The Exit Plan Podcast

Do you know those people on Instagram or Facebook that always seem to post manicured photos from a mountain top or a beautiful beach?  If you’re like us, it all seems a little suspicious. Do they ever work?  Did they cash out?  What am I doing wrong with my life?     Today’s guest is actually living that life, and frankly, we’re a little envious.  His name is Cameron Olthuis, and he’s a Hall of Famer when it comes to living the opt out life.  Cameron is the founder of a kids-only apparel company (BeSawyer.com) that encourages kids to get outside, hike and explore.  It’s a company that he launched on the back of running a mix of successful side gigs and businesses that all made their money online.    For over 15 years now, Cameron has alternated living at the beach in Southern California, to the mountains in Park City, Utah to lakefront over the summer in Montana.  You’ll find him hitting the slopes on a Tuesday in between conference calls, which is made embarrassingly easy given that his office is in a hotel at the base of his home mountain.  It’s a way of life Cameron was raised to appreciate, by a family that prioritized being active, being outdoors, and choosing to take a day off together, especially if it meant trading time away from the rat race.   On a recent Friday, we grabbed 3 glasses of Park City’s own High West whiskey and circled up with our boy Cameron to hear more about how the hell he pulls this all off.  Mentioned in this ep: BeSawyer.com  Full episode page/highlights and more at optoutlife.com/podcast/cameron-olthuis   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

In 2014, friends Leslie DeSimone and Miri Bescansa bought $50 in materials to create a few pieces of surf-inspired, handmade jewelry.  On a whim Leslie took what they’d made and dropped it on the checkout counter at the surf shop where she worked.  The jewelry was an instant hit with customers.  Leslie excitedly called Miri and told her that they might be onto something.  Less than 4 years later, these two are the proud owners of Salty Cali, with a line of jewelry being sold in over 150 shops and growing.   The Salty Cali girls are proof that anyone can escape the rat race, so long as they have a curiosity to test ideas, and abandon any fear of not succeeding.  Leslie and Miri are not experts in jewelry design, photography, building websites, or necessarily in retail sales.  This is a reminder that anyone can take a shot at business, and it doesn’t have to be a big investment of time, money or risk.  As they tell us, you just have to do it.   Listen to this real, “Here and now” story of how two friends took a side gig turned full time business and found their version of the opt out life.  Mentioned in the episode saltycali.com ubmfashion.com/shows/magic and view highlights and episode page at optoutlife.com/podcast/salty-cali   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

We sat with Jon Roleder one morning on the lawn of his Napa Valley home with mimosas in hand, as noisy trucks from Beringer’s historic estate carried supplies between wineries. Today, Jon is knee deep in the wine business and living his own version of the Opt Out Life. But the story of how he got here is fascinating.   Jon was the church janitor at age 12, and in his 20’s started a janitorial business that grew to $500,000 per year. He later developed an expertise in manufacturing, which prepared him for an opportunity to help save a floundering company that made massage tables.    All the while, Jon had his eye on a different prize. He wanted to move to wine country, grow grapes and make wine. In 2001, he thought he had his chance. But, the market crash got in his way. Deflated, Jon hunkered down for what would be another decade in the massage table business. It didn't stop him from experimenting in his spare time using stainless steel barrels to make wine . . . and he's finally taking Napa by storm.   More details at http://optoutlife.com/podcast/jon-roleder   Mentioned in the episode: http://www.moderncooperage.com https://www.earthlite.com   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

What do a photojournalist, a physicist, and a prison inmate serving life have in common?   They each learned how to tell their story to the world from the same person.     Our guest for this episode, and the man that brings these stories to life, is Mark Lovett.  He’s a serial entrepreneur who now runs TEDx San Diego.     Going back to the 1980's, Mark has co-founded and been an exec at successful tech companies.  What's interesting about Mark is he would take "mini retirements" along the way.  He'd cash out, then travel the country for a year.  Or he'd exit a gig, and take 2 years off to write a book.   Mark’s opt out story affirms that HOW you opt out is up to you.    See episode notes here: http://optoutlife.com/podcast/mark-lovett/ Mentioned in this episode: http://www.tedxsandiego.com/ https://www.storytellingwithimpact.com/

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

In June 2014, Adam Dailey narrowly escaped arrest and imprisonment after his office was raided by crooked cops in Copacabana, Brazil.  As he received frantic phone calls from his employees, Adam took a moment to write down his recollection of the raid in his journal. Who is this international man of mystery?  Why is he here on the Opt Out Life? There is, of course, a story. You’ll have to listen to hear how it ends.

Mystery aside . . . Adam truly is a man on the run, around the world. He is an Entrepreneur, Speaker, Investor, and Best Selling Author. He’s had a fascinating life that has brought him from an early career as an athletic runner to running a business selling travel packages to Olympic games, World Cups and other massive international events. His foray into this business was on a whim, when he used his access as an athlete to purchase tickets to the olympics in Greece in 2003. Unsure of the next step, Adam and his wife moved to Athens and set up shop. He found success in Athens, and then parlayed what he learned into a decade-plus run of events that included stints in Italy, Spain, England, Canada, and eventually, San Diego.

Adam is author of the bestselling book How to Run Away From Home...and take your kids with you. It’s the recounting of his journey both as an entrepreneur, and as a vagabonding family man who decided to sell everything, and take his wife and 4 young kids on year-long journey living around the world.

You might think Adam is just another rich guy who got paid millions from selling a company. He’s rehabbing a big house in an expensive zip code. He spends his days doing what he wants, when he wants. And he travels the world on a whim. He has rental property, and even a hotel project.

But, Adam’s story shows that the opt out life is what gets him this lifestyle. He rents out his house on AirBnB to pay for his travel, and has also used AirBnB to create passive income from rental properties. He hustles for free airfare by using air miles, and waits until the last minute to book rooms at steep discounts. These are the tools of the trade for people who opt out, and opting out gives him the freedom to work on business projects that get him excited to go to work each day….or to take off again and go travel around the world for a year.

Let’s hear the story of the Man who runs around the world.

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Alex Martinez entered the real estate industry with a company called CT Homes, while still in college at the age of 19.  It was an early break, where Alex learned how to acquire deals first-hand from the partners of the famed reality show “Flip this House”.  He jumped head-first into the opportunity, and his go-for-it attitude helped him land dozens of deals in his first year. This experience set the groundwork for him to become a true expert in the world of real estate deals even before he could legally drink.

Alex went on to found his own investment group that completed wholesale deals and house flips all around Southern California.  At 26, he is our youngest guest to date. But as you’ll hear, Alex is wise beyond his years in the ways of the Opt Out Life. He owns his own businesses, both as an active real estate investor and as a coach and educator,  operating multiple online courses and coaching groups, where he shares his experience and teaches others how to break into the game of real estate investing.

Income property is an important component of  the opt out life. It’s a way to get ahead financially in the short term, but it’s also one of the best long-term plays to get the freedom to do what you want, when you want.  Many of our guests have made their money with side gigs and businesses, but real estate is the third-income-pillar, so we’re excited to talk about it with Alex. Let’s listen and learn from Alex.

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Bill Mueller bought a one-way ticket to San Diego Monday, Jan 26, 1981, and never looked back. He was a trained journalist who had a knack for all styles of writing. Serendipity brought him into the world of infoproducts when he helped write a book focused on ADD and ADHD, and he realized he could sell that content as an information product, rather than just a book. That turned into a career in the world of copywriting sales pages, sales letters, and infoproducts.

We call this episode “The Man Behind the Curtain” because Bill has a unique skill that is required for every business, from big corporations to independent Etsy stores, and everything in between.  That skill is copywriting. As Bill tells us, every decision to buy is based primarily on words - or “little pixels on a screen” - those words that make up an ad, a product description, a social media post or an online review.  Words influence. Words sell. That’s as true in 2018 as it was in 1988 and as it will be 20 years from now. Bill’s words have sold millions of dollars of products over two decades. And that end goal always starts with a flashing cursor on a blank screen.  

Bill’s a modest guy, but you’ll find that he’s incredibly intelligent, and passes along a wealth of knowledge about copywriting and marketing.  This isn’t our typical “hanging over beers” atmosphere...partly because we forgot the beer… but you’ll want to save this one for reference

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Chris Hedgecock comes from the world of online marketing.  As a kid he taught himself to program. While still a teenager, he landed his first job with Microsoft and then was part of the pre-IPO team at MP3.com.  After the tech bubble burst, Chris took his skills as a programmer and applied them to building new online projects, some that bombed and some that skyrocketed. He mastered search engine optimization as a marketing tool to start making money off his side gigs. You’ll hear how Chris’ story covers a broad spectrum of life and business, and he goes into detail with us about a few of his past projects, including the story of how he drove a ‘74 Pontiac LeMans cross-country and ended up on dozens of local TV broadcasts.

Chris later spent over three years as the Director of Audience Development at CBS Interactive, where he ran some of biggest websites in the world. He’s been an investor, and has four exits to his name, so Chris has real credentials. Sure, he could probably drive a sports car, and flash his success.

But, his grand talent is living the opt-out life: whether it’s coaching his boys little league, or walking across the street to read a book in their classroom.  And he does this routine every day, getting from home to his office without touching a freeway. As we’ll hear, that is entirely by design. Let’s listen to Chris’ story.

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

 

Gabe Galvez’s early business experience started in a pawn shop, yet he’s the same guy who spends his days working deals in an industry dominated by blue-blooded East Coasters. He’s got tattoos, surfs and listens to underground music, and has created a life that lets him come to work with his dog, travel when he wants, and work with people he likes. You’ll be hard pressed to find a young, talented businessman who could talk the talk of the world of “deals” the way Gabe does.  His outward appearance may be disarming from a traditional standpoint, but like many of our guests on the Opt Out Life, he is intelligent, deliberate, and successful, all on his own terms. Gabe approaches his personal life as a business. This means he reviews his personal finances by producing monthly reports related to time and money, and then adjusts to optimize his life to meet his goals.  You’d be surprised at how he’s able to apply that data to every decision he makes, business or personal.

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

 

Bryan Rahn is an entrepreneur who operates a flourishing ticket brokerage from Missouri. Bryan has used his skills to run a marketing consultancy, and tells us about how he was able to make the leap from employee to self employed. Bryan’s interview is really good for young people who might aspire to break from the expected career path. Not only has he broken from the path his parents expected of him, but he’s helped his team break free as well. Bryan advocates work culture that’s fun, and creates meaning for the people you work with, whether it’s you as the boss or you looking for a way to create your ideal work/life situation.

Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com