From the Streets to Private Jets with Nehemiah Davis

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Do you believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to?

You might believe that your circumstances or your environment are the reason you can't achieve your goals and dreams.

If you knew the first step to achieve those goals, was to simply believe it was possible for you!

If you could follow in the footsteps of someone who had already achieved those goals and replicate their steps and their processes...

Would you take that first step and believe that you could accomplish that goal?

If you struggle to believe you can achieve your goals and dreams because of your environment or your circumstances, this is for you!

In this episode, I talk with Nehemiah Davis about how he overcame the odds stacked against him when he grew up in challenging circumstances. Nehemiah shares how changing his mindset allowed him to go on to create an eight-figure company and accomplish his many goals in spite of his challenging start in life, and shares how his first step to success was simply believing that he could achieve anything!

In this episode, Nehemiah and  I cover:

• Where The Seed Of Change Was Planted
• Why There's Another Way To Create Success
• What The Two Layers Of Financial Literacy Are
• How To Have Success With Event Space Rentals
• What Is True Success
• What Happens When You Give Back
• How Investing Creates And Sustains Wealth
• What One Piece Of Advice Can Change Your Perspective
• And… So Much More!
   

If you got value from what you heard here, please be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast! Bonus points for you if you write a review! ;) 

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— TRANSCRIPT — 

Dan Henry: (00:05)

Hey everyone, welcome to How To Think today. We have Nehemiah Davis on, who is the founder of the Circle Of Greatness. He's the author of, Step Into Greatness. The recipient of the Steve Harvey's, Good Neighbor Award author of three books. And you were actually on the Steve Harvey show where you proposed to your wife and you are the proud owner of an eight-figure company, even coming from modest, if we can say childhood you know, you didn't really have advantages. You didn't have any of that. And you still were able to come in. In fact, you know, from what I'm reading here, you had kind of a challenging life. I mean, your father was in prison for 30 years. Died in prison. You were kicked out of a couple private schools. Yeah. I mean, this is not a, it's not like you had like a good start. And so I appreciate you coming on the show today.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:01)

Happy to be here, brother.

Dan Henry: (01:02)

To share with us like how you, as you put it before we started, you created something out of nothing.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:07)

Literally.

Dan Henry: (01:08)

Thanks for coming on, man.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:08)

Oh, happy to be here, bro. Yeah.

Dan Henry: (01:11)

Awesome. So, so tell me about this. You, your father was in prison for what, 30 years?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:16)

30. My entire, since I was two, he committed murder. Well, allegedly, he said he didn't do it, but that's what they put 'em in life, life in prison for that.

Dan Henry: (01:24)

Wow. Wow. And, and so growing up, I imagine that was not the healthiest, most supportive environment. You're you're raised by your mother.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:33)

Yeah. I was raised by my mom and grandma, but they did such a good job at raising me meaning based on what they know and what they had. They did a phenomenal job. I never felt like I missed the father because they just did a great job. Like showing me different things. Now, again, they couldn't teach me about finances. They couldn't teach me about how to own businesses. They didn't teach me anything about those things, but just giving me the proper upbringing, my mom trying her best. Yes. But for the black household, we used to being fatherless households. It's not really, it's not nothing new. We're used to, you know, I don't wanna say dysfunction cuz every family isn't dysfunction. But a lot of times we didn't grow up with father. A huge amount of households are fatherless. Right. Especially my, in all my friends. So.

Dan Henry: (02:20)

And, and did you grow up you grew up in Philadelphia?

Nehemiah Davis: (02:22)

Yeah. Yeah. West Philadelphia born and raised.

Dan Henry: (02:24)

Born raise. Yeah. I know the song. So was this did you grow up in like a like lower middle class? Poor?

Nehemiah Davis: (02:32)

I grew up in the hood, like, so I grew up literally in the hood. Drug infested neighborhood, outside, they prostitutes around a corner selling drugs. My inspiration was to be a drug dealer because when I used to go on the courts play ball, I just watched them hustle Coke all day. I'm like, man, they had cars, they had money. They got all the, you know, I thought success was clothes. You know, clothes, jewelry, cars, cuz that's what I saw. And I thought that was my life until my mom got married. She moved to a different, better neighborhood in west Philadelphia, which was a more affluent neighborhood. And at that time, so funny affluent, that house was $65,000. That, that was how much the house was.

Dan Henry: (03:12)

You're the Fresh Prince.

Nehemiah Davis: (03:13)

Yeah. Fresh Prince. So I'm living large, but where it really changed my life did a three, well, 180, I always talk about 360, mean you turn into the same spot. But I moved went to a private school where it was only 30 African Americans out of a thousand people. And I used to see everybody go to school. They were driving to school, their parents own hospitals, they own all type of stuff. So my favorite quote, "Once your mind expands into a new concept, or idea it's hard to go back to it's original way thinking." So I saw these rich kids. I'm like, who said that? Oliver Wendell Holmes. So I saw these...

Dan Henry: (03:47)

Okay. That's a great quote.

Nehemiah Davis: (03:47)

Yeah. I love that quote. I saw these rich kids and like, yo, I can have that lifestyle. Although I was still being the knucklehead in that moment in ninth grade, a seed was planted that I could actually become more. That was the first year of my life where I was like, wait, it's a different, it's a total different world than the one I've been living in up to this point.

Dan Henry: (04:09)

Wow. So now you, you were working at a airport private airport at one point. And I...

Nehemiah Davis: (04:15)

My last job.

Dan Henry: (04:16)

So you, that's your last job?

Nehemiah Davis: (04:17)

My very last job. My 10th job.

Dan Henry: (04:19)

So you saw like the private planes and the millionaires and probably even the billionaires coming in and out. How did that affect you?

Nehemiah Davis: (04:26)

Bro, that was phase two. I had two turning points. Number one, being able to go to that school and number two, working at the private airport. Mind you, I had nine jobs that I got fired from. That was my 10th and final job. Every single day I would see millionaires and billionaires every day. I've been on Trump's plane. I got on this dudes plane, he got a 200 passenger plane converted to like a house. It's like a 737. Get on the plane, pilot, take your shoes off. Walking around white carpet, everywhere. Gold, everywhere. Gold sinks, gold toilets. Like this is a aircraft, TVs. I've been on the owner or the Cowboys plane. Bill Gates got off a plane, Oprah. I've seen it all. And I was like, I was the poop boy. I would go on the planes and remove the mess off of the planes. Like that was my job. But what it did was it showed me like, Nehemiah, you now could be a millionaire. You now could fly a private, like I didn't know that world exists. You and I talk sometimes about private jets and stuff, like.

Dan Henry: (05:23)

Yeah, yeah. You fly private a lot now.

Nehemiah Davis: (05:24)

I fly private all the time. Not all the time, but occasionally. So the funny thing is I told my boss, bro, I'm going to fly in this job when I get fired. I mean, I'm going to fly in this job someday. Took me nine years to do it, but eventually, I started flying out of that place that I got fired from all the time. But it started with that idea. I had a seed planted and I've just been a full time entrepreneur the last 14 years. I just find a way to make it work every time.

Dan Henry: (05:52)

Dude. That's awesome. That's so, so let me ask you this. Like there may be somebody listening to this right now who, you know, maybe they're not, maybe they don't live in the, in the slums, right? Maybe, maybe they're not. Or maybe they do, but maybe they're like middle class, lower middle class. They're, but they're just not happy with where they're at wherever they are in the spectrum. They're just not happy with where they're at and thought of, you know, flying on a private jet, I mean, I've, you know, we've talked before. You're always, I mean, you say you don't fly on private a lot, but dude, every time I talk to you're like I'm on a jet, you know? And so like the thought of building a business or getting to the point where you could just do stuff like that. I mean, you got, you got what? Like you got a blue Lamborghini, right?

Nehemiah Davis: (06:36)

I got, I got a couple. I got a Lamborghini truck and a car black, both black.

Dan Henry: (06:42)

I got over the Lamborghini thing personally.

Nehemiah Davis: (06:44)

I know you did. You had it years ago.

Dan Henry: (06:46)

I know. I was like, this is,

Nehemiah Davis: (06:47)

I enjoy cars.

Dan Henry: (06:48)

But, whatever. But, but the point is, the point is that to go from where you were, where you literally had prostitutes dealing drugs outside of your door to flying private, whenever you want with your wife and your kid, like what would you tell somebody who is sitting here right now hearing this who is in that position? Or maybe they're just like lower middle class or whatever. And they work at fricking McDonald's or whatever it is. What would you tell that person about believing that that is possible?

Nehemiah Davis: (07:18)

First, I'm gonna tell 'em there's another way, like the thing is you need to find somebody that went before you. When I saw you get a 10X award, I'm like, I can get one. I seen somebody that you also didn't come from. You didn't come from, I don't believe you came from riches. I don't know.

Dan Henry: (07:34)

No, I, I mean lower, lower, lower middle class.

Nehemiah Davis: (07:37)

Right. But you self made like

Dan Henry: (07:39)

Delivered pizza for seven years, man. Like that wasn't like a high school thing. That was seven years of my life. That was a chunk.

Nehemiah Davis: (07:46)

Right. And I'm sure you probably saw something that made a change. So for me, I'm telling people go online, find somebody. Google successful from my city. Like find somebody who's in that was once in your predicament. And if you see that they can do it now, you know, you know, you know, it's possible. I know it sounds a little cliche, but for me I find somebody who did what I did before and I find out how they did it. And I go see if I could replicate it or create some sort of way to do the exact same thing. So I would say, stay encouraged. Your, your, I always tell people your current situation, not your final destination, where you are, is not where you'll always be. You gotta make up in your mind that success should be your only option. You gotta find another way to do it outside of what you've been doing.

Nehemiah Davis: (08:30)

Cause what you've been doing have gotten you thus far. So start exploring other options. Investing, you know, crypto, we sitting here talking about, you know, crypto game. It's just so many new ways to make money. My biggest thing, Dan, I always ask I'm like, what if I would've gotten into crypto five years? Like start finding out what is that next thing? And I don't know what that is right now. I know we in the NFT space, we in the crypto gaming, but find out what that thing is and learn as much as you can and apply that information. And you can put yourself in a better position in a year or two.

Dan Henry: (09:02)

So if I'm hearing this right, I, and I was gonna repeat it back to you. I'd say that the first step is to actually believe it's possible. And maybe you do that by finding somebody maybe even geographically near you or, or just near you in terms of where you're at in the journey, who actually did make it so that you actually have the belief it can happen. Cuz if you don't have the belief that it can happen, you're not gonna go out and learn the things you need to do. You're not gonna go out and spend hours researching, reading books, you listening to whatever podcast you're not gonna do that. Like, you're gonna go out and you're gonna have fun, you're gonna hang out with your friends. You're gonna go play whatever. Like for me, when I was younger I played a lot of pool.

Dan Henry: (09:40)

So I'd go out for hours and I'd play pool just because that was taking up my time. But I could have been reading books. I could have been doing all that. And then when, eventually when I realized it was actually possible and it was a real thing that was, that was reachable that's what motivated me to go out and actually read the books and actually that, and then, you know, if you were to ask me when I was on my seventh year of delivering pizza, when I was, you know, putting up clocking in and I smelled like grease.

Nehemiah Davis: (10:06)

I didn't know it was seven years, like I kind of thought that was just a part of...

Dan Henry: (10:11)

Nah, dude. That was like my career dude.

Nehemiah Davis: (10:13)

That's crazy.

Dan Henry: (10:13)

I was like, one day I'll be like a manager of this store.

Nehemiah Davis: (10:15)

What, what did you see? That was like, what was that thing for you?

Dan Henry: (10:21)

I, you know, you would think that I'd be able to come up with some sound bite. That, oh, it was this moment, but it was honestly a collection of moments. Throughout my life, that one day they all came glued together at once. I remember one time. So, so when I actually got outta pizza, I started doing my own thing. I was actually a Carney for a while. I would travel with carnivals and I would do like airbrush tattoos for kids. And I had Cotton Candy and all this. And I, one time was at this family's I got hired to do a private birthday party at this very wealthy family's home. And I'm, I'm sitting there and I'm setting up my little cart with the airbrush tattoos and all my stencils for the kids, you know, because they want the different tattoos and I'm looking around and this was a child's birthday party.

Dan Henry: (11:09)

When I grew up, if you had a child's birthday party for like a 10 year old, maybe, maybe you hired a clown. But you know, some parents brought over some dishes that was it. They had literally this catering and entertainment company come in and set up all this stuff. They had like servants coming in and out. It was like insane. You know? And I was like, this is just a kid's birthday party. Like what are y'all doing? It's not like we didn't, he didn't graduate Harvard and be the first man in on the fricking Mars and stuff, you know? So I'm sitting there and I'm watching this and one of the the parents come up to me and they're like, Hey, do you have everything you need? And all this. And I'm looking around at all these nice things. And I'm like, yeah, no, I really do.

Dan Henry: (11:53)

I said, you know, you have a great home and this is a, I've never, and this was the first time I'd ever, you gotta understand. This is the first time I've ever been in a rich person's home ever.

Nehemiah Davis: (12:01)

It expanded your mind.

Dan Henry: (12:02)

Yeah. Yeah. Like, so like up until that point, I only seen it on TV. Oh, there's rich people. It was almost like this thing. Like you see space, you see the moon. And you're like, I know that the exist cause I see it on TV, I can see it outside, but I never been on the moon. And if you actually stood on the moon, you'd be like, holy crap. There really is a moon here. Like I feel like this is like, like a new level of awareness, you know? So when I, when that first time I was in a rich person's home, it made me think like this, that was like the first step.

Dan Henry: (12:32)

It made me think like, this is possible for somebody it's not just something I see in the movies. And so I just got really inspired and I looked at their bookshelf and I noticed that their bookshelf had a bunch of books. And as I did other parties, and as I like got into other situations, I noticed like all the same books. I just noticed patterns. They, people that were wealthy and successful, they talked a certain way. They asked certain questions. They lived a certain and I just started...

Nehemiah Davis: (13:01)

What's one of the books you remember on the shelves?

Dan Henry: (13:03)

There was books like, you know, Made In America by Sam Walton,

Nehemiah Davis: (13:07)

Walton, yeah. That's my favorite. Not my favorite, but a top one.

Dan Henry: (13:10)

There was that one, there was you know, Principles by Ray Dalio. There was just, and at the time I honestly would just look at the cover. And I'd recognize, yeah, I'd recognize the cover. And I just thought to myself, well, if there's a pattern to success and I'm seeing the pattern, maybe I don't fully understand the pattern, but if I go figure it out and I can get into that pattern, maybe I can be more successful. So that was, that was the first step for me to just try. Cause most people just don't even try. They're like, oh, you know, rich people. But if you actually try, you know, if you you'd be surprised, if you can pick up a book and learn more in one book by that millionaire, billionaire that you would in your entire high school, or sometimes even college education. And that's, that's a hard thing to say, cuz we're what we like to defend the education system in America. But in reality it kind of sucks. I mean, it doesn't teach you to be rich because if everybody was dude, if everybody was rich, the economy would collapse. So why would our system of education teach you to be rich? Why would it teach you to be successful? It wouldn't, it teaches you to fall in line.

Nehemiah Davis: (14:20)

Yeah. Crazy.

Nehemiah Davis: (14:21)

You know, it's so funny. I was having a conversation with somebody other I'm like there's two layers of financial literacy. You got the one layer of learning about credit learning about now it's a whole nother layer. You gotta learn about crypto NFTs, crypto. It's like a whole nother. It is like soon as you get that, it's time to learn. Like now I'm learning the hour, a day on crypto NFTs. I'm trying to study cuz I don't want to get left. And that's what happens is we get left cuz we're never told in schools, the entire lifespan of schools, we still don't know how to buy a house. We don't know what the five factors of a credit score. It don't make financial.

Dan Henry: (14:56)

Don't even know how to change, to fill up your air pressure tire. Like, you know? I mean they don't teach you nothing. They don't teach you how to balance your checkbook. They don't teach you what a PNL is.

Nehemiah Davis: (15:05)

We know Christopher Columbus though. We know we know a lot of things.

Dan Henry: (15:08)

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. They teach you things and they're like, they teach you the story book. I mean the whole Christopher Columbus thing, like we could go on about that and like nobody mentions, you know, the fact that there were a lot of people here before them, you know, but.

Nehemiah Davis: (15:25)

Story book stuff,

Dan Henry: (15:25)

Story book stuff, you know, feel good. It's like, that's like Dr. Suess. You know, and again, if you think about it, it's, you're in marketing, I'm in marketing, it's all marketing. I mean, if you create a culture where you make parents feel bad for not challenging the education system, then they feel bad. Then they send their kids to school and they create these little mindless drones that just sort of go with whatever the people who are influencing the educat system deemed. Right. Did I tell you about there's this place in St. Pete called the, the Library?

Nehemiah Davis: (15:59)

No.

Dan Henry: (15:59)

So they have these books that were printed in like 1905 and stuff like not reprints, like original prints. If you pick up those books and you read them and you read the same stories about history, civil war, the Wall Street crash, like all the things throughout history and you read those original books, you will find that the language, the tone and what actually happened is very, very different than what people say. And what people tell you today, because they want you to get angry about things that never happened or really weren't the way they were. And again, it's marketing, like, you know, the whole thing is meant to get you in the system. And when you're an entrepreneur, you're the type of person, like I believe a successful mindset is the most rebellious mindset. You know what I mean? Like you cannot be successful without being a rebel because if you conform, you are falling in line with the masses and the masses are not, are not built for success.

Nehemiah Davis: (17:03)

Yeah. You know, Walt Disney, his quote is observe what the masses do and do the opposite.

Dan Henry: (17:09)

Yeah. I mean, here you go. You know, I mean, that's so that's why for me, I thought like, what if we just took all the people who were the best mentors in the world. And we started studying their actual advice and put their actual advice into practice. And that's how I started trying to like live my life. Like, well, these people already figured out. So instead of just reading the quotes by these people, let me like dive into this and really think about it and really apply it. That's like, that's one of the reasons I started how to think, like, imagine like if you had all those mentors, but you could like break down what they meant by that and how to apply it. And that's, again, one of the reasons we started that app, but you know, I just, I think that a lot of people have to get their mind right before they get their checkbook right.

Nehemiah Davis: (17:58)

But here's the thing, you know, the problem though, Dan, we talk about mindset and the world we in and it's fluff. Like soon as you start talking about mind, get to the topic, I'm like, let me ask you a question, if you started that business and you've been stopping and starting, you think that's a mindset problem or a skillset problem? It's a mindset problem. So we never build a foundation right, it doesn't matter what business you start. You're never gonna be successful cuz you don't even have a determined mind. You don't even have a committed mind. So like I love the topic of mindset, but it's not sexy or cool, but this is, a huge amount of success is your mind, it's your mentality on making your mind up on, I'm gonna make this thing work.

Dan Henry: (18:39)

Well, you know, I think the easiest way to find out if somebody needs mindset work, is if they say they don't need mindset work. That means you need the most of anyone. I mean, think about all the greats. Think of about Tom Brady. Yeah. Like, who who's the greatest football, football quarterback, right?

Nehemiah Davis: (18:53)

Tom Brady,

Dan Henry: (18:54)

Probably Tom Brady. At this point there's no argument, you know? Who's the greatest golfer?

Nehemiah Davis: (18:58)

Tiger Woods.

Dan Henry: (18:58)

Okay. Who's the greatest basketball player?

Nehemiah Davis: (19:01)

They will argue between MJ and LeBron.

Dan Henry: (19:03)

Okay. Who's the, the the greatest female entrepreneur?

Nehemiah Davis: (19:08)

I don't know that.

Dan Henry: (19:09)

Probably Oprah

Nehemiah Davis: (19:10)

Yeah. She's sharp.

Dan Henry: (19:11)

But we can go on and on with this. Go look up every single time someone asks any of those people, what the secret to success is, they all say the same thing. They all say one phrase, literally word for word, they say the game is 90% mental. Right? Basketball's 90% mental. Golf, 90% mental. So when you say, oh, mindset's BS, let's just get to the topic. You're basically saying that you're taking all the people that have achieved the most in this world. At the top of every game, you take all the games you put 'em together in this arena, Hey, football business, this, and you're saying all the top people, the greatest of all time at every single solitary game all says the same and you know, better. That's it's it's crap. You know.

Nehemiah Davis: (19:55)

That's facts.

Dan Henry: (19:56)

So let me ask you this. Let's talk a little bit about cuz we, we talked about that you have an eight-figure business. And you know, you teach people how to start a business, in the thing that you are an expert in. And that is this, this, and I wanna hear more about this, this events based rental thing. Like let's dive into this, like, so, and we've talked about this before. Let me see if I have the gist right. All right? So you go and you rent a, like a retail space, right, or some sort of like commercial space. And instead of putting a business in there, I mean, you are putting a business in there, but instead of like putting your own business in there, you make it look nice and you create an event space. And then you have people rent it out for events, weddings, maybe book signings,

Nehemiah Davis: (20:42)

Book signings, seminars, workshops, repasses the list goes. Anything you can think of event wise, you do at your location.

Dan Henry: (20:50)

So a lot of people have taken the approach to real estate to up their game by instead of saying, let me buy this property and rent it out to at a year lease. They've upped it to let me buy this property and rent it out nightly on like Airbnb or something and go from this much revenue, this much profit to this much with the same property. Meaning you can, you can pay cuz you know the market's going up. And they always say like the person in, in our world, in business, they say the person who can pay the most for a customer wins. So it's almost like the person that can pay the most for a property wins. Because they're upping the game on how they make money from it. Would you say this is sort of similar, but in the world of commercial where you're, you're renting a space. And instead of putting an ice cream shop in there and making a little bit of money, you're doing an event and you're making a lot more money, would you say it's it's similar?

Nehemiah Davis: (21:42)

Yeah, I would say it's similar. And it's just, I mean, think about the ice cream shop. Well, you probably can make good money, but you need heavy staff. You're working there 12, 13 hours a day. How we do, we do the find, fund, automate. So when you find your space, your very next thing of course is marketing. Get it all set up. And we do something called a MVP process, which is Minimal Vehicle Product. You literally need a open space. Like just a we in your studio. You don't need anything else in here to have event space, you got a kitchenet, we got music, that's all you need. Right. And literally you're renting this location right here out for four hours for $700. You're going to do that on Friday. You're going do that twice on Saturday and you're going to do it twice on Sunday, right?

Nehemiah Davis: (22:29)

So the 7, 14, 20 that's 3,500 in the weekend, you do that over four weeks. What's that 30, thats $14,000 that you could potentially make on something that costs you three to 4,000 a month. All in that's paying your one employee. That's paying your one VA. Versus just hypothetically say you run an ice cream shop. You may make 15, 20,000 in a month, but at 20% margin. So you may walk away with a couple thousand verse five to $10,000 extra. So the idea is that you run this over and over again. One of my strategies that I teach my students is we get a church in there on Sundays that take our dead space. So churches right now, they don't want, they don't wanna just go open up a huge church. They one, don't have the capital. It just don't make financial sense right now, especially for them to use their location for Wednesday Bible study and the Sunday event.

Nehemiah Davis: (23:22)

So what they're doing is they're looking to go in spaces and just rent. So what we do, we charge churches a thousand to $1,500 just to use our space on Sundays. What are you doing Sunday morning from nine to 12 anyway, sleeping. You're not doing anything. So we are charging churches our dead time. So you're getting a thousand dollars from them. So they're paying 30 to 50% of your overhead. And then we had one other event, which is a small business event where we get 10 different, small business owners in there, like a popup shop. They all put a table in there with their merchandise on it. They all pay a hundred to 150. So you're making a thousand to 1500 once a month from them. And now you have two events that pay your entire overhead and everybody else getting your location, using the lockbox, they set up their own event and they break their own event down. And it is almost automated outside of you having the cleaning business, having the cleaner, then it is some people still like, I really wanna be hands on, but we just let go of the hands on approach.

Dan Henry: (24:21)

So do you mind if I like kind of like dive into this a little bit, maybe even try to poke some holes and you tell me. You know, cuz I really wanna understand it. You know, I'm a curious guy. So let's just say, I'm gonna give you scenario, right? Let's say I go and I rent a space here in downtown St. Petersburg. Or let's say I buy a commercial building. Because one thing I want to note is let's say, let's say you're already doing well and you need the tax deduction. You need that, that depreciation real estate. You can buy a piece of real estate, get that depreciation again, not tax advice, but I've heard people do this. But you get the depreciation and you know, instead of just owning it and renting it to a, a cuz like for instance, as an investor, my thing is if I buy a property and I want the passive income and I want the depreciation for tax purposes, I don't want another business.

Dan Henry: (25:16)

Right. So like I've had I've looked for some properties before where I find a hotel and they're like, oh, this hotel. I'm like, yeah, but I don't wanna manage a hotel. I don't want another business. So my question to you is, and I imagine people who don't even need a tax deduction, they just, they want passive income. They still have this question. How is this different than running a business? I know it's running a business, but how do you approach this in a way where cuz like where it's as passive as possible because I imagine that you still have to market it. You still have somebody meet them there. You still have somebody collect payment, make sure it's cleaned up. Like there's some things, it's obviously way less than owning an actual business where you sell a product,way less. I get that. But at what, like where are we at in the passive approach here and what makes it as passive as possible?

Nehemiah Davis: (26:06)

Yeah. It's funny. My buddy Paci says, what'd he say? The road to passive is not passive. So you do have to do some work in the front end. So I'm telling people like when you get started, you're gonna work that business for three to four months yourself. But what we do, we have one virtual assistant. They do the advertising, they can run ads on Google. They do all the bookings. They do all the contracts. They take all the phone calls, somebody in Philippines, they take all the phone calls. They do everything.

Dan Henry: (26:36)

Can I ask you a hard question? Probably a question that's gonna make me unpopular in this, in this world that we have now where everybody's hypersensitive about everything. Let's, I'm just gonna be real with you. I've hired VAs before in the Philippines and whatnot. And sometimes for certain jobs they work out. But a lot of times they don't and it's simply because, and I don't care. I don't care to offend anybody. They just don't speak the language nor the culture. I remember one time I had a VA who was doing some bookkeeping work and they asked, you know, what is this Starbucks charge? What is that? They didn't know what Starbucks was. So like, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Dude, if I lived in another country, if I were to go to like Turkey or something and I saw some stuff I had no idea what it was.

Dan Henry: (27:20)

I'm not expected to know what it is. So my, you on this, not to like derail your explanation, but like, like I'm gonna ask the hard question. Like how do you trust someone who doesn't know our culture, meaning American, you know, event, like, cuz it's an event space, right? Like there's certain type of events that we have here that maybe other, other cultures aren't used to, or it's different. Somebody who English is not a first language. They don't really know our culture as well as we do. And they're dealing with people who and you know, Americans. We, like to, we like people that speak English. We like, and not because we're, maybe some people are prejudice, but more, just the ease of doing business. You know, and understanding. And so like how do you, how do you manage that? Where they don't mess up your business? Because if you think about it, if you call two different companies and one company is, has somebody who cannot communicate as well as the other and the other one's like, Hey, how you doing? Hey, you know, how is, well, what a Buccs game? You know? Like how do you manage the difference between that? Where that doesn't become an issue with your business, where it still is executed and there's still, the customer still feels valued. Like you didn't just sub somebody out, you know?

Nehemiah Davis: (28:32)

So one of the things is one. You want to get somebody and again, your, your assistant don't gotta be from Philippines. You can use stateside. You could use Costa Rica.

Dan Henry: (28:40)

Yeah. Is it really just finding a good one? Like that's...

Nehemiah Davis: (28:44)

I was gonna say one, you need to get, 'em a SOP. They need to have a SOP.

Dan Henry: (28:47)

Standard operating procedure.

Nehemiah Davis: (28:48)

They need to do some trainings. They need to be listening to your calls and then practicing on their calls. And ideally you also wanna find somebody that got good English. So I don't hire a virtual assistant. Like one of my main virtual assistant I'm talking about, she gets paid bro. $3,000 a month like she's my, my people.

Dan Henry: (29:07)

Yeah. Cause most people, when they think of VAs, they think of like $5 an hour, $3 an hour.

Nehemiah Davis: (29:11)

Oh, for sure. Yeah. That, that's what it really is. You know? But you're still paying them fair because based on for them to eat for a month, one of my team members said it's like $50. They just get a bag of rice or something. But mine, she just bought a car bro. Added to her house. She's making 40,000 a year.

Dan Henry: (29:29)

So what do you pay these VAs?

Nehemiah Davis: (29:30)

So generally...

Dan Henry: (29:32)

Per hour, like, is it like a five, $6 number?

Nehemiah Davis: (29:35)

Yeah. Yeah. So

Dan Henry: (29:35)

Really? Okay.

Nehemiah Davis: (29:36)

It depend, I mean, it goes from, you go online jobs to that PA it goes from $2 an hour to $20. It depends on their skillset and what they want. But

Dan Henry: (29:45)

I'm saying for a good one that can communicate, they can speak good English,

Nehemiah Davis: (29:48)

Like, like $5 an hour. I mean, it could, it is. People do it for less.

Dan Henry: (29:54)

Geez. You can't even get somebody to flip burgers for $5 an hour.

Nehemiah Davis: (29:57)

But, but you know why, here's the thing about the reason why personally like VA and I hope, I hope I can't get in trouble for saying this, but I'm just saying the reason why you

Dan Henry: (30:08)

Don't even worry about it, people are gonna be offended. They're gonna find a way to be offended. Just say what you gotta say.

Nehemiah Davis: (30:12)

But, the reason why I have a team of VAs and Philippines, I got a team in America. I got a, you know, we equal opportunity employer, right? Yeah. But bro, they work diligent. They don't make excuses. Like they just do work, bro. Like I, my team, bro, I could tell you my main VA who gets three grand a month and the last five years working with me I've I can count on one hand how many excuses she gave me. And how many times she called out in the last five years, bro. She just find a way. In America, the excuses, they got options.

Dan Henry: (30:48)

That's the thing though. That's a hard pill for American workers to swallow. Because if you think about like, I've done that too. I've worked I've I've especially like it's software developers. Like a Ukrainian software developer. If they mess something up, they'll fix it and they won't charge you. An American will be like, oh well, you know, I gotta go here. I'm gonna have to charge you to fix it. But you know, I'm watching the football game. Like, I mean, that's the reality of it. You know?

Nehemiah Davis: (31:16)

That's why really enjoy the team that have that. Cuz they don't make excuses bro. And they willing to of figure now at any employee that you, you know, that no matter what, when you bring on, they need training, so you train them up over that month or two, but they take full responsibility. Like I barely talk to my VA who runs the event space stuff. Like she handles it, I got a manager talks to them and I'm out.

Dan Henry: (31:39)

Now I want, we need to preface this saying, this is like it on both ends. This is the majority of cases or, like the lion share. Not, not everybody cuz you know, you're gonna, I have to.

Nehemiah Davis: (31:50)

But you, you'll find bad ones too.

Dan Henry: (31:52)

Yeah. I mean I have people that work for me, both I've I've hired VAs that were terrible and I've hired people here regular Americans that were the best people ever. You know, but we do live in, we're starting to live in more of a global world now where, you know, it's, you know, you're getting a lot more people from the entire world working together, which I think is a great thing. You know, I'm just pointing out like if I was an entrepreneur which I am, but I'm saying if I was listening to this an entrepreneur, even though I might be too scared to say it, people are all like, you know, butt hurt about everything these days, that's still what I'd be thinking. So I'd like, I just wanted to ask that to make sure that I covered those people who were too scared to actually ask it.

Nehemiah Davis: (32:34)

Yeah. No, no. I think man, and here's the other cool thing. When you are providing work for people outside you finding, helping them feed their family.

Dan Henry: (32:44)

Yeah. That's true.

Nehemiah Davis: (32:45)

It's another good life. And you're, you're what, what we get, I wanna make clear. Sometimes you're paying a fair wage based on their economy as well. So if you are giving some, I know VAs that get $2 an hour, I don't pay any back, but I know some that get $8 an hour.

Dan Henry: (33:00)

Like I've paid some at $20 an hour.

Nehemiah Davis: (33:02)

That's what I'm saying. So they're eating well for their economy when their living costs may be a thousand dollars a month for everything. And if they're making four or 5,000

Dan Henry: (33:12)

And they, and in many cases, not all cases, but they work harder. Okay. Well I don't wanna keep jamming on that. So, you get the VA, but, but I understand that for basic marketing, understand that for talking to people. Taking phone calls I get that. But there's there's who, who somebody's gotta meet them there. Somebody's gotta clean the place.

Nehemiah Davis: (33:27)

Yeah. So, so one initially when you're starting, that's you. Meaning you, that is you cuz you gotta know how this business is ran, but ideally you get a manager or event person in place for anywhere from $10 to $20 an hour. And this one individual they're going to, ideally, I tell people to find somebody anywhere from 18 to 21. Just getting outta school, could work part-time, someone who looking to make extra money on weekends.

Dan Henry: (33:54)

Maybe they don't have to take care of a household.

Nehemiah Davis: (33:56)

Don't gotta take care of a household. But you know, paying a 'em upwards to 20, $25, you know, you know, you can make something happen with that. You know, I'm not telling you, you getting rich, but.

Dan Henry: (34:07)

So, you got a VA, a VA, you got a person that meets them there that actually handles

Nehemiah Davis: (34:11)

That one person you could get them to do multiple things. So that one person acts as the manager or a person who's running it. They're meeting the clients there. That same person also doing onsite contracts with a person they're doing open houses. So what we do the same individual who work our open houses also works our events. So open houses are just say Tuesday and Thursdays from six to eight, you are just there. You can come through, check out the location versus me. Dan, can you meet me at the spot right now for your appointment? And then you don't show up. Mm we do Tuesday and Thursdays. You can come here and meet us. We're there from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Dan Henry: (34:46)

Why don't you just hire somebody to, if they're gonna be there eight hours a day, like a full-time. Why don't you just have them do everything, why do you need a VA?

Nehemiah Davis: (34:53)

That's what I'm saying, but they're not there eight hours a day. They're like 15 hours a week because they're oh, okay. We're not don't you're generally not doing a lot Monday through Friday. Oh, I see. It's really a weekend gig essentially. So Tuesdays and Thursdays are open house. You still can have events on Thursday, but Friday that same individual may be setting. That same individual they're helping break down an event. They're like the transition person. And for the next event, they're cleaning up. They're they're sweeping, they're mopping and they're getting it right.

Dan Henry: (35:26)

What level do you have to actually like, is it like, is it's more self serve or like what level do you have to get involved?

Nehemiah Davis: (35:33)

Bro, it's self-serve bro. Cause in our contracts, what it used to be, I was setting you up. I was breaking you down. The contract says you set up the event tables are in that closet. Chairs are in this closet. You gotta return in based on the contract, you must return the venue back the same way we gave to you. So guess what the employee gotta do and just go do a light sweep and a mop wipe off walls, restock the bathroom, 30 to 45 minute transition. Next event. Do that same thing again. Once or twice a month, have a cleaning company, come do a clean, a deep clean for a few hundred bucks. But you are basically doing that yourself. So it's really a three person team or two max. So you got your VA, you got that onsite person. And if they had a manager, my mom is in Philly. So she happens to be the manager, but we have other people that work the location.

Dan Henry: (36:24)

So, so let me just ask this. I'm just, I'm running through, you know, I'm an entrepreneur, so I'm running through all the possible scenarios in my head. So let me just, let me ask this. So you probably aren't doing things like weddings.

Nehemiah Davis: (36:40)

Yeah. I'm not doing weddings. No, we can do weddings.

Dan Henry: (36:43)

These are like niche sort of...

Nehemiah Davis: (36:45)

Niche. Baby showers in and out. Book signings, in and out. Seminars, in and out. Popup shops, in and out. If you're doing a wedding, remember they have an event planner. You could do this two ways where you can provide all of that. I just do the, I do the hands off way. I don't, we not your event planner. We not

Dan Henry: (37:02)

Do you stick with one specific? Cuz I would imagine that you would stick with one like almost assembly line type of event so that everything is the same because you may need different supplies or tables or what not for different types of events. So do you like, okay, so when you pick a space, you might say, this space is for X meaning book signings, or this space is for seminars and you just like, so like let's say it's for seminars. You could provide a very basic PA leave it set up.

Nehemiah Davis: (37:29)

That's it. That's what you provide anyway, I teach you that. So you get a surround sound system. You get a projector, your MVP package includes surround sound system, a projector, a mic, right? A TV, hang on a wall, your chairs, that's it. Same setup. We set the 50 chairs up. You can go ahead and look at the screen. The person could talk up front. Baby shower, we line two tables down the center, last supper style. But ideally they set it up however they want because that's in the contract. So we don't even got, we used to do that ourself. We removed ourself, you set it up yourself, you break it down yourself. I want to do less work and make more money.

Dan Henry: (38:09)

Got it. So, this is, this is great stuff. So, for instance, for me, like, let's say I moved out of my rental here in, cause I'm in downtown, we're in the nicest building in down. And let's say I bought a place that I could do the same setup, but it was like also like a seminar room and I rented it out and I used it when I needed to use it. Like, I don't know if like it would be, I probably wouldn't get involved in something like, oh, come record your podcast or whatever. That's too. That's too much of a business. But like, you know, let's say it was just seminar. Right? how important, cause I'm in the thick of downtown. Right. If I were to buy something here, dude, it would be insanely expensive, rental even. I mean, this is, this small teeny space here is like six grand a month. Wow. Yeah. I mean I'm in downtown, you know.

Nehemiah Davis: (38:58)

But I recommend you go downtown.

Dan Henry: (38:59)

Right. But that's what I'm asking, like how important is location in this? And, and does it matter with the type of events you're doing? I imagine it wouldn't matter with like baby showers. But for seminars, like I would think it would have to be near Airports.

Nehemiah Davis: (39:13)

Seminars are, well, we're running micro event spaces. I'm not telling you to go get..

Dan Henry: (39:20)

Oh, I like that micro event spaces.

Nehemiah Davis: (39:21)

Yeah. You're not going to get the Wyndham. We looking for locations that are thousand to 3000 square feet that could put 50 to a hundred people in there. Cause that's on average how many people, we not doing a ClickFunnels conference. You need, you know, you need. We talking about a million dollar production. We talking about event a similar, a small like we run our mastermind, super small niche, 50 people in a room, set up tables and chairs, mic, run it. Like, it's more, it is more simple. If you any other way, now you talking about a production, you talking about...

Dan Henry: (39:54)

What's the most profitable type event that you could run with this method if you had to choose?

Nehemiah Davis: (39:59)

I mean, I like, I mean our number one event is a baby shower. So that's like our number. Yeah. People, well, one, you know, people having babies left and right. So that's our number one event.

Dan Henry: (40:09)

And now is that now, let me, I'm just gonna I'm on a fire em at you. So, so I would imagine that the baby shower thing is volume you. Cause I can't imagine dude, you can go to it's cheap to have a baby shower, right? Like my sister had a baby shower. She did it at a community center. It costs almost nothing. So like my question to you is for something like that, what are they paying for that? And is that a volume play?

Nehemiah Davis: (40:32)

Yeah. So for a baby shower there for my size is all based on your space. Base is 700 to a thousand. That's how much we rent the location.

Dan Henry: (40:40)

For baby shower?

Nehemiah Davis: (40:41)

Yeah. Seven...

Dan Henry: (40:42)

Per day?

Nehemiah Davis: (40:42)

Yeah. One, no six hours, four hour event, time, hour set up hour breakdown.

Dan Henry: (40:46)

Got it. Okay.

Nehemiah Davis: (40:47)

So that's base. That's what we're getting paid. My strategy is to do one event on Friday two on Saturday, two on Sunday. So we are running it like a machine. Twelve to four is one event. We got another event, seven to eleven.

Dan Henry: (40:58)

So that's 20 events a month?

Nehemiah Davis: (41:00)

20 events a month.

Dan Henry: (41:01)

And that's a thousand dollars per baby shower?

Nehemiah Davis: (41:02)

Thousand dollars. 700 to, and that's that's if you run it, like I'm running it. We ain't talking about what if you are providing all the decorations for them, but now that's when we go into a business.

Dan Henry: (41:13)

Yeah. Got it.

Nehemiah Davis: (41:14)

I don't want to go in the, I want to just give you my location. You go set it up, you break it down and I'm just making money and you're using the space.

Dan Henry: (41:23)

I'm gonna bust out my calculator.

Nehemiah Davis: (41:24)

Yeah. You good.

Dan Henry: (41:25)

So if you were to do

Nehemiah Davis: (41:25)

Dans really might, he might go do this.

Dan Henry: (41:28)

Well, you know me, man. But see, I gotta have..

Nehemiah Davis: (41:31)

How about you stay focused?

Dan Henry: (41:31)

Brandon is in the back right now going no. He's like, don't do it. Are you sweating back there? Brandon?

Brandon: (41:41)

No, this is actually interesting for like a, I I was wondering like for a gym space, you know?

Dan Henry: (41:46)

Uh oh, now, I don't have anybody to discourage me now. Now we got problems.

Nehemiah Davis: (41:50)

Yeah.

Dan Henry: (41:50)

Alright. So, hold on. So, let's say I get this space, right? Cause my thing is, I don't even, I'm gonna be honest with you for me personally, for most people listening, they probably care about the income for me. I'm just like, I need to buy something. I need depreciation and I don't want it to cost me money and if it can be lucrative. Great. So that's where my mind's at.

Nehemiah Davis: (42:06)

So I recommend for you bro, I would be doing a commercial building. All right. Triplex, commercial downstairs, or a 10 unit. I know you had a big unit, like a 10 unit or you had something I saw you put on the internet a couple years ago, but got commercial downstairs. Instead of you renting the commercial downstairs out to another entity, you run the event space play.

Dan Henry: (42:28)

See, I thought about.

Nehemiah Davis: (42:29)

That's what I would do.

Dan Henry: (42:30)

I, maybe this would be stupid, but cuz I love where I live. I love downtown. I was thinking like, what if like, like you ever seen these warehouses, they're and they're in warehouse districts. But they can get converted to like all kinds of stuff.

Nehemiah Davis: (42:44)

20, 30 different suites essentially. Yeah. You can do that too.

Dan Henry: (42:47)

So if you, but just let's stick with the baby shower thing, right. Let's say that you had 20 events that you could run, but let's say you're at 70% success rate, meaning 70% booking rate. So times that by 0.7 that's 14 events. Let's just say $700 per baby shower to be super conservative. Time is 700 that's $9,800 a month. Let's what do you think staff costs would be? And I'd be I'm obviously gonna be more cause I'm like 700 per when it's probably be more, you know?,

Nehemiah Davis: (43:20)

Let's just say staff costs cuz we run micro events, micro events. We are looking at, you could do one staff per event. So just call it, call it $200 a day, 250 a day. Just call it 250 a day and that's running two events.

Dan Henry: (43:40)

So that's 3,500. So where, where was I?

Nehemiah Davis: (43:44)

So that's 250 times 14.

Dan Henry: (43:46)

So 9,800 minus 3,500. So now we're at 6,300 profit.

Nehemiah Davis: (43:51)

You still got the, your over your rent.

Dan Henry: (43:53)

Yeah. Right.

Nehemiah Davis: (43:54)

So when you said 3,500, that was 250 times?.

Dan Henry: (43:57)

14.

Nehemiah Davis: (43:58)

Okay. And I, we, those numbers are a lot higher. Like I don't pay 250 in a day.

Dan Henry: (44:02)

Right. And I also time I'm just being conservative. I also time, I also said every event was 700, not a thousand. So like I'm, I'm lowballing like crazy.

Nehemiah Davis: (44:11)

It's 700 based on where I am at. If I'm paying 6,000 for this space, the event starting at a thousand dollars.

Dan Henry: (44:17)

Right. Right. Well that's what I'm saying. So like, so now we left with 6,300. What do you think the rent would be on that place?

Nehemiah Davis: (44:23)

The rent on that

Dan Henry: (44:24)

Where you're getting $700 per baby shower.

Nehemiah Davis: (44:26)

Oh the rent and the overhead. So just so you know, the, just the same bills you pay for your house that's for your event space, you're paying gas, electric water, wifi, and a million dollar insurance policy. So, so let's just say, say like call it 2,500. Okay. Call it three grand.

Dan Henry: (44:40)

So minus 3000. So basically that's 30. So, so you go, you rent a space and that's, this is worst case scenario based on your numbers, 70% booking rate, which is that low. Do you normally get?

Nehemiah Davis: (44:53)

No, thats fair.

Dan Henry: (44:54)

That's fair? Okay, so 14 events a month, the lowest possible, which a lot of people will buy the thousand and you're still making $3,300 a month completely passive. And you're not really doing much and that's just a space. Like, so if you were to, I mean, if you were to do five of those, right. That's like 16 grand a month. And again, this is probably a lot more.

Nehemiah Davis: (45:18)

Or, or you just, you almost could just double what you're doing in that one space. You're just working a little harder, but.

Dan Henry: (45:24)

Okay. So like I, so basically like that was the $6,300 is like or sorry, $3,300 a month was literally the worst case scenario. Like if everything went wrong

Nehemiah Davis: (45:34)

Yeah. And that's passive that's and then you still got your second floor paying your third floor, your fourth, you just making extra or you could just rent your downstairs to somebody else for 2000 and do nothing. But I believe you could get that number higher than the 3,300.

Dan Henry: (45:50)

Yeah. That was just, yeah, because if, if you were to actually go with a good month, you know, where you got a thousand, I mean now that that 1400 number times, 1000 sorry, 14 times 1000 is 14,000. You know, that's...

Nehemiah Davis: (46:07)

Minus your three grand, minus six grand, basically.

Dan Henry: (46:09)

Yeah. So now we're at 8,000 a month, you know? So like the difference between you getting a full rent and you getting that's a, you know yeah. So, so my question to you is, and you teach people...

Nehemiah Davis: (46:19)

And everybody who's event based, bro, they're not markers. So they're not even, they're not like we don't even push heavy Google ads and like we can. Like people not even pushing ads.

Dan Henry: (46:28)

So we, we just saw the difference between 700 and a thousand and all this stuff. I mean, what do you think is the best way to optimize that? To make it as high as possible? Meaning like is baby showers the best way? Or is it seminars or like what do you think the optimal way to get the most out of that would be?

Nehemiah Davis: (46:50)

I mean, to get the most is you're going to just do, add-ons like, Hey, you need extra hour. You're gonna charge for that. Hey, you need chair rentals. You're gonna charge for that. You need, so we're going.

Dan Henry: (47:00)

So this one thing could, so this one thing could go from

Nehemiah Davis: (47:03)

That's just them getting their room from you, bro. That's it and the chairs.

Dan Henry: (47:06)

So, so we did so that $3,300 a month profit that we just talked about. That's like unrealistically conservative. If you start doing the add, Don's an optimization. Now we're talking about 10 grand a month for just one

Nehemiah Davis: (47:18)

Location. But I don't think I can't dispose the exact client in anything. Cuz they said we signed a contract, but I got one person. That's one company using a space on our dead hour, Monday through Friday, they're giving us 11 grand a month, bro. Wow. What that's and they set everything up. They break everything down, theirself, all of that. And we still use it on the weekends for our events. So I'm saying what if on our, and this is our smaller space. What if during the weekend we do another 2,500 that's 10 grand a month extra plus there 10 that's 20 my overhead on that space, call it four, with the staff. And I'm I live in Atlanta. That space is in Philly. I haven't been, I don't even go to my spaces.

Dan Henry: (48:03)

What do you think the is? What do you think the biggest challenge to marketing is? Or is this, I mean, I imagine...

Nehemiah Davis: (48:08)

For you, it is no to,

Dan Henry: (48:09)

Well, not for me. I mean, I'm for the normal average person.

Nehemiah Davis: (48:10)

I mean, it's not even the challenge. It's just get some Google ads up, get some good reviews. The thing about having event space oftentimes is they're a lot of self marketing and repeat customers and a lot of word of mouth marketing with these things. So when people come back and use the space, cuz somebody will referred them.

Dan Henry: (48:30)

Yeah. I mean, I've seen stuff like this, not this specifically, but I've seen like, I mean post on Craigslist or Facebook and it blows up.

Nehemiah Davis: (48:38)

Yeah. We still recommend Craigslist. Facebook.

Dan Henry: (48:40)

Yeah. We ain't even talking about paid ads. I mean,

Nehemiah Davis: (48:42)

I don't Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, all these different booking sites, Pair space. Gigster you could go put your some 30 spaces right now and they'll rent it for you.

Dan Henry: (48:52)

So, this is like you and I know this because I've been through this, I've been through similar types of, you know, businesses and whatnot. And cuz I, I did like the events with the airbrush dude. I mean, this is like almost, you could run this as a zero marketing cost business because I never had paid ads when I did the birthday parties, dude, I just put on like all these sites you're talking about, people would just reach out to me. I didn't do no paid ads.

Nehemiah Davis: (49:15)

You know, bro, this is a good business for somebody looking to generate five to $15,000 a month profit, and get outta their job. They could be free from a job that you hate. Like they're bro. When I, this is my first money I made when I started this where I'm like, wait, you tell me, I just made $700. I didn't have to work. I just went, opened the door for 'em and this before this, when I used to set up your tables and chairs and help you out with trays like this when I was more, but I'm like wait, 700 bucks, bro. I walk in, set you up, break it down. I'm outta here in four hours. I get 700 and mind you, you leave during the time they're in there you go. Do whatever you're doing. I just come back at $700. It, it blew my mind. That's what made me just fall in love with pat making my money work for me. So I don't have to work for it. I'm like over with,

Dan Henry: (50:10)

Do you think, and this is a I'm I have to be selfish for just 15 seconds, because I'm gonna ask this for me. Like I'm trying to ask questions as well for our listeners, but I'm gonna be selfish for 15 seconds. Let's say I set up like some baller, just I'm talking about like ginormous video wall type of like crazy. Baller, ridiculous podcast set up. Like makes Grant Cardones look like, you know, the, the slums, like just, just, I go, I spend like a hundred grand just making it like pow. Right? Do you think, and then I like say, Hey, you know, you can come in and do your podcast. I feel like that sounds good in theory, but I just don't know if there's gonna be enough people that would actually pay that to make that a real thing. That's like,

Nehemiah Davis: (50:57)

They'll pay like you're about to interview with David Shands he just, he's opening a podcast studio with seven different sections in the building. Where does he live though? He's in Atlanta with me.

Dan Henry: (51:07)

Atlanta. Okay. See, I don't know about,

Nehemiah Davis: (51:08)

I don't know about St Pete, but you know, he's going to have a ton of people in there using podcasts.

Dan Henry: (51:12)

That's my ego talking like, Ooh, I like a big you, not that I can't afford it now. I just, I can't I'm like, do I spend a hundred grand on a huge video wall? Or do I put it in, you know, like crypto and I'm like crypto, you know? So, so I'm kind of like, but I feel like right decision as an entrepreneur and not, not make it a hobby is, is do something very repeatable. Like people have babies all the time. People can't stop bumping uglies. So they're gonna make babies and they need baby showers. I mean that, that happens more than weddings, you know? For sure.

Nehemiah Davis: (51:44)

For sure happen more than weddings. Yeah. Yeah.

Dan Henry: (51:46)

Yeah. I mean yeah. So like, I feel like that's the, is there any other,

Nehemiah Davis: (51:51)

That's just one event, bro. We talk, you talk, we I'm just telling you our main event booked. Book signing, seminars, people die unfortunately every day, youre having a repass a week, which are a it's just space available in 48 hours. I and they, you had no other options. Yes. So you,

Dan Henry: (52:09)

So, what other type of events besides baby showers are like really like, like creme de la creme?

Nehemiah Davis: (52:14)

So reasses are another popular.

Dan Henry: (52:15)

What's a repass?

Nehemiah Davis: (52:16)

That's when someone die and basically they need to use your venue to have like the ceremony. They also need to use the venue to have where they like, like a wake. I don't know if you call it a wake.

Dan Henry: (52:28)

They usually do that at funeral homes?

Nehemiah Davis: (52:31)

A lot of funeral homes don't have a space. Oh. So what they do when the funeral home, when the funeral is done, what they do is it, it is almost, it's called a repass, but it's like a after party. Like once the funeral is done, we go to the grave site. We all come meet and eat. They all go do at some event space. Right. So that's baby showers, book, sign and seminars.

Dan Henry: (52:55)

I feel stupid for not knowing what that is.

Nehemiah Davis: (52:57)

You know, graduation parties bridal, bridal showers, just it, bro. We love having events. People just event, especially after cold. When you got to come out again, like people just don't want to be in the house.

Dan Henry: (53:11)

So, you could stick to one. So like if you have a baby shower, right. A lot of times a not all the time, but a lot of times a wedding shower follows that. Gender reveal party,

Nehemiah Davis: (53:21)

Gender reveal. And after they had a baby shower. Guess where they had the kids first year birthday party at.

Dan Henry: (53:26)

Okay. So, so kids, birthday parties, baby showers, gender reveal parties, and

Nehemiah Davis: (53:32)

Re passes, book signings, seminars, popup art shows.

Dan Henry: (53:37)

But you could do all this in the same space?

Nehemiah Davis: (53:39)

Yeah. Why? Because we make sure one of the, the requirements I teach my students is make sure it's an open space. So right here we could come in here right now we could set up a book signing. You could set up a baby shower here for 20 people. You could set up a seminar for 20 people. You could set up a sip and shop.

Dan Henry: (54:00)

I'll get a different space. I kind of like my, I don't want anybody in my studio.

Nehemiah Davis: (54:06)

Yeah, no, no. I'm just, I'm using this for example, because it's a open space, blank canvas. You could do what you want.

Dan Henry: (54:13)

Got you. Gotcha. Okay. This is good stuff man. Like see I'm a serial entrepreneur. So for me, when I hear this stuff, like you would think you'd be like, Dan what are you talking about? You're doing so well, why would you wanna do it? But I just, I'm like, oh my God, you know, I gotta stay focused. Like I always tell people that.

Nehemiah Davis: (54:29)

There's still not. Like I said, if you don't want an extra 10 to 20 grand a month, I think it's worth doing it.

Dan Henry: (54:34)

Yeah. Well, I don't even want, I mean, I just want a, personally, I just want a piece of real estate that's to just, but the depreciation without it's worth it being worried about, you know, so, but that's cool,

Nehemiah Davis: (54:44)

All you need to do is hire one employee, a cousin, somebody who wanna take ownership of something you don't gotta give 'em owner, but give them a little bit of percentage of everything that they get on top of and you run it. They got give them that sense of this is yours. I'm gonna give you,

Dan Henry: (55:01)

I know a couple people who would actually love to do this type of business. They would probably really, really love it. It, you know, but this is cool, man. This is cool. So I don't wanna bang on that all day, but.

Nehemiah Davis: (55:11)

We banged on it, bro.

Dan Henry: (55:12)

Yeah, we did. We did, man. That's like a whole,

Nehemiah Davis: (55:14)

We never even talk about that.

Dan Henry: (55:15)

No. Well I think, you know, I wanna provide value and, and I like that. I ask questions to poke holes, you know, because I know that people think about it. Yeah. And they don't wanna ask the questions. So but I'll leave a link where we can

Nehemiah Davis: (55:28)

Yeah. We'll get you a link.

Dan Henry: (55:29)

For people. Cause I imagine you have like a, you.

Nehemiah Davis: (55:31)

We got a whole course and program for people. Yeah. And then maybe you have a video or webinar or something explains it a little bit more. Yeah. Cool. So we'll leave that in the description and all that. So let me ask you this, you know, what is what do you, you define as success and what do you think is a misrepresentation of what most people define as success?

Nehemiah Davis: (55:56)

Mm that's a good question. What do I define as success? I mean, most people define success a. I wanna say making money, man. Like when you don't make money, that is success. But for me success now, I think success is different from us success. My biggest thing of success for me is freedom. Being able to do what you want when you want, how you want. Hey bro, I could do the podcast tomorrow. I'll be in Tampa. I'm not, I don't have any restrictions.

Dan Henry: (56:25)

So did you fly private here?

Nehemiah Davis: (56:26)

No, I flew commercial.

Dan Henry: (56:28)

It's gonna try to get you.

Nehemiah Davis: (56:29)

I flew commercial. Actually. I got my mastermind in Puerto Rico. We flyin private, down there. Of course. But success to me is being able to spend time with my family. Like my mom is don't have to work. My wife don't have to work. My kids are in a good space. So I think for me, success is defined as freedom and mobility. Shout up my brother, Doug. That's what he says. And just being able to do what you want when you want. That's it's kind of cliche, but that's my definition. But I think success, the most people is just trying to make this certain amount of money. And as you know, when you start making the money, you realize like, it's you still got that empty void of like, what's next? Like I made the money. What can I do now? But it's like,

Dan Henry: (57:16)

Yeah, I will. I will tell you that, that I think you're, I think, you know, human beings are programmed from the very beginning of our exist and to survive.You know, like it started out with, I need to kill the bear or the whatever, and I need to bring the food into the cave. And it evolved, and I need to make money. I need to be financially free. I need passive income, yada yada yada. And I think what happens is, this is my take, and I'd love to hear your opinion on this. A lot of people argue over what means they argue over the definition. You know, if you say the definition is to be financially free, you'll have everybody and their brother coming outta the woodwork saying, no, that's not the definition. The definition is being at peace or whatever.

Dan Henry: (57:56)

Like they'll give you a conflicting definition because maybe money is not important to them. Right. And that's, that's fine. That's great. But what I think the definition of success is it is an ever evolving personal definition because when you, I agree, like when I was young, all I cared about was being able to not have to work for someone else. I mean, I must have delivered thousands of pizzas to people who didn't treat me very well. I mean, some people did, but didn't appreciate me. Like my, I was paying my bills based on other people's generosity. Cuz you don't make jack as a pizza delivery boy, you make it, you make on tips. And so like I just...

Nehemiah Davis: (58:41)

What's the highest tip you ever got?

Dan Henry: (58:43)

I there's this guy named Crazy Mike that you'd go to his place and he had all these monkeys and you'd go past the monkeys and he would always answer the door completely naked with a bottle of like, you know, rum or whiskey in his hand. And he called him Crazy Mike and he would give you like a hundred dollars tip and then he'd give you, like, he'd give you crazy stuff. He'd give you like a bottle of alcohol or a bag of weed or something, you know, like, and a hundred dollars. Good for like one little pizza. And we called him Crazy Mike. So that's probably the biggest tip I got. My, you know, you get weird stuff as a pizza guy, man. Like I've been flashed. I've had people try to invite me in for weird stuff.

Dan Henry: (59:26)

I mean I've had, dude I've had people give me food. I've had people give me Bibles and all kinds of stuff, you know? And I'm like, I just need, I can't give a Bible to my mortgage or not my mortgage. I didn't have a mortgage, but my, I can't give a Bible to the company. You know? So, anyway, the point is that I, my definition of success until the point when I was like about 30 was become financially independent and take care of my family buy, you know? And I did, I bought my mom a house. I bought my dad a house. I mean, I did like I, not only did I get the things that made me happy in term, I'm not gonna say make me happy, but not only did I get financially secured for myself where no matter what I could go wherever.

Dan Henry: (01:00:08)

I wanted wherever I wanted. However I wanted, I had a nice place. Nice cars, nice doctor from my son. All that, like I just bought my mom new, like a new dental procedure that for her mouth, like just any of that stuff taken care of.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:00:22)

It feels good don't it?

Dan Henry: (01:00:23)

It does. It feels great. Buy my dad a house, buy my mom, all that stuff. But then you, once you've achieved that and you're like 30, 35. You're like, okay, I got the, the entire second half of my life to go. And unless you want to build the next Apple, the next Facebook, which I don't want to do, you start to maybe your definition of success changes. Maybe it becomes a more personal journey. Maybe it becomes a more inner journey. Maybe you want to be more of a philanthropist.

Dan Henry: (01:00:48)

Maybe you want to impact more, but in a different way. So I think that when everybody says, what is the definition of success? I believe they're wrong in one definition. I believe that definition changes. And that definition evolves as you, you go through life and it's a very personal thing. But ultimately it comes to being at peace. Yeah. You know, if your life is in turmoil because you can't pay your bills or whatever. You know, stress it's a feeling of peace and that can be financial and it can be personal. But at the end of the day, it's a feeling.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:01:21)

I think the goal of a lot it's money until you, until you get it. Like, I just wanted money until I got I'm like crap, I got it. What's next? So I'm kind of where you at. I'm like soon, I think I got a couple more years of going hard though, but then I want to see what's next.

Dan Henry: (01:01:39)

Yeah. I'm just chilling now doing this podcast.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:01:41)

That's what I'm saying you chillin.

Dan Henry: (01:01:42)

I've been doing so you, you make the money with the event based stuff, but then you started doing what I've been doing for years and creating consulting and education business. You did very well with that. You know, and that's my other company, you know, GetClients.Com, that's what we teach there. And you know, so that's, you know, like that's my thing, my passion, I love teaching people how to educate. I love teaching people how to get clients for, you know, their way to impact and then for How To Think. I love teaching people how to think at a different level and just bringing other great thinkers together to, you know, expand people's minds.

Dan Henry: (01:02:22)

So that they can achieve more. So my stuff's like kind of turned into a passion right now, but again, that's why I say the, the definition of success evolves, you know? So let me ask you this. What, what is one challenge that, like this whole road, right? Going from living in the hood, as you put it all the way to having an eight-figure business, making millions of dollars, Lamborghinis, jets, all this stuff, you know. I mean, and I know, I don't want anybody to get it twisted. You have a very, very, just incredible program for children. Right, you have a charity, which do you want to just like in a minute, expand on that. You know, but you have, you do give, you have as great and as pronounced as the jets and the cars are, so is your philanthropy,

Nehemiah Davis: (01:03:12)

Bro. It's funny. You said my, I started with giving. When I, when I started my first business, 14 years ago was a fruit truck, bro. I was working my butt off seven to seven, not including yeah. Seven to seven sometimes earlier. And my mom was like, son, you making money. I was making $50 a day at best five, $10 profit a day, if that. At that you making money, we need to give back. I'm like what you mean? She said, we need to feed the homeless. We went and fed the homeless one Monday. I gave her $50 to go feed the homeless. I didn't go, came back done. I'm like, no way I went next week. I'm like, wow. We really gave all these sandwiches and food. I did that for the next seven years in my life or seven to eight. Every Monday, we were probably missed two, three Mondays in seven, eight years.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:04:03)

And we start adding all these other things to back to school events for kids, Christmas events for kids Cutting homeless people hair, like skiing for kids like I'm from the hood. Most inner city kids never been skiing. I take them skiing every year for the last right now for the last 10, 12 years, I take a group group of a hundred, 200 kids, skiing fully paid for that's cool. I've been doing those things for years. The only reason why I got on the Steve Harvey show won a hoodie award, the neighborhood award, because I was up against other people who gave back. I just, they looked at me as the one who gave back the most. So I built my brand really over these years, all of these interviews, everything ever got, it was because of the giving back piece. Never really the entrepreneur piece. It just happened to, oh, you you're an entrepreneur too, but I've been giving back kind of forever because my mom ingrained that you need to get back. You need to make a difference. Last few years, I haven't had my foot on the gas with giving back publicly. Like we're giving back every month to different charities, different things. But I'm about to get back to the world, actually seeing it so they know I'm doing it but.

Dan Henry: (01:05:07)

Do you ever feel like, cuz like I do some stuff, but I never like try to mention it. I get this weird feeling like as soon as I mention it, it devalues it because it, yeah, it, oh, you know, it makes your brand look good because you're charitable and maybe more people will, you know, like you or buy from you because you're charitable. And I sometimes feel like I don't mention the things that I do because I don't want it to taint it. You know? I don't know if you feel the same.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:05:34)

Yeah. So for me the last couple years I stopped sharing things. I just get back to so much stuff, but lately we kind of share, you share for two reasons and maybe this could change your perspective. One, it inspires others to do it. No matter what we do, as you know, you always, the one has somebody who got an opinion, whether good, no matter what you do, that's true. It's always gonna be somebody who dislike like it. For whatever reason, there's always gonna be someone who like it. So when we're giving back, we sharing it with others cause we want you to go do that. When we went, we went and shut down a grocery store spent 20, 30,000 on groceries as a group, we did that we didn't even have a cameraman that day, a cameraman happened to come last minute, capture that and went on CNN, went crazy.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:06:17)

But guess what? The next week, the next month, we saw 20, 30 people do that. It was a ripple impact that a lot of people did it. So I feel like when me giving back for the last 14 years, all these annual events in Philly, I watched 10 people start doing it 20. I can't do the whole Philly. Meek Mill's about to give $500,000 worth of toys back to the community. I'm not the person who helped him do that, but he might have saw it somewhere or he got the money and like, yo, I need to do that. So his act is now going to get someone else to do it. Now I'm like, yo, I need to go back to Philly this year to do it. Cuz I see Meek doing it.

Dan Henry: (01:06:55)

You almost feel like it's like you could issue a challenge to other entrepreneurs, you know? Cause we, we were gonna I had this idea, we had this idea that we were gonna like rent out a movie theater for the new Spiderman movie. And I was gonna bring like the company and all this, but then I was, but see you can't rent them out. But even close to the time they come out, they just won't let you cause it's, it's such a big movie and it's so I knew that like virtually everyone at my company was gonna go see it before then. And I was like, well, you know, but then I got a message from somebody. And they, I normally dude, I get like so many messages, you know, but I happen to see this one and they were talking about they have this organization it's local and it's where kids are they're in foster care.

Dan Henry: (01:07:40)

But they're like in a, I don't know the details exactly. I gotta reread the message, but basically they're like past a certain point of foster care where they're not with a family, they're like sort of taken care of, but they're not with an actual family. They're like in a, more of a group setting or something and they just don't get a lot of opportunity to do anything normal, you know? And so I thought about it and I was like, well how cool would it be if, instead of me renting out the movie theater for, you know, my company or for my friends. I rent it out and bring like, I mean, what, I mean, I don't know how many people a movie theater can hold. I imagine like a hundred, you know, but bring them all to like all, to see the Spiderman movie.

Dan Henry: (01:08:23)

Cause they're not gonna get an opportunity to see that anyway.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:08:24)

When it come out, it's about to come out or?

Dan Henry: (01:08:26)

Yeah. So they, they wanna do it in January. So it's about to come out. So it gives time to cool down. Cause they won't even rent the movie theater out until, you know, but like bring 'em all in there and filling the whole theater up. I just thought that would be cool to allow them to achieve or to experience some sense of normal. Like you should not be a kid 10, 11, 12 years old and not be able to go see fricking Spiderman. I mean, what kind of like, you know what I mean? Like, like that's just, I mean, I get that and don't get me wrong. Like we did some stuff over in Africa where like there's water wells and for, do you know for like three grand you can...

Nehemiah Davis: (01:09:06)

Do a well. I'm the one in February.

Dan Henry: (01:09:07)

Yeah. We put my son's name on it. Like you can literally bring like 5,000 people water for like two or three grand. It's insane. And so I understand that there's ways to give back for a more practical, like water, food, but there's, there's kids even still who, who have that they're in systems and they have that, but they don't get to experience something that we might take for granted. Like when's the last time you didn't go see the new Marvel movie. When's the last time you didn't go see the new, whatever movie?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:09:33)

We take a lot for granted.

Dan Henry: (01:09:34)

Yeah, we do.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:09:34)

Bro. I get up and I just be like, thank, thank God. Like cuz walking, bro, talking, like these things is we already millionaires even if you don't have the money, if you wake up with your health, like your strength, like that's, I'll be trying to be cog, cog, whatever that word is. I'll be trying to,

Dan Henry: (01:09:53)

Cognisant. Yeah. It's hard for me to say too.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:09:55)

Some words I can't say that's one of the ones I struggle, but I just be trying to be mindful of how blessed we really are outside of, you know?

Dan Henry: (01:10:02)

Yeah. No, absolutely. It's it's you don't think about, and you also don't think about how what's something to you, which could be a normal dinner that you might go to could be something so impactful to somebody else. You know, like could just be insanely, it's almost like, you know, people who are struggling, but they smoke cigarettes. They don't realize that if they stop smoking cigarettes at $10 a day, they could pay for this other thing that they really need and that they really would change their life. They don't think about that.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:10:35)

$300 a month.

Dan Henry: (01:10:36)

$300 a month, you know.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:10:37)

$3600 a year.

Dan Henry: (01:10:38)

Yeah.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:10:39)

It of course that can change your life.

Dan Henry: (01:10:40)

Plus all the saved money and health issues and all that. But what I'm saying is, is like we take for granted, what is this big to us, but could be this big to someone else. You know, and I know me personally, I think that it's important to always strive to get better at that and be more aware of that. And so I understand your point is I guess for me the thought of sharing, devalues it and taints it. Because I just, I don't, I want to feel comfortable with the fact that I'm doing it for the right reasons, but now I'm putting my comfort over the actual end result, which would be, even if I just inspired or any of us inspired one person to do something similar at the end of the day, more people would get help. So I'm you put that in perspective for me.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:11:34)

Other Marketers might be like, wow, I saw Dan do that. I gotta do that for my community.

Dan Henry: (01:11:38)

Yeah.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:11:40)

Bro, you just said, whenyou talked about the movie thing. I'm literally like, I need to do that. In my mind I was sitting here doing numbers. Like what theater can I, should I do this in Philly? Or should I do it in Atlanta, but I wouldn't have thought to do that if you just didnt say that in that very moment.

Dan Henry: (01:11:54)

That's a great point. That's why I love having these conversations.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:11:56)

There's still people that are gonna say, Dan, why would you do, no matter what we do somebody gonna say something. So now I don't care. I'm gonna go do what I gotta do.

Dan Henry: (01:12:06)

Oh, no I like that. That's well, that's why I like to have these conversations teaching people how to think man. Yeah. That's good. So let me ask you this. What, what's one challenge as an entrepreneur, a successful eight-figure entrepreneur that you are, what's one challenge that you experienced that you did not expect when you started?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:12:25)

One challenge I experienced that I did not expect. One of the challenges that I'm experiencing now is just investing the money that you make. Like it's you accumulating it now I gotta find a better way to grow it. Like I gotta grow it faster. Right? So that's the challenge that I never thought I would've had a problem of once you make the money, how do you make more of it or not more of it, but one of my goals is how do I get passive income, that equal active income. So that's something, you know, Myron talks about like how do we make our passive equal our active. So I don't know if that's a challenge, but I'm just trying to find a way to just keep getting better. I want to, I don't want to have to go out to work if I don't want to. I want to know that enough passive income is coming in to that a substantial ammount is coming in to make sure I'm good forever.

Dan Henry: (01:13:16)

Can I give you my sort of take on that? So I have this buddy, Eric, I had him on the show, Eric Toz. Right. And he...

Nehemiah Davis: (01:13:24)

I know Eric Toz.

Dan Henry: (01:13:26)

You know, Eric, do you? Yeah, he was

Nehemiah Davis: (01:13:27)

No, we was at an event together. So was he at Inner Circle or something?

Dan Henry: (01:13:31)

Dude, we're all in. Yeah. Whatever, you know, we're all in all the things. He owns, he owns a company that and I've been to his factory here. He owns a company that does customized jewelry and they're gonna do like a hundred million dollars this year. Or they did like 66 million, a hundred million dollars next year. The company's worth like hundreds of millions of dollars. Right. But he doesn't take like, for me, like I'm, I'm in a different field consulting. So like my company, I could probably never sell it for hundreds of millions of dollars or even close to that personal cause it's a personal brand. But every month, the insane amount of cash I get is just disgusting. Right? Yeah. So with him he takes a much more modest salary. He lives a much more modest life.

Dan Henry: (01:14:20)

Not by choice, just because, well, by choice, but just because he just doesn't that's it doesn't pay to build up a manufacturing kind of like in the short term, but when he sells that company, if he ever does, he's gonna make me look like a pauper. Like he's gonna be like, he's outta here. You know? And he's such a great guy, cuz like I, we were talking about this the other night I had him over watching the fights and he was just like, yeah, I wonder what my next thing I'm gonna build is? I'm like, bro, I'd be gone. Like what are you talking about? $200 million, 300 million, hundred, 50 million, 20 million. You know, I not saying that's what he would make, but I'm, I was just, I'm guessing, you know, I'm, I'm guessing that if he sold a company like that or if anybody sold a company like that, they'd probably make hundreds of millions of dollars in my opinion, you know, I've never asked him.

Dan Henry: (01:15:03)

But my point is that, you know, he's doing what I consider to be extremely noble delay. And I know a lot of people that have companies like him, it's delayed gratification. You know? And when he, you know, when he cashes out, if he ever does or anybody that has a company like that, they're gonna make a lot more than people like me, but I have a different approach. So my here's my approach. And cuz we're in, we're in similar spaces, right? We're personal brands. We sell high end, you know, consulting and we sell education and stuff like that. And you know, here, here's my view on that. And this has always been my thing because I have a high cashflow business. And again, this is why I own, this is why we teach people to do this at GetClients.Com is because I like to teach people how to make that, because not many people are to spend 3, 4, 5 years grinding it out to then get a 20, 30, $50 million.

Dan Henry: (01:15:56)

Like they need help now, you know? So that's one of the reasons why my heart is close to that. But anyway, we make a ton of cash flow every month from selling consulting, from selling, you know, education and coaching and all that. And I take that money and I invest it immediately. Right. So, I mean, there was a point where every month I was loading up six figures a month into investments. So to me, I'd like to think I'm doing the same thing, but in a different way, because imagine for a moment, like I got into crypto back when was like 18 grand. Ether was like $350. So imagine for a moment. Yeah. I get it. You don't have a company that you can really sell for a crazy multiple, but imagine you dump you, you have a company that makes you a ton of money in the short term.

Dan Henry: (01:16:46)

You take most of that money cuz if you make a hundred grand a month in, let's just say you make a hundred grand a month in actual profit. You gonna spend a hundred grand a month? What are you gonna do with that? You know, you gonna leave it in the bank every day. The dollar goes down to value.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:17:04)

Don't remind me.

Dan Henry: (01:17:05)

Okay. So imagine if you took that money and said, you just kept dollar cost averaging, tucking it into something like crypto. Right? Now I'm not giving investment advice here, but then in a year or two years or three years where that money would be extremely devalued because of inflation and just the printing of the dollar. Now that's even 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 X more than you had. You know, now you start building this crazy investment portfolio.

Dan Henry: (01:17:32)

Or even if it was real estate, whatever, you know? That's been my approach because I just personally, for me, I'm not, I'm not that type of person that's gonna delay gratification. Not because I, I need gratification now. But because I just don't like the stress of owning a big machine that you could work 4, 5, 6 years at. And then let's just say something happens. And all of a sudden, your multimillion dollar exit that you had planned because of anything. You know, regulation, pandemics, whatever, all of a sudden, boom, it's gone. You know? And that's what I think about.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:18:11)

One of the things that helped change my mindset was two things. One of my man Rashad said, yo, one of the things is getting the money. But the other, the other thing that most people don't do is invest the money. And you and I were at Eddie V's one time. And when you said, how, yo bro, you like, yo, I got X amount to my name.

Dan Henry: (01:18:28)

Yeah, keep it to X. Oh, I remember what I told you.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:18:31)

But I'm saying it was a number that I'm like, yo, this dude's making so much money. What do you mean? But it's basically you like, yo, I invest all of my money. And at that time I'm loading money in the bank and I'm like this dude is...

Dan Henry: (01:18:42)

Yeah, so to put it in perspective, cuz I I'll share this. So we were sitting there talking cuz we were at a mastermind for speaking. And we were talking like I was getting an award for a million dollar day when I did a speaking event, I made a million bucks in a day. So like the context of the conversation. And I think you asked like how much you just randomly asked me, like how much money do you keep in the bank? And I was like 60 grand, you know.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:19:04)

Yeah. I was like, yo, I'm like that messed me up though. I'm like, I'm storing all of this money. Now, let me context y'all. I'm storing some money in the bank, whatever the number is.

Dan Henry: (01:19:17)

Yeah. whatever it is. Yeah.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:19:19)

But, still to, I'm not investing enough of my money. That's why I'm I told you, I do this. Like I'm trying to invest all of the money now. I don't want nothing in savings.

Dan Henry: (01:19:27)

Well, just keep in mind though, you know, from one entrepreneur and another investor that at the end of the day I don't invest all of it. Okay. And I diversify like crazy. But the thing about it is, is that, you know, for me you have to accept risk, right. Because there's a ton of risk with any investment. I've lost a million dollars in an investment. But it also made a lot more than that.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:19:54)

Wow. You lost a mill in one investment?

Dan Henry: (01:19:56)

Two, two. $700 in one and $300 and another.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:20:00)

Wow. Tell me what that was later. So I don't do it.

Dan Henry: (01:20:02)

It was just a deal where there was some back alley BS and it was like a very unique, rare situation. And then the other one, I had hired some options, traders, professional options, traders, and they just did a bad job and you know, and so I found my stride in crypto and in certain ways of investing. And I follow a lot of guys. Like, I follow Alex Becker, guys like that. And I just, I also have a macro view on it. Like I know dude, I mean, people talk about NFTs, right? And most people, when they talk about NFTs, they miss the point. They think it's pictures. Has nothing to do with pictures. Has nothing. People are saying stuff like, well I could just right click and save the picture.

Dan Henry: (01:20:46)

Like you say that you have zero idea. What NFTs are. You don't even know. Like the thing is NFTs eventually will be the thing that allows you to go to a baseball game, that allows you to go to an event, that allows you to have access to, imagine there was one thing that would allow you access to anything in life. That's where NFTs are going. It's all in the blockchain. You know what I mean? Because there's too much room room for error in other ways of doing things like the blockchain doesn't lie. If you own the contract, if it's in your wallet, if it's on your whatever, that's it, there's no customer error. There's no O argument over that. It is what it is and that's, what's great about it. And so that's where the world's gonna go. And so I know that, and I also know that like there's certain coins and like, yeah, you can gamble your money on like small cap coins and like gaming crypto.

Dan Henry: (01:21:37)

And you'll probably win, you know, but there's other safe investments that, you know, that, that those like Ethereum dude, like there's no way that in a year or two years, Ethereum is not gonna be higher than it is now. I mean, maybe, maybe, but just researching everything and knowing where the world is going, especially after the pandemic. And how markets react to things like just what's happening in the world. It all points. And then the whole metaverse thing. I mean, dude, even if the metaverse wasn't gonna be a thing, the fact that Facebook said, Hey, we're, we're throwing our hat in now it's gonna be a thing, no matter what, you know? So it's just one of those things where yes, there's risk. But to me, I almost think it's far riskyer investing in a company, then it is investing in, in some of this stuff.

Dan Henry: (01:22:28)

So the other thing, my view on it is that never invest money that if...

Nehemiah Davis: (01:22:34)

You can't afford the lose,

Dan Henry: (01:22:34)

Right. But more but more importantly, that's why I combine a cash flow, positive business with investments. Because right now, if I lost every investment I had, I wait one month and I'm still richer than 99% of the people on the planet, you know? Like that's, and I'm not saying that from like a brag, man. I'm just saying like anybody, like, even if you just had a really profitable, I don't know, ice cream shop or restaurant and maybe had a chain, whatever, whatever the business is, if you are financially stable, the rule is this only invest most of your money cuz you that's what you said to me. You said you invest most of your money. Here's my equation for that only invest most of your money. If you have a cash flow business that is so good that you only have to wait one month to be good again. That's the equation. If that's not true, don't invest the lion share of your money. That's it. That's that's you can't lose doing that. I

Nehemiah Davis: (01:23:31)

Agree. And it's funny. I, when I'm in Becker's mastermind and he was just like, like, yo, what do you just give up your cash flow business? No, you keep that to build your software. But you, you keep that thing, that machine working while you're building that other thing.

Dan Henry: (01:23:45)

Yeah. And, and it's a safety net cause if you make a dumb move and you lose a bunch of money or the markets go to crap, you get it back, you get it. You just, I mean, from a basic survival standpoint, you're good with one or two months on your business. You know, but dude, it's so hard to lose everything with investments. If you diversify. You know, you got some crypto, I mean, you, you could just invest in crypto and have so much diversity inside of that world. There's a ton, but it, you know, crypto, real estates, real estate.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:24:17)

Stocks.

Dan Henry: (01:24:17)

You know? Yeah.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:24:18)

You like stocks or no?

Dan Henry: (01:24:19)

I used to man. I just, I know I, one thing I'll say is it's good to primarily invest in things that you know. I just know crypto a lot better than I know stocks. Like you start talking about all these things with stocks and I know a little bit, but you start talking about it with crypto and I just, I know it better and I'm more comfortable with it cuz I'm more in the I'm. Yeah. I'm not sitting there in, in stock trading forums all day long talking about this stuff, but I am in discords and things like that. So it's just more what, you know. But anyway, so anyway, past that ramble let me ask you what's a piece of advice, a harsh, no holds barred, not holding back, no zero empathy, real raw piece of advice you would give to a young entrepreneur or anybody trying to be successful, that's trying to make it. What, what would that advice be?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:25:19)

Commit first, figure out the rest later start and stay started. I'm tired of so many entrepreneurs, just always got all these excuses of why it won't work, make it work. Like I don't have a option. I don't have a retreat button. I'm mentally unemployable. When I set my mind on the target, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to go get it. And once they adopt that, start working like you going to die tomorrow. And when you, when you act as if you don't got a lot of time, you start more moving at a different rate. If just say we are in December, right, when this is when we're filimg this, I'm not sure it's airing, but just say your time is up on 12/31. You gonna be moving differently. You're about to spend time with your family. You're about to set up businesses. You're about to just work on leaving some sort of legacy. You gotta act like every single day, like tomorrow is your end. And I believe if entrepreneurs took that mindset every single day, they going be maxing out and doing whatever they gotta take to become successful.

Dan Henry: (01:26:16)

What do you think the, what do you think the biggest excuse that people make about not being able to be successful? What do you think the biggest excuse is when people aren't successful and what would you tell 'em?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:26:31)

I mean, most of the biggest excuse is, people don't believe in me. That's the biggest one. I think people's environment and their belief system. You gotta beef up your belief system an your enviornment. You gotta put yourself in the environment of people or books or core something that can change your, your viewpoint. And you just gotta believe in yourself. Like I got superior belief in myself that I'm going to make it work. I don't know the level that I'm gonna make it work, but I know I'm gonna be successful cuz I'm not giving myself an option. I tell people all the time, most people are like actors, they move to LA and they be like, yo, I'm about to pursue acting. But if it don't work out, the moment that you say, but if it don't work, you telling yourself, you don't even believe in yourself. So you gotta find a way to adopt superior belief in yourself and don't retreat till you hit the target burn the ships.

Dan Henry: (01:27:21)

Yeah. That's that's awesome. Can I ask you, can I see a touchy question?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:27:25)

Yeah. Yep.

Dan Henry: (01:27:26)

All right. So you obviously have a large, cause I've seen your following. I've seen your Instagram, you have a large following in the black community. I mean that's where you, you know, like you said earlier, you came from a fatherless home, like that whole thing. So let me ask you this, and I'm not gonna weigh in on this. I just wanna hear your answer. When you hear, cuz I've been at seminars, I've been at masterminds and I've heard this a lot and I don't know how to feel about it, so I'm asking you. When somebody, when a up and coming entrepreneur in the black community says, how would you give me that advice differently? Like how would you give that same advice that you just gave to all of us? How would you give that differently to people of color? How do you react to that? And how do you feel about that?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:28:14)

Is a black person asking me that question or?

Dan Henry: (01:28:17)

Yeah. So like let's say you're in a room, right. And cuz this happened, I was at a mastermind. I was at Myron's mastermind and he's teaching the whole group, you know, we got all different types of people and they're black, white, Spanish, Indian, everybody. Right. And a woman raised her hand, a black woman and said, and he just got done teaching this whole thing and talking about mindset and this, the whole motivational thing. Right. And she said, Hey, that's great. But how would you restate that? And how would you adjust that advice for people of color?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:28:55)

Right. So I mean, I think me being in that mastermind, I think how Myron, what Myron says it is.

Dan Henry: (01:29:04)

Well, I just mean in any situation. Cause I hear that a lot. Not just there. Just, I hear that same question everywhere.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:29:13)

I'm trying to articulate an answer for it because sometimes I don't look that deep and I feel like a lot of the principles that people say are universal. You just gotta adjust them to who you're talking to.

Dan Henry: (01:29:27)

Do you think the advice would change?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:29:32)

Yeah. Depend. Yeah. It would. It would change depending on what the, if it's talking to a young, urban kid in the hood about making the right decisions, being successful in their survival, as they gotta rob and kill, cuz I mean gotta rob and gotta do certain things. You gonna talk to them different than if your upbringing was you never knew about crime. So I think personal development situation, I feel like that is for everybody. But when you're asking specific questions that may have to deal with our culture, I feel like you may have to ask it.

Dan Henry: (01:30:11)

Well, of course, of course I'm more talking about like if somebody says something like you know, okay, this wasn't, this was at a separate right. I think this was at a, like a online summit I heard. And I don't really have an opinion on this. I'm I'm just curious. You know, they said if anybody has ever done it, you can do it too. Meaning like if you wanna build a business in X, Y, Z, if you want to become a best selling author. You know, like you may think that can't do it, but if anybody has ever done it, that means it's possible. And that means you can do it too. And somebody said, well, would you say that? Say like, how would you rephrase that for people of color?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:30:54)

No, I think that's the same. I would, you said it the right way. I think we're, we're all equals to me. I don't care what color your skin is. None of that matters to me. We're all. So I think how that was said, I think that it's fine. It's just, it takes it back to belief. You gotta, if you can do it, I can do it. It doesn't matter. We all the same people like.

Dan Henry: (01:31:16)

But, do you, do you think that like, just being real here you go back a hundred years. I don't think you'd give that same answer cause like you can't.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:31:23)

Yeah. I mean, we were at a different disadvantage a hundred years ago too. So a hundred years ago is slightly different from today. I'm just a guy where I'm at now where there's no excuses, we gotta find a way to make it work.

Dan Henry: (01:31:37)

Do you think that's important to relay? Like do, do you think that's cuz every community I think has different challenges, you know, like, I mean, I recall back when nine 11 happened, you know, dude, like I had friends that were from the middle east and all of a sudden everybody hated them. Like, and it was just like a whole different world for them. Like the, they woke up to a different, different attitude.You know? And so I think, you know, these things happen where you just can't control culture and just how people react. You can only control how you react. You deal with it, you know? But I mean, would you like, cuz I think a lot of people are listening to this. Who's just a, you know, various cultures and whatnot. But I mean, do you have any specific advice that you would say is paramount, paramount for your community?

Dan Henry: (01:32:41)

Because like I, you know, I don't, I can't possibly know what it's like to be in any community other than mine. Any community, you know. I can give generalities, but I don't know what that's like. So do you have like a specific cause where you came from, you know, where you came from. Do you have anything think that you would tell somebody that was in your exact position? They're in the slums. There's a prostitute outside of their house selling drugs. Like they're trying to recruit you into a gang. Like that's pretty rough situation. Like specific advice.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:33:16)

I'm gonna tell whoever that, Hey, stay strong on like, you know, understand that your again, your current situation, not your final destination, whatever goal it is that you want, whether you wanna be a businessman, you wanna be an athlete, whatever it is that you can get it done, but you gotta stay focused. You can't let distractions in. You gotta find a way to get in a better environment. Even most people can't just leave their home and be in a better home. Right. Or in a better school, but find some sort of person or someone who went before you and did it and find out how they did it. So my answer will remain the same there as just find the, you gotta find a way we are. We are people who find a way. Like you gotta, the biggest thing though is for me, I don't think I would be here today.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:34:06)

If I didn't go to that school. And if I didn't see no private jets, I personally don't believe cuz you gotta see it. So most of 'em don't even know, know Mo most of us said don't even know other things just outside of our environment. So if, if I could do anything, I'm always trying to like my mentee, Trey made millions of dollars. He's just on Shark Tank. He's 15. When I'm talking to people with parents or kids, yo go look at this kid, go look at CEO Trey on Instagram. Because I know if they see him 15, just on shark tank made 3 million in this business. Did all of these things. They now got an I oh, I can do it. So I try to tell people, find example fast. And when you find one stick with that, because now it shows you, you can do it. I believe I could be a billionaire. Cuz there is other billionaire.

Dan Henry: (01:35:00)

You have to see it. You have taste it.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:35:02)

I believe you have to that. That's the number one thing for me.

Dan Henry: (01:35:05)

That's what happened to me when I was at that family's house. Like I never, never been to it. Like I tasted it. And when you tasted me, you gotta have more. But at the same time, look, I'm not saying, dude, I had, when I do a delivered pizza, right. I, yeah, I was in a bad situation. Like I could barely pay my rent, blah, blah, blah. But like I had a place, I had a job. I could wake up every day and to some degree have cash in my pocket by just driving around. I had a lot compared to a lot of people. I can never know what it's like to grow up where I, you know, like, they're like, Hey, you know, you're living in the worst possible situation you could possibly live in. And if you just do this thing that you're not supposed to do that could put you in prison, you'll make a little bit of money and having that temptation. I have no idea,

Nehemiah Davis: (01:35:49)

Bro. It's tough. What that's like. I mean, it's honestly it's I didn't have it so bad to that point where I can't give all the advice, cuz I haven't been there, but I know, you know, there's people who had to rob to eat and they made it out. But you know, thank God. So I, some things, even me, black and not, I can't speak to certain things cuz I didn't, I was never poor. My mom made sure I ate. I never didn't go out without a meal. I didn't have to bath in cold water. Like several of us are like poor. Yeah.

Dan Henry: (01:36:21)

There's so many levels of rich and there's so many levels of poor. Like I thought I was poor, but then you describe your situation, but then you just described a situation, worse.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:36:29)

It gets worse. And I really can't speak to that. Cuz I had, I don't really speak to things that I haven't really went through. Like I could show you how to make a million dollars online, 2 million, cuz I've done it right. Multiple times you can show. But I can't really speak to some of the situations educated enough cuz I didn't go through it. I went through a level of, I was never poor. I was never messed up. I just went through some stuff. I didn't have a father. I certain things.

Dan Henry: (01:36:55)

But you had a place to live.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:36:56)

Oh yeah I was good. But some kids don't have that.

Dan Henry: (01:36:58)

May be a nice place to live, but it was a place to live. Most people don't have a lot people.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:37:02)

It was nice. It was nice based on what I knew, then you get me. So if you live in the hood and a row home where it's not, you know, New York have row homes, brownstone, but I'm saying if that's all you know, is it's normal. So we gotta find a way to create new normals, everybody needs to do that. Everybody. What is your new normal? My new normal is traveling. My new normal is spending time with my family like, but it is the biggest thing is going in the community and showing people that it exists.

Dan Henry: (01:37:31)

How did it feel to propose your wife on the fricking Harvy show?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:37:34)

It was dope bro. She was so surprised man. She was,

Dan Henry: (01:37:37)

This was on the Steve Harvey Show?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:37:38)

Yeah, she was so surprised and happy bro. It was dope. But that came from me giving back to the community. I asked my friend, can she get me on there? She said, yep. And she plugged that right up bro. And I met her. She said she found me online from giving back. So she said, you never know, shout out Patrice Washington, you never know got the power to bless you. And she put me right on there. I'm like, wow.

Dan Henry: (01:38:00)

You know, it's funny. I saw that in your bio and I've always, I love Steve Harvey. Love Steve Harvey. I always had this. Cause I don't think he does the Steve Harvey show anymore. He only does radio. Yeah. I always had this dream of being on the Steve Harvey show. I don't know why specifically that show.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:38:15)

It's not too late. You got other shows.

Dan Henry: (01:38:17)

Yeah. I know but when I saw that you were on it and then you got to propose to your wife, I was just like, that must be the coolest feeling ever. You know? And then dude, we always like, you know, what's funny is we always talk about stuff, about you getting on jets and all this stuff and, and cuz I don't even do that, but I don't like to fly. So, you know but you always talking about your wife. You know, you always like have pictures of your wife getting on the plane. Yeah. And like just how has, I don't know her background. I don't know. Where she came from.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:38:49)

I met her in my last job. She made more money than me when I met her.

Dan Henry: (01:38:52)

Really? What was her job?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:38:54)

She was customer service at the private airport.

Dan Henry: (01:38:57)

Oh, at the, oh, okay. So still not didn't come from like a wealthy background.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:39:01)

Oh, she came from worse than me. I mean, raise herself. You know like her situation was, dude, she was with beating on her like all the time. Like she came from way worse, like a different level of worse than me.

Dan Henry: (01:39:16)

Can you just, we're almost out of time, but can you, can you just answer this question for me? Yeah. So your wife, she came from, you know, even worse poverty than you did. And I want to know what it was like the look on her face and how it made you feel the first time you were able to take her on a private jet.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:39:40)

Bro, made me feel good. Cuz she, I wanna say, I don't know this is accurate, but she was still working at that job. So we went to the airport while she was off that day. But I was able to take her to the job that fired me and shout out to my mentor Mark. He, he put me on my first private jet. He let me drive my dream car then, which was Bentley from his office out to the private jet we just got on. And it was just, it was surreal. It was like that moment that I've been waiting for for nine years finally came true. But again, once you, Myron says the quicker you get to your life, the long you get to enjoy it. Once I touch that jet, I've been on 50 of 'em. It's like, yeah, you gotta find a way to get expose yourself as quickly as you can, because once you get there, it's going to just,

Dan Henry: (01:40:30)

I just, I just really wanted to ask that question, you know, felt what was the reaction of your wife when you took her?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:40:36)

She was smiling ear to ear. I got the video and everything was crazy, bro. It, it was a good time

Dan Henry: (01:40:42)

Dude. That's that's that's incredible. That's incredible. Awesome. Alright. So where can people check you out more and go follow?

Nehemiah Davis: (01:40:51)

Yeah. So you guys could check me out Instagram @NeoDaviso, N E O D A V I S O. That is my main place that I hang out on. You also can just check me out We got GreatnessMastermind.Com. That's if you want to learn from me at a higher level. We're able to help you grow and scale your digital marketing business. And that's pretty much it follow me online and I would love to be able to add value and help you in any way that I can. Shoot me a DM.

Dan Henry: (01:41:21)

Cool, awesome.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:41:22)

Just write Dan Henry

Dan Henry: (01:41:23)

I got, I gotta put you on the spot. So for our, How To Think users or How To Think members. You know, they get the daily success mentoring when they're a member, they get the business mentoring, but we also have some courses, some audio courses on our app that they can go through. And I would love if you have time just a mini course or something I would love to get you to come on and maybe submit a, just a simple audio course on your event stuff or so, or whatever you wanna cover. So that our users can can take that course.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:41:59)

Say, say no more it's audio or video?

Dan Henry: (01:42:02)

All audio. I keep it super simple.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:42:02)

Oh, that's dope. Audio course.

Dan Henry: (01:42:04)

Yeah. Yeah. It's just that it's so for anybody listening if, if you loved what Neo had to say, and you'd like to learn you can go to HowToThink.Com sign up as a member. And I think we're gonna be getting an audio course from him on that.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:42:18)

You will 100%. I got you.

Dan Henry: (01:42:20)

Yeah. Right, man. That's that's incredible, dude. Thank you so much for coming on was fantastic.

Nehemiah Davis: (01:42:24)

It pretty dope, bro. Thank you.

Dan Henry: (01:42:25)

Well, maybe we'll do it again next time you're in town, you know, we might get like some couple people and do like a round table round that would be sweet, so alright. Awesome man.