Grilling to Success: The Savory Journey of a BBQ Entrepreneur

Have you ever bitten into a rack of ribs so tender and full of flavor that it sent you on a quest for the secret behind the perfect barbecue? That's exactly what drove JJason Hertenstein of Hert's Barbecue to turn his grilling talent into a thriving business. This week on the Elevate Media Podcast, we're joined by Jason, who recounts the personal influences that sparked his culinary journey, the crucial decision to forgo a traditional chef's path, and the invaluable support from his wife that prompted him to deepen his knowledge and skill. Together, we dissect the meticulous research, planning, and sheer grit that transformed his dreams into a reality, complete with a bustling food trailer.

Jason's story isn't just about the intoxicating aroma of smoked meats; it's a masterclass in entrepreneurial tenacity. We dissect the concept of a scarcity mindset, where creating a sense of urgency isn't just a marketing ploy but a necessity in a world where 'sold out' signs are badges of honor. Jason's approach to business is both a dance and a battle, navigating diverse markets and harnessing innovative strategies to keep the barbecue truck thriving. Our conversation extends beyond the grill, offering an arsenal of wisdom for anyone hungry to forge their own path in the ever-changing landscape of entrepreneurship.

But this episode is more than a tale of meats and markets; it's a narrative of overcoming and growth. Listen as Jason shares the challenges he's faced, including wrestling with anxiety and the profound impact of mentorship on his journey. He pulls back the curtain on the power of Instagram in catapulting a food truck's success and the importance of community engagement. Every entrepreneur faces hurdles, but Jason's insights provide a guiding light for rising above them. So fire up your podcast app, subscribe to Elevate Media, and let's sink our teeth into the savory story of Jason's barbecue dream come to life.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your host, Chris Anderson. In this show, Chris and his guests will share their knowledge and experience on how to go from zero to successful entrepreneur. They have built their businesses from scratch and are now ready to give back to those who are just starting. Let's get ready to learn, grow and elevate our businesses. And now your host, Chris Anderson.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate Media Podcast. I'm Chris Anderson, your host, and super excited that we are now getting into the ability to record in person. So, if you're watching this, this is our first in person recording day, so, and my guest is to kick off to that. So Jason Hurts, stein Hurts and Stein, I know I was going to mess it up, but I've curts barbecue here locally in Indy. We're excited to have you on. Yeah, absolutely so you know we can say you know, dive into your story, do you are what you do, but Hurts barbecue here in Indy, why Barbecue? Why a barbecue? Through the trailer.

Speaker 3: 1:15

All right, so I'm going to have to go back a little bit. So cooking has always been in my life since very young age. So the first members I even have is helping set green means on the four to one grandmother. It just, over the years, have progressed. When my parents had divorced by, mom worked until a certain hour so I just started cooking dinner jumped forward a little bit more over the years as continued to cook, continued to cook.

Speaker 3: 1:43

In high school I was going to be either an architect or a chef. Okay, and in my grades were not good enough to get into architectural school. But a friend of mine said if you love cooking, don't be a chef because it will take a lot out. He does If you really enjoy doing it and you're pretty familiar and stuff and stick with that. It's a different ballgame when you go into a profession. So it's a visit advice.

Speaker 3: 2:11

I'm still didn't know what I was going to do and go to school for a bracket to summon and they continued on cooking over the years my wife and I have I for you, she has to. We decided that at some point I pushed her to go back to school and we talked about what we're going to do when the kids stop out of school or in the house, of sudden. And for quite a few years I had pushed her to get her bachelor's and now she's going to serve masters and now she's practicing for boards for her practitioners. So a couple years back she had said hey, you know, the kids are about to come out of the house, why don't you go back to college? And there's the look you always want. And I said, all right, sure, why not? And she pushed with it a couple of times and she said get on the computer, do it. And I signed up for the first place that popped up.

Speaker 3: 3:05

And while I was going through that I was like, okay, what am I doing this for? What's the end in the end? So I started researching. You know, food trucks and trailers and what sells and what does sell. And when I started reading about barbecue I was kind of cooked on it. I loved cooking outdoors, I loved being outdoors, I loved fire, little night, little mire.

Speaker 3: 3:29

So I decided that I was going to go around Indianapolis and try different barbecue posts. I came upon a place that was very well respected within the barbecue community. It was fairly new. So I went there and it's probably the best breast I've ever had. So the gentleman had a t-shirt on that said Franklin's and I said, oh, you've been down to Franklin's? And he said that that's where I used to work. So he worked with Aaron Franklin not Franklin, but just probably one of the best considered the best part of the places in the States and tests.

Speaker 3: 4:06

So I said, hey, you know, this is what I've been going on. I've always wanted to do barbecue. And he said I said I'll do it part time, I'll do it for free and all of that stuff. And he said once a day, somebody must do barbecue. And I said, all right, what year's the deal? Here's my number, if you change your mind. That'd be no.

Speaker 3: 4:22

And I came back a couple of times during the next few weeks and he kept on saying, oh, I've got a suggestion number. I said I'm coming back with barbecue. He called me, he told me I'm so coming back, it's delicious. And then, about six weeks after I gave him my number, we said I'm still interested. I said yes, I am. And that's when I started learning how to manage, offset fires and do what that sparked keep. Wow. So I did that for a year and a quarter year and a half I would go either early in the morning before my full-time golf, so I would go in from four to five and stay until 7.38. And then, if I had to, I'd come back in the evening at your mouth full-time job or on the weekends, and that's where I just started learning barbecue, learning about food trailers. And now they run, and now they manage and go out.

Speaker 2: 5:21

And this is when did you take the lead? When did you transition from there to starting your own?

Speaker 3: 5:25

So after we had our falling out. My goal was always to do a food truck Early of 2022, something prompted me and I said I'm just doing it. So I went down and started doing the process of getting my tax ID and giving bank accounts. Just, I'd done so many different business plans over the years of things I thought I wanted to do, but I kind of had a format down so I started filling out that I'd get the business plan down and started buying things. My barbecue best over it took me five or six months to even get.

Speaker 3: 6:05

So it was hand-built down in Texas. I purchased a trailer, had it told me. I told them what I wanted, so the trailer just came to me as a shell of nothingness. So I've been doing or been involved in construction since I was 11. It's pay used to. Up until May, I'd manage maintenance for a hand-built building in StemTown, so I've always been around something like that. So I got the trailer and started building an out-tent. So I got it all built out and by the following May of this year, around the 21st of May, I already left my job and decided to do it was going to do full-time. That's often it was eight months.

Speaker 3: 6:52

Yeah, it was complete ignorance. I could definitely go back and change a couple things. So it made my life a lot easier than. But my thinking on it was if I would do work for somebody for a certain amount of time and take that much time to get to where I needed to start, I said I'll have to just jump in, I'll have to be forced to swim and I'll figure it out and again figure it out. The ideas that I'd had for it were I was going to open this trailer, there was going to be a huge line, I was going to be a hit success and everything was going to be roses.

Speaker 3: 7:30

And then the first service I had, I did it at my wife's hospital. I met the best and she hiked me up and everything, and I did a service and I had ribs and chicken and brisket and pulled pork and you know having a dozen sides and all kinds of stuff, because I knew there was going to be a line up. Well, first of all, the generators were propane and gas. I had plenty of propane tanks and they didn't work. So before service I'd said, well, what am I going to do? Because power would work, every service I have.

Speaker 3: 8:11

Now I say, okay, what can I do to learn from this and that? But what can I learn? What can I learn? And I realize I say I said I wanted to jump into it and here I am. So I would say half my services are just fine but don't go off with any type of problem. The other half you learn painfully, yeah. So every time. So, yeah, the big thing for me it's been my watch, support, my family, support friends I mean just anybody and everybody I know, even people just want to help you out nationally. I think the idea that somebody sees somebody do something like that and then does it. I think there's so many people out there that had these dreams that all to the wayside for whatever reason, and usually it's stability things that they feel comfortable with. Yeah, and starving any business is anything but comfortable and easy to be led there.

Speaker 2: 9:16

Yeah, I mean you're sort of kind of resedged, as mine, like with my job in just the 20, right when a pandemic hit. So fun To start this. I had no idea what it was gonna be and so I definitely get that. That puts a whole new fire under it and figure stuff out, you know what. And building a business not simple or it's not easy. It can be simple and a lot of you over complicated at least I did. So what were some things that you like along your dirty, like I made that way too complicated. Was there anything like that?

Speaker 3: 9:48

From the first service you know you play on these things out. But from the first service it took me a couple of services to realize that the audience you're going to is coming there giving away food. I gotta go, whatever that is. But my experience on the food truck was it was stationed at a brewery. It had its abysses. They did have food, so they were the food provider. So I based my stuff off of that and really after a few services I said okay, I can't do, I can't serve everybody. I've got to go and say, all right, if I have breasted and pork breast, it's gonna win. If I have breasted pork and ribs, breasted and pork's gonna win. If I had to. You have semi-selectures. So that was kind of.

Speaker 3: 10:41

My first lesson was scale. That One can you do. And I continue to scale back to the point where you know I can run a service by myself. I have to. And then if I have somebody on the trailer usually my brother-in-law we can do like rotate, rotate, rotate and you can put out more. That doesn't mean there's always a lot of customers. But so the other thing that I learned was you didn't need every gadget in the world to do it. You go out and you say, if I buy this, it's gonna make it easier, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna use this all the time. And when money was tight, these things that I thought I needed a fraction. Yeah, I needed the cash. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 11:24

The other thing I had realized was, just because you have a barbecue truck or any type of business, it doesn't mean people automatically they're like oh yeah, come over here and order a link bunch of money for you. So I realized that there's a book I'm reading called For Problem. Oh, that's a great book. But one of the things that stuck out to me minus all the business stuff was the analogy. That and the analogy is is when you have a full two to two space, you know because, yeah, I see, you know you brushing the other, oh, it falls in, whatever. But when it gets down to the very end, you're trying to squeeze everything out. You know that's kind of I had a full two space in the bank and you just go oh, I can buy this, I can do that, and also do this and this and this would be great. And then when you got like X amount of dollars, you're like how am I gonna buy food for this next service so I can insert five. So I've had the mentality now where I try to say I've got X amount in the bank, which this month is the first month where I've actually felt good about going on this line product.

Speaker 3: 12:34

You get buckets or amount back because If you have a thousand dollars to make that work, if you have a hundred dollars to make that work, right. So you've got to put that Mindset into play and in best way for me to do is put money until I got seven separate count up and then say Okay, but this much to work with man. And then Somehow somebody you know you say hey, I can only do 100 blitz, I can only do 50 planks. You know you can't planks everybody, right kid you have as a owner. You have control over it. You can say sorry, I'm sold out. You know any and it's what she's he hate not having enough for everybody.

Speaker 2: 13:15

You walk into and think I can afford this, yeah, and when it's done, it's done well that sometimes like even helps business with that scarcity of people, like they'll say, realize like oh, they're only gonna have so many place. You know he plays in Texas. I watch from Texas bodacious bird cube a chain down there and and they only have too much and people know like they'll do them but they could run out and so like that. Like people Tend to go there but often and sometimes we miss out on a ding and you have to try get something else. But that scares me sometimes simply favor.

Speaker 3: 13:46

Yeah, and so there's, if they, we spend the Texas I've been, the Texas brother lives in Dallas, forward to the very country. It is a religion down the shift. I mean it is legit. Other people are view about lose the past the best, yeah, their methods, everything in a crazy. No, if you talk to a hundred people, they all have a their own anything, what's it so they do? What's basically we open up this time and then the end thing is always till sold out.

Speaker 3: 14:16

Yep, so I had this mindset that was on the trailer where kids that it was gonna be that way Indiana is. It's not the religion here, right, yeah, um, it's just not. So I realized that if I made X amount, I wasn't always going to sell out. And there's only a couple times where I legitimately said I'm so left. And I remember the first time, which was only a couple weeks forward to go, and I walked away from that saying I actually sold out of everything I had. I put money in the bank yeah, it was a decent service.

Speaker 3: 14:53

And I can remember walking away, going this is big, there it is, this is time, and then so, yeah, I don't do the sold out thing. I say I am gonna be here from this time to this time and I keep it like when I get a location, it's usually promoted through where we're on map, yeah. So I've learned to say, hey, I don't have to serve lunch from you know, and into the free. Yeah, I can say I'm certainly lunch between 11 and 1 3rd, and if there's a cell, people out there 130 I off say open. But the idea is, as people say, oh, there's holy, the scarcity is time, I know. So I need to get as many people in in a short amount of time so that I could walk away feeling good about the time I spent and I'm not dead for an hour before and two hours app. So that's where I found the scarcity is in Alangmuk.

Speaker 2: 15:46

Yeah, that's awesome and it's cool that you know locations help market some, but how do you know? How have you gone about create a marketing plan for your business?

Speaker 3: 15:57

So again had to displace. But this plan there the slowest isn't coming up this coin to completely change. Yeah, for the most part and again, but everything in there is just it was no roses and rainbows. So how on market is? I would go out to Different locations thinking that people were just on a and that doesn't work unless you have a ground. Yeah, for specific, they might have sporting event and we know that there is going to be a stair city of food or people that also have to quit because they're gone to where they're going and yeah, I'm a problem. That just does. Has it worked for me? Yeah, so I definitely, because my background has been in and facility maintenance.

Speaker 3: 16:42

I reached out to the one company I worked for I work for 14 years and the company I just left I've been work for Year and two years that they knew that they the manager was a friend of mine for 10 years, so she knew what I was doing, it was. I was not Blindsided by by any stars of imagination. They knew, honestly, mm-hmm. So I started reaching out to property managers and anybody I knew within the industry and I've I've always been on, I've been on in pin for by some time, so I would reach out to the marketing managers at other places and that's kind of where I've survived.

Speaker 3: 17:25

First event we did. Another learning curve was for a Fourth of July event. That was actually the following Saturday at a smaller town. Little bit, a little more, and the lesson I learned on that one was just my first up, like a bent bent it is. They say, all right, we're gonna have 10 dozen people and you say, okay, you know, I'm gonna be able to generate, say, 10%. I cut it back, my 5%. So I say I'll be visa, this is how many turbines I'm gonna have, that I'll be fine.

Speaker 3: 18:02

Well, it's funny is when you do an event they say, hey, this is kind of where you're gonna be or whatever you're like, okay, it's very illiterate, we can't, us can pull, or so we get a bit of morning and it's delayed two hours because of storms, storms killing that. So that's one the which weather is a big thing. You can't get out of the weather. You, whether after it dapped or was scheduled, you learn very quickly that you do not have to do a service. You have the right as an order to change certain things you know and you need to manage those in real wise quickly when you need to change. So this event, it was pretty much out and set up almost like a tee that streak here, huh yellow street there. Yeah, this is where all the food fetters were.

Speaker 3: 18:52

We were but on the air on the hill at the very end. So it's funny because you think, oh, this is gonna be in great location because of the event. Well, it's location, location, located. So now you say, all right, and I'm good to say, hey, I'm coming to this, where am I? What's the layout of the structure? In my input house only. And so you say I learned from that.

Speaker 3: 19:21

Well then, the other thing was I had an event that was about two weekends ago, very large events In any map okay, huge. And you say, okay, even then to have 30,000 plus people. It's an event that I've been going to since I was a child, yeah, and I've probably been to this event, know us, and 35 times out of my 40 plus years of living. So I knew how it was laid out, I knew what the flow was and everything, and I said, okay, they said you're gonna be here here, here, here, and you look at the map and stuff and I go, this is be great, because this is where the buses get tracked on and this is where they go. So I will be the first thing they see and the last thing they say is a lead himself and will for it down. So they're like, okay, I'm gonna do the event. So you have larger events. You have to pay it. For you to know, I was very nice to work with a gentleman who gave me Send discount cuz he loves me and you know I told my story about how we brought our kids there and I'm there as a kid sup.

Speaker 3: 20:23

So location, location, location. I get there and I realize they're not dropping people off anymore. First year I don't remember it, I've been to it. Wow, everybody's super excited. There is a handful of vendors. I'm gonna stretch. We all say it think in the same thing it hits 11. You know like words that way. And then how you see the crowd up there, the island, 1130. They come to you and say, hey, we're trying to get signs up to directly below, where I'm like one. Where are all the people on something like that? Oh, we decided, because it was jock, a couple people all from buses up. They said I'll, we change it to over here. So we're all like. So not only are we not getting people in the Alton, there's absolutely no reason for them to walk over because there's nothing going on here.

Speaker 3: 21:15

We were put in a location that required people to want to come over that and I. I was expecting to be able to make enough money to sustain the dead time during good weather about Scotch on Um did not, hmm, did not? I? I'll be honest, I made a hundred and eighty eight dollars. Person. I came to help me, made 300 and 15 or something at and in time and labor and I was like, yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:53

Then I realized, as an owner, while I am the the venue, I have an obligation to venue. As the first time I realized that the thing you've asked some Surveillance to me and so I would very calm person and I'm taking the years of practice to keep myself, give myself into a place where I felt very Zen, folding leave. I was stop barriers if that. And the gentleman who was managing us seems, if they're part brick, was a great guy. But I said, look at, we got all of the money back. No, this is how much I thought was to make out you guys to least split up white. And it was the first time where I had complained to a point where I Stalk, justified into it, right. And so the other thing, that where it was, I have a right to complain if I'm not getting the service or it promised I was expecting downer. So that was a huge One, he curve. They did finally give me feedback, not a lot of money, but I'm not just say okay. And and they, they asked me if I would be willing to do it again next year and I said absolutely, but I want to be here, yes, and I don't want to think another, see, right, I did that. Maybe we talked about me paying that fee, but I said I need to know up front that I'm going into this, I'm making money now. So that that's sort of funny curve for me.

Speaker 3: 23:25

On those stove of things is, every time you do an event, you realize that you are now the elder, there's nobody to go to relate to the plate. You, you know you ought to take the action or no action gets taken, right. So, standing up to yourself, I'm being able to Walk away from service if I say I'm gonna do it from like in the evening for five to eight Mm-hmm, you know, and I don't have a single person in like 30, 45 minutes or whatever it is. I know it's on to me. I have the right to say the service is dead and it I'm going. Oh yeah, I want my time if I can't get anything, that I was the only look back. So I mean, every day it's it's a long and curve, it's it's a jubble, it's what. Can you walk away from it? I, I should be journaling a lot of this stuff and but it's one of those things where it's not such a big organization where I can't remember a lot of this Right. So I keep a mental journal up things.

Speaker 2: 24:27

So and I think it's.

Speaker 2: 24:29

I mean, and you're early on is still in there very, which is you know, I bet you know I've been there some members so young and all the way, and so you know there's always Things to learn and I think a big thing you Know in any business that you probably found support is it's really about you know and they connect with. I think that's so they can always do better and not always, not always seeking something for a little relationship. You'd like just connecting with more people and you know what that should open up. Have you seen that so far either, early on?

Speaker 3: 25:03

even early on. First off you, you got out of a consistent and quality product. You can't be good one day and then you know somebody says, oh, you have to hire Earth's barbecue because they did great, and then change things up. Look what, where it's unrecognizable on, these people go. That was terrible and they had. You know the story. Just so connect. But I Believe that now, especially If I walk away from a service and I don't feel that it did well, not only do I look at what I need to change, but what can I take away if it that's a positive breath, so leave that.

Speaker 3: 25:45

Then I just talked about where it was. Like I'm not. I've made a hundred eighty dollars. This a bet. You has some Very notable people at. They have a pre-party that they before in that evening. So I would look specs over, especially on that chair. That the connections. I made this, that events and every event prior to that. That Belved be seating it. I've already made it for the first time. I booked by first event for next year I also, and then I kicked up another one just right there, right after it. Yeah, so you go okay. So, yeah, definitely the connections having a quality product, something there were people walk away.

Speaker 3: 26:34

You will people too, for me, I love people to open the box digitally and go, wow, yeah, you know what price points. Very, quite a bend this far as like. When I started I was like, oh, I'm gonna be able to church, put it off right because everybody's gonna love it. And you realize that there's that fine line between what people will pay and when they get what they get, their Sort of excitement or just occasion. Okay, I spent not playing the odds with me at church. You 15 dollars now and that product is the same as the 21 on a sign, but it it becomes more viable to them and that value Translates into more business later on.

Speaker 3: 27:16

Yeah, so learning that Breaking point of where you know you're losing value, the customers losing value and you're losing money, net is and up and down bow. And you learn also that, certainly, venues, if I had to go and pay a thousand dollars to be in the menu, how am I gonna get that thousand dollars back? Studying add on and dial, yeah, but what I will do is, let's say, I add on a Dollar, but your mail out cause was a water. Hmm, you know I could buy 40 pack of water for six bucks, right, and so I'm making money off of that automatically. But they think they're just getting free water with an author paying for it. But I'm justifying the on both with something for them yeah, we're about it, and larger profit market to pay for whatever that bet is. Yeah, so you have to not Undersell your product if you believe it right. If you don't believe in it, nobody else will leave it out yet.

Speaker 3: 28:18

So now you know it's. This is strange, I guess, from them. I've had businesses before, but this is definitely the one where I Put more energy ever in finances into. So this is really I that I had businesses before. Now I've got it.

Speaker 3: 28:39

So you realize again that you, you can change, mon fine, yeah, you can. You can put the trailer down and walk away if you're down to submit obligations, but you can do anything you want and you have to have a mindset that You're not a disowner. Well, you have to have plans in place. You have to say if this doesn't work, how am I gonna recover? You have to be adaptable, flexible. You have to be in loops. To say, in the middle of a service, this is not working. Take 30 seconds, take a minute and say how can I fix this? And what about this situation? Do I not like and how do I change that? If you could change it, change it. If you can't, you need to. You know, modified it a way that it makes less painful when. So that's it's really what I feel.

Speaker 3: 29:35

This this summer is bad for me. No, is it's. It was the condensed version of Meat jumping in the pool and having a swim as opposed to Spreading out the pain or working for somebody for two years on. But I'm learning constantly. Now we're going to the slow season, yeah, I know. So you go okay?

Speaker 3: 30:02

I think so, not water, and I've always tell by kids and employees some kind of the years I said, if you're wanting to quit or if you're wanting to Change careers or if you want to change, off the water, but that is the best time to do that. It's why you've got a job. Don't quit your job. And then the site you're going to do this. Yeah, I said it years and years and years. But my job kept me did. I did exactly what I knew. I did what I said I was going to do. It told people to do this stuff and you go okay, because in your and you're like, okay, it's just an award and at some point we had just realized it's it's not. So I did something. I'll read something that two things actually that I should have probably have done, that I should have done. There's no down and ahead. That is, I took it. I got a part-time job.

Speaker 2: 30:51

Okay.

Speaker 3: 30:51

Yeah, holly, and, awfully enough, I Start giving plasma. Okay, I was like, all right, so a hundred dollars to 65 dollars, depending on type of promotion, you twice a week and you, you sit down for me. I'm like why five?

Speaker 3: 31:06

you know I'm, I'm. I did not grow up that way. Yeah, I grew up in a very loving hand, financially secure environment on. My parents have always instilled it out finances and savings and also I just fell way off to the side and I just, for whatever reason, as an entrepreneur, I think you're just a different breed, you go.

Speaker 2: 31:27

Yeah, hey.

Speaker 3: 31:27

I'm just gonna make this work, that and in my parents work. I'm gonna save this job because I'm had attention and I'm gonna Be what I thought the security yeah, yeah, so, oh, so, yeah, yeah. So I actually was like, okay, I need to get a part-time job. And the other thing that you realize is when you put things out there, the universe is listening. I mean, that happened right away and but you'll be surprised how many things you think you need to you like pray for and Something happens so weird way and you get it net and either part-time job the place that I worked at has a separate division as a third-party managed part of it. You know I'm for, as all these people, they have to be a part-time person that does a remedial job making have.

Speaker 3: 32:18

A lot of us are in make but I'm like, hey, they're, they're willing to work with my time. I say egg, I may large six until noon on days that I have service. There'll be some days where I have a service at noon, so I'll put my days me. I said, if I keep coming at all, I will make up those hours and because they know who I am and we have such a great relationship, they're like no, all right that you be up, we know that your work at that. So what are you the thumbs that I have to worry about this part of it and you take care of it. This is the list of things. Take care of it and for ready to be flots of wood, so, um, so yeah, that was the one thing I ended up praying for us.

Speaker 3: 32:56

A second I just like what can I do? What I'm gonna do? How am I gonna find this purpose and job? Where I go in, I say, hey, these are the weird hours I can work sometimes, yeah, but then I always to write and I'm gonna need certain days off. But I can work weird hours. I make it up.

Speaker 3: 33:12

Yeah, we're gonna do that, but it just happened being people I knew and came out of top. That was one thing that I prayed for quite a bit. The other thing Is, in a listen to your podcasts stuff, I got it for whatever reason, seem I like I always wanted to admit Hmm, but most of the people that I had is Potential mentors either knew as much about something or I'd be more gotcha. So there were a few times where people who are kind of above me or every mentor. I ended up talking to them and and consoling and counseling it is. It was got weird. So then I just became a collaboration on it. So I prayed for a mentor or somebody to help me through all this and Somehow, some way, I'd get up to up with a great gentleman the same's, craig. Add smoky blues barbecue.

Speaker 3: 34:03

No kind of you guys a food trailer piece, um I, three plus years into it, oh, and I think I commented on it on Instagram on his post, and one thing went to another and we end up chatting back and forth. You know he was very open about his business and I thought what he was doing. And then we met and he's been a constant source of mind. God, I can't believe that I'm crying at the end of the bed. You know I'd cry more than the past three ones and they haven't my car alive. And how am I gonna do this? This other means that brother, I've been there. He's just been instantly done some mental good for it and today I'm actually going to help him out because he needs help out of service.

Speaker 3: 34:51

So I'm going up to Novelsville to help him out and while it's me help him out, it's also an opportunity that I'll be able to look at how this offer is. I mean, he talks about this finance, he talks about this he talks about everybody's been extremely open. So if there is and he's also said, hey, I've got this event I can't do, he's gonna eat stuff, and that he's large enough where he can fill us his weeks up and be able to say I just can't go in one more and yeah, but if you're going to need a barbecue place, I would suggest first barbecue cause. So that's been a blessing that I never I knew that by all, since a mentor should be an interface line from them it just never really kind of got that. I had a lot of people who supported me and a lot of people who listened to me yeah, but never had parents.

Speaker 3: 35:49

But I mean I can't say it to him, I'm dad. Something about barbecue business and out of line food trailer, if you may not be on right. So, yeah, it's very luck with that, I was. So, yeah, I mean, I've got that, I've already got my schedule set up and I feel like this month, this month, has been the most solid mud, I think, and I think it has to do with all the anxiety I was going to.

Speaker 3: 36:17

I had leading up to that very large events and I was to quit. I was gonna do. I was looking for excuses not to do it. It was here at the hell. I I think that's the other thing you've already.

Speaker 3: 36:29

It is like for that event going through it. You go, I can do it, and I went into it. My wife was like, whatever you decide, she goes, I support, but if you do not do this event, you'll regret it instantaneous. When she's like you're good, so whole the Sun name is just weird. Like it happened on Friday and Saturday, somewhere around Saturday and Monday, I already had everything placed up, playing the doubt, I think, and I was like, oh, this is a no, I was gonna do it. And then there's these roadblocks, be drunk, being big ones, net. And I was like I was like somebody's trying to stop me. My wife is like you versus, what's the note? Do you really want it? Yep, and there's.

Speaker 3: 37:18

There's that point where you say, if I don't do this, you're telling everybody thought just the invading your kids, your family that yes, I'm in for, except for when it's really difficult, it would get stiff about. I can just crawl back and say I did work out, yep, I think, doing the event minus the financial aspects of it, just being able to say that you were doing it and showing everybody that you can keep a promise to yourself and fall it's through. And the gentleman was I was my contact, so I get he was very good about not letting me with it. Yet I understand. But have you done this? That sounds terrible. Have you done this? You're like he stopped by let me say no more than my wife's not letting me say it right. So I, finally, you, just all of a sudden, I started doing those big obstacles and at the end of each big obstacle I was like, okay, I'm doing it net.

Speaker 3: 38:24

So I think you have to find it within yourself to push through those things that are scary or difficult, you know you have to tell yourself, okay, but worst thing that could happen because I don't do the event and I find something else, but what's the best thing that happens? I could do the events and I could make lots of money and I didn't make less money, but it was the. It was something, that obstacle, that big chunk of obstacles, that made me realize you know what you really can't do, that, yeah, you know. Now, the time and day don't watch TV, don't get online. Both don't have to do electronics. You know, unless it's working towards that something, yeah, become very aware of how you're spending your time. The whole idea of I don't have time, yeah, it is, you do. Yeah, I think that's where a lot of people fall short for themselves as they say they don't have the time. And as a business owner, you have to really take that time and know what's stealing that time.

Speaker 3: 39:32

You know, I feel like this month has kind of brought a lot of what I struggle with into a place where I say I might have a stress out I'm done it now. You know, now I need to do more. I mean to see how much I do, how much that I quite, until the funds are breaking point. So this week I have nine services between Monday and next Saturday. A lot of double up there, but they not yet.

Speaker 3: 40:01

I start my part-time job Monday. So I done my part-time job, yeah, and I have a double events. I have nine events. I have all, except any boom. I just did that. Large events. I'm younger. Doubt yep, we're scorsese. Scenario is I go there, I can only sell plenty things, yeah, so 20 things, get on and go on to the next thing. I know, do I only have this amount on? So, yeah, this month has been very rewarding because it's sort of like when you watch a movie you're like I don't know how this is gonna play out, yeah, and then you get to the pulver, like I'm, I see, I still lay up, I see how it is. So, yeah, never give up, never. Yeah, that's the only time I'll tell you feel yeah, I agree.

Speaker 2: 40:42

Yeah, I mean you up. That's the only time can really fill and I think that the rate kind of in-cap to this conversation has been also I think so many people out there are starting there might be a same level or same kind of place in the race could take so much from this just really transparency and showing you know how you vote, come to the law schools and everything. Jason, and this didn't really get. I really appreciate you sharing and I'm excited see you continue to overcome off-spins that are gonna be in your path, because you know I heard at one time new levels, new devils there's always so and that you're gonna come into the contact with their face no matter where you are in your journey, no matter if you're making billions, trillions or your first dollar, you're always gonna have something. So I this is been really a great conversation and and has so much that people can take away and just use of motivation, used to implement into their journey, and so I appreciate you sharing to that yeah, I'm happy to be here.

Speaker 3: 41:36

This is one of those things that I would have never even expected to happen, but here I am. That it's been great experience with you and being undercovered for sure.

Speaker 2: 41:44

So Perch Barbecue where did ten people find you? If they're local here in India, that I'm, that I get caught in contact.

Speaker 3: 41:50

I'm, I feel, too big. No to Perch Barbecue that I'm. That's H, e, r, t, s, b, b, q dot com. Or they can follow me or hit me up on Instagram or Facebook, which I'm not that afraid about checking for whatever reason in it, but yeah, it'd be up on my website. I've hit the other Instagram. There's a female link there and, yeah, if you've got an invents just hitting up in, awesome, well, I mean thank you so much for being on.

Speaker 2: 42:20

The date is appreciate it. Yeah, I'd really expect up. Yeah, so if you know somebody's starting their business or just getting a tooth, especially in the food truck industry, or anything like that, share this with them, you know, let them know that they're not allowed and the obstacles that they're facing, and that they can overcome them as well. So together, sharing this, we can reach so many more people. But until next time, continue to elevate your lives of your brands and talk to you soon thank you for listening to the elevate media podcast.

Speaker 1: 42:49

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. See you in the next episode.