.: VET - What was your birth into the cigar game?

Mike - So I first started out selling cigars in the restroom at nightclubs. I was the restroom valet. I had Cologne and mints, and all that. And the guy that got me in the business was like, hey, man, you know, you sell these cigars, you can buy them for $5 and sell them for $20. I was like hey, I like that math you understand so I started, you know, just going to buy cigars. I basically walk in cigar stores and would be like, hey, what do people smoke? And would go to different spots around the city like Georgia Cigars, The Tinder Box in Lenox Mall, I would go just all around the city, just a depend on where I had an account at. The package store over there on Delk Road uh Minks. Minks used to have a cigar store inside. When you walked all the way in, turn to the right and go to the back. It was a set of steps that you walk up and it was a whole cigar area like a little lounge. And we go there and I was smoking it named Chuck. You go sit up there smoke. And he would teach me about cigars, you know. So after just starting for a while, selling them in the restrooms at the nightclubs, and I started smoking cigars. And then I figured out, well, If could talk more about these cigars, people would buy more.

.: VET - When did your cigar IQ kick in?

Mike - Well, I didn't know I had it. See, that's the thing. I didn't. So what would happen is I go into the cigar spot. Al, we call him Big Papi. I was sitting in there. I met the brother Cool dude. So one day I'm walking in.

I'm buying, like, 15 or 20 cigars at a time, which I didn't know was odd. And he was like, hey, man, you know, they put sofas in here for a reason. I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, man, sit down your ass down. So I sat down and we talked and I met other, you know, good cats in there, so now I don’t have nothing to do during the day. So I go out and do all my shopping I need to do, go to Walmart, my mints and all that. Then I go to the cigar store, get my cigars, and I just hang out there.

.: VET - So when did the light bulb go off, like wait a minute. This is a culture?

Mike - It took longer than it should have. I mean, cause I'm just. I'm a hustler. And a lot of times I'm just focused on the trap. So what would happen is cigar reps would come in and people would introduce me like, hey, this a rep for so and so and so so, which was a little odd, because at that time, reps really didn't interact with customers like that. They come in and talk to the manager to talk to the owner and be like, this guy, buy a lot of cigars. You know what I'm saying. He's a cool dude. So they talk to me and they give me cigars and I'm like, hey man, you gave me like, 5 or 6 cigars. Like, I'm probably going to say about four of these So if you want to take these back, I get it. But they were like nah you're good. So we really became cool. You know, a lot of the reps became cool. So now it's a cigar event and you the rep. Somebody said, man. Mike, what kind of cigar? I was like, no, man, that's too strong for you. Try that one. Cause I smoke everything in your line? So I'm basically...