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Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg Podcast was created to share the stories of men and women in business and entrepreneurship that are both well knowing and or hidden gems. Joel believes that everyone has a story and their story matters which is why Joel is eager to connect with individuals that are bringing value to their community through innovation, leadership, entrepreneurial journeys, and developing company culture. If you would like to be a guest on Joel's podcast please email us at joel@joelgoldbergmedia.com.

TRANSCRIPT:

KEVIN YOUKILIS TRANSCRIPT 

 

Joel Goldberg: Welcome into rounding the base.

 

Joel Goldberg: This the podcast about culture and leadership with a baseball

 

Joel Goldberg: Welcome into rounding the bases, the podcast about culture and leadership with a baseball twist presented by enterprise Bank and Trust hashtag no stopping you.

 

Joel Goldberg: My name is Joel Goldberg and today I actually have a baseball guest, a man who played 10 years in the major leagues was a three time all star won a Gold Glove.

 

Joel Goldberg: Two World Championships mostly with the Boston Red Sox, a little bit of time with the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees and nowadays.

 

Joel Goldberg: Kevin Youkilis is the owner of Loma Brewing Company in Los Gatos, California. The San Jose area Kevin was kind enough to join me one morning in September, very early Pacific time to talk about baseball and business, Kevin.

 

Joel Goldberg: First off, thanks for getting up at a ridiculous hour, but how are you

 

Kevin Youkilis: I'm good. I'm always up at this hour. So I've been up since probably 6am, so this is this is normal for me.

 

Joel Goldberg: I love it. The, the life of a father and a business owner long time baseball player turned brewery owner. How did you make that pivot. 

 

Kevin Youkilis: I got into the the craft beer business after I retired. It was something that I was planning kind of through the journey at the end.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Lot when I had a lot of time when I had back surgery and just thinking about the future. And so I fell in love with craft beer over the years while I was playing

 

Kevin Youkilis: When I travel around to every you know city that we go to and I would just try new beer from different places.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know Boulevard Brewing Company was probably one of the bigger ones in Kansas City was one of the

 

Kevin Youkilis: My favorite parts about the visit clubhouse was after the game, I could get myself a bowl of our brew and

 

Kevin Youkilis: I just really just fell in love with it. I fell in love with talking to brewery owners talking to brewers understanding

 

Kevin Youkilis: There's like this huge camaraderie between craft brewers and it's the, it's the you know the the small dogs versus the big dogs, which is the domestic brands such as Anheuser Busch and Corey Miller.

 

Kevin Youkilis: That do you know amazing job with all the beers. They've created, but we are kind of fighting to gain shelf space with those guys so we

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, I open this up for years ago, I had no idea what I was going to get myself into. But I think is probably one of the greatest experiences of my life because I've been educated on so many different things.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Within the past five years of my life from the business side to the hospitality and service side and just managing a team. I think that's probably one of the hardest things of owning a business is

 

Kevin Youkilis: I'm not a baseball manager. I know a lot about baseball, and I knew a little bit about this industry. So I've been learning on the fly. So it's been a lot of fun. I've been very blessed to have a lot of great people that have helped me along the way.

 

Joel Goldberg: There's so much to unpack your as they say, and I don't know those people say that now I guess that expression back but but there is because, you know, one

 

Joel Goldberg: One of the reasons why I started my speaking business four years ago, never having dabbled outside of this bubble like you know that that bubble, Kevin.

 

Joel Goldberg: That we live in, in sports, whether you are the star third baseman our first baseman whether you're the broadcaster, whether you're the groundskeeper whether you're, you know, the accountant and up in the front of whatever it is, like, it's

 

Joel Goldberg: It's not a world that most people will ever live in and it just has its own idiosyncrasies, and the way that you travel when you show up for work all the nuances that they you know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

Joel Goldberg: But yet, what I saw was that there was so much in terms of culture and leadership and team building

 

Joel Goldberg: within an organization and the clubhouse then very much translates to the real world. Like, I can't go and

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, do someone's taxes or start to whatever whatever profession, it is right. Anything from surgery to to being a lawyer in the courtroom, but I understand, team building a culture because of all the time that I've spent

 

Joel Goldberg: In locker rooms and for you, and especially Baseball to like such a diverse

 

Joel Goldberg: Every club houses diverse multiple languages. So how much did all that experience translate into you're starting a business or running a business.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Well, yeah. Culture is the biggest thing within all businesses you getting the right team together. The one thing I do know is

 

Kevin Youkilis: The personalities are always different. Right. I like you just said it doesn't matter if you're on a baseball field or if you're in the workplace.

 

Kevin Youkilis: That's one thing that I learned with great managers, is you. I mean, basically what we're doing as business owners and high level managers, is we're putting out fires all the time.

 

Kevin Youkilis: It doesn't matter if you're at baseball or if you're in a business half your job is putting out fires and

 

Kevin Youkilis: And figuring out the right way to put out those fires, there's, there's the wrong way. There's the right way and there's a lot of in between on certain issues. So I think

 

Kevin Youkilis: A lot of this stuff that that you know that carries over you know is the personalities within his understanding personality is getting to know people.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Getting to understand how to get the most out of them. I think, you know, if you're not a

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know the best managers in any business really sit down and get to know their employees and also don't hire for that position they hire for

 

Kevin Youkilis: The person and their abilities and their personality that could fit in best with the team. So if I have five people I'm interviewing

 

Kevin Youkilis: I'm usually trying to figure out a little bit about them figure out their background. Think how they think and

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know the resume is great. And if I had five people with the same exact resumes. I'm going after what person, I think.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Has the best potential to help our business out. And I think that's one of the hardest things to do.

 

Joel Goldberg: In this industry versus baseball, because sometimes talent can in baseball. Can you go with talent, sometimes a little more and you're hoping that

 

Joel Goldberg: They can fit in with the culture of the clubhouse. Whereas with a business like that. It's kind of hard sometimes to understand that. So I rely on the people around me.

 

Joel Goldberg: To that have been in this business long enough that have been fooled at a job interview and know that

 

Joel Goldberg: Because there's sometimes I'm like, oh, that person is great. They're like, now that we're not you know that's not the right fit. And it's pretty cool to, you know, to learn that way. So a lot of carry over.

 

Joel Goldberg: And it all goes back to personalities and how you manage managing styles.

 

Joel Goldberg: How much did that clubhouse experience help in terms of needing to be that teammate to so many different types of personalities to and

 

Joel Goldberg: Look, when you came up. You are, you are a part, a young guy a part of a pretty crazy bunch, you know, for right and then and then you really were able to

 

Joel Goldberg: To have a bigger role, the next time it came around and he got that second ring, but I mean that I can't think of a much more wild personality.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Of guys maybe the the Phillies that I grew up with in 1993 the levy Doug stress and all those guys but you know you had the Johnny demons and the big poppies and Jonny Gomes that we had here. What did that experience do for you today.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, that oh 14 was really big, you know, in a lot of ways because I was, I was a younger rookie

 

Kevin Youkilis: I mean I sorry an older rookie. I was 25 years old I didn't get drafted to my senior year of college. So I was a little late to the ball game last year behind that most but I think the key for me was that

 

Kevin Youkilis: What I learned was all these personalities some really big and they they would just THEY WOULDN'T THEY WOULDN'T mesh right and

 

Kevin Youkilis: But there was a group of guys and they want to have fun and they want to enjoy the game.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And they're in the different personalities off the field or in the clubhouse. You know guys would hang out and different you know groups and this and that and then

 

Kevin Youkilis: But when that when those when those lights went on that group of guys knew how to compete together.

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, everyone says, oh, it's all about the you know the clubhouse chemistry and it has to be perfect. It's not perfect clubhouse chemistry goes in multiple different ways.

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, you can have really good clubhouse chemistry because people really respect each other. They just don't get along and

 

Joel Goldberg: I always say a good team. There's always gonna be a fight at some point in that clubhouse over the hundred 62 games, but it's the teams that get over that fight.

 

Joel Goldberg: It's the team that talk through it, the team that win that fight happens or that argument happens in the clubhouse. They keep it in the clubhouse. And they come together as a group.

 

Joel Goldberg: Apologize to one another and move on. They're not going to become best friends, probably

 

Joel Goldberg: But they're going to go out there and compete as teammates, they're high five. And that guy there, you know, cheering for that guy to make plays or make the right pitch.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And and that's and that's no different than in business. Because when you put 50 people together in a business.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Not everyone's going to agree or get along. I mean, just go to a, you know, go to a holiday party and you'll see that the craziest things that ever happened.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And I always say, that's my, that's my favorite time to really evaluate my employees is at the holiday parties, but that that's basically what I learned from oh four was it's not it's not a perfect family. But if you have the same goals when it comes to game time. That is the key to success.

 

Kevin Youkilis: It's fascinating to because I think sometimes we want everybody to be one thing and they can I learned this couple years ago, I was

 

Kevin Youkilis: Talking to a business owner and they've got a real successful business and they wanted it was one of the best cultures that you could possibly see here in town.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And so they were hiring based on that culture. But then what they realized with with some of the research was

 

Kevin Youkilis: The guys working out in the warehouse didn't need to have that culture and didn't want to have that culture. They didn't want to be the ones that were

 

Kevin Youkilis: Or were engaging and being so extroverted and when they were able to do that right they became more productive. And so, you know, it is a matter of filling those roles and you know I think to about about communication and you watch leader shipment some amazing managers, but

 

Kevin Youkilis: Not every situation is the same, right. And so you may need to have a discussion with someone at the brewery.

 

Joel Goldberg: And it more times than not, you know this that you you do those things privately, but you also have a lot of eyeballs on you. I will forever remember

 

Joel Goldberg: Last year, and a lot of people saw this highlight, you probably did. Although I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY. OF Trevor Bauer, taking the ball and throwing it over the centerfield wall in Kansas City.

 

Joel Goldberg: And, you know, went to a commercial break as as Terry Francona went to replace him.

 

Joel Goldberg: But Francona never waited around for the relief pitcher to come in. He what I described it as he tailgated him off the field and went straight up to the clubhouse. And I asked.

 

Joel Goldberg: Tito about that a couple weeks later, when we were in Cleveland, and he said, I had no choice. He embarrassed himself in the organization. And I had 2625 26 guys all staring at me. What are you going to do about it and so

 

Joel Goldberg: I wonder about that a little bit, that's just an example that not every situations, the same, but I know that you've been in some heated battles, how much that helps you now leading your organization, your brewery when not everything is going to go smoothly every day.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, in that instance, you haven't Tito for a manager and my best manager. I've ever had. Because I had him the most out of any manager. I always joke around but

 

Kevin Youkilis: He doesn't like confrontation either Tito is not a confrontational guy. He doesn't like it. He wants you guys to police yourself.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And those moments are very tough for him. So when I saw that and I dad, my heart went out because that's that that's not a comfortable situation for Tito

 

Kevin Youkilis: And he got put in an uncomfortable situation and and that's what that's what leadership on a team is and I think that also led to why Trevor Bauer, is no longer with the Cleveland Indians is because incidents like that.

 

Kevin Youkilis: It can, it can be a detriment to the team because those kind of actions can lead to, you know, different things. Now, Trevor Bauer is doing great in Cincinnati. This year, but sometimes those things are

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know great talent is is always good. But, you know, sometimes it can bring you down to so that that's the hard part of, you know, being in those positions but

 

Kevin Youkilis: What I've noticed too is when you're, you know,

 

Kevin Youkilis: I joke around like I can't be the same person. I was in the basement, like I get out get upset get pissed.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, go to the bat rack like just put my helmet in hard or put my bad in hard and just that little sound like made me feel like

 

Kevin Youkilis: Okay, like, you know, calm down and whatever. But you can't do that as as a manager you get like or older business. You can't go into start screaming at people and then showing your rage and

 

Kevin Youkilis: I've had many different incidents where I've had to hold back and really calm down and like, and like I had to really think through my thoughts and I've learned through

 

Kevin Youkilis: practice and repetition and, you know, unfortunately, you just never want to get put in these situations, but

 

Kevin Youkilis: They keep coming up in business and you always have to be ready because that one moment.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Can really define who you are or your business. And if you make those mistakes too and it's okay. We all make mistakes as owners and managers, you have to learn how to

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, suck up your ego. Take your pride out of it and go, apologize for your mistake right away, and sometimes our egos getting away and we always think we're right rather than you know what

 

Kevin Youkilis: This is what this is the proper time or I need to defuse the situation and go about it a different way, and

 

Kevin Youkilis: And I think that's been the hardest thing for me personally is, is it all and everything like in baseball is repetition and it's practice and once you have more of that.

 

Joel Goldberg: You really start learning and understanding. You know how

 

Joel Goldberg: How to go about situations differently with each employee, because one person. You could be a little harder on and they want you to be harder on them and another person, you have to really understand like, hey, you cannot go at this person at that way.

 

Joel Goldberg: I think that it. It's interesting because baseball is so similar, of all the sports to me. Baseball is much more similar to what I call the quote unquote real world of being in any business because it's every day and I say all the time.

 

Joel Goldberg: Baseball players don't work harder than football players but football players spend their whole week gearing up for one day of performance.

 

Joel Goldberg: Baseball players, doesn't matter whether you're for for for all for for you got to get back and do it again tomorrow and you know I mentioned the 17 straight games.

 

Joel Goldberg: Actually got a bunch of royals that probably were unhappy with x 816 in a row.

 

Joel Goldberg: And suddenly looked like a really, really good team. They get one day off and they come back and they get smoked by

 

Joel Goldberg: By a team that's been ice cold. So there's a rhythm to it. Right. I mean, isn't there a rhythm to baseball that that is similar to running a business where you don't get that time off.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, the dreaded off day when you're hot is it you know it's funny you need the off day because you played 17 or 20 games straight

 

Kevin Youkilis: But when you're hot at the end of your like, let's keep rolling. Let's keep going about it, you know, and that off day can sometimes bring it down a little bit. And so, yeah.

 

Kevin Youkilis: I definitely know that a crazy off day after a hot streak is never a good thing. But yeah, it's a, you know, with baseball, it's, it's a grind and it's every day and it's like you said, it's not as me, it's physical in different ways. I think it's

 

Kevin Youkilis: The, the things that we have to do and sacrifice within baseball is

 

Kevin Youkilis: People really don't understand that the behind the scenes. People like I remember like people like Hey man, can you know you got a little, you know, we'll go to lunch at two o'clock or and

 

Kevin Youkilis: You'll meet up and I'm like I'm headed the ball field it to you. So

 

Kevin Youkilis: It's gonna be a quick lunch. We're gonna get some, you know, maybe some subs or something and get on out, but

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, they just don't understand, you know, you're at the field you're doing things you're there.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And there's days you feel like you can't play. I mean, I remember I was actually in Kansas City one time and I woke up.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And I was like, there's zero chance I'm playing today and I only remember this, because I remember my hotel room and I remember waking up and I was like oh my god I'm in pain.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And through the day, just, you know, it's like, Okay, another hour feel a little better. I was like, I'll go the training room and you know try to figure this out. And next thing you know, it's like, all right.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Ready to go light switch. I don't feel 100% but you know what my team needs me. And who knows me out of 100% I still might be able to get, you know, a couple hits make some great plays

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, do some great things on the basis and running. And I think that's kind of the attitude, you have to have a business to is, you're not going to feel great every day.

 

Kevin Youkilis: But you just got to bring your A game as much as you can. And when you know the people that show up in business, every day and wanting to learn and you know it might not be their favorite job but they're

 

Kevin Youkilis: There. They're grinding through it and and and no matter what you do.

 

Kevin Youkilis:  You know, even if you love what you're doing, you're going to have those off days and you got to figure out through those bad days of how to get through them.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And it's all mental everything, everything in baseball and business is mental and a lot of ways, and you just got to figure it out. You know what works best for you and developing you know better habits to lead you to doing your job the best you can.

 

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Joel Goldberg: And I wanted to, I talked a lot about purpose and, you know, I think a lot of times as a ballplayer you're not thinking about purpose, you're thinking about being ready to perform

 

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Joel Goldberg: And I think as guys get older, they start to understand that there is more of a purpose than just the winning and losing it. And maybe that's, you know, the way that you

 

Joel Goldberg: You, you take a young guy in and pass on what you know or or maybe that is something with fans or charity. I know for me.

 

Joel Goldberg: This is what I dreamed of doing. I did not have your athletic skills. I could talk. And so it's what I always wanted to do. And so that was always enough until I started to understand that, from our standpoint.

 

Joel Goldberg: There, there are always people watching. And there are people laying in hospital beds are stationed overseas.

 

Joel Goldberg: I could care less if it's 13 nothing other things going for hours. And there's a rain delay. They just want a distraction from whatever's going on. So that becomes very powerful, but I'm wondering

 

Joel Goldberg: For you, baseball, and now business wise if you have been able to or found that why that purpose of doing what you do.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, that's a that's actually the purpose of why you're doing what you're doing is is key. I think I would say this is every baseball player is

 

Kevin Youkilis:  Playing baseball for a reason. There's multiple different reasons why baseball

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, people think it's very simple, like every player plays because they want to win a World Series and you know that. That's their goal. Well, I think everyone wants to win a World Series, but not

 

Kevin Youkilis: Not it's not the priority. It's not for some guys it's money some, some, it's for fame. Some it's for

 

Kevin Youkilis: The luxuries that come with baseball and many different ways. So I, I always try to like talk to it. Like, that's the key with team building to is having a bunch of guys that you know

 

Kevin Youkilis: As much that want to grind it out and are just baseball dirt dogs, you need a couple of those baseball

 

Kevin Youkilis: Dirt dogs that want to get after it. And I always say the magic number three.

 

Kevin Youkilis: The three position players that are dirt dogs. You can put talent around and then you can also plug and play those guys that maybe have, you know, a different way and different purpose of why they want to play.

 

Kevin Youkilis: But those dirt dog type guys allow for leadership in different ways. Some are vocal some just go out and play and they really help the, you know, keep the keep the glue together and get the most out of the players, so

 

Kevin Youkilis: The purpose. And why is always tough. Right. And I've always said to my employees first day I got up and talked before we open. I said, Listen, this might not be your dream job and I totally get that

 

Kevin Youkilis: Be honest with us come to me and say, Hey, I got this other job. And I'm going to give you a high five and a hug and

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, and I'm super happy that you're moving on to other things. But while you're here.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Just give us your best give us all your effort give as much as you can to the business and good things will happen through that and you don't ever know.

 

Kevin Youkilis: What your next job if on your resume. If you put me as on your resume. Make sure that you're putting in all you know

 

Kevin Youkilis: We might have a good relationship, but I'm also going to be honest in a way to have understanding that, hey,

 

Kevin Youkilis: Me honest with you and I might be honest with other person like great person. Great. This

 

Joel Goldberg: Here's what they do. Well, here's what they don't you know and stuff like that. So just give your all while you're at that job. It might not be your

 

Joel Goldberg: You know why your purpose of being there, but the more effort you put into it, the more you try to learn from that job and not act like you know everything about that job and you're going through the motions.

 

Joel Goldberg: Every day you can pick up something new. And I think if you have that attitude in life, you're going to, you're going to reach you know we've seen so many great people that have come through here, they've gone to better jobs and

 

Joel Goldberg: They always had the stronger work ethic. You know, they came here they worked hard and they left, you know, some days they were happy sunday they weren't and it's okay but they put in the effort.

 

Joel Goldberg: And there's a pride factor. I'm sure to go to watching them go on and and do good things having, having learned so much of what they did, you know, at Loma and around you and around

 

Joel Goldberg: Around your people there. So, what, what is that, I mean, you talked about finding this love of craft beers. What is it that you love for

 

Joel Goldberg: Put aside all the difficulties of owning a business because

 

Joel Goldberg: That that's very much like baseball, people don't see all of the behind the scenes and they're not supposed to, by the way, either, but not supposed to see the work that's going on in the training room they're not supposed to see that the PSP or

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, the early work that that's that's all to get to

 

Joel Goldberg: Just like at the brewery right to take care of the customer and to have a good product and a good reputation. So I know that there's absurd amounts of work that goes on behind the scenes. But what do you love about being a business owner

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah. What I love most about being a business owner is one, just the people within

 

Kevin Youkilis: Just have a, you know, allowing people to do what they do best. I think that's always the key is as a leader is knowing and understand that micromanaging is never a good thing, letting people grow.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Trying to learn from people, you know, as a boss. Sometimes you want to just always like be you know you had the puppet and you're pulling the strings here and there, but sometimes

 

Kevin Youkilis: You need to let them be a puppet with you and and move you around and get your ideas flowing in different ways. Because sometimes

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah and there's other and on the reverse side. Sometimes you have to get in there and do your, you know, you can't just rely on people to do all the work. You also got to put in the work. But

 

Kevin Youkilis: For me, I just, I love the team aspect of it, of trying to build a good team. It's been hard. I'd say I know what I hate the most is firing people

 

Kevin Youkilis: That is by far the worst part of the job. It's just, it's just awful. But, you know, team building and but you know for me and my business.

 

Kevin Youkilis: It's easy. A lot of times what the best thing is with craft beer because when we produce a really good craft beer. That's always my favorite thing. But, you know, honestly, it's

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know the purpose of what I love every day when I come in here is watching.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Really good people interact in the hospitality business and putting a smile on people's faces, especially during these tough times during Covid because

 

Kevin Youkilis: Well, you can't really see them with their masks on. But you can kind of like get a sense of like how they're feeling and especially outside on our where the picnic tables are you just see people coming together and join that pint of beer. And that to me is is is a lot of fun to watch.

 

Joel Goldberg: Yeah, I was gonna ask you, well, two things I do want to talk about how everything has changed and how you've been able to pivot during, during the pandemic, but he just said something to

 

Joel Goldberg: Like you hear the expression, all the time. Just enjoy the game, right, like we all can get so wrapped up sometimes in you know you as a player.

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, getting too worried about that slump, or those numbers. And of course, it's so much easier said than done. Oh, you know, process over results.

 

Joel Goldberg: I get it. I'm the one that says it, but I'm also not the one looking up at the scoreboard and seeing the the slump that a guy is in and

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, God forbid you have that slump in April, where it's the only thing that you have and you're staring at that, you know, one at batting average, and so I I understand the pressure to it.

 

Joel Goldberg: But I so often sit there and think, well, you can just take a breath and enjoy the game a little bit you you study the mental side of things.

 

Joel Goldberg: But, as you said, looking back and watching that customer enjoying that beer that has to be that enjoy the game moment for you. I'm guessing of seeing that product actually

 

Joel Goldberg: Affect someone in such a positive way. 

 

Kevin Youkilis: It really is. I mean, repeat customers. We have so many loyal customers that come in and

 

Kevin Youkilis: Now it's even crazier because I get an email every time an online order is and you see the same names and that brings so much joy to me that like they

 

Kevin Youkilis:  They don't, they're not here just like it. We love having you know fans here that love my baseball career and

 

Kevin Youkilis:  We're huge fans and they want to come support, but it's even better for the people that

 

Kevin Youkilis: Weren't in the fans of me in a baseball sense they're fans of Loma Brewing Company and lower Brewing Company is not me, it's a it's a whole team of people

 

Kevin Youkilis: That actually do way more you know, the hospitality work that makes Loma special

 

Kevin Youkilis: So yeah, it's really, you know, sometimes we you know QuickBooks, we get we get so wrapped up in QuickBooks. And the thing about QuickBooks is

 

Kevin Youkilis: Like you said, it's just numbers and stats. Right. They just sit there and just like in baseball, there's no emotion involved with that other than if you look at 180 and you're like, oh,

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know you want to put your head down, there's no different than when your p&l and you're looking at a monthly save and you're like, oh my god, like what happened there, you know, and

 

Kevin Youkilis: And it is it you can get really emotional about it and you but you can't change it like any inner light. You can't do anything about one at like right now. Right, so

 

Kevin Youkilis: All you can do is say, Okay, how am I going to solve this solution. It's not going to happen.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Like what the flip of the switch. I can't. All of a sudden start taking my p&l statement and all of a sudden, I'm going to show positives within one day.

 

Kevin Youkilis: So you have to think long term and you have to do little things. Everything's about little, little wins. I would say

 

Kevin Youkilis: During this whole Covid thing little wins is the key to staying sane.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Because you're not going to go from 180 to 300 and hitting in one week if you're if we're in the month of May, you know, it's not going to happen. So you have this long season, you have

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, for you have three more quarters of business. What are you going to do in the next three quarters of business and make small strides, you know too much. What we try to do is

 

Kevin Youkilis: In baseball, it's the same thing. I'm going to fix my I'm going to move my hands here because, you know, but, you know, the text says if I get here and then all of a sudden

 

Kevin Youkilis: That might create another hole. It might help you. You never know. Same thing, and businesses. Okay, we're gonna we're gonna do this and we're going to spend money to make money. Well,

 

Kevin Youkilis: And then next thing you know you fail because you didn't really think through it enough. You just thought that throwing money at this would be the solution.

 

Joel Goldberg: And I found that that is probably the key to everything is really figuring out a budget in place and understanding

 

Joel Goldberg: The value of what you're doing and how much money it brings back to you. Sometimes we get too emotional and we think

 

Joel Goldberg: Like we get so excited about doing something to make money.

 

Joel Goldberg: That we didn't really think through and just allow time to heal it sometimes time is our is our worst enemy in our head mentally because we're we think we're fighting this deadline.

 

Joel Goldberg: Instead of just like taking it slow and making slow strides. There's so much of what you're saying that resonates with me personally because

 

Joel Goldberg: And I'm not running a business like you but I started running my own business and and you know that there. There's a checklist. It's like owning a house. There's a checklist of things that never ends. And you can get in your head.

 

Joel Goldberg: And and my best moments I sit back and I say, Wait, why, why are you putting this extra pressure on like just keep keep pushing forward.

 

Joel Goldberg: And you don't need to figure it all out today, but you need to win the day, you know, whatever that means that my broadcast partner Jeff Montgomery, who's the royals all time saves leader and he

 

Joel Goldberg: He pitched, you know, late 80s and then through the 90s, actually the Ohio guy like like you make made his debut with his hometown team that's the Cincinnati Reds grew up in western Ohio. Yeah, and

 

Joel Goldberg: Made his made his debut. And then in his second game.

 

Joel Goldberg: I think he was supposed to blow out or whatever, I'm getting off track here, but you'll enjoy this. And he, his parents decided to get a head start out of riverfront stadium. So they drove back to Western

 

Joel Goldberg: And I think john Franco maybe blue save or something like that and then Eric Davis hit a Homer and he had to come in and he gets his first

 

Joel Goldberg: Or maybe he was pitching. First, he gets his first big league win and his parents are listening to Marty brennaman in the car on the way home, having left early admit their sons when but

 

Joel Goldberg: He said to me, he said, Yeah. And he wasn't a high draft pick like like you. I mean, he wasn't the first round, or the user ninth rounder

 

Joel Goldberg: And out of college and the coach or manager and rookie ball said to him, Look, you got enough talent to stick and he had all the big names with them that you grew up watching to

 

Joel Goldberg: rookie ball and they were all those top rounders and they were all the guys that we're going to have that the

 

Joel Goldberg: easier path, so to speak, and he said, do something every single day to work and get better.

 

Joel Goldberg: And you're going to make it. And he said, I would sit there in the offseason and I'd work on my pick off move in the mirror or do things in the snow or whatever it was.

 

Joel Goldberg: And to me, that's exactly what you're talking about in terms of business right there. Those little wins every single day.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, I think that's a, you know, to, and I love, I love the you know the the stories. You know the old reds and

 

Kevin Youkilis: I remember these games, you know, and I've already brought him in and Joe nuxhall. I mean, and Joe background screaming. Yeah, get out of here. Get out of here, you know, and

 

Kevin Youkilis: And Marty like keep it as cool, but I mean, it brings me back to my youth, and my dad used to have 700 W o w on the radio 24 seven. My dad even listen to music. He just listened to 700 W o w and he loved that station.

 

Kevin Youkilis: For multiple different reasons. They had politics and sports and but yeah I think

 

Kevin Youkilis: Making you know every day I went to the baseball, you know, to the you know there's there's a couple things when you're going really, really well too. I think this is also a thing with baseball is

 

Kevin Youkilis: Sometimes you're trying like so you're like you're getting a bunch of hit singles and doubles will now.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You're, you're 10 for your last 15 you're hot is hot to be well now you're like, oh, I want to hit more home runs. And it's like, whoa.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You just totally got off your game path you totally pivoted into another way. And now you start seeing a dip, because now you're trying to get too big. You're trying to do too much.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And it's the same thing in business, when you're writing a hot streak.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Don't always mess with your hot streak keep doing what you're doing, but try to do a little bit just, you know, when you try to, you know, go for that Homer all the time.

 

Joel Goldberg: There's going to be, you know, it's gonna be a roller coaster ride. We're seeing that in baseball right now a

 

Joel Goldberg: Lot of players are going through roller coaster rides and that's where I get upset with players of today that are great hitters

 

Joel Goldberg: I always just look at some of these hitters and go, I like I'm not arguing new school old school. I know more, you know, more like there's nothing about that. It's the fact that you have so much more ability in you.

 

Joel Goldberg: And you're and you're sacrificing it

 

Joel Goldberg: For something that is going to give you more of a roller coaster ride. I call it the ocean waves. Verse Lake waves.

 

Joel Goldberg: Do you want Lake waves or ocean waves as a season. I mean, I want this, the small the small ways as much as possible. I want the pond effect and it's no different in business to

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, emotionally, when you start getting that roller coaster ride the days get longer, you know, the job gets harder and you just have to stick within what you're doing and and

 

Joel Goldberg: Figure out little things each day that can put you in a better spot for tomorrow and understand like, also, it's also your mentors like

 

Joel Goldberg: Doing meditation doing mindfulness like things that don't pertain to your work. There's little things that you can do that help you at your job. And I think that carries over in baseball to we've seen mindfulness and meditation.

 

Joel Goldberg: Introduced to a lot of players and it's in, it helps them and it's not even a part of like their mechanics or thinking about all that. It's just like

 

Joel Goldberg: In between a pitch. They can calm themselves down more and just like in business. The more you can calm yourself down and take a step back, you're going to make better, you know, thoughts, you know, within what you're trying to accomplish.

 

Joel Goldberg: That I don't ask you the pandemic at the end and some of the pivots for you with with business because I know how much it is affected, any type of restaurant bar on our service industry.

 

Joel Goldberg: But our hospitality. But I want to hit the baseball themed questions and you're one of the rare guests, where it's I guess a double pronged question. So when I asked you about your biggest home run professionally. How about a baseball answer and a business answer. Perfect.

 

Kevin Youkilis: For home runs. Okay. My favorite home run and baseball. Wow. I think of this

 

Kevin Youkilis: Year one that rings. I mean, for me personally what what let us, you know, I think.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, I got how many I think at 150 homers I could be wrong on that. So am I will look up that stuff. I gotta go in front of the

 

Kevin Youkilis: dominoes. Oh, there we go. Good. I'm so glad I retired with 150. Yeah. So on the easier it. It's an easy number to remember. But your first, your first home run, you'll never forget. It was the first game against Pat Hank and

 

Kevin Youkilis: I hit a home run of my second at bad, but the most memorable like home run to me was the home run off CC sabathia in Game five of the 2007 ALCS and it was in the first inning and we never looked back.

 

Kevin Youkilis: It just ignited our team, we got we got crushed the, you know, we were getting beat were down 321 hit this ball CC and next thing you know,

 

Kevin Youkilis: My teammates, man. They just and there I was so lucky to have great teammates. I mean, they just they

 

Kevin Youkilis: They just carried on. After that, I mean it was just contagious and then we just started rolling and rolling and rolling and, you know, we want to Game seven and it was one of the most special

 

Kevin Youkilis: moments of my life to relive not only the old for ALCS being down three games and and then we do with 321 against Cleveland, and it was just such a special moment. So, those, those two home runs are probably my favorite baseball

 

Kevin Youkilis: In business, The greatest home runs. I have are the people that I've hired here my chef Aubrey she's a home run. She's amazing. She does.

 

Kevin Youkilis: She, she's the, I mean, she is, she is. She's actually from she's Midwestern so it's funny. My general manager, Dan, Ryan. He, he's from Naperville, Illinois, we played baseball together so

 

Kevin Youkilis: He coming on to this was a home run to so Dan and Aubrey were probably my biggest home runs, as well as our newest Brewer Justin pack.

 

Kevin Youkilis: He's a home run. We got him. He has experienced from Drake's Brewing Company and we're and worked at four point Brewing Company in San Francisco.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And those three people have been my home runs in business because it's the people within that are the home runs, because

 

Kevin Youkilis: There's nothing that I've done where I've hit a home run this business. I'm like i said i I've been learning more than anything. And these people have run this place so well that they are my home runs.

 

Kevin Youkilis: I was, by the way, there's a beautiful humility to a lot of athletes. Not everybody has it either where

 

Kevin Youkilis: Where oftentimes they can be the star and you are the face, obviously. And I'm not saying I'm not saying you're just the pace, either. And then I know you're, you're going to make a joke about being that the Go ahead, insert joke. If you want

 

Joel Goldberg: Oh no idea. I'm definitely the phase one of the best looking faces in the brewing world now.

 

Joel Goldberg: I knew there was something that I just didn't want you to lose.

 

Joel Goldberg: But there's a beauty, like I was I was calling your remember I'm sure you've faced and then I don't know I could look up the numbers. I don't need to. But, but I know it wasn't always fun.

 

Joel Goldberg: Facing Bruce Chen and a lot of guys didn't love facing it someday, but but it wasn't the 90 that you're used to seeing. And I called him.

 

Joel Goldberg: About a project that was working on the other day that that he had been involved in. I'm taking care of someone, and it was well it wasn't me it wasn't me it wasn't me. And I started talking to everybody else. Of course it was him so

 

Joel Goldberg: There but I'm just saying, like, there's a beauty that you learn in that clubhouse to have propping others up

 

Joel Goldberg: That deserve it. By the way, to and I tell, I think it was Dan that you said that are starting second baseman here. It's an April Naperville kid. So he made

 

Joel Goldberg: He made may know him. A guy by the name is Nikki Lopez. Anyway, I'm off on a tangent. Again, let's talk about the biggest swing and miss both professionally.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Well, it's all professionally, I guess, in terms of baseball in business swing and miss. And what did you learn from it.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Will swing and miss in baseball. That's it. That's a really good question. I mean, there was a lot of swing and Mrs. There was quite a few

 

Kevin Youkilis: But there had to be one where I swung and missed and the game, you know, I mean, and you know when you're up there and

 

Kevin Youkilis: You're going to swing and miss. And you know as much as you know, I've had the opportunity where I've walked off games. I also, you know, walk with my

 

Kevin Youkilis: With my tail between my legs to to the dugout, while the other team is high five ng so but in baseball. You know, I was very fortunate. There's nothing I look back on.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Because I had such a crazy path and just trying to grind through and and try to get drafted and all that, that I didn't really have a lot of swing and Mrs. I think the only thing that I would say that I had swing and Mrs on were more just

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, just getting down to like basically being so hard on myself. I was really, really hard on myself for a long time. And people are like, hey, you're always so angry. I was angry with myself. I always thought that

 

Kevin Youkilis: Every single time I got up, I had the intention of getting hit. I know I couldn't. But I just knew there was something within that bat that I could have done differently.

 

Kevin Youkilis: To get a hit. And I always had that attitude. And I think that's what helped me become the player. I was, was because I always was trying to figure out what I would do if I had that situation again. So I think for me to swing and miss was being so hard on myself and not enjoying

 

Kevin Youkilis: The game as much as I could have, in a way, because I was so hard on myself. I loved it. I loved everything I did but

 

Kevin Youkilis: It also will actually sorry and the other swing and miss was letting

 

Kevin Youkilis: The Game Change from the money side and getting certainly towards that. I think the hardest thing for me was I played the game of baseball because I loved it.

 

Kevin Youkilis: I really, really enjoyed competing. I love being at the top level and playing. It's the best players in all the world.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And then once the arbitration thing came and and contracts. It just, it kind of got me like just thinking in a different direction about

 

Kevin Youkilis: The business side of baseball and it makes you a little uncomfortable at times. So I kind of at times. I didn't care about, you know, I had one big contract and I retired after that really

 

Kevin Youkilis: But I think that was the hardest part is the money side of baseball that can get you a kind of a little jaded and ways of how you think about it, and I let it at times, do that. So that was a swinging swinging message for me in business, the swing and miss is hiring people

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, just sometimes I you know my first Brewer, we, we just couldn't figure out how to see I die. And I tried so hard.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And maybe I didn't go about the right way, but it just wasn't right fit. And I kept this person on a little longer than I probably should have because we just, we didn't mesh.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Or sorry, yeah, we, we, like we were just, I mean it just, it just wasn't a good fit.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Great Brewer produce great beer, but it just wasn't the right fit. And sometimes you forces. I think my swing and miss was allowing that to keep going over time and forcing that situation.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Rather than saying, hey, listen, we just might not be the right fit for what we're trying to do here, and it was the same thing as talent over the whole entire package.

 

Joel Goldberg: Yeah, I get it. The bottom baseball themed question and you this can just be overall doesn't need to be baseball or business and I think you've probably already hit on it, maybe not.

 

Joel Goldberg: Small ball, one of the little things that add up to the big things. And this is what I talked about all the time you were talking about small gains before, but we all want to hit the home run. And I love George Brett has always said try easier.

 

Joel Goldberg: You know how often, how often did you hear people say, Well, I wasn't trying to hit the home run. It just went out.

 

Joel Goldberg: And so I wonder about that. What a small ball. What are the little things that add up to the big things.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Well, this is a great question because I do like we talked about in business, the small things are doing something small. Every, every day, figuring out like

 

Kevin Youkilis: Joel Goldberg: You know cost savings on different things with you know going to find a different product that has the same quality, but it's cheaper and little things like that your small wins and

 

Kevin Youkilis: Figuring out different staff things too, but I think small ball and baseball is one of those things that is kind of dying in a lot of ways, and it it really

 

Kevin Youkilis: It hurts me in a way because I was the guy that

 

Kevin Youkilis: I found out that I didn't hit a lot of home runs in the minor leagues. But then as I started playing a little more in the big leagues. I figured out how to have more power and I what I learned was though.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You got to pick your spots. You can't just try to hit homers all the time, or you're going to just tank. Right. And also you're going to tank and the way with runners in scoring position.

 

Kevin Youkilis: On those big opportunities where you have infield back and a couple of veterans. I talked to. It's like, hey, just hit the ground bought a short

 

Kevin Youkilis: Get that run in that RBI is your RBI total keep going and going. Plus the run score. That's what our job is to win games for us.

 

Kevin Youkilis: So from a small ball is big in a lot of ways because

 

Kevin Youkilis: It's not bunny. A guy over all the time. It's, it's, it's the little thing it's taking what they're giving you have a picture is nasty that day and you're just trying to swing for the fences.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Your whole your whole life becomes so much bigger.

 

Kevin Youkilis: And I just tell guys, it's just playing small ball is also just, you know, with two strikes. Whatever you do, if you choke up if you spread out. If you do the little things and trying to make contact.

 

Kevin Youkilis: In a good positive way, not just trying to like this baby the ball but be a hitter. I think that's the key to small ball and we're seeing a lot of it. Go away, but it's not the players fault because there's people that are telling them.

 

Kevin Youkilis: It's okay. Don't you know so that that's the issue that I have is, we're not getting the most out of our hitters that we can and to we're also giving too much credit to pitchers.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Like, I am so tired of hearing all these guys throw us a hard. Well guess what, when I played

 

Kevin Youkilis: They threw a lot harder than they did in the 90s and 80s, right, and you got to figure it out. You got to go out there and compete and I and I'm, I'm a huge. This is my biggest talking point to hitters is

 

Kevin Youkilis: I don't want to hear how nasty. That guy is that day. I don't want you to talk about how great it is. Afterwards, we can talk about it. But during that game. You don't give that picture any credit

 

Kevin Youkilis: He sticks you know doesn't use always like laugh because he comes back. He's strikeout or something he'd be like, Okay, thanks, like right before I go to bed. And I'm like, and I'm laughing and

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, but that was the attitude that Dustin had that's the attitude I had, and we weren't the you know the most talented guys, you know, you know, physically and all that. But we had the mental process of really going about it in that direction.

 

Joel Goldberg: All you can win with a team of Dustin pedroia is and and Kevin Youkilis is and and because there's that grit and that that grind and determination and

 

Joel Goldberg: I mean, to me, this can't go wrong with guys like that, of course, you need a couple superstars on the team if they have that same grind and grit. It makes it even better because now everybody is following them and doing

 

Joel Goldberg: You know what they do and so that that ends up being really magical. But I love that, too. And guess what, it'll keep evolving and changing. I mean,

 

Joel Goldberg: We got a kid throwing one or two here right now and he's figured out how to control if he didn't know how to do that last year. Now he's putting it where he wants. He's the guy and he said

 

Joel Goldberg: To us last week, he said look I i'm not going to be very uncommon anymore. In baseball, because everyone as they come up. Now is going to be throwing 9899

 

Joel Goldberg: And it's just going to be that's going to be normal. So you're right. We have to adjust that. And that, by the way, is don't ever then business or anything in life. Everything evolves and you have to

 

Joel Goldberg: adjust to it okay for final questions as we round the bases. These can be a little bit light hearted or not we'll start with this one. You're in the food and beverage industry now.

 

Joel Goldberg: Given a choice. I think I know the answer to this to sit down for a bowl of clam chowder you spent a lot of time in Boston or some skyline chili, which is it oh that's rhetorical

 

Joel Goldberg: skyline chili baby I played a week.

 

Joel Goldberg: You can't lose those Cincinnati roots know any day of the week if they're skyline on that. It's, yeah, no, I'm knocking that New England Clam Chowder over. Is there, is there a favorite order at skyline.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, cheese, counties, I get cheese Canadians a mustard. That's, that's my. That's my jam. Just depends on how hungry I am is into the quantity of cheese counties. So, but, yeah, she's going all day.

 

Joel Goldberg: It was rhetorical. But I wanted to give you a chance to talk about a Cincinnati institution. Their second question, the nickname when you were playing other than you. That's obvious, was the Greek god of walks. Now I know on your Twitter feed. It's the Greek god of hops.

 

Joel Goldberg: How much do you love that nickname either that one from then or now because it's truly unique like nicknames to

 

Joel Goldberg: Like, what do they call a guy named Goldberg, Goldie. What do they call a guy like Jeff Montgomery, my partner Monty right every now and then you get like a fun nickname that no one will ever forget and its unique. So tell me about that nickname. And then, how much did you enjoy it.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, it was is very empty and. And by the way, nicknames that where they all go. I mean, you listen to all the baseball players of like the 30s, 40s and 50s. They had the coolest nicknames ever

 

Kevin Youkilis: I don't know what happened. I mean, God we came on original. But yeah, it was interesting because the Greek guy walks thing was, it was a hard thing because everyone thought I was Greek

 

Kevin Youkilis: But I'm not Creek and I come from Jewish Romanian roots on my own, like, oh, my father side.

 

Kevin Youkilis: So it's very interesting. How many Greek people like will come out to me and start speaking Greek and I'm like, well, that's not Hebrew. I was like, I'm not, I'm not kidding this but uh

 

Kevin Youkilis: I think the hardest part of being called the Greek god of walks was people in the stands going hey come on man. Get a walk. And I'm like,

 

Kevin Youkilis: The hell, like, get a walk, who, who you pay. Do you pay the $250 for this seat to watch me walk. I was like, You better get out of here with that. I was like, I don't care if I walk but

 

Kevin Youkilis: I'm going up there to try to get a hit. Right, so it was fun though. I mean, you know, I put me on the map and a lot of ways. I was in double A when that book came out, so

 

Kevin Youkilis: It taught me a lot of the media members want to talk to me all the time about this book. So it also gave me an introduction to really understanding the media and talking so

 

Kevin Youkilis: The nickname was great. And then I never got paid for the Greek god of walks, so I decided, hey, I'm gonna make some money off and say, the Greek out of hops. So we've, we've got a double IPA is the Greek got hops and we kind of have some fun with that.

 

Kevin Youkilis: As perfect and as wrestler, one of my broadcast partners often says he's not a mailman he's not looking to walk so

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah. Nobody gets into the game, wanting to walk, but there is certainly a product of patients. They're all right. I love that one. And so, okay, we have learned that you're Greek is not very good. You can probably read Hebrew like me.

 

Kevin Youkilis: But somehow you somehow you ended up being the Jewish guy that got the athletics, you'll see there was somebody there.

 

Kevin Youkilis: There's a few of us. There's a few there's a few the rest of them went and did what I did, which is just fine.

 

Joel Goldberg: OK, I can hear basketball coaches. I don't know why basketball coaches. I don't know either sometimes both yeah the GCC. I mean, they just sat there and watched so much in design place.

 

Joel Goldberg: Front Office, by the way, in for life, that, that one's a guarantee. Yeah, that's man, I gotta

 

Joel Goldberg: You gotta

 

Joel Goldberg: Third question, as we round the bases. It's a beer question and this isn't a fair one, this is like asking you, Kevin. Okay, I'll be your kids. Which one's your favorite, but do you have a favorite beer.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know that that is a hard one always right. I think for me, I love styles. Right, so I'm into hoppy beers. I can't drink as much IP as they used to.

 

Kevin Youkilis: But I love. I always get a half pint i i'm just one of those guys are like I don't I don't drink as much they used to, and it's a good thing. And a lot of ways with three kids but pale ales pale ales and IPAs are my favorites. So I'd go with any Paleo we have or IPA.

 

Kevin Youkilis: All that and yeah i think i'm along the same. I'm like, Well, I'm willing to try everything

 

Kevin Youkilis: But the IPAs, especially like the more mild ones for me but depends. It's a mood thing to, to me it's a mood thing depending on where you're at, so. 

 

Joel Goldberg: Okay. Final question the walk off as we round the bases here and wrap it up. I mentioned surviving the pandemic. Of course, you still are, and I know the restaurant bar industry has been

 

Joel Goldberg: Hit worse than anyone and people that make their living and their whole lives in that industry suddenly having a deal as you are as an owner

 

Joel Goldberg: Just want to know how you've pivoted and what's your biggest lesson or takeaway is or has been in these last six months. 

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah, this uh this pandemics been really tough on the restaurant business the bar industry, the hospitality industry that, you name it. It's also giving us a big opportunity to really understand it and get to

 

Kevin Youkilis: Pivot like you're saying in a different way. I think that's the one thing we're doing right now we have QR codes, where

 

Kevin Youkilis: You take your phone, you put it up to it, all of a sudden you click on it and now you get the menu and you can all

 

Kevin Youkilis: You can order. So we pivoted into QR codes outside where people can order their food and drinks and then they can come pick it up inside

 

Kevin Youkilis: And that's going to be something that we're going to use down the road to we're going to probably use QR codes more

 

Kevin Youkilis: Within the whole entire restaurant. Once we're able to open that's that's restaurants are going in that way for many different reasons.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, restaurants, don't make a lot of money. I think people don't understand the restaurant business, how tough it is. And

 

Kevin Youkilis: How behind on the times we are thinking that restaurant owners, you know, have all this money and they're doing all these great things now.

 

Kevin Youkilis: You got the the the big ones that maybe have chains and stuff like that that yes, they make more money than the ones that are small mom and pops, but

 

Kevin Youkilis: The thing that we've learned the most here and it's also been awful and a lot of ways, is we've we've had to cut staff, we've had to

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, just cut down on the amount of food. We're prepping and doing all the little things that

 

Kevin Youkilis: You know, in the menu change. I mean we we had to change menu items because we can't give you an entree but like a steak or something outside the city on on a picnic table. So we've kind of kept it simple in that way. And we think that's also something that

 

Kevin Youkilis: That we can move in that direction as we open up

 

Kevin Youkilis: Which we don't know this, the, the problem we're having right now is Santa Clara County, which is San Jose mainly and where we are at is not allowing us to open at 25% capacity, but the state has a red tier system that says we can

 

Kevin Youkilis: So we are in this like crazy point where the state is saying one thing that count is saying another and we're just literally like waiting for them with no plan. And I think what I've learned most about this whole thing.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Is I've learned more about the government than I ever have an any classes. I took growing up, you know, everyone always is so worried about the presidential election. I say,

 

Kevin Youkilis: As voters, you really, really need to digest your county officials more than anyone. It should be county, state.

 

Kevin Youkilis: Then you go to the federal level, but the media doesn't like that because it's not a sexy to talk about. So I always tell people, really, really get knowledgeable on your county, because when things go bad, like this, your county

 

Kevin Youkilis: Your, your legislators within those are the people that are going to dictate what you can and can't do, so it's very important to get very, you know,

 

Kevin Youkilis: become educated county first state second and then federal but that's my opinion. I mean, people might think the other way. But in what we do.

 

359

00:53:26.790 --> 00:53:33.870

We've, we've learned so much about that and understanding that we're basically being held. You know, I don't want say hostage, but

 

Kevin Youkilis: Pretty much close to being held hostage right now by the county

 

Joel Goldberg: Well, I've seen some of what you've been been talking about on social media. And I'm sure that you never thought you were signing up to, to be in politics, not in politics, but to have to deal with politics.

 

Joel Goldberg: Because politics and everything, but this is at a different level. And so, you know, I hope all that opens up

 

Joel Goldberg: For you guys soon. And not just you guys I mean all over. And I'm not getting political on that one either. I'm a firm believer in science and safety, but I also, I know that that

 

Joel Goldberg: You know, people need to be able to survive here. People need to be able to get out there and and and do it in a safe way. And so I'll tell everybody. And I'll pop this up again.

 

Joel Goldberg: Loma brewing and and if you're listening. It's Loma brew.com so check them out.

 

Joel Goldberg: And they certainly you can get stuff to in their shop there you got a lot of a lot of great here, and certainly for anyone that's in the San Jose area.

 

Joel Goldberg: You could check out aloma brewing and and Kevin and all of his great people there. I appreciate this.

 

Joel Goldberg: I just started this real quick. As we wrap it up. I was I was interviewing Steve stone. A couple weeks ago, you know, the legendary baseball announcer

 

Joel Goldberg: Former sigh on Award winner. We had them on after Tom Seaver past and you know he was in Chicago.

 

Joel Goldberg: And right before we go on and I grew up watching him like you know that this would be like you, having already on or talking with Marty. I grew up watching him in Chicago with the cubs.

 

Joel Goldberg: And read before we start the interview goes, Joel. Its my anniversary. And I'm like, what, what am I supposed to like what

 

Joel Goldberg: I'm like, congrats. He goes, yeah, 16 years 16 years ago today bar mitzvah. I'm like,

 

Joel Goldberg: Hey, you never know Steve, what he's talking about you.

 

Joel Goldberg: Tony, but I was like, you know, I just got that from Steve stone. That's, that's pretty cool thing. So anyway, I don't know. My mind just went there, but anyway.

 

Joel Goldberg: And last thing too. I know you were popping up the loan brew calm. I also have a coffee company that we didn't talk about, but for anyone out there Loma dash coffee calm.

 

Kevin Youkilis: We just opened up about a week ago. I'm Portland, Oregon. So if you're in that area in Portland, Oregon ever go stop in there. And yeah, and there's retail bags available online, too. So we just started that. And one of my other favorite things in life coffee.

 

Joel Goldberg: I actually, I saw that on the website, or at least somewhere. And so I

 

Joel Goldberg: I don't know. I'm looking at so much stuff, but I did see that. And so I'll have to mention that. Well first off we just mentioned in here. I don't know if I got this one right. But I'll pop up. There it is.

 

Joel Goldberg: Just working on the fly here so Loma dash coffee.com I can definitely do that. I will do that. My brother lives in Portland, so I'll have to let him know about that one. Perfect. Check it out.

 

Joel Goldberg: Good luck with everything with with Loma brewing and Loma coffee can't thank you enough for all the time today and

 

Joel Goldberg: I can't wait to come down and visit at some point. So I appreciate it. Kevin

 

Kevin Youkilis: Yeah. Anytime Joel yeah hopefully in spring training. Let's meet up

 

Kevin Youkilis: spring training. The other two are you, you'll be there with the cubs. Right, yeah. We'll see. I don't know. I mean, maybe I'll be somewhere else. Who knows, you never know these days.

 

Joel Goldberg: None of us know what what's going on next week, next month. They might not let me back who don't let you back. All right, Kevin, appreciate it. Thanks for spending time today.

 

Joel Goldberg: Alright. Have a good one. Love the conversation with Kevin Youkilis if you want to find out more about his businesses, you can check them out.

 

Joel Goldberg: Online at Loma brew dot com and Loma dash coffee calm and you can reach me at Joel Goldberg media.com that's going to do it for another episode of rounding the bases presented by enterprise Bank and Trust hashtag no stopping you hope to catch you next time.

 

Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg Podcast was created to share the stories of men and women in business and entrepreneurship that are both well knowing and or hidden gems. Joel believes that everyone has a story and their story matters which is why Joel is eager to connect with individuals that are bringing value to their community through innovation, leadership, entrepreneurial journeys, and developing company culture. If you would like to be a guest on Joel's podcast please email us at joel@joelgoldbergmedia.com.