The Slow Burn: The People Business

Recently, I got interviewed for a potential role on a television show about entrepreneurship.
They asked me what the most impactful story from my entrepreneurial journey was, and honestly, it’s not about the balance sheets, logos, or the number of staff under my leadership.

It’s about transformation.

There was a time I weighed over 350 pounds, flying 40+ weeks a year, hiding my shame behind tray tables and tight seatbelts. I was exhausted. My health was shot. My spirit was fading. But that season forged something in me that no MBA could teach: grit.

And that same grit, the kind you earn through pain and perseverance, is what I’ve poured into every venture since. I’ve helped scale multiple startups into thriving multimillion-dollar companies. I’ve helped grow a residential appraisal firm into one of the largest in the country, launched an affiliated AMC, and built a boutique cigar brand from the ground up.

But here’s the truth …I never set out to be an entrepreneur.

I just really love people.

I’m crazy about them. I lay awake some nights replaying conversations, wondering what drives each person I meet. I trace the red thread between our interactions, and more often than not, it leads to something beautiful…hearts that care deeply.

There’s my buddy raising his grandson full-time, giving that kid the kind of life many never get. Another friend who spends his weekends teaching kids to fish and hunt, passing on lessons of patience and respect. One brother shepherds broken men through recovery, while another has turned his pain into purpose, building businesses that bless other families.

One friend smokes cigars like a theologian studies scripture, quoting C.S. Lewis between tasting notes and bourbon pours. Another, an ex-con, turned lemons into legacy…rebuilding his life with faith, fight, and family. There’s the pastor I used to play music with in our rebellion years, now preaching about the same grace that saved us both. And then there’s “Glitter Pickle,” my go-to when I need laughter more than advice. But man oh man, his advice is good too.

One of my dawg’s just celebrated an anniversary in recovery. He completely rebuilt his life in the five years we’ve been kicking it.

These are my people. My tribe. My church outside the church.

Cigars brought us together, not as status symbols, but as a shared language of connection. The leaf is just the medium. The real art is in the conversation, the laughter, the quiet nods of understanding between puffs of smoke.

Life is fragile. We don’t know when our story ends…maybe you leave the house for creamer and never come home. So why not open yourself up to others now? Why not lean in while you can?

When we allow people in, we find purpose. We find connection. We find the kind of brotherhood that can only be forged in the fire.

That’s what Brolo is about, real stories, real people, and the slow burn that happens when you choose connection over isolation.

So, light up something new this week.
Pull your chair a little closer.
Lean in.

And if you haven’t already, grab one of the Brolo Founders Club Trucker Caps while you can. Only 50 were made, and they’re selling fast. Like everything at Brolo, they were made for connection: one story, one conversation, one believer at a time.

Light up. Lean in. The Founders Club rides first.

25 Green, 25 Gold. One they’re gone, they’re gone forever.