Innovation and Entrepreneurship with Darnell Smith

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:22 There is 00:00:00:22 - 00:00:02:24 this romantic view of like 00:00:02:24 - 00:00:05:07 pushing all the chips in and 00:00:05:07 - 00:00:08:11 but very rarely does that equate long 00:00:08:11 - 00:00:09:10 term success. 00:00:09:10 - 00:00:11:12 I think you have to have some things 00:00:11:12 - 00:00:12:09 in your favor 00:00:12:09 - 00:00:15:11 before you fully exit stage left. 00:00:15:11 - 00:00:16:21 If you want some 00:00:16:21 - 00:00:19:21 some longevity in being an entrepreneur. 00:00:33:14 - 00:00:34:13 Welcome to Disruption Now 00:00:34:13 - 00:00:35:10 I'm your host 00:00:35:10 - 00:00:37:19 and moderator, Rob Richardson. 00:00:37:19 - 00:00:38:14 We're here today, 00:00:38:14 - 00:00:40:12 of course, powered by Disrupt Art as always 00:00:40:12 - 00:00:41:17 we love to bring the stories 00:00:41:17 - 00:00:43:18 of entrepreneurs, particularly black 00:00:43:18 - 00:00:44:01 and brown 00:00:44:01 - 00:00:45:17 entrepreneurs, to tell you their story, 00:00:45:17 - 00:00:47:13 their struggles, their paths 00:00:47:13 - 00:00:48:21 and how they ultimately built 00:00:48:21 - 00:00:49:19 what they have today. 00:00:49:19 - 00:00:50:11 So with me 00:00:50:11 - 00:00:51:06 is Darnell Smith 00:00:51:06 - 00:00:52:21 with MXXN 00:00:52:21 - 00:00:54:08 as well as Mojo Ventures? 00:00:54:08 - 00:00:55:09 I believe. So 00:00:55:09 - 00:00:56:24 he's a serial entrepreneur, 00:00:56:24 - 00:00:58:07 an expert in marketing. 00:00:58:07 - 00:00:59:15 And now he's 00:00:59:15 - 00:01:00:05 combining this 00:01:00:05 - 00:01:03:21 unique thing of it's a nonalcoholic, but 00:01:04:13 - 00:01:06:12 cannabis infused spirit, 00:01:06:12 - 00:01:07:09 which I've never had. 00:01:07:09 - 00:01:08:12 It sounds very interesting. 00:01:08:12 - 00:01:08:24 We're going to talk 00:01:08:24 - 00:01:10:05 more about his product, 00:01:10:05 - 00:01:11:11 how he got into that. 00:01:11:11 - 00:01:13:12 And but for now, Darnell, 00:01:13:12 - 00:01:15:05 how are you doing, man? Great. 00:01:15:05 - 00:01:16:21 Thanks for having me. 00:01:16:21 - 00:01:18:05 Thank you for being on. 00:01:18:05 - 00:01:18:22 What is before 00:01:18:22 - 00:01:21:08 we get down this rabbit hole of 00:01:21:08 - 00:01:23:00 cannabis infused cocktail, 00:01:23:00 - 00:01:25:06 which is new to me, like I said 00:01:25:06 - 00:01:26:19 but I'm up for adventure. 00:01:26:19 - 00:01:28:23 What is your story 00:01:28:23 - 00:01:30:06 in terms of entrepreneurship? 00:01:30:06 - 00:01:31:21 Tell us how you got to be 00:01:31:21 - 00:01:33:23 in this crazy world of entrepreneurship. 00:01:34:23 - 00:01:35:09 Yes. 00:01:35:09 - 00:01:38:10 So I spent the early part of my career 00:01:39:12 - 00:01:42:08 going from agency side to client 00:01:42:08 - 00:01:44:05 side to 00:01:44:05 - 00:01:45:09 management consulting 00:01:45:09 - 00:01:47:09 and kind of near the tail end. 00:01:47:09 - 00:01:50:09 And my first run with management consulting, 00:01:51:12 - 00:01:53:13 I decided that some of this 00:01:54:14 - 00:01:55:16 knowledge and 00:01:55:16 - 00:01:57:08 and things that we were given the clients 00:01:57:08 - 00:01:58:19 I probably could do on my own. 00:01:58:19 - 00:02:00:16 And so, 00:02:00:22 - 00:02:03:14 you know, back in 2013 00:02:03:14 - 00:02:04:19 or so decided 00:02:04:19 - 00:02:05:20 to venture out 00:02:05:20 - 00:02:08:14 and the rest is kind of history, 00:02:08:14 - 00:02:09:17 you know, founded 00:02:09:17 - 00:02:11:06 Mojo and work 00:02:11:06 - 00:02:13:10 with a lot of blue chip clients. 00:02:13:10 - 00:02:14:22 And from there, you know, 00:02:14:22 - 00:02:15:21 we always had a plan 00:02:15:21 - 00:02:16:23 to have a ventures arm. 00:02:16:23 - 00:02:17:22 And that's where really 00:02:17:22 - 00:02:21:04 the serial entrepreneurship 00:02:21:04 - 00:02:22:00 really took off 00:02:22:00 - 00:02:23:07 and we started investing 00:02:23:07 - 00:02:25:09 in certain brands and so on. 00:02:25:09 - 00:02:27:14 Okay, so walk me through 00:02:27:14 - 00:02:29:14 like taking that taking that leap 00:02:29:14 - 00:02:30:21 because, you know, it's like it's is a 00:02:30:21 - 00:02:32:09 it's a hell of a leap to take. 00:02:32:09 - 00:02:33:17 Did you have 00:02:33:17 - 00:02:34:10 I'm sure there was a time 00:02:34:10 - 00:02:35:21 where you were like a 00:02:35:21 - 00:02:37:24 you were still there in a company. 00:02:37:24 - 00:02:40:09 But figuring out the plan of 00:02:40:10 - 00:02:41:19 of escape, 00:02:41:19 - 00:02:42:21 depending on how people talk about 00:02:42:21 - 00:02:44:15 it, it's escape and it could be 00:02:44:15 - 00:02:45:20 a trap, all on its own too 00:02:47:06 - 00:02:48:11 but anyway, that's neither 00:02:48:11 - 00:02:48:23 here nor there. 00:02:48:23 - 00:02:51:14 I digress. 00:02:51:14 - 00:02:52:08 How did you 00:02:52:08 - 00:02:53:03 did you have a 00:02:53:03 - 00:02:53:23 you have a couple of signature 00:02:53:23 - 00:02:55:23 clients lined up already 00:02:56:03 - 00:02:57:10 or did you just take that leap 00:02:57:10 - 00:02:59:03 and just knew it was going to come? 00:02:59:03 - 00:03:00:19 Yeah. No, I mean, you hit it. 00:03:00:19 - 00:03:02:17 The Golden handcuffs are real, 00:03:02:17 - 00:03:04:13 you know, especially for, 00:03:04:13 - 00:03:07:10 you know, black male in America making, 00:03:07:11 - 00:03:09:03 you know, high six figures. 00:03:09:03 - 00:03:10:10 Like when you tell someone, 00:03:10:10 - 00:03:13:10 I'm leaving this, you get some, you know, 00:03:13:10 - 00:03:15:06 deer in the headlights look like, 00:03:15:06 - 00:03:16:24 you know, what are you doing 00:03:17:04 - 00:03:17:24 from the outside? 00:03:17:24 - 00:03:20:21 It looks like you have it made right? 00:03:20:21 - 00:03:23:15 You know, obviously, I was very 00:03:23:15 - 00:03:27:00 litigious and very, you know, planned 00:03:27:00 - 00:03:28:09 in how I made my exit 00:03:28:09 - 00:03:30:11 so I wasn't going to do it. 00:03:30:11 - 00:03:30:18 You know, 00:03:30:18 - 00:03:31:05 I was 00:03:31:16 - 00:03:33:15 at an age in my life where I couldn't do 00:03:33:15 - 00:03:36:04 it, kind of like the broke guy doing it right. 00:03:36:05 - 00:03:37:15 So I had to, which I. 00:03:37:15 - 00:03:38:22 Believe is a myth, by the way. 00:03:38:22 - 00:03:39:20 Darnell Like it's 00:03:39:20 - 00:03:40:16 something that I don't 00:03:40:16 - 00:03:41:09 I don't mean to interrupt you, 00:03:41:09 - 00:03:42:08 but I think it's a really important 00:03:42:08 - 00:03:44:19 point is a it's mostly a myth 00:03:45:02 - 00:03:46:14 that people go out here and, 00:03:46:14 - 00:03:48:08 oh, it's the 22 year old. 00:03:48:08 - 00:03:50:05 He goes out, living on his couch 00:03:50:05 - 00:03:51:12 having no money or the person 00:03:51:12 - 00:03:52:19 to say, I'm going to risk all of it 00:03:52:19 - 00:03:54:13 put all my money up. 00:03:54:13 - 00:03:56:07 Most people I know that have made it. 00:03:56:07 - 00:03:58:04 And then if you go to Google, 00:03:58:04 - 00:03:59:19 if you go to Warby Parker 00:03:59:19 - 00:04:00:21 and I'm sure there's a whole bunch 00:04:00:21 - 00:04:02:12 of other cases, 00:04:02:12 - 00:04:03:23 case after case of case Tesla, 00:04:03:23 - 00:04:05:03 all those people 00:04:05:03 - 00:04:06:20 I've seen one or two situations. 00:04:06:20 - 00:04:08:01 There are exceptions 00:04:08:01 - 00:04:09:17 to fit that narrative or stereotype. 00:04:09:17 - 00:04:11:03 People love like, oh, 00:04:11:24 - 00:04:12:18 the man or woman 00:04:12:18 - 00:04:13:17 who's just found their way 00:04:13:17 - 00:04:14:13 out of nothing. 00:04:14:13 - 00:04:16:07 But generally speaking, 00:04:16:07 - 00:04:17:21 like there's a path there. 00:04:17:21 - 00:04:19:20 Either they have support from a spouse 00:04:19:20 - 00:04:20:17 either they had 00:04:21:17 - 00:04:23:10 either they had the ability to 00:04:23:10 - 00:04:25:04 already have like a pretty good runway 00:04:25:04 - 00:04:27:14 to know that, yes, I'm taking a risk. 00:04:27:14 - 00:04:29:03 But it is a calculated risk 00:04:29:03 - 00:04:30:11 because I get the different advice. 00:04:30:11 - 00:04:31:08 Like, I don't think the good. 00:04:31:08 - 00:04:32:03 I don't think it's a good 00:04:32:03 - 00:04:32:22 like good advice, 00:04:32:22 - 00:04:33:19 some people say, to go 00:04:33:19 - 00:04:35:02 and burn everything down 00:04:35:02 - 00:04:36:13 and then just say like, okay, 00:04:36:13 - 00:04:38:03 no escape, I'm going forward. 00:04:38:03 - 00:04:40:01 Like, I think that's idealistic way. 00:04:40:01 - 00:04:41:00 I think in your mind 00:04:41:00 - 00:04:42:01 you have to have that as a mindset 00:04:42:01 - 00:04:44:00 that I don't I'm not going to lose. 00:04:44:00 - 00:04:46:00 But I think in terms of 00:04:46:00 - 00:04:47:00 doing something 00:04:47:00 - 00:04:49:05 where you don't have any real 00:04:49:05 - 00:04:49:23 revenue or 00:04:49:23 - 00:04:50:23 no real runway, 00:04:50:23 - 00:04:51:17 if you will, 00:04:51:17 - 00:04:52:23 you're setting yourself up for failure. 00:04:52:23 - 00:04:54:17 Because what I found through my adventures 00:04:54:17 - 00:04:55:11 is that, 00:04:55:11 - 00:04:57:23 you know, things never work out to the 00:04:57:23 - 00:04:59:00 in the in the time 00:04:59:00 - 00:05:00:08 path that we put forward. 00:05:00:08 - 00:05:01:12 It's always longer. 00:05:01:12 - 00:05:02:02 There's always things 00:05:02:02 - 00:05:03:03 you don't anticipate. 00:05:03:03 - 00:05:04:04 So you always want to have 00:05:04:04 - 00:05:06:10 as much revenue as possible 00:05:06:10 - 00:05:08:00 because things are not going to work out 00:05:08:00 - 00:05:09:17 the way you expect. But go ahead. Yeah. 00:05:09:17 - 00:05:11:02 And I couldn't agree more. 00:05:11:02 - 00:05:11:24 And, you know, 00:05:11:24 - 00:05:13:07 that kind of really encapsulates 00:05:13:07 - 00:05:14:03 my path, right? 00:05:14:03 - 00:05:15:17 I there were a few things 00:05:15:17 - 00:05:16:12 that came together. 00:05:16:12 - 00:05:18:19 I felt like I had crossed 00:05:18:19 - 00:05:20:12 the threshold of experience 00:05:20:12 - 00:05:23:15 that put me in another kind of echelon 00:05:23:15 - 00:05:26:08 of what I was able to offer clients. 00:05:26:19 - 00:05:30:02 I also was very, again, very litigious 00:05:30:02 - 00:05:32:00 about how I stash money away. 00:05:32:00 - 00:05:34:12 So I had a long enough runway 00:05:34:12 - 00:05:35:21 to deal with the 00:05:36:20 - 00:05:37:05 ups and 00:05:37:05 - 00:05:37:22 downs and the 00:05:37:22 - 00:05:39:24 unpredictability of entrepreneurship. 00:05:40:10 - 00:05:41:19 And then I also made sure 00:05:41:19 - 00:05:42:17 I had some marquee 00:05:42:17 - 00:05:44:00 clients lined up before 00:05:44:00 - 00:05:45:19 I actually pulled the ripcord. 00:05:45:19 - 00:05:48:00 And so I had to your point, 00:05:48:00 - 00:05:49:07 I think, you know, 00:05:49:07 - 00:05:50:04 there is 00:05:50:04 - 00:05:52:06 this romantic view of like 00:05:52:06 - 00:05:54:14 pushing all the chips in and 00:05:54:14 - 00:05:57:18 but very rarely does that equate long 00:05:57:18 - 00:05:58:17 term success. 00:05:58:17 - 00:06:00:19 I think you have to have some things 00:06:00:19 - 00:06:01:16 in your favor 00:06:01:16 - 00:06:04:18 before you fully exit stage left. 00:06:04:18 - 00:06:06:03 If you want some 00:06:06:03 - 00:06:09:03 some longevity in being an entrepreneur. 00:06:10:02 - 00:06:10:10 Yeah. 00:06:10:10 - 00:06:11:03 So looking back, 00:06:11:03 - 00:06:12:05 do you feel like there were some 00:06:12:05 - 00:06:13:18 something you would do differently? 00:06:13:18 - 00:06:15:01 Or put another way, 00:06:15:01 - 00:06:15:21 if you had to go back 00:06:15:21 - 00:06:18:02 and talk to your younger self in 2014, 00:06:18:12 - 00:06:19:15 what advice would you give 00:06:19:15 - 00:06:22:12 your younger entrepreneurial self then 00:06:22:19 - 00:06:24:02 and what advice would you ignore? 00:06:25:15 - 00:06:26:17 I think the advice I would 00:06:26:17 - 00:06:28:12 give is patience, right? 00:06:28:12 - 00:06:30:04 You have to plan. 00:06:30:04 - 00:06:31:12 You can't just 00:06:31:12 - 00:06:31:23 you know, 00:06:31:23 - 00:06:32:22 I wanted to do this 00:06:32:22 - 00:06:34:16 since mid to late twenties, 00:06:34:16 - 00:06:37:05 but it took me until my, you know, 00:06:37:06 - 00:06:38:12 almost forties 00:06:38:12 - 00:06:40:13 to be able to execute it. Right. 00:06:40:13 - 00:06:42:09 I had to get the proper knowledge. 00:06:42:09 - 00:06:44:00 I had to go through some things. 00:06:44:00 - 00:06:45:11 I had to have some ups and downs 00:06:45:11 - 00:06:46:03 in my career. 00:06:46:03 - 00:06:48:15 I had to stash away money. 00:06:48:15 - 00:06:49:13 So, you know, 00:06:49:13 - 00:06:51:12 I would have told my younger self, like, 00:06:51:12 - 00:06:52:19 I know you want it to happen right 00:06:52:19 - 00:06:54:06 now, but 00:06:54:06 - 00:06:55:06 be patient 00:06:55:06 - 00:06:56:07 and then, 00:06:56:07 - 00:06:58:09 you know what I'm glad I didn't listen to 00:06:58:09 - 00:06:59:24 is that, you know, that 00:06:59:24 - 00:07:02:03 I call it the golden handcuff mentality. 00:07:02:03 - 00:07:03:02 It's like, 00:07:03:02 - 00:07:04:11 you know, once you get somewhere, 00:07:04:11 - 00:07:05:16 people will say 00:07:05:16 - 00:07:06:03 you shouldn't, 00:07:06:03 - 00:07:08:12 you know, how could you ever. Be exactly. 00:07:08:12 - 00:07:09:02 How could you ever 00:07:09:02 - 00:07:10:03 turn your back on that? 00:07:10:03 - 00:07:11:16 And I think, 00:07:11:16 - 00:07:12:08 you know, 00:07:12:08 - 00:07:13:09 I'm glad I didn't 00:07:13:09 - 00:07:15:09 listen to that pressure in my life 00:07:15:09 - 00:07:17:05 to stay, 00:07:17:05 - 00:07:19:00 you know, kind of that corporate path. 00:07:19:00 - 00:07:19:20 I mean, 00:07:19:20 - 00:07:21:16 I always knew I could go back to it 00:07:21:16 - 00:07:22:16 if I needed to. 00:07:22:16 - 00:07:24:17 I had already accomplished that. 00:07:24:17 - 00:07:26:05 So, you know, now 00:07:26:05 - 00:07:27:06 it's more about preparing 00:07:27:06 - 00:07:28:23 myself for the next step. So 00:07:30:05 - 00:07:31:06 you and I are 00:07:31:06 - 00:07:32:10 I'm not going to call you old 00:07:32:10 - 00:07:34:13 you and I are seasoned enough 00:07:34:13 - 00:07:35:18 to have known this movie. 00:07:35:18 - 00:07:36:11 But did you remember 00:07:36:11 - 00:07:37:12 did you ever see the movie 00:07:37:12 - 00:07:39:05 with Tom Cruise, The Firm? 00:07:39:05 - 00:07:40:10 Oh, yes. You see that? 00:07:40:10 - 00:07:41:00 Yeah, right. 00:07:41:00 - 00:07:42:00 It is the background. 00:07:42:00 - 00:07:42:11 Just so 00:07:42:11 - 00:07:43:04 for our listeners 00:07:43:04 - 00:07:44:15 who may not be as seasoned 00:07:44:15 - 00:07:46:05 as both of you and I are, right. 00:07:46:05 - 00:07:47:18 The background was 00:07:47:18 - 00:07:49:10 this this young hotshot 00:07:49:10 - 00:07:51:05 get out of college, Tom Cruise, right? 00:07:51:05 - 00:07:51:17 He comes 00:07:51:17 - 00:07:53:09 and he gets to work for this firm. 00:07:53:09 - 00:07:55:10 And it's just seemed like the dream. 00:07:55:17 - 00:07:57:09 And they told a lie 00:07:57:09 - 00:07:59:11 and then they tell him later on 00:07:59:12 - 00:08:00:15 he starts to be with the FBI. 00:08:00:15 - 00:08:01:07 He said, Nope, 00:08:01:07 - 00:08:02:17 this is actually backed by the mob. 00:08:02:17 - 00:08:03:07 It's so much worse. 00:08:03:07 - 00:08:04:06 than you think because at first 00:08:04:06 - 00:08:05:10 they get you used to the good life, 00:08:05:10 - 00:08:06:20 get your kids a good school 00:08:06:20 - 00:08:09:11 and then they tell you the truth. Right? 00:08:09:11 - 00:08:10:13 That's what I would 00:08:10:13 - 00:08:11:08 I would equate that 00:08:11:08 - 00:08:13:07 to a lot of corporate life 00:08:13:07 - 00:08:16:06 like it's like it's for some people. 00:08:16:20 - 00:08:17:24 But generally what happens 00:08:17:24 - 00:08:19:02 is they get you to something. 00:08:19:02 - 00:08:20:18 And if they if you get 00:08:20:18 - 00:08:22:07 if you make these high six 00:08:22:07 - 00:08:24:06 figures, there's a lot 00:08:24:06 - 00:08:26:14 that's extracted out of you. 00:08:26:14 - 00:08:27:23 That is, 00:08:27:23 - 00:08:29:00 you're not going to 00:08:29:00 - 00:08:31:11 you're not going to just come away 00:08:31:11 - 00:08:32:20 and just have a lot of free time, 00:08:32:20 - 00:08:34:04 have a lot of autonomy, 00:08:34:04 - 00:08:35:14 if you will, fit within a system. 00:08:35:14 - 00:08:36:12 And you have to deal 00:08:36:12 - 00:08:37:17 with what I think 00:08:37:17 - 00:08:39:07 a lot of us don't like is the is the 00:08:39:07 - 00:08:40:15 is the corporate politics. Right. 00:08:40:15 - 00:08:41:24 The corporate politics, 00:08:41:24 - 00:08:42:19 you know, it's not it's 00:08:43:05 - 00:08:43:13 it's not 00:08:43:13 - 00:08:45:19 not about how great your product is. 00:08:45:19 - 00:08:48:05 It's also about how great your mind is. 00:08:48:05 - 00:08:49:03 It's really about 00:08:49:03 - 00:08:50:24 how much Bob likes you up the hall, 00:08:50:24 - 00:08:52:21 how much Susan likes you up the hall, 00:08:52:21 - 00:08:54:16 how much Carole likes you up the hall. 00:08:54:16 - 00:08:55:13 And if they don't like you, 00:08:55:13 - 00:08:56:19 they can sabotage your career. 00:08:56:19 - 00:08:58:13 And will do so, right? 00:08:58:13 - 00:09:00:03 I mean, it's just and those. 00:09:00:03 - 00:09:02:02 And not think twice about it. Oh, yeah. 00:09:02:02 - 00:09:03:21 And not think twice about it. Right. 00:09:03:21 - 00:09:06:05 That's just the reality of it. 00:09:06:05 - 00:09:07:12 So was there a moment 00:09:07:12 - 00:09:08:20 like was there a moment? 00:09:08:20 - 00:09:10:10 You don't have to give any details 00:09:10:10 - 00:09:12:04 unless you want to, you know, we don't mind 00:09:12:04 - 00:09:13:16 that really made you say? 00:09:13:16 - 00:09:15:11 Like, I have to take this leap, 00:09:15:11 - 00:09:17:16 I have to do this, or I'm going to, 00:09:17:16 - 00:09:17:22 you know, 00:09:17:22 - 00:09:19:10 look back in my rocking chair and say, 00:09:19:10 - 00:09:20:13 I should have taken the leap, 00:09:20:13 - 00:09:24:06 I should have taken this opportunity. 00:09:24:06 - 00:09:26:24 I think it wasn't like a negative moment. 00:09:26:24 - 00:09:28:14 It was a very positive moment 00:09:28:14 - 00:09:31:03 in which one of my largest, most 00:09:31:03 - 00:09:32:14 trusted clients 00:09:32:14 - 00:09:34:07 at the time pulled me aside 00:09:34:07 - 00:09:35:11 and was like, 00:09:35:11 - 00:09:37:01 Hey, man, I think you, 00:09:37:01 - 00:09:39:04 you know, underplaying your cards 00:09:39:04 - 00:09:40:12 by being in this situation. 00:09:40:12 - 00:09:42:14 I think you have a lot more to offer. 00:09:42:14 - 00:09:43:19 And, you know, 00:09:43:19 - 00:09:45:09 if there's any way I can support you 00:09:45:09 - 00:09:47:20 in making that leap, you let me know. 00:09:47:21 - 00:09:49:03 And that's where he left it. 00:09:49:03 - 00:09:51:15 And that that to me was enough 00:09:51:15 - 00:09:54:01 of a nudge to have, you know, some 00:09:54:17 - 00:09:56:16 somebody else see it when I was kind of, 00:09:57:15 - 00:09:58:05 you know, 00:09:58:05 - 00:10:00:09 oscillating back and forth, like, 00:10:00:09 - 00:10:01:22 am I going to fall for that, 00:10:01:22 - 00:10:02:09 you know, 00:10:02:09 - 00:10:03:16 staying safe 00:10:03:16 - 00:10:05:00 or am I going to really do it? 00:10:05:00 - 00:10:07:00 And I think that conversation was like 00:10:07:00 - 00:10:07:16 the moment 00:10:07:16 - 00:10:09:09 where the light bulb clicked for me. 00:10:09:09 - 00:10:11:14 Like, No, that's right. 00:10:12:05 - 00:10:13:04 That's what I believe 00:10:13:04 - 00:10:14:07 and that's what I'm going to follow. 00:10:14:07 - 00:10:15:01 So, you know, 00:10:15:01 - 00:10:16:00 it wasn't like 00:10:16:00 - 00:10:17:14 someone did me dirty or, 00:10:17:14 - 00:10:19:19 you know, I had a bad experience. 00:10:19:21 - 00:10:22:16 Like, you know, I had a relatively 00:10:22:16 - 00:10:24:18 I was often the only person of color 00:10:24:18 - 00:10:26:17 in some very high ranking meeting. 00:10:26:17 - 00:10:27:03 So, you know, 00:10:27:03 - 00:10:28:12 I had kind of 00:10:28:12 - 00:10:29:16 the Karen's up the hall 00:10:29:16 - 00:10:31:06 and the Bobs up the hall. They have. 00:10:31:06 - 00:10:32:06 But everybody's got the Karens 00:10:32:06 - 00:10:33:08 the Bobs 00:10:33:08 - 00:10:36:14 Just part of the process. 00:10:36:14 - 00:10:38:16 So, you know, 00:10:38:16 - 00:10:40:02 I didn't have a bad experience 00:10:40:02 - 00:10:41:03 in that in that way. 00:10:41:03 - 00:10:42:11 You know, for the most part, you know, 00:10:42:11 - 00:10:44:12 especially once I establish 00:10:44:15 - 00:10:47:00 a certain level of my career. 00:10:47:00 - 00:10:48:21 But that client kind of giving me 00:10:48:21 - 00:10:50:21 that nudge was really that 00:10:50:21 - 00:10:52:19 that moment when I said, okay, 00:10:52:19 - 00:10:53:21 this is happening. 00:10:53:21 - 00:10:56:00 Right, right. 00:10:56:00 - 00:10:58:16 So, I mean, your story and so many others 00:10:59:06 - 00:11:02:01 really reinforces the true narrative. 00:11:02:06 - 00:11:03:23 of how lots of people come to entrepreneurship. 00:11:03:23 - 00:11:05:17 They actually get it through 00:11:05:17 - 00:11:07:16 real experience. 00:11:07:16 - 00:11:09:00 Corporations sometimes 00:11:09:00 - 00:11:10:09 I know people have this 00:11:10:09 - 00:11:12:04 there is this mindset 00:11:12:04 - 00:11:13:19 that if you were in corporate, 00:11:13:19 - 00:11:14:18 you know, you're rigid, 00:11:14:18 - 00:11:17:03 you can't think outside of it. 00:11:17:03 - 00:11:17:17 You can't 00:11:17:17 - 00:11:18:20 you can't become an entrepreneur 00:11:18:20 - 00:11:19:04 that way. 00:11:19:04 - 00:11:20:20 But the truth is 00:11:20:21 - 00:11:21:08 most of 00:11:21:08 - 00:11:21:21 the path 00:11:21:21 - 00:11:22:13 is usually through 00:11:22:13 - 00:11:24:10 some opportunity in those areas. 00:11:24:10 - 00:11:25:04 And it sounds like 00:11:25:04 - 00:11:25:14 not only 00:11:25:14 - 00:11:26:21 that you got a chance 00:11:26:21 - 00:11:28:02 to branch out with some of the clients 00:11:28:02 - 00:11:30:04 that you worked with while you were at 00:11:30:20 - 00:11:33:19 whatever agency or whatever corporation. 00:11:34:01 - 00:11:34:19 And so to me, it's 00:11:34:19 - 00:11:36:17 just that a testament to do 00:11:36:17 - 00:11:37:14 everything you can 00:11:37:14 - 00:11:40:00 to the greatest ability, let your work, 00:11:40:16 - 00:11:41:24 speak through your work, you know, 00:11:41:24 - 00:11:43:03 and then that 00:11:43:03 - 00:11:44:14 and building relationships, 00:11:44:14 - 00:11:45:12 building through your work 00:11:45:12 - 00:11:46:19 is how you really have great impact. 00:11:46:19 - 00:11:48:03 So let's talk about MXXN 00:11:48:03 - 00:11:49:06 Let's talk about this project. 00:11:49:06 - 00:11:51:22 which is combining 00:11:51:22 - 00:11:54:01 nonalcoholic drink with 00:11:55:00 - 00:11:56:00 cannabis 00:11:56:00 - 00:11:58:10 to create this new type of cocktail. 00:11:58:10 - 00:12:00:01 Tell me how you got into this world 00:12:00:01 - 00:12:00:13 a little bit 00:12:00:13 - 00:12:01:09 in terms of cannabis 00:12:01:09 - 00:12:02:07 then I want to talk more 00:12:02:07 - 00:12:04:02 about what this cocktail is 00:12:04:02 - 00:12:04:23 and how we can, 00:12:04:23 - 00:12:06:13 I guess, actually get a chance to 00:12:06:13 - 00:12:08:00 to taste this cocktail. 00:12:08:00 - 00:12:08:23 Sounds pretty interesting. 00:12:08:23 - 00:12:09:17 Yeah. Yes. 00:12:09:17 - 00:12:11:01 So a large 00:12:11:01 - 00:12:12:14 a large portion of my career 00:12:12:14 - 00:12:13:03 is spent 00:12:13:03 - 00:12:14:23 in beverage innovation 00:12:14:23 - 00:12:17:02 and commercialization, right. 00:12:17:02 - 00:12:19:09 From the agency side to client side. 00:12:19:09 - 00:12:20:14 I've worked with, 00:12:20:14 - 00:12:23:06 you know, the behemoths at Diageo, 00:12:23:07 - 00:12:26:10 Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, and done 00:12:26:17 - 00:12:27:19 trademark innovation 00:12:27:19 - 00:12:29:02 and commercialization, 00:12:29:02 - 00:12:31:12 you know, for a big part of my career. 00:12:32:07 - 00:12:34:02 And so during that time, 00:12:34:02 - 00:12:36:16 just paying attention to trends and data 00:12:37:02 - 00:12:39:24 and also learning the ropes of, 00:12:40:09 - 00:12:41:15 you know, for me, 00:12:41:15 - 00:12:43:18 bringing something to market from liquid 00:12:43:18 - 00:12:44:10 all the way, you know, 00:12:44:10 - 00:12:45:20 from concept and liquid 00:12:45:20 - 00:12:47:12 all the way to, you know, 00:12:47:12 - 00:12:47:23 the plan 00:12:47:23 - 00:12:49:09 that's going to roll this out to marketing 00:12:49:09 - 00:12:52:18 and make it stand out among the other 37 00:12:52:18 - 00:12:55:09 million vodkas or 37 million Tequilas 00:12:55:10 - 00:12:56:17 that are already out there right. 00:12:56:17 - 00:12:57:01 You know, 00:12:57:01 - 00:12:58:23 you learn some things during that process 00:12:58:23 - 00:13:00:10 and they have a way that they do it, 00:13:00:10 - 00:13:02:20 which is, you know, very well documented. 00:13:02:20 - 00:13:04:05 And they you know, they're very 00:13:05:21 - 00:13:07:01 they they very they 00:13:07:01 - 00:13:08:04 focus on a very hard 00:13:08:04 - 00:13:08:12 in terms 00:13:08:12 - 00:13:10:05 of how to commercialize new things. 00:13:10:05 - 00:13:10:12 Okay. 00:13:10:12 - 00:13:12:22 So, you know, for me, 00:13:12:22 - 00:13:16:13 once I went through that, you know, 00:13:16:13 - 00:13:17:05 what I will tell 00:13:17:05 - 00:13:18:16 you is being in the spirits industry 00:13:18:16 - 00:13:20:08 for some time, 00:13:20:08 - 00:13:22:03 you either go one or two ways, right? 00:13:22:03 - 00:13:23:11 Either you can handle it 00:13:23:11 - 00:13:26:20 or your liver is basically like no more. 00:13:27:07 - 00:13:29:01 And I think for me, 00:13:29:01 - 00:13:31:06 I got to a point where, you know, 00:13:32:06 - 00:13:34:18 from a physical standpoint, me 00:13:34:18 - 00:13:36:04 and alcohol 00:13:36:04 - 00:13:38:07 over the time just continue to agree 00:13:38:08 - 00:13:40:09 less and less. Right, right, right. 00:13:40:10 - 00:13:42:19 It would throw me off my game and like, 00:13:43:07 - 00:13:45:05 you know, as a black male, 00:13:45:05 - 00:13:47:12 you got to be twice as good, right, 00:13:47:14 - 00:13:49:15 to get the same, same accolades. 00:13:49:15 - 00:13:51:08 So I couldn't for me, I couldn't 00:13:52:09 - 00:13:54:05 approach my career in a manner in which 00:13:54:05 - 00:13:55:09 that was a big part of it. 00:13:55:09 - 00:13:57:02 So back 00:13:57:02 - 00:13:58:01 15 years ago, 00:13:58:01 - 00:13:59:09 when I was living in New York City, 00:13:59:09 - 00:14:01:07 I started making a tincture, right? 00:14:01:07 - 00:14:03:15 And a tincture is really simple. 00:14:03:15 - 00:14:06:07 I would, you know, heat up some flowers 00:14:06:07 - 00:14:08:13 and cannabis to a very specific temperature 00:14:08:23 - 00:14:10:13 for a very specific time. 00:14:10:13 - 00:14:12:04 And then I would 00:14:12:04 - 00:14:15:07 soak it in like some high proof alcohol 00:14:15:10 - 00:14:16:24 and I would strain it 00:14:16:24 - 00:14:18:02 like a month later 00:14:18:02 - 00:14:20:02 and it'd be a little dropper bottle 00:14:20:02 - 00:14:21:10 and I'd be the guy at the bar 00:14:21:10 - 00:14:22:01 that be like, Hey, 00:14:22:01 - 00:14:24:00 can I have a tonic and lime in? 00:14:24:00 - 00:14:24:20 And I turn around 00:14:24:20 - 00:14:26:05 and I put three little drops 00:14:26:05 - 00:14:28:01 of my tincture in the tonic and lime, 00:14:28:01 - 00:14:30:01 and I would be sessioning cocktails 00:14:30:13 - 00:14:31:20 right along with everyone else. 00:14:31:20 - 00:14:32:16 But no one knew 00:14:32:16 - 00:14:34:06 what was in my glass, right? 00:14:34:06 - 00:14:35:01 That's smart. That's that. 00:14:35:01 - 00:14:36:16 Lyndon Johnson used to do that 00:14:36:16 - 00:14:37:18 Let other people drink. 00:14:37:18 - 00:14:39:04 It was like, have a drink. 00:14:39:04 - 00:14:40:01 You learn more information 00:14:40:01 - 00:14:41:11 that way, you know, very shrewd of you. 00:14:41:11 - 00:14:42:09 Go ahead. Yeah. 00:14:42:09 - 00:14:45:01 And so that was 15 years ago. 00:14:45:01 - 00:14:45:14 And that, you know, 00:14:45:14 - 00:14:46:03 that was like 00:14:46:03 - 00:14:49:08 kind of the first idea of MXXN it was like 00:14:50:02 - 00:14:52:20 what's now become this alternative 00:14:52:20 - 00:14:54:01 alcohol movement? 00:14:54:01 - 00:14:55:14 Right you had 00:14:55:14 - 00:14:58:07 a ton of nonalcoholic spirits brands. 00:14:58:07 - 00:14:58:20 You know, 00:14:58:20 - 00:15:00:07 I won't name them all, but, you know, 00:15:00:07 - 00:15:01:18 they're out there 00:15:01:19 - 00:15:04:11 and you have the rise of cannabis 00:15:04:12 - 00:15:05:10 infused beverages. 00:15:05:10 - 00:15:06:15 And so, 00:15:06:19 - 00:15:07:19 you know, for me, 00:15:07:19 - 00:15:09:01 I kind of took this data 00:15:09:01 - 00:15:10:00 of watching people 00:15:10:00 - 00:15:11:03 be more mindful 00:15:11:03 - 00:15:14:00 about how they consume alcohol. Right. 00:15:14:00 - 00:15:16:03 And really reducing consumption 00:15:16:03 - 00:15:18:15 or changing the way they consume. 00:15:18:22 - 00:15:20:11 And then also looking at the rise 00:15:20:11 - 00:15:21:16 of this new technology 00:15:21:16 - 00:15:24:00 that was giving us, you know, 00:15:24:03 - 00:15:24:20 the Heineken 00:15:24:20 - 00:15:28:21 0.0 and, you know, the OG O'Douls 00:15:28:21 - 00:15:29:03 Right. 00:15:29:03 - 00:15:31:06 And things have just spawned from there. 00:15:31:06 - 00:15:32:08 And so I said to myself, 00:15:32:08 - 00:15:34:24 what if I kind of took these two things 00:15:34:24 - 00:15:36:08 and made a new monster? 00:15:36:08 - 00:15:38:15 And that's where MXXN came from. 00:15:38:18 - 00:15:42:14 And so it took three years to perfect 00:15:42:21 - 00:15:46:16 how to infuse a non aholic spirit 00:15:46:16 - 00:15:48:20 with cannabis and not have it taste 00:15:48:20 - 00:15:49:22 like cannabis. 00:15:49:22 - 00:15:51:08 Because right for us 00:15:51:08 - 00:15:52:16 we're going for 00:15:52:16 - 00:15:54:00 the taste of cocktails, right? 00:15:54:00 - 00:15:55:19 So we want it to taste 00:15:55:19 - 00:15:57:00 like a gin and tonic 00:15:57:00 - 00:15:59:21 or a margarita or Paloma or what you 00:16:00:00 - 00:16:01:14 what you're already familiar with. 00:16:01:14 - 00:16:02:23 We didn't want to drown that out 00:16:02:23 - 00:16:05:08 with cannabis taste and so that 00:16:05:08 - 00:16:05:22 I bet the process 00:16:05:22 - 00:16:07:18 is intense to figure that out. 00:16:07:18 - 00:16:09:01 I can't tell you 00:16:09:01 - 00:16:11:23 how many nos and thumbs down I got. 00:16:11:23 - 00:16:14:04 We had a panel of mixologists and, 00:16:15:01 - 00:16:17:16 you know, sensory experts and 00:16:17:16 - 00:16:19:14 even myself, I was very exacting. 00:16:19:14 - 00:16:21:09 And I mean, we got to so many 00:16:21:09 - 00:16:23:13 I mean, I couldn't tell you what version 00:16:23:13 - 00:16:25:11 we were on by the time we landed it. 00:16:25:11 - 00:16:27:23 And it was yeah, it was a very exacting 00:16:29:09 - 00:16:30:22 process, but it was worth it. 00:16:30:22 - 00:16:31:17 Because I think we 00:16:31:17 - 00:16:33:01 we truly came up with something 00:16:33:01 - 00:16:35:14 that is very rarely do you see something 00:16:35:21 - 00:16:37:15 come along in beverage innovation 00:16:37:15 - 00:16:39:20 that is truly like, oh, wait, what? 00:16:39:20 - 00:16:41:13 And I mean, it was new to me. 00:16:41:13 - 00:16:42:12 I had to read it twice. 00:16:42:12 - 00:16:43:03 It's like, all right. 00:16:43:03 - 00:16:45:08 No, it's definitely it is innovative 00:16:47:08 - 00:16:49:04 and I think it will be possible to do. 00:16:49:04 - 00:16:49:13 Yeah. 00:16:49:13 - 00:16:49:24 I mean, look, 00:16:49:24 - 00:16:50:24 the feedback we've gotten 00:16:50:24 - 00:16:52:17 so far has been overwhelming 00:16:52:17 - 00:16:54:01 to the point where, 00:16:54:01 - 00:16:54:08 you know, 00:16:54:08 - 00:16:56:12 it's a very simple conversation. 00:16:56:12 - 00:16:57:10 It's like 00:16:57:10 - 00:16:59:09 typically someone who comes to us 00:16:59:09 - 00:17:00:03 is like, 00:17:00:03 - 00:17:01:09 man, I like, 00:17:01:09 - 00:17:01:18 I don't 00:17:01:18 - 00:17:02:20 I love cocktails, 00:17:02:20 - 00:17:04:01 but I can't like 00:17:04:01 - 00:17:05:09 I'm just in a life phase 00:17:05:09 - 00:17:07:22 that I can't drink like that anymore. 00:17:07:22 - 00:17:09:05 And so that's 00:17:09:05 - 00:17:10:03 what they call a can, 00:17:10:03 - 00:17:11:12 a curious consumer 00:17:11:12 - 00:17:14:09 and someone who still needs the release. 00:17:14:09 - 00:17:16:00 But does it want 00:17:16:00 - 00:17:16:18 let's be honest, 00:17:16:18 - 00:17:19:23 alcohol is ultimately poison when you. 00:17:20:02 - 00:17:21:07 Literally yeah, right. 00:17:21:07 - 00:17:21:22 Literally. 00:17:21:22 - 00:17:23:12 So, you know, 00:17:23:12 - 00:17:24:04 when you get people 00:17:24:04 - 00:17:25:22 coming to you in that manner 00:17:25:22 - 00:17:26:08 and they're like, 00:17:26:08 - 00:17:28:17 okay, so I'm interested in cannabis, 00:17:28:17 - 00:17:31:08 but I have no idea on where to start. 00:17:31:21 - 00:17:34:11 And for us it's a very simple exchange. 00:17:34:11 - 00:17:35:20 Are you familiar with Gin? 00:17:35:20 - 00:17:37:05 Are you familiar with tequila? 00:17:37:05 - 00:17:39:05 Are you familiar with whiskey? 00:17:39:05 - 00:17:39:24 Okay, great. 00:17:39:24 - 00:17:40:24 If you are 00:17:40:24 - 00:17:42:04 and you have a favorite of those, 00:17:42:04 - 00:17:43:06 I have a bottle of something 00:17:43:06 - 00:17:45:10 that you can replace that bottle 00:17:45:10 - 00:17:46:21 and do exactly the same 00:17:46:21 - 00:17:48:10 things you've been doing 00:17:48:10 - 00:17:50:04 and have a cannabis infused 00:17:50:04 - 00:17:52:09 cocktail versus an alcohol 00:17:52:09 - 00:17:53:09 infused cocktail. 00:17:53:09 - 00:17:56:02 And you will have a taste and experience 00:17:56:14 - 00:17:57:15 and feel from it. 00:17:57:15 - 00:17:59:05 And people are like, No way. 00:17:59:05 - 00:18:00:09 And then two weeks later 00:18:00:09 - 00:18:02:03 they'll call us back and be like, Holy. 00:18:02:03 - 00:18:05:05 You know what? 00:18:05:05 - 00:18:07:19 Now that's wow. 00:18:07:19 - 00:18:08:19 That's really, 00:18:08:19 - 00:18:10:19 really innovative is the word. 00:18:10:19 - 00:18:11:20 I want to go back to a point 00:18:11:20 - 00:18:12:12 you said earlier 00:18:12:12 - 00:18:14:19 about the exacting process with marketing 00:18:14:19 - 00:18:16:09 when it comes to spirits, 00:18:16:09 - 00:18:17:18 and then I want to talk to you. 00:18:17:18 - 00:18:18:17 And then the second 00:18:18:17 - 00:18:19:17 thing I want to talk to you about 00:18:19:17 - 00:18:22:10 is the challenges about how you do this 00:18:22:11 - 00:18:23:22 being the fact that it is cannabis. 00:18:23:22 - 00:18:24:21 And although it's 00:18:24:21 - 00:18:26:04 legal, it's still, 00:18:26:04 - 00:18:26:16 you know, 00:18:26:16 - 00:18:27:04 cannabis 00:18:27:04 - 00:18:27:19 and it's still got 00:18:27:19 - 00:18:28:18 the federal challenges. 00:18:28:18 - 00:18:30:01 And state by state, 00:18:30:01 - 00:18:30:22 I wanted to talk to you 00:18:30:22 - 00:18:31:21 about how you're navigating 00:18:31:21 - 00:18:32:22 both of those things. 00:18:32:22 - 00:18:34:02 How you navigating that, 00:18:34:02 - 00:18:34:24 both of those things on that end 00:18:34:24 - 00:18:36:08 And when it comes just the regulatory 00:18:36:08 - 00:18:37:05 structure, both federal 00:18:37:05 - 00:18:38:06 and state by state. 00:18:38:06 - 00:18:40:00 But let's go back to the marketing part. 00:18:40:00 - 00:18:40:21 What is 00:18:41:08 - 00:18:43:01 what's the most important thing 00:18:43:01 - 00:18:43:11 or the most? 00:18:43:11 - 00:18:43:17 Let's say 00:18:43:17 - 00:18:45:09 the most two or three important things 00:18:45:09 - 00:18:46:19 that needs to be done 00:18:46:19 - 00:18:48:07 to effectively market 00:18:48:07 - 00:18:49:06 a spirit 00:18:49:06 - 00:18:50:01 that will increase 00:18:50:01 - 00:18:51:13 your chances of success. 00:18:51:13 - 00:18:51:21 Yeah. 00:18:51:21 - 00:18:52:23 I mean, first is 00:18:52:23 - 00:18:54:16 you got to have a brand story 00:18:54:16 - 00:18:58:02 and you got to have some of the authentic 00:18:58:24 - 00:19:00:22 pieces of that story, like 00:19:00:22 - 00:19:03:02 for just to throw a bottle of alcohol 00:19:03:02 - 00:19:03:15 at someone. 00:19:03:15 - 00:19:05:04 People these days, 00:19:05:04 - 00:19:06:05 when you 00:19:06:05 - 00:19:07:22 are drinking something, it kind of 00:19:07:22 - 00:19:09:22 is a representation of who you are. 00:19:09:23 - 00:19:11:24 Like if you're drinking Crown, 00:19:11:24 - 00:19:13:17 that says something about you different. 00:19:13:17 - 00:19:15:17 Than if you're drinking Jack Daniels 00:19:15:17 - 00:19:18:19 or if you're drinking, you know, Angel's 00:19:18:19 - 00:19:20:20 Envy, Bourbon or whatever, 00:19:20:20 - 00:19:22:08 all these things 00:19:22:08 - 00:19:24:17 in some respects, they give a person 00:19:25:00 - 00:19:27:04 some clues about who you may be. Right. 00:19:27:06 - 00:19:28:19 And that's that brand story. Yeah. So 00:19:29:18 - 00:19:30:15 that that holds 00:19:30:15 - 00:19:32:04 true, whether it's cannabis, 00:19:32:04 - 00:19:34:13 whether it's our spirits, whether it's. 00:19:34:13 - 00:19:35:08 Whether it's 00:19:35:08 - 00:19:37:12 whether it's anything, whether it's like, 00:19:38:06 - 00:19:39:00 I'll tell you, the drink 00:19:39:00 - 00:19:40:13 that stands out to me very quickly 00:19:40:13 - 00:19:41:05 tells a story 00:19:41:05 - 00:19:42:10 I still remember 00:19:42:10 - 00:19:45:02 I don't know, it probably says that about me, 00:19:45:02 - 00:19:46:15 Dos Equis 00:19:46:15 - 00:19:47:03 I remember that 00:19:47:03 - 00:19:49:22 the most interesting that I loved that. 00:19:50:03 - 00:19:51:10 Oh, the most interesting man 00:19:51:10 - 00:19:52:03 in the world. 00:19:52:03 - 00:19:54:07 Those were such great campaigns 00:19:54:10 - 00:19:55:18 I didn't even like beer. 00:19:55:18 - 00:19:59:00 I just said, I might just order one just to show 00:19:59:00 - 00:19:59:20 exactly 00:19:59:20 - 00:20:01:16 Says it like it 00:20:01:16 - 00:20:03:12 led something for you, right? 00:20:03:12 - 00:20:04:17 Like it 00:20:04:17 - 00:20:05:18 said something about who 00:20:05:18 - 00:20:06:22 you were as a person 00:20:06:22 - 00:20:08:17 when you and everyone else 00:20:08:17 - 00:20:09:15 did that, 00:20:09:15 - 00:20:10:20 everyone else at the bar 00:20:10:20 - 00:20:12:09 might have been pouring a corona. 00:20:12:09 - 00:20:12:21 You're like, 00:20:12:21 - 00:20:14:11 I'll take a Dos Equis you know? 00:20:14:11 - 00:20:15:17 And people look at you 00:20:15:17 - 00:20:16:19 kind of like, Oh, okay, 00:20:16:19 - 00:20:17:19 this guy's different. 00:20:17:19 - 00:20:19:10 And so 00:20:19:10 - 00:20:20:20 that still holds true, right, 00:20:20:20 - 00:20:21:04 when you're 00:20:21:04 - 00:20:23:11 trying to build a spirits brand, 00:20:23:11 - 00:20:24:10 especially because 00:20:24:10 - 00:20:27:16 the occasion and the place that spirits 00:20:27:16 - 00:20:28:16 and cannabis 00:20:28:16 - 00:20:30:12 ultimately hold in life, 00:20:30:12 - 00:20:31:04 there really was. 00:20:31:04 - 00:20:32:03 What's the brand story of MXXN 00:20:32:03 - 00:20:33:16 then I guess that that leads me to that. 00:20:33:16 - 00:20:35:01 And then finish the rest of the other two points. 00:20:35:01 - 00:20:35:23 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:20:35:23 - 00:20:40:16 And so MXXN was really about as I was 00:20:42:07 - 00:20:44:08 developing it, like I was trying to 00:20:45:19 - 00:20:48:00 like quantify like what it made 00:20:48:01 - 00:20:49:02 you feel like 00:20:49:02 - 00:20:50:18 and one night, you know, 00:20:50:18 - 00:20:53:10 I twas tasting one of the 00:20:53:13 - 00:20:55:15 millions of prototypes we came up with 00:20:55:15 - 00:20:56:05 and it was like 00:20:56:05 - 00:20:57:15 an exceptionally good one. 00:20:57:15 - 00:20:58:11 And it was a night 00:20:58:11 - 00:20:59:17 where it was a full moon, 00:20:59:17 - 00:21:01:20 and the moon was kind of glowing to me 00:21:01:20 - 00:21:02:21 on my back porch. 00:21:02:21 - 00:21:04:05 And I was like, Wow, it's like it 00:21:04:05 - 00:21:05:17 kind of feels like a glow. 00:21:05:17 - 00:21:06:07 And that's 00:21:06:07 - 00:21:10:03 where the whole inspiration for MXXN came from. 00:21:10:03 - 00:21:11:05 It was just a moment 00:21:11:05 - 00:21:12:07 I had with it that, 00:21:12:07 - 00:21:14:24 As I started to think about it 00:21:14:24 - 00:21:16:22 it said so many things about what 00:21:16:22 - 00:21:18:00 the product is, right? 00:21:18:00 - 00:21:20:01 It's kind of like, you know, 00:21:20:19 - 00:21:23:12 extraterrestrial experience, right? 00:21:23:14 - 00:21:25:06 It's something familiar 00:21:25:06 - 00:21:27:20 but new in the sense of it's a cocktail, 00:21:27:20 - 00:21:28:23 but it takes me to a 00:21:28:23 - 00:21:30:01 much different place. 00:21:31:05 - 00:21:32:04 And I remember the first 00:21:32:04 - 00:21:33:16 time we had 00:21:33:16 - 00:21:36:08 an event where we served exclusively MXXN 00:21:36:17 - 00:21:39:01 and it was just a bunch of people 00:21:39:01 - 00:21:41:21 standing around smiling and laughing. 00:21:41:21 - 00:21:42:13 And I was just like, 00:21:42:13 - 00:21:44:19 Wow, this is a really cool experience 00:21:44:19 - 00:21:45:04 because, you know, 00:21:45:04 - 00:21:46:09 and sometimes you're in an environment 00:21:46:09 - 00:21:47:05 where 00:21:47:11 - 00:21:48:13 there's all 00:21:48:13 - 00:21:50:23 sorts of responses to alcohol, right? 00:21:50:23 - 00:21:55:01 There's the sloppy drunk there is the angry 00:21:55:16 - 00:21:58:01 belligerent, there's the, you know, 00:21:58:01 - 00:21:59:01 you've got all ranges 00:21:59:01 - 00:22:01:08 I've seen them all. Yes. Right. 00:22:01:08 - 00:22:04:11 So you have that kind of like consistent 00:22:04:11 - 00:22:06:02 experience of like 00:22:06:02 - 00:22:08:08 people were just smiling 00:22:08:11 - 00:22:09:23 and just relaxed. 00:22:09:23 - 00:22:12:00 And it was just a very a 00:22:12:00 - 00:22:14:05 just a very warm environment that that 00:22:15:01 - 00:22:16:20 doubled down on the MXXN name for me. 00:22:16:20 - 00:22:17:16 And then the 00:22:17:16 - 00:22:18:21 you know what people ask, well, 00:22:18:21 - 00:22:21:01 why isn't it spelled with O's? 00:22:21:01 - 00:22:22:07 And you 00:22:22:07 - 00:22:23:23 you actually nailed a point earlier 00:22:23:23 - 00:22:25:20 as to why it's Xs. 00:22:25:20 - 00:22:27:24 And it's really because it's kind of a 00:22:27:24 - 00:22:30:12 an homage to, you know, the fact that 00:22:30:12 - 00:22:33:10 it is still actually federally illegal. 00:22:33:12 - 00:22:34:00 Right. 00:22:34:09 - 00:22:36:17 It's kind of like this prohibited. 00:22:36:17 - 00:22:38:14 You know, thing. And so 00:22:40:01 - 00:22:40:08 that's 00:22:40:08 - 00:22:41:06 really where 00:22:41:06 - 00:22:43:12 the inspiration from the name came from. 00:22:43:12 - 00:22:44:10 And we just took it 00:22:44:10 - 00:22:45:02 and ran with it 00:22:45:02 - 00:22:46:15 and it just has so many extensions 00:22:46:15 - 00:22:48:15 and applications for 00:22:48:15 - 00:22:51:02 From how it makes you feel too, you know, 00:22:51:02 - 00:22:52:03 where its place 00:22:52:03 - 00:22:54:07 is among other beverage brands 00:22:54:07 - 00:22:58:08 and we just ran with it. Right 00:22:58:08 - 00:22:59:05 So let's talk about the 00:22:59:05 - 00:23:01:00 the challenges with regulations 00:23:01:00 - 00:23:03:03 and how you go about doing this 00:23:03:03 - 00:23:04:19 and the state by state like so 00:23:04:19 - 00:23:06:01 how would this work? 00:23:06:01 - 00:23:08:04 Rob wants to try a drink. 00:23:08:21 - 00:23:10:10 How would I be able to do that. 00:23:10:10 - 00:23:12:21 How would my customers be able to 00:23:12:21 - 00:23:13:18 work with. Yeah. 00:23:13:18 - 00:23:15:19 So it's going to be kind of a, 00:23:15:19 - 00:23:16:15 you know, a 00:23:16:15 - 00:23:19:09 game of patience, like I said earlier. 00:23:19:09 - 00:23:19:15 Right. 00:23:19:15 - 00:23:21:06 In the sense that 00:23:21:06 - 00:23:22:24 when you started typical business 00:23:22:24 - 00:23:24:15 in the United States, 00:23:24:15 - 00:23:26:00 once you start at one place, 00:23:26:00 - 00:23:28:24 it started for the rest of the country. 00:23:28:24 - 00:23:31:01 Whereas in cannabis, right, 00:23:31:03 - 00:23:32:08 you're starting a business. 00:23:32:08 - 00:23:33:14 And effectively 00:23:33:14 - 00:23:35:22 each time you start this business, 00:23:35:22 - 00:23:37:24 you have to start a new one in each state 00:23:37:24 - 00:23:41:03 because the you know, from 00:23:41:05 - 00:23:43:00 the packaging regulations 00:23:43:00 - 00:23:44:23 to the amount of cannabis 00:23:44:23 - 00:23:47:05 you can have in a package, to 00:23:47:24 - 00:23:49:11 other things that come into play 00:23:49:11 - 00:23:50:19 that just are different 00:23:50:19 - 00:23:52:08 from state to state 00:23:52:08 - 00:23:54:07 and they're changing all the time. 00:23:54:07 - 00:23:57:01 And so so you're in California. 00:23:57:01 - 00:23:58:01 We're in California. 00:23:58:01 - 00:23:59:05 We're in talks 00:23:59:05 - 00:24:01:12 to move into two additional states. 00:24:01:12 - 00:24:02:02 Okay. 00:24:02:07 - 00:24:04:00 And, you know, obviously, 00:24:04:00 - 00:24:05:14 where we're aiming right now 00:24:05:14 - 00:24:06:21 is the 19 00:24:06:21 - 00:24:09:07 or so recreational states, right. 00:24:09:08 - 00:24:10:24 That are online now. 00:24:10:24 - 00:24:12:06 It's going to be our first target. 00:24:13:05 - 00:24:13:15 Who are 00:24:13:15 - 00:24:14:03 like you don't have to 00:24:14:03 - 00:24:16:12 say all they are but there are is 00:24:16:12 - 00:24:17:14 Miami is not recreational 00:24:17:14 - 00:24:18:08 is Miami recreational? 00:24:18:08 - 00:24:19:11 as a Florida recreational. 00:24:19:11 - 00:24:21:24 Florida is not not yet. 00:24:21:24 - 00:24:22:16 Miami would 00:24:22:16 - 00:24:24:13 be a great target for you 00:24:24:13 - 00:24:25:10 You would think. Right? 00:24:25:10 - 00:24:26:23 Yeah. Miami would kill it. 00:24:26:23 - 00:24:28:03 But okay. 00:24:28:03 - 00:24:30:15 So I assume New York is. New York is. 00:24:30:15 - 00:24:32:10 But they're still coming online, right? 00:24:32:10 - 00:24:34:05 They're still getting all of their ducks 00:24:34:05 - 00:24:36:05 in a row like most of the Northeast 00:24:36:05 - 00:24:37:06 corridor is now. 00:24:37:06 - 00:24:39:17 So Connecticut is 00:24:39:23 - 00:24:42:07 I think Rhode Island recently did. 00:24:42:15 - 00:24:45:04 Massachusetts is a big market 00:24:45:04 - 00:24:45:22 on the East Coast. 00:24:45:22 - 00:24:49:03 Jersey is now rec 00:24:49:03 - 00:24:51:01 And then you move a 00:24:51:01 - 00:24:53:00 Well Jersey is one 00:24:53:00 - 00:24:54:08 you move west 00:24:54:08 - 00:24:55:00 and then you got 00:24:55:00 - 00:24:56:16 there's some pockets in the Midwest. 00:24:56:16 - 00:24:59:18 So Illinois and Michigan, you move 00:24:59:18 - 00:25:00:16 further west, 00:25:00:16 - 00:25:02:21 you got Colorado, Nevada, 00:25:03:05 - 00:25:06:04 Arizona, obviously the whole western 00:25:06:10 - 00:25:08:03 Seaboard with California, 00:25:08:03 - 00:25:09:14 Oregon and Washington state. 00:25:09:14 - 00:25:11:06 And so that's really, 00:25:11:06 - 00:25:13:06 you know, for all intents and New Mexico 00:25:13:06 - 00:25:14:08 just came online. 00:25:14:08 - 00:25:16:15 That's really our our map right now. 00:25:16:16 - 00:25:17:00 Right. 00:25:18:02 - 00:25:18:22 And so for folks 00:25:18:22 - 00:25:19:06 who aren't 00:25:19:06 - 00:25:21:22 in those states, unfortunately, 00:25:21:22 - 00:25:22:10 there's going to be 00:25:22:10 - 00:25:23:09 a little bit of a wait 00:25:23:09 - 00:25:24:07 unless you travel 00:25:24:07 - 00:25:25:07 into one of those states 00:25:25:07 - 00:25:26:17 and then you can, you know, 00:25:26:17 - 00:25:27:17 you'll be able to find it. 00:25:27:17 - 00:25:29:18 But, yes, it's a it's a 00:25:29:18 - 00:25:32:19 the regulations make this, you know, 00:25:33:15 - 00:25:35:14 like exponentially tougher than starting 00:25:35:14 - 00:25:36:22 your regular business, right? 00:25:36:22 - 00:25:39:03 Because you're building a new business 00:25:39:03 - 00:25:41:23 in every single market you go to. 00:25:41:23 - 00:25:43:09 And I imagine you're 00:25:43:09 - 00:25:44:09 the digital media space. 00:25:44:09 - 00:25:44:23 Are there 00:25:44:23 - 00:25:46:15 are there barriers for digital media 00:25:46:15 - 00:25:47:17 marketing as well too? 00:25:47:17 - 00:25:49:03 Yeah, I imagine 00:25:49:03 - 00:25:49:24 they probably make it 00:25:49:24 - 00:25:51:07 harder to do that too. 00:25:51:07 - 00:25:52:09 Yeah, much harder. 00:25:52:09 - 00:25:55:03 And we have a little bit of a 00:25:55:08 - 00:25:56:00 in there 00:25:56:00 - 00:25:56:14 in the sense 00:25:56:14 - 00:25:59:00 that like our vessel is the cocktail 00:25:59:07 - 00:26:00:10 and so 00:26:00:10 - 00:26:01:12 we can talk about 00:26:01:12 - 00:26:03:04 other worldly cocktails 00:26:03:04 - 00:26:05:05 without really talking about cannabis. 00:26:05:05 - 00:26:07:10 And you know, upon further digging 00:26:07:10 - 00:26:08:11 you'll find out 00:26:08:11 - 00:26:09:08 it's, you know, 00:26:09:08 - 00:26:11:14 THC or cannabis infused, right? 00:26:11:22 - 00:26:14:14 But if you're a flower brand or a vape 00:26:14:14 - 00:26:16:18 brand, it's really no way to hide that. 00:26:16:18 - 00:26:19:23 So what you can do is super limited. 00:26:19:23 - 00:26:23:17 So it's not workarounds, but it is tough. 00:26:23:17 - 00:26:24:11 So what 00:26:24:11 - 00:26:26:21 does success in five years look like? 00:26:26:21 - 00:26:28:21 How do you hope to transform 00:26:28:21 - 00:26:29:15 the spirit industry? 00:26:29:15 - 00:26:30:06 What does that look like 00:26:30:06 - 00:26:31:06 when you've done that? 00:26:31:06 - 00:26:31:22 Yeah, look, 00:26:31:22 - 00:26:32:18 I say that 00:26:32:18 - 00:26:33:17 everyone I talk to, 00:26:33:17 - 00:26:35:24 I'm not here to replace alcohol. 00:26:36:02 - 00:26:39:16 I'm here to give folks another option 00:26:39:17 - 00:26:41:06 as it relates to their, 00:26:41:06 - 00:26:42:23 you know, their home bar cart. 00:26:42:23 - 00:26:45:01 Like, I feel this deserves a place 00:26:45:16 - 00:26:47:06 amongst every bar cart 00:26:47:06 - 00:26:50:03 and it's as an option to enjoy 00:26:50:10 - 00:26:51:11 when you're feeling 00:26:51:11 - 00:26:53:11 like a zig or a zag from alcohol. 00:26:53:12 - 00:26:54:14 Not to mention 00:26:54:14 - 00:26:55:24 obviously, we want to be an option 00:26:55:24 - 00:26:58:09 for those who have completely sworn off alcohol 00:26:58:09 - 00:26:59:18 and still want to have 00:26:59:18 - 00:27:01:03 that release occasion 00:27:01:03 - 00:27:03:23 and are okay with cannabis. 00:27:03:23 - 00:27:06:02 So five years from now, it's 00:27:06:05 - 00:27:08:06 a lot is going to depend upon 00:27:08:06 - 00:27:09:02 how much further 00:27:09:02 - 00:27:10:09 we make it from, 00:27:10:09 - 00:27:11:06 you know, legal 00:27:11:06 - 00:27:13:06 and in a regulatory sense. 00:27:13:06 - 00:27:16:08 Yeah, obviously our dream and our hope is 00:27:16:08 - 00:27:19:01 that we can be next to spirits 00:27:19:11 - 00:27:21:02 products wherever they're sold, 00:27:21:02 - 00:27:21:24 you know, whether it be in 00:27:21:24 - 00:27:23:10 a bar, whether it be in a 00:27:25:01 - 00:27:26:12 liquor store or what have you. 00:27:26:12 - 00:27:28:19 You know, I think that is the aim. 00:27:28:22 - 00:27:30:23 Are we we're not banking on that. Right. 00:27:30:23 - 00:27:32:24 Just based on how things have gone. 00:27:32:24 - 00:27:34:14 But I think we, 00:27:34:14 - 00:27:36:02 you know, five years from now, 00:27:36:02 - 00:27:38:15 if we're like kind of a mainstay on 00:27:39:08 - 00:27:40:04 a fair 00:27:40:04 - 00:27:40:21 amount of bar 00:27:40:21 - 00:27:43:13 carts, that'll be success for us. 00:27:43:13 - 00:27:43:23 All right. 00:27:43:23 - 00:27:45:19 Couple of quick, rapid fire questions, 00:27:45:19 - 00:27:46:14 rapid fire question 00:27:46:14 - 00:27:47:15 You could just finish this. 00:27:47:15 - 00:27:48:07 Finish the sentence 00:27:48:07 - 00:27:51:16 so the future of spirits in America is. 00:27:53:06 - 00:27:54:02 It's going to be here. 00:27:54:02 - 00:27:55:02 It's not going anywhere. 00:27:55:02 - 00:27:56:02 It's been here forever. 00:27:56:02 - 00:27:57:14 It's going to stay. 00:27:57:14 - 00:27:59:07 I think it's just evolving. 00:27:59:07 - 00:28:01:23 So what do people from the outside 00:28:03:05 - 00:28:04:22 get most get wrong? 00:28:04:22 - 00:28:07:22 Most often when it comes to cannabis. 00:28:07:22 - 00:28:10:13 I think the stigmatism that still exists, 00:28:10:17 - 00:28:11:00 you know, 00:28:11:00 - 00:28:13:17 from the war on drugs and you know, 00:28:13:20 - 00:28:15:22 there is no hiding from the fact 00:28:15:23 - 00:28:17:04 that there's plenty of people 00:28:17:04 - 00:28:17:21 that look like 00:28:17:21 - 00:28:18:15 you and I 00:28:18:15 - 00:28:20:05 who are definitely behind bars 00:28:20:05 - 00:28:22:01 for low level, 00:28:22:01 - 00:28:23:22 you know, marijuana offenses. 00:28:23:22 - 00:28:24:21 Absolutely. 00:28:24:21 - 00:28:25:04 You know, 00:28:25:04 - 00:28:26:19 something that is still 00:28:26:19 - 00:28:28:11 hugely problematic and. 00:28:28:11 - 00:28:29:21 And they still can't profit from 00:28:29:21 - 00:28:30:17 they're not the ones being able 00:28:30:17 - 00:28:31:22 to profit off of this. 00:28:31:22 - 00:28:34:22 And for the most part, yeah, that's it. 00:28:34:23 - 00:28:37:12 Yeah, it's extremely problematic. 00:28:37:12 - 00:28:39:00 And you and I should just point out 00:28:39:00 - 00:28:40:17 that I believe the company 00:28:40:17 - 00:28:41:13 MXXN is going to give 00:28:41:13 - 00:28:43:10 some portions back to, 00:28:43:10 - 00:28:45:13 you know, those who have been affected by 00:28:47:03 - 00:28:48:18 by these incarcerations. 00:28:48:18 - 00:28:49:19 Talk a little bit about that. 00:28:49:19 - 00:28:51:08 We do a lot of important work there. 00:28:51:08 - 00:28:51:17 Yeah. 00:28:51:17 - 00:28:53:01 So that's very central 00:28:53:01 - 00:28:54:23 to our whole mission in this. 00:28:54:23 - 00:28:56:13 And, you know, it's it's part 00:28:56:13 - 00:28:58:11 advocacy, right? 00:28:58:11 - 00:29:00:16 Supporting organizations that do 00:29:01:04 - 00:29:02:24 that work, you know, of 00:29:02:24 - 00:29:04:21 getting records expunged 00:29:04:21 - 00:29:06:12 and the lobbying work 00:29:06:12 - 00:29:09:03 it's going to require to change that whole 00:29:10:19 - 00:29:12:02 situation. 00:29:12:02 - 00:29:16:05 But it also is us being much more 00:29:17:14 - 00:29:20:01 watchful of our own supply chain 00:29:20:01 - 00:29:21:20 and who we give opportunities 00:29:21:20 - 00:29:24:21 to from an employment standpoint 00:29:24:21 - 00:29:26:22 and creating opportunities for, 00:29:26:22 - 00:29:28:22 you know, folks who have been affected, 00:29:28:22 - 00:29:29:18 but family members 00:29:29:18 - 00:29:30:21 have been affected by this. 00:29:30:21 - 00:29:32:09 Folks of color. Right. 00:29:32:09 - 00:29:35:11 Is really bringing us into the fold 00:29:35:12 - 00:29:36:08 into an industry 00:29:36:08 - 00:29:38:17 which has a chance to do it differently. 00:29:38:17 - 00:29:39:20 But unfortunately, 00:29:39:20 - 00:29:41:05 it's starting to shape up 00:29:41:05 - 00:29:42:18 and look like just like start. 00:29:42:18 - 00:29:43:20 To look like everything else. 00:29:43:20 - 00:29:45:13 In some ways, the areas are harder. 00:29:45:13 - 00:29:47:06 I have had some involvement 00:29:47:06 - 00:29:49:02 in some of these projects 00:29:49:02 - 00:29:49:19 through investment 00:29:49:19 - 00:29:51:02 are just looking at opportunity for 00:29:51:02 - 00:29:52:24 and I can tell you the barriers 00:29:52:24 - 00:29:53:21 they make them even 00:29:53:21 - 00:29:56:04 higher than normal barriers for business. 00:29:56:09 - 00:29:56:21 Yeah. 00:29:57:13 - 00:29:59:13 Which is, which is challenging. 00:29:59:13 - 00:29:59:22 And so 00:30:00:21 - 00:30:01:04 for all 00:30:01:04 - 00:30:02:21 the talk about inclusion, 00:30:02:21 - 00:30:04:10 it's been quite the opposite. 00:30:04:10 - 00:30:05:18 I've seen that play out in the space 00:30:05:18 - 00:30:08:05 I'm in with Web3 as well. So I can yeah. 00:30:08:05 - 00:30:09:17 I mean, there's a lot of talk about this, 00:30:09:17 - 00:30:11:10 but I tell people all the time, 00:30:11:10 - 00:30:12:09 no one is going to give us 00:30:12:09 - 00:30:13:10 diversity, inclusion, 00:30:13:10 - 00:30:13:22 nobody 00:30:13:22 - 00:30:16:02 we have to build for a period 00:30:16:02 - 00:30:17:19 in a discussion. 00:30:17:19 - 00:30:18:18 It's the only way we're going to get it 00:30:18:18 - 00:30:20:11 is that we provide the platform. 00:30:20:11 - 00:30:21:23 We provide the businesses, 00:30:21:23 - 00:30:23:07 we provide the strategies, 00:30:23:07 - 00:30:26:03 and we actually implement them 00:30:26:03 - 00:30:26:20 because they're not. 00:30:26:20 - 00:30:28:01 No one's going to do it 00:30:28:01 - 00:30:29:18 because it's the right thing to do. 00:30:29:18 - 00:30:30:05 They're going to 00:30:30:05 - 00:30:30:22 they're going to do it 00:30:30:22 - 00:30:33:01 because it's the profitable thing to do. 00:30:33:01 - 00:30:34:02 And that's what we have to do 00:30:34:02 - 00:30:35:09 because it is a profitable thing to do, 00:30:35:09 - 00:30:36:09 but we have to be the ones 00:30:36:09 - 00:30:37:18 creating the platform. 00:30:37:18 - 00:30:38:12 Otherwise we're not going 00:30:38:12 - 00:30:39:06 to be able to leverage it. 00:30:40:13 - 00:30:41:24 And that is 00:30:41:24 - 00:30:43:10 that is where we come from, 00:30:43:10 - 00:30:44:06 you know, in the sense of 00:30:44:06 - 00:30:46:03 like we're trying to be a platform 00:30:46:03 - 00:30:47:18 for the advocacy 00:30:47:18 - 00:30:48:06 part of it, 00:30:48:06 - 00:30:51:20 as well as the systemic disruption of 00:30:52:04 - 00:30:54:20 where opportunity is for people of our, 00:30:54:23 - 00:30:56:12 of our ilk. Right. 00:30:56:12 - 00:30:58:19 Like I want to make sure we, 00:30:58:19 - 00:31:01:11 you know, any position that we have open. 00:31:01:14 - 00:31:03:08 Like if I haven't seen 00:31:03:08 - 00:31:05:22 multiple candidates of color, 00:31:06:08 - 00:31:09:17 you know, or diversity, like don't even 00:31:09:20 - 00:31:10:21 don't even bring it to me 00:31:10:21 - 00:31:12:03 until I see that 00:31:12:03 - 00:31:14:15 we've exhausted every single path we can. 00:31:14:17 - 00:31:15:00 Right. 00:31:15:00 - 00:31:15:15 To provide 00:31:15:15 - 00:31:17:22 opportunity to those who are getting 00:31:17:22 - 00:31:19:23 stiffed, are stiff armed elsewhere. 00:31:19:23 - 00:31:22:13 So that's hugely important to us. 00:31:22:13 - 00:31:24:17 So yeah, I mean, that, that without that, 00:31:25:08 - 00:31:26:00 that to me 00:31:26:00 - 00:31:28:10 was like the biggest part of doing this 00:31:29:07 - 00:31:31:16 was the opportunity to provide 00:31:31:16 - 00:31:33:16 more opportunities to the folks 00:31:33:16 - 00:31:35:07 that look like, like you and I. 00:31:35:07 - 00:31:36:10 So yeah. 00:31:37:02 - 00:31:38:11 Darnell Smith 00:31:38:11 - 00:31:40:01 with MXXN and Mojo Ventures. 00:31:40:01 - 00:31:41:06 We're going to be looking 00:31:41:06 - 00:31:42:03 I'm looking for my content 00:31:42:03 - 00:31:43:05 we're going to do some work to get it. 00:31:43:05 - 00:31:44:23 So appreciate having you on 00:31:44:23 - 00:31:45:10 and we'll 00:31:45:10 - 00:31:47:00 make sure everybody can see the link. 00:31:47:00 - 00:31:47:19 Where to find out 00:31:47:19 - 00:31:49:04 more information about you, what events 00:31:49:04 - 00:31:50:00 you may have coming up. 00:31:50:00 - 00:31:51:06 We look forward to hearing 00:31:51:06 - 00:31:52:07 more and seeing more from you. 00:31:52:24 - 00:31:53:14 Thanks for having me.