Episode 1 - In Motion
Where are you currently taking most of your inspiration from both creatively and in business?
Sam:Okay. And is this like a specific person that I'd be, like, watching on Instagram, how they do their creative, their editing style?
Kyle:It definitely could be.
Sam:Okay.
Kyle:I I mean, if you were asking me, like, I have a creator I'm thinking of for as of right now. Maybe two.
Sam:I mean, I still love the Alex Garcia stuff, if I'm being honest.
Kyle:Sweat Equity? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's like the whole
Sam:That is the setup. That is the podcast, but it's it's I think it's obvious in kind of some of the stuff we do that he is an inspiration
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:For sure. And I just put out a piece of content, like, two days ago that we recorded eight months ago, and it was very much, like, the cutout talking with the mic, Alex Garcia. Green screen. Green screen. Yeah.
Sam:And it's obvious that I think we've taken or at least I've taken inspiration from him for a while. I know that you have too.
Kyle:Yeah. I think the biggest lesson we've learned, at least especially for me, since those eight months ago, like, making that is, like, the difference from inspiration, but then just, like, blindly copying.
Sam:Mhmm.
Kyle:And I think that's been a big transition we've made in the last half year or so of, like, taking taking influence and inspiration from something, but not just trying to be that. Mhmm. And having to come to the realization that, like, we're not sweat equity. Although, like, some of the fundamentals here definitely, like, lean that way. Mhmm.
Kyle:Just trying to understand, like, that isn't authentically us, and we can like it, and we can take inspo from it, but having to remain true to who we are and what we do. And I think that's been the biggest change. One of the biggest changes in our headspace, I think, moving into 2026, which has been cool. And I I was thinking Alex Garcia. I mean, I think
Sam:I just like how he presents it's a package. I think sometimes creators or not necessarily even creators, just like marketing agency type people. I think that their content they make can look so there's no theme. It looks so spread out. Like, they're each post has a different kind of color to it, different lighting, different vibe to it.
Sam:There's no world building. There's no world building. I think he does a really good job of, like, when you click on his post or any any post on his page, you know, like, this is an Alex Garcia post.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:The colors, the font, the type of content he's making. Yeah. It all just screams like this is him.
Kyle:His style.
Sam:So I think like it's a really good he just packages what he does really well. Mhmm. And that's what I I kind of take inspiration from. Mhmm. Not there yet.
Sam:Like, if you look at my personal Instagram page, it's like craziness. There's all different types of posts. There's no color schemes. There's no nothing. But I think something that I'm inspired by or moving towards is, like, how do I make Sam Sam Coates look like its own?
Sam:Mhmm. Or Drifters Media for that.
Kyle:Have a brand.
Sam:How do we make Drifters Media look like you click on it and you know that's Drifters.
Kyle:Yeah. And that that's it. It takes much. Like, it's such a cohesive oh oh oh, brand has to be a really cohesive unit, and that's what Alex does really well. And, like, when you look at Drifters Media in the past and, like, the retro and the western and, like, we we were it was cool, but, like, was it all over the place?
Kyle:Like, yeah, that's an understatement for sure. So, yeah, I was wondering about just a creator, and then I didn't know if you were consuming any content styles or formats particularly, like, going back to, like, the YETI or the sickness stuff that was, like, so big when we were coming up.
Sam:I mean, obviously, the things that I thought were the coolest back in the day, I still really think are cool. Like, YETI, the YETI shorts, YETI presents, I think those are awesome how those are shot, but we don't really do that much. Like, we don't really make the long form content like that Anymore. As often. Mhmm.
Sam:We can. We just don't as often. But what I've kind of been doing is and I talked about this in a post that I made is like my algorithm has been showing me all this new niched, like micro not influencers, but micro creators content just because I'm making that similar content myself. And so I've been taking inspiration just from, like, dudes with 10,000 followers or 4,000 followers or not some big name creators.
Kyle:With necessarily all the resources.
Sam:With all the resources. It's Yeah. Guys who, like, don't have the resources and have to find a way to make something stand out and make it creative. Yeah. So some of the creative that we've been doing on the real estate side of things, I've been inspired by this guy based out of Scottsdale, and he does some real estate videography stuff.
Sam:But he he's the one that really makes it cinematic. He does, like, some of the AI, you know, night to day transitions and stuff, and that's that's the stuff that I'm kind of trying to get to. Lean toward. Yeah. Yeah.
Sam:And so that's that's I'm taking I'm taking inspiration from micro influence or micro creators instead of, you know, these guys that have millions of followers.
Kyle:Or the brands. Or brands. Because I mean, really, that's what's cool about the Internet right now is, like, those brands are, like, they're almost unrelatable anymore because they have all the resources. And Mhmm. A lot of the best creators are creating with no resources.
Kyle:You know? So I do think that's what's really cool about the Internet space right now with creative is it's just it's so empowering to
Sam:Well and you don't get the behind the scenes that you would from those smaller creators. Like a big brand is only gonna show you the finished product.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:And you're not gonna see how it was made. And what I'm finding is a lot of guys are showing you like, here's how I got this
Kyle:Delivering value. Right.
Sam:Yeah. And so it takes a shot that is really, really cool and almost seems unattainable. And then you see them, you know, lighting it in their own kitchen or their own living room or their garage or something. And it's like, okay. So you can like, it's easy.
Sam:You can do that. It's not easy. You have to know what to do, but it's not on its own. It's not big budget. Like, I saw this video the other day, and it was like this really cinematic short piece of content.
Sam:It was all horizontal. So it was like one of those turn your phones to watch it. And it was just this guy with this old school muscle car, and he was taking really cinematic shots of it, you know, pulling out of the driveway, driving it down some back country road. And there was one scene in there where he, like, turned the key and the exhaust fired up, and, like, there's, like, this fireball coming towards the camera, just a quick cut. But then he showed how he did that, and he just had this tube, and he filled it full of butane or something and lit it on fire, and it just made, like, a quick Mhmm.
Sam:Burst of fire and but he was in his garage. Yeah. So it's like that shot that looks really cool and looks big budget hard to make, he did in his garage with a can of butane and a folded up, you know, or piece of PVC pipe. Yeah. So that's the stuff I've been enjoying.
Sam:It's like, do you make big budget stuff but do it on a small scale?
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:That's what I've been taking inspiration from.
Kyle:Yeah. And I think it's like there's a real skill to packaging what used to be an eight minute story film into, like, hyper consumable vertical piece of content that I really used to not appreciate at all. And, obviously, now I'm just like, that is such a skill set, the guys who do it the highest level, I'm just, like, so impressed by. Like, the one that always stands out is, like, duck trip or whatever from Sitka. I can't remember the exact name, but they they it might be duck trip, but they they go all the way up and they hunt all the the Western States for mallards and everything.
Kyle:It's, like, sick. But, you know, it's twelve minutes long, eight minutes long, something like that. And it's like finding a way to package that into a highly or hyper consumable piece of content vertical now and not losing what was great about it, like, is such a challenge, but there are creators that are literally accomplishing it.
Sam:Yeah. They can do it. It's impressive when see it. Yeah.
Kyle:It's like there is no time there is no time or space for filler. No. Doing that. And it's it makes it super super cool.
Sam:But the sound design, what you're seeing, the way that they upload it to Instagram, it seems to keep that, like, four k quality is it's impressive.
Kyle:Mhmm. So I like that. Yeah. So Alex Garcia and then micro creators.
Sam:Kinda Alex Garcia business side, micro creators on the creative.
Kyle:Creative. Kinda letting the algorithm show you what's what's new and what's happening.
Sam:I'm just finding new things that I wouldn't have found if I wasn't doing doing the social media post every day. Mhmm. You know? Mhmm.
Kyle:So If you interact with it, it can yeah. I mean, they talk about an x all the time. A lot of the biggest x influencers, we've worked with a couple before who are like, the way you use social media is really a mirror. And, like, if you're not having a good experience on it, you're probably not using it. Right.
Kyle:You know? Like, can build community. You can make connections. You can't like, guys are doing that. They've been doing it.
Kyle:X is famous for it. So it has been really fun posting every day for now, forty five days, whatever it's been for me and a little shorter for you. Just like, yeah, your experience with social media changes, like, really rapidly. Mhmm. And it's it's interesting to see.
Kyle:So coming coming off that
Sam:You want me to hit you with one?
Kyle:Yeah. Yeah. You can hit me
Sam:with one.
Kyle:We'll go back and forth.
Sam:Yeah. Yeah. Back and forth. Thanks better. Alright.
Sam:This is kind of a broad well, this is really stripping it down to, like, somebody starting a business. And I've got what are two things that you must get right when starting a business. And I also understand that like
Kyle:Two things that you must get right?
Sam:That you really should get right when you start business. And I understand, like, you know, there's there's certain things you're gonna niche into when you start, but I think there are a couple things that
Kyle:Yeah. It it matters. I would definitely have partners.
Sam:Mhmm.
Kyle:Whoever you partner with. Mhmm. Be that equity or, like, first however you're doing it. If you're a founder and you're hiring one employee, like, you have to get those initial teammates right. For us, it was equity partners.
Kyle:You gotta get partners right. And I think you have to get the shared vision or, like, the long term outlook. I feel like you have to get that right too pretty pretty early on.
Sam:It can be With with your you're talking with your partners or, like, what this brand is set up to try
Kyle:to accomplish? Set out to try to accomplish.
Sam:Yeah.
Kyle:That was a good yeah. I think, like, you gotta get the partners right. You gotta have two people that work well together, shared passion or work ethic for sure. It can't be like, I really wanna do this and, like, I kinda wanna do this. That's never gonna work.
Kyle:Yeah. Don't think.
Sam:You'll be on the same
Kyle:page. Yeah. And then and then, like, to your point, the brand vision on a long term scale of, like, what are we trying to accomplish with this? And, you know, in business, that can vary for sure, but it's like Alex Wormozi talks about this, and I love it. He's often on the premium luxury side of things.
Kyle:Like, that's where he's trying to get with his businesses as far as pricing Mhmm. And ideal client avatar goes. And he's like, the businesses that always fail are the ones that wanna be premium, but they're acting as if, like, cheap is an option. Mhmm. And it's like, you're gonna be the cheapest option, you have to decide today you're gonna be the cheapest option, and that's your thing.
Kyle:Right. I'm the cheapest option. You can live in that, you can win there. Mhmm. But you can't want to be premium but present yourself as otherwise or have these you know, it was advice we got years ago from a friend.
Kyle:Was like, you have to admit your ambitions, and I think that falls in line with what is this brand really trying to do. Like, for the longest time, we were like, you know, we had no identity behind Drifters. And luckily, I think our partnership was strong enough that it kinda drug drug us through the mud on a lot of things. But those would be the two that stand out my mind. You gotta get the partnership right.
Kyle:You gotta you gotta have someone that you can count on, you can trust, and that shares the passion or the work ethic with you. It can't be a one-sided thing as far as that goes. And then the second thing is is, like, the vision for what this brand or business is going to accomplish down the line. I think if you don't have an end goal, that's like you can write it out and point at it.
Sam:It's tough. Yeah.
Kyle:You're And
Sam:that that might change. Like, for us, it changed. Like, we what we started out trying to do is not
Kyle:what we're
Sam:doing now. Mhmm. But I think if you have a a similar vision as to where you think it's gonna go, you can at least work towards that and then evolve as a company and switch directions if you have to.
Kyle:Yeah. I think so for sure. I think I think it's very natural to iterate, and you should iterate because you're gonna be wrong at first. Like, where you think you're gonna end up probably is not where you should end up Right. Minus a handful of cases.
Kyle:And maybe further maybe if you're Alex Formosie and starting businesses now, like, you might have a real good idea where it's gonna go. You've done it a long time. But I think it's important to iterate, but I I do think you have to have, like, some sort of goal when you set out, or it's just gonna be a mess. Like, if you're just like, I like hats, so I'm gonna make hats. I would argue that, like, it's gonna be really hard to turn liking making hats into, like, feasible business model.
Kyle:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like, especially the scalability.
Sam:And you might you might have some success at first, but when it comes to really growing it and scaling it, it's worth. Well, because
Kyle:you don't know what you're trying to do. Right. Like, if you don't know, like, why I think this happens, then this happens, and then, you know, we move into T shirts, then I grow, and then I get affiliates, and then, like, it's an ecom business that scales. It's like, if you don't have that plan Mhmm. You're gonna make a batch of hats and hand them out, and this is gonna be it.
Kyle:You know? So, yeah, I think I think you have to have a goal, and that goal will more than likely iterate and change, but you need to have one. And then the partners is the biggest thing.
Sam:Yeah. And I had partnership, but I had it for kind of the same reason but a little different, and that is, like, find partners with different strengths.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:You have to have somebody that it's tough because you have to find somebody with the same vision but a different set of skill sets than than you.
Kyle:A 100%.
Sam:Because, like, if we did the same thing, we wouldn't be where we're at now.
Kyle:Well, you're gonna butt heads. Yeah. Should Well, it actually doesn't work.
Sam:Well, it just doesn't work because there's there are parts of businesses that two people you can't do everything. And so if you have two guys that have the same skill set, there's gonna be part of that business that's lacking some. Mhmm.
Kyle:Well, and there's and, like, a cohesive business or brand really needs leadership in the different Mhmm. Roles. Right. I think, like, we love, like, the raw dog, like, Fonz and all that. Like, we follow like, we like to consume the content that's coming from Austin creatively because it's, like, very interesting, the influence that creators are having, health health and wellness, digital tech.
Kyle:Like, Austin is a booming area, similar to Nashville, but different verticals, I guess, that are being built into. Nashville is very music forward, like, obviously. And then, like, Austin's kinda building this, like, very health and wellness, like, Nick Bear forward thing. And so you look at the Raw Dog guys, and Ian Fawns actually talked about it where he was like, they all were the outgoing wanna be the sales guy voice brand. And, like, it doesn't it actually
Sam:it actually doesn't sales guys.
Kyle:You can't have four yeah. You can't have four guys who are like, I'll be the face of this. Right. It's like, that will not
Sam:work. Heads. Yeah.
Kyle:Yeah. And so we've been well, we just got lucky because we met in college. So it's, like, it's it's not necessarily usual that it would happen like that, but it's definitely good that, like, we're complimentary and able to kind of you you mean, it takes trust, but we've obviously built that over time. But, like, kinda just be like, dude, your vision with that is what's gonna
Sam:Right.
Kyle:Sink or sink or float the ship, and we trust each other enough at that at this point.
Sam:Right. Yeah. But overall, I think I think that is a partnership who you choose to go into business with
Kyle:is very important.
Sam:Or if you're if you're going into business by yourself, who you choose to hire. Yep. Goes to say, like, who who your hires are, who your employees are gonna be, like, that that really
Kyle:It's like the first three individuals Mhmm. Be it a founder and two employees. Hammers. Two two founders in the first yeah. It's like Yeah.
Sam:Yeah. And then the other thing I had was the name just because
Kyle:Yeah.
Sam:I think it choose to name your and this goes along with branding, but whatever you choose to name your brand, it's so hard to do a rebrand down the down the road.
Kyle:Yeah. You don't wanna do that.
Sam:It can be done and it can be done successfully. But, you know, it's it's tough.
Kyle:Yeah. And I think the name is important. I kinda say it like I kinda talk about this a lot. Like, make the decision right. Worry less about, did I make the right decision and worry about making the decision you made when I made it right.
Kyle:And so I think, like, pick a name, pros and cons that Right. Don't get caught up for a month and a half, and then figure out the branding behind it and then build the brand. Right. That would be my suggestion to everyone. Like and not not the name
Sam:of your role. No. But the name is only as cool as the brand.
Kyle:Man, the name's a vessel Yeah. For the brand building.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:You know what I mean? Like, it's good to have a cool one. Mhmm. It definitely helps. Drifters Media has helped.
Kyle:For sure. Like, it's a it's a memorable name. I'm glad we got it right, but everything we've done behind it is really the brand more so than just like if it was Drifters, it was just corporate sleek dumb. It'd be like
Sam:That's what it would be.
Kyle:Who cares? You know what I mean? So, yeah, I think I think name is important with the caveat of, like, what you do after is, like, makes or breaks the name.
Sam:I like this. So that's almost more import that is more important than the actual name. So good names a good name is important, but, like, how you brand that name Mhmm. Is what's really important.
Kyle:I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Especially we see that with a lot of the clientele we work with. Like, there's several competitors that you look at, and it's kinda like they love the like, they'll love the name.
Kyle:They're like, oh, I love that name. It's like, you love the name because you love the brand. Like, if that brand sucked, you'd hate the name. Right. So yeah.
Kyle:But no. I think that kinda covers it. Partners, vision, and name as a vessel of a really well defined brand. Mhmm. Let me ask you this.
Kyle:Yep. What did you set out to change in the New Year, and how's that going after one month? What's one thing you set out to change?
Sam:I mean, I think the most obvious was, like, social media presence.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:Posting every day. Exposure to the Drifters Media brand.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:I think, like and it's one of those things that I you know, and you and I talked about it. It's we knew we needed to do it, and we just kept pushing it off, pushing it off, pushing it off. And so it was finally like, alright. January 1, I'm I'll post every day. And what was the second part of the question?
Kyle:How's it going?
Sam:How's it going? I mean, going great. Like, the I feel more confident even or more more comfortable, I guess, talking about the stuff that I know. So I think before I was posting every day, I knew that I knew things but conveying them and explaining them was always harder than it's become before. Mhmm.
Sam:Yeah. So the more I talk about something, obviously, the better you get at it. But
Kyle:Yeah. I mean, communication's a skill.
Sam:Mhmm. Like So And we
Kyle:we took the the thing from Hireup Wellness. Right. Yeah. Kinda kicked it off. Like, my first post was December 14.
Kyle:And I would suggest to anybody who wants to get into it, thinks they should, knows they should, whatever. Wherever you're at in social media, use that as your excuse to do it.
Sam:For sure.
Kyle:Like, just use the higher up wellness challenge as your first post. Right. Until you get comfortable just doing it. You know? I'd like I started it, but, like, it like, I kinda dropped off.
Kyle:But I I keep posting every day, so I'm still kinda doing it. But I guess for for us, obviously, the vision is more about building a business and a brand. So, like, I kinda didn't wanna keep saying, like, day 11 of the Hire Wellness Challenge. I kinda just wanna start talking about the business.
Sam:Yeah.
Kyle:But it was like it kinda took so much pressure off of it because it's like, I'm taking this from Michael Smoke and Hire Up Wellness,
Sam:and I'm just saying my idea. It's his idea.
Kyle:I'm trying that, like, what is my first post? Do that. And then and then let the and then let it snowball. Yeah. You
Sam:know? I did find too that it's just I'm more comfortable posting on social media. Stuff I obviously wouldn't have posted last year, it's like, oh, that's that's a post. I start looking at everything as that's potential content
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:To help the brand or help the business. Mhmm. Also, you know, creatively, it's made me sit down and actually make highlights of the work that we've done. Mhmm. And I think that was killing us because we had so much we've done so much work over the last three years and have done a terrible job
Kyle:Promoting it.
Sam:Promoting it. Yeah. And so that was a big thing that I knew we needed to change this year and just if I wasn't posting every day, it wouldn't give me a reason to make those highlight reels.
Kyle:100.
Sam:So I think it's been beneficial to my own personal brand. I think it's been beneficial to Drifters Media, and I'm actually getting to the point where I kind of enjoy it. No doubt. It makes me, like, sit down and go, okay. What am I gonna talk about today?
Sam:And it makes me kind of focus or how do I wanna say this?
Kyle:Well, it's almost like a digital journal.
Sam:Yeah. It's like a it is like a journal.
Kyle:It's like it's like you actually have to think about where you're at in time and space. It almost it almost brings a sense of gratitude that, like, we have struggled with previously. Not even, like, you know, overt gratitude or whatever, but, like, we've always been or for years, we've been, like, we hardly ever stop and, like, smell the roses do that thing. Like, you know, we're taking trips in Canada, like, all this stuff with different clients, really cool stuff, making TV shows, like, whatever. And we just never were, like, horrible about, like, oh, that was cool, which is good for building a business because you have to continue to, like, march forward.
Kyle:But, you know, when you stop and post every day, it's kinda like, oh, like, this was a cool thing today or yeah. Like, this was a cool thing today or this taught me this lesson or I learned this last month. Right. It's turned into this. And so
Sam:Well, and just the people too who have reached out or the the people who have followed or the people who've I've I've ended up ended up following, like, I think it's a it's a great way to build community.
Kyle:Yeah. You know? I mean, modern culture is it's so ingrained in the modern culture that I would suggest to anybody. For some people, it's not right. Right.
Kyle:Like, social media can obviously, like, have its negatives too. But, like, if you're sitting there kinda on the sidelines like we were and you feel drawn to, you should really start. Yeah. Because I think the pros way out way outweigh the cons.
Sam:I agree. Yeah. I agree.
Kyle:Yeah. That's cool.
Sam:Okay. How about yourself, actually? What what have you oh, you had a viral moment.
Kyle:Yeah. Yeah. I went viral. Mhmm. Was that your was that your prompt for me?
Sam:No. That's just like
Kyle:Kinda keeping it going?
Sam:Hitting you with the question back.
Kyle:Yeah. I mean, it was, like, my fortieth or forty first day posting every day, and I posted a little I mean, forty some second clip about Buffalo Wild Wings, and it's over 550,000 views, which is so funny.
Sam:Well, it's funny because you knew that piece of content had virality potential.
Kyle:The Franklin's the Franklin's Tennessee YMCA parking lot.
Sam:Yeah. In the truck. But it has, like, nothing to do with, like, you know,
Kyle:the It's top of funnel content. Right? And so it's like
Sam:Very top of funnel. Super.
Kyle:Yeah. Like and I guess, like, the it's something that we always kinda forget or or whatever the word is, but we we don't give ourselves credit probably for the amount of work and the knowledge base we've built in and around social media. And so interesting, like, diving in, doing a bunch of stuff that was super conversion forward, but bottom of funnel, like, talking about our marketing agency, which isn't well known at all or whatever. And then, like, I throw out, like, that was the most top of funnel thing I've ever done in forty some days. It's, like, over half a million views.
Sam:That was huge.
Kyle:And, like, I did it the first time when I watched it back, and I rarely do videos twice. But I watched that video back. I'm like, if you're gonna do Buffalo Wild Wings, you have to, like, make it hooky. Yeah. Yeah.
Kyle:Did a hook, posted it. Two days later, it's, like, 250,000 views.
Sam:So Still climbing.
Kyle:Yeah. Yeah. It's been interesting. It was fun. Yeah.
Kyle:I'm excited, I guess, to hopefully start to bring those views to business, though.
Sam:Yeah.
Kyle:Yeah. But you can't ever discredit the power of top of funnel content. Absolutely. You know what I mean? Like, all these great creators, like, they do top of funnel content.
Kyle:They mix it in. You're just you Mhmm. Might not even notice it.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:You know what I mean?
Sam:Well, I know higher up, Michael Smoke, he talked about his first viral thing was him talking about
Kyle:Yeah. Well, Filet O Fish. Yeah. The the Filet O Fish. Yeah.
Kyle:Fish sandwich series that just went berserk.
Sam:Right. So it has nothing to do with what he does now.
Kyle:He did, like, the Oreo, Coke, and all sorts of stuff that he was always doing other stuff around it.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:But it was just understanding that, like
Sam:Top of funnel is important.
Kyle:It's super important. Yeah. You gotta show personality. People like people. They wanna follow people.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:You know? So you can't have an ego that tells you you're
Sam:Well, and part of it is, like, this guy understands for if if if somebody's looking at your page, they go, well, this guy understands virality, but he also understands, like, what to do once you get virality Mhmm. With the with the more bottom of funnel content
Kyle:that you Yeah. Yeah. You pivot you pivot back.
Sam:Like, you don't just So it's kind of a credibility building thing for, you know, for yourself.
Kyle:It definitely is. Yeah. Because it was a fun moment.
Sam:Mhmm. Alright. I'll hit you with another one. Unbiased opinion. As unbiased as you can be, should you diversify or focus on one business alone?
Kyle:Unbiased opinion? Unbiased opinion. You should focus. Yeah. For sure.
Kyle:We haven't done that. Hand up. Fully admit that we're massively diversified. We're spread extremely thin often.
Sam:And why why diversify? Like, what's what is the reason?
Kyle:Value and yeah. Okay. So I guess a quick little recap just of what we're diversified into. Have a digital marketing agency. We're partnered in a property management company.
Kyle:Off of that, you're already a legal broker, and I'm becoming a broker. Affiliate. You're an affiliate broker, and I'm on my on my way to being affiliate broker and land sales brokerage, traditional real estate. And then we manage artists through red light management in the music space. So we're we're managers in in country music.
Kyle:And then we also have an acoustic sessions YouTube channel and brand we're building. And we're partnered on most like, other than Drifters Media, we have partners. Everything else we do. And I would say that we diversified because relationships continue to build through the marketing agency that just new opportunities with new partners that we really valued working with. And so that's why we diversified, but I would say that 95% of people that are entrepreneurs shouldn't.
Kyle:I think if you're able to, like, keen in on what you're trying to accomplish and really focus every single day on it, you'll probably scale and grow it quicker. Mhmm. And I think we would've to to be totally transparent. I think we would have scaled quicker if we would've focused on just the agency. But for us, like, we have a unique thing.
Kyle:Like, college together, roommates, business partners. Our business has transitioned from outdoor media to, like, full marketing agency now. So we just kept getting in rooms with people that we really valued, and the marketing background makes them want to work with us on new projects. Right. And we just kinda kept diving into those.
Kyle:Right. And I don't regret them at all.
Sam:Well and I that's why I asked the question because I know we're talking about this a couple days ago or something, but I just I think it's really interesting to think about, like, when does when does distraction overcome opportunity? Like when do you go, okay. This is this is distracting me and not bringing me enough opportunity. It's a fine line because I think as a
Kyle:super like, it's a super fine line.
Sam:I think we run into it more because the digital agency, but I think a lot of, like, entrepreneurs are gonna run into a lot of opportunity.
Kyle:So Especially those that are even remotely successful because entrepreneurship isn't easy.
Sam:That's the thing. And it's it's not defined as one thing. So if you're an entrepreneur, you don't go, well, that's real estate, so I'm not gonna get into it. Yeah. They all blew up.
Sam:Your brain just kinda goes like, I can do that because I because that's what I'm trained to think.
Kyle:Well, yeah. That's that's the makeup of an entrepreneur is such that you wanna do new things. Like Right. You don't just, like, get into it and just, like, be rigid and just, I'm only doing this. You know?
Sam:So I think a lot of people will end up having opportunities they didn't expect. And then it's like, okay. Is this a distraction, or is it a massive opportunity? And how do you figure out which one it is? Yeah.
Kyle:I mean, a 100%. You know? And we've when
Sam:I guess maybe that is the question, and there's no real answer for it.
Kyle:When when distraction outweigh opportunity? We have a tendency to like, the Will Smith bite off more, you can chew and then chew it. Chew it. Yeah. We've said that to each other.
Kyle:It's funny.
Sam:So we should've called the podcast.
Kyle:No kidding. Yeah.
Sam:Well, can we bite off more than we can chew than we chew at podcasting?
Kyle:Yeah. My goodness. What a moment in time. What a moment in the Internet. But I do think you have to be very good.
Kyle:You have to develop a brutal level of honesty with yourself. And if you're gonna continue to diversify as we have, you have to be prepared to have honest conversations about what is this opportunity now bringing me from a value standpoint Mhmm. And how do I need to balance that with everything else going on. Right. Because we've had things where it's like, really believed in that that we're still partnered in, that we've had to, like, back off
Sam:Mhmm.
Kyle:Or change or figure out, or how does that fit in or that doesn't fit in right now. Or, you know, what the big picture plan with that still exists, but the short term plan on that is is no more. Right? There is not a short term like, this is a huge cash flow opportunity for us at this point. You know?
Kyle:And and so I think it's just a brutal honesty with yourself and being being willing to admit, like, I was wrong. Mhmm. Or even, like, a right or wrong. Maybe it's not even, like, thinking you're right or wrong, but just, like, I have new stimulus that I need to perceive.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:And now that this stimulus is here, I need to change my approach because of what I've now learned. Mhmm. And for us, I mean, as long as you have a long term outlook on things and the partnerships are right, I think diversification is good. I would just not suggest it to most people if you're worried about scaling. Stages.
Kyle:Yeah, man. Oh, especially in fit too. Because we didn't do any of that.
Sam:No. We did.
Kyle:You know I mean? Like, just met with all kind of by
Sam:the time we started diversifying.
Kyle:Yes. Like, we were paying bills before we got into anything else. Mhmm. So, I mean, in the short term, like, absolutely not. Yeah.
Kyle:And you still have to have a number one.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:Like, for us, it's the agency. Everything else kinda almost falls off into a almost feels like a client Subcategory. Yeah. Because of the marketing. Right.
Kyle:So I think it'd be nuts if you were, you know, in the in the brand new stages of an ecommerce business, then also try to start a power washing company. Right. I'd just be like, you can't
Sam:There's too much going on.
Kyle:Yeah. You gotta you gotta pick one.
Sam:I will say too, like, the the agency is a real like, it's not labor intensive. So starting, like, a power washing company where you're gonna be the guy out there running the power washer is a lot harder to do because it it requires you to go Mhmm. Be outside doing the task. Mhmm. Whereas, we can do a lot of what we do from a laptop.
Kyle:From an office. Yeah. Right. Yeah. It's that's why everything feels almost downstream of the agency.
Kyle:Because aside from the actual shoots.
Sam:Yeah. Yeah. But I was just interested in
Kyle:That was a good one.
Sam:Thoughts on that. Yeah. That was a good tricky one.
Kyle:Yeah. Yeah. It's kinda one of those, like I mean, net positive. That's the name. Yeah.
Kyle:You know? If you feel like it's a net positive, then then maybe gut it out and build it out. But Mhmm. Okay. Last one for you for this week.
Kyle:What's the biggest lesson you've learned as a creative director over the last two and a half years?
Sam:Let me think how I wanna say. There's value in simplicity is what I would say.
Kyle:I like that.
Sam:I think like I think you know, I think we both did it. When we first got to Nashville, we first worked with clients. We wanna make these big long stories, cinematic, ten minute long videos. And those are great. I still think they're really cool, but you have to do what the algorithm rewards.
Sam:You have to do what what does best for your clients. And I I think in today's age, you can if you can keep it simple, keep it entertaining, you know, it's gonna it's gonna perform better than a little mini documentary ever would.
Kyle:The market's always right.
Sam:The market's always right. Yeah.
Kyle:We say a about that all the time. Yeah.
Sam:Yeah. So yeah. I just think like I think when you know, going into these shoots, how we're doing them now, I think it's it's not about inner interviews. It's so much ego. It's not about ego, but it's not about how can we make this some thirteen minute long.
Sam:It's like, no. You need you know, your creative it's more it's more quality over quantity.
Kyle:How do you say?
Sam:Like, what you do has to look really sharp. It has to make sense, and it has to get your point across, like, quickly. If it doesn't do those things, then you're wasting your time. Yeah.
Kyle:I think just to piggyback off that, like, we're a lot more intentful about
Sam:what we do. Maybe that's the word. Maybe I shouldn't have said simplicity. Maybe intentful is the word that
Kyle:I mean, I think simplicity ties in with it because it's the complexity is in the planning and in the and and in the everything that goes around it. It's still a complex process, but you're not so worried about, like, yeah, like you say, a fifteen minute story. You know what I mean? But, yeah, I think the word, at least for me that I've, you know, to kind of carry on with it is, like, in the intent Yeah. Being intentful in what we do Yep.
Kyle:As on the creative side of things. Like, this piece of content has a goal. What is that goal? Right. And understanding that.
Kyle:Right. And
Sam:how to get that piece of content. You know? What what prompt do I need need to give the clients so that they say the right thing? Right. You know?
Sam:It's and I guess that is where it becomes more, like you said, complex is the the planning is actually more complex than the actual shoot is.
Kyle:Mhmm. Should be.
Sam:Right. Right. And that's not how we were going about things
Kyle:Originally. Day.
Sam:Yeah. It was we'll figure it out on-site, and then we'd get on-site, and you'd shoot a whole bunch and do a bunch of interviews and be left with a lot of stuff that's not that incredible.
Kyle:It didn't carry any value, you know, unfortunately. Like yeah. Intent intent and, like, a goal.
Sam:Right? So maybe the answer then is complexity before the shoot, simplify the shoot.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:Intent during the shoot.
Kyle:Yeah. Not at the be
Sam:Yeah. Kind of how I think we're both going about things now. You know, I think the the planning as a creative director, I didn't do pre shoot planning as much.
Kyle:Not at the level level of art now.
Sam:Like we're doing it now, and I just I I value that so much more now because I think it determines the the success of your shoot.
Kyle:Mhmm.
Sam:How prepared am I going into the shoot? And then the shoot just happens. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
Sam:Make sure your lighting's right. Make sure the camera's set up right, all that stuff. But that's just fundamentals. Like Mhmm. Make sure you're going into the shoot knowing here's the lighting that we want.
Sam:Here's the the vibe that we want. Here are the questions we're we're asking. And, yeah, this is the intent of what we're doing here.
Kyle:I mean, a thousand percent. That's a good answer.
Sam:Yeah. Alright. My last one for you. What is something you care less about now and why?
Kyle:Something I care less about now and why.
Sam:In a business sense, obviously.
Kyle:Yeah. My ego or opinion about, like, brand or creative as far as kinda like we just said. Right? Like, the algorithm in the market is always right. So I've just totally I used to really care about, like, what I thought was cool.
Kyle:And now it's much more based on understanding the algorithm and the analytics and, like, what works and what doesn't and still having authentic stylistic choices for myself or for drifters, like, whatever. But Sure. Leaving the idea that, like, this is what people really want. It's just like no one else has figured out yet. It's like, I'm gonna let that go.
Kyle:Right. Right. Right. I I held on to that, and you did too, but I especially did, like, really hard early on. And you're just like, you're you're not I wasn't that smart.
Kyle:Like, I wasn't out thinking the algorithm because the algorithm is just people. It's just the way that people are interacting with content. Content. So the idea that no. Like, spaghetti western long form documentary thing, love it.
Kyle:Love it. Awesome passion project.
Sam:Right.
Kyle:But, like, the idea that that was the direct or the correct path for our agency to take was based on no data. It was just Well, we totally feel you know what I mean? And, like Right. Now I've totally I've left the ego of, like, that way behind, and now it's more so the cool stylistic tweaks
Sam:Sure.
Kyle:That make stuff that's already working hours. Right. So that would be the biggest.
Sam:Okay.
Kyle:That would be my answer.
Sam:I think that's solid. Yeah. I think that's solid. I do think that it's easy to be like, well, I know what's right, and this is what I like. But like you said, the market's always right.
Kyle:The market's always
Sam:right. It's gonna tell
Kyle:you what's right. It it just is, man.
Sam:I also think it's a that's
Kyle:an empowering
Sam:thing, though, like, what you said is, like, not something that gets talked about enough where it's like, the algorithm isn't this mysterious weird thing that nobody can figure out. The algorithm is just like, what do people like? Especially right now. You went massive on Buffalo Wow Wings because that was something that's funny, relatable, and is, like, true. Like, actually happened to Buffalo Wild Wings is a is a genuine question.
Sam:Yeah. It's not the same as it was ten years ago. Everybody knows that.
Kyle:Thousands and thousands of people are commenting that. They right.
Sam:And so, like, of course, that piece of content worked. Like, the algorithm is just People.
Kyle:Yeah. I mean, especially with the with, like, meta. If we're talking about particularly meta Mhmm. In the last year with the Andromeda update, it's better than it's ever been at showing users exactly what they wanna see. Creepy?
Kyle:Yes. Effective? Absolutely. Very much so.
Sam:And so Also, wouldn't you be mad if you were seeing content that you didn't like?
Kyle:Well, the user experience would suck. Right. Yeah. Like, if
Sam:you were seeing stuff that you don't wanna watch, it's like, why do I keep getting this?
Kyle:Correct.
Sam:People will be upset about it. Yeah. So they have to do that kind of stuff to make sure you're gonna spend more time on the app and enjoy
Kyle:enjoy what they see. Yeah. So, yeah, I think, like, the ego that used to come with, like, documentary long form, this and that. And it's actually empowering for me at least. It's been empowering to be like, that actually you were wrong Mhmm.
Kyle:And that doesn't work. Mhmm. But the market is right. And if you follow the market and tweak it to you Right. I mean, you will grow.
Kyle:You'll have staying power, and your brand don't matter. And so it's been an empowering change. Change. It It it doesn't sound like it at first. Like, it sounds so negative before you can, like, get into that reframe of, like, it's actually a good thing.
Sam:It is a good thing.
Kyle:It's a good thing if the algorithm works the way it does because it there's there's answers, man.
Sam:Yeah. There's there's answers to the questions.
Kyle:Yep. Exactly. It's like we used to put out, like, you know, three minute documentary on Instagram, but, like, you know, 42 people viewed it. It's like, why are you doing that?
Sam:Right. You know? Nobody wants to watch that.
Kyle:Yeah. To to have let that go has been I don't care anymore. Mhmm. And that's cool.
Sam:That's solid.
Kyle:Yeah. It's been good. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a wrap.
Sam:That's a wrap.
Kyle:Yeah. We'll call it episode one of the Go Positive Podcast.
Sam:Net positive done. I will see y'all Whenever. Next time.
