Welcome to Other People's Perspective, a place for you to listen, learn, laugh, and always feel better at the end of every episode, taking something bigger away from it for you and others. And now here's your host, Freddie Kutching.

Welcome back, everybody. Um, This is Other People's Perspective. I'm your host, Freddy Cocek My guest today is an esteemed colleague, gentleman, and friend of mine, Ty Adams. Good morning, Mr. Adams.

Freddy Cocek

Good morning. Good morning. So I don't think I knew that you pronounced your last name. Is it Chutchik?

Ty Adams

There's been a lot of debate. There's a lot of debate over that. When I, you know, earlier on in my career, you know, I've heard, I've heard it pronounced all kinds of ways. Um, I pronounce it as such because that is the way that I, when I was a kid, when, when I was growing up, my grandmother, she, she pronounced it that way. And my dad pronounced it that way. So it's been my understanding and literally in, in, in the Chukchi COSEC, COCHEC, CHUCHEC, whatever, you know, our family, there's very few left. to carry on the, you know, the surname. So I was going to say, I've never heard that last name before. I don't think I don't think I've seen it anywhere. Not not like domestically in the US. You might you might hear it elsewhere. You know, obviously, it's a it's a it's a it's a Czech, you know, Czechoslovakian Czech origin. But I don't think I've seen it anywhere else. There's as far as the last remaining Czech family members. is myself, my two boys, and then I have a cousin that was my dad's brother, my uncle, my uncle's son, Alex. He's a Chutchik, and then he has He's got some kids. I can't remember if it's boys or girls. I want to say he has maybe at least one son, but there's, that's like the, the very, the very small handful of them that are, that are left with the name. So, uh, it's, it's, it's been interesting growing up with a name that's spelled like that. And nobody knows how to pronounce it. It's like, what's that guy's name? Like, yeah, I've been called. You name it. Yeah, I'm sure it's been colorful, but it's good.

Freddy Cocek

Well, well, the the the uniqueness of the name matches the uniqueness of the character known as Freddy.

Amen. Amen. Well, we'll go with that. I'll own that. I can I can roll with that. I appreciate that. You know, for for somebody to refer to me as unique. Yeah. I've been referred to as other variations of unique also. Yeah, that's funny. So you, I know when we met, we met, I think it was, I think it was March of last year when, when I 23. Yes. Yeah, it's been 23. Yes, it was it was like March of last year, when I traveled up to Minnesota, came to came to y'all's office and shop there was a built what was a built strong exteriors, correct? Yeah, correct. And out of what city in Minnesota was that?

So it's in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, but which is kind of like a outer ring suburb. of St. Paul, so it's on the east side of town, right on the Wisconsin border, actually. But still Minnesota, which is very important.

Not to be confused with Wisconsin. There's a defining line between the two. That sounds like the Texas and Oklahoma rivalry. Right, exactly. Everybody be reminded there is a border between those two. We ain't those guys and they ain't us. Right. Yeah, I, uh, I remember traveling up there at the time. It was, it was, uh, it was March. I mean, it was, it was cold and, and, you know, snow on the ground, but it wasn't, I think, I think maybe at that point in time in the year, that's kind of when things are sort of tapering off as far as the weather goes.

Yeah, in Minnesota for construction, we've always looked at the build season of mid-March through mid-November, so roughly about 36 weeks. Obviously, you're still doing business, you're still doing other things, but but because of the weather and the climate, there's not, I mean, you can still do siding and some windows and whatnot, but roofing, I mean, you're not gonna wanna do that when it's below 40, so the shingles can lay down. But yeah, so you came up for a kickoff meeting that we had. You and I have never talked about this, but what was the impetus for you joining that trip? Because you're not a roofer.

I was exactly it, you know, it was it was really kind of a. The reason I went is because at the time I was in a I was in a position where. I was, I was, I was looking for opportunity, you know, and I mean I'm always looking for opportunity but at that time. I think when it when it came up that that Ryan was going to be traveling up there, you know, to talk with y'all's group and to visit with everybody. The opportunity came about to, to join the group and travel up. And I was interested in taking a trip with some people that I hadn't ever spent any time around before. It's kind of like the, you know, it goes, it's, it's a parallel to the whole deal about, you know, getting to get into the rooms that you haven't been in and the rooms that you. You feel like you're not supposed to be in or that you don't belong in because that's how. That's how you level up. That's how you move up. And it was, I saw it as an opportunity to meet some new people, um, not only, you know, traveling up and back with a, with a different group, but also getting there to, to y'all and, and to meet some people on, you know, some completely new, new territory, new ground, new, new to me. And, and not all, not only was it a new area and a new setting, but also in a completely different space and industry than what I'm accustomed to, you know, I've been, I've been in the oil and gas industry down here for, 24 years and since I've joined and got involved with Apex back in 2022, it's been pretty refreshing and interesting and stimulating to me to meet people in different areas and different spaces and get to learn about you know, what people are doing and how they're doing it and other aspects and other areas. And also to, you know, share some about, you know, where I've been and what I've done. And, and I liked the, I've enjoyed the crossover. Yeah. I mean, the, the, the opportunity, I think, uh, I think traveling up there, I think Ryan had just kind of put it out there and said, Hey, you know, anybody that's interested in, you know, taking this trip, you know, I got this many spots open, uh, pay the fee and come on. And I said, let's do it. And I ended up, it ended up, you know, got there, got to meet you, got to meet Tony, got to meet several of your, of your people. And, and the, and then, you know, the, the guys that traveled up with, it was Ryan, um, I think. Brandon James. Yeah, Brandon. That's right. Brandon James. Kurt Leighton. And yeah, Kurt Leighton. Kurt was a, Kurt's a, he's an interesting guy. I like his, you know, his story. I wish that I had the opportunity to, to like visit with him more and talk more, but just, just that, just that trip itself, just to kind of hear about, you know, his background.

What I'd like to know is the, the count and the different types between you, Brandon, Ryan, and Kurt tattoos.

That Yeah, okay. Well, I mean, we can, we can, maybe we need to put a tally on it. And I'm not I'm not done. I still got a long way to go. I ain't even I'm trying to I'm trying to get finished and farther along. And now that I've got a, I've got a little free time, I say free time, I'm not, I'm not tethered to my oil and gas business that I had. I'm actually one of my one of my plans here in the next few months is to work on you know, I want to get I need to get, you know, to a point of what I feel is completed on this arm. And I've got some other plans and all that, but yeah, if you, if you, uh, if you want to count up all that stuff, I'm sure we could.

Oh, there's gotta be a ton, but a lot of awesome, a lot of awesome tattoos on those guys too. But, uh, I always remember the, uh, the movie, um, Romeo and Juliet. Okay. Um, and, uh, Leonardo DiCaprio was, was in that, well, in that movie, there's a, a priest and, uh, one part of the showing him, I don't know if he was exercised or what, but they show his bare back. And he has this tattoo in that movie. That was like, you know, I was like probably what. 20, something like that. I have one one tattoo. Slow down there.

Slow down. Slow down. I know. That's what I'm saying, man.

I eased into that one. But no, the tattoo that he has is it's the cross and it's the entire. Up top to bottom of his back, and then and then the cross member of the cross shoulder to shoulder, and then that cross has the you know, like for law, they have the scales, scales of justice or whatever.

Right.

Yeah. And I was like, I don't know. That's a freaking that's an awesome tattoo. So you should watch that movie and then get it.

I need to I need to go back and watch that. Yeah. I don't have anything real extensive on my back yet. I had a piece that I had done, like when I was in my 20s, basically when when everybody thought tribal tattoos were the that was like the end thing I've got. tribal tattoo from from here all around my back and onto this arm and but it's all up high and uh one of these days so not not not in the stamp region just all of the uh yeah it's yeah no no yeah no i i my my uh my tramp stamp area is still wide open for for you know suggestions and and whatever advertising you know yeah yeah you could run it out yeah that's that that's that's that's where i'm building my brand is back there Oh, I love it. Taking that trip, coming up to meet you guys, getting to spend a little time with the guys I traveled up and back with, it was a good opportunity to learn about people, to come to y'all's place, and to learn something about an industry that I really don't know anything about. And actually, I was telling my girlfriend this morning, You know, she's like, oh, who are you talking to? That's a friend of mine that, you know, is in the roofing business. And when I met him, he was in the roofing business, roofing space in Minnesota. And I said, you know, I said, since I've been involved with Apex for two plus years, obviously I knew that the roofing business and the roofing industry existed, but I was never, never really focused on it, never asked much about it or understood much about it. And I told her, I said, I don't know where in the fuck I've been all my life, I said, because I busted my ass for 13 years in the oil and gas industry. I mean, longer than that in the oil and gas industry, but you know, 13 years having, you know, a service company and a trucking business. And it's not all about the money, but for the work and the effort that I put into that deal and knowing what we generated there versus what I've seen other people do with with the, you know, the roofing and restoration on which I mean, hey, you know, it's mad respect to anyone for what they've done and how they've done it. But it's like I told her, I said, man, I feel like, you know, like I kind of missed the boat, you know, as far as the, you know, the the the opportunity potential and revenue and all that. But, you know, it's OK. It's it's. Yeah.

Well, I will tell you, you have not missed the boat.

So, you know, the a lot of I'm sure it comes with it comes with the shit just like anything else.

Yeah, well, you know, a lot of people are looking at right now, roofing is hot in the private equity space. Okay, right. And so, you know, you've got, you've got contractor owners that have, you know, started their company five years ago. And, and now they're selling to private equity for 50 million. Right. So, and I know that a lot of private equity, part of their you don't wanna miss the boat. You should sell now, you should hurry up. And I'm just like, well, first of all, because a lot of them are also pitching, you don't wanna miss the boat because the roofing and the insurance claims along with roofing, that space is changing. So since it's changing, you should probably sell right now and get out. And for me, my first thought is, well, OK, so people with a lot of money and a lot of business experience want to buy roofing companies. That means I want to stay in. That means dumb, dumb people, you know, are not doing, you know, smart people are making these purchases. Rich people, experienced people. I kind of like, I kind of like that, right? Instead of cashing out and leaving, why wouldn't I stay at the party? in some form or function, right? So no, you have not missed the boat. You could start a roofing business today and five years from now, you could sell that. I don't know what the multiple would be, but Don't don't believe the hype of missing the boat.

Yeah. Well, I say I missed out. I mean, I I'm completely content with and grateful for where I'm at, what I've gone through, what I've experienced, because, you know, my path is my path, just as your path is your path. And I'm I'm a firm believer that we're all we are all where we're at and we're all doing what we're doing and doing it how we're doing it. largely because that's just what's intended for us. Not to say that, you know, we're completely out of control of, you know, deciding for ourselves.

So now you're getting into a space that, I mean, we could talk for days, right? I mean, you get into the You can get into the predestination, that's kind of like a Christianese term, right? You know, predestined. And that is an aspect of the Bible. It's really interesting because people have a hard time swearing that we have free choice, that we have free will, that God built this with free will. But he also knows what's going to happen. So it's like... for our human minds, it's so tough to grasp something like this. So the closest I've been able to get to this, from a human perspective anyway, is my kids. Like, they have free will, but most of the time I know what they're gonna do.

It's kind of like the in that sense, maybe sort of a game of statistics based on probability, probability based on the past events or the recurrence of past events and what has typically gone on or happened prior. It's like, well, they got the freedom to choose, but historically speaking, it normally gets chosen this way. So I pretty much know, can safely assume that this is what's gonna happen or that's how it's gonna go down.

in the Bible. When I was a kid, I just remember kind of being, so I'm a preacher's kid, so I've always been around the church. And at four or five, I distinctly, first of all, I can remember back to parts of two, but I definitely from three on, I can remember big chunks of my life. So when I'm at four or five, I remember distinctly thinking, Why does God get to be God? And not, you know, like, why can't I be God?

Yeah, who put him in charge? What's that all about? How come I don't get a say in it? What's up? What happened? Right, right, right. Yeah, it's what you're talking about with, you know, where is the defining line between what is free will and what is predetermined as far as our path or our course or our destiny, where if we say, if people agree with the idea or the concept or the fact that we do have free will as humans to choose however we choose, then How is it true that such and such is predetermined, or that where we end up is because God wanted us to end up there, or we end up doing something a certain way? Well, He is infinitely wiser than any of us on earth, so You know, yeah, you can say it's it's we can call it with our understanding of it as humans. We can say, well, yes, it is my free will. And, you know, I'm utilizing my free will and my ability to choose to make the decisions to do that. But if you're talking about, you know, the human mind versus, you know, God Almighty, the creator. Right. You know, it's like he's like it's like playing a chess. It's like playing a chess game with somebody that already, you know, before the game even starts, already knows every single move is going to be made and they're going to you know, they're going to win the game. It's like that far ahead times a thousand. Yeah. So we are our concept or our conceptualization or whatever of it is. Well, it's free will. It's me deciding. But. What if it's already decided and we're the motions that we're going through. We, we, as people think that, or, you know, it's my free will and I'm deciding I'm making these choices on my own, but it's, it's already, it's really being steered by something, you know, much greater than, than what we can really even understand.

So right, I mean, just like the I don't know what the the verse is, but God says, I knew you before you were born.

I don't remember the verse specifically either, but I've heard that.

It's just one of those interesting things that there's, you know, there's there's in the Bible, there's there's meat and there's milk. Right. And milk is the easy stuff. And it's for newer believers like, you know, Jesus loves you. He died on the cross for your sins. Those are all really easy type of of things to at least conceive, right? It's easy to think that God loves me, right? That's easy. Then there's meat, right? There's things that you got to chew on. These are the types of things we're talking about right now about predestination. I knew you before you were born. Are we just robots that got programmed? Are we, you know, it's like those are the heavy kind of things, right? Or the one that you hear a lot is, why would God allow evil? Right. I mean, those are some really meaty type type things. Sure.

And then you sort of thought provoking and you can you know, there's there's layers and layers to those things that, you know, you can dig into, you know, to try and figure it out or, you know, to to to try and dissect it or think about it.

Yeah, it's, it's, there's, I think it's, I think it, it does also say that you have to wrestle for your salvation. So you have the one concept that you have the gift of salvation, but the Bible says you got to wrestle for it. Well, what does that mean? Well, we have to combat ourselves because it turns out that free will many times gets us in trouble.

Yeah, I'm just going to, I'm going to smile and nod. We'll smile and nod. I'm not going to rabbit hole.

I'll follow your direction.

Yes, sir. Yes, yes, absolutely. Yeah. Speaking, speaking of religion, you know, this might, this might sound like a, this might sound like a BS story that I'm telling, but you know, I was, I was raised Catholic. And, uh, I was actually, I was actually an altar boy in church for several, you know, for many years. And anybody that knows me now, they're like, Apparently you were an altar boy. I was like, yeah, I was, I was involved with the church and, and I don't attend, I don't still attend regularly, but I, I, I am involved with the church and I believe in the church's teachings. And people just laugh because maybe, maybe my persona, uh, the way that I, the way that I live and the way that I roll now, maybe it doesn't seem like I was an altar boy at one time. And I'm like, yeah, I was, you know, good.

Well, I can see it. I definitely see that.

Good. I'm glad you can. It's that dimple, right? It's that dimple that gives it away. It is indeed.

So, I know you're the host, but I just want to ask you a quick question about this podcasting thing, right?

Talk to me.

you're what, five, six, seven episodes deep, 10, or maybe you record.

This will be, this will be number six. Number six. Okay. Yes, sir.

I believe so. And so that's something I'm definitely interested in as well. Like you said earlier, I don't know if it was when we're recording this call or earlier, but just about the entrepreneur, you're always thinking, you're always trying to figure out how to do things better. How can I have more impact or how can I have access to that? So I mean, I've got like five ideas for five different types of types of podcasts. And it's like you and I are talking because we know connectivity from from the time that we met in roofing and business. But we're also talking because you and I have had several conversations over the last year and a half that isn't just about business. And that's what I've always appreciated about you is you're an interesting cat.

Again, smile to God. Thank you, sir. Exactly.

Unique, interesting, all of those things. But you actually have put the steps forward, put the time in, and invested your time, and I'm sure money, to get this podcast off the ground. What was the impetus for that? What was your motivation for getting into this type of thing?

I don't know what I would cite specifically as to what What what originally like what what made me kick it off. I do, I do enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to to meet people connect with people and talk with people and I feel like i've I feel like i've developed this. this interest in that more so over the last couple of years than prior, but also in the last couple of years, I've put myself in places and in positions where I've had the opportunity to be around people that, not to say that they're more interesting than the the people in the crowds and whatever that I had, you know, been accustomed to before I, you know, before I got involved with, with apex and before I got involved with a group of people that, that come together, um, you know, with their own ideas and abilities. But a lot of the reason that they come together is because, you know, one of the common threads is, is wanting more wanting better and, and, you know, one of the big common threads that I see with a lot of them, a lot of people that are involved and not just specifically people that are involved with the APEX organization, but when you start pulling people together that are functioning and operating on a level above, you know, the majority, you know, the majority or the masses of people and not that that makes anybody any better. But what I found when you start pulling those people together, you know, there's a great opportunity for a lot of exchange of good ideas about business, and a lot of stuff way beyond just business, you know, life, all kinds of stuff, you know, look at our conversation, you know, I'm, I was thinking, hey, you know, when I, you know, when I talked to Ty today, we'll talk about, you know, some aspects of business, and, you know, some, some of the stuff from my industry, some of the stuff from your industry, and then we end up in completely, you know, talking about stuff, you know, the religion obviously ties into it, but that's not directly related to business. But I genuinely appreciate that with you and with anyone to have the opportunity to talk. And, and, you know, if you get to know people on a, on a different level and on a, on a deeper level, when you can talk about more than just, you know, surface bullshit, you know, Hey, you know, how's the weather down there in Florida? Oh shit. Oh, well, it's not, you know, Oh, it sucks in Minnesota. Cause it's snowing. Oh, okay. You know, Hey, you know, how's, how's this and that, you know, when, when, when, when, uh, when, when you can, can connect with someone and speak and talk and articulate on a, on a different level. Um, I, I, to me, maybe it doesn't do that for everyone, but, but for me, I, I, I genuinely appreciate that with anyone. And I, I enjoy that. And, um, I feel like I derive a lot from it, from being able to talk with whether it's you or Tony or fucking, you know, Kurt Ryan, whoever, anybody that you can talk to and have a. have like kind of an open conversation and exchange of ideas and information. And, you know, whether we're talking about a subject and, and, you know, my, my view of it versus your view is different, but Hey, we can talk about it. And, and it's, it's a, you can have a good open exchange with somebody. I feel like there's a lot of value in that, you know, getting information from people, but also being able to give my information and my point of view or my experiences to other people, you know, and the, the, uh, I think the, you know, getting into the podcasting deal, um, I didn't realize at first, uh, you know, the, the, uh, the opportunity that it, it brings or that it can bring to an individual for you to connect to people in all walks of life, all kinds of different spaces and places. If someone, if you're not afraid to talk to someone, and if you If you're half-ass good at talking and communicating, shit, that's a plus, that's a bonus. But, you know, if you're not afraid to approach someone and have a good conversation with them or try to initiate a good conversation and just open exchange of ideas or whatever, you can find out a lot about people. And, you know, I started it and got involved. And now that, you know, now that I've got the you know, the stuff with Stoic with my oil and gas deal is behind me. That ate up a vast majority of my bandwidth mentally, emotionally, psychologically and everything. And finally, now that that's out of the way, I feel like I'm in a lot better space where I can focus on this. This isn't going to be like my only deal, but I certainly I'm also trying to learn and trying to teach myself how to incorporate this into my schedule and my life and be more steady and more consistent with it in conjunction with whatever other things I decide to do as far as, you know, pursuing business opportunities or whatever. But I think it's a great networking deal because you never know, you know, If you meet someone that you don't know, you've never known before, you never know what someone's true, what their backstory and what their history is and what they may bring to the table in talking with you or what you may bring to the table for them in talking and communicating and building a relationship, building rapport. It's kind of like, you know, the, if you don't ask, the answer is pretty much always no. So if you don't, if you don't get to know someone or you don't put your stuff out there, then. You know, the you're, you're only going to get so far, uh, in, in a given situation. And you're only going to help someone else or help other people so much. If you're, if you're not willing to just let it all hang out and put it out there.

Yeah, I don't think it's interesting about the this whole, you know, videos podcast that once it's out in the out in this internet or the ecosphere or whatever you want to call that big cloud. Yeah. People can can come upon that. It's like it's funny because I had put together a you know, for MDM 2023. And I'm sure you, Ryan did it for 24. I wasn't in this year, having just moved and dealing with life transition. But right before in 23, I think you put out like March or April. Hey, I'd like, if you'd like to have the opportunity to speak on stage, send in a video. and it's the uh the x not the expiration the due date was let's just say may 1st whatever um so i made a video and uh i remember that now okay i remember i remember 17 8 18 minutes something like that and and the funny the interesting part was uh it was like okay here's here's the deadline May 1st, 5 p.m., whatever it was. Well, at 5.01 p.m., he made the announcement, who won the competition, like, dude, you got to even get a chance. That escalated quickly. Right. Mucker. I know. But the That's not why I bring this up. The reason I bring this up is because I still have people messaging me who have seen this video that I made a year and a half ago, and they're telling me that it's made an impact in their life. You know what I mean? It's just like, it's kind of mind-blowing.

The ripple effect that can come from something, any of this, whether you put it out there on a social media platform, or if it's a video you post on YouTube, or hell, it could be something that you text message something to someone and don't even put it on social media. But as soon as it's electronic, it has the potential to end up anywhere at any time. it seems like most of that stuff doesn't go away, which is, which is, you know, there again, kind of a blessing and a curse potentially. But when, when you, you know, like you say, I mean, if you're, if you're still getting feedback about something that you put out there over a year ago, uh, and, and, you know, you didn't, didn't put it out there to reach the masses, but it's still impacting people that are coming across it. That's substantial. And I think a lot of that goes on in the social media, these different social media sites and platforms and all that. There's a lot of people that pay attention to and watch what others say or what some specific individual might say or do or put out there, but they never say anything. Because every once in a while, like I love, you know, talking about this podcasting thing. I mean, there's, there's people here and, and, you know, locally in my area, you know, people that I've known for a long time and I'm, I may not see them physically often, but you know, you, you know, if you're posting stuff on, you know, posting memes or funny shit or saying something profound and trying to be helpful, you know, you'll, you'll see them comment or they'll like it. And then, And then all of a sudden, you know, there there's people I run into out in public here in the last few months. And they're like, hey, you know, what what's what's going on with your what what's going on with your podcast and stuff, man? You know, I enjoyed it. You know, I want to I want to see some more. Let me know when you put more out. And I'm like, shit, OK. And I really I felt kind of guilty and kind of bad over the last few months because I, you know, I was just I was just like mentally encumbered with trying to get to keep all the business stuff stable, trying to get to a trying to get to a closing point and got there. And now that now that I have that behind me, I'm pretty optimistic about wanting to. I want to I want to do more with it. I want to I want to grow it. I want to I may I may jump off and start, you know, I've been thinking about this for hell for probably, you know, the better part of a year now about maybe doing this podcasting deal, um, kind of in like a, almost like a traveling type capacity. Um, you know, people that, you know, people that I've, you know, have connected with or people that I might get connected to at some point. Uh, you know, if I can build a relationship and a rapport and be like, Hey, you know what, I'm going to. I'm going to be like, it kind of like the roaming gnome, you know, like the fucking, you know, do, do this, this podcasting deal and, and travel around to some different areas and different places over time. And, you know, sit down and talk with people after, you know, after you've already had the opportunity to talk a little bit, or, Hey, if, you know, somebody hits me up and, you know, they're, they're legit and they're on the level and they're like, Hey man, you know, I want to talk, I want to visit. Okay. Hey, let's make it happen because, you know, the, the, The opportunity to connect with other people, you never, you know, it's kind of like what's behind door number one? Well, you don't know. And you'll never know if you don't go and turn the knob and, you know, open the door and see.

I think, well, first of all, you're always welcome here in Fort Myers, by the way. Likewise. I appreciate that. We have an amazing guest bedroom. Bring your boys, too. Yeah. It would be fun. But what I also kind of see that you could do very well is, I mean, The way that you look at things, right? I mean, everything's perspective. For me, it's perspective and mindset. Yes. And both are huge. I agree. Right. And you have this Now many times that that comes out in comedy, right? It's it's. It's funny, but for as many times as I've seen you post or talk about funny things. You have the ability to get deep right on several different things. So then combine that with you have this. you're a character that people are attracted to because you look, I mean, you've got this great smile, people kind of, you know, people pick up on your spirit, like when you, you know, people are attracted to that, like, because they, you know, you want to be around people that is fun, entertaining, serious, cool, all that thing. But then you combine all the stuff I see in your background and the things that I know that you do, you're going out hunting and you're, you know, you're doing all these things. I can see you, I can see, oh yeah, I love that.

Where did you catch that one? That was my, that was my Striped Marlin from Cabo on my birthday in 2022. And what did that look like? All of those, uh, all those plaque mounts. Yeah. There's, there's just a small handful of those, but all of those, my, my dad, my dad passed away back in 2002, but my dad was never like a really big deer hunter, but he did hunt, you know, he killed a few deer. I enjoy. I'm not, I'm not like a huge deer hunter, but over the last several years, when, as my boys, you know, were, were growing up, I. I tried to do it as much as possible with them for the opportunity of spending time and making memories and having memorable stuff with them. So that and I still, you know, it's a big. Uh, you know, the, the, the hunting and the outdoor stuff for me, I, of course I enjoy the outdoors period, but you know, the, the hunting stuff, it's big with friends and customers. Now, my, my kids are kind of grown out of it to an extent, but all of those, uh, all those plaque mounts back there, those were, those were the few that I, that I got from my dad that he had, those were deer. I think he wrote, my dad used to write on everything with a black marker. And so I think all of those plaques, if you turn them over on the back, they've got a like a year written on them, like 1973 or something like that. So that was like the few that I retained from my dad. And I've got a few other animals that I don't want to have a whole trophy room and a whole house full of head mounts and all that shit. But yeah, no, it's it's a. It's a means of preserving some of the memories of trips and all that stuff. I enjoy that big time. The outdoor deal, I've enjoyed it with my kids. That's another thing that One of my list items for this next year and the coming months, there's some different organizations down here in our area, as I'm sure the same type of organizations exist in other areas, in your state, in your area, whatever. But there's some people that I work with here locally that they've got organizations that are geared towards kids that are either have an absent parent or troubled household, whatever the circumstances might be. And these organizations have different programs where they kind of foster these youth and they provide opportunities to take the kids. There's group education about functioning outdoors and, and, you know, hunting and fishing and, and just basic, basic existence and, you know, not really survival skills per se, but opportunity for these kids to get outdoors and do that kind of stuff. And, and, um, a couple of friends of mine that, that, that run these organizations, um, you know, they're always looking for volunteers. So I'm trying to get more into, you know, operating and volunteering and working with those deals and in some different capacities, because that's, I never thought I'd be, uh, I never thought I would be a person, or I guess I never thought maybe I wouldn't, maybe I wouldn't live long enough to be at the point in my life where I'd be like, Hey, you know what? I want to be a, you know, I want to be impactful with, with other adults and other people, but also I, you know, what I feel like I've recognized that it's, it's exponentially more important, um, for younger generation for kids coming up. to learn, you know, a lot of fundamentals about, you know, basic life skills, you know, responsibility and accountability on personal level. You know, you start getting into kids that are like, you know, teenage years that If you, if you acknowledge, you know, if you find some kids that have an interest, or if you can get them interested in, you know, business and entrepreneurship and stuff like that, even on a small level, it's like, you know, you're driving, you know, during the summertime, you drive down the street and you see the kids, it's got a lemonade stand out there. Okay. Well, they're in their mind, their little wheels are turning. So, well, Hey, we can, how can we make a buck out here? And that's awesome. I, I want to spend more time in, in some capacities, however, it works out, you know, trying to. work with kids and, and, you know, give some of that back from, from what I've learned and what I've experienced, you know, with myself, uh, raising my own boys and. Just, just help with some of that stuff going forward. And again, I think the podcast deal is a great vehicle to help with some of that too.

For sure. And that's what I was, that's what I was going to say is, um, as far as you talked about traveling, right? Well, I could foresee, you know, an experience and a podcast, like go hunting with Freddie, go, go fishing with Freddie, go hiking with Fred, you know, whatever. you're doing these things, you're walking a lot. Every now and again, you'll sit down or you'll stop doing whatever you're thinking, have a conversation. And you can do the podcast out there. But dude, the thing about the kids, that's huge. And I mean, all kids are important, but I am gonna speak specifically about boys, right? And today's society and the emasculation of men. And, and too many, too many boys not having a good male role model in their life. And so that's, that's stuff right there, man. That's like, I'm getting goosebumps thinking, thinking about, talking about it. That's, that's the impact. Cause that's, that's like a generational thing.

Exactly what you know so so much of what kid and I had that conversation with with my girlfriend this morning. We were talking about you know stuff with you know her daughter is 9 and so she's I think in third grade and you know she's talking about stuff that she's experienced with her. You know last year versus this year and then she was talking about some of the experiences with other kids and stuff in the classroom and and you know how there's like a. There's a breakdown of. It all starts at home. In my opinion, all of this stuff, it starts at home in regards to kids. If they're not being taught or shown these fundamental things at home from an early age, then yeah, it's it makes a huge impact going forward. You know, like you're talking about generational type stuff. I mean, you know, the way that the way that kids learn at an early age or what they learn or what they're taught and shown. I mean, that's setting them up for for how they're how they're pretty much going to function and operate for into their adult lives and for the rest of their life. And if if they're not if they're not taught these things, you know, from an early age. And, you know, like the deal with boys, you know, eventually little girls are going to grow up and become women and little boys are going to grow up and become men. And if these young boys aren't being taught and shown, you know, not to say that you're trying to teach them how to be super macho man or whatever, but the loss of masculinity in the younger generation of modern males, it's a hell of a ripple effect. And if anybody takes it upon themselves to try to get involved and help. If you help and work with those kids now, you're helping to benefit them not only now, but 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, potentially.

Right. And the best kind of helping somebody, they're not going to pay you. You are doing this because it's something that is inside of you that you want to help, but you're doing it to pour into that kid. You're doing it to help somebody else, not for a financial transaction.

It will provide its dividend in some form or fashion somewhere within the universe and everything. I'm a big firm believer in that. Just because I put effort into this, whatever this is, just because I put effort into that, if it's not paying me a paycheck or it's not, you know, sending me money or whatever, that's okay. Because my belief is that if you are, you know, if you're putting forth good effort into something like that, It might have to circle one way or another, the payback, and it may not be financial or monetary, but it's gonna come to you one way or another.

Yeah, I mean, I call those the best commissions. You're not getting paid on them, but the commissions are immense. You had mentioned it earlier, impact, and that's kind of like one of my platforms I want to help people. Prior to getting onto this podcast here with you today, I was working with some folks in a construction company talking about how to get better, right? And I was talking with the guy that's in his late 20s, great guy. He asked, you know, I was talking to him about communication and he said, I said, you should ask me more. And he's like, well, I just feel like I'm bothering you. And I was just like, OK, I'll tell you if you're bothering me. But for me, you can't bother me too much if I can help you in any way. And we're not talking about life issues. We're just talking about a job. But what I know about business is if I can help somebody be better in business, I know they're going to be better in their life outside of business. That's the impact. Because if you help somebody, say this guy, he's one of the things we talked about with conflict resolution. He's a conflict avoider. But he, but he also, it was awesome communication because he was, he was saying, I've never, I've never had a job where I've had to deal with conflict. I mean, as far as he's in a position, that's like a customer service where 80% of the people he's talking to are pissed off by the time they get to him. And he's not good with conflict.

You either need to maybe consider a shift or just hone your skill set and learn some valuable tips and tricks on out to how to deal with that. Yeah, exactly.

And so that's what I just told him. I said, dude, you can text me, call me if I'm busy, I will get back. I will let you know, hey, I'm doing something right now. I'll call you back in an hour or whatever. But I want to be able to help you in the path of being a conflict embracer. You embrace the conflict because that's actually where real movement in anybody's life takes place. The growth is in the struggle. There's all these cliches, but the cliches are there because they're true most of the time.

More often than not. Heck yeah.

So in talking about this guy, it's like as I'm looking forward in the next couple of months to be able to help him frame what that conflict looks like so that there's your mindset and perspective. Yes, but I also know that he's engaged. And I also know that he's wanting to, you know, have a family and. If I can show him how to be good at conflict resolution, solving somebody's roofing problems, and that helped him solve conflict with his fiancee, soon-to-be wife, or future children. Forget about it, man.

I mean, it's huge. Learning that skill can transcend from work and business to home life and your relationship and, you know, I guess, you know, the foundation of, or one of the foundations of, you know, dealing with conflict, whether it's, you know, conflict resolution, you know, conflict, embracing a conflict is communication and learning how to communicate effectively and and nobody nobody's 100% at it, but if you if you. practice it and work at it and try to embrace it as much as you can, as opposed to turning and running from it every time you see it, you'll get better at it. It just takes work and the mindset and the willingness to be willing to face it head on instead of, you know, well, I'm going to turn, look the other way and hopefully it, you know, you know, it's like stick my head in the sand and maybe when I look up, it'll be gone. It's like, well, no, that's you stick your head in the sand, hoping that problem will be gone when you, when you look up, that's how you get bit in the ass. Yeah.

Yeah. I always say, if you kick the can down the road, the can will kick your ass. Yeah. Um, the other, you had just mentioned about, about communication and, uh, One of the, I think it's funny, some people probably don't, but anyway, God gave us three holes to communicate. He only gave us one to talk. He gave us two to listen. So two-holer and not a one-holer.

Smile and nod. Yes, sir. Well, I don't, I don't, uh, I know, I know we could probably sit here and I could, I could visit and talk with you and, and we could do this for hours. And I would, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I would like to visit with you again. I'm, I'm trying, I'm on, I'm still on the learning curve so much on this podcast deal. I. you know, they say that people's attention span is only about that long. And, and as much as, as much as, you know, there's, you know, there, there's a great opportunity for, for exchange of ideas and information. Um, but I'm, I'm learning, or I think I'm acknowledging or seeing that with the podcasting deal, you gotta, you gotta keep it somewhat trimmed down and, um, We'll, we'll have to get our heads together again and talk because there's, I think, I think there's a lot of stuff we can talk about. I don't want to sit here and run forever.

Yeah, no, no, I, yeah, I agree. I think, I think you and I are going to continue conversations whether this has been fantastic. whether I'm a guest on your podcast or you're going to be a guest on one of my five podcasts or all five podcasts.

Come on with it anytime. I, I, and I genuinely, I appreciate you taking the time today to, uh, chop it up with me a little bit and talk about some stuff. It's, it's been good and it's good. It's good to see you. Good to see you. And, uh, good to talk to you. We, we hadn't, we hadn't talked in a minute. I'm glad, uh, I'm glad y'all's transition from Minnesota down to Florida. I'm glad everything's going good, getting settled in. You like your place? Y'all pretty well adjusted, liking everything?

It's, I mean, my wife and I, I mean, we just set up this morning. It's like, We love this place. Here's how I know it's home. I lived in Minnesota, born and raised in Minnesota, moved for the first time outside of Minnesota just now, so I'm 54. The first time that I went back to Minnesota, I was generally like, this is awesome, coming back home. That wasn't my experience. My experience was, I got there and I was, yeah, I still was excited, but one of my first thoughts was, I can't wait to get back home. So yeah, it's been a real blessing and it's been a blessing to be able to work with my clients like Tony Flatima of Built Strong Exteriors, who, you know, when I approached him about this two years ago, like, hey, this is something we're thinking about. Not sure if it's going to happen. If it does happen, I just want to see, you know, if you're open to still working with me because I, you know, as a consultant with this and he's like, yeah, man, for sure. No problem. So I was like, that's awesome. That was that was such a blessing. So then once you make the movie, they kind of everything opens up to you. It's how you look at, again, perspective, right? Different things. But you're going to get me monologuing again, and it's time to go. So I wish you and your boys a happy Thanksgiving. Same to you, brother. I appreciate you. And don't forget, you are a light in this world and continue to shine bright, my friend.

I appreciate that. Thank you. You and your family. I hope you'll have a good Thanksgiving. And if I don't talk to you again, I'm sure I'll probably talk to you at some point. But if I don't talk to you between now and Christmas, you'll have a good Christmas. And if I can do anything for you anywhere, let me know.

All right.

Sound good, brother. OK, good talking. Take care.

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