The Charlie Kirk Show - Charlie's Last Interview

00:00:03.000 My name is Charlie Kirk.

00:00:05.000 I run the largest pro-American student organization in the country fighting for the future of our republic.

00:00:11.000 My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth.

00:00:14.000 If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're gonna end up miserable.

00:00:19.000 But if the most important thing is doing good, you'll end up purposeful.

00:00:24.000 College is a scam, everybody.

00:00:26.000 You gotta stop sending your kids to college.

00:00:27.000 You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible.

00:00:31.000 Go start a turning point, you would say college chapter.

00:00:33.000 Go start a turning point, you would say high school chapter.

00:00:35.000 Go find out how your church can get involved.

00:00:37.000 Sign up and become an activist.

00:00:38.000 I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade.

00:00:41.000 Most important decision I ever made in my life.

00:00:43.000 And I encourage you to do the same.

00:00:45.000 Here I am.

00:00:46.000 Lord use me.

00:00:48.000 Buckle up, everybody.

00:00:49.000 Here we go.

00:00:56.000 The Charlie Kirk Show is proudly sponsored by Preserve Gold, the leading gold and silver experts, and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends, and viewers.

00:01:09.000 I have enjoyed being a founder and meeting other founders.

00:01:12.000 And when I meet other founders, I love hearing their stories.

00:01:16.000 And I think that in every founder story, there's something that you can glean to say, am I doing things as good as I could be?

00:01:22.000 And so one of the things that I found as I uh met Charlie, and this is the first time we've met actually in person, was that you're an entrepreneur.

00:01:31.000 You have this entrepreneurial journey that I don't think a lot of people would realize that I didn't even realize.

00:01:36.000 And because I've been an entrepreneur for 28 years, Charlie, a little bit longer than maybe you.

00:01:41.000 Yeah.

00:01:42.000 Um, but is uh as I've looked back past 28 years, I still think about the different inflection points I've had in my career and all the things that I learned at those different inflection points.

00:01:51.000 You're, I think, years ahead of where I was, but I still have learned a ton from just talking to you a little bit.

00:01:57.000 Um but before we jump into our entrepreneurial journey and share with a room full of entrepreneurs and executives, Charlie.

00:02:03.000 Um, we're both Chicagoans.

00:02:05.000 Where are you from?

00:02:05.000 And what's your story in Chicago?

00:02:07.000 Yeah, I'm from uh Wheeling, Arlington Heights area.

00:02:09.000 Arlington Heights.

00:02:10.000 Yeah, so Elgin.

00:02:11.000 Yeah, so Brian's here, he's a big Vikings fan, it's just this whole thing.

00:02:15.000 Um tough week.

00:02:17.000 Tough tough week.

00:02:19.000 It was a tough week.

00:02:20.000 I think it was the last minute.

00:02:22.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:02:22.000 No.

00:02:23.000 Hey, listen, I'm a Bears fan in the in the in the back as well.

00:02:26.000 But um, yeah, you you grew up in Chicago.

00:02:28.000 You're not in Chicago now though, Charlie.

00:02:30.000 No, in Arizona.

00:02:31.000 In Arizona.

00:02:31.000 So whoever runs Hash Kitchen, um, we have put pumped a lot of money into your enterprise.

00:02:36.000 So, and we'll continue to do so.

00:02:38.000 Great, well run.

00:02:39.000 I didn't even know you guys had Hash Kitchen.

00:02:41.000 They have these, I think these bloody Marys that have big. 1.00

00:02:45.000 Yeah.

00:02:45.000 It's like you walk in, it's like half the size.

00:02:47.000 You don't need to be more breakfast after that.

00:02:49.000 Yeah.

00:02:49.000 Um, but no, it Scottsdale's in a great place.

00:02:52.000 We build a lot of restaurants in Scottsdale and in Arizona Airmarket, and it's great, and hash is great, but um you live there, you're married.

00:02:57.000 Yep, two kids.

00:02:58.000 Married and two kids.

00:02:59.000 So you're doing the father figure thing, and it's it's hard, right?

00:03:02.000 It's a lot, especially as an entrepreneur, right?

00:03:04.000 Um there's there's practices that we have to sustain to keep it all together, such as honoring the Sabbath, which is really big in our family, just resting for one day.

00:03:14.000 Yeah.

00:03:14.000 Um, because as you know, working just for seven days straight, you'll you'll burn yourself and your organization out if you do that.

00:03:20.000 Yeah, it's it's interesting because that we're in an industry where you go seven days a week.

00:03:23.000 Predominantly, right?

00:03:24.000 And there are some very big brands that have done it where they've taken off Sunday.

00:03:27.000 We have some brands.

00:03:28.000 Chick-fil-A, right?

00:03:28.000 Chick-fil-A, yeah.

00:03:29.000 And we have some brands ourselves that are off on some Sundays.

00:03:32.000 I actually think that we all should do what Italy does, and that is take the whole month of August off.

00:03:35.000 Should we do that?

00:03:36.000 Who's in who wants to do that?

00:03:38.000 Because I want to do makes up for the whole year.

00:03:40.000 Yeah, it makes up for the whole year.

00:03:41.000 I think we should do that.

00:03:42.000 But um, did you ever see yourself here though?

00:03:44.000 Like go back to when you were in Arlington Heights and you're like, I'm gonna be an entrepreneur, I'm gonna build uh a thriving business, which I don't think a lot of people understand.

00:03:53.000 You have a lot of different business events that you're doing.

00:03:57.000 And it's not just events, it's actually business investments and initiatives as well.

00:04:01.000 And that's what was surprising to me is like you're a true full-blown entrepreneur.

00:04:04.000 Did you ever see yourself here?

00:04:06.000 Well, not exactly.

00:04:07.000 It's been kind of a uh uh interesting journey.

00:04:11.000 But no, look, what I've always been someone who has been into building stuff, and especially whether it be brands or businesses, and one thing I think that people don't quite grasp is that we have a thousand employees in what we do.

00:04:24.000 You know, we have a very successful um for-profit entity, a very successful non-for-profit entity, you know, what well over 140 million dollars in revenue now.

00:04:34.000 Incredible.

00:04:34.000 Uh, which in our space is a lot of money, right?

00:04:37.000 And so yeah, look, I love finding problems and solving them, which is what an entrepreneur at its core actually is.

00:04:42.000 And I love building teams.

00:04:44.000 Uh I myself know my skill set, and managing is not one of them, you know, managing people day to day, but I'm really good at trying to find a vision, put forward exactly how we're gonna get there, and then being kind of that life force.

00:04:55.000 Um, and as an entrepreneur, I find this especially with founders.

00:04:59.000 Founders are rarely good day-to-day managers.

00:05:01.000 Sometimes they are, but the one thing the founder has is that spark and that relentless drive to go to the next location or to the next uh interval.

00:05:10.000 And I what I have found is that that is a rarity in a lot of times, where sometimes my team is like, Charlie, why do you keep on pushing?

00:05:16.000 It's like that's just who I am.

00:05:17.000 It's like we have to grow, we have to expand.

00:05:19.000 I'm sure, you know, same DNA.

00:05:22.000 And and understand as founders and executives and as entrepreneurs, you're you're at you're in a genetic uh rarity, literally, because most of the world just kind of wants to keep things the same, and it's our job to push them and to give them the vision and to instill them exactly what success looks like in them, what success looks like.

00:05:40.000 So I love building stuff.

00:05:41.000 I have some other fun entrepreneurial stuff we're actually going to announce later this year.

00:05:45.000 Uh so that's a little bit of a tease.

00:05:47.000 I know that you're a little bit of developer too.

00:05:48.000 You like a little bit of development?

00:05:50.000 Land, private you know, investments.

00:05:52.000 I just can't, you know, sit still.

00:05:53.000 Can't say so.

00:05:54.000 Some crypto, some all stuff.

00:05:56.000 Everybody's got crypto.

00:05:56.000 Oh, yeah.

00:05:57.000 That's trust me, I I know.

00:05:59.000 Um, but I I have no recommendations of any coins.

00:06:02.000 Uh, but no, all kidding aside, though, I I love the free market.

00:06:05.000 I love actually playing and participating in it.

00:06:08.000 And I also just love finding if there is problems that people need to be solved.

00:06:12.000 And um, that's kind of been part of my life's work.

00:06:14.000 Yeah, I feel the same.

00:06:15.000 As an entrepreneur over all these years, too, Charlie.

00:06:17.000 I've thought, you know, what is the spark?

00:06:19.000 I I've been the founder, you've been the founder of the of your organization.

00:06:21.000 And when I have invested into all these different brands now with Savory, one of the things that's interesting is when we meet with a founder and the founder's like, well, we want to do a transaction with Savory, and we want to go retire.

00:06:32.000 We're always not, we're out.

00:06:34.000 And the reason why we bow out of that is because they are the spark.

00:06:37.000 And I think that they're still so important for that culture of that business for many, many years past.

00:06:43.000 Now, when the brand is thousands of units and it's Chipotle, I don't think that people care as much about who the founder was.

00:06:48.000 But when you're in the realm that all of us are in, which is call it two to 20 or a little bit beyond, it I feel like it really is important.

00:06:55.000 That spark is interesting.

00:06:56.000 Yeah, I know it's incredibly important.

00:06:57.000 And also, you as the founder and everyone in this room that has started something or is running something, you have an obligation to be the hardest working person in that entity and to set the tone and set the pace.

00:07:07.000 Nothing collapses an organization quicker than when either the founder during growth mode.

00:07:12.000 Now, during sustained mode is different, but during growth mode, the founder is noticeably working less and putting less time in than the team.

00:07:18.000 That that is a recipe for catastrophe.

00:07:19.000 And that happens when you get a lot of outside money sometimes into a business where the founder hasn't really had to earn it and has had a ton of outside investors or private equity money.

00:07:28.000 And they're like, Oh, you know, I'll just kind of work a nine to five, but you guys have to stay till you know 8 p.m. every night that creates dissension and you know, obviously inevitable collapse.

00:07:36.000 That but it's also it's more than just the hours worked.

00:07:38.000 It's the founder has this original and initial vision of exactly where he or she wants to see this business go or this entity go.

00:07:46.000 And that's honestly what makes this country so unique.

00:07:49.000 I mean, I just visited South Korea and Japan uh this last weekend, you know, nice weekend trip.

00:07:53.000 You know, let's go.

00:07:54.000 Let's just run over there.

00:07:55.000 You know, uh, that's easy to get to.

00:07:58.000 Um, there's so many beautiful things about those countries.

00:08:00.000 They're clean, they're orderly, they're polite, but honestly, like they don't understand the word entrepreneur at all.

00:08:05.000 No, I was trying to explain it to them.

00:08:06.000 They're like, Well, what do you mean?

00:08:07.000 Like you start different businesses, yeah, like in their culture, you do a job, you do it for 30 years, you do it super well, and that is your duty.

00:08:14.000 And they do, and by the way, it's incredibly appealing in a lot of ways, but there is a dynamic diamond dynamism that's missing, right?

00:08:20.000 There's kind of this energy and this um this uniqueness that we have in this country.

00:08:25.000 And you go to you go to continental Europe right now, which is actually economically not done very well last 15 years, and we've done very well considerably.

00:08:33.000 Entrepreneurship is largely dying across continental Europe, right?

00:08:36.000 Maybe if you have like one restaurant, maybe if you have like one brand, but this idea of scaling and pushing and like the Italian tax code cannot grasp the idea of losing money to grow a business.

00:08:48.000 Like it's an income.

00:08:49.000 They're like, wait, what do you mean you're gonna lose money?

00:08:51.000 Yeah, like that you only businesses only exist exist to make money.

00:08:54.000 Like, well, no, you're gonna lose it to boost the valuation.

00:08:57.000 And to grow it.

00:08:58.000 And the point being is that um, we as entrepreneurs, everyone in this room, I think it's one of the things that makes this country so exceptional and important.

00:09:05.000 I agree because it creates new wealth, it's new risk in the marketplace, and it delivers for the consumer and the customer and the citizen, um, new ideas, better products, and it's that constant competition is always refining us towards a better version of success.

00:09:18.000 Yeah, I agree with that.

00:09:18.000 I was gonna say, I will speak for everybody in the room.

00:09:21.000 Um, I think that we would like some employees to just work for a year.

00:09:26.000 Would we like just one year straight with like every employee that works for that?

00:09:29.000 You want the Japanese bus driver.

00:09:31.000 I always been there since he was 23, wears a full suit tie with white gloves, and he's like 81, and he's been doing it.

00:09:36.000 He's like, Yes, thank you so much.

00:09:38.000 That would be so great at one of your brands.

00:09:40.000 That would be great, right?

00:09:40.000 Not the three-month turnover, like, I want to go find myself in a trailer in Alaska.

00:09:44.000 That's right.

00:09:46.000 That's right.

00:09:46.000 I've not I've never heard that one, Charlie.

00:09:51.000 We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries, and today I want to point you to their podcast.

00:09:56.000 It's called Culture and Christianity, the Alan Jackson podcast.

00:10:00.000 What makes it unique is Pastor Allen's biblical perspective.

00:10:03.000 He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today: gender confusion, abortion, immigration, doge, Trump in the White House, issues in the church.

00:10:12.000 He doesn't just discuss the problems.

00:10:14.000 In every episode, he gives practical things we can do to make a difference.

00:10:17.000 His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies.

00:10:21.000 They've been great friends.

00:10:22.000 And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

00:10:24.000 Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world today.

00:10:31.000 The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging.

00:10:34.000 You could find it on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.

00:10:38.000 Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.

00:10:40.000 Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture.

00:10:45.000 You can find out more about Pastor Allen and the ministry at Alan Jackson.com forward slash Charlie.

00:10:53.000 I think as entrepreneur, and I can I could answer this too, but I really want to get your take on this.

00:10:57.000 But what is the biggest sacrifice that you you would underestimated being an entrepreneur?

00:11:02.000 I I know mine.

00:11:02.000 This is so cliche, so I apologize, guys.

00:11:05.000 Like every one of these.

00:11:06.000 But honestly, repetition is a soul of memory.

00:11:08.000 But if you want to be a good entrepreneur, I learned this like five or six years ago.

00:11:12.000 You have to be so clear on how you spend your time, and your time really is your most valuable resource.

00:11:18.000 And that that I mean, I manage my day down to the five or six minute interval, right?

00:11:23.000 It's okay, I'll be able to do that call, and this is how long it takes to go into the car.

00:11:26.000 And that, especially when you are in growth mode, which you and I are constantly in growth mode, we know nothing but growth.

00:11:32.000 And that's the other thing as an entrepreneur that I had to learn the hard way.

00:11:35.000 Know your nature.

00:11:36.000 Yeah, know what you're really good at.

00:11:38.000 So I always ask my team, I say, does this meeting require patience?

00:11:43.000 And the answer is yes.

00:11:44.000 I'm like, I'm probably not a good person for that meeting, actually.

00:11:46.000 Like I will delegate right?

00:11:49.000 Like, unless it's absolutely necessary, if it's like a long, drawn-out like HR meeting, like I I could delegate that.

00:11:55.000 But if that if that meeting requires like quick decisive action, vision casting, problem solving, bring me in.

00:12:02.000 Yep.

00:12:02.000 So you have to know your nature.

00:12:04.000 And every entrepreneur is different, by the way.

00:12:05.000 Some people in this room might be entrepreneurs that are gifted with patience.

00:12:08.000 I'm not one of those.

00:12:09.000 Yeah, not at all.

00:12:09.000 Um right, exactly.

00:12:10.000 I'm kind of like, oh, yeah, what's next?

00:12:11.000 Like I get to the point.

00:12:13.000 And so I know my demerits and I know my faults, and knowing your nature is incredibly important.

00:12:19.000 And that goes with time as well, which is I find that if I'm enjoying something, I will spend like endless amounts of time and my day will be completely derailed.

00:12:26.000 So I have to try to put on very strict limits.

00:12:28.000 Um, and then as an entrepreneur, you have to obviously have very strong spiritual health, whatever that is in your life, very strong, obviously, mental health, connection and relational health, and then physical health.

00:12:38.000 I think I see far too many entrepreneurs.

00:12:40.000 I could list five in my life that I know that just completely forsake the physical health when they're in growth mode, right?

00:12:46.000 They're eating terribly, they're not sleeping, they're not exercising.

00:12:51.000 Yeah, they'll get to it later.

00:12:52.000 And when you're young, that's correct.

00:12:54.000 But I actually would make an argument, not only is it bad for you, obviously, health-wise, but like it actually makes you harder to run that business and to grow that business.

00:13:01.000 I think that people that are properly prioritizing sleep and properly prioritizing diet, um, are actually better founders and better entrepreneurs.

00:13:09.000 And so, but anyway, going back, time management.

00:13:11.000 Um, I find what separates the good from the great entrepreneur is someone that is able to meticulously be able to manage their time.

00:13:18.000 You know, I was able to spend spend a lot of time with Elon Musk, you know, a year ago, and regardless of your opinions of him, he's a phenomenal entrepreneur, right?

00:13:24.000 Unbelievable founder.

00:13:25.000 Yeah, like undoubtedly inarguably, right?

00:13:27.000 And he's so clear on his time management that he actually handles it himself.

00:13:32.000 I I couldn't do that.

00:13:33.000 But like he can't even handle the bureaucracy of having like an executive assistant at times.

00:13:38.000 He's like, nope, I know exactly how much time I must spend on a certain thing, and I will be kind of the guardian of that.

00:13:43.000 And you think about it, like time is the equally distributed resource that we have to always be uh guardians of.

00:13:49.000 I gotta be honest, I don't know how he does that.

00:13:50.000 Because I could not live without I couldn't either.

00:13:52.000 So my mind goes in 50 different directions.

00:13:55.000 Just go here, go there, do this.

00:13:57.000 It's just you know, I couldn't possibly do that.

00:13:59.000 So being an entrepreneur, what is the biggest reward so far for you?

00:14:02.000 Just what have you enjoyed the most?

00:14:04.000 It's it's look, we've been incredibly successful financially, and I'm super blessed by that.

00:14:08.000 Our podcast is doing really well, our radio show, our social media.

00:14:11.000 It's not the money.

00:14:12.000 Um, honestly, it's the journey.

00:14:14.000 I know that sounds like so cliche.

00:14:15.000 Like, put that on a bumper sticker, but it's the memories that we've created, kind of the can you believe how far we've come?

00:14:20.000 Yeah.

00:14:21.000 The also, I I was I did a lot of thinking about this last year.

00:14:24.000 Like, what is it that really drives me?

00:14:25.000 I love solving complex problems and doing the things that people say they can't actually be solved.

00:14:30.000 Yeah, I'm sure you're very similar in that way, which is like, okay, people say that you can't have this kind of a restaurant or you can't have this kind of thing.

00:14:36.000 Like, well, maybe you can.

00:14:37.000 Is there a better?

00:14:38.000 And that is what an entrepreneur at its core is a problem solver against the tide.

00:14:42.000 That's what it is.

00:14:43.000 Yeah, it is.

00:14:44.000 Because again, if if it was simple, there would be no reason for entrepreneurs.

00:14:48.000 Entrepreneurs are people that you know quit companies while they might be ascending, or they're putting out a second mortgage on their home, or they're diving into savings or liquidating their 401k.

00:14:56.000 And I think there's really something admirable about that kind of ambition.

00:15:00.000 Yeah, uh, it makes the world a better place.

00:15:01.000 And so the greatest reward I'd have to say is just seeing the journey and seeing obviously some of the lives impacted along the way.

00:15:08.000 Yeah, I agree with that.

00:15:09.000 And I will say this.

00:15:10.000 I've I've been fortunate enough too, um, Charlie, as a as an entrepreneur to go through some cycles where I've built a business, sold it, built a business, sold it.

00:15:17.000 And people have always asked me before, like, what's been the best part?

00:15:19.000 And I've said, honestly, it is a journey.

00:15:21.000 So I had the bumper sticker way before you, just so you know.

00:15:24.000 And um, in my mind, I thought, you know, I was always excited growing up in Chicago.

00:15:29.000 I always had like this poster in my room, and it was a picture of a Ferrari.

00:15:32.000 And I just remember, man, one of these days, Charlie, I'm gonna make enough to buy a Ferrari.

00:15:37.000 And I remember when I bought my first Ferrari having an exit, and I think a lot of people here that do know me a little bit know that I'm a car guy.

00:15:43.000 And I remember getting in, I'm like, this is so cool, right?

00:15:46.000 First day I've made it.

00:15:47.000 And the second day was like, that's pretty cool.

00:15:49.000 And then like two weeks later, I'm like, totally cool.

00:15:52.000 A month later, Charlie, I was like, it's a car.

00:15:55.000 And it was so wild to me how anticlimactic and fast that was.

00:15:59.000 And so when you say journey, I have a good friend, and I think many of you have met her today, but she just went through a business sale as well.

00:16:05.000 And she's like, Man, I'm reminiscing the last 25 years of busy building my business.

00:16:09.000 And I feel like I appreciate more the journey of having gotten here than actually had gotten here to where I sold.

00:16:14.000 Right?

00:16:15.000 And and you need to enjoy every day then.

00:16:16.000 Therefore, because the reward is actually the process, it's the process of solving problems.

00:16:21.000 And there's a reason why you're on your third fund, Andrew, because after your second or for first second one, like, okay, fine, you could go retire.

00:16:28.000 Like, okay, that's not what life's about.

00:16:29.000 It's about value creation, it's about pouring into people, it's about making people's lives better.

00:16:33.000 And I think that's always lost because the outside world that is anti-entrepreneur or at least value neutral on entrepreneur, they're like, oh, it's all about the money.

00:16:41.000 I mean, look, yeah, that's that's a way to kind of token.

00:16:44.000 It's a way to tokenize and measure your success, obviously.

00:16:47.000 No one here should be against it, but we would all say that it's about the team too.

00:16:51.000 I mean, I look at my team, I'm like, I'll go to war with these guys.

00:16:54.000 I'm sure you feel the same, right?

00:16:55.000 Like, put me up against any other competitor, and we will crush you because we've been through so much together.

00:17:00.000 That's right.

00:17:01.000 You galvanize as a team.

00:17:02.000 Yes, exactly.

00:17:03.000 And the the memories that are created and the connectivity, yeah, right.

00:17:07.000 That's what life is really about.

00:17:08.000 At its core, it's about relationships.

00:17:11.000 And uh that's what as an entrepreneur, it's like you don't want to be a lonely entrepreneur.

00:17:15.000 I learned that.

00:17:15.000 You don't you don't want to be around you?

00:17:17.000 In fact, if you are a lonely entrepreneur, it's like probably won't work very well, honestly, unless you're an incredible whiz kid engineer that has a gizmo better than anybody else.

00:17:25.000 But you guys largely in the restaurant space are in the relationship business.

00:17:29.000 That is we are in that tight margins, it's knowing customers' names, it's knowing your employees.

00:17:34.000 Hey, you have a tough day, bad day, you're going through divorce, and someone just break up with you.

00:17:37.000 Like, that's what it's all about, right?

00:17:39.000 And um, it's not just about, you know, maximizing the bottom line, which of course is part of it, but it's I think I bet everyone in this room would agree that what is the most precious thing you have?

00:17:48.000 It's the team, it's the human beings that actually make it happen.

00:17:50.000 100%.

00:17:51.000 So moving forward to building a lasting brand.

00:17:54.000 Yeah.

00:17:54.000 Okay.

00:17:54.000 So all of us are trying to build brand.

00:17:56.000 We're trying to tell stories.

00:17:58.000 We're trying to get you and your family, Charlie, to come to our restaurants.

00:18:01.000 been successful so far.

00:18:02.000 Okay, good, good, good.

00:18:03.000 But we want you to keep coming back.

00:18:04.000 And so, how do you build a lasting brand?

00:18:06.000 What are the table stakes for building a lasting brand in your mind?

00:18:10.000 So I'm trying to think of how to apply it towards restaurants.

00:18:13.000 So I'll just probably draw and you guys.

00:18:15.000 I mean, look, first of all, don't overcomplicate it.

00:18:18.000 Don't do cracker barrel.

00:18:19.000 That would be my first piece of advice.

00:18:21.000 So if you have a brand that everyone likes, yeah, don't change it.

00:18:23.000 Right?

00:18:24.000 So like please don't change hash kitchen.

00:18:25.000 Yeah, we're not gonna change it.

00:18:26.000 It works too well.

00:18:27.000 Yeah, yeah.

00:18:27.000 Um, so don't do that.

00:18:28.000 But honestly, when it comes to a brand, it has to be something, and I go I'm constantly trying to build brands.

00:18:34.000 It has to have a missional statement as to why or what you are doing, especially when you're trying to have employees, that it's not gonna just be enough as a job.

00:18:41.000 They want to feel as if they're part of something and they're building something.

00:18:43.000 That's something that's really changed the last 30 or 40 years, especially when you're adding kind of younger employees.

00:18:48.000 Um, but look, the cliche stuff, you know, building on social media, building on digital media, all that stuff matters.

00:18:54.000 But even beyond that, like building a brand that will last and that will be durable.

00:18:59.000 Um, it needs to be connected towards the founder's energy and vision.

00:19:04.000 And sometimes, honestly, if you're at like a couple dozen locations, it's okay if the founder is associated with that brand.

00:19:10.000 If I think about the local restaurants that are not scaled, I know the owner of those restaurants.

00:19:16.000 Yes, you do.

00:19:17.000 And I know I go to them because I'm treated well, and I know that he's in the kitchen constantly hawking the quality.

00:19:24.000 And it's definitionally like not just corporatized.

00:19:28.000 Yeah.

00:19:28.000 And so when you're trying to build a brand, it one of the hardest things for an entrepreneur, and we have not done this successfully yet, is separating the brand from the founder.

00:19:36.000 It's very, very hard.

00:19:37.000 I'm not convinced you have to do that though.

00:19:39.000 No, I don't think so.

00:19:40.000 Right?

00:19:40.000 I mean, I maybe again, like you get to a Chipotle to your point, or you get to an in and out burger.

00:19:45.000 Like, okay, eventually, but honestly, I would argue it kind of happens naturally at that point.

00:19:50.000 Right?

00:19:50.000 Yeah, it does.

00:19:51.000 It but I wouldn't, I don't think like the kind of doctrinaire corporate approach is well, you know, I'm a private equity investor and we're investing in this restaurant, and we need to make sure it's not too reliant on the founder.

00:20:02.000 I get that, but honestly, I don't think that's necessary.

00:20:04.000 I don't either.

00:20:05.000 In fact, I think it actually might be unhealthy if that entrepreneur is the is the face on social media is the one that could best describe it, that can best sell it to investors and to bankers and to future customers for sure, right?

00:20:17.000 Um, and so I comes to a point.

00:20:20.000 I I think that there is an inescapable bond between the entrepreneur and the brand that I think that far too often the experts in the corporate world want to try to separate.

00:20:29.000 And I actually don't think that should happen as much.

00:20:32.000 I agree.

00:20:34.000 This is Lane Schoenberger, chief investment officer and founding partner of Y ReFi.

00:20:39.000 It has been an honor and a privilege to partner with Turning Point and for Charlie to endorse us.

00:20:44.000 His endorsement means the world to us, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Turning Point for years to come.

00:20:50.000 Now, hear Charlie in his own words tell you about why refi.

00:20:54.000 I'm gonna tell you guys about why refi.com.

00:20:56.000 That is Y R E F Y.com.

00:20:58.000 Why ReFi is incredible.

00:20:59.000 Private student loan debt in America totals about 300 billion dollars.

00:21:02.000 Why ReFi is refinancing distress or defaulted private student loans?

00:21:07.000 You can finally take control of your student loan situation with a plan that works for your monthly budget.

00:21:11.000 Go to why refi.com, that is why refi.com.

00:21:14.000 Do you have a co-borrower?

00:21:15.000 Why Reify can get them released from the loan?

00:21:17.000 You're gonna skip a payment up to 12 times without penalty.

00:21:20.000 It may not be available in all 50 states.

00:21:22.000 Go to why refi.com.

00:21:23.000 That is Y R E F Y dot com. 0.98

00:21:26.000 Let's face it, if you have distress or default to student loans, it can be overwhelming.

00:21:30.000 Uh because of private student loan debt, so many people feel stuck, go to why refi.com.

00:21:35.000 That is Y R E F Y dot com. 0.98

00:21:38.000 Private student loan debt relief, why refi.com.

00:21:43.000 So in building a brand then too, let's let's go a little further with that.

00:21:46.000 And that is in our industry, we we love having someone like ovation, and they're here with one of our tech partners, and we get feedback immediately.

00:21:53.000 So you go into a hash kitchen or into any of our counterparts here at the restaurants, and you leave and you're like, ah, this wasn't really good, and you hit ah, it wasn't a good experience. 0.61

00:22:00.000 Or you get people to throw comments on Yelp, or you get people to go out and start talking negatively about you in the in the industry.

00:22:07.000 It's hard for us because we're trying to build a brand, Charlie.

00:22:10.000 And so, how have you, because I'm sure that you've received some of this in your business as well.

00:22:15.000 No, no, none of us do.

00:22:17.000 We're all here perfect.

00:22:18.000 We have no haters, no criticism, but nothing but supporters.

00:22:21.000 How do you how do we all learn from taking opposition and criticism?

00:22:24.000 Actually, I have a quick question for you.

00:22:26.000 How seriously do you guys take Yelp and all that?

00:22:28.000 As a customer, you never know, because I write these these screeds against some of these restaurants, not Sicilian butcher.

00:22:34.000 Um, like how seriously do you guys take that in the world?

00:22:37.000 I think that it is a um a lagging indicator of how we're doing, not leading.

00:22:42.000 I I do think it's something that we look at because we have to.

00:22:44.000 There's not a lot of different ways to know how you're doing.

00:22:47.000 I feel like all of us, and maybe I can't see a lot of you guys, by the way, just like the first two rows, but how how many of you guys in here rely on Google more than Yelp?

00:22:55.000 You see the hands.

00:22:56.000 So Google probably more.

00:22:58.000 I think Yelp, I think we all think that it's actually a hidden mafia somewhere, and that they just want the negative.

00:23:02.000 And so I think I also think there's some fake stuff on Yelp.

00:23:05.000 High wrong.

00:23:06.000 I think you would all agree with that too that there's something.

00:23:07.000 Do you think your competitors are planting bad comments?

00:23:09.000 I think that's what we've wondered, right?

00:23:11.000 I think there's I I I want to get to the bottom of it.

00:23:13.000 Yeah, we want to get to the bottom.

00:23:14.000 Once you get to the bottom of it, let us all know we want to know.

00:23:16.000 But either way, it's not boards and curious books.

00:23:18.000 Yeah, yeah, no, it's important for us.

00:23:19.000 And so you're you're right.

00:23:20.000 Like you get as founders as savory and our team, we look at you know, people having bad experience after bad experience.

00:23:26.000 It's good to see that and go, we need to address this, this, and this within the business.

00:23:31.000 But how do you take it and then just as a team to not let it melt you down and turn that opposition or criticism into a street?

00:23:36.000 Yeah, look, first of all, all feedback is an opportunity to get better, right?

00:23:39.000 And the at least in my business and what I do, anytime someone has negative feedback, I personally see it through to make sure that it's addressed, and I do it like aggressively.

00:23:48.000 I do it really fast, and I do it involving the parties and the actors that were responsible.

00:23:54.000 So it's a learning lesson, so it never happens again, right?

00:23:57.000 So we run these big events, 20,000 people show up.

00:23:59.000 It's the biggest events uh we've won in Phoenix.

00:24:02.000 Um, and if someone has a bad experience, I go straight to the events director.

00:24:05.000 I say, what is the reason of this?

00:24:07.000 Like, why did it happen?

00:24:08.000 You're gonna refund the money, and we're gonna make sure it never happens again.

00:24:12.000 So it then becomes a standard operating procedure improvement, not just like, hey, can you make sure this is handled?

00:24:17.000 And sometimes it turns out that person is wacky and they are finding something wrong.

00:24:22.000 You've all experienced this as restaurant owners and operators.

00:24:24.000 Somebody's just looking for something wrong and the pancakes were perfect and they're still looking for something, right?

00:24:29.000 And but they weren't perfect enough.

00:24:31.000 But you can tell, this is what's really important.

00:24:33.000 You guys have a good antenna as founders, a legitimate piece of feedback and an illegitimate piece of feedback, right?

00:24:38.000 And that when that legitimate piece of feedback comes through, you need to personally usher that through the process because it's easy to just delegate and be like, ah, you know, that's just an outlier.

00:24:47.000 But think about it.

00:24:48.000 If one out of a hundred people are not gonna return and you scale that over a course of five years, guys, that's your margins, right?

00:24:55.000 Yeah, especially in the restaurant business, right?

00:24:57.000 Restaurant business is built on recurring customers over periods of time.

00:25:00.000 It's very much on the returning customers.

00:25:04.000 So for us, it's not dissimilar, right?

00:25:06.000 We run these events.

00:25:07.000 If 20,000 became 17,000, that's a big that's a big deal.

00:25:11.000 That's a big deal, right?

00:25:12.000 That's kind of eats away at the margins and the core of what we do.

00:25:14.000 So, as far as um like sustaining the brand, though, uh, you want to try to be ahead of it, right?

00:25:20.000 And this is where I think founders and entrepreneurs should never be disconnected from the lived experience of what you are trying to actually present forward.

00:25:28.000 And so that means you guys should continually make sure you are eating the food that you are serving to make sure that it's still good.

00:25:34.000 It's the greatest way to do it.

00:25:36.000 I'm sure you teach your entrepreneurs and your managers all the time.

00:25:38.000 And I eat at all my restaurants to make sure.

00:25:40.000 What how do I apply this to my life or to us?

00:25:42.000 I I make our event managers go as attendees to our own events for a couple hours, go sit in the chair.

00:25:49.000 Is the audio good?

00:25:50.000 Is the acoustics good?

00:25:51.000 Are they getting into the room quickly?

00:25:52.000 Is it too hot?

00:25:53.000 You know, like you have to you have to go through that kind of lived experience. 0.92

00:25:57.000 And we do surveys, we do feedback, but all that I think is a bunch of rubbish, honestly.

00:26:01.000 Nothing gets close to the actual like tangible living through sitting in the booth at the restaurant.

00:26:08.000 I um and then yeah, I'll just repeat what I said.

00:26:11.000 It is very tempting.

00:26:12.000 And I go through this all the time.

00:26:14.000 As a founder as an entrepreneur, when I receive negative feedback to do two things to either take it personally or to dismiss it.

00:26:21.000 It takes took time for me to be like, look, great opportunity to be better.

00:26:25.000 That's not natural because you get defensive.

00:26:28.000 Like, what do you mean you didn't like the bloody Mary, right?

00:26:30.000 You know, but okay, let me think about this.

00:26:32.000 Is there a way we do it?

00:26:33.000 And then you can use prudence to be able to navigate.

00:26:35.000 Yeah, that's actually a very powerful one.

00:26:36.000 That is you got to go through some probably some exercises to get there.

00:26:39.000 But it takes time, it takes mentorship.

00:26:42.000 And that's again going from good to great.

00:26:44.000 Yeah, it is good to great, you look at feedback as an opportunity to upgrade and to turbocharge, not just to either get bitter or to dismiss and act as if nothing is wrong.

00:26:53.000 That's right.

00:26:53.000 Even though the statement, I gotta be honest, feedback is a gift.

00:26:56.000 I know it is, but when someone says that to me, I want to wanna punch them out.

00:27:00.000 Yeah, But not all feedback is you have to use prudence and wisdom to know, like, okay, this is just a person that literally complains for a living, right?

00:27:06.000 They want a free meal, they want a free airline ticket.

00:27:09.000 But there's also you could tell somebody that writes like a very thoughtful letter, you know, I was ignored a couple of times, this and that.

00:27:15.000 Like, okay, you know, this is something that we we need to take care of for sure.

00:27:18.000 So, last few questions here.

00:27:20.000 Um, appreciate the time.

00:27:21.000 Lessons from leading employees.

00:27:23.000 I mean, you have over a thousand Gen Zs.

00:27:26.000 We we employ a lot of Gen Z's.

00:27:28.000 I could teach a master class on that.

00:27:30.000 Okay, well, tell us a two-minute master class on just teaching and leading those uh if in the ideal world you have a clear set of articulated values for your company that is no more than one page, maybe two pages.

00:27:44.000 And in the onboarding process of onboarding a Gen Zer, you not just recite it, you get buy-in as to what those values are. 0.74

00:27:51.000 We show up on time around here.

00:27:53.000 We tell the truth.

00:27:54.000 We don't blame people for our problems, right?

00:27:57.000 We always try to find a way to make things better, right?

00:28:00.000 You you do not bring your personal life into the workplace, right?

00:28:02.000 Ba ba bah ba bah.

00:28:04.000 While you are onboarding them, you don't just do it, you say, Hey, do you have any problem with this?

00:28:09.000 Tell me your feedback.

00:28:11.000 You involve them in that value process.

00:28:13.000 You get them to co-sign it, not just in some procedural way, but to have them have real buy-in.

00:28:18.000 Why does that matter?

00:28:19.000 You have now established a standard of conduct that when they break it, like, hey guys, remember in that onboarding three months ago, you said you're not gonna bring your personal life into business.

00:28:28.000 Well, you just did that.

00:28:29.000 So let's talk about why you did that.

00:28:31.000 You need to live up to the standard.

00:28:33.000 This is probably always been true in corporate life.

00:28:35.000 It is so enormously important for Gen Z because they have a tendency to try to make that there's no like work-life separation.

00:28:45.000 And it they also will cry injustice sometimes for something that you think is a normal operating corporate business practice that they need to be reminded to in clear detail.

00:28:56.000 So you can have like the 10 commandments of savory brands or whatever it is, right?

00:29:01.000 And that process, then there's no wiggle room or excuse.

00:29:04.000 And what it is, it needs to be publicly displayed, right?

00:29:06.000 It needs to be everywhere when you come into work, when you come out of work.

00:29:09.000 So there's no mystery.

00:29:11.000 And again, it can't be a hundred, it shouldn't be 50.

00:29:13.000 Honestly, you could capture a lot in 10, like tell the truth, don't complain.

00:29:16.000 Yeah, blah, blah, blah.

00:29:17.000 And again, if there's a problem, be like, I don't think you're a good fit here anymore because you're not living up to the standard that you already agreed to.

00:29:22.000 Yeah, that's great.

00:29:23.000 Right.

00:29:23.000 And then you see you you have to live by it.

00:29:25.000 And here is the key.

00:29:27.000 Your managers and your leaders must also live by those rules.

00:29:31.000 You will have a schism in your organization if the managers are living by a separate code.

00:29:36.000 Now, they can have different privileges, but they cannot have different principles.

00:29:41.000 I actually agree with that, right?

00:29:42.000 Privileges being is okay, they can come a little later, they can have a company car, but they can't lie.

00:29:47.000 No, right?

00:29:48.000 They can't do one thing with and like so privileges and principles are due for two different things.

00:29:52.000 So for us, it's where it's worked very, very well.

00:29:57.000 We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries.

00:30:00.000 And today I want to point you to their podcast.

00:30:02.000 It's called Culture and Christianity, the Alan Jackson podcast.

00:30:06.000 What makes it unique is Pastor Allen's biblical perspective.

00:30:10.000 He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today: gender confusion, abortion, immigration, doge, Trump in the White House, issues in the church.

00:30:18.000 He doesn't just discuss the problems.

00:30:20.000 In every episode, he gives practical things we can do to make a difference.

00:30:24.000 His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies.

00:30:28.000 They've been great friends.

00:30:29.000 And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

00:30:31.000 Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world today.

00:30:37.000 The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging.

00:30:41.000 You could find it on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.

00:30:44.000 Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.

00:30:46.000 Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture.

00:30:51.000 You can find out more about Pastor Allen and the ministry at Alan Jackson.com forward slash Charlie.

00:30:59.000 I'm gonna shift because we're out of time, but I want to hear from you.

00:31:02.000 You're obviously in some rooms that none of us are in, but we are all, I think all of us are going into a budgeting season.

00:31:07.000 So we're talking about 2026.

00:31:09.000 And you know, in 2024, Charlie, we we sat down and with all of our different brands and management.

00:31:14.000 We said, we think this is gonna happen in 2025, and this is gonna happen.

00:31:17.000 A lot of it didn't happen, right?

00:31:19.000 Like this year has been a little bit more uh tumultuous than I think a lot of us have experienced in the past, and also that we probably plan for.

00:31:25.000 Give us some guidance as to what you're hearing and thinking about the economy itself going into 26 And how should we budget our career or budget our businesses so that we're we're safe in our career?

00:31:35.000 Please, anything I say here, guys, take with an enormous grain of salt.

00:31:37.000 Please have it be one data point and a factor of many.

00:31:40.000 Last thing I want to tell is the economy is great.

00:31:42.000 You guys open five new locations and you know they close and I have a you know Yeah, yeah.

00:31:47.000 We're gonna send you some Yelps. 1.00

00:31:48.000 Well, I think you guys will do more than that.

00:31:50.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:31:51.000 Um But look, I happen to be very long term bullish on the American economy uh for many reasons, not just psychologically.

00:31:58.000 Uh just as a side note, I think in reminding your workers that their tax are not tipped up to a certain amount and their overtime is not tipped now, I think is a very interesting potential morale boost that you can tell to your workers.

00:32:09.000 Um let me tell you why I'm bullish.

00:32:11.000 I'm bullish because after traveling the world, both to Europe and Asia, they are all looking to America and they are telling me as a traveler the American economy is the best.

00:32:19.000 We want to put money into America, we wanna buy American securities, we want to buy American real estate.

00:32:24.000 That's amongst the ruling class and the investor class of these other countries.

00:32:28.000 Secondly, I think that there is a massive pent up economic boom that's waiting to happen around artificial intelligence that is gonna reverberate positively throughout the entire economy.

00:32:38.000 I think it will make your businesses more efficient.

00:32:40.000 I think you'll be able to better analyze data.

00:32:42.000 I don't think, honestly, if we're doing this five years from now, I think we'll left like we used to look at Yelp.

00:32:46.000 AI is now better able to synthesize, you know, a hundred different receipt transactions in an hour, and we could tell whether or not they had a good experience or bad experience.

00:32:53.000 Like, I think the way that we analyze data and it guides your businesses is gonna completely change and it will make you more profitable.

00:32:59.000 It'll make your businesses better and more attractive.

00:33:01.000 And so if I were to give you a piece of advice you should take, embrace AI wholeheartedly in every way you possibly can, because if not, you will you it's the same people that didn't embrace the steam engine, okay?

00:33:11.000 You will be or the oh, what's that internet thing?

00:33:13.000 You know, I don't need that.

00:33:14.000 I'm just running a, you know, a restaurant.

00:33:16.000 So I highly encourage that.

00:33:18.000 I think rates are going to go down.

00:33:20.000 I was talking to a major, major multi-trillion dollar fund uh manager the other day, and he says their data shows the American economy is a lot better than even the Fed thinks it is.

00:33:29.000 So I I happen to be very optimistic person.

00:33:32.000 Um I think that there is probably going to be a market correction at some point.

00:33:36.000 I think that publicly traded securities are vastly overvalued, largely because money doesn't know where to go right now.

00:33:42.000 So it just keeps on going into these high, um insane multiply, you know, the same six companies and NVIDIA, Google, Microsoft that just keep on there.

00:33:50.000 But the actual like brass tax, consumer sentiment is actually okay.

00:33:54.000 Consumer spending is remaining strong.

00:33:57.000 If there were some pitfalls of where the economy is, housing remains to be a big problem.

00:34:01.000 However, shelter inflation hasn't gone up too much since January.

00:34:05.000 But the last thing I'll say is this is the more I spend in the economy, both as an analyst and actually as a participant, the more I realize that so much of this is psychological, that if people believe things will be better, they will be better.

00:34:16.000 You guys are the top, like the biggest one-to-one correlation of that statement that I could imagine.

00:34:22.000 I agree with that.

00:34:22.000 Either people eat out because they think things are good or they do not think they things are good, right?

00:34:26.000 And so I would say that the more that we can cheerlead the economy, the better.

00:34:31.000 And the more that we can say that it's good, the more that it will be good.

00:34:34.000 I would much rather be the United States than continental Europe right now.

00:34:38.000 I would much rather be the United States than a lot of these other countries.

00:34:41.000 I think there might be some one or two minor corrections, but we have every possible asset.

00:34:45.000 I think that we're gonna see better energy prices.

00:34:47.000 I think we're gonna see uh more capital deployment.

00:34:49.000 Also, guys, if you're gonna go to more, um, if you guys are gonna be building more, you know, whatever it is, convection office, whatever it is, there's a hundred percent depreciation coming back in the tax code here, which is huge, and heavy machinery discounts.

00:35:00.000 I don't know how that applies to your businesses, but it does.

00:35:02.000 I imagine it's pretty good, right?

00:35:04.000 And so eventually you're gonna see this thing pop where there are so many incentives based on this latest tax bill that I think will be enormously positive.

00:35:13.000 And if, if the no tax on tips and no tax in overtime actually does end up materializing into demand-driven parts of the economy, there'll be more people that have more money in their pockets that will spend it more in restaurants, right?

00:35:24.000 So again, don't take this to the bank, but generally, I am investing like a bull.

00:35:28.000 I, especially a long-term bull, a five, 10-year long-term optimist.

00:35:33.000 Um, I think that we have such incredible assets.

00:35:36.000 And the last thing is like I talk to entrepreneurs, they still are in growth mode, they're in problem solving mode.

00:35:41.000 And I think as long as we keep that kind of mindset and that psychology, um, I think we're gonna be at a very, very good place.

00:35:47.000 Yeah, I appreciate that.

00:35:48.000 Um last question.

00:35:50.000 What is a quote that you live by?

00:35:53.000 Boy, a quote that I live by.

00:35:55.000 Um, I'm a big, I'm I'm a Christian.

00:35:57.000 I wear it on my sleeve, so quotes would always probably always be Bible verses.

00:36:01.000 This is a I'll give you two.

00:36:03.000 One is actually not in the Bible.

00:36:04.000 It's more mythological.

00:36:06.000 And one is actually in the Bible.

00:36:07.000 The first is not in the Bible.

00:36:08.000 It's this too shall pass, which was actually people think it's in the Bible.

00:36:12.000 It's not.

00:36:13.000 But it's King Solomon's phrase, which is really amazing when you think about it, because it's good no matter what season of life that you're in.

00:36:19.000 If you're going through the worst of times, this too shall pass.

00:36:22.000 And things are going to get better.

00:36:23.000 If you're going through the best of times though, it's really humbling.

00:36:26.000 Like this two shall pass and this will fade away because this will not last forever.

00:36:29.000 So I love yeah exactly.

00:36:31.000 So it's a it's a time transcendent truth that applies towards all uh periods as an entrepreneur.

00:36:38.000 It humbles you when you need it and builds you up when you need it gives you hope when you need it and also gives you a little bit of a dose of uh a gut check.

00:36:44.000 Um one of my favorite verses though is uh Romans 828 which it says that God uh works all things for good for those who love him uh it's a very freeing and liberating verse uh for those of us that are Christians because we believe that when things can be really bad God is working it for his good his perfect and pleasing will which is a very very hard teaching when you come across business closures or staff layoffs but it's very liberating that God is working all things towards an ultimate good so I love that and it kind of is very freeing that I don't have to be in charge of everything.

00:37:12.000 And there is a God and I'm not him and I surrender to his will.

00:37:15.000 I appreciate that my uh my quote I'm gonna share it with you is that okay? 0.95

00:37:18.000 Yes please um is from Epictetus and it's if you want to improve be content to be thought foolish and stupid the original stoic yeah he was a former slave that became a stoic yeah and I love it just because as entrepreneurs and all of us here building businesses we are pretty foolish.

00:37:34.000 It's very very hard but you have to be content in the fact that we've signed up for this that we are showing up every day to battle through it.

00:37:42.000 And so I'll all I'd like to leave everybody here with is stay the course um be smart stay positive I like that you have a positive outlook on the economy.

00:37:51.000 I do too we're investing like crazy right now into the market don't do it because I told you just no no no we were doing it before but this year and and even next year.

00:38:00.000 But I appreciate you sharing some of your wisdom and and you're obviously in circles that we're not and so thank you for sharing some of the things that you're seeing and you're hearing and thank you for sharing your entrepreneurial journey I think that all of us learn from each other even if we have differences um by elevating each other.

The Charlie Kirk Show - October 12, 2025

Charlie's Last Interview

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript