Casual Breaks Turned Family Empire: How Ryan Knowles Built “Like Father Like Son”

Summary

---

Collector Nation - Episode Summary

Episode Title: Casual Breaks Turned Family Empire: How Ryan Knowles Built “Like Father Like Son”
Host: Ryan Alford
Guest: Ryan Knowles, Founder of Like Father, Like Son
Release Date: March 31, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Collector Nation dives deep into the inspiring journey of Ryan Knowles, who transformed a dark period in his life into the “Like Father, Like Son” collectibles brand—a thriving, family-run business built around the values of authenticity, connection, and community. Host Ryan Alford facilitates a candid conversation covering everything from the transition out of a collapsed construction career, to the nuts and bolts of building a brand in the trading cards space, and the daily realities and rewards of running a hobby-centric family business.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Building Like Father, Like Son—From Collapse to Community

• Transition After Loss:
  Ryan Knowles details how the collapse of the major construction company he worked for kickstarted a period of financial and personal hardship ([03:04]).
• Father-Son Foundation:
  Collecting began as a bonding experience sparked by his son's interest in Pokémon, transitioning to football cards as their connection grew ([04:16]).
• The First Break:
  Despite a crippling fear of public speaking, Ryan’s first live break was for a small group. It led unexpectedly to consistent requests, forming the bedrock of the business ([06:19], [06:49]).
• Family at the Center:
  “My children break with me, my wife breaks with me. So you see a family man handling his children...Our community watched us grow over the last three years and they really are the reason that we are where we're at today because they've been so, so supportive.” —Ryan Knowles ([08:16])

2. Turning a Hobby into a Full-Time Business

• Early Struggles & Work Ethic:
  “I'm up at 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning and I don't stop until 9, 10 o' clock every night. Whether it's customer service, whether it's networking...you don't get paid for, but it's advantageous to your brand, your business...” —Ryan Knowles ([10:37])
• Revenue Streams:
  The brand started with card breaking, later expanding to:
  • Creating and selling their own repacks nationwide
  • Developing wholesale relationships
  • Collaborations and sponsorships (Pristine Auction, Arena Club, All Touch)
  • Paid brand activations, content creation, and buying at shows ([11:48]–[14:00])
• Evolving Business Model:
  Learning from early mistakes of growing too fast, Ryan emphasizes authenticity, hard work, and incremental scaling ([11:48]).

3. The Family Business Dynamic

• Kids in the Hobby:
  Each child plays a different role, with his eldest deeply involved, his middle child focused on the financial aspects, and his daughter gravitating to interviews and the camera ([14:14]–[16:19]).
• Wife as Partner:
  “She's my videographer, my social media content. She handles so much. She's my business partner. She's incredible. She's my best friend in the whole world. I'm obsessed with my family.” —Ryan Knowles ([18:42])
• Managing Growth & Attention:
  Attempts to delegate breaking haven’t matched the personal connection fans seek; maintaining family presence is a core part of the brand ([16:54]–[17:57]).

4. Brand Building and Community in the Hobby

• Authenticity and Openness:
  Ryan stresses the importance of being real—even showing raw, messy, or emotional moments—because community recognizes and values authenticity ([08:16], [35:07]).
• Building Community:
  Sharing family life and business ups and downs openly helped create an "extended family" community feel. “They treat you like that. And they treat my children like content creators...It's this crazy blessing. We just got on a baseball card, me and my son and my family, first ever card.” ([24:19])

5. Challenges and Strategies for Sustainable Growth

• Sponsor Relationships and Value:
  Learning to demand fair compensation for travel and brand activations, and ensuring that their presence brings value as both content creators and buyers ([19:36]–[20:42]).
• Work Ethic Matters:
  Ryan points out the misconception that breaking is “easy money,” warning, “A lot of people are so stinking lazy... They think, oh, it's going to be easy. [But] that's not the case for me.” ([21:25])
• Pursuing Balance:
  With grueling travel schedules (nine states in three weeks), the family balances work and rest to avoid burnout and maintain harmony ([25:56]–[27:16]).

6. Personal Collecting Philosophy

• PC Focus:
  “Eagles, brother... My grandfather taught me to love all the teams minus [the] Dallas Cowboys, but [the] Eagles is the PC.” ([30:54])
• Sentimental Value Over Money:
  The most cherished card is the 1/1 Jalen Hurts gold bar pulled with his son—valuable not for money, but for the memory and connection ([32:13]):

"I almost fainted, bro. I'm 44. I literally almost passed out. I felt myself get woozy...the sentimental value far exceeds whatever, monetary value you would put on that." —Ryan Knowles ([32:51])

• Ripping vs. Singles:
  “Ripping packs is so stinking fun. Buying singles is not...I had fun doing it and my boys did too. For me, the hobby's entertainment. It's meant to be fun...I don't really do it too much for investment…” ([38:30], [40:50])

7. Looking Ahead

• Planned Moves & Shows:
  Family is moving from South Jersey/Philadelphia area to Tampa, Florida, to embrace a new lifestyle ([27:17]).
• Major Events:
  Will attend National and Fanatics Fest: “Absolutely...Everything's all booked. We're so excited for both of those events...” ([29:21])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Turning Heartbreak to Success:
  "It really came to fruition at one of the worst parts of my life...And it all came crashing down...My son, who was into Pokémon...gifted him a bunch of football cards...[and] we loved it." —Ryan Knowles ([03:04]–[05:48])

• On Authenticity:
  “I don't know what I'm doing with technology or did it when I started. My children break with me, my wife breaks with me...our community watched us grow...They really are the reason that we are where we're at today because they've been so, so supportive.” —Ryan Knowles ([08:16])

• On Community Love:
  “...These kids, they treat you like [a celebrity]. And they treat my children like that because now they see them as...content creators...You can't take for granted.” ([24:19])

• Sentimentality of the Hobby:
  “We pulled the 1/1 Jalen Hurts gold bar. Let out such a cheer that I almost fainted, bro. I literally almost passed out. I felt myself get woozy.” —Ryan Knowles ([32:51])

• Advice on the Hobby as a Business:
  “Entrepreneur is work ethic. Right. A lot of people want to jump into the hobby because they think it's easy money, bro...A lot of that is the stuff you don't get paid for, but it's advantageous to your brand, to your business as well...” —Ryan Knowles ([10:37])

• On Balance:
  "We really preach everything's about balance for us. It's, you know, Jesus, family and...pleasure...you need to have that blend to be a happy person as far as I'm concerned." —Ryan Knowles ([25:56])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment/Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Origin story, construction career collapse, getting into breaks | 03:04–06:14 | | First break, authentic beginnings, overcoming fear | 06:14–07:58 | | Family role in the brand, vulnerable moments | 08:16–09:41 | | Turning the hobby into a business, work ethic, revenue streams | 10:37–14:05 | | Kids’ roles, family dynamics in the business | 14:14–16:19 | | Balancing attention, challenge of delegating breaking jobs | 16:54–17:57 | | Traveling, costs, transitions to sponsorship/contract requirements | 18:31–20:42 | | Community-building, the importance of authenticity | 24:19–25:30 | | Work-life balance, burnout management | 25:56–27:16 | | Moving to Florida, lifestyle reflections | 27:17–28:34 | | Plans for attending major hobby events | 29:21–30:09 | | Personal collecting philosophy, sentimental value | 30:54–32:51 | | The Jalen Hurts gold bar story | 32:51–33:18 | | Ripping packs vs. buying singles, philosophy of fun in the hobby | 38:30–41:42 | | All social/community links and platforms | 41:49–43:02 |

---

Where to Find Ryan Knowles & Like Father, Like Son

• Facebook: Private community group (family-friendly, controlled environment)
• Instagram: @likefatherlikeson_cards
• YouTube/Whatnot/TikTok: Search “Like Father Like Son Cards”
• Website: Launching soon—search “Like Father Like Son” for updates

---

Final Thoughts

Ryan Knowles’ story is a testament to perseverance, authenticity, and the transformative power of genuine community. His approach to business is grounded in family values, hard work, and honest enjoyment of the hobby—serving as both caution and inspiration for those looking to turn passion into livelihood.

---

For more episodes, show notes, and links to Ryan Knowles’ and Collector Nation’s social channels, visit collectornation.com.

Transcript

[Ryan Alford]

When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more.

[Ryan Knowles]

Grainger gets it and knows there's no

[Ryan Alford]

time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products

[Ryan Knowles]

in fast, dependable delivery, so you can

[Ryan Alford]

keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly.

[Ryan Knowles]

Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop

[Ryan Alford]

by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Ryan Knowles]

We pulled the 101 jalen hurts gold bar.

[Ryan Alford]

No way.

[Ryan Knowles]

Let out such a cheer that I almost fainted, bro. I literally almost passed out. I felt myself get woozy.

[Ryan Alford]

A lot of our listeners probably are like, how do you turn the hobby into business? I caution people, this is not the. This is made for everyone.

[Ryan Knowles]

Welcome to the Collector Nation podcast here on the Collector Nation Network. Whether you're chasing grails or calling bluffs,

[Ryan Alford]

we take you inside the hobby.

[Ryan Knowles]

Here's your host, Ryan Alford.

[Ryan Alford]

We spent a lot of time talking about value in the hobby, but not as much about why people actually enjoy it. Cards aren't just something you collect. There's something you share with your community. Whether it's with the parent, a kid, or someone, you get into the hobby. That's usually where the real connection comes from. Ryan Knowles, the founder of Like Father, Like Son, built a brand around that exact idea. Ryan, welcome.

[Ryan Knowles]

Pleasure. Ryan, thank you so much for having me on, man. It's a real honor. And I've just been seeing everything you guys have been doing, so this is a real treat for us to, you know, link up and chat.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, brother. I. We got a lot in common, and I spent a lot of time up your way. Jersey, New York, seven years. So probably inadvertently, you know, came through your stomping grounds through there, I imagine at one point.

[Ryan Knowles]

Right now, with us traveling so much, I feel like we're in a different city or state every weekend. We were just in North Carolina, so not too far from you last weekend.

[Ryan Alford]

Hey, that's right. What was in North Carolina?

[Ryan Knowles]

One of our favorite promoters out there, James, he runs Sports Wax promotions. He did a sports, sports, sports card show, all sports. So it was like, so up our alley. And if you don't know James, he's definitely somebody you should. He's probably arguably the greatest promoter in sports card shows right now.

[Ryan Alford]

That name sounds familiar, probably for that reason, but he's elite. I'll take a introduction for sure.

[Ryan Knowles]

Absolutely. The next show he has is in Concord, North Carolina, which is sometime in June. I Just don't have the dates off the top of my head, but somewhere in June, Concord, North Carolina, he's going to have a collector's jam about a 600 table show. And that won't be just sports. That'll be an eclectic show.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Cool, man. Well, maybe we can meet up at one of these events.

[Ryan Knowles]

That'd be amazing.

[Ryan Alford]

So talk to me, man. Like, what's the evolution of. Of father this? Like father, like son?

[Ryan Knowles]

I mean, it really wasn't ever anything that was planned. It. It really, you know, came to fruition at one of the worst parts of my life. I was running a construction company. It was the top guy and me, we had 178 employees. There was $100 million in construction. You know, it was multiple facets. It was this big monster that just grew kind of overnight that never was supposed to be as big as what it was. It was only supposed to be, say, like seven to eight employees when I was first brought on. And it just kind of just took off. Well, the company is no longer. Things went sideways and, you know, it was such a fall from grace for me. I was at the top of the game in the construction world in Philadelphia, doing the largest high rises, hospitals, casinos, you name it. And it all came crashing down. So then I had to go back with the tools, which, you know, I brought myself up to those ranks by doing so. Had no problems with that. But there was a lot of hardships with it, especially financially, obviously. And then my son, who was into Pokemon, a dear friend of mine said, oh, you're in the Pokemon. Why don't you get into the cool stuff? And gifted him a bunch of football cards base. But he was 5, 6 at the time. And it was just bass, bass inserts. And. And we, you know, we loved it. He didn't know value. He didn't care what a card cost. It was just, hey, this is cool, and this is a player I know, and I can watch them on the tv. So his love for cards transitioned from Pokemon to NFL players. We started watching breaks galore. Every night we would snuggle up in bed and we'd watch a break, whether I had already gotten in and we watch the replay or we would do a live on every single night. And it was our little treat as long as he was a good boy and getting good grades and everything like that. And one day, amongst all this heartache for me, he was like, why don't you do a break, dad? And I was like, buddy, I just literally lost my job. We have the House, the cars, the bills for that job. I gotta figure something out, pal. I can't play with cards right now. Well, I don't have a father. He was my firstborn, so I feel like I was put on this earth to be a father, and he's changed my world immensely. So when that little boy says something, it, you know, I. It's hard for me to say no. So I gave in. I was like, look, look, buddy, we'll do it. I think I grabbed a couple blasters of Phoenix. Um, and we, you know, I said, just set it up for your friends. It was like, maybe like a 5, $10 random. We did it. Prior to going live, I have a major, major fear of public speaking.

[Ryan Alford]

Or at least I used to say, you're full of me.

[Ryan Knowles]

It's funny because I am very extroverted. I'm a Leo, so I am extroverted. But in front of a classroom or whatever it may be a boardroom, I always would choke up. So prior to this live, I was ready to be ill. I was like, buddy, I don't think I can do this. Like, you know, one, I'm not getting anything out of this. And here I am ready to throw up over opening a couple boxes of cards. So he's like, come on, dad. And I did it, and I was green and my hands were shaking. It was against a blank wall. There was no thrills. No. But everybody was like, yo, that was really cool. Can you do one tomorrow? And that turned in tomorrow, and that turned into tomorrow. And then I said to my wife, I was like, do me a favor. I never collected unemployment a day in my life. Was successful in all fields I've ever been in. I said, I'm just going to show off the construction for a minute, and I'm just going to do this and see what happens. So we started the brand, we started to do things, and it just kind of blew up out of nowhere. Rye. And it, you know, we just celebrated March 14th was technically our third year anniversary, but we're celebrating it tomorrow in our Facebook room. Our third year anniversary. And it's just taken us all across the world. We've been into multiple countries, you know, all over, you know, the United States. We were voted top 10 content creators influencers of the year by Mantle, which was powered by Yahoo. Sports recently, this last year. So it's like, I always tell people, don't pinch me, brother, because this can't be real life. This. It really can't. Because it's, like, too good to be true, man.

[Ryan Alford]

I love it, man. This is, this is exactly why I wanted to do this show, is to talk to guys like you. I've been kind of weeding through both good names and not great names and wonderful names to, to get to Ryan Knowles. Like, I'm telling you, this is awesome. And, and it's all true, man.

[Ryan Knowles]

It's, it's just authentic. I, you know, we were vulnerable. I was at the point, the lowest point in my life. And people always say, like, how did you, how did you get here? And it's, it, it's all organic, it's all authentic. I, I don't, you know, I don't know what I'm doing with technology or did it when I started. My children break with me, my wife breaks with me. So you see a family man handling his children. There's times that I have to yell at them, there's times I have to correct them. There's times that me and my wife may bicker, we may, you know, say how much we love each other. But our community watched us grow over the last three years and they really are the reason that we are where we're at today because they've been so, so supportive.

[Alex Canceroitz]

Beyond this is Alex Cancerwitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on air contributor to cnbc. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever

[Ryan Knowles]

you get your podcasts, anything I could ever ask for.

[Ryan Alford]

Is this the job now?

[Ryan Knowles]

I've been full time for three years. Yeah, yeah, I created that. March 14th essentially was when I decided to step away from construction in my union job and try to give this a go. So, yeah, this has been 100% full time.

[Ryan Alford]

What's. Let's talk about, like, what exactly are the tenants of the business like? I mean, as a business guy, kind of now I'm like, okay, what, what are the revenue streams? Or like, what, you know, how are we set up? Like now it sounds like you're doing some branding things. You're going around, but maybe walk me through, like, because I think a lot of our listeners probably are like, how do you turn the hobby into business. And, and I, I caution people, this is not the this is made for everyone episode. It's more. I'm just curious. I think it'd be fascinating to kind of hear, you know, the nuts and bolts of it.

[Ryan Knowles]

Well, obviously, I mean, I know that you're an entrepreneur, so one thing that scream I hear entrepreneur is work ethic. Right. A lot of people want to jump into the hobby because they think it's easy money, bro. I'm up at 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning and I don't stop until 9, 10 o' clock every night. Whether it's customer service, whether it's networking, whether it's just checking on yo Joe Schmo. I knew he had a birthday or his kid's birthday. How did it go yesterday? And so much of that is the stuff that you don't get paid for, but it's advantageous to your brand, to your business as well as I feel something that you should do for people that give their time and choose to spend their money with you. As far as the revenue streams, it started out solely that it was breaking. Yeah, we were barely making ends meet because a lot of people think that there is a lot of money in breaking. But unless you're at that top of the game, we know behind the scenes that there's so many different little things that go into it. It's not as simple as just adding up a break and saying, well, I know this box costs X amount of dollars.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

So that was. It was keeping things afloat. But I knew it would never take us to the next level and then the next level. And unfortunately, if you want to be somebody in this hobby, you do have to continuously try to level up. In the beginning, I failed. I thought bigger was better. I had about 10 or 11 people on my team and it was haste in my decision bringing these people on the team because, you know, I. I would. There was greed in the beginning. Like, I got to get big just because I got to take care of my family. And that didn't work out. And then just became organic again. And then we started breaking and that's when we decided to release our own repack. And we went to branding and released our first tier repack and then we released another one. And when then they went nationwide and I had breakers across the country, essentially breaking those and then selling those wholesale. That became another revenue stream. And then finally we went to Fanatics Fest year one, and we were only there for one day. I took my wife and my son and we Just wanted to check it out in New York. Well, we were so blown away that we walked out of there and I said, next year I'm going to kick the fucking door in. And that's exactly the type of attitude that I had with it. Part of my language. But I was so fired up because we were like, this is what we want to do for the rest of my life. So we come. Year two, I was actually chosen to be in the Fanatics game. So I got to compete in the Fanatics games. We threw a rooftop party we had, you know, we went all in and we basically took a lot of money, dumped it into Fanatics Fest, started our social media because that's really when the Instagram started and everything kind of just started to snowball and then the sponsorship started. We are partners with Pristine Auction, Arena Club and All Touch. And it's, you know, it, it's, it's great. I mean they, they, they want us to travel to places to set up at shows or be there with them or shoot content and I mean, like I said again, dude, it's a dream come true.

[Ryan Alford]

Ry, I love that man. Talking with Ryan Knowles. He's the founder of Like Father, Like Son is how, how old's your son now?

[Ryan Knowles]

He's 10 now.

[Ryan Alford]

Okay, so just a one.

[Ryan Knowles]

No, I have my. I have a 10 year old who could literally sit in this chair right now and do this. I'm not joking in the least bit. Anybody?

[Ryan Alford]

Let's get him out of school. We'll get him.

[Ryan Knowles]

Yeah. He is so incredible. He's so incredible. I'm showing it off. I don't care. He just won the best defensive player in the state of New Jersey award. He's a freak, this kid. He's a freak of nature.

[Ryan Alford]

Congratulations, dude.

[Ryan Knowles]

I'm obsessed if you couldn't tell. But he's like so passionate about the hobby. He loves going to shows. He walks off on his own. He's got. I shouldn't say this but he carries a, you know, few dollars in his pocket, does deals like a man. Right?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

Shakes hands, looks at guys. It's so advantageous for the youth, this hobby that a lot of people don't realize that they're going to be able to do business deals better than I ever was ready to at that age. So that's my 10 year old. Then I have my 7 year old Bronxy boy. He's my wild child. He's my ginger kids. A stud. He quarterback amazing. The best little brother. But he's just dipping his toes into the hobby. And unfortunately, his favorite thing about the hobby is the money, and I don't like that. But for some reason, this kid is, like, passionate about making money, not the cards, which I don't like. I want him to love the cards and love that stuff as a true hobbyist. So that's something that I'm navigating as a father. And then I have my daughter, who's 6, Berkeley Rose, who is literally the devil. She just started to want to do interviews in this space. She interviewed a dear friend of mine, Army ATC Alex Tressler, just at the Philly Show. And she likes the camera, so she's not shy. She wants the attention. So it's really a family business that happens organically. And obviously, something that we do don't like to push on them, but if they want to be a part of it, we're like, yeah, please.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ryan Knowles]

You know what I mean?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Everybody loves the kids. It's like, I don't know. I mean, we know kids. I mean, I've been in marketing my whole career. You know, kids and babies, they sell kids and babies.

[Ryan Knowles]

Shaking hands. That was politics for me in the union, bro.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, Ryan. So. So now we're traveling around. We got sponsored. Are we still breaking?

[Ryan Knowles]

I am breaking. It's. Unfortunately, there's just not enough time in the day. And then I noticed, I, I. You try to hire people to do the breaking for you.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

But for whatever reason it is, it's like, you know when somebody calls and they call the shop, and they're like, I want Ryan. And they're like, well, Rye's not here, but Bella's here. And Bella's amazing. Right?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

That was not Ryan. And that's what I thought. Like, it just. No matter how amazing other people are, people want to talk to you. People want to see me. They want to see my family. So it's a. It's a tough dynamic that we're trying to navigate, but there's just not enough hours in the day, so.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, and the funny thing is, is you're pro. There are enough. All that rang true. So I get it. And people are asking for Bella more than they're asking for me, so. But.

[Ryan Knowles]

Sorry, I just use that name because it's the.

[Ryan Alford]

No, it's.

[Ryan Knowles]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford]

No, but you're right. It's. It's like that on other things. But that's why I've got Bella, like, front and center on the store stuff. That's why I didn't name it, like, Ryan's card shop. I. I have that in my business. My business show has been around a while. I'm kind of. I'm ready to not be the dude. I want to be the just orchestrator behind the scenes.

[Ryan Knowles]

That's what I'm trying to do. But it's just, you know, it's one of those things that you struggle with. And, you know, in business there's so many things you struggle with. So it's. Yeah, that's one of my Achilles heel that, you know.

[Ryan Alford]

Because the funny thing is you're now in a position where you've got the attention to where the brakes would probably be pretty lit, you know, and they

[Ryan Knowles]

do and they feel well. And. And we can happen. But still, you know, it's. You're just. Sometimes you're, you know, doing content or at another show.

[Ryan Alford]

And how many shows are you guys doing? Like, I mean, is it every weekend?

[Ryan Knowles]

I've been in nine states in the last three weeks, brother.

[Ryan Alford]

All. And is this mainly sponsor driven? Are all sponsor driven?

[Ryan Knowles]

Not all. Starting to be that. Last year we invested about six figures. No baloney. On just traveling with the airfare, hotels, sometimes. Well, not sometimes. In the summer months. The children are with us during the school year. It's just my wife and I. She's my videographer, my social media content. She handles so much. She's my business partner. She's incredible. She's incredible. She's my best friend in the whole world. I'm obsessed with my family.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, no, I'm. I'm the same way. I wish my wife would quit and do the same thing. We might kill each other. But. But we do.

[Ryan Knowles]

I mean, we. I mean, that's real. And that's what I was saying. Like, on the lives. There's times where I'm like, yo, shut up. Like. But it's not. It's not something.

[Ryan Alford]

I come from a bad place. It's just natural. It's natural. I mean, it's business really, is what it is.

[Ryan Knowles]

But yeah, she. She handles all that. And so last year we invested everything or. Or like I said, the six figures into just traveling. And then at the end of the year, when I did my taxes, I was like, all right, I cannot assume all these costs for people that want us at the show. So we started to get a little bit more strict with our contracts and what our list of demands are to come to a show, collab a show, promote a show, and then shoot content at the show. But we're also. I guess the little thing that helps us a bit is we're a double edged sword where most content creators go to the show shoe content, so be it. We're actually buyers because we run so much with our repacks that we also have a guarantee of a minimum amount of spending. So the people already know when they are bringing us to the show that there's a large buyer in the house as well. So they get it from both angles and it seems like it's been advantageous for us and the promoters so far. And I, you know, you have to know your worth. Right, right. So it's like I know 100% table. I know what I bring.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, no, I'm glad you guys are doing that because I see a lot of these influencers and different people doing things and I'm like, are you factoring in how much time? Like, you know, I even get pressed for deals on the business side. A lot of business apps and different things. And I'm like, they want us to shoot the content, you know, or edit the content, you know, we're giving them turnkey content and then you're using my name, image and likeness to promote your product. And it's like this fee only covers like one end of that, you know, okay, a few hundred bucks for like some of these influencers to do a video. I'm like, you are factoring in your time and how long it takes to edit and all. And yeah, AI can help and all that, but it doesn't do everything we just did.

[Ryan Knowles]

We guaranteed James 30 reels, so we did 30 reels from Friday to Saturday. Some informative, some silly, some vendor highlight, whatever it may be. But like you said, 30 reels is a lot of hours of work and then, you know, the cost to get there and so forth and so on. But the problem is a lot of people in this space also. I think a lot of people are so stinking lazy and, and that's when we were talking about how do you make it work? Ethic is a huge thing that a lot of people get in this because they think, oh, it's going to be easy. I can, you know, only do a few hours here and there and, and make a ton of money. That's not the case for me.

[Ryan Alford]

No. And that's how, yeah, you got a family support and. No, but those guys are, you know, they're the ones in the, you know, their parents basement still and precisely. And it's like.

[Ryan Knowles]

And that's.

[Ryan Alford]

There's nothing wrong with. Look, everybody's got different aspirations in life. I'm. If you're happy in the basement. I'm happy for you to be in the basement. Just makes me shine brighter.

[Ryan Knowles]

Yeah, that was never my dreams. It was never my aspirations. I was supposed to have my 488 in the driveway at 40 and I decided, hey, I have these kids to worry about for X amount of years.

[Ryan Alford]

So, yeah, dude, it never. We can plan all we want, but I mean, you got to have good heart, good intentions, and then you gotta. I don't know, money matters. It really does, but it doesn't make you happy. And everybody says that. Well, you would know me. You got money still. Yeah, but I can have a whole lot more money and be a lot, a whole lot less happy.

[Ryan Knowles]

One of the things I always say is, one of my sayings is I just want. Now I'm going to trip myself up. I just want tomorrow to be today, essentially, where it's like, I have enough, bro. I really do. As long as my bills are paid, my kids are taken care of, we can go to the store and not be like, can I get this? Yeah, we're good. And like, that's all I'm asking for because this life is so awesome. I hope in a X amount of years that I don't have to grind as hard as I am right now. And the brand is large enough that you know there's some sort of kickbacks, but that's business and that's why you work so hard to get to that point. And we're, we're far away away. So not worried about that.

[Ryan Alford]

Talking with Ryan Knowles, founder of Like Father, Like Son. What kind of feedback do you get when you're out there? I mean, obviously people know who you are. You probably got some good stories. I mean, it's got to be rewarding.

[Ryan Knowles]

Dude, I'll get upset. I'll get upset. It's very touching. I told you. I like for a boy to, you know, grow up without a father, it's, it's, you know, you have your issues. So for me, when I see these father sons that come over to us and they want to talk, they. And their kid looks up to you. And you can see that he's looking at you like he's enamored with you. And I'm like, dude, I'm. I'm like, I'm a dad that sells sports cards, you know, that put stuff online and got followings like, I'm not an athlete, I'm not a celebrity. But these kids, they treat you like that. And they treat my children like that because now they see them as you know, children, content creators. Dude, it's something that I just. You can't take for granted. It's. It's like a. It's this crazy blessing. We just got on a baseball card, me and my son and my family, first ever card. So that was, that was my son and I choice sports. So we have autographs in that and we have a quad picture without my daughter in that one. And you know, this was insane for my community. I did like a thousand inscriptions of a lot of people that are supportive of us in the hobby, and we did a big fun hunt for that. But I carry a stack of them on me and kids will come up and be like, I get your autograph. I'm like, this is worthless. But sure, you can.

[Ryan Alford]

I look, I want the roadshow coming to collector station and then you can sit right here next to me in the studio. We have to make that happen.

[Ryan Knowles]

Absolutely. Let's make it happen this year, brother.

[Ryan Alford]

What's. What's the. I mean, obviously, I mean, I hear nine states in three weeks. That was I right?

[Ryan Knowles]

I think it was eight.

[Ryan Alford]

Eight states. Either way, is it like non stop? What's the rest of the year look like?

[Ryan Knowles]

So we. So it's all about balance. And that's how I really run my life. Life is about balance. My wife and I devote our whole entire lives to our children. But we also go on a date once a week. We still like to hang out and party, you know what I mean? And let loose once a week because we need that. So we really preach everything's about balance for us. It's, you know, Jesus, family and, you know, pleasure to be honest with you. And you need to have that, that blend to be a happy person as far as I'm concerned. So with that said, we notice when we travel hard like that, we start getting imbalanced. And then with that imbalance, we noticed that the children start acting up a little bit at home and they're amazing children. So we will hit it hard for a little bit of a stretch. And now, ever since this North Carolina trip, we are going to take a few weeks off unless somebody comes calm with a big bag and then you have to take it. But we try to plan our year like that and, you know, it's that ebbs and flows of traveling, staying home and then, you know, refocusing on the family. And it's hard, bro. It's so hard. But we're figuring it out.

[Ryan Alford]

There you go.

[Ryan Knowles]

We're moving to Florida.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, so you've been in Jersey. Now you're going Florida, dude.

[Ryan Knowles]

We just.

[Ryan Alford]

So I'm from Jersey of you.

[Ryan Knowles]

I'm Philly born and raised.

[Ryan Alford]

Okay. All right.

[Ryan Knowles]

So we moved to South Jersey 10 years ago. So I don't want people to think I'm from Jersey. I'm from Philly.

[Ryan Alford]

So northern of you, I guess.

[Ryan Knowles]

But we just put our house up on the market a week ago. We just got an offer. We're basically closing in like six weeks and then taking everybody down Florida. So life is like bananas right now.

[Ryan Alford]

But where are we going in Florida?

[Ryan Knowles]

Surrounding Tampa area.

[Ryan Alford]

Okay. Beautiful. Nice area.

[Ryan Knowles]

So excited. So excited.

[Ryan Alford]

My dad was stationed in Tampa in the Air Force. No kidding. I was. I don't even think I was conceived yet, but I was close to it. But we've gone down there for now. Some perf. Relatives in the area and I have some friends that live down there. It's beautiful.

[Ryan Knowles]

I love it, man.

[Ryan Alford]

That's going to be heaven for you. I love it.

[Ryan Knowles]

All the kids are so excited over

[Ryan Alford]

the northern temperatures and the, you know, the weather and then get me out. I don't know. I mean, it's probably just a different lifestyle altogether. I imagine it.

[Ryan Knowles]

It's definitely more hedonistic. It seems like the people are happier, they are more pleasure seeking. People around here are miserable. No one even talks to you. We went down there, we took like five days to drive around all the neighborhoods and you're like hesitant to ask somebody for a question or ask somebody something and that.

[Ryan Alford]

Excuse me.

[Ryan Knowles]

And they come over and they're so elated. This chat with you here, somebody be like, get out of here. You know what I mean?

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, I know. I lived in Manhattan for seven years and it was out in Jersey a lot and, and all around the. The areas and I'm in South Carolina, from South Carolina, man. I'm like, hey man, what's wrong with you?

[Ryan Knowles]

I know, bro.

[Ryan Alford]

We're excited, but still a lot going on, man. Holy cow.

[Ryan Knowles]

Ton, bro.

[Ryan Alford]

What do we think? I mean, are you going to national? Are you going to Phonexis again? Are we doing all those things?

[Ryan Knowles]

Absolutely, absolutely. Everything's all booked. We're so excited for both of those events. I wish they weren't so close together.

[Ryan Alford]

I'll be at both parts a little hard.

[Ryan Knowles]

And then with the World cup being at Fanatics Fest, we're trying to figure that out because from last year's prices to this year's prices, everything's going like five to six times up. And I'm like, dude, this is crazy. And Obviously, you know, like us being out there, you don't get paid, you're just. You're there. Right?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

So it's part of the business that I feel like those two shows you have to be at. But I'm excited for them too because as a hobbyist, they're incredible.

[Ryan Alford]

It's as good as it gets. Oh, yeah. I did the double last year. Uh, and I mean, it was fun, but they were close together and. But it's like, I mean, they're very different, but they're in the Nationals. The fire hose of, you know, cards and the national is a card stuff. That's a card show.

[Ryan Knowles]

Is a card show.

[Ryan Alford]

The next guest is a brand activation. Really. It meets. And a card show kind of comes together. But I think Michael does a good job with it. I think it needs to be different. It is a different thing. And they're building, you know, an empire there with fanatics and all that stuff.

[Ryan Knowles]

Enormous.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

It's a fan experience. Fanatics fest. It's a fan experience, bro.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, it is. Who, who, who does Ryan Knowles collect?

[Ryan Knowles]

Eagles, brother. We started with, you know, we went after Jalen Hurts so heavy. And then we transitioned to Jalen Carter. Super heavy. We just loved them. And then we backed off because I. I'm one of those dudes that I want to collect and teach my children or my sons that to collect wholesome guys, good guys. So that incident after last year really turned me off, to be frank.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

But yeah, so we, we go over after Eagles. That's heavy. But I was raised by my grandfather and he taught me to love all the teams minus Dallas Cowboys. I will never love the Cowboys, but he told me to love football. So if the Browns were playing the jets on Thursday night, that I could still sit down and enjoy a football game with them. And that's what I'm teaching my kids. So we colle. Select, you know, all the players and, and try to get them to love all the players. And then what they'll do is they'll, they'll. They'll flip those ones, keep them for a little, maybe flip them into another player. But the Eagles is the PC. Once we get one of those, they. They don't leave the cases.

[Ryan Alford]

What's the best or less? Not as necessarily. I mean, you can talk about if it's expensive, but it's less, just more like what's the means the most to you.

[Ryan Knowles]

So I'll get upset over this one. I'm emotional, dude. I was raised by women.

[Ryan Alford]

I know your type, Ryan You're a crier. That's okay. I'll give you a hug. If you start crying around me, you

[Ryan Knowles]

know, it's a running joke in the community whether or not I'm gonna cry or not during, like, a longer stream. I mean, I'm just so thankful, dude. It's crazy that we get to do sports cards and sit down and talk right now about sports cards, so I don't take it for granted, but this right here is hands down. I pulled this with Beckham, and it was like, I couldn't believe it. We pulled the 101 jalen hurts gold bar. No way.

[Ryan Alford]

No way.

[Ryan Knowles]

Let out such a cheer that I almost fainted, bro. I'm 44. I literally almost passed out. I felt myself get woozy. But, yeah, we. We pulled that together. I don't care what the value is. I don't care if somebody said. Well, if somebody said 100,000, maybe we'll figure out, but it's one of those that the sentimental value far exceeds whatever, you know, monetary value you would put on that.

[Ryan Alford]

What did you pull that out of?

[Ryan Knowles]

Impeccable.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Knowles]

Impeccable has ever since 2016 when they started doing the silver bars. They put 20 gold bars in the product. Up until last year, they did 50, and I think this year they did 100. But they were rare cases, so most of the cases would carry a silver bar, and then the few rare ones had a gold bar. So it was crazy for the Philadelphia breakers, die hard Eagles fans to pull that together, and I was like the person that pulled it. So we pulled it for somebody.

[Ryan Alford]

Ah.

[Ryan Knowles]

He flat out was like, dude, just give me my money back for the spot in the break. And I was like, no, dude, no, I can't do that. And, like, that's how. It was such a crazy moment that he was like, you have to have that card. But we came to an agreement. I bought it off him, but it was just. That gesture was like, wow, dude. Like, that's so awesome of you, man. But.

[Ryan Alford]

But that's what building. You know, building that is building community, hands down. And I think it's a strange thing, like, in business, and I'm in marketing, obviously, and, like, I'll say you say you read those terms, like, building community, and people go like, well, what does that really mean? It really means what you just said, like, when it becomes so moving to them and they followed you and they know where you live and, you know, they may not know every intimate moment, but they feel like they. They relate to you on Some level. And when whatever that card was worth, the guy was probably 100% willing to probably let you have it for whatever you paid in. When someone's willing to do that, that means you built community. Let's put that. That ramble I just did in the dictionary of what building community is and what your example is. You're the real life example of it.

[Ryan Knowles]

So many people, so many of our members say the reason they're so loyal is because they just felt like an extended version of our family. And when you're on camera every day and you talk as freely as we do, Bella asked me, she said, oh, we can edit anything out if we don't want to talk about anything. Nothing's taboo to me, because then if that's how you were to be, then that's not. Not authentic. Maybe there's some things that I may be uncomfortable talking about, but, you know, life is, you know, Right now we'd

[Ryan Alford]

like to bring in a special guest.

[Ryan Knowles]

We.

[Ryan Alford]

We found her on. You met her when you were 18, Ryan. She's come back. Yeah. Mari Povich. Like, you think you came on for, like, you know, some diet pillar or something. And then. No, we've got. We brought your ex girlfriend from when you were 17.

[Ryan Knowles]

This is really a prank podcast you got.

[Ryan Alford]

What was the. What was that prank? The. The Show Jackass or whatever else. There was other pranks that Ashton Kutcher did.

[Ryan Knowles]

I think it was called Pranked.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, Punked Punk.

[Ryan Knowles]

That's it. I knew prank didn't sound totally right. Yes.

[Ryan Alford]

We had Jerky boys. That shows my age when I did you, dude.

[Ryan Knowles]

So how old are you?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, dude, I'm 48.

[Ryan Knowles]

48. I'm 44. So Jerky Boys was right there with us. Dude, I actually did prank calls back in the day.

[Ryan Alford]

Like, I have tape recordings of them somewhere.

[Ryan Knowles]

Like, kids. We did.

[Ryan Alford]

We would tape record, like, these girls that go to our. Went to our high school, their moms. And we would literally put the tape recorder on, and I could. I mean, I can talk. I could do voices pretty good. And I'd go. I'd go, hey, Leonor, you know, those kids, they. They're always acting up. They're. They're fucking crazy, you know, like. And I had throw in some cuss words, like, with another mom, and I could make it sound like the other mom did. And she goes, I know. I don't know what to do with Tommy. And, like, we'd have a whole conversation getting them to, like, bad mout people in the neighborhood. Now that I think about it, it was

[Ryan Knowles]

beat over here, dude. Kids are going home and they're like.

[Ryan Alford]

They speed around here like demons. I just.

[Ryan Knowles]

I love, but I mean, that's like something that was so harmless back in the day, that's like gone because of the way the world's turned and it's not the way I wish it were to be.

[Ryan Alford]

So I found those magazines under Tommy's bed. Oh, my God. Have you had that happen?

[Ryan Knowles]

So awesome.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, that threw back memories. Jerky boys. Oh, my brother. You never know, dude. It's been fun.

[Ryan Knowles]

I really appreciate you having me on and letting us tell our story. It's a it, you know, it's. It's a good story.

[Ryan Alford]

I think it's a great story.

[Ryan Knowles]

It is. It's a good story. And that's. You know, if anybody watches this and they're like, hey, I want to do this or. Or how does somebody do this? You know, if they can relate to that story or they can relate to something, then you've done, then you know this. It's worth it. So we're just trying to spread some positivity, enjoying the hobby and. And do it while raising a family and. And just try to put some food on the table and rock out for the rest of my life, you know?

[Ryan Alford]

I love it. Raising a brand. Yeah, bro, it's pretty cool. We got a little rapid fire for Ryan. Three, three quick things. Ripping packs or buying singles?

[Ryan Knowles]

It depends on my answer, dude. It depends on the answer. Ripping packs is so stinking fun. Buying singles is not. I say this all the time. You know, we wanted Saquon Barclays downtown as soon as I saw that. So we tried to get it in breaks for fun. We did it. So then eventually I bought it. Is that foolish from a monetary value? Okay, sure, I can argue that if you want to argue that. But I had fun doing it and my boys did too. So that's what we chose to. For me, just to buy a card that I want. I find really no excitement, joy in that. I like the chase of it. I like to open packs. I've been doing it as a child. Now, that's for the fun. That's for the entertainment. There is a fine line on where that you need to draw a line and understand your financials and everything like that. For buying a single, that's the safest bet for me. Like I said, that's the vanilla way. That's the boring way of doing it. But I do buy a lot of singles also for the business side, where as you know, like I said, the repacks, that's a big part of my business. So it depends on my answer. It's too hard to just say, boom, boom.

[Ryan Alford]

I have it in my periphery, like, of what I'm going to do, like things I want to get done in the hobby. And what I want to do is brand the fact. Because there's always this qu. I always ask that question, and there's always similar answers, usually. Oh, man.

[Ryan Knowles]

Everybody.

[Ryan Alford]

Everybody says singles. Typically, they're as honest as you were. But I want to bring ribbon packs. Is about fun. And you happen to get cards, too. It's an experience. It's like when you go to Six Flags, you ride a roller coaster. You don't get done riding the roller coaster and go where. That was a bad investment. No, it was a good investment because you invested in the fun and the excitement and the chase and the thrill. And that's what we need to brand more of. And obviously responsible, of course, fun, you know, but it's about fun. Yeah, you can buy singles. Of course you can. That's how you. If you're collecting, and that's all you care about 100%, that's the smartest way to collect your favorite player. But don't. Let's not throw away the fun and the entertainment factor that this hobby could be as well.

[Ryan Knowles]

Dude, if I bought a card for my kid, it could be a $30,000 card. He's going to be like, oh, dad, this is amazing. What time's baseball tonight? But you know what I mean, that's how quick it goes when we. I still have the memories, core memories of the big hits that we've had that will never go away. And he still talks about them. So they're. They're like those memories that you make just buying something. It depends on the person and what you want to go for. For me, the hobby's entertainment. It's meant to be fun. I don't really do it too much for investment and asset building and all that stuff, because I love it too much, and I keep them all anyway. So it's like I, I, I lose out on when they're high and I usually sell low, and I'm terrible at that stuff.

[Ryan Alford]

Ryan, drop all the deets where everybody can keep up if they aren't already with what everything you guys are doing.

[Ryan Knowles]

So we are primarily on Facebook. We have a Facebook community, a private community. I say it's a private community because it's not for everybody. If anybody acts out of line or uses language in the kid friendly breaks, they are no longer allowed to be part of the group. We keep it pretty wholesome. We do do an adult only night where we get a little bit rowdy. But the Facebook community is a. Is a. Is a private community that we don't like people to complain and be nasty and ruin the time for everybody else. So it's a really, really awesome place. It's a safe space for really cool hobbyists. We do all of our Instagram content Like father, like son underscore cards. We just started a YouTube, the whatnot, the Tick tock. Like I said, it's. It's. It's still a work in progress, brother. But yeah, hey man, the website. Website is actually being tinkered with right now and will be launched any minute. So we'll have that up soon. I'm sure it's probably going to be somewhere like. Like father like son. If you look that up, I'm sure you'll be able to find it in a few weeks.

[Ryan Alford]

Get that SEO going. You probably all your social channels should point them there.

[Ryan Knowles]

I need to talk to you because you're the head of marketing. I'm a construction dude. Like, I can fix your pipes in your house, bro. All this stuff, I'm like, dude, I don't know what I'm doing.

[Ryan Alford]

Dude, you got my dm. I'll shoot you myself. You can. The advice is always free. Thank you, man. It's been fun. Let's.

[Ryan Knowles]

I gotta get down there, man.

[Ryan Alford]

I know. We're got, we're. I got a bar stool right here at the Pack bar and we'll save you a seat at the big table, whatever. And right here next to me, whenever

[Ryan Knowles]

you want to do a live break in there, brother.

[Ryan Alford]

Dude, that's what I'm saying. I. Let's do it. Let's plan it. I'm serious. Well, let's. Let's get on the calendar. Even if freaking November, whatever it is.

[Ryan Knowles]

I'm a man of my schedule. I'm definitely.

[Ryan Alford]

Bill will help coordinate that. And it's been fun, man.

[Ryan Knowles]

It was a pleasure. Thank you so much, man. Thanks to your community. What? The store is absolutely gorgeous for anybody that missed the beginning. That's how I saw you guys was the. Was the drive through. I was like, that's bananas. But you know, keep being somebody that is trying to be original in the hobby and do it the right way, man.

[Ryan Alford]

And.

[Ryan Knowles]

And Ryan's are better people anyway, so

[Ryan Alford]

we got to stick together, brother. Hey guys, you know, to find us the collectornation.com youm'll find the full length episode, highlight clips, links to all of Ryan's stuff that he mentioned as well as you know where to find me. You can also find out all my business content I've been doing Business show the number one show on Apple in marketing and business for three years running over 800 episodes. Go to Ryan is rya light.com if you're interested in business and learning more about marketing, I give away all my advice for free just for you for being here. We'll see you next time on Collector Nation.

[Ryan Knowles]

Thanks for tuning in to the show. Be sure to follow us on your go to podcast platform and catch the full video episode over on YouTube. Visit [e-mail] and follow Ryan on Instagram at Ryan Alford now get out there and collect yours.

[Alex Canceroitz]

Hi, this is Alex Canceroitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on air contributor to cnbc. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hallmarkies Podcast Host]

Do you love rom coms? Do you wish you could talk about Christmas movies year round? Then we have the perfect podcast for you. Hallmarkies Podcast. Throughout the year we cover all things romance, holiday and Hallmark including recaps of every Hallmark show like When Calls, the Heart and the Way Home. You can also get loads of bonus content covering shows like Bridgerton, Sweet Magnolias and and Just like that. We are an all female group of friends who are passionate for these shows and movies and give our honest opinions as well as gush over what we love so much. But that's not all. Every Monday there are interviews with all your favorite actors, writers, directors and more. Check out Hallmarkies Podcast on all your podcast provide and on YouTube. That's Hallmarky's podcast. Wherever you listen to podcasts.