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Join us as we take a deep dive into the real estate market with insiders in the industry.
015 Transcript
00:00:21:11 - 00:00:57:01
Michael Conrad
Hey everyone, Michael Conrad here with the Business of Homes podcast. I am back with Josh Ellis. I had to bring him back because this man knows so much about so many things and in my opinion is a great connector of many different verticals. And I think that's really important for this podcast in general because we are itching and scratching at this sort of underlying part of real estate and underneath real estate, we're not just selling homes, ranches, facilitating people getting into the next place to sleep.
00:00:57:02 - 00:01:20:15
Michael Conrad
We are really trying to achieve a much larger sort of metaphysical, higher goal here where they can host, where they can come together. Neighborhoods. Cities are formed from homes. And so at the end of the day, Josh and I have known each other for a long time because he has connected back to me in so many different respects.
00:01:20:17 - 00:01:36:15
Michael Conrad
You have touched the world of design, the world of style, the world of community connection, and of course, real estate, the sort of binds it all together. And so I'm just really glad to see you again, man. Thanks for coming back.
00:01:36:17 - 00:01:37:11
Josh Ellis
It's good to be here.
00:01:37:13 - 00:02:03:15
Michael Conrad
And I would love for our listeners to sort of go with us on a journey where we try to weave together. And so together, these sort of somewhat disparate elements, like if you talk to someone about like fashion or style or design. I mean, you could be talking about a wide variety of subject matters. None, none of which I would say natively connect back to homes and real estate.
00:02:03:17 - 00:02:09:00
Michael Conrad
But oh my gosh, if you find the pathway back, it's such an easy connection.
00:02:09:02 - 00:02:23:16
Josh Ellis
I think just my approach and view on the world, I don't know where it came from, the simplicity, simplicity, monochrome, everything is like beige, black, white, minimal. But it flows there. So much of.
00:02:23:16 - 00:02:28:15
Michael Conrad
My life, it's the Gucci ads of the late nineties and early 2000s, I'm sure of it.
00:02:28:17 - 00:02:50:16
Josh Ellis
I mean, it's one of those things where I've never like, I've actually never categorized them of like, here's what I like in real estate and design more so in like the architectural standpoint, here's what I like in vehicles, here's what I like in fashion. Weirdly, it's like my style and how it then approaches each one of those segments.
00:02:50:18 - 00:03:06:12
Josh Ellis
Like if you looked at my Pinterest, you'd be like, This is all the same person. Like, these shoes kind of look like the same style that would fit in that house. And then the car channel kind of looks like the cars that would be in that garage of that house. And they just has a way. I don't know.
00:03:06:12 - 00:03:27:06
Josh Ellis
It's like branding, design, architecture, no matter what the space or the industry is. I feel like I just have a way of seeing it in a certain from my perspective, which generally is more minimal, more modern or like and I think I have a I know for a fact I don't have a shirt with a logo or any print on it.
00:03:27:08 - 00:03:30:17
Josh Ellis
Yeah, not one. I've been given stuff and I kind of think, you.
00:03:30:19 - 00:03:32:04
Michael Conrad
Know, trash.
00:03:32:06 - 00:03:39:11
Josh Ellis
I mean, a Nike strike. But I'm like, but it's going to be it's this color and it's for the gym with those shorts, which are also Nike.
00:03:39:12 - 00:04:15:20
Michael Conrad
So what you're getting at, though, is, is an interesting concept because design sometimes starts in a place where we express it and sometimes it starts earlier. And I would not consider myself a high design person. So I probably fall more into a traditional camp where I see design as through the lens of a specific application. So the design of a home, but differentiating a homes exterior versus a home's interior design through how I look in photos, in fashion, in style, in that way.
00:04:15:22 - 00:04:42:12
Michael Conrad
And so how has this changed over time where you have formed this design identity? Because that's what you're really getting at. And I would say that many great designers over time have a very clear sense of a design identity that is transcendent between applications or even atypical for that time. So how has that developed for you? Where where did you start to see that early come up?
00:04:42:14 - 00:04:57:18
Josh Ellis
I think I come from a large family of creative people. Even going back to my parents, just I think I know where it comes from. This might be the first time I someone's asked me a question that's allowed me to connect dots.
00:04:57:18 - 00:04:58:11
Michael Conrad
Nice.
00:04:58:13 - 00:05:32:11
Josh Ellis
My parents did not invest a lot of money into tangible things, like, here's a car, here's all these things that you want, Here's this pair of shoes, here's the escape. Or like they could of. But they didn't. By nature, they were more about culture. So they invested money into us experiencing different places around the world. So I would say by 18 I had probably seen over 2015 or 20 countries.
00:05:32:13 - 00:05:57:18
Josh Ellis
Oh, wow. But yet my dad was still like, How much money do you have for your first car? You know, I was like, I know he can buy me a car. He was actually a car dealer. But that's not the point. The point was for them, there was so much about seeing not just the world through the eye of somebody on vacation, but seeing it through the eye of the person that lives in that culture, respecting and understanding it.
00:05:57:20 - 00:06:22:04
Josh Ellis
And, you know, we have a lot of, you know, my mom's side, we were actually the first generation on her side of Americans, very much European descent and, you know, backpacked Europe when I was in middle school. I probably could have done like the hotel thing and real nice. But instead it was like, now we're all getting a backpack and we're going to go through seven or eight countries.
00:06:22:06 - 00:06:44:03
Josh Ellis
And I think that now, kind of looking back at a young age, helped me kind of see the world from someone else's culture. And it really probably created this melting pot effect of like, man, I love the angle on that building. Do I want to be an architect? No. Am I interested in architecture? Yes. What about that angle?
00:06:44:03 - 00:07:08:19
Josh Ellis
And I think I don't know that that's probably where it started, is just seeing not seeing the same neighborhood in the same city all throughout my childhood, but experiencing different neighborhoods in different cities and different perspectives of life across multiple different countries. And I think I don't know how that all warped into my worldview of design and perspective and the way I see things.
00:07:08:19 - 00:07:13:23
Josh Ellis
But I definitely now hindsight now that those had a really large impact on that.
00:07:14:01 - 00:07:44:14
Michael Conrad
Well, I think that we are fed a certain diet of prepackaged design from advertisers and anyone listen, this podcast has been around, you know, long enough for advertisers have been all over your life forever. And so, yeah, I think we consume a certain esthetic that's, you know, packaged. And so I don't know if we necessarily have the seeds to plant and germinate in that soil, so to speak.
00:07:44:16 - 00:08:15:18
Michael Conrad
That grows a sense of personal design. And I'm sure some of its genetics do, but this idea of a multifaceted sort of cultural understanding or being able to see many different perspectives allows you to not only just in a simplistic sort of way, pick and choose the form design esthetic, but it allows you to kind of begin to blend and blur the lines because nothing is being force fed to you.
00:08:15:18 - 00:08:26:19
Michael Conrad
So it's a it's an interesting idea that as we begin to open and expand our own design palettes, that you're have a better chance for your own design esthetic to sort of come up and out of that.
00:08:26:21 - 00:08:37:23
Josh Ellis
I think, as you know, you're always being introduced to like different trends. That's always been something I've always been wary of, was like, Oh, here we go.
00:08:38:01 - 00:08:39:04
Michael Conrad
What's on trend?
00:08:39:06 - 00:09:03:13
Josh Ellis
What's on trend? Or without even consciously thinking about this liking something and it being a little peculiar. Or people may ask like, Why did you paint that house black? I'm like, I don't know. And they're like, I've never seen anybody paint their house black. And I'm like, You probably will just wait, right? And, you know, then try to figure out, is it too black?
00:09:03:13 - 00:09:22:16
Josh Ellis
Is it the right black? And then you're gets black. I'm like, Yeah, but there's a lot of different colors are black, right? And then getting at having that house only two, then three years later, be like, there's a black house all throughout Nashville on every street as though it became the black and white, everything black HPR on this side.
00:09:22:16 - 00:09:26:08
Josh Ellis
Then a White House appeared on this monochromatic. Yeah, monochromatic.
00:09:26:10 - 00:09:47:04
Michael Conrad
And that's been a design esthetic that's come in and out over the ages. So it's no surprise that we're back there. But yes, this idea that taking an innovative step is the risk, but may also be ahead of the trend. In fact, literally looking around and saying, well, what is everybody else doing? And then not doing that, you know, is, I think, a piece of the puzzle.
00:09:47:04 - 00:09:49:18
Michael Conrad
I'm not sure you're going to hit a ringer every single time.
00:09:49:20 - 00:10:16:09
Josh Ellis
Right? Well, in a lot of like when you look overseas, a lot of those trends are generally happening significantly more frequent. Do they come over here soon after? And, you know, again, I think probably a lot of my inspiration around things is probably a little bit more of a European descent in some ways. Like I go over there and I'm like, I belong here.
00:10:16:11 - 00:10:45:08
Josh Ellis
Like leave just leave me in Paris and I'll blend in and, you know, I'll get an accent at some point. But now I just I think growing up in that probably plays a significant role. But then I, you know, even like, you know, it's funny because if I look at every I've had 30 something cars, every single car was a reflection of that part of my life from like the color I was interested in and maybe the angle was it or round, because that was the model of that car at that time too.
00:10:45:08 - 00:11:06:19
Josh Ellis
Was it a sixties vehicle? A seventies vehicle? And like I can look at even the cars and be like, Man, those were an outward expression of an internal reality, which is that is how I saw my world represented in a vehicle. Or if you go to my house, even if I had the money in my house, you know, look a little bit different.
00:11:07:01 - 00:11:24:15
Josh Ellis
But I'm doing the best I can. And it is still a reflection. Like people walk in and be like, all right, this is definitely a Josh Kelly's house or even our rental properties. I'm like, We could just do the basic, but I'm like, But how can we do the basic but still have an expression of who I am?
00:11:24:15 - 00:11:43:12
Josh Ellis
And that's why I like on a lot of our rental property is like, I love owning that aspect of it. That's a rental property that someone's in a for seven or $800 maybe. But I'm like, Yeah, but still we, we need to do it with an expression, right, right down to like the packaging of our companies, you know, bottles like all of it.
00:11:43:12 - 00:12:00:11
Josh Ellis
It really to me is like I don't, it's hard for me to see it any other way. Meaning it's like I have this across a lens that I see things now and people compliment it, but sometimes I'm like, it's just how I see it, you know? It's so that's why I know it's part of my nature.
00:12:00:15 - 00:12:39:18
Michael Conrad
It becomes a sense that like if you're going to have to make a choice and we all make a choice with the car, we drive the house we live in, how we decorate, you know, what items we purchase. There is a choice that is in line with one sense of personal design and and that gets us back to houses, which is another piece of your larger journey and such an important understanding that there is not just traditional big architecture trends in design, but the design sort of touches many different aspects of the home, you know, really down to a more granular technical level that we're really not kind of getting out right now, but that
00:12:39:18 - 00:13:05:01
Michael Conrad
homes ultimately become an expression of self and homes become a place where you can begin to ally your business identity with something, you know. And so this idea that homes are the connection point where design connects in it isn't where most people start. Most people are thinking like you've talked about style clothing, you know, these sorts of things.
00:13:05:01 - 00:13:20:13
Michael Conrad
But homes ultimately have just as much of that. Have you seen the trends change here in Nashville? Have you tried to involve yourself with certain aspects of the trends to sort of fix your brand to that?
00:13:20:15 - 00:13:47:22
Josh Ellis
Maybe not so much in real estate, just my involvement in that is obviously scaled back over the last few years. But I would say in the industry, I'm an while before I go there when I was very heavily involved in real estate. Yes, it was, you know, seeing designs before, I think they were seen here. But knowing there is a small amount of people that would fight to make that their house right.
00:13:47:22 - 00:14:04:02
Josh Ellis
It was like, hey, we can build a a house that blends in on the street or we can do one that stands out. And it's not going to be for everybody, but it just needs to be for somebody, right? You only need one person to buy a house. So for me it was like, do it the way I'll I like it.
00:14:04:03 - 00:14:28:10
Josh Ellis
And someone that sees the world in that way will want it bad enough, Right? To me, that was how I would have always approached it was, you know, otherwise there's it's not as inspiring to just do well, we know this will sell right away and there's a bunch of people like, Yeah, but we're going to get up and do the work and carry the risk and borrow the money and, you know, put the time and energy and let's still make it something that we love.
00:14:28:13 - 00:14:49:17
Josh Ellis
So I think that was my approach in real estate and not even just on of houses to housing standpoint, but like from the website to the Instagram to the photos to the fire, like understanding that brand flows, they're all aspects of someone's experience of working with you. So when I was doing real estate full time, I think that was always very important.
00:14:49:17 - 00:15:18:20
Josh Ellis
Is even the email near to look and feel like a reflection of maybe the house? They would go see that we were listing or, you know, had renovated and brought to the market. So I think that I like making like my approach to real estate was very much cohesive, even down to like are the cars completely blacked out and it's funny we've seen three house they they're black and like, yeah, I knew you liked them because you reached out to me like you knew what you were getting.
00:15:18:22 - 00:15:41:20
Josh Ellis
And now it also was a big part of I felt like a lot of the clients that I worked with in real estate would come to me because they were generally looking for the type of houses that they knew I could help them find, because on Instagram it was like, I'm showing them what I'm interested in, knowing that I was creating kind of a niche customer that's like, we want modern, we like that, or we like midcentury because I'm like, Well, that's what I like.
00:15:41:22 - 00:16:09:02
Josh Ellis
So I think, yes, that was I tried to in real estate, kind of pushed the envelope toward bringing design as the forefront of how I approached that business. And then now being in Beverage, which is the company that I started now as kind of also doing the same thing, it's like bringing that same level of, like I said, an outward expression of how I think beverage should look.
00:16:09:04 - 00:16:25:09
Josh Ellis
And it looks so different than a lot of what's on the shelf. But it's also the thing that's drawing a lot of new customers to us because they're like, I didn't know if it was the amount of times I have heard This is incredible. I didn't know if this was shampoo. I don't know if it was a high end fragrance.
00:16:25:11 - 00:16:44:18
Josh Ellis
I didn't know what to do with that at first, but I go, but it was in the beverage section and it brought that much curiosity that I guess what they had to do, they had to pick it up and explore it. So it almost became design, became a trip wire for curious City in a very crowded saturated market of bottles sitting on a shelf.
00:16:44:20 - 00:17:06:07
Josh Ellis
So isn't that fascinating? And the other thing, which I think it was really cool to think about when we approached creating our packaging on the board or just the business itself. It's a product, it's a cocktail one and it's this ball right here and there's a whole lineup of different colors and pantone's I thought through, okay, let's think about all the sensory.
00:17:06:07 - 00:17:33:17
Josh Ellis
This is like how design meets the human psychology and of sorts. It was, okay, we need the packaging visually to draw them in and make them think I can trust this because it feels like there's luxury, it feels high end, it feels quality, right? So I'm like, our customer is going to see it and the branding needs to embody that, that that makes them lean.
00:17:33:17 - 00:17:58:02
Josh Ellis
And then when they grab it, they're going to feel the glass. So now they have this feel and the feel is going to make them again believe that there must be quality because we are one of the most expensive products in our category in the world. So I'm like, I was thinking through this whole thing, right? So my glass, there's the touch, right?
00:17:58:04 - 00:18:17:04
Josh Ellis
Then I'm like, okay, when they open it and they smell it, it needs just they need to smell like real ingredients, real lime juice. So I thought about that aspect right then when they go to taste it, we're going there are all these senses of someone's experience of our product. I'm like, Up to this point, the last thing I can do is let them down on taste.
00:18:17:06 - 00:18:48:16
Josh Ellis
I got them through all these stages of purchasing and trusting and then they get home. It tastes bad. So taste is a really big deal and it's honestly the most important because that's what's going to make someone repurchase that beverage again. And then the last one was more of an emotional sensory, which was like when they realized that the name of our company with stands for with company, what they're going to realize when they're sitting around the room with friends and family is like, Dude, I, I now am fulfilling the mission of this company and it's now a mission of my life.
00:18:48:18 - 00:19:15:23
Josh Ellis
And when you think about that approach and all of a sudden makes this little bottle sitting on a shelf feel like when you know the full story, it feels way more intentional, like every aspect of our packaging. And that was the first time I was able to really bring something fully to life, not just like the paint on the house or the design of an email, but like we're going to bring a product from idea to like a fallout or expression or design.
00:19:16:00 - 00:19:26:07
Josh Ellis
I think it's a great example of like our approach to real intentionality.
00:19:26:09 - 00:19:47:07
Jake Hall
Hey, everyone, it's Jake, director for the Business of Homes Podcast. I hope you have been enjoying today's episode, starting with the influences on our own design, the origins of trends and how brand flows through every aspect of yourself from the house to even your emails. When we return, Michael and Josh dive into how design carves out your niche.
00:19:47:09 - 00:20:09:18
Jake Hall
Josh's advice to set yourself apart and the creation of Josh is community driven organization. You don't want to miss this. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thebusinessofhomespod, where you can interact with us and see some great bite sized pieces from all of our episodes for you listeners out there. Did you know our entire podcasts are filmed and are on our YouTube channel?
00:20:09:19 - 00:20:29:06
Jake Hall
Check it out next time you want to see our amazing guests tell their stories. And are you currently watching this episode in video format? Don't forget to follow us on your preferred audio streaming service to take us with you on the go. Lastly, do you have any feedback or one to suggest someone for the show? Email us at thebusinessofhomespodcast@gmail.com.
00:20:29:08 - 00:20:38:04
Jake Hall
Please enjoy the rest of today's episode with Josh Ellis. Let's get back to it.
00:20:38:06 - 00:21:12:02
Michael Conrad
It reminds us that design is behind all of it. It's behind the reasons why we choose things and feel things well. And as we we sort of connect back to this sense of like design and community and real estate. It all connects because they all are the underlying piece of the puzzle. At any one aspect, if you look at design, you say, Oh, well, it's the reason why I feel at home in this community, because design is a shared passion.
00:21:12:04 - 00:21:36:06
Michael Conrad
Or if you look at community and you say, Oh well, community is what drew us all together and now we can enjoy these things. There's sort of an ongoing future, joy that comes out of it. And then real estate, of course, is the place. It's we don't exist outside of place. Place gives us the chance to appreciate something that is designed well or to appreciate with someone in that community piece.
00:21:36:08 - 00:22:17:05
Michael Conrad
And I love the thought that goes into that. And we talked about another podcast, this idea that this niche focusing on what's not being done. Focusing on the ability to create and carve out a niche of your own. Yes, it it actually is more risky in some respects than other choices. However, it feels it has a has a more clear cut result as a more clear cut result because ultimately, when you begin to carve out a niche for yourself as a real estate professional or as a business professional, you're going to see that return and that result almost right away because you're going to see that audience respond.
00:22:17:07 - 00:22:40:06
Michael Conrad
And I think one of the biggest issues in the real estate sort of grander landscape that we struggle with is this attempt to be universally relevant. And there's always sacrifices in these formulas about trying to open up a market or a consumer base and try to appeal to them. And oftentimes, design is sacrificed on the altar of mass appeal.
00:22:40:08 - 00:23:01:13
Michael Conrad
And so this this little tradeoff that a lot of people don't even think about, but that you do, you know, what house am I going to show my client so that we can get best adoption ratio who are quickest to close, you know, timeline versus like what am I going to put on my Instagram? What am I going to wear?
00:23:01:14 - 00:23:21:23
Michael Conrad
What am I going to drive? How am I going to speak? All of it matters because you are curating a brand. And I really this wasn't intended to be about branding, but branding is sort of the the one ring to rule them. All right? It it it becomes this life force that moves through all of it. You are creating a brand, whether you know it or not.
00:23:21:23 - 00:23:50:23
Michael Conrad
In business, people are applying some sort of brand quality or identity to you. Or are you in control of what that is? Or are you making choices that leading you down a brand path or are you allowing you to sort of end up in this sort of this mass appeal sort of quote unquote, general category? And I think that's a difficult for all of us, is that we tug and we pull this sort of tug of war between like got to get the biggest audience so that I can have the best safety net for success.
00:23:51:01 - 00:23:58:11
Michael Conrad
And I got to get this niche the other side to make sure that I actually have good, solid, real adoption of what I'm laying down.
00:23:58:13 - 00:24:24:13
Josh Ellis
And now I've been licensed ten years, so even now I'm not doing it as my primary, you know, focus. I still get in. I was still buying Reynolds, but when I first got licensed in 2013 to 14, I was probably one of a few realtors in a coffee shop. Now, I am probably one of a few that are not realtors and a coffee shop in every person.
00:24:24:14 - 00:24:26:09
Michael Conrad
In the coffee shop is a realtor.
00:24:26:11 - 00:24:52:00
Josh Ellis
So my thinking is, okay, here's how to set yourself apart. If you're thinking about getting in real estate Nashville, or if you're in real estate in Nashville and you're trying to move your business to the next level. One thing that worked for me was looking around going, Everyone's really doing the same thing, trying to get new buyers and sell them whatever they want, show them everything or I'm trying to get more listings.
00:24:52:02 - 00:24:59:14
Josh Ellis
What I always try to do is list things I love and work with buyers that love the style that I loved.
00:24:59:16 - 00:25:02:23
Michael Conrad
Feels lovely, selfish, but also like super smart.
00:25:03:04 - 00:25:33:07
Josh Ellis
But what happened is all of a sudden, instead of being known just as someone that get the job done, became known as somebody that can help find something that they know they liked. And almost by being like by niching down. Yeah, I always had people turning to me. Does that make sense to me? I think about how many people have own a car company and then how many people have built a Tesla and a brand like Elon, right?
00:25:33:09 - 00:25:49:21
Josh Ellis
Tons of people have done them. But his approach to it was different. He was very outspoken about it and it made you almost go like, Oh, I kind of want a Tesla. Like, you're like, Well, this guy's interesting. And I like he found a way of doing something ordinary, but in a way that was very niche to what he loved.
00:25:49:21 - 00:26:11:12
Josh Ellis
And a lot of people were like, Hey, I love that too. And I think, for instance, if somebody wanted to right now, go, okay, Josh, give me an example. How would I love midcentury? How would I create a successful business by, you know, being involved in mid-century home? I'm like, well, make yourself a mid-century specialist, first of all.
00:26:11:14 - 00:26:43:18
Josh Ellis
So learn about the architects of that time, the types of design. And then if I were you, I would go into the tax assessor circle, all of Davidson County and under the settings area type in year build and type in like 1955 to like 1972 and prospect all the homes, especially in Forest Hill at Oak Hill, that were very predominant in the mid-century architecture and start reaching out to all those off market properties and say hey if you'd ever like to list, I specialize in mid-century modern.
00:26:43:18 - 00:27:05:01
Josh Ellis
I love the architecture of your home. Just wanted to introduce myself. All sudden now you're creating listings specifically for a look, and I feel that is very popular in the city. Well, next thing you know, a year or two into your business, you may have at any given moment three or four or five, six, seven listings that are all something that inspire you because you like it.
00:27:05:03 - 00:27:09:03
Josh Ellis
But also people know to turn to you because that's the style. Something like.
00:27:09:03 - 00:27:16:22
Michael Conrad
That. Amazing. You know, those are poor, unfortunate souls and Green Forest Hills are going to get hit with so many realtors now.
00:27:17:00 - 00:27:22:05
Josh Ellis
Hey, I saw you have a may, a beam and a sloped roof. I like to solve your house.
00:27:22:07 - 00:27:47:18
Michael Conrad
But this idea that we are needing to push ourselves more towards an esthetic or a brand, if you're just offering a service, let me convey you from one house into another, then that's replaceable by literally another practitioner, as the statistics show us, or by any software disruptions that is coming down the line, which of course we're seeing lots of.
00:27:47:20 - 00:28:17:05
Michael Conrad
And so this idea of getting deeper into the niche and specializing, it just becomes this an incredible piece of the puzzle. And again, to tie it all back, it's design and community and real estate. And so how are you either a pinnacle or a standout in any one of those aspects? And if you can identify that really readily, I think that the other pieces sort of start to fall into place.
00:28:17:07 - 00:28:40:15
Michael Conrad
But a long time ago you had a real estate sort of career that you were pushing and all these sort of design, you know, ideas that were sort of bubbling to the services. Of course pre with go and you started to push towards trying to develop a community connection and a community conversation that intersected all of these things.
00:28:40:15 - 00:28:44:01
Michael Conrad
Why, why, why was that happening?
00:28:44:03 - 00:28:49:20
Josh Ellis
I think there was a time in Nashville it was transitioning from what I call old Nashville and new Nashville.
00:28:50:00 - 00:28:53:12
Michael Conrad
When is that? I'm dying to know.
00:28:53:14 - 00:28:54:23
Josh Ellis
This is my perspective.
00:28:54:23 - 00:28:55:19
Michael Conrad
2015 would.
00:28:55:19 - 00:29:17:07
Josh Ellis
Be the year of 2015 to 2018. And there were like the growth was here, but you started noticing it was losing a little bit of old. Nashville, I think was hyper relational because we'd all been here a lot. And so there was like a level of like a lot of collaboration over competition. They're always trying to work together.
00:29:17:07 - 00:29:38:16
Josh Ellis
You pretty much knew a lot of the business owners were all hanging out the startup community like the realtors. It was just a very it was a little bit of a different time. And I think what was happening is all these massive flood of new people are coming, not just businesses, but even down to like the 20 year olds, the 30 year olds, four year olds all moving here.
00:29:38:18 - 00:30:07:06
Josh Ellis
And I was like, man, there's about to be a dysfunction and community around people really being connected because there's so many new people coming here. How interesting would it be to do a series like a pop up series specific to gathering but having no agenda? Not like a networking group or not like this is for realtors, this is for X, Y, or Z.
00:30:07:06 - 00:30:29:04
Josh Ellis
It was like, what if it was just called? Like we had cocktails or drinks because I had I cooked. I was starting a cocktail company at that time, so I was like, Well, that would be easy because we could just provide the drinks. But I was like, What if we just got a bunch of people all in a room that had never met, had some music playing, and just were like, There you go, hang out?
00:30:29:06 - 00:30:54:06
Josh Ellis
And it seems so simple. But what it what would start to happen is everyone we did just got bigger. They got 11 people. At the first one, I got up and talked about the power of community because at the end of the day, as humans, like by nature, connection is at our core. Like we get more so disconnected through social and everywhere that the world is kind of like develop this sense of isolation.
00:30:54:06 - 00:31:16:02
Josh Ellis
We feel connected because we are followers, We feel connected because people are watching our story or really actually just becoming more and more disconnected. And so, you know, for me it was like, well, let's just get a bunch of people in a room. I would probably know 10%, 20% of the room. The rest will be like 70, 80, 90% of people that word of mouth or like, Hey, there's this thing going a warehouse, let's go.
00:31:16:04 - 00:31:39:11
Josh Ellis
And it's funny, as the building we're sitting in that right now, I did one in this building upstairs and you know, there's probably 80 to 100 people in there. And it was a blast, but it was called cocktails and community and kind of the mission. The website is still actually up cocktails and community ecom. The idea was like in a world of social disconnect, like social connection or we've really lost the art of true connection, which is not.
00:31:39:11 - 00:32:10:21
Josh Ellis
It's less about, you know, what do you do, who do you know? That's like, who are you like, Let's get to the real stuff. Let's have like a conversation beyond like, well, I do this for a living. I'm like, I don't care what you do for a living. Let's get past that and tell me your story. And so, you know, to me, it was just it was if I could just build community and all the things that I do like that, it's kind of been my compass for a lot of things, like the cocktail company is with co stands for with company.
00:32:10:23 - 00:32:35:17
Josh Ellis
So it was like, Hey, let's use a simple beverage to build a deeper connection, whether that's, you know, people in their living room or coming to a random event because a friend and Nashville's like, come to this thing with me. And that was around that time I did it from 17 to 18, 2018. And I think the biggest one was like 200 something people.
00:32:35:17 - 00:32:59:18
Josh Ellis
And we stopped doing it and I was just a season. I actually said, I want to do something for one year. And that was the idea that came up. So my goal is for one year, get people together every single month and I just committed to it. And I actually, funny enough did one. And on April 31st of this year, five, almost five years to the day for the last one, and it was amazing.
00:32:59:18 - 00:33:20:07
Josh Ellis
I was sitting in the room looking around and going like, Oh, I miss this feeling. I'm going to be like 80% of this room. I have no idea who they are. But tonight we're going to leave and have some form of relationship and they're going to meet somebody like people used to tell me they would leave cocktails community and months later, like I'm working for somebody or I started a business with somebody that I met there.
00:33:20:09 - 00:33:40:20
Josh Ellis
And the idea was like, leave what you do and, you know, at the door. Like, it's not that's not why we're here. Come in, talk about who you are. And sometimes I would even have like a prompt or a question. And this last one, I had these conversation coasters, what I call them. And it's just a unique question on the back of the car.
00:33:40:20 - 00:34:05:00
Josh Ellis
Like, you know, who's who's. If you could spend a day with anybody, who would it be? And why would you ask them what's something you learned through Kevin? What's something most people don't know about you? Like, if you if you started that conversation with more people, you you get to a level with them a lot faster than like the whole Titans, whether golf what's happening, you know.
00:34:05:02 - 00:34:25:02
Josh Ellis
So I've always been about that. I've always been one that's like let's prompt true connection or how you get to true connection by asking intentional questions and actually caring. And those are some of the best relationships I know. So over the years, my circle went from knowing a lot of people to being in a relationship and community with a few people.
00:34:25:04 - 00:34:51:08
Josh Ellis
And so yeah, I think the community thing and that's why I think it was one of the biggest reasons why I loved selling when I was on the real estate side that was specific to helping people buy houses, you know, traditional realtor. That's what it was about, was like getting them to fully envision their own gatherings in the living room, you know, like being like, What does this house mean?
00:34:51:11 - 00:35:13:04
Josh Ellis
You know? And of course, everyone's like, it's a safe place where we want to gather, where we want to raise our kids. I'm like, That's what we're doing here. We're helping people connect the dots to the place that they're going to do that. And so from real estate to the event series to the drink company, it's funny how kind of stewarding or encouraging the connection of community is at the root of all that.
00:35:13:06 - 00:35:39:20
Michael Conrad
It's not funny at all. It's not only very missionary minded, it is wise from an entrepreneurial perspective. And you didn't mean to be a multifaceted entrepreneur who had all these different things going on, but that's who you've become. And For all of our listeners here that are, you know, scratching at the ground, all of us are, as entrepreneurs, trying to get to that next deal, trying to build their business.
00:35:39:22 - 00:36:04:13
Michael Conrad
You know, today's conversation has been just, I think, really integral in helping us get at two aspects that help us take verifiable steps forward. In business, you start to look at design and branding and who you are, what is your esthetic, you know, that pushes you forward in design, It gives you clarity, it gives you a compass bearing and also begins to create a following.
00:36:04:15 - 00:36:26:17
Michael Conrad
And then as we start to look at community as the reason why we're doing all of it, it's the why behind all of it. And not only that, not only is it the motivation potentially, but it's also just a very good old fashioned way for building the very real relationships that we need to be in real estate. We always are going to be doing business.
00:36:26:17 - 00:36:45:17
Michael Conrad
We know like and trust. We know that. And so how are you going to be more visible so they know you? How are you going to be creating a brand that they want to be around and can trust? And then they're going to do business with you because they like everything that they're seeing. And so this is generated through many.
00:36:45:19 - 00:37:15:18
Michael Conrad
But I think design and community sort of rise to the surface as the reasons why we can take steps forward in business. And it encouragement to anyone listening here is make the hard choices look around what is everyone not doing? Yeah, do that. But most of all, just make a choice. The choice to do something is going to be much more powerful and attractive in business than the choice and do nothing is.
00:37:15:20 - 00:37:38:00
Josh Ellis
Also one thing I want to add for people that are maybe thinking like, naturally I don't see the world in that way. I don't see I feel like design branding is just it doesn't come natural to me. I don't think that should be an excuse to not find your unique voice and an interpretation of what you think is beautiful.
00:37:38:02 - 00:37:57:14
Josh Ellis
And because it's very important when people look you up, it's great for them to go like, wow. I mean, there's an experience. Maybe we should work with this person. I think what I would say is there's a lot of incredibly talented people out there that do this for a living. They'll sit you down, they'll ask you a series of questions.
00:37:57:16 - 00:38:21:20
Josh Ellis
They'll help you create a personal brand around whether it's your business card, your website, your signs, like don't allow it. If it's not a natural ability, don't allow that to keep you from at least taking a first step and go find someone who can interpret. Just because you may not be able to stage a room. Well, for example, you may be able to see a photo and go, I like how that stage.
00:38:21:20 - 00:38:55:21
Josh Ellis
There's people out there that can take interpretation, bring that to life, or take your unique approach of fonts and colors and put together your own logo, your own branding, your own business card. And that's something I do often. I am telling you, as much as it seems like I would naturally be good at all, that a lot of times what I'm doing is sending a Pinterest board of how I see just different characteristics of it, but I can actually get it to the finish line and then someone that that is their gift then puts it together and sends it back.
00:38:55:21 - 00:39:15:05
Josh Ellis
And I'm like, Oh, you nailed it or You didn't nail it. Let's keep going. And then I see it and I'm like, That's it. So I even do that. I go find people that I'm like, Man, I, I don't think I should be like a designer or branding professional, but I think my gift is I know how I want it to feel.
00:39:15:05 - 00:39:38:21
Josh Ellis
So when I work with a designer or someone doing branding or illustration, they're like, Man, you've pretty much painted the picture 99%. And then you allowed me to complete it. So I just want to encourage anybody that might feel like, Man, I love all this. I'm just not sure that's me. There's an you have it in you and sometimes you might just need somebody to help kind of bring it to fruition.
00:39:38:21 - 00:39:42:03
Josh Ellis
And those people are in your city and they're they're out there.
00:39:42:05 - 00:40:02:12
Michael Conrad
It's a good reminder that both in real estate but also in the business world in general, it's not meant to be done alone. It is a team sport and it's like community. That's right. It's my community, man. It it is beholden upon us to take the steps forward and we can get tricked into the idea that it's all on us to do it.
00:40:02:14 - 00:40:31:13
Michael Conrad
And so you're not copying so much as you are emulating, which has this essential piece of you in the middle of it. You yourself, and that branding piece becomes just this blend of what you like and what you're oriented towards and where you're going and, you know, amazing. Josh, thank so much for helping us go on this journey where we talk about just these important big picture elements that kind of connect us all again.
00:40:31:15 - 00:40:43:00
Michael Conrad
Hey everyone, keep listening here. Hit the subscribe button. Thanks so much for your time and I hope that you'll stick with us here on the Business Forms podcast.
00:40:43:02 - 00:41:05:02
Jake Hall
Hey everyone. Jake, again, director for the Business of Homes podcast. I hope you've enjoyed today's episode. A huge thank you to Josh Ellis for being a part of the podcast. Go follow him on Instagram @moderndayleader and let him know how much you enjoyed their story. Don't forget to subscribe on your preferred listening platform and make sure to follow us on Instagram as well @thebusinessofhomespod.
00:41:05:04 - 00:41:14:22
Jake Hall
Do you have any feedback or want to suggest someone for the show? Email us at thebusinessofhomespodcast@gmail.com. Thank you again for listening and we'll see you soon.