ANDY ATKINS’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We’re looking forward to introducing you to ANDY ATKINS. Check out our conversation below.

Hi ANDY, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Well, by the time this interview comes out, i will have come back from a trip to Ireland with my wife Rachel and a few of my closest friends. We’re going to see Oasis play in Dublin on their reunion tour. Although as i sit here and type this out, we haven’t made the trip yet but it’s been refreshing to be excited about something.
You can really get lost in the day to day monotony of life sometimes. Wake up, work hard, go to sleep. When running a small business, your days, weeks, and months can really get away from your before you realize you haven’t taken any time for yourself.
I’m finding joy just in the excitement of some change in my current life. It brings me joy to see my wife, whom has never traveled across seas, get all giddy about the planning and packing for the trip. I’ve been lucky enough to do quite a bit of traveling through my years so, I’m not a big planner. I just pack a bag and takeoff. It’s fun to see how new and exciting it is for her and I’m really stoked to take her on her first international trip. I’m also really pumped to see Oasis. If you would’ve told teenage Andy that I’d be seeing Oasis in Dublin with a rad wife one day, i don’t know if i would’ve be able to comprehend that. So, yeah…that’s bringing me joy. And my dog Moose. He isn’t making the trip but he’s rad.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Andy Atkins. I am lucky to be able to call myself a co-owner of Nashville’s premium smash burger party experience, the BAD LUCK BURGER CLUB.
Four years ago my friend Cody Driggers and I started throwing cheeseburger parties in parking lots all across the city of Nashville during the Covid pandemic. What started as a couple buds partying in parking lots has turned into an actual thriving business that is a real staple in the Nashville food scene.
We have traded in the tents for two fully functioning food trucks and our first venture indoors, with a kitchen and serving window inside of a killer brewery in Nashville.
The spirit of the Burger Club has always been to replicate a party with your friends on your deck. All your favorite people are there and hopefully you make some new friends, all while eating a pretty decent burger. We’ve done our best to build and grow a team of likeminded individuals that bring that same positive party vibe to every cheeseburger served.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I’d probably have to give that one to my mom. My parents split at an early age. My father had left us in some pretty heavy debt and my mother, a nurse, took on the role of sole provider. We had a pretty rough go of it. I’ll leave out all the heavy, sad stuff out but she did what she had to do to keep us afloat. Most of my childhood she worked long hours, multiple jobs at times, leaving me to fend for myself a lot and kind of raise myself.
I learned at an early age that you really have to work hard to dig yourself out of the hole and keep your head above ground. I started working odd jobs around 13 years old to help out around the house. A lot of kids would probably be pretty bummed about it but I just saw it as something that had to be done, cause I saw my mom do it.
If i didn’t grow up in that, I may possibly not have the work ethic I have today. Who knows but I wouldn’t change it.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I guess this goes hand in hand with my last answer. Growth comes from the ground up. Starting at the bottom gives you plenty of runway to shoot for the stars and work hard. I’ve seen poverty and suffering and learned that it isn’t a place I want to be again. The foundation of my childhood has given me inspiration to work hard and persevere through trying times to get through to the other side. Success means a lot of things to a lot of people but for me it means consistency and sustainability.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
This is something that has come up in conversation a lot lately. I feel authenticity is important. I can, at times, be an over-sharer, both in person and online. I’ve always found something special about being transparent with the broader audience around you. I have a pretty sizable “stage” in my community so sharing my wins and losses is important to me, to hopefully encourage others both in their hardships and their triumphs.
With that being said, I’m also a person that fights with negativity. I can often times choose to let negativity take over as opposed to choose the positive. I’ve learned this about myself in many hard ways and I have chosen to try and limit the amount of negativity I spew into the world. So, I do have a character that I choose to play sometimes. It’s a bit of a fake it till you make it situation. If I turn it on and choose to be the positive, bubbly guy, not only does it keep me from bringing down those around me with my negativity but it also forces me to choose to act positive which then affects me to actually think and become positive. It’s a win, win. Of course theres some burnout that comes from choosing to approach it that way at times but it’s the way I work. Is it right, I don’t know but it works for me.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yeah dude. All the time. It’s the way we’re built. We want everything. Toys, cars, cash, success, dream jobs….and we’re never fulfilled when we get them.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a couple different passion projects become my source of income throughout my life. That’s the dream right? Find something you’re passionate about and make it your job? Sign me up, right?

The thing is, as soon as you make your passion the thing that pays your rent, that’s when it becomes stressful. It becomes work. And nobody likes work, right?

I’ve learned its about managing your expectations. You can’t expect the new toy or the dream job to bring you everlasting joy. I try to find my joy and satisfaction in the relationships I have and grow in with those around me. I’ve had shit jobs and been pretty happy. I’ve had my dream job and been pretty miserable. The key is paying attention to the reason why I work. I work to build a life full of quality relationships. Whether its the life that I’m building with Rachel or the customer at the window. Those relationships are whats satisfying, not the job itself, and not the toys it buys or bills it pays.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.BADLUCKBURGER.CLUB
• Instagram: @BADLUCKBURGERCLUB

Image Credits
Katty Driggers #kattydangerphoto