Inside the Mind of a Finance Maverick | Aaron Chapman Exclusive

Summary

In this inspiring podcast episode, Aaron Chapman, a top 1% mortgage loan originator, shares his journey to success, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and hard work. Despite facing numerous challenges, including the 2008 financial crash and a severe accident, Aaron's story highlights the power of resilience and the pursuit of excellence. He discusses the reality that success is not an overnight phenomenon but rather the result of consistent effort and the ability to overcome adversity. Aaron's insights provide valuable lessons for those striving for personal and professional growth.

Takeaways

• 🚗 The guest's journey began with a challenging period of unemployment and financial struggles, highlighting the importance of perseverance.
• 💪 Overcoming the label of being 'overqualified' for jobs led to an unexpected opportunity in the mortgage industry.
• 🛣️ Starting as a telemarketer in the mortgage business provided a foundation for understanding industry language and operations.
• 🔄 The story emphasizes the value of hard work and continuous effort, even when faced with repeated setbacks.
• 💡 The concept of 'discipline equals freedom' is discussed, with the guest's personal experiences illustrating the principle.
• 🏆 Achieving success and maintaining it requires constant problem-solving and a readiness to face new challenges.
• 🌟 The guest's rise to the top 1% of mortgage loan originators is attributed to 25 years of dedication and learning from hardships.
• 🔄 The cyclical nature of success is compared to climbing Everest, where reaching the peak means starting over to achieve the next goal.
• 💥 The reality of entrepreneurship is raw and unfiltered, with the guest sharing the less glamorous aspects of the journey.
• 🛠️ The importance of embracing life's difficulties and using them as stepping stones to personal growth and development is emphasized.
• 🎯 The narrative serves as a reminder that success is not a destination, but a continuous process of overcoming obstacles and staying committed to one's path.

Q & A

What was the main challenge the guest faced when trying to find work after being laid off?

The guest faced the challenge of being overqualified for the jobs he was applying for. Despite his extensive experience and skills, he struggled to find employment because potential employers saw him as too qualified for the positions available.

How did the guest's wife support him during a particularly difficult time?

The guest's wife supported him by giving him a coupon for free diapers when he was struggling to find work and facing financial hardship. This act symbolized her understanding and support for their family's needs during tough times.

What was the turning point for the guest in his career?

The turning point in the guest's career was when he ran into his former colleague, Keith, who worked in the mortgage industry. Keith provided him with a business card for a broker shop, which led to the guest starting his journey in the finance industry.

What was the significance of the $2 story in the guest's life?

The $2 story signifies the guest's resilience and determination. After finding coins to get gas for his truck, he was able to continue his journey, which eventually led to a life-changing opportunity in the mortgage industry. It highlights how even small, seemingly insignificant events can have a profound impact on one's life.

How did the guest's perspective on life and challenges shape his approach to business?

The guest's perspective on life is that it is inherently hard and challenges are inevitable. This understanding led him to embrace adversity and view it as an opportunity to grow and improve. In business, this mindset allowed him to persevere through tough times and achieve success.

What was the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on the guest's business?

The 2008 financial crisis had a significant negative impact on the guest's business. However, he managed to rebuild and grow his business by adapting to the changing market conditions and continuing to provide value to his clients.

How did the guest's experience with physical therapy influence his views on discipline and perseverance?

The guest's experience with physical therapy, where he had to relearn how to walk and regain his memory after an accident, reinforced his belief in the power of discipline and perseverance. It taught him that through consistent effort and determination, one can overcome significant challenges and achieve their goals.

What is the 'Excellence project' mentioned in the script and how does it work?

The 'Excellence project' is an initiative within the company where employees, regardless of their role, are encouraged to identify ways to create excellence within their work and the company as a whole. Employees are asked to share their perspectives on how improvements can be made, which contributes to the overall goal of achieving excellence in all aspects of the business.

What was the significance of the guest's ranking in the mortgage loan origination industry?

The guest's ranking as one of the top 1% of mortgage loan originators in the country, out of over a million loan originators, signifies his high level of expertise, success, and reputation in the industry. It highlights his ability to successfully navigate complex markets and meet the needs of his clients.

What is the main message the guest wants to convey about achieving success?

The main message the guest wants to convey is that achieving success is not about overnight victories or easy paths. It requires a deep understanding of the challenges life presents, a willingness to face them head-on, and the discipline to continually strive for improvement. Success is a journey that involves overcoming adversity and learning from every experience.

How does the guest describe the importance of communication in building a successful business?

The guest emphasizes that communication is crucial in building a successful business. It's not just about the product or service offered, but also about conveying care and authenticity. Quick and effective communication demonstrates to clients and investors that their needs are being prioritized, which in turn fosters trust and loyalty.

Outlines

00:00

🚚 Overcoming Adversity and the Pursuit of Excellence

The speaker shares a deeply personal story of struggle and resilience. After facing numerous challenges, including long commutes for work, being overqualified for jobs, and financial hardships, he finds himself at a low point, with his gas light on and an overdrawn account. However, he emphasizes the importance of perseverance and the pursuit of excellence. He discusses a project called 'Excellence' that encourages team members to strive for improvement and authenticity in their roles. The speaker's story serves as a testament to the power of determination and the ability to find opportunity even in the most difficult circumstances.

05:01

🤝 Building a Culture of Excellence and Teamwork

The speaker delves into the concept of excellence in the workplace, emphasizing the importance of team contributions and investor trust. They discuss the growth of their companies and the realization that achieving excellence is an ongoing process. The speaker introduces the 'Excellence project,' which invites team members to share their perspectives on how to improve and create excellence within the company. This initiative fosters a culture of accountability, inspiration, and continuous improvement, highlighting the value of every team member's input in the pursuit of excellence.

10:02

🎉 Celebrating Success and Embracing the Journey

The speaker reflects on the importance of recognizing and celebrating achievements, despite the challenges faced along the way. They share how their team's dedication and ability to learn from mistakes create a strong and successful company culture. The speaker also introduces a special guest, Aaron Chapman, a top mortgage loan originator, and shares the excitement of discussing his expertise on the show. The conversation underscores the value of hard work, authenticity, and the support of a strong network in achieving success.

15:03

🏆 The Path to Success: Aaron Chapman's Freedom Story

Aaron Chapman shares his journey to becoming a top mortgage loan originator, emphasizing the importance of mindset and understanding the challenges that come with success. Despite facing numerous obstacles, including the 2008 market crash and personal struggles, Aaron persevered and continued to build his business. His story illustrates the power of resilience, the value of discipline, and the understanding that achieving excellence is a continuous process rather than a destination.

20:03

💪 Embracing Struggle as a Part of Success

The speaker and Aaron Chapman continue their conversation about the realities of success, including the constant challenges and struggles one must face. They discuss the importance of embracing these difficulties as part of the journey and how it shapes one's character and resilience. Aaron shares his personal story of overcoming adversity, including a severe accident that required him to relearn basic skills. The conversation highlights the idea that discipline and persistence are key to achieving freedom and success in life and business.

25:04

🌟 The Power of Real Talk and Authenticity

The speaker and Aaron Chapman conclude their discussion by emphasizing the value of authenticity and 'real talk' in both personal and professional development. They reflect on the importance of sharing the less glamorous aspects of success, including the struggles and setbacks, to provide a more accurate and inspiring portrayal of the journey to excellence. The conversation underscores the significance of facing challenges head-on and using them as opportunities for growth and learning.

30:06

🏠 Final Chance for Tax Advantages with Cottonwood Syndication

The speaker informs the audience about the Cottonwood Syndication, a townhome investment opportunity in Menor, Ohio. They stress that this is the last chance to capture tax advantages for the year of 2023, and encourage potential investors to act quickly as the opportunity will not be available once the year ends. The speaker provides a call to action, urging listeners to consult with their CPA and reach out to the company to understand the potential impact on their tax burden and wealth growth.

35:08

📈 The Importance of Action and Aaron's Superpower

The speaker teases the upcoming second part of the podcast with Aaron Chapman, where they will discuss Aaron's 'superpower' and the importance of taking action in real estate. They mention that Aaron will share insights on why inaction can be detrimental and provide his contact information for further discussion. The speaker also briefly touches on the concept of discipline equating freedom, suggesting that Aaron's story and advice will be valuable for those looking to improve their financial situation and achieve their goals.

Keywords

💡Overqualification

The term 'overqualification' refers to a situation where an individual has more qualifications, skills, or experience than what is required for a particular job. In the context of the video, the speaker expresses frustration at being labeled as overqualified for various job opportunities, which paradoxically becomes a barrier to employment rather than an advantage.

💡Financial Struggle

Financial struggle refers to a difficult situation where an individual or family has limited or uncertain access to financial resources. In the video, the speaker describes a period of severe financial hardship, including an inability to pay for gas and the necessity of using a coupon for free diapers, illustrating the emotional and practical challenges of economic strain.

💡Persistence

Persistence is the act of continuing to try to achieve a goal despite difficulties or setbacks. The video emphasizes the importance of persistence through the speaker's narrative of overcoming numerous obstacles, including job rejections and financial struggles, to eventually find success in the mortgage industry.

💡Networking

Networking refers to the process of building and maintaining professional relationships to advance one's career or business interests. In the video, the speaker's chance encounter with a former colleague leads to an opportunity in the mortgage industry, highlighting the value of networking in career development.

💡Mortgage Industry

The mortgage industry involves the business of lending money to individuals to purchase real estate, with the property serving as collateral for the loan. The speaker's entry into the mortgage industry as a telemarketer marks a turning point in his career, leading to significant professional growth and success.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or adapt to challenging situations. The speaker demonstrates resilience by bouncing back from various setbacks, including job losses and financial struggles, and continuing to pursue his goals.

💡Career Transition

A career transition involves moving from one job, industry, or career phase to another. The video details the speaker's career transition from various manual labor jobs to a successful professional in the finance industry, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and learning new skills.

💡Hard Work

Hard work is the act of exerting effort and dedication to achieve a goal or complete a task. The video emphasizes the importance of hard work in overcoming challenges and achieving success, as evidenced by the speaker's determination to keep moving forward despite numerous obstacles.

💡Professional Growth

Professional growth refers to the development and improvement of skills, knowledge, and experience in one's career. The video showcases the speaker's professional growth from a telemarketer with limited industry knowledge to a top-ranked mortgage loan originator through continuous learning and perseverance.

💡Adversity

Adversity refers to difficult or painful circumstances that test a person's resilience and determination. The video is filled with accounts of adversity, such as financial struggles and job rejections, which the speaker navigates with perseverance and optimism.

Highlights

The story of overcoming financial struggles and the journey to success, highlighting the importance of perseverance and resilience.

The concept of being 'overqualified' and the challenges it presents in finding employment, reflecting on the complexities of the job market.

Anecdote about the critical moment of needing gas and the emotional impact of financial hardship.

The turning point of meeting a former colleague who introduced the opportunity in the mortgage industry.

The importance of understanding and embracing the hardships of life as part of the journey to freedom and success.

The significance of discipline and hard work in achieving personal and professional goals.

The narrative of starting a career in the mortgage industry as a telemarketer and the lessons learned from the experience.

The challenges of balancing multiple jobs and the dedication required to succeed in a competitive industry.

The impact of the 2008 financial crisis on personal and professional life, and the resilience to rebuild after such a significant setback.

The power of divine intervention and its role in shaping life's journey, emphasizing the importance of faith and destiny.

The story of physical recovery and the mental strength required to regain abilities after a severe accident.

The expansion of the business to multiple states and the continuous effort to overcome challenges and stay competitive.

The philosophy of 'discipline equals freedom' and its application in life and business.

The importance of consistency in daily actions to achieve long-term goals and the impact of small, repeated efforts.

The value of authenticity and 'keeping it real' in communication, both in personal development and professional relationships.

Transcripts

I came back to Arizona my wife and

infant son here I was driving back and

forth 10 hours one way to go to work for

13 shifts and I couldn't find work to

save my life everywhere I applied I was

overqualified overqualified

overqualified and then it got to a point

where we were so broke that my wife gave

me a coupon for free diapers as I'm

walking out the door to go apply for a

$10 an hour truck driving job to Hall

landscape rock and I got there and again

I got the exact same response this BS

word overqualified and I didn't

understand how can be overqualified for

you the good at it you're not you can

either do the job or you can't I didn't

understand it so as I'm leaving there

wiping tears I get in my truck I start

up to drive away and I've got my coupon

to go to the store get those diapers my

gas light comes on on my truck and I'd

not driven that truck very far on a gas

light to know how far you can get so I

found the closest grocery store that had

a gas station on the corner so I pulled

up to a pump I had a debit card that's

all I had I set a quick prayer I swiped

my debit card and I got a declined for

having an overdrawn

account hey everybody flip and Danny

here welcome to the freedom

show show show show I love it when we

enter these episodes and we're both

cracking up silly we stupid absolutely

right before we started welcome

everybody to the freedom show sorry

you're not behind the scenes um we're

weirdos sometimes um but we're super

excited to be here and um today we have

a really special guest we're super

excited to introduce to him um but

before we do that we have always like to

talk about a little bit um of a little

bit of a little bit of stuff right at

the beginning of the

episode and I wanted to hit on something

um that we're actually having a

conversation with our entire company

about today and I gave them a project

today um and it's called the Excellence

project yes um so there's a book that

I'm reading I love to read um in fact uh

on last week's episode flip asked me

what I wanted for Christmas and I said

oh man like what I always default to is

just a bunch of different books and I

say pick one because I love to read so

this particular um book that I'm reading

right now um it really is about um

Excellence that's really the core of

what it really talks about talks about

you know um the people who make it to

the top are very very very few and it's

because um of the idea of Excellence

like people don't take it seriously

enough they don't like dial in every

single part of their business in a way

that when people come into their world

it's such an amazing experience that

they couldn't even think about going and

working with anybody else because it's

just above and beyond and not just in

performance of maybe the the pro product

um it's not just um the team and the

vision and liking them it's you know

it's the combination of um their

communication It's a combination of the

Care um uh that they convey and

everything that they do um and that for

us um comes across in authenticity and

transparency right because we say we're

not there yet we're not like the um best

of the best where our reputation is just

amazing I mean it's really good but um

we're still human we're still growing

like we literally built seven companies

in six years um and that's way too fast

but

just as we talked about in our last

episode it it was that or we failed and

so we just went the too fast route

because we knew that we would be able to

see it through yeah um as opposed to the

alternative of actually failing at what

we were doing um but but we're at a

point in our companies where we're like

hey you know what we have an amazing

team and it's the people who got us

where we are today and it's the

investors who who've trusted us um that

got us to where we are today so now is

the time to have a book like that that

says you are right now at this time on

your pursuit of Excellence this is the

time 20 I told him 2024 is going to be

our Benchmark year and so the project

was you tell him about the project oh no

no no no no I'm still working on my

project he is actually he sent me a

draft of it um so um I've been posting

excerpts of the book like in our main um

Communication channel um in Google Chat

and I you know one of them is just like

reputation like if it's a no-brainer

your reputation speaks for itself like

the word of mouth is just I mean what

what happens let me ask you um let me

ask you flip because they can't talk

back to you no they can't um let me ask

you so when you have an amazing

experience um with something what do you

want to do tell everybody exactly y so

that's really what this book is about is

um about these stories about restaurant

owners or um you know uh experiences

that people go in and they're like oh my

gosh and once they experience it they

don't want work with anybody else once

they experience it they're they're

telling their family they're telling

their friends and we've experienced that

we've experienced our investors saying

my dad's investing with you my sister's

investing with you um my friends you

know investing with you we just got um

uh Steve message yesterday in Google

Chat just going hey um you know uh one

of our guys that just uh is working with

us for like maybe only two months he's

like oh he just referred somebody that

he knows um to come work with us and

it's really a proud moment when your

team is bringing people in because your

team sees behind the scenes right that

we get to see where we go shoot man we

screwed that up we got to go fix it um

uh they get to see all the mistakes that

we're making every single one of them

and if they're still saying I love this

company I stand behind this company and

I'm inviting other people to get to know

this company Bam um that's just

incredible so Excellence project was me

uh going into Google Chat chat and

saying hey here's another excerpt of

this book uh this morning um I want

everybody to take on this project and

this project is for you to uh from your

perspective whether that's in your seat

so if you're an admin admin person or a

maintenance technician or whatever it is

from your seat you tell me from your

perspective how can we create excellence

in your role or in something you see

within your company or something that

you see across the entire family of

companies how can we create excellence

in 2024 I just wanted every single

person's perspective and there we have I

believe 65 team members and so I

literally kind of put it on the line and

I I number one gave an example I said

I'm the CEO and then I wrote like five

or six lines about what I felt I could

be doing better how I could provide

Excellence to the team and the company

and to our investors and then I even

gave myself a deadline and I said and I

can do this um prior to our annual

planning meeting so that I'm setting up

um ourselves for Success here in 202

before I said so there's an example um

of how to write this it'll take less

than 15 minutes so everybody send me an

email you have to send it to me by

Friday 9 A.M and if you don't if it's

not there by 9:00 am U one of our um

assistants is going to be checking off

everybody who sends it and compiling all

the notes on on a document um and if you

don't have it there by 9:00 amm it it

tells me a story it tells me that you

don't

prioritize um the company and our

Investor's experience that you couldn't

take 15 minutes out of your day to say

here's where I I can be more excellent

or my company that I work with can be

more excellent or the family of

companies can be more excellent here's

where I see from my seat that we can

improve um and I don't usually do that

I'm so overly nice most of the time but

you get me like you know in a you know I

don't know a mood or something I'm just

like no no and for me right now it's

like I want to take it to the next level

yep I am so freaking excited about

taking it to the next level I cannot

even tell you and so I'm just like hey

you get it or you're just not that

you're not the right fit you know we got

to sit down if you don't get it to us by

9:00 a.m. then you're just not somebody

that's going to fit for our our family

of companies and I've started to see

responses roll in and funny that uh not

only are people uh and the people that I

think are going to do it um they're

they're doing it very quickly they're

also saying wow that post was inspiring

um that it was authentic it was real and

raw um uh somebody else had had

mentioned you know I work with this

company because of the pursuit of

Excellence um one of the things I

learned from this company is

communication and how important it is to

be have quick communication back and

forth because it really shows how much

we care about our investors that we have

prompt communication that we're taking

care of them um uh and uh I was just

like oh wow you know and there was

something in in a couple of them that

was very much like um they appreciated

the fact that hey you were drawing a

line in the sand that hey we do want to

work with other people that care because

it stinks for a players to have to work

with B players right it stinks for a

players especially to work with C

players we're just like kick them out

you don't deserve to be here like we're

on a mission and we want to achieve it

so um I just super excited about that

project I wanted to mention it today

because I think it's something that

everybody should do in their life um one

of the people actually even said here's

what I'm doing on a personal basis

here's what I'm doing in 2024 um to um

to pursue excellence and they defined

Excellence at the very beginning of the

of the email like this is what

excellence mean this is what I'm doing

and like I was like man I love team okay

so I've been ranting and Raven so yeah

yeah no I mean I'm still working on mine

but uh chat GPT went down and

so I couldn't uh finish uh before this

recording you're such a

cheater hey chat gbt how do I achieve

Excellence thank

you oh my gosh AI it's it's just ruin

ruining our brains it's doing all the

work for us it's just crazy half the

words I don't even know what they

mean okay

well um flip is not pursuing excellence

in his efforts to actually write me this

too I'm using my

resources you kidding me so guys we are

super super excited you do you want to

um like intro this guy like I know we

intro him in the actual episode we talk

about at the beginning but what's funny

is that you know we we got to know him

uh from our Mastermind and we talk about

this you know and you all hear in the

recording with uh we we got to know him

in the Mastermind I mean this guy's this

guy's he's he's gold yeah yeah but I

mean he's he's cool you know he's he's

uh you know he's like in a crowded room

I want to go hang out with him because I

bet you the stories he's telling are

going to be way more colorful than

anyone else in the room oh that's 100%

true and that's not not just because of

the the his vocabulary just his his I

mean he just I mean for me he's a real

deal oh yeah like you don't get like

he's just real yeah yeah I know and and

and I love it then and then then we

found out what he was what he did and

we're like oh my gosh we have to work

with you and then we tell the team about

him oh my gosh we know this guy his name

is Aaron Chapman and Tiffany are

transaction qu goes oh yeah we've been

working with Aaron for years like are

you kidding

me we actually go into that story a

little bit in the very beginning and

tell you why that story was actually

really important and Aon hit the nail on

the head so um we are going to go ahead

and roll right into that episode we hope

you enjoy this

[Music]

out you're tuned in to the freedom show

we are in the studio having a

conversation we're really excited to

share with you today's guest is Aaron

Chapman Aaron we're so excited to have

you here but before we dive in we are

going to uh let flip introduce you to

our audience uh Aaron Chapman is a

veteran in the in the finance industry

with 25 years of experience helping

clients better understand source and

finance cash flow positive investment

properties he advises over 100 clients a

month in the acquisition and financing

of their investment properties and

primary residences and we're one of them

Aaron is ranked in the top 1% of

mortgage loan Originators in the country

in an industry of over 1 million loan

Originators closing in excess of 100

transactions per month Aaron was ranked

number seven of the 1 million plus for

the number of transactions closed in

2022 welcome to the show woohoo thank

you that thank you for the intro one

thing it's interesting about that you

would think when you reach certain

points and you achieve certain things

that you would talk about a lot like I

will give that to people for the bio

thing so when they're talking to me or

introducing me to their Their audience

you know you're not dealing with

somebody doesn't know what they're

talking about they got some experience

in it and it's not education it's

experience to me that's a bigger

difference you know there's a lot of

people are very very educated that's got

a lot of degrees on theory on and um and

speculation but they don't have the

experience on how it really really works

in the real world when you apply a

theory um I didn't have any theories to

apply I just got in the industry and man

you learn a lot when you're just taking

it right taking a a fist right to the

face every single

day that's right yes yes yes we love it

um and uh we created the freedom show as

the first podcast it's season two of our

podcast and it's the first time we're

bringing on guests so Aaron is actually

part of our Network and that's what

we've told everybody is that we're

bringing on our Network this isn't

people that we don't know this is people

that we actually have experience with we

work with we're in masterminds with um

we know like and trust and we're

introducing um them to you and so what I

wanted to say was something funny that

we talked about right before we started

recording U was um Erin we started

getting to know you through the power

room um a mastermind that we're uh in

together and I was so super excited

after you um spoke on stage and I said

man I want to share this with our team

Aon can you come and you know do a

virtual meeting with our team I'm going

to get you know some of the most

important people in there um so they can

listen to what you have to say and be

able to share it with our audience um

and as soon as I told the team that day

that you agreed to do it and we were

going to set up a time Tiffany our

transaction coordinator goes dude I know

Aaron we've been working with him for a

while now he's awesome I love

him it was so funny that's one of the

greatest compliments in the world

honestly is is when somebody's like I

already know who that person is and I'm

already on board yeah yes yes it was

just phenomenal and that just kind of

also speaks to the fact that um flip and

I have elevated ourselves enough that

the team really knows what they're doing

right they find the players um that are

going to add value to our company as a

whole um and they latch on to them and

so even though we think we're bringing

them value they're like hey we already

found this guy you know we got it going

on um so yeah we're super excited to

have you on the show what also is cool

about that fact is usually when you you

as you said ele Elevate yourself out of

the day-to-day routines you're not

involved in what happens on a moment by

moment basis is if you did know my name

it's because something was going wrong

right when person in your world or your

space is going to hear about it that's

me I only get to hear about the bad

stuff I never get the I never get the uh

the I rarely get the compliments I

rarely get the good things I rarely hear

about how many closings we had till it

was done over with I hurry I worry or

hear about the problems and what needs

to be fixed all the time so it feels

like when you're in our position it

feels like everything is just coming

apart around you all the time 247 you're

solving problems like I'm like I'm

expecting me to be completely broke with

all the that I'm constantly having

to deal with because it feels like

everything is blowing up then come to

find out we closed all these deals I'm

like how we close so many damn deals

when like literally I'm dealing with all

these problems but it's a little bit of

problem and a ton of good things that

you don't have to get involved in yes

yeah absolutely um and uh FP flip and I

experience that same thing it's such a

um it's the perfect uh uh way to

describe the world once you get to a

higher level in your company um and I

love having the trusted team um but like

we're like hey can can you share some

good news every now and then can we have

like a shout out channel that says look

what we did so we're not having to just

chase the fires all the time um so I

love the way that you describe that um

but I want to kick off the show um Aon

with having you share your freedom story

so um the freedom show and and what flip

and I talk about all the time is the

different types of freedoms that we have

what's important to us in life um in

business um and we love hearing other

people's stories so what does freedom

mean to you and can you share uh your

story of how you achieve freedom in your

life for me is truly the mindset of how

you go about what you're dealing with

every day we just talk about the fact

that um when you become successful

dealing with problems and when you when

that's how you achieve success but when

you become successful your life seems to

be nothing but problems because of what

you have to solve all the time you

become uh something to other people

because of your capability of solving

those issues and so to me the freedom

was came from just understanding what

what it was that I was trying to achieve

and that once you achieve it you've

never really achieved it uh because

there's no such thing as having a to me

matter what goal I ever set no matter

whatever goal I achieved I've never been

happy with it I've always been happy in

the process but never with the outcome

even when you got exactly what you

planned on getting like okay well now I

got to do that crap again you know so we

live in our we live in the real estate

world where we do everything in the in

the form of a month and a quarter and a

year right so at the end of the month

like yes we kicked ass we accomplish

what we want to and what happens the

very next day you start at zero you got

it's like it's like getting to Everest

they drop your you right back off at the

at the borders of tet and you got to

work your way across it's not just

climbing the mountain from BAS Camp to

the top getting to base camp is all is

hell right so you're starting over every

single month so there's that that and

what um where it really comes from I

think part of this understanding of

Freedom come with one of my assistants

years ago she say to me she goes boss

life is hard I need the cheat code like

you just figured out the cheat code she

goes what's that I said that life is

hard and so the second person

understands what you have in front of

you and how difficult it's going to be

you literally start moving instead of

sitting there thinking man something's

something's not working right it's the

people that think that there's a cheat

boat it's the people that think that

somebody got ahead because they had

something special about them or they had

this you know they had this this leg up

or somebody gave them something those

are the guys who get are really really

miserable and don't have freedom the

person that realizes that life is going

to be tough and it's going to beat on

you it's going to crush you it's going

to smash you but you can still get back

up those are people actually achieve the

understanding of Freedom which is the

ability just continue to keep moving in

the in the face of adversity yes that is

so very powerful um and something I

think that doesn't get talked about a

lot so I'm I'm really glad that you hit

on that subject um so many people think

that it's O overnight success um because

they hear the great stories you know

they they hear about all the successes

but they're not in the day-to-day mud of

what we deal with um and what we have to

go through and if you Embrace that just

like you said um then there's a I don't

know satisfaction of of going through it

every single day this is this this is

reality this is what we do and this is

what I'm good at I'm good at solving

problems um and that's why I'm

successful so um that is very very

powerful so um on your freedom story

like um it wasn't an overnight success

right for you to get where you are today

so where did you start and and and tell

us a little bit about how you got to

where you are in in the B you guys said

I was right number seven in the United

States last year of over a million

people that do the type of work that I

do um that's number seven in just in the

industry as a whole and number one in my

space which is focusing on helping Real

Estate Investors almost exclusively we

still do all the other stuff as You'

mentioned owner occupy stuff what but we

really really focus on the real estate

investor because that's the hardest

thing to do if I achieved number seven

in the in the entire industry and number

one in my space in year

25 so that's not an overnight success

that's 25 years of this then you go back

before that I got to take it all the way

back to high school I was working in the

um on a cattle rench my family had a

cattle rench and that's what was my my

first real I mean my exposure to work

was day one I think my parents didn't

even let me sit there as an infant I was

like you got to do dishes or something

right we we learned as kids never let

your parents find you sitting because

they will find something for you to do

so if you're going to sit you better be

hiding and that was how how we went

about life and then you did the cattle

ranching and you was never any sitting

you was constantly working and you start

to understand business the actual

simplest business plan in the world

which is planting crops and harvesting

crops and taking care of the crops that

kind of thing um so that's where that

started and I I realized when I was in

high school I like I want I felt like

there's something more to do with my

life so I tried the college courses in

my senior year and I hated that crap uh

in fact I I I was really good at picking

locks and that's how I was able to

engineer the sea that I got all through

high school so I could graduate because

I couldn't stand doing the schoolwork I

figured out how to get people their

tests I figured out how to take those

tests I figured out how to trade that

for homework and for attendance cuz I

did I was hunting I was four-wheeling

and I was snowboarding more than I was

doing anything else when it come to high

school so then I was able to engineer

getting out of high school halfway

through my senior year and I went to

work in the oil fields of Wyoming and

then from there I went to work running

heavy equipment and driving truck and

then I ended up in the minds of Northern

New Mexico in 1997 and they that was the

greatest job I ever had it was amazing

absolutely love that job but they shut

down the project so then miners

typically are like they're like military

guys they always go to the next mine

everybody's moving around to the next

place and um I came back to Arizona my

my wife and infant son here I was

driving back and forth 10 hours one way

to go to work for 13 shifts and I

couldn't find work to save my life

everywhere I applied I was overqualified

overqualified overqualified and then it

got to a point where we were so broke

that my wife gave me a coupon for free

diapers as I'm walking out the door to

go get um to go apply for a $10 an hour

truck driving job to Hall landscape rock

and I got there and again I got the

exact same response this BS word

overqualified and I didn't understand

how can be overqualified for something

you either good at it you're not you can

either do the job or you can't I didn't

understand it so as I'm leaving there

wiping tears I get in my truck I start

up to drive away and I've got my coupon

to go to the store get those diapers my

gas light comes onto my truck and I'd

not driven that truck very far on a gas

light to know how far you can get so I

found the closest grocery store that had

a gas station on the corner so I pulled

up to a pump I had a debit card that's

all I had I set a quick prayer I swiped

my debit card and I got a declin for

having an overdrawn account so I raged

through my truck to hoping to find a

lost dollar I found some coins I locked

the doors and I started walking that

parking lot and what seemed like a

couple of hours had passed I collected

enough change to get two gallons of gas

now this is 1997 right gas is 80 some

odd cents a gallon way different than

what we're paying now and people still

carryed change so y I had the ability to

get enough of it to exchange that time

for that gas I went inside I found those

those diapers I stood in line with that

one item to go check out with a damn

coupon just it seemed like another punch

to the face and as I'm walking out with

my head down avoiding all eye eye

contact I heard my name being called and

I turned to see a guy that I used to

work with when I was running heavy

equipment he ran the office I was one of

the guys who ran one of the crews he

asked me how things were I explained a

little bit of what I just explained to

you guys but very very I glaz bed off it

really really quickly cuz I didn't want

to share where I was at it was

embarrassed he said let's go to dinner I

told him dude I can't afford dinner he

goes no I got a gift certificate to Red

Lobster from a client I'm like Okay cool

so my wife and I met him for dinner and

that's where he shared with me that he

was in the mortgage industry he sled me

a business card for a broker shop and he

connected with this branch manager so I

called this guy to see see if I could at

least check this out I had no idea what

what this was the only thing I knew

about mortgages was the old man the old

lady losing their Farm to this thing

called a mortgage so was very very

negative in my mind and that was the

things that you watched on TV right the

old black and white movies so I shaved I

cut a foot off of my hair my mom bought

me some business like clothes and I went

in and interviewed and they started me

as a telemarketer in

1997 and let me just tell you there's no

more miserable place in the freaking

world to start in any industry as than

as a telemarketer that freaking sucked

but I got to understand the language

right so that was a beating itself I was

learning the language and talking to

people and I convinced them after I

generated 10 leads I'm like can I work a

couple of these leads so then they

introduced me to another loan originator

said hey can he'll train you on your

first 10 deals and I went through that

and then you know it took me I was able

to get a job driving truck to Sacramento

and back and then try and work in the

office three days a week and that was

miserable I quit that driving a truck to

Cal through California every week is

there's nothing worse in the world

except T marketing I think that's and

then I got another job I was able to get

back on hired on with the company that I

was digging swimming pools for I get up

to the get up every day at 3:00 a.m. be

at the yard by 4: be back by noon be my

office by two every day for a single for

an entire year sleeping four hours a

night till the rates dropped below

7% in 1998 and I was able to actually

replace that income with enough deals

coming in prayerfully considered leaving

the second job and just doing the one

and I've never looked back since and it

has been it's been it's been brutal it's

been a brutal badly you got all that you

got the crash of 2008 you got the Cycles

got all these beatings that have have

happened in my world and it was honestly

if I didn't have that negative of an

experience and if I could find a job

that was going to keep me in that that

world that I was in as a you know heavy

equipment operator or a truck driver I'd

probably still be doing that but I

needed people to make my life that

miserable to the point that I was

walking a parking lot and not just

walking a parking lot but the timing had

to be perfect perfect if I picked up too

many coins too quickly I would have

gotten that gas too early and I would

not have seen Keith if I didn't find

coins fast enough and it took me longer

time I would not have seen Keith the

timing was absolutely perfect and so

when I look on that prayer that I said

to get my my debit card to go through

the decline at first felt like the

prayer was unanswered but in reality it

was greatest answer I could have ever

gotten y yes yes f Destiny I don't know

how many words we could think of um uh

to um to relate to that story but wow

yes divine intervention that's right

that's right that's right

had just I just I'm I'm so blessed that

it worked or didn't work and I had to go

through that and the beating that came

after that again just because God steps

in and I'm going to say that there's be

comments people can tell me there's no

such things I don't give a damn what you

have to say I know where I was at and

what was dealing with at that time

because God stepped in he didn't

literally just drop $10 million in my

account no he said here's there's two

bucks out there go get that

$2 Y and then go do this and then go do

this and 25 years later here's where we

sit and is the market easy no the

Market's tough I mean have I not I've

restarted several times since that since

1997 I've taken bigger beatings in 1997

and we still move forward because it's

those little lessons that you got to

learn and hell I'm probably sitting in

an ass looking right now I just don't

realize I'm taking yeah that's right the

of freedom is you are getting the

out of you and you don't even know it

because you're you've gotten so damn

tough that you've stood up every single

time right 2008 right everybody

remembers 2008 everybody knows the hell

that they went through in 2008 August

8th of 2008 which is 8 always been my

lucky number I'm on a Harley going out

of town to get my head clear for 4 days

and a kid takes me out at 80 plus miles

an hour

I wake up in a hospital with the

inability to walk my memor is erased and

I have to learn go through all that

healing and physical therapy to get

taught how to walk again and then train

my brain how to remember because it

would it would cycle every 3 minutes I

would erase my last three minutes every

3 minutes so coming back from that and

rebuilding a business and getting a

business going when everything's

obliterated to go then start working

with the real estate investor and then

start developing this business that goes

from Arizona to Indiana to Texas to

Missouri and and they continues to grow

into 30 States that's not an easy

achievement either it's every single day

of getting the kicked out of you

all day every day and it's not just the

market it's not just the people that

you're trying to get business from it's

not your clients it's not your

co-workers it's your company sometimes

and it's it's the fact that everybody

else out there starts to know your name

they're trying to take your business

from you it is brutal out there and so

if a person thinks that it's easy to

achieve and then you just put your feet

up and and put your feet back and say I

relax you can't just like anybody

climbing Everest you get to the top of

Everest you don't just sit down and

relax and crack open a beer that

will kill you you get the hell down and

go to the next goal that's right that's

right man um uh I was thinking uh

through your story and I'm just like he

if Aaron talks like we do like if if uh

um I'm not going to even say that part

but uh you cuss like a sailor like I

cuss like a sailor we were talking to

the Slaughters yesterday we're in this

accountability call with them and uh

flip goes hey we're talking to Aon

Chapman tomorrow he going to be on our

podcast oh we're going to have to go

beep beep beep beep I'm the hell out of

myself because in the back says family

investment damn it there's gonna be kids

listening to

this I have edited the hell out of

everything I've said so far no no no I

love it um uh I cuss a lot too A lot of

people don't even um know that depending

on what they're listening to but um I

relate to you let me talk in church and

I still let it just fly because I'm like

sometimes my my mouth is faster than my

mind I can't I can't stop it it's okay

to believe in God and love God and still

cuss that's my

rule um so uh what I really really

enjoyed about that is that uh very much

like we do when we are when we're

talking about our story and our freedom

story our journey um of building these

businesses um we keep it real and so um

I told you before we started this

podcast we were going to jump into a get

real segment that I don't feel like we

even have to touch because you just kept

it real from the very second we started

this podcast until now about your story

how you got there and the that you

have to deal with along the road so um

just thank you for being that type of

person that doesn't always talk about

rainbows and sunshine right because it's

not always pretty it's tough um and you

have to get up every single day and face

the challenges and um go to bed at night

wake up the next day and do it again um

and there's not enough people that talk

about that so I just want to say you

know so glad to have you on the

show I think that and God bless the

people that talk about that kind of

stuff because they need that to remind

themselves that yeah they're getting

their asses kicked but it's still very

good um but I think it gives people the

wrong impression of what success is

they're too busy you know walking

through the line at the grocery store

and they see the the the fashion

magazine they're like all the they're

literally looking down on themselves

because of how pretty that person is on

the cover that person just went through

$10,000 of just to take that

picture so just know when they woke up

that morning they were probably uglier

than you and so we have this wrong

thought process in our mind we limit

ourselves and when I tell everybody

you're not Li lied you you the only

person that's limiting you is you the

rest of the world is not just get off

your ass and do something and you may

not even see the fruits of your labor

that day that's what really really sucks

about trying to get in shape and trying

to lose weight it takes you a year to

see a difference and it sucks but it's a

matter of changing your thought process

changing your lifestyle and just doing

something just moving making it a part

of your life every single day I saw that

recently because you know two years ago

I said damn it I need to get back into

some sort of shape because I've had so

many injuries I've broken

56 57 bones in my life oh my gosh both

shoulders repaired I finally went to the

uh physical therapist in

2021 I think it was like listen I need

to be able to to work this again finally

do a push-up again in November of 2021 I

spent all of 2022 trying to get my body

back into some sort of shape and it took

all of 2022 and is the most frustrating

crap I've ever experienced you guys know

Aaron nmo and his team yes they the ones

a stupid amount of money I had to spend

just to learn how to not eat dumb and

then give me a bunch of things to do

every day and now I just do them it's

part of life and it changes your life if

you just do the same things that you

know you're supposed to do all every

single day

repeatedly then a year or two down the

road like holy I look what I

accomplished because you do that little

bit of stuff every single day

consistency it's all about consistency I

couldn't agree more all right well uh

welcome back uh sorry that was part one

yeah it was we had to SP it in two

episodes Part Two uh because the one

thing that I wasn't going to do and I

don't think you were going to do it

either was cut him off I'm just like uh

because and and wait till part two

because it's just it gets even better uh

but just um I I mean we've we've known

Aaron for for a few years now and we've

heard a lot of stories from Aaron and

and how um you know but I I've never

heard the $2 story yeah you know I

didn't I've never heard that story that

that just boy that just grabs you yes

yeah yeah yeah yeah it really does and

uh you know just his stories about um

breaking 56 bones I think he say in his

journey back yeah 56 or 57 I think he

can't remember I think I would remember

yeah and that Journey back it's funny

because um he mentioned discipline

equals Freedom which is a Joo um I

actually think somebody else actually um

uh has credit for that quote Yeah we

know that Joo um is somebody that we've

bought his book equals freom um and it's

something that I've seen you know

recently especially as you and I have

kind of um gone back into really

refining our routine um and doing things

that are new and that are kind of

transforming who we are as people um and

we just recently that over lunch we're

just talking about you know the holiday

break and how you know uh how we want to

use that and how we want to um continue

to gain some traction um what we want to

do versus what we don't want to do um

because uh it's also very much about uh

you know life's tough you know right and

what I really loved about aon's episode

in this particular one was he talk he

talks about how tough life is and uh if

you just embrace the fact that life is

tough like life's hard um there's a

there's struggle there's suffering like

there's challenges um there's also fun

there's joy there's um Freedom there's

there's happiness like it's so fantastic

but you never get over um it never gets

to the point you don't have the

challenges you never get over the fact

that um there's going to be suffering um

and there's going to be trials and

tribulations um and if you just embrace

the fact that that's what you wake up to

every day what you wake up and have to

deal with um every single day um if you

just embrace the fact that you also woke

up today right um and you have the

privilege to be um somebody who is

solving problems um who is getting to uh

Embrace those um challenges that are

coming in your way those that the

suffering and you're getting getting to

um you know do something that maybe

other people don't uh have the

opportunity to something you and I say a

lot is um gosh I'd rather be having all

these struggles with seven companies

than be starting from the beginning all

over again um the problems get bigger as

you grow so i' rather have our huge

freaking massive problems than to be

back at the very very very beginning and

so Aaron talks about you know discipline

equals freedom and and his story of you

know um his journey back to being able

to like do push-ups and you know do

certain things in exercise and I think

it was really fantastic and you guys

know that we love the get real stuff we

love just you know be genuine be

authentic just say it like it is because

none of us like to deal with somebody

who is just telling you all the good

wonderful stories and they're not

telling you about the hard stuff because

the hard stuff is what teaches you

lessons and boy Aon spent the whole

first first half of this episode really

digging in to the hard stuff and telling

the stories of man this has not been

easy and this is what I've gone through

and this this is how I got through it

and this is what I learned and um he

just keeps it real and um we brought him

on because we love him being in our

Network he is a great value to our

network but he really proved today um

that he also aligns with us as people he

aligns with what we believe in terms of

getting real um so I was just really

excited to I can be Tak get I could be

getting a beating right now and I don't

even know I could be taking a beating

right now yeah like I'm just used to it

I'm just used to like suffering and

going through you know trials and um

having challenges all day long that um

yeah he doesn't yeah I love that line

too that was really good um okay so uh

part two is going to be next week we're

really really excited about that um part

two he's going to go into what I call

his superpower um I think he he

rephrased it a little bit um but like uh

there's people that have what what I say

are superpowers like it is what they do

so freaking well you don't want to work

with any anybody else because they're so

good at it next week he's going to be

talking about that and you are going to

be blown away bring a calculator to the

episode unless you're driving in a car

then just listen um and actually we

didn't have a calculator during this

episode yeah you see you can see that we

didn't have aor yeah so we're we're

doing math in our heads so you can do

math in your head while you're driving

um and you're going to hear when we make

a mistake and I think you made a mistake

once and then I made a mistake like the

next time I attempted to do math in my

head so it's a really fun episode it's

so incredibly educational powerful he

really goes into why you should not be

sitting on your hands right now right in

real estate and why it's so important to

be taking action he gives you his cell

phone number um and oh you're going to

love it it's so exciting so but before

we go we just want to um remind you that

uh we have the Cottonwood syndication um

it's a town homes in Menor Ohio we are

just finishing up this raise this is the

last chance to capture tax advantages

for the year of 2023 if this does not

backfill by the time 2023 ends we are

taking the tax advantages for oursel we

have held off on doing so because we

want to give it to investors who are

joining us in this in in this indication

we are already ahead ahead of schedule

the property is performing it's a

fantastic property John actually did a

video walk through of it like just the

other day he sent me a um a video

compilation that I think we sent out to

our email list um it is a 506c you have

to be an accredited investor to get in

there are very few spots left again the

tax advantages when you take advantage

of these things this is the 1% of the 1%

and this is how they get wealthy they

know how to reduce their tax burden so

that they can add to their wealth and

the growth of their portfolio by simply

legally not paying taxes so we have the

opportunity uh for you for bonus

depreciation this is the last chance for

2023 where you get 80% next year it goes

to 60% so every single year you're

getting less and less of your bonus

depreciation so um I would jump on the

phone go to chatwi freedom.com jump on

the phone with CJ or Ben ask them about

it get that those funds in there we

already have a couple people that we've

been talking to that we said call your

CPA and ask them what your tax burden is

ask them how much this is going to

affect and reduce your tax burden and

then jump in because once it's full it's

full and if we don't fill it by the end

of 2023 then hello flipping Danny and

the company family of companies we're

going to take on um the tax benefits

oursel um which we don't mind doing but

we would rather give them to you that's

why we're here to be able to help us all

win together so um again thanks for

being here thanks for listening to this

podcast Aon is freaking awesome and

we're excited to have him next week

again for part do do do all right

everybody we are going to see you next

[Music]

Wednesday nothing on this show should be

considered specific personal or

professional advice please consult an

appropriate tax legal real estate

Financial or business professional for

individualized advice opinions and

information on the show are not

guaranteed all investment strategies

have the potential for profit or loss