 Having success is a dangerous thing for creative because that causes you to create a formula and just sort of repeat what you think the fans want. And so that took me a little while to break that sort of mold and really get rid of that sort of expectations of what people want to and make it something that I want to make. And so that took a little while. But once I got there, then coming up with the idea and coming up with that process is the fun part and the exciting part. And just so much goes with that. I feel like I'm not tired during that part. Where I get tired is actually figuring out the financial side of it and how to actually make those projects. This is Starved Storefront, the podcast where we inspire entrepreneurship through truth. Today's guest is Taylor Steele, founder of the tequila company Salento. If you've been listening to the show for a while, you might have picked up on a common theme. Career paths are almost never linear. Taylor's career path is even more proof of this, as he has gone from indie surfing filmmaker to creative director of Corona beer in Australia to the head of a premier tequila company. For some, it's enough to find their passion and make money at it. For others, passions can change over time. And you need to look no further than Taylor's story to see that if you don't like the way of your currently riding, hop off and catch another one. With Salento, Taylor is able to bring all of his collective experience and creative energy and pour it into his company. And if the past is any indication of his future, we'll be seeing a lot more from Taylor in years to come. So listen in as we cover everything from how he distributed his first film by selling one copy at a time to local surf shops, why he felt like a life coach to some of the world class surfers he was filming, and if he sees Salento as becoming the tequila of choice for extreme sports. If you could just introduce yourself and then we can get into some of your VHS moviemaking. Hey guys, my name is Taylor and you know my background is filmmaking and then now I do tequila. So you started in the surf game, is that correct? In the early 90s, I started making surf films at a young age, I think I was 16, 17 when I first started. And I was lucky I had that movie when I was 18 really take off called Momentum. And that sort of set me on my passion at that time in my life dreams as a kid to be making surf films. And I was able to do that at 18 on let me down a long journey of 30 years of doing that. Something that this is personal to me that I've never I don't think I've shared this with anybody but whenever I've watched like skateboarding videos or even surf videos, there's always two people in it right there's like the person on the surfboard and then there's the person shooting and everyone wants to be the surfer. I've never wanted to be the surfer. I always thought the coolest person was the person creating the content. I've always personally thought that because I thought this is such a skill set. They're not really putting themselves in danger. Maybe that's the real reason I connected with it. I was like they're playing it safe while the other person's doing something gnarly. And like that person gets to do that with every single surfer. And so in some way, right, the person making the content or creating the content or doing the recording gets to literally be all of them, which I just thought was like crazy. And I don't know. That's how I've always connected with it. Do you see it the same way or were you like, were you big into surfing as well? Yeah, that's interesting because I wanted to be that pro surfer and then once I realized I wasn't good enough surfer to be that and I started filming and I fell in love with all the elements of being a filmmaker where it's the music choices and the style of editing and the way that you shoot it. There's a lot of fingerprints you put into it. I actually really enjoyed that relationship between these elite surfers and myself and that relationship of working towards a common goal and how that all sort of, it's a year, sometimes a year and a half of working together to make a three minute section. And it was just this very interactive and we would go on like five trips for each person and go travel the world. We'd be a team of surfers that were all part of this journey together. So we became a really tight family unit because we're all working towards the same goal and we're all breaking in. We're all the same age. We're all breaking into the surfing world together. But at the time there's no like linear path, right? It's kind of like you guys are just doing something out of love, right? Out of like out of hobby, out of craft and you're hoping maybe it turns out good. I'm just like thinking out loud because to me it's like, I love it when entrepreneurs are people in general, let's not call them entrepreneurs, but just people that are just chasing expression. Like I really connect with that because it feels like the most honest thing. And then when they create whatever they create and it let reaches some sort of scale or an audience of sorts, that's what I call like a nice symptom, right? But they didn't start with the intention of doing that. They just started with the intention of creating passion. Yeah. And I agree. Like I think maybe because I was young, I was 18. I didn't think about the career side of it. I was just wanted to make these films. And because of that, I didn't put pressure on that if I don't succeed at it, then my family's not getting fed and all these things. I was able to sort of buy all that sort of expectations on it and just make films because I love doing it. And then it took off. And that was like it came from the purest of places like you said. And that's where I try to keep that ethos everywhere with whatever I do. But that was an easy one because just doing something I enjoyed and I didn't expect anything from it. Well, filmmaking back then too was a completely different game. I mean, you don't have the digital editing software, you're not shooting on memory cards back then. You're shooting on film and editing the film afterwards. It was inherently much more expensive back then. How did you as an 18 year old come up with the funds to buy the film and then edit it and then put it out on VHS hoping to get some of that money back? Yeah, you know, like I was part of the transition from film to digital and so or it was shot on high tapes at the time. And so I was like the first prosumer level cameras that were on the market and they were made by Canon and they were just high eight tapes. And all the surf films before mine, you know, there was a small group of surf films that were made were all film and beautifully shot in exotic locations and with like this mellow soundtrack. And mine was shot with video really raw. I was inspired by MTV and this sort of fast cut energy. I put punk rock music to it. And it was almost like a behind the scenes on what these guys lifestyles were like at the time, a little bit like Instagram before Instagram. So it was like a home movie. It felt like a home movie. And with punk rock music, which was just coming up on, you know, at that time too. So younger generation, my age like 18 was like, this is more our vibe. So you released momentum on VHS. How do you begin to distribute that to the masses? And what was like the next step in your career after? Yeah. So to go to your first question, I borrowed money from my parents, like $3,000, made this film, traveled to Hawaii and slept on floors and couches. And then when I finished, I used all the budget, renting the edit suite. And then I made the film and I just duplicated like a thousand copies. And I loaded up my truck and drove to Santa Cruz from San Diego and would go to like a phone booth and look at the yellow pages and see the addresses of the local surf shops and put it in my Thomas Brothers. I'm going to sound super old for your podcast, but like brothers like it is a book where it used to have a map of the area. And I put those addresses in and I would just drive to those shops and walk in the door with a VHS and go, you want to buy it. And so I sort of, I just created my own distribution that way and it grew from there. I mean, honestly, that's ingenious and pretty effective. It sounds like, you know, I'm sure once I saw the footage, it didn't take much to convince them beyond that. You know, I think whenever there's a change in the market, people aren't accepting it right away. And so my video style was really different than what was currently out there. And so there was a little bit of resistance with it, but maybe because I was a 18 year old kid trying to make it, they gave me like a, they buy one copy and put it in their store. And then the feedback from the local kids around the area and the younger generation would just like, they loved it. And so that sort of built a groundswell of followers that really made it grow. And then the reorders that sort of over six months time that started to gain, you know, it's tempo with it all. And then the next one was easy, you know, but that first one took a lot of groundswell, I guess. So like you said, the next one was easy. What was it like for you? Now you have some notoriety behind you. You're going to these competitions. Were people recognizing you as you were filming your next video? Well, what happened was I worked with the only surfers I could work with at the time and they were my age and they're up and coming guys. They instantly saw the value of being in those films. And so we just stayed as a group because by working on the year together, we became close knit friends. And so they wanted to just continue down that path. So we formed a bond. It was probably like 15 of us and then we were really tight group of people. And for me, it was great because I felt like a little bit of a more than just a filmmaker. I was part like helping their career in their competitions and being like sort of a sounding board if that surf board looked good or if their style needed tweaking or someone they can reach out to and talk about those things that weren't on competition. I was like a coach in a way too. We were just like really tight and there's a lot of loyalty with that. But I took the revenue from the first one, put it in the second one and then just worked with the same crew and we put that out. And when we put that out, the bands that were in the first one, they were so excited to be a part of that that they started doing our premiers and playing before the movies. And it just got bigger fast with punk rock bands playing at these local theaters and then the movie playing after and just the energy of it. It felt like a little bit of a movement. Could you recognize it as such early on? Like I know it's probably easier to see it now in hindsight, but you know, when you're on the ground floor of something, it can be difficult to see it for what it is, see the forest for the trees. And especially like you know, you have Kelly Slater, Rob Machado partnering up with bands like Blink-182 and Offspring. Like in the early days, was this apparent like, oh, we're onto something here and we should really push this pedal as hard as we can to see where it goes? I felt it pretty early. Like I felt it pretty much the second one, the reaction and like the sold out theaters and like the line around the building like twice just the way that my peers were reacting to it. That was enough. I didn't care if it was selling that much, but like I was getting attention from my peers. There was no second guessing. That was what I wanted to do from then on. It was a dream I had when I was young and it was like instantly I was able to do it. I wanted to hang on to that as long as possible. It's pretty amazing. I mean, to be honest with you, it's like to just try something at such a young age and then it kind of groundswell all at the same time. While you're having a good time also, I would imagine, I mean, you're hanging out with some pretty incredible people to that we know today, but at the time, you know, everyone's kind of a young hustler just like on their path, but at the very beginning. And so I just think about that like today in today's world, you would get the, let's call it the market signals from things like Instagram or your social media where you're like, oh, I think we're onto something. I'm getting a lot of likes or I'm getting a lot of content or I'm getting people to DM me. But in that world, it was interesting just to hear you say, you know, when you get these lines around the block, it's just cool. I guess I just connected with it. I just think it's so cool. I have a dumb question. I don't know if this was around then, but how do you film in the water? My early stages, I was working with probably four or five surfers and they were really pushing themselves to do something that no one's ever done before on the waves. So I was on the beach mostly, just because I could capture everything in the water. You capture just a sliver of it and just that moment that they go by. And years later that came into play as the quality of films improved and the budgets got bigger, but that sort of came into play later. And then today, do you feel like all the kids are cheating because they have drones now and they have gimbals and they have like cell phones? You know, like for me, I romanticize that time where I would release a movie on VHS and there'd be like a wait at the surf shop and even like a line built up at the surf shop where it arrived and people would watch that movie for a year till the next one came out. The way that we consume media is completely different now and we know it's got a lot more disposable elements to it. And so for me, the fact that it was regarded as a way to find new music or learn what's happening in a far part of the world that you don't know about. When I would travel to Australia or Europe, I didn't even know the movies were there, but I would get there and they would all know the movies inside and out and know who I was. You know, it was just a different time in that sense. Did you ever get close to like getting a deal with MTV because in some way you were basically MTV, right? It's like MTV was bringing us all the cool stuff at the time and here you are kind of at the epicenter of it. Like did you ever talk to them or create your or think about creating your own media company? You know, like I did my own production company and did sort of similar versions of what they did, but they were transitioning during that time away from the music videos into sort of the real world and those stories that were, you know, just different. But I was making music videos for some of the bands and just, I felt connected to that whole space, but just one degree separation. Let's transition a little bit unless Nick, you have any more questions. So Nick, let me just share with you that Nick's in the process of potentially creating a documentary around the election. And so as he's going through that, you know, I don't know if Nick, if you have any questions on like building that energy, getting the fundraising obviously is a thing today. Yeah, honestly, like a lot of the stuff that you've just talked about Taylor is stuff that I'm experiencing now. It's just for me, I've worked in the documentary space as a cinematographer and as a associate producer, but both times I came into the documentary when it was already like running under steam, you know, I came in under principal photography. And right now the hardest part that I'm dealing with in my own documentary is the pre-production phase in just getting this thing off the ground. For me, that's been the hardest part. And mostly because, you know, this thing is still so nebulous that it can change shape at any point. And I wonder with how many films you've created, do you still struggle with that in shaping your films or do you tend to come in with a clear concise idea? Well, to sort of backdate a little bit on that, those success of those early films, having success is a dangerous thing for a creative because that causes you to create a formula and just sort of repeat what you think the fans want. And so that took me a little while to break that sort of mold and really get rid of that sort of expectations of what people want and make it something that I want to make. And so that took a little while. But once I got there, then coming up with the idea and coming up with that process is the fun part and the exciting part. And just so much goes with that, I feel like I'm not tired during that part. Where I get tired is actually figuring out the financial side of it and how to actually make those projects. I currently work with National Geographics and making documentaries for saving animals in different regions. And we did one called Save This Rhino and then another one called Save This Shark. The secrets of those ones were figuring out the distribution beforehand and then selling in sponsors on the back end of that. So we got distribution within that geo, then we could go back to Land Rover and Canon and all these other brands to help fund it because TV shows generally don't pay enough to make it where anybody's really making money on them. So the idea first, distribution, then that helps with the funding is sort of my recipe with that. That's an area that I'm more familiar with in terms of because I spent a lot of my time early on in my career in the television world and you're right, it was coming up with the idea and then we would pitch it to networks and then they would kind of take care of the back end deals and all that stuff and then we just had to worry about actually making the show. So it's interesting to hear that even in your own experience, it's much the same. It's helpful having that geo as a partner. They can reach a very wide audience and the name instantly lends credibility to the project. And that's something I'm struggling with right now is that no one has heard of me. So they don't necessarily have anything to go on when I'm like, Hey, I'm doing a documentary on this. I'd like to discuss this and that with you. And they're like, Oh, okay, cool. Yeah. Yeah. You know, like, I've come into a lot of those Roblox too. And what I just sort of do is just start making it and then people sort of jump on, you know, like make a trailer, even though you barely have enough footage to do that or build the first scene and then people could see that your skills and that usually helps when things hit a Roblox, you got to keep pushing. Sure. Yeah, it's funny. You say that like, so I do real estate development and I've done some startups. And one of the things that I didn't realize in my life until doing this podcast and talking to people like you was there's like a theme and the theme is once someone has done enough things, like once they've put enough energy into it, there's a momentum that as the person in the driver's seat, you never feel the momentum, right? Cause you got the steering wheel. And so you don't actually know how fast you're going. But at the end of the day, it's like, you've actually created a real momentum. And without knowing it, it's actually easier. Like, like you're saying, like just little things like create a trailer, create a pitch deck, right? And these things start to take a life of its own. And it sounds so fruitful because we get a lot of people like, what's the tactic? What's the skill? What's the thing? And it's like, you're starting from a wrong place, right? Don't solve for the thing. Just start, just start with the work, just do the work. And then it's like, it's like in the Navy SEALs, they say like, make your world really small, you know, focus on the one thing you need to focus because focusing on the whole thing like funding, editing, releasing, you're going to get into a place where you're just depressed because you can't do all that on the first day. That's right. I like the metaphor of like pushing a big stone up a mountain in the stones way too big to push. And if you're just sitting in front of it, just I give up, I can't do this, then it's done. But if you're just trying and people are walking by and they see you pushing, they're going to jump in and help. And that sort of energy is, I find true with all these things. You need to really just give it your best push and then people will jump in behind you. So true. And I love what you said about the honesty thing around like, you don't want to get caught as a creative doing something that gets you likes or I think that's something like, here we are, we're releasing on YouTube, we're talking to entrepreneurs about, I think like high level reality is kind of the way I look at it. And there's a lot of other channels that they'll do like reaction videos to anything, you know, and those and those videos get so much, so many hits like, Oh, my thoughts on Trump doing this. And it's so silly to me. It's like, let's, let's focus on substance. But to that end, it's harder because you're almost choosing to grow in an honest way. But in some, in some way, it's also slower because you're not going into the human nature of like clickbait. But to me, it like, I like actually prefer it, but it can be difficult, I think as a creative sometimes. I think as a creative, we should be honest with our intentions and also be vulnerable and really be, yeah, just conscious of who we are and be okay with sharing that with the world and whether that gets rejected or accepted. And so that's a little scary for some people. I totally agree. And so today you're doing tequila. I'm assuming you're a tequila fan, as I am. What was the beginning of your journey? Let's see. Well, the beginning of the journey, I would say is when I was making the surf movies, I was traveling the world probably nine months of the year. And then I was about to have a baby with my ex and we were like, okay, where do we want to live? Because once you have a kid, you can't really travel as much. It's not fair to them to have this gypsy lifestyle. And so I came up with a plan that was about moving to a different country every six years during different stages of their childhood. And so I moved to Bali, Indonesia for the first six years. And then I went to Australia for the next six years. And it's all in stages like before school. And then once you start first grade, the sixth grade, you're going to be with the same group of friends. And then seventh grade through high school, you're probably with the same group of friends. And so it's like those are transition times to move. And so that idea just was not good for work. It was just something that I thought would be a life well spent. And so once I started doing that, the surf films at that same time were disappearing. It was moving away from DVDs to bit torrents and YouTube's and people weren't buying physical things. They were getting them online. And so that market was disappearing. And I had to reinvent myself and transition into a new career. And I transitioned when I moved to Australia, transitioned to making commercials and making, you know, being a commercial director. And the first job I got was with Corona beer. And they hired me to do a commercial. And I went down to Mexico and shot for two weeks. And it felt very similar to making surf films and that same energy. And then from there, that was so successful that they hired me again for the next commercial. And then they hired me again. And then they made me a creative director for the brand down in Australia. And that I built an artist residency because I wanted to build out their music division. And so I had these artists come on this beach house and just experience a place to create and have this good energy around that. Then I just started doing more of that. And by doing that journey, it felt very similar to what I stood for. And as you grow as a commercial director, you start getting bigger campaigns and campaigns for other brands. And I started questioning what those brands stood for and what I was selling and why I was selling it and had this sort of moral dilemma with it where, you know, it's paying the bills, but it's like, why am I doing it? And so for me, I started being really selective on those commercials and pulling back on that. And then I was doing some creative direction for other brands. And I just go like, I'm doing all this stuff for other people. Why don't I create a brand that I stand for it and something that I could really put all my ethos into. And then where the idea of this was, I was living in New York at the time and I discovered sipping tequila with friends there. And I just thought about like, what will make me more present and slow down and be like connected? What sort of thing do I do besides surfing that does that? And I was thinking about when I sort of are sipping tequila with friends in the afternoon. It's like, that's when I'm connecting with them and I'm talking, it's sort of a reason to connect with them. And so that's where it started. And then I had to go do the hard work to figure out the logistics after that. That's awesome. I love what you said too. I mean, there was a time when I was, I had a software company and I was at a bar one day and I was like, I'm selling software. And it was this moment of like, what am I doing? Like I'm selling software. That was it. I think two months later, I was like onto onto doing my own thing because it was just, I don't know. It's, and it was fine. Like people do that, you know, they make a living. It was totally okay. But to me, it just felt like I, there were greater problems or greater opportunities in the world than, than what I was working on. And I was like, it was a tough moment to be honest because it was, I was actually with a client oddly enough at the bar. And I was like, Tiffany, I'm selling software and I can't, I don't know. I don't know why I'm doing this. It's good to have those moments, I think. I think so. I think it's good to check in with yourself and really see if you're doing what you're passionate about and what you care about. Because I think it's easy to lose that. And then we, we don't know why we're doing it. And for me, like making sure that you're in love with what you do is what's needed in the world. And that inspires other people. Agreed. So what was your first step? So you decided to go to Tequila and then, are you netting checking out some Tequila farms, some MacGovay farms? How do you? Like I felt like my background in filmmaking and marketing would be like that part, I have a handle on and I, I've done it for some alcohol brands in the past. So I, I could figure that out. So I wanted to really make sure that when they tried it, that it held up to this height. And so I visited 30 distilleries, spent three weeks down there, really started learning about it, having a fast track education on it. And then I started working with some flavor notes and it narrowed down to four distilleries and four flavors, the tones that I wanted from each of those. And I brought it back to my friends back in America and I did a blind taste test because I didn't trust my taste alone on it. Smart. Really smart. Only one was organic and the rest weren't, but they all had amazing stories and the people were super cool. And one was like the high altitudes had a story or the facilities were beyond clean. You could eat off the floor or the, you know, they're all like had a cool vibe that I felt like I could talk to. But for me, it was like the taste was number one. The taste had to be the thing that really drove it because it's a busy space. It's a difficult space to break into. So the idea is like you try it and then you don't ever switch. It's a long haul for marathon sort of thinking is like one day the marketing will touch you and you'll be like, Oh, screw it. I got to try this. And then once you try it, you're like, I'm hooked. This is mine now. This is what I'm going to go with. So to get there, I didn't want to just be my taste. So I got 40 people and did blind taste and I put in some name brands with that. And so they tried it all. And then this one won at 95% of the time at least. Then I just really went, okay, this is the right taste. And now let's start pushing. So what was your distribution strategy? And so we've had countless founders on and they all take a different approach. We've had in terms of tequila where one, they get into restaurants first, and then they try to get liquor stores around the restaurant. Right. And so that's a strategy I've seen work. Another one is like Casa Dragones, where you just go so big with media like Oprah and just such, you know, these massive, I hate to even call them influencers because in some way they're their own empires to themselves. But what was your thought process around how do I get this into the masses? Well, I don't try to pretend like I know the market and know how to do it. I like to go in with a learner's mind and really understand the best way forward. And what was advised is sort of in that space of like, you got to earn credibility in the bars, restaurants first. Okay. That's where we were starting down that route. And we launched in January of 2020. And so we were like getting going with that and having a success in that space. And then all of a sudden, March shut down. And I lean on my filmmaking side of that whole process is like, I don't think if I had all these films background that I would be able to transition and pivot so fast and really like sort of recreate the whole plan. Like, Why is that? Why do you think that is like, what similarities do you see in it? Basically, every film you go to you have this blueprint before you start and you land on the ground and then it's completely different. And you have to adjust on the fly. And you have all these people looking at you going, what do we do? And what, you know, and you have to tell them what to do on real quick judgment. And then you have to live with those decisions. And yeah, so we had that part. And then it just changed us. We just started, we weren't afraid to be human with the brand and really have people learn who's behind it before like, let's create a mysterious brand that people create their own identity with. Then afterwards we're like, no, we're human where this is us, you know, like, this is what we stand for and what we do. And we just started sharing that with Instagram lives. I was doing that and me, I used to be the shyest kid in school. So me talking a lot was was not really something I wanted to do at all or be on the other side of the camera. So for me, that was like the tough thing to overcome. And then just like really just getting out there and shaking hands and talking to people and really trying to do more on a human side. It's funny you say that. So that, that chapter is something I call a strong beliefs loosely held, you know, it's like, we're really strong in the direction. And we think we know how to get there, but we're going to loosely hold on to any of these ingredients because we know this is all going to change and you have to adapt. Otherwise, it's going to be complete chaos for you and the whole team. So were you guys doing like, like virtual tastings and stuff where you would ship people to goods and maybe partnering with some nonprofits or, you know, just to get people, people's attention. We were doing a little of everything just with my background and connections. I was able to do a surfboard, snowboard, skateboard, charity auction for the local community in San Diego and raised like $100,000 for that giveaway. And I would interview some of these known people like Kelly Slater and Tony Hawk and get them on there. And we'd sip a tequila and just talk and go through their history. And a lot of those things were based on like, how can we come out of COVID as a better person? And that's sort of like the theme of it all instead of pushing, sipping, and let's talk about the flavor notes. It's like, let's talk about, we're all going through this thing and let's stay connected through this. People are craving human contact during that time and we felt so alienated. So let's, let's bring it together. And then we did some, we did some charities in Brooklyn with black artists and designers. And the same thing, we got photographers and painters to donate work for it. And, and that's just be a friends when I lived in New York. Yeah, we just, we're just not really spending money, but like really getting creative for positive change. I really love that. It's also here. I've had it. So I had this, I made it, and I'll ask you how you drink this, but I made a margarita with it. But inside of the, of the shaker, I put basil, I put like eight basil leaves first. And so it's like a basil infused margarita and it goes super well. I don't know if you've tried it, but it goes super well with your tequila. Every tequila I tell people, they're like, it has its own thing. It's got its own personality. It's almost like a coffee bean. Every coffee bean has a different personality. And the maker of that bean or the maker of the tequila has their way of saying, this is what I think is best, but you decide on your own, right? Like you have creative license to go nuts. And so whenever I have a new spirit, I try it with everything. I'll try it with like an egg white cocktail. Then I'll try it with the margarita and I'll try it on its own. And I'll just see what kind of notes come out because they, it always interacts a little bit differently. And so that to me, it was like a smash hit, the basil margarita with this. So try it if you haven't, I'm a big fan of it. Or what's your preferred, what's your preferred avenue? I agree with you where every tequila tastes different. It's like wine or you know, or coffee. So that's for me, it's a fun part of it. You could try a bunch of different tequilas and follow up with one that resonates with you. The filmmaker side of me doesn't like to lead what how people experience. I like for you to try it and have your own way. But I drink it mine on the rocks just, and I'll throw maybe a lemon as a generally it's just on the rocks. I see that surfboard behind you, the custom surfboard with the logo. That's, I love that. Yeah, yeah, just got to keep the two worlds connected in some way. Do you kind of like, do you envision a world where you're sponsoring these surfing events as your tequila? I mean, you mentioned snowboarding before too. So it could be like the outdoors communities tequila, right? Or like the extreme, I hate to call them extreme sports, but some people categorize it that way. Yeah, I would say definitely I see my worlds merging really fast. And that's why I was inspired to go down this route of like making films for this that connect with it. All those sports that could be extreme and marketed as like pushing the limits and very energy drink based. But for me, there's also a side of each of them where there's like the quiet, you're amongst nature, you're sort of meditative in that in between moments where you're forced to just be present and relax like this before a wave comes, and you're just sitting in the water waiting, waiting, and you're not thinking of anything of the next wave. And it could be the same on the mountain while you're just up top and looking at the view, you know, so for me, that's what fits our brand. And so capturing those moments are definitely will be in the future. Can you share a little bit about what the icon means? The icon is a sundial. And so the name of the brand is it's slow sun translated into Spanish and made up word that I merged together. And then the the icon is is a S sundial that is sort of from our designer in New York. And the waves on it are supposed to represent sunwaves. And the yellow, which is like a difference in every other tequila, sort of not every other, but a lot of tequilas go with the blue agave, like an aqua blue. And so we're playing off the sun as our sort of reference point. You know, like everything on there is meant to be really considered and not just like slapped together. It's to have a story. Solento. So sol is sun and then lento is slow. And so you put it together solento. That's really nice. Yeah, thank you. I always like to ask because I never know and I try to guess that I'm always wrong. Whatever brands create a name or a logo, I'm like, I would have never in my life thought that, but it's so beautiful now that I know that. Yeah, thank you. I have the Blanco here, but you have other ones as well. You have the Anejo and Yeah, we have an Anejo and Reposado and so three flavors. The idea is like just going with the classics and just really, really going with something that's been around for 100 years and try to do it with respect. How did you decide on price points? Since you can kind of price yourself into different avenues of the tequila world. What was that like? You know, like for me, there's a perceived value with things. I used to do these theatrical shows where we would have them sponsored and there'd be a free entry. Nobody would show up. And then when we would charge $15, it would be a full house. And so I think perceived value is one thing on it that's important to consider. And then our tequila, we grow for seven years and we use the core of it. So it's more expensive to do that. And that's a big issue for just our costs. Our costs are probably the most expensive tequila to make out there. We're not charging the most, but some of the most expensive tequila to make. And the seven years, the requirement to call it an Anejo, is that right? No. So the growing the agave takes four to eight years. And we found that seven years is the perfect brightness before it starts losing its flavor and growing into a flower up top and sort of that steals it. So that seven years is the perfect brightness. And then from there, it's harvest and then put into the Blanco. But if you put it into a whiskey barrel for three months to 12 months, it becomes a reposado. And then if you leave it for over 12 months, it's a Anejo. If Salento were a movie and you're the producer, where am I in the movie? As far as the story? Just the journey, the journey of the brand. I mean, it started in COVID. I don't want to call that a climax, but if there is one, that might be one. I would say we're opening Montage. I love that. Where are you found now? Do people mostly go to your website to buy it? Or is it something that they can find at some different distributors? Yeah, we're in, you know, Bevmo, Total Wine, some Whole Foods. And then, you know, if you're international, it's Sip to Kila, sends it anywhere. We're starting to get to a couple of places. So we should be not too hard to find. With that opening Montage metaphor, you know, you talked about how you don't necessarily see yourself sponsoring events, but more like the after moments of these surf competitions and whatnot. Like where do you see this movie trajectory going? What are your plans for Solento in the coming years? Well, the purpose and the intention for Solento is hopefully improving people's lives on the way to disconnect from their mind and they're really sort of moving fast forward. And they need something as a ritual to like slow them down and be connected to themselves and not escape it, not like hide from anything, but more of make what around you better. And so for me, when I think of that, there's a lot of stories you could tell and filmmaking that did that sort of presence and connection story. So it might not even have Solento in it, but it'll be about those same messages. I love that. I love how this is just an expression of self. I mean, that's really what it is at the end of the day. Everything that we work on as individuals is just like, just tap into what really gets you going. I say like energy creates discipline, right? So if you're doing something that's giving you energy, you'll magically be disciplined to do that thing over and over and over again, instead of like, in school, you're taught struggle, right? You're taught like, hey, here's new information to your brain, struggle in memorizing said information, and then go take a test to see how well you can struggle essentially, where this is like the complete reverse of that, where it's like find what you're driven for and then let that motivate you to be disciplined to get it done, which is what I love. Well, listen, tell everyone where they can find you and your brand and all that good stuff. Yeah, slento tequila.com is probably the easy place to start, but we'd be excited for anybody to try us and just give us a shot, because I'm super proud of the taste and what we've done so far. The packaging is beautiful. One of the things I always look at when I open a product is just like, what are they trying to communicate to me? What is it that they want me to know? I like how yours says, enjoy slowly or drink slowly. I like that. It's beautiful. It's well designed. And then it comes with a pamphlet that tells you a little bit about the full story. It's nice. It's just like, oh, it's very thoughtful. And there's something to be said about that. Yeah, the idea is, if you're giving this to somebody, what are you saying? It's meant to be like, I love you. Take care of yourself and reward yourself with some quality time. I love it. Well, thanks, Taylor. Thanks for the chat. Really good talking to you. I appreciate you coming on the podcast. Thank you, guys. This was fun. Thanks. Yeah, thanks, Taylor.