Guide 2 the Grind

Over the last couple of decades the investing landscape has changed dramatically. From the dotcom era to bitcoin, it can be tough to keep up. But one thing holds true, those who are ahead of the curve, and had some foresight, have been able to make a ton of money.  But how do you know which ones will be winners? I don’t know about you, but I’m not much of a gambler. It’s too damn hard to make mone...

Since the dawn of time one thing has always captured our imagination. From Neanderthals sitting around a campfire, to Hollywood blockbuster movies, we are captivated by stories .   I used to work in the film business. I worked on tons of tv series and feature films. I can recall countless times that I watched directors and lighting technicians spend hours getting a scene to look just right, then s...

Have you ever had a great business idea and thought “If I only had the money”? We all know there are ways to get early stage business funding, but few actually understand it. I would definitely include myself in that category.  Our guest on this episode of “Guide 2 the Grind” is Nathaniel Harding, the Managing Partner of Cortado Ventures.  Cortado is a Venture Capital firm in Oklahoma City. They s...

An interesting realization that I’ve had while trying to craft this is, it’s not easy to talk about charity. In fact it’s downright uncomfortable.   There’s a lot of psychological factors at play wherever you are on the spectrum of “being charitable”. If you don’t give, you may feel guilty that you don’t. Or you don’t give enough, or if you do give enough you don’t want to talk about it, so you do...

Have you ever thought about a second career? I know, it’s hard to think about giving up what you’ve spent so many years doing, but there comes a time where lifestyle begins to trump security.  For corporate executives looking to transition into ownership, investors who understand passive (or at least semi-passive) income streams, or the average person looking to make a change and build something f...

When I first got started in sales I was encouraged to start reading and listening to personal development greats like Jim Rohn and Zig Ziglar. I remember how much this expanded my mind in the first few years. I learned new philosophies for business and life, but one quote always stood out to me.  “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” To me it was a saying without meaning. Because it had...

The hardest thing about being an investor is learning. For the average Joe venturing into the world of investing to say that it’s overwhelming is a huge understatement. I know for myself I’ve been in the financial world for over a decade, and I still learn about new strategies and tactics all the time. It’s one of the reasons I’m so grateful we have Guide 2 the Grind.  We get to meet so many brill...

As we approach the end of our third year doing this podcast, I look back on all of the great guests, and the multitude of strategies they’ve shared. We’ve met some incredible people, and learned so much.   But none of them have been able to make investing as simple as this guest.   Most of the time we’re speaking with folks who’ve been in the investing world for a decade, maybe even two, but never...

It’s refreshing in an era of Robin Hood pump n’ dumps, Forex Traders, and so called Crypto experts, to hear someone say that preservation of capital is far more important than making a quick return.  Chris Vermeulen is a Technical Trading expert who teaches his students the slow and steady path to financial independence.  Ever since Chris’ dad lost everything they had in a land deal gone wrong, hi...

“Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome” Clint Eastwood, Heartbreak Ridge No guest we’ve had on the show embodies this more than our guest on this episode.  Gary Hibbert is a real estate entrepreneur which I can say from personal experience has a massive heart, and truly cares about other people’s lives.  I first met Gary through a random phone call back in 2015. Since then I’ve had the great pleasure of...

As we approach the end of our 3rd season, I look back and think about all the guests we’ve had. Some have been back a couple of times… some never showed up the first time.  But on this episode we have my all time favourite guest, not just because he’s an expert in the Crypto space, but because he’s become a true friend, even though we’ve never met in person.  The more time I’ve spent with Zach, th...

Every once in a while we have a guest that has so much great insight to share that JT and I barely have to speak.  Preston Brown is one of those guests.  He’s a serial entrepreneur with over 18 operating businesses, a college drop out, and makes nearly $200M dollars a year. So he’s got few insights to share. Lol Have a listen to our conversation, or should I say, lesson with Preston Brown on this...

We all know the market is terrible, the sky is falling, and we should all probably just give up on trying to get ahead.  …at least if you listen to the news.  But there’s opportunities in every cycle of the market, and it’s no different today. Think about the “go-go 80’s”. They were some of the most prosperous times the western world has ever known. Yet mortgage interest rates were in the high tee...

One of the biggest problems we’re seeing right now is that buyers just don’t qualify for enough money to buy the homes they want. Banks have really tightened their lending restrictions, and the stress test isn’t giving them enough buying power. But is the market really as bad as everyone thinks? Truly, I don’t know.  Here’s what I do know… Everyone hates change, and nobody is happy with the way it...

When most people think of franchising its fast food joints and coffee shops that come to mind first. And anyone that's owned this kind of business will tell you, it's not easy, and it's not a 9-5 kinda lifestyle.  But what if there are franchises that offer passive, or at least mostly passive income? On this episode of "Guide 2 the Grind" we're talking with Bob Bernot...

Have you ever felt unfulfilled in your personal and/or professional life? The struggle to find significance in our day to day can be subtle, but it underlies everything we do. For some the motivation to keep going is derived from their family and sense of duty to them. For others it can be a lot more challenging to define.  What makes you feel like you have purpose in life? What holds us back from...

It’s no secret that homeownership is becoming out of reach for a lot of first time homebuyers. But does that mean they’re going to have to rent forever? Our guest on episode 128 of “ Guide 2 the Grind ”, Franco Perez, proves that there’s always opportunity in real estate, no matter what the market is doing.  By shifting his client’s focus away from buying their "dream home” right off the bat,...

Have you ever hit one of your goals, felt the immediate rush, and then thought it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? I learned early on that having goals is great, but achieving them can kinda suck...    ...if you don’t have the next one already lined up.   In Proverbs there’s a great quote that says;               “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Like anything, real estate investing c...

When I first got into sales ( well over a decade ago now ) I remember my mentors talking about building relationships. I remember learning all sorts of “tactics” to endear myself to people, but it always felt fake. Deep down I knew there was more to it.  Relationships come down to one very simple concept: caring about other people.  John Maxwell said it best when he said “People don’t care how muc...

When I was a kid one of my all time favourite shows was the Fall Guy. If you’re old enough to remember it, what could make for better tv than a Hollywood stuntman who fights crime in his spare time. And how cool was that truck? As I got older, there seemed to be less magic in the world. And of course I knew that a show like that wasn’t real.  But there are real stuntmen in the world. Randy Butcher...

Ya know, every once in a while you meet someone that’s so impressive, and such a high achiever, you can’t help but be in awe of their personal power.  On this episode of “ Guide to the Grind ” we sit down with the CEO of Highness Capital, Amana Manori.  Amana is a lawyer, an exempt market dealer, and manages up and coming artists. The story of how she moved out on her own at a young age, and worke...

In a world of divided opinions, and people unwilling to hear the merits of their opposition’s arguments, more than ever, the ability to make a new decision based on new information shows a certain level of maturity, and intelligence.  That’s exactly what happened to me after speaking with this week’s guest.  For years I’ve thought that trading in stocks was a risky and pointless endeavour. After a...

The world of real estate is extremely competitive. If you’ve tried to buy a house anytime in the last five years or so you already know this.  So how do you get ahead when the market is so aggressive?    By playing in the sandbox that very few others are in… or even know about… vacant land.    Our guest on this episode of “ Guide 2 the Grind ” is Brent Bowers, one of the leading experts on vacant...

My favourite thing about doing this show every week is, I get to interview really intelligent people that are using some pretty avant garde strategies to help people make real returns on their money.  This week however, I totally get to geek out on our guest’s strategy.  I’ve been passionate about pooled mortgage strategies for a long time. I believe it’s the best chance the average person has to...

With all the changes in the market lately there’s been a surge of folks seeking private financing. The trouble with that is, the private lending space is way more vast and diverse than most people realize. There’s everything from highly regulated mortgage investment entities, lawyers, and somebody’s Uncle Joe who all seem to be in the arena.  But they are all VERY different.  On this episode of “...