Brian Jackson has spent his life behind the turntables. A Detroit DJ who still works the nightclub circuit as he approaches 40, known in the booth as DJBJ 3525, he opens The Blueprint with plainspoken wisdom on friendship and business, the real cost of the grind, and why age has never once slowed him down.
What do you wish someone had told you when you started?
"I wish someone had told me that great friends do not make great business partners. And I wish someone had told me not to try to grow up too fast. You get a lot more responsibility when you become an adult."
What's the part of building that nobody warns you about?
"The part nobody warns you about is the time you have to dedicate to it. Time away from your kids, time away from your family. A holiday is not a day off, it is a workday. Basically, the time you put in is the time you see come back out."
"A holiday is not a day off, it is a workday."
What is this generation getting right, and where do you worry for them?
"What this generation gets right is understanding that the power is in social media. They know how to grasp new concepts and apply them to their everyday life, and that is where the money is for this generation. What I worry about is their health. I see too much vaping and too many substances, and I want them to slow down and take better care of themselves."
What would you tell someone building in Detroit with no network and no cosign?
"I would tell them to go meet somebody. Detroit is a place of connections and resources, and you have to have those connections to reach the resource you want. That is what makes Detroit special. Everybody somewhat has to know each other, and that keeps the chaos down."
"Age does not matter, and you should never give up."
If you could pass down one principle that's kept you standing, what is it?
"If I could pass down one principle, it is that age does not matter. A lot of people base their success, or their lack of it, on their age. Age does not matter, and you should never give up. I am almost 40, still in the nightclub, still DJing, still active, still popping. That is my advice: do not let your age slow you down."
