From Broke to Owning 30 Million In Cars - Steve Hamilton

Summary

Life Wide Open with CboysTV

Episode: "From Broke to Owning 30 Million In Cars – Steve Hamilton"

Date: March 7, 2023

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Episode Overview

In this energizing episode, the CboysTV crew sits down with Steve Hamilton—entrepreneur, car enthusiast, and founder of The Hamilton Collection—for an in-depth look at his journey from humble beginnings to a life surrounded by cars worth $30 million. Recorded at the impressive headquarters of The Hamilton Collection, the discussion covers Steve's business origin story, YouTube channel evolution, giving back philosophy, car culture, and lessons learned in both business and life. The episode balances practical insight and lively banter, making it valuable for both aspiring entrepreneurs and car fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Steve Hamilton & The Hamilton Collection

• Setting the Scene (00:00–01:40):
  • The CboysTV crew arrives at The Hamilton Collection HQ, or “the car condo”, surrounded by Steve’s elite car collection.
  • Steve’s shift from being the behind-the-scenes owner of Custom Offsets, Fitment Industries, and more, to the front-facing personality on The Hamilton Collection YouTube channel.
    • “Part of that’s why we started The Hamilton Collection… and the channel’s done really well in just a year and a half.” — Steve Hamilton [01:35]

2. From Humble Beginnings to Business Success

• Early Hustle (03:06–08:43):

  • Grew up with very little money; started working at age 12, lying about his age to get his first job.
    • “I had to go. There would be field trips and I would have to show up without $5...You really learn the value of a dollar early.” — Steve Hamilton [03:06]
  • Worked a range of menial jobs: caddie, McDonald's, grocery store, while dabbling in entrepreneurial side hustles (installing radios, bike repair).
  • At 19, started drop shipping wheels and tires on eBay from his mom’s apartment—before dropshipping was trendy.
    • “Everything is about timing, right?...But yeah, I mean, I just started on ebay, drop shipping, selling wheels out of my mom's apartment.” — [05:16]

• The Beginnings of the Wheel Business (05:37–07:57):

  • Finessed his way into getting wholesale prices by pretending to be a shop.
  • Entrepreneurial passion: genuinely loved car customization, flipping cars—even if it meant (often) losing money.

3. Passion for Cars and Building a Collection

• Car Culture Mindset (07:57–14:35):

  • Lifelong car enthusiast—started with junk cars, flipping for fun, not profit.
  • Developing a network to access rare supercars and hypercars—leveraging connections to find “off-market” deals.
    • “You could really flip anything and make money if you're good enough at it...especially in the super and hypercar market...” — Steve Hamilton [11:04]
  • Discussion on cash vs. financing multimillion-dollar cars; about one-third of his fleet is financed [12:40].

• Simplifying Life and Focusing on Core Business (13:43–16:29):

  • At one point, managed ~70 different business entities; now narrowing focus to core wheel and tire businesses and seeking more family time.
  • “Part of it’s just burnout and part of it’s just like, you know, my kids are...I just really want to simplify life now.” — Steve Hamilton [13:43]

4. From Operator to Owner: Scaling and Stepping Back

• Systematizing for Success (16:29–19:15):
  • Transition from “doing $12-an-hour jobs” to scaling systems, hiring great managers, and stepping out of day-to-day operations.
  • Value of picking up “pieces from everybody” (mentorship-by-osmosis), and “learning spreadsheets” as a keystone business skill.

5. Car Life & Culture in Chicago

• Living the Car Life (19:29–21:44):

  • Drives his hypercars year-round—even in winter (“You just wash them”) [19:47].
  • Talks about online hate and car culture purists who criticize him for actually driving the cars.

• On Giving Back and Sharing Success (22:41–26:16):

  • Notably generous with his cars: lets people drive them, gives profits from the YouTube channel to charity.
    • “...Every profit and then some we give back. There’s no money that gets paid out...my wife and I go donate it.” — Steve Hamilton [02:16][22:41]
  • Talks about the impact of letting people experience these cars, receiving heartfelt letters of thanks.

6. Internet Culture, YouTube, & Viral Content

• Navigating the World of Car YouTube (27:14–35:32):
  • Stories with other creators like WhistlinDiesel, Stradman, David Dobrik.
  • Relatable YouTuber struggles: balancing content creation with the desire for real-life fun; metrics and the “pressure” of video performance.
  • Insight into YouTube algorithm: the importance of titles, thumbnails, and occasionally re-titling videos for quick performance gains.
    • “There’s a ton of little things...some of which are swapping out your titles...wait an hour, you see how the video performs, and if it doesn’t do well, you swap out...” [51:05]

7. Managing Wealth, Family, and Work-Life Balance

• Maintaining Priorities (35:42–40:10):

  • Family is central; arranges work schedule to prioritize kids and spouse, lots of family travel (especially Disney World—an obsession!).
    • “Weekends and evenings are for the family...I can schedule between, like, I pick up the kids a lot from school...” [35:56]

• Ensuring the Kids Stay Grounded (39:14–40:53):

  • Despite their wealth, wants his kids to live as “normal” as possible: “They go to public schools. I just won't put them in a private school...I want them to live a normal life as possible.” — Steve Hamilton [39:32]

8. Car Market, Investments, and Advice for the Road Ahead

• Supercar Market Analysis (45:28–47:27):

  • The used exotic car market’s crazy ride during COVID; some cars hold value (Ford GT, Porsche GT cars), others drop hard (Huracan).
    • “I think the market still has some correcting to do. It would have been a really bad time to buy it six months ago.” [45:47]

• Real Estate, Recession, and Smart Buying (56:16–66:57):

  • Real estate vs. car investing; market corrections, timing, general investment wisdom.
  • Noted the rising cost of living & rent, but observes that the average person hasn’t felt the deepest impacts of “the recession” yet [60:43–63:44].

9. Lightning Round: Memorable Stories

• Insurance Nightmares (22:41–25:12):

  • Wrecked his McLaren Senna letting others drive it, resulting in his entire collection losing insurance renewal.
    • “Country Financial decided to not renew my insurance. So I have to figure that out now.” — Steve Hamilton [23:03]

• On Speed and Growing Up (42:14–44:42):

  • “There’s a right place and a wrong place to speed...” and how growing older changes risk appetite [42:28].
  • “I used to get a ticket, two to three tickets a year. I've had well over 35, 40 tickets. I've had none in the last three years...” — [42:39]

• Disney World Obsession (36:46, 70:12–73:30):

  • “I'm huge on Disney World...I know all the secrets, like, don't flex like that.” — Steve Hamilton [71:48]

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Business Beginnings:

  • “Everything is about timing, right?...I was just selling wheels out of my mom's apartment.” — Steve Hamilton [05:16]
  • “19-year-old Steve thought it’d be a great corporate name. Real catchy one. Steve’s Discount Wheels.” [17:28]

• Generosity Philosophy:

  • “Every profit and then some we give back. There’s no money that gets paid out...my wife and I go donate it.” — Steve Hamilton [02:16][22:41]

• Car Culture:

  • “You could really flip anything and make money if you're good enough at it.” — Steve Hamilton [11:04]
  • “Always into wheels and automotive customization.” [07:07]
  • “That’s the thing—you just drive more conservative. Then [the Tesla] has autopilot. I’m like, well, I’m lazy. I’m just going to throw autopilot on and let this thing drive me at the speed limit.” — [45:08]

• On Risk & Insurance:

  • “Country Financial decided to not renew my insurance. So I have to figure that out now.” — [23:03]

• On Sharing Success:

  • “We become...numb to them...But someone will come in here for the first time and see a 765 LT or the Porsche 918...Three years later, they’ll remember that.” — Steve Hamilton [25:32]

• On Creating Content:

  • “For every one video that's work, there's two that are fun...opportunities to meet people like you guys...my son gets to meet these people, just knowing that I'm giving people access to these guys that they could have never met...” — Steve Hamilton [31:28–32:03]

• On Work-Life Balance:

  • “Weekends and evenings are for the family...That's kind of the core schedule.” — Steve Hamilton [35:56]

• Advice:

  • “There's so many more opportunities to make money [once you have some]...The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.” — Steve Hamilton [58:33]
  • “To start something without money...it's about giving up some equity and partnering with someone that can build it...” [58:33–60:23]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Steve’s Early Life and Hustle: 03:06–08:43
• Getting into Wheels & Tires: 05:37–07:57
• Building Car Network/Collection: 07:57–14:35
• Balancing Wealth and Simplicity: 13:43–16:29
• Business Systems, Early Names: 16:29–19:15
• Car Culture in Chicago: 19:29–21:44
• Insurance Trouble & Generosity: 22:41–25:12
• Driving Cars for Content: 31:28–35:32
• Family Life & Parenting Philosophy: 35:42–40:10
• Supercar Market Talk: 45:28–47:27
• On Business vs. YouTube Difficulty: 56:16–57:08
• Advice for Broke 21-Year-Olds: 58:15–60:23
• Economic/Real Estate Insights: 60:43–66:57
• Disney World Passions: 70:12–73:30

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Tone & Dynamic

The tone remains upbeat, honest, and peppered with humor (especially Steve’s frequent “that’s what she said” callbacks). The camaraderie between the hosts and their guest creates a relaxed atmosphere where both fun and practical insight shine through.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Hard Work and Hustle: Steve’s trajectory underscores the importance of grit, resourcefulness, and learning as you go—especially in the absence of mentors.
• Giving Back: Success is multiplied by sharing; Steve’s philanthropic approach stands out in the YouTube automotive world.
• Enjoy the Ride: Cars are meant to be used and enjoyed, not just displayed.
• Strategic Simplicity: As you grow, consciously simplify life to focus on what matters.
• Content & Business are Both Marathons: Both require relentless effort, constant learning, and adaptation.
• It’s Never Too Late to Start: Whether it’s business, content, or family priorities—action trumps perfection.

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Final words from Steve:

“You got 13 years to catch up.” [74:33]
“Thanks for having me, gentlemen. Appreciate you guys.” [74:51]

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Episode Recommendation:
Check out The Hamilton Collection on YouTube for more content, and tune into Life Wide Open every Tuesday for more stories at the intersection of lifestyle, business, and adventure.

Transcript

[Host 1]

Okay, we got a little bit of a different setup today. I got an intro for you. Keep it official. Today's guest is a business owner turned YouTube creator. If you've ever bought wheels and tires for your car, you've probably helped him afford the $30 million in cars sitting behind us right now that he gladly hands the keys over to pretty much anyone to experience and drive. Welcome on the podcast, Steve Hamilton.

[Steve Hamilton]

Thank you, gentlemen. It's awesome to be here at my headquarters.

[Host 1]

Yeah, I was like, thanks for having us.

[Steve Hamilton]

Thanks for letting us tear apart your.

[Host 2]

Shop and your couch set up and all that.

[Steve Hamilton]

My pleasure, young man.

[Host 1]

Yeah, this is sweet, dude. It's quite, quite the setup here. What do you call this? The car condo?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, we call it the car condo or THC hq. The Hamilton Collection headquarters. That's usually what we call it in the text.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Dude, this is sick. And thank you. This is new. You guys just moved from your house?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, everything was stored in my house prior to that. We had a much smaller unit here, so small unit only fit seven cars. And then I built my house to accommodate like 15 cars. And then it got. The collection got to like 25, 28 cars. So we needed this pretty quickly.

[Host 1]

Steve, I don't know if you even know this, but we've been working with custom offsets, which are an owner of for like, I'd say four years now. I think it was like 2018 when we first had. We brought our truck to banker and he built it for us down there. So I mean, our viewers are super familiar with custom offsets, Fitment Industries. So we thought it'd be really cool to show the man behind the business.

[Steve Hamilton]

Sure.

[Host 1]

And you're becoming a little bit more public with your YouTube channel, the Hamilton Collection.

[Steve Hamilton]

But.

[Host 1]

But before that, it was nothing like you were, you were just like, you were just the businessman and you left all the content creation to the custom offset guys and you were kind of just behind the curtains, right?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, exactly. Totally behind the scenes. And then technically I kind of stepped away from day to day activity and then I got bored immediately. So part of that's why we started the Hamilton Collection a little over a year and a half ago. And so the channel's done really well in just a year and a half and took a lot of what I learned from custom offsets. Fitment and all the other companies, um, added my own clever spin, my personality. We have a great, awesome team behind us with Natalia, Tommy, Aiden, and then Lawrence, who does some editing. So just the combination of us all makes for A really fun time.

[Host 2]

Well, it's kind of cool because a lot of people become YouTubers to buy cars and to kind of do stuff. But you've almost done it in reverse where you had the business, you had seen success, and then you started YouTubing.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's kind of strange. And the awesome thing about that is because I still have the businesses and they're still generating income, I can, I don't have to worry about this being an income stream, to be honest with you. So. And that's, that's a huge part of the reason why we, we give everything back. And so every, every profit and then some we give back. There's no money that gets paid out. I mean, technically all the money gets paid to me and then my wife and I go donate it. So. But yeah, that's, that's what it's all about, sharing the cars with the community and then giving back everything that we earn to, to make sure that people are taken care of, I guess.

[Host 3]

So.

[Host 1]

It didn't start this way though. You didn't have all these cars growing up. You had a very humble. You come from very humble beginnings. I think to tell your story. We got to just start at the very beginning.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So the audience really just knows the come up story. So how did you get into the wheel and tire industry?

[Steve Hamilton]

I guess backing up, giving a little more background. Like, I had to work for everything that I had. I was just joking with my brother yesterday. We were at this little popcorn. Popcorn shop downtown, Wheaton that, that sells like penny candy. It still actually does have penny candy. Even with inflation and everything. They have penny Tootsie Rolls. And I remember being 12 years old and lying on the application that I was 14 to be able to get a job there. It just showed that, like, I look at the age of my middle son and he's 12 and I'm like, God, I was that young understanding that you needed to have money to be able to get things because there was no money at home. Like there was nothing. Like, I had to go. There would be field trips and I would have to show up without $5 with the permission slip, but no money. And the teacher would be like, oh, well, we'll make it happen somehow. And I don't know if they still charge for field trips at school, but I didn't get to do like, there's a big Springfield trip, there's a big Washington D.C. trip. Like, forget about all that stuff. You really learn the value of a dollar early. And so I was extremely driven Tried to get that job at 12. They must have ran a Social Security check, and that didn't happen. Started working at age 13. There's some weird law in Illinois that allows you to be like a caddy at a golf club. And you don't even have to have. You're not on payroll. Like, you can receive cash. And there's some just odd caveat where that was. Okay, 14, 15. Worked at McDonald's. 16 and on, for the most part, worked at Juul, which is a local grocery store. And so, like, always had that drive, always had that entrepreneurial spirit. There were some other things that I started kind of in between with radio installation, with bike repair, and just kind of use that drive to realize that there was a need for wheels and tires. So this was like 2003. I was in my second year of community college, and I just was looking for wheels online and realized that a, people were being successful at it and B, like, I could probably go do this myself. So I found a way to get direct with the manufacturer. It took a little bit of finesse, and I was able to discover what the actual buying price of these wheels that I was looking at. I was looking at what they were selling on ebay. And this was like, almost before drop shipping was a thing. So everything is about timing, right? So right now, it's freaking impossible to get into drop shipping. Even though YouTube will confuse people into thinking that everybody can be a drop shipper. It's, like, harder. So much harder now to be successful because you're going up against guys like me that have been doing this for 20 years that get the best price, that stock that can ship faster. But yeah, I mean, I just started on ebay, drop shipping, selling wheels out of my mom's apartment. And the first, I didn't have to have any money to start it. And the first week I was receiving money from customers, going and buying the product, shipping it, and then keeping the leftover money. It was pretty sweet.

[Host 1]

How'd you finesse them into. Into believing that you were like a wholesaler or a dealer?

[Steve Hamilton]

I called up and I said, I was just around. I'm just like, what's my price on these eagle? Oh, seven sevens. They're like, well, are you a shop? Actually, the guy I talked to, his name was Paul. And he talks. He said, hey, man, we like you a shop. That's just how he got. Every time I. Later on, every time I'd call and check on a wheel, it would always be food dialer. I'm like, paul, we've been doing this for two years, bro. Stop doing the food daddy joke. Anyway, that's a story for another day. But the second time I called because they wouldn't give me the pricing first, I'm like, hey, this is Steve from Wheaton Firestone. Could you give me a price on that eagle 077? And then, like, without hesitation, they're like, yeah, it's 89 bucks at wheel. I'm like, well, that was pretty easy to go get that price. And while there's money to be made, I need to go over there and get set up as soon as possible. And I just had this little business card for radio installation that I was doing. It was totally not a registered LLC or anything. I mean, I was 19 years old at the time, just doing it on the side, and they've signed me up on just a business card. Like, nobody else would do that. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. But after like, a week or so, they immediately needed proof that I was a business because I'd already bought, like, five or six sets. They're like, this guy's not going to float under the radar. So, yeah. And then I. But I had the money and I had that. Like, at that point, I'm like, this works. Like, I'm going to figure out how to go get myself legal. And I was able to do that. So.

[Host 2]

Wow.

[Host 1]

So were you, like, passionate about wheels or you just saw money to be made and you were like, I'm gonna just go all in on that because I can make the most money?

[Steve Hamilton]

I think it's both. I liked wheels. I had these wheels already, actually on my car. And I was. What I was looking for was them in 18 inch. That's where the idea birthed. So it didn't come to me when I first bought wheels from them, which I happen to have bought from that Firestone, by the way. It was when I wanted to upgrade. So I was very into customizing my vehicle. And, like, there's a joke about CD players where every, like, birthday. And I've been with my wife since I was. She was 15, I was 16. So she'd buy me a CD player for my car, and I'd always have. Every three months, I'd have a different piece of crap. And the joke was I'd put the CD player and install it and then sell the car. And, like, she'd have to get me a new CD player. And so always customizing with that. I've done engine swaps myself. Even the stupid Stuff where you're just throwing stickers and making your car look special. But always into wheels and automotive customization.

[Host 3]

What kind of cars were you dealing with back then?

[Steve Hamilton]

My first car ever was an 84Z28 that I had when I was 14. I bought it from a fellow McDonald's employee, drove it to school at age 14 one time drag raced in a cemetery and I could never get the title. See, I didn't know what I was doing at the time. Didn't have great mentors as parents. So yeah, had to part that vehicle out. Um, my first vehicle after that was the day I got my license. I went and bought or like right around the day I got my license, I bought a 79F250 for like 500 bucks. And it was a really special car to me. I tried finding it again just because it was my first, but it was an absolute piece of crap. And I've probably had, I don't know, maybe 15 cars from that until I started my business that were all, you know, sub $2,000 hunks of crap.

[Host 3]

Just flipping them.

[Steve Hamilton]

And it wasn't intentional. I just got bored of them. Like, I don't think I even made money on most of them. I think I lost money on the vast majority of them. It was more just like, yeah, Ryan.

[Host 1]

Loses money on everything he touches.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's funny because my brother Joel, who's also an owner at all the companies, like, I never understood it. Like, he wasn't trying either, but he would always make money. Like, no matter what he bought, I'd be like, how did you go make 1,000 bucks? And I think it was patience. I think that was the difference where I'd be like, nah, I'm sick of that car. Like, I'm just gonna throw it out, offer it at a cheap deal, hope I get some cash, go buy another car. But like, that's when the addiction truly started to cars. I didn't have 15 cars at the time, but I had 15 cars over like a three year period.

[Host 1]

So you've always been a car guy?

[Steve Hamilton]

Always? Absolutely, yes.

[Host 1]

Some people just have it when making money, like flipping and wheeling and dealing like that. And some people just don't.

[Host 2]

Yeah, I'm one of the people who don't.

[Host 1]

I think you're right.

[Host 2]

I think it's patience. Like I've impulse bought my last two vehicles.

[Steve Hamilton]

Nice.

[Host 2]

I mean, which is fun, but it's, it definitely is not good for the, the trade in value on that. Yeah, they.

[Host 3]

On the wallet.

[Steve Hamilton]

I mean, half of what you See, behind you were impulse buys, but they were like three day, well thought, well shopped using my, like, network of people that find off market cars. So, like, at this point, when you buy this many cars, you connect with a lot of people. A lot of people know off market cars. And that kind of becomes the thing when it's super hyper and then you can eventually fight. Like that Pagani roadster that I just bought, I bought at a really good deal where I know that I could sell that within a month and probably make, you know, three, five hundred thousand dollars. And so that's same with the LaFerrari that I got. I will be patient if I need to be, but I'll be impulsive if a deal comes around right away. I had waited, I don't know, nine months and I kept saying, I need to get a LaFerrari at $3 million. Like I have to get it at 3 million. They're all going for 3, 5, 3, 7. And then I got a phone call from someone and he's like, it has an oil leak, but it's going to get fixed. But I can do it at 3 million. And I'm like, what color? He's like, black. I'm like, well, that's a rare color. I have no problem waiting a month for something to get fixed on someone else's dime. Hell yeah, I'll take that. Like, I've got a half million dollars of instant equity. And it's funny about the car flipping thing because as you become a business owner, you just realize that there are so many opportunities out there that people can take advantage of. I look at Tommy was just talking about buying. What's it called? Tommy? No, the one online, the Vanderhall. Right. All right, so he's looking at buying a Vanderhall. And I'm like, I'm like. And he does some motorcycle flipping and he looks locally and he does a good job actually flipping. It takes some time, but I'm like, you know, you can run like scrapes to, to do nationwide searches and then have it, like hit you if it's below a certain price. Go look at it, buy it, or establish a network of people around that go look and help you. And like, you could, you could really flip anything and make money if you're good enough at it. And it's just fascinating, especially in the super and hypercar market, where there's a lot of allocations that I get offered to me that even just a commitment for a spot in a car that's coming out in Two years I could get and then flip for. I've been offered a million bucks plus my deposit that I already put down on a future allocation that I have. It's just nuts.

[Host 2]

Wow.

[Host 3]

Obviously, in order to get these cars, you need to have your network like you talked about. What's like the buying process look like. For that you have to have straight.

[Steve Hamilton]

Cash or you can finance for sure, but it depends. So let's call it kind of three different categories. There's the supercar. Typically you're gonna want to put down, you know, call it 25 +% and you can finance. I buy the vast, if not all of my. Nah, the vast majority of my supercars, I just pay cash, especially now because the interest rates are a little bit higher. So it's less attractive to go take a $200,000 loan. Hypercars are a little hard to afford. Obviously we're talking two plus million dollars. And so I own a few of them, I finance a few of them. I got a lot of them on notes that were, you know, sub 4% back in the day when it was a lot cheaper. And so like, I'll put down a half million dollars or I think I put down over a million on my P1. On my seni, I put down, I think a half a million. And you do need to put down a higher amount when you go on finance.

[Host 1]

That's one of my questions.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, like you can't, you really, like, if it's a million plus, you can't put down like 200, let's say 30 to 40% and you're probably okay. So really, someone can't go fake that? You can fake to an extent, but.

[Host 2]

Not at that level.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's what she said. So I counted in my safe, I think I had about 20 titles and we've got just shy of 30 vehicles. So I'm financing what, eight or nine vehicles. But if I can finance it, 4% average and I can go invest that money at 8 or 9%, like I almost should finance the entire fleet at that point if I can go reinvest that money. But I'm at a point in my life where I just really want to simplify things and not have to go work. I mean, two years ago I owned like, I don't know, 70 different units, apartment buildings, many, many, many businesses, LLCs, and it's, I've, I've scaled it down to 30% of what it was. And I'm trying to get it down to just my core wheel and tire Businesses.

[Host 3]

Why? Just because. Simplifying things just because it's easier.

[Steve Hamilton]

I mean, I think. I think I look at how many things I was juggling and it's like, gosh, like that's. It's just crazy to think that. That someone can mentally handle that much. And I've gotten to a point where. Where I think the net worth is just high enough. Like, I've. And I've worked extremely hard my entire life for it. So part of it's just burnout and part of it's just like, you know, my kids are. My oldest is a teenager now and like, I just really want to simplify life now. I've given them a lot of time. I think I've done a great job, like making sure that all. We have plenty of family time, probably more than your average 9 to 5 job even. Because I find time. I can do a lot of what I do remotely. I can go vacation, but sneak work in all throughout the day. But I still just don't want to have that stress. Even with the wheel businesses alone. There's enough equity there where I don't need all of this other stuff. I don't need those other legs to stand on. I guess it's just doing a bunch.

[Host 1]

Of things instead of just doing a couple things really well. Did you find that you were spraying yourself just too thin? Yeah, I mean, focusing on like, it's not business.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's not even that I was spreading myself too thin. Like I managed it all. It's just when you think that if. If something goes like, goes whack with one of the businesses, which. 2022 is a very big struggle for the wheel, the wheel industry in general. I think it's. It's when you realize that something requires your significant focus that it's very dangerous to have yourself stretched like that. Now, I wouldn't say I was stressed too thin because I had people like a smart person that, that owns businesses and runs them is not in the trenches of every single business because then you'll never get anything done. So I have great people running my pet supplies plus stores. I have great people running the property. I had a property manager and someone taking care of it. But like, but if crap hits the fans or if that person leaves. And while I'm managing the wheel business, like, that's. That's a dangerous thing if I have to jump into managing 60 tenants while working 70, 80 hours. So it's. It's just thinking about what could happen in three to five years. I want to have. I Want to be tied to nothing. Like it's more about like what has leverage on you. Right. So I want to be completely able to detach myself from everything, do whatever I want during the day and it just doesn't like, it doesn't matter what all do you own the wheel entities and automotive entities are custom offsets. Fitment industries ma performance out by you guys and we acquired them. SD wheel. Mr. Wheel deal trailbuilt Arkon Anthem Anovia. God help me if I'm forgetting another business. I know I am one or two under that umbrella. And then I own the seven pet Supplies plus stores working to sell those two and I'm selling them at a discount. So I've had a really long line of people interested and I anticipate those to be gone within about 45 days. They're under contract as well. Again, those are managed actually flawlessly. I've had to work, spend a half hour of my time every month on those stores and they're still being managed.

[Host 2]

Well, you know, you, you talked when you were younger, you were like, yes, I just need to work. How do you take working to make money on yourself and then apply that to a business to have the business make you money? Like how did you go from all right, If I work 50 hours this week, I can afford the thing I want to. Creating a system behind like that's just something that we all would love to do, but it's hard without mentors and stuff like that.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, it and I didn't like everybody that that reaches out to us. Now they're seeking mentorship. I never did that because I didn't know. You don't know what you don't know at the end of the day. And so back then it would just be figuring stuff out on my own. Like a lot of it was just figuring it out and I was just really driven and I was doing a lot of $12 an hour labor when I started. I was wearing every possible hat When I started the wheel, what was called Steve's Discount Wheels. That was the first of all of the companies. I hope I didn't forget SD Wheel and that whole mix because I think you said it.

[Host 1]

That's what SD stands for. Steve's Discount.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yes. No way.

[Host 3]

Yeah, I figured it was your middle name. Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

19 year old Steve thought it'd be a great corpor name. Real catchy one. Steve's Discount Wheels. And when I walked, when I walked.

[Host 1]

Into the always running sales.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah, right. And when I walked into the company, the card for the radio installation, was Steve's discount radio installation like the worst possible. I don't know, just not, not a, not a great like business name.

[Host 3]

They're cheaper than the rest.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah, just a weird, like, I don't know, it's weird to include your name and then discount and then, I mean a lot of people use the name and it works successfully like Jimmy John's, but it's more fun to just make up words like Archon, Archon, off road. Funny story about Archon, that's one of our Wheel brands. And then whenever I see the city, Akron, I always fucking call it Arkon. It used to be the opposite where everyone got confused and would say Akron when they read it. Now in my brain everything is Archon. But answering your question, it's just, I just met people along the way. You meet good people along the way, you ask them questions. I don't even realize that what I was doing was seeking mentorship. But David was a Great example in 08 where he worked in the corporate world and he's the one that had started Mr. Wheel Day with us. He worked in the corporate world and he knew spreadsheets. And so I'd leaned on him for some advice on how to do spreadsheets. And then at some point, pretty quickly after he showed me, he was like, you need to go look this up, just Google it. And he was a good nudge to help me just go figure it out on my own versus asking him to do formulas for me. And that was huge because I learned very rapidly how to use a spreadsheet effectively. And that's one of the most important things. I think that skill that you need to have when you're going into any corporate position is the ability to work really well in Google spreadsheets or Microsoft Excel that a lot of people don't realize. So I'm even teaching my 13 year old son how to catalog his Hot Wheels in there. Conditional formatting, running formulas, but just. Yeah, that's just kind of it.

[Host 2]

Just taking a piece from everybody.

[Steve Hamilton]

That's what she said. Damn, that's kind of weird.

[Host 2]

Got a couple of those in already today.

[Steve Hamilton]

That's also what she said. There will be an endless stream of that.

[Host 2]

Can we switch over to cars a little bit? So we got, we came to Chicago and we thought it was snowy here because when we kind of forget that it's not winter until like May, you know, we're hoping to bust our cars out in like April and most people around us would think we are insane for that. So what's car culture like down here?

[Steve Hamilton]

I take my cars out all year long. Definitely less in the winter. I would say this last winter, less than usual. But usually I have, like, a super hypercar in my garage, and I'm rocking it three, four times a week. Um. But, yeah, it's definitely. It's definitely dead until about May, April. There'll be some nice days, and we'll try to piece something together.

[Host 3]

But did you grow up in Chicago then, or. Okay, so what. What makes you stay just. You could live anywhere, obviously.

[Steve Hamilton]

That's a really good question. I don't even. I think it's fall. Like, I love fall so much. That end of August to early September is like. I can sit out on my. My patio. I can watch football and just relax. Like, it's the only. I don't know that that's the. The most beautiful, best time of year. And I think that's literally why I'm here.

[Host 3]

Seasons change is always the best, especially even for us. But then it's like, after December, you're like, all right, get the snow out of here.

[Host 1]

Like, let's.

[Steve Hamilton]

I would say November 3rd or 4th. I'm like, all right, it's too cold.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

I should disappear and come back in April or May.

[Host 3]

They salt the roads here then, or.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

And you still. You're ripping your cars.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. I mean, you just wash them. I mean, most of these are, like, carbon bodies, right?

[Host 3]

So, like, I don't have to worry.

[Steve Hamilton]

They're not going to rust. I mean, like, almost all of these are carbon. And if they're not, we have a car wash. Like, I can see it from here. Brighton Auto detail is. Yeah. 300ft. So as soon as they get here, we'll just drop them off there and they get washed right away.

[Host 3]

Do people ever give you a little bit of, like. Like the purest purists like, give you any.

[Steve Hamilton]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We get plenty of. We.

[Host 3]

I mean, about ripping them and are just driving them in the winter. Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

So there's a page, a Facebook page that has over 100,000 followers out here. And, like, at one point, I was the only guy getting spotted. I'm like, I'm not even trying to get spotted. I just want to go have fun in a car. And you almost feel bad because you're like, gosh, I'm going to get spotted. And people are going to hate just because it's the only super hypercar being driven out in this weather. But I try not to let that affect me. We get Plenty of hate. I mean, I hate the gtr, so I give that lots of hate.

[Host 3]

Why do you hate the jeetr?

[Steve Hamilton]

I don't know.

[Host 3]

I got a gtr.

[Steve Hamilton]

You should take that one back with you.

[Host 1]

I'll take it.

[Steve Hamilton]

I don't know. I don't know. I just really don't like it. I think that there's. There's a lot of pent up anger for. For the. The length of time that it took to build, which I've never actually.

[Host 3]

2000 horsepower, isn't it?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yes. Whoa. It smoked my Bugatti. Like, in that there's a drag race.

[Host 3]

Full on race car.

[Steve Hamilton]

I mean, it looked like it was going to just like launch into the sky. I mean, most of it's just like people just saying like, yeah, like, what is it? Why would you drive? And I'm like, it's not meant to be.

[Host 3]

To me, when I see you doing that, I'm like, wow, that is so cool. Like, that is like, you know, that's the coolest thing.

[Host 1]

That's like the ultimate flex.

[Host 3]

Yeah, exactly. It's one thing to have the cars, but when you actually rip them and drive them and then especially like you, I don't know how you try. I don't like. It's amazing that you're able to just give the keys out to it, which seemingly seems like anyone. I'm sure it's not. Well, anyone.

[Steve Hamilton]

But that's changing a little bit. Oh, is it? Well, it has to, because my Senna got wrecked by nobody here. No. No part of the crew that's here. The Senate got wrecked. So that, that I heard about that one little thing is making my life very challenging because I want to continue to share my cars, but my insurance company, whom I praise so much, Country Financial, decided to not renew my insurance, so.

[Host 2]

Oh, they did.

[Steve Hamilton]

They are not going to renew my insurance, so.

[Host 1]

For the whole fleet.

[Steve Hamilton]

The whole, entire fleet. So I have to figure that out now. The problem was I was already trying to figure it out because I was told that it's probably going to happen, but I felt like I got strung along for a few months because, like, it didn't happen. Like, the accident happened in November and it's like early February. And I'm like, okay, well, they haven't really good.

[Host 3]

And did they give you the money?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. And then as soon as they get the money, I got a letter and I got a call two days later. So it's like, that was for the people back home.

[Host 2]

How much was the Senna?

[Steve Hamilton]

The Senate Was about a million. Now by the time that, by the time that it was wrecked it was worth like 11213. And then the insurance company, I guess legally or they just decide to also pay you tax because if you go buy a new vehicle, there's a tax registration. So I got a check for about $1.4 million. If I could go back and do it all again, I just wouldn't have had that person drive the Senna. And I would, I would just rather have my car have insurance. Apparently the, when it's that big of a claim, it goes to a national underwriter level. Like there's one guy I guess with country and this is just what I heard from them. There's a national guy, he lives in Texas. His son, like I guess he brought up the name. His son was an avid follower of the channel. And like so he, he immediately, somehow there was a connection made. And immediately like the guy that the adjuster went on YouTube and he's like.

[Host 1]

Oh my God, I saw this. The 16 year olds driving them to, to prom or to high school.

[Steve Hamilton]

So I kind of don't, I kind of don't blame them.

[Host 3]

We deal with the same thing too. They go and watch the videos. It's like you can't get by with anything.

[Steve Hamilton]

So I need to figure that out. Now if you have 25 or more cars in Illinois you can self insure. So that's going to be an option. I've also went and quoted with Hagerty and a lot of other people and they just rejected like they saw that Senate claim finally hit. I may not be able to insure these vehicles. I probably can insure them all liability, which means that they're not covered in an accident, but the person that gets hit. But then they might have excluded drivers even then. So I'm insured until mid April. They also mailed me a letter that no one else other than myself and my wife can drive them that hasn't stopped. Like ultimately the cars are insured and someone can go drive them. I'm just responsible. We've still been driving them but not quite as heavily. So I need to figure that out so that I can continue to share cars with friends, family and get people out there driving them.

[Host 2]

Well, I think it's really cool what you do because there's a lot, I would say maybe an older generation of car collectors have these giant garages full of cars and they never get driven. They sell these cars like two miles pushed around, you know, all that stuff. So I think it's really cool that you've made a mission to share these cars, which are truly extraordinary, with people who appreciate them.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, I do my best. I mean, it's like I couldn't touch these or drive these when I was young. So, uh, it brings. We become. We all become numb to them. Like, it's like, oh, we Gotta take the GT3Rs today, man. I wanted to take like the, you know, the. The P1 or something. Like, it's weird how numb you become to. To owning them and how normalized it is. But, like, someone will come in here for the first time and see a 765 LT or the Porsche 918. I'm like, they get to sit in it and, like, they'll remember that. Three years later, they'll remember that.

[Host 3]

Motivating, too. Very motivating.

[Steve Hamilton]

So many, like, I've gotten letters mailed to my house, which is a little weird, but it's also fine. And just how much, like, that changed their life and how they went and bought this car. So it's. It just knowing that just continues to make me want to do it.

[Host 3]

So speaking about, I guess, like, you. You drive them, you obviously don't drive them nearly as hard as whistling Diesel, but I'm sure, obviously. You saw his new video with the Ferrari. Do you think he's going to get sued by Ferrari?

[Steve Hamilton]

I texted him when it got pulled down. I'm like, ferrari, I give you a problem. Because I've never had problems. And mine's mat wrapped. If I didn't exhaust on it, I would never tell you guys. And we heavily modified my 488 GTB that is now gone. I sold it. I've never had problems with those, but I've heard that they're notorious for going after people. I don't think I know anybody personally that they've gone after, but I thought that that was why it got pulled down. And he's like, no, no. He's like. I think that he's like, they demonetized it. Yeah. And I think that there was something that was in the video that he went and changed and then he put it back up. But I'm like, well, you should still send it even if it's not demonetized. He's like. He's like, I'm not putting that up if I'm not getting paid. I like that he's got a lot.

[Host 3]

Of money in that video.

[Steve Hamilton]

I'm like, I appreciate the guy. Yeah, for real. And I appreciate him all the better. And he is like, have you guys met him? Yeah, he's in my. I think he's such a good dude. Like, he, he was so much more respectful than, Than, like, he, he asked about everything. He's like, can I throw this beanbag at your Bugatti? I.

[Host 1]

All right, what an odd question. What about the egg? When he threw the egg.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah, we did that like a block from here. And he asked about it, and I'm like, all right. Like, we, we. We did some testing ahead of time to make sure it wasn't going to scuff and scratch. And it had, it had a ppf and then Stradman wrapped it for us so it had 10 layers of wraps. I'm like, that's actually pretty convenient timing for him.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

So. So we were, we were all right with it. And like. But when he did donuts, he asked about doing donuts in it. Like, that was the scariest part.

[Host 3]

Right next to that curb. Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

He was so close.

[Host 3]

So you were nervous? I was wondering that.

[Steve Hamilton]

You don't seem like you ever get nervous the most. Like, I didn't. And then, like, that happened. That was like the first. And then when Alex Choi drove me in that Porsche right there, that was the scariest time.

[Host 3]

He's a crazy driver. He's a good driver, obviously, but, like.

[Steve Hamilton]

Dude was going like 80 miles an hour down, like, curvy roads like this. I'm like, if there's one patch of water, like, I'm like, I could die. Yeah, I'm in here.

[Host 3]

You had a good life.

[Host 1]

I don't need this YouTube video.

[Host 3]

So Ferrari will send you a cease and desist if you put a.

[Steve Hamilton]

Who knows exhaust on.

[Host 3]

I know about the wraps. I've heard about that. Or modifying the emblems.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's all potential hearsay.

[Host 1]

So really, I don't.

[Host 3]

I don't know, but I, I probably can't. I. I definitely can't speak for whistling, but this is maybe just what it seems like to me. I feel like he maybe wants them to send them a cease and desist. Maybe that would be like, he would.

[Host 1]

Go off and, like, storyline.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

It would be like the perfect.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yes.

[Host 1]

Exactly what he wanted to happen.

[Steve Hamilton]

And then he'd have three more videos about him.

[Host 3]

Exactly, exactly.

[Host 2]

I don't know if I'd want to go to court against Ferrari, though.

[Steve Hamilton]

That's true. That might be.

[Host 3]

What's the worst case scenario? May you give back your Ferrari and it's going to be worth.

[Steve Hamilton]

And there's even some crazy content. Like there's a video and I'm not going to go into it too detailed but there's like a video that we have that can be an amazing performing video right now that we've already filmed and it invol like there's risk there. Like we were in the right and. And to some extent we were threatened with false information like if we continued posting or if we said something. So like this video will be. I can't say who it is but oh my gosh, like there is some really suspicious things said. Like I, I actually filmed this video to protect myself. Like if this stuff was, if this fake stuff was to go public, like I have a video ready to launch immediately or yeah, who knows. But it's just crazy. I don't know. That one's, that one's, that one's interesting.

[Host 1]

Dude, isn't it wild that you start this like billion dollar company and now you're dealing with like YouTube videos and shit. Like the things that we deal with day to day.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's. And I think I enjoy, I enjoy both of them actually. Like getting back in the trenches of custom offsets fitment and all the companies. Like it's really fun. Like I started out doing really high level stuff like looking at wages as a percentage and working with the team to fix that. And now it's like I'm negotiating with suppliers. I'm working on a slow moving inventory problem. I'm working in the warehouse for a day. Like I love that stuff. I love working closely with, with every team member, not just my leaders. I'm finding it a lot more fulfilling what I'm doing. But the YouTube videos, some, some of it's work. Like some of it I don't look forward to. Like some of it's like I gotta go. Like we just shot a vlog on a new car that I have coming in and like I love getting the new car but knowing that I have to commit two hours to like creating a vlog run it.

[Host 3]

You like got to think what you're going to say and you know you want to.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's not even that like I really, I can come up. It's just knowing that I have to like I don't want to like I don't want to go shoot a two hour. I'm sure there's funny.

[Host 3]

Why? Yeah, why? I obviously because you want to give back, I guess.

[Steve Hamilton]

But you need to create content. Like we need to keep creating content and growing the channel. Like why, why do you want to?

[Host 3]

Yeah, like to me, I look at you, I'm like This, you've won it. Life, you got, you got your family, you got, awesome job, you got, I mean everything you could possibly want, I would imagine.

[Steve Hamilton]

I think it's because it affords me so other opportunity. Like for every one video that's, that's work and that I'm not looking forward to where I'm like, I got to go drive this for two hours, talk like when in actuality I just want to go drive it, have fun, go do donuts. But I got to film it. It's got to be edited. For every one that's work, there's two that are fun and then one of the two that are fun are opportunities to meet people like you guys or to meet Whistle and Diesel. Like my like Whistle and Diesel gave my, my son the little R.C. bugatti that he, that he raced in our or his video like Unspeakable flew out to our house and did a track day.

[Host 3]

He's killing it. Oh, he's been killing it for a long time.

[Steve Hamilton]

But yeah, and he's definitely younger generation. But like that's amazing. David Dobrik came to my house like, and it's not even that I'm meeting these people, it's that they get to meet like my kids like these like it means a lot to them I think, to meet these people. Just, just knowing that I'm giving people access to these guys that they could have never met, like, it's. That means a lot to me and that is very fulfilling. So. And we also got to go to Italy. Like there's some really fun stuff that we get to do. I'm sure you guys feel the same way. Maybe you want to minute but there's probably some vlogs where you're like, God, I'm not looking forward to this. I'm doing it because I know it'll probably, it'll probably do okay and. But we have to keep.

[Host 3]

Some days you don't feel like filming.

[Host 1]

But you gotta part is when it's so fucking cold. Dude, I do not want to go outside right now. It's 20 below. But we're like, eh, yeah, it's not that bad. Let's go.

[Steve Hamilton]

And then there's some cringy shit where like I had, I went in my resvani and we made a bathtub in the reservoir. And you're like, I'm like, God, I got to go to drive throughs sitting in swim trunks. Yeah, like, but it's so funny when you watch it and it's such a different video for us. That. That, like, it's done, it's over with. I didn't want to do it, but it was funny, so I'm glad.

[Host 3]

Yeah, that's the best feeling, too, when you're like, you're not God, really don't want to do this. And then you're just like, whatever, we're.

[Host 1]

Going to do it.

[Host 3]

And then you do it and then you're just so happy. Like, you did it after it's over.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yep.

[Host 1]

How good does it feel, though, when you get like a 1 out of 10 video and, you know, like, you put all this work into the video and it actually worked. And people love it, though.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, very good. That is one of the best feelings ever. And then it does the little. Like, for those of you that have YouTube channels, a little sprinkles or the file fireworks are like, I don't think it works on mobile. It doesn't do the.

[Host 3]

It does it for me on mobile.

[Steve Hamilton]

I think maybe it does. Maybe I just. And for us, I think our videos have done really well in general. I'd say now we're in a little bit more of a slump where. And I said this on that podcast I did with Graham Stephan, but, like, I still. Even though it's very, like, loosely run here, like, we still have metrics that I want them to stick by and it's, you know, it's. And I don't know what you guys look at, but the more subs you have, the more views that you should get on a video. But if you have 3 million subs and you're only getting 300,000 or 200,000 views on a video, then you're not doing so well. So I try to make it. A third of our sub count is a pretty good video, and then two thirds or more is a solid video. So we're at 400,000 subs. Anytime that we're doing 250k plus, like, we've made a solid video, we're averaging around 200k. If you took the average of our last 20 videos, it's probably that 225 to 250k, which is really solid. Right? And that's like what Whistle and Diesel performs at. Like, he's got four and a half plus million subs and every video is getting three plus million. Like, and the bigger you get, the harder it is. That's what she said. You can't set yourself up for that stuff. So, like, so he is really. But he's also, like, bold and, like, I will never be that bold and Dangerous. It's weird how the older you get, the more conservative you get, even though you have less years to live. It's just weird. And when you're young, you go, that's an interesting perspective. It's true, though. Like, you're like. He's in his early 20s, 24, I think, by the way, he inspired me to get a tattoo. It was my first ever tattoo. He had a tattoo in his hand of his. Of his girlfriend's birthday. And I'm like, it was really small, really subtle. I'm like, if I ever get one, it's going to be small and subtle. And then it was like old timey typewriter font. So when I was in Vegas, I got my wife's birthday tattooed.

[Host 3]

Nice.

[Host 2]

I noticed that it looked fresh. That's cool.

[Steve Hamilton]

And so clean. So that was pretty. I didn't want to pose off the guy, but I thought it was so cool that I wanted to replicate it.

[Host 1]

Everyone's stealing his ideas and shit. Now he's stealing his tattoos.

[Steve Hamilton]

I should go take my LA Ferrari out off road now and go beat it.

[Host 3]

Send it, right?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

So you like, how's. How is. How's things been with. Obviously you're extremely busy working on the business now. You're working on YouTube. You got your family, you got your wife that you brought up. There must be a balancing act that comes with that.

[Steve Hamilton]

Definitely, yeah. Like, there's like, you know, weekends and evenings are for the family. And then there's a lot of time I can schedule between, like, I pick up the kids a lot from school at 3, 3:30, take them. Like there's. It's kind of like weaving my schedule around that. So it's that. That's kind of the core schedule is making sure they're. They're taken to school, taken care of when Caroline can't. And there's a lot of days where it's just me because she'll exercise, workout. So, like, that's kind of the solidified thing. And then the work is scheduled, like all around that stuff. And we try to travel a lot too, because I read that one of the. Or the biggest thing that people do once they start making good income is travel. Like, that's the biggest differentiator. It's not going and buying super and hypercars. It's like the travel increases significantly and there's a reason for that. It's so fun to just get out, go to the Bahamas, go to Hawaii, go to Florida. If you guys have seen some of the videos, which I'm sure You have, like, Disney World is. I'm huge on Disney World.

[Host 3]

I caught onto that.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. Yeah. And so you said you go to.

[Host 1]

Disney World like, 10 times a year or something?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. I mean, we spend about one out of every four or five days in that area. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of nuts.

[Host 3]

You're kind of a big kid.

[Steve Hamilton]

I know. Like, I eat a lot of sugar. Like, I drink.

[Host 3]

I want to be like you.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

I mean, when I'm. As I get older, I want even more. Like, I'm not close to it, but.

[Steve Hamilton]

I'm more of a. I'm more of a child, I think, than a lot of people. And then probably them. But, yes, That's. That's the way you have to be.

[Host 3]

So do you pick up the kids from school in these things?

[Steve Hamilton]

I do.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

We've.

[Host 3]

We've taken, like, that Must draw a crowd.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yes. There. There was a period for, like, three solid weeks. I'd show up in a different car every day, and. And then once we had all the cars out doing a vlog, and. And, like, my son needed to be picked up, I'm like, we're gonna have to take them all there. Like, that's the only option. So we show up with, like, 10 super and hypercars to pick him up, one of which was the Blues Mobile. That was just with us shooting a vlog. Yeah.

[Host 3]

That's awesome.

[Host 1]

You got limos, though, too, don't you?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, those are, like, some of my favorite cars. I drove them extensively this weekend.

[Host 3]

We're big limo guys, too.

[Steve Hamilton]

Hell, yeah. Yeah.

[Host 3]

We've had two.

[Steve Hamilton]

What kind?

[Host 3]

Shitty ones.

[Steve Hamilton]

What year and what.

[Host 3]

I think the first one was, like, a 2001 Lincoln Town Car, and it was the best. It smelled like rap Rap p. But we had so much fun in it. I think we bought it for, like, $3,000. And that's where it all started.

[Host 1]

We.

[Host 3]

We ended up chopping the roof off and doing a convertible limo. And then at the. After that, we did a. We made a hot tub out of it and drove around. It was so fun.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. So mine's less about going and doing crazy stuff. I just like that it. It brings you into a different, like, era. I feel like I'm Like, I'm driving this car, and it's 1983. Like, that's why I love it. And so they're very untouched other than rewiring them and making everything work. So I have the 83 Fleetwood Broham, and then I have an 89 Lincoln Town Car. Those were, like, the two Pinnacle limos of the 80s. And so I wanted to get both of them and like the kids actually enjoy them until my 83 broke down on the road the other day and like my daughter was wigging out a little bit because we're in the middle of this busy ass highway. The battery's dead. So like the hazards are barely on. Like it's dark. I'm like, I had to get the kids out. We're pushing the car as quickly as possible.

[Host 1]

You got too many cars like this.

[Steve Hamilton]

For real. She's freaking out in the car. Like not making matters better. I'm like, she's never gonna go in this limo again. But I still freaking love them.

[Host 3]

Are you kids driving?

[Steve Hamilton]

No, they're not.

[Host 3]

So like what do you, what are you gonna do for like a first car? Have you thought about that yet or.

[Steve Hamilton]

Like it's not gonna be, it won't be modest, but it'll be far more modest than this. Like I really like the Tesla Model 3.

[Host 3]

That's a great car.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. Like I'm not gonna.

[Host 3]

Like, you're not gonna put them in a turd wagon?

[Host 1]

No.

[Steve Hamilton]

There's a lot of that culture where the kids get like super hyper cars. They're wearing like thousand dollar. I'm like, that will never be my kids. Like they go to public schools. I just won't put them in a private school. I think there's a lot to be learned and there's nothing wrong with private schools. I think that a public school.

[Host 1]

There's something wrong with private schools.

[Host 3]

He went to a private school. Can you tell?

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, there's lots of good people that come from them, but I want them to live a normal life as possible. And that's not possible to some extent. But a Model 3 is not humble. But it's also a safe car that's quick and it's neat and fun. Reliable. Yeah, yeah.

[Host 3]

Pretty basic. Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

Or like a Jeep, like a, like a Wrangler. Like it'd be cool for them to have the Rubicon 3. My, my wife has the 392, so that, that is an expensive Jeep. But like it'd be neat for them to go whip a jeep ring the Rubicon 392 that's supercharged to school and it's not like a, it's not a Lamborghini or anything.

[Host 3]

It's not too eye eye catching.

[Steve Hamilton]

And yes.

[Host 1]

I mean at the end of the day, you still own a wheels entire company.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yep.

[Host 1]

And the car industry has made you, you know, who you are today. So you Almost got to have your sons or your daughter rolling around in some. Cool.

[Steve Hamilton]

They have to have enthusiast. Even the Model 3 isn't. Like, we would slide. I would probably put wheels on it, and we'd probably put a body kit on it. The Rubicon 392 is an enthusiast vehicle. Like, it would have to be some kind of enthusiast vehicle. They're not going to get a Camry. They're not going to get something that's boring.

[Host 2]

What do you think of the 392? It seems to me that Jeeps maybe don't drive the best, and putting a giant motor in it would make it a death trap.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's incredibly fun. One of the other owners of the company, Ryan Whitten, bought one, too, and it's just a really fun car. However, it's governed at 99 miles an hour, which probably for good reason. I hit it every time I drive it. I'm like, oh, gosh, dude. I just want to, like. Even my Russ Vani, which is a Jeep, I'll hit, like, 120 in that thing. And I'm like, cool, man. This thing's like, yeah. I'm like, I could die or flip at any moment, but cool, man. I'm going 120. But that frustrates me. However, it is like, you're next to someone, and they're in, like, a Mustang, and I'm in this Jeep, and, like, I just zoom off, and they're probably like, what the fuck that thing sounded. And it's the first V8 in a Jeep in 40 years, and it's incredibly fun. However, we put the supercharger on, and it added, like, 30 horsepower, and we're like, how did it only have 30 horsepower? The tune shop's like, well, we couldn't really tune it any higher than that because these engines are notoriously underbuilt. He's like, I could, but your engine would fall apart. I'm like, well, that's great to know.

[Host 2]

Yeah, I don't want to do that.

[Steve Hamilton]

After I've invested 14. I would have never put the supercharger in if I knew that. They could only limit.

[Host 1]

They didn't tell you that?

[Steve Hamilton]

Nobody said anything.

[Host 1]

Yeah. You know what I love about you, Steve, is is everyone always dreams of getting to where you're at. Right. Where you get the money and you can buy all these cars.

[Steve Hamilton]

Sure.

[Host 1]

But you drive them and you treat them exactly how everyone would always dream that.

[Steve Hamilton]

Sure.

[Host 1]

And that's, like, my favorite part is that you're like, you're actually mobbing these things down the street like, like a 18 year old kid would.

[Steve Hamilton]

I've gotten, as I've gotten older, I've gotten a lot smart. Like, I'm not. I'm not speeding. I'm speeding in the right areas.

[Host 1]

Like, that's what my buddy C.J. says.

[Host 3]

That's what C.J. said.

[Host 1]

He only gets one ticket every three weeks.

[Steve Hamilton]

Well, I was going to say I used to get a ticket, two to three tickets a year. I've had well over 35, 40 tickets. I've had none in the last three years. And it's because you just kind of like, you're like, there's a right place and a wrong place to speed. Like, I don't want to speed where there's a lot of intersections, crossroads, homes. But like, there's plenty of stretches that, that don't have any of that. And they're. They're very unlikely to probably be patrolled. So, like, those are the ones that I'm going 100, 120, 150 plus on. Yeah. Allegedly in Mexico. And then there's certain highways that, that have, like, long stretches, like, you know, that it's not possible to patrol.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

And so that's where I really try to get my aggression out.

[Host 1]

I saw the video of you doing 200 in your pooka.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 211 miles an hour. I can't disclose where, but yes. What does that feel like? Well, not scary. Like, the problem was I hit it and then there was a curve way up ahead. Right. And then so I start braking, but you're like, you can't hard brake at that speed. So, like, the curve got taken at like 130, 140. So it's kind of.

[Host 2]

You kind of forget.

[Steve Hamilton]

You just don't realize how quickly it comes up. That's what she said. And it's like it's so far ahead where I braked cautiously, but, like, I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, I needed to break even earlier. And then. And that was one that I texted the crew. That was when I went to 11 and I'm going around the curve and there was a Senate was right behind me. And that's when I'm like, all right, guys, like, we need to chill a little bit more than that on the highway. Like, and I was leading the cruise with my fault. Everyone's like, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?

[Host 1]

Aren't you leading?

[Steve Hamilton]

We need to chill a little bit more than that. Like, it's. It's just not worth it. Maybe we'll just go at 130, 140. But I don't know about this 211.

[Host 2]

Shit, but it is tough because you got a Bugatti. It's almost like you have to.

[Steve Hamilton]

Well, the Bugatti is actually shipped off to be auctioned. Really. So I want to get a Veyron, an EB110 this year, and then I have the Shiron SS coming later this year. So as goofy as it sounds, I wanted to not have a Chiron for a good 10 months so that it's all the more fun when I do get it.

[Host 1]

That actually makes sense.

[Steve Hamilton]

It does indeed.

[Host 1]

What's your favorite car in the fleet?

[Steve Hamilton]

918 all day. And then we put an exhaust in it, which made it better and also made it worse. Like, it's. It's. It gives me a headache when I drive it. But, like, when the. When this. The top is off, like, it's something about a gas motor. When I was in a Tesla, I drive a lot safer. They're faster. Like, the acceleration on. That's faster than anything I have here. My plaid that I had. But, like, you don't hear the engine rumbling behind you.

[Host 3]

Not as fun.

[Steve Hamilton]

So it's like you just. You just drive more conservative. And then it has autopilot. I'm like, well, I'm lazy. Like, I'm just going to throw autopilot on and let this thing drive me at the speed limit the entire way to exercise or whatever. But these are like. I mean, there's no autopilot. They're loud. You can feel the engine rumbling. I'm like, yeah, I'm going to need to go 137 miles an hour on this little block here.

[Host 3]

So with, like, the car market, you know, obviously there is a stint where you could buy a Lamborghini and make money on it.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

And now it's obviously coming back down. Do you think, let's say, if I was going to buy a Nauti R8 or a Huracan, would it be a bad time to buy it right now?

[Steve Hamilton]

I think the market still has some correcting to do. It would have been a really bad time to buy it six months ago.

[Host 1]

I bought. I bought a Hurricane six months ago.

[Steve Hamilton]

Oh, shit.

[Host 2]

You were more like eight, so maybe even worse yet.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Host 1]

I bought it at the peak of the market.

[Steve Hamilton]

Oh, my gosh.

[Host 1]

I've lost so much money on it. I don't actually want to think about it.

[Steve Hamilton]

That will happen.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

And that was about. Yeah. Six. Six Eight months ago was pretty much peak market value. And then it's come down pretty hard. I know the hurricanes, so like looking back at hurricanes, they got as cheap as about 175, 180 and I don't know what they're at. What's like the cheapest?

[Host 3]

I was, I've been seeing them for like, oh, the two wheels. I don't even look. I just look at the 610fours and those are like you can get them for like 180 right now.

[Steve Hamilton]

Okay. So they're getting back down to where they were at. But that, but that was where they were at three years ago. So they have to come down lower than that. Like.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

So that's the thing is like they can't hold that value, especially with interest rates rising. Like even the Aventadors are getting where they were at three years ago. But there's more correcting that has to be done because they're three years older now. That doesn't go for all cars. There are cars that you can buy, you can make money on. The 4 GT is held strong. Like those are $400,000. I paid 285 to something for that.

[Host 3]

I've made money on my GTR if I was to sell it today.

[Steve Hamilton]

Well, they're not building them anymore. That's part of it. I'm lose a shit ton of money on that one.

[Host 3]

Cost it so much to get it like that.

[Steve Hamilton]

But yes, yes. And you guys should buy it. The GT3 like Porsche is notorious for building a car that holds like their, their special GT3Rs has always held value. You can go get a 15 year old one for like 170, 180. And that's what they were new. Like it's, it's crazy how well those hold their value. But then there's some cars that will rapidly deteriorate. So yeah, unfortunately you're gonna.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

Take a bath on that one.

[Host 1]

I, I figured I've probably lost 50 grand on it.

[Host 3]

You just gotta do something, something really entertaining with it and then you can make up for it.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah. By, by making it worth even less.

[Host 1]

Yeah, the company's gotta buy it from me first. Boy, you guys will all be partners with me.

[Host 3]

We actually bought your guys's F350, the Arkon truck.

[Steve Hamilton]

Oh really?

[Host 3]

And that thing's been good to us. I love driving it. It's really bumpy just because, you know, it's a huge lifted on 26 inch wheels that you'll have that. But that thing honestly is the most eye grabbing vehicle in our fleet. But speaking of doing crazy stuff with it, we've done some, some good stuff with it and.

[Steve Hamilton]

Good, good, good. We, I bought the Sister, so we ordered one up there and then I ordered one down here and I had the, the other F250 diesel for about a year and then we sold that one as well. But those are a lot of fun. Those are really nice.

[Host 2]

We would drive it a lot more, but the Minnesota is really hard on truck laws and we have people that are really hard around us and it makes it really tough to drive because it's like a 5$600 ticket if you get pulled over.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, I heard, I heard Pennsylvania is like the worst in the nation for, for those kind of laws too. Yes, it's unfortunate. I mean they're there for a reason. But it sucks.

[Host 2]

You guys have real crime down here. So hopefully you're driving your cars.

[Steve Hamilton]

You go 45 minutes east of here and yeah, you better, you better be packing.

[Host 3]

Where I was going with that, I think was we've done some like kind of outlandish stuff with it and we've been hard on it. But honestly it, it, I think it looks just as good still as it pulled off the floor. Yeah, it's really held up.

[Steve Hamilton]

And you made me think something like it's weird. Like we'll do some really phenomenal content. I'm shifting back to content. My, my brain will go like nine directions. But like talking about that, that made me think about like you'll do some content that's different for your channel, but it's like really, really good and genuine and it won't do well. And like, it's unfortunate where I'm like taking my resvani off roading it. Like the resvani doesn't typically do well unless there's drama behind it. And like even when we're filming the pickup, which we haven't aired yet, but like, and it, and it breaks down on the way home. We're like, gosh damn it, like now. And now the video is going to do well because it, because it exploded. But I also my versus Rodney's also exploded.

[Host 1]

It's like negative thing about YouTube is like people just love the negative side of things.

[Steve Hamilton]

I know when the Senate wrecked, we're like, we have to get this edited and up quickly because everybody's going to tell their own narrative. And then that was a million view video, right? We're hanging out with Stradman and some Karen walks up. I'm like, oh my God. Like, this is going to do really well. It's usually the ones that do the best are some of the ones that take the least amount of work. That Karen video took like 15 minutes to film and it's like our third or fourth best gold. And then our collection tours always do phenomenal. When we do the full tour, those always do three plus million. So that'll be a recurring thing. And my collection changes so much. Like when we film it again, maybe later this year, it'll be a completely different collection.

[Host 3]

We do the same thing.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah, you almost have to. Right.

[Host 2]

But.

[Steve Hamilton]

But it's weird.

[Host 1]

Broader market.

[Steve Hamilton]

I think it was James Stradman that said, like, don't give up on those videos. Like, if they're good, the more of those you do like people, you will acclimate other types of viewers and they will start to perform well. Like, I started doing ones on business and like, very different. Like those did, like, they did the 1/3 of followers. So they did like the B minus job. But the sub ad was like 3x, so that 100,000 viewers. I added a thousand subs, which is a thousand subs for every 100,000 views is high. So you have to treat that almost like a 250 or 300,000 view because that's the amount of subs that it got. If you equate it all out.

[Host 3]

You hang out with all these really successful YouTubers. You've met way more than us. Oh, yeah, obviously. David Dobrik.

[Steve Hamilton]

Sure.

[Host 3]

Stroudman, Whistle and Diesel. Do they give you any advice that you can share with us?

[Steve Hamilton]

And I think. I think some of them, like, get asked so much where, like, it's where it's almost like, like David Dobrik's like, consistency, like, that was his answer. He probably knows a lot, but, like, as big as he is, there maybe even be a liability to what advice he gives out. Who knows? Yeah. And so, like, you also don't want to give away your secret sauce. But, like, honestly, I don't really mind at the end of the day. I don't like. I think that there's a ton of little. I guess that's the easiest way to put it is there's a ton of little things, there's 20 little things and maybe a few big things, some of which are swapping out your titles. And I don't know if you guys will swap out your title. That's one of the most effective things and we've seen it, where you wait an hour, you see how the video performs, and then if it doesn't do well, you swap out that and then you'll see a small spike and you're like, okay. And usually it only does a small. If there's a few videos where we're like, wow, that made a substantial impact, but by and large that only seems to help out a little bit for us. I don't even know how important consistency is. Like David Dobrik would say, because then.

[Host 3]

You got whistling posting one video a month sometimes or even two months and he's killing it.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. I mean, but it's also equality of content. Like there are other people that have, that have collections like this and they don't get as much engagement because it could be their personalities they might not be catering to. Like, there's certain things that I want to do that won't perform well, so I'm not going to do them. Like, I want to make sure that we know that the video is going to perform well. Like, I'll still go do fun stuff. We're just not going to vlog it.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

Like, we'll go take a cruise to, you know, a three hour cruise somewhere in these and, and go hit up a bunch of restaurants and like plan a really fun thing about it. And like, people would love to be a part of that, but I don't think they want to watch some cruise.

[Host 3]

It takes away from it too.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

It's not worth the time. Then it's like, well, we should just try to be present, Enjoy it.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. And it's weird how when you first start filming how, how awkward it is to have like a camera rolling and you guys have been doing it so long where I don't even know if you remember that moment. But like, and then you become numb to it. You're like, well, pop up, pop out the cat. Like, we're in a Walmart. We're shopping.

[Host 1]

Like, yeah, we're the best example. We're in public.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yes. And it's so weird. At first we like, are people watching, like, but now it's just, I whip it out, man. I'm miked up, I'm ready to go.

[Host 3]

It was a lot harder though when you were like small and also, I mean, so we've been doing this for. We're coming up on seven years.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

And especially where, where we're from, I mean there, there's no YouTubers.

[Steve Hamilton]

So why are you guys in Minnesota?

[Host 3]

It's where we grew up, man.

[Steve Hamilton]

But I think that's the best, that's really the best reason why I'm out Here.

[Host 1]

But we love it, though.

[Host 3]

I mean, especially with the content we do. We do a little bit of everything, and we really try to. To make the center is just kind of the group's camaraderie and, you know, just started out with us hanging out and just started filming and then started learning more and basically kind of teaching ourselves as the time went on in Minnesota. Like, we love to. To snowmobile, we love to do dirt bikes, we love cars. And. And being that we're in such a secluded area, it actually works to our benefit. And then on top of that, there's a lot of, you know, I mean, most of America is probably, you know, kind of small town or.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

So I think a lot of kids.

[Steve Hamilton]

Can resonate with it.

[Host 3]

Exactly.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, I think a lot. Like, there's a lot of people doing the same type of content that we're doing, but I think a lot of it does have to do with camaraderie. Personality.

[Host 1]

Exactly.

[Steve Hamilton]

And so that is important. And we all get along really well with Tommy, Natalia, and that's important. That was one of the biggest hiring things when we hired Aiden, who's our most recent hire. Right. He has to be able to hang with the group and get along, and he just has to have that personality. Also one that I'm not going to get sued at. I'm not going to get sued when it's very. I don't know how to say it, but we. We are a little, like, as crazy as we are on camera. We're three times that off camera.

[Host 2]

So, yeah, that's probably, like, us, too. I think that's most people.

[Steve Hamilton]

And you have to be careful. You have to trust your editor, too, because there's probably a lot of stuff that would get, like, this point. And anybody that says there's. That they are a cancel free. Like, that's bullshit. Like, every single influencer has plenty that will get them canceled, and there's plenty that we've all said and done that would get us canceled. And you have to be careful who you like. They have to sign NDAs and other stuff like that.

[Host 1]

So, yeah, we say that all the time, though, is like, at the end of the day, it shouldn't really matter what we're filming as long as the vibes are high.

[Host 2]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1]

Most important thing dynamic. So, like, if. If somebody's, like, pissed off or, like, something just happened, we're like, all right, well, let's film in, like, an hour. So, like, we don't go into it like somebody mad.

[Host 3]

If one person's pissed off, though. It's almost kind of funny.

[Host 1]

Well, in certain situations, definitely that person.

[Steve Hamilton]

For us is usually not tell you. Oh, really? She'll be like. And like, Tommy and I are the worst.

[Host 3]

And you're. You're poking at the bear.

[Steve Hamilton]

Oh, no, I'd say we're poking at a. I'd say we're poking at a cat. Okay. We call her a cat because, you know, you can. You never know how many times you can pet her until like the cat just. And then. And then one day the cat's like, oh, fine, Danny, pet me one day. Like the same thing, same input, but like, the cat wants nothing to do with you. That's Natalia.

[Host 3]

Kind of sounds like Ken.

[Host 2]

Yeah. You gotta have that though. That's part of every good group dynamic.

[Host 3]

I feel like it's essential, so.

[Steve Hamilton]

So we'll notice her in a bad mood and we usually won't back off at all.

[Host 1]

We do.

[Steve Hamilton]

She's a good sport, though.

[Host 1]

So do you think that it's been harder to create a YouTube channel in this day and age or create a wheel company back when you first started? Because it's like completely different. But I mean, you're still building something.

[Steve Hamilton]

I guess the glory days of YouTube sounded like it was 15, 16, 17 when, like, that's one thing. When I've talked to everybody, like, it was so much easier to build a channel back then and there's so much competition now, actually, is what I usually do versus metrics. Like, you're just going up against so many more people. I think we've been pretty lucky. Like, I have nearly a half million followers and really we only have had content going since, like, we did a few videos that did a thousand views. And then like our first tour video, which was maybe our fifth or sixth video, like, that's the one that did well at the end of October in 2021. So it's been like 14, 15 months of having actual, like scheduled content. And a half million subs is pretty good.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Steve Hamilton]

For that time period. So, like, I'm jaded, I think, a little bit by that in that it's been going really well. Like, it doesn't feel like it's been a huge challenge, but the business has been a 20 year grind and I think, like, to start this today would be significantly harder.

[Host 3]

Okay.

[Steve Hamilton]

Now granted, I have a huge car collection, so, like, I think any Joe Schmo could go and build a channel out of these. I don't. I think we've seen that there are actually a lot of Channels you may never heard about with super hypercars that just. They don't grow or they don't do well. They may have sub 100,000 subs. Like, there's definitely an element to creating good, engaging content, having good personalities. But at the end of the day, someone could probably grow a channel to 100,000 viewers within a year, even if it's pretty mediocre. Maybe not. But starting a business, especially in our industry, would be like, when I launch a new website, it takes two to three years for it to be profitable. And that's with our huge data, our team, our marketing. So that makes me feel great, though, like, to know how difficult it is lets us know how special the wheel and tire companies we have are and how difficult it would be to compete against us.

[Host 3]

So if you were, let's say in your 21, tomorrow you're going back to. You're broke again. You don't have any. You don't know where you're going in life.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Because I'm sure there's a lot of people honestly listening right now that are trying to. They want to be successful like you. Like, what would be your first step?

[Steve Hamilton]

That is a great question. Because it is so hard to start something without money. Like, they always say, the rich get richer, the poor get poor. And like, it's an unfortunate saying, but you realize as you make more money, there's so much more opportunities to make money. I'm like, there's so morning. Yeah, it's. But it. But it sucks and it's unfortunate. Like, there's several ideas I have in the pipeline that I know would be successful that I can leverage my social media channel. They just require a little bit of money and subjective at the end of the day. But to start a business, a little bit of money, a couple hundred thousand dollars is a little bit of money to start and build, especially like a manufacturing business. But that's a lot of money to someone else. And that's what it requires to probably foster most ideas. It depends. Like, if my skill set, like with my current skill set I can't develop, I can't. I might go partner myself. Like, I'll think of an idea. I might go partner myself with someone that has strong web dev capabilities and someone that's young, right out of school, that doesn't need money right away and work together with that person to build an idea that I have on the app side. Like, I genuinely do have an idea and if I believed in it strongly enough, it's a lot of. It's about giving up some equity and partnering with someone that can build it, I'm assuming. Yeah, there's a service or a product that we thought of that actually won't take too much upfront capital that could do well. And so that's one that I would go. And it's like a bakery item. So I would go to local mass bakery producers, pitch my idea, see if I can, you know, with minimal amount of money, get them to manufacture. I can design like an idea for the label. Like, I can do that all pretty cheap. But like developing and building a product, there's another one that, that will require a couple hundred thousand dollars and that's building like an actual, like, product. And so I think I'd probably go surround myself and do like an app or something. To be honest with you. That's the hardest, but it's the one that can scale and make you the money the fastest.

[Host 1]

That's. I was actually going to ask you about, like, the. The rich just continuing to make more money and the poor. And it just seems like everyone keeps talking about, like, this recession and like, you know, we're in hard times right now. And do you think that that's true? Like, the people that have money are going to just make more and it's just like more dividing?

[Steve Hamilton]

Well, it's weird right now because I feel like the average person, the recession hasn't hit them as hard yet. Like, it's. And I'm not the average person, but like, I try to talk a lot with the average person. Like, wage inflation has happened, right. But wages have increased really strongly over the last few years. It's really easy to go and find a job. Like, to me, I don't think the general population has felt the recession as hard. They've definitely felt inflation. But. But like, when you talk to business owners, they're like, it's weird that employment's like this. But like my, like my construction businesses, like every business owner I talk to is struggling and they're facing challenges. But the employment market is kind of jading how it is because there's still such a need in the service sector. And so it's this weird thing that has to catch up at some point. I think that that recession is hurting the top level actually right now, and spending is decreasing there. And then ultimately, I think it's going to affect everybody. It's hard to kind of quantify that or explain it, but it feels like something's coming.

[Host 1]

Oh, you think it's continuing to get worse?

[Steve Hamilton]

I mean, yeah, it doesn't feel like it's getting better. Like inflation's still a little crazy. It doesn't feel like it's getting better anytime soon. We just did a vlog, actually, where we went to all my old apartments that I grew up. And I grew up in like eight different apartment buildings. We visited four of them and first of all, I was shocked at how like the living conditions, one of them was nicer, like one of them gentrified and the other three were like, wow, like this is. It was probably worse actually when I lived in there because those cities have come up a little bit better. But then I asked them for their rent and we paid their rent for that month. And I was like, wait, you're paying 1500 bucks a month for a dumpy two bedroom apartment? That's how much it is. I don't know what it is in Minnesota, in this county, even for a dumpy apartment, it's 1500 bucks for a 900 square foot two bedroom. I'm like, I can't imagine my parents affording something like that. I mean, my dad was making 13 bucks an hour when we lived in those apartment buildings. That's when he, he got that job. And we were all so pleased because I think he was making nine bucks an hour prior to that sporting of four, four kids. It shocks me how much rents have gone up. I'm glad we do those vlogs because I learn more about the struggles that people face and I think that it's scary how much rent's gone up, how much mortgages have gone up because of rising interest rates and maybe people are feeling it. Although recession usually means you're losing job, your wage deflation, it's harder to find a job, Wages are down. I don't think we've seen that part yet. I think we've just seen cost of living go up. But so if cost of living stays where it is and people are starting to lose jobs, then God help everybody. Who knows. Hard to tell.

[Host 1]

Yeah, I guess for us it's like it's not really worth thinking about it or worrying about it. So we might as well just keep on keeping on.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, people are always going to watch content. It doesn't cost them any money to watch a YouTube video at the end of the day. So if you're keeping them busy and entertained, then that's a win.

[Host 3]

We have been trying to kind of diversify though and invest. So these two have rental properties and I've been looking, but that's kind of why I was also asking and I was like, is it a bad time? Should I wait till it goes lower?

[Steve Hamilton]

You know, right now I wouldn't buy. I think that there's going to be a little bit. It's kind of the same thing you, you peg where they were like, and properties are different than cars because cars always go down and then they get to a point where they go back up. But it's like when they're 25 years old, they're, they become a collectible and then they go back up. Properties should always go up like two and a half to three percent a year. I think the, the average rate of increase is right around 3. If they've popped 20% in the last two years, like something has to, especially with rising interest rates, something has to correct. They may be at their best correction level because if you look in like 08, there was a huge crash and so there was a lot of making up to do because the crash took them way below what they actually should have been. And I bought a lot of my properties way cheaper than they really were worth at the time. So I think some of that was corrected. The market may not correct much more than it has. I think I read something that property vales are down 5 to 10%. Or Americans have lost 5 to 10% of total property value that might include commercial and residential in the last like six or eight months. So they've gone down some areas, maybe not, and that might be where it stops. It's just hard to know. But like I look for bubbles both ways. Like that's kind of what, like did they drop 10, 15%? Like was there some big recession that finally really hit? They've identified it. Now people are foreclosing properties. Like that's, that's when I buy, because I know. And then properties increase 20, 30% in the course of two years. Like I know they're pretty strong right now and something's going to correct. Like that's, that's when I focus most of my buying efforts. But you should still continue to buy in between because you could still make. As long as you target to make 7, 8% like income or whatever. Some people want 20%, then you really can buy it anytime if that's your goal.

[Host 1]

Yeah, just make a little bit of cash flow on it and then you can always refinance.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yes. Yeah. And that's important to know now. Like a lot of people are scared about buying homes, but like interest rates will come down, it might be five years, it might be two years, but you can always refinance.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that's the funny thing about like where we're at now. We're finally making money and the business is doing good.

[Host 3]

Yeah, a little bit of money relative to you.

[Host 1]

Well, you know, like. Yeah, no, definitely a little bit of.

[Steve Hamilton]

Money compared to you.

[Host 1]

But now I'm trying to find a house to buy a house. And I'm like, of course now, now that I'm trying to buy a house, it's like 9% interest rates and like the prices are around us, they're still ridiculous.

[Steve Hamilton]

But the mortgage for a half million dollar home back then is the same as like a three hundred thousand dollar home now.

[Host 1]

Like, yeah, it's crazy month payments.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah, it's crazy that like now you have to get that you have to settle for that $300,000 home. And I say that around here because $300,000, about the, one of the lowest values you can get for a home out here.

[Host 1]

Really?

[Steve Hamilton]

Like if you bought a home mid 2020 Q2 Q3 of 2020, you, you did real well. You had 2 1/2% interest rates, you had like low, low value right before they popped.

[Host 2]

And even a little later than that, everyone would tell you all, you're such an idiot. Worst time to buy a house ever. And then now look, it would have been a great time to buy. So it's kind of how, that's how it goes.

[Steve Hamilton]

Yeah. And we moved, we moved into our current home in April of 21 and I sold my, my house that I was in right around then. And I'm like, right then I'm like, it had already went up to 10%. I'm like, I gotta sell this like as soon as possible. And then a year later I'm like, that house went up another hundred grand. I'm like, gosh man, like if I would have just hung onto that. But at the end of the day I still made more than I paid for it. So I can't think about it that way. That was like the first property I sold that kind of triggered the rest of them, but still made money. And that's what's important.

[Host 1]

What about the Florida home? You built a house in Florida that you were just sold right away, right?

[Steve Hamilton]

No, it's, it's still, it's up for sale, but every, there's like three buyers that are ready to go. They just want a certificate of occupancy. So it's still being built. I just got a picture of it actually last night and it looks like 98% of the way there. So it's Supposed to have a COI in a week or two, and then I expect it to sell right away. My wife just didn't like the layout. Like, I rushed her through it and I shouldn't have. I don't know why I did. Everything with me is like, let's. Like, when I get fixated on something, it needs to get done and it needs to get done quick. My wife has done a great job, especially when it comes to sex, slowing me down.

[Host 2]

We got really.

[Steve Hamilton]

That's what she said in. I know, I know. Yeah. Yeah, I set myself for that one. But, like, everything has to be done quickly. But she does a great job being like, all right, just stop and think about this. And I should have listened to her on this house because we probably would have ended up keeping it, selling our other one down there, and it would have been a really cool house. Like, it is still a great house. She just. It just doesn't flow the way that she likes it. So I'm not going to go and make that our vacation home if she's not happy with it. But there's plenty of people that love the home the way that it is. So we'll keep our smaller one down there and we will sell off that one. 16,000 square feet. It's like, I sorted. I just went and looked online in Florida for all the homes, and I sorted price down, and that was like, the 30th most expensive, which you'd think it'd be even higher than that, but it was the 30th most expensive home in all of Florida. I'm like, holy God. That's for sale. That's for sale.

[Host 3]

Not.

[Host 1]

Yeah, how much?

[Steve Hamilton]

It's like, right around 9 million bucks. We're gonna sell that, and then we'll figure out what's gonna happen from there, but we'll probably just stay in the other home that we love, and that's right around the corner from that. You ship cars down there Sometimes we ship my Ferrari down there for a little bit. My Senna was down there to get repaired. The shop that repaired it fucking made it much worse. They had it for. They had it for months. At the end, the guy's like, I just went and threw your tune version one back on it. I threw it back on from the usb and it's been running pretty good. I'm like, you took the earliest version of the tune. Like, we were on tune four or five. That had been getting better, but it was still throwing. I'm like, you reverted it back to the worst tune and then I got it, and immediately it goes in a limp mode. I'm like, this guy dicked around with my time, and he changed all the spark plugs, did a bunch of other stuff that did nothing, and then reverts the tune. And that was in Boca Raton. I almost want to call them out. I just forgot the name, but it was in Boca Raton. And, like, I think it was Excel Performance. Not pleased with them at all. And then they have the audacity to post dyno videos on their page. I'm like, I remember seeing an Instagram story. I'm like, yeah, you should take that down so I don't have to explain, like, the grief that I went through from your hack job on my car. So that's why that was down there. And then we have a few cars down there. We have a minivan and a Tesla Model X down there.

[Host 1]

Yeah, I feel like that'd be the dream. You got a place down in Florida and you can just bounce back and forth.

[Steve Hamilton]

It's wonderful having, like, annual passes for Disney World. Have you guys been to Disney World?

[Host 1]

No, actually, I did when I was a little kid.

[Steve Hamilton]

But when you get to experience it as an adult, like, it's. And I didn't get to experience it until I was 18 or 19. My wife took me down there. So I was basically an adult, a very young adult at that point. Like, I have to go somewhere twice before. I really, like somewhere. It's weird. I think there's, like, a certain level of discomfort whenever I go somewhere for a first time. But, like, the second time I go down, that. That's the make or break. And so the first time I kind of enjoyed it, but the second time I'm like, okay, this is like, my home.

[Host 1]

What were you guys doing? Like, what's there to do it at Disney World?

[Steve Hamilton]

Okay. So most people don't realize it's 40 square miles.

[Host 2]

It's gigantic, isn't it?

[Host 1]

Yeah. Isn't it? Its own county zip code.

[Steve Hamilton]

They have their own, like. Yeah, they have their own, like, utility and everything and zip code. And so it's. It's four huge theme parks. It is two big water parks. It's the biggest outdoor shopping area that probably exists in the US for golf courses, like, 20, 25 plus hotels, mini golf. Like, I'm missing a lot of what else it has to offer. So there's something for everybody. And even Epcot is, like, they have the rides, then they have the world. You can go, like, walk through, like, Germany and. And go Dine in, in their restaurant beer garden and have German servers. And you feel like, like they're. What they do is they spend a bunch of money on the experience because they want to. It's kind of like the 1983 Cadillac. So I'm a big guy with, with vibe. Like Vibe. A place can have shitty food, but a 10 out of 10 vibe and I will eat there makes a big difference now when they have 10 out of 10 food and a 10 out of 10 vibe, that's, that's top notch, right?

[Host 1]

Fuck it, we're getting residents.

[Steve Hamilton]

And I try to talk. Like every influencer I've met is usually like, no, I haven't gone or I haven't got. Like, I'm like, I need to make like a big trip where I just invite a bunch of like, not even for filming. Like, I don't want to vlog it. I just want to all of you to experience it. Like, I've taken a lot of people down there and I know how to experience it. I know how to walk all the parks without them. I don't need a map at all. I know all the secrets, like, don't flex like that.

[Host 2]

I'm in.

[Host 3]

Yeah, I'm in.

[Steve Hamilton]

So like, and those that experience it, like, Jeff with a G has been in some of our videos and he went down and experienced it my way and like I ruined him. Now he goes down there once or twice a year. Like they. You just realize how much it has to offer, how awesome it is. And there's like 250 plus restaurants there. A hundred of them are sit down. Like the average, the average person doesn't know where to. Like, I know I've been to all of them and I've been to a lot of them like many times. My son Logan has been to Disney. He's 13. He's been at least 100 times. Yes, yes. So, but it's great because oftentimes I have rewards for my flights just from spending money on pet supplies plus and other things. Like you get rewards. So flights are paid for a good portion of the time. I have the home down there that yes, I'm paying monthly for it, but like it's not like I'm going down there and I have to go rent a hotel. Like I have this house that's, that's already bought and then I have annual passes. So you just pay for them once. So makes sense. I'm kind of already paying for this stuff and every time I go down it's, it's very Minimal cost to me.

[Host 1]

Are you getting some cutback from Disney here?

[Steve Hamilton]

I should, man.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Steve Hamilton]

I wish. And I don't like. So many people advocate for it that they get nothing. And I certainly don't like. I just love it. They do such a good job at making you feel like you're. You're like. I don't know, making you feel like a kid again. And back to the big kid thing. Right. I just feel like a kid down there. And it's wonderful.

[Host 2]

That's amazing.

[Steve Hamilton]

I don't know.

[Host 2]

We've been going.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

We won't hold you up anymore.

[Host 1]

Well, I just want to say one more thing. When we first went to Custom Offsets, they picked us up from the hotel that we were staying at, but I got picked up specifically in this car right here.

[Steve Hamilton]

Oh, yeah. I shipped it up to the crew to borrow it for a week.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And we were there for that week. And so they picked me up in that one.

[Steve Hamilton]

Nice.

[Host 1]

And drove over to the headquarters. And from that moment on, I was like, this is my dream car. It was my. My screensaver for, like, a year and a half. I was like, one day, I'll buy one of these. So that's. I still. I still want to get one, but I think it's pretty cool.

[Steve Hamilton]

We got a Hurricane. You went and got a Hurricane?

[Host 1]

I should have gotten that. I would have lost a lot less money.

[Steve Hamilton]

But Hurricane's a bigger flex car, but, like, If I have 250k and I'm going to buy a supercar, that is the one I will buy every single time.

[Host 1]

Yeah. That's what everyone seems to say. Like. Like, everyone that owns one or has owned one says, like, the best car.

[Steve Hamilton]

It is. It is wonderful. I love it.

[Host 3]

Wow.

[Steve Hamilton]

Well, one day.

[Host 1]

One day.

[Host 3]

Yeah. Well, thank you, Steve.

[Host 2]

Yeah, thank you.

[Host 3]

I want to be like you.

[Steve Hamilton]

Thanks for having me. How old are you guys?

[Host 3]

I'm 26.

[Steve Hamilton]

You got 13 years to catch up.

[Host 2]

All right, we better go get to work then.

[Host 3]

If you guys haven't already, go check out the Hamilton Collection on YouTube. Go check them out on Instagram, and hit the subscribe button. We post a new podcast every week. So thank you guys so much.

[Steve Hamilton]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

And thank you, Steve.

[Steve Hamilton]

Thanks for having me, gentlemen. Appreciate you guys.