The Builder Nation Podcast

In the first-ever solo episode of the Builder Nation Podcast, host Brian Koons marks two milestones at once: the start of Season 2 of the show, and his upcoming 30th birthday. To close out season one, he sits down to share the 30 most important lessons he's learned in his first 30 years - the foundational stuff that's shaped his health, his relationships, his finances, and his freedom. This one is...

Most wholesalers focus on acquisitions. Alex Bradley built his entire business doing the opposite - and it’s paying off. Alex is San Diego’s go-to Dispo guy. He doesn’t talk to sellers. He doesn’t run cold call campaigns. He just moves deals, and he’s built a reputation doing it so well that wholesalers across the country come to him when they can’t get something off the books. In this episode, Br...

Most real estate agents are playing the same game and losing. Joseph Silva isn't. With a background in investment banking and business banking, Joseph ditched the traditional buy-sell agent model and built CCG Real Estate Advisors around one core idea: lead with value, not with sales. On this episode of Builder Nation, Brian and Joseph get into what it actually means to serve real estate inves...

This episode of The Builder Nation Podcast is a live Q&A from the ADU Investor Summit with Brian Koons, Andrew Greer, and keynote speaker Thach Nguyen - focused on operator‑level ADU investing strategy. In this conversation, Brian, Andrew, and Thach pull the audience into the weeds on what actually makes an ADU or small‑multifamily project succeed - from how you decide whether to keep or rent,...

Brandon LaCascio has been in real estate since 2005 - right before the market collapsed. Instead of folding, he came out swinging. Now he's a broker, developer, and builder with over 120 units in his portfolio and decades of hard-earned experience that most people in this industry will never have. In this episode, Brandon breaks down one of the most underrated ideas in business right now: mone...

In this episode of the Builder Nation Podcast, Brian Koons sits down with Marine Corps veteran, powerlifter, and AI operator Christian Johnson to unpack how small businesses can actually use AI to make more money - without becoming “tech companies” or hiring a team of engineers. They break down the idea of building a “digital twin” of you and your business, centralizing communication, and using au...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, I sit down with developer Andrew Slocum, who has over 700 units in plan check across some of the most highly regulated and fire-impacted markets in Los Angeles County. We break down what is actually happening on the ground after the Altadena and LA fires, how timelines have shifted, and what cities are doing right (and wrong) when it comes to rebuildi...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brian Koons sits down with John Lallande to break down how to build a predictable sales engine, improve CRM systems, and scale a business with stronger processes and better execution. John shares practical strategies from his experience in coaching and wholesaling, including how to identify high-income-producing activities, train sales teams, and crea...

A burned-out doctor, buried in 60–100 hour weeks and a brutal tax bill, quietly decides he’s done trading his time for a title. Instead of doubling down on medicine and building a traditional practice, he starts buying “boring” car washes — and ends up with a portfolio that out-earns his physician salary while giving him back his time, his energy, and his presence at home.​ In this episode, Brian...

From pouring concrete in NorCal to leading 1,500+ projects in San Diego, this episode dives into how a project coordinator became a senior project manager and is now building a true design‑build/development career in one of the toughest markets in the country.​ We break down the gap between designers, builders, and developers - why most projects fail on feasibility, vision, and execution, and how...

In this episode, we’re on the ground in Lake Havasu with developer and investor Ryan, touring one of the most ambitious commercial and lifestyle projects in the region — from luxury “man caves” and private storage suites to a massive new fitness and co-working complex designed for high-net-worth investors and creators. Ryan shares how he’s turned Lake Havasu into a luxury investment hub where succ...

Small multifamily isn’t just a starter strategy - it’s one of the most powerful tools for building long-term freedom through real estate.​ In this episode of the Builder Nation Podcast, I sit down with San Diego small multifamily specialist Twana Rasoul to unpack why 2-4 unit properties are so underrated and how regular people can use them to build serious wealth.  We break down the fundamentals o...

Turning a single-family home into a mini apartment building with ADUs might be one of the most misunderstood and controversial strategies in California real estate, and in this episode we break it all the way down with Steph Sells ADUs, Stephanie Gutierrez. We’ve collectively talked to thousands of homeowners about ADU feasibility, design, disasters, permitting, and everything in between, so this...

This episode of The Builder Nation Podcast features San Diego investor, broker, builder, and operator Alexio Barbaro, aka “Cashflow Alexio”, who owns and manages over 70 units, has built multiple ground‑up ADU projects, and recently launched Bridgepoint Realty, a multifamily-focused brokerage with nine agents in San Diego. Alexio breaks down how real brokers actually find off‑market “diamonds in t...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast , Brian sits down with high-performance mindset coach Adam Avenus, a man on a mission to help entrepreneurs, salespeople, and operators break through invisible ceilings. You’ve probably heard it before: “Mindset is everything.” But what if that’s not just a motivational quote… what if it’s the operating system running every result in your business and...

This episode is a raw, unfiltered look at what it actually takes for you to build a business and a life that feels aligned, not just impressive on paper. It dives into the tension between who you are and what you do, and what happens when the business you built no longer fits the person you are becoming.​ In this episode, I talk with Ruben about money, risk, and identity, and you get to sit in on...

Step into the story of a 25-year-old San Diego agent who refused to cold call, knock doors, or live on the traditional real estate hamster wheel—and still built a thriving business powered almost entirely by social media. In this episode, Jared Harmon shares how he turned simple home tour videos into a magnetic brand that attracts first-time buyers, DINKs, and locals who already feel like they kno...

TThis episode of The Builder Nation Podcast follows the journey of Adit Shah: Navy veteran turned real estate developer. He discusses how he scaled from small residential deals into syndicated hotel acquisitions. He shares hard lessons learned when those hotels went south, and then how he rebuilt both his business and his reputation around radical transparency and investor-first integrity. Along t...

Most small businesses bleed cash on marketing they don’t understand, yet some quietly scale almost entirely through word of mouth and a dialed-in reputation. In this episode, Billy Perez unpacks how he grew to managing 50+ Airbnb doors in just 18 months, layered in other income streams like vending machines, and became “the Airbnb guy” in his market without relying on paid ads. From showing up obs...

This episode of Builder Nation features Dillon Freeman, one of the top mortgage lenders in the country, who built a $400k+ per year business entirely from organic LinkedIn—no ads, no agents, just systems, consistency, and content that actually drives deals. Dillon breaks down how he went from market commentary during the banking crisis to becoming a go-to lender, the content “pillars” he uses to p...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brian sits down with Alex Inabnet, founder of Inabnet Companies and a developer running five vertically integrated divisions across San Diego, Austin, and Tampa. Alex shares how he went from nearly jumping off a downtown San Diego high-rise at 25 to building a multi-market development empire that includes construction, property management, and a priva...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brandon breaks down how he went from a 25-year-old making over $200,000 a year in Fortune 100 tech sales to walking away and rebuilding his life around freedom, travel, and hospitality ownership. He shares how he navigated multiple career pivots, got into hostels and hotels on Maui, and now runs marketing and capital raising for a growing hotel invest...

Less than 15% of eligible veterans ever use their VA loan—but James DeLeon used his to buy a fourplex with $0 down and turned it into a 25+ property portfolio in one of America's toughest markets. In this episode, James breaks down exactly how he escaped the "military matrix" that keeps service members trapped in financial mediocrity. From his first house hack to mastering the BRRRR...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brian sits down with Ryan O’Connell, founder of How to ADU and one of the most respected ADU policy experts in California. Everyone says ADUs are the solution to the housing crisis. California has over 7 million ADU-eligible properties. So why do so many projects never make it to permit — let alone construction? This conversation breaks down the real...

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brian sits down with Eric Nelson — a multifamily investor and operator managing more than 1,000 units across multiple markets… while living in Spain with his family. Most investors struggle to manage a single rental. Eric built a system-driven organization, hired strategically, and created a remote command center that lets him run a nationwide portfol...