Dr. Seku Gathers

Feb 15
Feb 15
Will Castro:

A Custom-Made American Dream

Will Castro: A Custom-Made American Dream Dr. Seku Gathers

Good people,

Joining me today is Will Castro, car customizer to the stars, reality TV star, and author of the bestseller book, Unique Hustle. Will customized cars for celebrities like LeBron James, Pamela Anderson, Busta Rhymes, Bernard Hopkins, Carmelo Anthony, and the list goes on.

Son of a single mom, Will grew up in Lower East Side Manhattan, a neighborhood where fancy boutiques alternate with dusty streets, bars, and Public Housing Projects buildings, where he sold newspapers as a kid. He got his first A-list client thanks to one of his brothers who happened to be friends with the rapper Erick Sermon. After Sermon showed up in his customized Lexus 300E at a concert at the Apollo Theater, every person wanted to know who was responsible for such a customization masterpiece.

Will’s truth is related to having too many “yes-man” around him and that his arrogance and brashness was both a curse and a blessing. When he started succeeding in business, he thought that the best thing to do was to have his friends close because he knew they will have his back and never let him down. But certain situations require a no as an answer, or a harsh word, that a friend might lack. That lack of limits led Will to almost go to prison for tax issues.

Some Questions I Ask:

  • Could you tell listeners a story about a truth that you either ignored or you weren’t aware of, and once you accepted it, you had a full breakthrough? (5:47)
  • Can you tell me a story about the yes-men, where a yes should have been a no? (11:49)
  • How do you approach customers in general and how it’s changed over the years? (13:18)
  • How do you think that interactions between the creative and the technician go together in your business? (23:28)
  • Creatives, artists, entrepreneurs, everybody has to understand basic business principles. How has it changed over the years? And what’s the biggest lesson you learned? (27:24)


In This Episode, You Will Learn:

  • The result of having too many yes-men around (5:56)
  • The cost of not having enough educated minorities in the US (10:53)
  • Customer service now and back in the day (13:48)
  • Important lessons they don’t teach in high school (18:58)
  • Life is more precious than anything (22:17)
  • The importance of having a trustworthy name in any business (28:08)

Resources:

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