Troy R. Underwood is an industry disruptor. Part technologist, part economist, and all innovator, he revolutionized the motor vehicle industry with the nation’s first electronic title system for financial institutions, which was later sold for $106 million. His healthcare venture, benefitsCONNECT, innovated healthcare benefits administration and resulted in a highly successful acquisition. His new book is How to Launch Your Side Hustle: Start and Scale a Business with Minimal Capital. Learn more at troyrunderwood.com.  Podcast Highlights Who is Troy Underwood?  Troy considers himself a necessity entrepreneur and has been doing the entrepreneurial thing since elementary school. Troy has sold all sorts of products including greeting cards, seeds, and computers. Whatever the opportunity was, Troy was willing to take advantage of it. For the average entrepreneurial minded person, the problem is having too many ideas. They need to take these ideas and pick one, then execute, and then when they get bored they have to keep pushing instead of flipping to the next one. Ideas are everywhere, execution, perseverance, and discipline is what’s rare. Even a mediocre idea, when executed well, can work out. Troy’s original plan was to become a doctor, not an entrepreneur. It wasn’t until Troy took an economics course on a dare that he realized that he loved the study of economics and completely switched tracks. He kept up his involvement in computers and software development, and found himself in the right place and the right time to offer a solution that jump-started a business.  Is now the right time to start something? Now may actually be a great time to start a new business, especially for those who have been laid off with nothing to go back to. If you’ve been thinking about it for a while and you have an idea, if everything else is relatively stable, now could be the right time to give it a shot. Being an entrepreneur isn’t an exact science, you just have to take the cards you're dealt and play them the best you can. If you’re someone who craves certainty and security, don’t be an entrepreneur. You are able to mitigate some of that risk by being a business owner instead of an entrepreneur, for example opening a franchise which has a higher rate of success. If you’re looking for certainty, you’re not going to find it in your own business.  Who should be an entrepreneur? Creative thinkers and risk takers are the people who should be entrepreneurs. There is a lot of risk and opportunity cost in building a business and you need to be okay with taking that on.  If you’re driven by necessity you are going to have much more motivation to push through the difficult times and figure out solutions to complicated problems that can keep a business running. Why a side hustle instead doing something BIG? Troy compares a side hustle to a rocket ship launch. It’s not just about keeping a side hustle, it’s about building something that you know will be big eventually, something that replaces your full time job in time and is worth investing in. For Troy, it’s not abou

Mark Willis, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, a #1 Best Selling Author and the owner of Lake Growth Financial Services, a financial firm in Chicago, Illinois.  Over the years, he has helped hundreds of his clients take back control of their financial future and build their businesses with sophisticated, tax-efficient financial solutions.  Mark Willis specializes in building custom-tailored financial strategies that are unknown to typical stock-jockeys, attorneys, or other financial gurus.  As co-host of the Not Your Average Financial Podcast, he shares some of his strategies for investing in real estate, saving and paying for college without going broke, and creating an income in retirement you can’t outlive. Mark Willis works with people who want to grow their wealth in ways that are safe and predictable, become their own source of financing, and create tax-free income in retirement. Podcast Highlights Who is Mark Willis?  Mark’s college years are where the story begins. It was then that Mark met his future wife as well as the first woman they rented a room to. The year that they graduated school was 2008 and they left with $120,000 in student loan debt. With no jobs in the middle of a recession that was a big problem. Over the next few years the goal of Mark and his wife was to figure out a way to build true wealth and be better than debt free.  Since then Mark has learned how to become the banker in his own life and become financially immune to recession.   What was the plan you were thinking about going into school pre-2008? Like many students, Mark assumed that the money would keep on coming and didn’t think too much about the future. Studies have shown that the area of the brain associated with our future selves is the same part of the brain that’s associated with thinking about strangers, and how much are you going to save for a stranger’s retirement? The problem is not just the 18 year olds being handed thousands of dollars of student debt, the entire country has been on a trajectory to become a nation of debtors for generations. We have become a nation enslaved to bankers, credit cards, and debt and it’s not the interest that’s the problem, it’s the volume of debt that we are carrying around. Unfortunately the current crisis has hit us at a moment in history where we are completely unprepared for it at a financial level. Mark didn’t graduate with a finance degree and their journey began by taking baby steps towards becoming debt free. They went lean and put as much towards their debt as possible while also doing whatever they could do generate additional passive income. Figuring out the money situation became such a passion that Mark wanted to dive into on a professional level and started working for a CPA in the midst of the Great Recession. That was when he realized that the whole financial industry was a house of cards. Where is it written that we have to put all of our money into things we can’t access, have no control over, and multiple people with our hands in our pockets? The moment where things completely changed was when a mentor of Mark’s suggested that the path most people follow could be wrong.  What needed to be different from what you were previously doing? There were two things. The first was taking action immediately instead of waiting for the perfect conditions. You might make a few mistakes but it’s better tha

Stu Heinecke is the Hall of Fame “Father of Contact Marketing" and Founder/President of the Contact Marketing Agency and Cartoonlink, which helps sales teams break through using contact marketing solutions to produce critical contact with accounts and prospects. He is a longstanding senior cartoonist for the Wall Street Journal and the bestselling author of How to Get a Meeting with Anyone: The Untapped Selling Power of Contact Marketing and the new book Get the Meeting!: An Illustrative Contact Marketing Playbook.  He hosts Contact Marketing Radio and the How to Get a Meeting With Anyone podcast, and is Co-founder of Cartoonists.org, a coalition of famed cartoonists dedicated to raising funds for charity, while raising the profile of the cartooning art form.   Podcast Highlights Who is Stu Heinecke?  The ability to get meetings with anyone is a kind of superpower. Every great thing that happens in our lives is due to having the right connections at the right time. Stu studied marketing at USC but cartooning had been something that he always loved, so much so that by the time he was in college he was getting some of his work published in the newspapers in Los Angeles. Cartoons have an incredible power to captivate people’s attention so they became a fundamental element to Stu’s marketing strategies.  Back in the early days of marketing, David Ogilvy used to say “humor doesn’t work in advertising, and people don’t buy from clowns.” Stu was one of the people proving him wrong. Initially there was a lot of resistance against the idea, but Stu was able to convince a couple of his first clients, including Rolling Stone, to give it a try and they ended up getting extraordinary results. Contact Marketing In marketing you are always testing a new campaign against a control group, usually the most effective thing the company has ever put out. Stu’s first test campaigns beat out the controls of both Rolling Stone and Bon Appetit and became their new records. He realized that he needed to reach out to some of the key players in the magazine industry and sent each of them a customized cartoon. Most marketers use the 1% rule to measure a response rate against the performance of a campaign, for Stu’s campaign he got a 100% response rate, and they also all became clients of his, so his conversion rate was 100% as well. That initial contact marketing campaign launched Stu’s business and career. How can we cut through the noise with contact marketing? Contact marketing is not just about cartooning, that’s only one way of breaking through.  One of Stu’s favorite contact marketing examples involves a guy named Dan Walshman. Dan is a turnaround specialist and works with CEOs of companies that are in trouble. After combing the business news each day looking for earnings reports, when he finds one that looks to be suffering he gets a beautiful sword created that’s engraved with the CEO’s name on it. He sends that to them with a handwritten note and has been getting a 100% response from that campaign

As founder of Money Ripples, host of The Chris Miles Money Show, and co-author of the book Entrepreneur on Fire, Chris Miles is a leading authority on quickly creating wealth by increasing monthly cash flow and creating passive income. He has shown hundreds of thousands internationally how to free up or generate tens of thousands of dollars each year! Chris has been featured in US News, CNNMoney, and Bankrate.com and has a reputation for getting his clients fast, proven results.  Many of his clients have the option to retire in less than 5-10 years, and Chris himself was able to retire twice by age 39! Chris’s passion is helping entrepreneurs, and high-income employees become financially prosperous by finding and fixing their money leaks and creating passive income. Chris and his family live in Utah, but enjoy escaping to warmer weather during the winter months. In addition to helping his clients increase their cash flow, Chris is a talented ballroom dancer, choreographed ballroom dance routines for Utah Valley University, and got 5th place in his third grade spelling bee.  Podcast Highlights What’s going on in your world today?  Since the last time Chris was on the show nearly five years ago Chris was able to retire for the second time in his life. The first time he retired was at the age of 28, this time around at the age of 39 Chris was looking for something new. He never wanted to be full time again and as an educator at heart Chris continued working on his podcast and teaching people the same strategies that he used. Chris is looking at the current situation in the world and seeing all the opportunities available to those that have been prepared. Preparation The previous recession caused Chris a lot of problems and that’s when he learned the key lesson of never relying on only a few streams of income, because when those get shut off you’re out of luck. Chris has a number of clients that are currently unable to work but because they have set up multiple streams of income beforehand they are able to ride out the problem.  If you weren’t prepared for the coronavirus, you need to do whatever you can. So many people have no idea what to do right now it’s like they’ve been stunned. There are several areas that people are not taking advantage of their money right now. One is the money in mutual funds and retirement plans, people pouring more money into the stock market right now are making a big mistake. What should people do right now? Get lean, get liquid, and get out. Even during the great depression there were people that prospered and those that did were the ones who got lean and were looking for opportunities. Liquid cash is where you want to be right now, having enough cash on hand to weather the storm is crucial. Money never comes from the government in the time you expect so don’t rely on them for help right now.  If you have time, start looking for ways to create value and make money. That could be short term rentals or other forms of real estate. Creating Passive Income The one big mistake that Chris made in the prior recession was in aiming for growth instead of plain old cash flow. The result was he went way too big on his deals and ended up losing the properties. This time, instead of going for sexy Chris went for certain. The trouble is flashy $80,000 che

Kyle Stanley is the host of the Fearless Flipping podcast where he educates new hungry real estate investors about best practices for getting started. We flip the roles into today’s episode with J being interviewed for Kyle’s podcast. Find out how J is conquering the coronavirus and adjusting his short term rental business to be even more successful than before.  Podcast Highlights How did you get to this point and what brought you into the short term rental business?  The keyword for J is cash flow, everything he’s done in terms of business is around generating an income without physically going to work. Due to some very challenging physical ailments where both J and his wife were unable to work and earn money, they needed to figure out a solution which is what led him to real estate. Everything he should have been doing should have been geared towards creating cash flow. The next two years were transformational for J’s business. He had no money, terrible credit, no way to earn an income, and was selling his possessions on eBay when a friend recommended he start investing in real estate. His friend didn’t let those obstacles stop him and in a relatively short amount of time J closed his first subject-to deal. How did you find your first deal? You need to move at the speed of instruction. We need to be more like Walmart. Walmart perfected just in time inventory, we need to perfect just in time learning. There are certain parts of a real estate transaction that you don’t need to know yet, you need to learn the first step and then go out and take that step. There is no real benefit to understanding everything before you take any action.  Trust yourself to learn what you need to know when you need to know it and go out there and take action. That’s exactly how J found and put together his first deal, one piece at a time. Real estate is a skill the marketplace rewards. We can all learn to play the real estate game once we’ve been told the rules and practiced a bit. Within 3 weeks of closing his first deal J closed an additional 10 deals in the span of a week, which was a complete mindset shift for him. Fear is what holds all of us back, but we like to tell ourselves that we’re just being prudent. When you’re afraid any excuse will do. You have to ask yourself has anyone overcome the thing you’re afraid of because if that’s the case, the fear is not an excuse.  How are you operating right now? Most short term rental operators think about the business incorrectly and they need to understand what the problem actually is. Changing your thinking from “I have an Airbnb business” to “I have a short term rental business” will unlock your mindset and allow you to see new opportunities. The short term rental business has existed since the American Civil War. When the coronavirus hit, J’s business took a significant hit but that hasn’t removed the need for what his business provides.  J’s business is still on all the marketplaces like Airbnb and Booking.com and he’s now adding additional channels that he planned on including later in the year. He’s also increasing the amount of online advertising he’s doing and offering coupons and discounts to previous customers. At the end of the day it comes down to whether you understand the problem. It’s not like the business is bad, it’s just that the person with the need doe

Let me introduce you to Scott Smith, a new breed of real estate attorney with a great sense of humor and a gift for simplifying the complex. His Austin startup, Royal Legal Solutions, has a different take on protecting your assets including real estate investments and already serves thousands of clients across all 50 states. As a former litigation attorney, Scott has a deep understanding of how lawsuits really work. More importantly, he is a real estate investor himself, with property in 10 states. Now he’s sharing his information with the world and is committed to helping other real estate investors protect their futures. Podcast Highlights   Who is Scott Royal Smith?    At the heart of it all, Scott is a guy that likes to solve hard problems and then show people the solutions he’s found. He can then connect with people in an empathetic way and help them make positive changes in their lives.  Spiritual development is very important to Scott, the biggest KPI that Scott focuses on is his sense of well being and how he shows up in the world. Awareness of your own being is the only way to connect with other people. It doesn’t matter how great your ideas are unless you can connect with what’s true with somebody else. Scott’s mindset was passed down by his mother who taught him that there are two types of people in the world, people who think things happen to them and people that think that things happen for them. When life happens for you, you have a responsibility to reflect on and grow from your experiences.   Why did you choose to become an attorney?   Scott started his career as a litigator suing insurance companies with the overall goal of trying to change the industry. One thing he found along the way was you have to be really careful about what you want because you just might get it, and if it turns out you don’t like it you’re in trouble. Scott had been investing in real estate at the same time and was making more money investing than he was in his career, so he just decided to make the switch on what he was focusing on. It was in the process of learning the real estate investing ropes that he encountered a bunch of interesting problems that a lot of people were constantly asking about and that was the seed for Royal Legal Solutions. Now he teaches people how to make complex real estate investing problems simple. Scott doesn’t consider himself an attorney now. He may hold a law license, but what he does now is focus on helping investors.   From a business owner perspective, what are the things that we should be thinking about but are overlooking right now?   Real estate investing is also a business once you get to a certain point and protecting your assets becomes absolutely crucial. The things that impact business owners will also impact real estate investors. The first step is to tap into any established lines of credit you have. Long term secured debt is ideal with low interest rates. Pull out as much cash as you can because we don’t know what’s going to happen with liquidity markets and they are probably going to seize up. If they do and you have cash, you will have money on hand to take advantage of opportunities that come up. If

With a diverse career crossing professional services, mining services, civil construction, manufacturing, industrial relations Jacqueline has used  public speaking-centric strategies extensively to launch, pivot and manage both growth and crisis across all of those organizations. For 15 years Jacqueline has successfully trained consultants, professionals, business owners, executives and the C-Suite in public speaking, sales, presenting, core messaging, negotiating and positioning, before turning her attention more specifically to the craft of speaking in early 2017. Since then Jacqueline has worked with 100’s of emerging and established speakers across Australia and the USA. Jacqueline’s training has been delivered to some of Australia’s major corporate brands including Tattersalls (The Lott) and Anglicare, and her programs have been picked up by the Australian Institute of Sport Gold Medal Alumni Program in Canberra, and she has recently been awarded Certified Speaking Professional.   Podcast Highlights Who is Jacqueline Nagle? Jacqueline is a girl that had a plan for her life, one that involved becoming a lawyer in New York. But life happens and in her early 20’s she moved to Melbourne and fell into a job in recruitment where she discovered she loved the work. What originally started out as a temporary six week position turned into a sixteen year career.   Much of Jacqueline’s later success can be attributed to all the different things she learned in that career. It was where she found her first mentor and learned that one of the best ways to excel is to be insatiably curious and constantly learning. Her mentor also instilled Jacqueline’s love of story for conveying lessons and that became the foundation for how she operates now. Jacqueline’s moment where she decided to venture out on her own occurred after she made herself redundant as CEO at a company she was working at. After a three month transition period, Jacqueline was in her early 40’s and had a moment to consider what she really wanted to do. She tapped into her love for public speaking and decided to go to every speaking event within a 50 km radius. That was when she found that there are actually very few good public speakers in the world and that something was missing. She put together a pilot program and got some great success teaching people that they have something powerful to say and when they know how to say it, they can create something powerful as a result. Plans Change Sometimes our plans change, but that doesn’t mean that the goal stops existing, just that the way you get there becomes different. For Jacqueline, she didn’t become a New York lawyer but she found that the skills she learned over the course of her career allowed her to operate similar to a lawyer. It wasn’t until she realized that was she comfortable with the fact that her plan had changed. We need to recognize that this is a moment in time, and it may be hard and difficult and your path may change, but the goal is still there. We have to let go of follow a rigid path and adapt to changing circumstances. The thing that we love to do and the way that we bring value to the world hasn’t changed. What does it mean to honor the audience’s time? Even if you’re speaking for free you have to honor your audience’s time because they are giving you their most precious commodity. You have to be there to serve, not to be self indulgent. You have the privilege of the platform when you’re speaking. Explain to people what you know to be true about the world through story and give them something of value. Storytelling is not about you, it’s about creating belief and trust and connecting with the people in front of you at an unconscious level. How can today’s entreprene

Kyle Stanley is the host of the Fearless Flipping podcast where he educates new hungry real estate investors about best practices for getting started. Kyle is also a master with AirBnB and believes it's the best form of almost-completely-passive income in today's economy.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Kyle Stanley?    Kyle doesn’t like the term “serial entrepreneur”, he prefers the idea of FOCUS (focus on one course until success). Kyle had to make a lot of adjustments over his career based on his skills and what he enjoyed. Kyle started out as a sports anchor in Colorado for a local news station, started a sports videographer company, and moved into the MLM world where he got his first taste of the idea of passive income. In 2018, Kyle’s dad’s health took a turn for the worst and ended up in a hospice which led to Kyle slowing down and reflecting on what he really wanted to do with his life. He began to listen to podcasts on real estate investing and found the idea to really resonate with him which was how he ended up getting involved with fixing and flipping homes. Coincidentally Kyle had been house hacking his home with an AirBnB business without realizing that that it would also count as working in real estate. Once he really started to look into what else he could do with an AirBnB business, Kyle went from earning $1000 a month to $15,000 a month over the span of five months in 2019. Even in the days of the coronavirus Kyle’s short term rental business is still doing very well.   Why videography?   Being a sports anchor means being a one man band so Kyle learned a lot of different skills as part of the job. He also learned that he didn’t particularly love being on the news and he saw an opportunity to make videos for athletes to help them get into college. He took what he learned working in news and put it into a business that he believed he could thrive in, but lacking mentorship at the time was a serious downside.   The Passive Income Transformation   Kyle hadn’t even heard the words passive income until he was 26 years old. Kyle’s model for entrepreneurship was his father who ran a very successful business, but running the business meant extremely long hours. When Kyle got older he realized that his father was a slave to his business, something Kyle did not want to be, and it wasn’t until Kyle started working in the MLM did he get exposed to the idea of outsourcing and making a business more passive. Getting around people on a higher level that had learned how to create systems that can automate income is what first changed Kyle’s mindset around business. The missing piece was something that he was passionate about and real estate ended up being the key. Kyle now helps more people in the short term rental industry than he ever did pushing vitamins and supplements.   The Allure of Real Estate and an “AirBnB Business”   The big thing for Kyle when he got started flipping properties was helping people get a better return on their money. Creating all the job opportunities at the same time was a nice bonus as well. Kyle is also a numbers person, so analyzing a deal and crunching the numbers makes him excited. When he started looking at AirBnB as a business and he found that he could make $20,000 to $30,000 on one project,

Chad Peterson is an expert business broker and the founder of Peterson Acquisitions, an award-winning M&A firm. Chad’s firm handles transactions in the $1 million to $25 million range, with some deals exceeding $25 million.  He works with companies all over the United States and has completed international deals as well. Peterson Acquisitions was recently named by one publication as the #1 ranked business broker in the United States. What sets Chad Peterson apart from all other business brokers is his aggressive style, work ethic and tenacity that are rooted in his humble beginnings.  Chad Peterson is a self-made entrepreneur that has been in the trenches. He has started, built and sold 6 of his own businesses. Chad wrote the book “From Blue to White: A Working Man’s Guide to Self-Employment”. Best-selling author Scott Alexander of “Rhinoceros Success” wrote the foreword. He also wrote the book “Swinging Doors: A Guide to Selling Your Business” and is the host of the podcast:Business Brokers: Buying, Selling & Growing Businesses Podcast Highlights   Who is Chad Peterson?    If you study people who are driven you will always find a point in time where it all began. For Chad, he grew up in a tumultuous house with a difficult upbringing and early on his defining moment was realizing that he had to do things on his own. In his words “if it was meant to be it was up to me.” He worked hard as a kid, earned his own money and quickly enough people started to recognize that and praise him for his effort.  As a natural entrepreneur, Chad had difficulty in school and found himself in the work program. He eventually became a commercial pilot but that career was cut short by 9/11 and he quickly went back to his entrepreneurial roots. He built several companies and sold them over the next few years until the second inflection point of his life. In 2008, Chad had built a company that had 120 employees and was making $7 to $10 million a year. The trouble was the company was in the subprime mortgage industry and was completely destroyed by the crisis. In only a few short months, Chad went from a millionaire to broke. Instead of being defeated, Chad picked himself up and built a different company selling home services and things carried on. Eventually people started asking him how to build and sell businesses, which is how Chad ended up where he is now and a top business broker in the United States.   The Impact of Mindset   Chad feels that his mindset of his life being up to him is responsible for at least 85% of his success. When you’re hungry in your soul, you will make things happen. Success is survival, and for Chad if he doesn’t feel like he’s progressing he feels like he’s dying.   Why $700 to $1000 a day?   Home services between $700 and $1000 are still affordable for most Americans, even during a recession. By going for volume instead of a high price tag he knew that more people would take him up on his offer. During hard economic times, volume will beat out margin and a steady flow of income is important to keeping things going.   Taking Risk When There Is Fear In The Marketplace   There are people who act now that will make a huge amount of money during this crisis. It may seem logical to wait when you’re afraid or uncertain, but that’s what kills an economy. We are in a collapse scenario and fear is only going to

Annie Dickerson and Julie Lam are the co-founders and managing partners of Goodegg Investments, a premier real estate investing company that helps people learn about and invest in real estate syndications (group investments).   They are both moms (Annie has 2 kids and Julie has 3) and are passionate about helping other families build passive income so they can spend more time with the people they love, doing the things they love, and living a life by design.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Annie Dickerson and Julie Lam?    Annie started as an elementary school teacher and after setting out to buy her first house with her husband she was exposed to the idea of house hacking. They purchased a row home, something pretty common in DC, and rented out the bottom portion to help pay down their mortgage. After that experience they started looking at investing in other properties out of state, and that later developed into property syndications and getting to know Julie in the process. Julie started investing in real estate in 2009 with her husband. They purchased a number of properties in the Bay area and as the market started to mature they sold off a number of those properties in 2013 and 2016. It was then that Julie started to really think about the best way of investing that will work the hardest for her lifestyle. That’s when she realized that investing for cash flow could be the solution. She quickly realized that that’s a long term strategy and she wanted to be able to scale. That led her to the idea of getting into passive investing in multifamily real estate with syndications. Julie and Annie met at a real estate conference and being among the few women at that conference, they hit it off. Partnership wasn’t discussed at that point but as they got to know each other and found that they each loved complimentary facets of the business, partnering up seemed like a great idea. Annie loves the content creation and education portion of the business and Julie loves the deal making and negotiating aspects, so they work very well together.   Why GoodEgg Investments?   GoodEgg is about building your nest egg and investing for good. It’s not about just putting your money to work for you, it’s also about leaving a legacy for your family and having a positive impact on society. Coming up with a business name can be a major challenge for new entrepreneurs. The process that Annie went through involved looking at the existing names of businesses in the space, and then thinking outside the box to try to find something really unique. The idea behind the name and the concept was what really brought Julie on board.   Creating Content As A Real Estate Investor   Before working Annie, Julie spent a huge amount of time on the phone with potential investors answering the same questions over and over again. What was missing was a better thought leadership platform that allowed people to get to know them. After establishing their platform and making content creation the foundation of the business model, those conversations became much easier as the investor often felt like they already knew them, liked them, and trusted them.

Gina Bianchini is the Founder & CEO of Mighty Networks. Her mission at Mighty Networks is to usher in a new era of creative business built on community. Mighty serves “creators with a purpose” selling experiences, relationships, and expertise to their members via community, content, online courses, and subscription commerce–all offered in one place under the creator’s brand.  Before Mighty Networks, Gina and Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen launched Ning, a pioneering global platform for creating niche social networks. Under her leadership, Ning grew to ~100 million people in 300,000 active social networks across subcultures, professional networks, entertainment, politics, and education.  In addition to Mighty Networks, Gina serves as a board director of TEGNA (NYSE: TGNA), a $3 billion dollar broadcast and digital media company, and served as a board director of Scripps Networks (NASDAQ: SNI), an $12 billion dollar public company which owns HGTV, The Food Network, and The Travel Channel that merged with Discovery Communications in 2018.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Gina Bianchini?    The seed that ultimately became Gina’s mission in her work was growing up in a time and place and a family of incredibly curious people. Gina’s father had a passion for restoring old cars and her mother was always curious about the world around her, so much so that Gina can’t remember a time when she wasn’t reading a book.  Growing up in Cupertino gave Gina incredible opportunities because she found herself surrounded by people who would go on to be involved with things that would become LinkedIn, Facebook, and other major social networks. It was then that her friend came to her with the idea to create a new platform that gave people the ability to create social apps the same way they could create websites.  The common thread in Gina’s work has been the realization that people are awesome. Being able to bring people together around an interest or passion or goal is something that unlocks people’s abilities to create and participate in the world. One of the most powerful ways to go from point A to point B is through connecting with other people.   What is so different about Mighty Networks?   Gina has a very specific definition of community that helps describe what she is doing, namely “bringing people together to master something interesting or important together”. The real power is when there is a person leading a community and curating it to create those conditions of mastery.  The network is the evolution and refinement of what’s going on at the intersection of online courses, podcasts, and communities. When you move away from thinking about all of those as separate pieces and start thinking your mission is to create the conditions for people to master something interesting together, that’s when the magic happens. People are craving transformation in their lives, and being able to master something interesting is how they do that. If they could do that on their own by reading a book, they would, but that isn’t always the case. That’s why they pull out their credit card and pay for courses and communities. People will pay a premium for being a part of courses or communities that master som

How do you house hack your way to financial freedom with hardly any money down? How do you build a best-in-class property management company? What is the best day to do a home inspection? What does it mean to be #rentready? Jimmy Murray has all the answers and he is ready to share them with your podcast listeners today.  Over the past ten years, Jimmy’s multifamily real estate investments have blossomed into a successful property management company, Lyon Property Management Group. An investor himself, Jimmy intimately understands the needs of an investor landlord. And that’s why Lyon Property Management is tailored to the multifamily investor.   Jimmy is also an investor educator along with Lyon Property Group co-founder Frank Patalano. Jimmy and Frank host a podcast called The Cashflow Kings where they have been known to pass out free golden nuggets of real estate wisdom.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Jimmy Murray?    Jimmy Murray was always a thoughtful kid but he also had an entrepreneurial tilt. Real estate didn’t come along in Jimmy’s life until 8th grade when he wrote a letter to himself where he imagined what real estate and stocks he owned by the time he was finished high school. Jimmy tends to over analyze everything, which fits perfectly with his INTJ Myers-Briggs result.   Acorn Theory   Jimmy Murray recently learned about Acorn Theory, where we all start as a small acorn with a guide that helps us grow into a massive oak tree. Sometimes it takes longer to accomplish that, but your goal should always be to realize your oak tree potential. For Jimmy, he didn’t know what the path was that he would take, but he knew that Real Estate was going to be the shape of things. It doesn’t matter where you start, it matters where you finish. Jimmy’s degree which helped him land a job at a well respected financial firm came from Ohio State University, but he started off in a local community college. His original strategy was to get a job on Wall Street, make a pile of money, and then invest in real estate but it didn’t work out that way. Instead, he found himself failing the CFA exam and being forced to decide whether to invest more time and money in passing the test, or just jumping into real estate and buying his first multifamily property.  Small, daily habits are the foundation for long term success. Progress happens a little bit each day, your goal shouldn’t be to get there immediately. Failures are the stepping stones on your way to success. Sometimes your closest mentors will tell you not to pursue your dream goals, but if you believe in it enough you should be willing to chase what you want.   Is there anything you wanted someone to say to you when you were starting off?   Not everyone is going to believe in your vision along the way, but as long as you do, no one else has to. Jimmy wouldn’t change the way things played out when he decided to get into real estate.   Why did you go into property management?   When Jimmy Murray bought his first property, he also started wholesaling with the belief that wholesaling would be the way he was going to escape his cubicle. Despite being an

We’re exploring the question that almost everybody considering short term rentals asks, how much money can you make with a short term rental unit? The answer may surprise you. We’ve also got a recent Roadmap student on the line to tell us about their experience in securing their very first units, and yes, that’s plural, as in multiple units their very first deal.   The Cashflow Diary Roadmap   J and the Cashflow Diary are dedicated to providing hands on and direct training to students that want to create their own six and seven figure short term rental businesses.  Members get access to hundreds of hours of content covering every aspect of building a short term rental business including cash flow, negotiations, operations, lead generation, seller financing, and more. Everything you need to develop the skills you need to become the bravest entrepreneur you can be. The content is one thing, but knowledge alone isn’t going to get you to your goals. That’s why the program is designed with hands on training and accountability built in, training that shows you how to use expert tools expertly. As Roadmap members you get access to every course and training J has produced over the last several years, some of which people have paid upwards of $5000 for, but you also get assigned a dedicated accountability to make it all happen. They will take you on a 12 month transformational journey through all three phases of the short term rental business, holding your hand each step of the way. Members are also the first people who will get access to the Cashflow Diary app which will tie everything together. The app will connect the content and the community in a way that we’ve never been able to do before. When it comes to short term rentals, things change every 90 to 120 days. Your customers will change, there are high and low seasons, and there’s always something new to learn. This is why the accountability coach is so important, they will make sure that you stick to the plan and hold you to accomplishing your goals.   When I got started I set a goal of getting 10 units a year, and have had some interesting interactions with landlords so far and I may have to reevaluate my goals.   This caller just started their entrepreneurial journey and ran into a little opposition right off the bat, but that quickly turned into an opportunity to pick up 3 units right now, with the potential to pick up an additional 40. He used the scripts exactly as provided by the training program to get to his first game changing yes. In doing the research for his area in preparation of setting up his business he found that the other short term rental operators are barely putting in any effort at all. After having some conversations with people, he was asked to join a local BNI group and speak on what he’s doing with short term rentals and has been generating a lot of excitement around the whole idea.   How much money can I make with short term rentals?   Go to rentometer.com and enter in whatever address you think may be a good spot to open up a short term rental unit. Whatever the rent number that comes up, multiply that number by 2. That’s a conservative number for the rest of your calculations.  A good rule of thumb is that you can expect to earn around $800 per bedroom each month. You do have to keep in mind however that your firs

You’ve tried reading a book and watching a video, you’ve also probably tried going to a couple conferences, and the trouble is that’s not enough for you to make transformational changes in your business. That’s why J developed the Cashflow Diary Roadmap program, to provide short term rental entrepreneurs the hands on training and accountability they need to succeed in this business. Questions and Answers   A question about wholesaling a property    Inside the wholesaling course within the app is enough information to walk through everything you need to know when it comes to marketing and closing a wholesaling deal. The more important point is that when you are on the path of becoming a short term rental entrepreneur, you have to stay focused on short term rentals. You’re not going to get the success you want by constantly being distracted by other deals and opportunities. You need to focus on achieving a specific result, and members of the Cashflow Diary Roadmap are held accountable to those results. If you chase two squirrels, both will escape. It doesn’t mean the other squirrel isn’t valuable, but you need to focus. As you learn more, you will begin to see more opportunity, and that may actually become one of the biggest challenges for the accountability coaches. Their job will be to keep you on track so you can keep making progress instead of constantly starting new projects without finishing them.   If we want to purchase an apartment for short term rental purposes, how are we going to make the bank recognize the performance and count as part of the income?   You’re going to work with your CFO so you can get the correct type of financial statements together so that it ties into your tax return properly, but also when they are going to look for the raw data obtained from your bookkeeper, everything matches. The first step is to get a bookkeeper if you haven’t done that already. If you can’t present clean and accurate financial statements yet, there is no reason to talk to a bank.   Is the “Add tax” feature on AirBnB additional?   It is and the challenge with the feature is that it’s being done automatically for some people and not for other people in different areas. This can actually put you at a disadvantage in the search results.   Got my first booking, what application should I be using to communicate with my guest?   It comes down to setting up a separate email address that everyone on the team has access to that allows the team to communicate with guests directly. There is always a new pricing tool in the works that we are going to be talking about shortly that allows us to unify communication with all the different platforms.   When the Q&A’s move to the app, are you going to make announcements when the transition happens?   Yes and keep in mind that nobody is losing access to anything, only the platform and delivery mechanism is changing. Putting everything on the app will allow members to communicate with each other much more easily and that means we all get to take advantage of the increased network effects.   Always make sure a property works as a long term rental as well as a short term rental. What do you think of that advice?   The real question

Humans don’t transform overnight. Most people can’t just read a book or watch a video and completely change their life immediately. You’re not going to be able to pick up a bunch of short term rental units right away. That’s the reason that J developed the Cashflow Diary Roadmap, the Roadmap is a program that combines an immense library of content and training and accountability coaching to make sure you achieve your short term rental goals. Questions and Answers     Moving at the Speed of Instruction    When you’re moving at the speed of instruction, you don’t have the time to question your capacity to do something. With a little bit of trust and follow through, you can accomplish more than you would believe is currently possible. Humans tend not to value as much as they should. If you want to achieve anything worthwhile, you need to be willing to fail. Fail frequently, and fail forward.  One of the things about schooling that prevents you from getting ahead is the belief that you must learn everything in the program or book before you are qualified to act. It’s much more effective to read a chapter, then put the book down and put what you learned into action. You will get much more out of what you learn by combining it with actual experience.   How do we secure POE cameras to prevent them from unplugging?     The cameras that J recommends are hard wired directly into the electricity of the house so they can’t be unplugged. In the case of the caller, the installer didn’t run the wire through the walls so the simple solution is to bring them back in and redo the installation.   I currently have a couple short term rental units and trying to figure out where to be next, where should I be looking?   New Jersey is a good place to look since it’s one of the most short term rental friendly states in the country.    I’ve been talking to a couple of landlords but have been having trouble conveying what we do, how do we approach this conversation?   If a landlord has concerns about the number of people that are going to be staying in their unit, the key is to assure them that you screen guests just as thoroughly as they do and care just as much what kind of guests stay in the unit. Talk about the fact that you are always available because of your systems that you have in place and that it’s more common for you as a short term rental operator to have issues with long term tenants than they will have with your guests. Avoid telling the landlord the range of the number of people who could potentially stay at the unit, it’s better to describe a specific use situation so they can easily imagine the kind of guest you are describing. They don’t know that you have the capacity to screen people just as well as they do, so you have to be able to communicate that in a way that makes them feel more secure about doing business with you. If something does happen, you can also tell them the systems you have in place allow you to remove a guest from the property and involve the authorities if necessary much faster than they could due to the restrictions around their business model. Being detached from the outcome is also very important. If that particular landlord doesn’t take you up on your offer, that’s okay. You can move on to the next l

How would it feel to earn an entire year’s salary in only one month? When you understand the power of a short term rental business and crunch the numbers involved, the path becomes clear. J is going to break down everything you need to know about your Magic Number and how the Cashflow Diary Roadmap can help you achieve your business goals.   If your short term rental business magically tripled overnight, how much more time would you have to spend running your business?    If your answer is anything other than 0 extra time to deliver your service, you’re not operating as efficiently as you could. You’re not earning the highest revenue, or your expenses are higher than they need to be, or you’re investing too much of your time into delivering the service. With the right systems in place, you will be able to deliver more value to the marketplace without having to spend more time doing it. If the thought of your business tripling in 24 hours causes you anxiety around a particular area, that’s where the broken system is.  The more systems you implement the more reliable and consistent your business becomes.   Your Magic Number    Math equals money. The one way you can measure how much money one unit can make compared to another is a metric called Revenue Per Available Room, also known as RevPar. To calculate your RevPar, you take your average daily rate and multiply it by your occupancy. This gives you a metric that tells you how much you’ve earned per day, per room. The occupancy rate for the entire hotel industry in 2019 was only 66.1%. The average daily rate for those hotels was $138.21 per stay. The average Revenue Per Available Room for hotels in 2019 is $86.76. The average customer review score for those same hotels was 80% with Marriott and Wyndham being tied for first place since 2008.  To compare, J’s numbers for 2019 was an occupancy rate of 70.17%, an average daily rate of $128.34, a RevPar of $90.26, and average customer review score of 92.55%. Think of all the things that you believe are holding you back, now imagine what would happen if all those obstacles were gone tomorrow. How many units would you have by the end of the year with nothing in your way? Take that number of units and run the numbers, multiply by both the average hotel RevPar and J’s RevPar and that will give you a range that will tell you exactly how much money you could make every day if you accomplished your goals. Multiply that number by 365 to get your earnings per year. You can also break that number down even further and determine how much of an opportunity cost you’re paying each and every hour that you let those obstacles hold you back.   The Cashflow Diary Roadmap   J and the Cashflow Diary are dedicated to providing hands on and direct training to students that want to create their own six and seven figure short term rental bu

The short term rental industry is waiting for people like you who want to be professional operators delivering a high quality experience. The hardest way to do this business is to go through the first year with only one unit. Putting the right short term rental systems in place that allow you to grow past that point and start running more units is the secret to long term success. Learn what systems you must implement in your short term rental business.   Have you ever asked a traditional real estate investor or landlord about short term rentals?    A good analogy is imagining what a person who owns a Costco franchise or someone who owns a vending machine business. Each person will have firmly believe that what they are doing is the best option, but the Costco person probably thinks the vending business is too much work, and the vending machine owner thinks the Costco is too much money upfront. The traditional landlord is like Costco, they are wholesaling their property in 12 month terms. Short term rentals are like the vending machine business, you’re both selling the same product, just with a different package and sales channel. The differences are the customers being served and the level of services you are providing. Short term rental operators are the retail version of real estate, we sell the property one day at a time, and the power is in our ability to be efficient. It’s the system that delivers the service, and that’s the difference between the two. As a resource becomes more available and efficient, demand for that resource starts to go up. Cell phones are a good example, they started off big and clunky and difficult to manufacture, but now they are small, powerful, and ubiquitous. Short term rental operators make real estate more efficient. The more efficiency we bring to the table, the more revenue we can drive in our businesses and other people’s organizations as well. The key to your future is putting this principle into effect for your life.   Putting Short Term Rental Systems In Place   There are a few key short term rental systems that have to be in place if you’re going to capture this efficiency. This includes a system for cleaning the unit on a regular basis, a maintenance and repair system for fixtures like doorknobs, a communication system for communicating with your guests, and a system for managing the availability of multiple calendars per property. Most of the time, we recommend people start out with AirBnB because they have the absolute best system for customer acquisition. But there are other platforms as well, and if you can operate efficiently on those platforms, you can make much more money per booking.  If you’re going to make the maximum amount of profit in this business you need to have a system in place for availability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is probably the easiest area for us to outperform the market because the average short term rental operator has no system in place to handle inquiries and can sometimes take days to respond. You have to provide more value to the marketplace than just you are able to provide. It has to be bigger than you. That kind of thinking is how you unlock five figure paydays, six figure success, and seven figure freedom. Learning how to provide value to the marketplace efficiently allows you to scale and reach levels of income that most people have no idea how to achieve, in

Get the lowdown on the Cashflow Diary Roadmap program and how the program has been designed to get students to six and seven figure businesses as quickly as possible. Find out what makes the Cashflow Diary Roadmap different and how becoming a student in the next enrolment period could completely transform your life.   What is the difference between what’s offered to Cashflow Diary Roadmap students versus traditional students?    Cashflow Diary Roadmap students are the first to take advantage of the new Cashflow Diary app, a one stop location for training materials, networking opportunities, and additional features like a vendor marketplace. The app also allows us to bring on subject matter experts to provide help with specific areas. The app also connects Roadmap students to their accountability coach in a real time format.  There are also a number of assessments that your accountability coach will help you get through, all of them designed to help you become a bigger, better, badder entrepreneur and keep you on track. You will have access to a monthly 45 minute coaching call and additional tracking tools to keep you on target. Cashflow Diary Roadmap students also get access to 3 weekly training calls that cover topics and tactics that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. Everything in the Roadmap is centered around facilitating the transformation necessary to create six and seven figure businesses.   Who are the accountability coaches?   Each accountability coach is someone who has accomplished the things we are helping Roadmap students achieve. They have proven they have mastered the same material you will be studying as a Cashflow Diary Roadmap student. The whole point of the accountability coaches is to provide real time help for the students and eliminate what they perceive as roadblocks that are preventing them from moving forward.   Does the Roadmap focus on a particular market?   There is no one market that the Cashflow Diary Roadmap focuses on, but for the more exotic use cases of short term rentals there will be either additional training or resources made available for them.   Will you be discontinuing the Q&A’s?   The short answer is no, but where they are done and how they are done is changing. They are only going to be made available to members only. The previous format came with a lot of restrictions that prevented it from really solving the problems we are looking to solve. By changing the format we will be able to better serve the members and help them advance in towards their goals.   Will there be a Facebook presence after this transfer?   There will be a presence on Facebook, it will be focused on the other group. We will be doing more free training for members of that group but our primary focus will be on working with existing Roadmap students. The challenging thing with Facebook is disseminating information because Facebook gets to determine who sees what, which can make things difficult. The Roadmap is our effort in providing a solution to that problem. All the recommendations we have made in the program are tailored to help you get results as fast as possible without getting distracted by the next shiny new object.   What is the opportunity cost

One of the unique things that you need to understand is that people do things for their reasons, not theirs, and their reasons make sense to them. Be careful about assuming that the way you think is the way that everyone thinks. When it comes to talking to landlords as a short term rental operator and getting them to say yes, there is a proven process that you can use to start the conversation and close the deal.   Why do you think that landlords want?    If you’re the one offering a solution to a problem, you’re in business. That means you need to understand the pain of the problem in order to make a sale/present yourself as the solution to the problem. If you’re not getting the answers from the people you’re talking to, it’s not the business model that’s broken, you’re probably just approaching the situation incorrectly. Many of us put off our pain until the last possible moment, landlords have pain too, you just have to understand what that pain is. When someone is in pain, they don’t care about a person’s pedigree as long as they believe they can solve their problem. When it comes to talking to landlords, their biggest problem is vacancy and as long as you can speak competently by understanding that the landlord conversation becomes much easier. The conversation is only difficult because you don’t yet have a thorough understanding of their problems yet. As you continue to have a better handle on the problem, you will run into another set of challenges. Namely, getting the person to admit that they have a problem. The average short term rental guest stays at a venue for 5.6 days. That means that roughly five times a month, the unit has to be cleaned from top to bottom, which is an interesting point you can bring up in conversation with a landlord. How often does that happen with a traditional long term rental situation? The answer is almost never. Another benefit to the landlord is a general decrease in wear and tear on the unit. Guests typically spend their time somewhere other than the unit itself, especially compared to long term tenants. Your relationship with a landlord is a symbiotic relationship where you are both helping each other.   What do you think the landlord gains by working with you as a short term rental operator?   The benefits of a consistently occupied unit not only leads to more reliable payments for the landlord, the building is valued based on its net operating income and if they can show that vacancy is going to be consistent, it can add up very fast for the landlord.  The landlord also gets the advantage of decreased leasing fees and management fees. Working with you as a short term rental operator can save them thousands of dollars in leasing fees and every day the unit is vacant they are losing money, which is a problem you can solve directly. As a short term rental operator, the landlord can be confident that their property will be sufficiently covered by the right insurance, which is not something they can always rely on with traditional tenants. Short term rentals also get to take advantage of all the technology available that most landlords have no idea how to make use of, including increased security and fire protection. We can protect their property better than they or their tenant can. Professional operators can’t be taken advantage of in the way that the scare stories on the news are saying they can.   How To Star

Do you want a six or seven figure real estate business that will actually allow you to retire from your job? Raising capital is a key skill you need to understand. The window of opportunity is wide open and there is more opportunity than you think in the short term rental business, now is the time to take action and get started.      Why would a landlord allow you to lease their property and make more money than them?    Landlords are in different places in their lives and the value different things, that’s what creates the opportunity for us. In fact, most retail businesses do exactly the same thing. The lease a location where they operate out of, in order to make more money than the cost of the lease. The principle is basically the same.     What do you believe investors are looking for? What does it take for investors to say yes to giving you money?   There are basically two things you need in order to get investors to say yes to you. Character and confidence. There are many different ways you can demonstrate those, producing content like a podcast or Youtube videos and they show up consistently. Demonstrating competence is also very important, because he who educates the market, dominates the market. Always answer at least one question with your content and actually helps people.  When it comes to raising capital, there are three types of people that you want to be in front of: guests, landlords, and investors. Another thing to keep in mind is that investors are often the people right next to you, they are not always the person in the fancy suit. Every person has an investor identity and the most interchangeable piece of the process is the deal. Even if you don’t currently have a piece of property under contract right now, you should still be able to talk about who you serve, how you serve them, and everything the customer prefers. If you can’t talk confidently about that without having a particular address in mind, that’s where the problem in raising capital lies. You must become a professional information gatherer because that will put you into a position to diagnose, make a prognosis, and then prescribe. You can’t do it any other way because you will never know what the investor wants. The challenge is you can’t ask them directly because most people don’t even know they have an investor identity. If you walk into any given Starbucks, there is probably several million dollars in investable capital sitting around. You are the operator and the one with a solution, make sure they know that. There are many different reasons someone will choose to invest, and your job is to figure out what that is and solve their problem. Invite them into your world and show them that you are an expert by educating them. If you lead with a deal based on what you believe is great without uncovering what the investor is actually looking for, you both lose.   The Profit Analysis Quadrant Conversation   There are four areas of profit: appreciation, amortization, depreciation, and cash flow. Each of those can be manipulated to create the outcome that the investor is looking for. You have to know how to use these tools to create a deal that solves the investor’s problems. Show them you’re an expert by educating them and asking the right questions, find out what they are doing and what problems they are trying to solve, then explain how your tr

When you understand the “why?” behind your business, it can often help you with the “how?” of your business. In this episode of the podcast J reveals the story of how he came to realize that short term rentals are perhaps the greatest opportunity for people getting into real estate investing in a very long time, but also why the window to take advantage of that opportunity is closing a little bit every single day.     The Power of Real Estate    Prior to getting into real estate, J and his wife went through some incredibly difficult times personally. His wife was unable to eat or drink due to a condition she developed while pregnant, and J suffered an injury where he punctured his lung which prevented him from walking and talking at the same time. His back was against the wall with no money and a terrible credit score, and that was when a friend recommended he look into real estate investing. At that point J’s best ideas are what got him into that position, which is something you should consider as well. Wherever you are now, your best ideas got you to where you are. It wasn’t until J left his comfort zone and stopped pretending that everything was alright that things started to change. J started doing what he was being asked to do and after closing his first transaction in June of 2008, he realized that his beliefs around money were holding him back and preventing him from seeing the opportunity that was around him.   You can play any game if you are taught the rules, and real estate is no different. Once J got started, everything snowballed and accumulated and in the course of the next 12 months his life was completely changed. His business eventually developed into buying apartments and multifamily units, billboards, cell towers, and other types of property all over the United States, all along the way he fine tuned the systems that allowed him to scale. As great as that success is, J wasn’t satisfied. J started thinking about how he could make more of a difference in the world which lead him to create the Cashflow Diary and started helping other people with their own entrepreneurial journey. It was actually one of those people that introduced him to short term rentals. One of the interesting things about real estate is that it’s a great way to build wealth, but a horrible way to build income. A lot of landlords lose money on long term rentals for quite a while. Short term rentals are a response to the change in consumer habits and change the way we look at real estate. Short term rentals have been around for a long time, but what is new about the industry is the impact that technology is having on it. Technology is transforming everything about real estate and the short term rental industry is leading the way.   Planning For The Future   The rules of money have changed and most of us were never taught them in the first place. People are finding out the hard way that social security is more like social insecurity and their 401(k) isn’t going to last as long as they thought it was going to. We all must have a way to produce income not only when we are awake, but passively as well. Inflation and tax increases are coming in the future, and we need a way to protect ourselves from that.  For most people, their first transaction is real estate is about taking on a massive obligation with almost no experience, but one of the game changing realizations with short term rentals

We are talking about making short term rentals happen for you, making them easier and faster, bigger, better, and badder. If you feel the need to get started and need that extra push to make things happen, you can go to cashflowdiary.com/roadmap to finally build your business. J reveals the 10 things he wishes he knew before he got started in the short term rental business as well as answers a number of questions from the viewers. How many units does it take to retire?  When you’re in pursuit of an outcome, you may not know what the goal is. When people are getting started in real estate, they often have a dream of retiring but have no idea how many units they need to achieve that goal. If you want to know exactly how many short term rental units you need to retire you can go to cashflowdiary.com/howmanyunits to calculate your magic number. Is it possible to get my first unit in the first month? The most reliable answer is it depends. If you follow the program and do exactly what it says, you shouldn’t have any problems landing your first unit, it all depends on whether you are willing to put in the work and how comfortable you are with failing. You may have to hear a large number of ‘no’s’ before you get a yes, but if you can push through and put in the work, it’s definitely doable. You just have to move at the speed of instruction. This program is best suited to people who are okay with leaving the ‘why’ for later so that you can provide value now. Even people who have been in the short term rental real estate world can get stuck if they don’t have a system for scaling and the tools and team to support their growth. It takes time to learn systems, but they can’t be implemented just by reading a book or watching a video. It requires hands on experience to make them work. Will we be able to plagiarize all the systems and everything you do in your short term rental business? You not only get to plagiarize everything, the program literally contains the exact messages that J sends his guests. It’s easy to replicate the ingredients, but we also give you the recipe. You need to learn more than just tactics. As the marketplace matures, you’re going to need to have the skills to build a real brand that will allow your business to continue growing. Do short term rentals work in Chicago? The short term rental business works everywhere there is a need for housing. Is the app available to current students or only people in the Roadmap? People joining the Roadmap get access to the app first but it will be coming to existing students that are currently in Facebook. Do I have to under price if I’m new? You don’t have to approach this the way you would with traditional real estate, you would be doing things in the wrong order and costing yourself some opportunity. You also have to be aware of how difficult it is to get accurate data to set your prices and they can be manipulated. #10. I was not aware of the use cases for short term rentals The real secret to the short term rental business is specialization. Who you are trying to serve will determine so much about your business and is really the foundation for everyth

J Massey was the featured guest on the Capital Gains Tax Solutions podcast with Brett Swarts recently and they talked about everything from how J got started in real estate investing, to key short term rental strategies, growth mindset, the Cashflow Diary, and more. Questions and Answers What is your background and what’s your current focus?  J started out from a very difficult situation in life. J’s wife has a condition that when she’s pregnant she can’t eat or drink, and at the same time as her pregnancy J had a punctured lung and brutal asthma. The challenge was that neither of them could earn income by going to work so they needed to find a solution. A friend recommended that he look into real estate investing so with literally no money and terrible credit J began wholesaling properties.  After being introduced to taxes, J started keeping the properties and that developed into a portfolio that included single family houses, mortgages, and cell phone towers. Eventually people started asking how he’d been able to achieve all of that, so J began teaching others how to do the same thing. One of J’s students introduced him to the idea of short term rentals, and three years ago J switched his focus to teaching people how to create their own short term rental business. What is your super power and how does it shape how you help others today? J grew up as a military kid outside of the States and growing up overseas has given him the ability to adapt to new situations very quickly. J is autistic and has ADHD and he considers those his super powers as they help him connect the dots and learn new things surprisingly fast. It’s also a gift being able to share that information and help other people as well. How did you transfer the idea of a weakness into a strength? Being able to provide for your family is great but when that’s accomplished there’s not much else to do. At the age of 38, J found himself functionally retired and with nothing to do until one person came to him and asked to learn everything he knew. In the process of teaching this person the skills of real estate investing, both J and the other person went through incredible transformations. He realized how fulfilling and valuable it is to help other people achieve their dreams and that ultimately put him on his current path. Does your approach to life filter into your basketball game? J judges his success in a basketball game by the number of rebounds and blocks he made, the things that enable someone else to be able to be great. Setting the example of helping other people is very important to J. In many ways, entrepreneurs can be some of the most selfless individuals and since they are so connected to so many different people, they have the ability to make fundamental positive changes to their communities. Walk us through the tactical parts of what you do and how you help people create more wealth. One of the things that people rarely tell you is that owning real estate long term is a great way to build wealth but horrible for building income. Income doesn’t materialize until the debt servicing is complete. When J had 450 units, there was always something to repair and something to do, so they started looking for ways to increase income and reduce the work. This is where short term rental units come into the picture. Short term rentals have a number of advantages to the user compared to a traditional hotel room th

Thomas W. Jones is the Former Vice Chairman, President & COO at TIAA-CREF, the largest pension system in the country. He was the former Vice Chairman of Travelers, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Freddie Mac, and the Former Chairman & CEO of Smith Barney Asset Management. He was the former CEO of Global Investment Management at Citigroup and Former Treasurer at John Hancock Insurance Company. Thomas W. Jones is currently the Founder and senior partner of venture capital investment firm TWJ Capital and author of the new book From Willard Straight to Wall Street: A Memoir.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Thomas W. Jones?    Thomas W. Jones was on the cover of Newsweek in 1969 as an iconic revolutionary while studying at Cornell. As a student, Thomas felt that America was at a crossroads and that his generation was tasked with the job of raising the price of oppression. Due to his effort and the effort of countless others, America chose to embrace the spirit of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and has made significant progress over the last 50 years towards equality. In a certain way, Thomas’s life story and career in business is like a microcosm of the story of the growth and development of America as a whole.   Did the fight look like what you thought it would?   Thomas was pleasantly surprised when America took the path of opening up opportunity instead of the path of oppression. He believed the toughest fight would be in the business world and he figured that he would have almost no chance at success, but he needed to try. He had to approach business in a way that he provided his own psychological support, because he knew he wasn’t going to receive any from the outside. He discovered that if you actually deliver a true 100% commitment, there is a large gap over time between the people who are delivering only 95%. The 5% gap seems small but it compounds over the years and people start to notice. For Thomas, this meant people in the upper echelons of business recognizing that he was getting the job done and eventually taking him on in a mentorship type of relationship.   Where does your motivation and fortitude come from?   It takes a certain level of self belief and self confidence to take on tough challenges. For Thomas, his confidence came from his experience in school. At that time, the philosophy of school in dealing with a gifted child was to accelerate them, and that meant that Thomas had skipped two grades. This meant that he was much younger than his peers and once he had entered high school he encountered a number of bullies. It was then that he decided that he wouldn’t let others define who he was. That self possession developed into the mentality that even if he was facing insurmountable odds, Thomas might as well try to get it done. Most people never figure out what they are capable of because they never actually put 100% into trying to be their best. You can never know what you can do until you give 100% effort. It’s a wonderful gift that you can give to yourself to learn what your highest potential is. When you learn what your capacity is, you will be able to channel and master it, and you will find arenas where you can give 100% and be successful. Thomas’s faith discipline has been another crucial element. Even in the midst of a crisis, praying and trying to see the good in the situation allowed Thomas to continue to fight. Life is going to have times of trial, and having s

Co-founder of TaxDome - a cloud based practice management solution targeted to small/medium sized firms (1-25), helping entrepreneurs scale quickly & easily. TaxDome is an all-in-one solution for tax and accounting professionals to manage their business.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Ilya Radzinsky?    Looking back Ilya always had an entrepreneurial spirit and when he was younger he wanted to own a restaurant. He managed to get a job as a busboy but found it was much harder than he thought it would be and didn’t last more than a week. He pivoted his focus and got creative with his first business of selling digital items on eBay. With some encouragement from his parents, Ilya followed the footsteps of his brother and went into finance as a banker and financial analyst.  Several years into his career, Ilya’s boss shut down the hedge fund he was working at and took a three month sabbatical. During that time, his brother was getting into product development and found a big opportunity. Ilya decided to team up with him and that’s how we get to present day with TaxDome. Generally, Ilya tries to adapt to the times and look for new opportunities.   Getting Into Finance   Finance has a bit of a bad reputation but in many ways it’s like Medicine. There are a number of different roles that you can play within the industry. Ilya enjoyed his career in finance and if it wasn’t for his boss getting divorced he would have probably just continued working at the hedge fund and wouldn’t have gone on to start a business.  Oftentimes, the experiences that feel uncomfortable lead to better things in the future. Adversity often refocuses your vision of the world in a more clear way than before and the successful person usually follows a winding path with plenty of setbacks before they get to where they are.   Why TaxDome?   In 2010, the trends were moving in the direction of more people completing tax returns online in some way and back in the day, Ilya and his brother started working with a firm that was looking to go fully remote and scale their business. They started building that product for them and it went on to transform their business. A few years ago, Ilya and his brother saw an opportunity with the emergence of SaaS companies and that’s when the idea for Taxdome came alive. They created a similar platform to the one they created before specifically for accountants that allows them to access a plug and play solution for their business without requiring a major IT investment. If you’re an accountant, you need a lot of different services in order to run your business and TaxDome is an integrated solution that aims to eliminate as many of those services as possible. TaxDome is trying to reduce the software burden for accountants and allow them to better compete with other businesses as technology changes the way transactions occur.  In a lot of ways, small businesses are facing a large challenge of cobbling together a number of software solutions to be able to compete with larger businesses and their economies of scale. TaxDome is championing small businesses and trying to give them the tools and ability to compete and win. Adopting a new software solution can be daunting so in order to lower the barrier to entry and give clients an idea of what to expect, TaxDome offers a simulated account without having to sign up. The simulated account allows people to experience the soft

J is answering all your questions about business, short term rentals, personal growth, and whatever else it is you’re curious about. We’re also exploring the subjects of insurance and occupancy in particular, how much insurance do you need and what metrics should be looking at to maximize your occupancy. Insurance is one area that you don’t want to cut corners so make sure you understand how to make it work for you. Questions and Answers   How do we handle bad guests?    The first step is to breathe and realize you will survive. Everyone will experience this at some point. The process of removing an unwanted guest that has broken your rules is the same no matter the infraction. One thing to note is if the person is willing to pay the fees for breaking the rules, take the money and move on. If you have to file a resolution with Airbnb you’re going to need to do it immediately. Your window of opportunity is very small to file a claim so don’t wait to do it. If the guest wants to write a bad review, waiting to make a claim is not going to stop them from writing the bad review. You will have to rely on the content policy to protect you from an unfair negative review.   A question about improving a listing’s rankings   The caller has multiple listings but is wondering why a couple of them aren’t performing at all. Before a booking can happen, inquiries must happen, before that views must happen, and before that impressions have to happen. Each one is a statistic that can measured and looked at to identify where in the process the problem lies. For this caller there seems to be an issue with the inquiries on her listing. The words in the listing itself may be the problem since people are clicking on the listing at a high rate, but something is turning them away at that point in the conversion process. A lack of reviews may also be a barrier for converting people that are landing on the listing.   A question about guests receiving packages at the unit   It’s always better to have guests route their packages to a local UPS store instead of the unit itself. You don’t need the liability of a guest receiving potentially illegal packages and the UPS store is insured against those kinds of things. That also comes a paper trail for an extra level of protection.   Does insurance cover lost business income?   The caller had a unit that got flooded which required a rehab and resulted in 12 months of lost income. In her case, the insurance only paid out for the days that were already booked that were canceled. She had the right insurance coverage at the time. When it comes to down to getting insurance there is replacement cost and actual cash value and it’s very important to understand the distinction. When it comes to lost business income, J sets the limits at $120,000 and the contents limit at $40,000 because he knows the insurance company will always try to minimize the pay out. The caller also made the mistake of registering her insurance under her own name instead of an entity like an LLC. That means she is paying more than J is on each unit, despite having considerably less coverage than he does. Since the caller hasn’t deposited the insurance checks yet, she still has the opportunity to make further claims. A public adjuster is someone who can help her claim additional pay

One of the most important things to understand about the short term rental business is that it gets easier with the more units you have. If you’re ready to scale up your business and start acquiring new units, you need to take the steps necessary to set yourself up for success.  Questions and Answers   What do we with units that have carpets in them?    Carpets can be challenging because they are gigantic sponges for bacteria. If your unit does have carpets you need to have a process for keeping it clean in place. Establishing a relationship with a carpet vendor that your cleaning crew can contact to get the work done without getting the approval from you will save you a lot of time.   How many customer service managers do you have and how many hours do they work?   J has a pair of customer service managers working for him that cover a total of 16 hours a day. He chose each of them to hire as managers and he trained them directly through a screen sharing app like Zoom or Loom.   I have some people interested in working with me and my short term rental business but they are wary of marketplaces like Airbnb. Is there anything I can do to help them be more comfortable with them?   You would think these people would be more comfortable with markets like Airbnb and HomeAway than they would with Facebook. If the caller wants to reassure these people, showing them the listing so they understand what details are being revealed is a good option. Starting with Airbnb as your first platform also gives you the advantage of benefitting from their existing background check process. What the landlord really wants to know is the contact information of the person in the case of an emergency, and that can be solved by simply automating parts of the reservation process. If you explain to the landlord that you are on the same side of the table and will be making major investments in the unit and don’t want unsavory guests as well, things will go much smoother. In many cases, you have the ability to correct the issue if it does come up than the landlord could with a traditional tenant.   Should I use Guesty if I am bringing on three additional units?   J recommends using Smartbnb and Lodgify instead of Guesty to his students. Everybody who brings on multiple units at the same time gets overwhelmed but it gets easier the more you do it.  It’s also important to understand the difference between using a tool and using it expertly. If you don’t know how to use the tool well, it’s not going to be able to help you scale your business.   We’ve got our first short term rental unit up and running and want to scale. Should we wait until we’re making more profit to scale or push ahead now?   The short term rental business is easier with more units than it is with less. Starting a new unit in a slow season can be very challenging bu

Robert Vocolla guest hosts the Q&A show with J today and they’re talking about some very important short term rental business questions. Find out about security processes, managing VA’s, marketing your business, getting out of problematic leases, and more. Questions and Answers   A question about processes around security technology    Rob uses a simple analog process to make sure his guests don’t run into issues with the security system in his units. He uses sticky labels on each panel that warns the guest not to tamper with it and has a basic template in Smartbnb that gets sent out that lets the guest know how to interact with the security system. This has drastically reduced the number of false alarms.   I’ve got three VA’s covering 18 hours a day, seven days a week and they’re great at following SOPs but not so good at doing customer service work?   Hiring is always a major challenge, if you want to find someone that can handle managerial level tasks it’s going to take a lot of searching. You may have to review, hire, and fire a number of people before you will find that gem of a person that checks off all the boxes. For this particular caller, they have multiple units in multiple cities and that’s adding to the stress of working with his team. A good rule of thumb is to be prepared to train someone for 30 hours for every hour a task would take you to do. A quick tip for your customer service manager is to look at what time of day your business is getting the most messages because that will inform what hours you should assign your team.   What are the most important marketing KPIs to track?   There is a whole set of metrics around leads, around customer conversion, and average order and frequency. All of them should be measured and tracked and each one can have a compounding impact on the growth potential of your business. Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of your marketing on Airbnb is about working with the algorithm correctly. Make sure you have the right pictures with good descriptions because your search position in the rankings will determine your success on that platform.  Tools like Smartbnb are crucial to understanding the most important metrics in your business. The only way to have metrics to look at and measure is to gather data.   What is the difference between Basic and Pro in Lodgify and Smartbnb?   The biggest difference between the two is one uses and API to communicate with other apps and the other uses the older iCal method. Since the caller is using Smartbnb, they should just stick with basic because they already have a built in sync feature that makes Pro unnecessary.   What are you guys doing to get more bookings from booking.com?   Getting guests on booking.com is similar to the other channels even if it feels like it’s more work. One of the secrets is to have every single field filled out for your listing and setting your prices correctly with Lodgify. Keep in mind that guests from booking.com may be more seasonal as well. Mirror the same types of policies on booking.com that you have on other channels to keep everything consistently.   How do you guys do your messaging for booking.com?  

Jonathan Slain is the Founder and CEO of Recession.com, an author, a highly respected keynote speaker, and an expert on recessions & why business owners don’t need to fear them.  Jonathan spent the last Great Recession huddled in the fetal position on the floor of his office. He borrowed $250,000 from his mother-in-law to survive. Jonathan paid his mother-in-law back and is now a highly sought-after consultant (and, yes, he’s still married!).  Jonathan understands not only how to prepare your business for the next major recession but also how to turn it into a profitable opportunity.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Jonathan Slain?    Much of Jonathan’s life has been spent in the metaphorical Batcave, doing the research and preparing for whatever it was that he was working towards. Deep preparation has been the common thread in Jonathan’s life all the way back from high school. Studying people who were successful during major recessions is what drew his attention and his experience during the recent Great Recession is what put him on his current path. Jonathan is also a recovering investment banker, studying different companies and economic indicators for 100 hours a week over the course of two years. He learned that as entrepreneurs, we all always have a recession coming, even if it’s not an economic recession. There are a number of personal events that could put your business into a recession and Jonathan’s focus is on being prepared for the next one, whatever shape it happens to take.   How does one plan for things we can’t control?   One major change recently in California has been the recent regulations around single use plastic. These regulations are going to have major impacts on many different kinds of businesses. In these situations, there will always be a few entrepreneurs who see the signs and put themselves in a position to take advantage of the coming changes.  There have been 11 recessions since World War 2 and they last an average of 11 months. When they do come around, they create a massive amount of disruption in the market that also comes with a number of opportunities. Every business can do things to prepare and position themselves for the major recessions.   The Next Recession   We should be looking forward to the next recession, it will happen eventually so you should be prepared. All it really takes is a little forethought and some work upfront that will allow you to pounce when the recession hits, instead of spending the first few weeks or months of the recession trying to catch up. Every major recession shares some common elements that you can look at historically and predict what may happen in the future. Marketing dollars go extra far during a recession, can you put some money aside now that will allow you to take advantage of this? What if you had a war chest available to buy distressed businesses and assets?   The #1 thing to do to prepare right now   The first step is to assess where you are in your recession readiness. You can go to recession.com and take the free survey to get your recession readiness score. It will also let you know which areas you need to start improving.  The second step is to tune up your personal and business finances. How much debt are you carrying right now? Do you

This is a review based business, and that means you will probably get some bad reviews at some point. The question is what do you do about them? More than bad reviews, we’re talking about preparing for the holidays, click bait photos, and more. Questions and Answers   For the inventory checklist, how detailed do you get?    You can be as detailed as counting the silverware, the question is “at what point will you file a claim?” It probably doesn’t make sense due to the manpower and hours it would take to follow up on that. A better way to think about it is “is there enough silverware in the unit?” The benchmark for detail should be somewhere around where you would file a claim for.   Preparing for the upcoming holidays   Now is the time to get ready for the holidays. Change the batteries for any automatic door locks, replace the pilot lights for any gas furnaces, get blankets into the units where the climate gets chilly. Have a chat with your crew now to find out if they are going to be working during the holiday.   We had a guest break the do not obstruct the camera rule. How long should we wait to leave a bad review without the guest retaliating? How is the guest punished for not paying the fee?   Many of the platforms have a content policy and if the guest leaves a review that violates the policy it will be hidden. The review is basically the guest’s experience with your service so that means it can be very subjective. When leaving a review, neither party will be able to see the review until both have posted it. Ideally you should wait until the last minute of the fourteen day period to avoid a retaliatory bad review. If the guest has already left the review, then you have to rely on the content policy to help you out. In terms of fees and guests not being willing to pay, just state the facts of what happened. Remove the emotion and Airbnb may be able to take care of the fee for you.   I have a new short term rental unit, how long should I need to wait to get my first booking?   The first issue with the caller’s unit is that since they are targeting business travelers their unit may be too large. Two bedroom units that are pet friendly don’t usually have vacancy issues. They tend to be perfect for small families going through an insurance claim so linking up with a local insurance company may be a good move. For J, if he’s going to be working with a two bedroom unit, he’s going to gear it towards a market that he knows works well with that much room. Take a look at the events that are happening locally and focus on the kind of customer you want to serve. Another thing to note is that the winter season is slow for the area where this caller is from. There is a stream of revenue that’s right in front of you, you just need to get clear on who they are and get in front of them. What are they searching for and how can you appeal to them?   Being insurance friendly   Note in your titles for your listings that you are insurance friendly. This has made a big difference in the occupancy rates of J’s units.   Regarding an arbitrage unit, are you protected by your lease if there is a change in ownership?   If you’ve done your lease correctly, they can’t end your lease early as long as you pay your rent and follow t

Jonathan Levi is an experienced entrepreneur, angel investor, and lifehacker from Silicon Valley. Jonathan is known for speed learning his way to all achievements in life: from entrepreneurship to podcasting and even dating. Since 2014, Jonathan has been one of the top-performing instructors on Udemy, with his course Become a SuperLearner® (now retired) earning him over 60,000 students.  He has since snowballed this success into the launch of his own brand and platform, SuperHuman Academy, which produces such products as the award-winning SuperHuman Academy Podcast (3 million+ downloads) and numerous online courses. He is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, preparing to release his 3rd book “The Only Skill That Matters”   Podcast Highlights   Who is Jonathan Levi?    Jonathan grew up in Silicon Valley and was always meant to be an entrepreneur. In many ways he struggled in school because he couldn’t learn the same way that everyone else seemed to do. Deep down, Jonathan is a maker and a creator that is focused on solving problems and learning new things all the time. Jonathan was always a bright kid but he had problems in the classroom environment. The only way he made it through high school and got through the curriculum was by being medicated.  When he got into business school, he knew that medication wasn’t going to cut it. He needed to figure out another way to learn that made sense for him. It was around that time that he found someone who had developed a methodology for speed reading and accelerated learning that completely changed Jonathan’s life and gave him his first real world super power. After meeting multiple real world super humans, Jonathan learned that anyone can do these incredible things simply by learning the techniques and practicing. Jonathan is a big believer in the law of attraction, but he’ll be the first to tell you that it only works if you implement the law of action first. There are very few things in life that can’t be accomplished if you put in the work to learn the ropes. Whatever challenge you are facing in life, the difference between excitement and anxiety is knowledge. For Jonathan, it was a series of individual moments that culminated in his super power. He didn’t plan for online courses to be his business, it just sort of happened after moving to Israel and exploring entrepreneurial opportunities. After discovering a course on coding and seeing how successful it was, Jonathan dug into what it took to create a course and put out his first one on Udemy. Slowly but surely, it developed into a full time business.   Learning Is The Only Skill That Matters   Learning is the ultimate meta skill and the only skill that matters. There are proven techniques to improve your ability to learn. There is no genetic advantage that

Sometimes your technology breaks on you! Even so, we’ve got a number of listener questions tackled today including a couple brutally honest (but helpful) short term rental listing reviews. We always come from a position of honesty in hopes that you will make more money, so we’re not going to tell you comforting lies just to make you feel better. Listen in to learn why the bad photos can sink your listing and what you can do about it. Questions and Answers   A question about a 37 day booking and the importance of reviews    One of the things to know about the short term rental business is that it is definitely a review based business. Experience in this business is generated specifically by scaling up and doing the work more often. For this caller, they shouldn’t pass on the 37 day booking unless it is going to hurt their business long term. A long term booking will always make that unit’s performance suffer when compared to other more short term reservations. But if it allows them to add another unit financially, it may be a good move because it will allow the caller to achieve Super Host status by the end of the quarter.  It can also be important to run an AirDNA report on your zip code to understand the trend for your area. That will allow you to understand whether your prices are on point or if you’re leaving money on the table.   How do I get an affiliated link from Uber and Lyft?   Inside the app, you can find your share code which is the code you can use for your bookings and guests. Working with restaurants by sending them business instead of getting paid for the referral may actually be superior to an affiliate relationship. Having them on your side in political or municipal issues will probably be more important than having an additional revenue source.   J reviews a caller’s first post on Airbnb   When creating a short term rental listing, lead with photos with the inside of the unit instead of the amenities. Photos of the exterior can also lead to security issues if it’s possible to identify the address of the unit. The caller’s photos should probably be reshot due to the handheld nature of them as well as the general poor quality. They suffer from lighting and focus challenges and the caller’s bookings will probably be lower than what they could have achieved. Another good tip is to stay away from vertical photos at all times. The caller has definitely put in some work on the short term rental listing, but seems to have skimped on a few crucial elements like the photos and design. In order to tell the right story with your photos, you have to make the investment and do them right. The ideal reaction to your short term rental listing should be the reader feeling like they must stay at your unit.   I’ve got a meeting with the zoning department, do you have any pointers for me?   Since the caller only has three minutes to talk, he should be using his time to instill doubt in his listeners because right now they are certain that the caller is the bad sort of short term rental owner. He should show them that he’s a professional and has systems in place to deal with all the common issues that people complain about with other less professional short term rental owners.

There is no definitive good deal in the short term rental business. If you want to know if your deal is good or not, you need to know one simple thing first. It’s something that’s going to drive your reviews and the growth of your business, and that’s meeting your customer’s expectations. Figure out who you want to serve first and that will make the answers to your questions much clearer.  Questions and Answers   Are you still hunting for apartment deals?    J still loves apartments, he’s just changed who he puts in them. With apartments, net operating income is the name of the game and most importantly, if you can manage that properly the value goes up as well. J is not getting out of the apartment game anytime in the near future.   Do you think it’s a good idea to incentivize guests to do a load of laundry before they end their stay?   Quality control becomes an issue here. How do you know the laundry was cleaned correctly? There are other ways to lower your cleaning costs if that’s the goal. J tends to shy away from asking his guests to do anything, some guests will actually become offended by getting the request to do additional work. For this particular caller, the issue may lie in the cleaner that he’s using and their method of billing for work. Ideally, with a linen service, you should only be paying for your laundry that has been weighed while dry. When it comes to a guest checking out, if you have a checklist for them to complete, be upfront with the reasoning for the tasks so they don’t have to wonder why they are putting in some extra work.   What’s the best way to avoid bed bugs before they appear?   Bed bugs tend to come in with a guest, they don’t typically just appear. A good tip is using a metal luggage rack to reduce the incidence of a guest putting their luggage on the bed directly. Protecting the mattress with a casement is also a good precaution. Bed bugs are typically pretty rare, but there are still steps you should take to minimize your risk. Insurance is one example of a way to cut the cost, the trick is making sure the coverage is actually what you need. It’s not uncommon for a bed bug infestation to cost you thousands of dollars to remediate. Be sure that your insurance actually covers bed bugs specifically. You don’t want to get into a situation where you save some money on your premiums but aren’t actually covered from the risk you’re trying to mitigate.   How do we get around the key fob issue?   We tend to leave the key fob inside the unit and the trick is getting the guest to the unit for the first time. Module 3 of the Mastermind product covers this in more depth. Go to cashflowdiary.com/star to learn more.   Pricing in the Short Term Rental Business   As you enter into your slower season, pricing becomes even more important. If you aren’t doing dynamically adjusted pricing, you’re either leaving money on the table or having a lower occupancy than you should.   I have an opportunity to buy an eight unit apartment building and I want to use them for short term rentals, do you think this is a good deal?   There is no definitive good deal. What’s a good de

If you’re thinking about starting the “Airbnb process” and aren’t sure if you’ve missed the boat, listen up. Real estate is changing but it’s not too late. Airbnb is just one of many marketplaces that we use. Short term rentals are here to stay and if you want to learn how to build your real estate portfolio, now is a great time to start putting the systems in place. Questions and Answers   I’ve been able to get the landlord to agree to the short term rental business model in general but I’m not sure I can make a profit, what should I do?    Step one always comes down to understanding who it is you want to serve. When you focus on who you want to serve, one of the criteria you’re looking at is their income. That will help you understand what area of town to be in and how much they will pay for certain experiences. All your streams of income will be based on how much income your ideal guest makes.  Once you know all your potential areas of revenue, you will be able to subtract out all those things and complete the picture of profitability. It can be difficult to use aggregated data to determine what your prices should be. The spread is so wide that it’s not very useful for identifying a specific case like your listing. Once you complete the exercise of figuring out who you’re serving, it becomes much easier. Keep in mind that your revenue is much more than just your room rate.   How do I automate my messaging system?   Lodgify has a rudimentary system for messaging. What we do to shortcut that is provide our guests with a link to an electronic house guide where all the relevant data is included. Everything except the dynamically generated door code because we still want to be able to maintain control of the access to the unit.   A question about a listing review   The caller’s photographer did a good job on the photos for the listing. Since the caller has followed the system closely most of the details are on point. One area that could be improved on is the copy detailing the neighborhood. Your listing is your first line of customer service, if you answer the question before the person asks you have one less question to answer later on. This can really help save time once you have a number of different units.   Which program should I consider to learn how to manage resort properties?   In terms of execution, resort units are very different from residential. In some ways resort units are easier because the kinds of customers you are serving are more obvious. For this particular caller and his thirteen units, the Mastermind Product is his best choice. Go to cashflowdiary.com/star to learn more. When it comes to negotiating with the owner of the property, the structure the caller is using is the same one that we use. If the owner wants a cut of the business, they have to be able to contribute more than just the space. Otherwise, renting the property from them is the right way to go.   How do you dynamically generate a door code?   It depends on the platform you’re using. Sometimes the software you’re using can integrate directly via an API to create the door code, other times a personal assistant can do it.  

Shawn Harper is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. Harper was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1992. He also played for the Houston Oilers, the Indianapolis Colts, and three years in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals and Frankfurt Galaxy. Shawn Harper appeared on the hit MTV show Made. He has helped transform thousands of corporate environments, built leadership, trained teams and impacted youth development in schools, and churches with high energy keynote speeches that activate winners.  Shawn Harper is the bestselling author of The Winning Edge: 8 Principles That Will Bring Out the Winner in You! and founder/CEO of American Services and Protection, which has provided Ohio small and medium-sized businesses, corporations, municipalities, non profits, government agencies, colleges, and universities and organizations with a wide range of security solutions that focus on providing highly-trained professionals, tailored to the specifics of each job.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Shawn Harper?    For Shawn, it’s very hard to define who he was looking back from today’s perspective. We tend to gloss over the story in the process of becoming who we are. Shawn was plagued with setbacks and adversities in his youth, he was actually voted most likely to fail in school. Adversity can make you or break you. Shawn’s school days were tough and early on he believed himself to be the loser that everyone else thought he was. It wasn’t until he changed his mindset from victim to victor that everything changed. Never allow people to create your world because they will always create it too small. When Shawn made the decision to focus on his dream of playing in the NFL instead of listening to what other people thought he was capable of, nothing was the same. Once you change your focus, you change your life.   What was the transition like from playing football to the world of business?   In the case of the NFL, there is an established system in place for growth and development. For many people, when they leave that team and system to go do something else on their own the result is usually failure. Even superheroes have friends and support to help them achieve their goals. When athletes leave the game, they must build a team and find mentors to help them in the new arena. That was the secret to Shawn’s later success.  It took years for Shawn to come to that realization. All success in life comes from people having a team around them.    Playing To Win   We are created to win. Your perspective is everything in this regard. We are attracted to winning and nearly everything we do is geared towards winning. In third or fourth grade we are introduced to a different concept called success. Success teaches you production, but winning teaches you re-production. Successful business people are productive, but winners scale their business. A lot of people get dismayed, depressed, and angry because they know they are successful but deep inside they know they are not winning. Winning has been hijacked by success. The secret is to start moving, get out there and start connecting with people in whatev

Get unstuck and get one step closer to making short term rental real estate a real thing for you. Get answers to your questions so that you can keep moving forward towards your financial and business goals.  Questions and Answers   We are entering into the slower winter season, what additional things can we give to our guests so they book with us over others?    The first time experiencing a slow season can be a challenge. The caller has been leveraging his membership with his local BNI group which is a great place to start. Another potential avenue is to connect with the travel agent in the group and ask them about working together. It’s possible to start generating instant book specials that allows you to acquire a guest at your advertised rate while also creating a referral for the travel agent.   How would you pitch to a BNI group?   It takes a while to get any sort of response from a BNI group because their reputations on the line. As you build your relationships in that group you want to focus on creating a power team, where each individual has different strengths.  Think about your centers of influence, like doctor’s offices that are members of the BNI group and start building those relationships.   How do you deal with a secured building?   There is a module is the Mastermind Course that members of Cashflow Diary can access that helps with this issue. The key question to ask is “if I order food, how does the food delivery guy get to the front door?”. Whatever the process is, that’s how your guest will access the unit.   How can we have properties in a state that we are not even in?   To have a property all you need is a lease, so it doesn’t matter where you are located. If you run the system properly, it only takes around an hour a day of your personal time to manage your business. If you have to do everything yourself, you don’t really have a business, you have a job. With the short term rental model the business is completely location independent. That being said, start where you live.   How would you offer the instant book special on the platform?   You would simply change up the title and description of your listing to describe what your extra offerings are. It’s also possible to set up an automatic sequence that connects the guest to your offering once they make a reservation and then sets up the connection with the travel agent as well.   How soon should I be negotiating for first right of refusal for a property?   Since the caller is willing to purchase the remainder of the units in a multifamily property, it should be very simple to ask the landlord for the first right of refusal if at some point in the future they consider selling. Now’s as good a time as any to start negotiating.   What are your feelings about incorporating in another state?   This is not legal advice, but since the person resides in California incorporating in another state may save them some costs. They should consult an attorney.   What are some ways to identify the city and zip codes near me so I will be profitable?   Rather than focusing on the money, think about the perso

Taking the right photos can make or break your short term rental listing. In today’s Q&A episode of the podcast, we do a full review of a caller’s listing photos and everything their designer and photographer did right, and all the things they did wrong. We also cover why it’s so important to have your spouse on board with your business, as well as the pros and cons of bringing cleaners in house. Questions and Answers   What is the best way to see if the HOA is okay to turn my home into a short term rental?    The best way to figure this out is to read their Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs). They will typically let you know what they like and don’t like, be aware they may not use the words “short term rental” but they will probably mention something along those lines.   A question about setting prices across multiple platforms   The caller currently has Price Labs connected to Lodgify, which is then connected to Booking.com and Airbnb. In order to change their prices between Booking.com and Airbnb, the caller needs to take Price Labs and connect it directly to Airbnb. Once that’s done, she can create a child listing in Airbnb.   I have some photo violations on my listing, what should I do?   It appears that the caller’s designer and photographer need to make some changes. Photos where the angle is not level or where the property appears dirty because of poor lighting are going to be major problems. Be aware that when your photographer uses HDR, it’s going to reveal lots of imperfections so it’s probably best to avoid it.  If you’re not providing a laptop with your rental, don’t take photos with a laptop in it. People will make assumptions about that sort of thing. Same goes for sheets and towels of different colors. Avoid lights that don’t have a daylight balance for your photos.  Short term rentals are a review based business, and reviews are primarily about setting the correct expectations at the beginning. Poor photos can end up costing you money, because what you photograph is what your guests will expect. If you deviate from that, that’s when you run into bad reviews. Be careful with the wording on your post as well.   What are your thoughts on the Airbnb custom URL link for listings?   It’s a band-aid at best. You want to have control and if you’re going to take the time to promote a listing, you should drive that traffic to your domain. That’s what is going to build your business long term.    The importance of having your spouse on board   As entrepreneurs, we tend to believe that things will work out for us. It’s just how we’re wired. Having a spouse whose perspective you trust on your team will make a huge difference for you. If you’re spouse is not already on board, keep in mind that they are mainly concerned with whether or not they will be okay, especially at the beginning of a new business.  This business is a team effort, just like raising a family. Make sure they know what contribution they are making, because without them, things would not be where they are. Go find your right hand person.   What calendar rules should we set for the holidays?   When it comes to the holidays, your calendar rules

Al Williamson is a professional engineer, full-time real estate investor and the author of several real estate books. He began investing in 1996. Al is best known for publicly documenting his quest to create enough secondary income streams to cover the 1st mortgage of his eight-unit apartment building (which he accomplished in September 2015). He is now trying to figure out how to maximize the cash flow of a small portfolio so it can generate enough income to replace a middle-class job. Al is a proud family man who now spends his day managing and expanding his corporate housing business in Sacramento, California.    Podcast Highlights   Who is Al Williamson?    Before everything that people know Al Williamson for today, he was training to become a professional gymnast. That was until he broke his arm on the high bar and realized that he was going down a risky path. He switched course and learned to be an engineer and started creating things. It wasn’t until meeting his wife did he consider getting into real estate. He met a guy at a church picnic that turned him on to real estate investing and after reading everything he could about the subject at his local library Al realized that it was exactly what he was looking for. Al Williamson and his new wife purchased a triplex and it eventually quadrupled in price. That early experience brought his wife on board with the whole idea and taught them plenty of valuable lessons. He leveraged that into his next purchase where he had a major focus on cleaning up the local neighborhood. It was a relationship with a local health center that later got Al into the short term rental space. One of the easiest ways to get into the real estate game and put yourself into a profitable position quickly is by leveraging short term rentals.   Was it a challenge in making the short term rental model work in California?   Initially the numbers didn’t work out for Al because of maintenance costs. Owning property is a great way to build wealth but a bad way to generate income because something is always broken that needs to be replaced. You don’t get to keep the money because it has to go back into the property until that debt service is finished. In a lot of ways, short term rentals were the answer to Al’s problems. There are a number of different ways that short term rentals solve the issue and there are tons of opportunities to increase your cash flow. By experimenting with one unit for short term rentals Al was able to generate the same net income as his three other units. The extended stay model is changing the way Al is structuring his business because the trend of people wanting to live in one place and work in another is taking off.   How do you market for long term guests?   Al has 14 different marketing strategies that he uses to bring in extended stay short term rental guests. A good indicator that your market can support the model is if there is an extended stay hotel in your area already. From there you need to get out from behind your computer and have a conversation with real people. Talking to the bartender at the hotel can yield some valuable info. Extended Stay America is doubling down on the one month and two month guests. It’s a big business and major hospitality companies are beginning to recognize that. If you’re working with Airbnb you’re going to have to put y

Dr. Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., C.S.P., is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant. Dr. Joseph Michelli is the author of numerous national bestsellers, including The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary, The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a   Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and the New York Times #1 bestseller Prescription for Excellence: Leadership Lessons for Creating a World Class Customer Experience from UCLA Health System.  He was named as one of the Top 10 thought leaders in Customer Service by Global Gurus. His new book is The Airbnb Way: 5 Leadership Lessons for Igniting Growth through Loyalty, Community, and Belonging. Dr. Michelli is an opinion columnist for the CEOWORLD magazine. Podcast Highlights   Who is Joseph Michelli?    Joseph was a kid raised in a small town in Colorado and his parents imparted a key lesson to him when he was young. Namely, the responsibility of being raised in that family was that he would give more to the world than he took, and if he did the world would give more to him than he could ask for. Being accepted into graduate school was quite an achievement for Joseph, no one else in his family had graduated from college at the time. He was pretty focused on his own success in his career for a while until he realized that it wasn’t really about him at all, it’s about telling the stories of the clients he worked with as a consultant. Ultimately, those experiences helped Joseph write books about other people to tell their stories. All of the art of success is taking great principles and celebrating the victories of people you work with and people who are doing inspiring things in the world. The world is hungry for uplifting positive leadership and tools that enable them to experience their own greatness.   Inspiring Greatness   We are in a world where short term rentals have blown up and AirBnB is a point in that journey. They created a marketplace that unlocked incredible potential for millions of people and now they are on the same playing field as historical giants like Marriott.   What is hospitality?   Hospitality is taking the basics of service like being responsive, acting with urgency, get it right and make it right, and consistency, and then adding on the understanding of human needs that go beyond a transaction. It’s about an emotional experience where someone cared for and about me in a world that is often very lonely and strange. The real estate itself is the table stakes of getting into the game. The experience is far more important and that’s the element that’s missing in the corporate way of doing things. In many ways the big hospitality companies are trying to emulate the more successful short term rental operations. Solopreneurs will always have an edge over massive businesses because they’re more nimble and can provide a more

Ryan Vet is an innovative leader, entrepreneur and author. He has presented to audiences around the globe on four different continents on leadership, marketing and reaching your maximum potential.  Ryan’s experiences range from start-ups to well-established multi-national, Fortune 500s. From starting his first business at age 14 to launching and successfully exiting start-ups, Ryan is a serial entrepreneur. Currently, Ryan serves as the CEO of Boon—an on-demand, temporary healthcare staffing platform (imagine Uber meets eHarmony meets healthcare staffing). He has been featured in countless publications for his entrepreneurial endeavors and has been inducted as an official member into the exclusive Forbes Communication Council.  In addition, Ryan hosts The Dental Experience Podcast.  As an experiential marketing and branding consultant Ryan has worked companies from start-ups to iconic household brands. And in his spare time, he co-owns a series of craft beverage lounges called The Oak House. Ryan also sits as an advisory board member for a number of organizations including Elon University’s Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership  Podcast Highlights   Who is Ryan Vet?    Ryan has always loved creating and it’s been at the core of his career. His first real business was a lemonade stand where he learned how to diversify his products and captivate his audience with marketing. Somewhere in between his petting zoo and his lemonade stand, Ryan also developed a trading card business at the age of 11. It was a long journey from the lemonade stand to Boon. When Ryan was younger, some local businesses realized that he had some talent with websites and basic graphic design and this actually lead to his first real business. He built a marketing company that served 200 clients in 25 different countries, and eventually this led to his first startup software company. Every startup yielded additional skills and connections that allowed Ryan to build his next business. One such startup was in the medical and dental space. Ryan began building his platform and started speaking at dental conferences about patient experience. It was there that he saw a common need for staffing. About a year and a half ago he started researching how to provide temporary team members for the medical industry. During the research he found that the industry size of medical staffers was 16 times the size of Uber and Lyft combined. Boon is the system that Ryan came up with, it provides innovation in healthcare that allows hospitals and health care providers to connect directly with practitioners that are open and available.   Not Taking No For An Answer   Ryan’s always had a driving passion to get things done. If Ryan wanted something, his parents rarely told him no but they also didn’t get him things very often as well. Ryan had to earn the money to get the things he wanted and his parents would help him out. If more people interpreted “no” as “not yet” or do it yourself, more products would come to market.   Why did you get into software?   At the advent of web based software, Ryan found his passion for enabling people to solve their problems using technology. He wanted to be able to use platforms and apps to solve people’s problems.   Digitizing vs. Innovating   Ryan’s first start up was straddl

Francis Greenburger is the legendary real estate developer who is Chairman & CEO of Time Equities and owner of the literary agency Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, which has represented noted authors such as Dan Brown, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, and Nelson DeMille. He is the founder & chairman of Art Omi (previously Omi International Arts Center) and The Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice, and the bestselling author of Risk Game: Self-Portrait of an Entrepreneur.  Podcast Highlights   Who is Francis Greenburger?    Francis Greenburger grew up in New York City where his parents were upper class but his father as a solopreneur never really made a significant amount of money. The first thing that Francis was blessed with was the confidence of his parents in his ability to achieve his goals. That went together with his natural knack for business. He started working for his father after school when he was 12 years old. His innate qualities gave him the early characteristics and motivations to be an entrepreneur. One of the things that Francis has said is that if you don’t like risk, you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. For Francis, risk is just part of the gig.   Do you see any parallels between cell phones and digital communication and the advent of television?   The evolution of digital communication has changed the nature of communication. It’s also made it more personal with social media and email, there is a lot of interpersonal communication happening now. Humans have a basic need to communicate and now there are more ways than ever.   Parental Confidence   There are certainly people who have parents who are not encouraging or present. Francis recalls a comment made during a tennis match, where two different players of equal skill are compared, and the observation was that the deciding factor will be self confidence. Having parents that believe in you alongside his mentors empowered Francis and gave him the confidence to face the challenges that all entrepreneurs have to face. The buy in that someone gets from mentors they respect can be very empowering and confidence building, even when parents haven’t provided that.   What do you consider risky?   Francis uses the term “intelligent risk” to describe the process of evaluating risks. Intelligent risk is not a gamble, it’s a calculated and measured action with research and analysis behind it. Francis has a theory that if you’re going into a generic marketplace where you are just offering more of the same, it’s very hard as an entrepreneur to compete on price and that’s all you’re really left with. Look for markets that aren’t being addressed and try to find solutions to meet those unmet needs. Imagine what you could accomplish if you weren’t afraid to fail.   What would you say are unaddressed needs in the real estate space?   Under occupied office buildings are one such issue. Sometimes an office maybe be under occupied because of a reputation problem from the past but it may have the features that allow you to lower your cost basis, which means you can also rent out the space for less. These can be the ingredients that allow you to be competitive in the market.   Why did you go into real estate?  

Dan Kryzanowski is an active real estate investor and fundraiser, leveraging Self-Directed accounts - SDIRA and Solo 401(k) - to create a diversified real estate portfolio yielding double-digit returns. He specializes in self-storage investments, multi-family and hard money residential property loans. Dan has personally raised millions of dollars from family offices and individuals, and empowered his partners to raise seven-figures on multiple occasions.  Dan serves as Executive Vice President at Rocket Dollar, unlocking the $10T pool of untapped retirement assets for the real estate community. He is also a Capital Partner for Pinnacle Storage Properties and Corporate Board President for Hugh O'Brian Youth Central Texas. Dan, a Wharton graduate, previously led commercial real estate initiatives for GE Capital in Mexico and South America.  Podcast Highlights Who is Dan Kryzanowski?  Dan attributes his business success to his magic afro and his early basketball success. Dan had a very blessed life for his first 30 years, he followed what would be considered a pretty normal path that most people in his generation would follow, right up until the crash of 2008. That made him rethink things a bit and Dan found that he wasn’t particularly interested in working for General Electric for the next 30 years of his life. He and his wife moved back to Texas and started looking at alternative investment. There were a few signs that GE wasn’t going to be a great place to spend the rest of his career at. Ultimately it was a personal decision to change the path from following everyone else and being led by fear or having the confidence to do things on his own. Why Real Estate and self directed retirement accounts? While working his traditional career Dan had always been interested in things he could do with his 401(k). When he had a fateful conversation with a guy that flipped houses at a wedding, Dan was exposed to the world of self directed retirement accounts. Once he realized that there were a number of benefits using your retirement funds to invest in real estate, it all just made sense. Instead of making 2%-3% with a traditional bond or fund, he can earn double digit returns working with someone he trusts and can look at the real estate and see the asset. Using self directed retirement account was the key that unlocked everything. The idea has been around since the 70’s. Self directed retirement accounts are where you take full control of where your retirement dollars go. There are an infinite number of investments you can access and there are no fees or early withdrawal penalties. Rocket Dollar has completely eliminated the friction involved in using self directed retirement accounts to invest. Dan’s company is very focused on education and informing people the options that are available to them. You have full control of your money at all times for a low monthly fee. If you’re self employed, you are eligible for the Solo 401(k). Not only can you contribute ten times as much as an IRA, you also get full checkbook control by default.  What if my HR department said my 401(k) is already self directed? By one definition your 401(k) at work is self directed, but it wouldn’t count as Self Directed. You get a handful of choices in what you invest in but you don’t have true freedom in where yo

Questions and Answers   I have a person that wants to book through February to November but I’ve already got someone with a reservation in the middle of that time. Do I offer the other guest to switch to another short term rental unit to accommodate the person who wants to stay longer?   This can be pretty common with new short term rental units or you are new to operating. When you put up a new listing it often gets promoted and for people looking for longer stays there often aren’t a lot of options. You should offer the current reservation the option to move to another short term rental unit, even if you don’t have another unit in that particular area.  The ideal situation would be to get all the days booked with both individuals while also getting the money upfront. The revenue from the long term reservation can actually be used to acquire another unit for the shorter reservation if necessary. There are also a number of incentives you can offer to close the deal.   A major cancellation issue with AirBnB   J has had a similar situation occur with a guest that said they were going to cancel but didn’t. We continually sent the person messages as well as keeping in communication with AirBnB. In both cases we were paid in full for the days that were stuck in limbo but only because we were being hyper diligent about following up and making sure the reservation was actually cancelled. If you’re at the 70 bedroom stage like this caller is in, you really shouldn’t be involved in this sort of issue. Your staff should be able to handle everything. Your business should also have an established system for making sure your guests actually arrive for their reservations. For the caller, they need to have a customer experience manager that should be able to handle all aspects of this sort of issue. When you encounter something new, create an SOP (standard operating procedure).   My fear of not being sure of where to begin is holding me back. What should I start with first?   All of our short term rental  mastermind students get a six hour kickstart session with J specifically to address this problem. Outside of that, the very first question you have to answer is “Who do I want to serve?”. Once you answer that, you can figure everything else out.   What if I can’t find a management company for one condo that’s out of town?   Remote management is challenging. If you are going to do it remotely you must have a cash management system in place to make sure that no money gets released without a verification that the work has actually been done. Find someone who can be your eyes and ears on a job site. If you can find an actual landlord in the area to assist you that has experience with rehabs that would be ideal. You can find them through the local real estate investors association or meetup.com.   If a guest leaves a review but you haven’t you reviewed them yet, can people still see it?   Nope, not until either you review them or 14 days pass.   Are the metrics you used in the SmartBnB training available to the public?   SmartBnB is great for their ability to see data and metrics and then use that to drive higher revenue. It’s not currently available to the public.  

Questions and Answers   How do I improve my rankings so that I can be viewed more frequently and more often? Also do you have any tips on attracting last minute guests?    The first step is to run a Market report using SmartBnB on the caller’s location. Start making incremental changes to the pricing specifically for the available dates coming up in the future. The market report will reveal the low, high, median, and average prices for any comparable listings, you should be pricing your listing relative to the market for your available weekends. You should also adjust for seasonality. The change from August to September can be quite drastic. Since the optimal booking window for the caller is 25 days, it may make sense to start experimenting with the discount curve beyond 14 days. Being on page 11 of the rankings is basically the same as not being present at all. Look at your title and thumbnail as possible places to improve alongside pricing.   My closing was put off because of the hurricane, can I go ahead and list the property but not go live?   There is a window of time when your listing is considered new and it gets a boost in exposure and rankings. You should maximize the SEO bonus when it’s available. We also have a number of students that have optimized their locations as possible shelters from bad weather or natural disasters. If you have a property in an area that is exposed to bad weather, a good tip is to have a generator so that your property doesn’t lose electricity when everything else does.   Any updates regarding automation getting agreements signed?   J had to put this project on the backburner due to some issues scaling out the customer service team. The goal is to have two way communication through as many channels as possible. Once we’ve worked through that we’ll be making more steps towards automation.   What do I do about bed bugs?   Ideally when you are building a business you want to build in systems so that your amount of time working in the business instead of on the business is as minimal as possible. Hopefully you never experience bed bugs but having systems in place will definitely help. We have only seen one instance of bed bugs in all the history of tenants that have been our guests. It occurred in a two bedroom unit where the guest reported the bed bugs to us. We learned that you should hire the best pest control company you can right away, even if it’s delayed by a day or two. It’s better to resolve this properly, even if it costs you some revenue. Before a unit is sprayed, cleaners should strip the beds, vacuum and clean the unit, and while doing it they should be wearing gloves and masks. We originally thought we would have to throw out all the linens in the unit, but that wasn’t necessary. Just bag the linens up and mark them as contaminated, the cleaners will wash them in extreme heat in order to eliminate the infestation. Sadly there is no guaranteed fix for bed bugs. In order to get a heat treatment on the unit we had to hire a company that can drain the fire sprinkler system. The outlets should also be dusted in the adjacent units because bed bugs move quickly and get into the walls as well. Another major lesson is to notify your insurance company immediately, and if possible y

Questions and Answers   Our short term rental bookings have been plummeting recently and I’m not sure why. Am I discounting too early or too slow based on data?    You have to decide how far out in advance you want to be comfortable with for your bookings. To really know what’s going on you need to get the right data in front of you. In the case of the caller’s short term rental unit, the average number of guests is 4.1 with a 7 day booking window. Since all the data came from the one platform, one solution may be to get on additional platforms that will increase the booking window. If there is a conversion rate decline, the question becomes “what changed?”. If customer preference is what has changed, that may mean you have to adjust the way you are describing the rental and modify who you are trying to attract. It’s important to look at last year’s data as well so you can compare. If your conversion rate is down to 56% from 70% in Q4, maybe that’s what you should expect based on historical data. If you have the same number of leads, it may be something to do with your listing, or your communication, or your response time that is affecting your conversions.   For a house, do you put a camera in the backyard?   When it comes down to an expectation that a space is going to be private you can run into issues. You can put a camera in the backyard but you should make sure it’s looking at the backyard and not into the house. If you do do it, make sure you disclose it to your short term rental tenants.  If there’s a pool in the backyard, you have to be especially careful. You are probably concerned about the number of people coming into the unit at that point and if that’s the case there are other solutions to that problem. You could use devices that detect cell signals or wifi connections that would indicate the number of people present. Links: cashflowdiarypodcast.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes and Stitcher Radio!

Questions and Answers   Does AirBnB work the same globally?    The idea is the same, but some of the functions will be different. For example, payment systems will be different depending on the country you live in. Same with cleaning services. The basic idea of offering someone a place to stay in exchange for a fee is the same.   I have a landlord concerned with a privacy issue regarding a camera on the door, what should I do?   Since the unit already has cameras pointed at the hall in the building, there shouldn’t be any issues. The important legal idea is where there is an expectation of privacy you can’t place a camera, but that doesn’t apply in this case. You would just be adding what is essentially another security camera to a hall that already has them. From a privacy standpoint, having a doorbell camera pointed at another unit’s door can be a problem since the camera could potentially see into the other unit when the door is open. This could lead to complaints from the other tenant which is why J tries to avoid those kinds of units. If you can control both sides of the hallway, that removes the issue so that’s a good strategy if you can swing it.   How long does it take to get started in short term rentals?   This is a hard question to answer because of all the variables involved. Some markets are more difficult than others, but in general for most people it won’t take too long to get started. Cashflow Diary students get a big advantage because they get the knowledge to select the best properties for their business, so they can earn the most money and continue growing. Having had the privilege of teaching a variety of real estate strategies, short term rentals is the one that has allowed people to learn the most the fastest and get their business up in running very quickly. It is possible to go from lease signing to operation in 72 hours if you have the systems in place.   Can you talk about your process for finding and training cleaners?   Finding the right cleaners is a big piece of the puzzle. Ideally you don’t go looking for cleaners, you make them find you. One way to find a cleaner is to make a reservation at a short term rental you don’t own, and when the check out happens just wait until the cleaner shows up. Another method is to join your local BNI, because that organization is referral based and a cleaner is likely to already be vetted by the person referring them. Chances are you will have to work with a few different cleaning companies before you find one you can rely on.   How do you recommend I leverage the leads I’m getting from a real estate broker with other local businesses?   It’s a great idea to try to leverage your existing leads with other local businesses, but it really depends on the size of your business. The simplest way is to just go into the store and tell them who you are and what you do. If you can show them that you can help lower their customer acquisition cost, you’re set.   When is a good time to start a new unit?   It’s always a good time to start a new unit. When you start a unit into the low season you are building up a profile so that in the high season you will have enough reviews to maximize your profits in the high

Questions and Answers   We currently use two different pricing platforms. If I’m using a tool like Price Labs, how do I set it up so the price is good for relocation companies and change it so I’m netting all that I can from the other booking websites?    Since direct bookings to relocation companies yields the highest net profit, the ideal set up would be to have Price Labs reflect that in the Lowest price. You should also have an anchor for the Base price. In general, because of the way things are set up and connected this way, price for your highest possible outcome. If someone books at that price, that’s great but that’s not the end goal. You want every customer to feel unique and special, and you accomplish this by giving them a personal discount code or adjusting your mark down so they see a price closer to the natural price. This way you will always be in a position to make the adjuster look good.   Is Hawaii completely out for nightly short term rentals?   No, we have active students in Hawaii right now who are doing quite well. If you desire to be an entrepreneur, you are making decisions where the outcomes are completely uncertain. The environment we all play in is uncertain and every business has regulations and changes, it’s unavoidable. Some people will quit, some will keep going, and some will waffle back and forth and get bought out. At the end of the day, entrepreneurs adjust.   How do you price listings that require a minimum 30 day stay? What if there is a 15 day gap, do you keep a 3 month booking window?   Pricing is the most complicated aspect of a short term rental business. There are too many pieces to give a quick answer because you need to know all the variables first. The key is to always price it profitably, whatever that means for you. It comes down to a pricing strategy that accomplishes your goals and who you are trying to serve.   Do you have any tips or tricks to attract small apartment owners and property managers without actually driving around the neighborhood?   Loopnet.com is a good tool for researching an area. You can use the site to look for owners and operators that have the most listings and use that info to get on the phone and talk to them about the listings that are not yet on the site. Even if that particular realtor has nothing in their inventory that you want to purchase, they can help you get in touch with the top three property managers of that class of real estate. Once you get them on the phone, you do the same thing and find out if they have problems you can solve.   Have you ever marketed to landlords?   J avoids direct marketing at all costs. It has always proven to be too expensive and take too long, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, just that he doesn’t like it.   How has your faith affected your business outlook?   J’s faith has directly affected his business outlook, it’s a major reason he’s even in business. To whom much has been given, much is expected. If you’ve been given any talent, the expectation is that you will at least double it. It doesn’t matter that you succeed, just that you attempt it.   Can you offer daily/nightly rentals between monthly rentals?   If you’re in a 30 day market, proba

Questions and Answers   How many units do you have and how long have you been in the business?    J currently has 37 units and has been in the process of getting to this point for nearly 15 years. He had to find a way to make money without trading time for dollars and real estate was the path he took.   How do I have my prices on Lodgify use AirBnB and Booking.com but ignore the prices on Home Away?   If you’re on the basic plan for Lodgify, it automatically ignores Home Away. J currently still uses the basic plan since the professional plan is still in beta. If you have multiple accounts, you will need to work directly with them to avoid certain errors.   How should we structure a deal for a 100 units if the other party wants to sell the property in five years?   It’s all down to the contract and how the services are signed for. To make things easier, use two separate entities, one for the property and one for the services involved.   How do we add a 0 to our income?   We will never out earn our personal growth. The image you have of yourself is part of the challenge. Part of the process in business is personal growth and consuming information with the intent of being a better person in all areas of life. Personal growth doesn’t just happen. Any idea given to you has a certain level of value to you. What you need to do to make sure you becoming better over time is to not just collect ideas, but also implement them. The majority of us don’t realize what might be in the way that is holding us back from the results we want. You have to set aside time dedicated to self improvement and find those blind spots. When you’re ready to take on that task, you will find the information that will move you further along the road. It’s not a three day process, it will take time to get there but it can be done.   Is the sofa bed you have in all your units custom made?   The sofa bed is custom made each and every time. One size does not fit all in our market.   A question about Ring camera and AutoLock   Anytime we talk about a system, it’s about efficiency and a single point of failure. You can save money buying an individual system, but you will pay with additional power requirements or lack of redundancies. Especially once you start to scale, this is why we’ve put together packages that help with that.   AirDNA gives my area a B+, does that rating bear any weight?   It all depends on how the data was collected, you won’t know for sure until after operating in that area for about 12 months. Scott and his team have a ton of work to improve the service, right now J puts more weight in their trend data instead of absolute numbers.   I want to run a short term rental business with my parents basement, should I speak to the HOA first or just do it?   We try to run everything above board and documented. Typically HOA’s are something we avoid but that doesn’t mean you can’t work with them. Get a copy of the CC&R’s so you can find out exactly what the HOA says about short term rentals. It can mean having to only run a 30 day minimum model or having a conversation with the HOA if you w

Questions and Answers   What’s your system for rewarding or getting rid of cleaners that work for you?    The best way to make this work is to make sure that everybody you work with understands the metrics that you are measuring performance by. You should know what your revenue was before you hire someone, and you should see a reflection of that person’s productivity in that after you hire them. You should have a minimum standard for review scores the you require your cleaners to maintain and then keep that number in front of them.   If the landlord feels the negotiation around the lease is too much work, is there a better way to go about it?   There isn’t much to deal with a lease other than the specific clause around being able to use the property as a short term rental. Other than that there is a clause around marketing and making sure the lease is in the company name. Those are the three main things that you need to address, other than that there shouldn’t be much you should have to fight for. The more units and the more revenue you’re bringing to the table, the easier it is to have this type of conversation. Start using future language to help your side of the negotiations. Failing fast and failing frequently is the secret to success in the short term rental business. You won’t be able to get the ball rolling if you are trying to get it right the first time and are unwilling to fail.   Do you find you have more success when you are having a conversation with someone in person or is more of a numbers game?   Being in person is a major advantage when you’re getting started because when you’re new, you have a lot working against you including the mainstream media. You have to overcome a bunch of assumptions which is a big challenge over the phone, which is why your only goal on the phone should be to secure a face to face appointment.   Can you talk about how many towels, sheets, and linens you put in your units for each stay?   There is a file in the program that breaks down what you need based on the number of beds and bathrooms. Basically you want to stock for maximum occupancy.   Can you speak to the Cashflow Game, where do you find it, host it, why do you consider it important?   The Cashflow Game was developed by Robert Kiyosaki and his wife but the best way to buy it now is through Amazon. Being an introvert, J had to figure out a way to increase his odds of attracting customers. The way to do that is to filter, and the kinds of people who are willing to show up and play a Cashflow Game are self selecting as people who are willing to take action. He or she who educates their market, dominates their market.   Can you talk about obtaining guests that are looking for short term rentals due to being displaced and using insurance claim to fund the rental? Who do we need to build relationships and how do we meet them?   You tend to need a lot of inventory to meet these people. You won’t typically find them, they will find you, but once that happens, developing the relationship is crucial. When someone comes to you ask them who their adjuster is or if the adjuster is contacting you, get to know them and their company.   Do you have any ideas to generate more income from

Questions and Answers   We are making our first short term rental unit listing tomorrow, when should I set up Wheelhouse and AirBnB?    That should be done now since that all happens at the same time. If you are ready to make your listing live go ahead and get that done now.   What is the best way to attract guests to stay one month or longer?   When it comes down to length of stay, being able to attract someone who wants to stay longer has a lot to do with what platform you’re on and your pricing strategy. Each site markets to its database differently and displays your listing differently. Booking.com is a discount marketplace, so your ranking depends on how much of a discount you’re giving. Craigslist is not recommended for this purpose. The best way to get a 30 day reservation is to work with insurance companies. When a homeowner gets displaced during an insurance claim, it will often be for 30 days or longer.   Should tenants have list agreements signed?   There are times when a list agreement makes sense, for example a deal with a corporation. If you want to protect yourself from a tenant’s rights issue a listing agreement can be a good idea.   What is considered an automatic cancel with regards to someone’s reservation of a short term rental?   If someone causes a disturbance and then becomes belligerent, that creates a completely different issue and can be subject to cancellation without any sort of refund. Within the house rules list it outlines what the words “our discretion” means. Typically that means the process goes from warning, to fee, to cancellation, but there are some issues that warrant an immediate cancellation.   A question about using a four-plex as a short term rental   The more you can divide a piece of real estate, the higher your utilization rate becomes but it is a double edged sword. This kind of rental requires different levels of services and a much higher level of management. Pricing can also be pretty cutthroat and can make screening more difficult. You will also probably need someone on site 24/7 and there may be a separate license required. Depending on the layout of the four-plex, it could be possible to get away with less management. Finding someone to actually manage a hostel style short term rental is another big challenge.   Should the damage waiver fee be the same when your in the 30 day market?   The damage fee should be increased to closer to $300. In a traditional market where you get $59 you would get in theory five or six reservations, so you should try to make up for the potential lost revenue.   Now that AirBnB is currently favoring businesses as hosts instead of individuals, should we rearrange our inventory?   J has started putting all the inventory onto a single host account for AirBnB.   When you have your team document resolution income claims do you find value in having the unit added to the spreadsheet?   Yes. If there are multiple claims from the same short term rental unit, that may indicate it’s priced incorrectly and attracting the right client.   Are there any corporate

Joey Mure decided to join Russ Morgan and co-founded a company called Wealth Without Wall Street.  They teach people to stop trading time for money to achieve financial freedom by following the 5 Pillars of Wealth Without Wall Street.   Russ, aka, The Idea Guy, started his career in the financial industry.  With 4 years of planning under his belt, Russ was stunned in September of 2008 to see the DOW Jones plummet 800 points.  He had no idea that the market could react in such a volatile manner and knew this was something he could never have control over.  Russ began a journey that day to passionately understand more about how to take back and gain control over his money, as well as his clients.  Joey, aka, The Stallion started his career in the mortgage business in 2003.  He grew to become a branch manager with one of the Nation’s top mortgage lenders leading 25 loans officers. By 2010 he had achieved national recognition.  Despite earning an impressive income he still had significant questions about how to save for the future without having to borrow from banks. How does anyone save aggressively for retirement AND simultaneously pay for automobiles, save for college, weddings, and vacations?   In 2010 Joey met Russ, who shared the Infinite Banking Concept and everything changed. IBC allowed Joey to get completely out of debt besides paying off his mortgage, he started saving four times the amount he had previously been saving, and now had a clear plan of how to save for all our life’s expenses without giving up retirement savings. Podcast Highlights Who is Russ Morgan and Joey Mure?  When Russ was a kid, one of his favorite uncles used to give him green Tic Tacs, but he called them Hulk pills. Imagination has always been a part of his background, he was constantly envisioning things as they could be if they were bigger and better. The motivation to help out his family as well as other people has been a key driver in Russ’s personality. For Joey, the Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa is his unconventional hero of choice. Rocky was the constant underdog taking on Goliath, and Joey always felt that way, especially about his education. His parents wanted him to get an education but they didn’t have the money to pay for school, so Joey had to make it happen on his own. They’ve given him the vision and he put in the work, became valedictorian of his high school, and secured a scholarship to university. The vision of wealth in the future and being able to take care of his family is what drove Russ to get into the financial world. For Joey, having the end goal in place and then achieving it showed him what was possible. While in school he encountered a number of mentors that helped guide him towards the mortgage industry. While working in the mortgage business and generating a significant income, Joey realized that there was still something missing and it was around that time that he met Russ which changed the course of their lives. Wealth Without Wall Street Success leaves clues, as a financial advisor Russ saw what wealthy people did with their money and it wasn’t going into Wall Street. When the market crashed in 2008, nobody knew what was going and he realized that he couldn’t be a part of an industry that just pretended like they understood how wealth was built. The wisdom is in wealth, and the wealth isn’t on Wall Street. Real estate, business ownership, and private lending were the main asset classes that Russ saw his clients using to build their wealth.  There are five main pillars in the Wealth Without Wall Street plan. There first is about keeping more of the money you make, also known as cash flow. Where are you unnecessarily spending money that you don’t need to? That involves optimizing your tax strategies and paying down certain kinds of debt. Invest in w

Since 1999, professional real estate investors, Steven Jack Butala & Jill DeWit, built a $24m land resale empire completing close to 16,000 transactions without incurring any debt or leverage. In 2015, they co-founded Land Academy to share their experience and provide access to professional level tools for like-minded investors at all stages of their careers.   To date, they have produced more than 1,000 podcast episodes and provided over 500 hours of live webinars all in the name of education through sharing their transaction experience.  Podcast Highlights Who is Jill DeWit and Steven Butala?  If Steven had to choose a superhero to be like it would have to be Batman, being an entrepreneur is a lot like the way that Bruce Wayne took his circumstances and resources and found a way to use them for good. For Jill, she identifies with Wonder Woman and the way that she operates. Wonder Woman is forthright and truthful, and that’s how they run the Land Academy. Steven graduated in 1989 and became a commercial real estate broker in one of the worst real estate environments possible. It took him several years to make it work but he learned a lot about real estate by working on some of the most complicated and difficult types of deals you can do. That lead him to look for a simpler way of doing a deal and towards a different kind of transaction. Jill’s father raised her to believe that she could do anything that she wanted and to act like she knew what she was doing. She followed in his footsteps in many ways but was never very far from real estate. She worked with some developers in her early 20’s and when she eventually met Steven it all clicked together. Steven’s Unique Abilities include the ability to analyze data and make connections that other people can’t see as well committing to a project and following up until it’s complete. For Jill, she can connect with people from all backgrounds and situations. This makes her very good at talking to sellers and developers and making everyone feel good about a deal. She’s never had trouble seeing anyone as another human that has similar hopes and dreams to herself. Formal Education Steven believes that some form of formal education is important but that doesn’t necessarily mean the traditional four year degree. Getting the experience in a professional environment is important to be able to make a go of it when you do decide to go out on your own. Jill was raised to think about what she was going to do with her life and was encouraged to go for the big stuff. Formal education does not prepare you in any way for the politics of an office. They prepare you academically for what’s possible but they don’t show you how to do anything. Formal education also doesn’t teach the skills of scrappiness, talking to people, and dreaming big. In many ways formal education places limits on people’s abilities to think about and achieve big goals. In many ways a vocational education has more value in today’s marketplace than an education from a more well known and traditional institution. Land Academy and Buying and Selling Land Landing is one of the easiest product types in the real estate business. The majority of the time there is just a seller and a buyer, there is no appraiser, agent, lender, or inspector. With just those two people you can close a transaction very quickly. There is always somebody out there that is interested in a piece of land that you wouldn’t be interested in at all. Jill and Steven’s business model is predicated on not improving property, they buy property and then immediately resell it to people who then go and sell it on terms. The secret is in the offer campaign that reliably generates consistent results. The real key to successful direct mail campaigns is se

Brett Swarts is the Founder of Capital Gains Tax Solutions. Each year, he equips hundreds of business professionals with the Deferred Sales Trust tool to help their high net worth clients solve capital gains tax deferral limitations. His experience includes numerous Deferred Sales Trusts, Delaware Statutory Trusts, 1031 exchanges and $85,000,000 in closed commercial real estate brokerage transactions.  He’s an active commercial real estate broker and investor with brokerage experience and ownership in multifamily, senior housing, retail, medical offices, and mixed-use properties. He is a licensed California Real Estate Broker who holds series 22 and 63 licenses.   Podcast Highlights     Who is Brett Swarts?    Brett is a Christian so he believes that each of us were given unique gifts to help others, and that shaped his world view when he was young. At the age of 12 he encountered several different mentors that helped him develop and realize that challenges are an opportunity to grow. In terms of superhero powers, Brett is a careful observer that can learn from the mistakes of others and see better ways to get things done. In college, Brett was guided by one of his older cousins towards investing in commercial real estate which lead to him getting an interview with Marcus and Millichap. It was there that Brett learned that he loved the business and competition, and that the moment you learn more about someone’s business or piece of real estate than they know themselves is the moment you start adding value. Brett’s career started off rough but he kept persisting until he found the results he wanted.    We are forged in the fire, all the difficulties and challenges that Brett worked through are how he developed the tools and skills he needed to succeed.     The Power of Persistence   When Brett was working on his business he didn’t take the negative opinions he often heard seriously. He had his wife supporting his vision and felt like he was on the right path. Persistence has always been part of Brett’s personality so without a challenge to keep him engaged he tends to get bored. The strategy of the deferred sales trust is something that caught Brett’s eye that he saw as something that could serve people’s needs, so he invested a lot of time into understanding it. This turned into Brett becoming a trustee and educator who teaches financial advisors, brokers, and high end realtors on the strategy.    Deferred Sales Trusts   You can defer your taxable gains on real estate by using the 1031 exchange as long as it’s done within a certain time period. The challenge is that if that’s the only tool in your toolbelt you may be put into a situation where you can’t make the best decision because of the 46 day window. It’s a seller’s market today, so if you sell today and buy 180 days later you are likely paying more with a higher interest rate for example. Debt is not your friend in a highly appreciated, overpriced marketplace. The 1031 exchange requires you to buy something of equal or greater value, which means that you will have to take on that debt or more on the next deal. The intent is to take on smart debt when it makes sense, usually during a buyer’s market. A deferred sales trust gives you multiple options for what you can do with your money. According to the American Banking Association

Sharon Lechter is the former CEO of Rich Dad and Pay Your Family First. She is an entrepreneur, #1 New York Times and international bestselling author, philanthropist, international speaker, mentor, licensed CPA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.  Sharon Lechter is the co-author with Robert Kiyosaki of the international bestselling books Rich Dad, Poor Dad, co-author with President Donald Trump of Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message, co-author with Greg S. Reid of Three Feet from Gold: Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities!, and author of Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success and Think and Grow Rich for Women: Using Your Power to Create Success and Significance. She and Greg Reid just released the new book Success and Something Greater: Your Magic Key. She was a member of Presidents George W. Bush and Obama’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy  Podcast Highlights What has been happening with Sharon Lechter over the last five years?  Sharon has been through some pretty difficult times during the past five years, having lost her younger son. She ran her life in neutral for a while thought that if she wasn’t going to play big in her life she should probably retire. She got some push back from her family and made the decision to re-fire instead of retire. In changing her attitude from one of mourning to there being more for her to do amazing things started to happen. She found her passion for writing again and her latest book  in being released in a few weeks. She is now recommitted to living life to its fullest and giving people information to take control of their financial lives. Living Life in Neutral Comfort turns into complacency. So many of us in life are in neutral because we do the exact same things day after day. The only thing that changes us in a state of complacency is a crisis, and that puts our lives into chaos. The only way out of the chaos is to be creative again. You’ve had your successes and your learning opportunities, there are other people who can benefit from what you know. The more you start giving the more you are going to start feeling alive again, supporting others will get you out of neutral and back into drive. The importance of your environment and your associates are paramount. Are you putting yourself into your place of greatest potential? When you’re an entrepreneur, when you have the right people around you will keep your head above water when you feel like you’re sinking. Surround yourself with people that challenge you, that are strong where you are weak, so that you have the greatest opportunity. Are you putting negative thoughts into your brain or empowering thoughts that help you see the world of possibility? Have you added value to someone’s life today? Success is more than money, it’s also about contribution and impact.  Refiring Your Life It took a while for Sharon to come to terms with the loss of her son. It wasn’t until someone asked her if she realized how many people she could help if they knew that someone like her had gone through something like that. A failure is an occurrence, not a definition. Too many people with a failure in their life feels like it defines them, and it doesn’t. You just have to pick yourself back up and redirect your energy. Success is not a single pathway with a special one size fits all key, for Sharon success is about how you feel about yourself when you look in the mirror. If you want to succeed, do the homework and look towards where you want to go. How does experiencing failure events define your idea of success? No one has ever had a straight line to success. Failure is a learning opportunity, a chance to recalibrate and refocus on the end goal.

Daniel Ameduri is a self-made multi-millionaire, a full-time skeptic of conventional thought, and a proud father of three. He is the cofounder of the Future Money Trends newsletter and FutureMoneyTrends.com, which, with nearly 150,000 subscribers, is the most widely recognized online authority in investment ideas and economic advice.  He’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, on ABC World News Tonight, and on Russia Today TV. Daniel correctly predicted the collapse of Lehman Brothers, AIG, and Washington Mutual on “Vision Victory,” the YouTube channel he launched in 2007 and which now has had more than thirteen million views.  Podcast Highlights Who is Daniel Ameduri?  Daniel is a guy that has always been fascinated by money. As a kid Daniel thought of money as a video game and later on as an adult money meant freedom. We’re all told we’re born free but for that to be true you need to be financially independent.  Right out of high school Daniel bought his first rental property but that was completely derailed in 2008, to the point where he gave up on his dream of becoming financially independent. Lucky for Daniel, his high school sweetheart kept encouraging him and pushing him toward what would eventually become Future Money Trends. Daniel has a saying in his home office, “Everything in life is a gift, even the worse things have always lead to the best lessons in my life.” Without the 2008 crash Daniel may have been burned even worse later on but it was lucky that he was young and he had time to recover. Have people missed their opportunity? Even if someone has a small amount of money in their retirement account they could still take that money and put it into cash flowing investments. This is one of Daniel’s biggest frustrations, that people are living this dream of deferred life. If they just shift and start buying cash flow, they could be on the road to financial independence in 12 months. What are the top 3 things that you have learned on your way to 7 figures that you would never have learned through formal education? School never teaches us about personal finance. The top three things that education doesn’t teach people but should are about getting down to the basics. What are you going to do with the income you make? Most people have been conned into just buying things that will hopefully gain in value. Why not be relentless about buying things that bring in checks? How are you going to maintain a sustainable life? It’s not about copying everyone else and never ending debt. The third thing is how to actually buy an investment and how to analyze a good rate of return. We should be able to break down the numbers and figure out if an investment makes sense. This is something that is completely absent in formal education. The Turning Point That Lead to Future Money Trends In 2008 Daniel and his wife were in a bankruptcy attorney’s office. But they had one duplex left that they didn’t want to lose and that was the reason they didn’t actually declare bankruptcy, which ended up teaching them an invaluable lesson. They learned that cash flow trumps appreciation, even in the worst housing crash ever in the US, so from that day on they only bought things that made them money.  The next step was to make sure they wouldn’t become poo

Patrick Donohoe is the author of the bestselling book Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: A Financial Strategy to Reignite the American Dream. He is also the Founder and CEO of Paradigm Life, one of the largest private and independent financial planning and advising firms in the country. Patrick and his team teach thousands how to build wealth, create lifetime cash flow, and leave a meaningful legacy.  Patrick Donohoe was recently honored by Investopedia as one of the Nation’s Top 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors. He is a highly sought after presenter and speaker at financial-based events around the country and is the host of The Wealth Standard podcast.    Podcast Highlights   Who is Patrick Donohoe?    Patrick has always been driven to succeed, which has given him a lot of the things he has achieved in life but also made him extremely unhappy. He has a hunger to understand the way things are and no matter what the achievement or result he was looking towards, he knew that he could have it. The way in which we look at the world today is shaped by our experiences when we’re younger. We link the things we all end up wanting with certain emotions, and for some people that can mean believing they are not worthy of their goals, or if they do achieve them they’re unhappy anyway.   What are the top seven things that your formal education never taught you on the way to seven figures?   Understand that you are your best asset. You have infinite potential. You have uniqueness that you need to discover and then invest in it and magnify it, that will allow you to apply it to the marketplace and add value to the world. The school system and the workforce were originally created to train workers and the military, but that paradigm is being turned on its head. Just because you don’t do well in school, that doesn’t mean you’re not smart. You’ll make way more money if you focus on yourself instead of something external. Nobody likes to be managed, everybody likes to be lead. Leadership is one of the hardest things to do but it’s one of the most fulfilling things you can do. Everybody has in them the ability to lead and if you adopt that in yourself it can be very powerful. The deeper the emotional level your pain and sadness goes, the more you’re capable of experiencing the positive. You don’t know the light if you don’t know the dark. People’s tendencies to avoid fear and pain means that they restrict themselves from many of the possible positive experiences and lessons in life. The wider the spectrum of experiences you have had, the more meaning life will hold for you. School is very focused on the individual and assumes you should have all the skills you need to succeed, but that’s not the way life works. You have to understand the value of teams and what can be accomplished. The things you are not good at are things you should hire other people to do for you, so you can focus on the things that you are good at. Teams with a good culture will look at unforeseen events and see them as opportunities instead of potential threats. All investment is business, and all business is people. One of Patrick’s biggest failures in business is in not understanding other people an

Lief Simon is co-founder and investment director of Live and Invest Overseas. He is the Editor of the Offshore Living Letter and Simon Letter. He has lived and worked on five continents and traveled to more than 60 countries. In his long career as a global property investor, Lief has also managed multi-million dollar portfolios of rental properties, for others and for himself.    Podcast Highlights   Who is Lief Simon?    Lief grew up in Phoenix and his goal in high school was to specifically go to graduate school and get an international management degree. He didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but the opportunities that came out of that degree were what opened the doors to him being able to move overseas for the first time 21 years ago. Lief knew that he got bored easily, so a career in accounting or some sort of office wasn’t something that he was interested in, even at the age of 14.    What lessons did you not learn during your formal education?   It’s easier to find real estate listings because of the internet, but if you’re looking at an English listing for a property in another country, you’re probably seeing the most overpriced property in that area. You have to be able to drill down to the local pricing if you want to start investing overseas. The easier something is in looking for real estate, the higher the price. You pay a premium for convenience. Lief has no problem making an “offensive” offer because it means actually getting closer to the proper price. Most Americans are willing to pay whatever the price on the price tag is, they don’t typically negotiate, but for other cultures that doesn’t hold true. In many cultures, negotiation is expected and with real estate there is almost always some room for  movement on price. Another big lesson is that outside of the US, make sure you use a real estate attorney to help with your deals. In many countries there aren’t as many protections for buyers and there are rarely any safety nets so you will need some help investing overseas.   How has your relationship with fear changed?   Lief has always been a little more aggressive than most people, if he can live with the worst case scenario he will move forward. Many people aren’t comfortable with the worst case scenario, if they even consider it.   What did you gain from your formal education?   If you want to compare opportunities you have to find your Internal Rate of Return (IRR). If you’re a real estate investor your annual yield is your IRR, but with other types of investments like teak plantations that can be quite difficult because you can’t just compare the cash flows. Having a handle on certain accounting concepts has been an asset. As Lief gets older he’s become less focused on capital appreciation and has started looking at agricultural opportunities. The timeline on those investments is much longer, but it gets away from some of the challenges of finding a good deal in real estate.  

Cameron Herold is host of the Second in Command podcast and bestselling author of The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to Elevate Your BUSINESS, Meetings Suck: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable, and the new books Free PR: How to Get Chased By The Press Without Hiring a PR Firm and Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less (in its seventh printing).  Herold is the founder of COO Alliance, which helps COO’s become better leaders. He is the mastermind behind hundreds of companies' exponential growth and has built a dynamic consultancy, including his time as COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. His current clients include a 'Big 4' wireless carrier and a monarchy.    Podcast Highlights   Who is Cameron Herold?    Cameron’s first entrepreneurial memory was when he was seven years old. He was cold calling dry cleaners about how much they would pay for coat hangers. His parents raised Cameron and his siblings as entrepreneurs right from the beginning so there wasn’t really a time before then when he wasn’t doing his own thing.   Why Second in Command?   Cameron started off his entrepreneurial career with College Pro Painters within a franchise which super charged his growth as an entrepreneur. He went on to work in three other companies where he was second in command and helped those companies grow. All that prepared him to take 1-800-GOT-JUNK from 14 employees to 3100 employees and that’s where he found the match between the CEO and the COO. A lot of the time the entrepreneurs that start a business have all the vision in the world but don’t have the skills they need to grow their business, so it makes sense to bring someone in who has those skills.  The CEO in the early days of a business is the Chief Everything Officer, but that eventually evolves into the Chief Energizing Officer once the business gets going. When they transition in the later stage they can deliver on the why of the business but not necessarily the how, which is when the COO comes in.   When should a CEO bring on the COO?   You need to completely trust the person as your COO on day one. If you don’t have the trust level built up, you need to keep interviewing and doing reference checks until you can trust them with the keys to your house and password to your bank account. Try not to get wrapped up in the title, the COO could also be the VP of Operations or General Manager. You can find multiple people to shore up your weaknesses, the point is to find someone with skill sets that you don’t have. The entrepreneur needs to know what has to happen and the COO needs to know how it has to happen. They are the executors of the business and need to be given free reign to accomplish the entrepreneurs vision.   Playing out of position   The CEO and the COO work in tandem. Whatever the

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.  He is the author of the bestselling book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Nir Eyal?    Nir describes himself as a chubby immigrant from Israel. He moved from Israel with his family when he was 3 years old and always had a bit of a weight problem, which was actually how he started exploring the idea of how certain products can get us hooked and change our behaviours. A phrase that authors like to repeat is “research is mesearch”, which is exactly why Nir likes to write. He wrote his first book because he couldn’t find a satisfactory answer out in the wild around how to use technology to build healthy habits in user’s lives, so he wrote it himself. It was the same with his second book, we all know what we need to do so the question was why don’t we do those things? It’s certainly not a lack of knowledge.   Changing Behaviours   Unless we figure out why we are distracted on a psychological level, we will go back to our default behaviour and old habits. The opposite of distraction is not focus, it’s traction. Traction is any action that pulls you towards what you want and distraction is what pulls you away.  The key is that it’s not the technology that’s the problem, it’s the idea that technology is the problem. As long as we have a scapegoat to blame the issue on, we don’t have to do anything ourselves. Imagine how powerful you could become if you simple did everything you said you were going to do.   Becoming Indistractable   Most people will tell you that motivation is about the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, but it’s not true. Neurologically speaking it’s pain all the way down. All products cater to uncomfortable sensations because wanting something is neurologically and fundamentally uncomfortable. This means that time management is also pain management. We have to come to terms with the fact that our behaviour is driven by the desire to escape discomfort, and we only have two choices to deal with that. We can either learn techniques to cope with the discomfort, or fundamentally change the source of the discomfort. There is nothing wrong with watching cat videos, it’s only when it distracts you from the things you value like being with your kids. Time you plan to waste is not wasted time.   Living Your Values   When it comes to external triggers, there is nothing inherently bad about them. It comes down to whether they are helping you gain traction or pulling you into distraction. By far the most distraction comes from internal triggers like boredom and fatigue. You have to make time for traction, put time into your

Dave Spooner is a co-founder of Innago, a property management software designed to simplify life for small to mid-sized landlords. He has been involved in the real estate technology space for the last 5 years, working to enhance the way landlords and tenants communicate. In addition to his expertise in content marketing, Dave utilizes his experience with entrepreneurship and management to help landlords achieve sustained success.     Podcast Highlights   Who is Dave Spooner?    Before getting involved in entrepreneurship Dave was a History and English major in college. The process of putting together his thesis was his first encounter with entrepreneurship and where he got the bug of trying to build something yourself. No matter what industry you’re in being an entrepreneur takes a lot of work and effort, but once you have the bug you can’t turn away from the path. Dave was actually surprised himself when he chose to be an entrepreneur, but there is a lot of overlap with people who are going through the process of education and looking for unique experiences and entrepreneurs. Dave’s first venture was really the piece of scholarship he was putting together for his thesis. It involved applying for grants and research, as well as negotiating.    Creating a Software Business   Creating software is a difficult proposition, even when it goes to market you will have to constantly modify and fix it. Even features that are specifically asked for will end up being the wrong things to include and need to be scrapped or fixed. One of the keys to Dave’s success with Innago is listening to not just his customers and what they want, but also the customers who said no. The beauty of software development is that it is constantly changing and for Dave that means he gets to take on different challenges everyday. There is always something new to learn which is something that Dave really enjoys. Similar to Google, the origin of the name Innago was designed to create a sense of simplification and ease.    Why should a landlord choose Innago?   The ease of use is the main feature of Innago. There are other options available but they are extremely complicated and difficult to use. For one of Innago’s major competitors they actually have people on LinkedIn who claim to be experts in the software, and for Dave that is exactly what he wants to avoid.  Once they started building out the platform Dave realized that the other major barrier to entry was cost, so they decided to make Innago free to use. The only costs involved are paid for by the applicant/tenant. When a potential tenant applies they have to pay for a background check, and the second way Innago makes money is by taking a small percentage of the rental transaction.  What Innago is meant to do is to automate the things that are basically data collection and other tasks that you as the business owner aren’t required to be involved in. It puts everything in one simple, easy to access place so that you can make better decisions about your business. One of the biggest challenges that landlords face is that real estate laws are different in each state and within each sector each landlord does things differently. Flexibility was another major focus in designing the software so that it could se

Mike Moyer is the author of the bestselling books Slicing Pie: Fund Your Company Without Funds, and the new book Bird's Eye Business: A Primer on How Companies Work. He is an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.  Moyer is an entrepreneur who has started a number of companies including Bananagraphics, a product development and merchandising company, Moondog, an outdoor clothing manufacturing company; Vicarious Communication, Inc, a marketing technology company for the medical industry; Cappex.com, a site that helps students find the right college; College Peas, LLC which provides publications and consulting on college admissions; and Trade Show Samurai, LLC a company that teaches trade show exhibitors how to capture lots and lots of leads.  In addition to his experience as an entrepreneur he has held a number of senior-level marketing positions with companies that sell everything from vacuum cleaners to financial data services to motor home chassis to luxury wine. He has taught entrepreneurship at both Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.     Podcast Highlights   Who is Mike Moyer?    Mike got the entrepreneurship bug in high school, he wanted to be a veterinarian and was keeping and healing animals in his backyard. One day he found himself as the owner of 24 baby rabbits and had to do something with them, so he took them down to the state fair. His aunt suggested that he sell them for $25 each and he sold them all in a matter of hours. That put him on the path to starting his own clothing manufacturing company in college and a number of other companies since then. Mike pivoted from the veterinarian career path due to poor grades and his parents subsequently refusing to pay for his schooling. Instead of finding a job Mike started a clothing company to pay for his education and he ended up selling the business after he graduated.  Mike values both education and practical experience. Education saves you a lot of time doing your own work and Mike spent much of his time split between startup companies and established companies. A combination of all three has been very useful in building Mike’s later businesses.   Real Jobs, Real Companies, and Startups    At a real job you’re getting paid for your work and that’s pretty much it. With a startup you are basically betting on the future of the company, and until that company starts generating revenue and profit it doesn’t qualify as an asset. With a bootstrap company the way you get started in the early days is by not paying the bills. What this means is that for an employee who would normally be paid $100,000 a year they are basically betting that salary on the success of the company. For those employees, their share of the equity in the company should be proportional to the size of their bet, the challenge is that it's very hard to know the value of the entrepreneur’s idea. In the grand scheme of things, a person capable of execution is comparatively rare to the accessibility of capital in the beginning stages of a business.  An idea is simply an intention to do something. Without the actual value created through production, the intention isn’t worth anythi

Mark Ritter is the CEO of MBFS and an expert in credit unions and business lending. His primary role at MBFS is overseeing the strategy of helping credit unions assist members with business needs and consulting with credit unions on planning the delivery of services to their membership.  In 2002, Mark started Members 1 st Federal Credit Union's business lending program as "one person and a desk" with no policies, products, staff, systems, or business members. That program grew to be one of the top ten in the nation in the number of loans and balances outstanding for federal credit unions. In addition, Mark developed a participation program that grew to one of the top buyers and sellers of credit union business loans in the eastern United States. He has done extensive work with branch retail staff, business lending operational and sales staff, and credit unions to educate and train them on the merits of business lending.     Podcast Highlights   Who is Mark Ritter?    Mark always tells people that he is a blue collar guy in a white collar world. He grew up in a town called Burwick in Pennsylvania and despite being a marginal football player he found himself with the opportunity to work for the Penn State football team. Without that chance he would probably still be working in that small town. In many ways he can attribute that one thing to getting him to where he is today.   Mark remembers his father talking about their credit union fondly and that has always stuck with him. Once he got older and looking for new areas to work in he thought again of the credit union space. In terms of superheros, Mark considers himself like Aquaman. Aquaman has a number of non obvious superpowers but they are quite useful when you need them.    How are credit unions different?   When you walk into a credit union you’ll see a lot of the same features that you would at a bank. The difference is in the underlying structure, credit unions are a cooperative business that focuses on building relationships and doing what’s right for people. The shareholders and stakeholders of a credit union are the members of that union, and in some ways they are similar to mutual insurance companies. Credit unions were originally created for businesses, and since then there has been a revolution in what credit unions were capable of that has lead to them really taking off.  Credit unions can be friendlier when it comes to fees, and terms and conditions on the financing they offer because they are considering what is best for the membership of the union instead of just the shareholders. One out of every three people have an account with a credit union. They are generally smaller institutions when compared to banks but even then they are still managing many millions of dollars. There are twice as many credit unions in America as there are banks, but getting the word out is one of the main challenges. Most people want a relationship with their financial institution and with credit unions that’s possible. The numbers are the same for everybody, where credit unions excel is in the qualitative analysis of a loan and taking the story into account.   Where do credit unions operate?   Most credit unions prefer to lend within their region but there are some that will consider a wider area. If a customer comes to Mark with a need for financing in an

Adam is the Founding Partner and Principal at Tower Capital, a Phoenix-based Commercial Real Estate Finance firm. Since 2015, the firm has been involved in over $500 million in successful debt and equity placements on behalf of investors across all major asset classes.  Adam is an active member of Forbes Real Estate Council and has been featured and published in numerous national and industry publications including Forbes, Globestreet.com, National Real Estate Investor, Phoenix Business Journal, Commercial Executive Magazine, Multi-Housing News, and many others.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Adam Finkel?    Adam is a regular guy from Boston, Massachusetts. When he turned 18 he headed out west and went to school at Arizona State University. It was there where he found an opportunity to get his foot in the door of doing commercial real estate from some of the older members of his fraternity. Prior to that Adam didn’t have any experience in the industry, he just saw the opportunity that was available and went for it. Doing the transactional deals and putting in the work gave Adam a good understanding of what tenants and landlords need, and that served him well once he moved onto the finance side of the business. Investing in real estate doesn’t need a college degree, anyone can do it, which is the great thing about. Adam recommends that people start small since it’s more attainable and makes financing larger deals much easier. The first question Adam gets asked is “who is the sponsor?” because that’s even more important about the details of the deal itself.   Getting Started In Real Estate   Many people get their feet wet in the real estate business by buying single family homes. That’s where Adam tells people to get started in real estate. From there it’s possible and easier to move onto multi family homes, apartments, or commercial real estate. For some people, they have to learn from personal experience and make those mistakes. For those people they usually find that it can be very challenging trying to buy a larger building and they end up starting off small anyway. When Adam was getting into the real estate business in 2003 the market was picking back up again and there was a lot of activity in his local market. He believed that there was no better way to build wealth than real estate so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Adam loves working with people and finds the capital markets very exciting. There are so many facets to commercial and traditional real estate so there is tremendous potential for people to tap into. With most things in life, it takes exposure to many different things to find out what you like and don’t like. If an opportunity comes along you should try it out and see where it leads you.   Tower Capital and The Finance Side of the Business   Adam wasn’t particularly interested in getting into the financial side of things. After working for a few years he began to get tired of the tenant rep leasing side of the business. He met a man named Neil Churney who invited him to work with Johnson Capital as an analyst helping Neil with the finance side. 

George "Monk" Foreman III is an entrepreneur, professional boxer, trainer/coach, founder of EverybodyFights, and son of businessman and former two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman. He serves as the business manager and Executive VP of his father's business empire George Foreman Enterprises, Inc. He also starred on the E! network's reality series Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive.  He opened a boxing fitness gym in Boston called "The Club by George Foreman III". In an effort to further promote the core beliefs of the gym's culture George eventually changed the name of the gym to EverybodyFights. In 2016, the company received a series-A investment from Breakaway in the form of $4 million and soon after announced the opening of another location in Boston. Since then, Everybody Fights has opened 5 locations and plans to open over 20 new locations by 2020 for growth in other major cities across the U.S.     Podcast Highlights   Who is George Foreman III?    George describes himself as a really sad and quiet child. He cried when he got his first B in school and he didn’t see his next one until he was 17 years old. To George, the real risk is life passing you by and never coming back. If you have the chance to look back at your life in your last moments, the real risk is regrets. As part of George’s boxing career, he had an agreement with his father where his dad would train him, but at the same time George had to train other people as well. After finding some success in his boxing career, George realized that if he could make a reasonable living doing what he wanted to do, which was to teach and instill fitness in others, than that would be a success as well.    EverybodyFights   When George decided to open his gym he put his business plan together in seven days and it was during a brainstorming session with his friend where the EverybodyFights name came from. As soon as he heard it he knew he had a winner, but it actually held him back initially. When trying to lease a space George had to adjust the name to The Club by George Foreman III. It wasn’t until a few years later and the business had found its footing that he decided to change the name back to EverybodyFights because it fit his core message better. Brand is what you make of it. If you execute and your company culture is on point, your message is clear and consistent, and you act with integrity you can make a big brand out of any name.   Another Fitness Club?   At the time there weren’t a huge number of boxing clubs around so the market wasn’t too saturated. As part of his strategy with investors George took a large pay cut to prove his confidence and dedication to the business. Once he had the money in place, he also had to prove the concept to the community and that involved a lot of meetings with the city. When you sign the right deals and have a business with a decent profit margin, you can take some chances and experiment with things. When George opened his first gym he had boxing and yoga under one roof, in addition to pilates and cycling. He also taught a number of classes and within a year his gym became the best gym in Boston. George’s ultimate goal is to make fitness free. He would like to create a way where other co

Tom founded DOM & TOM, a mobile application development shop, in 2009 and has since grown the company (along with twin brother Dominic) into one of the INC 500’s fastest growing companies in 2015 with over 45 employees. D&T has worked with clients including: Priceline, Fitch, Bloomberg, GE, CliffsNotes, PowerRangers, the Emmy’s and more on over 250 digital projects. Tom is also a fervent entrepreneur, having personally invested in multiple start­up ventures in New York City, including John Brown’s Smokehouse, which was named Best BBQ in New York City in 2012 by the Village Voice. Tom has given presentations on digital culture at multiple events including Hearst, AOL Ventures, Tabula Rasa, and sat on multiple digital engagement panels.  

Are you a marital first responder? If people confide in you about their relationship, you might be! Or you could be if you want to be. That’s just one of the things that Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Elizabeth Doherty Thomas from The Doherty Relationship Institute discusses in this episode. Discernment counseling is something Elizabeth talks about in this episode. But what is it? That is something you’re going to want to learn more about, but it is based in using discernment in your responses to other people when counseling them… even if you aren’t a therapist! The interesting thing is that Elizabeth must have struck a nerve with her approach because she had an impressive six-figure launch of her business in August 2014. And forget the $100K month; she achieved that figure in a much shorter time frame.... just SEVEN DAYS!! Today Elizabeth's multifaceted business revolves around ways to strengthen marriages where possible and allow a graceful divorce if that is where the couple ends up. So, was Elizabeth always a counselor? Nope. As with many successful entrepreneurs, she took that long path and became what she calls an accidental entrepreneur. In fact, she ended up partnering with her therapist father. And it all started with throwing a website up. Then she learned about SEO, branding and messaging. She put in a lot of time to create her initial success. Then she made improvements and aimed for the gold. Today Elizabeth helps couples, businesses, entrepreneurs and all sorts of people with her unique brand of counseling. As a result of their efforts and the amazing response to what they are doing, Elizabeth and her father have gained exposure in Elle magazine, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Listen in as Elizabeth shares the steps in her personal and business journey to reach her goals in her online business. From wearing all the different hats and walking in faith to overcoming bad instincts so she could create a highly successful business, Elizabeth has a lot to say. Learn more.

In my continuing Cash Flow Diary podcast series focusing on individuals who’ve earned $100K in a month, I’m talking to Kevin Kruse, a true employee engagement and leadership strategies superstar. The cool thing is that Kevin hasn’t just earned $100K in a single month; he’s earned a whole bunch more than that… like a million dollars in a month. But here’s the deal… Kevin wasn’t always wealthy nor did he have the skills necessary to earn the figures he does today. Kevin said that he decided as a pre-teen to become wealthy. He wrote his goal of wealth in his journal! That’s after he witnessed a visit to his father’s home by a scary, one-armed man who was there to collect a debt. Harder lessons were to come, but the good news is that Kevin made it through his circumstances to succeed as an adult. That path started right out of college, when Kevin started different businesses fresh out of school. Though Kevin moved through a series of failure events, he didn’t let them stop him. He kept moving toward his goal of financial security. He set his first at $100K in a year. He did some house-flipping and it didn’t work; he tried an MLM and that didn’t work; he moved down the line and didn’t have success until he realized the secret to success is to build a business about which he had a great deal of passion. He had to find mentors, he had to learn his way and work really hard. He also realized that ANY of the things he had done could work if certain elements are in place. Today, Kevin’s mission is to convince everyone that wholehearted leadership for employee engagement is the key to unlocking dramatic business results and lots of other positives! Learn more about what Kevin does and how he got there... and how he reduced his work hours to attain the success and wealth he always wanted.

You might think it sounds funny, but some people are just as afraid of achieving success as they are of failing. It’s true. That’s what I share with you today in my 7th installment of the 8 Things to Give Up series of my Cash Flow Diary podcast.  Hey, success can be scary. It’s sort of like “senioritis.” You know… where you’ve been going to college for four years and you’re in your final months before graduation. It dawns on you that life outside the campus awaits… Some people seize up while others seize the new adventures ahead. Maybe you’ve known someone struck down by their fear of success? They work really, really hard. They get to a pinnacle of success that causes onlookers to drool. They have the cool house, the nice cars, and the fat bank account… and then suddenly “something” happens and they lose it all.  Why?  The answer can be shocking. Truth is that they subconsciously made that “something” happen. They didn’t feel like they deserved the success. It’s more comfortable for them to live within their failures than to push themselves out of their comfort zone to achieve not just any dream but rather the biggest dreams.  Here’s a quote by Marianne Williamson that I like, which sums up fear of success pretty darned well. She says, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." While not all things are in our control, such as when a traumatic illness or death in the family strikes, most things really are in our control. Like our response to fear… We ALL experience fear. It’s a basic human emotion; it even keeps us safe. But avoiding things you think are scary is not the path to success. You must do what scares you to get beyond the fear.  When I first started out as a real estate investor I was scared that I’d do things wrong. I did them anyway. I learned what I needed to learn to get the tasks done one at a time. I knew that I could not let my fears rule me. I had no other option than to make this real estate investing thing work. If you haven’t heard my story, you need to. I had no place to go but up! Staying “safe” wasn’t going to work for me and it’s not gonna work for you. Success is within your grasp. All it takes is the right action steps. When you get there, don’t stop. Keep moving your goal posts forward. In fact, make your goals bigger and bigger. I promise that you deserve the success you are working for and when you get to your first goal, second goal, third goal and so on, it’s time to celebrate.  Don’t look around and decide you don’t deserve what you’ve worked so hard to achieve! Close your eyes and give thanks, then get back to working on your next project. You’re an entrepreneur. You have endless opportunities. Succeed and don’t look back. Help others to succeed when and where you can. And when you have had your first successes, I want to hear from you. Right now, however, I want you to listen to this special episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. LISTEN NOW. 

We are into another new year now and I hope you’re off to a great start. That’s why I’m doing this 8 THINGS TO GIVE UP series in my Cash Flow Diary podcast. So far I’ve covered three of the things you need to toss out the window. Go back and listen to those episodes if you haven’t already.  Today I share with you why you don’t want to put your time into criticizing others. Criticism just leaves you looking (and feeling) harsh, vindictive and cruel. Criticizing others may make you feel superior to others, but in reality that’s not the truth. How in the heck does that serve you, especially as a real estate investor? It doesn’t.  Real estate investing (and most other businesses) require you to build relationships. How are you going to do that if you are hyper-critical?  Let’s take the example of a property. You’re walking the property and you are there to assess it so you can make an offer and figure out how you can help the seller. If you walk around with a superior attitude, tearing the property apart with your words, I promise you’ll have a real hard time getting that seller to want to work with you. You are setting up an adversarial relationship and it’s going to leave the seller feeling bruised and upset. You may as well pick up a heavy stick and follow the seller around while poking them with it. That’s how your criticisms feel to the other party. It is horrible and unnecessary.  When someone is receiving criticism, it puts them in a defensive position. That sets up sour ground for negotiations. The seller will push back with their own criticisms. Both of you will walk away feeling bad about each other and the property. Have you ever heard that old saying that you catch more bees with honey? It’s true. You don’t have to embellish; you simply have to learn to communicate in a more positive way. You can say absolutely anything if you frame it correctly. If you form an actual connection with the other person, put yourself in their shoes, learn a little about their situations and challenges, and you stop putting yourself first your negotiations will go better. Your business will do better. Your income will improve.  As a real estate investor you are supposed to be solving problems for other people. You are alleviating pain. You don’t have to say every little thing that’s running through your brain. The seller knows the problems with the property. They want you to make an offer. They want to sell the property.  Here’s the bottom line: No one and nothing is perfect… not even you. So, if you are prone to being critical, you need to learn how to communicate better. A book that helped me is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  And in researching the topic for this episode I found some really cool articles. There were several. Here’s just one: How To Stop Being Critical Of Others. It’s written by an NLP trainer and it’s pretty interesting. Read it. If you recognize any of the points in your own behavior it’s time to fix it… right now.  You might want to listen to this episode a few times, especially the end, because I give you the way to word the negatives in your negotiations. There is a way to say everything. Learn more. LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW. 

As I continue with my “8 Things to Give Up” series today, I take you where you may not want to go. In this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast, I ask you to do something for me… for yourself… for your loved ones. Give up your fear of failure! In fact, I’m asking you to look at failure in a whole new way. I want you to embrace it!  Any successful entrepreneur has had plenty of failure events, and that’s how you have to look at things when they don’t go as planned. They are not “failures” in the truest sense of the word. They’re just events in your life and your business that didn’t pan out as you expected.  So what? Now what? Next… You have to learn to move past hold-ups, challenges, issues, problems and unexpected twists and turns. That’s part of life. None of us magically know how to do things the right way the first time. Everything takes practice… or do you think I suddenly and without hard work and PRACTICE became a successful real estate investor, coach, educator, author and speaker?  When I first started in real estate investing there were tons of things I didn’t know. If I had let the fear of failing at those things where would I be now? I didn’t exactly have a choice. My wife was very ill; I had no job; my kids were hungry. Regardless of how scared I may have been in the beginning I had to put those fears aside and take the necessary steps to get to my first goal, then my second, then my third and so on. I had to educate myself on those steps.  See, that’s the thing… It’s your reaction to your thoughts, feelings and emotions that you need to learn to control. Everyone has fears, but it’s our responses to our feelings that makes the difference between success and not being successful yet.  You must learn to calm your inner negative, doubtful, fearful chatter. That’s all it is. Chatter. Understand that you CAN do what you set out to do… because you aren’t the first person who has ever tried this new thing you are trying to do. Plenty of people have come before you, which means you have just as much chance as them to get to your goals.  In this episode I talk you through your fears and how to gain control over your emotional reactions. You’re gonna be just fine. Trust me on that one. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

As a real estate investor, success comes to you once you understand whom you serve. So, let me ask you something… Are you serving anyone well (or at all) by allowing negative thoughts to intrude the corners of your mind and walk all over your goals? You’re certainly not doing yourself any good, and unless your intent is to attract negativity to your life, you need to stop negative thinking now. I MEAN RIGHT NOW. That’s what this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is all about. It’s the second in an eight-part series dedicated to the things you must stop doing immediately if not sooner to allow success to enter your life. (If you didn’t listen to part one, go back and do that now.) The funny (or not-so-funny) thing is that we can all be big negative thinkers from time to time. (That means being our own worst enemy, too, by the way.) Truth is negative thinking kills. It kills opportunities… it kills relationships… it kills deals… it kills goals. So why participate in something that isn’t going to help you get further down the path in your journey? Replace your negative thoughts with those of a more positive spin. If you’re prone to being negative, learn new ways to express yourself. Like Tony Robbins says, you can learn to replace words with negative connotations with those that bring more positive meaning. For example, instead of telling yourself (and others) that you are “nervous, scared, anxious or frightened” about learning something new and putting it to use, try replacing those words with “excited.” Just that minor difference makes a huge impact on how you feel about what you are doing. Did you know negative thinking can make you sick? Yes, sir. There are reasons to take on a more positive outlook. It’s simply healthier all around… for everyone. Think about your daily conversations with people. Who do you like to talk to? I’m betting it’s not the Negative Nellies and Debbie Downers who have a lot of negative thinking going on for themselves. It’s more likely that you are drawn to those confidant individuals who display positive thinking, communication and actions. You want to be around those who are moving forward with a smile, and who have good things to say about other people and the world. You get excited for them when they start talking about what they’re doing, because positivity attracts. Conversely, negativity repels. Big time! I recorded this episode of my podcast because I want you to be your most uplifted, positive self. I want you to stop the negative self-talk and negative thinking all-around. For more reasons you want to stop your negative thinking, give this episode your ear. Then practice what you’ve learned here today! LISTEN NOW.

Recently on Facebook I shared an image of what you need to give up if you want to be truly successful. In short, there are 8 things: Doubting Yourself Negative thinking Fear of Failure Criticizing Others Negative Self-Talk Procrastination Fear of Success People Pleasing This is such an important list that I thought it would be neat to do a special Cash Flow Diary podcast series on these topics. So that’s what I’m doing over the next 8 episodes. I hope it helps you move your needle forward. Today I tackle the #1 thing you have to stop doing immediately… that’s Doubting Yourself. (It’s a soul-killer.) It is critical for you to have a belief that you CAN do what you set out to do. Whether that is real estate investing or any other path. When you set out on any new journey, don’t let doubt stop you from trying new things. When you get into a place of doubt, stop and ask yourself… has anyone before you ever done what you are attempting to do? The answer is yes, of course. That tells you what you’re attempting is absolutely possible. You CAN do it if you stick to it and learn the system by which other people have reached your same goals. You think I was confident when I first started out as a real estate investor? Heck, no. But I prayed and kept going. I messed up and kept going. I learned new things and kept going. I did what I feared I couldn’t do… and I moved forward anyway. After all, I didn’t have a lot of choice. I literally could not fail. To understand this statement, you need to know my story. Then go listen to my very first Cash Flow Dairy podcast episodes. You’ll see what I mean. I built my confidence over time. That’s not to say I don’t have doubts some days even now, but I have learned to control my responses to those doubts. That’s what you need to do in order to dump the doubt! This episode of the Cash Flow Diary will help get you there. LISTEN NOW.

Recently I read an interesting article about how being a people-pleaser is actually a selfish act. Then I found a quote by motivational speaker and life manifestation coach Christine Hassler that lays it down straight. She says, “People pleasing is a terrible investment, because it depletes your most valuable resources: your time and energy. Just think about how much energy you waste by obsessing about what other people think of you or trying to strategize your actions to appease others” I couldn’t have put it better myself! People pleasing isn’t something that works well for real estate investors. That’s because you’re going to have to say NO sometimes. For instance, you’re going to have to say no to some investors. Just because someone has money doesn’t make him/her the right person to invest in your deal. You’re also going to have to learn to say no to deals, to potential partners, to buyers and to sellers. Everything has to be in alignment with your Investor Identity. That’s the secret sauce! As you move forward and do more deals, you’re likely going to become a go-to person. Lots of people are going to want to work with you. You’re going to see all sorts of deals… and they won’t all be right for you. You’ll learn to say no. You’ll learn that you can’t please everyone. What did Abraham Lincoln say? You can’t please everyone all the time? Hey, he’s right! And this is what I talk about in today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. It’s the final installment of my 8 Things to Give Up series and you’re going to want to give it a listen. By the end of it you’ll understand why if you are a people-pleaser that you have to stop. It’s bad for your health. Studies show that the behavior actually causes higher levels of stress and debilitates the immune system. So why participate in such a negative behavior? Anyone who has ever seen me give a presentation knows I am definitely not a people-pleaser. In fact, I go the opposite way. I practice what I call Carefrontation™ which is a nice way of saying I tell people things they sometimes don’t want to hear. I tell them the truth. I ask questions that lead them to get to the truth themselves. It’s the only way I know to keep people on the right path in investing… to keep them focused on their Investor Identity so they can be their most successful. Hey, just because you say no doesn’t make you a “bad” person. It’s better that you learn when and how to say no. You aren’t in business to be liked by everyone you meet. Sure, it would be great if you were the hero all the time and well-loved by all, but that’s not life. So stop wasting time and energy thinking about it, worrying about it or trying to get to that goal. I guarantee you that there are lots of other better goals. I have a lot to say on this topic, so grab your ear buds, and say no to outside distractions. LISTEN NOW.

Recently I read an interesting article about how being a people-pleaser is actually a selfish act. Then I found a quote by motivational speaker and life manifestation coach Christine Hassler that lays it down straight. She says, “People pleasing is a terrible investment, because it depletes your most valuable resources: your time and energy. Just think about how much energy you waste by obsessing about what other people think of you or trying to strategize your actions to appease others” I couldn’t have put it better myself! People pleasing isn’t something that works well for real estate investors. That’s because you’re going to have to say NO sometimes. For instance, you’re going to have to say no to some investors. Just because someone has money doesn’t make him/her the right person to invest in your deal. You’re also going to have to learn to say no to deals, to potential partners, to buyers and to sellers.  Everything has to be in alignment with your Investor Identity. That’s the secret sauce!   As you move forward and do more deals, you’re likely going to become a go-to person. Lots of people are going to want to work with you. You’re going to see all sorts of deals… and they won’t all be right for you. You’ll learn to say no. You’ll learn that you can’t please everyone.  What did Abraham Lincoln say? You can’t please everyone all the time? Hey, he’s right! And this is what I talk about in today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. It’s the final installment of my 8 Things to Give Up series and you’re going to want to give it a listen.  By the end of it you’ll understand why if you are a people-pleaser that you have to stop. It’s bad for your health. Studies show that the behavior actually causes higher levels of stress and debilitates the immune system. So why participate in such a negative behavior? Anyone who has ever seen me give a presentation knows I am definitely not a people-pleaser. In fact, I go the opposite way. I practice what I call Carefrontation™ which is a nice way of saying I tell people things they sometimes don’t want to hear. I tell them the truth. I ask questions that lead them to get to the truth themselves. It’s the only way I know to keep people on the right path in investing… to keep them focused on their Investor Identity so they can be their most successful.  Hey, just because you say no doesn’t make you a “bad” person. It’s better that you learn when and how to say no. You aren’t in business to be liked by everyone you meet. Sure, it would be great if you were the hero all the time and well-loved by all, but that’s not life. So stop wasting time and energy thinking about it, worrying about it or trying to get to that goal. I guarantee you that there are lots of other better goals.  I have a lot to say on this topic, so grab your ear buds, and say no to outside distractions. LISTEN NOW. 

There’s an old adage that tells us, “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” I couldn’t agree more. Procrastinating only serves to hurt you. That’s what I share with you in this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast.  There are lots of reasons to move tasks from your to-do list to your to-done list. (And, yes, I believe in to-do lists.) One reason is simple; it makes you feel great knowing you took care of business. You didn’t put the to-do’s off; now they’re done and scratched off your list. (I talk about this in this episode, but because it is really important, I also talk about it in my book.) The bigger reason to stop procrastinating is that it’s a bad habit that holds you back from success. Literally. I’m not the only one who thinks so. I found an interesting article in Psychology Today in which you’ll learn that procrastinators sabotage themselves. Here’s the link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-know This article breaks down the types of procrastinators and gives reasons for the “maladaptive” behavior. That’s a fancy way of saying BAD HABIT.  If you procrastinate, you are sending the world a big message. Not a good one.  Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to help yourself stop being a procrastinator. For example, you can track your time in 15-minute increments. You can break your larger tasks up into bite-sized nuggets. You can change your scenery. (There’s a reason I choose to make a nearby Starbucks and the busiest malls my office!)  Here’s the deal… You can cut back on distractions and force yourself into a corner where success is the only outcome. It starts by taking action at the speed of instruction and then continuing to take steps without putting tasks off.  If you find that hard to do, it might be that your bad habit is being supported by likeminded pals. Maybe it’s time to change the types of people you hang out with. Another old adage says, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Hey, it’s true.  If you surround yourself with motivated non-procrastinators that’s gonna be a whole lot better for you in the long run than if you surround yourself with I’ll-do-it-tomorrow types. While you’re at it, get a few accountability partners. They’ll help keep you on track. (But it’s still all up to you to get to your goals.) Be clear on your goals, too. Stop overthinking things. They aren’t as complicated as you are your inner voice of fear and negativity make them out to be! If you want to learn more about the negative self-talk, go back and listen to the previous episodes in this 8 Things to Give Up podcast series.  The bottom line is that we can be our own worst enemies. When it comes to achieving the success we desire, we can get in our own way. The good news is that we can step out of our own way, too, and we can totally change our bad habits. That’s another thing I talk about in this special episode. Don’t put off listening to it. LISTEN NOW. 

As I continue with my “8 Things to Give Up” series today, I take you where you may not want to go. In this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast, I ask you to do something for me… for yourself… for your loved ones. Give up your fear of failure! In fact, I’m asking you to look at failure in a whole new way. I want you to embrace it!  Any successful entrepreneur has had plenty of failure events, and that’s how you have to look at things when they don’t go as planned. They are not “failures” in the truest sense of the word. They’re just events in your life and your business that didn’t pan out as you expected.  So what? Now what? Next… You have to learn to move past hold-ups, challenges, issues, problems and unexpected twists and turns. That’s part of life. None of us magically know how to do things the right way the first time. Everything takes practice… or do you think I suddenly and without hard work and PRACTICE became a successful real estate investor, coach, educator, author and speaker?  When I first started in real estate investing there were tons of things I didn’t know. If I had let the fear of failing at those things where would I be now? I didn’t exactly have a choice. My wife was very ill; I had no job; my kids were hungry. Regardless of how scared I may have been in the beginning I had to put those fears aside and take the necessary steps to get to my first goal, then my second, then my third and so on. I had to educate myself on those steps.  See, that’s the thing… It’s your reaction to your thoughts, feelings and emotions that you need to learn to control. Everyone has fears, but it’s our responses to our feelings that makes the difference between success and not being successful yet.  You must learn to calm your inner negative, doubtful, fearful chatter. That’s all it is. Chatter. Understand that you CAN do what you set out to do… because you aren’t the first person who has ever tried this new thing you are trying to do. Plenty of people have come before you, which means you have just as much chance as them to get to your goals.  In this episode I talk you through your fears and how to gain control over your emotional reactions. You’re gonna be just fine. Trust me on that one. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

RC Peck, sits at the intersection of money and human behavior. For over 20 years he's helped people hear what their money is trying to tell them. His struggle with dyslexia, watching his parents' life savings get embezzled, and his background in Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP), taught him to question the obvious. He now uses his ability to see what others can't see which brings clarity and insight to a world that is often described as confusing and overwhelming. His fearless wealth message is clear. Listen to your money. It's trying to tell you how to get the life you want.     Podcast Highlights Who is RC Peck? The first answer that came to RC was a time when he was in 7th grade and taking martial arts. He was able to buy throwing stars for $2 and take them to school and sell them for $8, it was just something made sense for him to do. It just came naturally, he saw the excitement in others and the opportunity became obvious. RC didn’t know that he was dyslexic until his 30’s, all throughout school RC felt like he was smart but his teachers and test scores told a different story. This lead him to pursuing more creative courses like art, something that came easily to him and that he excelled at. He thinks of his dyslexic journey and sees a lot of people going through the same process, but with their money. There is a form of investment dyslexia that is holding people back. When RC’s parent’s life savings were embezzled when he was 19, that was when he realized that something was wrong with the investment world. The biggest investment mistake in the world is the belief that “I trust and like fill in the blank!” People trust anyone other than themselves to grow their money. Where does the idea of diversification and fearless wealth come from? Diversification is an idea from the 50’s, from academia before there were computers as we know them today. The idea of diversification is not inherently wrong, you will still eventually get to where you want to go, but there are probably better options depending on what your goal is. We are never given the choice to not diversify because it is so common place we never even question the idea. Doing things that go against the mainstream current can be scary, so people rarely look at their assumptions and the common wisdom around investing. There are only two things that humans can not tolerate, the first thing is not belonging. The second is not knowing the rules. A good parent can be much stricter, as long as they are consistent with their rules. People can even feel “good” about losing half of their investment portfolio value, as long as everybody else is losing too. People with investment dyslexia know there’s a problem, they just don’t have the words to describe it. What are the words that will set us free? The stock market is an idea that is loaded with negative emotions. When you read a headline that screams “Market Crash!”, your brain is interpreting that as a real, tangible threat. But if you look at an image of a graph of the stock market, you’ll put the whole thing in context and that can shortcut your brain’s fight or flight reaction. We are not taught to think visually, we are taught to think in words and sentences and the whole time your brain is bringing up associated images that is driving your life. When in doubt, zoom out. We are under attack, not by animals with claws, but from people who are paid very well that know that if they can make you angry or scared. Simple and easy are not the same thing. The defense and offense for fearless wealth is simple but not easy. You start with an image because that will rewire your brain. It can prevent your brain from going into panic mode, and can prime you to push toward your goals. To be successful in any area, you have

Michael E. Gerber is the founder of Michael E. Gerber Companies and E-Myth Worldwide. He has had nearly 100,000 business/coaching clients over his career and has consistently been called “the World’s #1 Small Business Guru” — the entrepreneurial and small business thought leader who has impacted the lives of millions of small business owners and hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide for over 40 years. He is the #1 New York Times' bestselling author of The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies, The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World-Class Company, The E-Myth Real Estate Investor: Why Most Real Estate Investment Businesses Don't Work And What To Do About It, The E-Myth Contractor: Why Most Contractors' Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, and the new book The E-Myth Chief Financial Officer: Why Most Small Businesses Run Out of Money and What to Do about It.   Podcast Highlights Who is Michael Gerber? Michael didn’t find his path in life until he was 41 years old. His brother-in-law owned an advertising agency and was working with a high tech client that was having trouble converting the leads they were getting for them. He wanted to bring in Michael to help even though Michael believed that he didn’t know anything about business. The conversation started off pretty strangely, since Michael truly didn’t know anything about that client’s business, so he just started asking questions. That was how he discovered that just because someone owns a business, that doesn’t mean they understand what business is. That was also when Michael realized that he did know something about business, and that is that selling is a system. Working with that first client was the beginning of Michael’s business, although he didn’t think about it that way. The more he worked with them, the more he realized how critical what it was that he was doing for them. It went beyond sales, it was transforming the way they thought about the business of business and the purpose of them being there. After a moment of clarity in a McDonald’s, Michael realized that the idea of the system is what’s missing with every client he had been working with. The trouble was Michael’s brother-in-law didn’t see his business the way Michael saw all his client’s businesses. He could never truly take in what Michael was saying to him, this lead to him bringing someone in to replace Michael named Tom Travisono. After working with Michael for a couple of weeks, he decided to join him and they started the first business development coaching company on the planet. Technician vs Entrepreneur The truth is when you start a small company, you are doomed to misunderstand what the reality of starting a small company is. That’s why the majority of small companies fail. 1 out of 10 businesses will reach their 10th anniversary, but that doesn’t mean they’ve succeeded. They’ve just persisted harder and longer than others. You can’t learn everything that must be known to operate a successful company, but your company needs to. The question then becomes “what is it that I absolutely need to know to start my company right?” The E-Myth Dreaming Room The absolutely critical role that you need to fill as an entrepreneur is that of the founding entrepreneur. Not the person that sells real estate, the person who designs, builds, and launches the company that sells real estate. At the heart of the entrepreneur there are four critical personalities. If you are going to play the entrepreneur game, you need to understand the rules if you want to win. We

Jason Hull’s personal mission statement is “to inspire others to love true principles,” which means he is passionate about learning what works in business and life, and sharing what he learns with others. As a world-leading property management growth expert, Jason devotes much of his time to finding unique ways to help property management business owners to grow their companies. He believes that good property management can change the world, by impacting thousands of families & lives. He is the founder & CEO of DoorGrow, a company whose mission is “to transform property management businesses & their owners.”   Jason leads a contribution-focused community, the #DoorGrowClub, a Facebook group full of property management entrepreneurs that believe in this vision. He also shares his wealth of industry knowledge with others through his podcast, the #DoorGrowShow, by helping thousands of property managers throughout North America to pinpoint powerful ways to take their businesses to the next level.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Jason Hull? Jason considers himself more of a nerd that has been pushed into the limelight in order to help entrepreneurs. He credits a lot of that to his entrepreneurial mother. In college Jason decided that he wanted to start a band and went around preselling a CD that didn’t exist in order to fund the recording time, he did this despite not really thinking of himself as an entrepreneur.   Later on in life, Jason got married really young and the marriage fell apart. He needed to figure out a way to be able to spend time with his kids and around the same time his employer got hit hard by the financial crisis and no longer pay him. All this forced him into the entrepreneurial life as a freelancer web designer. Jason has an insatiable desire to learn which has served him very well as a business owner.   Now he teaches property managers how to win. Jason helps property managers clean up their branding, marketing, and help them find revenue and growth.   During his youth, Jason always had the entrepreneurial spirit without even really knowing that’s what it was. At the core of people who are entrepreneurial, they know they are unemployable. For Jason that means that he creates positive uncomfortable change wherever he goes. Entrepreneurs need to allow ourselves to do what we need to do to lower the pressure around us instead of playing everyone else’s game.   Jason’s super power is his ability to see what other entrepreneurs can’t, combined with his curiosity that pushes him to figure things out. Confidence has always been an issue for Jason, he’s had to deal with imposter syndrome since the beginning, especially since he never considered himself the go to expert for property managers.   Solving Interesting Problems Opportunity can be very distracting for entrepreneurs because we tend to see it everywhere. On the positive side, we see that the world can be better. Entrepreneurs have always been the ones that have made people uncomfortable and moved the world forward. Jason never planned on being a property management coach. In the beginning he tried to work with multiple types of businesses and resisted it becoming his niche but a lot about the niche really started to appeal to him. Jason found that he loves working with property managers and seems to resonate with the type of entrepreneur that’s found in the industry. Property Management and DoorGrow Every business exists to solve a problem and for property managers they face two major challenges. The biggest challenge is awareness. Only about 30% of rental properties in the US are professionally managed and most people don’t really know what property management entails. In many ways propert

-Wake Forest University undergrad degree in Psychology/Statistics.  -MBA also from Wake Forest University with concentrations in Business Analytics, Operations and Marketing. -Former award winning car salesman, selling over 800 cars in 4 years, then author of the book "Car Deal Hacks" discussing how to buy a car for the best price using Psychology. -Self taught in Spanish (es malo pero funciona). -Co-Founder of Archimedes Group LLC, an owner-operator company that specializes in Mobile Home Parks with equity in 8 MHPs (roughly $20MM in purchase prices) spanning over 500 lots all acquired within the last 3 years. -Started with nothing: no money, no experience, and no network.   Podcast Highlights Who is Ryan Narus? Ryan Narus is a kid who does not quit. In his own words he’s a boring, vanilla, Irish Catholic kid who just shows up everyday and puts in a little bit of work. Apparently Ryan was a lazy kid who never really cared until around grade 10, at which point he had a fire lit under his butt that has been pushing him forward ever since. If he had to pick one moment, it was back during his freshman year of highschool. Ryan grew up watching Tim Duncan play basketball and grew up as a Wake Forest fan because that’s where he father taught. After taking his PSAT’s in ninth grade and falling well below the cutoff point, Ryan knew he was staring down the barrel of not going to his dream school. That sparked his motivation to turn things around. Ryan had the excellent luck to graduate in 2009 with a Psychology degree and the intention to go into sales. Unfortunately/fortunately for him, the only job he could get was selling cars. He went on to sell over 800 cars in 4 years and write a book on how to buy a car at the best price using Psychology. After spraining his ankle, Ryan realized that the job was not sustainable in the long run and even if he made it to the top he wouldn’t want the lifestyle. If you don’t know who you are and what you like, you will quit. Clarity leads to power, the power to decide and act. Lack of clarity creates confusion.   From Car Sales to Mobile Home Park Investing When Ryan first started talking about real estate and mobile home park investing, both his dad and his wife were against it. If your significant other is not on board with what you’re trying to do, Ryan brought on his wife to his podcast to discuss the matter and it’s a good episode to listen to. Mobile home park investing matches Ryan’s skill set like a glove, which is why Ryan focuses on them. He loves operations and organization and speaking to people face to face. Maybe more than all that, he loves helping people. Mobile home parks have allowed Ryan to do things that he wouldn’t have been able to do with other forms of real estate. The value add that he brings to his tenants wouldn’t be possible with retail or self storage. Understand your customer is not your investors. You make your investors happy by generating a strong return and you do that by pumping your properties full of value, not ripping your tenants off. A lot of people getting into mobile home parks because they think it’s easy and profitable, but ultimately the tenants are the ones who pay for that kind of mindset. The Future of Mobile Home Parks Equities are completely overpriced and investing in real estate is now the sexy thing to do now. Huge amounts of money are pouring into the major markets and that’s pushing out the little guy. Ryan believes the future is going to change. Interest rates will probably climb back up and people will get into mobile home park investing thinking it’s easy money and will find out they overpaid. Ryan wants people to come into the industry but not because it’s a chance to just make

Eric Satz (rhymes with “cats”), founder and CEO of Alto IRA, is a serial entrepreneur who’s seen both wins and losses. Eric knows investing is no longer just for the wealthy, and is living out his mission of delivering 21st-century investment opportunities to everyone, even non-accredited investors. Eric is a former investment banker and early-stage investor with a passion for nurturing startups and raising capital. He teaches an entrepreneurship class to high school students in Nashville and served on the Board of the Tennessee Valley Authority from 2015-2018. Through Alto IRA, Eric is making alternative asset investing available to all by giving people the support they need to choose amd make their own investments using their IRA savings.   Podcast Highlights Who is Eric Satz? Eric is a product of his parents, two very different individuals. Both had significant impacts on who Eric became in life with his mom bringing the entrepreneurial mindset and his father the steadiness and in many ways an entrepreneurial spirit of his own. Eric started out his career as an entrepreneur selling classically selling lemonade and delivering newspapers. Once he graduated, he went from academia to Wall Street to a company called DLJ. It was there that he worked with a number of entrepreneur clients. From DLJ, Eric opened up a coffee bar in New York City in the same year that Starbucks opened their first NYC venue. That was Eric’s first real failure, but luckily that paved the way for Eric to get back on Wall Street. Long story short, Eric has opened an online foreign currency exchange, since moved to Nashville, started an online organic grocery delivery business, and venture capital firm. It was at that last one where Eric discovered the opportunity to invest an IRA in alternative assets, also known as the alternative IRA. Now, Eric’s mission is to give everyone in America to have the choice in retirement. If nothing changes the way we invest today we will have 25 million Americans living in poverty by 2050. Retirement and Location The financial industry has gone to investments in ETS mutual funds and index funds, and that means the expectations for returns shouldn’t be any higher than 4-6%, which is a big problem for people that are looking to retire. Another problem is the public market has changed, the average person no longer has the opportunity to participate in most deals until they are already overvalued. Most people raising money don’t know they can accept IRA money as investment, as much as people who have money in their IRA know they can invest it in privately owned businesses. 90% of all savings in the country reside in retirement accounts. Eric’s alternative IRA platform has solved this problem by making it simple and easy for people to invest their IRA money. There are a lot of sophisticated investors don’t know that this kind of investing is even possible. The Alternative IRA Alternative assets are not publicly traded securities which can be bought through a traditional broker. Also, a self directed IRA is not an alternative IRA. With a self directed IRA, you only have the choice between the approved list of publicly traded securities. Retirement savings dollars should be invested in long term, illiquid assets because those are the assets that will generate the returns you need to get to actually retire. Investing in liquid assets like stocks and mutual funds for retirement is exactly backwards. Accredited Investors The idea of an accredited investor has its origins in the Securities Act in 1933 and 1934. They were originally created to protect investors from shady people investing their money in railroads that were never going to be built and at the time, they probably

Bill Treasurer is chief encouragement officer of Giant Leap Consulting, a courage-building company. For over two decades, Treasurer has worked with thousands of leaders across the globe, strengthening their leadership influence. He is the author of the new internationally bestselling book international bestseller Courage Goes to Work: How to Build Backbones, Boost Performance, and Get Results.  His previous book, A Leadership Kick in the Ass: How to Learn from Rough Landings, Blunders, and Missteps, provides practical tips for building confidence and humility. His other bestselling book is Leaders Open Doors: A Radically Simple Leadership Approach to Lift People, Profits, and Performance. His clients include NASA, Saks Fifth Avenue, UBS Bank, Walsh Construction, Lenovo, Hugo Boss, Children’s Miracle Network, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More at BillTreasurer.com and CourageBuilding.com.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Bill Treasurer? Bill grew up in the suburbs of New York and they tend to have a particular swagger due to trying to people trying to make their way in city that is crowded with other people trying to do the same. Bill found springboard diving as an avenue to compete in and started winning championships, ultimately getting to the point where he was having scholarships offered to him. The trouble was, Bill was afraid of heights and wasn’t experienced with any high dives, which were a requirement to get those scholarships. Lucky for Bill, he had a coach that wouldn’t let him quit. Bill’s coach put him into gradually increasing situations of fear, raising the board higher and higher, eventually getting him to the point where he was able to do dives in excess of 100 feet. Human beings don’t grow in a zone of comfort, we grow, progress, and evolve in a zone of discomfort. If you walk through the fear instead of running away from it, there are rewards on the other side. Bill basically didn’t enjoy the idea that his own fear was the only thing in his way and holding him back from having a life experience that very few would ever get.   High Diving Into Business When Bill was the captain of his high diving team he had no idea who he was as a leader so he modeled the leader he knew best, his father. This didn’t turn out well. He started to read books on leadership and ended up working with companies that worked specifically with leaders. Eventually, after accumulating a lot of experience, Bill wanted to take his own big leap and start his own courage building consultancy. You have to know what your values are in order to be congruent with them. For Bill, that meant creativity and independence, which is why working at someone else’s business wasn’t the best fit for him. It eventually became a soul question, he realized that if he didn’t make the leap he would be suppressing his soul forever. He wasn’t prepared to live a life of dangerous safety. “Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” -Henry David Thorough What will you regret the least? Will you regret taking the chance and failing? Or not taking the chance at all? Why Courage? Bill wanted to have a risk leadership company, but the term risk didn’t really resonate well with executives that Bill wanted to work with. Bill worked with Mark Levy on the brand and he pointed out that the core concept was really courage so that’s what he should focus on. Once Bill realized that, it all came together. Courage Goes To Work You have to do something to make the courage happen, and it usually involved discomfort. Courage is not something you are, you have to go out and get it which is how courage goes to work. Courage has a rel

Tracy M. Maylett, Ed.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the CEO of DecisionWise, which for over two decades has advised organizations in more than seventy countries on employee engagement, leadership, and organizational development. He is the bestselling author of The Employee Experience: How to Attract Talent, Retain Top Performers, and Drive Results and the new book ENGAGEMENT MAGIC: Five Keys for Engaging People, Leaders, and Organizations.   Podcast Highlights Who is Tracy Maylett? Tracy believes his real purpose in life after going to perhaps too much school, is creating environments that allow people to do their best, either through his writing, teaching, or his efforts in his business. There were several moments that changed the course of Tracy’s life including his experience in retail and when he realized that in order to be a successful human resources person he needed to understand business in general. He didn’t start out wanting to be a CEO (he actually wanted to be a football coach) but that’s where he ended up one step at a time. When Tracy was in college he felt that being an entrepreneur or a CEO just wasn’t worth the risk. But as he started working for large organizations he realized that he could control his own destiny better if he was the one calling the shots. He redefined what risk meant to him over time. Founder vs Entrepreneur Founder and entrepreneur are often considered interchangeable but that’s not true. An entrepreneur is an individual that is able to understand the purpose and vision of the organization they run and match that to what people need, but they don’t have to be at the top of the organization. Founders aren’t necessarily entrepreneurs. They start the company but in many cases it makes more sense for them to move on and hand off the reins to someone else. The transition out of the founder role is a tough one for many people to make, including Tracy. There is a point where you realize that you can’t do everything and what you really need to do is manage the people with the right skills instead of trying to do it all. Employee Experience Engagement in the employee experience has two parts. The first is some sort of emotional level and the second is taking action. Where most organizations mess up with engagement is that they need both, not just the positive emotions. Just paying your employees more will not get you the results you want. The fact that someone is safe at work does not motivate them, but if you take that safety away it certainly reduces their motivation. The same thing applies to pay. When we receive something, we adapt to it very quickly. Compensation has to be there to meet the employees needs, but it’s not going to motivate them for more than 10 days. Increasing pay is the lazy leaders way. Engagement Magic You still have to pay your employees enough, but once that’s done the question becomes “what’s next?” When Tracy did the research into engagement he discovered there were five keys factors that drove engagement in someone’s life and work. Meaning is the first. When you find purpose in the job beyond the job itself. Autonomy is the second. When you find a way to use your skills in a way that works best for you and allows you to make decisions. The third is growth. People will leave a business or organization for growth opportunities more than anything else. Impact is the fourth. You’re getting results for your effort. The fifth is connection. Doing something beyond yourself and feeling a sense of belonging. When all the elements are present that’s when people start to engage. Autonomy is one of the toughest elements that business owners deal with. The key is to set constraints and boundaries and then allowing the team to o

Chad Doty has 12 years of experience as a multifamily investor, but he wasn’t born with realestate in his blood. Originally, Chad was a management consultant for Arthur Andersen. Watching that company meltdown prior to him making partner made him realize that letting outside circumstances control his life wasn’t for him. So Chad then founded his own consulting company, only to realize he was simply trading time for money. Determined to control his own destiny, Chad decided to leverage commercial multifamily real estate to develop recurring, passive income. He formed 37th Parallel Properties, a private real estate acquisitions and asset management firm.   Podcast Highlights Who is Chad Doty? Chad was very driven as a kid, mainly due to his military father. He had aspirations to get into the Navy but because of a variety of reasons he wasn’t able to join. He decided to go into school and try to find something that he was really going to enjoy, he ended up becoming a network engineer and being very disappointed. He went back to school to get his MBA, found himself working for Anderson as a consultant and moving up through the ranks there. When you can answer the question of who you are a hero to, you will be playing an entirely different game from everyone else. Based on his DISC profile, Chad is a defined D and that heavily determines how he works and how he interacts with people on his team. What was it like to make such a drastic change? Chad didn’t really get the entrepreneurial bug until his mid 30’s. Most people can imagine what their perfect day looks like, but most people can’t imagine what a perfect month looks like. When Chad’s wife became pregnant that lit a fire underneath to make sure that when his child was born that he wouldn’t be an absent father. He was in the position to shift to his own client base and consultancy and in the following months made the move. When you go to do something different, a very powerful question you should ask yourself is “what is the worst that is going to happen?” You are 100% responsible for the results in your life, at least in how you respond to the events that occur. The Right Business Real estate wasn’t the first business that Chad attempted to get off the ground, he initially thought he didn’t like it. He started trading the market but felt that there were better ways to use the same engine and real estate fits the bill. People are always going to want a roof over their head so it passes the evergreen test. You can determine all things the affect you as an owner and if you focus on the fundamentals you can find success in real estate. Multifamily is going to be here for the foreseeable future, demographics basically ensure it’s a solid investment. What kind of market do you operate in? Chad uses a concept called your MAC profile, it stands for Market, Approach, and Capability. There are a million ways to make money in real estate but for Chad, he knew the approach they wanted to go with being long term holders of cash producing assets. They will hold the asset for as long as it performs at or above the market and the market hasn’t changed. When you get into real estate, you have to think about what kind of investor you want to be. The market has to match the approach and capability you bring to the table. People don’t pick properties to live at, they pick where the best part of town they can live based on job, school, and entertainment. There is no secret market for Chad, the markets they operate in just have the fundamentals that make them attractive. Syndication Chad hears two things that he refers to as real estate mythology. The first one is that a building can be a deal at som

Dr. Greg S. Reid is author of the Think and Grow Rich Series and Founder of Secret Knock. New York Times' bestselling author of Three Feet from Gold: Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities! with Sharon Lechter (which turned into a successful documentary), Thoughts Are Things: Turning Your Ideas Into Realities with Bob Proctor, Stickability: The Power of Perseverance, which is part of the Think and Grow Rich series, and the new book Wealth Made Easy: Millionaires and Billionaires Help You Crack the Code to Getting Rich.   Podcast Highlights Who is Greg Reid? Greg grew up in the mean streets of Delmar, California. When he was younger and graduated from high school, Greg decided to skip college and instead get a place of his own and find work in sales and marketing. His father told him that he would never make a living talking to people which was obviously not true. Parents often mean well for their children, but that doesn’t mean they always give good advice or have the right information. Greg believes his super power is not caring what other people think. People have told him what Greg could not do his entire life and he went and did them anyway. If you spend your day seeking counsel and ignoring opinions, that’s the day your life will change. Greg knows the power of working towards his strengths and hiring his weaknesses. When writing his first book, Greg was turned down 268 times in a row. He realized that he was missing something and hired a ghost writer to shore up what was clearly one of his weaknesses. What would you say to entrepreneurs that are hearing no right now? Greg spent three years travelling the world meeting people worth millions of dollars and asked them exactly what steps they did. One of them told him that you have to get to bat 26 times. You have to swing the bat 26 times in business before you hit a homerun. This means that if you want to succeed, all you need to do is keep trying. Stop planning, stop caring about the way you will get to your goal and instead just start taking action towards that goal. The most successful people are also the most available people. Seeking Counsellors If you can talk to people on a human level and you can understand what they want and give them what they desire, you can ultimately have everything you want in life.. Motivation Greg loves what he does, which is why he keeps doing it. Greg managed to complete his bucket list last year, a list which included some pretty incredible things that seemed completely impossible when he wrote them down. As soon as you have a dream and move toward it, you look for unexpected opportunity and people will be surprisingly eager to help you. Once he completed his bucket list, Greg felt a little lost. That was until he discovered the fun of helping his son accomplish things on his bucket list. Wealth Made Easy Time plus land is wealth. Wealthy people are often happy to share how they did it, mainly because no one ever asks. People know about the law of attraction and action, but they often forget the law of gestation. You have to plant the seeds of success and let the law of gestation run it’s course. If you want to make a lot of money, all you have to do is create a product, good, or service that will people will save their money to have. Following your passion and the money will follow is one of the biggest lies that people in the world believe. Stop following your passion and look for and seize opportunity. There’s a concept called CPC, it stands for Clues, Patterns, and Choices. Everybody will show you who they are by giving you clues and acting in patterns, ultimately it’s your choice whether you interact with them.

Patrick McKenna is the Founder & CEO of Strike Social. He co-founded and sold telecommunications company WCI in 1996. He was recruited by Microsoft as part of a 50 person team to develop the internet audio and video industry. By the end of Patrick’s 12 years at Microsoft, the department had developed into the Windows Entertainment Division now employing 40,000 people. Patrick has spent his career mentoring and investing in startup companies and in 2013 founded Strike Social, which was named the No. 17 fastest-growing private company in the U.S. for 2017 by Inc. Magazine. Strike Social develops AI- powered software and services for digital advertisers across industry verticals with over half of the Fortune 500 benefiting from its solutions including brands like Beat, Xbox, Honda, Mattel, Lionsgate, and large financial institutions.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Patrick McKenna? If Patrick were a superhero, he would be Batman. He’s always learning and has a ton of great gadgets to help him get things done. Curiosity has always been a major driver in Patrick’s life and he loves figuring out how things work. That includes early computers, technology, and the beginnings of the internet.   Patrick started off as an entrepreneur in the telecommunications industry which is where he became immersed in the idea of being his own boss. One of the small startups Patrick became a part of were teaching corporate training via videos over the internet. Microsoft noticed what they were doing and snapped up the team that Patrick was a part of and that’s how he ended up at Microsoft.   The Bleeding Edge of Advertising While working on the audio and video technologies at Microsoft, Patrick’s team was on the bleeding edge. It was a time before broadband, before YouTube, before a lot of the technologies that we know today. Now his focus is on using machine learning and AI to make the internet experience even better. Labor costs will be 80% to 90% of your business in most cases. If you’re not building processes and automation, and you’re not using the software and technology that’s available you’re company is not built to last. Strike Social Strike Social helps large organizations through video advertising reach their audience. Machine learning plays a major role in that by optimizing and customizing the types of ads that are shown to people. Data science is largely misunderstood, meaningful data that will help you make informed decisions can’t be done with just a spreadsheet. For smaller businesses and entrepreneurs, there are many different companies and technologies that are heavily invested in AI and data science that they can take advantage of. As time goes on the technology will become more accessible and affordable, similar to the way audio and video tech has evolved. The best thing you can do if you want to grow is to find someone who is really good at the social media platforms and bring them on board, the challenge with that is your company will only be as good as that person’s knowledge base. Machine learning is how companies avoid diminishing returns to some extent in their paid advertising, but you will never be able to really escape it. You should test every aspect of your ad, but just one at a time. When it comes to creating video, working with existing creators and influencers is one way of testing your creative efforts. Patrick’s Takeaway   You have to understand what the platforms are good for. If you’re just starting out, you should start with search, Facebook, and Instagram, and then look to your competitors. Study what they’re doing and see what resonates and then go test it out. Try to get an immediate return so you can

Ron Coury is a former casino dealer and a realtor, as well as a partner in restaurants and gaming bars, major graphics and glass companies, and several automobile dealerships. He is a board member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation and bestselling author of Tenacity: A Vegas Businessman Survives Brooklyn, the Marines, Corruption and Cancer to Achieve the American Dream: A True Life Story.   Podcast Highlights Who is Ron Coury? When Ron was 12 years old he went to your average small school in Brooklyn and his parents gave him a wooden shoe shine box for Christmas. Not only did it held  him avoid being punished in school for not having shined shoes, Ron started shining shoes for $0.10 before school. His experience making money when he was young led him to the belief that he was niche finder and when you find a niche you can do better than others, you should take a shot at it. Ron was drafted to fight in the Vietnam war after he dropped one of his college classes, he was trained for war but never deployed. That’s how he ended up in Las Vegas, he was trained in the area and really enjoyed the city so he never went back to New York. One of the major concerns Ron always had when he was young was what would happen if he couldn’t work due to cancer, which happened to run in his family. This led him to look for ways to earn money and be in business for himself. After 4 years in the casino, he became a realtor during the day while maintaining his dealer job at night, and this allowed him to accumulate enough money to buy his first tavern. Asking The Right Questions Ron lost his dad to cancer as well as his dad’s three brothers and sister, which led him to the thought that “how do I make money if one day I can’t work anymore?” and building a business was the logical conclusion. Tenacity and Overcoming Obstacles Everyone encounters obstacles in business and life. The Marine corps gave Ron the tenacity to not accept defeat easily. When he encountered an obstacle, Ron looked at it as a challenge to overcome. Even death threats were dealt with in a straightforward way. Each business that Ron started allowed him to see the need for other businesses. Being an observational entrepreneur has been key. Ron saw a need and then figured out how to fill it. Time management and hiring the right people has been critical to Ron’s success. He made enough time in his life to get all the important things done by being very intentional. Don’t be a self defeatist. Many people don’t pursue their dream because they can’t do it. You can’t hit the baseball if you don’t swing the bat. Not having the money isn’t a reason to not do something, there is always a way. What was your overarching goal? For many people the goal is some amount of wealth or net worth, for Ron that was never a consideration. He was always looking for new challenges to stay interested which is why his businesses were so diversified. The challenge to build something new and do it well. Making Mistakes You are going to make mistakes, that’s unavoidable. You can’t just let them get the best of you. Not every venture Ron began was a success. Even when one of his businesses failed, Ron didn’t let that dissuade him from starting his next business. Reference: Tenacity: A Vegas Businessman Survives Brooklyn, the Marines, Corruption and Cancer to Achieve the American Dream: A True Life Story, Ron Coury Ron’s Takeaway Live your life by certain guidelines. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing. If you have an idea, don’t hesitate to show it to people and bring on partners that can help and that you trust. Don’t be af

Andres Pira is the CEO of Blue Horizon Developments and Managing Director of Phuket Condos & Homes. He is the author of Homeless to Billionaire: 18 Wealth Attraction Principles for Creating Unlimited Opportunity.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Andres Pira? Andres is a real estate developer based in Thailand and before he achieved everything he has so far he was thinking of things in a very different way. When Andres hit rock bottom in Thailand, he was homeless and sleeping on a beach. The first time he got his hands on a self development book, it changed the way he thought about life and set him on the path to where he is now. Whatever you want in life, make sure you create it in your mind first. When Andres first read this principle, he went out and did it just to prove that it didn’t work. Lucky for him it actually worked for him and changed his life. He started to get results by practicing the visualization principle and discovered that by self doubt is what prevents you from creating what you want. You can’t have both opposite energies in your mind at the same time.   How often have you found that solutions come in a form you are not expecting? All problems are just opportunities in disguise, you just have to look at them from different angles. Knowledge is much more powerful than money. We are always waiting for the perfect moment to take action but perfect moments don’t exist. You have to just take imperfect action. Every success that Andres has had has come from his taking action despite being terrified. Most people never try and that’s why they never get any results. Why become a real estate developer in Thailand? Andres always wanted to live in a tropical country and make his own way. When his grandfather died, Andres inherited $2000 and took a leap of faith on a one way ticket to Thailand. He didn’t know anyone but he knew that in the worst case scenario he could always go back to his family. That gave him the confidence to go take the risk. When Andres arrived in Thailand he got a job at a hotel but due to his frivolous mindset he wasted his money and found himself evicted from his apartment. He was too ashamed at that point to go back home and reached out to a friend for money, instead of sending money he sent Andres the book that changed the way he thought of life. He took massive action and eventually got a job with a Real Estate agency that took a chance on him. He put all his energy into doing his absolute best at the job and got promoted again and again, eventually getting to the point where he had enough money to start his own real estate company and became a real estate developer himself. Taking leaps of faith and always striving for more is now part of who Andres is. Getting out of your comfort zone is vital. Success doesn’t mean being a millionaire, success is doing the things that make you happy. Start with small goals so you can build your confidence and courage to accomplish bigger things. Changes in the Real Estate Industry Technology is making it easier and easier to reach new people and show properties, in many cases without even meeting the person because of the advent of sophisticated VR. There are people coming from all over the world to buy properties in Thailand. Andres doesn’t believe that he would be the person he is today without being in Thailand but at the same time he’s always open to possibilities. Whatever you want to do, you have to study the field if you want to succeed. Read about it and learn about it. Building a Team Behind every major success is a team. Andres’ team is the main reason he has achieved everything he has achieved.

Whitney Nicely went from no investments (or strategies) to 19 houses, 19 apartment units and 7 chunks of land in less than three years all bringing monthly money to her bank account on autopilot. She has traveled the United States speaking on stages, teaching her simple strategies, and meeting with other successful real estate investors- and still buying houses the way she teaches others. Since 2016, Whitney has led and trained hundreds of future real estate rock stars to grow their portfolios, collect checks and achieve financial freedom. 100's of real estate newbies are securing leads, signing deals and scaling their dream incomes through the First Deal Done Fast Program.   Podcast Highlights     Who is Whitney Nicely? Whitney is a local small town girl that had a big dream to break into the good old boys club. She was born into an entrepreneurial family and she noticed that real estate investing was dominated by men. She decided to push the bounds of what women should be doing and what being a real estate investor means.     Why did you choose real estate investing?   Whitney’s mom was an old fashioned real estate investor and was the inspiration, in a way, for her to try it out. Instead of showing her the ropes though, she taught Whitney to stay started and learn for herself. She gets more done by dealing with the things that are right in front of her instead of the things she could worry about that probably wouldn’t happen.   How did you go from girl scout cookies to real estate?   Whitney was raised by people with the mindset of “if you want something, go out and do something.” She started her career flipping furniture, moved on to flipping dump trucks, and graduated to real estate after helping her mother flip a rental house. This is where she discovered her love of the world of real estate investing.   How difficult was the transition?   It wasn’t very difficult at all. You start with something small and you grow into more zeros and commas. Most people can save enough money each month to invest in real estate. Give yourself permission to move forward.   Did being a fourth generation entrepreneur help you growing up?   Being in an entrepreneurial family has both advantages and disadvantages. Whitney has always been very comfortable in the world of business, but it also comes with tremendous pressure for her to not fail. Whitney didn’t jump into the deep end of real estate investing right away, she worked four jobs before she bought her first property. Go slow and steady, and when you are ready, pull back on your time at your other job when you need to.   Can anyone who wants to, do this business?   Everyone has the same problems. There are opportunities everywhere and anyone can get started by starting small. Starting something like real estate can seem scary from the outset. When you focus on your seller and buyers, that takes the pressure off you. Your goal in this life should be to help as many people as you can, keep your efforts small, personal, and smooth.   Why shouldn’t we talk to realtors?   Realtors are in the service business of helping people who don’t have the time to do the research themselves. The best agents are investors, and the best investors don’t have a license. Agents are necessary, but for investors, this is not the best option. If you want to get started, stop watching television. You will instantly have three more hours each day for you to get out there and make some money.   What does your tea

In 2015, Paul Thompson wanted out. His corporate office had become a suffocating cell. Paul decided to start buying rental houses, build passive income and break the chains of Corporate America. He was so successful, he secured 20 deals in his first 18 months of investing. Since that time he has acquired more than 2 dozen rentals without bank financing. Now he teaches others how to raise money from regular people that have some funds to invest. In addition to coaching others and still investing himself, Paul hosts a podcast to educate others. Ready Investor One offers tips, hacks, insights and more for listeners interested in creating opportunities for passive income. “Level Up Your Life through real estate investing.”   Podcast Highlights Who is Paul Thompson? Paul was a normal average person working in corporate America trying to climb the corporate ladder. Eventually he realized that the ladder he was climbing was against the wrong wall and needed to find a way out. He started looking for way to replace his income and considered a lot of opportunities including a new job and buying a franchise, but he decided to go down the path of real estate investing. He purchased 18 properties in the first 18 months, but took the process one step at the time. Real estate investing can be uncertain but it can be done with less risk than starting a business. Neural science has proven that to make any lasting change, you have to have one of three things: you have some sort of an epiphany, you change your environment, or you take baby steps. For most people they need the epiphany which is what happened with Paul. He realized that the freedom to choose what he does with his time was what he really wanted and had to do something to make that a reality. Teaching Children Kids do what they see, not what they hear. Paul wants to be an example for his children and for them to remember the time he spent with them. Kids don’t really care about what you’re doing for income, they care about how much time you spend with them. Real Estate Investing Day One Paul was actually laid off from his job which is usually quite a rough event in someone’s life, but for Paul it was the fourth happiest day of his life after his wedding and his kids birthdays. He had already been planning for the day when he would put in his resignation so he was quite ready by that time. One of the very first influencers that Paul had found was J Massey and one of the things that J talks about a lot was private money, so that’s what Paul focused on at first. He met a local wholesaler and a private money lender and managed to put a deal together that made sense for everyone involved. As Paul has expanded and gotten more savvy his criteria has gotten more strict but finding the right kinds of properties has actually gotten easier. New Ways Of Thinking Paul has codified his mindset around money. Most of the things that we’re taught about money is wrong. You’re taught to be an order taker and to finance all your consumer activities. We hear the cliche all the time that time is money, but only people who are not entrepreneurs think that way. You have to switch your mindset and recognize that the money isn’t in the time, you use your time to set up systems that scale and separating your time from your money. When people ask Paul how he makes money he tells them he doesn’t make money, his money makes him money. Paul has found his zone of genius is in taking information and breaking it into smaller pieces that allow other people to make transformations in their lives. Ready Investor One Real estate investing is a game and Paul teaches listeners how to take the individual approach and how to

Harry Dent is the Founder of Dent Research, Editor of the FREE newsletter Economy & Markets, and the author of the new book The Sale of a Lifetime:  How the Great Bubble Burst of 2017 Can Make You Rich. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and was a successful consultant to  Fortune 100 companies at Bain & Company.  Harry Dent has also spent much of his career speaking to executives, financial advisors and investors  around the world. He’s appeared on “Good Morning America,” PBS, CNBC and CNN/FN. He’s been  featured in Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Fortune, Success, U.S. News and World  Report, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, American Demographics and Omni. He is also a regular guest on Fox Business.     Podcast Highlights   Who is Harry Dent? Harry started out by working for Fortune 100 companies after college and later went to Harvard Business School which is where he really discovered his true talents of seeing the big picture. thinking on his feet, and being able to argue very well. While consulting, Harry learned nearly everything there is to know about demographics. What was it that clued you into what you were meant to do? Harry’s experience in Harvard debating real world business scenarios is where he learned that he was really good at communicating. Some people know what they want to do when they are 14, and some people like Harry discover what they are meant to do through a series of fortunate accidents. Leaving Bain & Company was like jumping off a cliff, but entrepreneurs have to take calculated risks on top of having a vision for the future. Where did you develop the confidence to make the jump? You have to take risks intelligently. Start your business on the side, and make the transition step by step. Test everything and don’t gamble your whole enterprise on one thing. What is it about demographics that gets you so excited? Prior to President Ford, there was no middle class. With the creation of the middle class and the advent of the baby boom, demographics became incredibly important. Demographics give you an insight into the behaviour of very large groups of people. If you’re taking a risk, you’re going to have a better chance of succeeding if you take that risk on a trend that is growing instead of declining. Marketing is always the biggest initial challenge of starting a business, not the technology. What do you think about trends in real estate? Nursing homes, funeral homes, and hospitals will all see upswings in terms of real estate value. Harry predicts another big financial crisis coming, but he believes it’s going to be a major opportunities for entrepreneurs. How can we see bubbles coming and what can we do about them? You have to have a different strategy for each season. When bubbles occur, they don’t see them because they are getting something for nothing. Bubbles rise exponentially, come to an explosive climax, followed by a tremendous crash. You can’t keep a bubble going forever. As high as they go, the crash twice as fast. It’s better to get out early, rather than late. When things go down, the opportunities open up at the speed of light. The businesses that hunker down at the top of the bubble with cash in reserve will find themselves in a solid position to pick up assets at a deep discount. Where do precious metals come in? Harry told his clients to get out of gold and silver at the top of the market. Gold is an inflation hedge, but this bubble will be deflationary. What are the four indicators that you looked at to see

Harry Dent is the Founder of Dent Research, Editor of the FREE newsletter Economy & Markets, and the author of the new book The Sale of a Lifetime:  How the Great Bubble Burst of 2017 Can Make You Rich. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and was a successful consultant to  Fortune 100 companies at Bain & Company.  Harry Dent has also spent much of his career speaking to executives, financial advisors and investors  around the world. He’s appeared on “Good Morning America,” PBS, CNBC and CNN/FN. He’s been  featured in Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Fortune, Success, U.S. News and World  Report, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, American Demographics and Omni. He is also a regular guest on Fox Business.     Podcast Highlights Who is Harry Dent? Harry started out by working for Fortune 100 companies after college and later went to Harvard Business School which is where he really discovered his true talents of seeing the big picture. thinking on his feet, and being able to argue very well. While consulting, Harry learned nearly everything there is to know about demographics. What was it that clued you into what you were meant to do? Harry’s experience in Harvard debating real world business scenarios is where he learned that he was really good at communicating. Some people know what they want to do when they are 14, and some people like Harry discover what they are meant to do through a series of fortunate accidents. Leaving Bain & Company was like jumping off a cliff, but entrepreneurs have to take calculated risks on top of having a vision for the future. Where did you develop the confidence to make the jump? You have to take risks intelligently. Start your business on the side, and make the transition step by step. Test everything and don’t gamble your whole enterprise on one thing. What is it about demographics that gets you so excited? Prior to President Ford, there was no middle class. With the creation of the middle class and the advent of the baby boom, demographics became incredibly important. Demographics give you an insight into the behaviour of very large groups of people. If you’re taking a risk, you’re going to have a better chance of succeeding if you take that risk on a trend that is growing instead of declining. Marketing is always the biggest initial challenge of starting a business, not the technology. What do you think about trends in real estate? Nursing homes, funeral homes, and hospitals will all see upswings in terms of real estate value. Harry predicts another big financial crisis coming, but he believes it’s going to be a major opportunities for entrepreneurs. How can we see bubbles coming and what can we do about them? You have to have a different strategy for each season. When bubbles occur, they don’t see them because they are getting something for nothing. Bubbles rise exponentially, come to an explosive climax, followed by a tremendous crash. You can’t keep a bubble going forever. As high as they go, the crash twice as fast. It’s better to get out early, rather than late. When things go down, the opportunities open up at the speed of light. The businesses that hunker down at the top of the bubble with cash in reserve will find themselves in a solid position to pick up assets at a deep discount. Where do precious metals come in? Harry told his clients to get out of gold and silver at the top of the market. Gold is an inflation hedge, but this bubble will be deflationary. What are the four indicators that you looked at to see the crash?

Dr. Simone Ahuja is the principal of Blood Orange, a marketing and strategy advisory boutique with digital media capabilities, and special expertise in innovation. Headquartered in Minneapolis with teams in Mumbai, Blood Orange uses an agile and cost efficient content production framework built upon principles learned through extensive work in India. Dr. Ahuja is the author of Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth and the new book Disrupt-It-Yourself: Eight Ways to Hack a Better Business—Before the Competition Does.     Podcast Highlights   Who is Simone Ahuja? Simone began in the traditional educational system and was originally in school to become a dentist. After finishing her schooling Simone realized that wasn’t where she wanted to end up and decided to pivot to something else. What she didn’t expect was to be afflicted by a bout of typhoid while travelling in India. By the time she recovered she decided to commit to the things that were calling her instead of just dipping her toes in the water. Simone started exploring film making, theater and comedy, teaching, and writing.   Oddly enough, Simone’s experience in dentistry prepared her quite well to deal with the anxiety of commiting to something like becoming an entrepreneur. Simone didn’t have a lot of support in her decision to walk away from what could have been a profitable career, but it turned out well. In any entrepreneurial endeavor, there will be people who tell you that it can’t be done.   Not having mental barriers and trusting herself to make it happen has been Simone’s super power. Combined with getting sick enough to make her consider her own mortality, Simone had enough motivation to commit to changing her life.   Why Blood Orange and innovation marketing strategy? When you’re stressed or thinking too much with tension, it’s really hard to get into a flow state. Taking up improv theater taught Simone to relax her mind and enter a flow state, and that’s when things get funny. Around this time in her life, she decided to make a film about what’s changing in India and this lead to her becoming a market expert which drew a lot of attention from Fortune 500 companies. She started formulazing her expertise and made a shift from film maker to market expert and started doing consulting work. Until Simone started working on the second TV series for Best Buy, she had still been working as a dentist part time. At that point it still felt very risky to walk away from something so reliable. By taking the leap Simone felt more motivated to create a business that sustained itself and added value. Disrupting Your Business In larger organizations change is very difficult and innovation takes time. Entrepreneurs have a leg up on older businesses because they are more agile, the trick is figuring out how to maintain that agility as your business grows. Even if you’re fairly small, you have to be willing to adjust your business to your client’s needs. Entrepreneurs must have a deep sense of purpose, something that goes beyond a mission statement. The Why of what you are doing helps shape all your decisions. Who is joining you in solving the problem? Don’t make assumptions about what the problem is, bring in the customer to help articulate what the problem actually is. Be willing to make the necessary changes to your business in order to take it farther. If you’re doing something really different, it’s hard to really have an idea what the outcome will be like. Stay connected to what you love so the work doesn’t become work anymore. Why is disrupting ourselves necessary? There are a lot of big problems that need to be solved. It’s not

Cliff Hayden is a real estate investor, broker-owner of Altec Properties, and founder of ShowMeTheRental.com, a unique online service that automates the most difficult part of property management: finding and screening qualified tenants. Cliff knows the importance of finding the right balance of priorities in life, especially as a business owner. This quest for a more abundant life inspired Cliff to walk away from his fruitful career and into the often-chaotic world of real estate investing. After quitting his day job to pursue real estate investing as a career, Cliff found himself overwhelmed by the responsibilities of managing multiple properties, keeping the business running smoothly, and finding time for his family. As someone who’s personally struggled with this juggling act, Cliff knows the emotional, mental, and physical toll it can take on real estate investors, property managers, or landlords — whether it’s their full-time career or a side hustle. This struggle was Cliff’s impetus to develop ShowMeTheRental.com, which screened all his leads so he didn’t have to. ShowMeTheRental.com takes all leads (phone, email, or text) and pre-screens them with customized questions, then arranges for qualified leads to see the home, follows up with these leads, and even takes care of the application process — leaving more time for property managers to work on the things that matter most, like spending quality time with their loved ones or growing their business.   Podcast Highlights Who is Cliff Hayden? Cliff Hayden is a happily married man with five kids who is focused on spending as much time with his family as he can. He’s automated the majority of his real estate business and reorganized his priorities so now he’s very mobile and enjoys meeting new people and doing new things. Cliff started out working a regular job as a construction worker, he transitioned to real estate while he was still working his job. He realized that the corporate life wasn’t everything he thought it would be so he wanted to find a way out. His brother was really into Robert Kiyosaki and when he came back from the military he introduced Cliff to the Cashflow game which was a complete eye opener for him. Cliff joined a real estate club and found a mentor, then he started buying real estate with the money he had saved up. The moment he realized that it was time to quit was when he had earned his entire salary in a fourth month period. Cliff’s first day as a full time real estate entrepreneur was very exciting. He got into the office earlier than anybody else and left after everyone else. Financially he was doing very well but his family life was suffering due to him not being very present when he was home. Cliff joined a mastermind group and had a major realization that something had to change. He began to focus on building systems and putting them in place to allow him to be mobile and put his life and family first. Building Systems It comes down to what you want for your life and what lifestyle you want. When people are on their deathbed, they never say they wished they made more money. The wished they spent more time with their family or did things differently. Cliff decided that building systems was going to be the only way he could achieve the lifestyle he wanted. Cliff started to educate himself and found that when you don’t have a lot of debt, you don’t need a lot of money. He began to focus on paying off the majority of his houses and avoiding or selling the properties he owned that caused the majority of his headaches. Once you get to a certain number of houses, you will always have to deal with turnover and issues that come up. Cliff knew that there must be a way to automate the process and started looking for it, when he couldn’t find the solution he was looking for Cliff decided to c

Geoff Cook is the Co-founder & CEO of MeetMe and The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET), a social dating and live streaming company with a $400+ million market cap; Geoff has spent $200 million in the last 3 years buying 4 companies, including most recently, Growlr, a dating app for gay bears. Geoff is also the CEO of myYearbook--a social network to meet new people. Geoff Cook helped raise $20 million and grew myYearbook to profitability with 100+ employees and $30+ million in revenue. Geoff started his first companies EssayEdge and ResumeEdge from a Harvard dorm and sold them to The Thomson Corporation for millions of dollars at age 24. He sold his second company for $100 million. He also runs the leading podcast player, Podcoin, and can drive thousands of listening hours and hundreds of subscribers to podcasts on which he appears.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Geoff Cook? Geoff is a husband and father in addition to an entrepreneur. He started his entrepreneurial life in school because he didn’t want to get a job making only a few dollars an hour. Before then he didn’t really have any ideas about being an entrepreneur. Geoff realized that if he wanted to really make some money, selling your time wasn’t going to cut it because it has a linear relationship. You need to create something that isn’t tied directly to your time. He thought that instead of working a regular job, he could create something and potential make nothing, but also potentially make way more money, and at the very least have some fun. Geoff’s first venture was an attempt to just solve a problem, in his case essay and resume editing. He built a website from scratch and slowly grew his business from $10k a year in his first year in college to over $300k a year by the time he graduated. His second business was the social network myYearbook, within 9 months he had acquired over a million users to the site by leveraging existing platforms like Myspace. How much did your education contribute to your business success? In the early days of his first business, Geoff’s education did actually help him figure out what to charge and better tailor the experience to certain people. But it’s hard to draw a straight line from his education to everything that has happened since. Growing a Business Geoff runs a public company called the Meet Group which has a heavy focus on live streaming video. The cost to execute live streaming lead to them start acquiring other apps so they could leverage the infrastructure they already had. In the early days of Myspace and Facebook, creating a viral campaign that acquired email addresses was much easier and very powerful. Today you need to either buy it or build it, in the case of building it you need novelty in order for it to grow. Instead of relying on a lucky strike of a marketing campaign, another strategy to grow is to just buy companies that have already acquired the audience you want to reach. Why is live streaming such an important tool? Regular media like photos are very flat, where live video is much more interesting and interactive. The interaction is key and in the next few years, the quality and quantity of live streams available is only going to go up. Live streams are becoming part of many more traditional broadcasts as well. Podcoin Live streaming video is a lean in media, it’s very interactive and keeps your attention. Audio is the opposite, most people consume audio media while they are doing other things, it’s more passive. Podcoin was born out of the idea of “what if we paid people to listen to podcasts?” It allows the listener to share in the rewards of the organization that they are directly generating. The hardest pr

Rick Miller is an unconventional turnaround specialist, sought-after speaker, servant leader, and expert in driving sustainable growth. For over 30 years, he served as a successful senior executive in roles including President and/or CEO in Fortune 10, Fortune 30, nonprofit, and startup companies, including AT&T Global Services and Lucent Technologies. Throughout his career, he has been recruited from the outside to turn around poor performance in difficult times. His new book, Be Chief: It’s A Choice, Not A Title, helps leaders at all levels achieve their true potential. To learn more, visit BeingChief.com.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Rick Miller? Rick was basically raised by his father due to some really unfortunate health circumstances with his mother. Rick’s dad was a personnel guy and he focused on people. Rick father’s help create an environment in his workplace that despite the industry being heavily unionized, there was never even a union vote in 27 years. In a lot of ways, Rick wanted to grow up to be like his dad.   Leadership and Power Titles or not, everyone has power in their situation. An element of control and authority comes with a title. Power used to be about centralized decision making at the top of the leadership pyramid, but that’s not the only way it can be done. If power is defined as energy and clarity, everyone can make a choice to have more influence. When people say corporate, they usually think the old style factories. In many ways the hierarchy was similar to a military leadership structure. The difference now is that speed of execution is paramount and the workers on the front line have more decision making ability than ever. The challenge of power is that it is never given, it’s always taken. The cost to businesses of people who are not engaged with their job is incredible. If people are waiting for permission to step into their greatness, it’s never going to happen. If you asked the five people that know you best what they think you stand for, you’re might get a lot of different answers. Take all those answers and figure out what the few vital things are that you want to stand for. Self understanding is the key to power, when you take a stand you develop confidence and you take power. Leadership Responsibilities Just because you have a title, that doesn’t mean you get a pass on clarity and confidence and energy. If you’ve got a team, what can you be doing to allow your team to be their best? Are you recognizing the contributions of your team? You have to select your team members carefully. If you bring on a team member that isn’t aligned with your organization’s values, it can be debilitating to everyone involved. Communication is the joint construction of meaning. It’s an active process and has to go both ways. The Interview Process The only time Rick has gotten in trouble when hiring people is when he rushed the process. It’s important for you to get a feel for how a person will fit into the organization and the people on the team. Give them an opportunity to show all the different sides of themselves. You want the whole person, not just their game face when they are in the office. Work life balance is the wrong goal. Balance only occurs when your life is still, and it’s almost never still. Work like integration is what you should be working for. Reference: Be Chief: It’s A Choice, Not A Title, Rick Miller Rick’s Takeaway   First, go online and take the assessment to find out what kind of power you currently have and the simple choices you could make to be more powerful. Second, read the book Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. Vulnerability is th

Welcome Wilson is the Founder & Chairman of the Board of Welcome Group, a privately held real estate development firm that owns ninety manufacturing and other industrial facilities in Texas comprising just over 4 million square feet of space. Wilson is also a principal in Kingham Dalton Wilson, Ltd, a regional industrial construction company. Mr. Wilson has been a real estate developer in Texas for fifty-seven years beginning with his first project in Galveston County, which is now the incorporated City of Jamaica Beach (1,600 home sites). He was also the developer of Tiki Island in Galveston County, now an incorporated City of 1,200 home sites. In total, Mr. Wilson developed 8,000 home sites in four counties in Texas.   Podcast Highlights Who is Welcome Wilson? Welcome has had six life changing conversations in his life. The first one was with his father when he was 17, just before he was about to join the Army. He told him that in order to succeed in business you need to have guts and determination. The guts to make a pitch for what you believe has been a talent that has served Welcome for many years. Welcome’s father convinced him that being able to make a pitch was vital to success and taught him how to become self reliant. Real Estate Empires Welcome has never met anyone who is an entrepreneur who thought they were rich. Welcome’s company is now worth $77 million dollars, but he knows that there is always somebody who has more money. You learn from scrambling, so by not inheriting anything in particular Welcome had to do the work to build his real estate investments from scratch. Some people think real estate is a risky play due to its speculative nature. To protect yourself against potential down times, you should bring on multiple partners, each with different areas of expertise. The important thing to remember is to make sure the partners have enough at stake so success is important to them. You have many advantages today that weren’t around years ago. Banks are more willing to take a chance on different kinds of deals today than when Welcome got started. Regardless of how big your business gets, you have to deal with cash flow. When Welcome was running his business years ago, it cost him $20,000 a day to operate the business. You can’t get around the need for cash flow. In many cases, a single long-term committed tenant is better for cash flow than multiple less stable, less reliable tenants. Industrial Real Estate Investing Welcome has built nearly every kind of property possible including residential, apartments, and office buildings. Early on in his career, Welcome had the opportunity to buy a few industrial buildings but the caveat was he also had to buy an industrial development business. Once the deal closed, by running the development business and after seeing the cash flow generated, he never looked back. Now industrial real estate investing is Welcome’s main source of business. Now Welcome focuses entirely on single tenant industrial buildings where the cost of construction is well over $100 per square foot. Reference: Always Welcome: Nine Decades of Great Friends, Great Times & (Mostly) Great Deals   Links: Always Welcome: Nine Decades of Great Friends, Great Times & (Mostly) Great Deals Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Gregg L. Whitt is the Chief Strategy Officer of Engage Youth Co. and co-author of the insightful new book The Gen Z Frequency: How Brands Tune In and Build Credibility. He was named a "Top 5 Youth Marketer to Follow" by Inc. in 2016 and has also been featured in Forbes and Fortune. Witt is also a VansWorld Champion Amateur Skateboarder who defied critics while growing up in the Midwest and at age 16 launched the Goodtimes Intelligence Agency, a skateboarding and apparel company that became a globally recognized brand.   Podcast Highlights Who is Gregg Witt? The moment when Gregg found his identity was when he picked up skateboarding and went down the path to becoming a professional. Skateboarding was his love as well as his connection to a bigger world. Work wasn’t necessarily in the plan for him, work was what Gregg’s busy dad did. He didn’t have an aspirational career goal but he knew he wanted to keep the community of fellow skateboarders connected which is why he started his own skateboard company. Gregg is someone that likes to problem solve. He has a natural ability to engage youth in a way that connects. Gregg didn’t start off with a lot of confidence, he was made fun of a lot as a kid and the more people told him that he wasn’t going to be able to make it, the more it drove him to succeed. Even by the fifth year of his business, Gregg was still figuring things out which filled the role of real world university and taught him the ropes that most people never experience. Each lesson and obstacle that Gregg encountered brought him further along the path to what he does now, which is creating youth focused marketing. Building an Audience You’re building an audience or you’re risking being a one-hit wonder. Pure convenience and utility have their place, but if you want to build a business you have to focus on building an audience. The fundamental function of building an audience is to share stories that will increase awareness and break through the noise. A lot of business is done with people who like you. If you’re building a quality audience, you’re establishing trust and there is no industry that doesn’t benefit from having your customers trust you. You can’t measure that you’re reaching people through the marketing methods of yesterday. You can’t tie television to a conversion at the bottom of the funnel. A mix of integration is required. What is the purpose of your company and what you’re doing? Who are you and what perception will your market have of you? Authenticity is the foundation to trust, and trust is everything. When you’ve established an identity that’s relatable and that your audience cares about, now you’re ready for relevance. The most successful brands are helping their customers reach further in an aspirational way. If the experience you create is memorable and brings people together with sense of belonging, that’s pure magic. It’s hard to create but extremely powerful, it takes a village to execute. What are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs are making? We get caught in our head and believe we have a great solution, when we might have missed the mark by not involving our customer in the process. A lot of the big brands still focus on broadcasting. It’s easier to push messages than it is to spark a conversation, which is a common mistake. Social media is supposed social, don’t treat the feed like inventory. Reference: The Gen Z Frequency: How Brands Tune In and Build Credibility, Gregg Witt Gregg’s Takeaway Anything you do, get really good at communicating your solution. Know the what, the how, and the why, and tie your outcomes to the what and the how. Your audience cares about the why, and if they do and things

Tal Ben-Shahar is the Co-founder of the Wholebeing Institute, the Happiness Studies Academy, and PotentialLife. He's the New York Times bestselling author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment, Choose the Life You Want: 101 Ways to Create Your Own Road to Happiness, and the new book Short Cuts to Happiness: Life-Changing Lessons from My Barber.   Podcast Highlights Who is Tal Ben-Shahar? Tal was bitten by the happiness spider in college while studying computer science in Harvard. While doing rather well academically and socially he found himself to be quite unhappy, so he decided to switch majors to Philosophy and Psychology to pursue the answers to two questions: “why aren’t I happy?” and “how can I become happier?” He became focused on how he can help himself, individuals, organizations, and nations increase their happiness. Tal felt that he wouldn’t be able to find the answers he was looking for in code, so he started looking to ancient wisdom from many people in the past. We’re told we should become successful and then we’ll be happy, but that’s something called the Arrival Fallacy. Success will at best give us a short lived spike in happiness, we need to do other things to increase our levels of well being. The Secret to Happiness Happiness is tough to define but we know it when we feel it. You can tell when you are going through good times and bad times. It’s also important to differentiate between happiness and pleasure, because they are not the same thing. Meaning and purpose are major components of happiness, but they aren’t the whole picture. There is no one secret to happiness. You can feel committed and driven, but still be generally unhappy. Physical wellbeing, curiosity, as well as emotional and interpersonal wellbeing. Striving towards happiness is no different than other goals, you have to put in the work and invest in the effort. The journey can also be as fulfilling as the destination. You have to strive for something that is meaningful to you, that you can also enjoy the journey of getting there. What do you mean by the levels of happiness? When someone asks Tal if he’s happy, his answer is “I don’t know.” He can say he’s happier than he was in the past, but happiness is a journey that ends when life does. We can always strive for more, but we have to accept that there are ups and downs. One of the first lessons that Tal learned is that he first step is to allow yourself to feel unhappy and embrace the negative experiences that are inevitable in life. Don’t compare yourself to an unattainable, unrealistic ideal. When you accept negative emotions and difficulties, you open yourself up to happiness. When you reject negative emotions, they intensify. Taking action when faced with difficulties is the only viable next step. Engaging in things that are meaningful and relationships are the other major components of happiness. Spending time with people that you care about and that care about you is the best predictor of overall happiness and wellbeing. What are the things that are preventing entrepreneurs from being happy? The first question for an entrepreneur should be “what is most meaningful to me?” rather than “what will make me the most money?” Learn to fail, or fail to learn. The most successful entrepreneurs are those that have failed many times and learned from each of those failures. It’s easy to see the successes, but the failures are more valuable. Is there a system to attain happiness? Write down things for which you are grateful and focus on the progress that you’ve made. When you do that, your job satisfaction increases and you become more successful. When you appreciate the

Peter Rex is the Founder of InvestRes and Founder & CEO of Trustwork. InvestRes has purchased 17,000 units throughout Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, maintains $1.5B+ in assets under management, and has consistently beaten the Preqin Top Quartile in returns. InvestRes is a vertically integrated company, handling acquisitions, property management, construction management and portfolio management in-house. Trustwork is a technology business driven to empower the global workforce and recreate the world’s economy. Trustwork’s initial focus is on recreating the “old economy” industries of real estate and construction, but will eventually empower every person in the global workforce.   Podcast Highlights Who is Peter Rex? In developing the plan for Trustwork, Peter had visited over 85 countries and gained a Law degree from Harvard. Before even that, Peter is naturally rebellious, service driven, and self motivated. Being rebellious didn’t work out very well when Peter was younger, but it served him well as an entrepreneur later in life. Surprisingly, starting a business was a last resort for Peter. It wasn’t part of the plan when Peter was in school but it turned out well. Peter’s rebellious nature lead him to look at things differently, especially when people around him see things another way. Peter spent a few weeks at a Christian monastery when he was younger and during that time he felt like he was being called to business, it was more of a pull than a push. Technology and Trustwork Peter used to do a lot of construction work when he was younger, and that gave him a great understanding of the construction industry and how things worked. He leveraged his leadership skills and love of reading and learning to start and grow his business. After a few years in the real estate space, Peter felt like there was a bigger idea on the horizon, which was some sort of entrepreneurship platform. The obstacles in your life are challenges, you can falter or you can overcome them. Peter’s experience travelling the world taught him a lot about how people operate in different countries. You have to play the game with your talents, when you do that you can’t be beaten. Trustwork is an international entrepreneurship platform build on the experiences and notes that Peter took while travelling the world. When it comes to owning property, one of the hardest things you can do is find trustworthy contractors that you can rely. Owning property is one thing, turning it into a profitable asset is something completely different. The real estate industry is very feast or famine, when you need to get something done, that’s usually the time that everyone else needs to get something done too. Trustwork solves this issue by creating a platform for entrepreneurs and property owners to connect with people to get their jobs done. It creates transparency for everybody involved. Trustwork is the future of work. Peter’s Takeaway There are going to be negative people around you no matter, tell the pessimistic people to check themselves and draw a line. Those types of people are only going to distance themselves from you. Other people may be telling you that they believe in you but not in your idea, listen to their concerns and figure out ways to overcome those obstacles. You should assess yourself realistically and use your friend’s perspectives for this. Don’t run away from who you are by trying to become better in an area that you’re weak at just hire people who make up for your weaknesses. Find out where your strengths are and structure the game to play to those strengths. Play in an area that love to do.   Links: trustwork.com @peterrex Thank you for listening

Ora Nadrich is the Founder & President of The Institute for Transformational Thinking and bestselling author of Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity. Ora is a frequent blogger for the Huffington Post, and has been featured as a panelist on Huffington Post Live. She's written many articles on Mindfulness, and can be found on Yahoo Health, YouBeauty, Conscious2, MindBodyGreen, and many other publications. She leads workshops on "The Says Who? Method", a step-by-step process of confronting our negative thoughts, which are what often create the obstacles in our lives. Ora was an actress and screenwriter, where she worked in film, episodic television, and commercials for more than a decade, which she feels provided her vast experience in exploring motivation and the process of self-discovery.   Podcast Highlights Who is Ora Nadrich? Ora likes to say “a vision always starts in the mind with a single thought.” She considers herself a visionary, as someone who wants to manifest the vision in her mind. When Ora’s sister became afflicted with mental illness that completely changed the way Ora looked at life. Being an actress was no longer what she felt like she was meant to do. She found that some of the most difficult times in life can be a gift that will lead you to understand more about yourself. Where did you get the courage to make the switch and Live True? This is a question of Nature vs. Nurture. Many people have come from terrible situations and achieved great things. There is usually a moment, a distinct event that defines you. The thing that drives Ora is something that she teaches to other people. Ora wakes up each day with gratitude and presence. Be in the moment of now and think about what you want that moment to be. You are the creator and master of your internal dialogue which will create your reality. Overcoming Self Doubt Energy goes where energy flows. We start to believe the thoughts that we tell ourselves and often get attached to thoughts that keep us back. If someone came up to you and told a bunch of negative things, would you outright believe them? Probably not, but when we do it to ourselves we do. Take one negative thought you have and write it down, crumple it up and throw it away. Then write down its positive counterpart. You have to be diligent and committed to switching out your negative thoughts that don’t serve you for positive ones that do. Staying In The Present We are bombarded more than ever before, you need to make an effort to pause and work with the voices in your own head. The number one anchor in meditation is to focus on your own breath. Being in the present means you are showing up and what of yourself do you want to bring with you? If you want to get in shape without exercising, you’re kidding yourself. If you want to be present in your life, you have to do the work. How do we reconcile mindfulness and authenticity? Ask yourself what feels inauthentic to you. If you are an entrepreneur just getting started, you are probably under a lot of pressure to put up an image of success that you may not have had yet. But real is good, being vulnerable is okay. Give yourself credit for what you’ve done. Wake up in the morning and get your thoughts on straight. Think thoughts that support and encourage what you want to achieve. Entrepreneurs are the visionaries of the future. They will change the future. Ora shares her ideas of thought transformation because she knows they can change the way people think and that can change the world. Changing your thoughts is one of the most powerful things you can do. How do you deal with the stigma around mindfulness? Everybody has

Diane DiResta is the founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc, a New York City-based communications skills consultancy serving business leaders who want to communicate with greater impact, whether one-to-one, in front of a crowd, or from an electronic platform. DiResta is the author of the book Give Fear the Finger: How to Knock Out Fear of Public Speaking and Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz, a widely used text in college business communication courses.   Podcast Highlights Who is Diane DiResta? Diane is a connector, truth seeker, and lifelong learner. She grew up in a military family so she moved around a lot during her childhood, that’s where she found her love of foreign cultures and developed an attitude of adaptability. Her first career was as a speech pathologist after graduating from Columbia, but she was too ambitious for the opportunities available in that position so she switched careers to giving public speaking training for a consulting company. After working in various businesses and industries, Diane realized that she loved the job but didn’t like the culture of Wall Street. She realized that the reason people don’t fit is not because of a skills mismatch but because of a culture issue. She kept searching for the right position while freelancing for a couple of years and came to realize, with the help of her husband, that she wanted to have control of her own work and didn’t actually want another job. Now she takes good speakers and turns them into great speakers and nervous speakers and make them confident speakers. Even as a child, Diane was always correcting people’s speech. Her first love was English and teaching, but that wasn’t really an option for her at the time, which is why she ended up in the field of speech pathology. Effective Communication Every master was once a disaster. Diane wasn’t always a professional speaker. Gifted speakers are born, but effective speakers are made. Her first exposure to public speaking was in college and she was not a natural stand out, but she still managed a ‘B’ in the class. She knows what it takes to go from an average person who’s anxious about public speaking to someone who trains professional speakers for a living. Speaking is a skill, anyone can be effective at conveying a message. The language of confidence combined with your stories and background is the art of effective communication. What’s the difference between verbal and vocal? Vocal is your tone, verbal is your language. The message is in the tone, not in your words. When it comes to language wimpy words will undermine your ability to sell or persuade someone. When you use weak words, you are communicating that you’re not confident in your statements or position. Don’t suggest, recommend. The confused mind says no. Use more definitive powerful words and hold your ground. Once people learn the skills of executive presence, they take off. Mindset and Skill Set The first stage is to address your limiting beliefs. You’re not confident because you don’t believe in yourself. The second stage is recovery strategies. What is your worst nightmare and how would you recover from it? Understanding that helps develop the skill set you need for effective communication. Speaking is not a soft skill. You have to understand who you are in front of the person that you’re communicating with. Can you think of anything that happens in the absence of communication? You’re not going to get funding from a VC without being able to communicate effectively. The stock market is psychology, fear and confidence at the basic level. Communicating with analysts effectively can have a massive ROI and impact on your company’s stock

Michelle Tillis Lederman is the CEO of Executive Essentials and bestselling author of The 11 Laws of Likability: Relationship Networking. Because People Do Business with People They Like and the new book The Connector’s Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact. She has worked with clients ranging from government to academia to non-profit to Fortune 500 companies, including Madison Square Garden, Citi, Johnson & Johnson, Ernst & Young, Michigan State University, Sony, and The Department of Environmental Protection. She has been featured on CBS and MSNBC, and in the NY Times, Forbes and Working Mother magazine.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Michelle Tillis Lederman? Michelle describes herself as a petite powerhouse. She grew up as a have-not, not that she was poor but her family knew what it was it like to struggle on the lower end of the financial spectrum. All she dreamed about as a child was financial security which directly influenced her choices later in life.   Michelle originally started out as an accountant because she was good with numbers and thought that would fulfill her desire for financial security. It didn’t work out very well so she explored other similar positions looking for the right fit and purpose. After finding herself as the only woman on a global venture capital team, she realized that communication in that industry was terrible. She began to explore the idea of effective communication and one of the first trainings she ever taught was how to give effective feedback.   You need to recognize in yourself what you really want to do and believe that you can do it. You have to own it and then go make it happen. Michelle wasn’t necessarily seeking her current career but she was open to learning more. Be open to those moments wherever you are.   You have to design your ideal. If you’re questioning whether or not someone will pay you for something you are considering offering, ask yourself why they need it and how can you tie it to their bottom line. Providing Effective Feedback   You cannot make anybody like you. Once you accept that, you can enable them to see what is likable about you. It’s not about who you are in isolation, but who you are in relation to who you are trying to connect with. When you have information to give to somebody that they might not take well, you should start the conversation with “Are you open to…” By saying yes, they put themselves into a position to open themselves up for the information that’s coming, even if the feedback is negative. Connecting, Influence, and Mindset There is an advantage to being a better connector, it makes things faster, easier, better. If you’re trying to grow your business, you’re going to do it better if you’re a connector. That means connecting with other people and helping other connect as well. There are seven mindsets of a connector: open and accepting, they have a clear vision, believe in abundance, they trust, they are social and curious, they are conscientious, and they have a generous spirit. The mindset of abundance may be one of the most difficult of mindsets. Reputational and competitive risk is always something to overcome because they come from a mindset of scarcity, which is very common for most people in society. Having a clear vision is another common challenge for many people. How can you make something faster, easier, or better without knowing what that looks like? When you ask for something, you don’t want the possibility of someone saying no putting the relationship at risk. You have to trust that what you give will eventually come back and that the spirit of generosity is in the other person. Connectors follow up and follow through, so they don’

Paul Jarvis is the bestselling author of Everything I Know and the new book Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business. He is a veteran of the online tech world, and over the years has had such corporate clients as Microsoft, Yahoo, Mercedes-Benz, Warner Music and athletes like Warren Sapp, Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal. He’s founded several start-ups, toured the US and Canada in the band Mojave, and has worked as a web designer for almost two decades. Paul’s writing appears in Fast Company, 99u, The Next Web, GOOD, Elephant Journal, Design Taxi, Medium.com and many other publications. With an international reputation as the designer whose vision and web design strategy builds multi-million dollar businesses, he teaches online courses, runs several software businesses, and hosts a handful of podcasts from his home on an island on the West Coast of Canada.   Podcast Highlights Who is Paul Jarvis? One of Paul’s favorite quotes is from Uncle Ben, the iconic “with great power comes great responsibility.” Paul has always been interested in the relationship between technology and people which is why when the internet started he realized there was an incredible opportunity available. When Paul started out he was doing web design and he did that for 15 years. He loved working with the clients but not so much working for the agency, so he decided to leave but the clients sought him out and wanted to keep with Paul no matter where he went. This lead him to realize that he could just work directly with those clients and could just start a business instead. Where did you get the courage to venture out on your own? Having a client list was a big help but being focused on fostering the relationships in the first place was very important. It wasn’t just courage, Paul felt the fear but he acted anyway. Paul wanted to be in control of the relationships that he had with his clients so freelancing was really his best option and that’s what drove him to go out on his own. Paul is generally a little contrarian so he’s always done things a little differently. Company of One A company of one doesn’t necessarily mean literally one person, it’s more about challenging the idea that growth is always good. People assume that the byproduct of business success is always getting bigger, Paul thinks the byproduct of success is more about getting to choose where and how you work and where you want to get bigger. Growth can make sense, but it doesn’t have to. A lot of people start their own business because they want freedom. They also tend to focus on the what if questions around failure but forget about the questions of what if their succeeds? Entrepreneurs should be able to make decisions about how to spend their day and the work they do. There are two stages to business, pre-enough and post-enough. In the first stage you take the work you can get because you have to. Once you have enough, you have more choices than you think you do. You can make choices in your business that line up with your values. It’s more important to focus to the results than the traditional methodology of how to achieve those results, especially in the age of the internet. Scale Without Growth Paul can reach 30,000+ people with the click of a button. Technology enables you reach people and scale a business without hiring more people. Adding more people is the easiest solution but not necessarily the best one. It’s possible to build a business that has collaborative freelancers on the team instead of employees. Whenever starting a business, Paul asks the question of “how would this cost to support and maintain?” If it’s too much, he won’t pursue that business. The trick to figure out at

Doug Hall is Founder of the Eureka! Ranch, the Innovation Engineering Institute, and Brain Brew Custom Whisk(e)y. He is the author of the bestselling book Jump Start Your Business Brain: Scientific Ideas and Advice That Will Immediately Double Your Business Success Rate and the new book Driving Eureka! Problem Solving with Data Driven Methods & the Innovation Engineering System. Hall has been named one of America’s top innovation experts by Inc.magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Dateline NBC, CNBC, CIO Magazine and the CBC. His Innovation Engineering system is responsible for over $16 billion in growth and system improvements projects in active development. He is an inventor, researcher, educator and craft whiskey maker.   Podcast Highlights Who is Doug Hall? Doug is a compulsive experimenter, he measures the results and then innovates based on the results. Doug is just a curious guy. He started his first business at the age of 12 just to see if he could do it. Everything he has done is driven by genuine curiosity. When he tried something to make money, it always failed, but when he approached things from a point of curiosity it always worked much better. Creativity Systems Doug has measured over 9000 teams in an effort to learn what allows people to create more meaningful ideas. The first thing is stimulus, people think that to get good ideas they need to sit in an empty room and the ideas will come, but that’s the last thing you should do. You create a system of gathering stimulus together to get your mind to react off of and create new ideas. The second thing is diversity in view points. When you combine people with diverse perspectives that trust each other, you get an exponential effect on the creativity of the group. The third thing is fear. Fear is the creativity killer so trust is very important, the key to driving out fear is to use data to build your confidence. Big corporations are usually more interested in getting a big idea given to them than having their team taught how to generate big ideas. We don’t believe in our people and we have to believe in our people to create great things. A team can’t win with just one all star. People are typically hired because they are innovative and creative but then they are told to just do what they are told. As a leader, it’s your job to set the vision and then give your team the training and tools to do the job. Innovation Engineering and Inventing New Things Doug made the conscious decision to become an inventor. He ended up working a Proctor and Gamble for ten years in an inventing centered role and set a lot of records at the company. Doug’s rule is simple, every six months ask yourself the question “am I smarter now than I was before?” If not, it’s time to move on. After getting fed up seeing ideas get killed by the corporate bureaucracy, Doug went into academia and created Innovative Engineering programs that have gone on to teach 35,000 people how to create better ideas. When ideas go into the development system in most organizations they will lose half their value because people will compromise. Ideas get killed as they go through the bureaucracy because the teams are fighting each other instead of working together. Being data driven is the solution to driving out fear. So much of our society teaches kids that they aren’t or can’t be creative. There are a lot of habits that need to be unlearned if you want to innovate. Reference: Driving Eureka! Problem Solving with Data Driven Methods & the Innovation Engineering System, Doug Hall Doug’s Takeaway The first truth is your idea stinks, but if you have the mindset of never ending continuous improvement of that idea you are guaranteed suc

Bob Lachance has been an active business owner and real estate investor since 2004. Bob is an entrepreneur by nature and currently owns, operates and manages many different businesses around the world. Bob helped create one of the top Real Estate Coaching and Mentor programs in existence today and also created one of the premiere Virtual Assistant Staffing companies, REVA Global LLC. Bob is an expert in the real estate investing space and has an incredible reputation for creation, implementation and execution. Bob Lachance is a sought-after mentor and industry expert, lending his voice to countless real estate investors, startups and entrepreneurs looking to take their businesses to the next level. Prior to getting into the business sector, Bob had a successful 8 year professional ice hockey career which allowed him the privilege of traveling and living all over the United States and Europe. Bob was also a member of the 1995 National Championship Boston University Ice Hockey Team.   Podcast Highlights Who is Bob Lachance? Bob is definitely not a Harvard grad but he would say he is a coach. He’s played pretty much every single sport in addition to hockey and in each instance Bob’s father was the coach where his coaching style was to coach each child the same way. His motto was “each kid is going to get as good as they are going to get, not as good as their parents wanted them to get.” As much time, energy, and effort as you put into something will determine how good you’re going to get. Bob was born to coach and help people. Why was real estate the thing for you after hockey? Bob went to Boston University on a full scholarship but when you get something like education for free, you tend not to take advantage of it. After choosing to play for the St. Louis Blues instead of completing his education, Bob didn’t have much to fall back. After searching the internet for careers that didn’t require a degree to get into and real estate kept coming up, he decided to jump in with both feet. At the time of Bob’s first purchase, he was missing a lot of resources and knowledge but he figured it out as he went along. Goal setting plays a major part in your success. Setting small goals and attaining them will give you the fuel to keep going. If you want to really accomplish something you have to give it your full effort and stop listening to the naysayers. The 2008 recession was the perfect example as to why passive income is so important. What’s your favorite part of investing in real estate? When Bob started he had no systems or processes to keep attaining his goals. He knew he needed to create those things so he started looking for a team to join. Bob believes that you are only as good as your team. After running a number of short sale transactions, Bob and his partner started looking for what they can add to help more investors become successful. This drive lead to Bob’s many coaching programs as well as his virtual assistant company. REVA Global Real estate is essentially a very simple process that has five steps: Marketing, Lead Intake, Deal Analysis, Offers and Contracts, and Selling the Property. REVA Global trains virtual assistants to take different tasks off your plate. The top tasks for REVA VA’s in short term rentals are managing the CRM and coordinating maintenance. Minor repairs can take up a crazy amount of time out of your day and a VA can take care of all of that for you. Transitions Problem solving is the ultimate skill. There is a million dollar business no matter where you go. In the end it’s about filling a need. Coaching and the communication behind it has been a very important skill set that Bob has transferred over from hockey. <

ELISE KEITH is the founder and Meeting Maven for Lucid Meetings. She leads their research, publication, and product management efforts, constantly seeking the best ways to make it easy for people to enjoy meetings that get work done. Leaders call her blog "a treasure trove of valuable info and guidance" and "a game-changer for our organization." When she isn't working on the industry-leading Lucid Meetings software platform, Elise shares her meeting expertise in presentations that audiences say are “inspiring,” “full of practical methods we can apply,” and “fill in all the gaps I didn't even know I had!” With a combination of experiences that gives her a unique perspective on meetings, Elise brings the awareness of a business owner, a software developer, a service provider, a researcher, and person who doesn’t like to have her time wasted, all combined with a deep expertise in meeting practice.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Elise Keith? Elise graduated college with a degree in theater, so that make her a creative that loves meetings. She ended up going into technology instead and found herself working for companies that believed they were going to change the world. She saw people spending a lot of time in meetings generally being unhappy to be there, but eventually during the course of her career she saw the missing link that those companies were missing.   What if I don’t like meetings? We have a negative association with the word ‘meeting’ as a society and that usually leads to a self fulfilling prophecy. If you think meetings are a waste of time, you aren’t going to put a lot of time in making it better. Our belief informs our action. The place to start is to change the belief. Meetings at a company that cares about what they are doing, where the goal is to align and recreate the kind of culture they want to live, is a complete game-changer. One of the keys to breaking the Doom Loop is to stop calling them meetings. What does a good meeting feel like? At a certain point in your organization you can no longer grow with just individual conversations. You need a formal meeting system to find solutions to the problems you’re facing. Create a greeting ritual that communicates who you are and what you care about. A meeting is your moment to design what it means to be part of your company. The icebreaker is a great ritual to open a meeting with. An icebreaker is a chance to be human and connect that way for just a few minutes. You must have structure, but that doesn’t mean an agenda. Go over your numbers so you can keep score and help your team understand their contributions to the overall goals. Take the rest of the time and look at the top 3 problems you’re facing and figure out how you’re going to solve them. Find a structure that works for you and then use week after week. Use one hour to learn a new meeting structure and save hours by not having to meet people one on one after your initial meeting. Lucid Meetings Education is a major component to the Lucid Meetings service. Meetings are a part of the business operating system, and communicating that is a big focus. Only 20% of managers in the US get any sort of meeting training. You are designing the system of how your business is going to run. When you stand in front of the group you are marketing your vision of what it means to be a part of that group. Meetings are teachable skills and the businesses that are thriving run really solid meetings. Bridgewater Associates, Pixar, Amazon, Oprah, and elite military teams like the Wildlands Firefighters have excellent meeting systems in place. Without it they wouldn’t be able to do what they do. To move forward, you have to a

James Arthur Ray is considered one of the world’s foremost leadership and performance advisors, coaches and consultants. He began his career consulting with C-Level Executives at the AT&T School of Business. It was here that he realized his purpose for helping others find their unique gifts, and then leveraging them to take their life and business to new levels. His extensive study of behavioral sciences, experience as an entrepreneur, and tireless quest for spiritual knowledge gives him a unique and powerful ability to address issues in both life and business from an integrated level; much deeper and more fulfilling than most can accomplish. His company hit The Inc. 500 in 2009 as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. James was featured in the film documentary “The Secret,” a ground-breaking feature-length film, and New York Times bestseller. James has been interviewed in numerous national media outlets including a full-feature article in Fortune Magazine, People Magazine, Larry King Live, Piers Morgan, the Today Show, CNN and Oprah. He is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Harmonic Wealth: The Secret to Attracting the Life You Want which focuses on his principle of Going Three For Three: how to effectively bring your thoughts, feelings and actions into harmony with bold application. James states vision without bold action is a total waste of time. James’ new book Redemption: The Price of Leadership in Both Life and Business is scheduled to be released in 2018.   Podcast Highlights   Who is James Arthur Ray? James is the dark knight of leadership performance. He didn’t grow up in a wealthy family though. He was a skinny, scrawny, awkward kid that got bullied in school. James father was a dynamic speaker and Protestant minister which contrasted quite a bit with James personality. Early on in James’s life, he had many questions about life and the way things work which lead to him studying a variety of topics including business, philosophy, psychology, biology, and even quantum physics. He started looking for ways to synthesize the common threads between all these very different areas of knowledge.    Leadership We live in very disruptive times, AI is on the rise and the fact is if you are not doing something unique and accessing your full human potential you’re going to be left behind. Leadership isn’t a title or position, that’s positional power. It’s also not the number of social media followers you have. Leadership is first and foremost about leading your own life. Self awareness is the number one necessity in today’s world in leadership and entrepreneurship. There shouldn’t be a dividing line between life and business. Most people who preach balance aren’t actually balanced in their lives. Balance and Wealth Most people think wealth means money, but the root definition of the term means well-being. For every person is successful, 20 people attempt and are not successful. We’re in a technology and psychologically disruptive world. In perfect balance nothing happens. Noone is in perfect balance. Life balance is one of the greatest causes of suffering in the entrepreneurial world. You have to be able to put attention to the five pillars of success in everyday life and put them into harmony, not balance. These pillars are Financial, Relational, Mental, Physical, and Spiritual. There will be times when finances are tight. If you’re shooting for balance you’re going to feel depressed and guilty, but the fact is you’re going to have to realize that you need to hustle and let some other aspects of your life take a back seat. Don’t totally neglect the other areas but you have to focus. Balance as it’s perceived is not

Ori is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in developing high growth businesses. He is responsible for leading the vision, strategy, and growth for Envoy, as the company continues to build out a robust global infrastructure. With nearly 2 decades of experience driving successful entrepreneurial ventures, including Smart IL and Lenn Ventures, Ori has a vast knowledge of various facets of business including new business incubation, venture investing activities, project management and business development. Over the past 10 years, Ori shifted his focus towards real estate related investments, including acquisition and operations, as well as actively initiating technology related ventures in the US market. Podcast Highlights   Who is Ori Sagie? Ori believes that what entrepreneurs true heroes is the time and sacrifice they have to make to achieve their goals. Ori was born is Israel and has always been focused on the why of success. Why you want to do it and why people need it is the essence of the success of every venture.   Looking at what people are doing to solve their problems is a way to figure out what solutions to work on.   Is it still a sacrifice if you’re not aware you’re doing it? It’s always a sacrifice, there is always an opportunity cost to what you do. You have to understand your skillset and what you are willing to give up in order to reach your goal. You may want to be a tech entrepreneur, but maybe you’re a great singer. Sacrifice is about giving up something good for something better. Ori and his partner Eric have worked together for a long time, the development of their business is due to their evolution as people and observing the market. They realized that mobility is an amenity and a need for many people that needed a solution, which is where the idea for Envoy began. Time to market is the most critical thing for the success of an entrepreneur. Real Estate When you assess the market correctly and buy a good property that creates stability. For Ori real estate is nice but not where his creative genius lies. In order to succeed in real estate you have to know what you’re doing, it’s not a simple matter of leveraging your assets. There is a lot of information and research that goes into it. Spend a few hours looking at the physical property you are going to spend your money on. There is no silver bullet or free rides. Don’t build your life on the hope that you made the right choice. The key element is to be realistic with yourself and assess the situation. As Ori likes to say “go touch the wall.” Respect the hustle. Envoy Car Sharing Envoy is the 3.0 version of car sharing. There is a big difference between something becoming an amenity and something being a service. Envoy is community based car sharing, they provide electrical cars and infrastructure to properties so those vehicles become an amenity to those tenants or guests. A good comparison would be the gym in the building, with Envoy now there is a car in the building as well. For you to get rid of your car, you have to rely on another mode of transportation. The more options you have, the more likely car ownership is unnecessary. Multiple modes of transportation available to you becomes you mobility solution. Envoy’s current focus is on property portfolios of 100 units and higher, but they will eventually make their way to working with smaller communities. The number one thing people purchase after they choose their short term rental is a car service. The idea for Envoy came from Ori’s experience as a real estate investor himself. Real estate operators have an opportunity to provide an amenity that they can do at zero to low cost to thei

Lisa Phillips is the founder of Affordable Real Estate Investments and #1 bestselling author of Investing in Rental Properties for Beginners: Buy Low, Rent High. After her second layoff and a foreclosure in the bloated Las Vegas, NV real estate market, Lisa found herself alone and halfway across the US from her friends and family with no job. She was left with a 35k condo and only enough money to renovate the place doing the work herself to stretch her unemployment check. It not only gave her a solid foundation of repair maintenance and costs, but also a taste of how owning real estate could be affordable and profitable. After purchasing four more rental properties around or under 30K in OH, MD, and VA, Lisa is now focused on doing one thing she loves to do: showing EVERYONE how they too can affordably start investing in real estate for high profits and cash flow.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Lisa Phillips? Lisa Phillips was born in an impoverished situation but has a strength and conviction that the world can be a better place. Everyone has a need for a house, but there is another process that goes into turning a house into a home, which is one of Lisa’s innate talents. Lisa was born and raised in Las Vegas and saw the real estate market in the area and thought it was going to the moon. After getting laid off, Lisa had to move to Ohio to find a job that paid a similar salary to what she was making before, which she needed to covering the mortgage on the condo she had purchased. One of the main lessons she learned from that experience was to make sure the average rent of the neighbourhood can cover the payment in case you need it to. While living in Ohio, she was laid off again after purchasing a small condo and realized that low priced and affordable homes are a great protection in times of recession and uncertainty.   Saving Money For Real Estate When you’re single you choose what level of savings you want to achieve. Once you have a family it becomes much harder to save the same level because your dream of frugality may not be theirs. Courage Courage comes from being true to who you are. It comes from acknowledging your soul and not letting other people tell you how you live your life. Listen to your own internal intuition and guidance, don’t ignore it. Lisa noticed that every time she didn’t listen to the voice in her heard, she tended to regret it so she had some practice with it. It can be very hard when everyone around you is going in one direction and your intuition is telling you to go the other way but Lisa found that the more she listened to her soul the more she came out ahead. Optimism and confidence in yourself to figure out something for yourself or ask for help are two other tools that will help you succeed. You can weather through the storm. Lessons learned can help you when you get burned. By having such a negative experience with her first real estate purchase, Lisa learned a lot about the economics and math of the whole process and that helped her with her future deals. Why do you help people? Lisa felt that even though she doesn’t have a massive portfolio of properties she still had some knowledge that other people could really benefit from. Inspiring people and creating a culture of responsibility are big reasons why Lisa continues to talk to people about her real estate methods. She knows that it doesn’t take a huge number of properties to change the way you think about life and allow you to do things that you always wanted to. If even 10% of the people in the world had the financial ability to spend most of their time doing the things that they really love, the world would be a different place. Sometimes you just need to see someone

Rob Jolles is a sought-after speaker who teaches, entertains, and inspires audiences worldwide. His live programs in and around the world have enabled him to amass a client list of Fortune 500 companies including Toyota, Disney, GE, a dozen universities, and over 50 financial institutions. He is the best-selling author of six books, including his latest release, Why People Don't Believe You...Building Credibility from the Inside Out.   Podcast Highlights Who is Rob Jolles? Rob Jolles was raised by a Marine and taught discipline quite early. He stumbled out of the University of Maryland and found himself working for New York Life Insurance. When Rob thinks of superheros, he sees someone that can take a punch, just like entrepreneurs. Everything in Rob’s life relates to getting knocked down and having the discipline to dust himself off and get back up. Once Rob graduated the only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to generate income. For him life insurance was the fastest way to accomplish that goal. Since he had 36 first cousins in the state of Maryland he had a bit of a safety net to rely on. Rob says that once you get through your relatives and family, that’s when you find out who you are. One of the easiest ways to end a conversation is to tell people you sell life insurance. The reason people take a step back when you mention selling is because of bad actors that treat selling as a hiring mill. The constant churn of salespeople creates a terrible reputation for sales in general. Why is sales such a difficult subject for people? Most people are exposed to the lower end of the sales world which creates a negative imprint. Sales is more than sales though, it can also be thought of as influence and persuasion and a way to get an idea into someone’s head that allows them to take an action that’s good for them. Sales and belief are intrinsically connected. Before we can get others to believe us, we have to believe us. If you believe your product is bad, you’ve got a problem. If you honestly believe your product is good, it’s so much easier to get other people to believe it too. Belief We have a lot of negative voices in our head that tend to chirp at us and we think they may not add up to much but they have a huge impact. They accumulate and you start believing it. Take yourself to a moment where you were at your best. How do you think you felt? Train yourself to find that place where you felt powerful. The body doesn’t know when the mind is acting. People say no to the person you were being at that moment, not because of the words you used. Rob helps people that have the words but lost the tune. He started applying acting skills to his teaching methods and showing people how to be authentic. Everyone can lose their tune, some have never even heard it. It’s important to deemphasize the words, everyone has a limp. We have to come to grips with our limp and realize that it’s ok. Learning The Tune Everyone has their own tune. You will never have someone else’s tune, you have to work with what you got and trust yourself. We obsess on things that are not in our control. Play the course, not the opponent. When you realize that worrying is a misuse of your imagination and focus on your authentic tune, that’s when you win. We are born to extract the greatness that is buried inside. Be who you are when you’re not selling. People don’t fix small problems, they fix big ones. A well trained salesperson is someone that has your best interests at heart and has the passion and the skills to spare you the pain of your big problems. If you’ve ever been to a well trained therapist, you have already experienced what a well trained salesperson is like. They don’t pai

In 2015, Paul Thompson wanted out. His corporate office had become a suffocating cell. Paul decided to start buying rental houses, build passive income and break the chains of Corporate America. He was so successful, he secured 20 deals in his first 18 months of investing. Since that time he has acquired more than 2 dozen rentals without bank financing. Now he teaches others how to raise money from regular people that have some funds to invest. In addition to coaching others and still investing himself, Paul hosts a podcast to educate others. Ready Investor One offers tips, hacks, insights and more for listeners interested in creating opportunities for passive income. “Level Up Your Life through real estate investing.”   Podcast Highlights Who is Paul Thompson? Paul was a normal average person working in corporate America trying to climb the corporate ladder. Eventually he realized that the ladder he was climbing was against the wrong wall and needed to find a way out. He started looking for way to replace his income and considered a lot of opportunities including a new job and buying a franchise, but he decided to go down the path of real estate investing. He purchased 18 properties in the first 18 months, but took the process one step at the time. Real estate investing can be uncertain but it can be done with less risk than starting a business. Neural science has proven that to make any lasting change, you have to have one of three things: you have some sort of an epiphany, you change your environment, or you take baby steps. For most people they need the epiphany which is what happened with Paul. He realized that the freedom to choose what he does with his time was what he really wanted and had to do something to make that a reality. Teaching Children Kids do what they see, not what they hear. Paul wants to be an example for his children and for them to remember the time he spent with them. Kids don’t really care about what you’re doing for income, they care about how much time you spend with them. Real Estate Investing Day One Paul was actually laid off from his job which is usually quite a rough event in someone’s life, but for Paul it was the fourth happiest day of his life after his wedding and his kids birthdays. He had already been planning for the day when he would put in his resignation so he was quite ready by that time. One of the very first influencers that Paul had found was J Massey and one of the things that J talks about a lot was private money, so that’s what Paul focused on at first. He met a local wholesaler and a private money lender and managed to put a deal together that made sense for everyone involved. As Paul has expanded and gotten more savvy his criteria has gotten more strict but finding the right kinds of properties has actually gotten easier. New Ways Of Thinking Paul has codified his mindset around money. Most of the things that we’re taught about money is wrong. You’re taught to be an order taker and to finance all your consumer activities. We hear the cliche all the time that time is money, but only people who are not entrepreneurs think that way. You have to switch your mindset and recognize that the money isn’t in the time, you use your time to set up systems that scale and separating your time from your money. When people ask Paul how he makes money he tells them he doesn’t make money, his money makes him money. Paul has found his zone of genius is in taking information and breaking it into smaller pieces that allow other people to make transformations in their lives. Ready Investor One Real estate investing is a game and Paul teaches listeners how to take the individual approach and how to

Gregory Galant is Co-founder & CEO of Muck Rack, Host of the Venture Voice podcast, and Co-founder of The Shorty Awards. Previously, Greg was an associate producer at CNN.com. In 1996, Greg founded Halenet, an award-winning Internet strategy firm while in high school.   Podcast Highlights Who is Gregory Galant? Greg has been a lifelong entrepreneur. He got onto the internet very early on and taught himself to create and code websites, skills which he then used to build a business while in high school and beyond. While working as an associate producer at CNN.com in 2005, Greg had the idea to download mp3’s of spoken word content, more commonly known as podcasts. He started one the very first podcasts focused on entrepreneurs where he interviewed people like Reid Hoffman, the founder of Yelp and more. One of his podcast guests named Evan Williams was working on a prelaunch company that ended up being a failure, but that lead to him pivoting to his side project which turned out to be Twitter. Greg’s philosophy when starting a business is if you can try it out quickly and cheaply, don’t think about too much. If it doesn’t work, you only lost a couple of weekends. Greg has found that the longer he thinks about an idea before launching it, the worse it does. The Shorty Awards lead to Greg noticing that journalists were using social media to figure out what to write about. This lead directly to the idea for Muck Rack. What is the business model behind an awards show? In the beginning sponsorship was the main revenue source for the Shorty Awards. They quickly found out that sponsorships are very unreliable so they needed to figure out another way to generate revenue. Greg noticed that agencies were doing more digital work and were used to paying an entry fee to be entered into an awards show. They decided to keep it free for individuals but for branded agencies to charge an entry fee. Thousands of companies pay The Shorty Awards a little bit of money so they aren’t beholden to any one company. Dealing With Uncertainty If you want to have a reputation as a good business person, be sure to get into a good business. Does your business have a good revenue model? Revenue diversity is important to eliminating some of the risk inherent in business. No one customer should make up more than 10% of your revenue. It’s okay to start with a less than optimized revenue model if it allows you to transition into a more stable one. PR And Muck Rack Greg saw that journalists were on social media but that it was hard to find them. He came up with the simple idea of a website that allows you to see the journalists on social media and what they were sharing. They ran it as a free resource site on the side of the Shorty Awards but eventually realized that it more potential. Muck Rack transitioned into a subscription service to pitch journalists after feedback from one its users. The big difference between Muck Rack and HARO is Muck Rack is really more of a search engine for journalists that allows specific targeting of journalists based off what they write about. It’s more of a proactive approach to getting PR. The number one thing for entrepreneurs to keep in mind when they are pitching journalists is that they are human beings. Be personable and thoughtful in your outreach. If you do your research and send them a relevant pitch, you are actually helping them. The generally love hearing from an entrepreneur because of your natural passion for the business. Try boiling the down your pitch to a tweet. What’s newsworthy about your business that you can convey in one sentence? Write the headline to see if there is something really interesting or if you’re just caught up in your own story.

Beerud Sheth is the Founder of Elance (now Upwork). He is also the founder & CEO of Gupshup, the world's leading messaging and bot platform. From immigrating to the US at 20, to founding Upwork (then Elance) in a cramped Jersey City apartment, to creating chatbots for the biggest companies in the world, Beerud’s journey as an entrepreneur and tech visionary has taken a number of surprising turns.   Podcast Highlights Who is Beerud Sheth? Beerud grew up in Mumbai, India in an average middle class family and was blessed with decent analytical skills. He was always good at math and computing but more than that, he had always been driven and determined with whatever he was working on. Those are the traits that have served him well in his life because no matter how hard you work, things don’t always go as planned.   Elance to Upwork It took 20 years to take Elance to IPO, this is a reflection of the typical overnight success story in Silicon valley. There were many challenges along the way. The IPO is not the end goal. In many ways Upwork has barely scratched the surface of the freelance economy. The point is not the IPO itself, it was to build a company that adds value to millions of people and generates a profit. In that, Upwork has certainly succeeded. Entrepreneurs tend to overestimate the short term and underestimate the long term. All of Beerud’s skills and experiences culminated in the idea that would eventually become Elance and later on Upwork. The core idea has remained essentially the same even though the business has evolved quite a bit. Entrepreneurship is a balance of irrational exuberance and a strong realism. When you’re trying to execute something you have to be realistic about what your customers want and how long it will take. The 2001 financial crisis forced Beerud to reevaluate his company and restructure it in a lot of ways. If you don’t have runway, it doesn’t matter what your ideas are because you can’t execute. Planning For The Bad Times Much of it comes down to psychology. Try not to get too excited when things are going great but also try not to get too down on yourself when things aren’t going well. You can’t control what happens in the world, but you can control how you respond to it. Your own psychology can get in the way of your own clear thinking. Entrepreneurs tend to take on all the stress upon themselves. Focus on what you can control and can do. It’s not the bad stuff that is happening to you it’s how you respond to it that determines the outcome. Beerud relied on the advice of VC’s and mentors that were involved in the company. Leverage whatever resources you can and people’s willingness to share their wisdom, that’s one of the greatest strengths of Silicon Valley. When you start a company people rely on you. Beerud always had an immense sense of obligation to the people he worked with so quitting wasn’t an option to him. If there was no Upwork, would there be no AirBnB or Uber? You can’t say for certain but Upwork definitely blazed a trail. In many ways those companies were able to take advantage of the lessons Upwork learned and the validation it provided. The success of those companies validates the initial idea of Upwork even more. What’s coming in the future? Gupshup is Beerud’s latest project. It’s a messaging platform that enables businesses to communicate with consumers in more intelligent ways. Gupshup basically simplifies your messaging channels by combining them so it’s easier to manage and then allows you to automate a lot of the most common questions. Businesses have to be where the consumers are but the proliferation of messaging channels is making that much more

Todd Dexheimer, CEO of Venture D Properties, LLC started investing in Real Estate in 2008 in mainly single family homes and multi-family. Since 2008 he has purchased and renovated roughly 500 units. Todd has completed over 150 flips, including a 20 unit mobile home park, a ski resort and a 15 unit apartment complex, while using those profits to build his rental portfolio. Currently Todd owns approximately 350 units located in 4 states. His focus is on syndicating value add multi-family in emerging markets. Todd is also the host of the podcast Pillars of Wealth Creation and does some coaching for multi-family investors. Todd is passionate about teaching others how to create a business and how to take control of your finances. Todd was a high school industrial tech teacher prior to investing.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Todd Dexheimer? Before real estate Todd was a high school shop teacher and he wasn’t particularly entrepreneurial, but he always had an itch to do something more. Within three years of working as a teacher Todd dipped his toes into the real estate world. Todd started by reading about business and eventually made his way to learning about real estate where he became obsessed with the idea of investing in it. When he was working as a teacher, he knew he needed to find a way out and real estate appeared to be the best way. Teachers don’t get paid a lot so it wasn’t that hard to replace the income with cash flowing real estate. When you look at the numbers and think about the time and money it takes to get there, being a teacher is a tough call. What inspired you to pick up the books? Trying to figure out what’s next was the main reason Todd started reading, even though he was never a big reader. Todd didn’t have any real mentors around him to learn from so books were his only option. You don’t have to live next door to someone to learn from them. Real estate became the path because the numbers just make sense. Real estate replaces the requirement to work, at least not very hard, and makes retiring much more achievable. Going Full Time Into Real Estate By the time Todd quit his job, he had already been investing in real estate on the side for a few years so the transition wasn’t very difficult. His income from real estate had already exceeded his income as a teacher by that point. You don’t need to always graduate, you can start now and gradually work your way up. Scale as quickly as you can and look for partnerships/syndication real estate opportunities that can help you reach your goals. Education and experience is great but it doesn’t take years to get started. You have to get off your couch and go do a deal. You have to go find it, because deals won’t come to you in the beginning. There are lots of ways to go big, it doesn’t have to be the traditional path that you think it is. You have to put yourself out there to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Syndication Real Estate Eventually you run out of your own resources so syndication real estate is a natural next step. If you want to scale, partnerships are required. Syndication is how to scale past your first deal. If you become known for getting your investors a good return on their money, you will have a list of people happy to give you their money. Once you start to understand what opportunity looks like, you can’t stop seeing them all around you. Todd’s Takeaway It starts with your ‘why’. You have to fully commit and can’t take no for answer. You’re going to get punched in the face, get told you’re crazy, and get told no, and if you listen to that you’re never going to get st

Nathan Furr is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, where he teaches innovation and technology strategy. He is a recognized expert in the fields of technology strategy, digital transformation, and disruptive innovation. He is the #1 bestselling author of Nail It Then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation, The Innovator's Method: Bringing the Lean Start-up into Your Organization, and the new book LEADING TRANSFORMATION How to Take Chargeof Your Company's Future.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Nathan Furr? Nathan cares about the dreams that people have and them getting the chance to pursue those dreams. He started his career in industry and even tried his hand at a start-up where he learned a lot of lessons the hard way. This lead him to ask the question of “how does breakthrough innovation really happen?” and eventually to Silicon Valley. That’s where he stumbled upon the fundamental dilemma that he’s been trying to answer with his books and work.   We live in an environment of uncertainty and change and the tools we use today were designed during the industrial revolution, they were not designed to address an environment of radical uncertainty and hyper change. Uncertainty is the main theme that runs through all of Nathan’s work.   It’s hard to see beyond the fence of your daily life what’s possible.   The driving force behind new tools and frameworks is technology. Technology has lowered the barriers and made the world more dynamic and rapidly changing than ever before.   Is change accelerating? Before the industrial revolution there was no such thing as Management, there were no courses you could take, and no business schools. During the 1700’s technology changed the nature of industry and introduced new problems. Business schools were created to solve these new problems. The question Management tries to solve is “how do I coordinate, how do I optimize, and how do I execute?” There are more new companies and new inventions with more new people participating in the process than ever before and this is contributing to the environment of dynamism. This is the golden age for hardware entrepreneurs. The framework has shifted from “how do I coordinate, optimize, and execute on the capture of value?” to one of “how do I create new value?” Breakthrough Innovation The big players are getting bigger and the smaller businesses are growing around the opportunities around mass customization. Many big companies are now looking to work with start-ups. Software is making the world more modular and allows businesses to work with each other rather than just compete. There are more automobile related start-ups in the last five years than almost any other category. INSEAD INSEAD was founded to be the Harvard of Europe. Once you get outside the United States, INSEAD is very well known. Breakthrough innovation crosses borders. We’re all in this world together and we all have to figure out how to deliver efficient, effective service wherever they our customers are. Staying On Top Of Change Nathan found that innovators engage in five fundamental behaviours. The number one behaviour is associating, where they look at other areas of life and applying an idea to another area. There is a lot of innovation that gets stuck in some area that can transform the way business is done in another area. Observe the world and keep your eyes open. Question and challenge the status quo, notice the world around you and look for problems that can be fixed, experiment and network for ideas. Digital transformation is not about technology,

Judy Robinett is the founder of JRobinett Enterprises and author of How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+100 Rule for Turning Your Business Network into Profits. Robinett is a business thought leader who is known as “the woman with the titanium digital Rolodex.” She has been profiled in Fast Company, Forbes, Venture Beat, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Businessweek as a sterling example of the new breed of “super connectors” who use their experience and networks to accelerate growth and enhance profitability. In her more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and corporate leader, Robinett has served as the CEO of both public and private companies and in management positions at Fortune 500 companies.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Judy Robinett? Judy went to school in a small town in Idaho and always loved making things happens and solving problems. She learned how to break out of her shell but found she couldn’t survive in the corporate world. She saw men all around her getting promoted and making more money and decided she needed to understand what was happening. She learned about the connections those people had and the importance of knowing the right people.   Most networking groups are a waste of time. You have to be careful what room you get in. The people with money tend to be in different kinds of groups. There is no lack of money in the world, the trick is figuring out who you need to know and coming up with a plan to get to know them.   The thing Judy found out is the millionaires and billionaires are just like everybody else. They have problems and if you can solve their problem, you go to the front of the line.   Networking Strategies Learn to talk to strangers. Only 12% of the population is clinically shy, but over half of us believe ourselves to be shy. The two tricks to talking to strangers are to ask a good question, or offer a heartfelt compliment. People want others to care about them and you never know who the other person might be. The common advice of keep your head down, work hard, and people will notice you doesn’t work. Judy didn’t figure out that networking was something she wanted to learn until she was 30. During her journey, she learned that she could add value to the people by connecting them to each other. After realizing that owning a business was the path to success for her, Judy nearly went broke. That was when she heard words that would change her life from her bankruptcy lawyer “They can break you, but they can’t eat you.” If bad things hadn’t happened in your past, there is a good chance that you would be in a worse situation today. Sometimes it makes sense to explore some expensive hobbies instead of trying to squeeze value out of networking events. The secret to networking strategies is to get to know people and build a relationship. The goal is to get the second date, not close in the first conversation. Joining a not-for-profit is another good option. Charities often have the top local business leaders as part of their board and they need people to help. Everybody’s problem is someone else’s solution. All the people you need to meet probably have either a banker, a lawyer, or an accountant. The good ol boy network is being chipped away at one day at a time. In nearly every town there is an incubator and wealthy people are always looking for a good deal. If your story is good and it’s a good opportunity, people are going to want to meet you and talk with you. Don’t ask for money, ask for advice. Make sure you’re with the right investor, not everyone invests in your niche. There is no perfect platform to connect investors with people who are looking for money, that’s why we have so many intermediary groups and have to do the le

Dave Chase is the author of The CEO’s Guide to Restoring the American Dream and co-founder of Health Rosetta. He was also co-founder & CEO of Avado, a digital health company acquired by & integrated into WebMD & Medscape. He was named one of the most influential people in Digital Health due to his entrepreneurial success, speaking & writing. Chase spent several years outside of healthcare in startups as a founder or in consulting roles with LiveRez.com, MarketLeader, and WhatCounts. He was also on the founding & leadership teams in two $1B+ businesses within Microsoft including their $2 billion healthcare platform business.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Dave Chase? Dave is a congenital optimist but he’s also a straight shooter. The genesis of his journey started out with his career in consulting while working with hospitals. Once he learned of something referred to as Revenue Cycle Management and realized the impact it has had on the middle class, he knew he needed to make a change.   Healthcare has a number of ways to bill for services with plenty of ways to pad the end result. This billing paradigm is responsible for about half the revenue in the industry, roughly $7 trillion.   By the time Dave was 30 he had 10 friends that were his age or younger die, with the last one being an egregious example of healthcare failure. In many ways, the state of the healthcare industry is responsible for the decline in public education quality. The good news about what Dave is working on is that government is not the answer, once people have the hope that the system can be improved, we already have the tools to get it done.   Belief in Healthcare Change Dave knows the secrets of healthcare without being shackled by them. Dave believes that once you see a problem, you are obligated to fix it or you are complicit with it. For Dave’s business the failure scenario is to reach 10 million people and they are already halfway there. Dave went looking for a market gap, and found the greatest heist in American history. Dave works with businesses as small as a single person, the tools you have access to are just a little different from larger businesses. The typical family of four will pay over $20,000 a year for pretty poor healthcare benefits whereas smaller organizations could get coverage for as low as $6,000 a year. You’re in the healthcare business whether you like it or not. From Dave’s experience, there hasn’t been a hospital bill over $5,000 that hasn’t gone out without an error. The most common issue is something called pricing failure which is when there is no connection between what you pay and the value you receive. A lot of the times the places that are most expensive have the poorest quality care. Part of high quality in healthcare is not doing procedures that aren’t necessary. Some of the procedures performed today are going to be seen as lobotomies and bloodletting in the future because they just don’t work. 2% of the entire US economy is squandered and tied up in non-evidence based, non-value add procedures that have no evidence to prove they’re effective at all. How did this happen? If you increase costs by 5% every year, after 20 years, here we are. Healthcare used to be 2% of payroll, now it’s 20% and healthcare is close to a fifth of the economy. This is why employees have had 20 years of wage stagnation, it’s not because employers don’t want to spend the money on their employees but because it’s all going to increased healthcare spending. The underlying costs of healthcare haven’t gone up in the past five years, but premiums and prices have gone up. You can employ more people, better people, and have more profit in your business if you just pay attention to your hea

Frank McKinney is a real estate artist and international bestselling author of Make It BIG!: 49 Secrets for Building a Life of Extreme Success, Burst This!: Frank McKinney's Bubble Proof Real Estate Strategies, and Frank McKinney's Maverick Approach to Real Estate Success: How You can Go From a $50,000 Fixer Upper to a $100 Million Mansion. He created 27 self-sufficient villages in 24 cities in the last 16 years, impacting the lives of 12,000+ children and their families. McKinney is a five-time bestselling author in 4 genres, real estate “artist” who creates multi-million dollar oceanfront homes on speculation on the sun-drenched canvas of the Atlantic, Hollywood actor, ultra-marathoner, and acclaimed speaker.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Frank McKinney? Everybody needs a place that draws out their creativity and ingenuity because that is what gets you ahead in business.   Frank grew up in a small town in Indiana and always wanted to be Willy Wonka because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of the greatest marketing films of all time. When you combine that with Robin Hood, it gives you a good picture of who Frank McKinney is.   Motivation washes off and goes down the drain with the soap at night. Motivation and inspiration don’t last, but aspiration will alter your DNA. Who do you aspire to emulate?   We have to start small. Frank began the first five years of his career buying houses that were worth less than $100,000 and flipping them. He put in his 10,000 hours into the craft of real estate.   Approach your business like an artist would approach their craft. A lot of investors approach the business looking to cut as many corners as possible.   Real Estate Artistry Most people that enter the real estate industry see a spreadsheet and look to squeeze as much as they can out of it. Frank looked at his career differently. He compressed his margins early on so that he could grow his reputation. He took the time to build his reputation before he built a house. You must set yourself apart in your industry with your personal brand. Personal branding is the art of amplifying your essence so your customers become intoxicated by your message and you as the messenger, and then in rapid fire succession with your product next. Your personal brand is very important in the real estate business because there are so many people in it that you have to stand apart. Authentic, Transparent, and Vulnerable is a great way to approach your life and your business. Frank had a lot of self destructive tendencies when he was young, but he swore off the dangerous habits and channeled those desires into his business. Speculation Building Frank’s niche is deeply local, the farthest project he’s done from his home is only 8 miles away. There are only roughly 160 opportunities for Frank to build on the oceanfront area he uses as his canvas. The big lesson is to carve your niche and deeper and wider than most. Know your market better than anyone else. Frank knows his market and the market knows him. Risk tolerance is like a muscle, the more you use it the more capable you are of taking risks that others would think are crazy. Fear is what stops us, it’s not the risk. Risk is always associated with a big change or a big challenge in our life. For Frank, the biggest risk is not taking one. Frank is still afraid, that’s how he knows he’s moving forward and making progress. Caring House To whom much is entrusted, much is expected. This is why Frank started Caring House and started building villages across the world. Frank describes himself as a simple thinker. If he’s building homes for the world’s most wealthy, shouldn’t he b

Ocean Robbins is co-founder and CEO of the 350,000+ member Food Revolution Network, adjunct professor in Chapman University’s Peace Studies Department, and co-author with his dad, bestselling author John Robbins, of Voices of the Food Revolution: You Can Heal Your Body and Your World with Food! and the new book 31-Day Food Revolution: Heal Your Body, Feel Great, And Transform Your World. He launched Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!) at age 16, and directed the organization for 20 years. Ocean has spoken in person to more than 200,000 people and facilitated hundreds of gatherings for leaders from 65+ nations. Ocean has served as a board member for Friends of the Earth, EarthSave International, and many other organizations. He is a founding member of The Turning Tide Coalition, co-founder of the Leveraging Privilege for Social Change program, and founding co-convener of Leverage Alliance. Utne Reader recognized him as one of 30 “Young Visionaries” under 30, and both Time and Audubon magazines chose him as being among the heroes of the new millennium. He is the grandson of the great ice cream man Baskin Robbins and the son of 2 million copy best-selling author and health leader John Robbins (who walked away from his father’s Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire to become a spokesperson for health and social concerns).   Podcast Highlights   Who is Ocean Robbins? Ocean was born in a log cabin to a couple of parents who were practicing yoga for several hours a day at the time, hence the name Ocean. He started from an early age learning about food and the source of what we eat. His father decided to pursue a different form of success and walked away from the Baskin-Robbins empire. Ocean believes that we have made money more important than health or the Earth, but money is a tool that you can use to grow your service and your impact. The fact that Ocean’s father walked away from the ice cream fortune shows that he had integrity and was focused on something more than just making money. Once a business gets to that level, it’s almost entirely about making money and it’s very hard to bring in values like integrity that late in the game. Why food? Everybody eats, every issue is impacted by our food system. The United States is spreading food systems around the world and as that happens the associated diseases and problems are spreading as well. Food systems are a point of leverage that can change the world. Most people are trying to fuel their lives on a diet that is fundamentally flawed. 19% of the United States GDP is going to healthcare spending basically dedicated to symptom management related to nutrition and lifestyle. People become very attached to their food and what’s familiar. Ocean doesn’t want to take anything away from people, he wants them to be able to thrive. The junk food industry has done a great job of marketing and convincing people that it makes us happy, but there isn’t much pleasure in treating disorders. The standard American diet leads to standard American diseases. Many people don’t make lifestyle changes until they face a diagnosis, and at that point it may already be too late. We know where the status quo leads. You can see dramatic results in as little as 31 days. Entrepreneurs and the Food Revolution At the end of the day, what determines your health outcomes is not what you do at your peak levels of creativity. It’s determined by your habits. All your habits start as streams and eventually become rivers. The key to will power is to dig some trenches and helping the water go where you want it to go. Fill your fridge with healthy food, get rid of the worst offenders and prepare meals ahead of time so when you’re tired and exhausted your path of least resistance

STACEY HANKE'S passion is teaching others how to communicate with influence Monday to Monday®. As a keynote speaker and mentor to C-suite executives, she helps individuals see through the eyes and ears of their audiences. The result is career-changing insights. She previously wrote the #1 Bestseller, Yes You Can!  Everything You Need from A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action. Hanke holds a certification as a Speaking Professional for the National Speakers Association, is a member of the C-Suite Network Advisors, and a Member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Recognized as one of the National Speakers Associations “Top 6 Under 40,” Hanke has appeared in the New York Times and SmartMoney, has emceed TedX, and has appeared on the Lifetime Network and WGN Chicago. Over the last twenty-plus years, Hanke has trained hundreds of thousands of leaders, sales people, and business professionals across the United States and abroad. The influence skills and techniques she shares build the confidence, credibility, and presence that create lasting results. Stacey Hanke, Inc., the company she founded in 2004, provides keynotes, training, and coaching for organizations in a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, retail, advertising, financial, and insurance. Her clients encompass Fortune 500 companies and household brands such as Coca-Cola, GE, General Mills, FedEx, Kohl's, McDonalds, Nationwide, Leo Burnett, and several branches of the US Armed Services.   Podcast Highlights Who is Stacey Hanke? Stacey comes from a humble background and her goal was never to start her own business. Out of college she landed some big jobs and found herself training on a wide variety of topics and she noticed something very important. It doesn’t matter how smart you are if you don’t have the ability to communicate a message that someone understands. Body language became a major focus of Stacey’s when she started to wonder how we can execute a behaviour without really knowing we’re doing it. How can we feel different when we are communicating from the way everyone around us experiences? The experience your internal and external clients have with you determines the amount of money in your pocket. Stacey was very fortunate to be part of an association that hired speakers and she really liked how they engaged and impacted people. She was the host for many of these events, and this lead to Stacey honing her skills and becoming sought after as a speaker herself.   Where did you get the courage to make it happen? Stacey had the mentality of not wanting to look back and wonder what might have happened. She also always had her Starbucks back up plan to fall back on. How long are you going to sit and try to figure it out? Stacey gave herself a year to get her business off the ground, without a date in the calendar every day becomes someday. If it doesn’t get scheduled it doesn’t get done. How Clients Experience You We all get to choose the reputation that we want to create for ourselves everyday. Are you prepared? Do you come across that you want to be there? To you believe what you say? Does your body language match what you’re saying? Most of the time feedback is flawed. You choose how you show up. Your tone of voice and the words you use need to be a focus no matter how experienced you are if you want to create a reputation you can be proud of. Influence Everyone defines influence differently, you just have to be clear about your definition. Influence does not mean you can turn it on and turn it off. Influence is consistent every day of the week. Influence means you have the ability to get people to take action long after the interaction has occurred. Influe

Austin Netzley is a former athlete turned engineer, investor, entrepreneur and author. He is the founder of ONE Pursuit Investments as well as the host of the YoPro Wealth blog & podcast. Austin overcame $80,000 of debt and a middle class mindset to find financial freedom early on. At the age of 27, Austin left the corporate world to travel the world and scale his automated stock trading business while also doing what he is most passionate about - helping others take their money and mindset to the next level while scaling their business. He is the author of the bestselling book Make Money, Live Wealthy: 75 Successful Entrepreneurs Share the 10 Simple Steps to True Wealth     Podcast Highlights   Who is Austin Netzley? Austin was just an ambitious kid growing up in a small town in Ohio that was just trying to find his way. When he was 18 years old, he made a decision that someday, somehow, he was going to be rich. He thought that becoming the CEO of a major business was going to be his ticket so this lead him to get his Engineering degree and some sales experience. But once Austin dipped into entrepreneurship, it opened his eyes and he hasn’t looked back.   Holding On To The Vision Austin started out interviewing the most successful investors, entrepreneurs, and influencers he could find and learned that the details of their journeys to success were completely different. But the main steps were all the same, specifically making the decision. When you make the commitment, the ‘how’ isn’t that important. You are committed to figuring it out, whatever that looks like. Your definition of success will change over time and that’s okay. A lot of people wait until there is a lot of pain before making a change. If you are still motivated about a decision weeks after you make it, you’re on to something. When you get into motion, you will encounter some roadblocks, how you respond will determine if you’re path is the right one. The real question is “what do you really want?” Wealth And Success When Austin was growing up he thought that having money meant being wealthy. Despite earning six figures very early into his career he realized that money is only one piece of the wealth puzzle. Austin had to look within and realize that what he really wanted was freedom. Freedom from debt and worry. He started his first business on the side and went all in. Financial freedom was way more valuable than the individual dollars in Austin’s bank account. It’s less about how much you have than it is how you earned it. Scaling A Business 2x in 90 Days Success breeds success. There is a formula that small businesses that have found success can use to unlock their potential. Most owners do not have a business, they have a hustle. The bottleneck in the equation is often the entrepreneur themselves. Scaling a business means you have to let go of the desire to be the center of your business. Once you do that, you can scale rapidly. You are your own problem. You have to get clear on what you want. Put it down on paper and compare it to the existing structure of the business then figure out what model you would need to achieve that vision. Most entrepreneurs cannot say with clarity what they really want. The vast majority of the time you spend on your business is actually what is keeping you from getting out of the way. Most entrepreneurs fail because they make things too complex. This works across every industry because it’s not about tactics. Scaling a business is about strategic and timeless moves. Austin’s Takeaway   Get out a piece of paper and draw a stick figure

Leslie led the launch of Commercial Direct and oversees sales and operations for the entire small-balance commercial lending division of Bayview Asset Management, headquartered in Coral Gables, FL. She has been instrumental in driving productivity and growth for nearly a decade within the Bayview organization. Leslie’s key contributions include building a banker education program, managing the top 50 correspondent relationships, and leading expansion into international markets, as well as overseeing Project Management, Vendor Management and Process Engineering groups within Bayview Loan Servicing. An experienced financial services professional with more than 20 years in the industry, she is a frequent speaker and presenter for national publications and media outlets.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Leslie Smith? Leslie started her career in a banking call center. That experience taught her to be fast on her feet and solve problems really quickly. This is where she developed her “spidey sense” superpower and allowed her to adjust to what her customers need and adapting to that.   She later moved on to another company that was originating commercial loans which is how she got into the loan business.   When Leslie was young, she wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice. Leslie has always aimed high for her career.   Commercial Lending Small balance means a lot of things to lots of people. It typically means $250,000 to $2 million and Leslie’s average loan size is $400,000. Leslie’s company fills an important gap in the market because most lenders are looking to loan out much larger amounts. Business owners that have made it through the recession have a story that says a lot about them. The person on the other side is almost as important as the data analysis that goes into making a deal. Leslie’s business looks at more than just tax returns to understand how healthy someone’s business is. Tax returns are just a snapshot in time and don’t tell the whole story. What could people do better to get access to the financing they are looking for? People often underestimate how important their story is. Lenders want to know what your objective is and what your expected outcome is. Most people that come to Leslie don’t really have a good response to that question. After the credit score, the most common reason someone is declined is inconsistencies in their story. What challenges do women face in the commercial lending world? One of the biggest challenges is representation. It’s hard to come into an industry without seeing someone like you that has done it already. Leslie stopped taking it too personally and instead thinks about the misperception as an opportunity to open people’s minds to what is possible. Early Challenges Hiring the right team is definitely a challenge. Hiring slow and firing fast is very important, as an entrepreneur you don’t have the luxury of wasting money on a lot of bodies. Look for the unicorns, people that can take on a number of different roles. Don’t just focus on your industry, look at other industries and what’s happening around you to make your thinking more free. The most successful entrepreneurs are focused on solving a specific problem. Commercial lending is a problem that many people need a solution to and Leslie is grateful for her chance to solve those problems. Real estate has a place in everyone’s portfolio, one way or another. The Perfect Loan There is no real perfect deal in Leslie’s world. She is agnostic to industry and business because they are looking motivation and circumstances very closely. L

Gundi Gabrielle aka SassyZenGirl, is a Top 100 Business Author and Founder/CEO of SassyZenGirl - #ClaimYourFREEDOM, a platform that helps newbie entrepreneurs turn their passion into a thriving business. Gundi loves to explain complex matters in an easy to understand, fun way. Her “The Sassy Way...when you have NO CLUE!!” series has helped thousands around the world conquer the jungles of internet marketing with humor, simplicity and some sass. A 10-time #1 Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur and former Carnegie Hall conductor, Gundi employs marketing chops from all walks of life and loves to help her readers achieve their dreams in a practical, fun way. Her students have published multiple #1 Bestsellers outranking the likes of Tim Ferris, John Grisham, Hal Elrod and Liz Gilbert. When she is not writing books or enjoying a cat on her lap (or both), she is passionate about exploring the world as a Digital Nomad, one awesome adventure at a time. She has no plans of settling down anytime soon.   Podcast Highlights Who is Gundi Gabrielle? Gundi has always dreamt of travelling the world and achieving the freedom she was looking for, specifically generating passive income. She started off as a musician and a conductor but tired of the hectic life and looked for alternative ways to creating an income.   Gundi returned to California and many things happened all at once. She experienced a difficult time in her life that lasted quite a while, the entire time Gundi was looking for a way to start a business online. She learned from someone in a digital nomad group how they started their business by selling books on Amazon so she decided to give writing a book a try. That turned into her Sassy Zen series and really took off.   She learned that creating a best seller on Amazon wasn’t necessarily that difficult but continuing to sell books is the real challenge. She expanded her efforts into courses and using the books she was writing as sales funnels to draw people into her business.   The Digital Nomad Gundi has lived in New York and Las Angeles but has also stayed in South Africa for three months, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Bali, Dubai, England, and has been based in southern Spain for a while now. The opportunity to be everywhere is redefining work.   Marketing Your Business You need to be a good communicator. Gundi ran her own ensemble as a conductor so she was learning a lot about marketing and networking without thinking about it as such. Music and writing are both creative endeavors so there’s a lot of overlap and the skill of communicating with people applies to both. We sometimes forget the opportunities we have in this day and age to start a business online and reach people. Writing A Book Short is the new long. It’s actually much smarter to write shorter books and create a series of them because then you build a brand they can cross promote each other. If people like one book, they often buy the whole series. Being a best selling author is very important if you want to be a speaker or a consultant if you want people to take you seriously. You can present yourself as a real expert in your field and by the time the reader finishes your book, they feel like they really know you. You can turn cold leads into hot leads by getting them to read a book. Writing a book will work in nearly any industry as long as you know how to market your book on Amazon and can get it found. Some are more effective than others like business, health, and self help. 25,000 words is probably as long as a “short” book should be. Aim for a lower price and then integrate it with your social media and whatever content you create. Audio books have

It would be safe to say that Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur. Having started over a dozen businesses during his four decade journey has been pretty awesome. Beginning at 18 years old and selling to a Fortune 500 company just nine years later set Aaron on an adventure of a lifetime. The secret sauce for Aaron can clearly be identified with these four attributes: grit, authenticity, determination and perseverance. The glue that holds it all together is his weekly involvement in Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind groups. Aaron started masterminding 20 years ago with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller and several other notable Nashvillians. Today, he spends time with his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren.   Podcast Highlights   What’s been happening with Aaron Walker? Aaron is part of a mastermind called Iron Sharpens Iron and they are about to open up their 14th mastermind group. He also wrote a couple of books since his last appearance, created the Mastermind Blueprint, and is co-authoring a third book about finding the right mentor. Why is margin important? We all need margin in our lives. Accountability and trusted advisors are necessary to keep yourself in check. The idea of balancing life and work is a myth, things don’t need to be equal. The thing you need to do is prioritize your priorities and focus on what’s important. You have to be an inch wide and a mile deep. What are the three or four things that are really important to your life? If you’re not careful, you’ll come home one day with a pocket full of money and house full of strangers. You have to spend an inordinate amount of time on the things that are important to you. You only have one vantage point to see things in your life. Other people will have other filters you can use to see solutions that you can’t see. They can also help you see your blind spots. Starting at the Beginning Aaron almost lost his family because he was focusing on his business too much. There are seasons in your life and sometimes you need to focus deeply on work, but not all the time. Money is a tool, you need to value it but not make it the ruler of your life. The internet affords us so many opportunities now that it’s hard to choose what to do, this means that many people lack clarity. Passion is an exhaustible resource, you need to have purpose if you are going to do anything long term. The more you teach and give away, the more that comes back to you. If it gives you energy, there is purpose at the end. If it drains you, it’s not your passion. How can you add value today to other people’s lives? If you are intentional about it, you can build your work around your lifestyle. Getting perfect clarity before you launch is a mistake. Getting the courage to get something going is the hardest part. There are so many opportunities to make money today, just find something you enjoy and get some mentors or coaches around you, then do it until you want to throw up. It takes 1 to 2 years to get a business going so you need to be committed. The Top 3 Success Traits The process is what’s important. You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fail to the level of your processes. You need systems and processes to automate, eliminate, or delegate. Is something takes you an hour a day, you have to be willing to take 30 hours to teach someone how to do that task. But if you do that, you will achieve a massive return on your time. What could you do with that hour back every single day? You can get back money but you can’t get back time. Why write books? There are a lot of opportunities to learn today but books have some unique things about them that make them special. Books give you an

Jay Conner has been buying and selling houses for 14 years and has been involved in over 52 Million dollars in transactions. For the past 7 years, Jay has completely automated his 7-Figure Income Business to where he works in his business less than 10 hours per week. He is a leading expert on Private Lending, once raising over $2M in less than 90 Days in private money while cut off from the banks. He is a contributing author to the best-selling book Real Estate: Getting Deals Done In The New Economy.   Podcast Highlights Who is Jay Conner? Jay didn’t grow up thinking he would be a real estate investor but he was raised in the housing business. Jay saw the potential of real estate investing in the early 90’s when a couple of friends had the opportunity to renovate and improve a property that their father put up the money for. They split the profit on the sale of that property and used it as the downpayment for their first home. That stuck in his head and he moved out of the corporate world to start flipping homes and investing in real estate. When people say they love real estate, they probably don’t really mean what they’re saying. They actually love the benefits that real estate brings. There are not many strategies or vehicles that can give a person the kind of wealth, freedom, and return on their time that real estate can. As long as someone is trading dollars for hours you will be limited as to your return and the money you can make. Jay started out part time when he first began investing. He was the one talking to buyers and sellers, not his team. If somebody tells you that starting out in real estate investing won’t take some hard work, they’re wrong. You have to be dedicated and committed to following the systems and taking action.   Making Mistakes Don’t go about this business by yourself, get a mentor or a coach to show you the way and avoid the minefields. A lot of times we don’t realize what we have and we need someone else’s perspective. Don’t be so afraid of doing something incorrectly that you end up doing nothing. One of the biggest mistakes in real estate investing that Jay ever made was not making sure that the rent could carry the expenses of the property in the event you have to hold it. Real estate can be a very forgiving type of investment because the cash flow it generates can give you some breathing room. Creative Tools and Private Lending One of Jay’s favorite tools is buying “Subject to”, it can be a very simple transaction and allows you take advantage of the interest rate that the seller has on their mortgage. The most difficult times in your life often turn out to be blessings in disguise once you get through them. Jay worked with the traditional banking routes for the first six years of his career but ran into quite the challenge when the bank decided that they wouldn’t fund real estate investors anymore. That was how Jay discovered the world of private lending. Until Jay got cut off from the bank, he had no reason to look anywhere else and would never have discovered private lending. There are three categories of finding private lending. The first category are people you have an existing relationship with, your warm market. The second category are people that are not in your warm market yet but could be, get involved with your local church or community and meet some new people. The third category is existing private lenders that are already lending money out. Why bother taking the time to share what you know? Jay grew up with the mentality of serving. He noticed that many of his real estate investment friends knew nothing about private lending and that you can only get so much fulfillment and satisfaction by just making mo

Sean Zalmanoff is a respected Speaker, Coach, Loan Officer, Real Estate Investor, and host of Next Level Loan Officers Podcast. Sean entered the mortgage industry in 2002, where he spent the better part of his first year in the business learning all of the tips, habits, and ‘best practices’ that he has since determined to be the underlying reason why the mortgage industry is broken. He knew there had to be a better way to run a business, so Sean started forging a new path for himself and his team, which lead him to the world of business and mortgage coaching. Sean now manages several mortgage offices throughout the country that produce over $100 Million in production, helping hundreds of people achieve the American Dream. Harnessing his greatest passion, helping loan officers, entrepreneurs, and business owners, Sean became a founding owner in Next Level Loan Officers, a coaching platform that not only helps people in their business, but all four pillars of their life; business, relationships, physicality and spirituality. Sean’s mission through coaching loan officers is to help them achieve a work life balance in an industry that has lied to them and told them they need to be on call 24/7. By deploying his systems and strategies, he’s helped LOs and branch managers build a better work environment, more support, and better systems, while installing the technology to achieve it all.   Podcast Highlights Who is Sean Zalmanoff? Sean started in the mortgage business in 2002 and did the same things that everyone else did at the time. He realized that every day he woke up and knew less than he did the day before. Around that time he connected with a guy named Chris who opened his eyes to what he really needed to do, he realized that he who has the most friends wins. Sean began to seek out specific partnerships and genuine relationships with realtors. Making friends with people is the ground floor for any profession you want to excel in. Making Relationships Social media friends are not as important as real life relationships. If you are not meeting your clients and partners where they are at, you’re missing out. It’s about finding the medium where people already are engaging them where they already spend their time. The number one reason it’s hard to find a good loan officer is you have to find a loan officer that specializes in what you need, and the industry is very wide. Not all loans are the same, it depends heavily on your end goal and the strategy you’re using. To find the right person to work with, you have to ask them two questions. “What do you specialize in?” and “Tell me about the last 10 deals you have worked on”. If someone says they can do it all, they probably aren’t good at anything. If someone specializes in big money loans, they probably aren’t very skilled at smaller residential deals. Why lending? Sean graduated in 2000 and wasn’t really ready for the real world. He had actually been making more than his friends as a bartender than they did at their “real” jobs. Eventually Sean was convinced to work for a guy who owned a mortgage company that kept asking him to come work for him. He discovered that the job was a miniature version of the movie Boiler Room and learned a lot about what is wrong with the mortgage industry. He took those lessons and flipped them on their head. After venturing out on his own, Sean realized that coaching other loan officers was something he was really passionate about. Working with people and helping them into their first home or assisting people with the entrepreneur spirit can be extremely rewarding. Having clarity on what you do and what you are good at is very important. Short Term Rentals Government programs are not str

Mike Cobb is the co-founder & CEO of ECI Development and President of Gran Pacifica. He has been named among the “100 Outstanding CEOs in Central America” by leading Central American magazine Mercados & Tendencias. At the height of a successful career in the computer industry, Mr. Cobb left to pursue more pioneering opportunities in the emerging real estate markets of Central America. In 1996, he and his business partner formed a company, Exotic Caye International, to provide loans to North Americans purchasing properties in Belize, Honduras and throughout the region. As the need for capital outstripped the supply, the mortgage company was converted to an international bank under the jurisdiction of Belize. It continues to provide mortgage services, but has expanded its services to encompass the full realm of financial products. Mr. Cobb also saw the need for a regional real estate company that would serve the Baby Boomer consumer with a North American standard product for the next 2 decades. He led the group into real estate development and created a holding company for several properties including a resort on Ambergris Caye, Belize. In August of 2000, Exotic Caye purchased 3.5 miles of Pacific Beachfront property due west of Managua, Nicaragua. This master planned community hosts world class infrastructure, homes and condominium units. In February of 2006, the ECI Development group acquired 1100 acres and 3 km of coastline in Costa Rica, setting the stage for expansion into this popular market. Most recently they merged their Belize property with a much larger parcel and have begun to develop 200 condominiums units on Ambergris Caye, Belize. Additionally, Michael has spoken at hundreds of international conferences about real estate financing and development.   Podcast Highlights   What has been happening since we last spoke? Mike bought his very first rental property at the age of 30 in Belize, he wasn’t originally planning on buying a property but he was vacationing there and decided that he wanted to come back often. The property didn’t knock it out of the part but it gave Mike a place to start investing in other properties and start a business. He has since purchased properties in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama with other deals on the go. Mike discovered a group of people he refers to as digital nomads that can work from anywhere that have a huge interest of living all over the world. Globalizing More and more people with children are picking up and moving overseas. It’s becoming more common for families to look outside the traditional paradigm and raising children in bilingual education systems. In many cases, people in their 50’s are buying properties with the anticipation of using them as a retirement investment. For families, more people are just buying homes in other countries because the process is much more achievable now than it has been in the past. Mike’s passion is in getting the word out. He is always shocked by people that say that all their net worth is tied up in the United States. Asset class diversification and building a legacy is very important to Mike and he tells people that the world is a big place with lots of areas to invest in. Building A Legacy There are major economic cycles that normal average people do not talk about, and the generational cash flow cycles that Mike loves to discuss are the ones that only the billionaires are really paying attention to. Building a legacy this way is something that the British have been doing for the past 200 years. As strange as it may sound, timber has been the playground of the billionaire set for a long time but it doesn’t have to be exclusively for the ultra rich. Just take 10% of your investable net worth and turn it into a generational cash

Nely Galan is the Former President of Telemundo and creator and producer of the FOX series "The Swan." She was the first Latina President of Entertainment for a U.S. television network and an Emmy Award winning producer of over 700 television shows. She founded The Adelante Movement to empower and train Latina and multicultural women. She is the bestselling author of Self Made: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Nely Galan? Nely Galan is an immigrant, her parents fled Communist Cuba to the United States. Many of the people that have left Latin America or countries in the Caribbean have a lot of trauma and are often grateful just ot be somewhere else. Nely had to be her family’s translator, therapist, and accountant all by the time she was 5.   Her superhero moment happened when she was in the seventh grade. Her parents realized that she was great in school and put a bet on Nely. When you see your parents struggle to provide for you, you become a very empathetic person. It was then she decided that she had to figure out a way to help her parents and she began selling Avon out of her locker to help pay for her schooling.   Would you consider your history as an immigrant to be your unique advantage? Being an immigrant has given Nely values that most people in America have forgotten. She is self reliant and believes that she can do anything she sets her mind to. She also has a perspective that most people don’t about the state of the world. Nely feels like there is an immense divide in this country, and people need to be compassionate to people who journey to the US in order to better their lives. Nely was once accused of plagiarism while in her sophomore year of highschool and it was then she discovered that being empowered can change your life. Acting like a victim will not solve your problem. This experience actually became the springboard for Nely’s career working as one of the youngest editors at a magazine and getting into television. Getting Into Real Estate When you take a risk and do something from your pain, it can be the greatest decision you make and have the greatest impact. Making decisions with limited information is much easier when you are empathetic to other people. While working as employee #1 at the television station that would become Telemundo, Nely noticed that the owners were very interested in owning the building they were working out of. Asking someone to be your mentor is very off putting, instead put yourself in the life of mentors you want so you can overhear their conversations and understand how they operate. Put yourself in the path of opportunity. Not everyone is an entrepreneur day one, but if that’s what you want to do treat your job as if it were your business and think about what you would do. You can fast track your learning if you pay attention. When you make money, don’t waste it on bling. Buy real estate instead, someday the real estate will be worth more than your business. Work your business, but real estate is historically one of the best investments you can make. Responsibility Just because Nely’s career worked out really well, that doesn’t mean she thinks college is a waste of time. Nely went back to school when she was much older and she realized that despite her success, one of the things holding her back was that she never really lived through all the phases of her life. Going to school allowed her emotional self to catch up with her intellectual self. If we don’t see people like Nely who have succeeded, it’s harder to see ourselves succeeding as well. Nely discovered her mission and realized that she had to change the family

Michele is the founder and CEO of Nectar Consulting Inc., and co-author of the best-selling book “Breakthrough Healing”. She works with executives and entrepreneurs bringing over 25 years of experience, intuitive insights and strategic business savvy to their success. She is an expert at enhancing the capacity of leaders, to build high performing teams and exponentially increase bottom-line results. Michele’s unique Rapid Rewiring™ approach is a culmination of years of study in the realms of emotional intelligence, neuroscience, organizational psychology and Rapid Transformational Therapy. She helps catalyze shifts in thinking and eliminate mental/emotional blocks to rapidly rewire your brain for greater confidence and success. As a nationally recognized speaker, certified executive confidence coach, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) practitioner, change management consultant, trainer, and writer, Michele’s passion for helping amplify natural talents and expand leadership is conveyed through all aspects of her work and writing.   Podcast Highlights Who is Michele Molitor? At Michele’s heart she is a creator. She was a graphic designer and creative director for many years before she got into coaching and hypnotherapy. Her capacity to listen and be compassionate and help people eliminate their pain led her to what she currently works on now. Her work in the creative field and web development brought Michele from Atlanta to the San Francisco Bay area. She was in middle of an IPO with her company but their plans were derailed when the market crashed. A few months later Michele was actually bullied out of her job which shattered her confidence and put her in a very difficult situation. Her uncle recommended that she get a coach to regain her confidence and it was then she discovered her true calling as a confidence coach. We all have junk in our trunk that keeps us from moving forward. After discovering Rapid Transformational Therapy Michele’s life started to shift, she had found the missing piece of her puzzle.   Working With A Confidence Coach Some people have therapists and see them twice a week for years without seeing any real progress in their life. A confidence coach is all about moving people forward towards their goals, by combining RTT with coaching Michele has been able to get long lasting for her clients in 30 to 60 days. RTT allows Michele to have a conversation with your subconscious mind where your limiting beliefs live. Those beliefs stay there until a new belief takes its place. One of the principles of the mind is that it can’t hold two conflicting beliefs at the same time, but the subconscious mind can hold onto beliefs that create a dissonance with the conscious mind. The more you tell yourself a thought, the more true it becomes for you. You can change the channel and one day you will wake up and it will be your new reality. Fear can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including physical ailments. Michele has helped people overcome several kinds of addictions, migraines, and other physical problems. RTT allows you to manage your fear response. What is the most common issue you help people with? A lot of entrepreneurs work with Michele to find the confidence they once had after some sort of event changed the way they think about themselves. The surface request is usually something like “I want to increase my sales” but it’s typically much deeper than that. One of Michele’s superpowers is to see her clients heart and help them see it as well. Typically clients come to Michele when something in their life isn’t working any more and they realize that they need to try something different in order to make a change. Life is short and we all have the ability to live h

Jeff Schechter, aka “Shecky” has had the entrepreneurial bug his entire life. He started his first business right out of college, and over the years been involved in numerous businesses ventures. His love for real estate investing began in the 1980’s, when he rehabbed 5 of his own residences, before the term “house-hacking” even existed. Since those early days of torn up kitchens and bathrooms, he’s bought and sold many properties, and is an active investor to this day. In addition to investing, he operates a private consulting practice. He thrives on helping people realize their full potential...not just in business and investing, but in all aspects of life.   Podcast Highlights Who is Jeff Schechter? Jeff remembers getting the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and always answering “rich”. He always knew that he wasn’t destined for a mainstream career after dabbling in many different things including dropping out of college. Shecky is a diplomatic rebel at heart. Whenever someone tells you what sort of path you are going to follow, it’s not going to be truly you. A rigid defined path restricts the room you have to discover who you really are. There is a lot of talk about following your passion but the reality of the situation is you have to go out and try a lot of things to figure out what works for you. As you get better, it becomes much easier to be passionate about what you’re good at. Hone your craft and it becomes easier to find your passion. The Courage To Fail Not being married gave Shecky the ability to be a little more risky than he otherwise may have. That being said, if you are married with kids that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Failure is not a negative, it is a necessary stepping stone to success. Your other option is to live a life of quiet desperation. In the age of the internet, there are no excuses. Whatever you want to do, you just have to learn it and you can do it. It’s much easier now to be an entrepreneur than ever before. Before the internet, you had to shell out a lot of money to reach people and network. Starting a company required plenty of overhead, money, and effort. Now you can create a business with almost none of that, the barrier to entry is willingness, not money. The willingness to “figure it out” can be your greatest resource. There are always ways to hack the system if you are thinking like an entrepreneur. Turnkey Real Estate The two arenas in the world that build the most wealth is network marketing and real estate investing. There are a lot of different angles to real estate investing that can make it very exciting. You have to understand what your specialty is. Jeff found his business partner Jack by working with him as a client. He approached him with an idea for a turnkey real estate business that took on a life of its own. There has since been a long period of evolution in the business and it had undergone many separate transformations. Property management became a major hurdle for the business and the investors and ended up becoming another service Jeff had to offer. There were a lot of obstacles that had to be overcome before they could offer true turnkey real estate. Financing was one area that Jeff didn’t need to explore due to picking the market of Indianapolis. With cash flowing properties, it becomes very easy to refinance and use the money to purchase more investment properties. Jeff’s Takeaway You have to learn to separate the intellectual conversation that is going on in your head with the feeling of the soul conversation, sometimes that means meditation or just being quiet. Do your due diligence before making a decision, you have to not only be convinced int

Hunter is a full-time real estate investor and founder of Cash Flow Connections, a private equity firm based out of Los Angeles, CA. Since starting CFC, Hunter has helped more than 250 investors allocate capital to over 100 properties. He has personally raised more than $20mm in private capital and controls more than $60mm in commercial real estate. Hunter has been featured in Forbes, Globe St., Inside Self-Storage, as well as a variety of other media news outlets, podcasts, and radio shows. Hunter is also the host of the Cash Flow Connections Real Estate Podcast, which helps investors learn the intricacies of commercial real estate investing strategies from the comfort of their home, car, or office.   Podcast Highlights Who is Hunter Thompson? Hunter realized he was an entrepreneur as soon as he understood what money was all about. At a very early age he had been obsessed with providing for his customer’s needs. When Hunter was in highschool, he was running events and providing DJ services for other highschool students. After poker became a mainstream competitive activity, Hunter had decided to become a professional poker player. He moved to California and fell in love with the state and decided to stay even after poker was no longer an interest for him. The ability to make decisions with a limited amount of information gave Hunter a good foundation once he transitioned into real estate. Once the government made playing poker online illegal, he had to make a decision about what to do next. This crisis in the poker world also created a unique opportunity for people to invest. Decision Making When the stock market took a nose dive in 2008, Hunter wasn’t already invested so instead of getting crushed by the decline, it was an opportunity to invest when the market was low. Most people are trying to accomplish the same basic things financially, predictable outcomes and cash flow to pay off their expenses. The problem is the stock market is not a great vehicle to accomplish those goals. The European debt crisis led to Hunter realizing that economic circumstances across the world could devastate his portfolio which led him to look for ways to mitigate those risks, which is where his real estate investing strategies came in. You don’t need piles of money, you need streams of income. There are many different paths to success in real estate to achieve that. Earning Trust Knowing who to bet on is the key to establishing a good track record. Understanding the systems that others have put in place is a way to establish trust, you can leverage the work that other people have already put in and shorten the curve considerably. Early success often leads to the belief that success comes easy. After running a live event with the goal of drumming up investments generating literally zero buy in, Hunter realized that even with success business can be a challenge. The reason the event was unsuccessful is that it required a pseudo religious experience for the people attending and their beliefs to radically shift from faith in the stock market to something completely different. Creating a infrastructure that attracts investors to you rather than chasing people is much more effective. Commercial Real Estate Investing Strategies People not in the business have pretty much no idea what a real estate deal really looks like. Having data to backup your ideas is always a good plan. We are currently in the 111th month of the expansion cycle of the market, nearly the longest period of economic growth in history. The way that mania happens is a change in mindset where people start to think the current state is the new normal. 50% of the wage earners in the United States make $30,000 a

Barth wants to live in a world where no eCommerce entrepreneur ever feels alone or has to vehemently defend to friends and family that leaving that corporate job WAS a good idea. As an executive for 20 years at a large cooperative in the flooring industry, he experienced how, joining together, independent retailers leveled the playing field with vendors and armed them with tools for their businesses to thrive. He brings that perspective as President of the Empowery eCommerce Cooperative to make the eCommerce world a better, less lonely place. Barth is an avid outdoorsman, triathlete, woodworker, golfer, beekeeper, arborist and a wannabe farmer. He lives on an old dairy farm 50 mil es from Pittsburgh in idyllic Ligonier, Pennsylvania.   Podcast Highlights Who is Barth Getto? Barth grew up in a vibrant community of manufacturers where they believed that the good times would never end. Barth was able to witness the rise and fall of many established businesses and learned that creative destruction can’t be escaped. Will our great grandchildren remember what Amazon is? The major lesson everyone can learn from history is that everything changes and if you want to stay alive you have to be able to adapt. Entrepreneurs have to be around the right people and the framework and structure to stay ahead of change.   eCommerce Cooperatives Cooperatives usually confuse people but almost everyone has been a part of a cooperative at some point. It basically means that the owners of the cooperative are also the shareholders. The idea of the cooperative actually predates the Declaration of Independence by 24 years. Everyone in eCommerce has to deal with similar issues like third party logistics, inventory financing, and dispute resolution. The Empowery eCommerce Cooperative help eCommerce entrepreneurs negotiate better prices and help them stay on top of what’s going on in the industry. The cooperative levels the playing field for eCommerce entrepreneurs and get economies of scale in place. Individually, entrepreneurs may not be able to sway a giant platform like Amazon but together they can negotiate on an even level. There are lots of eCommerce platforms beyond Amazon including Rakuten, Bonanza, Etsy, Ebay, and Wayfair. Even dominant players will eventually fall from the top of the market. Working with a cooperative like Empowery is like having a safety net and a roof over your head, it allows eCommerce entrepreneurs to freely innovate without having to worry as much. Getting Started With eCommerce Barth wants to see more people successful with eCommerce, if you’re just getting started feel free to reach out. The more programs you use within the cooperative, you get more cash back which can directly offset the membership fee. Because the individuals own the shares, the whole idea of a cooperative just doesn’t seem to get much press. Barth has been explaining the idea of a cooperative the same way for the past 20 years. Barth’s Takeaway   There is a ton of bad information out there, the best way to get started selling online is to connect with Barth. He will point you in the right direction and once you get big enough, you can join Empowery!   Links: empowery.com [email protected] Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Chris Prefontaine is a bestselling author and real estate investor with over 26 years of experience in the field, including 18 years as a builder, realtor, broker/owner and investor. He’s always been an entrepreneur even when he didn’t know it. When he used to drag his wagon up to the street corner and sell junk from his closet or when he used to purchase gum by the pack and sell by the slice in middle school. In 1991, Chris began building homes and built 100 homes before starting his own brokerage. He then become a broker/owner and was selling 100 homes a year with his small team. Since the 2008 debacle he realized he needed to reinvent his business so that he no longer had to use his own money or credit. After years of strategic real estate coaching independently, Chris founded Smart Real Estate Coach in 2014. The company coaches investors on how to scale & automate their business throughout the US and Canada- all without using their cash or credit. Chris and his team, which includes his kids, have done over $80 million in real estate transactions. They mentor, coach, consult and have Associates around the country doing exactly what they do. On top of that, they run their own buying and selling business so they’re in the trenches every single week. Between their existing Associates around the Country and their own deals, they’re still doing 5-10 properties every month and control as of now between $20-$25 million of real estate with little to no money down.   Podcast Highlights Who is Chris Prefontaine? Chris started building single family homes in the 90’s and moved into being a broker for a while. After selling the brokerage to Coldwell Banker, he got back into various real estate construction projects and got hit really hard in the 2008 financial crisis. The crisis taught Chris many valuable lessons that he’s carried forward to today. Strategic Real Estate Coaching Real estate changes a lot. Chris made the change to broker/owner and back out again due to changing life circumstances and changes in the industry.  Working with real estate is an opportunity for Chris to work with his family and keep taking on new challenges. The 2008 financial crisis didn’t make the business bad, it made Chris’s decisions bad. He took the setbacks he suffered as a reason to reengineer the way he structured deals and thought about real estate investing. Find a mentor, but not just any mentor. They have to be in your niche, still doing what they talk about, and you can relate to them. Not pledging any of your personal assets is way better than having the stress of the liability that many real estate investors take on. Working With The Banks When your credit is perfect, it’s very easy to walk into a bank and get the money you need but things go bad, you’re on the hook. The bank will throw you under the bus if it means saving their own job. Don’t pledge your assets lightly. If you have it, protect it. You should work with a real human being that is likely to say thanks rather than a faceless corporate bank. Coaching and Mentoring Chris dabbled in strategic real estate coaching in the early 2000’s as a job and in 2013 was asked by a local Navy guy who heard about what Chris did and asked him to teach him. Now he has a number of students/partners that he teaches around the country. He teaches them while they do the deals together. Real estate professionals know that a number of different kinds of deals will come your way. Chris teaches people to become master transaction engineers so they can handle all sorts of different kinds of deals. When you buy on terms and protect yourself the way that Chris does, it doesn’t matter what the market does. Is real estate

Allison Maslan is the President of Business Coaching Agency. She was named “One of the Top Women Entrepreneurs Who Inspire” by Self Made Magazine. She is the bestselling author of Blast Off!: The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality and the new book Scale or Fail: How to Build Your Dream Team, Explode Your Growth, and Let Your Business Soar.   Podcast Highlights Who is Allison Maslan? Besides being a business owner at heart, Allison is also a trapeze artist. When she discovered that you could actually do what you see in the circus, she began training with a five generation circus family and now she can really fly. She even built a trapeze ring in her backyard. Allison grew up in an entrepreneurial family. Her father built the largest chain of women’s clothing stores in the US. Watching her dad build his dream inspired her to build her own. If you want something go create it yourself. At the age of 19 Allison started her own business and by the age of 25 it had evolved into a full service advertising business. Like most entrepreneurs, she had no idea how to run her first business. Getting It Right The plan comes in the doing. When you have a product or service, you just need to put it out there. Don’t worry, be crappy. Get it out and then perfect it along the way. You have gifts inside of you, your purpose is to share them with the world. The idea of perfection keeps people small. Getting Unstuck If you are using the same mindset and strategies in scaling your business as you did when you first started your business, you are going to fail. You have to rebuild your company from a higher level. To scale you have to take big leaps, you have to be able to stop micromanaging your team and even be willing to let yourself go. Scaling Your Business You will hit a wall if you are the one providing the product or service. You have to train other people to do what you do if you want to scale. Your clients just want to be taken care of and it doesn’t have to be just you. Scaling your business really means to duplicate and multiply. There are five phases to scaling your business: the solopreneur, the pioneer, the ringleader, the co-creator, and the visionary. Each phase comes with its own set of challenges. If you want to scale, you have to build a team and be willing to let go of the controls. Scaling can take time or it can happen as soon as three years in. Scaling can happen too fast as well, if it grows too soon it can become unstable and fall apart. The longer you can stay with a single focus, the more stable it will be for years to come. It’s time to scale when you keep hitting the wall and are frustrated with working all the time for the same results. Being Present Business owners can be really hard on themselves, it’s important to recognize your accomplishments along the way. You should be enjoying the process. Having a mentor is crucial. New level, new devil. Every time you get to a new level of business, you will face things you have never faced before. Reference: Scale or Fail: How to Build Your Dream Team, Explode Your Growth, and Let Your Business Soar, Allison Maslan Allison’s Takeaway Make decisions from where you are going, not from where you are at. To really scale you have to pretend that what you want has already happened and work backwards. It’s amazing what happens when you start taking action, the people show up, the money shows up, the support shows up, but you have to be willing to take the leap.   Links: scaleorfail.com allisonmaslan.com

David Neagle is the bestselling author of The Millions Within: How to Manifest Exactly What You Want and Have an EPIC Life!. He is one of the architects of the coaching and personal growth industry, and has spoken or worked alongside Bob Proctor, Marianne Morrisey, and Tony Robbins.   Podcast Highlights Who is David Neagle? David was a person that was truly confused about the meaning of life. He came from a place of dysfunction in childhood and sought the answers to his questions from his teachers, parents, and mentors but no one could answer him. He ended up venturing on his own and turned into a curious kid on the wrong path in life. He could really relate to the idea of “I don’t like what I am doing, but I don’t know what to go do.” At some point, David made the decision to follow the desires of his own heart which put him into a different emotional state, and his results soon changed as well. He wanted to set up his life so that he could do what he loved, with the people he loved. Why do we feel like we need permission? We are raised to believe that we need permission in order to advance in life. Permission is subconsciously linked to security which is something that is vital to human beings. The proper role of a parent is to turn over the power to make decisions to their children as they grow over time but many dysfunctional families end up with children taking care of the parents instead. We live in a world of conflicting ideas and information, without a set of core values to guide us through life we begin to look for others to guide us and tell us what we need to do. Questions About Suffering Are we meant to suffer? David had a near death experience when he was younger that completely changed his perspective on life and brought a sense of urgency to his life. David was working six days a week and couldn’t earn more than $20,000 a year and felt stuck. He was emotionally and physically exhausted while on the job one day that he had a complete breakdown and asked for direction. He received the answer “change your attitude” and decided to act like he loved what he did, do every job to the best of his ability, and treat everyone with respect from then on. Within 30 days he went from $20,000 a year to $62,000 and realized he was on to something big. Your attitude determines your altitude. The Science of Getting Rich For years the book The Science of Getting Rich had been around David but he always thought it was a book about economics, that was until many people told him he had to read it. After reading The Science of Getting Rich in a single afternoon, he realized that it contained the answers he was always looking for. Once he got clarity, David was able to make positive changes to his life much faster. Lack of clarity is the primary obstacle in people’s lives. There is so much conflicting information in the world and if the information you discover conflicts with the principles you were raised with, it creates an internal battle. Until that battle is resolved, it’s impossible to get clear on your life. Where did the courage to teach others come from? David was waking up in the middle of the night for six months. Every night he awoke with the thought that if he wanted to live his dream, he had to leave, but he didn’t understand what it was that he had to leave. He called his mentor Bob Proctor who told David to just quit. He learned that the decision always comes first. You always get what you need when you need it. You will not replay a pattern in your life that you haven’t experienced before. To grow you have to acknowledge the desire in your heart. The conflict that comes in for a lot of people is they believe that’

After starting and selling two successful businesses in the United States, Andrew left the country to travel the world and become a true nomad capitalist. While he always had an independent, entrepreneurial streak, he had followed the conventional wisdom of the time in a few ways that ended up costing him. He had invested a sizable portion of his money in mutual funds and real estate. When the stock market crashed in 2008, much of his savings disappeared and sensing the risks of the looming mortgage loan crisis, he managed to get out just in time and avoided losing even more money. On top of this, he had also just taken a huge loss in taxes after selling the businesses. The feeling of losing the fruits of his labor to something out of his control was quite devastating. It was extremely depressing to realize that while crony capitalists were succeeding at manipulating government policy, job creators running small businesses like him were essentially getting the shaft. While Andrew knew something was wrong with the system that he was willfully participating in, and he no longer wanted to play casino with his money, he still wasn’t sure of a solution. After having to call a business client while in Asia, it hit him that he no longer needed to be tied to one location to make money, and that each location offers different advantages to optimizing your business and lifestyle.   Podcast Highlights Who is Andrew Henderson? Andrew’s story begins in his childhood. He learned his five magic words “Go where you’re treated best.” from his father by accident. He started thinking about this idea when he was 12 years old, and has been working on that idea for the last 22 years and it’s emphasized by his company, Nomad Capitalist.   Nomad Capitalist Investing We are conditioned from childhood that the United States is the best country in the world, but it’s rarely the best in any category and that counts investing. We have a tendency to take small things in other countries and blow them up and minimize problems we see in our own country. Everyone has the tendency to believe they live in the best place, but how can we all live in the best place? You can live in California and invest in Georgia or anywhere else. Starting small by opening a bank account in another country is a good start. You’ll realize that there are opportunities all over the world. Do what you need to feel comfortable with travel and the rest of the world. Start making observations about investing and business opportunities while you travel, establish your objectives for your business and start thinking about which place would serve them best. Hire someone to work backwards based off your objectives. Working with Nomad Capitalist is a great option. You can’t just want to run away from something, you should be running towards something. It’s not a matter of knowing every option when it comes to all the countries of the world. Banking in Georgia works similarly to banking in the United States. The notion that everywhere else is different is incorrect, we are all pretty similar overall and institutions function similarly as well. Real Estate Investing Property investing in the United States can be a viable way to start a cash flow business overseas. Look for the best place to invest for you but consider diversifying your holdings into other countries as well. It’s a lot easier to start with wealth or cash flow behind you, but it is possible to start a business with a small amount of money by living in an inexpensive country and extending your runway. Bootstrapping isn’t for everyone, but it is an option. Tax optimizing a business makes the most sense once you’ve gotten started and are generating revenue already. Cryptocurrencies have a pl

Angela Duckworth is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the Founder and CEO of Character Lab, a not-for-profit whose mission is to advance, the science and practice of character development and the author of the New York Times bestselling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.   Podcast Highlights Who is Angela Duckworth? Angela grew up in New Jersey with a father that had extremely high standards. Her experience growing up led her to become fascinated by the mechanics of success, character development, and who gets left behind and who gets ahead. She realized that so much of what we do in life is a result of our passion and perseverance. Are entrepreneurs born or made? Entrepreneurs are mostly made, but they do inherit their genes from their parents. There is a lot to be said about what happens after you are dealt those cards from your parents though, in a lot of ways you are made by your experiences and your mentors. Perseverance, Grit, and Character Development Angela’s frustration as a teacher is what led her to studying grit. Being able to see around the corner and watching her students give up too early led her to wanting to understand psychology, which is essentially the study of human nature. It’s never easy to know when you should quit. If your life has a goal it can help you figure out how to approach a problem, if it’s just a means to an end, maybe you can find another means to get to that end. Grit is often unrelated to talent, success in the long run doesn’t seem to correlate to talent as much as to perseverance. The only thing that matters is the mission. To build a culture of grit in your company you have to model passion and perseverance. Don’t be shy, share your passion that is beyond the 9 to 5. You don’t need to show strength all the time, showing vulnerability and how you came back from a setback is a great way to show dedication. Angela’s husband told her that if she didn’t write the book about her character development research someone else would, during the process of writing the book she discovered that people who exhibit grit have somebody in their life that believes in and supports them. Outside Motivation Someone telling you that you can’t do something will often put a fire in your belly, but the question is what happens after success? The people who can continually approach life as if they are an underdog even if they are on top is a signature of people who focus on excellence instead of complacence. Behind almost every high performer, there is someone who encouraged them and helped guide them towards success. Quitting The Right Things If your feelings are getting in the way, seek a trusted advisor to give you an outside objective perspective. If your best friend would tell you to get out something, maybe you should. Nurturing Children Kids are best off when they are challenged and supported. Have a family rule that everyone has to do a hard thing and they aren’t allowed to quit in the middle. Start young and give them a choice in their hard thing and they will learn responsibility. Character Lab Character Lab is about helping parents and teachers use science to help their children and students with character development and grit. It’s all supported by institutions so all the resources are free. Reference: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth Angela’s Takeaway Look for a small win, grit is about the long game. Organize your life so there are daily and hourly

America’s Money Answers Man Jordan Goodman is a nationally-recognized expert on personal and business finance. He appears frequently on The View, Fox News Network, Fox Business Network, CNN, CNBC, CBS Evening News and several other major TV, radio and podcast outlets. For 18 years, Jordan was on the editorial staff of Money Magazine, where he served as its Wall Street correspondent. While at Money, he reported and wrote on virtually every aspect of personal finance. He has also written or co-authored 13 best-selling books on personal finance including Master Your Debt, Fast Profits in Hard Times, and Barron’s Finance and Investment Handbook. He has written six special-focus editions of Everyone’s Money Book on College, Credit, Financial Planning, Real Estate, Retirement Planning and Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds. Jordan also hosts the Money Answers Show on the VoiceAmerica Business Network, which recently crossed 100,000 downloads per month.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Jordan Goodman? Jordan has always had a passion to help people make better financial decisions. At the age of 12, Jordan was writing a youth baseball column for his local newspaper and liked to sell the left over newspaper to tourists. He tries to help people by looking at the financial needs they have and finding a solution for them. Writing has always been a passion for Jordan, his first published book was a dictionary for financial investment terms which sold 3.5 million copies and is in its 10th edition. After 18 years of writing for Money magazine, Jordan was getting more opportunities than he could take and he decided to go out and do his own thing. A lot of entrepreneurs quit their day job before they have anything going, it can work out but it will be much harder. Jordan had been writing on his website for years before venturing out on his own. He now focuses on the money answers that people are looking for everyday. What are the most common money questions? The first challenge people are experiencing is getting a decent yield on their money without having all the volatility of the stock and bond markets. Jordan is on the board of a company called Secured Real Estate Funds that enables people to get an 8% yield by investing in commercial real estate. Inflation is pegged at 2%, but in the real world, the prices of everything are going up much faster than that, especially when compared to income. People lose purchasing power by leaving their money in a bank account. Reinvesting In Your Business You should diversify your money. Even if your business is a great place to invest your money, you should still invest in other areas. Many industries that made huge amounts of money for a long time can still get hit by large market events like a recession, and that could be your business too. For an employee, you can invest outside quite easily. As an entrepreneur, your life typically is your business which can make investing outside quite difficult. Tackling Your Debt The reality of the situation is 70% of people graduate school with some amount of debt and the average debt is $39,000. This is an enormous burden and can delay these people from getting started with their lives. You can refinance your student loan debt by working with a company called Credible, typically at much lower rates. Mortgages are usually the biggest debt people will take on, but there is a process that allows you to pay off your mortgage in 5-7 years without taking on more debt. You use a HELOC to control the flow of your money and drastically reduce the interest rates you pay on your mortgage. The more pressing the need, the bigger the market is. Finding solutions to problems people have is a gr

Jeffrey Gitomer is an internationally recognized sales, customer loyalty, and personal development speaker and New York Times bestselling author of The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource: Including The 10.5 Commandments of Sales Success, The Little Gold Book of YES ! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless: How to make customers love you, keep them coming back, and tell everyone they know , The Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships, and The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, and the new book TRUTHFUL LIVING: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill. He has won numerous speaking awards.   Podcast Highlights Who is Jeffrey Gitomer? Jeffrey grew up in a family of business people and identifies as a businessman, not an entrepreneur. He had some great genes and was born smart enough to realize that he had to decide what to do with his mind. Everyday when he wakes up, he always does one or all of the following five things: Read, write, prepare, think, and create. How much do you do for yourself when you wake up? Everyone has a choice about what they do with their allocated time. Entrepreneur vs. Businessman A businessman is someone who has been in a family that has been in business for themselves for generations. Entrepreneurs are people who buy a franchise. Why do sales have a bad reputation? Jeffrey has done the work to understand sales and has sold millions of dollars worth of goods. Cold calling is a terrible place to make a sale, but a great place to learn selling. People don’t like to be sold, they like to buy. You have to engage them enough so they want to buy. Pressure, guilt, and manipulation are the reasons why sales have a bad reputation. It’s the classic case of the used car salesman. If you are consistent in your value message offerings, your business will grow. Anything less than weekly is not enough, you have to find ways to keep the message going. The art of sales is making the other person feel like they aren’t being sold. Letting Go Of The Sales Process The first thing you have to realize is that you have to let go of some of the things that you think the business won’t be able to live without. Napoleon Hill Jeffrey read Think and Grow Rich 10 times in 1972, after a while he understood Napoleon Hill’s philosophy and beliefs, while also working with a few other sales people on the same path. It all comes down to giving value first. There is life enhancing elements in the book that will make anyone who reads smile and do better. What do you want to do and how bad do you want to do it? Then, what are you willing to do to fulfill that emotion? Whoever wins, desired it more. Most people don’t have self confidence or self belief unless it is foisted on them by someone else. Deposit before withdrawal, give without expectation of anything in return. The best way to get a referral is to give one. There are five words that define someone’s ability to become successful: Imagination, desire, enthusiasm, confidence, and concentration. Concentration is the glue that makes everything happen. If you’re enthusiastic and committed, people will buy from you. Do things for love, not for money. Become so committed, you become emotional about it. Thoughts become things. Reference: Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill, Jeffrey Gitomer Jeffrey’s Takeaway Rather than foaming at the mouth at what they are thinking, try starting the c

Chris Watters is best known for building an independent brokerage utilizing the team-centric model in Austin, Texas. He built his business, Watters International Realty, in the middle of the Great Recession and in a highly competitive market that is home to some of the largest national real estate chains. His vision and entrepreneurial spirit led him from sleeping on his girlfriend’s (now wifes) couch in 2010 to becoming the first team owner to EARN $1Million in net income in three short years. Fueled by a desire to improve the success rate of real estate agents through proven training and innovative consumer-facing programs, Chris has built his business on helping others push past their self- imposed limitations and adding massive value to the consumer experience. In 2015, Watters International Realty began opening branches across Texas and partnered with other successful agents and team leaders, assisting them in duplicating our success. In 2016, his team successfully closed over $100+ Million in sales and helped hundreds of families in the purchase or sale of their home. As of 2017, Watters International Realty is now a national franchise system that has developed a proven and repeatable model to help expansion partners grow their brokerages using the team model. His partners have the ability to replicate the key ingredients used to make Watters International Realty in Austin, the recipient of the #1 Real Estate Team by the Austin Business Journal, Inc. 5000 Recipient for Fastest Growing Privately Held Company and the recipient as one of the top real estate teams reported by Real Trends in the Wall Street Journal. Podcast Highlights   Who is Chris Watters? If Chris had to think of himself as a superhero, the one that comes to mind is The Hulk. Bruce Banner was more focused on research and learning, wasn’t super flashy and was more introverted, and Chris identifies with his humility. Real estate was not Chris’s focus initially, in college he ran a lawn mowing business that paid his way through school and he preferred to take classes on the stock market. In his younger years, he liked to learn how to build websites. All of which had nothing to do with real estate. Chris’s path into real estate is a long winding tail that goes from working in real estate for a few months, moving into the oil and gas industry, losing everything in trying to run a bar and restaurant, rebuilding his life by starting a lead generation company, and then ultimately getting back into real estate. During the process, Chris became psychologically unemployable and being an entrepreneur was his only option. His time in the oil and gas industry actually allowed Chris to learn a lot about the back end technical aspects of real estate that most agents never get to see. Lead Generation and Real Estate As a young man, Chris was pretty ignorant of the risks of running a brokerage but he managed pretty well. His skills with lead generation turned out to be perfect for the business, he was generating so many leads that he had to hire more people just to handle the deal flow. In the B2C world, lead generation can be easy. Google Adwords, retargeting campaigns, and content creation work pretty well. SEO is great too, but it’s a long term play and paying for Adwords is a much faster process. It’s about leveraging the low hanging fruit. The stage of your business dictates the lead generation strategy you should be using. If you’re a small business with a limited amount of money, you should go after the cheaper lead sources. The more expensive forms of lead generation like TV ads and direct mail take time to become effective but they have a very high conversion rate. Why write the book? Chris was 21 when he got into real estate, and the only rea

Kade Wilcox is the owner and CEO of Primitive Social, a digital marketing agency focused on helping companies grow. Primitive Social works with clients all across the country to craft digital solutions that help them meet their objectives and reach their goals. Kade’s career started as both the Executive Director of a children’s camp and serving on staff at Redeemer Church where he managed operations, leadership development and church planning efforts. In 2011, Kade and his wife Lacey started Primitive Social, providing social media support to small local businesses. In 2013, Kade and Lacey connected with Jerred Hurst (now co-owner of Primitive Social) to focus on growing the company to help others grow their businesses. Over the past three years, Kade has helped transform Primitive Social from a 2 person team into a multi-million dollar company with nearly 50 employees!   Podcast Highlights Who is Kade Wilcox? Kade grew up in a small town of only 350 people and a lot of his experiences in sports and the local community shaped the way he viewed the world. Learning how to work hard and rely on the people around him taught him many valuable lessons on the way to his entrepreneurial journey. When you are part of a small, tight knit community you share the good and the hard times. This means you learn how to depend on other people. Developing a Vision Kade was always a dreamer and no one tried to squash his dreams when he was young, this fostered his ability to develop a vision of the way things could be. Having people that support your vision and dreaming is crucial as well as having the opportunity to try to make your dream a reality. The self made person is a myth, to be successful as an entrepreneur you have to be able to lean into other people. That ability is one of the most important things an entrepreneur can do. People want to love their work, if you as the entrepreneur don’t nurture them as individuals and foster the environment that enables them to work, you won’t be able to run a successful company. Leadership is superior to managing. Management is organization and structure and it’s very important, where leadership is more about helping people be the best they can be in their work as well as the rest of their life. Kade’s business originally started out as a side hustle but eventually grew into a real full time business. When you have a small team, everyone is doing everything. When you grow your business, everything changes including the culture. Every dynamic of an organization changes at each different life stage of a company. Digital Marketing for Small Business Primitive Social can support a business on nearly every element of digital marketing including custom software and websites, inbound and content marketing, and video marketing. The common element between Kade’s clients is a clear set of goals and a focus on digital marketing that they can measure. Digital marketing has changed the marketing landscape, stop doing things that you can’t measure the impact of. Digital marketing can be measured dollar for dollar on the direct impact to your business. The people who are not successful are the ones that focus on tactics over strategy. Who is the audience, how can you add value to them, and where are they? Prioritize your goals and your budget, there is always a new platform to explore but you don’t have infinite resources to spread out to every platform. Focus on the basics, develop a strategy and then stick with it for a few months. You may not like Facebook, but it is still the number one platform to reach your ideal audience. The first step is to have a helpful website, then focus on the basics of social media and email. Email is another channel to be over-

Christina Nicholson is a former TV reporter and anchor who has worked in markets from New York City to Miami. With her business, Media Maven, she helps entrepreneurs reach thousands, even millions, of their ideal customers or clients in minutes instead of months through the power of media without spending big bucks on advertising. We’re talking coverage in Forbes, the Today Show, Washington Post, and more! You can still see her in front of the camera as a host on Lifetime TV, in national commercials, on WPTV for her monthly segment, and read her work online in Huffington Post, Inc. Magazine, and Fast Company.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Christina Nicholson? Christina has always looked telling stories through media, she’s someone that likes to hear, read, or watch a good story. The things that resonate online are stories. She started writing stories from an early age and now her daughter is following in her footsteps. Being in the media has always been something that Christina has wanted to do, even when she was child in her family’s home movies she pretended to be a news anchor covering the story. Traditional TV media is a very competitive industry with only a handful of positions available in a large city. Christina spent hundreds of dollars sending her resume tapes to studios in different markets and she didn’t get her first job offer until two years of effort. Is themedia more competitive today? Media isn’t necessarily harder or easier than it was years ago, it’s just different. In the beginning, you would have a photographer that would follow you around, today, you are responsible for everything yourself. The nature of media has changed, what used to be earned media in editorial is slowly turning to paid. This is why influencer marketing is picking up. If something is obviously an ad, the audience is going to ignore it. You have to be savvy with social media and be everywhere all the time to succeed in today’s media environment. Has does an entrepreneur attract attention to get their story out? The biggest secret to getting earned media coverage without spending money is to give the journalist what they want and need, when they want and need it. Your pitch should talk about the journalist and what you can do for them, not what makes you so important. You have to ask why people will care. A lot of coverage comes from timeliness, it creates a sense of urgency around the story. What if someone is afraid of being on camera? You don’t have to be on TV, you can be on print, online, and on podcasts. There are lots of different kinds of media that don’t require you to get in front of a camera. If you want to reach more people, you have to get comfortable in front of the camera. Start with videos at home and get some practice in. Any interview on TV is just a conversation, just like when you’re on a podcast. What does it take to get earned media? A lot of people will call you promising to get you into the media, but they are actually just advertisements. Earned media can’t be guaranteed. Be careful of someone that is promising you something. Pay attention to what is breaking in your industry, if you position yourself correctly you can get into the media in a single day. You have to be pitching different people with different ideas so that you don’t come off to spammy. Journalists are on Twitter, if you want to build relationships you should engage them on where they spend a lot of their time. Get clear on where the ROI is and who you need to get in front of, then ask what media serves that purpose. Start building your media list and adding value to the journalist to build a relationship

He is a bestselling author, a seasoned trainer, a captivating speaker, a real estate investor, and property manager with two decades of experience. There are many ways you can describe Bryan Chavis, but one comes to mind above all else: a tenacious entrepreneur. Bryan has spent the last two decades building successful real estate ventures. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Bryan explains how there is nothing wrong with the last time you failed, failure is the greatest teacher. Every day is a new day and a new opportunity, shake off that voice or it will ride you to the grave. Next, spend some time alone and figure out what you really want. Develop your spiritual side. Work on yourself and invest in yourself. You are going to make it and you are going to lose it, your character is tested by failures and opportunities. Do not fail in the same area twice.  

Nathan Hirsch is an entrepreneur and expert in remote hiring and eCommerce. He is the co-founder and CEO of FreeeUp.com, a marketplace that connects businesses with pre-vetted freelancers in eCommerce, digital marketing, and much more. He has sold over $30 million online and regularly appears on leading business podcasts around the world.   Podcast Highlights Who is Nate Hirsch? Nate’s parents were both teachers and he grew up with the mentality that he would go to college, get a job, work for 40 years and retire, but he always wanted more. During his summer vacations, his parents made him work at least 40 hours every week. This gave him a ton of experience in sales and customer service, but it was also where he realized that he hated working for other people. For Nate, college was a ticking clock where he had to figure out a way to start a business before he got into a regular job and could never escape. Nate’s parents definitely had reservations about him becoming a business owner. By the time he graduated, Nate had been running an Amazon business where he was making more money than the job he had lined up after school. When he made his decision, they saw the success he was having and supported him in his pursuit. The Amazon Side Hustle Nate is the kind of guy that when something is bugging him, he tries to take action and fix it. When he went to college, he realized that the school book store was ripping him off so he started his own textbook business. It got to the point where he had so many customers lining up to sell their books, the school sent a cease and desist letter because he was stealing too much of their business. Nate knew books weren’t going to be a long term solution so he started experimenting with other products. He failed several times before stumbling on baby products, which is where his business really started to take off. He got really skilled at finding good deals and tracking down manufacturers. What kept you going? There are two things that Nate learned from his experience with Amazon: he had to stop being afraid of failure, and to not care what other people thought. He had to block the negativity of other people out in order to succeed. Amazon to Freelancers Nate’s accountant was the first person to ask when he was going to hire his first employee. He initially thought that was a terrible idea until he went through his first busy Christmas season, where he almost went crazy. He made it through and posted his first job offer. This is when he hired a bunch of people who didn’t end up working out and realized there must be a better way. Nate came to the realization that no 30 year old expert wants to work for a 20 year old entrepreneur. This is how he ended up looking to marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork, but even then Nate found the experience frustrating and time consuming. He thought there had to be a better way, which is where the idea of Freeeup.com came from. You can have five different people hire the same person, and each one is going to have a different experience. No matter how much you prepare for a busy season, it’s always crazy. Freeeup? The whole concept behind Freeeup.com is free up your time, the third ‘e’ in the domain name stands for eCommerce. With Freeeup, you create a free account and it essentially works like a Tinder for hiring. You tell them what you are looking for and they will introduce you to someone within one business day. Freeeup covers all replacement costs in the scenario where a hire walks away half way throug

Don Tapscott is the CEO of The Tapscott Group. He was Founder and Chairman of the international think tank New Paradigm before its acquisition. He is currently the fourth most influential management thinker in the world according to Thinkers 50. He is the Chancellor of Trent University and bestselling author of Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, and Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Don explains how the blockchain revolution will change your business.

Eddie Lorin is a multi-family real estate veteran with over 40,000 units transformed and over $3 billion transacted (acting as either Principal or Advisor) nationwide. He is passionate about helping communities have access to affordable housing and improve the quality of life. Eddie Lorin is the Founder of Impact Housing REIT, company that focuses on both impact investing and multifamily real estate to provide financial, environmental, and social returns to its investors. He is also the co-founder of Healthy Apartment Property Initiative, a 501C3 nonprofit that provides free on-site social, health, and wellness programming for families living in apartment communities. Podcast Highlights Who is Eddie Lorin? Eddie Loren prides himself as a dreamer, a doer, and a proponent of the underdog. He shares that his childhood was filled with love and respect while living in a small apartment with his single mother and siblings. Losing his parents at a young age became a pivotal point in Eddie’s life. At the age of 17, he was learning to live and survive alone. He remembers how tough it was emotionally, psychologically, and financially. ‘Just one more day.’ This is what he uttered to himself every single day. According to Eddie, as bad as things come into your life, take in mind that there could be worst. And instead of letting them get him down, he just looked forward, had hope, and dreamed for the day ahead. From his experience and his empathic observation of his surroundings at that time, he wanted to make a difference in the world. Eddie’s mission now is to provide clean, safe, and affordable housing for working class. He does this through his company Impact Housing. He’s also very outspoken on criticizing inflated housing prices in America. Having a vision in the real estate industry It wasn’t the easiest road to take when he started in real estate. While trying to make a name for himself in the industry, there were so many bumps on the road he had to pass through. First, he experienced being taken advantage by people because he was always ‘the nice guy.’ He learned that he had to be firm and also respectful to get his message across. There was also a feeling of despair, angst, and turmoil from time to time. He drove them away by calming and meditating. He always taught himself since then that from every mistake, you gotta keep going wherever your goal is. If one thing was made clear during those times, it was the fact that real estate is where he needed to be. At first, he tried dealing with commercial and industrial properties. But then he discovered that in multifamily business he can make a lot of money and at the same time help the masses. And thus, the birth of Impact Housing. Eddie says that his ultimate gift is having a vision in renovation. Just one look at an old property, he already knows how to turn it into something different. He says that he finds those properties through his connections or a brokerage community. Do well and do good simultaneously. Eddie chooses to invest on B and C class properties and turn them into something better rather than stick with the A class. Well, aside from the reason that A class properties don’t generate cash flows, he’d choose the option where the masses will be more benefitted. He was an expert in creating value for the property and making it not just livable but also a quality affordable housing for everyone. If he doesn’t renovate B & C properties, he brings the people together at apartment communities. Through Healthy Apartment Initiative, a nonprofit that he and his wife started, he provides free on-site social, health and wellness programming for families living there. He is also urging apartments to have community gardens to promote healthy living. It’

Matthew is the CEO and Founder of QuantmRE, a cryptocurrency startup that supports homeowners by helping them sell a fraction of the equity in their home without taking on more debt. A seasoned entrepreneur, Matthew has a proven track record in real estate innovation through his experiences as Co-Founder of the $50M Secured Real Estate Income Strategies Fund, and as Founder and President of Crowdventure.com, a real estate crowdfunding company. Previously a stockbroker and corporate financier in the City of London, he worked with Richard Branson’s corporate finance team, was appointed Director and Trustee of Virgin’s London Air Ambulance, is a helicopter pilot in his spare time and is the host of his own podcast, “Hooked On Startups.” Podcast Highlights   Who is Matthew Sullivan? The question is are you born an entrepreneur or do you become one? Matthew wasn’t one of those people who were entrepreneurs at the age of 7, but he has always been fascinated with challenges that were not the focus of his current job. He realized that he was essentially unemployable at that point. Solving Problems Finance is essentially a set of rules and processes and you can navigate that world the same way as technology. There are a lot of similarities between crowdfunding and the blockchain. Real estate is great because it is real and tangible, it’s something that we often take for granted. Combining real estate and technology comes with a lot of opportunities to create new efficiencies and increase the value of real estate as an asset class. Real estate is a tool, but it’s often slow and cumbersome. QuantumRE is trying to change that by creating a new asset, blockchain real estate. The Impact of Blockchain Real Estate When the blockchain was first introduced, most people didn’t see the importance of it, including Matthew. The blockchain is basically a layer of truth that cannot be changed, altered, or influenced. It means that you don’t require a third party to ensure an element of trust. The blockchain turns all of that trust infrastructure into programming language that ensures certain events will happen without any outside trust requirements. For real estate, if you could automate the process of buying a home you can increase the liquidity of real estate immediately and make international transactions more easily. The real friction with real estate is the time and the processes that are involved with changing ownership, and the reason for that is the world that it evolved. Blockchain technology will take real estate from analog to digital and eliminate the need for trusted third parties. Cryptocurrencies are a way of exchanging value on the blockchain, the key to the blockchain becoming widely adopted is people trusting the stability of future cryptocurrencies. QuantumRE plans to issue its own cryptocurrency that is backed by a portion of the equity in your home. The issues with HELOC’s is that lenders often stipulate how you spend the money, with QuantumRE the money is yours to spend as you want. It can actually be an additional source of funds for people who have reached the limit of their ability to borrow but still have equity in their property. Where did QuatumRE come from? Start by looking at the problem you are trying to solve. Great ideas are nice, but they don’t matter much without solving a specific problem. The issue with Bitcoin was that it was unpredictable and hard to understand what it was backed by. The solution Matthew came up with was blockchain real estate, a new cryptocurrency backed direc

Ralph Welborn is the co-author of Topple: The End of the Firm-Based Strategy and Rise of New Models for Explosive Growth. CEO of CapImpact, he specializes in advisory and predictive analytics for new growth models. He is a former head of IBM’s strategy and transformation business in the Middle East and Africa. Sajan Pillai is the CEO of UST Global, leading the company’s founding team of 20 in 1999 to more than 18,000 employees in 21 countries today.

Bill Janeway is the Vice Chairman, Managing Director, and Senior Advisor at leading venture capital behemoth Warburg Pincus. He is also the Co-founder of the Governing Board of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) and part of the faculty of  Economics at Cambridge University. He is the author of the new and updated bestselling book Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy: Reconfiguring the Three-Player Game between Markets, Speculators and the State.   Podcast Highlights Who is Bill Janeway? Bill has spent his entire life trying to answer that question. He was always pretty smart in school and ended up going to Princeton and later on to Cambridge. He eventually stumbled into the world of finance and helping entrepreneurs build their businesses.   Unicorns and Positive Cash Flow When you are building something new, you have to build hedges against things that you can’t know in advance. Part of that is cash. Positive cash flow is the source of the ability to grow without having to worry about being caught by surprise. The internet has enabled companies to grow in ways that allow them to burn cash before reaching profitability. As interest rates start rising, the digital Unicorns will need to get to positive cash flow sooner rather than later. Even Uber is coming under pressure to exercise discipline and get to where it’s customers are paying the bills and not the investors. How does understanding innovation help entrepreneurs build their business? Technology is increasingly accessible and cheap. You can grow your business incrementally without a lot of upfront costs. A lot of new tech businesses are being bought when they are still small, this is often the best way to succeed and is a huge shift in the way technology gets out into the world. Design your business to be purchased by someone else. You should be asking if it’s the right time to sell at every stage of growth in the new business. As an entrepreneur, you have one interest which is the growth and the value of what you are doing. Selling part of the business too early to a major customer can potentially short circuit the path to positive cash flow. When it comes to technology, being different is more important than being better. When it comes to people, the founder doesn’t build a business alone, they need the right team to succeed. Reference: Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy: Reconfiguring the Three-Player Game between Markets, Speculators and the State, William Janeway William’s Takeaway Understand the market you are addressing, but make sure you have the cash you need to fall back when things don’t go the way you hoped. A great idea without the cash to put it to work, is just a great idea. You need partners and access to the fuel in order to succeed.   Links: billjaneway.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Mike Banks is the COO and Marketing Director of Fund&Grow and works directly with CEO Ari Page. With over 8 years of success and growth, they have built a thriving business based on offering exceptional service to their customers and a dynamic and rewarding work environment to their employees. Fund&Grow specializes in helping Real Estate Investors and small businesses get Business Credit Lines to fund their investments and obtain capital to grow. F&G builds up to $250,000 at zero percent interest for 12-18 months, the accounts are unsecured so there’s no collateral needed, and they don’t show up on the personal credit report. Fund&Grow has raised over $200M in 0% interest business credit funding for its small business clients, last year alone raised $40M.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Mike Banks? Mike is a regular guy who figured out how to make money and help people. He dropped out of college after realizing it wasn’t going to lead to the life he wanted and got into sales and that’s when he met Ari. Mike took a lot of knowledge from his previous jobs to Fund&Grow that helped them grow substantially in only seven years. Why are SOP’s so important at Fund&Grow? If you don’t know what you are doing, you can’t repeat it and have consistency. You have to record the policies and procedures. Even when it comes to requesting a testimonial or a review, that needs to be documented in order to get results. Your reputation is impacted by your procedures and your ability to deliver results that matter efficiently and effectively. Don’t bore yourself with the monotony of Standard Operating Procedures in the beginning, focus on revenue first. Once you do something a couple of times, it may be a good idea to document it. If you’re going to grow your business, you have to record what you’re doing. Low Interest Business Funding Business credit lines and business credit cards usually come with 0% introductory interest rates and they don’t show up on your personal credit report. If your credit is in good shape, you can get the lines set up within the next 3 to 4 weeks. You can use these type of funds for anything you need for your business. For people with a credit score of 700 or higher, you don’t have to prove income and don’t need a history in order to take advantage of these offers. Fund&Grow has relationships with the banks that make the process much more streamlined and you can often get much higher amounts approved in less time. 30% of Mike’s clients are credit challenged and there are still options for those people. They are very effective at cleaning up credit reports and also offer short term instalment loans that allow them to move personal debt to business debt at low to 0% interest. Mike’s Takeaway Don’t listen to that relative or voice, even Mike has had moments where he questioned his business. Fund&Grow is enabling people to chase their dreams and achieve their goals, they would be more than happy to help you out.   Links: cashflowdiary.com/fundme Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Jim Beach is the Executive Director of International Entrepreneurship and Founder of the Entrepreneur School. He is the author of School for Startups: The Breakthrough Course for Guaranteeing Small Business Success in 90 Days or Less and the new book Free Radio & Podcast Marketing In 30 Minutes: Fire your publicist and leverage free radio and podcasting to market your business, brand, or idea.   Podcast Highlights Who is Jim Beach? Jim was the guy who got fired from respectable businesses all the time. He saved Coca-Cola over a billion dollars and they still showed him the door. They essentially told him to go be an entrepreneur instead because they thought he didn’t fit in with the culture. Jim went back to school and started looking for ways to earn money to afford the tuition. He ended up starting a summer camp business that went so well he ended up leaving school.   Why didn’t you consider yourself an entrepreneur? Jim always considered himself a corporate person, he always wanted to work for a big company and the security that came with that. It was also before the time that entrepreneurs were considered rock stars like they are today. Jim had been a summer camp consumer as a kid so he had some experience with the idea beforehand, but it was really just the last idea on the list. Breaking even on the first year wasn’t actually an issue, since the business had already had the same number of people signed up in the future, Jim knew the business was growing in the future and they had stumbled onto a working formula. School For Startups You can be cash flow positive year one in business. By leveraging the existing branding and marketing of the schools they associated with and responding to the needs of the consumer, Jim created a remarkable business. Involving someone else’s brand name goes a long way towards establishing trust with your prospect. Import the best brand names you can, it’s a great way to differentiate your business and it’s not as hard you think. Go and ask ten businesses to sponsor, put together a proposal and start sending it. There are a lot of businesses that may want to be associated with your company. There are thousands of radio shows and podcasts that consistently need guests and they are a great way to spread your message. That goes for guest blogging as well. Reference: Jim’s Takeaway   Jim is able to shut up his voice by saying one thing: “I’m not going to waste a bunch of money.” Jim promises to experiment with a business but limits his risk to $5000, it becomes an easier way to get started and succeed. The bar to success is significantly lower too. If you reduce your startup capital, you change the game. If you think you can’t start your business with only $5000, you’re probably wrong and someone has most likely already done something similar. Take the small risks, not the big risks.   Links: jimbeach.com [email protected] Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Edna Keep, author of Multiple Ways To Wealth: Creating Your Prosperous Lifestyle and real estate investment teacher, has a deep understanding of what investors want in a deal. As a former financial advisor, Edna helps connect investors with everyday people who want to create true passive income for the long term. Edna’s team has a portfolio of $60 Million they built in less than ten years on primarily multifamily units and primarily with none of their own money. Her process is proven, which she now teaches through coaching and her Mastermind groups. Edna lives near Regina, Saskatchewan between Calgary and Winnipeg with her husband Warren and teenage daughters Desiree and Dhani.   Podcast Highlights Who is Edna Keep? Edna recalls a teacher that once told her she was very social and if she could only channel that ability, she would inevitably become successful, despite the fact that she was barely passing his class! Whenever Edna has a challenge, she tends to call her key people and brainstorm with them, she prefers to think on her feet. Her natural curiosity and desire to get to know people is one of her unexpected super powers. Hope and Regret It doesn’t matter how old you are, tomorrow is a new day. You can always start being an entrepreneur now. Edna was 48 when she started in passive income real estate investing and she didn’t intend on becoming a full time investor. She actually walked away from her mutual fund investment business because she felt that real estate was such a great option. Where did the courage to make the leap come from? Edna originally had a decent job and made a good amount of money but she was extremely bored. She wanted more and had to do correspondence courses because she didn’t have extra money for school. The common thread in Edna’s experience is constant education and always being willing to try new things plus the desire for more. Edna always wanted to be financially free and being a financial advisor was the vehicle that initially got her there. Eventually she was down to working one day a week while doing passive income real estate investing part time Edna has a history of taking a chance, but she believes the key is taking a chance on yourself. Don’t try to do everything yourself, the most successful people have coaches that help them work through challenges. There is a four step process to success and the final step is teaching what you know to others. What have you learned about mindset? You are always beating yourself up for what you’re not, but literally everything in the world is learnable. School is not as important as an education. We have a great schooling system, but we have a poor education system. Edna always loved learning as long it was something she was interested in. A lot of people think education is limited to the traditional school, but there are a number of resources online you can access very easily. You have to get to know yourself to understand what you will be good at. What did you do as a kid that you loved, and is there a way to turn that into a business? Why bother coaching passive income real estate investing? People were always asking Edna how she had been so successful in such a short period of time, and she realized that it’s all about the steps you take and the systems you set up. She started helping people achieve what she has and it’s one of the most fulfilling things she’s done. Reference: Multiple Ways To Wealth: Creating Your Prosperous Lifestyle, Edna Keep Edna’s Takeaway Watch the Masterclass and take some action. Argue for your greatness, not your limit

David Moadel is a part of PortfolioWealthGlobal.com Special Opportunity Research Team. He has nailed a number of key topics in the precious metals, cryptocurrency and USD bear market arenas. He now proudly serves as the Chief Analyst of the letter. He also has his own YT channel called, Looking at the Markets with David Moadel. Regarding his background, David has a master's degree in education and has taught at the elementary, high school, and college levels. The foundation of his trading/investing knowledge came from his father, who is now 83 years of age and has lived through the best and worst economic times you can imagine. In terms of investing style, David likes to combine fundamental knowledge and technical/chart analysis. He uses indicators but doesn't rely on them, and prefers to use data/information rather than emotions when making financial decisions. David’s passion for teaching is just as strong as his passion for finance, and he has helped many people to grow their income and, more importantly, to protect the capital they already have. With PortfolioWealthGlobal.com and his YouTube channel as avenues to help others, David has the financial know-how and a passion for teaching that has boosted the bottom line of countless clients. Focusing on data rather than emotions, David is always on the lookout for new pathways to financial freedom. Count on David for wealth-building strategies and resources for investors of all financial backgrounds.   Podcast Highlights Who is David Moadel? David is not a superhero but he does have a team of researchers to help him make his trading decisions. He’s been pursued by many different investors and newsletters but ultimately settled on PortfolioWealthGlobal.com because they align with David’s core values and his focus on cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is derived from latin word “crypto” which means secret or hidden. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are based on a grassroots level movement that is frustrated with central banks and rampant inflation. Why Make Another Currency Like Bitcoin? We you pay a portfolio manager to invest your money, they are probably just sticking your money into the stock market. We are currently experiencing the longest bull market in history, you should be diversifying your portfolio into assets that are not correlated to stocks and bonds. The zero interest policies are not going to last forever and the savers are the ones that are going to feel the burn. Non-correlated assets go the opposite direction of the comparison. In the 2008 crash, real estate and stocks were correlated. It didn’t matter which one you owned, if one of them did badly, the other does too because they are correlated. Meltdowns are global now, the whole ship goes down together. Non-correlated assets will move up while other assets go down. Currencies in general don’t move together when there is a meltdown. Having all your assets in a single nation can be a bad idea, if one country melts down it will affect others. Hardly anyone expects a crash to happen but they will happen. Diversifying your investments with assets like Bitcoin are not the only way to protect yourself, finding other ways to produce income are important too. Being Prepared 7 out 10 new businesses fail in the first five years, you need something unique to help you to compete against the major players. A side hustle is also very viable, keep the costs low, and stay lean

Nick Vertucci is the founder and CEO of Nick Vertucci Companies, Inc. which aims to help people in real estate investment. He is also the bestselling author of the new book Seven Figure Decisions: Having the Balls to Succeed.  Nick went from rags to riches, back to rags, and to riches once more. When his original tech business went under, he made a 180-degree turn. He achieved tremendous success by taking bold, calculated risks to reinvent himself after losing everything. Podcast Highlights Who is Nick Vertucci? Nick wasn’t really a big fan of waking up early, attending classes, and getting high grades. He knew after finishing high school, education wasn’t the journey he’ll be taking for the next years of his life. When he was 18, his father died and the rest of his family moved out. He was at a low point and knew that he needed his family close so he decided to buy a van and stay near them. To support himself, he worked for an appliance store as a delivery boy and luckily was able to move up to its sales department after some time. In between those happenings, something ignited a fire inside him to finally jumpstart his journey to where he should be. He knew then that he wanted to create as early as possible something valuable for himself and worthy of his time. As a result, at the early age of 22, he was able to start his own company. He built his career as a professional real estate investor and learnt more than a handful along the way. Nick says he wouldn’t exchange any part if his life because he’s happy where he is right now – teaching people about real estate investment through Nick Vertucci Real Estate Academy (NVREA). Take a calculated risk. Some of us are inherently adamant to adjust and accept change. Nick says people are wired that way. Humans don’t like putting their safety and comfortability at risk. But, to be the best, we must become something different. He started seeing everyone around him moving up and thought to himself: why waste all the hours and energy to a dull work if you could do something else more valuable and worthier? Embrace change, instead of familiarity. To be able to move on the next step of your own career or business ladder, initiate the action. You and you alone should do it. You create opportunities and you open doors if you choose to take the wheel of your own journey. Don’t let anyone or anything decide for you. Take the risk. Just know your resources. Surround yourself with like-minded people who’ll bring optimism and will push you forward. Failure is the best education you’ll ever have. Out of fear, we refuse to accept change for our personal transformation. Nick himself is not far from failures. He lost his company. He went bankrupt. He got cheated by his business partners. He got sued. You name it. But, in the end, he was able to make a company that has gone over seven figures and still stay impactful to other people. If not for the hard turns that happened in Nick’s life, he wouldn’t be able to build his foundation and have the wisdom to grow his business. His past was ‘littered’ with failure. He advises that if you fall, then stand up, dust yourself off, then just keep going. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Just push yourself forward to wherever you want to go. Acknowledge and accept that there will be ups and downs. Treat every unforeseen halt on the way as a lesson just like Nick did. Pattern Interruption Here’s an advice Nick got from his mentor who taught him real estate cash flow business: If there’s negative voices inside your head, block it out. Negative thoughts can be repatterned. Drown them with optimism and passion. Use it to convince yourself that you’re going to be the best in the business. Of course, there are some aspects i

Brian Matsen is widely known and respected as a highly successful entrepreneur, sales trainer, investor, speaker and proven expert in personal development. His successful career has spanned over 20 years. He has worked for some of the largest financial institutions in the world including, 14 years as a Regional Vice President with ING and Voya Financial, a Fortune 500 company. He has received numerous national sales growth and achievement awards while amassing over one billion dollars in sales.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Brian Matsen? Brian is just a normal guy. He grew up in Orange County, California, loved sports, like most kids and wasn’t in love with school, like most kids. For Brian, school was always a focus challenge. He felt that his future success as an adult would be reduced because he couldn’t succeed like everyone said he should in school.   Sports taught Brian to work hard and built his confidence. One of his most difficult experiences was when he volunteered in Puerto Rico without knowing a word of spanish. He was forced to confront his fear of speaking to people and grow as a result.   The first five years after college were a real struggle for Brian. After being let go from his fourth job in five years, Brian realized that if he kept doing the same thing, he was going to get the same results. This lead him to personal development and focusing on growing his own skill set.   Setting Big Goals Brian had the golden handcuffs at the time but he realized that he had a lot of the answers that people are searching for that could help them take their career to the next level. Fear is the number one cause of failure and it never goes away. If you’re going to expand as a person, you will always have to push through the terror barrier. Getting real clear on exactly what you want is key to personal development. Most people never set their goals and have no idea what they really want. The type of goals you should be going after are the ones you really want to achieve but have no idea how to do it. Setting a truly ambitious goal can change your life and your business. A C type goal is a tenfold increase, not an incremental gain. Paradigms dictate everything you do, if you don’t have the right mindset you are never going to achieve this kind of goal. Paradigm Shifts Paradigms are mental programs that have exclusive control over your habits. Paradigms come together to create a company culture. You become programmed to earn a certain amount of money over time. Your paradigm won’t change without a dramatic or tragic change in your life or constant spaced repetition. Most people that come to Brian feel stuck, they are unhappy with what they are currently at and know that their results won’t change unless they do. We inherit the habits of our ancestors, they are not easy to change but once you understand how to do it, you can make a quantum leap in your life. You need to rewire your subconscious mind because 95% of what you do is driven by your subconscious mind. It’s not about what you know, it’s about what you do. Brian’s Takeaway   The voice is a great example of your paradigm talking to you. Ignore that and listen to your intuition that says you can do it. When you make a committed decision, you will begin to change your life.   Links: brianmatsen.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Michael  Zipursky  is  an  author,  entrepreneur  and  CEO  of ConsultingSuccess.com.  He  has  consulted  for organizations  and  advised  leaders  throughout  North  America,  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  Australia  and  the Middle  East  in  over  30  industries,  from  service  providers  to  billion  dollar  multinational  corporations including  Panasonic,  Dow  Jones,  Financial  Times,  Royal  Bank  and  many others.  Michael  is  an  in-demand speaker  and  gives  keynotes  and  workshops  for  the  Certified  Management  Consultants  Association, Canadian  Internet  Marketing  Conference,  Chartered  Management  Institute  UK  and  others. Michael’s work  has  appeared  in  MarketingProfs,  Huffington  Post,  Financial  Times,  FOX  Business, Maclean's,  HR Executive,  Business  Edge,  Marketing  Magazine  and  in  several  other  media  and  publications.  He  is  the author  of  5  books  on  consulting  and  marketing  including  his  most recent  bestseller  The  Elite  Consulting Mind.  Michael  speaks  English  and  Japanese  and  loves  traveling  and  spending  time  with  his  family.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Michael Zipurskey? Michael grew up feeling like an outsider. In his early years, his focus on sports combined with his perspective as an outsider gave him the foundation for his career later on. Michael has studied multiple languages and has lived in multiple countries. Playing in sports gives you the fair advantage of practicing failure, a key skill for success in consulting and business. Consulting Business At the age of 16, Michael travelled with his cousin Sam to Vietnam to start a business together. They ended up starting a web design and consulting business which opened the door for new opportunities. The places you’ve been and the things that have influenced you when you were young shape who you become as an entrepreneur. Michael dove right into consulting by applying what he learned and knew directly to the business world. Michael is not a big fan of education in some ways. You can always go back to school, but school is no substitute for getting things done. Clarity On Your Goals Michael knew what he wanted and pursued it. If you know what you want, how committed are you to getting it? With the right mindset, you can achieve whatever you want. Getting clear is the foundation to achieving growth in your business. People think that they need to add more in order to grow, but in Michael’s experience, the best way to grow is to subtract. Do less, not more. The most successful businesses have a very narrow and focused set of offerings. What are you doing now that is having the greatest impact? Not all activities have the same value to your business. What’s stopping us? A lack of knowledge is not holding you back, it’s your mindset. If you have a goal and know what you need to do to get there, why are you not doing those things? People have fears that hold them back, get out into the marketplace and refine your offering. You have to work on the right activities for the stage of the business you are in. What do you feel will have the greatest impact in your business right now? Reference: The Elite Consulting Mind, Michael Zipurskey Michael’s Takeaway Give some thought to your ideal client, who you think you can help the most and have had the greatest track record with. Look for a hungry market and start building a relationship right away with them wherever they are.   Links: consultingsuccess.com

Author  of  the  book “Free  Houses”,  Austin  Miller  has  built  a  real  estate  portfolio  of  16  units  worth over  1.2  million  dollars  with  little  to  zero  of  his  own  money.  Over  the  course  of  acquiring  several properties,  he  is  fittingly  labeled  as  a  creative  financing  real  estate  investor.  Thinking  outside  the  box from  traditional  investing,  Austin  has  outlined  each  of  his  strategies  chapter  by chapter  in  his  book. After  working  for  corporate  America  for  five  years,  he  was  able  to  quit  his  job  to  pursue  real  estate and  small  business  ownership  full  time.  Aside  from  real  estate,  Austin  enjoys  spending  time  with  his family  and  his  church  group.  His  other  passions  include  music  and  hunting.  He  also enjoys  talking about  real  estate  with  anyone  interested—veterans  and  rookies  alike.  He  is  active  in  his  local investors  club  and  serves  as  a  mentor  for  new  investors.   Podcast Highlights Who is Austin Miller? Austin wears a lot of hats but at the end of the day he’s someone who is willing to work really hard to achieve his goals. He has always been a collector and really liked acquiring capital and assets as part of his business. Living in the midwest gives Austin a unique perspective from the cities on the coast, he knows that slow and steady strategy is the way to win the race. Cards To Real Estate Investing It takes the innocence of a child to point out the obvious. Seeing developers as a child put Austin on the path to real estate investing. After getting a job with a commercial real estate builder in 2009, he observed the economy turning around and decided to pursue his dream of real estate investing. Austin needed to get some additional education in order to get started with real estate. Austin feels that he learned more in the six months after he graduated than during his whole time in school. Free Houses There is no secret in real estate, the education is out there if you look for it. Especially now with the number of podcasts available.Just being around people that want to do the same thing as you is very helpful. There is no such thing as a free lunch, but as long as you are willing to exchange time and effort, you don’t need any money. There are a lot of different ways to access cash to fund your deals and it’s normally the first hurdle people face. You have to start thinking in terms of possibilities instead of limitations. You can Google private money and you can find a funding source. Your average bank wants 20%, but when you change the conversation beyond the usual perspective you can open a lot of opportunities. Some people have a lot of drive, and some don’t. The world is made for disciplined men, if you get distracted you will never achieve your dreams. Most people will find excuses instead of doing the work. Real estate investing is an evolving game. Single family homes is one of the most solid investments you can make but there are lots of other opportunities on the market. Those who walk with the wise, become wise. If you want to learn, teach. Reference: Free Houses, Austin Miller Austin’s Takeaway Remove the naysayers, internal and external. If you have a goal, remove the negativity because it will only slow you down.   Links: Free Houses [email protected] Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please

Greg Jameson is a Colorado Small Business of the Year and Inc 500 Award Winning Entrepreneur. As the president of WebStores, he is now focusing this expertise on CEO’s of both established and emerging businesses that need a profitable web store presence.   On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Greg shares how you must jump in with both feet and actually do it. There are few things you can achieve in life on your own, you are going to need a few partners along the way. Align yourself with the very best people you can but don’t be afraid to give your dream a shot.  

Courtney Reum is the co-founder of VEEV Spirits, which was the best-selling independent liquor brand in the U.S. before being acquired by Luxco. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, he shares how you can never go wrong by moving forward and doing something. No one should be able to steal your confidence, love an idea, put something out there and see what happens.

Melinda  F.  Emerson,  SmallBizLady,  is  Americas  #1  Small  Business  Expert.  She  has been  a  thriving  entrepreneur  for  nearly  20  years  and  is  an  internationally  known  keynote speaker  and  expert  on  small  business  development  and  social  media  marketing.  She publishes  a  resource  blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com   Her  small  business advice  is  widely  read  reaching  more  than  3  million  entrepreneurs  each  week  online.  A pioneer  in  social  media  marketing,  she  is  the  creator  and  host  of  #Smallbizchat,  the longest  running  live  chat  on  Twitter  for  small  business  owners.  Forbes  magazine  named her  the  #1  woman  for  entrepreneurs  to  follow  on  Twitter.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Melinda Emerson? Melinda is a dedicated single mom, dragonslayer, and entrepreneur. Early on Melinda looked around and saw there wasn’t a lot resources available for small business owners so she decided to take charge of the situation. After creating one of the fastest growing small businesses in America, Melinda realized she had made a mistake and built a business that couldn’t run without her. After being put on bed rest for six months when she became pregnant, Melinda had to make some drastic changes to her business and she learned a lot of lessons along the way.   Starting A Small Business You have to plan for success, success will not just happen to you. Melinda has a six step system for planning your small business and the first step is figuring out what you really want. Not liking your current job is not enough, you need to have a plan or you may just destroy your entire life. You have to think about the money component, most businesses don’t make a profit until 18 to 24 months in. Things come up and you need money to take care of them. You need to understand how much the business is going to cost and where the money is going to come from. The great thing about being in America is you can reinvent yourself. If you want to start a business, work part time in the industry you want to start a business in and get some experience first. Personal Growth You have to grow yourself to grow your small business. You have to learn the skills necessary to create a successful business. Just because you are entrepreneur, that doesn’t mean you are a good manager. You have to figure out what is your most high value business activity. You should not be spending your time doing $15 and $20 per hour work. As an entrepreneur, you need to figure out what you don’t know and go fill the gaps in your knowledge. People know what is wrong with their businesses, they just aren’t willing to confront and deal with the problems. If you’re having trouble with people, try looking at yourself first. Take one day a week to work on what you want your business to be. Hiring If you want a real business, you need to hire people and have some help. In the beginning you have to hire the people you know, but you need to create a process to hire the right people and also be willing to fire someone. Reference: Fix Your Business, Melinda Emerson Melinda’s Takeaway   Buy Become Your Own Boss In 12 Months, then find an existing entrepreneur and go have lunch with them, then ask what the three biggest mistakes they made in their business are.   Links: succeedasyourownboss.com

Neil  Evans  has  the  unique  profession  of  Cost  Recovery Consultant,  finding  hidden  money  for  U.S.  Businesses  in  the  form of  specialized  tax  incentives  and  cost-recovery  programs.  He  and his  company  work  on  a  contingency  basis, meaning  that  if his  firm does  not  uncover  financial  benefit,  the  client  owes  them nothing. He  is  passionate  about  helping  businesses  survive  and  grow. To date, his  company  has  found  more  than  half  a  billion dollars  for  its clients.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Neil Evans? Neil’s dad was an entrepreneur who owned a restaurant during Neil’s childhood. Watching his father work and helped him understand the fundamentals of business and stoke his creativity. Neil later on went to work at BeachBody and fell into the role of optimizing the money that was spent in the company.   After leaving the corporate world in 2010, Neil got into the Cost Recovery space because he found he really enjoyed helping businesses save money.   Good, Fast, and Cheap You have to set boundaries in your minimum level of quality. Most businesses have so much waste in their processes that there is a huge opportunity for saving money. Cost Recovery And Optimizing Your Expenses Money always represents time, saving money means unlocking someone’s time. Waste is an expensive proposition, most businesses don’t have the wherewithal to know if their vendor is treating them fairly. This is one of the areas that Neil’s team has an expertise in. You can’t be an expert in everything there is to know in the world, and you shouldn’t try. It makes more sense to work with someone who specializes in the areas that you don’t, like cost recovery. There a number of areas in a business that can be optimized by someone with the proper expertise. The day to day operational expenses are prime areas to optimize. Building owners need to take advantage of cost segregation studies. It allows building owners to realize the appreciation of their property earlier on in the life of the building and can open up a number of opportunities. When you first purchase the building is when you should start the study. There are a number of different tax credits that businesses can take advantage of but they really require a specialist to help them navigate the red tape involved. In a lot of ways businesses are leaving free money on the table but not applying for these credits. If you are in business, there is an opportunity for you to optimize cash flow and cost recovery. Neil refers to class action lawsuits as Vegas money, you never know when the money is going to come but they can be extremely lucrative to look into. Neil’s Takeaway   Rumination is your ruination. You never really get to find yourself unless you get out there and see what you’ve got personally. You don’t know what you’re capable of unless you try, don’t miss an opportunity like this.   Links: wefindhiddenmoney.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Brad  Chandler  has  successfully  flipped  over 2,100  houses  since  2003.  He  is currently  the  CEO of  Express  Homebuyers  –  a  real  estate  investing empire  that  does  more  than  200  deals  per  year without  his  assistance.  Brad  wrote How  to  Wholesale Real  Estate  for  Profits  Without  Bank  Loans to  help others  achieve  their  real  estate  investing  dreams.   Podcast Highlights Who is Brad Chandler? When Brad was ten years old, he parents divorced and his family was facing down going into public housing. His experience lead him to reading How to Buy Real Estate With No Money down and it inspired him to make real estate the foundation of his education. After living paycheck to paycheck for a few years, he met an investor that purchased his neighbour’s house and he opened Brad’s eyes to the world of flipping houses. Eight months later he managed to find his first deal. Wholesale Real Estate Myths When people think of real estate, they think of banks and capital heavy investment. They don’t realize there is another way to do it. Most people who dabble in real estate give up too easily. You have to develop patience in the face of desire, the mindset is key. Mindset is the difference between people who achieve the success they want and those who give up. Luckily you don’t need an expensive degree to change your mindset. Not knowing what you are doing shouldn’t stop you, a growth mindset allows you to figure it out as you go along. You may not know the answer today but you will find it if you look for it. It comes down to what you want in your life. Walking Away Brad always wanted his business to work for him instead of him working for his business. The secret is simple, people and systems. If you build the people, the people will build the business. The easiest part of the wholesale real estate business is selling a deal. If you have a true deal, you will always find a buyer. Everyone’s problem in the wholesale real estate space is finding the right people. Brad takes his time to hire and fires quickly. If you feel the need to hire someone, it’s already too late and you should have hired them long ago. A poor hiring decision will cost you ten times the person’s salary. Take your time to find the person who is the right fit. Brad’s passion is marketing and by bringing in the right people, he has been able to focus on marketing his business and it’s now one of the most highly trafficked websites in the investing space. You must have a website in this day and age. SEO and pay per click advertising are the two main strategies that Brad has used to crush it online. Brad has always had a passion for teaching and seeing the low quality in the real estate investing space lead him to create his own coaching business to help people start and scale real estate business. Reference: How  to  Wholesale Real  Estate  for  Profits  Without  Bank  Loans, Brad Chandler Brad’s Takeaway Download your free report from the link below. If someone is doubting your path, make them sit down and watch the video. There are only a few different areas that you need to understand in order to succeed in real estate and the rest is just busting your butt and making it happen.   Links: bradchandler.com/cashflowdiary Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Andrew Yang is the founder of Venture for America and former CEO of Manhattan Prep. He previously served as Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship under President Barack Obama's Administration. He is the author of the bestselling book Smart People Should Build Things: How to Restore Our Culture of Achievement, Build a Path for Entrepreneurs, and Create New Jobs in America.  

Aaron  Muller  is  the  founder  of  Lifestyle  Business  Owner  Academy  and  a  serial  entrepreneur  who currently  owns  eight  multi-million  dollar  companies  that  run  without  him,  including  an  eco-friendly truck  washing  company,  a  search  engine  optimization  company,  three  auto  repair  shops, an  auto glass  franchise,  a  green  pressure  washing  company,  a  matchmaking  service,  and  an  online  business selling  eco-friendly  pet  hair  removers.  He  is  the  bestselling  author  of  The  Lifestyle  Business  Owner: How  to  Buy  a  Business,  Grow  Your  Profits,  and  Make  It  Run  Without  You.  Aaron  spends  his  time helping  entrepreneurs  succeed  because  it  is  what  he  enjoys  doing.  Over  the  last  15  years,  Aaron  has mentored  thousands  of  small  business  owners  as  a  business  broker,  consultant,  and  coach.  His specialty?  How  to  make  a  business  run  without  you.     Podcast Highlights Who is Aaron Muller? Aaron’s story starts in the fifth grade where he started up a little shrimp business. He sold shrimp to tourists and saved every penny he had. He didn’t come from a wealthy family and got his first job cleaning trucks at the age of 15, that’s where he learned to become so valuable at his job that he created his own opportunities. Aaron became an owner of that cleaning company and grew the business right out of highschool. Aaron went on to buy an auto mechanic business and has been an absentee owner ever since. Making Mistakes When getting his first SBA loan, Aaron was told that he was going to fail and the only reason they were giving him the money was because he had a business that could guarantee the repayment. You don’t need to invent original things to make money. Entrepreneurs are great at taking what other people are doing and improving and implementing. How does someone buy a new lifestyle business and not get trapped? A business broker is essential to the process. People buy a lifestyle business because they want to be an absentee owner. Aaron doesn’t recommend buying a franchise, the fees and rules involved make it more difficult and your money and effort can be better spent elsewhere. Look at the financials of the lifestyle business and make sure it is feasible to hire a manager to take care of the day to day activities of running the business. Contact a broker and if the financial info doesn’t make sense, walk away from the deal. Your broker should be able to make it very easy to understand the financial picture. There is no exact science to business valuation, it’s going to be selling for between 2 and 5 times the owner’s discretionary income. Keeping the owner on board after buying their business can create some conflict when you start changing things. It may be better to just hire a manager or promote one of the team members to a management position. You don’t need a special ability to hire the right people, you just have to keep at it. Why did you feel the need to write the Lifestyle Business book? Aaron had been buying and selling businesses for 17 years and saw many entrepreneurs essentially buying themselves a job. He wants to empower small businesses to be better and compete with the big box stores. What are the barriers to entry? Even if you don’t have the 10% to put down against a new business, you can still put in time becoming so valuable to the business as an alternative way in. There is always a way to structure a deal. Reference: The  Lifestyle  Business  Owner: How  to  Buy  a  Business,  Grow  Your  Profits,  and  Make  It  Run  Without  You, Aaron Muller Aaron’s Takeaway  

Jeanne  Bliss is  Founder  and  President  of  Customer Bliss  and  Co-Founder  of  The  Customer  Experience Professionals  Association.  She  is  the  bestselling  author  of  Chief  Customer  Officer  2.0:  How  to  Build Your  Customer-Driven  Growth  Engine  and  the  new  book  WOULD  YOU  DO  THAT  TO  YOUR  MOTHER? The  "Make  Mom  Proud"  Standard  for  How  to  Treat  Your  Customers.    Podcast Highlights Who is Jeanne Bliss? Jeanne is the daughter of a man who owned a Buster Brown shoe store. In the course of selling shoes, Jeanne’s father became a part of his customer’s lives and people stood in a line two blocks long to say goodbye when he closed the store. He instilled the spirit of entrepreneurship in his children on the way. Even when Jeanne was working in the corporate world, she was very entrepreneurial and her focus on the experience of the customer and the employees lead her to become the conscience of the company she worked for. She went on to work for Mazda, Coldwell Banker, AllState Corporation, and finally at Microsoft, all in roles with a similar focus on customer experience. How does an entrepreneur deliver a great customer experience? There are 32 practices that define our experiences as consumers. The new book divides these into four main categories and gives you the toolkits you can use to build a customer experience focused business. By bonding your employees to your business you reduce your labor costs. You have to establish expectations before you begin. There needs to be an explicit understanding of the two way trust involved in the customer experience. The disconnect occurs when the customer doesn’t understand the process because there is usually a gap between what customers expect and what they actually get. Be deliberate with what you want people to feel and think about the experience you want to deliver. Start with the life experience instead of chasing the score. Memory creation is the currency of your brand. How are you measuring customer love? Track and measure how many customers are coming back and those who are never returning. You need to earn the right to grow. Do you hire and develop people who you trust to create memories or do you hire people who only execute processes? When customers come at you, it’s because they feel like they have been disrespected or unappreciated. Reference: Chief Customer Officer 2.0: How to Build Your Customer-Driven Growth Engine, Jeanne Bliss Jeanne’s Takeaway Go on Amazon and buy the book, connect with Jeanne on LinkedIn, read the book and if there are ten people who are interested, Jeanne will do a book huddle. Pick one thing to work on, not ten things to work on. If you try to do more than one thing at a time it will implode.   Links: https://www.amazon.com/Chief-Customer-Officer-2-0-Customer-Driven-ebook/dp/B00TWK3Q3M/ref%3Dtmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1524868439&sr=1-1 customerbliss.com cxpa.org make-mom-proud.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Tom Cafarella always dreamed of following in his grandfather’s footsteps (a very successful landlord) and become a successful real estate mogul. Instead, he followed everyone’s advice and took on a traditional 9-to-5 job as an accountant. The problem: his heart was in real estate investing. It didn’t take long to get fired from his job due to his daydreaming about his passion. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Tom shares that if he were to go back and do it all over again he would find a coach that is successful in whatever field he was looking into and align himself with them. The hardest part of going out on your own is the trial and error process, if you can shorten that time you will make money a lot faster and ramp your business up a lot quicker. By having some you can work with that’s a little bit ahead of you, you can limit your downside.

If you want to diversify your portfolio, listen to this episode with Chris Rawley and Austin Maness. Emerging markets don’t have the same opportunities that traditional farmers have and that’s the sector Chris and Austin are trying to serve. Agriculture is changing and what is being provided to the world is evolving, which is part of the reason Chris and Austin believe it’s a good investment opportunity. Start doing your research if your dream is to start your own agricultural operation, traditional or non-traditional, and give Chris and Austin a call when you are ready to make it a reality.

Lior has been nicknamed “Globeionaire” by millionaire entrepreneurs, investors, and businessmen who have seen him in action. He has a global approach to life and business, and that’s where the name originates from. Over the past 16 years, Lior has built, run, and managed various exciting ventures across 2 continents. With Wealth Research Group, Lior provides a glimpse into his inner thoughts and work processes, so loyal members get to grow and expand their financial expertise along with him. His drive to consistently outperform the markets with an elevated degree of safety on one end and his commitment to seek out and find the most explosive “under the radar” opportunities on the other end will be clear to you with every word you read. Lior’s essential goal is to help you become wealthier by arming you with advanced strategies and a rich plethora of tools. Lior’s background is the ultimate blend of dividend and value investing, specialized high-yield companies for retirement, and the inner circle of venture capital, where his rolodex and contacts will become your unfair advantage and secret gateway to opportunities. Readers and members can anticipate Lior’s meticulous and unceasing pursuit of in-depth knowledge and ambition of living a wealthier, more balanced life, inspiring you to act and pursue your financial goals.   Podcast Highlights Who is Lior Gantz? Lior started out by playing basketball and learning the art of a team sport. Being a playmaker for the team allowed him to understand how to make other people better at what they do. This is where Lior developed the idea that not all people are built alike and you can’t expect the same things from different people and he became extremely self reliant. He was unique amongst his friends in that he learned early on that you need to save money and not spend everything and that you need to deploy capital in order to make money. For most people, investing should be secondary and not primary in their pursuit of creating a good life. An entrepreneurial focus is required first before value investing really begins to pay off. Instead of trying to put people where Lior needed them, he learned that he needed to find the right people initially and focus on that. People like to make things harder for themselves than they need to, in business you should go where the competition is minimal and the barrier to entry is low. Branding is the number one thing that people need to do in life. Building Your Capital and Value Investing The first thing that people needs is a start over fund. Set aside enough money to cover your expenses for a year. Keep it at your residence in case you have an emergency. You need to figure out your lifestyle burn rate is, what your skill is and what you can do to create value. In order to save, you will need to shut out a number of distractions. 95% of people are three paychecks away from being broke. In order to build wealth, you will need to make sacrifices and maintain discipline. Value investing takes time. If you service less people and specialize in a specific niche, you will make more money. Building a massive business is a massive undertaking and isn’t right for everyone. When you shut out distractions, you can become smarter in a narrow body of knowledge that the vast majority of people in only 6 to 12 months. The quickest way to the good life is ignoring your inner voice that says it’s going to take a long time, find somebody nearby that you want to work with and figure out how to add value to what they are doing. Do what you can to connect with that person and learn from them. It all comes down to being indispensable. How do we find areas of low competition? If there is an area where nobody wants to do anything, that is a

Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker and business performance coach for executives and companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. Kelly is a former sales executive and two-time national Salesperson of the Year with well over two decades of executive management and training experience. His new bestselling book, Counter Mentor Leadership: How to Unlock the Potential of the 4-Generation Workplace, offers practical, actionable advice that improves workplace culture and enables organizations to bridge the generational divide.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Kelly Riggs? Kelly started off going to school for engineering but quickly realized that wasn’t the path for him. He found himself in a sales position where he didn’t know enough about it to be scared. He approached his work from a blank slate, ready to jump in and learn and found he was willing to outwork nearly anyone.   You can do lot with people that have passion and perseverance and Kelly certainly qualifies.   Team Building with the Right People People learn in different ways but the important part is that they don’t stop learning in order to stay current and stay on top. Asking your perspective hires what the last five books they read was and what they learned from them is a good way to find the right kinds of people. Just because you start a book, doesn’t mean you have to finish it. Give a book three chapters, if it doesn’t grab you, skim the table of contents to make sure nothing jumps out at you and if you don’t see anything, move on. How did you go from sales to Bizlockerroom? Our approach to team building typically involves looking at our top sales people to promote into leadership but that rarely makes sense. Just because you can sell, that does not mean you can teach or lead a team. Kelly had to commit to learning everything he could in order to be a successful manager. Leadership requires a coaching and teaching mindset. If you can’t grow people, how can you grow your organization? If not you, you can always bring someone onto the leadership team to fill that role but you can’t leave it empty. When do you need to start coaching? Most startups are a team of one with some assistants. Even with a small team, you need to be able to engage them. At a certain point, you will have to hire someone for a leadership role because leadership and team building are critical. Without a leader, the owner becomes the bottleneck for the business. How to you get good at hiring? As business owners, one of the most important tasks is to hire and train people. There are systems for hiring that work that you have to commit to learning if you don’t want to figure it out the hard way. Leadership is not generational, it’s relational. The Millennials The Millennials are not necessarily to blame, you can’t forget who raised them. Failure is a great teacher and builder of character and many Millennials haven’t had the same experiences other generations have had. You need to understand their perspectives and leverage what they do and how they work. You should adapt your principles to new definitions of success and work. The workplace has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. If you hold the rope to tightly, you prospective leaders will get discouraged. Too tightly, and they won’t be able to lead. The Counter Mentor system is a team building system you can use that allows people to fail small and continue to learn. Reference: Counter Mentor Leadership: How to Unlock the Potential of the 4-Generation Workplace Kelly’s Takeaway   Find an account

Jorge P. Newbery is on a mission to help Americans crushed by unaffordable debts. He is Founder and Chairman of American Homeowner Preservation LLC and AHP Servicing LLC. AHP crowdfunds the purchase of non-performing mortgages from banks at big discounts, then shares the discounts with struggling homeowners. AHP Servicing LLC will bring social responsibility and a willingness to do the right thing to an industry often devoid of caring, compassion and basic human decency. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Jorge explains that the most important thing is to take that first step. Then the second step, then the third step. List the steps and take the first one. Don’t look all the way to the finish line, work on getting through the first mile. Break it down into achievable bites that get you closer to your goal.

NFL athletes are notorious for being ill-prepared for life outside of football. It is not uncommon for former players to fall into financial distress or bankruptcy soon after their athletic career ends. Sports Illustrated reported that 78% of NFL players are broke within three years of retirement, not the case for Thomas Smith. His preparations for a post-football career began before his time in the NFL. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary podcast, Thomas encourages us not to pay attention to the outside voices, just listen to the inner voice. But you have to understand why your inner voice may be telling you something negative and be willing to make a leap of faith. Once you take action, don’t worry about the how of getting things done, just put together a plan and start doing. The how will come to you as you move through life. The passion, will, and determination to succeed will make it happen. Don’t quit and keep going.

Joe Yazbeck is the Founder and President of Prestige Leadership Advisors whose mission is to facilitate leaders in becoming dynamic powerful communicators so they can significantly influence the world around them. Joe has worked with heads of state to leaders of major corporations as well as high-ranking military officers, political candidates to best-selling authors.

David Greene is a real estate investor/agent, author, entrepreneur, and police officer in the San Francisco Bay area of California. David’s goal is to achieve total financial independence through real estate, and help others to do the same. When David is not out hunting for bad guys, he hunts for deals and loves talking real estate. This episode is all about the world of long-distance real estate investing.

Joel Solomon is Co-Founder and Chair of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm at $98m, investing in Organics and EnviroTech in Canada and the USA. With Founder/Funder Carol Newell, he spent 14 years implementing a "whole portfolio to mission" strategy as leader of her activist Family Office. On this episode of CashFlow Diary Podcast, Joel shares how you need to find the mentors, voices, and the influences that you believe will help you think through the kinds of questions you are going through. Entrepreneurship is almost like a religion in many areas of the world, the number of resources available is immense.

Kevin Van Eekeran started his career as a logistic officer for a SWAT team, which gave him insight into the criminal justice world, and he soon found that through training SWAT teams better he could reduce the use of force while bettering the national security of our country. Fulcrum Tactical was born out of that idea, and within 18 months he expanded it from a charity to a for-profit company. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Kevin shares how the first thing you should do is to get outside opinions. Once you get some positive feedback, take the amount of money you think it will take to get started and double it. It will probably still be too small of an estimate.

Back in 2008, Kean Graham was working as a digital marketing manager, but lost my his job during the global financial crisis. With his career on hold, he decided to do the one thing he loved: travel. Standing on a mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, Kean realized he never wanted to stop. From that day forward he’s been combining my passion for entrepreneurship with his love of travel. Kean shares on this episode of the CashFlow Diary podcast that even if you don’t have an idea yet, write down every idea you’ve had and do the research. Just enough to narrow it down to one or two then reach out to potential clients and assess the opportunity within. Once you find the one that feels right, dig in and commit. Learn how to bring your client’s value and keep working at it. Get started and stay started.

David Pogue is the tech critic for Yahoo Finance, having been groomed for the position by 13 years as the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. He’s also a monthly columnist for Scientific American and host of science shows on PBS’s "NOVA." He’s been a correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning" since 2002. With over 3 million books in print, David is one of the world’s bestselling how-to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the "for Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Casino Music); in 1999, he launched his own series of complete, funny computer books called the Missing Manual series, which now includes 120 titles. On this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, David shares the only way you can break out of the dollars for time paradigm is if you create something of value. Create a company, write a book, compose a song, do something that you can be paid for way out of proportion for your time and starting generating geometric income.

Neale Godfrey is the CEO and President of Green$treet Commons and Chairman of The Children's Financial Network. She is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nearly 30 books empowering children and their families to take charge of their financial lives. In this episode of the CashFlow Diary Podcast, Neale shares how to lower the noise of the people surrounding you who are saying you can’t do it. If it’s you, stop saying that. You need to have the goal and the vision and the tactics to get there.

Steve Sims’s day job is to make the impossible possible. With his help and expertise, his clients’ fantasies and wildest dreams come true. Getting married by the Pope in the Vatican, being serenaded by Elton John, and connecting with powerful business moguls like Elon Musk are just a few of the many projects he has worked on. He rarely reveals how he accomplishes the feats that make his clients so happy. But now for the first time, Steve shares his practical tips, techniques, and strategies to help readers break down any obstacle and turn their dreams into reality.

Whitney Nicely went from no investments (or strategies) to 19 houses, 19 apartment units and 7 chunks of land in less than three years all bringing monthly money to her bank account on autopilot. She has traveled the United States speaking on stages, teaching her simple strategies, and meeting with other successful real estate investors- and still buying houses the way she teaches others. On this episode, she shares how starting something like real estate can seem scary from the outset. When you focus on your seller and buyers, that takes the pressure off you. Your goal in this life should be to help as many people as you can, keep your efforts small, personal, and smooth.

Shayne Hughes is the President and Culture Change Partner at Learning as Leadership. Shayne is also the bestselling author of the new book, "Ego Free Leadership: Ending the Unconscious Habits that Hijack Your Business." In this episode, he shares how your ego will tell you a story that keeps you in your comfort zone. It is constantly making trade-offs that are aiming to protect yourself from something you are afraid of. Even people who tend to get a lot done, do so within their comfort zone. They aren’t doing anyone any favors by playing small.

Sean Dowdell is the Founder of Club Tattoo and author of, "Tattooed Millionaire: Building the Club Tattoo Empire" With the help of his wife/partner; Thora and partner (Chester Bennington), they created one of the most successful tattoo and piercing brands in the world and became multi-millionaires that give back to their communities and help other young entrepreneurs.    

Robert Dickie III is the President of Crown Financial Ministries and has served as a decorated Air Force Officer, the CEO of an international company, and as the leader of several non-profits. He is the bestselling author of THE LEAP: Launching Your Full-Time Career in Our Part-Time Economy and the new book LOVE YOUR WORK: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career. On this episode, he shares how the toughest critic to fight is the voice inside of us. It’s key to realize that our fears almost never come to pass, and our gut reactions are usually wrong. Check your thoughts, there is positive right around the corner and you just have to take the first step.

Ric Edelman, Founder & Executive Chairman of Edelman Financial Services, has been ranked the #1 Independent Financial Advisor in the nation by Barron’s three times.1 His commitment to teaching consumers about personal finance has established him as a popular and trusted financial professional in the country. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Edelman’s eight books have collectively sold more than one million copies and have been translated into several languages.

Moran is an investor, and the founder of ABD Assets he’s looking to buy and invest in good businesses and people. He’s now on his path to own more businesses than Richard Branson.  In this episode, you will learn the following about Moran:  Why and how you became an investor?  What are your thoughts about starting a startup vs buying an existing business?  Walk us through the process of buying a business what are the steps - Where you find them, what is your criteria, how do you finance them, who is running the business for you? How did you learn about this world and how others can learn?

Mitch Russo’s experience dates back to 1978 when he started working as an Electrical Engineer at Digital Equipment Corp in Maynard, MA. He migrated to application engineering for Mostek (a semiconductor company) and then to selling chips to large and small companies alike.  Podcast Highlights: Who is Mitch Russo? What are the top 3 basic things that entrepreneurs skip? How should someone become an expert? Do you find more fulfillment helping others or in building something new? What are some of the most powerful strategies have you learned by doing your podcast? What are the top things that prevent entrepreneurs from breaking through?

Mark Sanborn is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea lab for leadership development and turning ordinary into extraordinary. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of, "The Fred Factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary," "Fred 2.0: New Ideas on How to Keep Delivering Extraordinary Results," and, "You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference." Mark’s spider bite moment came after he delivered a terrible public speech at the tender age of 10. He made the decision afterwards to learn everything he could in the realm of public speaking instead of giving up and considering it a weakness. The better you communicate, the more effective you will be as an entrepreneur and a leader. Influence is always born from communication.

Michael Mindes is the Founder and CEO of Tasty Minstrel Games (TMG) which is a multiple award-winning publisher of hobby board games. In this capacity, he grew TMG from a side business into a company approaching $2,000,000 in annual revenues, a team of 10 people, and all without any outside investment. As of October 17th, 2016 - TMG has receiving $2,546,682 in funds from Backers on Kickstarter from 26 individual hobby board gaming projects.     Podcast Highlights Who is Michael Mindes? Michael started off when he was four years old playing games like Candy Land and trying to figure out ways to make the game better. He graduated to chess as he got older and later on to Magic: the Gathering. In the early 2000’s, Michael discovered German style board games like Settlers of Catan. Essentially, Michael has been immersed in the world of games for the last three decades. What made you decide that making games could be a business? Michael originally decided to become a financial advisor after becoming a father instead of going into the games industry. The depressing nature of the financial industry eventually got to him, and his wife encouraged Michael to pursue his dream of making games of his own. Michael began by identifying the things that he had to give up before starting his own business. He knew he couldn’t sacrifice time with his family or work, and so he had to tailor his life to make it work. We are currently in an environment where the cost of business is extremely low. In order to be successful, you have to compete with people who are willing to work crazy number of hours. If you don’t have that passion, you will probably not be as successful as you hope. How do you feel about the thought process of getting started? If you can’t get over the six month speed month and it’s not really going anywhere, you may not be in the right space or you just may not be good enough. If you want to be in a specific industry, start in a place where you can work closely with someone who has done what you want to learn. Especially if you are young. Don’t expect success overnight. How does an entrepreneur deal with obstacles like upfront costs? A lot of the obstacles that are out there as a way to make it okay that you are not putting forth the effort. The technology to get people’s attention is essentially free. You can’t sell something until you have someone to sell it to. Getting eyes on what you are doing is how you learn if you are moving in the right direction. How did crowdfunding come into your business? Michael’s first watershed moment was when he was first starting out. He posted a picture of a pile of board games that he wanted to give away, and then asked people to sign up to his email list in order to sign up. He had 700 people sign up in 2 days. Michael’s first kickstarter was the second. He was terrified of the implications of the kickstarter failing but it ended up succeeding and validating his ideas. What was the growing process like? Michael describes his business’s maturing process as moving a mountain. To move a mountain, you pick up one piece at a time and keep going. What does the game making process look like? TMG treats board games the same way that Simon and Schuster treats books. They take ideas that designers submit, separate the ones they think have potential and work together to develop them. From there it’s about coordinating with retailers, manufacturers, and shippers to figure out a solution that’s profitable for everyone involved. The turnaround time for a project can be anywhere from two months to six months, and sometimes lo

Michael J. Gelb is the founder and president of The High Performance Learning Center, a firm specializing in consulting and training for organizations interested in developing more innovative cultures. He is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of, "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day."  Gelb is the world’s leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. He is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership. Gelb leads seminars for organizations such as DuPont, Genentech, Merck, Microsoft, Nike, Raytheon and YPO. He brings more than 35 years of experience as a professional speaker, seminar leader and organizational consultant to his diverse, international clientele.     Podcast Highlights Who is Michael Gelb? Michael was so energetic as a kid that he got kicked out of nursery school. He has a core of curiosity that lead him to create his own business geared toward serving people in ways that are aligned with things that he liked to do. The core aspect of Michael’s success and fulfillment thus far is due to the connections and relationships he’s developed over the course of his career. Communication skills are not getting better, they are actually getting worse. Technology is great for some things but it’s eroding the way we connect with each other as humans. What is your definition of connection? We are networked, but not connected. We have access to information, but not to empathy. Sometimes an information onslaught makes it harder to connect to ourselves, let alone each other. Technology is addictive. It’s taking your mind away, instead of your organs in the way cigarettes do. Have a digital sunset each day, and take a day off entirely every once in awhile. What are the seven different skillsets that have been broken by technology? The one factor that is the greatest predictor of health, wealth, and longevity is connection. Emotions are contagious, be careful what you catch and you spread. Narcissism ends up being very expensive in business, the new model is making the world a better place and making people happy consistently. Treat people with respect, and you will engage and motivate the people you work with and work for. How do introverts create new relationships? Whatever your personality type is, it’s important to do the opposite of whatever your natural inclination is. Growth comes from getting out of your comfort zone. Looking at the world from a different perspective is a core skill of leadership. What does that kind of discipline look like in practice? If you’re introverted, go up to five people you don’t know in a room and introduce yourself. What starts out as anxiety turns into exhilaration when you realize you are doing something you’ve never done before. Becoming a successful and wiser human being includes pushing your boundaries, especially with something that has a business application. Reference: How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, Michael Gelb Michael’s Takeaway Write down your life purpose. Write down the major areas of your life and map it out, then write down the most important goal in each area of your mind map. Put your goals into the context of what drives you, when you have a higher purpose you liberate way more energy to make it happen.     Links: michaelgelb.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please

Harry Dent is the Founder of Dent Research, Editor of the FREE newsletter Economy & Markets, and the author of the new book The Sale of a Lifetime:  How the Great Bubble Burst of 2017 Can Make You Rich. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and was a successful consultant to  Fortune 100 companies at Bain & Company.  Harry Dent has also spent much of his career speaking to executives, financial advisors and investors  around the world. He’s appeared on “Good Morning America,” PBS, CNBC and CNN/FN. He’s been  featured in Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Fortune, Success, U.S. News and World  Report, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, American Demographics and Omni. He is also a regular guest on Fox Business.     Podcast Highlights   Who is Harry Dent? Harry started out by working for Fortune 100 companies after college and later went to Harvard Business School which is where he really discovered his true talents of seeing the big picture. thinking on his feet, and being able to argue very well. While consulting, Harry learned nearly everything there is to know about demographics. What was it that clued you into what you were meant to do? Harry’s experience in Harvard debating real world business scenarios is where he learned that he was really good at communicating. Some people know what they want to do when they are 14, and some people like Harry discover what they are meant to do through a series of fortunate accidents. Leaving Bain & Company was like jumping off a cliff, but entrepreneurs have to take calculated risks on top of having a vision for the future. Where did you develop the confidence to make the jump? You have to take risks intelligently. Start your business on the side, and make the transition step by step. Test everything and don’t gamble your whole enterprise on one thing. What is it about demographics that gets you so excited? Prior to President Ford, there was no middle class. With the creation of the middle class and the advent of the baby boom, demographics became incredibly important. Demographics give you an insight into the behaviour of very large groups of people. If you’re taking a risk, you’re going to have a better chance of succeeding if you take that risk on a trend that is growing instead of declining. Marketing is always the biggest initial challenge of starting a business, not the technology. What do you think about trends in real estate? Nursing homes, funeral homes, and hospitals will all see upswings in terms of real estate value. Harry predicts another big financial crisis coming, but he believes it’s going to be a major opportunities for entrepreneurs. How can we see bubbles coming and what can we do about them? You have to have a different strategy for each season. When bubbles occur, they don’t see them because they are getting something for nothing. Bubbles rise exponentially, come to an explosive climax, followed by a tremendous crash. You can’t keep a bubble going forever. As high as they go, the crash twice as fast. It’s better to get out early, rather than late. When things go down, the opportunities open up at the speed of light. The businesses that hunker down at the top of the bubble with cash in reserve will find themselves in a solid position to pick up assets at a deep discount. Where do precious metals come in? Harry told his clients to get out of gold and silver at the top of the market. Gold is an inflation hedge, but this bubble will be deflationary. What are the four indicators that you looked at to see

Gary M Douglas is an internationally-recognized thought leader, bestselling author, business innovator and founder of Access Consciousness®, a set of pragmatic tools and teachings that is transforming lives in 173 countries around the world. He is the author of Benevolent Leadership For A Better World. An avid investor and entrepreneur, Gary has established ‘The Antique Guild’ store in Brisbane, Australia, owns a thriving stud for Costarricense De Paso horses, and is currently building an eco-retreat in Costa Rica.   Podcast Highlights Who is Gary Douglas? Gary Douglas has spent his life in the search of truth. He made a commitment to himself to be honest and stand by his word early on in his life. Gary’s experience in the horse industry taught him that you can’t lie with a horse, either you’re there or you’re not. If you’re true with a horse, they will be true for you. Gary wondered if it were possible to be that way with people too. This realization eventually lead to the creation of Access Consciousness. Do people not have a commitment to completing? Never give up, never give in, and don’t quit. But that doesn’t mean you won’t change if something is not working. Most people talk themselves out of even trying before they really know if it’s working or not. If you want something, what do you have to be or do to get it? If you are not being or doing that thing, how can you expect that you will get what you wanted? What did you learn that allowed you to come to that realization? Gary set his goal to own a horse. Once he knew what he wanted, he learned how to be so good at riding horses that he was able to get better deals on horses that no one else could ride. He would then teach the horse how to let people ride them, and be able to sell that horse for much more than he purchased it for. If you’re not willing to be or do what you need to succeed, you will not achieve your goals. Your level of commitment will reflect in your results. What was the genesis of Access Consciousness? Access Consciousness is about creating the tools and techniques that allow people to create more in their life. If you ask a question, the universe can give you an answer. You have come to a conclusion, the only thing you can be aware of is the conclusion you already have. What is the role of failure? Always look for a constant state of expansion instead of a result. You should always be aware of what is going on and assessing what is working and what isn’t. Once you make the choice to pursue a goal, you will discover the path to make it a reality. You need to find out what is possible, not just what is probable. Things that are easy for are not necessarily easy for everybody. The thought patterns we’ve been taught are not serving us anymore and we need to think of the world in terms of what is possible. Don’t try to create the change you want to see in the world, be it. Where should we look to discover our hidden talents? Think about the things that are natural and easy for you, and brainstorm ways you can use that skill to make money. Reference: Benevolent Leadership For A Better World, Gary Douglas Gary’s Takeaway Never give up, never give in, and never quit. Never listen to anyone else and don’t share your ideas with people. The one thing that most people will tell you first is why you can’t do it.     Links: accessconsciousness.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please

Drew Westervelt is Founder & COO of HEX Performance. As a 9-year professional lacrosse player, Drew has traveled the world competing and performing at the highest level, discovering first-hand the challenge of washing performance wear and athletic gear. Born and raised in Baltimore, Drew has deep roots in his hometown. After graduating from UMBC, it was only natural to build HEX in the city he loved. Drew’s rejection of the status quo and his experience in team management both on and off the field led to the development of HEX products that are changing what clean means for laundry today.     Podcast Highlights Who is Drew Westervelt? Drew viewed what most would call a disability a gift. Being dyslexic forced Drew to change the way he learns and approach things differently. Drew wasn’t always on the path of the entrepreneur. He got an uninspiring job out of college while playing professional Lacrosse on the weekend, which lead him to having the idea that eventually lead to the creation of HEX. HEX has essentially been a story of multiple pivots and innovations in the market and the technology. HEX is to detergents what Uber was to the Taxi industry a few years ago. What was the timeline on HEX performance? Being a professional Lacrosse player gave Drew a platform that he wouldn’t have had otherwise and opened doors for him that never would have been there. Drew realized that he needed to engage people and have a scrappy guerilla mindset in order to get his product out there. Targeting specific groups of people and letting the performance of the product speak for itself has been a very successful strategy. Beating the street and talking to people has been the method of choice. Drew’s Takeaway Dive right in. Being an entrepreneur is an incredible process. It’s completely empowering, it’s completely terrifying, but at the end of the day you’re much more fulfilled if you can find something that you’re passionate about. Even something as silly as laundry detergent.   Links: hexperformance.com Use promo code CASHFLOW Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Erik Stark is an Expert Real Estate Entrepreneur, Educator, Marketer, Ubercool Dad and Dedicated Husband of 13+ Years. Erik has purchased hundreds of properties, created masterful marketing pieces, shared the stage with the top real estate and personal development educators, helped thousands of people improve their lives and continues to pour his life into people, friendships, disciplines, breakthroughs and growth.     Podcast Highlights Who is Erik Stark? If you want to know who Erik really is you have to observe him, not just listen to his words. Erik originally went to take the test for his Real Estate license right out of high school but after being told there wasn’t enough people in the class and the test was cancelled, he believed that Real Estate wasn’t for him. He later went on to work in an automobile detailing shop where he met up with a friend that convinced him they should go into the Real Estate business together. In the first eight months in business, they closed 35 deals and generated just under a quarter million dollars in profit. What was it like when you realized you could make that kind of money? The biggest breakthrough in Erik’s business life was when he realized he learned a new skill that he could take it wherever he went. Principles of Real Estate Investing “The man who chooses his own principles can gladly choose his own methods throughout life.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Success and entrepreneurship is not about what’s quick and easy. It’s about a systematic approach to testing and improving your process. What are your top three principles? Stop chasing an opportunity and work a strategy instead. Focus on lead generation. Focus on your vision and don’t abandon it for something new and shiny. There are a million ways to make money in Real Estate, but when you strategy aligns with your values that’s when you create something very special. Once you have a team that can execute, your job becomes generating leads to keep the team working. Taking lead generation to the next level is how you can stand out in the marketplace. Everyone questions their path every once in awhile. When you know your “why”, it will lead you to the right path towards greatness. You will never outearn your personal growth. What is it in your vision that helps you push through? There is no growth without trials. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. There is risk no matter which path through life you pick. Erik’s Takeaway You have to find something bigger than yourself that is going to help you keep it together when the negative voices start talking. Break it down to its core so you know exactly why you’re pushing so hard. With regards to Real Estate, learn it from a street level that is close to home. Have as many conversations with buyers, sellers, and lenders of Real Estate that you can.   Links: realestatewhileyoudrive.com therealerikstark.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Donna Stoneham, Ph.D. is a master executive coach, transformational leadership expert, author, activist and speaker.  For twenty-five years, she’s guided several thousand Fortune 1000 leaders, teams, and organizations unleash their power to thrive™ in work and life. Donna's award-winning book, The Thriver’s Edge: Seven Keys to Transform the Way You Live, Love, and Lead was named by BuzzFeed as “Nine Awesome Books for Your Kick-Ass Career.”  She is also a contributor in two books, The Coaching Code: Practical Tips for Cracking the Code and Building a Successful Coaching Business and Ask Coach (October, 2016). As one of the world's leading coaches, Donna will be featured in the upcoming full length documentary, Leap! The Coaching Movie     Podcast Highlights Who is Donna Stoneham? Donna is fully committed to do everything in her power to help people work and thrive. Just over 50% of the people in the US believe they are thriving despite the fact the US has the world’s biggest economy. Seven out of ten people that go to work in the US are not engaged in their jobs. If you are one of the people that is thriving, it’s important to pay it back and pay it forward. Donna became very sick while running two businesses and completing her graduate degree, but that trial lead to her discovering the truth of what her mission really is. Where does the courage to make that decision come from? “At what price, freedom. At what price, responsibility.” Donna felt the financial freedom and sacrifices of being an entrepreneur outweighed the benefits of working for someone else. After getting sick, Donna decided that anything she worked on had to be in the service of a deeper mission. What constitutes thriving? There are seven keys to Thriving: Trust, Humility, Resilience, Inner Direction, Vision, Expansiveness, and Responsibility. Many of us have a limited perspective and are unable to see the full landscape of what is possible. You must be willing to change and learn if you want to enlarge your perspective. Balance is what makes life rich and robust. If all you do is focus on your work all the time, you are unable to grow. Use your intuition as your inner compass, the trick is to discern your intuition from your ego. You have to be willing to make the shift from “what can I get?” to “what can I give?” How did you evolve to that level of thinking? There are two ways you can learn or grow, either through inspiration or desperation. Equal parts reflection and reaction are important to growth in the right direction. Having a reflective practice as part of your day is crucial. Does business factor in thriving? Once you live your own personal mission, the sky's the limit on what you can achieve and accomplish. Reference: The Thriver’s Edge: Seven Keys to Transform the Way You Live, Love, and Lead, Donna Stoneham Donna’s Takeaway Surround yourself with soul tenders, people that will support you and your journey. Reconnect yourself to your mission and purpose daily. Before undertaking something, ask yourself “does this align with my mission?” and trust that the universe will send you an opportunity that will be a better fit.   Links: facebook.com/donnastonehamphd [email protected] Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

David A. Fields is the Managing Director of Ascendant Consortium, a group of elite, independent business consultants whose clients span the Fortune 500. He is the author of the new bestselling book The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom. Named one of Advertising Age magazine’s “Marketing Top 100,” Fields has worked with consulting firms and individual consultants all over the world who are anxious to grow their practices and earn a steadier, more reliable income.   He has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, USA Today, CNNMoney and The Huffington Post, writes a monthly column for IndustryWeek and Consulting magazines. Fields is a sought-after speaker to national and international executive audiences.     Podcast Highlights Who is David Fields? David considers himself an “everyday hero”. After business school, David started in corporate America doing sales before getting into consulting and spinning off his own firm with a partner. After four weeks, his partner jumped ship and David found himself with a company that had virtually no clients. Some timely advice from a colleague which revealed David’s innate ability to sell consulting services changed the course of David’s business. What makes you different? David is willing to persevere and try again, even in the face of failure. Be willing to find help, ask for it and keep trying. David’s philosophy is that all the answers come from outside your life. As a consultant, it doesn’t matter what you want to do. It’s not about you, it’s about the clients. The Rise of the Independent Professional There are an abundance of role models for kids that are 15, 16, and 17 years old that have been successful in business that are driving a generation of independence. Why do so many consultants have challenges landing clients? Consultants are too focused on themselves instead of paying attention to the market. It’s not about all the things you can do, it’s about what the market needs you to solve. When you are very specific with what you do, people will call you first if they have that specific problem. You have to pick a problem that is pervasive enough and expensive enough that people want to solve. Why do consultants undercharge? In many cases, people are undercharging for their services. When you charge higher fees, you have the room to do whatever you need to get the client the best possible result. Whether or not you are undercharging is the hardest question to answer. Can you create a higher value? If so, you can charge larger amounts. Clients aren’t paying you by the hour, they are paying you for a specific results. You don’t charge the same for every client. Have standardized systems and approaches, not a standard list of services. Tailor your solution to your client to fit like a glove. Discovering what is driving your client better than the even know themselves will make you the obvious choice. Before you can make a sale and get more visibility, you have to make a bigger impact. Reference: The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom, David Fields David’s Takeaway Listen to the voice and manage it, address and test its concerns. We all have that voice but the question is: does it scare you or do you use it to help you move forward?     Links: www.winclientsnow.com www.davidafields.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please

Janine Shepherd reveals the story of the accident that changed her life and how you can learn who you really are by overcoming obstacles . Janine Shepherd is a former Olympic skier-turned-pilot. Her career as an athlete ended when she suffered life-threatening injuries when hit by a truck during a training bike ride. Before the accident, she had been in contention to win Australia's first ever medal at the Winter Olympics. Though she was told she would never walk again or have children, and doctors had significant doubts as to whether she would survive at all, she defied all of these, and her story later became the focus of national attention, as well as a popular telemovie. She is the author of the new book Defiant: A Broken Body Is Not a Broken Person.    Podcast Highlights   Who is Janine Shepherd? Janine started her athletic career at the age of 6 which is the age where she discovered her “superpower”. Janine found her love of the hills, she learned that by loving the hills she became physically stronger than her competitors but also mentally tough. That is where she earned the nickname “Janine the Machine”. There is always another hill. Once you accept that life has hills, the hills don’t matter anymore. How did you go from running to Olympic skiing? Australia is not known for winter sports but it actually has ideal conditions for winter training. Janine decided early on that she was going to be the one to break the 4-minute mile of Australian winter sports. She was invited by the Canadian Olympic team to train in preparation for the 1988 Calgary games prior to the accident that changed her life. Janine’s mindset around hills made cross country skiing the winter sport that she knew she could excel at. The Day Janine’s Life Change Most athletes competing at a high level need to be extremely focused. During a long day of training, Janine suffered a terrible accident. Janine was struck by a speeding truck which resulted in a number of life threatening injuries, injuries that she was not supposed to survive. After 10 days in extensive care and a death experience, she returned to her body and realized there is a difference between what happens to your body and what happens to you. As an athlete, Janine defined herself with her body. When her body became damaged, she had to make the choice to redefine her identity and experience life in a completely different way. After extensive surgery and six months in the recovery ward, she was told that the damage was permanent and she would never be able to do things she did before. Janine felt like a prisoner in someone else’s body and became depressed. After a frank discussion with a doctor about Janine’s sex life, Janine felt like she hit rock bottom and had lost everything. Rock bottom doesn’t reveal who you are, it reveals who you are not. Who are you Janine? Janine is not her body. There is something inside of you, your spirit, that is independent of your physical body. Janine still loved the hills. If you tie your self worth to things that are outside of you, you are doomed for failure. Life is a dance between letting go of who you are and becoming who you will be. What have you been able to do since? Janine had a moment of clarity one day and decided that if she can’t walk, she could fly. She booked a trial flight with an instructor and that day discovered her love of flying. There is no greater metaphor for freedom than flying. The magic happens on the other side of the hill. Within 18 months, Janine became a fully licensed pilot and ended up teaching others how to fly at the same place she received her first training flight. Janine found a sen

Scott Kriens, one of the founding fathers of the modern internet, reveals why the quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life. Scott Kriens is the Chairman and former CEO of Juniper Networks. In 2010, Kriens and his wife Joanie founded 1440 Foundation and are now building 1440 Multiversity, a state-of- the-art immersive learning destination opening in May 2017 in Santa Cruz County, CA. The 75-acre campus will offer weekend and 5-day courses taught by world-class faculty, house up to 375 guests and support individuals in leading more integrated lives.    Podcast Highlights Who is Scott Kriens? Scott started out as simply curious about the way things worked. You can learn a lot more by listening than you can by talking. Scott’s path to the CEO of Juniper Networks started with learning early on that he should rely on his own judgement. After his experience in the computer industry of the 1980’s Scott was part of a company that went public. This later on put him into a position to get in on the ground floor of Juniper Networks, the company responsible for creating much of the infrastructure that the internet runs on today. An Exercise In Leadership In the case of developing computer technology, it can take up to a year and a half before you know whether or not your product works at all. Luckily enough for Scott, Juniper Networks was successful creating a working chipset more often than not. What do entrepreneurs need to be aware of to be prepared in times of uncertainty? The most important thing for a leader to do is to tell the truth about their uncertainty and doubt. If you pretend there is no storm, you will be seen as not credible or that you think your team can’t be trusted. Give yourself permission to say “I don’t know.” What need do you see that make 1440 Multiversity required? Scott believes that strong relationships are what is needed within the world of leadership. The most critical tonic for leading a healthy and rich life is strong relationships and how to excel at them. Relationship should be a verb, not a noun. It’s an action, not just a thing. Why did you take the risk on this? Scott and his wife Joanie were thinking about the power of relationships and the impact on their own lives and that inspired the creation of their foundation. They discovered that being well being is about developing the skills that allow you to connect to people around you. What is the 1440 Multiversity? 1440 is the number of minutes in a day, Scott’s wife chose the number as a reminder to be present. Be mindful is the only great use of your time. The Multiversity is built in the redwood forest of the Santa Cruz mountains as a learning destination where students can come and relax and improve their relationships in the areas of life they want most. Finding other people who are interested in the same things is a great way to learn. Why did it need to be a physical place? If growth and change are really important to you, there is some dedication that is necessary. Being surrounded by the things you are trying to change can make it pretty difficult to do it. The time spent at the Multiversity is 10x more effective than piecing your learning together whenever you have a chance. What are some of the best received programs so far? There are a number of teachers across a variety of disciplines that are coming to teach at the Multiversity. The majority of the programs are geared towards more than just adults, there are classes for everyone. Where do you see the Multiversity going

Richard Nesbitt shows you how to immediately improve the results of your business by using gender intelligence to create massive growth. Richard Nesbitt is the President and CEO of Global Risk Institute and an Adjunct Professor at the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto. He was the former CEO of CIBC World Markets, TSX Group and HSBC Securities Canada. He is the author of the new book Results at the Top: Using Gender Intelligence to Create Breakthrough Growth.    Podcast Highlights Who is Richard Nesbitt? Richard was born and raised on a farm, and through his education and persistence has managed to get where he is today. There is no substitute for hard work is a very traditional approach but it’s true. Hard work is the great leveler. What is gender intelligence? Gender intelligence is essentially taking the talent of both genders and using that to improve your business. The combination of both talents is superior than just utilizing one or the other. Gender intelligence in leadership can improve dividends, earnings, cash flow, and stock prices. It can also improve employee satisfaction, innovation, and the company’s environmental record. Why is it less common to see women in leadership positions? The research in gender intelligence is only around 20 years old, so it’s taking time to filter down into the culture of business. Research has shown that as you get towards gender parity in leadership, you will see an improve across the board. How significant is the improvement? Getting closer to gender parity in leadership can significantly improve earnings. According to research, at 30% of the board being the opposite gender is where you will see significant gains but, just adding a single board member of the opposite gender can lead to immediate improvements. How did you come up with the idea for the book? The book was originally addressed to men and how they could improve their companies. The dynamics of men and women in leadership is an evolving trend. Richard’s book was an effort to organize the research and provide a resource for every business to leverage. How does this impact equal pay? Women are paid less than men on aggregate, due to not being represented in all areas in business. By focusing on bringing women into these leadership roles, we can help close the gap. What can entrepreneurs do to make sure they don’t end up in this situation? Entrepreneurs need to understand that gender balance is an important issue in the success of their business. It’s important to always hire the best person, but you have to get out of your comfort zone and consider the the benefits of a diverse set of candidates. Look outside of your traditional sources. Gender intelligence should be a priority item on your list. How can business owners begin implementing gender intelligence? CEO’s have to make this a goal they are going to achieve in their lifetime. Prepare for the expiration of a director’s term limit instead of being caught off guard and replacing them with someone just like you. Gender diversity is one of the lowest cost things you can do to improve your company’s results. Reference: Results at the Top: Using Gender Intelligence to Create Breakthrough Growth, Richard Nesbitt Richard’s Takeaway Think very carefully before you act about what you are trying to achieve and ensure you are trying to achieve it for the right reasons. Examine your own preconceptions about why you do what you do, become curious about the research and once you ar

Neville Johnson breaks down John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and how you can apply his philosophy of success to your life and career. Neville Johnson is the Founding Partner of the law office Johnson & Johnson, LLP and, “One of the most feared litigators in Hollywood” who has represented Nancy Sinatra, members of The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac and The Moody Blues, Jane’s Addiction, The Temptations, and the heirs of Buddy Holly and John Lennon. He is the author of The John Wooden Pyramid of Success: The Authorized Biography, Philosophy and Ultimate Guide to Life, Leadership, Friendship and Love of the Greatest Coach in the History of Sports.    Podcast Highlights Who is Neville Johnson? Neville was raised in Southern California and graduated from UC Berkeley during the Student Revolution. Neville grew up knowing that  he was going to go to law school due to two things: His love of arguing and his family and friends. There is no substitute for hard work. As a lawyer, there is no escape from knowing what is going on in the world of law. Where did the fascination with John Wooden come from? After achieving his primary goal as a lawyer and representing some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, Neville discovered John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Neville contacted John and asked to do an interview. He ended up writing a biography of John Wooden the same way that Neville works on a law case. As thoroughly as possible. John’s philosophy that success is peace of mind which is the direct result from the self satisfaction that you’ve made the effort to become your best is what drew Neville to write the book. You can achieve whatever goals you want, as long as they are realistic. The Entertainment Industry Entertainers are entrepreneurs of a different sort and it’s one of the most exciting and difficult industries to be in. You have to have the talent, the drive, and the will to climb the ladder. What are the top 3 Woodenisms you would recommend? Whatever you are doing, you have to know as much as you can about that particular thing if you really want to succeed. Your life has to be in balance, your work is important but you can’t neglect your health or relationships along the way.. “Make each day your masterpiece.” Don’t miss out on the good things in life. “The most important word in the English language is love, followed by balance.” Don’t get really high after a victory, don’t get really low after a defeat. An Unlikely Source Despite John Wooden’s incredible success, he was always approachable and down to earth. John Wooden was the ultimate mentor for the people who knew him. Making Time For Things You Enjoy You can’t spend all your time working if you want balance in your life. Neville enjoys writing and playing music, writing and publishing poetry, and traveling. Hobbies are an opportunity to create and improve yourself, you are never going to attain perfection but that is what you are going for. Making Mistakes “You can make mistakes, but you’re not a failure until you start blaming someone else.” Whenever you make a mistake, try to rectify it as quickly as possible. Reference: The John Wooden Pyramid of Success: The Authorized Biography, Philosophy and Ultimate Guide to Life, Leadership, Friendship and Love of the Greatest Coach in the History of Sports, Neville Johnson Neville’s Takeaway Google the Pyramid of Success and study it. Figure out if you are living up to the principles of John Wooden’s philosophy. Realize that teamwork is the key to success, according to Jo

Martin Yate talks about how being tenacious with your goals and focusing on building a career instead of just going from job to job is the best way to achieve your dreams. Martin Yate is the New York Times bestseller of the "Knock Em Dead" series of books, which are collectively published in 63 foreign language editions and awarded as the best career planning books in the world.   Podcast Highlights Who is Martin Yate? Martin started out with three goals in life. Be a pastor, or become an actor, or write the great American novel. None of those panned out but out of those mistakes Martin’s career evolved. Martin spent twenty years writing and couldn’t get published. Martin landed a job as a headhunter, parlayed that into a position as a trainer. Martin started writing manuals and was eventually turned down by 65 publishers, but the 66th publisher bought the book and Knock Em Dead is now on its 32nd edition. Where does your tenacity come from? Martin is an immigrant to America with ADHD. Instead of looking at ADHD as a disorder, we should see it as a superpower that has to be managed. Multitasking is one of the most used words in job posts, ADHD is multitasking with focus. Why did you keep writing? You have to pursue your dreams and put juice into your life. Once Martin found success with his first book, the publisher basically demanded to keep the relationship going. Books became Martin’s primary method of income generation. What would you say to people thinking about building a business but are afraid of hiring?   If you can not hire employees effectively, you will not be able to manage them productively. We live in an uncertain world. You have a job until your company can replace you with someone cheaper. Odds are you are going to be pushed out of your career at some point so you need to have an entrepreneurial attitude when it comes to work. Technology has destroyed the traditional career. It has changed every job in every industry and made going into business for yourself infinitely easier. Look at your career as training for your future business. What does career planning look like today? Once you get out of school, get a job in a big stable profession. That’s where you will develop the skills that will help you be successful as an entrepreneur. The skills that appear in job postings like communication skills and critical thinking are the skills that determine success in every area of life, not just on the job itself. Statistically, you will have around three different careers over the course of your working life. Put an emphasis on skill development. What is your new mantra? We look at the corporation as a new mother and father. Take everything you have learned and apply it to ME Inc. Live up to your expectations and dreams and not your income. Reference: Knock Em Dead’s The Ultimate Job Search Guide 2017, Martin Yate Martin’s Takeaway Start thinking in terms of calendars and not clocks. Keep your job and work towards pulling the trigger on starting your own business because that job is under writing what you need to be successful.   Links: http://knockemdead.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Dr. Jeff Thompson shares his philosophy of values based leadership and shows you how to do good in business while also doing well. JEFF THOMPSON, MD, is executive advisor and chief executive officer emeritus at Gundersen Health System, pediatrician, author, and speaker on values-based leadership. Jeff’s experience in leadership is far-reaching, having led diverse teams, projects, and divisions, before holding multiple senior executive roles, including fourteen years as a CEO responsible for a staff of seven thousand, hundreds of thousands of patients, and a billion dollars of the community’s money within the Gundersen Health System. His long experience as intensive care pediatrician and senior executive has shown him over and over again how leading from one’s values has the power to affect long-term meaningful change.   Podcast Highlights Who is Jeff Thompson? Jeff Thompson is a husband of 38 years, the father of three children, and his early goal was to get into medical without debt. From the time he was little, Jeff knew he wanted to be a doctor so he worked as a janitor to pay his way through medical school. Jeff’s mother was an early inspiration and model for values based leadership, despite not having the usual characteristics we think leaders would have.   What skillsets did you develop that helped you lead? Everyone in an organization is important. As a leader, you should facilitate the people who work for you and learn what they need to perform at a high level. Even with a distributed workforce, you need to have a structure and a purpose for your organization. Money is not enough to attract good people. How do we do good and do well at the same time? You must have a disciplined disregard for conventional wisdom. Don’t throw away everything, but not all wisdom is equal. Leading with values will raise the whole level of the organization over the long term. Finances are a tool, not the goal. By having the goal of improving the health and financial well being of the community, Jeff managed to attract many partners that wanted the same thing. More people die of air pollution related illness than HIV and malaria combined. By starting with environmental conservation, Jeff managed to save significant amounts of money every year after the initiative while also serving the community.   How do you deal with resistance? The proof is in the numbers. Careful measurement of the effects of your values based policy is the disciplined part of disregarding conventional wisdom. Short term thinking is one of the biggest problems in the country today. Live your values and follow through.   What is the first step for entrepreneurs who want to lead with their values? You have to be very clear about your values and what you want to accomplish. People will change jobs because of the values that are exemplified. Start with your values and then look for partners who share them. The numbers are a tool to serve your higher purpose. The smaller the organization, the easier it is to set the tone you want. Reference: Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community, Dr. jeff Thompson   Jeff’s Takeaway Sit down and write out a purpose statement of why your company exists and what you really want to accomplish. Set out four to six values that you are going to live by. Then sit down with your leadership and staff and let them advise you on how to get from where you are now to where you want to go.   Links: http://jeffthompsonmd.com Thank you for listening! If you en

Isaac Lidsky comes onto the Cashflow Diary podcast to give you some much needed inspiration and to show you that you can achieve your vision for your life. As a successful child actor in a major sitcom, Isaac Lidsky was bound from Hollywood to Harvard, where he graduated by the age of 19 – all while losing his eyesight to a rare blinding disease, retinitis pigmentosa. Yet his future was bright. Today a blind CEO, author and acclaimed speaker, Isaac shares a remarkable story of courage and achievement amid tough challenges. America first saw Isaac as “Weasel” in NBC’s "Saved by the Bell: The New Class". As a teen, while his eyesight gradually diminished, Isaac began to reframe his outlook. Dispelling any notion of disability, Isaac honed his true vision. And his achievements kept mounting: following college, he not only spearheaded a start-up, but then studied law and graduated Harvard Law School magna cum laude; clerked for Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sandra Day O’Connor, and argued and won more than a dozen appeals in federal court on behalf of the United States. As an entrepreneur and leader, Isaac’s first company sold for $230 million, and he then transformed a struggling Orlando subcontractor into the leading $150 million construction services company ODC Construction, he now leads as CEO. He also founded Hope for Vision, a nonprofit organization that funds the development of treatments and cures for blinding diseases.   Podcast Highlights Who is Isaac Lidsky? Isaac grew up in the Hollywood fairytale in a lot of ways. When Isaac was 13 he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and realized that he was destined to lose his eyesight. Isaac believed that he would end up alone and unremarkable, which obviously turned out to not be true. Where did the courage to continue come from? We all confront our challenges differently. In the face of crisis, our fears can step in and we often imagine the worst case scenario. Isaac lost his sight over the course of twelve years. The process of becoming blind made Isaac realize that we shape our own realities. In every moment, we get to choose who we want to be and how we live our lives. It’s an inescapable responsibility. Isaac had an epiphany in the office of his occupational therapist. He was choosing to live in the awful world that he had created for himself in his mind. He made a choice to live differently. How did you go from the doctor’s office to creating a company? What is it that you want to spend your time and your life on? What does success look like to you? You are living the answer to those questions every moment of your life, whether or not you are asking them consciously. Without your diagnosis, would your life look like the way it does? Isaac wouldn’t change a thing about his life. Going blind was one of the greatest unexpected blessings he has received. Changing your perspective We tell ourselves stories and limit ourselves. We listen to our fears and let them dictate the way we act. In the business world, entrepreneurs often set out to market the business or service that they want to sell. But it’s often more lucrative to create what your customers want to buy. Why did you write the book? EYES WIDE OPEN explores the vision and philosophy of choosing what you want to see. Isaac wrote the book with his children in mind in the hopes that they will read it in the future. Isaac does not have vision problems, he has sight problems. No matter what circumstances we are in, there are people who have done far more with much less and have lead happier lives. It’s not our circumstances that dictate our life, it’s how we view them

This episode brings you the godfather of the virtual office industry, Frank Cottle. Frank reveals how he essentially created the just in time work paradigm over 30 years ago and how it impacts entrepreneurs and businesses today. Frank Cottle is CEO of Alliance Virtual Offices and Chairman of the Alliance Business Centers Network. He is a recognized expert of flexible working, the virtual office movement and ‘third place’ working. Prior to creating the Alliance brand, Frank, successfully operated his own portfolio of business centers in multiple locations across North America. Frank has spent almost the past 30 years delivering business services that are finely tuned to the workplace needs of startups, entrepreneurs and growing SMBs. Over the years he has worked with tens of thousands of business owners and, coupled with a unique global management perspective, has become the go-to authority on flexible and remote work.   Podcast Highlights Who is Frank Cottle? Frank started his work life as a commercial diver in Newport Beach, and moved onto the yachting industry. Eventually, he made his way into a brokerage and came to the realization that he will ‘never be an owner as long as he’s a broker’. He decided to go his own way, and opened his own real estate management business focused on changing the way people worked. The big shift in manufacturing was just in time inventory, Frank felt that the same principle should be applied to real estate and that’s how the concept of serviced offices came about. The idea of a 10 year lease doesn’t apply to business today. How did you see the way the future of work would be? Shared work and shared economies have existed throughout history and were the model Frank based his business on. Technology has changed the way work is done in the world today, but even in the 1980’s there were signs that work was moving in that direction. Frank’s offices were actually the test labs for many of the technologies that paved the way for the gig economy. Every entrepreneur is going to make mistakes, you just have to survive them. The will to do something is as important as having the idea to do something. The road of the entrepreneur is not always going to be smooth. Stop worrying about what others think, and play your own game. How do you deal with regulatory issues? Every entrepreneur has to deal with regulation in some way. You have to know your own business and adapt appropriately. Be the best student in your industry and you will be eventually be able to work instinctively. How did you build Alliance to its current model? Better lucky than smart. Frank has changed the Alliance business model since its inception after learning from the dot com boom and the rise of technology. Frank looked to the travel industry as a model for offices. Almost every company today is international. Being able to operate a business globally by providing virtual office services is the target that Frank was trying to hit. If you don’t innovate, you die. What services does Alliance provide? Government is a large client of the serviced offices industry as well as large corporations. The structure of employment has changed, there are fewer employees and more contractors than ever before. A serviced office is a more efficient use of resources than the old model for companies big and small. Reference: Frank’s Takeaway Play the part. If you have an idea that you believe in, there is no reason why you shouldn’t act on it. If you want to win, you have to buy the ticket.   Links: http://allianc

This episode dives deep into the greatest challenges facing entrepreneurs and the nation today with a great discussion on the principles of leadership. David Burkus, leadership expert and author of the new book Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business As Usual. Forbes. David Burkus is a best-selling author, an award-winning podcaster, and management professor. In 2015, he was named one of the emerging thought leaders most likely to shape the future of business by Thinkers50, the world’s premier ranking of management thinkers. David was recently named one of the “Top 40 Under 40 Professors Who Inspire.” His work has been featured in Fast Company, Inc, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and CBS This Morning.   Podcast Highlights Who is David Burkus? In terms of priority, David is a husband and father first. Authors like Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink were the model David used to build his career as a professor and an author. In many ways, David stumbled into his career as a professor but he’s enjoying the ride and making the most of it. Entrepreneurs probably always knew they wanted to be entrepreneurs, they just didn’t know their business model at the time. Which work of Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink resonates with you? Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers made the biggest impact on David and inspired him to look deeper into the 10,000 hour rule and how people achieve peak performance. Daniel Pink’s Drive explored the Self Motivation Theory which made a major impact on David’s life and perspective. What is the business model of a writer? The business model of a nonfiction writer is similar to that of a recording artist. The majority of the cash flow comes from the tours and speeches after the book is published, not from the royalties from the book sales. The book is a means to get the opportunities that come afterwards. Why leadership? Don’t write what you know. You should write about what you are hugely interested in and what you are curious about. The writing part of the book is the hard work, the research is where the fun is. The area of leadership is still largely unexplored and we’re still learning about it. The new discoveries and strange things David has learned in the process is what keeps him fascinated in the subject. What are the misconceptions about leadership? By exploring the Great Man Theory of history, we discovered that there were common shared traits of notable leaders like charisma, intelligence, and being well spoken. It was a number of decades before we started studying the interaction between leaders and followers. Many authors writing about leadership talk about how leaders “cast a vision” in order to get buy in, but this is not the case with real leaders. In actuality, we see that leaders are able to put to words and describe what their followers already feel. What about the entrepreneurs that have come up with something new? No one buys your product so that you will make money. Customers will buy your product for what they want out of it. If you help people get what they want, they will help you get what they want. Why does it feel like their are no leaders today? There is no shortage of people trying to lead today. You become a leader when you find yourself in the center of a community that is looking to you for guidance. We see a lot of social movements spread much quicker now because of improved communication technology. Once you can pull away from focusing on yourself, you can scale your movement or business much faster. What does it take for the average person to be

This episode goes into why you should be leading into the turn and why entrepreneurs should invest in themselves and their relationships in addition to their business. Elise is an accomplished strategic communications professional and business leader whose entrepreneurial spirit helped build Mitchell from scratch into one of the top 10 fastest-growing firms globally, a two-time Agency of the Year winner and Inc. 500/5000 Fastest Growing Company. The company’s client portfolio includes well-known brands such as: Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Hilton Worldwide, Kraft, Del Monte, Canon, Merck and others. Under her leadership the company grew more than 500% in five years. In recognition of her accomplishments, Elise has received numerous national awards including Agency Professional of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and a Top 50 Power Player.   Podcast Highlights Who is Elise Mitchell? Elise was always an entrepreneur at heart. She found a way to take her passion and drive and make money from it, which is the essence of the entrepreneur. Starting a business in a smaller market with dreams of creating something world class was Elise’s first major obstacle. Understanding Your Customers And Evolving Markets Talk directly to your customers and seek to understand their experience. Use the opportunity to learn and grow. Courage Finding your courage to make your first ask is the first step to creating a real business. Look at your current scenario, what can you tweak to make the situation better? What are the action steps that will take you to the state you want to be in? The internal battle is the hardest one to win.   The State Of Uncertainty We often live in a perpetual fantasy that life will become simple if only we reach our fantasy destination. Nobody has all the answers, if you do, you aren’t growing. The game is always changing and you need to be willing to face the new challenges.   Approaching The Turn Entrepreneurs often get so focused on the business that they forget to live the rest of their life, you have to take time off the enjoy life and rejuvenate. Enjoy the ride, we are not meant to work all the time. You are not your company and if you don’t invest time into your relationships they will fade away. Reference: Leading Through The Turn, Elise Mitchell   Elise’s Takeaway Get the business fundamentals down first, surround yourself with people who have skills that you don’t, get comfortable with failure and learning as you go, give yourself some runway and give it a go.   Links: http://elisemitchell.com/ Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode is all about making yourself more valuable by developing your skillset and investing in your future. David is a real estate investor/agent/author/entrepreneur/police officer in the CA SF Bay Area. David's goal is to achieve total financial independence through real estate and to help as many others do so as possible. When not hunting bad guys, he hunts deals and loves talking real estate.   Podcast Highlights Who is David Greene? David used to be a basketball fanatic, his love for basketball taught him that work ethic and training is more important than talent. The things we notice are not usually the things that lead to success, it’s the fundamentals that determine who is successful or not. Developing Your Skillset You should try to understand why something works, not just that it works. Become the best version of yourself that you can be if you don’t want to have any regret. Competency is the baseline, you should strive for mastery. Mastery As A Game True mastery comes from teaching others what you are doing. The Fear Of Losing And The Ability To Learn Developing a skillset is a skillset in itself. Removing the fear of failure makes the accomplishment meaningless. Investing In The Future Putting in the time early on is a great way to save money that you can invest and multiply later on. Small steps are the key to building confidence and skill. Police Officer To Entrepreneur The BRRR Strategy Working long hours to save money is hard, it’s like cutting down a tree with a dull axe.   David’s Takeaway Create relationships with people who already know what you want to know and do what you want to do, offer to be helpful.     Links: http://www.greeneincome.com https://www.facebook.com/davidgreene24   Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode is lesson in redefining success. Dan Millman shows you why adversity is the way to develop your strengths and how to adopt the path of the Peaceful Warrior. Dan Millman is a former world champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor. After an intensive, twenty-year spiritual quest, Dan’s teaching found its form as the Peaceful Warrior’s Way, expressed fully in his books and lectures. His work continues to evolve over time, to meet the needs of a changing world. Dan’s seventeen books, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior, have inspired and informed millions of readers in 29 languages worldwide. The feature film, “Peaceful Warrior,” starring Nick Nolte, was adapted from Dan’s first book, based upon incidents from his life. Much of Dan’s time is devoted to writing and speaking. His keynotes, seminars, and workshops span the generations to influence men and women from all walks of life, including leaders in the fields of health, psychology, education, business, politics, sports, entertainment, and the arts.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Dan Millman? Dan Millman was usually the smallest kid in the class and faced the usual adversity that comes with it. People tend to see the product and not the process when it comes to success and they ignore the adversity and obstacles that got them there.   Voluntary Adversity And Resistance Almost everyone takes on voluntary forms of adversity, we have more control over changing ourselves than life in general. Stress is a part of life. To be successful in life you need two things: to be good at what you do and good at promoting how good you are. Dream big but start small and connect the dots.   Leveling The Mountain With A Spoon You can’t guarantee a result but you can greatly increase the odds of success by making an effort.   The Two Paths Towards Achievement Accept your thoughts and feelings. Focus on a goal. Do what needs to be done in line with your goals.   What Is A Peaceful Warrior? The most difficult battles we fight are within ourselves.   The Hidden School When the student is paying attention, the teacher appears everywhere.   Waves Of Change We are all enrolled in the school of daily life and most don’t realize it. If you can master the basics you can raise your potential at the same time. Redefine success within the process instead of the destination. Reference: Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman The Hidden School, Dan Millman   Dan’s Takeaway Start small, little things can make a great difference. Heroes and cowards feel exactly the same fear, they just respond differently.   Links: http://www.peacefulwarrior.com/ Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode tears down your ideas about business and builds them back, discover the power of positive destruction. Seth Merrin is an entrepreneur, global business leader and philanthropist who has reinvented how Wall Street can work for good and use technology to make the markets safer and more efficient for investors. As founder and CEO of Liquidnet, Seth has built a different kind of financial services company that is dedicated to rewiring the asset management industry by eradicating market inefficiency, driving investment performance and enabling the efficient flow of investable assets around the world. Podcast Highlights Who is Seth Merrin? Seth always had the perspective of looking at what is, and how it can be made better. His experience early on with computers led him to think about how technology can disrupt current paradigms. Solving Big Problems Jim’s first company was focused on bringing Wall Street into the digital age. You have to stack the deck in your favour and create an unfair competitive advantage. What are the biggest problems your prospects have that have not been solved? What is something that is just “the cost of doing business”? There are huge problems in plain sight in virtually every industry, the question is can you see it. The Power Of Positive Destruction Remove the constraints and look at the problem from a completely new angle. A Positive Impact To create a truly positive business, you have to break down the problem and the current solutions. Most people are stuck in their day to day activities, take some time off to walk back and look at opportunities to improve the business. Industries Due For Disruption Adopting A Positive Destruction Mindset Look for the WTF moments in your business. Change your mindset to be “why do we do it this way and how can we make it better?” Quantify your problems and solve the one that can either generate the most revenue or save the most money. Building Bigger Companies Make your pitch so compelling that your customer would feel stupid not to accept your offer. Reference: The Power of Positive Destruction, Seth Merrin Seth’s Takeaway Failure is not an option, you have to have conviction and keep pushing forward. Companies often go out of business not because the idea is bad, but because they run out of money. Look at business as a series of problems that need to be solved.    Links: www.liquidnet.com www.positivedestructionbook.com   Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode of the Cashflow Diary podcast is all about deciding for success and why you need to get out of your own way and stop being afraid. Jim Palmer is a marketing and business building expert and in-demand coach. He is the founder of the Dream Business Academy and Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program. He is the host of Dream Business Coach TV, the hit weekly Web TV show watched by thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners, and he is also the host of Dream Business Radio, a weekly podcast based on Jim's unique brand of Smart Marketing and Business Building Strategies. Jim is best known internationally as 'The Dream Business Coach' and creator of No Hassle Newsletters, the ultimate 'done-for-you' newsletter marketing program used by hundreds of clients in nine countries.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Jim Palmer? Everybody has limiting beliefs, when Jim was young he was so uncomfortable with public speaking that he would call in sick when his turn came around. As the boss, no one is going to punish you for not doing what you are afraid of doing, you just won’t have the success you want. You have to personalize your inaction and find your Big Why. “How is it you think you are entitled to the same level of success, yet you’re not willing to do the things that these people have done to grow their business?”   Playing Big Versus Playing Small No one has actually died from embarrassment. Most people discover that the things they are afraid of are actually things that they really enjoy doing. Trying to be perfect kills momentum. You’re not perfect and it’s okay. The Imposter Syndrome Everybody has a voice that says they may not be worth it, that someone will discover the real you. For the most part we are the same person throughout our lives, success does not fundamentally change who you are.   The Definition Of A Decision Highly successful people have the ability to assess a situation, question, or opportunity and quickly make a decision. If you believe in the value you provide to your customers, you have to push them to make the decision that will benefit them.   Dealing With Decision Fatigue Hire and train right, empower your team to make decisions as well. Don’t be afraid to take some time to refresh. Make the conscious decision to rest.   Transformational Decisions If you are going to expect other people to respect your time, you have to respect yourself as well. Know the value of your time and honor the commitments you make to yourself. Reference: Decide For Success, Jim Palmer   Jim’s Takeaway Stop playing the mind game called “what if?”. You can’t create a new beginning but starting today, you can create a new ending. Just say yes.    Links: www.decideforsuccessbook.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode is a deep exploration of why limited thinking is holding you back from raising capital and how Clark Nichols can help you take your company public. Clark Nichols has spent a lifetime helping companies build their businesses, both as an employee in his early years, as an owner in his ambitious years,  and as a consultant in his productive years. He is an natural born entrepreneur infused with a missionary zeal to help the next generation of entrepreneurs learn that business is a clean and honorable profession bound by rules of propriety as well as law.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Clark Nichols? When Clark was in his mid-thirties, he lost $6.4 million in six months. An attorney convinced Clark to help a mining operation in Brazil where he managed to turn the company around and multiply the share price by many times. Once his contract ran out with that company, Clark became very popular with other companies that were having trouble.   Raising Capital One of the challenges to raising capital is that we are thinking too small. People buy stock based on what they think the future holds for it. Can Anyone Go Public? As long as the business plan is strong enough and the company has the history to show they can implement it, they will have a chance at going public.   Equity And Ownership You can raise capital and go public without losing ownership, as long as you set it up so that your stock is the only voting stock. The trick is to not give up voting control.   How Small Can A Public Company Be? Building A Strong Business Plan Limited Thinking You can not be afraid to fail. As long as you don’t lie, cheat, or steal you can raise money without acquiring debt.   Clark’s Takeaway Give Clark a call and tell him what your plan is, he’ll ask you what it is about your background that makes you think you can execute it. If both those things work out, Clark will show you how to get the money and how to move forward.   Links: www.clarknichols.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode goes into what it really takes to succeed in business and why you need to think big if you want to win big. Steve is President and CEO of Miller Ingenuity, a global supplier of high technology systems that protect assets, preserve the environment, and save lives. He is an internationally recognized business transformation expert whose keynote speeches have shown many c-suite executives how to maximize their company's Innovational Potential™ and double or even quadruple their company’s growth. Steve is a published author of four books, including American Manufacturing 2.0: What Went Wrong and How to Make it Right and his latest Mastering the Art of Success, now a best seller. Podcast Highlights Who is Steven Blue? Steven’s experience in a turnaround were where he learned important lessons about cash and strict operational control. You don’t need a lot of people to have a dysfunctional toxic environment, Steven worked in such an environment and learned that a culture by design is a much better option. Payroll Or Paying The Light Bill Do the analysis, your gut won’t be able to tell you what to do until you make enough mistakes to know the best option. Once you have the experience, pay attention to your intuition. You Cannot Win The Hand Unless You Place The Bet You are going to be wrong about half the time, the planet is poised to tell you you’re going to be wrong. In the end, you have to believe in yourself. The Source Of Courage Without belief, you can’t have courage. You will be wrong until you are proven right. Entrepreneurs On The Global Stage Don’t wait for your competition to act, prepare now for the future. How Entrepreneurs Learn To Place A Proper Bet Don’t ever make a bet that you can lose the whole company over. Starting Out Find the most complicated issue you can and attempt to solve that, you’re going to spend as much time trying to solve that as you would on something easy. Start small but go for the huge upside. If you chase small things, your thinking will be small, your planning will be small, and your results will be small. Warning Signs You can’t have smart manufacturing if you have a dumb workforce. If you build the people, the people build your business. Building A Culture Of Values Reference: American Manufacturing 2.0: What Went Wrong and How to Make it Right, Steven Blue Mastering the Art of Success, Steven Blue Steven’s Takeaway Go do a firework and find out that the limitations that you believe you have are self imposed.    Links: www.stevenlblue.com   Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode goes deep into understanding your customers as people instead of just abstractions and how to make better business decisions. For the past 20 years, Christian Madsbjerg has worked as a management consultant. He writes, speaks, and teaches on the practical application of the Human Sciences and his work has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, and Bloomberg Businessweek. His latest book, Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm, was released in the spring of 2017 by Hachette Book Group. His book Moment of Clarity, co-written with Mikkel Rasmussen and published in the fall of 2014, has been published in 15+ languages. Christian studied philosophy and political science in Copenhagen and London and has a Masters from the University of London..   Podcast Highlights Who is Christian Madsbjerg? Christian always thought he would be an academic but his experience in university put him on the different path towards entrepreneurship instead. According to research, only 10% of decisions are made based on data within billion dollar businesses. Christian always wondered why so many businesses made so many bad decisions when data is always available. This lead to his consultancy and the focus of his writing. Most Entrepreneurs Are Guessing All great businesses are found on an insight into how to serve a group of people in a meaningful way. Looking at people and listening to them is better than asking them. Understanding Your Customers You can get a really good understanding of your customers by going to the area where they lead their lives and observe. Engage in their life and try to walk a mile in their shoes. Instead of guessing, spend some time with your future customers and develop a hypothesis. Increasing Your Odds Of Success Innovate on many different things at the same time. The same product can seem very different if you change a few other things. Sensemaking CEO’s of the modern corporate world are so separated from the average customer that the people they serve become abstractions. Without data, they have no way to make good decisions. Try not to look at people as numbers, but as individuals. Choosing a group and then understanding it should be the target. Go to the savannah instead of the zoo. Your Customer Has To Be The Frontend Of Your Business Reference: Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm, Christian Madsbjerg The Moment of Clarity: Using the Human Sciences to Solve Your Toughest Business Problems, Christian Madsbjerg   Christian’s Takeaway Get strength from understanding the people you serve. Get inspired by going out and meeting the customers you serve.    Links: Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm www.redassociates.com   Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode dives into why the typical view of investing and retirement is wrong and how you can take back total control of your finances. An entrepreneur at heart, first business at age 11, started 30 more since.  Founder of his own martial art, Yokido ™, and holder of 3 other black belts.  Damion paid for his first rental house with a VISA, bought 150 houses in 7 states over next 5 years and then went through a $20,000,000 meltdown in 2008.   Today he runs an Austin based FinTech dedicated to Disrupting Wall Street by getting people off the Wall Street Roller Coaster and in control of their money and financial future. Damion has written 5 books with two more being released in 2017. Podcast Highlights Who is Damion Lupo? Damion’s mindset has always been that anything is possible. This turned him into a disruptor of the norm. Your past becomes damage that prevents you from thinking in ways that seem outlandish, being naive can actually be a huge benefit. Your influences are what you become. Top 3 Lessons From The Financial Meltdown Failure is an opportunity to learn. You have to own the things that happen in your life, responsibility is what gives you control. Entrepreneurs often identify with their balance sheet, which is not the truth of who they are. Reinventing Damion If you don’t fundamentally change your spirit, you’re going to repeat your past. You have to be willing to invest in yourself. After Damion’s father became sick, Damion made the decision to help other people unlock their freedom and avoid regret. What Total Control Financial Does There are three things that matter to us most in life, Money, Health, and Sex. If you don’t have freedom and control in your financials it can be like shackles on the rest of your life. Keep control of your assets instead of giving away your control to Wall Street. The system tries to tell you that you aren’t smart enough to make your own choices about your money. Obstacles And Failure You have to have experience to be able to succeed, failure is how we learn. You don’t get your superhero powers by reading a book, you have to go into the life gym and bleed and sweat. The people you know and like don’t always make good team members, it can make having difficult conversations even harder. The Craziest Investment Damion Has Seen A Different View Of Retirement Why would you quit once you’ve gathered decades of wisdom? You have to find a way to connect and contribute. When you contribute you learn faster. Damion’s Takeaway Use the Blank Slate Principal. How many things and people in your life are there by default that are not helping you grow into the person you want to become?   Links: https://www.facebook.com/damionlupoofficial/

This episode shows you how to duplicate the results of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world and invest life the top 1%. Scott Picken is a South African-born real estate investor and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Wealth Migrate, a fintech company that offers real estate investments on its online marketplace through crowdfunding. He began offering real estate investment solutions at the age of 26 when he founded International Property Solutions. The Huffington Post named Wealth Migrate as one of the top 60 real estate crowdfunding solutions in the United States in 2014.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Scott Picken? Scott Picken has always loved building things. Scott built an extension onto his family’s house at the age of 13. This lead to his passion for building businesses and technology.   Building Something Tangible Versus Something Intangible If you want to be successful, do what successful people do. The amount of money you can make in the business world is proportional to the amount of value you can add. How Did You Go From 13 Year Old To Wealth Migrate? After missing out on a major opportunity during the 2008 crisis, Scott decided to build a platform that allowed people to access the capital that the institutions could as well as the knowledge and expertise to invest globally.   Using The Wealth Migrate Platform No matter what happens to business and technology, the fundamentals never change.   What Are The Top 3 Mistakes That You’ve Made? Systems unlock the potential for your business. The people you know and like don’t always make good team members, it can make having difficult conversations even harder.   Scott’s Takeaway Nobody learned how to swim by reading a book, at some point you have to jump in the water. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, it’s not a case of if, it’s a case of when you will make mistakes. The important trait to have is persistence.   Links: https://www.wealthmigrate.com/ http://www.ipsinvest.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Picken Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode shows you the importance of red teaming and how testing your assumptions can lead to greater success. Bryce G. Hoffman is an author, speaker, consultant, and strategic advisor who believes that individuals have the power to transform companies and cultures with the right processes. Hoffman wrote the bestselling book American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company, which has become a manual for leaders who want to transform their companies. His latest book, Red Teaming: How Your Business Can Conquer the Competition by Challenging Everything, was just published by Crown Business in the United States and Little, Brown and Company in the United Kingdom.   Podcast Highlights Who is Bryce Hoffman? Bryce is a former journalist that witnessed many booms and busts and learned how businesses succeed or fail in the process. After writing American Icon, Bryce began getting asked to present and implement many of the ideas in the book in other businesses. This lead to consulting and Bryce’s second book Red Teaming. Don’t take your success for granted. You have to take great leaps forward to keep success going.   How Does Red Teaming Impact Business? Bryce was looking for a system that businesses can use to challenge their systems. Red teaming is the cure for institutional complacency. Success is a poor teacher. Everybody needs a system that challenges their assumptions and strategies. Red teaming can also be used to identify businesses that are vulnerable to being disrupted. Your Competitor’s Customers Are An Opportunity   How Much Work Is It To Apply Red Teaming? To get the full benefit of Red Teaming, you need a separate set of eyes to look at your plans.   Inside Versus Outside Red Teams Red Teaming Your Foregone Conclusions How many areas of your life could benefit from reevaluating your assumptions? Reference: Bryce Hoffman, American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company Bryce Hoffman, Red Teaming: How Your Business Can Conquer the Competition by Challenging Everything   Bryce’s Takeaway Just ask “why?”. Why is one of the most powerful words in the English language, there is no danger to asking why. Just because you’re Red Teaming your plan doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with your plan, but you won’t know that until you subject it to stress testing and scrutiny.   Links: www.brycehoffman.com www.redteamthinking.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This episode deals with how to take care of and take steps to improve the value of our number one asset. Eliza Bacot began her nursing career as a nursing assistant, providing care to pediatric patients at a regional hospital. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, in 2003. She became a Registered Nurse, caring for patients in the cardiovascular, surgical and medical intensive care units of several large regional hospitals. Bacot completed a Master of Science in Acute Care Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta in 2007. From 2007 to 2014, she was an acute care nurse practitioner in the medical intensive care unit of a large hospital. She provided training in bedside ultrasound, served as a mentor for nurse practitioner in training and conducted many aspects of critical care.   Podcast Highlights Who is Eliza Bacot? Eliza grew up in the South and learned early on she had a love for the human body, which lead her down the path of pursuing medicine. Modern medicine isn’t really focused on optimizing the human body, it’s more about treating disease. After becoming an entrepreneur, Eliza realized that as a group, entrepreneurs can’t create good ideas or be creative if they are putting poor food into their bodies. Finding The Courage When something is inspiring to you, you have to share with others. To have courage means facing your fear. Don’t be the person who dies with regrets…if something is calling you, take action. There are no barriers. Emotional Wellness Your inner negative voice can destroy you. Imagine all the people you will not impact, if you do not take action.   What Does Wellness Really Mean? Ignoring the signs your body is giving you, is a sure path to inflammation and pain.   How Do We Make Changes? Take small steps and start with one thing. Without your health you won’t be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour.   What Is A Wellness Community? A wellness community is consciously designed for social connection.   What Is Are Five Things Entrepreneurs Can Do Today? If you knew that changing your food program could double your business, over the course of the year, would you do it? You must look at the impact your eating habits have on your business…it will change your perspective.   Eliza’s Takeaway Go to the person you trust the most…the one that builds you up, and ask them “how do you see me?” Write the answer down, and look at it every day. The thing that drives us is not money or fame, it’s purpose. If you get your mindset right in the beginning, nothing can stop you.   Links: www.theorganicsouth.com [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/theorganicsouth Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!      

This episode dives deep into how college fits into your plan for your family’s future. Brad Baldridge is a late-stage college planning specialist. He helps parents of high school students plan and pay for college using strategies such as merit aid, need based aid, tax planning, savings and investing for college, negotiating with colleges, scholarships and loans. Over the past 10 years Brad has directly helped hundreds of families plan and pay for college. He has provided in-depth college plans resulting in increased financial aid, scholarships, identification of the right schools at the right price, and better loans. Brad’s expertise is featured weekly on his podcast, Taming The High Cost of College. Since 2013 Brad and his expert guests have explored and shared great information related to college planning. Podcast Highlights: Who is Brad Baldridge? After walking away from his corporate job, Brad found his calling helping families deal with college.   Dealing with failures, financial planning is for everyone.   Owning real estate as a safety net for entrepreneurship Times have changed for entrepreneurs, it may be better to find a mentor first. Planning for college and the future Cost of college has risen and parents are now expected to pay, the two stages of planning. Making the plan come together, the money gap and lifestyle choices after college. Is the college ROI still worth it? Baking college into your cake and the bank of mom and dad. Starting a side hustle, making sure retirement is still an option.   Can you prepay for college? Building your college list appropriately can save you tens of thousands of dollars.   Are “name brand” schools worth the price tag? “Your competition has a degree too.” ~ Brad Baldridge   How to College by Brian Robin Don’t wait to start.   Links: www.tamingthehighcostofcollege.com https://www.facebook.com/TamingTheHighCostOfCollege Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

This is an intriguing story of wealth, scandal, and redemption. Joe Gagliano is a former member of the New Orleans Mafia, and architect of one of the biggest sports point-shaving scandals in American history - the subject of his new book, No Grey Areas: The Inside Story of the Largest Point Shaving Scandal in History and the Consequences Thereafter.   At the age of 24, Gagliano quarterbacked the ASU basketball point-shaving scandal, still one of the largest scams in sports history. Not only did he outsmart the sports betting world, as an entrepreneur Joe managed to create a number of legitimate and highly successful businesses. Podcast Highlights: Who is Joe Gagliano? Now a family man, and resurrected entrepreneur, Joe is the son of a cop and two-time felon. Joe Gagliano then and now; living by default vs. conscious choice and direction The dark side of gambling; the impact on career, relationships, and overall happiness Investing vs. gambling Transferrable skill sets Is it possible to learn how to run a business from a felon? Living in the Grey-Area Many of the skill sets required to operate in the grey-area of law are very effective in managing a business. “Applying those skills, in the proper channels, can lead to great success.” Joe’s Takeaway Being one-degree off center, at an early age, may lead you astray years down the road. “It takes twenty-years to build a reputation, and five-minutes to ruin it.” ~ Warren Buffet Links: Instagram: NoGreyAreasBook Twitter: @NoGreyAreas www.nogreyareas.com www.facebook.com/nogreyareasbook Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!

We are into another new year now and I hope you’re off to a great start. That’s why I’m doing this 8 THINGS TO GIVE UP series in my Cash Flow Diary podcast. So far I’ve covered three of the things you need to toss out the window. Go back and listen to those episodes if you haven’t already.  Today I share with you why you don’t want to put your time into criticizing others. Criticism just leaves you looking (and feeling) harsh, vindictive and cruel. Criticizing others may make you feel superior to others, but in reality that’s not the truth. How in the heck does that serve you, especially as a real estate investor? It doesn’t.  Real estate investing (and most other businesses) require you to build relationships. How are you going to do that if you are hyper-critical?  Let’s take the example of a property. You’re walking the property and you are there to assess it so you can make an offer and figure out how you can help the seller. If you walk around with a superior attitude, tearing the property apart with your words, I promise you’ll have a real hard time getting that seller to want to work with you. You are setting up an adversarial relationship and it’s going to leave the seller feeling bruised and upset. You may as well pick up a heavy stick and follow the seller around while poking them with it. That’s how your criticisms feel to the other party. It is horrible and unnecessary.  When someone is receiving criticism, it puts them in a defensive position. That sets up sour ground for negotiations. The seller will push back with their own criticisms. Both of you will walk away feeling bad about each other and the property. Have you ever heard that old saying that you catch more bees with honey? It’s true. You don’t have to embellish; you simply have to learn to communicate in a more positive way. You can say absolutely anything if you frame it correctly. If you form an actual connection with the other person, put yourself in their shoes, learn a little about their situations and challenges, and you stop putting yourself first your negotiations will go better. Your business will do better. Your income will improve.  As a real estate investor you are supposed to be solving problems for other people. You are alleviating pain. You don’t have to say every little thing that’s running through your brain. The seller knows the problems with the property. They want you to make an offer. They want to sell the property.  Here’s the bottom line: No one and nothing is perfect… not even you. So, if you are prone to being critical, you need to learn how to communicate better. A book that helped me is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  And in researching the topic for this episode I found some really cool articles. There were several. Here’s just one: How To Stop Being Critical Of Others. It’s written by an NLP trainer and it’s pretty interesting. Read it. If you recognize any of the points in your own behavior it’s time to fix it… right now.  You might want to listen to this episode a few times, especially the end, because I give you the way to word the negatives in your negotiations. There is a way to say everything. Learn more. LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW. 

As I continue with my “8 Things to Give Up” series today, I take you where you may not want to go. In this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast, I ask you to do something for me… for yourself… for your loved ones. Give up your fear of failure! In fact, I’m asking you to look at failure in a whole new way. I want you to embrace it!  Any successful entrepreneur has had plenty of failure events, and that’s how you have to look at things when they don’t go as planned. They are not “failures” in the truest sense of the word. They’re just events in your life and your business that didn’t pan out as you expected.  So what? Now what? Next… You have to learn to move past hold-ups, challenges, issues, problems and unexpected twists and turns. That’s part of life. None of us magically know how to do things the right way the first time. Everything takes practice… or do you think I suddenly and without hard work and PRACTICE became a successful real estate investor, coach, educator, author and speaker?  When I first started in real estate investing there were tons of things I didn’t know. If I had let the fear of failing at those things where would I be now? I didn’t exactly have a choice. My wife was very ill; I had no job; my kids were hungry. Regardless of how scared I may have been in the beginning I had to put those fears aside and take the necessary steps to get to my first goal, then my second, then my third and so on. I had to educate myself on those steps.  See, that’s the thing… It’s your reaction to your thoughts, feelings and emotions that you need to learn to control. Everyone has fears, but it’s our responses to our feelings that makes the difference between success and not being successful yet.  You must learn to calm your inner negative, doubtful, fearful chatter. That’s all it is. Chatter. Understand that you CAN do what you set out to do… because you aren’t the first person who has ever tried this new thing you are trying to do. Plenty of people have come before you, which means you have just as much chance as them to get to your goals.  In this episode I talk you through your fears and how to gain control over your emotional reactions. You’re gonna be just fine. Trust me on that one. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

As a real estate investor, success comes to you once you understand whom you serve. So, let me ask you something… Are you serving anyone well (or at all) by allowing negative thoughts to intrude the corners of your mind and walk all over your goals? You’re certainly not doing yourself any good, and unless your intent is to attract negativity to your life, you need to stop negative thinking now. I MEAN RIGHT NOW. That’s what this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is all about. It’s the second in an eight-part series dedicated to the things you must stop doing immediately if not sooner to allow success to enter your life. (If you didn’t listen to part one, go back and do that now.) The funny (or not-so-funny) thing is that we can all be big negative thinkers from time to time. (That means being our own worst enemy, too, by the way.) Truth is negative thinking kills. It kills opportunities… it kills relationships… it kills deals… it kills goals. So why participate in something that isn’t going to help you get further down the path in your journey? Replace your negative thoughts with those of a more positive spin. If you’re prone to being negative, learn new ways to express yourself. Like Tony Robbins says, you can learn to replace words with negative connotations with those that bring more positive meaning. For example, instead of telling yourself (and others) that you are “nervous, scared, anxious or frightened” about learning something new and putting it to use, try replacing those words with “excited.” Just that minor difference makes a huge impact on how you feel about what you are doing. Did you know negative thinking can make you sick? Yes, sir. There are reasons to take on a more positive outlook. It’s simply healthier all around… for everyone. Think about your daily conversations with people. Who do you like to talk to? I’m betting it’s not the Negative Nellies and Debbie Downers who have a lot of negative thinking going on for themselves. It’s more likely that you are drawn to those confidant individuals who display positive thinking, communication and actions. You want to be around those who are moving forward with a smile, and who have good things to say about other people and the world. You get excited for them when they start talking about what they’re doing, because positivity attracts. Conversely, negativity repels. Big time! I recorded this episode of my podcast because I want you to be your most uplifted, positive self. I want you to stop the negative self-talk and negative thinking all-around. For more reasons you want to stop your negative thinking, give this episode your ear. Then practice what you’ve learned here today! LISTEN NOW.

Focusing on your goals is something you have to train yourself to do. When you first get into real estate investing you start seeing opportunity everywhere. For example, real estate is literally everywhere you look.  When you stop at an intersection and you see buildings. That is real estate that is owned by someone who rents space out to others for a profit. You think maybe you’d like to own a building like that.  Maybe you spot a movie theatre. That’s real estate. Restaurants are real estate. Daycare centers are real estate. If you have a J.O.B. and work for someone else, guess what? That building is a piece of real estate. Literally everything has something to do with real estate. Someone is paying and someone is profiting.  Seeing opportunity everywhere is also a problem at first. When you see opportunity everywhere your brain can jump from shiny thing to shiny thing. You want houses; you want apartment buildings; you want commercial properties; you want a cell phone tower; you want a wind farm.  See what I mean? In the beginning you can get lost in all the opportunities. But part of the problem is that you don’t know what you want to focus on yet.  So how do you FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful)? That’s what this educational episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is all about! To help you focus, you need to be a follower first. Why? Cuz it’s better to imitate before you innovate. Imitate someone who has been where you are standing now so you can develop clarity about what type of real estate investing you like most and do best. For example, it’s a good thing to start as a wholesaler. That’s what a lot of my students start with before adding to their skills and choosing the niche they want to focus on in real estate. Why? Cuz that’s how I started. They imitate, keep learning and then focus in on a niche.  That’s how it happens. Once you master the basics you can add to your knowledge base and take on different types of deals and bigger deals. I guarantee you’ll always be learning. It might surprise you, but I’m still learning. For example, while I’m focused on a particular deal, I’m learning that some of the things I thought would happen didn’t end up happening. So I adjusted my path and kept my focus. Now we’re getting close to the goal. I feel like cheering. If my team and I hadn’t kept our focus, we wouldn’t be getting this cool deal done.  See what you can learn about focusing on a singular outcome or objective from this episode of Cash Flow Dairy. You will want to jot things down, so get your pen and paper ready. LISTEN NOW. 

What’s better than inspiring seasoned entrepreneurs? How about inspiring young entrepreneurs who are just now jumping into the entrepreneurial pool and really need guidance? YES! That’s what I love to do. That’s why I enjoyed presenting at the recorded live event in Irvine, Calif., from which this highly educational episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is taken. I got to tell my story and talk about how I entered real estate investing, which was as a wholesaler. In fact, I still have my first property. It’s in California and I can drive to see it any time I want. I don’t, because the renter remains in place and there are no real problems to deal with. The property sort of runs itself, which is excellent. This first transaction was really important for me to do because it showed me that I could gain the skills to do more of this type of transaction. Long story short, I did over and over again. I did pretty well, too. I earned six figures my first year as a real estate investor! That wasn’t all that long ago. In fact, that was 2008. Today I have more than 300 units of property across various states. I own a cell phone tower, and I have commercial deals under my belt. I’ve come a long way because I keep learning. Yes, even today. When you listen to this episode you will hear why I had to learn how to use other people’s resources to keep moving my needle forward. One of the tools I learned to use is other people’s money. That’s just one thing you will learn from listening in on this recorded live event… no matter what age you are. Pay close attention to one of the ways I find clues about business and real estate so I can figure out how to earn more money as an investor. You’ll want to put into practice the things I teach in this episode! Learn more.

Each week, J. Massey answers viewers' questions in real time on his LIVE online Q & A with J show on www.cashflowdiary.TV. But this live Q & A is something a little different, because J. answers questions in front of a live audience in Phoenix during a special educational event where he was invited to teach investors about raising private capital and all sorts of topics in Real Estate Investing. This no-holds-barred Q & A opens investors' eyes across the room as J. seamlessly answers any and all of their questions. J. fields every type of investor issue the audience members and live-streamed viewers could throw at him. He rips deals apart, too. It's something you won't want to miss. You'll hear some pen-on-paper scribbling in the audio. That's J. writing out supportive points and doing the math on his big paper-and-easel set up! If you want to see what that looks like, be sure to join the next live Q & A with J... Tuesdays at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV! For now, see what you can learn, because there are lots and lots of valuable nuggets of knowledge in this episode of Cash Flow Diary. Listen Now

What’s better than a little time with a real estate educator and mentor? Lots more time with him! Because people keep asking to hear more of my weekly LIVE Q & A with J episodes that only Cashflow Core Members have regular access to, I decided to put another one up here as a Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Maybe that will help you move your needle forward in your real estate investing and business-growth goals. My team took out the fluff and kept just the questions and answers, so you get more of what you need!! In this episode I answer questions that people in the Cash Flow Diary network send in ahead of time or type into the live chat box during the show. Plus, I cover lots of topics, even mindset shifts and overcoming fears, which are critical as a real estate investor to keep you motivated and help you handle any negative experiences. I promise there will be negative experiences, a few not-so-great dealings with other individuals in your market and deals, and that you will make mistakes. That’s all okay. It’s part of your learning curve. You can’t be afraid of any of it or let your fears stop you. Just learn how to deal with things the right way. You will want to grab a pen and take notes, because maybe I will answer a question you have! If you want to be a part of the LIVE Q & A experience each week, there’s only one way. You have to become a Cashflow Core Member. You can even try it out for a buck for your first month, so what’s stopping you? Learn more.

In this second part of my two-part series in the Cash Flow Diary podcast, I’m coming to you recorded LIVE event I did in Irvine, California. If you didn’t listen to the last episode, get back there and do so. That way you’ll know why I’m starting in the middle of the event! I was in front of an audience of about 80 like-minded individuals who were there to learn new ways to earn income and put their message out to the group. That’s what we all need to do as real estate investors… as often as we can. We also need to keep educating ourselves. That’s why attending events where you can learn from expert speakers is a really good idea. I’m happy to share what I know with audiences far and wide. In this event, I made new contacts and got a chance to expand my reach as a center of influence. Remember, to educate is to dominate. You want to educate others and help them solve their problems through real estate investing. In this episode I pick up where I left off in the last episode, and cover a great deal of ground quickly! I want you to make sure to listen closely as I ask audience members questions to get them to think more about what they want out of real estate investing. I do this to help them and to help you move your needle forward in your business… whether that’s real estate or any other entrepreneurial endeavor. Learn more.

From time to time, I get to speak in front of some pretty lively groups. Such is the case when I spoke at a recent Orange County Real Estate Investing networking event in Irvine, California. I was in front of an audience of about 80 like-minded individuals who were there to learn new ways to earn income and put their message out to the group. Smart people! That’s what we all need to do as real estate investors… as often as we can. We also need to keep educating ourselves. That’s why attending events where you can learn from expert speakers is a really good idea. I’m happy to share what I know with audiences far and wide. In this event, it was a short drive. You can’t beat that! What did I get out of it? New contacts and a chance to expand my reach as a center of influence. Remember, to educate is to dominate. You want to educate others and help them solve their problems through real estate investing as often as is humanly possible. I promise that there are lots and lots and lots of problems you can solve. In this Irvine event, I ask the audience if they are leveraging their time, I educate them about interpreting data and statistics in different markets, I talk to them about inflation and how it impacts us individually and as a group, and I introduce them to the facts about retirement plans… like how most of us do not have a “plan.” Rather we have an “account.” If you’ve ever wondered how to go from having nothing in the bank to doing really well not just in real estate but as an entrepreneur and/or business owner, you’ll want to listen to this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. When I get going live sometimes I’m not quite sure what interactions I’m going to have with audience members. In this event, I was blessed to meet a few individuals who had questions and issues to discuss. And they did so openly. What you will learn not just from my presentation, but from those live and unedited conversations I have with different audience members will help you move your needle forward in your business… whether that’s real estate or any other entrepreneurial endeavor. One reason I want you to listen to this episode is so that you will see that everyone has fears and negative internal chatter. It is a topic I cover with the audience and help them move through those assumptions they THINK are holding them back. I wonder if you can resonate with anything the audience members shout out as things they are dealing with that may be holding them back. In short, you’re going to learn some truths and coping strategies that will help you shut those negative voices (internal and external) up fast. Learn more.

Would you believe me if I told you that you are capable of purchasing a property and  selling that property without having to have any earnest money in as little as seven days? Listen now, as J. Massey teaches a live audience how making assumptions limits your possibilities and opportunities to learn, grow and get paid.

The momentum is building for Cash Flow Diary podcasts. I’ve received a number of canny questions from listeners and will answer a select few during this podcast. Tune in, as I reveal the title of a very resourceful book that can help you estimate repair costs on single family homes, discuss wholesaling owner financed properties, the importance of educational components while learning real estate/business investing and much more.

Take a "DIIP" into the news to gain the skills required to read news articles and then act to create opportunity. Prospects seek value and you should know why your prospects "Will" or "Will Not" buy. Knowing the answers to three very important questions will help to ensure your inventory maintains utility value. Listen now to learn the common denominator to live, work, play or lay. 

The desire to become a real estate or business entrepreneur begins with a desire from within. Identifying, a mission you would like to accomplish through your business is key and aids in your continued success. A mission will keep you focused on why your business is important, what your business serves and when you plan to accomplish certain goals through the mission of your business. Listen now to learn more on how to pin point the who and how. 

Step out of your comfort zone and become open to the ideas and thoughts of others to help you achieve your goals. Listen now to learn five steps to help change your patterns.

Are you aware that you can easily lose money by trying to do everything right? Are you also aware that you can easily earn money by making mistakes? Listen now to learn how opportunity costs and opportunity advantages affect real estate, business investing and our personal lives.

There's nothing better than seeing J. Massey in action as he fields questions from investors and students at all levels of learning. (There are four, you know!) It's like watching an all-star baseball player up to bat who hits nothing but home-runs. J. knocks the answers out of the park every time! He's not good at it... he's excellent! New investors learn a lot during these live Q & A sessions, but there are seasoned investors that show up week after week to get their questions answered, too. They get what they come for whenever they log in to watch the weekly Q & A with J. web show LIVE every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST. Since the show can only be accessed by Cashflow CORE Members, you may have missed it. We gave you a sneak peek on Monday; we're doing it again (and probably the last time) today in this special behind-the-curtain look at an expert investor in action. Is there anything J. can't answer about Real Estate Investing, what it takes to be an entrepreneur or everything you need to do to set up and run your business? Not so far! Become a CORE Member and see if you can stump him! Better yet... become a member so you can watch him rip deals apart, help you with your deals, answer all your questions about investing, and also get to know the other members. It's a great place to network with lots of likeminded individuals. You might just end up doing deals with other members! That's when the magic really happens. Learn more. LISTEN NOW

Anyone who knows me, who has taken any of the Cash Flow Diary courses or has read literally any of my materials knows that Robert Kiyosaki is one of my #1 mentors. In 2014 I got the thrill of a lifetime because I was interviewed by my mentor and his wife on their Rich Dad Radio Show. I remember this interview like it was yesterday. What was cool is that I wasn’t the only one being interviewed. Nope. My friend Russell Grey from the Real Estate Radio Guys was also interviewed on the show. It allowed us to bond even more. Now Russell and I see each other from time to time at events. He and his partner Robert Helms wrote the introduction to my book, and later they invited me to be an educator on their Summit at the Sea events. I can’t wait to see what we do together next! I have the utmost respect for these individuals. The topic of the show was Does God Want You to be Rich? What you might find interesting is that this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode includes the parts you don’t get to hear on the actual show – like what happened during the breaks – which gives you a deeper look into my story and why my belief in God is so important to my success. During the show, the Kiyosakis talk about how similar my getting-into-real-estate-investing story is to theirs! That was kinda neat. So we talked about my experience as a “professional squatter” and how my wife and I worked our way out of that ugly situation. I share how I used a Subject-To Deal to help someone out of foreclosure (while I was still in foreclosure myself) in one of my first deals. In this interview you will hear new parts of my story that I don’t typically share. In case you missed this radio interview, give it a listen now. We cover a lot of ground, including our belief and trust in God (and why there is actually a difference), and how this helps us as we work toward our goals. We discuss the importance of persistence, generosity, fear and how to push yourself to take the leap of faith into what we truly should be doing in life. My conversation with Robert and Kim Kiyosaki took me down memory lane and the different paths I followed as a new real estate investor as I answer their questions. This was an absolutely exciting radio interview for me and it will stick with me forever. I hope you enjoy it and get something out of it. If you need a bit of inspiration to start your week off right, this episode of my podcast just might help! LISTEN NOW.

Giving you more value than you expect is my goal in everything we do at Cash Flow Diary. You’ll see just how true this statement is once you listen to this BONUS episode that includes a pretty helpful part of my Irvine presentation about determining your Investor Identity and what types of investments you might take a look at as you work toward your goals. I’d take notes if I were you, because I give some good tips you can use immediately. This episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast includes a lot of answers to questions posed by audience members. They are great questions, too! In this episode I talk about how I can track the timeliness of rent payments and reasons for that in my C-Class property. I also talk about why you need to understand your renters. If you don’t, you’re going to run into problems. It always goes back to deciding those whom you want to serve. Until you understand this aspect of owning rental properties, you can mess up as a landlord. I share with the audience how you can start out in one market and move to another. I liken it to my own path, where I started out serving people in the Wal-Mart properties and how I’ve moved more toward the Target properties and may move into serving individuals in the Nordstrom market. As real estate investors, we can all learn and then serve the market we understand best. As I say in this episode, the most important Investor Identity you need to understand is yours! Only then do you move to serving others who fit your identity. And then you find the properties, because you will be looking for problems to solve for people in that market. You’ll want to listen to this bonus episode because you’ll learn what to look for on a title and how to get around some issues. You’ll learn why making assumptions isn’t a good thing. I’ve added extra questions and answers in this episode that come from a recent recorded Q & A with J, too! All I can say is grab your ear buds and give this helpful and informative episode a listen!

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. This is an excellent quote as we move into the new year, because we need to take action without doubt. In this podcast you’ll learn how to move beyond your doubt so you can take action. It also covers the difference between believing something and knowing it and how experience plays into the answer. And where does experience come from anyway? That requires action. And guess what else? Failure! If you want the new year to be different from the many years that came before it, you will have to take new actions and stop being fearful of failure. Use the failure events as teaching events. And remember that experience is more than just talking about doing; it’s doing. Learn more. Listen now

Anyone who knows about me also knows that I used Robert Kiyosaki's Cashflow 101 board game to build my business. It is probably the best networking tool I've found that brings likeminded individuals together. Black Friday is the anniversary of the first time my wife Popi and I played the game for the first time. That's why every year on Black Friday we host a game. Every year the number of people who participate grows. We are truly grateful that so many people are interested in learning the game and playing the game with us. This year we're doing it a little differently. Because I am so very thankful for everything that the game has brought into my life and the lives of my loved ones, I'm hosting a huge, live game in Orange County this Black Friday that officially starts at 11 a.m., PST, and goes for about three hours. But that's not all. We are LIVE STREAMING the event so no matter where you are in the world you can participate by learning how to run your own games! Just be there on time and that's it. Our chat room will be open for the entire event so you can ask questions and get them answered in real time. Be sure to sign up to receive the log in information and reminder. We don't want you to miss it. Listen in and learn how to sign up. Of course, this is not all that this episode covers. There's lots of things I'm grateful for and you'll want to hear more about my journey. There are some things I've never shared before. Learn more.

Sacramento is more than just the capital of the great Golden State of California; it's the home to Capital City Wealth Builders Real Estate Club. We captured J. Massey LIVE at one of the group's killer events recently, and now you get to listen in. If you want to know how to raise private capital for your deals you'll want to tune in and take notes. J. shares lots of investor insider tips and tactics in this special Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Even if you've heard him speak on this topic before, it's a sure bet you'll learn something new or understand what he's telling you to do even better now. That's the funny thing about information. The more times over it, the more we retain what we learn! How to raise private capital is one of the questions J. hears most often. Whether the question comes in during his live weekly Q & A with J. (every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV), in email, via phone conversations or in person, J. answers by sharing his tremendous and incredibly helpful insights. The fact is that the deal is the last thing that should be on your list; the first is to choose your market and talk to strangers each and every day. Once you do that, you'll be surprised by how quickly you can raise private capital. Learn more. Listen Now

How to Make More Money This Year, This Time... for Reals...

This episode is really something different and really exciting, because it was recorded live at none other than the Sovereign Man Simon Black's Academy for young entrepreneurs gathered from around the globe. They come together this year in Lithuania to learn about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and Real Estate Investor. This episode is a crash course on everything that's covered in my book, Cash Flow Diary! We cover a whole lot of ground. The young people in the audience give me a run for my money, but it's a thrill when they start to get what I'm saying. Listen and learn my number-one goal I'm going for when getting referrals and how I use a technique I call "drafting" to get more people to attend my Cash Flow 101 games. I teach the youth why they can't look at the entire staircase when they really need to be looking at the first step! In a rousing back and forth, I discuss all sorts of topics with the energetic audience members. You're going to want to listen to this one closely and take notes. It's like a mini course into investing! Listen Now.

We are taught that depending on retirement plans and saving money is the best solution. However, money sitting idle in a bank or retirement plan does not create cash flow. Listen now to learn how creating streams of income can provide more stability in life, regardless of your bank balance.

Julie Benezet is the Founder and Managing Principal of Business Growth Consulting and former Director of Global Real Estate at Amazon. She is the author of the new book The Journey of Not Knowing: How 21st Century Leaders Can Chart a Course Where There Is None and has devoted her professional life to building companies, real estate and careers. Benezet currently works as an executive consultant, coach and teacher, following 25 years in business and law.  She is the founder of The Journey of Not Knowing®, a peer based leadership development program that focuses on developing a leadership mindset while deepening core leadership competencies. S Julie spent four years as a member of the Amazon.com leadership team that brought the company from its early steep ramp up phase to its emergence as an established business.  As Director of Global Real Estate, she is credited with leading the delivery of over 7,000,000 square feet worldwide with the supporting corporate infrastructure in just two years.  Before joining Amazon.com, Julie built and raised capital for several business and real estate consulting companies whose clients ranged from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups. Her work as a consultant followed 12 years as a finance lawyer in New York and Seattle, Washington. 

From the historic country of Estonia, Germany, J. Massey dissects both positive and negative impacts associated with the United States government shutdown. Listen now, to learn how to create a business model that is sustainable despite a government shutdown.

Everyone wasn't born with a "silver spoon" in their mouths but we were all blessed with the gift of time. By using your time wisely to learn, you can acquire knowledge to create cashflow despite your income. Listen now, as J. Massey explains how experience is just as valuable as money. 

When you love what you do, there's no such thing as work. You're eager to devote your time to develop into an expert and you love teaching others how to achieve their goals. Listen to this live teaching audio, as J. Massey engages a live audience in Sacramento, California. Learn tips on how to get started in real estate  and building your cash flow and more.

Mark Blount, a resident of Hobe Sound, Florida, is now a successful businessman and owns several different business ventures. After retiring from the NBA in 2010, Mark turned his attention to developing his business interests. With the counsel of his mentor, Charles Smith, Mark opted to become involved in the food franchise industry. In addition to the food stores, Mark is involved in residential real estate in Palm Beach Gardens. Mark found a block of property in Palm Beach Gardens that was sorely in need of renovation. Always ready to learn new skills, Mark undertook the challenge of rehabbing twelve units with hands-on instruction from friends. “I knew some basic carpentry and I thought it would be great to do the work myself. So with the help of some professionals and learning as I went, we knocked out twelve units in a year.” The transformation of the area was warmly welcomed by the city and the neighbors and the units have been in demand by renters. Link: http://www.markblount30.com

Many know L.A. Knight as the first pup born to a litter of four, who managed to escape from several disobedient schools in Philadelphia and then relocated to South Florida where he went into heat over a gorgeous poodle. In reality, L.A. Knight is the pseudonym for NY Times best-selling author Steve Alten, who penned 16 thrillers—one of which, Meg, is being made into a Warner Bros. movie to be released in 2018. Knight penned Dog Training the American Male as a means of dealing with the sorrow of his father’s passing. The initials L.A. are his Dad’s initials, the KNIGHT signifying his father’s role in their family—a “ knight in shining armor.” A portion of the proceeds from Dog Training the American Male will be donated to Paws4Liberty. Links to website and social media pages www.laknightentertainment.com https://www.amazon.com/Steve%20Alten/e/B000APVDX8/      

Kevin Bupp believes there's a smarter way to build wealth. The most successful commercial real estate investors in the world have learned to leverage their multifamily and commercial properties to create a steady stream of passive income.   Links mentioned in this episode Stuff You Missed In History Class Podcast 10 Steps To Creating Wealth In Any Economy      

Emotions Analytics change the way we interact with our machines and ourselves – forever. By decoding human vocal intonations into their underlying emotions in real-time, Emotions Analytics enables voice-powered devices, apps and solutions to interact with us on an emotional level, just as humans do.   http://www.beyondverbal.com/

Mark is founder of Luxmana Investments, which focuses on residential and multifamily investments. Mark was able to go from being a part-time investor with a full-time job in high tech, to someone who quit the corporate rat race in pursuit of his passion and now thrives as a multifamily investor.

As Monty Python might say, now for something completely different! (Or something like that anyway.) Call it an experiment, but this is what we're doing today as a podcast episode, because it came to my attention that you might not know that every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, I do a LIVE online show called Q & A with J. What's the show about? I host it for one reason: to answer investors’ questions in real time . It is really fun for me, because I never know the types of questions I’m going to get. The audience is made up of a mix of new and very seasoned investors… and everything in between. We cover a lot of ground as the questions come rolling in through the chat window about wholesaling, Raising Private Capital, fix 'n' flips, buy-and-holds, notes, negotiating deals, calculating terms and payments, and so much more. I also answer questions that I get from people ahead of time. If you want to send in your questions so they are sure to be answered, head over to www.cashflowdiary.TV/updates. Follow the prompts and get your questions to me as fast as you can. Then tune in to the next Q & A with J., which again is Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV. Have a pen, paper and maybe even a calculator ready, because you’re going to want to take notes and maybe run numbers along with me. Some have called this show my best-kept secret, because we don’t talk too much about it. The show’s popularity is certainly growing, so word might be getting out. That’s what prompted this podcast episode. Hey, I want you to join me for every episode and get a chance to ask questions. It keeps me on my toes and helps me serve you better. Why wouldn’t you join me for the next Q & A with J.? The price is right. It’s free! For now, listen to one of my recorded episodes. Enjoy!

Many people think they need to make more money, but sometimes they just need to be more purposeful with what they already have. Financial counseling helps you address the emotions attached to your money so you can take control of it and make better choices for the future. By looking at your thoughts and habits, you will see what’s really been holding you back and what you need to do to change it. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can move forward once you are tuned in and have a realistic way to reach your goals.

Tired of working your J-O-B to earn M-O-N-E-Y only to tread water when you'd rather be relaxing by a real pool, earning money at the same time? Stop dreaming. Begin living the dream. Take the first step today. Begin Investing Now! We give you a way to jump into the real estate investing pool without jumping into the deep end. People ask me all the time how I got to be the investor that I am today. The short answer is that I use a buy-and-hold strategy that gives me cash flow month after month. This passive income comes in the form of rent. There's more to it than that, and I had to learn how to invest in the right properties, calculate real costs, and more. I want to help you do what I do, but without the long learning curve. We've created a whole new way for you to participate in cash-flowing real estate so you can earn passive income month after month, just like I do. To learn more, listen to this special Cash Flow Diary episode. Be sure to text the word "property" to 949-682-3565. See what happens next!

Success is a game that we often play without understanding the rules or even how or why it happens.  Listen to this episode as J. gives us some tips from his current MasterMind Group on how they have achieved success in a few short weeks.

Digital Marketer takes the guesswork and secrets out of digital marketing to help make rapid business growth available to EVERYONE. If you’re a marketer, entrepreneur, or small business owner, then we can show you how to run effective digital marketing campaigns that drive more traffic, sales, and profit for your company.

Stacey Brown Randall has one focus in life. To help business owners avoid business failure. She knows – she’s been there, done that and got the t-shirt. What Stacey learned when her first business failed – and through years of researching successful business owners - is now what is making all the difference with her current business’ success. And she is sharing all of her secrets. Stacey’s online programs and live coaching provide a blueprint to follow to take control of your referrals, client experience, business and days. She focuses on helping solo-preneurs and small business owners to increase sales through “sticky” clients and unleashing a referral explosion in your business…without asking for referrals. She is a three-time entrepreneur, certified productivity and time efficiency coach, has a background in sales and marketing, is an adjunct professor, and aspiring author. Stacey received her Master’s in Organizational Communication and is married with three kids, an 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. She and her husband also have the privilege of raising their 9-year-old nephew. She and her husband also have the privilege of raising their 9-year-old nephew.

Don't know what to say when standing in front of a prospect?  Looking for the words to more effectively promote your product or service?  Wish you knew a way to develop deeper relationships with more and more people to expand your influence.  Listen to this episode to hear the 4 major techniques J. still uses today to build business nationally and internationally

What do you want? Why are we only comfortable in asking for what we want during the holiday gift-giving season? Why can't we be more like children with a gift wish list and jot down those things we really want? When we express clearly what we want, we have a much higher likelihood of actually receiving that which we are asking for. However, it's not just making the list that makes things happen. It's having those desires clearly defined and then taking action. Here's what I do. I create a Vision Book (not a vision board). I take pictures of myself with those things I want and I add them to my book. I write down in my book those things I most desire. Tangible and intangible. That's what I talk about in this special holiday-season podcast!! Tune in and give it a listen. Then you will have a much brighter new year.

In real estate and business investing entrepreneurs often are faced with natural emotions. Fear, greed and discouragement embodies successful individuals as well as those that have not yet achieved their financial goals. Learn techniques to conquer negative emotions and override them with ones that exemplify growth, character and maturity.

The Practicing Mind will teach you to unlearn the mindset that tells you that you are incomplete and that happiness is some place outside of yourself, some place other than in the process of what you are doing right here and right now. It will give you the tools you need to accomplish any task you choose and to conquer the challenges you face in life while at the same time feeling patient with yourself, your life and incredibly self-empowered.

Why did you wake this morning? What was your mission? Did you accomplish any goals to make a difference in your life or others? If you have not yet created a plan to accomplish a desired goal, this podcast will serve as a refresher to remind you of the ingredients required to stir up your productivity.

Do you believe you have what it takes to get your business off the ground but are lacking access to capital? Have you ever said to yourself, if I just had the money I would finally do real estate? Listen to this episode as J. reveals ways for you to believe, think, and act to secure all the capital you need for all of your deals.

Asking one very simple question is the answer to solving roadblocks of finding real estate properties. Listen now, as J. Massey teaches a live audience how one question can help pave a way to close deals

Whether you buy & hold, fix-n-flip, wholesale or just live in one, home is where your story begins. Listen now, as J. Massey takes us up close and personal with Popi and Ayanna Massey to share their intimate views on the power of entrepreneurship. 

The first guy I ever met who wanted to buy a post office, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest David Campbell is someone I’ve known for some time. Today David is known for being a real estate investor and fellow educator, syndicator and entrepreneur. However, before this enterprising founder of Hassle-Free Cashflow Investing stepped into his current roles, David had other goals. He wanted to be a high school band teacher. He hit that goal, but realized in just a few years that he wouldn’t earn much as a teacher. He had zero net worth. David’s path intrigues me, because it’s a bit different than most. The way he learned about the benefits of owning a business and taking depreciation to reduce taxes is different than anyone I’ve ever talked to. He was doing taxes on the side for a handful of people and saw that a business owner paid no taxes while he was paying. Something was off. David started asking questions and decided to become financially independent in real estate by investing in rental properties. He started by renting out one of his rooms in a condo while living in the other. He was cleared for takeoff and in six years stepped out of the rat race. Because he played Cashflow 101, Robert Kiyosaki’s board game, David knew the secret to getting out of the rat race was to earn more in passive income than he paid out in expenses every month. So David kept his expenses very low so he could boost his income more quickly. Today David’s company’s investing and advisory experience includes single-family houses, apartments, retail, office, medical, condo-conversion, net-leased properties, syndications, land development, production home building, private lending and even a winery. David has been a featured guest on some of America’s top radio shows and investing podcasts. David’s blog, www.HassleFreeCashflowInvesting.com/blog, has been repeatedly named one of the top 100 real estate blogs in America. David is widely recognized as a cashflow real estate investing expert with real estate transactional experience totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. I absolutely love his blog and suggest you read it. For now, give this episode a listen and see what you can learn from all that David has to share. You might want to take notes and become a regular visitor to David’s site.

Because I’ve been doing deals in real estate for several years assures you of one thing… I’ve made mistakes. Some pretty costly errors and others were more easily corrected. What I learned is that there are 5 things you ALWAYS need to do, especially when you’ve made a mistake. That’s what I talk about in this introspective episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast! (BTW, this goes with the 2nd part of a 2-part article I’m releasing this week. If you want to catch the 1st part, CLICK HERE NOW. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

A partnership is the only ship designed to sink. Here are a number of tips worth well over seven-figures on where to invest your time while focusing on what you do best.   Get the 10 Steps To Creating Wealth In Any Economy Book Follow on Periscope.

William Arntz started his professional career as a research laser physicist, working on “Star Wars” high energy lasers. He then moved on to software, writing “AutoSys”–an automated job control system currently in use by most Fortune 500 companies. He sold that company, retired, but then decided to make a film: creating, producing and directing What the BLEEP Do We Know!?, an exploration of spirituality, quantum physics, neurology and outrageous possibilities. The film and the companion book, with editions in over twenty languages, were international hits. He is once again talking about retirement, although that is doubtful as he is married to one Deirdre Hade and they've just launched a new book together called The (not so) Little Book of Surprises.

Robert Pozen is Chairman Emeritus of MFS Investment Management and a senior lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution and the former Associate General Counsel for the SEC. He's the author of the bestselling book, "Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours".

David Pitts is the co-founder of Off Day Trainer, a text message automation, lead generation, and client management platform built specifically for fitness professionals. As a former gym owner, a Fitness Sales Manager, and personal trainer, David knows fitness. More importantly, he knows how to make fit pros successful using technology to make their sales cycle faster and client retention last longer.

John Lagoudakis is one of Australia’s leading Internet marketers. Back in 2007, John stumbled across affiliate marketing and within two years was able to go from $0 online, to being one of Clickbank’s top 100 affiliates worldwide. He’s been featured in the New York Times bestseller ‘Get Rich Click’, has authored several books, including the bestselling No Money Down Internet Business: How To Build a Successful Online Business Without Spending One Penny!, and has a long-running Internet marketing podcast, The John Lagoudakis dot Com Podcast.

Jeff Schneider is currently President and Chief Financial Officer at Royalty Exchange, an online marketplace for buying and selling royalties. Jeff left the world of corporate accounting to pursue an entrepreneurial career, and has since been a part of several multi-million dollar start ups. With a personal interest in royalty investing, Jeff manages the Royalty Exchange mission, oversees staff, and works directly with both investors and rightsholders to ensure their needs are met. He has an MBA from Purdue University with a focus on finance, and has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in both accounting and computer science.

Paul Oberschneider is a seasoned start-up entrepreneur and property financier, who has personally built businesses worth over 200 million. Since 1992, he helped start a bank credit department, founded a mortgage company, and built the largest single-branded real estate company across five countries in Central Europe. He also developed a portfolio of shopping centers and hypermarkets in Eastern Europe, constructing over two million square feet of retail space. Oberschneider retired at age 49 before the financial crisis of 2008. Over the last two years, he’s grown a chain of nineteen fast food restaurants in London and is involved in the Oxford entrepreneur community, where he serves as a mentor for start-ups and is a speaker.

Andy Andrews is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective and The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success, which was turned into the PBS and Netflix documentary The Seven Decisions. He is a regular guest on FOX News, CNN, Good Morning America, and is a frequent speaker at the White House under four different U.S. Presidents.

We are always learning new things and trying new things so we can become bigger and badder in whatever we are doing in life and in our professional lives. When we have a business we need to keep trying new things with our marketing. This is a critical factor in building your presence in the world and online. At Cash Flow Diary we have been trying a few new things to spread our message and presence. One thing is Periscope. So in this unique episode I lift the audio from a recent Periscope session to cover the topic of how to become a real estate entrepreneur. If you’re new to Cash Flow Diary and are just learning about what we do here, this episode should be very helpful to you. I recap my path to becoming the businessman and investor I am today. You’ll also learn that I’m a father of a few very active children, cuz you’ll hear them from time to time in the background. I can give Periscope two thumbs up. It’s fun, it’s easy to use and I can record literally from anywhere. What’s also cool is that I can interact with people in real time because the questions flow in, I see them and get to answer. What’s better than that? Another thing you will get a glimpse of is the chaos of my world when I’m at home with the kids! So if you have ever told yourself that you can’t get into real estate investing because you have children and too much chaos, I’m going to have to call you on it. That’s just an excuse. Of course, to fully appreciate my response, you need to head over the ABOUT PAGE on this site and watch a short video about how my life has changed since I first started as a wholesaler and then moving into a buy-and-hold real estate entrepreneur. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Snapdocs has the largest database of notaries in the United States, with detailed information about each notary. Our notary search allows you to search for notaries by distance from closing, rather than zip code, so you know which notaries are closest and most likely to accept the assignment. For each notary our search results present full profiles with photos, work history, number of signings completed, number of and “favorites” earned from their clients. Once you've begun working with a notary you can access their notary documents any time, including commission, W-9, certifications and more.

Jairek Robbins is a man on a mission focused on developing creative solutions for accelerating results. By evaluating the strategic objectives you have for your company, Jairek is able to build a customized roadmap for you to achieve your goals with speed and precision.

Kwame Christian Esq., M.A. is passionate about teaching entrepreneurs and business professionals the art of negotiation so they can get better deals and advance their careers. He is regularly invited to give negotiation seminars and consults with individuals and companies to create and implement powerful negotiation strategies. He also hosts a podcast called Negotiation for Entrepreneurs where he interviews successful entrepreneurs and shares powerful persuasion techniques.

This episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is a bit of a different animal. For this one I’m not alone. In fact, I invited my partner in life to join me today. Yes, it’s my lovely wife Popi. Join us as we discuss partnerships… and not just in marriage.  In both business and in life, it takes a village to help us get through. Your life requires input from a few supportive people. (That said, stay away from negative people.) I’m fortunate to have Popi as my partner in all areas of my life. Popi isn’t new to the concept of being a team player. She was a volleyball star in school. But that’s not all. You’ll have to listen to this episode to hear her path. Popi talks about how doing the boring stuff repeatedly is part of doing really well on the playing field. She also talks about how bonding works to make a tighter team. It boils down to trust.  Admittedly, my wife is pretty terrific. She certainly supported me when I first got into real estate investing. She makes a great partner because she understands that everyone on a team – whether that’s family or in business – everyone plays different positions.  If you listen closely, you’ll hear how playing on a team in sports is seriously similar to building a team in business! Not everyone will have the same role or skill sets. You need different ingredients to make your recipe for success work well. That includes partners.  When you choose to work with a partner, you will each be responsible for different tasks. Play to your strengths. When putting deals together you need money, time, knowledge and credit, but that doesn’t mean it’s all on you to provide all these ingredients!  Stick with this episode to the end and learn what it takes to choose the best partners and members of your team. There are several lessons in this very personal episode of Cash Flow Diary! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

As we continue the Essential Skills series, there is one topic that can’t be stressed enough. It’s SALES, and no matter what we do in life we are involved in sales. After all, sales equals service and there is a fair exchange of value. The simple truth is that you can’t have customers without sales, so you better have a plan to get more of both! Sales is a necessary part of any business and your success in that business. That includes your Real Estate business. Nothing happens till you make a sale. That means you have to be clear on your pitch. This requires you to ask five questions. Listen to this episode to get these questions and learn how to arrive at the answers. Consider the first two questions as powerful seeds that will create the strong roots of your business. Then you get to water and nurture the heck out of those seeds for a period of time. During that time, you’re going to gain a lot more clarity and makes lots of decisions. Clarity leads to power. Decisions are absolutely required in order to cut off other options. With clarity and decisions you get to take action steps. The good news is that in your Real Estate business, you get to move more quickly. Some people think they need all the information to make a decision on a property. That’s not necessarily true. You’ll have to listen to this episode of Cash Flow Diary to get the inside scoop on creating more successful sales in your business and why you actually love sales. This episode covers a lot of ground.

Recently I read an interesting article about how being a people-pleaser is actually a selfish act. Then I found a quote by motivational speaker and life manifestation coach Christine Hassler that lays it down straight. She says, “People pleasing is a terrible investment, because it depletes your most valuable resources: your time and energy. Just think about how much energy you waste by obsessing about what other people think of you or trying to strategize your actions to appease others” I couldn’t have put it better myself! People pleasing isn’t something that works well for real estate investors. That’s because you’re going to have to say NO sometimes. For instance, you’re going to have to say no to some investors. Just because someone has money doesn’t make him/her the right person to invest in your deal. You’re also going to have to learn to say no to deals, to potential partners, to buyers and to sellers. Everything has to be in alignment with your Investor Identity. That’s the secret sauce! As you move forward and do more deals, you’re likely going to become a go-to person. Lots of people are going to want to work with you. You’re going to see all sorts of deals… and they won’t all be right for you. You’ll learn to say no. You’ll learn that you can’t please everyone. What did Abraham Lincoln say? You can’t please everyone all the time? Hey, he’s right! And this is what I talk about in today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. It’s the final installment of my 8 Things to Give Up series and you’re going to want to give it a listen. By the end of it you’ll understand why if you are a people-pleaser that you have to stop. It’s bad for your health. Studies show that the behavior actually causes higher levels of stress and debilitates the immune system. So why participate in such a negative behavior? Anyone who has ever seen me give a presentation knows I am definitely not a people-pleaser. In fact, I go the opposite way. I practice what I call Carefrontation™ which is a nice way of saying I tell people things they sometimes don’t want to hear. I tell them the truth. I ask questions that lead them to get to the truth themselves. It’s the only way I know to keep people on the right path in investing… to keep them focused on their Investor Identity so they can be their most successful. Hey, just because you say no doesn’t make you a “bad” person. It’s better that you learn when and how to say no. You aren’t in business to be liked by everyone you meet. Sure, it would be great if you were the hero all the time and well-loved by all, but that’s not life. So stop wasting time and energy thinking about it, worrying about it or trying to get to that goal. I guarantee you that there are lots of other better goals. I have a lot to say on this topic, so grab your ear buds, and say no to outside distractions. LISTEN NOW.

In this short Cash Flow diary podcast episode I talk about a few of the basics, like how I did my first deals (because I get the question all the time), how to raise capital and how to generate leads. What you’ll learn is to do things in a certain sequence, which will help get others to enroll in your process. It’s like planting your lands in preparation for a harvest. You have to plow the land, prepare the soil, seed it, do a few more things to keep cultivating and nurturing your crops… and finally get to the harvest. (In real estate transactions, the close of the deal is your harvest.) In this episode you will learn about the importance of conducting the III interview (triple “I”) with everyone you want to work with. That’s because you want your buyers, investors and sellers to be in total alignment with your goals, mission and vision. If they don’t fit you can’t force them to fit. If you do, you’ll be sorry at some point down the road. You’ll also learn how to generate leads wherever you go. Whether that’s at Starbucks or the mall or in line at the grocery store. Again, it’s like planting seeds. You don’t just plant in one spot. You spread them around so you get a big, healthy crop. If you want a better look at generating leads in the real world, you need to check out our Lead Machine Video Course. If you do, you can actually begin generating leads minutes after taking the course! It happens all the time. (It gives you all my offline lead-generation strategies I used when I was starting out as an investor and strategies I use even today!) You will want to take notes as you listen to this episode. It is taken from a recent Periscope session I did on lead generation. We are archiving these videos in our member area, so if you are a Cashflow Core Member you can go watch it and take screen shots of the graphics I drew in this one! (BTW, you’ll hear my kids in the background. They have taken the role of my official “heart monitors” because we’re trying to reach a million hearts on Periscope by the end of the month.) Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Have you ever struggled to get everything done in the 100+ hours you have each week? If you want to CRUSH IT as a productive person, no matter what you are doing in your business and life, listen to this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast! It is taken from a recent Periscope session I did, which is something I’m doing a lot of lately. (Cuz it is that awesome!) If you haven’t started following me there yet, why not? You are missing out on pretty cool live learning opportunities. Go to www.periscope.tv/cashflowdiary and join. So what’s it take to be more productive? First, you need to set goals and structure a plan to get there. You back into your plan. For example, let’s say you want to raise $25,000 this week. What steps are you going to take to do that capital raise? What assets do you have that you can use that will help you? By that I mean… do you have a podcast? Do you Scope? Do you have an eBook, checklist, or other thing you can sell right now that you own and control to raise that money? The long and short of it is that you should be using your time to create assets that you don’t just sell but that you can also use to show other people that you are the local expert in what you are doing… let’s just in real estate investing. Now, let’s just say you need $25K and you have a couple of assets already. Let’s say you have a product that sells for $1000. How many units do you need to sell this week to get to your goal? You have to devote the time to marketing that asset. With today’s at-our-fingertips technologies, that part’s a whole lot easier than it ever has been. Here’s the deal… we all have the same amount of time each and every day. We all have different schedules, but we can all find the time to devote to creating new assets. I’m not just talking about assets you can sell, like an eBook, but also building your real estate portfolio. It all boils down to finding the time to do those things you say you want to do. (I promise it will take lots of late nights and burning the midnight oil at first, but the outcome is way worth it.) In this episode I talk about structuring your plan in a way that will make sure you get to your goals every week. Like how many people you need to talk to in order to set 20 appointments this week… which is particularly crucial if your goal is to raise capital for your real estate deals. You’ll learn WHY you want to set appointments and what you’re going to talk to them about. You’ll also learn the importance of backing into your plan. This is a golden learning opportunity. While the main focus is on productivity boosters I also answer a whole bunch of questions on different topics inside and outside real estate. Don’t miss it. Learn more. Listen now.

Recently on Facebook I shared an image of what you need to give up if you want to be truly successful. In short, there are 8 things: Doubting Yourself Negative thinking Fear of Failure Criticizing Others Negative Self-Talk Procrastination Fear of Success People Pleasing This is such an important list that I thought it would be neat to do a special Cash Flow Diary podcast series on these topics. So that’s what I’m doing over the next 8 episodes. I hope it helps you move your needle forward. Today I tackle the #1 thing you have to stop doing immediately… that’s Doubting Yourself. (It’s a soul-killer.) It is critical for you to have a belief that you CAN do what you set out to do. Whether that is real estate investing or any other path. When you set out on any new journey, don’t let doubt stop you from trying new things. When you get into a place of doubt, stop and ask yourself… has anyone before you ever done what you are attempting to do? The answer is yes, of course. That tells you what you’re attempting is absolutely possible. You CAN do it if you stick to it and learn the system by which other people have reached your same goals. You think I was confident when I first started out as a real estate investor? Heck, no. But I prayed and kept going. I messed up and kept going. I learned new things and kept going. I did what I feared I couldn’t do… and I moved forward anyway. After all, I didn’t have a lot of choice. I literally could not fail. To understand this statement, you need to know my story. Then go listen to my very first Cash Flow Dairy podcast episodes. You’ll see what I mean. I built my confidence over time. That’s not to say I don’t have doubts some days even now, but I have learned to control my responses to those doubts. That’s what you need to do in order to dump the doubt! This episode of the Cash Flow Diary will help get you there. LISTEN NOW.

Nothing is stopping you from your dreams, but you… In this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode we’re trying something fun and a little different. If it works out, we’ll be doing more of these. This is lifted from a cool, live Periscope session I did. If you want to find me there and watch upcoming live sessions, sign up at https://www.periscope.tv/cashflowdiary. In this episode you’ll learn that there are 6 Degrees of separation from your destiny. (Yeah, clever, I know.) And I hope you heed the advice. There are reasons you aren’t moving forward that have to do with your Dreams, your Decisions, your Delays, how you handle Difficulties and Dead Ends, and finally how you can move more quickly to Deliverance. But to get through these steps, you also need work steadfastly on your goals by making sure they are focused, attainable, individual (to you and you alone), trackable and truly heartfelt. One way to get to your goals is to get in front of lots and lots of people. Not doing so will stop you from reaching your goals as a real estate entrepreneur. So how do you achieve this goal? It’s called lead generation and it’s absolutely doable! In fact, we’re doing a killer class on this today. Sign up at bit.ly/cfdrome. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Tommy Sowers is used to making waves, as a Green Beret, congressional candidate, VA Assistant Secretary, Duke University professor and now as the CEO of tech startup GoldenKey.com. A former special forces officer, Sowers is revolutionizing the real estate industry with the first pro-consumer, pro-agent real estate service, GoldenKey.com ─ an unbundled, on demand, no-commission online marketplace for home buyers and sellers. Sowers created GoldenKey to enable consumers to buy and sell homes on their terms for a low flat fee, instead of paying unreasonably high commissions. Since incorporating in 2015, SoloPro has welcomed more than 1400 agents in 36 states to its innovative model.

Bobby Casey is Managing Partner of Global Wealth Protection, LLC. GWP helps clients from around the world internationalize their assets and take advantage of unique investment opportunities globally. Bobby is a lifelong entrepreneur, investor and student of life. He is a believer in privacy and freedom and fights this fight through words and actions around the world. As a renowned speaker on anarcho-capitalism, free-market economics, and offshore business, Mr. Casey travels the globe working with like-minded clients helping them properly structure their businesses and their lives to minimize risk and maximize reward. He hold 2 undergraduate degrees; BS in Finance with a minor in Economics, BS in International Business with a minor in Russian – Master's in Entrepreneurship from MIT. Company Profile. GWP provides asset protection consulting and offshore corporate and trust services in Anguilla, Seychelles, Nevis, Cook Islands, Belize and St. Vincent. The company is focused on educating clients in proper ways to move assets offshore and diversify globally while finding the right solutions for each individual need. Partners are focused on one-on-one client interaction with a problem solving approach. As part of the GWP group of companies, we also own a licensed and regulated trust company with offices in Anguilla and Belize – Agora Trust. AT provides fiduciary and trust administration, offshore corporate services, and offshore asset management. The company's final business is in education via a virtual format. GWP Insiders is our monthly newsletter that brings the components of live education right to you computer with monthly video interviews and articles on asset protection, international investments, unique income strategies and living overseas. Our panel of experts contribute liberally as a way to spread the message of internationalization.

Now for something completely different… today’s episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast teaches you how to ask for the money you need for deals! Guest and funding strategist John Livesay (a.k.a., The Pitch Whisperer) has been told no more times than most people and just kept going. Rejection is a part of sales… and we are always selling. Whether it’s negotiating the movie you and your friends want to see or getting the kids to bed, we’re selling our point of view. So we should never be afraid of “selling” in our business. John can help you get through the fear and improve your confidence. In fact, he does it all the time in his business and his Successful Pitch podcast. You should start listening to it, because it’s full of good stuff. As a child John caught the sales bug, starting out as a newspaper boy. He went door to door selling the paper, giving people a reason to subscribe. He did well. Later he attended college to learn more about sales. He even sold ad space to local businesses, which taught him a lot. He learned to paint a picture for these business owners so they would write checks on the spot. Then he started working with start-ups to help them sell their stories, which is the secret to sales. We are wired to listen to stories, so it works well. Conversely, we are wired to cross our arms and just say no to numbers. Our brains aren’t so interested in the numbers. That comes later. Today John’s specialty is to help entrepreneurs in the start-up phase get the funding they need through venture capital and capital raises. The number-one tip is to be yourself… be a story teller who tells your story. You are not forcing someone to buy from you, because they can more easily buy into your story and want to help you. John says that most of the investors he works with tell him that they invest in the jockey… not the horse! This is just the tip of the information ice berg. John has a lot of great things to share. For this episode you need to be taking notes. No kidding. Stop what you’re doing and listen. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Former hedge fund manager who retired young, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Todd Tressider has leaned a whole lot about the good, the bad and the ugly of retirement. When asked why he'd leave such a lucrative career behind to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor in the area of financial mentorship he said that he decided it would be more fulfilling to teach others how to accurately and realistically plan for their golden years. While his new path was a bumpy road at times, it ends up that it was a fantastic decision. Todd says he is a happy man, because he gets to spend vacations and summers with his kids. He gets to participate in lots of outdoor activities like incredibly long hikes (the distance of which will amaze you). This Financial Mentor podcast host and 5-time author whose books are helping readers everywhere understand what it takes to get to a great retirement and how to build wealth in lots of different ways has received massive exposure in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and several others you'll recognize. He's even been on NPR and Market Watch. Why? Because this man knows his stuff! He says that during his 12 years in the hedge fund business, he learned everything one needs to know about creating wealth, but he says it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. We have to calculate into the equation (of how much we need to put away for retirement) our lifestyle and occupation. What skills we have play into our plan! During this fascinating and incredibly in-depth look at financial fitness, wealth-building tactics, cashflow creation strategies and retirement planning, Todd gives us the inside scoop on why we shouldn't buy into the myths about retirement. He brings to light such refreshing new insights in this interview that you may not believe your ears. One is that what matters most is happiness. But he doesn't stop there. You might want to take notes as Todd talks about paper assets being a "wealth parking" vehicle and the investments that make the most sense. (Guess what one of them is!!) Todd talks about a variety of cashflow creation tools and how we need to create a balance in our lives, including both fast and slow paths to wealth. You're gonna want to rewind this one a few times to make sure you get all the points. It's pretty amazing information!

As the CEO of Financial Gravity, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest John Pollock has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs find legal, moral and ethical ways to lower their tax, raise profit and create wealth. Why? Because that’s how they can finally start living their own version of the American Dream – a key reason Financial Gravity was started in the first place. Of course… and as you might guess… John wasn’t always the helpful CEO and tax expert he is today. But he did find his superpower early on… and then had to find the confidence to run with it! John started out as a sales person with a moral compass. He took the corporate path even without earning a college degree. That’s right!! No degree and yet he educated himself, calling himself a constant student. He’s also “unemployable,” which is something he learned after losing a few jobs in a row. So he decided to start his own business selling insurance… specifically annuities… but didn’t like it because he realized that once a customer bought his “product” they wouldn’t need anything new from him again for 20 years. One day, after sitting down to look at the checks he was earning and realizing he wasn’t earning much when he was taking a whole bunch of risk, he knew he’d have to change his path, which is something you’re going to want to do, too… by learning new things. He started his journey by seeking the door for the super wealthy, learning that there isn’t one. But there is a tax code… and it’s for everyone. (But a lot of the super-wealthy use to keep their money instead of giving it to the IRS.) If you want to learn how to use the tax code to your benefit, you need to listen to this episode of Cash Flow Diary!! John makes tax info pretty fun to hear. You’re gonna love what he has to say!! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. .

Full-time options trader and former mergers & acquisitions professional, today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Kirk Du Plessis is now a stay-at-home dad who started his own trading company, Option Alpha. If you haven’t looked it up yet, it’s a business that in just 30 minutes a day can teach you the skills you need to generate a good income through trading in options!! Stock trading is something we’ve really never talked about in this podcast, but it’s certainly a strategy to earn an income. It’s not exactly passive, but it doesn’t have to take a lot of time. What is surprising about Kirk’s website is the first message. If you like FREE, you need to get to his site: https://optionalpha.com. So Kirk sounds like he’d be a really great student in high school, right? Nope. He didn’t really enjoy school, but he was always attracted to becoming a business owner and entrepreneur. He learned where his passion was only after taking a more traditional path through college and jobs. But before attending college, Kirk would skip school to attend business seminars. He says he’d be the only 14-year-old in the room. Fortunately, he didn’t get in trouble; Kirk’s mom started taking him to the events and attending with him. She nurtured her son’s interest in business and entrepreneurship. I don’t want to be a spoiler, so let’s just say this is a WAY different type of podcast episode and you’re going to want to stay tuned till the very end. You’re going to resonate with this guest and will probably want to connect with him. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

If there is anything Michael Brooks can give you advice about, it would be successful digital investment. With 15 years of experience in eCommerce, he has made it his mission to help others by finding new strategic business solutions through digital marketing and electronic payments. Now the founder of GoLance and Response CRM, Brooks is a strong believer in harmony, teamwork, loyalty, and partnership. Brooks has also published two books focused on digital currency, and is both an avid history buff and world traveler. Why is this important? Because I get the emails and phone calls all the time from people asking how on earth they can build their teams! Truth is that you can find great teammates a lot faster and easier than you think. We have a global economy and you have a whole globe full of talented people you might use on your team. I’ve talked about building teams before… lots of times. And I know it can be a confusing topic. Here’s the deal. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your teammate princes and princesses. I’m fortunate. My teams absolutely rock. But that didn’t happen overnight. And I didn’t know much about finding talent online. That’s where Michael’s businesses come in handy, especially www.GoLance.com. He says there are more reasons to build your team and business. It can’t be only about making money. It has to be about your purpose. What’s yours? Because we speak in superhero terms in this unique episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, this interview was extra-fun for me. Seriously, we talk about villains and heroes. Michael even tells us why he’d rather be Robin than Batman! As for Michael, he’s a digital payments superhero with such great information it’s gonna feel like you just got whisked away into the sky and away from the pain of dealing with all you’re dealing with right now as you make your way through a sea of team member candidates. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Julie Broad, an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author and International Book Award winner, recipient of the Top 20 under 40 award, a successful entrepreneur, recognized real estate investor and a popular speaker and workshop trainer.   Her first book, More than Cashflow, debuted at #1 overall on Amazon.ca, and went on to win an International Book Award. Her newest release, The New Brand You is quickly climbing the sales charts after it’s official release in early July. Connect with her on website at HaveMoreInfluence.com Here’s the truth. There’s one thing that really matters. What is it? YOU!! Yep… simple ol’ you. Because you’re the brand, says Julie. You’re going to want to listen to this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, because you’re going to start looking at yourself a bit differently by the end of it. And maybe you’ll start taking more action once you know that the brand in YOU. So before Julie Broad was Julie Broad the BRAND… was she always such an influencer? Not really. She was an introvert who went into sales. (BTW, this proves that even if you’re shy you can do great in sales.) Why did she take the job right out of college? Because it paid really well and came with a company car. Who could say no to that, right? But Julie was challenged because that also meant she’d have to talk to strangers… sometimes even ending up in her car crying. Obviously she had to get over that inner trauma, and began thinking about how she could help the managers of stores with her company’s products, which ultimately landed her more pay and a huge job offer. The funny thing is that once she found the secret to success is in serving others vs. getting what she wanted new doors opened for Julie. Ah, but you’re going to have to tune in and stick it out to the end to learn exactly how she made the shift from being a sales gal to being an entrepreneur and pretty smart real estate investor. She got bit hard by the real estate bug and just kept going and growing her portfolio. There are so many tidbits of excellent information in this episode that you will definitely want to take notes. Even if you just jot down quotes to keep you on track, listen to it. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Edward “Ed” Conard is the author of two top ten New York Times bestselling books: The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class and Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About the Economy Is Wrong (2012). Before Ed was the author he is today with top-selling books, he was just an average high school student who didn’t try hard at being a good academic. He went on to college, however, and earned a degree as an engineer because he was good at math. He went on to take a good job, but then was laid off. When Ed saw a friend got into a top-tier university he decided to apply and got in. He had a long run at a few great jobs, but he didn’t really stick with any of them. He even worked with Mitt Romney at Bank Capital… for free. You’ll have to hear this part of his story!! It is amazing. The numbers he was dealing with were absolutely mind-blowing. Ed became a partner in Bank Capital for specific reasons, one of which was his ability to close deals. But he was just a guy feeding his family in a way. It wasn’t the income that motivated him. You want to know what did? You’ll have to listen to this interesting episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Ever wondered how to get in front of your customers and clients so you can bump up your sales? Well, wait no more. Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Casey Zeman is the absolute king of online marketing and messaging. He chooses to deliver his message online through video. But then this isn’t his first time to the rodeo. He embraced online technologies, especially video, early on to drive customers to his mortgage business. However, just like all great superheroes, Casey wasn’t always the online technology consultant to big-name companies who built a strong 7-figure business that he is today. According to Casey, he had completely different goals. In his 20s he was aiming to be an actor, but something dawned on him. He didn’t like being broke. Casey decided to be himself vs. trying to be this person other people wanted him to be. He became a mortgage broker. Yes, quite a change. But he was no longer broke; he was doing well… out of a friend’s garage! But life would take another interesting turn. Casey went through the great mortgage recession, which took him from earning $250K a year to about $15K a year. What an eye-opener!! So what would Casey do? He hated sales, but he knew he’d need to bring leads to his business, whatever that would be. Casey began researching. Over time he tapped into learning more about online marketing and lead generation through using technology tools. Long story short, he learned how to use YouTube as a master traffic source and audience-engagement tool. The fun part is that his acting skills would come in handy! If you’ve ever watched his videos, you already know what I mean. Let’s just say they are very, very engaging!! Casey honed his YouTube and online marketing skills and started training big companies how to do what he had learned. He created a pretty cool online course, too, and he was well on his way to new success. (If you haven’t read the recent article on this site about building assets, now might be a good time.) What Casey learned through doing videos is how to tap into other people’s emotional responses and desires to make change in their lives. He says he finds tremendous happiness in helping others find their voice, their path and their success through using his online marketing technologies. The funny thing is that we here at Cash Flow Diary use some of Casey’s products, including Easy Webinar and FullScope. For example, you might not be able to listen to this podcast if not for Casey’s products! You will have to listen to this very interesting podcast to hear all the ways Casey creates wealth and success every day… right from the comfort of his own garage!! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.  

Buildings so efficient they can heat and cool themselves with equivalent energy of a hair dryer.

Alia has spent nearly 15 years investing in real estate, and has been involved in over $25M worth of real estate transactions and private loans. She and her business partner, Terri Garner own an education company called Investors in Action that helps people learn how to earn passive income through self storage investing.  They also manage investor relations for the Capital Storage Fund which focuses on purchasing low occupancy self-storage properties and using their Revenue Optimization Process to quickly increase cashflow and overall value.    Alia is passionate about financial education for women and children.  She helped found several financial literacy programs including a youth-based program called “The Magic of Money” and “Cashflow Divas,” a mastermind group for entrepreneurial women focused on creating passive income.    Prior to investing full time, Alia served as a Director for several corporate philanthropy programs initiated by Cisco Systems, AOL, Yahoo! and the United Nations; creating giving portals that have raised over a Billion dollars online for charitable causes.  Alia is a master connector and holds a degree in Communications from Chapman University as well as a Certification for Advanced Project Management from Stanford University.  She is a licensed real estate broker and best-selling co-author of the book “Initiative”.

Kiip (pronounced “keep”) redefines how brands connect with consumers through a rewards platform that targets “achievement moments” in mobile games and apps. This innovative approach to mobile marketing creates meaningful engagements between users, developers and advertisers. Backed by Hummer Winblad, Relay Ventures, True Ventures, Digital Garage and others, the company has raised over $32 million in funding to date. Kiip has been recognized by Forbes as one of the “4 Hot Online Ad Companies to Put on Your Watch List,” named on the Dow Jones “FasTech50” and listed on Fast Company’s “50 Most Innovative Companies.” Once the youngest person to ever receive venture capital funding, Brian received his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia at age 18, after skipping four K12 grades.  

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Joshua March is the founder and CEO of Conversocial, a leading provider of cloud-based social customer service solutions. He founded this cool company in 2009 based on his vision that online communication and customer service are undergoing a fundamental shift, requiring businesses to invest in new processes and technologies to manage the rapidly shifting social landscape. A leading proponent of social media, Joshua previously founded leading social application company iPlatform, one of the world’s first Facebook-Preferred Developers, which was acquired in 2012. But as you might guess, this wasn’t always the path Joshua was on. Growing up in England, Joshua actually wanted to be a Barrister, which is a lawyer in America. He attended classes, but as he moved forward he started looking at different opportunities and decided to become an entrepreneur instead. Eventually he stopped attending lectures and did the bare minimum in university to attain his degree, which he wouldn’t end up using. For Joshua this happened to be a very good choice. He didn’t wait for anyone’s permission and moved forward at the speed of sound. Joshua says one of the reasons he took this path is because he isn’t afraid of taking risks. He is not afraid of failure events either. Joshua says entrepreneurs can’t be afraid of risks and failure. You’ll have to listen to this episode to learn the very romantic reasons behind his mindset of moving forward as an entrepreneur no matter what challenges he would encounter. Starting boldly, Joshua started out with homemade flyers and then business cards. He had an idea and didn’t want to wait to take action. My kind of guy! Joshua does say that now he the value of planning and being prepared a bit better so he can achieve his objectives in a less chaotic way. If you want to learn more about Joshua’s path and everything he’s done as an entrepreneur, including how he funded his first venture at the tender age of 20, you’re going to have to put your ears on right now! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. ew York where he leads the US operations of Conversocial, as well as global strategy.

kickstart that the giant book retailer needed. And what about Hoover’s? Not the vacuum cleaner, but the company that all good salespeople used back in the day. That’s also something that today’s guest was behind. So who is this amazing guest? None other than Gary Hoover, author, speaker, business leader extraordinaire, lifetime learner, book lover with a massive library of more than 50,000 books, educator of entrepreneurs and people of all ages, and master of retail operations!! Whew… that was a mouthful, and that doesn’t even touch everything Gary has done in his life nor continues to do. Gary’s path was a bit unexpected for his family and peers, because he started out in a General Motors manufacturing town. Or maybe that’s what put him on his path to success, because he always wondered how the heck the decision-makers made their decisions. He asked his teachers, his family and other people in town, and no one seemed to know. Then he spotted Fortune magazine on a newsstand and his fate was sealed. In 7th grade he had his own subscription to that magazine! What Gary always found interesting about big, successful businesses is their leadership characteristics and how all the various decisions are made. But his curiosity doesn’t stop there… nor do his actions. Today, Gary helps small businesses and students learn how to make a great entrepreneurial business work really well. Gary believes in “case studies,” otherwise known as all the business magazines available to us today. He says we can all learn a lot by reading biographies of successful individuals of the world. You’ll learn that most start out as average human beings and flaws and weaknesses; they also have tremendous drive and don’t give up easily if at all. If you want an interesting new look at education, politics, what needs to change in our world and how to do amazing things with your new business idea, this is the episode for you. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

John Bowen is co-founder of AESNation.com, a rapidly growing community of entrepreneurs dedicated to accelerating their success while making a difference in the world. Three days a week, he hosts the Accelerating Entrepreneurial Success podcast featuring revealing, in-depth interviews with today’s leading entrepreneurs.  A lifelong entrepreneur, John is also founder and CEO of Financial Advisor Select, an organization dedicated to helping successful individuals and families make informed decisions by introducing them to top vetted financial advisors in their communities.  He is also founder and CEO of CEG Worldwide, where he has helped hundreds of financial advisors build simple and elegant wealth management businesses that make them indispensable to the right affluent clients while improving their profitability and enhancing their lives.

Wanna make money in the next 7 days? Listen to Cash Flow Diary guest Sue Hoyuela and see what that looks like. Sue has a lot of great information to share. Get ready to take a lot of notes. Sue operates in real estate investing by creating cool small short-term rental spaces for vacationing guests from across the globe. Though she had lots of different jobs and roles in her life, Sue found her passion when Air BnB came onto the scene. She recognized the massive opportunity and jumped on it. Not only does Sue talk about her path to being a super-duper super host on Air BnB, she talks about the history of Air BnB and how the company grew. As a short-term rental host myself, I find what Sue says fascinating. If you’ve ever thought about renting out your extra room or creating spaces to rent to short-term guests, this is the podcast episode for you. Sue says she and her husband were doing real estate for several years, which was going well. But then the bubble-bursting year of 2008 happened and they ended up using up all their savings to get through… and then were forced to take a job because they needed to pay off the massive credit card debt they had accumulated. The next thing that happened is pretty neat. Sue says she heard about someone who was covering their mortgage by renting out a spare room on Air BnB. She came home to toss the idea out to her husband, because they needed to earn an extra $100 a month. They hit that mark multiplied by 10… and then kept going by renting out a very cozy cabin in their back yard. Now, more than a thousand positive reviews later, Sue is earning a lot more than $1,000 a month renting spaces on Air BnB. For the rest of the story you will have to tune in. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Attorney Mat Sorensen is the guy that I was fortunate to meet and work with a few years ago. He is also the person who first introduced me to the idea of using SDIRAs, which happens to be the “most investable section of cash” available to you as a real estate entrepreneur in the world. Mat would know; he’s an author who wrote the book on SDIRA rules. He’s also a speaker, trainer, radio show host and all-around great guy! So, what does “SDIRA” mean? Simply it means “Self-Directed IRA” and as such it means the monies in that type of account can be used to invest in properties… like YOUR properties. And it’s not all that tough to rollover or transfer monies from a traditional IRA into one that is self-directed. You can’t do it, but there are companies that specialize in that sort of thing. You need a custodian for the self-directed account. Guess what Mat helps people do? Mat is one of people who can help people open SDIRAs, because that’s one of the things his firm advises clients to do. In fact, Mat has advised thousands of clients with self-directed retirement plan investments, because he is one of the go-to experts on the topic in the country.  Today, Mat has established IRA/LLCs, partnerships, private offerings, corporations, and other investment structures with self-directed IRAs and 401(k)s. In addition to account owners, over the years his clients have included trust companies, financial institutions, insurance companies, hedge funds, investment sponsors, and third party administrators. If you meet people who have self-directed IRAs, those people can invest in your deals. It pays to find out what type of retirement accounts those people you meet happen to have. And if they have a more traditional IRA or retirement account, you can help them move it to being a self-directed account… if you know who to send them to. Mat is a trusted source, because he is someone I can personally attest to that really knows his stuff.  Stick with this episode and you’ll learn that people might be calling your IRA “self-directed” when it absolutely is not. You’ll also learn what a truly self-directed IRA is and what it can do… which is invest in real estate. There are rules, however, and you need to follow them by the letter of the law. You aren’t the one investing; your IRA is.  This is a very educational episode, so make sure you keep a notepad next to you if you can as you listen. Mat does his best at using layman’s terms to explain the complicated stuff he does. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

You wonder how the heck can you stop working your day job? This is a great episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast to listen to, because guest Kathleen Peddicord could be considered the foremost authority on ways to get to that goal!  Kathleen is the founder and publisher of Live and Invest Overseas, and boy… has she ever traveled. This impressive woman has lived abroad for decades. But did she ever plan the life she lives now? Not by a long shot. In fact, she says it was accidental. While Kathleen always thought it would be neat to live in another country and had a love for castles and such, she didn’t know how she would get there. As a writer she had a very romantic idea of what that life might be like. Then something happened that allowed her to ride on the coattails of one of her bosses and mentors. She took a job that allowed her to travel and then got the opportunity to open and run a publishing business in Ireland.  From there, Kathleen was on her way to living her dream, living and working abroad in different countries. That’s something pretty cool for a small town girl from Baltimore with big dreams of becoming a writer, a dream she had since 6th grade. Kathleen started in Baltimore in publishing, starting as a proofreader, then editor and finally becoming a writer. That opened a lot of doors for her.  So how did Kathleen make the leap from writer to world-traveling entrepreneur? After 23 years working for one publishing company, he decided to retire. She didn’t need to work; she had saved money; her husband worked and brought in an income. That was when she was 45. Kathleen would be a full-time stay-at-home mom. At that time she was in Paris.  Kathleen says if you’re going to do nothing, Paris is a perfect place to do it, because she was able to take 6-hour walks with her young son and on her own. She was happy, but one day at 2 o’clock while she was sitting in a park she saw a friend who asked her what the heck she was doing. That’s the AHA! moment that made her realize she needed to start a business. She walked home and talked to her husband. They decided that to make her new business a reality that they would have to move out of Paris. They chose Panama. To get the backstory on that part, you’re going to have to listen to this episode of Cash Flow Diary. The short story is that Panama is an excellent place for North Americans to start a business! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Jonathan Rivera comes fromJonathan Rivera Podcast a blue collar background. He left the rat race to pursue riches in real estate. He made a million, lost more and had to rebuild. Today Jonathan runs a successful rental business in only 4 hours per week. He now runs a podcast network (The Podcast Factory) where he is surrounded by some of the world’s most respected direct response marketers. Jonathan wants to share his knowledge to help more people quit their jobs and become free like him.

In the book, The Path to Wealth; Seven Spiritual Steps for Financial Abundance, May will show you how to make the All-Knowing Power of the universe your new business partner. In doing so, you will receive help from your new partner to achieve greater financial abundance and freedom. As with any partnership, you will spend time each day getting to know each other and build a high level of trust.  As May shares the seven steps in detail, you will learn how to create and cultivate your new partnership and achieve more of the good things that you want in life. As you attain more of your goals, you’ll recognize that you have done less of the work since your new partner is now doing its job in the partnership. Make the commitment to begin your partnership today.  Now is the time for you to achieve greater financial abundance, happiness, and freedom! Order The Path to Wealth and attend upcoming workshops and events to learn more.

What does Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Josh Cantwell, real estate investing business superstar, and Superman have in common? They were both hail from Ohio. That’s right… Superman was born of the minds of a couple of very creative individuals in Ohio; Josh’s entrepreneurial mindset was formed by watching his entrepreneurial father in Ohio… a place Josh continues to call home even today.  Though CEO of Strategic Real Estate Coach, Freeland Ventures and Yellow Jacket Properties, Josh is the Josh wasn’t always the phenomenal real estate entrepreneur he is today. In fact, he started out playing ball in his teens. But instead of a chasing a dream life in sports, Josh went another direction. He attended college and then became a financial advisor. The one thing he saw in each and every one of the top-earning clients he worked with is that they all owned real estate. A light went off, and he decided at a very young age to buy real estate and become a landlord. This ended up being one of his best decisions ever; it put him on the path to true success and an impressive income.  Josh says that while he didn’t know everything about doing real estate deals, but he was willing to learn and willing to fail. He adds that he made plenty of mistakes and had failure events; he says that learning means we’re going to get scars.  Talking about scars, that’s something Josh knows about… not just in his learning experience. He is a cancer survivor and has the physical scars to show for it. Josh says that during that time, he had three very young kids and a real estate business that was coming unwound because he had not leveraged the talents of other people to help him run things.  Josh says that cancer changed the way he looked at his life, his business, how he handles tasks and so much more, so he looks at it as somewhat of a gift. In short, he learned that the here and now are more important than any business to-do list filled with items that may never get done. The fact is that there will always be a to-do list.  This is a bit of a different type of interview and you need to listen. When you do, really think about what Josh shares, especially about managing fears around, well, anything. In fact, listen to what he says about enjoying the pain! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Anyone who knows me also knows I love a certain dining establishment’s menu items… in particular all their delicious chicken dishes. It’s Chick-fil-A! That’s why I’m so excited to chat with Arthur Greeno, owner of not one but two really successful Chick-fil-A restaurants in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Arthur is also a two-time author and two-time Guinness World Record holder. In short, Arthur has been busy for the last 27 years building an admirable life, hitting high marks for his success goals.  Before the chicken hit the plate of Arthur’s life and put him on the road to massive success, he says he was lost. He wasn’t sure what he would do in life. He didn’t come from a family that embraced much. In fact, alcoholism was an issue. Young Arthur looked at the people his parents hung out with and how they all lived. He decided early on that struggling to make ends meet wasn’t something he wanted to do. He looked at everyone his family and he surrounded themselves with and make a conscious choice to surround himself with more productive people who had goals and success. That way he could learn from them and follow in their footsteps. This started for Arthur in high school. The funny thing is that’s how he started learning how to change how he himself operated. He cleaned up his language and “colorful metaphors.” To be accepted by those with better social skills and greater opportunities in life Arthur knew he couldn’t continue acting like he had learned to be.  On top of this, at the age of 17 Arthur was diagnosed with scoliosis and had to wear a back brace. However, that didn’t stop him from moving forward, working four jobs or finding his passion for Chick-fil-A. That started when he took a job at a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in his town where he would work for four years. The company culture grabbed him; he decided he wanted to own a Chick-fil-A, so he started talking to other owners and learning how to give top-of-the-line customer care.  Arthur learned all the systems and sales know-how it takes to run a successful business. He thought it would be easy, but he learned quickly that building and keeping systems going well was far more of a challenge. He says he went to the best owners and learn their systems. Arthur says that he has always been blown away by the generosity of these owners. They openly shared everything that had gone wrong for them and how they fixed it.  Today Arthur speaks across the country on topics in leadership, inspiration and drive. Because Chick-fil-A’s focus on customer service, Arthur trains his team to do just that. He tells them to serve the customers first and then serve them chicken.   In this interview you’ll learn how a young worker in the company became an extremely successful Chick-fil-A franchise owner and so much more. You’ll learn that Arthur overcame far more than a back brace and kept going anyway. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.  

  Originally from South Africa, Valhalla Wealth Financial’s president MC Laubscher didn’t start out as the asset-management and wealth strategist he is today. What you’ll learn if you read his book is that he started out as a rugby player. He didn’t come from entrepreneurial roots; he also wasn’t a natural sales guy. But he knew that if he wanted to enter the world of entrepreneurs and real estate, which is something he found a great passion for, he would have to build his sales skills.  The good news is that MC realized he could develop those skills, so he started studying leaders in sales and entrepreneurship. He also realized he could build a team that would help him, especially in the sales side. With that came a realization that we are all selling something every day of our lives. You’ll have to listen to this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast to understand this fully. That said, it’s something I’m in total agreement about with this guest, which you already know if you have been keeping up with me for any period of time! That’s not the only thing that MC and I agree on, especially when it comes to sales and the illusion of security that we have as a worker in a daily J – O – B. Once you understand just how precarious your position is you might be more open to getting out there to become an entrepreneur yourself.  MC says that one thing you need to learn is how to get beyond the NO. In sales people are going to say NO to you a lot… before they say YES. Getting to the YES is a whole lot of fun though, so don’t cheat yourself out of the experience. Put your fears aside, pick the phone up and make those calls you’ve been putting off.  Wise words! Again, I couldn’t agree more, which makes this one of those interviews that I really, really enjoyed doing. You’re going to want to listen to this one, because we cover way more than sales. We discuss things you should be doing to move yourself forward in working toward your goals, like how and who you might want to study thoroughly. You’ll also hear about why you need to be a true lifetime learner who can put what we’ve already learned aside to bring new knowledge into our brains. After all, we’re living in the information age and everything is always changing and evolving. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

David Essel has helped thousands of people from around the world achieve their greatest goals in every area of life. From doubling and even tripling their income, to freeing themselves of the chains of addictions that bind them to negative thoughts and actions, to preparing themselves to experience deep and true love, to getting the body they’ve always wanted, to releasing long-held negative attitudes that started long ago in life and more.  In this very personal episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, David talks about how he helps people so they can overcome deep depression and anxiety, and even emotional and sexual abuse. The work he does helps others change their lives in a very real way so they can become the person they always wanted to be, have the careers they always wanted and create dramatic success as business owners, entrepreneurs or just live a higher quality of life experiencing improved relationships with everyone in their lives.  As a renowned expert in the field of co-dependency, David has helped thousands of individuals around the world shatter the “largest addiction known to man.” If you want to know what that is, you’re going to have to listen to this episode cuz I’m not telling. However, I will say he does this by showing others how to form a deep, personal connection with God or one’s higher power to affect lasting change.  If you’ve ever wondered how you’re going to reach the top of the hill when you feel like your feet are stuck deep in the mud at the bottom of the valley, this is the episode of Cash Flow Diary for you. Get real with yourself. Get inspired. Make real change happen. Be the person you’re meant to be! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

If you don’t know who Chuck Dixon is, that’s okay. You probably know a few of the superheroes he’s helped bring to life. Chuck has written for DC Comics and Marvel, and now works for some of the most well-known and beloved animated television shows on the planet. When asked how he got into this field, Chuck says he never had any other talents than writing for comics, so he stuck with that path and it paid off big time.  Interestingly, he watched other writers and artists who wanted to do their own work but who took day jobs as writers and artists… and had zero energy left at the end of the day to do their own work. So Chuck took a job as a janitor, so he had plenty of creative energy at the end of his work day. He could focus on his own artistic endeavors any time he wanted. Plus, he didn’t have a college degree so he was at the lower end of the job food chain. He said his role model was Black Beard… yes, the pirate, because he burned his own boats to cut off any other path than forward. Whenever friends and family would ask Chuck what he was doing, he’d simply tell him he was Black Beard. There was no other option.  So what brought him to the realization that writing comic books was his thing? Chuck says he was into comic books as a child, because he was always reading them. He was a sickly kid, so it makes sense. He also says he always thought in comic-book form. He sees the images in his mind. So he started trying his hand at comics. Over time he got better and better with the character development and story lines.  Chuck says the story lines are actually based on the classics all the way back to antiquity. In his opinion the development is based on male wish fulfillment and their “I’ll fix it” mentality. That goes for the stories around the female characters, too. It is and always has been a problem-solution sort of thing. However, female readers want more than characters go 20 pages beating up on each other; they want more story and more of an inner view to the characters’ thinking and motivations.  In this incredibly different type of Cash Flow Diary podcast interview, you’ll learn a lot about how we as entrepreneurs can create the lives we want… just like the superheroes this guests speaks for. There’s a whole lot of psychology included in this one. Give this episode your attention in a whole new way. Chuck has some amazing insights into the iconic characters we find in comic books and on movie screens across the globe. Plus, Chuck writes for graphic novels and other pieces for all sorts of companies, including the Navy! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Some may look at time as life's most grim enemy - Once it's gone you can never gain it back. By prioritizing, real estate entrepreneuers can spawn a friendship with time.

In the last episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast the focus was on learning to fail forward and fail frequently because it happens to be necessary to your success as an entrepreneur. In this episode the focus is on another necessary skill you must develop to be a successful entrepreneur and investor. It’s marketing! With the New Year fast approaching, marketing is a subject you need to put your mind to and get ready to follow through with your marketing plan in a big way. It’s a sure bet that if you don’t pay much attention to your marketing strategies… or if you don’t have any strategies in place… you could be doing a whole lot better in your business. This is especially true in Real Estate Investing. Marketing is far more than the definitions you find in any dictionary online or off. What marketing really means is getting out into the world to let people know you exist and that you can solve their problems! In Real Estate, investors often think because they have a deal or two that’s all they need. Not so! You have to build, maintain and grow your database of sellers, buyers and other investors. You have to get out there and actually talk to people. You have to share with others your vision in a few short sentences. You need to develop a clearly stated elevator pitch and use it with the right targets. You have to use the online tools that are available to you right now to help you spread your message. Many are free! You have to attend networking meetings and talk to more people in everyday life. If you fall short in your marketing and promotions efforts, you’re not alone. It is one of the top failings that entrepreneurs and business owners share in common. Marketing is a process and it’s something you must learn to do well in your business. It is something you will always have to do. You’ll come to understand that perfection probably won’t ever be achieved. Imperfect action .is better than perfect inaction! Learn some of the things you can do to promote what you do better and market your business now and into the future.

In today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, you learn about another necessary skill for entrepreneurs, business owners and Real Estate Investors. It’s flexibility! Why is being flexible so important? Because sometimes your best laid plans will go awry. That means you’re going to have to be flexible to adjust and take the necessary steps to turn things around. Think of it as a form of mental yoga. It’s okay if things don’t go as you intend. It’s how you respond and what you do when things go off track that matters. J. Massey learned this early on from one of his mentors. He always said, “Blessed be the flexible because they’ll never be bent out of shape.” He’s right. The more mentally flexible you are the better. You’ll realize that no matter what happens you will be okay. You’ll live and even thrive if you are flexible. You can’t avoid issues in business. J. talks about some of the surprises he has experienced in building his Real Estate Investing business. He shares how he had to grow in his flexibility in the different areas in his business, including marketing and advertising. J. has had a whole lot of unplanned events he’s had to deal with and manage. Lately he’s had a few of them in his family life. However, because he maintains a flexible mindset, he is able to bounce, which is something you need to replicate. Entrepreneurs must quickly interpret when change is required and then take the necessary steps to get to the new goals. J. covers a lot of ground in this introspective episode.

So, is there a way out of the 9-to-5? Um, yes. That’s what you’ll learn in this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast from guest Gary Beasley, who took his own experience in real estate to create his own entrepreneurial thing. You’re sure to get answers to your burning questions about jumping into the real estate investing pool.  As you might have guessed, Gary wasn’t always the real estate entrepreneur he is today who started www.Roofstock.com, which is something that allows a whole lot more people to participate in real estate investing than ever before. In Gary’s words, he’s proud to have been a part of building a very disruptive company and makes money for the investors and the employees! But he says another thing that gets him excited about Roofstock is the psychic rewards he receives from knowing he is a part of this brainchild. Gary loves what he’s doing! Coming from a small town in Indiana, he grew up in a traditional, hard-working family where he learned the value of working toward goals. Gary said he feels fortunate not to have grown up with money, because he’s known a number of people who came from money and lacked the motivation to get out there in the real world and do anything special. Gary says that early on he knew the path he didn’t want to take was one that would force him into clipping coupons and working in a company Monday through Friday.  Gary says that you don’t need your own money to get started as an entrepreneur. While you can’t start a company that requires a lot of capital to get it going, if you have a great idea and a well-thought-out business plan, you can capture the interested of angel investors. In fact, in his experience, investors often like the “scrappy entrepreneur” who will work really hard to make the dream become a successful, income-producing reality.  You’ll learn a lot about courage, drive, motivation and what makes an entrepreneur great in this episode. Listen to Gary’s story and how he describes his personal journey to success, what he didn’t like about being in a business vs. helping others start businesses and creating real wealth, and why he changed his path to becoming the entrepreneur he is today. LISTEN NOW.

From about the end of February to April 15 each and every year, Americans move through a special season. It doesn’t come with a colorful, icing-laden cookie shaped like a tree or reindeer, and it doesn’t come with decorations. What is it? Tax season, and it has the power to get millions of Americans stressed to the gills and very frustrated. Some taxpayers procrastinate to the bitter end, standing in long lines at the post office on April 15 just to make sure their tax filing is postmarked with that date. These people make the news year after year, too. They rarely look happy as field reporters hold mics to their faces and ask why they waited so long. Maybe it’s a thrill to wait till the last minute, or maybe it’s because these people aren’t happy with how much they have to pay. Perhaps they don’t know that there are ways to keep from paying way more in taxes than they have to. And every bit of it is legal. That’s right. There’s a fat rule book written by the good people at the IRS that tells us all how we can pay less in taxes and take legal deductions that can dramatically cut taxes… sometimes to zero owed. In fact, there are FOUR things you can do that the government actually smiles upon that specifically reduce your tax burden. If you do one or more of them this year your stress levels come tax time next year might just be reduced significantly. That’s because you can get all sorts of tax credits when you do one or more of these four things! Plus, there is a fifth thing that you can do to help someone else reduce the amount of taxes he/she will pay! Do you know what the five things are? Do you know about all the tax credits available to you? That’s what this short Cash Flow Diary podcast episode is all about. If you want to learn why wealthy people can “get away with” paying less in taxes than the average hardworking Joe, you’ll need to understand the difference between being a consumer and being a producer. That’s also what you’ll learn in this special tax-time episode.

If there is one thing that you should be learning from listening to the Cash Flow Diary podcast, it's that failing is a part of success. You cannot avoid failure events. It's how you handle them that matters. In this episode you get a little insight into some of the small failure events that occurred at our recent Black Friday live-streamed Cashflow 101 board game event. Things didn't go as smoothly as we intended, but it's okay. The game happened, we had a great time, people as far away as Barcelona were watching us and learning how to run games better, and we received excellent questions from viewers and players in the room. We learned from all the little things that didn't go well or as well as they could have. Awesome! We didn't just pack it in, take our ball and go home. We managed the technical issues and moved forward anyway. Apply this insight to what you're doing as a Real Estate Investor. If you talk to 10 people and still don't have a YES from a seller, buyer or investor, don't stop and tell yourself "it" isn't working. Keep going. Take from those experiences and see what you can learn from them. Dissect the experiences. Define your process. Redefine the process. Get better at what you're doing. Study the Four Levels of Learning. Even if you've watched our video on that topic before, go back and watch it again. Your goal is to become Consciously Competent! That's the fourth level. For now, listen to this episode and learn why getting comfortable with failing forward and failing often is okay. Listen Now

Ever wish you had a mentor in your corner who could give you the answers to all your burning real estate investing questions? What about those times where you're not sure if a deal is a go or no-go? That's what Q & A with J. is all about! Each week at 4 p.m., PST, Cashflow CORE Members get their questions answered LIVE and in real time by a very seasoned real estate investor... none other than J. Massey. He rips deals apart, runs the numbers, and helps members understand what they're learning in CORE courses, like Deals at Discounts, Capital Creators and others. Pretty soon, even more members will have clever questions to ask, like about investing in multi-family properties, too. After all, we'll be releasing that video course before summer! Many of those who participated in the live Investing in Multi-Family Properties mastermind group a few months back are doing deals and sometimes have questions as they move forward. They ask some good ones, too! J. has a lot of fun as the host of this web show. He gets to answer questions about wholesaling, fixing and flipping, raising private capital, investing in multi-family properties, how to run a proper Cashflow 101 game, how to talk to investors and where to find them... and so much more that viewers always get something out of logging in. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, we get a behind-the-scenes peek at a recent Q & A with J. that -- just like all the other episodes -- are recorded so members can watch them any time they want. Listen in and you might just learn some pretty cool strategies you can put to immediate use in your real estate investing business. If you're not a member, takes notes. You're sure to learn something new. If you like what you hear, maybe it's time to consider membership.This show is just one of the perks!

Ken created and edited for 20 years an influential investment newsletter; co-wrote The Real Estate Trusts: America’s Newest Billionaires, first full-length book on REITs; and co-founded a global firm managing $20 billion in assets. Born in the western Pennsylvania steel town of Butler, Ken received his undergraduate degree from Capital University in Bexley (Columbus), OH, and his MBA from the Graduate School of Business Administration (now Stern Business School) of New York University.  After stints as associate and news editor of House & Home magazine, he joined Standard & Poor’s Corp. as a security analyst before forming Audit Investments Inc. in 1969.  His investment advisory and editorial experiences at Audit are recounted in Watch That Rat Hole … and Witness the REIT Revolution. Now eighty-six, Ken lives with Irene, his wife of sixty-five years, outside Philadelphia.

Jason is a business and executive coach and sales leadership trainer. He’s a leading expert on leadership, culture, influence, and relationship building.  Jason's worked with well-known CEOs such as Steve Jobs, Mark Hurd at HP, and many others. He's helped his clients meet influencers such as Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and many others. He's also helped his clients create more than $1 billion in wealth over the past three years.

For 20 years, Cameron Herold has been coaching entrepreneurs on five continents, helping them build their companies. He started BackPocket COO to coach and mentor young, fun companies -- and help them make their dreams happen. Herold was a leading force behind one of the most successful new business ventures of the last decade, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. He was Chief Operating Officer for nearly seven years. Prior to that, he was VP of Corporate Development at Ubarter.com.

Matt "Handshakin" Holmes is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and world record holder.  He is Founder of the Handshakin Video Series: featuring top entrepreneurs on networking and personal branding strategies.   After interviewing venture capitalists, members of Congress, and billionaires, Matt has been on numerous podcasts sharing tips on strategically making connections and relationship building. Today, he helps aspiring entrepreneurs implement networking and personal branding strategies.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Mark Rampolla is the man behind Zico Coconut Water. I’m talking about the highly popular coconut water beverage my family knows and loves!! Mark wrote a book that has to do with his journey, too. It’s titled High Hanging Fruit and it’s a recommended read. Mark wasn’t always the trend-setting entrepreneur he is today. BUT what drove him toward starting his own business is that he was never quite like his peers. He wasn’t into the trends, but he watched them with interest.  He also knew how to set goals. So before he chose the product he wanted to launch he needed something that would scale. He wanted something healthy and that would make people’s lives better if they took it into their bodies. After lots of research and because he happens to love coconut water, Mark and his wife decided that’s what his road to wealth and success would be.  This success didn’t happen overnight. But then when does that ever happen in real life? He put in 9 years of hard work up front as he grew his brand. Everyone in his little company worked toward his mission. (It’s always about more than just the possible money we can make, right?)  The great news is that Mark’s little company isn’t little any longer. Because of Mark’s dedication and beliefs about the benefits of his products, he attracted excellent talent to the company, which made growth happen naturally.  Mark’s story is very unique… and I don’t use that word often. This guy’s energy is contagious. He has a great amount of wisdom that he shares about building a business of YOUR dreams, and if this interview doesn’t motivate you to move further toward your goals, well, I don’t know what to say. Listen in particular to what Mark has to say about “going where others don’t want to go” to get to the success he now enjoys. Learn more. Listen now. 

This is an awesome story of a person turning an absolutely tragic situation into tremendous success. It is the true-life tale of Laptop Entrepreneur Mark Anastasi and I don't think I've ever been so quiet during an interview. Knowing who Mark is today would never tip you off to the challenges he overcame to get to where he is now. In a nutshell, Mark grew up in Athens, Greece, and left home at the age of 18 to live in the U.K. because there were no jobs in Greece. He took a job as a night-shift security guard to make ends meet, but earning minimum wage meant there wasn't going to get him there. He ended up $12K in credit card debt in two years. He then went into telesales and made exactly one sale in 14 months. He lost the job and sunk into a deep depression. Then something terrible happened. He lost his apartment and sought refuse in an abandoned building with 20 other homeless people. He couldn't go home because his family was in pretty bad shape, too. He had horrible negative self talk and even thought about suicide. Fortunately, one day he broke down and literally ran the streets of the city. Like a scene from a movie, Mark ended his running breakdown in a cemetery at the foot of a tombstone of a 22-year-old man who had accomplished a few things before passing. Instead of giving up, Mark had an epiphany. He vowed then and there to do everything he would have to do to turn his life around and make a success of himself. Once he made the decision to change his mindset everything else fell into place. Listen and learn how Mark got through the toughest time of his life and programmed his mind to create the life and cashflow he desired. It wasn't magic. It took belief and hard work.  Listen Now.

Since 1982, May McCarthy has helped to start and grow six successful companies as large as $100 million in annual revenues. She is a best-selling author, speaker, university lecturer and angel investor. She serves on business, philanthropic, arts and university boards. May has become successful by implementing spiritual principles into her ventures, and it is her passion to pass her knowledge on to others. She is the author of the best-selling book The Path to Wealth: Seven Spiritual Steps for Financial Abundance.

Cash Flow Diary guest Frank Rolfe has always had an interest in earning money. Right out of high school he jumped into business. To get into business school he had to write an essay and he did well. It opened his mind to the possibilities and after a short time he started a billboard company! He had zero experience and got turned down over and over. But Frank kept going. By the end of the first year he had the first three billboards under contract and ads placed on them.  Frank thought he’d do this billboard thing for a year, but decided to keep going. In his second year he had 14… in the third year more… until he was the proud owner of 300 billboards, making him the leader in billboard ownership in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area! Now that his billboards were creating some killer cashflow, Frank found that he a whole lot of time on his hands. (There isn’t much to manage once the billboard is up and running… and you have the ad space sold.) So he started down another path. Frank sat wondering what the heck he could do next. As Lady Luck and great timing would have it, Frank met a man who wanted to sell his mobile home part for an AMAZING deal. For $10,000 down and a total cost of just $400,000 with the seller carrying the remaining $390,000, Frank couldn’t turn the deal down. That was in Ft. Worth. The reason the seller was willing to sell is because he had inherited it and didn’t want to deal with it.  Frank was now the proud owner of his first mobile home park. Then he kept going. Now he owns many mobile home parks. He also talks about this topic a lot and shares information about how to get into this market. But he warns you that if this sounds interesting there are things you have to watch out for that can be very costly (and you want to avoid). Frank also says that you may be dealing with “rough” tenants, which means if you don’t take care of your properties the good tenants will exit and as your property deteriorates some interesting individuals will replace them… like carnival workers, street people, and others that don’t have a desire to be a part of society or the community at large.  That’s something Frank learned quickly when he took over his first few mobile home parks. Next he learned how to clean his parks up. He says that just because that lower level of tenant is in the park is not a reason to turn a deal away, but you have to set a minimum bar and set expectations for the new tenants you’ll bring in once you clean out the non-paying tenants or those who just don’t care about their living environment.  Listen to this highly informational podcast episode to learn why mobile home parks make great sense and also to hear how taking over a mobile home park can be much like being the new sheriff in town. You have to be a great manager and put good rules in place if you want the greatest returns! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Over the past few years we've been growing and creating great educational products, free and paid. If content is king, Cash Flow Diary is the absolute empire of Real Estate Investing education, because we have more video content than anyone we know of in this space. Our written content isn't far behind. Now it's time that we let you pull back the curtain and look inside. Think of yourself as Dorothy about to get her first glimpse of the Great and Powerful OZ! There's a lot going on back there. And it's worth sharing. But maybe you don't need to see the inner workings to understand how valuable the content we offer really is. If you are a regular listener of this podcast, you already know what you gain in the audio content. If you have ever browsed our site, you see lots of free information for the taking. If you are a member of the Cashflow CORE Membership, you don't need anyone to tell you about the massive amount of content, video training, video courses, tools and forms you get with membership. It's a gold mine of opportunity. In fact, did you know we have more than 200 hours of video content? And as we add to it, all the newest training content we create becomes immediately available to members. It's pretty exciting for us to be able to share so much. We want to teach as many people who are willing to take the time to learn. Then go out and earn! As a member you also get to network with some pretty cool real-life investors at all levels. That's in a PRIVATE Facebook group. Deals are done right there! Checks are displayed, questions are answered, support is provided. If you've ever wondered how to do wholesale deals, get your hands on tax lien properties, learn how to buy and hold properties to earn ongoing cashflow via rents, invest in multi-family properties and commercial properties, host the ultimate Cashflow game, and get all the cool tools (like J.'s own P.A.Q. that you could explain on a napkin) and forms you need as an investor and learn exactly how to use them, it's all in the member area. We used to charge individually for many of the benefits and courses you find in the member area, but it's a new year and time for a new way of thinking. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, you get a peek behind the scenes of our weekly Q & A with J, which has been running for the last year every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, and was until today available to everyone free of charge. As of tomorrow -- Tuesday, February 2, 2015 -- this popular weekly web show, where J. Massey answers attendees' questions about Real Estate Investing, their deals and their issues in business will only be available to Cashflow CORE Members. If you have never been in the room for one of these unique LIVE Q & A events, you're missing out on a chance to ask absolutely anything and get your answers in real time. While past episodes will remain archived on YouTube and in the members area for 24/7 access, the only way to see any new Q & A with J. LIVE is to be a member. Those won't be found on YouTube. If what you hear in today's podcast episode of the behind-the-scenes look at the LIVE Q & A with J. show interests you, there's only one thing to do. Become a Cashflow CORE Member. Until then, grab a pen, sit back and get ready to take notes as J. rips deals apart for viewers and shares strategies for success. Listen to how he helps them determine if their deals are go or no-go! LISTEN NOW

CEO and founder of the Real Wealth Network, guest Kathy Fettke is no stranger to media exposure. She has been featured in a number of recognized magazines. Plus, Goldman Sachs recognized her and her company two years running as a mover and driver in the entrepreneurial world.  Kathy says she thinks she has been recognized because her company has done a lot to help homeowners in crisis by giving them solutions to their problems.  So, who is Kathy Fettke? Simply a woman who wanted to be an actress and who was forced to take a hard look at what was going in that industry. She didn’t like how people were being taken advantage of, so she founded her own acting and modeling agency. Soon she experienced success and living her dream life.  She was also a news writer and occasional anchor, but she made a choice to leave it all when she had kids. Kathy wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Her husband had written a book about success and was being billed as the next Tony Robbins. Life was great… until something tragic happened. Her husband was diagnosed with a fast-moving cancer.  Kathy’s husband was given six months to live; she decided to be the breadwinner through her radio show. But she also wanted to continue to stay at home with her kids. The good news is that worked; the better news is that her husband’s doctor was wrong and he is alive and well. In fact, he is Kathy’s partner in business.  Today Kathy applies all her entrepreneurial wealth-building expertise to real estate. She gives people a way to maintain their nest egg while they invest in real estate. One strategy is to take a high-dollar rental property that’s paid off and may even be producing some cashflow each month, and then sell it to turn it into more properties elsewhere and create 4X the cashflow!  Kathy is not a traditional buy-n-holder. She might be classified as a short-term buy-n-hold person. You’ll have to listen to this episode of Cash Flow Diary to fully understand this definition. In fact, you’ll want to listen to this episode for lots of reasons. There are so many great bites of information and wealth-building tips that you will want to take copious notes. Learn more. Listen now. 

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Zbigniew Woznowski knows a lot about playing games, but he’s all business when it comes to, well, building his business. Make that plural… businesses.  Not only a creative gamer, Zbigniew knows a whole lot about real estate investing. He married his passions and founded Reality Games in October 2014. He also launched a cool mobile game in January 2015 called Landlord.  If that’s not enough, Zbigniew is Programming Director of Promotion of Poland 2020 of The Kosciuszko Institute with more than 12 years of online advertising experience and over 10 years of real estate experience.  Before this, Zbigniew founded and exited a few other companies, such as Second Poland and Supremum 360: Digital Outsourcing & Advertising Service. He’s been a busy guy! Zbigniew has lived through different cycles in real estate. He had a few failure events and he kept going. He reinvented himself a couple of times and decided to come back into business, matching his old experiences with the new way people are doing things, which is via mobile apps.  This guest’s path is a little different than most. If you love games and apps, you will want to give this episode a listen. If you love real estate investing and the idea of earning a great income from building a portfolio of cashflowing properties, you will want to listen to this episode and check out Zbigniew’s games!! Learn more. Listen now.

You may remember Joan Sotkin from episode 125, where you heard how she helps people change their lives through changing their perspectives on your finances. She is an excellent prosperity coach, author, speaker and educator. Today Joan shares about how she is developing programs so she can help even more people.  Joan delves into our family origin stories that affect our financial outcomes. In short, it’s our belief systems around money that get us every time. The things that created your emotional responses to events in our lives are what you need to pay attention to.  Issues around money are NEVER about money. In reality, money only has energy when it passes between two individuals. It is your relationship to money that is at the core of your issues. You have to figure it out. Listening to today’s episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast will help you toward that goal.  One of the many interesting things that Joan shares during this episode is that our brains are to blame for the fears we have around money. Our brains tell us that anything new might be dangerous, so we have to be careful, which translates to fear. For example, when you’re accustomed to struggling financially and you start doing really well, your brain may throw up red flags. You may feel terribly uncomfortable because you are not used to doing well. The change that is happening can feel like a threat because it challenges your origin story.  What that means is that you grew up in a family that struggled, didn’t invest in real estate, didn’t do well because there was always too much month at the end of your mom and dad’s money… and now you are challenging the way your family deals with money… the way your parents raised you to think about money.  You have to control that fear, because it isn’t serving you and it isn’t moving you forward to all those goals you walk around telling other people you want to reach!!  So how do you control the fear or fix the issue? Joan says you have to get to the core of your “moving stupids.” Your brain doesn’t want you to change things up; you have entered the fight or flight syndrome when in fact you should be embracing the changes and focus on what is going on in the moment. By focusing on the moment that is happening right now your brain isn’t going to focus so much on the future and all the fears that go along with the tunnel of transition.  Joan says so many cool things in this interview that it might just put you on a whole new path. If you let it happen you can have the life you say you want. Pay attention to the ways to deal with your fears and put your mind at ease. One thing you have to do is dump the retail therapy! Learn more. Listen now.

I hear the question frequently. People I meet who’ve been studying real estate investing for a few months or maybe even a couple of years will come to me and ask, “Why haven’t I made it yet? I’m trying to do deals and I can’t get them done. When will it happen for me?” If this is a burning question on your mind, today’s podcast episode is for you! Yep, it’s just you and me today… no guest. It’s time to recap the reasons I do what I do. The biggest reason Cash Flow Diary exists is so I could leave a road map behind for my kids, just in case they’d like to know what good ‘ol Dad has done. Plus, they could follow in my path if they want. But just like other things we do in life, this path took a new course. A friend told me that maybe I should consider doing even more, because there are a number of adults who might be interested to learn real estate investing so they can change their own life’s path. Click forward almost 200 episodes of this Cash Flow Diary podcast and I know what my friend said is true. Today we have way more than the podcast. My team and I have created an educational series, I have a weekly Q & A web show for members of the Cashflow Core Membership. We have created e-books and so much material that some days it overwhelms even me. And we keep creating new video content. Even so, I still have a long way to go; Cash Flow Diary has more good stuff to come. That’s what I’m really talking about in this episode. Stick with me till the end of it, because I promise what I have to say will help you grow your business and keep you focused on your goals, too. I start with some interesting entrepreneurial success stories, some of which you have probably heard and some you haven’t. What do they all have in common? They had amazing failure events, were fired from jobs, were told they didn’t have what it takes to achieve in their industries, they were labeled as having trouble focusing and staying on track and they each faced different challenges in business and life that might make some people cringe, roll up in a ball and quit. Here’s the deal… successful entrepreneurs have to keep trying, keep adding to their skill sets, keep doing. They don’t just get successes handed to them. They overcome challenges and they don’t listen to the negative people in their lives or the negative self-talk that goes on in their heads. So how do you get there? First, listen to this podcast episode and learn the eight steps in the process… and then the five things you need. This is something I continue to practice myself, so I’m not telling you to do things I don’t do. The process is ongoing. And here’s a suggestion… take a few notes. Post the eight steps on your wall to keep yourself motivated. Learn more.

One of the top questions I get from people who are new into the raising private capital space is how to overcome objections. So… I decided to do this special episode. I want to help you if you are running into objections. The long and short of it boils down to a single question: Do you believe more in them and their beliefs or in you and what you know to be true? The funny thing is that this question just came up AGAIN in the Private Facebook Group page. It was posed by a member who has been doing a heck of a lot of wholesaling for a long time. The responses are still coming in. And that’s the cool thing about our private group. There are so many great conversations going on at all times between members that it blows my mind. Members work out challenges, helping and supporting each other. It’s truly amazing! There are three questions you need to ask buyers, sellers and investors talking to them about becoming involved in your deals: Have you ever considered getting involved in real estate investing? Really? Why? Based on what you just said, does it make any sense for us to get together later to discuss this further? You do not change a syllable! Not a word… It may not make sense to you at this very moment, but that’s okay. Listen to this episode and you’ll understand completely. If you get out there and test this strategy, you will see how beautifully it works to open new relationships that will help you toward your real estate investing goals. This is just one of the things all our members have learned in Cashflow Core Training. But don’t take my word for it. Try it out yourself for 30 days on our almost-free trial! For now, give this episode your ears. LISTEN NOW.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Phil Ebiner went through an excellent but costly private university and even though he had partial scholarships he graduated with tons of debt. He said he didn’t have the income to make full payments sometimes, so he was disappointed with that part of his college experience. Before he graduated he was fortunate to be working with others to create online courses for the school. When he got out of school he discovered he could do the same by creating online courses of his own through www.UDEMY.com.  So what did he teach? He knew video, film and television production, and worked in a low-paying job as a video editor, so he figured he would start with that. Phil says that after the first month of offering online education he was stoked because he earned $62! He was hooked. He was on the way to building his online empire. To date, around 150,000 people have taken his education.  Phil is no stranger to hard work. He didn’t just work a full-time job, but also took side gigs as a wedding videographer and shooting videos for different people and companies. But here’s the deal. Phil said it made him sick thinking of his debt and he didn’t really like the 9-to-5 thing. He had to do something to get out of it, so had plenty of motivation to do really well in his online education goals.  The great news is that he didn’t just do well, he’s done really, really well… earning more in a month than some people earn in a year. In this podcast episode you will learn about Phil’s path and may start thinking there’s something you have to teach others online. It’s a good idea to check out the tools and strategies that Phil lays out for us in this episode. (You will hear that trying something new has less to do with your skills and if you know what you’re doing, but rather that you have the willingness to do this new thing.) Learn more. Listen now.

You cannot confuse activity with accomplishment. That’s something I talk about in this me-to-you episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. What you should consider is “pay time.” As an entrepreneur, it is a concept that you must embrace. Pay time for a real estate investor is different from that of an hourly worker or even a freelance contractor. You are no longer going to be paid for the amount of time you are at a job, sitting at a desk at someone else’s business… if you are used to having a 9-to-5 J.O.B. As an entrepreneur, your pay time is any time you are on the phone or in front of a prospect or customer, like an investor who is going to let you use his/her money to get your deals done. While you have to do your due diligence, do some paperwork and do other tasks, these are not included in your "pay time." So how do you know your pay time is paying off? By measuring your growth. In fact, you also have to measure your progress in three categories. These are: personal development, promotion and communication. You also have to review your goals. Setting a goal is great, but if you don’t review and keep track of your progress toward that goal, you aren’t likely to reach it. You have to be clear on your goal… your WHY you are doing things to get there. Cultivating your goals is what this is called and it’s part of your personal development. But this is just one area within that category. There is so much more to learn in this category alone. And you can keep track by putting yourself on a points system. As for the other two categories, there’s a whole lotta of great information about them in this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Grab a pen so you can take notes; then get in there and LISTEN NOW.

Getting to this point and the final audio book version of Cash Flow Diary: 10 Steps to Creating Wealth in ANY Economy! was a very long process, but we got there! Why do I say “we”? It took a few people and a bit of assistance to create a great final product! I learned one thing for sure. Reading one’s own words is a bit more challenging than I thought. Not to mention, I realized it was going to take a lot more time than I thought to get great sound. With all that’s going on around Cash Flow Diary I had to make a choice. You know how I always tell you that even if you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD be the one to do it? This is one of those situations. I found someone who does voiceover work as a profession and he is really good. You might recognize his voice. I read the introduction and I recorded BONUS SECTIONS. That was fun for me to do, because the additional content is unscripted and gives even more benefit to my readers. I love audio books, because I can put my ear buds in and be “reading” while I’m doing lots of other things. That’s how I learn fastest. Sure… I read books in print, too, but audio books are my preference. If this is your first audio book, I’m happy you’re “reading” mine. You can find it on Audible, too. If you don’t have an Audible account, get one. I use mine a lot. This is not an advertisement for Audible. It’s just that the system works well, it’s easy to use, it has lots and lots of books… and my audio book is there! For now, sit back and relax. Get ready to listen to the first parts on me.

What if you could actually earn more and work less? That’s what we’re discussing in today’s episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. Author and guest Stephan Aarstol pitched his company on Shark Tank, my all-time favorite show, and built his business using a 5-hour work day model.  Known as being one of the worst pitches but one of the best-funded companies on Shark Tank, Stephan knows a lot about keeping your work week hours to a minimum to get more free time to pursue a better balance in our lives.  According to Stephan, as a country and culture we’re working more hours today and yet earning less, which is something he tells us we don’t have to do to attain the success we desire. But he didn’t always know the “secret” to being a 5-hour-work-day guy he is now.  Early on, he learned Internet marketing in the medical imaging space. It was a start-up that was going great guns until the bubble burst and he had to change paths. The entrepreneurial bug bit him hard. So while working his day job, he started his own business on the side that would create and sell really good-looking poker chips (www.buypokerchips.com). It took him about a year to quit his day job… when it was earning him about $50K a month in sales. When it plateaued, he entered a paddleboard business as the founder of Tower Paddle Boards. His company is now the fastest-growing company in his city.  Over time Stephan became known as an Internet “guru.” As a knowledge worker, Stephan says he will never stop learning and he likes his work, so it will be a long time before he actually retires.  If you want to learn why Stephan started using a 5-hour work day, you’re going to have to listen to this episode. It has to do with employee recruitment and retention, so it’s worth your time to lend it your ear!! Learn more. Listen now. 

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest, Michael Parrish DuDell, is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and someone who knows a whole lotta insider secrets to success. Talk about being excited to have someone on my podcast, well, that’s me! This guy is talking about one of my all-time favorite shows, Shark Tank. In fact, he wrote the two official companion books to the show, Shark Tank Jump Start Your Business and Shark Tank Secrets to Success. Oh, and BTW, the book is a bestseller. How cool is that?! What you’ll learn listening to this episode is that Michael’s path to success was anything but straight from point A to point B. But then success rarely works that way, does it? Starting at the age of 4 as an actor and working his way up to his 20s through various paths, Michael says he had to reinvent himself. That was when he was just 24.  One of the most interesting things Michael shares is that it takes a “diverse set of skills that are adjacent” to what we want to do. He says that while he may have started out as an actor and ended as a speaker and author, it takes similar skill sets. For example, communication. Michael goes on to tell us that as an entrepreneur, it’s not just that you need to create the really cool widget… you have to be able to communicate your message and talk about what you’re doing and creating.  When talking about success, Michael says that there is a grand misperception. It’s not a “threshold” but rather something that happens over time as we develop our skills and work toward our stated goals. The more we work the more we have to keep learning and growing. In the end, the struggle happens when you tell yourself you no longer need to learn new things. (What are the most dangerous words? “I know that.”) Michael is mighty motivational. This episode is worth your full attention. In fact, why not listen a few times and share it, too? And get the book that features all sorts of tremendous entrepreneurs, because you’ll learn about quick growth may not be so stellar after all. Learn more. Listen now. 

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest, Mike Glauser (a.k.a., the Main Street Entrepeneur) has done something not many entrepreneurs have. He bicycled across America talking to small business owners about what makes our country’s entrepreneurs tick! He visited 100 cities and learned a great deal.  But before he hit the road he went through the college track, earning his PhD in his 20s. In his first teaching position (in which he would be teaching business organizational skills) it hit him that 1) he was the youngest guy in the room, and 2) if he is to teach actual business owners and those who were there to learn how to take their businesses to the next level he should first obtain the experience of business ownership.  So he did.  Mike opened a business with his wife and it did amazingly well. Far more quickly than he imagined possible, their business became Very profitable. The next thing Mike knew, he had received a phone call by someone who wanted to buy the business.  Long story short, Mike wasn’t interested in selling, but then there was a negotiation that ended in an all-cash offer. It was a life-changing event. Now he could get back to the classroom and teach entrepreneurship differently. He would get out and talk to entrepreneurs in the field, somewhat like an entrepreneurial anthropologist.  The next step was to write books about his adventures. Mike has an unwavering passion about helping entrepreneurs launch companies. He does it today through The Jeffrey D. Clark Center for Entrepreneurship. The cool thing is that Mike teaches from the trenches and not from only an academic knowledge base. In this episode you will learn about the mindset shift you need to make to become an entrepreneur and how it isn’t for the “faint of heart.” One must have a passion for what they want to do starting a business. You’ll also learn why more people don’t become entrepreneurs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Learn more. Listen now. 

Chatting with Jim Bunch was an eye-opening experience for me. I learned a few things and you will, too. Listen in to hear us discuss the four levels of wealth. What are they? Repair and Recovery, Foundation, Resources and Mastery. Jim has a lot to say about these levels and how we can turn our lives around to reach the success and wealth we desire. He calls it living life by design! We talk about cash flow creation, too. Jim says that there is a path we must follow that leads to wealth. I won’t give it away here, but can say that managing the areas of our lives leads to cash flow creation, which in turn leads to financial freedom! Oh, and it takes action on our part. The difference between those who succeed and those who just wish their lives could change is that the successful take action. Like Jim says, they DO something. If opportunities are laid at your feet and you do nothing, it’s guaranteed that nothing will change. Jim will be up on stage with me as one of John Assaraf’s guest speakers at the upcoming and very exciting, quite possibly life-changing Money2 event. We hope to see you there. If you can’t make it, the event will be streamed live. Tune in for that event. For now, listen in on this Cash Flow Diary podcast interview!

On this special episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, which is a little rough and raw as we try out some new recording technologies (plural), we have three guests from to diverse areas of the world that all share the same focus: Investing in laundromats! Guests Cisco and Doris Calderon are in California earning impressive cashflow with theirs; Thomas Landenburger does the same in Italy!  Thomas wasn’t always a real estate entrepreneur. He attended college in Wisconsin and then entered the Marine Reserves. After seeing the hottest desserts and coldest winters in Wisconsin, he left the Marines and hit the road to travel the world. He met a woman in Greece, got married and opened a pastry shop. Then he opened a bed and breakfast in far-off lands, sort of like the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. Thomas was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug pretty hard, which brought him to opening his first laundromat in Italy.  As for Cisco and Doris, their path was a little different. They met in a dance class at Cal Poly Pomona, fell in love and headed to Arizona. Facing some struggles they decided to return to California. Because they were in the tech industry, which bottomed out in about 2008-ish – which also meant they no longer had good jobs – they were forced to look at their future a little differently. Like they’d have to create their own future through being entrepreneurs. The couple decided that owning laundromats would be the ticket to success. (But it wasn’t an easy decision, according to Doris, because Cisco is a full-speed-ahead kind of guy and she’s an on-the-edge-of-the-cliff-of-fear sort.) So why laundromats? Because they serve people who need them very badly. In California, the Calderons’ customers don’t have a washer and dryer at home. For Thomas laundromats make sense because in Italy dryers are a luxury item. He says it’s funny to him because he feels like he’s changing the tradition in Italy. He adds that even little old ladies who have always hung their laundry out on the line are using his dryers! If you want to know how to open a laundromat, this is the episode for you. You’ll enjoy the personal stories from our guests. You’ll even learn what it cost them each to start their first laundromats, plus the differences between the businesses. You might want to reach out to these individuals through Facebook. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

What do Cash Flow Diary podcast guest John Klymshyn and host J. Massey have in common? More than you might think! Listening to this sales-centric episode will delight your ears and tickle your brain, because John and J. cover a lot of ground when it comes to what it takes to be a great salesperson. As a top sales trainer for the past 16 years, John has learned a thing or two about sales and negotiations. He says one of the keys to sales success boils down to developing great listening skills, and adds that effective selling has nothing to do with convincing others to do anything. John also stresses the importance of being very clear about whom you choose to serve and having a fair exchange of value. This impressive 7-time published author, trainer, coach, speaker, entrepreneur, business owner, husband and father developed a trademarked process to help us move conversations forward successfully so we can close more sales. He also wrote a book a few years back, The Ultimate Sales Managers’ Guide, which continues to sell well for a reason. It’s his deep understanding of the sales process and human behavior. But John wasn’t always so knowledgeable. He said, like anything worth doing well, it took a lot of training and practice. Listen in as John talks about his very first sales job. As you listen, put yourself in John’s shoes during the experience and you might cringe. He was shown to his desk, handed a phone book and told to start dialing. He was also told that if he didn’t close a deal quickly he’d be shown the door. John watched a lot of people walk past his desk and out the door for good. He didn’t want to be one of them, so he listened and learned. Who did he listen to? A mentor sitting right in front of him… the top sales producer for the company. What did he learn? How to listen! A self-proclaimed “language fanatic,” John says that he loves language because it is the great Grand Symphony of life. But that is just the beginning. John Klymshyn has a lot to say about a lot of things… and they are all critically important to us as entrepreneurs. You absolutely will want to grab a notebook before listening to this episode, because you will want to take notes. Be prepared to get schooled on the art of the sale and learn a whole lot of other good stuff, too, including how to get through your dark nights of the soul!

No matter what you want to do in life means you’re going to have to learn new skills to get there. That means you are going to stumble a bit moving forward as you gain new talents and skills.  The funny thing is that we all have an addiction to looking good. However, you cannot learn and look good at the same time. That includes doing real estate transactions.  It’s not that these transactions are difficult to do, but if you’ve never done one before you have a few new skills to learn. Then you get to add to your skills. Then you keep adding to your skill set until you don’t just know one way to do real estate investing but many. For example, getting properties under contract using all the cool creative acquisition strategies that are open to you to use!  The truth is that you should never stop learning new things. We’re not just talking about strategies; we’re talking about business and leadership skills, communication skills, marketing skills and every other thing you have to do as a business owner. And you will be growing a business as you learn new skills.  You may start out as the Lone Ranger, wearing all the hats, being responsible for everything and doing it all as a wholesaler (which means you buy properties at a discount and sell properties at a discount). But you won’t be able to continue on that path. You will have to build a team or teams (according to how many deals you start doing), and you will be a business owner. So you will keep learning. You will keep building your credibility. You will teach others. You will wash, rinse and repeat your process as you get to the success goals you set for yourself! This is what you learn in this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. Learn more. Listen now. 

When it comes to getting real estate transactions done, our members rock!! One of the reasons for their successes (plural) is that they stay involved in our private Cashflow Creators PRIVATE Facebook group. In fact, some members have partnered up and others are doing deals with each other. It’s amazing what can happen when you put a bunch of likeminded people together. I thought you might get a kick out of listening in on one of my Q & A with J. Massey web shows. If you’re not a member you can’t get in to participate in this weekly live online show. If you are a member, you get to log in every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, watch me answer questions that were either submitted ahead of time or roll in through the chat box. It’s fun for me, because as the members do more deals their questions get a little more involved. I love that! Of course, there are real estate investors at all levels in our membership, so I get lots of basic questions, too. I love educating the new person as much as I do the seasoned investor. And, believe me, there are all types in this amazing group! If you want to experience membership, good news… you can try it for 30 days for a buck!! I hope you enjoy this episode. There’s nothing particularly unique about it, but it should give you a real good idea of what these weekly hour-long episodes are like!! Enjoy. LISTEN NOW.

As we move through this month and this $100K series I have the honor of interviewing individuals who earn a whole lot of cashflow from their ventures and interests. The focus of these interviews is on how these people felt the first time they experienced a $100K month. Cash Flow Diary guest Ryan Moran – a killer entrepreneur, marketing specialist, speaker, author and new daddy – says for him it was like breaking through a glass ceiling that really wasn’t there. Once he hit that mark he realized that he was the only one holding him back, and that all the BS he bought into about not being able to reach this level. He did it, and not just once. For him how to get there was demystified, and now he wishes he could give people a pill to make them understand that they really can get to their financial goals. Ryan says that hitting his first $100K month didn’t feel much different than when he hit his first $10K month. Now he’s aiming at earning a million dollars in a month! Ryan says hitting high-dollar goals boils down to systems. Ryan says the first step is finding the leads and market to them on a continued basis. The second step is to be bold and ask for bigger dollar amounts in what you’re selling. Listen in on this fantastically empowering interview as I discuss with Ryan the importance of lead generation and automating your marketing. This is something my team and I have had to learn to do, and it’s something you need to learn if you want to be successful. Listen to all Ryan has to say about the importance of making mistakes… and how if he hadn’t made a number of mistakes that he wouldn’t be where he is today. Ryan also talks about the difference between failure and feedback. The latter is very valuable to other people because you can educate others on what not to do! Learn more.

Senior Vice President of Communications at RealtyTrac, Daren Blomquist tells stories about the housing market in a unique way. He does it with data! That means the story is very, very accurate. Maybe that’s why RealtyTrac is so widely used by professionals in the real estate industry and investors alike.  Before Daren was the “Data Geek” he is today, he was a newspaper reporter in Illinois. A big part of his job was researching, using data to help him write stories and learning how to paint the big picture for readers. Eventually he moved to California where he joined a little startup company in the customer service department. Daren says that was a really good thing, because he got to talk to a lot of customers. It gave him the inside “Trac” on what they wanted. That information comes in handy to Daren in his current position.  Today, Daren is one of the company’s longest-term employees and has been with RealtyTrac since 2001. A noted real estate expert – on home sales trends, tax and deed loan information, property values; investor and cash sales share of the market, foreclosure activity and rates as well as extensive neighborhood and environmental data and overall housing market trends. Daren is directly responsible for the creation of the company’s comprehensive real estate reports, which are cited by thousands of media outlets nationwide — including all the major news networks and leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA TODAY. He has been quoted in hundreds of national and local publications and has appeared on many national network broadcasts, including CBS, ABC, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business and Bloomberg. One of the things Daren says RealtyTrac wants to stay true to is being transparent. He says it’s not about “spin” but the full picture of what’s going on in the real estate market. At its core, RealtyTrac is a data provider, and while its strong suit is foreclosure data the company continues to evolve. Now there is total transparency in the data they provide so that investors can use the site to determine is a property is a go or no-go deal.  At www.RealtyTrac.com you can access their entire and incredibly impressive database of properties using a massive number of filters to find only the types of properties you like. (That’s called knowing your Investor Identity!) While the data reflects US properties only, there are plenty of international investors who use the system to figure out good investments. This includes commercial properties. So everything you are interested in, from single-family houses to multifamily properties to commercial properties, you can find them on RealtyTrac. Daren is also a trend spotter. According to his data, he’s seeing a few trends in the market today. The most noticeable is that the market is trending back from a distressed market and adjusting to the middle of the road. While that’s good for now… there’s big change coming, because the market trends are cyclic. Already there are indicators that certain bubbles are going to burst soon, because in some areas there are extreme pricing peaks. San Francisco is one of those markets.  Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Have you ever struggled to get everything done in the 100+ hours you have each week? If you want to CRUSH IT as a productive person, no matter what you are doing in your business and life, listen to this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast! It is taken from a recent Periscope session I did, which is something I’m doing a lot of lately. (Cuz it is that awesome!) If you haven’t started following me there yet, why not? You are missing out on pretty cool live learning opportunities. Go to www.periscope.tv/cashflowdiary and join.  So what’s it take to be more productive? First, you need to set goals and structure a plan to get there. You back into your plan. For example, let’s say you want to raise $25,000 this week. What steps are you going to take to do that capital raise? What assets do you have that you can use that will help you? By that I mean… do you have a podcast? Do you Scope? Do you have an eBook, checklist, or other thing you can sell right now that you own and control to raise that money? The long and short of it is that you should be using your time to create assets that you don’t just sell but that you can also use to show other people that you are the local expert in what you are doing… let’s just in real estate investing.  Now, let’s just say you need $25K and you have a couple of assets already. Let’s say you have a product that sells for $1000. How many units do you need to sell this week to get to your goal? You have to devote the time to marketing that asset. With today’s at-our-fingertips technologies, that part’s a whole lot easier than it ever has been.  Here’s the deal… we all have the same amount of time each and every day. We all have different schedules, but we can all find the time to devote to creating new assets. I’m not just talking about assets you can sell, like an eBook, but also building your real estate portfolio. It all boils down to finding the time to do those things you say you want to do. (I promise it will take lots of late nights and burning the midnight oil at first, but the outcome is way worth it.)  In this episode I talk about structuring your plan in a way that will make sure you get to your goals every week. Like how many people you need to talk to in order to set 20 appointments this week… which is particularly crucial if your goal is to raise capital for your real estate deals. You’ll learn WHY you want to set appointments and what you’re going to talk to them about. You’ll also learn the importance of backing into your plan.  This is a golden learning opportunity. While the main focus is on productivity boosters I also answer a whole bunch of questions on different topics inside and outside real estate. Don’t miss it. Learn more. Listen now. 

You might have noticed that I’m really into livestreaming lately, and because it’s a great way to reach more people become bigger, badder, better real estate investors and entrepreneurs I’m going to keep doing it. For the most part you’ll see me live on Periscope. If you want to follow me there so you know when I’m going live (because the app sends you a quick alert right before I go live), go to www.periscope.tv/cashflowdiary. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast you’ll get to listen in on one of my first few Periscopes. The topic is value-driven business and how to be successful in business and entrepreneurship. You’ll also realize pretty quickly why I’m doing Periscopes. My reach immediately expanded. There are viewers from all over the globe. That’s pretty cool. The long and short of it is that being in business for yourself is possible if you so decide. But you must make a shift in your mind first. You have to decide that you want to provide value of some shape or form. For me it’s real estate investing; for you it could be something else. But here’s the deal… if you have a passion for something, you aren’t serving your purpose unless you go for your dreams.  Life is not a video game, folks. It’s not like you get a bunch of do-overs. While failure with things you try will be a part of your success, stopping short of your goals isn’t going to do anything to change your life… and not taking steps in the first place isn’t going to do much either.  In this episode you will hear my story again, because I’m talking to a new audience and they don’t know me. If you notice, your story can become part of your message in business. It helps to humanize you and show people your WHY of doing what you do. You’ll also hear a lot of good information that you can use right now… today… if you choose to use it. That’s why I’m doing my podcast, livestreams and live events; that’s why my team and I continue to build great educational materials and opportunities… to share my information and motivate you to become the entrepreneur you want to be.  Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

In this short Cash Flow diary podcast episode I talk about a few of the basics, like how I did my first deals (because I get the question all the time), how to raise capital and how to generate leads. What you’ll learn is to do things in a certain sequence, which will help get others to enroll in your process. It’s like planting your lands in preparation for a harvest. You have to plow the land, prepare the soil, seed it, do a few more things to keep cultivating and nurturing your crops… and finally get to the harvest. (In real estate transactions, the close of the deal is your harvest.) In this episode you will learn about the importance of conducting the III interview (triple “I”) with everyone you want to work with. That’s because you want your buyers, investors and sellers to be in total alignment with your goals, mission and vision. If they don’t fit you can’t force them to fit. If you do, you’ll be sorry at some point down the road. You’ll also learn how to generate leads wherever you go. Whether that’s at Starbucks or the mall or in line at the grocery store. Again, it’s like planting seeds. You don’t just plant in one spot. You spread them around so you get a big, healthy crop. If you want a better look at generating leads in the real world, you need to check out our Lead Machine Video Course. If you do, you can actually begin generating leads minutes after taking the course! It happens all the time. (It gives you all my offline lead-generation strategies I used when I was starting out as an investor and strategies I use even today!) You will want to take notes as you listen to this episode. It is taken from a recent Periscope session I did on lead generation. We are archiving these videos in our member area, so if you are a Cashflow Core Member you can go watch it and take screen shots of the graphics I drew in this one! (BTW, you’ll hear my kids in the background. They have taken the role of my official “heart monitors” because we’re trying to reach a million hearts on Periscope by the end of the month.) Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Michael J. Maher is a true king of referrals. He’s learned the secrets to sales success… and it’s not chasing people down in parking lots. Before we get into that, let’s talk about Michael roots.  It’s not like Michael was born with a silver spoon in his mouth nor did he grow up just knowing how to be great at sales. Quite the contrary. He grew up impoverished in Kansas but in a loving family. Michael’s dad was a bus driver by day and a volunteer sports coach for kids three times over by night. Michael’s mom stayed at home with him and his four siblings.  As Michael watched his mother and father, he learned the importance of hard work and good ethics. He also learned that if someone asks you if they can help you with something you simply say YES. Michael may have started out with zero dollars and a whole lot of drive to build his business, but he amassed millions of dollars and a fantastic reputation through doing business as a real estate professional in an ethical way that more of us should replicate. He says that there is a power behind generosity and that’s his “big secret” to success. (That and the power of saying yes.) He also says that we have to accept compliments, which for whatever reason is hard for some of us. If someone compliments your shirt or shoes, just say thank you. It’s actually a gift back to them.  Further, if someone asks you if there is something they can do for you (because they like whatever you did for them or just because they want to do something for you), say yes… send me referrals!  Getting referrals is Michael’s super power. But he didn’t always know it. In fact, it wasn’t until he was being interviewed on Star Power where he was talking about what he did in real estate that what he had accomplished and his true abilities were mirrored back to him. The host called him “the most referred real estate agent,” which ended up making Michael’s phone blow up afterwards with calls and referrals.  At that point, Michael knew he was onto something great. He began speaking and teaching others to do what he knew how to do. He taught them to grow their business through a spirit of generosity and by asking for referrals.  If you’re sitting on the Struggle Bus right now wanting desperately to get off and have a better life, listen to this episode all the way to the end. It will inspire you! You’ll learn how to approach sales in a whole new and way more effective way. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Orange County, California-based husband and wife product designer team Tom and Tracy Hazzard have spent more than 20 years living and designing together. Most recently Tom and Tracy have added to their resumes some impressive credentials (as if their credentials weren’t already mighty impressive).   They can now add being 3D Print Product Designers, podcast hosts and authors of IP Battle Scars, Lessons and Evasive Tactics to their list of joint credits. As if that’s not enough, Tracy recently launched a cool new column called By Design for Inc. magazine!  While this inventive couple have taken a lot of their own ideas to market they wanted to help others do the same. For clients they solve the problem of what to make, how to make it stand out and what it takes to make it competition-proof. Talk about knowing your customer!  Collectively Tom and Tracy have designed and developed over 250+ retail products that generate more than $750 million dollars in revenue. They hold over 35 utility and design patents themselves with an 86% commercialization rate, which is double the USPTO-reported national average.  This power pair knows what it takes to fight Goliath for patent infringement and win… and why it’s not worth it (their experiences are even featured in an entrepreneurship course at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management).  Join us as Tracy talks about their path and tell us what it takes to get your ideas into the marketplace. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast there are lots of lessons about problem-solving and developing systems that make your business work far better than it does today.  There are some similarities between what Tracy and Tom do and what you as a real estate entrepreneur will do. They solve problems, they have to align the new idea with a particular market, they have to stay on task, they have to stay focused and they have to make go/no-go decisions. Oh, and they need to have an exit strategy in place at the get-go.  You’ll want to grab a pen and paper for this episode, because this one has some really fresh information. If you’ve ever had a great idea for a product, you will want to pay really close attention. Learn more. Listen now. 

In this 271st episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, I get to talk to Steve Rohr, a guy who has a lot to say about, well, speaking. If you get tongue-tied in front of other people or would love to get up on stage in front of audiences… if only you could overcome your stage fright… this is the episode for you! Steve co-authored the book SCARED SPEECHLESS, which lays out the path to how you can get past your fear of speaking. In this insightful episode of the podcast, Steve tells us that there are reasons for the fear, like the fear of being judged. (Because we all judge all day long, right?)  The fact is that when we’re sitting in an audience we are there to being entertained… not to judge. We are on the side of the speaker. So when you’re up in front of audiences large or small remember that the audience in on your side. No one is going to throw rotten vegetables.  In his book, Steve gives nine ways to help us over the speaking-in-public hump. He talks about why we have fear and why fear is actually a good thing. By dissecting the primitive brain he helps us understand that the part of the brain that triggers the fight or flight response doesn’t know the difference between running from a dinosaur and getting up on stage.  By the end of this episode you will have a new understanding of why you don’t have to be perfect during your presentations, why you want to be authentic and how to get through your time in the light. You will learn how to find your authentic voice, no matter where you are… on stage or off. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Did you know you can use some types of IRA accounts forinvesting purposes? Like a self-directed IRA, where you get to makeyour own decisions about how the money in your account is used.That means your IRA gets to invest in Real Estate transactions andin businesses. But before you rush to your IRA manager, take abreath and educate yourself a little. As with any IRA there arerules and prohibited transactions. That’s what this incrediblyinformative Cash Flow Diary podcast episode covers. Taken from alive webinar featuring J. Massey and Udirect’s very own KaarenHall that we recorded at the end of 2014, this episode promisesto give you much of what you need to know about the power of usinga self-directed IRA. Take notes as Kaaren talks about “sweatequity” and how the IRS says you cannot “over-contribute sweatequity” in a property in which the IRA invests. That means youcannot be the one to swing a hammer in the rehab process. You can’tget your hands dirty doing any of the improvements. Kaaren alsoexplains in depth about prohibited transactions, for example, youcan’t always do business with relatives, family members or evenin-laws. There are good reasons for this ruling. If you want toavoid legal hot water, you need to learn how to manage your self-directed IRA.There are many grey areas. You need to be very clear on using anIRA for investing purposes. The great news is that you absolutelycan use your IRA and it’s a smart way to create much brighter,financially fit golden years. Learn more.

Ever wonder what it would be like to own 2,000 units ofproperty? Like lots of properties and even a few apartmentbuildings? Well, you’re going to want to listen to this episode ofthe Cash Flow Diary podcast all the way to the end. Today’s guest,fellow podcast host, philanthropist and big-timereal estate investor Rod Khleifhas owned and managed that many units and helps a whole lottapeople in the process.So when did Rod’s love of real estate investing kick in? In histeen years when he saw his mother save up money by babysittingother people’s children to purchase a family home. Rod thought itwould be neat to get intoreal estate, so he became an agent very early in life. He evenhad his face plastered across some outdoor advertising. But hedidn’t end up earning much money as an agent. Rod then started looking at real estate with new eyes… theeyes of an investor. At the age of 21 he bought his firsthouse. He was on his way to the success he craved as aninvestor. While Rod had a lot of successes, he also had a number offailure events. He calls them his “seminars” because he learned alot from each failure event. He says these events are absolutelynecessary, and we can’t fear them. We just have to be willing toput the time in to learn and grow and do… one step at atime. One of the things Rod says he learned is that real estate goesin cycles. By that he means markets go up and markets go down. Realestate investing works in any market, but you need the rightstrategies. His is buying and holding… and renting properties totenants. That’s his sweet spot. He’s not a flipper; rather he wantsto hold onto the properties over the long haul. Rod also says that it can be easier to buy a small commercialproperty, for example, apartment buildings than to buy onesingle-family house. It can be easier to rent apartments out, too.There are other benefits to owning apartment buildings vs. severalsingle-family houses, like the fact that all the units are underthe same roof vs. having properties scattered around the area.After all, which is easier to manage and maintain?If you want to learn about the importance of failure, why success is not a destination butrather a journey, why you’re “stuck” while you really want to moveforward, and how to step up your game, listen to this episode.(You’ll also learn a few ways to push yourself forward, no matterwhat, and the importance of writing your goals down and visualizingwhat you really want out of life.) Learn more. LISTENNOW. 

For some people, Sunday nights are full of dread. Why? Cuz “tomorrow” is Monday, which means they have to go to their J – O – B or otherwise start their new work week. If you feel that way maybe this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode will help you get over that hump. This episode isn’t meant just to help you through Mondays. The tactics you learn will help you every day. In fact, it’s something that can get you through all of your days in 15-minute increments. Once you learn how to manage your time and anxieties about those tasks you “don’t want to do” you can accomplish a whole lot more each and every day. While you’re going to have to listen to this episode to get all the tactics, here’s one. Stop limiting yourself by telling yourself that “once you do X, Y or Z” you’ll start to reach your goal and feel successful. Start looking instead at ALL your successes that you achieve through your day. You do so by asking yourself 5 questions. The magic isn’t found in the questions; it’s found in your doing the exercise! If you want to achieve more and take action steps, if you want to gain clarity on your goals and control your thinking, this is the podcast episode for you! But the first thing you’re going to have to do is to listen to this episode to the very end. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have wheelbarrows of cash delivered to your door month after month? That’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast guests Jake Stenziano and Gino Barbaro do. Well, the money doesn’t really show up in wheelbarrows, but it’s kinda like that these days. Jake and Gino invest in apartment buildings across the country and now own hundreds of units. Yes, hundreds!They even wrote a book on it. The title? Wheelbarrow Profits! Jake and Gino weren’t always working together. Their partnership happened over time. Gino has “amassed” six children, and they are the primary reason he jumped into real estate investing. Gino says some pretty interesting things. One is that he doesn’t mind working 60 hours a week, but he wants to decide how those hours are spent. He also says while he has a passion for real estate, his main passion is to spend time with his kids. He loves being a dad, because he gets to be a role model and show his kids there are things they can do to have the life they want. While they saw him work as the owner of a popular restaurant in New York they are now seeing him earn money while spending a whole lot more time with them. Jake’s story is a little different. He wasn’t a good student, but eventually went to college anyway, earning a physical education degree. Then he went on to earn his MBA. The switch happened when he got a part-time sales job and learned that he loved sales. Then he had a path that made sense to him. Jake tried different sales-type jobs and did well, but didn’t make a great employee because he couldn’t set his own rules. He became the go-make-it-happen guy, which made him a lot happier than working for other people who told him what to do. If you want to hear how a couple of guys from New York built an empire through buying large multifamily properties, listen to this episode. You’ll learn how to choose a good partner (if you want a partner), how to build a team and how to earn lots and lots… and lots of cashflow. Here’s a hint: you need to have a great operating agreement between partners or it won’t work. You have to be willing to have uncomfortable conversations with your partner or you shouldn’t take that partner. You’ll get to learn about scaling and outsourcing, too. This is a bit of a longer episode than others, but it is well worth your time and full attention. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

This episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is a bit of a different animal. For this one I’m not alone. In fact, I invited my partner in life to join me today. Yes, it’s my lovely wife Popi. Join us as we discuss partnerships… and not just in marriage. In both business and in life, it takes a village to help us get through. Your life requires input from a few supportive people. (That said, stay away from negative people.) I’m fortunate to have Popi as my partner in all areas of my life.Popi isn’t new to the concept of being a team player. She was a volleyball star in school. But that’s not all. You’ll have to listen to this episode to hear her path. Popi talks about how doing the boring stuff repeatedly is part of doing really well on the playing field. She also talks about how bonding works to make a tighter team. It boils down to trust. Admittedly, my wife is pretty terrific. She certainly supported me when I first got into real estate investing. She makes a great partner because she understands that everyone on a team – whether that’s family or in business – everyone plays different positions. If you listen closely, you’ll hear how playing on a team in sports is seriously similar to building a team in business! Not everyone will have the same role or skill sets. You need different ingredients to make your recipe for success work well. That includes partners. When you choose to work with a partner, you will each be responsible for different tasks. Play to your strengths. When putting deals together you need money, time, knowledge and credit, but that doesn’t mean it’s all on you to provide all these ingredients! Stick with this episode to the end and learn what it takes to choose the best partners and members of your team. There are several lessons in this very personal episode of Cash Flow Diary! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Ian Balina is the CEO of PeerHustle, a mobile on-demand marketplace for today’s sharing economy and entrepreneurs everywhere. Ian does short-term real estate rentals and owns a video production company… and still keeps his day job at IBM!So telling people you don’t have time to do much in real estate, you might want to stop saying it. Ian works every day and then every night… and he’s doing some pretty cool things. Ian has always kept a hustle in his step. He was raised in a strict household by educated parents who got him to read a lot. They made him go to the library during summers. So he started making it fun and read about people like Bill Gates and about technologies. Ian decided early on that he wanted to grow up to become a technology expert. So that’s what he did!Ian was a self-learner, which meant he taught himself to build websites and all sorts of things online. This led him to starting his own web-design company and then started a design-hustle business. Eventually he and a friend created a multi-lingual dictionary online called Leximo. Ian was now a full-blown entrepreneur, approaching investors and learning the ropes as a business owner. While this idea didn’t go as far as Ian and his partner would have liked, he says it was a great experience and though the start-up stalled, Ian found his way to IBM as an IT guy. Ian says he has used his “hacker mentality” to create different things and keep himself busy. He says he doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t trying to figure out how to hack different systems and learn how things work. What Ian and his team have created now is PeerHustle, a really interesting new mobile application that helps you find the right local freelancers for your needs and talented freelancers to find cool local gigs the social way. The cool thing you’ll learn is that Ian tested the market prior to creating the service for under $20! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Now for something completely different… today’s episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast teaches you how to ask for the money you need for deals! Guest and funding strategist John Livesay (a.k.a., The Pitch Whisperer) has been told no more times than most people and just kept going.Rejection is a part of sales… and we are always selling. Whether it’s negotiating the movie you and your friends want to see or getting the kids to bed, we’re selling our point of view. So we should never be afraid of “selling” in our business.John can help you get through the fear and improve your confidence. In fact, he does it all the time in his business and his Successful Pitch podcast. You should start listening to it, because it’s full of good stuff.As a child John caught the sales bug, starting out as a newspaper boy. He went door to door selling the paper, giving people a reason to subscribe. He did well. Later he attended college to learn more about sales. He even sold ad space to local businesses, which taught him a lot. He learned to paint a picture for these business owners so they would write checks on the spot.Then he started working with start-ups to help them sell their stories, which is the secret to sales. We are wired to listen to stories, so it works well. Conversely, we are wired to cross our arms and just say no to numbers. Our brains aren’t so interested in the numbers. That comes later.Today John’s specialty is to help entrepreneurs in the start-up phase get the funding they need through venture capital and capital raises. The number-one tip is to be yourself… be a story teller who tells your story. You are not forcing someone to buy from you, because they can more easily buy into your story and want to help you.John says that most of the investors he works with tell him that they invest in the jockey… not the horse! This is just the tip of the information ice berg. John has a lot of great things to share. For this episode you need to be taking notes. No kidding. Stop what you’re doing and listen. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Nothing is stopping you from your dreams, but you… In this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode we’re trying something fun and a little different. If it works out, we’ll be doing more of these. This is lifted from a cool, live Periscope session I did. If you want to find me there and watch upcoming live sessions, sign up at https://www.periscope.tv/cashflowdiary.In this episode you’ll learn that there are 6 Degrees of separation from your destiny. (Yeah, clever, I know.) And I hope you heed the advice. There are reasons you aren’t moving forward that have to do with your Dreams, your Decisions, your Delays, how you handle Difficulties and Dead Ends, and finally how you can move more quickly to Deliverance.But to get through these steps, you also need work steadfastly on your goals by making sure they are focused, attainable, individual (to you and you alone), trackable and truly heartfelt.One way to get to your goals is to get in front of lots and lots of people. Not doing so will stop you from reaching your goals as a real estate entrepreneur.So how do you achieve this goal? It’s called lead generation and it’s absolutely doable! In fact, we’re doing a killer class on this today. Sign up at bit.ly/cfdrome. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

If you’ve ever told yourself that you’re two young, too broke, too whatever to become a real estate entrepreneur, stop listening to yourself. None of your excuses pass muster. Truth is you don’t need to be any special age and you don’t need any special powers to do real estate investing. You just need to get out there and start telling people what you’re doing. Find problems to solve! Then solve them through real estate transactions… and good ideas.  That’s what you’ll learn in this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. Today’s guest isn’t even 25 yet. His name is Charles Hayden Hattemer and he became a real estate entrepreneur in his early 20s while still in college. That’s when he and a few friends were looking for a rental, coming up empty-handed. Landlords didn’t want to rent to students; rentals that existed were really hard to find. There had to be a better way. That’s when the first idea about OneRent.co sprang to life. What started out as a technological answer to solve problems in student housing grew to become a full-service property management company and more. Now OneRent serves both renters and owners across markets across the country! Hattemer and his partners created a way for renters and landlords to interact seamlessly on a single platform, providing what can only be called concierge-level customer service. Hattemer says he and his partners never had a written business plan. Rather they got out there and talked about what they were doing. They got feedback, they adjusted their approach and they learned to serve a really big need that just keeps expanding. When asked if his path was short, easy or free of failures, Hattemer can only chuckle. Um, no, is the short answer. Hattemer and his friends went through a lot of “crazy stuff” to get going on their idea. It took different failure events and even sleeping on pool tables at times to get to their goals. But they stuck to it and after just a handful of years, they have created something unique in the world of real estate that utilizes technology to allow renters, landlords and others involved in the rental process to work together on everything from viewings to signing agreements and beyond. Landlords get 24/7 insight into how their rentals are doing; renters can schedule different parts of the process according to their schedules. According to Hattemer, his company builds technology into the process where it makes sense while retaining the necessary one-on-one human interactions needed to get deals done. One unique feature is that they use mobile managers. When a renter wants to see a property, the mobile manager is notified and dispatched to the property to meet and greet the potential renter, and show them around at a pre-designated time chosen by the potential renter. That’s pretty cool. So are the automated rent-collection and maintenance management tools OneRent offers!Charles and his team are working on automated concierge services and look forward to expanding what they can do, merging technology into the rental process. Learn more about the exciting things this cool team of “youngsters” are working on. LISTEN NOW.

Craig Ballantyne has been the Editor of Early to Rise since 2011. He’s also a Strength and Conditioning Coach in Toronto, author of Turbulence Training, a contributing author to Men’s Health magazine, and a member of the Training Advisory Board for Maximum Fitness and Oxygen magazines. TurbulenceTraining.com features Craig’s best-selling Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program. TTmembers.com offers access to all of his Turbulence Training workouts and video clips (for men, women, mass-building, athletes, and bodyweight-only workouts). In today’s episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, Craig talks about something pretty important to us all… how to create the PERFECT DAY!He also shares with us how to…Have more time with people they love, and Create more experiences that create amazing memories.Craig says that creating the perfect day starts with planning. If you get up late and feel like you’re chasing tasks and goals, but at the end of the day feel like you didn’t get anything done… you need to get up earlier (before everyone else is awake and before the phone starts ringing). It’s amazing what will happen when you have a bit of time to yourself. In Craig’s Perfect Day Formula, he walks us through what we need to do to create perfect days. In Craig’s new book, The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life, he talks about how to avoid stressful situations every day that put us behind in our schedules. Guess what? It boils down to being reactive instead of proactive. Yep, it’s our choices that put us behind.Planning tomorrow today is the way! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Close your eyes. Now, imagine that you’re a gold miner. You’re working, working, working to find your way to the gold. When you find it, does it make sense to suddenly go off and start digging another hole? This is what I mean… If you as a real estate investor have discovered a niche that works really, really well for you… why would you go off and do something different in another market when the secret to your success is actually to replicate what you just did? Otherwise it’s like walking away from a gold mine full of gold to see if you can find another productive mine. How does that even make sense? It doesn’t. However, this isn’t atypical among real estate investors. There are so many opportunities in real estate investing that it’s easy to find yourself wanting to jump around from market to market to try new things. But that’s not good. It’s more important to master one market and add to it before moving on to something else. (Sort of like Starbucks. They started out in business by serving a great cup of coffee. They got really good at it and then added different types of coffee drinks, then tea, then food items and retail… but at its base, it’s still a great coffee shop. They didn’t suddenly decide to go off and compete with McDonald’s.) Truth is… business is boring if you’re doing it right. You must set up your systems and perfect them before moving onto something else… and then that something better be related to what you’ve gotten good at doing. So how do you determine that niche? First you have to figure out which problems you are going to solve. Then you determine your Investor Identity. With that clarity you can then talk to other people about your goals. You have to build your credibility as the local expert in your niche. Once you do that, you’ll find that people will jump onboard with your vision. In real estate investing, there is a specific business system and you will take the same exact steps over and over again to become successful in what you are doing. It isn’t exciting, but sure does work! That’s what this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is all about. Listen and learn what you need to do to become the biggest, baddest, best real estate entrepreneur you can be. LISTEN NOW. 

We are always learning new things and trying new things so we can become bigger and badder in whatever we are doing in life and in our professional lives. When we have a business we need to keep trying new things with our marketing. This is a critical factor in building your presence in the world and online. At Cash Flow Diary we have been trying a few new things to spread our message and presence. One thing is Periscope. So in this unique episode I lift the audio from a recent Periscope session to cover the topic of how to become a real estate entrepreneur. If you’re new to Cash Flow Diary and are just learning about what we do here, this episode should be very helpful to you. I recap my path to becoming the businessman and investor I am today. You’ll also learn that I’m a father of a few very active children, cuz you’ll hear them from time to time in the background. I can give Periscope two thumbs up. It’s fun, it’s easy to use and I can record literally from anywhere. What’s also cool is that I can interact with people in real time because the questions flow in, I see them and get to answer. What’s better than that? Another thing you will get a glimpse of is the chaos of my world when I’m at home with the kids! So if you have ever told yourself that you can’t get into real estate investing because you have children and too much chaos, I’m going to have to call you on it. That’s just an excuse. Of course, to fully appreciate my response, you need to head over the ABOUT PAGE on this site and watch a short video about how my life has changed since I first started as a wholesaler and then moving into a buy-and-hold real estate entrepreneur. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Tom Nardone proves the American Dream of financial freedom is entirely possible once we open our eyes and recognize opportunities are literally everywhere. That’s how he became known as the Millionaire Mailman by getting involved in real estate investing. Tom wasn’t always the investor and author he is today who has been seen on TV talking about his life. He started simply as a “postal person” working a government job. At age 19, he started working for the Post Office as a mailman. It didn’t take him long to realize that the security entrapment of “good job” is not a lot different from a 30-year jail sentence. Tom explains it simply and truthfully. He says, “You feel trapped, and your income is limited.” Realizing his “good government job” was not going to make his dreams of being financially free come true, Tom took some real estate investing courses. He bought his first house in 1983… at the age of 23. (So when you say you’re too young to be an investor, you’re wrong.)Tom soon realized he had a major unfair advantage over other investors. That’s because he was delivering the mailed default notices and related mail that every homeowner who falls behind in payments always receives. That means Tom could knock on the doors of these individuals and chat with them. He would quite literally get there first and before other real estate investors. He’d have to jump into his civilian clothes to go back and have a deeper conversation with the homeowners, but he got really, really good at it. Every day Tom (like all other mailpersons do) drove and walked neighborhoods to deliver mail. Tom started buying houses on his mail routes and networking with other letter carriers to refer to him vacant houses that provide an excellent source of leads that no one else knows about. Smart move! This went on till Tom was 35, at which point he decided he didn’t need to be a mailman any longer because he had at least 35 rental properties. Tom explains the foreclosure process from the viewpoint of a mailman. He says that before the Lis Pendens and the Complaint are filed, the only people who know that the house is headed for foreclosure are: #1) The borrower who can’t make the payment, #2) The lender who didn’t get the payment, and #3) The mailman who has to deliver the certified letter sent from the mortgage company to the borrower, and gets to walk up to the front door and stare the person on title right in the face.Tom said, “When I bought my first few houses, my fellow workers started calling me “Millionaire Mailman”! The name stuck. Listen as Tom shares his story of how he built a portfolio of 25 “keeper” rental houses with positive cashflow and retired from his job. Tom says, “When I finally quit my job, my fellow workers were coming back to me begging me to teach them how I did it.”After Tom quit his J-O-B, he realized he no longer had the “inside scoop” on finding house deals from his old mailman job. So, he started an approach of building a mailman bird dog network. Another smart move!Tom now has more than 250 properties and truly lives the American dream in Florida. (But that doesn’t mean he only invests in Florida. Not by a long shot!) Want to know how he did it? Want to become a real estate investor? Tom lays it out step by step in this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Marco Santarelli isn’t only a real estate investor, author, podcast host and helper of other real estate investors get deals done, he’s also the founder of Norada Real Estate Investments — a nationwide provider of turn-key cash-flow rental properties.  Since launching the business in 2004, the company has helped hundreds of real estate investors create wealth and cash-flow through real estate.What’s interesting is that Marco is a fellow geek. He learned to code and program for the gaming industry. (For those who don’t know me well, I was also and remain to this day a geek who appreciates programming.) Marco says this helped him do deals later in life, because just like programming real estate deals require us to take certain steps. Hang with us through our conversation about outdated computers. I promise we’ll get to the real estate investing part quickly. Marco says he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. On the contrary, he saw his mother work three jobs just to makes ends meet. What he noticed is that those who had money all had one thing in common. They invested in real estate. So when Marco was 16, he qualified for financing and did his first rehab. It was a property that cost him all of $40,000. He and his uncle gutted it, made it look good, put a sign in the yard, leased it and managed it for a few years. The one thing he regrets is that he sold it too early. Of course, he didn’t realize it till later. He sold it for a chunk of profit because he was focused on the pile of cash vs. streams of income, which is something I talk about a lot in my Cash Flow Diary podcast and my book. If he had held onto the property he could have sold it for a very large pile of cash. For example, if he had held onto it till 2016, he could have sold it for more than $400,000. Marco says he doesn’t know what gave him the real estate investing bug, but he sure was bitten hard! He says he knows one thing… all he went through made him the person he is today, someone who helps others get into real estate investing. Marco’s journey is pretty interesting. He started very young as an investor and later became a Realtor and then realized he wanted to be an investor. That was in 2003. There are reasons for his choice. You’ll have to listen to hear it. (As you might imagine, it had to do with a few failure events and his ability to bounce, get up and try again.)Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

The day of the yellow letter is gone. You need to utilize online tools to reach your customers, expand your business and grow your cashflow. The great thing today is that you can expand our reach globally without leaving your desk. So why wouldn’t you? That’s something my guest Johnson Emmanuel shares with us in this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast.So who is Johnson Emmanuel? He is the founder and CEO of www.KorieFusion.com and an expert online marketer who helps business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants grow their revenue and businesses with effective online marketing strategies.Johnson wasn’t always headed toward online marketing. His family wanted him to become a medical doctor. So he started down that path. However, it didn’t feel right to him. He wanted to build an online business. Eventually he learned how to design websites. And then how to do global marketing. That wasn’t too long ago. To date (over the past 48 months) Johnson has:Generated over $50,000,000 for businessesGenerated millions of unique website visitorsSent over 700,000 permission-based emailsCoached and mentored 2,000+ business owners and entrepreneursJohnson believes that businesses fail for two reasons:Inability of the business owner to drive revenue into his/her business, andInability of the business owner to acquire customers at a profitAccording to Johnson, in the last five years, over 8,000,000 businesses have failed globally, which motivated him to do more to help businesses and entrepreneurs. 

You’re gonna want to listen to this episode a few times, because the information is that good. It gives you the how-to’s of building your business. Today I’m talking to Scott Eugene Beebe and he’s here to give you some amazing guidance. So, who is Scott Beebe? Aside from living in South Carolina and knowing a heck of a lot about building businesses, Scott is a popular podcast host, Scott founded The On Purpose Group, LLC, doing business as Business On Purpose, a business coaching, training and strategy group that works to help small business owners and organizational leaders to uncover what they cannot see in three primary ways:1. Through development and implementation of organizational Vision, Mission and Values2. By systematizing and automating business systems so owners can work ON their business and less time IN their business, andc) By leading virtual Business On Purpose Mastermind groups where business owners and organizational leaders meet weekly to give the business owners the mentorship they need to keep moving forward. As with all of my guests, Scott didn’t start out where and who he is today. By his own description, he was a nomad, traveling with his father as he worked. He has worked in the U.S. and internationally in faith-based businesses. He says his is a non-linear blueprint for life and he has enjoyed his nomadic upbringing. While Scott’s wandering days are behind him and he is married to a woman who has lived in the same place all her life who brings tremendous balance to his life, he certainly values all he’s seen and done. Now he teaches about creating longevity in ideas. You shouldn’t be surprised that it takes a system, which actually includes a daily task list and even writing thank-you notes. We talk about how to put different team members’ strengths to the best use and how important planning is when building any business. Listen to the part where we talk about what that looks like in real estate investing. We start by talking about making offers and how to get through the paperwork. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Australian real estate investor Reed Goossens and I have a few things in common. Sure, we may be on different continents, but we do the same thing. We both climbed up from having zero properties to having a pretty cool portfolio of properties. He loves commercial investing; I love commercial properties. Reed has a podcast, too, which is pretty cool. But we share more than that. Before real estate investing, Reed was pursuing a career in structural engineering. He earned his degree in 2007 in Brisbane, Australia, and was hired soon after to travel to London where he worked with the design team to build projects related to the London Olympics. He had some amazing experiences working in some very large projects. Reed wanted to get away from “working for the man” so to speak, and found his passion as a real estate investor. When the London job ended, he went back to Australia to work as he had before. One day he looked around his cubicle and it struck him… Is this what he’d be doing for the next 40 years of his life answering to a boss, crunching numbers? He didn’t feel fulfilled. He wanted more freedom in his life, so he actively went out and learned how to be his own boss.That’s when he learned about making his money work for him vs. working so hard for it. Reed realized that those who invest in real estate do pretty well and have the life he was seeking. So he started simply with a single small duplex. He bought properties in different places and in 2012 moved to America. Now he syndicates large multimillion-dollar deal across the U.S. If you’ve ever considered getting involved in real estate investing, you must listen to this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. It lays out a great path that you can replicate. Reed and I talk about how to create appreciation, how to move from small properties to larger and larger properties, raising private capital and so much more. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

We're into the second quarter. Where are you in your plan? You set goals that you want to reach by certain points in the year in life, business and finances. Are you moving the needle forward? Did you hit your first-quarter goals? Did you hit the ground running in January and now find that you're running low on steam? Are you making offers and doing deals, working consistently toward your overall goals, hitting a few, and then using the strategies and knowledge you've learned from Cash Flow Diary to keep moving forward? If not, why not? Too many times we let too many things get in our way of achieving success. That's because we let negativity, personal challenges in life, professional challenges in business and chaos to keep us from taking action. If this reflects where you're at right now, stand up and walk outside. Start opening your mouth and talking to more people. Success truly boils down to a shift in your mindset and developing the skills that will allow you to keep moving, no matter what. Chaos is actually opportunity! This special episode, taken from a recent live event, is meant to give you a big dose of inspiration to help motivate you to take action and then take more action. There is no magic bullet. Success and financial independence requires front work and continued action steps. This is a little different type of episode and it's full of excitement. Let it help you to get excited about what you're accomplishing in business and life.

In this first podcast of our special November tribute to thought leader Zig Ziglar, J. interviews Zig's proud son and CEO of Ziglar, Inc, Tom Ziglar! You will learn what bikes and trust have in common, and what the scalability of trust in business means. Though born into the Ziglar name and business, Tom had a few hurdles in his mind to wrestle to the ground before he could open himself fully to success. His story is something you need to hear. We talk about real estate as a business, too, and how it's all about relationships and personal growth. 

Have you ever heard of the phrase "dress like the person you want to become"?Listen now, as J. Massey explains why positive personal growth serves as the proper "dress code" to achieve success as an real estate entrepreneur.

Know the very first thing you have to do to achieve success in real estate investing? Change your mindset and start thinking differently. If you’ve come to a point where you are tired of the way things are, and where you want more income, more freedom, more time with your family and more time to do what you want vs. living your life in the 9-to-5 grind then it’s time for a change.  To allow change to take place you must first open your mind to all the tremendous possibilities that lie before you. You have to go through a shift in your thinking. If you tend to be negative it is critical that you dump the negativity and embrace the positive. If you have unsupportive people in your life, you really need to stop hanging out with them. If the voices in your head are telling you that you can’t do something different or new, stop listening. I did an entire series on what you need to stop doing to become successful. If you haven’t listened to those eight episodes yet, why not? If you have, well, all I can say is excellent! You are participating in activities that will move your needle forward. That’s all a part of changing your mindset. The more you immerse yourself into positive podcasts, business and real estate investing books and other content, and the more you surround yourself with likeminded individuals, the better your will do and the faster you will accomplish your goals.  Changing your behaviors and mindset are so important, in fact, that one of the first things I tell new Cashflow Core Members to do is to take the Cashflow Foundations course. It walks you through the process of building a strong foundation in your business… and it applies to more than only real estate investing. A great part of what you need to do when starting out in any business – and real estate investing is a business… unless it’s just a hobby for you – is all about adjusting to a new mindset where all things are possible. Where your success is not just possible but rather the ONLY outcome you’ll accept. To help you in your journey, we’ve created a cool compilation of some of my earliest episodes where I talk about mindset matters. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Why should you care about currency and how it works? What is the ebb and flow of the Fed anyway? And what the heck does the 16thAmendment mean to you? That’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast ‘Real Estate Guys’ Russell Gray talks about, simplifying these lofty topics so we can understand in layman’s terms. As investors, the more we know the better we can be at what we do. That’s what the DIIP is all about. That’s why I tell you to read the news, see what you can take away from what’s going on in our world today and then apply what you learn to your Real Estate business. Politics, the economy and how our Federal Reserve works dictates a lot of factors that affect your success as a Real Estate Investor. Russ spent years learning everything he could stuff into his brain about currency and investing. His research took him into the area of macroeconomics as he learned more about the Baby Boomer market. One of the most interesting things about Russ is that the way he explains things makes it easier to understand. Another thing you’ll understand after listening to this episode is that no matter what happens in your life, you can pivot and keep moving toward your end goals. That’s what Russ has done. He says he’s been able to accomplish so much because he doesn’t just recognize opportunities, but because his vision remains clear in his mind, he can adjust to any changes that come along in life and business. He’ll stay on track, no matter what. Learn things you absolutely need to know from Real Estate Radio Guy, author, business owner, TV show host and all-around smart dude Russell Gray!

Wanna know a great way to cut your learning curve when learning how to do real estate investing? It’s having a mentor. Even better, what if you had several mentors? That’s what you get inside the Cashflow Core Membership. To give you just a little glimpse of one of the ways you can move your needle forward more quickly toward your goals in real estate investing, check out this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. I’ve simply lifted a recent episode of my Q & A with J web show. The show happens every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, on a secure channel that is only open to Cashflow Core Members. The show was created for one reason: to answer questions… all questions… regarding deal structures, how to step through different strategies in real estate investing, helping members overcome challenges they may be having and more. Those who tune in most weeks to the show tend to move more quickly toward their goals. I’ve noticed they are the same members who tend to earn the most. There’s a reason. They ask me questions. Some are really, really detailed questions. Others just need a bit of instruction and motivation. They get that in the show every week, too. Each and every week I answer lots of questions… never on just one topic. Put your ear buds in and give this episode a listen. See what you think. If you’re not a member and want to try it you can. Learn how in the first two minutes of this podcast episode, because it includes one of my YouTube clips that will tell you what to do! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Okay, so he may not be the first person to discover the benefits of investing in trailer parks, but Jefferson Lilly does it really, really well! Part of Park Street Partners, Jefferson now spends most of his time helping other people to invest in real estate, and he is here today to share why he does what he does in trailer parks. Jefferson describes trailer parks as a “quirky little niche.” Since there are maybe 1,500 mobile home parks that actually change hands every year nationwide, he’s right. But you know what they say… you can get rich in a niche! Maybe that’s why Jefferson’s smile is so bright it would make the Cheshire Cat envious. So who was Jefferson before he became the mobile home park investment expert, educator, and industry consultant he is who has been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg Magazine, and on the ‘Real Money’ television show?Prior to co-founding Park Street Partners in 2013, Jefferson spent seven years investing his own capital at Lilly & Company where he acquired and continues to operate mobile home parks in the Midwest, and consults to mobile home park owners in California. But that’s not all. Jefferson came from a corporate background and held leadership roles in sales. But after doing that for a decade he decided he wanted to build a lifestyle that would allow him to spend time with his family. Real estate investing was where he ended up after time working with a few extremely successful start-ups. Then the real estate investing bug bit him. He looked at multifamily properties in different states. He scoured Loopnet time and time again. Everything that yielded the results he wanted were trailer parks. At first he was stubborn, refusing to take the plunge. Then he looked at the numbers and bought his first mobile home park in Oklahoma City. It ended up being a great call. He chose to be a full-time investor and then consultant to others who wanted to learn how to do what he did. The long and short of Jefferson’s story is that he is living a life he’s passionate about. He’s learned how to “wash, rinse and repeat” in his niche. Jefferson is a very successful investor. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Kim Ades is the president and founder of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software. If that’s not enough, she’s also an author, speaker, entrepreneur, coach and mother of five! Whew… that’s a plateful. What else is Kim recognized for? She is one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought mastery. By using her unique process of integrating online journaling in her coaching, Kim helps her highly-driven clients to examine and shift their thinking in order to yield extraordinary results.As anyone who knows me will attest, I love journaling! That’s what Kim tells us to do, too. It helps us transform our thoughts to actions to successes. What can be better than that? Personally, I use journaling to help me think through things that are going on in my life, including business and deals. Of course, I add a layer to that part by doing video diary entries. If you’re a Cashflow Core Member you may have watched some of them. (If not, why not?)If you think about it, my book is kinda like a big journal, so you know I love what Kim has to say in this introspective interview that shows you the path to entrepreneurialism is usually full of twists and turns. Kim says she wasn’t always the outgoing entrepreneur you see today. She was once a very shy child who would sit at her bedroom window watching other children play. However, over time she got interested in earning money through her own efforts, so she offered different services and even started a balloon business. She developed her sales skills and she learned how to close more business than she ever thought possible. Trying the corporate J-O-B path for a short time, Kim realized that wasn’t for her. She wanted to teach youth life skills. She would get up in the middle of the night to write her plan on the backs of napkins. She learned to ask people for what she wanted… including office space, which she got, BTW. Kim also learned to network and build relationships. She didn’t let challenges or fears get in her way. Not even the lack of support for her ideas stopped her. Not bad for a once-shy child! Though I had never met Kim before this interview, I resonate with literally all that she shared with me. For this episode you will want to listen closely and then pull out your journal and start writing! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Who is Richard Wilson? He started out as a risk management expert who was bored. He suffered from the “golden handcuff” syndrome. Now he is an understated, somewhat quiet expert on family office syndication who has a lot to say about a topic on which it’s tough to find a lot of information. Richard made this space more efficient. But, as you might imagine, it wasn’t a straight path. He figured things out along the way as he saw the holes that needed to be filled in industry. Today Richard is the CEO of The Miami Family Office, a $500M AUM single family office. (If you don’t know what this means, go to Richard’s site and educate yourself… AND listen to this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast.) Richard is also the founder of Wilson Holding Company, which produces over $10M annually in revenue through various operating businesses including Billionaire Family Office and The Family Club, the largest membership-based family office association, along with holdings in the training, single family office management, investment conference, search, data research, physical bullion, private equity, food, and energy industries. That’s really impressive. Richard has spoken at over 150 conferences in 17 countries and has the #1 bestselling book in the family office industry, The Single Family Office: Creating, Operating, and Managing the Investments of a Single Family Office. We’ve never tackled the topic of family office syndication before, so make sure to give this episode your full attention. There are a lot of lessons, including how to become an expert very young. If you pay attention, you will hear this guest tell you to move quickly and immediately implement what you learn… and to follow good guidance, no matter what! We talk about courage, too. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

As today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Stephen Gregg always says, “If you build the people, the people will help build the business.” I figure that’s a great way to start this write up, because that’s the focus of this episode. (Well, that and becoming the best sales person you can be.)Given that Stephen was the man who took time to coach me when I was a newbie investor, his being my guest on the show means a lot to me. You’ll hear a few stories about how I was when I first started out that you might find entertaining, too. No doubt you’ll realize that back then I really was just like any other new investor listening to this podcast today. How I got to the level I am at today is by applying what I learned from people like Stephen and then DOING what they taught me to do over and over again till I got great at it. Stephen says he started selling at the early age of just 16… selling sewing machines. He was dreadfully shy and didn’t know how to talk to groups of people. The good news is that eventually he tackled and overcame his insecurities to become the super sales person he is today. First he had to grow his skill sets and fail a few times due to not having mentors who could guide him.Notice I didn’t say he let the shortcomings and failures stop him from moving forward toward his goals. His primary objective was to never work for someone else. He wanted to be an entrepreneur… the BEST he could be. Today he teaches others to follow in his footsteps at his Power Sales University.So how did he get to the impressive place he is now? He discovered the Four Levels of Learning, which he says helped him understand how his brain worked and how to work his brain. Stephen consumed books and training while he continued his less-than-smooth road through the school of hard knocks till he got to “Success City.” In this episode you’ll hear that we don’t talk about earning big bucks that drives entrepreneurs to their goals. You’ll also hear that reaching success means aligning yourself with the right people. You can start with no family support, no mentors, no money, no anything but a clearly defined dream and make it just fine. It may take you a decade, but that’s okay. (It could also take only weeks or months depending on your goals – like writing your first offer on a property – and just how big your dreams are.)There are so many pearls of wisdom in this episode you’ll want to write them all down. Then you’ll want to DO exactly what Stephen and I tell you to do to push yourself beyond your limits. We talk a lot about sales. You’ll definitely want to have your ear buds in for those parts! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Recently I read an interesting article about how being a people-pleaser is actually a selfish act. Then I found a quote by motivational speaker and life manifestation coach Christine Hassler that lays it down straight. She says, “People pleasing is a terrible investment, because it depletes your most valuable resources: your time and energy. Just think about how much energy you waste by obsessing about what other people think of you or trying to strategize your actions to appease others”I couldn’t have put it better myself!People pleasing isn’t something that works well for real estate investors. That’s because you’re going to have to say NO sometimes. For instance, you’re going to have to say no to some investors. Just because someone has money doesn’t make him/her the right person to invest in your deal. You’re also going to have to learn to say no to deals, to potential partners, to buyers and to sellers. Everything has to be in alignment with your Investor Identity. That’s the secret sauce!  As you move forward and do more deals, you’re likely going to become a go-to person. Lots of people are going to want to work with you. You’re going to see all sorts of deals… and they won’t all be right for you. You’ll learn to say no. You’ll learn that you can’t please everyone. What did Abraham Lincoln say? You can’t please everyone all the time? Hey, he’s right! And this is what I talk about in today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. It’s the final installment of my 8 Things to Give Up series and you’re going to want to give it a listen. By the end of it you’ll understand why if you are a people-pleaser that you have to stop. It’s bad for your health. Studies show that the behavior actually causes higher levels of stress and debilitates the immune system. So why participate in such a negative behavior?Anyone who has ever seen me give a presentation knows I am definitely not a people-pleaser. In fact, I go the opposite way. I practice what I call Carefrontation™ which is a nice way of saying I tell people things they sometimes don’t want to hear. I tell them the truth. I ask questions that lead them to get to the truth themselves. It’s the only way I know to keep people on the right path in investing… to keep them focused on their Investor Identity so they can be their most successful. Hey, just because you say no doesn’t make you a “bad” person. It’s better that you learn when and how to say no. You aren’t in business to be liked by everyone you meet. Sure, it would be great if you were the hero all the time and well-loved by all, but that’s not life. So stop wasting time and energy thinking about it, worrying about it or trying to get to that goal. I guarantee you that there are lots of other better goals. I have a lot to say on this topic, so grab your ear buds, and say no to outside distractions. LISTEN NOW. 

You might think it sounds funny, but some people are just as afraid of achieving success as they are of failing. It’s true. That’s what I share with you today in my 7th installment of the 8 Things to Give Up series of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. Hey, success can be scary. It’s sort of like “senioritis.” You know… where you’ve been going to college for four years and you’re in your final months before graduation. It dawns on you that life outside the campus awaits… Some people seize up while others seize the new adventures ahead.Maybe you’ve known someone struck down by their fear of success? They work really, really hard. They get to a pinnacle of success that causes onlookers to drool. They have the cool house, the nice cars, and the fat bank account… and then suddenly “something” happens and they lose it all. Why? The answer can be shocking. Truth is that they subconsciously made that “something” happen. They didn’t feel like they deserved the success. It’s more comfortable for them to live within their failures than to push themselves out of their comfort zone to achieve not just any dream but rather the biggest dreams. Here’s a quote by Marianne Williamson that I like, which sums up fear of success pretty darned well. She says, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."While not all things are in our control, such as when a traumatic illness or death in the family strikes, most things really are in our control. Like our response to fear…We ALL experience fear. It’s a basic human emotion; it even keeps us safe. But avoiding things you think are scary is not the path to success. You must do what scares you to get beyond the fear. When I first started out as a real estate investor I was scared that I’d do things wrong. I did them anyway. I learned what I needed to learn to get the tasks done one at a time. I knew that I could not let my fears rule me. I had no other option than to make this real estate investing thing work. If you haven’t heard my story, you need to. I had no place to go but up!Staying “safe” wasn’t going to work for me and it’s not gonna work for you. Success is within your grasp. All it takes is the right action steps. When you get there, don’t stop. Keep moving your goal posts forward. In fact, make your goals bigger and bigger. I promise that you deserve the success you are working for and when you get to your first goal, second goal, third goal and so on, it’s time to celebrate. Don’t look around and decide you don’t deserve what you’ve worked so hard to achieve! Close your eyes and give thanks, then get back to working on your next project. You’re an entrepreneur. You have endless opportunities. Succeed and don’t look back. Help others to succeed when and where you can. And when you have had your first successes, I want to hear from you.Right now, however, I want you to listen to this special episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. LISTEN NOW. 

There’s an old adage that tells us, “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” I couldn’t agree more. Procrastinating only serves to hurt you. That’s what I share with you in this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast. There are lots of reasons to move tasks from your to-do list to your to-done list. (And, yes, I believe in to-do lists.) One reason is simple; it makes you feel great knowing you took care of business. You didn’t put the to-do’s off; now they’re done and scratched off your list. (I talk about this in this episode, but because it is really important, I also talk about it in my book.)The bigger reason to stop procrastinating is that it’s a bad habit that holds you back from success. Literally. I’m not the only one who thinks so. I found an interesting article in Psychology Today in which you’ll learn that procrastinators sabotage themselves. Here’s the link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-knowThis article breaks down the types of procrastinators and gives reasons for the “maladaptive” behavior. That’s a fancy way of saying BAD HABIT. If you procrastinate, you are sending the world a big message. Not a good one. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to help yourself stop being a procrastinator. For example, you can track your time in 15-minute increments. You can break your larger tasks up into bite-sized nuggets. You can change your scenery. (There’s a reason I choose to make a nearby Starbucks and the busiest malls my office!) Here’s the deal… You can cut back on distractions and force yourself into a corner where success is the only outcome. It starts by taking action at the speed of instruction and then continuing to take steps without putting tasks off. If you find that hard to do, it might be that your bad habit is being supported by likeminded pals. Maybe it’s time to change the types of people you hang out with. Another old adage says, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Hey, it’s true. If you surround yourself with motivated non-procrastinators that’s gonna be a whole lot better for you in the long run than if you surround yourself with I’ll-do-it-tomorrow types. While you’re at it, get a few accountability partners. They’ll help keep you on track. (But it’s still all up to you to get to your goals.)Be clear on your goals, too. Stop overthinking things. They aren’t as complicated as you are your inner voice of fear and negativity make them out to be! If you want to learn more about the negative self-talk, go back and listen to the previous episodes in this 8 Things to Give Up podcast series. The bottom line is that we can be our own worst enemies. When it comes to achieving the success we desire, we can get in our own way. The good news is that we can step out of our own way, too, and we can totally change our bad habits. That’s another thing I talk about in this special episode. Don’t put off listening to it. LISTEN NOW. 

A lot of times we make promises to ourselves that we are going to do things that are going to change our lives, make more money, spend more time with our family or whatever. But then something happens. We start letting the negative voice in our heads stop us from making changes. The voice tells us all the reasons that we can’t do what we want to do. That voice is fear and anxiety that gives us an out. So we stop. (But we shouldn’t let that happen.)That’s what this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is about. I’m going to tell you how to stop listening to the negative self-talk. You want to know the secret to getting the inner voice to shut up? It’s pretty simple. Understand that you CAN learn new skills. You may not look great doing the new skill at first, but that’s okay. You’re going to make mistake, which is okay, too. Or maybe you think I haven’t made mistakes… Heh.You also have to make the decision to do the work it takes to get to your goal. You keep your word to yourself that you will do whatever it takes every day to move forward. You know what the word “decision” means? To cut off. That’s what I talk about in this episode, too. It’s something I teach audiences everywhere. This is a really important aspect of success. Every day we make decisions. Good or bad. So make a good one by cutting off the power of your negative self-talk. There are ways to block out the inner noise. If you’re like me and you get anxious about some decision I have to make or have made I pray. Specifically I walk and pray. I have different routes Or use another strategy I employ. For example, I use a white noise app. The white noise really blocks out the outer world and takes your attention off your negative self-talk that erodes your ability to be confident.  There’s a lot of things you can do. I share them with you in this episode. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

We are into another new year now and I hope you’re off to a great start. That’s why I’m doing this 8 THINGS TO GIVE UP series in my Cash Flow Diary podcast. So far I’ve covered three of the things you need to toss out the window. Go back and listen to those episodes if you haven’t already. Today I share with you why you don’t want to put your time into criticizing others. Criticism just leaves you looking (and feeling) harsh, vindictive and cruel. Criticizing others may make you feel superior to others, but in reality that’s not the truth. How in the heck does that serve you, especially as a real estate investor? It doesn’t. Real estate investing (and most other businesses) require you to build relationships. How are you going to do that if you are hyper-critical? Let’s take the example of a property. You’re walking the property and you are there to assess it so you can make an offer and figure out how you can help the seller. If you walk around with a superior attitude, tearing the property apart with your words, I promise you’ll have a real hard time getting that seller to want to work with you.You are setting up an adversarial relationship and it’s going to leave the seller feeling bruised and upset. You may as well pick up a heavy stick and follow the seller around while poking them with it. That’s how your criticisms feel to the other party. It is horrible and unnecessary. When someone is receiving criticism, it puts them in a defensive position. That sets up sour ground for negotiations. The seller will push back with their own criticisms. Both of you will walk away feeling bad about each other and the property.Have you ever heard that old saying that you catch more bees with honey? It’s true. You don’t have to embellish; you simply have to learn to communicate in a more positive way. You can say absolutely anything if you frame it correctly. If you form an actual connection with the other person, put yourself in their shoes, learn a little about their situations and challenges, and you stop putting yourself first your negotiations will go better. Your business will do better. Your income will improve. As a real estate investor you are supposed to be solving problems for other people. You are alleviating pain. You don’t have to say every little thing that’s running through your brain. The seller knows the problems with the property. They want you to make an offer. They want to sell the property. Here’s the bottom line: No one and nothing is perfect… not even you. So, if you are prone to being critical, you need to learn how to communicate better. A book that helped me is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. And in researching the topic for this episode I found some really cool articles. There were several. Here’s just one: How To Stop Being Critical Of Others. It’s written by an NLP trainer and it’s pretty interesting. Read it. If you recognize any of the points in your own behavior it’s time to fix it… right now. You might want to listen to this episode a few times, especially the end, because I give you the way to word the negatives in your negotiations. There is a way to say everything. Learn more. LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW. 

As I continue with my “8 Things to Give Up” series today, I take you where you may not want to go. In this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast, I ask you to do something for me… for yourself… for your loved ones. Give up your fear of failure!In fact, I’m asking you to look at failure in a whole new way. I want you to embrace it! Any successful entrepreneur has had plenty of failure events, and that’s how you have to look at things when they don’t go as planned. They are not “failures” in the truest sense of the word. They’re just events in your life and your business that didn’t pan out as you expected. So what? Now what? Next…You have to learn to move past hold-ups, challenges, issues, problems and unexpected twists and turns. That’s part of life. None of us magically know how to do things the right way the first time. Everything takes practice… or do you think I suddenly and without hard work and PRACTICE became a successful real estate investor, coach, educator, author and speaker? When I first started in real estate investing there were tons of things I didn’t know. If I had let the fear of failing at those things where would I be now? I didn’t exactly have a choice. My wife was very ill; I had no job; my kids were hungry. Regardless of how scared I may have been in the beginning I had to put those fears aside and take the necessary steps to get to my first goal, then my second, then my third and so on. I had to educate myself on those steps. See, that’s the thing… It’s your reaction to your thoughts, feelings and emotions that you need to learn to control. Everyone has fears, but it’s our responses to our feelings that makes the difference between success and not being successful yet. You must learn to calm your inner negative, doubtful, fearful chatter. That’s all it is. Chatter. Understand that you CAN do what you set out to do… because you aren’t the first person who has ever tried this new thing you are trying to do. Plenty of people have come before you, which means you have just as much chance as them to get to your goals. In this episode I talk you through your fears and how to gain control over your emotional reactions. You’re gonna be just fine. Trust me on that one. Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

As a real estate investor, success comes to you once you understand whom you serve. So, let me ask you something… Are you serving anyone well (or at all) by allowing negative thoughts to intrude the corners of your mind and walk all over your goals? You’re certainly not doing yourself any good, and unless your intent is to attract negativity to your life, you need to stop negative thinking now. I MEAN RIGHT NOW.That’s what this episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is all about. It’s the second in an eight-part series dedicated to the things you must stop doing immediately if not sooner to allow success to enter your life. (If you didn’t listen to part one, go back and do that now.)The funny (or not-so-funny) thing is that we can all be big negative thinkers from time to time. (That means being our own worst enemy, too, by the way.) Truth is negative thinking kills. It kills opportunities… it kills relationships… it kills deals… it kills goals. So why participate in something that isn’t going to help you get further down the path in your journey?Replace your negative thoughts with those of a more positive spin. If you’re prone to being negative, learn new ways to express yourself. Like Tony Robbins says, you can learn to replace words with negative connotations with those that bring more positive meaning. For example, instead of telling yourself (and others) that you are “nervous, scared, anxious or frightened” about learning something new and putting it to use, try replacing those words with “excited.” Just that minor difference makes a huge impact on how you feel about what you are doing.Did you know negative thinking can make you sick? Yes, sir. There are reasons to take on a more positive outlook. It’s simply healthier all around… for everyone.Think about your daily conversations with people. Who do you like to talk to? I’m betting it’s not the Negative Nellies and Debbie Downers who have a lot of negative thinking going on for themselves. It’s more likely that you are drawn to those confidant individuals who display positive thinking, communication and actions. You want to be around those who are moving forward with a smile, and who have good things to say about other people and the world. You get excited for them when they start talking about what they’re doing, because positivity attracts. Conversely, negativity repels. Big time!I recorded this episode of my podcast because I want you to be your most uplifted, positive self. I want you to stop the negative self-talk and negative thinking all-around. For more reasons you want to stop your negative thinking, give this episode your ear. Then practice what you’ve learned here today! LISTEN NOW.

Recently on Facebook I shared an image of what you need to give up if you want to be truly successful. In short, there are 8 things:Doubting YourselfNegative thinkingFear of FailureCriticizing OthersNegative Self-TalkProcrastinationFear of SuccessPeople PleasingThis is such an important list that I thought it would be neat to do a special Cash Flow Diary podcast series on these topics. So that’s what I’m doing over the next 8 episodes. I hope it helps you move your needle forward.Today I tackle the #1 thing you have to stop doing immediately… that’s Doubting Yourself. (It’s a soul-killer.)It is critical for you to have a belief that you CAN do what you set out to do. Whether that is real estate investing or any other path. When you set out on any new journey, don’t let doubt stop you from trying new things.When you get into a place of doubt, stop and ask yourself… has anyone before you ever done what you are attempting to do? The answer is yes, of course. That tells you what you’re attempting is absolutely possible. You CAN do it if you stick to it and learn the system by which other people have reached your same goals.You think I was confident when I first started out as a real estate investor? Heck, no. But I prayed and kept going. I messed up and kept going. I learned new things and kept going. I did what I feared I couldn’t do… and I moved forward anyway. After all, I didn’t have a lot of choice. I literally could not fail.To understand this statement, you need to know my story. Then go listen to my very first Cash Flow Dairy podcast episodes. You’ll see what I mean.I built my confidence over time. That’s not to say I don’t have doubts some days even now, but I have learned to control my responses to those doubts. That’s what you need to do in order to dump the doubt! This episode of the Cash Flow Diary will help get you there. LISTEN NOW.

As I continue to document my entrepreneurial journey, it’s time once again to take inventory of my business, practices and goals. That way I can identify how to make faster forward motion toward my goals. That’s something every entrepreneur needs to do.In the business world, we call this an analysis of your our company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In order to determine these analytics means asking five questions:Why, What, When, Who and How?This is converse to how we’ve been taught to ask our questions. For example, we’re taught to look at HOW to get things done, but I say until you determine your WHY there is no getting something done. That’s what I talk about in this me-to-you episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. I also break down how to conduct your S.W.O.T. analysis. In brief, grab a piece of paper and pen. Start jotting down your personal strengths that will help you reach your goals (whether it’s in real estate investing or any other business). Jot down your strengths in your business practices. Same goes for your weaknesses. I’m sure you can list them with ease. You know what you could have done better over the past 12 months and what needs improvement. What about opportunities? I see them everywhere. No kidding. At every turn I swear to you that I see opportunities in real estate investing. That’s why I love what I do! If you don’t see things that way, you have more learning to do. Listen to my podcast. Listen to other people’s entrepreneurial-minded podcasts. Read, read and read some more. There are lots of books out there and if you have a reader or computer of any type, you can download to your heart’s content for less. (You can get my e-book for free.)Finally, what are your challenges? Are you perhaps stopping yourself from the success you desire? A lot of times we are at the core of our challenges. It is our beliefs that must change to allow success to enter our lives. In this episode I give you a few cool exercises that will help you take action and move your needle forward toward your goals. For real. It goes hand in hand with conducting your S.W.O.T. and you’re gonna like it! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

As we move into the end of the year, it’s natural to look back over the previous 12 months and assess what worked, what didn’t and what remains to be achieved in the new year. If you’re taking action steps, that’s great. You may not believe it, but people are watching you. Some are looking to you for motivation. Some want to do what you are doing.Recently, I realized a very important person has been watching me. It’s my eldest daughter. She wrote one of the nicest letters I’ve ever read… and it was about me. Rather, her feelings about me as her dad. I was blown away and really, really proud. My daughter shocked me because she chose to share her letter with the world on Facebook. What an amazing gift!In this episode of my Cash Flow diary podcast I share her note with you because I want to show you exactly how your efforts might be affecting those around you. Even if the world isn’t watching, I guarantee that your loved ones are… your kids are. If you’re not moving forward, well, that’s a problem. What are you going to do about it in the New Year to get to your goals? What is your WHY for doing what you are doing? What do you want anyway?Maybe at this point, you’re wondering if the effort is worth all the time and effort you might be putting in right now. The simple answer is YES. As long as you keep moving your needle forward your efforts are worthwhile. Know one thing… you are doing things to change your life and the lives of those you love. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

You cannot confuse activity with accomplishment. That’s something I talk about in this me-to-you episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast.What you should consider is “pay time.” As an entrepreneur, it is a concept that you must embrace. Pay time for a real estate investor is different from that of an hourly worker or even a freelance contractor. You are no longer going to be paid for the amount of time you are at a job, sitting at a desk at someone else’s business… if you are used to having a 9-to-5 J.O.B.As an entrepreneur, your pay time is any time you are on the phone or in front of a prospect or customer, like an investor who is going to let you use his/her money to get your deals done. While you have to do your due diligence, do some paperwork and do other tasks, these are not included in your "pay time."So how do you know your pay time is paying off? By measuring your growth. In fact, you also have to measure your progress in three categories. These are: personal development, promotion and communication. You also have to review your goals. Setting a goal is great, but if you don’t review and keep track of your progress toward that goal, you aren’t likely to reach it.You have to be clear on your goal… your WHY you are doing things to get there. Cultivating your goals is what this is called and it’s part of your personal development. But this is just one area within that category. There is so much more to learn in this category alone. And you can keep track by putting yourself on a points system.As for the other two categories, there’s a whole lotta of great information about them in this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Grab a pen so you can take notes; then get in there and LISTEN NOW.

One of the things that makes me nuts is when people stop before they strike gold in their career. That’s like working really hard for a while in a mine, having the goal in your mind, not getting to the goal fast enough and then throwing the pick to the side. Why would you do that?In my real estate investing journey I have experienced so many up’s and down’s that it might surprise you. I’ve had terrible things happen with tenants and buildings… but I haven’t let it stop me from acquiring more and more units of property. I have a goal in my mind. It’s to have 1,000 units of property, and I’m working on it. How will I get there? By realizing I will work UNTIL I reach my goal. I’m not an employee, I’m not a worker bee, I’m not an hourly consultant. I am an entrepreneur, so my sense of completion may not happen as quickly as I’d like it to, and that’s okay. In this introspective episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast, I talk about how to keep going even when things aren’t going smoothly and especially when you’re new to real estate investing. As a new investor, you have to take steps. The first is to get out there and talk to strangers. You don’t know who you will meet today, tomorrow, a week from now, a year from now, etc. But it’s a sure thing that you won’t meet anyone new… no sellers, no buyers and no investors… unless you get out there and work until you get to your goals. (Notice I say “goals” plural.) Maybe if I give you a blueprint for success in real estate investing (or anything else) it would help you. So, I put it in this episode. That way, maybe you won’t succumb to “quitting fever.” Learn more. LISTEN NOW. 

Focusing on your goals is something you have to train yourself to do. When you first get into real estate investing you start seeing opportunity everywhere. For example, real estate is literally everywhere you look. When you stop at an intersection and you see buildings. That is real estate that is owned by someone who rents space out to others for a profit. You think maybe you’d like to own a building like that. Maybe you spot a movie theatre. That’s real estate. Restaurants are real estate. Daycare centers are real estate. If you have a J.O.B. and work for someone else, guess what? That building is a piece of real estate. Literally everything has something to do with real estate. Someone is paying and someone is profiting. Seeing opportunity everywhere is also a problem at first. When you see opportunity everywhere your brain can jump from shiny thing to shiny thing. You want houses; you want apartment buildings; you want commercial properties; you want a cell phone tower; you want a wind farm. See what I mean? In the beginning you can get lost in all the opportunities. But part of the problem is that you don’t know what you want to focus on yet. So how do you FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful)? That’s what this educational episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is all about!To help you focus, you need to be a follower first. Why? Cuz it’s better to imitate before you innovate. Imitate someone who has been where you are standing now so you can develop clarity about what type of real estate investing you like most and do best. For example, it’s a good thing to start as a wholesaler. That’s what a lot of my students start with before adding to their skills and choosing the niche they want to focus on in real estate. Why? Cuz that’s how I started. They imitate, keep learning and then focus in on a niche. That’s how it happens. Once you master the basics you can add to your knowledge base and take on different types of deals and bigger deals. I guarantee you’ll always be learning. It might surprise you, but I’m still learning. For example, while I’m focused on a particular deal, I’m learning that some of the things I thought would happen didn’t end up happening. So I adjusted my path and kept my focus. Now we’re getting close to the goal. I feel like cheering. If my team and I hadn’t kept our focus, we wouldn’t be getting this cool deal done. See what you can learn about focusing on a singular outcome or objective from this episode of Cash Flow Dairy. You will want to jot things down, so get your pen and paper ready. LISTEN NOW. 

One of the top questions I get from people who are new into the raising private capital space is how to overcome objections.So… I decided to do this special episode. I want to help you if you are running into objections.The long and short of it boils down to a single question: Do you believe more in them and their beliefs or in you and what you know to be true?The funny thing is that this question just came up AGAIN in the Private Facebook Group page. It was posed by a member who has been doing a heck of a lot of wholesaling for a long time. The responses are still coming in. And that’s the cool thing about our private group. There are so many great conversations going on at all times between members that it blows my mind. Members work out challenges, helping and supporting each other. It’s truly amazing!There are three questions you need to ask buyers, sellers and investors talking to them about becoming involved in your deals:Have you ever considered getting involved in real estate investing?Really? Why?Based on what you just said, does it make any sense for us to get together later to discuss this further?You do not change a syllable! Not a word…It may not make sense to you at this very moment, but that’s okay. Listen to this episode and you’ll understand completely. If you get out there and test this strategy, you will see how beautifully it works to open new relationships that will help you toward your real estate investing goals.This is just one of the things all our members have learned in Cashflow Core Training. But don’t take my word for it. Try it out yourself for 30 days on our almost-free trial! For now, give this episode your ears. LISTEN NOW.

I get interviewed a lot. Some interviews are more exciting than others. I thought it might be fun to let you hear one of my favorites. A while back John Lee Dumas interviewed me on his Entrepreneur On Fire podcast. It is episode #1034 on his podcast. During that fast-paced back and forth, I got to answer some cool questions and share things that you need to hear. (Especially if you ever get discouraged in your entrepreneurial endeavors.)John’s podcast is a really good one that you need to add to your listen-always list. He is a busy guy and good interviewer. See if you agree as he talks to me about my best and absolute worst times as an entrepreneur.You’ll learn how I got through an $800K embezzlement event and rebounded to come out the other side much stronger. This negative event turned me into a much better real estate investor, too. I learned what it really means to have a single point of failure and why it is critical to avoid them. I talk about this in my book, too.John also asks me about my biggest AH-HA moment. That’s an interesting question. For me it was when I realized that when you can define a problem better than your customer or client can, that individual assumes you have the answer… and they’ll pay you anything for it! If you want to learn how to do what I do, you absolutely can. That’s why you’re here, right? It’s a good place to start.You will hear things you may never heard from me before in this insightful interview. It was a great second listen for me, and it will be worth your time to listen to this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode now. Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is the start of something a little different. I’m responding to requests by Cashflow Core Members and listeners to do more non-interview episodes where I cover different topics they want me to cover.Today’s episode focuses on overcoming your limiting beliefs, which is something that is critical when you are moving to doing real estate investing and owning a business. There are real steps – physical steps – that you will have to move through, but they are just steps. Letting it be as simple as that is the secret to your success. That means you have to quiet the negative, fear-based, limiting voices in your head.So how do you do that?First, understand that you absolutely CAN do what you intend. Second, you take the steps involved in getting a property under contract, opening escrow and closing the deal. Third, never listen to people around you who are Negative Nellies. You certainly do not need to listen to their psyche-bashing words.If you can’t believe in yourself, let me help you. There is a process to getting you to your destiny. It starts with a thought and building the right habits (thereby breaking unhelpful habits). This is actually called the Process of Manifestation!What holds you back from success are your personal limiting beliefs.For example, I hear all the time from people, particularly real estate agents, that “you can’t do that,” or “that’s not how it works,” or whatever else they tell themselves as to the process of how anyone – literally anyone – can be a real estate investor… even if they don’t have money, credit or experience.I promise you that there is NO excuse that passes muster with me as to why you can’t do well investing in real estate. You’re not “too old, too young, too black, too white, too fat, too thin” or too anything. When I hear that, I also promise you that I’m going to use my best Carefrontation™ approach and get to the root of the excuse.I had heard these things early on myself. Heck, I believed some of those things, but guess what? My experiences burst through my limiting beliefs. I didn’t need a license to invest in real estate investing (neither do you). I could put down a $10 earnest money down payment (because I’ve done it over and over and over again.) I didn’t need a good credit score (neither do you). I could get seller financing all day long (and so can you). I didn’t have to pay a high interest rate to my investors (because there are lots of ways to work with investors and it’s NOT all about the interest rate). I didn’t need to pay people a whole lotta money to get them to work with me (there are lots of ways to get people to work with and for you).I hope you get a lot out of this episode. If the information strikes a chord with you and you have questions for me, guess what? You can schedule a time to chat with me briefly.

In today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is the second of a two-part series taken from a recent live FIBI event in Pasadena. If you haven't listened to Part I yet, you might want to go back and do that before listening to this episode. Either way, there's a lot of great stuff in here.My challenge to you is to listen, take notes and go write an offer on a piece of property! Even if you don’t have cash, credit or a good credit score, I promise it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t stop you. You can make the offer and then raise the private capital. (That’s exactly how I started in real estate investing… and have continued to raise capital since.)You’ll hear me say that I’m pretty darned great at raising private capital and use it to buy assets. It’s not brain surgery; it takes commitment and taking the right steps. If you follow my seven-step plan as I have laid it out in this live event you will do just fine. You won’t need any bank funding. You can do this without a bank.Listen to how I share with the audience that we can’t be afraid to talk to strangers and ask them to let us use their cash and credit in our deals. Learn something very important… that as real estate investors, we solve problems. That’s converse to how you might think about investing. A lot of people go out and try to find deals first. That’s wrong thinking. If you’re approaching real estate that way you’re doing things backwards.This is a great episode because you’ll get a lot of statistics about what’s wrong in the world and how you as a real estate investor can solve these problems. You’ll learn how to take your ideas from your brain to the real world! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

From time to time I like to share with you some of my live events. Today’s episode of my Cash Flow Diary podcast is one of those occasions. It’s the first of a two-part series. If you couldn’t be with me for the actual live FIBI event in Pasadena this will be the next best thing.My challenge to you is to listen, take notes and go write an offer on a piece of property! Even if you don’t have cash, credit or a good credit score, I promise it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t stop you. You can make the offer and then raise the private capital. (That’s exactly how I started in real estate investing… and have continued to raise capital since.)You’ll hear me say that I’m pretty darned great at raising private capital and use it to buy assets. It’s not brain surgery; it takes commitment and taking the right steps. If you follow my seven-step plan as I have laid it out in this live event you will do just fine. You won’t need any bank funding. You can do this without a bank.Listen to how I share with the audience that we can’t be afraid to talk to strangers and ask them to let us use their cash and credit in our deals. Learn something very important… that as real estate investors, we solve problems. That’s converse to how you might think about investing. A lot of people go out and try to find deals first. That’s wrong thinking. If you’re approaching real estate that way you’re doing things backwards.This is a great episode because you’ll get a lot of statistics about what’s wrong in the world and how you as a real estate investor can solve these problems. You’ll learn how to take your ideas from your brain to the real world! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

When it comes to getting real estate transactions done, our members rock!! One of the reasons for their successes (plural) is that they stay involved in our private Cashflow Creators PRIVATE Facebook group. In fact, some members have partnered up and others are doing deals with each other. It’s amazing what can happen when you put a bunch of likeminded people together.I thought you might get a kick out of listening in on one of my Q & A with J. Massey web shows. If you’re not a member you can’t get in to participate in this weekly live online show. If you are a member, you get to log in every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, watch me answer questions that were either submitted ahead of time or roll in through the chat box. It’s fun for me, because as the members do more deals their questions get a little more involved. I love that!Of course, there are real estate investors at all levels in our membership, so I get lots of basic questions, too. I love educating the new person as much as I do the seasoned investor. And, believe me, there are all types in this amazing group! If you want to experience membership, good news… you can try it for 30 days for a buck!!I hope you enjoy this episode. There’s nothing particularly unique about it, but it should give you a real good idea of what these weekly hour-long episodes are like!! Enjoy. LISTEN NOW.

Entrepreneurship is never a straight line. That’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Mike Brcic shows us through his story. He carries a lot of titles with him, but my all-time favorite is Chief Happiness Officer. Before this, and before he started the most popular mountain bike adventure company in the world, who was this interesting Canadian business owner and entrepreneur?He was a typical college student working toward graduation with a degree in economics and history. Then he graduated, degree in hand. It’s at that moment it struck him that he’d need to do a bit of soul searching because he didn’t want to work in economics and/or history. So he threw his belongings into his vehicle and headed to the mountains. He got fired from his first couple of jobs and figured out he’s not a good employee.Mike took a $10K loan, partnered with a friend and opened a mountain bike tourism company. A few years in he bought out his partner and by year nine his company was doing great. He was living the life of a lot of young men’s dreams! Even with all his success and adventure, Mike says something was missing.In 2004 he started dating a woman and after a short time she dumped him. She said it just wasn’t working. Something in that experience pushed him into an odd, disjointed path… and into a serious depression. He gave himself over to the dark forces of his depression, crawled into bed and slipped further down the rabbit hole. It took about two years to come out of it. His business was failing. He was broke. Something in him was broke. Mike said one night he woke up and knew he’d have to reach out to others to help him crawl out and up into the light. He moved into his mother’s basement, started taking anti-depressants, and then implemented yoga and meditation in his life.Mike says who he is today was shaped by that period in his life. Like so many other entrepreneurs, he was able to redefine himself from those struggles and failures. Fortunately he emerged after many months to be the man and entrepreneur he is today… the SOCIAL entrepreneur he is today.Mike says that today one of his main goals in life (besides striving to be the best husband and dad he can be) is to use business to make positive change in the world. He achieves this every day through his adventure travel company Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Adventures, and through my courses, workshops and consulting for social entrepreneurs.Sacred Rides opens adventurers to new places, new cultures and new ways of being. The company’s mountain bike trips support community projects around the world. But that’s only one side of Mike’s professional life. He took breaks to try out other things, but always came back to his biking company.Mike also works to create other social entrepreneurs, delivering workshops and courses to mentor entrepreneurs who seek to change the world through business. He says he’s blessed to have worked with hundreds of amazing entrepreneurs and that he continues to learn more about social enterprise. Wanting to make it a more formal business, he created a social enterprise think tank. It’s pretty cool!You might have to listen to this episode a few times, because there’s that much great information inside the interview. Mike’s a busy and productive man! Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

Anyone who knows me, who has taken any of the Cash Flow Diary courses or has read literally any of my materials knows that Robert Kiyosaki is one of my #1 mentors. In 2014 I got the thrill of a lifetime because I was interviewed by my mentor and his wife on their Rich Dad Radio Show. I remember this interview like it was yesterday.What was cool is that I wasn’t the only one being interviewed. Nope. My friend Russell Grey from the Real Estate Radio Guys was also interviewed on the show. It allowed us to bond even more. Now Russell and I see each other from time to time at events. He and his partner Robert Helms wrote the introduction to my book, and later they invited me to be an educator on their Summit at the Sea events. I can’t wait to see what we do together next! I have the utmost respect for these individuals.The topic of the show was Does God Want You to be Rich? What you might find interesting is that this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode includes the parts you don’t get to hear on the actual show – like what happened during the breaks – which gives you a deeper look into my story and why my belief in God is so important to my success.During the show, the Kiyosakis talk about how similar my getting-into-real-estate-investing story is to theirs! That was kinda neat. So we talked about my experience as a “professional squatter” and how my wife and I worked our way out of that ugly situation.I share how I used a Subject-To Deal to help someone out of foreclosure (while I was still in foreclosure myself) in one of my first deals. In this interview you will hear new parts of my story that I don’t typically share. In case you missed this radio interview, give it a listen now. We cover a lot of ground, including our belief and trust in God (and why there is actually a difference), and how this helps us as we work toward our goals. We discuss the importance of persistence, generosity, fear and how to push yourself to take the leap of faith into what we truly should be doing in life.My conversation with Robert and Kim Kiyosaki took me down memory lane and the different paths I followed as a new real estate investor as I answer their questions. This was an absolutely exciting radio interview for me and it will stick with me forever. I hope you enjoy it and get something out of it.If you need a bit of inspiration to start your week off right, this episode of my podcast just might help! LISTEN NOW.

Ever experience the “zebra effect” online? You know… when you log on to do one thing and then get absolutely lost as you’re led from shiny thing to shiny thing till you feel like you’re in a field of zebras? Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Tony Delmercado understands. Tony is the COO at Hawke Media, a leading outsourced digital CMO agency for companies including Evite, Bally Total Fitness, Verizon Wireless, Eddie Bauer, Red Bull and many other brands.Prior to his position at Hawke Media, Tony was the COO at Fame Wizard, a firm that helped develop the careers of independent artists. His craving to improve the world of business is exemplified by his time as director member of service at the World Business Academy, a nonprofit think tank and network of business and thought leaders with a mission to inspire and help businesses assume responsibility for the whole of society.But what and who was Tony before that? What was he doing before helping businesses and their owners spread the messages, build their brands and help them create lots and lots of cashflow through great digital marketing?Tony’s first job was as a low-wage worker at a golf course caring for the grounds. So he and a friend started their own lawn care business. They mowed lawns. Over time they build up a true lawn care business with lots of mowers, trucks and yard workers of their own, which started when Tony found a way to get low-interest funding for mowers!When it came time for Tony to head off to college, he first thought about being a teacher, but realized it wouldn’t pay. He says while he’s sad about that, because he loves the idea of teaching, that decision pushed him to follow another path and passion.After graduating he bought a used Police van, loaded it up with all his belongings and headed across the country to become a west coast architect. That’s what he was trained to do, but it’s not what he ended up doing. In fact, he started selling knives.About that time, Tony found that he loved being an entrepreneur. He says he’s a builder vs. a sustainer or closer. He needs change every three to five years. Tony became a serial entrepreneur. His journey is one of the more interesting ones because of the people he got to work with, especially in the music industry.You are definitely going to want to hear Tony’s story. His long and winding road to success is a bit unique. Give it your attention and see what you can learn. LISTEN NOW.

Buying her first stock in the sixth grade, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Andrea Travillian says that at that moment she was hooked. She loves investing! Andrea would end up earning her MBA and doing all sorts of financial planning for other people. But after learning a lot of different areas of that industry she decided she wanted to do something different. So she became an event and wedding planner. This actually makes more sense than you might think, because Andrea is a natural-born planner. She says she always planned events… as far back as childhood and her teenage years!That path lasted for a while… until she got burned out, took her last client and then reimagined herself. Andrea became a bookkeeper and grew her client base, helping them with taxes and guiding them in better financial decisions.This decision took her to a new path. Now Andrea Travillian is a small business advisor who specializes in helping business owners make smart decisions that improve profits, efficient and create a strong business.It is obvious to me that Andrea displays a lot of courage, because she moved out of corporate finance and into the entrepreneurial world with amazing ease. Andrea says it wasn’t easy, but she did it because the pain of staying and all the overtime made leaving look very attractive.Listen to this episode and you’ll learn of the events that pushed Andrea to become the entrepreneur she is today. Or might I say the HAPPY entrepreneur she is today!I love how Andrea explains what she does for her clients, relating the steps to building a house. She says you need to first build the foundation, then the first floor followed by the second floor. If you only partially do one level the house will eventually collapse.Before you can build the foundation, you need to have the master plans. Building a house without a plan is doable, but might take twice as long and you may not get what you really wanted. Business is the same way. If you don’t know where you want to end up and where your business will help with that then you have no idea if you will get where you want.Your business foundation is your structure and includes your accounting, legal and basic management. Your first floor is you growing your business. You learn how to market and sell. You create products/services and learn how to manage it all.The second floor is where you create processes, procedures, job descriptions – everything that you need to become efficient and be able to eventually delegate – so you can go hang out on your beach!Your third floor is where you can choose to bring on staff and continue to grow the business. You don’t have to hire, but you are easily able to if you want! This is also where you begin to master the wealth generation so you can live your dream.Finally you can “retire.” You may not think right now you will ever want to, but you may. At least by reaching the point where you could do this you get control over when you want it to happen. You are in charge of your life! And isn’t that what being a small business owner is all about? Being in charge of our own lives? Learn more. LISTEN NOW.

The first guy I ever met who wanted to buy a post office, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest David Campbell is someone I’ve known for some time. Today David is known for being a real estate investor and fellow educator, syndicator and entrepreneur. However, before this enterprising founder of Hassle-Free Cashflow Investing stepped into his current roles, David had other goals. He wanted to be a high school band teacher. He hit that goal, but realized in just a few years that he wouldn’t earn much as a teacher. He had zero net worth.David’s path intrigues me, because it’s a bit different than most. The way he learned about the benefits of owning a business and taking depreciation to reduce taxes is different than anyone I’ve ever talked to. He was doing taxes on the side for a handful of people and saw that a business owner paid no taxes while he was paying. Something was off.David started asking questions and decided to become financially independent in real estate by investing in rental properties. He started by renting out one of his rooms in a condo while living in the other. He was cleared for takeoff and in six years stepped out of the rat race. Because he played Cashflow 101, Robert Kiyosaki’s board game, David knew the secret to getting out of the rat race was to earn more in passive income than he paid out in expenses every month. So David kept his expenses very low so he could boost his income more quickly.Today David’s company’s investing and advisory experience includes single-family houses, apartments, retail, office, medical, condo-conversion, net-leased properties, syndications, land development, production home building, private lending and even a winery. David has been a featured guest on some of America’s top radio shows and investing podcasts.David’s blog, www.HassleFreeCashflowInvesting.com/blog, has been repeatedly named one of the top 100 real estate blogs in America. David is widely recognized as a cashflow real estate investing expert with real estate transactional experience totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. I absolutely love his blog and suggest you read it.For now, give this episode a listen and see what you can learn from all that David has to share. You might want to take notes and become a regular visitor to David’s site.

My Cash Flow Diary podcast guests Jacob Black and Sterling White move fast. They’ve created something that’s mighty impressive called Holdfolio. This innovative company enables investors to purchase ownership in a portfolio of income properties that the co-founders own. Holdfolio is the result of Jacob and Sterling deciding to create a partnership in a business that serves not just accredited investors but also those who don’t meet those requirements. Since both men love buying rental properties and have a passion for real estate investing, the partnership was a natural.Jacob started really early in real estate investing. He was a freshman in college. One night he saw a late-night infomercial about real estate investing that grabbed his interest. So he put himself on the path to learning.Sterling started even younger… as a kid in school selling candy! He found that he loved sales. Later in life he discovered real estate investing and ventured into the single-family home space in Indianapolis. It was through a seminar Jacob was attending with his mentor that Sterling and Jacob first met.After Sterling introduced himself to Jacob at the event, he started showing up at Jacob’s office… frequently. His persistence paid off; Jacob took notice. It didn’t take long before the two were doing deals as a team.Because I hear all sorts of excuses from people about why they haven’t gotten into real estate investing YET, I made sure to ask Jacob and Sterling how they feel about excuses. For example, I hear all the time, “I’m too old, too young, too busy, have kids, have chaos, too fat, too thin, too whatever” to do real estate investing. It’s crazy. And these are simply excuses. If you REALLY want to get into real estate investing (or anything else) you have to take action and learn how to do this new thing. Or just stop talking about it.Sterling and Jacob completely agree. Neither of these men let their age or any other “obstacle” stop them from creating something really cool in the industry. To get there in their minds and allow the success they now enjoy, they say they took and continue to take from the pages of success and wealth-creation books, especially the classics! Knowing what it takes to earn long-term wealth, Jacob and Sterling worked with mentors, which shortened their learning curve from a decade down to two years. When they started working together they were able to become superstar investors.Learn more about how Holdfolio works. It might be a way for you to jump into the real estate investing pool without the upfront learning curve, especially if you like the idea of investing in properties with good appreciation and good cashflow in Indianapolis and the midwest.

In this exciting Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, you get a treated to an insider’s look at real estate investing and why it makes so much sense. Listen as I answer lots of questions from the audience at a recent event in San Diego, Calif.You will learn why wealth is for EVERYONE. When I realized that fact it changed my life… and it happened the first time I played the Cashflow 101 board game. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a game created by Robert Kiyosaki, one of mentors who opened the world of real estate investing to me.As you listen to this episode you’ll hear a few new things. For example, how you work cell phone tower deals and why participating in real estate is far better than keeping one’s money in a low-interest retirement account. If you have money stuffed away in an IRA, this might be eye-opening for you.In this episode you also get to learn a few systems you need so you can build your real estate investing empire. You’ll learn why it’s so important to educate others about what you’re doing and how to do what you’re doing. It’s called “educate to dominate” and it’s no joke. To succeed you must educate your market.You also get a few tips to help you succeed, a couple of books you should read, and you’ll learn why giving first beats the heck out of taking. When you become a resource for other people you become the local expert and you build your lists of buyer, seller and investor leads.There is so much EXCELLENT information in this episode that you might want listen to it more than once. Learn more.

Want a kick in the pants to get you going in real estate investing? This is the Cash Flow Diary episode for you! In short, there are no excuses that will work with me when it comes to reasons people give me as to why they “can’t” get into real estate investing.Find the reasons in this super-energized episode that I took from one of my recent speaking events in San Diego, Calif. I say “super-energized” because you can hear how excited I am about being in front of the audience at that event!I cover a whole lotta ground in this episode, too. It’ll almost be like you’re sitting in the crowd, which was a pretty good size. I cover reasons why business owners, especially those who are real estate investing entrepreneurs, rock big time. Business owners solve lots and lots of problems. And that’s what you need to do if you plan to be the biggest, baddest, best real estate investor you can be. Learn more.

Continuing the message that I shared with the live audience at a recent Young Entrepreneurs Event in Irvine, Calif., that I started in the past Monday's episode of Cash Flow Diary, I talk about why and how I entered real estate investing. I also share with you the importance of continuing to gain the skillsto do more and more in real estate investing. When you listen to this episode you will hear why I had to learn how to use other people’s resources to keep hitting my goals and then setting new ones. You'll hear a lot of back-and-forth interactions between different audience members and me. We do a little role play, I answer lots of questions and I help steer a few people in better directions. I absolutely love getting up in front of audiences who are there to learn more so that they can do more in real estate. I always practice a little something I like to call CAREFRONTATION(tm). Maybe you can pick out a few of those moments from this special episode. It's the next best thing to being in the room live with me for the event. (Maybe you can be at one near you soon. If you're involved in a real estate investing group, especially in the Orange County of Los Angeles areas, and you're looking for a little inspiration and carefrontation, let me know. Hit me up through the site. There's a chat link in the lower right of the screen! 

What’s better than inspiring seasoned entrepreneurs? How about inspiring young entrepreneurs who are just now jumping into the entrepreneurial pool and really need guidance? YES! That’s what I love to do. That’s why I enjoyed presenting at the recorded live event in Irvine, Calif., from which this highly educational episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is taken.I got to tell my story and talk about how I entered real estate investing, which was as a wholesaler. In fact, I still have my first property. It’s in California and I can drive to see it any time I want. I don’t, because the renter remains in place and there are no real problems to deal with. The property sort of runs itself, which is excellent. This first transaction was really important for me to do because it showed me that I could gain the skills to do more of this type of transaction. Long story short, I did over and over again. I did pretty well, too. I earned six figures my first year as a real estate investor!That wasn’t all that long ago. In fact, that was 2008. Today I have more than 300 units of property across various states. I own a cell phone tower, and I have commercial deals under my belt. I’ve come a long way because I keep learning. Yes, even today.When you listen to this episode you will hear why I had to learn how to use other people’s resources to keep moving my needle forward. One of the tools I learned to use is other people’s money. That’s just one thing you will learn from listening in on this recorded live event… no matter what age you are. Pay close attention to one of the ways I find clues about business and real estate so I can figure out how to earn more money as an investor. You’ll want to put into practice the things I teach in this episode! Learn more.

Marci Lock shares the tools she learned going from a single mother and $2 an hour waitress, to building a 6 figure monthly income and a worldwide known enterprise.  She is passionate about changing lives around the world through shifting the Inner Game to create the Rockin’ Body, Relationships, Business and Fantastical Life by breaking down the barriers to get and keep breakthrough results in every area of Life. As a Nutrition, Fitness, Mindset Expert and Transformation Mentor, she has appeared on TV around the world and has touched and transformed thousands of lives through her Mind Body Breakthrough Program, Goddess Revolution Experience, Bad Ass Break Through Adventure Series, Corporate Wellness Programs, bestselling books, the Marci Lock “Influential TV show” and Radio show and her Kick Ass Events. Marci lives in Southern California with her two amazing boys, seizing life in every moment, and living in alignment with her purpose and passion with a Commitment to Awesomeness as her daily norm. You can download the Marci Lock App for free on iTunes or MarciLockApp.com to get free workouts, recipes and break through tips. Follow her for daily inspiration on Facebook, and get her free video series at www.Marcilockdown.com.

In my continuing Cash Flow Diary podcast series focusing on individuals who’ve earned $100K in a month, I’m talking to Kevin Kruse, a true employee engagement and leadership strategies superstar. The cool thing is that Kevin hasn’t just earned $100K in a single month; he’s earned a whole bunch more than that… like a million dollars in a month. But here’s the deal… Kevin wasn’t always wealthy nor did he have the skills necessary to earn the figures he does today.Kevin said that he decided as a pre-teen to become wealthy. He wrote his goal of wealth in his journal! That’s after he witnessed a visit to his father’s home by a scary, one-armed man who was there to collect a debt. Harder lessons were to come, but the good news is that Kevin made it through his circumstances to succeed as an adult. That path started right out of college, when Kevin started different businesses fresh out of school.Though Kevin moved through a series of failure events, he didn’t let them stop him. He kept moving toward his goal of financial security. He set his first at $100K in a year. He did some house-flipping and it didn’t work; he tried an MLM and that didn’t work; he moved down the line and didn’t have success until he realized the secret to success is to build a business about which he had a great deal of passion. He had to find mentors, he had to learn his way and work really hard. He also realized that ANY of the things he had done could work if certain elements are in place.Today, Kevin’s mission is to convince everyone that wholehearted leadership for employee engagement is the key to unlocking dramatic business results and lots of other positives! Learn more about what Kevin does and how he got there... and how he reduced his work hours to attain the success and wealth he always wanted.

As a father of three, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Matt Miller wanted to find a way to help local schools raise money for education while also earning revenue at the same time. What started out as a very simple idea with a single gumball machine grew to what Matt’s business is today. In fact, the concept was so simple that it was embraced across the country and continues to get tremendous results as a year-round fundraising mechanism.So, what is the concept? School Spirit Vending, which is something Matt could create in his spare time to also create passive income. His first gumball machine cost him $32 in an online auction. He loaded his kids up in the car and drove across town to pick it up. When he got to the seller’s house, he got to pick the man’s brain about the business of vending machines, what worked, what didn’t and why. In the end the man opened up to Matt, telling him he had 19 other machines in his garage he wanted to sell, so Matt negotiated a deal that would allow him to purchase all the machines over time.Before founding his popular vending company, Matt was an Airforce pilot, salesman extraordinaire and ad exec with expertise in print media and vending. Matt says that the discipline he learned in the Airforce is something he could take forward with him into later life. It paid off because he was very successful in sales. But office politics would change his path. He’d have to get through some really tough times, which pushed him to create School Spirit Vending. In short time Matt was able to walk away from his corporate job to spend more time with his kids and live the life of his intention.If you’ve ever wondered about how people get vending machines placed in front of stores or if you have ever wanted to get involved in vending machines, this episode of Cash Flow Diary is for you! According to Matt, this is a simple enough business that “even he” could do and so can you. But he also admits there was a learning curve in figuring out how to fix and maintain the machines, especially those that are larger and involve circuit boards and cranes. Learn more.

Kevin Jans spent 16 years on the government side of federal contracting as a contract specialist and contracting officer. He bought goods and services across a variety of industries, totaling over $1 Billion. Kevin now hosts the Contracting Officer Podcast. He also serves as the president of Skyway Acquisition Solutions, which he founded in 2011 and has helped clients win $470 million in contracts. Kevin’s super-power is his ability to help people understand this complex market in simple terms.Kevin is an amazing resource of information for anyone wanting to land a government contract. He says there is a literal sea of opportunities in government contracts and while the process might be complicated it is not undoable. He helps small business owners get through the process every day. His company helps them understand their focus.Kevin says to get an idea of what is available to you as a small business owner or “vendor” of services that the government may hire you to provide. Your first stop is www.USAspending.gov; your next is www.FBO.gov.The short story here is that the government has a lot of money to spend with providers of services and goods. But Kevin says those large numbers is exactly what gets people unfocused. He says to focus on your niche and start there. He must be pretty good, because Kevin’s company has helped others land more than $470 MILLION in contracts. Pretty impressive to say the least. Learn more about Kevin’s path to becoming a killer contracts officer. Hear about how solving problems is at the crux of what he does to help others.terms. 

Butch Bellah is the owner of Dallas-based B2 (B Two) Training & Development where he works with salespeople and organizations to gain more appointments, win more business and retain more customers. From his first corporate job at 21, it took Butch only 4 years to be promoted to Division Sales Manager, then another short 5 years to Vice President of Sales. At 35, he and a business partner acquired controlling interest in the company he’d helped build from a $35 million local business to one of the largest wholesale food distributors in the nation with annual sales almost a quarter-billion dollars.During his rapid ascent to sales and financial success, Butch also spent 10-years as a professional stand-up comedian—honing not only his public speaking skills but enjoying what he calls “the best sales training I ever received.”In May 2009, Butch underwent triple-bypass heart surgery at 43-years old, completed cardiac rehab and ran his first 5K 190 days after surgery. He’s since completed dozens of 5ks, 2-10k’s and two half marathons.He has written two books, The 10 Essential Habits of Sales Superstars: Plugging Into The Power of Ten and SalesManagement For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) due this fall.

Lauren Bowling is a part-time blogger and full-time content marketing and social media specialist. After getting her degree in theater, she headed for New York City where she failed as an actor and went broke, but landed a sweet job on Wall Street which sparked her interest in personal finance. Since April 2012 she has been running her own blog geared toward financial education and empowerment for young women, aptly titled L Bee and the Moneytree.In November 2012, Money Tree was selected from 200,000 as one of the Top 25 Blogs for Personal Finance by popular social sharing site Shareaholic. Moneytree was also one of three blogs honored with the “Unbiased Personal Finance Award” from FutureAdvisor.com in 2012, and as a top-30 nominee for Best Personal Finance Blog of 2012. Additionally, Bowling is a Lucky Contributor and staff writer for popular personal finance sites One Smart Dollar and Ready for Zero. Lauren’s work has been seen on GoBankingRates and Credit.comLauren lives in Atlanta with her puppy, Murray, a frequent character on her blog. She also enjoys wine, the color pink karaoke. LISTEN NOW

Ken Corsini is a Full-Time Real Estate Investor in Atlanta, Ga and host of the Deal Farm Podcast. Ken has a business degree from the University of Georgia, a Masters degree from Georgia Tech and has bought and sold over 600 homes in Metro Atlanta over the last several years. He is a national speaker and author and has written numerous articles educating investors on all aspects of real estate investing. He is married with 3 children and currently lives in Woodstock, Ga. Talking PointsHow I got startedTurn-key investingLearning to adapt in changing marketCurrent Business Model (wholesaling, turn-key, retail, new construction)New Projects (lending and partnering) Website: DealFarm.net, Gainvesting.com iTunes: Deal Farm Facebook: Deal Farm

Are you a marital first responder? If people confide in you about their relationship, you might be! Or you could be if you want to be. That’s just one of the things that Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Elizabeth Doherty Thomas from The Doherty Relationship Institute discusses in this episode.Discernment counseling is something Elizabeth talks about in this episode. But what is it? That is something you’re going to want to learn more about, but it is based in using discernment in your responses to other people when counseling them… even if you aren’t a therapist!The interesting thing is that Elizabeth must have struck a nerve with her approach because she had an impressive six-figure launch of her business in August 2014. And forget the $100K month; she achieved that figure in a much shorter time frame.... just SEVEN DAYS!! Today Elizabeth's multifaceted business revolves around ways to strengthen marriages where possible and allow a graceful divorce if that is where the couple ends up.So, was Elizabeth always a counselor? Nope. As with many successful entrepreneurs, she took that long path and became what she calls an accidental entrepreneur. In fact, she ended up partnering with her therapist father. And it all started with throwing a website up. Then she learned about SEO, branding and messaging. She put in a lot of time to create her initial success. Then she made improvements and aimed for the gold.Today Elizabeth helps couples, businesses, entrepreneurs and all sorts of people with her unique brand of counseling. As a result of their efforts and the amazing response to what they are doing, Elizabeth and her father have gained exposure in Elle magazine, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.Listen in as Elizabeth shares the steps in her personal and business journey to reach her goals in her online business. From wearing all the different hats and walking in faith to overcoming bad instincts so she could create a highly successful business, Elizabeth has a lot to say. Learn more.

Tom founded DOM & TOM, a mobile application development shop, in 2009 and has since grown the company (along with twin brother Dominic) into one of the INC 500’s fastest growing companies in 2015 with over 45 employees. D&T has worked with clients including: Priceline, Fitch, Bloomberg, GE, CliffsNotes, PowerRangers, the Emmy’s and more on over 250 digital projects.Tom is also a fervent entrepreneur, having personally invested in multiple start­up ventures in New York City, including John Brown’s Smokehouse, which was named Best BBQ in New York City in 2012 by the Village Voice. Tom has given presentations on digital culture at multiple events including Hearst, AOL Ventures, Tabula Rasa, and sat on multiple digital engagement panels. 

While you’re striving to reach the magical $100K a year, maybe you’re getting a little inspiration from our $100K-in-a-month achievers in the special September series of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. In this episode, I get to chat with Mike Schmidt, a pretty cool entrepreneur who just out of college started a web-design company. Mike’s company has now built around 1,000 sites, but not just willy-nilly. He systemized the business.Mike is now taking his next steps, and his company is consistently earning more than $100K per month by automating the systems and creating recurring income. The main driver that pushed Mike and his team to go for the gold is the stress he felt at the beginning of each month. He says it felt like climbing a mountain, and it was getting old.So, was Mike’s success easy to reach and did it come without failures and mistakes? NO! Like all other successful entrepreneurs he and his team took mis-steps and experienced plenty of failures. He struggled to make payroll sometimes, and he had difficult clients from time to time. But he also learned that a dissatisfied customer can be really helpful in determining what needs to change in one’s business. Mike also says that not every dissatisfied customer can be turned into a satisfied customer, and that’s okay, too.The interesting thing you’ll learn in this episode of Cash Flow Diary is that even the most successful entrepreneurs and business owners have lots of challenges and have to walk through their fears just like you! The deal is that from a negative place and fear, you can choose what you want out of your business. You can focus in on what you really want and stop flailing around in the water, going from one project to the next, somewhat like living paycheck to paycheck.The secret to success is to conquer fears and move to a recurring revenue model. At least that’s the case for Mike Schmidt. He also learned that his success came from having full intention in one’s business that creates the success he sought. He had to stop just letting business happen to him; he had to start planning and implementing those plans. Learn more about what he’s doing, so maybe you can follow his lead.

Originally from Texas, Joe Fairless moved to New York City to start out in marketing and advertising, and then worked his way up the corporate ladder. On his way he learned how to be a real estate investor. He got good at closing deals using none of his own money, and then keep adding to his skill set. Joe was able to leave his J.O.B. and open his own company, Fairless Investing, and he just keeps creating a whole lot of value! That’s what he talks about in this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast.Joe’s first investments were in Texas… though he lived and worked in New York. He started with single family homes and smaller multi-family properties. Today Joe invests beyond Texas in some pretty large properties and he continues to have a tremendous passion for real estate investing and entrepreneurialism. He also gets to use his marketing and advertising skills in what he does today.As Joe points out, it’s really important to do what you really love in life and you’ll earn plenty of money. But your success doesn’t happen overnight. For Joe it has taken a few years, but as he looks back he says it was worth everything he went through to get where he is today. However, had he been able to see into the future, he said that he might have let fear stop him. Fortunately he didn’t have a crystal ball and started learning real estate investing.Today Joe is not just a real estate investor that has $100K months, he’s also a syndicator! He raises lots and lots of private capital for his deals, too. On that note, Joe says it takes a lot of time to build those relationships. He warns all listeners that your deals won’t get done in a few days and you’re done. The big deals can take months. But the payoff is huge. It all starts with learning to identify opportunities in real estate where you can create value and then cash in on the value.Joe says you have to be willing to put in plenty of time first to learn how to do the transactions in real estate and time doing the deals. You have to read a lot of books that help you shift your mindset and you have to do things in your life that will keep you healthier, wealthier and wiser!Learn more about how Joe Fairless sets goals and conducts his life to maintain his success.

As we move through this month and this $100K series I have the honor of interviewing individuals who earn a whole lot of cashflow from their ventures and interests. The focus of these interviews is on how these people felt the first time they experienced a $100K month. Cash Flow Diary guest Ryan Moran – a killer entrepreneur, marketing specialist, speaker, author and new daddy – says for him it was like breaking through a glass ceiling that really wasn’t there. Once he hit that mark he realized that he was the only one holding him back, and that all the BS he bought into about not being able to reach this level. He did it, and not just once. For him how to get there was demystified, and now he wishes he could give people a pill to make them understand that they really can get to their financial goals. Ryan says that hitting his first $100K month didn’t feel much different than when he hit his first $10K month. Now he’s aiming at earning a million dollars in a month! Ryan says hitting high-dollar goals boils down to systems. Ryan says the first step is finding the leads and market to them on a continued basis. The second step is to be bold and ask for bigger dollar amounts in what you’re selling. Listen in on this fantastically empowering interview as I discuss with Ryan the importance of lead generation and automating your marketing. This is something my team and I have had to learn to do, and it’s something you need to learn if you want to be successful. Listen to all Ryan has to say about the importance of making mistakes… and how if he hadn’t made a number of mistakes that he wouldn’t be where he is today. Ryan also talks about the difference between failure and feedback. The latter is very valuable to other people because you can educate others on what not to do! Learn more.

When I first got involved in real estate investing the idea of earing six figures in a single year seemed way out of my reach. But then I did it my very first year! It was time to set new goals, so that’s what I did, and I keep setting new goals. Big goals. Cash Flow Diary guest Darryl Lyons understands doing things big, too! After all, he’s from Texas where everything is big.This first-time guest on the podcast, Darryl talks about how growing up poor in a trailer park motivated him to never go back once he left. He worked his way out and worked his way through college, but didn’t want to be stuck in a corporate job over the long term. So he took at different route, starting a business that helps others with their finances. What’s really interesting about this path is that he became a financial advisor very early in life. Darryl became successful at a young age, too, including hitting his first $100K month.So how did this young man get so successful? He credits is to a little luck and a lot of action. He wasn’t afraid to fail; he kept trying. Darryl said he had nothing to lose, so he learned to put a hustle in his step. He pressed on past his mistakes; he was comfortable with risk; he knew the reward in playing it safe wasn’t big enough. So he kept moving his needle forward.Darryl talks about the importance of making mistakes. Like so many other successful entrepreneurs, he credits those mistakes as being a part of his successes. He also says that if he’s not uncomfortable he knows he’s not growing, so he’s going to keep pushing toward new goals and staying uncomfortable over the long haul.Talking about the long road, Darryl puts forth an interesting concept of taking the slow path to success. He calls it the “crock pot” way of thinking. Slow and steady. He says that he’s seen a lot of people make it big really fast, but then not be able to stick around. These people are now working for other people! Darryl says he doesn’t want that to be his story.Listen in as Darryl and I discuss the importance of building relationships and burning bridges. Some people call those “burning the boats” moments. That’s when you’re all in! You will also hear Darryl and I discuss failure events and how to live through them. Darryl shares a personally painful story involving his father who after working for a corporation for many years and was doing well ended up losing his job. It wasn’t just that he lost his job, it’s how the company let him know. This life event took the family down a terrible path, but also seeded the ideal that entrepreneurialism is the only way to go. Learn more.

A lot of people set their sights on earning $100,000 in a year. But what if you could earn that in just a month? It is possible. How do I know? Because all my September guests have done it… and not just once. Jason Hartman is my first guest for this special motivational series. I chose Jason as the guest to start this series off because he comes to the table with lots of stats and proof that earning $100,000 a month is really possible… and not just for the top 1% in our country. As a firm believer in investing in cashflowing real estate, Jason has earned this amount in a single month lots of times.Growing up poor, Jason knew he didn’t want to keep struggling as an adult. He put his nose to the grindstone and kept his focus on working in real estate in a variety of ways and always investing on the side. Last year he became a developer and is working on building wealth from that side, too. Jason says he stays away from Wall Street and questionable investments, though he admits that once in a while he falls for one that looks too good to be true (and ends up being just that).So if you want to earn $100,000 a month, is it the money or the mission you should focus on? Many gurus might tell you to follow your passion and you’ll get there. Jason says that for most people this isn’t realistic. Focus instead on the benefits your passion and path brings. For example, I don’t truly enjoy doing real estate; I love the benefits participating in real estate transactions brings. What does this mean? You have to focus on the financial freedom that you’re after. Nothing happens to provide financial freedom more than participating in real estate investing. The proof of concept is there… because we all need a place to live, work, play and lay. I say this all the time. Jason Hartman adds to this proof of concept and talks about scalability in your investments – even if it’s not real estate – so you can earn even more.Jason also talks about how to use today’s technologies in your goals, as well as the exact steps you’ll need to take to “get there.” He adds that attitude counts in a big way, because it is your foundation for success. Jason and I even discuss a few key books you should read to help you think big and achieve your goals more quickly. Learn more.

Sometimes it’s fun to do something a little different in life. So that’s what we did for this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. When you hit the LISTEN NOW link, you’re gonna be greeted by a different host’s voice this time around. You’ll be hearing the voice of John Klymshyn, a really cool business coach I interviewed a few months back. Listen in as John interviews me and gives you a deeper glimpse into my mind and the way things work in there! John asks great questions and really gives me a chance to share more insights with you, which I hope helps you move forward. For example, right off the bat John asks me about the three things I feel are necessary to achieve success. My answer is integrity, faith and action, and I get a chance to explain my answer, too. John gets me to open up about creating a plan and why action is so important, and what I’ve learned about the difference between what we THINK we know and what we really know in business. We all have to learn to freefall; not everything can be planned. Not every plan will work the way we want it to. In short, there’s truly nothing better than taking action, stepping out in faith. What’s really fun about this episode is that John gathered questions for me from my fans, followers and friends! Boy, talk about a test… some are new questions that I’ve never been asked before. I also get to talk about some of the things I always enjoy discussing, like the importance of building a foundation for your entrepreneurial business, about how to get the right education and why I share what I do with those who have ears to hear. For example, one of the reasons I share my video diary is so people who are new to investing can see what this life is truly like. Sometimes it’s not very exciting, but we all have to walk through the boring parts, too. John asks me about building a team along with building a business. This is a critical part of any successful business, because we can’t get to our goals alone. We can’t keep wearing all the hats. At least not at the higher levels of investing in real estate. You’ll get a kick out of this episode and I hope it really helps you move your needle forward… whatever that means to you. It could be real estate investing, owning a business or becoming the best entrepreneur you can be. Learn more as John drills down to the reasons Cash Flow Diary exists. (He even asks me to tell him about my biggest dream!)

I hear the question frequently. People I meet who’ve been studying real estate investing for a few months or maybe even a couple of years will come to me and ask, “Why haven’t I made it yet? I’m trying to do deals and I can’t get them done. When will it happen for me?” If this is a burning question on your mind, today’s podcast episode is for you! Yep, it’s just you and me today… no guest. It’s time to recap the reasons I do what I do. The biggest reason Cash Flow Diary exists is so I could leave a road map behind for my kids, just in case they’d like to know what good ‘ol Dad has done. Plus, they could follow in my path if they want. But just like other things we do in life, this path took a new course. A friend told me that maybe I should consider doing even more, because there are a number of adults who might be interested to learn real estate investing so they can change their own life’s path. Click forward almost 200 episodes of this Cash Flow Diary podcast and I know what my friend said is true. Today we have way more than the podcast. My team and I have created an educational series, I have a weekly Q & A web show for members of the Cashflow Core Membership. We have created e-books and so much material that some days it overwhelms even me. And we keep creating new video content. Even so, I still have a long way to go; Cash Flow Diary has more good stuff to come. That’s what I’m really talking about in this episode. Stick with me till the end of it, because I promise what I have to say will help you grow your business and keep you focused on your goals, too. I start with some interesting entrepreneurial success stories, some of which you have probably heard and some you haven’t. What do they all have in common? They had amazing failure events, were fired from jobs, were told they didn’t have what it takes to achieve in their industries, they were labeled as having trouble focusing and staying on track and they each faced different challenges in business and life that might make some people cringe, roll up in a ball and quit. Here’s the deal… successful entrepreneurs have to keep trying, keep adding to their skill sets, keep doing. They don’t just get successes handed to them. They overcome challenges and they don’t listen to the negative people in their lives or the negative self-talk that goes on in their heads. So how do you get there? First, listen to this podcast episode and learn the eight steps in the process… and then the five things you need. This is something I continue to practice myself, so I’m not telling you to do things I don’t do. The process is ongoing. And here’s a suggestion… take a few notes. Post the eight steps on your wall to keep yourself motivated. Learn more.

Nellie Akalp is a serial entrepreneur, small business advocate, speaker and author. Through the various “Do-It-Yourself” and “Business-Startup” services she has founded since 1997, she has formed over 200,000 corporations and LLCs for small business owners.  Her last company was acquired by Intuit in 2005. Today, she and her husband, Phil, operate CorpNet.com where they help entrepreneurs start a business, Incorporate, Form an LLC, set up Sole Proprietorships (DBAs) and maintain a business in compliance with state filing requirements for a new or existing business.  Nellie shares her expert tips with readers at Forbes, Entrepreneur and Mashable and is a regular guest expert on the Fox Small Business Center. She was named a Top 100 Small Business Influencer in 2012, 2013, and 2014 by Small Business Trends. Nellie has presented a workshop at Small Biz Expo and sat down with members of Girls in Tech, General Assembly and more to inspire and motivate others to make their business dreams a reality.

What’s better than a little time with a real estate educator and mentor? Lots more time with him! Because people keep asking to hear more of my weekly LIVE Q & A with J episodes that only Cashflow Core Members have regular access to, I decided to put another one up here as a Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Maybe that will help you move your needle forward in your real estate investing and business-growth goals. My team took out the fluff and kept just the questions and answers, so you get more of what you need!! In this episode I answer questions that people in the Cash Flow Diary network send in ahead of time or type into the live chat box during the show. Plus, I cover lots of topics, even mindset shifts and overcoming fears, which are critical as a real estate investor to keep you motivated and help you handle any negative experiences. I promise there will be negative experiences, a few not-so-great dealings with other individuals in your market and deals, and that you will make mistakes. That’s all okay. It’s part of your learning curve. You can’t be afraid of any of it or let your fears stop you. Just learn how to deal with things the right way. You will want to grab a pen and take notes, because maybe I will answer a question you have! If you want to be a part of the LIVE Q & A experience each week, there’s only one way. You have to become a Cashflow Core Member. You can even try it out for a buck for your first month, so what’s stopping you? Learn more.

Giving you more value than you expect is my goal in everything we do at Cash Flow Diary. You’ll see just how true this statement is once you listen to this BONUS episode that includes a pretty helpful part of my Irvine presentation about determining your Investor Identity and what types of investments you might take a look at as you work toward your goals. I’d take notes if I were you, because I give some good tips you can use immediately. This episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast includes a lot of answers to questions posed by audience members. They are great questions, too! In this episode I talk about how I can track the timeliness of rent payments and reasons for that in my C-Class property. I also talk about why you need to understand your renters. If you don’t, you’re going to run into problems. It always goes back to deciding those whom you want to serve. Until you understand this aspect of owning rental properties, you can mess up as a landlord. I share with the audience how you can start out in one market and move to another. I liken it to my own path, where I started out serving people in the Wal-Mart properties and how I’ve moved more toward the Target properties and may move into serving individuals in the Nordstrom market. As real estate investors, we can all learn and then serve the market we understand best. As I say in this episode, the most important Investor Identity you need to understand is yours! Only then do you move to serving others who fit your identity. And then you find the properties, because you will be looking for problems to solve for people in that market. You’ll want to listen to this bonus episode because you’ll learn what to look for on a title and how to get around some issues. You’ll learn why making assumptions isn’t a good thing. I’ve added extra questions and answers in this episode that come from a recent recorded Q & A with J, too! All I can say is grab your ear buds and give this helpful and informative episode a listen!

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest David T.S. Wood knows a thing or two about helping businesses and raising capital for lots of reasons. He’s trained tens of thousands of people and today David is on a mission, which is to train 10,000 trainers so he can help even more people. Founder of Amplified Living, David left home at a very young age and started working. He wasn’t exactly the best student, so he decided to work and travel. This included a trip to Tunisia that opened his eyes. He started looking at people, how they lived, how they dealt with life and so much more. It was the beginning of a 10-year life experience that was so unique that he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Accidentally he started hanging out with people who had a different approach to life and a different belief system than the friends he left behind at home. He says that if you feel bad after hanging out with the people you spend the most time with it is time to find new friends. So when did David find his footing? As an Emcee at a wedding. He says he did such a horrid job that his mind couldn’t let go of it. Eventually he and his wife went to an elite transformational camp lead by Harv Eker. He decided then and there that he would become a top trainer. He spent a lot of time getting there, but he made it. And now he’s on a path to train 10,000 trainers. During this enlightening interview, David talks about how he was able to transform a personal defeat to something that put him on the path to success. He became a fantastic communicator who teaches others to communicate. David has achieved a lot in his life… and has come a long way as an Emcee. He now Emcees about two weddings a year! Listen to David as he talks about how we communicate and how we have to embrace the non-verbal connections to be better verbal communicators. Learn the skills you need to master to be powerful in front of an audience. Of course, that’s just one of the topics David and I talk about in this episode, including why every master was once a disaster.

Traveling the globe since 1991, Cash Flow Diary podcast guests Billy and Akaisha Kaderli live life on the road for one reason. More than two decades ago, this loving couple made a choice to retire early so they could enjoy a more fulfilling lifestyle than what they found in the 9-to-5 world of corporations, cubicles and corner offices. The couple was just 38 years old when they made their decision. Billy was a chef looking for ways to grow his business; he asked Akaisha to help. He opened a restaurant and then went back to ask Akaisha out. Their love of food and travel brought them together. They both continued to work. Billy was seduced into becoming a stock broker where he did well for years. But with that success came less than he bargained for… like less and less time with Akaisha. They saw very little of each other. As Akaisha says, they were both working about 80 hours a week so they could one day travel and enjoy their time together. The couple sat down and wrote out their goals, they went over their finances and figured out how they would live a self-reliant life! That was at a time before home computers. Billy used the back of an envelope. He added up his assets and anything that’s sellable, he deducted the expenses and decided what their adjusted spending should be. The couple had to adjust their lifestyle, too. They got rid of their house, and therefore their house payment, their gardener and all the related expenses. They got rid of their vehicles and all related expenses. They got rid of their work-related expenses… because they no longer had jobs. They adjusted for inflation and then they hit the road. You’ll learn exactly how they do that in this incredibly unique episode. You’ll hear about where they began their travels, where they headed next, how they lived and how they learned to take life slow. They’ve lived in a lot of places outside the U.S., because they say it’s more interesting to see the sights and get to know the people in other countries. But they find equal enjoyment inside the U.S. and even have a little place in Arizona. If you’d like to follow in their footsteps, you’ll have the blueprint by the end of this episode, even if that means becoming a digital nomad.

In this second part of my two-part series in the Cash Flow Diary podcast, I’m coming to you recorded LIVE event I did in Irvine, California. If you didn’t listen to the last episode, get back there and do so. That way you’ll know why I’m starting in the middle of the event!I was in front of an audience of about 80 like-minded individuals who were there to learn new ways to earn income and put their message out to the group. That’s what we all need to do as real estate investors… as often as we can. We also need to keep educating ourselves. That’s why attending events where you can learn from expert speakers is a really good idea. I’m happy to share what I know with audiences far and wide.In this event, I made new contacts and got a chance to expand my reach as a center of influence. Remember, to educate is to dominate. You want to educate others and help them solve their problems through real estate investing. In this episode I pick up where I left off in the last episode, and cover a great deal of ground quickly!I want you to make sure to listen closely as I ask audience members questions to get them to think more about what they want out of real estate investing. I do this to help them and to help you move your needle forward in your business… whether that’s real estate or any other entrepreneurial endeavor. Learn more.

From time to time, I get to speak in front of some pretty lively groups. Such is the case when I spoke at a recent Orange County Real Estate Investing networking event in Irvine, California. I was in front of an audience of about 80 like-minded individuals who were there to learn new ways to earn income and put their message out to the group. Smart people! That’s what we all need to do as real estate investors… as often as we can. We also need to keep educating ourselves. That’s why attending events where you can learn from expert speakers is a really good idea. I’m happy to share what I know with audiences far and wide.In this event, it was a short drive. You can’t beat that! What did I get out of it? New contacts and a chance to expand my reach as a center of influence. Remember, to educate is to dominate. You want to educate others and help them solve their problems through real estate investing as often as is humanly possible. I promise that there are lots and lots and lots of problems you can solve. In this Irvine event, I ask the audience if they are leveraging their time, I educate them about interpreting data and statistics in different markets, I talk to them about inflation and how it impacts us individually and as a group, and I introduce them to the facts about retirement plans… like how most of us do not have a “plan.” Rather we have an “account.” If you’ve ever wondered how to go from having nothing in the bank to doing really well not just in real estate but as an entrepreneur and/or business owner, you’ll want to listen to this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. When I get going live sometimes I’m not quite sure what interactions I’m going to have with audience members. In this event, I was blessed to meet a few individuals who had questions and issues to discuss. And they did so openly.What you will learn not just from my presentation, but from those live and unedited conversations I have with different audience members will help you move your needle forward in your business… whether that’s real estate or any other entrepreneurial endeavor.One reason I want you to listen to this episode is so that you will see that everyone has fears and negative internal chatter. It is a topic I cover with the audience and help them move through those assumptions they THINK are holding them back. I wonder if you can resonate with anything the audience members shout out as things they are dealing with that may be holding them back. In short, you’re going to learn some truths and coping strategies that will help you shut those negative voices (internal and external) up fast. Learn more.

With 17 consecutive years of impressive business growth under his belt, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest, Gobundance tribe member and superstar mindset mentor Rock Thomas has a lot to say about sales and success. And you should listen! He says quite clearly that staying on track comes from one’s ability to control his mindset. The things Rock says in this interview are critical to keeping you on track in your goals and in helping you create abundance. Maybe the foundation for Rock’s success comes from being born and raised on a farm and learning how to work really hard from an early age. He says he also learned how important having a daily routine is to one’s success. Rock says he didn’t grow up in a home with a TV, and he doesn’t spend much time watching television now. He spent a lot of time reading books at the library, and he still spends time reading and learning. Some of his favorite books were written by great thought leaders of the world from our time and throughout history. Rock attributes his success today to learning from mistakes he made in the past. He says he learned to “do what you fear to make it disappear,” which is something he practices even today. Rock also says that he asks clients what they do before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m., because then he can accurately predict what their financial future looks like and how to help them turn things around for a more positive outcome. So how does Rock focus every day? He journals every night before he sleeps about what he is grateful for, what he has contributed in the day, and what he learned. Then his brain files that information away, and helps him to push harder the next day. It becomes a cycle of success.So was Rock always entrepreneurial? He says a negative life event at the age of 14 set him on this path. In high school he had his friends working for him in a lawn-care business; he was the one knocking on doors and getting the contracts. He developed a passion for sales and inspiring others. However, his path to success and wealth wasn’t exactly a straight shot. He held a lot of different jobs as he traveled the world as a young man. He took opportunities whenever they presented themselves. He says we have to try for those things we truly want. For example, Rock wanted to work in the movies, so he kept showing up day after day for seven days in a row… even after being told to leave the set. On the seventh day, no one asked him to leave. In fact, they asked him to take over for a worker that hadn’t shown up. He got to work on set like he wanted for quite some time. He says this isn’t the first time his persistence paid off big. Rock says we should all be persistent. It is a character trait of the most successful individuals. Rock says that’s just one of the characteristics of the successful, however. You’re going to learn so much about what makes a person go from zero to superhero in this interview that you’re going to want to take notes. Lots and lots of notes. Learn more.

Former Good Morning, America field producer, local NBC and ABC news producer, and partner in the content marketing agency, Client Cycle Marketing, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Mary Jo Cranmore is excellent in guiding others in smart ways to attract new clients using on­line platform video marketing. Through a program called “Bottle Your Brilliance” she shows us how to use a mix of storytelling and client attraction to really “pull” in new customers and clients. Mary Jo’s video marketing programs teach experts to leverage their knowledge and create content their clients really want. Client Cycle also helps clients develop information products and build effective marketing and sales systems around those information products. Between the media career and Client Cycle, Mary Jo worked as Client Service Director for a large, international marketing agency and her clients were Discovery Channel, Kraft Foods, Ann Taylor and Verizon. However, that’s not how she started out. In fact, she started out in politics, but quickly found that she didn’t enjoy it. Her next step was to become a “regular” television producer, which meant she traveled a lot. She worked with people who would go on to become pretty big in news reporting. Mary Jo eventually made her way to Florida and then on to Portland, Maine (during a blinding snow storm). There she took an executive producing job. She loved it so much that she stayed for 15 years. During that time she began field producing for Good Morning, America. There’s a back story on this part. Be sure to listen. That’s also the time Mary Jo learned from one of her mentors that everyone has a story… not just the rich and famous. She learned how to talk to people and to truly listen. This is a skill that she took forward into creating her current business. Mary Jo is a natural “connector”! She learned to ask great questions, too, which is something we all need to do. Listen to this noteworthy interview to learn more about seeing opportunities, why mistakes won’t kill you, why you have to bounce back after making them, why it’s important to cross things off your list when they don’t feel right, and why it’s important to gather courage to take a few risks to get to where you really want to be in business and in life!! (You also learn that if you want to be an entrepreneur you have to be willing to look stupid.)

There’s a reason Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Robert Gignac is highly sought as a speaker. He tells us that Rich is a State of Mind! In fact, he wrote the book on that topic. (It happens to be the title of his book, too.) This former computer geek, who grew bored with doing what he was doing, decided he needed to do something completely different. As the universe would have it, he got the opportunity to take a new path. In fact, the universe booted him into action. He just wasn’t sure what that would be yet. The next step was to meet with his financial advisor who suggested he write a book about something Robert knew pretty well, which was the basics of personal finance and financial responsibility. After having a chuckle, he left his advisor’s office and started writing the book that has now sold more than 50,000 copies across multiple countries. What he shares in his book resonates with readers because he states concepts in an easy-to-understand way that is also easy to embrace. Today Robert combines knowledge, passion and visuals to encourage people to take control of their personal finances to have a “Richly Imagined Future.” Robert’s presentations aren’t just about money. By taking the intimidation and dryness out of financial planning, he illustrates the importance of perspective, looking at the horizons and facing challenges in ways that hit readers far and wide in the gut. On stage, Robert paints a picture for audiences that simply make common sense. When asked how he arrived at his understanding of handling his money, Robert says it was through trial and error to get things right. Refreshingly he admits that he has done “dumb things with his money and still does dumb things once in a while.” The difference is that today he knows it rather immediately. Now he helps others avoid those dumb things! Robert’s is a simple plan. The approach will vary person to person, but there are shared behavioral issues in WHY we spend money that we shouldn’t. For example, we FEEL like if we spend some money it will make us feel better about an issue in our life that isn’t making us feel good. Robert says it is self-medicating in a way, and it doesn’t really help us to resolve the issue. In fact, the spending typically makes matters worse. One of the first things we need to do to conquer our money woes is to change our behaviors and mindset around money. We have to stop looking at wealth as something achieved through ill-gotten gains. And we have to stop looking at the neighbors who have the expensive car and huge home as having the answers when in fact those individuals could be financially leveraged to the max and living pretty close to the bone. By living more frugally and below our means today we are doing ourselves a long-term favor far into the future. Robert suggests taking a deep, hard look at your finances and life, asking what are you happy and unhappy with in your life. Then change those things that aren’t benefitting you. There’s more to getting your finances in order, but that’s what you’ll learn by listening to this common-sense interview. Robert even gives some excellent cost-cutter strategies. Learn more.

Jack and Jill of all trades, Matthew and Kira McClellan, started a company to help lots of people just like you access cashflow opportunities across the world called Direct Source Wealth. This is the company Matthew and Kira built together, starting in the single-family housing space and then progressing through commercial and multi-family. This includes vacation rentals. Kira says she was always interested in real estate investing. In fact, she says she was an “insomniac child” who grew up reading and watching Robert Kiyosaki. She says her passion for real estate has never subsided. Matthew says that success came as a result of trial and error. He and Kira decided to keep going, no matter what. They used guerilla marketing strategies at the beginning and things were going okay, but they wanted to expand. Matthew says though he was scared, he moved forward anyway. He says real estate is an ever-changing market, and investors have to be flexible. Kira says that as a couple, she and Matthew have more strength, but as with many couples, one is a bit more of a risk-taker than the other. This helps her talk to investors about being smart about taking risk. She helps to ground them, so they are in a better situation. Kira says that Matthew is the safety net, because she is the risk-taker. There is a balance. They have learned from each other. Both Matthew and Kira say that they still get the butterflies in their collective stomach when doing new deals. Without that feeling, they say, maybe the deal isn’t interesting enough! Kira says she knows there will be problems in some deals, but she says you can’t let that stop you. Matthew adds that you have to turn the flashlight on in the room sometimes to see what’s in there! That’s a great analogy. The couple says that analysis paralysis is not a good thing. While it’s good to do your due diligence and ask questions, there is a time to take action. It’s a balance thing. Kira talks a lot about having a healthy partnership of balance. Success comes from recognizing who you are and then surrounding yourself with other people who have different strengths. Risk-takers need the very careful partner; conversely the careful analyzer needs to have a risk-taker to push them out of their comfort zone. Wealth is, after all, a team sport! As a real estate investor, you cannot be a one-man band. You have to work with other people. Kira and Matthew have a lot to say about creating a winning team and how to work as a team with investors. They also talk about how to boost cash-on-cash returns and tax benefits through certain types of investment strategies inside real estate. Learn more.

Ever wish you could leave your corporate job and then take a year off to take care of yourself as you also transition to your new life? That’s exactly what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Jane Blaufus did… and, yes, she is living the life she wanted to create. Why? Because she believed in herself, took a risk and created it. She also did a lot of planning her exit strategy. Jane even wrote a book about how to claim our lives, With the STROKE of a Pen. So where did this global business-building firecracker come from? Canadian-born Jane Blaufus was raised at the knee of an entrepreneurial mother whose first five businesses failed and the sixth become a fantastic success. Jane’s father was an engineer. As a result Jane knows that it takes a lot of planning to go with any entrepreneur’s dreams. Jane also learned that entrepreneurs keep going, even after failure events, and nothing is an overnight success. There are really long hours involved. Like many “overnight” successes, it took Jane about 10 years to create her success. This popular author, speaker and “Catalyst for Courageous Conversations,” Jane says you can’t go into something wearing rose-colored glasses. Look instead with realistic eyes. That particularly is true when you look at other people’s entrepreneurial endeavors. That’s why Jane is big on hiring coaches and mentors to help keep us on track. Jane says her superhero moment wasn’t really a moment. Rather it came in a series of moments and life events over time. First, her husband quit his six-figure corporate job to do what made him happy, which is pounding nails. He is now a very successful contractor! Jane says he made this change in how he would earn his income because the light had left his life in his corporate job. Jane watched the light return to him when her husband started doing what he really wanted to do in life. Next came a series of life events, an injury and a change at her office where she was in charge of managing a lot of people and was miserable. The stress was making her physically ill. Long story short, she put in her notice, quit her job and headed home, yelling out the car window as she drove away, “I’m free. I’m free. Thank God, I’m free!” Jane then spent time to regroup and explore her soul to figure out what she wanted to do next. She realized she didn’t want to be an employee ever again and that she needed to release the inner entrepreneur she always knew she was meant to be. There were things that kept Jane from taking the leap years earlier. Learn more about Jane’s unique path. You might find that what she says about how her J.O.B. made her feel inside and out resonates with you. Learn more.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Dorie Clark is a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, TIME, Entrepreneur, and the World Economic Forum blog. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, Dorie is the author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future, which has been translated into several languages for global distribution. Her most recent book, Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It, was released in April 2015. In this interview, you learn about how Dorie became the brand expert she is today. Born and raised in a small town, Dorie found her way to college early, so she could get out of the small town and its stagnating mindset. She thought she was on a path to becoming part of academia, but found life would offer more opportunities. Dorie held different jobs, including a stint as a political journalist, and ended up as a business and branding consultant. She admits that she’s not quite sure where her passion for entrepreneurialism and her drive to become a professional came from, but she has a lot of gifts to offer in these areas. Long story short, Dorie created her own brand and then helped some very well-known companies build theirs. Listen in as Dorie talks about all sorts of topics, including what being an American means to her, why she cares about world news and how to solve problems through branding. To Dorie, branding is “foundational” and is a necessary component to the success of your business. She adds that we’re taught that if we just put our heads down and work hard we’ll get to our goals and good things will happen. That’s just not the case, particularly not today. You must develop your brand and you have to put your message out to the world using all the tools at your disposal. So what’s Dorie’s goal? To see the best ideas get out there so everyone will know about them! She also talks about finding our genius and how to go about sharing their talents in ways that others will take notice. Learn more.

Sales coach, founder of Actus Sales Intelligence, host of Boss Academy Radio and sales academy leader, Paul Kirch started in Gallup and moved around in research organizations. He knew he was strong in sales and that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. However, he said his fears held him back. He accepted a great sales job instead. That’s where he learned to build relationships and trust, because that is what great sales is all about. Things were sailing along fine and he moving up the ladder in his industry. Then something shifted. The company was bought out almost overnight the company culture shifted to something that made him and his wife who also worked there miserable. That was the push he needed to head out and start his own company. Paul says his wife was eight months pregnant at the time, yet she was very supportive of his move into entrepreneurialism. Actus, Paul’s company, is the brainchild of that decision to take control of their own life and finances. Now Paul reports being happy and fulfilled. In this Cash Flow Diary podcast interview, Paul shares with us the steps he had to move through to shift his mindset to doing what he really wanted to do to start a company where in his first year he paid himself nothing. There was a lot of risk, but he did it anyway. The outcome was to create a successful company. One of his very first steps once he took the leap, Paul wrote an article titled “The Cowardly Entrepreneur.” And just like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, Paul discovered that everything he needed to be a successful entrepreneur was already inside him. Listen to Paul as he walks us through all the steps he took to get where he is today. He promises you have what you need to replicate his journey. It will take some courage. Learn more.

So, who is Robin Smith? She’s the clever founder of WeGoLook® a company you find online that sends people out to look at whatever you need them to look at. Like properties! And it doesn’t matter the marketplace. Check it out at www.wegolook.com, then come back here. Or vice versa. WeGoLook is the first-to-market diverse field services platform featuring over 15,000+ agents in the United States. Agents capture dynamic data and complete a variety of custom tasking on behalf of an individual or corporate customer and are required to pass background checks prior to doing so. Data capture includes photos, video, observations, measurements and completing customized report templates. Custom tasking includes picking up items then delivering to a shipper, retrieving courthouse records, notarizing documents and more. Robin wasn’t born an entrepreneur, but she says she was born with a pioneer spirit. From a very young age she tried different sales businesses… even in grade school. She started by making yarn belts in second grade, and things were going well… until the principal shut her little business down. (Even though the belts were in school colors.) Then she move to making and selling Christmas decorations and other things. Eventually, this farm girl from Oklahoma grew up and learned everything she could about CRM. She started her own consulting company, which meant she had to learn her clients’ businesses and solve their problems. This would put her on the path to what she does today, one of the most unique enterprises around. She designed a business around the lifestyle she desired. So how did Robin come up with the idea of WeGoLook? From an interaction with a friend who was trying to make a purchase on eBay for a piece of technology. The friend was nervous, because she wasn’t sure if she was getting a good deal. Robin found someone to “go look” at the item. A company was born, which is based on crowdsourcing and a huge and growing network of “lookers.” So next time you need feet on the street to look at anything across the country, here’s a company to contact. Robin said she was shocked that no one was doing this type of thing, so she created the company and has been smiling ever since! Learn how Robin’s company works and how it can make it work for you.

Do you ever use excuses for why you don’t do anything, why you procrastinate, why you don’t take action, why you don’t make calls, or why you don’t do whatever it takes to move your needle forward? If so, this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast is for you! In this lively interview, guest Tammy Stanley shares ways to stop the little voice inside our heads that tell us we can do all sorts of chores and tasks just to avoid making calls we need to make. She says to stop with the excuses! Why is qualified to tell us this? Because she could have come up with all sorts of excuses, like having to care for four young kids or moving to an area where she never lived before, to keep her from taking action in her life. But she didn’t. In fact, she built a massively profitable business doing sales training and business coaching. However, her trail to where she stands today had a rough start. Her father passed away when Tammy was really young. Maybe what she witnessed her mother accomplish after that left a mark. What did her mother do? She went back to school to become a teacher while working and raising her children. Tammy was able to attend a couple of special high-level schools. One was for accelerated learning. That’s when Tammy learned German. After a bit more education and a stint as an assistant teacher in an intensive German language class, Tammy headed to Germany and after about 30 tries landed a low-paying job. She was persistent and she was grateful. The next few years were a whirlwind, Tammy married and then later divorced, and she had children and remarried. All the while, Tammy was adding to her skill sets. In short, Tammy didn’t let what she didn’t have or know stop her from going to Germany and immersing herself in a culture she didn’t know, speaking a language she didn’t know all that well, and creating a life… without any money when she got over there! Tammy took a risk. She jumped out there and tried something new. The same is true when she started her own business. She says that she chuckles when people tell her that they don’t have time to do something. That’s because everyone has time to do whatever they need to do. She thinks perhaps it’s more that we don’t want to look bad doing something new. However, that is no reason not to take steps anyway. In Tammy’s book, Carpe Phonum, she talks about how to get over the hurdle of “call reluctance.” She explains the reasons for why we avoid making sales calls, which makes a whole lot of sense. Tammy explains why we procrastinate in making calls and how to make that annoying inner voice shut up! She also gives great tips about how to tackle projects big and small, and how important it is to work in little chunks of time. Learn more. Listen to this lively interview now.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Jason Swenk works hard and plays hard. He even drives race cars! Professionally, Jason is an author, marketing expert (a.k.a., digital-preneur) and customer creator. At least he knows a lot about how to get customers and clients to find you. The funny thing is that Jason got into business designing a website to poke fun at a friend who looked like Justin Timberlake and fell into a pathway. Then he found his passion. Jason says it’s really important to bring your passion to whatever you are doing, and find a business in which you can use that passion. Ask yourself… what do you really like to do? Sometimes we fumble around as we look for our path. We know we want to do something, but we aren’t sure what that “something” is. The same thing happened to Jason. But he found out that he loved building fun, cool websites and marketing in the digital space. He started a company and in short time his company was servicing very large and well-known companies and brands. After 12 years he sold his company and then had to find a new way to serve people. That took a couple of years, and he is doing just fine. So what’s his secret? Jason says it’s pretty simple. “Systems outperform talent all day long.” If you aren’t having success, you likely don’t have good systems in place. Jason has systems in place, so he sets a goals of working less than 100 hours a month. He also doesn’t have a bunch of employees. He uses technology and delegation to make sure his systems work. Jason says we need to have clarity, which includes a plan. We have to know where we are going on our path. That helps us say YES only to the right customers and clients that will get us to our end goal. You cannot and should not reach everyone. You need to target your customers and clients. You have to figure out how to find those targets. This is part of your system. Once you have the foundation built, you take the next step and start adding to your systems. What’s interesting about Jason’s take on entrepreneurialism is that he has an interesting point of view on failure. For example, he was trying to develop an iPhone app, but it didn’t feel right and wasn’t going the way he wanted, so he stopped. Some would call that a failure. It’s not. Jason says if you start a business and it’s not going well, you have a choice to stop. It is not failure. It means you are making a choice to stop and try something different. What a refreshing point of view! So what does Jason say to do after that? And how exactly does he generate about 80 leads a day without attending bunches of networking events and using other traditional ways? You’ll have to listen and then you’ll know!! You’re going to want to do that, because this interview is calming and reassuring to the entrepreneurial soul. What Jason says in this interview is absolutely true! Learn more.

As President of the International Stress Control Centre, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Dr. Kenford Nedd spends a great deal of time researching the physiological impact of happiness and stress. He treats patients from far and wide for anxiety, headache, pain, and stress disorders. The good doctor has worked with a wide range of individuals and even heads of state and the topmost executives of the world, teaching them how to control their responses to stress. In this eye- and brain-opening interview, Dr. Nedd gets to the root of stress and the illness it can create if we don’t learn to take control over it. In fact, he tells us that stress is at the root of about 95% of symptoms his patients have presented with over his career. When he realized that, he focused on helping as many people possible understand that stress is only the response we have to perceived difficulties in our lives. And that could be anything from traffic jams to full-blown negative life events! No matter what is going on with us, we can control our reactions with four simple steps in about 11 seconds! (Of course, the steps involved may be repeated as often as necessary.) Because stress is a physiological response mechanism, we are more powerful than we think when it comes to taking control of it during negative events… and sometimes when it’s simply a new experience that we must walk through. An entrepreneur’s life is full of stresses. Maybe a deal isn’t going exactly as planned, perhaps team members aren’t playing nicely in the sandbox, there might be a financial set back or any number of events. In life it’s the same. Lovers leave, jobs disappear, houses can be lost and, well, you name it. But we can absolutely change our reactions and responses to whatever might be going on in our lives. We can even embrace happiness during it all. This is critical to our health, because stress depresses our body’s ability to combat illness. It sends impulses to the heart, brain and other parts of the body that shut down the production of cortisol, a very important factor in combatting disease. So what does Dr. Nedd say? That we only use about 1/10th of 1% of what we possess in our brains, and that we have to pull from within to focus on changing our response to stress. We must tell ourselves that we CAN handle “it,” no matter what that “it” is. Stress affects our health, our memory, our mood and our ability to earn a good income. Since life is made up of a series of stresses and stressors, we better learn how to quiet the thoughts that create the stress reaction in the first place. As with anything worth learning, it takes practice, but Dr. Nedd gives us the blueprint in this insightful interview. To start with, he says we must learn to breathe and then focus internally while moving through the external experiences. Go into stress-combat training! Learn more about the four quick steps to managing stress and embracing happiness.

Part of Cash Flow Diary’s accounting and finance team who works very closely with our CFO, Linda Solis takes on the “not-so-glamorous” tasks like making journal entries to keep the financial side of our business running smoothly. This is critical to success of all areas of our business. One of Linda’s areas of expertise is reconciliations. She says that’s because she likes putting puzzle pieces together to make a great picture. Linda also says that accounting and her tasks wouldn’t appeal to everyone, but she loves all the organizational side of things. Because we move so fast around here, we need Linda to keep the financials on track. So how we find her? Through relationships! Linda worked with our CFO and when she required more assistance, she called Linda. As luck would have it, Linda had just become available, first on a part-time basis and then moving into a full-time position. Because analysis is a strong suit, Linda is a welcome asset to all we do, but especially on the real estate investing side of the business. As your business grows and expands, you will need someone like Linda, too. So how do you find that team member? You might start by asking associates if they know anyone they trust. Referrals are an excellent place to start. If that comes up bust, you will have to be more assertive in placing ads online, putting out a call for resumes, use Linked In and consider talking to a staffing recruiter. Then ask your candidates a whole lot of questions. In our case, because the CFO had already worked with Linda, her skills were already vetted. By her own admission, Linda is an introvert, so she prefers not interacting with other team members and the public. However, she has learned that coming out of her shell is not so scary. She is getting to know the other team members now and reports having a good time. That’s something you want to do with your team members… help them grow and become more than they currently are. If you build the people they will then build the business. Wealth is, after all, a team sport! And as Linda says clearly during this interview, she’s a member of a team where all members care about each other. Learn more about how we do things behind the scenes here at Cash Flow Diary and how we all keep up with each other.

A real estate investor for 30 years with four books and two radio shows under his belt, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Gene Guarino narrowed his investing focus to a niche that earns top income. So what is it? Residential assisted living facilities! However, Gene wasn’t always a real estate investor. He was a struggling musician without any cash or credit. That didn’t stop him from making an offer on an office building he needed at the time with no money down so he could open a music school. That led him down a whole new path and a pretty fair profit come time to sell the building. Later he discovered assisted living and what a great investment opportunity it is. Gene says assisted living is the investing space he loves because it serves a whole lot of people. What he offers is something between what we see on Golden Girls and the hospital setting. Gene takes single family houses and turns them into nice residential assisted living homes. There’s one caregiver to every five residents. Gene’s typical assisted living home houses 10 residents. Though the monthly cashflow is good, it’s also a more affordable option to these residents than living in a big, impersonal residential complex. With 77 million Baby Boomers, all of whom are growing older by the day, the assisted living arena is a burgeoning mega-trend. According to Gene, this business is awesome now… but it’s going to be even better 15 years from now! One of the benefits of owning assisted living homes include great tenants with low turnover. Typically three to seven years. So how many of these homes does Gene own? Three and counting. He doesn’t know how many he will own, but he sees the massive opportunity. He says to be successful in this business you need to invest in larger homes, put a few staff members in place, put a manager in place, and make sure the amenities are good for seniors. Gene adds that he looks for more affluent neighborhoods. That doesn’t mean luxury homes; it means middle to upper middle class homes. Keep the home clean, safe and up to code, and you can have a waiting list a mile long! There’s so much good stuff in this interview that you’re going to want to rush out and open a few assisted living homes. Learn more.

We found Kim Kaupe and Brittany Hodak, founders of ZinePak, on Shark Tank, one of our favorite shows. In fact, we love the show so much that we do a weekly Inside the Tank review show that airs live every Friday at 10 p.m., PST. So how did Kim and Brittany get started? They met while working in advertising, where they had both landed after growing a little disenchanted with their prior work. One was in the music industry and the other was in magazine publishing. It must have been fate, because in 2010 these two smart women formed a great new business, ZinePak (fusing the words “magazine” and “package”). So what is a ZinePak? A grouping of tangible products for super-fans of entertainers, shows, movies and any number of celebrities across lots of different industries. You can find them on the shelves of Walmart nationwide! In less than five years, ZinePak has grown into a company of a dozen dedicated entertainment superfans, who’ve worked with entertainers as diverse as Katy Perry and KISS; properties ranging from the very popular movie Frozen to the massively popular television series Orange Is the New Black; and brands including Unilever, MillerCoors, and American Express. Millions of fans have spent tens of millions of dollars buying ZinePak products in more than 20 countries. Listen to the story of these bright, young, female entrepreneurs. Find out why ZinePak and its founders earned recognition on “30 Under 30” and “40 Under 40” lists in Advertising Age, Forbes, Billboard, and Inc. In fact, the company was named 2014’s Most Disruptive Young Company in Marketing by Empact at the United Nations. As you listen to this Cash Flow Diary podcast interview, see if you resonate with the choices Kim and Brittany made when making the jump from advertising to what they’re doing now. They talk about overcoming their fear, weighing it against their realization that they weren’t happy in their jobs. They each took a risk, which turned out to be the right decision. While they aren’t overnight successes, it surely happened quickly. We can’t wait to see what they do with ZinePak next! They have plans for expansion in very clever ways. Learn more.

What is virtual real estate? Simply stated, we’re talking about online businesses… or web-based businesses and app-based businesses. So what does Jock Purtle know about buying and selling online businesses? A great deal. It’s what he and his team does in his company, inessDigital Exits. Jock got into this niche market by buying his first online business in 2009, which he funded by private capital. His father was his investor. Jock then fixed the web property up by getting more traffic to it, converting more customers and systemizing processes to create appreciable value. He sold it at a good profit. It’s kind of like fix-n-flipping in the real estate investing community. However, he didn’t jump feet first into this line of work. In fact, it took him nine months to pull the trigger on the first deal he did because he wanted to make sure to find the right deal. That first one was an undervalued marketing site. He says that is one of the best types of online businesses to buy when starting out. Online drop shipping business are also a good way to get into this business. So, how does Jock find these undervalued pieces of virtual properties (a.k.a., websites)? Just like in real estate investing, he looks for trends, he talks to brokers and sellers, and then identifies areas of growth opportunity. He says the biggest cause of an online business’ undervaluation is its conversion rates. Traffic is second. Margins are third. As a former accountant, Jock knows his numbers, especially when it comes to valuations of online businesses he considers purchasing. Make sure you have a pencil handy when listening to this truly unique Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. This is a whole new arena of entrepreneurial buying and selling. There are many similarities between what Jock does and what real estate investors do. That includes getting seller financing and buying-and-holding strategies! Today Jock runs his brokerage company and owns a couple of businesses himself, which are in a growth and expansion mode. He says he looks forward to what the future holds as he ramps up his business model. In this interview he tells us exactly what we need to get into this type of business, including the due diligence you need to conduct. Learn more.

Mega property flipper, syndicator, multi-family property investor, CPA and leader Matt Owens says he’s had to learn to delegate now that he has a family. That takes the right team members and systems. On this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, Matt shares his path in real estate investing with us so he can help us avoid a few pitfalls. What qualifies Matt to teach us anything? He’s flipped hundreds of properties! He is also the founder of OCG Properties. As a CPA, he really knows numbers, too. After college Matt worked for a couple of CPA firms working with really big real estate clients. He helped them with their internal controls and to decrease their tax liabilities. These companies were so large, in fact, that they were buying multi-million-dollar properties without blinking. That’s when a light went off in Matt’s head. He realized he was sitting on the wrong side of the table… so he learned how to do real estate investing. His parents and loved ones thought maybe he was crazy, but obviously he was not. He was bored in his job and wasn’t earning great money. He had little satisfaction in what he was doing. He could have worked his way up, but he saw how many hours the higher-level executives in the company were working. He didn’t want that for himself. So he took a chance. Matt had to transition from being a corporate worker to being an entrepreneurial real estate investor. He says it took self-confidence, and with the right education and continued support he could take his first steps. He adds that it comes down to breaking your mold… or the mold other people in your life have made you believe you should stay in. Matt says he feels more alive now than he ever did in his 9-to-5 job. He says he loses himself in what he does. That’s one way to know you’re doing what you love in life. What’s not to love as an investor? When you reach the point where your passive income surpasses your expenses each and every month, you want to continue having that experience. It is a driver! When asked why he quit his job to pursue his dreams, he says that he felt if he weren’t in fear of being thrown to the wolves he might not have done so well. He says that we need to risk dumping the comfort level to push ourselves to do our best. In this deeply introspective interview, Matt openly shares about his fears, failures, challenges, how he kept going even in the tough times and how he kept expanding to create the life he truly wants. You’ll learn some cool strategies and a lot about the mindset required to do well as a real estate investor and entrepreneur. You’ll also learn how Matt got back in the saddle after the 2008 crash. Here’s a hint: He learned to raise private capital and not rely on banks.

Dave Sanderson is a survivor. No one will ever dispute that, because he was the last passenger off US Airways Flight 1549… also known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” You may have heard about this flight in the news. It ditched into the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. On that flight sitting in seat 15A, Dave Sanderson had no idea how much his life was about to change. It started with the words he heard the pilot say over the loud speaker, “Brace for impact.” Dave says he had to get his mind around what was happening and literally brace himself, from the physical to the emotional… really, really fast. That required what is required from all of us in times of crisis… no matter where that crisis takes place. He had to put things in proper order and get ready to do what must be done to get through the event. Dave says other than that event it was a normal business day in New York. But the day took on a whole new level of abnormal that none of us would relish. Dave had given up his seat at the front of the plane on another flight to get home earlier. He was at the back of the plane on that fateful day, and he was largely responsible for the well-being and safety of others, risking his own life in frigid water to help other passengers off the plane. He stayed in control of his response to this event, and that’s what we all have to do when faced with less-than-positive life and work events. In this stirring episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, Dave talks about his harrowing experience and how the attitudes of the passengers on the plane were able to work together, united by a common mission. Dave says that leaders stepped up all over the plane to help others. Those with the best skills were given the leadership position. What Dave and the other passengers accomplished in six minutes that day had never been pulled off in the history of aviation. What happened when Dave emerged from the wreckage was that he now had an important mission; he wanted to encourage others to do the right thing in life and business… in every situation. Listen as Dave shares the story of downed Flight 1549 as he reveals the inner strength it took to make it through the crash and how teamwork, leadership, and state management helped. He took what he learned during this event to the external world to help others overcome any obstacle. He talks about how controlled chaos helps us maintain in times of stress. This is a whole different type of Cash Flow Diary episode. You’re going to learn a lot about how to be a true survivor and the skills necessary to get through stressful situations. It starts with your ability to control your emotions and reactions. LISTEN NOW

Years ago, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Adam Hommey realized that entrepreneurs were making a huge mistake in creating and growing their online presence. This mistake was costing them thousands of dollars before they even got started. Maybe this is because he’s known as a “secret weapon” for lots of businesses and entrepreneurs! The founder of The Business Creators’ Institute™ and host of The Business Creators’ Radio Show™, Adam is the king of conversion. It’s something he does for himself, for example, earning $60,000 and 89 new coaching clients in a single afternoon! The creator of HelpMyWebsiteSell.com, Adam says you don’t want to waste time and energy sending visitors to your website; rather he says to send them to web PAGES, which means your landing pages, webinars, live online event pages and the like. Adam says he doesn’t just want anyone coming to his pages; he wants to send the three “P”s: Those who are Prequalified, Prepped and Pumped by the time they get to the webpages. This becomes your sourcing mechanisms. Then there is the website conversion conversation where you help your fans, followers and prospects get to know you, like you and then trust you enough to try what you have to sell. Adam says you need to take your concepts and give them a name to create a new center of influence for your brand. But he doesn’t stop there. This guest is so full of excellent suggestions to expand your exposure and build your brand through online conversion techniques that it’s hard to keep up. Adam speaks as quickly as his mind works… super-fast!! You might need to listen to this episode a couple of times. He says the more you can give away that is of true value to visitors to your web pages that will bring them real results the more you will have conversions to buyers. You need to let them know what you have, and there are lots and lots of ways to do that. Adam talks about that and how it works in different markets and industries. Real estate investors and professionals will find some hidden gems in this episode. Hint: Take notes when Adam talks about Las Vegas. Now, sit back and listen as Adam Hommey runs us through a variety of scenarios to make your web pages work better for you.

Holy smokes! Once in a while we have a guest whose story is so raw, so gripping, and so full of pain and overcoming that it’s nothing less than amazing that he got through all the dark to reach the light on the other side. That’s how it is with Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Willard Barth, international business and life coach, speaker, mentor, creator of the Anatomy of Transformation and all-around life-success story. Willard went from living a life of total destruction to one that involves helping a lot of other people move through the seven stages of transformation (a.k.a., Anatomy of Transformation). The first of the seven phases are: Ignorance, Awareness, Taking Responsibility and Immersion. Willard had to go through a lot to come to this understanding. Born and raised in the central mountain region of Pennsylvania, somewhat like the Waltons, Willard Barth grew up humbly. He says he faced massive personal challenges that helped make him the person he is today. For example, he lost a leg to cancer at the age of 8, but that didn’t stop him from being very active in sports. Externally he looked like the all-American boy; inside he was a wreck. At 13 he began drinking and doing drugs to quiet his pain. From there it was a roller coaster ride. By age 20 he was sitting in a jail cell with a 5-year sentence. At first, he was fortunate enough to be sequestered with inmates who had been jailed for lesser crimes. On his last stint, because he was an amputee, he was housed in the medical section of the jail with murderers and rapists. It was a completely different experience… one he didn’t want to repeat. The sequence of events that began his transformation started when he got out of jail and wanted to be outside for a while. He no longer wanted to be a “bad ass.” Homeless, he hit the road for a while because he didn’t want to be confined. But he only stayed clean and sober for a short time. While on one hand Willard was trying to straighten out his life, joined a band and was playing gigs, on the other he was drinking and acting out. His wake-up moment was August 17, 1989. He woke up in a parking lot, drunk and not knowing how he got there. He realized that one of these days he was going to kill someone through his selfishness and stupidity. His tipping point was when he realized that he would have to live with that knowledge and wouldn’t be able to handle it. Long story short that was the last time Willard would take a drink or do drugs. He’s been clean and sober since. It was a long crawl out of the deep, dark hole of anger he’d dug for himself. It wasn’t until he was in serious rehab that he learned that he was really, really angry. Once he transformed his life, he was then able to help others transform theirs. This is one of the most unique Cash Flow Diary podcast episodes you’ve likely heard. You’ll want to brace yourself for one heck of a story that tells you that you have the strength inside you to get through anything if you put your mind to it. Learn more.

Results-oriented international business coach and mentor, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest John Murphy knows what it takes to build and lead a team. That’s what he’s done himself and has helped lots and lots of other entrepreneurs and business owners do across the globe. He even hosts a podcast on the subject. When you start out in your business, you wear many hats as you focus on selling your product and/or service. As you get better at selling and become more and more successful, your business grows.Then something happens. You need other people to help you get to your goal. And you get to lead them! That takes leadership skills. And it takes clarity. It also means that you have to become the CEO, which can be a challenge for some people. Why is John qualified to talk about these topics? He learned from the bottom up how to do it himself. In fact, he started out as a door-to-door life insurance salesman. He did plenty of cold calls and knocked a great many doors, beginning with those in Dublin. Why Dublin?Listen to John’s accent and you’ll understand. John says what he learned over the years is that as the all-hats salesperson and new business owner you can be selfish and run things the way you want. But as you move up the ladder and hold higher-level positions, you need to change the way you operate. You cannot be selfish and you have to work with others… and their skill sets and personalities.Everything needs to be in alignment. Once John climbed the ladder in a corporate environment, which he says he stayed in too long, he wanted to head out on his own to be the entrepreneur he always wanted to be. He considered all the jobs he held and things he’d done as “training ground.” The good news is that he used all his skills in building his own business, which is very successful today.In this episode of Cash Flow Diary John talks about what it takes to be a highly effective salesperson, why persistence matters in all we do, why we stay in some corporate positions even when we really want to leave that “fur-lined mouse trap,” how to transition to being an entrepreneur and business owner, and how to develop leadership skills. So what pushed John to take the leap? Boredom was at the root. John says a bored employee, even at the CEO level, is not good for any company. John gives us a lot of excellent advice and covers a lot of ground in this episode.

For more than two decades, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Mike Agugliaro has run a very successful business, Gold Medal Service. In fact, it has grown into a multi-billion-dollar business! However, his path didn’t take him directly to this level of success. He started out as a very hard-working electrician. This self-proclaimed survivor of divorce grew up in the middle of a terrible game of tug-o-war between his parents. He says it may have made an impact on his stay-on-the-hamster-wheel mentality that worked against him. Interestingly, he says he felt like a dog lying on a nail. Someone might wonder why the dog doesn’t move. The answer is because the dog got used to the nail. So what changed? Mike’s mindset. Immediately after the birth of his son, an event he almost missed due to being on a job, he broke down in tears. He knew he couldn’t keep DOING the work any longer. With that epiphany he began listening to others who have gotten out of the rat race and learning a new way of thinking. He learned how to become a business owner and kept taking action steps with his partner, so they could build a business to be proud of. The first thing Mike says he had to do was to learn to think like an entrepreneur. He realized going forward with his business idea would be no more painful than the pain he’d experienced already working job after job after job as an electrician. He had to learn to be okay with the idea of failure. After all, each failure event brings with it a lesson from which to learn. Mike didn’t just start his business and grow it to what it is today, he now shows others how to do it, too. This business owner is also a coach and author! In this episode, Mike talks about the “X Factor” in business, why understanding your perfect client/customer is so important when setting out to achieve success as a business owner, and what else you need to know to grow your business the right way, like how to effectively use “stackable marketing.” Join J. Massey and Mike Agugliaro as they discuss how to change lives, change your industry and leave a legacy by saving others from going through growing pains. In short… serving people! Learn more.

Growing up poor in Los Angeles, Jason Hartman always liked the idea of having more money. He didn’t like being poor and had to find ways to earn money. He says he started working at age 14, which taught him a lot. He says he’s learned more by DOING in life than by any other means. That’s what he talks about in this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. He also talks about how to create long-term wealth with investment properties, which is also what his podcast is all about. But Jason wasn’t always the mega-talented real estate investor he is today. He did, however, start on this path at 16. That’s when he saw an infomercial featuring real estate guru Robert Allen, and that’s when Jason was bitten by the real estate investing bug. He thought “even he” could do this real estate thing. He was absolutely right, but it would be a couple more years before he figured out how. In fact, he can thank his mom for nudging him along, because while Jason bought Robert Allen’s book and only got through the first three chapters, his mom picked it up and read the whole thing. She also attended lots of real estate investing seminars and educated herself on the business of investing. When Jason was 18, his mother invited him along and he attended his first seminar with 9 friends. By day two of the seminar, only one friend remained. Jason stayed for the entire three-day event. He enrolled in real estate school for just $99 and earned his license. It was all signals GO from there, and at the age of 20 Jason was selling government repo properties. The short story is that doing this put $43K in his pocket in a month! This college drop-out is the most financially successful of his high school class, thanks to real estate investing. Moreover, his wealth is a direct result of his openness to being a lifelong learner. Beyond all he learned in real estate school, he also learned from his first transactions as an investor. For example, the first time he decided to become an investor – and not just sell or wholesale properties – resulted from one of his first clients coming back to him for help selling a property Jason had originally sold to him. Jason thought he’d like to keep it as a rental property. Things didn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped, but he learned a great deal in how to handle tenants. This includes how to do evictions, though he says he doesn’t have to do much of that these days. He found his sweet spot, somewhere in the middle tier of investment properties (a.k.a., “Target” properties). Jason said he couldn’t let his not-so-positive first-time-investor event hold him back. As Jason puts it, anything worth doing requires persistence, so he stuck with it… and he stuck with real estate investing. He now invests across several states in different types of properties. Even so, he chooses to rent the property in which he lives. Sound strange? There are good reasons. Learn why!

A mentor, speaker and trainer whose practice serves business owners and entrepreneurs across several countries, Hans Finzel wrote the book on what it takes to be a great leader. In fact, he’s written a few. His top seller is The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, which gives you the low-down on how NOT to be a good leader. The good news is that if you apply what Hans teaches, you can turn yourself around over time and be a much better leader… one that others will want to follow and then help you as you build your business. This is important, because you need a good team. If you’re not a good leader you won’t have one, at least not for long. Without a team, you’ll continue wearing all those heavy hats and do everything yourself. According to Hans, great leaders do not control; they serve others and they listen to what their people have to say. Just like the most effective entreprenuers, the best leaders know whom they serve and they put their best listening ears on whenever they are talking with members of their team. Hans says we need to avoid “top-down” leadership. That’s where the leader is a control freak in one regard or another. He adds that we all have strengths and weaknesses, and that we as the leaders do not have all the answers. To build a business takes a whole lot of communication and hiring the right people on your team. That comes down to the four C’s of hiring… and that starts with the person’s character. Hans says we can avoid uncomfortable firing issues by using a few cool strategies when hiring from the get-go. For example, do not hire permanently until you know the person is right for the job and fits in with the other members of the team. If the person lacks people skills, it will be hard on everyone else on the team, which means a harder climb to the top for your business. Better to hire on a three- to six-month trial basis. Hans gives excellent, expert tips about building necessary leadership skills, the importance of developing people skills, why we need good communication skills, how to hire the best people and how to get them to stay, and how to fire them gently if they don’t work out. In fact, Hans has so much to say about building your business through being a great leader that you will want to take notes. Then you’ll want to implement all he says to do!

What do Cash Flow Diary podcast guest John Klymshyn and host J. Massey have in common? More than you might think! Listening to this sales-centric episode will delight your ears and tickle your brain, because John and J. cover a lot of ground when it comes to what it takes to be a great salesperson. As a top sales trainer for the past 16 years, John has learned a thing or two about sales and negotiations. He says one of the keys to sales success boils down to developing great listening skills, and adds that effective selling has nothing to do with convincing others to do anything. John also stresses the importance of being very clear about whom you choose to serve and having a fair exchange of value. This impressive 7-time published author, trainer, coach, speaker, entrepreneur, business owner, husband and father developed a trademarked process to help us move conversations forward successfully so we can close more sales. He also wrote a book a few years back, The Ultimate Sales Managers’ Guide, which continues to sell well for a reason. It’s his deep understanding of the sales process and human behavior. But John wasn’t always so knowledgeable. He said, like anything worth doing well, it took a lot of training and practice. Listen in as John talks about his very first sales job. As you listen, put yourself in John’s shoes during the experience and you might cringe. He was shown to his desk, handed a phone book and told to start dialing. He was also told that if he didn’t close a deal quickly he’d be shown the door. John watched a lot of people walk past his desk and out the door for good. He didn’t want to be one of them, so he listened and learned. Who did he listen to? A mentor sitting right in front of him… the top sales producer for the company. What did he learn? How to listen! A self-proclaimed “language fanatic,” John says that he loves language because it is the great Grand Symphony of life. But that is just the beginning. John Klymshyn has a lot to say about a lot of things… and they are all critically important to us as entrepreneurs. You absolutely will want to grab a notebook before listening to this episode, because you will want to take notes. Be prepared to get schooled on the art of the sale and learn a whole lot of other good stuff, too, including how to get through your dark nights of the soul!

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Pat Hiban is not a million-dollar real estate investor; he’s a billion-dollar investor… with a “B.” This investor and business owner currently owns 14 companies and 48 lines of “horizontal income” sources. He also has a pretty cool real estate investing podcast you should check out! While you’re at it, be sure to check out his book, 6 Steps to 7 Figures, that gives you an in-depth look at how to create a big income ADD entrepreneur style! Obviously, Pat is a very accomplished entrepreneur. However, this was not his intended path. Pat thought he would be a probation officer! Because that didn’t blossom soon enough, Pat thought he might go into sales, but that was a tough path, too. He looked too young and inexperienced, so landing a sales job was harder than he thought. He put his thinking cap on and thought he might become a real estate agent, so he took the tests and earned the credentials. Then he entered the real estate investing realm. His transition was interesting, because he had to change his mindset from a commission-based mentality to an investor mentality, which allowed him to quit his job as a real estate agent. According to Pat, once his monthly passive income from his real estate investments exceeded his monthly expenses he was able to start thinking about work differently. He got to do things that were fun and interesting to him, which is why he owns so many companies and lines of income. Pat started helping others with their businesses, which gives him tremendous satisfaction. Pat’s lifestyle reflects what many investors and business owners desire to replicate in their lives. Real estate was the foundation from which Pat could create the life he has now. Along the way, he learned new skills that he uses today, for example, reading a profit-and-loss statement and financial statements. You will find this episode vastly interesting if you are also interested in creating more horizontal lines of income… also known as sources of passive streams of income!

An authority in business credit, Ty Crandall is an author and CEO of Credit Suite, so he might just know a few strategies to help us build our credit in ways we might not have heard of before. As most successful entrepreneurs, Ty’s path to becoming who he is today and what he does to solve problems for other people was not a straight line. He had to experience a few unexpected twists and turns, bumps and really big dips. Ty started out in the military, but when he got out he knew he wanted to go into business for himself. The first company he owned was a mortgage company and it was doing really well… until the housing market crash. Then Ty got to experience the down side of business ownership, which included losing his business, which had a trickle-down effect in his personal life. He had to build back up. When he learned about business credit and how building it could help him repair his life he wanted to help others do the same. He couldn’t find an advocate for building business credit, so he became one, which lets him help a great number of entrepreneurs. Ty tells us that by using business credit vs. personal credit, we have a lot more flexibility and options as we grow our business. This credit is linked to your business EIN number, which means the business can get lines of credit and make purchases without you having to personally guarantee the debt. The business becomes liable and can achieve high credit limits that can be used in real estate transactions and other investments. However, it’s not an overnight event. It can take one or two years. You can start by getting vendor credit for your business quickly and build your credit from there. Next comes store credit cards under the business name, and then actual credit cards and lines of credit. Ty suggests opening an office supplies account first for all the office supplies you need for your business. In this energetic episode of Cash Flow Diary, you are going to learn some great and little-known tips and longer-term strategies in building your business credit. This can help you become a bigger, badder, better real estate investor and business owner! Learn more.

William "BJ" Johnson knows a lot about basketball. After all, he is USA Basketball's Assistant Director of the Men's National Team! Before that he was a basketball player. In college he was on the Villanova Wildcats in North Carolina, destined to receive a scholarship a little late in the game, but getting one all the same. He chalks it up to persistence. Listen to this insightful Cash Flow Diary podcast interview to learn the full story. You'll learn a lot about BJ and his mindset that allowed him to be the success on and off the courts, and how being able to pivot to life's changes is allowing him to create the life he desires. He says that educating ourselves and growing our financial intelligence makes the difference. Understanding the financial decisions we make in youth impact us far down the path in life, too. This is something he now helps young players understand. He helps them to understand that thought they may be making a fabulous income currently they still need to be taking steps to ensure a good quality of life later. While saving money is always good, investing it is even better! BJ practices what he teaches, too, because he invests in real estate. Whether you are into basketball or not, this episode is a must-listen for everyone who seeks to have a good retirement and needs a little motivation when it comes to real estate investing.

KimBerly Keyton with a big "B" is a BIG part of our team here at Cash Flow Diary. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast you will learn just how big as she shares her story about how she landed a key role on the team. KimBerly is the VP of Operations who handles all of the deal details J. Massey's awe-inspiring REI transactions. She also manages many but not all aspects of the properties. When it comes to real estate investing, KimBerly knows her stuff. However, this wasn't always her path. Like many other entrepreneurs, the path she's on now found her. It started when she met J. while taking real estate investing training. They hung out, drank coffee and discussed real estate and life. At that time she had been on a more traditional university-to-corporate gig track. In fact, she earned two degrees... one in music and the other in environmental science. The latter will come in handy for any future "green" real estate deals. KimBerly's musical inclinations give her a creative outlet. Plus, she can always teach piano if she gets the urge. Listen to this Meet the Amazing CFD Team interview and learn how KimBerly's role has morphed and expanded since her start on the team in 2011. Learn how her skills as a master of organizer and advance planner fits in with other team members' skills and how her skills are critical to the organization as a whole. Perhaps you will want to find a KimBerly for your team!

People always want to know about the team members standing behind the curtain with J. Massey at Cash Flow Diary. We’ve been promising to introduce you to them, and the time has come! What better way to pull back the curtain and give you a good, long look than to let these talented individuals tell you about themselves in their own words? In this first episode in our marvelous “Meet the Talented Team of Cash Flow Diary” podcast series, you’ll hear from Sandra Rea, our head writer extraordinaire. Listen in as she talks about what lead her to work with J. Massey and his terrific team, the different and varied paths she took to get through the gates, and what she aspires to accomplish with us and in her writing life. She discusses a range of topics, including what being an entrepreneur means to her and why she wouldn’t have it any other way, her life as a ghostwriter, and how she creates a true work-life balance while keeping up with the demands of being part of a furiously fast-paced environment. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to become a professional writer for hire, Sandy (as we call her around here) spells it out for you in this enlightening episode. She’s one of the fastest writers in the west and loves creating content that rocks. You’ve seen her work all over the Internet and in national consumer and trade magazines, especially if you are a pet lover or fitness enthusiast. This published author’s work can also be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Regarding her work as an author, Sandy writes dark humor pieces and children’s literature, as well as blog pieces and web content for a variety of industries. That should give you an idea of her range, which is something she talks about in this intriguing interview. According to Sandy, if she had listened to the people who told her to focus in on just one area of writing when she first started she wouldn’t have come as far as she has and she wouldn’t have hundreds of writing credits to her name! All this and she still has time to participate in real estate investing, too. Learn more.

From about the end of February to April 15 each and every year, Americans move through a special season. It doesn’t come with a colorful, icing-laden cookie shaped like a tree or reindeer, and it doesn’t come with decorations. What is it? Tax season, and it has the power to get millions of Americans stressed to the gills and very frustrated. Some taxpayers procrastinate to the bitter end, standing in long lines at the post office on April 15 just to make sure their tax filing is postmarked with that date. These people make the news year after year, too. They rarely look happy as field reporters hold mics to their faces and ask why they waited so long. Maybe it’s a thrill to wait till the last minute, or maybe it’s because these people aren’t happy with how much they have to pay. Perhaps they don’t know that there are ways to keep from paying way more in taxes than they have to. And every bit of it is legal. That’s right. There’s a fat rule book written by the good people at the IRS that tells us all how we can pay less in taxes and take legal deductions that can dramatically cut taxes… sometimes to zero owed. In fact, there are FOUR things you can do that the government actually smiles upon that specifically reduce your tax burden. If you do one or more of them this year your stress levels come tax time next year might just be reduced significantly. That’s because you can get all sorts of tax credits when you do one or more of these four things! Plus, there is a fifth thing that you can do to help someone else reduce the amount of taxes he/she will pay! Do you know what the five things are? Do you know about all the tax credits available to you? That’s what this short Cash Flow Diary podcast episode is all about. If you want to learn why wealthy people can “get away with” paying less in taxes than the average hardworking Joe, you’ll need to understand the difference between being a consumer and being a producer. That’s also what you’ll learn in this special tax-time episode.

Did you know you can use some types of IRA accounts for investing purposes? Like a self-directed IRA, where you get to make your own decisions about how the money in your account is used. That means your IRA gets to invest in Real Estate transactions and in businesses. But before you rush to your IRA manager, take a breath and educate yourself a little. As with any IRA there are rules and prohibited transactions. That’s what this incredibly informative Cash Flow Diary podcast episode covers. Taken from a live webinar featuring J. Massey and Udirect’s very own Kaaren Hall that we recorded at the end of 2014, this episode promises to give you much of what you need to know about the power of using a self-directed IRA. Take notes as Kaaren talks about “sweat equity” and how the IRS says you cannot “over-contribute sweat equity” in a property in which the IRA invests. That means you cannot be the one to swing a hammer in the rehab process. You can’t get your hands dirty doing any of the improvements. Kaaren also explains in depth about prohibited transactions, for example, you can’t always do business with relatives, family members or even in-laws. There are good reasons for this ruling. If you want to avoid legal hot water, you need to learn how to manage your self-directed IRA. There are many grey areas. You need to be very clear on using an IRA for investing purposes. The great news is that you absolutely can use your IRA and it’s a smart way to create much brighter, financially fit golden years. Learn more.

We're into the second quarter of 2015. Where are you in your plan? You set goals that you want to reach by certain points in the year in life, business and finances. Are you moving the needle forward? Did you hit your first-quarter goals? Did you hit the ground running in January and now find that you're running low on steam? Are you making offers and doing deals, working consistently toward your overall goals, hitting a few, and then using the strategies and knowledge you've learned from Cash Flow Diary to keep moving forward? If not, why not? Too many times we let too many things get in our way of achieving success. That's because we let negativity, personal challenges in life, professional challenges in business and chaos to keep us from taking action. If this reflects where you're at right now, stand up and walk outside. Start opening your mouth and talking to more people. Success truly boils down to a shift in your mindset and developing the skills that will allow you to keep moving, no matter what. Chaos is actually opportunity! This special episode, taken from a recent live event, is meant to give you a big dose of inspiration to help motivate you to take action and then take more action. There is no magic bullet. Success and financial independence requires front work and continued action steps. This is a little different type of episode and it's full of excitement. Let it help you to get excited about what you're accomplishing in business and life.

Ever wish you had a mentor in your corner who could give you the answers to all your burning real estate investing questions? What about those times where you're not sure if a deal is a go or no-go? That's what Q & A with J. is all about! Each week at 4 p.m., PST, Cashflow CORE Members get their questions answered LIVE and in real time by a very seasoned real estate investor... none other than J. Massey. He rips deals apart, runs the numbers, and helps members understand what they're learning in CORE courses, like Deals at Discounts, Capital Creators and others. Pretty soon, even more members will have clever questions to ask, like about investing in multi-family properties, too. After all, we'll be releasing that video course before summer! Many of those who participated in the live Investing in Multi-Family Properties mastermind group a few months back are doing deals and sometimes have questions as they move forward. They ask some good ones, too! J. has a lot of fun as the host of this web show. He gets to answer questions about wholesaling, fixing and flipping, raising private capital, investing in multi-family properties, how to run a proper Cashflow 101 game, how to talk to investors and where to find them... and so much more that viewers always get something out of logging in. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, we get a behind-the-scenes peek at a recent Q & A with J. that -- just like all the other episodes -- are recorded so members can watch them any time they want. Listen in and you might just learn some pretty cool strategies you can put to immediate use in your real estate investing business. If you're not a member, takes notes. You're sure to learn something new. If you like what you hear, maybe it's time to consider membership.This show is just one of the perks!

Cash Flow Diary podcast episode and founder of Peninsula Strategies, Robbie Kellman Baxter has worked with top companies, including Survey Monkey, Shopify, Yahoo and Netflix. However, she says she still loves to work with small companies, too! What’s great about this fact is that you as a small business owner can learn from her and then apply some of the same tactics to your business that the big dogs use. One of Robbie’s extra-special talents is in helping companies grow their community and membership bases. Before Robbie was a top membership-mogul maker, this self-proclaimed rule-follower who went to the right schools and took the right jobs realized when she was laid off during maternity leave that she wasn’t in charge of her own destiny. So she became an independent consultant at a time when it wasn’t common. Her second eye-opener was when she realized she wasn’t just a fantastic consulting generalist, but rather she discovered her super power of really honing in on a company’s specific challenges, particularly in what they need to do to create predictable revenue. She now uses her super-cool strategic consulting powers to help all sorts of companies succeed by strategically leveraging their capabilities to move into what Robbie calls “the membership economy.” She says that for today’s business owners, they have to understand that engagement with customers and clients is an absolute necessity if they expect to grow the company’s cashflow predictably. It boils down to your customers’ access to ownership. For example, instead of owning thousands of DVD movies you subscribe to the Netflix monthly membership to gain access to the movies you want to watch that are available to you 24/7 around the clock! In the real estate world that comes in the form of vacation properties you rent for a week or two, hotel rooms, time shares and the like. Robbie shares her deep expertise in how we can participate in and benefit big time from the subscription-based membership economy! She offers a tremendous amount of information you can use immediately. Get ready to jot down some new terminologies you need to know to give your business a boost, no matter what type of business you have. Learn more.

LinkedIn is a professional social media site that can be an excellent lead-generation tool for business owners in the right hands. Like anything else, it's a matter of learning how to use the tool effectively to attract the target customers. If you don't know how to do that, listen to this episode of Cash Flow Diary. LinkedIn marketing expert and seasoned CFO Josh Turner shares a whole lot of excellent information. He's been using LinkedIn since 2006 to build his business and generate leads. He got really good at it and started using LinkedIn in marketing for his clients' companies. Then a light bulb went off! He could create an agency to offer this helpful service to solve other business owners' marketing challenges. In this episode this LinkedIn guru talks about strategies you can use to boost your presence and use it as a business development tool. Josh talks about how LinkedIn is all about building relationships, putting out the right messaging and keeping your focus on whom you want to serve. Turning back the clock, Josh wasn't always the LinkedIn expert he is today. He took a more traditional path. At one point in his career, he was the CFO of a business that had to close its doors. And that wasn't his first less-than-positive experience working in other people's businesses. He also admits to mistakes in his own ventures. But there was something about that one closure that opened his eyes to other possibilities. He would try his hand at being a freelance CFO... and he found his passion for helping others. Where did he find his jobs? You got it... LinkedIn! If you're looking for a good CFO, LinkedIn might a great first step. Josh gives a lot of great tips beyond that one strategy you may want to try.

Marketing is a part of every business, because without it... how in the heck will customers and clients know about you, your products and your services? How will they know that you can serve them and provide solutions to their problems? You're in business to provide solutions, right? That's what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Noah Fleming talks about in this interesting episode. He is an expert in marketing and tells us how to get customers to come back time and time again. He even wrote a book on the subject titled EVERGREEN! So does this mean Noah was always an entrepreneur? Not really. While he grew up being entrepreneurial-minded, he still took a more traditional path, attending college, taking a corporate job and then finding out that he REALLY hated it. Three hours into his first day on the job, Noah knew it was a mistake, but he hung in there for another six months. At that point he'd had enough and resigned. Long story short, Noah put in his notice and started entrepreneurial ventures, helping business owners everywhere to understand what it takes to market their products and services effectively in a way that keeps value going long into the distant future. Noah's is a tale of growth and continued learning. He started simply, got really good at customer retention and went on to be a valued consultant, speaker, author and expert in his field. Noah's story offers a good many tips for us all! Learn more.

Born in Upstate New York, Cash Flow Diary podcast Jon Harris was bitten by the basketball bug early on. Though he didn’t end up going pro, he did just fine as a player and then went on to help other basketball players and pro athletes transition once their professional athletic careers come to an end. First he helped them through a non-profit he worked with after college. Later he became more involved in player development to help athletes prepare for what life would be like once they retired from professional sports. They would have to learn how to function effectively on the playing field of life. Truth is that active players and former professional athletes alike can use Jon’s assistance and guidance. The average career in most professional sports is not all that long. In fact, it can be as short as three years! So what happens when you’re young, retired and have a whole lot of productive work years ahead of you? The myth is that pro athletes earn so much money that they’ll never have to work again. That’s far from the truth in most cases. Plus, there’s another side to the coin. Those who earn enough money to retire and live the life of their dreams can get real bored real fast. After all, how much golf or leisure time does a guy need? It is often more fulfilling to contribute to society and be productive and proactive in one’s own business. That’s where Jon comes in. He helps pro athletes make this entrepreneurial transition, and he starts even before they’ve retired! Hey, transition takes time. Whether you’re into sports or not, you’ll want to hear what Jon has to say. Like any great entrepreneur, he recognized a problem in his marketplace and came up with solid solutions.

Wanna increase your cashflow? Get in front of more people! That's something we absolutely agree with that Cash Flow Diary podcast guest and inbound marketing expert Tom Schwab says in this process-centric episode. Tom wasn't always an entrepreneur. In fact, far from it! After he graduated from the Naval Academy, Tom went to work in a nuclear power plant onboard an aircraft carrier. He says that when peace broke out, he headed out to work in a Fortune 500 company where he learned to hate his corporate job a little more every day. Then something happened. He realized he could break out of his self-made prison and take charge of his own life! It would take courage and action steps, but he did it. In fact, over time he did it really, really well. One of his first successful endeavors was with Goodbye Crutches, a very interesting niche business. What pushed him to become an entrepreneur is when he looked at his life and did the calculations on how many days he might have left to achieve his goals. He decided he'd rather take his chances at the helm of his own dreams vs. being a cog in the wheel of someone else's. This former Navy man understands that strategies win battles. He tells us the difference between bright, shiny, new tactics that don't last long vs. long-term strategies that let us grow a business. Understanding this point is critical to your success. There are so many usable bits of knowledge and great tips about online marketing and inbound strategies in this amazing episode that you're gonna want to take notes!

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest and author of Third Circle Theory, Pejman Ghadimi is not your average entrepreneur. In fact, while the world may have called him an entrepreneur since the age of 25, Pejman would argue the point. He says he wasn’t really an entrepreneur till about seven years ago. Before that… since age 25… he was simply self-employed. Prior to that he was employed by a bank while pulling down a very handsome salary. That’s not the amazing part. What is amazing is that he started working at that bank at the tender age of 18, quickly working his way up the corporate food chain. Even more amazing, that wasn’t the first time he had reached such success. Pejman began working as a telemarketer at the age of 14 and learned to handle himself in that job so well that in quick time he went from earning twice minimum wage to earning $500 per week! He went on to take over management of his division and learning a lot about how to run a company in the process. It was information and skills he would use over and over again as he started new businesses. Maybe Pejman learned a thing or two about building a business from his mother, who after fleeing Iran with him during the revolution opened a business supplies company in France. Watching her try to do it all on her own, Pejman stepped up to help out financially. That’s why he took his first job and why he worked so hard. He was also able to save quite a bit of money over his first years. By age 18 he asked his uncle to help him buy a house. That started Pejman on a new path. He wanted to learn more about Real Estate investing and money. He had a lot of hard lessons to learn, too. For example, he had to learn that being a mouthy, pushy, egotistical person didn’t serve him well. He admits that it was this cockiness that lost him his lucrative job at the bank, but it was that action that opened his eyes. Pejman says being fired from a job where he earned a fantastic income put him on a path to becoming. Becoming what? The man and entrepreneur he is today… one that helps others on their path to becoming. Pejman came to several forks in the road of his life and took many interesting paths. His story is very insightful and incredibly honest. Maybe you’ll hear a few things that will help you get onto a new path.

Former hedge fund manager who retired young, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Todd Tressider has leaned a whole lot about the good, the bad and the ugly of retirement. When asked why he'd leave such a lucrative career behind to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor in the area of financial mentorship he said that he decided it would be more fulfilling to teach others how to accurately and realistically plan for their golden years. While his new path was a bumpy road at times, it ends up that it was a fantastic decision. Todd says he is a happy man, because he gets to spend vacations and summers with his kids. He gets to participate in lots of outdoor activities like incredibly long hikes (the distance of which will amaze you). This Financial Mentor podcast host and 5-time author whose books are helping readers everywhere understand what it takes to get to a great retirement and how to build wealth in lots of different ways has received massive exposure in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and several others you'll recognize. He's even been on NPR and Market Watch. Why? Because this man knows his stuff! He says that during his 12 years in the hedge fund business, he learned everything one needs to know about creating wealth, but he says it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. We have to calculate into the equation (of how much we need to put away for retirement) our lifestyle and occupation. What skills we have play into our plan! During this fascinating and incredibly in-depth look at financial fitness, wealth-building tactics, cashflow creation strategies and retirement planning, Todd gives us the inside scoop on why we shouldn't buy into the myths about retirement. He brings to light such refreshing new insights in this interview that you may not believe your ears. One is that what matters most is happiness. But he doesn't stop there. You might want to take notes as Todd talks about paper assets being a "wealth parking" vehicle and the investments that make the most sense. (Guess what one of them is!!) Todd talks about a variety of cashflow creation tools and how we need to create a balance in our lives, including both fast and slow paths to wealth. You're gonna want to rewind this one a few times to make sure you get all the points. It's pretty amazing information!

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest and best-selling author with several books under his belt, Dennis Kimbro calls Atlanta his home and calls out to us to hear the truth in this interesting insider's look at what it takes to be successful in life. He should know. Dennis has interviewed a whole lot of successful millionaires and billionaires. Yes... with a "B." It all started when Dennis got to wondering why some people could create wealth and success in their lives while others couldn't... or didn't. He wrote an article after interviewing 50 successful entrepreneurs. This lead to something pretty cool. A very well-known publisher contacted him to write a book about highly successful black entrepreneurs. Dennis has been the first black man to do a lot of things, which you'll learn in this episode, but he wasn't the first person to interview successful black individuals. In fact, Napoleon Hill was the first, and he was working on the interviews at the time of his death in 1970! Dennis has learned a lot in his travels and conversations with the high-achieving successful of this world. He says he sees four criteria that are shared by literally all whom he has interviewed. These people are 1) passionate and work with a committed mind, 2) inner directed vs. outer directed, 3) dedicated to lifelong learning, and 4) refuse to fail. Dennis says we can have the success we crave if we continue to seek wisdom always, we keep learning each and every day, and we focus on our dreams wholeheartedly. That's just some of what Dennis has to say in this explosive and highly energetic episode. Don't miss a word of this one.

Since 2002, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Keith Weinhold has been investing in Alaskan properties and earning killer cashflow in that market. Keith has invested in multi-family dwellings, single-family houses, and what he calls “vacant investment land,” as well as oil and gas… and now coffee (agricultural lands). You can hear more about him and what he does by tuning in to his Get Rich Education podcast in iTunes. Keith wasn’t born and raised in Alaska. He found happiness in Anchorage, and says the money followed. He’s in a place he loves… and that he loves to invest in. For Keith, the path to being a Real Estate Investor wasn’t exactly planned. He was working a W-2 job, putting money aside that he eventually used as a down payment on a four-plex. He lived in one unit while renting out the other three. That proved to be a smart move, but he wasn’t prepared for all he’d have to do as the property manager (a.k.a., tenant manager). He made a lot of mistakes and soon learned that fixing toilets and tending tenants’ needs wasn’t the greatest and best use of his time. He could hire someone else to do that while he spent his time on his investing business. The road was clear for him to leverage his position as an investor and get more properties under his belt (and into his portfolio). Keith says he started with his end goal as an investor in mind and worked his way backward from that goal to get what he wanted. By his second four-plex he had fully embraced the concept of using other people’s money (OPM). Nothing could keep him from Real Estate Investing success! Keith kept learning and earning, making bigger and bigger investments… and not just in Alaska. Learn how he initially got on the Real Estate Investing Road to Success and how he puts OPM to use in really big ways.

Mark Podolsky describes himself as a “corporate refugee” and middle man in a very long sales cycle in the financial industry. He bumped into a guy who was hired at his firm and who was also flipping tax deed properties online on the side... and earning good money doing it. Mark asked the man to take him to an auction. Mark had $3,000 in his savings account that he used to buy a few pieces of property. Then he flipped them online. Not long after that Mark went to a tax deed auction in Arizona and was pretty much the only person in the room. He got the properties and flipped them to earn more profit. For 18 months Mark juggled his day job and tax deed auction activities. That’s when the money he earned in flipping properties surpassed his income as a 9-to-5 worker, and he felt comfortable in quitting his job. He could have done it a lot earlier, but this Cash Flow Diary podcast guest who is also known as The Land Geek admitted to being afraid to take the step. He was fearful that he had just gotten lucky… to the tune of a rather immediate $90K! The good news is that it wasn’t a fluke. Mark found his passion in flipping land to create cashflow and plenty of it. But he had to go through a transition in his mindset first. Mark knew he wasn’t happy in his corporate job and says he started dreading Monday as early as Friday night! He had to develop courage. However, it was not an immediate process. Pushing through the fear, he finally turned in his resignation, sick stomach and sweaty hands included. Then he got to work in his new business as a Real Estate Investor who structured land deals. He did that for about 10 years, at which point it was no longer a challenge. He Learned that he had to keep taking steps. Why? Because while he was doing really well financially he also got depressed. In truth, he was sort of bored. He knew every aspect of the business. So he started teaching others how to do what he does. The result is that Mark feels a lot more fulfilled these days. He’s not working just for the money! What a great way to give back. Learn more about Mark’s path to success as a Real Estate Investor who buys parcels of land to create a great passive income.

Want to achieve a comfortable retirement? Listen to this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, because guest Roger Whitney, a true retirement expert, tells us how to live well today without sacrificing your lifestyle down the road! Roger says all he’s ever done is help people with their financial goals. Because his clients want to know how they’re going to live well now and later, he began specializing in helping people in their retirement goals. In short, he helps them plan for an independent lifestyle. He’s even working to complete a book with an interesting title, SCREW RETIREMENT. (It’s not yet available… sorry.) Roger learned an early lesson due to a family tragedy that living only for tomorrow isn’t a great plan. There’s no reason to live on rice and beans just so you can afford to live on rice and beans tomorrow. Think about that statement for a minute. That’s what this episode gets us to do. The question becomes how in the heck do we earn a good living and ENJOY life now while building streams of income that will give us a whole lot of gold in our golden years? Roger has the answer. In fact, he’s known as The Retirement Answer Man! He is well qualified to answer your questions about retirement, which starts with his asking you a few. When it comes to topics around retirement, this self-professed geek with a great number of letters that follow his name (indicating that he has the skills that support his words) has a lot of guidance for the average guy or gal. He says planning for retirement is not as intimidating as we make it out to be. Roger walks us through the process and takes the scariness out of it by approaching things in a comfortable, conversational style. Actually by having us deal with big topics through lots of little conversations.

How do you build a multi-million-dollar Real Estate business in the middle of Ohio as a transplant from Australia while simultaneously running several businesses? That's exactly what our Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Engelo Rumora does every day of his life. He says it is his purpose and his passion, and he loves every minute of what he does because it is bigger than himself! Engelo says he will always consider himself a blue collar guy, no matter what happens in life, which keeps him humble. He quit school at the age of 14 to pursue a career in soccer. That didn't quite work out the way he'd planned, so at about 18 he became a working-class man. He worked in construction to make ends meet until one day he met a Real Estate agent who took him under his wing. Engelo became this man's apprentice to learn all about Real Estate transactions, which would serve him well in life. About that time someone gave him a gift that changed his perspective on things. It was a book, Rich Dad Poor Dad! That put Engelo on a path to consuming lots of books and content so he could be the best entrepreneur he could be and to prepare him for all the up's and down's he would encounter. Engelo then made a decision. He would start flipping properties and have his own business. No more working for other people. He had lots of failure events and made mistakes, but just kept going. He says that no matter what, we entrepreneurs must keep moving forward. These events are just part of a marvelous journey. He adds that one of his favorite quotes is that the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you learn WHY! He adds that once you find your purpose it becomes bigger than the dollar and bigger than just your own goals, because you want to see what you can accomplish for everyone in your life. In this truly inspiring episode, Engelo shares his views on how one finds his purpose and how to keep moving toward the goal post, no matter what life throws our way. Things rarely if ever go in a straight line. As entrepreneurs we have to be ready for that and for the periods of limbo we will ultimately experience. We also have to understand that everything we do in life will serve us well once we find our purpose and passion. We just have to stick with it, says Engelo. Learn more about Engelo's journey and see if you aren't way more inspired by the end of this episode to go for the gold in whatever you're doing as an entrepreneur. (You'll love his accent.)

When you hear the word "sales" or "selling" does your stomach do a bit of a flip? That anxiety is something you need to push past, because if one thing's for sure... Selling is a part of all we do in our lives, especially professionally. Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Mark Jamnik helps to remove the fear from your perception of "sales." In fact, by the end of this episode, you might just embrace sales in a whole new way! Mark makes sales and talking about selling fun. Maybe that's because Mark's a natural salesman. But he had to develop his skills over time. He learned this early on as he sold all sorts of things growing up (and enjoyed it). In high school he started a lawn care business. He earned good money doing it. When he went off to college Mark hired others to mow his clients' lawns and he still earned money. BINGO! A true entrepreneur was born, but Mark still had a lot to learn. After college, he went into a professional sales job, but it was a pretty bumpy road. He left to begin his own business, but fooled himself into thinking it would have nothing to do with sales. He had to go through a process of learning that he had to embrace his sales abilities and that sales were and always would be a part of all he did. He replaced the word "sales" with "serve" and started finding ways of serving people (not selling them something), and success was assured! Now he helps others go through the same process to find their passion and path, just like he did. Learn how selling and serving others is applicable to your life and business in this mindset-altering episode!

As any entrepreneur worth his salt will tell you, you're gonna get knocked down a few times on the way to your goals. It's that you get back up stronger each time that makes the difference. It is the only way to become successful. Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Diamond Dallas Page agrees. This World Champion Wrestler turned entrepreneur who went on to start DDP Yoga was knocked down more times than he can count. Through his life he was told he couldn't do what he set out to do. Boy, were those naysayers wrong! Nothing stopped Dallas from going for his dreams. From a broken family, Dallas had to overcome tremendous challenges, including undiagnosed ADD and dyslexia that pushed him to communicate verbally and ask lots of questions so he would understand everything going on around him. He says that in his early 30s he was reading at about a third-grade level. That alone would stop some people from moving forward in their dreams. Not Dallas. He pushed through to become a nightclub promoter, where he could put his verbal communication skills to good use. But that's not what he wanted to be forever. He really wanted to be a professional wrestler, but everyone told him he was "too old." He was 31. So he thought he'd try his hand at being a sports commentator. He put his energies and creativity into making an interview tape, which landed in the right hands. The tape also landed Dallas on a whole new road in life that he didn't expect, and it came with a lot of big bumps. He set his goals high and kept moving. It took him 8 years and a lot of physical and emotional pain to overcome, but he has lots of proof that believing in oneself pays off. If he ever has doubts, all he has to do is look at his World Wrestling Championship belt and Google DDP Yoga! Diamond Dallas won the belt late in life (according to industry standards) and started DDP Yoga for non-yoga types. He's been on Shark Tank and continues to experience the Shark Tank effect, his independent film "Resurrection of Jake the Snake" was showcased at Slamdance independent film festival and he was featured on HBO's Real Sports in 2014. That's pretty good for a guy other people told was "too" whatever to get very far in life! Learn more about the incredibly inspiring tale of Diamond Dallas Page.

Most anniversaries are celebrated with wine and song, but maybe not this one. Every year, the date of February 13 marks a dramatic and pivotal point in J. Massey's life and the lives of those he loves. It was on this day in 2008 that J. announced to his wife that they were losing their family home and were in big trouble financially. It might sound like an odd thing to commemorate, but it's also a date that will live in J.'s memory forever because squatting in his bank-owned home pushed him hard to change his life once and for all.What happened next put him on the path to do what he does today as an investor, speaker, educator and author. J.'s decision to launch head first into Real Estate Investing training gave him the basic skills he needed. The actions he took immediately upon learning a tip or tactic catapulted him to the head of the class to become the top investor he is today. In this special episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, J. Massey speaks honestly and openly about his experience on this day back in 2008.He shares the exact path he took to get out of his old life of challenge and struggle, and into his new life where lots more freedom and time with his kids awaited. He talks about how and why he developed his Profit Analysis Quadrant tool, and a whole lot more. 

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Kristin Halton of the Kristin Halton Group specializes in luxury Real Estate in the Orange County, Calif., area. Anyone who has taken our training knows that we refer to this as "Nordstrom" property. It is beautiful, expensive, high-end, top-quality and comes with a level of customer service you won't find in "Target" or "Wal-Mart" properties. If you have ever wanted to know what R.E. in the OC looks like, listen up. Kristin is well versed to give you a fantastic tutorial. She knows her stuff! Kristin will tell you that she didn't always live in a place that is easily referred to as a lap of luxury. On the contrary. Kristin was born into a Blue Collar family; her father was a commercial fisherman in Seattle. That's a good thing, because he taught his daughter that if you're going to do something you need to do it right. He also taught Kristin that if she wanted something she'd have to work for it. These lessons stuck with Kristin as she set out to create a premium Real Estate business in the OC. Her group exemplifies the characteristics of a successful business, and her team shares her do-it-right, work-hard mindset! They represent some of the most beautiful properties in the Orange County area, which takes superior sales skills. Fortunately, Kristin became a great sales person early in life... beginning at the age of 15. Her success in sales lead Kristin to become a serial entrepreneur and business owner early in life, too. She started successful businesses in different states, but felt something was missing. A weekend trip to Newport Beach, Calif., gave her the answer. The visit changed her entire path. She knew she wanted to be involved in high-end Real Estate, so she sold everything, business included, where she lived in another state and moved lock, stock and barrel to southern California to begin anew. One of the ways she meets people who might be interested in working with her is through networking at events. That's where she and J. Massey met. (Never underestimate the power of getting yourself out there to mingle at wine and cheese events, business events, investor events and Cashflow games!) Learn more about Kristin, her group and her journey. LISTEN NOW

Before Cash Flow Dairy podcast guest Derick Van Ness became the small business life changer he is today, he was on the same "default track" as most of us. He would get an education, get a job, work real hard, earn enough income to get by and hopefully save for retirement. Fortunately for Derick, he went off track to find a whole new path. However, it didn't happen overnight. In fact, it took a few years. So what changed Derick's way of thinking? First, it was a chance encounter with a high-up decision-maker and leader of his college. Second, Derick became the leader of different groups in college. When he graduated, he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do, but he had already been bitten by the business ownership bug. He just didn't know it fully yet. He headed to Silicon Valley where he would take a sales job. Not just any sales job... a door-to-door sales job. Why? Because he was deathly afraid of doing sales and knew he had to overcome his fears. The good news is that he conquered them; the bad news is that even though he was good at sales he still wasn't earning enough money to live well and he wanted more. A pivotal moment came after his first year in sales when he read his journal entry from his first days as a sales guy. In his own handwriting there it was in black and white. He had stated some big goals. He wanted more money; he wanted to live a great life; he wanted enough income to do a lot of adventuresome things with... but where was that life? Where was that money? For three months Derick pondered life's questions. Then he took a day off from work and spent a lot of time researching the life he wanted. Derick would live his life by design. He spent $1500 on a coaching course and soon found a mentor. He spent every spare moment listening to tapes and CDs, reading books on entrepreneurialism, business and Real Estate Investing. Derick changed his mindset and began thinking in new ways. Want to know the rest of his story? It's pretty cool!

There's nothing better than seeing J. Massey in action as he fields questions from investors and students at all levels of learning. (There are four, you know!) It's like watching an all-star baseball player up to bat who hits nothing but homeruns. J. knocks the answers out of the park every time! He's not good at it... he's excellent! New investors learn a lot during these live Q & A sessions, but there are seasoned investors that show up week after week to get their questions answered, too. They get what they come for whenever they log in to watch the weekly Q & A with J. web show LIVE every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST. Since the show can only be accessed by Cashflow CORE Members, you may have missed it. We gave you a sneak peek on Monday; we're doing it again (and probably the last time) today in this special behind-the-curtain look at an expert investor in action. Is there anything J. can't answer about Real Estate Investing, what it takes to be an entrepreneur or everything you need to do to set up and run your business? Not so far! Become a CORE Member and see if you can stump him! Better yet... become a member so you can watch him rip deals apart, help you with your deals, answer all your questions about investing, and also get to know the other members. It's a great place to network with lots of likeminded individuals. You might just end up doing deals with other members! That's when the magic really happens. Learn more. LISTEN NOW

Over the past few years we've been growing and creating great educational products, free and paid. If content is king, Cash Flow Diary is the absolute empire of Real Estate Investing education, because we have more video content than anyone we know of in this space. Our written content isn't far behind. Now it's time that we let you pull back the curtain and look inside. Think of yourself as Dorothy about to get her first glimpse of the Great and Powerful OZ! There's a lot going on back there. And it's worth sharing. But maybe you don't need to see the inner workings to understand how valuable the content we offer really is. If you are a regular listener of this podcast, you already know what you gain in the audio content. If you have ever browsed our site, you see lots of free information for the taking. If you are a member of the Cashflow CORE Membership, you don't need anyone to tell you about the massive amount of content, video training, video courses, tools and forms you get with membership. It's a gold mine of opportunity. In fact, did you know we have more than 200 hours of video content? And as we add to it, all the newest training content we create becomes immediately available to members. It's pretty exciting for us to be able to share so much. We want to teach as many people who are willing to take the time to learn. Then go out and earn! As a member you also get to network with some pretty cool real-life investors at all levels. That's in a PRIVATE Facebook group. Deals are done right there! Checks are displayed, questions are answered, support is provided. If you've ever wondered how to do wholesale deals, get your hands on tax lien properties, learn how to buy and hold properties to earn ongoing cashflow via rents, invest in multi-family properties and commercial properties, host the ultimate Cashflow game, and get all the cool tools (like J.'s own P.A.Q. that you could explain on a napkin) and forms you need as an investor and learn exactly how to use them, it's all in the member area. We used to charge individually for many of the benefits and courses you find in the member area, but it's a new year and time for a new way of thinking. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, you get a peek behind the scenes of our weekly Q & A with J, which has been running for the last year every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, and was until today available to everyone free of charge. As of tomorrow -- Tuesday, February 2, 2015 -- this popular weekly web show, where J. Massey answers attendees' questions about Real Estate Investing, their deals and their issues in business will only be available to Cashflow CORE Members. If you have never been in the room for one of these unique LIVE Q & A events, you're missing out on a chance to ask absolutely anything and get your answers in real time. While past episodes will remain archived on YouTube and in the members area for 24/7 access, the only way to see any new Q & A with J. LIVE is to be a member. Those won't be found on YouTube. If what you hear in today's podcast episode of the behind-the-scenes look at the LIVE Q & A with J. show interests you, there's only one thing to do. Become a Cashflow CORE Member. Until then, grab a pen, sit back and get ready to take notes as J. rips deals apart for viewers and shares strategies for success. Listen to how he helps them determine if their deals are go or no-go!

International investor and developer, business owner, entrepreneur and lender Michael Cobb may be doing big things in life now, but he started out small. In fact, he grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, where he learned from his father about the rewards of working hard and keeping busy. What opened his views on the world, however, was that he got to do a lot of international travel in his childhood. That didn't make him fit in with his peers, and as he entered his teen years he knew that small town life wasn't for him. Later, as he entered the adult workforce, he learned two more impressive character traits. One was to work smarter; the other was to serve others. Mike was headed toward "lawyering," but ended up in sales. This choice suited him; he would use his sales skills and people skills later to help individuals from North America invest in properties in Central and South America. This all started after a vacation to a beautiful island country called Belize. Mike fell in love with the area and purchased two condos on Ambergris Caye (in Belize). He kept going back until one day he realized that something was missing. It was financing. There was no easy way for people from North America to invest in properties in Belize without paying the full amount. He came up with a way that would allow down payments and terms. He became a problem solver on a grand scale! Of course, this is just one of Michael Cobb's accomplishments. It's amazing that he remains so humble. This is a powerful episode you won't want to miss! LISTEN NOW

Black Life Coaches founder Dr. Towanna Freeman wears a number of hats. However, each is used to promote a similar purpose, which is helping as many people possible change their lives through integrity-based guidance and information. In fact, what Dr. Freeman does helps more people than she ever imagined possible. Not only is she at the helm of Black Life Coaches, which is an amazing and ever-expanding operation, the good doctor runs a number of businesses and has been quoted in several nationally recognized publications. You are sure to know the names when you hear them. She's also affecting change in women's lives through a book she authored. Let’s just say her bio is really impressive! The absolutely awesome Dr. Freeman admits to watching Wonder Woman on TV as a kid, envious of the superhero’s golden lasso of truth. (How great would it be to have one of those?) Stemming from very humble sharecropper roots, young Towanna learned early on from her grandfather that integrity is important in all she does. She honors her grandfather every day by practicing the lessons he taught. This may have been a challenge at times, because her first jobs were working with the government and in corporate America during the boom of new pager and cell phone technologies. (Remember pagers?) Freeman continued in her IT path for several years before she realized that something was missing… it was her life, which was not her own any longer. She put in miserably long hours and though she earned a great income she felt unfulfilled. She wanted a family and a social life; she desperately needed change. Her gold-paved road had become tarnished, so she took a bold move and ventured out on her own. First she married, then she recuperated in Hawaii, she thought about the life she truly wanted, and then took action steps. Today she helps individuals, entrepreneurs and business owners find more fulfillment in their lives in a variety of ways. As a result their businesses prosper and they have more freedom to fulfill their passions. Freeman’s path includes a pretty cool love story and several transitions. Learn how she got to the point that would allow her to take the plunge in life and business, what the bold action brought to her life and the steps she took to accomplish all she has today and what she plans to achieve next!

Originally from Mexico City, CEO and founder of Arceo Financial Group Edgar Arceo came to America to go into the ministry. While it’s not in the church, he’s actually doing what he set out to do, which is to help as many people possible change their lives. The difference is that he ministers to their financial investment needs. Edgar says that before he could guide others in their finances he had to change his mindset. Then he gathered courage to open his own business. First he worked as a financial planner at other people’s companies. That put him on a path, but Edgar found that he couldn’t agree with the practices at those companies, so he set out on his own. As the owner of his own financial group, he helps all sorts of people get more out of their savings and retirement accounts through ethical, well thought-out plans. One tool he sometimes recommends is called a 770 account. Also known as the infinite banking concept, the 770 is named after the part of the IRS code (by the same number) regarding life insurance. It’s a really interesting investment instrument, and it means you can use it as a life benefit as well as a death benefit. In fact, there are so many benefits to this instrument you’ll want to learn about all of them.

What does Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Katie Krimitsos love more than birds? Business and helping entrepreneurs everywhere discover their true potential! Before becoming the amazing business woman and podcast rock star she is today Katie worked in the corporate environment. But she didn’t enjoy it. Katie stuck with that path for a few years to gain skills she could use on the outside, but took her exit just as soon as she saw an opportunity. Beginning her entrepreneurial journey, she gave being an author a shot. That brought her to all sorts of exciting new journeys, first helping entrepreneurs in Tampa Bay and then the world. What this former high school athlete didn’t know was that her skills as a terrific softball player would come in pretty handy later in life. It takes the same level of perseverance to be good at anything, but especially as an athlete and as an entrepreneur or business owner! Today Katie helps them get through slumps, leading by example. She interviews some of the most amazing entrepreneurial women on the planet, and as they share their stories they affect change in many people’s lives. In this episode, Katie shares with us why attitude and action are so critical to an entrepreneur’s success. It also takes passion and focus. Learn what Katie does to help keep business owners on track.

Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Peter Harris wasn’t always part of University Venture Fund, a multi-million-dollar group that does what it can to thwart poverty from the ground up by helping individuals see their dreams through to fruition. In fact, Peter wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as an engineer. However, his father decided he didn’t like working the 9-to-5 life and became an entrepreneur. That took Peter to a whole new path in life. (And he still followed in his father's footsteps!) The great news is that Peter rocks as an entrepreneur who helps others to the same. Peter’s journey put him in the direct line of the impoverished. When that happened he vowed to find a way to use business to help them change their lives. Peter eventually learned how micro-franchising works so his group could offer that to individuals. This form of franchising can help the most financially challenged reach their dreams of business ownership. To make this happen for all those he wants to help, Peter had to learn a lot. He had to hit the re-start button on some of his personal business ventures, too. He refocused on the venture funding group and now helps students attain the capital they need to get where they want to go in life. Learn how Peter Harris solves problems for lots and lots of people every day. You’ll enjoy hearing about what it took to get him to the place he is now. As with a lot of entrepreneurial tales, the path wasn't laid out for him and it took a lot of dips and turns. Learn more.

You never know who you’re going to meet at a Cashflow game… like health and fitness expert Rick Kaselj. In short, he specializes in helping lots and lots of people get beyond injury and pain. But that’s not all. Today this fitness guru is also one of the most amazing Internet marketers on the planet! He learned how to delegate tasks and his messages to be really prolific online so he can reach his goal of helping even more people. He didn’t just suddenly come to the “magical” way of doing and being. Early on he knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur, so he headed to the library and started checking out the books and tapes of successful individuals. One was Tony Robbins. Rick listened to Tony’s interviews of other successful entrepreneurs and learned a lot of new things. He kept learning. Now he helps 80K people across the globe. Mild-mannered Rick began “brainwashing” himself for success to become the Internet marketing superhero he is today. He learned a technical skill, then learned other skills everyone needs so they can reach success, like motivation skills, leadership skills, emotional intelligence and the ability to manage his money. He had to invite a couple of people to exit his life because entrepreneurs need to surround themselves with supportive people who understand their vision. There is no room for the negative. There are two skills that Rick found every successful individual has in common. Learn about Rick’s path and what these two important skills are so you can replicate their success.

Talk about a super entrepreneur, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Brian Smith’s is just that. The found of UGG, one of the most loved footwear brands in the world, Brian wasn’t always the businessman and free thinker he is today. He was once a desk jockey in Australia who hated his job. Things changed one day while listening to a song by Pink Floyd. It spoke to him in a way that pushed him to make a big change. He quit his job and headed for sunny southern California. As a passionate surfer, the big California waves, beautiful beach babes and free lifestyle appealed to him. Brian figured it would be a great place to determine what he’d do next in life. Nothing happened for the first few months, but then he saw a guy with his feet propped up who was wearing a pair of cool Australian sheepskin boots. BINGO! He’d bring them to America. The road was really rough at first. Through trial and error, Brian stumbled onto the right way to market his marvelous boots… at first to fellow surfers. The rest is history. In this fascinating interview, you’ll learn of Brian’s mistakes, how he kept going in the face of many challenges, how he had to overcome his ignorance of the marketplace, how he learned to plan for the future, how he redirected his thoughts and actions and then what he did to create the success he finally achieved. This is a brilliant story for every entrepreneur with a dream to bring a product to market.

You may know him as a Rich Dad Advisor or bestselling author, but Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Andy Tanner is so much more. He earns cashflow through trading paper assets, which he walks us through in this educational interview. In fact, he really simplifies things so we can all understand the process better. Before being all he is today as a stock market superhero, Andy was just a college kid attending university on scholarship playing basketball. After college he ended up being a public speaker because he had a good stage presence and proved his value as a pretty super sales guy. Then he was introduced to something different. It was a software that helps people learn about investing in the stock market. Andy didn’t know it at the time, but his path had just found him. Because he loved learning about new technologies and didn’t know much about using the Internet in sales... much less the stock market... he had to do a whole lot of research so he could sell the concept of the software. Because he loves teaching others, he was very successful in this endeavor. Andy says that there is no better way to learn than to teach, so that’s what he did. He eventually went on to start a few businesses on his own. He says that he failed a few times but just kept swinging until he found the right fit and a business he could succeed in. He says that his amazing drive comes from the desire for more freedom and flexibility in his life, and to spend as much time as he can with his family. Learn how Andy Tanner achieves cashflow and plenty of it in his life today. You’ll learn a lot about trading paper assets, which is something you might just want to check out for yourself. If you’re looking for a good mentor in this area, be sure to visit Andy’s website. Learn more.

With a common-sense approach that would put the edgiest person at ease, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Aaron Walker has a lot to say about living with accountability and purpose. This phenomenal and highly successful businessman and entrepreneur is also a business and life coach who helps men explore the meaning behind their objectives, and then helps them achieve those goals with greater focus and balance for improvement across all areas of their lives and relationships. This guest is amazing. His confidence and ability to help others change their lives shines through in his words as he discusses a wide array of topics of interest to the soul of any entrepreneur. Aaron talks about how we can create a roadmap to those things we desire and what that requires of us, particularly as men. Listen as he shares his story of how he grew to be the man he is today. Raised in a family with a hard-working father and “never say can’t” mom, young Aaron learned leadership skills that would stick with him through his life. He decided early on that he would be an entrepreneur. He didn’t call it that at the time, and it wasn’t something everyone was doing, but it sure suited Aaron. In fact, he has been at the helm of several impressive entrepreneurial endeavors for more than three decades! In this fascinating, introspective interview, Aaron talks about all sorts of things, including essentialism and what that means in our world today. There’s so much good information in this episode that you might want to listen to it more than once! Don’t take our word for it.

What is a “pracademic”? It’s not a moniker you can put on many individuals, but that’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Michael O’Donnell calls himself. In short, a pracademic is someone who looks at new businesses practically and helps them get off the ground and stay in the air with success under their wings. But there’s more to it than that. Knowing everything that goes into creating, building and expanding a successful business venture has allowed serial entrepreneur Michael O’Donnell help lots of businesses get their start. He even formed a pretty cool Angel investment group to help more business owners reach their dreams. In fact, some of the first businesses Michael started and sold are still alive and kicking stronger than ever… still expanding across the globe! If you need funding but aren’t getting very far, Michael is one of the experts in his group that can tell you exactly why you aren’t getting the funding you seek. There are reasons. This pracademic doesn’t just theorize about what it takes to build a successful business; he’s in the trenches with start up’s every day! If you think Michael was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, you’d be wrong. He was born into a poor family and vowed to grow up NOT POOR. He’s reached that goal brilliantly and continues to help others reach that goal, too. You are going to learn a great many new things in this episode. You’re going to learn new terms and new ways of thinking. You’ll even learn what “intrapreneurship” is and how it works. You might want to grab a pen and paper before you listen to this episode. It offers some very valuable information.

Without sales you don't have a business for long. That's true for all businesses in all industries. One person who knows a whole lot about this topic is Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Steve Daar, the super trooper of profit hacking. This business owner, author and entrepreneur started out as a financial advisor for school teachers of grades K through 12. What he learned is that he wasn't really hired to do any favors to the teachers, which outraged Steve enough to open his first business. In Steve's words, it was an impressive failure, but that experience opened him to what he didn't know and what he needed to learn to make another business be a success. He says it become abundantly clear that to be a success in any business he would have to learn all he could about sales and marketing. He says that he continues to learn so he can help more and more people be more successful in their businesses. He found out that no matter how much specialized knowledge one has, other and different knowledge is going to be needed when it comes to running your business profitably. For example, while Steve knew a whole lot about being a financial advisor, he learned it had little to do with marketing his business. He began talking to marketing strategists and reading lots of books on the topic. He found one thought leader and master marketer, Dan Kennedy, to be extremely helpful. He gobbled up everything he could from Kennedy to help him in his business. Then Seve went on to pick the minds of several other marketing and strategy experts. He ended up becoming one himself and now teaches others how to "hack profits" from their sales through smart marketing. Steve talks about how to make tiny tweaks to your online marketing efforts to double or triple your conversion rates, which creates a whole lot more sales month after month. What you'll learn in this insightful interview is that you probably don't have a traffic problem; it's more likely that other things are going on. You are going to want to take notes through this entire interview, because Steve Daar shares a lot of what he's learned about converting traffic to greater numbers of customers and more sales. You are going to learn a great deal in this episode that you can put to immediate use! Get ready.

Ever met someone who earned $600K in a single day? Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Tony Neumeyer did. Now he gives us a short course on how we can earn lots and lots of cashflow in a short time. This Real Estate Investor, business owner, entrepreneur, author and creative thinker didn’t have anything handed to him. In fact, he had incredibly humble beginnings and had to rebuild a couple of times to build the life he has today. It’s a life he loves! Tony wants us all to know that it is our thoughts that dictate our wealth and success. He shares how he went from dead broke and emotionally spent to earning first $20K a month and then $50K a month and more. Tony says having a real plan, making real decisions and taking real action steps are absolutely necessary in creating the goals you want to accomplish. In this episode Tony talks about what “real” actually means. He says that our new life begins in our brains and in our unconscious minds. Further, our subconscious mind must be aligned with our conscious mind. Tony gives us the inside scoop on how we can reprogram our thoughts and thought patterns to allow success in our lives. He talks about the Personal Programming Messages (PPM) that we feed our minds every day and how we have the power to change the stories we tell ourselves. We can change our negative habits. In fact, we can create success habits in between 21 and 30 days, according to how deeply entrenched the bad habits are. This is accomplished by breaking tasks down to doable bites. Tony’s PPM method can help us turn the tasks we don’t enjoy doing to something we look forward to because they draw us toward everything we want in our lives. And he’s not just talking about money! Tony goes deep into this topic in his book, but you can get a better understanding right now in ways to accelerate your outcome.

Talk about essential skills, guest Maggie Patterson rocks at one of them… intelligently crafted communication! An experienced marketing copywriter with two decades working with all types and sizes of businesses, Maggie has written a whole lot of copy that converts to sales! In today’s episode of Cash Flow Diary Maggie talks about what you are really selling. Here’s a hint: it’s not what you think! Communicating your brand is so much more than your products and services. You can learn a whole lot from listening to this rock star writer and marketing professional about the logical flow of communication and telling the right stories. Maggie talks about how your back story links to what you’re doing now. This guest has a refreshing message… what is your story? And how do you bring it out with a really unique flavor? You’ll learn that building your funnel and your database is kind of like building a house. You have to be really clear on what your customers and clients need from you. In short, you have to create relatable moments for your base. This is just the tip of the iceberg on what Maggie has to share in this bold episode. Learn more.

As we continue the Essential Skills series, there is one topic that can’t be stressed enough. It’s SALES, and no matter what we do in life we are involved in sales. After all, sales equals service and there is a fair exchange of value. The simple truth is that you can’t have customers without sales, so you better have a plan to get more of both! Sales is a necessary part of any business and your success in that business. That includes your Real Estate business. Nothing happens till you make a sale. That means you have to be clear on your pitch. This requires you to ask five questions. Listen to this episode to get these questions and learn how to arrive at the answers. Consider the first two questions as powerful seeds that will create the strong roots of your business. Then you get to water and nurture the heck out of those seeds for a period of time. During that time, you’re going to gain a lot more clarity and makes lots of decisions. Clarity leads to power. Decisions are absolutely required in order to cut off other options. With clarity and decisions you get to take action steps. The good news is that in your Real Estate business, you get to move more quickly. Some people think they need all the information to make a decision on a property. That’s not necessarily true. You’ll have to listen to this episode of Cash Flow Diary to get the inside scoop on creating more successful sales in your business and why you actually love sales. This episode covers a lot of ground.

Author, speaker, business and money coach Joan Sotkin said she was a mess before she realized how her emotions were holding her back from becoming a millionaire. She says that once we are aware of how we actually feel about money and success we can achieve our goals. For example, we have to look at our upbringing and the habits we developed in early childhood. How did our parents think and talk about money and wealth? Were there negative experiences we embrace that could be holding us back? It’s not who we are; rather it’s how we behave that creates the lives we have now. While some personality traits cannot be changed, and we wouldn’t want to, we can create a new identity. Joan says she was the girl who was always being rescued, so that became her identity. She wasn’t well emotionally and physically, and that sense of unhealthiness became a part of her identity. When she had the epiphany that these identity traits were holding her back from the wealth and happiness she craved Joan flipped the switch to move toward creating her new identity. She talks about how she had to get through what she calls the “moving stupids,” which she explains happens to us when we are in the process of creating our new identities. Hers came in the form of being one of the first new-age originators with Joan’s Stones that were in 600 stores. This business brought her $30K in income every month, yet she went bankrupt because she hadn’t yet learned the habits of a wealthy person, like managing her cashflow and saying no. She had to develop new habits. The good news is that she did and grew her wealth again by helping others prepare for and create the lives they want. The creator of Prosperity Place, Joan Sotkin teaches us how to remove our heavy, old, tired emotional baggage to allow true prosperity to enter our lives. She says that while we have no money is actually the best time to train our brains to prepare to handle the wealth, and then we won’t just create it, but we will actually be able to manage our money well. Everything starts with our feelings. We have to start shifting away from our past habits and break the negative feelings we may have about money.

In today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, you learn about another necessary skill for entrepreneurs, business owners and Real Estate Investors. It’s flexibility! Why is being flexible so important? Because sometimes your best laid plans will go awry. That means you’re going to have to be flexible to adjust and take the necessary steps to turn things around. Think of it as a form of mental yoga. It’s okay if things don’t go as you intend. It’s how you respond and what you do when things go off track that matters. J. Massey learned this early on from one of his mentors. He always said, “Blessed be the flexible because they’ll never be bent out of shape.” He’s right. The more mentally flexible you are the better. You’ll realize that no matter what happens you will be okay. You’ll live and even thrive if you are flexible. You can’t avoid issues in business. J. talks about some of the surprises he has experienced in building his Real Estate Investing business. He shares how he had to grow in his flexibility in the different areas in his business, including marketing and advertising. J. has had a whole lot of unplanned events he’s had to deal with and manage. Lately he’s had a few of them in his family life. However, because he maintains a flexible mindset, he is able to bounce, which is something you need to replicate. Entrepreneurs must quickly interpret when change is required and then take the necessary steps to get to the new goals. J. covers a lot of ground in this introspective episode.

In the last episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast the focus was on learning to fail forward and fail frequently because it happens to be necessary to your success as an entrepreneur. In this episode the focus is on another necessary skill you must develop to be a successful entrepreneur and investor. It’s marketing! With the New Year fast approaching, marketing is a subject you need to put your mind to and get ready to follow through with your marketing plan in a big way. It’s a sure bet that if you don’t pay much attention to your marketing strategies… or if you don’t have any strategies in place… you could be doing a whole lot better in your business. This is especially true in Real Estate Investing. Marketing is far more than the definitions you find in any dictionary online or off. What marketing really means is getting out into the world to let people know you exist and that you can solve their problems! In Real Estate, investors often think because they have a deal or two that’s all they need. Not so! You have to build, maintain and grow your database of sellers, buyers and other investors. You have to get out there and actually talk to people. You have to share with others your vision in a few short sentences. You need to develop a clearly stated elevator pitch and use it with the right targets. You have to use the online tools that are available to you right now to help you spread your message. Many are free! You have to attend networking meetings and talk to more people in everyday life. If you fall short in your marketing and promotions efforts, you’re not alone. It is one of the top failings that entrepreneurs and business owners share in common. Marketing is a process and it’s something you must learn to do well in your business. It is something you will always have to do. You’ll come to understand that perfection probably won’t ever be achieved. Imperfect action .is better than perfect inaction! Learn some of the things you can do to promote what you do better and market your business now and into the future.

If there is one thing that you should be learning from listening to the Cash Flow Diary podcast, it's that failing is a part of success. You cannot avoid failure events. It's how you handle them that matters. In this episode you get a little insight into some of the small failure events that occurred at our recent Black Friday live-streamed Cashflow 101 board game event. Things didn't go as smoothly as we intended, but it's okay. The game happened, we had a great time, people as far away as Barcelona were watching us and learning how to run games better, and we received excellent questions from viewers and players in the room. We learned from all the little things that didn't go well or as well as they could have. Awesome! We didn't just pack it in, take our ball and go home. We managed the technical issues and moved forward anyway. Apply this insight to what you're doing as a Real Estate Investor. If you talk to 10 people and still don't have a YES from a seller, buyer or investor, don't stop and tell yourself "it" isn't working. Keep going. Take from those experiences and see what you can learn from them. Dissect the experiences. Define your process. Redefine the process. Get better at what you're doing. Study the Four Levels of Learning. Even if you've watched our video on that topic before, go back and watch it again. Your goal is to become Consciously Competent! That's the fourth level. For now, listen to this episode and learn why getting comfortable with failing forward and failing often is okay.

The next best thing to being in a room watching J. Massey lead a Cashflow 101 game is watching and/or listening in on the experience. Consider this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast a preview of what you're in for tomorrow when you watch J. lead his annual Black Friday Cashflow game in Orange County, Calif. The way he leads a game is like no other game facilitator out there. Maybe that's why he's lead games for Robert Kiyosaki, the game's creator! Sign up to be in the room in Santa Ana, Calif., or to get your "all-access pass" to watch and participate virtually. Get over to www.cashflowdiary.com/cashflowlive now. There's a very special contest going on, too. If you love creating cashflow or playing Cashflow 101 so you can learn more about creating cashflow in your life, you're going to want to enter for your chance to win a cool prize. Five individuals will be chosen to receive the all-new, latest and greatest version of the Cashflow 101 board game created by The Rich Dad Company! This improved version of the game offers even more fun and excitement to your learning experience. It gives you even more ways to transact deals on the board. The more you play the more you understand concepts in Real Estate Investing. Like J. says all the time, what you do on the board you can do in real life, no matter where you are right now. In the game of Cashflow you randomly select your profession. The groans are audible when players select the lowest-paying professions. However, it is these individuals who often get our of the Rat Race first. There are reasons, and that's what you'll pick up on when you listen to this unique episode! For a great learning experience, sign up to receive your "all-access pass" to watch J. lead this year's annual Black Friday game. The chat room will be open for the entire event. Gather a group of people and play along with J. as he leads his game in ways that create a completely new experience for even the most seasoned players and answers questions live. Type yours into the chat room and he'll answer them in real time! For now, listen to this episode.

Anyone who knows about me also knows that I used Robert Kiyosaki's Cashflow 101 board game to build my business. It is probably the best networking tool I've found that brings likeminded individuals together. Black Friday is the anniversary of the first time my wife Popi and I played the game for the first time. That's why every year on Black Friday we host a game. Every year the number of people who participate grows. We are truly grateful that so many people are interested in learning the game and playing the game with us. This year we're doing it a little differently. Because I am so very thankful for everything that the game has brought into my life and the lives of my loved ones, I'm hosting a huge, live game in Orange County this Black Friday that officially starts at 11 a.m., PST, and goes for about three hours. But that's not all. We are LIVE STREAMING the event so no matter where you are in the world you can participate by learning how to run your own games! Just be there on time and that's it. Our chat room will be open for the entire event so you can ask questions and get them answered in real time. Be sure to sign up to receive the log in information and reminder. We don't want you to miss it. Listen in and learn how to sign up. Of course, this is not all that this episode covers. There's lots of things I'm grateful for and you'll want to hear more about my journey. There are some things I've never shared before. Learn more.

Entrepreneurial-minded and highly energetic, Jaime Tardy always wanted to be wealthy. However, she didn't know how to get there. She was stuck in a 9-to-5 job that she did not hate and that paid her really well, yet she wasn't satisfied. She had to figure a few things out, like what the path might look like to her. She began attending networking events. Then she started having conversations with actual millionaires. She developed a plan and stuck to it. Now this Eventual Millionaire author has a lot to share with us about how to become one of the successful entrepreneurs of the world and create lots of cashflow doing it. Her story isn't like any you've heard, but there is one thing you will have heard time and time again here on the Cash Flow Diary podcast. Jaime had to change her mindset before she could change her life. Learning to exercise her genius to get her to her goals was imperative. Action steps were absolutely necessary. She calls it finding her "inner why." Then she pushed to live life to the fullest. She paid off tens of thousands of dollars in debt in less than two years, and found her path. She found mentors and read lots of books to help her in her shift. She left corporate America to pursue entrepreneurialism and didn't look back. Jaime learned that external motivation helps, but she also had to find the internal motivation to keep moving forward. The path wasn't always easy. Sometimes there were big bumps, but she kept going even through her fears. Learn how Jaime got over the challenges in her life and beyond her fears to achieve what she set out to do. Discover how she decided to do what she does and what that is anyway! You can follow Jaime's path and find more joy. Learn more.

Sacramento is more than just the capital of the great Golden State of California; it's the home to Capital City Wealth Builders Real Estate Club. We captured J. Massey LIVE at one of the group's killer events recently, and now you get to listen in. If you want to know how to raise private capital for your deals you'll want to tune in and take notes. J. shares lots of investor insider tips and tactics in this special Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Even if you've heard him speak on this topic before, it's a sure bet you'll learn something new or understand what he's telling you to do even better now. That's the funny thing about information. The more times over it, the more we retain what we learn! How to raise private capital is one of the questions J. hears most often. Whether the question comes in during his live weekly Q & A with J. (every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV), in email, via phone conversations or in person, J. answers by sharing his tremendous and incredibly helpful insights. The fact is that the deal is the last thing that should be on your list; the first is to choose your market and talk to strangers each and every day. Once you do that, you'll be surprised by how quickly you can raise private capital. Learn more. Listen Now

When it comes to success, gratitude is ultimately part of the journey. Or at least is should be. That’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Austin Netzley shares in this viewpoint in this intriguing interview. Austin knows what he’s talking about, because he interviewed 75 successful entrepreneurs who all say the same thing. Plus, Austin is a mighty grateful individual himself! What about? Getting out of college and landing a great job. But then he realized that something was wrong with his life’s picture. He had worked hard through school and was working harder in the job... yet he was broke. He had landed smack dab in the middle of the rat race and he knew he had to change his mindset to change his life’s path. It took him a little while to get there, because he was comfortable for his first few years. After all, he may have been deeply in debt, but he was earning six figures. A lot of people would want what he had. Who was he to lack joy in his career? But he wasn't happy. He wanted to do something different. It took reading a few great books to push him to make a move. He couldn’t get enough reading in every day. He had to shift his mindset from a middle-class mentality to being an entrepreneur. You’ll be surprised by the books on his reading list! You’ll enjoy hearing his message and learning about how he went on to create the life he wanted, which included retiring young, earning plenty of cashflow and eventually being an author! (He even interviewed me, so my story is included.) Learn more. Listen Now

Each week, J. Massey answers viewers' questions in real time on his LIVE online Q & A with J show on www.cashflowdiary.TV. But this live Q & A is something a little different, because J. answers questions in front of a live audience in Phoenix during a special educational event where he was invited to teach investors about raising private capital and all sorts of topics in Real Estate Investing. This no-holds-barred Q & A opens investors' eyes across the room as J. seamlessly answers any and all of their questions. J. fields every type of investor issue the audience members and live-streamed viewers could throw at him. He rips deals apart, too. It's something you won't want to miss. You'll hear some pen-on-paper scribbling in the audio. That's J. writing out supportive points and doing the math on his big paper-and-easel set up! If you want to see what that looks like, be sure to join the next live Q & A with J... Tuesdays at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV! For now, see what you can learn, because there are lots and lots of valuable nuggets of knowledge in this episode of Cash Flow Diary. Listen Now

It's not what happens to you but rather how you react to what happens to you that counts! That's what we learn today from Cash Flow Diary podcast guest, Nick Ruiz, a true business Phoenix who rose from the ashes not just once but a couple of times. He went on to create a whole lot of success in his life through Real Estate and entrepreneurial efforts because he learned to focus on solving problems before finding deals. (Sound familiar?) This amazing author and dot-connector started buying and selling for profit early on. In high school he helped his pals by selling their stuff. Then he turned his attention to Real Estate Investing. He was just 19 when he bought a no-money-down training program that he saw on late-late-night TV. However, after he listened to it once, he put it away for a while, because he didn't feel he could actually take the steps he needed to take. Then he thought better of it and pulled the program out again. He knew there was something about Real Estate that would change his life. He was right. Trying a couple of strategies in that program put cashflow in his pocket rather immediately and before the age of 20. That was just the beginning. As an investor, you are going to love this episode because you're going to learn a whole lot, like the benefits of investing in single-family houses! (It's called profit.) Use what you learn right away.

Getting to this point and the final audio book version of Cash Flow Diary: 10 Steps to Creating Wealth in ANY Economy!  was a very long process, but we got there! Why do I say "we"? It took a few people and a bit of assistance to create a great final product! I learned one thing for sure. Reading one's own words is a bit more challenging than I thought. Not to mention, I realized it was going to take a lot more time than I thought to get great sound. With all that's going on around Cash Flow Diary I had to make a choice. You know how I always tell you that even if you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD be the one to do it? This is one of those situations. I found someone who does voiceover work as a profession and he is really good. You might recognize his voice. I read the introduction and I recorded BONUS SECTIONS. That was fun for me to do, because the additional content is unscripted and gives even more benefit to my readers. I love audio books, because I can put my ear buds in and be "reading" while I'm doing lots of other things. That's how I learn fastest. Sure... I read books in print, too, but audio books are my preference. If this is your first audio book, I'm happy you're "reading" mine. You can find it on Audible, too. If you don't have an Audible account, get one. I use mine a lot. This is not an advertisement for Audible. It's just that the system works well, it's easy to use, it has lots and lots of books... and my audio book is there! For now, sit back and relax. Get ready to listen to the first parts on me.

Have you ever wanted to know how to generate so many leads that you actually have to create a system to track them? That is exactly what you learn in today's Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Learn from one of the best lead generators of our time, J. Massey. he shares a few really cool "ninja secrets" in how to generate leads, where to find them in the first place, what to do when you get them and how to take the next steps. In this insightful episode you learn enough to get out there and start generating leads today. There will be nothing to hold you back.

In my book I talk about how you have a big bargaining chip with land owners when you have something to offer... like let's say when you raise sheep. For example, if the dollar decays you'll always have something to trade for room and board, because the sheep offers use value in its wool. Other livestock offer lots of use value, too. Today's Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Wardee Harmon puts a real-world spin on this notion. This author, educator and organically grown entrepreneur shares about her journey into raising livestock and how her organic garden grows. She tells us why she got into it, keeps doing it and why we might just want to do the same. Wardee also tells us what you should consider before putting food in your mouth that you purchased at the grocery store. As you listen you will understand what all of this has to do with Real Estate Investing and entrepreneurial lessons. There are plenty. Wardee show us that there are lots of clever and profitable ways to use Real Estate while solving problems along the way. This is a little different type of Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Sit back. Relax. It might just change your mindset around the foods we all consume.

Want to know how to quit working so hard for so little reward? Tired of working for detestable bosses? Listen to this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast. Even if you’re making good money, you may not be happy in what you’re doing. There are reasons. In this episode, guest Jeff Steinmann asks you if you hate a job… why not quit? Is it fear about what waits for you on the other side of that decision? And how do you get over your fears anyway? That’s what Jeff helps us understand in this mind-blowing, change-making interview. Jeff tells you how to get to the place you really want to be… which probably isn’t listening to your boss’s boss’s boss rant and rave during workplace meetings. When it comes to this topic, Jeff was in that spot once. Though he made a great living and was working his way up the corporate ladder in his job, he knew he couldn’t continue on that path. He wasn’t happy. The moment of truth came when he witnessed one of his top bosses just two weeks away from the man’s retirement yelling and getting really stressed out as a result of a call that interrupted a meeting. Jeff decided then and there that there’s no way he wanted to be that man! He left to start his own marketing business, which opened doors to more opportunities and helped him understand what he really wanted. He learned to set his own milestones and congratulate himself for a job well done. He learned to set his own goals and march to the beat of his own drummer. Now he helps others do the same. That’s what he shares in his book, How to QUIT Working. It’s something that should go into your must-read list because lots of information and ideas about money and happiness are shared in its pages! You think lots of money will make you happy? Not exactly. Learn more.

Ideas abound. In fact, there is no shortage of ideas... ever! That's what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest and serial entrepreneur Toby Salgado talks with me about in this incredibly insightful interview. Toby took his first steps into entrepreneurship and sales at the tender age of 9 when he sold toilet bowl cleaners door to door, offering a double-your-money-back guarantee. Let's just say he's a natural! Later his experiences would lead him to open not just one but several successful businesses. There are reasons. That's what Toby teaches others and talks about in this episode. For example, taking action steps and executing on your ideas. Does that sound familiar? I found myself nodding a lot as Toby answered my questions, because his viewpoints and mine are much the same. It's pretty exciting to hear someone else say the things I always tell others! For example, Toby says your net worth is reflected by your network. Hey, it's true. But he doesn't stop there. He shares a couple of very cool "ninja secrets" in how to build your network relatively quickly. We also talk about how to get referrals, how to become the influencer in your circles, why taking action is critical, why building a great team is important and so much more. This episode is spilling over with helpful how-to's that every entrepreneur and investor can use.

This Cash Flow Diary podcast episode continues from Monday's episode as you learn more about my Investor Identity, how to determine yours and why that's important, why the deal comes last and only after you have determined your Identity and market, why your are looking for problems and not properties, and why it's so important to your success to invest more time in giving others something than trying to sell them something. There are a number of stealth "ninja secrets" in this episode, plus you get some insider tips on how to create even more cashflow in your multi-family properties! That's not all. You also get a deep scoop of how to use my Profit Analysis Quadrant(tm) to explain the benefits of your deals... AND why gathering a team is so critical to your efficiency and success. It's not just having any team, however. It's having the RIGHT team. Want more ways to create cashflow? Listen to the questions the live audience asks and the answers they get. Lots of people were taking notes at this exciting event. Listen Now.

Every now and then it's good to share a Cash Flow Diary podcast episode or two from live events so you can get a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a successful Real Estate Investor. This episode is taken from a special event in front of about 60 individuals that happened on September 27, 2014. This episode is jam-packed with information about how you determine your Investor Identity, an up-close look at the differences between being a Wal-Mart and Nordstrom type of investor, what my big feet have to do with any of this, why you want to stop living on the learning curve, a whole lot more. I talk about reasons you want to ask everything and assume nothing as well as reasons to jump into the Real Estate Investor pool. Take notes. Jot down questions. Join me live tomorrow on Q & A with J at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV and ask those questions. I answer in real time. All you have to do is send me the questions in advance from this website or type them into the chat box tomorrow! Listen Now.

Not only does Ace Chapman have a really cool name he also does something really cool for people looking for businesses that produce cashflow. He connects them with businesses up for sale that are right for their goals. He talks to us about micro-private equity funds, greed, the criteria involved in buying and selling businesses, and a whole lot more. Ace had an interest in business early on, getting his first taste for it when he sold his Kindergarten pictures at church. From there his passion for business grew. He learned to listen for problems he could solve for sellers (sound familiar?) and how to raise capital to purchase businesses. His first deal came when he was in college and learned what “LBO” meant and why it’s so important. (It’s a Leveraged Buy Out and it is a critical concept when buying businesses.) Ace hit plenty of walls, but he kept going. He knew that if he could buy this first business it would change his life. He was right! It put him on his current path, helping lots and lots of other people do the same as he has done. He didn’t focus on what he did or didn’t have; he didn’t focus on what other people were saying. He focused on solving problems he could solve in the market. He had to shift his mindset, too. This is an incredibly interesting Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, because Ace does similar things in his market as what I do in mine, but there are lots of differences, too. He even had to learn how NOT to listen to those in his life who wanted to “protect” him from making his initial decision to buy that first business. You’ll enjoy listening to Ace as he speaks from the heart about his path and passion in business and life. You will be amazed by the choices he had to make to reach his entrepreneurial goals.

Ever wondered where your audience is so you can find them and share your message with them? Cash Flow Diary Podcast guest Adam Hommey has the answers. He tells us how to communicate with those you seek to serve in your business (otherwise known as customers and clients) and where they can be found. Here’s a hint: Online! Adam helps people just like you build a better business through sharing their messages in really smart ways using the latest technologies, tactics and a good dose of social media. In fact, he has a passion for helping others, and he doesn’t stop there. He is also the creator and founder of www.HelpMyWebsiteSell.com, which is just one of his successful businesses. A serial entrepreneur, Adam didn’t exactly plan to be on the path he is today. In fact, he initially wanted to be an attorney, but something in him was screaming that there had to be something different that was a better fit. He couldn’t see himself as a lawyer, but he didn’t know what he wanted to be. He graduated with a degree in political science, but he wouldn’t end up using it. Drifting for a couple of years, he collected what he learned from his real-world experiences to use later, and he met a lot of great people. One day someone suggested that he go back to school and earn his MBA, which is exactly what he did. Two years later he graduated with an MBA in HR Management, took a day job in the field and ended up working on the side in business training and development. BINGO! He’d found a match and that’s when he realized just how much he enjoyed helping others conquer their business challenges. Adam hasn’t looked back since. Maybe that’s because he’s so busy looking … and thinking … forward! Learn more.

Craig Ballantyne has helped lots and lots of individuals get fit and become the people they really want to be. We aren’t just talking about getting in better physical condition or losing excess pounds either! Craig lives by what he calls “extreme example” and says that while he doesn’t expect everyone else to do exactly as he does, he hopes what he does inspires others to take action… whatever that looks like for them. Craig is often called the most disciplined man in the room, and he earned that moniker for a reason. He is highly disciplined. What turned him into this passionate powerhouse of fitness? Craig says his earliest memory of being aware of how important transformation is to us as human beings is of his own mother who was frustrated with her weight-loss program. So what is Craig’s current goal? Helping 10,000,000 people transform their lives. I’m pretty sure he’ll get there, too! Watching his journey – from starting a simple (but really, really good) fitness newsletter that he emailed out manually in 1999 to writing so many fitness articles for publications everywhere that they’d be hard to count to where he is today, providing tons of fitness and inspirational content – is awesome. Craig continues to inspire me, so I’m pretty sure you’ll get a little buzz from listening to what he has to say during this motivational Cash Flow Diary podcast episode.

Anyone who works with me knows I move quickly. I'm happy to say I'm not the only one. Talking to Joe Fairless showed me that he's an entrepreneur after my own heart. Of course, there are differences, and that's just fine. We all get to our goals in different ways. Joe likes Subway and I like Starbucks, so that's different. He's from Texas, having graduated in 2005 from Texas Tech, and I just have a PhD (public high school diploma). While our paths to investing in apartment buildings is completely different, we have a few things in common. That's what we discuss in this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Listen in as this former New York ad man talks about perspective, changing his mindset to keep reaching for bigger and bigger goals, networking with people who would become his private capital investors, and his transition to becoming the guy he is today. In short, he got into Real Estate Investing after putting his first $1,000 in savings into a low-interest CD and received a check for $18 after the bank held his money hostage for 12 months. He knew there had to be a better way, so he explored Real Estate and started investing in single-family homes. Over a period of a few years he entered into larger and larger properties, deals and goals. Listen in and learn how this not-so-average Joe went from being an underpaid ad guy to a high-earning Real Estate Investor, entrepreneur, soon-to-be author and business owner.

Want to have more energy to run your business and keep up as an entrepreneur? Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND, has a few suggestions. A chiropractor and doctor of naturopathy, Dr. Carri has a lot to say about the benefits of healing through natural pathways and how her studies brought her to being an expert in the field of functional medicine. In short, this is finding and fixing root causes of medical issues and symptomology so you can be functional again. The good news is that more and more traditional medical practitioners and alternative medicine practitioners are embracing this form of no-nonsense medicine. Dr. Carri says she doesn't believe in practicing "Band Aide" medicine or covering symptoms up with supplements and herbs. She says that to keep our topmost asset, which is our health, in its best shape to bring us the highest returns on our health we need to be aware of what is causing our symptoms in the first place. Through functional medicine, she brings patients back into balance and a whole new state of health! Further, Dr. Carri says that there are 14 fatigue factors. She wrote about 8 of them in a recent book, so be sure to look that up on her site and wherever books are sold. Of particular interest to entrepreneurs, there are reasons for your insomnia and overwhelm. Our bodies can get out of balance in many different ways, we don't prioritize exercise because we're too busy, healthy eating and getting the nutrients our bodies truly need is something we pay little attention to, and our stress and sex hormones could be out of whack. This is not the typical Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, but it does talk about assets and returns... in the form of your best health and quality of life. Don't miss this one. Listen Now.

Millionaire by age 38 and multi-millionaire by 39, Linda Jones started out a curious child who looked at the wealthy in her neck of the woods and wanted to know how they got there. Her people study started then and she eventually worked on Wall Street. How did she create her first few million? Through stocks, but that's not for everyone and she understands that fact. But she says anyone can become wealthy if they are willing to get up early and put in the work required. It's called action steps. Linda says there are six steps in creating wealth:Create a wealthy mindsetSave a nest egg to investFind a mentor (I happen to know someone who is really good as a mentor) who has achieved the success and wealth you desireFind the money engineFind a way to compound your investments for higher rates of return, andPut in place ways to protect your wealth.This six-step process isn't something Linda learned in her studies or her job. She learned by doing. She learned by actually making investments. She also kept reading great books about mindset and focus, as well as those written by successful individuals who've been through the fire to reach their goals. Learn what these books are, what Linda says about continuing to read and learn, and how you can nurture your own wealthy mindset! Listen Now.

What if you could FIND $30K to invest in things that would bring you continual cashflow and improve your quality of life? That’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Chris Miles helps people do every day! This clever cashflow detective and money expert has been asked to share his views on national TV and online, because when it comes to money he knows what he's talking about. He is a very smart cookie. Was this busy Utah father of five wasn’t always the cashflow creator he is today? No. He was once a college student with lots of ideas about what he might be when he graduated. However, he never did. One class shy of his degree, Chris walked away from his higher educational experience and become a financial planner. After four years of doing that J-O-B, however, he realized something wasn’t right. What he was telling his clients to do with their money wasn’t going to give them much in returns and certainly not enough to live a good life once they entered retirement. He felt like he was leading his clients astray and he couldn't do it any longer. He started listening to some of the wealthy people he was meeting and realized he was wrong and they were right. They were making lots of money and living well by investing in businesses and Real Estate! That’s when Chris quit his job and started focusing on creating streams of cash vs. piles of money. His life changed very quickly. Want to know how quickly and what things changed for Chris... and why he is not a fan of the 401K or other retirement accounts so many Americans are brainwashed to put their savings into? Listen Now.

This is an awesome story of a person turning an absolutely tragic situation into tremendous success. It is the true-life tale of Laptop Entrepreneur Mark Anastasi and I don't think I've ever been so quiet during an interview. Knowing who Mark is today would never tip you off to the challenges he overcame to get to where he is now. In a nutshell, Mark grew up in Athens, Greece, and left home at the age of 18 to live in the U.K. because there were no jobs in Greece. He took a job as a night-shift security guard to make ends meet, but earning minimum wage meant there wasn't going to get him there. He ended up $12K in credit card debt in two years. He then went into telesales and made exactly one sale in 14 months. He lost the job and sunk into a deep depression. Then something terrible happened. He lost his apartment and sought refuse in an abandoned building with 20 other homeless people. He couldn't go home because his family was in pretty bad shape, too. He had horrible negative self talk and even thought about suicide. Fortunately, one day he broke down and literally ran the streets of the city. Like a scene from a movie, Mark ended his running breakdown in a cemetery at the foot of a tombstone of a 22-year-old man who had accomplished a few things before passing. Instead of giving up, Mark had an epiphany. He vowed then and there to do everything he would have to do to turn his life around and make a success of himself. Once he made the decision to change his mindset everything else fell into place. Listen and learn how Mark got through the toughest time of his life and programmed his mind to create the life and cashflow he desired. It wasn't magic. It took belief and hard work.  Listen Now.

Today's Cash Flow Diary podcast guest, Joel Saul-Sehy has a lot to say about one of my favorite subjects... MONEY! He knows a great deal about managing our finances and creating cashflow. His background as a financial planner helps. He was one for many years before becoming known as a "Money Man" on TV and for starting a really cool podcast, Stacking Benjamins. (I love that name!) Tune and learn how Joel went from being not great with money to being fantastic at managing his money and then teaching others to do the same. This episode includes a great lesson on why we don't need to be spending our hard-earned money on doo-dads! Plus you get lots and lots of tips on managing your money and your life, as well as how to create the cashflow you desire. 

When it comes to Real Estate Investing, Christina Suter is one of the most experienced I’ve met. She’s been at it for 25+ years and she’s done all types of deals, and now she mentors others who want to follow her path. Christina made herself a promise early on: she would never get into a long-term investment if it didn’t work for her personally and wasn’t in alignment with her goals. Hey, that’s what I call “Investor Identity.” Until you know your Investor Identity you can’t choose the best long-term investments. Christina drives this point home in memorable way. In fact, she got her start as a Real Estate Investor in a memorable way. It was at the tender age of 17 when she was pushed into investing through a family tragedy. What Christina found was that she loved Real Estate Investing! Her deals started out small in the single-family home side of investing, and then they got bigger and bigger. It wasn’t until Christina started investing in multi-family dwellings that she actually left her J – O – B, however. Before letting go of her 9-to-5 life to become a full-time investor, Christina held jobs as a special education teacher and marketing professional. When her portfolio of properties, her numbers and her cashflow worked, she stopped working a traditional job. Christina Suter gives EXCELLENT information and guidance in this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode about how to take your first step into Real Estate Investing and how to grow your business. Listen and learn!  Listen Now.

International Investor Taylor White has been investing in Real Estate since the age of 22 and living overseas since the age of 27. In fact, he has invested in five countries! That’s to be applauded. Taylor started out helping his father in a bricks-n-mortar business, but knew it wasn’t for him. He hated the long hours and all the issues he had to deal with in running the business. So what did he do to make a shift in his thinking? He started reading lots of books in no-money-down Real Estate Investing and then learning from people who were seasoned Real Estate Investors. Taylor found his passion. His first deal was buying an apartment in San Diego just after 9/11 with zero down. That’s when the bug bit him… the Real Estate Investing bug! In life, one thing leads to another. That’s what happened for Taylor, too. He got interested in international investing. Taylor became successful for reasons. He had no money, but he had a whole lot of passion. Then he took action step after action step to get where he is today. Now he works with some pretty amazing people and Real Estate businesses internationally. Taylor wanted to live a life he desired and not the life he was living before becoming an investor. That was the driving force behind his transformation from working day to day to living life to the fullest at a Real Estate Investor. Taylor and I hit it off because he’s an action-stepper and believes in “aim, ready, fire” just like me! Plus, he knows ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE once you figure out how you do it, and that if he can’t do every part of a deal, there are people for that part. This guy is great. I’m going to be a guest on his podcast, Overseas Property Insiders, too. We’ll let you know when that will be available. Right now, listen to this Cash Flow Diary podcast interview to hear Taylor White’s journey in Real Estate Investing, what he’s learned and how he started out just like you… not knowing anything about investing, who to put on his team or anything about the different markets. You’ll learn about new markets you may not have considered investing in before and maybe some new terminology!

Being at Simon Black's Sovereign Academy event this year was phenomenal. I met fantastic students and people truly interested in learning. There may have been multiple languages, but everyone had a singular focus. They were there to learn the language of being entrepreneurs and investors. Man, it was exciting. It was totally worth the really, really long flight! In this episode we cover a lot of ground. We talk about building sales skills, the different types of Real Estate transactions I've done, failure events and why it's important to fail, and luck (that's laboring under correct knowledge). In the very truthful episode, you hear me talk about some of the things that happened to me as an investor and why I'm grateful for all of it. The events made me what I am today and pushed me to new levels. I tell the academy attendees about "owning the street" in Real Estate and why I like to invest that way, why I practice just-in-time learning and how soft compensation works. We went further than that, too. The young people there asked great questions and I loved their curiosity. They were like sponges! That's how we all should be. Enjoy this episode of Cash Flow Diary recorded live in Lithuania.

This episode is really something different and really exciting, because it was recorded live at none other than the Sovereign Man Simon Black's Academy for young entrepreneurs gathered from around the globe. They come together this year in Lithuania to learn about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and Real Estate Investor. This episode is a crash course on everything that's covered in my book, Cash Flow Diary! We cover a whole lot of ground. The young people in the audience give me a run for my money, but it's a thrill when they start to get what I'm saying. Listen and learn my number-one goal I'm going for when getting referrals and how I use a technique I call "drafting" to get more people to attend my Cash Flow 101 games. I teach the youth why they can't look at the entire staircase when they really need to be looking at the first step! In a rousing back and forth, I discuss all sorts of topics with the energetic audience members. You're going to want to listen to this one closely and take notes. It's like a mini course into investing! Listen Now.

Mobile device recycling expert Nathalie Mortine proves that anything can create cashflow if you solve a problem. That's what she and her husband do in their business, Elite Phone Buyers in Cincinnati. Nathalie also proves that perseverance, consistency and refusing to quit are excellent character traits for successful entrepreneurs. Before she was on TV and did really cool things in the mobile device recycling market, this youngest of six siblings had to learn to get heard over the noise. She also had to overcome her shy tendencies to succeed as she does today as an entrepreneur. That path wasn't easy, as you will hear in this introspective Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. You will also learn from Nathalie why there are lots of reasons to surround yourself with successful entrepreneurs and break bad habits that ultimately hold you back from the success you crave. We also discuss the importance of leaving a legacy not just for your family but for the world, and all sorts of interesting topics that have to do with Nathalie's world... and yours.

Growing up in “the hood” Pastor Mel Keyes wasn’t always on the righteous path he finds himself on today, but some things he learned growing up in a rough neighborhood were lessons he would apply later in life. For example, entrepreneurship and salesmanship. To earn money, he and his friends would buy small doo dads at wholesale pricing and flip them at retail in nicer neighborhoods. It was a great lesson. He got a taste for working on his own and for sales. Today his ministry includes programs to help others become entrepreneurs and teach them skills they need to succeed. He also teaches leadership skills, which is something he learned during his many years of service in the U.S. Air Force. Pastor Mel says he got the discipline and focus he needed in the Air Force that he hadn’t gotten at home. After the military, Mel answered the call to become a minister, but he isn’t your typical pastor. Beyond leading the people of his church in San Antonio he also leads entrepreneurs to be their most successful, bringing his talents together to help them improve their skills and businesses. Pastor Mel founded Joshua Generation to help in all these areas and to serve a greater number of people even beyond his neck of the woods. He has a popular radio show and is hosting his first annual entrepreneurs’ event in San Antonio from September 12th through 14th. Learn more about it. Visit www.Joshuahouseofworship.org. The good pastor says he finds fulfillment in leading others through his ministry to gain the leadership and entrepreneurial skills they need to create a life of abundance. His mission is to economically empower the people to whom he ministers. Listen to this enlightening Cash Flow Diary podcast episode as we discuss why abundance is a positive thing, as well as apprenticeship, values, building the right skills, enjoying and sharing our gifts, and truths about a whole lot of things in business and life. We even talk about how money is NOT the root of evil but rather it is our relationship to money that brings about good and evil. Listen Now.

As Monty Python might say, now for something completely different! (Or something like that anyway.) Call it an experiment, but this is what we're doing today as a podcast episode, because it came to my attention that you might not know that every Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, I do a LIVE online show called Q & A with J. What's the show about? I host it for one reason: to answer investors’ questions in real time . It is really fun for me, because I never know the types of questions I’m going to get. The audience is made up of a mix of new and very seasoned investors… and everything in between. We cover a lot of ground as the questions come rolling in through the chat window about wholesaling, Raising Private Capital, fix 'n' flips, buy-and-holds, notes, negotiating deals, calculating terms and payments, and so much more. I also answer questions that I get from people ahead of time. If you want to send in your questions so they are sure to be answered, head over to www.cashflowdiary.TV/updates. Follow the prompts and get your questions to me as fast as you can. Then tune in to the next Q & A with J., which again is Tuesday at 4 p.m., PST, on www.cashflowdiary.TV. Have a pen, paper and maybe even a calculator ready, because you’re going to want to take notes and maybe run numbers along with me. Some have called this show my best-kept secret, because we don’t talk too much about it. The show’s popularity is certainly growing, so word might be getting out. That’s what prompted this podcast episode. Hey, I want you to join me for every episode and get a chance to ask questions. It keeps me on my toes and helps me serve you better. Why wouldn’t you join me for the next Q & A with J.? The price is right. It’s free! For now, listen to one of my recorded episodes. Enjoy!

Life coach, consultant, speaker, author Kimanzi Constable tells it how it is in a refreshingly open Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Kimanzi shares everything he went through to create the success he now enjoys. Surprisingly, he holds nothing back. This two-time self-published writer has now sold more than 80,000 copies and landed a contract with a legitimate publisher. But that was not his dream. (He thought it was, but he would learn differently.) His real dreams were realized when he started helping other people overcome their problems. When he stopped focusing on what would make him happy to what would serve others his whole life changed. Listen to this episode to learn how Kimanzi went from delivering bread at the age of 19 to starting a six-figure business that same year to losing it all a few years later to building a life to be proud of... and being a bestselling author, too. Listen Now.

If you're new to Real Estate Investing and concepts in Raising Private Capital, you may not know just who Samuel Freshman is, but you need to. He wrote Principles of Real Estate Syndication, one of the best books to read if you plan on taking your Real Estate Investing business to the next level. If you're new to investing, rest assured that Samuel started just like you are, one step at a time. While today he is a professional syndicator, Real Estate promoter and author, he wasn't always. This conservative and highly successful investor began as a lawyer. When he got out of school he asked his father what he should do. His dad was a smart guy, because his answer was to follow the trend of what was happening in Real Estate in California where Samuel lived. His dad told him to become a Real Estate Investor. After working as an attorney, Samuel realized just how right his dad was, because his wealthiest clients were those who invested in Real Estate. BINGO! A light bulb flipped on and Samuel dove in (conservatively, of course). He says that he earned more in ONE deal than he earned in 20 years working as an attorney. He was hooked. While he no longer practices law, he certainly uses his skills in his investment team. He likes to handle the legal stuff and numbers. He lets his team do the other parts that they're best at doing. Samuel also says he made plenty of mistakes. Two are not buying enough property and selling too soon. And he says that when it comes to Real Estate it's really not about location, location, location but rather how you get your deals financed. Listen to this incredibly educational Cash Flow Diary podcast episode to learn more about leverage, using debt and equity in deals, the importance of networking, how to be a successful syndicator and other things Samuel has learned as in investor over the past 60 years and five recessions. There's an event you'll want to attend, too. It's something he will definitely be at and it's all about Creative Financing. That happens in Los Angeles on September 16, 2014. Look it up on www.CreativeFinancingConferences.com. If you're anywhere near L.A., get there. FOR NOW, LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE.

Why should you care about currency and how it works? What is the ebb and flow of the Fed anyway? And what the heck does the 16th Amendment mean to you? That’s what Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Russell Gray talks about, simplifying these lofty topics so we can understand in layman’s terms. As investors, the more we know the better we can be at what we do. That’s what the DIIP is all about. That’s why I tell you to read the news, see what you can take away from what’s going on in our world today and then apply what you learn to your Real Estate business. Politics, the economy and how our Federal Reserve works dictates a lot of factors that affect your success as a Real Estate Investor. Russ spent years learning everything he could stuff into his brain about currency and investing. His research took him into the area of macroeconomics as he learned more about the Baby Boomer market. One of the most interesting things about Russ is that the way he explains things makes it easier to understand. Another thing you’ll understand after listening to this episode is that no matter what happens in your life, you can pivot and keep moving toward your end goals. That’s what Russ has done. He says he’s been able to accomplish so much because he doesn’t just recognize opportunities, but because his vision remains clear in his mind, he can adjust to any changes that come along in life and business. He’ll stay on track, no matter what. Learn things you absolutely need to know from Real Estate Radio Guy, author, business owner, TV show host and all-around smart dude Russell Gray! Listen now.

In the 1930s, Napoleon Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich. The book is as valid today as it was when it was first published. If you’ve never read this book, get to your book store or library immediately. He interviewed the wealthiest, most successful men of his day so we could all benefit from their mindset. Now, Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Sharon Lechter brings a version of this amazing book to our day with an all-new spin. Her recently released book, Think and Grow Rich for Women honors Napoleon Hill’s format and stays true to its goals, but adds a layer that applies to how women approach entrepreneurship. Sharon says that the book is being embraced, but not just by women. She adds that the last chapter in the book is devoted to women’s guilt for not being in balance with their work and life. Sharon says women must let go of their worry and their guilt. She knows what she is talking about, because she puts into practice what she tells other women to do: reframe, repurpose and focus in on what they really want without worry. She says we need to base our choices on the positive outcomes we desire. These are wise words from a very wise woman. This co-founder of the Rich Dad group and someone who helped in the creation of the Cashflow board game, Sharon had a tough choice to make when she left that opportunity to open new doors. They opened, too. Sharon was the financial literacy advisor to two U.S. presidents and helped countless entrepreneurs develop their companies, products and services. That’s not all. Learn more. Find out about free gifts she has for you. Listen now.

Working long hours in impressive corporate roles for 20 years until she was absolutely exhausted, guest Vicki Higgins changed her path and found the missing link between work and happiness. As a teen, this small-town Indiana girl faced overwhelming issues at home and as a result decided early on that she would have a different life. She would have it all! She put her drive to be the best into high gear and grew up to be a powerhouse player in Corporate America. The first person in her family to graduate college, Vicki went on to earn an MBA, marry a great guy and keep up appearances of having the perfect life. That worked for several years… until it didn’t. After a divorce and a few financial problems, she was forced to hit the RESET button and take a more enlightened path. Going on to become a published author of not one but two books, Vicki says you can work and be happy at the same time. She found her happiness as an entrepreneur and helps others do the same. When it comes to exactly why she put herself on a whole new path with her work and life, the title of her new book says it all: When Work Isn’t Working. Listen to this empowering Cash Flow Diary podcast episode now.

Supporting our vets isn’t just about a handshake and a pat on the back. While it's always a good thing to recognize their contribution and sacrifice by shaking their hand when you see them in daily life, there's so much more we all can and should do. Fortunately, Gregory Scott, President and CEO of New Directions for Veterans, does. In fact, his organization serves 1000+ vets and their families every year by providing affordable housing in Los Angeles. He is responsible for taking vets off the street, which is excellent since there are thousands of homeless vets who could use the assistance. His organization, NDvets.org, also helps with addiction recovery and mental health issues. The group has a clinical staff to provide services even after vets are placed in permanent housing. Gregory's organization rehabbed two old hospitals to create 147 studio apartments, which means that many more homeless vets can leave the streets and be treated with the respect they deserve. The group is also working to create units with more bedrooms for families, and everything they do is rehabbed to meet strict Disability Standards. Listen to this important podcast through your Independence Day weekend to learn some alarming statistics and how you can help. What a great way to celebrate all those brave men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our soil safe. Learn about Gregory's involvement in the upcoming Walk for Warriors, too.

Aside from referring to entrepreneurs as “superheroes,” author, speaker and top entrepreneur Kevin Johnson and I have a lot in common. For one, we both love coding and programming. Yep. I’m a closet geek. The difference is that Kevin entered his entrepreneurial experience as a programmer during the DOT COM boom days, creating websites that rock. Programming was just a hobby to me growing up that serves me today, because I look at building businesses in logical steps. For Kevin, what began with a random phone call from a company that wanted to pay him to advertise on one of his sites put him on a path he’s still on today. Becoming a successful entrepreneur wasn’t always easy, says Kevin, but he learned to put fear aside and move forward anyway. He plays a game to help him minimize his fears. Obviously the jitters haven’t stopped him, because he’s been on CNN, Good Morning America, CBS and Oprah Radio, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fast Company and other publications. Kevin shares his tips and tactics, and talks about the importance of either embracing marketing skills or hiring those who have the right skills. A lot of entrepreneurs are born, Kevin says, and others are made, but a lot of times we have innate abilities upon which we can build a business. Listen to this fun and enlightening Cash Flow Diary podcast episode about how to raise entrepreneurial kids, how to bring the entrepreneur within to life and a whole lot more!

Josh and Lisa Lannon CHOSE to be wealthy, but they had to prepare and be ready first. In this incredibly intimate interview with this amazing couple, the Lannons share very private transformational moments from their lives and relationship. They also share ways to start and then replicate a successful entrepreneurial business model. While they credit the Rich Dad philosophies as starting their success ball rolling, they also talk about key success principles they had to learn, their willingness to take risks, the importance of investing in themselves and self-education, and raising private capital. If you want to change your life you have to change your environment, friend sets and more. (Make your environment fit the life you want.) If you are facing personal challenges and want to make change happen, you must listen to this very personal and very introspective Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. LISTEN NOW

Barrie Gaubert, Real Estate Investor from the Land Down Under proves one sure thing. No matter where we stand on this earth, we're gonna need a place to live, work, play and lay! In this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, we explore the similarities and differences in investing in the U.S. vs. investing in Australia. If you've ever wondered how international investing works, this is a must-hear episode. Barrie is an expert investor with a big banking background. He knows what's what in Aussie lending. You'll learn about the restrictions for non-resident investors and how you can still play in that pool without getting penalized. You'll also learn that just like here in the States, non-bank lending is a benefit to investors. You'll get a little insight into how that works and why it's important to understand as an investor. You even learn about the benefits of having a VISA… not the credit card! You'll walk away with a whole lot of useful information about international real estate investing and more. Listen now. Listen now.

“You can’t handle the truth!” Okay, yes, you can. In fact, you need to hear the truth, especially as an entrepreneur and investor. I just wanted to share that famous line from the movie A Few Good Men. Talking about good men, I recently had the honor of speaking with Scott Fussell, the host of a great podcast, “Command Your Business.” Give it a listen. You will learn a lot. Scott works with veterans who want to learn more about becoming entrepreneurs. This is becoming more and more important as our troops continue drawing down in Iraq and other regions. These soldiers will leave military life and enter the workforce here in the States. What will they do, especially if there aren’t good jobs? The transition from military life to the American workforce can be rough as these brave men and women go from a very regimented lifestyle to one where they get to make all the decisions for themselves. However, Six Sigma Black belt Scott Fussell says many of these veterans have the exact skills needed to be successful entrepreneurs. They have leadership training, they know how to think on their feet, they can deal with crisis situations, they can think through challenges, they’re hard workers, and they are great at setting and reaching goals. They just need to understand what type of entrepreneur they can be. That’s where Scott comes in. He helps them figure it out. Give a salute to veteran Scott Fussell. Listen to this episode now. Listen now

Mark Waldman says what we fear and worry about are just fantasies. But so are our positive thoughts! He tells us how to get beyond our anxieties and even shares a few cool exercises we can do to diminish them in any setting. Who is Mark Waldman? You may have seen him in Oprah magazine and many other nationally recognized publications, or maybe you’ve seen one of his 12 books wherever books are sold. In fact, you may have heard about him from Oprah, because she picked his book, How God Changes Your Brain, which must be pretty exciting! A member of Loyola Marymount University’s faculty, Mark is one of the world’s leading experts on communication, spirituality and the brain. In this very special episode of Cash Flow Diary, Mark shares just a little of what he knows about the brain to help us understand why we act the way we act and why we make the choices that we do. Awesome! You know what else is awesome? The brain game Mark plays with me during this episode. You won’t want to miss it, and you’re probably going to want to play it with friends and associates. We talk about so many things related to brain function, choices, fear, greed and human nature that there’s sure to be something for every listener. I could have kept talking with Mark for hours. Hopefully, I can get him to agree to come back and chat some more. Buckle your seatbelt. This episode is a thrill ride! Listen now.

Something exciting happened. We surpassed the 100K mark in downloads of our Cash Flow Diary podcast! We couldn't have done it without you. So we have a gift for you. We're sharing my last hour-long LIVE presentation we recorded in Phoenix last week. Yes, another Phoenix event, and this one is amazing! Grab your notebook, because this short course on real estate investing gives you a lot of information you can use TODAY. You'll learn about market research, business strategies that work in real estate investing and in reaching any gold, and how to talk to others to get them on board with your vision and goals. This workshop is loaded with not-to-be-missed FREE TRAINING that you need to become the best real estate investor you can be. Carve out an hour and enjoy this gift with our thanks for helping us reach yet another goal at Cash Flow Diary. Listen now.

What would Dr. Jeffrey Fannin know about thoughts and how they can hold us back? He is an absolute brain expert. A brain trainer in cognitive enhancement studies, Dr. Fannin is highly accredited to talk about our brains. His research goes beyond recovery after brain injury and disorders of the brain. He teaches others how to think differently to achieve what they SAY they want. Achievement and success start in the brain... with an idea. But what then? Action steps. (You had to know that was coming.) Your mindset matters. Why do we do what we do? That is the question that pushed Dr. Fannin to pursue his path in brain studies. While he began as a airline pilot who was laid off and then took a more traditional path to earn his PhD in psychology, he went on to ask the larger questions. He wasn't satisfied with just helping his clients change their lives by changing their patterns of thought. He wanted to do more... and help more people. Now he does brain mapping and can explain the science behind grey matter and even The Law of Attraction. Listen in as Dr. Fannin talks about his love of audio books and why what we feed our brains really does matter. Learn what stops us from achieving what we want in life and the three keys to success. You might be surprised by what you learn. Dr. Fannin will be presenting on this topic at John Assaraf's upcoming Money2 Event in San Diego, June 19 - 21. "Are you wired for wealth?" That's Dr. Fannin's focus at the event. He covers the subject in his upcoming book, Help! My Thoughts Are Holding Me Hostage. Listen to episode 79 now.

Chatting with Jim Bunch was an eye-opening experience for me. I learned a few things and you will, too. Listen in to hear us discuss the four levels of wealth. What are they? Repair and Recovery, Foundation, Resources and Mastery. Jim has a lot to say about these levels and how we can turn our lives around to reach the success and wealth we desire. He calls it living life by design! We talk about cash flow creation, too. Jim says that there is a path we must follow that leads to wealth. I won’t give it away here, but can say that managing the areas of our lives leads to cash flow creation, which in turn leads to financial freedom! Oh, and it takes action on our part. The difference between those who succeed and those who just wish their lives could change is that the successful take action. Like Jim says, they DO something. If opportunities are laid at your feet and you do nothing, it’s guaranteed that nothing will change. Jim will be up on stage with me as one of John Assaraf’s guest speakers at the upcoming and very exciting, quite possibly life-changing Money2 event. We hope to see you there. If you can’t make it, the event will be streamed live. Tune in for that event. For now, listen in on this Cash Flow Diary podcast interview!

There truly are ways to get money to come knocking at your front door. (Or maybe just call you a few times a month.) It's called "referrals." It doesn't happen immediately for new investors, but it will happen over time if you take the right action steps. In J.'s patented Carefrontation™ approach, he tells audience members at the recent Phoenix investors event, "If you are having trouble Raising Private Capital, there is a reason. You aren't doing something RIGHT NOW that you should be." What makes J. THE go-to person in getting deals done is not some magic dust. What got him to this point is exactly what you need to be doing RIGHT NOW and every day as an investor. You have to make decisions, which means to cut off other paths and options, and take action day after day after day. You have to make calls to lots of people, especially in the beginning. You will call sellers and buyers. You will talk to investors. That's how it works. That's how J. gets to other people's cash and credit. They know that they can trust him to make good decisions that will make their money work for them. That's a whole lot more fun than having to work for their money! Listen to this special Cash Flow Diary podcast episode and hear how J. tells the Phoenix audience they they must stop with the unproductive activities that are keeping them busy but bringing limited results. You want to use your time creating solutions. Listen now and learn!

It's HOT in Phoenix, but we're not just talking about the temperature outside. There are lots of real estate deals in Phoenix and people interested in investing. J. Massey spoke to a full house in Phoenix over the past weekend, and talked to them about taking action and doing the follow-up required in doing deals. Listen in as J. delivers his message of DO IT NOW. DON'T WAIT. He's talking about following through and implementing what you learn immediately. He talks about Raising Private Capital, too, and hints about the LIVE WEBINAR you need to attend June 5th at 5 p.m., PST! You guessed it. That'll be on www.cashflowdiary.TV. J. also talks about how to simplify investing and how you need to take action without fear of bad things happening. Listen as you hear J. coach members of the audience to make actual calls during the event. Talk about an eye-opener, you can hear a pin drop as the audience becomes aware of what they need to do to make change happen. What they learn is what you need to learn. It's that when you make commitments, you need to follow through. It is where change begins. But that is truly just a start. Listen now!

What if you could add another eight hours to your day? What could you accomplish? That’s what it will feel like once you automate your workflow with smart automation software, such as InfusionSoft! And that’s what Micah Mitchell knows a whole lot about. He’s become known as an “InfusionSoft Master” and he shares a few secrets with us in this super-charged information fest of a Cash Flow Diary podcast episode. Believe me… I took notes and you will want to keep a pen and paper handy, too. One thing I learned is that the name of the software came from “infusing all areas of one’s business into one system.” Boy, Micah got that right. We use this software and that’s exactly what it’s doing for us. Get ready for a great learning opportunity as Micah talks about Automation Thinking and how it can create cash flow in a big way for you and your business. If you’re like me, you’ll want to learn more and then apply what you learn immediately. Head over to Micah’s site at www.MMastery.com where he has gifts for you! But first, listen to this episode.

Ever wonder where the U.S. dollar might be headed and what might happen next? Who will save the day? The answers may surprise you as you listen to the Sovereign Man himself, Simon Black. But first, he tells us about farming as a unique asset class and why he invests in productive agricultural real estate. Right now, he’s involved in a $35M project in Chile! Simon also talks about which crops bring the highest-value returns and why, and we do a comparative study in commodities as they relate to real estate. Since real estate is all about supply and demand, investing in farming is a very productive idea. But you’ll have to hear Simon explain the reasons. He gives us a whole lotta interesting data in this unique Cash Flow Diary podcast episode that takes us off the beaten path and a little further down the road. You will definitely want to take notes or listen to this episode more than once!

It takes a lot of drive and passion to be a noted contender in SEVEN Ironman competitions, but that’s what defines Australia’s Phil Richards, one of the most energetic serial entrepreneurs I’ve ever met. His drive and determination as an entrepreneur started early in life. Phil launched his first successful company at the age of 25. This would be one of nine successful ventures. Among them are names you might recognize: Vision Specialists Optometrists, Healthy Tasty & Fast, Smart Payroll, PetBox, Dreamfunda and MOBIT. Phil says he truly enjoys starting new businesses, but tells us that he couldn’t do it without good teams. (Sound familiar?) Listen as Phil talks about team building, cash flow creation through putting automated systems in place and about how having faith in the future are all necessary ingredients to reach success in any business. Phil also talks about the importance of embracing the newest marketing technologies and how it can boost cash flow. He also shares points from his Entrepreneurs Checklist for Success, which involves determining your product by way of solving your clients/customers’ pain points and the size of your market. What other points are in the checklist? I’m not tellin’ here. Grab a pen and listen in!

Former military man Douglas Burdett is from a military family. Generations of leaders came before him in his lineage. But he found he wasn’t passionate about that path. When he got out of the Army, Douglas attended a great business school and explored his passions to find the one that hit him hardest. He found it. Advertising! Leveraging his background in the military, he created an ad to send to top ad agencies on the east coast. It read, “Ready, Aim, Hire!” It worked. Douglas worked at two of the best-known agencies in New York. Eventually he would start his own agency, and he had to keep up with all the changes. He embraced new Internet strategies, including marketing-focused blogs. He chose niches he understands well. For example, publishing content for defense contractors, which unintentionally became a teaching tool for others who want to create blogs with specialized content that attracts targeted customers and clients. Douglas found a way to serve others, which is the secret to success as an entrepreneur. But that isn’t the only thing Douglas has to offer. In this Cash Flow Diary podcast, you’ll hear how he works with clients to help them stop wasting money on their marketing and advertising, and ways to help people find you, which creates larger opportunities. That’s pretty cool!

If you were to Google the name "Scott Bradley" you'd quickly see that the name is synonymous with high-level individuals through history. It's no surprise that my special guest, Evernote Scott Bradley is an amazing individual. He is a master when it comes to creating sales funnels that rock and keeping a business organized for the greatest productivity. In fact, this driven entrepreneur is known for his passion for creating personal productivity and life output! What does that mean? No spoilers here. You're going to have to listen in.

A true sales and multi-media marketing expert, Gary George has helped some big names in the music industry, like Teddy Pendergrass, and many other industries spread their marketing message far and wide. He does so very successfully for such well known companies like Virgin Records, Vonage and many others you will recognize! There's a reason you recognize these names. Gary knows what he is doing in the multi-media sales and marketing space! Always interested in sales, Gary got his start as a teen. He was among the first to market information products. He did it through small classified ads. What did he sell? Ah, you'll have to tune in and listen to learn the answer. Some of us are born to sales and marketing. This is certainly true of this dynamic guest!

What does a former successful New York reporter and TV anchor who took a four-week break from her career to clear her head know about helping you find your path? A truckload of great information! Joleene Moody was that TV news personality, and while her career was going great guns she wasn't ever really satisfied with her choice of profession. She knew she was meant for something different, but didn't take action to find that path till a traumatic event forced her to take time off and think about her life. What a difference four weeks can make! The result is that she "got clear" and decided to become a speaker who could teach others how to find their paths. In this episode of the Cash Flow Diary podcast, Joleene talks about faith and fear. She gives you ways to get things done regardless of your emotional reactions. She gives you pieces to the puzzle in your life that will make things work a whole lot more smoothly. She talks about the negative habits that might be holding you back. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! If you have ever felt uncomfortable in your own skin, if you've ever experienced fear that holds you back from doing things, if you would like to come out of the shadows and live life fully in the light, listen to this episode now!

Steven Essa shows us how to grow our business with webinars

Interpersonal skills rule in Bob Burg's world and in mine. In fact, Bob points out that these skills are critical to success in anyone's world. In this episode, we have a lively discussion about the importance of developing these skills, becoming a real influencer to those around you, what that means and how it can have a fantastic and very positive effect on your life and path, and the five principles of influence. Whew! This interview revved me up. We go on to talk about the difference between being pushy and having pull with people, leveraging in life and business, and the difference between compliance and commitment. At the end of this interview, Bob leaves us with a gift. I won't be a spoiler here. You'll just have to tune in and give this episode your ear. Listen now.

How did Top Investor J. Massey do his first deals? Did he need help? Did he know exactly what he was doing or did he sort of jump in with both feet and start swimming? Get answers to these and many other questions. Listen to this third in a three-part series recorded at a LIVE event in Sacramento with a group of real estate investors and professionals. Learn more of the nitty gritty of doing a deal. Listen as J. goes deeper into his story and how he did things in the beginning and how he does things now as a real estate investor. You won't want to miss this episode. Take notes. You can definitely gain a lot of training in this episode! Listen now.

Listen in as J. Massey continues to field question after question by investors in a Sacramento Investors Event. The information you learn by listening to the presentation and J.-style Q & A is invaluable. Where else will you find this type of high-level insider insight into investing in real estate, pitfalls to avoid, tax issues you need to know about, how to use J.'s Profit Analysis Quadrant™ (PAQ) and more. It's like a mini course in investing! This is a continuation from the last Cash Flow Diary podcast, and there's more to come. This is a three-part series meant to give you the type of information you need to learn as an investor. Listen in and take notes. 

In this first of a unique series of Cash Flow Diary podcast episodes recorded during a recent live investor event in Sacramento, Calif., you learn more about Investorpreneur J. Massey’s journey into real estate investing. You get more than a glimpse into his mindset as J. talks to the audience live about mistakes he made early on, the Profit Analysis Quadrant™, his book and why he wrote it, plus a whole lot more. Listen in to learn how J. works with investors to help them understand how they can use the P.A.Q. to raise private capital. J. fields questions from all areas of the room on a lot of different topics, and some of them are mighty complicated. Watching J. on stage is always exciting. This is the next best thing! It’s like listening to a maestro leading an orchestra as he moves seamlessly from one side of the room to the other, answering each and every question with ease. Don’t take our word for it. Listen now.

Every once in a while a guest really surprises me by saying something so refreshing and so honest that I'm at a loss for words. However, my interview with Gerald Rogers did just that. He and I have a lot of common beliefs. We have a lot in common period! One of the first books he read that would change his life was also one of my first life-changing books: Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. The conversation you will hear in this episode between Gerald and me will make you understand that no matter what you are facing right now, no matter where you are starting from, you CAN get to your goals. As Gerald puts it so accurately, you can become a Prosperity Producer in your life! You will hear some interesting terms like, "new level; new devil." That was a new one on me anyway. We talk about how to stop being a victim who practices unconscious reactions to becoming a conscious creator who takes responsibility for our actions. Boy, you are in for a treat. Better grab your note pad for this one. Listen now.

With significant sales skills and a deep understanding of the sales funnel across businesses and industries, it's no surprise that Wes Schaeffer was voted top Certified Infusionsoft Consultant by peers in 2013. His quick wit and easy manner make him a joy to spend time with in this Cash Flow Diary episode as he delivers plenty of intelligent insight into how you can achieve greater sales. His deep Texas drawl is a bonus. I found myself immediately comfortable with Wes. I learned a great deal in this interview with him and know you will, too. If you have been looking for ways to put systems in place to bring in more leads, manage and nurture them, follow them through an intuitive sales funnel, keep in touch with all your contacts and categorize them to make communications better, you have to listen to this episode! You will find your answers here and a whole lot more. Listen now.

How was money handled in your family growing up? Were you taught sustainable money practices so that you don't just keep what you earn, but you also build upon it and then make it make you more money? Known as one of America's leading small business optimizers and mentors, guest Melanie Strick coaches entrepreneurs on what it takes to recode their Money DNA. Listen in and you'll learn a thing or eight about retraining your brain and emotions, which is necessary so you can start thinking of your money and business differently. You will gain a new perspective and get a glimpse into what might be holding you back from the success you crave! You might really want to listen to Melanie, because she doesn't just train others on these topics; she lived through her own massive set of challenges to get the know-how to help you avoid financial pitfalls as an entrepreneur and investor. Listen now.

Wow! If listening to this episode doesn't make you want to get out there and tackle your goals like the biggest football player on the field going for the ball, then we're doing something wrong. My special Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Dr. Joey Faucette discusses how to stay positive in a negative world. All you have to do is adjust your thinking. In fact, that is what he talks about in his bestselling book, Work Positive in a Negative World! But that's just one of the things we cover in this positively fascinating and highly charged episode! Tune in and flip the switch to living a more positive life.

This power couple knows what it takes to build a business that creates cash flow. In the lives of Billy Blanks, Jr., and wife Sharon Catherine, exercise is the means and the end. This “First Family of Fitness” is awesome. Their goals are big and the excitement around what they are doing to create a new generation of fitness enthusiasts and entrepreneurs is huge! They aren’t just fitness buffs; they’re also business owners who help others get into fitness and create cash flow through establishing their own affiliated businesses. The couple is also in the process of launching a new family lifestyle and fitness show, “America’s Fit Party.” Oh, and they wrote a few books. Go check out their site at www.MeetTheBlanks.com and learn more about them while you listen to this very cool, fitness-friendly Cash Flow Diary episode!

David Phelps and I have a lot in common. We both understand that you don’t necessarily have to be an investor to participate in real estate and create cash flow! We both believe in the importance of being part of a great mastermind group. We’re both authors, and we share similar mindsets. Neither of us come from entrepreneurial families, and we both started out taking a traditional path only to go on to become something entirely different (and happier for it). David is from the Great State of Texas; I’m from the Warm and Wonderful State of California. Yet here we are with so many similarities and see opportunities everywhere! Put everything down and give this episode your full attention. It’s all about real estate investing, strategies and how to make a business of it to create passive and not-so-passive income. To learn more about this guest and to buy his recent book, go to his site at www.FreedomFounders.com.

Power of money, risk and teamwork. That’s three factors you need to be successful as an entrepreneur, but that’s not all we talk about in my interview with JV Crum, III, author of Conscious Millionaire: Grow Your Business by Making a Difference. Listen in and you’ll get lots of excellent information. Plus, you can get a free gift from this special guest. You’ll definitely want to listen now.

Ryan Moran is best known for his knowledge in starting and growing online businesses. He was earning a quarter of a million dollars at the age of 21! He doesn’t teach for a fee thee days, but gives of his time and knowledge to help others learn how to build businesses that create cash flow. He also invests his earnings in dividend-paying stocks. Listen as he shares why he chose that vehicle over investing in real estate. (Though admittedly, he says it is “online real estate” that got him where he is today.) Why not real estate? It’s not for everyone; his passions lie elsewhere. Ryan has done well in his business, and now he shares his knowledge, his story and his mindset with us for free. This is a really fun episode, because we cover a lot of different topics around education, jobs, cash flow, lifestyle and money. We even discuss how the type of person you are affects how you act as a person with money. Listen now.

So you don't think you need to be a skillful salesperson? Cash Flow Diary guest and Sales Superstar Eric Lofholm would disagree! And he can prove it. Look at all he has accomplished. This episode will help put you on a different path to a better mindset about getting good at sales. After all, isn't it better to be "salesy" rather than be "brokesy"? We think so! Listen to this exciting, fast-paced episode now to learn the formula to building your new sales skill set and changing your life. What's it take? Here's a hint. It starts with the power of our words and choosing to use the right ones! Listen now.

Listening to his listeners, podcast master John Lee Dumas built an empire through building an incredible audience. That's what we talk about in this exceptionally educational Cash Flow Diary episode. Listen in and learn how John went from serving America as an officer in the Armed Forces to getting on the partner track in a large commercial real estate brokerage to finding and filling a void in a niche industry. His tremendous success in his business began by filling the need for daily podcasts! 

Tired of working your J-O-B to earn M-O-N-E-Y only to tread water when you'd rather be relaxing by a real pool, earning money at the same time? Stop dreaming. Begin living the dream. Take the first step today. Begin Investing Now! We give you a way to jump into the real estate investing pool without jumping into the deep end. People ask me all the time how I got to be the investor that I am today. The short answer is that I use a buy-and-hold strategy that gives me cash flow month after month. This passive income comes in the form of rent. There's more to it than that, and I had to learn how to invest in the right properties, calculate real costs, and more. I want to help you do what I do, but without the long learning curve. We've created a whole new way for you to participate in cash-flowing real estate so you can earn passive income month after month, just like I do. To learn more, listen to this special Cash Flow Diary episode. Be sure to text the word "property" to 949-682-3565. See what happens next! 

This podcast episode can only be called downright transformational. There are no other words to describe my experience interviewing my very special guest Dame DC Cordova. Among other things, you will hear about how she came to be the “Dame” she is, the humanitarian, the business person, the coach and the woman she is. DC associates with some of the wealthiest individuals on the planet. The interesting thing is what she says about them. She says money isn’t what makes us truly happy or unhappy, and that some of the wealthiest are very unhappy while others are extremely happy. The difference is in understanding their purpose in life and their hearts to humanitarian efforts. DC doesn’t stop there. She talks about the solid business principles you need to practice as an entrepreneur, and how important being a lifelong learner is to success!

What does guest Michelle Prince know about growing your business that you don't? It's the power of writing a book! It can expand your marketing message and brand, and you can write it more quickly than you think whether you have fabulous writing skills or not. That's right. Like we say around here, there are people for that! If you have a story, you can hire help to get the words into a book format. There are editors standing at the ready to assist. There are writers to help you, too. Michelle gives excellent ideas in this idea-heavy interview. She practices what she teaches, too, so you know I like that! That's what we do around here, too. Michelle wrote her own short book that sells like hot cakes, plus she offers coaching and she speaks at events. You want the title of her book? You'll have to listen to this interesting and helpful interview.

Ever wonder how podcast hosts find great guests? It's with the help of people like J.'s special guest Jessica Rhodes. This new mother and insightful entrepreneur is the founder of Interview Connections, a growing business that hooks podcasters up with targeted guests. As it so happens, Ms. Rhodes is a pretty good guest herself! Listen in to learn how she got the idea to open this creative business and what she plans next. Her story is a little different than other entrepreneurs, but she faced a lot of the same challenges others do when starting a new business. Like so many other entrepreneurs, Ms. Rhodes' business idea was born of necessity for change!

Organization is a challenge for lots of business owners. Special guest Marc Paul, founder of NextGen who entered the custom apps creation world with his wildly popular "Baby Pack & Go" app, gives us insight into what it takes to get more organized in all areas of life. Listen as he talks about using technology to organize your business and delegation as a tool toward greater organization. He talks about the steps you need to take so you won't be overwhelmed with your success. Marc Paul has excellent ideas for real estate investors to keep them on track and raise productivity. Listen now. 

Continuing in our celebration of entrepreneurs, J. Massey interviews Tina Hartman and Marlene Waterhouse, Orange County, California, business owners in the real estate arena. In short, these individuals solve problems and help homeowners who are underwater in their homes. Tina and Marlene started on their journey as real estate investors who worked in short sales. Then they started working with agents to process their short sales from start to finish. What we learn in this episode is that there’s nothing “short” in the short sale process and paperwork! We also learn about trends in the housing market and what we need to know as investors moving forward about loan modifications, new problems homeowners may encounter and what 2014 means to a whole lot of homeowners who took out HELOCs. Even if you are not an investor but you own a home, pay a mortgage and may feel financially distressed in your property, you will want to listen to this episode.

In this Cash Flow Diary podcast episode, we explore new takes on what it means to be a good leader. It's more about partnership than being a pushy overlord. And you have to identify the strengths and weaknesses in your team. When you let people do what they are great at, guess what happens? Success. My guest, Lakeshia Ekiegwe, shares what she has learned on her path to becoming a successful entrepreneurial business development coach, author and speaker. Her story is amazing. She is all about empowerment and action steps. Lakeshia is my kind of guest! Give this episode a listen and you'll learn a new concept or two or three. 

Start and Stay Started! What an exciting episode of Cash Flow Diary ™! Guest Eric Promm, an investor in Germany, gives us a look into how things work across the pond. Interestingly things aren’t so different there than here in the U.S. But there are differences. Listen in and hear how much J. Massey and Eric Promm have in common when it comes to their entry into the world of real estate investing.

Two Jermaines? Yes! J. Massey and Jermaine Griggs get together for a very special podcast to discuss business, life, entrepreneurial challenges, family and a whole lot more. Mr. Girggs has a lot of interests. He and J. have a lot in common, but you'll want to hear about the differences, too. Learn about Mr. Griggs plans. If you are music-lover or want to own your own business, this one's for you. Listen now.

In this week’s Cash Flow Diary™ podcast, guest and CEO extraordinaire Richard Moran talks about the life of a busy CEO and questions the difference between being busy and being productive. This highly productive CEO is the founder of Accretive Solutions, a business that employs 700 individuals and offers consulting, staffing and outsourcing primarily in the IT sector. He is also a published author with several acclaimed books under his belt and owns a family winery in Calistoga, Moran Manor. This is a bit of different type of podcast episode. I enjoyed interviewing Richard very much as we discussed all things entrepreneurial!

Join J. Massey as he continues his insightful Cash Flow Diary podcast interview with special guest Eric Kaufmann, founder of Sagatica and author of Leadership as a Hero's Journey: The Four Virtues for Transforming Uncertainty and Anxiety into Results. Tune in to learn more about what being a leader really means and what it takes to be a true "hero." This thought-provoking interview isn't like anything you've heard before. J. and Eric explore "psycosclerosis," and if you want to know what that means, you'll need to give this podcast episode a listen! You'll walk away with a deeper understanding of leadership in the the workplace and beyond.

Cash Flow Diary's special guest Eric Kaufmann, founder of Sagatica, talks about how we can change our thinking to achieve a lot more out of life. In this first in a two-part series, entrepreneur, author, leadership expert and executive coach Eric Kaufmann discusses his new book, Leadership as a Hero's Journey: The Four Virtues for Transforming Uncertainty and Anxiety into Results, and what it takes to be a great leader. Do leaders have to be fearless? How do we become courageous anyway? And what other traits should good leaders possess and why? Next week, Eric continues this introspective look into leadership. Make sure to listen. You might even learn a new word or two, like "psycosclerosis." 

How to Make More Money This Year, This Time... for Reals...

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. This is an excellent quote as we move into the new year, because we need to take action without doubt. In this podcast you’ll learn how to move beyond your doubt so you can take action. It also covers the difference between believing something and knowing it and how experience plays into the answer. And where does experience come from anyway? That requires action. And guess what else? Failure! If you want the new year to be different from the many years that came before it, you will have to take new actions and stop being fearful of failure. Use the failure events as teaching events. And remember that experience is more than just talking about doing; it’s doing. Learn more. Listen now. 

What do you want? Why are we only comfortable in asking for what we want during the holiday gift-giving season? Why can't we be more like children with a gift wish list and jot down those things we really want? When we express clearly what we want, we have a much higher likelihood of actually receiving that which we are asking for. However, it's not just making the list that makes things happen. It's having those desires clearly defined and then taking action. Here's what I do. I create a Vision Book (not a vision board). I take pictures of myself with those things I want and I add them to my book. I write down in my book those things I most desire. Tangible and intangible. That's what I talk about in this special holiday-season podcast!! Tune in and give it a listen. Then you will have a much brighter new year.

We hear it a lot right now... No one's doing much in business till January. Why? We still have plenty of month left! Let's make the most of it. Whether you are a real estate investor or business owner, you can't slow down. You know what I always say:  "It's NOW O'clock!" That goes for December, too. We aren't slowing down here at Cash Flow Diary. Not by a long shot. We have a special series of Coaching Calls on Raising Private Capital! Next one is on the 23rd. Be sure to sign up. It's my gift to you. It is free. What a great way to position yourself for the best year ever in 2014! If you want a better tomorrow, take action steps today! There is no other way. And move quickly. Don't wait, put off, worry over the details and doubt yourself. Get out there and take steps now. 

In this end-of-year podcast I continue my discussion with tax and legal expert Mark Kohler as he explains even more about protecting your assets. A top professional who has helped business owners and entrepreneurs for many, many years, Mark knows how to protect assets. In this podcast, he taps into his vast knowledge to share with listeners things they don't need to do just at the end of the year and not just at tax time, but rather every day. Mark's clients benefit from the same tax tips that keep the top 1% of the wealthiest in our country... well, wealthy! And now he shares these tips with all of us. I'm proud to have Mark Kohler as my guest. Tune in and get the facts to help you protect your assets! 

Listen in to learn what Obamacare and tax savings have to do with each other. My guest, Mark Kohler, is a tax-savings whiz and legal expert who shares excellent tips and tactics that will save you money come tax time and beyond!

In this special podcast as we continue on in our November Zig Ziglar Tribute Series, you'll hear entrepreneur, speaker, bestselling author and brain researcher John Assaraf share his secret formula for success. You'll want to learn about what he calls the GOYA Law and how it truly is in our power to achieve the success we crave!

Listen in while I interview a very special guest and man who embraces the power of positive thinking, Greg S. Reid. This bestselling author has written more than 40 books, is an acclaimed filmmaker and a very dynamic speaker who wows audiences everywhere he goes. What a great way to pay tribute to Zig Ziglar, one of the greatest thought leaders who ever lived, as we continue our special tribute series through this month. In this podcast, Greg shares his views on the character traits of the truly successful as well as personal stories of his experiences with Zig and how he influenced Greg's life. 

In this podcast, my very special guest, Ryan Rippy, talks about the "magic" that can be done with retirement accounts. Ryan should know. He's the Business Development Manager at The Entrust Group in Mission Viejo, California. He's helped a lot of clients in managing their retirement savings. Listen as he enlightens us to how you can take control of your IRAs and 401K plans so you can retire under your own rules and not be stuck in a job into what should be your golden years. Do you know what age you'll be when you can retire? Do you know the value of your IRA? Do you know how diversification of your portfolio works? Did you know you could self-direct your IRA and how that works? And finally... have you ever heard of a little-known provision called the "in-service withdrawal'? You're going to want to hear what Ryan has to say. We also talk about using retirement assets to create cash flow through real estate investing! 

In this first podcast of our special November tribute to thought leader Zig Ziglar, J. interviews Zig's proud son and CEO of Ziglar, Inc, Tom Ziglar! You will learn what bikes and trust have in common, and what the scalability of trust in business means. Though born into the Ziglar name and business, Tom had a few hurdles in his mind to wrestle to the ground before he could open himself fully to success. His story is something you need to hear. We talk about real estate as a business, too, and how it's all about relationships and personal growth. 

Some may look at time as life's most grim enemy - Once it's gone you can never gain it back. By prioritizing, real estate entrepreneuers can spawn a friendship with time. Listen now, as J. Massey teaches how you can be in good favor with your time to generate positive results.

Asking one very simple question is the answer to solving roadblocks of finding real estate properties. Listen now, as J. Massey teaches a live audience how one question can help pave a way to close deals.

From the historic country of Estonia, Germany, J. Massey dissects both positive and negative impacts associated with the United States government shutdown. Listen now, to learn how to create a business model that is sustainable despite a government shutdown.

Quarterly Review-  S.W.O.T. - How to Develop and Maintain a Business Plan that Wins and Builds Cash Flow in Real Estate Investing

Dennis Kay describes how to start your international investment portfolio.

Everyone wasn't born with a "silver spoon" in their mouths but we were all blessed with the gift of time. By using your time wisely to learn, you can acquire knowledge to create cashflow despite your income. Listen now, as J. Massey explains how experience is just as valuable as money. 

There’s two classes of people the IRS favors – business owners and investors.  Income earned through operating a business is taxed as ordinary income but still receive tax incentives. While investors receive huge tax breaks and are never taxed on capital gains or cash flow. Listen now, as J. Massey and Tom Wheelwright discusses how the highly favored are able to live tax free.

Have you ever heard of the phrase "dress like the person you want to become"? Listen now, as J. Massey explains why positive personal growth serves as the proper "dress code" to achieve success as an real estate entrepreneur.

Would you believe me if I told you that you are capable of purchasing a property and  selling that property without having to have any earnest money in as little as seven days? Listen now, as J. Massey teaches a live audience how making assumptions limits your possibilities and opportunities to learn, grow and get paid.

When you love what you do, there's no such thing as work. You're eager to devote your time to develop into an expert and you love teaching others how to achieve their goals. Listen to this live teaching audio, as J. Massey engages a live audience in Sacramento, California. Learn tips on how to get started in real estate  and building your cash flow and more.

If you battle with the idea of thinking the real estate industry doesn't have any room for you, stop what you are doing and listen now. As J. Massey and Matt Andrews (two guys with different backgrounds, from opposite coasts and varied missions) share how they've managed to achieve the same success as real estate investors.

The momentum continues for Cashflow Diary podcasts. I’ve received a number of canny questions from listeners and members and will answer a select few during this podcast. Tune in, as I reveal the details of a special promotion that can get you insider access to everything I know.

Do you believe you have what it takes to get your business off the ground but are lacking access to capital?  Have you ever said to yourself, if I just had the money I would finally do real estate?  Listen to this episode as J. reveals ways for you to believe, think, and act to secure all the capital you need for all of your deals.

Don't know what to say when standing in front of a prospect?  Looking for the words to more effectively promote your product or service?  Wish you knew a way to develop deeper relationships with more and more people to expand your influence.  Listen to this episode to hear the 4 major techniques J. still uses today to build business nationally and internationally.

Success is a game that we often play without understanding the rules or even how or why it happens.  Listen to this episode as J. gives us some tips from his current MasterMind Group on how they have achieved success in a few short weeks.

Whether you are on the buyer end of the transaction or the seller end, successfully closing deals are interdependent with your ability to conduct efficient due diligence. Listen now, as J. Massey shares a clever due diligence clause that may aid buyers during the final stages of examining a deal. 

Why did you wake this morning? What was your mission? Did you accomplish any goals to make a difference in your life or others? If you have not yet created a plan to accomplish a desired goal, this podcast will serve as a refresher to remind you of the ingredients required to stir up your productivity.

Whether you buy & hold, fix-n-flip, wholesale or just live in one, home is where your story begins. Listen now, as J. Massey takes us up close and personal with Popi and Ayanna Massey to share their intimate views on the power of entrepreneurship.