Welcome back to the official newsletter of The Shop. Each edition we share key highlights from our latest shows, exclusive behind the scenes info, and news on culture. Most importantly, we always keep it unfiltered.

In this week’s episode, we were grateful to have Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, 3x All-Pro wideout Davante Adams, comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, all join us in The Shop.

In this issue, we cover:

• Hiring and firing

• Michael Rubin’s famous Halloween costume

Thanks for reading - MC and PR

How to Hire and Fire Like the Pros

We started off the conversation talking about how to bring in the right people to your inner circle. How do you find people that you can trust with your business, your emotions, and your life?

Michael’s approach is no different than how he seems to approach all of his business: being thorough and diligent. He called 30 different people asking them their thoughts about a candidate before making a big executive hire 🤯. Anyone can interview well, but not everyone can pass the Rubin backdoor reference check. BTW, he gets slightly offended if you think he’s stupid enough to use the references you give him (free advice for anyone trying to work at Fanatics).

Tiffany seemed to be on a similar page to Michael with more of a focus on the 1 on 1 relationship. How does the potential hire communicate with her? Can she envision them talking her through a bad day, and helping her refocus on her job?

She admitted that she struggled with firing people even when she knew it wasn’t a good fit. Bob’s response was perfect: “The opportunity cost of the messes they’re going to make that are going to distract you” are way too high. Rubin was more blunt: “It’s like a cancer, rip it the f*ck out.”

Davante’s answer felt a little more old school and simple. He hires people that he trusts and likes, people that are worthy of being in his inner circle. The fact that the guy who handles all his marketing is a middle school friend says a lot about Adams’ approach to hiring.

For me personally, I like to surround myself with people that have different skill sets than me, different ways of thinking than me, and different ways of being. Groupthink is real and the best decisions come from healthy discourse.

-Mav

Michael Rubin’s Famous Halloween Costume

“Hey Mav, you aren’t as fun as you used to be.” - Michael Rubin

“Hey Michael, you aren’t as fat as you used to be.” - Maverick Carter

Rubin has no shame in thanking Mounjaro in his weight loss journey, clearly.

Watch the Full Episode Below