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Best podcasts about GNA

Latest podcast episodes about GNA

BravBros
GnA is Jealous of Stacey. And They Should Be. (RHOP Full Recap)

BravBros

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2025 63:09


What's up Bros? RHOP is cruising right along and it is a good show. For now. GnA need to get over the Stacey stuff because it's getting tired. Chris Samuels confirms that he did not speak to Stacey, Monique confirms that both Chris and Cookie are known liars, but GnA still maintain that Stacey lied and "cant be trusted around kids (what?) and husbands (you dont have one?). Monique makes it known that she will get to know Stacey on her own terms, but she definitely is watching closely to see if the things the group are saying is true. Angel continues the snoozefest as she turns her sights to Wendy. Keiarna just might not be cut out for the housewives world.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We Wine Whenever's Podcast
RHOP-When Cookie Crumbles, Drama Spills

We Wine Whenever's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2025 38:01 Transcription Available


Send us a textRHOP-When Cookie Crumbles, Drama SpillsRHOP S10 E8 – Pride and Pettiness | Podcast SummaryThe episode picks up right in the chaos: Kiarna tells Monique that Stacey has been dating Chris Samuels. Monique brushes it off—two years divorced, no hard feelings—as long as the co-parenting stays solid.Then Ashley questions Stacey's cannabis line having a Nigerian name, and when Stacy mispronounces it, Wendy and Tia call her out. Giselle, of course, finds this hilarious.The group heads to the GNA Pride float, where Wendy shades the branding and Giselle pretends she knew what GNA even was.After the parade, Giselle is surprisingly warm to Monique, saying she liked her energy. Monique opens up about why her marriage ended: feeling unloved, overshadowed, and ultimately having a breaking-point moment that made her walk away for good.Meanwhile, Angel and Bobby go house-hunting, but the bright green kitchen cabinets are a no. Angel vents that she didn't appreciate being called “catfish,” and thinks Wendy piled on Giselle's shade.At lunch, Giselle celebrates 10 million downloads for Reasonably Shady and an NAACP nomination. Kiana drops a bomb that Cookie called her—because Chris Samuels was upset over rumors that Monique trashed him, and apparently Stacy is the one who told him that. Cookie cannot stand Stacy and will also be at the upcoming party. Perfect.Wendy meets with Monique, and they surprisingly reconnect. They talk Candace drama, old tension, and even Giselle—who Monique still has beef with. Wendy also mentions drama with Karen and wonders if Cookie is trustworthy. Monique says Cookie once lied about being Chuck Brown's daughter, so… maybe not.Stacy is still doing “Evite dates” with her ex Thiemo, and when Tia arrives to meet him, Stacy makes it clear: she is friendly, not stupid. And she's not introducing Timo to the whole group until they meet Giselle's man first.Giselle gets help from her daughter Grace planning the Reasonably Shady event, noting that Robyn won't attend because of how she exited the show.Wendy and Eddie go to dinner with Tia and her husband Rob, and Stacey becomes a point of contention. When Wendy calls Stacey, Stacey apologizes for introducing Tia to Thiemo first, but Wendy is heated.Finally, it's the Reasonably Shady 100 Million Download Party (without Robyn). Even Wale shows up—with flowers for Robyn.The party turns into a showdown: Stacey vs Tia, Kiarna vs Stacey, Cookie vs Stacey, Wendy playing referee, and Monique being dragged into drama even though she isn't even there.Accusations fly about who told Chris Samuels what, who's lying, who's shady, who shouldn't be trusted, and who doesn't even have a husband. It's peak Potomac pandemonium.Support the showhttps://www.wewinewhenever.com/

Selling With Social Sales Podcast
Sales Leaders Must Get in the Trenches with Their Reps | Ep. #311 with John Allen

Selling With Social Sales Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2025 58:37


Sales leadership isn't just about hitting numbers—it's about creating a strategic framework that transforms your entire organization into a revenue-generating machine. When you shift from viewing sales as a transactional function to positioning it as the strategic heartbeat of your company, everything changes. In this conversation with John Allen, CRO of GNA Partners, we explore how to build a consultative selling culture that puts customer outcomes first. John shares his journey from operations to sales leadership, revealing how his operational background became his secret weapon in creating systematic approaches to revenue generation.  The Power of Operational Thinking in Sales Coming from an operations background gave John a unique perspective on sales strategy. Instead of relying on gut feelings or "the way we've always done it," he applied systematic thinking to every aspect of the sales process. This operational mindset became the foundation for scaling GNA Partners from a lifestyle business to a national player in the HR outsourcing space. Building a Revenue Culture That Actually Works Creating visibility into key metrics was the first step in transforming GNA's sales organization. By implementing Salesforce and making pipeline data transparent across the team, John created accountability and clarity around what success looks like. But transparency alone wasn't enough; the team needed to understand how their individual contributions connected to the company's broader strategic goals. The Two-Opportunities-Per-Week Framework After analyzing five years of data from top performers, John discovered something remarkable: the highest-producing reps consistently added two legitimate opportunities to their pipeline every week. This simple metric became the North Star for the entire sales organization, cutting through the noise of countless KPIs to focus on what truly drives results.  Here's what you'll learn from this episode: How to transition from transactional selling to strategic consulting that builds long-term client relationships. The systematic approach to onboarding new sales talent that accelerates time-to-productivity. Why pipeline coverage ratios matter and how to calculate the right targets for your team. The critical role of sales leadership in reinforcing methodology through hands-on coaching. How to create accountability systems that drive consistent performance across your sales organization. John's approach proves that when you combine operational discipline with consultative selling principles, you create a sustainable competitive advantage. His insights on balancing pipeline development with rep growth offer a roadmap for any sales leader looking to scale their organization effectively.  Whether you're struggling with inconsistent performance, looking to implement a proven sales methodology, or seeking to create better alignment between sales and operations, this conversation provides actionable strategies you can implement immediately. Key Moments of This Episode 00:00:00 - Customer-Centric Sales Philosophy: Focus on People and Relationships Sales success requires removing noise and focusing on adding two legitimate opportunities weekly to your pipeline. People buy from people, making the customer experience and relationship-building the ultimate differentiator when all providers offer similar solutions. 00:01:14 - Meet John Allen: CRO Journey from Banking to HR Outsourcing Leadership John Allen shares his 17-year journey at GNA Partners, transitioning from JP Morgan banking to becoming CRO of a Professional Employer Organization serving 4,500+ clients nationwide with comprehensive HR outsourcing services. 00:03:52 - Family Business to Private Equity: GNA Partners' Growth Transformation GNA Partners evolved from a family-owned business founded by John Allen Sr. and Tony Gralva to a private equity-backed company with TPG Capital, positioning for significant growth in the PEO space. 00:08:25 - Elevating Sales from Revenue Engine to Strategic Leadership Function Transforming sales teams from transactional order-takers to strategic consultants requires understanding client operations and positioning solutions through the customer's lens, focusing on business efficiency and profitability rather than just hitting numbers. 00:13:27 - Shifting from Transactional to Strategic Partnership Selling Successful sales transformation requires expertise in your field, maintaining a robust pipeline to eliminate desperation, and approaching conversations as collaborative problem-solving sessions rather than traditional sales pitches focused on closing deals. 00:21:03 - Building Revenue Culture Through Visibility and Measurement Systems Creating a revenue-focused culture starts with implementing CRM systems like Salesforce for complete visibility, establishing clear quotas and forecasts, and connecting individual sales goals to broader company objectives and resource allocation. 00:28:22 - The Two Opportunities Per Week Formula for Sales Success Analysis of top performers revealed a consistent pattern: adding two legitimate opportunities weekly (96 annually) correlates directly with quota achievement, providing sales teams a clear, actionable KPI to focus on. 00:33:33 - Operationalizing Sales Onboarding: From Hiring to Pipeline Generation Effective onboarding varies by experience level, featuring 90-day programs covering industry knowledge, tools training, and providing 600-750 vetted accounts to new reps, ensuring a systematic approach to sales development and early performance assessment. 00:43:32 - Implementing Sales Methodology: Sandler Selling System Integration GNA Partners adopted the Sandler selling methodology company-wide, requiring certification for all reps and parallel training for sales leaders to ensure consistent reinforcement and application of consultative selling principles. 00:50:56 - Sales Leadership Excellence: The Four Critical Competencies Effective sales leaders must excel in at least two-three areas: recruiting talent, understanding and selling the product, mastering sales enablement tools, or being exceptional at closing deals to maintain credibility and effectiveness. About John G. Allen John G. Allen is the Chief Revenue Officer for G&A Partners. Under his leadership, G&A's sales organization has experienced consistent new business growth year-over-year. Prior to this role, John was the Executive Vice President of Sales for G&A. He spent the early part of his career working for JPMorgan as a banker for its energy corporate and private banking groups before joining G&A in 2009. John earned a Bachelor's degree in finance from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas. He is actively involved in his church, the Boy Scouts of America, and youth sports in his community. Follow Us On: ·         LinkedIn ·         Twitter ·         YouTube Channel ·         Instagram ·         Facebook Learn More About FlyMSG Features Like: ·         LinkedIn Auto Comment Generator ·         AI Social Media Post Generator ·         Auto Text Expander ·         AI Grammar Checker ·         AI Sales Roleplay and Coaching ·         Paragraph Rewrite with AI ·         Sales Prospecting Training for Individuals ·         FlyMSG Enterprise Sales Prospecting Training Program Install FlyMSG for Free: ·         As a Chrome Extension ·         As an Edge Extension  

The IC-DISC Show
Ep069: Subscription Pricing Success with Raffi Yousefian

The IC-DISC Show

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2025 53:50


Success in professional services isn't about doing more—it's about doing less, but doing it exceptionally well. In this episode of The IC-DISC Show, I sit down with Raffi Yousefian, CEO of The Fork CPAs, to talk about how extreme specialization transformed his accounting firm from a general practice into the leading restaurant and bar controllership service in the country. Raffi shares the counterintuitive journey of deliberately shrinking his client base to accelerate growth, ultimately tripling revenue within 18 months of selling off 30% of his practice. We explore how Raffi evolved from serving three industries to exclusively focusing on restaurants and bars, and why weekly financial reporting creates competitive advantages that monthly statements simply can't provide. He breaks down the economics of restaurant operations, explaining why 2% savings in food costs can represent an entire profit margin when you're working with businesses that operate on 5-7% net profits. The conversation reveals how subscription pricing combined with deep industry expertise solves the profession's labor shortage by making firms more profitable and attractive to talent. What strikes me most is how Raffi's specialization philosophy mirrors successful models in other industries, from medical concierge services to dating apps. If you've ever wondered whether narrowing your focus could actually expand your opportunities, this conversation provides a compelling roadmap.   SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Raffi sold off 30% of his accounting practice to focus solely on restaurants and bars, then tripled the remaining 70% within just 18 months. Weekly financial reporting in restaurants isn't a luxury—it's survival, since a 2% swing in food costs can represent your entire profit margin. The Fork CPAs moved from "insecure niching" with three industries to hyper-specialization, proving that doing less actually accelerates growth when done with expertise. Restaurant operators typically process 300-400 invoices monthly for a $3-4 million location, making specialized systems and processes non-negotiable for profitability. Subscription pricing in accounting solves the labor shortage by making firms more profitable, allowing them to pay better and attract talent to the profession. Specialization creates resonance with ideal clients who say "you sound like my soulmate" rather than casting a wide net and hoping something sticks.   Contact Details LinkedIn - Raffi Yousefian (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffiyousefian/) LINKSShow Notes Be a Guest About IC-DISC Alliance About The Fork CPAs Raffi YousefianAbout Raffi TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dave: Good morning, Raffi How are you today? Raffi:: Good morning, David. I'm doing well. And yourself? Dave: I am doing great. I appreciate you coming on the podcast. Just a formal introduction, you are Raffi Yousefian, and you're the CEO of the Fork CPAs. Is that correct? Raffi:: That's correct. And I appreciate you having me. I'm excited to have a conversation with a like-minded individual in the accounting industry. Dave: Yes. I've been looking forward to this for some time. So what part of the world are you calling into from today? Raffi:: I am in Brooklyn, New York City. Dave: Okay. Raffi:: Specifically Williamsburg Greenpoint, which is meant to be the hipster capital of the world in case you're interested. Dave: Yeah, I have heard that name. For that reason, I don't think I've ever been there. I haven't been to New York in about 15 years, and I think I rarely have ever been anywhere but Manhattan. So I'll have to be sure to check that out the next time I'm in town. Raffi:: We would love to have you. We're right across the East River. Dave: Okay, Raffi:: Great. Great nightlife scene, great food scene. A lot of sighting. New concepts are popping up every day, bars, restaurants, so it's a great place to be. Dave: That sounds awesome. Well, first of all, let's get to the name. What the heck does The Fork CPA's name mean? Usually the CPA firm is named after the founder or the partners. So what's the fork? What's the meaning of the fork? Was one of your partners named Fork or talk? Raffi:: No. So the fork, I have a 15 slide presentation on it. Maybe I can walk you through it one day. But the fork represents a tool that is highly agile with very sharp and fine edges, and it also relates to the restaurant industry and represents us and our values as a firm. So that's where the four comes from. That's the, in a nutshell description. And then the CPAs, you add that to clarify that we're doing accounting and tax, so that's where work branding comes from. Actually, we launched the brand in 2022, so it hasn't always been our name. Dave: Okay. Well, I really like it. So are you a New York native? Raffi:: I'm not. I'm actually from dc so lived in DC for about 10 years. That's where I started the firm, and I moved up to New York in 2021. Dave: And you went to college in Maryland? Raffi:: Yes, university of Maryland College Park. Dave: Okay. And then you graduated and you went the big four route with ENY? Raffi:: That's right. I worked at ENY for about three and a half years, and then moved to a smaller firm for about a year and a half, two years after that. And this was in 2016 when I launched the firm that I currently have right now. Dave: And you just started it from scratch? Raffi:: So initially the firm was called ROYCA LLC, and I just used my initials with CPA at the end just to get started. Okay. I started it from scratch. At the time I had the potential opportunity to acquire a restaurant bookkeeping business, and that is really what initiated me or catapulted me to taking that leap from moving from a W2 job to starting my own business. The acquisition actually never ended up panning out to be anything. It ended up being more of like a referral relationship. So it was good in that it incentivized me and motivated me to actually take the leap. But as we started from scratch, didn't end up buying any book of business or anything like that and just grew from there January 1st, 2016. Dave: And is that how the restaurant and bar capability started, was from that referral relationship with that bookkeeping firm then? Raffi:: Yes. Well, the referral relationship was a result of me taking over my brother-in-law's finances, and he had a restaurant and catering business. Dave: Oh, I Raffi:: See. And so his accountant was ending their relationship because he was moving on to be the CFO of a big fast growth restaurant group. And so I asked to meet with him. I said, can I meet with the former accountant? Maybe he has a book of business that he wants to sell or get rid of. That's not where the interest in restaurants started, but that definitely had an impact on moving towards that restaurant niche at some point. My first real client was a restaurant business. Dave: Okay. Raffi:: Yeah, Dave: That is great. You've got your CPA firm, it's growing. And then at a point you realized you had a concentration in the restaurant bar business. Now, conventional wisdom says when you have a concentration like that, whether it's client industry, you need to fix it by diversifying, but you decided to go in a different direction, right? Tell me the story. Raffi:: Yeah, so initially the purpose of the firm was to provide an alternative and frictionless experience to traditional public accounting. And this was 2016 when web-based apps were all very new, and even the cloud firms were very server-based. You log into this server and it wasn't very web-based, so even cloud modern firms were still very clunky, and the client experience was terrible. So the idea was, okay, replicate the public accounting model just in a more modern and frictionless way. And so we were still providing a lot of the traditional services you get in a small public accounting firm, 10 forties, monthly bookkeeping, annual bookkeeping, industry agnostic, and one of the first moves. So that was, people love that, right? It was new cutting edge, modern virtual CPA firm. And then I think by year two, we decided we had to narrow down what we were doing. Raffi:: Again, we were trying to be everything to everyone just in a more modern way. And so I think the first change we made was limit our service offering to monthly services only. So value-based billing, fixed fee. It was a mix of value-based billing and fixed fee at the time. So we basically told all of our annual clients, mostly 10 40 clients, sorry, if you want to work with us, you have to have a business, and we have to own the entire accounting process from monthly all the way through your business tax preparation. So that was the first change we made. We didn't specialize just yet. Dave: And what year was this? 2017. Raffi:: I think this was around 2017 or 20 17, 20 18 then. So that worked really well. That allowed us to scale and grow much faster. Now everybody's on a monthly fixed retainer. You're not doing all this work during tax season, those three months trying to do 12 months of books. So there's no bottlenecks during tax season. For the most part, 10 forties are still very much a bottleneck. And in 20 19, 20 20, we decided to narrow down even further and say, okay, we're going to service three industries. And I like to say this is the insecure way of niching down. And so we narrowed it down to, I believe it was restaurants and bars for sure. Nonprofits and professional Dave: Services. Raffi:: And so that helped again, even better. Now we can scale and grow even faster with more efficiency. And then 2022, we were at a point where the restaurant and bar industry vertical was growing much double, triple what our other verticals were growing. And I believe it was just a natural result of our passion was behind that vertical, the professional services and nonprofits, great clients, low volume, easy to work with, very professional. But yeah, just stagnated the growth that stagnated. I wasn't as much interested in those verticals as I was in restaurants. And so we decided to launch the for brand in 2022 and in 2023. So in 2023, the restaurant practice was about 60 to 70% of our revenue. And so we spun off the 30%, which was nonprofits and professional services, and merged it slash sold it to another firm. And since 2023, March of 2023, we've been solely fork CPAs, Eileen niched down into restaurants and bars under the fork CPAs brand. Dave: Okay. I love the story. And then I believe, did Brandon Poe help you sell that practice? Raffi:: Yes, exactly. I think this was probably the first spinoff maybe that they did spinning off a niche and selling it to another firm, and then continuing as a, so it was new to them. And we actually did a podcast about this with Brandon. And yeah, I think it was, like you said, it sounds counter intuitive to specialize versus diversify, but to provide some context, that 70% between March of 2023 and end of 2024, I think it grew like 250, 300% our revenue. So we were basically triple the size that we were when we did the spinoff. Dave: So I have to put some numbers on this. So let's pretend the firm did a thousand dollars a year of revenue. So $700 of it was restaurants and bars. You sold off the $300 practice and then using that multiple, the firm today now is doing 200 or $300. Raffi:: Well, not today, within a year and a half, within a year and a Dave: Half, Raffi:: Within a year and a half, it was at like 2000. So you were at 1000? We were like 2100. So that 700 became 2100. Dave: Wow. Raffi:: And I think a big part of it had to do with, I actually retained my staff that was part of the nonprofit and professional services vertical. So that was about four people. And so that also helped because you need staff to grow into. Dave: And Raffi:: It did hurt our valuation because a lot of the times when firms are acquiring, they want to acquire the staff, one of the biggest problems when, Dave: Yeah, they're just buying the clients basically. Raffi:: So we took a hit on the valuation, but if we hadn't retained our staff, they wouldn't have been as easy and efficient to scale and grow within that year and a half. Dave: So why is it, so it appears based on what you're saying, that there was a underserved market in New York restaurants and bars. That's the only conclusion I can really come to have that kind of a growth implies that the market was not being well served. Is that assumption accurate or was there something else in play? Raffi:: So we definitely have competitors, but I would say underserved in a sense that the level of service and quality is just not there. It's a highly commoditized service offering restaurant bookkeeping. And so our value proposition is not just restaurant bookkeeping, it's restaurant controllership. Raffi:: So for the same price as a bookkeeping service, maybe a little bit more of a premium, 20%, 15, 20%, you can get a more comprehensive service offering under a subscription model to a controller. And the controller owns your entire accounting process. And in addition to that, we also have a tax department that will take care of the tax compliance at year end and quarterly. So I don't think we have any actual competitors that do exactly what we do. However, we have at least 40 to 50 competitors nationally. So it is underserved in that sense, but it's not something super unique or cutting edge that we're doing. It's just a different approach, a different way of doing it. Dave: And your client's all in the New York area? Raffi:: No, it's all, it's nationally. Mostly East coast. Yeah, mostly dc, Maryland, Virginia, New York City, metropolitan areas, urban areas, but it's pretty much all over the country. We can serve clients nationally. Dave: Now, when you pick up a new client, what percentage of the time is it a brand new restaurant and what percentage of the time are you taking over from another provider? Is it mostly taking over from another provider? Raffi:: I would say it's about 70% taking over. It depends. For example, we might have a restaurant group that has 10 locations and now let's say 10 franchises, and they're forming a new group and they're starting from scratch with a new concept. So there's some of that. I see most of them are fast growth. So they have the goal of, Hey, we just opened our first location and we want to be at five locations in three years. That's where a solution like ours really provides maximum value because we can help you get from zero to five in as fast as you want because you're not sitting there concerned about hiring accountants and building an accounting department. And so we take care of the back office for you through that growth stage. Dave: And what percentage of your clients are franchisees? Raffi:: It's not a large percentage. It's mostly independent operators, probably five to 10%. We have competitors that focus solely on talk about hyper specialization. They do restaurant bookkeeping for McDonald's franchises, but it gets pretty specific. And that's not necessarily our target market. Our target market is more independent operators, smaller franchise groups, 15 to 20 units, but we're not like a volume commodity shop. Dave: So I can relate to your business in so many ways, and it's why when I heard you on Brandon's podcast, I just was dying to talk to you. So as I think I told you, so all we do is icy disc work, and we're the only firm I know of that does nothing but icy disc work. We manage more than anyone else. So all we do, we live, eat and breathe it. But within that space, our largest sector by far is the scrap metal business. And what's interesting, and I hear this all the time from our clients, is that I'm the only advisor they've ever had who understands the scrap metal business, that when they have a banker that they're interviewing new banks or a new CPA, it's always the same thing. They come out and they're like, wow, I thought this was going to be Sanford and Son's junkyard. This is a whole different business. And they get so frustrating. And I've frustrated, and some of 'em have asked me to find CPAs, find them a new CPA, and one of the first things they want is somebody with scrap metal experience because it's so frustrating for them having to, every year there's a new staff person and every year they have to explain all over again how the whole business works. I'm guessing it's similar in the restaurant business. Is that right? And kind of dive into how your expertise manifests itself when you're talking with an Raffi:: Potential Dave: Client? Raffi:: Yeah, absolutely. Having an accountant in the entire spectrum of accounting services, whether that's your tax preparer, your controller, your bookkeeper, your CFO, having that industry specialization is completely invaluable. And I think the, in any industry, restaurants aside, the consumer is starting to realize that and the level of insight you can provide as a specialist and the value you can add is way beyond what a generalist can do. And sometimes people will hire generalists because of a referral or a trust that they have with this person. And I think that's really the only time where there's any justification in hiring a generalist, to be honest with you. But even that, it's okay, well, sure, this might be your dad's accountant or your family friend accountant that everybody trusts, but is that really providing any value? If you can't trust your service provider, then what's the point? Raffi:: So yeah, the level of value you can provide, and just to give you some examples, if you have three locations as a restaurant and you want to add another location, you should be able to go to your accountant and say, here is what the landlord is asking for rent. Here's what I'm expecting to do in sales. Is this a good investment? And the accountant, if they're specialized, they should be able to tell you very quickly just by reviewing your projections, your performa and saying, yes, this is an investment that we're not investment advisors, but if your projections actually pan out to be what they say, then yes, we want your occupancy cost to be 8% of sales, and you're showing that in your projection. So yeah, if this spot that you've identified can actually generate that type of sales and your prime costs are going to be this much, your bottom line is potentially going to be this, then your ROI will be X. And therefore, yeah, it's a good investment. Now, a generalist might be able to do that by doing some research, Raffi:: But that example can be applied to so many different things. When we sit down and analyze p and ls as a controller, we need to be able to look at trends and identify, wait, why do we lose money this month? Very quickly, right on a call, oh, it's because your labor was 35% and it's usually 32%. And in restaurants, it's typically 32, 33 is the ideal number. Just being able to throw out numbers off the top of your head and being well-trained in a specific vertical, it just provides so much value. And we talk about in the accounting industry about how we have to become advisors. This is like AI is going to take over all the compliance overseas hiring and all the bookkeeping is going to be automated. And so now we have to become more advisors and just data entry people and compliance providers. And the only way you can really do that, in my opinion, if you want to be a true advisor, is to niche down and specialize. Otherwise, how much value can you really add as a generalist? Dave: Sure. Well, and I was just thinking, I would imagine having come up through the accounting side, I couldn't imagine a worst controller or bookkeeper job than being the bookkeeper or controller for a restaurant. I can just picture it. There's some a closet basically that's your office, and especially if it's in the facility itself and it's not noisy and there's just all this stuff going on, and if it's a bar, all the actions in the evening, and I just couldn't imagine a worst working environment or work environment than that. So it makes even more sense to just have that outsource. And I'm also guessing my clients, probably 20% of the owners of my clients actually have an accounting background just for whatever reason, that was how they ended up there. But I'm guessing that's perhaps even lower in the restaurant business. I just imagine the average restaurateur bar owner is not a former ENY tax person. Raffi:: Right. So it's funny you bring up the bookkeeping role in a restaurant closet that they put the bookkeeper in traditionally speaking with all the stacks of invoices. So just to provide some context, a restaurant that does three to $4 million in revenue will have anywhere from three to 400 invoices minimum per month. Dave: Are you serious? Raffi:: Yeah. They need to get inputted into the accounting system to get true accrual basis accounting. Dave: Wow. I thought you just bought everything from Cisco and payroll and called it a Raffi:: Day. Well, the franchisees, yeah, the franchisees are all different. They work with a Cisco or usb, and then they have less invoices, but still very high volume. So the role of the bookkeeper 10, 15 years ago was show up to the restaurant, get all these invoices and put them into QuickBooks. And if you're not a specialist, even if you're following the traditional model from 15 years ago, there's no way to make money doing this type of work, especially when restaurants are super low margin. They don't have big budgets for accounting. And so the only way to really make it work is to specialize to have a fixed system process, tech stack around restaurant bookkeeping that allows you to process this high volume and still leave some room to make money as an accountant. So I'll just throw that out there. And then your other question was related to what kind of persona do you get, what kind of demographics do you get on the restaurant industry side, and it's mostly blue collar, a lot of creatives. So I think once you get to the groups, the restaurant groups that have five to 10 people, a lot of 'em start hiring more office workers. More people can sit at a computer and do numbers, which helps a lot on the admin side. But if you're working with a single unit operator or two to three unit operator, you're dealing with somebody that's always on the run. They're always busy, they're in the kitchen, they're wearing multiple hats. Raffi:: Most of the time they're creatives, they're chefs that created a concept, and that's their strength. Their strength isn't numbers, so it makes it even harder to get information out of them and to keep them organized. And that's really what an accountant bookkeeper does. It just helps somebody stay organized and provides them and helps digest their financials. And a big part of it's just helping them stay organized. So you can first count the numbers, put them into the system, come up with a good workflow. But yeah, it makes it very challenging to work with those types of clients. Dave: Sure, I can understand that. Now, my understanding is the restaurant and bar business has one of the highest failure rates of any type of business. Is that true? And what is the failure rate? What percentage then fail in 1, 3, 5 years? I'm sure you have some numbers around that. Or Raffi:: Actually, believe it or not, there actually is no number and the number is What's your Dave: Guess? What's your guess? Raffi:: They say the myth has always been nine to 10 restaurants fail, something like that. And I've researched this multiple times, and it's really just a myth. There's no hard evidence about that. I don't think it's wrong or it could be very much accurate because it's very high. But any industry, the reason for the failure rate is because of the supply and demand. Everyone wants to open a restaurant, the barrier to entry are low. It's easy to raise money to open a restaurant. Everyone wants to invest in a restaurant. It's just a sexy business. And when you have such a high supply of any type of business, it could be restaurants, it could be filmmakers, it could be musicians, like how competitive the music and film industry is, you end up having an overage of service providers or suppliers or restaurants in this case. And therefore it makes it extremely difficult to generate a profit. Raffi:: And it is a difficult business to run for sure as well. But I think that's the biggest challenge is once you start making a little bit of money, 10, 15%, boom, another competitor comes in and opens a similar concept down the block or a competing concept, and now there's limited amount of residents or consumers in that neighborhood. So now they go into that restaurant, and especially in cities like DC right now, DC's very competitive. There's just so much money being pumped into restaurants and such a limited amount of guests and consumers. So it's the same, let's say 10,000 people that are going to the same restaurants, let's call 'em upscale, casual restaurants. And every week there's a new restaurant opening. And then you could have the best concept in the world, but it only lasts six months because as soon as you're not the hottest thing in town, another one rolls right in and takes your customer base. So it's very competitive, very low margin, and that's why it makes the financial analysis so much more important. Dave: Yeah, I would think so. Is it safe to assume that the failure rate of your clientele is likely lower than the industry average? If you had to guess? Raffi:: Probably. Yeah. Yeah, our failure rate is pretty low. And I think which might also be overlooked, that insight into your finance is a huge competitive advantage for operators, for restaurant operators. Dave: Yeah, I would imagine. Raffi:: Because even 2%, they're mostly high volume, high revenue businesses, they're top line businesses. So an average full service restaurant probably does three to $4 million in revenue. And so even a 2% savings on your food costs, that can be your entire profit margin right there. So the average restaurant does between three, it used to be like five to 10%, now it's three to 7%. But needless to say, it's pretty low, the profit margin. So if I can provide weekly reports that give managers insight into their labor and food costs, that in itself helps them reduce food and labor costs two to 4%. And it's key to do this weekly, not monthly, right? Because monthly it's already too late. You don't know what you did four weeks ago to be able to tweak and adjust the levers in your business. So yeah, I think it's a competitive advantage. Hey, if I can save you two to 5% just by monitoring the financials, forget all the time savings that I'm going to give you automatically you've added a lot of value and you've maybe even saved that restaurant from going out of business. Dave: So I'm curious, just what are the typical expense breakdowns like in a restaurant, how much, what are the food cost percentage range typically in labor and brand, whether, Raffi:: So it depends on the type of concept, whether it's a pizza shop, whether it's a quick service restaurant versus full service versus steak versus seafood. But generally 60 to 65% is your prime cost. So that's your cost of goods sold and your labor. Raffi:: And so anytime we see, for example, for quick service, it's about 60%. So anytime we see, hey, this quick service restaurant is doing 63%, it's a red flag, and we bring that up to the operator, you need to adjust. And sometimes they can't adjust something they can't control. The sales are low because scaling of labor, when you have sales fixed labor and the rest is pretty much, it's about eight to 10% occupancy costs, rent, real estate, taxes, insurance, and then the rest is overhead, operating expenses, supplies, GNA, office supplies, things like that. And then that leaves about five to 10% profit at the end if it's run well. Dave: Wow, it sounds like a Raffi:: Terrible business. It sounds like a difficult business to run profit. Very difficult. Yeah. I get a lot of people that come to me and say, Hey, I'm thinking about investing in a restaurant, or I want to open a restaurant. I'm like, run, don't do it. Dave: Yeah. There's a joke. I forget how it goes and what industry it is. How do you become a millionaire in the oil and gas business? You start as a billionaire. It's kind of the same in the restaurant. How do I end up with a million dollars restaurant? You start with $10 million. Raffi:: Exactly. Dave: So talk to me, do you have everybody on the same accounting system? For example, all of your Raffi:: Clients? We more or less, we have two tech stacks that we support. So QuickBooks plus Margin Edge, that's one Tech Stack. And then the other Tech stack is a accounting software called Restaurant 365. Dave: Okay. Designed just for the restaurant business. And they're both, and so I know QuickBooks pretty well is the other one. Raffi:: Yes, everything is web-based. The Margin Edge is just a plugin. It's an app for QuickBooks to essentially convert it to providing restaurant. It's the bridge between the restaurant and the books. Whereas Restaurant 365 already integrates all of that, the plugins into one platform, which is really nice. Dave: Have you seen that one is a better fit for most of your clients, or do you have a preference for one over the other? Raffi:: It depends on the concept for sure. Okay. For example, we have Dave's Hot Chicken. I'm not sure if you've heard of it. The franchise, one of the fastest growing franchises in America. They have a, I'm not sure if it's an agreement, like a franchise agreement or some type of agreement with the restaurant 365, but basically as a franchisee, you get Restaurant 365 templates as part of your, Dave: Not Raffi:: Templates, but it's almost pre-configured so that it makes it very easy to use Restaurant 365. So in those cases we're like, it's going to be much easier to implement this off the shelf solution versus having QuickBooks and Margin Edge and setting it up for the franchise and all that. So it really just depends on the concept. Dave: Okay. Raffi:: Yeah. Dave: What are some of the things clients tell you, or what's the feedback you get after six to 12 months? I have to imagine that your clients are really happy with your service. What are some of the things that you hear from folks? So this is your chance to really brag about your team and your business model. What are some of the things you hear? Raffi:: Typically, it's not so much. The feedback we hear is so-and-so is so great. You have an invaluable resource for our team and our growth. We have a lot of testimonials that we get from clients. They provide so much peace of mind. Now I can focus on what I do best without having to worry about are my bills getting paid? Am I profitable? What are the numbers that I need to look out for? But really we see the results most of the time because you see a restaurant operator that has one location or two locations, and they have maybe an internal person that is a partner in the business that is overseeing the financials. And we do a discovery call with them. We find out they're spending their whole week just getting receipts from employees and uploading invoices to the accounting software. And then we're like, you spend your most of your time on this. And we tell 'em our value proposition, and it's hard for them to believe. And then within seven or eight months, they're out there scouting new locations, improving their margins, really working on the business rather than spending their time doing admin work. And that's extremely rewarding to see. Raffi:: And not all of them do this. Some will not take advantage of what we provide. Some of them, just like the time savings when we see, okay, this person was stuck at two, three locations, and now they have the time to really focus on growth and building systems and processes and focusing on their vision, and we're just essentially handling their entire back office. They're reporting and providing all the analytical information they need to make these decisions about their growth. That's really nice to see both from their perspective and our perspective. It's a nice partnership to have. Dave: And I can imagine that weekly reporting is critical. I can just imagine there's a lot of restaurants that it's a part-time person. It's their accounting firm that does it. It's one of the partners. And basically they get their financials two or three weeks after the month ends. So they're looking at six and seven week old data. And I could imagine that if you have a problem and you're losing money and you don't realize it until after you've lost money for seven weeks, I can see where that could be a problem. Raffi:: Yeah, exactly. And you're looking at your p and l 15 days after the month ends and you're saying, wait, how do we get 27% labor? Who was doing the scheduling that week? Who was doing the inventory count? What did he change? What did they not change? And when you're doing it weekly, you know exactly what affected or impacted the numbers in your reports. Whereas if it's, and this can apply to other industries as well, not just restaurants, but in restaurants and bars, it's specifically very, especially very important. Dave: Yeah. What do you enjoy the most about your current role in this business that you've built? Raffi:: I really enjoy the growth aspect of it, the vision setting, the vision, setting the goals. We follow the EOS framework Raffi:: And I love that kind of stuff. Working on the business, setting the goals, as I said, and holding your team accountable to achieving those goals. And it's crazy how quickly you see results when you really commit to it. And I'm still trying to figure out whether I'm a visionary or integrator and I don't know. But I like both. I like ops and I also like sales and marketing and being the CEO, so I'm still trying to pinpoint that. But we have a director of operations and she runs the operations for the most part. But I love setting the vision for operations. Hey, it would be awesome if in a year we can reach a stage where every client is following the same AP process, for example, or something like that. And yeah, I really enjoy that kind of stuff. Dave: So let's say we're talking three years from now, and in fact, I may just make a note to have you back in three years. I've never asked a guest this question, and it's probably because I just was in Strategic Coach session last week. If we were sitting down three years from now and looking back over those three years, what would you have liked to have happened both personally and professionally to have been pleased with your progress? Or even just professionally, what would you like to accomplish over the next few years? How do you see the business going? Raffi:: We have ambitions to grow very quickly, and our mission, I know sounds generic, is to achieve proud employees and happy clients. Raffi:: And so I'm obsessed with great businesses, which pretty much provide that proud employees that love where they work, they want to do a good job, and the customers and clients are all promoters of the business. That's the ideal goal. So we want to grow while maintaining that. We don't want to become one of these, again, commodity shops where we're just bringing on clients for the sake of bringing on clients and adding numbers to the top line revenue. I think of acquisition as a big part of that. I probably see that in the cards in the next two to three years in terms of us acquiring another firm. And it really narrows down your goal when you're trying to focus on restaurants and bars. So just trying to replicate what we do, providing that controllership level service, maybe acquiring the bookkeeping, restaurant bookkeeping service, and deploying our model so that people paying the same price for bookkeeping can essentially get a much higher level of service. And then thus complimenting our mission, our purpose, which is proud employees, happy, happy clients. Dave: I love that. Proud employees, happy clients. That was always Herb Kelleher's philosophy. The founder of Southwest Airlines is he viewed employees as his customers that if he made his employees happy, then they would do a good job with their end customers. Raffi:: Yeah. Yeah. The Southwest stories pretty amazing. But I think we debated our leadership team debated about the happy employees versus proud employees for a bit. Raffi:: And I think we very specifically and adamantly decided that we want proud employees because it's not, as soon as you pay happy, nobody's ever a hundred percent happy. We want the clients to be happy and satisfied, but we want our employees to, there's going to be tough times and they're not always going to be happy, and times are going to be tough, but as long as you're doing what you're proud of and it feels rewarding, at the end of the day, it's a job. So we're not expecting everyone to show up to work and be super happy about what they do, but at least we want them to be proud. And I think that comes with passion. If you don't have passion for what you do, you're most likely not going to be proud, and you're probably not the best fit for our company. So it attracts a certain type of employee, but it also pushes out a certain feeling amongst your team. Dave: I like it. Well, as we're wrapping things up, I can't believe how the time has flown by. If we could go back to 2011 when you were graduating from the University of Maryland, if you could go back in time and give yourself advice, your 22, 20 3-year-old self advice back then, what advice might you have given yourself based on the experience you've had over the last 14 years? Raffi:: I like to say I would have niched down earlier, but it's hard to say that's what I would've done if I had done it differently. I'm just not sure because you learn so much by not niching down early on, and Raffi:: You have to generate revenue when you first start out your firm. So in theory, that's what I would've probably have done niche down earlier. Maybe I would niche down three years earlier, four years earlier, not maybe from the beginning. But in terms of other advice, yeah, I would've probably taken accounting more seriously earlier on because I had so many little businesses at that time when I was in college, I was just still trying to figure things out, and I knew accounting was potentially one of them, but I had a, well before that in college, I had an eBay business where I was selling, going to stores, finding things for cheap and selling them online. And then I had a welding business, and then I had a DJ business. And so I was still trying to figure out, I was very on the fence about do I pursue accounting versus something else, and I would've probably told myself to take it, focus on the accounting much earlier. Dave: That is so interesting. I asked that question to a lot of guests, and they almost all have the same answer. But when I asked you the question as I was asking it, I was thinking, oh, that's a dumb question. Most of my guests, they waited 20 years before they started their own business, and their price themselves would've been, be afraid, take the leap early, but you really couldn't have taken it much earlier. You were an employee for five years. You needed to learn the industry, and obviously you had those entrepreneurial tendencies early on, but that is interesting. You wish you had taken the accounting more seriously since that you didn't know then that this is what your future was going to be. Raffi:: Right. I knew it was going to be in entrepreneurship, growing a business, starting a business, but in hindsight, again, if I hadn't done all the DJing and the parties and the events, I wouldn't have been exposed to how marketing really works and how PR really works. So I don't know. It's hard to say. Dave: Yeah, that makes sense. Well, is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had asked you? Raffi:: Yeah, I think when we've talked in the past, we talked about the pricing model when it comes to niche services, I think that's also very relevant. You want to share, Dave: Do you want to share how that works or is that something that Raffi:: Yeah, I think Dave: Standard pricing on or whatever your, I didn't want to get too much into pricing. I didn't want you to feel obligated to share anything you didn't want to share. Raffi:: Yeah. I think another aspect of niching down that is valuable and necessary as it comes to our industry and accounting is the pricing model. So there's various forms of pricing and professional services. You have hourly billing, the traditional hourly billing, you have the value-based pricing, you have fixed fee, and then you have subscription. And the trend, I believe, is moving towards subscription. It was value-based. Hourly is the old model that hopefully most people aren't following anymore. But the subscription model for the industry I think is going to be the best because we have problems in the industry right now. They talk about the shortage of labor and all that and the need to adapt advisory services. But I think it's not just, you can't look at labor in a vacuum. You have to look at why do we have a shortage of labor problem? It's because we have a value proposition problem and we have a pricing problem, Raffi:: In my opinion at least. And I think subscription pricing is going to change that. And subscription pricing is beneficial to our industry because it prices the relationship and not just the scope of work and value-based pricing the customer. How do they see the value that we're providing? And you price based off of that. But I think once you move into subscription, it completely revolutionizes and changes the value of public accounting and the accounting service in general. And if we want to solve the labor shortage problem, we need to make the industry more profitable and pay people better so that they're incentivized to pursue an accounting degree and get a CPA. And subscription pricing, I believe, really does that in order to provide subscription pricing you to don't need to. But it really helps by niching down, because the whole concept of subscription pricing is you pay this fixed price and we do everything for you. No hourly billing. There's no scope of work. We do everything for you that is in our wheelhouse that we can do under our roof. And when you provide that type of peace of mind and frictionless experience for clients, all of a sudden, I think the potential for profit and paying your better skyrockets. Dave: So yeah, Ron Baker would be so proud of your transition. Raffi:: Yeah, I think it's a little too early. I think he wrote his Times Up book like three, four, or maybe, yeah, three, four years ago, something like that. Something like that. So it might be a little too soon to tell whether it's going to work in practice. It's worked for us, but it's very difficult to implement subscription pricing if you don't niche down Dave: Well, and I think the monthly work also helps, like a CPA firm who all they're doing is just the annual tax return. How do you justify a subscription billing? Right? Certainly a month in subscription billing, there's more of a disconnect, but with what you're doing, the tax return is, I don't want to say an afterthought, it's just a inevitable outcome of what you've done throughout the year. Raffi:: I think the most similar example that's been tried and tested is the medical concierge. So one time medical, one medical, the subscription based medical office that Amazon acquired, I dunno, what was it three, four years ago? So I think it's very similar because you have an annual checkup, so think of that as your tax return. So you pay Amazon, it's a very low price. I don't know what it is, but I dunno, maybe a few hundred dollars a year for your subscription to one-time medical or one medical. And a lot of the medical concierge services work like this, they range anywhere from $50 a month to $300 a month depending on the Raffi:: Level of service that you're getting. And that gives you unlimited access to a primary care physician. So if I want to go see them every week, it's included in my a hundred dollars a month subscription, and I can get that once a year tax return done or that once a year physical done, but that doesn't really change anything. It doesn't change my subscription. That could be the only thing that I do with them, but just I'm paying for that peace of mind. I know if something happens or if I'm planning for something, I can just call that primary care physician or that accountant and run it by them for no extra charge. And so I think it works well. Maybe it's a little too soon to tell for the accounting industry, but I think it's generally worked with the primary care medical world. Dave: No, I think the accounting profession is perfect for it. So are most of your clients now on a subscription basis? Raffi:: Yeah, it's pretty much all subscription. We have what are called add-ons, Dave: So Raffi:: Our general subscription is controllership services. But anything that they need, for example, IRS audit, gap audit, notice defense, maybe they're pursuing a valuation or a deal, and that's something that we can handle. It's in our wheelhouse. That's all included in the subscription. But when you don't niche down, it's hard to Dave: Exactly. Raffi:: It's hard to limit what you offer. So that's why I think when you say we're very clear that we don't do budgets, so that's not in our wheelhouse. We don't really have anybody on the team that can do budgeting for restaurants. We can get on a call and talk through it with you based off of what we know, but we won't prepare a projection and budget. We're not a CFO service. We're a controllership service. So it's hard to be clear about where you draw the line with your, what's in your wheelhouse, because technically, yeah, I could learn how to budget. I'm an account. It's not that difficult. But again, you can't promise everything. Then you want to try to promise as much as possible so that your subscription has value, but there also has to be safeguards in place. Dave: Well, that is a great way to wrap things up. I'm glad that you'd mentioned the pricing. I really appreciate that. Well, I really appreciate your time. Like I said, when I reached out to you, I love your specialization approach. I just think that's the problem with specialization is you have to say no to everything else. And that's so emotionally difficult for people, especially if you have a scarcity mindset then, Raffi:: Right? Accountants basically. Dave: Yes. Yes. So I think that's great. It's no surprise to me, and I really would, if you're up for it, I'd love to check in with you in three years and see how things have gone. Raffi:: Yeah, I'm definitely up for it. And I also love, you're hyper specialized. That's the IC-disc. I think you mentioned to me how many there are in the country, and it's very limited. Yeah, a few thousand. So that's even more specialized, but it's great. The more specialized, in my opinion, the better. Right? Dave: I tell you this quick story. I've learned niche specialists, that niche and specializing firsthand. When I was internet dating in 2000, the infancy of internet dating, and I think I was 35 years old. And what I noticed that most guys did, they had an approach of casting a wide net. And it was, I'm looking for a woman between the ages of 18 and 88, any religion, any hobbies, anybody type. And I think their attitude is, I'm going to cast a wide net. I'm going to get all these fish in the net, and then I can just cherry pick the ones I want. So I'm like, I'm going to try something different. And so let's say I was 34. My criteria was they had to be a year older to two years younger. They had to be tall, athletic Christian, dog loving women with a commitment to excellence. And my friends are like, you're not going to get any response. Dave: And I'm like, yeah, you're probably right. And they were right. They were almost right. I got almost no response. But what happened when I did get a response from a woman, it's the same reaction you get. There was resonance because the woman would say, oh my God, you sound like my soulmate. I'm 33, I'm five nine. I used to play college volleyball. I have a golden retriever. And so what would happen is, I think when they were talking to the guys with the white net philosophy, they'd have dinner and the guy would say, wow, you're amazing. You're exactly what I'm looking for. And they're like, no, you're not. Your profile is 18 to 88. It wasn't really, but that's really where I learned it. And I think it's the resonance that you get with specialization, and it worked dating and it worked in my business. Sure. You hear the same kind of resonance thing from your new clients, and you're like, wow, I didn't know such a service existed. Raffi:: Exactly. Yes. Yeah. It's like a perfect match for both sides, right? Dave: But it takes a certain amount of courage and a certain amount of abundance mindset to be able to pull the trigger. The other thing is it's hard to refer people who don't specialize. If you meet an attorney and you're like, what do you specialize in? You go, well, mostly wills. We do the occasional divorce, occasional criminal defense. If you get a speaker sick, you give me a call and you're like, I can't help you. But if they specialize in speeding tickets in one county in Texas, and that's all they do, I talk to somebody, a party, and they say, oh, I got a speeding ticket. I'm like, oh, it's Raffi:: The first person that comes to mind. Yeah, exactly. Dave: Yeah, Raffi:: It makes a big difference. Dave: Yeah, it's great. Well, hey, Raffa, I really appreciate your time. This has been a lot of fun and keep up your work and let's come back in three years. Raffi:: Thank you, David. I appreciate you having me. Dave: There we have it. Another great episode. Thanks for listening in. If you want to continue the conversation, go to ic disc show.com. That's IC dash D-I-S-C-S-H-O w.com. And we have additional information on the podcast archived episodes, as well as a button to be a guest. So if you'd like to be a guest, go select that and fill out the information, and we'd love to have you on the show. So it we'll be back next time with another episode of the IC Disc Show. Special Guest: Raffi Yousefian.

Gossip Break
Wendy's Fraud Charges, RHOP S10 Premiere & Love Is Blind S9 Ep 1-9

Gossip Break

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2025 86:16


Breaking News in Potomac! In this episode, we're gossiping all about Wendy & Eddie Osefo being arrested on fraud charges (we pull up the court docs & Reddit threads to give you all the tea we can find). Then, we segue into the season 10 premiere of The Real Housewives of Potomac - We missed our girls! Are you team GnA or Team Stacey? Is Keiarna doing too much, or is she valid for being mad at Wendy? Then, we dive into this latest season of Love Is Blind episodes 1-9! Which couples are you rooting for? (Spoiler alert: We don't think ANYONE should get married this season). Sit back, relax, and take a Gossip Break with us.    00:00 - Wendy & Eddie Osefo Arrested on Fraud Charges (TMZ) 17:34 - Real Housewives of Potomac S10 Premiere 39:55 - Love Is Blind S9 Episodes 1-9 Recap   Follow us on Instagram & Threads @gossipbreakpod & Tik Tok @gossipbreak Thank you so much for all your support!  PS If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating and review - We truly appreciate each and every one of you who listen and gossip with us!

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast
RTBL 07 | Why Most Capital Raisers Will Get Sued in the Next Crash with Rob Beardsley and Craig McGrouther

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2025 54:13


Title: Why Most Capital Raisers Will Get Sued in the Next Crash with Rob Beardsley and Craig McGrouther Summary: In this episode of “Fund Friday,” hosts discuss the innovative solutions offered by Tribe Vest, a pioneering fund-of-funds startup, which is poised to transform the landscape for emerging fund managers, investors, and capital raisers. Guests Travis Smith and Seth Bradley delve into their personal journeys and the genesis of Tribe Vest, highlighting the advantages of adopting a fund-of-funds model that enhances compliance and increases access for numerous accredited investors. They detail how Tribe Vest supports fund managers through its comprehensive services, allowing them to raise capital efficiently while ensuring legal and financial compliance.   The conversation unfolds various industry challenges faced by fund managers, such as the difficulties in connecting accredited investors with good deals and maintaining compliance in the ever-evolving regulatory environment. Smith and Bradley underscore the essence of Tribe Vest, focusing on its operational efficiency—providing essential support like K-1 tax distribution, capital-raising infrastructure, and investor onboarding—all streamlined with technology.   In conclusion, they not only spotlight the competitive pricing and quick service turnaround of Tribe Vest but also express their commitment to fostering a landscape that democratizes access to high-quality investing opportunities while empowering fund managers. Their vision seeks to break down barriers traditionally faced in private investment, paving the way for a more inclusive investment future. Links to Listen and Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fund-friday-e49-the-cost-effective-way-to-launch-a/id1511202840?i=1000673582673 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tLAtXFe3OrqtCwyc7gfBE Links to Watch and Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVgT4GMrPPI&t=70s Bullet Point Highlights: Tribe Vest revolutionizes the fund-of-funds model for emerging fund managers. The connection of accredited investors to high-quality private investment opportunities is crucial yet challenging. Efficient operational support, including compliance and investor onboarding, sets Tribe Vest apart. The need for compliance amid industry scrutiny has shifted sentiment towards fund-of-funds for risk mitigation. Tribe Vest empowers fund managers by providing an institutional-level infrastructure for capital raises. Cost-effective solutions allow fund managers to focus on relationships rather than administrative burdens. Quick setup times (just five days) streamline the capital-raising process for fund managers. Transcript: welcome back to another episode of fund Friday this is going to be a very nutrient dense jam-packed episode with two amazing people we just had the pleasure of connecting with them once more at our Flagship uh summon event in New York City the gentleman behind tribe vest here a cuttingedge fun to fun group VC backed the whole nine this is going to be such an important episode for all you emerging fund managers you Capital raisers Maybe investors who kind of want to know behind the curtain what's going   on and also just from a structural perspective as to how we've been able to scale our business safely and compliantly but with that said let's give a warm introduction to Travis Smith and Seth Bradley how are you both today good craigg good to see you it's been just a few weeks since we were in New York together which was an awesome event glad to be here yeah well there's been a lot of great updates to the product that tribe is offering since our initial conversation we had so I would almost even argue um for the   better Awards you can maybe even scrap that episode for future purposes don't need to look back because we're going to cover that and then some here today so I'm absolutely elated and thrilled to talk about that so let's get right into it and just to start with for some some context because we're gonna just keep it moving forward here how did Seth and Travis and the team have tried best kind of Forge and kind of come together from you know this Alliance from a business perspective yeah tra you want to kick that off man   sure sure and look you can't scrap that first episode because I think it's the first episode yeah like we're in the record books at this time right yeah so yeah no look uh me finding Seth and Seth Finding Me is a big part of our story no doubt really uh in early 2023 we had built out the infrastructure and the technology uh we' even been challenged by our clients to build out the back office where we do all the distributions cap table management uh k1s taxes and um but I hadn't quite figured out the fun to fun portion of this yet   and uh good story you know met Seth Bradley at a a conference in the British Virgin Islands where we were both speaking at the event uh both of our wives were there and uh they hit it off we hit it off and just had a wonderful wonderful week and weekend and um and that was when Seth kind of really opened my eyes to um this opportunity Seth you know how how do you remember it where where you know how how did it go from there yeah well funny enough my my pitch or my speaking engagement was on fund of funds it was   it was teaching the group about fund of funds what is it how can you how can you go from basically a passive investor and and start a business raising capital and and fund of funds is kind of the the next step and at the same time the industry was was pivoting there was uh you know there were Winds of Change so to speak from the the cgp model and people were starting to really take the fun of funds model more seriously and take a deeper look at it and the timing just couldn't be better as Travis was   taking his company and and trying to make it pivot himself into the the syndicator and the fund and the capital raising market and you know originally there was a cgp type of model that was being uh thrown around and actually had a good bit of success Travis right going into uh earlier that year and you know I I we just got into some deeper discussions about where the market is and where it's going and the market was really going to fund to funds and I said' look Travis if you're going to if you're going to take this business to   the next level get ahead of the game like this is where it's going it's going to fun and fund is kind of getting away from the cgp model so if you're going to build a product around that market really should focus in on fun to funds yeah I mean and I'll just go as well just to to piggyback off that timing is so funny there because I think it was roughly around the summer of 2023 when fun to fun was the biggest buzzword in the industry what is a fun of fund how does it work why is this the most compliant way do I need to do it what is   it how does it structure everything included there so we're going to unpack that all there but it sounds like Travis you might have had an additional comment well I was say it really it truly was right place right time for Seth and I to meet you think about leading up to that it was the becc 2023 and there just all these Rumblings with some some bigger names in our industry that were under an investigation for the CP model and that was really how the industry was working with capital Partners at the time and uh   collectively realized that there's got to be a more compliant better way and there I was with a two-thirds of the solution talking to Seth who rep represented the the last third of the solution so really was right place right time and and uh you know we're we're we're so glad to be partnered together and and solving a big problem Big Challenge yeah well and let's get right into that problem so the the problem of the industry so how can someone like loans start Capital safely compliantly bring dollars into our deals from   outside investors fund managers capital allocators and opportunity so what is the industry problem and what are you guys both solving Seth I I'll hand it over to you I think from a big industry problem I mean there's just the age-old you know you have awesome lead sponsors that are working hard finding great deals private deals out there like Lone Star and and then on the other side there's over 20 million accredited investors that want the benefits of private investing they want the the benefits that come with real estate they   want cash flow they want tax advantages uh you know they they want the appreciation all those things that are Why Real Estate so awesome they want to invest with these lead sponsors in these deals but as as we know unless you're kind of in a country club or in the network it's really hard to access those so that's the big problem the big problem is we have great lead sponsors with great deals and then on the other side we have have awesome accredited uh investors looking for those deals meanwhile they can't find each other and   uh they don't know how to access them and so the the industry as a whole you know a big conduit to solving that is this Capital Partner right the fund manager and Seth I'll turn it over to you kind of again maybe start with how the industry was solving it and what the problem was with that right yeah I mean I think you framed it correctly it's it's access we know these these accredited investors are out there there's Millions U maybe tens of millions out there in the United States that um maybe they know it maybe they   don't but they they might want to invest um they need educated they need access to Deals and on the other side you've got uh lead sponsors you've got fund managers you've got Capital aggregators who want to get access to these folks and we work on that in our business every single day about how do we reach these accredited investors um and then we all have our own little networks of people that we can raise capital from and that we know and that they no like and trust us to be able to place their   Capital with us um you know since the jobs act in 2012 which is um what enabled us to start going out and soliciting and advertising um in the public uh for deals and raising capital in that manner and the the problem is that everything's been great since then up until covid right the real estate market has just been going absolutely through the roof so anybody that decided to jump into the the sector during that time had success I mean you could just you know throw paint in a wall and you're G to have success because the   market just really helped us out a lot like you had to make a lot of mistakes operationally um for things to go wrong right I mean you really did you really did um not to not not Lone Star Lone Star is awesome right you're you're absolutely right no you you you hit the hammer on the nail there for sure yeah and it's uh you know until covid hit and we got that little blip and that was just kind of a you know something that you know came and went um but now you've seen in the last year and a half or so   the market has slowed down um you've seen Capital calls you've seen um you know some SEC um interactions with folks and trying to see if Capital was raised correctly things like that um kind of looking into how the market evolved the market evolved beginning with a cgp model um you know initially the C GP model was thought to be compliant and if it executed properly it is compliant if you have all people in a group that are raising capital for their own deal they're all active participants they're   all General Partners they're all executing the business plan and participating in decision-making all good that's an age-old uh way to do business and it's been done for all the time right like you've got Capital you've got people actively participating and all is good but just like anything else you know us entrepreneurs we like to go around the edges and try to pick and choose like oh well can we do this or can we do this let's push the limits and unfortunately the market kind of changed into this this um this thing   where we push the limits too far and we've had 10 15 20 CPS in an active deal where you know really all they're doing is Raising Capital right like we might try to say on paper that this person's doing that and this person's doing investor relations and this person's doing a little bit of underwriting which all may be true true but at the end of the day if the SEC comes in and says let's take a look at your whole business plan plan with this particular asset in this particular offering and see how you   raise capital and who's doing what and they're going to look under the hood and they're going to be able to figure it out they're they're smart people back there they can figure out what you're doing they can figure out that hey this person raised uh $200,000 and got 2% and this person raised $600,000 and got 6% it's pretty easy to put those pieces together um but like I had mentioned before the market you know kind of went our Direction and there were really happy investors nobody was upset nobody   was suing nobody was asking questions and now since the market has changed you've seen the capital calls you've seen the foreclosures you've seen the investors upset um and now that's what Travis was alluding to earlier is there were certain folks in the industry that were um you know getting interviewed by the SEC I don't think anything ever came of it but it was enough for people to be like look we've still got to raise Capital we've still got to do these deals somehow what other way is there to   do it that's more compliant than this cgp model that the industry has turned to and the answer is fun to funds and it's always been fun to funds you know there's people out there that have preached that for years but it's just a little bit you know more nuanced a little bit more complicated a little bit more expensive so people have stayed away from it yeah so exactly and and thank you so much for painting such a Picasso beautiful picture here pertaining to the why before and why now and kind of the context there because I   think so many people are missing that why y component so you beautifully explained that so but then why is the fun of fund the route to do it in because it's pretty similar right and fun of funds to your point have actually been around for really not going to say forever but for a long period of time so just curious to know you know why fun of fun is this the solution from a client's perspective and and things of that nature yeah and we can and Travis jump in here whenever you want but we can kind of go through um with each   stakeholder why why it's compliant why they love funded funds maybe why they don't you know let's talk about the pluses and the minuses um I think we can start with the lead sponsor I mean for the lead sponsor um to me there's there's really no downside and I'd love for somebody to may maybe making a counterargument to that but to me there there's no downside for the lead sponsor themselves right the people that are actually operating buying executing the business plan by them creating a level of Separation through the fund to funds   model and not uh inviting other folks into their deal to raise Capital they're creating they're creating uh risk mitigation and dissipating liability for themselves right and they don't have to worry about bringing people into their business because it's a totally separate offering that the fund manager is going to be putting out there separate from the actual lead sponsors right and and uh another reason why the lead sponsors love it other than it's compliant creates that separation is it's way more uh efficient   way more efficient when you're working with a capital partner and they're the ones that are pulling the fund to fund they might be bringing in five 10 15 20 investors into their fund to fund well uh they can coordinate that from a sales perspective and then also on the ongoing Administration right it's one line on their uh on their cap table right so instead of getting 15 smaller checks you're getting you're getting one big check and it's just way more efficient and way more safer is is Seth said too yeah and your your listeners   are are very educated but just in case there a few out there that are wondering I mean the the fund of fund itself is just an LLC it's just a a group of investors it's a you know somebody managing that which is the fund manager and that LLC or that partnership however you want to structure it legally is actually just a passive investor for the lead sponsor it's just going to be a big aggregated passive investor for the lead sponsor so I just wanted to clarify that yeah and then let's talk about from so   and there's also been some Evolution I hit on that word to start the conversation but before we were partnering or triest was partnering with this a couple handful of lead sponsors but there's been some Evolution so can we talk about how you guys have maybe handpicked and cherry-picked some of the top you know first and- class sponsors and how it worked kind of before and now the new product lines rolling out and how you know why fund managers are loving it and should even love it more moving forward absolutely yeah great great   question and great points here so you know as you mentioned Craig when we were initially rolling this out uh it made sense for us to to cherry pick and go work with uh the lead sponsors with the best track record the best reputation and we're proud to say that you know Lone Star is one of our earliest lead sponsor partners and um and then since then uh really we had almost a requirement where you had to go through one of our our lead sponsor partners and there's good reason for it we'll we'll come back to   that in a second but since if you're lead sponsor and looking to do this on different deals I'm sorry if you're a fund manager and looking to do a fun to fun on different deals working with different lead sponsors you can absolutely work with tribe best so and you think about the benefits of that right what you're what you're able to do is you can control your own brand right you you get to build your own um your your company you're building a business one deal at a time and from your Investor's perspective instead of them   going to one investor portal and then you know going to another deal that has another investor uh portal they can actually all come to one portal uh as you're using tribe vest so um I want to again just point out that fund managers can now uh absolutely work directly with us they don't need a lead sponsor now I will tell you this think about the benefits though you do get when we are partnered with the lead sponsor and lonar is a perfect example of that right lonar has done the work to say look if   you're a capital raiser you get these marketing resources right you get we we'll we'll put together a you know a deck that you can configure um we've thought through all the economic for you so if you're wondering how to communicate the terms and the returns you know lone Stars gone as far as adding it to their their underwriting spreadsheet so you can play with the numbers calculate it and that's a huge deal right and so all these things that a a lead sponsor partner of ours like lonar does just makes it so so much more   seamless when we do engage with the funder manager right we don't have to go back and kind of figure out well what are the economics and and how are you you know doing uh you know commitments from your investors all those types of things so fund manager can absolutely come and work directly with us it's still way more smooth because we already have the offering docks ready we already have the calculator ready we already have marketing materials right all those things are reasons why by working with   one of our lead sponsor Partners just makes the experience that much better for you and your investors yeah and just a little back and for a lot of people who may not be privy to this but if you are a capital allocator specifically that we're talking about in this situation who is looking to work with the loans or capital or a group similar to us your other sponsors there's just some groups that are just not really built or have the infrastructure in place to really streamline the funto fund process I.E and the underwriting   model IE it already been kind of baked in there we've done this before some groups are kind of in Old way of doing things maybe they only do a couple deals a year that's totally fine I'm not saying that's a bad thing but they might have to create a funto fund breakdown economics setup for the double waterfall there where everyone gets paid out the investors get their returns that should be you know similar to what our investors get and then the fund manager needs to figure out his compensation for   his basically part in the opportunity so we have that baked in and we've done this now enough times to know how this is going to look and actually as a matter of fact to go through that process even one step further before we even go to public or live with the opportunity to even start the capital raising those numbers are ironed out those numbers are in place you know what's going on it's not a scramble drill amongst everything else to get your partners going so on and so forth when you do partner and work with us   which is a key benefit to do and solve for one of the most important uh places in the capital raising you know equation which is speed and time so we kind of shrink that time Gap versus other groups when do that or the other people that you work with which is highly crucial there are a lot more groups now that are tailored to the fund of fund but not every group is um so that's the exciting thing and then going back to now being partnered with a fund manager at at the fund manager level as much that's   amazing for a multitude of things number one if you're a capital allocator fund manager we don't see who your investors are because as Travis alluded to it's one check going into our opportunity so you get the shield and Sheltering in that perspective in that equation there so that's number one number two is we're not going to create the other big problem in the business I would say which is Portal fatigue so it's not a big issue it's not the endl be all but you know if you're let's say a alt uh a   big alternative investor guy right guy or gal person what's GNA end up happening let's say if you've got five to 10 sponsors you're probably going to have you know a bunch of different portals to go into but if you work with a couple of capital raisers who only use triest as your back office well that's immensely beneficial because you can just keep your accounts there so I just want to really highlight those two things and if you want to expand on that further please feel free to do so yeah I mean I'll jump in for sure I   mean you know I've got to mention again compliance right like think about you know the fun to fun model where the fund manager is going to create their own business they're going to create their own entity that they're going to manage um that going to administrate and they're going to operate so by doing so yes there are more responsibilities you are running your own business you are taking accountability for you and your investors and your business but uh on the flip side of that is hey the old CP   model you're getting into bed with all these other CPS that you don't even know I mean you may they may be an acquaintance off of social media or you might not even know who they are at all let alone the lead sponsor so if one of those folks does something wrong you guys are all in the same boat like you're not just taking care of yourself but you've got to worry about all the other people that you're in business with and if they do something wrong they're going to put your investment and your past investors um in a bad   situation and let's get to the next idea which is some of the problems that some people have experienced with a fun of fund that I think you guys are really really Cutting Edge on to solve for them so let's just talk about maybe a couple of the problems which I think is you know the expense I think there's a lot of misnomers about how expensive it can be um and also what you kind of solve for it how you bundle and Pat package it together because if you're the typical person that's going to be very expensive   but that's why we love you guys uh the administration burden and then also time so let's T let's just kind of break down those problems there how you see fit accordingly and uh we'll let you take it away again SE I'll let you jump in because you were saying you were just at a conference in uh think that uh maybe rais Masters conference in in San Diego and you the conversations you were having with fund managers once they kind of fully understood what we did and how we did it it really kind of uh popped   for them so anyway I thought since that was fresh i' I'd ask you to to talk about it yeah I think people that have any kind of experience uh raising Capital under when they hear about all the things that we do and for the amount of money that we do it for they are absolutely blown away I think the problem that comes up is that it's a misunderstanding of what we do and what we are so a lot of folks that don't understand will put us in a category of just being an investor portal they'll be like hey triest is like cash flow portal   or like syndication Pro or invest next or one of those and they just kind of lump Us in with them and we're like that's the smallest thing that we do the smallest thing that we do is the investor portal that's that's one of the services that we provide but we provide everything Soup To Nuts I mean from start to finish I mean it includes everything that you could possibly imagine I mean from getting your EI and letter to setting up your LLC to opening your business banking account to doing your legal documents and setting those   up for signatures for your investors and actually onboarding your investors or hurting the cats I was going to say you actually get a account manager to help you on board your investors professionally and uh yeah you mentioned hurting cats that's maybe one of the things that we're the best in the world at is helping hurt cats yeah I think that's something definitely gets so much fun Craig knows about it all too well yeah lot a lot of work lot of uh reaching out to investors lot of questions on hey where how how do we   fill out these form fields on these subscription documents right like where do we sign how do we fill this out what does this mean those things those they they take time they take effort um it's an administrative burden for you and your company and we take that off your hands and then we also Badger the passive investors till they actually send the wire right like a lot of times they get cold feet and you know we prompt them to to send the wire and actually finish their investment all the things that investor relations manager   might do we handle that now there's there's some teamwork involved as well because they're your passive investors but um you know we do the heavy lifting on on that side and then even on the back end we are managing your cap table so we're setting that up for you on our dashboard and actually making distributions to your passive investors now you can log on to your dashboard if you want to and send them out manually when you want how you want and what amounts but if you want us to just take those over pursuant to the terms of your   offering documents we'll handle that as well it's amazing and and the and the taxes yeah I think Craig tax can't forget the taxes yeah the taxes k1s again one K1 comes in from Lone Star uh we we of course at our core the banking and the cap table so we have the ownership percentage makes it easy for us to and our CPAs to create that K1 for each one of the members we distribute it they find it right in their uh document Management on their dashboard and uh literally two days after After we receive the K1 your   investors have the K1 so think about that and I know everybody's going through tax season here yesterday was kind of a a big day uh but it it's um it's a it's amazing that it really speaks to the technology that we have that we can receive the K1 on behalf of the the deal and then create those k1s in two days and distribute them to to the members I was just going to make one last Point Craig you know I think if you think about what we do if you think about an Institutional level group or fund so I think the way   fund managers can think about what we do is we really bring this institutional level uh setup legal Administration so think about a family office all the organization all the administration everything they need to have in place to operate well we bring that down to the individual level so you can have that institutional level Administration and setup as a you know a oneman business and therefore you can you can really build a business and a brand here's the thing one deal at a time you don't have   to go invest tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars you can do this one deal at a time because try best is in the business of of helping you uh launch a capital raising business efficiently amazing so let's get into the next two components which is expense and time so let's talk about time and then we'll bring it home for the the of course the the elephant in the room which is what is this going to cost me so let's get into the time factor and how long it takes to set everything up from Soup To Nuts from Hey I want to   work with the deal to you know funding and things of that nature Seth you want yeah yeah I'll jump in um timing wise you know we are industry leading in that in that as soon as you give us the basic information that you that we need for your fund of fund so you know just simple stuff like what do you want to call your LLC what do you want your preferred return to be what do you want your profit split to be those those things that you're going to make some decisions on as soon as you get those items to us which is in a simple   form that we provide that you fill out and we walk you through that as well we can have your business banking account and your LLC set up in two days and we'll have you ready to raise Capital meaning we're going to have your legal setup we're gonna have your business bank account open all those things done within five business days so that's why you know it's we should emphasize what Travis said there that it's a deal based decision I mean you can come to us with a deal that's already that's already   under contract that that maybe the lead sponsor is already raising for and say hey look I want to raise for this deal but I've only got a few weeks to go that that's plenty of time for us to to jump into action so it's really tough to do that with let's say you know if you came to me and I have my security attorney hat on i' would be like there's there's no way we we've got to get this going weeks before that like you've got to give us some setup time um with triest we've we've got it streamlined   and efficient to the point where five business days you're raising Capital that's incredible and that's just really a big X Factor that should make everyone feel comfortable with the process because you know there's situations just like go out a sponsor level here where hey a capital raiser might have not been able to get an allocation to deal because of the commitments were there and guess what someone Falls up short well now as you know as a sponsor whatever dollar is not coming in you got to make up for that so it's kind of a a   moving moving Target a kind of moving goal post in many respects so it's very nice that five days you're in you're out you're ready to go to the next that is awesome and then the next thought I have there is a capital allocator maybe you were late you're on vacation and there's this great deal that maybe your inbox is flooded and then one they you know peaked your interest and you could get the space into it well hey the deal could be live but you could have a five-day window to get your turntable   going to raise Capital safely and compliantly um in within this structure and infrastructure yeah great great points again I'll just come back to the benefits of working with some of our our lead sponsor partners like Lone Star so you heard Seth say hey as soon as you have all these things in order and you push the tri the tribit button we spring into action and you're ready to go right well you do need to have certain things figured out before you hit that tribit button and again the nice thing of   working with a a group like lonar amongst many other reasons is they have really ironed out the program the fun to fun program so if you're coming through them you already have those things figured out you hand them we get handed off or you get handed off to us and we're you're pushing that button and in five days you're ready to do onboard investors it's incredible that's amazing now the final thing what people have been waiting for what does this cost cuz you have to think for the amazing benefits   and the amazing opportunity you get to raise in this time and environment this has to cost a fortune maybe there's a massive upfront cost you know I'm not going to get into names but some groups charge an arm and a leg to get things set up if you want to do the more Boutique bespoke route where you're doing everything yourself without a name brand in a sense of the the setup you've got to go through the painstaking process of finding a Seth and a Travis and a this and a that to get all your documents ready to go however it's   pretty cost efficient and effective here so let's get into that I'll let Travis speak to our pricing at trivest but I do want to frame it with this when I worked in big law and you know massive Law Firm thousands of attorneys you would come to our law firm and want to put a fund of fund together or you know maybe even a more sophisticated fund but our prices started at $75,000 I think a lot of people out there in the industry are used to seeing kind of oh yeah maybe it costs like $115,000 maybe it cost $12,000 $225,000   on the top end when you get into the big leagues $75,000 to start and that's just your first drafts of your offering documents and then maybe one round of revisions and then we start charging you $1,000 doll plus an hour um to get across the finish line and that is just the legal by itself and guess what you may get there and then some could change a Nuance could happen and guess what you got to start it all over again and make further res revisions and have more billable hours to your incredible   attorney like s uh these people make a lot of money okay so this is a incredible opportunity to be in a very nice spot here where it might be cheaper and to your point there about that dollar fee I'm hearing 25 Grand from certain Services I'm hearing 75k 50k to make it do it yourself and for some people that's great that's fine that fits into their budget but for I would say the most people that are doing this that probably makes it to a point where you're paying to raise capital and that's what we're looking to avoid and   solve with try this so with that said Travis lead us away absolutely no what a great discussion and I teased Seth all all the time about his his industry it is it is it's the establishment right so we're disrupting The Establishment no doubt about it and uh so we just talked about what it would cost kind of going the more traditional routes well we're able to do everything that we just shared with you the setup the legal offering do uh the banking the uh helping of the onboarding setting up the cap table you   know doing the servicing of the filing for you all that for $5,000 so literally say that one more time please $5,000 yes only $5,000 and here's the other thing right when we talk about having the economics of the fun to fund set up and again getting back to the benefits of working with loone star is they've they've figured out the terms and uh even added in all the expenses of tribe vest right so that $5,000 is actually included in those in the economics so it's you don't have to kind of add on additional uh cost it's all in   there right and and you can do that with tri best because it's contained there's there's no creep of cost right and and I think it's also important to call out how we're able to do this is we have made a very firm box of what we're doing of course we've we've tailored it to these deals like to these deals so everything's in there that you need including the compliance includ you know everything we just talked about um but that's how we're able to do that this at scale and TurnKey and done for for you   so it's $5,000 to set up now we could also talk about what's it cost to administer this over five five years six years right most of these business plans are five years before they're exiting you know working with an administrator an Administration uh you know administrator you're talking about $155,000 a year well with tri best it's $2,000 a year remember we're doing all your uh distributions for you your cap table management that includes your k1s your taxes so you know anybody that's done this before they're like   it's more than $2,000 just to do the taxes every year right never mind you get the portal your investors have a a dashboard to see all their Investments and and set up their payout accounts and they get to see when their distributions are how many distributions they've had that's all there and and the distribution so anyway it's you know I think about we we mentioned right right place right time Craig and we've talked about all those things that kind of lined up for us but the industry has been trying to   figure this out and we just like to think that we're a small part of it we're that technology that kind of was the major unlock that kind of opened up the floodgates if you will and um and now our job is to go out there and tell people that this exists like this tool in technology is available for you and you should build a business on it yeah I want to make some other kind of comments and points there so you hear right there so just to summarize that it's $5,000 takes five days and it's you know   roughly $2,000 maybe a little bit more depending on the number of investors you have in the opportunity but all that's fine and dandy but if the product wasn't good that is where the problem is and it's sucks and I mean it sucks to spend money for something to not work well and people's experience that we've worked with have really liked the infrastructure of the product what it solves for because I think I'm someone personally that I am not afraid to spend a dollar I'm very good at spending money   but I like to spend money in areas where it's actually worth the money and I've had very good reviews here from people who have of course used the product so I just want to share that right there and that's kind of been some of the burden with some of the other products out there as well you spend a lot of money for the technology to not be great I mean Travis has a background with tech so inherently having that there to have the infrastructure be supported by a good product is the difference between   coming back and not coming back so I just want to tip the cap there to make it not only a good product but also have people come back to it but um it being cost efficient and effective as well and then the other time factor that I want to speak on is more from a sales perspective being someone that's been in sales by basically my entire career since I was 21 um almost a decade of sales in real estate specifically the last thing that I want to worry about and think about and do is uh had there be a burden of having you know to go   through Administration stuff talking to an attorney doing this doing that doing everything that's not shaking hands and legitimately moving the conversation forward and funding dollars into the account and what tribe best solves for is a cost- effective route with good technology and done quickly where you don't have to think about any admin stuff I want to connect with people I want to talk with people I want to grow the relationships and raise the capital I do not want to deal with in the your   view and the peripheral stuff and I'm sure you guys can appreciate that sentiment and also I've had people say similar things as well it means a ton to hear you say that of course that's we're building our business on fund managers coming back and building their business on our platform so um you know it's funny as as the founder and you know always improving and growing uh the the the the business and our solution We're Never Satisfied and um we always think we're disappointing in terms of the experience   or and we can be doing this better and we can right and we will but when we get feedback and we we do net promoter scores and get the feedback back from the fund managers and we get you know seven plus you know would you recommend this to friends and family and would you come back and that's just a super high rating if anybody's familiar with it and um and we're we're we're proud of that but we are just getting started I mean we are just getting started so I think we nailed the fact that we bring a ton   of value you know you're getting a good value uh but now we're going to really wow you and your investors that's our goal and uh we're going to keep pushing yeah so let's talk into maybe just the mission as the why you know why you guys are so passionate about this and want to create this product because you both are really smart guys you're very successful prior to this endeavor and Venture so you know why is this your mission and in your day to-day right now because you have the option of working so and doing   really what you want to do so let's talk about that maybe man that's Travis that's you again buddy you're the you're the big picture guy bring it oh man no look I think Seth and I this is personal for both of us right um my brothers and I wanted to get into real estate we didn't come from a real estate family you didn't get it you know that education in in school and we did what you know we've been doing since the beginning which is you know you come together with your tribe when you need to figure something out and that's what   we did and we we we started a a a tribe pulled our capital and started investing together and it changed our lives and it changed the trajectory of our of our family's Financial lives and um and that's why we're doing it um you know by doing this the fund managers right they're they're the they're the heroes in this movie the fund managers are the heroes in this movie that's how millions of investors are going to get access to these deals like the wealthy right we all know why we love real estate it it's   it appreciates it cash flow there's tax advantages you you name it there's a reason why the wealthy invest in these private deals these private real estate deals well most people don't have access to it the conduit to getting into those deals are you are the fund managers are those Capital raisers we're just happy that we're providing a tool for them that makes it easy that makes it easy but as you can tell we're passionate about it Seth I mean he he was a capital Riser right Seth's done a lot he's an   entrepreneur but he knows how hard it is to be a capital Riser and uh maybe you could talk a little bit about what what's motivating you s yeah I mean just quickly you know I took the the Bigger Pockets route so to speak you know read Rich Dad Poor Dad startlist to the Bigger Pockets podcast did a house hacked into a duplex and then started buying single family properties fixing flips and then started investing you're a grinder grinder just level by level by level right um started investing passively in deals when I   became a little bit more sophisticated um and then I was like okay now what now I want to be on the active side and at that point I really wanted to switch over to not practicing law whatsoever I was like screw this I'm leaving Big law I'm not doing this anymore I'm only going to invest in real estate um but then kind of along the the Journey of becoming an active investor and a syndicator and capital Riser I realized that my highest and best use is actually still as a Securities attorney and I'm   pretty good at it so I've kind of integrated that into my real estate business and and use that to um uh join join triest which is at the Forefront of I think perfect timing in this industry right like real estate and legal are two industries that just move extremely slow they're dinosaurs they don't want change and they're resistant to any kind of change right so we've got to as entrepreneurs even if we're fund managers or passive investors that are looking to um diversify our assets or lead sponsors we're the ones that have   to propel this forward and say hey we've got technology now behind us we've got all these different tools and ways to do things we need to take advantage of that and at Tri bestest we're building that so like what we are today is going to be completely different than what we are in q1 2025 and Beyond we are we are constantly building taking in feedback from all of our stakeholders and and and looking to take over the market I love it well then let's just real quickly go back into this we've kind of touched on   it but maybe just more specifically how you do work with everyone from lead sponsors fund managers and I know you're obviously always going to conferences and masterminds you're very accessible in many respects but let's just get into you know how you work with everyone once more just to maybe spoon feed everyone a little bit more information yeah absolutely so the lead sponsor uh we help them form their funto fun program right and that's a huge Advantage for them uh that they can offer a turnkey   funto fund program to their Capital Partners their their Capital raisers their fund managers and we'll we'll actually sit down and talk about all the things that you need to do for that to be successful you know how are you going to work with the fund manager um economics we talked about that you got to build in the fun to fun economics into your underwriting you know uh how are you how are you going to give them access to the marketing tools those types of things and really the the blueprint is is um you know is Lone Star   so lone Stars uh leading the way as they do in most things out there and have built just an awesome fun to fun program and that's why so many fun to fun managers are working with them but um you know that's how we work with the the uh the lead sponsors and we talked about all the benefits of that cool and then go ahead Seth on the are any questions there Craig no I think that that was really well said um kind of building out the blueprint that many people don't have and just how it works and pertains   to us if you are a capital allocator you kind of have understanding of the deal functions and then there's a additional level there of of underwriting materials so you can raise Capital so you understand the ever important what's in it for me conversation you can assess your opportunity cost between us and other sponsor if you're looking at other deals and whatnot I'll tell you this right now I'll say it again and again again we under promise and overd deliver that's kind of the the Mantra that we   try to have here like everything we're probably never going to show you the highest Returns on projections um we like to beat our deals up as much as possible prior to going live because it doesn't serve us nor you the investors to see what the best case scenario is um we try to make it as modest as possible with our assumptions so you know we have our infrastructure for what the deal looks like from an underwriting perspective what your theoretical compensation could look like so these are things are just very important to   think about uh we want basically everyone to be at parody what do I mean by that well if you're a capital raiser looking to raise for our deals we want your investor returns and our investor returns to look very similar they're going to vary ever so slightly because there's a slight drag you know for the fees Associated to the deal what do I mean by that well there's the administration fees that could be about $2,000 so sometimes that by comes by way of affecting the cash on cash return minuscule from a couple you know basis   points I would say roughly about the what looks like but you'll make it on the back end for the lift and raise of the deal there when the deal goes to sell so it's never going to be 100% similar because there are some you know technical nuances there but it is to be fair to everyone there and then you'll be getting you know a nice return on the deal that you raise for as well should there be profit split um above the preferred return so I just think that's a really important thing to hit on as to   how that fundamentally works now let's get into Seth with you over there on fund managers yeah fund managers we kind of touched on it already but you know we' we've changed our business so we're ready to work with fund managers directly um you know you can reach out to us and have an exploratory call if you want but really when you have a deal or you have a lead sponsor that you're ready to to work with that's really when we can spring into action um make that introduction reach out to us make the   introduction to the lead sponsor we can start going to work and again we can have you uh once we have the the information and and the things that we need from all the stakeholders we can have you up and running in five days and you know I'll just go ahead and talk about the passive investors too because they are really important maybe the most important I know a lot of those folks are are listening right now and just know that that's on our that's always on our road map to make the passive investors happy to make that user   experience awesome and streamlined and um you know just just an awesome experience for that passive investor because ultimately that's who we're serving we're trying to reach the passive investors let them get their money moving and so they can uh create multiple streams of income and we want to make that experience awesome for them because if they're happy then the fund managers are happy and the lead sponsors are happy too yeah there's two things that this show is about it's about the for this particular episode two things   it is the fund manager to be safely raising money in an everchanging business business and it is all about at the end of the day the investor the investor is the straw that stirs the drink they are the king of the beach so to speak they're the ones that this is all about for us to be able to give people who may not know that they can invest in those beautiful commercial real estate buildings that we drive by all the time you know it's sad to think that you know that's not in the hands of Main Street so to speak you know a   $50,000 investment gives you access uh to that product type now I'm not saying that's where every dollar should be you should have money probably in the stock market maybe you should have some money in your primary residence maybe you don't believe that mattra but you should have also some money in these institutional grade ACC or assets and that's what we're delivering here and it's so fun to be in a conversation with you both because you guys really are creating and are the future so it's cool   to be in in the moment to be having the conversation now but to be also progressing accordingly with with you all moving forward we just appreciate the partnership there's a reason why when we were cherry picking our initial lead sponsors that we we started to work with lonar and uh just you know couldn't couldn't tell you couldn't tell you how much we appreciate uh this partnership and and like you looking forward to what's to come in the future here yeah well with that said we could talk forever but we got to wrap it up at some   point so let's do that now Travis and sth thank you so much for giving us so much of your time here being generous how can people reach out with you want to learn more with maybe partnering at a sponsor level investor level and or a uh fund manager level absolutely LinkedIn is always the best place to kind of find me and follow me let me know you you heard me on this show I'd love to connect with you and uh and then you can email me and we'll also have a link on the show notes Here If that's uh if that's uh okay yeah of   course you can check out trib vest.com obviously and then for me you can find me all over any social media platform so feel free to reach out excellent well gentlemen thank you so much for your time today for those listening I hope you enjoyed this informative conversation about how the industry is moving and grooving and Ever Changing uh so we'll see you next week everyone have a great rest of your day peace Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVgT4GMrPPI&t=70s https://www.structuringandraising.com https://www.lscre.com/content/passive… https://www.lscre.com/resource/underw Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Rob Beardsley's Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-beardsley/ https://www.facebook.com/RobBeardsleyLSC/ https://www.lscre.com/team/rob-beardsley https://www.instagram.com/robbeardsley8/ https://www.facebook.com/RobertToddBeardsleyIII/ https://x.com/RobBeardsley3?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.tiktok.com/@robbeardsley3

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast
RTBL 07 | Why Most Capital Raisers Will Get Sued in the Next Crash with Rob Beardsley and Craig McGrouther

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2025 54:13


Title: Why Most Capital Raisers Will Get Sued in the Next Crash with Rob Beardsley and Craig McGrouther Summary: In this episode of “Fund Friday,” hosts discuss the innovative solutions offered by Tribe Vest, a pioneering fund-of-funds startup, which is poised to transform the landscape for emerging fund managers, investors, and capital raisers. Guests Travis Smith and Seth Bradley delve into their personal journeys and the genesis of Tribe Vest, highlighting the advantages of adopting a fund-of-funds model that enhances compliance and increases access for numerous accredited investors. They detail how Tribe Vest supports fund managers through its comprehensive services, allowing them to raise capital efficiently while ensuring legal and financial compliance.   The conversation unfolds various industry challenges faced by fund managers, such as the difficulties in connecting accredited investors with good deals and maintaining compliance in the ever-evolving regulatory environment. Smith and Bradley underscore the essence of Tribe Vest, focusing on its operational efficiency—providing essential support like K-1 tax distribution, capital-raising infrastructure, and investor onboarding—all streamlined with technology.   In conclusion, they not only spotlight the competitive pricing and quick service turnaround of Tribe Vest but also express their commitment to fostering a landscape that democratizes access to high-quality investing opportunities while empowering fund managers. Their vision seeks to break down barriers traditionally faced in private investment, paving the way for a more inclusive investment future. Links to Listen and Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fund-friday-e49-the-cost-effective-way-to-launch-a/id1511202840?i=1000673582673 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tLAtXFe3OrqtCwyc7gfBE Links to Watch and Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVgT4GMrPPI&t=70s Bullet Point Highlights: Tribe Vest revolutionizes the fund-of-funds model for emerging fund managers. The connection of accredited investors to high-quality private investment opportunities is crucial yet challenging. Efficient operational support, including compliance and investor onboarding, sets Tribe Vest apart. The need for compliance amid industry scrutiny has shifted sentiment towards fund-of-funds for risk mitigation. Tribe Vest empowers fund managers by providing an institutional-level infrastructure for capital raises. Cost-effective solutions allow fund managers to focus on relationships rather than administrative burdens. Quick setup times (just five days) streamline the capital-raising process for fund managers. Transcript: welcome back to another episode of fund Friday this is going to be a very nutrient dense jam-packed episode with two amazing people we just had the pleasure of connecting with them once more at our Flagship uh summon event in New York City the gentleman behind tribe vest here a cuttingedge fun to fun group VC backed the whole nine this is going to be such an important episode for all you emerging fund managers you Capital raisers Maybe investors who kind of want to know behind the curtain what's going   on and also just from a structural perspective as to how we've been able to scale our business safely and compliantly but with that said let's give a warm introduction to Travis Smith and Seth Bradley how are you both today good craigg good to see you it's been just a few weeks since we were in New York together which was an awesome event glad to be here yeah well there's been a lot of great updates to the product that tribe is offering since our initial conversation we had so I would almost even argue um for the   better Awards you can maybe even scrap that episode for future purposes don't need to look back because we're going to cover that and then some here today so I'm absolutely elated and thrilled to talk about that so let's get right into it and just to start with for some some context because we're gonna just keep it moving forward here how did Seth and Travis and the team have tried best kind of Forge and kind of come together from you know this Alliance from a business perspective yeah tra you want to kick that off man   sure sure and look you can't scrap that first episode because I think it's the first episode yeah like we're in the record books at this time right yeah so yeah no look uh me finding Seth and Seth Finding Me is a big part of our story no doubt really uh in early 2023 we had built out the infrastructure and the technology uh we' even been challenged by our clients to build out the back office where we do all the distributions cap table management uh k1s taxes and um but I hadn't quite figured out the fun to fun portion of this yet   and uh good story you know met Seth Bradley at a a conference in the British Virgin Islands where we were both speaking at the event uh both of our wives were there and uh they hit it off we hit it off and just had a wonderful wonderful week and weekend and um and that was when Seth kind of really opened my eyes to um this opportunity Seth you know how how do you remember it where where you know how how did it go from there yeah well funny enough my my pitch or my speaking engagement was on fund of funds it was   it was teaching the group about fund of funds what is it how can you how can you go from basically a passive investor and and start a business raising capital and and fund of funds is kind of the the next step and at the same time the industry was was pivoting there was uh you know there were Winds of Change so to speak from the the cgp model and people were starting to really take the fun of funds model more seriously and take a deeper look at it and the timing just couldn't be better as Travis was   taking his company and and trying to make it pivot himself into the the syndicator and the fund and the capital raising market and you know originally there was a cgp type of model that was being uh thrown around and actually had a good bit of success Travis right going into uh earlier that year and you know I I we just got into some deeper discussions about where the market is and where it's going and the market was really going to fund to funds and I said' look Travis if you're going to if you're going to take this business to   the next level get ahead of the game like this is where it's going it's going to fun and fund is kind of getting away from the cgp model so if you're going to build a product around that market really should focus in on fun to funds yeah I mean and I'll just go as well just to to piggyback off that timing is so funny there because I think it was roughly around the summer of 2023 when fun to fun was the biggest buzzword in the industry what is a fun of fund how does it work why is this the most compliant way do I need to do it what is   it how does it structure everything included there so we're going to unpack that all there but it sounds like Travis you might have had an additional comment well I was say it really it truly was right place right time for Seth and I to meet you think about leading up to that it was the becc 2023 and there just all these Rumblings with some some bigger names in our industry that were under an investigation for the CP model and that was really how the industry was working with capital Partners at the time and uh   collectively realized that there's got to be a more compliant better way and there I was with a two-thirds of the solution talking to Seth who rep represented the the last third of the solution so really was right place right time and and uh you know we're we're we're so glad to be partnered together and and solving a big problem Big Challenge yeah well and let's get right into that problem so the the problem of the industry so how can someone like loans start Capital safely compliantly bring dollars into our deals from   outside investors fund managers capital allocators and opportunity so what is the industry problem and what are you guys both solving Seth I I'll hand it over to you I think from a big industry problem I mean there's just the age-old you know you have awesome lead sponsors that are working hard finding great deals private deals out there like Lone Star and and then on the other side there's over 20 million accredited investors that want the benefits of private investing they want the the benefits that come with real estate they   want cash flow they want tax advantages uh you know they they want the appreciation all those things that are Why Real Estate so awesome they want to invest with these lead sponsors in these deals but as as we know unless you're kind of in a country club or in the network it's really hard to access those so that's the big problem the big problem is we have great lead sponsors with great deals and then on the other side we have have awesome accredited uh investors looking for those deals meanwhile they can't find each other and   uh they don't know how to access them and so the the industry as a whole you know a big conduit to solving that is this Capital Partner right the fund manager and Seth I'll turn it over to you kind of again maybe start with how the industry was solving it and what the problem was with that right yeah I mean I think you framed it correctly it's it's access we know these these accredited investors are out there there's Millions U maybe tens of millions out there in the United States that um maybe they know it maybe they   don't but they they might want to invest um they need educated they need access to Deals and on the other side you've got uh lead sponsors you've got fund managers you've got Capital aggregators who want to get access to these folks and we work on that in our business every single day about how do we reach these accredited investors um and then we all have our own little networks of people that we can raise capital from and that we know and that they no like and trust us to be able to place their   Capital with us um you know since the jobs act in 2012 which is um what enabled us to start going out and soliciting and advertising um in the public uh for deals and raising capital in that manner and the the problem is that everything's been great since then up until covid right the real estate market has just been going absolutely through the roof so anybody that decided to jump into the the sector during that time had success I mean you could just you know throw paint in a wall and you're G to have success because the   market just really helped us out a lot like you had to make a lot of mistakes operationally um for things to go wrong right I mean you really did you really did um not to not not Lone Star Lone Star is awesome right you're you're absolutely right no you you you hit the hammer on the nail there for sure yeah and it's uh you know until covid hit and we got that little blip and that was just kind of a you know something that you know came and went um but now you've seen in the last year and a half or so   the market has slowed down um you've seen Capital calls you've seen um you know some SEC um interactions with folks and trying to see if Capital was raised correctly things like that um kind of looking into how the market evolved the market evolved beginning with a cgp model um you know initially the C GP model was thought to be compliant and if it executed properly it is compliant if you have all people in a group that are raising capital for their own deal they're all active participants they're   all General Partners they're all executing the business plan and participating in decision-making all good that's an age-old uh way to do business and it's been done for all the time right like you've got Capital you've got people actively participating and all is good but just like anything else you know us entrepreneurs we like to go around the edges and try to pick and choose like oh well can we do this or can we do this let's push the limits and unfortunately the market kind of changed into this this um this thing   where we push the limits too far and we've had 10 15 20 CPS in an active deal where you know really all they're doing is Raising Capital right like we might try to say on paper that this person's doing that and this person's doing investor relations and this person's doing a little bit of underwriting which all may be true true but at the end of the day if the SEC comes in and says let's take a look at your whole business plan plan with this particular asset in this particular offering and see how you   raise capital and who's doing what and they're going to look under the hood and they're going to be able to figure it out they're they're smart people back there they can figure out what you're doing they can figure out that hey this person raised uh $200,000 and got 2% and this person raised $600,000 and got 6% it's pretty easy to put those pieces together um but like I had mentioned before the market you know kind of went our Direction and there were really happy investors nobody was upset nobody   was suing nobody was asking questions and now since the market has changed you've seen the capital calls you've seen the foreclosures you've seen the investors upset um and now that's what Travis was alluding to earlier is there were certain folks in the industry that were um you know getting interviewed by the SEC I don't think anything ever came of it but it was enough for people to be like look we've still got to raise Capital we've still got to do these deals somehow what other way is there to   do it that's more compliant than this cgp model that the industry has turned to and the answer is fun to funds and it's always been fun to funds you know there's people out there that have preached that for years but it's just a little bit you know more nuanced a little bit more complicated a little bit more expensive so people have stayed away from it yeah so exactly and and thank you so much for painting such a Picasso beautiful picture here pertaining to the why before and why now and kind of the context there because I   think so many people are missing that why y component so you beautifully explained that so but then why is the fun of fund the route to do it in because it's pretty similar right and fun of funds to your point have actually been around for really not going to say forever but for a long period of time so just curious to know you know why fun of fun is this the solution from a client's perspective and and things of that nature yeah and we can and Travis jump in here whenever you want but we can kind of go through um with each   stakeholder why why it's compliant why they love funded funds maybe why they don't you know let's talk about the pluses and the minuses um I think we can start with the lead sponsor I mean for the lead sponsor um to me there's there's really no downside and I'd love for somebody to may maybe making a counterargument to that but to me there there's no downside for the lead sponsor themselves right the people that are actually operating buying executing the business plan by them creating a level of Separation through the fund to funds   model and not uh inviting other folks into their deal to raise Capital they're creating they're creating uh risk mitigation and dissipating liability for themselves right and they don't have to worry about bringing people into their business because it's a totally separate offering that the fund manager is going to be putting out there separate from the actual lead sponsors right and and uh another reason why the lead sponsors love it other than it's compliant creates that separation is it's way more uh efficient   way more efficient when you're working with a capital partner and they're the ones that are pulling the fund to fund they might be bringing in five 10 15 20 investors into their fund to fund well uh they can coordinate that from a sales perspective and then also on the ongoing Administration right it's one line on their uh on their cap table right so instead of getting 15 smaller checks you're getting you're getting one big check and it's just way more efficient and way more safer is is Seth said too yeah and your your listeners   are are very educated but just in case there a few out there that are wondering I mean the the fund of fund itself is just an LLC it's just a a group of investors it's a you know somebody managing that which is the fund manager and that LLC or that partnership however you want to structure it legally is actually just a passive investor for the lead sponsor it's just going to be a big aggregated passive investor for the lead sponsor so I just wanted to clarify that yeah and then let's talk about from so   and there's also been some Evolution I hit on that word to start the conversation but before we were partnering or triest was partnering with this a couple handful of lead sponsors but there's been some Evolution so can we talk about how you guys have maybe handpicked and cherry-picked some of the top you know first and- class sponsors and how it worked kind of before and now the new product lines rolling out and how you know why fund managers are loving it and should even love it more moving forward absolutely yeah great great   question and great points here so you know as you mentioned Craig when we were initially rolling this out uh it made sense for us to to cherry pick and go work with uh the lead sponsors with the best track record the best reputation and we're proud to say that you know Lone Star is one of our earliest lead sponsor partners and um and then since then uh really we had almost a requirement where you had to go through one of our our lead sponsor partners and there's good reason for it we'll we'll come back to   that in a second but since if you're lead sponsor and looking to do this on different deals I'm sorry if you're a fund manager and looking to do a fun to fun on different deals working with different lead sponsors you can absolutely work with tribe best so and you think about the benefits of that right what you're what you're able to do is you can control your own brand right you you get to build your own um your your company you're building a business one deal at a time and from your Investor's perspective instead of them   going to one investor portal and then you know going to another deal that has another investor uh portal they can actually all come to one portal uh as you're using tribe vest so um I want to again just point out that fund managers can now uh absolutely work directly with us they don't need a lead sponsor now I will tell you this think about the benefits though you do get when we are partnered with the lead sponsor and lonar is a perfect example of that right lonar has done the work to say look if   you're a capital raiser you get these marketing resources right you get we we'll we'll put together a you know a deck that you can configure um we've thought through all the economic for you so if you're wondering how to communicate the terms and the returns you know lone Stars gone as far as adding it to their their underwriting spreadsheet so you can play with the numbers calculate it and that's a huge deal right and so all these things that a a lead sponsor partner of ours like lonar does just makes it so so much more   seamless when we do engage with the funder manager right we don't have to go back and kind of figure out well what are the economics and and how are you you know doing uh you know commitments from your investors all those types of things so fund manager can absolutely come and work directly with us it's still way more smooth because we already have the offering docks ready we already have the calculator ready we already have marketing materials right all those things are reasons why by working with   one of our lead sponsor Partners just makes the experience that much better for you and your investors yeah and just a little back and for a lot of people who may not be privy to this but if you are a capital allocator specifically that we're talking about in this situation who is looking to work with the loans or capital or a group similar to us your other sponsors there's just some groups that are just not really built or have the infrastructure in place to really streamline the funto fund process I.E and the underwriting   model IE it already been kind of baked in there we've done this before some groups are kind of in Old way of doing things maybe they only do a couple deals a year that's totally fine I'm not saying that's a bad thing but they might have to create a funto fund breakdown economics setup for the double waterfall there where everyone gets paid out the investors get their returns that should be you know similar to what our investors get and then the fund manager needs to figure out his compensation for   his basically part in the opportunity so we have that baked in and we've done this now enough times to know how this is going to look and actually as a matter of fact to go through that process even one step further before we even go to public or live with the opportunity to even start the capital raising those numbers are ironed out those numbers are in place you know what's going on it's not a scramble drill amongst everything else to get your partners going so on and so forth when you do partner and work with us   which is a key benefit to do and solve for one of the most important uh places in the capital raising you know equation which is speed and time so we kind of shrink that time Gap versus other groups when do that or the other people that you work with which is highly crucial there are a lot more groups now that are tailored to the fund of fund but not every group is um so that's the exciting thing and then going back to now being partnered with a fund manager at at the fund manager level as much that's   amazing for a multitude of things number one if you're a capital allocator fund manager we don't see who your investors are because as Travis alluded to it's one check going into our opportunity so you get the shield and Sheltering in that perspective in that equation there so that's number one number two is we're not going to create the other big problem in the business I would say which is Portal fatigue so it's not a big issue it's not the endl be all but you know if you're let's say a alt uh a   big alternative investor guy right guy or gal person what's GNA end up happening let's say if you've got five to 10 sponsors you're probably going to have you know a bunch of different portals to go into but if you work with a couple of capital raisers who only use triest as your back office well that's immensely beneficial because you can just keep your accounts there so I just want to really highlight those two things and if you want to expand on that further please feel free to do so yeah I mean I'll jump in for sure I   mean you know I've got to mention again compliance right like think about you know the fun to fun model where the fund manager is going to create their own business they're going to create their own entity that they're going to manage um that going to administrate and they're going to operate so by doing so yes there are more responsibilities you are running your own business you are taking accountability for you and your investors and your business but uh on the flip side of that is hey the old CP   model you're getting into bed with all these other CPS that you don't even know I mean you may they may be an acquaintance off of social media or you might not even know who they are at all let alone the lead sponsor so if one of those folks does something wrong you guys are all in the same boat like you're not just taking care of yourself but you've got to worry about all the other people that you're in business with and if they do something wrong they're going to put your investment and your past investors um in a bad   situation and let's get to the next idea which is some of the problems that some people have experienced with a fun of fund that I think you guys are really really Cutting Edge on to solve for them so let's just talk about maybe a couple of the problems which I think is you know the expense I think there's a lot of misnomers about how expensive it can be um and also what you kind of solve for it how you bundle and Pat package it together because if you're the typical person that's going to be very expensive   but that's why we love you guys uh the administration burden and then also time so let's T let's just kind of break down those problems there how you see fit accordingly and uh we'll let you take it away again SE I'll let you jump in because you were saying you were just at a conference in uh think that uh maybe rais Masters conference in in San Diego and you the conversations you were having with fund managers once they kind of fully understood what we did and how we did it it really kind of uh popped   for them so anyway I thought since that was fresh i' I'd ask you to to talk about it yeah I think people that have any kind of experience uh raising Capital under when they hear about all the things that we do and for the amount of money that we do it for they are absolutely blown away I think the problem that comes up is that it's a misunderstanding of what we do and what we are so a lot of folks that don't understand will put us in a category of just being an investor portal they'll be like hey triest is like cash flow portal   or like syndication Pro or invest next or one of those and they just kind of lump Us in with them and we're like that's the smallest thing that we do the smallest thing that we do is the investor portal that's that's one of the services that we provide but we provide everything Soup To Nuts I mean from start to finish I mean it includes everything that you could possibly imagine I mean from getting your EI and letter to setting up your LLC to opening your business banking account to doing your legal documents and setting those   up for signatures for your investors and actually onboarding your investors or hurting the cats I was going to say you actually get a account manager to help you on board your investors professionally and uh yeah you mentioned hurting cats that's maybe one of the things that we're the best in the world at is helping hurt cats yeah I think that's something definitely gets so much fun Craig knows about it all too well yeah lot a lot of work lot of uh reaching out to investors lot of questions on hey where how how do we   fill out these form fields on these subscription documents right like where do we sign how do we fill this out what does this mean those things those they they take time they take effort um it's an administrative burden for you and your company and we take that off your hands and then we also Badger the passive investors till they actually send the wire right like a lot of times they get cold feet and you know we prompt them to to send the wire and actually finish their investment all the things that investor relations manager   might do we handle that now there's there's some teamwork involved as well because they're your passive investors but um you know we do the heavy lifting on on that side and then even on the back end we are managing your cap table so we're setting that up for you on our dashboard and actually making distributions to your passive investors now you can log on to your dashboard if you want to and send them out manually when you want how you want and what amounts but if you want us to just take those over pursuant to the terms of your   offering documents we'll handle that as well it's amazing and and the and the taxes yeah I think Craig tax can't forget the taxes yeah the taxes k1s again one K1 comes in from Lone Star uh we we of course at our core the banking and the cap table so we have the ownership percentage makes it easy for us to and our CPAs to create that K1 for each one of the members we distribute it they find it right in their uh document Management on their dashboard and uh literally two days after After we receive the K1 your   investors have the K1 so think about that and I know everybody's going through tax season here yesterday was kind of a a big day uh but it it's um it's a it's amazing that it really speaks to the technology that we have that we can receive the K1 on behalf of the the deal and then create those k1s in two days and distribute them to to the members I was just going to make one last Point Craig you know I think if you think about what we do if you think about an Institutional level group or fund so I think the way   fund managers can think about what we do is we really bring this institutional level uh setup legal Administration so think about a family office all the organization all the administration everything they need to have in place to operate well we bring that down to the individual level so you can have that institutional level Administration and setup as a you know a oneman business and therefore you can you can really build a business and a brand here's the thing one deal at a time you don't have   to go invest tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars you can do this one deal at a time because try best is in the business of of helping you uh launch a capital raising business efficiently amazing so let's get into the next two components which is expense and time so let's talk about time and then we'll bring it home for the the of course the the elephant in the room which is what is this going to cost me so let's get into the time factor and how long it takes to set everything up from Soup To Nuts from Hey I want to   work with the deal to you know funding and things of that nature Seth you want yeah yeah I'll jump in um timing wise you know we are industry leading in that in that as soon as you give us the basic information that you that we need for your fund of fund so you know just simple stuff like what do you want to call your LLC what do you want your preferred return to be what do you want your profit split to be those those things that you're going to make some decisions on as soon as you get those items to us which is in a simple   form that we provide that you fill out and we walk you through that as well we can have your business banking account and your LLC set up in two days and we'll have you ready to raise Capital meaning we're going to have your legal setup we're gonna have your business bank account open all those things done within five business days so that's why you know it's we should emphasize what Travis said there that it's a deal based decision I mean you can come to us with a deal that's already that's already   under contract that that maybe the lead sponsor is already raising for and say hey look I want to raise for this deal but I've only got a few weeks to go that that's plenty of time for us to to jump into action so it's really tough to do that with let's say you know if you came to me and I have my security attorney hat on i' would be like there's there's no way we we've got to get this going weeks before that like you've got to give us some setup time um with triest we've we've got it streamlined   and efficient to the point where five business days you're raising Capital that's incredible and that's just really a big X Factor that should make everyone feel comfortable with the process because you know there's situations just like go out a sponsor level here where hey a capital raiser might have not been able to get an allocation to deal because of the commitments were there and guess what someone Falls up short well now as you know as a sponsor whatever dollar is not coming in you got to make up for that so it's kind of a a   moving moving Target a kind of moving goal post in many respects so it's very nice that five days you're in you're out you're ready to go to the next that is awesome and then the next thought I have there is a capital allocator maybe you were late you're on vacation and there's this great deal that maybe your inbox is flooded and then one they you know peaked your interest and you could get the space into it well hey the deal could be live but you could have a five-day window to get your turntable   going to raise Capital safely and compliantly um in within this structure and infrastructure yeah great great points again I'll just come back to the benefits of working with some of our our lead sponsor partners like Lone Star so you heard Seth say hey as soon as you have all these things in order and you push the tri the tribit button we spring into action and you're ready to go right well you do need to have certain things figured out before you hit that tribit button and again the nice thing of   working with a a group like lonar amongst many other reasons is they have really ironed out the program the fun to fun program so if you're coming through them you already have those things figured out you hand them we get handed off or you get handed off to us and we're you're pushing that button and in five days you're ready to do onboard investors it's incredible that's amazing now the final thing what people have been waiting for what does this cost cuz you have to think for the amazing benefits   and the amazing opportunity you get to raise in this time and environment this has to cost a fortune maybe there's a massive upfront cost you know I'm not going to get into names but some groups charge an arm and a leg to get things set up if you want to do the more Boutique bespoke route where you're doing everything yourself without a name brand in a sense of the the setup you've got to go through the painstaking process of finding a Seth and a Travis and a this and a that to get all your documents ready to go however it's   pretty cost efficient and effective here so let's get into that I'll let Travis speak to our pricing at trivest but I do want to frame it with this when I worked in big law and you know massive Law Firm thousands of attorneys you would come to our law firm and want to put a fund of fund together or you know maybe even a more sophisticated fund but our prices started at $75,000 I think a lot of people out there in the industry are used to seeing kind of oh yeah maybe it costs like $115,000 maybe it cost $12,000 $225,000   on the top end when you get into the big leagues $75,000 to start and that's just your first drafts of your offering documents and then maybe one round of revisions and then we start charging you $1,000 doll plus an hour um to get across the finish line and that is just the legal by itself and guess what you may get there and then some could change a Nuance could happen and guess what you got to start it all over again and make further res revisions and have more billable hours to your incredible   attorney like s uh these people make a lot of money okay so this is a incredible opportunity to be in a very nice spot here where it might be cheaper and to your point there about that dollar fee I'm hearing 25 Grand from certain Services I'm hearing 75k 50k to make it do it yourself and for some people that's great that's fine that fits into their budget but for I would say the most people that are doing this that probably makes it to a point where you're paying to raise capital and that's what we're looking to avoid and   solve with try this so with that said Travis lead us away absolutely no what a great discussion and I teased Seth all all the time about his his industry it is it is it's the establishment right so we're disrupting The Establishment no doubt about it and uh so we just talked about what it would cost kind of going the more traditional routes well we're able to do everything that we just shared with you the setup the legal offering do uh the banking the uh helping of the onboarding setting up the cap table you   know doing the servicing of the filing for you all that for $5,000 so literally say that one more time please $5,000 yes only $5,000 and here's the other thing right when we talk about having the economics of the fun to fund set up and again getting back to the benefits of working with loone star is they've they've figured out the terms and uh even added in all the expenses of tribe vest right so that $5,000 is actually included in those in the economics so it's you don't have to kind of add on additional uh cost it's all in   there right and and you can do that with tri best because it's contained there's there's no creep of cost right and and I think it's also important to call out how we're able to do this is we have made a very firm box of what we're doing of course we've we've tailored it to these deals like to these deals so everything's in there that you need including the compliance includ you know everything we just talked about um but that's how we're able to do that this at scale and TurnKey and done for for you   so it's $5,000 to set up now we could also talk about what's it cost to administer this over five five years six years right most of these business plans are five years before they're exiting you know working with an administrator an Administration uh you know administrator you're talking about $155,000 a year well with tri best it's $2,000 a year remember we're doing all your uh distributions for you your cap table management that includes your k1s your taxes so you know anybody that's done this before they're like   it's more than $2,000 just to do the taxes every year right never mind you get the portal your investors have a a dashboard to see all their Investments and and set up their payout accounts and they get to see when their distributions are how many distributions they've had that's all there and and the distribution so anyway it's you know I think about we we mentioned right right place right time Craig and we've talked about all those things that kind of lined up for us but the industry has been trying to   figure this out and we just like to think that we're a small part of it we're that technology that kind of was the major unlock that kind of opened up the floodgates if you will and um and now our job is to go out there and tell people that this exists like this tool in technology is available for you and you should build a business on it yeah I want to make some other kind of comments and points there so you hear right there so just to summarize that it's $5,000 takes five days and it's you know   roughly $2,000 maybe a little bit more depending on the number of investors you have in the opportunity but all that's fine and dandy but if the product wasn't good that is where the problem is and it's sucks and I mean it sucks to spend money for something to not work well and people's experience that we've worked with have really liked the infrastructure of the product what it solves for because I think I'm someone personally that I am not afraid to spend a dollar I'm very good at spending money   but I like to spend money in areas where it's actually worth the money and I've had very good reviews here from people who have of course used the product so I just want to share that right there and that's kind of been some of the burden with some of the other products out there as well you spend a lot of money for the technology to not be great I mean Travis has a background with tech so inherently having that there to have the infrastructure be supported by a good product is the difference between   coming back and not coming back so I just want to tip the cap there to make it not only a good product but also have people come back to it but um it being cost efficient and effective as well and then the other time factor that I want to speak on is more from a sales perspective being someone that's been in sales by basically my entire career since I was 21 um almost a decade of sales in real estate specifically the last thing that I want to worry about and think about and do is uh had there be a burden of having you know to go   through Administration stuff talking to an attorney doing this doing that doing everything that's not shaking hands and legitimately moving the conversation forward and funding dollars into the account and what tribe best solves for is a cost- effective route with good technology and done quickly where you don't have to think about any admin stuff I want to connect with people I want to talk with people I want to grow the relationships and raise the capital I do not want to deal with in the your   view and the peripheral stuff and I'm sure you guys can appreciate that sentiment and also I've had people say similar things as well it means a ton to hear you say that of course that's we're building our business on fund managers coming back and building their business on our platform so um you know it's funny as as the founder and you know always improving and growing uh the the the the business and our solution We're Never Satisfied and um we always think we're disappointing in terms of the experience   or and we can be doing this better and we can right and we will but when we get feedback and we we do net promoter scores and get the feedback back from the fund managers and we get you know seven plus you know would you recommend this to friends and family and would you come back and that's just a super high rating if anybody's familiar with it and um and we're we're we're proud of that but we are just getting started I mean we are just getting started so I think we nailed the fact that we bring a ton   of value you know you're getting a good value uh but now we're going to really wow you and your investors that's our goal and uh we're going to keep pushing yeah so let's talk into maybe just the mission as the why you know why you guys are so passionate about this and want to create this product because you both are really smart guys you're very successful prior to this endeavor and Venture so you know why is this your mission and in your day to-day right now because you have the option of working so and doing   really what you want to do so let's talk about that maybe man that's Travis that's you again buddy you're the you're the big picture guy bring it oh man no look I think Seth and I this is personal for both of us right um my brothers and I wanted to get into real estate we didn't come from a real estate family you didn't get it you know that education in in school and we did what you know we've been doing since the beginning which is you know you come together with your tribe when you need to figure something out and that's what   we did and we we we started a a a tribe pulled our capital and started investing together and it changed our lives and it changed the trajectory of our of our family's Financial lives and um and that's why we're doing it um you know by doing this the fund managers right they're they're the they're the heroes in this movie the fund managers are the heroes in this movie that's how millions of investors are going to get access to these deals like the wealthy right we all know why we love real estate it it's   it appreciates it cash flow there's tax advantages you you name it there's a reason why the wealthy invest in these private deals these private real estate deals well most people don't have access to it the conduit to getting into those deals are you are the fund managers are those Capital raisers we're just happy that we're providing a tool for them that makes it easy that makes it easy but as you can tell we're passionate about it Seth I mean he he was a capital Riser right Seth's done a lot he's an   entrepreneur but he knows how hard it is to be a capital Riser and uh maybe you could talk a little bit about what what's motivating you s yeah I mean just quickly you know I took the the Bigger Pockets route so to speak you know read Rich Dad Poor Dad startlist to the Bigger Pockets podcast did a house hacked into a duplex and then started buying single family properties fixing flips and then started investing you're a grinder grinder just level by level by level right um started investing passively in deals when I   became a little bit more sophisticated um and then I was like okay now what now I want to be on the active side and at that point I really wanted to switch over to not practicing law whatsoever I was like screw this I'm leaving Big law I'm not doing this anymore I'm only going to invest in real estate um but then kind of along the the Journey of becoming an active investor and a syndicator and capital Riser I realized that my highest and best use is actually still as a Securities attorney and I'm   pretty good at it so I've kind of integrated that into my real estate business and and use that to um uh join join triest which is at the Forefront of I think perfect timing in this industry right like real estate and legal are two industries that just move extremely slow they're dinosaurs they don't want change and they're resistant to any kind of change right so we've got to as entrepreneurs even if we're fund managers or passive investors that are looking to um diversify our assets or lead sponsors we're the ones that have   to propel this forward and say hey we've got technology now behind us we've got all these different tools and ways to do things we need to take advantage of that and at Tri bestest we're building that so like what we are today is going to be completely different than what we are in q1 2025 and Beyond we are we are constantly building taking in feedback from all of our stakeholders and and and looking to take over the market I love it well then let's just real quickly go back into this we've kind of touched on   it but maybe just more specifically how you do work with everyone from lead sponsors fund managers and I know you're obviously always going to conferences and masterminds you're very accessible in many respects but let's just get into you know how you work with everyone once more just to maybe spoon feed everyone a little bit more information yeah absolutely so the lead sponsor uh we help them form their funto fun program right and that's a huge Advantage for them uh that they can offer a turnkey   funto fund program to their Capital Partners their their Capital raisers their fund managers and we'll we'll actually sit down and talk about all the things that you need to do for that to be successful you know how are you going to work with the fund manager um economics we talked about that you got to build in the fun to fun economics into your underwriting you know uh how are you how are you going to give them access to the marketing tools those types of things and really the the blueprint is is um you know is Lone Star   so lone Stars uh leading the way as they do in most things out there and have built just an awesome fun to fun program and that's why so many fun to fun managers are working with them but um you know that's how we work with the the uh the lead sponsors and we talked about all the benefits of that cool and then go ahead Seth on the are any questions there Craig no I think that that was really well said um kind of building out the blueprint that many people don't have and just how it works and pertains   to us if you are a capital allocator you kind of have understanding of the deal functions and then there's a additional level there of of underwriting materials so you can raise Capital so you understand the ever important what's in it for me conversation you can assess your opportunity cost between us and other sponsor if you're looking at other deals and whatnot I'll tell you this right now I'll say it again and again again we under promise and overd deliver that's kind of the the Mantra that we   try to have here like everything we're probably never going to show you the highest Returns on projections um we like to beat our deals up as much as possible prior to going live because it doesn't serve us nor you the investors to see what the best case scenario is um we try to make it as modest as possible with our assumptions so you know we have our infrastructure for what the deal looks like from an underwriting perspective what your theoretical compensation could look like so these are things are just very important to   think about uh we want basically everyone to be at parody what do I mean by that well if you're a capital raiser looking to raise for our deals we want your investor returns and our investor returns to look very similar they're going to vary ever so slightly because there's a slight drag you know for the fees Associated to the deal what do I mean by that well there's the administration fees that could be about $2,000 so sometimes that by comes by way of affecting the cash on cash return minuscule from a couple you know basis   points I would say roughly about the what looks like but you'll make it on the back end for the lift and raise of the deal there when the deal goes to sell so it's never going to be 100% similar because there are some you know technical nuances there but it is to be fair to everyone there and then you'll be getting you know a nice return on the deal that you raise for as well should there be profit split um above the preferred return so I just think that's a really important thing to hit on as to   how that fundamentally works now let's get into Seth with you over there on fund managers yeah fund managers we kind of touched on it already but you know we' we've changed our business so we're ready to work with fund managers directly um you know you can reach out to us and have an exploratory call if you want but really when you have a deal or you have a lead sponsor that you're ready to to work with that's really when we can spring into action um make that introduction reach out to us make the   introduction to the lead sponsor we can start going to work and again we can have you uh once we have the the information and and the things that we need from all the stakeholders we can have you up and running in five days and you know I'll just go ahead and talk about the passive investors too because they are really important maybe the most important I know a lot of those folks are are listening right now and just know that that's on our that's always on our road map to make the passive investors happy to make that user   experience awesome and streamlined and um you know just just an awesome experience for that passive investor because ultimately that's who we're serving we're trying to reach the passive investors let them get their money moving and so they can uh create multiple streams of income and we want to make that experience awesome for them because if they're happy then the fund managers are happy and the lead sponsors are happy too yeah there's two things that this show is about it's about the for this particular episode two things   it is the fund manager to be safely raising money in an everchanging business business and it is all about at the end of the day the investor the investor is the straw that stirs the drink they are the king of the beach so to speak they're the ones that this is all about for us to be able to give people who may not know that they can invest in those beautiful commercial real estate buildings that we drive by all the time you know it's sad to think that you know that's not in the hands of Main Street so to speak you know a   $50,000 investment gives you access uh to that product type now I'm not saying that's where every dollar should be you should have money probably in the stock market maybe you should have some money in your primary residence maybe you don't believe that mattra but you should have also some money in these institutional grade ACC or assets and that's what we're delivering here and it's so fun to be in a conversation with you both because you guys really are creating and are the future so it's cool   to be in in the moment to be having the conversation now but to be also progressing accordingly with with you all moving forward we just appreciate the partnership there's a reason why when we were cherry picking our initial lead sponsors that we we started to work with lonar and uh just you know couldn't couldn't tell you couldn't tell you how much we appreciate uh this partnership and and like you looking forward to what's to come in the future here yeah well with that said we could talk forever but we got to wrap it up at some   point so let's do that now Travis and sth thank you so much for giving us so much of your time here being generous how can people reach out with you want to learn more with maybe partnering at a sponsor level investor level and or a uh fund manager level absolutely LinkedIn is always the best place to kind of find me and follow me let me know you you heard me on this show I'd love to connect with you and uh and then you can email me and we'll also have a link on the show notes Here If that's uh if that's uh okay yeah of   course you can check out trib vest.com obviously and then for me you can find me all over any social media platform so feel free to reach out excellent well gentlemen thank you so much for your time today for those listening I hope you enjoyed this informative conversation about how the industry is moving and grooving and Ever Changing uh so we'll see you next week everyone have a great rest of your day peace Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVgT4GMrPPI&t=70s https://www.structuringandraising.com https://www.lscre.com/content/passive… https://www.lscre.com/resource/underw Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Rob Beardsley's Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-beardsley/ https://www.facebook.com/RobBeardsleyLSC/ https://www.lscre.com/team/rob-beardsley https://www.instagram.com/robbeardsley8/ https://www.facebook.com/RobertToddBeardsleyIII/ https://x.com/RobBeardsley3?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.tiktok.com/@robbeardsley3

International report
Turkey and Italy boost cooperation in bid to shape Libya's political future

International report

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2025 7:00


Turkey and Italy are working more closely on migration, energy and regional influence as they seek to shape Libya's political future. Both see the North African country as a key shared interest and are moving to consolidate their positions in the conflict-torn but energy-rich eastern Mediterranean. Earlier this month, the leaders of Italy, Turkey and Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) met in a tripartite summit – the latest sign of growing cooperation between the three Mediterranean nations. “Turkey and Italy have both differing interests, but interests in Libya,” explains international relations professor Huseyin Bagcı of Ankara's Middle East Technical University. “Particularly, the migration issue and illegal human trafficking are big problems for Italy, and most of the people are coming from there [Libya], so they try to prevent the flow of migrants. "But for Turkey, it's more economic. And Libya is very much interested in keeping the relations with both countries.” Turkey and Italy consider teaming up to seek new influence in Africa Migration, legitimacy concerns Turkey is the main backer of Libya's GNA and still provides military assistance, which was decisive in defeating the rival eastern-based forces led by strongman Khalifa Haftar. An uneasy ceasefire holds between the two sides. Libya security analyst Aya Burweilla said Turkey is seeking Italy's support to legitimise the Tripoli government, as questions grow over its democratic record. “What it means for the Tripoli regime is very positive. This is a regime that has dodged elections for years," she says. "Their job was to have democratic elections, and one of their ways to make sure they stay in power was to get foreign sponsors, like Turkey... Now, with this rubber stamp from Meloni in Italy, they can keep the status quo going at the expense of Libyans.” Years of civil war and political chaos have turned Libya into a major hub for people smugglers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, elected on a pledge to curb irregular migration, sees stability in Libya as key to that goal. “The migration issue has become very, very urgent in general for Europe, but of course for Italy too,” says Alessia Chiriatti of the Institute of International Affairs, a think tank in Rome. Trump and Erdogan grow closer as cooperation on Syria deepens Mediterranean ambitions Chiriatti said Meloni's partnership with Turkey in Libya also reflects broader foreign policy goals. “There is another dimension – I think it's directly related to the fact that Italy and Meloni's government want to play a different role in foreign policy in the Mediterranean space," she says. "Italy is starting to see Africa as a possible partner to invest in … But what is important is that Italy is starting to see itself as a new player, both in the Mediterranean space and in Africa, so in this sense, it could have important cooperation with Turkey.” She points out that both Italy and Turkey share a colonial past in Libya. That legacy, combined with the lure of Libya's vast energy reserves, continues to shape their diplomacy. Ending the split between Libya's rival governments is seen as vital for stability. Moscow's reduced military support for Haftar, as it focuses on its war in Ukraine, is viewed in Ankara as an opening. “Russia is nearly out, and what remains are Turkey and Italy,” says Bagcı. He added that Ankara is making overtures to the eastern authorities through Haftar's son Saddam, a senior figure in the Libyan military. “The son of Haftar is coming very often to Ankara, making talks. It's an indication of potential changes... But how the deal will look like I don't know, we will see later. But it's an indication of potential cooperation, definitely.” Turkey steps into EU defence plans as bloc eyes independence from US Shifting alliances Libya was discussed when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday. Sisi backs Haftar's eastern government. Libya had been a source of tension between Turkey and Egypt, but with relations thawing, both say they will work together on the country's future. Turkey's position in Libya is strengthening, says Burweilla. “Saddam is pro-Turkey – there is a huge difference between son and father – and the younger generation is pro-Turkey,” she says. Such support, Burweilla said, stems from Ankara allowing Libyans to seek sanctuary in Turkey from fighting in 2011, when NATO forces led by France and the United Kingdom militarily intervened against Muammar Gaddafi's regime. “I think the Europeans underestimated the political capital that gave Turkey. Turkey is winning the game in Libya,” Burweilla says. She adds that Ankara's rising influence is also due to a shift in tactics towards the east. “What they [Ankara] realised was that you can't conquer the east of Libya by force; they tried and they failed. And the Turkish regime is very much motivated by business... They don't care about anything else, and they've realised they want to make a business," Burweilla says. They've reached out more to the east, and the east, in turn, has realised that if they don't want to be attacked by Turkey and its mercenaries, they need to make peace with Turkey as well.”

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast
RTBL 03 | Why the W-2 Grind Will Never Make You Wealthy with Jamie Bateman

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2025 51:40


Title: Why the W-2 Grind Will Never Make You Wealthy with Jamie Bateman Summary In this engaging podcast episode, Jamie shares his journey from being a competitive athlete and military officer to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the field of real estate and mortgage note investing. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, teamwork, and taking ownership of one's financial situation in achieving success. Jamie discusses his transition from a W2 job to entrepreneurship, highlighting how he leveraged his experiences and strengths to build multiple streams of income. He shares insights about his current business model centered around mortgage note investing, explaining the differences between performing and non-performing notes, and elucidates the challenges and opportunities present in this field. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of long-term planning and learning continuously, making the case that discipline ultimately leads to freedom and flexibility in life. Links to Listen and Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-military-officer-to-mortgage-note-master-one-mans/id1618672867?i=1000643495099 Links to Watch and Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nU0TtMAFc Bullet Point Highlights: Athlete to Entrepreneur: Jamie shares how his background in competitive sports instilled a sense of discipline and teamwork. Financial Ownership: Jamie discusses the importance of taking ownership of your financial situation and actively seeking improvement. W2 Quitter: The transition from a stable government job to entrepreneurship reflects Jamie's journey of self-discovery and ambition. Mortgage Note Investing: Jamie provides insights into both performing and non-performing notes, illustrating how to generate passive income through debt investing. Value of Networking: He emphasizes the necessity of building a strong network for finding investment opportunities in mortgage notes. Continuous Learning: Jamie advocates for lifelong learning, suggesting that successful people always seek new knowledge and skills. Long-Term Vision: He stresses the importance of setting long-term goals and reverse planning to maintain focus on achieving one's aspirations. Transcript: Jamie what's going on brother welcome to the show thanks Seth this is this is awesome um I'm excited to be here and I'm hoping to add some value absolutely man third time's a charm we've been trying to get this scheduled after I was on your show which was fantastic had a really good time uh on that show and I think it turned out pretty good so I know we're gonna absolutely we're gonna deliver on this one as well yeah we're GNA try to try to I'll try to do as good a job as you did so yeah that was that   was uh yeah no I that was a very very good episode from adversity to abundance I would highly recommend your your listeners check that one out to your episode on that show so thanks for thanks for doing that absolutely man you're an incredible interviewer I've I've that's the only uh I've been on dozens of podcasts and you know you pulled out a lot of things for me that I've I've never talked about on the air so it's pretty pretty awesome pretty awesome show man appreciate that cool man well let's just jump right into your   background man what's your story um take it back as far as you'd like to brother yeah um man uh I'd like to think that life has phases so I've had a few different phases in in my life um you I come from a a large uh family I'm I'm the oldest of seven kids and we always had a competitive uh background as far as team sports and things like that so um I played lacrosse in college that was always a foundational piece of of uh my life and just kind of I think from there learned how to be a part of something   bigger than myself and how to work toward a common goal with a with a team so that's been something that's been a a kind of a thread through my life and then um got married and uh joined the military and um actually joined the military technically before I got married but seemed like I got married and then ran off and and uh ran away from my wife but it's not exactly what happened but uh joined the military was an officer in the in the US Army did I did miss my first three wedding anniversaries through deployment and   things like that um and again it was a matter of trying to be plugged into something you know to serve and be a part of something bigger than myself and trying to trying to add value like I think we all we all want to do um I've obviously glossed over a lot of lot of details but those were uh a couple of inflection points I guess if you will um like you like to talk about I know um and so my military career transitioned into uh a a career with the Department of Defense as a civilian and um did 14   years as a civilian with DOD at Fort me and the first half so the first seven for all you math whizzes out there uh was full-time and then the second half the second seven years was part-time and that seven years is when I was really building my businesses which are largely um real estate investing and mortgage node investing Focus so we can get into the details there and then in 2022 I ended up quitting my job and and um now I have a few different small businesses that I run and like you Seth I've got a got a   lot of different things that I'm juggling and uh you know so but yeah I love talking about taking ownership of of your financial situation and taking ownership of your your life really and um I know that you and I have that comment so yeah that's a that's a high level overview of my background awesome man I appreciate that that there's a lot to unpack there you know going back to you know playing sports all the way up to the Collegiate level that's incredible I always like to to think even playing like poporn or football   back in the day you need a way to instill discipline in yourself and I I that's kind of the the oldest memory I can think of where it was hard right like it was like you've got a coach screaming at you like back in the day it's like you know they wouldn't give you water unless you like you know for like an hour which I don't think they do that anymore now but you know you had to earn that drink of water and and all those sorts of things but you you really learned what it's like to to work hard and you really learned what discipline   was all about and I would say that and you can you can expand on this but yeah I would say that you know being in the military yourself that takes it to a whole new level right it's like you you you got that from Sports you got that from the military yeah definitely I mean obviously they're very different in a lot of ways but that is certainly a common theme is is being disciplined and um and people people shy away from that word um because it just sounds like work or or no fun and no flexibility but I found that having   discipline in your life ends up adding more freedom in a sense um because you kind of have your foundational pieces set in stone you don't have to think about those and so um yeah regarding team sports it's it's really a matter of um you know everyone doing their part right and so there's a level of individual discipline and um and then just and then also just kind of putting the putting the group ahead of yourself um obviously the you know you want individual there's nothing wrong with individual accolades and I I was   certainly uh chasing you know those individual accolades it's not something I shied away from I was you know I definitely was wrapped up in trying to be an All-American and um that kind of thing and and did get that a couple of times you know but it at the end of the day nobody really cares about that and um the way I viewed it was if I was doing my part and I got those you know if I was scoring goals in Lacrosse as an example that means I'm contributing to you know to the team right and so there's obviously a fine   line there but of going too far either way um but yeah that discipline is critical you know even C I played at a high level in college and and there was year round you're training you're you're uh you're into it it was a division three school but it but the reality was we worked just as hard as any any D1 program and um yeah it's it's a these are skills that have paid off and are absolutely transferable to the rest of of life for sure yeah I think you've got to get those those intangible things you've got to develop   them somewhere along the way whatever whatever that is if that's Sports the military or you know from your parents I mean you can get it from different places but you definitely need it I mean you know we're in different stages of our life at this point we're talking about a lot we like talk about freedom and flexibility and fun um to try to get away from kind of the W2 uh mindset but in order to achieve Freedom flexibility and fun in a successful way you had you have to be disciplined to be able to get   there you you had to have done something successfully to be able to get there or maybe what separates you from you know the guy living in a van down by the river right like that guy that guy has Freedom flexibility um I don't know about fun maybe fun but yeah but you know it's it's a different obviously it's a it's a different outcome yeah and I I I still I think I still need you know I still use a lot of discipline today it's still still required but it's I guess I guess it's self-imposed and um you know I just love   love having that flexibility and that freedom um that comes along with being an entrepreneur so yeah it's been a central piece to my success for sure um but I I I still I don't think it ever you know goes away I just get to pick and choose what you know what discipline I want to kind of enforce on myself I guess um so yeah absolutely and and and as you said I the military was a huge part of that for me as well I mean that's a different kind of different kind of discipline and different kind of teamwork and different you know if you   lose a lacrosse game okay you lost the lacrosse game but military the stakes are a little higher um so maybe certain things are more important attention to detail are crit is critical and um but at the end of the day it's yeah it's that the same principles apply across both I I guess sectors if you will for sure for sure so let's dive into that that transition you started working kind of part-time there for seven years so that seems like a transitional period how are you able to progress from you   know that W2 and what what I've heard you say is call yourself a W2 quitter and I love that um you know how were you able to progress from a W2 person to a W2 quitter what enabled you to do that and what that transition looked like I mean you know I do remember in 2015 probably a little bit maybe maybe say 2014 but I just you get you know I had a wife and two kids and I had the commute the long commute that I I know a lot of people can identify with so um it it just was Groundhog Day it was the same   thing over and over and over and that's not me sitting here complaining about my family or having a having the opportunity to work um but after a while it gets old let's just be real right so it's like you're sitting in traffic and I just you start looking at you know I was I worked for the government and you look around you say who okay who's sort of ahead of me on this like you like I I think you probably mentioned on our on your your show on my my show your episode um you look around to the people   who are more kind of Al further along the path than you you say do you want to be that person is that the life you want and man I did not want that and um it just just having that just super long-term just you know the pot at the end of the rainbow I guess uh nothing driving me in the in the interum man it was it was just it was brutal so I probably did a little woes me for a little bit there a little victim mentality for a bit but then you start to realize like okay if you don't take ownership of your own life no one's   going to right so no one's going to come in and do this for you so I'm not sure what truly you know created the change in my mindset but my mindset absolutely started to change and I just made a shift and I and I stopped watching cable news I stopped uh just you know stopped paying attention to all the things that I can't control and I couldn't control back then and and started saying no what do I have what are my strengths who is in my who's back to the team thing who's on my team who's you know who's in my   network that I can add value to and who can add value to me so I started looking around and um you know my father was a realtor for many years my brother was a loan officer I we had uh one rental property at the time and so and IID worked at a I didn't mention I worked at a title company and I worked for a mortgage broker before as well briefly so I had this experience that a lot of people don't have and that's you know that that doesn't mean I'm better than anyone it just means these are my strengths so let's point to that and   let's use that so I started really being intentional about focusing on my strengths and my assets that I had in my life right and then another asset that I used to see as a liability was the time in the car so I started listening to podcasts oh you know and and then it turned into wait I don't even want to go into work yet because this this podcast episode is amazing and I'm learning so much you know Bigger Pockets and all the other real estate podcasts and different investing podcasts and um started using   that mental bandwidth instead of focusing on National media stories that I have zero influence over uh here's something that I can actually take action on and so um in mid 2015 uh I I I went part-time and and just so happens that at uh DOD it's one of the few agencies in the in the federal government where you can go part-time and still keep your benefits so I still had health insurance for my family you know most people don't have that option necessarily but oh oh well I did so that's what I did and and um you   know that's uh again decided decided to start building my my other streams of income outside of my W2 um had my circumstances been different if I was single I probably would have just quit the whole thing right but I was able to have that kind of laded approach I guess or tiered approach to kind of ripping off the Band-Aid yeah yeah no that that that's awesome I love just the idea of of taking ownership of your your life right like everybody has those moments where they're feeling sorry fors um but but the successful people they   don't sit there and stay in that that mindset they they move on they you're going to be there sometimes but you've got to get out of and you got to say okay what what can I control what can I change and you don't say you don't give other people the power to control you and your mindset and how you feel about your life right like that's that's that's the thing like if if you if you're constantly blaming someone else or saying this happened to me rather what can I do to get myself out of it then you're going to be stuck there   forever you're you're going to be you're going to be spinning your wheels forever um and a lot of that I think helps because you said you don't listen you don't watch the news I don't either it's a waste of time what control what does that do for us it's if I do watch it I literally do it for entertainment and you look at it as an entertain I look at it like I'm watching sports almost absolutely I I look at it like this is funny like I can you know what I mean you kind of analyze like this is funny   this guyy saying this in a debate this guy's saying that it's not taking it as fact and news and this is how I should live my life because of what they're saying absolutely and it's not to say that none of these topics are you know important right I mean right Glo Global you know war or I mean politics poverty global warming whatever that's all very important but I have zero control over it almost zero right and then um you know the other thing is fear sells and that's that's what they're selling and so doesn't mean that every   story is invented and it's all fake fake news but it it just doesn't serve me and so I'd rather focus on you know go ground up and kind of uh you just I see it in people maybe older people in my own life now who maybe are retired and and they watch the news all day and it's like they won't travel because they saw a news story that the airports are packed or something and you know it's I'm sure that story was was accurate right but it but the but the news can filter out and and you end up only focusing on the negative really and   it just didn't serve me so yeah um during that La the second seven years I was able to build out my wife and I were doing single family real estate investing and doing a lot of the Burr method that maybe some of your your audience is familiar with uh um and so kind of putting that Capital back into the the rental property um machine and expanding our portfolio um and then eventually last year Well in in 2018 I made the pivot I kept the rental properties but made a pivot to also add on mortgage not   investing and that's been my primary focus as of late um and uh if you want I can tell the story quickly about how I actually quit my job in 2022 I I think it's kind of kind of a funny one absolutely let's do it all right so um I uh so two years ago uh I was playing bad mitton and um I'd been doing now mind you I used to be like tough you know athlete and like I did you know did Jiu-Jitsu for three years right up before this and you know used to lift Waits a lot and still do it here and there but you know I think I'm tough   right and uh ruptured my achilles playing bad mitton so that's an ego blow uh to add on to the physical pain that you know especially with the recovery so I ruptured my achilles a little over two years ago today and um I was out of work it was my right right foot and the reason I bring this up is not for sympathy but um to say you know I couldn't drive for three months so I actually yeah and I had tons of leave from from work and by this time I was tired really tired of my I was pretty much checked out like I think you you   might have been at your uh your big law uh job but um that's right I was I was checked out I mean I I wasn't the best employee at this point and so I took as much leave as I as I could you know reasonably right and so but couldn't drive and so I was out for three months and I come back so come back into work and I'd had discussions with my wife about about leaving it was just a matter of of when not if um I can tell you truthfully had no idea that I was going to quit this day but I came back in from   having been out for three months mind you no one gave me a call no one from work no one from my management gave me a call the entire three months I was out other than to say to ask me are you vaccinated because you have to be vaccinated to be to get inside the building now I don't want this to turn into some controversial vaccine discussion or get your your podcast banned from something but um yes I'd been vaccinated to to answer the question but no one asked me how's your how's your recovery going like how what   do you you know how's your life you know what's it's just are you vaccinated you need to get that shot before you come in okay great thanks I really feel welcome here so I'm already just you know you know what screw this place right um come back in and just go to my desk and this is this is an office space kind of thing where I go to my desk and there's some there's an a force kid at my desk and long story short they' kind of move me somewhere else without telling me I can't find my desk I finally find it   it's got a box with my name on it with you know monitors sideways and all and clearly not a functioning uh desk and um you know office space so I literally quit that day and I just say that it's just like I knew 100% I was done I my wife didn't know I was I quit but I I quit that day still worked for another month or two but I I was there was no question zero question in my mind I'm done with this place so uh that was March of 2022 and ever since then I've just focused on building out my businesses and having   looked back that's awesome sometimes you just know right like sometimes it's time you just knew I I love that story man for me it was a little bit you already know the story but you know for me it was a little bit more of someone else's decision I got fired I mean and men that you know you you weren't the best employee at that point correct you know I knew the same thing and it's great to have awareness and perspective and kind of looking back now you're like I would have done the same thing like this guy   doesn't want to be here his output isn't what it should be like nope he's got he's got to go I mean he's not he's not the best employee and and as a you know as a business owner now I can you know I have really good perspective of that and and seeing that and they did they were doing me a favor by being like hey like your heart's not in it is it and I'm like no it's not it's not yeah yeah the reality is for me it's really hard to work you know when once you go part-time I mean I knew I was casting a vote   against my career progression there so as soon as I went part-time in 2015 I wasn't saying I'm in this for the Long Haul guys this is this is my focus you know it's the writing's somewhat on the wall looking back it's almost surprising I lasted as long as I did um but so yeah uh haven't looked back and just love love the entrepreneurial you know day-to-day and freedom that you alluded to and and just the multiple streams of income and certainly has its challenges I I probably work harder now than ever   than I ever have um but it's by choice right so I love it exactly same here man I mean it's you know my my days are long I mean I I get up way before I used to get up when I when I had a 95 I worked past when I would have worked a 9 to-5 and it definitely more hours but when you're doing it for yourself and you're doing it because you're working towards something that you believe in yeah it doesn't feel like it's you're putting that much time in definitely I I wake up early a lot of days it's not not on   purpose it's because I'm just excited to get Kracken so yeah yeah absolutely yeah well let's let's kind of get into your current business I know you you had mentioned that you focused on your strengths and your assets um and you know I think it's important I'll just I'll just say it's important to take an inventory of what your strengths are when you're kind of considering going into something else um because a lot of our listeners are attorneys they're doctors folks like that they kind of feel like maybe they're they're pigeon   hold right like well if I'm not an attorney what the hell else can I do right like I don't know anything about real estate investing or node investing or starting a business or anything like that but if you really take a step back you you probably have a lot of skills that you've learned and honed in your career that you can use for something else moving forward and that was that's what you were able to do definitely and one thing I'd say is that um you know one thing that's always comforting for   me is nobody knows everything right so you can always find somebody who knows more than you in a certain area um you know there's one quote about every man is my Superior in in in something right so um basically it gets me a lot of comfort to know like just because an attorney listening to your show knows way more than I do about a particular topic and probably many many other topics that doesn't mean I'm less of a person or you know I don't know more than that attorney does in another area so it's   okay I'm never going to know everything there are other people who've already figured it out so um you know that's that's always comforting to me is and when I say look to your strength it's also looking to the people in your network who know and can help you get to where you want to go um so yeah I mean so many things we take for granted that we do know and um you know example when I started working at a title company fresh out of college because it was my first real job and it paid you know a a   salary um I realized quickly how little I knew about title insurance settlements you know just just basic stuff now looking back pretty basic stuff but you don't know that unless you work for a title company or you're heavily involved in this you don't you're not trained in that in school typically right so you know you forget and so your your listener out there the the attorney the doctor I guarantee they have a lot of life experience not just from their professional world but just life experience that that they shouldn't take   for granted and the fact that you can go through law school and then be you know Be an Effective attorney or go through medical school and Be an Effective doctor that that means you you can learn things right and so again I go back to life has Seasons I mean you've shown that in your own story Seth like you know um it's uh it doesn't mean just because I started a certain business doesn't mean that's going to be what I'm going to be doing for the next 20 years or just because I'm an attorney now   doesn't mean that's what I have to do for the rest of my life so we always have options I mean you might look back and wish you'd done something differently or something but you only have one chance at this and so you know you just make the most of it and and just keep I think keep learning constantly um is critical I I just hired a business coach we've had one call um but one of his motos is um you know one of his sayings is that he's always he's in permanent beta so he's always changing always improving he's always   growing so I'm trying to trying to implement that as well yeah I love that permanent beta I haven't heard that before but I like that I like that phrase like that phrase um so tell me about your current business tell me about mortgage node investing start with the basics um sure what is it yeah so and and I'll try to keep it uh there's so much to it but again none of it is difficult it's just a lot of moving parts and you've got to you know it takes time to learn um we buy debt so we buy a mortgage note   and that could be performing or non-performing the the real highlevel version is is um a performing note is kind of like a a long-term Buy and Hold rental property but you're buying the debt and becoming the lender becoming the bank if you will um and so you're buying that performing note for cash flow so I buy a performing note the barer now pays me through a loan servicer and I get monthly payments so that's a great way to go the the problem with that is you can't really add value to that asset very well you're kind of   it is what it is and in fact with mortgage notes the value actually goes down over time generally speaking because the principal balance goes down so it's just it's worth less than you know than uh you know than it would than it was when you bought it then on the other side the non-performing side of things we buy those uh as well and those are more like a Fix and Flip property so um although we're still buying the debt we're not buying the property but there's a chance to add value There's an opportunity to buy distressed asset and   add value to that asset and then sell that that non-performing note either well I should say sell that asset whether that's as a rep performing note or as uh through the the real estate itself there there are a few different ways you can exit a non-performing uh note deal and but but back to your kind of one of the the themes um thus far one of the reasons I got into specifically that space was that I understood the real estate space so I understood the single family residential real estate space so it wasn't a huge   leap for me to go from owning the property to now owning the debt on that property whereas it would have been a lot bigger leap for me to say oh I want to start buying distressed you know multif family debt um which I know you could probably help me understand better but that you know it's like incremental progress and and and change isn't that scary so I kind of expanded my um you know toolbox if you will and got into the mortgage note space so we have a couple of note funds one is open um currently and they're they're they're   all for accredited investors um and uh the the income fund that's open pays a monthly uh aims to pay a a monthly uh per referred return I know you and a lot of your listeners are attorneys so I got to hold the line here and uh so the fund is structured to pay uh to aim to pay a a monthly return uh of 8% it's not a there's no growth in that fund it's literally a cash flow play and um diversification play you're putting your your capital in we buy assets across the country we we've bought notes in in probably 25 States at this point   um and so the investment is Diversified across Geographic areas across borrower types and um you know we buy for a certain yield we take a small management fee and then we um ideally uh pay a pay the preferred return that we're aiming for to our to our investors yeah nice 506c you're able to talk about it it's uh ACC credit investors only just want to throw that out there um so yeah I mean so just going back to the basics a little bit and we'll get back into the fund like how do you how do you even   find these things I mean how do you get started how do you find these things so I mean that is an ongoing challenge I'm not going to lie to you that's one of the the things that truthfully a a passive investor who doesn't have time to to develop the network to go find these assets they're just not going to have success um you know they might here and there but it takes time it's a it's a word of mouth industry just like real estate itself is and um so we've built out a network of of Sellers and you know that could   be quite honestly I I've never had luck buying directly from Banks it's really either a larger uh mortgage note fund that's closing so it might be a three-year fund and then they've got to they've got to liquidate they've got to figure out how to sell off what to do with these assets um and so that's a great opportunity to buy is just a fund that's closing or somebody a note investor who's getting out of note investing or they've had a life change or something um you know where they just uh there's an opportunity to buy from   them as well um and so there there are other you know I guess we buy from hedge funds note investors other note funds um those are there are also note Brokers as well out there um there are also some online exchanges like paper stack and a couple of others that you can go and I've bought and sold on on paper stack and other exchanges as well um and you know you can you can find assets there um but at the end of the day we have our list that we list of people that we work with regularly and I would say one thing   is that doing due diligence on a note seller is just as important as uh due diligence on the assets that they're selling and so it's it's taken some work and it's it's a work in progress always um but it is the million-dollar question is where do you where do you find these assets yeah so that's that's the hard part right that finding these assets is the hard part um have you ever had to foreclose on on any of these notes and actually acquire the property and I guess a followup question is do you ever   look at a non-performing note like hey I actually want to own that property great questions yeah great questions um to be clear we're not trying to kick people you know Grandma out on onto the street or anything like that um you know that's not our our goal typically well that's never our goal but we're never trying to kick someone out of their home um but the reality is some people honestly need a little bit of a kick in the pants and often times that's not really the best them staying in the house is not often   The best scenario for them I know that might sound sound harsh but at the end of the day if someone can't afford to live somewhere sometimes these people are living in squal and they really need a change of of environment um to answer your question about do we target the property yes sometimes we do in fact we just closed on two they're called uh heckum loans or reverse mortgages where the borrowers are deceased the property is underwater meaning you know the the loan amount is high greater than the   property value and it should be a quick exit through the property so HUD will sell off these uh big pool of of reverse mortgages and we were able to purchase two of them very recently it's a vacant property you're not doing an eviction borrower is deceased you've got to work through the airs or or foreclosure um and get and exit the property that way um if your listener wants to go to my website I've got a really good um it's a Jacksonville blog post I've got a couple of blog posts about this deal I still hold this rental   today and it was a non-performing note that we purchased a few years ago and um I had no intention of exiting through the property or holding holding the the property as a rental property but uh running the numbers it just was too good to to let go and so long story but we we uh you know ended up doing a deed in Lee of foreclosure actually in this case and got the property back and now it's a long-term Buy and Hold property for my own rental uh portfolio yeah that makes sense that makes sense there's there's always   multiple ways to look at an investment right um but it does sound you know is not something that that I've executed on myself but it sounds like this is an active business right and that's why you've put together an income fund for people that want to get involved passively um because as as everybody knows there's active Investments there's passive Investments if you're going to do something active maybe your returns are going to be a little bit better but you're going to give up a lot of time and effort to to get those returns   um so if you want to go to the passive side if you if you're still full-time in your career you're you're a full-time doctor or lawyer or or whatever you are you know these passive Investments are the way to go without having to know every single detail about a new business yeah and I don't know if you can see this but I I wore this specifically for your for this show there it is there it is passive income um you're absolutely right you know these gurus some of the some of the node investing gurus out   there will try to sell you know notes as passive um we have another blog post that talks about uh just the it's a spectrum there's active and passive on either end but at the end of the day if you're gonna node investing in my world is very very active and we have a non-performing note fund that's considerably more active than the Performing note fund so um you're dealing with foreclosures bankruptcies deed and L tracking delinquent property taxes do I have to physically go anywhere no but it is not passive um but   that's why we offer the passive investment to for you know people who like you said have maybe more Capital than time or energy and they want to put that Capital to work that's right there there are certain gurus out there that you know whatever it is that they are pitching it's they they tend to always pitch it as as passive even though it is an active business whether that's ma money yeah whether that's a mortgage note or I mean people pitch Airbnb short-term rentals as passive they're like well you can delegate this and you   can you know you can automate that and there's software for all these things but you still got to put all that stuff together you've still got to monitor all those things you you've still got to you still got to oversee all these different aspects of a business and that's what it is it's a business that you're running and it's not passive like it's not it's not and and it is on a spectrum some things are more passive than others but when you're inves in you know as a passive investor into some sort of a   fund or a syndication that's really leaning really far into the the passive side absolutely 100% and I and I'm as you are Seth I'm I'm I'm I I assume you are I know you're an active investor but I I do have passive Investments myself in other other funds other note funds and and my own my own note funds as well and so nothing wrong with doing both but I would say you need to be careful about you know you got to make a decision at some point do you want to scale this thing and and make this really a   business or do you do you are you satisfied with potentially a little bit lower return and you are giving up some control but much you know much fewer headaches and just a lot less work right right yeah and a lot of you know a lot of the listeners are high income earning professionals so they've already dedic put a lot of time and effort into being able ble to earn this much money from their W2 and absolutely that's probably your best bet to be honest with you I've been there I was in those shoes you're   probably better off putting your head down like let's grind for a few years let's let's not spend every single dollar that we make on all the new stuff on a on a new car every two years or every year in a bigger house that you don't need like let's set aside some of that and invest it passively and then maybe one of those will stick maybe one of those passive investments will be a mortgage note fund where you're like man I kind like this business like I like the sound of it I've learned about it   and then you start maybe progressing on the active side and maybe that takes over and and you want to get into that as a as a business as an entrepreneur but um a great way to kind of dip your toe in the water is to become a passive investor um that's the way that I did it into you know multif family syndications I invested passively in a number of deals first and kind of learned about it learned the ropes and I'm like I can do this and then that's when I made the transition yeah definitely it's it   really comes down to what you what your goals are and what your situation is for sure I I'll say I was too passive initially when I went into notes um because personally I just don't you're you're you were probably a little better student Seth not that I was a bad student but you know I I invest unless I'm actively in investing you know I'm just not going to learn a lot so the reality is yeah it's fine to learn about the asset class you definitely should learn about the operator for sure if you're putting Capital with them but   you're not going to once you're getting your checks and your dispersements you're not going to probably learn a whole lot about how to do that on the active side and so that's what we're here for yeah yeah it's more of like a spark of an interest right like may you already have that spark and then you invest passively then you're like okay well now I'm invested like let me learn about this you have to you have to actively go out there and educate yourself and network and talk to people that are in the business definitely 100   per. all right man before we jump into the Freedom Four you have one last gold nugget for our listeners oh man um I would say within when it comes to investing um you know take the long-term view um don't chase immediate returns um you know I do think just yeah it's certainly we all want to make a million dollars tomorrow but I think it's it's play the long game when it comes to investing I think that's critical love that man all right let's jump into the Freedom Four what's the best thing you do to keep your mind body   healthy yeah I mean one thing that I instituted this year actually um is breath work and it's um you know it's so it takes 10 minutes um and per day for me at least and it's been phenomenal and it's something that quite honestly as a as a you know athlete back in the day or even in the military I would have scoffed at something like this to be honest with you because it's just you know it's not manly or whatever it's like it is phenomenal so uh breath work I mean I do other things for sure but that's certainly this year it's been a   game Cher for me I just feel like it resets my central nervous system and it just gets me focused and uh I know there are other physiological benefits that you can ask uh Dr Andrew huberman or somebody else about cool I have to look into that actually have I mean obviously everybody talks about it's a Hot Topic I haven't gotten into it I haven't gotten into that plus like the cold plunges and that sort of thing um but I really want to explore that a little bit I don't know how much you can cut this out if we   don't have time but I had a I'm just going to be be open about this I just had a you know in late December I got a viral infection like a neuro virus and then I had I had a what I think was a pretty severe panic attack and it was super scary and so that's why I started uh doing this and somebody on my team actually sent me a a I guess we'll call it an implement or a tool that uh I use for the breath work it's BL there's a Bluetooth connection to your phone and it's pretty cool so it's structured and   back to that discipline right but um yeah so it's there was a reason I started doing it and um it's it's so accessible five to 10 minutes a day you can start doing it so yeah very cool highly recommend cool thanks for sharing that man um with all your success what is one limiting belief that you've crushed along the way and how did you get past it um I think just uh you know being afraid to you know that you have to be perfect right so um I used to be an editor back in the day and so many things would just not get done   or not get completed within our team our organization um because it had to be perfect and and it's like I think as I've progressed into more of the entrepreneurial lifestyle and and uh it's just it's not a it's not an option anymore um so um yeah I think just taking action has kind of overcome that limiting belief of of of chasing Perfection yeah yeah I can I can I can agree with you there done not perfect um as you know my background as an attorney I mean we're we're paid to be perfect like we can't make mistakes especially   in contracts and the way that we write things but when you kind of make that transition over to being an entrepreneur there's too much there's too much to to be to be perfect you got you just got to get it done good enough absolutely good enough has to you have to be open um willing to accept that for sure y what's one actionable step our listeners can do right now to start creating more freedom so I'll use the military here you can um which is where I learned U kind of reverse backwards planning reverse   planning so literally just and I'm not going to tell you I'm perfect at this um but you know think about what create a vivid vision for your life in in the next three to five years pick a pick three years out from today and what do you want your life to look like and then backwards plan and now I'm not saying you need to plan every minute of every day but you can be that will that will increase the urgency uh sense of urgency in your life and the intentionality of every every hour and every day because you realize this is   doable but I got to take ownership of of my current situation if I want this to be the reality in three years so I would say create a vivid vision and and kind of reverse or backwards plan to get there perfect perfect last but not least how has passive income made your life better yeah I mean I think in multiple ways but a big one that stands out is is giving me I guess we'll call it margin um to take some more risks on the entrepreneurial side and because I do have alternative sources of income   passive income um it's allowed me that kind of mental and financial bandwidth or margin to maybe invest in a company that even if it doesn't per go perfectly it doesn't go well it's not profitable that's okay I still have that cushion um for for me and my family so that's yeah it's a huge it's been a huge factor in that regard yeah absolutely Game Changer man it just changes your mindset changes your life in so many ways uh Jamie this has been incredible dude you've got so much great content to to share in your   brain man you got to get it out there um I know you've got an awesome podcast that I was on adversity to abundance everybody should check that out um other than that Jamie where else can people find out more about you yeah just two things I'll mention very quickly uh literally got my book delivered today like an hour before I hopped on here it's uh from adversity to abundance it is based on the podcast so I encourage your listener to check that out from adversity to abundance is the book that's out and then Labrador   lending.com l b r a d o r.com is where you can check us out all right man awesome I'll drop all that in the show notes thanks again for coming on brother thanks for having me Seth this has been great Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nU0TtMAFc https://www.instagram.com/p/C2sKtrAPX50/ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid029mGsZgw2DFvrvFV6QPkwf2U2ewUxCGoRmnjGvuBicaWmM9oHWbemP7NCVFFXz8jxl&id=100089126144055   Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en   Jamie Bateman's Links: https://x.com/batemanjames https://www.facebook.com/batemanjames https://www.threads.com/@batemanjames11? https://www.instagram.com/batemanjames11/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-bateman-5359a811/ https://labradorlending.com/about/

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast
RTBL 03 | Why the W-2 Grind Will Never Make You Wealthy with Jamie Bateman

The Passive Income Attorney Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2025 51:40


Title: Why the W-2 Grind Will Never Make You Wealthy with Jamie Bateman Summary In this engaging podcast episode, Jamie shares his journey from being a competitive athlete and military officer to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the field of real estate and mortgage note investing. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, teamwork, and taking ownership of one's financial situation in achieving success. Jamie discusses his transition from a W2 job to entrepreneurship, highlighting how he leveraged his experiences and strengths to build multiple streams of income. He shares insights about his current business model centered around mortgage note investing, explaining the differences between performing and non-performing notes, and elucidates the challenges and opportunities present in this field. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of long-term planning and learning continuously, making the case that discipline ultimately leads to freedom and flexibility in life. Links to Listen and Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-military-officer-to-mortgage-note-master-one-mans/id1618672867?i=1000643495099 Links to Watch and Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nU0TtMAFc Bullet Point Highlights: Athlete to Entrepreneur: Jamie shares how his background in competitive sports instilled a sense of discipline and teamwork. Financial Ownership: Jamie discusses the importance of taking ownership of your financial situation and actively seeking improvement. W2 Quitter: The transition from a stable government job to entrepreneurship reflects Jamie's journey of self-discovery and ambition. Mortgage Note Investing: Jamie provides insights into both performing and non-performing notes, illustrating how to generate passive income through debt investing. Value of Networking: He emphasizes the necessity of building a strong network for finding investment opportunities in mortgage notes. Continuous Learning: Jamie advocates for lifelong learning, suggesting that successful people always seek new knowledge and skills. Long-Term Vision: He stresses the importance of setting long-term goals and reverse planning to maintain focus on achieving one's aspirations. Transcript: Jamie what's going on brother welcome to the show thanks Seth this is this is awesome um I'm excited to be here and I'm hoping to add some value absolutely man third time's a charm we've been trying to get this scheduled after I was on your show which was fantastic had a really good time uh on that show and I think it turned out pretty good so I know we're gonna absolutely we're gonna deliver on this one as well yeah we're GNA try to try to I'll try to do as good a job as you did so yeah that was that   was uh yeah no I that was a very very good episode from adversity to abundance I would highly recommend your your listeners check that one out to your episode on that show so thanks for thanks for doing that absolutely man you're an incredible interviewer I've I've that's the only uh I've been on dozens of podcasts and you know you pulled out a lot of things for me that I've I've never talked about on the air so it's pretty pretty awesome pretty awesome show man appreciate that cool man well let's just jump right into your   background man what's your story um take it back as far as you'd like to brother yeah um man uh I'd like to think that life has phases so I've had a few different phases in in my life um you I come from a a large uh family I'm I'm the oldest of seven kids and we always had a competitive uh background as far as team sports and things like that so um I played lacrosse in college that was always a foundational piece of of uh my life and just kind of I think from there learned how to be a part of something   bigger than myself and how to work toward a common goal with a with a team so that's been something that's been a a kind of a thread through my life and then um got married and uh joined the military and um actually joined the military technically before I got married but seemed like I got married and then ran off and and uh ran away from my wife but it's not exactly what happened but uh joined the military was an officer in the in the US Army did I did miss my first three wedding anniversaries through deployment and   things like that um and again it was a matter of trying to be plugged into something you know to serve and be a part of something bigger than myself and trying to trying to add value like I think we all we all want to do um I've obviously glossed over a lot of lot of details but those were uh a couple of inflection points I guess if you will um like you like to talk about I know um and so my military career transitioned into uh a a career with the Department of Defense as a civilian and um did 14   years as a civilian with DOD at Fort me and the first half so the first seven for all you math whizzes out there uh was full-time and then the second half the second seven years was part-time and that seven years is when I was really building my businesses which are largely um real estate investing and mortgage node investing Focus so we can get into the details there and then in 2022 I ended up quitting my job and and um now I have a few different small businesses that I run and like you Seth I've got a got a   lot of different things that I'm juggling and uh you know so but yeah I love talking about taking ownership of of your financial situation and taking ownership of your your life really and um I know that you and I have that comment so yeah that's a that's a high level overview of my background awesome man I appreciate that that there's a lot to unpack there you know going back to you know playing sports all the way up to the Collegiate level that's incredible I always like to to think even playing like poporn or football   back in the day you need a way to instill discipline in yourself and I I that's kind of the the oldest memory I can think of where it was hard right like it was like you've got a coach screaming at you like back in the day it's like you know they wouldn't give you water unless you like you know for like an hour which I don't think they do that anymore now but you know you had to earn that drink of water and and all those sorts of things but you you really learned what it's like to to work hard and you really learned what discipline   was all about and I would say that and you can you can expand on this but yeah I would say that you know being in the military yourself that takes it to a whole new level right it's like you you you got that from Sports you got that from the military yeah definitely I mean obviously they're very different in a lot of ways but that is certainly a common theme is is being disciplined and um and people people shy away from that word um because it just sounds like work or or no fun and no flexibility but I found that having   discipline in your life ends up adding more freedom in a sense um because you kind of have your foundational pieces set in stone you don't have to think about those and so um yeah regarding team sports it's it's really a matter of um you know everyone doing their part right and so there's a level of individual discipline and um and then just and then also just kind of putting the putting the group ahead of yourself um obviously the you know you want individual there's nothing wrong with individual accolades and I I was   certainly uh chasing you know those individual accolades it's not something I shied away from I was you know I definitely was wrapped up in trying to be an All-American and um that kind of thing and and did get that a couple of times you know but it at the end of the day nobody really cares about that and um the way I viewed it was if I was doing my part and I got those you know if I was scoring goals in Lacrosse as an example that means I'm contributing to you know to the team right and so there's obviously a fine   line there but of going too far either way um but yeah that discipline is critical you know even C I played at a high level in college and and there was year round you're training you're you're uh you're into it it was a division three school but it but the reality was we worked just as hard as any any D1 program and um yeah it's it's a these are skills that have paid off and are absolutely transferable to the rest of of life for sure yeah I think you've got to get those those intangible things you've got to develop   them somewhere along the way whatever whatever that is if that's Sports the military or you know from your parents I mean you can get it from different places but you definitely need it I mean you know we're in different stages of our life at this point we're talking about a lot we like talk about freedom and flexibility and fun um to try to get away from kind of the W2 uh mindset but in order to achieve Freedom flexibility and fun in a successful way you had you have to be disciplined to be able to get   there you you had to have done something successfully to be able to get there or maybe what separates you from you know the guy living in a van down by the river right like that guy that guy has Freedom flexibility um I don't know about fun maybe fun but yeah but you know it's it's a different obviously it's a it's a different outcome yeah and I I I still I think I still need you know I still use a lot of discipline today it's still still required but it's I guess I guess it's self-imposed and um you know I just love   love having that flexibility and that freedom um that comes along with being an entrepreneur so yeah it's been a central piece to my success for sure um but I I I still I don't think it ever you know goes away I just get to pick and choose what you know what discipline I want to kind of enforce on myself I guess um so yeah absolutely and and and as you said I the military was a huge part of that for me as well I mean that's a different kind of different kind of discipline and different kind of teamwork and different you know if you   lose a lacrosse game okay you lost the lacrosse game but military the stakes are a little higher um so maybe certain things are more important attention to detail are crit is critical and um but at the end of the day it's yeah it's that the same principles apply across both I I guess sectors if you will for sure for sure so let's dive into that that transition you started working kind of part-time there for seven years so that seems like a transitional period how are you able to progress from you   know that W2 and what what I've heard you say is call yourself a W2 quitter and I love that um you know how were you able to progress from a W2 person to a W2 quitter what enabled you to do that and what that transition looked like I mean you know I do remember in 2015 probably a little bit maybe maybe say 2014 but I just you get you know I had a wife and two kids and I had the commute the long commute that I I know a lot of people can identify with so um it it just was Groundhog Day it was the same   thing over and over and over and that's not me sitting here complaining about my family or having a having the opportunity to work um but after a while it gets old let's just be real right so it's like you're sitting in traffic and I just you start looking at you know I was I worked for the government and you look around you say who okay who's sort of ahead of me on this like you like I I think you probably mentioned on our on your your show on my my show your episode um you look around to the people   who are more kind of Al further along the path than you you say do you want to be that person is that the life you want and man I did not want that and um it just just having that just super long-term just you know the pot at the end of the rainbow I guess uh nothing driving me in the in the interum man it was it was just it was brutal so I probably did a little woes me for a little bit there a little victim mentality for a bit but then you start to realize like okay if you don't take ownership of your own life no one's   going to right so no one's going to come in and do this for you so I'm not sure what truly you know created the change in my mindset but my mindset absolutely started to change and I just made a shift and I and I stopped watching cable news I stopped uh just you know stopped paying attention to all the things that I can't control and I couldn't control back then and and started saying no what do I have what are my strengths who is in my who's back to the team thing who's on my team who's you know who's in my   network that I can add value to and who can add value to me so I started looking around and um you know my father was a realtor for many years my brother was a loan officer I we had uh one rental property at the time and so and IID worked at a I didn't mention I worked at a title company and I worked for a mortgage broker before as well briefly so I had this experience that a lot of people don't have and that's you know that that doesn't mean I'm better than anyone it just means these are my strengths so let's point to that and   let's use that so I started really being intentional about focusing on my strengths and my assets that I had in my life right and then another asset that I used to see as a liability was the time in the car so I started listening to podcasts oh you know and and then it turned into wait I don't even want to go into work yet because this this podcast episode is amazing and I'm learning so much you know Bigger Pockets and all the other real estate podcasts and different investing podcasts and um started using   that mental bandwidth instead of focusing on National media stories that I have zero influence over uh here's something that I can actually take action on and so um in mid 2015 uh I I I went part-time and and just so happens that at uh DOD it's one of the few agencies in the in the federal government where you can go part-time and still keep your benefits so I still had health insurance for my family you know most people don't have that option necessarily but oh oh well I did so that's what I did and and um you   know that's uh again decided decided to start building my my other streams of income outside of my W2 um had my circumstances been different if I was single I probably would have just quit the whole thing right but I was able to have that kind of laded approach I guess or tiered approach to kind of ripping off the Band-Aid yeah yeah no that that that's awesome I love just the idea of of taking ownership of your your life right like everybody has those moments where they're feeling sorry fors um but but the successful people they   don't sit there and stay in that that mindset they they move on they you're going to be there sometimes but you've got to get out of and you got to say okay what what can I control what can I change and you don't say you don't give other people the power to control you and your mindset and how you feel about your life right like that's that's that's the thing like if if you if you're constantly blaming someone else or saying this happened to me rather what can I do to get myself out of it then you're going to be stuck there   forever you're you're going to be you're going to be spinning your wheels forever um and a lot of that I think helps because you said you don't listen you don't watch the news I don't either it's a waste of time what control what does that do for us it's if I do watch it I literally do it for entertainment and you look at it as an entertain I look at it like I'm watching sports almost absolutely I I look at it like this is funny like I can you know what I mean you kind of analyze like this is funny   this guyy saying this in a debate this guy's saying that it's not taking it as fact and news and this is how I should live my life because of what they're saying absolutely and it's not to say that none of these topics are you know important right I mean right Glo Global you know war or I mean politics poverty global warming whatever that's all very important but I have zero control over it almost zero right and then um you know the other thing is fear sells and that's that's what they're selling and so doesn't mean that every   story is invented and it's all fake fake news but it it just doesn't serve me and so I'd rather focus on you know go ground up and kind of uh you just I see it in people maybe older people in my own life now who maybe are retired and and they watch the news all day and it's like they won't travel because they saw a news story that the airports are packed or something and you know it's I'm sure that story was was accurate right but it but the but the news can filter out and and you end up only focusing on the negative really and   it just didn't serve me so yeah um during that La the second seven years I was able to build out my wife and I were doing single family real estate investing and doing a lot of the Burr method that maybe some of your your audience is familiar with uh um and so kind of putting that Capital back into the the rental property um machine and expanding our portfolio um and then eventually last year Well in in 2018 I made the pivot I kept the rental properties but made a pivot to also add on mortgage not   investing and that's been my primary focus as of late um and uh if you want I can tell the story quickly about how I actually quit my job in 2022 I I think it's kind of kind of a funny one absolutely let's do it all right so um I uh so two years ago uh I was playing bad mitton and um I'd been doing now mind you I used to be like tough you know athlete and like I did you know did Jiu-Jitsu for three years right up before this and you know used to lift Waits a lot and still do it here and there but you know I think I'm tough   right and uh ruptured my achilles playing bad mitton so that's an ego blow uh to add on to the physical pain that you know especially with the recovery so I ruptured my achilles a little over two years ago today and um I was out of work it was my right right foot and the reason I bring this up is not for sympathy but um to say you know I couldn't drive for three months so I actually yeah and I had tons of leave from from work and by this time I was tired really tired of my I was pretty much checked out like I think you you   might have been at your uh your big law uh job but um that's right I was I was checked out I mean I I wasn't the best employee at this point and so I took as much leave as I as I could you know reasonably right and so but couldn't drive and so I was out for three months and I come back so come back into work and I'd had discussions with my wife about about leaving it was just a matter of of when not if um I can tell you truthfully had no idea that I was going to quit this day but I came back in from   having been out for three months mind you no one gave me a call no one from work no one from my management gave me a call the entire three months I was out other than to say to ask me are you vaccinated because you have to be vaccinated to be to get inside the building now I don't want this to turn into some controversial vaccine discussion or get your your podcast banned from something but um yes I'd been vaccinated to to answer the question but no one asked me how's your how's your recovery going like how what   do you you know how's your life you know what's it's just are you vaccinated you need to get that shot before you come in okay great thanks I really feel welcome here so I'm already just you know you know what screw this place right um come back in and just go to my desk and this is this is an office space kind of thing where I go to my desk and there's some there's an a force kid at my desk and long story short they' kind of move me somewhere else without telling me I can't find my desk I finally find it   it's got a box with my name on it with you know monitors sideways and all and clearly not a functioning uh desk and um you know office space so I literally quit that day and I just say that it's just like I knew 100% I was done I my wife didn't know I was I quit but I I quit that day still worked for another month or two but I I was there was no question zero question in my mind I'm done with this place so uh that was March of 2022 and ever since then I've just focused on building out my businesses and having   looked back that's awesome sometimes you just know right like sometimes it's time you just knew I I love that story man for me it was a little bit you already know the story but you know for me it was a little bit more of someone else's decision I got fired I mean and men that you know you you weren't the best employee at that point correct you know I knew the same thing and it's great to have awareness and perspective and kind of looking back now you're like I would have done the same thing like this guy   doesn't want to be here his output isn't what it should be like nope he's got he's got to go I mean he's not he's not the best employee and and as a you know as a business owner now I can you know I have really good perspective of that and and seeing that and they did they were doing me a favor by being like hey like your heart's not in it is it and I'm like no it's not it's not yeah yeah the reality is for me it's really hard to work you know when once you go part-time I mean I knew I was casting a vote   against my career progression there so as soon as I went part-time in 2015 I wasn't saying I'm in this for the Long Haul guys this is this is my focus you know it's the writing's somewhat on the wall looking back it's almost surprising I lasted as long as I did um but so yeah uh haven't looked back and just love love the entrepreneurial you know day-to-day and freedom that you alluded to and and just the multiple streams of income and certainly has its challenges I I probably work harder now than ever   than I ever have um but it's by choice right so I love it exactly same here man I mean it's you know my my days are long I mean I I get up way before I used to get up when I when I had a 95 I worked past when I would have worked a 9 to-5 and it definitely more hours but when you're doing it for yourself and you're doing it because you're working towards something that you believe in yeah it doesn't feel like it's you're putting that much time in definitely I I wake up early a lot of days it's not not on   purpose it's because I'm just excited to get Kracken so yeah yeah absolutely yeah well let's let's kind of get into your current business I know you you had mentioned that you focused on your strengths and your assets um and you know I think it's important I'll just I'll just say it's important to take an inventory of what your strengths are when you're kind of considering going into something else um because a lot of our listeners are attorneys they're doctors folks like that they kind of feel like maybe they're they're pigeon   hold right like well if I'm not an attorney what the hell else can I do right like I don't know anything about real estate investing or node investing or starting a business or anything like that but if you really take a step back you you probably have a lot of skills that you've learned and honed in your career that you can use for something else moving forward and that was that's what you were able to do definitely and one thing I'd say is that um you know one thing that's always comforting for   me is nobody knows everything right so you can always find somebody who knows more than you in a certain area um you know there's one quote about every man is my Superior in in in something right so um basically it gets me a lot of comfort to know like just because an attorney listening to your show knows way more than I do about a particular topic and probably many many other topics that doesn't mean I'm less of a person or you know I don't know more than that attorney does in another area so it's   okay I'm never going to know everything there are other people who've already figured it out so um you know that's that's always comforting to me is and when I say look to your strength it's also looking to the people in your network who know and can help you get to where you want to go um so yeah I mean so many things we take for granted that we do know and um you know example when I started working at a title company fresh out of college because it was my first real job and it paid you know a a   salary um I realized quickly how little I knew about title insurance settlements you know just just basic stuff now looking back pretty basic stuff but you don't know that unless you work for a title company or you're heavily involved in this you don't you're not trained in that in school typically right so you know you forget and so your your listener out there the the attorney the doctor I guarantee they have a lot of life experience not just from their professional world but just life experience that that they shouldn't take   for granted and the fact that you can go through law school and then be you know Be an Effective attorney or go through medical school and Be an Effective doctor that that means you you can learn things right and so again I go back to life has Seasons I mean you've shown that in your own story Seth like you know um it's uh it doesn't mean just because I started a certain business doesn't mean that's going to be what I'm going to be doing for the next 20 years or just because I'm an attorney now   doesn't mean that's what I have to do for the rest of my life so we always have options I mean you might look back and wish you'd done something differently or something but you only have one chance at this and so you know you just make the most of it and and just keep I think keep learning constantly um is critical I I just hired a business coach we've had one call um but one of his motos is um you know one of his sayings is that he's always he's in permanent beta so he's always changing always improving he's always   growing so I'm trying to trying to implement that as well yeah I love that permanent beta I haven't heard that before but I like that I like that phrase like that phrase um so tell me about your current business tell me about mortgage node investing start with the basics um sure what is it yeah so and and I'll try to keep it uh there's so much to it but again none of it is difficult it's just a lot of moving parts and you've got to you know it takes time to learn um we buy debt so we buy a mortgage note   and that could be performing or non-performing the the real highlevel version is is um a performing note is kind of like a a long-term Buy and Hold rental property but you're buying the debt and becoming the lender becoming the bank if you will um and so you're buying that performing note for cash flow so I buy a performing note the barer now pays me through a loan servicer and I get monthly payments so that's a great way to go the the problem with that is you can't really add value to that asset very well you're kind of   it is what it is and in fact with mortgage notes the value actually goes down over time generally speaking because the principal balance goes down so it's just it's worth less than you know than uh you know than it would than it was when you bought it then on the other side the non-performing side of things we buy those uh as well and those are more like a Fix and Flip property so um although we're still buying the debt we're not buying the property but there's a chance to add value There's an opportunity to buy distressed asset and   add value to that asset and then sell that that non-performing note either well I should say sell that asset whether that's as a rep performing note or as uh through the the real estate itself there there are a few different ways you can exit a non-performing uh note deal and but but back to your kind of one of the the themes um thus far one of the reasons I got into specifically that space was that I understood the real estate space so I understood the single family residential real estate space so it wasn't a huge   leap for me to go from owning the property to now owning the debt on that property whereas it would have been a lot bigger leap for me to say oh I want to start buying distressed you know multif family debt um which I know you could probably help me understand better but that you know it's like incremental progress and and and change isn't that scary so I kind of expanded my um you know toolbox if you will and got into the mortgage note space so we have a couple of note funds one is open um currently and they're they're they're   all for accredited investors um and uh the the income fund that's open pays a monthly uh aims to pay a a monthly uh per referred return I know you and a lot of your listeners are attorneys so I got to hold the line here and uh so the fund is structured to pay uh to aim to pay a a monthly return uh of 8% it's not a there's no growth in that fund it's literally a cash flow play and um diversification play you're putting your your capital in we buy assets across the country we we've bought notes in in probably 25 States at this point   um and so the investment is Diversified across Geographic areas across borrower types and um you know we buy for a certain yield we take a small management fee and then we um ideally uh pay a pay the preferred return that we're aiming for to our to our investors yeah nice 506c you're able to talk about it it's uh ACC credit investors only just want to throw that out there um so yeah I mean so just going back to the basics a little bit and we'll get back into the fund like how do you how do you even   find these things I mean how do you get started how do you find these things so I mean that is an ongoing challenge I'm not going to lie to you that's one of the the things that truthfully a a passive investor who doesn't have time to to develop the network to go find these assets they're just not going to have success um you know they might here and there but it takes time it's a it's a word of mouth industry just like real estate itself is and um so we've built out a network of of Sellers and you know that could   be quite honestly I I've never had luck buying directly from Banks it's really either a larger uh mortgage note fund that's closing so it might be a three-year fund and then they've got to they've got to liquidate they've got to figure out how to sell off what to do with these assets um and so that's a great opportunity to buy is just a fund that's closing or somebody a note investor who's getting out of note investing or they've had a life change or something um you know where they just uh there's an opportunity to buy from   them as well um and so there there are other you know I guess we buy from hedge funds note investors other note funds um those are there are also note Brokers as well out there um there are also some online exchanges like paper stack and a couple of others that you can go and I've bought and sold on on paper stack and other exchanges as well um and you know you can you can find assets there um but at the end of the day we have our list that we list of people that we work with regularly and I would say one thing   is that doing due diligence on a note seller is just as important as uh due diligence on the assets that they're selling and so it's it's taken some work and it's it's a work in progress always um but it is the million-dollar question is where do you where do you find these assets yeah so that's that's the hard part right that finding these assets is the hard part um have you ever had to foreclose on on any of these notes and actually acquire the property and I guess a followup question is do you ever   look at a non-performing note like hey I actually want to own that property great questions yeah great questions um to be clear we're not trying to kick people you know Grandma out on onto the street or anything like that um you know that's not our our goal typically well that's never our goal but we're never trying to kick someone out of their home um but the reality is some people honestly need a little bit of a kick in the pants and often times that's not really the best them staying in the house is not often   The best scenario for them I know that might sound sound harsh but at the end of the day if someone can't afford to live somewhere sometimes these people are living in squal and they really need a change of of environment um to answer your question about do we target the property yes sometimes we do in fact we just closed on two they're called uh heckum loans or reverse mortgages where the borrowers are deceased the property is underwater meaning you know the the loan amount is high greater than the   property value and it should be a quick exit through the property so HUD will sell off these uh big pool of of reverse mortgages and we were able to purchase two of them very recently it's a vacant property you're not doing an eviction borrower is deceased you've got to work through the airs or or foreclosure um and get and exit the property that way um if your listener wants to go to my website I've got a really good um it's a Jacksonville blog post I've got a couple of blog posts about this deal I still hold this rental   today and it was a non-performing note that we purchased a few years ago and um I had no intention of exiting through the property or holding holding the the property as a rental property but uh running the numbers it just was too good to to let go and so long story but we we uh you know ended up doing a deed in Lee of foreclosure actually in this case and got the property back and now it's a long-term Buy and Hold property for my own rental uh portfolio yeah that makes sense that makes sense there's there's always   multiple ways to look at an investment right um but it does sound you know is not something that that I've executed on myself but it sounds like this is an active business right and that's why you've put together an income fund for people that want to get involved passively um because as as everybody knows there's active Investments there's passive Investments if you're going to do something active maybe your returns are going to be a little bit better but you're going to give up a lot of time and effort to to get those returns   um so if you want to go to the passive side if you if you're still full-time in your career you're you're a full-time doctor or lawyer or or whatever you are you know these passive Investments are the way to go without having to know every single detail about a new business yeah and I don't know if you can see this but I I wore this specifically for your for this show there it is there it is passive income um you're absolutely right you know these gurus some of the some of the node investing gurus out   there will try to sell you know notes as passive um we have another blog post that talks about uh just the it's a spectrum there's active and passive on either end but at the end of the day if you're gonna node investing in my world is very very active and we have a non-performing note fund that's considerably more active than the Performing note fund so um you're dealing with foreclosures bankruptcies deed and L tracking delinquent property taxes do I have to physically go anywhere no but it is not passive um but   that's why we offer the passive investment to for you know people who like you said have maybe more Capital than time or energy and they want to put that Capital to work that's right there there are certain gurus out there that you know whatever it is that they are pitching it's they they tend to always pitch it as as passive even though it is an active business whether that's ma money yeah whether that's a mortgage note or I mean people pitch Airbnb short-term rentals as passive they're like well you can delegate this and you   can you know you can automate that and there's software for all these things but you still got to put all that stuff together you've still got to monitor all those things you you've still got to you still got to oversee all these different aspects of a business and that's what it is it's a business that you're running and it's not passive like it's not it's not and and it is on a spectrum some things are more passive than others but when you're inves in you know as a passive investor into some sort of a   fund or a syndication that's really leaning really far into the the passive side absolutely 100% and I and I'm as you are Seth I'm I'm I'm I I assume you are I know you're an active investor but I I do have passive Investments myself in other other funds other note funds and and my own my own note funds as well and so nothing wrong with doing both but I would say you need to be careful about you know you got to make a decision at some point do you want to scale this thing and and make this really a   business or do you do you are you satisfied with potentially a little bit lower return and you are giving up some control but much you know much fewer headaches and just a lot less work right right yeah and a lot of you know a lot of the listeners are high income earning professionals so they've already dedic put a lot of time and effort into being able ble to earn this much money from their W2 and absolutely that's probably your best bet to be honest with you I've been there I was in those shoes you're   probably better off putting your head down like let's grind for a few years let's let's not spend every single dollar that we make on all the new stuff on a on a new car every two years or every year in a bigger house that you don't need like let's set aside some of that and invest it passively and then maybe one of those will stick maybe one of those passive investments will be a mortgage note fund where you're like man I kind like this business like I like the sound of it I've learned about it   and then you start maybe progressing on the active side and maybe that takes over and and you want to get into that as a as a business as an entrepreneur but um a great way to kind of dip your toe in the water is to become a passive investor um that's the way that I did it into you know multif family syndications I invested passively in a number of deals first and kind of learned about it learned the ropes and I'm like I can do this and then that's when I made the transition yeah definitely it's it   really comes down to what you what your goals are and what your situation is for sure I I'll say I was too passive initially when I went into notes um because personally I just don't you're you're you were probably a little better student Seth not that I was a bad student but you know I I invest unless I'm actively in investing you know I'm just not going to learn a lot so the reality is yeah it's fine to learn about the asset class you definitely should learn about the operator for sure if you're putting Capital with them but   you're not going to once you're getting your checks and your dispersements you're not going to probably learn a whole lot about how to do that on the active side and so that's what we're here for yeah yeah it's more of like a spark of an interest right like may you already have that spark and then you invest passively then you're like okay well now I'm invested like let me learn about this you have to you have to actively go out there and educate yourself and network and talk to people that are in the business definitely 100   per. all right man before we jump into the Freedom Four you have one last gold nugget for our listeners oh man um I would say within when it comes to investing um you know take the long-term view um don't chase immediate returns um you know I do think just yeah it's certainly we all want to make a million dollars tomorrow but I think it's it's play the long game when it comes to investing I think that's critical love that man all right let's jump into the Freedom Four what's the best thing you do to keep your mind body   healthy yeah I mean one thing that I instituted this year actually um is breath work and it's um you know it's so it takes 10 minutes um and per day for me at least and it's been phenomenal and it's something that quite honestly as a as a you know athlete back in the day or even in the military I would have scoffed at something like this to be honest with you because it's just you know it's not manly or whatever it's like it is phenomenal so uh breath work I mean I do other things for sure but that's certainly this year it's been a   game Cher for me I just feel like it resets my central nervous system and it just gets me focused and uh I know there are other physiological benefits that you can ask uh Dr Andrew huberman or somebody else about cool I have to look into that actually have I mean obviously everybody talks about it's a Hot Topic I haven't gotten into it I haven't gotten into that plus like the cold plunges and that sort of thing um but I really want to explore that a little bit I don't know how much you can cut this out if we   don't have time but I had a I'm just going to be be open about this I just had a you know in late December I got a viral infection like a neuro virus and then I had I had a what I think was a pretty severe panic attack and it was super scary and so that's why I started uh doing this and somebody on my team actually sent me a a I guess we'll call it an implement or a tool that uh I use for the breath work it's BL there's a Bluetooth connection to your phone and it's pretty cool so it's structured and   back to that discipline right but um yeah so it's there was a reason I started doing it and um it's it's so accessible five to 10 minutes a day you can start doing it so yeah very cool highly recommend cool thanks for sharing that man um with all your success what is one limiting belief that you've crushed along the way and how did you get past it um I think just uh you know being afraid to you know that you have to be perfect right so um I used to be an editor back in the day and so many things would just not get done   or not get completed within our team our organization um because it had to be perfect and and it's like I think as I've progressed into more of the entrepreneurial lifestyle and and uh it's just it's not a it's not an option anymore um so um yeah I think just taking action has kind of overcome that limiting belief of of of chasing Perfection yeah yeah I can I can I can agree with you there done not perfect um as you know my background as an attorney I mean we're we're paid to be perfect like we can't make mistakes especially   in contracts and the way that we write things but when you kind of make that transition over to being an entrepreneur there's too much there's too much to to be to be perfect you got you just got to get it done good enough absolutely good enough has to you have to be open um willing to accept that for sure y what's one actionable step our listeners can do right now to start creating more freedom so I'll use the military here you can um which is where I learned U kind of reverse backwards planning reverse   planning so literally just and I'm not going to tell you I'm perfect at this um but you know think about what create a vivid vision for your life in in the next three to five years pick a pick three years out from today and what do you want your life to look like and then backwards plan and now I'm not saying you need to plan every minute of every day but you can be that will that will increase the urgency uh sense of urgency in your life and the intentionality of every every hour and every day because you realize this is   doable but I got to take ownership of of my current situation if I want this to be the reality in three years so I would say create a vivid vision and and kind of reverse or backwards plan to get there perfect perfect last but not least how has passive income made your life better yeah I mean I think in multiple ways but a big one that stands out is is giving me I guess we'll call it margin um to take some more risks on the entrepreneurial side and because I do have alternative sources of income   passive income um it's allowed me that kind of mental and financial bandwidth or margin to maybe invest in a company that even if it doesn't per go perfectly it doesn't go well it's not profitable that's okay I still have that cushion um for for me and my family so that's yeah it's a huge it's been a huge factor in that regard yeah absolutely Game Changer man it just changes your mindset changes your life in so many ways uh Jamie this has been incredible dude you've got so much great content to to share in your   brain man you got to get it out there um I know you've got an awesome podcast that I was on adversity to abundance everybody should check that out um other than that Jamie where else can people find out more about you yeah just two things I'll mention very quickly uh literally got my book delivered today like an hour before I hopped on here it's uh from adversity to abundance it is based on the podcast so I encourage your listener to check that out from adversity to abundance is the book that's out and then Labrador   lending.com l b r a d o r.com is where you can check us out all right man awesome I'll drop all that in the show notes thanks again for coming on brother thanks for having me Seth this has been great Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nU0TtMAFc https://www.instagram.com/p/C2sKtrAPX50/ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid029mGsZgw2DFvrvFV6QPkwf2U2ewUxCGoRmnjGvuBicaWmM9oHWbemP7NCVFFXz8jxl&id=100089126144055   Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en   Jamie Bateman's Links: https://x.com/batemanjames https://www.facebook.com/batemanjames https://www.threads.com/@batemanjames11? https://www.instagram.com/batemanjames11/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-bateman-5359a811/ https://labradorlending.com/about/

The Weekly Geekly
TNS Throwback #32- Riffin' on Liar Liar w/ Cecil and Zyber

The Weekly Geekly

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2025 110:42


This week we had the glorious GNA return and we got LIT. We got insanely off-topic and Devin got destroyed as usual and we give some programming updates. As always be sure to drink and riff responsibly!

Energy News Beat Podcast
Why The US Dollar Could FAIL With More Financial Sanctions

Energy News Beat Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 17:17


In this episode of the Energy News Beat Daily Standup, the hosts, Stuart Turley and Michael Tanner break down key global energy developments, including risks to UK North Sea oil jobs from anti-fossil policies, Brazil's expanding LNG power and clean energy mix, and Russia's shifting LNG trade outside the U.S. dollar via the dark fleet. They warn that the growing move away from dollar-based oil trading could threaten the USD's reserve status. The episode also highlights Texas' $5B energy fund expansion and pro-natural gas legislation, plus oil market reactions to geopolitical tensions and Canadian wildfire disruptions.Highlights of the Podcast 00:00 - Intro01:10 - UK North Sea Oil and Gas: Jobs at Risk, Costs Skyrocketing, and the Anti-Fossil Fuel Push03:50 - Brazil's GNA launches second LNG power plant06:27 - Russian LNG Exports Dip Amid Sanctions and EU Clampdown: The Dark Fleet's Role in Russia's Energy Trade09:16 - The 2025 Regular Texas Legislative Session Concludes: Key Energy, Oil, and Natural Gas Bills Analyzed15:10 - Markets Update16:57 - OutroPlease see the links below or articles that we discuss in the podcast.UK North Sea Oil and Gas: Jobs at Risk, Costs Skyrocketing, and the Anti-Fossil Fuel PushBrazil's GNA launches second LNG power plantRussian LNG Exports Dip Amid Sanctions and EU Clampdown: The Dark Fleet's Role in Russia's Energy TradeThe 2025 Regular Texas Legislative Session Concludes: Key Energy, Oil, and Natural Gas Bills AnalyzedFollow Stuart On LinkedIn and TwitterFollow Michael On LinkedIn and TwitterENB Top NewsEnergy DashboardENB PodcastENB SubstackENB Trading DeskOil & Gas Investing– Get in Contact With The Show –

BackTable MSK
Ep. 71 Genicular Nerve Ablation Insights: Techniques and Data with Dr. John Smirniotopoulos

BackTable MSK

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 62:48


Dr. John Smirniotopoulos, an interventional radiologist at Georgetown/MedStar Washington Hospital Center, discusses the intricacies of genicular nerve ablation (GNA) for pain management in patients with osteoarthritis and post-surgical knee pain. He delves into the history and evolution of GNA, outlines the neurovascular anatomy, and explains his specific rationale for targeting various nerves for ablation. --- SYNPOSIS Dr. Smirniotopoulos also compares GNA with other procedures such as corticosteroid injections, hyaluronic acid injections, and genicular artery embolization (GAE). He emphasizes the importance of managing patient expectations, the role of physical therapy, and explores different modalities of GNA, including the use of cryoablation versus radiofrequency technology. The episode offers a comprehensive overview of expert insights for evaluating knee pain and performing effective GNA. --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 03:13 - Understanding Genicular Nerve Anatomy 12:06 - Tailoring GNA Treatment to Each Patient 22:39 - Comparing Ablation Devices and Methods 28:06 - GNA in Surgical and Post-Traumatic Patients 33:19 - Patient-Centered Decision Making 38:50 - Evaluating Functional Outcomes 43:39 - Comparing Treatment Modalities 49:34 - Post-Procedure Counseling and Expectations 58:40 - Future Directions in GNA Research --- RESOURCES Safety and efficacy comparison of three- vs four-needle technique in the management of moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee using cooled radiofrequency ablation (Wong, et al 2021): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32968824/

Weaver: Beyond the Numbers
Strategic Transfer Pricing is the Untapped Goldmine in U.S. Tax Savings and Global Operations

Weaver: Beyond the Numbers

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025 4:56


On the latest episode of Beyond the Numbers by Weaver, host Vince Houk, Partner-in-Charge, International Tax Services at Weaver, delves deep into the world of strategic transfer pricing and how businesses can use it to their advantage. Joining him is Josh Finfrock, Director, Transfer Pricing Services at Weaver, an expert with a wealth of knowledge in the field. Key Points: One overlooked opportunity in utilizing FDII is to analyze the expense allocation with GNA expenses and allocate accordingly based on genuine benefit, which can help derive a better benefit. Other opportunities include looking at services provided by the U.S. company that may qualify for the FDII benefit and reviewing the IP structure to potentially move IP into the U.S. The U.S. provides a jurisdiction with substance, a good treaty network, and potentially lower tax rates compared to other countries, making it an attractive option for IP ownership and maintaining key operations. How can firms shift their perception and utilize transfer pricing as an asset rather than a burden? And what lies beyond the surface of transfer pricing, and how can businesses harness its potential to enhance their global operations? Clients often overlook how strategic transfer pricing can be and how it can be a tax saver and assist in cash management efficiency. For example, there is cash repatriation leakage that can be planned around with transfer pricing. Rate differentials between countries can be another challenge that transfer pricing adjustments can help save. Finfrock stated, “If we can do a strategic transfer pricing review with the company, we're going to come in and be able to look at, get a holistic view of the company, the global structure, understand where all the moving pieces are. That way, then we really know where those levers are, what our range of outcomes can be in different places, and then we can find those opportunities for savings.” Subscribe and listen to future episodes of Beyond the Numbers on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ©2023

BravBros
Mia Drops a Bomb and TJ Can Go Away (RHOP Full Recap)

BravBros

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 58:25


What's up Bros? Its Potomac time and we are thoroughly enjoying this season. It feels like we can comfortably say that Potomac is back. In this episode, Mia gets ready for her 40th birthday party. Ashley talks with Uncle Lump about her divorce and her journey over the past few years. Gizelle and Ashley host a GnA event as they continue their rebrand into... we're not entirely sure what the rebrand is yet but we will keep you updated. Mia brings up Gordon and Inc. and lets the ladies know some very personal info regarding the love triangle. The group is taken aback but overly supportive to Mia. That is until they get to the party later and bring up the family photoshoot at the pool not 24 hours after the fact, in which Gordon and Inc can be seen having a drink together for some family time. The whole situation is messy to say the least but it is impossible to look away from. Karen has her court date but it gets postponed until September. While she says in a confessional she just wishes it was over... in real time her attorney says that the postponement was their goal. So conflicting information there... At Wendy's party (and Ashley's actual birthday) we get to see a whole different side to TJ and it is a horrible look. The way he talks to Stacey is all of the red flags on the planet. Wendy and Eddie are making up with Eddie's siblings which is nice to see. But the party takes a left turn when the group addresses Mia and the photoshoot after Mia lets slip (intentionally) that she needs the FATHERS of her children to get along... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Else Is Going On? With Taria S. Faison
"RHOP" Healing, Thriving and Surviving ft...Me!

What Else Is Going On? With Taria S. Faison

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 54:47


Join me as I get into the latest episode of RHOP! Check out the visual on YouTube! I discuss Karen's court date (she is waiting to tell her truth), GNA fusion (I guess and Ashley...the vocals my dear...they're trash...next question)/Wendy's party (how did she get off the boat) and Mia...GIRLUHHH! Please support the podcast HERE.Support the show

The Brooke Ashley
Mia, NOBODY CARES! I Real Housewives of Potomac S.9 Ep.8 LIVE Recap I Healing, Thriving & Surviving

The Brooke Ashley

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 100:52


Wendy preps for her 40th birthday bash and tries to bring her extended family together; Karen's big day in court arrives. Ashley performs her new single at a GnA event; Gizelle and Mia's confrontation causes issues within the group. #RHOP #GizelleBryant #KarenHuger If You'd Like To Support This Channel: Cashapp: $bwashley5 Connect With Me: Blog: thebrookeashley.com Bluesky: thebrookeashley.bsky.social IG: thebrookeashley_ Tik Tok: thebrookeashley1 For Business/Promo Inquiries: Email: thebrookeashley5@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BravBros
Mia's Sidekick Showdown: Jaqueline vs Jassi (RHOP Full Recap)

BravBros

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2024 62:04


Whats up Bros? The ladies of Potomac head to Lake Norman. This season has been a breath of fresh air and the newbies are performing very well. In this episode, Mia is upset with Karen for not taking accountability in her DUI. Gizelle also has to have a convo with Karen in regards to the award show/ GnA event debacle. Jaqueline claims to want to get out from under Mia's shadow, but in the same breath takes offense when Jassi claims she is Mia's NEW sidekick... Stacey is still upset with Ashley for outing her new man to the group. Karen takes out her frustrations on Jaqueline for telling everyone that she called her drunk during the birthday party. The group addresses Stacey being "boring". Things get interesting at dinner when Mia lets Karen know that she was privy to a butt-dial conversation... "The ladies think I'm with Ray"... Is Karen up to no good? Perhaps the return of blue eyes? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE
Teresa & Louie's New "Scam", Jennifer Aydin's Delusion, Melissa's Message To Tre & The Grand Dame's Bad Week

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2024 14:15


RHONJ may be off the air but many of our favs, who may or may not be returning, have been making quite the headlines this past week. Teresa is urging, or begging based on how you read it, everyone to sign up for some website where we can all make free money to the tune of 50K a year. We break down this very strange biz venture, share updates on Louie's other biz ventures and answer just what is going on across the river in the Giudice / Ruelas household. Jennifer Aydin cannot seem to accept her fate that she is probably not returning to RHONJ, claims she has spoken to Andy Cohen, slams Tamra as thirsty and backtracks on many of her current statements regarding her cast mates and future of the show. Finally, Melissa Gorga shades Teresa and explains why she follows all the rules unlike her beloved sister in law. In other news, RHOP Season 9, Episode 3. The Grand Dame is in the hot seat as everyone has questions about her DUI, Gizelle remains mad over the GNA event and public headlines arise that her attorney's motion to dismiss the case against her due to a lack of Miranda Rights has been denied. In other words, the Grand Dame in headed to face a jury for her fateful actions the night she got behind the wheel of the car, allegedly, intoxicated.  Mia is messy AF, Stacey becomes enraged with Ashley, Gizelle and Wendy are actually getting along and, even though we are only in episode three, the ladies prepare to head on a cast trip to the far away and exotic state of North Carolina. How exciting.  @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef Listen Now: https://www.patreon.com/c/behindthevelvetrope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RealityBites
RHOP 9x03 Recap: Mind Your Bunions!

RealityBites

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 86:08


 COLD OPEN - 00:00-14:08 (Pop Culture Round-Up: VPR's return?? And Lala on Jeff Lewis)RHOP RECAP - 14:08We're picking up where we left off in Potomac, with Gizelle giving Mia, Jassi, and Stacey the boot from her GnA event and the aftermath. But let's be real, this episode is building towards the ultimate Karen vs Gizelle showdown, and what better place for the prize fight than on the trip Mia's hosting for the ladies in North Carolina! We're breaking down it all, hope you enjoy!Support the showSUBSCRIBE TO PREMIUM ON PATREON HERE OR APPLE PODCASTS HERE - FOR EXCLUSIVE RHONY RECAPS, SELLING THE OC SEASON 3 RECAPS, SOUTHERN CHARM REWATCHES AND MORE! BUY US A COCKTAIL OR HERBAL REFRESHMENT! IG @reality.bites.podcast ‘Like, Comment, Rate and Review' on all platforms!DISCLAIMER: The opinions, views and conjectures expressed by anyone on the podcast "Reality Bites" are their own and do not reflect the views or opinions of any networks, streaming platforms or digital platforms mentioned or related to the reality television shows discussed. These opinions and views are solely based on their personal experiences and perspectives as a viewer and reality TV producers. Any statements made on the podcast, social media or any other mediums are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered as facts or representative of any network or platform. The opinions and conjectures presented are subjective and should be taken as such. Reality Bites bears no responsibility for any action or decision based on the information provided during the podcast or any other platform.

BravBros
Karen Continues to Play Victim, Gizelle Apologizes and Hell Freezes Over (RHOP Full Recap)

BravBros

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 57:26


What's up Bros? It's Potomac time and we are so happy that this season is off to such a good start. Gizelle kicks the ladies out of her GnA event despite only being 4 minutes late. However, she recognizes later that they were just collateral damage and to EVERYONES surprise... SHE APOLOGIZES! It seems like her and Karen are geared up to face off all season. Wendy and Gizelle continue to further their friendship and we are liking that duo. Ashley calls out Karen for the shady behavior regarding the awards show. We get to meet Inc and hear more about Mia's coparenting situation/ living situation with G. Gizelle fears that the newbies are falling under Karen's spell already so she makes an effort to get to know them. Stacey introduces us to TJ in a very strange scene, and then finds out that Ashley Darby may not be who she says she is... The crew heads to Lake Norman (great spot) for Mia's cast trip. En route Mia points out to Karen that this is a criminal charge against her, and despite her not discussing it, it is out there on the internet and eventually Karen will hit a breaking point. The biggest bummer for us is watching Karen take zero accountability on the issue. The victim mentality when you get your second DUI is a bold strategy and we don't see it panning out for her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Brooke Ashley
Stacey Is Clearly In A Friendship

The Brooke Ashley

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2024 45:25


Shocked by the dramatic GnA ousting, the group seeks answers and apologies; Keiarna settles in at her boyfriend's house; Mia and Inc have a staycation to get some space of their own; Stacey's close friend TJ comes to town. #RHOP #GizelleBryant #KarenHuger If You'd Like To Support This Channel: Cashapp: $bwashley5 Connect With Me: Blog: thebrookeashley.com IG: thebrookeashley_ Twitter: thebrookeash Tik Tok: thebrookeashley1 For Business/Promo Inquiries: Email: thebrookeashley5@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE
Shannon Beador's Extortion Lawsuit Hindered, Tamra / Shannon Reconciliation and Karen & Gizelle Face Off

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2024 19:03


RHOP Season 9, Episode 2. The P is back in our lives and there is no shortage of drama baybee as Karen and Gizelle's minute long frenemyship has gone completely south with competing events - Karen's out of no where Femme Powered salute and Gizelle and Ashley's rebranded GNA launch.  In other news, Mia sobs, Stacey lets us know she is celibate, Keiarna Stewart - aka K - makes her debut, Wendy teaches Gizelle how to eat oysters as we, the audience, are left asking, Robyn and Candiace who? Heading west, Alexis Bellino demands sympathy the same as Shannon, lets us know all the reasons how and why this season has been hard for her and talks upcoming nuptials to the one and only Johnny J.  Speaking of John Janssen, he makes it clear why Shannon has no case of blackmail or extortion against him for any rumored videos of Shannon the night of her DUI.  Rumors of a Tamra / Shannon reconciliation a la the RHOC reunion arise, rumors of a Shannon / Vicki breakup get started and Tamra announces who she will never, ever speak to again. Finally, RHONY chugs along with Episode 3, Season 15 as this fragmented cast head to The Hamptons where, based on history, things never seem to end well. Thanks for hosting Erin.  All this and more as we break down all of this week's hottest Bravo goss, shows and more. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef Listen Now: https://www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Judgey Girls
TJG: RHOP & RHONY

Two Judgey Girls

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2024 57:24


It's been too long! We catch up with each other and all of the happenings as well as recap RHOP and RHONY. Over in Potomac, it's the battle of events with GNA vs Femme Powered. Was Karen getting honored for running into a tree? In New York, the women head to the Hamptons where Erin has a full spread for the ladies and we are trying to figure out who is the pigeon. Come judge with us!You can find us:Instagram & Threads: @twojudgeygirlsFacebook: www.facebook.com/twojudgeygirlsPodcast: ACast, iTunes, Spotify, wherever you listen!Merch: www.etsy.com/shop/twojudgeygirls Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BravBros
Karen's Award or Gizelle's Event? (RHOP Full Recap)

BravBros

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2024 56:13


What's up Bros? Potomac is off to a great start this season and we couldn't be happier. It seems as though this cast has found its way to making entertaining TV again. Whether that's the absence of Robyn or the shady yet lovely friendship between Karen and Gizelle, we're only 2 episodes in but we are optimistic. In this episode. Gizelle and Wendy sit down in an attempt to reignite some sort of friendship. They are able to hear one another out, and while Gizelle sees a path to be besties... Wendy sees it as a step in the right direction. Gizelle is throwing an event for GNA in honor of her late father and partnering with the Brain Tumor Society. Karen informs Gizelle she's being presented with an award during her and Ashley's GNA event, so she will be attending later. The next morning however, Karen extends an invite to the whole group even though they are all planning on (and have been for awhile) going to Gizelle's event. Double events and shady invites are what we love to see and it forces the group to choose. Although some of the ladies plan on attending both, the timing of the bus back to Gizelle's event makes that next to impossible. We learn more about Stacey and her home life, and while she still lives with her husband despite separation, we definitely don't need Ashley of all people commenting on it. Things escalate when the majority of the group is not present at Gizelle's event. Some of the housewives decide to stay at Karen's event to see her receive her award (namely Wendy which should cause some strain in her newfound friendship with Gizelle) and a few decide to show up late to Gizelle's and are promptly met by security. RHOP seems to have found its way back, and it is just fun to watch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We Wine Whenever's Podcast
Clashing Events & Confessions

We Wine Whenever's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2024 34:59 Transcription Available


Send us a text Clashing Events & Confessions RHOP Season 9, Episode 2 - "Double Trouble" This episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac centers around tensions brewing between the ladies during a birthday lunch, two simultaneous events, and ongoing relationship drama.The episode opens at the end of the birthday lunch where Mia is emotional in the bathroom, comforted by Jassi, Stacey, and Jacqueline, while Wendy discusses Mia's role as a mother with Karen and Giselle. Giselle then gifts hats to the ladies, symbolizing their place in the group, with Giselle taking the "Queen" hat.Afterward, Mia and Jacqueline rejoin the table where apologies are exchanged.Personal storylines emerge: Stacey's complex family dynamics are highlighted as she manages co-living with her separated husband while dating and raising her daughter Arabella. Ashley also visits Stacey to discuss relationships, race, and parenting.Later, tensions rise during a lunch between Wendy and Giselle. They address unresolved issues, with Wendy voicing her frustration about feeling alienated, while Giselle offers to communicate more directly in the future.Karen's award event and Giselle's GNA event overlap, causing friction. Giselle suggests everyone attend Karen's event to avoid chaos, but some of the ladies try to juggle both events, leading to an awkward split and Giselle's frustration with the divided loyalties.The episode wraps with tensions unresolved as Giselle sees Mia, Jassi, and Stacey arrive late to her GNA event and confronts them.TakeawaysMia was upset about her parenting being questioned.Giselle's behavior is often hypocritical.Wendy's fashion choices were deemed inappropriate for lunch.Giselle and Wendy agree to communicate better.Stacey's daughter is trilingual, showcasing her family's diversity.Ashley identifies as a black woman despite her biracial background.Kiarna is building a house with her partner, indicating a serious relationship.Karen's advice to Kiarna about relationships may be overstepping.The dynamics of friendship in Potomac are complex and often contentious.Giselle's invitation choices reflect her alliances within the group. The GNA event sparked significant drama among the cast.Friendship dynamics are complex, especially between Giselle and Karen.Giselle's new venture is influenced by her father's passing.Karen's actions during the event were seen as opportunistic.The fallout from the events could lead to lasting consequences.Production insights reveal the behind-the-scenes workings of Potomac.Personal reflections on health and drinking habits were shared.The hosts feel the episodes of Potomac fly by quickly.The rivalry between Karen and Giselle is a central theme this season.The importance of supporting friends during difficult times was emphasized.Emotional Support Water Bottlehttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-support-water-bottle/id1672867717Emotional Support Water BottleSupport the show

The Brooke Ashley
Production Cheated Us!!

The Brooke Ashley

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2024 55:19


The fallout from Karen's `hattitude' birthday continues as a few of the ladies try to reel in the drama; Gizelle and Wendy meet to hash out their issues; Gizelle and Ashley's GnA event is challenged by the Grande Dame. #RHOP #GizelleBryant #KarenHuger If You'd Like To Support This Channel: Cashapp: $bwashley5 Connect With Me: Blog: thebrookeashley.com IG: thebrookeashley_ Twitter: thebrookeash Tik Tok: thebrookeashley1 For Business/Promo Inquiries: Email: thebrookeashley5@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch What Crappens
#2589 RHOP 0902: Conflicting Obligations

Watch What Crappens

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2024 83:09


The ladies must choose between Karen's award ceremony and Gizelle's GNA event on The Real Housewives of Potomac. Someone's bound to be upset, but it's great for the audience! To watch this recap on video, listen to all of our bonus episodes, and join in our new community chat, go to Patreon.com/watchwhatcrappensSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE
PK Storms Off RHOBH Filming, Meet The RHOBH Newbies & Kathy Hilton Returns

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2024 69:15


Dorit continues to wear her wedding ring, has started filming the new season of RHOBH with and without PK, has sat down with Kyle to work out the issues that remain from last season and trudges along amidst her separation from PK. Real or Fake seems to be the question most of you are asking and we take a little deep dive down that path.  In other news, Kathy Hilton returns, Bozoma Saint John, Eva LaRue and Jennifer Tilly are all set to join Season 14 in some capacity, Annemarie cannot stop slamming Crystal despite Season 13 being long gone and Lisa Rinna proves, once again, she is the Princess of Re-invention with “Mommy Meanest”.  RHOC picks cameras back up thanks to Ryan Boyajian's Gambling MLB drama, Tamra shades Jennifer Pedranti, Jennifer slams back and we cannot help ourselves but to get involved. Long live The TamRat.  Finally, we spill the tea on the new season of RHOP - newbies, a united GnA, a vocal Grand Dame and much, much more. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BONUS & AD FREE EPISODES Available at - www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope  BROUGHT TO YOU BY: QUINCE - quince.com/velvetrope (Get Free Shipping and 365 Day Returns on Elevated Luxury Without Paying Luxury Prices)  ASTEPRO - asteproallergy.com (Get Fast Acting Nasal Allergy Symptom Relief with Astepro. Discount Available on Website) THE KARDASHIANS (New Season Starts May 23rd Only On Hulu) BUBLY - bubly.com (Introducing Bubly Burst - Sparkling Water with an Extra Burst of Fruit Flavor, an Extra Burst of Fun. Purchase At a Store Near You)  INDEED - indeed.com/velvet (Seventy Five Dollar $75 Sponsored Job Credit To Get Your Jobs More Visibility)  INDACLOUD - indacloud.co/spring24  (30% Off Discreet Delivery Off Top Shelf THC Products)   ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact David@advertising-execs.com MERCH Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans
Balancing the Budget for IT in the AI Age | Sadin on Digital

Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 34:06


Episode 51 | Strategic IT BudgetingThe Big Themes:Integrated investment approach: Wayne advocates for aligning IT investments with broader company goals, urging against treating IT as a separate entity. This approach ensures that IT projects are evaluated alongside other investments, prioritizing those with the highest strategic value.Time allocation for CIOs: Wayne recommends that CIOs dedicate around 20-25% of their time to budget-related activities, including engaging with business stakeholders, discussing investment priorities, and strategic planning. This time investment is critical for ensuring that IT initiatives are aligned with broader business objectives.Comprehensive project costing: A transparent and comprehensive approach to project costing, where expenses are aggregated to provide a holistic view of total project costs can be beneficial. This strategy prevents budget overruns and facilitates better decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.The Big Quote: “Don't budget only for implementation. I see this all the time. If the project is going to be $10 million to put it in, what's your first year, first 18 months of costs? People say my project is to put in Product X. Now when the product is done, there's the ongoing cost — especially in the SaaS [software-as-a-service] world, that's not insignificant."

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE
Traitors Season 3 Cast Leak, Jax Slams Lala & Dorit Claps Back at Kyle

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2024 33:20


As The Traitors Season 3 prepares to film, we address the many rumors of who will be joining the cast separating fact from fiction in regards to Paris, Nicole, Teresa, Dorinda, Kenya and Jax as potential cast mates. Next we break down Paris & Nicole's new unscripted show, Jax slams Lala, Scheana and the rest of the VPR cast, Jax and Brittany have more marital troubles, The Valley Season 2 is green lit and we prepare for tonight's Part I of the VPR reunion. Over in the P, Gizelle kicks Mia and the newbies out of her GnA event as Karen befriends them. Finally, Dorit claps back at fans, sits down with Kyle, and reacts as PK storms out of meeting with Mauricio and off the RHOBH set. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mining Stock Daily
Introduction to Trident Royalties and its Thacker Pass Lithium Royalty

Mining Stock Daily

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 21:41


Trident Royalties is a royalty company with a large portfolio of royalties in various commodities. They aim to build a diversified portfolio and have exposure to lithium, copper, mineral sands, iron ore, gold, and silver. Their Thacker Pass lithium royalty is a significant asset that is expected to generate substantial cash flow. Trident Royalties trades on the AIM in the UK and the OTC in the US. They have a revolving credit facility with BMO and CIBC to finance their acquisitions. The company is generating free cash flow and has a conservative GNA of $4 million per year.

What Would Arnold Say?
What Would Arnold Say? (RHOP Season 8 Reunion PT3 Discussion)

What Would Arnold Say?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2024 57:18


In this episode, I will deep dive into the final part of The Real Housewives of Potomac Reunion part 3. I talk about the ups and downs of Gordon & Mia's relationship and where I see them heading in the future, Nneka's storyline or lack thereof and her season exhausting fueled with Dr. Wendy, Candice Departure from the show, Robyn's shady departure from the show, whether or not Kierna is a great fit with the group, Dr. Wendy's storyline, the GNA brawl that left Kierna in the hopsital, and where I see this group going from here & SOOOOOO MUCH MORE......

Comments by Celebs
BRAVO: Mia & G, Schwartz & Scheana, Summer House, & More.

Comments by Celebs

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2024 69:40


Emma and Isabel begin with (in their opinion) this season's best episode of Vanderpump - the Scheana and Schwartz “kiss”, Katie and Max, and the Jo of it all. POTOMAC (~33:00) Then, they get into the RHOP finale, which breaks down the fight at the GnA fashion show, and dives realllyyyyy deep into Mia and G's marriage situation. Plus, news that Candiace will not be returning, and Karen's DWI charges. SUMMER HOUSE (~48:00)  Finally, another week of analyzing Lindsay and Carl in the Hamptons.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comments by Celebs
BRAVO: Mia & G, Schwartz & Scheana, Summer House, & More.

Comments by Celebs

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2024 65:55


Emma and Isabel begin with (in their opinion) this season's best episode of Vanderpump - the Scheana and Schwartz "kiss", Katie and Max, and the Jo of it all.POTOMAC (~33:00)Then, they get into the RHOP finale, which breaks down the fight at the GnA fashion show, and dives realllyyyyy deep into Mia and G's marriage situation. Plus, news that Candiace will not be returning, and Karen's DWI charges.SUMMER HOUSE (~48:00) Finally, another week of analyzing Lindsay and Carl in the Hamptons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Gay and His Enby
Episode 95: Muppet Melee

A Gay and His Enby

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2024 158:01


This episode, Eamon & Merlin talk Rupaul's Drag Race where the queens get their HGTV on and Q copes with Sapphira's win, sorta. Then, they talk the Season Finale of Real Housewives of Potomac featuring the aftermath of the GNA brawl and the aftermath of Mia and Gordon's marriage. And finally, the Season Premiere of Summer House: Martha's Vineyard where it's a Silas-less summer that still has tons of great drama. 4:44 - RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 16, Episode 12 49:42 - Real Housewives of Potomac: Season 08, Episode 18 1:50:00 - Summer House: Martha's Vineyard: Season 02, Episode 01 We are Eamon and Merlin, a queer married couple from Texas living in Pittsburgh, PA. We love reality television, wrestling, drag queens, and pretty much anything that can be called even kinda gay. A Gay & His Enby is a podcast where we talk about everything we love in terms of media and pop culture; everything thats gay and gay adjacent; basically all the conversations we have in our living room we are now putting in front of a microphone and on the internet for you. We have launched our MERCH STORE! We are so excited to bring you these designs, all made by Merlin, commemorating some of our favorite iconic moments! Shop now at https://AGayAndHisEnby.Threadless.com Every week, we have the pleasure and privilege of recording from Sorgatron Media Studios in Pittsburgh. Our theme song is Pulsar by Shane Ivers which you can find at https://www.silvermansound.com All of our social media can be found at our linktree: https://linktr.ee/agayandhisenby In recent years, states have pushed forward a record number of bills that attack LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth. The current obession with Drag Queens is no exception. This is a thinly veiled attempt to outlaw gender expressions that do not fall within the cisheteronormative guidelines. Please consider donating to one of the following charities to help make the US a safer place for Queer folks to live in peace. American Civil Liberties Union (https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbtq-rights) Trevor Project (https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/63307/#!/donation/checkout) PFLAG (https://pflag.org/donate/) True Colors United (https://my.truecolorsunited.org/give/107399/#!/donation/checkout) OutRight International (https://outrightinternational.org/take-action/give) Lambda Legal (https://support.lambdalegal.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30130a?df_id=6680&mfc_pref=T&6680.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=D3311163DF16F06EEA5520010BAF90B5) GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (https://donate.glad.org/give/123741/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=webheader) Human Rights Campaign (https://give.hrc.org/page/118560/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=or_gnr_hrc_homepage2022) It Gets Better Project (https://give.itgetsbetter.org/give/250737/#!/donation/checkout)

Purple Pants Podcast
Purple Pants Podcast | An Iconic Ending

Purple Pants Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 43:19


Purple Pants Podcast | An Iconic Ending It's been a season! @Jtiaphd & @brice return to recap the season finale of Bravo's ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac.' We're covering the GNA brawl, the photo shoot release party, Gordon and Mia‘s demise, plus discussing which cast members will not be returning and so much more. Tune in for this week's RHOP Recap! You can also watch along on Brice Izyah's YouTube channel to watch us break it all down. https://youtube.com/@BriceIzyah215?si=CvofnwY4WQXA12xE   LISTEN! Subscribe to the Purple Pants podcast feed by visiting https://robhasawebsite.com/feed/purplepants/ WATCH! Watch and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT! Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks! Previously on the Purple Pants Podcast Feed: Purple Pants Podcast Archives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Gay and His Enby
Episode 94: Throwing Ass to Classical Music

A Gay and His Enby

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2024 191:02


This episode, Eamon & Merlin talk Part Three of the Real Housewives of Miami reunion that ends a phenomenal season of television with a remix we couldn't believe. Then, they talk the last two episodes of Real Housewives of Potomac where Charrisse's crabs are as under seasoned as GNA fashion. Also, two new episodes of Vanderpump Rules that see Sandoval give us the worst lesson in who Scott Petersen is. And finally, Part Three of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion where Sutton takes a trip to the hospital, leaving Kyle to stall for as long as possible. 4:16 - Real Housewives of Miami: Season 06, Episode 20 47:46 - Real Housewives of Potomac: Season 08, Episode 16 & 17 1:29:25 - Vanderpump Rules: Season 11, Episode 07 & 08 2:33:32 - Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Season 13, Episode 20 We are Eamon and Merlin, a queer married couple from Texas living in Pittsburgh, PA. We love reality television, wrestling, drag queens, and pretty much anything that can be called even kinda gay. A Gay & His Enby is a podcast where we talk about everything we love in terms of media and pop culture; everything thats gay and gay adjacent; basically all the conversations we have in our living room we are now putting in front of a microphone and on the internet for you. We have launched our MERCH STORE! We are so excited to bring you these designs, all made by Merlin, commemorating some of our favorite iconic moments! Shop now at https://AGayAndHisEnby.Threadless.com Every week, we have the pleasure and privilege of recording from Sorgatron Media Studios in Pittsburgh. Our theme song is Pulsar by Shane Ivers which you can find at https://www.silvermansound.com All of our social media can be found at our linktree: https://linktr.ee/agayandhisenby In recent years, states have pushed forward a record number of bills that attack LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth. The current obession with Drag Queens is no exception. This is a thinly veiled attempt to outlaw gender expressions that do not fall within the cisheteronormative guidelines. Please consider donating to one of the following charities to help make the US a safer place for Queer folks to live in peace. American Civil Liberties Union (https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbtq-rights) Trevor Project (https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/63307/#!/donation/checkout) PFLAG (https://pflag.org/donate/) True Colors United (https://my.truecolorsunited.org/give/107399/#!/donation/checkout) OutRight International (https://outrightinternational.org/take-action/give) Lambda Legal (https://support.lambdalegal.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30130a?df_id=6680&mfc_pref=T&6680.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=D3311163DF16F06EEA5520010BAF90B5) GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (https://donate.glad.org/give/123741/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=webheader) Human Rights Campaign (https://give.hrc.org/page/118560/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=or_gnr_hrc_homepage2022) It Gets Better Project (https://give.itgetsbetter.org/give/250737/#!/donation/checkout)

Mention It All
Who Needs Attention In Potomac? Ft. Mia Thornton

Mention It All

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2024 28:38


On the eve of this season's Potomac finale, Mia Thornton stops by the studio to bring us up to speed on all the mess. She gets real about the personal journey she's been on the last few years, and why she hasn't shied away from sharing it all on camera. Later, she and Dylan talk through some of the larger issues the group is facing this year, and whether the reunion might bring much-needed resolution. Also, Mia breaks down the situation with Deborah at the GNA fashion show, and why things go left when people shoot their shot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reality TV RHAP-ups: Reality TV Podcasts
Purple Pants Podcast | Fashion Show-Down

Reality TV RHAP-ups: Reality TV Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 48:03


Join us as we break down the GNA fashion show, The Wendy Show, Robyn's Glow 30 Spa and so much more.

Purple Pants Podcast
Purple Pants Podcast | Fashion Show-Down

Purple Pants Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 45:41


Purple Pants Podcast | Fashion Show-Down   @Jtiaphd & @brice return to delve into episode Seventeen of Bravo's ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac.' Join us as we break down the GNA fashion show, The Wendy Show, Robyn's Glow 30 Spa and so much more. Tune in for this week's RHOP Recap! You can also watch along on Brice Izyah's YouTube channel to watch us break it all down. https://youtube.com/@BriceIzyah215?si=CvofnwY4WQXA12xE   LISTEN! Subscribe to the Purple Pants podcast feed by visiting https://robhasawebsite.com/feed/purplepants/ WATCH! Watch and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT! Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks! Previously on the Purple Pants Podcast Feed: Purple Pants Podcast Archives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purple Pants Podcast
Purple Pants Podcast | Fashion Show-Down

Purple Pants Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 48:03


Join us as we break down the GNA fashion show, The Wendy Show, Robyn's Glow 30 Spa and so much more.

Bravo TV RHAPups
Purple Pants Podcast | Fashion Show-Down

Bravo TV RHAPups

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 48:03


Join us as we break down the GNA fashion show, The Wendy Show, Robyn's Glow 30 Spa and so much more.

The Travel Path Podcast
13. Taking a 75-Day Road Trip With a Child @Adventures of Mom, Dad, Girl, and a Little White Dog

The Travel Path Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2024 42:43


www.atravelpath.com   00:00 Introduction 05:37 What Did Your Travel and Work Life Look Like? 08:06 How Did Your Plans Change? 09:21 Money Saving Tips 10:26 How Did You Find Campsites? 13:06 Recreation.gov 14:11 How Do You Travel with Children? 17:06 What is the Junior Ranger Program? 20:06 Did Bringing a Child on Your Road Trip Hold You Back from Anything? 21:47 The Impact of Travel at an Early Age 22:06 Get Your Child's Input 22:51 Bringing Your Dog to National Parks 24:19 How Long Did It Take to Plan Your Road Trip? 26:41 Homeschooling Tips 30:36 Travel Frustrations 32:41 What Was Your Coolest Travel Experience? 34:36 What Is One Thing You Can't Live Without While Traveling? 35:06 How Did You Transition Back to “Normal” Life? 36:06 How Did You Take Care of Your House? 37:22 What is One Thing Someone Could do to Get Started with a Road Trip? 39:26 What Are Your Favorite YouTube Travel Channels?   Laura and Jason on Social: YouTube Facebook Instagram Olympic National Park Video 5 Tips for Hiking with Kids 75 Day Road Trip Playlist   We had a great time chatting Laura, Jason, and special guest Alexis during this episode of The Travel Path Podcast! In today's show you will hear all about:

Reality TV RHAP-ups: Reality TV Podcasts
Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served

Reality TV RHAP-ups: Reality TV Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 44:19


Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served Welcome to this week's Purple Pants Podcast! Join @briceizyah and @Jtiaphd as they break down episode eleven of Bravo's ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac.' Get ready for a deep dive into GNA, Karen's grandmother's home, Nneka vs Wendy, and so much more! Don't miss out on this […]

bravo pants purple real housewives of potomac nneka gna first come first served purple pants podcast
Purple Pants Podcast
Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served

Purple Pants Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 44:28


Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served Welcome to this week's Purple Pants Podcast! Join @briceizyah and @Jtiaphd as they break down episode eleven of Bravo's ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac.' Get ready for a deep dive into GNA, Karen's grandmother's home, Nneka vs Wendy, and so much more! Don't miss out on this week's RHOP Recap. You can also watch along on Brice Izyah's YouTube channel to watch us break it all down. https://youtube.com/channel/UCFlglGPPamVHaNAb0tL_s7g Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purple Pants Podcast
Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served

Purple Pants Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 44:19


Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served Welcome to this week's Purple Pants Podcast! Join @briceizyah and @Jtiaphd as they break down episode eleven of Bravo's ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac.' Get ready for a deep dive into GNA, Karen's grandmother's home, Nneka vs Wendy, and so much more! Don't miss out on this […]

Bravo TV RHAPups
Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served

Bravo TV RHAPups

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 44:19


Purple Pants Podcast | First Come, First Served Welcome to this week's Purple Pants Podcast! Join @briceizyah and @Jtiaphd as they break down episode eleven of Bravo's ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac.' Get ready for a deep dive into GNA, Karen's grandmother's home, Nneka vs Wendy, and so much more! Don't miss out on this […]

bravo pants purple real housewives of potomac nneka gna first come first served purple pants podcast
The G.N.A. Podcast
G.N.A. Podcast Episode 335: We're Back!

The G.N.A. Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024 87:23


We're back! After a year long hiatus Cecil has resurrected the GNA back to life with a helping hand from some old timers. The crew gets deep for a little bit as they touch on their journeys for the past year. Come join Erin, Zyber and Cecil as they fire up the new year with some laughs!.