Life Wide Open with CboysTV

Episode: Hiring Back our Ex-Business Partner, Do We Fight? & Our Town's New Mayor

Date: July 2, 2024

Episode Overview

The CboysTV crew reunites with ex-business partner Justin, now their new merchandise manager, in a lively episode full of behind-the-scenes stories, business wisdom, playful banter, and small-town charm. The guys reflect on hiring Justin back, business lessons from the past, wild mayoral tales in Cormorant, product launches, staff dynamics, local family celebrity moments, and the enduring camaraderie (and occasional “fights”) that keep CboysTV rolling strong.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Justin's Return: The Full-Circle Hire

• How Justin Came Back
  • Justin, previously part of the team, noticed a listing for a merch manager and reached out despite not actively job-seeking.

    “I wasn't even looking for a new job…my wife, Megan, was like, if the opportunity ever arose, would you want to get back on the team?...I’d love to be able to help out.” — Justin (08:58)

  • The team was surprised but unanimously agreed he was the “corporate degenerate” they needed—someone with both business acumen and CboysTV DNA.

    “We need somebody who's corporate to fix these systems…But also a degenerate.” — CJ (13:30)

• Impact of Justin's Role
  • Massive improvements in operations, faster and more reliable merchandise fulfillment, and better balance behind the scenes.
  • First major merch drop with Justin ran shockingly smooth—everyone was not “about to explode with stress” (14:14).

    “It feels so good having someone that we trust and we also know is going to do a good job…I just never once have we had any hesitation.” — Mike (12:51)

2. Team Chemistry & “Fighting”

• Brotherly Banter, Not Serious Fights
  • The crew discusses their dynamic: frequent teasing, calling out each other's mistakes, but rarely real conflict.

    “We fight like brothers, basically. Like, you all know whatever you’re doing, we all do it with each other’s best intentions in mind…but we are with each other all the time, so we get on each other’s nerves.” — Ryan (53:26)

  • The importance of roasting and controversy for both humor and audience engagement; “controversy sells” (52:47).
• Notable Quote

  “People love it when we make fun of each other…If we cut all that out, a lot of the funniness, people just love that.” — Mike (53:16)

3. The Cormorant Mayor Saga

• Mayoral Election After the Dog Mayor
  • Discussion of the infamous “Mayor Duke”—the dog who once “ran” their tiny town (04:15).
  • New election: speculation about entering their own candidate (Ken, a random dog), potential town improvements (“Tesla chargers on every corner”), and the value of Cormorant’s “blank slate.”

    “Our original mayor used to be a dog...the first famous thing to come out of Cormorant.” — CJ (04:15)

  • Talk of erecting a dog memorial and how local folklore (and humor) give the town its unique flavor.

4. Life Wide Open as a Brand

• Evolution from “merch” to a lifestyle brand — products now include skateboards, backpack coolers, party suits, and more (07:48–08:10).

  “Life Wide Open is becoming more of a brand than merch…I think it's really cool.” — CJ (08:10)

• Seeing the brand out in the wild, people living the ethos, and even tattoos commemorating the motto.

  “The more I see it out in the world...the more I love it.” — CJ (16:03)

• Justin’s “big braining”: forecasting warehouse needs, logistics, and growth (17:13).

5. Local Celebrity: Grandpa Ron on the News

• CJ’s grandpa, “America’s Grandpa,” receives a heartwarming feature about beating cancer and sets a wild goal: water ski behind the world’s fastest pontoon.

  “After he completes his treatment, Grandpa Ron says he wants to be the oldest man to go water skiing behind the world's fastest pontoon in August.” — Mike (20:02)

• The news segment includes both inspiring and hilarious footage (“the news just had to show him eating shit on the bowling alley” — CJ, 20:59).
• Family pride and the funny side of fame in a small community.

6. Merch Drop Tales & Product Experiments

• Behind-the-scenes pressure preparing big drops, now alleviated by Justin’s organization (14:14–15:06).
• Expansion to a new warehouse, reinvesting in the business, and “building out the back end” (15:24–15:48).
• Wheelie Trainer story: A custom product for learning to wheelie dirt bikes, including multiple scam attempts buying them online, before building their own (25:19–28:25).

  “There is no company out there that makes one that actually will deliver it.” — CJ (25:47)

• Lively debate about actually marketing/selling the trainer and the universal appeal of learning wheelies safely.

7. Personal Growth: Phone Screen Time & Habits

• Crew compares screen-time stats for laughs and (maybe) self-improvement.

  “Some people can change over time, I guess so.” — Ken (39:24)

• Ken, previously the “scroll king,” now has the shortest daily screen time, to everyone’s shock.

8. Memorable Moments & Callbacks

• Historic Incidents:
  • Editing their earliest videos on barely-working laptops (56:58–57:59).
  • The “incident”: Justin fiercely advocates with a supplier, an episode that now makes him “sweat” just remembering it (60:23–63:02).
• Nostalgia:
  • Reminiscing about the first CboysTV “shop,” the tiny loft, and how far they’ve come (63:35–65:00), soon to celebrate the channel’s eight-year anniversary.

9. Other Highlights & Running Jokes

• Tech Talk:
  • Mac vs. Windows debates: “Macs are like Mercedes…” — Ryan (58:46).
• Good-Natured Roasts:
  • “Granola ass” banter about Ben’s teenage diet/lifestyle (52:10–52:24, 53:01).
• Hot Dog Addiction:
  • Whether eating hot dogs is a "problem" or "lifestyle."

    “It's not a problem. It's a lifestyle.” — Ken (54:52)

• Bull Story:
  • Commentary on a viral video where rodeo attendees get blindsided by a loose bull (41:28–44:02).
  • Lessons on dodging bulls (“do turns, zig zags!”) and bad ideas.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “[00:16] Justin: I'm so much happier doing this. Dude. When your friends are your co workers and your co workers are your friends, it's the best possible scenario.”
• “[08:45] CJ: So when we were looking for somebody to fill the position...Justin actually reached out because you saw the listing.”
• “[14:14] Ryan: …this last merch drop before the R8, our biggest giveaway yet…should be 10 times as worse as it's ever been in the past. And about four o' clock rolls around and I had all my stuff done, I walked back and Ken looked like he wasn't about to explode with stress.”
• “[20:02] Mike: After he completes his treatment, Grandpa Ron says he wants to be the oldest man to go water skiing behind the world's fastest pontoon in August.”
• “[25:47] CJ: There is no company out there that makes one [wheelie machine] that actually will deliver it.”
• “[39:24] Ken: Some people can change over time, I guess so.”
• “[41:07] Mike: A billboard. [Referring to Ken's leaked phone number and too many calls.]”
• “[53:16] Mike: People love it when we make fun of each other...If we cut all that out, a lot of the funniness, people just love that.”
• “[53:26] Ryan: We fight like brothers, basically...so we get on each other's nerves.”
• “[60:43] Justin: When you were, like, referencing that, I was like, I think that's blacked out of my memory how aggressive that was.”
• “[65:26] Mike: July 20th of 2016 when the channel got made...we’re actually coming up on eight years.”

Segment Timestamps

• Justin’s Return, Personal Growth: [00:00]–[13:47]
• Mayoral Stories & Town Talk: [02:39]–[06:24]
• Brand Expansion & Merch: [07:25]–[17:13]
• Grandpa Ron’s Feature: [17:27]–[22:33]
• Wheelie Trainer Saga: [23:04]–[30:00]
• Screen Time & Habits: [36:55]–[40:08]
• Bull Rodeo Video/Bad Ideas: [41:18]–[44:53]
• Nostalgia, Old Shop Stories: [63:35]–[66:12]

Tone and Style

Friendly, energetic, self-deprecating, with quick wit and “brotherly” banter. The Cboys blend business smarts, genuine affection, and classic small-town humor.

For Listener Takeaways

• Insight into CboysTV’s unique work culture and why having a friend as a business partner is both fulfilling and functional.
• Why behind-the-scenes roles (like Justin’s) make a crucial difference.
• Playful perspective on handling local politics, entrepreneurship, and keeping life “wide open.”
• The value of learning from mistakes—and not taking yourself too seriously along the way.

Next Episode Teaser

A possible OG-crew reunion episode—comment if you want to see the whole original gang back for classic storytelling!

Subscribe for more Life Wide Open, and don’t forget to live life, well…wide open!