What is your life verse and why?
Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” This is the verse that keeps me focused on the fact that “it ain’t about me!” I am not the reason I am here, Jesus is. I am not the one that can make things happen, Jesus is. I am not the one who saved me, Jesus is. And it helps keep me grounded in the power of what Christ did for me on the Cross.
Have you ever had a side hustle or considered having one?
I have actually had a little side hustle for more than 20 years. I buy things at thrift stores, yard sales, or online, and resell them on eBay. It started with personal items back in 2000, and then sports cards and memorabilia. Before long, I was buying and selling vinyl LPs, and now pretty much anything… In January, I started really pouring it on, to see if I could make enough to pay for our family vacation to Hawaii in June. It was quite the challenge, but in less than 6 months I earned more than enough profit to pay for everything! It is all about the hustle for me, way more than what I sell. I will sell anything that makes money… stuffed animals, shoes, clothes, books, hats, electronics, pots and pans… anything! In just over 20 years, I have sold 2182 items on ebay, with a total gross sales to date of over $37,000. It is so much fun, even my wife and kids get in on the action now!
What’s your favorite part of the workday?
Team meetings! I absolutely LOVE my team and I am an Enneagram 7, so I thrive on the team being together. Especially in the past 18 months, with everything being virtual, I have loved the fact our team connects together at least for a little while every single day to celebrate the day’s wins, connect, and share info. I truly think it has helped our team stay connected personally in a way that has helped us be so successful.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve fallen asleep?
I was a weekend jock for the Top40 station in Birmingham (I-95) and worked overnight every Saturday night/Sunday morning from like Midnight to 6am. One week, on Sunday after work, I went to a family function with my then girlfriend, and then headed back to the station around 8pm to run “American Top40 with Casey Casem” which was still on LPs back then… I made the mistake of laying my head down on the counter by the board while I waited for the 15 minute segment to play before my next break… and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I woke about 20 mins later to the PD calling the hotline to wake me up and tell me we had dead air! He was mad, and the next day chewed me out for it… then proceeded to tell me about the time he too had fallen asleep on the air… and then all day the DJs all told me their stories. (seems it was a right of passage of sorts…) And to this day, I can never ever even hardly close my eyes in a radio studio for fear of that happening!
What TV family most reminds you of your own?
For sure the Simpsons. I am built like Homer, have a great job I love, and my family is awesome like them too. My wife Tina is super caring, thoughtful and kind just like Marge. Eli is precocious, energetic and creative like Bart. And Naomi is smart, together and talented like Lisa.
Is there any product that you couldn’t live without?
iPhone. I mean it does everything. It is a phone, still and video camera, encyclopedia, map, email, internet. Everything! I can do virtually everything for work, my eBay side hustle and more on it… I am pretty sure I could ditch my laptop before I could get rid of my iPhone.
Who do you admire most in the world?
wow. That is a big tall order right there. Most in the entire world… hmmm. If I am completely honest, I would have to say my wife Tina. She is beautiful, she cares for everything so well, from our family, our animals, her garden and our home. She is incredibly talented (photographer/artist), and she has an amazing spirit about her all the time. I do not know where I would be without her.
(and she puts up with me, so you know she is a saint!!)
Which of your personality traits are you most proud of?
As an Enneagram 7, I would say that I am most proud of the fact I love to meet and talk to people. I tend to never meet a stranger, so if we haven’t met… say hello next time you see me! ?
What’s on your bucket list?
I have thought about this one a lot. I do not think I have a bucket list. I would love to travel and see places and am always looking for the next fun adventure (like Hawaii was last month) but there is nothing I have to do… I just want to make sure I am doing with my awesome family and great friends… then no matter what we do it will be fantastic!
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Believe it or not, Nashville is the place I have always wanted to live. I grew up in Birmingham and had family here and loved visiting… plus the music business is here. I think this is it. We can just visit all the other fun cities.
Jeff Cruz
VP of National Promotion / Provident Label Group
CMB Member Since 2013
Jeff.Cruz@pmgsonymusic.com