The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka - 261. David Grutman: On Relationships, Miami Restaurants & Why Success Is the Hardest Part

Episode Date: April 14, 2026

The most powerful business tool in the world isn’t capital, technology, or talent, it’s a relationship. David Grutman built one of the most dominant hospitality empires in America not by outspending competitors, but by outrelating them. In this episode, he breaks down the relationship-first philosophy that took him from the back of the house at Tantra on South Beach to partnering with Live Nation’s Michael Rapino and building some of the highest-grossing restaurants per square foot in the country. CLICK HERE TO BECOME GARY’S VIP!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Get David Grutman’s book, “Take It Personal”: https://bit.ly/4mMn3xv Connect with David Grutman Website: https://bit.ly/426KZSq  Instagram: https://bit.ly/4ejDoHp  Facebook: https://bit.ly/3O53GTn  TikTok: https://bit.ly/4tCEJNW  X: https://bit.ly/4cjnz0R  LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4e4HVOb  Thank you to our partners A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD AIRES: "ULTIMATE20 " FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/4a3Duze BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp CYMBIOTIKA: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4tjyluP GENETIC METHYLATION TEST (UK ONLY): https://bit.ly/48QJJrk GENETIC TEST (USA ONLY): ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S PEPTUAL: “TUH10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4mKxgcn SNOOZE: LET’S GET TO SLEEP!: https://bit.ly/4pt1T6V WHOOP: JOIN & GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW Watch  the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps 00:00 ​Intro of Show 04:13 David’s Humble Beginnings in the Service Business 13:53 Key is Building Authentic Relationships 15:16 From Relationships to Establishing Culture 23:17 Lessons on Relationships from His New Book 27:07 Investing in New Brands 29:06 Red Flags when Building Foundation 33:04 Entrepreneurial Journey 36:27 Blueprint for Entrepreneurship 39:48 “Take It Personal” 43:41 What’s Next for David? 45:49 What does it mean to you to be an Ultimate Human? Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. It is not intended for diagnosing or treating any health condition. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making health or wellness decisions. Gary Brecka is the owner of Ultimate Human, LLC which operates The Ultimate Human podcast and promotes certain third-party products used by Gary Brecka in his personal health and wellness protocols and daily life and for which Ultimate Human LLC and / or Gary Brecka directly or indirectly holds an economic interest or receives compensation.  Accordingly, statements made by Gary Brecka and others (including on The Ultimate Human podcast) may be considered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've had more issues with success than I have with failure. People don't talk about enough as once you're on top of the world, how does that affect you? Because that's where, for me, was the most challenging. You go from the back of the house where you're in the service business to now where you're running multiple service businesses. To manage it at scale, that's what fascinates me. Listen, it's a grind and there's ups and downs. I think at the end of the day, everything I do is just about building a brand. I don't think that most people realize the intellectual property they have in themselves.

that I've built relationships where people feel like there's a long game with me. Instead, I want to invest in your brand. I want to grow your brand. Relationships meant so much to me that it's the greatest way to push a brand. Where do you think a lot of entrepreneurs that have their head down are going wrong in building the foundation of their business? I think the most important thing for people out there is. Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast. Every once in a while, somebody sits down in this chair and reminds me that optimizing your life isn't just about what's happening inside your cells. It's about what you're building with the time you've been given. Dave Grutman was my very first podcast guest. He was one of the first people to believe in me when nobody knew who

Gary Brecker was. Today, he runs one of the highest grossing restaurant empires in America, Groot Hospitality, Live Nightclub, Poppy Steak, one of the highest grossing restaurants per square foot in the entire country. Live Nation is his partner. Kim Kardashian wrote his forward. Johnny Ive designed his book cover. But here's what sets Dave apart from every other name in the hospital. space. It all comes back to relationships. His new book, Take It Personal, is the blueprint for any entrepreneur who wants to build something that lasts. This conversation is going to change the way you think about business, legacy, and loyalty. Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human Podcast. I'm your host, human biologist Gary Brecker, where we go down the road of everything, anti-aging, biohacking,

and everything in between, longevity. And today's guest, we're taking you back. We're harkening you back to my very, very, very first podcast episode. He was my very first guest. He was one of the early believers in Gary Brecker. He was one of my earliest celebrity clients. And before we even start to podcast and I introduce this guest, I'm going to give him an enormous thank you

because this man helped to put Gary Brecka on the map when nobody knew who Gary Brecker was. The level of trusting confidence he's had in me, my family, my daughter Madison, has been second to none. He's become a very good friend, and I'm honored to have them back on the podcast. Welcome back, Dave Grutman.

This makes me happy. Yeah, yes. And I really do mean that. You know, it's, and I got to tell the reader something, I mean, listen to it. I just got goosebumps thinking about this. In 2021, 2021, I was living in the Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles. And I got into a skirmish, for lack of better words, with a very major celebrity. A few.

I won't say who it is. It was a few at one time because they were all in the same family. Correct. And it was devastating. And someone had taken pictures of them in my unit. I didn't police it. Ended up getting put out on social media. Family rightfully flipped out.

They called you, said, this guy is a scam. He's using our name. And he flipped out. I will never forget that you called me. And you said, the best advice that I can give you is to play the long game. And now here it is manifested in this book. So this is not something that you just threw into words or had some ghostwriter put into print.

This is something you've been living your whole career. Correct. And that was five years ago. Right. And what you told me was, and I'll never forget it, some of the best advice I've ever gotten, you said, when you're working with these people, Gary, focus on the relationship, get into their flow.

Don't ask them for everything. Respond to anything. And it'll all work out. And be honest. And I've followed that advice, and it's been some of the best advice I've ever gotten. And that's why I'm a big proponent of your book. And that's why I would really recommend this is not just for people that are in the hospitality space or want to start a restaurant or a nightclub or be in the entertainment business. This is for any entrepreneur that is not yet aware of the foundational importance of relationships.

It's the start of everything that I do. Yeah. And we've had a health journey, too. Yeah, of course. I used to know Big Dave. I knew Fat Dave. He was a friend of mine. I look at those fat Dave pictures,

and it still makes me like, ah, like that, but it makes this part so much more rewarding. Yeah. And I know that, I mean, that's where we started. You know, our journey began there. And, you know, I had a very, very, very short stint in the nightclub business, former. We don't want to talk about those college days.

No, we don't want to do that. But you were actually working at Tantra. Yes, yes. I mean, I'm going back now. You did a little mint thing for a second. Yeah. And Tantra was my first place I worked out on South Beach where they had the grass on the floor.

Small place, but it was crazy. It was insane. It was probably the greatest thing. Hammocks in the ceiling. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, they brought it to another level. You know, when I close my eyes and think of that snap,

shot to where you are now, maybe the most influential name in the entire hospitality space. It's, it's, don't, don't be humble right now. You're on the ultimate human podcast. The name of the podcast is Ultimate Human Dave. Okay, okay, okay. I only put Ultimate Humans on him. That's it. So, you know, I, I want to back up for my, for my listeners and I want to talk a little bit about that journey. Obviously, I want to get into the book too, but I want to talk a little bit about that journey. Yeah, I mean, listen, um, Journey was being a back-of-the-house guy, just making sure that you,

I used other brands marketing equity to kind of build my brand, because I didn't really have budgets in those kind of restaurants and nightclubs. And by doing partnerships with other brands and using their equity to push my brand, I saw the value in that. And I kind of like scaled my whole life to that,

that relationships, relationships, meant so much to me that, yeah, It's the greatest way to push a brand. And I think at the end of the day, we're all just building brands. You talk a lot in the book about your own personal brand. You actually talk about your IP being everything.

Right. It's Chapter 7 or Chapter 8. And you talk about your IP being everything. And I don't think that most people realize the intellectual property they have in themselves. Right. Of course. Their name image and likeness, their NIL.

Yeah. And whatever business they start either. They need to make sure whatever you're doing, it's about IP. You have to have ownership of the name. Mm. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs are even unaware that you can trademark your name. You can copyright your content.

You know, until I got into this business, media, you know, producing media, I didn't even know that I copyrighted my podcast and I could stop people from republishing it, you know, publishing it. I didn't realize the value in owning my own NIL, my own name, image, and likeness. But you talk a lot about that. I want to understand, like, you know, you go from the back of the house where you're in the service business. to now where you're running multiple service businesses. And that is like, that's a long trajectory because I think you did it in the most competitive market and maybe the industry with the most amount of sharks

and landmines because you've got employees and in that space, the nightclub space, the restaurant space, I had a short stint in the restaurant space too. Everybody was sleeping with everybody and everybody was stealing from everybody. There's a lot of stuff that goes on. It's a lot of nonsense. to manage it at scale.

That's what fascinates me. I think everybody can get to get one place right, but to do it at scale. Yeah, I think, listen, it's just about building the team. And I would love to say, hey, look at me, look at me, look what I did. But if I didn't have the team around me, then I would be a zero.

And, you know, as you keep growing and growing, people also, they want to do their own thing too. So you want to also try to career path people to be in your company for a long time, So I love to see when people leave and they go be entrepreneurs as well. Do you ever have you had people that have work with you, been a part of this journey left and have now come back into your life as partners or joint ventures? So I've had people that were partners that left to go do their own thing.

And no, they haven't come back, but they do their own thing. And, you know, I don't. I don't know how that. You can say it, Dave. We can throw them under the bus. We need names. No, I don't know how that works out for, you know, listen. We'll stop them on social media.

You know, everybody thinks grass is greener on the other side. And sometimes I'm sure it is. And people have to figure out their own journey, their own path too. And I can't like, I don't, you know, of course I hate it in the beginning. I'm like, oh, this person's leaving. But you know what? Stabbed in the back again. No, it's okay.

But I got to tell you, I've had some people that work, I've worked for me for over 20 years. and I love to see that they've come along with me for the whole journey, and I've made some people millionaires. So I think that's a good thing as well. So, but on this rise, because when you were back of the house, were you that guy that actually, did you always think I'm destined for more? Was it because I wanted to make more money? I saw myself as an owner.

Like, what was the vision like? Because so many entrepreneurs have to, I think they get into this for the wrong. reason they're like I want to set my own hours I want to be my own boss right right set your own hours that's the greatest thing I ever heard the best thing about being an entrepreneur setting your own hours guys running you want to own your own business because you want to set your own hours entrepreneurship should be for you because you're right it's from nine to nine that's your hours in entrepreneurship I love that people are like oh if I if I if I own my own company I could just you know take off whenever I want I could take as long as vacations I can

work remote. No one's going to tell me what to do. I love the reality check in something like that. I mean, my phone is, I'm answering texts from the second I wake up to the second I go to sleep and then I wake up in the middle of the night and I have to go to the bathroom. And I check my phone then too. The concern and worry you have is not like anything else. Of course, everyone gets paid before you and everyone gets their bonuses before you get. And, you know, hopefully at the end, there's a little bit left over for you as well. That being said, I couldn't be any happier doing it my way. You know, I was interviewing a very wealthy entrepreneur one time, and he said,

I've never owned a business. All my businesses have owned me. And I was like, it's actually kind of an interesting philosophy. Yeah, and also people are like, you know, like servers, they get 18 to 20% gratuity added to every check. So that means they're my 20% partner on the gross. Yeah. I made my money just on the gross and not on EBITA or anything like that. But, you know, that's how I kind of look at things too.

And that's kind of how I try to create hospitality within the place and ownership. I want everyone to take ownership of their place. And if a server, busser, bartender, bar, they all think that they're all part of this, this service charge, just gratuity that is really a percentage of the gross sales. This is their place. They should take as much ownership as I am. They're my partners. Yeah.

You know, one of the things I've noticed and I've been fascinated by is, you know, you've grown some of these concepts, Poppy Steak. Sure. One of the, and if I misquoted, tell me that I misquoted it. But one of the highest grossing, if not the highest grossing restaurant per square foot. I think it's by far one of the highest grossing restaurants per square foot with my partner, Poppy, David Einhorn, the greatest. Yeah.

And what a great story that's been to see him grow and skyrocket and just be there to be his partner and to help put him on the platform. that he's just accelerated beyond anything I could have ever expected. I've never seen somebody wear a diamond T-bone steak. By the way, that's a Tomahawk. It's a Tomahawk diamond. And he's given some out to some very famous people that takes such pride in it. Yeah.

That's cool. But, you know, I'm always looking for, not the basic advice, build a good team, you know, work hard, you know, be honest. There's, there had to be. In fact, I know there was, because I remember you had a stint with the opium group for a while. You were at Mansion, either Prevei or Skybar. Prevei, Opium Garden, Mansion, and Roman Jones, who owned that, you know, now owns Kiki on the River and Habibi. Yeah, yeah.

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we'd love to have you join our challenge on April 29th. Now let's get back to the Ultimate Human Podcast. Yeah, no, I mean, they're all great guys, but I think there are people that were in that sphere that were, I would say, maybe equally as talented, maybe equally as connected. But this meteoric rise that you had, what was the it factor? I think you take it mostly back to relationships. Always, it always stems back to relationships and building those relationships for those years.

At that time, it was just, Miami was one of these places where people would come to one or two times a year. And I wanted to make sure that experience when they came to Miami was the greatest from the second they got there, even if it wasn't at one of the places I was with, I would take. to winwood at the time and when was just a bustle it was just starting out then but it was very underground and i would take them there i would take them to a meal and order stuff off the menu to just blow them away all these little things that make people feel like that you care is the the reason why is how you start to build relationships yeah you've done this for me a number of times too for my for my

son's birthday you know um just the way the way that your staff handled things cutouts of his head you they went and they they they pulled images of him off of social media but she doesn't have much on social media. He doesn't. He was very anti-social media. We had it, I think Madison had like supplies with some pictures. Yeah. This is Cole's Twit, which by the way was the last time. Oh no, I actually did not drink that night. I was the sober skipper that night. Is that true? That is true. I had actually gotten a stem cell IV that morning so I couldn't drink that night. So I was actually the designated driver. Okay. Yeah. But listen, anything you can make someone feel special, any little thing that you could think of either a name on a menu, uh, calling them by the name,

Remembering their favorite drink. Remember their favorite food? Now, we have a lot of technology now in the restaurants that help us with that too. Like we are able to now see all your track records, see everything you're doing, see what's your favorite cocktail, and make sure we can have those waiting for you when you arrive.

Yeah, but I think what happens to most businesses when they start to scale is you lose the founder's compulsion for these relationships. And, you know, like when I have people in the podcast, I'm always impressed by, like, great athleticism. I'm even more impressed by someone who can dominate their sport for a long period of time. The Tom Brady's, the Lance Armstrongs,

anyone can be great ones. You know, you spur up a nightclub, but the hospitality group creates these relationships and these environments at scale. So at some point, you've got to create a culture that's actually taking, you know, your heart, your desire, your compulsion for relationships. And you've got to somehow weave it into that culture

because you're not everywhere all the time. Well, Gary, that's why it's so great to career path people within your own company because they know your DNA, they know how you think, they know what you're doing. And the longer people have been with me, you know, it's been great. I've had the same chief of staff next to me for nine years, Max.

And people go to Max instead of me now because Maxx is great. People love Max. Max Palet is one of the greatest human beings in the world. And anyone that works with me, whether it's on the hospitality group, on the investment side, they'll tell you right away, Max Palet keeps everything together. And what's great is you have these people that learn how you think. And you want to keep those people around you because that's how your life is easier. Because if someone's being proactive and not just reactive with everything that's associated with you,

it gets so much more done. Were there any big tipping points on the journey? Can you point to any and said, you know, that was the milestone. That was a tipping point. So the first time I sold my company to SFX, which eventually they went bankrupt. They bought all these music festivals and all that. They went bankrupt. I got my company back.

And then I was able to add commodo and all my restaurants together and start a new hospitality group called Groot Hospitality. Also, by the way, one of the highest grossing restaurants in America. Yes. And then Michael Rapino from Live Nation said, why don't we do a deal? And he bought 51% of my company. And the tipping point, not just with my company, but to have someone by your side just to guide you. And to know that you got someone that's probably the most powerful person in the hospital in the entertainment business on your side.

It's been amazing. And it's been great to use it as leverage to help other artists and stuff like that that want to do stuff or want to play it live or be part of my ecosystem. They know I have this amazing relationship with Michael Rapino. And it's kind of like him signing on that you're a great person. And I'm so glad to be able to have that flag of Live Nation to be able to carry it through my ecosystem as well. Yeah. What sparked that deal? I mean, what made a Live Nation comment?

Because was it a rude hospitality at the thing? It had just been grew up in hospitality for almost about a year. And Farrell's like, you have to meet this man, Michael Rapino. He's going to help you get to the next level. Between Michael Rapino and Jeff Sofer at the Fountain Blue, opening up the Fountain Blue Las Vegas and being able to grow my company on such a major scale that way has been the two biggest tipping points for me. There you go.

And then, of course, marrying my wife, Isabella Grutman, who has been an amazing partner next to my side. And again, as much as those two people are influential in my life, she's just as much. Yeah, I mean, it's funny. I was actually watching a podcast that you were on with Isabella. And it was actually almost like a comedy show. She's like, sometimes I have to be really mean, but I'm only mean in short sentences. And then he stops whatever he's doing.

Yes, she's very scary. That tiny, beautiful, resilient model, they can. I know right away. It's the Latina that's like, buddy, you don't mess with that. down, man. They'll straighten you out. And it runs through the thread into your girls. And you know, but she's on, obviously, she has, is a Gretman jewelry now. And she's just so entrepreneurial. And also her nonprofit style saves, I think has been really great to see my girls. But this is a girl that could have sat on the kitchen. I think about all the time, she could

have just gone out to lunches and done nothing. And instead, she said, that's it. I'm going to go do my own business. I'm going to make my own way. And it's great for my girls, my two daughters to because not only does it inspire me, but I know it's inspiring them. She's also got a design eye, though. She's been involved in a lot of the interior design of a lot of your places. My uniforms, all this stuff.

There's no one's taste level I trust more than her. Yeah, I would totally agree with that. She's been, and her jewelry is amazing. Christmas every year I go and. I mean, it should be more than Christmas, just to be honest. Okay, so I'll start throwing it. Sorry, Isabella. My daughter is decked out head to toe in it,

so I'm invested. And she's, for those of you that don't know his wife, she is, I don't want to say the polar opposite of Dave, but she is like a very grounded, very calm, incredible mother. And, you know, when I, I've had the luxury of seeing behind the curtain. Dave and I lived four or five floors apart in the 1,000 museum for a few years. And so I was in and out of his place. They were in and out of my place.

My daughter's very good friends with them. And I just see the intentionality that they have with their family behind of scenes. That's probably what I, respect most about you is that on this climb to the top, you drew your family closer and closer and closer. And I see how you and Isabella are behind the scenes the way you are with their daughters. And you're a good dude, Ben. Thank you. I mean, to me, it's the most, I've done a lot of cool stuff as I'm sure you know and I've seen a lot of cool things, but nothing's cooler than being that. Yeah. So let's go to the book. Let's go to the book. Let's go to the book.

So I actually want to read something for the audience here. Okay, please. And I think it's very telling. In order to be successful in life, you don't need to be special. You just need to know what most people, you just need to be what most people aren't, consistent, dependable, and willing to work for it. If I know anything about Dave,

it's that he works his ass off. He loves people. He loves his family. I'm getting goosebumps. I'm so happy he opens up and shares with others what he's learned on this incredible personal and professional. journey. That was Tom Brady. So clearly it's it's a book worth reading. I've read it. But I want to talk about the impetus for the book because you have a course at FIU. I've been to some of your year-end

wrap-ups where they bring the celebrities in and your your your hospitality course. Son and I, my daughter, have been to that several times. You've gone from, you know, building this hospitality group now to wanting to give away some of the secrets. I wanted a blueprint. I think the most important thing for people out there is there was nothing like this for myself when I was coming into the business. And I think it's so important to do it now, not after I retired and stuff like that. But if I can help share some of the issues I've had or challenges I've had and be able

to share it today, because so many people are coming out of school and because of all the different platforms and ways. for them to be entrepreneurial. I really love entrepreneurship. To me, that's... I do too. It's inspiring to me. And that's, to be able to say, hey, guys, these are the challenges I faced through starting my own business and growing my own business. Here they are, you know, you want to build relationships, get the book, follow the, follow the steps that I put into place. And some of them you could agree with and some of them you don't have to agree with, but I'm giving you all the steps that I go through because I've broken it down for my college class.

You know, when I said, I want to teach people how to have relationships to break it down in these kind of steps, I feel is so important to life because it's not something that just comes natural. You have to focus on people. You can't just focus on the celebrity and not the other people at the table. You can't just be in a room and say, oh, I'm networking. I'm networking. No, you're not networking.

You're looking for authentic relationships out there. And when you're talking to somebody, don't. be looking at the other people, oh, who's bigger, better in the room? I hate that. And you could feel when someone's doing that to you. And being done to me, it's just, I write those people off right away. But listen, it takes work to sit there and have to ask, but for me, I want to know everyone's story. So when I would go out to dinners with like a celebrity or a DJ or an artist, they always have some kind of entourage. But the entourage, I actually love to find out the stories of the entourage. I like to find out the stories of the manager, the publicist, the agents. I want to

know what drives them to be able to work with this person? How did they find the talent in this person to be able to grow their lives with that person? Hey guys, let me tell you about one of my favorite new hydration drinks. Now, this is for distance athletes, hits cardio exercises, people that sweat a lot or exercise intensely. An A game is a hydration drink. It has eight essential vitamins. It has all of the electrolytes, the entire suite of B vitamins. Before you freak out and read that it has 21 grams of sugar, which it does, The sugar is coming from natural cane sugar and honey, my preferred mechanisms for getting glucose into the blood during intense exercise.

It also has natural flavors, but these natural flavors don't come from bacterial fermentation. They actually come from real citrus fruits, and the color is from vegetable juice, not artificial dyes. So next time you're looking for a great hydration drink and you're exercising intensely, a game is your choice. Now let's get back to the Ultimate Human podcast. I think that can reframe the way a lot of entrepreneurs,

think about their employees. Yeah, of course. And think about their customers. Well, they're my guests. Yeah, they're your guests. So, yeah. I like that. Not customers.

But if you take it as a, if, listen, by taking it personal, that's another thing. Like, you come to my home, I'm going to treat you. It's like you're coming to my home. You're my guest. That's how I try to treat people. Yeah. And that's where people, that's why I think people resonate or why people want to do things with me because they think it's not just transactional.

I think if people think it's just transactional, then it's, you've really done nothing for your life. Right. I love that I've built relationships where people feel like there's a long game with me, that it's not just one show, a one DJ gig, a one deal for marketing or whatever it is. Instead, I want to invest in your brand. I want to grow your brand. You've also morphed into a bit of a business tycoon.

I mean, you've actually taken brands, some of which you brought to my table. We've co-invested in brands before. One of them just recently, 5X, so thank you very much for that. But you have a pension for spotting trends as well. So you talk about, and you've already done it twice on this podcast, you talk about the ecosystem. Of course. And how you want to control the entire chain in the ecosystem.

And now it seems like you're also layering in this almost like investment banking, you know, fund manager, portfolio manager kind of rule. Yeah, it's been a great part of this. I love consumer brand goods and that's like, you know, I love finding these young founders that are starting these new brands that you and I could add a lot of magic to or bring people in to also add magic and we all kind of take the ride together.

And I tell all my celebrity, I tell all my friends, period, that have some kind of influence. Stop taking fees and sponsorships. Of course you have to live and I get all that. Of course. But once you get to that point, I think if you could stomach, if you could take the ride,

I think having equity in the brand is way better than just getting a sponsorship or a transactional fee. And if you're going to be the one that's turning the needle for that brand, why not be part of that upside? Taking the equity. What are some brands you're comfortable talking about that you put into your hospitality?

Oh, so many. You know, skinny dipped, as you know, That's the one you went into. And of course, you and I both just did a symbiotica, which I think is going to be a $2 billion brand, the liposimo, you know, supplements. Liposomo. Liposomo, whatever.

But again, it also goes down to not only the product, but the founders. And we think the founders of symbiotic are great people. Shahab and Duranar. Yeah. They're amazing. And just the fact that when I went to ask people to come in on the deal, everyone's like, I already use it. It's one of my favorite brands.

It's like the gold standard of supplements. Yeah. People, like, the weekend has it on his rider. Like, it was easy, hey, you want to come in on this deal with me? And now that you have all these amazing people as part of this brand, it just grows a brand that much faster, that much quicker, right? Yeah. And I think that's a cool thing.

And when the exits happen, you could say, hey, I put you in that deal. Yeah. It's a great thing that's- I've got art on my wall that you put me into. I've got an investment you want to. You know what I find something special, whether it's a person, a product, a- anything, I always want to share. that with the world.

Yeah. And having this ecosystem provides additional value in addition to capital. Of course. Right, of course. So, you know, getting back to the book for a minute,

where do you think a lot of entrepreneurs that have their head down sort of shoulder to the grindstone are going wrong in building the foundation of their business? Where do they go wrong? I think, you know, one thing I really like to talk about

Gary with this whole thing is I've had more issues with success than I have with failure. I think that's one thing in the book that they don't tell you in school and in life. Everyone's like, oh, you know, everyone gets up and they talk about their failures, their failures, their failures. And of course, I've had many failures.

I have great success, but I have many failures. And what people always want to harp on is, you know, oh, I fail, but I got back up and I did it. And yeah, of course, that's how we are as humans. I don't know many people that did it once failed and didn't try to get back on the horse. Okay, that's fine. But what they don't, people don't talk about enough is once you're on top of the world, how does that affect you?

Because that's where, for me, was the most challenging, right? I opened live. I was on fire. That's when your ego comes out. That's when you think you're unstoppable. That's when you don't ask for help because, oh, you know it all. Look at you. You're on top of the world.

Why would you need help? And that's also when you get very cocky and you forget about where you came from. Did you recognize that? Oh, I took a really good friend of ours, Wayne Boyd's from Reserve, to say to me one time, hey, my man in the middle of, and when Liv was just kicking off, he's like, you're not saving lives.

It's not heart surgery you're doing here. It's a nightclub. And I'm like, okay, you're right. And then as you're so cocky and your ego's so driven, But you know, the ego is a funny thing, Gary, because the ego drives you to do things that normal people wouldn't do and things that if you wrote it down on a piece of paper

probably didn't make sense, but you did it anyway because that was your ego and that's what changes the world, right? Those are the things that were the miracles come out. It also is the thing where, again, you don't ask for help and you don't look at things in a business sense. You just do it for ego and that later on hurts you later on. So it's having the people around you that keep you

focus but also in line. So not just having a bunch of yes men around you, people that tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Listen, nobody, when they're at the top of the pyramid, do they want to hear a no from somebody or this? I've learned to take that breath and try to hear someone's other opinion.

And a lot of magics come out of that as well is when I take that second and I go, you know what, I'm not going to just respond back. Like I know it all, let me hear their vision. And I've learned is the youth do bring new ideas to the table, and that's why I try to surround myself with so many youth. Because their ideas look at the world differently than you and I look at it.

And I have to take a breath back, and I actually put a lot of interest in their ideas. Yeah, I find that with my kids too. My kids are in the business. Mattie's got her. She saves me. Like, listen, guys, let's be honest. Gary, yes, got me to where I was,

but he's so famous now and he's so big. He doesn't have time for me. I use Madison Breka. She's the most important person in my life is Madison Breca. Dude, we are going to clip that from the podcast. Good thing this is not live. No, I agree, man. I love your daughter so much.

She's the smartest girl I know. But she does not give me food dosage shots that I'm like, Madison, I need a higher dosage. like, no. She's a nurse. She stays within the guidelines, dude. I want her to go outside the guidelines. I know you do. It's a constant struggle with you. Yes. Constant struggle. But, I mean, that is the greatest gift that God has ever given me is to have my adult children want to hang out with me and have your adult children in the business and on the journey. And I know your daughters are going to migrate it because mom's an entrepreneur, dad's an entrepreneur. You also make entrepreneurialism fun. Yeah, listen. It's a great.

and there's ups and downs, and there's, of course, like, how are you going to make this payroll meet and do all this kind of... And is this distributor... Is this big box going to take the product or not take this product? Or is this colossal them bringing back the dire wolf? Is that going to really work? I don't know, but yes, I think it does. Yeah.

And I think it's the coolest thing when you build a brand. I think at the end of the day, everything I do is just about building a brand. If you know me, you know I'm a huge believer in the benefits of hydrogen. water. H2 tab delivers cost-effective portable tablets that generate ultra-clean molecular hydrogen at 12 parts per million, one of the highest concentrations on the market, with over 1,300 published studies showing benefits of oxidative stress, energy, recovery, brain function, and so much more taking charge of your health has never been easier or more cost-effective. Just drop a tablet in water, let it dissolve, and drink it back. It's less than a dollar a day.

science-backed and part of my daily routine. I never travel without this, and it is my favorite biohack. Visit drinkh2 tab.com. That's drinkh2 tab.com and upgrade your hydration today. Now let's get back to the Ultimate Human podcast. Do you, are you now considering things outside of the hospitality space, or have you learned that as an entrepreneur, that you're going to build your kingdom and your ecosystem,

Well, listen, I definitely invest in stuff that's not hospitality as well that I think is just cool as shit or is super cool. And, you know, like we just talked about colossal. I think that investing. You got me into that too, yeah. Another great company. Yeah. They, I think it's just cool when people are, you know, they're doing things that I think will people will have increased engagement for. That's what I really look for at the most is it's not just.

about food, beverage, this or that. It's about what's the engagement with it? If my wife is eating skinny-dipped nuts at nighttime, and my wife doesn't eat anything that's not healthy, then there has to be something to this skinny-dipped chocolate peanut butter nut or whatever this brand is. And when I did a deep dive, I met the founders, and I understood why.

And so I look for little things like that. Same thing with DJs. Who are the next up-and-coming DJ? who are the kids today really engaging with? Not so much if they have a billion followers or anything like that, but where's the engagement? Like, are they obsessed? Are they talking about it?

Are they talking on their social medias? Are they reposting all their stuff? I think that's my, it's not even about music or this. It's about energy. And I'm great at sensing energy. That's great. You know, I call it trend spotting. Wow.

You know, but you're the best trend spotter I have ever known. Oh, thank you. Really. You are so far ahead of your time on so many things, including, you know, hospitality. I want to draw back into the book for a second because I think it's applicable to any entrepreneur that's starting a business. I mean, I think whether you're doing a car wash, you're starting a paper route, whatever it is,

this book gives you a blueprint, Gary, of everything that I look for, everything I do, my failures, my wins, my everything. I put it here. And you know what's so cool about the cover is Johnny Ive did this cover. A lot of people don't know that. Johnny I've designed the iPhone. Wow. Did he really?

Yeah. He designed everything. He did a great job. He designed the most sold watch in the world, which is the Apple Watch. And then he left to go work with Sam at Chat GPT. And he just did a big $6 billion deal to design the devices. for chat GPT. It's funny when the publisher

was sending me all these book covers and I was like, I can't do these book covers. I can't, this is not me. Face on it or something. No, no, I had like a martini. It looked like it was sex in the city. It was like, it was crazy.

And I'm like, what do I do? Who could do this? This is my life's work. I'm putting into a book. I need the right book. And I go, I used a coupon with Johnny Iive and I said, Johnny, please, I need you to do the cover.

And I had just done his kids' 21st birthdays. I just hosted them, did plenty. And anytime he goes to a city, I'm the first guy to say, let me help with whatever I can do. I said, please, man, I can't have my life's work be the sex in the city cover of a book. And then one day he came back with this. The whole thing, it's the most perfect thing I've ever seen. And just to know that Johnny I've did my book cover, I remember talking to the publisher,

she's like, Johnny I've did your book. And I go, yeah. She goes, how much are you paying? I'm like, well, he just did a $6 billion deal. So it's either $6 billion or free. So I'm going to go with the free. And she was like... 6.1 billion or free.

Yeah. She's like, okay, let's go with the free. Okay. I love that. And just same thing with like Kim. When I said, listen, who am I going to have... Who am I going to have to do my forward that's known me that actually has taken the ride and I've seen take her ride from the beginning to where they are now was Kim.

Yeah. And I think Kim's going to... gone from being, you know, a reality star to an entrepreneur and a boss. And she runs a fund and she runs a family and she's a great mom. And she builds business. And what she's done with skims, I don't care what anybody says. It's the most impressive thing I've seen. Yeah, it is astounding. And you have, and you have a genuine relationship with that family. I'll never forget, I was sitting on your couch one day and Kendall Jenner walked in. And she had a, she had a mask on during COVID, she walked in with a mask on it,

and you go, Kendall, take that off, you look ridiculous. And I was like, dude, I just, we're in Miami. And she goes, no, Dave, I'm not taking the mask off. Right, in Miami, like, you know, because we were open first, the COVID mask really bothered me for a while. Yeah, I think it bothered a lot of people. I think if we realized the pendulum swung a little far on that one.

Yeah, yeah. We may, we, we're never doing that again. No. Where the next pandemic comes. But we did really well in Miami, so, like, not that I wish for another pandemic, it was pretty good in Miami. We had a good government.

Yeah, and a good mayor. It was also a good friend of yours. Yeah. So I think that, you know, entrepreneurs may be knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do. Yeah. And I love the title, you know, take it personal.

What's behind that tagline? Because I care so deeply. And I think if you care so deeply, you're going to succeed. I care about the details. I care about everything. If something's going to bother me so, into my bones, that's when I'm gonna win.

And that's when change really happens, right? Yeah. If nothing really bothers you and you're not taking it personal, do you really change? Yeah. I've seen you when you're in your restaurants. You're incessant. It's either you love doing it or you hate doing it.

It's one of the two. It's like OCD on top OCD. I've seen you go over and straighten napkins, fix silverware on the table. Make sure that water glasses are full again. Like it's like a 3D scanner that's going like this around. and you can like spot something, you know,

cross the room and you just go over and fix it or have somebody fix it. And I've always admired that about you. I mean, you've been doing that, you know, the entire decade that I've known you, like never taking your eyes off the details. I think the details is what makes it. I think when people take their eyes off the details,

it's when people don't care. And it's the number one sign for me when I go into one of my spots and I see a light bulb out or something like that. That's when I lose my mind. That means they really don't care. And does that permeate then the culture of your organization? Of course.

And listen, every organization has to keep retweaking, retweaking, retweaking, retweaking, retweaking, retweaking, retweeping, retweeping, retweeping, and people that you think hold up your entire company that you need. And when they leave and your company thrives even more is even better. Because, Gary, I've been through this where my number one guy leaves. And I think, oh, my God, the whole company's going to, ah! And what happens is all your people step up. and it opens it up for people to feel like now they have a say and they can add value. And I think retweaking your company over and over again,

don't be afraid of people leaving. And if someone's not wanting to be on the right, don't try to convince them to stay with you. I've made that mistake too. I have to. I'm like, no, you have to stay with me. We have to do this. No, no, no.

And in six months, they're gone anyway, no matter what. And you just buy yourself some time. And at the end of the day, once they leave, your life is so much better. And that's where people should not be afraid of. And it's happened to me a few times now. And I'm just like, oh, my God, no. The company actually rises and everyone steps up so much more.

It's almost like when you have. And you're like, should I've had this layer even there? Yeah. Yeah, Elon Musk talks about that, about like skimming the layers. Like if you weren't starting meeting with reducing your department by like 10%, he wouldn't even continue the meeting. You know, it's simplicity. Like the complexity is in the simplicity.

You have all these amazing people. And maybe you haven't pulled all the talent out of them and you pull somebody out of the top and they just rise. That's a really interesting perspective. Or those people are saying to them what your message is, instead of you saying your message, and no one could ever get your message correct like you do. And having, by taking certain layers out of my business,

it's built a relationship with the executive chefs with my general managers, my director of, all those people. now feel like they have a say in my company and have, instead of have people, you know, layers in between, that could be saying to them different than what you really want them to be hearing. So you got the nightclubs, you got the restaurants, you know, you got the book, investment funds, you're actually getting into resorts. Actually, they're not funds.

They're not funds. Okay. They're, I just invest in brands and I love to share them with my friends. Yeah. And you brought me into some of those. what's next on great questions i'm working on the members club we're trying to grow poppy steak not trying we are growing poppy steak out of the country uh i'll talk about that at a later date but we have two locations out there and i'm just

really trying to focus in on my brands here and trying to scale my brands that i have now yeah you know i i noticed that you use the word wellness more often too because the uh course the the biggest attention trend in the world right now is anti-aging, longevity, wellness. We were there a long time ago, that's when you brought it to my attention. Longevity, longevity, I'm like, there's something so cool about this.

It's the new luxury. So how is your brand going to, since this is the ultimate human podcast, how is your brand going to incorporate wellness, longevity, anti-aging, that sort of interest level? I think the fact that it's so much, it's such a big part of my lifestyle, right? And I magnify that message out there nonstop.

And also I invest in those kind of brands from neurogum to symbiotica, coconut coat, the probiotic yogurt to me, is just they're going to win the battle of gut health. Yeah. Yeah, and that's a huge issue. Monster issue. As a Jewish boy, it's like the normal issue.

What do you mean? All the Jewish boys have bad guts. We always have the worst guts. So, you know, your next foray is going to be, this members club. Can you say about where it's going to be or what? No, but it's going to be in Miami. I feel like I need to build. What's going to make it special? So for me, you know, I have a lot of great entertainment venues. For me, I just really want super luxury brand. And I think that's the next thing for me. And the one thing, you know, as my,

as my audience keeps growing older and different and they're kind of changing too and their taste levels change as well, people want luxury and they just want insane hospitality. So this is going to be luxury and insane hospitality. Yes. That's amazing. Dave, I am, whenever I have a guest on the Ultimate Human podcast, I always ask them one question. And there's no right or wrong answer to this question. You know, it's coming. What does it mean to you to be an ultimate human?

That everything's firing from your personal to your business, to your emotions, but everything is firing on all cylinders. And to me, that's what an ultimate human is. Yeah. And that's a great strive to be every day, is to get everything firing. Yeah, I think you're an ultimate human, man. Thank you for it. I've been a part of, not responsible for, but a part of this journey.

A hundred percent part of my journey. What do you mean? Well, I've been a part of your health journey. I could have been, not, I don't know if dead, but I could have been, definitely wouldn't have had the energy to keep up with what's going on in my life. Thank you. I appreciate that. But I just want to say, with every fabric of my being to my audience, this is one of the

most authentic human beings I've ever met. What you see is what you get. What he says is going on behind the scenes is actually going on behind the scenes. You're a great father, great husband, you're an amazing entrepreneur. You've been an incredible friend of my family. I hope everybody goes out and gets this book. I'm going to put a link to it on the site. I'm actually going to do a giveaway on my Instagram.

I'm going to buy a couple hundred of these books. I'm going to give them out to my audience because I think it's so impactful. I think it's not just applicable to the hospitality space. I think it's applicable to life. And especially if you are an entrepreneur. but it is a great lesson in life. I learned this lesson from Dave five years ago. I've applied it every year since.

I want to thank you for having. For coming on the Ultimate Human Podcast. I hope. Congratulations on all your success, Gary. For me, it's been so nice to see you the ride. Thank you, brother. And until next time, guys, that's just science.