Pickup The Phone

Chad Davis became a Green Beret at 20 and did four deployments to Afghanistan and Pakistan. After the Army he built a trucking company, then invented a patented cargo net from something his team rigged in Afghanistan. A Fortune 50 client went from about $1,200 in damage per shipment to under $20, roughly $200,000 a month saved.

Then he bought into a title company and found out his partner had been taking the money. He confronted him, took the company back, paid every vendor, and rebuilt Black Label Title from the ground up. Two days before this conversation, they won a five-year federal contract for up to 400 files a year.

His rule for business and life: pick up the phone. It fixes almost everything.

Hosted by Josue Llanas, founder of GetsYou.ai.

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YiYYzbn0EvE

0:00 Intro: Green Beret at 20

1:25 Welcome, Chad Davis

2:08 Riverside to the Army at 18

3:23 Becoming a Green Beret at 20

7:42 Four deployments: Afghanistan and Pakistan

13:23 How war prepared him for business

17:33 Trucking and the move to Texas

24:14 The patented cargo net: $200K a month saved

27:00 Buying into a title company

29:15 Finding the fraud and taking the company back

32:16 Praying for the man who stole from him

33:44 Rebuilding Black Label Title

37:28 Leaving the franchise

41:10 Building the team: Natalie, Norma and Mary

49:09 Why title gets blamed, and how to calm a closing

51:13 Pick up the phone fixes everything

54:13 Winning a 5-year federal contract

57:30 Moments over money

1:03:59 Events and outgrowing the office

1:07:08 GetsYou.ai and the 40-client goal

1:15:18 How to reach Chad and Black Label Title

#ChadDavis #BlackLabelTitle #PickUpThePhonePodcast #HoustonRealEstate #Veteran

Music and stock footage: Mixkit (free license).

Conor Watkins was doing $50K months at 19. He closed 30 apartment leases a month (record: 34), grew a page to 140,000 followers, became a broker at 23 and recruited 60 agents in his first 12 months. His lesson: it was never a lead problem. It was talent and systems. Today he still pulls about 1,000 leads a month, organic, with zero ad spend, runs commercial lending and JV deals, and just had his best six months in 10 years.

His best advice before you partner with anyone: ask for 12 months of bank statements. You can fake a couple months. It's hard to fake a year.

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZfsxVqjFgyY

Chapters

0:00 Intro: $50K months at 19

1:29 Welcome, Conor Watkins

4:38 Apartment locating and the 34-lease month

6:12 Growing a 140K-follower Instagram page

11:35 Broker at 23: 60 agents in 12 months

12:38 Not a lead problem: talent and systems

14:34 The brokerage math

23:50 1,000 organic leads a month

25:29 Funnels, CRMs and AI

28:06 Commercial real estate

29:39 Market cycles and rentals

33:38 Flipping again

34:31 Commercial lending and private money

38:22 Profit share and JV deals

45:18 The best six months in 10 years

48:53 Letting the brokerage run itself

54:07 Ask for 12 months of bank statements

56:40 Final thoughts

Hosted by Josue Llanas, founder of GetsYou.ai.

Music: Mixkit (free license).

Curtis Warden joins Josue Llanas for an unfiltered conversation about real estate, loyalty, public disagreements and learning to respond differently.

He shares his account of the James Toler relationship, his own investment experience discussed in the Jason Bible segment, and the limits of what he learned through others. Josue asks for context and pushes the conversation toward proof, responsibility and access to the numbers.

The episode also covers Curtis's sales background, restaurant finish work, the steel-door challenge, a lender who backed him early, California and television pitching. The closing conversation returns to friendship, self-reflection and the person behind the social-media posts.

The recollections and reported figures are attributed to the speakers. No current portfolio, personal net worth, network series release or independent legal finding is established by this episode.

Guest website mentioned in the episode: https://happylendings.com/

Full video: https://youtu.be/a9iN9UElADQ

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 NO FILTER: seven moments

00:01:30 The full conversation with Curtis Warden

00:02:22 Early life and professional sales

00:06:41 The Dallas job and sales lesson

00:09:45 Real estate and the first relationships

00:12:08 Symbols of wealth and the pizza-shop connection

00:14:00 Capital, partners and early houses

00:16:39 Heights renovations and starting again

00:18:58 Restaurant finish work and Ben Berg

00:21:34 The steel-door challenge

00:23:08 Slower work, personal changes and Airbnbs

00:25:01 James Toler and moving into lending

00:28:29 Hurt, reactions and the public posts

00:30:35 Recognizing when the posts went too far

00:31:40 Personality and Josue’s appreciation

00:32:40 His account of the James Toler disagreement

00:38:33 Happy Lendings and the relationship fallout

00:42:59 Resetting in California

00:45:31 TV content and doing it for himself

00:46:33 Opinions, bills and useful work

00:47:59 Credit to James and learning new skills

00:48:56 Authenticity on camera

00:51:31 TV filming and the pitch process

00:56:22 Jason Bible discussion begins

00:59:53 What he knew firsthand versus through others

01:01:48 The property visit and investment account

01:03:32 Asking for his money back

01:04:35 His qualifications about intent and partner trust

01:06:53 Trust but verify and access to the books

01:12:40 David Williams and the early lending chance

01:15:32 Personality, friendship and failure

01:19:07 Derek’s feedback and public self-reflection

01:22:12 Closing and guest contact

01:23:06 Construction support and participation

01:24:27 After the conversation: the outtake

Music: Apple For The Preacher by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Track: https://www.silvermansound.com/free-music/apple-for-the-preacher

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Changes: intro excerpt 0-90 seconds; outro excerpt 30.236220-38.236220 seconds; speech ducking, leveling and fades. Additional original transition effects. No endorsement implied.

Introduced as having grown Milestone Windows from one truck to over $3 million in revenue, Gene Miles explains the focus, relationships and installation standards behind the business. He started at 46 with two sample windows and committed to one trade.

The conversation gets practical about choosing a niche, keeping overhead lean, earning referrals and delivering a clean, careful installation in an occupied home. Gene explains how he helps customers compare window options and why the person doing the installation matters as much as the product. He also talks about CRM tools, missed calls, adding salespeople and his goals for Milestone Windows.

In this episode: choosing one trade; getting the first supplier; the referral standard; hiring installers; evaluating window quotes; and building systems for the next stage.

Connect with Gene / Milestone Windows: https://milestonewindows.com/

Host: Josue Llanas | Pick Up The Phone Podcast

Music: “The Fury” by Scott Buckley, released under CC BY 4.0.

Track: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/the-fury/

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Composer: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/

Changes: 280–370 second intro excerpt and 362–370 second outro excerpt; EQ, volume automation, speech ducking and fades. Additional original transition impacts. No endorsement implied.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PlsGzvwtqhg

Brian Buhr built and sold businesses in medical-device sales before turning his attention to real estate and private lending. He joins Josue Llanas to discuss the difference between a successful exit and getting your time back, then shares the details he wants to understand before considering a loan.

Brian talks through borrower liquidity, a costly property-survey problem and the bank payoff he made to recover control of collateral assignments. The conversation closes with protecting your time, mortgage and insurance operations, and practical uses for AI in borrower communication and loan-document collection.

Listen for the questions behind Brian’s underwriting approach: Who is the borrower? Do they have cash to work through a problem? Is the paperwork accurate? Who has control when something goes wrong?

Guest: Brian Buhr

Host: Josue Llanas

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ndOMk_Z27Dw

CHAPTERS

00:00 Brian Buhr cinematic introduction

01:30 Meet Brian Buhr

02:54 Building businesses in medical-device sales

04:42 Selling for time and navigating an exit

08:19 The first million and life after a sale

12:14 Moving into real estate and private lending

21:04 Borrower liquidity before the property

23:24 A Texas City renovation under pressure

25:44 Reporting and what investors need to see

30:59 Collateral assignments and a bank payoff

33:30 The house and pool survey problem

38:19 Trust and document verification

39:04 Protecting time and choosing deals

46:14 Staying in your lane

49:14 Capital matching and partial notes

56:34 Insurance and mortgage operations

59:14 AI for letters and repetitive loan documents

1:08:16 Connecting with Brian and closing thoughts

Follow Pick Up The Phone Podcast for more conversations with business owners and real estate operators.

MUSIC

“Emergent” by Scott Buckley, released under CC BY 4.0.

https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/emergent/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Excerpted, equalized, faded, ducked under dialogue and synchronized to video.

#PrivateLending #RealEstateInvesting #PickUpThePhonePodcast

6,300+ apartment units owned and operated. 21 successful exits. Nearly three decades in Houston multifamily. Trey Stone is still buying in a market that has sidelined many syndicators. What has kept him in the game?

In this episode of Pick Up The Phone Podcast, Josue Llanas sits down with the CEO of Track Record Assets to talk about the deals he passed on, the market cycles he survived, and the numbers he needs to see before he buys. Trey shares his account of going from roughly $10 million in net worth to negative $50 million during the 2008 financial crisis and explains how that experience reshaped his approach to risk.

They discuss a 560-unit Houston apartment turnaround, debt and downside underwriting, the operational work that grows NOI, why Trey believes today's distressed multifamily market presents an opening, and how an aspiring investor can earn trust before asking for a fee.

The key question: when others are still chasing a deal, what tells an experienced operator to walk away?

Follow Trey: @thetreystone

Track Record Assets: https://www.trackrecordassets.com/

Subscribe to Pick Up The Phone Podcast for more honest conversations with real estate operators.

#TreyStone #MultifamilyInvesting #RealEstateInvesting

Track Record Assets reports the 6,300+ units and 21 exits as career figures; they do not represent units Trey currently owns. This conversation reflects his experiences and opinions and is not a verified performance claim or individualized investment advice.

What does it actually take to build a real estate operation capable of doing 130–150 deals a year?

In this episode of Pick Up The Phone Podcast, Josue Llanos sits down with real estate investor and operator Andrew Jobe to unpack the systems, numbers, leadership principles, and investment discipline behind a high-volume real estate business.

Andrew shares how he and his business partner went from working corporate jobs and knocking 100 doors every weekend to building a team and expanding through cold calling, texting, Facebook ads, and eventually TV advertising.

But the real conversation is about what happens behind the deals.

Andrew explains why revenue and contracts are lagging indicators—and why operators should pay closer attention to the daily activities that create those outcomes. Calls, conversations, appointments, offers, and follow-up activity can tell you where the business is headed before the final numbers ever show up.

He also breaks down his investment criteria, including a 70–75% all-in LTV target and approximately $300 per month in target cash flow for portfolio properties, as well as how his team decides whether to wholesale, flip, hold, or create an owner-finance note.

The conversation goes deeper into leadership as Andrew explains the mindset shift that changed the way he manages people: his team doesn't simply work for him—he works for them.

Josue and Andrew also discuss RACI charts, SOPs, success statements, leading versus lagging indicators, AI and automation, and Andrew's long-term goal of building a balance sheet capable of eventually replacing active transactional income.

• Going from corporate America to real estate entrepreneurship

• Knocking 100 doors every weekend to find their first deals

• Building a business capable of 130–150 deals per year

• Why revenue and contracts are lagging indicators

• The daily activities that actually predict business performance

• Why small misses in activity compound into major performance gaps

• Andrew's 70–75% LTV investment rule

• His $300/month target cash flow for portfolio assets

• Wholesaling vs. flipping vs. rentals vs. owner-finance notes

• Building systems with RACI charts and SOPs

• Creating “success statements” for team members

• Why Andrew believes he works for his employees

• Using AI to eliminate low-value administrative work

• Turning active income into long-term balance-sheet wealth

“Once you think you've figured it out, start over.”

Build the process. Improve it. Measure it. But never become so comfortable that you stop questioning how it could be better.

If you're serious about moving beyond simply doing deals and want to understand how a real estate business is actually operated at scale, this conversation is packed with lessons you can apply.

🎙️ Pick Up The Phone Podcast

Hosted by Josue Llanos

#RealEstateInvesting #RealEstateBusiness #RealEstateInvestor #Entrepreneurship #RealEstateSystems #Leadership #WealthBuilding #OwnerFinancing

What happens when the bank tells you that you don't qualify for a mortgage?

According to mortgage loan originator Josue Reyes, that doesn't necessarily mean your path to homeownership is over.

In this episode of the Pick Up the Phone Podcast, Josue breaks down alternative mortgage options for buyers who may struggle to qualify through traditional lending—including self-employed individuals, 1099 workers, cash earners, and borrowers whose tax returns may not reflect their true financial picture.

One of the biggest topics in this conversation is the Earned Equity program, an alternative path that can allow qualified buyers to purchase a home with as little as 3.5% down and a 580+ credit score. Josue explains how the program works, how income can potentially be verified differently, and why buyers can still earn equity, refinance, and sell.

But Josue's expertise comes from more than understanding loan products.

After immigrating from El Salvador to Los Angeles at seven years old, Josue bought his first home at just 22. His own struggle to get approved for that first mortgage ultimately introduced him to an industry that would become his career.

He went from working in a mortgage call center and cold calling his own prospects to investing in real estate, relocating his family from California to Texas, launching his own mortgage branch, and eventually building a business producing approximately 100 loans per year and $3 million per month.

• Why being denied for a traditional mortgage doesn't necessarily mean you can't buy a home
• How the 3.5% down Earned Equity program works
• Why self-employed and 1099 borrowers often struggle with traditional mortgage qualification
• How bank statements and profit & loss statements may be used to document income
• Why a 580+ credit score can still provide options with certain programs
• The differences between traditional mortgages, Non-QM products, and Earned Equity
• How buyers using Earned Equity can build equity, refinance, and sell
• How Josue went from struggling to qualify for his own first home to becoming a mortgage professional
• Why he moved from California to Texas and began investing in the Texas market
• How persistence and tenacity helped him build a high-producing mortgage business
• Why Josue approaches mortgage lending as a consultant and educator rather than simply selling a loan

The Pick Up the Phone Podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, sales professionals, and business leaders about the experiences, strategies, failures, and lessons that helped shape their success.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show and share it with someone who may need to hear that being told "you don't qualify" doesn't always mean "no."

What does it take to build a business that lasts through multiple real estate cycles?

In this episode of Pick Up The Phone Podcast, Josue Llanas sits down with David Williams, Founder of Red Door Funding, to discuss the journey from electrician to building one of Houston's most respected hard money lending companies. With nearly 20 years in business, almost 5,000 loans funded, and over $900 million in loan volume, David shares the principles that helped him build a resilient company while many others struggled through changing markets.

David explains why Red Door Funding intentionally stayed lean, how the company navigated the dramatic market changes beginning in 2022, why liquidity matters more than rapid growth, and what today's real estate investors should be thinking about as interest rates and market conditions continue to evolve.

Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, lender, or business owner, this conversation offers practical lessons on sustainable growth, risk management, and long-term success.

• How David Williams transitioned from electrician to hard money lender
• The story behind building Red Door Funding
• Why "one brick at a time" became the company's growth philosophy
• The importance of maintaining liquidity in any business
• Lessons from funding nearly 5,000 real estate deals
• How to recognize market shifts before they become major problems
• The impact of rising interest rates on investors and lenders
• Why conservative decision-making often wins over aggressive scaling
• The value of building a lean, efficient business
• David's outlook on the future of real estate investing and AI in business

David Williams is the Founder of Red Door Funding, a Houston-based hard money lending company serving real estate investors throughout Texas. Since launching the company in 2007, David has funded nearly 5,000 loans totaling more than $900 million in loan volume. His experience spans multiple real estate cycles, making him one of the most respected voices in private lending and investor financing.

Alex Ottewell built a real estate business that completed more than 1,000 transactions and made him a millionaire by the age of 24. Most entrepreneurs would have stayed the course—but Alex chose a different path.

In this episode of the Pick Up The Phone Podcast, Alex shares why he walked away from a thriving real estate career to build an oil & gas investment company from the ground up. He breaks down the lessons he learned from thousands of deals, the mistakes that shaped his journey, and how he immersed himself in an entirely new industry by hiring a reservoir engineer to teach him everything from scratch.

The conversation goes far beyond entrepreneurship. Alex explains how professional investors evaluate producing oil wells, why cash-flowing assets outperform speculation, the role of PDP (Proved Developed Producing) assets, commodity price risk, hedging strategies, tax advantages, and the mindset required to build long-term wealth across multiple industries.

Whether you're a real estate investor, entrepreneur, or simply interested in how sophisticated investors think, this episode is packed with practical insights and real-world experience.

• Alex's journey from England to becoming a millionaire through real estate
• Building a business with more than 1,000 real estate transactions
• Why he chose to leave real estate and start over in oil & gas
• How he learned an entirely new industry in just a few months
• The importance of understanding business fundamentals over specific industries
• How professional oil & gas investors evaluate opportunities
• What PDP (Proved Developed Producing) assets actually are
• Why producing assets can generate predictable monthly cash flow
• Hedging strategies and managing commodity price risk
• Infill drilling and reducing operational risk
• Tax advantages available in oil & gas investing
• Lessons on humility, execution, and long-term wealth creation