Aggie Legends Podcast S2E1: Garrett Hilbert & Cody Jones

GARRETT HILBERT:
We were told right off the bat, you will fail as a company working with your best friends and family. I mean, they said it directly to us and they were like, you should get out now.

CODY JONES:
They said what they needed to say for us to say, we’re going to prove you wrong.

GARRETT HILBERT:
And, you know, you have to do what’s right for the company. But, you know, if that goes against like maybe a family issue relationship in there, like it’s tough. But so far we’re hanging in there and here we are. We’re 17 going in 18 years next month. So it’s been a wild ride.

BEN WIGGINS:
Welcome to Aggie Legends where we talk with founders, CEOs and other successful Aggies about the lessons in leadership they’ve experienced throughout their careers. I’m your host, Ben Wiggins Mays, MBA, class of 2018. And today we are coming to you from Dude Perfect HQ three talking with two of the founding members, Garrett Hilbert and Cody Jones. Guys what’s up?

GARRETT HILBERT:
How’s it going, man? Thanks for having us on. I feel inadequate, to be honest. That intro you said like founders, leaders, some other stuff that I don’t know if I fit that bucket.

CODY JONES:
Yeah I agree I’m wearing one of our new merch drop hoodies for this. So I feel a little underdressed. But you know what? I’ll still…

GARRETT HILBERT:
That’s a leader right there plugging merch already Right off the bat.

BEN WIGGINS:
I appreciate the hoodie. I also appreciated the sea foam. It’s all been good. They’re both good. But both grads of Texas A&M class of 2010. Garrett graduated with an architecture degree, and Cody is an Ag-econ graduate with a degree in finance and real estate. And both have been a part of Dude Perfect since the first backyard trick shots went viral. Dude perfect started as just a bunch of friends goofing off. What were you feeling when that first video went viral?

GARRETT HILBERT:
When we started it, it was really like we all, I didn’t live with them. I was just over there every day. They were just too dirty for me. But I came in just, you know, experienced the fun and then left. But we were just a bunch of friends who always loved competition. Weren’t super hardcore into like, you know, the fraternity scene or whatever. So we put a basketball goal in our backyard and we all grew up playing basketball. It was a big passion of ours, and it was just like, hey, who can make this shot better? And so that’s kind of how it started. And then we put it online for our parents to see. And like two days later, Cory gets woken up from a phone call from Good Morning America. And they’re like, want to talk about this video we filmed? And, since then it’s just skyrocketed. We had no intention to, like, start a company, had no intention to, you know, form this now very big corporation. So, it’s been a super fun ride. And, we’re having fun doing it.

CODY JONES:
Even up to a year ago, Garrett still didn’t believe we had made it as far as I need to get another job? Like. And I’m like, Garrett, I think we’re going to be okay. And he’s like, dude, I’m just stressed. I just feel like the YouTube market is decreasing, and I’m going to have to go be an architect. I’m like, yeah, that’s okay.

GARRETT HILBERT:
There’s a lesson for kids. You know, always be looking at that next thing. You know, you never know

CODY JONES:
Have a backup plan. It’s good. It’s good.

BEN WIGGINS:
So you’ve gotten a call from GMA now like it’s something happening. But when did you guys decide okay? It’s this. At least for the time being, it’s this instead of going to be an architect.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah we didn’t, honestly life situations kind of decided it for us. Cody was about to take a youth pastor job down in Austin. He was gonna move churches. Ty was a career change. I was about to go full time. I just got my graduate degree in architecture and was like, going to go all in and get my license and stuff like that. And the twins were still just kind of keeping this dream of like, Dude Perfect full time. And so it was really just like, hey, it was in April, we were at the Final Four in Georgia in Atlanta. And I just remember Ty’s like, hey, I either have to quit Dude Perfect, or quit my job. And do it till the end of the year. And we’re like, that’s kind of crazy. But, yeah, we’ll do it, you know? And all of we all had wives at the time the twins didn’t, but the three of us were married. And so, like, we were financially secure from our wives, you know

CODY JONES:
The teacher’s salary was nice.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah you know, I mean, back when you’re a 21 year old, you know, no kids, a teacher salary is nice. You know?

CODY JONES:
Yeah. At times we were probably 24. And so it was an interesting transition to think YouTube could be a full time job. And no one had seen that work out well. Like at the time it was unknown. And so even my wife for a while, would just still tell people I was either in real estate or youth ministry like, I’m not going to tell them you’re a YouTuber because that’s not a thing. And today it’s just crazy to see. A lot of kids now are saying, I would love to be an influencer one day. And it’s just a whole different world.

GARRETT HILBERT:
So like four years after college, we got to basically go back to college, which is just hanging out with the bros. 9 to 5, like creating fun videos and trying to figure out, like, how do we make this a job? And we were super blessed. I mean, the Lord provided right off the get go like this was the right decision. Because we landed our biggest deal two weeks after we quit. And it was very affirming, like, hey, this is what you’re supposed to be doing.

BEN WIGGINS:
What does the biggest deal mean in this context?

GARRETT HILBERT:
So we had, when we first, when we were in college, we had GMC approach us for a sponsorship deal. And, they, I love GMC, you know, no offense to them, but they fleeced us for sure. They for a NBAs final commercial. They said, hey, we’ll pay you $60,000, okay? We’re college kids. I mean, we were like, oh.

CODY JONES:
We won. The lottery, dude.

GARRETT HILBERT:
We just locked this up. It actually ended up doing like it’s one of their most successful campaigns, like billions of billions of impressions and turns out like later on in life we’re like, oh, they spend like $4 million to create commercials. Yeah, it’s fine. But so like, that was like the brand deals were when I’m referring to like the biggest deal, we actually got signed on to a kind of like an agent per say. They were called Whistle Sports. And so it was a multi-year deal that financially it would give us a big runway to be like, okay, hey, we can like, not stress out about this and kind of really take our time and make some fun decisions and do this thing.

BEN WIGGINS:
As you were making those decisions, what lessons are you pulling from the college education and also from the hard knocks education?

CODY JONES:
Yeah, I mean, we all had different backgrounds. The twins were communications, Tyler was wildlife and fisheries, Garrett was architecture. And then I was in business. And it was kind of a mix. Like we all kind of took our own lane. Coby handled the business side of things and the phone calls with the brands. Tyler was head of creative, like the ideas of what videos we’re going to film. Garrett was our CFO, so he handled all the expenses, all the revenue that was pouring in. I handled all social media. So back then it would have been like Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Yeah, yeah. And merchandise at the time. And then Cory was our video editor. And so filming wise it was me and the twins would rotate. And so we always had someone down below filming the shot and someone up Ty up top with Ty filming the like first person angle. And so at the time, for the first five years, Dude Perfect was a trick shot channel. We were trying to get on Sportscenter’s top ten. We were trying to, you know, just do mind blowing trick shots. And our big pivot was in 2014 when Cory came up with the concept of stereotypes, which would have been like a skit based comedy show. And so what I tell kids a lot is like, whatever you’re known for in the YouTube space, if you’re making content, pivot like, always have another lane that you can hit because diversifying is the key. The minute we made that switch from just trick shot guys to now we’re just personalities, the business changed completely. And so now we’re able to do a podcast and, you know, TV shows and movies and all the things that we do because, we kind of got out of that one trick shot. We’re still known as that, but it’s not all we do. Yeah.

BEN WIGGINS:
Briefly on that. Do you think it was the act of pivoting more generally, or was it that specific pivot that brought you guys as personalities into it that made you characters beyond just sort of not the backdrop? Exactly, but sort of you are you are. The real draw is the trick shot..

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah I think the pivot needs to be the right pivot. Like, I don’t think just pivoting in general will be successful. I do think like we weren’t thinking of it that way when we did it. It was something different for us to film because we were running out of trick shot ideas like, how can we keep topping ourselves? And it is just getting absurd at this point, right? And it did something that we didn’t even expect. And that is, it made us these personalities that kids could latch on to. And there’s five of us. And so we’ve always said, like, we’re a team. You know, a team is like a basketball squad. You got five guys. That’s how the idea of Panda came in, because every team has a mascot. And so we operate as a team. Like if this was like three of us, if this was just Ty like, It’s just I don’t believe it’s successful. Like, the team has just been such an integral piece to our company. Because we all have different backgrounds, we all have different opinions. We all bring something just new to the table and it’s really worked out well.

BEN WIGGINS:
Yeah and you guys, as longevity as a team though, has been really remarkable. Like what has so five guys everybody’s still here. Like what has helped you kind of stay the course together? I mean it’s been exciting. But there’s obviously more to it than that.

GARRETT HILBERT:
There’s hardships for sure.

CODY JONES:
Yeah I think with our business, we’re now up to 75 employees. And that’s changed in the last two years. Before that it was about 20. But I would say of all the different challenges that we face, the five of us as owners, being unified is the most difficult. Just because each day we come in with different aspirations, different ideas, and you’ve got to navigate conflict well or it doesn’t work. And so our faith in Jesus has been our, like bedrock of the entire business, from the first day we started, we said no to, you know, alcohol commercials, betting sites. And so it just set us apart from the other online trash at the time where people were going to YouTube in order to say cuss words and be raunchy, and it made us become brand safe. And so it was this lane that we accidentally fell into just because that’s who we are. But I would say, all in all, it’s our ability to apologize, to be quick to listen. And we still have so many fights, like on the same day, I can be like, I am going to destroy you, son. And then you’re also like, dude, you’re my best friend. Let’s go play basketball. So it’s having thick skin, but also some humility and knowing, like when you’re wrong or when it’s not worth fighting about.

BEN WIGGINS:
What brought you to. I’m going to destroy you, son.

CODY JONES:
Oh, that one would have specifically been.

GARRETT HILBERT:
No, there’s a bunch, man.

CODY JONES:
I mean, I told you right before we started filming, I was doing a TikTok upstairs, and my social media guy goes, I want you to slam the wall and say this line. And I did. And it was on Garrett’s office wall. And all of a sudden I just hear shattering glass. And I turned the corner and there’s just like, it’s his Johnny Manziel sign picture. It’s Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman. Cosigning one.

GARRETT HILBERT:
It’s all right though, dude.

CODY JONES:
See, look at this, what a nice guy. But see, he was like, dude you’re paying for that. I go, dude, I’m going to destroy you. I’m not paying for that. That’s Judah’s fault.

GARRETT HILBERT:
No yeah I mean, it’s taken us a long time to learn the humility side of it and the gray side of it. Obviously, we’re human, and. And no one likes to be wrong. You know, like, I tell my kids that all the time is like they’re, you know, they’re lying because they don’t want to get caught in the wrong. And it’s like, we all do that. We do that when we’re 50, you know? It’s like no one likes to be told like you’re wrong. Like it’s just against the grain of humanity. And it’s constant work every day that we’re, and luckily, again, there’s five of us. You know, if it’s just me and Cody, I don’t know, like that fight could, something could happen. But we have another guy at the table that could be like, hey, both of y’all. Like, y’all need to chill, you know? So it works out really well.

CODY JONES:
And it’s been tough because I feel like if we were just like one founder, you can make those decisions, be decisive with them and then own them. Because there’s five we’ve run like a Senate. So we’re voting. We don’t do it that often, but typically we’re pretty aligned. But there have been several instances where we have to say, all right, let’s vote. Are we going to do the three shows in Dallas? We’re going to do one in Dallas, one in Houston, and it’s 3 to 2. And so we just move in that direction like what the consensus says.

BEN WIGGINS:
What’s the vote? That was the most split that it was like 2 to 2. And the fifth person was undecided.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Man, there’s been so many.

CODY JONES:
I didn’t want to do the new office. I’ll, I’ll admit that I saw the number. It was like 10 million. I was like, that’s a lot of money. I like office two. It is great.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah I mean, I think we have a crazy vote like that a lot. Yeah. I, you know, we’ve had hard things like, you know, what’s crazy is there’s five of us. Two of those members are twins.

CODY JONES:
They’re always aligned.

GARRETT HILBERT:
That’s family. We had Ty’s, dad. As our manager for, you know, the first 15 years, 14 years of our company. So that brought more family. It’s just,t and we were told right off the bat, I remember sitting with some mentors and they literally looked us dead in the eye and were like, you will fail as a company working with your best friends and family. I mean, they said it directly to us and they were like, you should get out now.

CODY JONES:
They said what they needed to say for us to say, we’re going to prove you wrong.

GARRETT HILBERT:
And, you know, it’s been tough to keep that, to keep that core, because there have been very significant moments where you’re just like, man, I don’t know maybe we did just break it. Because those family things or the hard decisions that just happen, you know, you have to do what’s right for the company. But, you know, if that goes against like maybe a family issue or relationship in there, like it’s tough. But you know, so far we’re hanging in there and here we are. We’re 17 going in 18 years next month. So it’s been a wild ride.

BEN WIGGINS:
I’ve gotten that same advice myself. Don’t do business with friends and family. It’ll fail and it’ll blow up the relationships. So how do you guys manage those dynamics? Like what? And was there a point where you were like, all right, we have to shift the way that we’re thinking about that. Like what does that look like?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah, I mean, I think we operate under the same dynamics, like the five of us, our relationship and our extended families come first. So, you know, if, like if Cody’s going through a family issue, it’s like, hey, you take care of your family first. Like family first. Job is the least important thing. And there’s four other guys that can carry the weight of that. Now, if it’s like an internal thing on like a, like a big vote, and this is where it comes in, where it does involve family, that’s where it gets a little bit more, more sticky. But at the end of the day, the five of us are the company. And we want to make sure that we’re taking care of the five of us as best as we can. And so we operate under the same, you know, dynamics of how you were told. But it’s not always easy. And again, like your own selfishness gets in the way quite, quite often. So.

BEN WIGGINS:
What about okay so a little a little bit more on that if you would like, you said your own selfishness. If I can ask what selfishness look like?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah. I mean, for me personally, I just feel like again, we’ve gone in waves. So like, Cody was the first to get married. I was the first to have children. Things have been said in our company. We make it a joke now. It’s actually like. Like I remember Cory. He’d be fine for me to say this.

CODY JONES:
This is amazing.

GARRETT HILBERT:
You know, we’re like, I’m in the thick of it, have a newborn or whatever. And he literally well, it started with like, he would say stuff like, well, I didn’t tell you to get married. Like, company comes first. And then he said the same thing about kids, and then it’s like, well then he gets into the kid game and he’s like, dang like that I realize it now. Like I’m in it like, and I’m sorry, you know? And so, there’s nothing you can say to that. Like you want to. My selfishness wants to be like, I don’t care about your apology. Like you’re not getting time off because you didn’t give me time off to get to work. Obviously. Yeah. Obviously , it’s like hey, look like, he admitted. Like he was immature at that moment. It was like, move on from it. But that’s like a minor example of like, I could be selfish in that regard and be like, no, I’m not. Forget your apology. You’re doing what I did. Like I didn’t tell you to have twins. You know, like, but it’s just it’s life happens and you grow up and you learn things and so it’s just like that. But selfishness is like there was a thought where I’m like, bro, are you serious? Like, you need two weeks off. Like, Coby’s about to have his third kid. And we just implemented a new policy in our company where paternity leave is now a month. When we did it, it was one week like you get one week, you’re back at the office On day eight if you’re not back there like we’re getting, we’re just reaming each other. And now Coby’s about Coby’s about to take a month off and we’re like, do we get like retroactively like can we take this?

CODY JONES:
That’s four months for me.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah, I know exactly. like little stuff like that. It just comes out where it’s like selfishly, I’m like, dude, you get a week off, let’s be honest. But so just stuff, like little stuff like that.

BEN WIGGINS:
What does the substantive aspect of this look like kind of in 2026? You know, 20 years later, letting everybody’s kind of gifts and sort of what you’ve grown into as professionals, how does that get a chance to shine?

CODY JONES:
Yeah, I mean, we’ve definitely delegated a lot of roles that we used to take, and that’s from HR to creative to the editing, all of it. And now we have a whole team that’s just focused on the creative side of things. So we have a new room upstairs called The Lab, and it’s just a place where any employee can go in and on a whiteboard, just write down ideas. And the beauty of it is that they want Tyler to walk in there with a red pen and like X out bad ideas that he doesn’t like, and then just circle ones that he does like. And we did an off site the other day, and all 70 of us sat down and we did like these little stations, and everyone would just throw in ideas for trick shot down or for the book series or YouTube videos or the next podcast topic. And it was really cool to see all the different people in the melting pot that is the Dude Perfect team come together and make some really cool, innovative ideas that we hadn’t thought of because we’ve just kind of been in this same lane for so long. And so Tyler, I would say, is the end all be all when it comes to the YouTube main channel. But it is the whole back end of my teammates that have made it work and have perfected it.

GARRETT HILBERT:
And it allows employees to feel, you know, bought in. And that they’re a piece of the creativity that Dude Perfect is. Because we are a creative company.

CODY JONES:
An example for those that are watching. We did a mystery detective battle and I don’t do a lot of like board games or mystery games. And I was like making fun of it. Like, what are we nerds? I don’t want to go walk around a mansion and play a mystery murder mystery with you guys. And so I got outvoted and we did it. And I’m, like, the most invested. Like, I had the most fun that night. We stayed up all night, and there was, like, a killing in the living room that was all staged. And we had to find clues and like, I just bought in and it’s one of our most beloved series. We’ve done three of them now, and that’s one that I would have never in a million years thought would work on our channel. But sure enough, there’s a lot of nerds out there.

BEN WIGGINS:
Guilty. Let’s talk about how this all filters into the entire company. So you guys have this spirit of friendly competition, but you guys have a lot of built trust. You’ve known each other for a long time. How do you manage those dynamics around a company of 75 people? Like, obviously there’s a very unique culture happening here. I mean, you can just look around the building and see this is different from a lot of businesses, but how do you teach people to manage that competitive spirit with also conversely, a spirit of cooperation and hey, like in the end, we all love each other. We’re all on the same team. We’re all pushing, we’re all rowing in the same direction. Like, how do you get people to buy into that quickly?

GARRETT HILBERT:
That’s a great question. I would say over the last 18 months, obviously, we have prided ourselves on culture for the entirety of our company and still do, adding so many people so quickly, you know, you are going to have that going to slip a little bit. It’s just a change. Change is hard and it’s going to happen, and there’s going to be people that maybe don’t buy into exactly what your vision of culture is. And, but I always, I’ve always preached that you can teach- you can teach anybody a skill set. You can’t teach people a work ethic. And we really want to, we really want people who this isn’t a job they come to for a paycheck. This is a job they come to because they have a passion for it. And they truly love this place for what it stands for, what it does for, you know, the world and brings joy and hope to people and fun for families like we want people to be bought into that trust. And when this place turns and it turns into a place to come and get a paycheck, I think you’re losing the culture piece like you lose what you’ve you’ve built. And so I think the five of us all, all the guys do a really good job of just knowing employees, you know, being letting employees be seen. When I worked in an architecture firm, I would, if I got called into a CEO’s office, like that was a problem, you know, like, it wasn’t like it wasn’t a good thing. Right? And so, like, we don’t want to be that company. We want to be a company that’s just just an approachable company. A company that does share that competition. Like, we just had a huge debate upstairs before this podcast, which, you know, I think it’s a pretty good debate of who’s the main guy of the Backstreet Boys. You know, that’s good.

CODY JONES:
Is that up for debate?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Who is it?

CODY JONES:
Nick. Not even close. Wow.

BEN WIGGINS:
He’s the most he’s the most beloved, but I don’t know-

CODY JONES:
He stands in the middle

GARRETT HILBERT:
Exactly what I’m saying. There’s minor things like this. We- I disagree with you.

CODY JONES:
Okay who’s your guy?

GARRETT HILBERT:
It’s Brian for sure.

CODY JONES:
No way.

BEN WIGGINS:
I actually agree with this.

GARRETT HILBERT:
It’s fine. It’s fine.

BEN WIGGINS:
Brian is the lead guy. Nick is the most beloved.

CODY JONES:
Who’s NSYNC’s main guy?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Justin, come on.

CODY JONES:
They are allowed to have it. Oh y’all are crazy.

BEN WIGGINS:
Wait wait, you think it’s not Justin?

CODY JONES:
No it is, I’m saying they’re the same. Nick and Justin are the same guy.

GARRETT HILBERT:
It’s amazing. But my point is exactly this. Like, we just. We like to have. We debate things. So, yeah. I think that’s how we buy people into the culture of just like. And what Cody just said, letting them be a part of a big decision for our company. Like letting the, you know, an accountant of our company do creative things like, I mean, they never even thought they were probably going to do that. But to have a part of like, wow, like I came up with that idea and now it’s on YouTube. Like, it’s just cool like it knits everyone together. And so but growing a company is hard and change is hard. And we don’t do everything perfectly. We make a lot of mistakes and we try to learn from them. But it’s a daily task for sure. Do you have anything to add?

CODY JONES:
No, that was great.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Well, Brian. Brian’s the main guy.

CODY JONES:
I’m still thinking about the NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys thing. I’m really spiraling right now. I didn’t know that it was a debate.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Well, at least y’all didn’t say Kevin, because that was the consensus upstairs.

CODY JONES:
I don’t even know who Kevin is.

BEN WIGGINS:
That’s ridiculous.

GARRETT HILBERT:
I know.

BEN WIGGINS:
All right, let’s talk about prior to inculcating someone into the culture. When you’re thinking about bringing someone on, like what does the interview process even look like for hiring someone for Dude Perfect? And what values are you emphasizing? What qualities are you looking for? Like what does that look like?

CODY JONES:
I mean, for the first 15 years, we had a team of about 25, and I would say, I probably let out the most, maybe with Coby’s help on finding people. And Tim would handle the editor side. I handled a lot of things like the talent acquisition of people that were coming in to help with scheduling, logistics, brand deals, all that kind of stuff. And then when you’re meeting them, you’re just seeing if there’s a culture fit. Typically, it’s someone that we’ve worked with in the past. We’re kind of on an island on YouTube. What would you call it? Media space, being here in Frisco, right, versus being in LA. But we’ve always valued being in Texas, being close to home. Me and Ty and Garrett are all from the Dallas area, and the twins are from Houston. And so it’s always made sense to be rooted here. But it does leave you a little bit scarce on the job market for what we’re trying to hire. Like an art department doesn’t really thrive in the Dallas metroplex. And so we’ve had to on our TV show, we would meet people and shake hands and get resumes and bring them on through that way. But today we have an HR employee and she’s unbelievable. Lindsay. And she handles all onboarding. She knows the culture fit, what we’re looking for in hard workers, and she’s had to move on from people that don’t fit the culture. And so it’s a tough task, but that’s super rare in our business. We’ve really treated everyone that comes in here like family. And the hope is that they’re here for life. And, it’s been a really cool partnership.

BEN WIGGINS:
That’s great, That’s great. Alright. What was the time when the values were tested the most? I mean you guys have talked about some of this, but what was the moment where you thought this might not work out like this might be this might be the end?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah. I think the main one was probably moving on from Ty’s dad. As you know, obviously Ty disagreed with that decision to the max, which again, I totally respect. But it was a tough decision because we love Jeff and he did so much for our company. But as we were growing, it just we just had to make a hard decision, and it was tested because, you know, there was times where we woke up the next day and be like, man, you know, is the five of us, is our relationship broken? I don’t know. You know, and it took a lot of, a lot of time to, to heal and kind of earn some trust back in some situations. But I would say that was the most trying time in our company. And to Ty’s credit, you know he’s been great and handled it really well and still been a huge leader for this company. And that was probably the time that it was tested. That tested the most for sure.

BEN WIGGINS:
How do Aggie Values and Roots guide you guys in a tough situation like that? Like, what do you harken back to about your education and your time in that culture? When things get tough as you, if you will?

CODY JONES:
I mean, I think for us, like just being in the Aggie family and having that culture background, we all come from really, really great families. And my parents were Aggies and I’ve got. I think 27. So I have a lot of Aggies in my family. I don’t know why my watch is losing its mind. But no, I, I think it’s, it’s just been the spirit of like an Aggie works hard and Aggie has a network and Aggie doesn’t lie, cheat or steal and tolerate those who do. In fact, I was shaving my golf scores. One summer on tour because I wanted to be consistently in the 80s, and I was shooting a lot of 91s and I would do some shaving, and the guys literally. Had a whole ploy. They caught me and I had to be like, guys, you’re right, I was cheating on hole 17. I said, I got a birdie. It was a par, and I’m sorry. And so I haven’t cheated since. But it’s those kinds of aspirations that I don’t know if it’s because they’re Aggies, but I like to think that it’s because they don’t tolerate it. Yeah I think A&M fits.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah we were all raised in really good homes and the Aggie lifestyle is just I would just boil it down to integrity. Aggies, you know, the reason why the Aggie Network is so strong is because you can trust mostly a person who’s graduated from Texas A&M to have integrity. And again, that’s not saying you’re perfect. That’s just saying that you’re willing to admit mistakes when you make them because you will.

CODY JONES:
They’re the most well-rounded of all the schools.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah. And I don’t care if you call us a cult or not. You know, like, I love the Aggie Network, and I, you know, I think it’s so funny to see people from the outside. I’m friends with a bunch of longhorns, and,

CODY JONES:
Tsssssss

GARRETT HILBERT:
they see, I mean, now their kids are about to go to college and they see what the Aggie Network means, and they’re like, dude, I want my kids to go to A&M because it does mean something to be an Aggie. It’s not just another piece of paper, like it truly means something. And that’s what I love about it. I do think that has been instilled in us. You know, just that piece of A&M is really just built. It’s even built stronger than what we grew up on. And it really solidified it in college. And it’s helped us. And as we have grown up and become old which is what.

CODY JONES:
Here we are almost 40. Yeah.

BEN WIGGINS:
I love that. Got a floater. You guys got three from Dallas and two from Houston. Which city is better, Houston or Dallas?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Well I’m really disappointed in the Houston Aggies in general because again Aggies don’t you know don’t tolerate cheating and lying.

CODY JONES:
Oh the trash can bang in Houston Astros jab.

GARRETT HILBERT:
I feel like you know, they’re celebrating, you know they’re celebrating a fake championship. But that’s fine. We’re here to forgive.

CODY JONES:
What I like to say is the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros each have one clean World Series.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yep, agreed.

CODY JONES:
We’re tied one each.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah, I agree with that. Okay.

GARRETT HILBERT:
But yeah, as far as the city itself goes, I mean, Dallas and Houston like the city, Dallas downtown, the downtown Houston area. I call it a wash. I don’t really want to live in either of them. Now, the suburbs, Dallas wins. Yeah. And that’s where we live. The suburbs of Dallas. We’re not really from Dallas, but, yeah, it’s just the humidity is a little bit better up here.

CODY JONES:
Yeah the humidity, I think the lack of zoning laws. Yeah. When you’ve got a grocery store, apartment complex, a church

GARRETT HILBERT:
Right next to an elementary school.

CODY JONES:
It’s crazy, crazy. Not a fan.

BEN WIGGINS:
Fair enough.

CODY JONES:
Ugliest coast in all the world. It is. Like what other beach is brown.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Look, at the end of the day, I just don’t think the people in Houston just need to come to Dallas and see for themselves. We’d love to have you.

BEN WIGGINS:
Yeah, we’d love to have you. Yes.

CODY JONES:
I love my Houston friends.

BEN WIGGINS:
Without a doubt.

CODY JONES:
I just don’t like their city or the sports teams.

BEN WIGGINS:
We could riff on this for an hour. As you look back on your journey from Texas A&M to holding Guinness World Records, touring the globe, how does it feel to be called Aggie Legends?

GARRETT HILBERT:
I’m extremely grateful. I never thought I would even consider myself an Aggie legend. I, you know, I’m looking at like, Reggie McNeal and Acie Law. I’ve labeled those guys as legends.

CODY JONES:
You’re not in the same ballpark. Just to be clear.

GARRETT HILBERT:
I know that’s what I’m saying.

CODY JONES:
You’re saying that you are.

GARRETT HILBERT:
No, I’m saying

CODY JONES:
No, you’re saying you’re in the same combo.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Well, we’ll discuss later. Maybe I am in the same combo. I’ll let the kids decide.

CODY JONES:
See I knew it.

GARRETT HILBERT:
But no, I’m super grateful to even be sitting here talking to you guys. It’s a pretty cool, full circle moment for me.

CODY JONES:
Yeah, for me for sure. The first outfit I was ever put in as a newborn was a yell leader outfit onesie. I grew up going to bonfires, went to Texas A&M games growing up my whole life and so to be an Aggie was a dream come true. And then getting my ring and making it through wasn’t easy. Some of us are dealing with Wi-Fi dial up, not, you know, 5G. Yeah. And so it’s a little harder for some of us. You know, I had to study a little more than these guys and do trick shots on the weekends. It was a tough four years. But four and a half years. Let’s be clear. But I got it done.

Podcast guy’s laughing He was like, that checks out. Yeah.

BEN WIGGINS:
What advice would you give to current Aggies or any young entrepreneurs hoping to take a passion project and scale it into something big?

CODY JONES:
Yeah, no, I think a big, big piece for us was leveraging the job that we had to make the business plan for the one that we wanted. So like while we were all working hard, had a salary, had some consistency. On the nights off or the weekends, we were building this business to where, all right, let’s now put this into practice. And it made sense and it worked because we had this whole plan. I’m not a team, quit your job tomorrow and go all in on whatever you want to do. It’s like, have a plan, talk to those around you, make sure that it’s sound and that you have a team involved to make it work. But I’m all in on the entrepreneur life. Like, it’ll be really hard for me if something ever goes sideways to go apply for a regular job, because the variety that Dude Perfect provides is next to none. It’s been awesome.

GARRETT HILBERT:
I would add to college kids and kids in general. Be patient. I think in today’s world with social media, we have this like instant gratification. We see people post success right in front of your eyes that success did not happen overnight. And so like, have grace for yourself. You will fail. Be patient. And you’re like young kids out of college. You know, it’s like, I need to make so much money right now. It’s like, dude, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Like, sit back and enjoy the moment. You’re going to look back in life and be like, man, I wish I would have enjoyed my 20s more, or I wish I would have done this in my 30s because it goes so quick. And so just like, be patient, have fun in life. It’s too short. And that would be my advice.

BEN WIGGINS:
That’s such a valuable thing, like not to quit your job. All right, I got nine months to make this work. So what does that look like for you guys now? Like all right. So we’re all maybe a little bit older. But what does enjoying your 40s look like? What does enjoying your 30s look like? What has changed for you guys as you’ve gotten older?

CODY JONES:
I think it’s different for each dude. If you were to ask it, like for Tyler, he’s really leaning in on the Outdoor Channel and finding hunts that make the most sense and the outdoor projects that really get him excited. He’s brought in the Pettitte brothers, Andy Pettitte’s boys, and got this really cool partnership where they’re out making videos and they’re hunting for game, and then they’re cooking it at night, and it’s like he’s living his best life. Like, that’s what Tyler wants. For me, I’ve loved incorporating my family as much as possible, or my wife and some of these trips that I do. So if I go speak somewhere or I’m on a panel, like I’ll say, hey, Allison, can we get a sitter? My, you know, my mom or her mom will keep the kids and she’ll join me. And it’s like that. We didn’t incorporate a total, like, our wives a whole lot early on. And I feel like now that we’re at this age of, like, hey, like, Garrett can go do the Super Bowl podcast Car Wash and get interviewed by 30 people. We don’t all five have to be there. And I think there’s beauty in that. As we’ve aged that it’s like, hey, we can delegate and we can all separate and do things that we’re passionate about. Cory and Coby, they love traveling and nice hotels, and so they jump on every project that has to do with the Ritz-Carlton. And that’s okay. That’s their thing. Let them do a spa day.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah I you know, there’s nothing that ages you faster than having kids. Because, you know, it was yesterday that I was holding my 11 year old, you know, and he’s 11 and time is fleeting. And I would say for my 40s, because I’m close to getting there.

CODY JONES:
He’s our oldest dude.

GARRETT HILBERT:
I would say, like, I want to just yeah, I want to take my own advice and just sit back and relax a little bit and just enjoy the moment and not have…

CODY JONES:
Wow, I’m going to hold you to that this year.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Not having this outlook of, oh, what am I going to do? I got these things I need to do and have to do and have to fulfill. And if it doesn’t happen, like, who cares? Like, you know, like so really just try to take my own advice and sit back and really enjoy my family.

CODY JONES:
And enjoy an Aggie game every single time I sit down with him…

GARRETT HILBERT:
That’s just too hard, dude. Enjoying an Aggie game,

CODY JONES:
First drive and Marcel Reed will throw a pick and he’s like, we’re done. We’re not gonna win again. It’s just the most negative.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah, dude, I’m a pessimist at heart.

CODY JONES:
I know but let’s be a little more optimistic.

GARRETT HILBERT:
It’s tough. It’s tough being an Aggie with that mindset.

CODY JONES:
Have you told Elko you’ve wanted him fired like 30 times?

GARRETT HILBERT:
No. Elko is a great guy. I think he’s got our program right where we need to be. I think he’s got our program right where we need to be.

CODY JONES:
You’re over Bucky after the last game.

GARRETT HILBERT:
No, Bucky’s a great guy. But, yeah, I would like an Aggie championship. Is that too much to ask for?

CODY JONES:
In what sport?

GARRETT HILBERT:
A big sport.

CODY JONES:
What’s a big sport?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Baseball. Football? Basketball. One of the two.

CODY JONES:
Baseball doesn’t really do it for me. I mean, like, I’d be pumped, but I’m not like that would get me excitement for a day, a week, blow some bubbles.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Right now we’re a women’s school because they are the only ones carrying us.

CODY JONES:
Equestrian?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Probably women’s equestrian. I don’t know if the men. I don’t even know if the men’s equestrian.

CODY JONES:
Track?

GARRETT HILBERT:
Women’s track. I mean, again, yeah, there is track. I just, you know, but yeah, I do need to enjoy an Aggie game. It’s tough.

CODY JONES:
I want a football title before I die.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Dude I’m sure they have a we can throw up the QR code to donate to the NIL fund.

CODY JONES:
So good.

GARRETT HILBERT:
They would enjoy yours, they would love your support.

CODY JONES:
Call me a Texas A&M alum. It’s time to pony up.

BEN WIGGINS:
We got Travis Dabney on the line.
Final question that we ask all of our guests. What are your top lessons in leadership?

GARRETT HILBERT:
That’s a tough one.

BEN WIGGINS:
Let’s get counterintuitive. Let’s get surprising. Like, what’s the what. Let’s get recent. Like what is this stuff that, you know, that people haven’t heard before?

CODY JONES:
I don’t talk about this a whole lot, but I think for me, the last two or three years, I’ve been really big on my routine. On waking up about 5:30, having the house by myself. I have four kids at home and four pets. And so to have a quiet home for an hour before anybody wakes up do my sauna, do my workout, do my journal, get breakfast ready, my coffee, and like, have that hour to reflect and be present. Going into my day changes my whole outlook versus the days where I sleep. Right up until work. I come in and the team can just tell the difference. And the Cody that didn’t set aside that hour versus the one that was proactive did get up early and was disciplined. There’s just a huge difference in my leadership approach. I am more careful with what I say, how I say it, and so I’ve been really big on that.

BEN WIGGINS:
So you’re less likely to destroy someone?

CODY JONES:
I mean, I’ll still destroy them. It’ll just be more direct, like, okay, this is why I’m going to destroy you.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah, I, I mean, I think routine is, is really, really key. I do think having a solid routine in life, like being habitual, you know, taking care of yourself, taking care of your mind. And I do think that helps tremendously. I would say for me, again, the thing I’ve learned the most, because, you know, if what, what doesn’t show on camera is on camera, Ty is the rage monster. You know, Ty is the guy that explodes and gets. That’s not Ty. Ty is actually the complete opposite of that. That’s actually me that he’s portraying. And I’m so quick to anger like it’s just a…

CODY JONES:
It’s the ginger.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah, it might be the ginger. It’s just something that I have learned again like that patience and that humility because I am so quick to anger. Like that’s just something I’ve learned and that just doesn’t work. And to recognize each person’s, like, individuality and, like, really find yourself and, and admit to yourself like, oh, I actually am that. And sometimes that is hard to admit to yourself, but admitting that to yourself and then working on that, I think, is the main thing that I’ve learned as a leader. Like you have to start with yourself if you expect others to do that and lead by example. And I’m not saying I’m great at that. I still definitely am quick to anger and my kids will definitely tell you that. But it’s- that’s something I’ve probably learned the most, is being in this leadership role that we’ve taken on is just being a good example yourself. And that’s tough sometimes.

BEN WIGGINS:
How do you do it? Like what do you when you’re when you’re at that moment you’re about to blow up.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Sometimes I. Have to have these guys tell me that, you know.

CODY JONES:
No but when we first started, like there was, there was some quick trigger, like emotional stuff. And Garrett for the last ten years has been a remarkable example of, like, put in the work growing as an individual. And I mean, honestly, like you haven’t exploded other than a soccer game, you know, rec league Tuesday nights, 11 p.m. because he thought he got fouled with a red card. And he’s about to rip the ref’s head off. Other than that he’s been phenomenal.

GARRETT HILBERT:
I appreciate it man. Yeah. It’s yeah I mean having four guys that you work with that you consider your best friends or if you know, you grow in that relationship. I actually don’t consider ourselves best friends anymore. We’re more family. We’re brothers. And having that has just been huge for us. Like, again, if I was leading this company by myself, I’m not sure I would have grown in that area. You know, I think maybe I still am, like, everything that I was. And so, like, it was key to have these other guys around me and for us, for them to build each other up in those areas and sometimes to say the hard things that you don’t want to hear.

CODY JONES:
You know, I’d still be shaving golf scores.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah. You know, accountability.

BEN WIGGINS:
So guys, I really appreciate the insights today.

GARRETT HILBERT:
Yeah. Thanks for having us. It’s been fun.

CODY JONES:
Absolutely enjoyed it.

BEN WIGGINS:
Thank you Garrett and Cody, for sharing your experiences and your lessons in leadership with us today on Aggie Legends. On behalf of Mays Business School, I’m Ben Wiggins. We hope you will subscribe to the show. Share it with a friend. Drop a like or a comment. Everything helps. Here at Mays Business School we’re building a better future through business and we thank you for being a part of it.