1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.356 Sean Murray: That's true. So you were saying before that you grew 2 00:00:03.420 --> 00:00:07.099 up on Long Island, we were talking about the Bellmore car 3 00:00:07.163 --> 00:00:10.649 show. And you have seen also, I think, in some of your 4 00:00:10.713 --> 00:00:14.327 experience, reporting on this space that there is a good 5 00:00:14.392 --> 00:00:18.006 amount of b2b or even Small Business Finance, people who 6 00:00:18.071 --> 00:00:19.620 work out on Long Island. 7 00:00:19.680 --> 00:00:22.110 Adam Zaki: Oh, yeah, the sunrise Business Center, a ton of the 8 00:00:22.110 --> 00:00:25.260 people that read our stuff work. Right there. I live five minutes 9 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:29.070 from there. So the industry I know that we're talking about is 10 00:00:29.070 --> 00:00:32.130 it going to Miami, is it going to Manhattan is going to all 11 00:00:32.130 --> 00:00:34.680 these different places, right? Right now, where's it focused 12 00:00:34.680 --> 00:00:36.750 in, and it's focused on Long Island and downtown Manhattan, 13 00:00:37.050 --> 00:00:39.480 but then we even I write stories about the industries going to 14 00:00:39.480 --> 00:00:44.010 Miami. I think that at the end of the day, Long Island serves 15 00:00:44.010 --> 00:00:46.950 the perfect place for these businesses to do business. 16 00:00:47.220 --> 00:00:50.100 Because it has the bounce in New York City, you get to hire New 17 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:53.070 Yorkers, which is the reason why people do business here is 18 00:00:53.070 --> 00:00:56.520 because the employees, the candidates that people to hire 19 00:00:56.760 --> 00:01:01.230 are the best, the best colleges, okay, people who grow up here 20 00:01:01.290 --> 00:01:03.300 and go to school here, or even grow up elsewhere and come to 21 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:06.360 college here and get jobs here. It's the best of the best ask 22 00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:08.640 anybody I'm sure you know, the cream of the crop when you're 23 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.550 looking for employees are from this area. So if you're doing 24 00:01:11.550 --> 00:01:14.340 business on the island, you have access to everybody who works 25 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:16.800 and lives in New York City. Okay, just a guy coming from the 26 00:01:16.800 --> 00:01:19.530 island of Manhattan. There are people that reverse commute that 27 00:01:19.530 --> 00:01:21.930 go out to the island, right. I also think you have the suburban 28 00:01:21.930 --> 00:01:24.840 life, you can raise a family on the island, not many people want 29 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:28.500 to raise a family on 14th Street. And I totally understand 30 00:01:28.500 --> 00:01:30.990 that I wouldn't want to either, Yeah, but you're just an hour 31 00:01:30.990 --> 00:01:33.390 train ride away from the city if you want to do business here. 32 00:01:33.750 --> 00:01:37.140 And then, of course, you got the bagels and the pizza, unreal 33 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:39.450 food out on island. Way better than anything you get in the 34 00:01:39.450 --> 00:01:45.090 five boroughs. I know that that might catch a lot of flack. But 35 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:47.490 I think it's just a perfect balance. And that's why I love 36 00:01:47.490 --> 00:01:50.340 it. I love the balance of being able to go home at night, hang 37 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:54.240 out in my backyard, it's quiet, I have a car, I can drive where 38 00:01:54.240 --> 00:01:57.450 I want to go. versus, you know, the city or another place where 39 00:01:57.570 --> 00:02:00.630 Miami, it's the same weather all year round. In the city. It's 40 00:02:00.630 --> 00:02:04.230 very expensive. And life is much different. I enjoy the suburban 41 00:02:04.230 --> 00:02:06.480 life. And I think that many of these people that work in sales, 42 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:09.960 want to have families and wives and kids. They want the suburban 43 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:12.420 life and they still want to have that New York hustle. Yeah, Long 44 00:02:12.420 --> 00:02:13.950 Island's the place to be without a doubt. 45 00:02:14.220 --> 00:02:15.960 Sean Murray: You know, I gotta say, I grew up on Long Island, 46 00:02:16.350 --> 00:02:20.220 as you know, but I feel like my personal opinion is that Long 47 00:02:20.220 --> 00:02:26.370 Island has a certain cultural background that makes it that 48 00:02:26.370 --> 00:02:30.480 makes the people there really suited towards, like phone 49 00:02:30.480 --> 00:02:33.210 sales. Yeah, like, yeah, like you said, it's a lot of New 50 00:02:33.210 --> 00:02:37.290 Yorkers. Right? Yeah. And I just think a lot, you know, the 51 00:02:37.290 --> 00:02:40.710 culture, the attitude, you know, like the hustle all that stuff. 52 00:02:40.950 --> 00:02:45.870 It just goes so well hand in hand with doing, you know, phone 53 00:02:45.870 --> 00:02:50.550 sales or any any type of sales. I know that when I first started 54 00:02:50.550 --> 00:02:54.990 in the industry, even even in the early days, that you could 55 00:02:54.990 --> 00:02:58.350 bump into people working in it anywhere, like on the Long 56 00:02:58.350 --> 00:03:01.590 Island rail road, or you know, at just walking down the street. 57 00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:05.430 And I think that it's only grown, like you said, like we're 58 00:03:05.430 --> 00:03:08.550 all writing about how everyone's moving to Miami. Right, as we 59 00:03:08.550 --> 00:03:10.980 all then take the Long Island river back to Yeah, you know, 60 00:03:11.430 --> 00:03:14.880 100% back to our hometowns. Right. So there's definitely 61 00:03:14.880 --> 00:03:17.790 there's definitely an element of truth to what you say. And I 62 00:03:17.790 --> 00:03:20.910 don't think that there's going to be a mass exodus. You know, 63 00:03:20.910 --> 00:03:23.880 maybe you can tell me you've heard differently of people who 64 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:26.880 operate in the business on Long Island. Forget about the city, 65 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:30.060 that the Long Island demographic, I don't think that 66 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:32.880 they are going to move to a place like Miami. I think that 67 00:03:32.940 --> 00:03:34.470 Long Island is their home. 68 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:36.180 Adam Zaki: I mean, that's outside of the merchant cash 69 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:39.210 advance industry. That's every Long Islander never leaves. 70 00:03:39.240 --> 00:03:41.610 Sean Murray: That's true. That's true. Yeah. They don't just say, 71 00:03:41.640 --> 00:03:44.910 oh, you know, business seems to be picking up in, in South 72 00:03:44.910 --> 00:03:48.690 Florida. Therefore. That's where we got to go. Sorry. Got to take 73 00:03:48.690 --> 00:03:50.850 the kids out of school. You know, what I mean, we're moving 74 00:03:50.850 --> 00:03:54.540 to South Florida now. Now everyone will everyone 75 00:03:54.540 --> 00:03:57.930 eventually moves there when they retire, though? Not everyone. 76 00:03:57.930 --> 00:04:01.620 But Florida is a very popular retirement spot. But yeah, I 77 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:04.110 don't think that when we talk about like this exodus, or 78 00:04:04.110 --> 00:04:06.630 everyone's moving to Miami, I don't think we're really talking 79 00:04:06.630 --> 00:04:07.590 about Long Islanders. 80 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:09.840 Adam Zaki: No, I mean, I have I will say that I have spoken to a 81 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:14.040 couple brokers out on the island who own brokerage firms that say 82 00:04:14.040 --> 00:04:16.800 that they do plan on opening satellite offices in Miami that, 83 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.470 okay, they want to do business down there. But they don't want 84 00:04:19.470 --> 00:04:22.260 to move business down there. And so that's where I think we're 85 00:04:22.260 --> 00:04:25.710 going to that you can have the ability to have two opposites. 86 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:28.530 You can have the ability to do business in two places. You 87 00:04:28.530 --> 00:04:30.300 don't have to leave New York just because the laws are 88 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:32.760 changing in New York, You can have an office in Miami, do 89 00:04:32.760 --> 00:04:35.370 business down there and still get what you can out of New 90 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:39.030 York. I think, despite disclosure laws or politics, the 91 00:04:39.030 --> 00:04:41.550 benefits from being in the city if you're working in selling 92 00:04:41.550 --> 00:04:45.330 money, it's the only place to do it. It's the only place to do 93 00:04:45.330 --> 00:04:48.720 it. Until someone could tell me different. That's just how I 94 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:49.050 feel. 95 00:04:49.140 --> 00:04:53.340 Sean Murray: Yeah, you know, I will say, you know, it's the 96 00:04:53.340 --> 00:04:57.720 only place to do it. That being in a certain place, definitely 97 00:04:57.720 --> 00:04:59.190 creates a certain motivation. 98 00:04:59.640 --> 00:05:00.270 Adam Zaki: Yes. 99 00:05:01.650 --> 00:05:04.680 Sean Murray: When I am not in the New York metro area, I feel 100 00:05:04.710 --> 00:05:08.730 a lot less motivated. It's usually because I'm on like, I'm 101 00:05:08.730 --> 00:05:13.530 on vacation or something, but it's when everyone around you is 102 00:05:13.530 --> 00:05:16.380 kind of just like grinding, grinding it out, you know, with 103 00:05:16.380 --> 00:05:21.720 huge aspirations and ambitions or pursuing their dreams. It's 104 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:27.480 very, very motivating, that it's hard to kind of pull back from 105 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.750 that type of like environment, right, because you're immersed 106 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:33.780 in it, where everyone's everyone's going for something. 107 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:37.980 And I've, you know, this kind of feeds into, like, you know, zoom 108 00:05:37.980 --> 00:05:40.740 and working remote and all that stuff, I could never work from 109 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:45.030 home. And I could not just move into like the middle of nowhere 110 00:05:45.030 --> 00:05:47.820 where you know, I can get a cheap big house, because I got 111 00:05:47.820 --> 00:05:51.060 it, I gotta say, I would not be as motivated to do any of the 112 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:55.350 things that I do. And it helps also, to be around people who 113 00:05:55.350 --> 00:05:58.440 are like minded in the like, in the field that you're in. 114 00:05:59.070 --> 00:06:01.800 Because if we were just in a place where maybe there was 115 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:05.310 hustle and bustle, but no finance people, I probably 116 00:06:05.310 --> 00:06:08.640 wouldn't be feeling it as much. If I couldn't go outside and 117 00:06:08.640 --> 00:06:10.560 talk to someone who was in it, you know what I mean like, 118 00:06:11.070 --> 00:06:13.680 there's that feeling of going outside and talking to someone. 119 00:06:13.860 --> 00:06:16.290 And they're like, it did this many deals today, or closed this 120 00:06:16.290 --> 00:06:18.870 much business today. And they're talking the lingo that you talk 121 00:06:18.870 --> 00:06:21.840 and all that stuff. And then you go upstairs and you're like, you 122 00:06:21.840 --> 00:06:23.940 know, you're like, you know, you're all pumped up to like, 123 00:06:23.940 --> 00:06:26.040 you know, this is like this is you know, we're all in it, bla 124 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:29.760 bla bla bla bla. And if there was none of that around here, I 125 00:06:29.760 --> 00:06:32.880 just wouldn't, I just would not be motivated, we would be a 126 00:06:32.880 --> 00:06:33.630 different company. 127 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:36.270 Adam Zaki: Hey but you know, people people do get motivated 128 00:06:36.270 --> 00:06:38.640 outside here because we see at Broker Fair people flying in for 129 00:06:38.640 --> 00:06:41.460 the event. It's not only a roomful of New Yorkers. Now 130 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:44.460 there are people from outside of New York that come here. So I 131 00:06:44.460 --> 00:06:46.800 don't know if I could do that. But there are surely people out 132 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.880 there that do not need the skyscrapers to get motivated. 133 00:06:51.330 --> 00:06:54.900 But it does definitely help it does definitely help knowing 134 00:06:54.900 --> 00:06:58.410 that there's 8 million people hustling right around you at any 135 00:06:58.410 --> 00:07:01.200 given moment, right here. It just encourage you to work hard. 136 00:07:01.290 --> 00:07:02.490 That's why I like coming here. 137 00:07:02.760 --> 00:07:06.240 Sean Murray: Yeah. But you know, there there are certain parts of 138 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.870 the country though where it's, there's no surprise that there 139 00:07:09.870 --> 00:07:14.280 hasn't really been like a growth of like, this type of industry, 140 00:07:14.430 --> 00:07:18.600 right? Oh, yeah. Where you'll hear about like, one or two 141 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.930 people, and it just never takes off. Because kinda the, you 142 00:07:21.930 --> 00:07:25.620 know, the community there just thinks like a different way. But 143 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:27.480 yeah, you're absolutely right. Of course, people fly from all 144 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:31.740 over the place. But we, at the same time, we find that they 145 00:07:31.740 --> 00:07:35.310 come from other kind of like minded places, like Miami does 146 00:07:35.310 --> 00:07:39.510 have a like a robust, like, finance community, believe it or 147 00:07:39.510 --> 00:07:44.040 not, places in like Southern California, obviously, you know, 148 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:47.040 the New York metro area. And there are places in the Midwest 149 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:50.100 too like Kansas City that other people in New York may not be 150 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:53.190 thinking about. But is like a financial hub. You know, Kansas 151 00:07:53.190 --> 00:07:57.060 City has been a big part of the country for a long time. Salt 152 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:02.520 Lake City, right. Places like that. And, yeah, there's kind of 153 00:08:02.520 --> 00:08:05.910 continued to grow over time, even Las Vegas. Yeah, there's 154 00:08:05.910 --> 00:08:09.240 that there's shops out in Las Vegas, right? There's a 155 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:11.730 different type of motivation there. But there's, there's so 156 00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:13.830 much hustle and bustle. There's definitely motivation. 157 00:08:13.950 --> 00:08:15.570 Adam Zaki: I think theres correlation between the cost of 158 00:08:15.570 --> 00:08:18.150 living and the hustle and bustle. If you're paying a rent 159 00:08:18.150 --> 00:08:22.020 or a mortgage on a house, that's seven $800,000 your going to be 160 00:08:22.020 --> 00:08:24.630 way more motivated to go out and close deals. Yeah. And if your 161 00:08:24.630 --> 00:08:26.820 mortgage is 1200 bucks a month and you're married with two 162 00:08:26.820 --> 00:08:29.910 kids, yeah, you don't have to close as many deals to live. So 163 00:08:29.910 --> 00:08:32.730 there's a hustle and bustle because you just have to to eat. 164 00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:35.970 Sean Murray: Yeah, that's true. And if everyone if everyone 165 00:08:35.970 --> 00:08:39.210 around you, you know, is living a better lifestyle than you got 166 00:08:39.210 --> 00:08:42.750 to live that lifestyle, I gotta work harder. It's totally true.