Guest: Alex Smereczniak— Serial entrepreneur, former CEO of 2ULaundry & Laundry Lab (over $100M valuation, 118 franchises sold), founder of Franzy (30,000+ monthly users, $3M+ raised to help people buy “cash-flowing” businesses).

Early Hustles & First Big Win:

Started with classic entrepreneurial pursuits: trading cards, washing cars as a kid, and then running a laundry delivery business (“Wake Wash”) in college, which he bought for $30,000 and sold for nearly $300,000 after systematizing and scaling it.

Learned about discounted cash flow, buy/sell agreements, and the real value of recurring cash flow and business structure early on.

Scaling, Strategy, and Differentiation:

Moved from a student business to working for a Big Four consulting firm (Ernst & Young), but quickly realized he needed to build businesses—not just advise them.

Launched 2ULaundry in 2016: delivered laundry/dry cleaning to homes and businesses, quickly scaling through tech and operations, later vertically integrating by building brick-and-mortar laundromats with Electrolux, and ultimately franchising the model for rapid growth.

Grew Laundry Lab to 118 franchise awards and 30 locations open as of 2025.

Laundromats as a Business Model:

Low failure rate due to essential, “recession proof” services—people always need clean clothes—combined with cash-flow and passive income advantages.

The “Power Play”: Buy from retiring owners, retool equipment over time, tap into durable local demand.

Challenges, Automation & Venture Backing:

Success meant more than cash-flow: his companies required operational discipline, vertical integration, and large capital outlays (laundromat builds exceed $1M).

Venture capital was attracted by the “Uber for Laundry” home-delivery angle, but Alex’s model matured into a blend of tech, local infrastructure, and scalable franchising.

Why Franchising Needs Disruption — Enter Franzy:

Traditional franchise placement is “Wild West,” with brokers sometimes pocketing up to 60% of franchise fees, influencing which opportunities new entrepreneurs see.

Franzy’s mission: Take a “Zillow for Franchising” approach—leverage AI for franchise matching (across 4000+ brands), standardized fees, and transparency to empower more everyday people to buy real businesses.

Focuses on each buyer’s risk profile, lifestyle, and goals; not just “make the most money,” but “fit the best business to the person.”

Franchise Trends & Business Models to Watch:

Still bullish on laundromats for certain profiles (cash-flow, de-risked, lifestyle), but now sees huge growth in health & wellness, home services, and viral consumer brands (e.g. PopUp Bagels, HRT clinics, anything innovating with AI or “cult” followings).

Anticipates continued “displacement” of white-collar jobs by AI; business ownership, franchising, and “betting on yourself” are the safest long-term play for income and autonomy.

Connect with Alex & Learn More:

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Joseph Shalaby, founder and CEO of e-mortgage capital, joins Travis Chappell to share his journey in the mortgage industry. With over 20 years of experience, Joseph is known for his innovative lending solutions and personal branding strategies. His unique approach to the mortgage business and his commitment to transparency make him a standout figure in the industry.

Connect with Joseph:

https://www.instagram.com/josephshalaby/

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Join Travis as he sits down with Neil Ghosh, a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in launching and scaling both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Neil shares his journey from his early days in India to becoming a successful leader in the U.S., emphasizing the importance of passion, mentorship, and reinvention.

Neil Ghosh's Website: https://www.neilghosh.org/

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 In this episode, Travis Chappell sits down with Robin Dreeke, a former FBI special agent, to explore the art of communication. Robin shares his journey from spy recruitment to sales, emphasizing the importance of trust, empathy, and empowering others with choice. Discover actionable strategies to enhance your communication skills and build lasting relationships in both personal and professional settings.

Visit Robin's website at robindreeke.com for more insights and resources on communication and leadership.

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Episode Description: Join Travis Chappell on the Travis Makes Money podcast as he sits down with Jace Graham, CEO of Rising Phoenix Capital. In this insightful episode, Jace shares his expertise on alternative investments, focusing on the lucrative opportunities in oil, gas, and real estate. Discover how to leverage mineral rights, non-operated working interests, and 1031 exchanges to diversify your investment portfolio and generate passive income.

Key Takeaways:

Jace Graham's journey as a fourth-generation oilman and his insights into the oil and gas industry. The benefits of investing in mineral rights and how they can provide steady cash flow. Understanding the process and advantages of 1031 exchanges in real estate and oil investments. Tips for real estate investors looking to transition into oil and gas investments.

Guest Information:

Jace Graham: CEO of Rising Phoenix Capital, specializing in acquisition, investment, and asset management in the oil and gas sector.

Resources Mentioned:

Rising Phoenix Capital: rising-phoenix.com/guide

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Guest: Rafa Conde — Founder & CEO of Man of War, former DEA/Narcotics/SWAT officer, best-selling author, host of the Men of War podcast (35M+ downloads), elite leadership coach, and multimillion-dollar entrepreneur.

Early Hustle & Lessons:

Rafa’s first money came washing cars at age 11, developing a bias for action, self-reliance, and learning to execute before overthinking or overplanning.

Early entrepreneurship shaped his long-term drive to “just do it” — a theme he now instills in men seeking discipline and legacy.

Wall Street to Law Enforcement:

Spent 12 years on Wall Street, managing nearly $1B in assets, establishing himself as a high-producer and eventually running his own branch.

Left for a greater sense of purpose, becoming a police officer at age 32 in one of the nation’s most violent cities, later working narcotics, SWAT, and ultimately as a DEA task force officer.

Rafa describes giving up material wealth and status and embracing “starting from scratch” as crucial for true growth and reinvention.

Law Enforcement, Humility, & Adversity:

Made his mark through work ethic and results—leading felony arrests and serving in specialized units (including undercover work and federal task force roles).

Learned from major setbacks: lost home, cars, and income in the transition, but rebuilt through tactical training contracts and martial arts instruction, showing lasting resilience and adaptability.

Reinvention: Founding Man of War:

Later transitioned to building Man of War—a movement and business designed to restore “the warrior mindset” and healthy masculinity through high-impact events, masterminds, and coaching.

His podcast "Men of War" surpassed 35 million downloads by championing direct, honest conversations about discipline, code, and male brotherhood in today’s world.

Philosophy on Masculinity & Leadership:

Key problem: Modern men have grown soft, seeking comfort and avoiding adversity; true growth requires struggle, competition, and camaraderie.

Emphasizes leading by example—“If you can’t lead yourself, don’t expect to lead anyone else.”

Rejects “false leadership” based on rank—respect must be earned by character, resilience, and the courage to do hard things.

Recommends men start with competition (e.g., martial arts) and purposely place themselves in uncomfortable situations to develop confidence, grit, and self-mastery.

Programs, Reach, & What’s Next:

Man of War now provides elite events (“Crucible”), global masterminds (“House of Kings”), and a fast-growing father-son program (“Odyssey”), expanding across the US, Latin America, Europe, and beyond.

Rafa continues to consult for top companies and help men build modern legacies based on strength, discipline, and honor.

Connect with Rafa Conde & Man of War:

Website: https://www.rafajconde.com/

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Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/XSt1XdCWoFY

Welcome to The Travis Makes Friends Podcast, where we dive into building better relationships and uncovering the truth about human connections. In this episode, we’re joined by Emmy-winning TV producer and podcast host Johnathan Walton, who shares his chilling personal story of being scammed out of nearly $100,000 by a professional con artist.

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Guest: Matthew Le Merle — CEO & Co-Founder of Blockchain Coinvestors, global blockchain VC, early investor in 1200+ startups (Coinbase, Kraken, OpenSea), author, and Silicon Valley board veteran.

Background & Early Lessons:

Matthew began his working life delivering newspapers as a child in rainy London, developing a lasting sense of responsibility and the importance of “seeing things through.”

Earned a scholarship to Oxford for his academic and athletic excellence, then completed an MBA at Stanford. Built a career as a global advisor, executive, private equity leader, and later immersed himself in blockchain innovation.

Blockchain Thesis:

With 30+ years in Silicon Valley, Matthew saw the digital transformation of communication and content, but recognized a “missing link” for moving value securely over the internet.

Blockchain/distributed ledger technology solved foundational challenges for digitizing finance — enabling secure, trustless, peer-to-peer transactions globally, overcoming flaws in traditional banking rails.

Co-founded Blockchain Coinvestors, which invests via a fund-of-funds model across hundreds of VC funds and directly into more than 1,200 blockchain startups worldwide, spanning over 110 unicorns.

Bitcoin’s Future & Role:

While he acknowledges that Bitcoin was a catalyst, Le Merle stresses it’s the underlying technology’s impact on payments, finance, and commerce that’s world-changing.

Believes Bitcoin (BTC) has enduring value as a store of value and “sovereign alternative” for people in unstable economies — sees it as “inevitable” that native digital finance will continue to grow globally.

However, he notes BTC’s long-term future depends on further technical evolution to enable faster, lower-cost, mass payments — real innovation will be when it is also digital money at global scale, not just a store of value.

AI and the Arms Race:

Sees both risk and opportunity in the intersection of blockchain, AI, and quantum computing: as threats emerge (e.g., AI-powered codebreaking), blockchain protocols must evolve, and the most secure blockchains—especially Bitcoin—will continue to improve.

AI/quantum also unlocks new use cases (micro-payments, automated value flows) that legacy finance simply cannot address, making blockchain infrastructure and security ever more valuable.

Venture Landscape & Defensibility:

Le Merle’s strategy: back the best VC fund managers, who in turn back top founders at the earliest stages, spreading risk and betting on the mavericks who build breakthrough companies.

Warns that in AI (and other tech cycles), even groundbreaking startups can be displaced instantly by a new feature from a giant (e.g., OpenAI, Apple), so founders should build beyond “just a feature”—focus on defensible, deeply integrated solutions.

Big Picture & What’s Next:

Digital assets, payments, and financial systems will become natively digital—blockchain is still in “early innings.” The best investment opportunities are at the convergence of Web3 and new agent/AI toolkits.

Massive tech incumbents (Apple, Google, Microsoft) will keep acquiring—so both quick exits and rare breakout “escape velocity” stories are possible for top startups.

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Guest: Lulu Ge — Founder & CEO of Elix Healing (elixhealing.com), holistic health entrepreneur, Inc. Female Founder 200, and advocate for women’s hormone health.

From Early Hustles to Harvard Boardrooms:

Lulu’s first entrepreneurial spark: selling bulk Snickers bars door to door as a kid in California, learning about “arbitrage” before knowing the word.

Grew up in an immigrant household that highly valued education (her parents lived through China’s Cultural Revolution, when universities were closed).

Corporate Climb and Burnout:

After earning degrees from UC San Diego, Columbia, and Wharton, Lulu built a career in management consulting and corporate transformation—eventually managing a $350 million portfolio at Saks Fifth Avenue/Hudson’s Bay.

Burned out and failed by traditional healthcare for her periodic, debilitating pain (once bled through her wedding dress, missed work for hormonal issues), Lulu rediscovered her family’s Traditional Chinese Medicine roots—which became a foundation for her business.

The Elix Healing Story:

Frustrated by a healthcare system that “medicates symptoms instead of rooting out causes,” she consulted TCM doctors and, inspired by her grandfather (a hospital director in Hunan, China), realized the potential of herbal medicine for holistic hormone support.

Launched Elix (2020) as the first digital menstrual wellness platform to blend 5,000 years of TCM with clinical research, offering personalized herbal formulas and online health assessments.

The assessment even includes submitting a tongue photo—used by TCM to diagnose internal health.

Impact & Growth:

Hundreds of clinical trials and pilot tests inform Elix’s formulas; real-world results show >90% of users report symptom improvements in the first month.

Expanded from remedies for period pain to support PCOS, fibroids, perimenopause, digestion, sleep, and immunity. Elix now offers virtual coaching with TCM practitioners and educational resources on their blog/social channels.

Community of 100,000+ followers, recognition in Forbes, Vogue, and Inc, and cited in multiple clinical and women’s wellness studies.

Advice and Philosophy:

Healthcare should be holistic and personal: There’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution—bio-individuality matters (what works for one may worsen symptoms for another).

“Periods are a report card for your health”—you shouldn’t have to accept pain and exhaustion as normal.

Founding Elix was about democratizing access to ancient (yet evidence-based) healing, empowering clients to be their own advocates, and rebalancing performance and self-care in the modern world.

Even for those not ready to try Elix, Lulu encourages small holistic actions—like getting a few minutes of sunlight on waking, or using deep breathing and gratitude to start your day.

Connect with Lulu Ge & Elix:

Website: elixhealing.com

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