Charlie's Last Interview

Summary

The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: Charlie’s Last Interview
Date: October 12, 2025
Host: Charlie Kirk
Theme: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Brand Building, and the State of America’s Economy

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Overview

This episode features Charlie Kirk, conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, in a candid discussion about entrepreneurial leadership, the cultural differences impacting business, guiding principles for success, and outlooks on America’s future. The conversation is directed toward an audience of entrepreneurs and business owners, particularly in the restaurant and hospitality sectors. Kirk shares personal lessons, practical advice, and his philosophical grounding, blending his signature unfiltered style and faith-based worldview.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Charlie's Purpose and Activism

• Charlie opens with reflections on his life mission:

  "My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth. If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're gonna end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful." (00:09)

• Emphasizes the importance of faith, marriage, and activism:

  "College is a scam, everybody. You gotta stop sending your kids to college. You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible. Go start a Turning Point USA chapter... I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade. Most important decision I ever made in my life." (00:18)

2. Founders, Entrepreneurial Mindset, and Lifestyle

• Charlie and Andrew, another entrepreneur, discuss their Chicago roots and family life (02:07–02:58).
• Entrepreneurship is described as both rewarding and demanding, requiring balance:

  "As an entrepreneur... there's practices that we have to sustain to keep it all together, such as honoring the Sabbath... just resting for one day because... working just for seven days straight, you'll burn yourself and your organization out if you do that." (03:02)

3. Building Businesses and Leading Teams

• Charlie notes the scale and diversity of his organization:

  "We have a thousand employees... a very successful for-profit entity. A very successful not-for-profit entity... over $140 million in revenue now." (04:05)

• The essential quality of a founder:

  "Founders are rarely good day to day managers... but the one thing the founder has is that spark and that relentless drive to go to the next location or to the next interval." (04:35)

• The founder’s role during growth:

  "You have an obligation to be the hardest working person in that entity and to set the tone and set the pace." (06:56)

4. The Uniqueness of American Entrepreneurship

• Charlie compares American entrepreneurial culture to Europe and Asia:

  "They don't understand the word entrepreneur at all... in their culture, you do a job, you do it for 30 years, you do it super well, and that is your duty... but there is a dynamism that's missing." (07:54)

• Explains how entrepreneurship creates new wealth and drives competition:

  "It delivers for the consumer and the customer and the citizen... that constant competition is always refining us toward a better version of success." (09:05)

5. Time Management and Founder Strengths

• On the key sacrifice of entrepreneurship:

  "You have to be so clear on how you spend your time, and your time really is your most valuable resource... I manage my day down to the five or six minute interval." (11:03)

• Self-awareness:

  "Know your nature. Know what you're really good at... I always ask my team, does this meeting require patience? If yes, I'm probably not a good person for that meeting." (11:37)

• Importance of health:

  "People that are properly prioritizing sleep and... diet are actually better founders and better entrepreneurs." (12:51)

• Cites Elon Musk's approach:

  "He's so clear on his time management that he actually handles it himself... time is the equally distributed resource that we have to always be guardians of." (13:49)

6. The True Rewards of Entrepreneurship

• Financial success is secondary to the journey:

  "It's not the money, honestly, it's the journey... solving complex problems and doing the things that people say they can't actually be solved... that's what an entrepreneur at its core is, a problem solver against the tide." (14:03)

• The importance of team and relationships:

  "It's about pouring into people. It's about making people's lives better... I'll go to war with these guys... the memories that are created and the connectivity. That's what life is really about at its core." (16:16, 17:02)

7. Building and Sustaining a Brand

• On enduring brands:

  "Don't overcomplicate it. Don't do Cracker Barrel... If you have a brand that everyone likes, don't change it." (18:10)

• The founder’s personal connection to the brand:

  "It has to have a missional statement as to why or what you are doing... building a brand that will last and be durable, it needs to be connected towards the founder's energy and vision." (18:26) "There is an inescapable bond between the entrepreneur and the brand that I think far too often the experts... want to try to separate. And I actually don't think that should happen as much." (19:52)

8. Handling Criticism and Feedback

• On feedback:

  "All feedback is an opportunity to get better... anytime someone has negative feedback, I personally see it through to make sure that it's addressed." (23:36) "You have a good antenna as founders—a legitimate piece of feedback and an illegitimate piece of feedback... When that legitimate piece of feedback comes through, you need to personally usher that through the process." (24:31)

• Importance of first-hand experience:

  "Nothing gets close to the actual tangible living through sitting in the booth at the restaurant." (25:40)

• Growth through criticism:

  "It is very tempting... to either take it personally or to dismiss it... it takes time for me to be like, 'Great, opportunity to be better.'" (26:35) "Not all feedback is. You have to use prudence and wisdom to know like, okay, this is just a person that literally complains for a living." (27:00)

9. Leading Gen Z Employees

• Clear values are essential:

  "You have a clear set of articulated values for your company... In the onboarding process of onboarding a Gen Z, you get buy in as to what those values are... there's no wiggle room or excuse." (27:35)

• Managers must model the values:

  "Your managers and your leaders must also live by those rules... Privileges and principles are two different things." (29:41)

10. Economic Outlook for 2026

• Charlie is optimistic on the US economy:

  "I am very long term bullish on the American economy for many reasons... there is a massive pent up economic boom that's waiting to happen around artificial intelligence." (31:49)

• Encourages embracing AI and innovation:

  "You should take embrace AI wholeheartedly in every way you possibly can because if not, it's the same people that didn't embrace the steam engine." (33:57)

• Emphasizes psychological impact on the economy:

  "So much of this is psychological that if people believe things will be better, they will be better... the more that we can say that it's good, the more that it will be good." (34:22)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're gonna end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful." — Charlie Kirk (00:09)
• "Founders are rarely good day to day managers. Sometimes they are, but the one thing the founder has is that spark and that relentless drive." — Charlie Kirk (04:35)
• "Managing is not one of [my skills]... But I'm really good at trying to find a vision put forward, exactly how we're gonna get there, and then being, kind of, that life force." — Charlie Kirk (04:35)
• "You have an obligation to be the hardest working person in that entity and to set the tone and set the pace." — Charlie Kirk (06:56)
• "Know your nature. Know what you're really good at." — Charlie Kirk (11:36)
• "It's not the money, honestly, it's the journey... It's the process of solving problems." — Charlie Kirk (14:03)
• "As an entrepreneur, it's like, you don't want to be a lonely entrepreneur... it's about relationships." — Charlie Kirk (17:02)
• "It is so enormously important for Gen Z because they have a tendency to try to make that there is no like work life separation." — Charlie Kirk (28:38)
• "The more I spend in the economy... the more I realize that so much of this is psychological that if people believe things will be better, they will be better." — Charlie Kirk (34:22)
• "This too shall pass... It humbles you when you need it and builds you up when you need it, gives you hope when you need it." — Charlie Kirk (36:31)
• "Romans 8, 28... God works all things for good for those who love Him." — Charlie Kirk (36:30)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:03–00:30: Charlie shares his life mission, faith, and activism.
• 04:05–05:47: The entrepreneurial journey—vision, scale, and founder DNA.
• 07:53–09:18: Comparing American entrepreneurial culture with Asia and Europe.
• 11:03–12:51: Time management and knowing your strengths as a founder.
• 14:03–17:02: The journey over financial reward; importance of teams and connection.
• 18:10–19:52: Lasting brands—founder vision and resisting unnecessary change.
• 23:36–27:18: Feedback, handling criticism, and turning detractors into improvement.
• 27:35–29:55: Managing and onboarding Gen Z with clear, actionable values.
• 31:34–35:47: Economic outlook, optimism for AI, and the psychological factor in markets.
• 35:53–37:15: Favorite quotes and guiding philosophies for entrepreneurs.

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Tone

Charlie maintains an unapologetic, faith-driven, and motivational tone throughout, blending practical business advice with cultural and spiritual guidance. He often uses humor and candid personal anecdotes, encouraging ambitious action and principled leadership.

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This episode is valuable listening for entrepreneurs looking for inspiration, practical pointers on leadership, brand-building, responding to criticism, and those seeking a grounded, optimistic perspective on America's economic future.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

My name is Charlie Kirk. I run the largest pro American student organization in the country, fighting for the future of our republic. My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth. If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're gonna end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful. College is a scam, everybody. You gotta stop sending your kids to college. You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible. Go start a Point USA College chapter. Go start a Turning Point USA High School chapter. Go find out how your church can get involved. Sign up and become an activist. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade. Most important decision I ever made in my life. And I encourage you to do the same. Here I am, Lord. Use me. Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. The Charlie Kirk show is proudly sponsored by Preserve Gold, the leading gold and silver experts, and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends, and viewers.

[Andrew]

I have enjoyed being a founder and meeting other founders, and when I meet other founders, I love hearing their stories. And I think that in every founder story, there's something that you can glean to say. Am I doing things as good as I could be? And so one of the things that I found as I met Charlie, and this is the first time we've met actually in person, was that you're an entrepreneur, that you have this entrepreneurial journey that I don't think a lot of people would realize that I didn't even realize. And because I've been an entrepreneur for 28 years, Charlie, a little bit longer than maybe you've been alive.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

But as I've looked back at the past 28 years, I still think about the different inflection points I've had in my career and all the things that I learned at those different inflection points. You're, I think, years ahead of where I was. But I still have learned a ton from just talking to you. A little bit. But before we jump into our entrepreneurial journey and share with a room full of entrepreneurs and executives, Charlie, we're both Chicagoans. Where are you from and what's your story in Chicago?

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, I'm from Wheeling, Arlington Heights area.

[Andrew]

Arlington Heights, Elgin.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. So Brian's here. He's a big Vikings fan. It's just this whole thing, and so tough week.

[Andrew]

Tough week. It was a tough week.

[Charlie Kirk]

It was the last minute reminding me.

[Andrew]

Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen, I'm a Bears fan in the back as well, but. Yeah, you grew up in Chicago. You're not in Chicago now though, Charlie.

[Charlie Kirk]

No, in Arizona.

[Andrew]

In Arizona.

[Charlie Kirk]

So whoever runs Hash Kitchen, we have pumped a lot of money into your enterprise, so. And we'll continue to do so. Great. Well run. I didn't even know you guys had Hash Kitchen. Yeah. You have these, I think these Bloody Marys that are like this big. Yeah. It's like you walk in, it's like.

[Andrew]

Half the size because you don't need breakfast after that.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

But no, Scottsdale's in a great place. We've built a lot of restaurants in Scottsdale and in Arizona Air Market. And it's great. And hash is great. But you live there, you're married.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yep. Two kids.

[Andrew]

Married and two kids. So you're doing the father figure thing and it's hard. Right?

[Charlie Kirk]

It's a lot. Especially as an entrepreneur. Right. There's practices that we have to sustain to keep it all together, such as honoring the Sabbath, which is really big in our family. Just resting for one day because as you know, working just for seven days straight, you'll burn yourself and your organization out if you do that.

[Andrew]

Yeah. It's interesting because we're in an industry where you go seven days a week predominantly. Right. And there are some very big brands that have done it where they've taken off Sunday. We have some brands.

[Charlie Kirk]

Chick Fil A. Right?

[Andrew]

Chick Fil A. Yeah. And we have some brands ourselves that are off on some Sundays. I actually think that we all should do what Italy does, and that is take the whole month of August off. Should we do that? Who's in? Who wants to do that? Because I want to do that makes.

[Charlie Kirk]

Up for the whole year.

[Andrew]

Yeah, it makes up for the whole year. I think we should do that. But did you ever see yourself here, though, like, go back to when you were in Arlington Heights and you're like, I'm going to be an entrepreneur. I'm going to build a thriving business, which I don't think a lot of people understand. You have a lot of different business events that you're doing. And it's not just events, it's actually business investments and initiatives as well. And that's what was surprising to me is like, you're a true full blown entrepreneur. Did you ever see yourself here?

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, not. Not exactly. It's been kind of a interesting journey. But no, look, what I've always been someone who has been into building stuff and especially whether it be brands or businesses. And one thing I think that people don't quite grasp is that we have a thousand employees and what we do, you know, we have a very successful for profit entity. A very successful not for profit entity. You know, well over $140 million in revenue now.

[Andrew]

Incredible.

[Charlie Kirk]

Which in our space is a lot of money. Right. And so, yeah, look, I love finding problems and solving them, which is what an entrepreneur at its core actually is. And I love building teams. I myself know my skillset and managing is not one of them. You know, managing people day to day. But I'm really good at trying to find a vision put forward, exactly how we're gonna get there, and then being kind, that life force. And as an entrepreneur, I find this especially with founders. Founders are rarely good day to day managers. Sometimes they are, but the one thing the founder has is that spark and that relentless drive to go to the next location or to the next interval. And what I have found is that that is a rarity. And a lot of times where sometimes my team is like, charlie, why do you keep on pushing? It's like that's just who I am. It's like we have to grow, we have to expand. I'm sure, you know, same thing, same DNA. And understand as founders and executives and as entrepreneurs, you're, you're, you're in a genetic rarity, literally, because most of the world just kind of wants to keep things the same. And it's our job to push them and to give them the vision and, and to instill them exactly what success looks in them, what success looks like. So I love building stuff. I have some other fun entrepreneurial stuff we're actually gonna announce later this year. So that's a little bit of a tease.

[Andrew]

I know that you're a little bit of developer too. You like a little bit of development.

[Charlie Kirk]

Land, private, you know, investments. I just can't, you know, sit still.

[Andrew]

Chances.

[Charlie Kirk]

So some crypto, some also.

[Andrew]

Yeah, everybody's got crypto.

[Charlie Kirk]

Oh, yeah, that's. Trust me, I know. But I have no recommendations of any coins. But no. All kidding aside, though, I love the free market. I love actually playing and participating in it. And I also just love finding if there is problems that people need to be solved. And that's kind of been part of my life's work.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I feel the same as an entrepreneur over all these years too, Charlie. I've thought, you know, what is the spark? I've been the founder, you've been the founder of your organization. And when I have invested into all these different brands now with Savory, one of the things that's interesting is when we meet with a founder and the founder is like, well, we want to do a transaction with Savory and we want to go retire. We're always not. We're out. And the reason why we bow out of that is because they are the spark. And I think that they're still so important for that culture of that business for many, many years past. Now, when the brand is thousands of units and it's Chipotle, I don't think that people care as much about who the founder was. But when you're in the realm that all of us are in, which is call it 2 to 20 or a little bit beyond, I feel like it really is important. That spark is interesting.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, no, it's incredibly important. And also you as the founder and everyone in this room that has started something or is running something, you have an obligation to be the hardest working person in that entity and to set the tone and set the pace. Nothing collapses an organization quicker than when either the founder during growth mode. Now, during sustained mode is different, but during growth mode, the founder is noticeably working less and putting less time in than the team. That is a recipe for catastrophe. And that happens when you get a lot of outside money sometimes into a business where the founder hasn't really had to earn it and has had a ton of outside investors or private equity money. And they're like, oh, you know, I'll just kind of work a 9 to 5, but you guys have to stay till, you know, 8pm every night. That creates dissension and obviously inevitable collapse. But also, it's more than just the hours worked. The founder has this original and initial vision of exactly where he or she wants to see this business go or this entity go. And that's honestly what makes this country so unique. I mean, I just visited South Korea and Japan this last weekend. You know, nice weekend trip, you know, let's go to.

[Andrew]

Let's just run over there.

[Charlie Kirk]

Let's go to Tokyo. You know, that's easy to get to. There's so many beautiful things about those countries. They're clean, they're orderly, they're polite. But honestly, like, they don't understand the word entrepreneur at all. No, I was trying to explain it to them. They're like, well, what do you mean? Like, you start different businesses. Like, in their culture, you do a job, you do it for 30 years, you do it super well, and that is your duty. And they do. And by the way, it's incredibly appealing in a lot of ways, but there is a dynamism that's missing. Right. There's kind of this energy and this uniqueness that we have in this country. You go to continental Europe right now, which is actually economically not done very well. Last 15 years, and we've done very well. Considerably. Entrepreneurship is largely dying across continental Europe. Right. Maybe if you have like one restaurant, maybe if you have like one brand. But this idea of scaling and pushing and like the Italian tax code cannot grasp the idea of losing money to grow a business. Like it's an income. They're like, wait, what do you mean you're going to lose money? Yeah, like that you only. Businesses only exist to make money. Well, no, you're going to lose it to boost the valuation and to grow it. And. But the point being is that we, as entrepreneurs, everyone in this room, I think it's one of the things that makes this country so exceptional and important.

[Lane Schoenberger]

I agree.

[Charlie Kirk]

Because it creates new wealth, it's new risk in the marketplace, and it delivers for the consumer and the customer and the citizen. New ideas, better products. And it's that constant competition is always refining us towards a better version of success.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I agree with that. I was going to say, I will speak for everybody in the room. I think that we would like some employees to just work for a year. Would we like just one year straight with like every employee that works?

[Charlie Kirk]

You want the Japanese bus driver since he was 23, wears a full suit tie with white gloves and he's like 81. And he's been doing it. He's like, yes, thank you so much. That would be so great. At one of your brands. Not the three month turnover. Like I want to go find myself in a trailer in Alaska.

[Andrew]

That's right. That's right. I've not. I've never heard that one, Charlie.

[Podcast Host]

We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries. And today I want to point you to their podcast. It's called Culture in Christianity, the Alan Jackson Podcast. What makes it unique is Pastor Alan's biblical perspective. He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today. Gender confusion, abortion, immigration, Doge Trump in the White House, issues in the church. He doesn't just discuss the problems. In every episode, he gives practical things we can do to make a difference. His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies. They've been great friends. And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

[Charlie Kirk]

Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world. Today. The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging. You could find it on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes. Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture. You can find out more about Pastor Alan and the [e-mail] Charlie.

[Andrew]

I think as entrepreneur, and I could answer this too, but I really want to get your take on this. But what is the biggest sacrifice that you. You had underestimated being an entrepreneur. I know mine.

[Charlie Kirk]

This is yours. This is so cliche. So I apologize, guys, like, every one of you. But honestly, repetition is the soul of memory. But if you want to be a good entrepreneur, I learned this like five or six years ago. You have to be so clear on how you spend your time, and your time really is your most valuable resource. And that, I mean, I manage my day down to the five or six minute interval. Right. It's okay. I'll be able to do that call. And this is how long it takes to go into the car. And that especially when you are in growth mode, which you and I are constantly in growth mode, we know nothing but growth. And that's the other thing as an entrepreneur that I had to learn the hard way. Know your nature.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

Know what you're really good at.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

So I always ask my team, I say, does this meeting require patience? And the answer is yes. I'm like, I'm probably not a good person for that meeting, actually. Like, I will delegate vision, right. Like, unless it's absolutely necessary. If it's like a long, drawn out, like, HR meeting, like, I could delegate that. But if that meeting requires, like, quick, decisive action, vision casting, problem solving, bring me in. So you have to know your nature. And every entrepreneur is different, by the way. Some people in this room might be entrepreneurs that are gifted with patience. I'm not one of those. Yeah, you're right. Exactly. I'm kind of like, oh, yeah, what's next? Like, you get to the point. And so I know my demerits and I know my faults. And knowing your nature is incredibly important. And that goes with time as well, which is I find that if I'm enjoying something, I will spend, like, endless amounts of time and my day will be completely derailed. So I have to try to put on very strict limits. And then as an entrepreneur, you have to obviously have very strong spiritual health, whatever that is in your life. Very strong, obviously, mental health, connection and relational health, and then physical health. I think I see far too many entrepreneurs. I could list five in my life that I know that Just completely forsake the physical health. When they're in growth mode, right, they're eating terribly, they're not sleeping, they're not exercising. They'll get to it later.

[Andrew]

That's what you're doing.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, they'll get to it later. And when you're young. That's correct. But I actually would make an argument not only is it bad for you, obviously, health wise, but, like, it actually makes you harder to run that business and to grow that business. I think that people that are properly prioritizing sleep and properly prioritizing diet are actually better founders and better entrepreneurs. So. But anyway, going back time management, I find what separates the good from the great entrepreneur is someone that is able to meticulously be able to manage their time. You know, I was able to spend. Spend a lot of time with Elon Musk, you know, a year ago. And regardless your opinions of him, he's a phenomenal entrepreneur. Right? Unbelievable. Founder, like, undoubtedly, inarguably. Right. And he's so clear on his time management that he actually handles it himself. I couldn't do that. But, like, he can't even handle the bureaucracy of having, like an executive assistant at times. He's like, nope, I know exactly how much time I must spend on a certain thing, and I will be kind of the guardian of that. And you think about it like, time is the equally distributed resource that we have to always be guardians of.

[Andrew]

I got to be honest, I don't know how he does that because I could not live without.

[Charlie Kirk]

I couldn't either. So my mind goes in 50 different directions. Like, just go here, go there, do this. You know, I couldn't possibly, couldn't possibly do that.

[Andrew]

So being an entrepreneur, what is the biggest reward so far for you? Just what have you enjoyed?

[Charlie Kirk]

The It's. Look, we've been incredibly successful financially and I'm super blessed by that. Our podcast is doing really well. Our radio show, our social media. It's not the money, honestly, it's the journey. I know that sounds like so cliche, like put that on bumper sticker, but it's the memories that we've created. Kind of the. Can you believe how far we've come? The. Also, I was. I did a lot of thinking about this last year. Like, what is it that really drives me? I love solving complex problems and doing the things that people say they can't actually be solved. I'm sure you're very similar in that way, so. Which is like, okay, people say that you can't have this kind of a Restaurant or you can't have this kind of thing. Like, well, maybe you can. Is there a better. And that is what an entrepreneur at its core is, a problem solver against the tide. That's what it is.

[Andrew]

Yeah, it is.

[Charlie Kirk]

Because again, if. If it was simple, there would be no reason for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are people that, you know, quit companies while they might be ascending or they're putting out a second mortgage on their home, or they're diving into savings or liquid in their 401k. And I think there's really something admirable about that kind of ambition. It makes the world a better place. And so the greatest reward, I'd have to say, is just seeing the journey and seeing obviously some of the lives impacted along the way.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I agree with that. And I will say this. I've been fortunate enough too, Charlie, as an entrepreneur to go through some cycles where I've built a business, sold it. Built a business, sold it. And people have always asked me before, like, what's been the best part? And I've said, honestly, it is a journey. So I had the bumper sticker way before you, just so you know. And in my mind I thought, you know, I was always excited. Growing up in Chicago, I always had like this poster in my room and it was a picture of a Ferrari. And I just remember, like, man, one of these days, Charlie, I'm going to make enough to buy a Ferrari. And I remember when I bought my first Ferrari, having an exit. And I think a lot of people here that do know me a little bit know that I'm a car guy. And I remember getting in, I'm like, this is so cool, right? First day, I've made it. The second day it was like, that's pretty cool. And then like two weeks later, I'm like, totally cool. A month later, Charlie, I was like, it's a car. And it was so wild to me how anticlimactic and fast that was. And so when you say journey, I have a good friend and I think many of you have met her today, but she just went through a business sale as well. And she's like, man, I'm reminiscing the last 25 years of building my business, and I feel like I appreciate more the journey of having gotten here than actually have gotten here to where I sold. Right?

[Charlie Kirk]

And you need to enjoy every day then, therefore, because the reward is actually the process. It's the process of solving problems. And there's a reason why you're on your third fund, Andrew, because after your second or second one, like, okay, fine, you could go retire. Like, okay, that's not what life's about. It's about value creation. It's about pouring into people. It's about making people's lives better. And I think that's always lost because the outside world, that is anti entrepreneur or at least value neutral on entrepreneur, they're like, oh, it's all about the money. I mean, look, yeah, that's. That's a way to kind of token part of it. It's a way to tokenize and measure your success. Obviously, no one here should be against it, but we would all say that it's about the team too. I mean, I look at my team, I'm like, I'll go to war with these guys. I'm sure you feel the same, right?

[Andrew]

Sure.

[Charlie Kirk]

Like, put me up against any other competitor and we will crush you because we've been through so much together.

[Andrew]

That's right. You galvanize as a team.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yes, exactly. And the memories that are created and the connectivity. Right. That's what life is really about at its core. It's about relationships. And that's what, as an entrepreneur, it's like, you don't want to be a lonely entrepreneur. I learned that. You don't. You don't want to be.

[Andrew]

You want people around you.

[Charlie Kirk]

In fact, if you are a lonely entrepreneur, it's like, probably won't work very well, honestly, unless you're an incredible whiz kid engineer that has a gizmo better than anybody else. But you guys largely in the restaurant space are in the relationship business.

[Andrew]

That is, we are in that business.

[Charlie Kirk]

Tight margins. It's knowing customers names, it's knowing your employees. You have a tough day, bad day, you're going through divorce and someone just break up with you. Like, that's what it's all about. Right? And it's not just about, you know, maximizing the bottom line, which of course is part of it, but it's. I bet everyone in this room would agree that what is the most precious thing you have? It's the team. It's the human beings that actually make it happen 100%.

[Andrew]

So moving forward to building a lasting brand. Okay, so all of us are trying to build brand. We're trying to tell stories. We're trying to get you and your family, Charlie, to come to our restaurants.

[Charlie Kirk]

You've been successful so far.

[Andrew]

Okay, good, good, good. But we want you to keep coming back. And so how do you build a lasting brand? What are the table stakes for building a lasting brand? In your mind.

[Charlie Kirk]

So I'm trying to think of how to apply it towards restaurants. So I'll just probably draw. Yeah. I mean, look, first of all, don't overcomplicate it. Don't do Cracker Barrel. That would be my first piece of advice. So if you have a brand that everyone likes, don't change it. Right. So please don't change Hash Kitchen.

[Andrew]

Yeah, we're not going to change.

[Charlie Kirk]

It works too well. So don't do that. But honestly, when it comes to a brand, it has to be something. And I'm constantly trying to build brands. It has to have a missional statement as to why or what you are doing. Especially when you're trying to have employees that it's not going to just be enough as a job. They want to feel as if they're part of something. They're building something. That's something that's really changed the last 30 or 40 years, especially when you're adding kind of younger employees. But look, the cliche stuff, building on social media, building on digital media, all that stuff matters. But even beyond that, building a brand that will last and that will be durable, it needs to be connected towards the founder's energy and vision. And sometimes, honestly, if you're at like a couple dozen locations, it's okay if the founder is associated with that brand. If I think about the local restaurants that are not scaled, I know the owner of those restaurants.

[Andrew]

You do?

[Charlie Kirk]

And I know I go to them because I'm treated well and I know that he's in the kitchen constantly hawking the quality and it's definitionally like, not just corporatized.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

And so when you're trying to build a brand, one of the hardest things for an entrepreneur, and we have not done this successfully yet, is separating the brand from the founder. It's very, very hard. I'm not convinced you have to do that, though.

[Andrew]

No, I don't think so.

[Charlie Kirk]

Right. I mean, I maybe again, like you get to a Chipotle to your point, or you get to an In N Out Burger like, okay, eventually. But honestly, I would argue it kind of happens naturally at that point, Right?

[Andrew]

Yeah, it does, but I wouldn't, I.

[Charlie Kirk]

Don'T think like the kind of doctrinaire corporate approaches. Well, you know, I'm a private equity investor and we're investing in this restaurant and we need to make sure it's not too reliant on the founder. I get that, but honestly, I don't think that's necessary. I don't either. In fact, I think it actually might be unhealthy. If that entrepreneur is the face on social media, is the one that could best describe it, that can best sell it to investors and to bankers and to future customers for sure. Right. And so it comes to a good point. I think that there is an inescapable bond between the entrepreneur and the brand that I think that far too often the experts in the corporate world want to try to separate. And I actually don't think that should happen as much.

[Andrew]

I agree.

[Lane Schoenberger]

This is Lane Schoenberger, chief investment officer and founding partner of Y Refi. It has been an honor and a privilege to partner with Turningpoint and for Charlie to endorse us. His endorsement means the world to us and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Turningpoint for years to come. Now hear Charlie, in his own words, tell you about why Refi.

[Charlie Kirk]

I want to tell you guys about why refi.com that is yrefy.com why refi is incredible. Private student loan debt in America totals about $300 billion. Why refi is refinancing distress or defaulted private student loans. You can finally take control of your student loan situation with a plan that works for your monthly budget. Go to why refi.com that is why refi.com do you have a co borrower? Why Refi can get them released from the loan. You can skip a payment up to 12 times without penalty. It may not be available in all 50 states. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com let's face it, if you have distress or default to student loans, it can be overwhelming because of private student loan debt. So many people feel stuck. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com private student loan debt relief yrefi.com.

[Andrew]

So in building a brand then too, let's, let's go a little further with that. And that is in our industry, we love having someone like Ovation and they're here, they're one of our tech partners and we get feedback immediately. So you go into a hash kitchen or into any of our counterparts here at the restaurants and you leave and you're like, ah, this wasn't really good. And you hit it wasn't a good experience. Or you get people to throw comments on Yelp or you get people to go out and start talking negatively about you. In the, in the industry, it's hard for us because we're trying to build a brand, Charlie. And so how have you. Because I'm sure that you've received some of this in your business as well.

[Charlie Kirk]

I have no haters.

[Andrew]

No, no, none of us do. We're all here.

[Charlie Kirk]

Perfect.

[Andrew]

We have no haters, no criticism.

[Charlie Kirk]

Nothing but supporters. How do you.

[Andrew]

How do we all learn from taking opposition and criticism?

[Charlie Kirk]

Actually, I have a quick question for you.

[Andrew]

No, ask me.

[Charlie Kirk]

How seriously do you guys take Yelp and all that? As a customer? You never know, because I write these screeds against some of these restaurants. Not Sicilian Butcher. But, like, how seriously do you guys take that?

[Andrew]

I think that it is a. A lagging indicator of how we're doing, not leading. I. I do think it's something that we look at because we have to. There's not a lot of different ways to know how you're doing. I feel like all of us. And maybe I can't see a lot of you guys, by the way, just like, the first two rows, but how many of you guys in here rely on Google more than Yelp? You see the hands? So Google probably more. I think Yelp. I think we all think that it's actually a hidden mafia somewhere and that they just want the negative. And so I think.

[Charlie Kirk]

I also think there's some fake stuff on Yelp. Am I wrong?

[Andrew]

I think we would all agree with that, too, that there's some.

[Charlie Kirk]

Do you think your competitors are planting bad comments? I think that's what we've wondered.

[Lane Schoenberger]

Right.

[Charlie Kirk]

I think there's. I want to get to the bottom of it.

[Andrew]

Yeah, we want to get to the bottom. Once you get to the bottom of it, let us all know. We want to know. But either way, I've always been curious about that. Yeah, yeah. No, it's important for us. And so you're right. Like, you get as founders, as savory, and our team, we look at, you know, people having bad experience after bad experience. It's good to see that and go, we need to address this, this, and this within the business. But how do you take it? And then just as a team, to not let it melt you down and turn that opposition or criticism into a struggle.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. Look, first of all, all feedback is an opportunity to get better. Right. And at least in my business and what I do, anytime someone has negative feedback, I personally see it through to make sure that it's addressed. And I do it, like, aggressively. I do it really fast, and I do it involving the parties and the actors that were responsible. So it's a learning lesson. So it never happens again. Right. So we run these big events. 20,000 people show up. It's the biggest events we've won in Phoenix. And if someone has a bad experience, I go straight to the events director. I say, what is this reason of this? Like, why did it happen? You're going to refund the money and we're going to make sure it never happens again. So it then becomes a standard operating procedure improvement, not just like, hey, can you make sure this is handled? And sometimes it turns out that person is wacky and they are finding something wrong. You've all experienced this as restaurant owners and operators. Somebody's just looking for something wrong. And the pancakes were perfect. And they're still looking for something. Right?

[Andrew]

They weren't perfect enough.

[Charlie Kirk]

But you can tell this is what's really important. You guys have a good antenna as founders. A legitimate piece of feedback and an illegitimate piece of feedback. Right? And that when that legitimate piece of feedback comes through, you need to personally usher that through the process, because it's easy to just delegate and be like, oh, you know, that's just an outlier. But think about it. If one out of 100 people are not going to return and you scale that over a course of five years, guys, that's your margins, right?

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

Especially in the restaurant business, Right. Restaurant business is built on recurring customers over periods of time. It's very much on the returning customer. So for us, it's not dissimilar. Right? We run these events. If 20,000 became 17,000, that's a big. That's a big deal.

[Andrew]

That's a big deal.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's a big deal. Right? That kind of eats away at the margins and the core of what we do. So as far as, like, sustaining the brand, though, you want to try to be ahead of it. Right? And this is where I think founders and entrepreneurs should never be disconnected from the lived experience of what you are trying to actually present forward. And so that means you guys should continually make sure you are eating the food that you are serving to make sure that it's still good.

[Andrew]

It's the greatest way to do it.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm sure you teach your entrepreneurs and your managers all the time.

[Andrew]

And I eat at all my restaurants.

[Charlie Kirk]

How do I apply this to my life or to us? I make our event managers go as attendees to our own events for a couple hours. Go sit in the chair. Is the audio good? Is the acoustics good? Are they getting into the room quickly? Is it too hot? You know, like, you have to. You have to go through that kind of lived experience. And we do surveys, we do feedback, but all that, I think, is a bunch of rubbish. Honestly, nothing gets Close to the actual like tangible living through sitting in the booth at the restaurant. And then yeah, I'll just repeat what I said. It is very tempting and I go through this all the time as a founder, as an entrepreneur. When I receive negative feedback to do two things, to either take it personally or to dismiss it. It takes took time for me to be like, look great, opportunity to be better. That's not natural because you get defensive. Like, what do you mean you didn't like the Bloody Mary, Right? You know, but okay, let me think about this. Is there a way we do it and then you can use prudence to be able to navigate.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that's actually a very powerful one. That is, you got to go through some, probably some exercises to get there.

[Charlie Kirk]

But it takes time, it takes mentorship. And that's again going from good to great. Yeah, it is good to great. You look at feedback as an opportunity to upgrade and to turbocharge. Not just either get bitter or to dismiss and act as if nothing is wrong.

[Andrew]

That's right. Even though the statement, I gotta be honest, feedback is a gift. I know it is, but when someone says that to me, I want to want to punch them out.

[Charlie Kirk]

But not all feedback is. You have to use prudence and wisdom to know like, okay, this is just a person that literally complains for a living. Right. They want a free meal, they want a free airline ticket. But there's also, you could tell somebody that writes like a very thoughtful letter, you know, I was ignored a couple times this and that, like, okay, you know, this is something that we need to take care of for sure.

[Andrew]

So last few questions here. Appreciate the time lessons from leading employees. I mean you have over a thousand Gen Zs we employ. I do, yeah, we employ a lot.

[Charlie Kirk]

Of Gen Z. I could teach a masterclass on that.

[Andrew]

Okay, well tell us a two minute masterclass on just teaching and leading those.

[Charlie Kirk]

If in the ideal world you have a clear set of articulated values for your company, that is no more than one page, maybe two pages. And in the onboarding process of onboarding a Gen Z, you not just recite it, you get buy in as to what those values are. We show up on time around here, we tell the truth. We don't blame people for our problems. Right. We always try to find a way to make things better. Right. You do not bring your personal life into the workplace. Right. Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba. While you are onboarding them, you don't just do it. You say, hey, do you have any problem with this? Tell me Your feedback, you involve them in that value process. You get them to co sign it not just in some procedural way, but to have them have real buy in. Why does that matter? You have now established a standard of conduct that when they break it, like, hey guys, remember in that onboarding three months ago, you said you're not going to bring your personal life into business. Well, you just did that. So let's talk about why you did that. You need to live up to the standard. This is probably always been true in corporate life. It is so enormously important for Gen Z because they have a tendency to try to make that there is no like work life separation. And it they also will cry injustice sometimes for something that you think is a normal operating corporate business practice that they need to be reminded to in clear detail. So you can have like the ten commandments of savory brands or whatever it is. Right? And that process, then there's no wiggle room or excuse. And what it is, it needs to be publicly displayed, right? It needs to be everywhere when you come into work, when you come out of work. So there's no mystery. And again, it can't be 100, it shouldn't be 50. Honestly, you could capture a lot in 10. Like tell the truth, don't complain, blah, blah, blah. And again, if there's a problem, be like, I don't think you're a good fit here anymore because you're not living up to the standard that you already agreed to.

[Andrew]

Yeah, it's great, right?

[Charlie Kirk]

And then you, you have to live by it. And here is the key. Your managers and your leaders must also live by those rules. You will have a schism in your organization if the managers are living by a separate code. Now, they can have different privileges, but they cannot have different principles.

[Andrew]

I actually agree with that.

[Charlie Kirk]

Right. Privileges being as, okay, they can come a little later, they can have a company car, but they can't lie.

[Andrew]

No.

[Charlie Kirk]

Right. They can't do one thing. And like so privileges and principles are due for two different things. So for us it's worked very, very well.

[Andrew]

It's phenomenal.

[Podcast Host]

We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries. And today I want to point you to their podcast. It's called Culture in Christianity, the Alan Jackson Podcast. What makes it unique is Pastor Alan's biblical perspective. He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today. Gender confusion, abortion, immigration, Doge Trump and the White House issues in the church. He doesn't just discuss the problems in every episode, he gives practical things we can do to make a difference. His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies. They've been great friends. And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

[Charlie Kirk]

Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world today. The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging. You can find it on YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes. Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture. We you can find out more about Pastor Alan and the [e-mail] Charlie I'm.

[Andrew]

Going to shift because we're out of time, but I want to hear from you. You're obviously in some rooms that none of us are in, but we are all, I think all of us are going into a budgeting season. So we're talking about 2026. And you know, when 2024, Charlie, we sat down and with all of our different brands and management, we said we think this is going to happen in 2025 and this is going to happen. A lot of it didn't happen, right. Like this year has been a little bit more tumultuous than I think a lot of us have experienced in the past and also that we probably plan for. Give us some guidance as to what you're hearing and thinking about the economy itself going into 26 and how should we budget our career or budget our businesses so that we're safe in our career.

[Charlie Kirk]

Please, anything I say here, guys, take with an enormous grain of salt. Please have it be one data point and a factor of many. Last thing I want to tell you is the economy's great. You guys opened five new locations and you know, they close. And I have a yeah, yeah, we're.

[Andrew]

Going to send you some yelps.

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, I think you guys will do more than. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But look, I happen to be very long term bullish on the American economy for many reasons, not just psychologically. Just as a side note, I think in reminding your workers that their tax are not tipped up to a certain amount and their overtime is not tipped now I think is a very interesting potential morale boost that you tell to your workers. Let me tell you why I'm bullish. I'm bullish because after traveling the world, both to Europe and Asia, they are all looking to America and they are telling me as a traveler, the American economy is the best. We want to put money into America. We want to buy American securities we want to buy American real estate. That's amongst the ruling class and the investor class of these other countries. Secondly, I think that there is a massive pent up economic boom that's waiting to happen around artificial intelligence that is going to reverberate positively throughout the entire economy. I think it will make your businesses more efficient. I think you'll be able to better analyze data. I don't think honestly if we're doing this five years from now, I think we'll laugh like we used to look at Yelp. AI is now better able to synthesize, you know, a hundred different receipt transactions an hour and we could tell whether or not they had a good experience or bad experience. Like I think the way that we analyze data that guides your businesses is going to completely change and it will make you more profitable, it'll make your businesses better and more attractive. And so if I were to give you a piece of advice you should take. Embrace AI wholeheartedly in every way you possibly can because if not you will you it's the same people that didn't embrace the steam engine, okay, you'll be. Or the, oh, what's that Internet thing? You know, I don't need that. I'm just running a, you know, a restaurant. So I highly encourage that. I think rates are going to go down. I was talking to a major, major multi trillion dollar fund manager the other day and he says their data shows the American economy is a lot better than even the Fed thinks it is. So I happen to be very optimistic person. I think that there is probably going to be a market correction at some point. I think that publicly traded securities are vastly overvalued largely because money doesn't know where to go right now. So it just keeps on going into these high insane multiple, you know, the same six companies and Nvidia, Google, Microsoft that just keep on there. But the actual like brass tax consumer sentiment is actually okay. Consumer spending is remaining strong. If there were some pitfalls of where the economy is. Housing remains to be a big problem. However shelter inflation hasn't gone up too much since January. But the last thing I'll say is this is the more I spend in the economy, both as an analyst and actually as a participant, the more I realize that so much of this is psychological that if people believe things will be better, they will be better. You guys are the top like the biggest one to one correlation of that statement that I could imagine.

[Andrew]

I agree with that.

[Charlie Kirk]

Either people eat out because they think things are good or they do not. Think that things are good, Right. And so I would say that the more that we can cheerlead the economy, the better. And the more that we can say that it's good, the more that it will be good. I would much rather be the United States than continental Europe right now. I would much rather be the United States than a lot of these other countries. I think there might be some one or two minor corrections, but we have every possible asset. I think that we're going to see better energy prices. I think we're going to see more capital deployment. Also guys, if you're going to go to more, if you guys are going to be building more, you know, whatever it is, convection office, whatever it is, there's 100% depreciation coming back in the tax code here, which is huge and heavy machinery discounts. I don't know how that applies to your businesses, but I imagine it's pretty good. Right. And so eventually you're going to see this thing pop where there are so many incentives based on this latest tax bill that I think will be enormously positive. And if, if the no tax on tips and no tax and overtime actually does end up materializing into demand driven parts of the economy, there'll be more people that have more money in their pockets. They'll spend it more in restaurants. Right. So again, don't take this to the bank, but generally I am investing like a bull, especially a long term bull, a 5, 10 year long term optimist. I think that we have such incredible assets. And the last thing is like I talk to entrepreneurs, they still are in growth mode, they're in problem solving mode. And I think as long as we keep that kind of mindset and that psychology, I think we're going to be at a very, very good place.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I appreciate that. Last question. What is a quote that you live by?

[Charlie Kirk]

Boy, a quote that I live by. I'm a big, I'm a Christian, I wear it on my sleeve. So quotes would always, probably always be Bible verses. This is a, I'll give you two. One is actually not in the Bible, it's more mythological. And one is actually in the Bible. The first is not in the Bible, it's this too shall pass, which was actually people think it's in the Bible, it's not, but it's King Solomon's phrase, which is really amazing when you think about it, because it's good. No matter what season of life that you're in, if you're going through the worst of times, this too shall pass. And Things are gonna get better. If you're going through the best of times, though, it's really humbling. Like, this too shall pass, and this will fade away, because this will not last forever. So I love that.

[Andrew]

And they don't.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, exactly. So it's a time transcendent truth that applies towards all periods. As an entrepreneur, it humbles you when you need it and builds you up when you need it, gives you hope when you need it. It also gives you a little bit of a dose of a gut check. One of my favorite verses, though, is Romans 8, 28, which it says that God works all things for good for those who love Him. It's a very freeing and liberating verse for those of us that are Christians, because we believe that when things can be really bad, God is working it for his good, his perfect and pleasing will. Which is a very, very hard teaching when you come across business closures or staff layoffs. But it's very liberating that God is working all things towards an ultimate good. So I love that, and it kind of is very freeing that I don't have to be in charge of everything, and there is a God, and I am not him, and I surrender to his will.

[Andrew]

I appreciate that. My. My quote, I'm going to share it with you. Is that okay?

[Charlie Kirk]

Yes, please.

[Andrew]

Is from Epictetus, and it's if you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

[Charlie Kirk]

The original stoic. Yeah. He was a former slave that became a stoic. Yeah.

[Andrew]

And I love it. Just because as entrepreneurs and all of us here building businesses, we are pretty foolish. It's very, very hard. But you have to be content in the fact that we've signed up for this, that we are showing up every day to battle through it. And so all I'd like to leave everybody here with is stay the course, be smart, stay positive. I like that you have a positive outlook on the economy. I do, too. We're investing like crazy right now into the market.

[Charlie Kirk]

Don't do it because I told you just. No, no, no.

[Andrew]

We were doing that before, but this year and even next year. But I appreciate you sharing some of your wisdom, and you're obviously in circles that we're not. And so thank you for sharing some of the things that you're seeing and you're hearing, and thank you for sharing your entrepreneurial journey. I think that all of us learn from each other, even if we have differences by elevating each other. So thanks for being here.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you guys for warm welcome. Thank you so much.

[Andrew]

For more on many of these stories.

[Charlie Kirk]

And news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.