Mike “Rooster” McConaughey and Butch Gilliam on their new A&E show, Rooster & Butch
Butch Gilliam and Mike “Rooster” McConaughey
In the often vicious battleground of entrepreneurship, ideas come and go at a high velocity in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Good intentions are at the mercy of the circular flow of money. In the face of a new kind of capitalism where this rapid race to the top, corporate ugliness can lead small business to fall by the wayside. Mom and Pop ideals are crushed underfoot and relationships can go untended in the boardroom.
Self-made millionaires, Mike “Rooster” McConaughey and Butch Gilliam are on the hunt for ambitious entrepreneurs with one eye on profit and the other on the heart and soul behind the opportunity. Their new show on A&E, “Rooster and Butch,” showcases the adventures of these two good ole boys trekking across West Texas to find the lucrative and heartfelt investment opportunities. But the bottom line isn’t the only thing under evaluation here. Their north star is as much about the ‘Golden Rule’ as it is about an income potential.
The pair were the stars of West Texas Investors Club, a docu-series which aired for two seasons on CNBC, where they met with entrepreneurs all over The Lone Star State, offering the opportunity to present their products to land financial backing. Much like the ABC juggernaut, Shark Tank, Rooster (who happens to be the older brother of actor Matthew McMcConaughey) and Butch’s new program has them interested in getting involved with bourgeoning companies, but instead of the stale air of a boardroom, these guys get a bit more personal. In each episode of Rooster & Butch, they spend time getting to know the folks behind the pitch, and ultimately, their investment decisions are motivated more on personality than numbers.
They’ll put their money where their mouths are, but only once they’ve seen the entrepreneur’s true humanity. Their motto is integrity first, idea second.
Why are old fashion ideals valuable today, particularly as business dealings become more cutthroat than ever?
Rooster: The magic word here is ‘cutthroat.’ It’s a sad day when you can screw somebody out of more money legally than you can illegally. When you are dealing with honest people, your strengths should complement each other in business and it should be a fair fight. There is no better deal than when both parties feel good about the relationship from the start and can be committed for the long run.
Do you expect pushback with this idea on the show?
Rooster: Oh sure there will be pushback. And there are going to be people that snicker and say that “Good Ole Boy” stuff is never going to work today, and to some degree they are right. It certainly doesn’t work all the time, but it works enough of the time that we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. That’s who we are. Take it or leave it! We’ve got to stay the course. Our course. And that is being true to ourselves, which is a pretty good compass to go by.
Butch Gilliam and Mike “Rooster” McConaughey
You claim that your ethos is ‘people’ before ‘business.’ Why is this important to you?
Butch: Let me start out with this, we like to deal with people that remind us of ourselves. If you are going to go into business with someone, you want them to have the same values and morals as yourselves -- or at least hope they have the potential to learn and grow. If you are a person that wants to go into a business deal with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, we are not going to be good partners. We’ve been fortunate enough that we are in a position to choose the people we work with now and that’s something we’re certainly grateful for.
How do you think this affects business dealings in the long term?
Rooster: For one thing, if everybody in the deal fights fair and has a good conscious attitude, we aren’t going to have as many disagreements along the way. We understand not all deals are going to be home runs, or even hits, but either way, we’d damn sure be in the dugout with people we can relate to.
What do you hope the results will be?
Butch: The obvious answer is success - right? Not only do we want success, but we want to know that we did it the right way. We also want to help people out along the way the same way people helped us out. It’s not always about money. Sometimes they just need some advice, some encouragement and a pat on the back. We met someone once who told us that our philosophy helped him stay his course and in turn, completely changed the way he looked at business. He had been allowing his competitor to run his life - and his emotions. After hearing how Rooster and I are friends first, business second, made him strike up a relationship with his competitor and turn his business around.
What has been the biggest challenge of bringing this to the world of television?
Rooster: I’d say it is probably going to be a little tougher keeping our eye on the ball, mainly because they are going to be coming from all directions. We appreciate that A&E believed in us enough to give us one hell of a platform to get the message out there about doing business with a conscious. Something they came up with that we’ve already latched onto is – ‘it’s not what you make – it’s what you’re made of.’ That’s it. That’s what we want our message to be because that’s what we truly are all about. Thanks A&E...and scoot over rapaciousness.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs coming up in 2018?
Butch: Everybody wants to be a billionaire overnight - but there is nothing wrong with slow and steady growth. It usually makes for a better story, and if you are making a good living doing something you enjoy – it will certainly give you more time to be with your family and friends. Think twice before you jump ship to chase some get rich quick deal, because like they say - never measure success with wealth.
Rooster & Butch airs Wednesdays at 10:00 pm on A&E