The Fire Behind Flame: Tommy McNeal on Food, Faith & Generational Wealth

0:000 secondsReal quick before we dive in, if you’re a regular here, consider pulling up a seat to the Patreon. The seat, the table, the kitchen. Three tiers starting at just five bucks a month. Built for
0:088 secondsthe people who don’t just listen, they feel it. patreon.com/tmhf podcast show. Link is always in the show notes.
0:2121 secondsWelcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of the Taste Music Show.
0:2929 secondsI am your host Ed Porter.
0:3434 secondsThis is the place for full music and culture. And how do y’all connect?
0:4040 secondsOh dude, I’m going to watch it now. I think it’s dope.
0:4343 secondsWelcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of the Taste Music Kid Food podcast show. I am your host Ed Porter and this is the destination for
0:5151 secondsfood, music, and culture and how they all connect. my guest tonight. Um, I have the pleasure of calling a friend.
0:5858 secondsUm, but aside from that, that’s not why he’s here. So, let let’s let’s just state that. He’s a uh serial entrepreneur,
1:061 minute, 6 secondsum, a community activist, whether he wants to call himself that or not.
1:111 minute, 11 secondsThat’s truly what he what he is. And he is doing some amazing things. And before we get into that, I’m going to pay him
1:191 minute, 19 secondsthe respect he so greatly deserves with this intro here. So, here we go.
1:251 minute, 25 secondsSome people walk into a room with a business card and others walk into a room with a blueprint. This guest moves
1:331 minute, 33 secondslike somebody who understands that entrepreneurship is not just about making money. It’s about building rooms, opening doors, feeding people, hiring
1:431 minute, 43 secondspeople, mentoring people, and providing that type of ownership can be both profitable and purposeful. His story
1:511 minute, 51 secondssits right at the intersection of corporate discipline and community fire.
1:561 minute, 56 secondsHe took years of leadership, customer experience, strategy, and relationship building that poured into something you
2:042 minutes, 4 secondscan taste, something you can feel, something you can gather around, and something that smells like smoke, culture, resilience, and possibility.
2:132 minutes, 13 secondsFrom McNeel management to Flame Mobile Kitchen, from businesses coaching to food experiences, from executive rooms
2:202 minutes, 20 secondsto community tables, he has built a lane where service is not soft, it’s strategy. Where hospitality is not
2:272 minutes, 27 secondspresentation, it’s legacy. And where a meal can become a meeting place for healing, opportunity, ownership, and
2:362 minutes, 36 secondsstory. This is a conversation about faith, food, business, timing, reinvention, black ownership, customer
2:442 minutes, 44 secondsexperience, and what it really means to take a turn at vision into something people can feel. So today, we’re not
2:522 minutes, 52 secondsjust talking about a brand. We’re talking about the fire behind the brand.
2:562 minutes, 56 secondsWelcome to the Taste Music Hear Food podcast show, Mr. Tommy McNeel. Oh, dope. Dope. Salute.
3:033 minutes, 3 secondsYes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
3:053 minutes, 5 secondsThank you. Thank you for being here. No, no, you’re welcome, man. Listen, that’s that’s your end of the park uh intro. Echo kid Tommy McNeil Neil Neil.
3:143 minutes, 14 secondsI love it. I love it. You know, I mean, playing baseball back in the day, I never had a intro, so now I can take that with me. No, man. It’s it’s it’s a it is a honor.
3:233 minutes, 23 secondsthere’s the one thing that I feel that I can give to um the the the guests that come on the show first off to you know sharing your time and energy with me but
3:313 minutes, 31 secondsalso as creatives um you know it’s not often that you get to hear how other people receive you or how you affect
3:393 minutes, 39 secondsthem in real time. So it’s uh I I spend enormous amount of time making sure that the angels are right. Um and it’s become
3:463 minutes, 46 secondssort of a calling card now. So I I and I you know I trade pick all my guests so there’s no no [ __ ] allowed in the chair. So, you know,
3:553 minutes, 55 secondsyou fit the bill. You know what I’m saying?
3:563 minutes, 56 secondsHey, but the fact that you was able to put that into a nice gumbo, um, man, it’s I’m full.
4:034 minutes, 3 secondsGood. Good, man. All right, let’s let’s let’s jump right the hell in. um before the business titles, before any
4:124 minutes, 12 secondsof the accolades, any of the coaching, all that stuff, and you became the version that you are today,
4:214 minutes, 21 secondshow did you learn, when did you realize that servitude was going to be your calling card?
4:284 minutes, 28 secondsThat’s a really good question. Uh I grew up in a single family household. uh four boys. Uh we were responsible for all the
4:374 minutes, 37 secondslabor work inside the house. Mom did all the cooking, we did all the cleaning. As a result, our job was to serve, was to
4:464 minutes, 46 secondsbe able to provide uh some support to her as she was out working three jobs.
4:504 minutes, 50 secondsBut then that bled into some of the work that I started doing in the community, uh started my own businesses um and uh
4:584 minutes, 58 secondsat the young age of eight. Um, but also leveraging what I looked at as great parenting
5:075 minutes, 7 secondswith care and empathy. So, some of the elders in the community who may needed help taking
5:135 minutes, 13 secondsout the trash, uh, mowing their lawn, things along those lines is what led me to really being more activating uh, in
5:225 minutes, 22 secondsthe community. So, that level of servitude really came from just good solid parenting. Yeah. Very good, Gabe.
5:295 minutes, 29 secondsYo, can you get I forgot forgot all about it.
5:335 minutes, 33 secondsUm, that’s a great segue into So, as a as a
5:405 minutes, 40 secondskid that was raised with a strong strong female figure, cuz that’s I mean most of
5:475 minutes, 47 secondsthe most of the [ __ ] all of the NBA players I know that’s doing something well, you know, um it’s it’s mom’s whether the father’s around or not.
5:565 minutes, 56 secondsThere’s something about having a strong figurehead. It’s the first woman that we fall in love with, right? Is your mother. Yeah.
6:026 minutes, 2 secondsAnd having that be the backbone of your, you know, everything that you all the skill sets you My mom told me, she told
6:106 minutes, 10 secondsme, my brothers this, like, listen, by the time you leave this house, you’re going to, you’re not going to need a woman for [ __ ]6:176 minutes, 17 secondsYou’re going to know how to sew, cook, clean, and whether you choose to have a woman around is going to be a choice, not a necessity. So good.
6:266 minutes, 26 secondsSo like there’s so many people that I went by the time I got to college like friends of mine that didn’t know how to do laundry. Like what the [ __ ] You want to do laundry, bro? You you don’t know
6:336 minutes, 33 secondshow to iron? You never even seen an iron. You don’t even know. You just out here wrinkly as hell, huh? Or if or straight from the uh straight from the uh the dryer.
6:416 minutes, 41 secondsUm that to me is crazy. But it’s a it’s a telltale sign. And another reason why um you have such a great relationship with your mother to this day, though.
6:516 minutes, 51 secondsYeah, for sure. Hell yeah. Yeah.
6:526 minutes, 52 secondsYeah. Yeah. That’s the generation of these kids today too, right? So, you know, I mean, the fact that they, you know, they are in need of more
7:007 minutesthings than other. But as a result of how I was brought up, I just, you know, a level of servitude only came with my day-to-day. And and and also
7:097 minutes, 9 secondstoo, just to be frank, and you know this just as well as I do, the community was a was a huge part of being able to share
7:167 minutes, 16 secondsthat discipline and saying, “Hey, I need help with something. and you going to come over here and help and if you don’t I’m going to tell your parents and I’m
7:247 minutes, 24 secondsgoing to discipline you no different than what your parents do and you got to twice. Yeah. Yeah. And there’s a level of accountability there. So I think the
7:327 minutes, 32 secondscommunity really was was a true uh support system around a lot of that servitude.
7:377 minutes, 37 secondsYeah. And that’s a lot of that of course is not the case today. Um for I mean it’s really not. I mean that’s what happens when when grandmas are 35 now.
7:477 minutes, 47 seconds100%. They outside.
7:487 minutes, 48 secondsGrandma just grandmother’s outside. So like my mom’s is in the club.
7:567 minutes, 56 secondsSo I mean I’m just saying that’s like and and and cooking all of the things.
7:597 minutes, 59 secondsThink about all the things that we held true to just our upbringing and rearing is not the case anymore because it all
8:088 minutes, 8 secondscame from the the patriarchs and and the matriarchs of the family. a matrix of the family where the they handed down the knowledge all the stuff you know and
8:158 minutes, 15 secondsand that doesn’t exist no more and it can’t when I got I ain’t watching your kids you I’m you know yeah in addition to that I think it
8:238 minutes, 23 secondstaught gratitude yeah because you really had to appreciate everything that you got right it it wasn’t a matter of I don’t want to
8:308 minutes, 30 secondseat this today and you know there’s some other options no no you gonna eat this or you gonna sit at this table for the next 24 hours
8:398 minutes, 39 secondsanytime I hear and Listen, every every time I even think about I can there’s a one instance where I can I’m as you’re saying that I’m looking at my dining
8:478 minutes, 47 secondsroom table and in my at mom’s house. So my mom still lives in the same place we lived in since I was five. Dope.
8:528 minutes, 52 secondsSo liver liver and onions. Yes. Okay.
8:598 minutes, 59 secondsSo So my my sister though, she she’s a she’s a thug. She she she’ll thug it out. She’ll she call your bluff. She you gonna have to we going I’mma be here then. Like me and I have to Yeah. Yeah.
9:109 minutes, 10 secondscoughing that liver and onions dica.
9:129 minutes, 12 secondsWhy? Why are we doing that? And then then I got into the culinary field and realized that for I mean as think about the what the organ does that’s a filter for waste, right?
9:219 minutes, 21 secondsLike why are we eating that? And it’s and it’s it’s you know it’s a sponge.
9:259 minutes, 25 secondsIt’s like we’re just eating like piled up waste from No, it tastes like it. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
9:329 minutes, 32 secondsLike why? It’s good for you. Like it’s like it’s all these things. Again, that’s came from grandma that telling you that’s good. No, it’s not. It’s not good for you.
9:399 minutes, 39 secondsIf you want to know how taste then Yeah. Another another thing that your grandma, don’t don’t put butter on a burn. That’s some other That’s some other old [ __ ] It’s just cuz it’s cold
9:479 minutes, 47 secondsand you’re actually cooking yourself like like 100%. Yeah. Don’t do that.
9:519 minutes, 51 secondsYeah. I set a table plenty of nights. I had a cousin who loved um uh the the liver and lamma beans, which is was the
9:589 minutes, 58 secondsspill, right? That was a side dish. Like it was just bad all around. Yeah. But she loved that meal so we would trade off. So she would eat mine and then no
10:0710 minutes, 7 secondsshe would eat her. So it was one of those things where I was able to get away. But yeah, we show we show gratitude because at the end of the day, I think a lot of the servitude come from
10:1510 minutes, 15 secondsappreciation um for what you have and knowing that others may not be awarded the same opportunities and
10:2310 minutes, 23 secondsfavor. So yeah, they’ll have anything. Also realize later on in life that that liver wasn’t bought separately. That came with the meat plan. Came with it.
10:3110 minutes, 31 secondsIt came with the meat plan. Everybody’s We got to eat. Everything got to go. We got to eat all of this. Yeah. Everything got to go.
10:3810 minutes, 38 secondsThat’s back when you used to get, you know, oxtail was part of that that meat plan. That was throwaway meat at the time. 100%.
10:4310 minutes, 43 secondsYeah. Not now. You know, meat oxtail cost more than flemen. Yeah. It’s a delicacy.
10:4810 minutes, 48 secondsIt’s a delicacy and it’s also not ox. Um that’s another that’s for another story. We never seen ox in this country ever. No. No. They don’t. We don’t have them.
10:5510 minutes, 55 secondsNot we have cows though. Cow tails don’t have the same ring. No. Um it just doesn’t. Uh, all right. So,
11:0311 minutes, 3 secondsFlame Mobile Kitchen 2021 right after, you know, the the climate
11:1011 minutes, 10 secondswasn’t exactly right for to start any any food business at all. Why? And and
11:1811 minutes, 18 secondshow well servitude is why, but how did you settle in on that as the next vehicle for you?
11:2611 minutes, 26 secondsYeah, that’s a that’s really good. So uh what I didn’t share unlike yourself who was really taught some of those culinary
11:3311 minutes, 33 secondsexperiences as a child my mother disciplined us where she stated I will cook you all will clean period point
11:4311 minutes, 43 secondsblank. So I never I never got into the habit of even having an interest in cooking. So much so that my therapist said that I married my wife I mean I married my mother as a result of it.
11:5311 minutes, 53 secondsRight. So my wife does the same thing.
11:5411 minutes, 54 secondsshe cook, she don’t have to worry about the dishes, any of that. I got it. I got the kitchen. I got all of that. So, when I thought about Flame, Flame was just
12:0412 minutes, 4 secondsreally, you know, it was an idea amongst the guys. Uh we were socially distancing uh during uh the back end of COVID. Uh
12:1312 minutes, 13 secondswe were doing it in an environment in the in the yard and so we had a uh what we would consider, you know, our kind of
12:2012 minutes, 20 secondsuh grill master. And the guys the other brothers let’s just they right right the the guys is considered the other brothers of Flame
12:2812 minutes, 28 secondsMobile Kitchen. So Flame Mobile Kitchen is a DBA of other brothers and the reason that it’s called other brothers to your point
12:3612 minutes, 36 secondsuh all of these gentlemen that I associated with uh were considered even though we had siblings were considered
12:4312 minutes, 43 secondsto be our other brother like we looked at each other as brothers and we wanted to build as brothers. So the
12:5012 minutes, 50 secondsrecommendation and suggestion was as we seen a lot of the restaurants closing down due to social distancing um that
12:5812 minutes, 58 secondsthere was an opportunity to mobilize um and at the recommendation of one of the guys who said you know what we should
13:0513 minutes, 5 secondsstart a food truck you know at that time you know I had capital um I was already into investing I didn’t
13:1413 minutes, 14 secondsknow how to cook but what I did know was sales marketing and operations I say if you all are interested and pursuing this. I’m game
13:2213 minutes, 22 secondslike we have social capital here in in the community. The work that we’ve been doing for years, I think it’s a great opportunity to explore. It’s just a side hustle how it how we envisioned it.
13:3213 minutes, 32 secondsAnd so what started off as just a food trailer experience quickly upon George Floyd’s murder became more of a catered
13:4113 minutes, 41 secondsculinary experience because people wanted more of us because they were for one supporting black community, right?
13:4813 minutes, 48 secondsthey was putting the dollars back into the community, especially in small businesses.
13:5313 minutes, 53 secondsBut then as to your point and part of your intro, the advocacy for community around diversity, equity, and inclusion
14:0114 minutes, 1 seconduh awarded us the opportunity of really getting into corporate or private and public environments that other people
14:0914 minutes, 9 secondswouldn’t been able to get into. So what started off as just a general idea of, you know, a a food business that could
14:1714 minutes, 17 secondsbe mobilized quickly turned into something else that it is today. Almost six years later, man, is is is thriving.
14:2314 minutes, 23 secondsYeah. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, the client list is is is crazy. It’s the who’s who of of of everything. Twin Cities, and
14:3014 minutes, 30 secondsthat’s a testament to to the the the work and the experience that you provide. So, it’s it’s a lot deeper. There’s a lot of people that cook food.
14:3914 minutes, 39 secondsThere’s not too many people that can give the wraparound services and the full tale experience of that’s bespoke and catered to their specific need.
14:4814 minutes, 48 secondsThat’s the other thing too. Um so so yeah, kudos to that 100%.
14:5214 minutes, 52 secondsAll right. So we gonna get into a segment called Cold Truths. Cold Truths everyone. No, not everyone.
15:0015 minutesEvery flavor tells a story. Every story holds a truth. This is cold truth.
15:0415 minutes, 4 secondsPresented by just fruit sorbetilier. New standard in sorbet. Pure fruit, thoughtfully crafted. Fruit at its most honest, chef driven small batch sorbets
15:1415 minutes, 14 secondsmade with real fruit, organic ingredients and flavors designed to hit like a perfect record at the perfect moment. So what we’re going to do is
15:2215 minutes, 22 secondswe’re going to taste an installment of sorbet because in my opinion, real conversation happens over flavor in real time.
15:3115 minutes, 31 secondsThis conver this question I’m going to ask you is going to require the pure and unadulated truth. And so let’s uh let’s start here.
15:4015 minutes, 40 secondsAll right, let’s go. It looks good.
15:4215 minutes, 42 secondsSo what we have here is uh blackberry lemonade, blackberry limeade, sorry. So it’s lime sorbet as well as blackberry
15:5115 minutes, 51 secondssorbet together. Um should be should taste like summertime in a in a in a cup. But we’ll we’ll let you be the judge of that. So, you go ahead and we
15:5915 minutes, 59 secondscan dig into this and then I’ll uh I’ll ask your Yeah. You know, this is like those old school ice creams that used to come with a stick already in them. Absolutely.
16:0716 minutes, 7 secondsNo, that’s nice. That’s a good creative. Absolutely. Oh, I I like this one.
16:1616 minutes, 16 secondsThat cut. You like them all, Gabe? Yeah. Yeah.
16:1816 minutes, 18 secondsNo, man. I hated No, no, no. Yeah, you’re right. I have mostly, but there’s been standouts. This is a standup. Okay. Yeah, this is this is a good one.
16:2616 minutes, 26 secondsYes.
16:2816 minutes, 28 secondsThe bite of that lemon and a lime. That that right there go great with a corn dog, man.
16:4016 minutes, 40 secondsThat’s all I eat. I eat like trash food. Yeah.
16:4316 minutes, 43 secondsStay fair. All right. So, here’s the question. First, I’m make a statement.
16:4716 minutes, 47 secondsSo, every dream has a public plate in a private kitchen. People see the final product, but they don’t always see the pressure, the payroll, the nose, or the
16:5616 minutes, 56 secondsinvoices, the faith, or the moments when the numbers don’t match the vision. So, the question is this.
17:0217 minutes, 2 secondsWhat’s one cold truth every entrepreneur needs to hear before they quit their job and chase the dream? M
17:1117 minutes, 11 secondsone cold truth is that they have to believe they are in
17:1917 minutes, 19 secondsalignment with their purpose before you leave your job before you
17:2617 minutes, 26 secondsseek an opportunity. It can’t be monetary.
17:3117 minutes, 31 secondsIt can’t be something that is considered to be a fad. This is something that has to be purposedriven in alignment with
17:3917 minutes, 39 secondsyou. That’s the only way that it becomes sustainability. That’s the only way that you would dedicate yourself to whatever
17:4817 minutes, 48 secondsthat mission that you’re designing yourself to have.
17:5017 minutes, 50 secondsAll the trials and tribulations that are coming. It will come.
17:5317 minutes, 53 secondsYeah, for sure. But but if in fact that there’s a level of of resilience, a level of fortitude that comes with just being in alignment with whom you are as
18:0218 minutes, 2 secondsan individual and whatever your design purpose should be.
18:0618 minutes, 6 secondsYeah, that’s that’s a great point. And every everyone that has first off commend yourself for taking the leap because
18:1418 minutes, 14 secondsthere’s tons of people who uh never have enough faith to even put forth the
18:2018 minutes, 20 secondseffort to do it. So deciding to do it is the win. This is the first win.
18:2618 minutes, 26 secondsFollowing through with it is the is the secret to longevity. Um you know a lot of people start too and just never and then that’s it. You know great starters.
18:3618 minutes, 36 secondsI this guy like look you know I can start some businesses but uh never they never actually it’s not a business until
18:4218 minutes, 42 secondsit’s it’s a self-sustained entity that doesn’t require you to be in it.
18:4818 minutes, 48 secondsOutside of that it’s a job. you just created a job for yourself and that’s not exactly um and there’s nothing wrong with the job not I’m not downing that
18:5618 minutes, 56 secondsbut a lot of entrepreneurs got it got it [ __ ] up a little bit you know it’s a it’s not exactly
19:0419 minutes, 4 secondsas rosy or as finicky of a as a place as it it it can it seems to be. Um, but like you
19:1319 minutes, 13 secondssaid, if you are if you are steadfast on being truly dialed in and willing to do all it takes, then you should be golden. All
19:2119 minutes, 21 secondsright, that was cold truth presented by Just Fruit Sorbet Ailier, where the flavors are cold but the conversations are honest. For more info, head to
19:3019 minutes, 30 secondswww.justfruits sorbet.com.
19:3319 minutes, 33 secondsAll right. Um, so there’s a lot of crossover between uh
19:4119 minutes, 41 secondsmusic and and food, right? And we talked about this often. a sidebar, there’s
19:4919 minutes, 49 secondsthere’s something to be said about the the the way that you approach business and just in general, whether it’s the
19:5719 minutes, 57 secondsfood truck or whether it’s it’s whatever it’s it’s coaching, there’s a certain level, a certain rhythm that that that
20:0620 minutes, 6 secondsis displayed. And I believe people latch on to the presentation of it all.
20:1620 minutes, 16 secondswhen you are does it matter to you when you step into a room what the
20:2420 minutes, 24 secondsactual hat that you’re wearing does does it change do you change depending on the
20:3220 minutes, 32 secondstype of meeting let me say that because you you can go from dealing stuff with flame then McNeel
20:4020 minutes, 40 secondsmanagement and now this new endeavor which we will definitely get into in a to something completely different. Does
20:4620 minutes, 46 secondsdoes it require you to have to change hats?
20:5120 minutes, 51 secondsI think the acument uh that you have based on that environment changes, but you as a person, the authenticity of you
20:5820 minutes, 58 secondsdo not. And so I am I would consider myself traditionally unorthodox. I like that.
21:0621 minutes, 6 secondsSo So I’m a South Paul South.
21:1021 minutes, 10 secondsYeah. Yeah. I’m a big boxer fan, by the way. Yeah.
21:1221 minutes, 12 secondsAnd so as a result, I don’t look at things the same. You know, I didn’t grow up in an environment where I took the
21:2021 minutes, 20 secondstraditional route. Uh I had to be more creative, more innovative. As a result, my ability or adaptability in those
21:2821 minutes, 28 secondsenvironment comes rather easy for me. I assimilate and blend in and understand the audience of which room that I’m in.
21:3821 minutes, 38 secondsHowever, what I explain to most folks who are in those environments that I coach is that, you know, you can be um
21:4721 minutes, 47 secondsyou could be a presence in the space that you’re in, but don’t overwhelm the room because it will get lost, right?
21:5721 minutes, 57 secondsJust just your presence is automatically going to be felt, right? So rather I’m in front of the food trailer drawing
22:0422 minutes, 4 secondspeople in or I’m at the boardroom in the meeting negotiating a contract, I have to be authentically me. However, I am
22:1322 minutes, 13 secondsbecause of the way that I operate will limit myself from being able to take the traditional route and really focus on
22:2122 minutes, 21 secondshow do I customize my interaction in those environments to the audience that I’m in.
22:2722 minutes, 27 secondsRight. And that that takes a a a certain type of individual to be able to one the through line of who you are is why you
22:3622 minutes, 36 secondsget into the rooms you get into one um and then but being able to to be I I call it you know
22:4422 minutes, 44 secondsgood on any Martin Luther right so it’s and and you know chicken so I always tell people I’m chicken so whe that’s
22:5122 minutes, 51 secondswhether it’s in the the the rib shack or or the fourstar restaurant you know it’s
22:5822 minutes, 58 secondsNow the the level of chicken is you know the hands are prepared at the skill level and then the room decides the the value.
23:0823 minutes, 8 secondsSo 100% and but it’s still chicken at the end of the day. I can talk to anybody and that that’s a skill set that most most don’t
23:1623 minutes, 16 secondshave. Um and specifically when they’re trying to bounce into certain different uh genres or or different rooms it’s hard for them to make that crossover.
23:2523 minutes, 25 secondsAnd speaking of that, good segway for this. You you operate in spaces where culture, business, and community overlap
23:3223 minutes, 32 secondslike seamlessly, right? How do you protect the culture while still building something scalable?
23:4023 minutes, 40 secondsUh I’m a native of Chicago.
23:4423 minutes, 44 secondsCulture is within me regardless my, you know, the way that I move, the way that I operate, the way that I dress, I can’t lose that, right? And so I think for me
23:5323 minutes, 53 secondswhen I think about the people who first, right, I would consider myself a people’s champ first, right? I’m an advocate. I hated bullies growing up. I
24:0024 minuteswas always an advocate for those that that couldn’t or the the ones that couldn’t really speak for themselves or the voiceless. And I think for me, the
24:0924 minutes, 9 secondsway that I continue to maintain is really focusing on the needs of the community first and foremost. So I I I
24:1624 minutes, 16 secondslend myself to being a part of it. I can go into the north side of Minneapolis or the south side of Chicago, feel at peace
24:2324 minutes, 23 secondsand at home, but then I can also put on a blazer and and walk and leverage that edge that the city and the community provides
24:3224 minutes, 32 secondsto me. Walk into the room and be a big advocate for those individuals who are in need.
24:3924 minutes, 39 secondsThat’s really where the focus is. I put myself in a position where others may not be able to in order to be a stronger
24:4624 minutes, 46 secondsadvocate for and I and I allow for myself to be vulnerable enough for them to trust me to be that voice for them. And so, as a
24:5424 minutes, 54 secondsresult, I get accepted back into the culture. I got guys that I’ve been knowing for 40 when I say guys, these are friends that I’ve been knowing since
25:0025 minutesthe second grade. 40 plus years who can’t believe the things that I’m doing right now based on based on how we grew up, right?
25:0825 minutes, 8 secondsBut I got people that I’ve come to meet along the way that can’t understand how I’m still connected to that part of the
25:1625 minutes, 16 secondsculture. As a result of that, I understand that there is a balance that I have been able to identify just based
25:2425 minutes, 24 secondson being my authentic self and understanding who am I advocating for and that’s primarily the people.
25:3125 minutes, 31 secondsAbsolutely. Okay, that’s a great segue for this. Then what are you currently building, man? I’m building the campus. I’m building an empire. I’m building legacy.
25:4225 minutes, 42 secondsI’m building um not only for myself but I am building a structural enterprise
25:4925 minutes, 49 secondsthat provides an ecosystem for other business owners and professionals who are looking to be developed to build their own legacy.
26:0026 minutesSo what do I mean by that? This McNeel Management Business and Event Center
26:0626 minutes, 6 secondswill be a combination of workforce management, professional development
26:1326 minutes, 13 secondswith an integrated apprenticeship through entrepreneurship. So it’s teaching people how to become from
26:2126 minutes, 21 secondsemployees to entrepreneurs through a real life work life environment where if
26:2826 minutes, 28 secondsthey aspire to go to a corporation or to a business with those skills that are transferable that’s an option but the
26:3626 minutes, 36 secondsprimary goal is ownership and so teaching employees historically known to be employees how to truly
26:4326 minutes, 43 secondsbecome an entrepreneur through real work life experiences. Yeah, that’s major.
26:4826 minutes, 48 secondsAnd and you and this is going to be located in Brooklyn, Senate.
26:5326 minutes, 53 secondsIt will be located I just recently gained site control, which is through a pre uh pre-development agreement, 8
27:0027 minutesacres of land. These 8 acres of land is going to provide me the opportunity to build out a 30,000 square foot facility
27:0827 minutes, 8 secondsthat has 20,000 squaret of event space for community gathering, conferences, concerts for us,
27:1727 minutes, 17 secondsby us, but not only us, but also provides the labor force
27:2527 minutes, 25 secondsthrough programming within the workforce management to support those events through a level of servitude, right?
27:3327 minutes, 33 secondsUm, but then in conjunction with that, there will be a state-of-the-art culinary experience where there will be
27:4027 minutes, 40 secondskitchen suite where we don’t have to go through the traditional hoteling of mashed potatoes and asparagus and salmon or roast beef.
27:5127 minutes, 51 secondsYour chicken breast chicken breast. No, we get the we get the authentic food of choice through a variety of
27:5927 minutes, 59 secondsdiverse chefs and cooks uh that would be there as a part of their business suite that they would use as a way of driving
28:0828 minutes, 8 secondsnot only their business inside the facility but to utilize that culinary and that incubation system to build
28:1528 minutes, 15 secondsbusiness outside of the community. And then finally as a part of that those same
28:2228 minutes, 22 secondscaterers, chefs, cooks, those within there will have the need for wraparound services. So we want to wrap our arms
28:3028 minutes, 30 secondsaround them and provide them a shared service space where there’s legal advice that they can get HR support if they having staffing issues. There is
28:3928 minutes, 39 secondsmarketing, social media support, there is financial literacy that’s being trained all in effort to being able to
28:4728 minutes, 47 secondscreate a level of elevated acumen for these business owners to be more than mom and pop shops. We want to be
28:5528 minutes, 55 secondsable to have them grow into Fortune50 type companies.
28:5828 minutes, 58 secondsNo, that’s that’s amazing. And it’s it’s definitely saying there a need for that is an understatement because it’s definitely
29:0629 minutes, 6 secondsum there’s so many and then being having that support system. I think that’s the that’s invaluable. Uh that you you have
29:1529 minutes, 15 secondssomebody that’s been where you’re trying to go and you know, guilty by association in the greatest way possible. Uh having that is is is
29:2529 minutes, 25 secondsamazing for for the young entrepreneur watching you. What should they know about reputation, man?
29:3429 minutes, 34 secondsEspecially in the era of social media lives forever. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It lives forever. Once you put it out there, it’s out there. And uh you know I
29:4229 minutes, 42 secondsthink reputation is something that you know I grew up with um because it was really important to be able to build a
29:5029 minutes, 50 secondsbrand around your name, right? And so I think it’s really important um to understand that reputation is nothing
30:0030 minutesmore than a short version of the long game of legacy.
30:0630 minutes, 6 secondsHow you want to be viewed. We’ve went to enough services where we’ve had passings and as an attendee of those, you know,
30:1530 minutes, 15 secondsnot to get gloomy, but how do you want to be represented in those environments?
30:2230 minutes, 22 secondsAnd how do you want your kids, if you are a parent, to view you? How do you want the community to support what
30:3030 minutes, 30 secondsyou’re doing? So, reputation is key. And it’s ideal to be authentically you and not to create a facade which could
30:3730 minutes, 37 secondshappen right in this era of IG and everybody’s trying to go for likes. Anybody got the a representative?
30:4330 minutes, 43 secondsYeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. No. Pull off the pull off the mask. It’s time to open up some level of vulnerability I think to
30:5130 minutes, 51 secondsto oneself. And although it’s scary now, I had to go and seek some help to be able to do it even myself so I could be vulnerable enough to say that I was
30:5930 minutes, 59 secondsalways I wasn’t always one that concentrated on what reputation could do or mean for me. But now that I am
31:0831 minutes, 8 secondsbuilding this social capital and building this community, they’re in support of the man that they’ve come to
31:1531 minutes, 15 secondsknow I am authentically able to be. So, you know, avoid by all means this this
31:2231 minutes, 22 secondsfalse stigma that you have to show up in this way and that you can’t be your authentic self because even reputation
31:2931 minutes, 29 secondsis showing the true colors of the downfalls as well as the the the upbringings that you have and and I think it’s really important to make sure
31:3731 minutes, 37 secondsthat you are being your authentic self the whole time through.
31:4031 minutes, 40 secondsAbsolutely. Uh talk to me about the difference between building a business in the community and building a business for the community.
31:5031 minutes, 50 secondsYeah. Building a business in community is is I’m going to be honest with you.
31:5431 minutes, 54 secondsIt’s what we’ve known for, right? A lot of these institutions, if I was to be frank and we go talk to talk, you see I roll up my sleeve. I take it personal. I
32:0332 minutes, 3 secondstake it personal. You know, I love I love I love the barber shops and the beauty salons. I love the mom and pop food joints.
32:1232 minutes, 12 secondsI love those. That’s that provides a sense of culture, but that ain’t enough. Yeah.
32:1832 minutes, 18 secondsThat ain’t that that’s not enough. The reason that it’s not enough is because it’s not it’s not necessarily replicable
32:2632 minutes, 26 secondsat the level that it’s on, right? You can’t really scale based on certain demographics because people try to stay
32:3232 minutes, 32 secondsin the community and understand that the reason that there are specific retail establishments in certain areas is
32:4132 minutes, 41 secondsbecause of the demographic that it drives. Yeah.
32:4332 minutes, 43 secondsAnd so although you’re trying to stay with the community, your product and or service that you’re looking to provide may not meet that audience. And so it’s
32:5232 minutes, 52 secondsnot scalable. M so what we have to do is really educate businesses on you know looking at geographic footprints right
33:0033 minutesunderstanding how to maximize their financial resources in order to uh start
33:0633 minutes, 6 secondsto build structure around scalability at the initial stage of launch right and
33:1333 minutes, 13 secondsnot as it go and building this plane as we go because that’s what we’re used to.
33:1733 minutes, 17 secondsSo most of the businesses that we and a lot of these financial institutions love to support are these these small
33:2433 minutes, 24 secondsbusinesses that don’t have the ability to grow. I am looking for a opportunity to build a resource center that will be
33:3433 minutes, 34 secondsable to not only educate which I think is the most important thing every school uh in terms of uh uh education
33:4233 minutes, 42 secondsregardless of what level there’s always this continuous ed we talked about the food license right like you there’s a always a a need to renew
33:5133 minutes, 51 secondsright and or elevate based on the curriculum that’s available right now the one area For one business that don’t
33:5933 minutes, 59 secondsdo that is small business owners ownership entrepreneurship figure once you you open the doors and you just open like there’s no continuing education unless you do it yourself.
34:0734 minutes, 7 secondsUnless you do it yourself but if it’s not intent we can create the entrepreneurs can create our own rules.
34:1234 minutes, 12 secondsYeah. So we don’t never have to fail, you know. Hey, in our man, keep moving the gobo. Keep moving the gobo.
34:2034 minutes, 20 secondsThat’s all we have to do. But it’s not fair to yourself. Yeah.
34:2334 minutes, 23 secondsAnd then you wonder why you haven’t grown.
34:2534 minutes, 25 secondsAnd then the fact that you haven’t grew is only because you haven’t had the structure around you to help you support the growth that’s needed and hold you
34:3334 minutes, 33 secondsaccountable. So being able to have a business center, a co-working space that you get like type-minded individuals who
34:4034 minutes, 40 secondswant to see you grow and and giving it to you the hard way, which we know as business owners, it’s not the shortcuts that’s going to get us advancements.
34:5034 minutes, 50 secondsIt’s taking that long route that we’re going to secure sustainability and employee retention and and customer
34:5934 minutes, 59 secondsretention and customer satisfaction by way of doing it the right way. So these these smaller business communities, I
35:0835 minutes, 8 secondslove it. There’s a need for it, but there is a way for us to think more audaciously in building something to support those businesses.
35:1635 minutes, 16 secondsYeah, for sure. For sure. Okay. How do you measure success now versus how you measured it early in your career?
35:2735 minutes, 27 secondsYeah, you know, success for me, uh, you know, I was in corporate for 20 plus years.
35:3335 minutes, 33 secondsUh, I retired from corporate. I like to tell people this all the time. I haven’t retired from working. I just retired from the corporate life. It sounds good.
35:4235 minutes, 42 secondsIt It does sound good, but I I actually work more now than than I did. Yeah. Yeah. But the but but success for me was was the traditional
35:4935 minutes, 49 secondsroute, right? I wanted to grab, you know, climb the corporate ladder, but when I got to the top of it, I realized that’s
35:5635 minutes, 56 secondsthis is what I’ve been fighting for all this time.
35:5935 minutes, 59 secondsAnd then there was no satisfaction because there was nothing in it for me or the those that surrounded me. And so
36:0736 minutes, 7 secondsit was really important to understand that I was able to leverage uh the resources. So success to me was taking
36:1436 minutes, 14 secondsadvantage of all if you are a nineto-5 who has a a five to nine hustle on the side. I think it’s really important to
36:2136 minutes, 21 secondsnote this is that you uh don’t jump right out into entrepreneurship without taking advantage of you are working a
36:3036 minutes, 30 secondstrue job that one that provides you security around the benefits that come along with it. And this could be uh from
36:3836 minutes, 38 secondstuition reimbursement, you going back to school, taking up a trade to uh your ability uh to take advantage of your stock options, your employee stock
36:4636 minutes, 46 secondsoptions, uh your retirement plan, and understanding how to leverage those things to your benefit. I think success to me was to learn those things and
36:5536 minutes, 55 secondsbuild that business acumen up for a Fortune50 company and knowing how they structured their business, how they provided the wraparound services to
37:0437 minutes, 4 secondsensure that the business channels which I oversaw 10 of them throughout the tenure of my last career um understand
37:1237 minutes, 12 secondswhat it took for them to be successful and they didn’t do it in a silo, right?
37:1737 minutes, 17 secondsThey operated in one. So success for me is really understanding business
37:2437 minutes, 24 secondsuh internally and knowing how the outward the go to market strategy and the push how those things go hand in
37:3337 minutes, 33 secondshand. So uh success means more about learning than it is about the journey of learning
37:4237 minutes, 42 secondsthan it is acquiring the tangible thing at the end.
37:4537 minutes, 45 secondsRight. And that and that being a forever student because that never stops. It never stops.
37:4937 minutes, 49 secondsNow, I know the answer to this, but I need you to say it for other listeners, your in your past life, your your your the career that you you retired from.
37:5737 minutes, 57 secondsWhat was that?
37:5937 minutes, 59 secondsSo, I retired from uh Comcast Corporation uh as the senior executive for customer experience for the Midwest
38:0638 minutes, 6 secondsmarket. So, I was responsible for uh supporting the customer experience of over two million customers and over
38:1438 minutes, 14 seconds2,000 employees. My job was to work inside and out understanding the analytics around consumer behavior and
38:2238 minutes, 22 secondsemployee conduct. And the job that I was tasked to do is to operate in every so
38:3038 minutes, 30 secondsit was an enterprisewide concept that I was responsible for every business channel and knowing each of those business channels so well that they
38:3838 minutes, 38 secondsprovide the utmost professional experience uh both internally as an employee hierarchy standpoint and
38:4838 minutes, 48 secondsthrough how that relays over to the consumer and spews out. So that responsibility actually helped awarded
38:5638 minutes, 56 secondsme the opportunity of creating this business consulting firm that I have that really focus around the experience and the the want to be an entrepreneur.
39:0839 minutes, 8 secondsWas that something that you did you see it in real time or was this is a is a family member that was you know
39:1739 minutes, 17 secondsis there a reason that you know like okay you know what now that this is over once you got to that mountain top you
39:2439 minutes, 24 secondsseen that this is really uh it’s not all what what it was cracked up to be what was the what was the point that that gave you the the idea to just go ahead
39:3339 minutes, 33 secondsand and jump out on your own yeah whatever I I’ll be vulnerable with with with your audience because I think is really important to be able to really talk to the audience who’s listening because you
39:4139 minutes, 41 secondsgot I had to asked that question. I know the answer. So I I want but you know coming up from Chicago uh as a as a middle child and the second
39:4939 minutes, 49 secondsoldest first and foremost I was responsible uh I was the responsible one out of uh my siblings and I had to find
39:5739 minutes, 57 secondsways of helping my mom support the household. So I started a lawn care business. This is before they had electric mowers, right? This is the old
40:0440 minutes, 4 secondsschool that you just had to push. It was it was all shoulders and back. Right.
40:1040 minutes, 10 secondsExactly. So, um uh I did that, but then also I I I I utilized that uh to build a
40:1840 minutes, 18 secondsa consumer base for uh fall leaf raking, lawn care, and snow removal.
40:2340 minutes, 23 secondsYeah. Yeah. So, I had a whole enterprise going on at 8 n 10 years old, right? Um I think that really kind of allowed me
40:3140 minutes, 31 secondslike this motivation that I could be self-sufficient. I thought that uh you know I sat in these boardrooms and I
40:3940 minutes, 39 secondsoften daydreamed a lot uh about the possibilities of what am I leaving behind if I’m giving them everything I got?
40:4740 minutes, 47 secondsWhat am I leaving behind? Yeah, you know there may be some money in the life insurance the trust the things along the lines that are put in place as a result
40:5540 minutes, 55 secondsof me having this job but then what what else? There is no namesake. There is nothing else that these uh children of
41:0441 minutes, 4 secondsmine will have the opportunity to lean on like lean on like a lot of what who
41:1041 minutes, 10 secondswe come to know as a lot of uh larger organizations that has a history
41:1841 minutes, 18 secondsand legacy of of building business. So for me it was I you know I turned 50 last year and I said to myself you know
41:2741 minutes, 27 secondswhat I am done um not looking to provide something for
41:3541 minutes, 35 secondsnot only the community but I can leave my family behind. So in those boardrooms I often sat back and just said I’m tired of working for somebody else. I need to
41:4341 minutes, 43 secondswork for myself so that my kids don’t have to work as hard. Absolutely. Absolutely.
41:4841 minutes, 48 secondsyou’ve in the past uh you’ve referenced faith is a foundation for you.
41:5541 minutes, 55 secondsHow do you know when vision is ambition versus assignment?
42:0142 minutes, 1 secondMan, you asked some great questions. Uh you know, I often tell my daughter, you know, there’s three feelings that you should have. Um and and and you should
42:1042 minutes, 10 secondsrecognize what they are, right? That’s uh mental, emotional, and then instinctive, right?
42:1842 minutes, 18 secondsMore times than other mentally, it can be easily manipulated.
42:2442 minutes, 24 secondsGet these little boys out here, they trying to run game. You got to understand it’s all mental. But then you can also be overly empathetic and lead
42:3342 minutes, 33 secondswith your heart and make decisions based on how you feel. But one of the things in my mind and because I’m a faith-driven man, the one thing that I
42:4242 minutes, 42 secondsknow when God speaks to me, he speaks to me through the gut. When you know, when you know the feeling overwhelms you,
42:5042 minutes, 50 secondswe battle typically with ourselves, and when we know we should go left, when we should go right, you feel it.
42:5742 minutes, 57 secondsYeah. Trying to assimilate, trying to trying to keep the feeling from, you know, overtaking you. Yeah.
43:0143 minutes, 1 secondThe discernment is there, but a lot of people don’t recognize what that is. And if they do, they choose to avoid it. But then the results never
43:1043 minutes, 10 secondsseem to amount to what they were supposed to be had you went with that instinctive. In my mind, it it is the
43:1943 minutes, 19 secondsHoly Spirit that’s coming over you. And so for me, the ambitions come the ambition comes along the lines of being
43:2743 minutes, 27 secondsable to drive towards something that is manmade or led. The spirit is something
43:3543 minutes, 35 secondsthat that that keeps you up at night that you can’t shake. Yeah.
43:3943 minutes, 39 secondsAnd that is always with you every day and you can’t get out of your head.
43:4443 minutes, 44 secondsThat’s when you know you’re being led in alignment with with with the Holy Spirit.
43:4943 minutes, 49 secondsWhat What part of your life makes more sense now than it did when you were going through it?
43:5543 minutes, 55 secondsUm, I’mma be honest with you, you know, and and the people that’s close to me tend to to feel a certain kind of way about
44:0244 minutes, 2 secondsthe fact that I say you can’t lie to yourself and expect me to believe it.
44:0944 minutes, 9 secondsYou can’t lie to yourself. And that goes for me too, right? If I’m not being genuinely honest with myself in terms of what it is that
44:1644 minutes, 16 secondsI want to do in effort of this level of entrepreneur and supporting community and trying to build
44:2544 minutes, 25 secondslegacy for family, if I’m lying to myself and I know that I’m not giving 100%. And or I know I’m not doing I’m
44:3244 minutes, 32 secondsnot being as obedient as I should be, then I can’t be upset with the results that I get. So what I would say the
44:3944 minutes, 39 secondsthing that I learned most is just being truthful with yourself. Being self-aware enough to know the truth that lies
44:4744 minutes, 47 secondsbehind the growth that you’re expecting to get. And when you identify that, the sky is the limit. And there’s pockets
44:5544 minutes, 55 secondswhere we all have experience that we just haven’t been able to sustain it because we then lose sight of what got us here. Yeah.
45:0345 minutes, 3 secondsRight. And then we start to venture off into a different space. But when you lock in and realize that I just have to be honest. I got to fast. Fast means I
45:1245 minutes, 12 secondsjust got to get rid of these cravings, whatever that is in order me to get closer to God, then that’s what you have to do in order for you to really course
45:2045 minutes, 20 secondscorrect and to really align yourself back. So, the thing that I learned the most was was just being truly honest with myself.
45:2645 minutes, 26 secondsYeah. No, that’s that’s that’s great. It really is. And I’ve been really uh intentional about the questions that I
45:3445 minutes, 34 secondsasked on this episode specifically because I’ve had the great fortune to be able to sit down with you on many occasions and I just wanted to make sure
45:4345 minutes, 43 secondsthat I can provide value to the people that are are watching and listening because there is definitely some gems in
45:5045 minutes, 50 secondshere. So be because of that. So how do you teach someone to think like an owner before they have owner level resources?
46:0046 minutesYou know, I used to have a a senior division leader who used to um
46:0746 minutes, 7 secondsuh practice this and he used to send this out and it was he actually made like um mouse pads. Okay.
46:1446 minutes, 14 secondsOf owners and renters the differences between Yeah. It’s a mindset. Yeah.
46:2046 minutes, 20 secondsYou know, and I think for me it really and for those I mean you could probably Google it, right? But ultimately at the end of the day it is a level of
46:2846 minutes, 28 secondsaccountability that comes with ownership like when you your own boss and and and here’s what I say right you know through my strength and strategy labs which is a
46:3646 minutes, 36 secondspart of my uh coaching firm right we do these uh sprints and then up to these two-day labs right and these are true
46:4446 minutes, 44 secondsworkshops and business labs right where we actually and I’ve expressed in no uncertain terms everybody isn’t meant to
46:5046 minutes, 50 secondsbe a CEO so just because I I know it’s sexy to be able to say I’m a business owner but
46:5846 minutes, 58 secondsthere are some great vice presidents there are some great marketers there are some great grassroot level frontline
47:0647 minutes, 6 secondsemployees that really like so when I talk about the honesty and aligning yourself with God’s purpose you have to be honest with yourself to say am I cut
47:1547 minutes, 15 secondsout for really this enterprisewide view of the business that I’m willing to take on any role that comes into place
47:2447 minutes, 24 secondsuntil I’m able to get the resources under. And if you’re not capable of doing it yourself and you don’t have the
47:3247 minutes, 32 secondsconnection to being able to pull the resources in, you may ultimately become a business owner, it may just not be time.
47:3947 minutes, 39 secondsIt it may not be time for it. And as a result of it not being time doesn’t necessarily mean that it throws you out of the game. It just means that there is
47:4747 minutes, 47 secondsmore preparation that needs to be done prior to you jumping into that space.
47:5247 minutes, 52 secondsYeah. So, I would never talk anybody out of becoming a business owner if this is what you truly believe. But just
47:5947 minutes, 59 secondsunderstand the responsibility that come along with that and know if you’re cut out for it. Because I had a business owner come to me uh and say, “You know
48:0748 minutes, 7 secondswhat? I want to partner with you because I don’t want to make all the decisions.
48:1548 minutes, 15 secondsI don’t want to be responsible for having those tough conversations. I like doing this portion of the job,
48:2248 minutes, 22 secondsright? Which is a COO. Yeah. You know, chief operating.
48:2648 minutes, 26 secondsThere’s a lot of those out there. Go get you a Yeah. But that’s all you want to do, right? So, you don’t want to necessarily do something else. I just want to be
48:3548 minutes, 35 secondsable to do that. And so, the subject matter expertise comes in that area where we can complement each other in the roles that we doing. So, I would
48:4348 minutes, 43 secondsnever talk anybody out of it. I would just say make sure that you are mentally prepared to take ownership and
48:5048 minutes, 50 secondsresponsibility for what you are looking to produce. Okay?
48:5548 minutes, 55 secondsAnd the services you’re looking to try to provide. Yeah. Listen up. Listen up. Listen up.
48:5848 minutes, 58 secondsAll right. Before I let you get out of here, I’m going to play a little game I call the lightning round. Okay?
49:0549 minutes, 5 secondsSo, I’m going to ask you a series of questions.
49:0849 minutes, 8 secondsYou know, just the first thing that pops to your head, just just shoot them on out. All right? It’s It’s only going to live on the internet forever.
49:1749 minutes, 17 secondsAll right, here we go.
49:2049 minutes, 20 secondsOne song that makes you feel like you can close any deal.
49:2649 minutes, 26 secondsOh, wow. So, one song uh that makes me feel like I can close any deal.
49:4549 minutes, 45 secondsWow, that is a that is a really good one.
49:5249 minutes, 52 secondsThis is a lightning round.
49:5649 minutes, 56 secondsI just think just want to remind everyone. Yeah. Yeah. Swiftly. Yeah. Yeah.
50:0250 minutes, 2 secondsAll I’m thinking Yeah. It’s okay.
50:0750 minutes, 7 secondsDon’t worry. the magic of editing. It’s No, for real. I think he’s been dropping pearls. So, you know, that’s why I say it. I’m comfortable cuz he dropped pearls throughout.
50:1650 minutes, 16 secondsI don’t know. K knock the hustle.
50:1850 minutes, 18 secondsOkay, that’s that’s a great one. It took you that minute to get the job.
50:2250 minutes, 22 secondsBetween that and a couple other ones, so All right, good. All right, here we go. Corporate Tommy or entrepreneur Tommy?
50:3050 minutes, 30 secondsWho had more patience? I’d say the last Tommy.
50:3950 minutes, 39 secondsThis my conscious speaker. This is your conscious speaker.
50:4650 minutes, 46 secondsOh, I sold another joke that that did not go over. One of the best tackles of all time. Maybe I should stick to the Q cards.
50:5450 minutes, 54 secondsTrey trashed him.
50:5650 minutes, 56 secondsWe ain’t seen him since. We ain’t seen him since. He’s completely been out of the gate.
51:0051 minutesBut I I would say uh I would say currently entrepreneur Tommy. has more patience that has more patience than corporate zombie.
51:0851 minutes, 8 secondsYeah, especially in this emerging development stage that I’m at. Would everybody say that?
51:1551 minutes, 15 secondsWell, I I I probably have more patience in corporate based upon restrictions you know.
51:2251 minutes, 22 secondsYeah, HR is a [ __ ] Yeah, I don’t have that now.
51:2451 minutes, 24 secondsSo, I I have to be intentional about the patient that I have.
51:2751 minutes, 27 secondsAbsolutely. Yeah, you can you can selectively Yeah, you can selectively Yeah, you can get it at any time. I have to learn how to be more patient.
51:3651 minutes, 36 secondsOkay. Faith, family, food, finance. Rank them in order on a hard day.
51:4451 minutes, 44 secondsSo, faith, family, food, and finance. Yep.
51:4651 minutes, 46 secondsSo, faith, food, finance.
51:5651 minutes, 56 secondsWhat about family? Damn. Last.
52:0152 minutes, 1 secondThose are the ones that I’m, you know, at the end of the day. At the end of the day, I I need all of those things in order to in order to take care of the family. I clean up.
52:0952 minutes, 9 secondsYeah. I like what you just did. I like what you do. I can’t none of those. That boy That boy good. That boy good.
52:1852 minutes, 18 secondsYeah. Oh, man. All right.
52:2052 minutes, 20 secondsI don’t have no money. They they like what you here.
52:2352 minutes, 23 secondsAbsolutely. Why are you here? Yeah. Get outside.
52:2652 minutes, 26 secondsAll right. Okay, here we go. Harder to manage customers, staff, family, or your own expectations?
52:3652 minutes, 36 secondsUh, my own expectations. Yeah, I would say that too.
52:3952 minutes, 39 secondsYeah, my own expectations is through the roof. I, you know, and and I’m going to be honest with you, and I’ll utilize this platform for also just man me and mental health.
52:4752 minutes, 47 secondsI think it’s really important to understand that um, you know, a lot of times the pressure that we put on ourselves is because the expectations that we set
52:5552 minutes, 55 secondsYeah. for ourselves. We got a lot of, you know, there’s a level of provision that we’re responsible for every day.
53:0253 minutes, 2 secondsAnd that level of pressure tend to really put people over the edge. And so I had to go to my therapist, have a
53:1153 minutes, 11 secondsconversation about what that looks like when other people don’t meet my expectations and what if I don’t exceed my
53:1953 minutes, 19 secondsexpectations, how am I supposed to deal with that without putting that pressure on myself, falling either to a state of depression, level of frustration, or
53:2853 minutes, 28 secondsjust really kind of some uh to mental instability. And so I think my own expectations is where I would start.
53:3553 minutes, 35 secondsplus all those years of corporate uh bottling of crash outs. So I mean you had you had that as well. Yeah 100%.
53:4353 minutes, 43 secondsAll right. One dish you refuse to eat if it’s cooked wrong.
53:4953 minutes, 49 secondsYou know I am uh a a salmon like you know how can you ruin that? Like it’s it’s there’s a bunch of places you can
53:5753 minutes, 57 secondsgo right now and and and get a [ __ ] up salmon dish.
54:0054 minutesI just don’t understand how though. And even of me as not being a a cook by any means like it you hear it and you know I
54:0854 minutes, 8 secondsmean there’s you know there’s not much you can need to do like it’s so you mentioned something you you you’re not a cook but but you damn sure
54:1554 minutes, 15 secondsjudge a fine yeah I had some money back in the day.
54:1954 minutes, 19 secondsYeah, absolutely. A good place. You know what I’m saying? I know what a good cook supposed tastes like. Like like what what that prep preparation is from a good cook. But yes.
54:2854 minutes, 28 secondsOkay. All right. Finish the sentence.
54:3454 minutes, 34 secondsReal legacy tastes like tastes like chocolate.
54:4454 minutes, 44 secondslike you know chocolate is one of those delicacies that have been a part of I
54:5254 minutes, 52 secondsmean that is legacy right I mean it’s been here forever and where other things have been manufactured and have come and go I
55:0155 minutes, 1 secondthink chocolate has always been here to stay that’s a great and listen and guess what
55:0855 minutes, 8 secondschocolate is about to be scarce as hell too so yeah yeah yeah you can’t grow enough chocolate for the for the cravings And so I mean, yeah,
55:1555 minutes, 15 secondsthat’s that’s a great one. The fact that you you even said that.
55:1855 minutes, 18 secondsUm, all right, man. Before I let you go, man, we we first and foremost, um, this episode is about more than food
55:2455 minutes, 24 secondsand business. This episode is about accountability and um it’s about taking everything in
55:3255 minutes, 32 secondslife that you taught into, you know, your corporate lessons, your life lessons, your your your your things that
55:3955 minutes, 39 secondsyou learned as a child and your inner gut feeling of what you should do as far as walking in your purpose and applying
55:4655 minutes, 46 secondsit all to whatever it is you do. And it’s about having that passion and the will and surrounding yourself with
55:5655 minutes, 56 secondspeople or places that can afford you the knowledge to make sure that you can see that through. So this was important for
56:0356 minutes, 3 secondsme to do for those reasons only. But please tell everyone out there that’s under the sound of our voices and that can see your face where they could get
56:1256 minutes, 12 secondsin touch with you, follow you, see what you got going on.
56:1556 minutes, 15 secondsYeah, that’s that’s great. Well, thank you first and foremost for creating this platform. Um, I followed you for quite
56:2256 minutes, 22 secondssome time since the start of this and the fact that uh I have the opportunity to sit next to you at the table as a
56:2956 minutes, 29 secondsfriend. Uh, I’m there’s a level of gratitude that I have and so I appreciate you. Um, where they can find me is mcneommanagement.com.
56:3856 minutes, 38 secondsThat’s mcnmgt.com.
56:4256 minutes, 42 secondsYou can find information about uh all the business ventures and the emerging development of the McNeel Management
56:4956 minutes, 49 secondsBusiness and Event Center uh all onto that website with links that will be able to route you to content uh through
56:5656 minutes, 56 secondssocial media uh YouTube, Facebook as well as IG. Um so definitely look me up.
57:0357 minutes, 3 secondsYeah. Yeah. Tap in tap in with with with Tommy, man. He’s a wealth of knowledge and he he wants to be an advocate. Um,
57:1057 minutes, 10 secondsagain, if you find value in anything that you’ve heard, seen, um, tag us,
57:1857 minutes, 18 secondslike, comment, share, uh, definitely tag this cat. Um, ask him for his, uh, recommendations on way to get salmon
57:2457 minutes, 24 secondswell cooked. Uh, and you know, until next time, I am your host, Ed Porter.
57:2957 minutes, 29 secondsThis has been the Taste Music Here Food podcast show. Peace.