EP 39- Dennis Morales, CEO The Drink Labs: Running With Scissors

Being an entrepreneur is the equivalent of running with scissors………in both hands.  It can be fun, and exhilarating, with an element of danger that could cost you more than your eye with one wrong step.  Every single entrepreneur has figured out that working a 9-5 is not the true path to wealth creation, and at some point, they do the one thing 95% of people are not willing to do………bet on themselves.  Today’s guest is one of those people who broke free from a corporate structure and is currently putting an industry on its back.  Dennis Morales is founder and CEO of The Drink Labs based out of L.A., California.  He currently helps companies create every type of beverage from coffee drinks, energy drinks, to alcoholic beverages with their unique branding. They handle the research and development, manufacturing, and sales and distribution based on the way modern-day consumers purchase.   Jeff and Dennis dive into why Dennis is addicted to winning as he cites his early childhood, competition in athletics, and his affinity for math.  Dennis comes from a very healthy childhood that led to a natural progression of attending college, getting a degree and making his way to work for corporate structures like 3M.  There he spent many years in Research and Development creating solutions to man’s modern day challenges around energy, pain, hormones and everything that would result in products produced from some of the most effective solutions to come out of human ingenuity and pharmacology.  Jeff gets straight into asking Dennis about how fulfilled he was working for companies like 3M where he shares how having a great salary, benefits, and 401K were not enough to keep him strapped to a 9-5.  Dennis shares the one thing that made him break for something new, something fresh, and something that would create abundance in his life not found in a 9-5 corporate job.  What You’ll Learn: What made Dennis decide to break from 3M Where Dennis was raised  The specific focus Dennis participated in while at 3M 3 Phases of the Beverage industry Why Research and Development are so important in the initial stages of any product launch  Regulations surrounding manufacturing of products made for human consumption How distribution has changed since the advent of the Covid laced world  Worldwide solutions found in nature such as roots, leaves, plants, and tree bark  The power of networking and why Dennis enjoys being in the room with other high-performance individuals  Why betting on yourself is one of the best things you can do starting today And much more!     Favorite Quote: “I like being around like-minded people. I didn’t know there were people out there that kinda thought the way that I did.  They just have this gut feeling that there’s something, not necessarily bigger and better, but there was something more fulfilling to them than just your typical 9-5.  In Pharmaceuticals, it was neve 9-5.  It was always 12 to 16 to 18 hours a day just because of the nature of research, but in finding people and meeting people that have similar drives, they all do the same thing as I do and they bet on themselves.”    -Dennis Morales     Connect With Dennis:  833-4-Drinks  The Drink Labs     How to Get Involved: Addicted to Winning connects listeners through stories that prove why mindset matters. Jeff Brekken was working a 60-hour week on his family’s farm by the time he was 10. When he wasn’t helping with the harvest, he was at the hockey rink. Jeff’s early life experiences taught him he needs to be either all-in or all-out.  In 2000 he started a single-family home construction business and by 2008 he was looking for his next big thing. Jeff founded the Blue Sky Benefit Solutions & Rise Above HR/Recruiting on top of a lifelong passion for helping people. Through this show, Jeff will take that passion one step further. If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping.