A Young David Decker Finds His Path

David Decker shares how growing up in northwest Indiana shaped his values. From delivering newspapers at age nine to painting houses and mowing lawns, he learned self-reliance early. His parents led by example—both hardworking and ambitious, with his mom becoming a vice president in the 1950s and his dad investing in rental properties on the side. David’s exposure to real estate through his father planted a seed that grew into a lifelong pursuit.

Decker’s Early Jobs and Mindset

As a teen, David wasn’t handed anything. Fast food chains weren’t even accepting applications because so many people were trying to get in. That scarcity pushed him to knock on doors, offering to shovel snow or rake leaves. By age 12, he was already building his own service business. These experiences taught him to be bold, persistent, and self-starting—traits that shaped his approach in real estate later on.

David Decker on College and Career Shifts

David attended Indiana University, earning a finance degree. Even then, real estate remained on his mind, but the path wasn’t clear. He started out at General Electric but found the corporate world didn’t suit him. After two and a half years, he met a real estate broker by chance and jumped into real estate full-time.

How David Learned the Real Estate Game

David didn’t have outside funding or flashy opportunities. He started small with a four-unit building and scaled from there, using creative deal structures like seller financing and 1031 exchanges. He describes taking property commissions in the form of real estate and leveraging every opportunity to buy when others wouldn't. His approach was slow and steady, focused on long-term wealth instead of quick wins.

Real Estate Realities

David highlights how the game has changed. Today’s investors face different challenges: higher barriers to entry, competition from institutional buyers, and a lack of affordable starter properties. He calls out the need for systemic change—standardized building codes, better housing policy, and government innovation to promote affordable construction.

Building Over Time

By consistently reinvesting profits, David scaled from a four-unit to owning over 2200 units. His journey proves that real estate, when approached with patience and discipline, can offer financial independence for regular people. He emphasizes that the model is not for everyone and comes with risks, but the long-term reward is worth it.

David Decker’s Advice for the Next Generation

David encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on problem-solving, not gimmicks. Whether it’s through real estate or another business, start with a clear plan to solve someone's problem. Real estate worked for him, but the broader lesson is to commit, stay consistent, and be creative with what’s available.

More From David Decker

https://www.davidjdecker.com

Scott Miller on Growing Up and Grit

Scott Miller shares how growing up with three older brothers in a small Midwest town shaped his outlook. With limited resources and a father who worked constantly, Scott learned early that no one was coming to help. That mindset followed him into adulthood. Even in college, he didn’t know what he wanted, but he knew he had to earn his way.

Taking Risks and Finding Purpose

Scott spent years jumping between careers—bartending, recruiting, and sales. Each role taught him something new, but none gave him lasting fulfillment. He eventually realized the only way to move forward was to take risks. He stopped looking for the perfect job and instead focused on the next right step.

Scott Miller on Shifting Mindsets

Instead of chasing motivation, Scott developed discipline. He talks about learning that action builds momentum. Even if you don’t feel ready, doing the work creates progress. He shares how daily habits, journaling, and reading shaped his mindset over time.

Breaking Out of the Employee Mentality

Scott explains how hard it can be to shift from an employee mindset to an ownership mindset. He didn’t grow up around entrepreneurs. He had to figure out the rules of the game on his own. It took him years to rewire how he thought about time, money, and control.

What Scott Miller Learned From Coaching

Through coaching others, Scott gained perspective on what holds most people back. It’s usually not lack of knowledge. It’s fear and avoidance. He explains how he helps people create clarity, face discomfort, and build accountability. Progress rarely looks glamorous, but it always requires action.

The Power of Consistency According to Scott Miller

Scott drives home one central idea: consistency beats intensity. Flashy results may inspire, but slow, repeatable habits sustain real change. He shares how small actions, done daily, create momentum that builds over time.

Advice for Anyone Feeling Stuck

Scott encourages listeners to stop overthinking and start taking steps. Most people wait for certainty, but growth comes from movement. He reminds us that discomfort is not a sign to stop—it’s often a sign you’re on the right track.

More From Scott Miller

https://masterofsales.com

https://www.facebook.com/Scott1258/

Cam Roberts on learning without a blueprint

Cam Roberts grew up in a quiet town in northern British Columbia with no real exposure to entrepreneurship. His early years were filled with snow forts, basic jobs, and the kind of hands-on learning you only get from being thrown into unfamiliar tasks. In high school, Cam chose to homeschool to speed through a system he didn’t connect with. That early decision-making confidence carried into the rest of his life.

How Roberts used blue-collar work to build business instincts

Cam’s first jobs weren’t glamorous, but they taught him how to think on his feet. From stacking core samples at a geology facility to doing untrained maintenance work in a shopping mall, he built his skills through trial, error, and curiosity. He followed tradesmen around job sites and learned by watching. Over five years, he turned from a rookie into someone comfortable with tools, systems, and solving problems fast.

The moment Cam changed course

In 2018, Cam nearly lost two fingers and part of his thumb in a table saw accident. The injury led to five weeks off work, which became the unexpected turning point in his career. With time on his hands and a clear memory of a bad local contractor, Cam started building a parking lot striping business from his kitchen table. He made the website, ordered flyers, called equipment suppliers, and landed his first job before he had the gear.

What you can learn from 2am paint jobs and thin margins

Working nights and weekends, Cam built up a client base. He quit his day job in 2019 and grew quickly. The work was seasonal, so every decision carried weight. Covid arrived in 2020, but instead of slowing down, his business grew. Isolated outdoor work continued, and commercial lots still needed service. Cam added snow removal, hired more staff, and expanded services year after year.

How Cam Roberts built a second business through podcasting

A business coach nudged Cam to start a podcast. Stripe It Like It’s Hot began as a niche media experiment but quickly opened doors. Cam started coaching small service businesses in the asphalt industry. Speaking gigs followed. Today, he runs both a pavement services company and a training business, helping others grow from scrappy starts into sustainable operations.

Growth, failure, and staying in the game

Cam doesn’t shy away from failure. In 2022, he came within minutes of losing his company. He sat in a parking lot, swiping his phone, waiting for a large overdue payment to hit. It arrived just in time. Since then, he's learned how to manage cash flow, scale smartly, and never rely on one client. His message to others is simple: read books, focus on learning, and stay in the game. You can only fail if you quit.

More From Cam Roberts

https://stripeitpodcast.simplecast.com

https://stripeit.ca

Growing Up Hustling in Brooklyn Anthony Espo shares how growing up in Bay Ridge shaped his early mindset around work, independence, and hustle. He talks about his mother’s example as a relentless businesswoman, running a bike shop while raising three kids on her own. From delivering newspapers at ten years old to cutting friends’ hair in his basement, Anthony learned to earn early. That drive stayed with him as he hustled through high school selling sneakers, jewelry, and electronics.Early Lessons That Shaped Espo's PathAnthony reflects on how sports and street competition built his mindset. He highlights how physical conditioning and mental grit translated into everyday life. He explains the importance of competition, but also the need to balance it—especially for kids. He shares how he avoids becoming the “fitness dad” who pushes too hard, instead creating a family culture rooted in sustainable health habits and open communication.When Anthony Espo Took Over the Family BusinessAs a young adult, Anthony stepped in to run his mother’s bike shop when she became ill. That experience forced him to mature fast. He talks about juggling that with his side hustles and how it sparked deeper self-reflection. After her passing, Anthony began asking himself bigger questions about his identity and direction. That turning point helped fuel the start of what would become his long-term path in health and fitness.Espo’s Pivot into Health and CommunityWhat began as teaching free bootcamps in the park turned into a business built on community impact. Anthony discusses how these early workouts led to the founding of Badass Academy—a group fitness facility focused entirely on classes. At the time, this model was unusual, but Anthony trusted the power of connection and consistency. He shares how he created systems to help others while continuing to evolve his own habits.The Resilience Behind Anthony’s GrowthAnthony recounts the challenging years of building Badass Academy. From software failures to financial setbacks, and eventually surviving a nine-month COVID shutdown, he explains how gratitude, structure, and daily health routines helped him stay grounded. He breaks down how journaling, breathing, and morning and evening gratitude help him manage stress and stay clear on his goals.The Legacy Espo is Building NowAnthony now runs a successful gym and has published a self-help book titled “WAHOOS in Life” (We All Have Our Own Shit). His son even followed in his footsteps by publishing a book of his own. Anthony talks about teaching by example, investing in his staff, and continuously refining what it means to lead. His message is simple: time matters more than money, and growth starts with showing up for yourself first.More From Anthony Espohttps://www.amazon.com/Wahoos-Life-Anthony-Esposito/dp/B0BNJ3KRJ9https://badassacademy.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-espo-45aba3169/ https://www.instagram.com/badassacademyhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74372986-wahoos-in-lifeMentioned book: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

Finding Opportunity in Unlikely Places

Kison Patel shares how growing up in a small Nebraska motel shaped his work ethic from an early age. Raised by immigrant parents who ran a roadside motel, Kison learned to handle real estate, operations, and customer service by the time he was a teenager. He opens up about his earliest hustles, like selling cigarettes at school to buy better clothes, and how those scrappy beginnings taught him to think like an entrepreneur long before he ever started a company.

After struggling through high school and ultimately being dismissed from college, Kison describes the intense pressure immigrant children often feel to succeed academically. But without a degree, he found alternative paths to grow—first working low-wage jobs, then moving into real estate and business brokerage. Kison explains how being rejected by traditional paths pushed him toward entrepreneurship, where he could write his own rules and focus on practical skills instead of credentials.

Kison reflects on his early experiments with online businesses and the harsh reality of having 200 websites blacklisted overnight. Despite setbacks, he saw potential in using technology to scale a business that could support mergers and acquisitions. He shares how he bootstrapped his way to founding a fintech company that would eventually grow to 50 employees and nearly $10 million in revenue. Along the way, he learned to lead, sell, and adapt without formal training—just a relentless drive to figure things out.

In the second half of the conversation, Kison explains the insight that sparked the creation of his current business. He realized that most M&A tools were built for sellers, leaving buyers stuck with outdated systems that didn’t support integration. By building a lifecycle management platform for the buy side, Kison helped improve execution and accountability in multi-million dollar acquisitions. He outlines why better planning and collaboration between teams leads to stronger results after deals close.

Throughout the episode, Kison offers practical advice for anyone navigating entrepreneurship without traditional credentials. He emphasizes the importance of learning to endure discomfort, focusing deeply on one area, and being open to unglamorous businesses with strong fundamentals. For those looking to acquire small businesses, he recommends identifying overlooked sectors, learning the industry well, and building credibility with owners before trying to close a deal.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kisonpatel/

https://www.mascience.com/

How Kison Patel Navigated Failure Without a DegreeThe Turning Point in Kison Patel’s JourneyBuilding Software to Fix M&A ExecutionKison Patel’s Advice for Aspiring EntrepreneursMore From Kison Patel

Henning Schwinum’s journey started in Cologne, Germany, and took a pivotal turn when he joined a student exchange program in North Carolina. That early experience shaped his perspective and taught him to reason independently. He discusses how this mindset helped him see the world in nuanced ways and fostered a deep interest in understanding the “why” behind decisions. This outlook has guided his entire career, from chemical sales to entrepreneurship.Henning Schwinum on Embracing Change and Taking RisksAfter completing a unique three-year apprenticeship instead of college, Henning worked at Bayer for 15 years. He shares what it was like working in a legacy corporation, adapting to digital shifts like e-business, and eventually leaving the company to join a startup as employee number seven. Henning talks about the challenges of building a European arm for a US startup in a conservative, slow-moving industry and what it took to survive years of minimal progress before finding success.Navigating Growth and Staying Flexible According to HenningHenning discusses the realities of startup life, highlighting the 0 to 1 and 1 to 5 million dollar revenue phases and what kind of leadership each stage requires. He emphasizes the importance of finding the right people for specific phases and reflects on how he transitioned from sales leader in Europe to global sales and marketing lead. His story illustrates how trust and adaptability play key roles in long-term growth.Schwinum’s Take on Career Longevity and Sales EvolutionHenning dives into modern career paths, contrasting long stints in traditional industries with faster turnover in tech and SaaS. He outlines how motivations like money and remote work impact job changes. He also highlights how valuable networking can be when thoughtfully built over time. Henning gives clear advice on building meaningful professional relationships early and often.Solving Sales Challenges with Fractional LeadershipHenning breaks down what fractional sales leadership looks like and who it’s really for. He explains how vendor experience gaps in small to mid-size businesses can be filled with the right executive support. Henning shares how he matches experienced leaders with specific challenges and offers clear insight into how founder-led sales teams can scale smarter and faster with part-time leadership.The Role of Content and Connection in Henning's StrategyLinkedIn plays a major role in Henning’s growth strategy. He explains how he started networking late in his career and what shifted his mindset. Henning believes valuable content builds credibility over time, especially for professionals who want to demonstrate expertise to decision-makers. He also details the early strategies he used to build a meaningful network and reach the right clients.Looking AheadHenning shares details about the book he’s writing focused on how companies and executives can make fractional roles work. He talks about the power of matching the right skills with the right challenges and why it’s more than just a staffing solution. He closes by reflecting on what he’d do differently and the lessons he’s still learning from every experience.More From Henning Schwinumhttps://useshiny.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hschwinum

Richie Romero opens up about his early life, growing up in Queens, and how television shaped his moral compass more than traditional family dynamics. He shares how pain—physical, emotional, and financial—became his greatest teacher. From enduring chronic health issues to watching his family struggle financially, Richie details how these experiences helped him develop deep empathy, resilience, and a clear sense of purpose. He emphasizes that clarity comes not from comfort but from confronting discomfort head-on and doing deep personal work.Mentorship, Denial, and PurposeThroughout the conversation, Richie dives into his search for mentorship and his journey through self-denial. He shares how years of internal conflict and personal setbacks forced him to reframe his goals and values. His early drive for fame and acceptance led him to nightlife, but it was only through reflection that he recognized the real source of that ambition. His goal today is much more focused—help others discover their own superpowers and support each other to build together, rather than suffer alone.Richie Romero on Rebuilding the Dream Through CollaborationRichie challenges the idea of solo success. He argues that wearing 20 hats no longer works in the modern world. Instead, he advocates for alignment, collaboration, and identifying complementary talents. He shares how he secretly built a 5400 square foot incubator not for ego, but to gather others with aligned values who can build and dream together. He frames entrepreneurship as a team sport, urging people to build real relationships and align on shared visions.Modern Nightlife and DisconnectionReflecting on his decades in nightlife, Richie describes how the scene has shifted from in-person connection to isolation and spectacle. Where clubs once fostered discovery, music, and community, today's landscape is saturated with noise, distraction, and performative social media. He believes the root of many problems is that people are disconnected from themselves and others. His answer is to rebuild environments where people come together authentically to create, live, and support one another.Richie Romero on Practical Entrepreneurship and Collective WisdomRichie also dives into the practical side of entrepreneurship. He discusses the importance of checks and balances, understanding money, and how lack of financial education affects people across generations. His focus now is on reducing the cost of failure by surrounding emerging builders with experienced, values-driven collaborators. Rather than chasing buzzwords or trends, Richie insists that people need to find purpose, embrace failure early, and build businesses rooted in trust and teamwork.More From Richie Romerohttps://www.moldrelief.nethttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rchie-romero-144627244

In this episode of the Founders Journey podcast, we sit down with Jack Krupey to trace the winding path that took him from a small town in New Jersey to building a real estate investment career shaped by resilience, experimentation, and adaptability.We start by learning about Jack’s early years growing up in Jackson, New Jersey. He shares how witnessing his parents’ financial struggles inspired his early drive to succeed and shaped his relationship with money. As a tech-savvy teen who loved computers and the internet, Jack pursued a degree in information technology at Rochester Institute of Technology. But his journey quickly shifted after graduating during the dot-com crash of 2001, leading to early career challenges and a pivotal redirection toward real estate.Jack discusses the first sparks of his entrepreneurial journey, including launching an automated rent payment business with his college roommate. That experience taught him hard lessons about bootstrapping and business modeling. But it was a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas and a timely airport bookstore purchase that ultimately led him to pursue real estate investing seriously. Within a year, Jack had creatively acquired multiple rental properties with little to no money down—kicking off what would become a long-term investment mindset.The conversation then moves into Jack’s real estate journey through the 2008 financial crisis. He reflects on building a property management company, raising capital, and eventually having to wind down the business amid market turmoil. Rather than give up, Jack relocated to New York City, took time off to teach English in Korea, and landed a role with a Wall Street firm handling distressed mortgages—gaining exposure to large-scale investment strategy and note purchasing.Jack explains what non-performing loans are, how hedge funds evaluate them, and how this work connected him with major private equity players. That connection eventually led to co-investing in $100 million+ deals and being partially acquired by a Wall Street fund. While the financial upside was significant, Jack reflects on the cultural mismatch between entrepreneurial flexibility and Wall Street grind culture—ultimately leading him to step away in 2019.He wrapped up that chapter by pursuing an executive MBA from Kellogg, with global exposure that included time in Hong Kong. Today, Jack emphasizes his desire for passive income, control over his time, and meaningful work aligned with his values. He shares how he's adjusted his strategies to avoid burnout, find balance, and approach business with long-term thinking.This episode offers valuable lessons in resilience, recognizing opportunity, knowing when to pivot, and staying true to your goals—whether you're just starting out or deep into your entrepreneurial path.More From Jack Krupey:https://jkrupey.com

In this episode of Founders Journey, we sit down with Aron Myers, who opens up about his unconventional path from a childhood marked by adversity to becoming a leadership coach and entrepreneur. Aron shares how growing up in East New York with parents struggling with addiction and his time in the foster care system shaped his understanding of resilience, focus, and determination. This conversation highlights how his early experiences with ADHD, special education, and lack of academic confidence became foundational to the mindset he brings to coaching and leadership today.We explore Aron's early academic struggles and his breakthrough moments in middle school, when the support of a key mentor helped him see his own potential. He discusses how structure, routines, and self-awareness played critical roles in managing his attention and improving his performance in school, eventually leading to his acceptance into a Catholic high school and later college.During college, Aron pursued law and interned at top firms, but he soon realized that the lifestyle and ethos of the legal profession didn’t align with his purpose. This pivotal realization led him to shift to social sciences, drawn by his personal experiences in the foster care system and his growing desire to help others. His time working with mentally handicapped adults profoundly reshaped his perspective on empathy, humanity, and service.The conversation then moves into Aron's professional trajectory in social services. He details his rise through the ranks, from volunteer to executive director, managing multimillion-dollar budgets and overseeing complex programs supporting vulnerable youth. Despite achieving success in the nonprofit space, Aron recognized he had reached a plateau financially and professionally. This turning point catalyzed his move into entrepreneurship.Aron shares the mindset shift required to move from being an executive to an entrepreneur, and why stepping away from constant crisis management to create something on his own terms was essential. He discusses the importance of knowing your niche, learning from failure, and pricing your value appropriately without letting fear dictate your worth. He also offers practical strategies for early-stage entrepreneurs: start with what brings you joy, figure out how to monetize it, and build slow, deliberate partnerships.The episode closes with advice on influence, leadership, and exit strategies. Aron breaks down the difference between being passionate about your product versus being passionate about entrepreneurship. Whether you want to build one business or several, he makes the case for creating systems that allow your work to scale and eventually run without you.Personal history can inform professional clarity and how emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and service can form the core of a successful business model.More From Aron Myershttps://www.linkedin.com/in/aron-myers-341a5a4

In this episode of the Founders Journey podcast, we sit down with Lane Campbell to explore the role that persistence, hands-on learning, and unconventional thinking have played in his entrepreneurial journey. Lane shares personal stories that highlight the mindset and experiences that helped him evolve from a curious kid dismantling electronics to a founder launching complex software and services companies across different industries.We begin with Lane’s childhood and the influence of his family. Growing up in a household that encouraged curiosity, Lane was exposed to both engineering and entrepreneurship early. His grandfather worked in nuclear power and started an HVAC business, while another grandfather built a successful apparel company. These dual influences sparked Lane’s early interest in taking things apart and understanding how they work.By the age of 11, Lane was already tearing down and reassembling computers with no formal guidance, driven by nothing more than persistence and raw curiosity. He explains how that habit of self-learning extended into his professional life and became a key trait in how he approached business challenges. Lane’s tolerance for risk and ability to stay calm in high-pressure situations turned out to be pivotal assets, especially in environments that lacked structure.He reflects on his school years, where traditional education systems failed to engage him. Structured authority didn't appeal to Lane, who preferred learning by doing and needed to deeply understand things before accepting them. In contrast, his sister thrived in academic environments. That contrast helps frame how Lane carved out his own path by leaning into what worked best for him instead of following expectations.Lane recounts how he started fixing computers and setting up networks in high school, eventually turning that into a tech services business. By college, he was customizing networks, building hardware, and finding ways around university IT limitations. These weren’t just side projects but early signs of a mindset oriented toward solving problems in real time with limited resources.After college, Lane dove fully into entrepreneurship. He moved to Chicago during the Great Recession and co-founded a business in the midst of economic uncertainty. That decision was driven by necessity and instinct, and he learned quickly the importance of choosing partners wisely. Lane shares what he’s learned about building partnerships, dealing with disappointment, and the difference between value creators and value extractors in business.Throughout the conversation, Lane emphasizes transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making. He explains how unmet expectations in partnerships are often the root of conflict and offers clear strategies to avoid those pitfalls. He also gives a candid look at working in challenging environments, including dealing with unethical partners and helping uncover fraud in past ventures.The episode closes with a look at Lane’s current projects, including building software for DMV systems, launching private equity support platforms, and helping small businesses secure government contracts through AI-powered tools. He also shares insights on the skills every entrepreneur should have, from understanding sales and cash flow to solving real problems people are willing to pay to fix.Whether you're early in your entrepreneurial journey or deep into running a business, this episode offers a grounded perspective on what it actually takes to build something sustainable. Lane doesn’t glamorize entrepreneurship. He lays it out plainly: it’s messy, it’s hard, and most people won’t make it. But if you’re the kind of person who thrives when everything is uncertain and the pressure is high, you might be wired for it.For more from Lane Campbell visit www.lanecampbell.com