200. Being A Baddie With Joe Nedza | The Moment You Knew Pt. 4

Melissa: Can we ask you something? When did you know you'd made it?

Corey: Not the version with the revenue screenshots, not the one people clap for on Instagram, but the real one.

Melissa: This summer on the Business Reboot podcast, we're asking entrepreneurs one question and letting their answers redefine what success actually looks like.

Corey: Because more often than not, it's not what you think.

Melissa: This is the moment you knew, and we have a feeling it might have you looking at success a little differently. Hello, my friend, and welcome back to another episode of the Business Reboot podcast. We are so excited today because we have someone who's not a dear friend, but he will be. He will be. He doesn't know it yet.

Corey: Uh, are determined to make him a friend.

Melissa: We are, we are. Um, and we know that we talk to a lot of women on this show, but we had to bring our friend Joe Nedza on today, because if you are in Athens, I told him already that he has reached, like, icon status because, um, his, his restaurants are amazing, his food's incredible, his message is awesome. And, um, um, it is just a, like every restaurant that he owns is a place that you want to be. And so, um, we are really, really excited to welcome Joe Nudza to our podcast, especially to this series where we're going to talk about moments that, that you knew that you'd made it. And the whole point of this summer series is that we want everybody to look at success through, um, their own individual lens. Because we've had people on the podcast right now who are talking about they knew they made it when they could buy their time back and they could actually go on vacation with their family, or when they were a minority owned company and they were able to continue a legacy that their family, five decades ago, or when they've been able to hire people that become like family and you know, you're, you can trust yourself to pay the salaries of 30 people. Like, Corey and I share our stories all the time and we wanted to bring in stories of other people who are going to be able to encourage you to, like, keep chasing this. We know that entrepreneurship is a trauma response to some degree, but also it can be just the most incredible, powerful tool. Um, and, uh, and things change when people start businesses. So, Joe, welcome to the Business Reboot podcast.

Joe Nedza: Thank you, thank you for having us.

Melissa: Yes, it's going to be so fun. Okay, so tell us a little bit about your story for people who are not in Athens, because our listenership is kind of all over the country. We probably got like, One random listener in Germany. So hello, of course. But. But tell everybody. He. We, like, talked a little bit beforehand about how you started your business. But I love, love, love that it really, really started because you knew you couldn't fit into a mold that everybody else was telling you to fit into.

Joe Nedza: Okay, cool. So when I was 13, I got my first restaurant job. We at this restaurant in Gainesville all the time called Dylan's, and it is no longer with us, but we went there so much, and I just, like, loved it. And the owner asked if I would come be a cashier and edit this event that he did. And so I did it, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever, uh, because I got free food. Yeah. And so, I mean, that's kind of like where frugality started coming for me, is I've, you know, never had a lot of money personally. And then, uh, in college, I had to pay my way through. And so you make good money as a server in restaurants, but also the food. You get to eat free food. And so I would just do that all the time. And over time, I just. I fell in love with restaurants. Like, I liked it, but then I really fell in love with it. And it. I've told people it, like, dug into clothing to me, and I can't get out. And if you're in the restaurant business, you. You know what I'm saying? It's just, like, I love it, and it's got me. So, yeah, college happened. I tried to follow the path that everyone follows to no avail. I hated every second of it. I just knew the whole time it wasn't four for me, because I've experienced full life in other seasons where I felt alive. I felt like, okay, this is what God has called me to do in this season. This is what I want to do. And I just have energy, My brain's working. I'm, uh, just enjoying waking up every day. And so when I'm in the season of, uh, going to college and taking classes and everyone's dressing formally for presentations, and, um, I'm. I've got hair down my stomach, and, like, you know, I'm just like, okay, I clearly don't fit in here. And it kind of all plummeted when I got an internship at a risk management firm. It was like the number two risk management firm in the world, because you have to have an internship to graduate college, to graduate. Terry. Uh, I did it, and I hated every second of it. And I just thought, this cannot be life. I just so happen to also Grew up around entrepreneurs. And so I just was comparing the two. I'm like, I, I don't want this. I don't care if it's secure. I hate security. I love chaos. Uh, and I feel like God. That's when God gave me the vision for my first restaurant. So I started selling. I had never baked a thing in my life, and I just decided, okay, I'm going to start selling Hong Kong bubble waffles. I had to figure out how to source Hong Kong waffle makers in America. And like, at that time, it was 2016, no one had really done it. So all the ingredients you get in a Chinese, uh, a supermarket. And so I had to figure out how to, like, navigate that and find the ingredients in America that we don't have. Most of the ones I had to find, like a bowl substitute. And that just like, that does something to your brain when you, like, have to figure it out and you have to find a way. That's what happened. And I sold my first waffle to a little girl, and it was with me. And I was hooked. After that, like, I wanted to sell to every human being on earth. And so that's where the restaurant business started. We just did pop ups in Athens. Um, and so I did that for five years. Went from a tent to multiple tents to a food truck to two food trucks to a restaurant to two restaurants. Close both of them down, open up baddies. And then now we have four baddies and one Hot or not. And here we are.

Corey: Yeah.

Melissa: Okay, so, so there's baddies and then there's hot or not. Chicken co. And what's very funny. And hot or not.

Corey: Hot or not is my favorite content. Melissa. We were talking about this because she was telling me all about you last week because we were deciding like, okay, so who's our list for the summer series? She was like, we have to reach out to Jonedza. And I was like, girl, have at it. She's like, no, no, you have to pull out.

Melissa: Hot or not is probably like, can she not come in here? And I'm like, no, I'm coming back in. She was like, hot or not?

Corey: I was like, that is the freaking best concept ever. So will you tell us about a little bit about baddies and then tell us a little bit about hot or not. And then I have another thought about.

Melissa: Well, I will tell you this, that it did spark conversation with my kids because my. I have a son who's gonna be a senior this year and a daughter who's gonna be a Sophomore. And I was like all. When your old mother graduated college in 2006, I was like, there was this website called hotterdot.com and people. And so I was like, so. Yes.

Corey: Okay.

Melissa: So I was like. And they were like, why would anybody load a picture of themselves and let people. I was like, girl, I don't know. But we did it.

Joe Nedza: It's like it was the thing.

Melissa: It's what we did. I don't know. Right. 100%.

Joe Nedza: So baddies, um, I mean all of our, my businesses are like just ridiculous stories. But baddies started in 2022, started doing pop ups. I um, mean after Netsa started, I would work from like 5am to 10pm every day and make no money. And so I saw friends who owned other restaurants and they're working half the hours I'm working and making 10 times the money. I go, okay, I'm not like, I'm not doing this to be broke. Like I want, I want to be able to provide for a family one day. And I just got married and like there's gotta be like, dude, I cannot keep working from 5:00am to 10:00pm and so I just, for a couple months I go, okay, Lord, I need you to give me a vision for something because I can't do this for too long. So I did that for like seven months or eight months and then I just had it. And I go, all right Lord, you are going to give me a vision for something else tonight or I'm closing Netsys and I don't know, I have no idea what I'm gonna do. And so I like made up my mind that if he did, which is you shouldn't. That's what I did.

Melissa: You laid a fleece before you laid a place is what you did. The business reboot was built. That's 100 how we built our business. Go ahead.

Joe Nedza: I absolutely did that. Uh, and that night, uh, he was like, I went to bed at like 10:30. I mean I was like tired. Doesn't even scratch the surface. And I just was like, I thought I was, I felt like I was dying because I just, I. There was no hope. I had no hope for the future because it's like, okay, I'm just going to wake up every day and make no money and work for 17 hours. And then I got to do computer work too. So it's like, how do I freaking. Like how do you do this? And I decided I was going to give up if he didn't give me a vision. So that night at like 2 in the morning I fell asleep 2 in the morning, I'm like, okay, it's going to be called this. You're going to sell this, and this will m. Be your hours. This will be your day. Like, the vision was just given to me and I was like, holy crap, look at God.

Corey: Won't he do it?

Joe Nedza: Well, yeah. So he gave me the vision for Baddies. It was actually called something else. And I, uh, had to change the name for, like, legal purposes. But, like, baddies open December 9, 2022. And I closed my first Ned October 1, 2022. And my second, uh, Ned says December 27, 2022. So I was like. I mean, just an enormous, like, death to life, like, moment. And we had no money and we were about to go bankrupt. And my dad hopped in and was like, here's how you're going to get out of this. Because, uh, you know, I'm actually talking to one of my. My president, right? Like, he's. He's here at our house. And, uh, one of the things that I told him, it's like sometimes you really struggle. You get your head down and you get so tunneled on what's going on that you have a hard time seeing the big picture. And I can say that with clarity because I was so, like, in the weeds.

Melissa: Hm.

Joe Nedza: I'm 20. I think it was like, 2029. I was 29 years old, about to go bankrupt, and I had closed two restaurants. I had my name on it. And I'm opening a new thing and I've got 3,000 in the bank and I owe $30,000 over, like, in the next five days. I'm like, I can't see out of this. So my dad came in and gave me some clarity. And we just hit the, like, we went off. We hit off of the races, and the business has just, like, taken off. It's done. Amazing. And so after doing that for two years, three years, I stumbled upon Weber D's and how it's closed. And, uh, we had three baddies at the time. We were in the process of opening a fourth in Gainesville, and I wanted to do February. It was February 14, 2025, that I wrote a journal that I wanted to do. I asked God for another vision for chicken. I don't know why. And he gave me the name and what we were going to do. And it's hot or not was just like, baddies. And so I was like, okay. And usually I have, like a thousand ideas a second, so I'm like, uh, I'm a Crazy person. And I'm well aware of it. But if the idea kind of dies on the vine, like, I'll give the idea the opportunity to die on the vine. This idea did not die on the vine. We opened the Gainesville store, Gainesville crushed it. And then, like, all this stuff was happening with closing with Weaver D's and just, like, not being able to get into the building. And so once we saw how well Gainesville did, we were like, okay, it doesn't make sense to put another Baddies in Athens. We need to do something else. We should do Hot or Not. And so that's kind of like what happened. And so Hot or Not was born there. And so Baddies is like one burger that comes one way. We hand cut our fries. It's homemade pudding and, like Coke drinks, and that's baddies. And then Hot or Not is chicken tenders that either come hot or not with fries and pudding and coleslaw and cornbread. And that's our whole menu. So it's like super. Both concepts are super simple. Uh, I don't know. I like building things. I like scale. So they're both built to scale.

Melissa: Well, when. When I first went to Hot or Not. Well, okay, first of all, my daughter and I, she had a dentist appointment the third day that Batty's was open on Lumpkin. And. And we saw it and she was like, let's go there. And so we went. I remember it was 11 o'. Clock. I think they had just opened. There was nobody else there. And I have celiac. And so you know that, like, there. There's nowhere you can eat. Like, you get the whole, like, you people can't eat soy sauce. I'm like, yeah, I know. I get it. And so I was like, all right, I'm in. Well, we sat down and I just remember, like, we ate and we both looked at each other and we were like, what is this? And then we came back three days later and we brought people. And then we came back another week later and we brought people and we did the exact same thing with Hotter. This, like, your story makes me get emotional because Corey and I. And honestly, this is just. This is just the Jesus factor in it is that we, um, get so deeply connected to entrepreneurs whose mission is so much bigger than the money. It's so much. It's like, it's an obedience situation over here. Like, if I don't do it, I will die is the whole point. And, um. But when I was talking to Corey, I was like, girl, look, there's a new chicken place in town. I can eat there. And we started laughing about it. And then, and then. And this was. I was like, oh, gosh, this is my. What is. What's wrong with me? I don't know. I'm in perimenopause. Welcome, um, to my brain. But I was like, okay, well, the menu is. You can get three fingers, four. And I went. Then I was like, and there's this, uh. And I went through the whole menu and the price list and I was like, hold on, wait. But that's like the magic of it is that it is so simple that I saw it once and memorized it. And that your people, like that will keep the people coming back because they know exactly what to expect. But more so you talked about laying a fleece out and I can't even tell you the times that we've had to do that and the people that we work with have to do. We encourage them to do that because it is like rubber meets the road where you have to say, I'm either going to jump and fall or this is gonna work. And I mean, we know that it is the Lord that like sustains us, but also the, the resolve that you get like that, that part. And I think that in restaurants specifically, um, it's unmatched to any other industry because the buy in is so big. Um, this is just so. It's so good. It like gives me chill bumps because I just. I love it.

Joe Nedza: Yeah. It's crazy. It's. I mean, it's like the whole person. One of our core, like our principles at Baddies and just at Netsis, which is our. The parent company is we focus on the whole person. And part of my story is just like having to just decide to do stuff.

Corey: Yeah.

Joe Nedza: And, uh, like I. For what good or bad? My dad was really great at just going like, you are going to do this right now and you're not gonna die and it's gonna suck and you're gonna be fine, but you must do it. And then I would do it. And I'm like, well, here I am. Like, I'm still here. I'm not. And I learned like. And you have a choice to learn. Uh, or kind of, uh, fade away into nothing. And it's like, well, okay, I'm. I am so not afraid of failure and rejection. I've like almost been bankrupt before I was 30 and I didn't die. And I'm still like. It actually strengthened my marriage that we were able to get through it together. And with Our kids. And, like, there's just two ways to look. I mean, there's multiple ways to look at everything. But I feel like it's pretty crystal clear you. There is a way to learn from every decision you make and every failure. Yep.

Corey: We always say, as long as you're failing forward, you're good to go. Like, it's gonna be fine. You've learned something. A, uh, failure. And Melissa and I have had plenty of failures and things that we've launched that were very successful. And then we launched them again, and it wasn't. And we were like. But we all. We always try to openly talk about it, and I think this is why we. We love being the starters of these conversations and to continue keeping them going. In fact, you don't know this, Jo, but you are our 200th episode of the Business Repo Podcast. So, like, pop the confetti and all the things, um, nobody can see. But we have a confetti gun. It's great. Just, um, kidding. We don't, um. But I think that it's one of those things of having very real conversations encourages and inspires all of us who are in the trenches of it. Um, which is why this whole podcast series for the summer. How did you know? When did you know. Know that you'd made it? Like, what was that defining moment? And so we want to pose that question to you, because I think that sometimes it's in the failures that you're like, I'm going to figure this out, and when I get through this, I will have made it. Or maybe it was at the top of your game that you were like, okay, these restaurants are, like, doing great now. I'm going to open this up one, and I'm going to save Weaver D's building. Like, that's just such a great story. But we just want to kind of, like, come back to that idea of when did you know or when did you feel like you had made it through all of the. The triumphs and the tribulations and the success and the learning? What was the. Was there a determining factor or was there a turning point where you were like, okay, we've come through the hard stuff, and I. I think we're gonna be good.

Joe Nedza: Yeah. Oh, I don't know. That's like a. That's a hard. I think the Lord has had to heal or is in the process of healing something in me, and I don't know what it is, but it's like. I mean, it's way down in there, and it's you know, like, I really resonate with. When John D. Rockefeller was asked, like, how much is enough? And he would just say, like, just a little more. And then in Ecclesiastes, uh, it says that the eye is not satisfied with seeing. I just think, like, okay, the eye's only job is to see, and it just wants more. So I, uh, say all that to say I don't feel like I made it. Like, my. My ambition is like, I think this is the thing that the Lord, like, contentment, it doesn't really exist in me. I just want to keep going. I want to keep building. And people always tell me, like, hey, don't you feel like slowing down? I'm like, no. Like, I. I'm bored. Like, I feel like I just got started.

Melissa: Yeah.

Joe Nedza: Um, so I, like, it's hard for me to, like, celebrate wins and think about this answer. And I think that's just like, that is a thorn that I will. My wife was actually. We were talking about this morning. Like, that's a thorn. This is just going to be in you forever, and God's going to have to, like, sanctify you. You're right. But with that, I think they're, you know, like, I just took my family to the beach last week, and, uh, we were able to go out to eat, like, a lot. And I wasn't worried about someone, like, who's going to pay for this? I was like, I can pay for it. Like, I can take care of my family now. And, like, I was able to buy us a new house for us. Like, we're about to go from two kids to four kids. Uh, we're adopting a little boy. And we're also pregnant with a little girl. And they're both. I'm going next week to get him from India. Ah. And she's due August 2nd. All this stuff is happening, and I'm like, I don't have to worry about taking care of my family financially.

Corey: You know, Like, Melissa, look at Melissa. Look at you.

Melissa: I am unwell.

Corey: You are making her song. And I love this.

Melissa: And it is. It is, um, m. It is so funny because I really do believe that, um, God, you know, you feel like God draws you to people, which sounds weird, but Corey. Corey and I are both, like, super encouragers. We're the people who like. And we. We will tell people the only reason that our business has been successful is because nobody loves as hard as we do. Nobody is going to believe in you as hard as we do. Nobody is going to trust in you as hard as we do. And the clients that we work with, like, we will push the hell out of them and we will be like, please don't let these things go by without at least trying. Like, just. Just try. And, um. But also, I feel like we have this clear vision. Of what? Of being able to see people and see the potential in people that they can't even see themselves. And so I'm sitting here, like. And it is so, uh. It's just funny. But I, um, knew, like, I knew from the moment that, like, we. I stepped in a restaurant that there was. Like, I knew how your brain worked because I think we all have the same brain. Um, but, um. But, man, the. And I wish that I could project to you because Corey's 50.

Joe Nedza: You know what?

Melissa: I am 43 and lively, if you will.

Corey: Um, but I'm the emotionally stable one. We will clarify that. Okay, we'll clarify.

Melissa: It's fine. We know our roles. But. But it's like, if I could. If I could just tell you that, like, that resolve and contentment and all that, it does eventually come. We were. My husband's a pharmacist. He works at Piedmont down the. Down the road, and he's in admin. And, you know, he's got a PharmD and he's got an MBA and he's going to be COO of that hospital. Like, we've declared it, um, and all the things. And there were years that I chased his salary. Like, I chased it with fire because I grew up, really. Oh, look at that muffin. Y' all can't see, but he's got a sweet muffin.

Corey: Hi.

Melissa: But. But there were years that I chased his salary because, again, I, like, grew up super poor. Like, we. We put ourselves through college, did all the things. And it was like, the. That is you muffin. You're so cute. You're so cute. Um, but. But the. The like, resolve and things that were built chasing that. It's like, I never felt like I could be content. And eventually, one day. One day, I promise you, just as a glimpse into your future, you will be able to say that this is sufficient. And it's because, um, your heart will beat for things outside of that work. But I really do think that the, um, stages where you've got young kids, you're bringing in more kids, that is when God gives you the gusto and the run to run. Um, because it eventually starts to slow down and you'll be real thankful when it does. But it is the heart. But nobody's gonna do it like you do, Joe, because you've got that in you right now. It's just really cool to see. It's just really, really cool to see. But also, you have a lot that you could measure. Uh, a success. Corey and I can give you a list right now because you said it already. You said your marriage is stronger than it's ever been. That is a huge marker of success. If we could tell you as entrepreneurs for 22 years each now, how many marriages fall apart, how many it will

Corey: either make you or break you. It will make you or break you.

Melissa: How many kids grow up resenting their parents because they had businesses that ran their life? It's worse than when you're in a pastoral ministry where you have this disconnect with kids. It is hard. Um, I mean, you've got little ones in your lap right now. Like, it's a Wednesday and you're sitting at your house in a tank top with your baby. You know what I'm saying? That's huge. Um, so we can see it. Even, even if you ever have a hard time seeing it, you just happen. We'll let you know. We see.

Corey: We see.

Melissa: We see.

Joe Nedza: Well, I mean, I think to like, yeah, to answer it, like, this is amazing. I get to be home with my kids and my dream has always been like, to build a Berkshire Hathaway type business, but more missional. So I'm like, I'm literally doing it and I'm getting to like, teach my kids how to. I mean, they don't know anything I'm doing, but I'm really going to teach them everything about how I'm doing it. And, you know, like, I guess to finish the answer to that question was, we have people. So the, the trip was great, but we have people now who are kind of. I'm watching, like, I see it happen. I'm like, like a death to life moment of, um, you lacked confidence and you were really, like, struggling with depression and all this stuff. And like, you were making 10 bucks an hour a year ago, and now you're making like 100 grand. And like, we were able to provide that life for someone that didn't believe in themselves at all, right? And now they have, like, it's like, you know, it's just the fruit of, like, the spirit is coming a lot in them and you get to see them unfold and come into who God has called them to be. And we've. We've got two operators now of. We have five restaurants and two of the operators were just employees. Like they were hourly. Like my operator, uh, in normal town. His name is Aiden. He came to work for me six years ago for $9 an hour. Now he's married with a little girl, and he's an operator at a restaurant. He's doing really well, and it's like I'm watching him grow into becoming a man. He was a boy when I met him, even though he was 19, but now he is like a man. And, uh, this other operator I've got landed. It's like he was 28 when I met him and he's 30, but he was a boy when I met him. And now he's becoming a man and he's making decisions and doing hard things and.

Melissa: Yeah.

Joe Nedza: And he's like, believing in himself. I'm like, oh, this is, like, this is why God put me here. Like God, uh, on earth to call the, like, the man of the boy and to do it in business. And so that's like when I saw that happen. And we have, you know, other people who were in debt and jobs, and now they're like, providing for their family and other people's families and they have the freedom and they can show their kids, like, they believe what we believe. They believe in building strong men and women and not just like, tolerating boys and girls. We are not, we don't accept boyhood and girl, like little girls and little boys. If you're an adult, like, it is time to become a man and we will teach you and show you what that looks like. And so seeing that happen, like, made it. I would feel like I've made it when everyone on earth, like, knows the Lord. But so, like, that's not in my lifetime. Yeah, maybe. And, but like, until then, I think that's kind of how, like, we started. And I've seen it happen. So that's, that's my answer.

Corey: It's the impact. I love that. And I think that's the fun part of having these conversations with other entrepreneurs is that, um, it's not what most people will say. You know, you, you see online, like, it's the jets, it's the 7, 6 figure, 7 fig. 8 figures. And that for most of us, I would dare to say what we are, what we already knew to be true. But also what we're finding in these conversations is that that's never it. That it is number one. A lot of times it becomes a ministry for our own families, for the communities that we serve, and also for the people that we get to bring in, um, as part of our Teams. And also, um, it is. It is helping people be better versions of themselves and teaching them the possibilities of who they can actually be. And so I love that for you, it's impact. It's. Where can I make the impact in the lives, the community, and all the things? So, yeah, I love that.

Joe Nedza: Thank you.

Melissa: It's so good. So good.

Corey: Awesome.

Melissa: Um, okay, well, Joe, will you tell everyone where they can find you at all of your restaurants in town? And if you're not in Athens, which we know a lot of you aren't, um, it is yet another reason to come visit. Um, tell us where everybody can find you and follow along online.

Joe Nedza: Yeah. So, I mean, on social media, it's Eat Ah, Baddies and Hot or Not Chicken Co. Um, but, yeah, we have. We have locations in Athens. We have a location in Gainesville. We're looking to expand into, like, all over northeast Georgia. Um, love that. Yeah, so that's. I mean, I'm kind of gallivanting around now trying to find more locations and operators and people who want to do what we're doing as we grow baddies and grow these other businesses. But, yeah, I'm just following along there. And also, Nedza's is like, as I acquire more businesses to do the same thing, Ned's is kind of where I, like, talk about that. Uh, like, uh, it's just something like Ned's Inc. Or something. There's not a lot of them.

Corey: So if you're listening to this, if you're listening to this and you're in, uh, North Georgia and you would like to have a baddies or a hotter knot near you, please reach out to Joe or us and we'll connect you because, uh, it could be coming to us. Town near you.

Joe Nedza: That's right. That's right. We're loving it. So that's how you.

Melissa: I love it. I love that. That's amazing. I know. My daughter was like, you do need to tell him that he should sponsor us. She's a volleyball player at Cedar. And she was like, because we need baddies on the back of our shirts. And I was like, I'll pass the message on. You all think you're baddies. It's fine. Um, no, but I think it's really cool. And this just has been so fun to talk to you about all of this. Um, Corey, do you want to close this out and tell everybody where they can find us online and, uh, intro them for next week?

Corey: Absolutely. Thank you guys so much again for joining us at the Business Review podcast. You can find us online at www.thebusinessreboot.com and you can also find us on Instagram at Business Reboot. And we will be back next week with another fabulous episode and conversation with another entrepreneur asking them the same question is how do you know when you've made it? Have a great night.

Melissa: I love that you just. I love that you hold on before we end. I love that you just said you almost like Worldwide webbed us with that. The www.

Corey: It's fine. You know what?

Melissa: We're good. We'll be back.

Corey: We'll see you guys next week. Bye. Bye.