{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Meat Mafia Podcast","title":"MAFIA MOMENTS: Building a Personal Brand with Devon Levesque ","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/c5b3e744\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1444,"description":"In this episode of the podcast, we discuss building a personal brand with Devon Levesque. We discussed:(00:00) Intro - Devon introduces the importance of building relationships through shared experiences and challenges, like climbing mountains or doing hard workouts together(02:47) Devon's early life and career- Attended military academy in high school, played sports in college- Started promoting and bartending at bars/clubs to make money, brought in hundreds of people- Dropped out of college to pursue managing a hotel nightclub at the W, hosted famous athletes and built connections- Brief stint in the restaurant industry that didn't work out(09:03) Transition into personal training- At age 24, decided to become a personal trainer after advice from a friend- Got first few clients in an apartment building, got a quick online certification - Built up a successful training business working with high-profile clients in NYC- Key insight: high-powered people like being pushed hard and told what to do by an authority figure- Eventually sold the training company and meal prep business (14:09) Lessons learned in early career- If something seems too good to be true, it probably is - success doesn't come that easy- Diversify your revenue streams - Work with people you love and enjoy the journey, don't get caught up in the rat race- Be present(16:44) Transition into brand building and investing- Always interested in the psychology of marketing and consumer behavior - Started providing more value to brands beyond just social media posts - capital, distribution, events, etc.- Formed DML Group to invest in and grow promising consumer brands- Brought together experienced advisors like Ryan Loen who have successfully exited major brands- Invests in brands they believe are category leaders - Super Coffee, Alipop, Beam, Promix(21:01) Devon's superpowers- Ability to ask the right questions and connect the right people together- Stems from his background in creating networks and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/IRL5ufWhT6cSjzPB9-bkwMgCSdSSFfwoPkGjxz3MvtE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84Y2Fi/NjA1YjI1YTI1MmE4/ZmQ2NGU4Y2RkMDA3/NTBjYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}