how to conduct the meeting with them, and
25:29
then hopefully some ideas and how to close some thoughts about strategic partnerships. And
25:34
then yeah, I think it just brings you. And it's it's kind of
25:38
a workbook that leaves you spots places, lines where you could include and write
25:44
your own thoughts so you can tailor the book because every businesses are different.
25:48
It's a general, generic guideline and inspiration hopefully of my own experiences and what
25:53
I live through and where my thoughts are and and but it could definitely be
25:59
there's definitely room to curate it and and tweak it for someone's individual journey,
26:04
which which will be obviously different than mine. Uh. Do you have any
26:08
kids that you've you've seen grow up and help you through all of these tough
26:12
times as well, you know, as they're as your as there as your
26:17
child. Say that again, I'm sorry. Do you have any kids as
26:21
well that that have seen you through the tough times and gotten you through?
26:23
My kids, fortunately, my son is thirty three, I think, and
26:27
my daughter is thirty one, and we're closer than ever there. You know,
26:30
I was born to be a father. We're very close. They're good.
26:33
My son's great, he's an entrepreneur. My my daughter is an occupational
26:37
therapist. They're both good. They're both great, thank God, and we're
26:41
as close as ever with them. They have their own lives, they do
26:44
their own thing. But I try. I worked very hard because you know,
26:48
I think it I think kids are, so I call them a snapshot
26:51
of hep it. For me, it's I don't think it's for everybody.
26:52
I agree it's not, but but it's like dogs enough for everybody. You
26:59
wouldn't have to speak dedicated and loving it to be able to put out because
27:02
it's like having another kid. As anybody who has a dog knows just our
27:04
question. The man's a lot like kids, awful lot dogs. So it's
27:10
full type almost. So uh yeah, for me, it's easy with that
27:15
because I love it, love them to the bits and my dog, so
27:18
it's easy and I love spending time with them. So I was fortunate to
27:23
have them. In my opinion, I wanted them and I unfortunate to have.
27:26
When people hear the word jackhammer, and I think, what an aggressive
27:30
way to go about life and to go and do it and get it done.
27:34
And do you think being a jackhammer? And I apply this to one
27:37
leg up is a great way to have one leg up on life because that's
27:41
the whole meaning of this podcast is to bring on people who have one leg
27:44
up on life. And you seem like you've been a jackhammer on your way
27:48
to doing that. Yeah, I mean Basically, all it means is,
27:52
you know, never giving up, you know, keep going until hopefully you
27:56
reach a waever you want to keep going. It's it's you know, it's
28:00
what the word persistence, tenacious, stubborn, you know, all those words
28:03
are the same as a jackamber. It's just a very graphic word that everybody
28:07
knows. I think just about everybody knows, even though it's a it's a
28:11
real estate construction excuse me, terminology. There's a physical machine that actually jackhammers
28:17
into into a hard surface, very cement or whatever, the surfaces wherever machines
28:23
failed to puncture that jack camer does. That's why I suppose it was invented.
28:27
But the metaphor is obvious for life. Uh, you know, it's
28:33
a kind of you know word that is very peculiar to that machine and known
28:41
all over the world when you say the word jackcamber, so one of these
28:44
words that means one thing, basically the machine, which in turn means never
28:48
giving up, keep going, be tenacious, resilient. All those things,
28:55
all right, got into the local venues here Madison Square Garden. What's your
29:00
involvement with them? And did that include James Dolan. I'm very curious.
29:07
No, it enough was. What happened is there was an app in New
29:11
York that brought me on board several years ago. It's not around tourist.
29:15
App was a startup I think in twenty eighteen or twenty nineteen, and they
29:21
were struggling to find customers in New York City based app for New York for
29:25
tourists coming to New York, which is, you know, one of the
29:26
most visited cities in the world. And this was before COVID and and they
29:32
brought me on board a contractual basis to help them find for future partners that
29:36
would you know, help them bring customers in you know, a major New
29:41
York iconic venues and I traction. So that's what I did. I reached
29:47
out to UH after a lot of work and everything I suggested as my guard
29:52
They thought it was crazy, not because they didn't love the idea, they
29:53
just never thought they'd reach out to them. They were, remember, a
29:56
young, small startup, and so I reached out to them. They owned
30:00
as you know, Radio City Music Hall, the same people, so they
30:04
came on and I also, as I'm sure you're familiar with Madam Tusso's wax
30:07
Museum. They were also people we reached out to and created partnerships. Plus
30:14
there was a bunch of CPD Brewery smaller, there was a gym, a
30:21
couple other people, all of course in Manhattan that we reached out to and
30:23
creative partnerships whereby any of their customers people come there, we get a discount
30:30
if they use the app. The app advertised them on their discounts. So
30:33
you know these places, you know, the high profile was were a lot
30:37
better known than the app. So it was good. Wilds lasted. The
30:41
app lasted a couple of years, and then there's COVID and other things.
30:45
They packed it in. But we did make them work, and they worked
30:48
while they did. And I think the reason why a big, big,
30:52
big giant like like Madis Square Garden is not because they needed publicity or they
30:57
were certainly making any money. But I think they generally wanted to help.
31:00
There was no other practical reason, and they thought and they could help,
31:04
and they'd like to contribute to young New York based. Of course that was
31:08
relevant. It wasn't Chicago or Philadelphia. Nothing wrong with that, but it
31:12
wasn't it in Manhattan based business. Bringing a Manhattan based and startups and whatnot.
31:19
Why Why are youngsters, if you will, having trouble starting their business
31:26
and really launching it. What is what's different now starting a business as it
31:30
was maybe forty years ago when you really got into this to begin with.
31:33
I don't think it's any less difficult or more difficult now. I think it's
31:37
a it should be even less be quite frankly, back in my day,
31:41
Alex. You know today you can do it on very minimum costs because of
31:45
the Internet and all that online that never existed, so they were hard costs.
31:48
It was very difficult. It was just so difficult, almost impossible.
31:52
You had depending on the person. It was just a difficult starting a businesses
31:56
then as there were today, the the the back then, but probably there
32:02
are a lot of there was less of anything of everything, so you know,
32:09
and a lot of things that exist today are commonplace didn't exist back even
32:13
as late as the seventies or eighties, you know what I mean. So
32:16
I don't think I don't think it's any less or any more. I think
32:21
again, what what you know? Generally, what you you know, the
32:24
same kind of skills as an entrepreneur are needed. It's just what you do
32:30
with these skills are where you apply them. Obviously, are different when having
32:34
an online world and social media, which of course are mobile phones, which
32:37
was non existent even as to the late into the nineties. As we know,
32:42
even in the early thirties, it was just starting very early in the
32:45
game, so all that was very late. So so I think it's it's
32:52
it's it's you know, personally, I would think it's easier. There are
32:54
a lot more, but because there's a lot more, you know, there's
33:00
so much of everything out there, so you have to struggle to figure out
33:05
how to be heard above the noise. So that's why it's extremely difficult,
33:07
but not so much to start, I think, Alex, not so much
33:12
to get going, but the last and survive and to execute to figure it
33:17
out, you know, because even with social media, I'm sure ninety nine
33:21
percent even though you have all these tools, but nine nine percent of the
33:23
people don't have many followers, don't have men seduity. But that it's almost
33:27
impossible to get known for the average person. You have exceptions millions here,
33:31
one hundred, but I think if you counted it up compared to the amount
33:35
of people out there, the billions is worldwide. Very very few. So
33:38
the bottom line is that comes down to the difference is the individuals. Again,
33:44
I think who's doing it like it was forty fifty years ago. The
33:46
tools have radically changed, of course they have, but adjusting for twenty twenty
33:52
four versus nineteen ninety four or nineteen seventy four, I would think it's it's
33:58
I would say it's easy, easy, it's about what to use. It's
34:00
just there's it's more accessibility, it's more democratic, there's more opportunity, and
34:06
it's universal because of the explosion of the Internet. There's no question in my
34:09
mind it should be oh no, no doubt about that, Myron. Now,
34:15
I also feel like I come on this podcast sometimes and I want you
34:19
to either challenge me or agree with me. Here. I just feel like
34:21
the entrepreneurial spirit for those in my generation have sort of been cut down because
34:27
of the phone. I feel like there's not many people wanting to well,
34:30
wanting to roll up their sleeves because they don't know how to. They're a
34:32
little discouraged by inflation. I mean, how can you, as as a
34:37
seasoned veteran, encourage us to roll our sleeves back up and get back out
34:40
there and do it and start that business today. Yeah, that's very difficult.
34:45
That's a great point. You're absolutely right. It's a great point because
34:47
there's so much to be said by all that. But I come back to
34:51
the same thing. I think the the uh, the savvy young entrepreneur he
34:57
or shoe who's driven, ambitious, creative, say, you have to have
35:01
the same qualities you have to have twenty thirty forty fIF You always have to
35:05
similar qualities. The methodologies change, you know, you know, versus when
35:09
Rockefeller built his oil empire. You know, I mean, you had to
35:13
have certain qualities or only it was one Rockefeller to do what he did.
35:16
Obviously, yes it was eighteen eighty five, but it doesn't matter. He
35:21
had to deal with what he had to deal with back in eighteen eighty five.
35:23
He wasn't the only one trying to build a business. I'm sure there
35:25
were tons of people doing. Everything is relative, That's what I'm saying.
35:29
It's like rent or the money you make and everything. You know, you
35:31
can't compare. Everything is relative. But definitely, I come back to the
35:36
same thing. I think the entrepreneurs that have the skills or the ability or
35:43
figure it out They'll do whatever they got to do, whether that's rolling up
35:46
the sleeve, whether it's that how to get funding, whether it's that learning
35:52
how to start with a small MVP, whatever that may be, they'll figure
35:54
out what to do or persevering or never give up, are coming back when
35:59
they fail a hundred times. So whether it's twenty twenty four, nineteen ninety
36:04
four, nineteen sixty four, or eighteen eighty four, it doesn't matter.
36:07
I believe the same skills basically are are needed for what's called an entrepreneur.
36:15
And then for you you just mentioned it's so competitive, and I feel like
36:20
that as a podcaster, you and I we got to find ways to stand
36:22
out in the podcast world. So I feel like you are helping those who
36:28
are sixty five plus reinvent themselves and not many out there doing that. So
36:31
how do you stand out though, amongst your competition if you will, if
36:35
you have any in the podcast world? Yeah, you know, I think
36:38
the two things you just said a keyword. You know, whether you're twenty,
36:43
you know, you gotta be able to and that goes for it,
36:45
not just for business, of course, for life. If you can't adapt
36:49
or reinvent yourself, you're gonna die before your time. You're just gonna break.
36:52
You know, it's like ess that. I mean, I maybe saying
36:55
the obvious, but that's exactly what's gonna happen. So those who are able
36:58
to number one, you have to reinvent yourself and then you have to persevere
37:01
because you may fail five times, but you gotta keep going. You know,
37:05
even Macy's in this bloody department store, I think he failed seven times
37:07
before he built it. So what are we talking about? Different from eighteen
37:10
ninety when he first built the first Macy's in near Hell's or in Manhattan somewhere,
37:15
which he did. I think he failed seven times. Woolworth failed the
37:19
first three or four times, the famous Wolworth Company in eighteen ninety until they
37:22
opened up I think in Syracuse or Buffalo, New York. It finally succeeded.
37:27
It did not succeed sir, right away. Did not mostly did not
37:30
succeed right away. Some get instant success, get lucky like today, and
37:34
others go through three or four or five or six and you got to stick
37:38
with it. It just don't die. Keep going. So that's going back
37:43
to what eighteen eighties, eighteen nineties. Come on, so it's well it
37:47
was one hundred plus year Yeah, one hundred and fifty years ago. It's
37:51
insane. So it's a similar story. It's just for eighteen eighty four,
37:54
not twenty twenty four, a very similar story. What these guys with this?
37:58
So why did Ac survive and not? I'm sure he wasn't the only
38:01
one back then who wanted to build a clothing or power or whatever. The
38:06
department start and looked like back he could have been the only one. It
38:07
was impossible. I'm sure many didn't make it, just like today. So
38:13
going back to today, you still need edy young entrepreneur eighteen nineteen. You
38:17
got to remember you're in for hell until you find something. You've got to
38:22
be able to but you're also got to want it badly, and you got
38:25
to have the self confidence of believe in yourself or you're dead. And you're
38:29
also gotta want it more than you want to work for someone else, and
38:31
you put in the hours. Those things are prerequisites. Not a lot of
38:35
people have them. Not everybody has them. If you don't have them,
38:37
I don't see how it's like being being like it's fighting a wrestling match with
38:42
two arms, tied behind your back, You're not gonna have much sense of
38:45
success. All right, Well, in that vein, I know that all
38:53
these empires, you know, those that built the empires, like a Ray
38:58
Kroc in a OURH Mazing and whatnot and Woolworth, they all took risks.
39:02
So I got to ask you, were there risks you wish you didn't take?
39:07
Or do you have no regrets? I mean, talk about your risk
39:09
taking that even got your rebound from two thousand and two as well. No
39:15
I I no, I just basically saying, you know, I can't recall
39:19
anything vividly. It's just there is definitely an element of risk. I mean
39:22
your risks not just money. Your risk is your time. You know,
39:25
your risk is putting yourself out there, which is scary. Your risk is
39:29
people are going to say, Oh, there's a famous expression by Steven Spielberg,
39:34
the favorite movie producer, which I think is both brilliant andsightful, to
39:37
the point about people should remember when you're when you're trying to start a business
39:42
and keep us in mind. Remember what I'm saying, and your audience should
39:45
all listen whenever you're trying to generally anything, but particularly when you're trying to
39:51
start, no matter a little business is that. A good idea is a
39:54
bad idea, and tell it's a good idea. Say that one more time
40:00
for my audience. A good idea is a bad idea, and tell it's
40:06
a good idea. Meaning it means that meaning right away. But it will
40:14
work for you, no meetings. It may or may not. That's not
40:17
no meaning that when you talk about something in the beginning, if you look
40:22
at anything, most people and most people you think about don't have much,
40:28
not generally positive about like you know they it could be the best thing.
40:31
But when people first conceive what we take for granted Instagram LinkedIn, some of
40:36
them hit gold right away and over and I think, but most things start
40:40
off and struggle and meet all kinds of you know, objections, criticisms,
40:46
skepticism of all kinds, until, of course, if it gets on its
40:50
feet in the lands and survives and get starts to get traction eventually, which
40:54
may take time because the arts of sacrificed everything in sweat and told, and
41:00
people start to gravitate it, then it becomes very a great idea. Myron,
41:07
you have Cel, you have Heidi Klume, you've dealt with the Patriots,
41:10
the Garden Radio City. What's your next big deal? Maybe you can,
41:15
maybe you can't leak it. But I always feel like people were deal
41:19
makers, always working on something. So any big deal that we can hear
41:22
from Myron Wallach in the coming future in twenty twenty four, it's just that
41:27
I'm starting a little startup called I Want to Grow, And that's basically all
41:30
to say. It is going to be besides by real estately or lot.
41:34
We're going to try to build a platform because I always wish I had this
41:36
when I was trying to find strategic partners alex a platform where think tender for
41:40
business, democratize the search for your teach your partners people who go on hopefully
41:45
at some point and be able to scroll whether they're a flower shop in New
41:50
York or big chain, doesn't matter in Chicago or London at Schroll potential warm
41:55
decision making contacts for stra teach your partnerships and reach out to them, and
42:02
then on that same thing, people can always reach out to you for consulting,
42:06
because it sounds like you're not done consulting anytime soon, or helping the
42:09
next next wide eyed entrepreneur build their business. Yeah, I mean, the
42:15
best way to reach out to me, you know, I'm always the cat
42:16
is through LinkedIn, which is pretty easy, I guess, And that would
42:22
be if I spell it right, M Y R O n W E L
42:24
I K correct and uh. And then podcasts are you on Apple Spotify?
42:31
Yeah? The podcast is not active right now because I'm so busy, to
42:35
be quite frank called the jackamer effect. It is and it's passed. But
42:38
I'm so busy try to build, you know, doing my thing, and
42:42
I really haven't had time to do it. So I'm a guest on podcasts
42:45
like Yours Honor as much as I can, and busy with you know,
42:49
we'll stayed and busy with try to build my little start up here. That's
42:52
certainly enough on my plate for doubt. Well, I'll tell you my eron
42:55
when that startup comes back, you know it is alive and well and and
43:00
built up, come back and talk about it. Maybe if there's a launch
43:02
party in New York. Would love to be part of that. Oh,
43:05
I I think a lot. I'd love to have a large party. Actually
43:07
there's probably no other city, A few other cities, I should say that
43:12
in a world that I'd love to make it because the expression says, when
43:15
you're making New York, you can make it anywhere. I believe that.
43:19
Well, I won't tell you. I love New York and I believe and
43:22
I think they love entrepreneurs and they're very my gut feeling, and what I've
43:27
read New Yorkers are if something makes sense, could be you know, it's
43:32
it's fair to make sense. Our good early adapters, our good customers.
43:37
They're good early adapters, I think. So. I've seen it every day
43:42
here in New York, and uh, we're always trying to get people off
43:45
their feet that are you know, on their feet that might be down also
43:49
because there's a lot of that going on around here, and that's we got
43:52
to keep it inspiring more adaptation, you know, right. I agree?
43:57
Well, Meyra Wellock, this has been a great hour and I'd love to
44:00
have you back on for another podcast. I'd be my honor sometime in the
44:05
future. It would be absolutely a pleasure to beat you, buddy, I
44:07
really have and and my pleasure here and thank you to again podcast guest dot
44:13
com for making this connection and Myron thanks for reaching out to our show.
44:16
I was gonna say what what inspired you to reach out? Because it has
44:20
been a great connect Say it again, Sorry, I was gonna say what
44:24
inspired you to reach out? Because actually you had submitted feedback to my podcast
44:30
and that's how I got in touch with you. What was your inspiration?
44:32
I love the theme and from what I perceived it to be, so I
44:37
thought there was uh uh a chemistry and affinity that that would make sense,
44:42
and that's why I reached out. Well, I'm glad you did, and
44:45
we'll have you back on it for sure as your project gets off the ground
44:49
running. That's very kind of you. Thank you so much, Alex appreciate
44:52
it, buddy,