Who or what is your inspiration in business?

“My inspiration in business comes from a mix of real-life experience growing up in Chicago and watching people turn culture into something powerful and lasting. Coming from Chicago, you’re surrounded by hustle, resilience, and creativity. You see people building something out of nothing every day—whether it’s through small businesses, side hustles, or just finding ways to make things work. That environment shaped me early. I didn’t have a clear blueprint or a lot of

How do you stay motivated?

Staying motivated isn’t really about feeling inspired every day—it’s about building habits and structure that keep you moving even when you don’t feel like it. The truth is, motivation comes and goes. Life gets stressful, energy drops, and unexpected problems show up. If you depend only on motivation, you’ll keep starting and stopping. What actually works is creating a system that carries you through those ups and downs. First, everything has to be tied to a bigger

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I were given $25,000 to grow Don Punch, I’d treat it as strategic capital—not spending money. Every dollar would be focused on building a brand that’s compliant, scalable, and positioned to generate consistent revenue in the cannabis beverage space. First, I’d lock in compliance and production. In cannabis, nothing moves without proper licensing, formulation standards, and tested supply chains. A portion of the capital would go toward securing a licensed production par