Digital Social Hour - How This Ex-Alabama Player Built a 7-Figure Marketing Empire | Mac Hereford DSH #951

Episode Date: December 5, 2024

🏈 Discover how a former Alabama football player transformed his collegiate experience into a thriving 7-figure marketing empire! In this episode, Mac Hereford shares his journey from playing under Nick Saban to becoming a marketing powerhouse. Get an inside look at what it's really like playing for Alabama's legendary football program, including exclusive stories about Coach Saban's unique leadership style and the intense team culture that shaped Mac's business mindset. Mac reveals how he leveraged his football connections to build powerful relationships and create win-win opportunities in the business world. From creating viral content across multiple niches to building equity partnerships with major brands, Mac breaks down his blueprint for success. You'll learn how he approaches social media strategy, builds authentic relationships, and thinks long-term to create sustainable business growth. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, marketing professional, or sports enthusiast, this conversation is packed with actionable insights about relationship building, personal branding, and turning athletic experience into business success. Join Sean Kelly for this inspiring discussion about football, entrepreneurship, and the power of authentic relationship building in business. Watch now to learn how Mac built his marketing empire from the ground up! 🚀 #howtomarketyourclothingbrand #howtostartaclothingbrand #7figureclothingbrand #startingaclothingbrand #clothingbrandstartup CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Balancing Ego at Alabama 00:39 - Mac's Training Regimen 03:36 - NFL Aspirations 04:54 - College Football Team Structure 13:13 - High School Football Memories 16:02 - Most Challenging Position in Football 20:59 - Partying Lifestyle 21:55 - Building Relationships 26:37 - Unique Marketing Strategies 29:30 - Transitioning to TikTok and Instagram 31:04 - Going Viral Across Niches 33:18 - Future Plans for Mac 35:57 - Final Thoughts and Messages APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: [e-mail] GUEST: Mac Hereford https://www.instagram.com/mac_hereford SPONSORS: BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/DSH LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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I don't know if there's anywhere else in the country that I'm here. All right guys, digital social hour in Nashville. We got Mac here for here today. Thanks for having me, man. Dude, excited to be here in Nashville with you and glad you can make it out here. Dude, I can see why you live here now too

after being here for a day. It's pretty, look, it's pretty lit. I tell people all the time, Nashville is a great city. Yeah. And I know you're big on sports and, uh, you got a crazy sports background, which we'll get into, but you're still really active training. Yeah. So I train all the time.

I train four times a week with a guy named Justin Todd, uh, at a gym called Athlos, talk to you a little bit about it before the pod, but, uh, he has a unique training style, always gamifies stuff, makes it competitive and train with a bunch of pro guys. And it's like, I don't know, I feel like I'm in better shape and my body feels better now than it did like four or five years ago. Wow.

And you were playing football at Alabama four or five years ago, right? Yeah, I was playing in Alabama and we were lifting every single, three times a week and also doing practice. And it's like, I felt great then, don't get me wrong. But I just think there's like a change in the way I've been working out now from then, like originally in college football,

it's a lot of heavy lifting, a lot of Olympic lifts and a lot of weight you're moving along with as well, just the training like of practices. And so now moving towards the day, the training I do, we do about 45 minutes of some kind of competitive game, some kind of competitive movement and mobility. And then we get into the gym and it's like, I don't know, I don't even know how to describe the lifting.

We had so many like hands on deck at Alabama that like after I graduated, I didn't even know how to lift because they just always told us what to do. Wow. So they were really hands on with you, like personally or in group settings? In group settings. So we would have, you know, the way it works at Alabama,

we would have lifting groups and I can't know the, or tell you the exact number of guys that would be in each lifting group, but maybe it's around, you know, 20, 30 guys. We'd split up into groups around like, you know, sometimes two to four. And we would have like a strength intern or strength coach at our rack in the weight room with every single group.

So they're super hands on. Alabama had amazing resources obviously, but the ability just like to have someone say, hey, you're supposed to lift this much weight. They tracked all of our data, how much we're supposed to be lifting so that we could see our improvement in increase in strength.

But it was pretty crazy. They're helping change the weights, and you're moving from one station to the next. It's a process. I mean, it was under Coach Nick Savin, so you can only imagine the process part of it. But yeah, it was really cool. How did you balance your ego, Alabama?

Because I'm sure everywhere you went, you were the man. Dude, it wasn't hard for me cause I didn't play as much as most guys. But there definitely was a lot of that, that the fans pump you up. And obviously football in Alabama is literally a religion. I don't think people get it when I talk about it. You can go anywhere in the state of Alabama

and you're gonna see an Alabama flag or an Auburn flag waving in the front yard and kids wearing those jerseys to school football is everything. Football is life. Yeah it really is like it's at a different level I don't know if there's anywhere else in the country that compares. I don't think so dude. Those games probably had what 20 million viewers for the like the title game. I mean I don't know the exact numbers, but it had a shit ton. Yeah. Was your goal to make it to the NFL? Was that number one goal for you?

So honestly, my goal, when I was a young little kid, we had books in elementary school that was writing about what you wanted to be. And I still have a book that's from kindergarten or first grade or whatnot that says, I want to be an Alabama football player. So it wasn't the NFL. It wasn't some other thing. It was literally just an Alabama football player. That's all I wanted to do and all I wanted to be. And so when I got there, it was like, okay, you know,

like what do I do next? Um, but yeah, I was never to be in the NFL just to play at Alabama. Okay. So that was like the pinnacle for you. Yeah, that was it. It was huge. And I think like that's why just getting there. That was it. It was huge. And I think like, that's why I love still talking about it today. It's like, dude, if you imagine having a goal and a dream your whole entire life and then achieving it, like it's massive.

The feeling is awesome. So once you achieved it, was there a moment where you were like, what's next? Yeah, I would say once I got there freshman year, it was like, okay, these are some of the top players in the country. And like, I don't even know if I can compete with them. But then after a short period of time, I'm like, dude, I'm not, you know, too far off from these guys.

And so it's then what's the next step. And that was to play like I really, really wanted to play. So I worked my tail off, did everything in my power to play and didn't play as much as I wanted to. But I really, really loved the experience. Nice. How many strings are there on that team? Dude, there's... I mean... First strings. Kick off an exciting football season with BetMGM, an official sportsbook partner of the National Football League. Yard after yard, down after down, the sportsbook Born in Vegas gives you the chance to take action to the endzone and celebrate every highlight reel play.

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Sixth string, third string. This episode of Digital Social Hour is brought to you by BetterHelp. How do you keep cozy during the holiday season? My favorite way is wrapping up in a blanket and watching Christmas movies with my family and two dogs, Milo and Otis. The holidays can be tough on people

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and ready to work with your schedule. Just complete a brief questionnaire to match you with a licensed therapist today and enjoy the freedom to switch therapists anytime you'd like in case you don't like the therapist assigned to you for no additional charge. Find peace and comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash dsh today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash DSH. Fourth string. I mean, there's even fifth string guys, uh, maybe even more than that. And the thing I would tell people that's crazy about the university of Alabama

and I'll stand on this is that guys who are fifth, like fourth, fifth string in Alabama could start at almost any other division one school. Wow. It's that deep. I think it's that deep. So were, fifth string in Alabama could start at almost any other division one school. Wow, it's that deep. I think it's that deep. I really do. Holy crap. So were you fifth string at first? Yeah, I would say just bat.

Like wouldn't even consider myself a string, just in the mix. Whoa. And then as time went on, I mean, the furthest I got was the spring game. So we have a spring game leading up to the next season, the next year. And I started in that spring game.

My quarterback was Mack Jones and I played the most reps I think on my team out of anyone. And that was the next year. Then they bought in other guys like Jalen Waddle and Jerry Judy, Henry Roggs, et cetera. I can go down the list of Alabama wide receivers, but it was a powerhouse. I think that was just one of the biggest differences

that I saw at the University of Alabama is like most teams, they've got great first and second string guys, Alabama, you know, you're going to have a five star who's sitting until his last year of college. Crazy. It's crazy. And it was easy.

My dad always was fascinated with the fact that these guys could like stay, like why would anyone want to stay? You know, if they're a five star, they know they can start somewhere else, but they're here at the University of Alabama and they know they may have to sit three or four years. We have guys like Kenyon Drake, who was a running back, who didn't play too much throughout his career and had a huge kicker turn against Clemson

in his national championship and gets picked up in the second round. Like you have guys like Josh Jacobs, who played for the Raiders, now plays for the Packers. Like Josh wasn't a like true full year starter, his whole career at Alabama and then was drafted first round. So you can, it's, if you put in the time and the effort

at the University of Alabama, you're gonna make it eventually when you get your chance. You're gonna go to the league if that's your goal. Absolutely. How high was the turnover every year? Were you in a new locker room every single year? I would say like, they did a good job of keeping guys there throughout my time and the transfer rules have changed a bit now,

but most of the time we'd see the same teammates. The biggest turnover was in coaches. I had, I think, four or five different offensive coordinators and wide receiver coaches in my tenure at Alabama, so that was nuts to me. Because you build a relationship with these guys and you grow to love them and respect them and then like, oh gosh, they're out.

And you can't really blame them because most of Saban's staff, most of the guys under Saban are getting head coaching jobs at other schools. They're getting crazy offers. Yes. I mean, you have Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss right now. You have Kirby Smart at Georgia.

You have Billy Napier at Florida. All those guys were like under Saban at one point. And there's a lot more that I didn't even speak on. But like, that's the crazy thing to me. If you want to become a head coach, like you just come to Alabama and learn from coach Saban and then boom, competing with them in the next couple of years. It's like working with Belichick, right? Yeah. Yeah.

They compare Belichick to coach Saban all the time. I mean, both of them are very similar. I haven't personally met Belichick, but Saban is just one of a kind best football coach to ever do it. A lot of people say he's the goat, right? College football. I mean, I think there's very, very high percentage. There's very few people who don't think coach David's the GOAT. Why do you, did you ever ask him why he didn't want to coach NFL? No, he obviously coached NFL for a little bit.

I think that the way he coaches his system works better at the college level. I think it's a little bit harder now when you throw in this NIL money and players being able to get paid so much like they are. But the NFL level, these guys are, it's a job for them. It's strictly a job. And so they come in, they're doing their thing, and most of them are doing whatever they're on their own, their personal life away from the stadium. In college football compared to high school, like high school, you got this brotherhood, this bond. It's not exactly the same in college. The guys aren't hanging out as much. I mean, I did because I really took, you know, was intentional with trying to spend time

with my teammates outside of the locker room. But you still have that feeling college and you still, as a coach, you can still get and demand respect from players that are younger and they're still developing. And so I think that's why the college system works so well for him because, you know, he was like a business manager at the end of the day.

Like he's up here and then you have the assistant coaches, coordinators, and then below them is like the position coaches and then us. And so if there was something that needed to be translated down to us, most of the time it came from the OC to the like position coach to us rather than directly from coach Saban. Now, if you're getting just a ass chewing on the field,

like a lot of times, yeah, it's coming from coach Saban, but it's a really cool system. I mean mean I think he would be successful at anything and everything he would do. I think he could be a great businessman honestly I'd love to see him run for president. I could see that. Yeah be dope. What was his coaching style because I know a lot of football coaches rule by fear right they want the players to be a little scared intimidated by them was he like that? Yeah I would say it's it's he was a coach where I tell people that he was loved but respected. So in this or feared and loved at the same time you

know or I think it's the I'm trying to think of the right term is that you rather be feared than loved. Yeah I think he went off of that because there was a presence that he had to players he kept a distance so there's a lot of coaches who were called players coaches and those those guys, I would say is like a dab of Sweeney, who was very like hands on with his players, knows every guy really talks to them and gets to know them. Coach Saban knew who we all were,

but he kept distance so that he would have that respect. Wow, so he wouldn't build a personal bond with any players. It would be, there were very few players that he would really build a very personal bond with in my time. Like I can think of Jalen Hurts and Minka Fitzpatrick. And he built really good relationships with those guys and was talking to those guys outside of practice a good bit.

With the rest of us, I believe he loved all of us and wanted us to succeed. But again, he kept a distance because with that distance came respect. And when he walked into a room, he know, he'd go silent like that. Like it was crazy. Like everyone's talking to the team meeting room, Saban walks in, this is our coach.

You know what I'm saying? And he's like dead silent. There's barely not many guys that can do that. I'd say Trump is one, but there's not many. Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable. That's crazy. That's smart though. Cause sometimes when I get close with, you know,

people like my employees, it kind of affects my decision making. Yep. 100%. Because I give them some leeway. Yeah. When, in his kind of style was, you know, he demanded a standard of excellence to each and every single person in the facility. Whether it was a nutritionist, whether it was an assistant coach, a GA, you know, even to the janitors. Like he had a standard of excellence and every single person had to follow that. And the cool thing was like,

if they didn't follow that standard, well then you're not supposed to be at Alabama. You're out. You know, you're out. And it was nothing personal. At the end of the day, it's just his system and how it works, his process. Yeah, he treated it like a business.

Yep. That's cool, man. It was very successful too. Yeah. What are some other, what's another big takeaway you had from him? I would say just really on the personal thing. I used to take everything personally. And I think there's power in taking things personally.

And let that drive you, let that motivate you. But his ability to help people understand, look, this is not about just you or you or you individually. This is a lot bigger than each and every one of you. It's a team. And I think that's one of the biggest things in life is a lot bigger than every single, you know, than each and every one of you. It's a team. Yeah. And I think that's one of the biggest things in life is like a lot of times, even in business, like you take things personal,

sometimes it's not going to work out well for you. You got to realize at the end of the day, it's work, it's business, and there's things that need to happen and you got to get them done. You know, and if you're not going to get them done, then, you know, it's not going to be successful. Absolutely. Any big football memories from high school or before college? Dude I had one amazing I have a lot of great you know memories from all levels of football. I love the sport of football just because of the relationships that I've been able to build has been amazing with some guys that you know completely different

backgrounds but in particular one great high school football memory there's nothing like high school football and I've been seeing this like little trend on TikTok that has this music and stuff. It gets me going, it gets me fired up. But I'll never forget one of my teammates, Evans Revere. So I played at a boarding school. So we had guys from all over, but my teammate Evans Revere was the running back

at the time, guy from Queens, New York, cousins with one of my roommates in high school, one of my best friends, Legi Portugal. But there was a game my senior year that I have like videos of it where we're playing one of my roommates in high school, one of my best friends, Legi Portugal. But there was a game my senior year that I have like videos of it where we're playing one of our rivals. I come out and I have this great block for him and he takes it up the sideline,

runs it, you know, tons of yards. It was crushing it. And it was like, I felt great about it. He gave me, he was like, dude, thanks for the block. But on the next drive, when we got the ball, we're going down on the other teams, I think like, we're like the 30 yard line or something going in.

And I run an in route, you know, cut in our quarterback Lindell Stone, who's still one of the best quarterbacks that I've ever thrown with my opinion to this day. Throws me a ball to the middle, I catch it, break like one tackle, and then I'm running down and evading some tacklers. And I get all the way down to the one yard line.

My legs were like giving out, I was so tired, but I tried to reach the ball over and they didn't call it a touchdown. And I was like, dude, I had like, I had an opportunity to get this touchdown right here and didn't get it. And I was, I was kind of, you know, one is I was happy because I made a good play, but at the same time I was like, damn. And we come over to the sidelines and I remember just like standing back on the sidelines, like dang, what's the next play call gonna be?

And Evans, our running back, looks over at our coach and says, coach, I want Mack to have this touchdown. And I was like, at that moment, I was like, damn, like that is the epitome of a great teammate, but also an awesome high school football experience when you have a guy who, you know, he would love to have a touchdown, you know, that's who they were gonna go to.

So they put me in at running back and our, you know, one of our, uh, all of our offensive line was like, we're going to do this. And we had a guy who was going to pull around the side and block named Clark Yarbrough, who was a stud in high school, like four or five star guy ended up going to Stanford and he looks at me and he just says, just follow me and Stanford, he's like, just follow me in. Um, so on that play, I got the handoff, got a touchdown.

And it was just awesome. Like I said, like the fact that you can play with guys that are willing to do that at his school in a program that are that selfless, that was one of my best high school football games. That's so cool. And was that the first time running the ball ever too? No, I'd run the ball.

I played early on in my high school career running back, running back fullback tight end and wide receiver. So it wasn't the first time I ran the ball, but it was just one of the time. Like it definitely was different since I was playing wide receiver that year and they put me in it running back. It was a really good feeling. What's the hardest position in your opinion? Honestly, dude, I would say I would say the hardest position in football from my

opinion, just from my experience, because I haven't played all of them, but I've competed against them as probably defensive back. Really? Because of the fact that the wide receiver, you know, at the wide receiver position, we have the ability to create and make what's going to happen. We know going up to the line, OK, I'm going to jab this way, jab that way, get around this guy and make a play.

Well, the DB has no clue. He's a reactor. So we're getting to make the play. He's having to react to what we're doing. And so that's why I think it's one of the most challenging positions, because you're set up in a stance, a defensive back stance. You're having to back paddle.

You're having to move right. You're having to twist your, move left and do a turn. And it's like, then you have to almost kind of just guess what they're going to do. And I just always, that always fascinated me. And when I tried to play DB for fun after practice or something with my buddies, I was like, okay, this is the hardest, if not the hardest position in football.

It's almost like a chess battle. Cause you got to think what they're thinking. Yep. You know, like seriously, dude, you, you, they, you're lining up and as a wide receiver, I know what moves I'm going to make. I can change it up again. You can create, um, and the defensive back just has to read that. And while reading that react so fast that he's gonna be able to stop you from

Getting the ball Wow. Yeah, cuz if you react maybe half a second too late touchdown, right? Yep, a hundred percent and you look terrible Toast I heard the lifespan on those or is three years really short. I think so I think for the majority of guys in the NFL, it's like a three to five year lifespan. Wow Yeah, so sure that must be the lowest three to five year lifespan. Wow. Yeah. So short. That must be the lowest compared to all other sports. Yeah, I would assume so. It's just cause your body's going through so much

like beating, you know, you're out there, you're working out, you're also training, practicing all the time and you're in pads and taking hits that are like getting hit by a car. Yeah. Did you ever worry about the long-term damage of football? I didn't learn about it. I mean, I didn't worry about the long-term damage

at the time, but now sometimes I'm like, damn, like all those times where I got hit, like I can remember one time I got a concussion and was like running sideways during practice. And when you get a concussion, you can't really think clearly. And so I'm like, no, no, no, I'm not going out. Like you're not taking me out. I remember going in the locker room and saying something like I would die for this team. Tears are going down my face.

And I'm like, now I look back and I'm like, dude, what was I thinking? I had so much CTE. I woke up the next morning, could hardly walk to my bathroom. So I worry about it now, but there's really not much I think I can do about it. Maybe there is.

No, you could get in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. I could do that, I guess, yeah. I got a brain scan and I had some TBI. What is that? Traumatic brain injury. Okay. Yeah, so I must've had concussions growing up that I didn't know about too and it was able to solve it or yeah If you do it 30 times, they said to come back and scan it and should improve. Okay, cool Yeah, any other biohacking or health things you do other than working out. Yeah, I'll take some of that

What is it called like NAD? Yeah, whatever. I'll take some of that occasionally I also will do IVs occasionally. And then just make sure I'm hydrating, drinking electrolytes. I'm pretty, you know, I've done it. Now the thing about it actually, I've done one thing that I thought was really cool and fascinating recently.

Have you ever heard of a float tank? Yeah. So that was crazy. I used to do that. Really? In Jersey, yeah. Did you find them helpful? Dude, I would hallucinate sometimes,

but it definitely relaxed me. No way. Okay, you're the first, I mean, I haven't told too many, talked to too many people about the experience but it makes me laugh you say hallucinate because The first time I walk in there I'm like, I don't know what I'm getting into someone gave me a little free trial pass So I go in there and I'm like, yeah, I'd love to do the tank for like an hour I believe was the time, you know, and they're like take a shower whatever and then you see this tube and I'm like Holy like I'm getting in this

guiding spaceship And I get in there and they were telling me the options like you can turn off the lights if you want it to be the and you see this tube and I'm like, holy, I'm getting in this shit. It looks like a God dang spaceship. And I get in there and they were telling me the options like you can turn off the lights if you want it to be the whole experience. And then there's like different sounds. And I did the highest level of everything possible, you know, that you could potentially do.

And I remember getting in there and like closing my eyes, bro, it felt like for a second, if you've ever imagined Jimmy Neutron's brain, like neural shooting off, like I felt like I could see thoughts and memories and visions like flying through my freaking brain. I don't know, it was wild. I don't know if most people have that experience

or if I was just like psyching myself out. But all that to say, that was one of those things that I've done recently that was pretty nuts. And I felt good, you know, you're an hour away from your phone, you're an hour away from thoughts and thinking and like, I feel like that's something that, you know, maybe I should do again. Um, but you know, I'm in the cold bath or ice tubs and cry row.

I do a little bit of all that, but to be honest, I'm a pretty, you know, whatever, just natural, just out there, not saying that stuff's not natural, but, uh, keep my body healthy by just exercising all the time, drinking enough water, eating somewhat healthy. And which is like 90% of it, you know, that other stuff is like for fun biohacking that's like some 1% stuff 100% yeah Jimmy Neutron though that that dude's the goat I used to love that dude it's crazy I was going through my head I'm swear I was like hallucinating it

literally was like like I could see these lines like firing off like stars or something that's what I was seeing dude stars and planets and stuff yeah everyone thought I was crazy. Well now you know you're not crazy. Or maybe we're just both crazy. We might be, we might be, man. Yeah, do you party a lot, drink a lot? I would say not as much as I used to.

I've never been a person who's had a problem with overindulgence. I've always been a person that in moderation, everything in moderation. Excuse me, broke a little bit. I like to go out though. I like to go out,. I like to go out. I think it's fun to socialize.

I think it's part of, you know, having a healthy mindset is going out and meeting people and sometimes that for me, that does come with drinking and, you know, I love to throw back a couple of drinks. I only do, um, tequila. So I only drink tequila for alcohol. Rarely will you see me with a beer or some kind of other alcohol. I will, I'll drink it occasionally depending on the vibe and the moment.

That's how I figure out if I want to drink it or not. But for the most part, I just do tequila. Cause tequila burns fat. I say to people, it's healthy for you. If you're gonna drink. No, it actually is the healthiest one. It is. And I do it with water.

So tequila water with a little bit of lime juice. Throw that in there. Absolutely. And you're getting hydrated while getting a little bit of buzz at the same time. There we go. And you've done phenomenal at fostering relationships. Yeah, I would say I've done a, first of all,

I appreciate that, but I'd say I've done a good job. Yeah, I mean, was that from the football team and you kind of just expanded from that? I have to give a lot of that credit. One, so like, you know, I'm a believer. So I'd say in God in general, like I don't want to take credit for that. Cause I think that like that gift of mine of being able to communicate and build relationships is all him really

but I would say also a lot of credit to my family and especially to my mom because She was a kind of person that is just like people compare her to the to the lady in the blind side at times The movie version I don't know how the real mom was, but my mom was always someone who always wanted to have more family. You know, not in the sense of she didn't love the family she had, she absolutely loves our family and loves us more than the whole world, but she has a gift and a skill at communicating

with others that could be completely from different backgrounds that she could be and find a way to make them feel like we're family and that our home is their home. And you know, you could see it in relationships. Like I have a brother that I say is adopted brother, not legally adopted, but it's been a part of our family that I call my brother, Kevin from Cameroon, Africa.

And so he's been a part of our family for years. And then there was other relationships that, you're like, how does the Hereford family know these people? And it's thankfully to my mom. So I'll attribute a lot of that to her and my faith and just God being able to work relationships in the best way possible. And I also think that when it comes to relationship building, I think a lot of people, they have a purpose behind it.

Whether that's like, hey, that's business, or that's for this or that. For me, it's really I'm attracted to people who are high achievers in any sort of shape or fashion. And I go into building relationships with completely wanting to know someone for who they are and build a friendship because that's what I love. And I feel like that's what, you know, a lot of people ask is my intentions

aren't to get anything out of it. My intentions are to literally become someone's friend if we vibe and relate. And, you know, I just love walking in random places, wherever it could be, it could be a gas station, it could be, you know, at the local gym, whatever it may be, just really like going up to someone and getting to know them and learn about them.

And it's just fascinating to me and it's really fun. I'm really passionate about building relationships and having good friends. All of that. Nice, I bet people love that because a lot of these influencers, they get people trying to use them for money or for fame and they hate that.

Yeah, a hundred percent. I think it's fun because at the same time, it's been something that I've had to balance and manage is like, look, I do have some great relationships and I wanna help some of these people make money, but I also wanna make money as well. And it's finding a way to like, okay, how can we all win together?

And that's been a challenge for me, but I think we're starting to come upon, starting to figure that out a little bit because I wanna help my friends win. And I think they're undervalued in tons of situations, whether it comes with brand deals or other things. And I think I may come in and disrupt the system a little bit with that.

But I love it, dude. That was the biggest challenge for me before the podcast. I had all these great connections because I was just providing value for years and I didn't know how to monetize it, but this show really helped me, dude. Yeah, dude, this is awesome. The show was awesome.

I love what you do. I think that one of the coolest things is the group message. Oh, the WhatsApp. You never know what's gonna- I don't know if we're gonna talk about that or not, but your WhatsApp message. I mean, I check it in there and it's, you know, I'm like, dang, there's too much to catch up on sometimes.

It's a lot of different stuff. But it's cool that you're developing a community. Not only are you speaking to the individuals and getting to meet people, but at the same time, you're really like connecting them and you're making a community not only are you speaking to the individuals and getting to meet people but at the same time you're really like connecting them and you're making a community from from ground up which i think is like very impressive yeah i'm impressed just the way you move dude thank you you're getting me a lot you know you're getting these things done dude like i i've always wanted to start a pod and i've always wanted to do this kind of stuff and i

remember telling one of my buddies like, dude, you just get it. Like you really do. Like you're ripping these things out. You're obviously driven and it's a good trait to have. Thank you, dude. I see it in you too. And community is everything for me, dude. And that's why I'm going to other cities and filming now

to learn more about other communities. And I want to bring them all together in a chat or whatever and events. That's my goal. Dude, a hundred percent. We got to get you, you got to stay longer next time. Yeah, I will. And let me bring you into the Nashville community

a little bit more in some of the communities that I'm in because there's some great groups here and great people. Absolutely. No, dude, community is so important. And I think people get lost in social media these days and they don't actually like value community like they should. A hundred percent.

Yeah. People don't understand how nice it is to have people who are willing to fight with you, for you, and be there when you need them. You have a unique way of marketing and entrepreneurship that is unlike any other I've seen. Yeah, I appreciate that as well, dude. Yeah, I would say it's a cool way.

Like I said, it's been a challenge. You have to make money at the end of the day. Now, money's not the most important thing to me at all, but you do have to find a way to make money. And I think the way that I've kind of marketed or do things a little bit differently is, you know, I started out, I loved social media when I got to college. I realized the power of branding because of the fact that

when I was a young kid, you know, I tell people, I could go up to an Alabama football player. It doesn't matter who this Alabama football player is, what he's done on the field, anything. If he's just wearing that Crimson Jersey, when I was a kid, if he would have told me something, I would have hold on to that my whole entire life, you know? And so it's like, wow, there's this power that you can impact people. And I think the most important part of marketing is in person marketing, and how you treat people and how the way you make them feel. That goes way beyond anything else. But if you can take that idea and push it out to more people using social media in a positive light, it's fascinating the work that can be done and the things and the people that you can inspire

and change. And so I held onto that and developed like a little bit of learned how to do graphics on my own, you know, for starting in high school for my high school teammates for graphic edits. And I was using like Microsoft Word and pages. And then I did after that, like I had found a way to, you know, connect with rappers and artists and other people who loved Alabama football. And what I would do for them is find

ways, hey, okay, like on social media, this is before TikTok, this is before all that other stuff. I was getting their music and I was learning, self-teaching myself how to make highlight tapes for guys. And so the players, my teammates loved it because I'd make them a highlight tape, but then the artists would love it as well. And so this idea where music is really popular on social media, I was kind of, I would say, in front of that wave because I was finding a way

to get these guys' music out there organically that people would like it. And a lot of times my teammates liked these guys' music and so it was connecting people. I love that. Dude, those YouTube highlight reels used to be popping back in your day. Yeah, they used to be big.

And it was always fun doing it because the people I was doing it for, one, you know, a lot of times the artist would be cool to put their music on the back of it and they would love to see these guys post it. Yeah. But two, just like, it's fun, dude. I'm getting to create something and I'm like working at it

that my teammates will really enjoy and cherish and love. And it's like the drive that I had, I can remember making Josh Jacobs a highlight tape and we're sitting in his room while I'm making it. And I'm like, this is so much fun. You know what I'm saying? We get to putting together something that he's gonna get to go look at back in the day.

Yeah, you're creating win-win opportunities. And that's something I, my whole philosophy is that if I feel like something's one-sided, I won't partake in it. Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah, it's just not worth it. You know, at the end of the day, the relationship is to me is like up here on the list and it's like how, if it's not a beneficial win for both sides, and usually I like it to be where it's a bigger win for the other person than

myself, then it's not worth it for me. Um, and I would say I transitioned. So I learned how to do. Tick tock. I learned how to do TikTok. I learned how to do Instagram and I would learn how to, you know, I just knew kind of what people wanted to hear but also it was still being myself and would be able to display that in a way

that would get me a following. And I started to experiment in all kinds of niches. I was never just football. I love like a little bit of comedy, you know, I had to do pranks. I wanted to try everything possible in every sport possible so that, okay, now I can take this and any brand out there that wants to work with me,

well, dude, I've done a pickleball company. Well, I've done pickleball videos that have done well. You know, it's a food company. I've done food videos that have done well. There's a, every single niche I've tried to learn and be able to really do myself so that I have a process that I can show to other groups and help them grow. And I've leveraged my social media side to build those relationships with brands or companies that I've worked with. And then in return, we'll do like usually

an equity deal and a retainer deal for consulting and advising. So I maintain my own work hours and my flexibility because I love my freedom while also helping them build and helping them learn using strategy or connecting them to the right people. So it's been really, really fun. You're playing a long game, man. Some people want that upfront cash, but you're like, you're like, nah, give me some extra man.

Five, 10 years. Yup. 100%. And it's fun to see how it's evolved over time because originally it's like, okay, is it just an equity piece? You know, I'm just learning about this. Now it's an equity entertainer piece. Now is this company in a position where I can just do an equity piece. And through each, uh, through each

relationship and through each company I've worked with, I've learned a ton and thankful for all the groups that I've had an opportunity to do that with. Yeah. And you've gone viral in so many niches, man. Like some people struggle just to go viral in one. So do you have like a formula that you follow? Dude, I'm not like most people who have a good formula. You know, if my brother was always really good at math, but you never teach it to me. Uh, I'm not like most people who have a good formula. You know, if my brother was always really good at math, but you never teach it to me. I'm one of those guys that I really feel like the formula is in my head in a sense.

Like it's hard to really, I wish I could sometimes pull it out and put it on paper, but there's not a specific way I do things. I like to just, I'm trial by error. And in the way that I've been able to go viral and a couple different niches is just like picking up on information. Like when I scroll, I'm not aimlessly scrolling.

You know, I'm scrolling with intent. Like if there's something that is bringing out like emotion in me, what is this making me feel like? How are they doing this? Okay, and there's a method I tell people called the blueprint model, which is the blueprint method, which is essentially this worked for somebody,

how can I make this work for me and do it in my own way that's an original piece of content? And that's done really well for me, taking other ideas I've seen and polishing them and putting my own touch on them. Love it, yeah, when I'm scrolling, dude, I'm studying the guest, I'm studying how long the video is, all these things that people are just scrolling on.

Yeah. You know? It's funny. I just scrolling on. Yeah, you know People just scroll a lot of these women say silent scrolling is the term They'll just sit there and just you know go on their phone Which if that's healthy for them great, but I'm always on there with intention for the most part hundred percent You have to be man. I mean if you look at my screen time, it looks bad, but I'm actually working You know, yeah, I'm in the DMs. That's how I get a lot of my guests that's how we met right yeah a while ago dude when you were doing the Jersey Kings no I'm not but that was a great networking tool for me because I was able to make jerseys for all sorts of

people and then I had that Rolodex so when I started the podcast because I gave so many free jerseys out to people they were like yeah I'll come on yeah 100% it was a cool, I always remember being like, dude, this is sick. Like how old were you at that time? Dude, I was young. It was freshmen in college. So 21, 20.

Dang. I mean, that's when you know. That's the vision you need though. You need to think long-term like you. Like I could have just charged people for the jerseys and then they wouldn't have come on the podcast. 100%. Yeah, dude, I love that play.

And I remember, I think you hooked me up and it was awesome because I got to wear it and then like rep it throw it up and then look we're sitting here talking. Yeah, you're talking to me. Yeah. What's next for you? Are you potentially launching a product? So I am going to launch a product I thought before this that I would have more information to be able to give out on it. Just know that I'm going to look into the consumer product space because the idea is that I've done this advising and strategy and consulting in the marketing and media world, especially for these companies. And it's like, all right, I'm doing this and helping them grow or succeed. You know, how can I do this? Because sometimes I don't want to connect someone to a company, whether I'm advising for them or not, like I believe maybe in their product, but do I believe in every single thing about the people that are working there? You know, do I think it's a win-win for the other guy? Maybe they're like,

hey, we want to offer so and so that you know this deal. And it might not be a deal that I think is a win for my buddy or friend. And so I'm like, all right, how can I make something instead of constantly going back and forth with someone? How can I make something where I have control of the deals? I have control of the marketing or at least a big hand in it. And so decided of working with a couple of guys and gonna come out with a consumer product in probably the next year and a half, I would say.

And then on the other side of things, I showed you that you took a little bit of it, but have to shamelessly plug. Yeah. Electrolyte boost. And I couldn't believe you could just swallow the powder like that. It's pretty phenomenal.

So they're the first, I believe, electrolyte company to be able to take straight to the dome is how I say it. So you can just tear it off like you did and just rip it back. It's a little bit sour for some people. I love it because you're able to get instead of putting in a, you can put this in a water as well. But instead of having to do that, like especially if you're going on a flight or if you're about to go to bed, like you want electrolytes, you it's packed with vitamins packed with cognizant as well, which is what Joe Rogan has in his alpha brain. It's able to naturally just like make you feel better. And then if I'm again, like before a flight or before going to the movies, I do it and

it's like, don't have to pee. So you're wired for the movie. Yeah. I mean, dude, like I always have to pee drinking so much water. Yeah. And it's like, we need a lot of water as humans, but I don't think we need as much as a lot of people are drinking today. It's become this new trend to carry around

like these Stanleys and stuff. So yeah, I'm gonna be an advisor for Electrolyte Boost and excited, cause I think we'll do some really cool things with them as well. I love it, man. Yeah, I'm excited for your CPG brand, especially seeing guys like Jake Paul launch his brand. And then 45 days, it's in Walmart

and it's worth nine figures. Dude, I have so much respect for both the Paul's ability to market, but also just their ability to think differently than the crowd and be in front of the curve on so many different things. But yeah, I'm excited about it. I don't think it'll be as focused. His is very attached to him.

I think that I'll have a similar model, but I think we'll use some strategic partners and we'll have guys come in who love the product and wanna support it and hopefully we'll use some strategic partners and we'll have guys come in who love the product and wanna support it and you know, hopefully we'll boom. Absolutely. Dude, it's been a blast. Any closing messages for the audience here? No, I've just really enjoyed it, man.

It's been great. Appreciate you having me on and excited to continue to learn and hear about what you're doing, think about the pod, getting on as many people as you do and having the insightful conversation that you do. And you know, looking forward to either one hopping back on at some point

or maybe I'll start my own podcast and have you on too. I'd love to be on there man. Let's go, appreciate you man. Thanks for watching guys, see you next time.