I Was Homeless… Now I Make $5M/Year

Summary

Mark Jenny, founder of RVshare, which sold for over $100 million, shares his rags-to-riches story, from growing up homeless to building an Airbnb business earning $12 million annually with minimal work. Despite early struggles and multiple business ventures, including some he's not proud of, Mark emphasizes the importance of persistence, learning, and finding fulfillment in business. His journey illustrates the value of owning one's time, the power of building unique experiences, and the pursuit of happiness beyond financial success.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Mark Jenny is known for founding RVshare, which sold for over $100 million, and for having a successful Airbnb business making $12 million annually while working only 30 minutes a week.
• 🏠 Mark grew up homeless and faced significant hardships, such as living behind a tire shop with minimal amenities.
• 💡 Despite these challenges, he started over 30 businesses, quickly growing one to over a million dollars in monthly revenue.
• 💸 Mark has sold a billion dollars' worth of products online but found many of his early ventures unfulfilling, likening himself to a snake oil salesman.
• 📈 A pivotal moment in his life was a visit to wealthy relatives in New York City, which opened his eyes to a new lifestyle and motivated him to pursue success.
• 👨‍💼 Mark learned about business and finance from books and early experiences, including an eye-opening internship at Merrill Lynch.
• 🚀 His first major success was creating a website builder that earned him over a million dollars a month, despite starting with no coding knowledge.
• 💼 Over his career, Mark has launched various businesses, including digital publishing, health supplements, and web hosting.
• 🏅 One of his most significant decisions was stepping away from an unfulfilling but lucrative supplement business to start RVshare, which aligned more with his values.
• 💰 Mark emphasizes the importance of owning one's time and finding passive income streams to achieve true financial freedom.

Q & A

What is Mark Jenny known for primarily?

Mark Jenny is primarily known for starting the company RVshare, which was sold for over $100 million, and for having an Airbnb business that generates $12 million with only 30 minutes to an hour of work per week.

How did Mark's upbringing influence his early life and business endeavors?

Mark grew up homeless in an area with many drug problems, which made him desperate to change his situation. This background influenced his early life and business endeavors by making him persistent and driven to succeed, starting over 30 businesses within a short period.

What pivotal moment in Mark's life led him to believe that money could bring happiness?

The pivotal moment was when Mark visited his wealthy relatives in New York City at the age of 13. Experiencing their lifestyle and seeing their happiness, he initially believed that money was the key to happiness.

How did Mark's first million-dollar business idea come about?

Mark's first million-dollar business idea came about when he built a free website builder that required users to sign up for web hosting through his affiliate link. This business took off quickly and started generating over a million dollars a month.

What was the turning point for Mark in realizing that money does not equate to happiness?

The turning point for Mark was later in life when he realized that money doesn't make one happier or less happy; it just allows one to become more of who they are and do more of what they want to do.

How did Mark's early businesses, which were not fulfilling, affect his approach to business?

Mark felt unfulfilled selling health supplements that he did not believe in, which led him to close down businesses that he did not see himself doing forever, even if they were profitable.

What business did Mark start after realizing that he needed to find a business he could be proud of and could do forever?

After realizing the need for a fulfilling business, Mark started RVshare, which eventually became a successful venture that he could be proud of.

How did Mark's approach to business change after selling RVshare?

After selling RVshare, Mark became more focused on building unique experiences with his Airbnb business, investing in properties that offered something different and could stand the test of time.

What advice does Mark give to people who are just starting out and want to make their first million?

Mark advises people to seek out successful individuals in their desired field, offer to work with them for free to learn from them, and to be persistent in gaining valuable experience and knowledge.

What does Mark consider the most important aspect of life?

Mark considers family and friends to be the most important aspects of life, emphasizing the importance of building and sharing experiences with loved ones.

What is Mark's investment thesis for his Airbnb business?

Mark's investment thesis for his Airbnb business is to create unique and memorable experiences by building or buying properties that offer something different and special, aiming for a 10% return on investment.

Outlines

00:00

💼 From Homelessness to Entrepreneurial Success

Mark Jenny shares his rags-to-riches story, detailing his journey from growing up homeless to selling his company RVshare for over $100 million. Despite his immense success, including an Airbnb business generating $12 million annually with minimal work, Mark candidly discusses his early life of poverty, the desperation of his family's financial struggles, and the pivotal moment that led him to start over 30 businesses. His first business venture turned profitable within two months, but he eventually found the businesses unfulfilling, leading him to seek more meaningful endeavors.

05:01

🚀 Early Exposure to Wealth and the Pursuit of Happiness

At 13, Mark experienced wealth and happiness for the first time during a visit to his wealthy relatives in New York City. This exposure to a luxurious lifestyle and the apparent happiness of his relatives led him to initially equate money with happiness. Upon returning home, Mark was inspired to learn about finance and the stock market, which eventually led to his first business on eBay. However, an internship at Merrill Lynch disenchanted him with the idea of becoming a stockbroker, setting him on a path of entrepreneurship and business creation.

10:03

🛠 Building a Business Empire from Scratch

Mark recounts his early business endeavors, starting with a rudimentary website builder that he developed without any coding experience. His first version involved manually editing HTML for each client, which was time-consuming but lucrative. Despite his success, Mark was unsatisfied with the lack of fulfillment from his businesses, leading him to shut down profitable ventures in pursuit of more meaningful work. His journey includes various digital publishing companies, an AI chatbot in the early 2000s, and multiple web hosting brands, reflecting his diverse and innovative approach to business.

15:05

🏆 The Philosophy of Business and Life After Success

Mark discusses his philosophy on business and life after achieving success. He emphasizes the importance of persistence, learning through action, and the realization that intelligence alone is not the key to success. Mark also shares his belief in the importance of choosing the right business venture, one that aligns with long-term goals and has the potential for significant impact. His reflections include the understanding that success in any field requires a similar level of effort and that the choice of venture can lead to vastly different outcomes.

20:06

💡 Identifying Opportunities and the Dollar Bill Business

Mark shares his approach to identifying business opportunities, using the example of his dollar bill business. He discovered a niche market on eBay selling dollar bills with celebrity images and decided to replicate the idea, scaling it into a six-figure business. This story illustrates his knack for spotting potential business ideas and his willingness to experiment and innovate, even in areas where he lacks expertise.

25:08

📉 Overcoming Setbacks and Learning from Failures

Despite his many business ventures, Mark has faced setbacks and failures, including being swindled by a close friend and business partner who disappeared with their shared funds. This experience was particularly painful due to the loss of a valued friendship. However, Mark views these challenges as learning opportunities rather than failures, emphasizing the importance of resilience and the ability to adapt and move forward.

30:09

💰 The Reality of Wealth and the Transition to Meaningful Business

Mark reflects on his experience with wealth, from the material excesses of his early success to the realization that money alone does not guarantee happiness. He discusses the turning point when he decided to walk away from a lucrative but unfulfilling health supplement business, prioritizing his integrity and desire for a meaningful business over short-term profits. This decision marked a significant shift in his approach to entrepreneurship, leading him to found RVshare.

35:09

🔄 The Pivotal Move to RVshare and the Importance of Timing

Mark's transition to RVshare came after a period of self-reflection and advice from a friend, Perry Belcher, who urged him to consider the long-term happiness and fulfillment of his work. This led Mark to commit fully to RVshare, a business that aligned with his values and provided a sense of purpose. He shares the importance of timing and recognizing when to pivot in business, as well as the satisfaction of building a successful company that created jobs and positively impacted the lives of others.

40:11

🤔 Navigating Business Decisions and the Path to Time Freedom

Mark discusses the decision-making process in business, emphasizing the importance of delayed gratification and the ability to recognize when to persevere or move on to new opportunities. He shares his personal journey to time freedom, which came not from a specific dollar amount but from the ability to generate passive income through smart investments. This allowed him to own his time and live life on his own terms, highlighting the value of financial independence.

45:13

🌟 The Airbnb Business and Creating Unique Experiences

Mark's venture into the Airbnb business was driven by a desire to create unique and memorable experiences for guests. He shares his strategy of purchasing properties outside of town at a lower cost and adding special amenities to attract guests seeking a distinct vacation experience. His approach focuses on building cool experiences rather than strictly adhering to traditional real estate investment metrics, leading to a portfolio of successful, distinctive properties.

50:16

💫 Life's Cheat Code: Building with Family and Friends in Mind

Mark reveals that the ultimate 'cheat code' of life is building something you love and sharing it with family and friends. His Airbnb properties are designed with family-oriented experiences in mind, creating a win-win situation for both himself and his guests. He encourages others to find their passion and build a business around it, emphasizing the importance of enjoying the process and the fulfillment that comes from creating something meaningful.

Keywords

💡RVshare

RVshare is a company that was founded by Mark Jenny, which allows people to rent out their recreational vehicles. It is a key part of Mark's entrepreneurial journey, as it was sold for over $100 million. The company represents the culmination of Mark's efforts to build a successful business that he could be proud of, contrasting with his earlier ventures in internet marketing and health supplements that he did not find fulfilling.

💡Airbnb business

The term 'Airbnb business' refers to Mark's current venture, where he owns and operates a portfolio of resort-style vacation homes listed on Airbnb. This business is significant as it generates $12 million in revenue while only requiring around 30 minutes to an hour of Mark's time per week, illustrating the concept of passive income and successful business automation.

💡Homeless

Mark Jenny's upbringing was marked by periods of homelessness, which is a state of not having a home or permanent residence. This background is a central theme in the video, as it provides context for his drive to succeed and his ability to empathize with those who face adversity. The script mentions his family living in a room behind a tire shop, highlighting the humble beginnings from which he started his journey.

💡Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing the risks and benefits of the venture. Mark Jenny is a quintessential entrepreneur, having started over 30 businesses, including the successful RVshare and his Airbnb business. His story exemplifies the perseverance, innovation, and risk-taking often associated with entrepreneurship.

💡Passive income

Passive income refers to earnings derived from a rental property, investments, or businesses where the individual does not have to be actively involved in operations to generate income. Mark's Airbnb business is an example of generating passive income, as it requires minimal time commitment from him while still producing significant revenue.

💡Investment

In the context of the video, investment refers to the allocation of funds into assets or ventures with the expectation of generating income or profit. Mark's approach to investing the proceeds from the sale of RVshare into passive investments allowed him to achieve financial freedom and time independence, as it provided a steady stream of income without the need for active work.

💡Business exit

A business exit is the strategy by which a business owner leaves or sells their business. Mark's exit from RVshare, where he sold the company for over $100 million, is a significant event in his career. It represents the successful culmination of his efforts in building a business and the transition to a new phase of his life and business ventures.

💡Opportunity

Opportunity, in the video, refers to potential areas for business or investment that can yield profit or success. Mark identifies opportunities in various sectors, such as digital publishing, health supplements, and AI chatbots. His ability to recognize and capitalize on opportunities has been a key factor in his entrepreneurial success.

💡Dollar bill business

The 'dollar bill business' is a specific example from Mark's past where he sold dollar bills with pictures of celebrities printed on them. This venture turned into a six-figure business for Mark and illustrates his knack for identifying unique business opportunities, even in unlikely places, and his willingness to experiment with different ideas.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship involves guidance and support from a more experienced or knowledgeable person. In the video, Mark emphasizes the importance of learning from successful individuals in one's field of interest. He suggests working closely with mentors to gain practical knowledge and insights, which can be invaluable in building one's own successful career or business.

💡Regret

Regret, in the context of the video, is a feeling of sadness or disappointment over something that one wished had done or happened differently. Mark expresses his regret over not spending more time with his mother towards the end of her life. This personal aspect of his story highlights the importance of cherishing time with loved ones, alongside professional success.

💡Time freedom

Time freedom refers to having control over one's own schedule and not being obligated to work a set number of hours due to financial stability. Mark describes achieving time freedom as a significant milestone, which he values more than the monetary wealth he has accumulated. It represents the ability to enjoy life on one's own terms, without the constraints of a traditional job.

Highlights

Mark Jenny started RVshare, which sold for over $100 million.

He has an Airbnb business generating $12 million annually with minimal weekly work.

Mark grew up homeless, with his family facing severe financial struggles.

He started over 30 businesses within 2 months, scaling one to over a million dollars a month in revenue.

Despite success, Mark felt unfulfilled, comparing himself to a 'snake oil salesman' due to selling health supplements he didn't believe in.

Mark's pivotal life moment was visiting wealthy relatives in New York City at 13, which sparked his ambition for wealth and happiness.

His first business was an eBay venture inspired by the dollar bill business he observed.

Mark built a website builder that quickly scaled to a million dollars a month in revenue.

He emphasizes the importance of building something you're passionate about, rather than just making money.

Mark regrets not investing his early earnings and not having proper guidance or mentorship.

He shut down multiple profitable businesses because they didn't align with his long-term vision.

Mark's Airbnb business focuses on creating unique, resort-style vacation homes.

He believes in the long-term potential of the Airbnb market and the importance of standing out.

Mark's investment thesis for his Airbnb properties is based on creating unique experiences rather than strict financial metrics.

He has transitioned to focusing on unique assets that are hard to duplicate, ensuring long-term performance.

Mark advises aspiring entrepreneurs to seek mentorship and learn from successful individuals in their desired field.

His main life regret is not spending more time with his mother, highlighting the importance of family.

Mark's ultimate life hack is enjoying the process of building and sharing experiences with loved ones.

Transcripts

this is Mark Jenny he is most known for

starting the company rvshare which sold

for over $100 million and has an Airbnb

business that makes $12 million while

only working 30 minutes a week you have

a 20 portfolio property worth 8 figure

plus and you said you spend 30 minutes a

week 30 minutes to an hour a week

usually but before the money started

pouring in Mark grew up homeless the

town I grew up in a lot of drug problems

not necessarily the best area we'd go to

McDonald's and my dad would buy one

hamburger cut in half and hamburgers

were like 59 cents at the time or

something like that he didn't even have

enough money to buy both of us a

hamburger desperate to change a

situation March started over 30

businesses within 2 months I went from

an idea to a business that was making

over a million dollars a month I've sold

a billion dollars worth of stuff online

however he found that the businesses he

created were extremely unfulfilling

basically I felt like a snake oil

salesman I was selling Health

supplements that I did not believe in I

didn't want to do anymore so how did

Mark go from homeless to starting

several successful businesses closing

them down and then creating the business

of his dreams let's dive deeper into

Mark's story so first off Mark Jenny I

got to share I've used rvshare.com

you're the founder I love it we've come

a long way from there so let's go back

to the beginning of your origin story

yeah um you grew up homeless I did can

you tell us a little bit more about that

and how did your family even end up in

that situation yeah yeah I mean my dad

just was not good at managing money um

he was not good at managing money then

he's not good at managing money now it's

just not been a strong suit of his and

um

so we lived in the back I have a picture

of it I Pro I can show show it to we put

it up on screen we put it up on screen

um but I'll uh I'll show you so here

that's actually where I lived it was in

it was behind a tire shop um so we

weren't out luckily we were not out on

the streets but but we lived behind this

tire shop um in this little room for

about 2 years and um there was no there

was a bathroom but with a sink uh there

was no shower um so like we'd get a

washcloth and you know throw some soap

on it and kind of wash up that was that

was how we bathed um but it was I mean I

would say I it was humbling but you know

I didn't really know much better cuz I

really didn't grow up in the best part

of town and so it was like I was going

from like the bottom to like the bottom

bottom um and so it wasn't there wasn't

like a massive leap in lifestyle for me

where I was like you know Liv in large

and all of a sudden I was like you know

Liv in the back of a tire shop in a you

know little storage room um so you know

the town I grew up in a lot of drug

problems you know not not necessarily

the best area my whole upbringing was

really kind of coming from nothing um

you know and being homeless was was part

part of that part of that Journey but I

think that what that has done for me

today is it's probably you know it's

kept me more grounded um and it's really

made me appreciate you know all the

blessings that we have today what were

some of the moments you noticed between

your parents and what was it like with

the family uh when it was these these

tough times yeah I mean my parents

always fought about money all the time

like that's you know they they got

divorced when I was younger and but I

that's really all I remember them you

know the interactions with them is just

like fighting about money all the time

um I mean you know things were lean and

like we'd go to McDonald's and you know

my dad would buy one hamburger and cut

it in half and give my brother half of

it and me half of it and hamburgers were

like 59 cents at the time or something

like that you know and he didn't even

have enough money to buy both of us a

hamburger um but I I you know I got

super super lucky very early on um when

I was 13 years

old I had some cousins who were

relatives of my dad uh they were like my

second or third cousins and they lived

in Manhattan they lived in New York City

and they had a a compound in the

Hamptons and they were money managers

and they were very very wealthy

extremely extremely well off and I

always thought money is happiness

because of this experience that I had

with him which I'll tell you about but

later on in life I really realize money

is not happiness you know you can be

happy money doesn't make you either H

more happy or less happy it just kind of

allows you to become more of who you are

and do more of the things you want to do

um makes life easier but circling back

to um you know when I was 13 this was

the most pivotable moment of my life of

anything as far as like coming from

nothing to actually making something in

of of you know my life is when I was 13

years old I went to New York City my

cousins they paid for airline ticket to

fly me out to New York for a week I

stayed with them at their Penthouse

apartment on Park Avenue for the week

and then on the weekend we went out to

their compound in the Hamptons and I it

was the first time I ever experienced or

saw like wealth and to be honest with

you it was really one of the first times

I ever saw people who were happy cuz

there was just not a lot of Happiness

between my parents and our household

when I was growing up and so I went and

they were super super happy

and for me for many years I thought that

you know happiness is money because they

have money so that's how you get

happiness and that's really kind of what

really got me started it was I wasn't

seeking um material things I was seeking

like a happy household and the household

like you know that I grew up in just

didn't have a whole lot of love and

happiness between my parents and so but

um what happened was when I came back

from that trip in New York um my eyes

were open to a totally new lifestyle you

know I was at that time we were not

homeless but I was in you know an 8 800

squ ft house and on the wrong side of

the tracks and you know I just went for

a week and experienced basically

essentially living like a Billionaire's

life and like saw how they lived and it

was totally foreign I'm like I want that

whatever that is I want that what I have

here at home I don't want this I want

that cuz I saw happiness they just

seemed you know it was like yes they

bigger houses and nicer cars and all

that stuff but the the the happiness

that they had was just like I was so

drawn to that so how did this shape your

mentality how did that um you know they

were in finance and so that's what I

that's what I thought I was going to

make my Millions I always thought I was

going to go into the stock stock market

I'm going to become wealthy like them

you know in finance I went I went back

home from that trip I went to Barnes &

Noble whatever little money I had saved

up at the time I bought books on you

know trading stocks for dummies stock

markets for dummies etc etc etc um I

read up on uh you know on the stock

market I as a 13-year-old you know read

as much as I could um that ended up

prompting me to uh start my first

business and I ended up starting my

first business on eBay at the time uh

not too long after like the next summer

I ended up going to Merl Lynch and I

just walked into our local meril Lynch

branch and showed up and I'm like I'd

like a summer in internship I'll work

for free I'll do whatever you want I

want to learn the business um and I'll

I'll do I'll do whatever it takes and

little did I find that that actually

that experience turned me off of Finance

because I always thought I wanted to be

a stock broker and there's a big

difference between being a stock broker

and actually being a money manager and I

realized that stock brokers were

essentially you know used car salesmen

and they weren't doing anything other

than like what they were told from you

know up above of here's what we're

selling and so you go into the local Mir

Lynch office and you know everyone's

just pedaling the same products they're

not actually managing money and like you

know figuring out where we're going to

invest our client's money yes and no to

some extent but really not what I was

looking for like the experience I had

was like you know I went to my uh

cousin's Wall Street trading firm and

they had you know multiple floors and a

and a highrise and all these you know

charts and and on the wall and tickers

and everyone's like you know like a real

trading desk and that's what I I thought

local Meo Lynch was going to be like and

I realized like no that's not this at

all like they're making you know these

guys are making you know $100,000 a year

$200,000 year at the time but they they

weren't doing what I wanted to do and

they didn't have that you know that was

not where I was going so I learned

pretty quickly that like you know

becoming a stock broker was not

necessarily my thing after an internship

at maril Lynch uh for the summer and

then you know really that was you know

from there on I business after business

have had 30 different plus businesses

over the years how did you make your

first million this is before Wix before

Squarespace this was like basically like

almost like geoc City days this was like

way way way back in the day um so I

built a website builder that allowed

people to build out sites and promote

other people's products or Services you

know as an affiliate and generate

commissions and and the model was um

different so I didn't charge for it it

was completely free but in order to get

access and use my website builder you

had to sign up for web hosting through

my affiliate link and that took off and

that basically I you know I I went from

an idea to a business that was you know

making over a million dollars a month in

a very short duration of time and that

totally totally changed my life you know

um so that was that was really the first

big success was that and I knew nothing

about coding

programming I um the first version of of

this website builder was me going and

buying HTML for dummies I was using

Dream Weaver and I was like a hack a

hack HTML programmer at at best I mean

like really really bad I couldn't write

you know scripts or anything to automate

anything and at one point in time I was

either building or editing hundreds of

websites a day by hand and I was making

like a lot of money but I was literally

in front of a computer for like 14 or 15

hours a day copy paste copy paste copy

paste because my website builder my V1

of this website builder was not

automated it was essentially a like a

modern-day Google form where I had a

form and somebody would go and fill out

their form and I'd say what is your

affiliate link what color do you want

your website what do you want your

website to be about blah blah blah blah

BL blah and I would literally then take

that info I mean this was this was back

I had people giving me their web hosting

um logins and their password and their

email passwords and it was very like old

school it was like stuff that like there

was no SSL at the time there was no any

of this stuff at all um and so the first

version for quite some time is was

literally like a form that I had online

which was a website builder but I was

the website builder I was the one

literally taking the information off the

form that was then getting sent to me

and then I was going in and changing the

HTML so it wasn't like if you went in

and updated your form you had to wait

for me to go in and get the information

and go manually update your website for

you that was my V1 of a website builder

I've been working hard on my upcoming

book million dooll weekend which is

coming out early 2024 stay tuned looking

through my notes I found a lost chapter

that is not in the final book very

mysterious it reveals things like like

how to double your income without any

new customer how to create complimentary

products to generate more income one

solar preneur did this and made an extra

$340,000 how to optimize pricing

strategy and maximize profits and more

the Lost chapter is not online or Amazon

or anywhere else it is only for people

on my list like you you can download it

for free at noah.com

slost that's noah.com lost it's also

Below in the description all right back

to the video all of a sudden you're

making all that money what did you spend

it on what did you buy well when I was

young I mean when I was young I just

blew it all I mean I you know I was

living the life of somebody who came

from nothing and didn't have good

guidance and had no mentors to like try

to you know guide you of like hey hey

you know you're doing well this is an

opportunity you know these don't come by

every day you're and you should invest

your money you should I didn't do any of

that when I was young but like what did

you do what are some of the stories or

ways you spe yeah I mean you know I I

had the huge mansion with all the cars

and you you know I had more cars than I

could fit in my garage and it's Ferrari

Lamborghini Bentley blah blah blah it

was all that crap and you know um

private jet and you know like your own

private jet no I didn't have my own

private jet probably I I I didn't make

that much money um but no chart you know

go Charter a jet and you know have a

bunch of friends like Hey we're all

flying down to Miami you know um go on

elaborate trips and you know I just I

blew money like there was no tomorrow

when I was younger I didn't know any

better and you know and and whether good

or bad or indifferent you know I don't

regret it um I wish you know yeah I wish

I probably would have invested it when I

was younger um my mom always told me

like should be investing you should save

your money and you know me I think I'm

smarter than you like you've never made

a lot of money you don't know you don't

know what it's like Mom and I in Hinds

set I'm like yeah Mom was right like I

should have you know invested my money

and saved my money um but but hold on

what but how was it though like how

awesome it was cool yeah I was I was 21

years old I mean I was 21 years old I

was Private with Ferraris and stuff I

mean I was a millionaire I was 21 you

know and so like I literally it's like I

was I was Hood Rich I mean and I can say

Hood Rich because I came from the hood

so like but that's that's how I was

living I mean I was I didn't I didn't

know any better I didn't have guidance I

didn't have I really didn't have anybody

in my life who I could talk to or who I

could look up to to like provide proper

guidance which is I think one of the

reasons why nowadays you see you know

over time you've seen a lot of these

like athletes who you know come from

nothing they'll get a $100 million

contract and then all of a sudden it's

like you know they blew it all it's like

you know you don't know what you don't

know one thing about me that I think

that has allowed me to kind of have the

path that I've I have had

is once I figured

out if I if I built a business and even

if that business was profitable and even

if that business was making me 100,000

200,000 a year you know way back in the

day if I didn't want to do that business

forever I would literally shut the

business down like the next day like I I

I I was I would go cold turkey I went

cold turkey on so many of my businesses

that in hindsight like I'm like oh man I

was an idiot like I should have hired

somebody cuz a lot of these businesses

were sole proprietorships where like it

was a business but it was a oneman

business that I had going where I could

have just hired someone for $50,000 a

year to like keep operating the business

and then I could have you know made

earned the profits above and beyond that

I wasn't I I wasn't

that um I didn't understand business

well enough that like you could even

like go out and like hire people to like

replace you and so there were a lot of

like companies I had early on where they

were successful they were making money

and I was doing very well at the time

for where I was but as soon as I felt

like I don't want to do this for the

rest of my life my exit strategy was

literally like okay I'm going to just

shut it down tomorrow and figure out

what's next and I would live off of the

savings I had and you know I'd usually

have some type of savings and I'd live

off the savings until I figured out what

was the next business but I did that

several times you've done over 30

different businesses to where we are

today can you walk us through at least

some of these different businesses that

you've tried over the years yeah and I

actually I told you I brought it cheat

sheet because a lot of these things I've

just done so many things over the years

I'm like oh I forgot about that I forgot

about that and multiple digital

publishing companies over the years um

we did a lot we had you know think of

like uh ebooks or courses things like

that I mean some some things were you

know mainstream some things were really

random I mean we had products on like

you know pre-written wedding speeches

things on like how to beat a speeding

ticket um natural ways to like stop

snoring uh you know things like you know

we were teaching affiliate marketing

teaching SEO uh

AdWords um you we we probably had north

of 20 different like product Lines

within the business of digital

publishing uh at one point in time I had

you know we had a staff of I want to say

15 writers you know uh in house and this

was this nobody was outsourced it was

all Under One Roof we had like 300

employees and um it was a pretty big

digital publishing company with like

just everything um under the sun we you

know find product experts in different

Industries and you know bring them in

and kind of build build products around

them one company I had which is very

timely today because chat GPT is

obviously like a huge thing now um I had

one of the first like AI companies and

it's not real true AI but I had uh a

company called intell aat which was an

AI chatbot this was like the early mid

2000s so I was a you know a big hosting

affiliate for a while and then

eventually ended up starting my own

hosting company had a couple different

web hosting Brands you know other

businesses so I've had you know search

optim optimization company had multiple

health supplement companies sold every

health supplement Under the Sun you

could possibly think of um had a

business where it was a timeline of your

life uh so my timeline.com a digital

timeline of your life that was another

thing that didn't work uh another

company which was an app company uh

called daily Pick so it's like a you

know just a day a picture of a day uh

app that also didn't work um started RV

share uh along with RV share actually

built out like you know 10 additional um

uh RV related websites in the space um

ultimately when I stepped away from that

that those other websites didn't become

a a focus um so they never really you

know made much of them uh and then you

know now today I have uh Resort style

vacation homes which is the Airbnb

company um there's been a whole bunch of

other things that I didn't list off and

are not on my list um cuz that was maybe

like 15 things but when i' have gone

through and like tallied up everything

I've ever done I mean I owned part of a

nursing home at one point in time um

I've done I've done a lot and I've done

so many different things and and from

time to time like I'll find something in

my email and I'm like Oh my from you

know I'm searching for something I'll

find something from like 10 12 15 years

ago I'm like oh my gosh I totally forgot

that business that I built and it would

be like a real business it had like real

Revenue it have like you know something

that I you know probably maybe had like

$30,000 in revenue and just never really

got enough traction so i' like

ultimately like shut it down but yeah

I've done a whole bunch of different

things over the years uh how do you

identify opportunities to things that

want to do businesses in yeah I mean so

early on I was literally just looking

for like any way to make money I mean I

was young Scrappy I came from nothing I

was just trying to like Escape poverty

so to speak and I I was just looking for

ways to make money I was not look I was

not analyzing businesses you know like

in the early days of like eBay I was

literally just like searching eBay for

like what could I make hm what's

something that like is selling on eBay

that I can make so here's a good here's

a good example of something where like I

was literally just searching eBay for a

business idea on eBay I ended up turning

into a 6figure business so some I saw

someone selling dollar bills with

pictures of celebrities on the dollar

bill on a $1 bill and I'm like oh that's

interesting I'm like couldn't I just get

sticker paper and print out a picture of

a celebrity and cut it out and put it on

a $1 bill and sell it like they're

selling I'm like there has to be

something else to this so I bought the

product on eBay came to me and it was

literally just a $1 bill with a printed

out with a sticker paper and with a

picture of Michael Jordan on it so that

night I became I was in the dollar bill

business and literally I built that

business up to I was making a couple

hundred grand a year selling dollar

bills and I was selling dollar bills on

average for probably like 15 bucks a

piece and the dollar bill business was

very good for a period of time until I

decided I didn't want to be in the

dollar bill business before and I just

kind of at one point in time cut that

cold turkey and moved on to the next

thing but you know I I think just

keeping your eyes open looking for

opportunities like what is something

that someone else is doing that you

could do or what's something that you

know you can improve upon slightly do

you have other stories like the dollar

bill one that worked or didn't work cuz

that that I think that's that stuff also

inspires people to how they're thinking

about opportunities right like people on

eBay are buying and selling things all

right let me look there to see what else

is happening yeah the Airbnb business

which we get you later you rented it out

you did it you built something cool for

your kids it's working all right now I

have 20 of them yeah what other kind of

stories do you have from earlier on yeah

I mean this is this is like very

parallel to the the dollar bill thing

but just I guess another example of of

that is you know I also sold a ton of

window clings at the time um window

clings so basically just like a clear

image with a picture printed on it that

people would put on a window or a car

window or whatever um I didn't know

anything about copyright at the time so

I'm not like this is not something I

would do today but I was a young kid and

um you know I saw somebody selling

window clings online of like different

celebrities or whatever it may be and

I'm like I can just go to the store I

can I can go to Office Max they got

window cing paper I can literally buy

and I can put in the printer and print

out window clings and I did that and I

literally started making a bunch of

money you know probably sold couple

hundred thousand on window clings um and

you know they were you know like I said

they were probably copywritten um which

I probably you know shouldn't have done

and didn't at the time I had no idea I

didn't even know what copyright was you

I think I I got my first like dmca

notice of like hey you can't be it was

Toby Keith I think I saw the Toby Keith

window cling and uh his real name's not

Toby Keith his real name's Toby Corell

and I only know that because I got a

dmca notice from his lawyer saying hey

you're not allowed to sell a Toby Keith

window cling because you don't have the

permission you don't have the the the

you know we have a trademark on this and

then so I stopped selling I'm like oh

sorry I didn't know I literally had no

idea like at the time I was so naive I

didn't even know you weren't allowed to

do that like I was like oh okay I could

just print this out on my printer and

sell it like I didn't know there was

this thing such as copyrights or

trademarks or anything and you find that

out and you stop doing it what was a

story or experience that was one of the

lower moments during these early years I

had a business partner who was my best

friend like absolute best friend

and we lived together in the same

building hung out together every day and

um he like left the country and left

with all of our money and um yeah it was

it was that was that was tough that was

really tough really tough because we

were doing very well at the time and

um one day he left the country and

didn't come back and there was there was

there was a whole story on how he got

the money and he basically before he

left kind of pitched me on this oh I got

this great investment for us it's

guaranteed etc etc I need you to wire

money and I you know did so and

um yeah it uh unfortunately he didn't

come back and we weren't business

partners anymore um so that was that was

a really really low point in my life but

I was more distraught more so than the

money was the friendship that I I lost

and like the emotional impact that had

of like I had somebody who I thought was

like my best friend who like I hung out

with every single day we were in we had

an office together we were with each

other every day we hung out at night you

know we hang out on the weekends we took

trips together um so yeah that that was

that was definitely definitely a low

point you made a lot of money doing

affiliate marketing I believe and like

internet marketing kind of company

direct marketing which there's always

like I would say gry Zone with those so

some of those companies I'm proud of and

some of those companies I'm not proud of

um you know it's like I yeah I I look

back you know I had before I did RV

share I had a business that was you know

I would call it an internet marketing

business it was a health supplement

company but basically we were just

pedalling whatever was like the hottest

latest craze that Dr Oz was pitching you

know on TV I was like oh this is the

miracle weight loss pill or whatever and

you know that that business I mean

scaled that up literally from like zero

to like $300,000 a day in sales in like

a couple a day in in like two weeks um

and that was we we just we were tied in

with a lot of traffic sources and we had

a lot we it was really driven off of

Affiliates we did almost none of our own

media buying for it so that $300,000 a

day it was all Affiliates that's a

business that I ultimately I ended up

walking away from I was making a whole

bunch of money and um I gave my Equity

back to my partners and I just said I

don't want to do this anymore I don't

feel good about it I don't believe in

the products I don't believe in the

marketing I I'm not proud of this like I

literally lose sleep at night like

thinking like I'm just like basically I

felt like a snake oil salesman of like

just selling you know Placebo pills and

I'm like I don't like this this is this

this is this is not good I was you know

personally making you know

300,250 $300,000 a month and that was my

personal cut take-home that I just gave

back to my partners I was like you you

guys can have this um I just I didn't I

didn't want to do it anymore and that

actually was a big pivotal moment in my

life because that

was when I stepped away and started RV

share and had I not done that I might

not have started RV share when you were

doing RV share did you give up and sell

everything before share and you said I'm

only doing one like what what is that so

how does that relate to RV yeah yeah

yeah so I mean when I buil RV share it

was literally right after the supplement

business like I decided so I got one of

the best pieces of advice that I've ever

received and this is another piece of

advice that has kind of changed my life

um a friend of mine Perry Belcher he

said to me look at what you're doing and

see are there any old happy Rich guys

who are doing what you are doing or did

what you were doing and at the time you

know I was selling Health supplements

that I did not believe in you know I

mean they were fine for people to take

they were probably more Placebo than

anything it was you know whatever Dr

Oz's latest diet pill was um you know

but I didn't believe in it I personally

just did not believe in what it was

prior to RV share I had a lot of

different businesses running

simultaneously at the same time so I was

definitely very dist distracted and

scatterbrain and I had the you know the

shiny coin syndrome big time

um when I built arv share I I just made

a commitment that like I'm not doing

that again I'm this is I'm all in on

this like this this is this is what I'm

doing and then I I did I was selling

things so to fund that business I owned

some long-term traditional rentals okay

nothing remotely to this scale homes

that I had bought for $30,000 to $50,000

okay nowhere near on on this level and

um I was building RV share off my

savings and basically you know I as the

the business was not generating Revenue

nearly as quickly as I thought it would

and so I bootstrapped that business off

of my savings and that required for me

to make payroll and continue building

that business roughly how much you sell

RV share for and then why did you decide

to sell why I decided was I was burnt

out at the time um um just had my second

child you know I I had just my mom had

just passed away just lost her I was

working seven days a week working like

crazy um we had a couple different

opportunities we were we were looking at

you know I wanted to buy my time back at

that point in time and it was going to

also allow me to get a meaningful amount

of money that you know if I invested it

and was wise with it would be you know

would allow me to not work for for the

rest My Life um as far as how much you

know we sold for I mean I think it's

public we had two different rounds um

where the majority was secondary um uh

fundraising rounds um the most recent

one was with KKR at a little bit more

than 100 million um but that doesn't

mean I personally put $1 million in my

you know bank account um so we had you

know at at that point I was not a

majority uh shareholder in in the

business business uh you know I had sold

a majority uh stake to trading partners

other private Equity Firm prior to that

I'm still an equity holder in the

business today so I still have Equity um

so I've had two bites at the Apple so

far probably hopefully a third bite um

and who knows depending on how things go

the third bite could be just as big or

bigger than the first two bites it's

cool because you know my partners became

millionaires um and so that was really

cool and fulfilling just you know like

Not only was I able to you know do well

financially but you know they were able

to do well financially from it we built

a lot of jobs you know built a good

company um I was able to do well and

make enough money that you know like I

said not I don't have to I don't have to

worry if you know about my electric bill

and I don't have to worry about bills

anymore and think about those things so

that's that's nice what did you learn

from starting and failing with these 30

different businesses it's not failure

it's just learning you know it it's

really only failure if you quit and I

think just having to be persistent um

having to grind it out uh you don't have

to be the smartest I mean I dropped out

of high school um I would say I'm

probably of like average intelligence um

I'm around a lot of like really smart

people these days who are like really a

lot smarter than I am and like um can be

quite intimidating intellectually and so

like I think that one thing I've learned

is like you don't need to be a genius

you just need to put in a ton of action

and just keep plowing forward and

pushing forward and you will learn and

learn and learn and it'll compound and

your learning will compound as long as

every single day you are giving it your

all and pushing forward to the next next

step too many people just get too

discouraged and they just don't give it

their all or they give it their all for

a short duration of time and they don't

see immediate feedback that feedback

loop the feedback loop is not always

immediate you know you got to keep

putting that work in and sometimes that

feedback loop is not going to hit hit

you for a while and I think the thing

I've learned is really like you can

really do anything I mean you you can do

anything I I have I have a buddy who

started um one of my groomsmen who

started a company called made in space

and they put a 3D printer on the

International Space Station and I

remember he and I we were kind of like

coach at the time he started that

company I was starting RV share and we

were like each other's coaches and we

would have a weekly call with each other

kind of like Consulting on each other's

businesses and what what's going on just

G giving each other guidance and

feedback and I remember him telling me

he's like I know nothing about space I

know nothing about engineering I know

nothing about any of that but I can find

people who do you know and even though I

don't know any of this like I can find

people who who do know how to do this

and like the vision is this and I can

still make that happen even though I

don't I don't know that and I think that

that's one thing is most people think

that they need to know everything before

they do anything and I think that's

totally opposite you need to know

nothing you just need to do a lot and

you'll figure a lot along the way how do

you know when to push through something

versus just maybe like all right this is

enough and I should to something else

yeah so I mean I think for me RV share

was a good example of that where um like

I was saying it took a lot longer and a

lot more uh money to get that off the

ground but I I saw some positive

feedback loop so even though I wasn't

making money for the longest time with

that business it wasn't generating any

Revenue we started to see we were

getting some traffic we were getting

listings we were getting people

transacting through the site even though

we weren't in the beginning we weren't

actually party to that transaction

people were just we were connecting them

almost like Craigslist we were

connecting them directly and we would

ask people hey did you rent you know and

we we would get feedback yes we rent it

so like we knew like okay great well

there's transactions happening even

though we're not making money here this

is still going in the right direction

and so I mean I think you you know you

do need some type of positive feedback

loop but at the same time you need to be

willing to have delayed gratification so

it's kind of like you know you need you

need to kind of it's more of a I guess a

an art than a science um to figure it

out on a situational basis one thing I

wish I would have known earlier on in my

career and one thing I would kind of go

back and tell a younger version of

myself is make sure you're playing the

right game and one thing I've learned is

it doesn't matter like what you do if

you're going to go and build a business

it could be a small business or it could

be a massive business it's going to take

about the same amount of effort and

energy to become super successful at

anything

and if you're playing the right game

your outcome can be exponentially better

than if you're playing the wrong game

you know if if your goal is basically

just just to open One restaurant and you

know that's you're very limited in like

what your upside is versus you know if

you want to go and build a software

company then obviously you know you

could have you can build a billion

dollar business both of those the owner

of the restaurant and the owner of the

software company they're both going to

work really hard they're both going to

put all of their energy all of their

effort into their business to make it as

successful as they can but they're going

to have very different outcomes you know

if once if they're both successful you

know one is going to have lifechanging

you know amount of you know income and

they're going to probably become very

very wealthy from it and it could be

even generational wealth and the other

one they may they might have worked

thems into you know a successful job

that maybe allows them to pay for the

pay for pay the bills but it doesn't

have the same type of outcome and I

think that like if I were to look back

at my life and teach my my earlier

younger version of myself something

is don't do things that re that have a

longer time Horizon I was really focused

on things that would make money tomorrow

like what is something I can do today

that'll make money tomorrow and and I

wasn't really willing to like put in the

work to see the return more long term

and I think I shortcut it myself on

quite a few things and I think there was

a few businesses I built that if I would

have stuck with it longer they would

have become very very successful um so

that's one thing is just kind of like

have a longer time Horizon and really

look at in like a fiveyear chunk like if

I'm going to go and build something I'm

investing five years of time into this

and I have to be able to you know expect

that I'm probably not going to have like

a massive Payday for five years you know

um and then you know the other the other

thing is really just making like I said

making sure you're picking the right

game I've see so many

people going into business and wanting

to do something and they say like they

want a lifestyle to teer but the

business they're going into if they're

the most successful at that business

their lifestyle is only going to be here

and the the the game they're playing

doesn't match with the lifestyle they're

trying to achieve how did it feel to

finally make it you have the money

eventually you're not homeless like were

you happy did it give you the happiness

you wanted uh I had a feel to make it

yeah I mean I think you find out I think

a lot of people find this out like you

know you you put in all this hard work

and you think like oh I'm GNA make it

I'm gonna make it and then go sit on the

beach and life will be great and that

it's like that for a little while I've

always I've always been happy so like

money has I think allowed me to like do

more things and you know um have more

experience es and help more people and

do things like that so that's great I

mean that's that's great about the quote

money um but I would say for me like

literally the biggest thing for me as

far as like when I made it had nothing

to do with money had 100% to do with

time I own my time I own mying time and

that is the biggest thing like if you

own your time and you own your calendar

and you own your schedule like it if you

own your time and you're making 100

Grand a year

you have a better life than a guy who's

making $5 million a year but doesn't own

his time how much money did you have

when you finally felt time Rich it

wasn't about a certain dollar amount it

was about passive income and so what

happened was when I exited RV

share I made enough money that I could

just put that Capital into passive 100%

passive Investments that I'd be set for

life okay now my lifestyle might not

have been what I wanted it I wouldn't

have been able to Charter a private jet

and purely off the passive income alone

but I would have all my bills would pay

and nice house have you know every

really good lifestyle um I had two level

I would say I had two levels of time

Freedom the first in Financial Freedom

and just like just fre that feeling of

fre Freedom one was right when I exited

RV share and there was like a lump sum

of money okay but I didn't touch that

money I didn't go out out I didn't buy

things with it I I I bought two things I

spent money I invested almost all of it

except for two things uh we bought my

wife a fancy coffee maker for like6 or

$700 and we went on a trip I took my

wife my kids and my wife's parents and

we went to Europe for the

summer outside of that I didn't touch

any of the principle I invested 100% of

it and that so that is when my lifestyle

like started improving as far as like me

being more comfortable to spend money

was actually once my passive income

started kicking in from Investments and

so once that money started kicking in

then I was more comfortable with like

okay then you know fly nicer then you

know go to nicer restaurants then go to

nicer vacations it was really kind of at

that point in time where I I started to

become a lot more comfortable with

spending money because I I was fortunate

making a lot of money when I was younger

but blowing it all and I knew that like

the amount of money I made was enough

money that if I was a good Steward of

this capital I could be set for life but

it was also the same amount of money

that I could I could go blow it pretty

quickly as well and so you have I mean

it's like Mike Tyson made $500 million

and blew all of it like I didn't make

anywhere near $500 million but I made

enough that was like if I was a good

Steward of that capital I would never

have to work again and I could do

whatever I want it really for the for

for the most part I couldn't buy a yacht

or a jet but like you know I could live

great live a great life what do you

think the business opportunities are

today can I start an airb luxury

business what are the areas you're like

if you were starting business today

you're like oh these are categories I'm

interested in or I think there's you can

make a million dollars of more doing it

Airbnb is not going anywhere I don't

think

that there's opportunity there today

there's going to be opportunity there

tomorrow there was opportunity five

years ago I I I think that this is here

for the long term people are always

going to want to rent uh a vacation home

um you know if you're traveling with a

large group you know not everybody but

like a lots of times it's just more

optimal if you're traveling with a large

group versus staying in a hotel um so I

think that that opportunity is here

today it'll always be here I don't see

it really disappearing I think the

opportunity within that space is really

just comes down to like building

something unique building something

different um really standing out from

the crowd and not just being another me

too

um yeah I in in general as far as like

other opportunities if I if I were to go

back in time today and I was 20 years

old um I would be spending a lot of time

on trying to learn about AI uh which

obviously is the big craze today but I

think it's that's a it's a very real

thing that's going to have meaningful

impacts um you know over the next 5 10

15 20 years

uh and then I I'm I'm super bullish on

YouTube I am so bullish on on on YouTube

um and maybe it's just because I know a

couple people who have you know kind of

built up uh a nice little business and

nice life for themselves off in YouTube

um but just being a content creator and

kind of building your own platform today

and around any subject matter and it

doesn't even really matter I think I

think that if you can become like the

top 1% in any topic man you can build a

great business for yourself and a great

life can you tell us your investment

thesis for your Airbnb because it's not

I think what's interesting with the

Airbnb thing that you're doing versus

everyone else is everyone knows about it

but you're playing a game that seems

different and that you're winning so how

did you first identify the opportunity

and then I think the other thing that's

interesting about your strategy is that

you didn't just do it once you've done

it now almost 20 times tell us about a

little about those two two things I have

a more artistic strategy than than a um

mathematical strategy with this business

um I'm probably totally opposite from

most Real Estate Investors uh most

people I know are looking at

spreadsheets and doing Prof foras and

I'm doing back of the napkin um here's

how much it's going to cost here's how

much I think you know uh can rent I can

rent the place for here's how much the

improvements are going to cost

um I think for me it really just comes

down to like building cool

experiences and I feel like if I build a

cool experience and if I stick within

somewhat of a range of a

budget that the return will be good and

that's kind of how I've approached it

it's it's probably not the best way to

approach it but for me it's worked well

the first one you added like the pickle

ball cord you added like shuffle board

outdoor uh bowling and it worked really

well I think what a lot of in investors

do is like oh this is cool I'm making

money great mhm what's your thought

process then you're like no I'm going to

get 20 of these my thesis on that

property was buy a property that's a

little bit outside of town for a small

fraction of what it would cost in town

add the add the special amenities and I

should be able to get returns comparable

or better than the properties in town

that cost three times as much and that

played out um and yeah so I mean it made

a lot of sense I'm like okay well let's

keep keep doing this not all the prop

were that exact strategy of buy outside

of town add amenities and get in town

returns but people started doing the

same thing and that's when we really

transitioned to like these more large

estate properties that we're at today

that are a lot harder to duplicate you

know that's I I I want I wanted

properties that were not just going to

perform well when I bought them in a

year or two years 3 years later I wanted

properties that were going to perform

well 5 10 15 20 years later because even

if you went 10 15 20 years down the road

like you don't have a whole lot of them

like places like this this is 15 acres

in Southern California you know there's

not a whole lot of even land available

of this size to be able to like do

something like this and so you really

like unique assets is really where I've

transitioned to today of like how can we

buy or build something

that no one else either can or will do

can we walk through the economics uh of

this you know this airb I think people

would be curious like how much does it

cost to buy how much it cost for

amenities what do you target your

returns at does it cost to run just at a

high level yeah I mean at at the highest

level the metric that I focus on is the

unlevered yield so assuming you bought a

property let's just say let's just take

this one let's take this property for

example so this property let's just say

you know around 2 and half million

quisition uh r a million and a half in

um upgrades so total Capital into the

property 4 million assume there's no uh

mortgage on that whether there is or not

I don't I just kind of make the

Assumption for the calculations and like

the way I look at it is if there's no

mortgage on your property which that's

not the case but that's for my

calculations and then I want to see a

10% return so if there was $4 million

into this property I want to see a net

income on an annual basis of $400,000 so

and that's that's really

you know across the board on all of our

properties that's that's the number

that's been the Baseline now

today's that's not that's not where I

would Baseline them today that number

would actually be a lot higher today

because the cost of capital today is a

lot is a lot more and interest rates are

a lot higher sounds like they're

generating based on my envelope back of

the envelope calculation million dollars

a month profit for yourself or some

ballpark of that but the craziest part

is not even that how I I think you work

how much a week on this business my

involvement is is a half an hour a week

to an hour a week call and that's it and

so this business is really for me it's a

it's a passive business um it's not a

passive business at all but for me it's

a passive business because I've set the

the business up and built the business

in that way that I have awesome people

who are able to not only you know

operate the business but help the

business grow improve processes

procedures and really optimize the

business um without my

what advice do you have for people

watching who just getting started and

they want to make their first million if

it was easy enough to tell anybody hey

here's exactly what you need to do to go

get your first million everybody would

be a freaking millionaire it's not like

that like for for people who are looking

for like the blueprint of like what is

the ABC all the way to Z Blueprint of

like how do I get to 1 million it

doesn't exist because if that actually

existed like everyone would just go and

do that exact exact formula like you got

to the world is dynamic things change

you got to learn along the way and I

think that you

know the person who you're going to

learn from like if I if I wanted to

learn from you or I want let's just say

I wanted to you know learn to be a real

estate developer and that was my thing

I'm going to go out and I'm going to

contact all the most successful real

estate developers in my area who I could

go like and physically be with them and

work with them not just you know

remotely some positions it is

appropriate to work remote but this

position I'd want to I want to actually

be with them so how can I go and and

essentially Shadow them and help them

and work work with them and do whatever

they need me to do I'm going to get an

education that you could not purchase

anywhere else because it's like you're

seeing the inner workings behind the

scenes of a of a successful business or

a successful person and what they're

actually doing and you know you and I

can sit here and talk about things today

and like you know I can reminisce on

like oh yeah I did X Y or Z you know

back when we were building this and we

did ab and C but it's very very

different from actually being there on

the ground like right next to somebody

when they're actually doing it and I

think that's the biggest thing is you

need to be with someone when they're

actually doing it and like help them in

whatever form of fashion you can so you

can just soak in as much as you can from

whatever they're doing you know and

for the people that I know who've done

that there's not a lot of people who've

who've who've taken that approach in

life to try to like use this cheat code

that's available to literally everybody

but the ones that I do have that I know

who have done that have done extremely

well you know I have a friend who he did

this and um he started with nothing and

now he's worth like $400 million and

that's all you know he he's he's of

average intellect um super nice guy um I

mean he's smart but he's not like a

rocket scientist or anything like that

he's just like you and I and um he he

went out and he sought out somebody who

was much further down the career pathway

than he was and far more successful

financially and when he showed up and he

said hey I want to work for you for free

I'll do whatever you want I want but the

thing is I want to learn from you and I

want to work directly with you and I

want you to give me as many difficult

hard tasks to that I can that I can

solve for you as possible I will do

whatever you want I'm going to be your

best worker and you're not going to have

to pay me a dime the only thing I want

in return is I want to learn from you

cuz it's one day I want to be where

you're at and the guy said

no and so he came back to him the next

next week and said the same thing and he

said no and he came back to him the next

week and he said this the same thing he

took four tries he he got told no by the

same person four different times where

he went to him he said hey I'm going to

work for you for free I'll do whatever

you want the guy's like no sorry kid not

interested after the fourth try finally

the guy was like okay you're persistent

you're persistent I I'll give you a shot

here come help me out with X X Y and Z

and then little did he know or little

did what came to fruition from that was

with then less than a year he was doing

a deal that this guy didn't want to do

he's like this is a too small of a deal

for me but hey kid you may want to do

this deal and that was his first deal

and that's what set him off on his path

to success was having those inroads with

the right person being the right place

at the right time and understanding not

only like access to the deal but what do

you do with the deal and having the

mentor and having the guidance and now

having somebody who like understands it

but it's like too small of a deal for

him and he passed it along to to to him

so I think just proximity putting

yourself in proximity it's it's all

proximity it's it's all people

everything's people and business and

proximity is hugely important you know

it's like putting yourself in the

proximity and being able to learn from

the people you know who've done what you

want to do and just go and offer to work

for them and and and show value like you

can't like you know I'm sure someone's

going to watch this and and hit us up

actually someone hit me up and make it

through yes if they make it through

that's awesome but don't just like you

know don't send a message and be like

hey can I work for you for free I'll do

whatever you want like you got to stand

out because like now that we're talking

about this if you know who I don't know

how many people will watch this video

but it'll be a bunch and you know

there's going to be a bunch of people

will probably shoot you a message or

shoot me a message and just with nothing

more than like you know hey uh can I

work for you for free and like that's

not showing any real initiative like

you've got to go above and beyond and

really like you know if you're trying to

reach somebody who has any type of like

serious inbound um you got to go above

and beyond but but in general like you

and I are probably not the best people

like I'm sure yeah you want to I do too

like if there's you know the right

person out there who could be who you

could guide and mentor and who

ultimately ends up being a huge asset

for you and they're able to learn a lot

it helps Excel their career like that's

amazing but I feel like you know if

people are going to do this they should

they should go after people that are not

popular they're not famous go after

those people you're going to be much

more likely to get a yes you're going to

be much more likely you know you if if

you're interested in a certain business

you know go find the most successful

business owners in your area in that

particular Niche not the most successful

person who is you know on a magazine or

on TV or you know on uh has has a big

big YouTube following or has a massive

podcast find the people who are more

under the radar but super successful and

go ask them those are the people who

you're probably going to be more likely

to get a yes from

what regrets do you have from your

career and was the money worth

it so I don't I don't really have any

regrets business-wise um I mean I I've

had a lot of failures um there's a lot

of things I I've done that I wouldn't do

again but I B business-wise specifically

I've learned a lot from everything I've

done whether it was good or bad whether

the outcome was positive or negative I

feel like I've been able to have a

Learning lesson from everything

throughout my journey so I don't really

have any regrets business-wise um I

really only have one regret in life and

that was just not being able to spend

more time with my mom you know at the

end of her

life

um that's that's really the only regret

I have ever and I tried to spend as much

time with her as I

could but towards the end she became

pretty negative and I would leave you

know hanging out with her and I just

feel really bad cuz there was so much

negativity and in hindsight I wish I

would have realized like none of that

negativity was about me it was about her

being scared she didn't she was scared

she she didn't have much time left and

she didn't know how to communicate it

and it just came out in a really

negative way and

um I wish I could have gone back in time

and real realized like all this

negativity is not about me she's just

she's she's scared and she doesn't know

how to communicate

and I wish I wouldn't have taken it so

personal what's most important in life

for you that family family and friends

and it's amazing because you're building

these airbnbs that are really family

oriented you've got jungle gyms and

playgrounds and like a kid's Paradise

yeah yeah I mean you know the the vision

Behind These you know it's basically

what I want to take my family to these

properties would I want to share these

properties with friends would I want to

share these you know have experiences at

these properties um that's that's how I

build them out kind of with that vision

in mind so I think that that's kind of

what I was thinking earlier that is the

final life cheat code yeah which is you

know as much as we can have a lot of

money and I think one thing to maybe we

take for Grant is how much grind and

suffering there was early on and how

many reps and practice we all have to

get in in business I feel like my 20s

were pretty sad time me where I was

trying a lot of things feeling

frustrated a lot of time feeling doubted

getting fired a lot but it was like

ultimately okay well how do what's the

cheat code of life and it's like all

right how do I really enjoy this life

and Building Things ideally maybe you

want for yourself and also doing it with

the people family and friends that

matter to you yeah absolutely absolutely

yeah and if I mean if you if you can

build I've been fortunate to be able to

you know like what what we're doing now

with the Airbnb is is just building

something for myself and sharing it with

others and ultimately it's a win-win

situation all around if you like hearing

Mark's story you are going to love this

video right up here we talked to a

private jet billionaire to hear his

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