He bought his first business at 18. Thirty years later he's running multiple companies, acquiring businesses with $1M+ EBITDA, and developing a longevity company — all without being involved in day-to-day operations.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Mark Evans DM — a 30-year entrepreneur who started with a seamless gutter company at 18, discovered real estate, and never stopped building. Mark has owned construction companies, residential and commercial real estate, and multiple business ventures since 1996. Today his focus is on acquiring established businesses, solving big problems, and creating strategic partnerships that run without him. This is one of the most seasoned entrepreneurial perspectives to ever sit down on the Leadway Podcast.

In this episode you'll learn:

If you're trying to build something that runs without you — this is the blueprint.

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Seven years ago he was mopping gym floors. Today he owns a real estate portfolio, runs 60 active projects, and builds his own inventory from the ground up.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Josh Swart — a Concord, NC-based real estate investor and developer who did his first flip in 2017, quit his janitor job in 2019, and has been building ever since. Josh figured out what most investors never do — that the fastest way to scale a real estate portfolio is to control the construction yourself. Now he's doing fix and flips, new builds for his own portfolio, and new builds for other investors, all while keeping properties long term through a build-to-rent model that generates cash flow without ever having to sell.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is what a real estate business looks like when you stop waiting for the perfect deal and start building your own.

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600 residential deals. $96,000 largest check. Then he walked away and started over.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Frank McGovern — a Philadelphia-based wholesaler who started in 2010 with 100 bandit signs, built a 7-person operation doing 60 deals a year, and then shut it all down in 2020 to chase commercial real estate and AI-powered lead generation. Frank has done it the hard way, the right way, and the expensive way — and he's here to tell you exactly what he learned from all three.

In this episode you'll learn:

Frank's story is a masterclass in knowing when to scale, when to cut, and when to completely reinvent.

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He arrived in the country at 19 with no real estate experience — and built a $230-unit deal that 1031'd from $8 million into $16 million in value.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Doron Levi, a real estate developer and investor who has spent the last 20 years building everything from a 25-unit apartment conversion to a luxury home community of 6,000 square foot homes. Doron treats real estate like a real business — financials, HR, operations, sales and marketing — and his philosophy on risk management, leverage, and patience is a masterclass for anyone trying to scale beyond their first few deals.

In this episode you'll learn:

If you're trying to scale past your first few deals, this episode is the blueprint.

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What if everything social media told you about buying rentals is wrong?

In this episode, Chris sits down with Adam Balsinger — a real estate investor with 12 years of experience across syndication, fix and flip, wholesaling, and now co-living. Adam has built a multimillion dollar portfolio and has seen every market cycle, every strategy, and every mistake first-time investors make. This episode is a reality check for anyone who thinks buying a rental property is the fast track to financial freedom.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is the episode to send to anyone who thinks they're one rental property away from quitting their job.

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After sitting down with some of the most successful investors and entrepreneurs on this show — the same advice keeps coming up. This week Chris breaks it down.

Three pieces of advice from millionaires that have directly changed how he operates — and how you can apply them starting today.

In this episode:

If you're putting in the work but still feel like something is missing — this episode is worth 20 minutes of your time.

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What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn't your strategy — it's your nervous system?

In this episode, Chris sits down with Pat Smith, a men's high performance and mindset coach who works exclusively with male business owners and entrepreneurs. Pat's journey started with personal tragedy — the death of his cousin in 2016 — which forced him to confront his mental health, discover meditation, and completely rewire how he operated. The result? He grew sales from $500,000 to nearly $20 million in his corporate role before walking away to build a coaching business and a community of nearly 800 members.

In this episode you'll learn:

This isn't a fluffy mindset episode. Pat brings science, systems, and practical tools that high performers can apply immediately.

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From pre-med to pastor to $108,000 in wholesale fees in a single month — Jordan Smith has never taken the straight path. And that's exactly why it worked.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Jordan Smith, a Charlotte-based real estate investor and agent who has flipped, wholesaled, and developed his way through every market condition since 2019. Jordan went from being furloughed during COVID to closing 30 wholesale deals in a single month, pivoting to fix-and-flip when institutional buyers disappeared, and now building luxury spec homes in the $750K+ range. He's one of the sharpest market minds in Charlotte — and he's not sugarcoating what's happening right now.

In this episode you'll learn:

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What if the goal isn't to quit your job fast — but to build something that makes quitting irrelevant?

In this episode, Chris sits down with Cory Jacobson, co-founder of the Wealth Juice Podcast and a real estate investor who grew his portfolio to 90 units while working a W-2 — starting from a $35,000/year job with the Philadelphia 76ers. Cory built his portfolio through house hacking, duplexes, and a disciplined long-game approach before going full-time in 2024. Now he helps high-income W-2 earners acquire their first rental property within 3–6 months without quitting their job.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is a no-hype, long-game conversation about building real wealth through real estate.

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From railroad conductor to 215 units — Grant Francke didn't have a head start. He had a process.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Grant Francke, a Nebraska-based real estate investor who spent 13 years as a railroad conductor before going all-in on real estate in 2019. Starting with duplexes and the BRRRR method, Grant quietly built a foundation that allowed him to scale to over 215 units — including a 44-unit property — through networking, systems, and a relentless commitment to the same fundamentals he started with.

In this episode you'll learn:

Grant's book, The Unlikely Investor, is available now on Amazon.

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