# Episode 30 - GenZ Series: Nick Wucher - Co-Founder of YIFNO

- Podcast: GenX Adulting Podcast
- Published: 2025-04-23T03:00:00.000Z
- Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398379/episodes/17025339-episode-30-genz-series-nick-wucher-co-founder-of-yifno.mp3
- Page: https://genxadultingpodcast.com/transcripts/podcasts/genx-adulting-podcast/episodes/episode-30
- Source: https://genxadultingpodcast.com/episodes/genxadultingpodcastepisode30.html
- People: Nick Wucher (guest), Brian Barker (host), Nicole Barker (host)
- Topics: GenZ

## Summary

In Episode 30 of the GenZ Series, Nick Wucher, co-founder of YIFNO, shares his journey from being a Zillennial to building a successful clothing brand. He discusses the impact of social media on his generation, his experiences in college, and the importance of community in entrepreneurship.

## Key takeaways

- Nick Wucher identifies as a Zillennial, experiencing both pre-technology and social media eras.
- He emphasizes the importance of community and authenticity in building a brand.
- Nick's brand, YIFNO, started from a simple phrase and grew into a clothing line through grassroots marketing.
- He believes perfectionism can hinder progress and encourages taking risks.
- Nick highlights the significance of trusting your team and collaborating with people who share your vision.
- He plans to expand YIFNO by moving to New York, the fashion capital, while maintaining roots in Florida.
- Nick advocates for the idea that you must experience failure to appreciate success.

## FAQ

### What is YIFNO?

YIFNO stands for 'Yo, it's fucking nice out' and is a clothing brand co-founded by Nick Wucher, focusing on community and authenticity.

### How did Nick Wucher start his brand?

Nick started YIFNO by putting a phrase he frequently used on a t-shirt, which resonated with his friends and led to its growth into a full clothing line.

### What advice does Nick give for overcoming creative blocks?

Nick suggests maintaining consistency and sometimes stepping back to recharge, as well as trusting your instincts and not overthinking.

### What are some of the products offered by YIFNO?

YIFNO offers a variety of products including t-shirts, jackets, utility pants, swimwear, and women's clothing.

### What is Nick's vision for the future of YIFNO?

Nick aims to expand YIFNO's presence in New York while continuing to engage with the community in Florida, focusing on authenticity and creativity.


## Referenced links

- [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Nku0gnVgo)
- [Listen on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-30-genz-series-nick-wucher-co-founder-of-yifno/id1764838823?i=1000704549308)
- [Listen on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5B8FKdlwVOdhfjffhIYT1U)
- [Listen on Buzzsprout](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398379/episodes/17025339-episode-30-genz-series-nick-wucher-co-founder-of-yifno)

## Transcript

[Music]
Welcome to Gen X Adulting and today we
have Nick with us. Thank you for joining
us in the studio today.
Thank you for having me.
So the first question we always ask is
what year were you born?
1997.
Okay, so you're a Gen Z Zillennial. Do
you know what a Zillennial is?
I didn't know what a Zillennial was and
then I heard that episode you guys had
with Ben and I do know what it is.
Okay, okay. So you know that and for any
listeners who haven't listened yet to
other the other episodes about
Zillennials, but to sum it up,
Zillennials kind of got the best of both
worlds. You got most of your childhood
old school before
technology entered the picture.
You were the generation of flip phones,
Snapchat, Instagram, all that kind of
entered your world high school.
It started off in middle school.
Middle school, okay.
Towards the end of middle school.
Okay, and then you actually did use
Facebook, right? That was one of your
socials that you guys would use?
Oh yeah, Facebook. So it was Myspace in
elementary school, but you weren't really
allowed to have a Myspace.
Okay, so you guys
actually had exposure to Myspace?
I can't say you guys.
Yeah, I had a cousin that would make me a
Myspace and I would go over my
grandparents house and that's where I
would operate the Myspace.
Okay, okay.
My parents house obviously
not allowed to have a Myspace.
I didn't have a cell
phone in elementary school.
Okay, yeah. So that makes sense.
So if you could figure out a way, like if
you had a connection of an older cousin
sibling friend, you could
kind of do the Myspace thing.
You settled into social media. That was
more like Facebook, I would assume.
Facebook.
And Instagram. Now, do you personally
still use, like what platforms would you
say for your personal life you still use?
I use Instagram the most.
Okay.
TikTok, I try to get into, but I use it
mostly for the brand.
I'm looking to get back on Twitter X,
however you want to call it, just because
of how entertaining it is, honestly.
You see some funny shit on there.
Yeah.
And Facebook is pretty
outdated, to be honest.
I think it's more Gen Xers, Boomers that
are on there, maybe older millennials,
but I don't think you're
the Gen Z's are on there.
I think the same people that are using
Facebook as their main source of social
media are the same people
that utilize LinkedIn a lot.
Oh, that's interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, probably.
Yeah, that's probably really true.
So do you know anyone your age that still
uses Snapchat regularly?
Honestly, yeah.
Most of my friends do.
I don't use Snapchat as much as I used to
because it used to be huge.
Yeah.
But now I just, I tried to stay off
social media because of the amount of
doom scrolling and
stuff that I used to do.
Right.
Like I don't have any notifications on
for any social media platforms.
Okay.
But I need to be on Instagram often and
TikTok often for the business.
Okay, but you try to unplug when you can.
Yeah.
And one of the ways is to not let
notifications come through.
Exactly.
Do you find, do you still watch TV or use
streaming services or has social, I guess
you're not on social
media as much you're saying.
Like for some people, they're on TikTok
more than they are watching Netflix or
watching streaming services.
It's become their form of entertainment.
Would you say that's the case with you?
I wouldn't say so.
I would say I'm on
Instagram a good amount.
I'd be lying to say if I didn't, because
I have a two-hour timer on my phone.
Okay.
Or let me know like, hey, you've reached
two hours on Instagram, get
off and I'll just ignore it.
But it's, it's, I do take my time to
watch certain TV shows because I mean,
you need to turn off
your brain sometimes.
It's true.
So I'll like, that'll be my
dessert basically at night.
Yeah.
I'll throw in like an episode of a show
or documentary or something that isn't
related to what I'm doing at the moment.
It's interesting to think about that
because it used to be, at least when we
were growing up, you watch too much TV
and which is your brain.
Like our parents would be
like, don't watch so much TV.
And now I feel like with social media,
your, your brain is so engaged when
you're scrolling that watching TV has
become the relaxing thing.
And it's, that just shows.
Actually, it's an interesting concept.
Yeah.
I think it shows how I do that.
Yeah.
It's like, if I wanted to know now, I
almost throw on TV, right?
Which is crazy.
But for at least Gen Xers, and I don't
know about you growing up, but we were
like, our parents literally would say
it's going to ruin your brain.
You're watching too much TV, all of that.
But I think with
social, I think that's true.
A lot of fucked up stuff on TV, but yeah,
but I mean, it was more like just
constantly watching TV.
That's what they met.
They tell us too, if you're sitting too
close to the TV, you're going to get, you
know, whatever that was.
You get blind.
You'll go blind.
Yeah.
Yeah.
My parents wouldn't let
me sit close to the TV.
Yeah.
Okay.
So you'll go blind.
Okay.
So you, you heard
that too, to some degree.
And then you think about with social
media, there's so much stimulation going
on and your brain is always going.
And it's so quick, quick, quick that when
you want to chill, you put on television.
Yeah.
Curious on the Instagram, if you're on,
say for a while, is it
personal and pleasure?
Like, are you doing research while you're
on or kind of both, I guess.
So yes, for the most
part, it is research.
But again, the algorithm, you're getting
hit with everything that
your brain wants to see.
It's based on your preferences.
Yeah.
So I'll go to look on someone's page or
another brand's page or something to
educate me for the business.
And then it's, if I swipe up and it's
stuff about the Miami Dolphins, now I'm
watching football videos for 30 minutes.
Yeah.
Right.
And it'll go to like food videos and then
it'll go to just whatever.
Yeah.
So yeah, it has a mind of its own, but it
also is your preferences
and what you enjoy to watch.
Yeah, it's built for.
Absolutely.
So I think it's cool for you guys as
millennials that you did get most of your
childhood before all that was entrapped
and trapped your brains because for the
younger kid like our youngest, like they
don't know a world without it.
They're the social media
generation, the younger Gen Z's.
They're the young.
You guys are the oldest.
They're the youngest and just that span
how your childhoods can be so different.
Change pretty damn quick.
Very quickly.
So I think you guys are, you know, you
just you really did get, I always say
that the best of both worlds.
So where were you born?
I was born in Boca hospital actually.
Oh, okay.
But I grew up in Davy Weston.
Technically Sunrise, but there's a road,
Weston Road and it separates.
So weird.
It separates.
Weston and Bono venture are on this side.
And then on this side, you have a pocket
of Sunrise, which really isn't Sunrise.
Yeah, Davy.
So then I grew up.
Technically, I grew up in Weston.
Okay.
Sunrise, but Weston.
I grew up in Weston.
Okay.
And did you grow up with
your both your parents?
I did, but they divorced when I was five.
And do you know how they met?
Yeah.
So my dad was actually supposed to go on
a date with my aunt.
Oh, no way.
And she got back with my uncle because
they're still married to this day.
Okay.
And my aunt goes to my
mom like really cute guy.
He's cool.
Whatever.
You should go out with him.
And then no way he showed up.
She's like, hey, like I'm
getting back with my boyfriend.
Would you want to take my sister out?
He's like, sure.
No way.
So he arrived thinking he was going to
take out your aunt and she was in
between making the state with him.
She had gotten together
back together with your uncle.
Yeah, and then said take out my sister
and he was like, all right,
he just went with it.
That's awesome.
For the twins.
No, so she is a year or
two older than my mom.
Okay.
And then do you have siblings?
I do have a little brother.
Okay.
So and what's the space there?
He is 24, three years older than him.
Okay.
Are you guys so close?
Oh, yeah, he's a partner in.
Oh, nice.
That's wonderful.
So they divorced when you were five.
Yeah.
Do you have any memories of them of
living with them together?
Oh, yeah.
We used to have a house in Coconut Creek.
I remember, I mean, I was 12, I was five.
So it was like I remember having a Star
Wars birthday party.
There.
Remember, I thought
the house was haunted.
Why?
You know, when you're a kid
and you're going down like the
stairs and you go down like you bump your
butt down the stairs.
I just I maybe my little kid
brain, but something picked me
up from one of the stairs and brought me
to the bottom stairs
and I that has stuck with me since.
Why so loud?
How old do you think you were?
I had to have been four.
So, you know what they say about children
that they see spirits
and 100% until they hit that age.
It's true until they hit their
consciousness shifts that they
see spirits and and like they there's
been children talking
to spirits and they're
two, three, four years old.
So I believe you.
I believe you 100%.
I'm still sticking by my story.
Yeah.
I mean, it was real for
you to still feel that way.
I 100% think.
Yeah.
I mean, you seem pretty convinced.
So, yeah, you know, it's pretty wild.
That's cool.
So but it sounds like it
wasn't a negative haunting.
It was more they were helping you out.
Yeah.
So do you have so when they
got divorced, did you have one
of the parents have
primary custody or was it split?
It was split custody.
So how did they split it?
Did you do like three days?
Three days, three days, three days.
So it would be like three days.
So be three days and two days
during the weekdays and they
alternate per week and then
they would alternate weekends.
And for both you guys
both you and your brother.
Yeah.
How was that doing that?
So we're super blessed that
our parents weren't the type to
always be arguing with each
other or bring us into it.
They always made sure that we
didn't feel the effect of it.
So it was more of like, oh cool.
We have two houses now and
we got to see, you know, both
of the single-parent experiences.
So my mother started her own
company from like the ground up
like didn't have much money.
We always we didn't want for anything,
but we weren't as rich
as like the kids that were in Westin
because there's a lot
of money in that area.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we were we were like
middle class and I watched her grow
her business from zero to
being one of the best interior
designers in South Florida.
Wow.
That's cool.
Yeah.
So then I got to see the entrepreneur
side like she wouldn't
go to bed till 2 a.m.
3 a.m.
Wake up 6 a.m.
Back to it.
Yeah, I remember waking up when I was
like eight years old,
nine years old.
Can't don't know the exact age.
Remember walking in to her
office at 4 in the morning.
I was like, why are you awake?
Yeah, and she goes, plata no doerme,
which is money doesn't
sleep in Spanish from Peru.
Okay.
I was like, cool.
That stuck with me for a long time.
And then I had the other side of it,
which was my father and
he would go to work early,
leave work late, didn't miss a
football game, didn't miss a practice
like always there for
us, whatever we needed.
We had it, but he went was
more the corporate route.
So it was cool seeing both
sides and them figuring it out
themselves and maneuvering through that
and I didn't realize
it at the time, but as I got
older, I got to like, you know,
put it in perspective.
So it was cool to see both sides.
So you got to learn from both of them.
Yeah, and you were absorbing
it even if you didn't realize
it at the time.
It's interesting when you
get older and you can look back
and you see everything so clearly and
even absorbing it in
your subconscious.
It's almost like it wakes up
once you hit a certain age.
You're like, oh, okay, I get that now.
That's really cool.
I love what her saying
is money doesn't sleep.
Yeah, she's our money never
sleeps money doesn't sleep money
doesn't sleep.
So she's from Peru.
Yeah, she's from me to Florida.
So in Lima, when did she come here?
She came here when she was
16 or 17 to go to college.
So she went to Nova Southeastern.
Cool.
Did she come just her?
She came with my aunt.
Okay, my aunt didn't go to school.
She went to a culinary school.
So she left her family.
Your mom left her family
except for her her aunt.
Yeah, because Peru was
pretty dangerous back then.
So for example, my mom told me stories
she her and my uncle
worked at this hotel and they both took
off that day and the
day that they took off.
Terrace went in and blew up
the entire building seriously.
Yeah.
So what year with that?
She was born in 71.
So the 80s.
I didn't realize that about Peru.
Did you?
Not specifically, but I know South
America was very dangerous
back then for sure.
So the day so was it her and
her sister her and her aunt?
No, my mom and her sister.
So the day that they left.
Oh, no, the two that came
here my mom and my aunt, but my
uncle and my mom worked there
and then my uncle when helped
like, you know, what happened.
Right.
Trying to find people and whatnot.
But they did.
Did they have family here that
they came to live with or did
they just went to
America and made it happen?
Yeah, and so but they had just to make
sure I'm understanding
like your mom had left and
that happened after she left or
she was there when that happened.
Oh, she was there.
She just had the day off.
They took the day off.
They took the day off.
Oh my goodness.
Very fortuitous, right?
And that's a sign I would assume.
Wow.
Wow works there every day and the day
that they took off it
gets a terrorist attack.
That's crazy.
So how much longer after that happened?
Did she come here?
The next day.
Yeah, I mean that I'm not
sure of I just know that she came
here like 1617 started college as they
finished school earlier.
And do you know where your
grandparents both still alive
when she came over here?
Oh, yeah.
Did she still see them a decent amount?
Not as much but they were
always writing letters back and
forth and you know getting on
a call when they can because
it was different than
really have cell phones.
Did you know them growing up?
Your grandparents?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, but so on my mom's side.
I'm the oldest of all the cousins.
So I had the most time to
spend with my my grandpa and my
grandma.
So my Nona is still alive.
She lives in Peru right now
still and she comes back and
forth and she'll visit and
stay with us for long periods of
time with my mom or my aunt
and then my grandpa passed away
when I was so I pop up both passed away
when I was in second
but yeah, I got I got the
most quality time with him.
Like I remember watching him
letting me watch The Matrix
with him.
That was cool.
Second grade and my mom was livid.
Yeah, she was pissed.
That's actually though a
movie that you have to think as
you're watching it.
You have to use.
I feel like that movie uses
your brain more than being an
action bloody movie.
I feel like you have
to really pay attention.
So yeah out of all the
movies that one isn't the worst or
a lot where we would be.
We would like act out
the fighting scenes.
Well, there you go.
And then I would like see
these sports Illustrated bikini
like yeah, look at that.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
And what about your grandparents on your
dad's side grandparents
on my dad's side?
I super blessed to be
with them for a long time.
So my pop-up passed away
when I was a sophomore think in
college and then my Nana passed away.
My fifth year in college.
I think yeah, my fifth year.
Okay, but amazing people like yeah
stories that I the stories
from both sides of my
grandparents are insane.
Like my mom's side of my
grandpa my mom's side comes from
like a little village in Peru
like made his way up to being
a doctor and opening a practice.
Wow.
Yeah, and he owned horses.
And whatnot so we would like go to the
horse races out there.
So I have pictures of all of
us like in the winter circle
or whatever and then my
grandpa on my dad's side.
He like I swear you could
write a movie on this guy's life.
So he was Al Capone's
paper boy when he was a kid.
No, wait, where was he
from Chicago Chicago?
No, when Al Capone moved to Miami, so
he's from they're from
North Miami.
So your dad's side is
from Miami North Miami.
Yeah, North Miami Beach.
He was his paper boy.
So what did that entail?
So like you like a little kid on a
bicycle like going papers
and he would come up and give
Al Capone his paper Al Capone
used to eat sandwiches with my
great-grandpa at his grocery
store almost every
day when he lived here.
No way.
So yeah, it's their pictures.
I have to ask I'm not
that we need to see them.
I'm just curious you
should ask before he got killed.
Yeah.
Yeah, you should ask for sure.
That's amazing.
Yeah, and then after that.
So he went in so he played like five
sports and he got offers
from UM Holy Cross when Holy Cross was
good at sports a couple
of different schools and then
instead of taking any of those
offers, he decided to go
into the Navy and he was in the
Vietnam War and he used to defuse bombs.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
We would ask him like when we were kids,
have you ever killed
anyone?
Yeah, and he would just
like not say anything.
When he talked about the experience at
all or was he pretty
much about it?
Oh, no, you would tell us
about the Navy like just funny
stories because I mean he was on a ship.
Yeah, yeah, and then he came
back and to tie in back into
the mob situation.
So he's he would go and start
fishing and he would like fish
at this this one area and
this guy wasn't catching any fish
and he saw it.
He goes.
Hey, like I know spot come with me and
like you'll actually
catch some fish and whatever
they start fishing together
every other day whatnot.
He goes up to my grandpa one
day and he goes I want you to
marry my daughter like and he's like I
can't I actually have
a wife.
Yeah, so then fast forward.
My grandpa is managing a boxer in Cuba.
So this is when Cuba was like Las Vegas.
Yeah, yeah before Castro.
Yeah, so they're they
have their boxer in bit and
Cuba.
Sorry and someone comes up to him like
you need to grab your
your other manager and you
need to grab the fighter and you
guys need to get out of here.
And it was the guy that he was fishing
with and the guy who
he taught or showed him the
fishing spot was actually one
of the hit men for like a mob.
Oh, wow.
Yes.
So was he the guy who told
them to leave the guy that the
hitman?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So he hadn't seen the hitman
in years, but then he saw him
and the time he saw him he
said you guys need to leave.
Hey man recognized him went
up to him and said hey, no,
was there a hit hit the road?
No, they they tipped him off because
Castro was coming in
the revolution started in Cuba.
Yeah.
Wow.
So they left in time that
just shows you always do good
things do good deeds.
You never know when it's
going to come back around.
Yeah, it just had so many
good stories about my grandpa.
I mean like and then also
like, you know, how there was a lot
of like racism back then and
whatnot, but he had someone
that worked for him and he
would take him to Temple with
him like they were boys.
Just yeah, my grandpa would
take me to Hebrew school and
they were the ones that like
they're the glue to the family
basically.
Okay.
Okay.
So are you half Peruvian?
I'm half Peruvian half Jewish Jewish.
Okay.
So were you raised with as Jewish or were
you raised Catholic?
I assume they're so I had a bar mitzvah.
Okay, but I was raised both.
Okay, celebrate both holidays like when
my parent when my mom
will go to church.
I'll go to church with her and my dad
would go to Temple or
take us Temple.
Go to Temple with him.
So you had a Christmas tree and you
celebrate Hanukkah Christmas
is the best holiday.
It's kind of the best of
both worlds right rules.
Yeah, it's got it all.
I have a couple friends like that who
she's Jewish and he's
I don't think I don't know what he is,
but I'm not Jewish and
they celebrate Christmas and
Hanukkah and the kids love it.
Like this is best.
Yeah, it's like a
month-long celebration of everything.
Sounds like Chanukah.
Yeah, our daughter's birthday
that goes on for eight days.
That's really cool.
I'm still following that your grandpa
gave up all these college
offers.
What a Patriot.
It was it to go fight for his country.
Yeah, so I guess that
I mean, that's amazing.
It was super patriotic.
Yeah, yeah, especially back then.
Those are some great
opportunities and then somehow he
was managing a boxer.
I mean, I don't know.
You're right.
You can do a movie about
this guy and even crazier one is
that so my great-grandpa,
you know, I said, yeah, what do
you lunch with Gal Capone?
Like corned beef sandwich, whatever
specifics no matter,
but they lived next door to
the Grand Wizard of the KKK.
Oh my God, Florida and their Jewish.
Yeah, and the oh my God, the
Grand Wizard liked my grandpa
so much.
He was like, hey, you're a good Jew.
We we'd like to have you.
No way and my grandpa
was like kid in the KKK.
He's like, I'm good.
Like oh my God, thank you, but no.
Wow, that is so that is too much.
Okay, so you're a South Florida boy.
Your roots are pretty much
here like your family everybody.
I have a question though.
Yeah, you mentioned
Christmas is a great holiday.
Was it special when you're a kid?
Like was it did your parents
go overboard at all or because
kind of always have
our kids love Christmas.
I'm curious if that was your.
You're so yeah, Christmas.
I wouldn't say they went
overboard with presents.
It was never we would never
get like a crazy amount of
presents, but it was just
the fact that it was Christmas
like I was obsessed with Santa Claus.
Yeah, I made my mom even
when I when people told me that
Santa Claus wasn't real.
Like I mean guess kind of
embarrassing, but like middle
school, I would literally
tell him I'd go safe from Santa
Claus if you guys if
you guys give us gifts.
Yeah, I want to feel the Christmas.
You were going on to the magic.
Yeah, I think all three of
our kids were the last one like
they held on to it until
there was no denying is real.
It's maybe not the guy who raised you,
but the magic of Santa
is a hundred.
Yeah, and you keep it going.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I had this realization
this past week because Passover
and also Easter obviously this Sunday,
but every holiday is
so much better when
there's like kids involved in it.
So now that like my cousins
are having kids and whatnot.
It's there.
It's so much more fun because for example
in Passover, there's
Elijah.
So Elijah the spirit that comes in and
the kids get scarred
from it because
they'll see a cup of wine.
You leave a cup of wine for
Elijah and then he drinks it,
but it just disappears.
Yeah, the kids look at it and they think
ghosts or something.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's
almost scarring to them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But it's so hilarious.
They bring all the magic
back a hundred percent.
You know, it's funny because when Dylan
was born, Nathan was
13.
So right as Nathan had been
out of Santa for a while and
then Kai was almost out of it.
Dylan was born.
So I think Nathan was 25 for
that was the first time in his
life.
He didn't have to believe in Santa
anymore for his siblings
because we started it all
over again when Dylan was born.
I remember him thinking this is awesome.
This is the first time I don't have to
pretend that somebody's
coming down into our house.
You know, it was 25
years of that, but it's fun.
You know when they're young,
it's amazing because you get
when you're a kid, there's
the Santa tracker online.
Yeah, yeah, where he's going and whatnot.
I still pull it out.
Yeah, we come back.
We do mass and we do dinner
and I pull up no rad and we all
look, you know, and we talk
about we play Uno and we watch
where's Santa?
Yeah, it's just for fun.
You know, it with the gift giving part.
It's so funny.
Some of the gifts that I
look back on with my mom.
So my dad was more like the
gift card guy like yeah, like
like heartfelt no all that
and then my mom would give me
I remember I really
wanted a pair of Air Jordans.
Like obviously like every kid.
Yeah, and then I got me a
pair of shacks thinking they were
and then those are like Kmart shoes.
Right, right, right.
And I was still stoked about it.
Oh, yeah, it's new fair shoes.
Whatever.
Yeah, I remember getting
like a hundred dollars and I go
like I could buy I fully was
convinced I could buy a car
with a hundred dollars
like that's hilarious.
I was like I can get a car now, right?
Yeah, and then in middle
school, I got in trouble.
I got like suspended
from school or something.
And I remember my mom told
all my family don't get them any
gifts.
The only thing I got that
Christmas was a books and million
gift card.
Oh my gosh.
Wait, what's books and
million like the bookstores like a
bookstore gift card a
bookstore gift card.
Yeah, so you could go into
any bookstore and buy books with
it or without a brand.
That was a brand
never even heard of that.
Have you know, no, so I just
had to read books those books.
I had to buy books for my man.
She's good.
I don't know if I get a help.
You ever get kicked out of
school or suspended again.
After that.
No, okay, so we're going to get in
trouble outside of school.
So it worked.
Okay.
So when they got divorced and
you guys are splitting time,
I assume they both were in
the same school districts.
So it didn't matter
whose house you're at.
For middle school, we used or for
elementary school middle
school use my mom's address.
Okay, and then for high
school use my dad's address so we
go to cybers.
So okay, so it was a little
bit longer drive for one of
them then I assume.
Yeah, but it's Western.
So it's like the longest drive you're
going to make 15 minutes.
Okay, so it didn't matter
and then you and your brother
what a couple grades
separated three years apart.
So he was a freshman when I was a senior.
Were you always in the same school
together then at some
point?
Well, yeah, except middle school.
Okay, you never crossed.
Yeah.
Okay.
Did you play any sports?
Yeah, football my whole life.
I was playing football.
I started when I was seven
years old and then till I was
18 and my senior year high
school was there travel that
did you travel football?
Yeah, I mean for like
little league football.
So we played a YFL.
So that's mostly all
teams in Broward County.
Okay, but then we would play
a tournament in Panama City.
Okay, and then for high
school, obviously we travel to,
you know, Miami Boca like
everywhere just whoever was in
our district or our class.
Yeah.
And did you play any other sports or was
it just all football?
I played a little
basketball and like soccer when I was
younger, but for most part
was just football, football,
football off season trained for football.
Like that was my life.
And was it just a natural
love of the game or what did it
get passed down to you from
your dad or your grandfather?
Definitely got passed down, but I loved
the game immediately.
Like I that's all I could
think about and that's how I kind
of got into, you know,
starting to dress nice and stuff
what because it originally
started with dressing good for
football.
So remember my first and second year I
was wearing the wackest
cleats you could get like the most
generic cleats and after
that I started like looking at what NFL
players were wearing
and whatnot like getting
the visors and everything.
So look good play good feel good all that
and then it transition
to all right now like I want
to pick what I want to wear and
whatnot outside of football.
Okay, so what age would you say that
started that awareness
of clothing and how you wanted to
represent yourself through
clothing?
I would say when I was 10 so
starting in like fifth grade.
Yeah, like I would I
would wear like I would start
getting nice cleats.
I would start getting like nice gloves
like towel on the side
whatever and then that's I
always have a pair of white air
forces like me and my friend, Santio
Campo who's been my friend
since I was five like
first friend in kindergarten.
That's awesome.
He would get the all-black
air forces and I would get the
all-white ones and we would call
ourselves like cookies and
cream.
I love her.
Was there a specific player
you were emulating like Deon
Sanders kind of made fashion
fashionable and football was
there anyone like that that stands out.
I was obsessed with Lydani and Tomlinson.
Okay, like that was my guy
that was yeah, that's the second
LT.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I actually was the first LT.
I'm a big Lawrence Taylor fan
growing up as a in New York,
but is that the first LT?
Yeah, I'm a Giants fan.
It's okay.
I'm a Dolphins fan.
We get a lot of false.
Yeah.
Yeah, pretty much.
But so then did it evolve from what
you're wearing playing
football?
You said it evolved into
what you would wear to school.
Yeah.
So then after fifth grade is
when middle school starts like
middle school is when your
hormones are running everywhere
like it sucks.
Yeah, you start getting into girls.
Yeah, and like whatnot.
So during that period of time
there was a lot of rap culture
was like insane.
Like I was obsessed with it.
And I would find brands like
pink dolphin just very small
brands that were up and coming that these
rappers were wearing
was like I want to wear
that and then it was okay.
Let me get a pair of Nike
dunks and then let me get a pair
of like bands.
So it started just
progressing from that and then yeah high
school same thing like
brands like Stucy started for me.
Sucy had been around forever.
They're like their OGs of streetwear.
I remember that.
I totally forgotten about Sucy and their
skate and surf culture.
That's their thing.
Yeah, I completely because
you're talking this would be
what like the 2011 20
2010 2011 2012 2013 years.
This is like.
Yeah, how to have been like 2009 20
because I got into high
school 2012.
Okay, I want to say so.
Yeah, I had to have
been like 2009 to 2011.
So middle school isn't known
as being the easiest time for
kids and it certainly isn't known for
being the most accepting
time for kids who don't want to conform
or want to be leaders
or want to kind of create their own path.
And so when you did that did
you when you were doing that
with fashion, how was that received or I
guess did anyone tease
you for giving a shit
about what you were wearing?
No, not really because like me and my
group of friends that
I mostly hung out with we didn't have
like our parents didn't
have a lot of money or
whatever, but we would always figure
out how to put together an
outfit like I would only go to
Marshalls my own only take in Marshalls.
But we would figure out like okay,
Marshalls has polo so
we can find like these
hidden gems put them together and
still dress good.
And then I was getting
hand-me-downs for my cousin,
which like my cousins
like my older brother.
So I looked up to him so anything he's
wearing I think is fresh
and he was always getting the best
clothing from his parents.
Yeah, but middle school in general was
just so chaotic, especially
the experience that I went
through so like every Friday
there would so this is
pre-technology or like just getting
into technology.
I had a flip phone.
Yeah, and people were
getting people who had blackberries
and razors were like, oh
like yeah, they got it.
Yeah.
So but every Friday there
was a fight in middle school.
We would go to the Quested Trace Park
watch a fight and then
we would walk to McDonald's and just all
hang out at McDonald's
every Friday.
Every Friday.
So when you say a fight
other students, I mean I got into
okay.
Yeah, I got into a fight my
first week in middle school
because I thought
that's what you had to do.
Yeah, so let me ask you this when that
happens because I know
down here in Meisner.
They have these
things called fight night.
Sometimes like on Fridays.
Yeah.
Yeah learn that well the
difference to the film on the
have right to me.
Film on social media, but when that's
happening, is it personal?
Is it did something happen that week to
be like we're fighting
on Friday or is it just is it
more like squaring up for the
sport of it?
I mean it definitely
isn't the sport of it.
Okay.
I know how mine happened was
it was like the first week of
middle school seventh grader made your
mom joke or something.
Okay, and I mean he was like, okay, let's
fight because I thought
so that's what you had to do
and he goes it was something
straight out of a movie, right?
He goes, okay Friday after school and we
were the first fight
of the school year.
No way.
So there was this patch of grass on the
side of the bleachers
and to question Trace Park.
So there were so many students.
I kid you not.
There were probably over 150 kids.
There's no doubt like
surrounding us and there's kids in the
bleat like side of the bleacher.
So they see oh my gosh, and
then we get into the fight.
They break it up.
Cops come obviously we all like scatter
run and we find another
part to go fight in scatter again and
then walked McDonald's
like nothing happened.
And then the big day
are you guys friends?
Yeah, you go to McDonald's
together after with that guy or
Oh no.
Oh no.
So it's like it's like it's
not like we don't think okay.
If you lose you're probably
not walking to McDonald's.
Okay.
Okay, like calling it a day,
but you went to McDonald's.
I went to actually and then
your friends are all like yo,
good good shit.
Like okay, and then you're good.
So every Friday some
altercation happened where someone said
something or made it like it's almost
like you're hoping someone
says something so you can be
like, okay, we're fighting.
Yeah.
I mean, it's just that's how it was.
We were it was very we had we were hard
time for our parents
for sure.
Like we would play pranks on
on the staff which was kind of
messed up.
But I remember one time we had
we so this is what the eighth
graders playing.
They're like everyone's going to go in
the courtyard in the
morning and do a circle like
it's a fight and then we're
going to bait the security
guards to come break it up.
Okay, so it happens security
comes in the cop comes in the
vice principal comes in get
out of the way get out of the
way move move move and they
push the way through and in the
circle.
It's just an orange facing an apple.
Oh my God.
They're like get to class
like but they had to laugh right.
I would know I would think
so not when they saw it their
immediate reaction, but I feel like
behind closed doors.
You have to laugh.
Pretty creative.
Yes.
Yes, because it can be so
stressful in school, especially
middle school.
So to have something kind of
then you can laugh about it.
So sure.
Yeah.
So when you got
suspended was that middle school?
Yeah.
What did you do?
Do you want to share it?
I mean, I got caught with weed.
Okay.
Okay.
So I got caught with weed
and then yeah, super super.
So that's why your mom was
like because she was she because
of it was drugs.
She was probably like screw
this no Christmas presents.
We're teaching a lesson.
She's drawing a hard line.
Yeah.
She drew a hard line on that one.
We were we were
selling a little bit of weed.
There you go.
Yeah.
In seventh grade.
Oh my God.
That's awesome.
7th grade or 8th grade.
Yeah.
And then I remember I had to
get put on like a probation
program.
And we were watching I would
have to meet with my probation
officer and be like,
what are you doing here?
Like you're the smartest kid that's come
through this program.
Yeah, and then I was like, I didn't want
to shop at Marshalls
anymore.
I wanted to get some nice stuff.
I'm an entrepreneur.
Yes, your entrepreneurial.
That was your first business.
Yeah.
Opening experience though, because we
were watching buses in
Tamarack like as a part of
our probation program, like how
to get like, yeah, a visit every week
from someone like it
sucked and like it sucked for my parents.
I'm sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But lesson learned.
I think it's done in my growth.
We yeah, you think so.
Yeah.
I was this height in middle school.
Yeah, but that's you're not short.
I know.
I thought my doctor told me I was me 6 4.
Okay.
So what the hell is like I'm going
straight to the NFL.
Are your parents tall?
My dad's my height and
then my mom's like five seven.
That's all for a woman.
Mm-hmm.
That's funny.
My brother is 6 1.
I love the fact though.
You said you're in seventh
grade and you had a probation
office.
That's amazing.
It's pretty epic.
That's hilarious.
I mean, that's that's
you definitely have.
I don't know if this
is just a gen X thing.
Street cred.
For sure.
So but you kept okay.
Actually, how were you in school?
How did you do academically?
I wasn't gifted my whole
life and then but to say I was
a straight A student would be lie.
I would get like A's B's
like a C here and there.
Yeah, but I just wasn't.
I wasn't really into school that much.
Yeah, honest.
I was just like I'll just
get the work done that I needed
to get done and sometimes I
wouldn't if I had a late grade,
I would get a late grade.
Yeah, it wasn't the pattern
frustrating my parents like my
little brother's straight A student.
Okay, so he was more
academic for sure like engineer from
Penn State all that.
Okay.
Okay.
So did you continue with the
fighting into high school or
was that just a middle school thing?
That was just like the
fights that we get in high school
would just be during football practice.
Okay, like we didn't really
need to fight but there was a
lot of fights still for sure.
But it's so interesting.
There's there's so much.
Is that normal for you too?
There are Park right
here is the fight zone.
I guess it's right there all the time.
Hit the hormones around
everywhere like and we like had
so we had a bunch of kids that we bust
into like had friends
that were not from like great
neighborhoods and stuff.
So I mean they would get
into fights, but it was honestly
mostly the suburban kids.
That's interesting.
Do you think the culture
still like that there at the high
school like?
I honestly don't know.
Yeah, like I don't know if
you guys have any rivalries like
here between two high
schools that are really bad.
We do.
Yeah, like so we had Western was our
rival high school for
yeah, so Cyprus and Western
which is like a 15-minute drive.
Yeah, like I use my dad's
address to go to Cyprus and then
my mom's was known for Western, but I
remember every single
football game like slam to
the brim like it was like real
rivalry really bad blood.
Yeah, and but we would go
to like parties with them.
They would come to our
parties or whatnot and there would
always be a fight somehow.
Yeah, and then for basketball season is
the craziest because
you're literally confining in an arena a
small arena and every
single year that we played or every game
that we played every
year was there.
They had to call SWAT team.
No way.
It literally looked
like you know the scene.
Have you guys seen Avengers when they
charge each other or
any warm army's charge each
other after every basketball
game?
It looked like that.
Oh my in a parking lot and
it would just turn into like a
melee like girls to or mainly guys.
There was there was some
girls involved was mostly guys.
What now is Western seems fairly
blue-collar to me compared
to maybe West done.
Is that true?
Is there a financial divide there?
Yeah, I mean it depends what part like
every part has their
nice areas.
Yeah, Western
entirely is just a nice area.
Yeah, the people that
it's like a plan community.
That's very well planned.
It's beautiful.
It's clean.
It's it's nice.
It's nice area the person
the architect for Disney is the
person who made okay, so that's why
everything looks super
like neat.
Yeah, it's all one flows.
Yeah, and then but then
Davey the Davey like West Western
area.
There's like trailer parks
and stuff like a little bit
different a little bit
more of a mixed crowd.
Yeah, that's where I have a
picture of Dylan probably four
feet tall practicing lacrosse
with these six foot tall guys
and they're on this little
patch of grass because kind
of wasn't the nicest area and this part
over here is flooded
because of it rained over that picture.
Yeah, that's from Western.
Yeah, total blue-collar vibe.
They switched their whole program.
They're killing it right now.
Yeah from what I see
on the football front.
So playing football in Broward
County for people don't people
that don't know this.
Yeah, it's the
football Mecca of the country.
And so did you have that
vibe when you were playing like
were you guys pretty good
and oh, so we were wearing 8a
which is like one of the
hardest classes because that's
where it's the biggest schools.
But we played st.
Thomas every year.
Wow, and they're always good st.
Thomas like the year we played them.
I played against Nick Bosa Jordan
Scarlett like like I
watched when American
Heritage played against us on ESPN.
I was a freshman.
So I was on JV but my buddies played
varsity and they had I
think they had 12 players go to the NFL.
Well, I stopped that
team alone, which is insane.
Yeah, it's not st.
Thomas's powerhouse.
Yeah, I miss the most historic high
school in the country
for football.
Yeah, we've actually
gone down to games there.
It's been a while, but we'll
go down ESPN will come down.
There's teams coming in from
like Nevada or California or
work.
Texas is the real deal.
It's legit.
What position did you play?
I played defensive end.
I was bigger back.
That's a good position.
Yeah.
We're going up against guys, right?
I was yeah, I was going up
against like left tackles, right
tackles, like 300 pound.
Yeah.
Did you ever have your
sights on playing in college?
I did so to go back to middle school.
I was a receiver for the
whole time was in middle school
when I was this height and I had like
American Heritage come
up to me and say like hey,
you should come play with us.
But I was like I'm gonna go
to Cypress and play with my
friends because
Cypress was good at the time.
Yeah, the States my freshman year.
Yeah, but then when I
realized I wasn't going to be growing
anymore, I was like, all
right, I'm just gonna stick the
defense.
Yeah, and I was like, okay, I
could go play for maybe like
a D2, D3 school and then I
really thought about it my senior
year.
It's like, you know, I'm just
gonna pass up my whole college
experience because like
reality sets in like I'm not going
to the NFL.
Right, right, right.
So I was like, all right,
you know what, I'm gonna go to
college and have a
traditional college experience.
So I know you ended up
going to Florida State.
Did you always want to go there?
So I am the only person in my family to
go to Florida State.
My dad's whole side is all Gators.
No way from my grandma to my cousins.
My grandpa went to UM but
everyone went to Florida.
So what happened there with you?
So I didn't get accepted
at first to any of them.
I thought I was gonna get some like
legacy acceptance at
UF, but I had visited
Orlando and Gainesville before.
I never visited Tallahassee.
I knew I was gonna do community college.
I just had this feeling.
I knew I didn't want to go to Orlando.
Didn't remind me of college town.
Like, yeah, yeah, it's like UCF.
Yeah, it's cool.
Yeah, my friend went to
Valencia and then UF was cool.
But the kids that were going weren't
like, they're my friends,
but they weren't like my really close
friends at the time.
And then I remember calling my buddy,
Fino and my buddy G and
Fino was playing JUCO in
South Carolina, but he was, he had
gotten injured or
something and he was done.
And then my other buddy that lived at
Valencia or went to Valencia,
I go, yeah, I'm really thinking of, you
know, moving to Tallahassee
and going to TCC and then to FSU.
And they go, if you do that, we'll both
leave where we're at right
now and we'll go with you.
Wow.
Cool. So we did that.
That was game over after that.
We went straight to Tallahassee.
I remember we got there like two weeks
early before FSU started
because TCC starts earlier.
Yeah.
And I was like, this is sick.
Like, I can do whatever I want.
Yeah.
This is before any of the
bars or anything were open.
So I was like, already
like, this is amazing.
It's a cool town.
Yeah.
And then when it, when school started and
we were going out and
stuff and then going through like the
rush process for fraternity
and everything like it's,
it's like the American dream.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So did you do the pathways, the TCC
pathways to FSU where you
go to TCC for like a year or something
and then you transfer in?
I did and then I did
horrible my first year.
So that's when I decided I was like,
definitely doing a fifth
year.
Okay.
Okay.
100% doing a fifth year.
And then I took, I honestly took three
years to get out of two
and a half years to get out of TCC.
You were in a frat.
Yeah.
Okay.
I was in Phi Sigma Kappa.
Did you hang out with Kappa Sigma?
So how we started, like how all the other
fraternities started
like intermingling and stuff,
like I had friends that joined
other fraternities and whatnot, but it's
really in the nightlife
scene in Tallahassee.
Like that's huge in the culture.
And I was broke my first year of school
and then like going into
my second year and then I found out how
much bartenders make, how
much barbacks make and I go, I need to
figure out how to get this
job and my buddy, Tony Morassa was a
bartender at Clyde's and he
was like, this is how you do it.
He said, you're going to get a promoter
job first and you're going
to just say the most outlandish shit on
Facebook for your promos
and you're going to get people out.
And that's what I did.
I ended up getting a job at Coliseum at
the time before they closed it
down and then I went to Baja's and I,
after that Baja's, I became
the manager of Baja's.
And yeah, I mean, it was, it was sick.
We were making crazy money every single
weekend because of like how
much kids go out in Tallahassee.
Yeah.
And I remember before that I was like
eating out of a peanut butter jar
and my friends would offer to spot me,
but I was so prideful.
I'd be like, nah, I'm good.
I'm going to figure it out.
Right.
I stretched.
I remember one time I stretched $5 and I
wouldn't ask my parents for
money because I was prideful and I
stretched $5 in a week.
I think I ate a McChicken once a day.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
So I had money to get like
a four local or something.
Yeah.
It's a drink.
Yeah.
Parties.
So, so did you put
yourself through school?
No, I was blessed that
I got Florida prepaid.
Okay.
Okay.
My parents with that, that was the best
blessing I ever got.
Yeah.
To like not have student debt.
Absolutely.
Did you, were they willing to send you
money or able to send you money
just to kind of individuated and say, I
got this type of thing or
Oh, for sure.
Like the first year they would like, they
paid my rent, all this, but
then they're like, need to get a job.
Right.
Right.
I understand.
Like, cause I work, I worked all
throughout high school and like,
yeah, middle school.
Right.
Right.
You know, what's funny is we, we know
every place we've been to
every place you just said.
Yeah.
Oh, sure.
And I think Kaya when she was there, you
were, cause Ali was working
at Baja's when she was there.
So that brings me back to
what we were talking about.
Yeah.
So that's how I know the Kappa Cigs.
Okay.
Cause Ali started working with us and
used a bar back at first and then
he became a bartender and then he would
just start hanging out with us more
and then he would bring like Spencer
around, like Nate around and like
all the Kappa Cigs, like, yeah.
And then we just, you just kind of like
form a group when you're in that
scene with people from
different fraternities.
So we would have friends that were like,
and Pike people that were in
Dell, people that were by six by toss,
uh, Kappa six, it was just a
mixed group of people was really just
everyone that worked at nightlife.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
So, so you're saying it took you, when
did you land at FSU officially?
Would you say like what year?
Cause you were at TCC
working towards to get into FSU.
When did you officially transfer in?
Um, 20.
19.
So with that, what
were you like a junior?
Yeah.
You're a junior.
I was a junior, but you
were living the tally FSU life.
Sounds like from the start.
Oh, for sure.
There's kids that like didn't even go to
school and we're still living that
life.
Like, yeah.
And fraternities and stuff.
There's people our age live in the tally
life and they're kids not at
school in France.
Oh, that's right.
Kids not at school in France. A hundred percent.
Well, I don't know
about the frats, but no.
Yeah, for sure.
Really?
Really.
That's amazing.
That's a lie.
But like you don't find out till years
later, like when we graduated.
Yeah.
Well, I think like you're
saying, it's the American dream.
It's a college town.
It's a party town.
There is an academic side for sure.
There's a state government side for sure.
It's a party town.
Yeah.
100% and yeah.
You're going every night.
Isn't there like a special event every
night almost you could go to?
They like crack down now.
Like they're very strict.
They literally cut down
from I think 20 fraternities.
I think they only have
like seven right now.
Wow.
That's a change in the Greek.
Well, some shit went down.
I'm not getting into it right.
Yeah.
It went down.
So they tightened down the hatches.
Yeah.
And like culture shifted
and everything like yeah.
So what would you say your overall
experience at FSU was all positive
pretty much?
It was.
The one of the best experiences in my
life just because of how
tight knit that community is.
I mean like I started
if no there with my boy.
Okay, so wait explain.
So when did that happen?
2019 he would go around on Snapchat.
Snapchat was very big and he would yell
yo, it's fucking nice out
everywhere and then it started catching
fire and I was like we
should put that on a shirt.
But the phrase is too long.
So we'll make an acronym.
So he would just film himself on Snapchat
walking around outside
and be like yo, it's fucking nice out.
Yeah, he would literally just like
trolling basically but like
yeah, like yelling it yelling it like
every day was that just
to get views just having a good time.
Yeah, okay.
So it's fun.
Just yelling it and
just doing that daily.
Yeah, exactly.
So then we did that that started FSU
obviously and then COVID
hits.
We forget we forgot about it.
This is like 2019.
So we're like, all right,
we did we sold 25 t-shirts.
So you put the I'm sorry to
interrupt but the acronym you
put it on a shirt.
Yeah on the ugliest
shirt you'll ever see.
And that's YIF know, right?
Yo, it's fucking fucking nice.
I want to make it clear.
Yo, it's fucking nice out.
That's YIF know you put it on a shirt and
you sold them to your
friends.
Yeah, we sold like 25 of them to our
friends and then we forget
about it COVID hits.
We're sitting at home doing
nothing and then we're like,
hey, let's try it out again.
Like let's drop them online.
So we created a website
did two drops sold out on it.
That's cool.
And yeah, we went and blew
all the money because we're like
we're at home.
We have nothing to do.
Yeah, like we could get a
hotel room just drink on the beach
and we're like screw it.
We'll do that for like a week and then
end up getting a tattoo
on my leg with with my boy.
Is it YIF know?
Yeah, that's awesome.
That's our old logo.
We just pull a sticker on her thigh.
I really just do this.
That's amazing.
My mom was not happy about that.
Obviously, especially
being a Spanish mother.
She hates that.
I have any tattoos.
Yeah, yeah, but and
also Jewish too, right?
Aren't you they're not big on tattoos.
Yeah, that's not as big anymore.
Okay, you can get admitted.
It used to be where you couldn't you
weren't allowed to be
in a Jewish cemetery,
but I know I know now that
because of Holocaust or whatever, right?
Yeah, so so but now I know that some
cemeteries are allowing
people that have gotten
tattooed because you got to get with
after that with the time.
Yeah, with the times.
Yeah, but yeah, then we did
we did the drops whatever and
then we go back to school.
I go back for my fifth year.
Okay, and this is what I'm saying.
Like how like FSU like we
ride for each other anyone that's
an alumni there 100% like you
can meet in any industry and
like if you say for him,
if you're you have the FSU
connection, you're good.
Yeah, so we come I come back
because my my boys had already
graduated and I'm
going to throw a pop-up.
My friend had a vintage
store that he was opening.
So I tell everyone like the
date that I'm throwing it and two
weeks or a week before he goes.
Hey, like I'm not going
to open the store in time.
Fuck already told everyone this.
Yeah, so I go screw it.
Like I'll throw it on my balcony.
So I threw it on my
balcony in college town.
Well, like the no quarter.
So right behind Sun stop in college town.
Yeah, they they tore down the building
but people were coming
in and out of our apartment
like we were dealing and then we
would we would do it on Sundays because
there was a pool party
across the street at recess.
So I would just all right.
We're opening shop.
You can go here at your balcony.
So on some balcony.
I have like a video of me like writing
down who bought what
if they cash app me like
just running it like that just
shirts at the time.
Yeah, I was just t-shirts and
then like some girl tops, but
some women's tops, but yeah, that's cool.
Though.
How did you get brand awareness to get
the drug dealer line?
In the building?
Just word of mouth.
I guess.
Yeah word of mouth.
We promoted and like we
were so we were in the bar.
Scene.
So we were able to I was
able to so I work at Baja's.
I was able to ask them to do let's say
behind the DJ booth.
They have that giant LED screen.
I was like throw my logo
up there for a little bit.
Just cuz like yeah, they love me.
So they're like, yeah, let's do it.
And then I would go in and I
would have friends that would
all DJ.
So I was like yo throwing a
random tag like it's saying if
no or whatever and like turn
right before the beat drops.
And that's that's
brilliant and they would do that.
Yeah, so then we were
just building it like that.
That's cool.
She had a lot of support.
Oh, yeah, like I'm super blessed.
That's why I say FSU
such a strong community.
It is really like I mean you guys know
what happened yesterday.
Yeah.
Yeah, like my heart prayers
obviously go out to everyone.
Yeah, like I know that FSU so like
tighten it that whatever
anyone needs like they'll be there and I
made my best friends
at FSU.
You guys are tight.
I've noticed that with Nathan
especially he you guys are all
tight.
You know, like we've I feel
like we've known all email for
I don't know how long no eight.
We know Ben back eight
years, you know, all the all these
people and they're all tight.
Yeah, no, I mean are you
still tight with a lot of your
frat brothers?
Oh, yeah, like yeah, I have a
group chat that's going there.
I heard Ben say this.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have a
group chat that's been going
on since I was a soft Ben to yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, like
it's it's an amazing community
in any industry you're in
you're going to meet someone
that went to FSU and like
all right cool like you know,
someone that knows someone
and everyone's usually willing
to help out.
Yeah, so you have you
basically started your if no business
in Tallahassee at Florida
State and from the support of
that community.
Yeah, still supported from that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So then you graduate
and where did you go?
What happened next?
So after I graduate I come
down to well, I moved back home
to Weston for like four months.
I start my corporate job.
Okay, and then from the
beginning of my corporate job.
I said I was going to I
would be out here by the time I
turned 28.
So five years I gave myself
five years and then I was like
I'm really going to focus
on my corporate job and still
do if no, but I'm going to
set myself up financially first
because I don't want to
be like having no money.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So and especially if I need
to fund the brand to yeah, just
taking my money.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I really locked in on
work and I mean I had a great
experience but like the
corporate I didn't want to be
in corporate.
Right.
What were you doing?
I was in logistics.
So as a freight broker, so
I was in sales for logistics
company.
Okay, and like I loved
everyone I worked with their all
cool people great company.
I recently quit.
So at the beginning of
January, but after college.
I was alright.
How do I bring it down to
South Florida with like the
same amount of hype why not
and I get connected with this
guy and he puts me in contact
with the guy that owns a bar
and he said and they're
asking me what do you think about
throwing alumni watch parties?
I was like down to do it, but I'm down.
I'll only do it if you let
me throw a pop-up during the
summer before football
season for my clothing brand.
Okay, so I did that with a buddy.
His name's Austin.
Hi Duke.
He had a brand called black palms.
So we did a collaboration
and we had the whole bar.
We picked the DJs and we
sold our clothes in there and
then earlier that year.
I remember I went to so two
things that happened that had
kind of re-inspired me went to Coachella.
So you did I went to Coachella.
I got my boy game free ticket.
Whatever went out there.
I was like screw it.
I'll go and then I was like, you know
what I'm I'm re-inspired
or like creatively whatever
I'm going to go back and really
like put my foot on the gas went there
and then we all went
to the Belmont Stakes in New
York, which is the horse race.
Yeah, yeah, part of the Triple Crown.
Yeah, yeah, I remember looking at my
buddies and I was like,
I'm going to throw a pop-up out here.
Really?
Are you nuts like what do you
what do you define a pop-up?
Best for listeners.
What is a pop-up?
So a pop-up is a pop-up shop.
So you take over space.
Let's say I can either rent a rent a
space like a storefront
turning into our own and it
could last usually last only a
day for us personally, but some brands
will do it for like a
week or like it'll take
over space for a month.
You could do a pop-up
literally anywhere as long as you
just like even a tent in
the parking lot type of thing.
Yeah, that's a pop-up.
Yeah, like you know when we're at
lacrosse tournaments and we buy goat
stuff and they have a
pop-up.
Yeah, I know you know and I
explain for listeners, but I
think that what you just
described is something that a
lot of people can envision.
Yes, you know, but the
taking over the storefront.
I think that's that's cool.
Yeah, that's the next level.
Yeah.
So that's what I did instead
before you take over a bar,
which is what we did in
Fort Lauderdale and then what a
lot of people don't know is
that you can make a deal with
the bar and you can
make money with the bar.
So you can make money on top of the
clothing and the bar sales.
Wow, that's to get a piece of the tab
because you're bringing
your bringing people in there.
You're bringing yeah, how do you display
your stuff in a bar?
You just get creative
bringing clothing racks.
Okay, you know random places,
but in New York, I said that
so it's my friends like you're crazy.
Whatever.
I was like, this is gonna be
like a real test if I can do
it and I remember I
poured all my money into it.
I negotiated for the storefront in
Tribeca and it was like
a white box storefront empty
and I maxed out all my cards.
I financed the spirit plate.
Wow.
And then when I got there, I was like,
okay, what do I need to do?
I didn't even know they had a Home Depot
in New York to be honest
found out they did got turf from Home
Depot went back to the
pop-up or the space that we
rented out laid everything out
and I was like, I break even a success.
Yeah, and then we I profited off of it.
Wow.
How much merchandise did you bring?
I brought I think oh like 88
pieces of clothing or 88 to
102 pieces of clothing in
that range and then yeah, we like
profited off of it when and like but that
again that just goes
back to the FSU community
too because a lot of my friends
flew up for it.
That's cool, which was like, all right.
This is like and after that
I was like I could do this.
Yeah, and then how did
you advertise for that?
So I the person that I
rented from was the man this guy
named Affram.
He had like a publicist and she put out
something for it and
then I would just we were already
advertising on social media.
So we like hammered social
media with it different ways like
different videos and whatnot.
But yeah, then we threw we
were throwing ones in Miami.
We've done Miami a few times.
Is that a brick and mortar
building too, or is that more
of like an outside tent
pop-up or is that in a real in an
actual building in Miami?
Oh, we do pop-ups.
It's like we'll take over the space.
Oh, so you're always in
yeah, like a building.
I haven't done a market or anything.
Okay.
Okay.
So you're you're setting up
like an actual retail store
environment.
Yeah, like we'll do
like house music events.
We've done comedy shows
because I got I was getting tired
of only doing house music
events and I saw this company
called Kid Super which is
like it creep the owner Kid
Super is the man, calm Delane.
He's a huge inspiration.
But what they did was in
Paris Fashion Week, they had all
the comedians wearing their
clothing head to toe, but that
was the runway.
They were doing sets like
they were do their comedy set.
Oh on the on the actual
runway in their clothes.
And set a runway show.
It was just a comedy show.
Okay, cool.
Well, they were wearing
very creative amazing.
I was like, I could do
that on a local level.
Yeah, I just figured out
how to crack into that.
Have you have you ever done
anything during Art Basil?
During Art Basil.
We know.
Yeah, it's all good.
Basil.
Basil.
I'm not from here.
He's a Jersey boy.
He's a Gen X, sir.
I see shit wrong.
Just the spirit.
So we're planning on
doing something this year.
We don't have anything set in stone
though, but to get a
space during Art Basil is
you got to have some point.
Yeah, so and probably some connections.
I would assume for sure.
Yeah, you got to do like like if we did
it, we would collaborate
with other brands.
Yeah, but then also, yes,
we just did a pop-up method.
We did a pop-up in London in October.
You were in London.
Yeah.
That one happened.
All these like kind of
happen on just do this.
Is it just Tumbleweed or
Snowball where it just leads to
the next one?
Tumbleweed you dated yourself.
I know.
This is Snowball where the
next one leads to the next one
like stepping stones almost.
I don't even know if it's stepping
stones, maybe without
even realizing it, but I
remember a lot in the beginning
last year.
I reached out to a friend
that's from London or lives in
London.
I was like, hey, like I
want to tap into the community
because first of all, fashion is really
blowing up out there
specifically like formal streetwear.
Music is blowing up out here.
They're coming into the States.
I was like, do you know any
up-and-coming artists, DJs,
rappers that I should keep an
eye on or I could send clothing
to and so she sent me a
few pages or of people.
I looked through like
some posts and I liked a post
from this artist called Jack
Marlowe and it was on a flat
22, which is a little
record label and I liked it.
Then I get a DM from flat 22
and they go, how do you know
who we are?
Like whatever I recognize if no.
I was like, oh shit.
I was like, let's get on a call.
I get on a call and person
who answered the phone goes, yo,
what's up, bro?
And I was like fully
thought he's gonna have an English
accent.
Yeah, yeah.
He's like, nah, ironically, his name's
Nick too and he goes,
I went to FSU too.
I'm just a couple years younger than you,
but I remember seeing
if no, like my roommate
had a flag in our apartment.
Wow.
Oh my gosh.
And I was like awesome and
like we had a great conversation.
I was actually just
talking to him earlier.
He's in Brazil, but I was like, okay,
I'll help you all throw
an event with you in Miami
because I have the connections
in Miami.
We're doing a five-year
anniversary party like you can curate
the lineup everything and
it will be a collab event.
But you got to help me throw an event
London and he was like
down.
So he's an American in London.
He's from Sarasota.
Okay.
Oh my gosh.
And he went so his stories
he went to London to study
abroad and he loved the music
scene so much out there that
he just like started his record label.
Wow.
Quick sidetrack on that.
Did you used to go to Nectar shows?
Seattle.
New Year's Eve.
I wasn't a basshead.
You weren't okay.
I tried and I couldn't get into it.
I was more into house music.
Okay.
The reason I'm asking is I
think it was the one in Atlanta.
There were some DJs from the UK.
They were awesome.
And that's where I first learned about
that UK kind of underground
you went I did I used to go with me.
Oh, yeah.
I've been to like four or five.
We went we actually went together a
couple months ago to
go in Miami.
You're lying.
Yeah.
You went to Bay Center three times.
Nathan and I our first one
was Birmingham him Ben and I.
Yeah, then we went to I think
Atlanta and then Greensville.
No Louisville Louisville.
We went to Louisville
Green Greensboro Greensboro.
So they used to go.
I love Nectar.
He totally got into his weird shit.
Yeah, the mute musically.
Now.
Yeah, I like it.
That's like their King a hundred.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So he started off just going
with Nathan and the boys and
then the last couple
times I would go to and Dylan.
Dylan was little and while
they were at Bay Center, it was
New Year's Eve.
We Dylan and I would have a
fancy dinner in the town we were
in so we would have our fancy dinner
while they're all at
base because then Kaya
started going his daughter.
Yeah, and so it was like a
tradition our New Year's Eve.
What are you doing?
Wherever base sector is the whole
family's going and you
have to edit out last name,
but you'll have to remind me
after this.
I'm not going to tell the story.
Yeah.
I've got a funny one about
Nathan and Ben up in Birmingham.
Oh my God.
A few months ago.
He never told me this.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And a few months ago, he was
in Miami and so we went with
New Year's and and yeah,
no, we went not to that.
I mean that we were there
for New Year's and we were with
all the boys like Ben and Nathan and a
bunch of Colin and a
bunch of kids.
It's funny, right?
Because when I would go, I'm
the only I was the only dad,
but to your point all those kids their
kids to me right here.
Guys are all kids to me.
They're you know, they would
give Nathan to share, you know,
your dad.
They're like, no, he's cool.
He's cool.
So I fit right in when
we were there undercover.
Every time I went there's
about five guys there my age and
the kids thought we were
Narx and the cops all thought we
were drug dealers.
So it's like you're walking
around, you know, yeah, it's
funny because in the New Year's one, my
solo, we actually had
two kids come come up to us.
A guy and a girl and they were like
interviewing us like in
a way like so why are you here?
And did you just come here
on your own like like we were
lost.
We're like, no, we enjoyed like is this
your first time right
now.
So yeah, but so that was that was our
exposure and you know,
Nathan DJing.
Yeah, for God so, you know,
he exposed us to the DJ world,
but he wasn't really into
house music at least then so we
had a lot of exposure to that.
Although we did go to EDC
and Universal or not Universal
Orlando and there was there
was a decent amount of house
music at EDC.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
It's like half and half.
I mean, I tried getting into
that bass scene a little bit,
but I just wasn't for me.
Yeah, I like house music.
It's sick.
It's sick though.
Don't get me wrong.
Like I like I could take
some of it but some of it's way
too heavy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, it for sure.
For sure.
Like one of my buddies, the
one I started Yifne with Tony
we went to his bachelor
party in North Carolina and Nate
and all them told him that
this one DJ ruined everyone's
time.
Like everyone like got
freaked out by this one DJ.
I mean, but we're sitting there and we're
having a nice dinner
where like Bruce Chris or whatever.
Yeah, like it's a bachelor party.
So whatever.
Yeah, he was I want to go to this.
I was like why he just told
you that his set ruin everyone's
time.
He's like, yeah, I
want to freak out there.
Like it's extra party.
We'll go we went and it
was insanely like bad.
Oh, no, I thought it like for me
personally and we were like
him and our other boy.
They're like we're gonna
stay and and we're like you're
sure you guys are gonna stay you.
Yeah, you want us to stay is
like no, no, you guys can go
like I want to I want
to sit through this.
Oh my gosh, that's dedication.
I have a question just to go
back to your UK experience.
What was the logistics there?
How do you get your product there?
How do you deal with the financial
transaction part of it
in converting money
back or is it all cash?
How do you do that?
Mostly the product side.
How do you get it there and deal with it?
So I just had my manufacturer send it
straight over to London
to where my buddy was staying or live
because then it would
just be like a whole thing
to do it from America to here.
Yeah, I got samples
before that were on point.
So I was able to promote the product a
little bit like tease
it. Yeah, and then in terms of like
collecting money and
whatnot, there's Zelle cash
app anything that but we also
have card readers so they can
just have to pay right there.
Okay, so it's very it's
a very seamless process.
Yeah, but even though
sometimes the when you want the tap
to pay to work, it stops working.
It happened to us.
It's the worst of Billy's strength.
Yeah, we were trying to buy
something from someone and it
stopped working for him and he was like,
we're so ahead of their credit cards.
Yeah, so not a really strange is like it
sold out immediately.
I remember I was buying
tickets for my cousin.
Oh, yeah, we love you know, we were in
August for three days.
My buddy's up in
North Carolina right now.
Yeah, so jealous.
Yeah, so when you see you
started you know, did you with
your brother or with because
I know you said he's a part of
it who did Carl.
Oh, so we'll edit that out.
Yeah, it was your friend at FSU.
So right the two of you or
just yeah, it was just you first
and then and what's his
name Tony Marasa Tony.
Okay, and then then did you
acquire more partners in this
business?
No, like we had gotten
offers from people like trying to
invest like I was able to back it myself.
Yeah, and like it's I think it
gets messy when it's too many
hands in the pool
reason to yeah, exactly.
Especially at that at
the stage that we were at.
Mm-hmm.
So it was just us two and then
he kind of didn't really want
to do it anymore.
So I was like, I'm
gonna keep running with it.
Yeah, and then my brother
had his own brand in Penn State
and then he was like, oh
like I want to get more involved
with if no like kids
like it out like here.
Yeah.
And when he graduated our first
graduation gift, I gave him
5% equity.
Wow.
Like congratulations like graduate.
Whatever and then he goes, okay, but I
want to be a part of
it.
I want to like help you out.
What not?
I go.
Yeah, let's do it.
So he takes care of
like the graphic design.
I sit there will go over and
we'll design everything together
like he knows like the
technical part of it like how to
run Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Cool.
I refuse to show myself.
So it's the two of
you two of us right now.
So it's a family business.
Yeah, but we have a team now.
Okay, so and then he takes
care of like the accounting and
everything.
Wow, because great
because I hate that part.
But we have Mika who does creative and
styling and she does
all our women's lines because
we like we released a bikini
line last year and her and
this other girl Lily, but it's
mostly me right now.
And then we have my friend Fino the kid
that I told you went
from JUCO and moved in with me at FSC.
He's been my friend since I was 11.
Yeah, and he is the vibe engineer and he
handles the logistics
of our events.
Okay, and also I throw him in the videos
because he's actually
a good actor.
And then we have our videographer Gonzo.
We work with a couple different
videographers, but he's like
my main guy and then my buddy
Justice has done work for us
in the past and he's like going to be one
of the best directors
ever.
He's nasty.
He does music videos and short films.
Okay, and then we are
launching a like radio station, but
it's a playlist on Apple Music and
Spotify and I have my
friend Vince whose DJ name
is Triz and he'll be curating
the playlist.
So we have that too.
So we're doing different aspects.
So you've created a culture.
You're creating a culture.
Yeah, we're world building.
So like yeah, that's I'd like to think
that yes, I'm building
a brand and I'm building a
business, but for the most part
everything's been built on community.
Like it is a fully a
community of people like we have all
DJs and creatives.
We reuse like not reuse not a
good word for it, but we work
alongside with right.
We collaborate with companies like it's
just about you know,
growing the community now like it's
expanded from just being
my group of friends buying the shirts
right to people that
don't even know who I am
that are buying the shirts like
I've had.
I hear it.
No.
Is it that I don't know you
heard that right the static.
Yeah.
Something with your phone.
Okay.
Sorry.
You're saying like I've had
oh, so so it's gotten to the
point where people that don't
even know who I am are buying
the clothing like I remember
I was at a festival at three
points three years ago in Miami and I was
walking with a couple
of my buddies and some kids stopped me.
And he goes where'd you get that?
I was like, what do you mean?
I was pretty drunk at this point.
Yeah, and I go what do you mean?
He's he goes I know I've
never seen that that design before
like no way and I was kind of like
confused by the whole
situation because and he
goes yeah, like some kid at FSU
started it and like started
like talk like telling me my
story.
That's wow.
Was he accurate?
He was yeah, he's very
accurate and I was like, oh I was like
you know, so how do
you how'd you get that?
I was like, I made it like
this is my it's my brand in my
buddy's brand and he goes
can we take a picture and I was
like, yeah, and it was
such a surreal moment.
It was very inspiring that
had to have been so surreal.
I was shocked.
I'm sure to have
someone tell you about you.
Yeah, and that they're they you've
inspired them to the
point where they are sharing
about you and happen to be to
you.
That's that's amazing.
And it's not like we're a huge brand.
So I was like, I was like, yo, this is
yeah, that was cool.
My my buddy that was like
dude, I'm kind of pissed that
happening because your head
is gonna get bigger than it
already is.
No, but you know, I think
when there's a brand that's
authentic and does good things people
they they people aren't
stupid and they see stuff for
what it is, especially Gen Z
and younger Millennials,
you guys you don't put up with
shit.
And so if you see something
that's fake, I think you can
figure that out pretty fast.
And so it makes sense that you've
acquired such a strong
following because
you're coming from a place.
It's real, you know, and I think that
people feel that and
see it, you know, whether it's to the
clothing through the
designs or through what
you and your team represents.
So I'm not surprised because
usually with that people you
have a loyal following
obviously if he approached you
like that.
So cool.
I mean, it's just you can tell when
someone's not genuinely
doing something.
Yeah, and you can tell when these
companies are trying to
do cash grabs and whatnot,
which a lot of companies do like
there's brands that there's a
hundreds of brands that came
out of FSU.
They're there today gone tomorrow.
Yeah, your friends that you see on
Instagram and if you're
not pouring the money back into the brand
or into the community,
it's not like I'm here to
give something here to create
something.
Yeah, then I'm able to
like pass down to my kids.
I have a question on that.
So just your organizational structure.
I know your brother has an
equity stake, but is that are
you the rest of it?
Are you the owner with him?
Yeah.
All right.
So what's cool?
I mean you you spoke about
your team and you get it already.
You're a young guy.
But you get it already the
value of your team and being
inclusive about them and
recognize their importance.
Pretty cool that you've got that already.
I'm totally sure where I was
going, but it feels like the
entrepreneurial side of you you've got
this worked out where
you've recognized your
your one piece your role.
You've built some other roles around you.
How'd you kind of figure that out?
Did you how did you see
stumble into that or how did that
evolve and how long did it take you to
get from A to B like
to really get to this point?
Would you say well honestly,
I'm still figuring out so it
took it took a long time for me.
I'm not a long time.
We've been around for five
years or years really taking it
serious, but it took a long time for me
to like trust people
with the brand because at the
end of the day, it's my baby.
Mm-hmm, but I'm a firm
believer that like people really
want to help you ask someone for help.
They're going to help you and
like people were just openly
wanting to help like for
example, like I met Mika and she's
dating my cousin, but before she was
dating my cousin, she
is cousins with one
of my friends from FSU.
So we're there at a Super Bowl party and
then I just see like
oh she does she's
really good with clothing.
She's good with styling.
I was like, oh like would you
be open to like being part of
the team and then Fino is my best friend.
So I'm obviously like, yo, I
want you I want you to figure
out a role for you.
I'm gonna go out roll for him.
My brother's my brother obviously Gonzo.
I met two years ago on a video because
his business partner
couldn't do it.
I've noticed business partner
since high school Matt Liebman
and he did a shoe with me
and we clicked like that.
So we're like, all right cool.
You're on the team Vince
who's doing the if no FM.
I've known Vince since I was
I want to say a freshman in
high school.
Maybe maybe we crossed
paths in middle school, but I've
always wanted to do work with him.
Like I only work with good
people like I refuse to like
I've turned down collaborations.
I've turned down
opportunities where I could have made a
good amount of money just because I
didn't like like the
vibe of what was going on
and it didn't feel authentic.
I think that's a I think there's a
balance of finding out.
Yes, you should take these
opportunities, but there is a
lot of opportunities that
you shouldn't take because in
the long run, it's going to hurt.
Yeah, yes, you can make the
money right now or you can
let it marinate let it grow
and like key to your authentic
vision.
It's a it's an interesting
thing because we've had some
opportunities and we're in
that where we started this like
a year ago, like we're
talking right and and and it just
happens and then you start
here and now you're here and
and it's it's gone pretty well.
I think you know better
than if we ever anticipated or
imagined and there's those
opportunities since your point
were like, okay, it's got to
fit and it's got to feel right
and feel good or else it's
just not going to happen.
So it sounds like you're
applying that same logic.
You know, it's almost a gut in a sense.
Yeah, 100% and this is your guys's baby.
I'm sure like yeah in a sense.
I mean other than our three babies.
Yes, exactly.
But like this is like your guys.
This is your thing.
We're we've created.
Yes.
Yeah.
So and you want it to go in
the direction you wanted to
go to.
Yeah.
I mean, we've done like for if no, it's
been a lot of development.
So I can I have the first shirt we ever
made to shirts that we
haven't released yet
and it's night and day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So and the brand it used to be more like
I mean Friday if you
want to say lack of a better word, but as
we're getting older,
like those don't align those
values don't align with what I
want.
So I can't be fake and promote something
like I remember when
I first moved down here from college.
I was getting offers from
people to throw events for spring
break.
I said no every single time because I
didn't want to be a college
brand.
I want to yeah, like I
wanted to be a household name.
I don't necessarily want it to
be like I don't want it to be
the biggest brand in the world.
If it happens, it happens, but I want it
to stay authentic to
who I am and who the team
is and who our community is.
How with that approach, how are you
scaling it like operationally
and say marketing wise?
What's your strategy there to scale?
For so we don't take any money out of it.
Like the only time we'll
take money out of is to pay the
people that are actually working on
projects that we need to
pay but we'll just continue to snowball
and roll it into the
next collection.
So let's say one collection sells X
amount will put it into
the next collection and that
collection is going to sell
more than the last one
because there's more money into it.
So that's how we've been scaling.
I mean down the line at some point, I
mean, I listen to hit
the lotto or something.
We're gonna have to get an investor.
Yeah, yeah, but I've
always been weary of it.
The only way I would take an investor.
I think is if it was a strategic
investor, like it needs to
be someone that can teach me
something about growing the
business.
Yeah, yeah, 100% because right now.
Still figuring out the
operation still figuring out like
fine-tuning certain things.
Yeah, like getting
everything down pack and that's why at
like last year's when we really started
like building a team
up because at the end of the
day, yes, I can figure out how
to do everything but for me to do
everything it's not going
to be all great, but I can get great
people and put them in
the position to do those jobs.
Yeah, you can't scale it
if you're doing everything.
Yeah, I don't have the bandwidth.
I don't have time in the day
to think one is and your team.
You've been able to vet all of them.
Some of them you've
known since you were 11.
So that's a nice way to but it sounds
like the people you've
surrounded yourself with are
you can't 100% trust and you
can go you can go back to
where you've met them and it was
in a real and authentic way and the
relationship is real
and authentic and being able to trust
people around you in
this situation.
I'm as priceless.
I would assume you know,
because people get screwed over
all the time in business 100%.
I mean my people know
that our on my team.
Once we get to that level
everybody's going to yeah 100%
and we've been blessed with
opportunity like I like we are.
Me as a person and we as a brand are
extremely resourceful
because of like people we know
that that goes back to people
are willing to help.
Yeah, like one of my friends.
We did a photo shoot or a
video shoot on an airboat in the
Everlades my buddy.
That's my buddy Matt is older brother
owned the airboat and
he let us use it for the shoot.
That's cool.
So like people think we have
these crazy budgets for shoots,
but it's like we're getting blessed.
Yeah, like really like people are just
letting us use their
space letting letting us
use like props and whatnot and
like one you could have a hundred
thousand dollar budget
and not know what to do with it.
Yeah, you got to blow all the money or
you could have a smaller
budget like let's say like a $2,000
budget and that forces
you to think on your feet
and it unlocks that creativity
with the side of you to figure it out.
So as far as creativity
because you there's got to be a
feeling of pressure right to
come up with the next thing the
next thing or even the next video.
What are we going to do the next line?
Do you ever encounter
blocks creative blocks with that?
For sure.
Like that was one of the biggest
obstacles that had to learn
to overcome but to overcome
the creative block you need
consistency.
So you need to keep doing it, but I also
do think you need to
take a step back sometimes
and like give yourself a little
bit of a break because right like like
yeah, hustle cultures
is a real thing.
And I think yes, you should be working on
it as much as possible
and put your full effort.
But if you're just burnt out, you're
going to give people half-ass
product.
Yeah, because you're not there fully.
So sometimes you need to take
a break not look at anything
that goes back to like doom
scrolling like if I'm doom
scrolling, I'm looking at a bunch of
other things and I get
influenced by it.
So I'll put my phone away not
look at it and just write down
start writing down ideas
that are more original.
So then we'll use that and
that's usually when I do my best
work.
Do you ever get a break?
Are you ever able to
unplug from what you're doing?
Football season.
Yeah.
Okay.
So answer college or pro or both?
I love both.
I mean, you know how hard it
was with FSU this year though.
Yeah, yeah.
But a football like I the
first football Sunday every year
falls on my birthday week.
So that is literally my I work crazy in
the off season so that
I can enjoy Saturday and Sunday football.
Yeah, because there's nothing
better than waking up knowing
you don't have shit to do.
Yeah, and then you go to
Publix you get all your junk food.
You can talk to Nate.
You see me a crazy amount of food.
I've eaten probably 5,000 calories in
front of it in a sitting
and then sit there for seven hours of
commercial free football
until then going into the night game.
Yeah, and then that is
my full palate cleanse.
I'm back on Monday.
I'm back and I'm ready to get out.
Yeah.
So it's the off season now.
All right.
How much do you sleep
and how much do you work?
What's your balance?
I probably work on you.
If no, probably on average
10 hours a day 12 hours a day.
Then you have to factor
in working out eating.
I've been better with my sleep.
I used to only be able to
sleep like five hours a night.
Yeah, four or five hours a night
sometimes six, but now my
sleeps got better.
So I've been sleeping seven hours.
That's great.
So six to seven is and then
if eight I'm on like top tier
level.
Yeah, it's unreal.
It's like you took a drug right.
I get eight.
I'm I'm dead.
I've overslept if I don't get if I get
less than I got to have
six.
That's it.
Yeah, if I get six to
eight, I'm on the ball.
I wake up.
I can get out of bed and just
immediately start like start
working.
Yeah, but if I get like nine
ten like you might stick with
working like I'm done for the.
Totally.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's tough.
Eight feels like I can
take on the world, honestly.
So as you were building this brand,
how did you get over not
caring what others think?
Like how did you
continue to believe in yourself
and believe in this dream
and not get imposter syndrome
or not be worried
about what others might say
and how did you judge you?
I think it starts with
not comparing yourself
to other people, especially
when it comes to the brand.
For me, it wasn't
really me comparing myself
to other individuals.
Like I've always had
extreme confidence in myself,
but yeah, there is moments
where I had imposter syndrome.
Like, oh, we would do a big
event or it would be a success,
but then it's like,
yeah, but it didn't do this.
So it started being like
in my head a little bit,
like, okay, what's the next thing?
Which is a good thing and a bad thing.
It's a blessing and a curse.
It's like, okay, what's the next thing?
How can we improve?
But you need to really take a step back
and be in the present moment,
which is something I've
learned over the past two,
like year or two of
just like, okay, I'm here.
Yeah. This is sick.
All my friends are here.
I have so much support.
I'm blessed to even be
in the position that I am
and it could always be worse.
The thing that I think
people lose sight of is,
like caring is cool,
especially if it's
something that you love,
like a brand, if you like tuning cars,
like literally any
anything, as long as you love it,
and you care about it, it's cool.
There's a lot of people
that will try to be like,
there's like this whole
nonchalant thing that's going on,
which is like, all right,
like you're too cool for school.
Like I get it, but
it's to a certain point.
Like if you don't care
about what you're doing,
then who else will type of deal?
Like people are gonna
see right through that.
If you're like just trying to,
only some people can pull
off the mysterious like,
oh, I can drop a collection
or I can drop a song every five years
and it'll always be a hit
and I'll have that like super strong
like fan base community or whatnot.
But for the majority of
people, that's not how it is.
Right, right.
So are you saying that
there's kind of this mystery trend
in brands happening where
people are trying to act,
not trying to act,
but are just acting
like they really don't care
and it's whatever? I
think it's in general.
I think people are like,
yeah, I'm gonna be kind of like low key,
like on purpose though.
Okay. Not,
because there's people that are just
naturally like that.
Oh, so you mean like in life,
just having kind of a
vibe of just like, whatever.
Yeah, it's like brands
that'll do it sometimes.
Like when brands will say they don't
wanna post, whatnot.
Like yes, certain people
have certain aesthetics,
but I think a lot of times
it's an excuse not to do it.
Well, I think what you're describing is,
I almost feel like you're
saying there's some people
that are just full of shit in there.
I'm trying to be low
key because it's my shtick
and I'm full of shit.
And then there's other
people who just are that way
and it's genuine and
it's authentic, right?
In some ways they may
be the creative genius
who can pull that off and it's real.
And it's like, wow, that's really cool.
But then there's other
people just full of shit
and they're trying to do it
and you can tell the difference.
Yeah, like I can give an
example of like a rapper.
So there's rapper Playboy Cardi.
Super, Nate definitely
knows who Playboy Cardi is.
Yeah, and so does-
I feel like I've heard them.
Yeah, and no, it's not a them, right?
It's him.
No, I mean the name.
Yeah, our youngest 15 year old.
For sure, let's see.
Yeah, yeah.
So he just released an album
for the first time in five years,
but he is like off the grid.
No one knew where he was at.
If you would pop up
somewhere, you'd see a photo of it.
But it was like very, very rare.
And he has an extremely loyal fan base
and he barely shows his face sometimes.
But he's able to do that.
That's creative genius.
If you're able to do
that, that's your thing.
That's amazing.
But there's a lot of people
who will try to adopt that.
And then they're just kind of shooting
themselves in the foot
because that's not who they really are.
And then I see it a lot with,
I guess I could kind of correlate it to,
you know when you have friends and stuff
that are starting
companies or brands or anything
and they seem like
they're gonna take it serious,
but then in reality, they just pick it up
and put it down after a
few months or whatever
and they're not really taking it serious.
So when we were starting
out and even to this day,
people were like, oh,
let's collab on this
or let's do this.
And then it took time for me to be like,
if you're not gonna take this
as serious as I'm taking it,
why would we work together?
Like you're my friend still, I love you.
But I'm only gonna be working with people
that are taking what
they're doing seriously.
Right.
Just as much as I am.
Right.
It's almost getting
past yourself and your ego
and not caring what others think
and caring about your work
and investing in your work
and not giving a shit
about anything else.
Yeah, I mean, that's,
because at the end of the
day, like you're the person,
you're the most,
you're your biggest critic
at the end of the day.
Yeah.
You're gonna judge yourself the most.
So it's kind of getting over that hump.
And I mean, I'm sure
most people go through it.
I definitely went through it.
I could go through it sometimes still,
like I'll be looking
at a video that I post
and I'll just sit there and the clip
might be a second long
and it takes me 20 minutes to post it
because I'm like, the angle, right?
Are people gonna look at this?
No one's really
diving that deep into that.
Right, it's so true.
And you can paralyze yourself with that.
So you have to at some point be like,
this is my creation or our creation.
And it almost doesn't
matter how it's received
because we're proud of this
work and it's coming from us.
And our job is to put it out there
and whoever it's
supposed to resonate with,
it will resonate with.
And if it doesn't resonate with some,
it wasn't meant for them.
So we're trusting
that it's going to end up
in the right hands.
Yeah, you explained that beautifully.
I just have a voice in my head that goes,
stop being a bitch.
Yeah.
(laughing)
Like honestly, like
I've had in my whole life
where it's like, you're
being a bitch right now,
just do it.
Just do it, just trust the universe.
It's going to end up
where it's supposed to.
Let me think that inner
voice is what comes through.
And then maybe it's
quick, don't be a bitch.
You just summed up in, don't be a bitch.
What's that four or five words?
But she took 50 words to say.
Yes.
But it's the same impact, I think.
So you said you sold out,
did you sell out of
everything in New York
when you went up there?
No, but we profited.
But you profited.
Have you had a
situation where you've sold out?
Oh yeah, we've sold out on a collection
like 24 hours before.
No way.
Yeah, but we've also had
collections sell out in 24 hours
and we've had a
collection that we dropped
and you sell three t-shirts.
So it's like, okay,
that's why if you're in it
for the long haul, you're
in it for the long haul.
Like it sucks when you
put that much work in
and then it's like a
couple of your friends bought it
because they're your friends.
I mean, obviously
appreciate that more than anything,
but then it's like, all
right, how do we fine tune this
and get it to where
we're selling out in 24 hours
or selling out in a week
or selling out in two weeks
or even a month?
Like at the end of the
day, this is the long game.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Can you think of what you would consider
your biggest lesson so far
or what you've, one
lesson you've learned so far,
even if one's too big a couple?
I would say perfectionism
is the killer of progress.
So if you're sitting
there and overthinking,
like what we just said, basically,
that's gonna stop you
from moving forward.
That's one thing, like
you're getting in your own way.
It's not gonna be perfect.
It's better if you put
something out in the world
rather than hold it back
until you think it's perfect
because it's never gonna be perfect.
And then another lesson.
That's a pretty good one.
Thank you.
I think my buddy told me this once.
He said, "Sometimes you
gotta dig yourself a hole
to see if you can get out of it."
So I think, yeah, you gotta,
you have to keep messing up
and you gotta be able to take losses
because without those,
you're not gonna win.
You need to know what it feels to lose
so you can know what
it feels like to win.
You can't have one without the other.
And you only experience that
if you are challenging yourself,
if you're living an authentic life,
if you're participating in life
and not being an NPC, honestly.
Because if you take the safe way always,
you're never gonna really know
what that true joy and
accomplishment feels like
if you're just kind of staying flat line.
And there's huge risks
there and there's downs
and can get dark.
But then like you said,
you know when it's light,
you know when you're up.
And it's such a great
feeling of accomplishment.
You can't describe it to
someone right until you're there.
No, it's euphoric, honestly.
Yeah, so when you
sold out of collections,
was that online?
Yeah, so let's say,
we'll always drop the collection online.
And then if it's one of
our major collections,
like your spring,
summer, or fall, winter,
we'll tie an event to it.
So we'll always give
people that go to the events
first dibs on it.
And if we need to make
more of it for the online,
we'll make more of it for the online.
But if we don't sell out at the event,
then we'll push the stuff online as well.
But we also do collections that are
strictly online based.
Okay, and besides your
past t-shirts now, right?
You have t-shirts, I call
them t-shirts or shirts.
What else, what other apparel?
So we've released jackets,
we've released work
pants, like utility pants.
We've done obviously
hats, hoodies, sweaters,
sweatpants, women's tops.
We've done women's like, like sport
dresses kind of deal.
Like athleisure.
Athleisure.
And then we've also,
now we're dipping into,
for our new collection, we're gonna
release like silk scarves,
like silk bandanas.
We've done bikinis.
We're gonna do swim
shorts for men, button downs.
We're gonna start doing as well.
And then--
Kind of like what, what about
what you're wearing right now?
Are you going to be releasing?
This is just a blank.
Okay.
So like we may or may not do this,
but we have one right now in the works
that we're releasing
short sleeve and long sleeve.
And then, yeah, I mean, just keep--
It's amazing.
Continuing to up the
quality on everything.
That's amazing, honestly.
Important question here.
Where can our listeners buy your product?
Where can they find it?
I'm gonna put it on the YouTube for sure.
And we'll make sure to
blast it out there, but where?
Yifno.com.
Yifno.com, all right.
Y-I-N-F-O.
Y-I-F-N-O.
Yeah, sorry.
Yo, it's fucking nice out.
So you said you quit your job in January.
That is, so you are
ahead of your goal, right?
Cause you said before you turned 28,
you wanted to do that and
you're 20, am I right there?
27, yeah.
So you're ahead of the goal,
which is congratulations on that.
Thank you.
But was that a little
terrifying to make that decision
or did you jump in with both feet?
No problem.
For sure, like it's less security.
Yeah.
So it's like, all
right, like I had my job,
but I mean, I was ready.
When I went in, like it
was a little nerve wracking,
but I went in there, I
looked at my manager,
and my manager's a good,
one of my boys, good people.
He's like, damn, I thought I
had you for like one more year.
I was like, it's time brother.
And then I just left and honestly,
it was like a weight off my shoulder.
Cause then you can
completely devote all your time
now to Yif now, right?
Oh yeah, I mean, I was
already basically doing it
when I had my job.
Like I would do everything
I needed task-wise at work.
And then I would just
like start doing my thing.
How is that though,
now having all the time
to devote to Yif now?
Oh, it's amazing.
Like I wake up every day,
like I wake up every day
regardless, happy that I woke up.
But that the fact that I
can go and have the freedom
to do what I do now, it's insane.
Like I'm moving to New York on May 5th.
That's exciting.
Why did you make that decision?
I lived in Florida my whole life.
I'm young.
And then also to grow the
brand, that's the next step.
And I'm always gonna
have to be back and forth
between New York and Miami.
New York and Miami
because we can't just neglect
our community down here.
So we're still gonna throw events here.
We're still gonna have a
collections based in here.
But then also we need to grow the seeds
that are out in New York
that we've already planted
from the first time we
did a pop-up out there.
And then also the
fashion capital of the world.
Yeah.
Like if you make it there, you're good.
That's what the song says.
It's true though.
Have you done anything since
that first pop-up up there?
Have you done anything else up there?
No, I haven't.
But I have a lot of friends
that do events down there.
Like we're gonna do a pop-up at,
I don't know if I should like,
really, I'll give you
guys an inside scoop.
Yeah, we're gonna do a
pop-up at my friend's restaurant
at some point.
Like, yeah, we're gonna do
some cool things out there.
Now is your whole team going up with you?
No.
Okay, so they're staying down here.
Yeah, we don't have the funds to do that.
Okay.
So you got, obviously the
world is now easy to work
wherever you are.
You guys will be able to still do
everything you do together.
And you said you'll
still be down here as well.
Going back and forth.
Playing right away.
Playing right away.
So that's, and you
have a community up there,
friends already?
Yeah, I have a good
amount of people up there.
And anyways, my brother lives in Boston.
So we operate through
like Google Meet and stuff.
Okay, okay.
Or when he comes to visit.
Yeah.
So that's exciting.
This is a huge moment for you.
I'm very excited.
You've quit your job.
You're fully with the if no now
and are moving to New York.
That's amazing.
Thank you.
It's pivotal.
And you're at the
beginning of another phase
of this business.
It's exciting.
Think about it.
You were saying, you
had to stretch five bucks
or something like that and if it's you,
now you've got this
brand, it's on its way
and you're heading to the
fashion capital of the world.
It's fucking awesome.
Thank you.
Yeah, you should be so
proud of yourself, honestly.
Cause this also
required you to make some smart
and probably tough decisions at times.
And you did that as well.
This doesn't just happen.
So the people that you
surrounded yourself with
and taking risks and
having the courage at times
to not care what others
think and just go for it.
So hopefully you can be
present in this moment
and really see it for what it is.
Cause it's a big deal.
Yeah, for sure.
I appreciate that first of all, but yeah,
it's been soaking in.
It's as the days get closer to it,
I'm very, very excited.
And I mean, again, we're
gonna be back and forth.
Maybe I'll be a snowbird.
Yeah, just not an
annoying one at Costco, please.
No, no, I'm good.
Get run into you getting free food.
Yeah.
Do you guys do any, are you
involved with any charities,
the business or with you personally?
Yeah, so we host a
charity basketball tournament
every year, well, we're two years in now.
We're gonna host our
third one up in 2026,
but it's named after my friend that
passed away in 2020.
His name is Gerard Reed.
So we call it the G
classic, Nick's name was G.
So it's called the
Gerard Reed Foundation.
And we donate to the Boys and
Girls Club of Broward County.
That's wonderful.
Yeah, so we donate to
the boys and girls club.
Is that something, is the foundation
something you started
or something his family started?
I started it.
You did.
I started it with my friend, Fino,
my buddy Anthony
Palermo and Santio Campo.
Where did you learn
to give back like that?
Because that's really
mature, I think, seasoned,
that not everybody does it.
There's plenty of
successful entrepreneurs
that never get the concept of the
community and giving back.
Where did you get that?
So throughout my entire life,
even since I was a little kid,
my mom was always involved
with charity, mom and dad,
but specifically my mom.
So when I was three,
four, five years old,
she would take me to Peru
and would go to orphanages
and I would go and like give toys to kids
and like play with the kids and stuff.
So I was a baby too.
And then when we moved over here,
she was a part of the rotary.
So they would do a
bunch of charity programs
and we would always
be involved with that.
And then when I was in college,
she got involved with
an organization called
Anca de Suimido Sinaxion,
so Angels United in Action,
where they would give back
to these really
impoverished communities in Peru,
like these little villages
that didn't have clean water.
So we would go out there.
Well, I wouldn't go out there.
You need to get
military access to go out there
because of how bad it is.
My mom went once and they
give them all backpacks,
school supplies,
computer and like running water
and irrigation systems.
So there's a water tower in
Peru that has like a giant,
if no, no way.
No way.
Yeah, I have a picture of it.
You slid it in there?
That's amazing.
Yeah, so we did that
and we, every December,
we'll donate like a big
portion of our profits
to their organization for the
holidays, like for Christmas.
You have no does?
Yeah.
So in addition to the charity basketball,
you still are supporting in Peru as well.
Yeah, right now it's
a little bit difficult
just because of like the
political climate out there,
but once it gets a
little bit more cleared up,
hopefully I can go out there.
When you can.
Yeah, I wanna go out there for sure.
How proud is your mom of you
and what you've accomplished?
I think my mom and dad
are pretty proud of me.
Yeah, you should
include your dad in it too.
I was just thinking of
her as the entrepreneur,
but I bet your parents are
super proud and supportive,
right?
Oh, extremely.
Like I have the most
supportive parents in the world.
Like obviously they're a little,
they don't, they want me
to live out what I wanna do.
They don't really, they're gonna be sad
that I'm going to New York.
Yes.
For sure.
Like I can tell what they're like,
go like you need to go do this.
If you feel like you need
to go do this, then go do it.
And they've supported me
throughout my whole life.
Like they're the people
that built the confidence
within me and my little brother.
100%.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I love that you and your
brother are in it together.
And I know they love that too.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, now that's cool.
So is there a concept behind,
besides yo, it's fucking nice out,
but is there another
concept behind the brand
as far as, I thought
something with the senses.
Yes.
So I think it's water.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. Do you need to pour more for yourself?
No, I'm good.
Okay.
Yeah.
So the plan is we just came
up with this plan this year
actually is we wanna touch on, we're
world building, right?
Okay.
So we're not, we're a brand,
but a brand creates, a
good brand creates a world.
So the five senses,
hearing, sight, smell, touch,
Taste.
And taste.
So right now we're
working with this company
or this girl that makes candles.
So we made our own scent.
No way.
So we're gonna start introducing that
in all of our popups.
And then at some point
we'll release it to the public,
but we want to relate
the smell with the events.
You won't smell that
unless you're at the event.
Brilliant.
And then we're looking to
partner with a wine company
to do white wine because
white wine is more of a daytime
drink rather than red wine.
I like red wine, don't get me wrong.
But that's taste right there.
Yeah.
And then the touch is
the touch of the clothing.
Like the fat, the
fat, studying over here.
The fabrics we use is the touch.
The sight or seeing is the icons we use,
the graphics we use.
And then for hearing,
it's the curated playlist.
Yeah, that's awesome.
So that's the five senses right there.
And then we like to say
the phrase go outside,
which is literal and figurative.
Because at the end of the day,
yeah, you need to get
outside, you need to touch grass.
Because there's a lot of
people that lock themselves
in their houses and I
think that is a gateway
to depression right there.
Yes.
For sure.
And then you need to go
outside and meet people and whatnot.
And then the figurative
sense, you need to go outside
and get out of your comfort zone.
You need to go start that
business you wanted to start,
go start doing that hobby that you love,
or teach yourself how to play the guitar.
Yeah, challenge yourself.
Yeah, exactly.
So get outside of your comfort zone.
Grow, it's all about grow.
Grow, grow, grow, I love that.
And again, I know you're
saying you're world building,
but to me, it's like
you're creating a culture.
It really feels that way.
And I love that you are
connecting all the senses
back to your brand,
because it's also
brilliant marketing too.
Business-wise, it's a brilliant concept,
but it's all encompassing.
So that's great, I love that.
Yeah, it's really cool.
It fits.
Yeah.
It just fits.
Now I know when,
sometimes when our youngest,
you were talking about
shoes in the beginning,
and he went through this
whole phase in middle school.
Now those shoes though that
they were all going to wear
were like $600.
Sneak your head.
Yeah, it's crazy.
Yeah, we would go on
like StockX, and all that.
And I would see resale, resale, resale.
Have you ever seen anything
like that with your stuff?
Yeah, so just recently,
I think it was a month or two ago,
there's a site called
Grailed, and a couple of our--
Grailed?
Yeah, Grailed.
Okay.
And a couple of our
shirts got put up on there.
It's like StockX, it's
like StockX, Grailed,
and another one that
they do all the resales in.
And like three of our shirts were up
there for 60, 70 bucks,
and we sell them for 45.
How did you find out they were up there?
My buddy sent it to
me, and then he showed,
I posted a screenshot
of it on our Instagram.
He said it sold, like it actually sold.
I was like that's--
That's awesome.
That's sick.
And then another buddy of
mine was in Austin, Texas,
and he was going through a thrift store,
and someone had repurposed the,
like originally if not sure,
like one of the first ones we did,
and like sewn like two
different shirts onto it.
But like the main one was different.
So it was your shirt.
Yeah.
And then they took two other shirts and--
Yeah, it could have been our shirt,
or they could have just
printed the logo on it.
But it was, he was like
that's nuts, this is in Austin.
That was a cool moment as well.
Did he buy it?
Yeah, and--
Yeah.
No, no, he didn't buy it.
No, I didn't want him to buy it.
I wanted to just be there.
Okay, he just wanted to be out there.
Yeah, and I mean we've sent,
like this sounds a little weird,
but I was so happy when I saw some,
I had to send two cease and desist.
I was like this is like a good sign
that something's working.
Yeah.
The other send went to
some golf brand in 2021, 2022,
and I didn't realize
they were using our stuff,
or using Gifno, till like a year later.
So they had sold stuff with Gifno on it.
Yeah, they were selling like club covers,
and like, and then another
company was selling hats,
and they literally did our description,
and then I reached out to them,
and I was like, yo, you
know, you stopped doing that.
Were they domestic or foreign?
Domestic.
And then the only, the
foreign one was urban dictionary,
but they're like, I don't know where
they're based out of,
but it was cool seeing our
stuff on urban dictionary,
because it's hilarious,
like our generation grows up
looking at our dictionary,
because there's funny shit on it,
and Gifno was on it.
No way.
But then you go to the merch section,
they were selling like shirts and mugs,
and I sent them cease
and desist letter two.
That is a huge compliment, though.
Oh, I was stoked.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Is your team, is
there someone on your team
that's kind of always
watching out for that, though?
Or do you just happen to,
does someone happen to
see it and alert you?
No, so when I heard about SEO,
so search engine optimization,
I was like, what's that?
And they were like,
dude, just Google your name.
So Google, Gifno, we own everything,
but then when I saw an
urban dictionary, I saw it,
and then I saw at the
bottom of the search,
those two companies, I
looked at their pages,
and I was like--
That's interesting.
I think technically
speaking, you can set up alerts.
So if something pops up,
you'd probably be able to get in a
proactive alert on it.
Oh, no way.
Yeah.
I did, so we trademarked it in 2019.
Like I trademarked it,
and like my cousin
told me I didn't have to,
and he's a lawyer, and so he's like,
you guys aren't like big enough for it.
Yeah.
But at some point we will be,
and I'd rather just
get it out the way now,
and thank God I did.
Yeah.
Because we have the legal
trademark of everything.
Yeah, trademarking that is smart.
I have the paper framed.
That's cool.
Good.
So this has been five
years in the making?
Four years?
Five years, we've been around since 2019.
So all those years,
2019, 2020, 2021, 22, 23, 24,
is there a year that stands out
that was maybe the hardest or the best?
Or both?
Yeah, I think last year, I
mean, it gets better every year.
It's just, it gets
tougher when it gets better
because there's more challenges
and more things you need to overcome,
and then there's more
of a bigger standard
you need to go by,
because you've already elevated the brand
to a certain point.
So it's like, all right,
how do we make it bigger
than before or whatnot?
Obviously, things like
happened in personal life,
like my mom was going
through health issues last year,
so me and my little brother
were literally making
collections in a hospital,
but people didn't know that.
So we were like, all right,
but it was the best year in terms of
the quality of clothing we were making,
the videos we were making,
we were making short films that,
like the short films we
were making in 2023 were good,
but like the ones that
we're making the year after,
when we learned how to be better at it,
were put the other ones in the dust.
But like, it was definitely last year
and I made so many, met so many people.
We did the pop-up in
London, which is insane,
like the fact that
people even showed up to it.
And yeah, just-
That is cool.
It's, that's good.
You had good problems.
Yeah, good problems.
Other than your mom
being in the hospital,
but good problems from the success.
It might've been more
stressful or whatever,
but it's because of the
success of the company.
For sure.
Yeah.
It's such a blessing.
Yeah.
When did you make the
video that's on the homepage?
Cause that's pretty cool.
So we made that video in November.
Okay.
So my buddy that I told you about,
that's a director in LA right now,
I grew up with him,
played football with him,
he was my neighbor, same Justice Silvera,
and we did a three-part series.
So it was called the pants series.
And our manufacturer didn't
get the pants to us in time
for the shoot,
for the, cause it was
a three-part series,
the first shoot,
and we're trying to like
workshop our way through,
like, okay, we can't do this video now,
cause he doesn't have pants.
He has pants.
Yeah.
So we were like, all right, what if we do
where he's running through the streets
with no pants, looking for his pants.
So he, part one was a,
That's clever.
My friend, he was
running through Las Olas
without any pants.
That's hilarious.
We were getting like
live reactions of people,
the video's in slow-mo so you can see
people like looking.
That's not naked, I assume.
I see him in underwear on, right?
No, he had underwear on.
We were in China.
We were in China. Yeah, we were in China.
We're in China, we're
not bail money right now.
So then we did the second part
and John couldn't do it, he
couldn't make it to the shoot.
So I called, you know, and I was like,
you know, like, I need you for the shoot.
And it's kind of
weird telling your friend
cause we don't, I didn't
tell him until he got there.
I was like, listen, this
is gonna sound super weird,
but we're gonna need
you to be in this video.
You're gonna have to have your pants off.
And they're like, all
right, stop fucking with me, bro.
Like, what are we doing?
I'm like, no, like for
the video, this is the plan.
Give them the whole breakdown
and thankfully they agree to do it.
And then the third
one, which is on the site,
he finds his pants.
The pants shut up,
you guys got the pants.
Kid Ramon did it and yeah, we've been,
again, we've been super
resourceful with like what we had,
the Mercedes that's in that,
the vintage Mercedes is a
friend of mine, Nick Napoli.
Thankful that you let us borrow it.
Yeah. Sick car.
It's a cool video, I like it.
Thanks.
Now up in New York, you'll
have a brand new landscape
to use.
Yeah, for sure.
That'll be really cool.
So excited.
Oh my gosh, it's limitless up there.
The videos and the
creative part is honestly
my favorite part.
Or one of my favorite
parts of the business,
to do that, to put together the video.
Obviously the clothing and
the collection being complete
is in itself is amazing.
But being able to make the video,
especially with my
friends, it's hilarious.
Cause it's just, we don't
take ourselves too serious.
Like, yeah, we'll do
like the cool guy post,
like showing off the clothing, whatever.
But at the end of the
day, I don't want to,
I don't want, it's
more, Yifno isn't a brand
where we just take
ourselves too seriously.
Like you need to have fun with it.
Yeah.
Like, yeah.
Cause that'll come through.
100%.
Yeah, so when you guys have pop ups,
is it just you and your
team working the pop up
or do you hire temporary
employees during that time?
It's usually me and my
team, but as time goes on,
like we're probably
gonna hire someone for,
we're doing a pop up April 27th.
My buddy has a record
label called Groovers Only,
and it's gonna be at Mr. Baguette.
So I'll probably hire someone for that,
just because while the pop ups going on,
I'm gonna have to be
directing a video at the pop up
to bring to life this recap video I want.
Yeah.
I'm not gonna give too much away
cause I want it to be a
surprise for people, but yeah.
And it's gotten to a point where like,
I shouldn't be the one that's, you know,
taking like selling the product by hand.
Right.
Cause it's, I've done that.
And I'm willing to do that obviously
still if needed, but.
That's part of scaling.
Exactly.
Yeah, got to scale.
So this, that's the next step.
Yeah.
Right, no, that makes sense.
That makes sense.
I had a question, I forgot.
So with all of this that
you've been involved in
and basically building your business for
the last five years,
and being a Gen Z Zilennial,
how do you find time to date?
Are you on the dating apps?
No.
Okay, so you're going old school.
So I tried the dating apps.
I've never been on like a
hinge date or a tenor date,
anything like that.
I just, I think it's
good for certain people.
Also I'm not just X-ing it out,
but just that it wasn't for me.
Yeah.
Like I didn't really,
it didn't feel natural.
That makes sense.
But it does work for people.
And I think, I mean, I'll
probably end up on it for
some time, check it
out, maybe delete it again.
Like who knows?
That seems to be the pattern.
Whenever I talk to, we say kids,
but we know you guys are adults,
but kids in your age, they download it,
go on it, delete it.
And it's a pattern because it's just,
you're kind of hoping
this time it'll be different.
But it seems that everyone
that we've talked to your age
still really enjoys
things that happen organically,
old school, they really don't,
the technology isn't working for them,
which is ironic because
you're involved in such a
technologically based world.
But when it comes to dating,
you guys seem to still gravitate to,
I'd like to just meet someone naturally.
Yeah, it's, so what I will say is,
social media is a good platform for that.
So like if you know someone
and you've met them before,
and like you've talked to
them, you think they're cute,
or like you've had a good time with them,
you could ask them on a
date through the dating app.
I'm not the dating app, you can ask them,
swipe on their story and be like,
hey, do you wanna grab drinks?
Yeah.
But at the same time,
there's nothing that beats like the
actual human connection,
which is the reason we do,
like not to get autophic,
but there's a reason
we do in-person events.
Right.
Like we, I think people
were so cooped up during COVID
and couldn't go outside
or couldn't like mingle
with their friends or
meet different people,
that at the end of the day, we're humans,
for what do you call
it, social creatures.
Yeah.
So yeah, I think the traditional way
is still the best way.
And craving that, that connection.
But I think the new
traditional way is you meet someone
and then you might
swipe up on their story.
I think you're right.
That's like a hybrid approach.
Yeah, it is.
I think it's a combo.
Yeah, so dating, I mean,
I find time for dating,
I'm very, very selective,
especially now on who
I spend my time with.
Yeah.
Because obviously like family, friends,
like it's hard to balance it,
but if it's the right person
or someone I'm really interested in,
I will like,
Yeah.
Be like, hey, let's go grab drinks,
like let's go on a date.
That happens as you get older too,
no matter what's going on,
you value your time more
and who you spend it with.
You know, it's just,
because you only have
so much time in the day,
so if you're going,
it really has to matter
when you're giving your time away.
Whether you're running a business or not,
it just happens that you get older
and you just don't have as much time.
Things just have to fit.
I say it all the
time, it just has to fit.
The music you listen to has to fit.
The clothes in your choices has to fit.
Who you're dating has to fit.
You spend time with has to fit.
You don't have as much time to,
quote unquote, not waste,
but it's just, you
fill up your life and so,
we only have such a
short amount of time here.
So it's like, all right,
if I'm gonna go all in,
it better be worth it.
Absolutely.
And I just am so happy for you
that you started this
at such a young age.
The time you have to build
this and grow it continually,
there's so much of it for you
because you discovered
this at such a young age.
And that's really exciting
because in 10, 15, 20 years,
where will this be?
But it's there for you
to take advantage of.
You have the time to
take advantage of that.
It's a blessing.
It is.
It's a blessing of youth.
100%.
I'm gonna knock on wood.
100%.
I hope I have a bunch of time left.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
So before I ask.
I actually do have some questions.
So you heard the
Greenfield episode, right?
Yeah.
Or the Ben one.
The Ben one.
Yeah, sorry.
The Nomad.
He talked a little bit
about the corporate stuff
and how he was done with corporate.
And on the socials, we had
a lot of reaction to that
and in his favor of corporates messed up
and I don't wanna do it.
And what advice would
you have for say kids
in a sense, younger
than you, even other people
for starting your own
business or getting into it
and maybe toe in the line
you'd had your corporate job
while you were growing this.
You have any advice to
offer any of our listeners?
Cause it's a hot topic.
People don't wanna do
the corporate thing.
They're looking for something else.
I would say don't get
sucked into the thought process
that feeling bad for
providing for yourself.
So yes, corporate isn't for everyone
but it is for a lot of people.
People make careers
out of it for a reason.
But if it's not for you,
but your business isn't making any money,
you need to make money somehow.
So you can, yes, you can go full throttle
and just, hey, this is it or nothing.
Or you can still do that
and have that safety
blanket of a corporate job.
Whether it be a corporate job,
whether it be working at
McDonald's, it doesn't matter.
You shouldn't feel
ashamed to provide for yourself.
Cause if your money's not right,
then it's gonna transition to every
or spill over transition to every single
aspect of your life.
And that goes for if you're
starting a clothing brand,
if you're doing music,
you're doing anything creative
and you're feeling like shit,
cause you don't have, you can't provide.
Yeah, you can't provide for yourself.
That's gonna do one of two things.
It's either gonna
bring something out of you
that you didn't know you had,
which is best case scenario,
or it's gonna make
everything in your life
worse than it already is.
So I think my biggest advice
when it's like toting that line of
having your own business
while working corporate
is don't be ashamed to
provide for yourself.
It doesn't matter what
you see on social media
where it's like, I quit
my nine to five to do this,
but like, okay, you did that
cause you had your business set up
and you were able to provide for yourself
or someone else was
providing for you at the time.
Like not everyone has that.
I know I didn't have that.
My parents cut me off like in college.
They're like, you're gonna figure it out.
So it's again, don't feel
ashamed to be working a job
and then do your
business and get your business
to where it needs to be
where you can quit your job
and just go full
throttle, go balls to wall
cause you have the
time and the day to do it.
It's the classic work your nine to five
then you have your five to nine.
Such great advice,
especially for younger people
like people getting out of
college in their twenties
and the FOMO and also the
illusion that people create.
I quit my job and I'm
in Italy on a Tuesday
and no one is sharing
the behind the scenes
of are they being funded by family
or are they being funded by
building up their business
and now they can quit,
but you're not sharing that.
And it can be very misguiding to people.
Yeah, it's all perception.
There's no shame in
people that have that.
Yeah, yeah.
That's amazing.
Everyone has their own situation,
but that's not your situation.
That can be very
misleading like you said.
And it goes back to what we
were talking about earlier.
You start comparing yourself a lot
if you're on social media like that
and it's easy to compare
yourself when you're seeing,
you're at your corporate job,
you're making only like 40K
a year and you're scraping by
and then you're going online
and you're seeing
these people are on like,
yeah, it's in traveling in San Tropez.
But at the end of the day,
you gotta play with the
cards you're dealt with.
And it's up to you to figure that out.
100%.
You know what's
interesting is we've had guests
from other
generations in our Boomer, Lou.
His answer was work, you gotta work.
If you want a house with a
nice backyard, you gotta work.
Had another person on
who was living in New York
and it was really just, you gotta hustle.
And hustling and
working, you're saying kind of,
same thing, different flavor in a sense.
And that can be subjective for,
I mean, you were building your dream
while holding down
your financial situation.
That's work.
You're like double work, triple work.
So, but I love what you said.
Don't be ashamed to provide for yourself.
That's great advice.
It's such great advice.
So, did you-- Another question.
Everything you're
doing, directing videos,
designing brands,
collaborating and partnering,
growing your community, trusting folks.
What's your background education wise
in terms of when you went to FSU,
what's your degree in this?
International affairs.
I just wanted to get a
degree in that out of there.
If you want me to be honest with you,
the reason I did international affairs
because I liked going
into philosophy classes.
Because I love philosophy.
I mean, I'm pretty big.
I love reading about
stoicism, like Marcus Aurelius,
all that, I got really into that.
Yeah.
But yeah, I mean, I just
needed to finish what I started.
And especially for my
parents, but also for myself.
Because, I mean, I
changed my major three times.
I thought I wanted to be in finance
because that's where the money's at.
And I had friends that were in finance.
And I was like, all right,
clearly not that great with numbers.
Let me go to Econ.
It's like a more toned
down version of finance,
quote unquote.
And then that didn't work out.
So I was like, you know what?
I'll do international affairs.
If I could have done it differently
in terms of the only thing
I would have done different
for school wise,
I would have majored in entrepreneurship.
Like more of a
business degree in that sense.
But other than that, I have
no regrets in the round I took.
Because if I didn't take that fifth year,
and I probably wouldn't
be sitting here right now
because that was when I
started doing pop-ups.
Yeah.
And that was like an
in-person experience.
Yeah, yeah.
Do you speak Spanish?
I do.
That's like my ace in the hole.
So did your mom only
speak Spanish in the house?
Yeah, growing up, my
dad would speak English
and then my mom would
speak Spanish to us.
And then when I went to college,
I lost a little bit of that Spanish.
And now that I'm back,
I make her only speak Spanish to me.
Oh really?
Yeah, because I was,
it was showing that my
Spanish was getting worse.
I was like, I wanna
take advantage for what,
with what I have now.
Because it's one of the
biggest blessings to have.
It's a gift.
Yeah, it's an absolute gift.
Like I understand everything perfectly.
Like I've been in
negotiations with people
where they'll start, they'll sidebar
and start talking Spanish.
That's awesome.
They come back, I'll start
speaking Spanish to them.
I love that.
And they're like, that's hilarious.
Oh, I'd love to witness that.
I'd love to see that stuff.
I look like I sing country or something.
Yeah.
(laughing)
Yeah, you said something early on,
very Spanish fluid.
It was money doesn't sleep.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So and that'll help you
near, it'll help you everywhere.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
It'll help you everywhere.
So that is a gift your brother too.
Yeah, my brother too.
I definitely wanna
learn a different language
and it's good that
they're all Latin derived.
So you're able to pass by.
They say once you've learned one,
it's easier to learn the rest.
Oh yeah, I worked at a
retail store in Sawgrass
and most of the clientele
was Portuguese and Brazilian.
So I would speak, they
would speak Portuguese
and we would negotiate and I could,
I started picking up
on it pretty quickly.
And then when we went to Italy,
I was able to like pick up
on the words pretty quick.
Yeah, that's great.
That's great.
Last thing I have.
And it's really just so I don't forget,
we can cut this out if we want.
But in New York, if you
go out the Lincoln Tunnel
and you're heading out to Jersey,
the first exit you go down,
you could down the hill,
take a right up to the top
and it's a great spot for
overseeing the city skyline
and shooting a video.
Oh, Weehawken.
It's Weehawken, it's
technically I think East New York
is what they call it, but
it's in the Jersey side.
It's an absolute perfect
view of downtown Manhattan.
That's a great, yes.
Is it in Jersey City?
Well, no, like she's
saying it's like Weehawken,
Seacock, it's East New York,
all these little towns roll together.
You don't know where the hell you're at,
to be honest with you.
But that's why I say you
come out of the Lincoln Tunnel,
heading to Jersey, take the first exit,
get to the bottom of the hill,
take a right up to the top and it's,
I'll keep this in so
you can come back to it.
But we'll also maybe get
more specific and email,
I'll get it to you.
Because we used to take
Nathan and Kai into the city
constantly when we lived there.
And then when we would
leave, that was our first stop.
And we would stop and stare at the city
and take pictures and
just stare at the city.
But you're right for videos.
There's another one too,
we'll give you the fast track offline
on how to get to the top
of the Empire State Building
in 10 minutes instead of two hours.
Yeah.
What?
Yeah, the one thing I will say is,
I'm moving to New York
not to have a good time
or anything like that, because with it,
I'm moving to New York
to work, to blow this up.
Yeah, you can incorporate
the city into your work.
For sure, this is the next level.
Yeah, like even
artistically and with all of it,
it's amazing.
Okay, so are you done?
I think so.
I always make sure
before I ask my last question,
because sometimes he's
like, I had more questions.
Yeah, I think I'm good.
Okay, so my last question is always,
where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I see
myself back in South Florida.
I have my own home.
I mean, ideally I would like a family,
started a family, just starting a family.
Yifno is a household name
within the fashion industry,
within the industry
itself, whether it be music,
fashion, just in the creative field.
And I'm surrounded by the
people that I'm surrounded by now.
I don't think there's
cooler people than my friends,
at least I've met a
good amount of people.
And every time it's like,
yeah, I could go chill with this person,
but who's like decent sized name,
but I have like Fino, Ali, Santi,
all these kids, Kodo, people like that,
Korn, like Tony, the list goes on.
I don't wanna leave any
names out and then get yelled at,
but I see myself in five years is just,
the position I'm in now,
just taken to like 10 fold, 100 fold.
And then I wanna be able
to travel all over the world
whenever I want, when I
want, wherever I want.
And yeah, I mean, it's just like,
have the American dream.
Yeah. Really?
I think those are all wonderful goals
and I can see them all happening for you.
Definitely. Thank you so much.
And I think what you're doing with Yifno,
well, especially the traveling,
we'll give you that opportunity as well.
You're not gonna be
tied down to one place.
So yeah, no, I'm personally very excited
to see where you go with this.
And again, I think this,
you look back on this time
and you'll see this was
probably the beginning of this,
whatever is about to happen,
this was that moment right before it did.
So I feel very honored that you're here
sharing your story with
us, your life story thus far.
And you took the time to share it with us
because it gave us a
window into the Yifno world.
And now we get to go along for the ride
by standing on the
sidelines and cheering you on.
No, I appreciate you guys having me on.
And I mean, if it
doesn't happen five years,
it could take 10 years, 20
years, it doesn't matter.
It's happening.
Yeah, I love it.
It's too, it's gonna happen.
Yeah, you're in it, it's happening.
Not about if, it's about when.
Exactly, and John Lennon,
I'm sure you've heard this,
life is what happens to you
when you're busy making other plans.
It's happening, you're in it right now.
So I think it's very
exciting, very exciting.
And I'm glad Nathan got a new hat,
because that one was the...
Yeah, that one was a
little rough after all.
So, no.
Drop the name again, I won't fuck it up.
Yifno, Y-I-F-N-O, yo,
it's fucking nice out.
Yifno.com, we will put everything
in the description on the socials,
but check out Yifno.com, it's awesome.
It's a great clothing brand.
And again, we...
And you know, too,
though, the extra plug,
you heard the conversation
about giving back to the community.
So I think that's huge.
When you buy and support a company,
it's the right thing to
do is to support companies
that are here, that are local,
and that support local
causes and global causes.
It's a good purchase.
And I love the five senses concept.
Yeah, totally.
And I think that it's
just so unique and original.
And so I'm excited to see about the wine.
Yeah, I'm gonna keep my eye on that one.
We'll get you guys to see.
Yeah, yeah.
Maybe we'll start drinking it good.
Yeah, yeah.
Exactly.
You're gonna get accused.
Exactly, I'll drink that.
But that's really exciting.
But yes, to your point, this is a brand
that's coming from an
authentic place, a good place.
These are good people.
And I would be very proud to
support your clothing brand.
We wish you and your team all the luck.
And we hope to have you back
on when you have some time,
maybe in three years,
five years, whenever,
to kind of chronicle where you're at now,
when you come back.
We gotta circle back.
And I wanna give you guys your flowers.
You guys are absolutely killing it.
Oh, thank you.
This was such a great,
I wouldn't even call it an interview.
It was a great conversation.
That's our goal.
Yeah, thank you.
You guys made me so comfortable.
It's ridiculous.
I feel at home right now.
Oh, that's wonderful.
No, we are just so honored
that you shared your story.
So thank you for
taking the time for that.
And we can't wait to have you back.
I'll be back.
So to our listeners,
please leave any comments
or questions.
And especially if you have
any questions about Yifno,
leave those and we'll make
sure that Nick gets you answers
or we'll get answers from Nick.
And but keep your
eyes open for yifno.com.
Go check it out.
And we will see you next.
For your local pop-up.
And yeah, and for your
website will tell people
when you're having
pop-ups and stuff, right?
Yeah, the best place to find everything
is Instagram and TikTok for us.
To follow you on Instagram and TikTok?
For sure.
Okay, yeah.
We'll put it all up,
but Instagram, TikTok,
go check out Yifno.
And we'll see you next time.
Bye.
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