Investor Cheat Code Podcast with Mike Simmons

I'm excited to welcome fellow real estate investor, Aaron Chapman for today's episode. Aaron is a successful branch manager at SecurityNational Mortgage Company, a veteran in the finance industry since 1997, a real estate entrepreneur, and a popular podcast guest. He is also the author of four books and dozens of magazine articles. Join us on the show today as we discuss the incredibly inspiring journey Aaron has taken in life, as he shares the hard work and determination that went into starting and growing his successful business. 

Aaron shares how he had spent his high school years on a cattle ranch where he learned basic business methodology. He left high school halfway through his senior year and went to work in mining and oil fields, ran heavy equipment, and drove a truck. He recollects the opportunity to be 700 feet underground, drilling and blasting and playing with explosives and says he loved it! He enjoyed the toughness that the role offered him.

Aaron was referred to the real estate industry by someone he just ran into and, since then, has never stepped back. Though his initial days were hard, and he barely got one deal a month, he stuck with it. He explains that he took a job as a telemarketer during this time to help pay the bills. He absolutely despised this job, but it taught him the art of the sale. Aaron also learned that communication and conversation can really help you succeed in business.

Aaron explained that he worked in many different jobs and really struggled as he tried to make real estate investing work. He worked in long haul trucking and as an equipment operator, working very long hours and sleeping very little, but he was committed to finding a way to make investing work for him. The real turnaround happened for him at the end of 2018 and from there, it was an incredible journey forward. He now has a group of 30 employees, closed 145 transactions last month, over 1,100 so far in 2020, and is on track to do 200 transactions a month soon.

Aaron takes the time today to talk about how inflation is a crucial factor that determines your cash flow and how you can make the best out of changing times. For instance, he has seen as much as a 17% decline in rents just during the COVID situation and it is vital for an investor to be able to pivot based on the current market. Aaron and I do some math to get you an idea of how things work in practice. He also shares why real estate investors these days fail and strategies they need to look into. Aaron stresses the importance of being creative and always analyzing the deal before jumping in.

Aaron also shares about his other interests. He really enjoys sharing videos on his YouTube channel in order to share information and help others. Writing his books has been very gratifying and he hopes to be helpful as well to others through this medium. He also shares his love for going outdoors. He loves hunting, fishing, and hiking.

I absolutely loved this conversation with Aaron today, for the wealth of knowledge that he shares on various topics and the amazing life he has made out for himself. Do not miss this awesome episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with successful author and businessman, Aaron Chapman!

Notable Quotes:

“Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.”

• Aaron Chapman

“I just want to produce, I want to talk to investors, I just want to help them become successful in their investments. ”

• Aaron Chapman

“I found that if you try to be everything to everyone, you become nothing to no one. ”

• Aaron Chapman

“The biggest thing I have noticed is that new investors are initially focused in the wrong direction. They go at it from a consumer’s perspective, like they're spending money and going into debt.”

• Aaron Chapman

“I tell investors to look at me as not just a lender. We close loans. But I'm also here to give you things to consider from a financial perspective, as you're making decisions about your business.”

• Aaron Chapman

“Be patient, be deliberate, take the time to understand what you're getting into, and look at it from a CEO perspective. ”

• Aaron Chapman

“I am violently opposed to failure. And because of that, I am very, very interested in ensuring the success of those I work with.”

• Aaron Chapman

Links:

Aaron Chapman Facebook 

Aaron Chapman Instagram

Aaron Chapman LinkedIn 

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

Today, I am very excited to interview Mario Fachini, who is the Founder and CEO of Mario Fachini Consulting and is a sought-after motivational speaker, author, and marketing trainer. He is also the Founder and CEO of Freedom Platform Wordpress Website Builder, and the popular podcast host of The Expert Authority Effect Interviews. Mario helps to educate other marketers through coaching and training on how to start up successful marketing companies of their own and attract clients by using systems and leverage. Mario discusses the numerous advantages of publishing your own book, entrepreneurship and how to become successful at it, and why you should always strive to be the best at your field of business.

Mario first shares his thoughts on whether entrepreneurs are born or made. He says it's a personal choice. Mario shares his background story and explains how he's done all he could to make money, including power-washing, painting, lawn maintenance, and care, all since the age of twelve years old. Mario's parents gave him the freedom to do whatever he wanted as long as he paid for it. That has helped him always strive for more and enjoy great success in both his business and personal life.

Mario then talks about his continually changing dreams and ambitions in life. He initially wanted to be a doctor when in grade school, an FBI or CIA agent in middle school, and in high school, he wanted to become a lawyer. Mario discusses how college was the denial stage for him. At twenty-five years old, after becoming a lawyer, he continues to explore different projects such as producing commercials, music videos, and video content for people as part of their marketing strategy. 

Mario says you get to choose what you want and whom you want to attract. He makes us realize that there are endless things we can do in life if we wish to. He shares why publishing a book is way easier than doing a podcast and is more effective than printing business cards to share with clients. People want to know the real you so that they can connect with you and writing a book is perhaps the most effective way of doing that.

We discuss why it is imperative to strive to be an expert at what you're doing. It is important to surround yourself with people who are further along in their business journey so that you have them to look to as role models and have something to strive toward. Continuously expanding and refining your knowledge is essential to growing your business!

We also dive deeper into marketing and promotion and learn why it is paramount for scaling your business. Mario discusses the kind of books he has written, such as business books, specific nonfiction books, and business books distinct to help people with generating profit, finding leads, networking, and growing their businesses.

Don’t miss this super interesting conversation with marketing expert, Mario Fachini! The Just Start Real Estate Podcast continues to deliver excellent content to help all of its listeners start, grow, and scale their businesses in order to achieve financial freedom… join us today!

Notable Quotes:

“There's something you have that you can lead with right now in marketing. You don't need to do anything else or refine it - just lead with what you have and grow and enjoy the journey over the next six to twelve months.”

• Mario Fachini

“I was turning everyone into clients because it was easy. And I knew they wanted to be on this ride.”

• Mario Fachini

“You get to choose what you want and who you want to attract.”

• Mario Fachini

“But the whole ‘should I get a job or start a company’ thing? I think that is a very personal choice.”

• Mario Fachini

“For every minute someone puts into marketing, it's going to amplify it at least 10 times over. ”

• Mario Fachini

“Everyone has business cards, anyone can talk a good game, but not many people put the time and effort into whatever they are passionate about.”

• Mike Simmons

“People don't want to do business with corporations and entities. They want to do it with people. Show them your person.”

• Mario Fachini

“I don't think any of us have a problem being critical of ourselves.”

• Mario Fachini

“The point is, you get to choose what you want and who you want to attract.“

• Mario Fachini

“On the business aside, it's like, ‘what are we doing here?’ It is important to serve and be in community with each other. “

• Mario Fachini

Links:

Mario’s Website

Mario’s LinkedIn

Free Gift Link

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For today's episode, I'm excited to welcome engineer turned real estate investor, Jacob Ayers. Jacob is the managing partner of Ayers Acquisitions and host of The Real Estate Way to Wealth and Freedom Podcast. He started buying real estate in 2015 and has grown his portfolio with multifamily properties. He joins us today to discuss his fantastic journey in real estate while he continues to work his full-time engineering job.

First, he shares his background story with us and how he got the “stable, corporate job” mentality from his parents like so many of us do. His parents were entrepreneurs, but they considered themselves lower to middle class and wanted Jacob to have an excellent, long-term, meaningful corporate job.

Jacob shares with us the reasons he decided to start investing in real estate. He says that he did not find any milestones to complete while working on his full-time job and wanted to make more out of life. He could only see retirement looming far down the road of his life and had a deep desire to do something more.

Jacob also talks about his interest in houses and how his engineering mind always wanted to fix and feel things, drawing him into the industry. He decided to take the risk and invest in it. Jacob bought his first rental property in July of 2015, which was a single-family home in his home market of Oklahoma. Jacob shares the details of the purchase, how he financed the deal, and the specific costs and how much he was able to rent it for.

Jacob then discusses the financial sources he uses to help himself in the business. He generally uses traditional financing routes, either the conventional Fannie or Freddie loans or local lenders with portfolio loans. We also discuss how to find the right marketing channels for your business. Jacob says he uses local Facebook pages while explaining how it has worked for him in the long run.

We get to know the quick check filters Jacob uses to decide whether or not you want to dive deeper into a property. Jacob investigates what type of property it is, its rent-to-value ratio, and whether there are any value-add opportunities in the property.

Toward the end of the interview, we learn about Jacob's favorite podcasts and why he chooses them over certain others. He really loves the Get Rich Education podcast by Keith Weinhold and suggests that all the listeners should check it out.

Join us for this power-packed conversation with the very knowledgeable and ambitious engineer-investor, Jacob Ayers. Do not miss out on this awesome episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast!

Notable Quotes:

“I was born and raised with this blueprint: Go to school, get good grades, so you can get into college, study something hard, so you can get a good, stable day job.”

• Jacob Ayers

“I started going down this rabbit hole of personal finance, and I just found myself naturally drawn to real estate investing.”

• Jacob Ayers

“Over time, I found myself becoming more entrepreneurial, trying to build up a real estate portfolio and strive to be that full-time entrepreneur.”

• Jacob Ayers

“I'm not one of those guys who just is absolutely miserable at work and hates my day job. I got into this because I like it and I've got that engineering mind.”

• Jacob Ayers

“If we look at our schedule and look at what we're spending time on, I guarantee we are all wasting a lot of time.”

• Jacob Ayers

“Being comfortable is a very easy place to be in, but you're not going to grow being in that place. That's where I think a lot of people find themselves.”

• Jacob Ayers

“I think sometimes people are born entrepreneurs, but they're not put in the right environment, they're not given the right stimulus for it to come out.”

• Mike Simmons

“I've got a pretty good way of just breaking things down step by step, tackling things one day at a time, one most important next step at a time”

• Jacob Ayers

“I see myself in three to five years really growing and scaling this to a significant size, achieving financial freedom, building wealth along the way, and living life on my own terms.“

• Jacob Ayers

Links:

Jacob’s Website

Jacob’s Podcast

Get Rich Education Podcast

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I am happy to welcome real-estate investor and multi-family syndicator, Ola Dantis. Ola is also the host of the Dwellynn Podcast, with which he unpacks real estate investing strategies and helps people start or continue their journey toward financial freedom.

First, Ola shares his background story with us. He shares how his real estate business started with an invite from one of his friends who wanted him to join his company. Since then, there has been no stepping back. As Ola realized the opportunities and financial liberty this profession gave him, he dove deeper to explore every possibility that could be.

Ola shares how he achieved the success he has today and how it all started with the book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. He also shares how he financed his first deal. Ola talks about his experience dealing with contractors and why it hasn’t mostly been a very good experience for him. He used to visit the site he undertook almost every day, and this was not very welcome to the contractors he dealt with. 

Related to this, I talked about why it is good that you keep an eye on the work that is going on at a site because that is when you realize the littlest things you could save on or could be saved from being misled on. Ola also talks about transitioning his business to making bigger and bigger deals and how he mastered the skills needed to soar in the industry.

Ola also discusses the importance of having a good partnership. The quickest way that helped him scale his business well was understanding his business partners. He also shares the massive role of a mentor in shaping your career for the good and why investing on that end would always benefit you in the long run.

One other key point of discussion is the importance of branding in growing and expanding your business and how you can put that into practice. Ola says branding has a crucial role in his business and shares how he uses social media platforms like Instagram to engage with the audience and get his brand to rank high in the search results and feed. He shares his research and the results of social media algorithms and using them to your advantage and why putting out five Instagram stories a day can massively help you in that.

Join in the conversation today as successful investor Ola Dantis shares his wealth of experience with you in order to help you succeed in your real estate business. You don’t want to miss this fantastic episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast!

Notable Quotes:

“Success never comes in a golden box with a red ribbon around it.”

• Ola Dantis

“So I did fantastically well with this duplex and I was like, I think I should do more of this.”

• Ola Dantis

“You have to be obsessive to be successful.”

• Ola Dantis

“I did not have the temperament. I was a perfectionist. I was always on site every day.”

• Ola Dantis

“I always tell people err on the side of being on the jobsite too much. Even if you go and you're kind of in their way and you annoy them, at least it's not costing you a lot of money because they're doing something you didn't want them to do.”

• Mike Simmons

“In life, there's always a price to pay. And there is never a discount.”

• Ola Dantis

“You have to really understand what position you are exuding.”

• Ola Dantis

“For me, branding is everything, like we try to be as ubiquitous as we can. You go on social media, you can't miss me, we're pretty out there.”

• Ola Dantis

Links:

Ola's Website

Ola’s Multifamily Tribe

Ola’s Instagram

Rich Dad Poor Dad

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

Today, I am super excited to welcome lifestyle entrepreneur, author, and real estate investor Ali Boone to the show. After leaving her 9-to-5 corporate job to pursue ultimate freedom through entrepreneurship, her company Hipster Investments managed to facilitate over $18M in real estate transactions in its first five years of business. She has Master’s degrees in both Aerospace Engineering and Spiritual Psychology. Ali also teaches flying and can often be found snowboarding or volunteering in prisons.

We start off as we always do with Ali sharing her background with us. She said she initially wanted to study to be a pilot because of the influence of her family, but ended up in aerospace engineering. After earning her advanced degree, she shared that on her very first day of work, upon walking into her cubicle, she realized she did not want to work in the corporate world. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do and took the next five years reading everything she could get her hands on. Ali eventually started investing in real estate for personal wealth growth and turned it into the venture that would get her out of her corporate job, which she left in 2012. Ali started her own company named Hipster Investments that deals in mostly turnkey rental properties.

Because of my research into Ali, I knew that she had a Spiritual Psychology degree in addition to her technical degrees and I wanted her to explain how she ended up pursuing that. She said she actually started the program because she thought it would be hilarious to tell people she has such diverse degrees, but it ended up being the biggest game-changer of her life. Because it involves an aspect of psychology, she can apply the principles to every aspect of her work and life.

Then we dove into the specifics of Ali’s real estate adventures. She first tried to invest in a deal in Nicaragua that didn’t end up being successful, but then turned to the burgeoning Atlanta market. I asked specifically why she chose turnkey rentals in lieu of other strategies like flipping houses. She said it wasn’t as though she couldn’t learn and be good at putting a lot of work into properties to rehab them, but she wasn’t passionate about it. She got out of the corporate world to have the freedom and flexibility to do what she loves, not to make more work for herself. We discuss a lot of the pros and cons of turnkey rental investing and some of the difficult situations we have both found ourselves in with this strategy.

I then asked Ali to explain the services that Hipster Investments provides. She said they are basically a referral service because when she first started investing in turnkey rentals, everyone she knew wanted to learn more about what she was doing. Ali ended up writing articles about turnkeys for BiggerPockets and this led to so many people asking her for advice, her company ended up being a “glorified matchmaker” between investors and the providers she could recommend for this investing strategy. Ali also feels very rewarded by staying on to help support the investors who she consults with. She also explained her process for analyzing and vetting new turnkey providers for her clients.

I then asked Ali to tell us about her first book, NOT Your How-To Guide to Real Estate Investing: Life Lessons on Hacking Your Mind Before You Hack Your Wallet. She said that she had started several books but had no interest in learning how to go about publishing a book, so she was constantly getting stalled in this process. But with the coronavirus lockdowns, she had no excuses left and it really provided her with the time and space that she needed to finally get her book completed and published. Ali explains that she really wanted to focus on the self-examination a person needs to make before jumping into real estate investing so that they know their strengths and weaknesses and what strategy might work the best for them.

Because Ali is all about lifestyle, we wrapped up with her telling us about the lifestyle she is cultivating and how she spends her days. We discuss how important it is to find what really brings you joy and take advantage of the freedom provided by being in business for yourself. You really don’t want to miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate… Ali and I just have a blast! She provides us with so much wisdom and actionable advice in a completely laid-back and fun manner so be sure to take the time to listen and learn from this fantastic guest, Ali Boone!

Notable quotes:

“After nine years of school, I didn’t even sit down in my cubicle before I realized I wanted out of my corporate job.”

• Ali Boone

“If you ask me to make a spreadsheet, stand back. I love a good spreadsheet.”

• Ali Boone

“If I am going to leave corporate, I need to be able to say I actually tried to make it work.”

• Ali Boone

“I was doing the coolest of the cool and it really was a dream job, it just wasn’t my dream job.”

• Ali Boone

“I was epically left-brained.”

• Ali Boone

“I care about people's experience and them not getting burned in real estate.”

• Ali Boone

“I hate when people have a bad experience just because they don’t know what they are doing.”

• Ali Boone

“For me, it is all about freedom.”

• Ali Boone

“Not getting up with an alarm clock might be my favorite thing about being financially free.”

• Mike Simmons

Links:

Think Realty

Ali’s Free Ebook: NOT Your How-To Guide to Real Estate Investing

NOT Your How-To Guide to Real Estate Investing: Life Lessons on Hacking Your Mind Before You Hack Your Wallet

Hipster Investments

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

Today we are joined by real estate entrepreneur, business owner, and author, Eric Martel. While seeking mentorship from a professor at his university, Eric began building his empire from the age of eighteen years old by purchasing an 8-unit apartment building as his first property. After graduation, in his position as an actuary, he was dismayed to see hundreds of company pension plans being rolled over into 401(k)s, shifting the retirement risk to employees. This made him reconsider traditional beliefs about saving for retirement. Eric worked in the technology field up until the dotcom crash when he began to focus on ways to create passive income to achieve financial freedom.

As usual, we start by having our guest share how they came to real estate investing. After testing out numerous markets, the idea of flipping houses came to Eric through one of his sons so, from that point on, their real estate investing ventures began. Eric shares a lot of the challenges of getting started in investing, going out of state to invest in turnkey rentals, and the strategies he uses to find houses to buy.

We talked quite a bit about building a strong team, working effectively with others, and Eric made several suggestions about tools to use when working with remote teams. Eric also shares the rewards and challenges of working with family members in running their company MartelTurnkey, which services investors by helping them acquire rental properties in strong economic markets across the country.

I wanted Eric to talk about his new book, Stop Trading Your Time for Money: A How-To Guide for the Middle Class to Achieve Financial Freedom, Early Retirement, and Provide a Legacy for Future Generations. Eric is passionate about teaching people that passive income is the key to a stress-free lifestyle and true freedom. He is also interested in helping people build a legacy for their own families by breaking through the barriers they may encounter in getting started in this business.

I asked Eric to talk about his podcast, Break Away from the Rat Race, which focuses on interviewing other entrepreneurs to find out how they are investing and generating passive income streams. Not only does he do shows where he answers specific investing and business-oriented questions, but he has also had the opportunity to host some excellent entrepreneurial guests! Be sure to check it out by following the link below.

If you are interested in being truly financially free and working toward the life you dream of, you will not want to miss this awesome episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with successful real estate entrepreneur, Eric Martel!

Quotes:

“The key is taking action. It doesn’t mean you have to take risk but there’s only so much you can do pre-investment.”

• Eric Martel

“You’re #1 goal in life should be to achieve financial freedom.”

• Eric Martel

“I like that you are data-driven and not giving us emotional answers to real estate investing questions.”

• Mike Simmons

“The turn key model you have is just phenomenal.”

• Mike Simmons

Links:

MartelTurnkey

Investor List 

Break Away from the Rat Race Podcast

Stop Trading Your Time for Money: A How-To Guide for the Middle Class to Achieve Financial Freedom, Early Retirement, and Provide a Legacy for Future Generations

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I welcome fellow real estate investor, Mark Khuri. Mark is the co-founder of SMK Capital Management, which is an investment firm that provides investors with passive income and growth through the creation of partnerships in private commercial real estate opportunities. He has been an avid real estate investor for over 15 years and has sourced, underwritten, acquired, raised capital, renovated, managed, and sold both residential and commercial real estate investments throughout multiple markets in the US. Over the last decade, Mark and the affiliates of his company have invested in over forty-five commercial real estate opportunities across numerous asset classes including mobile home parks, self-storage facilities, multifamily communities, retail shopping centers, and much more. 

Mark first shares his life before he got into real estate and the progression to when he quit corporate life and started investing full-time. Mark says that it was a difficult time but he began by partnering with his family members, buying properties that were very deeply discounted, and renovated them. Mark felt like there was a lot more that they could still do, so he and his father decided to partner together and create their own firm.

I asked Mark if he still does any single-family home investing or are they now focused on different aspects of the market. Mark says he still has a small portfolio of SFH rentals, primarily in the midwest, but it is hard to scale a business in that segment of the market so they began to focus more on commercial investments. 

Mark shares how they evolved into other asset classes fairly organically. In 2012, they invested in a mobile-home park fund passively by giving up control of the day-to-day operations. Mark discussed how he keeps organized and makes sure he isn’t getting taken advantage of while working in multiple markets. He said that there’s a lot of quality control that they put in place along with different phases of the investment timeline.

We discussed in detail the types of investment classes that Mark really enjoys as his company has diversified in so many areas. Mark explained how they offer different types of deals, or conglomerations of different properties, to their investors. We then talked about the impact of the pandemic on the real estate market and how their company will perform in the coming months if we do hit some sort of a recession or a serious downturn in the market. Mark said that it is important to be sustainable and consistent, to keep occupancy up, and provide good services for the community.

Mark shares all of the different markets that his company is invested in and some of his favorites for investing. He advises that there are many strategies to becoming a successful real estate investor, but everything always came down to surrounding yourself with the right people. You have to build relationships, evaluate the qualities of your partners and the people that have helped you along the way. Mark recommended hiring slowly when you are building your team and getting to know the people you’re working with to make sure they are of similar mind and share your goals.

In this great episode, we discuss value-add investing, deal analysis and underwriting, investment structure, and so much more! You won’t want to miss this installment of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with the diverse and phenomenally-successful investor, Mark Khouri!

Notable Quotes:

“I learned along the way that climbing the corporate ladder wasn’t for me.”

• Mark Khuri

“If you have a property with good access to transit and jobs, and you are a good landlord and take good care of your residence, you’ve got a very good recipe for success.”

• Mark Khuri

“You really need to create that community feel so that people are happy to live there.”

• Mark Khuri

“At the end of the day, you can have the nicest property in the best part of town. But if you have the wrong people, you’re going to lose money every day.”

• Mark Khuri

“If you have to build your own team, hire slow.”

• Mark Khuri

“People first.”

• Mark Khuri

Links:

SMK Capital Investment

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I am excited to interview Cory Nemoto. Cory is the co-owner & founder of KECO Capital. He began his real estate investing career in 2011 in Southern California while in college. After graduating, Cory moved back to Hawaii, where he currently manages his business. Cory has been involved in multiple investment deals ranging from relocation, renovation, and new home development projects. He has also been featured on multiple nationally-renowned investment podcasts, as well as a guest speaker at several local real estate meetings.

Cory first shares his background story and how he initially got into real estate investing. He talks about how he got interested in business towards the later part of his degree. Cory thinks that he always has the entrepreneurial spirit and just didn't know where it would take him. We discussed the question if entrepreneurs are born or made. Cory thinks that many people are born to be entrepreneurs, but they just need the right environment or the right circumstances to bring it out of them.

We talk about Cory’s perspective of the real estate market over the next twelve to eighteen months. The market is in such an interesting position right now, being white-hot because of the low inventory and low-interest rates. Cory says that they are optimistic now, but in the practical mindset where their company is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. 

Cory talks about the mission of his company, KECO Capital. He and his partner had borrowed millions of dollars themselves for investing across markets and saw a huge need in the marketplace to provide affordable capital to other investors. They have a passion to serve new and seasoned investors with not only financing for their deals, but also practical guidance, trusted advice, and genuine encouragement and support. They understand the critical role they can play in helping other investors to scale their businesses to provide more jobs, great housing, and stimulate local economies. We discussed at length how their process works and how it is dealing with other investors.

We talked about the strategies that Cory utilizes to keep his pipeline full. According to Cory, the basic key to deal flow is establishing great relationships. We discuss the reasons why people might not want to get into real estate investing. Cory points out the need to have the stamina to keep going and have perseverance through difficulties in order to be successful in this business. We talk about the level of risk-taking that investors need and how to evaluate how much risk each person can bear because it is subjective.

This fantastic episode with Cory Nemoto is filled with actionable advice and great investing insight so don’t miss this installment of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast!

Notable Quotes:

“It didn’t seem like a good business plan to work a corporate job, save for retirement, and just pray I would have enough to last.”

• Cory Nemoto

“I felt lazy and a little bit ashamed to have the feeling that I didn’t want to work forever.”

• Cory Nemoto

“I was on the corporate track for many years and had no interest in starting my own business. But when I did, I was like ‘Woah. This feels right.’”

• Mike Simmons

“I always say that it's best to figure out what value you can offer in order to start networking and building relationships.”

• Cory Nemoto

“You want to build genuine, mutually-beneficial, lifelong relationships with people.”

• Cory Nemoto

“I think the true goal is to find financial freedom so you can build a nice piggy bank and explore other opportunities.”

• Cory Nemoto

Links:

Rich Dad Poor Dad

KECO Capital

KECO Capital on Instagram

Cory on Instagram

Cory on Facebook

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For today’s episode, I’m excited to welcome Garrett Sutton. Garrett has practiced corporate law for more than 35 years and he assists entrepreneurs and real estate investors in maximizing goals and protecting their assets. As a veteran author, Garrett is a highly-sought guest speaker. He is a member of the elite group of “Rich Dad Advisors” for the best-selling author, Robert Kiyosaki. Garrett has authored several successful books for business owners including Loopholes of Real Estate and Scam Proof your Assets.

Garrett first shares his background story and how he was able to work as part of the advisor team for Robert Kiyosaki. He found that he was passionate about using his education and business knowledge to help others start and grow their own endeavors.

We then moved on to the importance of having a great team supporting you. It is important to have a good lawyer who can assist you in the legal aspect of business decisions and a CPA for advice on an intelligent and efficient manner of handling your finances. Garrett then explained further that whatever CPA you select needs to be conversant on real estate issues.

We discussed the business details that people tend to overlook the most. Garrett spoke in great detail about the necessity of starting an LLC and how easy it is to forget the ongoing requirements of maintaining your asset protection. He believes that those are the two key things that people need to consider prior to starting and building their business.

Together we dove into how you can be efficient and organized if you have an early start in real estate. Garrett shared details on how you can use pre-tax dollars for investing and many other pieces of legal advice useful to business owners. We also talked about how you can utilize a personal residence trust to your advantage. He discussed the different situations in multiple states and how you can use an LLC to protect your personal residence.

Lastly, we discussed the deceptions over the internet and how prevalent con artists and real estate scams are. Garrett believed that as people are inundated with a massive amount of misrepresentation and fraudulent behavior, the government should step up to prevent these people from getting away scot-free and that the victims should not be penalized.

Don’t miss out on this important episode of Just Start Real Estate, which provides vital business advice from our super-relatable advisor and guest, Garrett Sutton!

Notable Quotes:

“As a mid-to-early 40-year-old guy, I didn't know what was going on in my finances.”

• Mike Simmons

“It's great that people like you are doing these podcasts because this is our high school and college education on these important issues.”

• Garrett Sutton

“It's really important to get your team on board and come up with the best strategy.”

• Garrett Sutton

“If you don't know the subject matter really well, it can come across cross flat because they don't know where to put the emphasis.”

• Mike Simmons

“Most people don't even know how much they're putting out there and how at-risk they are.”

• Mike Simmons

Links:

Garret’s Website

Garret’s Sutton’s Books

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For today’s episode, I am excited to interview Brett Snodgrass. Brett has been in the real estate industry for 13 years and he specializes in wholesaling, wholetailing, and creative financing. Originally a one-man army, he scaled his business, Simple Wholesaling, to an amazing, full team running hundreds of deals per year. Brett is also the popular podcast host of Real Estate Investing with a Purpose. He is a highly-sought-after speaker who has been given key presentations on a wide range of topics such as scaling businesses to developing a purpose behind the business. As we have been in real estate investing for about the same amount of time, I was excited to dive into his story and how he built his legacy.

Brett first shared his background story and how a book allowed him to change his view and get him interested in the real-estate business industry. He shared further along in the interview where he closed his first deal and you will be shocked at where he sold it! We discussed his dad’s advice that he will never forget and how it was able to assist him in his business.

We then dove into Brett’s transition to full-time real estate investing. We discussed how 2008 was the worst market in history and how he was still able to close deals even when many people disagreed with what he was doing. He was able to persevere even though he was not terribly experienced and he made it a monumental year for his business.

We discussed how his dad joined his business, the breaking point of trying to run the business themselves and how they started to scale. Brett shared how he started to build his business by making 200-300 offers a month which resulted in closing about 10 of them which totally got the money flowing!

We talked about Brett’s philosophy which is to find the cheapest property in the market and believe that someone is going to buy it regardless of the location. Using this strategy, he was able to buy thousands of properties and generate profits of thousands of dollars for each. Regardless of the low numbers, they were able to realize good profit margins and continue to grow their business.

We then moved on to Brett’s difficulty in finding deals and dealing with realtors. Through these struggles, and considering how rough the real estate industry was in 2008, Brett decided to get his license in order to increase productivity and decrease expenses. 

Lastly, we discussed how doing real estate deals is not exciting for Brett anymore. He found himself bored in meetings and would ask himself what should he be doing and what his real purpose in life is. He shared how wanted to explore other avenues and opportunities and find excitement in his day-to-day work again.

Don’t miss this information-packed episode of Just Start Real Estate to learn more about the investing journey of popular podcaster and entrepreneur, Brett Snodgrass!

Notable Quotes:

“I use a lot of sports terms because sports really helped me.”

• Brett Snodgrass

“What are you going to do? Are you going to get better or are you going to get worse? It's your choice.”

• Brett Snodgrass

“We're always thinking about how we can adjust if the market starts to shift.”

• Brett Snodgrass

“I love just kind of picking people's brains and really digging into their hearts.”

• Brett Snodgrass

“I think there are different seasons in life.”

• Brett Snodgrass

“You can walk away too early, you can walk away too fast, you can walk away without the right team in place.”

• Mike Simmons

Links:

Brett’s Website

Real Estate Investing with a Purpose Podcast

7 Figure Flipping

Return on Investments

Just Start Real Estate

JSRE on Facebook

Mike on Facebook

Mike on Instagram

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike on Twitter

Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months