← Kreatures Of Habit Podcast 
Kreatures Of Habit Podcast
Sobriety, Startups, and Showing Up with Aug11 Founder Johnathan Person
00:58:06
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- [00:00]
A
One of the coolest things about running this brand, and I'm sure you can relate to this about being an entrepreneur, it's less and less about, like, how my company's doing. It's become more and more about the growth of me as a man. You know, like, being an entrepreneur is a mirror that you're faced with, and you are the first and the last stop on this journey. If something doesn't work, it is because of me. So I have to face the hardest parts about myself and be brutally honest with myself and say, if I don't fix this or if I don't try to work through this, or if I'm not honest with myself, my company will not succeed. I need to level up, get better in order for my company to go where I want it to go. And that, to me, has been, like, the most rewarding aspect of it.
- [00:44]
B
I'm Michael Chernow and this is the Creatures of Habit podcast. Our habits will make us or break us. It's just that simple. I've lived on both sides of the tracks and have learned that the decisions we make on a consistent basis to truly define who we are as human beings. On this show, I will be interviewing some of the most inspiring, motivating, and high performing humans I've encountered to share their daily habits, routines, and rituals that help them stay on top of their game and ultimately happy. So sit back, relax, and pay attention, because what you hear over the next 30 to 45 minutes could potentially change your life.
- [01:26]
A
Let's go.
- [01:28]
B
I want to, like, kick something off here for anybody listening. We're two sober guys.
- [01:34]
A
Yes.
- [01:35]
B
Right.
- [01:35]
A
How long have you been sober, by the way?
- [01:37]
B
August 2nd will be 21 years.
- [01:39]
A
21.
- [01:40]
B
21. Congratulations, man. It's crazy, but we're two sober guys that were not sober before we got sober.
- [01:48]
A
And that's one way to put it.
- [01:50]
B
Yeah. And probably not living our best lives.
- [01:55]
A
Definitely not.
- [01:57]
B
And there's a lot of people out there that listen to this podcast, but just in the world that don't think sobriety is real for them or possible for them or attainable for them. And I just want to make it so clear right now on this podcast that there are two guys here that have years in sobriety. I don't even have to, like, question this, that your life is awesome. I could look at you and I know that your life is awesome.
- [02:34]
A
Yeah.
- [02:34]
B
Like, way more awesome than you thought your life was going to be.
- [02:37]
A
Absolutely.
- [02:39]
B
So I just wanted to start by just the podcast by just saying sobriety is fucking awesome.
- [02:44]
A
For people that struggle with addiction. I agree. 100. I think there's a caveat there, right? People who think that sobriety is not possible. Because I'm sure there is a long period for you where you did not think sobriety was possible. You tried everything inside out, up, down, left, right, to get sober or only drink on the weekends, or only do whatever you were doing whenever you wanted to do it and try to build some structure. Right? I 100 didn't think sobriety was possible. I'll go out. I've. I have a big group of friends in Atlanta. I'll go out with people. We'll go to clubs. Sometimes we'll get tables, sometimes we'll do whatever. Right? Like, that's not my thing that I choose to go out to do regularly. But, like, it happens sometimes with people we hang out with. I have a phenomenal time. And whenever there's somebody new in the group and they'll be like, wait, you don't drink? How do you. How did you just go have, like, fun the other night? Or it doesn't bother you hanging out with people that drink? Or it doesn't. And again, I'm not saying if you're sober, you should go and hang out with people that drink and go out and party and et cetera. But I can go anywhere and do anything and have a phenomenal time. And I've been sober for 14 years. Fourteen years ago, I would not have ever expected that I would be able to go out, feel comfortable in my own skin, be able to make genuine connections with people, be able to have an absolutely phenomenal time and feel great the next morning. And it's like, it's still weird to me to this day, right? Like, I'll go a month and I'll be like, oh, I haven't thought about drinking in, like, 14 years, you know, but because there's also a caveat here. I reached the lowest possible depths of life to be able to now have this, right? Like, I went through the thick of hell and pain and suffering until I finally decided, okay, I'm done digging this hole. So I'm sure you can relate to that. But, like, it doesn't come. One doesn't really come without the other.
- [04:36]
B
You know, I think one of the hardest places to be, and, you know, I can't relate to it because I also had, like, a super duper dark deep low. I think one of the hardest places to be, though, for people that are struggling are the ones that don't have, like, that are not, like, Financially struggling and. But that. But just deep down inside, their addiction is killing them, and they hate themselves. And. But if you were to meet them at an event, you might not know that that person is struggling with addiction.
- [05:10]
A
They're Mr. Happy, Go Lucky, charismatic. Everybody thinks everything's good on the outside, but inside they want it.
- [05:15]
B
Right. And so what. What I want to say to that person, because I know. I know. I know a bunch of them right now, like, who are. Who are friends who know that there is, like, something severe happening or has been happening for a long time. I just. I think it's just so important, you know, to. To express this idea that, like, being sober is fucking awesome. It just is. It's just awesome, you know, and there's no doubt, like, I was just in Europe with my wife. We were. And my kids, and we were sitting at this amazing coastline fucking wine and cheese spot. And my. I look over my wife, she's sipping on a glass of, and I'm saying, I said to myself, damn, man. Like, would it be awesome to just, like, have a bottle of wine with my wife? Hold on.
- [06:08]
A
You said bottle of wine? Yeah. You didn't say glass of wine.
- [06:11]
B
Right, that's.
- [06:12]
A
That's a caveat.
- [06:12]
B
Right? That's a good caveat because that's facts. But, like, you know, like, would it be awesome? And do those thoughts come fucking. Yeah, they do. Like, do I entertain it for any period of time? No, because I just know.
- [06:25]
A
Yeah.
- [06:26]
B
That, like, what happens for me is, like, we'll be sitting at that really beautiful coastline, whatever wine and cheese spot, with my two kids. I have a few bottles of wine, and before I know it, I'm hitting on the waitress.
- [06:41]
A
Yeah.
- [06:41]
B
And, like, trying to get her into the bathroom, you know what I'm saying? Like, with my wife and kids there. And that is. That is the sickness. Right. So I just, I. You know, when. When having you on. On the podcast, it's just always awesome for me to get another person who's succeeding and thriving in. Because there are also people that are in sobriety that are just not right. That don't put the. That don't put the. I'm not going to pass any judgment, but I do think that, you know, there's a way to hide out in recovery and not, like, get after your life.
- [07:20]
A
I agree entirely. There's a few things I want to touch on based on what we just talked about, but there's an Alano Club in Costa Mesa, California, that I. I grew up there. My dad used to go to meetings There, I played the, like, the video arcade games there from, like, five years old till I was, like, 14. And then I started going to meetings there when I got sober, and I'll go to meetings there, and there's like, four people that show up to every single meeting, every single day, and they just sit there and they recite things from the big book or the basic text or whatever it is. They talk about how beautiful life is, but, like, you can tell they're unhealthy. You can just see it in their eyes that they're unhappy and they're not really going out and fulfilling anything. And usually, in my opinion, it's based on fear. Right? But, like, I know plenty of people in recovery who are not truly, truly thriving. Like, I can see that. Hands down, something I wanted to go back and touch on, though, that you said. I think it's important to talk about this, especially within sobriety. People ask me this all the time. Do you ever think about drinking? I don't get the urge to drink. I don't get the urge to do drugs. But I do get the thought sometimes I'm like, it'd be nice to just be able to sit on a beach and smoke a joint with your boys and then, like, maybe have a glass of wine. But the difference is, I know I don't want to smoke a joint. I want to get, like, an ounce of weed and just do that only for like a week. And then probably get. I'll get a couple bottles of wine, and then I'll black out. And then before I know it, I'm here. I want to get here. And then I'm going to go get a prescription for Xanax, and then I'm going to go get a prescription for OxyContin. Then I'm going to run out of that, and then I'm going to go find some heroin because I don't have anything else left. And then I don't have a job. Then I've spent all my money. Then I'm walking up and down streets, breaking into cars, and then I end up in jail. Like, that is the series of events that unfolds. But that starts with, I can have a glass of wine. You know, like, this looks really pretty. This looks really fun. I don't want a glass of wine. I want two bottles to myself, alone in a room, quiet, with the lights.
- [09:23]
B
Truthfully, actually, you probably do just want a glass of wine. Yes, but the problem is that you can't have a glass.
- [09:30]
A
I know it doesn't stop there.
- [09:31]
B
It doesn't stop there because we have. So I had a double board certified neurologist and addiction specialist on the podcast three or four months ago. This guy, Dr. Russell Swarovski, he has spent the last 10 years of his career diving into addiction and understanding through his neurology practice. Understanding. You know. You know, we hear in the program, addiction is disease. Right. Like, it's for. It's one of the most common things said in the 12 steps. Addiction is disease. For years I was just like, all right, you know, I mean, I get it, but like, you know, is it really a disease?
- [10:10]
A
Like, there's not a lot of definitive science on.
- [10:13]
B
No, there is. It is a disease. It is. It is. So according to Dr. Russell Swarovski, it is a disease. Like our lipid system, which basically controls dopamine, is firing at like a 10x in comparison to someone that does not. And this was another thing that he sort of, you know, like, introduced to me, which was, you know, you're not an addict because that means that's, that's, that's like putting yourself in a category. You have addiction. Like, he was like, you have addiction. Like, people with cancer don't say, I, I am cancer. You know, I'm saying, they have cancer. Similarly, I am not an addict. I have addiction. And, and that, that, that kind of helped me kind of see this thing. He was like, your brain is different than other people's brains that do not have addiction. It is just through his. Through the science. Through the science. So that was, like, really helpful because.
- [11:15]
A
Did he touch on, like, ADHD or anything like that with.
- [11:19]
B
Yes.
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A
Addiction.
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B
Yep.
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A
Because ADHD is e. Like a lack of dopamine, more or less. Right.
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B
He basically said that, that if you are diagnosed with ADHD, you have a 70% chance risk of falling into addiction.
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A
Really?
- [11:35]
B
Yeah. So addiction is like, you know, it's, it's a, it's a dopamine thing. And, and it's powered by the lipid system. And basically, the way I conduct in my life, and I am sure the way you conduct in your life, in sobriety, is such that you can't do things like, half ass normally.
- [11:58]
A
I. I tell everybody I do everything alcoholically.
- [12:00]
B
Yeah. Right.
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A
Like, right. I work alcoholically. I work out alcoholically. Like, if those things were bad for you, I'd be screwed. Yeah, yeah.
- [12:08]
B
And like, like, you didn't. Like, when we connected, you were like, yeah, I'll send you. You didn't send me a hat. You sent me, like, 14, you know, and I Was like, you didn't send.
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A
Me a box of meal. One. You sent me, like, 15 boxes of meal.
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B
Exactly.
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A
And you know what? I didn't just eat one. I've eaten them every single day.
- [12:24]
B
Right? And so, like, I. Look, it's. It's the way I conduct in my life with everything I do, whether it's entrepreneurship, whether it's wanting to be the best dad in the world, whether it's, you know, fitness, like nutrition, like, I do it all that way. So it's. It's so clear to me that, like, if I were to step over that line, it's all bets off, I think.
- [12:49]
A
Okay, I have an interesting, interesting story about how I. After I was sober for a long time, I realized how bad my alcoholism was. And then I want to get into. I want to ask you some questions about, like, habits that you go through that you notice are still related sort of to alcoholism. But. Okay, story on what you're talking about. I hadn't smoked a cigarette in, like, six years. I would smoke cigars every now and then. This is six years into my sobriety, right? I went to jail. Somebody offered me a cigarette in jail. I was like, for what? I'm already, like, done.
- [13:20]
B
Six years into sobriety, you went to jail?
- [13:22]
A
No, no, no, no. When I was in jail, okay, I was, you know what, a month sober or something. I had already not smoked a cigarette. I was smoking, like, a pack a day. Somebody offered me one. I'm like, I might as well just quit. So, no, thank you. Because I knew if I smoked one while I was in jail, I just want.
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B
Right?
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A
And there was only one. You can't get access to more in.
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B
Jail unless you want to do some unsavory shit.
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A
Unless you want to do some shit. Which I did not want to do. I did not want to stay in there a day longer than I needed to. Got out of jail, stopped smoking. I was like, I'm just going to be clean and sober off everything. I would smoke cigars every now and then with people. Time goes on. Six years into sobriety, haven't smoked a cigarette. I go to Europe with my girlfriend at the time, and she says, we're going to smoke cigarettes while we're there. Everybody smokes cigarettes in Europe. I'm like, cool, I could have a cigarette or two, right? Just while I'm in Europe, I come back, won't have a cigarette at all. First night we're there smoking a cigarette, I'm like, hey, let me get another one. Smoking another cigarette. We're Smoking a cigarette. Going back to our Airbnb. We're sharing a cigarette. And she goes, I'm gonna go upstairs. I'm like, cool. I'm just gonna finish this cigarette. I didn't want her to see, like, how addict focused I was, so I didn't ask her for another one. She went upstairs.
- [14:34]
B
You bummed?
- [14:35]
A
I'm Googling on my phone how to ask people in French for a cigarette. So I'm walking around the block of our Airbnb, looking at Google Translate, and I think it's like, avec un cigarette or something. And people are like, what the fuck's wrong with this guy? Some random American kid asking people for cigarettes. I smoke another cigarette. She's like, where were you? I was like, I went and got another cigarette. She goes, are you homeless? What's wrong with you? But it's a thought process, right? Since that day, I have been addicted in some way, shape, or form to nicotine. Like, I'm still.
- [15:10]
B
Yeah, me too. Me too.
- [15:11]
A
Zen. And it's been a battle since then. So for the last eight years, from that one cigarette, it's been back and forth on nicotine since then. I should have just stayed stopped. But my point is, is I do that with literally everything.
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B
Yeah.
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A
With work, I'm the same way with working out, I'm the same way with anything. I do it alcoholically.
- [15:29]
B
I'm. I'm. I'm, like, getting to this place in my life, which I'm, like. I'm, like, excited about, but also a little nervous about, specifically around working out and, like, needing to compete, because I just am naturally just a super competitive dude. And so, like, anything that I'm doing, like, I traditionally just want to compete in it, you know, like, if I'm doing business, like, I'm the guy that's just going to fucking die on the hill, and I'm going to compete to the death. And, like, I will. I will not fail.
- [16:00]
A
I will work everybody.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Even if I die, I will.
- [16:03]
B
I will do what I got to do. But I'm, like, trying this hat on for size. No pun intended.
- [16:11]
A
Pun definitely intended.
- [16:12]
B
Yeah, but I. I am trying this. This. This new thing out. We're like, I'm not gonna work out every day.
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A
Really?
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B
I'm not gonna work out every day because the truth is, is that, like, I'm feeling like I don't. I actually feel like I could keep the physique that I have and not actually work out every day. Like, I think that I could do that. Working out four days A week? Three, four days a week?
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A
Yeah. If your diet's tight.
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B
If your diet's tight. Yeah.
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A
You don't have as much room for error. For sure. You definitely don't.
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B
You definitely don't. And. But I will say this. I was just. And this is. This is a brand new thing. I was just in Europe and I, like, every time. My wife is Danish, so we go to Europe every summer. And while I was there, like, I just, you know, I ate what they ate, which was mainly bread and cheese, which was delicious.
- [17:13]
A
Yeah.
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B
Pizza.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And ice cream. Every night, if not every night and every afternoon, I just did it.
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A
But it didn't feel like you were cheating while you were there?
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B
Well, it, you know, like, it. What?
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A
Their food's different, more or less. Right. They have, like, different wheat germ that they use for everything. Like, it's a lot cleaner.
- [17:32]
B
It's a lot cleaner. But at the end of the day, for someone like me, and I would imagine someone like you, like, you go, like 10 days eating like shit and you feel terrible about yourself.
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A
Not gonna happen. You know, I'm in the gym seven days a week after that for, like, three hours. Yeah.
- [17:43]
B
Right. So I am now kind of coming to this. Right, Exactly. Fasting, like, not eating, like anorexic.
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A
Just psychotic.
- [17:51]
B
Yeah. I'm so sick. It's so sick. But, like, I'm so grateful that you. I. I'm, like, looking forward to being. To have this conversation because I think it's important to have.
- [18:02]
A
So I have a question about sort of, what was the impetus for you getting to the point where you're like, I don't need to work out seven days a week. And were you genuinely working out seven days a week? Did you ever give yourself a rest?
- [18:12]
B
Days and Sundays off, basically.
- [18:14]
A
Sundays off entirely. Or were you like.
- [18:15]
B
I mean, I would walk.
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A
Yeah.
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B
I always walk.
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A
How far were you walking?
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B
Four miles.
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A
So you weren't going on a casual walk?
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B
No, but I was walking for an.
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A
Hour and a half.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Basically getting your heart rate almost in zone two.
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B
Yeah.
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A
You're basically running, but.
- [18:29]
B
But, like, not. Not, like, not sweating to you.
- [18:33]
A
It's light. Yeah, yeah, but to, like, the average human being, like. You walked four miles. What are you talking about? Right, so your rest day was even alcoholic. Yeah.
- [18:40]
B
I mean, I wish I just didn't have that. I really do. I wish that I didn't have that because I also know that, like, at a. I mean, it sounds kind of weird for me to say, but the fact is, dude, I'm going to be 45 in a month.
- [18:56]
A
Yeah.
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B
You know, like, I am. I'm going to be 45 and I conduct and train and live my life.
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A
Like you're 25.
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B
Like, I'm 25.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And. And I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for that. But I also am starting to feel a little bit of that.
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A
The fatigue.
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B
Yeah.
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A
The recovery isn't as good.
- [19:17]
B
Like, I want to be, like, when my son's my. My older is 10 and he loves football, you know, and I love football. And I want to like at like 7 o' clock at night when he's like, yo, dad, let's go out and play, you know, play football and run some routes. I want to be like, yeah, dude, like, let's run routes. Yeah, like, I want to do that. And there are days where I'm just like, not like, I'm just like, oh, man, I'm tired, dude. You know, and so I just think that. But I'm just coming to this place where like, like I. I really do believe that, that I can regulate better. I can regulate better.
- [19:55]
A
Everything is better in moderation, even. In moderation. Or even moderation, whatever the saying is. So what was, what was the impetus for you then? Like, what was the series of events in your life that led you to sort of this realization? Because I went through something similar, right? Like, I went through a heavy breakup probably two and a half years ago, and I went full psychotic with my workouts. I was. I would go on a run, fasted first thing in the morning, and then sometimes I'd just come back to the crib, drink some electrolytes, and then I'd go lift, and then I'd eat like a small meal and then I'd go play pickleball for like two and a half hours and then just eat a huge meal at the end of the night and then do it all over again, like six days a week. And I got to the point where I was like, I can't. This is not healthy.
- [20:38]
B
It's not healthy.
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A
It feels healthy. Everybody from the outside is like, oh, you look amazing. And I'm like, yeah, I feel great. And little did I know I'm running off of adrenaline and not healthy. Running off adrenaline and, like, hurt feelings, more or less, right? But I finally got to a point in probably the last six months where it's like, if I can only get into the gym four days a week, I'm okay with that as long as I get my full body split in and I have like a Day of cardio. It's gotten less hard on the days when I'm not working out where I'm like, okay, I can be gentle on myself. I'm not a piece of. Because I didn't work out. I'm not going to gain £10 overnight. You know, I'm not going to be a lazy bum. Like, it's okay for me to have these days and just like not go so hard on it. So I'm curious what the series of events for you was, because I'm sure there's a lot of people listening who probably deal with the same thing. And they might not be addicts, but they're addicted to workouts or whatever it is, right? Or their diet or whatever it is. And I think it's important to realize, like, you cannot. You don't have to go so hard. So, like, what was the. Yeah, I mean, it was, it was.
- [21:40]
B
A bit of a string of things. It was. So I hosted this men's retreat on June 19th.
- [21:47]
A
Sounds like it was pretty powerful for you.
- [21:48]
B
It was ground shaking, man. It was amazing. So, hosted this men's retreat. No working out.
- [21:54]
A
Was it a sobriety men's retreat or just like guys?
- [21:57]
B
It was just 30 guys. 30 guys on my property. Very, very intentionally. The only workout we did was a four mile ruck. That was it, the whole four days. And, and I, and I felt really good. I felt really good. And then right after that four day retreat, I had a few days at home. I worked out a little bit, but I, my, my. I have. I'm like kind of battling a few injuries. So I did like, didn't go so hard. And then we went to Europe and in Europe I did like very light jogging, like two or three miles, you know, every other day. And I didn't, I didn't do any lifting. And like, my body was like feeling good and I felt like I looked good and I just had more energy. And so, I mean, now a lot.
- [22:40]
A
Less inflammation in your body.
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B
A lot less inflammation. Like I, my barometer is this, like, can I take my wedding band on and off my finger? Right? And like, honestly, I know this sounds ridiculous, but like probably seven months out of the year, I can't really, because of the inflammation in my body, because of how hard I go just in life, right? Like work, family, business. But. And so it just kind of like it's, it's given me an opportunity to just like sit and say, all right, dude, like, let's, let's look at what it's for. Like, what Are you training so hard for? Like, why do you feel the need to train so hard? And really, if I'm being honest and transparent, it's for other people. Yeah, it's for other people. Like, I want to look good. I want to look good.
- [23:26]
A
And you want people to know I'm.
- [23:27]
B
A fucking badass right now. One thing that I will say is this, and, and, and, and, and, and anybody who kind of doesn't or, or denies the fact, like, if they work out a lot that they really give a shit about what they look like is probably lying to you. Right. Like, it's, it's. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I actually think it's great. Like, you want to, you want to put in the work to look your best, go for it. I support that. I believe that. But when it gets to a point where, and where it has for me, on and off throughout my sort of training journey, like, I don't feel good if I don't do it. That's just an unhealthy place to be. It just is an unhealthy place to be. So the impetus was the men's retreat leading into like a few, a few injuries that I'm sort of negotiating right now and then going to Europe and like being like a normal person and, you know, I'm just kind of like in that place where I feel like I'm just gonna try it on and just see what it feels like and see if I can. Because yeah, man, it does. For what I look like is important to me. Just is, you know, it's important to me.
- [24:31]
A
To most people it is. And it's the first thing somebody sees and it's gonna determine if, like, somebody that you don't know has a level of respect for you too. More or less. Right? Yeah.
- [24:39]
B
Like when you want to admit it or not, when you walk into a room and you're in great shape, it says this person's disciplined. It just does. You know what I'm saying?
- [24:46]
A
Do hard shit.
- [24:47]
B
Yeah. Interrupting this episode to share with you how we keep this podcast going, and that is by you supporting us through trying out or subscribing to meal1on creaturesofhabit.com I am giving a 20% discount on your first order or your first subscription order, which is a serious discount. Meal one is a superfood meal. It is a blend of gluten and glyphosate free oats. It is packed with 30 grams of plant based protein, omega 3 fatty acids, a probiotic digestive enzymes, vitamin D3. It also has chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and a little bit of pink Himalayan Salt. There are 37 grams of healthy carbohydrates and anywhere from 7 to 10 grams of fat, depending on the flavor. You will be full for hours, people, I promise you. We developed Meal one to help you perform at your absolute best to get that incredibly healthy and convenient edge on the competition. There is not a better, more convenient meal to start your day with or use as a pre or post workout meal. The macros are perfect and sourced with the cleanest ingredients in the game. Take your performance to the next level. Make your life much easier by saving time. Be able to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor and all while staying full for hours, making your urge to snack far, far less. Hop over the creatures of habit.com that is creaturesofhabit.com and use promo code Kohpod the number 20 for your first order of meal one today. Back to the pod. I want to ask you about some habits I want to ask you about because I know how important my morning routine is and my morning routine has gone through a number of different iterations and versions. Long, short, you know. But do you have a morning routine?
- [26:27]
A
I do have a morning routine. I'm very disciplined about it.
- [26:30]
B
Okay, let's hear it.
- [26:31]
A
So for me, I think it's interesting, right? A lot of people look at business owners and they think, oh, he probably gets up at like 5am every morning and does this crazy routine. I went through a period in my life where I tried to do the get up at 4:45 in the morning thing, go on a walk first thing, then do my morning routine. I am not a morning person whatsoever. Like, mornings are no good for me. It's been that way my entire life. When I grew up, my mom was working at like a concert hall. My dad worked graveyard shifts at the hospital. So like, neither of my parents, when I sit at either of their houses were consistently morning people, right? Maybe it's nurture, maybe it's genetics. I don't know. I go to sleep very late, like 1, 2 in the morning. My brain turns on at 10pm and I'm working, I'm creating, I'm doing something that's interesting to me. To me, that is the people who get up at 4am and nobody's bothering them from 10 to 2am, like that's it for me. So I'll wake up, I don't know, 10am Every single morning. First thing I do, make A cup of coffee, black Americano. Fill up a Stanley full of water with some Baja Gold sea salt. So I'm making sure that I'm getting my electrolytes and getting remineralized. Sometimes I'll do the molecular hydrogen tablets. But like, these are non negotiables for me. First thing in the morning, I'll drink that whole thing of water, drink my coffee, sit down. When I first got sober, this is where I built my routine, right? Because I was told if you don't spend intentional time with God first thing in the morning, like, your day is not set up for success. And I knew that I needed to do every single thing possible to ensure my potential to stay sober. Because if I didn't, I was going to die or end up in jail. So that was the most important thing for me, spending time with God. And that came in a lot of different forms. I started reading like sobriety daily meditation books, right? That has transformed over the years. Those felt repetitive to me. Now I read a daily meditation book out of from three different books. One of them is Adult Children of Alcoholics. Because I've been going through a lot of therapy, a lot of, like, trying to become the best version of myself to some to prepare myself for fatherhood and becoming the best husband that I could possibly be. And like, working through a lot of this past trauma shit that I have for my childhood that I know continues to show up for me in relationships. I don't remember what the series of events was, but my brain or like my life and God pointed me to adult children of alcoholics. So I read a morning page out of that every day. And that hits me right in between the eyes. Sometimes I'm like, oh, no wonder I do xyz. Let's work on this. Another book that I read of daily meditation is the Language of Letting Go by Melody Beatty. Phenomenal book on codependency. That book will hit me right in between the eyes. And then a new book that I've added into this is Robert Greene's the Daily Laws. I wanted to read the 48 laws of power. I picked it up and I was like, this is a textbook. I'm not going to spend the time to sit down and read this 500 page book. Too extensive. So I bought his Daily Laws book. It kind of touches on some of his concepts. The dude's a little crazy and some of the stuff feels a little bit manipulative. So like, I take it with a grain of salt. But there's some good business advice in there. Etc. Once I do that, finish reading those three pages, I'm usually done with my coffee. I sit down and I read my goals for the year. So at the beginning of every year, I'll sit down, I'll write down my goals for whatever I want to be this year in a structured format. So like personal, health, business, family, and then like fun, right? So I have five categories. I'll sit down, I'll read my goals, I'll sit down and I'll read my affirmations. And then I have a set of seven prayers. And I'll sit down and go through my seven prayers, and it's like, gratitude, thank you, God, for keeping me sober. And I'll genuinely sit down and think, what. What am I actually grateful for today? Instead of, you know, routine oftentimes can become so rote, right? I'm not sitting there going, I'm grateful for my sobriety, I'm grateful for my health. I, like, sit down and I'm like, I'm grateful that I get to wear these sweatpants this morning and, like, have this great coffee. Or I'm grateful that I have this event that I'm going to today. Or what is. I'll sit time and be intentional with what I'm thinking about. And then I have six other prayers after that's done. Sometimes I'll sit down and meditate for like five to 10 minutes. And I'm not. There's no real structure to meditation. I just try to sit and get quiet and try to listen to God. I used to think that meditation was me trying to, like, communicate with God or whatever it is. I've learned over the last probably three years that meditation is a time to sit and try to listen to God, see what God's trying to say to me with all the things that are going on in my life. And often that comes as like, an intuitive feeling in my gut. So I'll sit and try to do that, and once all that's done, the rest of the day just happens, start working, whatever. But if I don't do that in the morning, my day feels off. If for whatever reason, like, I have to rush out of the house in the morning, I got up late and I didn't get to read my books. Like, I'll read them before I go to bed just so I can check that off the list. Over 14 years, there's probably been five days that I have not gone through and read those books. Whether it's first thing in the morning or end of the day. That is probably the alcoholic part of me being like, I have to be as disciplined as humanly possible, otherwise I'm. You know, I could go get loaded. Right. But hands down, like, the most important thing for me. And then I have, like, a nighttime routine that's a little. Slightly ocd.
- [31:47]
B
Yeah. So we might as well just bang them both out because I. You know, a lot of the people that listen to this podcast, they get to take tools, you know, specifically around these morning and evening routines. And, I mean, we have. The podcast has evolved a bunch where we're not only talking about habits these days, but I do like to fit them in.
- [32:05]
A
Yeah. Habits are crucial for me. I'm a big fan of systems. Right. Because if I don't have systems, my brain goes off the rails. I need some sort of structure. So we went through my morning routine. My nighttime routine consists of this thing that I call the five by five. I created it when I was in the process of going through the end of my last relationship with the woman who I was convinced I was going to marry, have children with, etc. I could not go to sleep at night because I had so much anxiety going through this period. And I had always had a nighttime routine, but it's evolved into this. So I created this system called the 5x5. I will sit down and I will journal for five minutes. And I don't do it by hand because I can't write fast enough, and my hand starts to cramp. So I'll journal on my computer, usually blue light blocking, glasses on, so I'm not fucking up my circadian rhythm. And then I will write out my entire list of things that I need to do for the next day. And then I will pray for five minutes, and then I'll stretch for five minutes, and then I go to bed. And I have this weird thing, like, in between stretching for five minutes and going to bed, where I check my locks, like, very ocd. I think alcoholism and OCD kind of go hand in hand. I have to make sure my doors are locked, like, as far as humanly possible, to the right, where there's no play in the lock. And then I, like, look through my people, a couple. It's a little weird. I'm a little ocd. I got a little bit of that. But I'll go to bed, and then I read a minimum of five pages, and this five by five is. It's a minimum number. So, like, journal for five minutes. Sure. It could turn into 30 minutes, pray for five minutes, could turn into 20 minutes, stretch for five minutes could turn into 20 minutes, read five pages, could turn into 20 pages. But the biggest aspect of that nighttime for me, that nighttime routine for me is the journaling. And I realized that if I do a brain dump at the end of the day, I'm not going to bed with all of these racing thoughts. And if I'm laying down in bed and I have these things going through my mind, I'll just take a post it note, write it down, put it on my office desk, and I'll be like, I'm not going to worry about that tonight. I'm going to worry about it tomorrow. I notice if I don't write those things down or don't get my thoughts out, it is much harder for me to go to sleep. So my life has gotten much better since I've implemented that routine.
- [34:10]
B
I like that. Five by five. That's good. We're going to definitely have to point to that in the show notes and write that down because I think that's a really, really great system.
- [34:18]
A
Yeah, I like that system. It's been super helpful.
- [34:20]
B
It sounds. It sounds it. So you're not just a sober guy sitting across from me. You have an awesome apparel company called Aug11. And when I was introduced to you and I saw Aug11, I was. I immediately thought because I was introduced to you in this sober world, I was like, oh, this anniversary got Justin, right? Yeah, yeah. I was like, his anniversary's gotta be August 11th. And then I found out that's not the case.
- [34:46]
A
Yeah, a lot of people think that.
- [34:48]
B
Yeah.
- [34:48]
A
I found this out this week. I'm like, oh, that makes sense. Really? A lot of people think it's my sobriety day.
- [34:54]
B
I thought it was your sobriety day because my sobriety dates in August, I was like, oh, another August, dude. So why don't you just tell us about the biz and you know, the fact that being an entrepreneur is a. It works really well for addicts in recovery.
- [35:10]
A
Yes, it does.
- [35:11]
B
It's like it's a painful process and I think we kind of somehow, some way, for whatever reason, enjoy that. So talk about Aug11 for a bit.
- [35:20]
A
We like to revel in the pain as alcoholics, so being an entrepreneur is very much right up our alley. So August 11th is my little sister's birthday. I was sitting in jail at the age of 20. I went to court and they offered me six years in prison and a strike on my record. And I got on the phone, when I got back to my cell, I said, mom, you don't Understand what they're trying to do to me. They won't offer me six years in prison. Strike. On my record, if you're not familiar with the strike system, once you get three strikes, you go to prison for life. So the fact that I was going to be 30% of the way there, like, kind of shook something within me, but I don't think I was genuinely ready to get sober yet at that point. I call my mom. I say, mom, you got to get me a lawyer. She goes, you got to be fucking kidding me. After everything you just put us through for the last four years? Talk to your little sister. My little sister's seven years old. My mom and stepdad are going through a nasty divorce. Her big brother, who's supposed to be like, her protector in my mind, is gone. In jail, she doesn't know what's going on. My little sister gets on the phone, and she says in the cutest, like, just the sweetest, most heartbreaking voice you could think of, she says, so does this mean you're not going to live with me anymore? I lost it, man. Like, I. I started crying like I had never cried before. I went back to my bunk, and I realized, like, okay, this is the moment where now I have a choice. I'm ready to do something different. I'm either going to go this. Down this route and end up like all these guys who I'm in jail with right now who've been in and out of here for the last 5, 10, 15 years, or have an opportunity to go this way. I've seen where this route's getting me. Like, let's make a choice. And I decided right then and there that's that's gonna be it for me. And I've been sober since that day. I took, like, a sleeping pill while I was in jail to help me get through withdrawals, whatever. So my sobriety dates December 19, 2010. But to me, I've wanted to own an apparel brand since I was a kid. I grew up in industrial Costa Mesa next to Hurley, Volcom, Acme Skateboards, who made skateboards for, like, Habitat Alien Workshop. Like, I grew up in that whole world, and I just always thought it'd be cool to own an apparel company, you know? And I thought that was the only way that I could have tattoos and own a Rolex. You know, like, growing up in Newport beach, it was all successful guys that were, like, in business suits, and that was the only way you could get a Rolex. And I was like, but I want to have tattoos. So I guess I got to start a company at an early age that was ingrained into me. I don't know where I came up.
- [37:36]
B
With that, but I love it.
- [37:37]
A
It works. It works. So, yeah, I've always wanted an apparel company and you know, I had been in the fashion space for about 10 years and went through breakup, owned a blockchain technology company, did really well in that. That whole company went to shit, took a year break and then finally everything clicked where it was like, Aug, 11 is going to be the thing that I kind of die on, you know, something that I could pass on to my children. And to be able to have my sister's name and like birthday stamped onto that to something that is so meaningful to me is kind of one of the coolest things in the world. It's definitely brought my sister and I closer to each other. And yeah, we make hats, quality hats that fit perfect, guaranteed. It has been an absolute grind. There's a lot of things that I'm not super that I don't enjoy about it a lot. But there's so many things that I absolutely love about it. And one of the coolest things about running this brand, and I'm sure you can relate to this about being an entrepreneur, it's less and less about like how my company's doing. It's become more and more about the growth of me as a man. You know, like, being an entrepreneur is a mirror that you're faced with and you are the first and the last stop on this journey. If something doesn't work, it is because of me. So I have to face the hardest parts about myself and be brutally honest with myself and say if I don't fix this or if I don't try to work through this or if I'm not honest with myself, my company will not succeed. I need to level up, get better in order for my company to go where I want it to go. And that to me has been like the most rewarding aspect of it.
- [39:17]
B
What do you hate about being an entrepreneur or not? Or not. Maybe hates a little strong but like what do you dislike about it?
- [39:23]
A
Admin all like the non fun stuff, you know, people get to see like the drops that sell out. People get to see Aaron Judge wearing the hats. Dom Dolla on stage at Coachella, Drew Holiday. Like, yeah, that's all fun and dandy. Like I love being able to design a collection but like I have to break down my finances and forecast out. I have to continue to work with my manufacturer to try to get terms. So that we can be more cash flow positive. Like the planning out of all the boring admin stuff that nobody sees is like my least favorite thing. I'm currently working on duplicating myself to have somebody else do that who's far better at that than I am. I feel like I've done a pretty good job so far, but I know if I don't bring on like a CFO and like a director of operations soon, I'm going to hit a wall. And I don't want to be a bottleneck. I want to give us as much room to grow as humanly possible.
- [40:10]
B
There's. I was listening to this really amazing podcast that you should listen to. It's on. It's on Chris Williamson's show with Dan Martel. And Dan Martel is. His whole entire world is about delegating everything. Like, everything. Right. And I remember speaking to a really, really successful CEO. I don't know where I was it was this year, but I had asked him, I was like, so in your mind, what does a CEO do? And he was like, in an ideal world, think. And I was like, that makes a lot of sense in an ideal world. But I think really the role of CEO, I also think that there is actually a real delineation between a founder and a CEO. Right. You see, founder CEO is kind of like a. It's like a. It's like one word these days, like founder CEO.
- [41:21]
A
Yeah.
- [41:22]
B
Fact is, you know, being a founder and being a CEO is a different skill set. It just is, you know, And I think in a lot of cases, the founder falls into the CEO role when they launch the company. But, like, are you really a CEO or are you like someone who had the balls to like, bring a company to fruition? Right.
- [41:42]
A
Are you just somebody crazy enough to take on all that fucking risk and figure it out no matter what. What.
- [41:47]
B
Right.
- [41:47]
A
Necessarily mean you're an effective CEO, but like, you kind of figured it out when I.
- [41:52]
B
When I. When the meatballs or not. Not actually the meatball job. When. When Seymour's, my second restaurant concept got to a place where we were. We were like at a healthy, like eight figure business and there were almost 400 employees. And I was like, were you still.
- [42:12]
A
CEO at that point?
- [42:13]
B
Yeah.
- [42:13]
A
Okay.
- [42:14]
B
And I was like, this is not my role. Like, I'm not this person and I need to get right with that. Like, I need to be okay with that.
- [42:27]
A
It's a hard thing to let go of too.
- [42:28]
B
It is, it is.
- [42:29]
A
And especially if you want to get to scale like, if you can recognize that, I feel like that's a very strong skill set to have, is to recognize when you're a bottleneck and be able to let go of that.
- [42:40]
B
Well, I mean, it was one of the most challenging things I ever did, but, like, I brought a guy who ultimately invested heavily into the business. But I was like, dude, you've got to take the CEO role.
- [42:54]
A
And what happened after you let go of the CEO role?
- [42:58]
B
You know, I think I was. I was still young in my career, and so I made it way harder on myself than it had to be because I was like, I think I beat myself up for not being able to fulfill the role as well as it needed to be fulfilled. But it was just the facts, right? Like, I just did not have the experience to lead a 400 person company. And that was just the facts. Like, it. It hurts my ego even to say it now, but it's just the truth.
- [43:29]
A
Was it you that came up with the idea that you needed to step out, or was it kind of the company as a whole that are like, hey, have you ever thought about hiring on a CEO?
- [43:37]
B
No, it was actually. So what happened was I. I launched cmores and I had this business mentor, this guy who was running this company called Le Pencottien, which is a massive company.
- [43:50]
A
Yeah.
- [43:50]
B
So massive business. He was the president of the company. He had opened. You know, he was a hell of.
- [43:56]
A
A mentor to have, if you're.
- [43:58]
B
Yeah. And. And he had, he had single handedly, you know, not single handedly. Let me reframe that. He was in charge of opening up well over a thousand stores throughout the course of his career. 15 years older than me, he was a guy that I had been sort of bouncing things off of from the meatball shop days. And he came to opening night at Seymour's and he was the first real guy that I talked to about Seymour's a year prior to opening. But I gave him the back of a napkin plan and I said, this is what I'm gonna do. And it's gonna look like this. It's gonna feel like this. This is exactly what it's gonna be. This is the menu, blah, blah. He came to opening night, and I did exactly what I told him what I was gonna do a year ago in his office. And he wrote me an email that night and he said, mike, like, what you pulled off is pretty remarkable. I've yet to meet someone who told me a plan and then executed like, to the t. He's like, I want to leave lopanco. To the end and help you scale your business and join you. And of course, like, that was, like, an incredible email to read, but it.
- [45:06]
A
Was into the max.
- [45:08]
B
Yeah.
- [45:08]
A
Like, this guy sees it.
- [45:10]
B
Totally. And I was blown. I was like. I was. You know, it was incredible. You know, it was like. I think honestly. I could honestly say that it was the first time in my career where I was like, okay, I have something. Yeah. Like, I. Like, I felt it for the first time, really. And. But I also knew at that moment that, like, had I taken Jay on then, he was my boss. There was no other way.
- [45:38]
A
Yeah.
- [45:38]
B
Like, I couldn't be his boss just based on stats.
- [45:44]
A
Yeah.
- [45:44]
B
You know what I'm saying? So I said. I said to him, thank you, man, but I need to, like, sink my feet into the sand a little bit here. Like, you are dirty a little bit.
- [45:56]
A
Let me.
- [45:56]
B
Yeah, let me see where I could get it to a place where, like, I feel, like, really good about it.
- [46:01]
A
It.
- [46:01]
B
And he can't. You know, he knocked on my door periodically, like, dude, I would love to do this.
- [46:06]
A
Did he stay at Le Pon Quotidian that whole time until he waited to come on?
- [46:10]
B
Yeah.
- [46:10]
A
And that's eventually who you brought on as a CEO.
- [46:12]
B
Yeah. So. So he. He kind of. He kind of said, you know, about a year and change later, he was like, look, I want to do this deal with you, you know, and at that point, there were three stores. And then, you know, I was still on the board at Meatball Shop. And I was like, okay, like, but you're gonna have to be the CEO of the company, you know, because a. Like, I just know that I'm not gonna be able to take this from 6 to 60. You know how to do that really well. And not only do I, like, wanna learn from you, but I also just know that, like, you are going to be the better person for the role. And it was like. I mean, I had to sit with that shit. You know, it took me, like, even though I knew that was the right thing to do and it was the right thing to do, it was hard.
- [47:06]
A
At what point, how long after that did you finally. Could you finally say that, like, you truly found peace with the decision?
- [47:14]
B
You know, I would love to say that, like, the problem, I guess the issue at hand was that I. The relationship wasn't the greatest between Jay and I once he became my partner, really, because I am less. Like, I just had never envisioned myself running a company that was, like, strictly built on systems and processes and sops out the Ass. Like, every step was an sop. Everything needed to be documented, you know, and it's because I spent years working in restaurants prior to my opening my first business at 28, where it was, like, one of the most successful restaurants still probably in. In lower Manhattan. Like, just. Just banks, cash.
- [47:59]
A
Yeah.
- [48:00]
B
Staff's been there. You know, there are people that are still working there from when I was working there in 2008. And it was. It was run, like, based on vibes. Vibes, dude. Vibes.
- [48:14]
A
Vibes. And how I feel that.
- [48:15]
B
Yeah, it was just how much coffee did I made the schedule for the bar? You know what I mean? Like, you know, it.
- [48:22]
A
Does it still run like that, you think?
- [48:23]
B
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
- [48:25]
A
So there's ways to be able to scale a company running that way.
- [48:28]
B
Well, I think for. For Frank, the guy who I worked for, he. His, his, his. He wasn't like, yeah, I want to have a hundred restaurants. He's like, yo, man, like, I want to be in Italy six months out of the year, and I want to have trusted people at the restaurants that are going to do the right thing, and I'm going to let them give away drinks. Because he was like, yo. He's like, like, don't destroy me. But like, yeah, take care of people. You know, give away. You feel like you want to buy somebody dessert? Buy somebody dessert. I don't want to know about that. I don't want. I don't want to have to approve you buying somebody a dessert or giving out a drink. Like, do it. But, like, be like, let's build a great thing together. Like, you know, I'm trusting you to.
- [49:05]
A
Do this, but if there's an SOP about it, that shit doesn't happen anymore. And then it's not the cool neighborhood spot where everybody wants to go and everybody knows each other.
- [49:11]
B
Exactly.
- [49:12]
A
It's not like, cheers.
- [49:13]
B
So that's kind of like what started to happen. And I just had to. Now that I had made the decision to do it, I had to live with that. Right. And so it was not the easiest thing for me. But, like, Jay. I love and respect Jay, and he's still running Seymour's, and he's opening up stores, you know, like, so. And by the way, both of the businesses that I founded before my exit are still around. Right? It's a good sign. But.
- [49:40]
A
So, okay, let me ask you this. How are you operating it differently now that, like, are you still operating as a CEO? Have you already hired somebody on as a CEO of it? Like, how did that experience influence how you did this from beginning to end.
- [49:55]
B
Yeah. So it's a very, very different type of business because it's a much more lean and mean team.
- [50:00]
A
Yeah. I feel all direct to consumer.
- [50:02]
B
All direct to consumer. And Amazon, I feel now that I could totally be like, I, I'm very confident in my role as a CEO in the company because I have really strong people around me that understand the dynamic and actually really appreciate the founder led piece. So they want me to be doing this. They want me to, like, the team is like, empowering me to be out there as much as possible and, and out in the, in the, in the world and like, you know, not sitting behind a computer all day long, which unfortunately I still do. Right. Like, it's, it's a part of it. It's impossible not to, but I feel pretty confident in it. You know, I think when, see when, when Creatures of Habit gets to that, like 40, 50 million in revenue, that the question I'll have to ask myself is like, am I the right person to be running this thing or not?
- [50:50]
A
Can I take it to 500?
- [50:51]
B
Right? Like, like, is that. Is. Should I, should I take the founder position then? You know, where it's just like, the real pros are in there. Like I. And probably to a fault, like I say, the real pros. Right.
- [51:04]
A
Like, technically you are a real pro.
- [51:06]
B
I mean, I'm a pro, but I'm like, technically you're a real pro.
- [51:08]
A
Like, you're kind of doing it, you.
- [51:10]
B
Know, But I hear you.
- [51:11]
A
The people who've been doing this, who have scaled. Who have exited. Scaled. Exited. Scaled.
- [51:15]
B
Exited, yeah. Or at least like, you know, like have the. Like, I just have never considered myself an executive. You know what I'm saying? Like, I just don't feel like an executive. I'm a leader. I love that role. I am a hype man. I am a creative dude and I get shit done. No matter what, I get it done. There's never been a moment where like, no matter how scared I was, no matter how much fear there was, like, how little money there was, like, I have always knock on wood, like, I've gotten it fucking done. And that I think is my strongest skill set. And I would imagine probably your strongest skill set.
- [51:54]
A
And that's a great skill set to have as a CEO too, because at the end of the day, whatever comes your way, like, we'll fucking figure it out.
- [52:00]
B
We're gonna figure it out.
- [52:01]
A
No matter what.
- [52:01]
B
We're gonna figure it out.
- [52:02]
A
I might break my neck doing it, but we'll figure it out.
- [52:04]
B
Yeah. And I will deal with the insane level of stress that comes along with it.
- [52:08]
A
Yeah. 100%. You know, how long has creatures of habit been around?
- [52:12]
B
Creatures of habit is gonna celebrate four years.
- [52:15]
A
For clarity's sake, for the camera. I fucking love this product. I would never buy. I would never buy an overnight Oats product ever. I never have. Have you sent me a box? I promise you, I've been eating them every single day. And once I run through them, I'm gonna get on some sort of subscription. If you have it. I don't even know. I haven't looked where to buy it yet. But, like, I will 100 be utilizing this as part of my daily routine. I appreciate phenomenal product.
- [52:38]
B
Thank you.
- [52:38]
A
Like, truly phenomenal product.
- [52:39]
B
Thank you, dude. I also similarly, like, love your hats. And when you say, like, fit perfectly, guaranteed not playing a game, like, they fit. They fit perfectly. And I'm so pissed off because I drove my truck here, I parked it in Brooklyn, and I had my. My camo darling hat with me that I was going to wear, and I totally fucking forgot my. Forgot the hat in my truck.
- [53:05]
A
At least you're wearing a New York Giants hat because we're in New York. At least you're not wearing some other fucking company set because that would have been a different story. But, like, a giant sat cool. Get away with it.
- [53:13]
B
What? What? So just real quick, before we finish up, like, what. What's. What's next for August 11th? Like, what, what, What? What could we. What could we expect?
- [53:21]
A
So we're moving into apparel. We're going to be launching our largest collection ever going into Black Friday. We're out here getting a bunch of samples done. That's part of the reason why we're out here. We're working on a collaboration with Christian Yelich currently, which we've been doing for the last six months, but we're finally kind of everything's culminating. If you don't know who Christian Yelich is, he plays for the Milwaukee brewers legend out in Milwaukee. I'm also talking to Maza right now about doing a collaboration with him. Cool. So might do something there. And then just scaling and growing and continuing to do what we do best, but we'll continue to grow into apparel. Got some really cool collaborations coming up. And we're launching in Culture Kings in August. So if you don't know, Culture Kings is humongous retailer in the States. Will be in their Las Vegas store and on their online store. So looking to build out our wholesale.
- [54:06]
B
Arm and when did you launch?
- [54:07]
A
August 11th, 19 months ago. November 1st of 2023.
- [54:10]
B
Awesome, man. Yeah, that's so cool.
- [54:12]
A
Thank you.
- [54:13]
B
You. If you are anyone who enjoys a good hat, you must check out Aug 11. It is.
- [54:21]
A
You must must.
- [54:22]
B
Aug 11 is. It's just, you know, my boy Justin put me onto it and you know, like, hats are hard. Similar to T shirts. Hats are hard. And when you find one that works.
- [54:35]
A
You just stick with it.
- [54:36]
B
Right?
- [54:37]
A
One note on this, right? If you start an apparel brand or you start anything, you think you have to start with one product and then expand out into a lot of products quickly. Focus on one thing that you do really well and fucking dial that in as much as you can. Run as lean as possible for as long as you can and make sure that product is truly phenomenal. I believe that if we didn't want to go into apparel, I could build a nine figure business just based on hats. I don't know if I could do it alone, but I think it exists and I think it is possible. I'm expanding into apparel because I love apparel and I want to make shit that I would want to wear. But like, like what you're doing, you've nailed one product extremely, extremely well. I don't think that you need to expand into a bunch of different product lines. I don't think it's absolutely necessary. I love the idea of like perfecting one thing and I feel like we are in the process of truly perfecting the hat and it is so enjoyable to me.
- [55:25]
B
I need one of those.
- [55:27]
A
One of these.
- [55:27]
B
That's a good.
- [55:28]
A
I got you. They're coming out in September.
- [55:29]
B
That's a good one.
- [55:30]
A
You a box.
- [55:31]
B
That's a good one. Yeah, dude, thank you so much for being here.
- [55:34]
A
Thank you for having me, man. I appreciate it.
- [55:36]
B
Ladies and gents, boys and girls, people of all ages, shapes, sizes, demographics. That was a super fun podcast. I love on the Creatures Habit podcast, getting to sit down with another successful sober entrepreneur. You guys know my story. You know it is. I'm not sitting here today without my sobriety. And a massive part and mission of Creatures of Habit is raising awareness for substance abuse prevention. We've raised a lot of money over the last few years for substance abuse prevention. Taking people that are struggling, that don't have the means to get into treatment. We pay for their treatment and it's been an incredible journey. So it's near and dear to my heart and I love being able to share the stories of other successful entrepreneurs that also happen to be sober. So if you're sober, congratulations. If you're struggling, just know that there is a solution. And the two people that you just listened to are living, breathing examples of that. There is a solution. You do not need to suffer ever again. And that's just a fact. And it's a day at a time thing. I've built a life way beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. Johnny built a life way beyond anything he could have ever imagined. And it's all because we chose a different path.
- [56:58]
A
So.
- [57:00]
B
And you all know, like, honestly, and I say this sincerely, DM me, straight up. I promise you, I read all my DMs, I will respond to you. You're struggling. DM me, and I'll hit you back. And any way that I could be of service, I will do everything I can to be that person for you, or at least point you in the right direction. If this podcast moved something for you, made you think, made you smile, do me a favor. Pass it off to a friend or family member, someone you love, someone you care about. I really appreciate when people share the podcast. Post it on social media. You know, this was a good one. And if you would be so kind and grateful, gracious. Five star rating and a review could be awesome. I appreciate it. Don't write a bad review. You could DM me the bad review. You just don't. Don't write it publicly. Thank you. Other than that, y', all, I appreciate you. I love you. Thank you so much for tuning in until the next one. Peace.