233. Bran Flakezz: From $8.65/hr at Forever 21 to over 6 figures in content creation, Brandon Edelman’s wild BTS of building a platform by being authentically himself, staying frugal, and prioritizing mental health

Summary

Trading Secrets - Episode 233 Summary: Bran Flakezz on Building a 6-Figure Content Creation Career

Podcast Information:

• Title: Trading Secrets
• Host: Audioboom Studios (Hosted by Jason Tartick)
• Episode Title: Bran Flakezz: From $8.65/hr at Forever 21 to over 6 figures in content creation, Brandon Edelman’s wild BTS of building a platform by being authentically himself, staying frugal, and prioritizing mental health
• Release Date: May 5, 2025

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1. Introduction and Background

[00:00 - 02:12]

Jason Tartick welcomes Brandon Edelman, known as Bran Flakes, to the episode. Bran Flakes gained prominence through his appearance on Barstool Sports' reality TV show Project Verified. Post-show, he has significantly expanded his brand on platforms like TikTok, added podcast hosting to his resume, and increased his annual income nearly 20-fold from his retail beginnings.

Notable Quote:

Brandon Edelman [01:23]: "I was so excited to start my business. My parents are two local business owners. So my heart sank... I made a video about it that got 11 million views, and I got 180,000 followers from one single video."

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2. Transition from Retail to Full-Time Content Creation

[02:14 - 05:04]

Brandon discusses his early career in retail, starting at Forever 21 earning $8.65/hr, later moving to Urban Outfitters' corporate office where he earned $41,000 annually. Despite enjoying his retail roles, Brandon faced financial pressures, including $30,000 in student loans and aspirations to support his parents.

Notable Quote:

Brandon Edelman [05:24]: "I was not cool in high school. I had a lot of really bad demons and insecurities... The shift in my life happened in college, finding the right people and building confidence that I took to the internet in 2021."

---

3. Content Creation Strategies and the Importance of Authenticity

[05:05 - 16:49]

Brandon elaborates on his content creation journey, emphasizing authenticity and strategic use of hooks to engage audiences. He explains the significance of the first few seconds of a TikTok video to capture viewers' attention and discusses various content strategies, including his series like "Rating My Nights" and "Hawker Walking."

Notable Quotes:

Brandon Edelman [12:47]: "With TikTok, you really have the first two seconds to get people to watch, otherwise they're going to scroll."

Brandon Edelman [16:49]: "You have some, like, decision in that [being canceled]. You can choose to be canceled or try to un-cancel yourself."

---

4. Growth Milestones and Financial Breakdown

[16:49 - 27:18]

Brandon shares his financial trajectory, highlighting his income growth from $8.65/hr to $768,000 by 2024. He breaks down his earnings, attributing approximately 130,000 of his $150,000 income in 2022 to content creation through brand deals and affiliate links. By 2023, his gross income reached around $300,000.

Notable Quotes:

Brandon Edelman [24:58]: "I got burnout really quickly... I had saved up a few and got brand deals that allowed me to save money while having a side hustle making an extra $3,000 a month."

Brandon Edelman [27:14]: "The business is so big that I actually hired a business manager."

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5. Management of Finances and Business Operations

[27:18 - 35:20]

Discussing the complexities of managing substantial income, Brandon details his use of an S Corp structure to handle taxes and income. He highlights the role of a business manager, who aids in managing finances, paying bills, and strategic investments to sustain and grow his business. Brandon emphasizes the importance of saving and reinvesting to navigate platform volatility and ensure long-term financial stability.

Notable Quotes:

Brandon Edelman [27:18]: "I filed as an S Corp... the business is so big that I actually hired a business manager."

Brandon Edelman [34:11]: "Salary transparency is so important... I never discredit myself from any of the hard work."

---

6. Mental Health and Personal Challenges

[35:20 - 42:26]

Brandon opens up about his mental health struggles, including a severe panic disorder diagnosis that led to hospitalization. He underscores the importance of prioritizing mental health over consistent content posting, advocating for self-care and resilience. Brandon shares his approach to handling negativity and the pressures of being in the public eye, emphasizing growth and personal development over succumbing to cancel culture.

Notable Quotes:

Brandon Edelman [35:20]: "I was hospitalized... diagnosed with panic disorder... had to prioritize my mental health over posting."

Brandon Edelman [42:26]: "An apology with no change is manipulated stasis... an apology needs a call to action."

---

7. Sustainability in Content Creation and Future Goals

[42:26 - 58:39]

Brandon discusses sustainability in his career, stressing the importance of saving and investing wisely to buffer against the unpredictable nature of social media platforms. He shares his goal to continue growing his income while maintaining financial prudence, such as saving for a beach house at the Jersey Shore. Brandon also touches upon future collaborations and aspirations to expand his presence across various platforms like Threads and Snapchat.

Notable Quotes:

Brandon Edelman [36:07]: "Saving is something I've always prioritized... the platform volatility is obvious, you never know what's going to happen."

Brandon Edelman [38:08]: "I've definitely been buying some designer items, but for the majority of my stuff, I save money."

---

8. Lessons and Trading Secret

[58:34 - 67:17]

As the episode wraps up, Brandon shares his key trading secret: the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive and uplifting people. He highlights how his consistent support network, including friends and family, has been instrumental in his success and personal well-being.

Notable Quotes:

Brandon Edelman [59:16]: "It's not about where you are. It's about who you're with. Surround yourself with people that love you, uplift you, and want to see you win."

Jason Tartick [60:08]: "My trading secret is, first and foremost, you have to put the time in to dive into yourself, and if you're not pouring into your cup, it’ll impact your business and mental health."

---

9. Closing Remarks

[67:17 - End]

Jason and Bran Flakes conclude the episode by reflecting on the insightful discussion, commending Brandon for his transparency and strategic approach to content creation. They encourage listeners to apply Brandon's lessons on authenticity, financial management, and mental health prioritization in their own careers.

Notable Quote:

Brandon Edelman [69:07]: "If I could buy stock in Brandon Flakes, I’m buying stock right now. He has taken off and is going to continue to soar."

---

Key Takeaways:

• Authenticity is Crucial: Being true to oneself fosters genuine connections and sustainable growth.
• Strategic Content Creation: Utilizing hooks and understanding platform algorithms are essential for maximizing engagement.
• Financial Prudence: Saving and reinvesting are vital to navigate the unpredictable nature of social media careers.
• Prioritizing Mental Health: Balancing content creation with self-care prevents burnout and ensures long-term success.
• Supportive Networks: Surrounding oneself with positive and constructive individuals enhances personal and professional development.

Final Thought: Brandon Edelman's journey from a low-wage retail worker to a successful content creator underscores the power of authenticity, strategic planning, and resilience. His experiences offer valuable insights for aspiring creators navigating the complexities of the digital landscape.

Transcript

[Brandon Edelman]

Foreign.

[Jason Tardic]

Welcome back to another episode of Trading Secrets. Today we are joined by content creator, podcast host, and Philadelphia favorite influencer Brandon Edelman, AKA Bran Flakes. Brand gained recognition after being cast on Barstool Sports inaugural reality TV show Project Verified. After having initial success with his TikTok content, since being a runner up on the show, Brand has continued to grow his brand on social media, add the title podcast host to his resume, and increase his gross annual income by almost 20 times from when he primarily worked in retail. Today we are going to discuss his life working in retail, how he transitioned to a full time content creation, and how he successfully manages expenses after a drastic increase in personal income. We have so much more to cover, but Brand, thank you so much for being on Sharing Secrets.

[Brandon Edelman]

Thank you for having me King Jason.

[Jason Tardic]

What an honor, my man.

[Brandon Edelman]

No, the honor is all mine.

[Jason Tardic]

It was so funny how we met. We were at Grant's premiere Y and. And BR comes over and, dude, your. Your energy is just. Any room you're in, it just lights up and you can come over. I'm like, who is this bright light? And you're like, let's do this. Tik tok.

[Brandon Edelman]

So it's so funny. I'd actually seen you for the first time at Rockin New Year's Eve 2023. We did that, like, brunch Joe. It was Joey's thing. And I was right. I was so. I used to be like, really, like imposter syndromey. And I didn't like to, like, say hi to people. Yeah. And I wanted to say hi to you so bad because one of the first episodes that I watched of your podcast was when you had Corporate Natalie on. And that episode helped me so much in, like, my career. And I wanted to fangirl so bad. And I was like, I don't want to bother him. I don't want to bother him. And I just didn't say hi. So when I saw you at the Bachelor, I was like, I'm not missing this opportunity again. I'm going to say hi to him.

[Jason Tardic]

You. Well, that, like, actually when you said that, that just gave me goosebumps. Like. Well, the purpose of, like this podcast is to truly try and help educate and impact people with what they're doing and to see that you listen to that. And Corporate Natalie's unbelievable.

[Brandon Edelman]

I've looked up industry since I started.

[Jason Tardic]

She's unbelievable. And to see your success with it is really cool. So I appreciate that. But it was funny when you came up. I mean, actually, let me. Let's talk about this. So for everyone, I'm sure everyone knows at this point, but Bren is just crushing social media. And what's really cool about it is the growth and your transparency. So if you're sitting back home and you're trying to brand yourself, you're trying to brand your business on social media, you're wondering about just the transparency of, like, what creators make and what it looks like. The good, the bad, the ugly. You're going to get it in this episode. But one thing I was really impressed with was, I mean, the. The sound you had was hilarious. What was the sound again?

[Brandon Edelman]

Are you a top or a bottom? Are you a top or bottom Teresa Giudice? Or is that Judiche and Richard Hatch on House of Villains? And she's like, very, like. It was shocking to the audience that she's so well versed in lgbtq, like, language. She's like, top or bottom? Do you do poppers, like, all this stuff?

[Jason Tardic]

So still to this day, I don't know what poppers are.

[Brandon Edelman]

Okay, Poppers. Like, I'm not gonna, like, explain this, like, the best way. Like, okay, technically it's like what they call cleaner. It's almost like how people, like, sniff nail polish remover. Like it, but it's not like. So basically what poppers do is they relax your muscles. So when gay people have sex of the ass, it loose, it makes you feel more relaxed. But it's become sort of like a party drug because it's basically like sniffing like nail polish remover. So, like people at the gay bar. But honestly, straight people have been doing it a lot too. Like, they'll just pull out poppers and stiff it gets. It's like doing a whip it. Okay.

[Jason Tardic]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

That's a good comparison.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, that's a wild.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, it's a little bit of a wild thing, but its intention is to be used to relax yourself during intercourse.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, well, thank you for that very professional breakdown.

[Brandon Edelman]

I love it. Strong.

[Jason Tardic]

I was d. I was like, what did I sign up for? But whatever, let's rip it. People loved it. We had a great time with it and it was so nice to me. Media. But the. When you. One thing I was really impressed with is at that party, it felt as though you had some ideas.

[Brandon Edelman]

You had.

[Jason Tardic]

You came with some sounds and you did like four or five different videos, maybe even more. Is that a lot of part of your strategy? Like, are you thinking about where you're going to be? How are you going to be there? What sounds work and then ripping It.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. You know, I think a lot of the time, it's really on the moment where I see something and I think of something. I try to come, like, prepared with, like, one or two backup ideas, but my content really does the best when it's extremely authentic and on the nose. And right away I see something, I'm like, oop, record it. So, yeah, I had a few things saved. But when I go to events like that, like, I definitely want to network. Like, this is. Disney invites me to this. Like, Disney, ABC invited me. I'm like, okay, I want to make a really good impression. I want to network not just with people like you, but also with executives that work for Hulu and executives that work for the Bachelor, because that's just a great opportunity to put your hand in these people who are key stakeholders in the industry.

[Jason Tardic]

Interesting. Okay, so you're thinking, I'm going to make an impression. I'm going to make videos. They'll call me back. Back. And they did have you at 2023.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

You had this. Yeah. Call you back. Like, yeah, they did.

[Brandon Edelman]

That's my third event that I've done with them. So the first one was actually really sick. They invited me to their Shark Tank party. So that was in 2023. I got to meet Barbara. I got to meet Mark Cuban, Kevin. And then I came back. That's where I saw you at Rockin New Year's Eve. So funny. I just saw Ryan Seacrest at the Aloe Gym in la and he, like, gave me a double take. He's like, you look really familiar. And I was like, we did Rock and New Year's Eve together. And then the third one, I did his Bachelor, which is great.

[Jason Tardic]

Now, how, like, is that? Think about what you just said. It was. It wasn't many years ago that you were working in retail making $40,000 a year. You went on Vivian2's podcast, who's a great good friend of the show. She's been on the show, her podcast, Shout Out, Net Worth and Chill. And you talked about in 2024 grossing $768,000.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Is that a. Like, Ryan Seacrest says hello to you? Did you ever see this in your career?

[Brandon Edelman]

Not even close. Like, no. No shape or form, just in anything. Like, I was not cool in high school. I had, like, you know, a lot of really bad demons and insecurities, and I always. I think I always wanted this life, but, like, constantly, like, told myself it would never happen, and it did. I think, like, for me, where the shift in my Life happened was like college and kind of getting that fresh start and really finding the people that, like, I was always meant to be around and being in the rooms that I always was meant to be in. And that really built up this confidence in me that I took to the Internet in 2021. And I don't know, you know, I, I, I had the confidence. When I started TikTok, I didn't make a video right away. I probably downloaded the app a month before I ever posted. And I watched people's videos and I was just like, I feel like I could do this. I was like, I think I'm just as funny as these people. I think I have really creative ideas on how to create. And I was like, I'm gonna go for it. But I was like, I aggressively went for it. My friends were like, dude, like, what are you doing? Like, why are you, like, heading home from work every night and, like, telling us you can't hang out? I was like, because I have to record videos. And they're like, what do you mean, like, you have to record videos? I was like, no. Like, I'm watching what these people say online. They say you have to post twice a day and be consistent. I was like, I'm gonna do it. They say that you have to use this kind of a hook. They say that you have to, like, make videos in this format. And I really did follow, like, a lot of the templates of creators that, like, I remember. I think this guy, his name is Jackson. Jackson's tips. I. I hope he still exists because he's incredible.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay.

[Brandon Edelman]

I would watch his videos every day and he would, like, how to make a good TikTok, and I would watch it and his worked for me. And, like. Yeah. So did I ever see this coming? No. But I'm very happy it did. And I'm just really grateful for the whole experience.

[Jason Tardic]

I'm going to get into high school for a minute. Yeah. And then I'm going to get into the hooks.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Because I always find it fascinating where people are today. People that we look up to, people that we follow. And what actually, like, where did it stem from? What was it like? Yeah, and what. In high school, you said that you had a lot of demons when you say that. Like, were you a troublemaker? Were you dealing with depression? Like, what do you think it was?

[Brandon Edelman]

I, like, wanted to be really, really cool. Like, I always, like, I really, like, would see the kids that would, like, go to the parties and do, you know, had the amazing pictures before the homecoming dances. And, you know, had these really exciting weekend plans, and I just didn't have that. I was not popular. And there was like, so, like, I look back on that and, I mean, you should always look back on yourself and cringe, I think if there's no growth without cringing. But, like, I was like, person that, like, if I got invited to a party or something, or, like, I remember one time. I'll always never forgive myself for this one time I got invited to, like, a cool person's, like, prom pictures, and my mom was there and I was like, mom, stop. Like, you're embarrassing me. Like, ugh. Like, just like that kind who wanted to be liked so bad. And, like, I look back on that and I was just like. Like, I wanted. It's so funny now. Like, a lot of the kids who. I don't want to use the word bullied, but, like, were not nice to me in high school. Yeah, I live in Philly, 30 minutes from where I went to most of my high school. Like, counterparts, all live in Philly. So many kids that would have never even gave me the time of day in class are now, like, up my.

[Jason Tardic]

Ass, which is so.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Bittersweet.

[Brandon Edelman]

Bittersweet. Yeah. And you know, like, everyone grows up like, everyone was an asshole in high school at some point. But, like, you don't forget those kind of, like, formative, like, years. And like, you. You know that phrase by Maya Angela, like, you can forget what people said and did, but you'll never forget how.

[Jason Tardic]

They made you feel.

[Brandon Edelman]

Like, that is. That rings true all the time.

[Jason Tardic]

It's really interesting in high school how, like, you wanted to be the guy and you're struggling with that and weren't, and then you now are like.

[Brandon Edelman]

And it sounds so corny, Jason, but, like, all I had to do is be myself. All I had to do is be myself. And, like, I was. When I was, like, trying to fit in. Yeah, I was being like a. And even now in, like, influencer circles, like, there's times where I've noticed me, like, trying to, like, appease to, like, a big time content creator. And like, I'm like, why am I doing this? No, no, no, no, no. Like, the people who value me will value me for who I am and where I am and what I'm doing and anybody else. Like, if you feel like you're like, have to act a certain way, that's not the type of person you should be around. And career, relationships, friendships, you want to be places where you can authentically be yourself and you're surrounded by people that like, appreciate that about you. Yeah. Like you saying, like, I'm a light in a room. Like, that's how I want people to talk about me.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

I don't want people to say, you know, something else about me like that that's truly, like, I hold that kind of, those kind of people in like, high regard.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah. It's one of the things that's interesting that you're talking about is just being yourself and dropping into that. I had my brother on the show and we talked openly about it maybe for like one of the first times ever. But he didn't come out until he was in college actually.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And he talked a little bit about like, how that struggle delayed kind of him dropping into himself and for sure. Did you come out at an early age and did that have any impact?

[Brandon Edelman]

I told like my first friends when I was like 13 and 14.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

Probably more 14. And then I came out to my mom on my 17th birthday.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

And then when I got to college, that's when I was like, I've told this story before. I got to college and I was like, really stressed out. Had a lot of put a lot of pressure on myself of like, I don't want this to be the same experience as high school. Like, I really want to enjoy this. I remember this beautiful, tall six foot blonde girl invited me to look at her dorm room. Like how you would do on your first. Everyone's like looking at each other's rooms.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

And she had a rainbow pride flag up. And I was like, oh, like, do you have like a gay best friend? She's like, no, I am gay. And I was like, I had total, like internalized homophobia. I thought if you were a lesbian, you looked this way. If you were a gay guy, you looked this way. I'm looking at this like six foot model and she's like, no, I'm a lesbian. And I was like, after she said that, I was like, oh, I'm gay. I like, instantly said. And I was like, I'm gonna tell everybody I'm gay here. And it was just like everyone loved me and it was so funny. I went to a small school where, like, fashion merchandising was what I studied. And it was a big major. But we also had sports teams and the baseball team. The guys like, loved me and they were like bread flakes, beef flakes. Flakes. And I was like, why are these, like big macho men, like, being so nice to me? They're like, no, we like with you, like you're cool as fuck. And I was like, wow. Like I would have never experienced this in high school. Like, it was just great.

[Jason Tardic]

That's a special story.

[Brandon Edelman]

It's really special.

[Jason Tardic]

It really is a special story.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

I think as you're telling that there's something that when we work with creators, I try and do with some of my content too, is that vulnerability just will equal relatability, which equals empowerment. Right. So she was, she was vulnerable, she shared what she felt. You felt relatable, you felt empowered and that helped you break out into who you are, which I think is so cool. That's one of the equations we also use for like content. You talked a little bit about your hooks. So I want to go back to that. People that are listening this and I know there's people that want to talk and hear the dollars, those dollars are coming. We're going to talk about it. 700 plus thousand. We're going to get in the weeds. But before we do, talk to me about the structure of your videos then versus now. Do you still currently use hooks for people that are listening to this that don't know what a hook is? What is a hook and how do you construct your video when you think about it, from like a director and producer.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. So with Tik Tok, which is my main platform, it's a short form platform, you really have the first two seconds to get people to watch, otherwise they're going to scroll. And with Tik Tok, it's all about watch time. So it's, let's say you have a video that is 15 seconds long. If people are averaging, they're watching 7 seconds of that, they're watching 50% of your video through, which is actually good.

[Jason Tardic]

Did not know that. So if you hit 7 seconds, they're.

[Brandon Edelman]

Likely to hit, they're likely to continue to walk the whole way through. So how it works, which people don't talk about this, how Tik Tok makes money is they get advertisement dollars from massive corporations like any other business.

[Jason Tardic]

Sure.

[Brandon Edelman]

Their analytics are, hey, look at the screen time of our average consumer. They're spending two, three hours on TikTok a day. So what is TikTok going to push on the algorithm videos that people are watching all the way through? Because then let's say someone watches my 15 second video twice, that just became a 15 second video that someone consumed for 30 seconds. So the hook is really important because that's the first thing people are going to say. The first one to three seconds, lock that person. What is this video about. What are you about to see pique our interest here? So in the beginning, I was doing a lot of hooks where, like, a lot of times I would make series centered around the hook. So my first. First big series was rating my nights from the weekend, where I would go through what I did on the weekend and rate each night. Friday, 7 out of 10, this is what I did. Saturday, 6 out of 10, this is what happened. And that was the hook in itself, reading my nights from this past week.

[Jason Tardic]

So the hook was, though, you were just like, here's my ratings. So then people want to hear it. Like, yeah, give people examples of actual.

[Brandon Edelman]

I would say, like, the hook would be rating my nights from this pack was past weekend. But the video would start with me green screening a crazy image of me from the weekend. So, like, maybe it's like me on someone's shoulders at a bar. I would say rating my nights from this past weekend. I remember one, one that went really viral. I met Young Gravy, and I love it. It's great. It's a picture of me and Young Gravy so that you can also do visual hooks like, this is it. But a lot of times now, I think because I have an established following, which is really great, my followers, like, just want to hear what I have to say, no matter what. But I try to kind of get people in. I do this series called Hawker Walking, where I go on a rant as I'm walking. And there's a formula. I use the standard MLA essay format. Hook, three supporting points, closing argument.

[Jason Tardic]

Give me an example of one.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, so it's like. And it's always comes from the heart, like, first three seconds. I'm so sick of people who are in codependent relationships. That's the hook.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, now I'm in.

[Brandon Edelman]

Now you're in.

[Jason Tardic]

Because Been in one before.

[Brandon Edelman]

Exactly. And that's why I pick something that one, I feel and can talk about. But two, if you've been in a codependent relationship, you want to watch it. If you have a friend that's been in a codependent relationship, you want to watch it. If you think maybe your parents are in a codependent. So it's very universal, global. So that's my. Then I get into my three support supporting bullet points. One, structure, the relatability, but also put your funny personality on it, which is, you know those couples that you genuinely think would go to the bathroom together if they could. Funny. Hilarious. Everyone's like, yep, nodding your head as you're listening. I know. And then you kind of want I always try to do one where you almost play devil's advocate and play the other side. And then I'm like, I feel bad for them because I feel like there's something obviously missing in their life that is making them kind of lean, codependent, then hit it home. But at the same time, I miss my friend. And then you kind of close it with something like let's all be able to do things on our own two feet and have, you know, things for yourself and then things for your relationship. Quick, punchy, easy, reshareable, repost, hostable. Boom. You're in it. And it sounds I I said this on his like, it's not being manipulative, it's strictly just being strategic. That's my personal I I hate people who are in codependent relationships. I Everyone's lost a friend to a codependent relationship. Everyone. Not a lot of us have been in codependent relationships. So it's not like I'm manufacturing this. It's just thinking about what's a feeling and experience that I have and how can I tell that experience in a way that is going to make other people feel seen and heard. And that's how you make Content Listing.

[Jason Tardic]

Your vacation rental on booking.com opens the door to more guests booking.com is one of the most downloaded travel apps in the world that makes it the place for you to list your vacation rental if you want to earn more with consistent bookings, reach new markets, and turn hosting into steady income. Over the past 25 years, they have helped more than 1.8 billion vacation rental guests find places to stay. So so why not help them find yours? And it's not just about access to amazing guests. Booking.com also makes it easy for you to run your growing business. You can chat with guests, accept or decline bookings, and have total control over your property's calendar and finances. It's hosting on your terms the best part. Getting started is super easy. In less than 15 minutes, you can register your property and nearly half of the partners will get their first booking within a week. Plus, if you're already listed on another site, booking.com makes it easy to import your property info and get going right away. Whether you're looking to earn that extra income, fill those vacant weekends, or grow your business, head over to booking.com to see how you can get started today. The reach is global, the bookings are consistent, and the control is yours. For bookings you've always dreamed of, list your property on booking.com. you know, I. The word strategic and intentional just gets such a, like, nasty rap, but it's just stupid. Yeah, it's just you were strategic. When you put your shoes and your pants on when you painted this wall, it was strategic.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Like everything is everything, but it has just such a negative connotation, which is be strategic.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Think about how you can, like, inform your people in the best way that's going to make sense and make them want to continue to look. And then when they continue to look, they follow you. And you just hit over a million followers, man. Did you celebrate? Like, when you hit a million followers? Some people throw a balloon up there. Some people just say, thank you, you bread. You were everywhere with it. And so I wanted to ask you, like, tell. Was there strategy in putting that out? And also when you hit the million follower mark, what does that mean to you financially and professionally? Why was it such a big celebration for you?

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, I think for a lot of reasons. So I. When I first started off, I used to throw a party for every time I hit a hundred thousand. So I had a 100k party, I had a 200k party, I had a 300k party. And then I stopped. But I remember one day being like, damn, I'll like, imagine if one day I make it to a million. Like, that would be epic. The one million party. Like, what that would look like. It's funny. Cause I actually didn't even end up. I did have a party just with my friends and that kind of. We'll talk about why, you know, how things have shaped me. But yeah, when that. It's. It's crazy. In February, just a month and a half ago, I was laying in bed with this man and he had asked me what my goals were for this year. And I said, you know, I would love to hit a million followers. But at that point, this was in February, I had 730, 36,000. I was like, there's no way I'm ever gonna hit that this year. I was like, maybe I can get to 900 by the end of the year. But I was like, by the end of the year, I would love to hit a million. And he texted me two weeks later. He goes, how the. Were we just talking about how your 2025 goal was to hit a million, and two weeks later, you already did it?

[Jason Tardic]

How'd you do it?

[Brandon Edelman]

I think what really pushed was I went to this local Philadelphia business that I saw on the news was being discriminated against. It was A really crazy day. It was a Wednesday. And the next day I went. I left for Aspen. So I had a really busy day with meetings. I had an hour break. And I open up my phone. I see I mentioned in this video, like, 60 times. I'm like, great. I'm getting canceled. What happened? And sure enough, the video was actually just Fox News reporting on this woman who's opened up her business in Philadelphia. And she was being discriminated against and was having a really horrible time. My heart broke for her because she was like, I'm from New Jersey. I've heard this is the city of brotherly love. I was so excited to start my business. My parents are two local business owners. My dad owned his business for 30 years. So my heart sank. And I looked at my. I looked at where her business was. It was down the street from where I was at the time. And I looked at my calendar. I messaged Tao Group, which is who I had a meeting with at 4. I said, I have to push my meeting till 5. And if we have to cancel, they're like, no, we can meet at 5. I said, great. I ran down the street. She closed at 3:00. It was 2:15. And I made a video about it that, oh, my God. It got 11 million views, and I got 180,000 followers from one single video, which just shows at home, like, hey, all it takes is one. And then I was like, holy crap.

[Jason Tardic]

And it's a very, like, positive thing.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And it was really came from purity.

[Brandon Edelman]

And I never expected that. Like, I. You know, of course, when you make a video, you want it to do well, but I was like, you know, like, I just hope people go and support this woman's business. And then when that happened, someone reached out to me, was like, hey, across the street from that business is a smoothie bar. And she actually is about to close. Like, her doors are about to close. And I went to her business, and she had to go fund me. And she was like, yeah, there's no way. I need to reset $70,000 or I'm gonna have to close. And I said, let me try. And we're at 110 thousand. Stop it. And actually, Jason, tonight I'm going to Times Square because I raised the money through linktree.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

And linktree put me up on a billboard in Times Square. Come on. So actually, after this podcast, before we have our show tonight, I'm gonna head down to Times Square and see myself on a freaking billboard.

[Jason Tardic]

So you're gonna be at a Times Square billboard. And you are saving a business all in one from just like pure intentions.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

You hit the million mark. Now what is the million mark? Let's talk about this.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Does it impact your rates? Does it impact. Do you paid more significantly?

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. So like, obviously as you grow as a creator, your rates go up, you know, with more and more eyes on your content. That's more and more eyes for advertising dollars. You know, simply what we were talking about earlier with TikTok. So yeah, of course your rates go up, which is great. But I think for me, it's just, I didn't think I was ever going to hit that number. And I remember when TikTok was almost banned in January, feeling like, damn, I never even got to hit million.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

And now to say like, I did it, it's just like, incredible. And it's like, okay, now on the road to 2 million. Let's get to 2 million.

[Jason Tardic]

Now on the road to 2 million.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

All right, let's talk about this. Back in the day, you're working in retail. 40,000, 60 some thousand. You then get the big bump to 73,000.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And you made a decision that you were going to peel off for the summer to just try content creation. How much money did you save up to give yourself that weight room to do it?

[Brandon Edelman]

So I started in retail. I made 8.65 at Forever 21. That was my first job. I then wanted to for Urban Outfitters Incorporated's corporate. So I was like, I need to work at their store first. So I made $8.25. I took a pay cut. I was like, I'm going to switch to Urban Outfitters. I worked the fitting room. Loved it. Best job ever. And sure enough, I got hired for their corporation, which owns Urban Outfitters. Free People, Anthropology. They're like, we know you love urban, but we want you to work for anthropology. And I was like, what? An older woman's brand? Like, I know nothing about it. They're like, no, we think you'll do really well here. And they were right. So I made $41,000 a year at the corporation. I was a merchandise assistant, so I handled all the clothing samples. I was really on my feet. I loved the job. I would do the job today If I made $768,000 doing it. I was obsessed with it. But while I was working that job, I was like, okay, this is not going to pay my bills. I have 30k in student loans that I still need to pay off. I have parents that need to retire. That I want to help support. How am I going to make more money? And then when I heard about TikTok, I just started posting on and I was like, maybe eventually this will monetize guys. And sure enough, it did, obviously.

[Jason Tardic]

What year was that?

[Brandon Edelman]

I started in 2021.

[Jason Tardic]

2021. When you went full time though, did you. You quit your job? Obviously.

[Brandon Edelman]

So to answer your question. So I left anthropology. I worked for GoPuff for a little bit. They saw that I was doing content. I thought I was going to get fired. They were like, no, let's bump you up to 73k. We'll move you on the social team.

[Jason Tardic]

Love it.

[Brandon Edelman]

I got burnout really quickly doing that. I was like, damn. Like, I'm trying to make videos for them. I'm making videos for myself. I also really just want to make videos for myself. I had saved up a few. I got my first few brand deals that were like two to three thousand dollars each. I was like, holy crap. Like I can save all this money because I have Gopuff for my actual like, funds. And now I have this like side hustle where I'm making like an extra $3,000 a month. Like that's pretty. That's pretty major. So I made like probably 10 to 15k in brand deals that I had saved. It was just sitting in my savings account. And then I got my yearly bonus in April and I was was like, I'm gonna try it. I called my mom and I thought she was gonna tell me I was crazy. And she was like, I don't know anything about this business, Brandon. But she was like, if you're like hot right now, she was like, shouldn't you act on it now like you can go back to corporate if you know at any point. And I was kind of like, really over GoPuff at that point in general, like, I would have gone back to anthropology if anything. I was like, you know what, you're right. Like, let's take the summer off and let's, let's try it that summer. I made double my GoPuff salary in brand deals that summer.

[Jason Tardic]

In brand deals. Okay, and what year was it that?

[Brandon Edelman]

2022.

[Jason Tardic]

So in 2022, fast forward to 2025. We're here today. But 2022, how much did you make in content creation?

[Brandon Edelman]

Probably like 150,000.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, about 150,000.

[Brandon Edelman]

Which was crazy.

[Jason Tardic]

Which is crazy cuz you're making triple double. What you were doing now is from a timing perspective. You told. I heard in one podcast you said you were working about 40 to 60 hours in the fashion retail space. How many hours do you think you're working a week in content creation?

[Brandon Edelman]

Every second I breathe.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, so 24. 7.

[Brandon Edelman]

24 7.

[Jason Tardic]

It doesn't stop.

[Brandon Edelman]

Doesn't stop.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, so you make the 150k. Now give me the breakdown that. To what is that breakdown of that coming from? And I'll get into another question.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, I would say 130,000 of that came from content creation. Because honestly, maybe even more brand deals, affiliate links. Yep. Majority brand deals at that point. Like almost all brand deals. I would say. Yeah. Because I quit Gopuff in April, so I got like a third of what my yearly salary was. So, yeah, I would say at least 120. Maybe even 130 came from content creation that year.

[Jason Tardic]

And how many followers did you have at that point?

[Brandon Edelman]

I ended that year with, I think 400, 000 followers.

[Jason Tardic]

So I think that's a good indicator. You go into 2023 and you have about 400, 000 followers. And on Tick Tock, how many on Instagram at this point?

[Brandon Edelman]

Oh, none. Like, okay, 20k. Like 15k.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay. Yeah. And then how much in 2023 did you make?

[Brandon Edelman]

Probably like 300,000.

[Jason Tardic]

300,000 bucks.

[Brandon Edelman]

Okay.

[Jason Tardic]

And that's.

[Brandon Edelman]

That's a rough.

[Jason Tardic]

That's a gross amount, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

This is pre management fees. This is pre taxes. Like that's like, you know, all the bottom number. And then you cut backwards after that, which we talked about on Vivs.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, of course.

[Brandon Edelman]

So I'm not seeing $300,000 go in my bank. New.

[Jason Tardic]

Right? You got. Because at this point, you got your management fees around 20.

[Brandon Edelman]

20%. Yep. And then taxes. Then taxes.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay. And then you got your expenses.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Then 2024 becomes a marquee year for you. 768,000.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And then break down the. The structure. Structure of what you bring home.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. So I got this wrong on Vivs. But first, 20 of that goes to management. You never see that money. It never goes in your account. Never anything. Never saw it. So we're down to like, what, 550 or something from that. 550, you work with your accountant, you write out your expenses. I paid. I paid actually monthly taxes so that when April comes around this time of year, it's not like a shock to the system. But yeah, I paid monthly and quarterly taxes. I file as an S corp. And yeah, he handled all of that stuff this year. Actually, the business is so big that I actually hired a business manager who I That's something I really recommend for someone who's like making a lot of money like that, especially in a field like this. And that's great because him I meet with bi weekly. We go over what I'm spending, what cards need to be used because I have the business card and then my personal card. That is way more like buttoned up investment strategy. You can get half service or full service. Full service. They will legit. Like pay your bills for you, like on autopay. Like, you never have to stress, like, oh, did I miss a credit card payment? Like your business manager will take.

[Jason Tardic]

What do you have to pay a business manager?

[Brandon Edelman]

I can't share that. Okay.

[Jason Tardic]

Is it a percentage or is it.

[Brandon Edelman]

No, it's a. It's. It's just a flat rate. Yeah, it's a flat rate.

[Jason Tardic]

All right, gotcha. So this year, 2025, you're outperforming 700,000 in 20?

[Brandon Edelman]

I think so. I think so.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah. I think you're in a good spot.

[Brandon Edelman]

I think, you know, I think you're. If the goal was to hit a million followers, the goal for this year is to hit a million dollars.

[Jason Tardic]

Are you on your way to do it?

[Brandon Edelman]

I think so.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay. I love it. I love it. That. I think that is unbelievable. Think about, like how far you've come doing what you do now. How much I wonder though, is. Is when you think about your earnings.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

There's brand deals. Right. There's affiliate links. There is whatever else that you know. If you have your own businesses, you can obviously earn from that. And then there's the creator fund from a TikToker.

[C]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

1.1 million followers. What is the creator fund pay you on average?

[Brandon Edelman]

Before all of this, I was getting like $3,000 a month, which is amazing. Recently it's been trending up to like 5,000amonth, which is great. And what people don't realize about Tik Tok is like, I just get money from the creator fund. I see creators that really use TikTok shop and they're making like 10 to $15,000 a month on Tik Tok Shop, which is crazy. Like, if you interview like a very lifestyle creator, like a beautiful blonde, like an acquired style, she probably makes a killing off affiliate links. Like the girls that follow her want to know what she' using for hair, makeup, clothes. That's not my platform. I'm an entertainment based creator, so sure. Do I get the occasional hey, where's your shirt from? And maybe sometimes they'll buy it. Yeah. But majority of My income is brand partnerships because that's what pays me. I'm not a product pusher. I'm not like a linker. I'm not. Do I do it here and there? Absolutely. But that's never going to be like the bread and butter of my business. It's not really like what. I'm more entertainment, comedy focused.

[Jason Tardic]

Why is it hard? So 1.1 million followers on TikTok. Yeah, 300,000. Around 300,000 on Instagram. Instagram. Why is it so hard to convert from TikTok to Instagram?

[Brandon Edelman]

I think the strategy, this was my issue. So it's. It's actually so funny. So I remember I went to Film project Verified in March of 2023. I think I had 22000 followers on Instagram. And I was just trying to be like every other Instagram, like just pictures that were aesthetic pleasing. And I just had to have a hard talk with myself. I was like, Brandon, that is not who you are. Like, I know you like posting back.

[Jason Tardic]

To high school Brandon.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. I was like, but you are funny. Stop posting pictures and just repurpose your content that you've already made onto Instagram reels. Stop being difficult with yourself. Sure enough, I started that week posting Monday through Friday a reel every single day. And now I'm up to 300,000 followers. And it's insane. To your point as to why it's so delayed, I think because TikTok is a video centric platform that was made for that. Instagram has been around for years and it did start as a photo. Photo app. And now I think a lot of people are still like, I've seen a lot of people now start to love reels, but for a while people are like, instagram reels. No, that's why it took me so long as a creator to even hop on it. And you know, some people do like a killing on threads and stuff. Like you can't have every platform. You have to pick and choose like what is for you. But yeah, no, I think that is why it's harder to convert. I think it's just a totally different. A bit, a bit of an older audience. I think it's a photo app first. I think there's a world where eventually, and I think you already might be able to do this, you're going to open Instagram and it's going to automatically open to reels and I. People are going to freak the out when that happens. But until that happens, it's a photo first app.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

And I think it's harder to grow with just photos. Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

It's interest and threads. I think I last, last month I think I made like 3,000 or $4,000 from the creator fund on threads.

[Brandon Edelman]

There's creator fund on threads.

[Jason Tardic]

Creator fund and there was a bonus program.

[Brandon Edelman]

Okay, see, so I need to be on threads.

[Jason Tardic]

You need to be on threads.

[Brandon Edelman]

I need to be on Threads.

[Jason Tardic]

Ring and think about how quick your ideas come. You don't have to film, you just have to type it.

[Brandon Edelman]

And I think that's what's so interesting. So it's, it's like we look at a salary of 768,000. I'm at the point in my career now where I'm like, okay, but do I need to put 70,000 of that towards an assistant who can help me then post on threads, Post on Snapchat and then I'm paying her 70k. But what if she's able to make me a few hundred thousand dollars off of other platforms that I'm too spread thin right now to manage? So those are more of the conversations I'm having now as a business person. It's like, okay, how do I sustain the business? Always the first, the most important thing. How do I sustain, how do I grow? And how can we get creative with growth? Because now the following is there. It's great. Like, you know, of course I'm always want to grow my platform, but I'm very happy with my platform size now. It's like, how do I actually grow that dollar amount? And it's having those conversations of do I invest in this, Do I invest in that? So I think that's kind of like the interesting part of it all.

[Jason Tardic]

It's interesting. So Nick Val just sold his podcast for eight figures.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

So that's 10 million plus. Right.

[Brandon Edelman]

Wow.

[Jason Tardic]

And. And people ask me like, what do you think? Give me the business breakdown, Jason.

[Brandon Edelman]

Right.

[Jason Tardic]

My business breakdown is unbelievable subject. Everybody wants to know the gossip of any breakup. He's really good at breaking down his perspective and giving opinion irregardless of what people think.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And the one of the biggest things he's done so well is reinvest into the company. So it's an eight figure business.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And I would assume he is spending millions of dollars on his business because he's reinvesting in it.

[C]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And I think that's one thing creators going to have to do in a big way.

[C]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

I also think like this is something I learned early on too. And I was so happy. I remember the first time I made Some kind of video. I remember I made video in like probably January of 2022, where I was like, hey, I made $10,000 in content creation this month. And I explained my strategy and someone so politely said it would be really nice to talk about how privilege also plays a part in this. And it's so true. I mean, at the end of the day, TikTok has been researched. The algorithm favors white creators. I. When I started this conversation on Viv's podcast, there was a lot of conversation that was like, hey, this is great. But like, like black creators aren't making this amount of money. And that's why to me, salary transparency is so important.

[Jason Tardic]

Yes.

[Brandon Edelman]

Because we don't live in an ideal and just world where everybody who's doing the same thing gets treated the same. And I want to open those conversations so that, you know, I remember Markel Washington stitched my video. I'm like, Markel is making less money than me. He's so entertaining. He's so talented. He is 10 million followers. That's not okay.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, so.

[Brandon Edelman]

So it's hard now to have these types of conversations. It's impossible to not acknowledge that, hey, like, at the end of the day, I'm a white man. And that is going to open doors for me that it shouldn't, but it unfortunately does. And I hope as we get more progressive as a society, that's not a thing anymore, you know, but you know, we're still in the year of 2025 and we've only gone so much and I don't get political, but we have a crazy president, so things are just crazy, you know, So I really think, you know, also speaking about this stuff, it's so, so strategies there, talent is there. I will never discredit myself from any of the hard work. You can't take away my work ethic, my strategy, my creativity. But of course, at the end of the day, I'm still a white man that grew up in a middle class, lower middle class family that had a cell phone, who. Some people don't have a phone to even be able to create that. So I always like to kind of also talk about that as well.

[Jason Tardic]

No, I think, I think it's so important your transparency is going to make an impact. It already has. And that will change the way hopefully brands think when they're going out for casting, for sure. And how they're paying, saying, and keep doing what you're doing. And yes, those are things we want to do on our podcast. And do not stop because everything you're saying is bang on. And it's so important. And the theme of this whole podcast is it's the. We don't talk about and we work in school. And these are the things that you got to talk about. Like, no matter what, I do have a question for you about sustainability. Like, in this space, is that, I mean, is that a worry to like, okay, tick tock, almost shuts off the other. We still don't know anymore. I have friends that work at Tech Tik Tok. We don't know what's going to happen in April. What do you think about sustainability in this career? And like, how do you manage with. You have. You have big income, how do you manage money not knowing what's coming? Like, what's your take on that?

[Brandon Edelman]

So definitely saving is something I've always. And I think that I got from like, as a, as a kid who grew up lower middle class, like, we were the type of family. I talked about this on Viv's podcast. If the air conditioner broke in the house and it was $10,000 to replace it, the next three months were going to be super difficult for us. Like, we were going to be living very paycheck to paycheck. Hey, guys, no eating out this week. Like, this is what we have. This is what we are. And I remembered as a kid being like, I never want to live like this again. As an adult, I want to be able to say, hey, the air conditioning broke. It sucks. I have to pay $10,000, but I don't want to, you know, and that's a privileged life. Both of that is privileged. Like, to even have air conditioning is privileged.

[Jason Tardic]

Sure.

[Brandon Edelman]

But I remember thinking, like, if I ever come into a lot of money, I want to save it. And recently, it's funny, I've definitely been buying some designer items, but for the majority of my stuff, I save money. Money. And I want to do that because one, the platform volatility is obviously, you never know what's going to happen. And two, the Internet can turn on you at any point. You know, I. You have to take everything with the parasocial relationships with a grain of salt because it's like these people who are so loving and love you and support you and adore, you know, just as much about you as the people who absolutely hate you. They. Which is really nothing at all. You know, you see two minutes of my life on TikTok every day. You don't see the 24 hours a day that I'm working thinking, you don't know My intimate relationships. You don't know me. You know what? I choose to share and show you, which for me, happens to be very authentically me. But what if one day people say, hey, he's not funny anymore, or, we don't like this anymore, or another person who's similar to me knocks out of the park, but they're 10 years younger and they're more creative and they're more strategic. Strategic. You never know. So I, for that reason, want to save all of my money because you never know when you're gonna, you know, not have it anymore.

[Jason Tardic]

7, 700. Some. Thousand. 330. Net income. 20. 24. Up that 330. What do you think? How much do you think you saved?

[Brandon Edelman]

300. Right.

[Jason Tardic]

You saved majority of your money.

[Brandon Edelman]

50,000 of that had to go to expenses like rent and stuff. But, yeah, this year, definitely a little bit different. I've definitely been more of a, like, kind of how we talked about with Nick. Like, okay, I need to invest back in the business.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[Brandon Edelman]

And honestly, it sounds crazy for me. Like, I've been on, like, a little designer shopping hall, but I was like, I'm going to these events, and I look like. Like, I'm just. I had, like, in a funny way, like. But I was like, I don't want to, like, walk into a room and not look sophisticated anymore. Like, I want to walk in and look very presentable. And if that means I want to, you know, a little $4,000 handbag on me, I'm gonna do it. And, you know, it's thinking about that, but also then thinking about, like, do I want to put $70,000 into this to hire an assistant? So my Snapchat, my threads, you know, so it's all about, like, kind of now, this year, it's like, okay, you're making a lot of money, but how can you invest that in the right ways, but also save what you need to save? Because for me, my dream has always been to buy a beach house at the Jersey Shore.

[Jason Tardic]

I love it. I've heard that. Right.

[Brandon Edelman]

Realistically, I probably could have done it this year, but I'm frugal, and I'm like, no, I want to wait till next year. If I can do this for one more year, I want to buy that house and not be like, okay, I bought the house. Now I'm broke. I want to be able to buy that house and be like, okay, I could buy another house.

[Jason Tardic]

You will buy that house. You'll make content around it, and that will go viral.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Lead to the Next house. Oh, I hope so. A little bit about, like, the idea of, like, people turning on you. Was there ever a point you were almost canceled?

[Brandon Edelman]

No. There's definitely been times where I've said stuff that hasn't been well received. I think we've all been in a position like that where, you know, one to two days are a little rough. You know, you got a video that gets mentioned. But no, I've never been. Thank God. Yeah, I mean, I think that's everyone's biggest fear, like, the space is, like, getting canceled. But there is, like, this. This, like, element of, like, being canceled. You have some, like, decision in that, like, you can choose to be canceled, you can choose to accept that fate, or you can try to, you know, un. Cancel yourself. Whether it's depends on what you're canceled for, but, like, apologizing, writing those wrongs and becoming a better person and just, you know, developing and growing with it. I'm not a fan of cancel culture. I think that doesn't allow room for growth and change, which we all need as human beings. Yeah, I don't think there's anybody on the street who doesn't have a regret. And I'm sure if you asked every single person, hey, think of the worst thing you've ever done. Would you care if we posted it online? I'm sure everyone would. Their pants, you know, like, so in this career, you just take that risk that, hey, you're in the public eye. Someone could record you doing something or saying something. And it's a risk. It obviously is. You know, I try to really keep an open mind about people and think, hey, like, that sucks that that person did that, but maybe there's more to the story. And, you know, that's also a privileged way to look at it too. You know, I'm, you know. Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

No, I think. I think it makes a lot of sense. I. You know, one thing I commend you for too, is you're. You're really good at defending yourself and speaking to, like, what you're thinking. Yeah, that's, like, one thing I, like, really struggle with, especially online. I'm like, I just don't even want to engage in drama, so I just won't even defend.

[Brandon Edelman]

It's hard to. Because, like, true. In this space, like, you're told to not speak up because it is true. You can easily put your foot in your mouth and a traditional publicist will say, hey, don't say anything. Let us form the statement for you. That is something in my career that I will struggle with when it gets that. Because I don't like anyone speaking on my behalf ever. I want to. If I screw up, I want to be the one that says sorry. I don't want to read no apology that's not written by me. That's not.

[Jason Tardic]

No.

[Brandon Edelman]

But so many creators do it. It's so, so obvious.

[Jason Tardic]

So obvious.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, I think, you know, a few weeks ago I made this, like, really out of line, nasty video about another creator. I quickly took it down. I didn't even honestly, probably, probably like quote, unquote, need to make an apology video. But I felt icky about it and I was just like, hey, like, I just had a diva moment that wasn't me. And I'm really sorry. And it was really well received. Everyone's like, wow, we've never, like one. We didn't even know what happened. You took it down so quickly. But you like, good on you. And I think it's like we're human beings. You're gonna screw up. It's inevitable. Like just. Just own it and apologize for it. And I think the biggest part of an apology, what makes an apology an apology? I learned this week one of therapy. An apology with no change is manipulated stipulation. An apology needs a call to action. I'm sorry for doing this and this is what I'm going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again or this is what I'm going to do again to write that wrong. This is what I'm going to do to be a better person and then actually acting on that. That's an apology. Wow.

[Jason Tardic]

That's a power line right there. And if that's a good line from your therapist, that would make a very good breath. In fact, that my quote from you.

[Brandon Edelman]

You can steal it. Jason, make some money off threads. Yeah, absolutely.

[Jason Tardic]

We're all dripping by the search for better. But when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search, just match with Indeed. If you need to hire, you need. Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors. Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening and messaging so you can connect with candidates faster. And Indeed doesn't just help you hire faster. 93% of employers agree Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites. One thing I love about Indeed is that it's hiring in one place. It's simple, it's easy to use, and if you're looking for a job, it's so easy to search. Leveraging over 140 million qualifications and preferences every day. Indeed's matching engine is constantly learning from your preferences to be the best for you. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility at indeed.comhire, just go to indeed.comhire right now and support our show by saying we sent you there. Indeed.com hire terms and conditions apply. You need to hire. You need Indeed. No, I, I think it's great. I love it. I want to talk to you about this. Tonight we are going to see the last five years starring Nick Jonas, Adrien Warren. So excited about that. Let's talk about the Tonys. Think about the Tonys. You win the big award. I want you to give me 2025. You're going to break a million this year. That's the goal. That's the dream. The home's coming 2024. Three quarters of a million in 2020 24. What was your Tony deal? Walk me through, like what it was and how much. Give me the, give me the scoop.

[Brandon Edelman]

So the Tony deal, I think it really depends on like what you view as like a win. Like, financials are different. Like, financially, my biggest deal was with Google in 2024. Huge deal. But my Tony deal, which, what does huge deal mean?

[Jason Tardic]

Like 100 grand, 40 grand? 10 grand? 3 grand?

[Brandon Edelman]

Like for me, like if I'm getting like 40 to 50k, that's a, that's a Tony.

[Jason Tardic]

And that would be like a couple tik toks. One tik tok.

[Brandon Edelman]

I can't say. I can't say now. I can't say. Okay, but yeah, at the time, like, it was probably a couple tik toks for 40 to 50.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, it's changed now.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, yeah, it's changed now. But no, for me, the Tony deal of 2024 was, I'd said one of my goals was I always wanted a really fun collaboration where I was like had a menu item on of some sort. So just salad came to me and they were like, hey, we're doing a summer collaboration, a menu with poppy and we want you to be the face of it. And we want. It was that I ever wanted. It was a photo shoot. We had a launch dinner with influencers. I was here in New York for three weeks doing all of the behind the scenes about it. I was super involved creatively in the process of the wardrobe, what we were going to do. And that was the Tony deal for me. I was like, that was like one of My biggest goals for 2024, I was like, I really want a brand collab. That's more than me just advertising a product. It's like, I'm very involved in it, and that's how I want to do most of my collabs now. Like, I want to be like, my dream this year, 2025, I want to do a campaign with boys. Lie. I'm obsessed with their brand. The two girls are from Philly, and we've been talking, and I'm like, any chance that you get, like, please keep me in mind whether it's a pride campaign or doesn't even need to be pride. Like, yeah, let's freaking do something together. So that's the goal for this year. Stitch. We can stitch this if it happens.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay. I love it. We're going to stitch it. I want to ask you this question. Jim Carrey, he put a check in his wallet. He wrote it out for $10 million, moved to LA and said, Five years. I will make $10 million of income off acting. It was on year four and a half. Dumb and diamond dumber hit. That's when he hit his $10 million. He showed the check. It was beat up, it was disheveled. It was everything. If we put that check in your wallet, what dollar amount are you writing and when do you want to make it by? What's the dream Manifest it.

[Brandon Edelman]

Can I be corny?

[Jason Tardic]

Yes.

[Brandon Edelman]

Instead of a check, show me a picture with my parents smiling on the beach, on the porch with the. With.

[Jason Tardic]

It makes me want to cry.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, that's. That's. For me, like, listen, money is great, but, like. Like, that makes me smile. To see, like, two people that worked blood, sweat, and tears and, you know, never saw the kind of finances that I'm making. And if I can make their last 20, 30 years on this earth, the most. I'm getting emotional. Like, the most perfect years, like, that is worth. And 10 times more than any dollar amount. So show me that picture of my parents smiling on the Jersey Shore beach. And you know what? Put me in the middle of that. And maybe like a cute little dog. That's so sweet. All right, let's go.

[Jason Tardic]

I want you to put that picture in your wallet. It's going to happen. I can't wait for. It does. And what it does, we're going to stitch that right there. Talk to me about this one thing. You overspend on. You know, you overspend on. Unless you go completely broke, you'll keep spending on it. What is it?

[Brandon Edelman]

I mean, definitely Overspend on like clothes. I have a little bit of a designer addiction right now.

[Jason Tardic]

Like those shoes. How much are those shoes?

[Brandon Edelman]

These, these I actually got secondhand. $800. Those are sick.

[Jason Tardic]

What brand are those?

[Brandon Edelman]

These are Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton, tons. But I should have gotten them treated. That's really awful. But no, I got those secondhand, which was great.

[Jason Tardic]

Wait, I have a dumb question. What does that even mean, getting them treated?

[Brandon Edelman]

So see how these are like cowhide? So I could have, if I, if I was smart, I would take these to someone to have on them what's called scotch guarded. So they spray it. So that way it's harder for things to like stick, stain, you know, get this like, so that the red souls don't do what they're freaking doing.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay.

[Brandon Edelman]

I, you know, this was like a thrift find. But yeah, I should take better care of these. But I definitely overspent on clothes. I think, you know, the whole, I would love your take on this. The whole renting vers homeowner type of thing. Yeah, I'm sure a lot of people be like, dude, you're spending so much on rent. Which I'm really not. Like, I live in Philly. My rent's $2,100. It would be $6,200 to have half the size apartment if I lived in New York. Which is why I stay Philly. True to the, the end of the roots. But yeah, I would say I overspend on clothes. I don't really, I definitely overspend on going out to eat. I don't drive, so I overspend on Ubers. But like, like that's probably it.

[Jason Tardic]

Okay, so I want you to know this. In 1970-1990, price to income ratio, the price of a home versus the household income was around two times. Right. So the, the home that they owned was valued at about two times the income of the actual family that lived there. Right now it's around six to seven times. So buying a house right now is especially as a first time home buyer is a big question mark because there's just the price is so crazy. Also, you have insane volatility right now. I mean, with what's happening in the market in tariffs and the cost of lumber and the cost labor and everything else. Yeah, we don't know what the hell is going to happen with home prices now. Historically, home prices always rise. So I would tell you there's, you know, if you try and time it perfectly, you'll never get in. I would probably Wait, right Now, you're spending 3% of your income, and that is valued. That's valued at a million dollars. This year, you're spending 3% of your income on housing?

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

That is insane.

[Brandon Edelman]

You're right. That's really not bad. Yeah, when you put it like that.

[Jason Tardic]

Think about how much money you can save because you're only spending two and a half percent of your income on money or on housing. Now, most people, I would have to look at the averages to get it right, and in the recap, I'll tell you, but I would say it's anywhere from like 20 to 30%. You're spending literally, like, like, literally 10% of what my people are spending. That's amazing.

[Brandon Edelman]

So, Jason, does this logic work tonight when I go to the Prada store and a bag is like, $4,000, do I just say, like, this is.04% of my income? Like, it.

[Jason Tardic]

Well, it could. It could.

[Brandon Edelman]

It could. Well, I'm call you every time I have, like, I'm going to say, jason, validate me.

[Jason Tardic]

Can you approve me?

[Brandon Edelman]

Right. Tell me I should buy this.

[Jason Tardic]

What it does do, though, is because you're only spending two and a half percent of your total income, assuming it's a million dollars gross, on your actual housing, it gives you much more cushion to go do things like that. You go spend the 4k on that.

[Brandon Edelman]

For me, I'm. I'm a big advocate. I know this is like the last question you ask, so I don't want to, like, spoil it, but one of my rules is convenience is worth money all the time. And for me, the convenience of my sink getting up and I call the front desk and say, send maintenance up.

[Jason Tardic]

Invaluable.

[Brandon Edelman]

Invaluable in valuable. I've seen my friends who are homeowners, that could cost them an arm and a leg, cost them two months rent, and it could cost them two weeks of stress because, you know, the, hey, the plumber can't come today, or, hey, this is not the quote that we agreed on. Oh, my God. I just watched my parents get their roof fixed. I was like, I never want to have a roof. It. I'll live in a box. I. I'll live in a box, and it can rain on me every day. I'm not dealing with that.

[Jason Tardic]

I don't want to.

[Brandon Edelman]

I don't want a roof. I don't need a roof over my head, you know?

[Jason Tardic]

Need a roof.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. Like, it's insane. So, like, for me, that convenience. Like, I spent this. Like, this is. This is crazy. I went to Miami last week.

[Jason Tardic]

How much you spend out there? So cocktails, 50 bucks.

[Brandon Edelman]

So I, I did something totally different. It's Miami Music Week. Most traffic you'll ever see in a city, like, it's just insane. And it's so hard in Miami when you're at a place where, where it's like, especially during that week, promoters and it's very exclusive. You know, you could go to, you might have a plan of going to this restaurant in this club. You get there, you can't get into either. And then you have to call another car. I said, I'm not dealing with that. I'm paying $4,000. And for the three and a half days that I'm there, I'm hiring a driver.

[Jason Tardic]

Wow.

[Brandon Edelman]

That driver picked me up at the airport. He sat at every single establishment. We were at Beautiful Escalade. It was. I didn't even feel bad about it. I was like, holy, this is the best money I've ever spent. Ubers would have been like $180 surcharged. I probably would have honestly ended up breaking close to even with how much I was spending on Uber. And I, I had. I was staying in north beach, which is far from south beach and Brickell in Miami Music Week traffic. So I was like, it, I'm not going to do that. And my friends looked at me and they were like, brand. Like, we loved the whole weekend, but we loved that car service that you got. The driver was amazing. He's like, if you ever needed a driver in any other city, was that a ridiculous luxury cost for a three day vacation? Absolutely. And I will not be doing that on every trip. But for that trip, it was a celebratory trip and I was like, I got everything else at a really great deal. I was like, I'm gonna splurge on that. And the convenience of every time I wanted to leave a place, him just sitting there opening the door for me. You want an ice cold water? Hell yeah, I do. Hell yeah. Get me in.

[Jason Tardic]

The other thing too is when you get that convenience and you feel that convenience, you're like, I'm gonna work harder so that I can have that more whenever I. Whenever I want it.

[Brandon Edelman]

That's the thirst. Like, I feel like everyone, like, obviously I have to hire an assistant. My dream is to have a driver. I never want. I, I literally never want to drive. I want to just sit in the back of a car. I had a brand in LA fly me out and they, hi, they hired the most bougie driving service I'VE ever had. He goes, what do you want to watch? I'm like, what do you mean? He pulls out this little tv. I was like, I'm behind on White Lotus. He goes, I have White Lotus. I'm sitting in this car. Little old me who used to drive in my mom's Wind Star with stained seats and a window that didn't go down. I'm sitting in a Cadillac watching White lotus on the 101. And I'm like, this is nuts, Brandon.

[Jason Tardic]

Dude, I love it. I love, I love it. Honestly, this isn't even an episode of Trading Secrets is an episode of manifestation. There's things that you've manifested. I can't wait for them to come to reality because we are going to stitch the living out of them. I only got two more questions for you. What I got for you is for people that are back there, they're trying to post. They're hearing you. They're inspired. You know, corporate Natalie came on here and inspired you. You're going to inspire so many people. Listen to this.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

How many times do they have to post? What's your formula? How many days? You know, from a week perspective, are you making sure you get certain amount of videos? What is. What is successful in a week of content creation? From output, look. From brands.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. So I post twice a day on TikTok.

[Jason Tardic]

Always.

[Brandon Edelman]

Always. And then Monday times 5pm, one video usually, then one evening video like se. Anywhere between 7 to 9pm, 5pm people get off work, always do work. But it's not to say your morning posts are going to flop. Also, everyone lives at different time zones, but traditionally one at 5pm Then one at like 7 or 8 at night. On Instagram reels, I post Monday through Friday. I try to post one reel or grid post like a static every single day at 5pm I don't post on Instagram on weekends. Like, I'll post stories, but typically I don't find my posts on Instagram do well on the weekends. I think people are just not on their phone as much. So. Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Do you care about engagement?

[Brandon Edelman]

Absolutely. Yeah, of course I care about it.

[Jason Tardic]

So you're. You're like, if one post flaps, you're just like, whatever, just keep going.

[Brandon Edelman]

I mean it definitely if it's a post I work really hard on and I think it's going to do amazing. It sucks when it flops. It's just like anything in business. Like when you work hard on a project and you don't get recognized for it in corporate, you know, like and then you, like, barely try on something, and everyone's like, great job, Brandon. It's the same thing with videos. Like, when it takes five seconds to make a video and it gets like, 8 million views, I'm like, what the. And then I put my blood, sweat, and tears into, like, a talking story time video, and it shits the bed. I'm like, all right, everyone hates me. But. But no, yeah, engagement, super important to me. But yeah, posting twice a day. But here's the thing, and I will always add this caveat. You can't pour from an empty cup. If you're. One week, you're like, hey, I am going through it, and I can only post once. This week. I took. I was hospitalized this past summer. I had a mental breakdown from work, from a lot of things. Work, personal life, childhood demons that I was not addressing, and just every exhaustion.

[Jason Tardic]

What does a breakdown mean? Like, you just couldn't function?

[Brandon Edelman]

I was hospitalized. I went to the hospital with. I was diagnosed with panic disorder. I was having panic attacks to the point where it was every single day. I went agoraphobic for a week and didn't leave my house. My resting heart rate was 122 beats per minute. Oh, my gosh. I was, like, sat in the ER for four hours until they could drop my heart rate to a point where I. I was able to leave. And I was given the option to go to therapy three times a week or visit an outpatient clinic. So it was. It was very aggressive. And for July, August, and September, I posted maybe one video, two videos a week, and it sustained my platform. But I thought my career was going to be done, and now look at me. I'm. I'm booming. But I. I wasn't going to take a break until I literally was hospitalized and needed to. So, you know, you have to.

[C]

You have.

[Brandon Edelman]

You have to kind of gamble with that.

[Jason Tardic]

So thank you for sharing.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

So, so glad.

[Brandon Edelman]

Be consistent. Try to grow your business, but put your mental health first, because this is a very taxing job on your mental health. I will say that. Sure. It sure is.

[Jason Tardic]

Let me tell you, especially as of late. Let me ask you this.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

I'm gonna. This is where we're gonna wrap.

[Brandon Edelman]

Okay.

[Jason Tardic]

I want you. You're the master. You're growing at a fast rate. You're making a ton of money.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

I want you to break down for the people.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

What is Jason Tardic on his social platforms? What do I need to do more of what do I need? What do you think is good? Give Me, the masterclass brands. And, Jason, you're teaching me.

[Brandon Edelman]

You know, I know a lot of people from the Bachelor franchise.

[Jason Tardic]

By the way, you can shred me, right?

[Brandon Edelman]

You guys don't like to talk about what a lot of people want to know. I want to know what the fudge are they feeding you while you live in that damn mansion. Yeah, I want to know, like, what. What? I would love to see a transparency reality TV series, like, from you. I would love to see you talk about and doesn't need to be anything about your cast members or your seasons, but, like, be like, this is my audition tape. Here's what I would recommend. If you want to be on reality tv, take us.

[C]

You.

[Brandon Edelman]

You've done a great job of building out your own brand, but, like, don't forget your roots, you know, like, let's lean into it. Like, I want to hear, like, the little. Like, I remember. I'm a big fan of MTV the Challenge, and one of my favorite YouTube on that show. Yeah, I would love to see that. One of my favorite.

[Jason Tardic]

I should. I could talk about my auditions.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, you could talk about your auditions. Like, you could talk about. I'm sure MTV has reached out to you before. I'm sure other networks, like Netflix just reached out. Netflix? Yeah. Like, I want to hear more. No one talks about that. And that's why I think we're afraid.

[Jason Tardic]

We're afraid if I talk, then they're not.

[Brandon Edelman]

Then they're not going to. Yeah, but, like, that's not true. Look at me. I talk about TikTok and numbers brands are still calling me.

[Jason Tardic]

You talked about your income.

[Brandon Edelman]

I talked about my income everywhere. So I want to see Jason talk more about that stuff. And also, it's like, just in general for men. I want to see more mental health videos, like you said just now. And I want to lean. If this was my podcast, to be like, what do you mean? The as of late. But been hard on you. I want to hear what's been hard on you. Like, genuinely, like, men are. We live in a world where men do not like to show emotion or feelings, and all it does is cause chaos in the world. Like, tell me what's been going on. If, like, you said, you started. You said vulnerability is relatability. Relate to us. Like, you're obviously a stud. You have a huge success. This is an amazing platform. You're a business guy. But, like, what's. What's going on? The heart, Jason. That's what I want to see from you.

[Jason Tardic]

All right. That's really Good advice.

[Brandon Edelman]

Okay, good.

[Jason Tardic]

I'm getting better at doing that Stories. I'm. It's tougher with reals and tick tocks, but I'm gonna do more of that. I'm gonna do more of that. I'm gonna take your advice.

[Brandon Edelman]

Okay.

[Jason Tardic]

We'll see how it go of how.

[Brandon Edelman]

You broke your finger and the Super Bowl. We didn't even get into it.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, we didn't even get my fingers this way. Holy.

[Brandon Edelman]

That was.

[Jason Tardic]

It was literally like this way. I'm like, dude, this is not good. You're like, you need a nurse. I'll take care of that.

[Brandon Edelman]

I'm still me.

[Jason Tardic]

I love it. Unbelievable.

[Brandon Edelman]

Thank you so much.

[Jason Tardic]

All right, well, I could talk to you about a million things for another hour, but we got a wrap. You got to go see your time square photo. We got to go see the last five years. Tonight. We got a Sunday fun day ahead of us. Before we go, we got to get your trading secret. So something that's special to you, maybe something you would have told yourself as a kid. Financial advice, personal advice, life advice. It's one trading secret that only come from your experience. What could you leave us with?

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah, it's a corny phrase, but it's not about where you are. It's about who you're with. And I think for me, part of the reason I'm so successful is I've had the same friends for 10 years. I've had an amazing family. It's always about the people. That's the people around you create the environment. You can be in the. I remember when I had my mental breakdown, I was in Montauk, New York. I was looking at the beach. It was the most beautiful place in the world, and I couldn't have been more unhappy. And then the first time I felt joy again was sitting on the couch with my best friends. We were watching the hot chicken, eating Wendy's, and I was like, this is. This is it. Like, this is what I wanted. Like, so just surround yourself with people that love you, uplift you, want to see you win, Aren't scared to challenge you, aren't scared to tell you, like, constructive feedback, but really just raise the bar for you and raise, like, help you stay, you know, just help you be a better person.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, I like that. I like that a lot. You know, I think my. I always like to say, what is my training? Trading secret that I learned from you.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And I think my trading secret is, like, first and foremost, you got to put the time in to drop into yourself and the second you're not pouring into your cup, it'll impact your business, it'll impact your mental health. And when you do, you might find areas of success you never even imagined. To me, like, that's a big one. And then the other one is just like, I think that the way that you just go about things and the speed at which you go about it. Right. In this world, there's analysis paralysis. People overthink, they don't know what to say. They're scared to post. You see a business struggling because discrimination. You say it like, this is my mission. I'm going there and I'm going to help them.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And if there's positive impact from that, great. But you're going there with the pure intention to do it. And you move quick.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yes.

[Jason Tardic]

A lot of. I could think of a million ideas. If you don't move, you're done. And the speed at which you move at the super bowl, the amount that you posted, like, you just. You think you do and you say it.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

You don't care. And people come at you. Whatever. Yeah, I'll deal with it then. But I'm going to put it out there, share some. This is me. I'm going to impact people. And I think one of the most beautiful things you said is I've asked that Jim Carrey question a lot to people that I'm really interested in what their answer is. I don't ask it all the time, but like, I love. They're like, I don't want the check with the money. I want the picture. I want the picture with mom and dad, me and the dog in the middle with their dream house. Because I've seen them struggle financially and I've seen them do well. Like, they put me on this planet and I'm doing big things and I'm gonna give back to them. That is really cool.

[Brandon Edelman]

Thanks.

[Jason Tardic]

And that will motivate you in ways that you can't expect. So thank you for being on this episode. Where can everyone find everything? Brick.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah. Brand Underscore Flakes with twosies on Instagram. Brand two underscores flakes on Tick Tock. Please listen to my podcast between us girlies. That's on YouTube. Spotify. Love to get you on there.

[Jason Tardic]

Yes.

[Brandon Edelman]

Apple. Yeah, Those are my platforms.

[Jason Tardic]

Amazing. Well, thank you so much for being on Training Secrets. You killed it. We can't wait to continue to follow along.

[Brandon Edelman]

The best.

[Jason Tardic]

Ding, ding, ding. We are closing the bell with the one and only David Ardoin. The curious Canadian with one of the big Internet sensations, Bright brand flakes. David, I am sure. I just know in my gut you loved this episode. So I'm just curious, what do you think? And, and by the way, good to have you back because that last recap, if you guys didn't check out the Dustin lynch recap, that was a show. It is good to have you back, David.

[C]

Yeah, I want to say I, I felt a little left out because there's so much action going on over there. But then I closed my eyes and transplanted myself into that rumor that was happening and I was like this. But social is too much for me. Me, I think I, you know, living, being in my living room in Rochester, New York and trying to think of, of that room and Stagecoach. That sounded like a good time though. Stagecoach overall thumbs up, thumbs down, thumb sideways.

[Jason Tardic]

Stagecoach overall thumbs up. The logistics of getting the. Okay, here's the deal with Coachella and Stagecoach. It's. It feels like it's all show, but there are parts of the game that are fun. Getting there is a nightmare. You know, just getting out there is a pain in the ass. Getting into the venue is a pain in the ass. The walk just to get through the gates is a pain in the ass. People left and right's pain in the ass. But if you really enjoy music, like, if you truly enjoy music, it is kind of cool that in, you know, a three day span you could see Post Malone, Blue Combs, Backstreet Boys. Like that's cool. And then all in a very close venue. So that, that I like it. But it's so much logistics and I feel like 90% of people go to take the photos and leave. I'll tell you that much.

[C]

Are you going to that event for work or for play? Like, is it, is it for fun or is it more work related?

[Jason Tardic]

It's more work related. Like, well, while we're, while we're there, we're playing, we're having fun. But we have brand deals going on with other talent. We're working directly from a marketing agency perspective with other companies and I had a couple deals going too. So it was, it was work. But also while you're there, yeah, you have fun. And we, I'll tell you what, we have fun. Dude, I gotta tell you, Andrew Spencer, I've never hung out with him. He is. David, I need you to hang out with him. He's one of the funniest humans I've ever like, hung out with. Like, he, he is so funny, dude. So funny.

[C]

Energy. His energy and his like wit and like probably doesn't take anything seriously, and. But that's, like, in a good way. Like, that's the best way.

[Jason Tardic]

His energy is like, he just doesn't care. Like, he's having fun. Like, he's not so serious and stirred. He's just like, go with the flow. And he knows how to make fun of himself, but also make fun of the situation. And he's great.

[C]

10 out of 1 of those people where you're, like, laughing at something that he does, but in the back of your head, it's like slow motion. You're like, man, I wish I could be like that.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kind of. Honestly, I'm like, man, I need to be funnier. Also, I need to hang out with you more. You're awesome.

[C]

Love it. Last. Last question I got about an event like, Stage Coach, from a business perspective. Where does it rank in? Like, is it top five, top three, top one? And most prospect profitable events that you do for the talent agency and your clients?

[Jason Tardic]

Not much, man. It's. It's. There are some big deals happening, for sure, but it's. It's so selective. It's. It feels like from the business perspective, they're selecting the people that are, like, the most relevant at the biggest peak in the biggest moment of their career. And the people that they select this year for Stagecoach and Coachella that are getting paid big. I'm not talking about. There's a lot of. Majority of what you guys see are very small deals and people that are actually getting, you know, they're getting, like, tickets and flights and, you know, a small fee that's 90%. Then there are some of the people that are getting big deals, and those are the people. And it feels like for these festivals, it's extreme relevance, and next year it'll be different people. And so it's a little bit of a different format and as far as, like, the profitability ability, like, I don't know. Coachella and Stagecoach are good. It's not great.

[C]

What's the best? Super Bowl?

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, yeah. Super bowl so far has been the best.

[C]

Okay.

[Jason Tardic]

But there's other things, man. Like, you'd be surprised. Like, I don't know, like, sometimes Valentine's Day pops. Sometimes, you know, sometimes Mother's Day pops. This year, not as much, but it's just like the fourth quarter in general is the biggest, biggest part of the year. And it's been a weird start to this year. I think in. In a lot of areas of business, but certainly in the creator space, you know, things are still good. But it's. It's been a weird little bit of a weird time.

[C]

Mother's Day coming up. Shout out to all the mothers out there. Make sure you take care of the mothers. This releases on Monday. And so the next time an episode release will be, Mother's Day will be past us. So all the gentlemen listening out there, don't forget. Forget about the mothers out there and all the mothers.

[Jason Tardic]

Thank you for everything you guys do. You guys are the backbone behind people like David and I. I know how much we love our mothers. So thank you guys for everything you do and, and, and happy Mother's Day to Ashley and you guys. Right now, listen up, you got six days. So get on it. Get up on it.

[C]

Doing it. Love it. Brand Flakes. Should we pivot? Pivot, Yes. I didn't know anything about Brand Flakes, which is honestly, like, Wait, I'm shocked by that.

[Jason Tardic]

You should be shocked because you're the TikTok guy, like, on our team. You're the way you've never seen him on TikTok. Dude, he's like the king of TikTok. And.

[C]

And a little bit of the barstool guy, too. And the fact that he started on a barstool sponsored reality tv.

[Jason Tardic]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Before. I'm shocked. Before this episode, you had never heard of him?

[C]

Not a clue. I honestly thought it was going to be a CEO of Cornflakes type.

[Brandon Edelman]

Wow.

[Jason Tardic]

That's why I love the recaps.

[C]

No clue. None. None. Not a clue. So I thought it was a phenomenal episode. I really, really thought it was a great episode with some great perspectives, with some great lessons and some great, like, I got a couple, like, hypotheticals that I want to ask you about this from things that ended up making him a little bit successful. And I'm going. I'm going old school. Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Mr. Brand Flakes, I got to tell you, if you're listening to this right now, I can't tell you the last time that David said this was a great episode or phenomenal episode. He is a very tough critic. And for you to come in, David, using words like great and phenomenal. I'm impressed. I'm impressed.

[C]

Well, I. I think it was two weeks ago we were going to change my name from Curious Canadian to Critic Critical Canadian. But no, we're here. And Mr. Brand Flakes, if you are listening, and I hope you are, if. If someone like me wasn't aware of you before, that's a good thing for you, not a bad thing. It's a good Thing, it shows your growth potential. You're gonna, you hit that 1 million, you're well on your way to 2 million. And, and I love how you share your success with people because it seems like he's all about doing right, doing right by people. A lot of his success stories have came from helping people and simply, simply doing the right thing. So I, I got, I got all the time in the world from, for Mr. Brian Flakes.

[Brandon Edelman]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

And David, what I'm gonna say is to, to that is like if I, if I could buy stock in Mr. Brand Flakes, I'm buying stock right now. Like I think he has taken off. I think he's going to continue to take off. He is, he's killing it. But I'm curious in this episode, like what did you find interesting? What are some things you wanted to make sure we talked about?

[C]

Yeah, I loved how he didn't sugarcoat how he got successful. Successful. Like he got successful by grinding, by following online templates of how to kind of go viral or build a social media platform, how to post, when to post, what to post, what hooks to have, etc. Etc. He knew the metrics. Two seconds. You have two seconds to get people to watch. If they watch by for seven seconds they're more, more, more than likely to watch. All the way through the video I just thought like, yeah, yeah, it was like he just, he just got to work. Like he studied it just like we used to go to school and study and, and, and ace an exam. Like that's what he did. He studied on how to build the social media platform. And then so that's the number one thing. But here the number two thing is he said that he wished that the reason, the main reason why he is successful is he was just finally himself. And he thought back to his high school life and how he, he was trying so hard to be someone but himself. And he had a horrible high school experience in college. He met the six foot, blonde, tall, smoking hot girl who said, yeah, I'm lesbian. And he was like, okay, ding, light bulb. I'm just going to be my authentic self. And had a great college experience.

[Brandon Edelman]

I'm.

[C]

I got a hypothetical for you. When people say you just have to be yourself, right. You hear that a lot, right? Just be yourself. Just be yourself. When do you think you know what you are? Like, you know what I mean? Like when you say you're yourself, like just be yourself. Do you think, what makes you come to that point where like, you know what, I'm confident enough to Just be myself. Because I know now know what I am. Do you think it's age, experience a moment in your life? That's a hypothetical I want to throw at you.

[Jason Tardic]

I think it's a great hypothetical. I think most people go through their entire lives not knowing who themselves are, right. I think the hardest thing to do is to find yourself. And then I think the hardest thing to do is once you find yourself, be able to put boundaries as to where you're going to show that self, right? And like where it makes sense. Like even, even when you are like you know yourself to your greatest depths, you still have to have boundaries in life as to where that self that you have worked so hard to find and digest will navigate and how. And I think it's becomes constant work. And I don't think like anybody ever truly masters it. And I think once you fully master it, you don't because the curve balls don't end. And in life there's the high rises and the low tides and there's good, there's bad, there's left, there's right, there's curve balls, there's days you feel like you just got fucking knocked out and there's days that you feel like you're literally the king of the world. And so I think even when you find yourself, you continue to grow to learn more about yourself and who you are. And I think it's an ever ending journey if you're willing to be on that journey. And I think so many people go in life not willing to be on that journey as a result of that complacency is their lifestyle. And I don't think that's bad. And at times I'm like, I kind of, I don't know, there's part of me like ignorance is bliss maybe I envy that a little bit. So. But yeah man, I, I think it's an ever ending search for growth if you're on that journey to continue to grow. And that's one I support.

[C]

I think we, you brought up so many good points there. One is like mastering it, like I don't think you ever master like yourself. Obviously we're, we're all works and project. But I think there is something about like double downing on who you are, right? Where you have enough experience, you have enough reflection or in brand flakes. Like I'm going to outwardly tell people, people that I'm gay. Like that is a double downing on who you are. Because it's a moment, it's an experience where you've had negatives now you're seeing some positives. You're like, man, if I just double down on who I am, maybe these small positives that I feel will become my overarching theme. And I know for me, like, I'm passionately myself. I think sometimes it kind of can get me. I can rub people the wrong way, as we know, but I'm very hard stance and the way that I go things. But, like, I know that I can say, like, I am myself. I double down on being myself because of things. And I. And I would say, like, well, what makes you so sure of yourself? It's, you know, away from family, away from friends. I decided to create a life for myself, and I'm very proud of that. And because I've. I'm happy with who I am and what I become, I. I feel right in how I've gone through things. So I feel good about that. Right. So for yourself, like, what have you, like, what would you say has made you double down on, like, just being yourself? And do you think what. And what finalized version of yourself do you think you are, percentage wise, like.

[Jason Tardic]

You'Re saying right now?

[C]

Yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

Oh, man. Finalized version of myself, like, think about, man. If you think about the last seven years of my life, the chapters that I've undergone have been growth and levels that I never would have imagined. You know, like huge successes and massive failures and like, just so I. I've just gone through. Through a lot in the last, like, seven years, man, since 2018, I've gone through a lot. So I'm contin.

[C]

But in. But in saying that.

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah.

[C]

How much more your true self do you feel than seven years ago?

[Brandon Edelman]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Tardic]

I think if I didn't take kind of the road I did and some of the risks I did in the life that I lived, that I think I would have gone to 75 and I wouldn't be even close to where I am at 36 right now, like, living a very safe life. So. And then you learn, like, when you get, you know, kicked to your feet and like, knocked down, like, it just. It builds character in ways that you. You never imagined couldn't. I don't think you can truly get tested until you're really backed into a corner. And then I think, like, you know, as far as, like, just doubling down, I think the hardest thing for me, David, is, like, my whole life, I lived my life having safety by appealing to everyone else and finding, you know, being the athletic guy or whatever, the captain of the team, and like, telling people, you know, all the things that made sense or getting the A on the test, making my parents proud, like, that was my safety. Safety made me feel good. And that was a lot of self sacrifice for like, who I was. And you know, I just, the more I get older and like where I'm at today, man, I just care so much less about what people think. I mean, I like, there's always so much just like noise, whether it's in my professional life, my personal life, wherever. That's just nonsense. And I just don't. I'm like, I'm like whatever. Like what? Like you get so worked up every day, get trying to control things that you can't. And I think that's probably where I've made the biggest strides and I'm still continuing to try and make strides.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, we've had a lot of personal conversations off flying about that specifically. And I commend you because as sure as I am of myself and, and all those things, like, if I was in your position and people were talking about me in ways that they talk about you, like I could never do what you do, like I could never sit there and be the bigger person and let people talk, I would go nuclear. But then I would, you know, I'd be, I'd be bouncing off the walls by reaction, by reaction, by reaction. So I commend you for that. And it's part of your, like you said, your journey and what you've been through and, and stuff. So I know it's not been easy for you to, you know, just, you know, try and navigate your, you know, what you're, what you're going through and, and be, be the best version of yourself. But I'm just taking a page out of Brand Flakes's book. You asked him what you, what you needed to do, what, you know, on your, on your, on your socials or your platforms, and he said he wants you to be more vulnerable. So I'm just poking at the vulnerability sticks and asking you to define your whole life in, in a recap here. So. So how am I doing?

[Jason Tardic]

You're doing pretty good. You're doing pretty good. If I was fully vulnerable, I might. It'd be a brand, a whole brain shift. But we'll see. You know, maybe Brand Flakes will motivate me to do that. We'll see. But I think his hooks, I think his strategy, I think of what he's doing and how he's doing it, but also doing it with intention and purity and authenticity. It's amazing. It's why he's built the community, is why he's had the success he's had. And it's why he's a guy that I was so excited, so excited to have on this podcast. An absolute beauty.

[C]

I loved how he just doesn't think he's too smart. Like, he talked about hiring a business manager and talked about, you know, how. How great that's been. I have a couple questions about that. He talk, he's very open about how much he made. 768,000 in 2024. 20% in management fees, he says. He says he pays monthly and quarterly taxes and he files as an S corp. What is an S corp?

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, so an S Corp, it's just a structure of a business. So you know how, like we talk about, like, LLCs and stuff on the show, Right? So it's just a different designation. There's all different structures to a business and how it protects the business and what it makes sense for given the structure of the business. And the big thing about an S corp, it's a business structure that allows small businesses to pass income and then deductions and credit credits directly to shareholders, avoiding corporate tax while offering different liability protections. So I will tell you that most creators are going to be either an LLC or an S corp. One of the things with an S corp is there's going to be more costs. Like, you're going to pay more to your accountants and attorneys for structuring an S corp, but there are some tax advantages too. So, yeah, that's an S corp, David.

[C]

And then he talked about hiring a business manager. He talked about half service and full service. You asked him how much he pays his M business manager. He says he couldn't share that. Do you have any ideas? Sounds like he has a half service. The full service sounds like they do everything for you. Like, they pay your bills, they hold your hand. Like you basically don't worry about any of the finances. You must have to trust that person with everything. Thoughts on what a half service business manager makes for someone in that realm?

[Jason Tardic]

Yeah, I'd say about. About 60, 75 grand.

[C]

Okay, 50.

[Jason Tardic]

50 to 75. And they're running like, all the businesses, you know, they're helping with, like, the. The taxes, the accounting, the attorneys, like, they're managing all that also probably taking a lot of that risk off their plate as far as, like, holding the insurances for things like that and doing things like that. So I think every business manager does things differently, but my guess would be about 50 to 75.

[C]

I just love that aspect of, like, business managers that are actually kind of like life coaches that are just doing all the things that we talk about that you don't learn in school, like taxes and those type of things for people. Like, I could use someone who's like, oh, David, you need to do this. That would be, like, the dream. It's just like, have a life coach of, like, people who are telling me to do things that every person, like, squirms. Like, you got to go get your passport renewed. It's like, like, all the things that I don't want to do. I wish I had one of those.

[Jason Tardic]

You know what? Soon enough, with AI and outsourcing, I think at a very low cost, you might be able to get a virtual, like, assistant to do things like that for you. My brother, who is an executive in his company, has a virtual assistant.

[C]

Yeah, that's such a good point. I. One thing I need to get. I need to get a lot of things figured out in my life, dude.

[Jason Tardic]

Real, real quick, before I know we're getting close. Have you seen the Black Mirror episode where the girl loses her. I don't know if it's husband or fiance, and she's pregnant and she's missing him. And then she uses AI where they take all the information. For anyone that doesn't know about this, they take all the information from his social profiles and his social media and everything he's publicly put out there, and they upload it into AI so that she can have a text conversation with him. But based on all the information they have, they know how he would respond. So he. He's responding just like he would normally respond, except he's dead. And then she's like, well, I really want to talk to him. So then they upload more information, like the YouTube videos and his press conferences and all this stuff. And then he's able to have a phone conversation based on what they uploaded. And then I won't ruin the episode, but they actually bring him to life as, like, a robot in person that you can see, feel, touch, and act like a human. But it's just someone that is, like, essentially created from the information that's already been out there by AI. And I'm like, david, I don't know how far we are off from this. Like, it's crazy.

[C]

In the whole series is too much. I mean, talk about a show.

[Jason Tardic]

AI, Dude, I don't think, like, we're too off from.

[C]

We're not. That's why it's so scary. And, like, then you Watch it as, like with your. With your partner. Or maybe you're not. You're just watching it like it's a show that you watch before bed and then you're staring at the ceiling and it's 5am you're like, oh, my God. That was. That was.

[Jason Tardic]

Was.

[C]

That was too real crazy.

[Jason Tardic]

Crazy. Well, David, before we wrap, what else you got on the Brand Flex?

[C]

No, I. The only thing I got is a couple other things. I'll just post Earth. I'll talk about, you know, him talking about hiring a driver from Miami Music Week. I just love that story.

[Jason Tardic]

Love it.

[C]

Convenience has a cost. And Tim talking about, like, taking care of himself and men talking more about mental health because his. His breakdown, his hospital breakdown of. Of his mental breakdown was. Was wild. But I'm going to end with one of the most wholesome things that he said. And this is what separates Brand Flakes from a lot of the guests that we've had. You said the blank check comment. You told the Jim Carrey example. And even though you told the example and shared the comment, he goes, instead of a blank check, show me a picture of my parents on a beach.

[Jason Tardic]

I loved it. That's what I. I got goosebumps when he answered that.

[C]

That. That's when I know that that Brand Flakes is. Is our guy. And I will say to bring it back to the very start of the episode, he said he was. You know what? He could have came up and talked to you, and he didn't because the corporate Natalie episode helped him so much in his journey. Then he finally saw you at the next event. He came right up to you and he talked to you. Just shows that this guy is like salt of the earth. Like, he's, like I said, he's not. He doesn't think he's this, you know, he's not. Doesn't think he's too smart for everybody. He's, you know, he's learning. He's. He's educating himself. He's implementing. He's got a great soul. He's got, you know, great morals, great values. That was a great episode all around. Great guest. Great guest generation, big fan of Brand Flakes.

[Jason Tardic]

He is an absolute legend. So excited to have him on. And, David, thank you for being back on the recap. We cannot wait to see Brand Flakes continue to soar. And David, I will see you next week on another episode of Trading Secrets, one you can't afford to miss.

[C]

Happy Mother's Day.

[Brandon Edelman]

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