Bryan Clayton transforms a high school lawn mowing side hustle into an 8-figure landscaping company before creating GreenPal, the "Uber of lawn care" now serving 300,000 weekly users nationwide after a decade of determined building.

• Started mowing lawns in high school and grew it into a company with 150 employees over 15 years
• Sold first landscaping business for 8 figures in 2013 and quickly realized retirement wasn't fulfilling
• Identified opportunity to create an Uber-like service for lawn care despite having no tech background
• Spent first two years learning to code and building prototype, then struggling to find initial users
• Discovered through direct customer engagement that reliability and convenience matter more than price
• Describes growing a business like playing a video game where "every level has its own dragon to slay"
• Advises entrepreneurs not to start anything they can't commit a decade to
• Recommends not partnering with anyone you wouldn't give $10 million to start a business with
• Emphasizes closing the gap between what customers actually experience and what founders think they experience
• Views AI as a revolutionary tool that has transformed how they analyze data and solve problems

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Linda from Married to Real Estate shares her journey from property management to owning 193 units and developing commercial properties. Her story reveals how networking, mindset shifts, and embracing uncertainty transformed her from managing properties for others to building a substantial real estate portfolio.

• Started in property management for nearly 10 years before deciding to become an owner
• First investment was a Chicago triplex where they implemented house hacking and BRRRR strategies
• Moved to Houston after researching population growth, job growth, and crime rates in various cities
• Shifted from single-family to commercial real estate to accelerate path to financial freedom
• Participated as a passive investor first to understand the syndication process from the investor perspective
• Currently owns 193 units plus a retail center under development
• Planning to diversify into boutique hotels and assisted living facilities
• Runs a virtual real estate meetup every Thursday at 11am CST
• Recently became John Maxwell certified as a speaker and coach
• Uses LinkedIn as a powerful networking tool by posting consistently and authentically

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Anthony Markey – Business Profit Advocate & Connector

With over seven years of experience as a self-employed professional, Anthony Markey specializes in helping businesses uncover hidden financial opportunities to save and maximize profits. Beginning his career in the life and health insurance industry, he transitioned into the B2B space, where he partners with business owners to identify cost-saving strategies they may not even know exist.

Anthony's passion lies in building relationships and fostering collaboration rather than competition. As the host of the I Know a Guy podcast, he connects with industry leaders, shares their stories, and facilitates valuable partnerships. His mission is simple: to provide business owners with the financial insights they need to reinvest wisely and grow sustainably.

A firm believer in the Zig Ziglar philosophy—“Help enough people get what they want, and you’ll get what you want”—Anthony leads with a service-first mindset, always looking for ways to create meaningful connections and add value to those around him.

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 Michelle Marion, a seasoned property management expert with 25 years of experience, started her journey as a single mother, unknowingly stepping into a lifelong career. 

Specializing in value-add properties, she has transformed underperforming assets into thriving investments. Her passion for real estate investing began with a $7,500 property, teaching her invaluable lessons about market potential. 

After years of career growth, she reignited her investment journey in 2022, inspired by a mentor. Michelle’s story is a testament to resilience, vision, and seizing opportunities in real estate. 

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 In this episode of Forged in Fire, Jacqueline Landry shares how she transitioned from the corporate grind to financial freedom through real estate. After a major business setback, she and her husband pivoted to multifamily syndications, leveraging their experience to rebuild and scale. 

Today, Jacqueline is actively involved in 16 syndications across multiple asset classes, including multifamily, triple net, storage, and mobile home parks. Her journey is a testament to resilience, strategic growth, and the power of real estate to create lasting wealth. 

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Episode notes

Olivia Acton is the owner and lead photographer at Olivia Acton Photography, a premier studio based in Janesville, Wisconsin.

In this episode of Forged in Fire, Olivia shares her journey from nursing to entrepreneurship—starting from scratch, signing her first clients, and growing her business into a thriving luxury photography brand. Originally trained as a nurse with a master’s degree, Olivia spent nearly a decade in healthcare before discovering her passion for photography. What began as a simple desire to capture quality images of her children soon turned into a sought-after skill.

Through strategic business planning, marketing, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Olivia transitioned from a side hustle to full-time entrepreneurship in 2022. She has since expanded from a home-based studio to a dedicated space in downtown Janesville, where she specializes in high-end portraiture and branding photography.

Olivia’s story is one of resilience, calculated risks, and the power of following one’s passion.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking for inspiration and practical business tips!

Timestamps:

02:29 Introduction

06:54 Olivia's Future Vision & Goals

11:10 Challenges & Transition from W-2 to Entrepreneurship

13:50 Her Marketing & Client Acquisition strategy

19:00 Olivia's Learning & Adaptation as an Entrepreneur

25:50 How She Measures Success and Tracks Key Metrics

30:48 Hot Seat Fire Round

35:20 Her final advice

35:50 Stay in Touch with Olivia Acton

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Episode notes

Today, we’re joined by Rachel Cohen, who takes us through her journey, who transformed her life from being paralyzed to building a thriving real estate career.

Starting as a college athlete, Rachel’s life took unexpected turns, from managing a business with her ex-husband to facing a life-altering injury in 2006. After realizing she had no legacy to leave her children, she pivoted into real estate. Within a year of learning the ropes, Rachel became a co-GP in a 142-door property. Now, she’s focused on her second syndication in Tampa, proving that resilience and hard work can turn even the toughest challenges into opportunities.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking for inspiration and practical business tips!

Timestamps:

02:35 Intro to Rachel

03:10 Backstory

12:13 Rachel's Challenges in Raising Capital for Real Estate

14:58 Financing Strategy

17:24 Her qualifications of a capital raiser

20:21 Importance of on-site evaluation

24:08 Risk Management in terms of Investor funds and general deal risk

25:39 Rachel's Business growth vision

29:34 Hot seat round

33:12 New strategy that drives her to success

34:51 Where to find Rachel Cohen

34:58 Rachel's Final Advice

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Willie Enriquez, a Dominican-Puerto Rican based in Connecticut, has had an entrepreneurial mindset since childhood, earning his first dollars sweeping barber chairs for his father. In high school, he won an entrepreneurship award and later pursued business management in college while working full-time to support his family.

After spending nearly seven years in the healthcare industry, where he developed a strong emphasis on relationship-building, Willie faced a turning point when he was let go during the pandemic.

In May 2022, his sister introduced him to real estate, and after attending a three-day multifamily event, he was hooked. Investing nearly $40K into mentorship, he has been fully committed to real estate ever since, embracing the journey of building financial freedom through multifamily investing.

Timestamps:

2:56 Willie's Bio and journey

06:59 Willie's strategy in Multifamily investing

08:42 His role since the transition

16:14 How the team was built

20:18 Struggles he had to overcome

22:35 Willie's focus toward growth

27:10 Hotseat round

34:29 Where people can find Willie

34:50 His final advice

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Eddie Esparza is a real estate investor and the co-founder/CIO of Diversified Equity Partners, where he helps professionals achieve financial freedom through real estate investments. His journey into real estate began at a young age, as he was born into it. His father had a property portfolio, and Eddie and his brother started by working in demolition, which led to them assisting with renovations and managing contractors.

Over time, Eddie became more involved in managing investments and understanding real estate dynamics, particularly in Chicago. His early goal was to steadily build a property portfolio. However, the pandemic caused a shift in his career. After being laid off during the crisis, Eddie realized he could apply the same dedication he had in his professional career to real estate. This led him to pivot into owning not just properties but a real estate business.

Determined to grow, Eddie joined a multifamily commercial real estate mastermind and has been focused on that path ever since, embracing challenges as opportunities.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking for inspiration and practical business tips!

Timestamps:

02:00 Eddie's Intro

06:40 Backstory to Eddie's real estate journey

12:38 Eddie's vision and Roles they play within the department

16:32 Trials and Tribulations he had to go through

34:15 Hot Seat round

35:32 Piece of advice that Eddie would give to his younger self

41:06 Strategy he implemented that helps drive to success

44:52 Final advice to listeners

47:38 Where to find Eddie

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Frank’s journey began in the humble surroundings of Maui, where he took his first entrepreneurial steps by selling spam musubis to fund his passion for fishing. But after high school, life seemed to push him into a conventional path—work or college.

He chose work, diving into the excavation industry and aiming for the top: a blade operator, a coveted role in construction. But everything changed when he moved to Dallas. Thrust into a booming environment far from his comfort zone, Frank saw the explosive growth of the DFW area and knew he had to be part of it. It was in this whirlwind of opportunity that he found his true calling: real estate.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking for inspiration and practical business tips!

Timestamps:

03:58 Frank's Intro and entrepreneurial journey

07:15 His key turning points—How his perspective changed

09:30 The adversities Frank has overcome

11:50 Why Frank Chose Multifamily Real Estate

13:53 His Analytical Approach and His Love for Spreadsheets

16:53 Frank’s Preferred Methods of Financing Deals and What He Looks for

18:19 What is Pref Equity?

24:12 Frank's Risk Management Considerations

28:22 Market Expectations for 2025

32:38 Hot Seat round

34:21 His favorite part of being an entrepreneur

37:45 Where to find Frank

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If you're interested in learning more about Real Estate and connecting with us:

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Be Our Guest! We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate & entrepreneurship. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in the industry, then let's connect.

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