David Grutman: From Bartender to Miami’s Nightlife King | Ep. 338

Summary

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Founder’s Story – Ep. 338

David Grutman: From Bartender to Miami’s Nightlife King
April 13, 2026 | Host: IBH Media | Guest: David Grutman

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Episode Overview

This episode of Founder’s Story features David Grutman, a self-made hospitality mogul known for transforming Miami’s social and nightlife scene. From humble beginnings as a bartender to owning some of Miami’s most iconic venues, Grutman recounts the foundational lessons, philosophies, and challenges that shaped his entrepreneurial journey, including the importance of adding value in relationships, attention to detail, viral moments, partnerships, and leaving a legacy beyond business.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Building Miami’s Hospitality: Creating Unforgettable Experiences

• David’s Motivation for Miami’s Rise
  • Grutman reflects on his mission to make Miami a must-visit destination, curating guests’ experiences from beginning to end—long before the city’s recent boom.
    • Quote: “When they come to Miami, I wanted to control every aspect of their trip here… just a bunch of street artists and taking people to places or taking them on a lap around the Miami Bay.” (02:07)
  • He expresses immense pride as Miami gains global recognition.
    • Quote: “I love Miami. I push Miami. And now I’m so happy that so many people have discovered Miami that they know how great it is as well.” (02:34)

The Value Economy: Give, Don’t Keep Score

• On Adding Value Without Expectation
  • Grutman describes his approach to relationships as selfless service—giving without aiming for a return.
    • Quote: “It’s not about equaling out... It’s kind of like when you do charity work or anything... When you’re just serving and you see the look on their face… For me, that’s reward enough.” (03:09)
• Unlocking Value for High-Net Worth Individuals
  • For those who ‘have it all’, finding value means surprise access, connections, or insights they didn’t know they needed.
    • Quote: “You start a relationship with somebody, you really start to learn their story... then once you know that, it’s really easy to add more value.” (04:20)

Business Philosophy: Blending Brands, Creating Synergies

• Grutman prefers investments or partnerships he can integrate into his existing ventures, creating cross-brand value.
  • Quote: “Is there a way I could take Skinny Dipped and do a Skinny Dipped dessert?...I look at brands that would be an easy fit for me…” (05:04)

The Art of Experience: Details Make the Difference

• Restaurant and Nightlife as Theater
  • Grutman is relentless about orchestrating all details: sharing plates, music, place settings, even lighting, as part of the ‘experience puzzle.’
    • Quote: “I’m in the fun business at the end of the day... There’s a common thread... to create that experience.” (05:42)
• Hyper-Focus on Service Details
  • Grutman trains himself and teams to spot the smallest things—dirty tables, empty glasses, missed connections—that elevate hospitality.
    • Quote: “You have to look for all the pinch points along the way... if there’s anything being missed…” (08:02)

Viral Moments: The New Marketing

• The legendary “beefcase” and $5,000 royal cart are designed specifically to spark viral content and FOMO, not just serve food.
  • Quote: “It creates this moment for people to be able to take pictures, make it go viral, and gives everybody back at their hometown FOMO that they weren’t there with them.” (09:20)

From Old-School PR to Social Media Frenzy

• Grutman contrasts the old era, where media coverage took days or weeks, with today’s instant virality—and the relentless demand to outdo oneself.
  • Quote: “It makes it 10 times harder… you just have to get right back on the horse the next day.” (10:37)
• On copycats: Many try to imitate his concepts poorly, but few understand the deep journey required.
  • Quote: “So many people try to do their own beefcase… it’s really embarrassing to me.” (10:57)

The Value of the Journey: No Shortcuts

• Grutman emphasizes the importance of learning every role—from bartender to manager—before leading.
  • Quote: “The fun part for me was taking that journey… That was the best part of my life.” (11:24)

On Entrepreneurship, Fear, and Resilience

• Advice for Students & Young Entrepreneurs
  • Today’s aspiring entrepreneurs have more tools and fewer barriers to start, but must embrace risk and learning. (11:55)
• Greatest Anxiety:
  • Nightly sales, unpredictable factors (weather, events) are a constant source of stress in hospitality.
    • Quote: “I wake up hoping not to see red with the nightly sales report the next day.” (12:30)
• Grutman never truly considered quitting, though he admits the appeal of less pressure.
  • Quote: “It would be so nice to go get a job… but I’m not built for that.” (15:31)

Partnerships & Trust

• Finds partners only after years of relationship and alignment in vision, seeking those who fill his weaknesses.
  • Quote: “It takes years of a relationship before I even consider a partner… I know what I’m really great at and I know what I’m really not great at.” (16:19)
• On trust: “I trust people until they give me a reason not to trust them. And then, you know, once that trust is gone, it’s gone.” (17:20)

Family, Legacy, and Personal Joy

• His greatest happiness now comes from time with his wife and daughters, striving for them to surpass him in character and achievement.
  • Quote: “Hopefully my legacy is that my daughters go on to be greater than me.” (17:54)
• People often assume his life is glamorous, but underestimate the stress, energy, and responsibility it demands.
  • Quote: “People might think that it’s all rainbows... but like it’s very stressful.” (18:25)

Grutman On Personality & Energy

• Extroverted by nature, Grutman thrives in the presence of others and feels restless in solitude.
  • Quote: “I love giving it all out there and just getting people super, super excited... I need people around me at all times.” (18:50)

The Book: “Take It Personal” – A Playbook for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Born from teaching a college course at FIU, his new book distills what colleges don’t teach: the real lessons of hospitality entrepreneurship.
  • Quote: “I hope they take away that I’m no different than they are. I started off as a bartender… So if I could do it, they could definitely do it.” (19:54)

Miami’s Transformation

• Miami’s rise is not just about real estate, but a migration of dynamic business talent—and Grutman is proud to play his part.
  • Quote: “It’s definitely had a migration from some of the greatest founders and kings of titans of business ever to be here now.” (20:45)

Breaking Through Barriers

• Grutman’s biggest leap: translating nightlife know-how into a robust, multi-unit hospitality group.
  • Quote: “Breaking through to that, that they all kind of connect and created their own ecosystem for me was the biggest game changer.” (21:27)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Relationships: “It’s selfishly, it’s good for me when I add value to other people because it gets me excited…” (03:19)
• On the Beefcase Viral Moment: “He created this whole beefcase... It creates this moment for people to be able to take pictures, make it go viral…” (09:20)
• On Taking the Long Path: “If you don’t know those things, just try to skip all those steps and not take the journey, you really miss out on life and you’re not going to be successful.” (11:24)
• On Legacy: “Hopefully my legacy is that my daughters go on to be greater than me.” (17:54)
• On Humble Beginnings: “I started off as a bartender at a restaurant in the Aventura mall. So if I could do it, they could definitely do it.” (19:54)

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Notable Timestamps

• 02:07 – Grutman’s mission to elevate Miami and host iconic experiences
• 03:04 – Philosophy on adding value and relationships
• 05:04 – Strategic business investments and partnerships
• 05:42 – Why details are everything in hospitality
• 09:20 – The origin and impact of the “beefcase” viral moment
• 10:05 – How social media changed hospitality—and added pressure
• 11:24 – Why learning every role is crucial: no shortcuts
• 12:30 – Biggest fears tied to the business fundamentals
• 16:19 – Choosing and trusting the right partners
• 17:54 – Family as the core of his legacy
• 19:54 – The purpose of Grutman’s book: proving anyone can make it

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Conclusion

David Grutman’s Founder’s Story reveals an entrepreneurial ethos grounded in service, resilience, relentless attention to detail, and authentic relationship-building. From shaping Miami’s culture to supporting the next wave of founders, his journey is as much about giving as it is growing—and his message to listeners is that no path is beyond reach, no matter where you start.

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Transcript

[David Grutman]

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[Podcast Host]

Meal and Hunt Trick's meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans.

[David Grutman]

What do you say to that, Rumi?

[Podcast Host]

It's not a battle.

[David Grutman]

So glad the Saja Boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day. It is an honor to share. No, it's our honor.

[Podcast Host]

It is our larger honor. No, really stop. You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side

[David Grutman]

but and participate in McDonald's while supplies last.

[GoFundMe Narrator]

This is a paid message from GoFundMe. Meet Juan Naula. When his son was hospitalized for a viral infection, Juan started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses.

[Juan Naula]

It was 5k to pay the bill for my son and I need only 22 hours. It was amazing. People really trust on GoFundMe.

[GoFundMe Narrator]

How did Juan raise $5,000 in less than a day? He posted a short video on GoFundMe telling his story in 30 seconds.

[Juan Naula]

30 seconds. Be specific. Be quick and tell. What are you going to be using the funds for? I was nervous to do it because it doesn't feel okay to ask money. But you shouldn't be nervous. Sometimes you just have to do it and see the results. We were able to save my son's life thanks to gofundme that we still have my son with us.

[GoFundMe Narrator]

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[David Grutman]

Trying to get people of influence to come to Miami. When they come to Miami, I wanted to control every aspect of their trip here to make sure it was the most perfect thing ever. And that meant taking people at that time to Wynwood before or all the hoopa was just starting to bubble and just a bunch of street artists and taking people to places or taking them on a lap around the Miami Bay. Right. Because when you go on a boat with somebody in Miami, it kind of changes Your outlook on Miami. I just wanted to be that touching point for people when they came here to really make them love our city. I love Miami. I push Miami. And now I'm so happy that so many people have discovered Miami that they know how great it is as well.

[Podcast Host]

So when you think about building relationships, and I imagine a lot of that is value adding to other people, how do you look at this balance of value adding versus value being added back to you?

[David Grutman]

I don't think you look at it that way. I think you have to look at it as just, I want to add value, I want to add value. And I thought about this the other day because questions come up a lot to me going, hey, you know, at what point does it start to equal out? It's not about equaling out out. It's kind of like when you do charity work or when you do anything that you're doing something for somebody else, when you're just serving and you see the look on their face when you do something great for them. For me, that's reward enough. If there's anything that comes out of it, great. But it's selfishly, it's good for me when I add value to other people because it gets me excited that I've been able to do something good for others.

[Podcast Host]

What do you find is a big value add to somebody that has everything, that maybe they have fame, they have a lot of money. What is the value that you find is important to them?

[David Grutman]

Great question. Because people are like, wow, these people must have whatever they want. And I think that's for you to kind of figure out for that person. Like what's one thing that you can add value to that they just don't have access to or they just don't know or you think can enhance their life and they're not even think of it. I think when you do stuff like that, when they're not even thinking of something and you say, listen, I got a great person for you to meet that they never thought about meeting and something great happens, or let me show you this, maybe you didn't even know about this. Something there added value or hey, I'm looking at this deal. I think it's a deal that you should be part of. When you start a relationship with somebody, you really start to learn their story, learn to see what they love, what they hate, what they gravitating to. And then once you know that, it's really easy to add more value.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[David Grutman]

Because you know those touching points when

[Podcast Host]

you look at the industries that you're in because I know you're also an investor. Over 40 companies look at certain industries because I know, like hospitality. I've heard I'm also in hospitality. It could be very cutthroat, it could be very competitive. Maybe not always the biggest margin depending on what you're doing. What do you look at in terms of the businesses that excite you?

[David Grutman]

So I look, is there ways for me to incorporate those businesses within my business? Right. Is there a way I could take skinny dipped and do a skinny dipped dessert? Is there something. Could I take coconut co, maybe launch a froyo? I don't know, maybe when they go to do frozen yogurt, could they do it in one of my spots? So I look at brands that would be an easy fit for me to do it or also something that I know that my guests that are coming to my spots would be very interested in learning more about.

[Podcast Host]

So I've been to all of your places and I have to say, you create a really once in a lifetime experience. Was that always something that you said? From the beginning.

[David Grutman]

So I always wanted, I knew people would, would, yes. They're going to the nightclub and they're having that experience. But on the restaurant side, I wanted people to be able to just have fun. I'm in the fun business at the end of the day, creating experiences all the way throughout my businesses. There's a common thread that's part of my DNA, is to be able to create and do this and serve the food in the middle. That everything's shareable, creates energy at the table. But it's also the music, the lighting, the place setting, the china, the glass, everything is part of a puzzle to put together to create that experience.

[Podcast Host]

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[David Grutman]

So I'm definitely hyper focused on the details, but you have to focus on the things that you know that people are missing, which is light bulbs out, is there trash on the floor? But also knowing the way that service goes in restaurants, you have to look for the empty glasses. You have to look to see if the menu is being placed on the plate because that means they're not getting service. You have to see is the table dirty, how many plates are actually on the table at one time as a server doing a journey for them, not just order firing everything at once. And I think those are the details that you have to train your brain on because that's your business. So if that's your business, you have to look for all the pinch points along the way and if there's anything that's being missed, it's not about, of course people are going to get great service, but you always want it to be better and better and, and if you could see what they're missing and why they're missing it. Is it their eyes? Is it them not caring? How do you get them to really focus on that table? Do they have too many tables? You have to focus and the details is what makes it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I was out in Vegas and I was eating at your restaurant and I saw the beefcase come out and I was like, what the heck is that? And I noticed just everyone turns around, starts taking pictures. I imagine a lot of this virality, it's the new marketing sense was that your idea?

[David Grutman]

No. So I have a great partner, David Pape Einhorn. He created this whole beefcase. It started him doing the Quentin Tarantino. He was doing a funny, and he said, you know what? I'm going to take this and I'm going to bring it to the table. And now he's gone overboard. Now he has a royal cart. And the royal cart not only comes with a beefcase, it comes with a live king crab and a kilo of Caviar, and it's $5,000 and it rolls up to you. And again, it creates this moment for people to be able to take pictures, make it go viral, and gives everybody back at their hometown FOMO that they

[Podcast Host]

weren't there with them being a hospitality legend. And you've been in the game for a while. What were the differences from when you started to now?

[David Grutman]

Well, of course, social media was never part of that whole thing. It was all about the pr, it girls and press you were going to get and what magazine was going to do features on your places. Now it's so instant, instant, instant that people don't realize that, you know, you could throw a great party and see in Page Six maybe the next day or two days later. And that was like the biggest success in the world now. Yes. But now you also want it to be as viral as possible on the Internet and everybody going as crazy as possible.

[Podcast Host]

Do you think that makes it harder to be in hospitality or easier?

[David Grutman]

It makes it 10 times harder because it's where people used to think they had a lag time of a day or two before. It just makes you have to get right back on the horse the next day.

[Podcast Host]

I imagine, too, like, competition, like, people are like, it's so hard to do.

[David Grutman]

It's right there. It's a presentation for them. Right. They're like, I can do it, I can do it. I can do it. You know, many people try to do their own beefcase around the world. It's really embarrassing to me. They'll have like some weird guy dancing and briefcase from, like, their grandfather. And they put the thing in there and I'm like, just stop. Yeah, you know, I go to all these schools and I speak and they say, you know, I'm going to graduate next year. I'm going to open my own nightclub. I'm like, you know, the fun part for me was taking that journey was being the manager, the bartender, the host, the server, general manager. Taking that journey, learning all the different traits that go into owning a restaurant, nightclub, anything like that. That was the Best part of my life. So if you don't know those things, just try to skip all those steps and not take the journey. You really miss out on life and you're not going to be successful.

[Podcast Host]

So what do you think? Students that are about to graduate from college, which I always find interesting, that entrepreneurship is being taught in school, what do you think students need to know?

[David Grutman]

I mean, listen, I love, you know, of course, I love anything entrepreneurial. I love entrepreneurship. And I think, you know, they have so many platforms and vehicles to become entrepreneurs, way more than you and I had when we got out of school. Right. So for them not to try to take advantage of that, if they have a great idea, they now have the ability to be entrepreneurial earlier than us. And I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Podcast Host]

What scare you? And the reason why I say it is I think people see social media, they see you hanging out with all these incredible people. It seems like you have the best life. Is there anything that wakes you up at night and you're just like, wow,

[David Grutman]

I wake up hoping not to see red with the nightly sales report the next day. Right. That's what is always the scariest thing. You know, there's so many different things that could affect your business, especially in the hospitality business.

[GoFundMe Narrator]

This is a paid message from GoFundMe. Meet Juan Naula. When his son was hospitalized for a viral infection, Juan started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses.

[Juan Naula]

It was 5k to pay the bill for my son and I need only 22 hours. It was amazing. People really trust on GoFundMe.

[GoFundMe Narrator]

How did Juan raise $5,000 in less than a day? He posted a short video on GoFundMe telling his story in 30 seconds.

[Juan Naula]

30 seconds. Be specific, be quick and tell. What are you gonna be using the funds for? I was nervous to do it because it doesn't feel okay to ask money. But you shouldn't be nervous. Sometimes you just have to do it and see the results. We were able to save my son's life thanks to gofundme that we still have my son with us.

[GoFundMe Narrator]

Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme.com this message reflects one person's experience.

[David Grutman]

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[David Grutman]

From a new place opening to the weather being rainy outside, a special event that happened to be in the city that you never saw coming, you always just want to keep fighting, fighting, pushing, pushing.

[Podcast Host]

Did you ever have a moment where you, in your whole journey where you just said, you know what? I'm just gonna. I'm just gonna go get a job. Like, screw all this, I'm gonna go back to working.

[David Grutman]

It would be so nice to go get a job and let somebody else just worry about the fight and just worry about everything else. But I'm not built for that. I'm built to be a leader. I'm built to grow businesses and I'm

[Podcast Host]

built to build brands, just business in general. What are some of the ideas that you have for the future?

[David Grutman]

So, you know, investing in a lot of these different startups and consumer brand goods and stuff like that has been really rewarding for me. I'm looking at my brands that I have here that, you know, that I can grow outside. We're looking to outside America now. Big focus is growing my brands outside of not just Miami and not just America.

[Podcast Host]

I imagine partnerships can be incredible, but they could also go negative.

[David Grutman]

Yeah, sure.

[Podcast Host]

What do you look at when you talk to someone and you're like, I think this is the right partner?

[David Grutman]

I mean, I just don't find a partner overnight. It takes years of a relationship before I even consider a partner like that. And then you want to make sure that you're aligned with that partner in your goals, in the way you do things and how you set off to accomplish that. I think making sure that you're super aligned with whoever your partner is and that they bring something else to the table that you don't already have is always something I'm looking for. Like, I know what I'm really great at and I know what I'm really not great at. And I'm always looking for people that could help fill in those gaps that I'm not great at. And I think that's something for someone to take self inventory of themselves and be really honest with themselves and say, you know, I'm really great at marketing, but I'm not great at financials. I'm not great at controls or I'm great at the details and service, but you know what? I can't read a contract to save my life.

[Podcast Host]

How do you look at trust? Because I have an issue with trust sometimes when it comes to partnerships. I've only had very few partners because I have an issue with trust myself.

[David Grutman]

I hear this a lot, like, how do you trust people? How do you trust people? I trust people until they give me a reason to not trust them. And then, you know, once that trust is gone, it's gone.

[Podcast Host]

What makes you the most happy now?

[David Grutman]

Spending time with my daughters and my wife. It's like the coolest thing in the world.

[Podcast Host]

What do you like to do typically? What makes you most happy when you're spending time with your family?

[David Grutman]

I love a good cuddle with my girls. That's the best thing. And I love just them seeing me as dad.

[Podcast Host]

Is that part of your legacy when you look back? Is it more the business side, the parents side? What do you think about with legacy?

[David Grutman]

I think my legacy is of course I've. I helped grow some founders and make them better. Of course being a great father and great husband is something that I'm very proud of and I always try to push as the top thing. But hopefully my legacy is that my daughters go on to be greater than me.

[Podcast Host]

Amazing. Do you think there's a misconception about you or a misconception about maybe people that have a lot like are tied to a lot of famous people. Do you think there's like some misconceptions that people might have.

[David Grutman]

I think people might think that it's all like rainbows and it's all the most fun thing in the world, but like it's very stressful. Growing businesses, building brands, trying to just make sure people have such great added value around them. It just takes so much of your energy.

[Podcast Host]

Would you say you're more extroverted or more introverted? Like, do you thrive in the energy of people or like, exhausted?

[David Grutman]

No, no, no. I love giving it all out there and just getting people super, super excited and whatever I can do to make them happy. That brings me so much joy. I'm not one of these people that wants to be by themselves. I need people around me at all times.

[Podcast Host]

I can relate. When I'm in silence, it drives me insane.

[David Grutman]

Like, I have wheels are turning. The voice, I can't shut it off, the whole thing. I'm like, ah, where's somebody I could talk to?

[Podcast Host]

It is the worst. One of the most challenging things that I've done in my life was write a book with so much energy exhaustion. Why did you write this book?

[David Grutman]

I think it was important, man. I did this college. I taught this college course for five years at fiu and I had so many great things in there. And every year it would evolve, evolve, evolve. Because I was learning, my business was growing, and things were coming across my face that I never saw before. But. And I feel it was important to be able to convey that to the next generation of entrepreneurs because they don't teach some of this stuff in college. And that's why I said, you know what? I had the college course. Let me go ahead and give a book for it.

[Podcast Host]

What do you hope that people take away from this book?

[David Grutman]

I hope they take away that I'm no different than they are. I started off as a bartender at a restaurant in the Aventura mall. So if I could do it, they could definitely do it.

[Podcast Host]

I was talking earlier that I almost moved to Aventura, and sadly, I moved to Orlando. When I went to Aventura, I was very depressed that I didn't move there.

[David Grutman]

I'm sure you got to hang out with Mickey and you got to eat a lot of chain food restaurants, which was great. I love chain restaurants. So for me, it's the greatest.

[Podcast Host]

How have you seen Miami change? Because it seems like Miami is the hottest city right now, I imagine. And I remember Back to like 2008. It was like I saw a home, not even kidding, on South Beach. There was a home for sale for $100,000 cash in 2000. I think it was like 2009, 2010. During the crash.

[David Grutman]

Yeah, that's when, like, my hair, the person that was cutting my hair had four contracts for pre construction of condos. It was crazy back then, you know, Miami is definitely a real estate juggernaut right now, but it's also such a great city. You have everybody from all walks of life. But it's definitely had a migration from some of the greatest founders and kings of titans of business ever to be here now.

[Podcast Host]

So I wrote a book myself about the unlimited possibilities of breaking through barriers. What was a time in your life that was a barrier that you could consider to be an unlimited possibility, something that you never thought you could break through, but you did.

[David Grutman]

The restaurant business. To me, I didn't know I was going to be able to take what I learned in the nightlife business and then from my early days of being a server, manager, bartender, all that, to really be able to. To run a multiple unit restaurant group, hospitality group. Breaking through to that, that they all kind of connect and created their own ecosystem for me was the biggest game changer.

[Podcast Host]

By the way, I love Take it personal. We've talked to so many successful people, David, and everyone has said that that is the thing that made them successful. Was there anyone who you met in your life that totally was not how you thought they would be?

[David Grutman]

So you. There's so many people that you have a preconceived knows that they're going to be like this and they end up being like that. Many people I've come across that I thought. And as you come across people that you see on TV and the movies and you think that's how they are and in, in light of that, they're actually way more caring and way more engaging and, and people that you think are unapproachable or not even someone that you could even have a conversation with. I've had some of my best conversations

[Podcast Host]

with people are just people. I think we forget that that's it. This has been great. I can't wait to go to Miami. I need to see all the things that you're doing. And I hope everyone gets the book. It's incredible. Book. April 14th.

[David Grutman]

But you know, of course, get the book. I've given you the blueprint. Go read it, go apply it. Let me know how it goes for you.

[Podcast Host]

Well, Dave, this has been great. Take it personal. Everyone's got to get it. Love the story. Super inspired. Thanks for joining us today.

[David Grutman]

All right, man. Thank you.

[Thank You for Flossing Podcast Announcer]

Dentistry is changing fast. Keeping track has never been harder. That's why you have to check out the thank you for flossing podcast. It comes from the association of Dental Support Organizations and delivers unfiltered conversations with executives, innovators and clinicians driving the industry forward. From DSOs and innovation to workforce and policy, it's the smart listen for dental professionals who want to stay informed and ahead of the curve search. Thank you for flossing and subscribe today.

[David Grutman]

If you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.