TJJS - Ep.37 - Best Of The Jeff Johnson Show - Brandon Bellamy

This is a reair from a show I did with a gentleman that has become a friend! I hope ytou enjoy it again!  and Thank You so much for listening!

In this Episode of #TJJS, I talk with Brandon Bellamy who is the majority owner of the new independent Atlantic League team that starts play in Gastonia in 2021 and let me tell you he is excited about being a part of this vibrant community.

Brandon is the CEO of the Velocity Companies, a real estate company based in Maryland, is now the ONLY CURRENT BLACK MAJORITY OWNER IN ALL OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL!  Let that sink in!

But, the neat thing about Brandon is that his is a really genuine, authentic and real person who truly cares about the communities that he and his company partner with.
Lots of fun in this conversation. Please Join us!

Follow JJ: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!  The Jeff Johnson Show. Real. Genuine. Authentic. Jeff!

What the Jeff Johnson Show “IS” and “IS NOT”:

IT IS NOT:

• It’s not a news show, but we learn stuff.
• It’s not a sports show, but Garinger beats Independence all the time and we love the game.
• It’s not an “artsy” show, but local artists/performers are always in the house.
• This is not a food show, but I love livermush!(‘Nuff Said”) So, we'll be talking about food a lot!

IT IS:

• It is a Labour of Love for myself and my Hometown.
• It is a show about you and me and finding out why the Charlotte/Metrolina region is a great place to be!
• It is a show that I get to introduce you folks I grew up with who influenced me in my life. (I got some "Very Unique" friends y'all so this should be interesting!)
• It is a show that I share some of the many talented friends I’ve met along the way.  (I got some "Very Unique" friends y'all so this should be interesting!)
• It is a show that works your emotions. (“...Laughing and Crying, you know it’s the same release..”)

Follow JJ: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!  The Jeff Johnson Show. Real. Genuine. Authentic. Jeff!

Transcript

Best Of TJJS - EP 37 - Featuring Ep 16 - Brandon Bellamy

[00:00:00] JJ: [00:00:00] It's the Jeff Johnson show brought to you by OTE @ofthisearthglobal.com of this earth. global.com clothing connection, OTE

[00:00:27] Greetings, or as we say it right here in the South, Hey y'all Hey, you know what time it is? It's time for another edition of the Jeff Johnson show a real, genuine, authentic podcast where I get to reconnect with the people and places and events of my hometown area. Charlotte, North Carolina, on today's show, we're going to be talking with Brandon Bellamy, who was the majority owner of the new independent Atlantic league team that starts playing Gastonia

[00:00:55] in 2021. And let me tell you, he is excited about being a part of [00:01:00] this vibrant community. Brandon is the CEO of the velocity companies, a real estate company based in Maryland, and is now the only current black majority owner of a professional baseball team in any league time to talk to Brandon Bellamy on the Jeff Johnson show with me now is a man that I met in Gastonia 

[00:01:21] North Carolina, ladies and gentlemen. Brandon Bellamy, Brandon, how are you? 

[00:01:29] Brandon Bellamy: [00:01:29] I'm fantastic. I'm fantastic. God, I have no complaints. You know, I have a good friend that says every day is a good day, man. So I'm winning, 

[00:01:40] JJ: [00:01:40] man. I can't believe you just said that because that has been one of my credos for the longest of times.

[00:01:47] When you wake up on this side of Terra firma, you are okay.

[00:01:55] I can't preach no more. I can't preach no more. I'm just going to, [00:02:00] but seriously, we are so glad that you're able to sit and have a little conversation today about all the great things that are getting ready to happen with the team in Gastonia, with you coming to Gastonia and, and doing those things.

[00:02:15] And it's, it's just an exciting time all the way around, but you know what I'd like. T for you to do now is just to give our listeners a little bit of an idea of who you are, where you're from and some of the things that you do well, what do you do? 

[00:02:31] Brandon Bellamy: [00:02:31] Well, you know, I happen to be the chief executive officer for, the velocity company.

[00:02:37] And we're a mission led commercial real estate company, in the Washington DC metropolitan area. And we, we develop multifamily housing. We develop office, we develop retail. we develop it for ourselves and for other people, we have a capital investment arm where we deploy capital into real estate development projects.

[00:02:59] And we also have a [00:03:00] commercial brokerage, that goes out and helps, you know, commercial landlord, tenant buyers, sellers, investors, to get in the real estate space. So we're, we're vertically integrated in that way. so that we can, you know, hit the ground and communities that might need everything and kind of move it forward.

[00:03:15]we're biblically motivated. So, you know, that's our ethos and that's how we work. And then for me, you know, you know, I'm just a regular guy, you know, I was born in Detroit. I ended up moving to the Washington DC metropolitan area cause my mom and dad. Where they met. And my father was actually from Whiteville North Carolina before.

[00:03:39] Yeah, absolutely. And so Whiteville, the Bellamy's I hit the bunch up earlier. I was talking to somebody earlier, man. And he was like, you know, so tell me, you know, do you get to come down this way? Or, you know, how does that work? And I was like, you know what, my dad, he passed away from cancer a few years ago.

[00:03:58] He talked about, Oh [00:04:00] no, thank you. Thank you. We talked about, How I, you know, he didn't really make me go down there as much as he probably should have. And so this is a really cool opportunity to spend more time down there, with family that I, you know, didn't get to spend as much time with when I was younger.

[00:04:16] So, you know, that's just a nice added extra man. It's a nice added extra, 

[00:04:19] JJ: [00:04:19] well, first off being a North Carolina boy, myself, I know all about Whiteville. Right down that way,

[00:04:32] hundred percent. I spent a lot of time on the coast, the Newburn, Minnesot Beach Oriental and on my way, driving down toward the end towards, I can't remember some of the other little towns here, but I also had, a friend of mine that was a distance runner. I ran track and field at Appalachian state.

[00:04:52] I didn't run. I just know, well, I didn't run. I threw the shot in the discus cause I ain't running nowhere. I mean, [00:05:00] man, I'm just going to, I'm gonna throw this weight around a little bit and then y'all just have at it, y'all have at it. But, but my friend was, his name was Elvis and he was from Whiteville and he was one of our distance runners and I used to always go, man, what's it like living in Whiteville.

[00:05:16] He said you don't want to live in Whitefish. And I said, why he say JJ is pretty country, but so, but you know what? I'm a country, boy, myself, man. It's the same type thing. That's what makes us makes a solid we're of the earth. But, but here you are a young man from those areas, you know, with roots in Whiteville.

[00:05:36] How did you get into the rough and tumble world of real estate development?

[00:05:47] Brandon Bellamy: [00:05:47] Go down the rabbit hole.

[00:05:52]my parents, you know, they, they ended up getting separated and my mom. And I lived together. So for a lot of my formative years, my [00:06:00] mom kind of being a single mom, me and my dad were really more getting along during that period of time. And so, it was crazy. I used to live in an apartment with my mom and I used to be up late at night.

[00:06:10] Walking alone. I'm going to tell them my age right now, but their infomercials on. and I used to have this guy named Carlton sheets. He used to be on there and people will be talking about how they're making money and having property. And he's like sold an informational kit that could teach her how to do that.

[00:06:27] And I used to be up late at night. Really, like, I really want to be able to do this because I wanted to be able to get my mama house. 

[00:06:32] JJ: [00:06:32] Yes. 

[00:06:33] Brandon Bellamy: [00:06:33] And so, that kind of, that, it's amazing what imprints on you when you're young? Right. Like really stuck with me, man. And I ended up, later on getting a real estate license really early.

[00:06:45]I ended up becoming one of the youngest, real estate brokers, not just an agent, but I was a broker really young, like 21, 22. And then, Throughout my process of becoming who I became, I was able to actually end up getting my mom a house. So that worked out awesome. [00:07:00] But that's really how it started.

[00:07:01] It was like I saw these commercials. I was like, that's something. my father's friend who was renovating property was saying to me, that there was a mathematical number that if you had it, you didn't have to work anymore. And basically what he meant was if you're getting a certain annual return, one money that, and that annual return was your annual operating budget.

[00:07:20] As a person, basically, you, you were making money, your money was making enough money where you didn't have to work. And that was just a shocking concept to say to someone. Yeah. Right. I just didn't, it took a minute for that to settle in. But once I began to understand that I was like, Oh yeah, I get it. You know, your money can work for you.

[00:07:36] And. that sort of combined with, some opportunities that I had working with some, nonprofits you focus on at risk youth, multicultural youth Nehemiah project, international national foundation for teaching entrepreneurship, companies, all organizations that work with young people who were kind of going down a wrong path.

[00:07:54] They had the tenacity and the intelligence to be entrepreneurs, but their, their energy was being focused in a negative [00:08:00] space. I had had that kind of. Colorful path in those, those organizations. And then sort of having a desire to get into the real estate space led me to community development. So, community development is, is oftentimes associated with, developing and building, affordable housing, real estate development in communities that are often under invested.

[00:08:23] And so it just, it was a natural intersection of things for me. And that's. That's how I sort of got into this business. And that just led me down a path that I continue to add to it. So whether it was building out, you know, our development arm, adding the commercial brokerage capital investment, you know, working in communities where they're under indebted on a regular basis, doesn't matter where they are or what the people look like.

[00:08:45] That's how I got it. 

[00:08:46] JJ: [00:08:46] Yep. Is it important to you, the communities that you invest with that you're a part of that investment, meaning that. Of course you have dollar bills in the game, but there's a little bit more to [00:09:00] it than that. Do you have any skin in the game? Is that important to you? 

[00:09:06] Brandon Bellamy: [00:09:06] I think it's essential.

[00:09:07] You know, I mean a lot of the work, I love numbers. I enjoy underwriting projects. I enjoy the process of it, but a big part of it is, you know, loving the work that I do and loving the people that I do it for, even though I may not actually meet them personally, I believe that all development development just by definition is taking something from his existing state.

[00:09:32] And helping it to achieve as high as potential. So it doesn't matter whether you're developing a person or a relationship or a piece of real estate. Right. That's what you're trying to do and all development. It's going to benefit a person or people. I don't care what type of development you're putting out there from a real estate space.

[00:09:50] It's going to benefit people. And, and as a matter of fact, that's, that's the purpose of everything, right? The purpose of everything benefits something outside of itself in a positive manner. So a chair [00:10:00] can't achieve purpose until someone sits in it, a car can't see it can't actually achieve its full potential unless someone drives the car.

[00:10:07] Right? So developments benefit people. And so. But the programming that you put into it, the thought that you put behind it, the supplemental programs that you try to do to build into a project that can help people's lives is essential. So for me, I'm absolutely, I want to be in those communities. I want to understand the people, what they need, how I can best help them.

[00:10:30]whether it's just. How I'm living my life as an example, or the additional programming or the adding of amenities in a project that they would not normally see, all of that comes from just really wanting to be embedded in those communities and understanding that we are in fact, the same people. 

[00:10:46] JJ: [00:10:46] No doubt about it.

[00:10:47] I mean, it, it is uncanny how a lot of your life experiences and my life experiences. Mirror each other. I, it was, it was [00:11:00] amazing what you were just talking about because my mom and dad went through a divorce. I, my brother and I live with my mom. It was so important to me to be there person who could help her to do certain things my way through media and through, you know, the things that I did acting athletics and different things like that.

[00:11:22] Although those, those, those, those. Things that you were talking about about the money thing. I learned early, the power of simple daily compounded interest. 

[00:11:33] Brandon Bellamy: [00:11:33] You know,

[00:11:37] man, I don't understand why we don't have better understanding of financing. 

[00:11:42] JJ: [00:11:42] It's a travesty. Listen, you know, Brandon, you know, when we talked before I told you that, you know, I did a lot of, I do a lot of public speaking specially in elementary schools, colleges, everywhere else. And especially in this, in the elementary schools and high schools, one of the big things always talked about was.

[00:11:59] Hey guys do [00:12:00] y'all want to become a millionaire and they go, yeah, I want to be a millionaire. And I said, well, if you do a certain thing, basically set yourself up with an interest bearing account, put money in it for a certain number of years. And if you want to, you can leave it alone after seven years.

[00:12:13] And by the time you're 55 60, you'll have a lot in there. Oh God, we've got to wait that long, but I said, but you still will be way ahead of the game. So you're right. They don't teach that. Why do you think they don't? Why do you even think are

[00:12:33] Brandon Bellamy: [00:12:33] this is where I get in trouble. 

[00:12:37] JJ: [00:12:37] I want to get you in trouble, 

[00:12:40] Brandon Bellamy: [00:12:40] but you know, the truth is beautiful and proper in all places. So I think that it does not benefit. The capital structure to be educated about what money is and what it is not. I agree. And, and, and, you know, we just have a system that requires that, [00:13:00] right.

[00:13:00] I mean, in, in, in the capitalist structure. So what has to be pushed in order for someone to be rich now? That's not exactly, you know, the case in that way that we have sort of low capitalism in a lot of places, but it is true as, as a general idea. Right. And so, You know, what we need to do is we meet to empower people by democratizing economic knowledge.

[00:13:23] And when we do that, They will learn how to take care of themselves. You know, you teach a person to fish rather than fishing for them. Right. They can feed themselves and we're not doing that. and that is really, it's, it's just really keeping a lot of people in bondage, right. You know, the struggle to freedom for whatever it is you want in your life can, can be, can really be accomplished by having this economic knowledge.

[00:13:46] And we're not sharing it. You know, there's not enough people that have it. It benefits a lot of people at the very, very, very top by people not being as familiar with what it takes to be successful and build wealth [00:14:00] economically. That's just the truth. and we can do better because I read a statistic the other day, you know, where, you know, the top ones over the last 30 years, the top 1%, they have generated $22.65 trillion over the last.

[00:14:16] 30 years. And the bottom 50% of Americans have lost $776 billion during that same span of time. So the wealth has gone from the bottom 50% gone to the top 1%. And you know, that is a real problem because they don't have that economic knowledge. It's benefiting the top 1% in a, in a, in a way that you could argue a moral obscenity.

[00:14:39] JJ: [00:14:39] Wow. That is amazing. Hey, listen, I tell you what, we'll take a quick break and then we're going to get into the baseball aspect of this. and then I got a couple of other questions about some things that I I've been been interested in asking you. So, all right, folks, stick around. We're talking to Brandon Bellamy, the new owner of the Atlantic league team coming into [00:15:00] Gastonia North Carolina, and also just a feely God, we'll be right back in a moment with me or of the Jeff Johnson show.

[00:15:09] Hey everybody. This is Jeff Johnson with an important message from the CDC about the Corona virus. You know, with the Corona virus, still spreading people at higher risk, they got to take extra precautions. You are at higher risk. If you're over 65, or if you have any serious underlying medical conditions like chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, or if you're going through cancer treatment, if you're at higher risk, it is essential that you take extra care to protect yourself.

[00:15:40] Stay six feet away from other people. I know it can be tough sometimes. Better yet. Why don't you just stay at home? You can read, you can listen. You know, it's very important that you take this situation seriously, visit Corona virus.gov for the latest information from the [00:16:00] CDC that's Corona virus.gov for the latest information that Jeff Johnson show cares about you and your family.

[00:16:25] Welcome back everybody. We're talking to Brandon Bellamy we're back.

[00:16:35] Brandon Bellamy: [00:16:35] We're still here. 

[00:16:36] JJ: [00:16:36] We're still here. And Brandon, speaking of being here, here, you are a young man who is doing great in the, in the commercial real estate business, and you're doing wonderful. And then all of a sudden you hear about an opportunity in gas, Stony in North Carolina. And you say to yourself, okay, let me check this out.

[00:16:57] It's a baseball [00:17:00] opportunity and my question is real simple. What you know about baseball and why did you want to get involved?

[00:17:20]I 

[00:17:21] Brandon Bellamy: [00:17:21] devlope in communities that are under invested. It was funny because I got it. I used to work. For who really helped me get my life together, came to a groundbreaking that I was having on  a project that I'm, that I'm under construction. It's a quarter of a billion dollar project. And we were, we're getting started on the first phase, which is $133 million.

[00:17:42] And when they, he came to it and he was, it was kind of like a full circle moment for us, both because it was like, I used to work with him in his hardware store. Opportunity isn't gasping on me. And I'm like, what? He's like, Hey, if you telling me the story and I'm like, eh, yeah, I don't, I don't [00:18:00] know that I'm your guy, my dude.

[00:18:01] And so he said, he said, look, check it out. So, you know, because we had that relationship. I did JJ. I checked it out. And, I just loved the community of Gastonia. They were just welcoming and warm and I've been calling them spunky. You know what I mean? I've had a lot of fights, but they, they push, they push in on it.

[00:18:21] And so when I got down there and I saw the opportunity and I understood. that this was an opportunity to really be a catalytic project or really push for economic development in their downtown area. I could relate to it because I work in communities where the data suggests that these communities should be doing better, but a lot of times.

[00:18:40] Like a graphically, you know, they just haven't been able to get the investment people. Aren't looking at the data objectively, they're passing over these communities. And I worked in communities like that. So I immediately knew what I was looking at. and I said, you know what? This stuff, I think it can help with.

[00:18:54] It just required that we, you know, we, we bought a baseball team and you know, when I'm trying to help people, [00:19:00] man, I'll do whatever it takes. 

[00:19:03] JJ: [00:19:03] I'm a baseball guy. My son is a pro player right now. He plays I'm up in the United shores professional baseball league. he's in a second season. and I've been in baseball all, all my life.

[00:19:17] And I tell you, when you, when Walker told me about this project and the fuse thing that was going on, and folks, I don't know, Walker Reed is a very good friend of mine also. Now a very good friend of Brandon's and just a genuine real guy. And when he was telling me about it, it needs something. But, but when it was telling me about it, I, my, my, my eyes lit up.

[00:19:41] I just felt this, this energy because for downtown Gastonia to get this kind of a project that can benefit the entire region and really benefit the downtown area, the Western part of, of gas, Stony, the Highland area, that just the area in general. Is a, is a, [00:20:00] is a win, win, win. So when you got, when you started talking to everybody, you were you straight away connected with everybody and said, this is what I gotta do.

[00:20:16] Brandon Bellamy: [00:20:16] Early on. It really was, but I'll tell you, there were some pivotal conversations in order to sort of feel the community operate. Right. I walk around and sort of rail the environment. I'm talking to random people. I'm asking them all kinds of real questions. They're like, who's this? She doesn't look like around here.

[00:20:35] Anyway, I got a lot of the same information from people, you know, about how they felt about the place and just the fight and the, and the character that he showed. And then when I met the city council and they were fantastic, and I was like, any group of people who voted you guys in, and you guys said, you know what, we're going to.

[00:20:57] Take care of ourselves because we don't think that there's any [00:21:00] calvary coming to save us. We don't have the kind of political courage that they show to jump out here and, and, and get that construction started. I was like, you know, I can just be touched with that. Just makes me want to help. So then when I talked to mayor, And he said, you know, he's just explaining to me what the city needed and his vision for it.

[00:21:22] We just looked each other in the eye and we were like, you know, let's do it. and we just tried to figure out a way to get it done. We were successful in doing that. We look, there's not a victory lap rush. We still got a long 

[00:21:33] JJ: [00:21:33] way to go. 

[00:21:36] Brandon Bellamy: [00:21:36] This team loved the project, but, yeah, that's all I got here, man.

[00:21:40] Just actually creating a relationship with the people. 

[00:21:43] JJ: [00:21:43] Well, let me tell you, I can tell you from I do the con it is so weird that we do the same type stuff. I went. I've gone around. I talked to people all the time about. You know, baseball cause baseball and Gastonia has been there for a long time. They used [00:22:00] to have a minor league.

[00:22:02] I think it was a single a team, but an affiliated team, you know, they had the Grizzlies, you know, Sims park has always been big, the athletics and everything around that area, especially in the, in, in, as baseball is concerned. It's always had that, that, but. In recent years, of course they had the decline, different things like that.

[00:22:20] And the energy, the excitement that I hear from people not only in Gastonia, but in Lincolnton in York, in Charlotte, in Belmont, Mount Holly Concorde all around around the Metro, especially that, that Charlotte Gastonia Concore DMA that region all the way up to boon. Oh, dude, they are fired up. They're fired up.

[00:22:48] Brandon Bellamy: [00:22:48] What is it? It's exciting. It's exciting, man. Cause they, you know, it's just about creating a quality entertainment options for those, for those communities you're just talking about. and I think this is going to be a great opportunity. 

[00:23:00] [00:23:00] JJ: [00:23:00] What, let me, so there's not a name yet, 

[00:23:03] Brandon Bellamy: [00:23:03] right? Not yet have a name, your team concept.

[00:23:08] Rather, we brought to have a name thing, concept that I want. This is the community's team. I want this to be their name. 

[00:23:15] JJ: [00:23:15] That is awesome. And listen, anything that I can do to help get the word out about that. I will do it. So I just want you to know, but I gotta ask you, I mean, here you are now you've got a team.

[00:23:26] I don't know if this will prejudice people. If they hear what a name that you liked, or do you even have

[00:23:36] the name you like, even though it doesn't,

[00:23:44] Brandon Bellamy: [00:23:44] I can't say that yet.

[00:23:49] Get me in trouble. There was a picture.

[00:24:00] [00:24:00] Someone sent me and I, it was not. it was not the type of image that I would necessarily make that was trying to eat this lizard. And while the snake was trying to eat the lizard, the lizard, wasn't going quietly living with eaten. 

[00:24:17] JJ: [00:24:17] I've seen that. 

[00:24:19] Brandon Bellamy: [00:24:19] Have you seen that? Not yet, but I'm going to tell you what I love about that.

[00:24:25] Never quit. Never quit. Never. No, no, no retreat, no surrender. You know, that's what I loved about that. And that really, Vermont you're like, okay, you know, you think you've got us on the road, but we ain't going nowhere. You got, you got to bring a little bit more if you want to get us out. So, just love to fight in that community.

[00:24:45] I love it. I love what they're doing. 

[00:24:48] JJ: [00:24:48] I can tell you straight up being a Charlotte boy. And have played against a lot of the teams over there, a Huss, Ashbrook Crest, all those different teams, football and [00:25:00] everything else. The people that it's a proud people, it is, they are very into their community and athletics and you're right.

[00:25:08] They don't quit over there. They do not quit. And it, and it's, you know, it's so interesting as what can people expect. From you and your organization when it comes to, to your, your team, what, when you get out there and the presentation that you're going to do, 

[00:25:29] Brandon Bellamy: [00:25:29] I think we want to, we want to honor. the city of Gastonia, we want to honor, you know, their character and who they are.

[00:25:35] I think about the fights, you know, what's growing and Gastonia is amazing. You look at the history of so much talent that's come out of there. I mean, I've never heard of a place where you started doing a little research. You're like, Oh my gosh, this is so many people coming, coming from there. And, it was just impressive.

[00:25:52] So I hope that the team on the personality of that community, right. I hope that this team. Comes out and [00:26:00] brings the very best to that. His definition of success. It's not about how much money you make or how, you know, how many cars you have. That's not important. The definition of success is when you know that you did your Berry Berry best not when you kind of fake it.

[00:26:17] You know what I mean? 

[00:26:20] JJ: [00:26:20] No you did. 

[00:26:23] Brandon Bellamy: [00:26:23] When you come to a situation and you bring your very best and you know, you left it all out there, then you're successful. And I hope that this team, and that's what I, that's how I feel about Gastonian. 

[00:26:39] JJ: [00:26:39] Observed. 

[00:26:40] Brandon Bellamy: [00:26:40] And I hope this team brings that. I hope, I hope that they honor that community by always bringing their best.

[00:26:47] I love it. And on any given day, that may be different, but if they can do that, it properly honors the legacy of that. Cause that's what I'm hoping. 

[00:26:54] JJ: [00:26:54] And I hope that y'all, that we beat the rockers every time, the high point rockers, every time 

[00:26:59] Brandon Bellamy: [00:26:59] you [00:27:00] heard me boo, at the press conference, like I booed at the day.

[00:27:05]I'm about to start sending all kinds of

[00:27:11] lizards,

[00:27:15] a whole thing, 

[00:27:18] JJ: [00:27:18] but you know what? That is also good for community building as well. From both sides in high port in there, you know, it's all right. To have a rivalry. I don't know mine having a rivalry with someone as long as it's, it's honest, it's everybody fights hard winners, win, losers, lose, and we go on and we try to do it better next time.

[00:27:39] You know, it's it's, 

[00:27:40] Brandon Bellamy: [00:27:40] that's it, you know? 

[00:27:41] JJ: [00:27:41] Yeah. It really is. You know, in winding this down a little bit, I just got a couple of the questions and these questions deal with you. Mostly, you talked about something one time in an interview that you did, why grit is [00:28:00] important in your life. G R I T. And you know, people in the South, when you say grit, they say, well, are there any, is there any butter and salt and pepper on those grits?

[00:28:10] Oh, no, no, no. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about grit, not grits. Yeah.

[00:28:20] What's your definition. How does it define you? How does, how does having grit define Brandon? Bella? 

[00:28:27] Brandon Bellamy: [00:28:27] No, it's okay. It's it's that ultimate perseverance, you know, it's believing in something I'm committing to something and, or whatever it takes, you know, so fond of that bond is something positive to commit to.

[00:28:41] That means a lot that can be a positive benefit to somebody else and then just not quitting, and sticking with it and, and, and gutting it out when you need to, because you know, it it's. It's got to it because it's important, you know, there's a purpose behind it. There's intentionality behind what you're doing [00:29:00] and you know that, you've got to bring everything to it.

[00:29:03] And yeah, that's, that's, that's how I live my life, you know, you know, we all go through challenges and I said this before, you know, I promote hope, opportunity and inspiration. That requires grit. You gotta lock down. You gotta. Be willing to do what it takes. You know, I shared earlier to somebody I was talking to you today.

[00:29:21] I was like, look, I, I love people who are, you know, willing to sacrifice their life for a cause. Right? Your life is the most valuable thing that you have. I understand that. And, and when I say this, it's not to take anything away from people that have done that. Cause I believe in them and I'm honored by that, but it's also hard to live every day.

[00:29:40] It's hard to, it's hard to live every day because you have to do it every day. So whatever you, whatever the difficulty is, whatever the challenge that you're working with, you got to bring something to it every single day. You know, if you die, you can just out one time. Right. But if you've got to live for something, living for something, it's very hard.

[00:29:58]and, but it's worth it, you [00:30:00] know, you got to leave a legacy for the next generation and that deposit that we leave for the next generation. It's not in stuff, it's in the blueprint of how we lived our lives. And I want people to know that if you really want something, you're going to have to work really hard for it, you know, and that takes grit.

[00:30:17] You know that it just does. And so that type of perseverance, that type of commitment, that's, that's, that's, that's what I'm about. 

[00:30:25] JJ: [00:30:25] Wow. Brandon, listen, I, we could keep this thing going on for a long time. And I'm sure I hope you will come back onto the show as, as our relationship develops, as things go on.

[00:30:39] And we'll talk about some things on, you know, on the back end and different things, but I've really enjoyed talking to you and, and learning a little bit more about you and what you've got in store for gas Stonier. And it's very exciting. So thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it.

[00:30:55] Brandon Bellamy: [00:30:55] Oh, man. JJ. Thank you for having me on the show. I will come back [00:31:00] anytime because not only is the show a great platform. I you're a great man. I appreciate that. 

[00:31:07] JJ: [00:31:07] Thank you very much. All right, folks, we're going to be back in just a minute with more of the Jeff Johnson show. Don't you dare go anywhere. 

[00:31:16] Brandon Bellamy: [00:31:16] I never get the, my kids don't need more shots.

[00:31:21] JJ: [00:31:21] We all help. My asthma, under control. 

[00:31:23] Brandon Bellamy: [00:31:23] I'm pregnant. I've had the flu. It's not a big deal. My kids are too old. I can fight it naturally. 

[00:31:29] JJ: [00:31:29] No matter how you build your excuses, 

[00:31:32] Brandon Bellamy: [00:31:32] the flu can blow your house 

[00:31:35] JJ: [00:31:35] down. Keep your foundation strong 

[00:31:39] Brandon Bellamy: [00:31:39] vaccinate. Learn more@theflu.gov, a message from the us department of health and human services.

[00:31:48] JJ: [00:31:48] That was a good one. Great conversation with a really great guy. I can't wait for you guys to meet him. If you'd like more information on fuse, F U S E, [00:32:00] which stands for Franklin urban sports and entertainment district project going on in downtown gas. Donia right now. All you gotta do is go to fuse guests.

[00:32:09] Donia in see.com. That's fuse guests, Donia in seat.com. Now here's something to think about. There is the you that the rest of the world sees, and then there's the you, that is really truly you. Sometimes you can become so concerned about your image, that the beautiful person, the real person inside get smothered under it all.

[00:32:39] There's much more to you than what people see. And if you pay attention, you can feel that person inside yearning to be truly free and live real success comes when, what is on the outside. Find strength and substance from what is on the inside. Life has true meaning when [00:33:00] what you do is based on who you really are, be the real you every day.

[00:33:08] Folks. Thank you so much for joining me on the Jeff Johnson show. We really appreciate it. Got a great show coming up next week. Please check us out on www JJ now.com and listen. Thank you for joining me, have a great day. The Jeff Johnson show brought to you by OTE@ofthisearthglobal.com of this earth.

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