WEBVTT 00:00:08.879 --> 00:00:12.000 Hello and welcome to Good News York, sponsored 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.980 by ads on the go. Get ads on the go .com. It 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:16.760 is Monday. It doesn't sound like a Monday. It 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:20.219 doesn't feel like a Monday because A, Buffalo 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:21.820 Bills finally look like they're playing football 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:23.839 again. That's a different story. You can go watch 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.460 that on GMY Sports. But even more importantly, 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.739 I'm here with a not even a special guest. I would 00:00:29.739 --> 00:00:32.320 dare say a friend of ours, a friend of the show, 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:35.299 one of our first guests. Danny, was that one 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:40.020 of our first guests? Mr. Abel Ramirez from Bayberry 00:00:40.020 --> 00:00:44.920 Uniforms in Fayetteville. You, my friend, we 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:46.479 learned a lot about you the first time you were 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:48.659 on, which we're gonna talk about again, but you 00:00:48.659 --> 00:00:51.960 truly are, and it sounds like I'm being dramatic 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:53.960 here, you are the, you're living the American 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:57.380 dream. You are what we learned about in the history 00:00:57.380 --> 00:01:00.820 books. People that come from different countries 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:04.780 for more opportunity here with drive, ambition. 00:01:05.689 --> 00:01:08.430 nothing in their pockets and building something 00:01:08.430 --> 00:01:10.709 from nothing, and you have done that, man, and 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:12.829 I respect that so much. Good morning, buddy. 00:01:12.950 --> 00:01:14.450 How are you? Good morning, Mike. You're great. 00:01:14.609 --> 00:01:16.650 Wow, that's a great introduction, man. I don't 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:19.049 know if I can live up to that. Well, I mean, 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:22.629 listen, it's not like I wrote it down. I'm speaking 00:01:22.629 --> 00:01:25.329 from the heart. That's who you are, and that's 00:01:25.329 --> 00:01:29.790 what's going on. For those that maybe didn't 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:32.950 listen to the first time you were on or saw it, 00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:35.319 Tell us about your background. I know you've 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:36.719 probably told this story a million times, but 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:39.560 it's so great. Tell us how you got to where you 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:41.700 are now with Bayberry uniforms and Fayetteville. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:44.219 Sure. It's a very interesting story, because 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:48.540 if you asked me five years ago, hey, do you see 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:51.060 yourself selling medical uniform? I'd be like, 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:53.879 what? You're crazy. I would never think that 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:55.760 I would be where I am today. Definitely, God 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:58.680 has been great in my life. For those of you that 00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:01.819 don't know, I come from Cuba. As you know, it's 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:06.790 a very... difficult place to grow up with. Picture 00:02:06.790 --> 00:02:09.150 living in the middle of nowhere with your neighbors 00:02:09.150 --> 00:02:12.949 being a thousand miles away, in the country living 00:02:12.949 --> 00:02:17.370 off the ground, an outhouse. I told this story 00:02:17.370 --> 00:02:19.090 last time, I want to tell it again because I 00:02:19.090 --> 00:02:22.770 think it's very funny but also very eye -opening 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:26.250 for the average person. The first week in America 00:02:26.250 --> 00:02:28.930 we didn't know how to operate the shower. Oh, 00:02:29.110 --> 00:02:31.590 yes. So, you know, for the first week, we're 00:02:31.590 --> 00:02:33.789 here, and we're trying to figure out how to operate 00:02:33.789 --> 00:02:36.210 this thing. You know, because we were used to 00:02:36.210 --> 00:02:38.689 just go into the well, get the bucket of water, 00:02:39.110 --> 00:02:41.110 put it in three stones, heat it up, and then 00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:43.229 that's how you take a shower. I mean, that's 00:02:43.229 --> 00:02:45.849 all we knew. And first week in America, we didn't 00:02:45.849 --> 00:02:47.909 know how to operate it. It wasn't until the social 00:02:47.909 --> 00:02:51.449 worker came to visit, like, the week after, and 00:02:51.449 --> 00:02:54.210 she was like, do you guys need anything? And 00:02:54.210 --> 00:02:55.650 she spoke Spanish, because we didn't speak English 00:02:55.650 --> 00:02:58.330 at the time, too, by the way. And I was like, 00:02:58.330 --> 00:03:00.849 yeah, you know, we would like to see if we can 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:03.250 get the shower working, because it doesn't seem 00:03:03.250 --> 00:03:06.469 like it's operating right. And I go and I show 00:03:06.469 --> 00:03:08.750 her, like, I turn it to the left, cold, and to 00:03:08.750 --> 00:03:10.590 the right, hot. It doesn't do anything. And she 00:03:10.590 --> 00:03:14.729 goes, oh, let me show you. And she pulls it out. 00:03:14.729 --> 00:03:17.330 Yeah. And water starts flowing. It was like. 00:03:17.610 --> 00:03:19.870 Well, that makes you feel better. I am now in 00:03:19.870 --> 00:03:22.430 my 40s, and I still struggle with when I go to, 00:03:22.430 --> 00:03:25.509 like, hotels. I'm like, I'm pulling on the faucet. 00:03:25.650 --> 00:03:27.969 I'm yanking on it. You know, sometimes it's not 00:03:27.969 --> 00:03:29.969 that easy, especially if you're coming from somewhere 00:03:29.969 --> 00:03:31.909 where you didn't have that liberty. So give yourself 00:03:31.909 --> 00:03:33.650 a little credit. No, it's OK. We all know you 00:03:33.650 --> 00:03:35.229 don't like to take a shower anyway, Mike. I do 00:03:35.229 --> 00:03:37.250 not. Don't try to make up an excuse. Do not. 00:03:37.270 --> 00:03:38.810 That's why I'm over here and you're over there. 00:03:38.990 --> 00:03:41.330 I'm stinking of saloon. Social distancing. Social 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:44.810 distancing. But yeah, no, it's very humbling 00:03:44.810 --> 00:03:46.909 and very eye -opening. And it's a story that 00:03:46.909 --> 00:03:49.050 I always tell everyone. And I try to, you know, 00:03:49.229 --> 00:03:51.569 remind myself because, you know, you open the 00:03:51.569 --> 00:03:53.860 fridge, there's food. And if you don't have food, 00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:55.699 you just go to the grocery store, you go to the 00:03:55.699 --> 00:03:58.500 gas station nearby and just grab whatever you 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.400 need off the shelf. I mean, before when I was 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:02.539 hungry, you have to go out and, oh, here's a 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:04.479 mango tree. Let me climb it or throw rocks, see 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:09.599 if I can have a snack. So growing up in those 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:16.300 conditions certainly makes you dream about things 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:19.500 and makes you want to do better, right? I was 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:22.759 fortunate enough that At the time, this was back 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:26.980 in 2010, in Cuba there was a Switzerland embassy 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:29.379 that had U .S. personnel in it. So there wasn't 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:31.439 an U .S. embassy in Cuba, but there was a Switzerland 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:35.259 embassy that had U .S. personnel. Now, my dad 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:38.860 being a pastor didn't do well with the authorities 00:04:38.860 --> 00:04:43.740 in Cuba because they're very restrictive on groups 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:47.180 of gatherings. So obviously, being a pastor of 00:04:47.180 --> 00:04:49.569 a church... that's not something that the government 00:04:49.569 --> 00:04:52.209 plays well with. So he started to have a lot 00:04:52.209 --> 00:04:53.970 of problems with the authorities on, you know, 00:04:54.050 --> 00:04:57.389 the gatherings and whatnot, persecuted. So, you 00:04:57.389 --> 00:04:59.430 know, he went to the Switzerland embassy and 00:04:59.430 --> 00:05:02.209 requested asylum at the U .S. with the U .S. 00:05:02.490 --> 00:05:05.670 personnel. And it was a two, three, four year 00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:10.029 process of interviews, shots, a lot of paperwork, 00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:12.949 a lot of money involved. But eventually they, 00:05:12.949 --> 00:05:14.790 you know, they opened the doors and they said, 00:05:14.870 --> 00:05:16.759 OK, pick a place. Where do you want to go? And 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:18.459 we were like, I don't know. Where am I supposed 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:21.800 to go? I don't know anything. So we borrow at 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:23.740 the embassy there was a computer with internet. 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:25.680 Because the average person doesn't have access 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:28.740 to the internet. And she goes, here's Google, 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:31.860 right? And you Google top 10 places to raise 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:35.220 a family in the US. And guess what city popped 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:37.920 up at the time. I'm going to guess Syracuse. 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:42.480 Syracuse, indeed. So we picked Syracuse. And 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.500 they were like, sure. They arranged everything. 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:49.160 I'll never forget it was on October 19th of 2010. 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:53.300 We're coming down on the airplane, Syracuse Hancock 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:56.220 Airport, and I could see all the colors, man. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:06:00.480 It was like unbelievable. Picture tropical place 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:03.860 you grew up with, it's all you know, same season 00:06:03.860 --> 00:06:06.899 all year long, and now you come and you see all 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:09.240 these beautiful colors and the cars and the screens, 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:14.550 and it was so beautiful. You know, and that to 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:17.550 me was like, this is it. You know, we've made 00:06:17.550 --> 00:06:19.550 it. We're in America. We're free. We can say 00:06:19.550 --> 00:06:21.850 whatever we want. We can do whatever we want 00:06:21.850 --> 00:06:23.670 with our lives. We don't have to have the government 00:06:23.670 --> 00:06:25.649 watching everything that we do or our neighbor 00:06:25.649 --> 00:06:27.529 watching, you know, what are you doing or what 00:06:27.529 --> 00:06:29.870 are you cooking? Because by the way, if you kill 00:06:29.870 --> 00:06:31.829 a cow in Cuba, you get more years in prison than 00:06:31.829 --> 00:06:34.370 if you kill a person. That's a fact. What? Yes. 00:06:35.129 --> 00:06:38.889 If you kill a cow, you get that's worse than 00:06:38.889 --> 00:06:41.790 killing a person. Is that a religious thing? 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:43.930 No, I wish. See, if it was a religious thing, 00:06:43.949 --> 00:06:46.250 there would be a basis for it, right? Like India. 00:06:46.689 --> 00:06:48.750 But it's not a religious thing. It's just the 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:52.290 government owns it all. The government in Cuba 00:06:52.290 --> 00:06:56.129 loves cheeseburgers. No, you know what? There's 00:06:56.129 --> 00:06:58.110 a saying on the street. I don't know if it's 00:06:58.110 --> 00:06:59.949 true or not, but everyone used to say that Fidel 00:06:59.949 --> 00:07:04.350 Castro loved ice cream so much that that's why 00:07:04.350 --> 00:07:07.230 the cows are all his. I'm going to say that's 00:07:07.230 --> 00:07:11.569 not true, but he did love ice cream. Okay, but 00:07:11.569 --> 00:07:15.589 yeah, it's a very very uh, that's able so then 00:07:15.589 --> 00:07:18.569 I love hearing me first of all, it's just so 00:07:18.569 --> 00:07:21.709 I give goosebumps. It's such a just such an amazing 00:07:21.709 --> 00:07:25.589 story because you know Obviously, it's an amazing 00:07:25.589 --> 00:07:28.649 story, but I just I look at us as just you know, 00:07:28.870 --> 00:07:30.730 typical Americans You know, we're complaining 00:07:30.730 --> 00:07:34.430 about things that we think are so important and 00:07:34.430 --> 00:07:37.930 so vital And when I hear you speak, I realize 00:07:37.930 --> 00:07:41.129 just how spoiled we are, and we forget, you know, 00:07:41.149 --> 00:07:43.970 how lucky we are here. And, you know, with everything 00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:47.310 that's been going on in politics, it breaks my 00:07:47.310 --> 00:07:50.230 heart because I know, I keep in the back of my 00:07:50.230 --> 00:07:54.089 mind, I hear people like you speak and know your 00:07:54.089 --> 00:07:56.509 story, and it makes me realize how lucky I am. 00:07:56.850 --> 00:07:59.129 And I just hope we never lose that as a country. 00:07:59.850 --> 00:08:03.569 And it just, it's so inspiring, you know, that... 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:07.319 that you come here and you tell that story. Was 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:10.060 there a moment, was it the religious thing that 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:12.420 kind of spurred you guys coming over to America, 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:15.620 or what was the jump off? What was it like, we 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:18.920 gotta go? Yeah, it was pretty much we gotta go. 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:23.579 But the United States, it's the ultimate destination 00:08:23.579 --> 00:08:26.899 for anyone seeking a better life, a better place. 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:30.199 It's the ultimate place for freedom, right? It's 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:32.799 the dream, right? It's the dream, everyone. You 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:34.399 can talk about all the different countries in 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.940 the world that are great, but America, it's the 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:40.279 ultimate destination. That's where everyone dies 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:43.740 to get to, you know? There's thousands of Cubans 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:46.000 that have died crossing the ocean on their own 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:50.799 on handmade water crafts, rafts that they're 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:53.179 trying to make it over to the U .S. It's just 00:08:53.179 --> 00:08:57.139 unbelievable. To prove your point, and to prove 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:58.740 my point of what I said of how we're spoiled 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:01.710 Americans, earlier you were like... We had to 00:09:01.710 --> 00:09:04.169 get out of Cuba. Our neighbors were 1 ,000 miles 00:09:04.169 --> 00:09:05.929 away. And I'm sitting here going, man, I wish 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:07.649 my neighbors were 1 ,000 miles away. You see 00:09:07.649 --> 00:09:10.190 how spoiled we are? But anyway, so you guys, 00:09:10.250 --> 00:09:12.629 you come to America. How old are you at this 00:09:12.629 --> 00:09:15.450 point? I was 14 at the time. So you're 14 years 00:09:15.450 --> 00:09:18.289 old. You're integrating into American schools. 00:09:18.450 --> 00:09:20.750 What's that like for you? Man, that was the toughest 00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:24.610 time. To tell you the truth, that moment in life, 00:09:24.789 --> 00:09:27.929 it's like an empty space in my head. Like, I 00:09:27.929 --> 00:09:30.149 barely remember anything. I don't know if it's 00:09:30.149 --> 00:09:33.070 a coping mechanism that the body decides like, 00:09:33.169 --> 00:09:34.929 hey, I don't need this information. Let's delete 00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:38.990 it so we can embrace culture, language, and try 00:09:38.990 --> 00:09:44.009 to get space up here for getting ahead. But it 00:09:44.009 --> 00:09:45.789 was very tough. I mean, I definitely remember 00:09:45.789 --> 00:09:49.450 one instance where everyone laughed at the classroom 00:09:49.450 --> 00:09:50.809 because the first thing I learned how to say 00:09:50.809 --> 00:09:54.629 in English was, I don't know. Just to... It's 00:09:54.629 --> 00:09:56.470 a good one to learn. Avoid questions, right? 00:09:56.750 --> 00:09:58.950 And I was in the classroom, and the teacher asked 00:09:58.950 --> 00:10:01.350 a question specifically to me. And I know because 00:10:01.350 --> 00:10:03.409 it's looking at me as he's talking. I just said, 00:10:03.570 --> 00:10:05.970 I don't know. And then the whole class started 00:10:05.970 --> 00:10:08.769 laughing because what he said at the time was, 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:10.710 do you know how to say anything other than I 00:10:10.710 --> 00:10:12.289 don't know? And you said, I don't know. And I 00:10:12.289 --> 00:10:14.850 said, I don't know. Well, you answered the question. 00:10:14.850 --> 00:10:17.769 I answered the question, right? No, obviously. 00:10:18.349 --> 00:10:20.590 Wow. But it was very tough, but I think that's 00:10:20.590 --> 00:10:23.149 where the survival mode kicks in, right? It's 00:10:23.149 --> 00:10:25.149 fight or flight. You know, when you're faced 00:10:25.149 --> 00:10:27.470 in a situation where you're against the wall 00:10:27.470 --> 00:10:31.129 and there's no place else you can run to, you 00:10:31.129 --> 00:10:34.429 have to face it, right? I had to learn English 00:10:34.429 --> 00:10:38.710 quick, you know, in a very impressive amount 00:10:38.710 --> 00:10:40.850 of time because I'm going through high school 00:10:40.850 --> 00:10:42.750 just like a regular kid, right? And here I am 00:10:42.750 --> 00:10:44.210 not understanding the subjects that are being 00:10:44.210 --> 00:10:46.649 taught. So in order for me to get through high 00:10:46.649 --> 00:10:50.059 school, I had to learn English as fast as I could. 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:52.940 And guess how I did it. That was my next question. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:55.340 Watching Equals 3 on YouTube. I don't know if 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:57.360 you remember Equals 3. I don't even know what 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:00.220 that is. I just love that you used YouTube. Ray 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:02.799 William Johnson, Equals 3. That used to be like 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:05.360 the most popular channel back then in 2010 or 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:08.279 11. And I would just watch those videos because 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:11.600 he was, him reacting to funny videos. But, you 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:15.720 know, I would just consume content like all day. 00:11:16.310 --> 00:11:19.570 And that's how I was able to, you know, take 00:11:19.570 --> 00:11:22.110 a lot of information in and then be like, oh, 00:11:22.129 --> 00:11:23.490 okay, that's what that means and that's what 00:11:23.490 --> 00:11:25.409 that means and put two and two together. I also 00:11:25.409 --> 00:11:27.409 learned, here's a tip for if you're trying to 00:11:27.409 --> 00:11:30.710 learn a new language, don't translate, period. 00:11:31.230 --> 00:11:35.269 Learn anything new as a new concept. For example, 00:11:35.909 --> 00:11:38.169 if you want to learn what this is in Spanish, 00:11:38.470 --> 00:11:41.629 I'm going to tell you is a botella. Botella. 00:11:41.769 --> 00:11:43.330 In your head, you're not going to say, oh, that's 00:11:43.330 --> 00:11:44.830 a water bottle. Let me see how you say water 00:11:44.830 --> 00:11:47.129 bottle in Spanish. Botella. Oh, yeah, this is 00:11:47.129 --> 00:11:49.769 a botella. No, I teach you as a new name, as 00:11:49.769 --> 00:11:52.509 a new concept, so you don't have to translate 00:11:52.509 --> 00:11:54.289 it in your head. So that's what I started doing. 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:57.149 I started learning things as a new concept, rather 00:11:57.149 --> 00:11:59.690 than translating it in my head, because I figured 00:11:59.690 --> 00:12:03.889 that while I was translating, I was losing the 00:12:03.889 --> 00:12:06.620 pace of the speaker. And I would lose a lot of 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:08.419 words in the process while I was thinking of 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:10.840 what he's saying and what that means in Spanish. 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:15.220 So that worked for me. That's brilliant. Just 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:17.000 learning something is a new concept. And I could 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:19.919 just point and shoot and be like, camera, light, 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:22.440 scream, you know, without translating. So you're 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:24.580 saying what you mean by that is like, instead 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:26.600 of going, oh, I wonder how you say, go to the 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:29.220 bathroom. Let me look that up. You're saying, 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:31.830 let it be in front of you. in the moment, learning 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:34.470 in the moment. That's fascinating. I mean, there's 00:12:34.470 --> 00:12:36.649 multiple things that I know in English that I 00:12:36.649 --> 00:12:38.429 don't know how to translate in Spanish, and Spanish 00:12:38.429 --> 00:12:40.990 is my main language, because I just learned it 00:12:40.990 --> 00:12:43.850 as a concept, as a new thing, and the brain, 00:12:43.850 --> 00:12:46.350 I guess, it's easier for him to understand, oh, 00:12:46.389 --> 00:12:47.850 it's a new thing that I just learned, rather 00:12:47.850 --> 00:12:50.129 than, oh, it's a new thing that I just learned, 00:12:50.190 --> 00:12:51.669 but now I gotta know how to say it in Spanish, 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:53.110 and what does that really mean? And some things 00:12:53.110 --> 00:12:55.710 don't really translate the same. Right. So... 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:58.139 Yeah, that's what works for me. You're amazing. 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:00.519 Absolutely amazing. We're going to get into content. 00:13:00.580 --> 00:13:03.899 We're going to get into Bayberry uniforms. But 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:06.960 your story, I just I love it. So now you're in 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:09.559 high school. You're starting to pick up the English 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:12.139 language. What are your parents doing at this 00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:15.179 point? Are they working or what's going on there? 00:13:15.379 --> 00:13:17.559 Yeah, my dad started working as soon as he got 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:22.379 here. He was working at a recycling company and 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:25.179 he would do that at night. And then he learned 00:13:25.179 --> 00:13:29.120 how to drive a car. And eventually my stepmom 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.799 at the time, she started to work at a place picking 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:34.940 up crops here. That's what we knew. I started 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:37.720 working at a young age too. I was about 15 or 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:40.440 16. I started working at Columbus Bakery. It 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.820 was a family that took me in. They didn't care 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:45.740 that I barely spoke any English. That's actually 00:13:45.740 --> 00:13:48.539 where I got the love for a small business because 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:52.730 I saw how they operate. and how everyone was 00:13:52.730 --> 00:13:54.769 doing everything. There was no titles, right? 00:13:54.789 --> 00:13:56.269 Because, hey, you're the business owner, but 00:13:56.269 --> 00:13:57.970 you still got to take out the trash and you still 00:13:57.970 --> 00:14:00.809 got to do all these different things in the business. 00:14:01.230 --> 00:14:04.149 So they took me in as one of their own and I 00:14:04.149 --> 00:14:07.570 worked there for, I want to say two, three years 00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:11.750 until I started my professional career in aerospace 00:14:11.750 --> 00:14:15.009 with my wife at TTM Technologies, the building 00:14:15.009 --> 00:14:17.909 that's building there. They're going to be doing 00:14:17.909 --> 00:14:20.860 what's called the bore fab, the bore fabrication. 00:14:21.379 --> 00:14:24.460 That's what I started doing eight years ago, 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:27.500 or more like eight or nine years ago in the chemical 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:30.179 department. That's what I was doing. And it's 00:14:30.179 --> 00:14:33.220 just very, you know, I look back, I learned the 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:37.340 love for small businesses with Columbus Bakery. 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:40.600 I learned the processes and how a major company 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:45.120 operates at TTM and corporations. different things 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:47.340 that you learn at a big company, and now we apply 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:49.700 everything to our own family business. Amazing. 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:52.200 So it was like everything worked out, and all 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:54.820 the pieces of the puzzle eventually came together 00:14:54.820 --> 00:14:57.860 without me even looking for them. And that's 00:14:57.860 --> 00:15:03.139 the best part. So that's amazing. So when Bayberry 00:15:03.139 --> 00:15:05.620 Uniforms comes along, or the idea comes along, 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:09.679 did this come along as, because you worked at 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:12.370 the bakery, you worked at the other place, and 00:15:12.370 --> 00:15:14.330 you started to go, hey, wait a minute. You know 00:15:14.330 --> 00:15:16.509 what? This has inspired me. I want to own my 00:15:16.509 --> 00:15:19.169 own business. Or was this like, hey, I got to 00:15:19.169 --> 00:15:21.269 be an entrepreneur. I need to own my own business 00:15:21.269 --> 00:15:23.850 because I'm not going to have a lot of opportunities 00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:26.970 otherwise. That's a great question, Mike. I think 00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:30.769 deep inside, there has always been that entrepreneur, 00:15:31.190 --> 00:15:34.350 salesman person inside of me. I remember back 00:15:34.350 --> 00:15:37.049 in Cuba, I used to collect metal scraps after 00:15:37.049 --> 00:15:39.799 school. and then sell those so I could gather 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:42.480 enough money to rent a Nintendo 64 for the weekend. 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:44.879 And what I mean for the weekend is I would go 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:49.000 in at 8 p .m. and rent it for two hours, and 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:51.700 then the owner would say, oh, it's 10 p .m., 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:54.700 you know, I was a minor, just keep it overnight, 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.120 you can bring it in tomorrow morning. And I just 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:59.220 learned that Hag is like, hey, if I just rent 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:01.980 two hours, I pay for two hours on a Friday, he 00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:05.080 lets me stay overnight. for saturday morning 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.440 so i could play all night my nintendo 64 or well 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:11.659 rent the nintendo 64 so i always had that you 00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:15.679 know entrepreneur hustler yeah person inside 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:19.120 of me but i i want to say that it was definitely 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.480 a trigger moment for me when covid happened and 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:26.179 i saw the different things going on in the world 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:30.529 and and how all of a sudden censorship Showed 00:16:30.529 --> 00:16:33.590 up and how politics showed up all over the world 00:16:33.590 --> 00:16:35.590 and it was like a level of control that I want 00:16:35.590 --> 00:16:37.950 to say Trigger something in me coming from Cuba. 00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:40.090 I was like, you know what? Maybe we should have 00:16:40.090 --> 00:16:42.690 our own business So no one can tell us what we 00:16:42.690 --> 00:16:46.389 can or can't do and we have 100 % control or 00:16:46.389 --> 00:16:49.230 at least 99 % control of you know The decisions 00:16:49.230 --> 00:16:51.450 we make in our own life and that's exactly what 00:16:51.450 --> 00:16:54.730 we did. We both empty or 401ks I saw an investment 00:16:54.730 --> 00:16:57.289 property that I had and we went all in into our 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:01.340 family business that is Amazing. And I love how 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:03.740 everything came full circle. You know, suddenly 00:17:03.740 --> 00:17:05.400 you're feeling the squeeze of the government, 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:09.200 and you're going, whoa, whoa, whoa. I left because 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:11.420 of that. I'm not going through this again. I 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:12.839 think there's something, and I think Matt would 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:15.480 even agree with me. You know, I feel like I'm 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.680 learning through this job and life. I mean, I 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:19.960 feel like there's two kinds of entrepreneurs. 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:22.720 There's the ones that do it because they're driven, 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:25.420 and they have these ideas, and they want to do 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:27.700 it. And then there's the ones... that are driven, 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:29.420 they have these ideas, but they're also doing 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:32.779 it out of survival. And I feel like that gives 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:37.059 you just a little bit of a natural extra drive 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:40.019 that others wouldn't have, because it's survival 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:41.920 for you. Does that sound right? It's the burn 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.079 the ships mentality. I don't know if you heard 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:46.880 that. It was a conquistador that I think made 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:49.400 it to Mexico, and he literally burned the ship. 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:53.799 So he goes, we either... win this battle, or 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.819 we all die here. Oh, so it was like the old age 00:17:56.819 --> 00:17:58.799 version of a one -way ticket. Yeah. Like, I'm 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:01.299 just... That's it. It's got to work. It's got 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:04.099 to work, or otherwise, we're going down together. 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:08.440 And that mentality makes you want to work 200 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:11.579 % harder. Then, I just hope this works out. Right, 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:13.539 right. I have a plan B. I have a retirement. 00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:16.400 I have investment properties. You know, I can... 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.740 If this doesn't work, I'll move on to the next 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:22.210 thing. uh no this is like it has to this has 00:18:22.210 --> 00:18:25.430 to work or we're all going down we have two small 00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:29.049 little children you know um all of our family 00:18:29.049 --> 00:18:31.769 are immigrants that came here just a little bit 00:18:31.769 --> 00:18:34.359 before us so it's not like they have a the means 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:37.700 to support us if this doesn't work. So yeah, 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:39.480 it's that burn the ships mentality. You know, 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:42.660 you got to make it work. You got to go in 200%. 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:44.980 Dude, I'm going to use burn the ships mentality 00:18:44.980 --> 00:18:47.079 from now on. That is amazing. And you can apply 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.460 it to anything, right? Sure. Going to the gym 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:52.039 or for your New Year's resolutions, you know, 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:55.480 we always fall back because we know that if you 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:57.480 don't do it, nothing happens. And then you get 00:18:57.480 --> 00:18:59.200 disappointed at yourself. And it's like this 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:02.450 vicious cycle, right? Rather than no, I mean, 00:19:02.609 --> 00:19:05.049 there's no going back. This is who I am and we 00:19:05.049 --> 00:19:07.150 got to make it work or at least die trying. That's 00:19:07.150 --> 00:19:12.869 right, man. I I'm so inspired by you. So Now 00:19:12.869 --> 00:19:15.349 you're at the point. Okay, we're dumping our 00:19:15.349 --> 00:19:19.670 401ks. We're all in How does Burberry uniform 00:19:19.670 --> 00:19:21.950 in Fayetteville come? Is this is this something 00:19:21.950 --> 00:19:24.670 you sought? Did it come to you because as you 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:27.670 said I I don't imagine selling medical uniforms 00:19:27.670 --> 00:19:30.470 was, like, the first thing you thought of. How 00:19:30.470 --> 00:19:33.049 does Bayberry Uniform come about? Well, at the 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:34.950 time, I was working as a real estate agent, so 00:19:34.950 --> 00:19:38.490 I was still employed full -time. But I was also 00:19:38.490 --> 00:19:41.950 looking for other avenues for income and freedom 00:19:41.950 --> 00:19:44.470 and entrepreneurship, and real estate was the 00:19:44.470 --> 00:19:46.130 easiest thing because you can get a license real 00:19:46.130 --> 00:19:49.529 cheap. And I became a licensed real estate agent 00:19:49.529 --> 00:19:51.930 back in 2020 before the shutdown happened. So 00:19:51.930 --> 00:19:53.730 I had an amazing year when the prices were going 00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:58.670 up. I had a very good first year as a real estate 00:19:58.670 --> 00:20:01.609 agent. And I also learned through that process 00:20:01.609 --> 00:20:03.829 that you can buy a business. You don't have to 00:20:03.829 --> 00:20:07.109 reinvent the wheel. Why do I have to become Einstein 00:20:07.109 --> 00:20:10.170 and reinvent something that someone else already 00:20:10.170 --> 00:20:13.150 did for you? And maybe they're retiring or maybe 00:20:13.150 --> 00:20:15.150 they're just moving out of state or maybe they're 00:20:15.150 --> 00:20:17.240 going through health issues and they can't support 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:19.579 the business anymore. And it's something that 00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:22.160 the community needs, that's been here for a long 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.559 time, that supports health care, that's proven 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:29.579 to work in times of crisis like COVID pandemic. 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:31.779 We know what's an essential and what's not an 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:34.079 essential business after COVID, right? How many 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:36.640 businesses closed during that time? And how many 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:38.579 businesses were open during that time? So it 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:43.619 was a very crazy time. I feel like... I mean, 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:46.779 obviously not literally, but for the most part, 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:49.660 I feel like there were two types of people during 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:52.960 the pandemic. They're the ones that, you know, 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.279 had a real tough time and struggled and, you 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:59.079 know, maybe had some not so great results coming 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:01.079 out of it. And then there were the others that 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:04.779 knew it was time to pivot and made something 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:08.589 beautiful out of it. And I think... you coming 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:10.890 from the situation that you came from up until 00:21:10.890 --> 00:21:13.869 that point, all you ever knew was burn the ships, 00:21:14.049 --> 00:21:17.250 right? Got to survive. So for most of us, the 00:21:17.250 --> 00:21:19.910 pandemic was like, what do we do? That was us 00:21:19.910 --> 00:21:21.349 going through the first... The analysis paralysis. 00:21:21.529 --> 00:21:23.089 Right. He's like, what am I doing? And then you 00:21:23.089 --> 00:21:25.529 don't do anything. Right. So this is the first 00:21:25.529 --> 00:21:27.470 time as Americans, at least for my generation, 00:21:27.569 --> 00:21:30.250 where we're really going, whoa, we have to do 00:21:30.250 --> 00:21:32.769 something to survive here. And you are going, 00:21:33.089 --> 00:21:35.519 I'm used to this, man. You know, obviously you 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:36.819 hadn't been through a pandemic, but you're like, 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:39.539 I know what it's like when shit gets real and 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:42.680 you got to pivot. And so you did. And so Bayberry 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:45.220 Uniforms comes along. And Bayberry Uniforms comes 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:47.599 along. I was actually somebody that I knew through 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:51.039 work that was the listing agent for the business. 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:54.819 So it was like, OK, great. And at first I saw 00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:59.890 it went up for sale a year prior. And nothing 00:21:59.890 --> 00:22:02.190 happened, you know, and he did pitch like, hey, 00:22:02.269 --> 00:22:03.849 I think you and your wife will be good for this. 00:22:03.930 --> 00:22:06.349 You know, you guys have the mentality and it 00:22:06.349 --> 00:22:08.369 will be good for you. But at the time, again, 00:22:08.369 --> 00:22:10.869 I wasn't thinking medical scrubs. You know, this 00:22:10.869 --> 00:22:13.250 was prior to the pandemic even. So I was like, 00:22:13.309 --> 00:22:15.930 yeah, I don't know if I'm ready to make that 00:22:15.930 --> 00:22:19.190 risk, right? To take that leap of faith and go 00:22:19.190 --> 00:22:21.009 all in together. My wife at the time, she was 00:22:21.009 --> 00:22:23.769 going on her master's for engineering management. 00:22:23.829 --> 00:22:26.670 So she's at the peak of her career when it comes 00:22:26.670 --> 00:22:30.809 to aerospace engineering. And I was growing very 00:22:30.809 --> 00:22:34.289 fast too in that space. So it wasn't a time, 00:22:34.430 --> 00:22:36.910 we weren't ready at the time. Then COVID hits, 00:22:37.170 --> 00:22:39.450 the business goes up for sale again, right? It 00:22:39.450 --> 00:22:41.630 sits there for like six months, nothing's happening. 00:22:42.150 --> 00:22:44.230 And we're like, okay, maybe it is time to consider 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:46.609 it. We met with the owner, we checked out the 00:22:46.609 --> 00:22:49.390 place. Again, we learned that it was essential. 00:22:49.430 --> 00:22:51.630 So it wasn't going to be closed down. It's supporting 00:22:51.630 --> 00:22:54.210 healthcare, which healthcare is the hottest topic 00:22:54.210 --> 00:22:56.910 at the time. So we were like, okay, yeah, maybe 00:22:56.910 --> 00:22:59.680 we can make it work. So Let's burn the ships 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:03.660 and sail along. Burn the scrubs. Burn the scrubs. 00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:07.359 Burn the scrubs. So Bayberry Uniform in Fayetteville. 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:09.740 Tell us about the business. Tell us what you 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:11.779 guys do, the products, all that stuff. Yeah, 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:14.119 so Bayberry Uniform has been around for over 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:18.799 50 years and it's a medical apparel company that 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:21.440 provides to all the nursing schools, all the 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.279 hospitals, medical offices, veterinarians, you 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:27.019 name it. Anybody wearing scrubs, wear there. 00:23:28.309 --> 00:23:30.410 And it's just amazing, you know, I was at the 00:23:30.410 --> 00:23:33.549 airport the other day and I see the the upstate 00:23:33.549 --> 00:23:35.990 Billboards and announcement and they're wearing 00:23:35.990 --> 00:23:38.650 our uniforms. So it's very fulfilling. It's very 00:23:38.650 --> 00:23:41.410 purpose -driven for us to be supporting You know 00:23:41.410 --> 00:23:44.210 the health care workers of our city and also 00:23:44.210 --> 00:23:46.910 the schools too because they are the future Now 00:23:46.910 --> 00:23:48.630 we do a little bit of restaurant work too. We 00:23:48.630 --> 00:23:51.869 do corporate wear, but also I want to say medical 00:23:51.869 --> 00:23:55.950 is the the main focus Of our business just supporting 00:23:55.950 --> 00:23:58.170 our hospitals supporting all medical offices 00:23:58.170 --> 00:24:02.730 here our nurses and the students to come So do 00:24:02.730 --> 00:24:06.349 you deal with I mean, do you have a lot of competition 00:24:06.349 --> 00:24:09.670 in this space? And if so, you know, what kind 00:24:09.670 --> 00:24:12.190 of sets you guys apart from from the others? 00:24:12.230 --> 00:24:16.289 Yeah competitions were one of the highest Spaces 00:24:16.289 --> 00:24:20.359 for competition, you know, you have Amazon That's 00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:22.680 everybody's competitors. And they're the biggest 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:26.460 and scariest. You also have online competitors. 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:28.259 So these are people that don't have a breaking 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:31.460 motor store. So they can afford dropship. They 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:33.799 can afford the lower prices. You have the big 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:36.119 F war that we call it in our industry. The F 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:41.319 war is Figs. So Figs is a scrub brand that invests 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:43.279 millions into marketing. And they're e -commerce 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:46.160 only. I think they just open a store. or maybe 00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:48.420 a handful of stores in the country, but they 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:52.299 were always online only. And it became the apple 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:55.059 of scrubs where if you're wearing figs, it's 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:58.319 like a status thing. And I mean, I'm not gonna 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:00.359 sit here and criticize figs because they have 00:25:00.359 --> 00:25:02.940 a good product and they do a great marketing. 00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:05.579 And I think that's why they've seen their success. 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:09.079 But definitely hurts the brick and mortar stores 00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:12.799 all over the country. This year alone, over 15... 00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:16.339 breaking motor stores closed in the country due 00:25:16.339 --> 00:25:19.880 to competition or, you know, something related 00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:22.619 to that space, because let's face it, even after 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:24.740 COVID, you know, part of the problem, I'm buying 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:27.480 groceries online. You know, it's all about we 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:30.240 get lazy, right? You get used to convenience, 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:34.839 right? So that's got to be our biggest challenge, 00:25:34.839 --> 00:25:37.539 I would say. The online retailers, the online 00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:40.779 competitors that just soak up so much market 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:43.089 share from you. But I'll tell you what. When 00:25:43.089 --> 00:25:46.230 you hear your story, and this is why it's so 00:25:46.230 --> 00:25:49.049 important for you to do things like this, come 00:25:49.049 --> 00:25:51.910 on any media outlet you can, because your story 00:25:51.910 --> 00:25:55.029 is so inspiring, people will fall in love with 00:25:55.029 --> 00:25:57.750 you. And I know as a consumer, whether I knew 00:25:57.750 --> 00:25:59.549 you or not, if I heard your story, I'd be like, 00:25:59.549 --> 00:26:02.869 dude, let's go support that guy. You know what 00:26:02.869 --> 00:26:05.430 I mean? And here's the thing. Figs might have 00:26:05.430 --> 00:26:07.589 all this money. Did I say that right, Fig? They 00:26:07.589 --> 00:26:09.609 might have all this money for marketing. But 00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:11.450 you do a hell of a job marketing, too, because 00:26:11.450 --> 00:26:16.420 you, my friend, Found the social media content 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:18.859 creation space, which is what we do here Right 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:20.960 and you went for it man, and you've been doing 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:24.519 some amazing things on there How how much is 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:26.559 has that the social media aspect the content 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:29.279 creation? Played into your to your business and 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:31.059 into helping your business Yeah, so definitely 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:34.119 social media has been a great Avenue for me to 00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:36.660 reach audiences around the world and I actually 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:39.740 became viral by accident I wasn't looking to 00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:41.980 grow social media, I wasn't looking to become 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:44.680 an influencer. This just kind of happened magically 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:47.619 when I was just posted a random video to TikTok 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:50.099 and it blew up. And then from there, I'm like, 00:26:50.180 --> 00:26:52.420 okay, let's study. What did I do right in this 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:55.339 video? And I started testing it. In four years, 00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:58.220 I've been able to gather just over a quarter 00:26:58.220 --> 00:27:00.640 million followers across the different platforms 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:04.200 between TikTok and Instagram and Facebook and 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:07.759 YouTube, which it's just like, it's a different 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:12.220 venture that now I do professionally for brands 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:15.019 and I do marketing deals. I'm starting to cross 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:18.460 over to the Bayberry and see how we can utilize 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:22.359 social media to reach our local audience. But 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:24.940 dude, that's just another space that I'm very 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:28.440 passionate about because it's a free tool that 00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:30.980 anyone can use. You don't have to be special. 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:36.279 You don't have to be a genius. Create the content 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:38.819 and then you learn from your own content. It's 00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:41.000 like a feedback. Yep, right You see okay this 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:42.940 video didn't do well. So let's not do that again. 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:45.400 This one did well So what did we do well in this 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:48.400 video and let's apply that to the next And it's 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:51.279 just like a feedback loop that you can take a 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:53.619 focus group a built -in that you can do exactly 00:27:53.619 --> 00:27:57.640 for free organic that you don't have to pay for 00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:00.539 and it can reach millions across the globe. But 00:28:00.539 --> 00:28:03.279 you know what, if that sounds like it's an obvious 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:05.940 thing, but you'd be surprised that the amount 00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:08.299 of people that don't use it that way or don't 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:10.759 realize that, you know, the one of the key things 00:28:10.759 --> 00:28:12.980 and what we talk about here at well, we're now 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:14.900 going to be called click stream studios. I saw 00:28:14.900 --> 00:28:16.799 that we did announce that we're not more growth 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:19.140 mode content. You know, obviously we have Good 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:21.980 News York and GMY Sports, but our main bread 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:24.579 and butter is we produce podcasts for other people 00:28:24.579 --> 00:28:27.069 and social content. And one of the things that 00:28:27.069 --> 00:28:30.289 we talk about is the importance of organic. And 00:28:30.289 --> 00:28:32.529 yes, you know, well produced stuff like this 00:28:32.529 --> 00:28:35.069 is great. But I think the reason you were finding 00:28:35.069 --> 00:28:37.250 success is because you did it right. You went 00:28:37.250 --> 00:28:40.450 in organically and were just creating what it 00:28:40.450 --> 00:28:42.089 is you wanted to create or talk about what you 00:28:42.089 --> 00:28:44.109 want to create. And actually, the algorithms 00:28:44.109 --> 00:28:48.049 pick up on that. They actually prefer more organic 00:28:48.049 --> 00:28:50.509 things like that, that that are not. It doesn't 00:28:50.509 --> 00:28:52.470 mean like go in there and say whatever like you 00:28:52.470 --> 00:28:56.150 can have an idea in mind. But that is so important 00:28:56.150 --> 00:29:00.529 that you not only use it, but you did it in the 00:29:00.529 --> 00:29:02.990 right way where you were like, you know, I'm 00:29:02.990 --> 00:29:04.930 not going to go out there and promote anything. 00:29:05.009 --> 00:29:07.130 I'm just going to be me. And then they're going 00:29:07.130 --> 00:29:09.529 to come to me. That's the key. If you went out 00:29:09.529 --> 00:29:11.589 there and said, hey, check out Bayberry uniform. 00:29:11.910 --> 00:29:13.630 I'm not saying that wouldn't have worked. Right. 00:29:13.789 --> 00:29:15.690 But it wouldn't have the same effect as like, 00:29:15.690 --> 00:29:18.309 hey, I'm able I'm talking about this. So now 00:29:18.309 --> 00:29:21.190 what you have is a built in audience of a quarter 00:29:21.190 --> 00:29:23.539 of a million people. Now if you start promoting 00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:25.960 Bayberry, they're already, they love you already. 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:28.039 They're locked into you. So look at this, Mike. 00:29:28.119 --> 00:29:30.779 The average person is going to give you the classic 00:29:30.779 --> 00:29:33.640 excuse. I don't have a studio like this. I don't 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:35.599 have a production. I don't know about editing. 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:39.859 I don't know about camera, audio. And we fall 00:29:39.859 --> 00:29:43.400 into the analysis paralysis again. During COVID, 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:46.160 this person right here sitting across from you 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:51.339 has spent the stimulus check on a brand new mirrorless 00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:56.740 camera. Oh, on the SMB 57. I think it's called 00:29:56.740 --> 00:30:00.279 the shore, Mike, the one of the seven be the 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:04.200 podcast and the green screen and the panels. 00:30:04.220 --> 00:30:06.660 And I built a beautiful studio in my house. That 00:30:06.660 --> 00:30:09.640 was called. It was five years ago. Twenty twenty. 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:11.960 Oh, my God. Five years. Yeah. Unbelievable. Guess 00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:13.940 how many times I've used it for content once 00:30:13.940 --> 00:30:19.920 zero. Oh, man. Because I over complicated the 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:23.119 process in the setup. Got a studio. So now I 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:25.180 got to prepare for that. I got to create a script. 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.279 I got to turn on the camera I got to make sure 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:29.660 the lighting's right and then after that I got 00:30:29.660 --> 00:30:32.740 post -processing I got to sync the audio to the 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:37.220 video and oh my god It's I just got tired of 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:40.019 just thinking about it. Yeah. So what did I do? 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:42.119 Again, it wasn't planned. It was by accident. 00:30:42.119 --> 00:30:46.140 I pulled out my phone and Guess what we all have 00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:49.460 in our phones is a camera Really good camera 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:52.259 and iPhone cameras are actually pretty darn good 00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:54.460 and the microphone audio coming out of it It's 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:57.240 actually decent, right? So I just put it on a 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:59.779 selfie mode and I just I was just starting talking 00:30:59.779 --> 00:31:01.660 to it It's like hey guys, I'm here with Mike 00:31:01.660 --> 00:31:05.039 at good news York. What's going on? And I did 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:08.359 a video just like that. No editing. I posted 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:12.940 it. It was literally 15 seconds and within An 00:31:12.940 --> 00:31:16.319 hour it got to 10 ,000 views Jesus so to a guy 00:31:16.319 --> 00:31:19.809 that was getting 300 views That was viral. I 00:31:19.809 --> 00:31:22.450 was like, okay, I'm an influencer now. I can 00:31:22.450 --> 00:31:26.609 do this People it's there's no excuse Mike anyone 00:31:26.609 --> 00:31:28.869 can do it You don't have to over complicate it 00:31:28.869 --> 00:31:31.089 because when you overcome when you over complicate 00:31:31.089 --> 00:31:33.529 something then you just don't do it Mm -hmm, 00:31:33.789 --> 00:31:36.390 but when it's easy is accessible all my videos 00:31:36.390 --> 00:31:39.289 if you go to my page 90 % of them are gonna be 00:31:39.289 --> 00:31:42.509 me sitting in the car. No tripod I just use the 00:31:42.509 --> 00:31:44.930 wheel as a tripod. I put my phone there and I 00:31:44.930 --> 00:31:48.109 just talked to it No, barely minimum editing. 00:31:48.410 --> 00:31:49.630 Obviously, I've been doing it for five years, 00:31:49.650 --> 00:31:51.950 so I learned some basic editing skills, right? 00:31:52.609 --> 00:31:54.569 But when I started, I wasn't doing any editing, 00:31:54.609 --> 00:31:56.769 and I was posting three to five times a day, 00:31:56.789 --> 00:32:00.849 and I grew to over 100K followers in a year in 00:32:00.849 --> 00:32:03.869 TikTok. I wasn't doing content anywhere else. 00:32:04.150 --> 00:32:05.990 So what I started doing is I started posting 00:32:05.990 --> 00:32:09.990 on Instagram. A year later, in six months, I 00:32:09.990 --> 00:32:14.440 achieved 100K followers from 300. in half the 00:32:14.440 --> 00:32:17.720 time what it took me to build it in TikTok. Wow. 00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:21.859 So again, we over complicate content and people 00:32:21.859 --> 00:32:26.000 want genuine you content. You know, this is great. 00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:29.000 Like I said, it makes up great clips for short 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:31.839 form content and long form content. But people 00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:34.140 want to see who's Mike behind the camera. Exactly. 00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:37.339 You know that if we post, if you did a behind 00:32:37.339 --> 00:32:40.680 the scenes of Good News York, I bet you it probably 00:32:40.680 --> 00:32:43.960 will do better. than the average video of Good 00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:46.279 News York. Absolutely. Because people want to 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:47.859 see something different. They want to see something 00:32:47.859 --> 00:32:50.380 genuine. What do you look like on your worst 00:32:50.380 --> 00:32:52.220 day? That's right. Because everybody's human, 00:32:52.259 --> 00:32:54.420 and we all have worst days, you know? And that's 00:32:54.420 --> 00:32:58.319 what it's all about, organic. It's just amazing 00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:00.980 to me. I know I keep dripping you with compliments, 00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:03.559 but it's true. Everything that you've done up 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:06.220 until this point, you've just done on your own. 00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:10.079 I mean, coming to America, learning the English 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:13.259 language. starting a business, dumping your 401k, 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:15.740 figuring out how to create content. Like, it's 00:33:15.740 --> 00:33:19.880 just so inspiring and, you know, that you are, 00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:22.660 you do it from scratch. And it's just amazing, 00:33:22.819 --> 00:33:24.359 man. And that's how you're supposed to do it. 00:33:24.420 --> 00:33:26.380 And the best news, Mike, is anyone can do it. 00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:28.420 Because if an immigrant that didn't speak English 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:32.740 is able to accomplish that in 15 years, imagine 00:33:32.740 --> 00:33:35.380 all the advantages that you already have. Mm 00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:37.740 -hmm. You know, so really, there is no excuse. 00:33:37.819 --> 00:33:42.609 There is none. And, you know, I will say, you 00:33:42.609 --> 00:33:45.630 know, immigrants in this country have been under 00:33:45.630 --> 00:33:48.670 attack the last few years. And, you know, I'm 00:33:48.670 --> 00:33:49.890 not going to get into it. This is good news, 00:33:49.970 --> 00:33:51.589 York. We don't talk about that stuff. But, you 00:33:51.589 --> 00:33:53.690 know, this is relevant and important. And it 00:33:53.690 --> 00:33:56.769 breaks my heart because sometimes the media paints 00:33:56.769 --> 00:33:59.190 this picture, this dark picture of immigrants 00:33:59.190 --> 00:34:02.509 and somehow that they're all, you know, bad. 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:05.960 No, they're not immigrants are what make this 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:08.079 country and you are that shining example And 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:10.179 that's why I hope people listen and watch this 00:34:10.179 --> 00:34:13.659 and hear your story because that is why America 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:16.460 is great because of the opportunity we give the 00:34:16.460 --> 00:34:18.300 immigrants and because of the immigrants that 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:20.780 come here and Build what you've built and I thank 00:34:20.780 --> 00:34:22.300 you from the bottom of my heart for that. Thank 00:34:22.300 --> 00:34:26.500 you Mike. I really really mean that man So listen 00:34:26.500 --> 00:34:29.340 before I could talk to you all day Bayberry uniforms 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:32.269 in Fayetteville You've got, you are, let's talk 00:34:32.269 --> 00:34:34.329 about you're looking to hire, you are looking 00:34:34.329 --> 00:34:36.849 to hire, but you're also holding a hiring event 00:34:36.849 --> 00:34:38.449 for Kraus. Let's talk about that a little bit. 00:34:38.570 --> 00:34:40.989 Yeah, so part of what we're doing to separate 00:34:40.989 --> 00:34:43.269 ourselves to, going back to your question, how 00:34:43.269 --> 00:34:46.050 are we different to online retailers? The online 00:34:46.050 --> 00:34:48.469 retailer, it's just looking for your money. That's 00:34:48.469 --> 00:34:52.050 it. We're a local based company, family owned, 00:34:52.329 --> 00:34:55.849 family operated business in Syracuse. So my goal 00:34:55.849 --> 00:34:59.380 is to work with local businesses. You know, every 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:01.280 Friday I have it in my calendar, it's Upstate 00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:03.900 Delivery Day. I physically go to Upstate every 00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:05.820 Friday and deliver to the different departments. 00:35:06.039 --> 00:35:08.780 I get to meet my clients face -to -face, shake 00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:11.460 their hands, and deliver the goods right to their 00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:13.500 door. No online retailer is going to do that. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:17.880 So, back to the Kraus hiring event. I was like, 00:35:18.300 --> 00:35:22.099 how can we give back to the businesses that we 00:35:22.099 --> 00:35:25.019 already work with and help them and bring more 00:35:25.019 --> 00:35:28.000 value to them? So I said, OK, we have an audience. 00:35:28.659 --> 00:35:30.539 We have the foot traffic from all the different 00:35:30.539 --> 00:35:34.440 nurses. There's a staff shortage that a lot of 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:36.599 people are experiencing right now. I said, well, 00:35:36.599 --> 00:35:38.599 why don't we host a hiring event for them at 00:35:38.599 --> 00:35:40.679 our store? They can bring, they can set up a 00:35:40.679 --> 00:35:43.639 table. We'll give raffles, give away discounts, 00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:46.699 whatever is needed to support that. That way. 00:35:46.909 --> 00:35:49.269 they'll get the traffic they need. They'll be 00:35:49.269 --> 00:35:51.489 motivated enough to come to the store because 00:35:51.489 --> 00:35:54.130 they have extra discounts or free giveaways and 00:35:54.130 --> 00:35:55.849 things like that. And at the same time, we're 00:35:55.849 --> 00:35:59.429 helping a local organization hire more nurses. 00:35:59.889 --> 00:36:02.989 So that's how the idea started. And as soon as 00:36:02.989 --> 00:36:05.730 I pitched it to the to the organization, they're 00:36:05.730 --> 00:36:08.210 like, oh, my gosh, yes, we need help. We need 00:36:08.210 --> 00:36:11.250 people. So when can we do this? So, yeah, Friday 00:36:11.250 --> 00:36:15.170 from four to six, we're going to be there. Everyone 00:36:15.170 --> 00:36:16.949 is welcome. There's going to be discounts for 00:36:16.949 --> 00:36:20.449 everyone. No commitment needed for you to sign 00:36:20.449 --> 00:36:25.070 up with Krause, but just visit their table. See 00:36:25.070 --> 00:36:26.750 what they have to offer. And if it makes sense 00:36:26.750 --> 00:36:30.130 for you, you know, go ahead and do it. I mean, 00:36:30.230 --> 00:36:32.730 this is it's about partnership and working together. 00:36:33.130 --> 00:36:34.929 And this is what we're looking to do as a local 00:36:34.929 --> 00:36:37.010 business to set ourselves apart from everybody 00:36:37.010 --> 00:36:40.650 else. And so that event is this Friday from 2 00:36:40.650 --> 00:36:43.409 to 5 at Bayberry Uniforms in Fayetteville, correct? 00:36:43.469 --> 00:36:45.389 That is right. Yes. And we're located in the 00:36:45.389 --> 00:36:47.789 old Peter Harris store right next to Wellnow 00:36:47.789 --> 00:36:49.550 in the Linden Corners. It's our new location. 00:36:49.610 --> 00:36:52.110 We had our grand opening just about a month or 00:36:52.110 --> 00:36:56.110 so ago. Awesome, man. Talk a little bit about 00:36:56.110 --> 00:36:58.329 the hiring. What are you looking for exactly 00:36:58.329 --> 00:37:01.289 for Bayberry? So we need sales associates. That's 00:37:01.289 --> 00:37:03.690 what we need to help the most right now. We're 00:37:03.690 --> 00:37:06.530 focusing on doing pop -up shops for hospitals. 00:37:06.889 --> 00:37:08.610 We just came back from Upstate Community Hospital 00:37:08.610 --> 00:37:11.989 last week, two days in the cafeteria. And we're 00:37:11.989 --> 00:37:14.550 starting to do that more often so that requires 00:37:14.550 --> 00:37:16.889 that we have a lot of help physically in the 00:37:16.889 --> 00:37:19.789 store. So I'm looking for students. I'm looking 00:37:19.789 --> 00:37:23.019 for... college kids looking for a part time or 00:37:23.019 --> 00:37:24.900 maybe you retire, you're looking for some extra 00:37:24.900 --> 00:37:28.059 hours in the afternoons. We're open Monday through 00:37:28.059 --> 00:37:31.960 Friday from 10 a .m. to 6 p .m. and open Saturday 00:37:31.960 --> 00:37:35.099 from 10 a .m. to 6 p .m. So any hours in the 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:37.639 afternoon, the afternoon shift is wide open for 00:37:37.639 --> 00:37:39.739 anyone that may want to come and work with us. 00:37:39.780 --> 00:37:41.719 Like I said, we're family owned, family operated, 00:37:42.219 --> 00:37:45.099 very small team. So everyone that comes in makes 00:37:45.099 --> 00:37:47.579 a huge impact in the organization as a whole. 00:37:48.059 --> 00:37:49.920 And yeah, we're just looking to add someone else 00:37:49.920 --> 00:37:53.840 to our family. Abel Ramirez, you are the frickin' 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:57.300 man. Any other plugs you want to give? Websites, 00:37:57.519 --> 00:37:59.980 socials, anything like that, events? Yeah, look 00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:03.599 us up at Syracuse, Scrubs .shop. That's our brand 00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:05.900 new e -commerce platform that we're testing out. 00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:08.639 We're starting to compete also in the e -commerce 00:38:08.639 --> 00:38:11.860 space as a big goal for 2026. And everyone else, 00:38:12.099 --> 00:38:14.599 it's just Bayberry uniforms. Instagram, TikTok, 00:38:14.780 --> 00:38:17.760 Facebook, you name it. That's where we can find 00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:22.139 us. Well, listen, Abel, one last thing. We, I 00:38:22.139 --> 00:38:26.760 feel like we're cheating on you. We have an employee 00:38:26.760 --> 00:38:28.980 here, well, on the IT side of things, on Growth 00:38:28.980 --> 00:38:31.900 Mode IT. His name is Abel. He is. And he's from 00:38:31.900 --> 00:38:34.219 Cuba. Have you met him? And we actually work 00:38:34.219 --> 00:38:38.760 together. What? Yes. At TTM. So Abel and Abel 00:38:38.760 --> 00:38:40.659 used to work together. We actually used to work 00:38:40.659 --> 00:38:43.909 out together in Crouch a few years ago. when 00:38:43.909 --> 00:38:46.449 I was going to the gym and I was motivated. No, 00:38:46.510 --> 00:38:48.849 I don't have time for that. Wow. But yeah, I 00:38:48.849 --> 00:38:50.730 know Abel's is amazing. Yeah, he's an amazing 00:38:50.730 --> 00:38:52.670 dude. I just didn't know. It's like because, 00:38:52.789 --> 00:38:54.110 you know, I go everywhere and there's always 00:38:54.110 --> 00:38:56.650 a mic. Is Abel a very common name in Cuba? It's 00:38:56.650 --> 00:38:59.650 not. So the fact that two Abels from Cuba, they 00:38:59.650 --> 00:39:03.090 used to work at the same place and have Matt 00:39:03.090 --> 00:39:07.269 Maescher as a common friend. It's very, very 00:39:07.269 --> 00:39:10.010 rare. So it is wild. It is wild. Either either 00:39:10.010 --> 00:39:13.969 this is really wild and coincidental or You know, 00:39:13.969 --> 00:39:16.030 it's just a common name, chill out, Mike. But 00:39:16.030 --> 00:39:18.030 yeah, I had a feeling. I was like, what are the 00:39:18.030 --> 00:39:20.010 chances? Oh, here's another one for you. Oh. 00:39:20.010 --> 00:39:22.449 He used to work for my wife. Come on. Just like 00:39:22.449 --> 00:39:25.889 I worked for her for 10 plus years. That's crazy. 00:39:26.489 --> 00:39:30.329 Crazy. Yep. Abel, thank you so much for coming. 00:39:30.429 --> 00:39:33.150 I meant what I said. Your story is inspiring. 00:39:33.670 --> 00:39:35.929 Your business is amazing. Obviously, Bayberry 00:39:35.929 --> 00:39:38.389 Uniforms in Fayetteville. I really do. People 00:39:38.389 --> 00:39:42.050 listen and watch and hear your story and understand. 00:39:42.329 --> 00:39:43.869 the hurdles you had to go through to get through 00:39:43.869 --> 00:39:46.289 where you are, and they keep supporting you. 00:39:46.429 --> 00:39:48.309 And thank you for what you do for the medical 00:39:48.309 --> 00:39:50.329 industry, and thanks for coming on the show. 00:39:50.429 --> 00:39:51.789 You know you can come here any time. Thank you, 00:39:51.789 --> 00:39:53.670 Mike. It's really a pleasure to be here with 00:39:53.670 --> 00:39:55.349 you guys. I love you guys and what you're doing. 00:39:55.969 --> 00:39:58.530 It's definitely revolutionary. I'm very excited 00:39:58.530 --> 00:40:00.090 for your next chapter. I'm going to be looking 00:40:00.090 --> 00:40:02.550 on social media to see when the next video, the 00:40:02.550 --> 00:40:05.809 next clue is going to be on that 16 -plus -thousand 00:40:05.809 --> 00:40:08.670 -square -feet facility. Oh, my gosh. We are going 00:40:08.670 --> 00:40:11.590 to burn. the ships, my friend. That's what we're 00:40:11.590 --> 00:40:14.050 going to do. Burn the ships, man. So that 20 00:40:14.050 --> 00:40:16.929 percent scare there make it 100 percent scare. 00:40:17.610 --> 00:40:20.710 But a scare. Exciting. That's right. I love you, 00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:24.949 man. You're so inspiring. And with that, Abel 00:40:24.949 --> 00:40:27.949 Abel Ramirez, Bayberry Uniforms in Fayetteville, 00:40:28.050 --> 00:40:29.989 their hiring event for Krauss is this Friday 00:40:29.989 --> 00:40:33.469 from two to five. They are looking for sales 00:40:33.469 --> 00:40:36.809 associates. So contact him. Contact them. Thanks 00:40:36.809 --> 00:40:39.510 for tuning into Good News York. We air every 00:40:39.510 --> 00:40:42.670 Monday through Thursday at 5 p .m. Eastern, GoodNewsYork 00:40:42.670 --> 00:40:46.510 .com and on all socials at Good News York. And 00:40:46.510 --> 00:40:50.190 you can follow me on socials at MikeBTV. We will 00:40:50.190 --> 00:40:54.030 see you tomorrow. Matt will be back. He's out 00:40:54.030 --> 00:40:56.429 putting fires out, literally. He became a volunteer 00:40:56.429 --> 00:40:58.110 fireman for the day. I don't know. He's always 00:40:58.110 --> 00:41:00.110 doing some weird shit. But we will be back tomorrow 00:41:00.110 --> 00:41:01.650 on Good News York, sponsored by Ads on the Go. 00:41:02.110 --> 00:41:04.769 GetAdsOnTheGo .com. See ya. Om.