MAFIA MOMENTS: Building a Personal Brand with Devon Levesque

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss building a personal brand with Devon Levesque. We discussed:(00:00) Intro - Devon introduces the importance of building relationships through shared experiences and challenges, like climbing mountains or doing hard workouts together(02:47) Devon's early life and career- Attended military academy in high school, played sports in college- Started promoting and bartending at bars/clubs to make money, brought in hundreds of people- Dropped out of college to pursue managing a hotel nightclub at the W, hosted famous athletes and built connections- Brief stint in the restaurant industry that didn't work out(09:03) Transition into personal training- At age 24, decided to become a personal trainer after advice from a friend- Got first few clients in an apartment building, got a quick online certification - Built up a successful training business working with high-profile clients in NYC- Key insight: high-powered people like being pushed hard and told what to do by an authority figure- Eventually sold the training company and meal prep business (14:09) Lessons learned in early career- If something seems too good to be true, it probably is - success doesn't come that easy- Diversify your revenue streams - Work with people you love and enjoy the journey, don't get caught up in the rat race- Be present(16:44) Transition into brand building and investing- Always interested in the psychology of marketing and consumer behavior - Started providing more value to brands beyond just social media posts - capital, distribution, events, etc.- Formed DML Group to invest in and grow promising consumer brands- Brought together experienced advisors like Ryan Loen who have successfully exited major brands- Invests in brands they believe are category leaders - Super Coffee, Alipop, Beam, Promix(21:01) Devon's superpowers- Ability to ask the right questions and connect the right people together- Stems from his background in creating networks and communities (23:04) Keys to brand success- Having the right partners in place - legal, distribution, formulation, marketing - Authentically communicating the founder's vision across all touchpoints- Devon will only work with a founder if he feels he could grab a beer with them and deeply connectKey Takeaways:- Building genuine relationships through shared challenges is powerful - Don't expect overnight success, diversify revenue, and enjoy the journey- Provide real value to brands beyond just promotion- Invest in authentic founders and category leading products- Align all partners to communicate a consistent brand vision