Order of Man - AJ RICHARDS ｜ Fixing Our Broken Food Supply Chain

00:00:00.000 With roughly 97% of the population eating meat, it's mind-blowing that 85% of the American meat supply chain is in the hands of four corporations, two of which are foreign-owned.

00:00:11.760 What's also disturbing is the deliberate manipulation of beef prices, the rise in food intellectual property in the form of GMO food solutions and fake meat products grown in labs, and the regulatory constraints placed on small cattle ranches trying to make our food supply chain more robust and secure.

00:00:31.200 My guest today, AJ Richards, is leading the charge when it comes to a new way to deliver beef to the American consumer directly from the ranches themselves in order to cut out the excess cost, regulation, manipulation, and build out a stronger, more diverse supply of food.

00:00:49.360 Today, we talk about the crumbling food supply chain, our import-to-export dilemma, overcoming the monopolies of food producers, why homesteading in America is once again growing, and so much more.

00:01:02.800 You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest. Embrace your fears and boldly chart your own path.

00:01:08.480 When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time, every time.

00:01:12.780 You are not easily deterred or defeated, rugged, resilient, strong.

00:01:17.220 This is your life. This is who you are. This is who you will become at the end of the day, and after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.

00:01:27.020 Gentlemen, what is going on today? My name is Ryan Michler. I'm your host of the Order of Man podcast, and dare I say at this point, the premier podcast and information exclusively for men to talk about the issues that are important to us as it relates to being a better father, being a better husband, being a better business owner,

00:01:47.040 being a better leader in our communities, whatever we can do to serve as men. It's my goal to give you all the tools, all the information, and all of the resources that you need

00:01:56.320 to help yourself become more effective where you want and how you're showing up.

00:02:01.600 So I just want to thank you first and foremost for tuning in, listening to this podcast, sharing this podcast, but most importantly,

00:02:07.840 applying the information that we share. We've all heard that knowledge is power. Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is power only when properly applied.

00:02:17.540 So if you're implementing this advice, you're sharing what you hear here, you're sharing this as a resource for other men.

00:02:23.820 I want to thank you for doing your part in helping reclaim and restore masculinity to its rightful place in an environment that is continually dismissive of it at best.

00:02:34.660 Guys, I've got a very exciting conversation with a friend of mine. He's been a friend for almost 20 years now.

00:02:39.760 We served in the military together, and he's got some phenomenal solutions with regards to the food supply chain issues that we're dealing with.

00:02:47.320 So we'll get into that. Before I do, just want to also give a shout out to my friends and show sponsors over at Origin USA.

00:02:54.460 We're at the end of July, which means that hunting season is right around the corner.

00:02:59.400 I'm very excited about that, and I'm very excited about Origin's new hunt line.

00:03:04.860 And if you're looking for a new American-made manufacturer, a new American-made company for your hunting camo and gear,

00:03:13.160 look no further than Origin USA. Check out their stuff. I think they launched last year with the product, did a limited run.

00:03:20.760 I got some stuff and have managed to successfully harvest some animals in my Origin camo, and I want you to join that group as well.

00:03:29.720 So go to Origin USA and check out their camo lineup in time for the hunting season.

00:03:34.220 And if you do pick up anything, use the code ORDER, O-R-D-E-R, at checkout.

00:03:39.380 That helps me. That helps with the show.

00:03:42.400 But that also helps them know where people are coming from, and I think a lot of people from this podcast go see their stuff

00:03:49.760 because they believe in American manufacturing, supporting America, and having high-quality products and services.

00:03:55.620 So OriginUSA.com, use the code ORDER at checkout.

00:03:59.360 Guys, let me introduce you to my guest. He is a military veteran. I mentioned that earlier.

00:04:03.080 He's also a serial entrepreneur. We talk a little bit about that.

00:04:06.520 Cattle rancher and problem solver. His name is AJ Richards.

00:04:10.220 As a fifth-generation member of Cattle Ranching Families, he is now on a mission to transform the food supply chain in America

00:04:17.780 and break up the monopolies and dangers inherent in our current food system.

00:04:22.840 AJ has a passion for delivering healthy food from American producers to American consumers through his company,

00:04:28.600 stay classy meats, which we talk about in our conversation, and also feed the people by the people.

00:04:34.620 You're going to hear all about his solutions-oriented approach to one of the world's biggest challenges,

00:04:39.920 which is feeding the masses with high-quality food at prices that people can afford.

00:04:44.540 And all of this while building back the American ranch and serving and leading his own family along the way.

00:04:51.520 Enjoy this one, guys.

00:04:52.180 Hey, Jay. What's up, man? So good to see you. Glad you could join me on the podcast.

00:04:57.340 Yeah, you too, brother. Spent a long time in the making, I think.

00:05:01.040 18 years, I think, in the making.

00:05:03.360 Yeah.

00:05:04.060 I was thinking about it. I was driving back to the house this morning thinking about the conversations I want to have with you.

00:05:10.560 And I was like, man, when did we meet? We met. I mean, we knew each other a little bit beforehand,

00:05:14.580 but really, we got to know each other better when we were in Iraq in 2005, which is wild.

00:05:21.180 I'm like, wait, let me do the math on that. I'm like, holy shit, that was 18 years ago?

00:05:26.040 Dude, it's crazy. We have a Bravo Battery reunion this weekend in Canaraville.

00:05:32.600 And I haven't seen those guys since we got home in 2006.

00:05:37.280 Yeah.

00:05:37.520 Like, probably like you. I'm like, I'm super stoked to see people. Yeah.

00:05:41.380 I know. I really haven't seen anybody. You know, I see Jed and Tony a little bit after,

00:05:48.260 but I haven't seen them for probably a decade.

00:05:50.600 Yeah.

00:05:50.780 And, you know, I run into somebody occasionally here in Southern Utah that we were in the Triple Deuce with together,

00:05:56.320 but that's really about it. And I just can't believe how fast time goes.

00:05:59.680 So, yeah, I'm glad we could have this conversation because we've been linked.

00:06:02.640 I mean, we've been friends, but we've been linked through different ventures and different people.

00:06:06.260 And, man, to be able to see what you're up to is actually really cool. I'm very excited for this conversation.

00:06:12.100 Yeah. Thank you. You know, I remember I called you in 2020 because I started selling meat direct to consumer.

00:06:17.860 I remember that.

00:06:18.800 But your audience is so strong that I wasn't in a position to present what I've been working on.

00:06:26.240 It was too soon. And I think I even told you, I said, hey, this is what I'm up to.

00:06:29.620 Can I reach out to you when I'm ready? And it took me three years to get ready.

00:06:34.000 But it was it's it's going to be a fun conversation.

00:06:38.180 Well, that's a testament to not only not only the work that you do and we'll get into that, but also just your work ethic.

00:06:45.280 I mean, I've seen you over the years with forgive me, man.

00:06:49.060 I can't remember, but the competition, the CrossFit competition space.

00:06:52.900 Rush club. Rush club. Yeah.

00:06:55.120 Yeah. Yeah. Between that and and ranching like this is I'm thinking to myself, this is a guy who's like committed and dedicated, tries different things, takes risks.

00:07:05.400 I love to see it. Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate that.

00:07:08.420 Tell me a little bit about in 2020 what you were doing with regards to ranching specifically, because I know your family is into ranching,

00:07:15.160 but it sounds like you didn't really grow up immersed in the ranching culture, but you kind of danced around on the fringes a little bit.

00:07:24.380 Yeah. I joke around and I say I'm the city slicker cousin of fifth generation ranchers.

00:07:29.740 So I got to participate in all the cool stuff, the cattle drives, the brandings and things like that.

00:07:34.860 But I didn't grow up in it doing the chores every day.

00:07:37.720 I wasn't taught how to ranch, which, you know, when I was a kid, my cousins would tease me and call me the city slicker.

00:07:44.100 And I hated that. But then as I became an adult and then in 2020, our food supply chain is just crumbling.

00:07:50.620 But I also had lived in Phoenix for 12 years.

00:07:53.400 So I understood urban culture and urban sort of thought process language.

00:07:59.200 So here's this opportunity to bridge the gap between urban and rural, because I also understood the rural side and the producers and farmers and ranchers and everything they work towards.

00:08:09.940 And, you know, our voting systems are so different.

00:08:12.680 People that in the city vote differently than people in in the country.

00:08:16.520 And so but the people in the city are probably maybe not aware how much they depend on the guys in the country to produce their sustenance, their their the things that require that you need to live to be alive.

00:08:31.000 And so so 2020, you know, frankly, the Rush Club bankrupted.

00:08:36.040 I made some choices as a new CEO, new business owner that that finally caught up with me.

00:08:41.300 And we ended up going bankrupt and moved back to St. George.

00:08:44.560 And a lot of people didn't know that my whole personal purpose of Rush Club was to be successful enough that I could buy my own ranch because I've always wanted that lifestyle.

00:08:53.920 But my uncle told me one time, if you want to be a millionaire rancher, start with 10.

00:08:57.980 And so, yeah, right.

00:08:59.560 I'm like, oh, well, shit, I guess I better go make some money.

00:09:03.740 But then I kept doing all these other things to get into ag.

00:09:07.720 And then when I went bankrupt and I'm like, you know what?

00:09:09.300 Screw it. Let me just find a way to be valuable in ag instead of all these.

00:09:14.560 You know, outside ways to just get there.

00:09:16.660 And so reached out to my cousin in 2020, kind of starting over back in St. George.

00:09:21.060 And I said, hey, can I take your brand and sell it direct to consumer?

00:09:26.460 You do the ranching.

00:09:27.540 I'll handle all the marketing fulfillment, you know, all of that stuff.

00:09:30.920 You just get it to the butcher and I'll take it from there.

00:09:33.600 Because what was what was he doing beforehand?

00:09:35.820 So if he's not going to direct to consumer, was he going to grocery stores, chains?

00:09:40.100 Like, what does that look like?

00:09:41.420 What does that supply chain look like?

00:09:43.160 Yeah, good question.

00:09:44.380 So the typical supply chain is especially like Utah.

00:09:47.480 Most guys are what they call cow calf.

00:09:49.380 That means they have mother cows, the birth calves.

00:09:52.280 And then at some point between six months and a year, they take them to auction.

00:09:56.500 Right.

00:09:56.960 And they get whatever the auction value is, which is typically manipulated by the big market,

00:10:01.540 by big, big, big ag.

00:10:03.480 And then they get whatever that happens to be worth at the time.

00:10:07.100 And that's how that works.

00:10:08.280 So that's what he was doing is just raising calves, take them to auction, selling them off.

00:10:13.540 That's why there's the saying ranchers used to make 60 cents on the dollar.

00:10:17.100 And now it's down to 14 cents on the dollar because of the control that big ag has to influence on market prices.

00:10:24.720 What did you say it went from 60 cents to what?

00:10:27.960 14 cents.

00:10:28.980 14 cents.

00:10:30.140 Holy cow.

00:10:30.600 That's not even profitable.

00:10:31.520 Oh, no.

00:10:32.500 That's why every most producers live on welfare, but it's it's labeled as crop insurance or drought subsidies subsidies.

00:10:42.980 Yeah, that's right.

00:10:44.160 Yeah.

00:10:44.440 And so.

00:10:45.880 A lot of producers like we don't want to do this anymore, especially because, you know, the younger kids, their kids are getting older and they want to take over.

00:10:53.400 But how are they going to keep this going when there's no money?

00:10:57.060 You know, you get married and typically your spouse is like, we ain't doing that.

00:11:01.320 That's you're going to go broke and we're going to live on nothing.

00:11:03.760 So they got to go find an off farm job, they call it.

00:11:06.400 Right.

00:11:07.200 I didn't see it here in hurricane.

00:11:08.820 Like I see small.

00:11:10.040 I'm talking very, very small.

00:11:11.780 I'm talking 10 to 50 acres.

00:11:14.760 And, you know, you used to see cattle all over or goats.

00:11:17.840 Goats is a big thing here, too.

00:11:19.200 I heard that goat.

00:11:20.880 You can correct me if I'm wrong.

00:11:22.400 That goat is the number one most consumed red meat in the world.

00:11:25.600 I don't know if that's true, but I heard that.

00:11:27.640 It is true.

00:11:28.140 And everywhere but the U.S.

00:11:30.240 Yeah.

00:11:30.560 And that's what I like middle, like Middle East, South America.

00:11:33.820 Yeah.

00:11:34.280 Yep.

00:11:34.460 But you see these parcels and on one hand, you're like, oh, shit, that sucks.

00:11:40.500 They just sold that and subdivided these, you know, this property that sucks.

00:11:44.920 On the other hand, I'm like, if I was in that, if I was in their shoes, I would do the same

00:11:48.500 thing and make millions and millions of dollars all at once to get out of this agricultural

00:11:51.900 business.

00:11:53.160 Well, dude, and that's exactly the problem.

00:11:55.280 So producers, generational producers would never sell if they could make profit, if they

00:12:01.740 could afford to do so.

00:12:03.120 The sell on the land to be multi-multi-millionaires wouldn't even be considered because they don't

00:12:08.660 do it for the money.

00:12:10.140 But when there's no money, when you're going broke and it's either sell it or lose it to

00:12:13.900 the bank, you're going to sell it and make the millions.

00:12:16.080 Of course.

00:12:16.240 So that's a huge national security issue because the people producing our food are leaving.

00:12:24.340 I mean, since the year 2000, we've lost 40% of our small farms and ranches.

00:12:29.800 And the trend is continuing.

00:12:31.820 Now, there is a new trend because of COVID, and that's homesteading.

00:12:36.160 Homesteading is growing faster than any time in our history since basically they said, hey,

00:12:41.800 go out west and put a flag in the ground and set up a fence.

00:12:44.980 It's completely flipped because of COVID.

00:12:47.500 People are getting out of the cities.

00:12:48.780 They want to buy an acre or more, raise their own food.

00:12:52.200 And actually now you've got this new population coming in that can actually on smaller scales,

00:12:57.440 but through volume, start contributing to the food supply chain.

00:13:00.980 So it's almost like this interesting new agrarian age that's coming around because of homesteaders

00:13:06.480 that are getting out of the city, first generation.

00:13:08.520 I think we see that not only with homesteading, but I also think we see it with homeschooling.

00:13:13.520 You know, and I think if there's one benefit in there, I think there are several, but if

00:13:16.980 there's one benefit that came from COVID, it's that people are pulling their kids out of

00:13:20.920 public schooling and taking this upon themselves.

00:13:24.680 I am interested in something you said and help me connect the dots.

00:13:27.840 You said that losing these farms and losing these ranches is a national security issue.

00:13:33.660 I can see how it's an issue with regards to our food supply chains.

00:13:39.300 And when you say that, I'm thinking to myself, well, if we're not producing the food, we need

00:13:42.820 to bring it in from somewhere.

00:13:44.300 Is that the national security issue or help me connect the dots there?

00:13:48.100 Yeah.

00:13:48.300 So when COVID happened, so I started this brand with my cousin and we started growing.

00:13:54.440 We had monthly subscribers.

00:13:55.800 We started picking up and, you know, taking beef to the slaughter.

00:13:58.600 COVID hit and I called the slaughterhouse to schedule a beef to be slaughtered.

00:14:05.320 And they said, yeah, we can get you in 12 to 18 months.

00:14:08.640 So now, because what happened is all the big packers closed.

00:14:14.500 People were sick.

00:14:15.540 They didn't let them come to work.

00:14:16.740 And so they shut down the massive packing plants.

00:14:19.780 That means the downstream effect was you have cows in feedlots that every day you're feeding

00:14:25.840 them is costing you money.

00:14:26.800 So they've got to get processed.

00:14:29.060 They can't just hang out.

00:14:30.060 That's why, I don't know if you remember hearing like reports of mass slaughters of

00:14:34.180 pigs and then just burying them because they couldn't process them.

00:14:38.560 Well, the downstream effect was small guys like me called my local processor and they

00:14:43.040 got slammed with all of this inventory because the big guys that did 6,000 head a day, 1,000

00:14:48.380 head a day were closed.

00:14:50.480 And so how do you keep a business going when I can't, you know, Ryan, you're my subscriber

00:14:54.680 waiting for your monthly box of meat.

00:14:56.560 And I'm like, hey, bro, I can't get anything done for 12 months.

00:14:58.600 It'll be a year and a half.

00:14:59.720 Yeah.

00:15:00.140 Sorry.

00:15:00.720 Done.

00:15:01.020 It was so for, yeah, exactly.

00:15:02.920 So I drove to every USDA meat plant in the state of Utah trying to keep it going.

00:15:08.060 And then the margins were so thin as it was that fuel costs time and everything else.

00:15:13.020 It would just, I had to take a step back and shut it down.

00:15:15.820 So the security issue was because we've become centralized, because we've lost all of our

00:15:20.740 small farms and ranches nationwide and the small mom and prop meat plants that went along

00:15:25.840 with it, we've become centralized.

00:15:27.680 So when something like COVID happens or any major, you know, disruptor, we, our supply chain

00:15:34.440 breaks and then our store shelves go empty.

00:15:37.360 So that's a security issue.

00:15:38.780 Now, in terms of inventory, we were at 1960s level cattle inventory now with 2023 population

00:15:46.440 because of drought, because of, well, drought was the main cause.

00:15:51.020 People had to sell off their herd the last couple of years because they, there was no

00:15:54.620 water and they had no grass.

00:15:56.060 So all these things just kept chipping away at our, our own supply chain in the nation.

00:16:00.540 So now we import, well, we've been doing this anyway, but we import pretty much as much

00:16:06.360 beef as we export.

00:16:07.480 So the problem is Brazil, South Africa, they're trying to bring Paraguayan beef in now.

00:16:15.220 They, big corporations can buy cheap beef with very little regulation in foreign countries,

00:16:20.640 bring it in, mark it up to American prices.

00:16:24.180 They take American beef that's really valuable in terms of the marketing and the grass and

00:16:29.240 the, you know, the, the quality, and then they buy it because they control the market.

00:16:33.620 They buy it low and then they ship it to places like Saudi Arabia and China and these other

00:16:39.260 countries and they rack the prices up.

00:16:41.080 So they're making money when they bring it in because they're bringing cheap crap in and

00:16:44.840 selling it to us at our prices, controlling the market and what they're buying and then

00:16:49.000 exporting it out to other countries.

00:16:51.360 When you say they, are you talking, there's, I've, I did some research into this because I

00:16:55.800 knew we'd have this conversation.

00:16:56.800 I want to sound somewhat, somewhat intelligent, even though I'm not, I want to sound like

00:17:01.080 I am.

00:17:02.620 Good.

00:17:03.080 Smart.

00:17:03.680 I have heard you, I've heard you say that there's four major, is it processing plants

00:17:09.660 in the U S that control the overwhelming majority of processing this beef and other meat as well,

00:17:15.780 I'm sure.

00:17:16.660 Yeah.

00:17:16.780 They call them the big four, it's JBS, which is a Brazilian company, Cargill, National Beef

00:17:23.620 and Tyson.

00:17:25.620 And I think Tyson is a Chinese company.

00:17:28.280 So those are the four main companies.

00:17:31.140 They control 85% of our beef supply chain for the United States.

00:17:36.960 Two of those companies being foreign, the largest one being JBS and they're a Brazilian

00:17:40.920 company.

00:17:41.420 And if you dig into the owners of JBS, they're crooks, they're criminals.

00:17:45.480 They've been in their own Brazilian prisons for different reasons.

00:17:50.900 And that's, who's running our supply chain.

00:17:53.040 So really what happened with this, Ryan, in 1981, they changed, Reagan changed the, basically

00:18:00.900 the rules to allow mergers and acquisitions.

00:18:06.400 Prior to that, they limited them because they didn't want large companies to take over.

00:18:11.460 Of course.

00:18:12.060 Right.

00:18:12.380 Almost becomes a monopoly in this case.

00:18:14.460 Well, and that's, so that's what happened.

00:18:16.040 So 1981, they changed the rule, mergers and acquisitions are allowed as long as it doesn't

00:18:21.340 affect the consumer's price.

00:18:23.200 But they didn't pay attention to the impact on the farmers and ranchers by doing that.

00:18:28.260 It was, it was, maybe it was considered, maybe it wasn't, you know, and nowadays I think

00:18:33.000 it was really just profit driven.

00:18:34.720 So it really didn't matter, but they changed the rule that allowed mergers and acquisitions

00:18:39.400 since 1981 to now we're in this position where four Packers control 85% of our beef

00:18:44.800 supply chain.

00:18:46.100 So how do you get small players in, in the game?

00:18:48.320 Because that's, I assume, tell me if I'm wrong, that that's, that's what we need to do.

00:18:53.060 We need to get thousands, I would imagine thousands of small players in the game, supplying their

00:19:00.160 cities, supplying their counties, supplying their states, not on this national level or

00:19:04.580 even global level, but just thousands supplying at the city, county and state level.

00:19:10.720 Exactly.

00:19:11.340 So I call the Packer 12 to 18 months, we're full.

00:19:14.720 I'm like, shit, now what?

00:19:15.760 So shut it down, went and got my life insurance license and was pulling inventory from the

00:19:20.320 Walmart distribution center out here by Hurricane, like listening to podcasts all day long, like

00:19:24.900 I'm 40 years old and I'm pulling inventory at Walmart, like what the hell, you know?

00:19:29.660 And like, it's just one, one kick in the teeth after another, but fortunately it was hours

00:19:34.560 of podcasts listening to guys like you and, you know, Andy Priscilla and dudes like, okay.

00:19:39.780 Putting structures together.

00:19:41.800 I knew I wasn't going to be stuck there, but it's like, what's the next move?

00:19:45.320 And I realized the only way to build a stable direct to consumer supply chain was if you

00:19:49.900 vertically integrated.

00:19:51.680 Like if my job was to take that business I started with my cousin and that was it and

00:19:56.280 just really maximize it and not be vulnerable, I should own my own meat plant.

00:20:00.600 And then I own my inventory, I own my processing, I own everything except for the UPS truck to

00:20:05.140 get it to you.

00:20:06.020 So I kind of stepped back and put that together.

00:20:08.300 But at the same time, the news is talking about all of these empty meat shell, all these

00:20:13.020 store shelves that are empty, right?

00:20:14.460 No toilet paper, no meat.

00:20:16.160 And I'm driving down the road and I see a cow in the field and I'm like, well, this is

00:20:20.180 bullshit because there is food everywhere.

00:20:23.160 We just broke the connection between producer and consumer.

00:20:27.720 And there's all these producers trying to get into it like we were.

00:20:31.160 So we need to build a meeting place where we can just connect them.

00:20:34.400 And so that's where I had this aha moment, which is to your question, getting more players

00:20:40.060 in the game.

00:20:40.760 So the last three years I've been working on understanding the supply chain to the point

00:20:46.060 where I ended up in Cody, Wyoming for the last year running a USDA meat plant because

00:20:50.200 that was the one aspect of it that I didn't know.

00:20:52.380 So I found an investor.

00:20:55.680 We bought a meat plant in Cody.

00:20:57.420 I moved up there.

00:20:58.180 We started our own white label.

00:20:59.720 Now I basically have had the education from everything from cow, calf all the way to consumer

00:21:04.780 plate, including the processing.

00:21:06.820 During that time, what I was doing was learning that so that I could apply that to this idea

00:21:11.080 that I had to build essentially a parallel economy like Airbnb did to short-term rentals or Uber

00:21:21.660 did to taxi service.

00:21:24.320 So the software that I'm now building is called From the Farm.

00:21:28.280 And what it looks like is once you open the software, it'll be done in six months.

00:21:32.480 Instantly, your GPS location is going to populate a map with everybody around you raising food.

00:21:37.580 It can be, I'm going to start with meat because that's what I know.

00:21:41.680 And then I'll bring on other experts to help me lead the other divisions, but

00:21:44.480 vegetables, any produce, fruits, eggs, dairy, meat.

00:21:49.540 If we can create an economy where any grower can join and offer their product, that's how we get

00:21:55.960 more people in.

00:21:57.000 We have to simplify it so it's really easy to do the transaction.

00:22:00.140 And we have to, somebody needs to be responsible for the marketing, right?

00:22:04.520 Uber only worked because Uber went out there and blasted that you could get a local driver

00:22:09.120 to take you around.

00:22:10.080 That was their job.

00:22:10.920 They're a marketing company, right?

00:22:12.640 They're a ride share, but their main project has to be marketing.

00:22:16.560 And so that's what we are.

00:22:17.840 So we've spent the last three years developing, asking questions, interviewing everybody I

00:22:23.360 possibly could.

00:22:24.620 How would this work?

00:22:25.620 What would this look like for you as a producer to make it work?

00:22:28.280 And then consumer, what do you want to make sure that we're delivering and providing

00:22:33.560 these guys in a way that makes it simple?

00:22:35.360 So that's how you do it.

00:22:36.940 You bring.

00:22:38.000 Yeah.

00:22:38.160 I was going to say, I imagine one of the biggest challenges is the traditional model is that

00:22:44.200 I go to the grocery store and I buy, you know, five pounds or 10 pounds or whatever it

00:22:50.680 is of meat for the week.

00:22:52.800 Yep.

00:22:53.680 And all I have to do is throw that in my freezer or fridge and pull it out and defrost it when

00:22:57.180 I'm ready.

00:22:58.100 Exactly.

00:22:58.460 That doesn't seem very likely if a farm or a rancher is selling 10 pounds of meat at

00:23:08.960 a time.

00:23:09.480 Like for me, just because of the situation and personal circumstances, I've got 400 pounds

00:23:14.220 of meat in my garage.

00:23:15.980 Right.

00:23:16.820 So I can run in there and grab moose.

00:23:18.940 I can grab beef.

00:23:19.580 I can grab venison.

00:23:20.340 I can grab pig.

00:23:20.980 I can grab whatever I need.

00:23:22.260 Yep.

00:23:23.600 That's not everybody.

00:23:24.920 Most people I think are like, yeah, I just need a few steaks for the week.

00:23:28.620 That's right.

00:23:29.320 That's right.

00:23:29.880 So how does it, how does a producer become profitable selling meat at, you know, five

00:23:38.240 pounds at a time?

00:23:39.640 Well, in volume, like if they've got a hundred customers buying five pounds at a time and

00:23:44.580 they got 60 cents on the dollar versus the 14 they're getting now, now they're profitable.

00:23:49.980 Because when you say the 60 cents, because they're not going through the traditional processors,

00:23:55.940 they're not going through the auctions, they're doing it directly to the consumer.

00:24:00.500 So they're capturing that additional 45, roughly 45 cents.

00:24:04.900 Right.

00:24:05.240 Yep.

00:24:05.540 Now they have to pay the processing.

00:24:07.260 That's just an inherent cost.

00:24:08.980 Right.

00:24:09.260 But that's it.

00:24:10.720 Once they've got their cow fat and ready, they get it processed.

00:24:13.520 They upload inventory.

00:24:14.880 My producers.

00:24:15.960 So one of the problems to solve is how do you get producers to adopt this?

00:24:19.520 Because they've, they're busy, right?

00:24:21.200 How do you simplify this process for them?

00:24:23.580 Well, literally they set up a profile.

00:24:26.100 That's once it's up, it's like having a Facebook profile, but you can enter your inventory.

00:24:30.520 So Ryan, you own a cow, you go take it in to get processed.

00:24:33.360 You get it back, you inventory, put it on the site.

00:24:35.820 Now that software is going to automatically, you know, manage your customers, deduct the

00:24:40.540 inventory, let you know when a sale is done, let you know when your inventory is low so

00:24:43.960 that you can manage it that way.

00:24:45.480 Then we're going to tie in APIs with services like DoorDash or Uber Eats.

00:24:50.400 So Ryan, you want three steaks tonight.

00:24:52.520 Okay.

00:24:52.880 You can order it and DoorDash or Uber Eats is connected to that farmer's profile and they

00:24:59.080 can come and get it and take it over.

00:25:00.460 I already have a producer I'm working with that does that in Denver.

00:25:03.460 His ranch is in Tent Sleep, Wyoming.

00:25:05.600 They take all their product to a fulfillment center in Denver.

00:25:08.500 They pick their boxes for their customers, pack their boxes.

00:25:11.840 And then they notify Uber Eats.

00:25:13.780 They show up, grab their boxes and they disperse across the city.

00:25:17.240 So the Uber Eats, you know, are they, or the deliverer, whoever it is, are they getting

00:25:23.040 that from the processor?

00:25:24.500 So let's just hypothetically say you've got Mickler Ranch, right?

00:25:28.340 And I've got, you know, a thousand head of cattle.

00:25:31.600 And I don't know if that's, that's probably, that's probably small, but let's-

00:25:34.560 That's huge.

00:25:35.440 Oh, it is?

00:25:36.400 A thousand?

00:25:37.380 Really?

00:25:38.200 It's crazy.

00:25:39.060 Yes.

00:25:39.280 That's considered a large ranch in the US.

00:25:42.280 Oh, I would have thought that was small.

00:25:43.640 Okay.

00:25:43.940 Regardless, it doesn't matter.

00:25:44.980 It's just arbitrary at this point, but I've got a thousand head of cattle.

00:25:47.380 I ship that to AJ Meat Processing.

00:25:51.720 And then the consumer wants three steaks.

00:25:55.660 They go to AJ Meat Processing and not me?

00:25:58.260 Or they go back, so you, it's your business.

00:26:00.180 So you take it in, get it processed and bring it back home.

00:26:02.860 Now I got to store it though, right?

00:26:04.680 So that's a problem.

00:26:06.100 That's right.

00:26:06.680 Yep.

00:26:06.880 So we are actually, so the infrastructure that will evolve with this, I'm actually consulting

00:26:12.400 for a new USDA meat plant being built in Richfield, Utah.

00:26:15.820 It will do 200 head a day.

00:26:17.520 So we're actually moving back from Cody to Richfield to oversee this, this build.

00:26:22.480 So it'll do 200 head a day.

00:26:24.100 Well, small meat packing.

00:26:26.000 This was what I learned in Cody.

00:26:27.680 Small meat packers are also in danger of closing to where we only have big packers left.

00:26:33.260 Because when you take your beef to this plant to get processed, I'm going to charge you

00:26:38.880 about a thousand dollars a head.

00:26:41.040 And if my plant can only do like the one in Cody's 35 head a week, well, there's my fixed

00:26:46.060 revenue.

00:26:46.680 I'm not making any money.

00:26:47.640 35, that's it?

00:26:48.680 Yes.

00:26:49.460 And that's most small plants.

00:26:51.500 So now I know I'm only going to make 35,000 a week, but my overhead is like 90,000 a month.

00:26:59.000 You know?

00:26:59.620 So there's, that doesn't work.

00:27:02.040 The only reason the small meat plants worked in the past was because it was owner operated.

00:27:08.660 The old man that owned the plant was also cutting on the table.

00:27:14.520 Those are not very common anymore.

00:27:16.500 You know, people want to buy a plant and invest in it.

00:27:19.060 When I ran the meat plant in Cody, I didn't want to go sit back on the table and cut meat.

00:27:23.220 That wasn't why I was there.

00:27:25.220 So we are implementing a system where now you could leave it with me.

00:27:30.980 See, I'm going to have a small fee, but you don't have any of the issues and I'm going

00:27:35.720 to set up a fulfillment center.

00:27:37.640 Now you still come and do the fulfillment, but I'm storing it for you.

00:27:41.940 I've got all of the pick and pack materials for you.

00:27:44.480 I get, we drive down costs because if I've got 15 producers coming to my facility to fulfill

00:27:51.080 their orders.

00:27:51.640 So it becomes a stabilized hub in communities throughout the country.

00:27:57.060 That's, that's what we need to see is the restoration of local food supply so that we

00:28:01.980 have stability.

00:28:03.380 Yeah.

00:28:03.460 And I think that's the beauty of modern capitalism is that I don't, I don't actually, as a,

00:28:08.120 like I'm speaking as a rancher, you know, here in this hypothetical scenario.

00:28:11.860 Yeah.

00:28:12.320 Correct me if I'm wrong, but as a rancher, I just want to raise cows and sell them.

00:28:16.720 Yes.

00:28:17.340 So I don't want to slaughter them.

00:28:18.880 I don't want to butcher them.

00:28:20.060 I don't want to fulfill things to people.

00:28:22.620 I just want to raise them and sell 200 of them at a time.

00:28:25.940 Exactly.

00:28:26.300 So what I've learned in the last couple of years is that if you're a producer who's doing

00:28:30.800 a hundred head of finished cattle or more, that means you fatten a hundred to sell at

00:28:36.220 about that size.

00:28:37.740 You don't have time to deal with the headache of fulfillment.

00:28:41.720 Right.

00:28:42.200 Right.

00:28:42.640 Like under that, if you don't take on some of the extra work, you can't afford to be

00:28:47.440 a rancher.

00:28:48.520 So you may not want to, you may not enjoy it, but that's how you make ends meet because you

00:28:54.560 can keep more of the dollar.

00:28:55.920 Does that make sense?

00:28:56.880 It does.

00:28:57.700 But do you think that there's enough people, especially younger generations as older generations

00:29:02.600 pass away and passed on ranches and farms?

00:29:05.700 Do you think there's enough younger people who are like, oh yeah, ranching sounds like a

00:29:10.020 good time.

00:29:10.720 Like I would love to be a rancher.

00:29:12.240 Like my granddad was.

00:29:13.480 And all I did was hear about him complain about how horrible this, this, this, his life

00:29:18.700 was, you know, is that something that people are interested in?

00:29:22.440 That, well, that's frankly, that's the problem.

00:29:24.900 No, hopefully what we can inspire is this homesteading community.

00:29:30.180 That's like, cause what's also not enjoyable for a large number of Americans now is living

00:29:35.600 in confinement in cities that are congested and full of liberal bullshit that they want

00:29:40.280 to get the hell out.

00:29:41.420 And so it's like the choose your heart conversation, right?

00:29:44.660 You can go out five, four o'clock in the morning and you got a damn cow running down the street

00:29:49.640 that your neighbors are calling you about.

00:29:50.880 And you got to go figure that out on top of all your regular chores that day.

00:29:54.080 Or you can be in the city, deal with traffic, deal with smog, deal with the, you know, crazy

00:30:01.620 blue-haired they, thems that are in your face.

00:30:04.160 I mean, choose your heart.

00:30:05.160 Which one would you rather?

00:30:06.320 Here's what's interesting.

00:30:08.160 I heard a statistic that farming and ranching suicides are equal or higher to veterans.

00:30:16.100 So here's the thought.

00:30:17.860 Here's the thought exercise.

00:30:19.080 If it's that miserable, why would the suicide rate be there?

00:30:23.920 And the suicide rate isn't because of the job.

00:30:26.120 It's because they lost the farm.

00:30:27.680 They lost the ranch.

00:30:28.860 They can't make ends meet.

00:30:30.940 Every producer I have ever, I have ever met personally, and I've met thousands of them

00:30:35.500 would trade nothing about their life for anything else.

00:30:41.200 I talked to a rancher last night.

00:30:42.800 He's like, dude, we've been for the last eight days.

00:30:45.620 It's literally four o'clock in the morning till nine o'clock at night.

00:30:48.620 He's intensely, this is the guy that sells in Denver.

00:30:51.260 He goes every single day for the last eight days, and I can see that I'm going to be doing

00:30:54.680 this until November.

00:30:55.780 But you know what?

00:30:57.020 I wouldn't want to do it any other way.

00:30:59.320 There's something about being in nature all day that I wouldn't trade it for nothing.

00:31:04.640 So the issue when we talk about like what we saw as kids wasn't the job, I don't believe.

00:31:10.940 It was the way we were led, the way our fathers or grandfathers taught us.

00:31:16.080 Because sometimes it was with a switch instead of with education.

00:31:20.080 So depending on how you were raised, I think made the impact of whether you wanted to stay

00:31:23.440 in it or not.

00:31:24.740 You know, I saw a producer who said he was trying to kind of teach other producers how

00:31:30.300 to keep your kids around.

00:31:31.440 He goes, look, let your kid drive the four-wheeler once in a while while you pick up the sticks

00:31:35.980 in front of him or behind him in the wagon.

00:31:38.060 Let him do the fun stuff because you want to keep around.

00:31:40.520 You don't want him to be, you know, you don't want dad to be the only one driving around

00:31:43.780 in the Bobcat and making the kids do all the grunt work because when they get old enough,

00:31:47.360 they're going to get the hell out.

00:31:48.980 For sure.

00:31:49.320 So he's like, he's like trying to appeal to this, the psychology of it versus the, just

00:31:54.060 we got to get the job done.

00:31:55.620 You know, it's, it's interesting.

00:31:57.360 You say that I was, as you were telling me that, uh, I remember hearing a story from

00:32:00.960 Jocko when we were at origins immersion camp.

00:32:03.440 And he had talked about how hard he went specifically on his oldest son with jujitsu.

00:32:09.460 And he's like, you're going to go all the, you're going to compete against the bigger

00:32:12.760 guys against the better guys.

00:32:14.360 And he just ground him, just beat him down and made it miserable for him.

00:32:19.980 And Jocko, you know, one of the most disciplined, hard-ass guys that we typically think of that

00:32:24.680 quintessential man, man's man is like, you know, I should have made it fun for him.

00:32:30.520 Yeah.

00:32:30.760 Yeah.

00:32:31.200 Yeah, exactly.

00:32:32.120 Like, so I heard that and we're up in Cody and we've got, you know, a little herd of goats

00:32:36.740 that we started raising and it's minus 30 and the wind's blowing and it's my kid's job

00:32:41.860 to do the chores.

00:32:42.680 And I'm like, you know what?

00:32:44.000 Sometimes I made her do it because I, I think there's a ton of value in putting the clothes

00:32:48.400 on and going out in that freezing cold weather and doing the job.

00:32:50.960 And then there were other days where I'm like, I got it for you.

00:32:53.200 Let me take care of that.

00:32:53.980 Or I'll go out there and do it with you.

00:32:56.060 Right.

00:32:56.320 The shared, the shared suffering so that it wasn't just like dad's always making me do the freaking

00:33:01.300 chores and it's minus 30.

00:33:02.680 This sucks.

00:33:03.800 I didn't want her to resent being on a homestead, which, because what we're teaching, because

00:33:09.880 our kids are homeschooled, we're teaching self-reliance, resilience, problem solving.

00:33:14.580 If I just make them hate it, you know, like we were talking about, then as soon as they

00:33:20.000 get a second to leave, they won't want anything to do with it.

00:33:22.300 And that's not what I want for my children.

00:33:23.900 I want them to see the value, understand that like, there's a, you know, there's a lot

00:33:27.960 of pride in the suffering.

00:33:30.520 And, and we, we see that too.

00:33:32.240 Like they'll go out and do something really hard and we'll come back in and be like, geez,

00:33:35.500 that was cold.

00:33:36.040 And kind of like high five, you know, like we just almost got taken out by this blizzard,

00:33:39.680 but our animals are fed and we did that together.

00:33:43.020 So there's just a lot of opportunities to bond, but I don't think back to kind of what

00:33:46.800 we're talking about.

00:33:47.220 I don't think that the, the, the desire to not be there has anything to do with the work.

00:33:52.420 It has to do with how you were introduced to the work, how you were raised.

00:33:55.860 Did your parents make it miserable or not?

00:33:57.760 And then even still, I've heard many stories where their parents just, they didn't know

00:34:02.480 any better.

00:34:02.900 They're not bad people.

00:34:03.600 They only know what they know based off of how they were raised, right?

00:34:05.740 Like they leave and then at some point in their life, they can't wait to get back.

00:34:11.280 The, the youth part of their life is over.

00:34:13.720 They're now in their thirties, mid thirties.

00:34:15.480 And like, I really liked that slower pace.

00:34:18.140 I mean, sounds funny to say it's slower pace, but yet you're always working.

00:34:22.880 It's a different kind of life.

00:34:25.000 Sure.

00:34:25.420 Yes.

00:34:25.880 Yeah.

00:34:26.220 And so then they, they try to find a way to get back on the farm, back on the homestead.

00:34:31.180 And so then to kind of go back to what we're talking about, like who's going to do the

00:34:34.220 work families that are doing ranching that have kids that want to get back into it.

00:34:38.980 They're like, okay, you handle fulfillment.

00:34:40.760 You handle pick and pack, you handle marketing and you fix Shopify.

00:34:45.260 That's how you can earn your way back on the farm and ranch so that we can make enough

00:34:48.560 as a family so that we can all benefit with this as a family.

00:34:52.940 I mean, the, the meat industry is a $64 billion industry, the small farms and ranches that are

00:35:00.880 trying to make this work direct to consumer.

00:35:02.900 They're sharing a 15% of that $64 billion pie.

00:35:07.580 So if we can build a new marketplace where they can get the lion's share, in my opinion,

00:35:12.520 first of all, I'm not naive to the fact that we are in a situation where we can't just snap

00:35:17.580 our fingers and be like, oh, big four is gone.

00:35:19.560 It's all the locals.

00:35:20.460 We would starve.

00:35:21.600 We, our supply chain is designed for the big four, right?

00:35:25.720 We, it's, this is not an overnight fix.

00:35:27.340 This is a generational movement towards a better way of raising our food and acquiring

00:35:32.560 our food.

00:35:33.100 So it's healthier, create stability and so forth.

00:35:36.920 So if we build this platform where now they don't have to do the marketing, they literally

00:35:41.620 get a notification that somebody has purchased and then they have somebody handle fulfillment.

00:35:46.900 That's how we can simplify the process for them and make it more desirable to go direct.

00:35:51.520 Now you're going to have people who, like I said, the 300 plus, I have a company called,

00:35:56.740 uh, stay classy meats.

00:35:58.160 We're based in Wyoming.

00:35:59.700 We're going to be moving it down here to Richville.

00:36:02.000 Stay classy's meat.

00:36:03.480 Whole purpose is to like, Ryan, you have a hundred head a year or more you're selling.

00:36:08.180 You're like, dude, AJ, like, I just want a ranch.

00:36:10.640 That was my buddy.

00:36:11.260 I talked to on the phone last night because he owns a direct consumer label.

00:36:14.900 He's working sunup to sundown.

00:36:16.740 Now he's getting customer service calls and half, like does not want to deal with that.

00:36:21.280 He didn't have time.

00:36:22.020 So he's like, dude, can you take my fulfillment over for me?

00:36:26.620 So stay classy meats was designed purely to buy a, to basically be the logistics arm

00:36:34.000 for farmers and ranchers that are too big and they have a more important role, which

00:36:37.840 is raising the food.

00:36:38.980 And so now we have a company that will handle that, that, uh, so.

00:36:42.860 But that would need to be regional, right?

00:36:44.640 I mean that at this point, you know, maybe that, maybe that turns into national, but at

00:36:48.820 this point, like logistically, it can only be a regional operation.

00:36:52.380 And it should only be regional.

00:36:53.520 We should be selling food raised as close to home as possible.

00:36:57.840 So stay classy meats right now.

00:36:59.440 I'm shipping it nationwide if people need it, because we're still building the infrastructure.

00:37:03.020 And that's not to say you can't like do a simple Google search and say local grass fed

00:37:07.440 beef, you know, or family raised beef.

00:37:09.660 And you're going to find somebody right next to you.

00:37:11.940 And you're going to find somebody like stay classy that's doing the same thing we are.

00:37:15.000 They're just a co-op of producers going through this label.

00:37:18.860 Ultimately sustainability, when I say sustainability, I mean the ability to make sure that if something

00:37:24.160 breaks in our supply chain, you can still get it.

00:37:26.700 It should be regional.

00:37:28.380 It shouldn't be.

00:37:29.000 I shouldn't be sending a box of meat to Florida from Montana because there's producers in Florida

00:37:36.260 that should be getting, you know, contributing from that local economy so that they can be

00:37:41.460 viable.

00:37:42.340 And on August 1st, UPS is expected to go on strike as an example.

00:37:48.540 So if I'm, yeah.

00:37:49.860 And so if my primary business is through UPS and I'm sending to Florida and I didn't build

00:37:54.760 my local customers like in, in an emergency, listen, you guys, I'm in, I'm in Montana.

00:37:59.980 You guys are in Denver.

00:38:00.940 I'm driving over to Denver this weekend.

00:38:02.740 We'll make sure you got like in a worst case scenario.

00:38:04.520 Right.

00:38:05.040 Right.

00:38:05.300 Which you could make in a day.

00:38:06.440 Sure.

00:38:06.700 Of course.

00:38:07.120 Yeah.

00:38:07.580 So regionalize it.

00:38:09.060 Now you're supporting small farms and ranches throughout our entire country, country regionally,

00:38:14.100 and they're supporting consumers in that region.

00:38:17.100 So if the big four are full, it doesn't matter if they shut down or close or whatever over

00:38:22.520 time.

00:38:23.360 If you know your farmer and rancher, you'll always have access to food.

00:38:27.160 Create that relationship.

00:38:29.720 All right, man.

00:38:30.380 I'm going to step away from the conversation just very briefly.

00:38:32.640 I know you're interested.

00:38:33.540 I was interested in the conversation.

00:38:34.900 So we'll get right back to it.

00:38:35.920 Now we've talked a lot about problems and solutions, uh, in our conversation so far,

00:38:40.920 and whether you're tackling food supply issues like AJ is, uh, or simply trying to lose some

00:38:47.240 weight or rekindle a relationship or put a little more money in the bank account, your

00:38:52.340 ability to identify and implement solutions is what's going to spell the difference between

00:38:58.420 success and failure in your life.

00:38:59.980 And that's where our free battle ready program comes into play.

00:39:03.060 Now, when you sign up for this free program, uh, you're going to learn strategies for identifying

00:39:07.940 what's been keeping you back and then work towards the solutions that will allow you to

00:39:12.540 break free and forward into a new kind of life for yourself.

00:39:16.220 This free course is a series of emails.

00:39:18.600 You'll get every couple of days with assignments and challenges issued along the way.

00:39:22.620 So only sign up if you're serious about doing the work to creating your own solutions to your own

00:39:29.220 problems.

00:39:29.720 And then of course we'll be there guiding, directing, and helping along the way.

00:39:34.260 You can get signed up at order of man.com slash battle ready.

00:39:38.100 Again, that's order of man.com slash battle ready.

00:39:40.400 Do that right after we end the conversation for now.

00:39:43.180 Let's get back to it with AJ.

00:39:46.080 Plus I imagine, I mean, those are all great benefits, but plus I imagine that it's not

00:39:50.420 as easy, easily manipulated the markets that is because if one of these bit, let's say

00:39:55.060 Tyson, for example, where they control those big four, 85% of the beef supply decides like,

00:40:01.000 no, we're not going to buy it this, this, this month or this quarter.

00:40:04.000 Or like, what does that do to prices?

00:40:07.500 And they could deliberately and intentionally, because they own so much of the market,

00:40:12.920 jack with the prices, which I'm sure they do.

00:40:15.940 That's exactly what they do.

00:40:17.360 That's, that's a hundred percent.

00:40:18.640 30% of the supply chain and 70% was in the hands of small farms.

00:40:25.160 Those prices are not going to be as easily manipulated as if they were with, in the hands of four.

00:40:30.720 Right.

00:40:31.540 Right.

00:40:31.780 I, I believe that what we would see is more of a, the local economy would dictate the price.

00:40:37.200 The producers, you know, if I'm a, if I'm on the software, that's right.

00:40:40.880 If I'm on the software and you're on the software, we're both producers selling.

00:40:44.100 I'm going to, I'm going to match what the going rate is roughly.

00:40:47.740 Cause I don't, you know, now if I have a higher quality product or I believe I do,

00:40:51.040 I'm going to do the messaging so forth.

00:40:52.960 But the market can dictate that, right?

00:40:55.080 That's right.

00:40:55.520 I was thinking about it.

00:40:56.740 You know, we, we, I just moved back from Maine about five months ago when I moved out

00:41:01.600 there, uh, I bought just under 50 acres of land.

00:41:05.360 There's a local cattle rancher just across the road from us.

00:41:08.420 And he said, Hey, we'd like to hate your field for you.

00:41:11.500 Uh, and, but we're not going to give you anything for it.

00:41:14.500 Yeah.

00:41:14.860 Because we're in Maine, like there's not a water issue.

00:41:18.200 There's no feed issue.

00:41:20.320 Yeah.

00:41:20.680 He was kind enough.

00:41:21.500 He said, Hey, I'll trade you in cattle.

00:41:22.860 So he gave us a cow a year to hay it twice a year, two to three times, depending on the,

00:41:27.640 on the yield.

00:41:29.080 And so we would trade in beef, but here in small town, desert Utah, it's, I imagine it's

00:41:35.680 way more expensive for one cow than it would be in Maine.

00:41:39.760 Absolutely.

00:41:40.660 That's a, that's exactly right.

00:41:41.920 And so now your local economies are going to dictate price.

00:41:45.660 It's going to kind of manage itself, right?

00:41:48.960 That's, that's the, that's the hope, the idea.

00:41:51.740 And that's, I mean, that's a beautiful thing.

00:41:52.960 I mean, this, this goes back to the founding of this nation too, as far as not, not only

00:41:56.520 what we're talking about here, but specifically with the founding of this nation is that the

00:41:59.880 state should be in, in control of their own laws and their own regulations and their

00:42:04.040 own rules, because what's good for Maine is different than what's from Southern Utah.

00:42:07.180 And what's good for Southern Utah is different than Florida.

00:42:10.860 And look, here's the beauty of it.

00:42:12.080 Now you don't like it move.

00:42:15.060 It's so much easier to move than it was maybe even 20 years ago, 10 years ago, five years

00:42:19.900 ago, pre COVID.

00:42:20.980 It's so much easier because we realize, oh, okay.

00:42:23.480 There's this global marketplace and, and much of it is digital.

00:42:27.400 And I don't have to actually get my ass out of my house and go drive for an hour to some

00:42:32.820 place to do work.

00:42:33.960 I could just do it at home.

00:42:35.400 And, and, and I love the fact that we're so much more mobile and, you know, that's why

00:42:40.260 we see mass exodus in, in states like California to Tennessee and Florida, they're moving out

00:42:45.280 of New York, you know, on one hand, it's like, just stay where you are, you know, for multiple

00:42:50.380 reasons.

00:42:51.020 On the other hand, I get it.

00:42:52.760 You know, I really get it.

00:42:54.320 Yep.

00:42:54.940 Yep.

00:42:55.440 Exactly.

00:42:56.320 And then we get into like our biggest challenges aren't even figuring out the logistics for

00:43:00.460 the producers and the consumers.

00:43:01.800 Cause actually there's a massive amount of interest, you know, like we talked about COVID

00:43:06.420 kind of highlighted that we've sort of forsaken some of the things that are essential to be

00:43:14.560 stable as a society, right.

00:43:17.540 Which is our food supply chain.

00:43:19.060 But what we really are going to be dealing with is regulatory issues, policy, because

00:43:24.640 of lobbyists, right.

00:43:27.260 I believe that there is this, this very strong effort towards food IP, intellectual property,

00:43:38.200 which is where the fake meat comes in, which is where, you know, GMO modified corn comes in.

00:43:44.020 Uh, as an example, there was a, uh, uh, a farmer that was growing corn.

00:43:50.840 His neighbor was growing Monsanto corn.

00:43:54.240 The seeds from the Monsanto farm blew over into his field and grew.

00:43:59.960 They sued him and won because he was growing their intellectual seed.

00:44:05.880 Oh, their G they're, their GMO seed or whatever it was.

00:44:08.940 Yes.

00:44:09.660 Yes.

00:44:10.180 Interesting.

00:44:10.540 And they won and they won stuff blew over to his, to his crop.

00:44:14.800 Yep.

00:44:15.380 Right.

00:44:16.100 So this is, this is a real issue and the vilification, I mean, here's the deal.

00:44:22.320 There are 327 million Americans in the United States.

00:44:25.280 The estimation is that like 4% is vegan.

00:44:29.540 So let's be generous and say it's 6%.

00:44:32.260 That means there's 297 million Americans that eat meat.

00:44:35.900 And yet when you hear the news, it's as if it's the opposite.

00:44:40.400 It's like, you think most people are going vegan and that meat's going to destroy the

00:44:44.740 world and all this crap.

00:44:45.780 But really what's behind it is this drive for fake food.

00:44:49.400 Well, what comes with fake food, intellectual property rights.

00:44:52.160 I own your food.

00:44:54.500 Now, if, if I make meat illegal to sell because of climate change and the alternative is my

00:45:01.980 branded prop, my designed product, I'm going to have a windfall.

00:45:06.720 This is actively happening.

00:45:08.720 So our, our food supply chain, we are at war with our food sovereignty and we just don't

00:45:15.420 even know it yet.

00:45:16.040 But yeah, I mean, that, that, that, that is so great.

00:45:19.920 I'm just thinking about how these, these four own all of this.

00:45:23.440 The other part you talked about is this, this lobbying, you know, as what, as your idea grows

00:45:28.740 and I think it will, I mean, we saw the, you're talking about Uber.

00:45:31.560 We saw the same thing.

00:45:32.400 We saw that the, the tax, taxi unions, maybe, or organizations fighting so hard against,

00:45:38.160 we saw cities shutting down Uber.

00:45:40.380 Like, what the hell are you doing?

00:45:41.940 Like, it's not even your right to shut down a private business.

00:45:45.380 And yet that's exactly what we saw.

00:45:48.060 I mean, you're going to have an uphill battle when it comes to these four who are like,

00:45:51.660 you know, this is a 60, you said it $64 billion industry.

00:45:55.760 We're not letting that go without a fight.

00:45:58.060 I know.

00:45:58.580 And you know, it's funny.

00:45:59.640 One of the most common comments I get on my social is basically I'm going to get killed.

00:46:04.740 I thought about that when you were talking about these Chinese companies and these Brazilian

00:46:08.460 mafia type organizations, I'm like, yep.

00:46:11.380 This guy's cruising.

00:46:12.300 I'm having them on my podcast.

00:46:13.640 I don't know how to feel about that.

00:46:14.940 Uh, yeah, dude.

00:46:16.360 And, and those are, you know, uh, it's a, I'm aware of this.

00:46:21.300 I'm aware of the risk and I don't care because, you know, I, for me, this came from an experience.

00:46:28.820 So in 2020, like I was not doing well mentally.

00:46:31.280 I was like, world's falling apart.

00:46:33.680 I'm going to be fighting people to keep my kids safe.

00:46:36.060 Like this is where it's going.

00:46:37.140 Right.

00:46:37.800 Um, not because I was worried about COVID.

00:46:41.340 I sniffed COVID out personally within the first month.

00:46:44.300 I'm like, this is bullshit.

00:46:45.260 Like right away.

00:46:46.520 So it wasn't COVID.

00:46:47.620 It was the state of the psychology of our, of people.

00:46:51.380 You know, then you got the riots going on.

00:46:53.400 I'm like, oh shit, here we go.

00:46:54.560 I was glad to live in St.

00:46:55.460 George, but Vegas was only an hour 45 away.

00:46:57.940 So I'm like, you know, how do we shut the gorge down if we need to?

00:47:00.820 But like, that's, that was the state of mind I was in.

00:47:03.480 And then I remembered an experience in Iraq.

00:47:06.060 We actually took care packages into a village and I didn't, my brain didn't log this experience

00:47:12.480 at that time because I was younger.

00:47:13.820 So I was there for, you know, thinking different things, but all of a sudden this, this man's

00:47:18.400 face from that village came into my mind.

00:47:21.080 And the, the, the, um, idea that was attached to it was I was there feeding his family and he

00:47:27.960 couldn't.

00:47:28.400 And I was like, I do not want to be in that position.

00:47:33.000 So what am I going to do?

00:47:35.240 Like, okay, well, this is what, if this is what takes me out, I'm also building this in

00:47:39.700 a way that if I'm gone, somebody else will backfill.

00:47:43.420 Does that make sense?

00:47:44.480 And, and I will say that this is no longer blue sky.

00:47:47.320 When I first started working towards this, nobody was doing this, this whole decentralized

00:47:52.040 platform, Uber, similar, you know, food buying similar to Uber or Airbnb.

00:47:56.620 It just wasn't happening.

00:47:58.100 Now I've seen four or five that are coming up and people ask, are you concerned?

00:48:02.660 No, I shouldn't be the only one.

00:48:04.560 If I'm the only one doing it, then we've centralized again.

00:48:07.040 Not to mention if they come after me, I've got four or five other companies that are also

00:48:11.480 trying to challenge this current status quo that we can, you know, we're stronger in

00:48:16.300 numbers.

00:48:16.820 Cause right.

00:48:17.100 You can pull together if needs be.

00:48:18.560 Yeah.

00:48:19.100 Yeah.

00:48:19.300 I've had guys reach out like, dude, I'm doing this.

00:48:21.460 We should join forces.

00:48:22.260 And I said, no, I'm full support of what you're doing.

00:48:25.480 And we should have a conference and get together and talk about certain things.

00:48:29.140 Maybe practices.

00:48:30.080 Sure.

00:48:30.360 Yes.

00:48:30.900 Yeah.

00:48:31.180 But we shouldn't merge.

00:48:32.740 We shouldn't be an individual target.

00:48:34.600 You do what you think is going to be best for your idea.

00:48:37.940 I'll do what I think is going to be best for my idea.

00:48:40.060 The ones that work the best are going to rise to the top, but I've made it very clear.

00:48:43.900 Like I've had VCs, so we've already started doing the programming, worked three years of

00:48:48.480 research and development.

00:48:49.740 Now we broke ground on the software last week.

00:48:53.140 You're here in Southern Utah now.

00:48:54.500 I don't know if you're familiar with Tech Ridge.

00:48:56.940 No.

00:48:57.580 Okay.

00:48:57.860 So the old airport, downtown St.

00:48:59.500 George.

00:48:59.620 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:49:00.280 Okay.

00:49:01.140 They're turning that entire thing into a master planned tech hub, like Silicon Valley.

00:49:06.200 Up on the Hill?

00:49:07.300 Yes.

00:49:07.940 Yeah.

00:49:08.080 Okay.

00:49:08.600 Got it.

00:49:08.920 And the guy that is building that is my partner.

00:49:12.820 So when I had this idea in 2020, I'm like, who's the biggest fish in town?

00:49:16.320 What's a small town?

00:49:16.980 But I'm like, who's the biggest fish in town that knows tech?

00:49:18.900 And I went and met with Isaac Barlow.

00:49:20.520 He built a software called Busy Busy and now is developing Tech Ridge.

00:49:25.800 Which was like a contracting time something, right?

00:49:29.820 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:49:30.240 I've heard of Busy Busy.

00:49:31.480 Yeah, exactly.

00:49:32.320 So I went to him because he's in the software.

00:49:34.460 Dude, what do I know about software?

00:49:36.060 I mean, that was kind of some of the internal battles is like, great idea, dumbass.

00:49:40.500 You don't know shit about software.

00:49:41.600 And then I'm like, well, wait a minute.

00:49:43.760 Southern Utah redneck, man.

00:49:44.640 I need somebody else.

00:49:46.100 I don't know.

00:49:46.560 Barlow's might categorize themselves as Southern Utah rednecks too, though.

00:49:49.940 Yeah, I think they do.

00:49:51.300 But at the same time, I also was like, wait a minute.

00:49:53.660 I just need to find somebody who is and bring them on my team and paint the vision and then

00:49:58.440 let them execute the designing, right?

00:50:03.240 The programming.

00:50:04.440 So we started that a couple of weeks ago and I've had VCs come my way.

00:50:08.400 But here's the thing.

00:50:09.900 I'm not interested.

00:50:11.460 For me, when they say, well, what's your exit?

00:50:14.320 Well, I'm not doing it.

00:50:15.320 This is not what this is.

00:50:16.860 This is a legacy company.

00:50:19.020 That's what they used to be.

00:50:20.000 People started companies and the idea was to keep it in the family forever.

00:50:22.960 Right.

00:50:23.140 And then it evolved.

00:50:24.380 Yeah.

00:50:24.560 What's your exit?

00:50:25.240 What's your exit?

00:50:25.960 There is no exit.

00:50:27.200 My exit is death.

00:50:28.960 Yeah, exactly.

00:50:29.640 And hopefully I make it exciting enough that my kids maybe want to take it over, you know,

00:50:34.300 because the only way to protect what we're doing is to not be buyable.

00:50:39.980 Because if we do this really well, the first thing that the big four are going to offer

00:50:44.120 is money.

00:50:44.860 We'll buy it from you.

00:50:45.860 Here's a hundred million.

00:50:47.520 I didn't do it for the money.

00:50:49.600 I mean, the money's there.

00:50:51.060 The revenue will be the result of executing well.

00:50:54.280 You know, if I get 15% of every transaction nationwide of food buyers that adopt a model

00:51:00.240 like this, there's plenty of revenue in this to make money.

00:51:03.840 So I'm not doing it for the money.

00:51:04.900 I'm doing it to how do you build a better mousetrap, which is our food supply chain,

00:51:09.340 and then protect that so that somebody can't manipulate it.

00:51:14.500 Outside of this conversation, I mean, it's hard because we only have a certain amount of

00:51:18.880 time to talk about this stuff and I could go on and on about it.

00:51:21.780 I'm actually really interested.

00:51:23.180 You know, you said, one thing you said earlier is you, you, you've said a couple of things.

00:51:28.100 Like I took notes here.

00:51:29.360 You found an investor.

00:51:30.740 You just kind of like set it in passing.

00:51:32.680 Like, I found an investor.

00:51:33.680 It was easy.

00:51:34.100 I just like called me to a few calls and found an investor.

00:51:37.600 The other thing that you said is that you went and I can't remember the exact term,

00:51:44.140 but you said you went and ran a meat packing facility.

00:51:48.840 Like, how does that happen?

00:51:50.120 You have no experience in this at all.

00:51:52.120 And you're like, Hey, uh, I'd like to come run your facility.

00:51:54.460 You guys good with that?

00:51:55.140 Yeah, sure.

00:51:55.600 Come on up and we'll hire you.

00:51:57.100 Like, how does that happen?

00:51:58.900 Well, you and I both believe in a creator.

00:52:02.100 So that's how it happens.

00:52:03.620 This had to get done and I needed to know some things about it.

00:52:06.280 And so life moved me in a way that got me into opportunities that would have otherwise never

00:52:12.160 happened.

00:52:13.120 So, so the actual, how it happened is I have this conversation with Isaac in 2020.

00:52:18.260 He's like, I like the idea.

00:52:19.720 I can see the potential and the value of it, but you have a lot of market research to do.

00:52:24.580 Before you get to, I want to hear the rest of it.

00:52:27.260 Let me just back up a little bit.

00:52:28.740 Yeah.

00:52:28.920 How did you even get a conversation with him?

00:52:31.280 Like what, did you already know him?

00:52:33.000 Did you, did somebody connect you guys?

00:52:35.000 Like, how did that work?

00:52:36.920 Um, I think I heard about tech Ridge in the conversation of around here.

00:52:42.440 Cause it's been trying to happen for a few years.

00:52:45.380 And so, and actually it probably just Googled software as a service in St. George and I

00:52:51.260 cold called him.

00:52:51.920 I mean, I really called, nobody introduced me.

00:52:53.400 I just cold called.

00:52:54.380 Interesting.

00:52:54.900 Cool.

00:52:55.360 I mean, that's important to know.

00:52:56.240 Cause I know a lot of guys have ideas and they need to meet with players and they don't

00:53:00.020 know how to do it.

00:53:00.600 So that's an important component of it.

00:53:02.120 Well, dude, listen, like there's, I was listening to a book on my drive yesterday and they said

00:53:07.660 that when you, when you have inspiration move, because you can accomplish so much work in

00:53:17.140 the amount of work you can accomplish when you're inspired in 24 hours is equal to weeks

00:53:21.780 of work.

00:53:22.660 So I'd have these moments of inspiration and I would just start calling like, what's the

00:53:26.620 worst that's going to happen?

00:53:27.960 They're not ready for me.

00:53:29.480 You know, that's something I learned from you.

00:53:30.720 Like you talked about on your podcast, you would call guys to get interviews and they

00:53:34.200 would turn you down.

00:53:35.100 And at first, like I felt it where you're like, what the hell, man, what you don't believe

00:53:38.680 in me?

00:53:38.900 You got whatever that internal dialogue is for you.

00:53:41.800 And then you're like, oh, well, wait a minute.

00:53:43.000 I mean like this, me being here, I reached out because I'm finally ready.

00:53:46.320 Like I respect you.

00:53:47.400 I respect the audience you built.

00:53:48.680 If I would have come on earlier, it would have been a waste of your time and energy.

00:53:52.120 I wasn't, I hadn't earned the right to be on order of man yet.

00:53:55.220 And I was going to wait until that happened.

00:53:57.720 So I, what, so what's the worst going to happen?

00:54:01.460 They say, no.

00:54:02.040 Okay.

00:54:02.280 Well, I'll come back later.

00:54:03.100 I'm not going to make you wrong for it.

00:54:04.440 Like if you would have said no to this, I'd be all right, I guess I've got some more work

00:54:06.820 to do.

00:54:07.440 I got to get a, got to get 10,000 more followers or something before Ryan has me on.

00:54:11.040 Whatever that looks like.

00:54:11.940 Minimum follower counts only.

00:54:13.140 I made sure I Googled you and you know, you met my criteria for sure.

00:54:17.180 Yeah, totally.

00:54:18.000 You know, whatever that person's thing is.

00:54:20.060 Right.

00:54:20.360 So, uh, and, and it could be like, I'm not going to be qualified for a entrepreneur podcast

00:54:26.480 until I make money.

00:54:28.160 Okay.

00:54:28.600 Well, I'm not going to bother yet until I've qualified to maybe reach out to certain people,

00:54:32.560 but I'm not afraid to be told.

00:54:35.760 No, you know, like I said, I'm freaking, I mean, here's the deal.

00:54:39.220 I'm pulling shit from the warehouse at Walmart.

00:54:42.900 I can only go up from here.

00:54:45.520 So start making some damn phone calls.

00:54:47.720 And so that's what I did.

00:54:49.680 And I called Isaac and he said, okay, great idea.

00:54:52.320 You need to do more research.

00:54:53.440 And I'm like, okay.

00:54:54.180 And, and I'm, I'm human.

00:54:55.560 Like anybody else, my inspiration wore off because you put a roadblock in front of me

00:55:00.060 that says, oh shit, I'm not qualified.

00:55:02.660 So I would waste months of time, but in the back of my head, I'm processing, I'm thinking,

00:55:09.360 am I, can I do this?

00:55:10.520 What should I do?

00:55:11.200 And then finally some other bullshit in my life sucks.

00:55:14.380 So I'm like, well, I better get started again.

00:55:15.780 And then would find the way to get over that.

00:55:19.160 You know, like, uh, I called Isaac.

00:55:22.300 So I, I put all this together.

00:55:24.240 Like I called him in 2020.

00:55:26.000 He says, do more market research.

00:55:27.480 Okay, fine.

00:55:28.220 All these other things are happening.

00:55:29.680 I'm doing what I can, where I can, but I'm also afraid of failure in other areas where

00:55:33.860 I'm not strong.

00:55:35.220 And, and, uh, but all of his other actions I'm doing, that's the thing.

00:55:39.420 Be in action.

00:55:40.280 There's a good, a book called, uh, uh, think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill.

00:55:43.900 One of my favorite books, right?

00:55:46.020 It should have been called act and grow rich.

00:55:48.280 I've heard some people talk about it and I, and I agree.

00:55:50.660 So I'm in action.

00:55:51.720 I may not be doing this big thing that I'm afraid of, but I'm doing these other things

00:55:55.020 that all of a sudden I've developed myself that, oh, now I'm ready mentally to take on

00:55:58.760 that big thing.

00:55:59.800 And then I do it and I'm like, well, shit, that wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it

00:56:02.660 was when I was first intimidated by it.

00:56:04.920 So I, you know, kind of fast forward, I'm, I'm, I'm selling meat.

00:56:10.040 It closes.

00:56:10.560 I find some people tell them about this idea to vertically integrate so that you can build

00:56:14.300 a successful white label.

00:56:15.460 This guy knows somebody who has money and he convinces him to buy this plant and Cody,

00:56:20.060 and they need somebody to oversee the whole business.

00:56:22.440 So I didn't, my role wasn't to run the meat plant.

00:56:26.080 My role was to run the restaurant attached to the meat plant, to make relationships with

00:56:30.200 producers, to bring them to the meat plant, to make sure the meat plant was meeting certain

00:56:34.800 criteria and running effectively.

00:56:37.020 But I wasn't the manager.

00:56:38.120 I didn't do the day to day, but I was with the manager every day.

00:56:42.100 And when, when something came my way that I didn't know, I'd be like, you've been doing

00:56:45.540 this longer than I have, how should we do it?

00:56:47.900 Tell me, what do you need?

00:56:49.520 Do you mean to go grab toilet paper?

00:56:50.920 I'll go grab toilet paper.

00:56:52.000 Okay.

00:56:52.320 And then, you know, but then I'm in a position to be like, let's talk about cut sheets.

00:56:56.080 What, why don't, so I'm introduced to this whole world that I would have never

00:56:59.680 been introduced to.

00:57:01.000 It was funny because then I called Isaac.

00:57:02.700 It'd been like, we checked in here and there, you know, and, and just to kind of keep it

00:57:08.700 on the radar.

00:57:09.460 I got to Cody and I actually got comfortable because they're paying me well.

00:57:13.500 And I'm, this is kind of where I wanted to go.

00:57:16.620 And then my partnerships did not go well.

00:57:19.520 And so then I'm like, oh shit, I'm still not safe.

00:57:22.260 I better get back to work on this idea that I've had my, my own, my own invested myself.

00:57:27.420 And so I called Isaac and I'm like, Isaac, I'm now running a meat plant in Cody, Wyoming.

00:57:32.360 There is no more market research that I need to be doing.

00:57:34.980 It's time to be.

00:57:36.000 And he goes, you're doing what?

00:57:38.480 Because I bet he was.

00:57:40.000 That's not common.

00:57:41.020 No, three years ago, I'm pulling inventory from Walmart.

00:57:43.240 I have no idea what happens at a meat plant.

00:57:45.200 And like I said, divinity in all of this, God has had his hand in every single thing I

00:57:50.420 have done.

00:57:51.000 This is not AJ.

00:57:51.880 AJ has been around forever, but the inspiration came from my creator, how to get there is just

00:57:58.660 kind of, I just got to put one foot in front of the other and be willing to get roughed

00:58:02.440 up as I go.

00:58:03.440 And, you know, when I say that's usually just emotional, you know, internal stuff, but

00:58:07.080 sure.

00:58:07.500 Right.

00:58:08.100 Learn from it.

00:58:08.800 What's next.

00:58:09.280 Learn from what's next.

00:58:10.040 So he's like, okay, well now I need you to build me a wireframe.

00:58:14.760 And I'm like, shit, what's a wireframe?

00:58:16.680 I don't know what that is.

00:58:17.520 And he goes, I need you to take this idea of what the software looks like and get it

00:58:21.800 on paper.

00:58:22.840 And I'm like, okay.

00:58:24.200 And then I hang up and I'm like, well, I don't know how the hell to do that.

00:58:27.700 So I wasted another month of not doing it.

00:58:30.440 And then I'm sitting there and I've got problems at work.

00:58:32.600 And I'm like, dude, if you don't keep going, you're going to be with, you know, you know,

00:58:37.600 you can't stay where you're at.

00:58:38.900 So if you don't keep going, you're going to be in trouble.

00:58:40.500 So I go to Fiverr.

00:58:42.460 I go to Fiverr.com, which is a, it's like a, you can hire piecework people from all

00:58:48.960 over the world to do pretty much stuff you want.

00:58:51.500 Yeah.

00:58:51.680 Freelancers.

00:58:52.320 So I go type in wireframe.

00:58:55.800 This guy pops up, some 20 year old kid in Pakistan had his, you know, having his first

00:59:01.580 kid.

00:59:02.040 And I'm like, he's like, I tell him my idea and it's like brief, like introduction.

00:59:06.160 He goes, oh, I've built many of these for different stuff.

00:59:09.000 I'll get this done in like 48 hours.

00:59:11.380 And I'm like, you got to be shitting me.

00:59:12.840 I get a call.

00:59:13.640 I get a call from a message from him.

00:59:15.380 And he's like, Hey, it's going to take me longer because Pakistan is flooding and I'm

00:59:18.900 having my first son.

00:59:20.100 And I'm like, okay, how long?

00:59:21.780 And he goes, give me two weeks.

00:59:22.940 I'm like, okay, great.

00:59:24.640 He gets it done.

00:59:25.680 And it's freaking brilliant.

00:59:27.400 Like interactive shows me everything I ever imagined.

00:59:30.680 And I call Isaac back and I was like, Hey, I'm ready to present the wireframe.

00:59:34.360 And he goes, what?

00:59:35.700 Yeah.

00:59:35.840 Cause nobody does that.

00:59:37.700 Or that fast.

00:59:38.660 And I didn't know that.

00:59:39.500 And I'm like, yeah, the wireframe is done and ready to present it.

00:59:41.860 And he's like, okay.

00:59:42.980 So we get on a zoom and he was totally skeptical.

00:59:44.680 Like didn't know what I was going to present.

00:59:46.940 And I present it and I get done and he starts laughing.

00:59:49.420 And I'm like, Mike, what's funny.

00:59:51.160 And he goes, how long did that take you?

00:59:52.800 I'm like, well, I wasted a month not knowing if I could do it.

00:59:55.460 But then when I hired the guy, it was done in three weeks.

00:59:58.200 He goes, how much did that cost you?

01:00:00.720 I'm like 645 bucks.

01:00:02.680 And he goes, AJ, when I built the wireframe for busy, busy, it cost me $25,000 and 12 months.

01:00:10.960 Because in 2011, software's like this thing called Figma, where you can basically do a whole wireframe.

01:00:18.620 Like you're building a Wix website, didn't exist.

01:00:22.160 The technology didn't exist.

01:00:23.940 And he's like, and what you just outlined, every working component of what you just outlined is already coded in an API.

01:00:31.460 So you're going to build this.

01:00:32.720 You just pull that code and yeah.

01:00:34.320 He's like, we're going to be able to build this for far less than what I had to build busy, busy for.

01:00:39.260 And in a fraction of the time.

01:00:41.940 And so I'm like, okay.

01:00:44.020 And that was about a year ago.

01:00:46.980 And so things just take, I mean, it's like the 10X rule.

01:00:49.460 You think it's going to take you this much time?

01:00:51.100 You better, might as well just freaking 10X it right now.

01:00:54.000 So I've been saying six months to launch for like 18 months.

01:00:58.880 And so now it is six months to launch because it's actually being programmed, but it's just kind of funny.

01:01:03.900 Like that's just what it takes.

01:01:06.160 So.

01:01:07.020 Well, what can we do to help you, man?

01:01:08.300 I love the idea.

01:01:09.020 I love people that are shaking things up.

01:01:11.040 I love people that are thinking outside the box.

01:01:13.100 They're looking at problems.

01:01:14.220 They're seeing it in a different way.

01:01:15.520 They're challenging the status quo.

01:01:17.280 Like, I know you're not entirely ready right now, but I think this is something it's important

01:01:21.360 that we have this conversation, not only from the national security risks and how we get our food.

01:01:26.260 We didn't even get into the bullshit about like fake meat.

01:01:33.520 And I think there was something that I saw that some sort of fake, I was going to say like

01:01:37.660 chicken or pork.

01:01:39.120 It's not.

01:01:39.560 If it's fake, it's not chicken.

01:01:40.840 It's not pork.

01:01:42.240 Yeah.

01:01:42.360 Why are we calling it?

01:01:43.460 It's not.

01:01:43.920 That's not what it is.

01:01:44.420 It's kind of like turkey bacon.

01:01:45.880 It's not bacon.

01:01:47.160 Yeah.

01:01:47.600 Right.

01:01:47.760 Don't call it turkey bacon.

01:01:49.140 It's not bacon.

01:01:50.180 All right.

01:01:51.040 Yep.

01:01:51.220 But we get into these issues of all this fake meat.

01:01:54.520 And I think this is how, you know, the zombie apocalypse begins and we start consuming all

01:01:58.160 of this.

01:01:59.640 But how can we support you, man?

01:02:01.520 What can we do in the meantime as you're getting this thing ramped up and ready to bring to market?

01:02:08.560 Yeah.

01:02:08.700 I appreciate that.

01:02:09.320 Well, so I recognize that the people who care, they're the patriots, the people who still believe

01:02:15.160 there's something worth fighting for in our country.

01:02:16.740 And, and, cause that's who I am, you know, none, none of, none of the people that I'm

01:02:21.180 speaking to are going to line up for a burger made out of bugs, like it's not happening.

01:02:25.940 And so I started talking about it when I knew I was finally had a product to be able to bring

01:02:30.260 to market.

01:02:30.940 And my Instagram went from 2,500 to 85,000 or 81,000 in like five months.

01:02:36.380 So that's, those are people who are like, thank you.

01:02:39.200 Like they had the same concerns I did, just didn't know how to solve it.

01:02:42.600 Right.

01:02:42.760 Cause they weren't exposed to ag like I was.

01:02:44.840 And so there's a huge movement of Americans wanting to go the route of supporting, frankly,

01:02:50.760 the people we should be respecting, which is our farmers and ranchers, like human beings

01:02:54.740 need food, shelter, safety, food being the most important.

01:02:58.300 And we're forsaking the ones doing it.

01:03:00.480 So with all this attention and all this, like, help me, help me.

01:03:03.980 I'm here.

01:03:04.380 Where can I go?

01:03:04.900 And I'm like, geez, I need to get something going now, at least until the software's open.

01:03:09.420 So I launched a discord.

01:03:11.560 It's a place for a community to start coming together.

01:03:15.840 When you go on the discord group and the link is in my Instagram bio, or if you go to feed

01:03:20.460 the people, buy the people.com, you can sign up for the mail, email us, and we'll send you

01:03:24.480 the link.

01:03:25.200 But in our discord group, there's all 50 States with people in them now talking about who they're

01:03:31.520 buying from or where to, or asking, where can I buy from?

01:03:35.020 So, you know, I'm doing this to be of service.

01:03:38.300 I'm like, well, I don't have to wait till a software's live to at least start connecting

01:03:41.440 people.

01:03:42.440 So if people want to get to know who their farmers and ranchers are now, go to discord.

01:03:46.480 I will say it's not amazing because that's what the software's for.

01:03:51.120 And I'm still working on onboarding producers, but if you want to go on there and join now,

01:03:55.580 that's the, those are like our early adopters.

01:03:57.400 Those are people that are like, yep, we want a new, we want a parallel food economy.

01:04:01.720 We're here for it.

01:04:02.660 Let's get going.

01:04:03.240 Um, so that's really the main, the main thing is to just, if you, if you get involved,

01:04:08.920 stay, stay, stay connected as the software comes up, obviously the more people that adopt

01:04:13.660 it, then the more money that I can raise, I'm not going to take money from VCs.

01:04:17.960 We're actually going to do a, we funder.

01:04:19.340 I want to raise the money to do this through our community so that nobody's pressuring me

01:04:24.160 to take a hundred million from JBS.

01:04:26.120 Like it's community driven.

01:04:27.800 Um, we're a Delaware C corp because I also, I do have a fundraiser, but I'm, I don't like

01:04:34.120 those.

01:04:34.540 I'd rather give people something for helping.

01:04:37.140 And so I did set one up because I had enough pressure to do that from, from the people following

01:04:42.260 like, good.

01:04:42.660 We want to help you.

01:04:43.360 I'm like, okay, fine.

01:04:44.640 Right.

01:04:44.820 But I'm like, you can't help me now, send me 20 bucks or whatever that'll help, but

01:04:49.540 I'm setting up my we funder.

01:04:50.800 So instead of you just giving me money, you can actually give me money, get some equity

01:04:54.820 for it, get some, you know, some preferred stock or whatever.

01:04:57.900 So, um, so yeah, feed the people, buy the people.com is the best way.

01:05:02.840 If people are looking to get meat right now, I do have our brand stay classy meats.

01:05:07.840 If you buy at stay classy meats.com, you are buying from ranchers basically directly.

01:05:13.540 They just don't have the time to do the fulfillment side of it.

01:05:17.060 So that's what we're there for.

01:05:18.140 So if you buy from there, if you're looking, I mean, we've got bison, we got beef, elk,

01:05:23.680 some, uh, not everything is locally raised.

01:05:25.760 We got some, uh, fresh caught salmon and, and, you know, seafood on there, but if you

01:05:30.480 got to get some juice on there.

01:05:31.960 Yeah, we do need some.

01:05:33.080 It sounds like you got some for me.

01:05:34.260 I'll sell it.

01:05:34.720 I can sell you some.

01:05:35.960 Yeah.

01:05:36.740 So if, if you're buying from butcher box or somebody like that, that's not buying American

01:05:41.420 beef, I'd love for you to support stay classy.

01:05:43.380 Oh, that's not, that's not American.

01:05:45.640 No, no, it's, it's important.

01:05:48.920 Interesting.

01:05:49.700 What's your, uh, what's your Instagram?

01:05:51.560 Uh, uh, Instagram is a period J underscore Richards.

01:05:56.740 Cool.

01:05:57.400 We'll sync that up as well.

01:05:58.920 Cool.

01:05:59.760 Brother.

01:06:00.180 I appreciate you, man.

01:06:00.920 Let me know how I can help.

01:06:02.280 Um, I love what you're doing, not only from rush club and everything that I've seen you

01:06:05.080 do and the friendship that we've developed over nearly two decades now, man, this is awesome.

01:06:09.920 Um, I want to be a part of it.

01:06:11.020 I want to help you the way I can, whether that's just getting the word out or being involved

01:06:14.020 somehow.

01:06:14.560 So let's just, you and I stay in contact.

01:06:17.400 I appreciate your knowledge and information about it.

01:06:19.920 I mean, there's a lot that maybe we need to run another episode, but there's a lot that

01:06:22.820 we can talk about from fake meat to, I know your family are the Bundys and a lot of people

01:06:27.660 know about the Bundy situation.

01:06:29.100 And I think it was, it was a BLM that they were fighting with and the militia, like that

01:06:33.060 was a crazy, crazy situation.

01:06:35.540 Um, so we could talk about a lot more, man.

01:06:37.580 I appreciate you.

01:06:38.720 Thanks for joining me today.

01:06:39.940 Thank you, brother.

01:06:40.560 Thanks Ryan.

01:06:42.440 Gentlemen, there is my conversation with my good friend and problem solver, cattle rancher,

01:06:48.120 serial entrepreneur, and all around good guy.

01:06:50.340 His name is AJ Richards.

01:06:51.620 I hope you enjoyed it.

01:06:52.640 Super fascinating discussion.

01:06:54.100 I don't know that we've ever talked about these food supply issues, uh, on the podcast.

01:06:58.860 And one thing I plan on doing is talking a lot more about current events, current affairs,

01:07:04.320 current issues.

01:07:04.980 I want to get deep into some of these problems that are huge problems.

01:07:08.180 And if they're not huge problems now, if we don't address them early and often, they

01:07:12.220 can easily become huge problems.

01:07:13.760 So if you would please support AJ by checking out his two different organizations, he mentioned

01:07:19.560 number one, stay classy meats, which is available now.

01:07:21.780 And then also feed the people by the people, which is coming online in the next several

01:07:27.820 months.

01:07:28.360 You heard about that.

01:07:29.760 Uh, also tag me tag AJ on Instagram.

01:07:33.240 If you have a clip that you particularly enjoyed, pull that clip out.

01:07:36.480 I don't care if you do any of that, share it, you know, tweak it, do whatever you want

01:07:41.020 to that clip and share that because we need to get this message out.

01:07:43.720 Not only the food supply issue message, but the issue of reclaiming and restoring masculinity

01:07:48.420 in a society that is continually dismissive of it.

01:07:51.320 So I appreciate you guys check out origin USA, check out, stay classy meats, check out,

01:07:56.960 uh, feed the people by the people, uh, and check out your battle ready program at order

01:08:02.360 of man.com slash battle ready.

01:08:03.780 You've got a lot to do guys.

01:08:04.920 Those are your more marching orders.

01:08:07.020 We'll be back tomorrow for our, ask me anything until then go out there, take action and become

01:08:13.620 a man.

01:08:13.920 You are meant to be.

01:08:15.460 Thank you for listening to the order of man podcast.

01:08:18.140 You're ready to take charge of your life and be more of a man.

01:08:20.980 You were meant to be.

01:08:22.100 We invite you to join the order at order of man.com.

01:08:25.060 We'll be right back.

Order of Man - August 01, 2023

AJ RICHARDS ｜ Fixing Our Broken Food Supply Chain

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