Payback Time

My next guest spent 3 years in corporate America and decided, this is enough for me. He found a quote that said, “7 out of 10 millionaires build their wealth with real estate.” Building wealth was one motivation but his true north star was creating passive income so he could spend more time with his family. In this episode, we talk about the Build-to-Rent model, some of the benefits of this model,...

My next guest created a SaaS business that is similar to DoorDash but helps with more than food delivery. They consider themselves a “last mile concierge service” which can deliver food, medications, dry cleaning, and more. They launched in a few cities in the US but found strong traction in Ohio where their projected revenues are on track to exceed $2.5M in 2023. In this episode, we talk about ho...

My next guest left his corporate job to pursue a career in non-food franchising. Now today, he has a network of over 600 different franchise models that can help people escape the rat race and become full-time entrepreneurs. In this episode, we talk about some of the business models, including project-based revenue and recurring revenue, we also talk about which models can generate $1M/year in top...

My next guest has a strong background in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, and he talks about his transition to creating a fund that helps other institutions service their customers with crypto portfolios. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of incorporating a fund in the Cayman Islands, how to overcome objections related to the FTX scandal, how they reduce risk, and the potential...

My next guest is a lifelong entrepreneur who created a financial newsletter almost 20 years ago, that helps investors earn 15% per year with ETFs. Not only that, the maximum losses with his strategy are around 6%. In this episode, we talk about his investing and trading background and the specific strategy he uses today. Please welcome Chris Vermeulen. Key Timecodes (00:43) - Show intro and backgr...

My next guest is a lifelong entrepreneur and investor who runs a unique venture capital firm that doesn’t specialize in one specific industry. In this episode, he talks about what he looks for in founders, what he looks for with companies, and how his firm structures its deals differently than traditional VC firms. Please welcome Patrick Donohue. Key Timecodes (00:38) - Show intro and background h...

My next guest is an engineer by trade who previously worked on hybrid technologies for auto manufacturers including Chrysler, Ford, and VW, and worked in the semiconductor industry. A common thread he became passionate about was mentorship. This led him to create a B2B SaaS business that helps organizations build a stronger community through mentorship. In this episode, we talk about how he genera...

“The fear of regret is GREATER than the fear of not moving forward.” A variation of this quote is later discussed in this episode where my next guest talks about her backstory of transitioning from a cushy financial planning career to starting her own financial/life coaching business. Overall, she wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines talking about doing something. She needed to act and there is no...

My next guest began his tech career back in the 1990’s (high school years) when he built a web design company. In college, he continued using those skills and even built a website for a publicly traded company. After graduating, he worked for a startup, then built and sold a consulting firm, and then eventually started a boutique venture capital firm that currently invests in B2B SaaS companies. I...

My next guest was a sales executive who made the transition to creating an agency that helps tokenize businesses. In this episode, we talk about the types of businesses they tokenize,  why a business might want to tokenize, and what kind of returns investors like you and I can expect. Please welcome Mark Fidelman.  Key Timecodes (05:58) - How his business model works and can create passive income...

My next guest made the transition from angel investor to co-founder of a B2B SaaS that helps companies organize data. In this episode, we talk about their unique sales process on how they quickly get people to use the platform and transition to paying customers. We also talk about how they raised over $100M and they haven’t had to touch a single dollar of their latest funding round, because they a...

My next guest is an entrepreneur who has built a company that helps students go to college debt free. In this episode, we talk about various strategies such as how to negotiate tuition, how to get school paid for by the school itself, and how to earn grants from the school or people associated with the school. If you’re thinking about going to college but worried about the costs, this episode is f...

My next guest has owned 23 businesses including one business where a customer chucked a burrito at his head. Moments like that made him say “You know what, maybe this business isn’t for me.” He’s been through the good, the bad, and the ugly and now has a ton of experience to help other business owners avoid mistakes and achieve their dreams. In this episode, we break down some of his major lessons...

My next guest was a public accountant, who eventually moved over to a controller role, and then eventually worked his way up to CFO. However, he wasn’t totally satisfied with trading his time for money which is why he started investing in real estate at early as he could. In this episode, we talk about his 10-year timeline to achieving FIRE and we also talk about his company and what types of asse...

My next guest was a professional hockey player who talks about his transition to real estate investing, to real estate education, and finally on to starting and growing a virtual assistant company. In this episode, we talk about the pros and cons of hiring virtual assistants, how to get them up to speed fast, and how to leverage their skills to help scale your company. Please welcome Bob Lachance....

My next guest was a software engineer that originally tried day trading, then moved on to value investing, and then eventually moved on to trend following by using TA (technical analysis). In this episode, we talk about his company, his strategy, and even dive into 3 stocks that have generated impressive returns over the last 5 years. Please welcome Zaheer Anwari. Key Timecodes (00:42) - Show intr...

My next guest has over 10 years of experience working in sales for large corporations including Gartner and Salesforce. In parallel to his corporate track, he invested in a service business and then sold his shares after 5 years. In this episode, we talk about the specific company he invested in, how much he invested, how much he sold his shares for, and what he works on today. Please welcome Step...

My next guest was an attorney who also worked in management consulting as well as private equity. He eventually stumbled upon a unique opportunity in the energy industry. He joined a startup that helps companies save as much as 25% per month on energy costs. In this episode, we talk about how energy is saved, how they sell B2B, and how he helped grow this company from 15 employees to over 150 empl...

My next guest was a 4.0 medical student who decided she truly wanted to enjoy more freedom in life which motivated her to get into entrepreneurship, specifically franchise opportunities. Today she’s a franchise coach who helps people escape the rat race and find opportunities that generate recurring revenue and at the same time build equity, so you can sell a business for a significant profit. In...

My next guest is an entrepreneur that has built several businesses and moved on to writing a book that helps structure the family like a business. Don’t worry, he doesn’t talk about corporate meetings, quarterly statements, and PowerPoints. What he does talk about is the importance of communication and helping the family become transparent with goal setting and how they can achieve those goals. In...

My next guest was an actuary in the early part of his career until 2019 when he and his wife achieved FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). At that point, he started a blog and wrote a book that helps children save and invest. In this episode, we break down some of the key takeaways such as rich vs wealthy, why an allowance can teach kids to save early, and why patience is the #1 strategy y...

My next guest served in the US Navy then went on to work for IBM, and thereafter climbed the ranks in multiple large corporations until he retired as SVP at Cigna Insurance. He talks about the pain of going through the dotcom bubble between 2000 and 2002 as well as the housing crash in 2008 and that he didn’t fully recover until 2014. Overall, his portfolio was down for 14 years. The question is,...

My next guest is a young entrepreneur who shares his journey of building a marketplace SaaS that allows users to rent sports surfaces and arenas such as hockey rinks and basketball courts. He breaks down his transition from school, how long it took to validate the idea, how he markets the business, and how he and his team have built an audience with over 150,000 monthly active users and over 3,000...

My next guest has worked in the startup funding industry for over 12 years. In this episode, we talk about the challenges of raising venture capital including the time and the unfortunate number of “no’s” you get before you maybe get one “yes”. If you can’t raise funds from a bank, venture capital, or private equity, then what options remain? We answer that question in this episode. Please welcome...

My next guest is a financial advisor turned financial coach who helps people get on the fast track to financial freedom. In this episode, we talk about various strategies you may use to achieve financial freedom including starting a business and real estate. We specifically deep dive into a real estate strategy known as “seller financing” which can generate an estimated monthly income of $500 per...