Open Residency

In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with David Grutman, the founder of Groot Hospitality and the man behind LIV, Komodo, and Papi Steak, to break down how he built one of the most iconic hospitality empires in the world. David shares the ecosystem thinking that turned a single nightclub into a multi-venue flywheel, why he treats every concept as intellectual property, and the hard lessons that shaped how he operates today.
We go deep on the deal structures behind his biggest wins and biggest losses, how he decides between lease deals and management deals, and why your audience will tell you exactly who you are. Even when your ego disagrees. David also opens up his venture portfolio, sharing what made him back Liquid Death, Colossal Biosciences, and Skinny Dipped — and what one failed investment taught him about founders who over-optimize for valuation over growth. He also talks about his new book, Take It Personal, and why caring deeply about the details is exactly why he's still winning.
Take It Personal Book: https://zandoprojects.com/books/take-it-personal-hardcover
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:46 Kim Kardashian Wrote The Forward Of Your Book, How Do You Look At Relationships?
00:02:00 18 Year Ago, You Opened Up LIV, What Was That Aha Moment That You Could Create A Whole Ecosystem?
00:03:31 On Komodo, You Raised $10 Million Initually, What Was That Biggest Lesson?
00:06:45 Walk Me Through What You Learned About IP With Komodo?
00:10:13 What Type Of EBITDA or Profit Does A Club Or Restaurant Actually Look Like?
00:11:13 What About 1st Gen vs 2nd Gen For Restaurants and Clubs?
00:12:47 Tell Me The Origin Story Of Poppy Steak?
00:14:24 What Is It Like Doing Business With Friends?
00:15:42 When You Open Your Own Venues, What Are Some Of Those Non-Negotiables?
00:20:55 You're In Venture Now.
00:23:15 When You Invest In A Company, How Do You Integrate It To Your Wold?
00:24:56 What Are Those Red Flags When People Are Looking For An Investment From You?
00:30:07 What's The Most Surprsing Company You've Invested In?
00:33:04 What's The Hardest Lesson About Winkers?
00:34:25 How Much Revenue Do You need For A Restaurant or Venue?
00:39:51 Quickstrike Questions
📬 GET IN TOUCH WITH OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
Website: https://openresidency.com/
Email: [email protected]

Dan Martell is giving you the AI Operator Playbook, and it's in the link below. It's the exact system he uses to run 17 companies with a 1-person finance team, including his full 8-tool stack ranked, the Master Prompt Architecture that gives any AI five-year-colleague-level context in one upload, and the Zero Inbox System he has used for 3 years without reading a single email himself. The part most founders never reach: why using AI for content and marketing is the lowest-leverage move you can make, and which lever actually triples profit in 60 days.
Download it free: https://openresidency.com/dan-martell-playbook?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=dan_martell_playbook&utm_term=playbook&utm_content=playbook_download_form
In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with Dan Martell, investor, entrepreneur, and one of the most followed voices in AI, to break down what's actually happening at the frontier of artificial intelligence. Dan tier-ranks the top AI tools, explains why most people are using AI completely wrong, and reveals the reverse prompting framework that's changing how he builds companies. We also go deep on the future of work… why AI-first operators are replacing entire departments, how Dan built Martell Ventures to 225M monthly impressions, and what it really means to buy back your time in the age of agents. If you're serious about building in 2026, this one is required listening.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:50 You've Tested 500 AI Tools And Narrowed Down To The Top 8. Let's Start With ChatGPT.
00:02:33 What About Claude?
00:14:47 Do You Recommend People Going Super Wide Or All In On One?
00:17:14 What About Gemini?
00:18:54 What About Grok?
00:25:29 What is Wispr Flow?
00:34:29 What is Apex.host?
00:39:30 How Do You Stay Up To Date With All The AI News And Noise?
00:45:05 What Is Moltbook?
00:54:16 What's The Best Way To Structure Prompts Across Your Company?
01:03:19 How Do You Use AI As A Business Leverage?
01:07:52 Quickstrike Questions
📬 GET IN TOUCH WITH OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
Website: https://openresidency.com/
Email: [email protected]
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Matt Gray is giving you the Founder Flywheel, the 3-layer audience system he used to build an 8-figure business that runs without him, and it’s in the link below.
It’s the operating architecture behind 18,000+ founders helped, including the 7-System Business Blueprint and the Content Waterfall that turns one video into 24+ pieces across every platform.
The part that changes everything: the one layer 99% of founders skip, and why skipping it means your audience can never become revenue.
Download it free: https://openresidency.com/matt-gray-playbook?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=matt_gray_playbook
In this episode, we sit down with Matt Gray, founder of Founder OS, to break down why most founders don't actually own a business — they own a job. Matt explains how 98% of founders are trapped in "founder prison," constantly reacting, firefighting, and unable to step away. He walks through the exact systems behind building a company that runs without you.
We also go deep on founder-led content, the rise of personal brands as infrastructure, and how to build a media engine that compounds over time. This conversation is a masterclass on designing a business that creates freedom and why the future belongs to founders who think in systems, not effort.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:48 How Do You Design A Business That Works While You're Offline?
00:04:28 Let's Go Into Your Systems, What's The First System That A Business Owner Should Do?
00:16:32 What Does Your Content Team Look Like?
00:42:18 What's Your Lead Magnet System?
00:47:52 What's The Biggest Mistake Founders Make When Building Lead Magnets?
01:00:49 Any Special Tactics You Use For Referrals?
01:04:06 What Is Your Operating Rhythm for Founder OS?
01:15:00 When Did You Realize That You Had Become A Bottleneck To Your Own Company?
01:25:33 What's The Set Of Boundaries You Set As A Founder?
01:35:58 Why Do You Think Personal Brands Are No Longer Optional For Founders?
01:42:36 How Do You Handle Criticism And Negative Feedback?
01:45:02 What Is The Best First Step For A Founder Building A Personal Brand?
01:48:58 Quickstrike Questions
📬 Get in Touch with Open Residency
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
Website: https://openresidency.com/
Email: [email protected]
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<p>We turned this conversation into a playbook — <a href="https://openresidency.com/matt-gray-playbook?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=matt_gray_playbook" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://openresidency.com/matt-gray-playbook?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=matt_gray_playbook</a></p><p>In this episode, we sit down with Matt Gray, founder of Founder OS, to break down why most founders don't actually own a business — they own a job. Matt explains how 98% of founders are trapped in "founder prison," constantly reacting, firefighting, and unable to step away. He walks through the exact systems behind building a company that runs without you.</p><p>We also go deep on founder-led content, the rise of personal brands as infrastructure, and how to build a media engine that compounds over time. This conversation is a masterclass on designing a business that creates freedom and why the future belongs to founders who think in systems, not effort.</p><p><strong>TIMESTAMPS:</strong><br />00:00:00 Trailer<br />00:00:48 How Do You Design A Business That Works While You're Offline?<br />00:04:28 Let's Go Into Your Systems, What's The First System That A Business Owner Should Do?<br />00:16:32 What Does Your Content Team Look Like?<br />00:42:18 What's Your Lead Magnet System?<br />00:47:52 What's The Biggest Mistake Founders Make When Building Lead Magnets?<br />01:00:49 Any Special Tactics You Use For Referrals?<br />01:04:06 What Is Your Operating Rhythm for Founder OS?<br />01:15:00 When Did You Realize That You Had Become A Bottleneck To Your Own Company?<br />01:25:33 What's The Set Of Boundaries You Set As A Founder?<br />01:35:58 Why Do You Think Personal Brands Are No Longer Optional For Founders?<br />01:42:36 How Do You Handle Criticism And Negative Feedback?<br />01:45:02 What Is The Best First Step For A Founder Building A Personal Brand?<br />01:48:58 Quickstrike Questions</p><p><strong>📬 GET IN TOUCH</strong><br />Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/</a><br />Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/</a><br />LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/</a><br />Website: <a href="https://openresidency.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://openresidency.com/</a><br />Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p><strong>🎯 Powered by beehiiv</strong><br />Use code MARK30 for 30% off<br />Link: <a href="https://beehiiv.link/zxm5lp" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://beehiiv.link/zxm5lp</a></p>

Taylor Holiday is giving you the Four Quarter Accounting System, and it’s in the link below.
It’s the financial framework his team used to forecast $3 billion within 4% of target across 1,000+ brands, built on a principle most e-commerce founders have never heard: the forecast belongs in the marketing department, not finance.
Inside: the exact P&L structure that tells you which of four numbers is killing your profit and what to do about it.
Download it free: https://openresidency.com/taylor-holiday-playbook?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=taylor_holiday_playbook

Get in touch for LLM SEO Consulting — https://form.typeform.com/to/cwwIwyNa
In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with Taylor Holiday, CEO of Common Thread Collective, to unpack what's actually happening inside modern e-commerce. Taylor explains why most founders are misdiagnosing their growth problems, how contribution margin and cash flow matter more than top-line revenue, and why the old DTC playbook is quietly breaking. This conversation reframes paid media, creative strategy, and capital allocation through the lens of real operators.
We also dive into the narratives that are misleading founders, the difference between being a marketer and being an allocator of capital, and how to build a business that can survive rising CACs and shrinking attention. Taylor doesn't offer hacks, he offers a mental model shift. If you're scaling a brand, spending on ads, or trying to build something durable in 2026, this episode will challenge how you think about growth.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Trailer
00:00:52 What Is This "Prophit" System That Allowed You To Scale Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Profitably?
00:10:32 What Does The Reality Look Like When You're Building Out These Forecast Models?
00:26:58 What Is The Hierarchy of Metrics? What Should People Actually Be Looking At?
00:45:16 You've Seen Thousands of Brands, What Are You Seeing Q1 2026?
00:56:43 Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon...What Other Platforms Are Working?
01:00:58 What Is This Four Quarter Accounting Fit Planning Process?
01:12:58 How Do You Use This Four Quarter Account to Optimize?
01:28:48 The Flow Era: Why Is Constraint The Most Important Trade For Brands?
01:31:26 You Had To Fire 100 People In 2022. How Did Constraint Help?
01:33:52 What Is The Most Constraint Mistake Founders Are Making?
01:35:27 Growth Through Paid Media or Creative Iteration. What's Your Rebuttal To That?
01:41:15 What Is Your Product MVP Framework?
01:45:59 Champions, Growth Drivers, Underperformers, Hidden Gems. How Do You Look At Each?
01:53:06 Biggest Mistake Brands Make When Expanding Their Product Line?
01:57:32 The Worst Creative Strategy Idea Ever. Iteration
02:01:18 What Do You Think Is The Most Invisible Cash Flow Killer?
02:06:37 Quickstrike Questions
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📬 GET IN TOUCH WITH OPEN RESIDENCY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
Website: https://openresidency.com/
Email: [email protected]