San Martin Rodriguez (00:00)
There's a reset button. Every time you get punched in the face, it's just there's a reset button that happens and it and it brings you humble, keeps you humble, and it also keeps you from thinking that you're invincible. I don't know if Mike, I think I'm pretty sure Mike Tyson says that a lot of people walk around here as if they never got punched in the face and it shows. I'm telling you, man.

Trev Warnke (00:23)
All right, guys, welcome back to another episode of the Brotherhood Beyond Business Podcast. Today we're here with San Martin. San Martin, right? See. Yeah, San Martin. Sorry, San Martin. the Prescott Times and then also Lioness Box Boxing. And so he's gonna walk through, start off with a little bit about himself.

About businesses you run, we're gonna get through legacy and we're just gonna have a great conversation. So jump onto this conversation with us. Hi Sam, go ahead.

San Martin Rodriguez (00:44)
what's up everybody? once again, my name is San Martin Rodriguez. born and raised in Prescott, Arizona. Which is where this is being filmed at right now. And it's kind of crazy because we're actually looking at the street that I grew up on, McCormick, O McCormick Street. but yeah, that like Trev said, man, I I own the Prescott Times Media. I started it seven years ago. and just two years ago I decided to open up a passion project called the Lionheart Boxing Gym, Universal Boxing Gym. down the road we want to make it all

r round type of MMA gym. So we could go ahead and try all the arts in one little facility. But you know, those are steps that I want to go ahead and take. So that's kind of who I am in a nutshell.

Trev Warnke (01:23)
Okay, so just you've lived here qu I'm your whole life, right? So have you ever moved away from here? Is this kinda just gonna been your home base the whole

San Martin Rodriguez (01:30)
Yeah, we've been about a a year and a half to two years I ended up going down to Scottsdale and started building homes down there with my uncle. So spent a little bit of time down there and that was about it.

Trev Warnke (01:41)
to mean my I like to really I mean I'm not from Prescott so I love to like especially with when people are native here like what's the thing I mean I know why I'm drawn here from coming from big cities and places that like the and I also grew up in very very small town so I know that small town feel this is way bigger than what I grew up in 600 this is way bigger than that but what's the thing that like has kind of tied you here besides like family stuff what's the thing that you love about this community?

San Martin Rodriguez (02:05)
once aga you just said it right there in just one simple word is community. community is it it means a lot to me. And not and not to be saying that I can't move out of town. technically, I you know, the old age Bible scripture where where where Jesus says, you know, you know, get out of town, you know, go do your thing and and go be a come somebody, they come back if you want. I mean, obviously you could figure out that scripture yourself, but it was it was something that I I felt like

If I could go ahead and have a symbol of something, a tree. when a tree plants its roots, it it it can weather anything, whether it be the sun, the the rain, the storms, the the wind, or whatever it may be, I felt like that's what I needed to do for myself. you know, and and to be honest, I I just love this environment. This place is amazing. You got all four seasons. I mean

fresh air. I think that's why a lot of people resonate with this place because they're just like, Man, I feel so happy when I come here. I was like, it's probably because you're breathing fresh air, compared to the big city life and all that congestion and then just the chaos that goes on in those cities. And you know, just experiencing moving out of town for that one specific time and then traveling to other places. Frescate really does have it all. I is I mean, you know, it just got the best environment ever.

so I think that's what keeps me here. Plus there's a lot of family here, a lot of friends. I'm not saying that I hang out with a lot of them. It's weird that I say that I have all these people here for me. but at the same time, it's just comfort, man. Just comfort. And that's what I like about

Trev Warnke (03:35)
So let's go let's do your passion pro let's talk about your passion project first and we'll move into press get times after that. What kind of got you into the cause I think the pa the the b the the passion project seems to come from some stuff from your youth. So let's do

San Martin Rodriguez (03:48)
So

Trev Warnke (03:49)
that first. So talk about that and why you decided to do a boxing gym and what kind of value you think that adds to the community.

San Martin Rodriguez (03:54)
I I okay, so it is it it brings me back to the time where I was growing up in in in Prescott, Arizona. And as my uncle said, I was just a little out of control kid, which now we would probably call ADHD. I was just just bouncing, bouncing, bouncing, anyways. It just carried up into junior high. And my my in school suspension principal, well the principal, Mr. Maggianis, basically said,

Hey, listen, you're gonna be in ISS this whole dang time, this whole freaking season while you're in junior high, or you're gonna go to the boxing gym. I ended up choosing to go to the boxing gym. And so at that moment in time is basically what kind of switched me into this crazy kid where I'm like, I'm gonna run from the mile hot middle school all the way up into the armory, which is called Grace Sparks Armory. And in there, there was a little boxing gym that.

The city basically gave Jake Mayanis for probably 40 years, it was like a dollar a year to go ahead and just put this boxing program in there. And so every day me and my friends would just run up the hill, go do our workout. And that's basically what was my my babysitter. and as I started learning how to box box, it's it gave me a lot of confidence. And after junior high, I ended up getting into high school.

And at that point of time, as probably everybody knows, is that it it's like the real world. And and not to mention all of our hormones are freaking going crazy. Every child, teenage boy and girl are just it's just exploding with all these craziness. And at that point in time, it's kind of like when I had to find myself as a man, and and being in fights and and people just wanting to fight all the time, it just came in so handy. Then as I as I got that taste of, you know.

Nobody wanted to mess with me. It just gave me an ego. and at that point in time, you know, I didn't really utilize it like I'm gonna beat everybody up. It was just like when everybody came at me. And mind you, this, I was a a hundred and I think going into high school, I was about a hundred pounds going into high school. Wow. About by the time I got done with freshman year, I was about 119 pounds. And so, and I'm only five foot seven. And at that probably at that point in time, I think I was a little bit younger or shorter. but at that

I was just small, so people probably just felt like they could pick on you. And as you I don't know if you remember, but in in high school, you got the seniors that are walking down the center of the highway, like move over, Froshman. Yeah. You know, and and and it was it was scary, you know, because you had to deal with, you know, not only the teens, but you also are people that are turning into young adults. So there was a huge gap and just in that four years. And so to be able to walk into that that

place and be able to be this person and have the confidence to know that you could actually fight. it it just kind of gave me that that energy. And so with that energy, it came with responsibility and it just just kept on going from there. And that's basically kind of how and why I I stayed into boxing. But acknowledging all of that in the past, it

br brings me I was supposed to start it in twenty eleven and I didn't. I ended up getting married and divorced very, very quick in the into this relationship. And I was supposed to start the gym at that point in time and it didn't happen. And so fast forward all the way to twenty twenty six, I just said, you know, it's time to go ahead and put some money into this rather than buying a boat, I go hang out and be a an older man, I decided to go ahead and

buy a boxing gym equipment and start a little gym here in Prescott, Arizona to to give back to what fed me as a as a young individual boy, to to give back to this community, you know, because there's a lot of children out there right now and a lot of grown-ups that that need to sp expand they need to put their energy into something. So it's I guess it's the most violent form of meditation. So

And some something's about it, man. There's a reset button. Every time you get punched in the face, it's just there's a reset button that happens and it and it brings you humble, keeps you humble, and it also keeps you from thinking that you're invincible. I don't know if Mike, I think I'm pretty sure Mike Tyson says that a lot of people walk around here as if they never got punched in the face and it shows. I'm telling you, man. and that's kind of what makes me who I am, you know, a little bit more of a a chill guy, relaxed and and loving and appreciating life and and understanding there's always somebody bigger that will beat me up.

But at the same time, I'm also acknowledging that I could do the same as well. But it's kind of what started me and kind of why I like it.

Trev Warnke (08:27)
Yeah, so I was listening to a podcast a couple of years ago that said one of the, this is from an adult perspective, one of the biggest obstacles with men in today's society is they're not afraid to they don't have to worry about getting punched in the face anymore. So when they're at bars, they can act like the biggest dick they want because if they get punched in the face, they can sue you. So there's just but the idea was if you can get if we could get back to that point where we can just punch a guy in the face, knock him off his pedestal real quick, you guys will be buddies in ten seconds and drink a beer and never be able to be good. The testosterone disappears. But because we've taken they've called that

toxic ma masculinity and that concept has been out there it's like no that's actually makes it harder on men to be able to emotionally regulate it is from the beginning of time men have always been warriors and fighters and it's just been part of of society. Not like people are sitting there killing each other on the street. Rarely did that ever happen. Usually a good puncher, a little bit of a 10 you know, I mean wrestled in high school. Six minutes of wrestling is the most exhausting thing I've ever done in two minute spurts, I was so exhausted more than playing an entire football game. Yep. Extremely exhausted because you're just putting all go.

By the time we were done with that, there's no I couldn't even kill anybody if I wanted to. I was just so exhausted.

San Martin Rodriguez (09:30)
Done. The energy gets placed. I actually wrestled for the first time ever in freshman year, and I had the most pins, and I I ended up going into varsity because of just how freaking insane I was. And I yeah, bro, I it just takes the energy that you need out of you. And you nailed it, man. when growing up in Prescott before there was cameras, that's all we did is fight.

And we didn't get in trouble and now the laws are are highly against violence, highly against people actually having this type of energy put out on Whiskey Row. But that was my last and final fight that I ever had on Whiskey Row is because of the camera situation and they wanted to give me a felony of what was it, aggravated assault to intend bodily harm. The guy ended up going to the hospital and and in

That was kinda like the day that I was saying no no longer will I have to defend myself. I think I've already, made my mark and and I hate being caged up like a a a an animal. And so I s I stay away from it. No, just you could talk all you want, but at the same time I'm not gonna go ahead and budge. it's just not worth it to me. unless I have to really defend myself, then I have done that several times since then, but it's not it's not something nice. It just does it's nothing nice.

Trev Warnke (10:45)
Same idea with martial arts is like it's you you're teaching kids restraint, though. It's not the idea it's like just because you learn how to box, you're not teaching them like this is what you go out and do. This is like this is the ability to defend yourself if that happens. 99% of the time you'll never have to use this thing. It's just it's just an outlet for you. Same thing with martial arts. Most kids that ever did martial arts should never ever use it outside of the gym. But it just gives you ability, like confidence. And also, I think that it also gives you the ability because you have the ability to fight.

You're way easier not to fight because I know I can defend myself. I don't have to prove anything here. I'm cool with backing away because I'm afraid if that person does make the move or make the step, they're in trouble. And I don't need to show them that they're in trouble. It gives you a confidence, I I never really fought, but I've always been the biggest, strongest guy in anything I've ever done. And so I've always known, hey, I'm bigger and stronger than anybody I'm talking to realistically, not tall wise, but just physically. And so I've always never had to worry about fighting. So it's like, hey, if we get into a real fight, I feel for that person.

I'm actually more conscious of protecting them because I I don't want to get in a fight with them. You know, I mean I've never had a fight in my life because I'm the first to say, hey, I'm gonna de-escalate this first. If it goes to a point that they're gonna throw punches, it's a whole different story. But for the most part, because I feel like I'm you know, you're in a position you know how to fight, you know how to do those things, you're gonna position, hey, I can probably step away from this as much as possible because I know if this does go wrong, I don't have to be the big bad person because I am the big bad person.

San Martin Rodriguez (12:01)
Yep, yep. Confidence is key. you ever walk into a room and the first thing that random people just walk up to you and say, You look like the boss. It is the confidence is freaking the most exuberating and most best. I I feel like the best thing has ever happened to me, acknowledging that when you walk into that room, it's just like all eyes on you. Confidence just like just just pours out of you because of that, that mindset that you have is is being able to understand that you can and will if you need to.

It just changes the whole spectrum of the whole room. And it and it's been happening to me since junior high, man. It's it's been it's been insane, to be honest. I remember when we started a little gang called Creek Sight Chicanos, and it was actually a runoff from our our creek boys. where my whole family grew up over here in the creek, which the creek runs all the way through here. And like I said, you know, we we grew up on McCormick Street, and then my other side of the family grew up on the other side of of the the black bridge right here.

we had we had put together this little thing and whenever I got into with the in in the in the gang lifestyle you had to fight for fifth 13 seconds 13 seconds in order for you to go ahead and get jumped into the gang. And I remember the time when they wanted to jump me in, it was like they didn't want to because I was beating them up. And there was like four three or four of them. I can't remember the three or four of them.

And they're like, nah man, we're cool. I'm like, it isn't what it is. But the story of this one was that the the they the Prescott police department ended up doing and putting together a gang task force without even me being called the the leader of the gang. They already put me in as the leader of the gang. And and and it just goes back to that confidence or even that that mindset or that personality that people want to give you is that you are that leader, you are that person.

That everybody's gonna look to or look at and be be that guy. And over the years, it's just been it's been reaffirming all the time, every time, all the time. And and and I don't ever like claim I am the boss to the point where that that's what I want all the time. I just just it just kind of just comes to me. So it's kind of weird when when I I feel like when God gives you a a God-given ability.

It's just like that's what ends up happening. And I and I'm not trying to say that that I've I've acknowledged that and God has come to me and says you're going to be a leader. But at the same time, that's just what's been happening since literally the age of 13, 14 years old, that I've been put into this position. not because I want to, because you know, with leadership it comes with great responsibility and also a harsh judgment, you know, especially if things go wrong. It's not what your friends did, it's what you did.

And so I look at that and I have actually been called out because of the way my friends act. I I remember quite distinctly, Buffalo Wild Wings. I was sitting there and we like to have fun, you know, at at a point of of funness. And a manager comes up to me and says, hey man, you need to control your friends. I was like, hey man, they're grown adults. You can go ahead and tell them. He goes, No, you're the leader of this group. You go tell them.

And I'm like, what? I was like, bro, I am not that guy. And and next thing you know it, he says, in order for me to diffuse this, you're 86th. And I was like, What? and so it's just it just keeps on going in that line, man, of like, what is really going on in this world? And and I don't know, I tried to embrace it enough to say that I will make a difference with my feeling of being a leader. But when it comes down to fighting and being in gang life, man, it's just it's not it's not what I want. So

I stay away from groups. I really do. I stay highly away from groups because I just don't want to be labeled and all lies on me if if something goes wrong. It just it just has been happening over the years. So I kinda technically have a little bit of PTSD about this whole leadership thing. So I'm kind of always staying away. I'm like, I don't know, man. I don't know. So yeah. It comes with a little

Trev Warnke (15:59)
One thing that you said there that I we really talk about in the brotherhood is and I think it's great because you're doing this for the young men without them realizing it, is I believe in the concept of physical dominance. What that means is you're a person when you walk into the room, you're the person that instantly eyes go to because hey, that person takes care of themselves. And the way I always tell somebody is especially because I think from a business perspective, a business mindset. So if you're the CEO of your company or the owner of your company, would you rather

when you walk in the door, say you had a board of directors here. If you walked in the door and looked, and we're just saying looks, not like financial technology,

San Martin Rodriguez (16:33)
Looks.

Trev Warnke (16:33)
looked like Bill Gates or you looked like the rock, Dwayne Rock Johnson, where are people's instant like that person's probably the leader here? Instantly they're gonna go to the rock. Bill Gates, no matter what all of his power, money, smarts, because physically he doesn't look you know that way at all, you that so that physical dominance thing. So I always we one of the first principles that we have on our brotherhood, second principle technically, first one's always faith first, right?

Second one's physical dominance. The idea is like take care of yourself so you can take care of everybody else, but becoming a physically and that and that doesn't mean fighting specifically, that'd like muscular, working, get getting fit, losing weight, all that kind of stuff. Yeah, that's something in point with young men learning to box and do that kind of stuff at an early age is building a level of confidence in them that they don't even realize. I think about it in sports, why sports can be very valuable too. These kids become athletes, become stronger, things of that nature. It's gonna carry through them through college and then go into career if they keep those habits and keep building them, because becoming a physically dominant person.

is a skill set. It's a skill set that not everybody has but everybody can develop, which is

San Martin Rodriguez (17:28)
Yeah. some people have and some people don't. But with the learning these sports and and getting yourself put into these places and opportunities, you know, you could use it for the good, you could use it for the bad. you know, I I did both, unfortunately. but you know, now that I'm older, I feel like, you know, the you know, we have a code of conduct in our boxing gym. You know, you're not allowed to fight outside the gym. You're supposed to carry yourself as a gentleman.

Or even as a young lady, it's yes, yes, sir, no sir, yes, ma'am, no ma'am. and that's that's kind of how I want everybody to acknowledge that this is I'm not teaching you guys to go out there and be a little bunch of gangsters or crazy people. I'm teaching you guys this so you guys can go ahead and defend yourself if need be. But number one, I'm teaching you guys how to go ahead and and be good stewards to our community, raising leaders. I I feel like that's what I'm trying to do is raise some leaders.

And with that confidence, I tell you, you could do so much with it. You just walk into places, do things. there's still some things where I'm definitely not confident. And I'm A-OK to say I am not confident in doing that. And jumping out of a plane is one of them. And there's no reason for me to do that. But at the same time, you know, there there's some things that I can go ahead and put myself and apply myself to. And there's some stuff that I'm just like, you know, I'll let that let that person do that thing. So, you know, I do have a certain level of you know, confidence, but

when it comes down to living and being a good steward to community, people, friendships, relationships, I think that I I kind of you know, do what I need to do. but over the years, as I get in as I get older, and I don't know if you ever heard of this, but you start losing your friends, you know, the people that were there since day one, based off of, you know, the levels of life that you're trying to go ahead and get to. And I feel like I've I've gotten to the levels of, you know.

I still have friends, I still have people I can hang out with, but it's not like an everyday thing where man, I'll see you over there, we're gonna go watch that football game. It just doesn't happen no more for me. you know, my my commitments are are definitely different from every other but everybody's commitment because you know, they all got families, they all ch children, wives, girlfriends, whatever it may be. And me, I'm just like I'm business oriented right now. I got business and I got my dog Tito and I got boxing gym and that's it.

no girls, no girlfriends, no children. So it's just like this is all my focus is on right now. So there's a different life that's happening right now for not only myself, but you know, many people in my my circle. So it's good to go ahead and understand, as I've been just turning forty-nine years old, man, you never think about it. You know, you never think about the past until you actually start talking about it. So right now my head is just going twirling right now. All the things we could talk about.

Trev Warnke (20:05)
Yeah, it's the it it's the idea that I tell a lot of especially entrepreneurs, they have to to realize this that your circle as you as you get deeper in the entrepreneur space is gonna change and it has to change because the guys doesn't mean that you can't associate with people that used to, it's just they're not gonna understand the same stuff you're going through. And so you start to level up in those different circles and you've gotta the circle gets smaller as you get to the top, right? Because there's just not as many people doing that kind of stuff. And it's it's hard to find that group. We call it your circles, your ceiling.

As high as you the high the only way you can continue to scale is to continue to find like-minded people in that circle, push you and challenge you to that next stage, right? Because the people that you're hanging out with in high school, most of them might have gone to just normal just an everyday job, which is nothing wrong with that. But there's just that that difference between what you're doing and the stuff that you have to focus on is a whole different level of of just capacity and understanding that, hey, my hours aren't normal hours. I gotta do all these things. I don't have time to hang out with these things. I still want friendships, but it's still it's really hard to do that. So I do think.

It's when we talk, most people that follow our podcast are, you know, either entrepreneurs or or or are spouses of entrepreneurs. So they they get that that feeling. But people that have run across our podcast that have never that that really don't know about entrepreneurship, I like to teach them the ideas like, hey, entrepreneurship, everybody looks at it as this this perfect situation. You gotta as much money as you want, buy everything you want, all this kind of stuff, right? It's like, well, it's nothing like that at all. But the idea is it's also like,

we start to become alienated in certain ways from people around us because our responsibilities bec like become leadership so high that it's not like we're trying to be better than anybody else. We actually wish we didn't have to do all this stuff, but we have to take on these responsibilities and then everybody looks to us to lead those just like you everybody le looks to you to lead those things because you've continued to level up in your life and the people around you might have stayed where they were and people see you around like, Hey, you're probably the leader here because you carry yourself differently. So

San Martin Rodriguez (21:49)
Yeah. It's you know, entrepreneurship, leadership, everything comes with the price. I mean, no matter what you do, I don't care if you're the the lowliest person on the totem pole. I mean, to be honest, I think the totem pole should be, you know, horizontal, not

vertical. but at the same time, you know, you you choose your battles, you choose your freaking fate, you choose all the things that you have to, and everybody goes through the same battles no matter where the heck you're at. more money, more problems is an actual real thing. It doesn't matter if you're making less money or more money, it doesn't matter. You guys are all having problems. It is the same, same thing no matter what level it is. And I've been on every level. So it's not like I I I say I don't understand that guy down there. It's like, yes, I do understand that guy. I understand everybody.

but it's just more or less that I feel like in society and in our world, there's always been a peck in order, there's always been a king, there's always been a a peasant. and and now that I'm getting older, I'm like, for what? You know, we we all gotta go ahead and participate in some level. And no matter what level it is, I I think that, you know, the the craziness of life is what is actually within that person's life, period. I don't care who it is.

just in the past, well, I can't just say in the past four months, it's just been in my whole like on social media lifestyle. I I acknowledge that everybody in and a lot of people are having problems. They're having issues, they're having like scenarios where it's just like, wow, man, you know, it's not just one person, it's everybody. It's not just one person. So no matter who it is, what you're going through as a business owner or even as somebody that's being a worker, or even trying to get into become a business owner, you're gonna have to

battle something out of all of it. You're going to have to go through it. And it's just it's a matter how you're going to go through it and who you're going to go through it with. So, find your tribe, find your group, find your people and and and rock steady with it. And then I think the best example I've ever heard about when you are working with somebody, it's kind of like a rocket ship. When that rocket ship is is getting out there into that next level of life, that one booster falls off. And then when you get to the next level, boom, another booster falls off.

And then you're you're here, Where where's our next level? And I I feel like that's how relationships, friendships, business partnerships, you know, and and things that you are going through, that's how life is right there. You know, how do you get to the next level? Well, if this person's gonna get you that next level, sometimes they just fall off and and it's okay, it's allowed to. It's it's supposed to happen. but some people stick with you till the day you die, and those people are are amazing because.

They understand the the assignment. they've been given that assignment and they take it on as if it's their job or their life. So pick and choose. Yeah.

Trev Warnke (24:29)
So from there, let's pivot to the Prescott Times and talking about that a little bit. So, my first thing for you before we go into that is and you'll touch on this strange is so now nowadays we're we're in a an awesome area or point in life where you can become your own media company. At one point that was not possible to ever be able to do that. But also with that, that people don't realize comes great responsibility because the concept of because you can become your own media company, and everybody out there, there's a lot of people that try to do that that put out a lot of things that that have been

San Martin Rodriguez (24:58)
Have them in fact check.

Trev Warnke (24:59)
haven't been really double checked and media becomes, I mean, skewed. Very and it already was skewed even from like Fox News and all that kind of stuff is skewed. So it all of it's skewed. But there I think there becomes a responsibility people don't look at is that. So let's go ahead and talk first of what why you chose to like go into media and what kind of that. And then we'll talk about kind of the the constraints that you have with it. And then from there we can kind of talk how you plan on scaling it to the Northern Arizona Times.

San Martin Rodriguez (25:22)
you know, growing up, once again, I felt like I should have been a laborer. the way that I felt like my body was built. I did construction, I did mechanics, I I did all phases of construction. And I loved it all. I I I really have a passion for it. I I still feel like I need to go out there and be a man and bust my knuckles open. and so I never will disregard that, but I also understand how hard it was to go ahead and be in that position and and doing those things.

But at a at a point of my my life, as I started growing older, I felt like there was a calling that I needed to be a part of. And so I started this thing called Prescott Night Out way back in the days. And it was right there in twenty eight, two thousand and eight when we had that big old economy crash. because we were just sitting around, you know, construction just went to a dead stop. And I'm like, well, what am I doing? And what we had was still fun and and going out there and and doing debauchery things and

And I wanted to host events and shows and and music. And this is when MySpace came out. And I was sitting, I was living in my sister's first floor. and her her boyfriend at the time was this computer programmer. He was basically he was a the the guy was a genius, man. He could go ahead and create any bot to go ahead and run anything in anything on social media at the time. and I don't know if you guys ever met Reb.

remember the game's farm farm something or whatever. but he created a bot where it would just play itself. And so at this time I'm sitting there, I'm like looking at him and internet became some of the biggest things. I I asked him, I was like, can you make one of these for you know, Facebook where I could go ahead and invite friends from all over the area and around the, you know, the world, the nation. He goes, Yeah, I could do that. And so he made it. He made a bot.

And in just in a short two months or three months, I went from 300 friends on MySpace to 5,000 in literally a month or two months. And all it did was just it it just worked for me every day. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And so when I started realizing the whole computer thing and the c computer game at that point in time, I was thinking to myself, I was like, Well, wow, what we we could do a lot of things with this. And since I'm sitting there not thinking about nothing.

besides this now, I'm like, wow, this is interesting. And it it and I remember quite distinctly somebody messaged and says, Bam, well, who are you? Why do you got so many friends? And at that point in time, I just click. Boom. Everybody loves numbers. People are drawn to it, just like a bug to a fly or a bug to a light. And I realize that it's it there's something about this. It's it's just weird. There's there's something about numbers, there's something about this this this

depiction that people are into. And so I started acknowledging that. I started saying that, well, what can I do with this? And and that's kind of when I started getting into music. And reggae rock music was my my thing. my friend from Hawaii, Ikai Kabimer, lived here for several years and he started introducing me to Bob Marley and all the the reggae stars and stuff and and then he introduced me to a band called Iration. And Iration

had this freaking awesome song falling and I was like, I love this song, man. And it was like a freaking it was it was a just a great song. And so anyways, I ended up finding out that they were going on tour. Yikaika and his mana, mana Tomei, he had a Polynesian underground, was basically their tour manager, says hey, they they're they're coming through, man. You wanna have them in Prescott, Arizona? And I'm like

Let's go. How much? And if I'm not mistaken, I think it was like 500 bucks or 700 bucks or something at the time. And I I said, yeah, dude, let's do this. And and so I hosted them at Lizards. but the the point was that in order for me to get everybody to find let them know who the Iration was, I could go ahead and take the the code for YouTube ch video. It's like everybody else, you can go ahead and share the link.

and I was able to go ahead and put it on everyone's comment thing on bake on MySpace. I don't know if you guys remember that. You guys can go ahead put your there's like a comment list and and and I was able to push the one button where it says just play automatically. And so anytime that anybody went to go see somebody's page or or even the person that went to go see their own page, because you can go ahead and and basically change everything and anything on on your MySpace page, the song would just start coming up.

And and everybody had to listen to it. 5,000 people were just like, what the what the hell's going on here? And so basically it was a b a form of spamming, but it was a form of saying, Hey, here I am. And when I saw the response off of that, I was like, Bro, this is insane. it was a great tool. we had Iration show up here. They we filled Lizard's Lounge. and it was it was one of the

the coolest things I've ever done. And so that was the starting of me throwing parties or throwing events here in Prescott, Arizona. I remember getting paid by what was it? either the door. I was probably the first one to be able to close down Risky Row on a on non very eventful night. because as everybody knows, you you can't get into any of the bars downtown on on Fourth of July or or whatever other big nights we have. but I was one of those guys that was able to close down a bar.

Trev Warnke (30:43)
Yes,

I

San Martin Rodriguez (30:43)
Martin,

you got this, man. Let's go. And so throwing and hosting events was a very fun thing. So kind of like that was something that entertained me. That was something that I really liked. If I can make a lot of money out of it, I would have. But at that time I was making a bar tab. Summarty, you go ahead and drink all night. I was like, you really don't want that for me. But I would, you know, I but I would enjoy my

Trev Warnke (31:04)
You know I had

San Martin Rodriguez (31:05)
great group of friends. So it was it was the moment of time where I was like just having a great time.

And at 2008, man, that's all you wanted to do because it was just a crappy, crappy time in in all of America's history. in regard in regards to, you know, people were I I remember at that point in time suicides were happening, families were getting separated, people were losing their their lives, livelihood, their cars, their houses. It was horrible, man. So this is the way to go ahead and just diffuse the whole thing, just have a bunch of friends over and have some fun. And I was making some money.

But I wasn't making enough, but it was I was thankful to my sister that she was able to say, Hey, it's okay. I mean, I probably think she still, I probably still owe her money from that season, but it was a moment in time that I realized that this is an opportunity for internet to be something that can be used for the good. So fast forward, iration, go to look up. they're famous, they're very famous now. They fill out stadiums, they they they sell out festivals.

They're huge, bro. Huge. And these guys, they they stayed in my sister's house. We had a great time. but that was the power of the internet. And that's when I realized there's something here. So needless to say, I started doing all a bunch of different types of business ideas and and and creating a whole bunch of things. My last business prior to me saying, you know what, I'm gonna go full board in the Prescott Night Out, was I was do detailing vehicles and I, you know, we're making like,

four to five thousand dollars a a week, and I was like one day I was cleaning a vehicle and I was cleaning some boogers off and I was like, bro, I am done. I I literally said, I am not doing this. This is not who I'm supposed to be. And I and I and I sold everything so I could not fall back on this program, man. I sold everything and I ended up investing into the Prescott Night out. And at that point in time

People started seeing me online a lot more, a lot more active. And Signals, which is feigned signature

po media company out in Prescott Valley caught wind of it and said, Hey, you wanna come work with us? And I was like, Let's do this. And you know, be because they didn't follow through or the editor didn't follow through with our relationship that we're supposed to have, another company called Prescani News stepped up and says, Hey, I hear that you're not having some.

fun over here. And I was like, yeah, man, let's do this. And so I jumped from Signals to Prescott E News, still working as the Prescott Night Out. But then that's when we started first doing podcasts and and I turned them into vlogcasts, so video cast. And I started interviewing like everybody, mayors, police officers, senators, I think we even had the governor come in. and I was interviewing all these politicians and everybody that was a part of like the the

the it factor and I never really hung out with the the politicians or city officials or anybody like that. So I really didn't care who they were. It was just me being me and plus I was getting paid to do it. And I was having fun, enjoying it. and then it got really political and the the owner of Prescott E News, David Stringer, came out to be a racist, bigot, Republican. And and and I don't mean to bring politics in here, but that's kinda what it was happening at the time. And then he ended up

also coming out where he became a he had a charges swept underneath the rug as being a child pedophile. Yeah, he was he was renting out some young boys out in Maryland and I was like, bro, I can't be a part of this. And so you know, I I I I had to make a decision, you know. I was having a lot of fun doing what I was doing. I felt the the the the significance of what that actual podcast was doing or this publications was doing.

And I had to make a decision. Everything that I made, I think it was a year and a half, two years, or maybe three years, I was working while with the Prescott e-news. I had to make a decision. And and at that point in time, I had to leave. I had no fallback problem pro program except the Prescott Night Out scene. And I was gonna go full board on the Prescott Night Out scene, but I ended up losing all of my money, everything that I was actually started working and building up to that time because I couldn't take nothing with me because the contract said that I won't be able to make any.

I wouldn't be able to receive the the the residual income that I was creating because of the sponsorship. So at that point in time I went completely freaking homeless. well technically wasn't homeless. what well the state of Arizona or even the state United States says you're homeless if you don't have an address. but I was living on my dad's couch in in a 55 plus community and I had to sneak in there early in the morning and leave late at night if I really wanted to stay there.

And I tell you what, I was sleeping on this little pull-out love seek bed and I and there was this bar right in the middle, man. And I tell you what, it was it was the most humblingest thing because it's been a long time since I've been in this position. and at that, at that moment, I was thinking to myself, what the heck am I doing? You know, I enjoyed this, I acknowledged what you know, the power that is in media. And I was thinking to myself, I was like, Can I do this? Can I make this happen? I started Googling, what can it,

Do I have to have a a degree or some sort of tip certificate saying I have to be a journalist? Do I have to have this or have to have this? And and and it was like, nope, nope, nope. I was like, is there state law saying that I I I have to be this person, I have to do this, I have to do that, nope, nope, nope. And I was like,

Trev Warnke (36:24)
Well shoots.

San Martin Rodriguez (36:26)
let's do this. And I couldn't do it obviously without any major finances. So Ivan from

spicy streets, he was like, Man, I'll back you up. I'll back you up. And he actually became one of the first part owners of the Prescott Times. And he he he created a the the website and and he was like well we got to figure out a name. We got to figure out a name. And at that point in time I'm thinking I I think I ended up buying like five or six domains. So I got all these domains that if if something falls off I I'll just switch it over to those ones. It doesn't matter what I do I always got a backup.

For some crazy for crazy reasons. but I ended up settling on the Prescott Times. And the reason why is because there was there was a significance behind it, obviously, you know, with the New York Times and et cetera. Obviously, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't infringing on any of those what do you call it, copyrights. And you know, it it wasn't. The Times word is not a copyrighted bubble thing. And so basically I said,

Well, I could go ahead and scale this. And and at the point in time of having Presca Night Out, th there was a night out organization where you could go ahead and put whatever you want in front of Night Out. And they were selling this as a cookie cutter website. So I took that same concept and I was like, Well, I could possibly do it for this. And so thinking about the Presca times, I started thinking about, well, I could I could, you know, do it for everybody else in my neighborhoods. And and so anyways, that's kind of

what ended up starting the Prescott Times media. And as I was working on this, I I I think at this time, it was twenty nineteen is when we finally launched it. And I think it was 2020 or 2021 was when COVID showed up. And and then now I'm sitting here I'm like, I I just I I didn't want nobody to know it was me. I really didn't. But COVID showed up and and my buddy Eric and and and my and my thoughts were

Prescott doesn't have a morning show, like a news morning show. And I was like, man, this could be possible, but we got to figure it out because now we're we're we're into internet service, phones. How are we gonna podcast this? How am I gonna go ahead and have you sitting at your office over on the other side of town and me sitting over here and in this office and and have this communication going on and and talking about you know pr the city of Prescott's things? So

the development and us sitting at home during COVID and the COVID money, that was the spawn of what we have now is the Prescott Times. You know, seven years later it's just rocking millions and millions of views. And the the all eyes on us is definitely a big thing right now. So it's been a kind of crazy ride. And there's been a lot of miscellaneous stuff in the middle of that. So I don't know how long we have. It's been a crazy ride, man.

Trev Warnke (39:13)
Yeah.

San Martin Rodriguez (39:13)
But yeah, that's what ended up happening.

I I also saw that there was a need for Prescott or even any small comp small cities. They they the big city, the box, I guess you would call it, media was basically depicting who we were. And they had no clue, they had no ties, they had nothing to do with Prescott, Arizona, and it just made me like like like sick, dude. I'm like, dude, you're talking about us, the citizens of Prescott, Arizona, and you're taking one simple thing and and making it

feel like this is what all the prescribes all about and that's not what it's about. And whether it be racism, whether it be a racist town, whether it be this or that, I was like, no, no, no. You get it all wrong. So I wanted to bring it back to a way where I wanted to show what Prescott's really about, rather than you guys just saying everything is bad about Prescott. And it was you know, what they say is it only takes one person to go ahead and ruin it all? That's what the media in the big box use it as. So

That's where I'm at, you know, as far as why I

Trev Warnke (40:13)
started.

Yeah. I mean, first of all, like if you think like this isn't a small town, but it's it it's not a big town either, right? So but the idea is that you each town should have like that individual voice their town, their location, thinking like here, Flagstaff, Pace, and places like that. If you just think Phoenix is gonna be the person that explains to everybody what's going on there, how would they even know? Yeah. They they own all I mean that's fo so we moved here from Chicago.

And that's how it always felt in Chicago too, is like we were out in the suburbs of Chicago and it felt like all of our messaging from where we were was like what downtown Chicago was doing. this is not our area at all, you know where we live, you know what I mean?

San Martin Rodriguez (40:51)
Well,

if you if you want me to go ahead and depict what I think about Chicago, don't go there. Yeah. You'll die.

Trev Warnke (40:57)
Right.

That's the that's the that's and don't be wrong, there's parts of Chicago you will. So but but but that's downtown heart of Chicago, not like the outskirts, right? But people when I just talk to people that now we live in Arizona, they just think it's the desert 'cause they only think Phoenix, right? They don't have a clue that we have mountains up here, we have all those kind of stuff. So I do think that's a cool thing. And then for when I first moved here, one of the best things is running across your your stuff because for us, I had no local information. I I didn't really know much about Prescott in general. We moved here, we loved the area, but

Just the input side of things, what's going on in community, those kind of things. So we found a lot of value. And that's when I first started following just you on Instagram is like getting that kind of stuff. And in and just in recently we just the weather reports and stuff that you put out. I'm a person that is news agnostic. I just do not pay attention to I I don't we don't even have a news channel today because we just have you the so

San Martin Rodriguez (41:42)
The apps. Me neither me neither, man. I'm the news guy, but I don't have no I I mean don't get me wrong, I need to s keep up on some things that are happening because it it will fall down on the pipes, but I'm always skeptical. Always skeptical. Yeah. Everything that's being talked about.

Trev Warnke (41:56)
It specifically, and I think most the cool part is most people that are watching this are are in that same thing. Like we we've been we've learned through the political realm at least is like media is no longer media, it's sides. They're not telling an unbiased story, they're telling very biased story of whatever news media outlet you're following is telling a very biased story. Well, the egg issue from that is media was originally designed not to be a biased story. It was designed newspapers designed to tell us as citizens what

We need to know that's going on locally so that we can vote on things, so we can have an unbiased opinion on these things. And it's been a long time coming, it's been switching for hundreds of over hundred years that need that that narrative's been changing. But now, yeah, I think in my dad's generation, my dad's seventy-eight years old. The news was the word. Whatever they said on the news was always happening. And now we're at the point with all the social media and all the other kind of stuff, we're like, No, none of that stuff is real. I still said to my mom after mom, mom, just so yeah, I know you're a Fox News person.

But they're lying to you just as much as,

San Martin Rodriguez (42:53)
There's an ulterior motive, and that's definitely for sure. But if you come down to reality, how many people that are living on social media thinking this is what's going on? But when you actually walk out those doors, go into the community, go to these community events, do you see that happening? And that's kind of what I try to tell everybody. I was like, if it ain't happening in front of you, it ain't happening, period.

And and don't get me wrong, I don't want you to be naive, but at the same time, if it's not in your face and you can't feel it, you can't touch it. and unless it's Jesus Christ, I'm telling you, it's just don't believe it. It's just ain't there. you gotta have that connection. you ever hear that your spidey senses, or maybe back in the days when you were watching Pinocchio and it was Jiminy Cricket, let your conscience be your guide? Well, let that guy be your guide, you know, don't let anybody else tell you different because

This is this world is crazy. and people could go ahead and deceive you in any shape or form. And I've realized this in a in a very small capacity is that how much I could go ahead and persuade the community to do things, how to act, how to talk, how to go ahead and have these conversations, these real conversations online. I've just been recently, well, not recently, obviously, but I've been asking questions so people could have a conversation.

It's not a persuasion of, what you guys should s believe in. I was like, no, let's have this conversation. Everybody in this comment list can have the conversation with each other. And when they go far beyond where they don't want to actually have a conversation, it's like, all right, you you need to be pulled on timeout because obviously you guys don't get the conversation part. But that's what the whole point of having this publication is is being able to help people acknowledge, you know, our local economy.

People that are trying to do something great here, something amazing here. And unfortunately, people are doing some stupid and dumb stuff and and they definitely gotta be exposed so they can go ahead and make rights from their wrongs. And I'm not saying that everybody should be held accountable for their first ever mess up because everybody deserves forgiveness, that they they need to be held accountable. I mean, I've been held accountable for my freaking mess ups. I am not perfect. I will never claim to be perfect, but I have to

be held accountable for my actions. And it's just is what it is. and and the ultimate judge is God in general. So I I I follow after that. What would he think? It's not what what you would think. It's not what what these people in this world will think. It's what would he think. And and just like everybody, man, you never know when you're gonna die. So it's always good to be on that level of just acknowledging that what is going to happen tomorrow might not be my next day. So what I do today is definitely going to affect tomorrow. And and then

They're farther beyond that. and and I I feel like a lot of people in history really didn't think about that. They just wanted their own self-justification for their own time frame. Like, I need to make that money, I need to make that money. But that that guy die with that money? Heck no. What he did was leave a a freaking legacy of crap, you know. And I could just name one thing, tires. Like, come on, man. That's c crap.

and and you guys if you think about it as far as like the tires that are being made and the the rubbish that it's actually causing because you know, they they they don't hold up, it's crap. So

Trev Warnke (46:10)
a lot of that kind of stuff is consumerism. The idea is you make a product that lasts only so long because if you make a perfect product, my dad owns a manufacturing corporation and one the thing he invented made the product that he that was not working before, it made it go from lasting four years to lasting 35 years. And he had the amount of people in that industry that came after him to say his his his invention doesn't work because now that resale market of every five years changing this pump out.

disappeared for all these people. And even though it was a great invention that was saving a lot of electricity and do all these kind of things, he had everybody at his throat in the industry because they they were losing money. They didn't build a

San Martin Rodriguez (46:47)
Make money off of something that stays there forever.

Trev Warnke (46:48)
exactly. So it it is the how people look. And and all one thing that you're saying there that I think it's not just about the media side, it's the the conversation side is like, you know, you're just starting conversations online. People need to take that I that concept of like so I think founding fathers is a great example of this. We're we're shooting this at founding fathers right now.

Is there's a lot of nights when I'm down at Founding Fathers just hanging out with Grant and some of the different guys down down there talking. we're like, I think overall a moderate mindset people, we see both sides, but the conversations, nobody ever if somebody is in there, a little leans one way, I really f the conversations never get out of control because it's like there's a respect because we're having a real conversation. It's not behind a social media where we're just screaming screw you, this kind of stuff, and not really thinking through when we talk from a realistic perspective. I have

I'm a strong Christian and I have a lot of strong Christian conversations with people that are non-Christian about, you know, let's have a conversation why Jesus is in your life. And it's just like it's just truly back and forth on why I think you there there could be a value in this, but also not trying to twist their their opinion or anything. It's amazing the amount of times you had that conversation, it never got out of control. Next thing you know, six weeks later, that person's like, one of I'll show an example is we were having dinner with a a couple, and he's like, Trevor, would you mind praying for us? Never once prayed, they never once prayed in their whole life, prayed before dinner, and they prayed because.

We had a real conversation. It was like it was not one side, it was a a dual conversation. I think what you're saying is the reason you're trying to put out conversations there so we can have a conversation on both sides of the spectrum so we can meet in the middle. People can get violent without having to actually have any reperc repercussions from it, right? Whereas like when you're doing it person, people just need to. We have such a cool local community where you can actually have conversations with people, versus like Phoenix, where you're just never gonna run across across a person ever. You might run across that person here.

And so I just think that we need to have those real conversations and you're you're just starting that conversation.

San Martin Rodriguez (48:29)
Yeah, so you're basically saying I was sitting in a room where everybody's been punched in the face and it shows. you know, conversation is everything and it's needed. I I also know that there has been, you know, cyber warfare that has caused a lot of this strain and agitation in our communities and our groups and our our social media. And and it and it's true. I mean, there you guys can go ahead and look it up yourself.

But there's agitators that are paid to go ahead and do what they do. They're they're paid to go ahead and be involved, or they're just literally told to do this in order for them to go ahead and get the edge up on communities beliefs, sis systems. And and that's what happens on social media. if you see a person that's in any of your groups that are going crazy and going ham, psychologically there's a psychological warfare and then there's a cyber warfare.

that is happening behind the scenes. And it's it's all out there for you guys to go out and do the studies and and it's it's crazy. It's a crazy world we live in. So that's why I always say let your conscience be your guide because deep down inside your heart and your mind and your soul has that little conscience that can say the spirit has that spirit says what is right and what is wrong. Period. and unless this person is obviously, you know, has sold his soul to the devil, you you you

you as a person, any human, let's just think about it. I if you know, this is something I have not done, but I've actually watched it several times where you could tell a child to do a cuss word or do something bad and he'd be like, I ain't gonna do that. I don't want to do that. But who told that child not to do that? And who said that that to that child that this word is bad? It's just a conscientious thing. And when they're when they're babies, man, they're they're the most purest form of an actual soul that you could find you could have.

And that right there alone could tell you guys that that we are born with a spirit of understanding of what is right and what is wrong, period. And and whether you are a believer in in Christ or b a believer in whatever it may be, deep down inside you know what is right and you know what is wrong. And that we've all been given that spirit.

Trev Warnke (50:25)
Yeah, God wrote it on our DNA, and no matter how much we try to avoid it, and we try to avoid that conversation. It's the the golden rule concept. Why does everybody truly believe in the golden rule, even though they don't have faith? Everybody believes you can talk to any person, they believe, hey, the golden rule treat others like they they think it's like something that was said in literature. No, it came from the Bible specifically. You know, so it's like the idea is like all our written on our DNA is everything that the Lord has given us. It's just we try to avoid it as humans because hey, like we have these these

opinions on stuff we've been we've been twisted, but your internal, like you said, the internal stuff is always calling you back. So that's why I I think I found it easier to have conversations with people that aren't Christians about Christianity when you come from a loving perspective. Because there's little things that pull on them that just feels right, And that's that's one thing I love the most about about God. Is he wrote everything on our DNA, you can see in in nature and everything. Everything's written for us. We just gotta pay attention.

San Martin Rodriguez (51:17)
Yep. Everything has a meaning. you know, I I was thinking about why is there mosquitoes? You know, like there's a meaning for that. Yeah, it just is what it is, you know. Why do we have allergies? You know, what it is what it is, you know, there's there's things that are feeding each other and there's a cycle that we all need to go ahead and be a part of. And if we disrupt that cycle, we end up getting chaos. And when they when we get chaos, we get we we're all distraught. And what what happens and and when we're all distraught is

is nothing perfect, nothing's right, and everything's just like and then it you know, it's just so much more easier to be kind of sane than it is s insane. I mean, there's more there's more less energy going out with the sane part, I think. I don't know. I think it's a little bit more easier to be happy than it is to be mad. Yeah. So it's a circle, it's a cycle. And whatever cycle you choose, that's kind of where it's at. And and and you know, coming back to why the Presca Times is I feel is doing so well.

is that, I I don't do all the fluff. I don't walk in there and start talking like a a a a journalist, a a newscaster. I talk about who I am, you know, and I make mistakes. I freaking love making mistakes when it comes down to talking. Sometimes I I I make the wrong mistakes by not remembering the person's name, but at the same time it's just like I still want it to be real. I don't want it to be fake. I don't want it to be scripted. I want it to be like, you know, here I am meeting you today and I want everybody to know who you are as a person.

So whenever we interview the politicians or the people that are running for office, I always look at them as a leader, people that are going to be here to be the person that here is our constituents that are needing to understand that you're here to provide us with a service to keep our city running efficiently, making sure our roads are done, making sure our roads are clean, making sure our roads and our streets are safe, making sure that if a house burns down, we have a fire truck to go ahead and come over here and take that out effectively and also safely.

It's just that's what these when we say politicians, I I I I wanna just call them leaders. That's what our leaders are here for. So whenever I interview them, I try to interview them about who they are, not what kind of, you know, political warfare that they want to go ahead and provide to our cities because I think it's totally irrelevant. You left leave your politics out of the freaking equation. You you are here to serve us. Period. And so I like to have those conversations. Those real those are real conversations.

And when you start seeing, newscasters, the they're they they just want them to freaking crack. And so they'll go ahead and hit him with something that they've heard through the grapevine. I heard you did this, or heard you do that. Then all of a sudden it becomes the the one liner tabloid. And the one liner tabloids is what people want to believe. And it's just like, man, I i it it it just gets out of control when it comes down to people thinking this is what's happening because they sa they they read one line.

And and that's the deceivement that I didn't want to bring to the city of Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Lake Havasu, Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Jerome, Sedona. Like these these people, our people, our community in all over the United States, anybody around the world deserves this type of attitude and this type of character. And I just want to go ahead and bring it, even though I didn't graduate high school or even go to college for this.

Trev Warnke (54:27)
Well you kind see it just in the that we're in the p political ad season right now. And the political ads are no longer what they're gonna do for the area. They literally just say what that per the other their what their component did wrong. The negative is I don't know, when deformation of character is no longer a thing. Well that's just deformation of character to me.

San Martin Rodriguez (54:43)
So

Yeah. Well, I did a little bit I I wanted to go ahead and see what would happen and run for city council of Prescott. and it it it was the worst thing ever. people started attacking me in in a way where it's just like, All right, now it's time for you to come meet me over here behind this this the black bridge. And and and I you know, I called the police, I was like, Hey, what can I do about this? They're like, Well, unfortunately because of you putting yourself in this position

You are basically saying, Hey, it's open. Say whatever you want. You can say whatever you want. You could treat the person any way that you want. And their hands are tied behind their back. I mean, we saw it right now with the the mayor of Prescott Valley, where there's two agitating people that are much agitators on the community pages. they actually came out of the page.

And here they were in a group setting and one of the local downtown bars. And and don't get me wrong, I feel like mayor should have never been in there in the first place. but then again, it's just like, well, what what he can't go anywhere because people are gonna treat him like as if he's not a human. so yeah, I person wants to go ahead and call and say stuff, because they're under the influence. Obviously would look a little little little liquid encouragement, does a body good, I guess, but

Ends up turning out to be a little struggle. And next thing it tabloids everywhere. Mayor wants to fight in the bar, bar fight, bar fight. And if you look at the video, it was like the guy took the guy's seat and he's like, give it back. And the guy hang hung on to it. And next thing you know, it, you know, Mayor was like, get off my seat, man. but once again, it's like, how far is too far? You know, how much can you actually say to a person before the person cracks?

in in in in my way, in things for me, you know, people are are now doing negative reviews for people that I'm working with. They call they email them to say some of the most blatant ass lies that I've ever seen in my entire life and and say that this is what's happening, this is what's going on, and all because they're upset because I kicked them out of a group because of the way that they're acting in the group.

And and they're just like, it's freedom of speech. I was like, I don't know about that, man. If you were in my grandma's house and you were talking the way that you are, you know, uncle might have already slapped you or maybe even kicked your booty and then threw you outside and let and said, Hey, let's go if you want to go and talk to grandma like that. You know, out of respect. It's respect, respect, respect. So when I when I kick people out of the groups, it's not because I'm trying to muffle their sound of their voice as being a

the first First Amendment rights, but you don't have a right to be a jerk. And so when you do that to people, they get angry at you, they start telling lies about you, they start putting reviews out there, and and it's just like, all right, this world is getting crazy right now. And they do it anonymously too. So I'm just like, this is out of control. And I think Facebook did it on purpose. I I really believe that they did it to to fuel a scenario, where

It it doesn't cause it doesn't help more than it just brings more chaos to the actual groups itself when anonymous posters are there to go ahead and just ruin a business, ruin a freaking relationship and do whatever it is. And even if you flag it, they're like, No, we don't see nothing wrong with it. You're like, what is going on with this world? Excuse me.

Trev Warnke (58:07)
Yeah, that's social media. There's certain pastors that I follow that said, you know, that might be one of the the devil's creations that we keep letting happen. One of those things where it's like it it doesn't there there's some great things it's done, but maybe has done worse, especially for young people than it's ever done. Like bullying is at a level that it's never been at before and it's very rarely in person, is mainly on social social base. so it's not the greatest thing. But let's go ahead and go. I want to dig into your legacy where you're kind of going with things because you talked about the

the other locations of have a suit place like that. Why is that in your plan and what what what's your goal to do with that?

San Martin Rodriguez (58:42)
well i expansion is needed. obviously out of all the conversation we have, you know, it's it's the same thing over and over. when I when I first designed excuse me, when I first designed the idea of this, you know, I I went to Google at the time. We didn't have AI, Chat GPT, and talking about

Why it was good to go ahead and start something like this, with the population of 30 to 40,000 people in, anything or below, it's a great opportunity to go ahead and step in and and and be that that voice for the community, be that voice for the economy, be that voice for the people that are doing good, and also be that voice to once again, do what people that need to be called out on. so when when you try to scale things and you know that you can make it happen, it's just like a a no-brainer.

is like we need to go ahead and create more. And now that we have AI, we can now do it with a very like very, very small team. Right I don't have to have a whole huge building full of news reporters that are are are wanting to go and and just, you know, depict and and create some crazy lies to tell the story of what's happening in our communities. So I just wanted to stay in northern Arizona

And and just captivate all the beautiness, all the beauty that's happening in Northern Arizona. And I felt like it was so far away from Phoenix that, Phoenix could go ahead and tell take what care of Phoenix and whatever Phoenix does, because it's just massive and a lot of millions and millions of people there. so I decided to say, you know, let's just go ahead and do Northern Arizona Times. So the Northern Arizona Times is a is an umbrella site underneath I I I bought several of them.

But I ended up picking the most touristy towns and the most populated towns for the area. And in doing so, I I'm currently just launched my flagship in Flagstaff, Arizona. And we started that in February, and just as I saw it happen in Prescott, it's it's now doing exactly what it's doing in Flagstaff. So it's kind of like my trial period in in Flagstaff.

I have boots on the ground, which her name is Lisa. She's taking care of her the management out there and and she's just doing exactly what I've been doing, just in a different way, different different face, different personality, but still with the same spirit of understanding what community is all about. And so when she started it in February, you know, it was like, All right, I'm gonna start investing money out there, got an office out there. and sure enough, man.

all the events saying, Hey, what's up? I would like for you to come do this for us. now businesses are like, Hey, I want to know if you go ahead and help us get the word out. Hey, can you go ahead and get this story out? Hey, can and and now it's just like, okay, I see that. So acknowledging what's happening in Flagstaff, I'm acknowledging the scaling of it, how much money needs to be invested. And and now it's kind of like the next role or the next move is to see how much money it to it takes to go ahead and get.

the financial backing for it to to be set off for the first year. And then it should be s self-efficient right after the first year, which we keep the very, very low overhead. Very low overhead. And in doing so, it's it's been pretty cool. I mean, I'm not saying it's perfect, but is it's doing its job. It's exactly doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. financially it could obviously do better. She's not a salesperson, so she's not really actively

going out there and attacking, the the community. but this this past month we decided you know do be be more aggressive on trying to find some more partnerships which I call advertisers partners because technically we're working with you, you're working with us, we're partners. so this is past couple of weeks and yeah man it's been a kind of a a crazy little whirl run out there. And so as soon as I'm done with this one and we kind of get it, you know, to the point where it's self efficient.

self-efficient efficient. then then I don't know I might end up I don't know if I'll go to Lake Havasu or I'll come over here to Cottonwood or maybe Sedona. We'll see what happens. I I think that there's gonna be I think Cottonwood might be best because it's a little bit closer to where I'm at and I could go back and forth over the hill to to help build that. but yeah until I you know get the flagstaff up and running this is where it's gonna be.

Trev Warnke (1:02:57)
Yeah.

San Martin Rodriguez (1:02:57)
Slow cooking.

Trev Warnke (1:02:58)
Yeah, it's and it's better to slow cook because the idea is especially the flagship one, when you get that one that that the model design there. And then I was told when I was looking at building a franchise at one point with our gyms, I was told that the prop building the second location is the hardest thing you'll ever do. Building the third location is the second hardest thing you do. After that, is it's the systems, right? You're able to once you hit duplicate that.

Duplicate where the where the actual for you advertising, where real advertising opportunities to to fund this kind of thing is, then it becomes really after that, then it's actually scalability is actually big. then you want to go relatively big after that point because that's when money really increases. And for anybody that's watching this, you you give away a lot for free. You've got to find a way to also make this a a business, you know what I mean? And I think that's the hard dichotomy in things like even I look for my brotherhood stuff. I give a lot of things away for free. So ideas how do you

give that value as much value as possibly can but you're still running it's running a business so you gotta make sure you're profitable so that you can do this for 20 30 years and you can continue to scale the cool things you do. and that's one of those like obstacles that you're gonna be running into and you I mean you're starting to run into those things already but the idea is like you're at that you know seven years in and it's gonna continue to grow and see that legacy go over time. But my biggest tip to you is try not to go too fast and which you're doing a good job trying not to go too fast. But once it does, once that that flywheel starts spinning real fast

All of a sudden it's just gonna explode and it's just it'll take off. I think that the model that you're running is very awesome. Cause like you said you had talked to me too. It's like, well, there's a northern Arizona times, but this concept is possible state by state if you think about it, 'cause there's a lot like we're not talking you're not going after if you go to Texas, you're not going after San Antonio's and Austin, things of that nature. You're going after these little hidden towns that other people live in that are ignored by because no everybody only pays attention to the big cities. So

San Martin Rodriguez (1:04:43)
Yep. And and all these small cities, they all want the same thing. They just want real. They want realness. They want to live within the cities. I mean, everybody that comes to Prescott, I love it because it's so small, so quaint, so beautiful. People are so amazing and people are so happy here. Yes, that's exactly where I want to be. That's exactly where I want to go. And and I've already been asked to do a bunch of other different states already. but I'm like, well, let me hold on. We're slow cooking right now. And

If I could go ahead and and get to that next level of the the capital that is needed to do this, I mean, e and I think we've actually had this conversation at at our brotherhood meeting is that in order for me to receive the money, I need to know what to freaking do with it. And I've never been here before. So if somebody gave me money, you know, I might have a stupid saying it's like if I make money, I spend money. but this one would not be like that. It would have to be if I make if I get this money, it has to go ahead and go right back in.

And I need somebody to go ahead and my manage that and to make sure that it's scalable. And so that's literally where I'm at right now in in this little trip that I'm in. And as soon as I feel that you know Flags has done exactly what it needs to do, then I I have something to show for it. and then then you know the conversation could have with those people that have that know about scaling and franchising and doing those things. But

It all has to come with the personal mindset. It has to come with the idea of why we're doing it, how come we're doing it. and it's i I I feel like there's there's a code of conduct for this. It is what it is. There's there's there's a reason behind it. It's not because we want to go in there and persuade this community to do exactly what we want, but I feel like we do have to do a little bit of persuasion only for the good. It's it's not me against you know, the

Republican or Democrat or Party. It's not any of that. Or, don't get me wrong. I understand my faith, but it we're we're not called to be the judges. We're called to go out there and be men of God and and and bring people back, fishermen's of men. how can I do that with this without, you know, it being so dramatic in that in that sense, but to show what we can do to go ahead and help our communities grow, help our economy grow, help those that are that are struggling in life to get out of that hole.

Help a small business keep their doors open to feed their families and to feed the community. That that's kind of the something that I know right off the bat I could do all day long. But when it comes down to the finances and and putting all that stuff together, I'm like, okay, I'm gonna learn. But at the same time, I'm I could just hire somebody else that knows. Yeah. And that hopefully they have the same heart and the same soul. It's not all about money. It's not all about politics. It's just about, dude, I got you, I got you. I understand exactly where you're at. And then we can see eye to eye, you know.

that's that's bottom line, that's what we need. That's what I think the whole world needs, to be honest. I know I could go do this in the Philippines if I wanted to.

Trev Warnke (1:07:31)
So let's go ahead and wrap this up with how would what kind of advertisers are you looking for? Who are you looking for like who's a good partner for you?

San Martin Rodriguez (1:07:37)
currently right now, people that are not afraid to invest into themselves and and and I'm deal a lot of small businesses in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, all of you know, all over. And a lot of them are just afraid of going to that next step. so I need I need somebody that understands the concept of investing into themselves and understand that, you know, a lot of these investments is it's it's it's sometimes scary, but at the same time you know the results. So

Looking for people that understand the the the platform, but also understand that you know, we as a group, as a community organization, we could grow together, we could freaking outlast, you know, the weather, the storm, and going back to the the the image of a tree, like you become one of the branches on this tree. So metaphorically, you've got to understand that this is what it's all about. If we

grow together, we feed off each other, we work with each other. So people that are not afraid to invest into themselves, invest into their business, invest into the things that they really feel as if it's a great business, those are the people I'm looking for.

Trev Warnke (1:08:43)
So where do they if somebody wanted to follow the Press Good Times, where do they follow you?

San Martin Rodriguez (1:08:47)
go to the the Prescott Times dot com. if you wanna go ahead and see all the ones that we have currently right now that are launched, go to the Northern Arizona Times dot com and then you will see all my I think there's six of them under or seven underneath the seven would be the North the Northern Arizona Times, but you'll see all the ones that we have currently right now. and if you wanna do all the socials, anything that

Just type in the Prescott Times or just type in San Martín Rodriguez and then you could go ahead and read all about me and read about all the things that we got going on. And yeah, just Google my name.

Trev Warnke (1:09:20)
And I I have their newsletter. I just when you go into the theprescotttimes.com, you can join their newsletter and get the actual stuff right into your inbox, which is really valuable to me because I rarely go to websites. So when it's in my email, I'll actually read it. So that's a very valuable for thing for you guys if want to. Guys, thank you for joining another episode of the Brotherhood Beyond Business Podcast. All Sans information is going to be below in the link. We'll have a blog on our website as well that will have his stuff, a link off to his stuff. He'll have a podcast recap. You can grab all that stuff from there as well.

Also on our socials, you will have some of these reels up from this as well. So go ahead and follow us there. Guys, have a great day. Thanks, Sam. Thank you, buddy.

San Martin Rodriguez (1:09:55)
Appreciate you.