[00:00:06] Speaker A: Welcome to from caving in to crushing it, the podcast for those who find themselves immersed in adversity and choose to write their story instead of having others write it for them. I'm Drew Durani, and I'm your host. Today's guest is Drew Casaccio, aka Cappuccino.
Drew is the founder of DCCS, owner and producer of 216 Creator Studios, founder of Shared Connections Networking Group, and host of the Art of Leveling up podcast series. With over 20 years experience in consulting and networking and hospitality, Drew decided to develop a single point of communication in the brokerage space and specializes in business resourcing. Through cost analysis, Drew can provide savings in real estate, insurance, technology and academy and media, ultimately creating its own industry. Business resourcing, Drew is helping companies and organizations adapt to the challenges in the new hybrid marketplace and society. As a coach in business and personal development, Drew utilizes the global network that he helped build shared connections to help others level up their mindset to grow in a well balanced life. Driven by a desire to empower creators and amplify their voices, Drew established 216 creator studios with his business partner Kent Deke Jones as a hub for collaboration and innovation. Located in the vibrant cultural hub of Crystal Lake, Illinois, 216 Creator Studios is more than just a production space. It's a community where artists, influencers and thought leaders converge to bring their ideas to life. At the helm of 216 Creator Studios flagship podcast and livestream studio, Drew oversees every aspect of production from conceptualization to distribution. Under his guidance, the studio has become a breeding ground for groundbreaking content, attracting top talent and garnering a dedicated global audience. Enjoy the show. Drew, good to see you.
[00:02:16] Speaker B: Hey Drew. How are you? Drew times two.
[00:02:19] Speaker A: Drew times two. I love your name, which is the reason why I had you on, because of your name. No, I'm just kidding.
You are exactly the type of human being I need in my need and want in my life. And the first thing I do is I thank those who introduced us. Now, how you and I met is really interesting because I've been at shared connections, your networking group, for a good two and a half years now and hadn't gotten a chance to either speak with you or Chris or Jeff yet. I am married to your networking group. It was only about three months ago when Orlea Moore, who's a good friend of mine, happened to be either at Podfest or somewhere and she ran into you and you had heard about me mentioning my mindful man movement, shared connections and you and I just hadn't gotten a chance to talk and so Orly reached out and said, drew Casaccio said he'd love to talk with you about the men's group. I'm like, oh, my gosh, I know drew, yet I don't know drew. So thank you, Orlean Moore, for putting a flame under our butts to get a chance to talk, because Drew is the brother I don't have now. I do. So thank you, Orly. That's always the first thing I do.
Next thing is, why are you here, Drew? Drew, when we're growing up, we're told that life is linear. And our parents, the people around us, aren't telling us that maliciously. They want to protect us, and they're hoping that our life is. If you do a plus, b plus, c, d is going to happen. Everything's going to be great. And you and I know we do the right things, and not always life is linear. Life is linear until it's nothing. Something happens in life that gets in the way and puts us to a circuitous route in life, and we make decisions.
Now, you're here because you're what I call man number three. So somebody's gonna ask me, Drew, what are man number two and one? Well, man number one is somebody we can be every day. It depends on our level of awareness. And that's the man who's got blind spots, doesn't know what they are, just goes through their eight to ten to twelve hour day, going through the motions, on autopilot, subconscious, and just. That's it. That's life, you know? Then there's man number two, little higher level of self awareness, who notices things are happening, yet sees himself as the victim.
Life is doing this to me. I'm the victim. It's somebody else's fault. I have no control over my life. I'm going to continue living the way I'm living.
Then there's man number three. Drew, who you are and who I aspire to be and am becoming, and we're a work in progress. Man number three sees adversity and at times falls into that victim thing, but more often than not says, this is not a barrier. This is an opportunity to improve my life. This is life giving me this adversity, giving it for me. I can make this better and do something different in life. And I know you've had an interesting life thus far, and you're still young. Can you please, for the audience, reach back as far as you need to go, find that defining moment, whether it was the tap on the shoulder, the two by four upside the head that said, damn, Drew. There's a better way to live. I'm going to do something different, and I'm going to become a stronger man. Can you share that with us?
[00:05:50] Speaker B: Yeah, of course. Great question, by the way. So I have to kind of dig in the vault a little bit. But first and foremost, thanks for having me as a guest on your show. I'm a huge fan.
You know, listen, when it comes to being linear, the very first thing I'd like to say to that before I answer this question is, so where we live in the world today is kind of revamping into what the american dream is, and that's what being an entrepreneur is. And they're filled with challenges and obstacles.
So when you surround yourself, you become the space you surround yourself in. So if you're around, I'm man number three. I wasn't always man number three. I was one and two, and there's a ladder to climb there because I was with different groups of different styles of people. And where I come from, I come out of Chicago. I'm an italian kid from the south side of Chicago, and that's where. That's where everything stemmed come from.
My family always had. Not necessarily, now that I realize it as an adult, was a very pessimistic view on everything. It was hope for the best. Right? Expect the worst and hope for the best.
So when you have that obstacle in front of you, back then, it was again, man, you know what? Why do I even try?
[00:07:18] Speaker A: Why?
[00:07:19] Speaker B: You know? And then you get. You get in trouble. As a kid, I was a troublesome kid. I'm sure we all were at our own pace to where my father was like, you know, rest his soul. But my father was like, you'll never amount to anything. That was the words of back in the day. Because why? Because I said so.
Never an explanation.
You're to be seen and not heard. Don't. Being in the house. You're outside. Yes. I'm a gen xer, man. I drank from the hose. I did all that stuff. Bikes, no helmets.
[00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, yeah.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Raider pedals on my bike. I mean, we went through all this stuff. We had rock fights, broke windows, caused all kinds of havoc to where my father was. Like, you're just going to be that kidde. Mm hmm. And instead of embracing what I was and trying to show me a different light, that's how he was treated by his father.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: And so on. So there's a pattern there, right? It wasn't until I dug my silence to answer your question, I dug myself from that and utilized that as, hey, I can sit and do nothing, or I could do something regardless if the obstacle sucks or not. Yeah, I'm gonna try to do something about it. So that kind of changed the mindset slightly, right?
[00:08:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Right.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: At the age. And I'll give a quick story if we have time.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: At a young age of like, nine, eight, my father had. And this kind of sounds like an italian movie, but my father had a shoe shining box in the garage.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: My father was a bar fly. He jumped from tavern to tavern to tavern in Chicago. There's a taverna in every neighborhood on the block, right?
So we do grocery shopping on a day or whatever, and he's like, I gotta stop and see the boys, you know? I'm like, okay, you know, so we go. And then I would sit there. I was bored. Bored out of my tree. Video games in these taverns didn't really work.
It was, don't touch this, don't touch that. You only got the long pretzel because you didn't want to challenge the eggs floating in the mystery juice.
[00:09:35] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Right? So I was like, you know, bored.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: I.
[00:09:39] Speaker B: One day I grabbed that box, and an old guy down the street showed me how to shine a shoe. And I was like, I'm gonna bring that with me. And I. While I was there, I'm like, dad, can I. Can I shine your friend's shoes and practice? And he's like, yeah. So. And all of a sudden, his buddy gave me, give me a buck. Right? It was like, a buck. And I'm like, cool. I'm like, if I do this, I get this.
[00:10:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:01] Speaker B: So fast forward.
Uh, my father gets a call one day from one of the bar owners, is like, tony, your son's over here without you shining people's shoes for money.
Uh, and they're letting him. And some of them have, like, gym shoes on. You don't even shine those, right? And they're given because it's your kid. And so. And that wasn't that wasn't it what my father didn't know at the time is I. That was my fifth stop.
[00:10:29] Speaker A: Oh, boy, I love it. Oh, my God.
[00:10:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, now we're talking eighties. Oh, wow.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: And I came home, I had 300 in cash in my pocket.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:10:42] Speaker B: And my father's like, give it to me now.
He took it.
[00:10:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: Asked me if it went towards my college, asked me if it went towards anything. It ended up right back where I got it. Right.
And so he's like, you got plenty of time to get a job, just be a kid. And I was like, but this is okay. Became a paper boy, did that whole thing. Found a loophole. Two kids down the street. These girls. We found a target. Shopping cart.
[00:11:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: They would push me in the cart as I was throwing papers on port.
[00:11:17] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:18] Speaker B: They would have them all rolled up and banded for me. And then when I would collect the money from porch to porch, I give them a share. Right?
My father didn't like that.
My mother was like, no, that's a good thing you're working.
And so now I'm like, okay. So now what do I do? So the best job was tasty freeze.
Because ice cream dude, the perks were great.
I went up to this guy off a woman, and I was like, hey, I'd like a job. He's like, kid, you're too young. I can't hire you.
[00:11:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:52] Speaker B: And he's like, why do you want a job here? And I was like, tasty freeze, you know? And he's like, well, okay, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you fifty cents a day. Yeah, pick up the parking lot. Get all the garbage. All right. So I picked up the lot. He gave me fifty cents. The next day, I came back with two friends.
I gave him $0.10 apiece to pick up the lot. And I watched him do it. And the guy was like, you. You. What are you management now?
I'm like, right? He's like, now I got. Now I'm gonna give you. I'll give you a buck. So everybody can, you know. So three pac freezes. 4711. Two church parking lots.
We started making money, right?
[00:12:34] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: Dad said, now you're, you know. I'm like, dad, this is my money.
Okay. Okay. So then I started.
There's a time we were moving to the suburbs. City got baddest, right? And out of the driveway, once again, bored. I could have been out there doing drugs. Could have been out there doing.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: True, true life.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: True.
I'm like, I'm in my driveway. My neighbor's like, I was washing my dad's car. My neighbor's like, hey, if you wash my car, I'll give you. I was like, oh, if I do that, I get that.
Okay. So basically what happened is I started detailing all the cars in my driveway.
My dad was like, hey, you know, you're using all my water.
You're. You know, if you break something, who's paying for that? Yeah, no, I get you. So I started researching. I didn't tell them what I made. And I wasn't giving up my money anymore this time. I'm, like, 17.
And so I went to a dealership, and I said, listen, who's shamming off all these cars after it rains in your lot? And they were like, nobody. I'm like, I'll do it for $5 a car. Wow. Oh, yeah. So I started doing that, and I ended up getting this kid to do it with me. And I was splitting it with them, and then we started doing all mobile bunch of spots, and then all of a sudden they're like, oh, you detail? Yeah, I detail. So I started buying equipment with the money I made. I went out and got insurance, and then my dad was like, hey, listen, all these cars parked out front. This is, you know, what is this ridiculous? What are you doing? And I'm like, yeah, dad. I'm like, I'm working. This is my job. He's like, why don't you get a real job? That's what I got. That was the mindset. Get a real job.
[00:14:25] Speaker A: A real job. Yeah.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: I'm like, oh, okay. So that was the time where I broke it out to him. I said, so here's the deal. I do airplanes at Schaumburg airport.
I do $15 a foot. I'm doing 40 foot yachts over at grand sport Baja.
I'm doing the cars out a lot. I'm having chammies off. I got a crew of people out there doing this for me. So here's the deal. How much do you make a year?
Because I'm doing 10,000 a week.
There you go.
Here's the money for the water. So then I went out and I bought a truck and a van, and I got all this stuff together. I wasn't doing anything at the house anymore.
[00:15:08] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: And then my. My father had nothing else to say, so that was the moving moment where I dare you to tell me I can't, because not only am I gonna do it, but I'm gonna crush it. You're gonna feel like an idiot at the end.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:24] Speaker B: And it was like. Not that it should have been vindictful.
[00:15:27] Speaker A: No, I understand that.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: Being dick full at the same time, it was like a Sadeena satisfying moment and a satisfying moment. Now, here's. Here's the dumb thing.
10,000 a week. I was spending 15 because I was kid.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: What I mean, stupid. It's on me, guys. You know? No matter where we went, we went. We were on boats. We were doing all this stupid kids right.
So, you know, I. There was. There was a problem with that, but, yeah, I want to say that was the defining moment. I know my answer was very long, but no, no, that is baseline.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: That is beautiful.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: That's where I'm at as an entrepreneur.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: Yeah. Now, that is a beautiful story, man. And I'm telling you, you stuck to your guns. You felt confident in your abilities, and you did what many of us don't do. You know, I tell people that, you know, greater than 50% of our belief systems formed by the age of seven to ten and greater than 90% by the age of 18, and belief system about the world and about ourselves. And because we've been conditioned to believe certain things, many of us are not unique because we just do what we're told. I love the fact that you learned early. If I do this, then I do this. It's cause and effect. Right? Everything we do has a consequence. And it's a beautiful lesson, Drew, that you didn't give up.
Let's go to that defining moment and move from there onto where that brought you in your life personally and professionally, to slowly become the man you are now, because I know you have a beautiful family, and how did you build that family?
And how do you continue to help your family, support them, and be that provider and supporter for others, too?
[00:17:16] Speaker B: So I do have a beautiful family.
My wife is awesome. She's still my best friend. We're close to 30 years in together. And, you know, I, as an italian woman, look at her like, what are you nuts? Well, no, actually, she supports me at 100%.
She's everything I've ever wanted in a relationship. She's beautiful. She has a brain.
She's crushing it out there as a payroll director for a fortune company.
And, you know, two beautiful kids.
They're. They're. They're thriving, just like any kids in today's society. They have their challenges and their issues, which seem to be different than what we had to go through.
[00:18:06] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: But listen, they're. They're. They're smart to the point where I can't keep up.
And when I start questioning myself, I'm like, she's talking about, like, string theory. What I. Quantum physics.
[00:18:21] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: She's 16. What?
[00:18:23] Speaker A: Unbelievable, right?
[00:18:25] Speaker B: So I'm blessed with that.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: How'd you meet? If you don't mind me asking, how'd you meet your wife? I love these stories, if you're. If you don't mind mentioning.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: So, Rita. Rita's my wife, yes. Basically, I was during a period in my twenties I was back in trouble. Okay. I was doing. I fell into the wrong crew.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: Doing the wrong things was djing music and then throwing these. These parties where I probably shouldn't have been.
[00:18:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:56] Speaker B: Doing all the wrong stuff.
And I had a cousin that lived in Arizona.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: He was like. And he was. He was no better. He was with me on his life, and he's an artist.
[00:19:08] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:19:08] Speaker B: Got out to ease one digital Frank Rafalo. Love him like a brother.
[00:19:13] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:19:14] Speaker B: He moved to Arizona, and I just. And I was like, I got to get out of here. You know, dropped everything, businesses, everything. And I was going to move to Tucson to live with him for a while.
[00:19:26] Speaker A: Oh, wow. Okay.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: Change my mindset a little bit. Try to find myself who I was.
[00:19:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Yeah. So the day before I left, I was at a friend's house, and Rita was there because his sister was her friend.
[00:19:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:40] Speaker B: And we just kind of hooked up, and she played like she was too good for me. You know, this girl.
[00:19:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: You know, I don't. You know. My God. Okay. So we. We just started striking up a conversation.
[00:19:52] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:19:53] Speaker B: I hit it off, and, yeah, when I moved, it was the next day I had a move, and I was like, man, you know, yeah. Can I get her number? So we just kind of stayed in touch.
[00:20:02] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: And she was like, listen, I want to move to Scottsdale and go to culinary school. Oh, okay.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: So I came back for six months, grabbed her. We. We went to Scottsdale and lived in Scottsdale together.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: Beautiful.
[00:20:18] Speaker B: Which is weird, because you would think her parents would be like, who the hell is this?
[00:20:22] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:20:22] Speaker B: It was just kind of like, well, we trust you. And so they trusted her.
[00:20:27] Speaker A: Oh, beautiful.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: Fuck, you know, I'll murder you. I got one of those. I'll murder you. No, you know, what's your daughter. I get it.
[00:20:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I get it.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: We went out there, man. We didn't have. She didn't have friends or family chirping in her ear. I didn't have that either. Yeah, we fought like cats and dogs. It's that relationship thing. We realized it was just us out there, so we learned how to adapt to each other.
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: And become one. We went through all that crap outside of anybody telling us exactly here to make it worse. Right?
[00:20:57] Speaker A: Yeah, it usually does. Yeah.
[00:20:59] Speaker B: And then she went through culinary school. I became a chef.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: Oh, that's right. You did tell me that.
[00:21:05] Speaker B: Certified pastry chef and chef. And she was doing the same thing. Neither of us are doing that for a living now, mind you.
[00:21:11] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:21:12] Speaker B: But we had a great time. We racked up a lot of debts and we lived out in Arizona for like six years.
[00:21:18] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: Moved back. We wanted to get married and start a family. We didn't want to do it without family around. So, you know, that's, that's basically how we met.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: I love that. I love that, man. And, you know, you got to know each other as deeply as human beings before, you know, you got married and stuff. It's so important, the friendship piece, to be able to say it and mean it. That you two are best friends warms my heart, man. So that's great stuff. So tell me what you're doing now professionally. I know you're, you're doing a lot of different things, Drew, let us know what you're doing and, and where it's going to.
[00:21:57] Speaker B: Well, we'll start with something that I designed about seven, eight years ago. Designed a business model, a DCCs, that stands for dynamic conversion consulting services.
Basically what I do is I built a brokerage. We call it business resourcing. We got identified as our own industry because we do everything from real estate to insurance, technology, human resource talent management academy and media. So we're shooting nuts in business.
We built a vetted back end that we pass this business to.
And we basically get a residual for anything that we pass. Now, okay. We utilize the word channel because channel is kind of that back end where you have place. So let's just say there's a startup company. Let's say, Drew, you're starting up a business.
[00:22:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: And so you would come to me and be like, hey, listen, I'm starting a business. Where do I start? I say, well, this is where she start. Let me get you with this accounting firm going to get you dialed in with all the right paperwork. They're going to get your corporation set up for you. And then we're going to help you find your real estate. We're going to put your technology in that. We're going to pass you to all the right people that are vetted.
They're not out to gouge, right? You're a startup, so you have one single phone call from multiple services without having that headache in that nightmare.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: Okay?
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Now, if you were in what we call the SMB market, small, small, medium sized companies, and you're like, hey, I'm looking to scale up. Then we say, okay, hey, I need a voiceover, ip system and technology. No problem. I'll bid that out for you. They say, hey, I can't. It's not in my budget. No matter what great. Give me all your bills. We do a cost analysis and then we will find you apples to apples or apples to better on all of your services and you out give you a 40% savings so you can reallocate those dollars to the stuff that you need.
[00:23:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: A lot of companies don't have internally do that.
[00:23:56] Speaker A: Good point.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: People they have playing in those positions, you think they're out there shopping for the next Internet bill? You think they're out there shopping to find out, right? Yeah. We also put bodies in seats and we can get their insurance. We also shop private insurance. If they, if they want to have their employees come to us, we do that. We don't charge for the legwork on helping find the right within their employees budget.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: Right. Right.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: From supplemental all the way to full benefit plans and corporate plans.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: If they need.
[00:24:30] Speaker B: Technology is anything from the bandwidth to data center to security. I mean, you name it, we're in it. Cybersecurity insurance even. We're doing that now.
Academy is, we have 2000 courses in our academy LMS tool that is based on business. So we took 180 of those that formulates decent for business.
And we're charging a minimum rate for an annual subscription. So you can go in anything from disk Sigma, Microsoft.
And then there's human resource tools, there's sales 101 to building relationships, leadership development, coaching. So we have that, that's going out there as well. And then people like yourself as a coach, what they do is you sit in my platform and they're like, hey, listen, we wanted the LMS tool and I offer services for people like you to say, hey, listen, who would be a good fit for that? Along with that, Ms. Tool is he'll come to your office. We're going to send Drew, we're going to send Keisha, we're going to send Lindsey.
They formulate a great strategy together. They come out, they do the presentation, they walk you through, through everything. Wow. And then you get the LMS tool to follow up and then, and get certified and everything else you do. So. And now media, media is anything from broadcasting to commercials to podcasting live stream. That is because I own with my partner, Kent Jones and Mike Rache, 21 six creator studios, which was a hobby.
That's gone. That's gone. Business. I came into play to make it a business. And we're right now at that tipping point of it being an actual business.
[00:26:23] Speaker A: Good for you.
[00:26:24] Speaker B: So, which is great. So now we have anywhere on a platform that has an outreach to 35 million people, do all 35 million, watch and listen. No, people get that misconstrued all the time there for them to write. Just like a gym membership. If you come on my platform.
[00:26:40] Speaker A: Yeah, you.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: You don't automatically get fit when you get that gym membership. You gotta.
[00:26:45] Speaker A: Exactly. Gotta do the work. Yep.
[00:26:46] Speaker B: Right.
But we're here. We do all the back end stuff. Build the intros, the outros. We do audiobooks for authors. We do. We have a vocal room for singers, rappers. We have a full music studio for live recording and bands. It's also a rehearsal space. We had the room. I mean, now in front of me is our podcast, live stream room. And it's a piano. We're partnered in with piano trends here for the space. It's a, it's a barter, basically.
[00:27:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:16] Speaker B: So we interview bands around the piano, then we record them in the studio, and then we give them that data as well. And our next move is going to be concert venue. We also have other shows, too, so, you know, folks, you want to check us out, 21 six creator studios, go to our YouTube channel. It's the best way to find us.
Make sure you, like, share, subscribe. That would be awesome. And then that notification bell for any of the shows that you like to see, you'll get a notification and let you know that's popping up. So I love it. That's basically what we're doing now. Having a lot of fun, Drew, doing it.
[00:27:49] Speaker A: I'll tell you, Drew, I give you credit because you think of a startup entrepreneur who has more questions than answers. And many of us, the reason why many of us fail within two to three years is because we have this checklist of all the things we need, and we don't know the right people with whom to partner. So you end up picking somebody and you may get screwed and then try something else. We also don't know the sequence of the best way to go about it. So you may start with what should be check number seven. You start with that first. So you give us, and I'll put myself in here. You give the solopreneur the opportunity to reduce the fear of the unknown.
And I thank you for that.
[00:28:41] Speaker B: Well, thank you. Listen, I'm only human. I fall in that category just the same as anybody else. I'm not perfect. But I'll tell you what makes the difference, because the real answer is, surround yourself in greatness. You become great.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: Yes. Yes.
[00:28:58] Speaker B: And it's always about the who, never about the how. If you want to do something and that's just not your fit, find the one that can do it work a deal. People are afraid to. Revenue share.
[00:29:11] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:29:11] Speaker B: Revenue share is. There's enough honey in the honey pot for everybody. And if you find the right people, you become a great team. Where that volume hits, money is to be made. I don't. You know, money is not my end. Listen, the root of all evil, right, is the love of money.
[00:29:28] Speaker A: Right. The green piece is the. Is the roof.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: But money can't buy your happiness.
[00:29:32] Speaker A: No.
[00:29:32] Speaker B: Somebody told me once from our group, but it sure rents the hell out of it. You need it. You need it if your goals are to. If you focus on your goals on other people, you'll realize that it comes back to you almost a hundredfold if you do it right.
[00:29:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:50] Speaker B: My goal is not to make millions of dollars. My goal is to help as many people as. As I possibly can in my lifetime. A because that'll leave me as a legacy.
[00:30:00] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:30:00] Speaker B: As a legacy. When I pass, biggest fear of most people is what happens after. It doesn't really matter at that point, because the teachings that you give, the good person that you are, people will remember that and want to continue that legacy moving forward, and that's how you live on after.
[00:30:17] Speaker A: I love.
[00:30:17] Speaker B: That is my ultimate goal.
Now, if I'm helping others and I'm giving, I never have to take because I always get. Because back.
[00:30:27] Speaker A: Yes, it's true.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: A lot of people as a man, they're like, no, no, I don't need that. Don't help me with money. Don't. But you're taking the opportunity away from.
[00:30:36] Speaker A: Me to do what you want to do. Exactly.
[00:30:40] Speaker B: And listen, I'm not a millionaire, but if I can find a way to help people, you know, circulate, that's gonna be part of my life. And my. Absolutely take that opportunity away.
It's very important. Excuse me. It's very important to remember when I. When I created shared connections.
[00:31:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:02] Speaker B: With Jeff and Chris.
[00:31:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:04] Speaker B: Listen, these two guys are like my brothers. I love them dearly. Yeah. And it was during COVID We started with 15 people on list. Now we actually have, like, I think, close to 1200.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: We only get a turnover where people are always invited. Once it's a vetted group, once it's zoom. Right. You do it on Zoom because we couldn't get in person. So now we have a worldwide grasp on building the relationships, not only locally, but across the. Across the pond.
[00:31:41] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:31:43] Speaker B: So now those relationships come and say. So I built an ecosystem that relates through my studios, with DCCs, back into my group, because, well, it's a winner. Chicken dinner. I'm surrounded myself by vetted people, the same mindset that want to succeed, that also need help, that also want to help. And it's growing. So since COVID has been. We're a distance from that now. Numbers have reduced on our show up level.
[00:32:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:12] Speaker B: But now it's time to create charters and chapters in different states, of course, to run those and still make that legacy of shared connections. I think, you know, we have a podcast coming out. It's my show. It's called the art of leveling up. Cappuccino. Everybody calls me cap.
[00:32:29] Speaker A: I love that cappuccino.
[00:32:31] Speaker B: Who doesn't love a cappuccino? There you go. Right? And it's brought to you by DCCs at a shared connections network group.
We get to interview guys like you. That's what you're doing for me today. Right. And then that gets them out there as well. And. Yeah. And ultimate goal is to just keep building all of it together and. And having enough great people in our lives.
[00:32:53] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:54] Speaker B: To move forward. Now, listen, if you're. If you're good and you're satisfied with being good, that's awesome.
But there's an opportunity to always be great, and there's always an opportunity to go from great to awesome. And sometimes, as a man, we put up these blinders.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Yes, we do.
[00:33:11] Speaker B: And we look around and it's like, oh, these people, they don't even know what genders they are. And, oh, this is blue and red and the wings. Both wings. Listen, we're all on the same plane. Somebody figured this shit out.
But sure, it's like, okay, but if you surround yourself in that, guess what your mindset's going to be all the time. Oh, shit. It's gonna be shit.
[00:33:37] Speaker A: Yeah, it is gonna be.
[00:33:38] Speaker B: Surround yourself by these networking, vetted groups and the people that matter to you.
[00:33:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:43] Speaker B: They're gonna feed you good information.
[00:33:45] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:33:46] Speaker B: Rab hole. And that's how you fix the problems in our world today.
[00:33:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:51] Speaker B: And stay. I mean, listen, stop watching the news.
[00:33:54] Speaker A: Yes. I agree with you.
Yep. I'm with.
[00:33:58] Speaker B: You know, I don't care if it's an audiobook. I. I wait for the movie to. I get it.
[00:34:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:02] Speaker B: You know, but, I mean, as a man, we put up these. We. We put up these barriers.
[00:34:07] Speaker A: We did.
[00:34:08] Speaker B: Nobody's gonna tell me how I'm. I already know. And all that. If you learn to let go and open your eyes and go, men.
Well, that makes a lot of sense. I learned to be.
Listen once again, I'm not perfect. I'll say the word asshole on your show. I have been an asshole, unknowingly, because I'm very direct.
I have a great ingenuity mind. Everything else is stupid. If you give me math problems, I'll give you a color.
But if you want me to make your organization work, I know how to build that engine. I see the pieces in my mind, and I can build that piece puzzle. I. The box. Creative, but everything else. And I never wanted to admit that I'm dyslexic. I never. Oh, yeah, I read that it was, you know. And then I would lie about it. Yeah, yeah.
Oh, the accounting and the math and everything. Sooner or later, I was like, you know what? Yeah, I got. They were like, hey, did you know that you're 1175 for me? I'm like, banana. I don't. I don't know. So you know what? That taught me how to do? That went and it taught me, yeah, I need to find a who. It doesn't matter if I know the how exactly.
[00:35:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:23] Speaker B: And if you find the who, make sure it's a trusted who. Trusted who person in your network that's not out to gouge you or.
[00:35:31] Speaker A: I love that. It's.
[00:35:32] Speaker B: So that's why you got to build a solid network relationship. Building to anything in life.
[00:35:38] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:35:38] Speaker B: Old school way of Italian saying, I got a guy.
[00:35:42] Speaker A: I got a guy. I love that.
[00:35:44] Speaker B: I use that model for everything. My business model is based on that. My network group is based on that. My studios are based on that. And if you do that, I got a guy. And how do I help you? Let me introduce you to my guy.
[00:35:56] Speaker A: Well, this is a perfect lead in, because, audience, I got a guy you need to talk to.
You have now captured the essence of Drew Casaccio, and you're going to want to get in touch with this Mandev, if not just to have a conversation.
Drew is kind enough to give his email address. So you can email Drew at D as in Drew, c as in Cappuccino. So DC 216, email drew. Just tell them you heard this episode and have a conversation. We don't know what we don't know. Conversation might go anywhere. Just embrace it and have the conversation.
Drew, I want to thank you for coming into my life. And before I get all mushy and teary eyed, I want to ask you two final questions.
All right, so I'm going to give you the opportunity to use your imagination. You're sitting down with young seven to ten year old Drew, and you want to give him advice about life. What are you going to tell that young man?
[00:37:12] Speaker B: A little cliche, but life's not a bowl of cherries. You might get one in a bowl.
Buckle up.
[00:37:19] Speaker A: I love it. Love it. All right, now, new hat. Sitting down with young Drew, the young businessman entrepreneur. I want to give him advice about business. What might you tell him?
[00:37:35] Speaker B: Don't be afraid to fail. It's okay. It's still an education, and you'll move forward from it.
[00:37:40] Speaker A: Love it. Love it. Thank you, sir. Well, once again, thank you, Drew, for not just coming on, coming into my life, being my brother. I love you, man. Keep doing what you're doing. You're a wonderful human being. You are providing such good in this world. And that legacy we talked about, it's growing. And I will help you carry that forward because, Drew Casaccio, you're a good man. And thanks for being on, man.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: I appreciate you too. Love you back, brother. And you have a great rest of your day.
[00:38:08] Speaker A: Thank you, man. Everybody take care. Take care of yourselves.
Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe and give us a review to help others find it.
I'd like you to answer this question. Are you living the life you want to live or are you living the life others want you to live? I'd like you to think about that for a second because I strongly suggest you live the life you want to live. If you want to learn more about what I stand for and my services and how I'm able to help many men get out of their own way, please go to my website at www.prophetcompassion.com. feel free to also email me at
[email protected] I'd love to have a conversation with you. Take care of yourself and choose to write your own story instead of letting others write it for.
