“I always call out to people, I hate dumb quotes or ideologies. Like, ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.’ That drives me crazy.”
— Jason Anderson, president, Coworks
In her monthly “Grab Bag” column, Editor in Chief Laura Michaels asks the tough questions—What superhero power would you most like to have? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?—to show a side of franchising execs you don’t normally see.
Who would play you in the biopic about your life?
I joke, the guy I think I could be when I grow up if I really started working on it was Rick Fox. I could get the curly hair. I think he’s a cool guy, I’ve watched him on TV, he’s an athlete, seems like it would fit.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A lawyer. After I sold my real estate brokerage, I started the process of the LSAT … but then I realized I really just liked the debate part. Yeah, I draw on those skills—my wife doesn’t appreciate it too much. I’ll question everything.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
I always call out to people, I hate dumb quotes or ideologies. Like, ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.’ That drives me crazy. I think too literally.
What’s something you would seriously stockpile if you found out it wasn’t going to be sold anymore?
Bitcoin. One of my first businesses was I ran a credit card processing company, so I have a better understanding than most of that world. I became an early tech nerd into Bitcoin. I started buying Bitcoin pretty early on and sold it all at what I thought was the peak. It wasn’t. But I still got more than what I paid for it.
If you could be a member of any TV show family, which would it be?
‘Shark Tank.’ It’s always on on some channel. I’m thinking of the judging panel. I would like to do what they do. Or if I had to pick another it’d be ‘Seinfeld.’ I really appreciate the dry, straightforward humor.
What’s one trend you wish would disappear?
My first gut thought is social media. Literally the whole thing. I’m like the oldest millennial … I didn’t get on a social media platform until 2012. It has its place … but I think we’re at the inflection point of the worst side of it right now.
Which famous person would you never want to meet?
The first answer would be Hitler. I can’t think of a more terrible person.
What superhero power would you most like to have?
Flying. I hate driving. The whole Wolverine thing seems cool, too, but who’d want to have metal bones?
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
MREs—Meals Ready to Eat—that they gave to us when we were deployed. They’re able to take pretty much any type of food and put it in a bag and it’s still good 100 years later. I lived off of those after 9/11 for three or four months while we were deployed. I served in the Air Force.
What’s something not many people know about you?
One that comes up is that I was in the military. Second would be my upbringing. People assume because of where I’m at that I had a certain upbringing, but I definitely grew up on the poverty line. I’m the youngest of 10, a blended family … I left home at 15, joined the service at 17. I was the first kid in my family to go to college.
What’s the most useless talent you have?
I definitely have the ‘Jeopardy’ thing going on—a lot of useless knowledge. I can easily go down the rabbit hole just researching the most random things.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
I find pressure washing oddly satisfying, but I hate deep cleaning inside. I’m a neat freak and like stuff to look clean, but then I’ll just stuff everything in a drawer.