Study Breaks w/ Uncle Mike

Just for starters, my guy, Uncle Mike, is one of the most genuine individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. First time I met him and his wife Nic at their crib in Brooklyn, I was immediately met with a legit 3 course meal. And if my memory serves me correctly, they weren’t in the process of cooking, this was just the type of hospitality and love they were accustomed to showing anyone who came through their doors.

After banging out on some amazing cuisine and a 6 hour conversation later, what was clear to me was Mike had an internal arc that bends towards developing meaningful community spaces; be it in product, tangible spaces, or ideology. This has all been realized in the brands Uncle Mike has either developed or has been a key component in their success. From his early beginnings of “Brooklyn Sky”, to providing internal framework for brands like Slow Bucks, to developing one of his most influential brands DIEM (Does It Even Matter). 

Mike touched on how all of these endeavors have played a pivotal role in him learning how to leverage personal credit, crowd funding, and relational capital in order to establish something great. Lessons which ultimately served as the catalyst for Nic and his new community experiment “Auntie et Uncles”. Reflecting on the historical importance of black own restaurants in the mist of civil rights movement, Mike talked about how they intend to use their new establishment as a place for people to gather and cultivated meaningful strategies to impact their community. There is a lot of wisdom my guy imparted during our time and it would behoove all of us to pay close attention. Enjoy the conversation! #stayexcellent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)