Vegas Circle

Winning the Podcast Game: Nick Dais on Sports Betting, Authenticity & Building a Loyal Audience

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Join us on an electrifying journey into the world of podcasting with our esteemed guest, Nick Dais, a professional sports bettor and seasoned podcast producer. Nick takes us through his unique voyage from his family's business in Queens to the vibrant sports podcasting space, launching his first show, Veterans Minimum. Alongside his intriguing tales, Nick reveals the inside scoop on what distinguishes top-earning podcasters, his inventive integration of sports betting into sports talk, and the relentless dedication needed to evolve and thrive in this dynamic industry.

Nick's dual role as both on-air talent and behind-the-scenes producer offers listeners a multifaceted view of sports podcast production. With his love for sports like basketball, UFC, and international soccer, he underscores the importance of authenticity and personality in crafting engaging content. The episode shines a light on how passion and genuine connections can build a thriving podcast community, where strategic collaboration and honesty play pivotal roles.

The conversation crescendos with inspiring stories of seizing rare opportunities, like meeting admired figures such as rapper Cam’ron, and the significance of investing in oneself and building sincere relationships. Nick also shares his insights on the evolving landscape of podcasting, emphasizing strategies like incorporating video content and exploring monetization avenues. This episode is packed with insights, personal anecdotes, and motivational moments that highlight the power of hustle and authentic connections in the podcasting realm.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Vegas Circle Podcast with your hosts, paki and Chris. We are people who are passionate about business, success and culture and this is our platform to showcase to people in our city who make it happen. On today's podcast, we're going to be uncovering the secrets behind building a successful podcast, crafting the right concept of producing a standout show. Plus, we'll dive into the world of sports betting and explore what separates the top earning podcasters from the rest. Let's welcome the host of Veterans, minimum professional sports bettor. Producer of Cam and Mace's show called it Is what it Is. We've got Mr Nick Diaz.

Speaker 2:

I said it the right way, man. Get you the proper introduction, man. Thank you, I appreciate it. It's good to be here.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, man, it's good to finally have you. Man, we got a mutual friend, chris Morhan, from New York City also. I got to say this to you in person again on camera. We talked about it when we first met. But Chris has said this guy, I'm going to tell you straight up, he is a star.

Speaker 2:

Whoa, that's a lot of expectation that he's throwing at me.

Speaker 1:

That's what he told me. I appreciate that man.

Speaker 2:

Chris is the man we actually spoke today. He sent me a really dope message. Yesterday I posted a video of Mace and I Mace asked me for hand lotion oh, that's hilarious. And I was like, yeah, we got something.

Speaker 1:

And as I go to walk out, I go. Yo, you want baby oil, maybe with the puff stuff?

Speaker 2:

yeah, and uh, and chris just like wrote like bro, think about how crazy this is, like you're busting his balls. Think about, like you know, just so, so often we don't think about like all the shit we've achieved. Oh yeah, and I'm guilty of that, I'm constantly like more and more and more I've done a better job as of late, looking back at like damn yo, what I'm doing now is pretty dope, one thousand percent. But it's cool to hear that and and that's. I don't use the term big bro often, yeah, especially being from new york, it's kind of a weird saying, but like that's, that's my guy man to this day, like anything vegas related, any advice, like I go to him. So I appreciate that coming from, yeah he's good, really, really good doing.

Speaker 1:

We had him on the pod and obviously you know what he's doing, so we'll get into that. But we tap into his his uh episode when we have. But let's dive in man. So originally from queens, new york city, yes, sir, but you jumped. So you were in the family business before with your father, yep, but you jumped in the podcast business early, man. I want to say about 10, 11 years. You've been in the space right 2015. Okay, so you got in right before us.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, 2015,. I started Veterans Minimum with about four other friends. Okay, I was always a sports betting dude in my friend group. I was always, and still am, like an encyclopedia. I can name games, fucking players, all that right. And he's a really successful like youtuber and he saw where the content space was going. He's like yo, I got this idea to start a sports show. He's like yo, you'd be perfect for it. Like there's, there's the betting angle, and for years, my take was always betting is the giant elephant in the room that people just ignore.

Speaker 2:

But everyone's doing it right, of course, yeah why else is a thursday night football game so interesting when it's like jaguars?

Speaker 1:

you got too much money on the line. They got money on the line right.

Speaker 2:

So we started that and through the years, man, I started doing more podcasts, like I was at the time. Veterans minimum was just like a new york sports vibe sports talk show and we covered like major national news in the sports world.

Speaker 2:

And then it it had the New York lingo and the flavor to it. And then I would start doing like betting segments within that. You know like, yeah, I think this team's going to win, but I don't know, seven and a half points is a lot. You know this and that and sort of school in the audience on like what sports betting really is. And then I started my own sports betting. Show off that betting. Show off that.

Speaker 1:

All veterans minimum okay it was called degeneration bets. Okay, I'm a big wrestling fan growing up.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I didn't know what that meant I was gonna ask you degeneration x, degenerate bets.

Speaker 2:

It kind of flowed okay um, yeah, and then I was like I said I'm a huge wrestling fan, so I was doing a wrestling show too. So I was doing a bunch of different shit in the beginning and I was doing that for about four years, okay, and then through time, you know, people just went their separate ways. I was going through my own shit too. I wasn't the best person to be working with and getting along and, uh, it's kind of damaged my relationship with those guys. It's become very, you know, like childhood friends and it's impossible for me to not mix personal with business, because my business is personal. So for me it's like when you bail on my show, even if you're my friend, you're a dick and I'm gonna be, upset about that it impacts you, yeah yeah, you know, like you guys know, we've been booking.

Speaker 2:

How long have we booked this show? Like maybe a month, and then we met like two weeks ago.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, and like oh, you respect people's time especially when you're in this field and we talked about a hundred times before that, just to make sure everything's on right. Yeah, people's schedules change.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, man, and I do that to this day. I'll you know, if I book someone, say today's the fifth, right, if I booked them december 5th, I'd hit them up three weeks out like hey, man, you know, here's the bullet points. You know, this is what I want to talk about. Feel free to you know, two weeks out, like yo, we're still good. One week out, hey, I'm excited, you know. And then you never know, I've had people bail like 30 minutes before.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we have too. It's frustrating because it's not a hobby, right Like you're doing this for a reason You're doing it because you enjoy it, you're passionate, you free up your time to invest in it. So it makes sense.

Speaker 2:

I understand where you get frustrated, yeah, and then dude, when you're building something Like I say hit your days, hit your days.

Speaker 3:

I like that Mondays and Thursdays.

Speaker 2:

You're getting two episodes. You're getting an episode twice a week on those days. Now look, because of scheduling, sometimes I might release it at 11.50 Monday night.

Speaker 3:

But you're going to get it Monday.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you're going to get it Monday. So when you wake up Tuesday, massive spike in my listens Tuesday morning, because sometimes on the East Coast, especially if I'm releasing it here at 9 30, it's 12 30 right, and then Thursday. So, like you're gonna get the two shows, gotta hit your days. So, to your point, it's not only your expectations, it's your audience too. It's your responsibility to them for sure people listen.

Speaker 3:

Like you said, they look forward to it they're getting a lot of information from you. They're feeling good, feeling connected. It's like, well, where'd he go?

Speaker 2:

yeah, it's not you like you would have you showed up, bro, totally man, and it was. It was really eye-opening because ever since I started the show, I never took no time off, we were just talking. So over the summer, due to a couple of different things, um, studio was going through some new changes, cam and mace wearing recording. I was like yo, I've been taking a break. I feel like I earned one. You know, in nine years I haven't. And uh, it was perfect because the nfl preview show I do is like my biggest show of the year. It's about three to four hours. We literally break down every single team like we spent like 12 minutes on the titans, right like who the fuck wants to talk about them, but that's still three to four hours of content is very good.

Speaker 2:

That's hard to do. Sure, yeah, absolutely, and it's like the flagship show. So I knew, even though I took the break, I'm going to get the audience to listen to that one. So I'll get the momentum back. And I remember like one of the coolest messages I got from some fan, like 10 days into my break, he was like I fucking miss you, bro, because he's because you become a part of the best fellas of the world.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, dude, amazing feeling and you become so a part of people's lives. Like think about the content and shows you guys consume. Yeah, isn't it the worst when the season ends?

Speaker 1:

and now you gotta wait six months. So you're like, yeah, man, every sunday night I thought about the relationship with bro. At least listen to the voice and it keeps you subconsciously. Yeah, or the show.

Speaker 2:

So that was the first time that I took a break, and it was really eye-opening to see just how appreciated your content is too. Yeah, because, like what we were talking about before, I'm so in the now. Well, now I'm in the now, but so much is like I got these numbers and goals in my head that I want to achieve and I'm like I got to just get there. How hard is it you?

Speaker 3:

know kind of digging like a sports betting show, right. Like you know, sports betting lines change so frequently, right, the games are so frequent. You know a podcast is once or twice a week. How do you keep that engaging when it is such a changing dynamic in a show? Because it's like if I talked about the lines for this week but you listened to on a Wednesday, it may have shifted three, four times by then. Like, how do you keep that like in front of mind?

Speaker 2:

No, that's a great question and it's it's. It's a big part of the show. So, like I call my show the best sports betting vibe on the internet. Right, I always like to tell people cause not to like pat myself on the back, but I'm one of the few people that do it in front and behind the camera. So like I'm in a producer, not executive, but I can direct the role too, so I see like from behind the camera how things you got a way different perspective and now in front of the camera, it's helped me. So like I know that I'm in frame right now as you guys are talking, I can adjust and yeah, you know, so I'll do things on the show that normally I wouldn't do, because now I'm like damn, you know.

Speaker 3:

Pocky's out of frame, Like I got to, you know so it's helped me a lot.

Speaker 2:

And I say that because what I do is the show is very fun and it's entertaining and the best compliment I get is you have such an enjoyable show. Like the hour, hour and a half goes by and people are like damn yo, that was so fun. You know, so we do. We do it's heavy sports betting, but with like a lot of sports talk, and how does DeAndre Hopkins going to the Chiefs help them, right? So things like that. And to answer your initial question about the lines, I do a good job of having an understanding of how things are going to move. So, like I'll say something. For example, and I don't know when this is going out, but the bengals are six and a half point dogs on thursday. I'm like you gotta bet this now, because I think people are going to start betting the bengals. I'll probably get to six.

Speaker 2:

So you get five and a half I like it until six at five and a half. Maybe I'll go baltimore. So I give you an idea of where I would go because, to your point, I record monday night. You might listen thursday morning because you were busy now you have two shows to catch up on. So, yeah, lines are constantly changing. But that's what's cool about social media you have a discord, you have a community so you'll say like yo look, I said, I said the bengals plus six and a half, but Joe Burrow's out.

Speaker 3:

Pass. Yeah, get rid of that.

Speaker 2:

Make sure you're following us where you're following, because that's important too.

Speaker 3:

It kind of actually keeps them on the hook a little bit. So it actually is a part of it.

Speaker 2:

It's a good marketing tool to have. It's a good strategy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, totally I remember I got a chance to see part of your show live that you recorded at when. How much are you watching a sports man? Is it like all day like you? Just you gotta be locked in. Like how many hours you putting in, oh dude, I all.

Speaker 2:

All I watch is is sports. Okay, I don't I don't watch specific like basketball side, like a specific sports that you, that you're, I basically talk about the sports that I'm into, okay, which is basketball, basketball, ufc, okay, soccer, like international soccer, nfl, obviously baseball. I've noticed that it doesn't do well nationally and my show is more national, so so people in san diego care about the padres, people in tampa don't yeah, right like yeah, the off chance that it's padres and the rays in the world series.

Speaker 2:

Sure, maybe they'll tune into a padres podcast, maybe okay, but just nationally it doesn't do well. So a lot of the talking points I'll have on baseball is like yo, I think altani was betting, it's a betting story. There's constantly betting stories. Yeah, so we'll, we'll try to tie betting into it. People like to gamble, um, whether it's craps or whatever it might be, so I only get people on my show that I have an interest in you similar to us, but that's yeah so like you into.

Speaker 2:

I do jujitsu and mma, right. So if you into that, if you into video games even though, like, a lot of my content is in video games, but like I play fifa all the time, right, okay, uh, if you played sports or you cover sports, and then, um, if, if you're just into something I'm interested in, like, like you like to gamble, I'm like I could do a show with you, got it right, and I would always tell my friends I was like the one name I always will bring up is a mark zuckerberg. Five years ago, I never would want to talk to him on the show.

Speaker 2:

But now he does, because he does jiu-jitsu, yeah, and he loves gonna fight elon musk, right, so like that's something where I could get him on the show and my audience knows how I am and what my content they know. I'm not just fishing because it's a big name. I think that's lame. There's a lot of shows doing it. Because you want to genuinely know about the person.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, or like people, I take pride in my show because people come and listen for me, right, awesome. So like you build a community and the. The numbers might not be as big as what other people think, but I'm like yo, everyone that comes to listen to the show is listening for me. So then when I do get a steven, a smith or a brandon marshall or eric Nixick from Extreme Couture, or I get these fighters on, then it's like, oh damn yo, look who he got Right. So I always tell people describe your show in a sentence and you have to show your personality, because people could get yards per carry and points per game from anybody. That's true. You got to show like give some flavor, give some spice to it. I love that you're breaking that, that break.

Speaker 1:

You know that background and everything. Let's talk a little bit about patreon, right? So do people get fully. You know your perspective just on patreon, or how do you kind of roll out? You know how people can get that info oh, I mean, the podcast is free.

Speaker 2:

I tell people like yo, you just just listen to the podcast wherever you get it. Yeah, right, I'm sure you guys have the same thing youtube, spotify, apple, everywhere, like the generic stuff. I'm like yo, the podcast is free, the patreon, there's giveaways, there's uh shout outs on the show, there's a discord community, so building a community is important. Also, um, they'll get first dibs on certain things, so I don't do it as much during the football season, but if I was to have you on the show, it would be more evergreen, right so it's not time sensitive.

Speaker 2:

I could record with you today, could put it out in a month. It'll still be relevant, got it. So what I'll do is hey, I've already recorded with the vegas circle guys. You guys want to check it out? It's up on patreon right now for everyone else. You, you, mother effers, gotta wait two weeks, got it so it's a way for you to grab, yeah, yeah and and like when my betting picks.

Speaker 2:

Uh, you said something in the intro which I always push back on. I am by no means a professional sports. Better, I never claim that my I make my money off sports betting. I make my money off talking about sports and betting. Um, there's a difference, a huge difference. I I also am against people selling picks. I think that's the corniest thing.

Speaker 1:

I think I I had me to it. That was one thing I wanted to ask you.

Speaker 2:

I mean bro I've had handicappers on the show and I'm just like yo. I think it's crazy that you charge someone a thousand dollars for your picks. There's no guarantee return. So, like my thing is you know it's five dollars a month. You get access to Patreon. You'll see exactly what I'm betting. These are my picks. These are what I bet on. I'm fully transparent. Like dude week nine worst NFL week I've ever had in my life. In the nine years I didn't hit one bet and you were honest about it. I didn't hit one bet. Even the bets I tried to chase, I didn't come close to hitting.

Speaker 3:

People probably love that. Yo, brother, he didn't get it yet. You want to hear something crazy?

Speaker 2:

I got 12 new Patreon members since. Monday, because it's organic yeah.

Speaker 1:

They're like yo, this guy is, I love that yeah.

Speaker 2:

And I tell like so when I do my Patreon read I'm like yo, it's $5 a day, it's $5 a month, 16 cents a day. I was like I know you bastards, you spend money on worse.

Speaker 1:

You spend money on Starbucks and everything else.

Speaker 2:

That's one cold brew.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's what you ain't lying to me.

Speaker 2:

And like look, I do some cool shit. Like we have a merch store, you get discounts on the merch, you get episodes early For October. We're giving away a Maurice Claret helmet sign.

Speaker 1:

You get creative with stuff.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like we'll do. You know and I have access to all these like dope ass people that because I'm genuine with them, they do a lot of favors for me too. And I also don't lie to them like bro, I've never scammed or lied. I've been myself throughout this whole journey. That's why there's a smile on my face as I say this. So, like I'll even tell, like I told maurice claret, I'm like yo look, I'm gonna send you four helmets. I was like is for me, one is for George, my co-host.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, George, Shout out to George.

Speaker 2:

The other one is my buddy, kyle, who we go to his house for UFC every weekend.

Speaker 1:

He's an Ohio State alum.

Speaker 2:

I want to give him that, and then the fourth one. I'm going to give it away on Patreon. But you told him straight up. I was like yo, we got this helmet, we're giving it away, join the. You'd be like, hey man, you know what I mean. So it's good to be transparent, man, and I don't know if it's a New York thing, but for me it's. I feel like shit when I lie to people.

Speaker 1:

I think it's a little bit of a Midwest and East Coast thing, it's the integrity man, Because it's funny you say that.

Speaker 1:

Because I remember we've been doing this almost seven years and I remember I'm not going to say the name, but we had asked some folks to go to dinner that are really in this space. But I told them straight up over the phone like, hey, we're taking you to dinner. We went to Red Rock. If you remember where we went to, it was like hey, we're taking you to dinner. It'd be Chrisris, my wife and I, but we're taking you to dinner to pick your brain. Yeah, like I want to be straight up with you. Like we're picking your braid. And they were with it brought his partners. Hey, no problem, man, we got you. Yeah, so just pick your brain.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yo shout out to you guys man, seven years, that's a dope accomplishment too. Appreciate that yeah, and, like I just said, right about being honest, if I don't really like doing a lot of shows, thank you, man um, because like you never know who might have been at a Diddy party or something crazy.

Speaker 1:

Chris was at the Diddy party, man Take his pocket Chris was at the Diddy party.

Speaker 2:

I'm just saying man, everyone knows I'm Team Dollar Sign, I'm Team Ace. That's hilarious, yo. I never want to put myself in a situation where my brand could be compromised or be not even accused, but like I really protect that shit right you just like us man.

Speaker 1:

We aligned like a month.

Speaker 2:

So I I like going on shows but I'm very calculated on the shows I go to.

Speaker 2:

There's been some shows that I regret going on because of what happened after at the time I'm like yo, they were cool with me, I had no issues, but then things transpired and you're like, fuck man, yeah, that that's a rough look, you know. But Chris came on your show and, like I said before, since Chris gave the co-sign and then I reached out because I listened to that show, appreciate that, and I was like, yeah, I would love to, because you guys, you know, we're not talking about sports.

Speaker 1:

No, we're talking about life and how you're doing stuff. I love that. I for that man. We have to run that back. Run it as an ad for us, man.

Speaker 2:

Let's talk about podcasting a little bit man.

Speaker 1:

Where do you think podcasting is going? Because we've talked a lot about this, right, Like there's so many different levels to this. There's so many different. You know angles, you can go right, Everybody and their mom's starting podcasts, but we know a lot of them quit. We know all those percentages we won't get into. But where do you think it goes, man? Because you produce a lot of big shows. You've got your own show. You've been doing it for a while, almost a decade. Where do you think it goes?

Speaker 3:

You kind of just added that too, Like how do you think like the Patron aspect or a Patreon aspect or some of these other avenues are helping project into what your goals are?

Speaker 2:

now, yeah, yeah, I mean all amazing questions and great, great talking points. I think are you guys into martial arts at?

Speaker 1:

all you familiar with, like jiu jitsu we were just talking about. I've always wanted to do and kept procrastinating. We've had a lot of. We've had a couple ufc guys on guys and girls. I want to do it just for the cardio right just for the ground game we actually try to coordinate something for him.

Speaker 2:

Literally, we were just talking oh yeah, maybe we'll get you guys to come over we need to, yeah, for sure I say that because I feel like podcasting right now just got its blue belt right, so there's a white, blue, purple, brown and black belt and then, even when you become a black belt, a lot of my friends that are black belts are like yo I still don't know nothing you're kind of putting in right now you're kind of putting in the time, right.

Speaker 2:

So I think it's still in its infancy. Like you, you're just learning about podcasts, and just because there's a lot of them out there, it don't mean that they're good, correct? Yeah, and I I carry myself like I got the number one show. I'm overly confident that's that new york yeah, I walk into rooms. No disrespect to you guys, but when I walk into rooms I'm always like y'all. I think I'm the coolest person, so I just like got to have a swagger yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I think it's in its infancy and I think that there's still so many things that are involving. Shows are going live. Shows are going live on Twitch or Rumble or YouTube Shit. They're going live on TikTok and Instagram. If you don't have video, I think you are doing malpractice. It is you need um. If you don't have video, I think you are doing malpractice. It is you need video. I think it's become more important than audio. You don't want the audio to suck, but I think video is number one, because how many times do you send, you send you send someone a reel, right like yo check out this pod that rogan did.

Speaker 2:

He had a deal of on, on and then, before you know, you're listening to three hours, right. So I think you definitely need video. And to answer your question, um, dude, there's, there's patreons that bring in like six figures right, easily, easily, and you know you build a community.

Speaker 3:

There's some shows that are exclusively on patreon there's some shows, a lot of different ones, yeah, yeah you have shows like that, um, and I think that there's so many ways that you can monetize.

Speaker 2:

And my absolute favorite thing about podcasting, the networking. You invite someone on your show, you have their under. Like I always tell people I don't like having my phone around. I have my phone charging because while I'm here, for as long as we're going to go, you have my undivided attention. I don't want none to vibrate. I know you're keeping clock. And as a host I do have a clock always, because I also, as I'm recording, I'm taking notes to send to my social clipmaker.

Speaker 1:

You take notes while you're doing it. Yeah, ooh, that's powerful.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

To know what you're doing.

Speaker 2:

better, whatever, no no, just like Nick's rant on Jared Goff, 77-minute mark.

Speaker 1:

I got to give you props on that. To take notes while you're doing it.

Speaker 2:

I'll be honest with you it's not as impressive. It's not that difficult I just wait for the other person to talk.

Speaker 1:

Oh, and you're making an.

Speaker 2:

I give my editor, Dom, who started as an intern in college. Is that who I met With the UNLV? No, no, no.

Speaker 1:

That's Isaiah.

Speaker 2:

He met him out here, but, yeah, went to unlv. No, no, no, that's, I'd say he met him out here, okay, but uh, yeah, he was also an intern at the studio. Now he's working with us, he's one of our main guys. But dom was a fan of the show and I'll randomly just be like yo, I need an editor, I need this, I need that, and I just got a dm from him and he's like bro, I love this show, like any way I could help. So he started editing my videos and then, before you know it, I spoke to the dean of his college. He graduated because he was an intern with the show that's awesome and now he runs social media and head production for the new york giants oh wow, that's fantastic and like it still works for me to this day.

Speaker 2:

Damn that's it. And now, now it's dope, because like I could pay him too and I would always tell him like, bro, the vision is is the vision man. And like he sent me a pretty cool message the other day, he's like yo, I'm so proud of you, bro. Everything you're saying is happening. I was like bro, you have no idea what's coming.

Speaker 1:

Man you give me I love these stories. Man you give me goosebumps on that stuff. Man, it's cool. Man that's powerful.

Speaker 2:

It's perspective right. Like I told you before, I'm overly confident, but it comes from the work I've put into things, you know like with everything, and I've just become so full of myself, but in a in a positive way.

Speaker 3:

If that makes sense.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I feel like I've earned it and and I've been validated with the people I work with. And then when people meet me at the studio, talk about networking, right, you walk into that place. It's everybody named mom coming through, yeah so, and then they see how I move and how I interact and I give people suggestions. Now it's like I have a battery in my back. That is just like otherworldly so, but all that comes from I'm very self-aware. Uh, if I don't know something, I definitely I've. I've had people on the show. They've used the big word. I'm like I don't even know what that means. You need to ask me all day I dropped out of college, bro.

Speaker 2:

I got a high school education like yeah tell me what the hell you're talking about.

Speaker 1:

What the fuck was that you know? Yeah, so I think all that plays into everything that you see now yeah, I love that you said about the networking man, because that's be chris. I think that's why he forced him to do this is because of networking he's a fantastic networker.

Speaker 3:

I'm totally terrible at doing it so the reason I thought I was getting out of my comfort zone and get to meet people and have that experience and really help to continue to evolve on that, but it's been night and day compared to what it was when we started.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Do you guys feel like podcasting has helped you in your regular life? Everything, yeah, 100%.

Speaker 1:

Everything. Because it's funny, we were just talking about this with friend of mine that I was on this podcast a couple weeks ago. I'll put it back on you for a second. I'm watching you and it's iron versus iron or iron sharpening iron. I get excited because I'm like fuck, I got to. You know what I mean. He's doing it. He's consistently doing it. I'm not Nick, I'm myself. Chris is himself, but it makes you be like damn. It's a battery that keeps the energy going.

Speaker 3:

You know what I'm saying. It's just exciting, you see, the enthusiasm that people have Right now. When you just said it, I felt that right. I felt that you were excited, you were passionate, trying to do stuff. You're feeling fulfilled and then that bleeds off, or we? Also want to do that right and you may get one little piece or a shred that you resonate with, and it lets you continue to develop but also to add to that People that we've interviewed.

Speaker 1:

They might be. Yes, we've interviewed, I'll be honest. We've interviewed multiple billionaires, right, and when you talk with them and you start to understand, like shit you're like damn, what am I doing? Like I'm lazy. You know what I'm saying. It keeps you more motivated to be like okay, I need to do this, I need to do that. You know what I'm saying. So it's just, it's helped me with everything. 1 1,000%.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I ask that because I think perspective has been a big part of everything that I do too. Like the tattoo I have here right is Spider-Man Spider-Man is originally from. Queens, but he's dangling from a street sign. It's 49th and Park Avenue, so that's where my dad's had the coffee truck for 30 years. Wow. So I recently was talking at UNLV which is hilarious, because I dropped out of college, so now you're asking me to come speak. I was like this is stroking my ego.

Speaker 2:

But I built a good relationship with one of the professors there and he asked me to come speak to the journalism class. And I tell him I'm like yo every time I tell you this. Are you sure you want me to tell you?

Speaker 1:

I have to be myself. Don to piss a lot of people off. I already know where you're going.

Speaker 2:

They're seniors. I dropped out when I was a senior right With 24 credits to go, best decision I ever made. It's a lot easier to say this because it worked out, if it didn't, it would have sucked.

Speaker 1:

You're still at your mom's crib.

Speaker 2:

Right the tattoo and and the perspective of things like dude, I was making 500 a week, waking up at 2 30 in the morning to go flip eggs with my dad. Then I would come home at around one o'clock shower, take a nap, go and lift, work out, then drive back into queens because my parents live in long island. So I would drive back into queens to film the show with my friends. I was doing that four times a week. Team no sleep. And then, bro, I was sleeping like nothing.

Speaker 2:

For about six years I said I would nap. Yeah, I would never sleep. I would take two, three hour naps, like at night and then in the afternoon. So it's the hustle, it's perspective. So when I was talking to these kids I was like yo, for me, it's helped me so much in like my regular life because I'm a better listener and I mean shit, every girl that I spoke to they're like you're an amazing listener. I was like this is what I do, like I'm a professional conversationalist and you just pick up certain things like body language and picking up vibes of people.

Speaker 2:

Right, I'm sure you guys have recorded with some folks and you're like damn, that shit sucked, honestly.

Speaker 1:

Right Crusader days, everybody's great.

Speaker 2:

So a lot of it is perspective for me, man, and I don't know if I answered your question, but just to go off on that tangent, I think that's really important too, and it's the makeup of everything that I kind of stand for 100% yeah.

Speaker 1:

I love that regardless. I'm glad you asked that question to me. I wouldn't expect you to put it back on us.

Speaker 2:

But you're right, 100 says change perspective, you know sometimes I I tell people another reason why I don't like being on shows is because, like I feel so, I I love being a host. Yeah, so when I'm not in a host, it's kind of you're gonna take control.

Speaker 3:

You're gonna take control. We like to listen.

Speaker 2:

I love asking questions too, like I tell people I'm like yo dig, dig like they're giving how you learn yeah and and dude, another thing like perspective and experience. When I first started this stuff, I didn't know what I was doing, right, I was just a sports fan, so I would have, like I know you guys have bullet points- that's different.

Speaker 2:

But, dude, we would. We would interview athletes, like early on, and I'd have my five questions and I would ask you, like, how'd it feel when you got drafted? You'd give me an amazing answer, a story like, yeah, it was dope, I, I spent so much money on this watch for my mom, right, yeah, and then I'd be like, how'd you feel moving out of your hometown? It's like I ignored everything you said, but I didn't know the game. I didn't understand that it's like. And then I would listen. I would listen back to every episode. The first three years I was doing it. I would listen to every episode, every um, every like. Why was there such a long pause? Why didn't I dig? So now I'll be in the studio sometimes and I experience. I realized I was like yo, this is shitty, like I'm not enjoying it.

Speaker 3:

How's the audience going to enjoy it?

Speaker 2:

So now what I do is I call it controlled chaos. I have my four or five talking points where I'll have you on the show and from there it's wherever the conversation goes. And when I do feel like we've been going on a 20 minute rant, I'm like yo, I got to bring it back. Got to bring it back Controlled chaos. I didn't forget where we were at. And again, listening is so important because you might, I've had people talk for four or five minutes straight and my advice to people is like lock in on the one thing, because then to them it's like I didn't just waste my time talking to him for five minutes, and it's an important thing.

Speaker 3:

Well, because that's what I was going to add, I was going to talk about kids, because I talk to my kids all the time.

Speaker 1:

Communication is everything.

Speaker 2:

It's finance and communication.

Speaker 1:

So talking to UNLV about journalism, that's awesome Because no matter what communication they've got to do that the rest of their life.

Speaker 3:

I keep this so I know where Pocky's at. I actually don't know where he's going.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you gotta know where I'm going so but, um, we gotta talk about cam and mace man. So how in the world did you I don't want to say pull off, because I know the energy that you bring but how did you meet cam, cameron and mace um, which I'm big fans of too and just listening to their music, you know with the whole nine but how'd you meet them, man, my?

Speaker 2:

favorite story ever, bro, like when I, when I tell the story, people think I'm bullshitting. Right place, wrong time. Right place, wrong time. Yeah, like I was nowhere. Like I know people say right place, right time. I was at the studio like seven hours before I was supposed to be, so like wrong time in the sense of okay I was, I got there at one, I was supposed to get there at seven, right. So I guess right place, right time right, I'm just I'm just trying to.

Speaker 2:

I was, I got there at one, I was supposed to get there at seven, right?

Speaker 1:

so I guess, right place, right time right, I'm just, I'm just trying to get you I gotta follow you.

Speaker 2:

But uh, I I show up to the studio on a day, like I said. I was supposed to be there at around seven. Brian shouts to brian the head, uh, technical director at the studio. He's in there. Brian loved the dude on a fucking wizard at his job kind of brain dead when it comes to sports and entertainment like he has his own lane and again he's a wizard. But you know there's been like coach k has been at the studio and he had no idea who coach k was. We're like bro, you like this?

Speaker 1:

guy is yeah, I'm sorry, you're talking about duke, yeah I'm thinking coach k from migo, the original coach. Yeah, I'm talking about. I'm talking about mike shish, coach K. I'm thinking Coach K from Migos. No, no, no, the original coach. I'm talking about Mike.

Speaker 2:

Krzyzewski, okay, I know exactly. So, yeah, like Brian is in there right and I show up, like I said, when I'm not supposed to and it was because I was lazy. I went food shopping and I didn't want to cook, so the wind lets us eat at the employee dining center.

Speaker 2:

Okay. So I walk into the control room. Now there's a gentleman in the studio with his back to the control room. Like you saw, the control room right, there's like a glass window, so he has his back to me. If the control room's in there, I don't know who it is, it's just a dude on his phone. I go in there. Brian's like yo, man, what are you doing here so early? Basically what I just told you guys. And then larry's over there. Larry turns out to be like cameron's, like right hand man. He lives in vegas. So I go yo, what's up, man, nice to meet you. And as I shake his hand, cameron turns around. I just go yo, is that fucking camera? Just like that? And larry was like you know who killer is.

Speaker 2:

I was like bro, dip set was my from new york.

Speaker 3:

He's like yo. What do you do here I was?

Speaker 2:

like I kind of do everythinget was my shit growing up. I'm from New York. He's like yo, what do you do here? I was like I kind of do everything, and that's why I tell people at the studio they're like yo, what do you do here? I was like I do everything. Yeah, A little bit of everything. So he's like yo, you got to meet Cam. You got to meet Cam, so Cam gets off the phone. What you're doing with your show, bro? Like at the time that just went viral, he was uh talking about how, um strippers were the ones that called out john morant with the guns so they had the john morant pistol that's right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, and he was like yo, he's like oh, you all you strippers like everybody's always in there with guns, like now all of a sudden, y'all got a problem with it. Because there's john y'all ruining the script. So that video got like eight million views on twitter. So that was when I first discovered their show. Because of that, because of that video going viral, so then I started watching some clips. Right, it's barbershop talk with hilarious flavor covering sports hilarious yeah.

Speaker 2:

So they started asking me about the studio, like yo, what's good, do you guys? Right? I was like, yeah, we rent, this is what we do, this is what know, these are the cameras we run all that. And one thing led to another and I was just like yo, if there's any way I could help you guys. You know, as far as booking, I was like I don't do final bookings, my boss does. I could connect them with y'all. And you guys exchange instagrams, like I get followed by cameron, and I'm like yo, this shit is dope like I sent it to my one friend back home 100 because you know, his favorite rapper was cameron.

Speaker 2:

And uh, I was like yo, look, we just followed me, bro. Like what the fuck? Next day they called me and they're like yo, come meet us for lunch. I was, like I just finished training jujitsu, like I gotta worry about staff infections, I gotta go. He's like yo, you gotta meet us now. And uh, he said something interesting. He's like yo, don't miss out on an opportunity.

Speaker 3:

Dang. He said that Cam said this.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like 12 times ever since, but I remember that one vividly. So I go, I meet him, I'm telling him about the studio. One thing leads to another. They come and they film two shows at the studio. They rent it. They had their whole team, just the way I was moving and directing everything and kind of just like accommodating the people in the lobby also, and I thought nothing of it.

Speaker 2:

I I've asked two people for photos and all the time I've been at the studio it's Mike Tyson and then Cameron and Mace, and I only asked them for the photo and it's the only photo I have with them, right, like I asked them cause I didn't think it was going to be what it turned out to and uh, so that was like around summer league okay, okay, around summer league 2023. And then a couple weeks later, they signed the underdog deal and I just reached out to him. I'm like yo, congrats, bro. That's super inspiring. I just started this show. I was like next time you in vegas. I was like beers are on you though, like I said, I said some dumb shit like that and he just hot, hot it.

Speaker 2:

And then, uh, he hit me up like two weeks later. I was like yeah, I'm thinking of moving my whole operation out to vegas and recording out the studio. And again I was like yo, let me know, man, how I could help. I was like that'd be, that'd be sick. And then he called me like a week before the movie. He's like yo, I want you to be my editor and producer dang, I was like I was like sure, he's like how much you want?

Speaker 2:

I was like, what do you need? He told me I gave him a number. He's like, all right, bet. And then that was it. They moved that whole shit out there and ever since, like uh, I'm a big part of what they're building over there at. It is what it is powerful man.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, man. You know you're handling it gracefully now, but I could tell you were feeling a certain type of way in that moment.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah bro, like dude, they've done so much for me. Obviously, financially, it's been fucking crazy right? Like I told you, I lost $50,000 investing in the food truck during the pandemic that my dad and I, and that was $25,000 that I saved up, mind you. Now I'm making making 500 a week so for me to save man 25k.

Speaker 2:

That shit was like my whole year's salary, yeah for real in some situations. And then, uh, my grandma took out money from her will and she gave that to me for the food truck, so that was 25k that I was gonna have you know eventually. And then I lost the 50k. And then fast forward to this past summer. They threw me a bonus got it back.

Speaker 1:

Got it all back, man yeah, you gotta bet on yourself. That's why you're the best. You gotta bet on yourself, it's the best it's the best bet you can make.

Speaker 2:

One of the things that I like about everything that I do now is I have a control on the outcome. I I don't worry about algorithms. I was like I know, like I told you before, I know my shit is dope. If, if only two percent of the audience sees it because of the algorithms and who knows what was said, or that shit is always, ever changing, I can't do nothing about it. But I know when people come on the show for the first time, they end up becoming fans of the show, which is like one of my favorite endorsements you get and then anytime new people see it, they like latch on yes, and you can see when you look at the analytics, like you have.

Speaker 2:

You have a steven a smith on your show. These are what your numbers were before. There's a spike because you have Stephen A on your show. Well, how many of those people stay? 5%, 5%. When 100,000 people listen, that's 5,000 new listeners. It's a massive massive swing.

Speaker 1:

That's a strong point that you make. I didn't think about it like that.

Speaker 3:

You're only going to see a backslide right Because they bring their audience and if you get to keep some of their audience, that's hugely impactful. Yeah, dude.

Speaker 2:

Even 1%, like what? Like 1,000 new listeners to every show. That's the thing. People don't understand how one of the big positive feedbacks I get, it's kind of a backhanded compliment Whenever people listen to not listen but they see my analytics when I reach out to sponsors or advertisers, whatever it might be. When they look at what my audio does and then what my social media following is, they're blown away. My dude, I had huge difference, massive, okay. The majority of my audience, if not like I'd say like 70 percent, consume the audio. Mind you, for four years I was doing audio before I started video. So there's a drastic difference between and now I put more of an emphasis on youtube because I've seen what youtubers can make, and before it was just like I will just throw the whole video on there, but now it's like putting some money behind it. You got to be strategic.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, thumbnails and you're just the opposite of the fact that you already had a pretty strong audio base, then yeah create the video. That's gonna be even more impact and and now, and and.

Speaker 2:

To that point you're absolutely right, because now you see a lot of people start shows and like their video is popping, but no one listens to the audio. Yeah, and the audio is, and you can market it two different ways, like you can have audio only sponsors, and then you could have video product placement, brand endorsements, so there's two. That's why there's so many ways you can make money. 100, 100%, yeah, hell yeah.

Speaker 1:

I can continue to keep talking about this. One last thing I want to ask you about Camemades what's the biggest lesson that you've learned from them that you've been able to implement with what you're doing now?

Speaker 2:

Just, you personally. Yeah, I love that. Uh, they, they put, they put the biggest battery in everything that I'm doing now Cause uh, that I'm doing now because uh dude for so long, like I don't know if you guys feel it in your field, but uh, I feel like I always knew what I was talking about, not in sports, but like in the in the pot, like podcast yeah, yeah, you know talking to the mic like this, because if I start talking like that, now you're not right, so like little things like that, like yo posture you know, like let's conviction when you're talking into the mic.

Speaker 2:

I don't remember exactly what it was, but I remember it was a thursday night and I gave him a suggestion on how to you know when you have a caller. I told stat I was like yo direct the questions when you have multiple people on the show that are not familiar with one. Another got it. So imagine there was two other people on the call them out. Yeah, be like yo. Nick. What do you think of podcasting mike? What did you? How do you feel about podcasting shane? How do you feel about what nick said? Because now there's a social cue you back he's talking to nick shane, mike, shut up.

Speaker 2:

Chris, don't say nothing because nick's being addressed. You're talking to chris, I know. All right, chris is talking. Got it, because I hate when people are talking over one another and you're gonna have those moments like people are laughing, whatever it might be. So it was something along the lines of that. I gave them a suggestion and then the next week they started doing it immediately, right, and I go to change the camera. I'm doing something in the studio. I'm just like giddy, like how I am now. Yeah, cam just looks up and he goes yo, what's good, bro, you got some pussy yesterday, like why are you so excited?

Speaker 2:

and I was just like. I was just like and mace, mace is like, yeah, nick, like you're so happy today. I was like yo, this is gonna sound weird, but I was like yo, it's you guys, man. And they're like what you mean? I was like yo, you guys took my advice and like you guys are, you know, you guys are who you are. And then, uh, mace told me something interesting. He's like yo, how long you been doing this? I'm like about nine years. He's like I hope if you ever wanted to make a rap album you'd come to me, and can't? It's a good point.

Speaker 3:

He's like yo. You're an expert in that much respect.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he's like when it comes to your field, he's like if you have a suggestion and we're like, oh yeah, that's a good one, we're're going to do it, and I was like yo, and then I got these fucking loser podcasters coming into the studio. I was like how are you going to tell me anything, bro? You know what I'm saying? Like I got these guys in the palm of my hand and I don't mean that in an ego way.

Speaker 2:

No, that's not what you're saying. I like if I give them a suggestion and they like it, they'll do it right. And and it's like there's been times where we'll have a segment on the show and I'll be like I don't know if that was a good one. Man, maybe we should cut that, maybe because, like, the energy was low, it was just like awkward. Whatever it might be, I'll be like all right, yo bro, you got creative control. If you think something's whack, if you think something's no good, stop the the show, let's do another. Take whatever it might be, and it's cool to build that relationship. And then it goes back to what I was saying earlier. In the show man, there's a level of confidence that you develop, where it's not an ego way, it's more of like validating You're like damn bro.

Speaker 3:

Confidence is different than I think. Cocky, yeah, you know what else it is.

Speaker 1:

It's a respect, sure it's a respect. That's what it is. It's a respect. So that's awesome, man, it's your earning respect man. So who's in your circle that speaks life into you? That's been able to keep you on the right path. Who do you bump stuff off, man? And what have you learned from that to kind of keep you on the right angle?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, man, that's a. That's a great question and you know, lately I've been having a lot of uh perspective on things and I just went back home recently. I was there last week and I don't I don't really be going home as much, maybe like twice a year.

Speaker 3:

Okay, and uh so you got a lot of family back there still.

Speaker 2:

Everyone. I came out here by myself. I only knew like a couple of people you know, but, um, I I kind of can adapt to any environment, but I've been having a lot of perspective. So I love that you asked this question because I feel like, as I've gotten older, friends that I make in my 30s are better than the friends that I grew up with, and not all of them right, because I still got like, yeah, dude, I got.

Speaker 2:

I got six guys back home. That perspective is everything right. So I went to Columbia in the summer and I was on this island, I was drinking a pina colada. So I sent them a picture and I was like man, I'm so happy I got vacation. Mind you, all my friends are like plumbers, electricians, blue collar shit, right Nine to fivers.

Speaker 1:

My friend Danny, my best friend Danny, goes, goes, damn bro, you deserve that vacation because, being in a six million dollar, studio with cameron and mace every night, so fucking exhausting and I was like yo, I love that, I love that perspective right because they busting their ass yeah yeah, man.

Speaker 2:

So that's why I was saying before it's like the things I do now I work hard and I respect my craft. It's a different kind of. It's a different like when I, when I tell people, yo, I don't work that hard, I mean physical. Yeah, like I'm accustomed to blue collar shit like drilling holes into the center of the planet that's taxing bro when I'm sitting like this and I'm just yapping for an hour or two hours and then it's not work it's not work so again, perspective is a big part of my life and and with the people I keep in my circle.

Speaker 2:

Bro, if you don't make fun of me, if you don't troll me, if you don't check me, I don't trust you. The people that like kissing your ass, yeah, bro no, no. So I've had my. I got like five, six guys back home that that, uh, I was posting about them back home when I was there and we kind of got a little like a crew name. We call it the Last Ones Left.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Where it's like real friendships you know 20, 25 years and even some of the newer guys. It's just like yo man, don't wear that shirt. You look like a clown when you wear it. Or like what are you doing with your hair, bro? Like fucking shave your beard. You look better without. Like that's the kind of stuff.

Speaker 1:

Right, that's a brotherhood man.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for real man. And I've been super lucky to find that out here too, in Vegas. Like the guys that I've met in jujitsu, at my gym, I've gotten really close with them. I basically just hang out with them, you know, because, like the guys that I work with in the studio awesome dudes. But like we're in different stages of our life Like one is married with one kid, the other is married with three kids, the other one's been in a relationship for seven years. I'm single, no kids. I haven't had a girlfriend since high school. Yeah, like it's been. Vegas gets you in trouble too.

Speaker 3:

Vegas definitely gets you in trouble, so like I get you in Columbia.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, like I get to the columbia, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, I keep, I keep my circle. I have a lot of friends, but your circle's?

Speaker 2:

tight, the circle's small, yeah, and like, even when you see me with different crowds and whatnot, it's like there's it's for networking, it's for business, it's for, like, like, the people that really really know me, it's it's very few, yeah, it's very few. And I got, like, like I said, my mentors. I take pride and I never had to pay for them to be my mentors.

Speaker 2:

I love that yeah, because, like I see, a lot of people are like friends with these entrepreneurs and these billionaires. It's like, yeah, but you're paying for their master course this is a genuine relationship. Yeah, yeah relationship is different, for sure, for sure. So, um, yeah, I got a, I got a pretty small circle man and as far as, like, I would even say george, george and uh, that I do my show with, like, he's become a really good friend of mine, too and, and you know, even on the show he'll be like I think we should cut that.

Speaker 2:

And I haven't had anyone tell me what to do with this show and I'm very open to like, bro, this is your show too. Like, yeah, when we have a guest on and you're excited to talk to them, like Go down that lane, bro. There's been one time, like recently, george was talking to this guy for like eight minutes. I didn't say a word for eight minutes on my show, but George was into it and they were engaging and the guest was like why do I got to chime in, like let him do his thing.

Speaker 1:

He's shining right now.

Speaker 2:

It's cool yeah bro, it's cool like everyone can eat, like it's fine. So I um, I keep the circle pretty small man that's awesome.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a good. That's a good response. Yeah, with business advice, man, I know um, like you, you stepped away from your family's company. Yes, followed your dream with the podcast in space. What would you say to people listening right now on business advice whether maybe they want to start their own podcast right now?

Speaker 2:

What would you say to them Shit man. Like I said before, I'm fully transparent.

Speaker 1:

I don't like giving business advice because I don't, I don't, I go to people. That's honest. Yeah, that's honesty.

Speaker 2:

My buddy, chris. I call him my agent. I go to him like yo read this contract. I want to make sure that I own 100% of everything that I have and you kind of have an idea. He's read like a bunch of my contracts now and he's super With the intellectual property.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, he knows all that. He a shark too. You ain't pulling no fast one on him. That's what you want.

Speaker 2:

Right, so I have no problem with being like yo, I don't understand what this means. You got to put me on right, on right, yeah, um. So when it comes to business advice, I'll tell you what worked out for me. Okay, I put everything I made into my show every single invested in yourself every single dollar.

Speaker 2:

Love it. I'm like yo. You guys invest in stocks and bitcoin. All this, you know. You don't put no money into yourself. Whether it's the gym, whether it's your craft, whether it's your hobby, whatever it might be like yo, put some money into that. That's your best. Whatever it might be Like yo, put some money into that. That's your best investment. Like I said before, I have a hand in the outcome and I love that.

Speaker 1:

Because you want to hold the ball. You want to hold the ball for your life.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I'm in a space right now, with the people that I'm working with and all the cool shit that I'm doing, that I'm still investing into the show, like that hasn't changed. Every dollar I make from the show I haven't bought no clothes, no, no, no beers, like it's literally like I'm paying a social media maker.

Speaker 3:

I'm paying this, I'm paying that studio time.

Speaker 2:

Uh, I don't pay for guests ever. That's cardinal sin.

Speaker 1:

I think that's the dumbest thing we have not at all, not one guy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, pay for it no, no, I just see it like, if Joe Rogan don't ask people to go on his show and pay, like, why should I? You?

Speaker 1:

want to build a genuine relationship glad you said that, because a lot of people ain't honest with saying that yeah, no, no.

Speaker 2:

So for me I just put, I just put every dollar back into the show and and I still. The show drains money from me even to this day because I'm still investing into it like I make.

Speaker 3:

I make enough that the show could operate now as far as like not being in the red yeah yeah, it's not in the red anymore, but we're talking about you're talking about like nine months ago.

Speaker 2:

This happened, yeah, but before that it was like social media maker, because I also love living so well, you're living in vegas too.

Speaker 2:

Man come on for sure but, dude, like my schedule man, in the mornings I lift or I do jujitsu, I come home, I play a little xbox, like I said, I play fifa, and then, you know, from two to midnight now it's work mode. So I got a nice work-life balance. I don't even like saying that because, like this shit doesn doesn't work. So it's fine. But for me, when it comes to business advice, the only thing that worked for me was I put everything into this.

Speaker 1:

Even money.

Speaker 2:

I was making off the coffee truck. It's like yo, I need this new microphone, I need this, I need that. Let me take this trip to go to Vegas at the studio on my own dime. I connect with Jeremiah. Jeremiah tells me yo, you got to move to Vegas. I'm like yo, just let me know Bam.

Speaker 3:

I love that man.

Speaker 1:

I'm telling my kids that all the time man Just invest in yourself, man Do a whole bunch of different stuff.

Speaker 3:

man, it's your best return?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, 100%. We always talk about restaurants, man. Vegas is becoming especially but I got to say it from Chicago. Chicago got better food than New York, so I got to say that. But I know I ain't going to give you enough chance to answer, but Vegas is becoming the mecca of food right now. Man, what's your favorite restaurant in Vegas?

Speaker 2:

I love Barry's Shout out to Barry's.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we had them on Shout out to Yassim Marco Chef Barry.

Speaker 2:

We had them on our pod Dude. Yassim is such a good dude that it almost feels like Y'all could be brothers too by the way man Y'all look like cousins.

Speaker 1:

Man Shout out to Yassim man.

Speaker 2:

I met him through Chris. Yassim's great I met him through Chris and you know he's a big soccer fan and we'll always talk about soccer, soccer, and you know um his dad's an immigrant like my dad. So there was a lot of like, a lot of synergy, right, yeah, yeah. And like, dude, there'll be times where I'll take a date there. I'll go with my parents, I'll look at the bill.

Speaker 2:

I'm like, bro, you, you blessed me too, much yeah, and and yeah, anytime I could shout. I I send so many people there. Yeah, um, so I love berries. Um, where else there's a el segundo? It's right off the right, across from the wind, it's like a little taco, so I love berries. Where else there's El Segundo?

Speaker 3:

It's right across from the wind.

Speaker 2:

It's like a little taco. It's in the corner area. Yeah, it's in like Fashion Mall.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

I got it Like over there. Yeah, gave it to somebody else.

Speaker 2:

That place is good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

There's a taco spot.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like Mexican food and you know what Best part it Best part it's not going to kill your wallet. I love that you and the plus one go like $80 is nice, and you'll get like food too, like I don't mind paying, but if you give me a portion like that, I'm going to swing on you.

Speaker 1:

I can't be doing that. I get it.

Speaker 2:

I like that place.

Speaker 3:

I like Barry's Finally a place where somebody recommends it I've been to both.

Speaker 1:

I've never been to that spot, so I gotta check that out. I like the little hole in the wall spots too.

Speaker 2:

And then, of course, gotta shout out to Standard. Oh, of course, chris, shout out to.

Speaker 1:

Chris.

Speaker 3:

Okay, yeah, gotta show him love, especially if you ever buy.

Speaker 1:

But he knows man, he knows what he's doing. Man, he's been in the whole hospitality space for a long time, so he knows what to put on the menu.

Speaker 2:

so shout out to the standard album centennial hills. So good, people over there, anything we forgot. We forgot to ask you, man, that you want to leave us out on. No, man, I kind of want to ask you guys something, of course, man, whatever. So so I uh, I got this, like I was telling you before about perspective. Right, sure, I'm, I'll be 34 in march. Okay, I view people that are older than me, okay, as a cheat code, okay, kind of a time machine, because you've lived longer than I have, you have experiences that I haven't had yet. What would you tell me to do if you, you were my age now, like different? What advice would you give me?

Speaker 1:

so I'm 45 now, man. I'm on my wife 20 years. We got two kids. Now I would say, man, the most important is picking the right woman. Like 1000, he's gonna take mine too. Uh, you already know, I mean we we've been friends for what? 12, 13 years now and it's you found the right woman right. That's the most stress that you're gonna deal with with. You know how it is, man, if you get the wrong person, that's not in your corner, toxic and just drains you, because I've been in those relationships too before. But having the right woman to have the right support and be able to give you the right energy, that's what I would say is take your time is what I would get at is take your time, spend the and really learn who that person is before you put the ring on their finger, if that's what you want to do.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I think for me. You know what you learn is and you already do this be true to yourself you know, be confident in what you're doing, but also do it the right way. I think that's the most important thing that I've learned is, when you're doing something, don't half-ass.

Speaker 2:

Do with integrity, and it'll come back around to you, yeah no, I like that you mentioned integrity man, because I also feel like when people vouch for me, I feel like I can't let them down too, you know like I feel.

Speaker 2:

Like you know, recently I had a friend of mine connect me with this girl. We went out on a couple dates but, like you know, we stopped talking. But it was, it was good. Like we didn't, it wasn't no fuckery, I didn't do anything stupid, like I never was like that because my mom would always tell me like yo, imagine, if, imagine, if, like and I know it sounds weird, but like, imagine if you were going out on a date with me, would you do like this fuck boy, shit to me.

Speaker 2:

No, so like that's how you should treat women Right and my parents been together 38 years.

Speaker 2:

That's what's up, man so so like for me, that that's definitely what I want, and so like for me, that's definitely what I want. And when people vouch for you, I feel like you represent them too, man. So like with that girl, I told her I was like look, so-and-so connected us, I'm not going to do nothing. Dumb, Didn't do nothing dumb, Just didn't work out. I was like listen, like a man, didn't play no games, and I was like yo, because yo, because she's like yo not a lot of dudes your age do that also she's like, I appreciate it. I was like yo, look, I feel like I represent them. They're vouching for me. I don't want to ruin their reputation too. So that's always been the integrity thing that you're bringing up. Like that's. That's kind of the thing that I like doing too I'm sorry to me and you're just honest.

Speaker 3:

Right doesn't mean you tell me what they want to hear or that's going to be the best situation. But if you're honest, you're being true to yourself, then it's hard to be mad at you for that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and if you don't like me for that, bro, that's your fault.

Speaker 1:

I can't, yeah, but this city is so small. Yes, very true, people are going to. Like you said, we know a lot of the same people, you don't. You know what I mean Behind the scenes. So, but yeah, good stuff, man.

Speaker 3:

That was a great one I could talk to you for hours, man.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for real. We could tell you got a podcast. Yeah, I literally could talk to you for hours. I like this conversation, man.

Speaker 1:

We went on a lot of different rabbit holes, man. I liked it. Man, what's your social handles? Man, People can follow you and do all that good stuff.

Speaker 2:

I know it underscores veterans minimum and my social media is at NickDayis10.

Speaker 1:

Okay, man, check this guy out, man, Keep following him. Like you said, Chris Moran said he's a star man. He's taking over my dog and we're just putting a little flame on what you're doing, man, and we appreciate you sitting down with us. Check us out at TheVacacertcom and subscribe with us, man. So appreciate you you.