Griffin Johnson

Published Jun 24, 2021, 7:30 AM

On good advice and monetizing your brand.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

So I wanted to talk about luck today because I talk a lot about luck and ask people about it a lot, because people believe that they're really luckier than smart. Many people say I'd rather be lucky and smart. I ask many of our guests what percentage do they think they're smart and what percentage they think they're lucky. And everyone has a different relationship to luck and intelligence. And I get asked certain questions which I have a dissatisfying answer to, such as who's my mentor uh, you know, growing up, who did I really look up to? But I don't really have a great answer for that. I have people that I ask for different pieces of advice now based on what the question is and whether it's in the entertainment industry or if it's more of a business or a money question. But the luck conversation is very interesting. And I had something happened to me yesterday where I realized a stroke of luck. For most of my life, I think I've been more smart than lucky. I've created my own luck. Kelly Rippo was saying the same thing when she was on this show. But my show The Big Shot with Bethany on HBO Max is a great show. The response has been incredible, and for two days in a row is meeting ten people to sell these shows. But this show was the big show, the big shot. This was the big one, and that a couple of cute like little or shows, one that I would be in, one that I wasn't. So I was there in l A and had two days lined up of interviews. Poetically, right before we were walking into the first place to sell, which was interestingly enough, Bravo. Right before we walked into Bravo, I decided to leave. The housewives can clear it up here. I did not leave because of money. I was staying because of money. I had agreed upon the money I was going to get paid. And there was one other small deal point that wasn't really that much of a big deal. It was just principal, and I was looking to leave, and I just the way that I've worked with that network and the things that I've done in good faith made me not like this one uh contract point, which I knew would be moot because I've been working there for so long, and I knew that they would never really enforce this point if push came to shove, which is what contracts are all about It's like if this weird, crazy thing happens and unicorn jumps through your ceiling. So but I just didn't like it. It just sometimes something could just push you where sometimes you're looking for a reason for things not to work. Could be in a relationship, it could be in a job. But I just I was looking for a reason to just leave because I just knew that I could leap and jump and fly and I'll get to luck. We're gonna get back to luck. But I remember I was in l A And I was talking to Dorinda on the phone from this nice hotel in Malibu, and she really thought I was going back, because nobody ever leaves the housewives. They can say that they do, but really they've been like probably maybe one to two people who are ever left, including me, maybe three, but I don't think so everyone says that they left, but they all got fired. That is a fact. And I was talking to Dorinda and I said, I think I'm really going to leave. And I said to my lawyers and my business manager said, it's a lot of money, and I would not leave yet, and there's no reason you don't have to leave now, like meaning I could wait until the day that they all started filming, which a lot of people do, and then you haven't signed yet, and then it becomes this whole pissing contest and I don't show up and then they give me what I want. But I don't like doing business that way. I like business to be ethical. So I said to my lawyers, call them up and ask them if that's their best and final and they said, yeah, that's their best and final. Okay, So I said, great, flip the switch. And Joe my frits On, my publicist, who is the only person who thought that I should leave, the only person professionally, Paul. I'm gonna reserve becase I don't want to put him under but you know, he might have been the other person. But Jill is the only person. And she said, wait, if we send this like you're not going back, then you understand that. I go, I know, hit the switch, like as if I was ordering a sandwich. Was nothing. I said, yeah, I know. She goes, wait, but you don't have to do this right and I go, I know we're doing this right now. And so I make the announcement and I'm walking into Bravo to try to sell these os um, and I went off about my day and people were freaking out. I mean, it was crazy. And then people who produced the show, we're crying and begging me to come back and what would it take. And I'm like, you don't understand. This isn't like a game. This isn't preschool. Now you guys are gonna have me come back, even though you said but like, this isn't like we play games. And someone who's high up at Bravo then called and said, we were blindsided. I'm like, you weren't blindsided. I told your lawyers. Then we're done. Like is that your best and final? Yeah? Okay, Just so you all know when you're negotiating, like sometimes negotiating in reality television is romp room because it's these women or men who don't know how to negotiate and they bluff. Then the network calls their bluff because the network knows that they desperately need this job and aren't walking. And then this person's bluff is called, and then they forever know for the years to come if this person will bluff. And that's how this person's style of negotiating is. But my style has always been known to if I say I'm walking. I'm walking, So I sat, I'm walking and I walked, and then I heard from someone high up with the network and they're like, yeah, well, we were just taking it back. I wish you would called me. Were you talking about called you? We told your legal professionals and they said best and final. I'm gonna go call the principal of the school and be like, are you guys kidding you guys that we we did detention? Is that serious or you guys are just joking, Like you don't sunk around when you're talking about contracts. So anyway, that day we go and we pitch a bunch of people to sell the show. The next morning, I'm walking in the beach of Malibu and I reach out to a woman who I used to work lo and Behold the Housewife's on. She was one of the producers, like in the office producer. She worked at the production company running it when we did Housewives back in the scary Island days, back in like the good vintage Housewife days, when it really was real and good and great. I called her because I'm in l A and for some reason she popped into my mind. Okay, this is very weird. I text her and I said, do you want to get together? I'm in l A pitching a bunch of shows. I never think about where she works. I don't remember. I have no idea when she works, and all the production companies sound the same, and I don't know anything about things going on the end tame in industry. I don't really watch TV a lot. I'm up my own ass. I don't know a lot that's going on. So I said, do you want to get together for lunch or have a drink while I'm here? And I don't speak to her that often at all, like maybe once a year. She said, what are you talking about? You're pitching me today. I said, I am aware because I wasn't paying attention to the meetings that have been set by MGM, like that is their part. I cannot claim that I do not book meetings. I do not know who's selling to I don't know who's buying what. I don't understand streamers and networks. Now I do a little, and HBO Max is like the creme de la creme. But I didn't know anything. So she said, you're pitching me. She said, I work at HBO Max were owned by Warner Brothers. But I didn't know the difference teen HBO Max and you know t J Max. I literally did not know the difference, and I thought, okay, great, good Gen O'Connell was working at HBO X. Yeah whatever that means. I've heard of HBO and they're great, Okay, cool. So we go when and we picture the big show and the little show and we leave after two days and some people were interested, some people were not. You know, people talk, it's a lot of bullshit. You gotta really follow up whatever. So it's kind of like you get have one excited and you do this book to you get everye to bid against each other. So we get a bid from HBO Max. HBO Max wants to do the show. Now, when I heard that, I was like, okay, you know, I didn't understand what it meant. It could have been like NBC Online wants to do the show, Domino's Pizza wants to do I did not understand anything. So I can pretend now that like, yeah, we're on the Greatest streamer and they do the Flight Attendant and they undoing is on there and they're like the greatest. But I didn't know anything, and to just happen to have called Jen who's worked with me years ago and has said during this production, when we almost shut it down after a day because I didn't think it was going to be the level that I needed it to be at, she said, you aren't charge. You can shut this show down. You make the show what you want. You are my secret weapon. This woman is the reason that I was on the Housewives when Bravo didn't want me on the Housewives. She knew me from the Apprentice years ago and pushed me through to beyond the Housewives when they didn't want me on. And then years later, I just just asking her to get a drink and she says to me, you're pitching us later, And then we're in there and MGM and Mark Burnett have never sold a show at HBO Max. You've never bought a show from them. And she bought it not because of the juggernaut power of Mark Burnett and MGM. She brought it because of Bethany Frankel. She brought it because of my relationships and keeping in touch with people and be incredible And whether you like me or not like me, I'm just telling you the truth. And all of that ship so all of that is like true and networking, etcetera. But it's also a lot of luck. The luck that HBO Max would become this pinnacle and this incredible place that my show lives and can thrive and be the high quality product that it is, and the luck that I would text gen O'Connell that day, and the luck that she would just have seen me on the Apprentice years ago and pushed me through for the Housewives. And so I've been thinking about where luck and integrity and drive and determination collide and uh converge. So that could be a boring story. I have no idea, but it involves a lot about connecting who you see on the way up is who you see on the way down who you are, and your personal life is who you are in your business life. And luck is great, and recognize when there is luck, even if it's after the fact. It occurred to me yesterday that there was just some luck in that that HBO Max didn't become Quimby, and that they just did everything right, play their cards right and became HBO Max. So I'm excited to say the least success is the intersection of hard work, opportunity and luck so tell me, tell me about your relationship to luck and when luck and opportunity meet, are you able to see that either before, during, or after it happens. My guest today is Griffin Johnson. He started out his career on TikTok, where he has grown is following to ten million, but he's also an entrepreneur, launching Animal Capital in March as a co founder and operating partner. Today we talk about the importance of good bedside manner, how luck combined with hard work equal success, while you need to know what your personal brand is and why quality over quantity is important, including in relationships. I really love chatting with Griffin, and I think you really enjoy this episode. So this is Griffin Johnson for anybody who doesn't know, because he's a young man and some of us are older women and men. And uh, he's a success story. And we talked before on a clubhouse together about what your brand is. So I want to get into that a little bit today. You're gonna say it might be boring about business, but I think it's good for you and maybe I'll learn something you didn't already know. Okay, So would you like to ask some questions She's a very sweet, not spoiled, nice girl. That is just she's just a sprinkle. She's like a rainbow as a person. So what would you like to ask me? Oh, what's your favorite TikTok dance? Oh? Okay? So I actually learned this the hard way. Um. We were in Miami this past week and we had at the halftime show for the Heat game, Miami Heat, and they asked us to do TikTok dances and I realized, the only one that I know how to do is the Corvette one. You know that one? So that has to be my favorite because it's the only one I know how to do. Oh, so you're not a dancer? I mess around sometimes in the guys videos, but I've always been known as the worst dancer. Okay, So you're living, You're being committing to that. And by the way, you know how sometimes you say you're not a great singer, brand, but you commit and that's why it's enjoyable to watch you sing. So have you seen him on TikTok? And did you mind that he's not a good dancer? Brand? I think he's a good dancer. You do? I mean, maybe I'm just selling it. I don't know. See, That's what I say is he's committed. Why because he's funny? What he just like naturally doesn't care that much, That's why. And she doesn't lie, so she would tell all right, Well that's Burns big business questions. You could be part of the podcast every week. I should have had you asking Mark Cuban questions when he was here. He's on the Shark Tank. He's smart. Okay. So basically I want to understand about you. A lot of people probably ask you about, you know, all the dating and the drama and the houses and all that stuff and that. I'm sure Breow wants to hear that, but I want to hear about what makes you different. So how did you grow up? Yeah? So I grew up in a small town called Paris, Illinois. I think there's eight thousand people, very small farm community. Everyone knows everybody, and I grew up really simple. Um. I never thought that something like this would really be in my future. I never watched TV or like had TV really growing up, and I started working at twelve. So I don't know if you're familiar with the tassling, but uh, you basically detassel corn. Once I got to the age of working. It basically became sports and work in school. That was about it for me. So you have a good work ethic. You you what we're taught young that you work for earning money, You work for what you get. As soon as I was able to get a job, from then on, it was working every summer. And what about siblings. I've a younger brother, he's well, he just turned nineteen, and is he involved in this whole world too? Does he care about any of this stuff? No? He uh, he's the complete opposite of me. He does like a lot of construction work. Okay, so what do your parents think of all this? Because this must be scary. Yeah, so my parents, Um, actually, my dad doesn't have any social media. In fact, he has like a really crappy smartphone that barely works, so he like keeps up a little bit. But yeah, he has no clue. Um, and I think my mom only knows because she's actually, um a nurse, and all of her nurse friends at work tell her I don't think she actually watches it, so they're kind of out of the loop. But whenever I first left, I was in nursing school at the time, so whenever I told him I was thinking about moving out to l A. They were like completely mind blown. So that was a very interesting conversation. They thought it was you would get chewed up and spit out, or they don't like the superficiality of it, or they were nervous that their baby was grown up? What was what was it? Um? It was kind of a combo because I was already two and a half years in the nursing school, UM, and I was doing really well, So that was one part. Also, they were kind of growing up with the you know, you go to college, you get at nine to five, you get paid well, and you kind of just live your life. So that's all they really knew. And on top of that, they had never been to l A. And they were just a small town, so all they had ever heard is, you know, l A is crazy. L A is like wild, you know you see all the celebrities and Um. The big thing for them was actually drugs. They were worried about me getting on drugs moving to l A. And they were now about the same stuff where they have seen you prove yourself and they have more faith. Have they been to l A also? Uh? Yeah, they visited me twice. I don't think it's their favorite place, but they enjoyed seeing what I do. And I would say that now that they're proud of me and they trust me at this point, but it took a lot of proving myself to get there. Okay, And how long is nurse nursing school? So you left early, right? Yeah? So I actually had a year left, well a year and half a semester left. Do you think you'll ever go do it? Just to have that? Um? Well, I'm actually finishing college right now, but I switched to business management marketing, so I have three each left of school and then I'm done. But you're a caretaker, I guess if you were going to nursing school, so that that comes in handy and it's probably the ladies probably like that. I mean they you have a good bedside manner should be part of your That should be part of your marketing materials. You have a good bedside manner? You think? Should I start pitching that? I don't. I think it's not terrible that you went to I think you can play that. I think it's true you went to nursing school, and you can just say I have a good bedside manner, so people could take that however they want. It's good to have a good bedside manner in business and in relationships as well. So I could be your mom. And a lot of time the reason I I didn't even really know besides my daughter, that TikTok and you know what it really meant in the world. But I started, Uh, I had people start reaching out to me. Who was the guy who first reached out to me was a Bryce Hull right, so he came on. He wanted me to be on his Forbes podcast, and I'm I was being reached out by I think one of the Damilia's or somebody else's mom. So a lot of them ash oar Angel's mom. A lot of the moms started reaching out to me and telling their kids talked to her. I wanted you know, she's an entrepreneur and she built something from nothing, and so I think this is sort of my connection to this TikTok world. So did you have you heard of me? Like? Do you? Before that we would talk to Clubhouse and Michael told you, do you have any idea who I am or what I am in the world. Um, So whenever I heard of you was actually through like whenever we started getting into our investments in business, um, your name and come up through like I'm just speaking to people, and I think that like the first time I actually knew what you did was in clubhouse that day. Yeah, so you basically your whole background from reality and building your brand. That's kind of like whenever I figured it out, and that day I said to you what I said to Josh Richards for those of you who don't know, a very big, famous TikTok are very successful, nice, nice, well raised young man. Also, he was explained, telling me his whole resume about everything he was doing. But I was asking what his brand was and he didn't have it, and you were sort of doing a similar thing. You were a little more deep into it, but you were telling me the things you were working on. So I wanted to know, now that we've had some time since we first met, what just described for people listening, what is your brand? Doesn't have to only be this thing that you're doing other things? What is your brand? Yeah, I knew you were actually gonna ask you this. I was waiting for it, um, because you always say do your homework. So the thing is is, like I wouldn't say necessarily that I have my actual brand yet. UM, And I've continued and especially since I talked to you last UM, we've been building out like who we want to be, and I feel like the brand is still coming along with say like eventually building out products. Josh just kind of finding his way. He just started, you know, his production company and it's called cross Check and now he's starting to build things out underneath that brand and uh and that name. So for me right now, I'm actually working on my own production company and getting that started. So and that kind of goes into the acting space. We've kind of build out our business and we have the name Animal Capital. Okay, but actually, like my brand itself, I don't have. I wouldn't say that I have it. I would say that I'm currently still building it. By building out all of the different verticals of who I am, Well, it would help you to think about what it And for people listening at home, it's very common that people know what they're doing and know what they want to do, but they may not understand what their brand means. And it does change mine. For Skinny Girl is practical solutions for women, but for Bethany it's elevated solutions for women and the differences that skinny girls. That girl could be someone twenty five, she's cute. See, it could be a you know, a grandmother drinking the cocktails or eating the popcorn. But it's a little more flirty, young and whimsical. But now I'm older and I'm a mom, and I'm a philanthropist and a serious businesswoman. So Bethany, when I launched that as a new brand, that meant something very different. It had my name. I'm doing swimwear under Bethany because that's a woman's brand, and I don't want to call a bathing suit skinny girl because it might, you know, intimidate some people. And um also, if I were to do let's say betting or home or something like a fragrance, I wouldn't call that skinny girl. So it's a new brand. And so I've obviously evolved too, I think for you, because on TikTok listen, you often have to evolve your own brand too. Part of what people see about you is it you're good looking, that they have a crush on you, that the girls probably really like you, and that you know you're on TikTok. So you must know how to dance or music or all this, and that you're a bro and you're a guy's guy and all that's great. But I think what's most interesting about you that people would be surprised by, like I was, is that you grew up with very humble beginnings and that your parents you know, you're very um, You're very humble. Your corn fed literally, I mean you literally. So I feel that your brand it's not about what you're doing, it's about who you are, Like if you live and breathe it, it's like if it comes out from who you are, then it'll be so easy for you to say what it is because it'll just make so much sense. I feel like you're trustworthy because just because you're a good looking guy who lives in one of these houses doesn't mean that you're going to go run around and do drugs and be a partner of me an idiot. So I feel like letting people know that you're serious as a young man is important because you want to transcend the world of just superficial TikTok stuff people. You want people to think you're smart and like have twenty five minutes of fame, not just fift team. That's my opinion. You know, education is and I've talked to you about this before. Education is big um. And we've kind of spiled that into financial literacy for our followers. And I've been, you know, putting out a lot of tweet threads and kind of sharing my journey into investing and trying to help people understand how important it is to save their money and put it into other places. So that's like one piece that I've really been working out from and building a brand off of. And you know, I'm looking to do a lot of things with that and shows, you know, whatever it may be. I just thought of something for you because you guys are bros, but you can be smart. I thought of something for you, bro smart like and then someone would say what is that, And you'd say, like, we're fun loving guys. We like to have fun. We're twenty two years old or whatever your friends are too, and we like the party and have fun. But we're smart people, so we you know, it's work hard, play hard. I mean that's a lot of what your brand sound Your brand sounds like work hard, play hard. I would say, work hard and play harder Honestly, that's the whole you know memo here is we're trying to work now so then you know down the road we can we can relax. Okay, well that sounds close to it. We might be onto something here, I think so I do. I think it's brands are very simple. You could say it in five seconds and you understand what it is. But that's what I'm getting at. If people think that you guys are fun loving bros, but you're really smart, that's all you really need. Are you more lucky or smart? If you have to give our percentage to the luck you've had in your life to this point or the intelligence, what do you What do you think? Um Man? I would say, like usually I say I'm not a lucky person, but when you say it like that, it's probably it's probably been fifty for me. Honestly, I think that I had a lot of luck in the beginning. They kind of like get here and kind of how it all worked out nursing school and TikTok and because I was really just dumb luck because I didn't know what I was doing and it just kind of worked out. I think because I didn't care about like social media, didn't know what was happening, but I would say definitely now. To get to this point, Um, you know, it took a lot of maneuvering, a lot of hustle to kind of continue to keep myself relevant, stay on top, and also like build out businesses and maintaining relationships and content everything. Like I would say, a lot of it just came down to smarts in the second half. So it's it's smart luck. I like that too. For you, smart luck is another good smart luck. Smart luck goes with the whole you know, and hard harder. So what's your relationship to money? So you obviously have more of it now your family must have opinions about that, but also are you scared you're going to lose it? Are you saving? Are you smart with it? At your age, I had no relationship to money. I had night and I didn't make any until I was in my late thirties. So you have to learn how to have a good relationship with money now. Yeah. Um, for me, money like it's not my necessarily main driving force right now. It's I'm trying to build content, build things that are gonna create longevity for my career. But with the money that I have made a lot of it has gone into angel investing, so I've already put a lot of my capital into companies that I believe in. But other than that, it's saving for taxes obviously because of California, and uh, a little bit of leisure spending. But for the most part, like I try to get everything for free and use my following to get free, closed or free whatever it is that I need. So that's been working out really well. That's honest. I like the honesty and that most people aren't honest about that. Okay, well good, Yes, save your money. This is amazing. You're setting yourself up, and I hope you're investing wisely and have someone helping you out because it's complicated. You have good people helping you with managing the money. Yeah, we've been very fortunate. So, um, we've got a lot of good bagging from light speed to coil, like a bunch of like really awesome people. And when you say we, it's who's we. You have a partner? Yeah, So my partner is Michael Gruin and Josh Richards, so we all work together kind of our own um team. Well, that's nice that you say we all the time. You guys really are a partnership so good. You've got a good team with you. Do not cross over the business and the personal with all that drama. I hear about it. My daughter told me about the drama with the people, the one who is the girlfriend of Josh that hooked up with somebody else. It leads me to believe that, Hey, you guys are young and stuff's gonna happen. Mean, you guys are very young and not getting married now. But the question is can you can't? You young, good looking, successful TikTok social media people date people who aren't in the same space. There can only be one peacock in a relationship. I just wanted to tell you that very early. You can only be one peacock, So you can't date another peacock. Everyone's stealing, trying to get light and the attention, and it's kind of cause problems. So can you date not a peacock? Is that possible for you? Um, here's what I'm gonna say through my experience. Um, whenever you're in social media, whatever, celebrity, whatever it is, never date someone more famous than you. And that's something that I live high because it always ends up a you're gonna get yourself wrecked in the media whenever it ends and be like you said, it kind of just leads to too much chaos, too many eyeballs, too many people in your ears, whether it's fans, managers, the internet, there's always a lot going on here and it always leads to failure. So I would say the best ways to find someone, um, you know, and and Michael Bay gave me good advice on on dating, especially in Hollywood, is like, you know, make sure you can find someone outside and venture out so that way you can divide your relationship from your work. And I live by that now. I live by I made the mistakes, and I live by you made the mistakes young. And it's a good it works at any level because sometimes all of that excitement and all the press and all that fun, and because you're you're excited, that seems that becomes real, but it's not really real. What's real is what's going on you and another person. And you also would like to know that something that you can trust someone and that they're there for the right reasons. You know, you're you're you're a multiple threat. Now you have your good looking, you have money, you're successful, you're famous, Like, it would be very nerve racking to be able to figure out how to find out if someone's real. I'm sure your mom would have an opinion on that too, does now, I'm sure she has an opinion on that. So when was the moment that you said, Wow, I'm successful and it sounds like you feel like you've overshot the mark already you thought like, I never thought this would happen to me. So are you able to appreciate and realize how lucky, how fortun and it you are? And when did you realize that you were successful and this was going to be amazing ride? Yeah, I mean for me, like, I don't know, I think that I realized, Um, I have a really hard time reflecting on like the things that I've done. Usually it's like I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet, not yet. But yeah, I think that I truly realized I was successful whenever I was able to put aside all of the chaos of social media and the numbers and the followers and I actually start focusing on business and longevity. Because at that point I realized, you know, this is the moment where I can divide my life from all of the pettiness and I actually create something that's gonna generate money for me down the road. So that's like kind of whenever I realized, like, wow, I'm I'm definitely on the right track. And now it's kind of, you know, led to amazing things like are we we just started our fund and you know, and I've been able to take a lot of my money and put into companies that are doing right now. So I got very lucky there. But like for me, I just thought my self is successful whenever I was able to divide myself from all of the drama. That's nice. It's good to have parents that are a little bit strict who got you into philanthropy. So young you care about helping other people. You really think about it. You're very young to be this aware without someone telling you have to think about it, So it sounds like it's really coming. A lot of the things that driving force in my investments was the nursing bad gun and helping people. There's a lot of things that I invest in that are like either helping creators because obviously my badguyd and social media helping other people. So a lot of med tech is a big focus of mine and also like healthy CpG products, So in anything health and fitness, um, you know, we have some we have a lot of stuff that's with actually working out and helping people. So for me, like it was, investing was more about what I cared about and finding companies that was like either A I can promote that or B I support their message. So I think that the reason I got into entrepreneurship was a little bit of you know, Michael in the back end obviously helping me and guiding me and introduced me to the right people and where to put my money and getting me in those cap tables and those people that can supply me with all of the companies that are raising and um really getting me in the doors there. But afterwards, I wouldn't say it was actual like entrepreneurship itself. It was more like finding things that I like and and finding companies that I like and putting my money into those because I had an idea that could help them um or an idea that could help push them further, or I could personally do it myself and help further their branded message. Who keeps you grounded and who do you trust? Yeah? This is you know this is an uh an ever changing question. I mean, at the at the end of the day, it's it's Michael Gruin Josh in my family. There's been a lot of other people in the mix that have been cut out, And I made a lot of mistakes early, trusting too many people. Um, I had a really big, you know, friend group, and thought that things would work out. And here we are year and a half later, and I've basically got funneled all the way down to Michael, Josh and my family, which is where it all started and ironically where it's all ended. So I think. I always say things often end up the way they start out. That's very interesting in circles full circle. So my daughter's had some girl drama. She's ten turning eleven very soon, and I tell her, sorry, but most of these friends you may get lucky, but most of these friends you probably won't know when you're older. So don't get so upset about these dis minutia and this drama and like a little bit of bullying and just start of being girls stuff. So how many good friends do you have from when you were ten years old? I always say, if you can have two good friends, then you're beyond blessed. Two good friends if you even if you have one, you're lucky. But you know, two is like crazy. Less is more quality versus quantity, which, by the way, uh, it sounds like you would enjoy the bucket theory that I talked about, where I'd rather have fewer buckets full then more buckets have full. So you're being approached by so many different things. We just talked about staying grounded. And you don't have a family, you don't have kids. You you have more time so you can do time sucks and you can have fun and live your life. But I will say as you get older, time will become more and more valuable. And it's important to figure out, whether through philanthropy or business, or money or enjoyability, what has the greatest return on investment, the greatest r o I. So that will make your life so easy to just say I'd rather just do these six things because that's just taken up all my time and I'm making any money and having an enjoyment out of it. And that's the quality versus quantity perspective. Just like having two friends that are good great versus twenty that are average. Yeah, Um, I think that's a great point, especially like kind of how we've been through social media and you know, every everything that we've got into there's like a million things going on. And it started off like I was hungry and I didn't know what to do, and social media's are very short term games, so I was kind of scrambling to try to find my longevity in my career. So I had all of these things, and I eventually realized that I was just you know, going half in on a lot of things and not full. So in the past three months, what I've been doing is cutting everything out, and it hurts because it's like cutting out this deal with money and cutting out this you know, this investment, even though like it could have made me, you know, fifty x, like whatever it is. But um now I'm really honing in on Minecraft and what I want. So it can be kind of painful. Sometimes it's the big picture. It's the chessboard, not not playing checkers. So tell me about these houses. So for those listening, the TikTok or is the the big the famous TikTokers with all the followers. They all live in these cool houses that someone's paying for, sponsors are paying for and they get to just live there and hang out and have fun and do these dance I mean it's crazy, and do these dances and videos and get paid for all this and live a great fun life. So tell me about this house structure. Haven't that's big and smallst you can let them into? How many um houses are there now? Yeah? So I'm gonna be completely honest with you. I don't really pay attention to TikTok that much anymore. Um, I know that. Yeah, Um, I'm aware of uh, you know two houses. There's still the Hype House and um there's another girl house. I don't remember the name because they've changed it like four times. But you're not in a house, no, no, no, So I live with Josh and Michael and Anthony Anthony Reeves. Oh okay, but you know, and you never lived in one of these houses. No, I did. That's how I started off. So we had our house called the Sway House. But you know, we eventually, all of us, we kind of had a wild start, you know, and then we kind of said, all right, we're tired of getting in trouble. So um, we kind of dispersed and all went on our different career paths. And you know, we can we still do stuff together a little bit here and there, but like as far as like a contenthouse with a bunch of people living in it and being in the drama and being in this and that, I just kind of outgrew that phase. Okay, good, So that was the distractions? Okay, great, all right, well then check that box. So how has the pandemic blown this whole thing up? This world, this social media world, your career, like it's it's okay to be thriving during the pandemic and it sounds like you got organized. How has this pandemic affected your business, your life success, all of that. Yeah, I mean I think, and I don't want to say this in like, you know, an insensitive way, but for me, like quarantine and COVID was like a rocket ship for my business, A rocket ship. Yeah, it was like a rocket ship for me because from my social media side, it allowed me to, you know, have all of these people at home watching content and digesting content all day. And on top of that, we couldn't really do anything. We couldn't travel, like, so we were just stuck at home making content for everyone else to watch. So, um it blew our following up like it was, you know, the biggest time of all of our careers at that point, and everyone was just sitting there watching us. So that helped because it kind of you know, trickled into business because I had this massive audience, all of these eyeballs at the time, and you know, people obviously wanted to harness that for their companies, so it was super super crucial. And not only that, but being remote and being online, we can do twelve phone calls in a day, twelve meetings. There's no more you know, launches, or there's no more in person meetings where it takes an hour of travel, and our this and that, like we were able to you know, expedite everything we were doing just for the fact that we could access people over the phone and it was you know normal, So you were able. You were very efficient about the pandemic and you saw the opportunity. And this is like when people have to build a rocket ship while it's launching. So the rocket ship was launching, but you have to buckle up and get organized and you have to see where the fish are fishure over there, So we're going over there, and you created an efficiency with your time and you just hustled it and made sure that you're planting seeds which will I believe, grow into big, big forests and trees after this pandemic for many people obviously, not just people in social media. Being home and sitting still gives us time to rework the way we've been thinking about things that we've been working and in many ways save money on travel, on office space, on you know, staff, things like that. That's luck when you're not being insensitive, because it's been a terrible time for people, with some people have thrived. What about the pressure Do you feel pressure? Um? Yeah, I mean there's a lot of times. I think the biggest pressure for me is is um, like I was kind of saying that the social media careers can be very short term because a lot of the content is based more on like the drama and the now than it is like an actual art or an actual niche or like something you're doing that people like I want to stick around for for a long time. So I think the biggest pressure right now is making sure that I'm building out things and building out verticals and hopefully eventually transitioning more into Hollywood and actually like creating a career that I want and acting and hosting TV. So yeah, that's the biggest pressure for me right now is just making sure that I'm able to still strike why the iron is hot. Okay, building but still you know, the thing is you have to do things that have sizzle because their action and they're easy money. But then you also have to do things that have longevity to give to take the low hanging fruit, but you also have to build for the future. Do you have a role model? Do you have someone who you've looked up to or someone who you thought about when you were a kid or now. Um, I wouldn't say necessarily have like one role model. I have a lot of like great mentors. Um. You know, one of them is Tyler Winkle Boss And the reason that you know he's great for me is because started off in school, was in the Olympics for rowing, and now he's like building companies and doing things and um. Yeah. So it's been people that have picked me up along the way. I've never had someone I don't think that I've sat down and like really tried to emulate or like you know, tried to build myself off of. It's just people that I've met along the way. That's me too, And a lot of people always ask that question, and I have the same You just the toolbox. You take different tips from different people, and sudden you throw away. You just sort of ultimately make your own decision. It's our truth is it's your face, it's your name on the line, and it's going to all boil down to your signature. That's how it really is going to go. Um. Do you feel like you're a role model? Do you think about that? Does that feel like it has a level of pressure and and that young girls and men look up to you. I think that I'm, like you kind of said, a tool in the toolbox. I think there's a lot of things that people can can learn from me, and a lot of things, like especially on the business side, that they can take away because I'm young and I'm kind of like figuring things out still, I don't think of myself as necessarily like an actual mentor because I'm still learning and trying to figure out myself. Um, but I definitely think that, and I know and hope that people are able to see not only like what I do good, but also what I've done bad and they can relate to that, whether it's from a relationship standpoint, whether it's from a career standpoint, Um, things that I've said that maybe weren't good or whatever it is. I just think that everything that I do is so public now that I just hope people can see the good and the bad and learn. Okay, So, um, what's the best advice you've been given? Oh? I think some of the best advice that I've gotten is pertaining to if something is not working, they cut your losses. Yeah. So I think that's the biggest thing that I should have used in the beginning, and if I would have listened a lot more, would have saved me a lot of heartache. Um, you know, ride your winners and cut your losses. Yeah, so that's I think it's the best one. And what about the worst. Um, I think the worst advice I ever got was, um, basically around the fact that the more numbers you have, the more money you make. And what I mean by that is the more followers and the more views you get on your content is the more money basically that you're going to get in return. And that's completely false And I used to believe that, and um, that was kind of me just coming into this space very dumb and like not really understanding how Hollywood and the system works. But yeah, definitely the worst advice I ever got. All Right, well that's good to remember it, Okay, So let's play Rose and Thorne Bruno. We do the best of our day and the worst. You could do the best of your career and the worst if you want, or you could do the best of your day. But let's do um Rosenthorne, who goes first? Peanut, Mommy goes first. Um, you being so patient and sitting here because I know you were so excited, but this is like a real business conversation. This is like a big girl conversation. So you're sitting are being such a good girl and not just walking out after getting your two little questions in that we're only about TikTok um, because you see, he's not he's not even all about TikTok at all. He's about so many other things. It's one of the many things he does, just like you do art and you dance, and you're into fashion and you're smart and you're sweet. Um, so my roses, you sitting here and just being such a good girl like you always are, And um, I don't really think I have a thorn today, So who goes suck at you? Okay? So what's your al right? So I would say, um, today, my roses that I figured out that I get to go home and see my favor so I'm super excited about that. Um. I would say that my thorn is I had a homework assignment that I turned in late because I forgot that I had it. Yeah, that's a thorn. I missed a pretty big assignment, so that one hurts. What's your rose? Okay, I'm honored. My thorn is going to school? Right? What's favorite subject in school? Dismissal dismissals her favorite subject. You are really so nice, so sweet, so smart, humble, you understand your honest. You have to a great start and I appreciate you taking the time and it really enjoyed it. Does anything you want to ask me? Shoot? But if not, you were amazing. One question. Whenever you're looking at these TikTok kids, you're looking at the whole space. Um, you know you're more from like the traditional like TV. Um, you know you came from reality. So what do you think about like social media creators and why they're kind of seeing less than um? Like traditional Hollywood, like whether it's TV people or whatever, Like, what do you think it is that makes a social media creator lower on the chain? Yeah? Okay, So I started out on a show with a bunch of women screaming at each other and you know, creating drama. Um, I always stood out, and I always was working on business and I was the first season of my show. I made seven thousand, two fifty dollars for the whole season. But I wrote into the tracked, if I ever create something, you can't take any of it. So that became a big deal when I turned a brand and and sold the Skinny Girl cocktail portion of the brand to a big public company. But not until then was I on the map and taken seriously. And even still after all of these years, I have literally, like I said, raised a hundred million dollars worldwide in three years in a relief effort. I had never done relief work in my entire life. Um. I have created many shows and ten New York Times ten books think five which are New York Times bestsellers. And I am smart and I have a business. So that's a hundred million dollar business and twenty five categories and podcasts and successful deals at I heartened real estate investments and all this, and even still people will bring back where I came from and act like that's all that I am. So you will have to do things to really set yourself apart. And at some point you'll have to have the courage to understand how much you need to stay because you can't forget where you came from. And sometimes you can walk away from the nest and then have to go back. So you can't be too cocky when you think you're bigger than the game, because you just don't know what other space you're gonna do great, and so you can't, you know, be too bullish on it. Okay, you have to really really understand and have a leap of faith, So dance with the one who brung you, which is social media, but really take those next steps and really separate a little and don't always fall back into this. I mean, you have a partner who happens to be doing this, but you've got to be on the same program with that too, because you don't want to be like associated and just only hang out with all these young kids and this broke stuff and this one, cheat on this one and all that barbage. That's all we hear because that's all we read, you know, we read about. All I read about is the Bachelor and cheat on this one and he's really this and he was lying about this, and all I read about TikTok is you somebody chead on somebody. You know, that's the bullshit. But it's got to be that. You know, men, businessmen Wall Street. These people took me seriously a or that because they were like you were on Forbes, you were top one hundred most powerful, you know, celebrities. You you sold a brand like I turned a brand to a public company in eighteen months, so like I have street cred and I still have to fight it. So you really have to do that dance of what that bridge is going to look like. And then once you make it over, which I really believe that I've made it over, don't look back. Remember the fond memories on the other side of that. But you know, grab onto the future. That's really the whole thing. Does that make perfect sense to you? Yes, it makes perfect sense. Awesome, you were great. I'm proud of you. And tell your parents they raised a very nice young man. I appreciate it. See you guys, bye, say bye by nice to meet you. I'm enjoying just the breads and the variety and the gamut of people I have on here. And that was a young man, Griffin Johnson, who is successful and in a world that many of us don't even understand. So I feel like, if you have kids, or if on your own you're trying to market to a younger generation, or just understand what's going on with the younger generation, or think about business in this way, because some of us are becoming dinosaurs. It's just interesting to hear um. It's interesting to hear a younger generation of entrepreneurs and how they see the world and how they're monetizing and thinking about their fifteen minutes of fame. And I have to say the young men in particular that I've met through this uh social media vehicle and TikTok, they are such nice young men. They are so well raised, they have good families where they have good values. Just makes me, gives me, gives me hope in the world. Well, that was Griffin Johnson, and a pleasure to be with you, and to be with my daughter remembered to create reveal and schefs die. That's a kiss, kids, love you all right by everybody love you too. Just B is hosted an executive produced by me Bethany Frankel. Just Be is a production of Be Real Productions and I Heart Radio. Our Managing Producer is Fiona Smith and our Producer is Stephanie Stender. Our EP is Morgan Levoy. To catch more moments from the show, follow us on Instagram at just Be with Bethany

Just B with Bethenny Frankel

If you can’t handle the truth you can’t handle this podcast. Just B with Bethenny Frankel is the bes 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 282 clip(s)