Jason Tardick (6:04)

Thank you for having me. I'm excited.

Jason Tardick (6:06)

Third on the way and I saw you, you were at the MLB All Star Game. You're smacking away, chirping Terrell Owens. I mean, you got a lot going on while being pregnant. Congratulations.

Jason Tardick (6:17)

I'm telling you, us pregnant people, we can have lives too.

Jason Tardick (6:20)

Yes, it's unbelievable what you do, but you're an unbelievable mother of three. You're pregnant, you're killing it. Life is good for you. And I, I'm going to go back to 2012, but before I do, I gotta start with this. I looked at your last three posts on Instagram. Your last three posts, one was from the MLB All Star Game, which you killed. It was a mother skit. And another one was a family skit.

Jason Tardick (6:42)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (6:42)

And those posts each had around 11,000 comments. I was like, this is insane. I then went to Justin Bieber's last two posts to put in perspective for my listeners. He has 14,000 comments, then 12,000 comments. So before we even get into your story, I got to put in perspective of the engagement. It's out of control. How are these many people commenting on your photos? What have you done to create a community that's this strong?

Jason Tardick (7:07)

Yeah, it's crazy. First of all, I'm very appreciative for Mike Mike community. They are kind of like family to me. I've been doing this for so long. I think you said 2012.

Jason Tardick (7:17)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (7:18)

That's 12 years that I've been online. And so I think it's really special because I have grown up with my audience. Like a lot of them I knew before I even met my husband, which is so crazy. And so we just go, we go deep. We go back. When I meet people in real life, I'm like, girl, you and I, like, we've done some life together. And so. So I think Just having that timeline has been really special, but it really is so crazy.

Jason Tardick (7:42)

You do a lot of, like, very relatable skits and very funny videos that go viral. When you talk about some of these people that have been following you back to 2012, have you also been very open with personal struggles and vulnerabilities that have allowed you to connect with them?

Jason Tardick (7:58)

Oh, yeah, so much. Whether it was like wedding planning, even dating, or even starting back when. One of my first series when I started my YouTube channel was Things I Wish a Sister Taught Me, because I didn't have a sister growing up. And so it's just like, you know, whether it was advice about how to study or dating or making friends, I've always been very open with my community like that because there was like a phase in my life where I just didn't. I kind of needed that. And the Internet was kind of one of the first places you could find that in like a super authentic way outside of your own friendships. And so I think I've just always been really open, kind of struggled with my community, been honest about my hair loss journey or being a mom of, of two and working and starting a business. So yeah, I'd say vulnerability, authenticity, all of that always been like top of mind. Since 2012.

Jason Tardick (8:44)

Since 2012. Okay. So back in 2012, and we talk a lot about different creators and people that made wild career detours to go into influencing, especially during the pandemic, 2028 years before that, you were in the game. So that was just a whole wild place to be living. And at this time, you were around 19 years old when you started this, Right? So was there going to be another path forward with your career or was the monetization in 2012 happening at such a fast pace that you're like, this is it it. I'm staying in it. I'm not going anywhere else but this lane.

Jason Tardick (9:17)

Right? So I went to school. I went to the University of Texas to study, to go to physical therapy school. So I'm actually pre PT kinesiology. Not gonna lie, I kind of always hated it, but I just kind of knew, okay, this is gonna be my career path. This will be my backup plan. And then I was introduced to YouTube through my brother, but my brother has like a talent, so he had something to actually like sell or share. I was just like a 19 year old, like awkward in my dorm room. But I saw that he had this like amazing community. And it's so funny because I remember making my first videos and I remember thinking, man, okay, If I become a physical therapist one day, I'll probably have my own clinic one day. And maybe if people see my videos, they'll come to my clinic when they need help. Like, literally that was kind of like my mindset. But then what happened was I started posting videos. I grew to like a hundred thousand subscribers within a couple months, which was like, like pretty crazy. And I was contacted by YouTube Space. Are you familiar with YouTube? I am, but they don't really have them anymore.

Jason Tardick (10:19)

Yeah, but it's like one in LA and New York, right?

Jason Tardick (10:21)

They have one in la, but they're run differently now. But at the time they had this program where they allowed, I think it was like 10 influencers to come out and use YouTube space. This is basically like a playground for content creators. I mean, they had like red cameras, they had studios, all like the state of the art equipment, editing bays, you know, just like using like my little tiny like Canon camera in my bedroom, like, this was insane. And so you were able to use all of that for free. Not only that, but they would also set you up with, for collaborations, they would help you collab with other influencers, other creators that were part of the program. And in fact, it was a priority. Like you had to do two clubs a month to grow your channel. And so I, I submitted some videos and I was accepted. And I told my parents, I'm like, I gotta go to la. Like, I'd never step foot in California. I'm like, I gotta go. I'm like 19 years old. They're like, absolutely not. You're finishing degree, right? You got to get an internship, you got to get those hours. But I just like had this feeling. I was like, I don't know, I just feel like this is the way that things are going. And to speak to monetizing, my brother and I were not like, monetizing, making like thousands and millions of dollars. There are some creators that were, because they were getting like such insane views, but I'm getting like a hundred thousand views. A video, like, that's not enough to like really pay your rent. But I just had this feeling and so went out there every summer and ended up signing with a network just for a year. Interned for my manager out in la. Like, learned the business side of the industry, met so many people to collaborate with. And ever since then, like, yeah, I had the PT degree, but I was like, this is what I want. Like, this is where I'm like, I know that I got a strike while the iron's hot and there's Not a lot of people doing this. There were no girls in Texas creating content. And so I just had this feeling, kind of went for it.

Jason Tardick (12:09)

Right. Unbelievable. 12 years later, Forbes 2023 and 2023. 2023 and 2022. Top creator. But let's go back to then. When you make that move, talk to me about the finances. Like, do you have a certain amount saved up? Did your parents give you the, like, ultimatum of, you got six months to a year and we'll let you do this? Like, talk to me about. Because I think a lot of people listening to this, where they struggle is they want to take shots. The issue is having the money saved up and then the pressure they get from their family to do it. And did any of that exist back then?

Jason Tardick (12:43)

Oh, yeah, of course. So my parents told me, when you graduate from college, you are not allowed to move back in. Like, you have to figure this out on your own. So I did not have, like, that type of cushion. But. And I wouldn't say my parents were, like, super supportive of the situation either. You know, they had a son that was musician and then a daughter that, like, wants to be a YouTuber. When my brother went to school for finance and I went to school to. For, like, a doctoral program, like, it was not ideal for. For my parents. The first year that I graduated, I was making less than $20,000 a year after, like, taxes With.

Jason Tardick (13:19)

With creating.

Jason Tardick (13:20)

Yes. Okay. So not a lot. I was living in downtown Austin. I actually applied for, like, affordable housing. So. But I will say the craziest thing was, like, my lifestyle was kind of free because I started doing collabs for, like, free makeup or free products or free food. I was like. I hung out with all the food bloggers in Austin, so I got free meals all the time. I didn't. I wasn't, like, stressed about it because I didn't have a lot of expenses. I sold a lot of my clothes, or I would go to TJ Maxx and, like, buy things full price and then sell them full or buy, like, buy them on sale, then sell them full price on ebay. Like, I was big on. On ebay.

Jason Tardick (13:57)

Some side hustles.

Jason Tardick (13:58)

Yeah, I had some side hustles. I started, like, a little jewelry business to just, like, make it some extra cash to pay for my equipment once I wanted the equipment. But a lot of, like, the lifestyle was, like, for trade. So I feel like I looked like I was, like, making money, but I wasn't.

Jason Tardick (14:13)

So what year. When you go back to 2012, you're hustling the ebay sales, which I love. That's so cool to hear stuff like that. At what year did it start to pop? Were you like, whoa, I'm starting to make some significant amount of money. I'm breaking six figures.

Jason Tardick (14:27)

Well, I'll tell you this, it doubled every year and it still like does.

Jason Tardick (14:32)

So right now, if you look at 2012 to 2024, your earnings in this whole industry are highest now than they ever have been.

Jason Tardick (14:39)

Yes. And now I feel like we've diversified in a way where now it's kind of. It's not just like all through influencing, but yes, each year it would kind of double. And then I remember in 2015, maybe 2016, when I moved back to Dallas and I started doing like the blogging career, I remember calling my dad and saying, dad, I made as much as a doctor. Are you proud of me yet? And he was like, yeah, but how long can you be doing this? Like, doctors have degree, you know, they have some stability. And he was like, that's great, but what about in five years? And so I think that's what always kind of kept me on my toes of thinking, okay, I gotta diversify. Like, I can't just be creating content and relying so much on brand deals.

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Jason Tardick (16:23)

Yeah, it's really interesting, that whole take in this space, because the older generation, right, the boomers, the Gen X, they look at it like, like it's a flash In a pan, you're out the door. Go back to a structure 9 to 5, so they conceptually don't understand it. And then on top of it, there's also this, like somewhat of a negative connotation with that demographic of like, you're an influencer. Right? Like, so what exactly are you doing and how you're doing it? And I think so often about the identity crisis that you've done so much, you've earned so much, you've made such an impact, you're making people smile every day or you're inspiring them. But there still is this identity issue of are people proud and do they respect what I do? Do you feel that?

Jason Tardick (17:12)

Oh, a hundred percent. I have to tell you the funniest story. So I just played in the MLB Celebrity All Star Game.

Jason Tardick (17:19)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (17:20)

They're going through the roster and you have Terrell Owens, you have Deion Sanders, you have Tiffany Haddish King, like these really famous people and they've done amazing things and they're going down the list and they're introducing everyone and then they get to Danny Austin, influencer. And I swear to you, like, I heard in my head people booing. And after the game, I went to my husband, I'm like, were people booing me when they introduced me? And he was like, no, like, what are you talking about? I just like, was so convinced that people were like, upset that there was an influencer playing in the game because it doesn't have the same amount of respect as like an actor or a comedian or an athlete. And so. Absolutely. I think just being in this industry also for so long, like, I've gone through so many brands telling me, no, like, we're not going to invest in you, or that's not good enough, or we didn't like your performance that I feel very humbled, like, throughout this whole experience. And so it's very hard to ever kind of accept the fact, like, oh my gosh, like, we did it, like, we're here just because it's. It is one of those things that's taken some time for people to respect.

Jason Tardick (18:27)

Yeah, it is. It's an interesting place to be. It's one people I feel like battle with a lot. And a question I have for you is, do you ever find yourself trying to pursue another career? So that. That is more of the title, like, do you. Have you ever thought, like, I'm gonna go be an actor, I'm gonna go be a host, or I'm gonna go, you know, get into comedy, being stand up comedy have you ever chased a different title so that that title could live instead of influencer? Or are you like. Like, this is who I am. Even though I'm hearing booze in the crowds, I'm owning it and I'm gonna crush it. Which. Which area would you say?

Jason Tardick (19:03)

So I wouldn't say I chased anything for the title. I am obsessed with what I do. I have loved it since day one in terms of security and for my family. Yes, I have chased some backup plans, whether it's investing in properties, whether it is investing in other businesses. Like, that's more just security. Also for, like, my ment health, knowing that, hey, like, if one day you get canceled or you say the wrong thing, which, like, God forbid, you know, you never know.

Jason Tardick (19:35)

Sure.

Jason Tardick (19:35)

Like that we do have a backup plan.

Jason Tardick (19:38)

Okay. Amazing. I love that. One thing I want to talk about is the blogging. You already referenced it. So the. Dannyaustin.com just, like, for people that don't know, talk to me about the business of blogging. So how often are you posting and then how do you actually make money off blogging for those people that don't know?

Jason Tardick (19:54)

Yeah. So I'll talk about kind of the transition from going from YouTube to blogging because it was so different. And to be honest with you, I don't think that I saw, like, true success until I picked up blogging. And I don't blog as much anymore because things, you know, they change so fast. But at the time, this is like 2016, 2015. Ish. So YouTube was. I was really heavy into brand deals, which means you're just waiting around in your inbox. Yes. You're doing some outreach and you're trying to work with some brands. But this is so early on that a lot of brands didn't even have, like, legit marketing budget budgets. I would get on the phone and talk to, like, the head of marketing for a brand just to get a free product, and they'd be like, yeah, no, like, how things have changed. So things. So, yeah, I slowly kind of switched to blogging and Instagram came out. And this is when I decided I wanted a little bit more control and I was gonna start really focusing on my conversion rate. So I wasn't so concerned about brand deals because I was started doing, like, affiliate sales. And it was crazy because when I made this shift, like, I started to understand my audience in a totally different way. Like now it wasn't so much about brand awareness and serving. Like, yes, of course, like, you're serving these brands, but I'm Like, I got to serve my community. Like, I got to give these people exactly what they want. Not only give them exactly what they want, but, like, give them a good deal, get them to come back, like, actually do something that, you know, inspire them in a way that throughout that day, like, they do something because I encourage them to. Whether it was make a purchase or try a new tip or trick in life, like, it was just a totally different mindset. And that's when I really started to see, like, success with my community and really started, like, connecting with them. So blogging was more about conversion. And. And that's whenever I also became, like, obsessed with the analytics. Like, who's watching me? Like, what do they. Like, what are they buying? And that's kind of like the trick behind blogging, because you get access to a lot of that, too.

Jason Tardick (21:46)

Yeah, you get access to the insights, and you're. You're writing in a way that could be persuasive or influential. And then people will click and buy, and then you will be paid once. And if they click and buy through your blog, a question I have that I think that could connect to anybody back home is you have to then write, and you have to write in a way that makes people engage to it. So whether someone's writing an email or writing a text or writing for their next job that they're trying to get, what are some different tips or tricks or tactics you would use in your writing to get people to stay engaged to it and then actually click on it?

Jason Tardick (22:19)

Yeah, a lot of my blog posts were very personal, like, it was whatever was going on in life. But then I'd be like, this is what I'm wearing while I'm going through this, or this is the book that I'm reading. But my blogs were also heavily photography photos.

Jason Tardick (22:32)

Okay.

Jason Tardick (22:33)

So every single one of, like, I would have a photo shoot for every concept. So whether it was like, here's seven books that I'm reading this summer. Like, I would hire a photographer and come, like, they would come over. I would have, like, this whole set, all the seven books, like, make it look pretty and. And do the whole thing. And then when Instagram came out, it was almost like you could have these little mini blogs or mini, like, videos on Instagram. So that's whenever I really transitioned to, like, really focusing on Instagram. Instagram stories, stories was everything for me. Like, that's where I still probably carry out maybe 85 of my business when it comes to influencing, because still today.

Jason Tardick (23:08)

Yeah, interesting.

Jason Tardick (23:09)

Tell me why so it disappears every 24 hours. Which I know is so frustrating, like, don't get me wrong, but that I almost treat my everyday like a little reality TV show. And I'm like, okay, what are people tuning in for today? And I know it's going to go away, but I feel like today that's what makes it so authentic and real. So everyone knows that I post everything in real time. Like, I'm not gonna go to the celebrity All Star game and then post three days later. Yeah, like they get exactly what they want, like, in that moment. And I've trained my audience to know that. And then as I'm going throughout the day, I'll say, okay, these are the sneakers I ran in, or this is the mascara that didn't wear off whenever I was crying in the stands. Cause I was so scared, you know, whatever it is. And so Instagram stories really allowed me to be myself, not to like, overthink it. I was so sick of like editing and production and like everything being just such a show. And I think Instagram stories, it was like people knew, like it was raw, it was real, and it was like instant.

Jason Tardick (24:03)

It's interesting because one of the things I have found with Instagram stories is that they take a lot of effort because you're doing it every day, but it's not working as it relates to growth as far as engagement and social media followers now, because, and I want to be correct, you're the Forbes top creator, so you coach me here. But like tick tock stock, obviously people were blowing up from exposure. And it feels as though just recently Instagram has kind of made that shift where they want long form, they want short form, they want reels, and reels are now getting to non followers quicker. And so I feel as though stories, the only the three ways to make money off stories are you own your own business, you have affiliate links, or you're just getting a. Excuse my language. Just a ton of deals through Instagram stories because of link clicks. Do you agree. Disagree with that?

Jason Tardick (24:50)

Definitely agree with that. Things have changed a lot. I'm on the Tik tok. I'm posting reals three or four times a week. I definitely felt that. But I would say the one thing I would maybe disagree with is that's where you build like a really authentic following, I think.

Jason Tardick (25:06)

Okay, okay.

Jason Tardick (25:07)

So maybe it's not as many, but it's like if it's 20% of your audience that's seeing it, but they're like your die hards, like, that's all you really need. I don't really need, like millions of views on things like I don't really care about so many views. Like I care about the people that really, really care. And I feel like I've been able to foster that relationship the best through.

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Jason Tardick (26:30)

Okay, that's really interesting, especially when conversion was a lot of your main business focus for your blog. If you can then convert these people and have a high conversion rate, then it doesn't technically matter how many people are watching as long as they're engaged with you. Let's wrap up the blog scenario of your life. So for people that are interested in blogging or used to be very, you know, tuned into bloggers, where do you stand with your blog? And do you think that the future of blogging has kind of been disrupted by everything else and that business has turned down and it will eventually go away 100%?

Jason Tardick (27:06)

I think it's. I think people consume content so differently. Like I have not posted on my blog in quite some time. I think a great resource to have. Like I said, I'm really big into diversifying and we have a podcast, we have TikTok, we have all the different channels. It's going to take a lot for me to ever put like all my eggs in in one basket. But no, I think people consume content so differently now. Like they want short form. You can't even make your video like Over a minute these days. I know there's, like, a resurgence of YouTube, which I think is really exciting. I personally wouldn't probably go back to the platform anytime soon. Not because I. I don't see potential in it. It's just there's. I have a lot of things I'm juggling, especially with having a third baby on the way. But, no, I think people are like, really? They're wanting video content. I don't think a blog is enough for them these days.

Jason Tardick (27:52)

Okay, so from the blog and its heyday, your YouTube channel, TikTok, and Instagram, of those four, rank them 1, 2, 3, 4 in 2024, which is producing the most revenue and business impact for you. Instagram is number one by a long shot.

Jason Tardick (28:09)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (28:09)

Okay.

Jason Tardick (28:10)

TikTok. I feel like we can get it there. Like, I'm. I'm confident if we put some more time and effort over there, it could be equal.

Jason Tardick (28:17)

Okay.

Jason Tardick (28:18)

It's just that I've built my audience on Instagram, and my Instagram, they're like millennials. Like, they're taking a long time to transition to TikTok, too. But I know, like, I'm very aware, like, if I want to acquire, like, a new demo, new audience, like, that's going to be through TikTok. And so Instagram, TikTok, I mean, the blog is, like, not even really a thing.

Jason Tardick (28:35)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (28:36)

Anymore. Which is so crazy.

Jason Tardick (28:37)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (28:38)

But then, yeah, Instagram stories, too.

Jason Tardick (28:40)

Very cool. All right, we are going to get into your business here very soon, Divi. So if you are interested in small business creation, stay tuned. It's coming. What I'm curious about on the Forbes top creator list, 2023 and 2022, first and foremost, I think it's really cool that you were in the industry for 10 years before you even recognized with that. It also puts in perspective to anyone out there, like, just keep fighting, keep grinding. Your time to will definitely come. But how does that happen? Does Forbes find you? Do you have to apply through, like, a PR marketing firm? Like, when I hear Forbes lips lists, I'm always curious, how do they actually get in touch with you? And what does that look like?

Jason Tardick (29:18)

Yeah, they emailed us and I thought it was cool. Spam?

Jason Tardick (29:21)

No way.

Jason Tardick (29:22)

I literally screenshot it. I go, babe, I think this is a joke. He's like, no, that looks like a legit email. So, yes, they reach out to you. They ask for all of your credentials, they ask for your numbers. They want to make sure everything is legit. Your tax returns, everything. And so, yes, then I was introduced to like the Forbes community and Forbes is really great because I feel like they take care of their people. Like once you're in, you're in. And so then we started getting invited to events and panels and then we were asked again for, for 2023. It's crazy.

Jason Tardick (29:53)

Amazing. Two time. Congratulations. I'm always curious people at that level, what is the, the production process look like? What is the behind the scenes? How often are you planning content? Like what? You know, you hear all the stories with Mr. Beast, how he like lives in a home and he just. His house has whiteboards everywhere and he's constantly thinking, Works 24 7. We had the apartment guy on and he told me his literal work schedule is when he wakes up and when he goes to bed and nothing but work seven days a week. So everyone's got their own thing. But behind the creative genius, like what does your production look like? How often are you filming? Do you have a strategy for how often you want to post things like that?

Jason Tardick (30:33)

Yeah, so I'm filming every day. I wake up at, at like 5:30. I do my workout and I start, I. I film my workout. So I'm filming up until 5:00. I have a very strict like 5:00, no filming. That's more because it's like family time. I didn't start that until I had kids. I used to just film till like midnight, you know.

Jason Tardick (30:51)

Good for you. So you say after five, no filming. Yeah, that's a good boundary to have.

Jason Tardick (30:55)

I mean, we gotta do it especially with have. I mean, maintaining your marriage, being a parent, like it's so important. So I have a very strict like 5. I'm not working anymore. That's why people never see me me like in the dark or like after dinner time. Because that's like our me time. And then I've been better about not filming so much on the weekends. But yeah, I have a big whiteboard. We have a famous whiteboard that like we think of all of our crazy ideas. We probably like, you know, it depends on the season. But I would say we do like a crazy stunt like maybe once every other month. So I've done like crazy like a big talent show where we gave away $20,000 and I had my audience apply and we rented out this big studio and we kind of like bring in our community, have this big competition. We did a remake twice of the Bachelor for my brother.

Jason Tardick (31:40)

I saw that.

Jason Tardick (31:41)

Yeah. So like that was like a big thing where I mean, I'm probably spending, you know, 30, $40,000 on these big stunts. And like I'm not seeing anything in return. I'm not having sponsors. I'm not like these are just big moments to engage my audience and get people involved. And those are the moments where I feel like I should. I probably like grow the most is whenever I'm just like pouring out. But these things are like big productions. Like we go, we go all out.

Jason Tardick (32:05)

You hear Mr. Beast talk about it quite often, how he'll spe $2 million on a video and he'll make less on that video or not even make $2 million. And money to him, he's like, I don't care. Money's just a resource. He's like, it comes in, it goes out and I just keep spending. I, I challenge myself so much to look at things like that. But I'm such for the finance background. It's so hard for me to do it. When you're spending 20 to 30 grand on a video. Talk to me about what it the business perspective is, what you're not getting an ROI on that video because it's not sponsored. But do you think you get the long term return on it and if so, how?

Jason Tardick (32:39)

100%. I think that there's a long term like, yeah, like I think people know that they can come back to me for entertainment and I know that they can like trust me that I'm going to provide for them and things aren't going to get like dull around here. So I like to keep people on their toes and so I know that I have to do these, these big stunts and like, I don't know, I feel like I have more of that mindset. Like Mr. Beast too were like, I don't really care about the money. Like I just want to create really cool things. And so if I feel really like good about it and I'm excited about it, I'm like, that was worth it. That was like totally worth it. Like, who cares? That'll come back in another way somehow. And I don't even know how to like always measure it. But it's just like this feeling that you just feel like, man, we did something great. That was awesome.

Jason Tardick (33:23)

If you had to guess how much is the most you ever think you spent on one stunt.

Jason Tardick (33:27)

I've done some pretty crazy things. Things for Divi like yeah. Where especially starting out when we didn't have a CEO and we didn't like it was just me and my husband and like I probably over a hundred grand on an influencer trip where I invited People that weren't even influencers. They were my audience, and I just treated them cool. So our first influencer trip, I had people that had written, like, really nice reviews or really good feedback. Like, sometimes they weren't even. Even, like, fans. Maybe they were just, like, giving me advice of, like, what I could change or what I could do. And I invited probably, like, 12 people that were just customers, and I went all out and treated them like influencers. So I got all these brands to send in products. I sent them to. We went to Cabo, stayed at the Thompson. Like, you know when you see these, like, crazy influencer trips, like, I did that just for, like, our community.

Jason Tardick (34:16)

Wow.

Jason Tardick (34:17)

And so that was one of those things where I was like. I told my husband, like, we're not going to have ROI from this. Like, it's not going to make sense on paper. But this is, like, the type of brand that I want to have, have. And this is what I'm really excited about. And so, no, I don't think there's a way to measure it, but it's something. It's like, I have this confidence, and I feel really good about it, and maybe it makes other people feel good too.

Jason Tardick (34:37)

Yeah. Interesting. It's such a creative way to think about executing business. And clearly it's working, right? If your revenue is doubling each year and you're at your highest point, like, whatever the creative genius is there, that's not so pragmatic. Like me, maybe it works. It's cool. I gotta ask you, though, someone who was a former Bachelor contestant, when you guys did this twice with your brother, you know, you created the whole series of dates. You did everything. Landon gives his final rose to one lucky lady. You know, you obviously had to go into producer mode, kind of like a bachelor producer mode. So given the fact you've done it twice, what are some things that you've learned as a producer? Trying to run the business of a miniseries of the Bachelor as more of, like, a play on it.

Jason Tardick (35:20)

It was wild. Like, when I tell you so I also, like, we do everything in real time. So I'm not sitting on this footage for days. Like, we are editing all night, pulling all nighters. We go out, we film all the dates. We go back home. My husband and I are like. And we get the video out, like, the next day. It was so crazy. So the biggest thing I have learned, I think the hardest thing I've had, like, I've had or I've decided, like, investing in that was important, was production team. Like, because I'VE always filmed and edited everything myself. It's really hard for me to say, oh, it's worth it to pay this guy to film my content and to edit. Like, is he gonna actually see my vis and know exactly how I want it? Like, the rounds of edits are going to take so long, I might as well just do it myself. But what I've learned is that, like, I'm not a genius. Like, like other people can do it too.

Jason Tardick (36:11)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (36:11)

And so it's just about finding that right person. And that's probably the most painful part, is slowing down enough to hire because you want to just keep going. But when you slow down and you train people and you find the right fit, like, it pays off tenfold.

Jason Tardick (36:24)

Yeah. Something I got to work on.

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Jason Tardick (37:36)

All right. How did you go about finding the actual women that were participating in your bachelor show?

Jason Tardick (37:41)

We had people submit videos.

Jason Tardick (37:43)

Oh my gosh.

Jason Tardick (37:44)

So I was also, like, going through and sifting through all these women, choosing them personally. My brother would, like, try to peek. I'm like, no, no, this is me. I mean, half the reason I want to do it is because, like, I was like, this girl's gonna be my life rest. Like, I need to like her, you know?

Jason Tardick (37:58)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (37:59)

So I was really hoping it would work out. But no, my brother is engaged now to the most amazing person. You know, it's true love because I Had nothing to do with it.

Jason Tardick (38:05)

There you go. That's how you know. And I heard that you enlisted some people from the franchise, including Chris Harrison and other, to help. How did they play a role in the. The whole entire project?

Jason Tardick (38:15)

Yeah, they were amazing. So supportive. Hannah G. Taisha, Jed Wyatt came and performed at one of the dates. Like, I went all out, and it was so cool to see how many. How supportive people were. Like, my story views were over a million views. Like, people were so excited about it. It was wild.

Jason Tardick (38:32)

Okay. I was going to ask you about the numbers behind it. The reason I was going to ask you the numbers behind is the Nelk Boys actually did a similar project to you for this season of the Bachelorette that just happened, you know, a few weeks ago. They got over 3 million views on the YouTube project that they did. And that is almost not double, but it was 1.9 million viewers is what ABC on TV streaming on Hulu got. So the Nelk Boys.

Jason Tardick (38:59)

Wait, I've always wondered that. So you said 1.9 million viewers for, like, an episode of. What do you mean?

Jason Tardick (39:06)

So. Yeah. So they'll monitor. After 24 hours of the episode being premiered on ABC, they will monitor how many viewers they had. And so they had 1.9 million viewers watching the show.

Jason Tardick (39:17)

Okay.

Jason Tardick (39:17)

And what's crazy, especially with the context of this conversation, social media, is these Nelk Boys guys who probably spent, you know, 1 millionth of what ABC spent, they got over 3 million views in 24 hours of releasing their play on the project. So I'm curious how many views. Obviously, it's not within 24 hours, but do you know how many views you got on your Bachelor project?

Jason Tardick (39:38)

So I'm looking. I put out 12 videos for my brother's second season of the Bachelor. The first one I see got 1.2 million views. So I mean, altogether probably over 10 million.

Jason Tardick (39:51)

Wow. I think that also is. You know, this conversation is a lot about social media media. It's just changing. Like, I think you're seeing social media now create more power than some of the biggest networks and the biggest TV stations and the biggest streaming platforms. And that, to me, is just a crazy, crazy thing that's happening. Do you think this might be part of your future content, like being a producer of possibly TV shows?

Jason Tardick (40:16)

I've always thought about that, because then we did the talent show, and people loved that. I have some other, like, really crazy ideas that I really wanted to do this year, but then I got pregnant, and so it's like. So, yes, like, things I Definitely have some big dreams and some big stunts that I want to do that are similar. It just might take me a little bit time, but, yeah, absolutely. Like, I just. I. I love the shock and. And awe factor. Like, I love doing anything that's kind of like a little quirky.

Jason Tardick (40:43)

That's a good, good transition. Vulnerability, we know, is the root of all connection. Congratulations again on being pregnant. But you've also been very vulnerable and sharing kind of how you've dealt with stress and even hair loss when you were studying at University of Texas, which inevitably led to your business, which is unbelievable, right, that you look at something like a struggle that you endured, then created a problem which led to a solution, and the solution being your business. So for anyone out there that's feeling a problem that's not hair loss or whatever it may be, once you identified the problem, where did business come in and how did that start?

Jason Tardick (41:20)

It was very organic. So I started losing my hair in. In 2019 was like the big year where I woke up, looked in the mirror, told my husband. I'm like, I don't even want to leave the house. Like, I'm so embarrassed. And so my husband was like, why don't you just wear wigs? Like the Kardashians wear wigs. I'm like, we live in Dallas, Texas. Like, where am I going to get a wig? He drove me to my first wig shop. It was like a costume store. Like, $20 wigs. I was so discouraged, but ended up flying out to la, got my first wig, named her Kim. Decided that year I was like, I'm going to figure out, like, what is going on. Like, get to the root of this. And I, like I said I had a background kinesiology, biology, so I understood, like, the basic systems of my body. So I actually started putting together, like, my own serums. Like, I was like a little chemist in my bathroom. And as I'm going through all of this, I'm sharing it all on YouTube. So I'm like, I got this ingredient. I got this ingredient. A lot of natural ingredients, but at the same time, there were some ingredients I couldn't get my hands on. So I told my husband, I'm like, I want to meet with a chemist, and I want to create the scalp serum that women can use long term, because minoxidil and all these other ingredients, like, yes, you can use it and they work, but actually, like, long term, they're not good for you. And they have some really harsh side effects, especially for women. So had that idea really, honestly, Was just like, I'm going to launch this for my community. Because as I was sharing it, there was like, this hidden epidemic of women that were also losing their hair that, like, nobody was talking about it. And so had that full intention came out with that. Our scalp serum, the first year we did 40 million, like, it was crazy. We are just have 33 million just on the scalp serum alone and. Or from D2C, like, alone. I'll tell you why it popped off and, like, why it did so well. Yes, I share with my audience, but it grew so fast, like, beyond me because of the before and after pictures that people started posting and they started sharing it with their own audiences. And I think when you go through something that is so emotional and personal, when you find something that works, like, people want to take care of their community. Like, they want to take care of their neighbor or their mom or their friends. Postpartum, maybe Covid hair loss. Like, they're excited to share. Like, oh, my gosh. Like, this worked. So when I launched it, I told my husband, number one thing, I want this product to speak for itself. Like, I don't want to be pushing this all the time. Like, I want the science to be so legit that it works. It's like, it. It's. It's something that can grow beyond just Danny. And so. So that grew really fast. And, like, my husband and I are literally working out of my. My unborn son's nursery. We hire our first employee, and from then on, like, it was more just listening to my audience of, like, exactly what they wanted, but at the same time creating this, like, scalp regimen for people. Because it was the first time that people were really focusing on their scalp. And it's. For a lot of women, they're using products that are like, just, you know, all this stuff is like, sitting on. On whether it's dry shampoo or hair product is sitting on their scalp, like, blocking their hair follicle. And so they needed something that could detoxify, stimulate, stimulate, cleanse, nourish, but also, like, get the job done. And so. So from then on, it was just listening to our audience. I was at Ulta with my daughter. She was a year old. I was pregnant. And I'm like, walking through the aisles and I'm like, stella, wouldn't it be so cool if mommy could be at Ulta one day? Like, it was. This was an Ulta by Target. So it was like a little Ulta inside of a Target store. And. And I, like, record my daughter. I'm like, do you think mommy can do it? I think if mommy works really hard, we can do it. A couple months later, Ulta reached out and they wanted to carry Divi and so that was just like the craziest experience. They have been the best partners and since then it's just been like one little, you know, win after the next.

Jason Tardick (45:01)

When you started the company and congratulations. When you started the company, did you guys self fund it yourself or did you raise capital?

Jason Tardick (45:08)

We still own it 100% and we self funded. Yeah.

Jason Tardick (45:11)

And how much money did you have to put into the business before it took off? Because I would assume like you're hiring a chemist and all these like things. Like I feel like that's a pretty big research and development bill.

Jason Tardick (45:21)

I want to say over 500.

Jason Tardick (45:23)

Okay, so over 500,000. You then launch it and you do 40 million the first year.

Jason Tardick (45:29)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (45:29)

That is absolutely unbelievable. Off one skew I was shook still. And what year was this that you released?

Jason Tardick (45:37)

This is 2021.

David (45:38)

Okay.

Jason Tardick (45:39)

Also probably a really good time. Like you think about timing, right? More people are at home, they're paying attention to this stuff. More people are buying online for D2C unbeliev.

Jason Tardick (45:47)

It was a great year for DDC. But I'm also really thankful that we have like great retail partners because things are changing a lot for the dtc.

Jason Tardick (45:55)

It's changing a lot.

Danny Austin (45:57)

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Jason Tardick (47:00)

With the production manufacturing? You know you're doing this in 2021. There's so many supply and demand issues because of the pandemic and you're able to move that many units, like, where is your manufacturer in the United States? Talk to me just about like the business concept of going from putting 500 grand into a company and boom, 40 million and managing that growth. That's so hard to manage that growth.

Jason Tardick (47:22)

Well, first of all, we started really small. Like we only have like five or six SKUs, so I'm not. We don't have a ton of SKUs. And I launched with like a hero product. It was just scalp serum. And yeah, it was really frustrating like creating our second and third products. But I will say, say I knew exactly what I wanted going into it and I knew exactly what ingredients I didn't want. Like the innovation that I was like really passionate about. So we've always had really great partners on the manufacturing side. Keeping up with demand is something that is so frustrating for me. Like we're always sold out and even at Ulta, people go to Ulta all the time and we're sold. It's a great problem to have.

Jason Tardick (47:59)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (48:00)

But that was something where I really had to like pull in my husband because I was so frustrated about that side of things. But we also hired a in house team of female chemists, scientists that help us. Yeah. So they are like super innovative. So much smarter than I am. Our head of production came from. Our head of product development came from Nutrafol. So she's super knowledgeable about the industry. So I have like a really great team around me now that like, I just focus really heavily on product development. Like that's what I get really excited about.

Jason Tardick (48:31)

Amazing. You look at a company like Amazon, almost $2 trillion market cap right now. Their entire business though was, was literally built on not being profitable. Reinvesting at all at a 40 million clip of. Of gross margin. Is it a profitable business too? Amazing.

Jason Tardick (48:48)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (48:49)

Would you say of all the projects you're doing, like influencing podcasting, blogging, this has been the most lucrative?

Jason Tardick (48:56)

100%. But it's not like we see it like we put everything back into the business.

Jason Tardick (49:00)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (49:00)

So it's not like I see.

Jason Tardick (49:02)

Yeah, you just constantly reinvesting. Right.

Jason Tardick (49:06)

So I. We funded the business through my influencer career.

Jason Tardick (49:10)

Correct.

Jason Tardick (49:10)

So. And I still have to run that in order not for Divi to. To run, but just for like our personal. I have a personal team too.

Jason Tardick (49:17)

Of course.

Jason Tardick (49:18)

So we're kind of running like two separate businesses at the same time. But yes, like 100%.

Jason Tardick (49:23)

What's wild is your business was built on being an influencer, being paid by brands. One of the biggest business moves you've made was creating a product and then letting it grow and move in the way it is as full circle moment that brings this question to light. Are you now paying influencers to influence your brand?

Jason Tardick (49:41)

Oh, yeah.

Jason Tardick (49:42)

What do you look for when you're paying for influencers? Like, there's so many out there, so many people that want to be in it. What are the things that you're like, that's a good fit. This is how I know it's going to make sense for our roi. Things like that.

Jason Tardick (49:52)

A story, Like, a story is everything for me. Like, I really don't even care about views or, like, conversion is important, of course, but I just really want the story to make sense for the brand because I think I know for a fact that people can see through it if you're just trying to hire the hottest and greatest girl out there. So as long as, like, the story makes sense for them and they're excited about it too. Like, I just want to work with people that are excited about Divi. Like, I don't want them to feel like they're just being hired to, like, make a buck. Like, I want them to, like, love our product. And so. But to be honest, like, yes, we hire influencer influencers, like, very successful. But to me, it's like, and I know this sounds so cheesy, but, like, our true influencers, like, are our community and people that use the product, that just share it with their neighbors. And. And so, like, that's where I feel like we see, like, the greatest ROI is investing in our community. We have a program that I launched in 2022 that I was really excited about. It's our scalp specialist program. Because when you go through hair loss, like, the first person you go to is your hairstylist. Like, a lot of our hairstylists know more about us than our husbands. Like, you tell them anything, you cry to them. And so I wanted to make sure that our hair stylists were empowered and were educated about scalp health and, like, knew what our pro products did and felt, you know, empowered to. To help these people out. And so we have a scalp specialist program that will probably, by the end of the year, we'll have over 1,200 scalp specialists where they actually earn a certificate. They do a class, we give them special codes, we give them commission. Like, they really feel like they're part of, like, our divi army and are helping carrying out our message. And so that's one of the things that I'm like, focused on growing. Is that part of our community?

Jason Tardick (51:33)

Amazing. With some of the successes also come some challenges. You had mentioned your first year that you did 40 million. And the notes I had, maybe they're incorrect, but in 2022, you guys achieved $23 million in sales. You had also alluded to the fact that, you know, D2C via social media has kind of changed that landscape. Has the revenue of the business gone down because of economic climate?

Jason Tardick (51:54)

No. We will, like, 3x our revenue this year. And by 2025, our CEO, I'll tell you this, because he keeps telling everybody this.

Jason Tardick (52:04)

Yeah.

Jason Tardick (52:04)

We are on track and projected to do over 100 million.

Jason Tardick (52:08)

Oh, my gosh.

Jason Tardick (52:09)

So, no, what happens for a lot of startups or businesses is that second year, you experience so much growth that you have to take a step back for a second and hire the right team and make sure that you're, like, actually on the right trajectory.

Jason Tardick (52:24)

Totally.

Jason Tardick (52:25)

So my. My next product, one of my next products was hair vitamins, and that's not the most, like, profitable product to launch. Like, in fact, I think a lot of mentors would have said, you probably should go into something more attainable, like dry shampoo or the. I didn't care because I was like, I want to start with a hair vitamin because I want to have our legitimacy. And, like, I don't care if it sells. Like, I don't care if we have a down year. Like, I want people to know that I am invested in the science and the efficacy and the clinicals. Like, that is the most important thing to me. And so, like I said, I'm like, I'm not in this to make a quick buck. Like, I want this to have longevity. And so that second year was more about getting our ducks in a row, hiring the right people, figuring out our systems and processes. Like I said, we're working out of our nursery. We recently, like, bought an office building. We're building that out now. We hired our CEO about six months ago. Like, that year was more about, like, restructuring.

Jason Tardick (53:20)

Okay. Unbelievable. Congratulations. That's so exciting. Last thing I kind of want to touch on is there was some news about some criticism that Divi had to experience because of a shampoo and conditioner product. We've heard a lot of the successes. I think it's also good to hear about some of these areas that you have setbacks and you got to learn from. So can you speak a little bit as to what happened here and then how you guys overcame it?

Jason Tardick (53:44)

Sure. So our first shampoo conditioner we call it the OG People love the formula. The conditioner was a little heavy for a lot of people's hair. What's so hard is, like, everybody has different hair types.

Jason Tardick (53:55)

Totally.

Jason Tardick (53:55)

I have very, like, thin, curly, fine hair. So for my hair, it was like, amazing. But if you have thicker, fuller hair, it maybe was like a little too heavy. And so to me, like, I don't. There's nothing to be ashamed of. For me, I was like, okay, I want to talk to these people, meet them face to face and hear what they're saying. And like, so I invited all of our negative reviewers. Not all of them. There were probably like 20 that came to our event. And I got to meet them face to face and say, hey, thanks for like giving me some feedback. Like, and they were nice about it. They weren't like evil about it. They said, hey, I bought this. It didn't work for my hair type. Was kind of bummed. And so met them face to face, said, hey, I hear you. I'm going to work on it. So then we launched our volumizing shampoo and conditioner and kind of fixed and tweaked those things for that audience. And so, like, I love hearing people's feedback. Sometimes it hurts because, you know, it's like your baby. And it's like, I can't. I'm not gonna lie. But. But I feel like I want people to know that I'm listening and I'm willing to change and fall on my sword and be like, hey, I messed up. Let's try this again.

Jason Tardick (54:52)

Unbelievable. From $20,000 just trying to make it in the whole influencing space to Forbes creator to now a company that is on its way to break a hundred million in gross revenue. It is fascinating. It's unbelievable. Something we can all learn from. But we gotta wrap with the trading secret. Danny. Something that is special to you. We can't learn it from a professor. A tick tock tutorial only through your experience. So what is one trading secret you could leave our audience with?

Jason Tardick (55:19)

Man, there's so many. But I would just say having integrity with every decision that you make, whether it's hiring or going to a meeting or things that you say behind the scenes means like just having integrity. And also just remembering that even though it's maybe like an influencer business or maybe it's. You're. It's all a service, you're really serving other people. At the end of the day, that's. That's all it is. And so just keeping them top of mind has been really important to me.

Jason Tardick (55:43)

That's great. Two trading secrets I'm taking from you. One is stop being so focused on roi. Like, I know, put your money into the story and then see where the story goes. Because I'm such an ROI guy, especially being a finance guy. So that's one. And the second one, I think with you, all of it is storytelling, right? I think that's what led to your increase in following. That's what allowed you to take your blogging and increase conversion. That's what allows you to tell your story on Instagram highlights. That's what's led to a business that. It was a before and after, which is what blew your business up, the storytelling. And I think everyone back at home, whether it's you with your boss, it's you with your partner, you with your friends, whatever you're doing, it's storytelling that allows people to understand A to Z. And when they understand it, they become so engaged to it. And when they're so engaged to it, they can then even buy $40 million of product in one year. It's unbelievable. Danny, where can everyone find everything you have going on? Your companies, your, your. Your social media, A to Z. Where can they get more? Danny Austin.

Jason Tardick (56:44)

Yeah, so you can find Divi at every ulta or divi official dot com. We're also launching at Ulta by Target on July 18th. You can find me on Instagram at Danny Austin or TikTok at the Danny Austin. And yeah, thank you so much having me on this. This is really fun. I don't really talk too much about the business side of what I do. And so it's nice. It's really fun.

Jason Tardick (57:07)

You should. I mean, it's really impressive what you've done. I think Forbes is going to have you 40 under 40. Not for creator, for exiting this business for a billion dollars. And then also your podcast, right? D Influence.

Jason Tardick (57:18)

Right?

Jason Tardick (57:19)

Check out the influence. I'm actually going to go be a guest on D Influence right now, so make sure to give that a download. And Danny Austin, thank you for being on this episode of Training Secrets.

Jason Tardick (57:27)

Thank you for having me.

Jason Tardick (57:28)

Ding, ding, ding. We are closing in the bell with the one and only David Arin on the Danny Austin episode. David, what did you think of the episode? What do you got?

David (57:36)

Listen, didn't know who Danny Austin was. I don't particularly have an interest in her industry in terms of like the hair growth industry. I couldn't have loved the episode more. It was, it was. I just thought her story was captivating. I thought she had an amazing voice. Voice for podcasting and obviously for the industry that she does. And the numbers. My God, Jason, I gotta say this. Okay, let me just start with this. I have highlighted in my notes that there was a part where you were talking about, you know, viewers that she was getting and numbers that she was getting on certain videos and things of that nature. And to be honest, I'm listening to the podcast, I'm like, jason, I'm just numb by these numbers. Like, we've been talking numbers so long, there's. When you talk about views and followers, it's just all numb to me. Nothing stands out. I have that in my notes. Then she started talking about the money that she was making on Divi, the numbers that she was making. I was like, fuck. I just contradicted myself. Those numbers stand out. I thought she was incredible. I thought there were some interesting takeaways for you in particular, which I can get to later. But that was my overall feel of the episode. How was it interviewing her? Did you have the same feeling else?

Jason Tardick (58:46)

She's very, very smart and she's very personable and she's very thoughtful about what she's doing and how she's doing it. And it is no surprise the success she has in, one, connecting with people, and two, also business. So none of it was surprising to me other than the fact that she's just a very special person. Like, she's really good at what she does. I'm curious your take. You got me thinking, though. You know, we're 208 episodes in, and at this point, I think the answer to this question is going to be different every episode. But I'm going to ask you a generalized statement. What do you think makes an episode good? So that when you're listening it and you're getting ready for the recap, you're like, that was a great episode.

David (59:30)

Yeah, it's such a good question. I think that when you have someone in the other seat who's ready to match your energy and ready to talk like. Like business and give, like, background, that's what it is. Like, they're there for a purpose. Like she said at the very, very, very. I think the last sentence of her, the whole podcast was like, I was so excited to talk about my business. Everyone wants to talk about my influencing. They want to talk to my followers. They don't want to talk about my business. So I was like, look, if you're going to hook me in, if I'm going to have to listen, you're going to Hook me in and stay to the end. You have to have. You have to be ready. You have to be engaged, and you have to be educated on what you're talking about. And add some. Add some.

Jason Tardick (60:07)

You.

David (60:07)

I want to be inspired. Like, I want to be inspired, and I want someone who sits there and can kind of like not challenge you as the host, but, like, talk to your level and talk about those things. So I. I thought she blew that out of the water. Like, I've, like you said 206, 208 recaps that I've done. When I listen to every episode, I want someone who can sit there and go toe to toe with you in the episode. And I got that from her.

Jason Tardick (60:29)

Oh, I like that. Okay, that's a great answer. Great answer. The other theme in With Danny, I think, is storytelling. And I think storytelling for everyone that's listening with us here on the recap, I think that's a theme that is just becoming so prevalent in, like, every area of our life. And even. Even, like, everything that's, like, going viral these days, it's just storytelling. I think it's relevancy and relatability. Those are like, the two R's. And I think about her storytelling, and she does such a great job with it. Or even, like an example, like this week, where you have, you know, this whole Dave Portnoy, Brianna Chicken Fry, and Josh Richards putting a music video together. They're clearly storytelling to something that's relevant and relatable. Right. It's a relevant breakup, and it's relatable because people go through breakups and they're hard. And it's interesting. Whether it's like a situation like that or it's a situation like this. It feels like the ability to tell your story these days is everything.

David (61:25)

Yeah, it is everything. And I think that she mastered that by saying, like, she wants to treat her feed like a reality TV show. Right. What do they want to see today? Right. She's getting ready for a day. What did they want to see today? She posts in real time. She takes the editing out of it. She takes the production out of it. That goes into her storytelling. She kind of teased. She used her storytelling as an example in this episode. It was near the start of the episode. She talked about how she got her first job out of college, obviously. She talked about how she went into college for physical. Physical therapy. Ended up really enjoying the YouTube space. Got a hundred thousand subscribers in the first two months. She said she made 20K her first year. And then you talked about like when did you start making real bucks? And she goes, well, funny enough, it's kind of doubled every year and it still has continued to double. So here I am like, you know, contradictory Canadian at this point, not curious Canadian. I'm like, there's no way. So she made 20k in 2012 and she keeps saying it's double doubled every year. I'd have the math in front of me. 20k doubled, 40k, 80k, 160k, 320k, 640k. Then you get to the millions. 1.2, 2.4, 4.8, 9.6, 19.2, 38.4. I'm like, there's no fucking way this girl's making 38.4 million. Fast forward to the end of the episode, jay. She's making 100 million off Divi alone. The next year my jaw was on the floor. I shut myself up. And that's just like her storytelling. Like she, she knew she was going to you that nugget and then she knew at some point she's going to give you the conclusion. I loved it.

Jason Tardick (62:52)

I was blown away by those, the storytelling there and the numbers. Like I could not believe the volume she was pushing. Because of course as a, is a, as a creator myself, but also someone who works with a lot of creators from the management perspective. We get to see a lot of the businesses that they started known and help them and advise them and numbers like that. I don't know, I don't know if I've worked with a creator individually like one on one that has a business that is going to do nine figures in revenue. I don't think I do so. Unbelievable, isn't it?

David (63:23)

Such like a, from your standing is like in the financial field too. Like she's such a unicorn in terms of like they're 100% self owned, always self funded over like no one else got no other money. Like we've talked about OPM, other people's money. Like none of that. 40 million in her first year, 33 million off the scalps here in one SKU alone, only five to six skews total. She says one of the things that she hates, hates most is that she's always sold out and they can't keep up with some flying demand. I'm like, listen to your problems. I'm like, you have the best problems ever.

Jason Tardick (63:55)

It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. Very impressive. And I think you know, another thought from my end and maybe for everyone listening here is, you know, especially someone like Danny who has Such a strong brand, but this is not. I mean, it's connected to her brand, of course, but it really isn't like this is an independent brand that stands out on its own. That solves a problem that she had, but it also solves a problem that the world has. Right? Like hair loss, hair thinning. These are things that the world has. And so I think the idea is when you come up with an industry, product, or niche that can solve something that is an everyday issue for a lot of people, it doesn't really matter what your brand is, as long as you build the brand of whatever that product is. So, David, in the meantime, let's figure out a solution to everyone's problem.

David (64:39)

Yeah, or like she said, it was her own personal problem that she found a solution for. We all have our own personal problems, and sometimes we think they may be our own problems, but I guarantee if they're our own problems in the 8 billion people in the world, someone out there is going to have the same problem. And probably more than you think. My last real takeaway, I have actually a few more, but my last real takeaway, strong takeaway that I have for this episode is every time I listen to our episodes, I know you, and I know that your brain is just ticking like you're trying to learn from your guests as much as you can possible, right? At the end of the day, you bring in successful and motivated people. That's why they're on the. On the podcast. I'm curious from your end, because I have one. I have a piece. What from her, other than storytelling? You already talked about the storytelling. What piece of her and her business and her growth do you think that you are going to or should be taking away for your own life or your own business? Now, I could go first.

Jason Tardick (65:43)

Yeah, why don't you go first? Because that is a really, really good question.

David (65:46)

So as I've seen the Jason Tardick rewired enterprise go on, you know, being part of the Trading Secrets team and understanding Rewired Talent Agency and the Jason Tartek Instagram Social, and I know what you're gonna say.

Jason Tardick (66:00)

I think I know what you're gonna say.

David (66:01)

What do you. What do you think I'm gonna say?

Jason Tardick (66:03)

Or you want me to finish? Can I predict what you're gonna say?

David (66:06)

You can predict it, yeah.

Jason Tardick (66:07)

Outsource leadership, bring someone in to run the company.

David (66:10)

So she said her biggest thing she ever did to make the change once she started getting big was finding a producer, editor, and a filmer. She said she used to do it on her own. And so she could never justify paying someone. Right? Then she talks later when she talks about the 100 million, she goes, My CEO says that we're on track to do 100 million a year in 2025. My belief has always been once Jason Tardick can find someone to control all of Jason Tartek's enterprises, and Jason Tartek can get back to doing what he does best, being out there, networking, meeting people, connecting people and focus on that and bring those to, you know, you're so in the weeds to managing people and managing different enterprises from we ride to trading secrets to your own personal brand. You talk about how you're 247 with it. I just think, and, and this is the example that I use. Dave Portnoy before, Erica Nardini is not the barstool sports that we know now. Right. It was always maxed out as a 1 to 2 million dollar valuation. Now it's close to a billion dollar valuation. It's because he relinquished control, brought in a CEO focus on wheat House bis, which is content. That is my takeaway. I'm wondering if you feel the same way or if you don't, why, where you're at with it.

Jason Tardick (67:30)

I'm going to tease it a little bit. Here's what I would say. I recognize that I could be the CEO of Rewired and do it full time and blow it up. The problem is I. We don't have the capacity to give it everything it needs to like really blow it up. Now we're doing great, but it could be better. And this is going to be the year where I'm going to start outsourcing in a big way, in a lot of ways. And I'm going to start with an executive assistant. I'm hiring one right now to do everything because I am. I honestly feel like I'm falling apart a little bit just because I have too much on my plate. And you just spread yourself, yourself too thin. And when you spread yourself too thin, you feel it in like every direction. So that's going to be the start of it. But it's. You're 100% right. And when I heard those things that she does and she did and the success of it, I was like thinking the whole time bells were going off. That's why I knew what you're going to say. And then the last thing I'll tell you is she had assistance there, she had people there and what did they do? She had a social media person that came in, go, okay, here's your Skit. Here's your audio, here's your teaser. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And we, we, we did it. It was like right then and there. But yeah, she has a full team. And the efficiency of it, David, was unbelievable. Unbelievable. Yeah.

David (68:42)

And that's and it, it she started doing some of her business in her new, her unborn child's nursery. Now she's talking about buying office space and office building and renovating. And she talked about the team that she has for divvy. She talked about the team that she has for production and filming. She talked about her team that she has for, for social media. Not only she outsourced one thing, she's outsourced into three different businesses. You could be the CEO of Rewired and do it full time, but could you do Trading Secrets? Could you do your own IG brand? Could you do all these things? Right? So you should have an outsourced team for, for really all those things. The CEO of all Jason Tardick's enterprises and then teams for all those things. And they're like you said, the efficiency of it all. They're bringing you the things. You're the face, you're the person behind it. Because I'm telling you man, we've had a lot of guests on. She, Danny Austin blew me away more than a lot of guests that we had on and it's like you're talking twenty thousand to a hundred million in twelve years all self made like that, like it's bananas. So shout out Danny Austin. I didn't know who you were and now like you're on my vision board. So I'm all yes, I'm all about it.

Jason Tardick (69:49)

And now, now that you know who she is, David, you follow her. You will, will, you will be 100% engaged to her work and so will Ashley if Ashley follows her because like she has just built an unbelievable community.

David (70:01)

And last thing I'll say, like unicorn gets up at 5:30, works out, cuts off filming by 5pm Work, life, balance, things that we've talked about, all these things like you're an ROI guy and I understand what you probably think for how much it's going to cost for an executive assistant, how much cost for a CEO. So instead you do it all by yourself. You don't know what you're missing on the efficiency and the maximizing of the profits. And then the time that you don't get back because you're in charge of everything drives you to these stupors where you're just, you're, you're Just fried.

Jason Tardick (70:32)

Yeah.

David (70:32)

So there, there we go. I'm all, let's do it.

Jason Tardick (70:36)

Danny Austin, you are now my trading secret. I am going to take a lot of your life habits and implement them into mine. Yeah. Great episode. Really good conversation, David. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anything before we wrap?

David (70:52)

No. I mean, look, we're coming off the heels of the Disney where you guys were at Disney in la. I'm at Disney right now, sitting on the porch, Animal Kingdom Lodge. There's a giraffe five feet in front of me eating from the, from the food barrel, the food of Disney Fire. Unbelievable. Making memories. So glad we could. Glad we could squeeze this in.

Jason Tardick (71:08)

Can't beat it. And another tease for another conversation, another day. It was very fascinating. This past week I spoke at a roundtable at TikTok headquarters and you know, maybe next episode or a JTA will do a whole breakdown of Tik Tok headquarters because it is bananas. Like it is wild in there. It's the coolest office experience I've ever seen. But I was speaking to marketing executives from very, very large brands who do advertising into Tik Tok and I was giving them the perspective of a creator myself, but also a manager. And it was just fascinating conversation. So that we'll have to talk about another time, but it's been a cool week in New York right now. And David, have a great time in Disney.

David (71:46)

Thank you.

Jason Tardick (71:47)

Thank you for tuning into another episode of Trade Secrets, one you can't afford to miss.

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