Versa Business Tips Podcast

From $0 to Jake Paul’s Inner Circle | Karl Nana’s Incredible Entrepreneur Journey

• Shaheen Mazloom

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0:00 | 30:25

What does it take to completely transform your life?

In this episode of the Versa Business Tips Podcast, host Shaheen Mazloom, Founder & CEO of Versa Business Systems, sits down with entrepreneur, boxer, DJ, and content creator Karl Nana.

Karl shares his incredible journey from leaving Baltimore with almost nothing to building relationships with world-class entrepreneurs, working alongside Jake Paul, pursuing boxing, overcoming life-threatening setbacks, and developing the mindset that continues to fuel his success.

Throughout the conversation, Karl opens up about resilience, discipline, faith, entrepreneurship, and why surrounding yourself with the right people can completely change your future.

In this episode you’ll learn:
• How Karl went from broke to building a powerful network
• Why your environment determines your success
• Lessons learned from working alongside Jake Paul
• How setbacks can become your biggest opportunities
• The mindset required to succeed as an entrepreneur
• Faith, discipline, and never giving up

⚡ Follow Karl Nana

📸 Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djkay_nan/

📸 African Lightning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africanlightning/

🛍 Shop African Lightning Brand: https://africanlightningbrand.com/

About African Lightning Brand

Founded by Karl Nana, African Lightning Brand represents resilience, ambition, and the mindset of pushing beyond limits. Inspired by Karl’s boxing journey and entrepreneurial path, the brand is built for individuals who strive to become stronger every day.

Support the movement and explore the latest collection at:
https://africanlightningbrand.com/

⸻

Connect with Versa Business Systems

🌐 https://versabusinesssystems.com

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VersaBusinessSystems

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/versa-business-systems

⸻

👍 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more conversations with successful entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and business leaders.

#KarlNana #AfricanLightning #JakePaul #Entrepreneur #BusinessPodcast #Mindset #Success #Boxing #VersaBusinessSystems

SPEAKER_03

Welcome to the Versa Business Tips Podcast. I'm your host, founder, and CEO of Versa Business Systems. We're here with one of my great friends, Carl Nana. This guy's a DJ, a boxer, an entrepreneur. I mean, he does it all. So, uh, Carl, dude, I appreciate you hopping on with us. I know how busy you are. So uh, man, I'm excited to get into this conversation, brother. How you been?

SPEAKER_01

I'm good, bro. Thanks for having me, man. It's another Friday. It's bright sunny Puerto Rico. Time to make some business happen, bro. How's everything?

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. Man, I can't complain, dude. I can't believe how long it's been since we've seen each other, dude. How long have you been in Puerto Rico now?

SPEAKER_01

Uh going on nine years, if you count correctly.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That's crazy. I've been out here quite well, no, let me rephrase that. I'm going on six years. I've been out here five years. Okay. But yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03

You were in California for a couple years before that, right?

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. That's yeah. So that's what I counted those in as well. But nah, yeah, I've been out here five years and counting, bro. Puerto Rico's amazing.

SPEAKER_03

Awesome. Awesome, man. Dude, I I follow you, you know, your social media, private jets, and hanging with Jake Paul and boxing here and going all over the world, man. It's uh you've got an exciting lifestyle, dude. Uh so this new brand, dude, tell me about African Lightning, dude. It seems to be really taking off. What was the um, you know, the passion or the idea behind that?

SPEAKER_01

So I mean, African Lightning was created after my bots and alias. You know, that's what I call myself the African Lightning. And so like so I was still in the amateurs, taking off, doing my things, had a couple fights in here and there, working my way towards becoming pro or taking on bigger fights per se out of the amateur league. Right. Uh, but then unfortunately, in between, I got injured through that progress, which means slight setback, but hey, no, ain't nothing stopping me. So but within that time, still while I was in the hospital and stuff, instead of just staying back and having nothing going on at all, I took that name I had and said, Hey, I'm just keep this thing running. All those who've been supporting me, hey, just know that well, this kid's gonna bounce back and come back one day. So then I decided to go ahead and just start making merch out of it. I started making hats, I love that beanies, you know, just throw them out, put them on anyone's head, that was anyone around me, family, all that stuff. Just shooting for the stars, you know, and maybe above. Yeah, I never knew where it's gonna take me or how it actually works or how the business works or anything. Just figure it out, figure it out as you go, right? That's the that's the whole plan, bro. That was the plan, and still riding and going, bro. Everything's a learning process.

SPEAKER_03

Definitely, man, definitely. So you so you surround yourself by some super successful people, man. Tell me what that's been like. Like how how has that helped shape you, you know, the last five, six years in Puerto Rico.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, to be quite frank with you. I mean, they say you are the success with the people that are around you, it's what creates the success about you. And I mean, if you if the those who really knew me knew where I came from, Baltimore, baby, shout out. I mean, it ain't easy coming out of those streets and even getting making it out of Baltimore to try to do something else with your life, especially when it's a lot of fun to be in Baltimore and certain aspects of how you look at things. Uh but I mean, again, moving and being with the people I've been surrounded with, just goal-driven people, passionate people, everyone in their own field stays in their own lane, kind of things. You want to always just like wake up and do a little bit more better for yourself. You know, you can't ask for the whole entire spectrum of it, but just as long as you can just wake up and try to be one percent better than you were yesterday, that's what like everyone around me do did. And though some people do call them the one percent, but I mean, I just say I look at this people who wake up and try to be one percent better each day. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03

Definitely, definitely, man. You know, I know you're a super, super humble guy, but I mean, for those out there that don't know you, don't follow you on social media. Who are some of these people, these big entrepreneurs that you're following or are really hanging and spending a lot of time with? Who are the guys that you're learning from the most, you would say?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, it's just been a crazy cast. I mean, obviously, Jake Paul was one of the biggest ones who brought me into this light from Vegas coming to Calabasas, from Calabasas, moving all the way out, brought me all the way out to Puerto Rico. Uh, he was really the kind of man that put me around the scene to where I had to go and connect myself with others from those scenes and beyond who have shaped me to become the man I have. You know, I am. I mean, even down to my best friend that nowadays I'm doing business with him, working as his personal, as his uh executive administrator, uh Josh Barch. I mean, guys in the stock world, I'm working with guys in the merch world, I'm talking and working with guys in the peptides world, you know what I'm saying? I'm keeping myself involved in everyone's like little niche that they got going on, and somehow we find some ways to bounce back and help each other, you know?

SPEAKER_03

So with that being said, definitely make dude how I gotta I gotta ask you though, how does somebody from the streets of Baltimore who's DJing, who's partying, and now what, eight, nine years later, you're a completely different person all around for the better. How do you go from that to meeting Jake Paul and now being in close proximity, working with him, training with him, doing all that? How does that happen?

SPEAKER_01

Bro, the real truth is take opportunities, man, and don't let any opportunity bring you down, or don't think you can't do anything you can't. Because I mean, before I ever left Baltimore, it was just a random, honestly, it was a random move from someone that I knew that was following me on social media too, but I didn't know him personally, but he knew a lot of people in my circle. And he came out and gave me an opportunity and said, Hey, bro, I could take you out to fucking uh LA. I mean, not LA to Vegas. And you know, that was when I was heavy my DJing and EDM was the hottest thing back then. If you could go out to Vegas and get a couple of the gigs, yeah, some of the clubs he mentioned, bro, you could take off, and that was my goal-driven passion to go out and be a DJ. So that's how it started. That's how it started.

SPEAKER_03

Was that the graffiti mansion where you started playing?

SPEAKER_01

Graffiti mansion, brother, working with Izati. I mean, they just took me in, bro. Like literally, one day I was in Baltimore. That weekend.

SPEAKER_03

And the next year living at the graffiti mansion.

SPEAKER_01

I was like, what is going on? In the graffiti mansion, bro, working hand in hand with the man himself, Izati, who's like took me under his wing, and uh his network out there was quite huge at that time, especially for my DJ career. And so, knowing me, I just kept plugging myself in over and over. Right. Networking, meeting the right people, going to the right dinner plumb meetings and whatnot, sitting back, taking it in, listening, honing proximity, man, and just taking in what I could get into myself, and then eventually, as I'm moving along, you start putting a little bit of those pieces back into the world, and then I just carried on until one day I got the gig to go out and help out Jake Paul and design his birthday in Calabasas, and then let's just say the rest was history after that, bro.

SPEAKER_03

And one thing just led to another. So, man, for sure. Uh I don't I hope you don't mind being vulnerable real quick. How successful were you before you had that opportunity to go out to Vegas and start living and working in the graffiti mansion? Like, were you up? Like, did you have the money to be able to just fly out there and and figure things out? Or what what what where were you at then?

SPEAKER_01

I didn't have a fucking dime in my pocket, bro. I was letting you know.

SPEAKER_03

When I started my company, I had $20 in my pocket.

SPEAKER_01

Bro, I'm telling you, like, I mean, people really have that mindset messed up, especially when you want to be an entrepreneur or be someone that you choose you want to be. You have to build yourself up. No one ever goes back to like a lot of people don't really think about like, yo, there's gotta be somewhere you start up with this. No one just like wakes up and it's like, I got a bunch of money in my fucking pocket. Now I got a business in this. Like the first couple years of business or starting any businesses, bro, you're going down the drain in your pocket, bro. You're getting less sleep, the anxiety's up, man. You're figuring things out you've never figured out before, it's stressful as hell. Yeah, but yeah, bro, I had nothing in my pocket. I think I remember I had to borrow some money from your ass to get out of here, bro. I think you I think you did actually help me out with my ticket, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, dude. So, like, and the and to be honest, the reason why I did that is because I knew the passion that you had, and you wouldn't give up, you like you took advantage of every opportunity. I'm like, bro, this is a great opportunity. I can't, I can't let my friend not take advantage of this opportunity, right? And honestly, brother, dude, at the time, I didn't need it. It was my second year in business, and I had just invested in that bar in Fed Hill, which lost me $60,000 in four months. I was damn near down to broke again. And when you told me about that opportunity and just knowing the type of guy that you are, I'm like, man, I if I got just enough money, even if it's my last dollar, I can't let him pass this opportunity up, man. Like I knew you were gonna make something of it, dude. And like you did quick, man. It was it was crazy to watch how quick you went from, you know. I mean, being at the at the graffiti mansion around those people is really cool, but you just kept meeting their people and then their people's people, and then just building that. It was all I mean, dude, pro the proximity was just super motivational for me, man. Like, I'm like, man, I gotta get around bigger, better people. And uh, you know, it was it was super uh motivational to watch that uh you know transition really.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you definitely.

SPEAKER_03

Heck yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01

So boxing, dude. Yeah, bro. Boxing.

SPEAKER_03

All how did that happen?

SPEAKER_01

You know, when when we were back in Baltimore, I was not doing no boxing. No, bro.

SPEAKER_03

I don't even think you ever went to the gym.

SPEAKER_01

Bro, only things I was picking over bottles, left and right, bro. I just not a damn thing, you know. Yeah, bro. Again, it all builds back being around surrounded. If you're surrounded around good people with good mentalities, good routines, you're gonna fall into some of those routines. Someone of those routines became boxing after I moved in with uh Jake Paul and his team. And uh that guy even back then, he was still in the boxing gym, man. He had a whole boxing gym in his house, boxing ring outside, inside. Right.

SPEAKER_03

And I'm y'all were going on runs around the whole, you know, the whole neighborhood every single day. Like I get you're right though. Like the people you surround, if everybody you're surrounded with goes on runs and goes to the gym two times a day, that's what you end up doing, right? I'm assuming that's how it happened.

SPEAKER_01

You do, you can end up doing it, but do you choose to stay doing it? That's the difference, though. So people do start into it, they're very hell highly motivated to get into it, right? But then it's like after a week or so, you're like, ah, you get into that comfort zone where you're like, nah, man, I maybe this is not my thing, and then people fall off, but not knowing that's the point where you need to lock in more, and then you start feeding and getting the the benefits of the fruits out of it, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, but yeah, but so I just locked into that shit and uh start hitting the bag in there, not knowing. I'm like, Yeah, look at the African guy just punching the bag, and then like one day, Jake walks in the gym and it's like, yo, you look like you can actually do something with this, man. I'm like, Really? He's like, Yeah, just keep it up, man. You never know, you never know where to take you. And that was that was the most fire I needed right there.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, for somebody like Jake Paul to say that to you, like you know, it's like, really? I could do something with this, like exactly.

SPEAKER_01

Like, I mean, to me, I was like the bottom feet of the house, too. It's a massive house, bro. There's employees, like over 22 people working in the house, you know. Right. And it's just like, hey, bro, man, I didn't just get that little bit of advice was just enough to kick that fire underneath my belt, switch everything over, and put another the repertoire to my system, and just get running with it, bro. And now here I am.

SPEAKER_03

Right, dude. I I'll never forget. I remember the first time I saw you on TV at one of the fights, you were by the ring talking to Jake, and I'm just like, this is crazy, bro. Like when he was in Baltimore, I never even heard of him going to the gym, and now he's sitting ringside at all these huge boxing events, man. It really, it's it's crazy, bro. It's really crazy. That's why I was so excited to have you on here, because like your story is just it's so motivational, man. I think more people really would would love to know it and hear it and really figure out, like, man, how did this guy, you know, get get there, you know? Absolutely. So, what made you fall in love with boxing, other than Jake obviously being like, hey man, you got something here. Um, you got to have a passion to be able to put that kind of work that it takes to get into that. Um what was it for you?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, at first it was just the fact that I got into a routine of exercising, and exercising to me brought it a different perspective of how clear my mind was, how I moved, how I functioned, how I slept. I started liking that part of it, and also just making a commitment to something I didn't know, but that made it right, that gave me a slight challenge. So I learned how not to be always comfortable because sometimes when you get too comfortable, that's when shit starts to fall fall apart real quick. And we start. Amen, brother. And he said we see ourselves go through those phases a lot. So I said, No, I'm gonna just keep going with it, going with it. And to the point where we moved to Puerto Rico, Jake started taking it even more seriously than ever. So I'm in gym with him now every day, helping him get ready, prepping his gloves, prepping his shoes, right? You know, the whole nine yards of what it takes to be a great boxer. But I mean, I got to see everything from the ground up, you know, not just I started boxing and everything that goes into it, right? Up to even like how you talk to people in the certain areas, how you talk to the promoters, how you talk to the interviews, whatever that I'm just sitting back and watching and zoning in. But I mean it just it just built and just the right the ball, just the snowball just kept going and going, bro. And up to the point where uh I was with Jake one point, he I think this is after he's had a couple fights, and we're living here in Puerto Rico. He gave me this opportunity. He said, Bro, if you go get some amateur fights, maybe I'll put you on one of my cars or something of that nature, like put me on a bigger pedestal in the boxing field. I said, Fuck it, bro. I'm running, right? Say no more. I'm in the gym running with him, doing everything I got to do, bro. And then I had my first couple amateur fights here in Puerto Rico. The first one, I went in, fucking won that shit, bro. I mean, I had Jake was there to support me on that one, which was quite surprising. But I mean, like, that's a busy ass. That's amazing, dude. That's a busy ass game. I mean, that just again it just again just shows about the people you have around you that support you right that show up there for you, is what motivates you to keep going.

SPEAKER_03

It also tells it also tells the world something about him, right? He's got so many haters and people that call him a YouTuber that just had it handed to him and stuff like that, right? From what I've learned about him, just from your content and seeing how he moves around the people that he works with, uh, man, like he he's a really genuine dude, right? Like he's not, you know, some cocky douchebag that people make him out to be, you know. It's I mean it's awesome, dude. It really is.

SPEAKER_01

When people don't know anything about you, they can say whatever they want to say. Oh, but that's totally cool. But I mean, that's you just keep staying in your lane and doing what the hell you gotta do. And those are the people that end up paying you, bro. For real, for real. Let the haters hate, you know what I'm saying? But whatever. But yeah, man, yeah, again, just surrounding myself around that that kind of energy and people that are humble, that are good, that want to make a change in the world, puts me in a place of where I want to do better myself, so I could help in any way I can make a difference in my own way when I get the chance to, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, 100%. So, I mean, it obviously hasn't been all uphill. Tell us about when things started to go south and how you were able to pull out of that.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, it's like everyday life, man. There's little things here and there that come in, family debts or whatever, this and that that may pull you out the system for a little bit. Also, partying, get hit a new lifestyle, you know. It's like, oh my god, now the clubs, this is this and that. I get into a club for free. Girls are everywhere, you know. It's like booze or drinking. You try to balance the fun life with the your determination of trying to be great as well. You just gotta find ways to fight yourself and get out of the darkness and put yourself in the light, yeah. And again, it's always a roller coaster effect, man. It's always a roller coaster. It's never like everything just shoots uphill. You know, that's it.

SPEAKER_03

Right, no matter what it may look like on social media, right?

SPEAKER_01

Oh god, oh god, people sometimes just I'll get some message like, yo, bro, you're doing so great, like this and that, and bro.

SPEAKER_03

Like, I wish you you feel you're feeling so down, dude. I get that all the time. Like, people think I'm you know worth a hundred million, like living the high life. I'm like, bro, if you had any idea.

SPEAKER_01

Bro, it's like the if I I wish I could sleep the hours you get to sleep, brother, before you ever tell me that. You know, but again, we we ride the road that we choose, you know. And again, it's just like I was just grateful to be where I was and the opportunities I got, and that those helped me mold me to who I am today. And bro, you just it's just you can't stop. That's the real truth. No matter what, you can't stop. Every time you get down, it's okay to go down. It's okay to be set back a little bit, but you gotta remember that's just it's just a little bit of a break. Every time you come back, you're gonna come back twice as strong and even better. You know, we're all fucking humans, man, and we gotta remember sometimes a setback does not mean you're going backwards. It just means you need time to reset, check the situation, and then get back on that fucking horse and ride, man. Everybody needs a little bit of a break sometimes and a little like check. You know what I'm saying? Just get yourself back on that right grind for you to hit wherever God wants you to go. Because that's the only magic what's what's deserving of your life, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Right. You know, I I say it all the time that you can't fail unless you give up. Right? Like, the ever it doesn't matter how high you go as far as level of success, right? Like, it doesn't matter if you're a billionaire or you're worth a hundred thousand or whatever, you're always gonna have those ups and downs. You're always gonna have, especially as an entrepreneur, you're gonna have those ups and downs, you're gonna have those sleepless nights. Like, I was talking to a guy the other day on the podcast. The guy's probably worth about maybe 1.2, 1.3 billion. And he's like, Man, last week I was up at 4M, I couldn't go back to sleep, just thinking about the stuff. You know, this guy's got like a $15 million monthly marketing budget, right? Like, dude, the guy's doing it, right? And it just made me think, I'm like, man, like this guy's a billionaire, and he still has those same sleepless nights that anybody else has, you know, especially as an entrepreneur, because you got so many people counting on you. And then, you know, if you're surrounding yourself by those other people, you're also trying to, you know, prove to them, like, hey, I I I can do it too. And, you know, especially when they put you in places to win, you want to show them that you're taking advantage of that, right?

SPEAKER_01

Uh absolutely, absolutely. And he got it, because if you don't, then I mean you're wasting everybody's time. Nobody likes your time being wasted. You know what I'm saying? Time's very valuable.

SPEAKER_03

100%, man. You know, a hundred percent, dude. So you're um you ended up getting hurt uh at one point. Um, and and that kind of put a halt to the boxing thing. Uh you mentioned a little bit earlier, that's when you kind of started the clothing brand. But tell me about that. So you you did a couple amateur fights, and then where what happened when you got hurt? Like, was that at a was that fighting?

SPEAKER_01

Nah, yeah, it was fighting, but I mean it wasn't fighting uh a a real opponent. I was at a wedding else. I was at a wedding per se. I was in uh in Italy at Logan Paul's wedding when he was wedding. Oh, right, right, right. Yes. Yeah, and um let's say uh the cake, cakes are not as sweet as you think they are. I ended up punching the cake at the wedding. You punched the cake at the wedding. At the wedding. And ended up uh getting a blood infection in my hand. Had to I was straight went to the uh ER emergency room out there. I was stuck in the hospital out there, man, for about a week. And then had to go. Oh my goodness. And this was where? This was in Lake Como, Italy. In Italy, that's right. I was stuck in the hospital in Italy for a week, then had to dip out of there and link up with Jake in like Amsterdam, and then fly from there straight to Orlando, and he's gotta fight that I think that the next day or so and fight event out there we had. And so as soon as I land, I had to boom straight go back to the hospital again, get locked in the hospital again for like another week or so, week half a week and a half out there, and had to have two surgeries in my hand. Oh my goodness. Right, yeah. But yeah, that's just from punching a cake. Punching a cake, bro.

SPEAKER_03

Was it a diamond cake? Like, what kind of cake was this?

SPEAKER_01

No, so there was like a rod inside, it was one of those like tower cakes, whatever. There was like a side. But I mean, I was slightly intoxicated too. But I mean, I didn't know any better at that moment. I I thought I had this, bro. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, I would have thought so too, man.

SPEAKER_01

That cake was doing its work, bro. I said that man had been doing push-ups and sit-ups and running miles for days before he got up there. He said, yo, bop. He said he didn't even move. But I I mean, I was cool, bro. That shit took me up. Yeah, I I got got a hand, which got infected. That was the real deal.

SPEAKER_03

Oh man. Oh, so you didn't break your hand. No, you got a cut on your hand, and then that got infected.

SPEAKER_01

I got a blood infection. Wow. Yeah, and a matter of hours. Talk about unlucky. Right? Bro, it was brutal, man. And uh, yeah, but it was a trip that I'd never want to go go go down again, bro.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Did you get did you catch a lot of a lot of shit from from Jake and Logan and all the everybody that was there?

SPEAKER_01

Surprisingly, everyone was just like glad I was alive. Everyone was literally on my side, like calling out the ball. Oh, dude, a blood infection can kill you. Literally, literally. I mean, even the first treatments I had when I got to the hospital in Italy, they were treating it as a broken hand. So instead, the infection they put a hard cast on my hand that night, not even knowing what it was. And so the infection started pushing through me. That made it worse, right?

SPEAKER_04

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01

I was fucked. I was fucked, bro. So that's why I had to think about it.

SPEAKER_03

Can you imagine if you if you were in like a if you were in like a third world country or something, right? Like with that doesn't have, you know, and honestly, Italy doesn't have the best medical system, but like there's worse, there's worse places, right? Like you probably could have died from a damn cake. 100%, bro.

SPEAKER_01

Like it's the smallest things in life that will put you down, bro. Yeah. The tiny things you would never know, bro. But yeah, bro, that shit was real bad.

SPEAKER_03

But yeah, so now now that how long ago was that? That was about a year ago?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, roughly about a year, year and a half now or so. But I mean, I've got it all well healed up. I've been back in the training mode, getting my workouts in, you know, going through the the the steps and processes again. But yeah, I'm maybe looking to fight the fight again in August if everything goes well.

SPEAKER_00

Exciting, man.

SPEAKER_03

It's this July, that's next month, bro.

SPEAKER_00

I know, I already that's what I'm saying. I've already been back in the gym. Very cool. I already been back in the jail. Very cool.

SPEAKER_03

Uh yeah, man. So the are you at a point where there was some good that came out of that whole experience? Like, you know, everything happens for a reason type thing.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely, bro. Again, like I said, you gotta keep going, kid. Words from my guy Mark Marcos Guerrero.

SPEAKER_00

So it just it just made you more resilient.

SPEAKER_01

Made me more resilient, made me more focused, bro. Like I'm saying, like, what what what could really take you out of this world other than your beliefs and what you believe in in your head? There's absolutely nothing in this world that could stop me. Within that, I got the opportunity to start African Lightning brand, and that has gotten me the opportunity to be even a better entrepreneur and business man, which has led me to other open doors to where I've even got a boxing. I'm creating a boxing app coming out soon called Blap. So look up for that. You might need to have me on your show again. We'll talk about that. Okay, you know, I'll be saying, bro. But I mean, I've got other business ventures along the way within that small setback. So again, as I mentioned earlier, a setback is.

SPEAKER_03

It caused you to slow down on the on the boxing thing and to focus on the business.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly, bro.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, on other businesses, right?

SPEAKER_01

Literally, that's why I said some setbacks, you look at them like, oh my god, like oh yeah, I almost died, this and that. But then let's look at the positives that come out of it, and it turns out to be way more positive things than that.

SPEAKER_03

Well, that was a choice, right? So you made the choice to turn that into a positive, right? Like most people that put that punch a cake and almost die were are gonna are gonna are gonna sit in a hospital and and feel bad and oh no, I'm stuck here, and you know, poor me, and and and yada yada yada. I can't train, I can't box, I give up, uh, what am I gonna do? And instead, you pivoted, you're like, hey, well, if I gotta lay in this hospital bed, what can I do? What can I do to get ahead? What can I do to make some money? What can I do to you know to to move bigger and better? Absolutely. Um, dude, that's that's great, man. It was I mean, it was all it was all you, bro. That's that's awesome, dude. That just shows the the type of person that you become is uh it's it's it's great to see, bro. I love it.

SPEAKER_01

I appreciate you, man. Thank you so much, right? Again, remember it all started somewhere, man. It's people like you who motivate people in the world to get their shit together and keep moving, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03

That's the same same thing that happened to me, man. Like, that's why I'm so relentless and big on helping people and educating people and putting people in the right positions to win, because that's what happened to me, man. I was down to my last dollar. I was depressed as hell, I was heartbroken. I mean, down to my last $20. Like, I didn't like I was down, down. I was living in my little brother's basement, practically homeless. Like, it was down, down, and somebody took a chance on me and was like, hey, I'll invest into you so you can start the business. I bought them out six months later, and here we are nine years later. I was living in the closet, remember right before I moved out of Baltimore with Dustin.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, bro. Yes, dude.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it was a big closet, though. It was a big closet.

SPEAKER_01

It fit me inside, but I'm saying though, yeah, people don't know what we don't realize. People don't realize anyone's past. So that's what we always remember to treat everyone with respect and be humble to everyone. Definitely, no matter what. And no matter what, you never know anyone's background, you never know what everyone's going through each day. But the best you can do is just hey, be humble, keep a smile on your face, and take it one day at a time, bro. Tomorrow, tomorrow's coming, and tomorrow's not promised, but tomorrow's still come, you know what I'm saying? So just keep grinding, keep going, kid.

SPEAKER_03

Definitely, definitely, man. Exactly, dude. So you've got an app coming out. Say it again. Was it Brap? Blap, like it's like blap. Like it works in the paper. I got you. I got you. Uh what what else is what else is you got you got working right now? You got obviously the African Lightning. That's starting to blow up on social media. Um, you got the app coming out, you got a fight possibly coming up next month. Yeah. What else can you fit in there?

SPEAKER_01

Hey, man, I'm I'm looking at the possible TV show thing I might get on. Um I'm waiting for the casting to call me back. It's gonna be based around boxing fighting too. So, I mean, hey, I'm nice. There's lots of there's lots of things we can do while we're alive. So, I mean, like again, where am I getting the opportunity? I could fit it in. I'm plugging in myself, plugging myself into a bunch of different adventures per se. So definitely. I'm I'm staying busy, bro. I'm staying busy.

SPEAKER_03

Uh yeah, I can I can see that. Dude, the last thing I want to know, man, um God has God played a part in your journey. Do you believe in God? Like, tell tell me a little bit about the spiritual side of Carl.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I've been a child of God since birth. You know what I'm saying? Born in my parents' name, Mary and Joseph, go figure. Never miss a lot of people. I didn't I didn't know that. Yeah, bro. Literally. So I mean, I've I've been very I was raised in a very spiritual home, Presbyterian, and I've always believed in God. Always believed in having a choice to choose good or bad. And that's the kind of decision I've always had to make in my life, right? And how I treated choice, you know, it's always everything's always a choice, and I've always just chose to be a good person, the best, because that's the side of Jesus I saw, the side of the Bible I saw, and I and I fucked with it hard. I was like, dude, the cool things he's doing, the good things make people happy, makes people joyful. Yes. I liked that, and I was like, hey, I want to mold myself in that kind of aspect, right? But it doesn't say that one day or two I may not be a sinner, but at the end of the day, though, I choose to try to do more of the positive things that he did in my own way and try to take care of the world.

SPEAKER_03

And I was always treat people great. Yeah, 100%. Dude, that is one thing that you know, if you if you pass today, right? One thing that everybody's gonna remember about Carl is you treat every single person you come across like they're your best friend, like they're the best thing since sliced bread with the biggest smile, the biggest hug. Like, you know what I mean? Like, no matter who it is, right? And and that's one thing that that has always I've always admired about you is even when you were in your messed up days, you're living in a closet, you're drinking every night, you're you know, whatever, like it didn't matter who you came across. Like, absolutely, you know, hey man, nice to meet you. Like, you you know, it's like you don't want nothing from them, you just want them to feel special. And and it's uh it's it's it's great, man. It's great.

SPEAKER_01

Appreciate you, bro. Appreciate you, bro. That's who I am. I'm Carl, man.

SPEAKER_03

I love it, man. Love it. Carl, thank you so much for hopping on. I know you're busy, you got a lot going on. Can't wait to have you back on so we can hear about this app, hear about your fight coming up. Keep killing it, brother.

SPEAKER_01

All right, brother. Appreciate you. Thanks for having me, man. Keep going, bro. Absolutely, man.

SPEAKER_03

Same here, brother. Love you, man. Love you too, G.