March 19, 2024 • 56 mins
When life threw Noah a curveball, he didn't just catch it—he ran with it, all the way from his family's restaurant to the forefront of the medical supply industry. Join us as Noah, the entrepreneur behind ConnectQuot West and the youtube culinary critic of NOAH Eats, recounts his inspiring journey. You'll find both wisdom and wit as he shares how he's not only shaping his business ventures but how his brush with serious health concerns has reshaped his perspective on life. With authenticity and a touch of humor, Noah's story is a compelling tale of resilience that will captivate anyone navigating their own life's unexpected twists.
Have you ever considered what legacy you're creating, or how your work today will impact the world when you're not around? This episode goes beyond the surface, exploring the depth of Noah's vision as he's paved the way for the next generation through his non-profit Lightning Warriors and crafted a succession plan for his enterprises. Reflect on the delicate balance of life's priorities as Noah illuminates the importance of integrating personal values, health, and relationships into the entrepreneurial equation, guiding us to reassess and realign with what truly matters.
And for a slice of levity in our robust discussion, Noah takes on the heated debate over Long Island's potential statehood. As the self-proclaimed Sultan of Pizza, he doesn't shy away from dishing out his all-time favorite spot for a pizza slice that captures the essence of his childhood memories. Tune in for an episode that's as rich and layered as a New York pizza, filled with passion, purpose, and a generous topping of life lessons that will leave you both thoughtful and hungry for more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The show is about to start in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
This is Don't Fear Grit, withWabtau-Ramina marketing
strategies and advertisingtechnologies to help you build a
(00:22):
better business.
Welcome back to the only showthat matters on all of the
interweb.
That's right.
We're talking about Don't FearGrit and in studio I've got an
amazing guest.
We're staying consistent withour theme this year it's all
about interviews interviews withleaders in the entrepreneurial
space and just generalleadership space, and we've got
(00:42):
a very special person, noah.
Welcome to the show, my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thank you, Rob, for inviting me.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I was very flattered that you did yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So just a little bit of background.
So, noah, you're someone thatI've known.
You're like internet friends bythe way right.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes, they're the best friends, so we're internet best
friends.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, facebook besties.
For the last several years wehaven't met and this was a great
opportunity for us to finallymeet, and I'm so glad that it's
in this space and we get to sortof talk about all the things
that you're involved with, whichyou're involved with quite a
few things and you're doing somegreat work, and then some
personal things as well, becausethis guy's story, I think, is
going to really inspire a lot ofpeople and I think he's got
(01:22):
something to say that everyoneneeds to hear.
This is a very, very importantepisode and, again, everyone is
going to learn something fromhis personal experiences.
Oh, there's a lot.
There's a lot.
By the way, I'm setting bigexpectation here, right, big
expectation here, but it's trueand I don't want to reveal
everything.
But, yeah, you've got greatbusinesses that you've done some
(01:45):
amazing things very successfulat, but you've also got some
personal things that recentlysurfaced and that just changed
that perspective a little bitand I think your experience, if
you're willing to share, I thinkit's going to be a healthy
reminder to a lot of people ofwhat they need to be doing next.
So, definitely stay tuned andlet's listen in, but tell
everyone first what are thenames of some of these
(02:07):
businesses and projects that youhave.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
So my main nine to five would be ConnectQuit West,
which is a medical supply andequipment distributor.
We service a lot of differentagencies and healthcare agencies
and the state with productsthat people need, you know,
everyday products, and it'susually around the development
of disabled or different kindsof making sure people stay
(02:31):
healthy, which is going to be atheme of a few minutes Exactly
exactly.
We also have a not-for-profityouth triathlon team where we
help kids get into the sporttriathlon in Excel.
It's called Lightning Warriorsand as a side project I like to
do food reviews under NOAA.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Eats, love it.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And I get to hit that channel.
When you get a chance, don'tforget to watch and subscribe,
and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, yeah.
So you got three really greatthings going on for you, and
let's start with, I guess, thatprimary pipeline.
Right, you labeled it as yourtraditional nine to five.
How did you get started as abusiness owner?
Let's go back to the Adam andEve of your business here.
When did it start?
How did you choose this?
How did?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
this happen?
Yeah, that's an interestingstory.
So I would say my mom actuallystarted the business 31 years
ago right Actually, 32 years agoand she did her due diligence.
She took care of me and mybrother and my sister until we
were teenagers, and then shedecided to branch out and start
(03:37):
a business, but we've alwaysbeen an entrepreneurial family,
so my dad's always been in therestaurant business.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Oh, is that right?
Yeah, he owned restaurants heowned restaurants.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
He built restaurants, sold restaurants.
And the main restauranthappened to be in Oakdale, which
was called the Gold Mountain.
So I still have people come upto me and say they miss his food
.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
That actually kind of is cool right.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I just recently had someone reach out to me because
I was commenting about certainrestaurants and they were like
we know that you like food and Iused to go to your dad's
restaurant.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Oh my gosh.
And.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I'm like holy cow OK.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
That's a lot of history, a lot of history.
It brings back memories, I'msure.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
He's still doing well .
Is that right?
Did you work at the restaurants?
Yeah, I worked at therestaurants.
Did you really?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah, oh wow.
What did you do in therestaurants?
I did the serving.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Of course I didn't really cook.
Ok, I would prep maybe and dothe takeout side and make sure
to order the package.
I was more on the operationalside of things.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
So now, by the way, with your Noah eats, now it
makes more sense of why you'reinto the food, because you
actually do have a foodbackground.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, I do, I do.
I do have a good foodbackground.
Actually, my daughter went toschool to be a baker from
Culinary South America which ismy next video that is out right
now.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Oh, is that right.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
OK, I did a video on that and so I always try in
different types of things andgoing here and there and seeing
if it's really worth going.
Yeah, sometimes it's usuallynot.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Right, right, right.
Ok, sometimes it is and you'rehappy.
Yeah, OK, I like to share that.
So you got these three projectsslash businesses and some of
them are they hobbies?
Are they also sort of revenue,sort of generated income
producers for you?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So, in terms of the connect, what West is, which is
the main source of income,lightning Warriors is an offer
profit.
I don't charge for my time.
It's not about that.
It's about giving back.
A lot of it's got giving backbecause I got a lot from doing
triathlons myself and seeing howmy son excelled at it.
(05:50):
And I wanted to share that withthe rest of the community, and
that's where Lightning Warriorscame about, and Noeach is
something that is a more of aside project.
I like to see it grow a littlebit and be self-sustaining.
I like to build all mybusinesses, all the things I do
sustainable so something happensto me which can happen to all
(06:10):
of us.
That it still continues on.
So there's a lot of legacythings that I like to see happen
, as I'm still around kickingand grieving.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Thank God On that subject.
Let's just talk a little bitabout.
I know over the past year yougot some news, and what was that
news and how has it impactedyour now approach to these
projects?
Did it change it?
Are you still aligned with it?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, so somewhat, especially during the last half
of last year when they learnedabout my diagnosis with thyroid
cancer.
A lot of it came with a lot ofuncertainty because they still
had to do a lot of testing,biopsies, figure out what
exactly I had.
And it was thyroid cancer thatbegan with.
(07:02):
They knew it right away, butthey didn't really know the
extent of it.
So we go to the first doctorand they explained that what I
had was it's a simple thing, andthey would just remove half of
it, like okay, cool.
Not cool, but yeah.
I understood that, so Iunderstood.
Okay, that's what you gotta do.
So when the doctor says this,and you laugh and you smile and
(07:24):
you say well, I think thedoctors think I'm a little bit
disturbed because they're veryserious and I always try to
crack a smile or a joke in thesituation because I didn't have
the capacity of understandingwhat's going on.
I've always very lightheartedabout doing stuff because I
(07:48):
learned a lot that you can'ttake life so seriously because
you never know what's going on.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
No well put.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I definitely didn't know this was going to happen.
I went to the doctor and I'mlike okay actually it was a
colonoscopy.
So, anybody I would suggest ifyou don't normally get regular
checkups always do you neverknow.
So in this situation ithappened to be a colonoscopy
which is the wrong doctor but,he happened to do his exam.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And he goes like this hey, feel that I'm like I don't
know, I don't feel anythingyeah.
So we get that checked out, goback to the doctor and he goes,
go back to my primary and hegoes all right, I've got to do
an MRI.
All right, do an MRI.
It's bigger than what it shouldbe.
Like okay, now you got to get abiopsy.
Yeah, all right, go get thebiopsy.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
All right, now he's like oh yeah, sorry.
Like sorry, my goodness, likewhat are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, it didn't really fathom to me that it that
it's serious, but the way hesaid, you know, he said it like
oh, this is serious.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Yeah, serious, and what I normally would think.
Yeah, I mean, how did yourfamily respond?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
My wife was.
Well, my wife's thyroid doesn'twork to begin with, so she's
like you don't need a big deal.
That's how we we brought up.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Okay, Nothing's big deal.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, unless you know I'm missing an arm or a limb.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Gotcha, don't worry about it, just brush it off.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, yeah so it was no big deal, right, so that that
in the beginning was no bigdeal.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
And then so the doctor's like okay, this is what
we're gonna do and take a halfyour thyroid out and some lymph
nodes.
All right, cool, for that tohappen you have to do another CT
and another biopsy.
Okay, do that.
So he did the whole thing, likeokay, we're gonna take out to
remove the whole thing.
There's some side of you knowsome of the things that we might
(09:36):
come up to.
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You know we'll protect, try to protect your
throat as much as yeah, yeah, Imean they know that you have a
YouTube show, that you you needright.
Could you imagine they're likelisten, I have a date with a
pizza.
After this, I have a show thatI got a well.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
that well that actually went for me thing is,
when they actually said that tome like they were gonna Effect
my throat, I'm like I can't domy reviews.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I'm right not.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Not that I want to talk to my dot, my, my customers
.
No, it had to do with I Can'tdo my videos anymore.
That was the first thing thatfell on my head.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
You're kidding.
Yeah, I was like oh my god, itwasn't about like making sure I
could communicate sure anyoneyeah.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
I'm gonna have a problem swallowing.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So he went through that process and the final
process was not the problemprocess, I would say.
My brother kept on asking me togo get checked by Memorial
Sloan Kettering and so it waslike a funny, was able to get a
Exam or a doctor's exam and wentto Memorial Sloan Kettering and
(10:45):
they kind of said that's nonormal thing, they would remove
the thyroid and whatever theline nearby lymph nodes, like
okay, but he goes.
One thing he did that was if,since it's so low when down here
he goes, I would normally check, do a chest CT, hmm.
And so we did that.
I said I go, went back to mypart of the first doctor and I
(11:05):
said you know the?
I went to Memorial SloanKettering and he's he was like
okay, and he goes.
I left it off, like hesuggested, I guess, chest CT.
I'm like okay, yeah, go ahead,go, swanger Does not pay by
swanger, by the way, so goes theway and he Gets the my to my
(11:28):
mice, my.
My surgery was on Tuesday.
Okay, we did it.
I think the the chest CT onThursday, I'm sorry, tuesday.
The surgery Thursday was thechest CT.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Weekend goes over.
I didn't think anything of it.
I'm getting ready for thesurgery and, you know, making
sure you know the.
They gave me a heavy cleanse totake care of everything sure,
and he calls me not Monday night.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
She's like I cancel Really unlike hearing up right
mentally, you're getting in thatspace because I I I Knew what's
gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah you know I'm like I'm, I like to plan ahead.
Sure, get it done with rightCut.
Go yeah, recover, yep done, yep, right Co.
He calls me Monday night, whichis which is, he's a great
doctor.
Yeah and I'm like oh, thank youfor calling me so late.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
He goes.
Uh, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I got canceled.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh my gosh, I'm like seriously, wow, he goes.
What I see in you, in yourchest now.
Yeah it's something that Iwould have to get a thoracic
surgeon involved with it.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And you know there's a couple spots in there.
Okay and that's when my mom, mywife, kind of got nervous.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Oh really.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Okay and I was like, oh, that's worse because, you
end up.
You end up googling it now.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Oh, of course.
So you go from the rabbit hole.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Yeah, you go from a hundred percent Like recovery.
Mm-hmm, I could fire where itseems to be normal.
I'm like, okay, yeah, no bigdeal yeah and when some move
starts in that man thatmetastasize, yeah, and the
numbers don't look, farewell.
So when and then when it getsdown here, you're like oh,
you're not gonna walk out yeah.
Oh yeah, I started thinkingworst-case scenario, worst case
scenario.
(13:12):
So you go down the rabbit holeand I'm like, oh god, you know.
So I went back to the morseland can they start redoing all
the tests I did?
Yeah you know they, they have aclosed system where they have to
do everything themselves andmonitor themselves and check
everything.
So that took a little, a littlebit longer.
They have a little bit morethorough I don't want to say
more thorough process, but theywere doing a lot more than our
(13:33):
local community Sure Physiciansdo.
I think that you know theyprobably see 10 times in my main
cases right I went through thatprocess where they, they did
all that, they did a lung biopsybecause they you know, yeah,
what's in their lungs and withthe process and they didn't
really give me an answer of aPlan until end of January.
(13:54):
Oh, wow, yeah, so that fromfrom basically almost like
October to End of January.
I really didn't.
I really didn't know what theywere gonna do other than.
If they had to cut me open,they would.
They would cut me open.
Sure sure but that came with alot of side, a lot of effects.
Mainly, yeah, it's possiblethat they would remove my left
vocal cord.
Oh my gosh three parts of mytrachea, lower my voice box.
(14:15):
Oh, my gosh all this time likethinking okay one.
Well then I started thinkingabout how am I gonna talk to
customers?
But I also love like okay, Ireally I can't this is serious
now.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
I guess it's gonna affect my life.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I won't be able to speak as loud as I normally
would or even have control overhow I swallow.
Oh my gosh, I'm like okay,because I some of the things
that we sell is is dysphagiaproducts, mm-hmm, and I know
that you know that can be anissue and aspirating all the
side effects that come alongwith it.
So it would definitely affectmy, my, some.
(14:50):
I don't know about mylivelihood, but it would affect
how I would manage that, suremanage things.
Sure, because I'm so used totalking.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I like all of us.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, there's certain things that we're used to we
rely on our voice, yeah you know, we rely on a lot of different
things.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I want to say I guess we could take for granted, you
know yeah, we're like okay, it'sa good point.
It's a good point, you know,figure out things that you can
make sure you keep the qualityof life that almost the same
right.
So that's kind of how we leftit.
So right now I'm in the middleof fifth week of Treatment.
(15:25):
The good the interesting thingabout cancer is that I think
everybody, every cancer, hassomething different.
Yeah, they treat it differentlyI am.
When I went in, I'm thinking,just scrape it out and like
You'd be done with it.
Yeah, yeah Like yeah, what do Iknow?
I didn't go to school for that,so yeah, it's it's, it's a,
(15:46):
it's been a process.
Okay, it's a journey that I lookat it as like I could Think
back and and I one thing oncebiggest takeaway I would say is
that you know, you see you, Inormally don't rely on people
hmm, as as much as I can, andMaybe a little bit Control
issues or like that in terms oflike yeah, especially you know
(16:07):
you're a small business, that'smost entrepreneurs, by the way.
Yeah, and you like to have yourhand everything, because you're
not sure if that, if something'sgonna happen, you want to make
sure you can fix it right away.
Yep, right, and you and youdon't?
Maybe they'll have the skillset, or?
Speaker 1 (16:22):
yeah you.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
You just uncomfortable with doing it sure
so I've learned this processwhere, you know, I kind of like
I don't want to say let go, butlet things fall into place and
Not the worst thing can happenso far.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Is that like a new mindset as a result of what
you've been going through?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Um more so than before.
Yeah you know, I've always hadmade sure that there's plenty of
room to have my employees dotheir own thing or have my
friends do help me out.
Yeah and I think a lot of ithas to come with that.
They want to help out too.
Hmm you know, not that you'reyou're, you're unable to do it,
but they want to be part of, Iwant to say they want to be part
(16:59):
of the process.
Yes, yes and they want to feellike they're Doing something to
help you, and I've learned onething I've definitely learned is
like you just let that, letthat happen, because it's not
the worst thing, it's good forthem, it's good for you, it
relieves a lot of pressure onyourself and and they you know
(17:19):
people just like to help.
I think well, in my world, Ithink people like to help you
know I've heard crazy stories orPeople.
Don't help you well.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, no, no, and listen.
You're fortunate to have anetwork of people around you
that I, you know, I yeah, I'mreally lucky that yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
I would say I'm lucky than most yeah yeah, and being
able to Reach out yeah, relianton yeah to.
Do things that maybe I want todo, and one thing I've learned
is that I know, I definitelyknow, over the past few years I,
I don't know a lot of things.
Hmm, I'm not good at a lot ofthings.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Yeah, listen a lot of things listen, listen, we are,
all I think, not able to do asmuch as we think right, and we,
and the thing is like earlieryou were saying that you know,
you know earlier on, I guess, inyour entrepreneurial career or
before this, this, this thingyou're dealing with, is a that
you try to do a lot and I, and Ican, and I, I can relate to
(18:17):
that myself because I try tolearn everything, like
everything in my life.
I try to learn how to doeverything because and and I'm
not saying this is the bestapproach and it's, and it's
definitely not the best approach, it's but because I want to be
able to just problem-solve andjust get it done quickly.
I don't want to have to wastetime to explain it to someone
else and have someone else do itor call someone else in.
(18:38):
So I'm like you know what, I'mgonna learn how to do it all so
that in that moment I'm justgonna do it.
You know, and it's not actuallythe long-term, it's not the
healthy approach, it's not theright approach to do that.
But I'm stubborn and I'm this,I guess, a typical entrepreneur
in that sense where we try towear all the hats I mean for me.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
When I started with, when my mom asked me to join her
, you know she was really smalland trying to figure things out.
She just started.
She asked me to ask me to joinher and I'm like no, you
resisted no the first time shehad.
I mean the second, the second,third.
I also said no because I Wasgiving my head around
(19:17):
engineering and maybe doingmanagement at UPS and I was.
I was into that.
I was like really love, Ireally loved UPS.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Oh, wow, yeah, I love .
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I was working my and my body off and UPS.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So you're a fan of the show.
King of Queen, queens.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Okay, have you met Kevin James?
No, you know he lives in thearea.
Yes, he does.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Well, yeah, I just actually.
I watched his Special on prime.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Yeah, he's great, he's a lawyer.
I'm like, okay, he's amazingyeah.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah, so it was like so I was in UPS and they were
doing something that I was likenot happy with.
Eventually, and there was a Iwent to school for engineering
and so they had this industrialengineering position being open
and I'm like okay, I've beenworking here for a while.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
It's a perfect match.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
And I have a degree in it.
Yeah, Does not make sense tomove me to this position.
Oh right, it's a no brainer,right, yeah, no brainer, I'm
thinking there's no brainer, butwhether I know I don't know
anything about politics, aboutUPS.
So or was it politics, I don'tknow, or they wanted to keep me
where I was doing a good job.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't think it was, but anyway.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I had a good time there and they just I got fed up
one day.
I think it was actually longstorage.
The story part of the story wasI was checking the belts for
packages.
One package had me on the side,like, okay, I gotta go be a
monkey and go climb up and getit.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Cause I was we.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
You know, management does the sweep, so we go find,
make sure there's no packageshanging out and whatever reason,
they had this air conditioningscrew hanging out from the
ceiling from like 50 feet aboveand the belts were high up.
Okay, and I went to go grab thepackage.
I stood up banged it.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
No, I started bleeding.
Are you serious?
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
I started like pouring blood out.
I'm like oh my God, and so Iget down.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
I'm still scoring.
I'm still scoring it Blood out.
Are you like on a ladder orsomething?
Speaker 2 (21:19):
No, it was like well, if you work at UPS, there's a
bunch of conveyor belts all overthe place.
So when you move a pack, whenyou pick up package and put it
somewhere, it's going to go to atruck, or another truck or
another place, and I justhappened to find a small one of
a cylindrical.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Oh my gosh, you know like a cylindrical one and
hanging on the side.
I'm like, okay, I'll get thatand sure enough.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
I busted my head, got some staples.
They put some staples on me andI'm like, and the way they, I
guess the way they reacted, andat that time it was like really
rough, they were really roughand I was fine with it.
But where they were reactivewas like yeah, it was an
engineer that told me what I wasdoing, so I wore a hat just to
cover it up.
Oh okay, right.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
So you didn't tell anyone.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I knew Some people, most people knew, but this
engineer didn't happen.
Okay, I think that's whattriggered everything.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Oh, okay, and he was telling me what to do.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Okay, and you know, this guy doesn't know what he's
doing.
I mean, he doesn't haveexperience of what I was
actually doing.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
And he goes.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
You know why you wearing a hat Blah, blah, blah,
blah and some derogatorystatements and I'm like really
and that was it.
You knew in that moment you'relike I'm done, I'm done Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I'm done so, and then my mom asked me again oh, so
the timing was better.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
That was yeah, but that was better.
Okay, it was a good timing,okay, and this was for the
medical.
Yeah, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yeah, my dad still had the restaurant.
Okay, he sold it after my dad.
My mom was doing well, we weredoing well.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Okay, okay, I got you , you know what.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
I don't need to do this anymore.
Right, everybody went tocollege.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
So he's he.
You know he stopped, he soldhis, he sold the restaurant.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Oh, okay, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
My mom asked me to start up and you know it was a
simple.
We were billing Medicaid andstuff like that and simple
transactions.
You know a lot of B to Ccustomers, simple things like
that.
It was small and I went inthere looking at like how to
make it as easy as possible forme to oh, is that right?
(23:18):
I went in there trying tounderstand how can I streamline
as much as possible.
And I think that's a little Okay, because I think that's a
little of my personality, whereI'm like, trying to like, can I
push one button to makeeverything run?
Yeah, right, so I startedmaking, started programming
different things in the system,making processes that were
(23:38):
manually done, try to do asautomatic as possible, and that
time there was no, the computersweren't that powerful as they
are now yeah.
But they still continue to dothat process where?
I'm trying to figure out.
Can we make it as easy aspossible with less touches?
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And I still do that to the, to the.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Oh, is that right.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I, I, because it's something I liked it down Like
trying to figure out like wherethe pain points.
Yeah, Can we resolve it withoutmanually doing it?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Yeah, if possible.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Right, right.
And you know, hopefully AAdoesn't catch up to us, it's
right.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
It's knocking on our door.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, it's not gonna do it Like, like I was talking
to someone who was.
I was like you know.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
I was watching videos , yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
It was like people still buy from people.
I'm like I don't know how longthat's gonna take.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
I know, I know, I know.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
I think it's still true that people want to have
that interaction.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
You know, and.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
But once you start taking out the interaction with
it becomes a commodity.
Yeah, that you don't need thatanymore.
And some people still need that.
That touch.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
That's totally true.
But we don't have to go veryfar back to have an example of
what you're saying is happening.
Just look at Amazon, right.
So if we go back just 25 years,no one 25 years ago would have
been like you know, somethingwould be a disruptor to the
traditional mall.
Right, that there would be.
There's no way the traditionalmall is here to stay.
(25:04):
But we fast forward to today anda lot of malls are ghost towns.
They are empty lots and there'sno longer the traditional
retail, because businesses likeAmazon came in, and even back
then they would argue well,people want to be able to
physically touch the article ofclothing or whatever the case
(25:24):
may be, and Amazon has proventhem wrong.
And now you click.
People want convenience.
Right, that's how you want tostreamline your business.
People want to streamline theirlife, and so click of a button
and 24 hours we get whatever wewant to our doorstep.
Little creepy, but the fact isyou're right.
And now AI is going to make iteven easier.
You know it is.
(25:45):
So it is a little scary, youknow we got some time left,
though.
We do it's not tomorrow.
It's not happening tomorrow,but yes, it's definitely
knocking on our door and listen.
I'm using AI for a lot ofelements of my businesses.
I'm sure you're using some ofit somewhere right, and so it's
not all bad, not all scary.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Some of it's going to help us.
It's a good tool to use.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
It is.
If you use it as a tool, it'sgood.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Yes, If you use it for something else and you want
to be really lazy about it, thenit's not so good.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Right.
I mean listen, you never know.
Maybe it's going to be likeTerminator and they're going to
Sky Net's going to come over.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
I always say there's doomsday coming along all the
time, so it can happen, younever know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah, it is true, it is true, you know.
So, getting back to your story,though, I guess I have a
doomsday for your situation.
So you've got right now.
I know you're going through it,yeah, right, and first today.
Are you feeling okay today?
I'm feeling okay today.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Okay, yeah, sometimes I'm like, okay, you know a lot
of the things that side effects.
I haven't experienced the sideeffects that they said that I
guess I'm a freaking name.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Yeah, you're a machine.
Yeah, the thing is with mydiagnosis.
They were surprised how long itprogressed to even not having
the symptoms that normal wouldhave Surface symptoms.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Yeah, I mean technically, I shouldn't be
talking, right now, oh my gosh,and I would have problem
breathing Really.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
I was like I don't understand.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
It's all the pizza.
Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
So I'm like, and I guess I'm used to whatever is
here so long that I'm adjustedto it.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
But they were really surprised that I was able to not
have it found earlier.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
And so we'll see, but side effects haven't been too
crazy so far.
So far.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
You know it can propagate as the medicine starts
to get into the system.
Okay, you know, just recentlythey, more than the blood work
data that they presented to me.
I was like I read it, like youknow and.
I'm looking at them like theyalways have that exclamation
point.
Yeah.
I'm like no good.
Oh hi, it was high.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Oh gosh.
So of course I'm like okay,I'll look at that.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Google Google yeah.
And it's like, oh, this is whathappens if it's too high.
I'm like okay, go back to theportal.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Which is good.
Technology is great.
Oh, it's great.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Back to the portal.
Yeah All right.
I gotta give you thisparticular medicine now.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Yeah, really I don't want to take another one, right,
I don't want another one, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
But I already took.
You know I'm taking three forblood pressure right now.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
And we took like a small dosage, sure, sure, you
know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Um, well, the hard question yes, you know.
Um, so you got you know thesegreat businesses and projects
going on.
Um, you've got an amazingfamily.
It seems like you really areclose with your kids, right?
Um?
Speaker 2 (28:36):
some of them, some of them right, listen, I like you,
you, I'm, I'm very happy thatyou have great relationship with
the small ones.
Uh, listen we do our best right.
There's no manual that couldpossibly right.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I did think about that Uh you know, I remember, so
I've got the triplets right.
So, and I remember when we werejust about to have the kids and
everyone was trying to give usadvice, right, and all the
advice that people gave didn'twork.
And what I've realized now nowyou know, my kids are 13 is
ultimately, you have to, youhave to be present and you have
(29:10):
to adapt and you just, you knowthere's no manual for it, it's
just got to do.
Life, you know, and it's hard.
I'll be honest.
I've done parenting.
I've done a lot in life.
Parenting is the hardest one.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yeah, I think you know I.
One thing I learned aboutparenting is well, try and learn
at least.
Is you got to let them do?
You got to let them do a littlebit of their own?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Oh, that's so hard.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Have them have their own experiences, because it's
you could teach them as much aspossible.
But they're like they.
You and I probably grew up thesame way.
You know we're not listening toanybody, and so, yeah, what do
we expect our kids to do?
The same thing.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
It's so true, it's so true.
And so you know, I'm building a, I'm building a, I'm building a
court.
Is it's hard, especially likefor my wife and whatnot, but it
is hard.
But so the hard question is yougot these great businesses and
this is a generation one of themis a generational business and
you're really building yourlegacy in other areas too and
helping other families.
Like the triathlon is atriathlon.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Yeah, triathlon, that's right.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
And you've got this incredible YouTube channel right
, so you're building thisamazing legacy.
You get hit with these hardnews.
You know now, sort of, I guess,the reality of it is sinking in
.
What does that?
Did it change how you werethinking now, longterm Cause, as
an entrepreneur, we're alwaysthinking about scaler,
scalability or all this stuff,right, but did this change it
all for you?
And then you know what.
(30:29):
What like if you don't mind,like, open up as much as you can
, because here's, here's thething I think a lot of people
have to realize is is that Idon't think that we set up our
businesses to be successfulwithout us, as much as we should
.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Yeah, I believe that too.
We don't want to be significantin, in what we create, and some
of them don't realize howsignificant it is to not to be
there.
Right, it's, it's important,because if you're the one who's
going to be the bottleneck orsome kind of bottleneck, um, and
(31:02):
your business can functionwithout you, then you really
didn't do I would say you didn'treally do a good job, you know,
because you kind of like it's Idon't want to say sell it's
selfish, almost Right, you'remanaging, you're helping out a
bunch of families in yourbusiness and you're not thinking
about like, okay, if I don'tshow up that day or a year,
(31:24):
right, right, right, wheresomething happens, because I
think a lot of people think welive forever and I still do.
Right, we all do.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Oh yeah, we think we're invincible.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Yeah Right, so but we , you know, we have to take a
moment.
I don't want to say we take acatastrophic moment like a
diagnosis or anything like that,but in some ways you need to
take that time out to recharge,understand what needs to be done
, what really needs to be done,not just pick up the phone and
call another customer orprospect or whatever the
(31:52):
situation may be, yeah, um, butwhat really takes to make it so
that it is sustainable and forsomeone else to maybe buy it or
someone take it?
oh, it make it easier forsomeone to take it over, because
people are looking for that.
People don't want to have toomuch headache when they take
over a business, and it'ssomething that most people don't
(32:15):
think.
Most people don't think about.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
No, no, they don't.
And I think you know, forpeople that are watching this or
listening to this and they'relike you know, maybe they're
like you know, I haven't beendiagnosed with cancer.
I don't have to do this yet.
I don't think that beingresponsible like you're
suggesting that we should, weneed to be more responsible
about our responsibilities andour work and in our businesses.
It's not just because it's thesafeguard against um.
(32:40):
You know health, necessarily.
You know things that come ourway, but there's other things
that could impact a situationand we need to be ready for that
stuff.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
And you never know what's going to happen.
We don't, you know.
No, you know you might need totake care of a parent or a child
, exactly, and it takes awayfrom your focus of working in
your business versus working onyour business Right.
So those things are a paramountthat for any business owner
(33:11):
that's getting into it.
Think about it that way.
I mean, it's, it's and it's noteasy.
Right, it's not easy becauseit's obviously takes brain power
to do that and it's easier todo certain things or fall into
the place where you know I'drather do this instead.
Right, and you know, and nobodywants to face the fact that
they're mortal, right, and soyou have to really be conscious
(33:32):
of where you're at in your lifeand make a concerted effort to
include that on the checklist.
You know it's something.
Nobody it's.
It's important.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
It is.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Especially if you, if you have a family.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
It's probably more so if you have a family.
If you're a single guy, youcould do whatever you want,
that's true, that's true.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
But you know, down the road, I mean that that could
also change, right, and so youknow, if you've got our family,
responsibilities could be to,like, you know, our wife, our
kids.
If it's a business that hasemployees, you have a
responsibility to employees,right.
And then if you didn't set upthe business properly, where it
now can't function without youand that business now folds, now
(34:18):
not only are all those familiesthat you're, you employ, are
out of a job and they'reconfused.
Now if you didn't set it up,where your family knows your
wife knows your husband knows,your kids know something and and
they're part of that plan, howdoes it continue?
Right, and, and we were talkingoff camera and I think you
attended like an event and andyou shared something.
(34:40):
I don't know if you mindtalking about it here, but you
shared a surprise that you weresurprised at that.
Some of the businesses didn'thave that like succession plan
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
right, I think a majority of business don't have
a succession plan.
It just, it just might beculture.
I don't.
I don't.
I'd never understood that maybeand and there were not young
people that you know in theprocess of building a business.
They were established businesspeople who work on other
(35:12):
businesses, who see what canhappen and they haven't taken
the time to see what they coulddo with with their own
businesses and that was a reallythat's.
I was just astonished with that.
I was just surprised how manypeople are in that situation
where they yeah, yeah, I meanthat's right there.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
It's kind of it's.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I don't know if it's an opportunity for somebody to
really cut it.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
You know, go into that Probably you know, right,
yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
It's people don't realize how important you are.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I guess, yeah, you know, I think we probably
downplay ourselves a lot.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
You know, maybe it's just a personality thing and we
have to realize that we areimportant to others.
You know, and it's not to toboast or anything like that, but
it's people we are important toothers.
It's just it just is.
You don't realize it, I don'trealize it, I still don't right.
(36:08):
I just kind of play it cool.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Yeah, no, no.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
People reach out to you, like you know, they'll say
something that I said probablyyou know years before and that
impacted what they do now Right.
And when I started doingtraining for, let's say, the New
York State Marathon, right.
And so today is people likeit's because of you I started
running.
Like, really, who knows?
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah, I mean, you're making a really really good
point and you're actuallysending me like to a bunch of
different places right now.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Oh, that's not good.
That's not good, no it is goodbecause you know.
Stay focused, Stay focusedright.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
I know 80D, 80d, whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
I know I probably took tangents already.
I know I know.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
But it gets to the point.
It's true, in life we neverreally know the extent of the
impact around us, right?
Whether it be just a simpleconversation at a restaurant to
our waitress and we just saysomething that's kind we don't
know that impact because weleave that moment right.
And even with employees likeI've got employees, you got
employees right and sometimes weget into our routines and we
(37:12):
forget the impact we're actuallymaking on that employee's
family by providing them a joband creating in a good culture
and a good working environment.
But you're right, people relyon us and I have not really
thought about that until rightnow, the way you're articulating
it, and it's so true that'sterrible.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
I don't articulate that much.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Did you know that you were that wise?
Speaker 2 (37:36):
No, you wanna talk about someone wise.
It's my dad.
Oh, is that right, my dad.
He has the best I need torecord him.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (37:44):
right, I need to record him Because I would say
this maybe I didn't realize itwhen I was young, but as I get
older, just sitting down withhim and having dinner with him
or anything like that and thankGod he's still around, my mom's
still around, my wife's parentsare still around and we get to
hang out with them.
So this weekend was Chinese NewYear, right, so we got to hang
(38:04):
out with them a little bit andjust having him say some of the
things that he says normalpeople wouldn't say, but he just
says it from the heart and it'sfunny.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
It's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I always laugh because I figure like who the
heck would say something likethat.
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, but he,you know, he he he, he says
whatever he wants, Is that right?
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Not not?
Not mean, so do you get yourhumor from him.
Yeah, I think so, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Yeah, because I, you know, I have to find something
funny.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Yeah, I mean it could be the worst thing in the world
.
Like I said before, you know,talking to the doctors is so
serious about it, and it's aserious thing, because you have
to respond with the way theyhave to respond.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
And I try and think of like things to say that would
just have them like pause.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
And like.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
I try to make them smile, of course.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah .
Speaker 2 (38:58):
And my, my wife's on the corner.
You know making notes, I'm likewhat?
The hell are you doing?
She doesn't share your humor.
No, no.
So whenever, when she's takingthe notes and I asked those
questions and the doctors liketrying to be a straight face and
trying to answer, and my wife'slike after we leave, she's like
what kind of crazy questionsare you asking?
I'm like I really want to know.
(39:18):
I just yeah, cause it's out ofleft field.
Yeah, and something that'salways in my head, like I'm
trying to figure out.
like different things, Like okay, what about this?
Speaker 1 (39:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I play it.
You.
You approach it like you'replaying a game of chess.
You got to figure out.
Yeah, right.
So if I'm playing chess right,yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Try to figure out like 10 moves ahead.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Right.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
So I'm asking questions that part in no way
else has asked them.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Right because you're already yeah, yeah, I got it.
That's a good thing and a badthing, cause you're, because I'm
going down that rabbit holesometimes you know, you don't
know when to stop and at somepoint you just don't.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
you got no one to pull back and say okay, this is
what I got.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
Right.
Now I got taken in Right, right, right right, 100% Taking in.
All right, I'll close this out.
Two more questions.
We can spend a lot of time here, by the way, you've got amazing
stories.
But two more questions.
One I'm going to pull a randomquestion that someone gave, so I
had recently posted.
I'm like, hey, I'm going to beinterviewing some people.
What are some questions youwant to ask?
So you're going to be in thehot seat.
It's going to be a randomquestion that I'm going to pick.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
I know, I saw that post.
Oh, you did All right.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
So you're going to get a random question that
someone has all right, sure, youwant to hear the answer.
Oh, everyone, are you kiddingme?
Oh boy, it's not going to be noeats, it's going to be no talks
, that's going to be your nextshow?
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Oh boy, you want me to.
Yeah, that's not going to be.
We'll see in six months fromnow.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
Yeah, Before we get that, we'll close with that one,
though, is I would like, if youdon't mind, just again some
vulnerable sort of moment here.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
It's a polite.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
What's that?
It's a polite.
Oh listen, I'm trying to besensitive here and whatever
you're comfortable with is fine.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
I'm on open books, I know.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
But for someone either that may have recently
received similar news abouttheir health, like you did, or
they're not, and they should beplanning for something.
One of the most dangerousthings in life is not knowing
what we don't know and notplanning for that.
So, if you don't want to talkto them right now, if they're an
(41:14):
entrepreneur, what shouldentrepreneurs be doing for their
business and for the future oftheir business that maybe
they're not doing right now,like based at listen?
You've got a lot of thingsyou've done and I think people
are gonna respect because you'vegot a successful primary
business.
You got a not-for-profit.
You've got your YouTube channel.
(41:34):
You're doing a lot of thingsthat I think people are
interested in and what shouldelse?
What's the one thing thatpeople are not doing that they
should be doing right now?
Speaker 2 (41:44):
That's a long question.
That's a very deep one, rightDeep one yeah, but I think I'll
take a few hours to explain.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, I think it's so important though.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Yeah, it is important .
I think it's taking time.
I would try to consolidate allthat.
I would take a moment to knowwhere you're at, be very clear
in what you want to put out inthe world.
Try to experience as much aspossible.
(42:16):
But more importantly, I wouldsay, like know your priorities.
Be very clear on yourpriorities in terms of what you
want to do, and that's important.
Building a business is good Idon't know if it's that
important right?
Obviously you want to have thefirst health.
You can't do anything withoutthat.
You want people to support you,right?
(42:38):
Believe that you could do it.
Right?
There's so many differentthings where we get distracted
on the day to day, and day today could mean a lot for
different people, whether it'sdoing an Excel spreadsheet,
which I tend to do sometimes,trying to understand the data.
I mean, data is great and itkind of gives you direction to
(43:00):
where to go, but it doesn't giveyou the right, the exact answer
to do.
But there's a lot of thingsthat you want to consolidate,
like, basically, what'simportant at the end of the day
what is really important to youand then work backwards Like if
it's important that you.
Unfortunately there's a lot ofpeople get divorced, right, and
they don't realize how importantthat might be.
(43:21):
Maybe it's good to get divorced.
But I would say, if you'regoing to go into that
arrangement getting married anddoing all that stuff you want to
make sure that's.
If that's important to you,just make sure that you take
time to realize that you have todo certain things and it's not.
You can't have to integratelife.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Right, it's integration right.
What's important should beintegrated not just it's a
business, not just it's familylife or my kids or something.
It's kind of like everything's.
It's one question.
Sure, it's one.
It's one.
It's a universal answer to thequestion right Right right 42.
Right.
So you have to figure out like,what's what you want in that
equation?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
And it's not an easy thing to, it's not an easy thing
to articulate, or it's not aneasy thing to understand or
realize.
I think it might have to takesome time out of your day.
Just a few moments maybe Sure.
And it doesn't have to be everyday.
But once in a while.
You should probably take timeout of the day and say, okay,
just reset and see what's reallyimportant at what you really
(44:31):
need in the big picture.
That is great advice.
So I think a lot of people don'tlook at the 42,000 foot view of
what needs to be done andeverybody gets caught up in the
controlling the levers 100%,because we have a little bit
control over that.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (44:52):
So you could say, oh, let's change the camera view.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's true.
Which one's better?
Yeah, that one, yes.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
All right, there we go, hot ones, and so it's
something that I don't know ifI'd articulate as best I can.
It always comes down to what'simportant, I think, and
realizing that, taking the timeto realize that it is important.
I think people think, a lot ofpeople put a lot of things that
(45:23):
are important, that they thinkit was important but it truly is
not.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
How many gas cards do you need?
Right, it's so true you know weneed that.
Speaker 1 (45:36):
You know what we need , that reminder of truly what is
important, because we distractourselves with things and
ultimately, at the end of theday, it's easy to get distracted
.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
Yes, I mean, there's a lot of stuff that nowadays is
you get very distracted.
Oh gosh, yeah, so it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
I don't know how we did it.
I mean, we did it.
It was easier for us, I thinkbecause we didn't have so many
distractions as much Right?
Well, that's true A lot ofthings.
And I mean, all we had was twochannels, three channels.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
Yeah, I know, I know, I know.
Now the options are endless.
Yeah, All right, so finalquestion, hot seed question
polling the audience here.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
Who won?
Who won?
Who won the question?
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (46:15):
So the question that I am going to ask you here
there's a couple actually reallygood ones that I think you'd be
perfect for.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
I'll make it easy Do my softball.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
You know we've got some political ones.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
Let's stay away from political ones.
I'm not so with the politicalones, right yeah, I really don't
get involved with that.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Because for me, it's a time crunch.
Yeah, I don't want to go downthat rabbit hole where I'm like.
I have no control over thatRight.
I have total no control overthat.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
That's a great point, actually, it's true.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
Yeah, it's just simple as that.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
Yeah, the question that I'm going to pick actually
for you to answer.
This is submitted by KevinKevin M.
I'll say I'm not going to sayhis last name.
I didn't necessarily get hispermission to say his last name,
so I'll say Kevin.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
M let's guess.
Yeah, I'll look it up later.
Speaker 1 (47:01):
Rawl, there you go so .
Speaker 2 (47:03):
Kevin, thanks, kevin.
Speaker 1 (47:04):
Yeah, Kevin M asked should Long Island become a
state?
Speaker 2 (47:10):
Oh boy, I saw that question.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Did you really?
Speaker 2 (47:12):
Yes, I did, I saw that question and do I think
it's kind of political, it'ssemi-political.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
So should it?
It's a safe political question.
Though you think it's safe, Ithink it's safe, I don't know
about that I don't know aboutthat.
You got to branch off from NewYork.
Let me think about that.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Should it branch, let's say become the 51st state?
Speaker 1 (47:31):
OK, yeah, I mean upstate is different than Long
Island.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
Yeah, so I look at Long Island as a great place to
live.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (47:40):
I look at Long Island as a great has a strong tourism
.
It has some industry that isapplicable across the nation.
It's very smart.
We have very good schooldistricts, smart people.
At the same time, it comes at acost.
It's very expensive to livehere, very expensive, it's very
(48:01):
expensive to live here.
There are a lot of peopleleaving.
So I look at it as like how dowe make sure we stay relevant
and important to people to stay?
If we become our own state,we'll probably have a lot more
(48:22):
people leave.
Oh, interesting, that's aninteresting perspective.
I think a lot of people leavebecause it's just going to be
way too expensive.
I think there's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
OK.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
And I'm going to help flounder and get hate mail, but
I think a lot of people in LongIsland are very let's put it
politely.
How about this Stubborn?
I've grown up with Long Islandbeing NIMBY.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
Not in my backyard, ok.
Speaker 2 (48:46):
Like if you put something that's good for the
community, somebody's going tosay, no, ok, right, yeah.
So I think we're kind of alittle bit it's a great place,
but at the same time we're alittle bit closed to the rest of
the country.
Yeah, and it's not good.
I mean, we're very closely,like look at it this way and a
lot of people still work in thecity, yeah.
(49:07):
So I don't know how youseparate that.
Speaker 1 (49:09):
Yeah, that's true.
I mean so geographically.
I think if we're gettingtechnical here, I would say NASA
and Suffolk.
Speaker 2 (49:15):
County.
Ok, right, yeah.
So technically, if I look atLong Island, I mean I look at
places that if they have somekind of, they could create jobs.
Yeah Right, I don't know if wecould create that many jobs here
.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Yeah, I mean, well, you've got some industry parks
and this you know, but you'reright, because it's so expensive
.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
In a lot of the we don't attract those big
corporations.
Yeah, a lot of the industryparks are headquarters.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
That's a great point.
Speaker 2 (49:40):
That's actually a great point.
We're not manufacturers.
Yeah, we're not making thatmuch.
We're maybe warehousing stuff.
Yes, that's a great point.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
We're not making that much stuff.
I think that question comes,though, from the fact that, like
, as far as population wise likeI don't remember what the stat
is, but like, if you compareLong Island population to some
of the other states, like we'reone of the top, like 12 states,
as far as population.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
Yeah, exactly, and that's where that question comes
from yeah, ok, I understandthat State population wise.
Yeah, I mean, you know we havea lot of people here.
Speaker 1 (50:09):
Yeah, I mean we're larger than.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
Rhode Island, but like do I want Long Island as
managing Long Island Expressway?
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Ooh, you know right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
You know we really have problems with that route.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
That's true.
You know that road, that's true.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
And we have issues with that.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
I mean, we have issues with the train station
you know everything All right.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
Infrastructure's not as uh could be better.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
Yeah.
So Noah says no.
No too, I don't think so he'svoting no for Long Island being
a state.
We get a lot of benefits fromthe city.
Yeah, that's true, you know not, even though there's a lot of
issues with the city as well.
Speaker 2 (50:39):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, all right.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
So I'm going to actually I'm going to add one
more question here, because youknow it's not every day you get
to bonus question, Bonusquestion, yeah, we don't get to
necessarily sit down with a realexpert in pizza.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
So since I have since I have you, I'm taking
advantage of this.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
I'm taking advantage of the fact that I have the
world's leading expert.
I'm going to call you SultanPizza Guy.
Speaker 2 (51:04):
Ok, the Sultan of Pizza.
Sultan of Pizza, yeah, sultanof Pizza.
My friend up in Connecticut isthe Polish Pizza Pope.
Speaker 1 (51:10):
Is that right?
Well, you're the Sultan.
You've had a lot of pizza Toomuch, too much.
So I need to know, everyoneneeds to know, because you're
the only one that I know of thathas the experience to actually
back up this statement Right,because everyone would be like,
oh, my pizzeria is the best.
Speaker 2 (51:28):
You've only had one pizzeria.
How do you know?
I've had people complain to methat what I say is wrong.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
Well listen, it's a very subjective thing.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
How can I say that?
Speaker 1 (51:37):
But all right.
So right now, here and now,this is 2024 people and we've
got Noah in studio.
He's going to let us know whatis the best pizza that you've
ever had.
Name it and claim it.
Speaker 2 (51:51):
On Long Island, or ever, ever, ever.
Yes, ok, I rated this on one ofmy videos and I'll tell you why
I liked it.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
OK.
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Because it reminds me back when my dad had the
restaurant.
It was a pizzeria next door allthe village pizzeria.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
OK.
Speaker 2 (52:10):
And it was simple Dough sauce cheese very simple
and was thin Crispy when it cameout of the oven.
It wasn't too charred, and thisparticular pizza reminds me of
that, and it's Joe's pizza inNew York City.
Speaker 1 (52:30):
Oh, all right, I've had that actually.
So I that's famous at least itis it is.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
It's probably more tourist trap.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
But even though it so .
Speaker 2 (52:37):
There's nostalgia there as well A little bit, but
I would say I've gone to newplaces, I've gone to you know it
doesn't matter.
Yeah, If I were to choose oneslice, it would be that.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
It would be that one.
Yeah, it would be that one, ok.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
You know, there's a bunch of places out in here in
Long Island, of course.
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, joe'spizzeria.
Speaker 1 (52:55):
Isn't that the pizzeria that they reference in?
Speaker 2 (52:57):
Elf, they reference that one in Spider-Man.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
Is it Spider-Man?
Spider-man?
Ok, all right, so Joe'spizzeria.
Speaker 2 (53:04):
There you have it.
Speaker 1 (53:06):
So everyone who's listening in from around the
world watching us now.
Everyone knows Joe's pizzeriain Manhattan is the best pizza
in the world.
Speaker 2 (53:14):
Give me the royalty checks.
Speaker 1 (53:17):
Make it payable to him.
Yeah, so listen, Noah.
Thank you so much for comingout.
Speaker 2 (53:21):
Oh, thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
Oh, absolutely, this has been a blast.
You're hilarious and, honestly,you are a wealth of knowledge
you really are and the fact thatyou're willing to just sort of
like freely share it, you know,it's really nice, it's
refreshing.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
I do my best, yeah, so I appreciate it.
So thank you.
My wife will appreciate it.
She'll be like what are youdoing?
Speaker 1 (53:40):
Yeah, yeah, giving away all the secrets, oh my
goodness.
Well, listen, we're definitelygoing to have to have you back
as a follow-up episode.
And listen, we wish you nothingbut the best.
We want you healthy.
We want you to get better.
We know this treatment is goingto work for you and the next
time you come on the show,you're going to be like oh,
we're good, we're good,everything's gone.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
Thank, God, treatment works right, so that's what
we're hoping for.
That's a great thing aboutnewer technology.
It would have been likeprobably not now.
That's true, that's it.
Speaker 1 (54:08):
Yeah, so tell everyone.
Where can they find you, wherecan they learn more about your
businesses, where can theyfollow you and subscribe?
Give all those channels.
You don't want that.
Speaker 2 (54:17):
Endorse away my friend, go for it, oh boy.
So you can enjoy seeing myvideos on NoEats.
Just YouTube it, just Google it.
You can also visit cwqualitycomthat's my medical supply
company, if you needed someproducts for your business.
And then lightningwarsorg.
(54:37):
So we have our youth triathlonon September 15th this year and
AIM Bay from no adults you can'trace.
From 7 to 17 can come down andrace, and before that we have
our practices that you come downand enjoy Learning a sport.
It's a lifetime thing you cando for the rest of your lives
(54:58):
and I'm really excited to seemore kids do it, yeah.
So Awesome.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
Thanks for sharing, my friend.
Thank you.
Everyone needs to go check outhis stuff 100%.
I want everyone to subscribe tohis YouTube channel.
It is great because not only ishe doing all the work and
eating all the pizza for youguys.
Thank you too much too much.
Speaker 2 (55:18):
I would love to share it with everybody.
Having this diagnosis, I havebeen working on as much.
Speaker 1 (55:26):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (55:26):
So I have to curve back a little bit OK, but
getting back into the routine.
Speaker 1 (55:29):
So the pizza is staying in a little bit longer,
it's a little bit longer thannormally would, but I want to.
Speaker 2 (55:33):
just I got to burn it off a little bit more there you
go.
I mean, I had to cancel someraces too, and I won't go do
some races this year, yeah.
But we'll see next year.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
We'll see how it happens after the summer.
Right, there you go.
All right, well, go subscribeto his channel.
Everyone, let's support him andhis journey and let's
definitely wish him the best ashe heals up because you're going
to heal up, my friends, Allright.
Thanks again for joining us.
Guys, as always, don't fear theprocess and don't fear grit.
We'll see you next time.
The show is about to start in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
This is Don't Fear Grit, withWabtau-Ramina marketing
strategies and advertisingtechnologies to help you build a
(00:22):
better business.
Welcome back to the only showthat matters on all of the
interweb.
That's right.
We're talking about Don't FearGrit and in studio I've got an
amazing guest.
We're staying consistent withour theme this year it's all
about interviews interviews withleaders in the entrepreneurial
space and just generalleadership space, and we've got
(00:42):
a very special person, noah.
Welcome to the show, my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thank you, Rob, for inviting me.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I was very flattered that you did yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So just a little bit of background.
So, noah, you're someone thatI've known.
You're like internet friends bythe way right.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes, they're the best friends, so we're internet best
friends.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, facebook besties.
For the last several years wehaven't met and this was a great
opportunity for us to finallymeet, and I'm so glad that it's
in this space and we get to sortof talk about all the things
that you're involved with, whichyou're involved with quite a
few things and you're doing somegreat work, and then some
personal things as well, becausethis guy's story, I think, is
going to really inspire a lot ofpeople and I think he's got
(01:22):
something to say that everyoneneeds to hear.
This is a very, very importantepisode and, again, everyone is
going to learn something fromhis personal experiences.
Oh, there's a lot.
There's a lot.
By the way, I'm setting bigexpectation here, right, big
expectation here, but it's trueand I don't want to reveal
everything.
But, yeah, you've got greatbusinesses that you've done some
(01:45):
amazing things very successfulat, but you've also got some
personal things that recentlysurfaced and that just changed
that perspective a little bitand I think your experience, if
you're willing to share, I thinkit's going to be a healthy
reminder to a lot of people ofwhat they need to be doing next.
So, definitely stay tuned andlet's listen in, but tell
everyone first what are thenames of some of these
(02:07):
businesses and projects that youhave.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
So my main nine to five would be ConnectQuit West,
which is a medical supply andequipment distributor.
We service a lot of differentagencies and healthcare agencies
and the state with productsthat people need, you know,
everyday products, and it'susually around the development
of disabled or different kindsof making sure people stay
(02:31):
healthy, which is going to be atheme of a few minutes Exactly
exactly.
We also have a not-for-profityouth triathlon team where we
help kids get into the sporttriathlon in Excel.
It's called Lightning Warriorsand as a side project I like to
do food reviews under NOAA.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Eats, love it.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And I get to hit that channel.
When you get a chance, don'tforget to watch and subscribe,
and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, yeah.
So you got three really greatthings going on for you, and
let's start with, I guess, thatprimary pipeline.
Right, you labeled it as yourtraditional nine to five.
How did you get started as abusiness owner?
Let's go back to the Adam andEve of your business here.
When did it start?
How did you choose this?
How did?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
this happen?
Yeah, that's an interestingstory.
So I would say my mom actuallystarted the business 31 years
ago right Actually, 32 years agoand she did her due diligence.
She took care of me and mybrother and my sister until we
were teenagers, and then shedecided to branch out and start
(03:37):
a business, but we've alwaysbeen an entrepreneurial family,
so my dad's always been in therestaurant business.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Oh, is that right?
Yeah, he owned restaurants heowned restaurants.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
He built restaurants, sold restaurants.
And the main restauranthappened to be in Oakdale, which
was called the Gold Mountain.
So I still have people come upto me and say they miss his food
.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
That actually kind of is cool right.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I just recently had someone reach out to me because
I was commenting about certainrestaurants and they were like
we know that you like food and Iused to go to your dad's
restaurant.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Oh my gosh.
And.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I'm like holy cow OK.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
That's a lot of history, a lot of history.
It brings back memories, I'msure.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
He's still doing well .
Is that right?
Did you work at the restaurants?
Yeah, I worked at therestaurants.
Did you really?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah, oh wow.
What did you do in therestaurants?
I did the serving.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Of course I didn't really cook.
Ok, I would prep maybe and dothe takeout side and make sure
to order the package.
I was more on the operationalside of things.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
So now, by the way, with your Noah eats, now it
makes more sense of why you'reinto the food, because you
actually do have a foodbackground.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, I do, I do.
I do have a good foodbackground.
Actually, my daughter went toschool to be a baker from
Culinary South America which ismy next video that is out right
now.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Oh, is that right.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
OK, I did a video on that and so I always try in
different types of things andgoing here and there and seeing
if it's really worth going.
Yeah, sometimes it's usuallynot.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Right, right, right.
Ok, sometimes it is and you'rehappy.
Yeah, OK, I like to share that.
So you got these three projectsslash businesses and some of
them are they hobbies?
Are they also sort of revenue,sort of generated income
producers for you?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So, in terms of the connect, what West is, which is
the main source of income,lightning Warriors is an offer
profit.
I don't charge for my time.
It's not about that.
It's about giving back.
A lot of it's got giving backbecause I got a lot from doing
triathlons myself and seeing howmy son excelled at it.
(05:50):
And I wanted to share that withthe rest of the community, and
that's where Lightning Warriorscame about, and Noeach is
something that is a more of aside project.
I like to see it grow a littlebit and be self-sustaining.
I like to build all mybusinesses, all the things I do
sustainable so something happensto me which can happen to all
(06:10):
of us.
That it still continues on.
So there's a lot of legacythings that I like to see happen
, as I'm still around kickingand grieving.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Thank God On that subject.
Let's just talk a little bitabout.
I know over the past year yougot some news, and what was that
news and how has it impactedyour now approach to these
projects?
Did it change it?
Are you still aligned with it?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, so somewhat, especially during the last half
of last year when they learnedabout my diagnosis with thyroid
cancer.
A lot of it came with a lot ofuncertainty because they still
had to do a lot of testing,biopsies, figure out what
exactly I had.
And it was thyroid cancer thatbegan with.
(07:02):
They knew it right away, butthey didn't really know the
extent of it.
So we go to the first doctorand they explained that what I
had was it's a simple thing, andthey would just remove half of
it, like okay, cool.
Not cool, but yeah.
I understood that, so Iunderstood.
Okay, that's what you gotta do.
So when the doctor says this,and you laugh and you smile and
(07:24):
you say well, I think thedoctors think I'm a little bit
disturbed because they're veryserious and I always try to
crack a smile or a joke in thesituation because I didn't have
the capacity of understandingwhat's going on.
I've always very lightheartedabout doing stuff because I
(07:48):
learned a lot that you can'ttake life so seriously because
you never know what's going on.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
No well put.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I definitely didn't know this was going to happen.
I went to the doctor and I'mlike okay actually it was a
colonoscopy.
So, anybody I would suggest ifyou don't normally get regular
checkups always do you neverknow.
So in this situation ithappened to be a colonoscopy
which is the wrong doctor but,he happened to do his exam.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And he goes like this hey, feel that I'm like I don't
know, I don't feel anythingyeah.
So we get that checked out, goback to the doctor and he goes,
go back to my primary and hegoes all right, I've got to do
an MRI.
All right, do an MRI.
It's bigger than what it shouldbe.
Like okay, now you got to get abiopsy.
Yeah, all right, go get thebiopsy.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
All right, now he's like oh yeah, sorry.
Like sorry, my goodness, likewhat are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, it didn't really fathom to me that it that
it's serious, but the way hesaid, you know, he said it like
oh, this is serious.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Yeah, serious, and what I normally would think.
Yeah, I mean, how did yourfamily respond?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
My wife was.
Well, my wife's thyroid doesn'twork to begin with, so she's
like you don't need a big deal.
That's how we we brought up.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Okay, Nothing's big deal.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, unless you know I'm missing an arm or a limb.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Gotcha, don't worry about it, just brush it off.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, yeah so it was no big deal, right, so that that
in the beginning was no bigdeal.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
And then so the doctor's like okay, this is what
we're gonna do and take a halfyour thyroid out and some lymph
nodes.
All right, cool, for that tohappen you have to do another CT
and another biopsy.
Okay, do that.
So he did the whole thing, likeokay, we're gonna take out to
remove the whole thing.
There's some side of you knowsome of the things that we might
(09:36):
come up to.
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You know we'll protect, try to protect your
throat as much as yeah, yeah, Imean they know that you have a
YouTube show, that you you needright.
Could you imagine they're likelisten, I have a date with a
pizza.
After this, I have a show thatI got a well.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
that well that actually went for me thing is,
when they actually said that tome like they were gonna Effect
my throat, I'm like I can't domy reviews.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I'm right not.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Not that I want to talk to my dot, my, my customers
.
No, it had to do with I Can'tdo my videos anymore.
That was the first thing thatfell on my head.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
You're kidding.
Yeah, I was like oh my god, itwasn't about like making sure I
could communicate sure anyoneyeah.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
I'm gonna have a problem swallowing.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So he went through that process and the final
process was not the problemprocess, I would say.
My brother kept on asking me togo get checked by Memorial
Sloan Kettering and so it waslike a funny, was able to get a
Exam or a doctor's exam and wentto Memorial Sloan Kettering and
(10:45):
they kind of said that's nonormal thing, they would remove
the thyroid and whatever theline nearby lymph nodes, like
okay, but he goes.
One thing he did that was if,since it's so low when down here
he goes, I would normally check, do a chest CT, hmm.
And so we did that.
I said I go, went back to mypart of the first doctor and I
(11:05):
said you know the?
I went to Memorial SloanKettering and he's he was like
okay, and he goes.
I left it off, like hesuggested, I guess, chest CT.
I'm like okay, yeah, go ahead,go, swanger Does not pay by
swanger, by the way, so goes theway and he Gets the my to my
(11:28):
mice, my.
My surgery was on Tuesday.
Okay, we did it.
I think the the chest CT onThursday, I'm sorry, tuesday.
The surgery Thursday was thechest CT.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Weekend goes over.
I didn't think anything of it.
I'm getting ready for thesurgery and, you know, making
sure you know the.
They gave me a heavy cleanse totake care of everything sure,
and he calls me not Monday night.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
She's like I cancel Really unlike hearing up right
mentally, you're getting in thatspace because I I I Knew what's
gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah you know I'm like I'm, I like to plan ahead.
Sure, get it done with rightCut.
Go yeah, recover, yep done, yep, right Co.
He calls me Monday night, whichis which is, he's a great
doctor.
Yeah and I'm like oh, thank youfor calling me so late.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
He goes.
Uh, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I got canceled.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh my gosh, I'm like seriously, wow, he goes.
What I see in you, in yourchest now.
Yeah it's something that Iwould have to get a thoracic
surgeon involved with it.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And you know there's a couple spots in there.
Okay and that's when my mom, mywife, kind of got nervous.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Oh really.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Okay and I was like, oh, that's worse because, you
end up.
You end up googling it now.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Oh, of course.
So you go from the rabbit hole.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Yeah, you go from a hundred percent Like recovery.
Mm-hmm, I could fire where itseems to be normal.
I'm like, okay, yeah, no bigdeal yeah and when some move
starts in that man thatmetastasize, yeah, and the
numbers don't look, farewell.
So when and then when it getsdown here, you're like oh,
you're not gonna walk out yeah.
Oh yeah, I started thinkingworst-case scenario, worst case
scenario.
(13:12):
So you go down the rabbit holeand I'm like, oh god, you know.
So I went back to the morseland can they start redoing all
the tests I did?
Yeah you know they, they have aclosed system where they have to
do everything themselves andmonitor themselves and check
everything.
So that took a little, a littlebit longer.
They have a little bit morethorough I don't want to say
more thorough process, but theywere doing a lot more than our
(13:33):
local community Sure Physiciansdo.
I think that you know theyprobably see 10 times in my main
cases right I went through thatprocess where they, they did
all that, they did a lung biopsybecause they you know, yeah,
what's in their lungs and withthe process and they didn't
really give me an answer of aPlan until end of January.
(13:54):
Oh, wow, yeah, so that fromfrom basically almost like
October to End of January.
I really didn't.
I really didn't know what theywere gonna do other than.
If they had to cut me open,they would.
They would cut me open.
Sure sure but that came with alot of side, a lot of effects.
Mainly, yeah, it's possiblethat they would remove my left
vocal cord.
Oh my gosh three parts of mytrachea, lower my voice box.
(14:15):
Oh, my gosh all this time likethinking okay one.
Well then I started thinkingabout how am I gonna talk to
customers?
But I also love like okay, Ireally I can't this is serious
now.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
I guess it's gonna affect my life.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I won't be able to speak as loud as I normally
would or even have control overhow I swallow.
Oh my gosh, I'm like okay,because I some of the things
that we sell is is dysphagiaproducts, mm-hmm, and I know
that you know that can be anissue and aspirating all the
side effects that come alongwith it.
So it would definitely affectmy, my, some.
(14:50):
I don't know about mylivelihood, but it would affect
how I would manage that, suremanage things.
Sure, because I'm so used totalking.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I like all of us.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, there's certain things that we're used to we
rely on our voice, yeah you know, we rely on a lot of different
things.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I want to say I guess we could take for granted, you
know yeah, we're like okay, it'sa good point.
It's a good point, you know,figure out things that you can
make sure you keep the qualityof life that almost the same
right.
So that's kind of how we leftit.
So right now I'm in the middleof fifth week of Treatment.
(15:25):
The good the interesting thingabout cancer is that I think
everybody, every cancer, hassomething different.
Yeah, they treat it differentlyI am.
When I went in, I'm thinking,just scrape it out and like
You'd be done with it.
Yeah, yeah Like yeah, what do Iknow?
I didn't go to school for that,so yeah, it's it's, it's a,
(15:46):
it's been a process.
Okay, it's a journey that I lookat it as like I could Think
back and and I one thing oncebiggest takeaway I would say is
that you know, you see you, Inormally don't rely on people
hmm, as as much as I can, andMaybe a little bit Control
issues or like that in terms oflike yeah, especially you know
(16:07):
you're a small business, that'smost entrepreneurs, by the way.
Yeah, and you like to have yourhand everything, because you're
not sure if that, if something'sgonna happen, you want to make
sure you can fix it right away.
Yep, right, and you and youdon't?
Maybe they'll have the skillset, or?
Speaker 1 (16:22):
yeah you.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
You just uncomfortable with doing it sure
so I've learned this processwhere, you know, I kind of like
I don't want to say let go, butlet things fall into place and
Not the worst thing can happenso far.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Is that like a new mindset as a result of what
you've been going through?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Um more so than before.
Yeah you know, I've always hadmade sure that there's plenty of
room to have my employees dotheir own thing or have my
friends do help me out.
Yeah and I think a lot of ithas to come with that.
They want to help out too.
Hmm you know, not that you'reyou're, you're unable to do it,
but they want to be part of, Iwant to say they want to be part
(16:59):
of the process.
Yes, yes and they want to feellike they're Doing something to
help you, and I've learned onething I've definitely learned is
like you just let that, letthat happen, because it's not
the worst thing, it's good forthem, it's good for you, it
relieves a lot of pressure onyourself and and they you know
(17:19):
people just like to help.
I think well, in my world, Ithink people like to help you
know I've heard crazy stories orPeople.
Don't help you well.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, no, no, and listen.
You're fortunate to have anetwork of people around you
that I, you know, I yeah, I'mreally lucky that yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
I would say I'm lucky than most yeah yeah, and being
able to Reach out yeah, relianton yeah to.
Do things that maybe I want todo, and one thing I've learned
is that I know, I definitelyknow, over the past few years I,
I don't know a lot of things.
Hmm, I'm not good at a lot ofthings.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Yeah, listen a lot of things listen, listen, we are,
all I think, not able to do asmuch as we think right, and we,
and the thing is like earlieryou were saying that you know,
you know earlier on, I guess, inyour entrepreneurial career or
before this, this, this thingyou're dealing with, is a that
you try to do a lot and I, and Ican, and I, I can relate to
(18:17):
that myself because I try tolearn everything, like
everything in my life.
I try to learn how to doeverything because and and I'm
not saying this is the bestapproach and it's, and it's
definitely not the best approach, it's but because I want to be
able to just problem-solve andjust get it done quickly.
I don't want to have to wastetime to explain it to someone
else and have someone else do itor call someone else in.
(18:38):
So I'm like you know what, I'mgonna learn how to do it all so
that in that moment I'm justgonna do it.
You know, and it's not actuallythe long-term, it's not the
healthy approach, it's not theright approach to do that.
But I'm stubborn and I'm this,I guess, a typical entrepreneur
in that sense where we try towear all the hats I mean for me.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
When I started with, when my mom asked me to join her
, you know she was really smalland trying to figure things out.
She just started.
She asked me to ask me to joinher and I'm like no, you
resisted no the first time shehad.
I mean the second, the second,third.
I also said no because I Wasgiving my head around
(19:17):
engineering and maybe doingmanagement at UPS and I was.
I was into that.
I was like really love, Ireally loved UPS.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Oh, wow, yeah, I love .
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I was working my and my body off and UPS.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So you're a fan of the show.
King of Queen, queens.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Okay, have you met Kevin James?
No, you know he lives in thearea.
Yes, he does.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Well, yeah, I just actually.
I watched his Special on prime.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Yeah, he's great, he's a lawyer.
I'm like, okay, he's amazingyeah.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah, so it was like so I was in UPS and they were
doing something that I was likenot happy with.
Eventually, and there was a Iwent to school for engineering
and so they had this industrialengineering position being open
and I'm like okay, I've beenworking here for a while.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
It's a perfect match.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
And I have a degree in it.
Yeah, Does not make sense tomove me to this position.
Oh right, it's a no brainer,right, yeah, no brainer, I'm
thinking there's no brainer, butwhether I know I don't know
anything about politics, aboutUPS.
So or was it politics, I don'tknow, or they wanted to keep me
where I was doing a good job.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't think it was, but anyway.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I had a good time there and they just I got fed up
one day.
I think it was actually longstorage.
The story part of the story wasI was checking the belts for
packages.
One package had me on the side,like, okay, I gotta go be a
monkey and go climb up and getit.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Cause I was we.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
You know, management does the sweep, so we go find,
make sure there's no packageshanging out and whatever reason,
they had this air conditioningscrew hanging out from the
ceiling from like 50 feet aboveand the belts were high up.
Okay, and I went to go grab thepackage.
I stood up banged it.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
No, I started bleeding.
Are you serious?
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
I started like pouring blood out.
I'm like oh my God, and so Iget down.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
I'm still scoring.
I'm still scoring it Blood out.
Are you like on a ladder orsomething?
Speaker 2 (21:19):
No, it was like well, if you work at UPS, there's a
bunch of conveyor belts all overthe place.
So when you move a pack, whenyou pick up package and put it
somewhere, it's going to go to atruck, or another truck or
another place, and I justhappened to find a small one of
a cylindrical.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Oh my gosh, you know like a cylindrical one and
hanging on the side.
I'm like, okay, I'll get thatand sure enough.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
I busted my head, got some staples.
They put some staples on me andI'm like, and the way they, I
guess the way they reacted, andat that time it was like really
rough, they were really roughand I was fine with it.
But where they were reactivewas like yeah, it was an
engineer that told me what I wasdoing, so I wore a hat just to
cover it up.
Oh okay, right.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
So you didn't tell anyone.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I knew Some people, most people knew, but this
engineer didn't happen.
Okay, I think that's whattriggered everything.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Oh, okay, and he was telling me what to do.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Okay, and you know, this guy doesn't know what he's
doing.
I mean, he doesn't haveexperience of what I was
actually doing.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
And he goes.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
You know why you wearing a hat Blah, blah, blah,
blah and some derogatorystatements and I'm like really
and that was it.
You knew in that moment you'relike I'm done, I'm done Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I'm done so, and then my mom asked me again oh, so
the timing was better.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
That was yeah, but that was better.
Okay, it was a good timing,okay, and this was for the
medical.
Yeah, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yeah, my dad still had the restaurant.
Okay, he sold it after my dad.
My mom was doing well, we weredoing well.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Okay, okay, I got you , you know what.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
I don't need to do this anymore.
Right, everybody went tocollege.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
So he's he.
You know he stopped, he soldhis, he sold the restaurant.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Oh, okay, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
My mom asked me to start up and you know it was a
simple.
We were billing Medicaid andstuff like that and simple
transactions.
You know a lot of B to Ccustomers, simple things like
that.
It was small and I went inthere looking at like how to
make it as easy as possible forme to oh, is that right?
(23:18):
I went in there trying tounderstand how can I streamline
as much as possible.
And I think that's a little Okay, because I think that's a
little of my personality, whereI'm like, trying to like, can I
push one button to makeeverything run?
Yeah, right, so I startedmaking, started programming
different things in the system,making processes that were
(23:38):
manually done, try to do asautomatic as possible, and that
time there was no, the computersweren't that powerful as they
are now yeah.
But they still continue to dothat process where?
I'm trying to figure out.
Can we make it as easy aspossible with less touches?
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And I still do that to the, to the.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Oh, is that right.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I, I, because it's something I liked it down Like
trying to figure out like wherethe pain points.
Yeah, Can we resolve it withoutmanually doing it?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Yeah, if possible.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Right, right.
And you know, hopefully AAdoesn't catch up to us, it's
right.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
It's knocking on our door.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, it's not gonna do it Like, like I was talking
to someone who was.
I was like you know.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
I was watching videos , yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
It was like people still buy from people.
I'm like I don't know how longthat's gonna take.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
I know, I know, I know.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
I think it's still true that people want to have
that interaction.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
You know, and.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
But once you start taking out the interaction with
it becomes a commodity.
Yeah, that you don't need thatanymore.
And some people still need that.
That touch.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
That's totally true.
But we don't have to go veryfar back to have an example of
what you're saying is happening.
Just look at Amazon, right.
So if we go back just 25 years,no one 25 years ago would have
been like you know, somethingwould be a disruptor to the
traditional mall.
Right, that there would be.
There's no way the traditionalmall is here to stay.
(25:04):
But we fast forward to today anda lot of malls are ghost towns.
They are empty lots and there'sno longer the traditional
retail, because businesses likeAmazon came in, and even back
then they would argue well,people want to be able to
physically touch the article ofclothing or whatever the case
(25:24):
may be, and Amazon has proventhem wrong.
And now you click.
People want convenience.
Right, that's how you want tostreamline your business.
People want to streamline theirlife, and so click of a button
and 24 hours we get whatever wewant to our doorstep.
Little creepy, but the fact isyou're right.
And now AI is going to make iteven easier.
You know it is.
(25:45):
So it is a little scary, youknow we got some time left,
though.
We do it's not tomorrow.
It's not happening tomorrow,but yes, it's definitely
knocking on our door and listen.
I'm using AI for a lot ofelements of my businesses.
I'm sure you're using some ofit somewhere right, and so it's
not all bad, not all scary.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Some of it's going to help us.
It's a good tool to use.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
It is.
If you use it as a tool, it'sgood.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Yes, If you use it for something else and you want
to be really lazy about it, thenit's not so good.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Right.
I mean listen, you never know.
Maybe it's going to be likeTerminator and they're going to
Sky Net's going to come over.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
I always say there's doomsday coming along all the
time, so it can happen, younever know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah, it is true, it is true, you know.
So, getting back to your story,though, I guess I have a
doomsday for your situation.
So you've got right now.
I know you're going through it,yeah, right, and first today.
Are you feeling okay today?
I'm feeling okay today.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Okay, yeah, sometimes I'm like, okay, you know a lot
of the things that side effects.
I haven't experienced the sideeffects that they said that I
guess I'm a freaking name.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Yeah, you're a machine.
Yeah, the thing is with mydiagnosis.
They were surprised how long itprogressed to even not having
the symptoms that normal wouldhave Surface symptoms.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Yeah, I mean technically, I shouldn't be
talking, right now, oh my gosh,and I would have problem
breathing Really.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
I was like I don't understand.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
It's all the pizza.
Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
So I'm like, and I guess I'm used to whatever is
here so long that I'm adjustedto it.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
But they were really surprised that I was able to not
have it found earlier.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
And so we'll see, but side effects haven't been too
crazy so far.
So far.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
You know it can propagate as the medicine starts
to get into the system.
Okay, you know, just recentlythey, more than the blood work
data that they presented to me.
I was like I read it, like youknow and.
I'm looking at them like theyalways have that exclamation
point.
Yeah.
I'm like no good.
Oh hi, it was high.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Oh gosh.
So of course I'm like okay,I'll look at that.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Google Google yeah.
And it's like, oh, this is whathappens if it's too high.
I'm like okay, go back to theportal.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Which is good.
Technology is great.
Oh, it's great.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Back to the portal.
Yeah All right.
I gotta give you thisparticular medicine now.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Yeah, really I don't want to take another one, right,
I don't want another one, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
But I already took.
You know I'm taking three forblood pressure right now.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
And we took like a small dosage, sure, sure, you
know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Um, well, the hard question yes, you know.
Um, so you got you know thesegreat businesses and projects
going on.
Um, you've got an amazingfamily.
It seems like you really areclose with your kids, right?
Um?
Speaker 2 (28:36):
some of them, some of them right, listen, I like you,
you, I'm, I'm very happy thatyou have great relationship with
the small ones.
Uh, listen we do our best right.
There's no manual that couldpossibly right.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I did think about that Uh you know, I remember, so
I've got the triplets right.
So, and I remember when we werejust about to have the kids and
everyone was trying to give usadvice, right, and all the
advice that people gave didn'twork.
And what I've realized now nowyou know, my kids are 13 is
ultimately, you have to, youhave to be present and you have
(29:10):
to adapt and you just, you knowthere's no manual for it, it's
just got to do.
Life, you know, and it's hard.
I'll be honest.
I've done parenting.
I've done a lot in life.
Parenting is the hardest one.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yeah, I think you know I.
One thing I learned aboutparenting is well, try and learn
at least.
Is you got to let them do?
You got to let them do a littlebit of their own?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Oh, that's so hard.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Have them have their own experiences, because it's
you could teach them as much aspossible.
But they're like they.
You and I probably grew up thesame way.
You know we're not listening toanybody, and so, yeah, what do
we expect our kids to do?
The same thing.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
It's so true, it's so true.
And so you know, I'm building a, I'm building a, I'm building a
court.
Is it's hard, especially likefor my wife and whatnot, but it
is hard.
But so the hard question is yougot these great businesses and
this is a generation one of themis a generational business and
you're really building yourlegacy in other areas too and
helping other families.
Like the triathlon is atriathlon.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Yeah, triathlon, that's right.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
And you've got this incredible YouTube channel right
, so you're building thisamazing legacy.
You get hit with these hardnews.
You know now, sort of, I guess,the reality of it is sinking in
.
What does that?
Did it change how you werethinking now, longterm Cause, as
an entrepreneur, we're alwaysthinking about scaler,
scalability or all this stuff,right, but did this change it
all for you?
And then you know what.
(30:29):
What like if you don't mind,like, open up as much as you can
, because here's, here's thething I think a lot of people
have to realize is is that Idon't think that we set up our
businesses to be successfulwithout us, as much as we should
.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Yeah, I believe that too.
We don't want to be significantin, in what we create, and some
of them don't realize howsignificant it is to not to be
there.
Right, it's, it's important,because if you're the one who's
going to be the bottleneck orsome kind of bottleneck, um, and
(31:02):
your business can functionwithout you, then you really
didn't do I would say you didn'treally do a good job, you know,
because you kind of like it's Idon't want to say sell it's
selfish, almost Right, you'remanaging, you're helping out a
bunch of families in yourbusiness and you're not thinking
about like, okay, if I don'tshow up that day or a year,
(31:24):
right, right, right, wheresomething happens, because I
think a lot of people think welive forever and I still do.
Right, we all do.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Oh yeah, we think we're invincible.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Yeah Right, so but we , you know, we have to take a
moment.
I don't want to say we take acatastrophic moment like a
diagnosis or anything like that,but in some ways you need to
take that time out to recharge,understand what needs to be done
, what really needs to be done,not just pick up the phone and
call another customer orprospect or whatever the
(31:52):
situation may be, yeah, um, butwhat really takes to make it so
that it is sustainable and forsomeone else to maybe buy it or
someone take it?
oh, it make it easier forsomeone to take it over, because
people are looking for that.
People don't want to have toomuch headache when they take
over a business, and it'ssomething that most people don't
(32:15):
think.
Most people don't think about.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
No, no, they don't.
And I think you know, forpeople that are watching this or
listening to this and they'relike you know, maybe they're
like you know, I haven't beendiagnosed with cancer.
I don't have to do this yet.
I don't think that beingresponsible like you're
suggesting that we should, weneed to be more responsible
about our responsibilities andour work and in our businesses.
It's not just because it's thesafeguard against um.
(32:40):
You know health, necessarily.
You know things that come ourway, but there's other things
that could impact a situationand we need to be ready for that
stuff.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
And you never know what's going to happen.
We don't, you know.
No, you know you might need totake care of a parent or a child
, exactly, and it takes awayfrom your focus of working in
your business versus working onyour business Right.
So those things are a paramountthat for any business owner
(33:11):
that's getting into it.
Think about it that way.
I mean, it's, it's and it's noteasy.
Right, it's not easy becauseit's obviously takes brain power
to do that and it's easier todo certain things or fall into
the place where you know I'drather do this instead.
Right, and you know, and nobodywants to face the fact that
they're mortal, right, and soyou have to really be conscious
(33:32):
of where you're at in your lifeand make a concerted effort to
include that on the checklist.
You know it's something.
Nobody it's.
It's important.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
It is.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Especially if you, if you have a family.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
It's probably more so if you have a family.
If you're a single guy, youcould do whatever you want,
that's true, that's true.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
But you know, down the road, I mean that that could
also change, right, and so youknow, if you've got our family,
responsibilities could be to,like, you know, our wife, our
kids.
If it's a business that hasemployees, you have a
responsibility to employees,right.
And then if you didn't set upthe business properly, where it
now can't function without youand that business now folds, now
(34:18):
not only are all those familiesthat you're, you employ, are
out of a job and they'reconfused.
Now if you didn't set it up,where your family knows your
wife knows your husband knows,your kids know something and and
they're part of that plan, howdoes it continue?
Right, and, and we were talkingoff camera and I think you
attended like an event and andyou shared something.
(34:40):
I don't know if you mindtalking about it here, but you
shared a surprise that you weresurprised at that.
Some of the businesses didn'thave that like succession plan
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
right, I think a majority of business don't have
a succession plan.
It just, it just might beculture.
I don't.
I don't.
I'd never understood that maybeand and there were not young
people that you know in theprocess of building a business.
They were established businesspeople who work on other
(35:12):
businesses, who see what canhappen and they haven't taken
the time to see what they coulddo with with their own
businesses and that was a reallythat's.
I was just astonished with that.
I was just surprised how manypeople are in that situation
where they yeah, yeah, I meanthat's right there.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
It's kind of it's.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I don't know if it's an opportunity for somebody to
really cut it.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
You know, go into that Probably you know, right,
yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
It's people don't realize how important you are.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I guess, yeah, you know, I think we probably
downplay ourselves a lot.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
You know, maybe it's just a personality thing and we
have to realize that we areimportant to others.
You know, and it's not to toboast or anything like that, but
it's people we are important toothers.
It's just it just is.
You don't realize it, I don'trealize it, I still don't right.
(36:08):
I just kind of play it cool.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Yeah, no, no.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
People reach out to you, like you know, they'll say
something that I said probablyyou know years before and that
impacted what they do now Right.
And when I started doingtraining for, let's say, the New
York State Marathon, right.
And so today is people likeit's because of you I started
running.
Like, really, who knows?
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah, I mean, you're making a really really good
point and you're actuallysending me like to a bunch of
different places right now.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Oh, that's not good.
That's not good, no it is goodbecause you know.
Stay focused, Stay focusedright.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
I know 80D, 80d, whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
I know I probably took tangents already.
I know I know.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
But it gets to the point.
It's true, in life we neverreally know the extent of the
impact around us, right?
Whether it be just a simpleconversation at a restaurant to
our waitress and we just saysomething that's kind we don't
know that impact because weleave that moment right.
And even with employees likeI've got employees, you got
employees right and sometimes weget into our routines and we
(37:12):
forget the impact we're actuallymaking on that employee's
family by providing them a joband creating in a good culture
and a good working environment.
But you're right, people relyon us and I have not really
thought about that until rightnow, the way you're articulating
it, and it's so true that'sterrible.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
I don't articulate that much.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Did you know that you were that wise?
Speaker 2 (37:36):
No, you wanna talk about someone wise.
It's my dad.
Oh, is that right, my dad.
He has the best I need torecord him.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (37:44):
right, I need to record him Because I would say
this maybe I didn't realize itwhen I was young, but as I get
older, just sitting down withhim and having dinner with him
or anything like that and thankGod he's still around, my mom's
still around, my wife's parentsare still around and we get to
hang out with them.
So this weekend was Chinese NewYear, right, so we got to hang
(38:04):
out with them a little bit andjust having him say some of the
things that he says normalpeople wouldn't say, but he just
says it from the heart and it'sfunny.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
It's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I always laugh because I figure like who the
heck would say something likethat.
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, but he,you know, he he he, he says
whatever he wants, Is that right?
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Not not?
Not mean, so do you get yourhumor from him.
Yeah, I think so, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Yeah, because I, you know, I have to find something
funny.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Yeah, I mean it could be the worst thing in the world
.
Like I said before, you know,talking to the doctors is so
serious about it, and it's aserious thing, because you have
to respond with the way theyhave to respond.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
And I try and think of like things to say that would
just have them like pause.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
And like.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
I try to make them smile, of course.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah .
Speaker 2 (38:58):
And my, my wife's on the corner.
You know making notes, I'm likewhat?
The hell are you doing?
She doesn't share your humor.
No, no.
So whenever, when she's takingthe notes and I asked those
questions and the doctors liketrying to be a straight face and
trying to answer, and my wife'slike after we leave, she's like
what kind of crazy questionsare you asking?
I'm like I really want to know.
(39:18):
I just yeah, cause it's out ofleft field.
Yeah, and something that'salways in my head, like I'm
trying to figure out.
like different things, Like okay, what about this?
Speaker 1 (39:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I play it.
You.
You approach it like you'replaying a game of chess.
You got to figure out.
Yeah, right.
So if I'm playing chess right,yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Try to figure out like 10 moves ahead.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Right.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
So I'm asking questions that part in no way
else has asked them.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Right because you're already yeah, yeah, I got it.
That's a good thing and a badthing, cause you're, because I'm
going down that rabbit holesometimes you know, you don't
know when to stop and at somepoint you just don't.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
you got no one to pull back and say okay, this is
what I got.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
Right.
Now I got taken in Right, right, right right, 100% Taking in.
All right, I'll close this out.
Two more questions.
We can spend a lot of time here, by the way, you've got amazing
stories.
But two more questions.
One I'm going to pull a randomquestion that someone gave, so I
had recently posted.
I'm like, hey, I'm going to beinterviewing some people.
What are some questions youwant to ask?
So you're going to be in thehot seat.
It's going to be a randomquestion that I'm going to pick.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
I know, I saw that post.
Oh, you did All right.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
So you're going to get a random question that
someone has all right, sure, youwant to hear the answer.
Oh, everyone, are you kiddingme?
Oh boy, it's not going to be noeats, it's going to be no talks
, that's going to be your nextshow?
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Oh boy, you want me to.
Yeah, that's not going to be.
We'll see in six months fromnow.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
Yeah, Before we get that, we'll close with that one,
though, is I would like, if youdon't mind, just again some
vulnerable sort of moment here.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
It's a polite.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
What's that?
It's a polite.
Oh listen, I'm trying to besensitive here and whatever
you're comfortable with is fine.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
I'm on open books, I know.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
But for someone either that may have recently
received similar news abouttheir health, like you did, or
they're not, and they should beplanning for something.
One of the most dangerousthings in life is not knowing
what we don't know and notplanning for that.
So, if you don't want to talkto them right now, if they're an
(41:14):
entrepreneur, what shouldentrepreneurs be doing for their
business and for the future oftheir business that maybe
they're not doing right now,like based at listen?
You've got a lot of thingsyou've done and I think people
are gonna respect because you'vegot a successful primary
business.
You got a not-for-profit.
You've got your YouTube channel.
(41:34):
You're doing a lot of thingsthat I think people are
interested in and what shouldelse?
What's the one thing thatpeople are not doing that they
should be doing right now?
Speaker 2 (41:44):
That's a long question.
That's a very deep one, rightDeep one yeah, but I think I'll
take a few hours to explain.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, I think it's so important though.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Yeah, it is important .
I think it's taking time.
I would try to consolidate allthat.
I would take a moment to knowwhere you're at, be very clear
in what you want to put out inthe world.
Try to experience as much aspossible.
(42:16):
But more importantly, I wouldsay, like know your priorities.
Be very clear on yourpriorities in terms of what you
want to do, and that's important.
Building a business is good Idon't know if it's that
important right?
Obviously you want to have thefirst health.
You can't do anything withoutthat.
You want people to support you,right?
(42:38):
Believe that you could do it.
Right?
There's so many differentthings where we get distracted
on the day to day, and day today could mean a lot for
different people, whether it'sdoing an Excel spreadsheet,
which I tend to do sometimes,trying to understand the data.
I mean, data is great and itkind of gives you direction to
(43:00):
where to go, but it doesn't giveyou the right, the exact answer
to do.
But there's a lot of thingsthat you want to consolidate,
like, basically, what'simportant at the end of the day
what is really important to youand then work backwards Like if
it's important that you.
Unfortunately there's a lot ofpeople get divorced, right, and
they don't realize how importantthat might be.
(43:21):
Maybe it's good to get divorced.
But I would say, if you'regoing to go into that
arrangement getting married anddoing all that stuff you want to
make sure that's.
If that's important to you,just make sure that you take
time to realize that you have todo certain things and it's not.
You can't have to integratelife.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Right, it's integration right.
What's important should beintegrated not just it's a
business, not just it's familylife or my kids or something.
It's kind of like everything's.
It's one question.
Sure, it's one.
It's one.
It's a universal answer to thequestion right Right right 42.
Right.
So you have to figure out like,what's what you want in that
equation?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
And it's not an easy thing to, it's not an easy thing
to articulate, or it's not aneasy thing to understand or
realize.
I think it might have to takesome time out of your day.
Just a few moments maybe Sure.
And it doesn't have to be everyday.
But once in a while.
You should probably take timeout of the day and say, okay,
just reset and see what's reallyimportant at what you really
(44:31):
need in the big picture.
That is great advice.
So I think a lot of people don'tlook at the 42,000 foot view of
what needs to be done andeverybody gets caught up in the
controlling the levers 100%,because we have a little bit
control over that.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (44:52):
So you could say, oh, let's change the camera view.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's true.
Which one's better?
Yeah, that one, yes.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
All right, there we go, hot ones, and so it's
something that I don't know ifI'd articulate as best I can.
It always comes down to what'simportant, I think, and
realizing that, taking the timeto realize that it is important.
I think people think, a lot ofpeople put a lot of things that
(45:23):
are important, that they thinkit was important but it truly is
not.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
How many gas cards do you need?
Right, it's so true you know weneed that.
Speaker 1 (45:36):
You know what we need , that reminder of truly what is
important, because we distractourselves with things and
ultimately, at the end of theday, it's easy to get distracted
.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
Yes, I mean, there's a lot of stuff that nowadays is
you get very distracted.
Oh gosh, yeah, so it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
I don't know how we did it.
I mean, we did it.
It was easier for us, I thinkbecause we didn't have so many
distractions as much Right?
Well, that's true A lot ofthings.
And I mean, all we had was twochannels, three channels.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
Yeah, I know, I know, I know.
Now the options are endless.
Yeah, All right, so finalquestion, hot seed question
polling the audience here.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
Who won?
Who won?
Who won the question?
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (46:15):
So the question that I am going to ask you here
there's a couple actually reallygood ones that I think you'd be
perfect for.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
I'll make it easy Do my softball.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
You know we've got some political ones.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
Let's stay away from political ones.
I'm not so with the politicalones, right yeah, I really don't
get involved with that.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Because for me, it's a time crunch.
Yeah, I don't want to go downthat rabbit hole where I'm like.
I have no control over thatRight.
I have total no control overthat.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
That's a great point, actually, it's true.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
Yeah, it's just simple as that.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
Yeah, the question that I'm going to pick actually
for you to answer.
This is submitted by KevinKevin M.
I'll say I'm not going to sayhis last name.
I didn't necessarily get hispermission to say his last name,
so I'll say Kevin.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
M let's guess.
Yeah, I'll look it up later.
Speaker 1 (47:01):
Rawl, there you go so .
Speaker 2 (47:03):
Kevin, thanks, kevin.
Speaker 1 (47:04):
Yeah, Kevin M asked should Long Island become a
state?
Speaker 2 (47:10):
Oh boy, I saw that question.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Did you really?
Speaker 2 (47:12):
Yes, I did, I saw that question and do I think
it's kind of political, it'ssemi-political.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
So should it?
It's a safe political question.
Though you think it's safe, Ithink it's safe, I don't know
about that I don't know aboutthat.
You got to branch off from NewYork.
Let me think about that.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Should it branch, let's say become the 51st state?
Speaker 1 (47:31):
OK, yeah, I mean upstate is different than Long
Island.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
Yeah, so I look at Long Island as a great place to
live.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (47:40):
I look at Long Island as a great has a strong tourism
.
It has some industry that isapplicable across the nation.
It's very smart.
We have very good schooldistricts, smart people.
At the same time, it comes at acost.
It's very expensive to livehere, very expensive, it's very
(48:01):
expensive to live here.
There are a lot of peopleleaving.
So I look at it as like how dowe make sure we stay relevant
and important to people to stay?
If we become our own state,we'll probably have a lot more
(48:22):
people leave.
Oh, interesting, that's aninteresting perspective.
I think a lot of people leavebecause it's just going to be
way too expensive.
I think there's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
OK.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
And I'm going to help flounder and get hate mail, but
I think a lot of people in LongIsland are very let's put it
politely.
How about this Stubborn?
I've grown up with Long Islandbeing NIMBY.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
Not in my backyard, ok.
Speaker 2 (48:46):
Like if you put something that's good for the
community, somebody's going tosay, no, ok, right, yeah.
So I think we're kind of alittle bit it's a great place,
but at the same time we're alittle bit closed to the rest of
the country.
Yeah, and it's not good.
I mean, we're very closely,like look at it this way and a
lot of people still work in thecity, yeah.
(49:07):
So I don't know how youseparate that.
Speaker 1 (49:09):
Yeah, that's true.
I mean so geographically.
I think if we're gettingtechnical here, I would say NASA
and Suffolk.
Speaker 2 (49:15):
County.
Ok, right, yeah.
So technically, if I look atLong Island, I mean I look at
places that if they have somekind of, they could create jobs.
Yeah Right, I don't know if wecould create that many jobs here
.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Yeah, I mean, well, you've got some industry parks
and this you know, but you'reright, because it's so expensive
.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
In a lot of the we don't attract those big
corporations.
Yeah, a lot of the industryparks are headquarters.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
That's a great point.
Speaker 2 (49:40):
That's actually a great point.
We're not manufacturers.
Yeah, we're not making thatmuch.
We're maybe warehousing stuff.
Yes, that's a great point.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
We're not making that much stuff.
I think that question comes,though, from the fact that, like
, as far as population wise likeI don't remember what the stat
is, but like, if you compareLong Island population to some
of the other states, like we'reone of the top, like 12 states,
as far as population.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
Yeah, exactly, and that's where that question comes
from yeah, ok, I understandthat State population wise.
Yeah, I mean, you know we havea lot of people here.
Speaker 1 (50:09):
Yeah, I mean we're larger than.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
Rhode Island, but like do I want Long Island as
managing Long Island Expressway?
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Ooh, you know right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
You know we really have problems with that route.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
That's true.
You know that road, that's true.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
And we have issues with that.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
I mean, we have issues with the train station
you know everything All right.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
Infrastructure's not as uh could be better.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
Yeah.
So Noah says no.
No too, I don't think so he'svoting no for Long Island being
a state.
We get a lot of benefits fromthe city.
Yeah, that's true, you know not, even though there's a lot of
issues with the city as well.
Speaker 2 (50:39):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, all right.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
So I'm going to actually I'm going to add one
more question here, because youknow it's not every day you get
to bonus question, Bonusquestion, yeah, we don't get to
necessarily sit down with a realexpert in pizza.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
So since I have since I have you, I'm taking
advantage of this.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
I'm taking advantage of the fact that I have the
world's leading expert.
I'm going to call you SultanPizza Guy.
Speaker 2 (51:04):
Ok, the Sultan of Pizza.
Sultan of Pizza, yeah, sultanof Pizza.
My friend up in Connecticut isthe Polish Pizza Pope.
Speaker 1 (51:10):
Is that right?
Well, you're the Sultan.
You've had a lot of pizza Toomuch, too much.
So I need to know, everyoneneeds to know, because you're
the only one that I know of thathas the experience to actually
back up this statement Right,because everyone would be like,
oh, my pizzeria is the best.
Speaker 2 (51:28):
You've only had one pizzeria.
How do you know?
I've had people complain to methat what I say is wrong.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
Well listen, it's a very subjective thing.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
How can I say that?
Speaker 1 (51:37):
But all right.
So right now, here and now,this is 2024 people and we've
got Noah in studio.
He's going to let us know whatis the best pizza that you've
ever had.
Name it and claim it.
Speaker 2 (51:51):
On Long Island, or ever, ever, ever.
Yes, ok, I rated this on one ofmy videos and I'll tell you why
I liked it.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
OK.
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Because it reminds me back when my dad had the
restaurant.
It was a pizzeria next door allthe village pizzeria.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
OK.
Speaker 2 (52:10):
And it was simple Dough sauce cheese very simple
and was thin Crispy when it cameout of the oven.
It wasn't too charred, and thisparticular pizza reminds me of
that, and it's Joe's pizza inNew York City.
Speaker 1 (52:30):
Oh, all right, I've had that actually.
So I that's famous at least itis it is.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
It's probably more tourist trap.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
But even though it so .
Speaker 2 (52:37):
There's nostalgia there as well A little bit, but
I would say I've gone to newplaces, I've gone to you know it
doesn't matter.
Yeah, If I were to choose oneslice, it would be that.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
It would be that one.
Yeah, it would be that one, ok.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
You know, there's a bunch of places out in here in
Long Island, of course.
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, joe'spizzeria.
Speaker 1 (52:55):
Isn't that the pizzeria that they reference in?
Speaker 2 (52:57):
Elf, they reference that one in Spider-Man.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
Is it Spider-Man?
Spider-man?
Ok, all right, so Joe'spizzeria.
Speaker 2 (53:04):
There you have it.
Speaker 1 (53:06):
So everyone who's listening in from around the
world watching us now.
Everyone knows Joe's pizzeriain Manhattan is the best pizza
in the world.
Speaker 2 (53:14):
Give me the royalty checks.
Speaker 1 (53:17):
Make it payable to him.
Yeah, so listen, Noah.
Thank you so much for comingout.
Speaker 2 (53:21):
Oh, thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
Oh, absolutely, this has been a blast.
You're hilarious and, honestly,you are a wealth of knowledge
you really are and the fact thatyou're willing to just sort of
like freely share it, you know,it's really nice, it's
refreshing.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
I do my best, yeah, so I appreciate it.
So thank you.
My wife will appreciate it.
She'll be like what are youdoing?
Speaker 1 (53:40):
Yeah, yeah, giving away all the secrets, oh my
goodness.
Well, listen, we're definitelygoing to have to have you back
as a follow-up episode.
And listen, we wish you nothingbut the best.
We want you healthy.
We want you to get better.
We know this treatment is goingto work for you and the next
time you come on the show,you're going to be like oh,
we're good, we're good,everything's gone.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
Thank, God, treatment works right, so that's what
we're hoping for.
That's a great thing aboutnewer technology.
It would have been likeprobably not now.
That's true, that's it.
Speaker 1 (54:08):
Yeah, so tell everyone.
Where can they find you, wherecan they learn more about your
businesses, where can theyfollow you and subscribe?
Give all those channels.
You don't want that.
Speaker 2 (54:17):
Endorse away my friend, go for it, oh boy.
So you can enjoy seeing myvideos on NoEats.
Just YouTube it, just Google it.
You can also visit cwqualitycomthat's my medical supply
company, if you needed someproducts for your business.
And then lightningwarsorg.
(54:37):
So we have our youth triathlonon September 15th this year and
AIM Bay from no adults you can'trace.
From 7 to 17 can come down andrace, and before that we have
our practices that you come downand enjoy Learning a sport.
It's a lifetime thing you cando for the rest of your lives
(54:58):
and I'm really excited to seemore kids do it, yeah.
So Awesome.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
Thanks for sharing, my friend.
Thank you.
Everyone needs to go check outhis stuff 100%.
I want everyone to subscribe tohis YouTube channel.
It is great because not only ishe doing all the work and
eating all the pizza for youguys.
Thank you too much too much.
Speaker 2 (55:18):
I would love to share it with everybody.
Having this diagnosis, I havebeen working on as much.
Speaker 1 (55:26):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (55:26):
So I have to curve back a little bit OK, but
getting back into the routine.
Speaker 1 (55:29):
So the pizza is staying in a little bit longer,
it's a little bit longer thannormally would, but I want to.
Speaker 2 (55:33):
just I got to burn it off a little bit more there you
go.
I mean, I had to cancel someraces too, and I won't go do
some races this year, yeah.
But we'll see next year.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
We'll see how it happens after the summer.
Right, there you go.
All right, well, go subscribeto his channel.
Everyone, let's support him andhis journey and let's
definitely wish him the best ashe heals up because you're going
to heal up, my friends, Allright.
Thanks again for joining us.
Guys, as always, don't fear theprocess and don't fear grit.
We'll see you next time.
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