We are back with another episode of Passionate Profession brought to you by my good friends at eBay.

When the series came up, there was a guest that I certainly wanted to have and someone who's very familiar to you, the stacking slabs audience. I've been following his story.

We've become friends. We've done a lot of content together. But I am joined today by Kevin Randall at the captain thirty seven on Instagram. Kevin has moved into, being a full time dealer in this space. He's out at shows.

He was formerly a teacher, and so we're gonna maybe get into all the decision making there. But without further ado, Kevin, welcome. How are you? Doing well, man. Thanks for having me on. Always looking forward to episodes with you.

We let's you're a big card nerd. I'll I'll say it. You've been For sure. Yeah. You've you've educated me, and I remember following before we even knew each other, I'd hop on your Instagram lives on Fridays.

I think it was. And you just show off cards that you're getting, and you talk about them. And I was like, you know, you might have a drink or two. And I was like, this guy, he's educating me.

I'm trying to learn, and I've always appreciated that about you. Maybe think thinking back, and I know you've been in kind of the card space forever, but maybe, like, your earliest memories with collecting sunk its teeth in you.

By the way, just real quick, those are those Friday happy hours I used to have.

Yes. I miss them. And I only had one kid, and Grayson was very young. So the the timing is not there now. But I've I have funny people always ask me if you should do the Friday happy hours again.

It was awesome. Like, I cracked my first beer with you on a Friday. You know? It was it was cool. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, I got great early memories, when it comes to cards and collecting.

So I I've been collecting probably since I was five or six years old. And the the funny thing was I was talking to my son, Grayson, about this the other day.

Like, my parents are never really into it. Like, me and Gray, we're we do this together. It's it's so fun now, man. Like, it it's so fun doing it with your kid, and he has a dad who does it.

So, you know, but, like, I didn't have that. Like, my dad would my parents would bring me to card shops. They'd buy me stuff, of course, but, like, they weren't into the hobby like I am. Like, Gray has his dad being into it.

So it's just it's cool. But, you know, Friday afternoons after school, either my parents would pick up pick up my buddy or his parents would come pick me up, and we go hit, force play in Franklin, Mass.

And I I have such fond memories of going to that card shop with, like, 8 to $12 in my hand, and you have to make the tough decisions on, what you wanna buy. Do you wanna go singles? Do you wanna go packs?

This is where my love for Topscold label 1998 stems from, by the way, because I remember walking in. And those are the expensive packs that you get packs, like, a buck or 2, then the Gold Label packs are, like, $7 a piece.

And you're like, oh, shit. Like, this is my whole budget. What if I buy a pack? But the cards were just so pretty, and I was a big Peyton Manning guy, and that was his rookie year.

And that's why that's my favorite set of all time. I have such fond memories, of doing that. But, it was it was really it was me, my friend Mike, and my little brother, Justin.

And and we we go to the card shop together. I'll never forget. The car truck used to have, like, little mini repacks almost, in team bags. You you paid, like, a dollar for them and then, like, 10 cards and whatever.

And, I will never forget. My brother bought one, and we got in the car and opened it. And there was a gold label had some weird one of ones back in the day where, like, it was tough to see in the back.

And there was a one of one in there. Basketball player. Al, I think it was Al Henderson or something like that. And we went nuts that we just got this for a dollar.

Like and and and we actually like, my my parents are like, alright. This doesn't feel right. Like so we told the card. They're like, hey. Our mistake. Go do okay. That's awesome. Right? So, just and then we used to play.

We we'd get back from the card shop and go up in my room, and we had a door basketball hoop. I got a ball I think I have one of those every floor in my house now, with with my son's love for basketball.

And we would play horse or do trick shots for cards. Right? Me and my friend, Mike, and my brother in vivid memory, and I I'm I'm totally gonna embarrass my brother, but I it's a great story.

My brother was a huge Edgerrin James fan. And there was this one shot behind my bed where, like, you could barely see the hoop that we always tried to hit.

We'd say, alright. We all put our best card up. And if somebody hits it, they get to take all the cars. No one ever hit it.

But one day we did it. My buddy hit it. And and my little brother had his best Edron James car in the pack. He just ran on the room crying. He was he lost it. My friend my friend gave it back to him, but we still bust him about that.

So, like, these are just the fun, cool card memories I have, you know, as a young kid. And and the fact that I'm doing it full time now is just it's it's beyond the dream come true.

That's for sure. So what's funny? The player you mentioned, I believe, maybe you're you're referring to Allen Henderson, who ironically, is from Indianapolis.

And Oh, really? I was when I was a kid, he played at Brebeuf High School. I when I was a kid, I my dad took me to see Allan Henderson play Eric Montross, who went on to play for North Carolina in, a high school gym.

And, yeah. That was a a heck of a game. But you said that name, and it, it, like, brought me back. Did you break did you get to the Hawks? You go to Atlanta? Yes. Alright. It was and it wasn't Atlanta Hawk. Alright. It was him.

Yes. I I remember speed being in the backseat of my brother and he's like he's like, Kevin, he's he's like, look at this. I'm like, that looks different. I I you had to hold in a certain line to see the one I'm like, oh my god.

I'm like, this is absolutely insane. Right? But, you know, fun story I'd still tell, thirty years later. You know, it's just awesome, including the story from crying after losing his back.

So so you I know you've been, like, in kind of the show scene for a long time, and you were doing, a version of what you're doing today while you were teaching.

So maybe talk about that dynamic of, like, while you when you were a teacher, how you kinda split your time between, you know, maybe making a little money to buy a card you really want or a little additional income while, teaching as your profession?

Talk a little bit about that. Yeah. So, I mean, I, I kinda got out of the hobby. I graduated high school in 04/2004, and, graduated college in 02/2008.

So I was kinda out of it in between there, which I think back and I wish I was in it because the the the pennies paying for Brady cars back then, they would've held long term. I'd be, I don't know an island somewhere.

But, anyway, when I got to school, like, I I I there's a local show in Mansfield, Massachusetts to go to when I was a kid, and, I had a friend who, had a table, and he used to let me set up with a showcase.

And, I do that on the side, and, literally, that was strictly to fund the card purposes because, like, I wanted to get back into it when I got out of school.

Right? Obviously, you had all these priorities while you're in school and college. Right? So, you know, in order to get back in, like, I mean, my my my first year teaching salary was $28,500.

Right? That's a teacher. Right? So, like, there was no money to buy cards. Right? So, literally, I set up a shows and sold some stuff so I could spend more on cards.

Right? So, while it was a side hustle, like, it wasn't making any money. Like, I was spending a lot more than I was actually selling. But, you know, it was just it it was something that, like, alright.

If I can, you know, kinda wheel and deal and and and fund the PC through that way, I feel less bad about, you know, dropping money on cards if I'm funding it with my cards, if that makes sense.

So, that's kinda how it started post college.

And then, you know, it it it was one of those things where I I noticed you know, I had all football set up, and, you know, the only consistent two or three cards I would sell are my Tom Brady cards.

Right? So I'm like, alright. Like, you know, if I wanna think about and there was always a thought of of doing this bigger and doing it full time.

Right? Although back then, I love teaching, and then we can talk about why that changed later. But, like, it's I I love I wanted to be a teacher my whole life, like, from a young age.

I always wanted to be a teacher. I always wanted to help people. I always want to work with kids. I was coaching Little League Baseball when I was 13 years old in my town, coaching my younger brother.

I was teaching taekwondo classes on Saturday mornings to young kids between ages 13 and 17. My age, 13, 17, teach a little kid. So I was always coaching, teaching. It was just who I am.

And it's still very much is to weigh in. I'm still my fifteenth year as the head basketball coach at the high school that I that I taught at. Right? So while I'm out of the classroom, I'm still very much involved with the school.

But, you know, I was like, alright. Like, it's time to get more Tom Brady cards. Right? And I because I never liked the guy. I I was a Raiders fan, and my father was a Colts fan.

I was like, I was I was raised to dislike the Patriots. Right? So once I got over that, I'm like, alright. I'm gonna sell most of my football stuff except for my Peyton Manning and my all thing collection and get more Tom Brady cards.

And and for you talk about, you know, things that were timed right in my life. That was right before the Falcon Super Bowl. And his shit went.

But people think stuff goes crazy now. Like, after that suit all this stuff, like, 10 to 20 times, it was insane. So that kind of springboarder right now, I'm going beyond, like, or I just found the piece and make a little extra money.

Right? So now it's like, alright. Like, if you if you buy right and and and plan things right, you can try you can make something out of this.

Right? So, I started to buy more of his cards. I I became it it went way past, it it it it was it was less hatred toward him, more jealousy because, like, the Raiders never won the tough rule game.

Right? Obviously, right, so a subject. Peyton had such a tough time beating the Patriots, right, and pretty.

But it developed into respect. Like, I do not respect the guy and his greatness. And after that game, like, it was just it was clear that he was the best of all time, and it's it wasn't even close.

So I'm glad I got over that hump of of of, you know, jealousy and and and into respect for him, because it led to a lot of opportunities.

And then, you know, it's amazing how, you know, locally, you buy a couple collections, all of a sudden, you're a Brady guy, right, locally.

And then all of a sudden, you go to you travel outside Massachusetts to go to a bigger show and people like, oh my god.

I've never seen this many Brady cards before. That's when I just had, like, one showcase of Brady. Now I could fill six showcases of Brady. Right? So, finding that niche that you know?

And I suggest this to anybody who's trying to do this for to make money when they get into it full time. You gotta have an area that you specialize in. Right? Because that's really it's great to be a jack of all trades.

But when you can be somebody's go to guy for somebody specific who's obviously a big name in the hobby being Brady. Right? Like, I think that's it's it's a huge help in in in a huge help in my business plan.

And and, you know, I come across people always ask me, how do you get so many Brady cards? Right? Well, I'm one of the Brady guys. Right? So, like, they naturally kind of flocked my way now.

But I work to build that. Right? As when you will and deal with, you know, certain areas so much. So that's kinda I think we got a little off base with the question there, but, that's kinda where that went.

Do do you ever think about how different your life might be if that Falcons Patriot Super Bowl went the way it should have went?

I think about I take it back further. I think about how different my life would be if the tuck rule never happened.

Right? Because I re I remember, you know, I'm in high school, and I I like, I've been in a room of 20 patriots fans. Right? So when that happened, you wanna, like, top five most miserable moments of my damn life, Right?

When that happened. Right? And because the Raiders should have won that freaking game. You know, like, it's it's it was a fumble to to this day.

Right? I still believe it was a fumble. Right? But now I look back on a different line. I actually talked about somebody, with this at Fanatics Fest with somebody this year, like, doesn't bother me anymore.

Right? Because without that, maybe he doesn't become what he became. Right? And and and then I don't become what I became.

Right? Like, that's why, you know, when when I met the guy, I had to thank him for how his success has indirectly impacted my life, you know, in in my success in in the card world. So it's just, yeah. It's it's crazy to think about.

But, yeah, I mean, if that if that suit ball works out the way it was supposed to, who knows what happens with him, you know, in it's just it's just crazy to think about the set of circumstances that leads to things that happen in the future, like me sitting here today talking to you about how I left teaching and doing this full time.

So, yeah, I I think about that a lot, Brett, to be honest with you. And I have many conversations with that about people, but I take it all the way back to the Tuck rule.

And I was so miserable because of it back then, but now I'm, like, almost thankful that it happened, which as a, you know, as a diehard Raiders fan, it pains me to say that, but kinda it's it's the truth in my life now.

I wanna hit that topic you brought up of specialization. And I think whether it's dealing cards or anything in life, I think niching down and being focused is always the best decision.

I think about you as a dealer and just your areas of expertise when it comes to you know, you you you have more stuff in your showcase than you did a few years ago.

But, generally, you always have Manning. You always have Brady, and you've got depth and knowledge. And you're a magnet for cards because people view you as that.

There's a lot of people listening that probably are straddling that line you were. They're doing a a job that they're, you know, spending their time during the day, and then on the weekend, they're setting up at shows.

But I'll I'll it is very rare to find a Kevin Randle setup at shows. I'm attracted to that kind of setup where it's focused around player sports era.

A lot of the times you see showcases, and it just kinda looks like the same stuff. I want you to maybe there are people out there listening that are are trying to do what you're doing now.

Like, how would you advise those individuals to maybe and your playbook's probably not gonna be the same for them, but just, like, think more about the power behind specializing in a certain category in the market in order to kinda take that next leap.

Maybe share some, enlighten us on just how you've thought about that over the years and the benefits.

Yeah. My whole thing, like, even back when I made the transition, I mean, there's a lot there's a lot more competition now when it comes to dealing and buying cards and doing it full time.

But, like, you you know, I'm always about how am I gonna stand out?

Like, how people gonna remember the captain '37, remember Kevin Randall right after they deal with him. Right? And you have that having that specialized area is a big part of that.

Right? Like, how do you stand up mother dealers? That's how I always looked at it. Right? So when you come to me, you know, I'm gonna have I I take huge pride beyond the Brady part of having stuff in all price points.

Right? Because somebody walks up to a showcase and just sees all cars that are $5,000 plus and they have $200 in their pocket, they'd never come into you again.

Right? So in the flip side, right, if somebody comes to your with super high end cars they wanna sell and they only see cards 500 and under, they're not gonna bother showing you.

Right? So I've always taken pride in having stuff from, you know, $50 to high five figures.

Right? So that's a big part of the business model. But for me, like, I wanted people to know I'm a Tom Brady guy. I'm a Peyton Manning guy. Now I've worked hard to get into I'm a I'm a vintage guy now. Right?

Or I'm doing Michael Jordan stuff. That's been a big part of the business expanding. Right? Because it it's you know, I I very quickly realized that you gotta get out of your comfort zone a little bit if you wanna do this consistently.

Right? Because you can't just set up two showcases with Brady and Peyton. Expect to do consistent business at shows. Right? So while you're never gonna see, a ton of modern prospects in my showcases.

Right? I've definitely expanded across different sports with the same mindset. They'll, like, goat stuff. Right? So I think when people, you know, deal with me, they know what they're getting into in terms of, like, alright.

You know, he's not gonna have all of these, Jaden Daniels and, Drake Mays and all this stuff and modern baseball. He's gonna have a high quality vintage selection.

He's gonna have Jordan stuff. Right? He's gonna have high quality Tom Brady cards, alright, and some of the rarest paid manning cards you can find. Right? So I think that, being that that's attached to me.

Right? So, like, if you have nothing attached to that that you're known for, right, how are you standing out in this insane industry where there's so many people trying to do this full time now?

Right? So, I think that's a huge, huge part of it. And, I think that's really you know, it it's it's been a big part of my success in terms of, like, alright.

Like, I'm looking for this Brady car. I know I can go to Kevin, to captain thirty seven, and ask him about it because if he doesn't have it, he probably knows somebody who does. Or, hey.

I'm looking for this car. He doesn't have it. You know what? I wanna sell some stuff to him to kinda have the budget for for when it does pop up. Right? So, just just having that area you specialize in, I think, is super important.

You go to shows now, like, you know, it's a lot of people doing the same stuff. Right? And everybody is, you know, kablums downtowns, like, modern stuff, repack stuff like that. Right?

So, if you're put it this way, if you're a dealer and you're able to stay successful, you know, in the last year, in the next, like, two, three, four years moving forward, because I think this whole repack of things gonna look a lot different in five years down the road in my opinion.

Probably a discussion for another time. But, like, you know, I want people to still, you know, have like, I know what the captain 37 is about.

I know what he's gonna have. I know what he's looking for. Right? Whereas, you know, I think that you go to the national. Right? And, you know, a lot of dealers just get blended together because it's all all the same shit.

Right? Whereas I think, having high quality solid inventory of certain stuff, I think you stand out in people's minds. That was always my goal, over to this full time.

You mentioned a word in there or a phrase you were talking about having a business plan, which I've I I've I'm attracted generally to anybody in this space who thinks like an owner, and treats whatever they do, whether it's dealing, doing content, whatever, as a business.

And I think just like that professional mindset, we're seeing more of that in the hobby, which I think is generally good for the long term health. Obviously and I know you. You're you you you plan, and you you don't just show up.

I know you're we've done a million of these conversations. You're always very well prepared, and you you take pride in that. Maybe share the steps you took to have a plan in place, which is it could be your business plan.

It could be talking with your wife, making sure things are settled to make that decision. I'm ready. Now is a good time for me to stop teaching and maybe, like, all of the decisions that led to you going all in on dealing full time.

Yeah. So I, I would say after about seven or eight years of teaching, I very much knew it was not for me anymore.

Just the way things were changing in the education world and just, I just knew it wasn't for me. And I knew I couldn't do it for another, thirty five years, which is what I would have had to do.

Right? So but I also knew I couldn't just leave. Right? Because, you know, we were starting a family. Right? I have obligations to my family.

You know, so, like, it was a it was really like a five year plan where I'm like, alright. Like, if do I think I can do this first off? Right? And, you know, after having success with shows, I'm like, alright.

I definitely think I can do this. And then it's like, alright. Like, how are people gonna know me? Right? Like, once again, I always go back to that question. How are you gonna stand out from the rest of the pack? Right?

So building the brand here was a huge part of it. Right? So, you know, just getting forming the logo. Right? Like, shout out to BRAKEmats, who I don't I don't think they do it anymore, but, like, had such a good experience with them.

The the best, I think, was a $175 to get this logo. You wanna talk about knowing what I know now about how this logo has played out, I would have spent 5 figures on this logo.

Right? Because it it's amazing. Like, literally, like, you know, at Fanatics Fest this year, when when Brady walked by my booth and he double take me and waited, hey.

You do a man. Like, he recognized me through the logo. Right? So, like, you wanna talk about knowing your logos of success.

Right? Like, it's it's it's it's awesome. Right? So you gotta build a brand, and that was a big part. And that's I had no experience with that stuff. I didn't do much with social media.

Right? So, like, Instagram was a foreign thing to me. Right? I was very much Bill Belichick when it came to, like, social media stuff. Right? Watch what you say. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. No kidding.

Yeah. Just just social media. Nothing else. Right? But, yeah. So, like, you know, getting stepping out of your comfort zone to social media and lower presence there, doing the brand, doing the logo, and then traveling around.

Like, my my big thing, you know, once I made the decision, I mean, it was I remember the day. I remember the day. I I had it was a Friday afternoon. I was driving home, and I had a great week.

Like, I just I you know, one of those weeks where, like, everything went right. I was all caught up on correcting. Lessons were on freaking point. The kids were great. And I'm driving home, and I'm like, I'm still in a shitty mood.

So I'm like, what am I doing right now? Right? Like, I because I was thinking about having to go back and do this again Monday. Right? And just thinking about having to spend my whole weekend prepping for the next week. Right?

I'm like, I just I can't do this anymore. Right? So I I walked through the door. And I I noticed little things too, like, you know, I mean, you know, I mean, it's very difficult not to let work life bleed over into family life. Right?

And when you start seeing yourself getting really angry or things you really shouldn't get angry about and and, like, just, you know, not being as happy and pumped up for things that you should be happy and pumped up about, it's it's time for a change.

Right? And I was very fortunate to have, you know, the most supportive freaking wife.

And fortunately, she has a very good job because health insure right? Like, that's a that's a huge factor in terms of people trying to switch to do this full time. Like, do you have another outlet for that?

Right? Because because paying for private health insurance, good luck. Right? Like like, good luck. You talk about expense. So while my wife's health insurance wasn't as good as what we had through the school, it was good enough.

Right? We could justify making the change. I mean, the other big factor too was, like, pension. You know, I I taught in Rhode Island. Rhode Island probably has the worst pension system in the entire country.

Right? So I'm not gonna get the details, but it was just like, we start crunching the numbers and doing the math. It's like, I'm gonna stick around for thirty five more years to get that on the back end.

It it doesn't make sense at all. Right? So, you know, those factors were huge, but it was just it was that Friday, man. Like, I I I walked through the door. I I said, Melissa, I said, I I I can't do this anymore.

Right? So it's it's just need to make a change. So, fortunately, in our teaching contract, it there's a, there's a clause that said you can take a year off unpaid for whatever reason you want.

So I did that. So I'm like, you know, because they and they hold your spot. So I did that, and I said, alright. I'm gonna try it for a year and see how it works out. It worked out incredibly.

I knew about three months in that I was done teaching. So, you know, fortunately, we have a superintendent in Barville who is very sports oriented. So I when I send in my letter recognition resignation, I said, listen.

You know, I understand if you guys wanna go in a different direction, you know, basketball coaching wise too. And I coached football there for seven years too. I stopped doing that when Greg was born because doing back to back seasons.

I was doing back to back seasons, teaching full time, back to back seasons coaching and doing this. So I look back on that and say, how the hell was that going on?

Right? But, and he said, you know, because, you know, some schools out there have priority in terms of, like, they want teachers in the building coaching there, which I understood.

But he was very much like, Kev, you're the basketball coach and that that's that. So it was awesome. So I've been coaching since I left teaching. That's not changing anytime soon.

So, but, yeah, it's for me, it was a it was a I decided about eight years in that I didn't wanna do it anymore, and then I I stuck out another five years because it was something you can't just go like this and do it.

Right? You just can't. And I worked on making some some bigger long term plays that I thought would age well, and fortunately, they have.

Right? Oh, I think that, a big part of this is, like, if you don't if you have a few bad months where you don't do a ton of deals or you can't pick stuff up, what are you gonna do?

Right? So I'm fortunate to be sitting on a big safety net of cards that, you know, if I have a few bad months, whatever, sales wise or anything like that, I can move one of those pieces and make a solid return and be good.

Right? You know, that's not always gonna be there.

Right? So there's always that fear. Like, this this is very much like in in the entrepreneurial world. Like, you know, you don't have that consistent paycheck, that consistent, you know, that stuff.

Right? So it's it's different. Right? And that's been an adjustment. Realizing that you might go a couple months without doing a ton of stuff, and all of a sudden, one show, you're good. Right? So it's it's you know?

And and once again, you know, we you know? Before you do this, you gotta make sure you're financially safe and sound. Right? So having a wife with a great job is a huge part of that. Having a solid savings buffer to jump into it.

Right? And we could talk the money aspect of this all freaking day. Right? Which I don't wanna do, but just understanding that. Alright. What are you gonna do if you have a few months where things don't go as you had planned?

Right? What's your move? Right? So I think having that is huge. Right? But, once again, like, what are you gonna do to stand up in the pack? And I think that this brand and the logo and things like that have helped me a ton.

So, huge shout out to BRAKEmax who did this back in the day. I remember I actually have I gotta I gotta send you I'll send it to you after we get done talking, but the original the captain thirty seven logo, the first proof of it.

V one. The day one. And I and and I was like, it just didn't look the way I want it to look. And I I I said I said, I need this, this, and this, and they made one, revision, and it was done.

It was perfect. Right? So talk about a flawless, seamless process, but, like, I got it. I'm like, alright. This isn't really me, how it kinda played out.

And then couple little, hey. Can we do this, this, this, and then boom, done. It was literally two takes. Right? And here we are, you know, years later with the captain 37 gear, coasters, stickers, key chains.

Yeah. So it's it's all there, man. But, building the brand, figuring out how you're gonna stand out, and then figuring out you know, I I I hate to be a, like, a I don't wanna call it, like, disaster plan, but, like, I I am.

Right? Like, you know, what are you gonna do if disaster strikes if the market what what are you gonna do if, you know, all of a sudden something happens in your home life where you can't travel for three months?

Right? What what's what's what are you gonna do? Right? So having that buffer and that safety net, which I like to call it, is obviously huge. You know, big thanks to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning for that safety net.

That's that's for sure. So Do you do you recall, like, I don't know the timing, like, what days of the week or whatever. You mentioned the Friday was, like, the moment where you're like, I can't do this anymore.

But do you remember the first day that you woke up and you didn't need to go to teaching, but you just needed to go to your new job, which is your job that you are your own boss and was a job you had been doing on the side, for a while, but now it was your kind of full time thing.

Do you remember, like, finding your footing in the types of things you were thinking about and what you were doing to make what you did on the side now be your full time professional career?

Was it any different? Like, maybe share some perspective there.

Yeah. I mean, I vividly remember, that first I think it was a Wednesday where I should be reporting to school, and I wasn't. Right? And I got so many I hate you texts from my fellow faculty friends. Like, what are you doing right now?

Like, we're sitting here and it just it's yeah. It's it's, you know, so it it's for me, it's it's freedom, man. You know? And it it it's freedom. Like, it's like, you know, being your own boss, being able to make your own schedule.

And, you know, I it's part of me almost feels bad because I I you you I'm still very friendly with a lot of the faculty there because like I said, I still still have basketball coach at the school.

I'm still very much in the build in the building every day from November to March.

Right? So you still see people. Right? And it's like, you know, I have friends who, you know, don't wanna do it anymore, but they have nothing they can do.

They're trapped. Right? So they're really doing this for the next twenty years. They have nothing they can do. And part of me feels a little guilty. Right? Like but at the same time, like, I'm still so happy I made the move.

I don't regret it for a second. I always say, anybody knows me knows I'm a gambling man, so I gamble to myself. Right? I'll look back in this ten years and say this was either the best or worst decision in my life.

But when I look at the freedom I have, the fact that I can be home during the day, the fact that I can bring my kids to school in the morning, pick them up at the end of the day, have those little conversations I couldn't have before, the fact that I'm not gonna get off this podcast with you and go correct, 75, you know, 10 page essays.

Right? That took up so much of my time in life. Like, I can't imagine, you know, with how with how my son has developed over the past eight years and who he is and how involved he is with sports and things he wants to do with dad.

I couldn't imagine like, I couldn't help coach flight football right now, right, with all the schoolwork I would have to do.

Right? Just these and especially during coaching season, basketball season. Right? Like, I just there's so many things I'm able to do now that I wasn't able to do before strictly because I'm not teaching anymore.

Right? And I still have so much respect for the teaching profession and people who are still doing it. You know, it's it's you know, you you see teacher shortages all over the place, and then there's there's reasons for that.

Right? So the people who are sticking it out and and, you know, trying to, you know, properly mold our future, our kids.

Right? I have a lot of respect for them. Right? But end of the day, it just it wasn't for me anymore, and I knew that, I sure as hell wouldn't be as happy.

And, you know, I'm still doing that. And I think that it was you know, I have two kids now, and I think that coming home miserable every day would have had a major impact to my family in a negative way.

Right? So I just kinda had to make a personal decision. Right? So, you know, just no regrets, man. Very happy I did it.

One of the things that I like about the side hustle is that you kind of establish yourself by doing the work, maybe not full time, but you're doing the work and you're building and you're you're figuring out what works, what doesn't, while not having to go all in on it.

And you're meeting people, building those relationships. Well, it feels like a lot of people wanna go do certain things and wanna be an entrepreneur, but but they don't put in the work ahead of time.

They just show up and expect to, like, here, I'm gonna go do this thing, and it just falls flat. So, like, laying that groundwork, especially with people in this industry, I think, is really important.

Talk about the connections, the relationships. I know you go to a lot of local shows, but how important was that, building, like, the people and community infrastructure to you going all in and doing this full time?

Yeah. I mean, I think that, you know, I I will pat myself on the back a little bit here. I think that who I am as a person has helped me a lot be successful in terms of, like, I'm very sociable.

Right? I'm very easy to talk to. I have experienced in with all types of people through teaching, coaching, you know, you know, just all different types of people.

We know that a lot of people that walk in the shows are very I talk to this a lot, very introverted. Right? And they don't feel comfortable dealing with people. I I'm very good at making people feel comfortable. Right?

And I've done deals with people who I I still consistently do deals with who said, like, I don't deal with anybody else because I have a difficult time talking to people and and willing and dealing, and you initially made me feel comfortable, so I come back to you.

And I take a lot of pride in that. Right? So that's that's a huge part of it. Right? The other thing that I we didn't talk about earlier, and I wanted to mention, like, I gotta thank teaching for the organization aspect.

Right? Like, you know, when you come to my booth, I take pride in being the most organized showcase as you're gonna see in the show.

And I think that that, that definitely gets across to people. Right? So, there's so many of these these businessmen you see, like, just shit going in showcases everywhere.

One showcase with two cars and then one showcase with 30 cars. And like, I I take and now now I have this time since I'm doing it full time.

Right? I take time. Like, I reprice every car before a show, on my end. Like, I don't wanna sell something that went up 20%. I didn't because I was too lazy to do it.

And on the other flip side, I don't wanna oversell something to somebody because I didn't comp it and realize it was a lower comp, and now they just realized they paid overpaid and never come back to me again.

Right? So, that aspect, like and and I enjoy sitting here, man, in comping cards.

Like, I can sit here for five hours straight, recom cards or music in the background. I'm good. And and and it sure as hell wasn't like that correcting papers. Like, everyone, I'm just like, oh, god.

You again. Like, oh my god. You know, just like it's just like I used to get so frustrated doing what I had to do, and and now it's just like a freaking joy, like, sitting here and and going through this stuff.

And, yeah, I just you know, it's I I think that, you know, I I see some dealers now, and and I've like, the national was able to walk the show a little bit, before the show opened on Wednesday.

And, like, there's some deal like, the people who are just, assholes and are difficult to deal with and who who are just well, the ones that, you know, they got cash lying on everywhere and all these high end cars and think that they're just, you know, like, above and beyond the average person.

It's like, once again, we we sell pitch you sell cardboard pictures of men and women on it.

Right? Or or cartoon characters. You're not that big of a deal. Right? So I did I'm sitting there, like, I just can't imagine being like that, right, in in in dealing with people.

I don't know how people do a lot of success. So I can tell you what, that won't be sustainable success. Right? Because end of the day, man, like, people don't wanna spend their hard earned money with people they don't like.

It's kinda that simple. Right? So, I think that, my personality, dealing with all different people in all different aspects of life, and, I I think that's really helped me a lot. And I definitely have teacher to thank for that.

Right? So, people like I I had somebody ask me, like, aren't you kinda pissed that, you know, you you go to college and spend all this money, then you're not doing that. I mean, everything's a learning experience.

Right? Like, and I wouldn't be as good at this as I am now without teaching in that experience. Right? In terms of, the organizational aspect, in terms of scheduling, in terms of dealing with all different types of people.

Right? Like, when you teach, you know, freshmen through seniors, right, and you deal with all different types of kids, you deal with all different types of parents, right, from different, you know, facets of life. Like, you learn a lot.

Right? And you learn how to talk and deal with people. I think that's really helped me a lot, and I I definitely have teacher to thank for that, in terms of, how I deal with people and, you know, my personality in that.

The one thing that I've always appreciated about, talking with you and learning about the way you think about the hobby in the industry is the fact that you have been a collector for so long, and you have been amassing this collection that, you know, there sometimes that collection becomes part of your inventory, but you've built, I would say, this this safety net where you you bought cards at a certain price that have appreciated over time, mostly because you they you like the cards and you connected with them, and then you've hold held on to them, and then they've gone up in value.

I think a lot of, the way content is delivered to, new participants is the fact that, like, you can go walk in and you can flip a card and make a lot of money and, like, that mindset.

And there are plenty of people who flip cards and do really well, but, like, I think there's fewer than the individuals who have been here and do doing this for a long time who've amassed this collection that's have appreciated in value.

So I viewed your decision to kinda go all in, and I was pumped for you when you did it.

But I also knew, like, you were sitting on some really big cards that you bought at really good prices. And so maybe talk about that, like, safety net component a little more.

And then also just something that I feel like never gets brought up that often is just like your tenure in the hobby. Like, your tenure in the hobby afforded you the opportunity to do what you're doing today.

And I don't I don't know the case, but I would imagine it would be a lot of more challenging if you just, like, came back during the pandemic and tried to do what you're doing now.

Maybe share share a little perspective there. Yeah. I mean, it amazes me that some of the, quote, unquote, faces of the hobby are people that just jumped in during COVID.

Right? Like, I got street cred, man. I've been around for a long time. I've been around the block. Right? So, like, I know I've been in this for a long time.

I've seen the different ebbs and flows. So I think people respect that. You know, I'm never gonna be some, like, crazy, loud influencer type with a, camera crew walking around following me. And there listen.

There are there are some influences. I have a lot of respect for. I like them. I think it's awesome. My my son, I'm very particular who my son watches. Right? You know, as he's into YouTube now, embrace and stuff like that.

So, there's certain guys I'm not gonna mention names if I like and don't like, but there's certain guys who do it the right way. And they they put great content out there, and they're great with kids and things like that.

There are other guys who, flashing cash left and right, f bombs here and there, right, you know, using all sorts of weird slang terms to make themselves seem cooler than they actually are.

Right? So I'm never gonna be that. Right? But, you know, it's it's just one of those things where, content's interesting.

It's definitely become very interesting. But I I've I've been around a while, and I think that I think it still very much comes through to people that I'm a collector, and I love cards.

Right? One of the guys I have so much respect for in this industry is, Andy, Indy Card Exchange. Right?

And, you know, he runs one of the best card shops in the country, and, he is still a collector of Michael Jordan cards. Right? So and him and I talk, I go out there once a year, not to your neck of the woods for the Midwest Monster.

Right? And we sit down, always have a good conversation. And, you know, this year, he was showing me his Jordan collection and card ladder, and, you know, things have gone up tremendously.

I'm like, dude, I'm like, don't you, like, like, you can make x amount of money in this. Doesn't don't you wanna sell? Like, he's like, nope. He's like, no. He's like, hey. Love the card.

I know I'll never replace it. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. Right? So I'm like, you know, that I like, Andy's a very, very good hobby friend of mine because, you know, he's I feel like collectors, and people see that.

Right? So, like, as much as I am using this to pay the bills now full time, right, I still actually, this year in particular, I I can't wait.

I wanna do, like, a live or something, toward the end of the year and talk about PC pickups this year because I felt like last year when I picked up nothing.

Like, I I got end of last year. I'm like, what what if I picked up my collection this year?

Right? So, like, you gotta you gotta be careful. Right? Because you you're budgeting and you're trying to figure out, you know, only pulling in this amount here and there, x amount per month.

But, like, this year, I was like I was like, screw it, man. I'm picking up some PC cards this year. Like, I'm I'm you know, I picked up some crazy shit that I'm so pumped about.

And and I feel like I do my card of the day post, you know, every day during the week, and I feel like I I've put not available, like, 75% of the time over the last, like, four months, which is awesome.

I got cool shit that I'm I'm proud of to be added to the collection.

Right? But, yeah, I I just you know, what separates you from the pack? Like, I feel like for me, I am who I am. I I'm I'm I'm I'm real. I I feel like people respect that.

I I told this to my kids too in the classroom. Right? Like, I always told my kids, I said, listen. I'm the same with you here, then you'll see if you see me out at the movies or see me out at the grocery store or something like that.

There's not there's no there's not two different mister Randalls here. Right? Like, I am who I am. So how I talk to you guys, you know, minus the f bombs. Right? It's how I talk to my friends and how I talk to everybody else.

Right? So there's no because I I I I saw her in teaching then. These people these teachers would put on a different persona. And then once the day end, they they were somebody else. Like, they had to become somebody different to teach.

You see it in the hobby. Right? You see it, like, these people have to become somebody else to get clicks and likes and, like, I'm never gonna be like that. Right? And if that means I'm leaving money in the I don't give a shit, man.

Like, I am who I am. Like, I'm I'm not gonna change or try to be somebody fake in who I'm not. So it's not like that's just a hobby thing. I I saw it in the teaching world, right, consistently.

People were just very different in the classroom than they were outside of the classroom. Right? So, I think that's where I've gotten respect from people is the fact that there's no two faces to Kevin Randall.

It's it's I am who I am. And, you know, I I think that the other part, you you're dealing with a collector when you deal with me as well.

And I think that I've always wanted that. I've said that I probably feel like it comes up every time we talk, and I want it to.

Right? Because I I I wanna make it very clear. I hope it still comes through to people that, yeah, know, he's doing this full time. If he buys something off me, he's gonna make some some money on it.

I get it. But, like, at the same time, he's still he loves cards. He's passionate about the hobby. He's still very much a collector. And the fact that my son is so into this now, just makes it that much more awesome.

Yeah. The, relationship you have, been building through cards and with your son and sharing that has definitely become part of your brand online, which I think is super cool.

I got a couple more before we get out of here. One is just this this scaling of your business. What you bring to shows looks a lot different than what it did when you were working, you know, doing this on the side. Mhmm.

Obviously, like, any business owner wants to scale, wants to grow, wants to drive more revenue, you know, do all the things that we do as business owners. But talk about that decision to kinda change the way you show not dramatically.

Like, you don't not have Manning and Brady, but you you've you've integrated some new categories. Just, like, when did that moment hit you that this is something that I need to change, and how'd you go about it?

Yeah. I mean, you know, so it was more of a time thing. Right? Because I don't ever wanna get into something that I don't have time to research and become familiarized with before I start spending money on it.

Right? That's pretty easy advice you give to anybody. Right? Like, anybody who says, you know, I have this amount.

What do I buy for Tom Brady? I said, listen. I'm never gonna tell you what to buy, but, like, I'm gonna tell you some areas that I believe in, and you go check my Flickr page and see the stuff I'm holding on to.

But do your own research. You know, do some recon. Right? So for me, you know, I knew that I couldn't make a living just off selling Tom Brady and Peyton Manning cards, especially Peyton because I'm in the Boston area.

So, I mean, it's he doesn't love blood. Of course. Right. Exactly. Right? So, at first, I I love basketball.

I I you know, my my whole life, I'm a fifteen year high school varsity basketball coach. Right? So getting into basketball was was the the natural slide over to me to kinda have a different type of showcase out.

And then, obviously, getting the Jordan stuff was huge because it it you know, the parallel between Jordan and basketball and Brady and football.

Right? So it made sense to kinda go that route. And then the big step for me was vintage. And I would say that, in terms of my business, the the best decision I have made in the last three years was to get into vintage.

I've been very successful with it. I love it. It's been a a awesome learning curve. There's a history component to it, which I think is awesome too.

You know, when you talk to people about different sets and cards and players and things like that, you know, back when baseball was America's pastime, right, in in the sport.

Right? It's it's cool to have those conversations. You know, it's also cool that my eight year old son knows who Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams are.

Right? So he gets a little history lesson too. Right? But, you know, for me, I I knew I had to expand, but I also knew that I wasn't gonna be as much of a gambler as I am.

I wasn't gonna live and die on every throw a young quarterback makes every Sunday. Right? Because I I I tried that for a little bit before I went full time to work.

It just it's it's a 98% failing proposition. Right? We're seeing it yet again this season. All the A lot of smart defensive coordinators who like to watch film, and they have a whole summer to do it.

Right. Right. Exactly. Right. So it just blows my mind how it just people fall into the same trap. But like we did talk about before we get on here, I feel like people are getting smarter than what they're buying.

That's why you're seeing some of these goat prices just go through the freaking roof because, people want that stuff versus, you know, all these young guns that they continually lose on.

But, yeah. So that expansion, it was it was slow. It was calculated. Right? And I'm very much a lower risk, lower reward type, but lower short excuse me.

Lower risk, lower short term reward type. Like, I I try to explain to these young kids who, you know, are into this. Like, guys, the cards I've made the best profits on are the ones I've had for three, four, five years.

That's the the mindset that's completely lost with how things are now. Right now it's like I gotta buy this for a $100 and sell it for a $110 of that repacker over there.

Right? So, like, cool. That's awesome. You you you made your percentage of margin. Right? But do you wanna make some real money? Like, did you wanna try to actually, you know, buy a stock and sit on it?

Right? Like a little four zero one k type deal. Like, you know, if I go through my spreadsheets, man, and, you know, when I submit stuff end of the year to the tax band, the biggest profits and stuff I've had for over a year.

Right? It's it's it's consistent every year, and that's what's lost here.

And that's also where being a collector has helped. I think a lot of people who are looked up to as the, ambassadors of the hobby now aren't really collectors. And I I I think that's a problem.

Right? Like, because that because then, like, when, you know, they see all these influencers buying these high end quarterback cards and flip them for x amount, they see the cash on the table, that's what they wanna do.

Right? Well, it's really not that easy. It's just not. You know? So, and I and I was talking to I have it's it's so funny. I have, like, a whole, group of, former students and players, from Barraville who are now into this.

They set up a show. It was, like, literally, I was at the EC three con show. Shout out to Scott and Nicole, for putting on a great show where he can sign over the weekend on Sunday and a two day one coming up in November.

And I have two tables, and my other table belongs to, two former football players from Barville. I both had in class.

Right? You know, kids in their twenties, mid to late twenties, and they're awesome kids, and, you know, they're like one of them said to me is like, coach, do you realize how many people, you know, are doing this not because of you?

Right? Like, I'm doing cards on the side. A former player of my house the other morning, he he works overnight, and he came over with a a set of cards that he wanted to get created.

So we we spent an hour going through them. Right? Like, all these little things that I do now that I couldn't have done if I was teaching. Right?

Like, I I actually think back to the whole Brady thing when I met Braylee. Like, I don't think I would've went to an adex fast if I was still teaching. I don't I I think about that a lot. Right? Like, I I still almost didn't go. Right?

So, like, it's it's all these opportunities and things that I have going on now that just wouldn't have happened, if I was still in the classroom. That's where you're like, alright. You feel really good, you know, about your decision.

But, yeah, there's, you know, a lot that goes into it. It's a lot of stress, but this it's it's good stress. Like, teaching was not good stress. It was not good it was not good, mentally. This is like a a stressful day in the hobby.

Beats a sadly, it'd be a good day in the classroom for me, and that's how you really know that you made the right move, made the right decision. So you've shared a lot of wisdom, a lot of experience.

There's a lot of people out there that are, doing the weekend warriors, doing the show scene, grinding, looking to do what you're doing, and listening to this. And you're a great example of where they wanna be.

There's a lot of advice you gave throughout this. What is one like, what is the most important piece of advice you'd give to anyone out there who wants to turn their passion into their profession?

Yeah. I mean, we touched upon, like, all of it. But I think the one thing, I wanna harp on is that, you you worded your bond, man.

Like, trust is the biggest thing in this. Right? Because the second you lose that, people aren't gonna wanna deal with you. And I've seen it. I've seen people burn bridges over silly shit and just, like, over a couple $100 in a deal.

Like, it's just it blows my mind. Like, when you deal with me, you know, you're dealing with somebody trustworthy, who, loves cards, who cares about the hobby.

And, of course, I do it right now. Even more not that I wanna say even more so. Yes. Even more so. My eight year old son's involved in this now.

So I'm trying to set a good example for him. That's another thing too. Like, I I think it's okay to kinda humanize yourself a little bit. Like, I'm very open with my personal life and my family.

Some people aren't. They don't feel comfortable with that, and I completely understand and respect that. Like, I have friends who don't put pictures of their kids on social media, and I get that.

Right? But at the end of the day, I want people to understand that I'm a dad. I'm a family man. Right? You know, doing the the best I can to raise my kids the right way.

And I I think that one of my favorite show moments, of all time happened this year when I had older couple, probably in their maybe late fifties, come to my booth, and we did a deal.

And then they had a couple cards, they gave to me to give to Grayson. And, the dad said, Kev, I gotta tell you. He's like watching you and your son, the clips you put on Instagram, the little card shows you do in your office.

He's like, it brings me so much joy because my kid's in college now. I don't have that anymore. I can almost live vicariously through you and the relationship you have with your kid. And it cut it it was I was like, wow.

You don't think of stuff like that, but, like, I think it's important people understand and see who you are, like, that they're dealing with somebody who's a real person and and has a family and, does things other than try to make money off buying cards.

Right? So, that that business plan isn't for everybody.

That's just kinda who I am. And my wife is very comfortable with that too. Obviously, it's it's a it's a two way street there in terms of putting your kids on social media and things like that.

So, but I'll tell you, I'm not sure anybody has benefited more from my business plan than my son. Like, I tell I Brad, I tell him all the time.

I said, Greg, you are the freaking luckiest eight year old. Literally You have to start a technician, man. Seriously. I I I told the other day, like, somebody brought him a gift. I said, buddy, I should get half of that.

Like, seriously. Right? Like like, literally, it's just it's so cool, and it makes me makes me proud. Right? I'm I'm proud of him. You know? Like, the other day, somebody went to give a gift, and he put his hand out to shake their hand.

I'm like, that's my boy. That's my boy. Right? Like, you and the guy was, like, taken aback. Like, oh, good handshake, buddy. Like, he's he's learning about life through cards, and I think that's huge.

So the fact that, this is my full time job and the fact that he's learning things about life through my full time job of being with me, it's freaking awesome, man.

It's just you know, it's I'm rarely in a bad mood these days, and that's because I made the switch.

And I just I couldn't be freaking happier. Awesome story. Before I let you go, you setting up anywhere soon? Where can people find you? No. I am not. And I'm Off season. I actually just put up, on my Instagram story the other day.

I have, like, a three week three weeks off, which is freaking awesome, actually. I'm so fired up, literally. I don't know when this is airing, but tomorrow morning, we're leaving for Happy Valley.

Me and five of my buddies, we're going to see Penn State. I've never been to a big d one college football game. So we're going to see Penn State in Oregon this weekend. Just the whiteout game. My buddy is a diehard Oregon fan.

So I said, listen. You wanna wear your neon colors? You can Stand out like a sore thumb. I'm not I'm not getting in a fight with we're we're almost 40, buddy. We're not getting fights over with college kids over football game.

Right? But, yeah. So it's a couple weeks off, which is cool because I you know, weekend shows are tough, man. You you miss stuff. Right? Like, I missed a lot of stuff. For great this summer.

He gets it. Like, you can miss for an especially Nashville for a baseball term. That's just Dan's job now. Right? But, he I call coach flag football on Saturdays, and, you know, when I have weekends off, I can be there for that.

But my next big show is really November, is that two day e c three Concho in Mohican Sun. That's it for the year. There's some small local shows mixed in, the Dedham Show, Cardboard Promotions, the Flipping Car Show in Uber, Mass.

There's a couple smaller ones mixed in local ones, but, that's really it. And then next year, we kick it off, and we get things going after basketball season.

Because once again, still coaching. So from November to, you know, February, I'm completely immersed in that. And after that, that's where things really pick up and the show schedule starts to pick up.

Awesome. Kevin, always great catching up. Appreciate you sharing your story here today. Looking forward to doing this again soon. Thanks for having me on, man. Always a pleasure.