Profits Over Wages Podcast

On Episode 39 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we sit down with Emil Khodorkovsky. Emil immigrated from Russia to the US at the age of 10. He started at an entry-level position at a mortgage company, quickly advanced, and ultimately became a partner at the firm. During that time, he began investing in real estate through private trust deeds as well as the acquisition of performing and non-performing notes. In 2011 he started Forbix - establishing a commercial mortgage bank, a direct lending platform for private debt, and an acquisition and development arm - all under one roof.

He has vast knowledge in the areas of real estate finance, asset management, construction, and has acted as a court-appointed receiver for real estate properties in California. Clients value his advice in real estate related matters including 1031 exchanges, multi-family developments, CMBS financing, and FHA apartment and construction financing. It is his unique background in both lending and real estate investment that has proven to be invaluable to his clients.

On the lending side, Forbix has collectively been involved in over $3 billion of debt funding, providing permanent, bridge, construction, mezzanine, private debt financing, agency, CMBS, portfolio loans, and 35-40 year fixed loans for existing and new construction of multifamily properties. On the investment side, Forbix focuses on value-add deals, with ownership of over 1,000 units nationwide, 500 units under development, and another 400 units starting construction in the next couple years, with a total aggregate value of $250 million. Emil also founded a non-profit organization to foster entrepreneurship among kids.

On this episode we go in-depth about financing real estate projects, both commercial and residential, Emil talks about the growing pains of starting and growing a company and from a lenders perspective, Emil shares his thoughts on the current state of the real estate market.

On episode 38 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast, we sit down with Bob McIntosh. Bob is a #1 best selling Amazon author, business owner, and entrepreneur. He has extensive expertise in the areas of mindset, real estate investing, internet marketing, sales funnels, and online businesses. He has spent years mastering the algorithm that Google uses to get sites ranked and is also a social media guru with nearly 40,000 followers. His book, "Get Out of Your Own Way", hit #1 the day it launched in multiple categories and hit number 2, 3 and 4 in dozens of other categories. He has been featured on over 30 podcasts and counting and is a founding member of the Forbes Real Estate Council providing direction and information in the real estate space for Forbes readers. He has been published on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Yahoo News, Small Business trendsetters, The Money Show, The Miami Herald and Wall Street Select.

Bob has also taken his passion for helping entrepreneurs to the road with over 2,500 hours on stages and more than 7,000 people he's spoken to from every state in the US and every province in Canada. He's been personally responsible for helping entrepreneurs generate hundreds of thousands of leads online, close tens of thousands of deals because of their social proof, generate millions in profits, and make the massive mindset shifts that are needed for these levels of success. Lastly and most proudly, Bob has made all of his businesses for purpose companies with the choice to help the youth of the US get access to financial and entrepreneurial training that schools simply don't teach.

On this episode we talk about how to get out of your own way - why done is better than perfect, the current state of the real estate market when it comes to rehabbing homes for profit, and practical and simple ways to generate leads online organically through search engine optimization. Bob also gives us an insight into his next book on how to become the general of your business instead of the soldier and how The Absolute Best or TAB retreat came about and why you should be there next time around.

On episode #37 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we sit down with Joel Schaub, VP of Mortgage Lending at Guaranteed Rate. Joel is a highly recognized Chicago mortgage specialist with 13 years of experience in lending. He is one of the top loan officers at Guaranteed Rate and a member of The President's Club. Joel is also recognized as Top 1% of all loan officers nationwide for annual volume having exceeded $100 million over the last three years. He has handled 2200+ transactions with a career loan volume in excess of $350 million. He's been awarded 100% customer satisfaction every single year since 2010.

Joel specializes in providing low to no closing cost options for both new buyers and those who are refinancing and is known for his TV advertisements showcasing his $350 Flat Fee Mortgage. He's known to give closing credits to clients and gave back $260,000+ of his commissions last year. He is also an avid Cubs fan and season ticket holder, and has 12 billboards in the Wrigleyville area with his slogan Chicago Fan, Mortgage Man. For honest service and real advice from a dependable professional, Clients and Realtors Know, Just Call Joel.

On this episode we talk about how Joel has been able to get to $100 million in volume over the last 3 years and he gives advice on how to get started and how to grow your book of business as a new loan officer. We also talk about how Joel was able to not only survive but thrive after the real estate market crash and why in business you must focus on building life-long relationships and giving back as much as you can.

On episode #36 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we sat down with Heather Ann Havenwood - She is a serial entrepreneur and teaches coaches, experts, and service providers current online marketing and sales strategies to close the right clients, anytime they want.  She is regarded as a top authority on digital marketing, sales coaching, and online publishing business strategies. Heather Ann has been named Top 50 Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs for by Huffington Post. She is also the author of Amazon bestseller "Sexy Boss, How Female Entrepreneurship is Changing the Rule Book and Beating the Big Boys" and host of her very own nationally syndicated podcast, The Win with Heather Havenwood.

On this episode we talk about the power of podcasting, and why as a small business owner you shouldn't avoid it, why in entrepreneurship is best to not be attached to your creation, how to work your list and double your business, and, Heather talks about empowering women to pursue business and entrepreneurship

On episode #35 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we interview Stefan Aarnio. Stefan is an award-winning real estate entrepreneur, podcast host, blogger, coach, public speaker, and author of a number of books including Self Made: Confessions of a Twenty-Something Self Made Millionaire. Starting with only $1,200, Stefan has built a multi-million dollar real estate business and multiple streams of income. Stefan has accumulated properties at an alarming pace controlling up to 25% of his local niche through his understanding of Real Estate Joint Ventures. He was the 2012 winner of Canadian Real Estate Wealth Magazine's "Joint Venture Partner of the Year",  winner of the Rich Dad International Hall Of Fame Award in 2014, and Entrepreneur Magazine named him one of the Top 10 Real Estate Influencers to Follow in 2017 along with Ryan Serhant, Grant Cardone, and Barbara Corcoran. Stefan's philosophy is simple - find great deals, build a fantastic team, pay everybody, and create partnerships for life.

On this episode, we talk about how to get started in real estate investing, doing joint venture partnerships the right way and why hard times create strong men. We also talk about how to create a winning and no excuse culture within your team and why you shouldn't avoid hiring a coach and how it can take your business and personal life to the next level.

On episode #34 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we sat down with Jefferson Lilly - he is a mobile home park investment expert, educator, and industry consultant who has been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg Magazine, and on the 'Real Money' television show.  Prior to co-founding Park Street Partners in 2013, Jefferson spent seven years investing his own capital at Lilly & Company where he acquired and continues to operate mobile home parks in the Midwest.  Prior to becoming an investor full-time, Jefferson spent 10 years in sales leadership roles with several venture-backed startup companies in Silicon Valley that were acquired by Openwave Systems and VeriSign.  He is also the host of his own podcast, Mobile Home Park Investors, the first podcast dedicated to investing in mobile home parks.

 On this episode, we talk about why the mobile home park industry is a compelling business. We go in-depth about investing in mobile home parks, the pros, the cons, what to do, what not to do, the due diligence process and financing. Jefferson also gives us an insight into how he went from 1 to 2 to 25 mobile home parks and the growing pains that came along the journey and how he overcome them.

On episode #33 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we sat down with Rosario Terracciano, CEO & Co-Founder of Clickinvest - He has been in the real estate industry since 2003 and has represented investors, rehabbers, builders, banks, and institutions in more than 2,500 transactions valued at more than $300 million. Rosario was the number one broker in Chicago for 2013 and ranked 4th nationally by the Wall Street Journal. He has built a career working with investors to stabilize distressed properties.

On this episode Rosario tells us the biggest lessons he's learned in business over years, how he was able to do 640 transactions in one year and win number #1 broker in Chicago for 2013. We also talk about doubling down on technology and how he was able to replace the work of 60 employees with just 6, how Rosario has lost it all multiple times and how that has led him to where he is at today, and he gives us advice on how to deal with the tough times. And much more.

On Episode #32 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast we talk to Jeff Schechter aka "Shecky". He has been a self-employed entrepreneur his entire adult life, starting his first business right out of college, and over the years has developed expert sales and marketing skills. Shecky first started investing in real estate in the 1980's when he began flipping homes that he lived in. In 2016 he co-founded High Return Real Estate. High Return Real Estate is a turnkey real estate investment company in Indianapolis that helps the average person realize consistent 12-18% returns with fully-rehabbed, hands-off, professionally managed, turnkey residential rental properties. HRRE was founded with the belief that real estate investors shouldn't have to spend a lot of time and money learning and implementing all of the steps necessary to have a good cash-flowing property. HRRE has been featured on CNN, NBC News, BBC, FOX, Google News Lab, and Forbes. Shecky also co-hosts a podcast - The High Return Real Estate Show. In addition to investing, Shecky also operates a private consulting practice.

On this episode we go in-depth about investing in turn-key rental properties, the pros, the cons, the numbers, lead generation, management, etc. We also talk about Jeff's DFY (Done For You) model, and how to effectively convert leads into clients.

On Episode #31 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast, we sit down with Phil Singleton - He is a web designer, SEO expert and award-winning author. Since 2005, Phil has owned and operated a digital agency based in Kansas City. In 2016, Phil and John Jantsch, of Duct Tape Marketing, co-wrote SEO for Growth which is an Amazon bestseller and has been featured on MSNBC, Entrepreneur and was named by Forbes as the #1 SEO book on its list of "Essential SEO Books For Every Entrepreneur to Read". Other of Phil's ventures include the popular Wordpress SEO plugging, WP SEO Structured Data Schema, that has been downloaded over 100,000 times in the last year. And, Podcast Bookers, a service that helps marketers and executives get booked on established podcasts as a way to develop authority, personal branding, improve SEO, and most importantly, generate new leads and sales.

On this episode we talk about podcasting, personal branding and why it's important, what mistakes small business owners make when it comes to SEO and what to do about it, and why you must look at your website as an asset and not just an expense or an online brochure. And much much more. Enjoy the show.

On Episode #30 of the Profits Over Wages Podcast, we decided to switch it up a bit. Back on episode 10, we began asking a series of questions to our guests, some questions more than others, and there was one that we kept getting great answers to and we've actually asked it the majority of the time since. And that is: "Do you have a favorite failure? Is there one that set you up for a future success?"  Nobody likes failing but there's a lot you can learn from failure and many times it leads you to something even greater. At first, it might feel like the end of the world because it cuts deep like a razor, slicing its way through our inner core. Yet, it's necessary. It is as if life is kicking us in the ass away from something we thought we wanted and gently, or not so gently pushing us to something we needed.  Society tends to celebrate the successes rather than highlighting the epic journeys towards success that are filled with trials, tribulations, upsets, setbacks, and failures. It's not as glamorous to talk about those things. But without failure we'd be less capable of compassion, empathy, kindness, and great achievement; It's through failure that we learn the greatest lessons that life could teach us.  The most successful people in life have failed the most times. If you try to go through life without failing at anything, then you're not really living a life at all. Taking risks and falling down flat on our faces is part of life; it makes us into who we are. So because of that, we decided to put together an episode of all our guests so far answering that question: Do you have a favorite failure? is there one that set you up for a future success?