Meet Artem Ustayev & Joshua Tourdot

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Artem Ustayev & Joshua Tourdot a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Artem Ustayev & Joshua Tourdot, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Artem: I was blessed being born into an amazing family. My father taught me how to respect myself, be courageous, believe in my own skills and to never give up under any kind of hardship. He raised me to be self sufficient, respectful and humble. My mother taught me to be kind, optimistic and generous to others. I watched my parents bring my family to the US, struggle to raise a family in a foreign country, build businesses and eventually give my sisters and I an amazing life. I took pride in how hard my father and mother worked and never gave up. I look back at their journey and I can’t even begin to equate the troubles I’ve faced in my life to the hardships they’ve faced. I grew up knowing I have very big shoes to fill and nothing short of absolute success is acceptable or I would disrespect their legacy.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Artem and I are dedicated to envisioning and planning the future concepts for Midnight & The Wicked. Whether it’s a single new cocktail, ideas for a new R&D bar, or plans for another full multi-concept lounge and nightclub, we are consistently presenting and discussing new thoughts and ideas for the future growth of our brand.

Artem tends to focus on the finances, marketing and innovation of the venue. He’s always watching to see what can be improved for the overall experience of our guests. He’s already got his sights set on the next venue that would be complimentary to Midnight & The Wicked.

I spend much of my time researching, tasting, and combining new ingredients in different ways to further my knowledge and experience creating unique and flavorful cocktails. The idea that I can put together and share creations for others to enjoy and experience is by far the most rewarding and exciting part of my professional life.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Understanding the bookkeeping of your business, readying yourself for stress, letdowns and possible failure, and knowing all that you can know about your field of expertise. First off, starting a business is the easy party, maintaining it while still having control in your life is the hard part. Expect to have issues, stress is part of the journey, ready yourself and never forget why you decided to get into business rather than work for someone your entire life. On most occasions, it won’t be easy, but if you handle the stress and never give up, you’ll see success. Learn how to handle finances, you need to know where every dollar comes from and where it goes. You can’t maintain your business if you can’t balance your checkbook. I would learn a bookkeeping software like QuickBooks and maintain your cash flow! Lastly, learn everything about your future business before you jump into it. Watch videos, read articles, ask questions of people already in the industry, talk to your friends as if they were customers and get their opinions, and when you feel confident enough, make the move.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Artem: I rely on my self confidence to keep me moving forward every single day. There are days when the stress and the overwhelming weight of the business feels like it’s going to crush me, like I have no way forward. At those moments, I have trained myself to look in the mirror and remind myself that I’ve gotten this far in life, and I’ve dealt with a lot worse, so I’ll get through this. The question pops up “Well what will I do when this happens?” to which I answer “I’ll have to do this and that”. I will play out an entire conversation where my mind would ask questions and I’d answer them. It feels strange to have to speak to your own mind and ease the anxiety but it works. I know what I’m capable of and I keep telling myself that, and eventually the anxiety fades and I move forward. My advice to anyone who goes through these kind of moments is to learn how to counter that anxiety with a stronger sense of confidence. Like any other skill, practice will make this a formidable skill to protect you from self sabotage!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MidnightAndTheWIcked.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnightandthewicked_/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/midnight-and-the-wicked-philadelphia