In today's episode, I break down how I structure my business using virtual assistants, systems, and AI while still keeping the human element at the center of everything.

I share how I approach hiring, training, and managing VAs, why I believe people often overcomplicate AI, and where I think automation helps versus where it can actually hurt your business.

We also dive into creating SOPs, buying back your time, building scalable systems, and why relationships, sales, and trust should never be fully handed over to AI.

If you're an entrepreneur trying to scale, this episode will help you think differently about delegation, automation, and building a business that doesn't lose its personality.

00:00 – Intro & thoughts on AI

02:00 – Why I believe in hiring VAs first

04:30 – Buying back your time as an entrepreneur

06:00 – My first hires and what I delegated

08:20 – Training VAs with systems and SOPs

11:00 – How I use AI inside my business

13:00 – Giving employees AI tools to succeed

15:20 – Why human interaction still matters

18:00 – The dangers of over-automating your business

21:00 – Balancing AI, systems, and people

23:00 – Final thoughts on scaling with AI and VAs

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone building a business, a family, or both.

Subscribe for more Beyond the Build episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebuildpod

Listen to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/beyondthebuild

Listen to Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondthebuild

Follow Beyond The Build on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthebuildpod/

Follow Beyond The Build on Instagram: http://instagram.com/beyondthebuildpod

Follow Beyond The Build on LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondthebuild/ 

Check out more from Wendell Butler

Personal Website: wendellbutler.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendellpbutleriv

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendellpbutleriv/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendellpbutleriv/ 

Subscribe to Newsletter: https://wendellbutler.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Hammerhead Capital: https://www.hhcapitalrealty.com/

Flip Fuel Lending: https://flipfuellending.com/

Tide & Timber Ventures: https://www.tidetimberventures.com/

The Hive: https://jointhehive.co/ 

In today's episode, I share one of the biggest personal milestones of my life: getting engaged.

But this isn't just a story about relationships. It's about why choosing the right life partner can have a bigger impact on your future than almost any business decision you'll ever make.

I talk about why I waited until my 30s to get engaged, the importance of aligning on vision, values, and long-term goals, and how the right partner can become the ultimate teammate in both life and business.

We also dive into why entrepreneurs rarely talk about relationships, how personal decisions affect business success, and why thinking beyond a 10-year vision can completely change the way you build your future.

00:00 – Intro & engagement announcement
01:20 – The proposal story
03:45 – Why I waited until my 30s
06:45 – Finding the right partner
10:00 – Aligning vision, values & goals
13:30 – Thinking beyond a 10-year vision
16:15 – Why relationships matter for entrepreneurs
18:45 – Building a life, not just a business
20:30 – Final thoughts & lessons learned

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone building a business, a family, or both.

Subscribe for more Beyond the Build episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebuildpod

Listen to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/beyondthebuild

Listen to Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondthebuild

Follow Beyond The Build on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthebuildpod/

Follow Beyond The Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpod/

Follow Beyond The Build on LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondthebuild/ 

Check out more from Wendell Butler:

Personal Website: https://wendellbutler.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendellpbutleriv

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendellpbutleriv/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendellpbutleriv/ 

Subscribe to Newsletter: https://wendellbutler.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Hammerhead Capital: https://www.hhcapitalrealty.com/

Flip Fuel Lending: https://flipfuellending.com/

Tide & Timber Ventures: https://www.tidetimberventures.com/

The Hive: https://jointhehive.co/ 

In today’s episode, I break down the real reason most people never start the business, brand, podcast, or life they actually want.

It’s not a lack of information.It’s fear.

Fear of failing.Fear of looking stupid.Fear of losing money.Fear of what other people think.

I talk about analysis paralysis, why overlearning becomes an excuse, and how taking imperfect action will always beat waiting for the “perfect time.”

This episode is about entrepreneurship, mindset, momentum, and the reality that nobody actually knows what they’re doing when they start.

If you’ve been stuck overthinking instead of building, this episode is for you.

00:00 – Intro & batching content

01:20 – Why most people never start

03:10 – Fear of failure & fear of losing

04:50 – Analysis paralysis & overplanning

06:30 – Nobody actually knows what they’re doing

08:10 – Entrepreneurship, failure & momentum

10:00 – Why action takers outperform everyone

11:40 – The danger of endless learning

13:00 – When it’s time to stop learning and start doing

14:20 – Final thoughts & challenge to take action

Subscribe for more Beyond the Build episodes: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebuildpod⁠

Listen to Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/beyondthebuild⁠

Listen to Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondthebuild⁠

Follow Beyond The Build on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/beyondthebuildpod/⁠

Follow Beyond The Build on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpod/⁠

Follow Beyond The Build on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondthebuild/⁠ 

Check out more from Wendell Butler:

Personal Website:

⁠https://wendellbutler.com⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/wendellpbutleriv⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wendellpbutleriv/⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendellpbutleriv/⁠ 

Subscribe to Newsletter: ⁠https://wendellbutler.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠

Hammerhead Capital: ⁠https://www.hhcapitalrealty.com/⁠

Flip Fuel Lending: ⁠https://flipfuellending.com/⁠

Tide & Timber Ventures: ⁠https://www.tidetimberventures.com/⁠

The Hive: ⁠https://jointhehive.co/⁠ 

Today’s episode is about one of the worst real estate deals I’ve ever been part of.

What started as a projected $120,000 profit turned into a complete nightmare filled with foundation issues, retaining walls, grading problems, holding costs, and expensive mistakes that destroyed the margins.

I break down exactly where we went wrong, the due diligence mistakes we made, how emotion can kill a deal, and what this project taught me about business, partnerships, and risk management.

This is the side of entrepreneurship most people never talk about the losses, stress, and problems happening behind the scenes while everyone online only posts the wins.

00:00 – Intro & why nobody talks about bad deals
01:30 – The original $120K deal plan
04:20 – Foundation issues & hidden problems
07:40 – Lot factor & grading mistakes
10:15 – Driveway and retaining wall disasters
13:20 – How the profit disappeared
15:40 – Due diligence mistakes we made
18:00 – Lessons learned from the deal
19:30 – Final thoughts on business, losses, and partnerships

Subscribe for more Beyond the Build episodes: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebuildpod⁠

Listen to Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/beyondthebuild⁠

Listen to Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondthebuild⁠

Follow Beyond The Build on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/beyondthebuildpod/⁠

Follow Beyond The Build on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpod/⁠

Follow Beyond The Build on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondthebuild/⁠ 

Check out more from Wendell Butler:

Personal Website:

⁠https://wendellbutler.com⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/wendellpbutleriv⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wendellpbutleriv/⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendellpbutleriv/⁠ 

Subscribe to Newsletter: ⁠https://wendellbutler.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠

Hammerhead Capital: ⁠https://www.hhcapitalrealty.com/⁠

Flip Fuel Lending: ⁠https://flipfuellending.com/⁠

Tide & Timber Ventures: ⁠https://www.tidetimberventures.com/⁠

The Hive: ⁠https://jointhehive.co/⁠ 

Today’s episode is the intro to Beyond the Build.

It’s about why most people are only seeing the highlight reel of entrepreneurship and missing what actually happens behind the scenes.

I break down my journey through real estate, sales, lending, and building businesses, and why I decided to stop the polished conversations and just speak the raw truth about what it really takes to build.

00:00 – Why I stopped chasing “highlight reel” entrepreneurship content

02:10 – The truth behind business partnerships and real alignment

05:45 – Why most “success” online is fake or heavily curated

09:20 – 99% getting punched in the mouth, 1% figuring it out

12:40 – My journey through sales, real estate, and lending

16:15 – Why most entrepreneurs misunderstand revenue vs profit

19:50 – Building companies from scratch (and what actually breaks)

23:10 – Why I started Beyond the Build

26:30 – Real operators vs fake gurus

30:00 – What I’m building next

Subscribe for more Beyond the Build episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebuildpod

Listen to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/beyondthebuild

Listen to Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondthebuild

Follow Beyond The Build on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthebuildpod/

Follow Beyond The Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebuildpod/

Follow Beyond The Build on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondthebuild/ 

Check out more from Wendell Butler:

Personal Website:

https://wendellbutler.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendellpbutleriv

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendellpbutleriv/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendellpbutleriv/ 

Subscribe to Newsletter: https://wendellbutler.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Hammerhead Capital: https://www.hhcapitalrealty.com/

Flip Fuel Lending: https://flipfuellending.com/

Tide & Timber Ventures: https://www.tidetimberventures.com/

The Hive: https://jointhehive.co/ 

Ryan is an avid entrepreneur with a love for real estate. He currently serves as the Producing Branch Manager of Northpoint Mortgage with a focus in house-hack lending. As a top 1% originator nationally, he helps clients confidently buy their first, second, or 5th house-hack utilizing low down payment options. He is currently house hacking a 2 family and self manages a portfolio of 19 units consisting of commercial/residential multifamily and single family while actively seeking his first condo conversion project and next value add commercial property. He is the host of “The Real Estate Lens” podcast, where he shares his experiences, insights, and network as a residential loan officer and active real estate investor. He is also the co-founder of the Informed Investor and Informed Graduate, real estate education programs tailored toward helping young professionals achieve financial freedom through real estate.

Connect with Ryan:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financewithteamrichards/

Google: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Northpoint+Mortgage+-+Ryan+Richards/@42.2838754,-71.6249435,19z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x89e40ba111776b27:0xccc2f80c174b163e!2sNorthpoint+Mortgage+-+Ryan+Richards!8m2!3d42.2839421!4d-71.6244393!16s%2Fg%2F11s_ygjb2j!3m5!1s0x89e40ba111776b27:0xccc2f80c174b163e!8m2!3d42.2839421!4d-71.6244393!16s%2Fg%2F11s_ygjb2j?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAyOS4yIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Connect with me:

Instagram: @Wendellpbutleriv, @Realestatetake

Email: [email protected] 

Website: www.wendellbutler.com 

DISCLAIMER: I or any guests being interviewed on the “Real Estate Take” podcast are not responsible for any investment decisions that you make or capital losses incurred. We are not licensed tax professionals or any form of wealth advisor unless a particular guest happens to be as such, and all investment decisions should not be made without receiving advice from a licensed professional.

Dave Seymour, a retired firefighter, became a top real estate investor during the last market crash. He is an expert in commercial multi-family and Ground Up Development transactions. Dave starred in A&E's "Flipping Boston" and has been featured on CBS, ABC, CNBC, and FOX News. He helps both new and large investment groups through complex deals at Freedom Venture Investments. Legacy Alliance is his education outlet showing busy professionals how to master investing for cash flow and equity.

Connect with Dave:

Website - freedomventure.com 

X - https://twitter.com/daveseymour343?lang=en

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveseymour343/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DaveSeymourLive

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/daveseymour343/?hl=en

Legacy Alliance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnpDF1fbqjg

Inflation Nation: https://legacyalliance.link/Pod-Inflation-Nation

Free Multi-Family Masterclass: https://legacyalliance.link/Pod-Multi-Family-Class

Connect with me:

Instagram: @Wendellpbutleriv, @Realestatetake

Email: [email protected] 

Website: www.wendellbutler.com 

DISCLAIMER: I or any guests being interviewed on the “Real Estate Take” podcast are not responsible for any investment decisions that you make or capital losses incurred. We are not licensed tax professionals or any form of wealth advisor unless a particular guest happens to be as such, and all investment decisions should not be made without receiving advice from a licensed professional.

Starting in the corporate world, Joao worked his way up from a per diem driver to a National Operations Manager in the pharmacy industry, gaining valuable experience in operations and leadership. His real estate journey began after discovering Rich Dad Poor Dad, leading him to dive into the BRRRR strategy and property investing.

Joao started with residential flips, learned through trial and error, and eventually scaled to commercial properties, including a 12-unit acquisition. To streamline his projects, he built a construction company from the ground up, securing commercial general contractor licenses across multiple states. This allowed him to optimize renovations, control costs, and improve efficiency in real estate development.

Today, Joao focuses on expanding my real estate portfolio, managing construction operations, and collaborating with like-minded investors to maximize opportunities in the industry. To date, he has done over 160 renovations, a combination of flips - brrrrs - value add apts.

Connect with Joao:

https://www.instagram.com/joaomac_stf/

https://www.facebook.com/STFCapital

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joao-macavilca-478383136/

Connect with me:

Instagram: @Wendellpbutleriv, @Realestatetake

Email: [email protected] 

Website: www.wendellbutler.com 

DISCLAIMER: I or any guests being interviewed on the “Real Estate Take” podcast are not responsible for any investment decisions that you make or capital losses incurred. We are not licensed tax professionals or any form of wealth advisor unless a particular guest happens to be as such, and all investment decisions should not be made without receiving advice from a licensed professional.

John Casmon is a real estate entrepreneur, who has partnered with busy professionals to invest in over $145M worth of apartments. He hosts the Multifamily Insights Podcast and is the co-creator of the Midwest Real Estate Networking Summit. Prior to becoming a full-time investor, John worked in corporate America, overseeing marketing campaigns for General Motors, Nike and Coors Light.

Connect with John:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcasmon/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/multifamily-apartments-john-casmon/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/multifamilyinsightspodcast/ 

Website: https://casmoncapital.com/ 

Connect with me:

Instagram: @Wendellpbutleriv, @Realestatetake

Email: [email protected] 

Website: www.wendellbutler.com 

DISCLAIMER: I or any guests being interviewed on the “Real Estate Take” podcast are not responsible for any investment decisions that you make or capital losses incurred. We are not licensed tax professionals or any form of wealth advisor unless a particular guest happens to be as such, and all investment decisions should not be made without receiving advice from a licensed professional.

David Fredenberg is a real estate wholesaler and founder of Atlas Residential, serving the Charlotte Metro area. While specializing in wholesaling, his work extends across the real estate spectrum, including land development, flipping, rental properties, and creative financing strategies such as subject-to deals. Through the wholesale side of the business, David partners with investors at every level, creating opportunities and connections that drive growth in the market.

Connect with David:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-fredenberg-118790180/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 704-800-5817

Connect with me:

Instagram: @Wendellpbutleriv, @Realestatetake

Email: [email protected] 

Website: www.wendellbutler.com 

DISCLAIMER: I or any guests being interviewed on the “Real Estate Take” podcast are not responsible for any investment decisions that you make or capital losses incurred. We are not licensed tax professionals or any form of wealth advisor unless a particular guest happens to be as such, and all investment decisions should not be made without receiving advice from a licensed professional.