Miami Heat: How David Grutman turned hospitality into a cultural empire

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1:46To thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape, brands must move in an ever-increasing pace. I'm Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Suzy. Join me and key industry leaders as we dive deep into the shifting consumer trends within their industry, why it matters now, and how you can keep up. Welcome to the Speed of Culture.

2:08Up today on the Speed of Culture podcast, I am thrilled to be joined by David Grutman, one of America's most influential hospitality entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs overall. He's credited with transforming Miami to a world-class nightlife and dining destination. Dave, I'm so excited for this. Thanks so much for hosting us in your beautiful South Beach home. Thank you. So happy you're here. Absolutely. So let's start off with, as I told you before we started, I have a lot of background in nightlife. Somebody who we both know, Jason Strauss, is my partner at Boston University. But that's a little bit of a red flag.

2:38I'm gonna be honest with you. You know, we had a great partnership because he brought all like the New York kids. He went to a New York private school. I grew up in Philly, didn't really know anyone, and I brought the masses. And this is before social media. I had teams of people handing out flyers for me. Faxes. Right, exactly. Different world. And he just had a network and it was that combination that worked, but now we're in a completely different world. And you've done such a great job at building your personal brand and the brands of all your venues using social media. And I guess my question for you as someone who's been in nightlife equally as long, how has it changed over the years in terms of building a brand, specifically in the hospitality space?

3:16Well, I mean, as you're building a brand, you always find what the best way to do it. back then when Jason and I started, it was faxes, then it was e-vites, then it was flash e-vites with music and movement and all that. And then it was very event driven and just mailed out invitations. And then now with social media, it's a whole nother platform. So there's always been some sort of platform for us to find to try to magnify our message. But I think you've particularly done a great job at just embracing social media and you seem really natural at it. Whether you're talking about yourself your ventures your your vast network like what's been your approach to this so i do my own social media no so let's start there so it's authentic and i think i just like to show my lifestyle and hopefully you buy into like how i'm living my life and all the touching points about it so social media has just been like listen i guess it's like having your own show right basically so i kind of show my tennis my meeting with people my family me going to the restaurants, other people's restaurants, consumer brand investments, how I use them, why I went with them.

4:21I just think it's important people get a glimpse of your life. And part of what you do is seem like you just let, you're not afraid to let everyone in, right? Because I think some people are private and you obviously live an amazing lifestyle just in terms of the way you spend your time and the network you have, but you're not afraid to share it with people. And my take from following you from afar is you love having people at your home. Just like you love doing that? And have you always been that way? Yeah, I've always, like, I love hospitality at the end of the day. And I love hosting people.

4:52And I've been doing it for so many years. I wanted to be that key holder. When you come to Miami, I really want to be the person that you call and reach out to that make sure that everything's perfect. And it started off just taking people to restaurants and then to my restaurants and then in my home and then hopefully party with them at nighttime at Live. So it's been very cool to be that person. So the first time I heard your name was in 2003. when someone who I know you know, Ed Razak. Wow. I was launching Victoria's Secret Pink for Ed and Les. Right. And we built this giant gift box in South Beach and basically it opened up and we had a huge event.

5:27And that night, Ed wanted us to take a bunch of people out and he's like, I'm gonna call Dave Grutman. And I was like, who's that? And he told me about you and you came and you obviously, it was before you had this whole infrastructure here. Take us back to the early days when you came to South Beach And what were the path that got you to where you are today? So I think when you talk about that part of my life, it was the VMAs and a lot of big marquee events were coming to Miami, but there was no real company or person for them to be able to communicate with like they were getting serviced in New York.

6:02Who was the guy, basically, right. Not only who was the guy, but also at that time I had a firm with a guy named Brian Gordon, Ryan Shiman. I know Ryan well. And we used to activate for the brands. And listen, New York and LA always got the bigger events and stuff like that. But then we grew the event business and being able to service them in a way that they needed to be serviced in a corporate way. Because there's always that balancing act between, oh, let's throw a party and what's the corporation need to get out of it, right? What's the branding? What's the message to get out? And at the end of the day, what's the target to push the new brand they're launching or song or artist or whatever it is?

6:35I mean, they're all brands, right? So that was good. And then, you know, Ed Razek, when I got the deal at Live and I took him to the back of the Fountain Blue, it was dirt back there. And I go, Ed, I got this new club Live coming at this new Fountain Blue resort. I think it's going to change Miami. I need you to move the Victoria's Secret show from doing it in New York or L.A. Because those were the only two places at the time. And I need you to do it for the grand opening of the Fountain Blue. And he looked around and he looked at me and he goes, OK. And I'm like, OK. He had a place in Miami at the point.

7:04He still has the same place at El Valadio. Yeah. And Ed, to his credit, he's one of those vision makers. Yeah. So he was like, let's do it. And I remember it just really, those are, there's moments in your life that you'll never forget. And that's definitely one of them. When I was able to call Jeff Sofer, who owns the Fountain Blue and say, Jeff, I got the VS show for us and we'll do the after party at Liv, but I think it's going to be a great thing for your resort. And Jeff right away is like, of course, let's go. And it was one of the most, in my life, one of those big blue checks that was just like.

7:34I mean, Ed gave me my first big break too. So shout out Ed Razak and advertising. Of course, best. And there were people along the way who will just, you know, you probably think when you look back at your life at those moments. Yeah, I mean, listen, Ed Razak had Monica Mitra with him as well. And to Monica's credit, I really had to work Monica for many years. Yeah, and I love really strong women like that. And I've come across so many in my life where everyone else is like, oh, I hate that. And I'm like, no, these are the women that if you do what you say you're going to do, They do everything for you.

8:07And those are the ones I really focus on more than anything because they're the ones that changed the world. So she's one, Amy Thompson was one that managed Sweetest House Mafia and stuff like that. But to me, there's a couple of really strong women figures in my life that's helped me be better at what I do. It's awesome. Yes, because they keep you in check. And I did a Super Bowl party for them right before that in Arizona. And I knocked that one out of the park. Like for whatever reason, everything fell perfectly. They had a commercial in the Super Bowl that year. So they want to do an event afterwards for it.

8:36And from that, by knocking that out of the park, it gave me the leverage to say, I think this is going to be something great for you as well. And everyone bought into it. And to knock an event out of the park means a lot, right? You have to have the right people there, but that's only part of it. So what does it mean to knock an event out of the park, especially when you're on the road, so to speak? It's one thing if you're at your venue. Yeah. First of all, you're kind of like, you know, you're not at the mercy, but you're like, thank God I've built up enough name for myself that when I go to another venue or another city, they're not gonna try to mess around and they follow my direction.

9:08And my team is so good at making sure they know exactly what I'm looking for and what's important to the brand because it's subtle branding. It's making sure that people don't feel like they're walking into a commercial, but at the same time, they know exactly why they're there. Right. But you also have to think about the elements, like the anatomy of an event, right? It's the music, it's the vibe. It's the performance, the pop-up performance, the one that no one knows about, the lighting, the music, everything. It's all pieces of a puzzle to create something great. Have you struggled throughout your career when you think about, I've been at Live during Art Basel, like at the peak of an event like Calvin Harris there, and you see that every detail is perfect in terms of the lighting, the sound, the service, everything.

9:50To get there, have you struggled with, I guess, the dichotomy of allowing your team to do it, but then at the same time, you're looking at every single detail? Yeah, I'm a sick human being. You have to be. where either my friends love going to dinner with me or hate going to dinner with me because I'm looking at all the different tables and just running with the lighting and table service and is the plate dirty in front of the person? Is their glasses empty? And I'm constantly looking at it. And I'm not one of these guys, like some of my counterparts that will just write it down in an email and then they send it the next day.

10:18I correct it right on the spot. And that's not always the best way to do things, but it's the way I do things. Right. And it's how I learn. Otherwise I'll forget it and I won't da, da, da. So yes, but when everything's perfect, like what you just said in an event and you just look around and you're like, it's like a perfect art piece to me. It is. Or like the wine, it's amazing. I just, I love it. I mean, I've produced some events in my life and when they go well and you look out there and people are having an amazing time and you knew that you put all the pieces together. No, it's like the Catalina wine mixer.

10:48It's insane. It's perfection to me. I love when you see everything moving right. Yeah, check that out, never been. And right afterwards, you high five with your team. And this is where a lot of people in our business miss it is you have an event that goes perfectly like that and they forget that there's tomorrow and tomorrow we have to do it all over again and being able to have that stand them out for you and your team to keep them focused on that that's where the real power is and that's how you keep building brands bigger and bigger and bigger yeah so like greatness is in the agency of others and one thing i've noticed about you is that you have a squad right you have a team and people and those people aren't just people that work for you they're people that are kind of part of like your extended family and they've built their own social media brand as well.

11:30And, you know, I've known Purple for years and people like that who you've like, talk to me about how that comes about and how you're able to lead, but still kind of make it seem like there's not like a hierarchy, but they're all just extension of your network. Yeah. Listen, because in our business, people want to see certain faces around it. I can't be everywhere at all times. So how great is it that I have a team that builds their own profile as well and then integrates it into our places, Right. So at any time you can be one of our venues and see a familiar face that you might see on social or you might have connections with or whatever it is.

12:03If it's just me, then I'm going to be trapped. I'm never going to be able to expand and grow my brands. But if it's about all of us, then it's way more powerful. And I want to move on to some of the other stuff that you're working on now. But the last question on the nightlife side is you're a family man now. Right. You know, I read that you don't drink. No. And it's one thing when you're getting high off your own supplies. So it'd be like going out and partying when you're running. I think that has a short, the most successful nightlife entrepreneurs don't party when they're out. I think you've kind of set the standard for that.

12:30But my question for you is, is it harder to do what you do now that you're not really in the scene as much, even though you go there a lot? Like, how do you balance that? So I think by not being super accessible is also okay too. I don't find it an issue to be honest with you at all to not drink and be at my club. I love it. I get to see more things going on and stuff like that. And you know what? I don't know if everybody wants to be partying with me. I'm an older man now, but it's cool, man. Listen, I think it's very powerful not to have to drink and not to do that. Healthier too. Healthier.

13:05And I don't think in today's society, that's the part about going out anymore. I think people just like to gather and have fun and do whatever. Now, listen, I sell alcohol for a living. So I hope lots of people - How does that change your business? No, so, you know, listen, I don't judge people for doing it, But of course, I want people to party and have a good time and let their inhibitions go down. This is South Beach and this is Las Vegas. So if there's a place to do it, I want it to be done at my place. Do you see the nightlife market changing with the private members clubs like Zeroban and Cipriani?

13:37Like, is that, and there's obviously ZZ's in a lot of places down here. Is that changing the nightlife game overall from the table market? So Miami doesn't have that many members club like they do in New York and LA right now yet. But yeah, listen, I know in those markets, like all my friends are going to Crane Club or Zero Bond and stuff like that and Chez Margot, but they're just more nightlife extensions of people wanting to gather. For us in Miami, at the end of the day, people want a big club experience, they want a lounge experience, and they want to have a more festive time at dinner. Yeah.

14:07So it works. It's interesting. A lot of people say, oh, consumers are never going to consume AI-generated content. And I actually wrote a post on LinkedIn the other day. If you go to EDC, or you know better than anyone, people gather around listening to music that's not made by instruments. And they don't care because it's about how it makes them feel. They're musicians, but they don't use instruments. And to me, creative people can make AI content and I don't see the difference personally. Okay, I mean, but people still want to experience. My point is that a lot of people don't believe that AI content's going to take off.

14:39And my proof is that essentially - It already has. Exactly, exactly. We'll be right back with The Speed of Culture after a few words from our sponsors. Blowing ad budget on metrics that look great till the CFO sees them. That's bull spend. And marketers are calling it out in dashboard confessions. I remember telling my boss, it'll be good for the brand when leads were slow. Yeah, it wasn't. Cut the bull spend. LinkedIn lets you target by company, job title, and more. Advertise on LinkedIn. Spend$250 on your first campaign and get a$250 credit. Go to linkedin.com slash campaign terms and conditions apply.

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16:08Business is booming, but you know what really helped? Zero. The accounting platform for small businesses. I used to think unpaid bills were just part of it. Ugh. But batch payments? Wow. Automated accounts payable? Even better. All in one place? That's a big one. And I can keep track from my phone while I get the job done. No bills in sight. What a life. Do right by yourself and your business. And search XERO for your free trial. Conditions apply. Finding ways to be financially savvy is a smart move. And knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want, like that dream home or new ride, is a great feeling.

16:49That's why the State Farm Personal Price Plan can help you save when you choose to bundle home and auto. Bundling, just another way to save with the Personal Price Plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state. so let's move on to just network like you have built such a great network if i look at your book which you're gonna get in a second you have tom brady david beckham serena williams on the back superstars right how have you been able to build this network over time and it doesn't seem opportunistic to me these people are truly your friends like what is your approach been well i don't try to take advantage of them obviously as well and i think by just having great relationships and trying to add value to people's lives, they naturally want to do great things for you.

17:37So it's not like, I think when you go into something opportunist, people, you know, like anything else, you could feel when someone's trying to be opportunist with you or not, and if it's authentic or not. 100%. And how'd you get to be comfortable around the Tom Breeze of the world? Like, it feels like you talk to them like you would talk to anybody else. Like, was that always in you? Or is it something that you had to develop over time? I think, like anything else, I think by just talking to people all the time and asking people their stories and stuff like that. And just having that interaction, being in the hospitality business kind of trains you to be able to talk to anybody, anytime.

18:11But if you just focus in on that one celebrity and not the other people around, that's when you lose. Right. So I wouldn't be here today if I just focused on the Tom Brady's and not all the people around him or all the people at the dinner that I'm with when there happens to be a celebrity or master of business or anything like that. I mean you're not chasing yeah I just I'm here to have a conversation and entertain and and just make people feel comfortable yeah awesome but not just the one person the 10 people at the table right that's important versus just zoning in on the most famous person man I people do that and I've been to dinners like that who when they didn't know who I would and I'm just like oh god right because you really know what's behind that it's just like yeah and that's probably why ultimately you've been able to build great relationships across the board.

18:58Yeah. And I don't go into the relationships saying, what can I get out of? Right. Right. Right. So I'm sure a lot of it's just about value exchange and you're looking to. And you know, a lot of people say, oh, I'm going to go to this networking event. I hate that, man. I really think networking might be the worst thing I've ever heard before my life. I really go to things trying to build authentic relationships with people. Yeah. And you know, I'm not trying to hit a hundred people. I'm trying to really build one or two really great relationships. And speaking of spanning relationships, you've obviously done a lot outside the nightlife industry.

19:26And we're here in your office and seeing all these different brands that you've invested in. Yeah. How did that start? And talk to me about the process and how it's going and what you're getting out of that experience. So it's been one of the most rewarding experiences. And as you get older, you want to keep pivoting or bringing other extensions of your ecosystem into your life. And I started making an ecosystem for me in the hospitality. I have like, you know, a restaurant and a nightclub and et cetera. So they all kind of feed each other. Now on the consumer brand side, I started doing it like right around COVID time.

20:00My first thing was I partnered with ABG and we took prints out of bankruptcy and I did that. And I saw that I had an effect on a clothing brand or a lifestyle brand like that. They were a distressed brand. Authentic Brands Group does that. They partner with you. Yeah. I mean, and they're, by the way, they're the best partners. They're able to take a distressed brand. And work with you on building it and making it a great brand internationally. So that was great. But where it really turned the needle for me is I met the founders of GoPuff, Raph and Yak. And GoPuff, which is the most amazing delivery, they're incredible.

20:34We would talk to these young founders of consumer brand goods together. So you have me and the GoPuff founders on the Zoom with them. And it was, of course, you could see the person on the other line a little nervous, but I learned so much with them how, and also the way I live my life is I want it to be win-win business. Now the three of us together could really take advantage of a up and coming consumer brand. Instead, we never did stuff like that. We said, listen, let's do this. We want to not only invest, but we also want to advise and we want to build your brand together. And I think you're going to get there no matter what, but with us, you're going to get there quicker, better, faster.

21:07Right. And just through the connections you have. Yeah. The whole thing. Right. Right. So after you've done it a few times and to see founders just call you and go, I never imagined in my dreams, this would happen. And that is the reward of all rewards. Forget about the money and all that. All that is just a utility of changing people's lives. It's so true. If I look back on my career, the things, you know, once you make a certain amount of money, you look for the intangibles and what gets you up and excited every day. To me, I look at people, just how like Ed Razak gave you and I, you know, an opportunity there are people who like when you look back and like wow look what they're doing now it's so rewarding and also people that you know have had my company for so many years to see that there has been people that have left me and started their own companies and they've been very successful that makes me very happy yeah so that's great too but i think as you work with these with skinny dip and goodles and coconut gold and neuro gum and they're just exploding vacation is just did a crazy raise.

22:08It makes me so happy that I was a part of that. Yeah, and I think the food and beverage space is changing so much. You look at GLP ones and people want to live their lives and the incumbents, the Coca-Cola's and Mondelez's, they're getting hurt by these new - Ollipop's, yeah, of course. Ollipop's a great example and poppy investments. Yeah, so - We had David Lester on the podcast. Great. Yeah, great guy. Great guy. I think Ollipop is a disruptor of all disruptors. They are. I think to me, coconut cult, now that they have these single serves that are out What is coconut cold? So it's a probiotic yogurt.

22:39It's going to win the battle of gut health. As a Jewish boy, it's changed my life. That's for sure. And it's just one of these very disruptive brands that you see come across your path. And I'm so lucky to be able to invest in it. It's awesome. And your latest venture is going into, you know, I was watching the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago. You saw that? My wife's like, that's Dave Grubman. I'm like, what? No. And we've rewound it. And I was like, no way. And then it made sense because I know you have a relationship with a bad bunny. Yeah, yeah, for me. Well, first of all, how did that come about?

23:07It's so funny. Back in the day, EDM was, as you know, was the most explosive music style there was. And we used to have a Thursday and a Saturday of EDM music. And then when EDM took a dip down, the Thursday was more the night that we incubated new DJ acts and that had to go away. Just focus on the Saturday. So we did a Latin on Thursday and it's Miami. And I was like, okay, let's do it. and I saw the reaction of people when this guy, Bad Bunny, would come and do the show or come and host a night or whatever. And this was before anyone knew him. I mean, listen, these are very early days. And I'm having dinner with Drake and Drake goes, who's the hottest reggaeton guy right now?

23:48And I go, oh yeah, Bad Bunny. He goes, he doesn't respond to my DMs. I'm like, are you sure you have the right DM? That night I called him and his team and they didn't believe it. I said, Drake wants to record with you. He's recording a Scorpio's album now, Scorpio's album. And he'd like to see you tomorrow. And they go, we don't believe you. So I hand the phone to Drake. Drake goes, either you come to me or I'm going to come to you. They come the next day. They do Mia. One of the biggest hits, I think, in Bad Bunny's and Drake's. I mean, it was just a monster hit and he never forgot it. And there's been other times along the way that we've been helping each other.

24:25and Live Nation buys 51 % of my company and Michael Rapinoe, who's the greatest partner, CEO, president. He's just the greatest goes, hey, I really want to do with Latin like I did with hip hop, with Jay-Z and Roc Nation. I want to do that. I go, well, there's one guy to do that. And that's Noah Saad, who's Bad Bunny's manager. And when Bad Bunny went to do the stadium tour deal, he said, I have another condition. I want David Grutman to do a restaurant with him. Wow. So A, it makes me look great with my partners from Live Nation. First of all, the fact that he left this independent promoter that he was with for so long and go with Live Nation and launch his tour.

25:02And then he goes, I want to do a restaurant with David Grutman. And we have Gecko. And Gecko has just been such a special place, not only just for the food and times and stuff we get to share there, but the fact that we did something special together. Yeah. And he just said, I'm going to be in the Super Bowl halftime show when you come down. Well, I went to his residency, which there should be a case study from Harvard on because that's how impactful his residency in Puerto Rico was the summer. And he had something called casita. So usually where the friends and family riser is, he built a Puerto Rican house with satellite dish and couches and bar and front porch and the whole thing.

25:35And I went to it the summer and I was in there and I happened to be with him when he got the call that they got the deal for the Superbowl. And I go, are we doing the casita? Cause I want to do the casita. I want to put the people in there. And it wasn't even a question. They were all about it. And they're just great people. Noah Saad, his manager, Bunny, and his whole team. And they've been with him for so long. Special people out there. And it's great to be a part of that team. So speaking of entertainment, so I know that's your latest venture. Yeah, production. World of Production Entertainment.

26:06So let's talk about it. I know you have a big show with Alex Earle. Yeah. Coming out. Finally got greenlit on something. It's amazing. And currently we're filming the Black Coffee documentary right now. But I've pitched a lot. So it's me and Evan Rosenfeld. And we just partnered now with Wheelhouse. So we're partners with Wheelhouse on the production company. But right before that, I had pitched a lot of shows and a lot of shows. They were like, no, it's not right now. What makes you want to get into entertainment? Because being in Miami, I come across so many amazing characters that I feel like their story needs to be told.

26:36And knowing Alex and Alex's world, for me, it makes all the sense in the world for great TV. And convincing her and her entire family to want to do a reality show or a docuseries, sorry, was not the easiest. I had to like FaceTime a couple of big friends of mine to have them convince them. Right. And then this Ben Winston who runs Falwell, who I just know does such a great job. Ben didn't know Alex at the time. I just kept pushing Alex. I'm like, Ben, trust me. This is the one. And then as he did his research, he's like, she's the one. And finally, so we're partners on producing the show together.

27:11Three different streaming services made offers on it, but we went with Netflix. And I'm so excited for the world to see the Earls. Yeah. Because it's not just Alex, it's the whole family. And they're all such great characters. So cool. Yeah. First of all, it's amazing what she's created. But I think you're going to be equally amazed on what the rest of the family does. And, you know, Kim Kardashian obviously wrote the forward to your book. Of course. They kind of set the tone and the roadmap for reality TV and how it can help you branch big time into so many different ventures. Of course. I mean, look, they've used that as a platform.

27:44And, you know, there's so many superstars in that family that have gone on to grow their own brands. Yep. Which is incredible. Yep, Kylie and Cam and Kendall. I got my cloud protein popcorn last week. It's the best. And when something like that comes out, they know to send it to you and you're always getting stuff in the mail here and you're posting it and you're just building the network. Well, it's about supporting your friends. So I think whether it's a post, whether it's even just calling them saying, I got to tell you, what a great brand, telling other people about it. I think people's cheerleader is the greatest thing you could do in life.

28:14100%. So you got the entertainment venture. You have the restaurants. you have the nightclubs, you have, you know, all these ventures that you're doing. What's the pie chart of your day look like? Well, every morning from eight to nine, I do tennis. Every morning. Every morning, or I like to call it fitness because I don't overhand serve. Was that hard for you to carve out given your family commitments, your work commitments, and make sure that you do that every day? Because a lot of people don't take the time to do that. So I think it's important to you, you make time for. So that's by having a consistent time with that, that helps me kind of do the rest of my day.

28:47and I do meetings every half an hour to an hour, a lunch meeting. I do everything at my house though, to be honest. Really? Yeah. So every meeting's here, lunch is here. And then my kids come home like around between four and five and I take like an hour or two with them to try to be present, have dinner with them. And then I do my second job of going to visit my restaurants and nightclubs. Very cool. So to wrap up here, the book, take it personal. What made you decide to write a book and what do you hope readers will get out of it? I've been teaching a college course for the last five years at FIU Hospitality.

29:21The Dave Grutman Experience, right? The Dave Grutman Experience, yeah. Very cool. And the reason why I wanted to teach and the reason why I wanted to write a book is there was no blueprint for what I do back then. And I've been able to, there's a lot of stuff they don't teach you in college. And I think it's important that to be able to do what I do and where I'm at, there's certain things along the way that I made a priority. And I put that all in the book because I want to be able to give the next generation a blueprint of stuff they may not learn in school or just ethics and beliefs and relationships and how that really over time by playing the long game works out great.

29:57And it's not lost on me that you call the book, take it personal, because like you're inextricably linked to what you do professionally and who you are as a person. Some people, they're a lawyer. No one wants to talk about how they're a lawyer during the day and they're a different person at night. But you, it's all one. is that a part of why you wrote the thesis of the book behind take it personal well i think because i keep things so inside me that i take it personal and one of the best ways that i've ever learned was when i made mistakes someone came pretty truthful and hard with me and i it really resonated inside to me i take things so personal that that's why i think i'm successful yeah i mean speaking of which there we have a lot of younger listeners the podcast and there's probably very few that wouldn't want to have the career trajectory and the life that you built for yourself.

30:43You know, you have a beautiful family and a great career and you're well liked and you have incredible experiences. What piece of advice would you give to younger people starting off on their journey so they can essentially realize their potential in life like you have? I mean, I think for me, I go into every interaction as a win-win. And when you just go into it, like you want to do good for somebody, it comes out great. And I always see, how do I make this? Not keeping your score, not thinking what you're going to get back at. No, no, I keep scoring in Fennis, that's for sure. There's a guy named Cedric Gervais that, yeah, he's a terrible tennis player.

31:17No, listen, I think when you go into something and your ethics and beliefs is something just for yourself gain and not for the other person, it pays off 10 times over just to do good for that person. And I think that's what's helped me so much in my life. Amazing. So to wrap up here, we always ask our guests, there's a saying or mantra. I know you have your tennis thing. We make everyone else say a mantra, so I'm gonna make you do it now. What's a saying or mantra that's encapsulated your career or professional journey today? I mean, I really just wanna bring it back to the book. I wanna be, like, to me, guys, taking it personal is how you need to leave your life.

31:49I mean, take everything super personal, why that person's not in your restaurant. Take it personal, why things aren't going right, because you have to look at yourself when things aren't going exactly how it is. You need to change your tone. Well, we're gonna leave it with that. Thank you so much for taking the time. to walk through your journey. It's inspiring as I knew it would be. I'm wishing you nothing but success with the book and everything else you have going on moving forward. Thank you. Awesome. On behalf of Susie and every team, thank you again to the great David Grutman for joining us today live from South Florida.

32:17The King of South Beach is here and he has his new book, Take It Personal, which is available April 14th, wherever books are sold. I'm going to pick up my copy. Make sure you pick up yours as well. Be sure to subscribe, bring view the Speed of Culture podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, see you soon, everyone. Peace out. Bye-bye.

32:36The Speed of Culture is brought to you by Suzy as part of the Adweek Podcast Network and A-Guest Creator Network. You can listen and subscribe to all Adweek's podcasts by visiting adweek.com slash podcasts. To find out more about Suzy, head to suzy.com. And make sure to search for the Speed of Culture in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else podcasts are found. Click follow so you don't miss out on any future episodes. On behalf of the team here at Suzy, thanks for listening.

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