Journey from Banking to Disrupting the Wellness Industry | Carlton Washington | Ep. 14

Opening on wellness, misinformation, and the podcast guest 0:00

We're at war with all types of industries that feed people negative, but the negative information creates a beautiful consumer. They don't understand when they're watching Meg the stallion or listening to Drake on repeat or going to a Beyonce concert or a Taylor Swift concert, how you are being desensitized and turn into a zombie. You're falling into that algorithm. videos, just try to promote itself. Show people that you're involved in that community, show them how you actually make a difference into the community.

And that's what people want to see. We can compete, but give credit where credit's due. But don't come into our industry and lie to people, right? Yeah. Don't. Because you don' have the receipts. Everything in life, when it looks too good to be true, usually is. Plastic surgeons are riding this wave where they're like, hey, if you got the ozempic butt, we can go ahead and transfer some of this fat and inject it here. I don't like when people come into our industry and be like, I founded this. No, the hell you did not.

Factual information is key. Welcome to another episode of a healthy point of view podcast. I'm your host Sam Tahata. And today we have a good friend of mine who's our guest. He is a business guru, has specialties in finance and marketing. Who we have here today is Carlton Washington. Carlson, welcome. What's up, man? How you doing? Good, good, thank you. So Carlston, we go way back, right? Yes, sir. And I want to thank for coming on the podcast. I appreciate it. Obviously I collaborate with a lot of people in the industry.

Most recently, probably like four or five months ago, I published my first book, How to Win in Modern Wellness, which you got a chapter in, the book. I get a lotta feedback. People love what you have to say about the Industry. And now I wanna take things to the next level and kinda just talk about some of the stuff we've gone through in years that we been doing this, It's over a decade, right? So let's start off a little bit about yourself. Obviously, unlike me, I'm not formally educated. You have a master's in business administration with a hyper focus on finance.

Your marketing guru. I admire how you put so much effort into marketing, which I want to talk about that because A lot of the listeners of The Podcast are people that are getting in the industry, a lot doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, PAs. And obviously you guys have built a strong footprint with Forever Young. So tell us a little bit about yourself and how you even got into this. Cool. I appreciate you having me. Try to be short and sweet. As I always tell people the same thing, I got to this business really out of desperation I also got into this business because I believed in this.

And so I tell people I moved to South Florida because. I was supporting my wife's career and she had supported me in going to Atlanta and it came a time where she was like, I want to go back. My family's down there. Like to spend time with them. So I made her a proposition that I thought she. Was never going. To be able to achieve. She went to the job and was. Hey, my husband says we can move back, but I need all these things. they gave it to her to my surprise. And so I ended up in South Florida.

I end up taking a job at a place where I really didn't want to be back in the banking center, which was a huge step back from my career. It's every day I woke up and I had to put on a suit, anybody that knows me knows I hate suits. So I just wanted to cry every single morning. Actually your neighbor, I didn t know you at the time, but I was living like 10 houses down from me. Right. suit every day and going into the bank. And so I got to a point where I just got sick of what I was doing. I had a really bad leader, which I think was like a gift from God because she was putting so much tension and angst in me every single day that I started to grow even more and more resentful.

So I took the time instead of to do the work of the Bank, I'd started doing my own work, talking to people who a lot of them just happened to be in the medical field. And so it came a time one day where I woke up and I was like, I just can't do this anymore. And I had spoken to some people were really impactful to me who really told me how I could use my skills to get involved in a business like this, which anybody that knows like health, wellness, fitness back in the day, especially in like the like 2010, 2011, 12, You really had to like know somebody to get into these spaces.

It was like a luxury to be able to wake up and work in this business. Most people don't have that luxury and so I had create it. And basically taking the tips and information I was getting from these people and then also adding to the fact that I had been a patient of hormone replacement in Atlanta and it was so impactful and made such a good improvement on my life that, I always like, this is worth a shot. Anything that can make people feel like this, that could give lasting results, you can warranty it with your own word.

and look people in the eye and say, this will work. I promise you. And the fact that it's still so taboo in terms of people really having solid information and being comfortable being educated on this stuff, like being able to do that look like an opportunity that just may work was like a 50% chance. Right? And I hated what I was doing so much at the time. It was, I don't care if it has a 10% Chance. then show up one more day at work. And so that's really my entry into this business. Before that, like you said, I mean, my background was really in banking insurance.

The last job I'd had before coming here to South Florida was in private equity. So this was like the furthest thing, you know, from that. But the one thing I will tell you that I learned from those roles in the banking industry was being able to sit across from people who had successful lives, who have built wealth and understanding what the difference is between them and everybody else I was servicing and understand what it took to get there

Carlton's background and entry into wellness 6:00

and every single time almost that I encountered one of these people, unless it was a really, really good lawyer or a specialist doctor was through self-employment. So, you know, when it comes to your success, The Masters in Business Administration, how much of that education actually feeds towards your success? This is stuff that I talk to a lot of other people about, entrepreneurs, successful people, and you kind of get mixed reviews. Yeah, I hear I here people sometimes they're really down on the formal education.

I heard people that make jokes about MBAs now to dime a dozen. And I think it goes back to two things. One of the things you said you talked about, you just kind of slid in there that you were working from 13 and that it's all about connecting the dots. and so I highlight that to say like I also was working. From a very young age and what I would say is that The lessons that I learned from 14 to NBA were just as crucial as the lessons learned in there. In my MBA program, it was an executive MBA.

The cool thing about that, I didn't really understand at the time, is it's teaching you to be an Executive. It wasn't teaching about BS, like, this is what accounting is. This is how you do accounting. Right, right. it Was more about how to run a global 360 business so that you can understand what's going on in your marketing department. What's going on in accounting? You don't need to be the accountant. You need, to know what the accountants telling you. you need. To know, what marketing is telling, you you, need?

To, know? What R&D is, telling? you? need To? Know everything about your business and that's what an executive is a good one and so that what that program really taught me. And so at the time, did I understand exactly what was going into my brain? No, but they had a process that I that at. The end, as I look at my business now, really worked because it was the advantage that we had in business and it. Was the. Advantage we also had. In this space because you talk about this a lot. You're talking about before we got on camera how there's all these doctors and nurse practitioners and PAs that want to get into this business, right?

Right. And this. Business is full of them, Right? But what are they lacking? They're lacking business acumen. So if I had to look back and say, did it help or not? Hell yeah, it helped a lot because did It turn you into a business genius? No, but it exposed you to just enough of each category of what a Business will face whether it's legal, whether its IP, any of those things enough for you, to be able to kind of fight with people of equal or lesser or more knowledge. It allows you to foot in the door.

And so I would not take that away. Again, it was an executive program, which really kind of assume that you already had a certain level of knowledge about something in business. They took professionals from there and it also had an international component, what's really good. So we work with the Romanian counterparts and for the last semester. We went over there, went to school for a little bit. came to Romania yeah they came over here and then we did our project you know overseas and this was before this is before people were using zoom and all it's kind of like in 2010 2009 2011 okay so it really kind gave us an advantage and and so what I tell everybody go get an MBA Not necessarily.

Can you learn on your own if your discipline? Yes. But was it a cheat code to help for someone that if you really believe that you're going to be competing in business, it's probably good because you are coming into rooms with people who are well armed and you want to at least be well equipped with some information to able to appear as if should be present. What would you say that that program near the NBA like with executive training gave you more of that professional corporate layer doing business?

a little bit more confidence, but I was coming from the banking. And so the Banking industry was already paying top dollar for corporate training, professional training customer service, training marketing and sales training. They had, we were making so much money at the time in the industry that they would also, so they, they recognized that the more that They invested in us, the money they made, right? We were the best bankers because they invested the most in It was a cheat code. Now, I don't think banks or companies are spending as much.

I could be wrong as they were back in those, in that, that error. But I really sucked up a lot of that information when we were going to those trainings. They would force the role play, force you into situations. And so between those situations and then all the clients that you're meeting with as a banker, It really drove that that professionalism home and it taught you how to be a chameleon and be able to talk to different people through very tough situations, sometimes very easy situations. But also some really bad ones.

I mean, you're there when someone dies. You're when there's a merger acquisition, when they're going through their divorce. And so you get to kind of keep your mouth shut and learn about these things. But you know, so I've talked to people that have gone through a lot of that type of formal training and I feel like sometimes it's the individual also on how they take in that information because there's some people where they'll take that training. And then everything is cookbook. Yeah, afterwards.

Like, you have the ability, and I see it, where you can get very scrappy on things and bring in, like, a new vibe and, y'know, new feel to business, but also keeping it very clean, professional, in being able to inspect what you expect, right? Because a lot of that stuff that you're learning that we're talking about, when you talk about counting and marketing and everything else, Well, you got to be able to hold the people that are doing it for you accountable. And unless you actually know what you're holding them accountable for.

Right. You know? But for me, that's that' s like one of the big things is like, how do you take a lot of that formal education where I've seen a l t of people get that form al education? It's just like no, it has to e this way. It' like this in the book. But you have the ability to get a little scrappy and make it sexy and do this and, y u know, build up the relationships internally. How do I think it's interesting? My son's in th room here, so I hate Sometimes I hate doing these things because he gets to hear things and I got to explain to him what I'm saying.

But I think it was because I also wasn't a great student at the same time. And what i'm seeing is, is that what? I am noticing a lot of the time is. That there's a manufactured process, right? To spit out people who are going to do a certain job and they're going. To do it over and over. Yeah, they are gonna do the. Same way I've learned from him. I love this term now, the NPC that they use. They call their friends NPCs, which stands for- I know, NPC or something else. Non-player character. So they're referencing people in video games that just are there like kind of in the background, like in Grand Theft Auto.

they do the same thing every day. If you walk in front of them, they just keep walking into the wall, walking wall. You know? And so that's what a lot of these schools are cranking out. Whereas, I'm looking in there for like a loophole. And so I was using the information selfishly because I wanted to better myself. So every time I would learn something at the bank, I'll say, well, how can I like use this to my advantage? And they were great skills that you could use in relationship building, networking, building a business, manipulation, getting what you whatever it was.

They're teaching you these skills at a high level, you know, and they're paying top dollar for it. Those sales trainers and that the banks were sending through are the best of the. Best. And when you leave there and they're doing all these reps like you feel like, you can run through walls. Yeah. So even if you're not good, You've done it so many times, just get good at it. I wasn't really a good student, but these things were practical and I just saw the application in the real world. The one thing I don't understand with a lot of people who are professionals, even If you are not in banking industry, It could be an account.

It can be a lawyer. You can beat any of these things. How do you sit there and watch people doing so well, coming in, asking you for help, utilizing your services, but they have your salary in the bank or they 10 times your seller in. The bank, you're just going to sit every day and return. You know what I'm saying? You better ask them some questions. That's what you should do. Yeah. So it's like the base teaching you all these skills and then your clients are showing you the practical, uh, you know, realization of all of these things.

I am just like, after a while you're like I can't sit here any longer. This is crazy. But that's just sort of mindset though, because I tell you, so and I said this to a lot of other entrepreneurs like If I ever go to, let's say, like a Grant Cardone event or like, a Tony Robbins event, or any kind of big public speaker, I'm the guy sitting in the crowd. I am not just listening to the guys on stage selling me. Right. So it's like a whole different mindset. We're both there listening and watching this guy, but I'm taking it in completely different.

And that's kind of like what I hear with you when you go through the trainings and stuff. You're trying to figure out, you know, the other part of what they're not telling you. Yeah, absolutely. Because there's a I tell people a lot and which makes my life more difficult now. Maybe it does for you, too. I don't know. But once you start going to so many events, so may trainings, You get so much exposure. And then the few times that somebody brings you into the fold, like I'm sure over the years, you know, in your business, You've had somebody that's doing way better than you who maybe does, or maybe they're assuming that you're doing just as well.

And they like bring you somewhere or they fly you, somewhere. Right. and then you like, oh shit, I didn't know life was like this. I don't no life could be like that. Why am I still flying the way I fly? Why I am still driving what I drive? my house doesn't have this. And so then you're just like, wait a minute, you know? And, and so like that's always kicking in. That's just how I look at things when I go places. Now that you've seen the other side, it's very hard to cut that out and forget that there's another side.

So that what keeps you focused and driving and going farther and farther because now you realize you have to, if you don't If you don't,

MBA, banking, and business lessons 16:00

if you're not transparent with yourself and honest with. You know, you, can just continue doing the same thing, knowing that there's better out there for you. And that can lead to like a really depressed. I had an event like that. The other day I flew out to Connecticut for a new grand opening and, um, I've flew into Milford, Connecticut or new Haven. Did you fly JSX? It was this new airline that I've never heard of a velo or something something like that But I thought spirit was the worst. This was divorce.

It. Was like a refurbished plane from like the 80s or Something it was just a horrible experience. No Wi-Fi and I'm sitting there mind you the last flight that I took was on my business mentor Yadik's private jet. Right. So I went from like private Jet to this thing and I'm sitting by the window all like curled up, you know, and, uh, I don't even have time to go to the hotel once I get there. Some more in my suit. All right. I am so uncomfortable and i'm just like, man, i need a private shed. And I look out the windows and what was going to take off before us was a small private yet looking beautiful.

and that just got so motivated at that point. You know what? It's time level up. So that's what I'm talking about. Now, once you rode in that private jet, you'll never be the same unless you shut that part of your brain down. And so every day that you are in a situation like you're like, it happens to me sometimes, man. Sometimes I can't get the nice flight. Sometimes, you know, the other plane's not getting there. You can't fly first class or whatever. Sometimes I got my family with me and I can, I'm not buying five first-class tickets.

And so in those times, i'm like, damn dude, You gotta get your weight up. Yeah. you, know better, and why is that guy over there that you saw pulling off on the private jet? What is he doing that's so much better? A lot of time, nothing. A lotta time he's thinking less than you're thinking. They're just doing more. That's crazy. Yeah, it's amazing when you start thinking about that. I mean, we're on track to doing that, and it just gets my mind going, you know? It gets mind my going. So Carlton, I want to talk about, like, us getting in the industry.

And, you know, we're non-medical professionals. Well, I worked at the fire department as a paramedic. I'm not a doctor, right? And we've learned so much about all of this stuff that, yeah, didn't learn this in parimetic school. Had to learn it on my own. So, one of the things that early on, your co-founder, Dennis Stooglue, was my bodybuilding coach. One of things Got me into it right and understanding these hormones and everything else was me utilizing it recreationally You know, and that's really where I kind of started learning hormones And you know the estrogen blockers and vitamins and what you need to take if you're taking this anabolic You, know What was your experience when you started?

We both competed. Yeah, talk about NPC. It's a different So, um You know, would you say that a lot of that bodybuilding early on really helped you gain some of That knowledge? Yeah, man. So it's so funny too. If you think about it, it goes back to that comment you made about You made a reference to looking back and connecting dots. And so, you know shout out to Dennis. Dennis ended up was coaching me as well. so Dennis has essentially coached two people who are probably, very renowned in the pioneering of our industries right now.

You know, so that's a dot, right? It's interesting. And before I before, I came to Dennis when I was in Atlanta, it did experiment with with those compounds. I I always I'm 44 years old, grew up obsessed with the Ronnie Coleman's, the Jay Cutler's Arnold Schwarzenegger. All over my wall was nothing but rappers and bodybuilders. you know, ripped out of magazines. And so, um, but you don't, you, don' have the education. You don t realize that what they're doing, y u don''t realize the nutritional aspects.

Y u also don ''t realized the amount of insane anabolic these guys are taking. Oh, yeah. So I did experiment with some of that stuff. I'm getting, I''m like, Hey, i want to get in shape. He talked to a guy from the gym. H e's like I know this place in Egypt, You know you can order direct. It comes, They're sending you all this stuff in the mail and then you're experimenting with this. You don't know what you are doing. I'm boiling needles to clean them because you can't go buy them. Just all the stuff that bodybuilders do.

It's all unhealthy, harmful things. experimenting with that stuff. You learn some harsh lessons, you know? You do. you take clenbuterol and figure out, oh my God, I almost died because you don't like, yeah, it could get, because of the side effects or you find out that the trend is making all your hair fall out or where you see what happens to your labs. After using these things, do you realize you? Don't have any business doing any of this stuff, right? You really don't. I mean, that's the exact same way that I felt going through that process.

And that is one of the things that triggered in my head because I started working part time on my days off from the fire department with centigenics. and I saw that they were utilizing a lot of things I was using for recreational use. But they are doing it in a way where it was clinically safe for the patient because they're doing the blood work and everything else. So called the, you know, the whole Ozempic thing is getting a lot of popularity, right? You're seeing everybody talk about it. What are you guys seeing with it?

Same thing. Everybody's seeing. I mean, that that thing kind of hit hit us like a, like, a storm, man. We were fundamentalists in our office, meaning we always said when people came in looking for a Shot that just made you lose weight. We're like, that doesn't exist. Right guys. It's, it's lifestyle, its diet, exercise. it, It, part of our program. And then that came and really, Oh my God, there's a shot that does that. And we were reluctant. So we weren't early adopters because we're like, this goes against everything that we've been telling people, right?

And it's new and it being promoted by like what AstraZeneca and like Eli Lilly. I mean, that's like literally the enemy of what we do. And so we kind of reluctant, we did bring it on. Our criteria for it was a little bit more strict than other people. Like we wanted to actually make sure that they had a need for and they weren' just going right to the easy solution. It works, but there's also what I could consider abuse because I don't think this is something that you should just want to use for the rest of your life.

If you don' have to, maybe if you have a wedding, I get it. Maybe if your jump starting your journey, you just got a trainer and you're ready to change your lifestyle, but don''t don's just say, this is it, I don't have to do anything. I could do whatever I want and take a shot because I. Don't trust that everything in life when it looks too good to be true, usually is. And so that's my concern with it. We do offer, we try to. Be responsible with. It. we do it with lab work. Um, i have tried it just to see what the patient is feeling.

i tried both for two weeks. um,i will tell you that of both of them,I did not like the semiglutide for me.I had side effects. Same thing, same thing. I mean, GI issues, I got dizzy spells. Indigestion was crazy. And I woke up in my sleep a couple of times in a very dangerous manner in terms of like possibly, what is it called? Asphyxiation. Oh, really? But because of the indigestion, oh, wow. My sleep. That's crazy, yeah. Yeah. Whereas the other one, the triseptide, it was like less side effects, right?

Yeah, that's I've done it, you know? I have done actually a couple of times. I seen tremendous success. But yeah, the first one was horrible. One thing that I noticed with patients is we're putting them on digestive enzymes. We're also putting on prebiotic and also probiotic. And we've seen that the side effects have gone down tremendously. Yeah, that's awesome because yeah that indigest was no joke. And these, the, second one, though, tries appetite. It was like day two. And I was sitting there working and I usually eat on a schedule.

So I eat like, like the same schedule we were eating on 10 years ago. I just, boom, you're not eating that. No, but I ate every two to three hours with it. Like during the week, that's the only reason I'm, I've not morbidly obese is cause I like that during week on the weekends, it's whatever. But I realized the second day, man, Oh my God, bro, I'm not hungry. My wife was like, you went to dinner, she's like I just cooked all this. I was sorry, literally can't eat it. Just don't even care about this right now.

But you have to force yourself to eat. That's the hard part because it's just like you're not hunger, but if you don' eat, start losing muscle and everything else. And that's one of the things that I appreciate with what you guys do at Forever Young and Liquid Vita, we do it as well too. It's not just here goes the drug. It say, come in, let's measure you out. Let's do a body composition analysis. See exactly what your baseline is. Because some of these people, they get on the drugs and they're losing weight.

But what kind of weight are they losing? Are they loosing muscle mass? Losing fat? And I've seen people that you get that as now the big thing is ozempic butt. You know, they're talking about they talk about the plastic surgeons are riding this wave where they'd like, Hey, if you get those epic, but we get, we can go ahead and transfer some of this fat and injecting here. Yeah. Well, interesting thing. I learned this from PBD show, by the way, allegedly, I was told that Rick Ross and some other guys are making a massive investment into this part of our industry right now.

I don't know exactly all the details, but I was told that it was in the direct to consumer ozempic triseptide, some of the glutide sales like they're going online with this stuff. Yeah, I'm bringing that up to one say that's how big it's getting that you got. you know, rappers and people like that getting involved, but also how fast it's happening and how I do think it is going to get out of hand because of

Bodybuilding, hormones, and early experimentation 26:00

like what you just said. People imagine you don't have any nutritional foundation. And then you get on ozempic or you on, you know, trisipatide and you're like, Oh cool. So like I drink champagne with my girls at night. I eat like some Cheetos and Pringles and then I'm full for the day. And that's all I ate. Yeah. and I feel like great and a little bit of water or whatever it is. Those people, because people have those kinds of crazy habits, right? Like all like eat is Doritos and Red Bull. or whatever it is, you know, people really live like that.

So that's the thing. That's crazy is when someone's like, oh, wait up so I can just do this and I'm losing weight. I just and that is going to be a problem. It's going cause a whole other set of issues because you're the micro nutrient guy. There's no nutrients. Yeah, exactly. Right. But there was something with Drake that recently, um, that came out that it was on an album. What album was it? What? Yeah. Patrick Lamar's. I had to get the lifeline in, right? The diss track. Yeah, so it's so you got Drake on it.

You know, everybody's on. If you check this out, look at all the female rappers right now. All of them lost the weight. They never could. Right? All look it all in the last six months to a year. Look at the videos and all of the performers and the award shows. Every single person who struggled with weight loss before is now like fitting into a dress. It's nuts. So now we're gonna get a whole new set of Victoria's Secret models, you know, competing, right? Yeah, temporary ones. Exactly. So what do you see the industry going?

You know? Obviously you guys had something big happen at Forever Young. You brought some private equity in and you were able to experience a new move for yourself and the company. So but where do you see the industry going? What do? You see you going well? We we you know, I tell people this and I think it's something you should be proud of something. I'm very proud. Of I won't let anybody take it away from us. We pioneered this space. Yeah, there was a few people. There was med spas when we started.

They were med spots. there were some medspas mostly met very medical. Their routine, some great. And then there. Was some boutique wellness and like fragments, whatever. But we were in this industry in the home. To me, the industry is growing here and in Southern California. That's where these services got awareness. And we're part of that process and part. Of the other Pioneer, we've seen the people come and go. We've. Seen what success looks like. we have seen. The people. Come in and want to do fraud and.

Go to federal prison. and now what we are seeing now, like you mentioned, private equity investments. You're seeing consolidation, right? You are seeing massive investment. And so what that means is there is no longer the good old days, the cowboy days that we were in. This is not longer mom and pop business. Right? This Is not the time to go and take your 401k and just start up a mom-and-pop med spot. I would not do that. If you're going to do, get involved with a franchise. A hundred percent doesn't have to be forever young.

It could be somebody's franchise. That's what I tell everybody with a team. Yeah, it's going to. Be hard to compete with all these big boys, right? It's hard. The scaling and pricing, the scaling in marketing, The Scaling and communication of the even the the medical aspects and training and compliance training, compliance, learning it, you know, having that team backing you up. So that's over. And now we have a new day. Um, that competition is going to get pretty fierce, but in a different manner.

Like I think our comp level competition was like, I feel like it was, like old school, you know, it's like Ferrari versus Lamborghini or Ford or whatever, right? That's fun. Now it not like that anymore. It's behind paperwork and it behind, aggressive marketing tactics and strategies with a lot of money. So, so let me ask you, uh, does it make you feel old that now people look at you as an OG in the space? Well, I don't. I live in a bubble and a hole, so I. As I've talked to you, it does. If I look at on paper, if I go back on the Facebook memories, It does, but in reality, no, because I still live In the bubble.

And so we're still in operation. So I'm never been able to sit back. You're so grinding. Yeah. It's a. But I think it's something like if we were having dinner, and could sit down and have something to be appreciated and something you'd be proud of. You've seen it develop, man. It's just very interesting, you know, step by step, everything that's happened. And you see people that were making strides and all of a sudden now that you can't even find them. Yeah. All that kind of stuff. I take it personal, though.

I mean, I don't know if you take this personal or not. Um, for instance, there's a guy that came out serotonin centers. Okay. Yep. I forgot seratonin sinners and in his marketing on the radio and on print, he says, we are the first concept to ever do these services and blah, blah blah. And I'm looking at the brochure and I like, dude, this is the services. I was doing five, six, seven years ago. How dare you come out and say the first, by the way, you're the founder of retro fitness. Maybe you did something over there.

Pretty sure you didn't, birth the gym industry either, but I don't like it when people come into our industry and be like. I founded this. No, the hell you did not. Factual information is key. Yeah. I'll give props to the guys in LA. Those guys should have probably been the largest by now because they were in franchising. first. Okay. So we could compete, but give credit where credit is due. But don't come into our industry and lie to people, right? Don't accept them because you don' have the receipts, you know, and so it's just stuff like that.

Even there's people I don t like in the industry. I'll still give them credit for being OGs and still being around. We all have different types of concepts and models. It looks different. it feels different, But just don''t take that I''ll try to take it away from us. That's messed up. Yeah, that is messed up. So, you know, obviously being in the industry for so many years, one of the things that I just always commend you on is your level of strategy and creativity when it comes to marketing. Let's talk about that, because I think Being the chairman of the association, being on the pharmacy side, delivering our IV kits, I deal with so many doctors and nurses and nurse practitioners and PAs where everyone's always trying to crack the code.

And I would say, a lot of us have great marketing, great branding, all kinds of different strategies, but we're always consistently trying crack to the next code, you've gotten very far with marketing. How did that mindset start? Who did he learn from? Let's talk about it, because I mean, when it comes to marketing with Forever Young, listen, we first started together around the same time, almost a decade ago. And this was bothersome to me, because when you get your own brand, people would always come up, oh, is this something like the Forever Young thing?

I said, no, this is like, the Likovita thing. So I was just like man, their marketing's good. And I would tell our previous chief marketing officer, Step it up. You know, look what Forever Young is doing. Yeah, like, so I think it comes from the vantage point of how you get into this industry. So like even you, you're clinical, your still clinical. Your still not a medical. We are medical professional. I mean, by your lifesaver, right? Right. And so your vantage points from life saving, Your vantage Point is hospital, doctor, nurse, medical, Like you have the book right here.

What do these compounds do? And so that's what you find a lot of time also with some of these nurse practitioners, PAs. A lot times, for instance, PA's, nurse, practitioners. I've seen them or doctors. They will put themselves out of business by just being like so frightened. Like, oh my God, I'm going to I don't know. So I'll lose my license. And it's like, dude, relax. You're not doing anything that's unethical. You not do anything. That's going to harm a patient. Your not, you have to know what you're doing as a.

Patient to kind of do these things and you had to be reading and they're. Not doing that. And so their paranoia and fear of losing my license and it's got to. Be like, this is what they taught me in medical school automatically. What did they not focus on? The number one thing, the number. One thing is patient acquisition, patient, acquisition patient acquisitions. So, um, we're neighbors, bro. Like, And we both come from very humble, normal, middle to lower middle, maybe, uh, you know, upbringings.

And so one of the advantages we have because of that, and this goes back to what we're talking about before in terms of your diversity and stuff like that is when you're dealing with people with certain backgrounds, immigrant, Black American minority. A lot of the times we're told you have to do things better than everybody else. Right. It's going to be maybe a little bit harder for you. So that was like my approach to everything was make all these people pay for sleeping on us. There's a chip on his shoulder.

Everybody was like, you guys are going to fail. Um, You guys were stupid. You have no idea what you're doing and we didn't have any money on top of that. So it's like what can we do here? What do we have? We got a ton of energy among all these products and services. I'm like feeling good. Strong. In the gym, I can use myself, my partner. He's in shape. Let's use our brains. Use our bodies. Everything we can to get patients in the door while meanwhile, some Susie whose dad gave her the money to open her first med spa.

or the doctor who gets unlimited lending to do anything that he won the industry, whether it's equipment, opening office, he's going to sleep at night. Yep. Cause he, whatever you can even default on his loans. I'll give him the Dr. Another loan. They just, they don't even care. We have one shot at this.

Ozempic, weight loss drugs, and industry concerns 36:00

And so that's the kind of energy we put into everything we did. Like, bro, this has to work. You really did it. The type of marketing you guys did, I mean, till this day, you still do it, big events, billboards, you had half a suit, not a full suit. That was a good one. It showed the abs and everything. So it's just like, it was different. it disrupted the industry, the medical industry. And then you started seeing a lot of traditional, like allopathic medicine that were not even med spas or wellness centers, started trying to do a lotta that marketing because they saw it worked.

They, they don't believe in it though. Right. So it's really hard because they want to know how much, like I go, I got a couple of plastic surgeons. I went and I remind reminds me of one really popular one in a book. And I want there that every time I'd go in there, he's like, can you help me out? Can you let me come out and then I'm just like. Yeah. Can't help you. You know what I mean? I see. Not allowed to help. First of all, and. Help you, but they just want. How much? How, how, much will it cost?

Right? And like bro, it. It's not just about the money. Like you kind of have to be part of this process. You know, if you don't want to be part of this process, If you Don't believe in the process that's not going to work for you. So I could take you and say, Hey, it's $30,000 a month, but you still got to Be able to convert that patient. They got a like you, they got like your office, They gotta want To come back. You're not just your relationship. There's a relationship component, there's A sales component marketing component.

I mean, systems and processes, there's just so much. Are you comfortable? You go to sleep early? I. Mean, if going to. Sleep and feel and not feeling anxiety is actually probably hurting a lot of these people, you know, because they you need to a certain level of discomfort and grind aggression. and consistency to really rile up. You gotta have that pain. The pain has to be there. Yeah. Right. Listen, even when we sell something to someone, you gotta hit them with the pain points. That's how it works.

How you move it. And you can't do that if you don't know what the pinpoint is. I know. What it feels like to like look at myself in the mirror and feel really shitty about it, like, I don' know, what it feel like. Like, to me, that corporate guy, and you're like kind of hunched over and You don''t really have a libido and you're just changing and everything's going downhill. I know what it feels like to look at your partner and then they're changing, and their energy level is not the same, their face is changing in front of your face over the years and how that can impact you, especially in a place like South Florida or especially metropolitan areas where we've become very, very self-involved and very, very vain and insecure.

And you know what? The business we're in, when we talk about health, wellness, and beauty, you start seeing that you're experiencing the problem, right? Yeah. Where now it's almost like no difference than, let's say, a police officer, firefighter, or a pastor at a church. You're held at higher standard, so when it comes to us, the professionals in this health and wellness beauty industry, We're held to that high standard. We can't just go and have a gut hanging over our belt, right? Yeah. It's not a good look, bro.

But you know, some people don't even understand that, dude. I have people in the business now that think they're doing great, but I'm like, Dude, you're not doing. Great. You're. Not inspiring anything. Right. And that's okay. Fine. If you, if you if your, If your fine with it, fine. But if you're not, if your business isn't doing well and you are in our industry, it's something you got to pay attention to. Yeah. You know, and it, It's important. Like I've had times where I had to go to the hospital.

Um, I was, you know I could have been for family member. and people see my truck in the hospital, and they're like, why are you there? Why are at the hospitals? What's going on? And you're, like damn, it's like that. People want to know, bro. If something happens to me or you, they'll be like what happened? Well, listen, when Dr. Willix passed away, he was 80, right? He passed while he's meditating. Who knows what happen? He was a shaman, too, so when they say that, technically you crossed over to the other side.

So they found him in his office right before there was patient waiting in the lobby, and he typically meditates before seeing his patients. and they found him in his chair. He had his new calm thing on that he usually uses for meditating. And he was still in the position of meditating, he's gone. But going to that, He treated some of the most affluent people on the globe, ex-heart surgeon, teach doctors all around the world on functional medicine. So the questions, especially because I was so close to him, the question just started coming in.

What happened? How? He wrote books that you're going to live to 100. Why did he only live till he was 80? So it's like, you know, people are, they hold us at this whole, another level. But let's say we have sort of struggles ourselves that we deal with, there's mental health, we're growing a business, all that stuff. So yeah, that shit was out the window. for years. So, but yeah, I'm very curious with that. But I think even I've seen a lot of people dying. As we're sitting here right now, and it just seems to be like 70, 80, 70 80 7080. And even though we are in this field, I'm very curious about it, but what I am finding is that we're fighting a war.

All of us are fighting war as soon as we walk out of this office. No, we are in the office, you know, God knows what's in this, what is in our shoes, all kinds of stuff, right? We're finding this crazy war, so the only way I think you get to achieve what we really want, which is 105, 110. But actually like we were able to walk or hug our grandkids. is we have to literally be like soldiers fighting a war 24 seven. Yeah, and that's just not really possible. No, I'm not wealthy enough to do that right now.

I don't have a personal chef and all these different things. And I think you have the almost dial into that level, maybe move to a blue zone. All of that to achieve that because we're at war, bro. Yeah. I mean, if I don't prepare experiences with my son the other day, I didn't. Prepare. We had a you're in the middle of games. . I stopped and got him Popeyes, bro, because it was the only place there. So that's available. He ate it. Shut him down. You lost the game. The always wins. Lost the. Game I felt like crap for a day.

And I was like, damn, dude, this food really messed you up.I sat there and watched it here. Thirteen years old and a lot of crap out there, a. Lot of stuff. Yeah, and even like. I was just having a conversation earlier today. The products, the cooking ware that you use. Even this, you know, firefighter uniform. There's a huge class action suit now because the inner layer of the bunker gear is made out of Teflon. So now think about it. You go into a burning building. It's a non-breathing layer while your body's trying to sweat, that's precipitating and all that stuff.

Now the Teflon's heating up, it's going through the pores of your skin and your buddy, right? And it going inside of you body, is the forever chemicals. So now all of these firefighters are getting all this kind of cancer and, all kinds of chronic diseases and stuff, and they've led back to some of this stuff? That's the good point that you brought up and I think it disgusting. I really think is disgusting because Who suffers the most and I'm sure you would agree with this in our society right now from a lot of these disorders, diseases, shift work and all this type of stuff.

Firefighters and police officers officers and people who work night shifts at hospitals. Number one is firefighters and Police officers people that have historically gone out of their way to save our lives. People don't realize that firefighters are literally the closest thing to an angel you'll ever encounter in your life because when your ass is sitting there and the jaws of life are needed and you need to, you know, bro, it's the firefighter that saves your light. But then we should on all these people and That's just what you mentioned is aside from the shift work, right?

You know, yeah and and seeing all the autoimmune disease all these weird cancers all this stuff. These guys are getting it. That should be a priority or you guys should stand down. You should stay in down to help. It's like the firefighters are just trying to get help to help this situation that they're having. So they try to get assistance, some medical treatment, a little bit more research for the blood work or whatever treatments are. And they are having difficulties getting that, getting grants and stuff to support them based off of the equipment.

The other thing was the foam, the form that the spray on the fire, like the chemical fires that puts a layer and blocks off oxygen. That foam that we would always train with, people put it on their skin and everything else. They found out that it also had the forever chemical. So people are getting all kinds of diseases. I hope you guys stand down one day. You're having a heart attack? Peace. Call somebody else. It's disrespectful. And I have a huge problem with that. But that's the war we're fighting, man.

You know, politics gets involved in a lot of this stuff. I used to go to the commission meetings, and we would have to try to negotiate our benefits and contracts. Which is disgusting. Right. The response that some of these politicians would give us is, oh, you signed up for it. You signed up knowing that you're going to, you know, put your life at risk. It's like to a certain extent. Not from, not from my, my uniform. Right. Exactly. That's messed up. And there's solves for it. Even the shift work.

Yeah. We need people at night. But there's a focus and that's the cool thing about our industry that I tell people and I realized God forbid we were battling it out and because we have the best law firms in town or we would have best plumbers or the Best Electricians. What would we be doing? We'd be making money hand over fist killing it and plumbing, right? But we never taken a day off to go do blood work. Right. Never be able to get an IV after a night of partying or something. We would never even know about what the hell is going on in our body.

Right? Just be killing it at plumbing, killing at law. And so we actually are really spoiled because we get to, I don't know, but you bro, do my labs like every two weeks, bro. Oh wow. That's how paranoid I am. I'm constantly thinning out my blood, looking at my numbers, seeing what I've taken that's messing me up or that benefited me because working in this space makes me paranoid too. It doesn't think Dr. Willicks or anybody like that. Probably there was some kind of indicator maybe in the most recent blood work that might have been right.

Yeah, the the life or death thing, you know, and so people don't realize, cancer may not show up on your physical right, but too much. you go do that same lab work, boom, maybe it's there. And so we got to start looking at ourselves like machines, bro, and that are fighting a war against these people who don't care about it.

Industry growth, consolidation, and marketing strategy 47:00

Listen, the toxins is huge. That's actually, you know, Dr. Christopher Davis, our chief medical officer, that's his niche now. We have a test that we use that is based out of Germany. I think I told you about this when we were out to dinner. This is over 900 different toxins. But then it'll show what gene it's connected to and if it is turning on or off that gene expression. Which, you know, if, it has that, then you can potentially create disease and chronic illness and everything else. So, my goal is to try to bring it to people like firefighters, cops, even like the police officers.

I got a buddy of mine, actually you've know him. David, David Lara. You know a ballistic guy. He talks about it publicly, he's always at the shooting range with the cops. lead levels out the roof. Really bad toxin. Causes neurological dysfunction and everything else. So just imagine the amount of police officers that are out there training, shooting their guns at the range that breathing in all this lead and now they don't even know anything about chelation or anything like that. Yeah, this is a problem.

He went into dementia. I mean, hardcore. He's he went from being badass cop, retired early, very beautiful young wife, sons. This guy was the man. And then he got another gig, like a really cushy gig after his retirement. Then all of a sudden, this guy's like 60 years old, man, 60, 61. Boom. Massive dementia to the point now that he's a young guy and can't function at all. He's in assisted living. And I talked to his son, who's my cousin, about it. What do you think it is? It's like, it's the job, man.

It is the jobs. And all these, bro, I can name so many of all of these cops and firefighters with these weird diseases, and you know it is work related. You know? It needs to be talked about. Because, again, these are the people, when you want them to come save your ass, you don't want to take care of them. So, we are fortunate because we have access, right? Because of our businesses and stuff. Switch up the topic a little bit. In business, what is the biggest struggle? What's the hardest thing you've experienced, you know, being an owner of a wellness center med spot.

Financial hardship, financial hardship is. Uh, because all of the struggles can be solved many times with finance, but if you, have limited means, it makes it that much tougher. Yeah. So I always tell people, you know, I put in, like 30,000 and my partner and I started the business with like 75,00. This is a business that typically people start with 700, 000. And so going through that, You're not anticipating the competitor that may be larger and hitting you with legal. You know, anticipating that people don't want to see you be successful.

So they're sending in all types of undercover inspections and this and that, and you're getting hit with these things all the same time while your account is going down and down. Cause it takes a while to build a foundation for your business. So making it through those times was the most difficult thing because you know, you have something that works. You know that you're willing to do anything to make it work. No one believes in you yet because You haven't had proof of concept, right? And so you want to Make it Work, but no one's going to give you anything.

Yeah. And So you Have to go through the realization that I'm going To have to Do this by myself. I am going have You talked about mental health. I mean, but I can't even afford it. They can take off time to see a therapist and can afford one. So you're just going to have to do everything. You got to figure it out. Kind of just push through it, right? Yeah. And that's the time that people have the ask themselves. Are you capable of doing that? What are you going draw upon to pull through this? time that I can't describe how difficult it is.

It feels like it can feel like something's dying. You know, it feels somebody's died because that's your baby and you, your resources are going to determine how far you can get. That's the truth. Now you mentioned one thing about, um, you know starting off in competitors, sending inspectors and all that other stuff. it's funny you bring that up. So I had a young lady who has a wellness center MedSpy, I believe it was in Las Vegas and she hit me up, she's I got inspected, I keep on getting insected, and the inspectors tell me that it's potentially my competitors, but it creates this big headache.

I've got to actually respond to everything, yada, yaada. And I tell this, is I know what that's like, especially the first few years in business. after me for like practicing medicine without a license while I had a doctor there. I have a paramedic license. So let's talk a little bit about that because obviously we have lot of medical practitioners listening on the podcast. They got to be ready for that. Absolutely. And how do you handle that situation? So anybody that's listening to this, first of all, if it's happening to you, that a good thing you're doing something, right?

Right. You're causing a buzz or something. Right? Yeah. If you can't relate to what we're talking about, you not doing any numbers, Right, You not impacting anybody's business. So that first and foremost. Then if you are doing numbers then know that it is coming and when it comes, That's fine because what this is doing is actually it's thickening the callus of your business. It's thickening your resolve and it gives you more practical experience. So do everything right. And this a very hard company.

I am not a compliance oriented person. My wife is a Compliance. Uh, executive, I don't do anything right when it comes to compliance. Hardly ever. I always, can't color in the lines you learn from it. Right. And so, but what I would tell people is that's the lesson I learned. You start a business like this, do it the right way. Follow the rules. and tout those things. And so when the inspector comes in, I'm never coming in like, oh my God, like hey, how can I help you? It's right this way. Thank you.

Oh, my bad. There's something expired. I didn't know. Again, on the staff, will you give me some time to rectify this? Yes, apologize. Want to invite you to come back and make sure it's okay. It doesn't have to be a stressful event. Unless you're doing something agree. Right. Unless they open that refrigerator and you got some crazy stuff going on there. You know, you doing stuff that's egregious. Yeah, You're going to not only get fined, it's going public information and You might get even worse.

It can be, some type of legal situation. I agree, yep. Yep. And you said it exactly how I would say it. Staffing. It ain't the easiest in this industry. It's changed a lot. Right. So for me, it's always been a big struggle finding good quality staff and especially the medical practitioners. The medical practitioner is it like I call it the unicorn practitioner where you got to find someone who understands like the functional medicine side, peptides, hormones, everything else. But then also the medial aesthetics.

They don't teach any of that in medical school. So how bad of a struggle was that? Being a business owner, because a lot of people that own med spas and stuff, they're the medical practitioner themselves. So they don't have to really experience what us as the business owners have the experience because we got to hire them. Yeah. So we obviously we've gone through the same issue on the one hand. I'm very proud to say like, so my first nurse practitioner and my fist as a Titian Robin, right? Yeah and Claudia.

Yeah, 10 years. They're still there. What's different about Robin and Claudia? Culturally, maybe different, but also on top of that, they're older, right? So Robin is much older. She's probably close to 70 years old. I'm 44 years. Claudia is somewhere around us. Why do I say that? You brought up working since you were 13. That's kind of where we come from. Right, bro. We work, we hustle, grind, We understand it. It's in us. we have pride in it and so we were able to build a team around them of people who hustle and show up and, and you know, are built different now.

I'm sure you've seen this. You're looking for a unicorn. Why? Because a nurse practitioner, she wants to work three days a week. So if you're living in South Florida and they want to go on a boat, they start going on boats. It's Sunday afternoon. The guy's like, Hey, Why do you want to leave early? Oh, I have to go to work. Oh don't worry about that. Don't Worry about That. You know, i'll take care of it. So now you're stuck without somebody on a Monday because because these girls are are seeing this lifestyle.

It's the same thing with your medical practitioner. it's The same with Your front desk staff. They are disengaged. Drugs and alcohol, addiction, lack of motivation, poor parenting. And so, and then this culture has gone viral in terms of their priorities. So no one's living here as if they're gonna be living in five years. Your looks are gonna fade. It's very transactional. Everything that's happened is very transaction. I mean, I had medical practitioners you know, leave the job because they can't bring their dog to work.

I mean, that's what I've had to deal with. And obviously as an organization that has grown, now I gotta get an ADA compliance attorney, right? I have to do the research because now they get the damn little tags for the dog, you know that this is a psychological dog. You know, medical dog so now, I got to make sure that I'm crossing the T's and dotting the I's when I respond to this thing. So now $5,000 later just to respond this employee, And when I do respond, figuring out how to say no about bringing a dog into a medical clinic every single day, then they just leave.

They quit. And so that's so I've had to deal with stuff like that. That's why I thought it was a good idea for me to move to the background and sell some of my company. because my ear more response to that person would be to go kick rocks and walk in traffic. Please, you know, and if you want to sue, fine, send it to insurance or whatever. And we're going to keep this train moving because you're an idiot. You're a freaking idiot, like it's a medical office. We're not doing that. It's crazy. it's okay.

It's a little bit harder. We'll figure it out. And the funny thing is that all these people, just like everything you've had to work hard for now and you look back and hopefully it something you're proud of. A lot of people wouldn't have made it through all that. But what these people really aren't going to make it though and they need to wake up is we're two years out from real realistically having a front desk or an MA that is a robot or artificial intelligence. It's like that song. You're about to lose your job.

Most of y'all about the loser jobs, right? You guys don't even have the work ethic. You don't have the mental fortitude, the stamina, behavior, habits, consistency to do anything. And so you may have hurt Sam, Liquivita, another wellness center, Forever Young for a day, a week, maybe you gave us a bad month, but okay, you're giving yourself a Bad Life. How is it that these people They watch you, right? So they grew up or they worked in a, they work in it in, in Aliqua Vida or it worked enough for every young and they see your picture on the wall and I see you doing all this stuff.

Do they ask, Hey Sam, what's your background? Where'd you come from? You're a firefighter. Were you wealthy before? No. How did you get here? Oh shit. So wait up. You started one office and now you got like 20 something. Mike, can I take you to lunch? Can I? No, they're not. How often is that happening to you? Zero. Okay. Right. So let them perish. Let them parish because the success is all around you. It's right in front of your face and you can't see that Sam is doing different behaviors than you on a daily basis.

these little different behaviors, walking, talking different, going to the gym different. Everything that this person does is different and your dumb ass is talking about you want to bring a dog into work or you can't show up to work on Monday because you're out on the yacht all day with guys who make money that you never ever ever going make as an you know, I'm saying doing what you doing and you. Can't get that through your head that nobody's coming to rescue you out of this. The best thing you could do would be to go to lunch with Sam.

or with somebody else who's mimicking these behaviors. So you can save yourself because otherwise, unless you're fine with being like Section 8 and having, you know, what would a universal income in a few years,

Staffing, compliance, and AI disruption 1:00:00

You got to do something now or that's where you going to be. The amount of opportunities that people have Because listen, I'm the kind of person that I'll make time to communicate to whoever reaches out. That's just the person I am. The amount of opportunities that people have right in front of them where they can say, hey, can I pick your brain? I want to understand how you've done this with business. How can be a part of that success? I'd rather own 10% of this much versus 100% this month. Someone comes up to me and says, hey, if I scale your business to this level, can I get a piece?

Absolutely. Yes, you can. Why not? If you get it to that number and you hit those milestones, let's do it. You know, but for some reason, it's like I don't know if people have been brainwashed or whatever is going on in today's generation. They've been. No, they are being brainwash. They're watching and this is going to make us sound old. But when you see the repetition, so just like you make content right now, we make positive content. We make a ton of positive. Content and it goes on repeat, right?

Everything that we're saying is meant to help people either better themselves, better their health or something like that. but we are at war. Just like we were at work for our nutrition, our exposure to chemicals and diet, all this stuff. we at War with the entertainment industry that feeds into or or All types of industries that feed people negative information, but the negative. Information creates a beautiful consumer, right? And so we're at war with these things all the time. And these people don't realize that they're At War with the information.

So I, again, my son's in the studio today. He doesn't have a lot. I'm always snatching devices out of his hand. He thinks that I am just being a strict bad dad or whatever. But I like, I saving you from the repetition of poor information. I need to at least make sure you're getting as much good information as the bad to counteract that. And they don't understand what they're watching. They don' understand when they are watching Meg Thee Stallion or listening to Drake on repeat. or going to a Beyonce concert or a Taylor Swift concert, how you are being desensitized and turned into a zombie.

You're falling into the algorithm. Yes, you fall into that algorithm and it's hard to get out of that. And they don't understand in the music. If you print out the lyrics to the songs of all these people, it sends you to business. It sends me to an industry. It sends you to eat. It's into an alcohol beverage company. it sends it to a designer clothes and all this stuff. And then go look at the stock tickers for all the stuff they're sending you and it's going up, up up and you dumbasses keep feeding into this.

Over and over again and don't understand why you're getting fatter while your life sucks. Why? Why everybody's getting ahead? Not everybody, but they are looking at you. Well, fuck Sam because Sam's lucky. Sam's lucky. Oh, the good old luck. You know, only if they knew. And they're not going to ask or maybe they'll ask you. They'll tiptoe around and be like, Sam, can you help me out? But it's like Sam. Can you helped me? I need a loan. Right. I needed some money. That's why I could teach you something.

No, no, I just need the, you know. Fuck you, man. Do you want to give me the loan? Talk to somebody else. Yeah, they don't because if you told them I can give you a hundred times what the loan is in a year, but you just got to do these things. They don' want to. Do they can't do it. It shuts their brain down. Yeah. And so then they go to that's why if me and you were scammers, bro bro, we'd be the best scammer. I'd. Be a top scammer bro because they want us to tell them bro. Got this easy play for you.

All right, it's going to cost you $5,000 a month. But bro, it's going to make you rich and let me show you my lifestyle. All I need is $5,000 a month and I just need a hundred of you guys to sign up and then they're like, okay, bet I don't know where I'm gonna get this 5, 000. I'll go scam somebody else to get it, but I might do your thing and that's what you're seeing now. Yeah, they don' want to hear us bro. Everything that we talk about takes effort a lot of effort. Yep. So so Talk about some of the current events right now.

So this is one of topics I wanted to bring up to you, being in the industry. And we were talking about staffing and stuff earlier. The FTC, they passed a new rule, right, that non-competes are nonvalid. I want to hear Carlton Washington's opinion on that. I'll go back to the fact that we did just transact. I sold a, you know, interest in my company. So it wasn't as shocking to me as a operator as it would have been last year. Um, I think that it's probably going to be disruptive. And I guess it's hard because you're going to have to rely on people's character.

I think it'll also cause people to up their game with the way they treat people probably as well. So there's probably some pros. And that's thinking about it. Well, I'm not even thinking. About a deal like yours, right? That's because I've been working at Apple and you don't want me to go to Samsung. Probably. They're kind of doing that. You know that Samsung's got a nice cafeteria over there and their execs get a, you know, a Nice Audi. And I mean, where's my Audi? I brought, like, I just saw that, your salaries, public information, You just made, $100 million this year, sir.

I like to make a little bit. We just did well. Just saw the earnings call. Maybe people are going to have to split up some equity. But the other thing that's going do is again, people understand this. It's not going be that big of a deal because you guys about to lose your jobs anyway. AI. Yeah, you're losing your job anyway. Accountants, lawyers, anybody processing information, Anybody that's doing data analysis, anyone that is doing presentations, spreadsheets, charts, easy labor, food, You're about to lose your jobs.

Let me tell you something. Don't worry about the not compete. How about losing the job? You are absolutely right. And as a matter of fact, I've always been bring jobs here to America, right? Let's have US-based jobs. I got a team of about, we call them global operators, of 10 people in Pakistan, got another handful in Colombia, I've got few in Thailand, and I'll be honest with you, A lot of those people, and my team will attest to it, they work harder than the team members we have here in the United States.

English is fantastic. You've got people with master's degrees that have studied abroad, that they're in those countries just because they can't leave. Right. And dealing with that in real time right now. But my person from Pakistan is in our office and she has work ethic like no one else. Unbelievable. Yeah. So and guess what? I'm getting it for a fraction of the price, right? And they're working hard and I'd rather just pay him good for whatever it is for them over there. Right? Maintain them, treat them right.

Because listen, the what I've seen here is it's a catastrophe. Yes, it is a catastrophe. There's no way to put a positive spin on it. there's No way. To ignore it and I used to be like a really big pro for the people pro labor. I thought I never would have thought 10 years that I would be promoting robots and AI taking jobs. But now I'm 44 years old. have a family of my own. paid my dues. And you can't save everybody. And these people, they don't want to be saved. They don' want be safe. So they just want everything given to them.

Yeah. Listen, I have Sana, who's a project manager in Pakistan, and I'm giving her a shout out here because I think she deserves it. She's building up the team there. I'll be honest with you, i'm going to keep on building that team out there and when I find other business owners like yourself, share the information because i think we all will benefit from it and these They work around the clock. I don't even know when they sleep sometimes because it's like two o'clock in the afternoon or two O'Clock in morning and I'm just getting Messages on whatsapp emails all kinds of stuff.

So people here in United States, especially the young ones. They better be careful, right? Yeah, this I keep on saying it The United States, and this is unfortunate because I'm very patriotic. The U.S. is probably going to become the new third world country. That's what's going happen, bro. I mean, you drive around, I got to go to Panama on Saturday and people are like, be safe when you go Panama. Why do you keep telling me that? And they're like what do mean? It's like you know, isn't it third World?

I like do. You know that Panama is like way nicer than most cities in the United states, like Panama City, way nice than Miami. way cleaner, way better looking, better infrastructure, Better buildings, everything. And when I land, when i go to Panama and I go To any other country, I'll be talking to somebody, be safe. and then they'll like a taxi driver or somebody here and they start laughing. They'd be like, aren't you from the United States? Yeah. What do you think is going to happen to you here?

Like, Aren't You guys the guys that kill each other in churches and schools and all that? This is a danger spot, right? They're like we don't have any of that. Like nothing that I've been to Panama, a lot of U.S. based companies there. All the banks have buildings there and it amazes. So you're absolutely right. People don't want to talk about experience it. I think I saw the statistics on how many people actually have passports and actually use them. It's really not a. Lot of people. Wow. If you saw that the percentage of US citizens that actually had pass ports and then the ones that.

Actually use. Them. it is like a massively. small group of people man I guess that's like a you know oxymoron whatever but yeah it's many people have never experienced that so this information so if you were to say that to someone like in middle America that never traveled they just think that you're full of crap right right until they go into one of these other countries and experience it yeah You know, I've been to other countries that I actually said like I wouldn't mind moving here. I went to Japan and Japan was by far one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been too.

Walking around Tokyo and all the different areas, the discipline walking around, Tokyo, no garbage cans anywhere. The cleanest streets. You got garbage can everywhere here, dirty streets, it's crazy. Yeah. Carlton, what's next? What's the next big thing? I don't know, man. I'm trying to figure that out right now. We evolve as people. We paid our dues from working the front desk in the store to every single aspect of growing a business like this. And so I for the first time ever, I would like to not be obligated.

or wake up with a sense of obligation, right? And like to do something, uh, you know, and spread my wings. I have children that I'm really involved with, with their activities. Would like them to be a part of my life. So many people like us not being a of their children's lives or so many successful people, even like, for instance, my kids travel teams or whatever. See a lot of time, ultra wealthy people are wealthy. People, a ton of they're not there with her kids throughout these processes. Did somebody, the nanny's taken them there or wherever?

I would like not do that. And I would like to make money again the way I came into forever young was I wanted to do something that I could stand behind that would help people and so I want to Help people with the things that i've learned for people who want, to listen, which seems to be few and far And so i'm i think right now i'M looking at really kind of helping people With their businesses helping, people get into business get Into the business of franchising possibly franchizing their, businesses and and giving people, who, want To not be the the NPC who want to not?

Be the person that's on universal income because they just have no skills and didn't see it coming I want To help the people who will survive this who? Will be an ownership who, will thrive i want, to help those people and so i'm trying to formulate a way to do that right now And then i i, want. To do a fun i always want? To, do it product And I don't know what that product is yet, but that's the one thing I think you and I could agree on. It's much different to do a product. And it's not easy.

Community service, giving back, and leadership 1:12:00

But I. Think it. Is a lot easier than what we've done. Yeah. In operations. You know, like walking behind the scenes, a warehouse full of products, the products that we put it online and, you know. They just put the order in and ship it out. The distribution side of liquid on the pharmacy side. a heck of a lot easier than the franchises and the operations. It's actually our biggest revenue stream, the distribution side. And, you know, it's one of those things that I wake up in the morning and I was like, Oh, look at all these orders that came in.

That's money. Well, that's amazing. Right? That amazing and it real. I think it the same barrier entry takes some work. People sitting for a few days or week in a Starbucks can create you a million dollar company. And it's the same amount of time that it takes to create a billion-dollar company. And even saying that to you, I still am not in a zone of discipline right now to sit my ass back down in that Starbucks and go create again. But you'll get there. It's that switch. Once that's switch hits, it'll not stop.

You've done it before. But you need an or I don't know about you. It's got to be like a trigger. I need the right trigger to. Be like, it's go time. Yeah, boom. There. That's the idea. You're the kind of guy I know that you're. The kind. Of guy that once that trigger hits, that's like you go on. Let's. Go phones off. We're not going to see me for probably, you know, three to six months. What happened? Oh, I got a part. Can't make it. Camp kids games, can't nothing. Right? Can make me got. To be ready for that.

Got to get ready. For that mentally. Gotta be. Ready for. So one of the other things I want to touch up on that I think is important for all the business owners that are listening is you've always made it a priority to give back. Everything that you do involved with the church, we go to the same church. Church by the Glades, Pastor Dave. The parties that would do, you'd raise money for the kids and the drives, the toy drives and all that stuff. Why and why is it important? Because, you know, I think people need to understand that it's not just about you feeding your own pockets.

So I initially came from my parents. My parents were very civic minded people. And so I learned about volunteering at a young age. I put in probably like three, 400 hours in high school and volunteering hours. Um, and it just kind of stuck in my head. It's something that, was kind of implanted. I didn't know why, but as I got older, I started to understand, uh, But then I lost it again. As I start my business at first, spending all my time just trying to make it. And then one day I get introduced to a nonprofit earlier on through the church at church by the glades.

They're like, why don't you just come out? Just come check us out. and I realized by going down, checking out the facility and then starting to serve there and other places. Oh my God, this was happening at a time where I was also actually starting to have a lot of financial success. And I realized that my mind was disconnected from everyday people, everyday person going to work, every day person struggling to make ends meet every different people's plights. Just a few years ago, you were bankrupt living in the hood in Atlanta, literally.

And now you had a little success. Now you just think it's okay just to ignore everybody and stay in your bubble. It's not okay. I was like, it is dangerous to who you're trying to become and is it dangerous for your family in terms of raising kids. And it's not who my parents raised me to be. And there's also something about it. They talk about in many different religions, whether it is Islam or Christianity or whatever. There's always a sacrificial component. And people don't understand that. And I found that I'm understanding it through trial and tribulation and finding out the hard way that there is no receiving without giving.

If you are receiving, without given, many times it will be temporary. Many of the time it may not fall into the test, right? Because I feel like we're being tested a lot of time. So if you were given all of these things, yet you cannot give at the same time, A lot of time, it's a setup for failure to set up for disaster. You're forgetting who you are. Are you forgetting where you come from? You disassociating yourself with people. Now you're raising bad children. No, you raising privileged children now.

Your you putting out negative things into society, right? And if you doing that, It turns into children who are drug addicted because they don't know what they have and they're too. They have affluenza. And they don't know what they have and they Don't Know that there's people out there that don' have what They have. So they, don have gratitude and They can't appreciate these things and you don Have gratitude anymore. You don appreciate it because you Just think it's normal that you live in this nice House and it is normal That your cars auto start and You have a driver or you do whatever, whatever it Is you're doing.

you start to think It's Normal and that's very, very dangerous to me. personally. And so I love people, I don't want to be disconnected from people. I also don t want To be remembered as someone who just took took, took from the communities that are giving me this wonderful, great lifestyle. So I think that it's very important to have a balance that we're not just taking from People were giving back. And it's harmony. It's a healthy balance. And through that, I've done way better through because I am aware.

I do have empathy and compassion. People see me as a human being because interact with human beings. And so, I think it's very important. It goes into my spiritual beliefs as well. And it also goes in to the fundamentals of the business that we built, which many people don't understand, including franchisees. They think, oh, well, like I gave $500 to this organization, but maybe they didn't just need your $ 500. Maybe they needed you to come out there and help them repaint. The kids at their organization needed to spend an hour talking to them.

You know what? It's probably a really bad day for you on your schedule to go talk to those kids. You probably got a lot of stuff you could be doing, right? But that's the difference. Your sacrifice wasn't the $500 or $1,000. It was the time that you Could have been doing. So now you just added two hours to your schedule because you want to go help somebody but best believe bro that that kid that You sat down and talked to five 10 years. They're going to remember you be like, Oh, you're the dude that changed my life.

Cause my mom and dad weren't telling me these things or whatever it is. It's just more rewarding that way. Life is more rewarded that. And it's a universal law that you either understand or you don't, but you'll never get past it. Wow. Well, you couldn't have said that any better. I mean, really, because it's not just about giving, right, that there's a purpose behind why you decide to give and why. You decide. To choose the organizations or the groups that you give to. And my father would always tell me you can't receive with a closed hand.

And that's exactly what you just said. It's true. it's hard to experience this stuff because it takes vulnerability. They're not willing to be vulnerable, man. I didn't think you were going to go that deep. telling me or telling the listeners of why you participate in the different nonprofits and why choose those different organizations and what you give. And I think that's something extremely important for all of the business owners and entrepreneurs out there that have their businesses. there is purpose, right?

There is more purpose behind on doing things for the community. And this is one of the things that I try to educate our franchisees and try and educate other business owners. You go back like 20 years ago, I remember you'd go into like the local businesses, and the first thing you see is like, the pictures of baseball teams and stuff that they were sponsoring. Like that community involvement is gone, you don't see it anymore, so for me it's like Because we live in such a digital era, you don't see that community involvement.

I want to bring that back. My goal is to be more involved with the community. In a lot of the unsuccessful locations that are in this industry that think that it's just like being on the digital platforms, there's a heck of a lots more to it. You have to have boots on your ground in your community, connect with other people that know in the And yes, you can get the content of you being involved in the community, but that's the concept you need. You don't need these stock images and these stocks videos.

Just try to promote and sell. Show people that you're involved, in that community. And show them how you actually make a difference into the communities. That's what people want to see. Absolutely. But like everything, fine, let people struggle with that. Don't do it. Don't do it. That's fine. We'll do. Yeah. Make it easier for us. So Carlton, pleasure having you on the podcast. Where can people find you? Cool. I appreciate you having me here. One thing I'll leave you guys with before I do that is a lot of stuff that we're talking about today.

And by the way, I think we need to do a part two. Oh, we will. What we were talking. About here is the evolution of personal growth and business and an emerging industry pioneering this emerging emerging and really going from A to Z in a 10 year timeframe, I will tell people that this is a big deal if you look into our industry that we're doing this right now. If you watch movies, like I've ever seen the movie Mr. Glass, Samuel Jackson, Mr Glass talks about in every story, you need heroes and you needs villains, right?

And so in order to make his story and his world complete, he needs a villain. And I wouldn't have done this five years ago. I wanted to kill everybody in our Not literally per se, but that was the energy and the mindset of the competition is you want to do it better than everybody. You want a grow faster than anybody. Do it at all costs and you wanna destroy and take market share like that's my mentality in business. And now that we're sitting here 10 years from the start of what we've done, there's a lot of personal growth and development here.

I do not look at being here as a threatening situation in our business because anybody who knows who we are, like bro, we were competitors in this rapidly growing wellness and aesthetic space. And I think it's testament to say like where we made it to in the space because Both of us are starting out in South Florida, literally in the same neighborhood. Ground zero. Ten doors down for me. I've gone through some hardship, I have gone though some conflict, have going through ups and downs and are now sitting here as a testament not only to this industry, not to our work ethic, but also to personal growth and development and being able to sit in a room peacefully.

discuss these things without it being a threat to one another's business and I think that's a really big deal and i think it says a lot about where we've

Industry evolution, competition, and closing remarks 1:23:00

come from and uh and, I, think you guys should check that out because LiquiVida and Forever Young are probably two of maybe five brands that are out there and we're on the forefront of the space. I monitor all of our competition, i monitor the whole United States and there's only a few brands out, there that, are doing this One of those and to say something positive, one of the brands are really like that's doing aesthetics. They're not doing wellness is laser way. I really, really liked them. That somebody over there is looking to grow.

Their marketing is new. It's fresh. And I always like to see like, It's okay. Like those are the kind of competitors that I want to have. And you know, having a villain or hero, however you want, to see yourself a lot of time can propel you to a greater level of success because if there's nobody out there to compete, it's no fun. Yeah. If you don't have somebody that's maybe on your down week, you're like, shit, this guy's creating content again. You know what I'm saying? Shit. This guy is offering the product.

We were just going to drop the project, beat us to it, whatever it is. These things can motivate you after a while. I think it just says a lot that we're sitting here. And it's not detrimental to anybody. You know, the thing is with what you're saying there, man, and I resonate with it 100 percent is we've gotten so far into this industry that you got a. Lot of these people just coming in. It's like the wild, wild west and doing cutting corners, doing all kinds of crazy stuff. We're at a stage in this.

Industry where it. We got to protect it. Also, we got a look at each other. The people that are leading the industry. And let's talk about. Let's win together. Right. Because other people are out there just trying to do their little random thing that doesn't really go with what our vision was from the start. You know It's it's hard to be out here and and talk the same language and then be at each other's strokes Right because at the end of the day if we actually want to make that change and health care and everything else We got to create that one strong voice and you see it in all these other industries.

They do it big pharma All this other stuff, they do it. So it's up to us to lead the way. We're here, we're at the top, right? And we can get to the next mountain and bring other people with us. You gotta put some speck on my name. Exactly. But yeah, man. Thanks again for having me in terms of finding me. Carlton, Washington, C-A-R-L-T-O-N Washington. I'm on LinkedIn. Use that as my business card. Really communicate greatly through Instagram. So it's Carlson underscore Washington at Instagram, the company website is for every young with the number four for every young.com.

And, uh, like Sam said, looking to do some, some new things in the space, look and to get out there and help people grow businesses, grow franchises, make less mistakes, come up with solutions and, ah, want to work with people who want work. Um, if you don't want. Don't reach out and we will have a part two topic. Is there anything that you want us to talk about in part too? I wanna do something fun and controversial. I really wanna come at some people. We're gonna have like a wellness and aesthetic diss album.

And we'll do that with Sam. People who are doing things wrong, people have wronged us on our way to success. Like to talk about these things. Think people need to account for these thing, hear our stories and current events are always fun. So, and I think it's, what is it? It's May, 2024. of a lot of current events to talk to in the next 10 months. Oh, yeah. Probably things that we absolutely mark the date now. But the time, let's just say we get together in two months, I'm pretty sure we'll be shocked about what we can talk about.

So Carlton, you got my word. We're going to do it. Part two. And that'll Be a very, very fun one. Awesome. Thanks for tuning in on a Healthy Point of View podcast. Again, this is Sam, your host. Make sure you like, subscribe, tap, share, do all the fun stuff, and see us on the next one.