MH_013 === Andrew Benioff: We put those two things together and we came up with Indie Cultivate, which helps to. support Innovation and startups in hospitality and travel Welcome to the, The Modern Hotelier you're presented by Stayflexi. I'm your host, David Millili. Steve Carran: And I'm Steve Carran. David Millili: Steve, who do we have on the program? You Steve Carran: David. Today, we have a returning guest, Andrew Benioff from the independent lodging Congress. Andrew is gonna be announcing the winner of the, indie cultivate seed round. David Millili: Welcome Andrew. Andrew Benioff: Thank you, David. Appreciate it. David Millili: So could you give, uh, everyone a reminder and, uh, background of ILC and how that was started and what it's all about? Andrew Benioff: Sure. The independent lodging Congress started about 10 years ago. Uh we're we're a, a, uh, event and media platform that celebrates independent hotels. Restaurants food and beverage outlets and everything that is, connected to them. So pieces that are tangentially part of the independent hotel experience, including art design, technology, fashion music, and all of those things that go into making a great independent hotel. Steve Carran: both David and I have been to those shows and they're both fantastic. How did you specifically come up with the idea for the cultivate, concept. Andrew Benioff: So we, were thinking after we had been running, ILC for a number of years, that it would be great to celebrate, new startups, new ideas and innovation in hospitality and travel. In some way, shape or form. So we came up with the idea of cultivate marrying sort of two different conferences, our regular. Get together where we have panels and, indy talks and so forth discussions on all aspects of independent hospitality, as well as a startup pitch event where new startups come together and pitch their company idea to VCs, other investors, and people in the audience to figure out, you know what, what's the best new idea. Can it get funding, et cetera? We put those two things together and we came up with Indie Cultivate, which helps to. support Innovation and startups in hospitality and travel David Millili: I was fortunate enough to be in Brooklyn and be a judge for. Seed round. So we would like you Andrew to announce, the seed round winner and give us a little background on Andrew Benioff: Sure. So, um, the seed round for 2022 winner was The Course App, founded by Josh Sapienza. And it's a really interesting, app that he's put together. It's the world's first restaurant recommendation platform. But it's powered by personal, reviews and artificial intelligence together. It's the reviews of each of the restaurant customers and instead of broadcasting, those reviews for other people to read, engage. It uses its artificial intelligence, to privately guide you away from places you won't like. And towards ones you will, because it believes that taste is personal and it helps you find restaurants that are similar to ones that you've liked in the past with dishes you've liked in the past, we thought was a fantastic idea. David Millili: Welcome to the show, Josh and on your to be the judges at the event. Josh Sapienza: Thank you, David Steve Carran: Yeah, welcome to the show. Josh, I'd love to learn a little bit more about you to kick the show off. So why don't you tell everybody where Josh Sapienza: being here, uh, originally from Western suburbs of Philadelphia and, uh, spent a lot of time in a lot of different markets, but always made my way back to Pennsylvania and currently. I'm in Allentown in the beautiful Lehigh valley between New York city and Philadelphia. My two favorite cities. Steve Carran: Awesome. Awesome. How did that shape you kind of growing up in that area? And you said you, you did go to a few other area, live in a few other areas. How did that shape you? Kind of how you feel life and, shape your personality and who you. Josh Sapienza: Well, you know, the moves, uh, were all professional moves. not too many. You know, it wasn't like my family was moving me. So I was blessed with an opportunity to work in a lot of different markets from California to DC Philly, New York, New Jersey, some Colorado. And, uh, it gave me an opportunity to, I think, get exposed to as many different guests, as there are out there, which we, you know, we leverage a lot in, in the technology that we've developed because. Learned over time and, and different locations, that taste is indeed really, really personal. And it's something different for every guest. Yeah. Steve Carran: Absolutely. And I have to have to understand it's probably like in different regions, it's a lot different as well. So, speaking of that, can you tell me a little bit more about course restaurant guide? Josh Sapienza: Sure. essentially we offer a place where people can create a personal taste profile on the app. And then we use deep learning software, which is essentially, a more modern way of saying AI to calculate your compatibility with the restaurants and bars that are around you anywhere. Steve Carran: So if I like Italian food, will it focus on more the Italian food side of. things Josh Sapienza: So there are a lot of platforms that will do that based on your history. Like if you like Italian food, there are a lot of platforms from reservation platforms on, through public rating platforms that say, okay, you've eaten at 20 Italian restaurants this year, or you've ordered delivery from a bunch of Italian restaurants. Here are the top 10 restaurants in Austin, since you're in Austin. What we do is we tell you the kind of Italian restaurants that you are most compatible with based on your private ratings and quizzes, food quizzes, and taste tests that you take in the app. So. The big differentiator is that although you're rating restaurants and, and giving first party data, it's all anonymous. It's not for anyone's other benefit or to warn people you can't trash, a restaurant or a bar on the platform. Everything you put in there is kept private, and it's strictly for the purpose of training, the artificial intelligence to learn what you like and what you don't like and how willing you might be to try something new. Steve Carran: Very cool. David Millili: Circling back. We were at high tech, two weeks ago in Orlando and it was funny because. A woman that was there said you, Philly, people always find each other. She's like, you just always find each other no matter where you go. And it was hilarious. Cause I walked up to visit somebody and the guy who was standing there somehow I worked in that I was from Philadelphia and he said, oh, so am I? And then the table turned around and they're like, oh, so are we, they were all sitting down doing a demo. I'm like, where are you from? They're like from Plymouth meeting, I'm like, oh, Plymouth meeting mall was a great mall when I was a kid. So it's just funny how people and I've had people I've worked with that are. Man. It is so annoying. We don't know how you always find the Josh Sapienza: I know, I think I know why and how it's because we talk so damn much. When I'm in another market, if I I've been in supermarkets and they'll say, you're not from here, are you? And I say, you know, is it an accent? Like, what is it, what gave me away? And they're like, you're talking to us. just the fact that you're engaging me in conversation is a little weird David Millili: Anyway, so what, uh, getting back to the program, what, what made you get involved and how did you find out about the, uh, I. Josh Sapienza: wow. That's a long story. know, the sh the shortest version I can think of, and I have a problem with shortening things is that, uh, I spent over three decades in hospitality, in the restaurant, restaurants, bars, and some hotels. And when I left the industry, I got involved with. Setting up some hospitality divisions in commercial real estate, which facilitated some introductions and relationships to people in the boutique investment banking space that, uh, were interested in bringing somebody with my expertise on board. And I don't know anything about banking. I know inside the four walls, I'm always curious about outside the four walls and how deals come together from, you know, every perspective. And they said, look, you help us figure out if, uh, if the PIP or the bridge loan is gonna pencil and these guys have what it takes to actually make good use of the funds and we'll teach you how to do a workout. I thought, wow, that sounds like a free education and, and some and a paycheck that, so I was all about it. it was very interesting. What ended up happening, as usually happens in any kind of consulting capacity is I end up getting sucked back into my love, which is the service industry. And next thing you know, you know, the deal I'm helping facilitate is contingent upon me, staying on board for a little bit of time. That turns into more time. And then, so I could finally prime myself away. David Millili: obviously, I was, there was a judge. Did you, how did you feel? I mean, I thought your presentation was great. Obviously you won. did you feel going in, did you feel prepared and what, what did you do to prepare. Right. Josh Sapienza: most of it was a blackout. Um, I was, I literally, I, I wrote my speech, like a day or two before, and I practiced a few times, but. I had no idea what to expect. my experience in addressing people, whether it's 200 people or 2000 people is always in an, an arena, that's usually a restaurant and it's staff. And we're talking about things that I've talked about, you know, 10,000 times. So the familiarity with the content and the audience and the venue is, is comforting. I had note cards. And was asked if I wanted, you know, a head or a lanyard. And, and then I was handed a microphone and then they said, oh, do you have a clicker? And I said, no, what do you mean a clicker? And so we have to advance the screens. And I said, well, this is a terrible setup for a human, because I only have two hands, like I need somewhere or a partner or something. So somebody was very kind and saw me in distress and, uh, offered to advance the slides for me. It didn't make it any less nerve-wracking for me. So, I'm glad you couldn't tell, but, uh, yeah, I could feel myself shaking in my voice because you know, the win was not at all. Even in my mind, all I wanted to do is have a captive audience of a couple hundred people that would at least know that we exist and that this software that's taken us six years to develop. You know, the biggest fear is that we just end up being a really cool idea that nobody's ever heard of. So, um, we're looking for lodging partners that, that appreciate the cutting edge technology that we've developed and see value in, in partnering with us to put it in their properties or, or the portfolios of assets that they manage to better serve their guests and get us some traction. and so that was a win, just, just being allowed up on stage. David Millili: I thought you did a great job. The presentation was great. That was, your slides, you had everything covered. And it was also, you know, was one of the questions or comments that I had made. It was very timely for me because the hotel I stayed at for the conference, when I checked in, they handed me a piece of paper with some restaurants and none of which. Made any sense, 80% of them were closed. checked in late. so it was, it was very timely for me as a, as a consumer because, you know, like we said, this idea and the problem that you always have is when you're traveling or going somewhere, it's always this annoying text message where it's like, Hey, I'm going to Miami, can you recommend a restaurant? And then you're hoping that this person gets back to you know, and then you're like, oh wait, maybe I shouldn't ask this person because they're gonna send me to, you know, a $80 an entree place when I want a $30 an entree place. Josh Sapienza: Exactly. Steve Carran: And then you feel obligated to go. because you Asked them for a recommendation. Josh Sapienza: how'd you like it? Well, then don't ask me. So it's funny I'm sure. You know, if you're, whether it's hos any area of hospitality probably any industry, but I see everything from the eyes of a restaurant operator and as an operator, when people find out what you do or where you work, people invariably want to know, Hey, what's your favorite place in town? Or, Hey, listen, I have my, wife's birthday coming up. I want to take her out for an incredible dinner. And knowing how personal taste is. It's a lot like hearing you work at Ben and Jerry's, we're going out for ice cream. What flavor should we get? And it's like, don't want to tell you to eat what I like. I want you and, tell you what my favorite stuff is. I want to send you to a place that's going to be one of your new favorite places, not mine, you know, Steve Carran: did you always wanna have your own startup, uh, or was this more of an idea that you kind of thought of and, and just ran with it? Josh Sapienza: Yeah, no, it wasn't ever like, Hey, let's build a company or let's build an app. It really was born out of frustration. really two things. Drove it. Number one, you know what I just explained to you? Like I learned very early on in my career that. the more time I took to get to know a guest, the really the easier it was to make them happy and not just inside the four walls, but when it came to making those recommendations and that, that favor and that level of personal hospitality really extends the guest experience life cycle, far beyond, you know, dessert or them paying the check and keeping you and the brand in mind. Especially when, you're working with an outfit that has 15, 20 different concepts in four states, that's, that's valuable and it's rewarded and appreciated. But the second thing was that as an operator, I was also very familiar with the pains of having to dedicate time and money and human resources to manage online reputations and, uh, Those are regularly, as you know, I'm sure threatened by, maybe not fraudulent. There is a fair share of fraudulent online reviews, but there are a lot of unfair reviews as well, whether it's simply a guest with unrealistic expectations or somebody who was maybe just having a really bad day and using their keyboard to take it out on somebody or, a friend of, one of our competitors who, you know, hasn't been in, in the last five years, whatever. There are a lot of small independents you know, friends and, you know, former colleagues that simply don't have those extra resources to dedicate to that. And it's, it's that chef owner who has to carve out with little time. They have what little family time, even they have away from that to then respond to people online. when they could be spending time with their family or giving a manager or line, cook a break instead they're, you know, they have to put their own time and hours. into it and I thought, man, wouldn't it be cool if you know these platforms that seem to make more money than sense? Wouldn't it be cool to like build a platform that was just more helpful to everyone from the guest and end from the operator end. and when we started talking to people about it, it's like, yeah, I don't like that either. I'm constantly trying to analyze and scroll through reviews. It's been an hour and I'm in a new city and I only have one night and I'm rolling the dice and it's 2022 and technology really intelligent technology exists that can mitigate a lot of that and be a win-win we think for both sides. David Millili: You know, it's so funny. We went to, I was in London a couple years ago. We went to this, I think it's called dash or something. It was like an Indian fusion, really tough to get into. Fantastic. The next day we're sitting there. There's three of us and we're like, wow, me and the one guy who were a little older than the other guy said, wow, that was like top 10 meal. That was fantastic. And the other guy says, I really, I didn't think it was great. And he was like in his late twenties and we said really? And he said, yeah, he goes, I gave it a two. Do you mean? And we're like, you give it a two or you gave it it to he's like, oh no. I went online and gave a review and made, gave it a two. And we're like, dude, you gotta go in and change that. That was like a fantastic meal, but it just wasn't for him. So to your point, it was, it's pretty amazing when you, you can have that experience where we're saying we're, we're talking, you know, top 10 meal of our lives and this other guy wants to give it a two star review on TripAdvisor. Josh Sapienza: It's funny that you said when we first started testing the beta, we would all grow out. A lot of our quarterly meetings are basically just restaurant crawls in various cities. And it's fun because you sit down and we say, okay, rate it. And we see that somebody who, although we liked the restaurant, our perception of what constitutes good service. Is very different. And you know, I have one partner who, if his glass of water is regularly filled it's top marks. that's, that was the problem because when you're running a restaurant, you don't have obviously time or hotel to dedicate, to asking 20 questions to every guest, you know, where have you been that you liked? Where have you been and been really disappointed? What kind of atmosphere are you looking for? What kind of seating do you. What kind of food do you like food allergy? I mean, you go through over 20 questions as many as time permits and it's just, it was really effective and it worked and I got some incredible bottles of champagne and tequila and, and whiskey, some scotch whiskey that I wouldn't have been able to afford on my own as thank yous for making, you know, our weekend. So great. And, but it's not scalable. And so that's what we did. We basically made. You know, like I said, we weren't looking to build an app, but we realized, through the frustration that, Hey, although it's not scalable on a human level, we should be able to find developers that can build this for us and, you know, handle millions of people's different personal preferences. David Millili: absolutely. So is, is The Course Restaurant Guide your first startup on the tech side. Josh Sapienza: No, the first of. David Millili: share, please. Josh Sapienza: it was pretty ugly. Um, a, a colossal waste of money too. So, I started getting involved with some charitable work, about 10 years ago. And one of the things I couldn't help noticing because I, like I said, I see everything like a restaurant is, it was so much what they call in the software world, friction, in giving. And I was like, man, I'd never seen people put. Stipulations on how big or small or when you can order a gift, like I'm used to me, it was like someone coming into a restaurant saying, you know, I'd like a martini and just an order of fries to pick at. And they're like, no, you know, these are the segments. It's like either Mikai we decide, or you have to order a salad, a app, an entree in a dessert and a coffee. That's how it works. And so between that and. Them not really being open for every day part, so to speak, like they had these charitable events where they would accept gifts. And I thought, man, like, you have to be where your giver is. And, and so AER was a name that we came up with, the company in the app that essentially, if you know what a Haer is, it's, uh, most people don't, it's a, it's a big, giant rope that tugboats use. That when these big ships with goods and cargo, are trying to navigate these small narrow canals and ports, their engines are too big to get them there. So they shut off the engines. A tugboat attaches a ha line and brings them to where the people are. So that's what we were doing. And we built this elaborate expensive platform that allowed for frictionless free giving without charging anyone money for the charitable gift. And, uh, we learned that these organizations were really, less focused on, on fundraising and more on fundraising to create relationships. we were solving a problem that, and at a pain point that nobody really had nobody thought, geez, I wish I could just give to more people and make it easier. so we thought let's. Pair it with a, a social platform that re where you leverage the social good that you do, and you kind of wear the things you support, like patches on a NASCAR jacket. And if it becomes a dating app, a wow look, I really like her and she gives to blind three-legged dogs. I'm gonna give a dollar just to get that patch or whatever. We spent so much time pushing it and promoting it and learning and meeting with, some C-suite folks at various, national and international charities. But it just, it wasn't something anybody was interested in. And the more we talked about it, the more people's they would just glaze over like, oh yeah, I get it. And you could tell they had no idea how it worked. Like a restaurant. whenever I build something, with brick and mortar, I always try to figure out how we're gonna reposition the asset if it doesn't work out and unwind it. and so for the software, I thought, look, we should figure out how, if this doesn't work, what could we use it for? And ironically enough, in the next year we're gonna be rolling out a social component to course where you have like a club level membership. Where people can connect with other people, you could see your compatibility, your food tastes compatibility with other people. you could see your proximity to different people and different restaurants that are on your bucket lists, you know, so you don't drive by one, not realizing you could have stopped and some fun things like that. That really wouldn't be possible if we didn't make those big, expensive mistakes, but it really, Gave me the opportunity to have a much deeper appreciation, not only for the process, but for these people that are part mathematicians and part creative geniuses that are really making their own math. That's what this programming is. And coming from the hospitality space where, you know, you don't say no. There's a deep, profound appreciation for a team of people that if I can imagine something the, they never say no, it's, you know what I'm doing it now. And it's done, or that's gonna take like two weeks or that might take me two or three months Josh, but it's never no. And if it's outside the box, it seems to fuel them even more. And they're so energized to do something different than what they're typically asked to. In in that space, I guess, but it's been, it's been an interesting ride and, um, I love cross pollinating, genuine hospitality with technology because there's a lot of hospitality tech out there that in my opinion is completely antithetical to the core tenants of hospitality. David Millili: Yeah. The one thing too, that's interesting that people don't realize. I didn't realize before I went from like you restaurants to tech, I went from hotels to tech and it was amazing how many of these developers are musicians? Play an instrument or in a band it's it's just, I never, I never thought, like, I would've never guessed that if somebody said, oh, like what, what, what do programmers do besides code? I would probably think may read books, you know, or code more, not like play the base or be in a band. And it was like, it's a kind of interesting fact that a lot of people who don't know developers don't know, but it's not all of them, but a lot of them do so. Yeah. Josh Sapienza: well to. Really getting into making the data. There's no gray area. It's like, you just it's, it's either a yes or a no. And I think that's why, uh, some of my friends that have since joined us, you know, they're on the spectrum and, uh, it's, it's cool because these are people that because of our social differences or our geographic or upbringing or religious, the sociopolitical, everything. we have a team of people that have one or two common threads that we've only discovered because we work together and they've become, I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but they really have become best friends and like my family now. And it's, it's cool when you work with a team like that, where the mutual respect is there and, and everybody is, you know, the, the skill gaps are filled in by the guy sitting next to. Uh, I Steve Carran: And that, that makes life a lot easier. what has been something that you've learned throughout maybe a past startup, like ha or, you know, something, another challenge that you've gone through that's helped you learn and grow throughout this process. Josh Sapienza: One of the things I've learned. Well, geez, I've, it's been one constant learning process, but I'm trying to think of what might be valuable to share. I've learned that it's a hell of a lot easier, to get 18 part-time developers than one full-time developer. You know, everyone says, I can't find developers. How are, you know, are you going overseas? Or you? I said, no, I, we tried to get three developers and we couldn't. And so I put an that out for part-time side hustle gig with a fun project. And this is what you do. And you. If you like to eat and, uh, work on fun stuff like this, and we couldn't handle the influx of CVS that came our way. so you know, this whole project has been a big rock soup, kind of for me. It's like, I got a kettle in hot water. Like what do you have? And, and the more which is, which is tough and it takes longer when you don't have 25 million in a room. You know, people working in six different countries for you, but the cool thing is I don't think you're guaranteed, but I think you have a greater likelihood of people who really care about what you're doing. because you're asking them to sacrifice their spare time on something. So you're not gonna get somebody that really isn't into food or hospitality and service. You're, you're getting people that really want to get their foot in the door, but like I said, their, their lifestyle. Their personality, their finances, their location, where they live, whatever has always been a barrier to that. And so now you're offering a doorway into that world and, uh, It's not just team building. When we get together on a quarterly basis, it is, we really have a lot of fun and, and we eat and we look to see how different to reinforce. Like, look, we all are looking at this restaurant differently, even though we all like it. Or even though we don't like it. And, and there's a lot of value in there to writing software that proud sources, these commonalities and builds bridges, invisible bridges to people instead of. You know, just have giving people a soapbox to say, that's not a good place. And I don't like them because, you know, ultimately whether it's taste or preferences, there's no right or wrong, like ice cream or wine. There's no such thing as a great wine. It's like, what you like? And if it costs something in your budget, then that's an extra bonus, but there's no good or bad, there's no right or wrong. You know, if there was, we'd all be after my wife And, and the shelves at the market would be empty of all the stuff that I wanna have for dinner tonight. Steve Carran: with that social aspect, I'm just thinking here, uh, say I want Italian, my wife wants a salad from some place. Is there, uh, the social. Where you might offer recommendation for my profile and her profile Josh Sapienza: I feel like you've done a lot of research on this, and this is like an infomercial because yes, there is. Great. Steve Carran: I'm thinking my personal life solve. What do we want for dinner so quickly? Josh Sapienza: Now we're gonna have 403 members. Um, only 70,000 more to go. well, in, in, 2.5 or three point, oh, we're not sure yet, but in the next year and a half to two years, we'll be rolling out, um, group calibration for club level members where you can. put in up to nine other members and it will calculate the compatibility for up to 10 people. so that, you know, for the greatest, common good, where everyone will be equally disappointed David Millili: Right. Josh Sapienza: yeah. But instead of, you know, voting or the loudest voice winning, like, you know, in ancient Greece, uh it's it's not about, you know, Sometimes the person who's, the quietest ends up being the most disappointed. So we like, we like software that is a little more humane in that capacity. Steve Carran: That is very cool. That is very. David Millili: we've, we've covered a lot of stuff. So what, is there anything that we didn't cover that's coming up, for the course restaurant guide, anything new? You wanna talk about or something that's coming version 3.5, maybe Josh Sapienza: you know, we we've been approached by a couple of folks that wanna do some private labeling, like white labeling, app with us. And as, as interesting as that is, it kind of goes along the same thing. I think it was, oh, no, it wasn't you. But somebody at, um, ILC had asked, like, what kind of money are you looking for? And what kind of terms are you offering? And although. You know, money solves a lot of problems. You know, I think that our, our bigger goal and our greatest ambition is to meet with hotels and asset managers that, you know, realize maybe there's a better way than handing someone like you got. And that's almost every hotel I've ever been that it's just ape a canned spiel, or literally a Xerox copy of a printout that just lists all the local restaurants. And it's not. A personal, modern, interactive approach at all. And when you can take that list and digitize it and allow people to take notes in their phone and, and have them see their own personal compatibility calculated, tho those are the inroads that we're looking for. we're trying to meet folks that, will help us roll out this pilot. We've started a pilot program. they can, you know, use QR codes either at the concierge desk or in room or both. and even if it's just 10% of rooms to see how well it's received, Steve Carran: Any types of hotels that you think would your product would be a really good fit? Josh Sapienza: you know, we initially thought that it would be the more tech savvy, younger. we were going the Airbnb and small boutique brands that try to, you know, steal that market segment like Moxi and things like that. or independence that are more, you know, the mama shelters, Hoskins of the world. but because we get so much positive feedback from family members that are going to see the Liberty bell and like looking for family friendly restaurants that also have something they might. we're really an app for any age food, loving lifestyle traveler out there, whether they're traveling with friends or, or alone, you know? So, uh, no, there really is no specific asset class or type of flag that we're looking at. it's it's personalized. So it really goes with whatever the guest is looking for most and it's helping. Every guest by delivering more personalized service to them, not only, you know, obviously while they're there, but outside the property, which I think is a great way to build and sustain long term bottom line. David Millili: we have a call coming up, so I have some ideas for you. And I think there's some great, connections that I can make for you in the space. And like you said, you're right. It's the tough part about being seed. And I tend to end up advising a lot of. Companies that are more in the seed range than the series a or growth, uh, range is that it's always tough because whether you take 500,000 or 1.5 million, you usually give up the same amount of equity. So you kind of have to figure out how to really position the value of your company and, and have a good plan. I'm working with a company right now that we're. She's fixated on a revenue number and I'm telling her I'm fixated on a growth model. Not just, not just how do you get to a million? What is it gonna take? You know, what's the growth, what do you want each salesperson to do? What do you want, you know, the rep to do so Josh Sapienza: Right. And we've, and we're not asking, you know, especially if it's one specific umbrella or arm, you know, there are some that I am targeting and, and really obsessed with, and we're not asking to do it for free, but we do know that if you help us get to half a million members, the money is gonna be there. There'll be knocks of doors without, without question. we just wanna make sure we're growing. With, folks who are committed to seeing the success with us and providing real time feedback and, and really, interested in being technologically advanced as, as the market is asking for. Steve Carran: any advice you'd give to, uh, maybe, uh, somebody who's looking to start their own business, a new entrepreneur, any advice you'd give. Josh Sapienza: know, whether it's, software or, a restaurant, I see a lot of folks going into it, not taking advantage of so many opportunities to learn on someone else's dime. You know, there are so many veterans and get a mentor, whether it's for free or it's just an opportunity to learn from their mistakes You know, you just catapult yourself to a starting position. That's so far ahead of where you would be like the people in the industry that you're looking at, have spent countless hours and countless dollars and learned from mentors themselves. And you know, there's always gonna be someone. I, I tell everyone I give an hour of my time to. through, another kind of, uh, consulting job I have and have a website called hospitality, helpline.com for, for people just to offer free advice. It's there and, I guarantee no matter where you're coming into the industry, if you have less than 20, 30 years experience, someone can help you. Steve Carran: Yep. David Millili: yeah. Well, thank you so much, Josh. I mean, this is part of, one of the reasons why I love ILC, cuz get to meet people like you, who I would've probably never met. Uh, I don't get to Allentown too often anymore past I don't deal on the restaurant side too much. So we wanna congratulate you. that's really the end of the, The Modern Hotelier you're presented by Stayflexi. We appreciate your time. And is there any last thing, anything else you wanna plug? I mean, we've, I think we've done a pretty good job of doing your infomercial for you Josh Sapienza: Thank you. Thank you kindly. Uh, no, I just, uh, I hope I could see you before high tech next year. David Millili: Definitely. I'll make sure that happens. Josh Sapienza: I I'm out west and, uh, David Millili: Sounds good. All right. Well, thank you Josh Sapienza: Philly frequently. Steve Carran: Awesome. Thanks Josh. Josh Sapienza: Likewise. Thank you gentlemen.