POWERS https://www.powerspod.com/ en 2026 Conversations with the best founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. POWERS brings you inside the minds of world-class leaders who have built, battled, and succeeded at the highest levels. POWERS digs beyond the surface with questions driven by curiosity, uncovering stories and insights rarely shared publicly. Each episode delivers timeless wisdom and hard-earned lessons that apply across business and life. The show has earned a reputation for asking the right questions at the right moment. The focus is on timeless principles, proven through years of discipline and risk, not on shortcuts. Each conversation is direct, deliberate, and designed to leave listeners sharper than when they arrived. The aim is simple: to deliver insights that matter and can be carried into business and life. Since its launch, POWERS has drawn a high-caliber audience of builders, investors, and decision makers. Past guests have represented companies such as Starwood Capital, JLL, Hillwood Capital, Chick-fil-A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit. At its core, POWERS is a celebration of leadership, of work that matters, and of the American spirit that makes it possible. https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/542c1dce-d934-11ed-b705-43cdef1b1abd/image/9e2c9396f797ec4d238b2960884891b6.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress POWERS https://www.powerspod.com/ no episodic Chris Powers Conversations with the best founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. POWERS brings you inside the minds of world-class leaders who have built, battled, and succeeded at the highest levels. POWERS digs beyond the surface with questions driven by curiosity, uncovering stories and insights rarely shared publicly. Each episode delivers timeless wisdom and hard-earned lessons that apply across business and life. The show has earned a reputation for asking the right questions at the right moment. The focus is on timeless principles, proven through years of discipline and risk, not on shortcuts. Each conversation is direct, deliberate, and designed to leave listeners sharper than when they arrived. The aim is simple: to deliver insights that matter and can be carried into business and life. Since its launch, POWERS has drawn a high-caliber audience of builders, investors, and decision makers. Past guests have represented companies such as Starwood Capital, JLL, Hillwood Capital, Chick-fil-A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit. At its core, POWERS is a celebration of leadership, of work that matters, and of the American spirit that makes it possible. Conversations with the best founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. POWERS brings you inside the minds of world-class leaders who have built, battled, and succeeded at the highest levels.

POWERS digs beyond the surface with questions driven by curiosity, uncovering stories and insights rarely shared publicly. Each episode delivers timeless wisdom and hard-earned lessons that apply across business and life.

The show has earned a reputation for asking the right questions at the right moment. The focus is on timeless principles, proven through years of discipline and risk, not on shortcuts. Each conversation is direct, deliberate, and designed to leave listeners sharper than when they arrived. The aim is simple: to deliver insights that matter and can be carried into business and life.

Since its launch, POWERS has drawn a high-caliber audience of builders, investors, and decision makers. Past guests have represented companies such as Starwood Capital, JLL, Hillwood Capital, Chick-fil-A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit.

At its core, POWERS is a celebration of leadership, of work that matters, and of the American spirit that makes it possible.

]]> Chris Powers thefortpodcast@gmail.com Building a $3B Family Office From Scratch with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight (#411) In this episode, Chris sits down with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight, a $2.8B multi-family office in Dallas, TX that he co-founded in 2019. We dig into how you build a world-class multi-family office from scratch - and why so many wealthy families out there don't actually have one yet. Matthew's path into wealth management didn't start in a boardroom - it started on a tennis court. A summer teaching tennis to a CIO's family at Cape Cod opened the first door, which led him to Credit Suisse's private bank through the GFC and then five years at the Crow family office, helping transform it into one of the first true multi-family offices in Dallas. He opened Legacy Knight's doors in October 2019 with $2.5M of operating capital, 14 seed families, and a contrarian bet - that the new generation of sub-50-year-old entrepreneurs hitting their first liquidity event needed something the bulge brackets couldn't offer. Six years later, Legacy Knight manages over $3B and was named the fastest-growing RIA in Texas. Chris and Matthew go deep on what it actually takes to build a multi-family office the right way - the technology, the hiring, the legacy conversations with families, and why Matthew refuses to grow by acquiring other books of business. They discuss: Why every hire at Legacy Knight comes out of the family office world, not from the bulge brackets How most $100M+ families are still running their wealth on a Google Doc and a handshake with their accountant Why "do nothing in the year after a liquidity event" is half good advice and half terrible advice The most creative things Matthew has seen ultra-wealthy families do with their capital How Matthew thinks about his own kids, legacy, and when to start the wealth conversation Links: Legacy Knight - https://legacyknight.com/ Matthew on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ogle-ab11873/ Topics: (02:01) Matthew’s First Exposure to Wealth Management (07:58) Joining Credit Suisse (Pre-GFC): Why the "Bulge Bracket" Mattered, How the Private Banking Associate Model Works (13:08) Why Credit Suisse Failed to Serve Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families (20:07) The First Client Meeting: Soft-Tissue Questions (28:57) Tax Timing and Mitigation Strategies (37:57) The Founding Thesis: People and Platform (Building Legacy Knight) (44:46) The Decision to Launch Legacy Knight Independently (54:43) Fundraising Lessons: Managing Expectations and The Importance of Pitch Order (01:01:18) The Full-Service Family Office Model (01:06:24) What a Vertically Integrated Family Office Actually Includes (01:09:07) Proactive Investment Sourcing (01:13:02) Next-Gen Engagement and Family Legacy Planning: How to Involve Children Appropriately (01:21:46) Matthew’s Hiring Philosophy (01:30:05) Time as the Hidden Cost of Unstructured Wealth Support our Sponsors: Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0000 full 411 Chris Powers In this episode, Chris sits down with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight, a $2.8B multi-family office in Dallas, TX that he co-founded in 2019. We dig into how you build a world-class multi-family office from scratch - and why so many wealthy families out there don't actually have one yet. Matthew's path into wealth management didn't start in a boardroom - it started on a tennis court. A summer teaching tennis to a CIO's family at Cape Cod opened the first door, which led him to Credit Suisse's private bank through the GFC and then five years at the Crow family office, helping transform it into one of the first true multi-family offices in Dallas. He opened Legacy Knight's doors in October 2019 with $2.5M of operating capital, 14 seed families, and a contrarian bet - that the new generation of sub-50-year-old entrepreneurs hitting their first liquidity event needed something the bulge brackets couldn't offer. Six years later, Legacy Knight manages over $3B and was named the fastest-growing RIA in Texas. Chris and Matthew go deep on what it actually takes to build a multi-family office the right way - the technology, the hiring, the legacy conversations with families, and why Matthew refuses to grow by acquiring other books of business. They discuss: Why every hire at Legacy Knight comes out of the family office world, not from the bulge brackets How most $100M+ families are still running their wealth on a Google Doc and a handshake with their accountant Why "do nothing in the year after a liquidity event" is half good advice and half terrible advice The most creative things Matthew has seen ultra-wealthy families do with their capital How Matthew thinks about his own kids, legacy, and when to start the wealth conversation Links: Legacy Knight - https://legacyknight.com/ Matthew on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ogle-ab11873/ Topics: (02:01) Matthew’s First Exposure to Wealth Management (07:58) Joining Credit Suisse (Pre-GFC): Why the "Bulge Bracket" Mattered, How the Private Banking Associate Model Works (13:08) Why Credit Suisse Failed to Serve Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families (20:07) The First Client Meeting: Soft-Tissue Questions (28:57) Tax Timing and Mitigation Strategies (37:57) The Founding Thesis: People and Platform (Building Legacy Knight) (44:46) The Decision to Launch Legacy Knight Independently (54:43) Fundraising Lessons: Managing Expectations and The Importance of Pitch Order (01:01:18) The Full-Service Family Office Model (01:06:24) What a Vertically Integrated Family Office Actually Includes (01:09:07) Proactive Investment Sourcing (01:13:02) Next-Gen Engagement and Family Legacy Planning: How to Involve Children Appropriately (01:21:46) Matthew’s Hiring Philosophy (01:30:05) Time as the Hidden Cost of Unstructured Wealth Support our Sponsors: Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO In this episode, Chris sits down with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight, a $2.8B multi-family office in Dallas, TX that he co-founded in 2019. We dig into how you build a world-class multi-family office from scratch - and why so many wealthy families out there don't actually have one yet.

Matthew's path into wealth management didn't start in a boardroom - it started on a tennis court. A summer teaching tennis to a CIO's family at Cape Cod opened the first door, which led him to Credit Suisse's private bank through the GFC and then five years at the Crow family office, helping transform it into one of the first true multi-family offices in Dallas. He opened Legacy Knight's doors in October 2019 with $2.5M of operating capital, 14 seed families, and a contrarian bet - that the new generation of sub-50-year-old entrepreneurs hitting their first liquidity event needed something the bulge brackets couldn't offer. Six years later, Legacy Knight manages over $3B and was named the fastest-growing RIA in Texas.

Chris and Matthew go deep on what it actually takes to build a multi-family office the right way - the technology, the hiring, the legacy conversations with families, and why Matthew refuses to grow by acquiring other books of business.


They discuss:

  • Why every hire at Legacy Knight comes out of the family office world, not from the bulge brackets
  • How most $100M+ families are still running their wealth on a Google Doc and a handshake with their accountant
  • Why "do nothing in the year after a liquidity event" is half good advice and half terrible advice
  • The most creative things Matthew has seen ultra-wealthy families do with their capital
  • How Matthew thinks about his own kids, legacy, and when to start the wealth conversation

Links:

Legacy Knight - https://legacyknight.com/

Matthew on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ogle-ab11873/ Topics:

(02:01) Matthew’s First Exposure to Wealth Management (07:58) Joining Credit Suisse (Pre-GFC): Why the "Bulge Bracket" Mattered, How the Private Banking Associate Model Works (13:08) Why Credit Suisse Failed to Serve Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families (20:07) The First Client Meeting: Soft-Tissue Questions (28:57) Tax Timing and Mitigation Strategies (37:57) The Founding Thesis: People and Platform (Building Legacy Knight) (44:46) The Decision to Launch Legacy Knight Independently (54:43) Fundraising Lessons: Managing Expectations and The Importance of Pitch Order (01:01:18) The Full-Service Family Office Model (01:06:24) What a Vertically Integrated Family Office Actually Includes (01:09:07) Proactive Investment Sourcing (01:13:02) Next-Gen Engagement and Family Legacy Planning: How to Involve Children Appropriately (01:21:46) Matthew’s Hiring Philosophy (01:30:05) Time as the Hidden Cost of Unstructured Wealth Support our Sponsors: Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 5581 no #410 - Austin Tunnell - Founder of Building Culture - The Power of Developing Beautiful Buildings In this episode, Chris sits down with Austin Tunnell, founder of Building Culture - a real estate development and design-build company based in Oklahoma City specializing in structural masonry construction and walkable, mixed-use urban infill. Austin's path to real estate is one of the more unusual ones we've had on the show. He grew up a football player in the suburbs of Houston, went to work at KPMG out of college, hated it, and joined the Peace Corps. A chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of his life. He returned to the US and apprenticed for two years laying brick by hand for $12 an hour in rural Oklahoma while his wife cleaned houses to support them. Today Austin designs and develops some of the most beautiful residential and mixed-use projects being built in America, including an 18-townhome, live-work, and mixed-use commercial project currently underway in downtown Edmond, Oklahoma. Chris and Austin go deep on Austin's philosophy of beauty, the case for building things meant to last hundreds of years, and the policy, financing, and culture obstacles standing in the way. We discuss: - How a chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of Austin's life - The difference between veneer brick and true structural masonry, and why almost no one in the US builds the real thing anymore - Why Austin believes beauty is real, beauty is important, and beauty "connects us to the divine" - Five simple brick details any developer can use to make a veneer building look dramatically better for almost no added cost - How fire codes, building codes, and Euclidean zoning quietly destroy neighborhoods and push developers toward the same ugly apartment complexes - Austin's long-term-hold model for funding new construction infill, inspired by Moses Kagan and ReSeed - Missing middle housing, walkability, and why a 30-unit townhome neighborhood can feel more like home than any class-A apartment building About the guest: Austin Tunnell is the founder of Building Culture, an Oklahoma City-based real estate development and design-build firm focused on beautiful, durable, human-scale neighborhoods. Building Culture specializes in structural masonry construction, walkable urban infill, and mixed-use development. Links: Building Culture - https://www.buildingculture.com/ Austin on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@austintunnell Austin on X - https://x.com/austintunnell Austin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:33) - Austin’s journey with the Peace Corps and how that led him to Masonry (00:12:26) - Why we moved away from Masonry and toward wood frames (00:15:19) - What drew Austin to Masonry (00:19:34) - Learning the craft (00:24:25) - Why humans gravitate toward humanely built things (00:26:51) - What people can do with brick to get more value from a home (00:31:23) - What to ask architects when looking for a Mason (00:32:39) - Training Masons (00:33:28) - Austin’s project in Edmond, OK (00:38:17) - Defining beauty (00:50:03) - The impact of over regulation in construction and zoning (00:55:50) - Austin on scaling his business (00:59:38) - Local, state, and national policies that need to change (01:05:03) - Interior beauty in Austin’s world (01:09:30) - Tax incentives and capital structures (01:16:52) - Building a media business in Real Estate (01:18:05) - Live-work real estate Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In this episode, Chris sits down with Austin Tunnell, founder of Building Culture - a real estate development and design-build company based in Oklahoma City specializing in structural masonry construction and walkable, mixed-use urban infill. Austin's path to real estate is one of the more unusual ones we've had on the show. He grew up a football player in the suburbs of Houston, went to work at KPMG out of college, hated it, and joined the Peace Corps. A chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of his life. He returned to the US and apprenticed for two years laying brick by hand for $12 an hour in rural Oklahoma while his wife cleaned houses to support them. Today Austin designs and develops some of the most beautiful residential and mixed-use projects being built in America, including an 18-townhome, live-work, and mixed-use commercial project currently underway in downtown Edmond, Oklahoma. Chris and Austin go deep on Austin's philosophy of beauty, the case for building things meant to last hundreds of years, and the policy, financing, and culture obstacles standing in the way. We discuss: - How a chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of Austin's life - The difference between veneer brick and true structural masonry, and why almost no one in the US builds the real thing anymore - Why Austin believes beauty is real, beauty is important, and beauty "connects us to the divine" - Five simple brick details any developer can use to make a veneer building look dramatically better for almost no added cost - How fire codes, building codes, and Euclidean zoning quietly destroy neighborhoods and push developers toward the same ugly apartment complexes - Austin's long-term-hold model for funding new construction infill, inspired by Moses Kagan and ReSeed - Missing middle housing, walkability, and why a 30-unit townhome neighborhood can feel more like home than any class-A apartment building About the guest: Austin Tunnell is the founder of Building Culture, an Oklahoma City-based real estate development and design-build firm focused on beautiful, durable, human-scale neighborhoods. Building Culture specializes in structural masonry construction, walkable urban infill, and mixed-use development. Links: Building Culture - https://www.buildingculture.com/ Austin on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@austintunnell Austin on X - https://x.com/austintunnell Austin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:33) - Austin’s journey with the Peace Corps and how that led him to Masonry (00:12:26) - Why we moved away from Masonry and toward wood frames (00:15:19) - What drew Austin to Masonry (00:19:34) - Learning the craft (00:24:25) - Why humans gravitate toward humanely built things (00:26:51) - What people can do with brick to get more value from a home (00:31:23) - What to ask architects when looking for a Mason (00:32:39) - Training Masons (00:33:28) - Austin’s project in Edmond, OK (00:38:17) - Defining beauty (00:50:03) - The impact of over regulation in construction and zoning (00:55:50) - Austin on scaling his business (00:59:38) - Local, state, and national policies that need to change (01:05:03) - Interior beauty in Austin’s world (01:09:30) - Tax incentives and capital structures (01:16:52) - Building a media business in Real Estate (01:18:05) - Live-work real estate Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO In this episode, Chris sits down with Austin Tunnell, founder of Building Culture - a real estate development and design-build company based in Oklahoma City specializing in structural masonry construction and walkable, mixed-use urban infill.


Austin's path to real estate is one of the more unusual ones we've had on the show. He grew up a football player in the suburbs of Houston, went to work at KPMG out of college, hated it, and joined the Peace Corps. A chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of his life. He returned to the US and apprenticed for two years laying brick by hand for $12 an hour in rural Oklahoma while his wife cleaned houses to support them. Today Austin designs and develops some of the most beautiful residential and mixed-use projects being built in America, including an 18-townhome, live-work, and mixed-use commercial project currently underway in downtown Edmond, Oklahoma.

Chris and Austin go deep on Austin's philosophy of beauty, the case for building things meant to last hundreds of years, and the policy, financing, and culture obstacles standing in the way.

We discuss:

- How a chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of Austin's life

- The difference between veneer brick and true structural masonry, and why almost no one in the US builds the real thing anymore

- Why Austin believes beauty is real, beauty is important, and beauty "connects us to the divine"

- Five simple brick details any developer can use to make a veneer building look dramatically better for almost no added cost

- How fire codes, building codes, and Euclidean zoning quietly destroy neighborhoods and push developers toward the same ugly apartment complexes

- Austin's long-term-hold model for funding new construction infill, inspired by Moses Kagan and ReSeed

- Missing middle housing, walkability, and why a 30-unit townhome neighborhood can feel more like home than any class-A apartment building

About the guest: Austin Tunnell is the founder of Building Culture, an Oklahoma City-based real estate development and design-build firm focused on beautiful, durable, human-scale neighborhoods. Building Culture specializes in structural masonry construction, walkable urban infill, and mixed-use development.

Links:

Building Culture - https://www.buildingculture.com/

Austin on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@austintunnell

Austin on X - https://x.com/austintunnell

Austin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:33) - Austin’s journey with the Peace Corps and how that led him to Masonry

(00:12:26) - Why we moved away from Masonry and toward wood frames

(00:15:19) - What drew Austin to Masonry

(00:19:34) - Learning the craft

(00:24:25) - Why humans gravitate toward humanely built things

(00:26:51) - What people can do with brick to get more value from a home

(00:31:23) - What to ask architects when looking for a Mason

(00:32:39) - Training Masons

(00:33:28) - Austin’s project in Edmond, OK

(00:38:17) - Defining beauty

(00:50:03) - The impact of over regulation in construction and zoning

(00:55:50) - Austin on scaling his business

(00:59:38) - Local, state, and national policies that need to change

(01:05:03) - Interior beauty in Austin’s world

(01:09:30) - Tax incentives and capital structures

(01:16:52) - Building a media business in Real Estate

(01:18:05) - Live-work real estate

Support our Sponsors

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 4911 #409 - Jason McCann - CEO @ Vari - How a Simple Product Became a Global Brand Today I sit down with Jason McCann, Co-Founder and CEO of Vari - a company that started when his business partner stood at a cardboard box complaining of back pain and turned that moment into a brand that has shipped millions of desks and transformed over a thousand offices. Jason built Vari direct-to-consumer in an industry that had never seen it. He bootstrapped the company while every instinct in the market said raise capital and burn cash. He became the fastest-growing company in Dallas, survived COVID after just putting $15 million into a TV campaign and opening 12 showrooms, and came out the other side as a fundamentally different leader. We go deep on what it actually takes to innovate legacy product categories, how he recruited the former Chief People Officer of Southwest Airlines over a cup of coffee, and why an introvert had to learn to over-communicate when hundreds of families were counting on him. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Links: Vari - https://www.vari.com/ Jason on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mccann-vari/ Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:29) - How Vari was started(00:08:42) - How entrepreneurs should think about product development(00:11:24) - How Jason approaches AI(00:24:07) - Developing the standing desk(00:36:53) - Jason’s approach to manufacturing(00:47:16) - How Vari develops new products and services(00:56:59) - Bringing on the head of people of Southwest Airlines(01:04:31) - How Vari thinks about innovation vs. leaving products alone(01:14:55) - The future of work in 2026(01:19:50) - The reindustrialization of America(01:23:36) - Jason’s unique leadership style(01:28:47) - Why Jason only wears black(01:31:52) - What a week looks like for Jason(01:40:46) - How vari runs exec meetings Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today I sit down with Jason McCann, Co-Founder and CEO of Vari - a company that started when his business partner stood at a cardboard box complaining of back pain and turned that moment into a brand that has shipped millions of desks and transformed over a thousand offices. Jason built Vari direct-to-consumer in an industry that had never seen it. He bootstrapped the company while every instinct in the market said raise capital and burn cash. He became the fastest-growing company in Dallas, survived COVID after just putting $15 million into a TV campaign and opening 12 showrooms, and came out the other side as a fundamentally different leader. We go deep on what it actually takes to innovate legacy product categories, how he recruited the former Chief People Officer of Southwest Airlines over a cup of coffee, and why an introvert had to learn to over-communicate when hundreds of families were counting on him. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Links: Vari - https://www.vari.com/ Jason on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mccann-vari/ Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:29) - How Vari was started(00:08:42) - How entrepreneurs should think about product development(00:11:24) - How Jason approaches AI(00:24:07) - Developing the standing desk(00:36:53) - Jason’s approach to manufacturing(00:47:16) - How Vari develops new products and services(00:56:59) - Bringing on the head of people of Southwest Airlines(01:04:31) - How Vari thinks about innovation vs. leaving products alone(01:14:55) - The future of work in 2026(01:19:50) - The reindustrialization of America(01:23:36) - Jason’s unique leadership style(01:28:47) - Why Jason only wears black(01:31:52) - What a week looks like for Jason(01:40:46) - How vari runs exec meetings Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Today I sit down with Jason McCann, Co-Founder and CEO of Vari - a company that started when his business partner stood at a cardboard box complaining of back pain and turned that moment into a brand that has shipped millions of desks and transformed over a thousand offices.

Jason built Vari direct-to-consumer in an industry that had never seen it. He bootstrapped the company while every instinct in the market said raise capital and burn cash. He became the fastest-growing company in Dallas, survived COVID after just putting $15 million into a TV campaign and opening 12 showrooms, and came out the other side as a fundamentally different leader.

We go deep on what it actually takes to innovate legacy product categories, how he recruited the former Chief People Officer of Southwest Airlines over a cup of coffee, and why an introvert had to learn to over-communicate when hundreds of families were counting on him.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

Links:

Vari - https://www.vari.com/

Jason on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mccann-vari/

Support our Sponsors

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:29) - How Vari was started
(00:08:42) - How entrepreneurs should think about product development
(00:11:24) - How Jason approaches AI
(00:24:07) - Developing the standing desk
(00:36:53) - Jason’s approach to manufacturing
(00:47:16) - How Vari develops new products and services
(00:56:59) - Bringing on the head of people of Southwest Airlines
(01:04:31) - How Vari thinks about innovation vs. leaving products alone
(01:14:55) - The future of work in 2026
(01:19:50) - The reindustrialization of America
(01:23:36) - Jason’s unique leadership style
(01:28:47) - Why Jason only wears black
(01:31:52) - What a week looks like for Jason
(01:40:46) - How vari runs exec meetings

Chris on Social Media:

X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 6546 #408 - Jordan Levi - The Largest Cattle Feeder In America In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Levi to explore how he’s built a unique edge in the cattle industry by combining deep analytical thinking with real-world market experience. Jordan walks me through how he approaches cattle trading, the key biological and financial variables that ultimately determine profit and loss, and how he developed his framework without growing up in the business. We spend time unpacking how the cattle market actually works, where volatility comes from, and how operators think about risk across the cycle. We also dive into how he’s embracing AI tools and building custom workflows to stay ahead in a fast-moving, data-heavy environment. We discuss: - How the cattle market works and why volatility creates both risk and opportunity - The key drivers of profitability including feed efficiency, average daily gain, and out weight - The difference between biological intuition and building a data-driven edge in cattle trading - How Jordan processes daily reports and market data to inform trading decisions - How he’s building AI agents to summarize information and streamline his workflow Links: Vote for Jordan to be inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame - https://cattlefeeders.org/poll/2027-cattle-feeders-hall-of-fame/ Jordan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-levi-b107182/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:16) - The Belted Galloway(00:03:51) - The Kosher Cowboy(00:08:05) - Pulling value of the futures forward(00:11:43) - Learning cattle trading(00:16:48) - Daily average gain in cattle(00:18:20) - Jordan’s eureka moment in the cattle industry(00:21:08) - What does trading in animals actually look like?(00:27:05) - How Jordan defines his ROI in trading cattle(00:31:17) - The cattle curve(00:33:37) - The state of the cattle market(00:42:10) - Buying the largest cattle feeder in the world(00:46:09) - Grass vs. grain-fed cattle(00:49:15) - Predictions for the cattle supply over the next 10 years(00:50:54) - The international market(00:53:17) - Trading frequencies and macro thesis(01:00:27) - USA beef vs. international beef(01:05:21) - The cattle supply chain(01:07:32) - The future of auction yards and ranchers(01:09:40) - AI in AgTech(01:12:52) - The biggest problem facing the industry(01:14:42) - Livestock as a commodity that dies and how that impacts trading theory(01:20:51) - Is there a market for new entrants into cattle?(01:21:41) - Beef prices and the impact of a closed border on the industry(01:24:39) - Jordan’s biggest ideas for the industry(01:26:49) - Philanthropic efforts(01:31:24) - A day in the life of Jordan(01:26:42) - Risk management in cattle(01:41:17) - Does what you do show a leading indicator to the broader health of the American economy? Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 31 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Levi to explore how he’s built a unique edge in the cattle industry by combining deep analytical thinking with real-world market experience. Jordan walks me through how he approaches cattle trading, the key biological and financial variables that ultimately determine profit and loss, and how he developed his framework without growing up in the business. We spend time unpacking how the cattle market actually works, where volatility comes from, and how operators think about risk across the cycle. We also dive into how he’s embracing AI tools and building custom workflows to stay ahead in a fast-moving, data-heavy environment. We discuss: - How the cattle market works and why volatility creates both risk and opportunity - The key drivers of profitability including feed efficiency, average daily gain, and out weight - The difference between biological intuition and building a data-driven edge in cattle trading - How Jordan processes daily reports and market data to inform trading decisions - How he’s building AI agents to summarize information and streamline his workflow Links: Vote for Jordan to be inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame - https://cattlefeeders.org/poll/2027-cattle-feeders-hall-of-fame/ Jordan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-levi-b107182/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:16) - The Belted Galloway(00:03:51) - The Kosher Cowboy(00:08:05) - Pulling value of the futures forward(00:11:43) - Learning cattle trading(00:16:48) - Daily average gain in cattle(00:18:20) - Jordan’s eureka moment in the cattle industry(00:21:08) - What does trading in animals actually look like?(00:27:05) - How Jordan defines his ROI in trading cattle(00:31:17) - The cattle curve(00:33:37) - The state of the cattle market(00:42:10) - Buying the largest cattle feeder in the world(00:46:09) - Grass vs. grain-fed cattle(00:49:15) - Predictions for the cattle supply over the next 10 years(00:50:54) - The international market(00:53:17) - Trading frequencies and macro thesis(01:00:27) - USA beef vs. international beef(01:05:21) - The cattle supply chain(01:07:32) - The future of auction yards and ranchers(01:09:40) - AI in AgTech(01:12:52) - The biggest problem facing the industry(01:14:42) - Livestock as a commodity that dies and how that impacts trading theory(01:20:51) - Is there a market for new entrants into cattle?(01:21:41) - Beef prices and the impact of a closed border on the industry(01:24:39) - Jordan’s biggest ideas for the industry(01:26:49) - Philanthropic efforts(01:31:24) - A day in the life of Jordan(01:26:42) - Risk management in cattle(01:41:17) - Does what you do show a leading indicator to the broader health of the American economy? Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Levi to explore how he’s built a unique edge in the cattle industry by combining deep analytical thinking with real-world market experience. Jordan walks me through how he approaches cattle trading, the key biological and financial variables that ultimately determine profit and loss, and how he developed his framework without growing up in the business. We spend time unpacking how the cattle market actually works, where volatility comes from, and how operators think about risk across the cycle. We also dive into how he’s embracing AI tools and building custom workflows to stay ahead in a fast-moving, data-heavy environment.

We discuss:

- How the cattle market works and why volatility creates both risk and opportunity

- The key drivers of profitability including feed efficiency, average daily gain, and out weight

- The difference between biological intuition and building a data-driven edge in cattle trading

- How Jordan processes daily reports and market data to inform trading decisions

- How he’s building AI agents to summarize information and streamline his workflow

Links:

Vote for Jordan to be inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame - https://cattlefeeders.org/poll/2027-cattle-feeders-hall-of-fame/

Jordan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-levi-b107182/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:16) - The Belted Galloway
(00:03:51) - The Kosher Cowboy
(00:08:05) - Pulling value of the futures forward
(00:11:43) - Learning cattle trading
(00:16:48) - Daily average gain in cattle
(00:18:20) - Jordan’s eureka moment in the cattle industry
(00:21:08) - What does trading in animals actually look like?
(00:27:05) - How Jordan defines his ROI in trading cattle
(00:31:17) - The cattle curve
(00:33:37) - The state of the cattle market
(00:42:10) - Buying the largest cattle feeder in the world
(00:46:09) - Grass vs. grain-fed cattle
(00:49:15) - Predictions for the cattle supply over the next 10 years
(00:50:54) - The international market
(00:53:17) - Trading frequencies and macro thesis
(01:00:27) - USA beef vs. international beef
(01:05:21) - The cattle supply chain
(01:07:32) - The future of auction yards and ranchers
(01:09:40) - AI in AgTech
(01:12:52) - The biggest problem facing the industry
(01:14:42) - Livestock as a commodity that dies and how that impacts trading theory
(01:20:51) - Is there a market for new entrants into cattle?
(01:21:41) - Beef prices and the impact of a closed border on the industry
(01:24:39) - Jordan’s biggest ideas for the industry
(01:26:49) - Philanthropic efforts
(01:31:24) - A day in the life of Jordan
(01:26:42) - Risk management in cattle
(01:41:17) - Does what you do show a leading indicator to the broader health of the American economy?

Support our Sponsors

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 6194 #407 - JB Mauney - The Greatest Bull Rider That Ever Lived In this episode, I sit down with JB Mauney to unpack the mindset, discipline, and resilience required to become one of the greatest bull riders in the world. We talk through the realities of competing at the highest level while constantly dealing with injuries, and how mental toughness separates the best from the rest. JB shares how he approached his career with a singular focus, what it meant to fully commit without a backup plan, and how he navigated the abrupt transition out of the sport. This conversation offers a raw look at what it takes to pursue excellence in one of the most physically and mentally demanding professions. We discuss: - The role of mental toughness in separating elite performers from the rest - Why riding through pain was a necessity, not a choice - The philosophy of “make plan A work” and going all in on one path - How injuries and setbacks compound over a long career - Transitioning out of a career with no clear backup plan Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:27) - What does it mean to “work bulls”?(00:06:23) - How can you tell if a bull is good?(00:11:35) - JB’s approach to bull riding(00:16:39) - JB’s early life and bull riding(00:23:07) - Being in control of a bull(00:28:00) - How bulls differ(00:32:07) - What’s happening in the chute?(00:40:44) - JB’s injury list(00:43:10) - What makes the difference between the top bull rider and the 50th best bull rider?(00:51:22) - Mental vs. physical technique(00:55:02) - How much do the bull fighters matter?(00:57:28) - Why causes a rider to be thrown off?(01:01:14) - Riding Bushwhacker and what makes the perfect bull(01:14:35) - When bulls die & retire(01:18:55) - BuckTown(01:22:12) - A typical week for a professional bull rider(01:23:37) - The lacerated liver story(01:30:58) - Why BuckTown is a bull rider’s paradise(01:36:24) - How riding is scored(01:43:43) - How do you “practice” bull riding?(01:51:16) - The cowboy code of riding(01:55:48) - Giving a bull a brand of honor(01:57:55) - How they move bulls around the country for rodeos(02:10:05) - Raising bulls in BuckTown(02:12:46) - JB’s routine(02:16:05) - The ABBI(02:20:37) - The buzz around BuckTown(02:30:20) - When a bull knows who their rider was(02:33:43) - Is there one ride over your career that sticks with you?(02:39:10) - Can a bull get a 50 score?(02:46:55) - Wrapping up Links: BuckTown on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BuckTown-XV BuckTown on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bucktown_xv/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In this episode, I sit down with JB Mauney to unpack the mindset, discipline, and resilience required to become one of the greatest bull riders in the world. We talk through the realities of competing at the highest level while constantly dealing with injuries, and how mental toughness separates the best from the rest. JB shares how he approached his career with a singular focus, what it meant to fully commit without a backup plan, and how he navigated the abrupt transition out of the sport. This conversation offers a raw look at what it takes to pursue excellence in one of the most physically and mentally demanding professions. We discuss: - The role of mental toughness in separating elite performers from the rest - Why riding through pain was a necessity, not a choice - The philosophy of “make plan A work” and going all in on one path - How injuries and setbacks compound over a long career - Transitioning out of a career with no clear backup plan Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:27) - What does it mean to “work bulls”?(00:06:23) - How can you tell if a bull is good?(00:11:35) - JB’s approach to bull riding(00:16:39) - JB’s early life and bull riding(00:23:07) - Being in control of a bull(00:28:00) - How bulls differ(00:32:07) - What’s happening in the chute?(00:40:44) - JB’s injury list(00:43:10) - What makes the difference between the top bull rider and the 50th best bull rider?(00:51:22) - Mental vs. physical technique(00:55:02) - How much do the bull fighters matter?(00:57:28) - Why causes a rider to be thrown off?(01:01:14) - Riding Bushwhacker and what makes the perfect bull(01:14:35) - When bulls die & retire(01:18:55) - BuckTown(01:22:12) - A typical week for a professional bull rider(01:23:37) - The lacerated liver story(01:30:58) - Why BuckTown is a bull rider’s paradise(01:36:24) - How riding is scored(01:43:43) - How do you “practice” bull riding?(01:51:16) - The cowboy code of riding(01:55:48) - Giving a bull a brand of honor(01:57:55) - How they move bulls around the country for rodeos(02:10:05) - Raising bulls in BuckTown(02:12:46) - JB’s routine(02:16:05) - The ABBI(02:20:37) - The buzz around BuckTown(02:30:20) - When a bull knows who their rider was(02:33:43) - Is there one ride over your career that sticks with you?(02:39:10) - Can a bull get a 50 score?(02:46:55) - Wrapping up Links: BuckTown on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BuckTown-XV BuckTown on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bucktown_xv/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ In this episode, I sit down with JB Mauney to unpack the mindset, discipline, and resilience required to become one of the greatest bull riders in the world. We talk through the realities of competing at the highest level while constantly dealing with injuries, and how mental toughness separates the best from the rest. JB shares how he approached his career with a singular focus, what it meant to fully commit without a backup plan, and how he navigated the abrupt transition out of the sport. This conversation offers a raw look at what it takes to pursue excellence in one of the most physically and mentally demanding professions.

We discuss:

- The role of mental toughness in separating elite performers from the rest

- Why riding through pain was a necessity, not a choice

- The philosophy of “make plan A work” and going all in on one path

- How injuries and setbacks compound over a long career

- Transitioning out of a career with no clear backup plan

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:27) - What does it mean to “work bulls”?
(00:06:23) - How can you tell if a bull is good?
(00:11:35) - JB’s approach to bull riding
(00:16:39) - JB’s early life and bull riding
(00:23:07) - Being in control of a bull
(00:28:00) - How bulls differ
(00:32:07) - What’s happening in the chute?
(00:40:44) - JB’s injury list
(00:43:10) - What makes the difference between the top bull rider and the 50th best bull rider?
(00:51:22) - Mental vs. physical technique
(00:55:02) - How much do the bull fighters matter?
(00:57:28) - Why causes a rider to be thrown off?
(01:01:14) - Riding Bushwhacker and what makes the perfect bull
(01:14:35) - When bulls die & retire
(01:18:55) - BuckTown
(01:22:12) - A typical week for a professional bull rider
(01:23:37) - The lacerated liver story
(01:30:58) - Why BuckTown is a bull rider’s paradise
(01:36:24) - How riding is scored
(01:43:43) - How do you “practice” bull riding?
(01:51:16) - The cowboy code of riding
(01:55:48) - Giving a bull a brand of honor
(01:57:55) - How they move bulls around the country for rodeos
(02:10:05) - Raising bulls in BuckTown
(02:12:46) - JB’s routine
(02:16:05) - The ABBI
(02:20:37) - The buzz around BuckTown
(02:30:20) - When a bull knows who their rider was
(02:33:43) - Is there one ride over your career that sticks with you?
(02:39:10) - Can a bull get a 50 score?
(02:46:55) - Wrapping up

Links:

BuckTown on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BuckTown-XV

BuckTown on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bucktown_xv/

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 10557 #406 - Carl Edwards - From a $1,500 Race Car to the Hall of Fame (and Why He Walked Away) In this episode, I sit down with NASCAR legend Carl Edwards to explore the unlikely journey that took him from a dirt track in Missouri to the highest levels of professional racing. Carl shares how a childhood fascination with his father’s racing career sparked a relentless pursuit that eventually led to NASCAR success. Along the way, we unpack the strategy behind racing, the persistence it took for Carl to break into the sport, and the pivotal moments that defined his career. We also discuss the surprising decision to walk away from racing at the height of his career and the deeper personal transformation that followed. We discuss: - Carl’s early inspiration from watching his father race and the moment he knew he wanted to drive race cars - The persistence and unconventional path it took to break into professional racing and reach NASCAR - The strategic complexity of racing, from managing tire grip to communicating with engineers and crew - Why Carl chose to retire at the peak of his career and the realization that reshaped his priorities - The identity shift, spiritual journey, and life lessons that came after stepping away from racing Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:04:23) - Carl’s early days racing(00:09:37) - The strategy behind auto racing(00:13:05) - Why isn’t everyone driving a “1st place” car?(00:19:28) - How important is the pit crew?(00:22:13) - What does a typical week look like for a NASCAR driver?(00:23:56) - Carl’s career storyline(00:39:58) - The conversation that led Carl to consider walking away from the sport(00:51:50) - Rebuilding life after NASCAR(01:02:06) - The impact of Cloud Camp & John Marsh(01:17:08) - Being inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame(01:22:15) - What Carl is doing today Links: Carl's hall of fame speech - https://youtu.be/IQJHH2f9EnI Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In this episode, I sit down with NASCAR legend Carl Edwards to explore the unlikely journey that took him from a dirt track in Missouri to the highest levels of professional racing. Carl shares how a childhood fascination with his father’s racing career sparked a relentless pursuit that eventually led to NASCAR success. Along the way, we unpack the strategy behind racing, the persistence it took for Carl to break into the sport, and the pivotal moments that defined his career. We also discuss the surprising decision to walk away from racing at the height of his career and the deeper personal transformation that followed. We discuss: - Carl’s early inspiration from watching his father race and the moment he knew he wanted to drive race cars - The persistence and unconventional path it took to break into professional racing and reach NASCAR - The strategic complexity of racing, from managing tire grip to communicating with engineers and crew - Why Carl chose to retire at the peak of his career and the realization that reshaped his priorities - The identity shift, spiritual journey, and life lessons that came after stepping away from racing Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:04:23) - Carl’s early days racing(00:09:37) - The strategy behind auto racing(00:13:05) - Why isn’t everyone driving a “1st place” car?(00:19:28) - How important is the pit crew?(00:22:13) - What does a typical week look like for a NASCAR driver?(00:23:56) - Carl’s career storyline(00:39:58) - The conversation that led Carl to consider walking away from the sport(00:51:50) - Rebuilding life after NASCAR(01:02:06) - The impact of Cloud Camp & John Marsh(01:17:08) - Being inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame(01:22:15) - What Carl is doing today Links: Carl's hall of fame speech - https://youtu.be/IQJHH2f9EnI Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ In this episode, I sit down with NASCAR legend Carl Edwards to explore the unlikely journey that took him from a dirt track in Missouri to the highest levels of professional racing. Carl shares how a childhood fascination with his father’s racing career sparked a relentless pursuit that eventually led to NASCAR success. Along the way, we unpack the strategy behind racing, the persistence it took for Carl to break into the sport, and the pivotal moments that defined his career. We also discuss the surprising decision to walk away from racing at the height of his career and the deeper personal transformation that followed.

We discuss:

- Carl’s early inspiration from watching his father race and the moment he knew he wanted to drive race cars

- The persistence and unconventional path it took to break into professional racing and reach NASCAR

- The strategic complexity of racing, from managing tire grip to communicating with engineers and crew

- Why Carl chose to retire at the peak of his career and the realization that reshaped his priorities

- The identity shift, spiritual journey, and life lessons that came after stepping away from racing

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:23) - Carl’s early days racing
(00:09:37) - The strategy behind auto racing
(00:13:05) - Why isn’t everyone driving a “1st place” car?
(00:19:28) - How important is the pit crew?
(00:22:13) - What does a typical week look like for a NASCAR driver?
(00:23:56) - Carl’s career storyline
(00:39:58) - The conversation that led Carl to consider walking away from the sport
(00:51:50) - Rebuilding life after NASCAR
(01:02:06) - The impact of Cloud Camp & John Marsh
(01:17:08) - Being inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame
(01:22:15) - What Carl is doing today

Links:

Carl's hall of fame speech - https://youtu.be/IQJHH2f9EnI

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5138 #405 - Christopher Zook - Founder of CAZ Investments - Building An $11B Alternative Investment Platform Today I sit down with Christopher Zook to explore how he built and scaled CAZ Investments into an $11B alternative investment platform.   Christopher shares the early vision behind launching his firm at age 31 and the philosophy of investing his own capital first before inviting others to participate alongside him. We discuss how a chance confrontation in a country club locker room ultimately forced him to rethink capital formation and marketing, transforming the trajectory of the business. Christopher also breaks down the strategy behind GP stakes, the evolution of private markets, and why alignment with partners sits at the center of everything he does. We discuss: • How Christopher built an investment firm around the principle of investing his own capital first alongside partners • The locker room moment that forced a shift toward proactive capital formation and communication with investors • Designing an irresistible offer by eliminating management fees and aligning incentives entirely with investor outcomes • How GP stakes investing works and why it has become one of the most powerful business models in private markets • Why themes like media rights, private markets expansion, and access to alternatives are shaping the future of investing Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:53) - The origins of CAZ Investments(00:12:42) - Creating the irresistible offer(00:17:38) - Partnering with Tony Robbins(00:36:54) - GP stakes explained(00:41:48) - Secondary market edge(00:44:58) - How GP stakes are underwritten(00:49:48) - Tech and venture carry risk(00:53:12) - Consolidation trends(00:56:31) - Big checks and liquidity rights(01:02:18) - Thematic funds and investor access(01:07:04) - Alignment rules and guardrails(01:11:03) - Sports team investing thesis(01:15:54) - Media rights and league economics(01:26:11) - Democratizing alternatives Links: CAZ Investments - https://cazinvestments.com/ Christopher on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-zook Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 10 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today I sit down with Christopher Zook to explore how he built and scaled CAZ Investments into an $11B alternative investment platform.   Christopher shares the early vision behind launching his firm at age 31 and the philosophy of investing his own capital first before inviting others to participate alongside him. We discuss how a chance confrontation in a country club locker room ultimately forced him to rethink capital formation and marketing, transforming the trajectory of the business. Christopher also breaks down the strategy behind GP stakes, the evolution of private markets, and why alignment with partners sits at the center of everything he does. We discuss: • How Christopher built an investment firm around the principle of investing his own capital first alongside partners • The locker room moment that forced a shift toward proactive capital formation and communication with investors • Designing an irresistible offer by eliminating management fees and aligning incentives entirely with investor outcomes • How GP stakes investing works and why it has become one of the most powerful business models in private markets • Why themes like media rights, private markets expansion, and access to alternatives are shaping the future of investing Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:53) - The origins of CAZ Investments(00:12:42) - Creating the irresistible offer(00:17:38) - Partnering with Tony Robbins(00:36:54) - GP stakes explained(00:41:48) - Secondary market edge(00:44:58) - How GP stakes are underwritten(00:49:48) - Tech and venture carry risk(00:53:12) - Consolidation trends(00:56:31) - Big checks and liquidity rights(01:02:18) - Thematic funds and investor access(01:07:04) - Alignment rules and guardrails(01:11:03) - Sports team investing thesis(01:15:54) - Media rights and league economics(01:26:11) - Democratizing alternatives Links: CAZ Investments - https://cazinvestments.com/ Christopher on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-zook Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today I sit down with Christopher Zook to explore how he built and scaled CAZ Investments into an $11B alternative investment platform.  

Christopher shares the early vision behind launching his firm at age 31 and the philosophy of investing his own capital first before inviting others to participate alongside him. We discuss how a chance confrontation in a country club locker room ultimately forced him to rethink capital formation and marketing, transforming the trajectory of the business. Christopher also breaks down the strategy behind GP stakes, the evolution of private markets, and why alignment with partners sits at the center of everything he does.

We discuss:

• How Christopher built an investment firm around the principle of investing his own capital first alongside partners

• The locker room moment that forced a shift toward proactive capital formation and communication with investors

• Designing an irresistible offer by eliminating management fees and aligning incentives entirely with investor outcomes

• How GP stakes investing works and why it has become one of the most powerful business models in private markets

• Why themes like media rights, private markets expansion, and access to alternatives are shaping the future of investing

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:53) - The origins of CAZ Investments
(00:12:42) - Creating the irresistible offer
(00:17:38) - Partnering with Tony Robbins
(00:36:54) - GP stakes explained
(00:41:48) - Secondary market edge
(00:44:58) - How GP stakes are underwritten
(00:49:48) - Tech and venture carry risk
(00:53:12) - Consolidation trends
(00:56:31) - Big checks and liquidity rights
(01:02:18) - Thematic funds and investor access
(01:07:04) - Alignment rules and guardrails
(01:11:03) - Sports team investing thesis
(01:15:54) - Media rights and league economics
(01:26:11) - Democratizing alternatives

Links:

CAZ Investments - https://cazinvestments.com/

Christopher on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-zook

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5536 #404 - Chris Huckabee - Founder @ MORE Group - From Founder-Led to Private Equity Backed Today’s episode is with a great friend of mine, Chris Huckabee, Founder @ MORE Group.   We unpack his company's remarkable private equity journey and why it was so successful.  Chris shares how the unexpected loss of his business partner pushed him to rethink the future of his company, leading to a strategic shift, a private equity partnership, and rapid national expansion.  We talk candidly about valuation surprises, building trust with employees during major transitions, and what makes a great private equity partner. Then we pivot to education reform, AI’s impact on schools, and the deeply personal story of how Chris helped lead the effort to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX, after the tragic shooting. We discuss: • The process Chris went through to pursue private equity and national expansion • Why he told every employee about the strategic plan before making a deal • How to hire the right investment banker • The hard lessons around valuation, deal structure, and selecting the right private equity partner • What AI means for K–12 and higher education and where public education must improve • How he mobilized donors and contractors to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX Links: MoreGroup - https://moregroup-inc.com/ Chris on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-huckabee-693a3a31/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Topics: (00:03:19) - Chris’ journey to finding Private Equity (00:09:27) - Strategic planning (00:11:31) - Valuing the business (00:14:36) - People don’t like change (00:17:43) - Making the decision to pursue PE (00:21:28) - Finding the right Investment Banker (00:37:26) - Selecting a buyer (00:44:44) - The first day after selling to PE (00:47:59) - Going out to buy companies (00:51:16) - What makes a great PE partner (00:57:08) - The state of Education and AI (01:13:16) - Rebuilding Robb Elementary in Uvalde after the 2022 shooting Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today’s episode is with a great friend of mine, Chris Huckabee, Founder @ MORE Group.   We unpack his company's remarkable private equity journey and why it was so successful.  Chris shares how the unexpected loss of his business partner pushed him to rethink the future of his company, leading to a strategic shift, a private equity partnership, and rapid national expansion.  We talk candidly about valuation surprises, building trust with employees during major transitions, and what makes a great private equity partner. Then we pivot to education reform, AI’s impact on schools, and the deeply personal story of how Chris helped lead the effort to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX, after the tragic shooting. We discuss: • The process Chris went through to pursue private equity and national expansion • Why he told every employee about the strategic plan before making a deal • How to hire the right investment banker • The hard lessons around valuation, deal structure, and selecting the right private equity partner • What AI means for K–12 and higher education and where public education must improve • How he mobilized donors and contractors to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX Links: MoreGroup - https://moregroup-inc.com/ Chris on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-huckabee-693a3a31/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Topics: (00:03:19) - Chris’ journey to finding Private Equity (00:09:27) - Strategic planning (00:11:31) - Valuing the business (00:14:36) - People don’t like change (00:17:43) - Making the decision to pursue PE (00:21:28) - Finding the right Investment Banker (00:37:26) - Selecting a buyer (00:44:44) - The first day after selling to PE (00:47:59) - Going out to buy companies (00:51:16) - What makes a great PE partner (00:57:08) - The state of Education and AI (01:13:16) - Rebuilding Robb Elementary in Uvalde after the 2022 shooting Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today’s episode is with a great friend of mine, Chris Huckabee, Founder @ MORE Group.  

We unpack his company's remarkable private equity journey and why it was so successful.  Chris shares how the unexpected loss of his business partner pushed him to rethink the future of his company, leading to a strategic shift, a private equity partnership, and rapid national expansion. 

We talk candidly about valuation surprises, building trust with employees during major transitions, and what makes a great private equity partner. Then we pivot to education reform, AI’s impact on schools, and the deeply personal story of how Chris helped lead the effort to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX, after the tragic shooting.

We discuss:

• The process Chris went through to pursue private equity and national expansion

• Why he told every employee about the strategic plan before making a deal • How to hire the right investment banker

• The hard lessons around valuation, deal structure, and selecting the right private equity partner

• What AI means for K–12 and higher education and where public education must improve

• How he mobilized donors and contractors to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX

Links:

MoreGroup - https://moregroup-inc.com/

Chris on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-huckabee-693a3a31/

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Topics:

(00:03:19) - Chris’ journey to finding Private Equity

(00:09:27) - Strategic planning

(00:11:31) - Valuing the business

(00:14:36) - People don’t like change

(00:17:43) - Making the decision to pursue PE

(00:21:28) - Finding the right Investment Banker

(00:37:26) - Selecting a buyer

(00:44:44) - The first day after selling to PE

(00:47:59) - Going out to buy companies

(00:51:16) - What makes a great PE partner

(00:57:08) - The state of Education and AI

(01:13:16) - Rebuilding Robb Elementary in Uvalde after the 2022 shooting

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5406 #403 - Todd Peterson - A Message For Men  I sit down with my friend Todd Peterson to unpack some of the most meaningful conversations we have had over the years about faith, leadership, marriage, and the hidden risks that come with success. We talk candidly about why so many men fall at the peak of their influence and how isolation, pride, and lack of accountability quietly take hold. Todd shares hard-earned perspective from his own life, including lessons from his NFL career, his walk with Jesus, and decades of mentoring men through seasons of growth and unraveling. This conversation is deeply personal, reflective, and grounded in the practical realities of what it means to live with humility, conviction, and purpose. We discuss: Why isolation and unchecked success often lead great men to fall The role of humility, confession, and accountability in long-term leadership How marriage and trusted relationships shape a man’s character and decisions The difference between being saved and actively walking in the Spirit Why meaningful impact is always built through collaboration, not independence This episode is for anyone wrestling with ambition, faith, leadership, or the desire to build a life that holds up over time. Todd Peterson is the interim CEO and Chairman Emeritus of Seed Company, a world leader in accelerated Scripture translation. Seed Company has partnered with more than 900 other agencies to cumulatively impact more than 1,100 language groups over the last 20 years. Peterson was drafted in 1993 by the NY Giants, leading to a 13-year career in the NFL where he also played for Seattle, Kansas City, San Francisco and Atlanta. He set a number of team records and two NFL records – one of which is since broken (most 40-plus-yard field goals in a season). He was named NFL True Value Man of the Year for the Seahawks in 1996 and twice received the NFL Players Association Byron “Whizzer” White award for excellence in character and leadership on his teams. He was twice nominated for the NFL’s Bart Starr Award. Peterson retired in 2006 as one of only 34 players to score over 1,000 points. He is the only player in NFL history to make game-winning field goals for five or more different teams. (00:03:45) - Why great men “fall” (00:08:32) - Success-induced isolation (00:14:23) - Sin (00:21:31) - Salvation (00:23:42) - A day in Todd’s life (00:30:41) - Living in a biblically illiterate world (00:36:03) - The importance of marriage (00:50:08) - Having a close group of men in your life (00:55:42) - Having a relationship with Jesus is hard (01:09:21) - Undeserved favor Links: Seed Company - https://seedcompany.com/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers  I sit down with my friend Todd Peterson to unpack some of the most meaningful conversations we have had over the years about faith, leadership, marriage, and the hidden risks that come with success. We talk candidly about why so many men fall at the peak of their influence and how isolation, pride, and lack of accountability quietly take hold. Todd shares hard-earned perspective from his own life, including lessons from his NFL career, his walk with Jesus, and decades of mentoring men through seasons of growth and unraveling. This conversation is deeply personal, reflective, and grounded in the practical realities of what it means to live with humility, conviction, and purpose. We discuss: Why isolation and unchecked success often lead great men to fall The role of humility, confession, and accountability in long-term leadership How marriage and trusted relationships shape a man’s character and decisions The difference between being saved and actively walking in the Spirit Why meaningful impact is always built through collaboration, not independence This episode is for anyone wrestling with ambition, faith, leadership, or the desire to build a life that holds up over time. Todd Peterson is the interim CEO and Chairman Emeritus of Seed Company, a world leader in accelerated Scripture translation. Seed Company has partnered with more than 900 other agencies to cumulatively impact more than 1,100 language groups over the last 20 years. Peterson was drafted in 1993 by the NY Giants, leading to a 13-year career in the NFL where he also played for Seattle, Kansas City, San Francisco and Atlanta. He set a number of team records and two NFL records – one of which is since broken (most 40-plus-yard field goals in a season). He was named NFL True Value Man of the Year for the Seahawks in 1996 and twice received the NFL Players Association Byron “Whizzer” White award for excellence in character and leadership on his teams. He was twice nominated for the NFL’s Bart Starr Award. Peterson retired in 2006 as one of only 34 players to score over 1,000 points. He is the only player in NFL history to make game-winning field goals for five or more different teams. (00:03:45) - Why great men “fall” (00:08:32) - Success-induced isolation (00:14:23) - Sin (00:21:31) - Salvation (00:23:42) - A day in Todd’s life (00:30:41) - Living in a biblically illiterate world (00:36:03) - The importance of marriage (00:50:08) - Having a close group of men in your life (00:55:42) - Having a relationship with Jesus is hard (01:09:21) - Undeserved favor Links: Seed Company - https://seedcompany.com/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/  I sit down with my friend Todd Peterson to unpack some of the most meaningful conversations we have had over the years about faith, leadership, marriage, and the hidden risks that come with success. We talk candidly about why so many men fall at the peak of their influence and how isolation, pride, and lack of accountability quietly take hold. Todd shares hard-earned perspective from his own life, including lessons from his NFL career, his walk with Jesus, and decades of mentoring men through seasons of growth and unraveling. This conversation is deeply personal, reflective, and grounded in the practical realities of what it means to live with humility, conviction, and purpose.

We discuss:

  • Why isolation and unchecked success often lead great men to fall

  • The role of humility, confession, and accountability in long-term leadership

  • How marriage and trusted relationships shape a man’s character and decisions

  • The difference between being saved and actively walking in the Spirit

  • Why meaningful impact is always built through collaboration, not independence

This episode is for anyone wrestling with ambition, faith, leadership, or the desire to build a life that holds up over time.

Todd Peterson is the interim CEO and Chairman Emeritus of Seed Company, a world leader in accelerated Scripture translation. Seed Company has partnered with more than 900 other agencies to cumulatively impact more than 1,100 language groups over the last 20 years.

Peterson was drafted in 1993 by the NY Giants, leading to a 13-year career in the NFL where he also played for Seattle, Kansas City, San Francisco and Atlanta. He set a number of team records and two NFL records – one of which is since broken (most 40-plus-yard field goals in a season). He was named NFL True Value Man of the Year for the Seahawks in 1996 and twice received the NFL Players Association Byron “Whizzer” White award for excellence in character and leadership on his teams. He was twice nominated for the NFL’s Bart Starr Award. Peterson retired in 2006 as one of only 34 players to score over 1,000 points. He is the only player in NFL history to make game-winning field goals for five or more different teams.


(00:03:45) - Why great men “fall”

(00:08:32) - Success-induced isolation

(00:14:23) - Sin

(00:21:31) - Salvation

(00:23:42) - A day in Todd’s life

(00:30:41) - Living in a biblically illiterate world

(00:36:03) - The importance of marriage

(00:50:08) - Having a close group of men in your life

(00:55:42) - Having a relationship with Jesus is hard

(01:09:21) - Undeserved favor

Links:

Seed Company - https://seedcompany.com/

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5252 #402 - Moses Kagan & Rhett Bennett - ReSeed Partners: Backing the Next Generation of Elite Real Estate Operators Today I sit down with two of my best friends, Moses Kagan and Rhett Bennett to reflect on how ReSeed has evolved since their first appearance (ep. 278) on the show three years ago.   ReSeed is on a mission to back the next generation of elite real estate operators. We unpacked what has actually happened since launch, how their original vision has held up in practice, and what they have learned by deploying real capital across multiple markets and operators.  We also dug into how they think about underwriting, operator selection, asset management intensity, and navigating a shifting multifamily landscape. It was a candid look at what it really takes to build a disciplined, long term real estate platform in today’s market. We discuss: • How ReSeed’s original thesis has played out after deploying over $100M across multiple operators • What they look for in emerging operators and how the cohort selection process has evolved • Why discipline and patience mattered during a slow deal environment and when opportunities finally opened up • How they approach underwriting, leverage, and long-duration capital in different markets • The realities of asset management, property management, and execution risk at smaller deal sizes This episode is for investors, operators, and anyone interested in building durable real estate businesses with long term alignment and disciplined capital deployment. Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:04:01) - ReSeed's journey and evolution(00:17:14) - Profile and selection of operators(00:25:10) - Partnership and capital structure(00:37:39) - Due diligence and deal approval process(00:40:51) - Cohort integration and support(00:42:55) - Real estate market overview(00:43:22) - Market opportunities and challenges(00:50:41) - Market fatigue and seller dynamics(00:51:20) - Operational challenges and opportunities(01:01:50) - Property management and asset management(01:11:36) - Construction management and budgeting(01:15:06) - Capital allocation(01:23:34) - Closing remarks Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today I sit down with two of my best friends, Moses Kagan and Rhett Bennett to reflect on how ReSeed has evolved since their first appearance (ep. 278) on the show three years ago.   ReSeed is on a mission to back the next generation of elite real estate operators. We unpacked what has actually happened since launch, how their original vision has held up in practice, and what they have learned by deploying real capital across multiple markets and operators.  We also dug into how they think about underwriting, operator selection, asset management intensity, and navigating a shifting multifamily landscape. It was a candid look at what it really takes to build a disciplined, long term real estate platform in today’s market. We discuss: • How ReSeed’s original thesis has played out after deploying over $100M across multiple operators • What they look for in emerging operators and how the cohort selection process has evolved • Why discipline and patience mattered during a slow deal environment and when opportunities finally opened up • How they approach underwriting, leverage, and long-duration capital in different markets • The realities of asset management, property management, and execution risk at smaller deal sizes This episode is for investors, operators, and anyone interested in building durable real estate businesses with long term alignment and disciplined capital deployment. Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:04:01) - ReSeed's journey and evolution(00:17:14) - Profile and selection of operators(00:25:10) - Partnership and capital structure(00:37:39) - Due diligence and deal approval process(00:40:51) - Cohort integration and support(00:42:55) - Real estate market overview(00:43:22) - Market opportunities and challenges(00:50:41) - Market fatigue and seller dynamics(00:51:20) - Operational challenges and opportunities(01:01:50) - Property management and asset management(01:11:36) - Construction management and budgeting(01:15:06) - Capital allocation(01:23:34) - Closing remarks Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today I sit down with two of my best friends, Moses Kagan and Rhett Bennett to reflect on how ReSeed has evolved since their first appearance (ep. 278) on the show three years ago.  

ReSeed is on a mission to back the next generation of elite real estate operators.

We unpacked what has actually happened since launch, how their original vision has held up in practice, and what they have learned by deploying real capital across multiple markets and operators. 

We also dug into how they think about underwriting, operator selection, asset management intensity, and navigating a shifting multifamily landscape. It was a candid look at what it really takes to build a disciplined, long term real estate platform in today’s market.

We discuss:

• How ReSeed’s original thesis has played out after deploying over $100M across multiple operators

• What they look for in emerging operators and how the cohort selection process has evolved

• Why discipline and patience mattered during a slow deal environment and when opportunities finally opened up

• How they approach underwriting, leverage, and long-duration capital in different markets

• The realities of asset management, property management, and execution risk at smaller deal sizes

This episode is for investors, operators, and anyone interested in building durable real estate businesses with long term alignment and disciplined capital deployment.

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:01) - ReSeed's journey and evolution
(00:17:14) - Profile and selection of operators
(00:25:10) - Partnership and capital structure
(00:37:39) - Due diligence and deal approval process
(00:40:51) - Cohort integration and support
(00:42:55) - Real estate market overview
(00:43:22) - Market opportunities and challenges
(00:50:41) - Market fatigue and seller dynamics
(00:51:20) - Operational challenges and opportunities
(01:01:50) - Property management and asset management
(01:11:36) - Construction management and budgeting
(01:15:06) - Capital allocation
(01:23:34) - Closing remarks

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5082 #401 - Ryan Heath - The Family Office 2.0: How Great Families Grow & Protect Their Legacy In today’s episode, I sit down with Ryan Heath, Founder of Trustpoint Legal, to explore what a modern “Family Office 2.0” actually looks like and why the old models are falling short. We talk about how family offices are evolving from static wealth preservation vehicles into operating businesses built around people, purpose, and multi-generational decision making. Ryan shares lessons from working closely with families navigating liquidity events, succession, and generational transitions, and why flexibility and intentional design matter more than rigid structures. The conversation centers on treating the family office as a living organization, not just a collection of legal documents. Many can relate to putting in strategic plans for their businesses, their health, etc.  What’s funny is we often don’t put the same planning into what’s most important to us - our family.   Ryan is on a mission to help families change that. We discuss: What defines a Family Office 2.0 and how it differs from traditional family office models Why legacy, values, and human dynamics drive long-term outcomes more than tax efficiency How flexible mandates help families adapt as generations, priorities, and circumstances change The risks of poor communication and rushed planning during liquidity events or succession How intentional family meetings and shared mission statements strengthen multi-generational alignment This episode is especially valuable for founders and families rethinking how to structure wealth, leadership, and legacy in a way that actually works across generations. Links: Ryan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanheath1/ TrustPoint Legal - https://www.trustpointlegal.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:05:11) - Legacy over wealth(00:09:04) - Flexibility in estate planning(00:18:25) - The importance of transparency(00:27:22) - Handling family conflicts(00:42:00) - Proactive planning and transparency(00:52:15) - The silver tsunami and trusts for grandchildren(00:54:28) - Ruling from the grave(00:57:49) - Trustees and their roles(01:01:38) - Understanding family offices(01:06:39) - The three pillars of a family office(01:09:21) - The complexities of 678 trusts(01:12:40) - Family limited partnerships explained(01:15:13) - The importance of succession planning(01:22:52) - Coordinating family meetings(01:30:33) - The perfect family office: a case studySupport our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In today’s episode, I sit down with Ryan Heath, Founder of Trustpoint Legal, to explore what a modern “Family Office 2.0” actually looks like and why the old models are falling short. We talk about how family offices are evolving from static wealth preservation vehicles into operating businesses built around people, purpose, and multi-generational decision making. Ryan shares lessons from working closely with families navigating liquidity events, succession, and generational transitions, and why flexibility and intentional design matter more than rigid structures. The conversation centers on treating the family office as a living organization, not just a collection of legal documents. Many can relate to putting in strategic plans for their businesses, their health, etc.  What’s funny is we often don’t put the same planning into what’s most important to us - our family.   Ryan is on a mission to help families change that. We discuss: What defines a Family Office 2.0 and how it differs from traditional family office models Why legacy, values, and human dynamics drive long-term outcomes more than tax efficiency How flexible mandates help families adapt as generations, priorities, and circumstances change The risks of poor communication and rushed planning during liquidity events or succession How intentional family meetings and shared mission statements strengthen multi-generational alignment This episode is especially valuable for founders and families rethinking how to structure wealth, leadership, and legacy in a way that actually works across generations. Links: Ryan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanheath1/ TrustPoint Legal - https://www.trustpointlegal.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:05:11) - Legacy over wealth(00:09:04) - Flexibility in estate planning(00:18:25) - The importance of transparency(00:27:22) - Handling family conflicts(00:42:00) - Proactive planning and transparency(00:52:15) - The silver tsunami and trusts for grandchildren(00:54:28) - Ruling from the grave(00:57:49) - Trustees and their roles(01:01:38) - Understanding family offices(01:06:39) - The three pillars of a family office(01:09:21) - The complexities of 678 trusts(01:12:40) - Family limited partnerships explained(01:15:13) - The importance of succession planning(01:22:52) - Coordinating family meetings(01:30:33) - The perfect family office: a case studySupport our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ In today’s episode, I sit down with Ryan Heath, Founder of Trustpoint Legal, to explore what a modern “Family Office 2.0” actually looks like and why the old models are falling short. We talk about how family offices are evolving from static wealth preservation vehicles into operating businesses built around people, purpose, and multi-generational decision making. Ryan shares lessons from working closely with families navigating liquidity events, succession, and generational transitions, and why flexibility and intentional design matter more than rigid structures. The conversation centers on treating the family office as a living organization, not just a collection of legal documents.

Many can relate to putting in strategic plans for their businesses, their health, etc.  What’s funny is we often don’t put the same planning into what’s most important to us - our family.  

Ryan is on a mission to help families change that.

We discuss:

  • What defines a Family Office 2.0 and how it differs from traditional family office models

  • Why legacy, values, and human dynamics drive long-term outcomes more than tax efficiency

  • How flexible mandates help families adapt as generations, priorities, and circumstances change

  • The risks of poor communication and rushed planning during liquidity events or succession

  • How intentional family meetings and shared mission statements strengthen multi-generational alignment

This episode is especially valuable for founders and families rethinking how to structure wealth, leadership, and legacy in a way that actually works across generations.

Links:

Ryan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanheath1/

TrustPoint Legal - https://www.trustpointlegal.com/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:05:11) - Legacy over wealth
(00:09:04) - Flexibility in estate planning
(00:18:25) - The importance of transparency
(00:27:22) - Handling family conflicts
(00:42:00) - Proactive planning and transparency
(00:52:15) - The silver tsunami and trusts for grandchildren
(00:54:28) - Ruling from the grave
(00:57:49) - Trustees and their roles
(01:01:38) - Understanding family offices
(01:06:39) - The three pillars of a family office
(01:09:21) - The complexities of 678 trusts
(01:12:40) - Family limited partnerships explained
(01:15:13) - The importance of succession planning
(01:22:52) - Coordinating family meetings
(01:30:33) - The perfect family office: a case study
Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5870 #400 - Steve Gatena - Co-Founder & CEO @ Pray.com - God, A Revival, Rescuing Lost Men, & Building A Generational Company Today, I sit down with Steve Gatena, Co-Founder & CEO of PRAY, for a conversation about faith, leadership, and building a company with long-term purpose. Steve shares his journey from growing up in Los Angeles and playing college football at USC to founding Pray.com and thinking deeply about stewardship, culture, and responsibility. We talk about what it means to lead in moments of tragedy, why community matters more than ever, and how faith intersects with modern business and technology. Throughout the episode, Steve offers a candid look at the frameworks and principles that guide his decisions. We discuss: • Steve’s early life, football career, and the turning points that reshaped his path • Why Hollywood often resists faith and what cultural shifts Steve sees happening today • The “Mission, Team, Self” framework, and how it applies to leadership and decision making • Building Pray.com as a sustainable platform across software, media, and subscriptions • The importance of strong men, building community, and taking accountability Links: Pray.com - https://www.pray.com/ Platform Revolution by Geoffrey G. Parker - https://a.co/d/1aNzUXU Steve on X - https://x.com/SteveGatena Topics: 00:00 - Intro03:21 - Charlie Sheen and Hollywood vs. Christianity10:57 - Pray.com since Charlie Kirk’s death13:35 - The journey to becoming a hope dealer19:20 - Lessons playing football for Pete Carroll23:58 - Developing the Mission, Team, Self framework33:26 - The America Prays initiative41:49 - Rescuing men01:05:37 - How do you know if Pray.com is successful?01:17:13 - Building a customer data platform01:25:14 - How do you know if you’re being a successful CEO? Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today, I sit down with Steve Gatena, Co-Founder & CEO of PRAY, for a conversation about faith, leadership, and building a company with long-term purpose. Steve shares his journey from growing up in Los Angeles and playing college football at USC to founding Pray.com and thinking deeply about stewardship, culture, and responsibility. We talk about what it means to lead in moments of tragedy, why community matters more than ever, and how faith intersects with modern business and technology. Throughout the episode, Steve offers a candid look at the frameworks and principles that guide his decisions. We discuss: • Steve’s early life, football career, and the turning points that reshaped his path • Why Hollywood often resists faith and what cultural shifts Steve sees happening today • The “Mission, Team, Self” framework, and how it applies to leadership and decision making • Building Pray.com as a sustainable platform across software, media, and subscriptions • The importance of strong men, building community, and taking accountability Links: Pray.com - https://www.pray.com/ Platform Revolution by Geoffrey G. Parker - https://a.co/d/1aNzUXU Steve on X - https://x.com/SteveGatena Topics: 00:00 - Intro03:21 - Charlie Sheen and Hollywood vs. Christianity10:57 - Pray.com since Charlie Kirk’s death13:35 - The journey to becoming a hope dealer19:20 - Lessons playing football for Pete Carroll23:58 - Developing the Mission, Team, Self framework33:26 - The America Prays initiative41:49 - Rescuing men01:05:37 - How do you know if Pray.com is successful?01:17:13 - Building a customer data platform01:25:14 - How do you know if you’re being a successful CEO? Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today, I sit down with Steve Gatena, Co-Founder & CEO of PRAY, for a conversation about faith, leadership, and building a company with long-term purpose. Steve shares his journey from growing up in Los Angeles and playing college football at USC to founding Pray.com and thinking deeply about stewardship, culture, and responsibility. We talk about what it means to lead in moments of tragedy, why community matters more than ever, and how faith intersects with modern business and technology. Throughout the episode, Steve offers a candid look at the frameworks and principles that guide his decisions.

We discuss:

• Steve’s early life, football career, and the turning points that reshaped his path

• Why Hollywood often resists faith and what cultural shifts Steve sees happening today

• The “Mission, Team, Self” framework, and how it applies to leadership and decision making

• Building Pray.com as a sustainable platform across software, media, and subscriptions

• The importance of strong men, building community, and taking accountability

Links:

Pray.com - https://www.pray.com/

Platform Revolution by Geoffrey G. Parker - https://a.co/d/1aNzUXU

Steve on X - https://x.com/SteveGatena

Topics:

00:00 - Intro
03:21 - Charlie Sheen and Hollywood vs. Christianity
10:57 - Pray.com since Charlie Kirk’s death
13:35 - The journey to becoming a hope dealer
19:20 - Lessons playing football for Pete Carroll
23:58 - Developing the Mission, Team, Self framework
33:26 - The America Prays initiative
41:49 - Rescuing men
01:05:37 - How do you know if Pray.com is successful?
01:17:13 - Building a customer data platform
01:25:14 - How do you know if you’re being a successful CEO?

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 5380 #399 - Colt McCoy - The Story Today, my good friend Colt McCoy joins me for a deep and personal discussion about his path from small-town Texas to 14 seasons in the NFL, the mentors and moments that shaped him, and the intentional process of stepping away from the game. We talk through his early years growing up on the sidelines, the day he went from being a complete unknown to over 100 Division 1 offers, and the mindset he built while earning the starting job and leading Texas to the National Championship.   Colt reflects on the physical and emotional toll of the 2009 title-game injury, the realities of NFL life, and the teammates, coaches, and owners who influenced him most. He also opens up about the year-long discernment process that led him to retire, move his family to Fort Worth, and build a new career in real estate. We discuss: • Colt’s early upbringing around football and how it shaped his identity • Winning the starting job, leading Texas for four seasons, and the highs and lows along the way • The 2009 national championship injury and its lasting impact • Lessons from 14 years in the NFL, including leadership, longevity, and adapting his game • His decision to retire, prioritize family, and pursue a new path in Fort Worth real estate • The role of faith, patience, and discernment in navigating major life transitions Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Links: Colt on X - https://x.com/ColtMcCoy Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:51) - The realities of working for ESPN and calling games (00:11:15) - Colt’s earliest memories of football (00:18:31) - The impact of Colt’s dad (00:22:45) - Earning a scholarship to The University of Texas (00:34:34) - Colt’s career at UT (00:47:32) - Colt’s greatest memory at UT (00:57:43) - The state of College football (00:58:40) - The Michael Crabtree story (01:04:27) - The toughest environments to play in (01:06:24) - Colt’s NFL career (01:08:58) - The biggest learning curve going from the NCAA to the NFL (01:17:35) - Who’s the best athlete you’ve ever seen? (01:19:04) - What Colt misses the most about being in the NFL (01:20:59) - Who’s the scariest player you’ve gone up against? (01:23:27) - What was the hardest hit you’ve ever taken? (01:26:11) - The decision to leave the NFL and life after football Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today, my good friend Colt McCoy joins me for a deep and personal discussion about his path from small-town Texas to 14 seasons in the NFL, the mentors and moments that shaped him, and the intentional process of stepping away from the game. We talk through his early years growing up on the sidelines, the day he went from being a complete unknown to over 100 Division 1 offers, and the mindset he built while earning the starting job and leading Texas to the National Championship.   Colt reflects on the physical and emotional toll of the 2009 title-game injury, the realities of NFL life, and the teammates, coaches, and owners who influenced him most. He also opens up about the year-long discernment process that led him to retire, move his family to Fort Worth, and build a new career in real estate. We discuss: • Colt’s early upbringing around football and how it shaped his identity • Winning the starting job, leading Texas for four seasons, and the highs and lows along the way • The 2009 national championship injury and its lasting impact • Lessons from 14 years in the NFL, including leadership, longevity, and adapting his game • His decision to retire, prioritize family, and pursue a new path in Fort Worth real estate • The role of faith, patience, and discernment in navigating major life transitions Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Links: Colt on X - https://x.com/ColtMcCoy Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:51) - The realities of working for ESPN and calling games (00:11:15) - Colt’s earliest memories of football (00:18:31) - The impact of Colt’s dad (00:22:45) - Earning a scholarship to The University of Texas (00:34:34) - Colt’s career at UT (00:47:32) - Colt’s greatest memory at UT (00:57:43) - The state of College football (00:58:40) - The Michael Crabtree story (01:04:27) - The toughest environments to play in (01:06:24) - Colt’s NFL career (01:08:58) - The biggest learning curve going from the NCAA to the NFL (01:17:35) - Who’s the best athlete you’ve ever seen? (01:19:04) - What Colt misses the most about being in the NFL (01:20:59) - Who’s the scariest player you’ve gone up against? (01:23:27) - What was the hardest hit you’ve ever taken? (01:26:11) - The decision to leave the NFL and life after football Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today, my good friend Colt McCoy joins me for a deep and personal discussion about his path from small-town Texas to 14 seasons in the NFL, the mentors and moments that shaped him, and the intentional process of stepping away from the game. We talk through his early years growing up on the sidelines, the day he went from being a complete unknown to over 100 Division 1 offers, and the mindset he built while earning the starting job and leading Texas to the National Championship.  

Colt reflects on the physical and emotional toll of the 2009 title-game injury, the realities of NFL life, and the teammates, coaches, and owners who influenced him most. He also opens up about the year-long discernment process that led him to retire, move his family to Fort Worth, and build a new career in real estate.

We discuss:

• Colt’s early upbringing around football and how it shaped his identity

• Winning the starting job, leading Texas for four seasons, and the highs and lows along the way

• The 2009 national championship injury and its lasting impact

• Lessons from 14 years in the NFL, including leadership, longevity, and adapting his game

• His decision to retire, prioritize family, and pursue a new path in Fort Worth real estate

• The role of faith, patience, and discernment in navigating major life transitions

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Links:

Colt on X - https://x.com/ColtMcCoy

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:51) - The realities of working for ESPN and calling games

(00:11:15) - Colt’s earliest memories of football

(00:18:31) - The impact of Colt’s dad

(00:22:45) - Earning a scholarship to The University of Texas

(00:34:34) - Colt’s career at UT

(00:47:32) - Colt’s greatest memory at UT

(00:57:43) - The state of College football

(00:58:40) - The Michael Crabtree story

(01:04:27) - The toughest environments to play in

(01:06:24) - Colt’s NFL career

(01:08:58) - The biggest learning curve going from the NCAA to the NFL

(01:17:35) - Who’s the best athlete you’ve ever seen?

(01:19:04) - What Colt misses the most about being in the NFL

(01:20:59) - Who’s the scariest player you’ve gone up against?

(01:23:27) - What was the hardest hit you’ve ever taken?

(01:26:11) - The decision to leave the NFL and life after football

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9j

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 6536 #398 - Cody Campbell - Saving College Sports, NIL, & A $7B Opportunity Today's guest, Cody Campbell, digs into the forces reshaping college athletics and his plan to ensure a solution that works for every stakeholder.  We discuss: • How changing laws and court decisions created a brief window for Tech to act boldly • Why Texas Tech’s culture, alumni base, and momentum made the strategy work • How court rulings displaced the NCAA and fueled today’s chaotic environment • The financial strain on athletic departments and the risk posed to Olympic and women’s sports • The influence of commissioners, media companies, and private equity on the future of the system • Cody’s vision for reform and why federal action is the only path to long-term stability Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:00) - Transforming Texas Tech in the NIL era (00:05:11) - The strategy for acquiring talent (00:12:38) - Legal changes and their impact on college sports (00:19:43) - The financial realities of college athletics (00:29:35) - The need for unified media rights in college sports (00:33:07) - Fan engagement and conference dynamics (00:35:05) - Private equity in college sports (00:39:30) - Challenges with NIL and enforcement (00:44:28) - Proposed solutions for college sports (00:48:50) - The role of government and leadership (00:52:47) - Cultural importance of college sports Links: Cody on X - https://x.com/CodyC64 Support our Sponsors Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: ⁠https://collateral.com/fort⁠ Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: ⁠https://x.com/fortworthchris⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠ Watch POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://www.powerspod.com/⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠  POWERS is produced by ⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/⁠ Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today's guest, Cody Campbell, digs into the forces reshaping college athletics and his plan to ensure a solution that works for every stakeholder.  We discuss: • How changing laws and court decisions created a brief window for Tech to act boldly • Why Texas Tech’s culture, alumni base, and momentum made the strategy work • How court rulings displaced the NCAA and fueled today’s chaotic environment • The financial strain on athletic departments and the risk posed to Olympic and women’s sports • The influence of commissioners, media companies, and private equity on the future of the system • Cody’s vision for reform and why federal action is the only path to long-term stability Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:00) - Transforming Texas Tech in the NIL era (00:05:11) - The strategy for acquiring talent (00:12:38) - Legal changes and their impact on college sports (00:19:43) - The financial realities of college athletics (00:29:35) - The need for unified media rights in college sports (00:33:07) - Fan engagement and conference dynamics (00:35:05) - Private equity in college sports (00:39:30) - Challenges with NIL and enforcement (00:44:28) - Proposed solutions for college sports (00:48:50) - The role of government and leadership (00:52:47) - Cultural importance of college sports Links: Cody on X - https://x.com/CodyC64 Support our Sponsors Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: ⁠https://collateral.com/fort⁠ Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: ⁠https://x.com/fortworthchris⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠ Watch POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://www.powerspod.com/⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠  POWERS is produced by ⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/⁠ Today's guest, Cody Campbell, digs into the forces reshaping college athletics and his plan to ensure a solution that works for every stakeholder. 

We discuss:

• How changing laws and court decisions created a brief window for Tech to act boldly

• Why Texas Tech’s culture, alumni base, and momentum made the strategy work

• How court rulings displaced the NCAA and fueled today’s chaotic environment

• The financial strain on athletic departments and the risk posed to Olympic and women’s sports

• The influence of commissioners, media companies, and private equity on the future of the system

• Cody’s vision for reform and why federal action is the only path to long-term stability

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:00) - Transforming Texas Tech in the NIL era (00:05:11) - The strategy for acquiring talent (00:12:38) - Legal changes and their impact on college sports (00:19:43) - The financial realities of college athletics (00:29:35) - The need for unified media rights in college sports (00:33:07) - Fan engagement and conference dynamics (00:35:05) - Private equity in college sports (00:39:30) - Challenges with NIL and enforcement (00:44:28) - Proposed solutions for college sports (00:48:50) - The role of government and leadership (00:52:47) - Cultural importance of college sports

Links:

Cody on X - https://x.com/CodyC64

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/powers

Collateral Partners: ⁠https://collateral.com/fort⁠

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: ⁠https://x.com/fortworthchris⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠

Watch POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠

Visit our website: ⁠https://www.powerspod.com/⁠

Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠

Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠ 

POWERS is produced by ⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/⁠

]]> 3383 #397 - Wiley Curran - Co-Founder @ CPC - Building A Perpetual Holding Company Of Lower Middle Market Businesses Today, I sit down with my good friend Wiley Curran to break down the story behind CPC, a family-built perpetual holding company that buys and holds businesses indefinitely. We also discuss how CPC approaches acquisitions, management incentives, and organizational design to create enduring value across industries. We discuss: The evolution of CPC from a family chemicals business to a multi-company holding group Why long-term ownership outperforms short-term investing strategies How to build companies around customer intimacy and employee satisfaction The “five key battles” CPC uses to evaluate and improve every business Lessons learned from buying, integrating, and supporting 14 companies over time Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:12) - Running a CEO search (00:08:26) - The story behind CPC (00:23:39) - The importance of customer intimacy (00:37:02) - CPC's long-term vision and employee engagement (00:40:33) - Executive ownership and equity (00:41:29) - Structuring equity buyouts (00:42:58) - Valuation and liquidity rights (00:44:49) - Investment strategy and business acquisition (00:47:11) - Sourcing and evaluating business opportunities (00:50:14) - Onboarding and integration of new businesses (01:03:09) - Customer lifetime value and profitability (01:09:13) - Board meetings and CEO summits (01:14:36) - AI experiments and business impact (01:18:30) - Future vision and personal goals Support our Sponsors Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠ Collateral Partners: ⁠https://collateral.com/fort⁠ Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: ⁠https://x.com/fortworthchris⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠ Watch POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://www.powerspod.com/⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠  POWERS is produced by ⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/⁠ Tue, 28 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today, I sit down with my good friend Wiley Curran to break down the story behind CPC, a family-built perpetual holding company that buys and holds businesses indefinitely. We also discuss how CPC approaches acquisitions, management incentives, and organizational design to create enduring value across industries. We discuss: The evolution of CPC from a family chemicals business to a multi-company holding group Why long-term ownership outperforms short-term investing strategies How to build companies around customer intimacy and employee satisfaction The “five key battles” CPC uses to evaluate and improve every business Lessons learned from buying, integrating, and supporting 14 companies over time Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:12) - Running a CEO search (00:08:26) - The story behind CPC (00:23:39) - The importance of customer intimacy (00:37:02) - CPC's long-term vision and employee engagement (00:40:33) - Executive ownership and equity (00:41:29) - Structuring equity buyouts (00:42:58) - Valuation and liquidity rights (00:44:49) - Investment strategy and business acquisition (00:47:11) - Sourcing and evaluating business opportunities (00:50:14) - Onboarding and integration of new businesses (01:03:09) - Customer lifetime value and profitability (01:09:13) - Board meetings and CEO summits (01:14:36) - AI experiments and business impact (01:18:30) - Future vision and personal goals Support our Sponsors Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠ Collateral Partners: ⁠https://collateral.com/fort⁠ Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: ⁠https://x.com/fortworthchris⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠ Watch POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://www.powerspod.com/⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠  POWERS is produced by ⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/⁠ Today, I sit down with my good friend Wiley Curran to break down the story behind CPC, a family-built perpetual holding company that buys and holds businesses indefinitely.

We also discuss how CPC approaches acquisitions, management incentives, and organizational design to create enduring value across industries.

We discuss:

  • The evolution of CPC from a family chemicals business to a multi-company holding group
  • Why long-term ownership outperforms short-term investing strategies
  • How to build companies around customer intimacy and employee satisfaction
  • The “five key battles” CPC uses to evaluate and improve every business
  • Lessons learned from buying, integrating, and supporting 14 companies over time

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:12) - Running a CEO search
(00:08:26) - The story behind CPC
(00:23:39) - The importance of customer intimacy
(00:37:02) - CPC's long-term vision and employee engagement
(00:40:33) - Executive ownership and equity
(00:41:29) - Structuring equity buyouts
(00:42:58) - Valuation and liquidity rights
(00:44:49) - Investment strategy and business acquisition
(00:47:11) - Sourcing and evaluating business opportunities
(00:50:14) - Onboarding and integration of new businesses
(01:03:09) - Customer lifetime value and profitability
(01:09:13) - Board meetings and CEO summits
(01:14:36) - AI experiments and business impact
(01:18:30) - Future vision and personal goals

Support our Sponsors

Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠

Collateral Partners: ⁠https://collateral.com/fort⁠

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: ⁠https://x.com/fortworthchris⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠

Watch POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠

Visit our website: ⁠https://www.powerspod.com/⁠

Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠

Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠ 

POWERS is produced by ⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/⁠

]]> 4973 #396 - Jason Illian - Co-Founder @ Highmount Capital - Eternal Thinking Today’s guest is my good friend Jason Illian, Co-Founder @ Highmount Capital.  Jason returns to the show for a meaningful conversation about faith, fatherhood, leadership, and living with eternal purpose.  We explore how Jason integrates ministry into his home and family life, using sports as a vehicle to teach character and faith. He shares how he and his wife intentionally guide their children through social pressures, technology, and success, and how his approach to leadership, both at home and in business, is grounded in biblical truth. Together, we unpack what it means to lead a family, resist cultural distractions, and build a legacy that lasts beyond material success. We discuss: How Jason uses sports and family life as everyday ministry The challenges of parenting in a tech-saturated world Why true leadership requires being both prophet, priest, and king The cultural impact of Dude Perfect and the rise of faith-driven media How to shift from chasing empires to leaving lasting legacies Links: Dude Perfect Highmount Capital Jason on X Support our Sponsors: Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:07) - Balancing family and ministry (00:04:02) - Raising intentional kids (00:12:10) - The role of fathers in spiritual leadership (00:18:23) - Navigating technology and social media (00:39:38) - Dude Perfect's positive influence (00:43:17) - The revival of good content (00:44:43) - Fear and cultural moments (00:45:50) - The role of Christians in society (00:49:09) - Hope for the future (00:50:29) - Leaving a legacy vs. building an empire (00:51:07) - Making intentional choices (00:54:34) - The importance of accountability (01:02:21) - The eternal perspective (01:12:09) - The impact of truth and integrity (01:19:40) - Final thoughts and encouragement Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today’s guest is my good friend Jason Illian, Co-Founder @ Highmount Capital.  Jason returns to the show for a meaningful conversation about faith, fatherhood, leadership, and living with eternal purpose.  We explore how Jason integrates ministry into his home and family life, using sports as a vehicle to teach character and faith. He shares how he and his wife intentionally guide their children through social pressures, technology, and success, and how his approach to leadership, both at home and in business, is grounded in biblical truth. Together, we unpack what it means to lead a family, resist cultural distractions, and build a legacy that lasts beyond material success. We discuss: How Jason uses sports and family life as everyday ministry The challenges of parenting in a tech-saturated world Why true leadership requires being both prophet, priest, and king The cultural impact of Dude Perfect and the rise of faith-driven media How to shift from chasing empires to leaving lasting legacies Links: Dude Perfect Highmount Capital Jason on X Support our Sponsors: Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:07) - Balancing family and ministry (00:04:02) - Raising intentional kids (00:12:10) - The role of fathers in spiritual leadership (00:18:23) - Navigating technology and social media (00:39:38) - Dude Perfect's positive influence (00:43:17) - The revival of good content (00:44:43) - Fear and cultural moments (00:45:50) - The role of Christians in society (00:49:09) - Hope for the future (00:50:29) - Leaving a legacy vs. building an empire (00:51:07) - Making intentional choices (00:54:34) - The importance of accountability (01:02:21) - The eternal perspective (01:12:09) - The impact of truth and integrity (01:19:40) - Final thoughts and encouragement Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today’s guest is my good friend Jason Illian, Co-Founder @ Highmount Capital.  Jason returns to the show for a meaningful conversation about faith, fatherhood, leadership, and living with eternal purpose. 

We explore how Jason integrates ministry into his home and family life, using sports as a vehicle to teach character and faith. He shares how he and his wife intentionally guide their children through social pressures, technology, and success, and how his approach to leadership, both at home and in business, is grounded in biblical truth. Together, we unpack what it means to lead a family, resist cultural distractions, and build a legacy that lasts beyond material success.

We discuss:

  • How Jason uses sports and family life as everyday ministry
  • The challenges of parenting in a tech-saturated world
  • Why true leadership requires being both prophet, priest, and king
  • The cultural impact of Dude Perfect and the rise of faith-driven media
  • How to shift from chasing empires to leaving lasting legacies

Links:

Dude Perfect

Highmount Capital

Jason on X


Support our Sponsors:

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:07) - Balancing family and ministry
(00:04:02) - Raising intentional kids
(00:12:10) - The role of fathers in spiritual leadership
(00:18:23) - Navigating technology and social media
(00:39:38) - Dude Perfect's positive influence
(00:43:17) - The revival of good content
(00:44:43) - Fear and cultural moments
(00:45:50) - The role of Christians in society
(00:49:09) - Hope for the future
(00:50:29) - Leaving a legacy vs. building an empire
(00:51:07) - Making intentional choices
(00:54:34) - The importance of accountability
(01:02:21) - The eternal perspective
(01:12:09) - The impact of truth and integrity
(01:19:40) - Final thoughts and encouragement

Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/

 

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 4910 Fearless Decision Making - Jamie Winship - Replay Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas. After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S.  We discuss: How to discover your true identity Separation and Connection world views Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity ⁠We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.⁠  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links ⁠Jamie's website⁠ ⁠Living Fearless by Jamie Winship⁠ ⁠Identity Exchange⁠ ⁠Finding Hope in Depression⁠ Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:37) - Jamie’s background and upbringing (00:04:31) - Being recruited into the CIA (00:10:25) - What is identity? (00:14:14) - How can I discover my true identity? (00:26:14) - Separation vs. connection world views (00:34:23) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East (00:51:37) - How to change the mentality of another person (01:05:12) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat Chris on Social Media: X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠   Watch The POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Powerspod Visit our website: ⁠https://bit.ly/43SOvys⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠  This episode originally aired on February 20th, 2024 The FORT is produced by ⁠Johnny Podcasts Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas. After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S.  We discuss: How to discover your true identity Separation and Connection world views Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity ⁠We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.⁠  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links ⁠Jamie's website⁠ ⁠Living Fearless by Jamie Winship⁠ ⁠Identity Exchange⁠ ⁠Finding Hope in Depression⁠ Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:37) - Jamie’s background and upbringing (00:04:31) - Being recruited into the CIA (00:10:25) - What is identity? (00:14:14) - How can I discover my true identity? (00:26:14) - Separation vs. connection world views (00:34:23) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East (00:51:37) - How to change the mentality of another person (01:05:12) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat Chris on Social Media: X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠   Watch The POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Powerspod Visit our website: ⁠https://bit.ly/43SOvys⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠  This episode originally aired on February 20th, 2024 The FORT is produced by ⁠Johnny Podcasts Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas.

After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S. 


We discuss:

  • How to discover your true identity
  • Separation and Connection world views
  • Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East
  • Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity


⁠We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.⁠ 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

⁠Jamie's website⁠

⁠Living Fearless by Jamie Winship⁠

⁠Identity Exchange⁠

⁠Finding Hope in Depression⁠


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:00:37) - Jamie’s background and upbringing
(00:04:31) - Being recruited into the CIA
(00:10:25) - What is identity?
(00:14:14) - How can I discover my true identity?
(00:26:14) - Separation vs. connection world views
(00:34:23) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East
(00:51:37) - How to change the mentality of another person
(01:05:12) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat



Chris on Social Media:

X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠

 

Watch The POWERS on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Powerspod

Visit our website: ⁠https://bit.ly/43SOvys⁠

Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠

Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠ 


This episode originally aired on February 20th, 2024


The FORT is produced by ⁠Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4660 #395 - Scott Arnoldy - Founder & CEO @ Triten RE Partners - Scaling to $1.5B+ Across Multiple Cycles and Asset Classes Today I’m I sitting down with Scott Arnoldy, Founder & CEO of Triten RE Partners, to explore his journey from the frothy real estate markets of the mid-2000s to building Triten into a multi-vertical investment and development firm with ~$2B in investment volume. We talk about the lessons he learned at Goldman and Stockbridge during the GFC, the early days of striking out on his own, and how he’s evolved from being a dealmaker to focusing on building a scalable business. Scott shares his perspective on industrial outdoor storage, multifamily opportunities, and why leadership and team building have become his greatest priorities. We discuss: How the leverage-driven deals of the mid-2000s shaped Scott’s risk mindset The transition from opportunistic projects to building a long-term business with structure and focus The evolution of Triten’s investment approach, from value-add office to iOS and multifamily Why storytelling and clarity matter as much as numbers when raising capital Perspectives on the current real estate cycle, market uncertainty, and where compelling opportunities exist today Links: Triten RE Partners - https://www.tritenre.com/ Scott on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottarnoldy/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:35) - Scott's early career and real estate insights (00:13:04) - Navigating the 2008 financial crisis (00:19:27) - Starting a real estate firm: Challenges and lessons (00:30:41) - Building a successful real estate business (00:37:23) - Sheds and beds (00:38:53) - The role of investment committees (00:41:15) - Leveraging technology in real estate (00:46:24) - The importance of storytelling in deals (00:48:56) - The rise of industrial outdoor storage (iOS) (00:58:21) - Current real estate market analysis (01:01:33) - Looking ahead & future predictions Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠ Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 30 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today I’m I sitting down with Scott Arnoldy, Founder & CEO of Triten RE Partners, to explore his journey from the frothy real estate markets of the mid-2000s to building Triten into a multi-vertical investment and development firm with ~$2B in investment volume. We talk about the lessons he learned at Goldman and Stockbridge during the GFC, the early days of striking out on his own, and how he’s evolved from being a dealmaker to focusing on building a scalable business. Scott shares his perspective on industrial outdoor storage, multifamily opportunities, and why leadership and team building have become his greatest priorities. We discuss: How the leverage-driven deals of the mid-2000s shaped Scott’s risk mindset The transition from opportunistic projects to building a long-term business with structure and focus The evolution of Triten’s investment approach, from value-add office to iOS and multifamily Why storytelling and clarity matter as much as numbers when raising capital Perspectives on the current real estate cycle, market uncertainty, and where compelling opportunities exist today Links: Triten RE Partners - https://www.tritenre.com/ Scott on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottarnoldy/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:35) - Scott's early career and real estate insights (00:13:04) - Navigating the 2008 financial crisis (00:19:27) - Starting a real estate firm: Challenges and lessons (00:30:41) - Building a successful real estate business (00:37:23) - Sheds and beds (00:38:53) - The role of investment committees (00:41:15) - Leveraging technology in real estate (00:46:24) - The importance of storytelling in deals (00:48:56) - The rise of industrial outdoor storage (iOS) (00:58:21) - Current real estate market analysis (01:01:33) - Looking ahead & future predictions Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠ Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Today I’m I sitting down with Scott Arnoldy, Founder & CEO of Triten RE Partners, to explore his journey from the frothy real estate markets of the mid-2000s to building Triten into a multi-vertical investment and development firm with ~$2B in investment volume.

We talk about the lessons he learned at Goldman and Stockbridge during the GFC, the early days of striking out on his own, and how he’s evolved from being a dealmaker to focusing on building a scalable business. Scott shares his perspective on industrial outdoor storage, multifamily opportunities, and why leadership and team building have become his greatest priorities.

We discuss:

  • How the leverage-driven deals of the mid-2000s shaped Scott’s risk mindset

  • The transition from opportunistic projects to building a long-term business with structure and focus

  • The evolution of Triten’s investment approach, from value-add office to iOS and multifamily

  • Why storytelling and clarity matter as much as numbers when raising capital

  • Perspectives on the current real estate cycle, market uncertainty, and where compelling opportunities exist today


    Links:

    Triten RE Partners - https://www.tritenre.com/

    Scott on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottarnoldy/

    Topics:

    (00:00:00) - Intro
    (00:04:35) - Scott's early career and real estate insights
    (00:13:04) - Navigating the 2008 financial crisis
    (00:19:27) - Starting a real estate firm: Challenges and lessons
    (00:30:41) - Building a successful real estate business
    (00:37:23) - Sheds and beds
    (00:38:53) - The role of investment committees
    (00:41:15) - Leveraging technology in real estate
    (00:46:24) - The importance of storytelling in deals
    (00:48:56) - The rise of industrial outdoor storage (iOS)
    (00:58:21) - Current real estate market analysis
    (01:01:33) - Looking ahead & future predictions

    Support our Sponsors

    Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

    Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠

    Chris on Social Media:

    Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

    LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

     

    Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

    Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

    Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

    Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

    POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/


]]> 4251 #394 - Alex Robinson - Co- Founder & CEO @ Juniper Square - The New Survival Code for GPs (Private Markets Are Rapidly Being Disrupted) In today’s episode, I sit down with Juniper Square Co-Founder & CEO Alex Robinson for a conversation on the seismic shifts reshaping private markets and the future of investing.  We dig into the impact of interest rate changes, the rise of retail investors, and why GPs face both opportunity and disruption in today’s environment. We also go deep on artificial intelligence, how it’s already transforming knowledge work, and the role it will play in redefining private market operations. Alex shares both a macro view of these changes and the mindset he’s using as a CEO to navigate them inside Juniper Square. We discuss: - How rising rates have affected private credit, real estate, and venture capital differently - Why retail investors will be a defining force in the next decade of private markets - The tension between becoming a mega-cap manager or staying a differentiated sharpshooter -Why liquidity is one of the hardest challenges to solve for private investors - How AI will fundamentally rewire every role inside a GP and beyond Links: Alex on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrob22/ Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:43) - The state of the private markets (00:16:35) - How Juniper Square is tackling LP Liquidity simplification (00:24:48) - The state of AI (00:34:27) - How AI will impact the typical GP (00:40:52) - Alex’s perspective on AI as a CEO (00:52:28) - Building JunieAI Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 23 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In today’s episode, I sit down with Juniper Square Co-Founder & CEO Alex Robinson for a conversation on the seismic shifts reshaping private markets and the future of investing.  We dig into the impact of interest rate changes, the rise of retail investors, and why GPs face both opportunity and disruption in today’s environment. We also go deep on artificial intelligence, how it’s already transforming knowledge work, and the role it will play in redefining private market operations. Alex shares both a macro view of these changes and the mindset he’s using as a CEO to navigate them inside Juniper Square. We discuss: - How rising rates have affected private credit, real estate, and venture capital differently - Why retail investors will be a defining force in the next decade of private markets - The tension between becoming a mega-cap manager or staying a differentiated sharpshooter -Why liquidity is one of the hardest challenges to solve for private investors - How AI will fundamentally rewire every role inside a GP and beyond Links: Alex on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrob22/ Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:43) - The state of the private markets (00:16:35) - How Juniper Square is tackling LP Liquidity simplification (00:24:48) - The state of AI (00:34:27) - How AI will impact the typical GP (00:40:52) - Alex’s perspective on AI as a CEO (00:52:28) - Building JunieAI Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ In today’s episode, I sit down with Juniper Square Co-Founder & CEO Alex Robinson for a conversation on the seismic shifts reshaping private markets and the future of investing. 

We dig into the impact of interest rate changes, the rise of retail investors, and why GPs face both opportunity and disruption in today’s environment. We also go deep on artificial intelligence, how it’s already transforming knowledge work, and the role it will play in redefining private market operations. Alex shares both a macro view of these changes and the mindset he’s using as a CEO to navigate them inside Juniper Square.

We discuss:

- How rising rates have affected private credit, real estate, and venture capital differently

- Why retail investors will be a defining force in the next decade of private markets

- The tension between becoming a mega-cap manager or staying a differentiated sharpshooter

-Why liquidity is one of the hardest challenges to solve for private investors

- How AI will fundamentally rewire every role inside a GP and beyond

Links:

Alex on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrob22/

Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:43) - The state of the private markets
(00:16:35) - How Juniper Square is tackling LP Liquidity simplification
(00:24:48) - The state of AI
(00:34:27) - How AI will impact the typical GP
(00:40:52) - Alex’s perspective on AI as a CEO
(00:52:28) - Building JunieAI


Support our Sponsors

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort


Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 3675 #393 - Alex Nyhan - CEO @ First Washington Realty - $9B Portfolio: How Neighborhood Centers Became the Most Resilient Asset in Real Estate Alex Nyhan is the CEO of First Washington Realty and an owner in FWR's entities. FWR owns interests in and manages approximately $9 billion of top-quality grocery-anchored shopping centers across the United States. Alex is one of the sharpest minds in real estate and this episode is proof of that.  I’ve had the good fortune of learning from Alex for many years and is someone who always brings good insight.  We discuss: - Lessons from structuring complicated public-private development projects - The investment philosophy behind First Washington’s 22 million square feet of neighborhood retail - Why grocery-anchored shopping centers have proven so resilient - How demographics, education levels, and supply constraints shape long-term value - The role of relationships and human connection in both tenant selection and consumer experience Links: First Washington Realty - https://www.firstwash.com/ Alex on LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/alex-nyhan-b2b4914/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:02) - Alex’s background and early career (00:15:19) - Alex’s DC Convention Center Hotel project (00:23:32) - First Washington Realty overview (00:25:25) - Investment strategy and deal selection (00:29:21) - Focus on grocery-anchored shopping centers (00:31:05) - Case study: Kansas City suburbs (00:32:04) - Navigating supply constraints (00:32:34) - The resilience of retail in the e-commerce era (00:33:20) - The impact of e-commerce on malls and neighborhood centers (00:35:11) - The competitive landscape of retail investments (00:39:05) - Risk management in retail deals during COVID (00:41:38) - The value of tenant relationships in retail (00:44:49) - Balancing risk with mom and pop tenants (00:50:14) - The importance of education and demographics in retail (00:52:51) - Government intervention and retail development (00:57:04) - Consumer spending trends and market dynamics (01:02:10) - The role of human interaction in retail success (01:04:21) - Concluding thoughts on retail investment strategies Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Alex Nyhan is the CEO of First Washington Realty and an owner in FWR's entities. FWR owns interests in and manages approximately $9 billion of top-quality grocery-anchored shopping centers across the United States. Alex is one of the sharpest minds in real estate and this episode is proof of that.  I’ve had the good fortune of learning from Alex for many years and is someone who always brings good insight.  We discuss: - Lessons from structuring complicated public-private development projects - The investment philosophy behind First Washington’s 22 million square feet of neighborhood retail - Why grocery-anchored shopping centers have proven so resilient - How demographics, education levels, and supply constraints shape long-term value - The role of relationships and human connection in both tenant selection and consumer experience Links: First Washington Realty - https://www.firstwash.com/ Alex on LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/alex-nyhan-b2b4914/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:02) - Alex’s background and early career (00:15:19) - Alex’s DC Convention Center Hotel project (00:23:32) - First Washington Realty overview (00:25:25) - Investment strategy and deal selection (00:29:21) - Focus on grocery-anchored shopping centers (00:31:05) - Case study: Kansas City suburbs (00:32:04) - Navigating supply constraints (00:32:34) - The resilience of retail in the e-commerce era (00:33:20) - The impact of e-commerce on malls and neighborhood centers (00:35:11) - The competitive landscape of retail investments (00:39:05) - Risk management in retail deals during COVID (00:41:38) - The value of tenant relationships in retail (00:44:49) - Balancing risk with mom and pop tenants (00:50:14) - The importance of education and demographics in retail (00:52:51) - Government intervention and retail development (00:57:04) - Consumer spending trends and market dynamics (01:02:10) - The role of human interaction in retail success (01:04:21) - Concluding thoughts on retail investment strategies Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Alex Nyhan is the CEO of First Washington Realty and an owner in FWR's entities. FWR owns interests in and manages approximately $9 billion of top-quality grocery-anchored shopping centers across the United States.


Alex is one of the sharpest minds in real estate and this episode is proof of that.  I’ve had the good fortune of learning from Alex for many years and is someone who always brings good insight. 


We discuss:

- Lessons from structuring complicated public-private development projects

- The investment philosophy behind First Washington’s 22 million square feet of neighborhood retail

- Why grocery-anchored shopping centers have proven so resilient

- How demographics, education levels, and supply constraints shape long-term value

- The role of relationships and human connection in both tenant selection and consumer experience


Links:

First Washington Realty - https://www.firstwash.com/

Alex on LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/alex-nyhan-b2b4914/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:02) - Alex’s background and early career
(00:15:19) - Alex’s DC Convention Center Hotel project
(00:23:32) - First Washington Realty overview
(00:25:25) - Investment strategy and deal selection
(00:29:21) - Focus on grocery-anchored shopping centers
(00:31:05) - Case study: Kansas City suburbs
(00:32:04) - Navigating supply constraints
(00:32:34) - The resilience of retail in the e-commerce era
(00:33:20) - The impact of e-commerce on malls and neighborhood centers
(00:35:11) - The competitive landscape of retail investments
(00:39:05) - Risk management in retail deals during COVID
(00:41:38) - The value of tenant relationships in retail
(00:44:49) - Balancing risk with mom and pop tenants
(00:50:14) - The importance of education and demographics in retail
(00:52:51) - Government intervention and retail development
(00:57:04) - Consumer spending trends and market dynamics
(01:02:10) - The role of human interaction in retail success
(01:04:21) - Concluding thoughts on retail investment strategies


Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort


Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd


Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 3917 #392 - Jason Baxter - Co-Founder @ Fostr AI - What Elite CEOs Know About AI That Others Don’t My Co-Founder, Jason Baxter, joins me once again to discuss the growth at FOSTR and how our team is thinking about the future of AI inside companies. Since our last conversation, Jason has sharpened his perspective on where the real value lies for businesses—moving beyond surface-level AI use cases to building the infrastructure that allows organizations to actually compound knowledge over time. We dig into how FOSTR is solving the data problem, why knowledge graphs are critical, and what it means for the next wave of AI adoption in business. We discuss: Why messy data is the biggest barrier for companies adopting AI The role of knowledge graphs in creating context and compounding company knowledge Why CEOs need to think about AI as infrastructure, not just a tool What’s next for FOSTR as it rolls out to more companies Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:52) - How FOSTR has evolved since the last time Jason was on the show (00:10:02) - FOSTR’s infrastructure stack (00:21:51) - The importance of clean data (00:28:03) - FOSTR’s Knowledge graph (00:44:00) - How FOSTR would work in a Real Estate Brokerage firm (00:49:34) - Who owns the data? (00:57:34) - What’s coming from FOSTR in the next 45-60 days Links: Request early access to FOSTR - https://fostrai.com/ Reach out to ceonetwork@fostrai.com for notifications on the Slack Community Launch Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Thu, 04 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers My Co-Founder, Jason Baxter, joins me once again to discuss the growth at FOSTR and how our team is thinking about the future of AI inside companies. Since our last conversation, Jason has sharpened his perspective on where the real value lies for businesses—moving beyond surface-level AI use cases to building the infrastructure that allows organizations to actually compound knowledge over time. We dig into how FOSTR is solving the data problem, why knowledge graphs are critical, and what it means for the next wave of AI adoption in business. We discuss: Why messy data is the biggest barrier for companies adopting AI The role of knowledge graphs in creating context and compounding company knowledge Why CEOs need to think about AI as infrastructure, not just a tool What’s next for FOSTR as it rolls out to more companies Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:52) - How FOSTR has evolved since the last time Jason was on the show (00:10:02) - FOSTR’s infrastructure stack (00:21:51) - The importance of clean data (00:28:03) - FOSTR’s Knowledge graph (00:44:00) - How FOSTR would work in a Real Estate Brokerage firm (00:49:34) - Who owns the data? (00:57:34) - What’s coming from FOSTR in the next 45-60 days Links: Request early access to FOSTR - https://fostrai.com/ Reach out to ceonetwork@fostrai.com for notifications on the Slack Community Launch Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ My Co-Founder, Jason Baxter, joins me once again to discuss the growth at FOSTR and how our team is thinking about the future of AI inside companies.

Since our last conversation, Jason has sharpened his perspective on where the real value lies for businesses—moving beyond surface-level AI use cases to building the infrastructure that allows organizations to actually compound knowledge over time. We dig into how FOSTR is solving the data problem, why knowledge graphs are critical, and what it means for the next wave of AI adoption in business.


We discuss:

  • Why messy data is the biggest barrier for companies adopting AI
  • The role of knowledge graphs in creating context and compounding company knowledge
  • Why CEOs need to think about AI as infrastructure, not just a tool
  • What’s next for FOSTR as it rolls out to more companies

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:52) - How FOSTR has evolved since the last time Jason was on the show

(00:10:02) - FOSTR’s infrastructure stack

(00:21:51) - The importance of clean data

(00:28:03) - FOSTR’s Knowledge graph

(00:44:00) - How FOSTR would work in a Real Estate Brokerage firm

(00:49:34) - Who owns the data?

(00:57:34) - What’s coming from FOSTR in the next 45-60 days


Links:

Request early access to FOSTR - https://fostrai.com/

Reach out to ceonetwork@fostrai.com for notifications on the Slack Community Launch


Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/

 

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO


POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 3752 #391 - Chad Lavender - President of Capital Markets, North America @ Newmark Chad Lavender is the President of Capital Markets - North America @ Newmark. In this episode we talk about his journey through commercial real estate, from starting out in development during the 2008 financial crisis to building one of the leading senior housing brokerage and advisory practices in the country. We cover how he navigated tough markets early in his career, the lessons he learned from cold calling legends of the industry, and the growth of alternative asset classes like senior housing, medical office, and data centers. Chad also shares his perspective on current real estate markets, from multifamily and industrial to the resurgence of office and the expansion of build-to-rent housing. We discuss: Starting in high-rise development in 2008 and learning through the downturn Building a senior housing brokerage business from scratch and winning early deals with Starwood and Carlisle Moving from ARA to HFF to Newmark and helping create the alternative assets platform How recruiting, persistence, and long-term relationships drive success in brokerage Current insights on data centers, senior housing, office recovery, build-to-rent, and industrial demand Links: Newmark - https://www.nmrk.com/ Chad on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-lavender-03551bb/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:22) - Chad’s career and background (00:06:39) - The rise of Alabama in real estate (00:09:24) - Breaking into the multifamily market (00:11:42) - Building a seniors housing brokerage team (00:20:13) - The evolution of senior housing (00:27:27) - Joining Newmark and leading alternative assets (00:34:35) - The power of passion and persistence (00:37:49) - Winning business (00:40:36) - Data centers and infrastructure (00:46:37) - The office market rebound (00:51:45) - Build-to-rent trends and challenges (00:57:46) - Capital markets and future outlook (01:05:04) - Final thoughts Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO   POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Chad Lavender is the President of Capital Markets - North America @ Newmark. In this episode we talk about his journey through commercial real estate, from starting out in development during the 2008 financial crisis to building one of the leading senior housing brokerage and advisory practices in the country. We cover how he navigated tough markets early in his career, the lessons he learned from cold calling legends of the industry, and the growth of alternative asset classes like senior housing, medical office, and data centers. Chad also shares his perspective on current real estate markets, from multifamily and industrial to the resurgence of office and the expansion of build-to-rent housing. We discuss: Starting in high-rise development in 2008 and learning through the downturn Building a senior housing brokerage business from scratch and winning early deals with Starwood and Carlisle Moving from ARA to HFF to Newmark and helping create the alternative assets platform How recruiting, persistence, and long-term relationships drive success in brokerage Current insights on data centers, senior housing, office recovery, build-to-rent, and industrial demand Links: Newmark - https://www.nmrk.com/ Chad on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-lavender-03551bb/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:22) - Chad’s career and background (00:06:39) - The rise of Alabama in real estate (00:09:24) - Breaking into the multifamily market (00:11:42) - Building a seniors housing brokerage team (00:20:13) - The evolution of senior housing (00:27:27) - Joining Newmark and leading alternative assets (00:34:35) - The power of passion and persistence (00:37:49) - Winning business (00:40:36) - Data centers and infrastructure (00:46:37) - The office market rebound (00:51:45) - Build-to-rent trends and challenges (00:57:46) - Capital markets and future outlook (01:05:04) - Final thoughts Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO   POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Chad Lavender is the President of Capital Markets - North America @ Newmark.

In this episode we talk about his journey through commercial real estate, from starting out in development during the 2008 financial crisis to building one of the leading senior housing brokerage and advisory practices in the country. We cover how he navigated tough markets early in his career, the lessons he learned from cold calling legends of the industry, and the growth of alternative asset classes like senior housing, medical office, and data centers. Chad also shares his perspective on current real estate markets, from multifamily and industrial to the resurgence of office and the expansion of build-to-rent housing.


We discuss:

  • Starting in high-rise development in 2008 and learning through the downturn
  • Building a senior housing brokerage business from scratch and winning early deals with Starwood and Carlisle
  • Moving from ARA to HFF to Newmark and helping create the alternative assets platform
  • How recruiting, persistence, and long-term relationships drive success in brokerage
  • Current insights on data centers, senior housing, office recovery, build-to-rent, and industrial demand

Links:

Newmark - https://www.nmrk.com/

Chad on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-lavender-03551bb/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:22) - Chad’s career and background
(00:06:39) - The rise of Alabama in real estate
(00:09:24) - Breaking into the multifamily market
(00:11:42) - Building a seniors housing brokerage team
(00:20:13) - The evolution of senior housing
(00:27:27) - Joining Newmark and leading alternative assets
(00:34:35) - The power of passion and persistence
(00:37:49) - Winning business
(00:40:36) - Data centers and infrastructure
(00:46:37) - The office market rebound
(00:51:45) - Build-to-rent trends and challenges
(00:57:46) - Capital markets and future outlook
(01:05:04) - Final thoughts


Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort


Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast/

 

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

 

POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 3956 #390 - Barrett Linburg - Founder @ Savoy Equity Partners - Big Beautiful Opportunity Zones We welcome back Barrett Linburg to the podcast for a deep dive into the evolution of Opportunity Zones and also his firm, Savoy. Barrett shares how his focus on Opportunity Zone projects has shaped Savoy, why these tax-incentivized investments are so compelling for long-term real estate strategies, and how his team has expanded into property management, construction, and development. The discussion also highlights the transformation of Dallas neighborhoods, navigating legislation, and lessons learned from working with contractors and city partnerships. We discuss: How Barrett discovered opportunity zones and built a firm around them The redevelopment of Bishop Ridge in Dallas and the strategy behind choosing locations Key changes from Opportunity Zone 1.0 to 2.0 and what they mean for investors Building out complementary businesses in property management, renovations, and construction Combining opportunity zones with PFC structures to maximize returns and affordability Links Barrett on X - https://x.com/DallasAptGP Barrett on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrett-linburg-32070310/ Savoy Equity Partners - https://savoyequity.com/ Barrett’s first appearance on the show - https://youtu.be/6WkWK3BldgI Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:52) - Barrett's real estate journey (00:07:12) - Opportunity zones in practice (00:21:08) - Case study: Bishop Ridge (00:26:21) - Future of opportunity zones (00:34:51) - Understanding OZ tax benefits (00:35:16) - Clarifying misconceptions about OZ investments (00:36:55) - Step up in basis explained (00:38:46) - Investing in opportunity zone businesses (00:43:47) - Challenges with general contractors (00:48:42) - Expanding Savoy Equity Partners (00:58:31) - Navigating PFC and OZ deals (01:04:33) - Conclusion and contact information Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ Tue, 26 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers We welcome back Barrett Linburg to the podcast for a deep dive into the evolution of Opportunity Zones and also his firm, Savoy. Barrett shares how his focus on Opportunity Zone projects has shaped Savoy, why these tax-incentivized investments are so compelling for long-term real estate strategies, and how his team has expanded into property management, construction, and development. The discussion also highlights the transformation of Dallas neighborhoods, navigating legislation, and lessons learned from working with contractors and city partnerships. We discuss: How Barrett discovered opportunity zones and built a firm around them The redevelopment of Bishop Ridge in Dallas and the strategy behind choosing locations Key changes from Opportunity Zone 1.0 to 2.0 and what they mean for investors Building out complementary businesses in property management, renovations, and construction Combining opportunity zones with PFC structures to maximize returns and affordability Links Barrett on X - https://x.com/DallasAptGP Barrett on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrett-linburg-32070310/ Savoy Equity Partners - https://savoyequity.com/ Barrett’s first appearance on the show - https://youtu.be/6WkWK3BldgI Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:52) - Barrett's real estate journey (00:07:12) - Opportunity zones in practice (00:21:08) - Case study: Bishop Ridge (00:26:21) - Future of opportunity zones (00:34:51) - Understanding OZ tax benefits (00:35:16) - Clarifying misconceptions about OZ investments (00:36:55) - Step up in basis explained (00:38:46) - Investing in opportunity zone businesses (00:43:47) - Challenges with general contractors (00:48:42) - Expanding Savoy Equity Partners (00:58:31) - Navigating PFC and OZ deals (01:04:33) - Conclusion and contact information Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/ We welcome back Barrett Linburg to the podcast for a deep dive into the evolution of Opportunity Zones and also his firm, Savoy. Barrett shares how his focus on Opportunity Zone projects has shaped Savoy, why these tax-incentivized investments are so compelling for long-term real estate strategies, and how his team has expanded into property management, construction, and development. The discussion also highlights the transformation of Dallas neighborhoods, navigating legislation, and lessons learned from working with contractors and city partnerships.

We discuss:

  • How Barrett discovered opportunity zones and built a firm around them
  • The redevelopment of Bishop Ridge in Dallas and the strategy behind choosing locations
  • Key changes from Opportunity Zone 1.0 to 2.0 and what they mean for investors
  • Building out complementary businesses in property management, renovations, and construction
  • Combining opportunity zones with PFC structures to maximize returns and affordability

Links

Barrett on X - https://x.com/DallasAptGP

Barrett on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrett-linburg-32070310/

Savoy Equity Partners - https://savoyequity.com/

Barrett’s first appearance on the show - https://youtu.be/6WkWK3BldgI


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:05:52) - Barrett's real estate journey
(00:07:12) - Opportunity zones in practice
(00:21:08) - Case study: Bishop Ridge
(00:26:21) - Future of opportunity zones
(00:34:51) - Understanding OZ tax benefits
(00:35:16) - Clarifying misconceptions about OZ investments
(00:36:55) - Step up in basis explained
(00:38:46) - Investing in opportunity zone businesses
(00:43:47) - Challenges with general contractors
(00:48:42) - Expanding Savoy Equity Partners
(00:58:31) - Navigating PFC and OZ deals
(01:04:33) - Conclusion and contact information


Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort


Chris on Social Media:

Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

]]> 3933 #389 - Imran Khan - Founder @ Proem Asset Mgmt - Investing In The Fourth Industrial Revolution Imran Khan is the Founder at Proem Asset Management. In this episode we explore the arc of his remarkable career—from his early days as one of Wall Street’s top-ranked analysts to leading global IPOs and eventually launching his own hedge fund.  We discuss: - Why gross margins are a critical indicator of fundamental shifts in a business - How he met Joe Tsai and helped lead Alibaba’s record-setting IPO - The vision Evan Spiegel had that made Snap a generational product - His criteria for identifying high-quality public companies and warning signs to avoid - How private market hype has skewed investor incentives—and why that might be changing Links: Proem Asset Management - https://www.proemasset.com/ Imran on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dotkhan/ Imran on X - https://x.com/dottkhan Support our Sponsors: Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:17) - Becoming a great research analyst (00:06:44) - The difficulty in controlling gross margins (00:08:25) - How to research companies to invest in (00:12:53) - Are there similarities today in technology to the 2001 tech bubble? (00:17:11) - The state of AI investing (00:20:04) - The America/China AI race (00:23:26) - Imran’s experience with Alibaba (00:26:26) - The state of China’s inevitability (00:31:11) - Imran’s experience working at Snap (00:39:09) - Leaving Snap (00:40:26) - Imran’s fund structure (00:43:00) - Being drawn to bias (00:45:05) - Mercenaries vs. missionaries (00:47:07) - The market likes to fool the greatest number of people (00:50:18) - The pendulum of private and public market investing Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 24 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Imran Khan is the Founder at Proem Asset Management. In this episode we explore the arc of his remarkable career—from his early days as one of Wall Street’s top-ranked analysts to leading global IPOs and eventually launching his own hedge fund.  We discuss: - Why gross margins are a critical indicator of fundamental shifts in a business - How he met Joe Tsai and helped lead Alibaba’s record-setting IPO - The vision Evan Spiegel had that made Snap a generational product - His criteria for identifying high-quality public companies and warning signs to avoid - How private market hype has skewed investor incentives—and why that might be changing Links: Proem Asset Management - https://www.proemasset.com/ Imran on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dotkhan/ Imran on X - https://x.com/dottkhan Support our Sponsors: Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:17) - Becoming a great research analyst (00:06:44) - The difficulty in controlling gross margins (00:08:25) - How to research companies to invest in (00:12:53) - Are there similarities today in technology to the 2001 tech bubble? (00:17:11) - The state of AI investing (00:20:04) - The America/China AI race (00:23:26) - Imran’s experience with Alibaba (00:26:26) - The state of China’s inevitability (00:31:11) - Imran’s experience working at Snap (00:39:09) - Leaving Snap (00:40:26) - Imran’s fund structure (00:43:00) - Being drawn to bias (00:45:05) - Mercenaries vs. missionaries (00:47:07) - The market likes to fool the greatest number of people (00:50:18) - The pendulum of private and public market investing Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Imran Khan is the Founder at Proem Asset Management. In this episode we explore the arc of his remarkable career—from his early days as one of Wall Street’s top-ranked analysts to leading global IPOs and eventually launching his own hedge fund. 


We discuss:

- Why gross margins are a critical indicator of fundamental shifts in a business

- How he met Joe Tsai and helped lead Alibaba’s record-setting IPO

- The vision Evan Spiegel had that made Snap a generational product

- His criteria for identifying high-quality public companies and warning signs to avoid

- How private market hype has skewed investor incentives—and why that might be changing


Links:

Proem Asset Management - https://www.proemasset.com/

Imran on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dotkhan/

Imran on X - https://x.com/dottkhan


Support our Sponsors:

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:17) - Becoming a great research analyst
(00:06:44) - The difficulty in controlling gross margins
(00:08:25) - How to research companies to invest in
(00:12:53) - Are there similarities today in technology to the 2001 tech bubble?
(00:17:11) - The state of AI investing
(00:20:04) - The America/China AI race
(00:23:26) - Imran’s experience with Alibaba
(00:26:26) - The state of China’s inevitability
(00:31:11) - Imran’s experience working at Snap
(00:39:09) - Leaving Snap
(00:40:26) - Imran’s fund structure
(00:43:00) - Being drawn to bias
(00:45:05) - Mercenaries vs. missionaries
(00:47:07) - The market likes to fool the greatest number of people
(00:50:18) - The pendulum of private and public market investing


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd


Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 3324 #388 - Mark Toro - CVO @ Toro Development Co. - Developing Generational Mixed Use "Fortresses" Today’s guest is Mark Toro, Chief Vision Officer @ Toro Development Co, based in Atlanta, GA.   Mark unpacks the philosophy, economics, and human-centered detail behind some of the most successful mixed-use developments in the country. We talk through his journey from building suburban power centers to pioneering immersive experiences like Avalon, Colony Square, and the upcoming Medley.  Mark shares how the 2008 financial crisis sparked his rethinking of real estate as a service business rather than just a physical asset—and how ideas like hospitality, branding, and community integration became central to his playbook.  This episode is packed with specific examples, war stories, and lessons on what it really takes to develop places people never want to leave. We discuss: - Why demographics and household income drive everything in site selection - How do vertically integrated, mixed-use developments function financially and operationally - The importance of patios, music, and concierge-level service in creating “third places” - Why tenant selection is both science and art—and what betting on the right jockey really means - How a bottle of tequila became a company tradition symbolizing intentionality and pride in execution Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:43) - Mark’s career and background (00:08:03) - The gutted middle in retail (00:09:38) - Site selection criteria for a “fortress” (00:18:45) - Seamless integration (00:26:27) - The art of pitching tenants (00:31:42) - Mark’s approach to “opening” dates (00:33:28) - Betting the farm on tenants (00:35:46) - Office (00:40:18) - Parking strategies (00:41:51) - Hospitality vs. real estate (00:45:23) - Being Disney-esque (00:49:22) - Low-hanging fruit that properties can implement today (00:54:17) - Marketing funds (00:57:55) - Equity partners (00:58:56) - Why isn’t this model scalable? (01:04:10) - How much more profitable can a fortress be than other mixed-use areas (01:07:12) - Eric Weatherholtz & extending patio season (01:10:49) - The tequila story Support our Sponsors: Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠ Vesto: ⁠https://www.vesto.com/fort⁠ BetterPitch: ⁠https://bit.ly/42d9L0I⁠ Links: Mark Toro on LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktoro/⁠ Toro Development Co. - ⁠https://torodevco.com/⁠ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: ⁠https://x.com/theFORTpodcast⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠ Watch The Fort on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://bit.ly/43SOvys⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠ Tue, 17 Jun 2025 12:31:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today’s guest is Mark Toro, Chief Vision Officer @ Toro Development Co, based in Atlanta, GA.   Mark unpacks the philosophy, economics, and human-centered detail behind some of the most successful mixed-use developments in the country. We talk through his journey from building suburban power centers to pioneering immersive experiences like Avalon, Colony Square, and the upcoming Medley.  Mark shares how the 2008 financial crisis sparked his rethinking of real estate as a service business rather than just a physical asset—and how ideas like hospitality, branding, and community integration became central to his playbook.  This episode is packed with specific examples, war stories, and lessons on what it really takes to develop places people never want to leave. We discuss: - Why demographics and household income drive everything in site selection - How do vertically integrated, mixed-use developments function financially and operationally - The importance of patios, music, and concierge-level service in creating “third places” - Why tenant selection is both science and art—and what betting on the right jockey really means - How a bottle of tequila became a company tradition symbolizing intentionality and pride in execution Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:43) - Mark’s career and background (00:08:03) - The gutted middle in retail (00:09:38) - Site selection criteria for a “fortress” (00:18:45) - Seamless integration (00:26:27) - The art of pitching tenants (00:31:42) - Mark’s approach to “opening” dates (00:33:28) - Betting the farm on tenants (00:35:46) - Office (00:40:18) - Parking strategies (00:41:51) - Hospitality vs. real estate (00:45:23) - Being Disney-esque (00:49:22) - Low-hanging fruit that properties can implement today (00:54:17) - Marketing funds (00:57:55) - Equity partners (00:58:56) - Why isn’t this model scalable? (01:04:10) - How much more profitable can a fortress be than other mixed-use areas (01:07:12) - Eric Weatherholtz & extending patio season (01:10:49) - The tequila story Support our Sponsors: Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠ Vesto: ⁠https://www.vesto.com/fort⁠ BetterPitch: ⁠https://bit.ly/42d9L0I⁠ Links: Mark Toro on LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktoro/⁠ Toro Development Co. - ⁠https://torodevco.com/⁠ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: ⁠https://x.com/theFORTpodcast⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠ Watch The Fort on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://bit.ly/43SOvys⁠ Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠ Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠ Today’s guest is Mark Toro, Chief Vision Officer @ Toro Development Co, based in Atlanta, GA.  

Mark unpacks the philosophy, economics, and human-centered detail behind some of the most successful mixed-use developments in the country. We talk through his journey from building suburban power centers to pioneering immersive experiences like Avalon, Colony Square, and the upcoming Medley. 

Mark shares how the 2008 financial crisis sparked his rethinking of real estate as a service business rather than just a physical asset—and how ideas like hospitality, branding, and community integration became central to his playbook. 

This episode is packed with specific examples, war stories, and lessons on what it really takes to develop places people never want to leave.


We discuss:

- Why demographics and household income drive everything in site selection

- How do vertically integrated, mixed-use developments function financially and operationally

- The importance of patios, music, and concierge-level service in creating “third places”

- Why tenant selection is both science and art—and what betting on the right jockey really means

- How a bottle of tequila became a company tradition symbolizing intentionality and pride in execution


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:43) - Mark’s career and background (00:08:03) - The gutted middle in retail (00:09:38) - Site selection criteria for a “fortress” (00:18:45) - Seamless integration (00:26:27) - The art of pitching tenants (00:31:42) - Mark’s approach to “opening” dates (00:33:28) - Betting the farm on tenants (00:35:46) - Office (00:40:18) - Parking strategies (00:41:51) - Hospitality vs. real estate (00:45:23) - Being Disney-esque (00:49:22) - Low-hanging fruit that properties can implement today (00:54:17) - Marketing funds (00:57:55) - Equity partners (00:58:56) - Why isn’t this model scalable? (01:04:10) - How much more profitable can a fortress be than other mixed-use areas

(01:07:12) - Eric Weatherholtz & extending patio season (01:10:49) - The tequila story Support our Sponsors:

Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com/fort⁠

Vesto: ⁠https://www.vesto.com/fort⁠

BetterPitch: ⁠https://bit.ly/42d9L0I⁠


Links:

Mark Toro on LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktoro/⁠

Toro Development Co. - ⁠https://torodevco.com/⁠


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: ⁠https://x.com/theFORTpodcast⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/45gIkFd⁠


Watch The Fort on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3oynxNX⁠

Visit our website: ⁠https://bit.ly/43SOvys⁠

Leave a review on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/45crFD0⁠

Leave a review on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO⁠

]]> 4418 #387 - Ken Hersh - Co-Founder NGP Energy Capital Management - The Godfather of Energy Private Equity Since 2016, Ken Hersh has served as President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center which houses the George W. Bush Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute.  In 1988, he co-founded NGP Energy Capital Management, one of the nation’s largest natural resources private equity firms which pioneered private capital investing in the sector. Until 2016, he served as CEO, investing over $12 billion, earning a 27-year 30% annualized rate of return, making it one of the nation’s leading private investors.  In 2023, the Oil and Gas Investor magazine inducted Ken into its Hart Energy Hall of Fame as one of the top 50 “pioneering men and women who have shaped energy over the last half century.” Additionally, Ken manages his family office that invests across multiple industries. He sits on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards, including the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He sits on the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Links:  George W. Bush Presidential Center - https://www.bushcenter.org/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:53) - Ken’s early career (00:16:36) - Richard Rainwater and creating NGP (00:29:25) - The original thesis for NGP (00:34:55) - Scaling NGP (00:46:36) - The Shale revolution (00:49:29) - Horizontal Drilling in 2025 (00:51:45) - The importance of having a great business partner (00:54:01) - Is “Let’s back teams” still the best investment model? (00:55:01) - Ken’s approach to raising capital (00:56:37) - Is there a modern-day Richard Rainwater? (00:58:34) - When a deal goes wrong (01:06:04) - The global state of energy in 2025 Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Since 2016, Ken Hersh has served as President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center which houses the George W. Bush Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute.  In 1988, he co-founded NGP Energy Capital Management, one of the nation’s largest natural resources private equity firms which pioneered private capital investing in the sector. Until 2016, he served as CEO, investing over $12 billion, earning a 27-year 30% annualized rate of return, making it one of the nation’s leading private investors.  In 2023, the Oil and Gas Investor magazine inducted Ken into its Hart Energy Hall of Fame as one of the top 50 “pioneering men and women who have shaped energy over the last half century.” Additionally, Ken manages his family office that invests across multiple industries. He sits on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards, including the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He sits on the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Links:  George W. Bush Presidential Center - https://www.bushcenter.org/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:53) - Ken’s early career (00:16:36) - Richard Rainwater and creating NGP (00:29:25) - The original thesis for NGP (00:34:55) - Scaling NGP (00:46:36) - The Shale revolution (00:49:29) - Horizontal Drilling in 2025 (00:51:45) - The importance of having a great business partner (00:54:01) - Is “Let’s back teams” still the best investment model? (00:55:01) - Ken’s approach to raising capital (00:56:37) - Is there a modern-day Richard Rainwater? (00:58:34) - When a deal goes wrong (01:06:04) - The global state of energy in 2025 Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  Since 2016, Ken Hersh has served as President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center which houses the George W. Bush Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute. 


In 1988, he co-founded NGP Energy Capital Management, one of the nation’s largest natural resources private equity firms which pioneered private capital investing in the sector. Until 2016, he served as CEO, investing over $12 billion, earning a 27-year 30% annualized rate of return, making it one of the nation’s leading private investors.  In 2023, the Oil and Gas Investor magazine inducted Ken into its Hart Energy Hall of Fame as one of the top 50 “pioneering men and women who have shaped energy over the last half century.”


Additionally, Ken manages his family office that invests across multiple industries. He sits on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards, including the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He sits on the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.


Links: 

George W. Bush Presidential Center - https://www.bushcenter.org/


Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:53) - Ken’s early career
(00:16:36) - Richard Rainwater and creating NGP
(00:29:25) - The original thesis for NGP
(00:34:55) - Scaling NGP
(00:46:36) - The Shale revolution
(00:49:29) - Horizontal Drilling in 2025
(00:51:45) - The importance of having a great business partner
(00:54:01) - Is “Let’s back teams” still the best investment model?
(00:55:01) - Ken’s approach to raising capital
(00:56:37) - Is there a modern-day Richard Rainwater?
(00:58:34) - When a deal goes wrong
(01:06:04) - The global state of energy in 2025


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

]]> 4614 #386 - Trent & Tyler Leon - Co-Founders @ Tilden Capital Trent and Tyler Leon are the Co-Founders of Tilden Capital. Today, their business, Tilden Capital, has deployed billions of dollars into oil & gas minerals, royalties, and non-operated positions across the Permian and other domestic basins.   We talk about growing up in a golf-obsessed family, attending IMG Academy, and competing at the highest levels of amateur and professional golf—then making the decision to walk away and start something new. We also cover: - What they learned from life on the road as pro golfers - How and when they knew it was time to pivot into business - Early lessons from starting an oil and gas company from scratch - The current outlook on the Permian Basin and broader energy trends - How they build conviction around long-term bets and stay optimistic - What it’s like working together as brothers and business partners You’re in for a wide-ranging conversation about life, business, and the journey from competitive sports to entrepreneurship. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Tilden Capital - http://www.tildencapitalllc.com/ Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson - https://a.co/d/ax5DRLz Support our Sponsors: Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro   (00:04:16) - Trent and Tyler’s early childhood and developing a passion for Golf   (00:15:36) - Moving to IMG Academy to pursue Golf   (00:23:19) - The college recruiting process   (00:31:54) - The parenting style that leads to 3 kids becoming Division 1 athletes   (00:35:39) - Winning a national championship in college   (00:41:25) - The realities of life as professional golfers   (00:47:49) - The state of Oil and Gas   (00:51:40) - The Permian Basin   (00:55:18) - Trent and Tyler’s approach to buying mineral rights   (00:58:08) - Drill Baby, Drill!   (01:02:26) - Will AI play a part in drilling rigs?   (01:04:10) - Running a lean team at Tilden   (01:09:19) - Developing relationships in the industry   (01:12:09) - Staying laser-focused   (01:13:48) - 4-year predictions   Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 20 May 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Trent and Tyler Leon are the Co-Founders of Tilden Capital. Today, their business, Tilden Capital, has deployed billions of dollars into oil & gas minerals, royalties, and non-operated positions across the Permian and other domestic basins.   We talk about growing up in a golf-obsessed family, attending IMG Academy, and competing at the highest levels of amateur and professional golf—then making the decision to walk away and start something new. We also cover: - What they learned from life on the road as pro golfers - How and when they knew it was time to pivot into business - Early lessons from starting an oil and gas company from scratch - The current outlook on the Permian Basin and broader energy trends - How they build conviction around long-term bets and stay optimistic - What it’s like working together as brothers and business partners You’re in for a wide-ranging conversation about life, business, and the journey from competitive sports to entrepreneurship. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Tilden Capital - http://www.tildencapitalllc.com/ Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson - https://a.co/d/ax5DRLz Support our Sponsors: Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro   (00:04:16) - Trent and Tyler’s early childhood and developing a passion for Golf   (00:15:36) - Moving to IMG Academy to pursue Golf   (00:23:19) - The college recruiting process   (00:31:54) - The parenting style that leads to 3 kids becoming Division 1 athletes   (00:35:39) - Winning a national championship in college   (00:41:25) - The realities of life as professional golfers   (00:47:49) - The state of Oil and Gas   (00:51:40) - The Permian Basin   (00:55:18) - Trent and Tyler’s approach to buying mineral rights   (00:58:08) - Drill Baby, Drill!   (01:02:26) - Will AI play a part in drilling rigs?   (01:04:10) - Running a lean team at Tilden   (01:09:19) - Developing relationships in the industry   (01:12:09) - Staying laser-focused   (01:13:48) - 4-year predictions   Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Trent and Tyler Leon are the Co-Founders of Tilden Capital. Today, their business, Tilden Capital, has deployed billions of dollars into oil & gas minerals, royalties, and non-operated positions across the Permian and other domestic basins.  


We talk about growing up in a golf-obsessed family, attending IMG Academy, and competing at the highest levels of amateur and professional golf—then making the decision to walk away and start something new.


We also cover:

- What they learned from life on the road as pro golfers

- How and when they knew it was time to pivot into business

- Early lessons from starting an oil and gas company from scratch

- The current outlook on the Permian Basin and broader energy trends

- How they build conviction around long-term bets and stay optimistic

- What it’s like working together as brothers and business partners


You’re in for a wide-ranging conversation about life, business, and the journey from competitive sports to entrepreneurship.


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Tilden Capital - http://www.tildencapitalllc.com/

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson - https://a.co/d/ax5DRLz


Support our Sponsors:

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro  

(00:04:16) - Trent and Tyler’s early childhood and developing a passion for Golf  

(00:15:36) - Moving to IMG Academy to pursue Golf  

(00:23:19) - The college recruiting process  

(00:31:54) - The parenting style that leads to 3 kids becoming Division 1 athletes  

(00:35:39) - Winning a national championship in college  

(00:41:25) - The realities of life as professional golfers  

(00:47:49) - The state of Oil and Gas  

(00:51:40) - The Permian Basin  

(00:55:18) - Trent and Tyler’s approach to buying mineral rights  

(00:58:08) - Drill Baby, Drill!  

(01:02:26) - Will AI play a part in drilling rigs?  

(01:04:10) - Running a lean team at Tilden  

(01:09:19) - Developing relationships in the industry  

(01:12:09) - Staying laser-focused  

(01:13:48) - 4-year predictions  


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4550 #385 - Andrew Yaffe - CEO @ Dude Perfect - The Business of the World’s Most Trusted Entertainment Brand Andrew Yaffe is the CEO of Dude Perfect. Prior to joining Dude Perfect, he served as Executive Vice President, Head of Social, Digital and Original Content at the NBA, leading the department responsible for all video, editorial, and documentary content produced and distributed by the NBA.  We dive into the evolution of content strategy, how vertical video, AI-driven editing, and fan-driven content are reshaping how people consume sports and entertainment. We also talk about the massive shift toward family-friendly entertainment, why authenticity matters more than ever in building a trusted brand, and how Dude Perfect is capitalizing on a deep relationship with its audience to expand into products, experiences, and live events. We also cover: - Why YouTube dominates digital content consumption and how Dude Perfect leverages it - How user-generated and behind-the-scenes content outperforms traditional highlights - The growth of Dude Perfect’s live shows and the company's focus on family-first experiences - Building long-term brand equity without sacrificing core values - How the next wave of growth will come from new talent, products, and experiences under the Dude Perfect umbrella This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most iconic creator-led brands is thinking about the next decade of growth—and why the future of entertainment looks a lot more personal, community-driven, and mission-focused. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:55) - Andrew’s career in the NBA: Starting as a Ticket Pricing Analyst and becoming the EVP of Content (00:07:54) - How “Content” has evolved in the past 5 years (00:13:50) - The NBA vs. NBA China (00:14:37) - Content distribution strategies (00:16:20) - Are professional sports audiences declining? (00:19:46) - Becoming CEO of Dude Perfect (00:23:23) - How do you filter opportunities for the brand? (00:28:37) - Battling the algorithm: Family content (00:30:39) - Cultural differences between Dude Perfect and the NBA (00:33:54) - Who’s coming up with content ideas at this stage of the brand? (00:38:21) - The Gravity of YouTube (00:41:51) - What kind of production goes into a typical Dude Perfect video? (00:44:20) - What does working with YouTube look like when you have 62 million subscribers? (00:47:05) - What types of data matter at Dude Perfect? (00:52:01) - What is the target market for Dude Perfect? (00:54:09) - Should we be encouraging our kids to be content creators? (00:57:24) - What are the primary revenue streams? (00:59:15) - Why do the live shows perform so well with audiences? (01:00:12) - Are there plans for more “Dudes”? (01:01:37) - Does the brand's growth mean taking audiences away from professional sports? (01:03:22) - Does the audience age out? (01:04:39) - Is there one metric that matters more than anything else? (01:06:04) - What does this brand look like in 5 years? Links: Dude Perfect - https://dudeperfect.com/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort BetterPitch: https://betterpitch.com/ Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 29 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Andrew Yaffe is the CEO of Dude Perfect. Prior to joining Dude Perfect, he served as Executive Vice President, Head of Social, Digital and Original Content at the NBA, leading the department responsible for all video, editorial, and documentary content produced and distributed by the NBA.  We dive into the evolution of content strategy, how vertical video, AI-driven editing, and fan-driven content are reshaping how people consume sports and entertainment. We also talk about the massive shift toward family-friendly entertainment, why authenticity matters more than ever in building a trusted brand, and how Dude Perfect is capitalizing on a deep relationship with its audience to expand into products, experiences, and live events. We also cover: - Why YouTube dominates digital content consumption and how Dude Perfect leverages it - How user-generated and behind-the-scenes content outperforms traditional highlights - The growth of Dude Perfect’s live shows and the company's focus on family-first experiences - Building long-term brand equity without sacrificing core values - How the next wave of growth will come from new talent, products, and experiences under the Dude Perfect umbrella This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most iconic creator-led brands is thinking about the next decade of growth—and why the future of entertainment looks a lot more personal, community-driven, and mission-focused. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:55) - Andrew’s career in the NBA: Starting as a Ticket Pricing Analyst and becoming the EVP of Content (00:07:54) - How “Content” has evolved in the past 5 years (00:13:50) - The NBA vs. NBA China (00:14:37) - Content distribution strategies (00:16:20) - Are professional sports audiences declining? (00:19:46) - Becoming CEO of Dude Perfect (00:23:23) - How do you filter opportunities for the brand? (00:28:37) - Battling the algorithm: Family content (00:30:39) - Cultural differences between Dude Perfect and the NBA (00:33:54) - Who’s coming up with content ideas at this stage of the brand? (00:38:21) - The Gravity of YouTube (00:41:51) - What kind of production goes into a typical Dude Perfect video? (00:44:20) - What does working with YouTube look like when you have 62 million subscribers? (00:47:05) - What types of data matter at Dude Perfect? (00:52:01) - What is the target market for Dude Perfect? (00:54:09) - Should we be encouraging our kids to be content creators? (00:57:24) - What are the primary revenue streams? (00:59:15) - Why do the live shows perform so well with audiences? (01:00:12) - Are there plans for more “Dudes”? (01:01:37) - Does the brand's growth mean taking audiences away from professional sports? (01:03:22) - Does the audience age out? (01:04:39) - Is there one metric that matters more than anything else? (01:06:04) - What does this brand look like in 5 years? Links: Dude Perfect - https://dudeperfect.com/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort BetterPitch: https://betterpitch.com/ Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Andrew Yaffe is the CEO of Dude Perfect. Prior to joining Dude Perfect, he served as Executive Vice President, Head of Social, Digital and Original Content at the NBA, leading the department responsible for all video, editorial, and documentary content produced and distributed by the NBA. 


We dive into the evolution of content strategy, how vertical video, AI-driven editing, and fan-driven content are reshaping how people consume sports and entertainment. We also talk about the massive shift toward family-friendly entertainment, why authenticity matters more than ever in building a trusted brand, and how Dude Perfect is capitalizing on a deep relationship with its audience to expand into products, experiences, and live events.


We also cover:

- Why YouTube dominates digital content consumption and how Dude Perfect leverages it

- How user-generated and behind-the-scenes content outperforms traditional highlights

- The growth of Dude Perfect’s live shows and the company's focus on family-first experiences

- Building long-term brand equity without sacrificing core values

- How the next wave of growth will come from new talent, products, and experiences under the Dude Perfect umbrella


This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most iconic creator-led brands is thinking about the next decade of growth—and why the future of entertainment looks a lot more personal, community-driven, and mission-focused.


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:55) - Andrew’s career in the NBA: Starting as a Ticket Pricing Analyst and becoming the EVP of Content

(00:07:54) - How “Content” has evolved in the past 5 years

(00:13:50) - The NBA vs. NBA China

(00:14:37) - Content distribution strategies

(00:16:20) - Are professional sports audiences declining?

(00:19:46) - Becoming CEO of Dude Perfect

(00:23:23) - How do you filter opportunities for the brand?

(00:28:37) - Battling the algorithm: Family content

(00:30:39) - Cultural differences between Dude Perfect and the NBA

(00:33:54) - Who’s coming up with content ideas at this stage of the brand?

(00:38:21) - The Gravity of YouTube

(00:41:51) - What kind of production goes into a typical Dude Perfect video?

(00:44:20) - What does working with YouTube look like when you have 62 million subscribers?

(00:47:05) - What types of data matter at Dude Perfect?

(00:52:01) - What is the target market for Dude Perfect?

(00:54:09) - Should we be encouraging our kids to be content creators?

(00:57:24) - What are the primary revenue streams?

(00:59:15) - Why do the live shows perform so well with audiences?

(01:00:12) - Are there plans for more “Dudes”?

(01:01:37) - Does the brand's growth mean taking audiences away from professional sports?

(01:03:22) - Does the audience age out?

(01:04:39) - Is there one metric that matters more than anything else?

(01:06:04) - What does this brand look like in 5 years?


Links:

Dude Perfect - https://dudeperfect.com/


Support our Sponsors

Ramp: https://ramp.com/fort

BetterPitch: https://betterpitch.com/

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4195 #384 - Jason Karp - Founder of HumanCo - Hedge Fund Mogul Trades Wall Street for Wellness In this episode, Jason and I discuss one of the biggest challenges facing America today: the health crisis fueled by our food system.  Jason, a former hedge fund manager turned health entrepreneur, shares how his personal journey through professional burnout, depression, and physical illness opened his eyes to the systemic problems in the way America produces, regulates, and consumes food. We explore how decades of misaligned incentives, corporate lobbying, and regulatory failure have created a food environment that prioritizes profit over public health. Jason explains why rates of chronic disease, obesity, and metabolic disorders are worse than ever despite record healthcare spending and how other countries have taken a much stricter, more effective approach to food safety and nutrition. We also cover: - How Big Food and Big Pharma have benefited from keeping Americans sick - The differences between food standards in the U.S. and Europe - Why eating closer to nature is essential for reversing chronic disease - Practical steps individuals can take today to avoid the worst parts of the American food system - The urgent need for policy reform and better consumer education We also discuss the growing role of psychedelics in mental health treatment, healing trauma, and helping individuals reconnect with themselves in an increasingly disconnected world. This conversation is a candid look at why health outcomes in the U.S. continue to decline—and what it will take to fix it. Whether you're a consumer, an entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to live a longer, healthier life, Jason’s insights are a wake-up call and a call to action. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Jason on X - @HumanKarp HumanCo brands - Cosmic Bliss & Against The Grain Gourmet: www.instacart.com/store/brands/humanco-brands/humanco-lp Amara: HUMANCO (20% off discount) - Amara True Food Kitchen: Mention to your server “JUSTTRUE10” for $10 off of $50 at True Food Kitchen through June 30th - TFK Grove Collaborative: "HUMANCO" will give new customers 25% off orders $75+. Grove Support our Sponsors: Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Mentioned in this episode: How to Change Your Mind by Miachael Pollan - https://a.co/d/dm4RwMY The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku - https://a.co/d/4u4dJw5 Fruit Loops in the U.S. vs. Candada - https://youtu.be/4uH6Yooxr0Y?si=D7nIZU_-0SaScpSB The American Heart Association opposes bill to ban soda from being purchased with SNAP benefits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTN2SdMMiig Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:58) - Jason’s career (00:17:51) - Psychedelic therapy (00:42:47) - Making the decision to leave a 20-year hedge fund career (00:50:46) - How did America become such an unhealthy country? (01:01:01) - Big food vs. big pharma (01:03:25) - Lab grown food (01:05:54) - What’s being done to make us healthy again? (01:10:35) - How can the average person start to be healthier (01:15:50) - The truth about alcohol Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers In this episode, Jason and I discuss one of the biggest challenges facing America today: the health crisis fueled by our food system.  Jason, a former hedge fund manager turned health entrepreneur, shares how his personal journey through professional burnout, depression, and physical illness opened his eyes to the systemic problems in the way America produces, regulates, and consumes food. We explore how decades of misaligned incentives, corporate lobbying, and regulatory failure have created a food environment that prioritizes profit over public health. Jason explains why rates of chronic disease, obesity, and metabolic disorders are worse than ever despite record healthcare spending and how other countries have taken a much stricter, more effective approach to food safety and nutrition. We also cover: - How Big Food and Big Pharma have benefited from keeping Americans sick - The differences between food standards in the U.S. and Europe - Why eating closer to nature is essential for reversing chronic disease - Practical steps individuals can take today to avoid the worst parts of the American food system - The urgent need for policy reform and better consumer education We also discuss the growing role of psychedelics in mental health treatment, healing trauma, and helping individuals reconnect with themselves in an increasingly disconnected world. This conversation is a candid look at why health outcomes in the U.S. continue to decline—and what it will take to fix it. Whether you're a consumer, an entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to live a longer, healthier life, Jason’s insights are a wake-up call and a call to action. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Jason on X - @HumanKarp HumanCo brands - Cosmic Bliss & Against The Grain Gourmet: www.instacart.com/store/brands/humanco-brands/humanco-lp Amara: HUMANCO (20% off discount) - Amara True Food Kitchen: Mention to your server “JUSTTRUE10” for $10 off of $50 at True Food Kitchen through June 30th - TFK Grove Collaborative: "HUMANCO" will give new customers 25% off orders $75+. Grove Support our Sponsors: Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Mentioned in this episode: How to Change Your Mind by Miachael Pollan - https://a.co/d/dm4RwMY The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku - https://a.co/d/4u4dJw5 Fruit Loops in the U.S. vs. Candada - https://youtu.be/4uH6Yooxr0Y?si=D7nIZU_-0SaScpSB The American Heart Association opposes bill to ban soda from being purchased with SNAP benefits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTN2SdMMiig Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:58) - Jason’s career (00:17:51) - Psychedelic therapy (00:42:47) - Making the decision to leave a 20-year hedge fund career (00:50:46) - How did America become such an unhealthy country? (01:01:01) - Big food vs. big pharma (01:03:25) - Lab grown food (01:05:54) - What’s being done to make us healthy again? (01:10:35) - How can the average person start to be healthier (01:15:50) - The truth about alcohol Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts In this episode, Jason and I discuss one of the biggest challenges facing America today: the health crisis fueled by our food system. 


Jason, a former hedge fund manager turned health entrepreneur, shares how his personal journey through professional burnout, depression, and physical illness opened his eyes to the systemic problems in the way America produces, regulates, and consumes food.


We explore how decades of misaligned incentives, corporate lobbying, and regulatory failure have created a food environment that prioritizes profit over public health. Jason explains why rates of chronic disease, obesity, and metabolic disorders are worse than ever despite record healthcare spending and how other countries have taken a much stricter, more effective approach to food safety and nutrition.


We also cover:

- How Big Food and Big Pharma have benefited from keeping Americans sick

- The differences between food standards in the U.S. and Europe

- Why eating closer to nature is essential for reversing chronic disease

- Practical steps individuals can take today to avoid the worst parts of the American food system

- The urgent need for policy reform and better consumer education


We also discuss the growing role of psychedelics in mental health treatment, healing trauma, and helping individuals reconnect with themselves in an increasingly disconnected world.


This conversation is a candid look at why health outcomes in the U.S. continue to decline—and what it will take to fix it. Whether you're a consumer, an entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to live a longer, healthier life, Jason’s insights are a wake-up call and a call to action.


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:


Support our Sponsors:


Mentioned in this episode:


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:58) - Jason’s career

(00:17:51) - Psychedelic therapy

(00:42:47) - Making the decision to leave a 20-year hedge fund career

(00:50:46) - How did America become such an unhealthy country?

(01:01:01) - Big food vs. big pharma

(01:03:25) - Lab grown food

(01:05:54) - What’s being done to make us healthy again?

(01:10:35) - How can the average person start to be healthier

(01:15:50) - The truth about alcohol


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts


]]> 4871 #383 - Hunter Pond - Founder @ Vandelay Hospitality Group - The Hottest Restaurateur in America Hunter Pond is the founder of Vandelay Hospitality Group, one of the most recognizable restaurant portfolios in Texas. From dropping out of law school mid-exam to launching East Hampton Sandwich Co. with no industry experience, Hunter shares how a love for restaurants kickstarted a hospitality empire. We dive into the creation and evolution of VHG. Hunter breaks down the art and science behind successful concepts, why restaurants fail, and how his team approaches everything from vendor relationships to tip pooling and fraud prevention. This episode covers: - The impulsive moment that launched his restaurant career - How a $20K investment and Craigslist chef shaped East Hampton’s early days - The balance of creativity and discipline in full-service dining - Building menus for flavor, efficiency, and profitability - Lessons learned from private equity and selling his first concept - Why restaurant success is often more about square footage than food We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors: Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Links: Vandelay Hospitality Group - https://vandelayhospitality.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:20) - Dropping out of law school to pursue a career in the restaurant industry (00:10:31) - Lessons learned from working the back of the house (00:14:01) - Developing and opening East Hampton Sandwich Co. (00:23:47) - How to build a menu (00:29:44) - The importance of seat count (00:34:57) - How DoorDash killed the fast-casual restaurant (00:37:02) - Service vs. product in the success of a restaurant (00:42:21) - Blocking and tackling in the business (00:44:06) - Where people fail in the restaurant industry (00:49:56) - Selling East Hampton (00:52:56) - Cloud Kitchens (00:54:43) - Developing Hudson House (00:58:01) - Determining seat count ratios (01:01:03) - Lessons from working with PE (01:05:29) - Sources of turnover in restaurants (01:06:49) - Why certain concepts don’t work in different cities (01:08:48) - The impact of real estate on restaurants (01:12:02) - Creating new concepts vs. acquisitions Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Hunter Pond is the founder of Vandelay Hospitality Group, one of the most recognizable restaurant portfolios in Texas. From dropping out of law school mid-exam to launching East Hampton Sandwich Co. with no industry experience, Hunter shares how a love for restaurants kickstarted a hospitality empire. We dive into the creation and evolution of VHG. Hunter breaks down the art and science behind successful concepts, why restaurants fail, and how his team approaches everything from vendor relationships to tip pooling and fraud prevention. This episode covers: - The impulsive moment that launched his restaurant career - How a $20K investment and Craigslist chef shaped East Hampton’s early days - The balance of creativity and discipline in full-service dining - Building menus for flavor, efficiency, and profitability - Lessons learned from private equity and selling his first concept - Why restaurant success is often more about square footage than food We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors: Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Links: Vandelay Hospitality Group - https://vandelayhospitality.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:20) - Dropping out of law school to pursue a career in the restaurant industry (00:10:31) - Lessons learned from working the back of the house (00:14:01) - Developing and opening East Hampton Sandwich Co. (00:23:47) - How to build a menu (00:29:44) - The importance of seat count (00:34:57) - How DoorDash killed the fast-casual restaurant (00:37:02) - Service vs. product in the success of a restaurant (00:42:21) - Blocking and tackling in the business (00:44:06) - Where people fail in the restaurant industry (00:49:56) - Selling East Hampton (00:52:56) - Cloud Kitchens (00:54:43) - Developing Hudson House (00:58:01) - Determining seat count ratios (01:01:03) - Lessons from working with PE (01:05:29) - Sources of turnover in restaurants (01:06:49) - Why certain concepts don’t work in different cities (01:08:48) - The impact of real estate on restaurants (01:12:02) - Creating new concepts vs. acquisitions Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Hunter Pond is the founder of Vandelay Hospitality Group, one of the most recognizable restaurant portfolios in Texas. From dropping out of law school mid-exam to launching East Hampton Sandwich Co. with no industry experience, Hunter shares how a love for restaurants kickstarted a hospitality empire.


We dive into the creation and evolution of VHG. Hunter breaks down the art and science behind successful concepts, why restaurants fail, and how his team approaches everything from vendor relationships to tip pooling and fraud prevention.


This episode covers:

- The impulsive moment that launched his restaurant career

- How a $20K investment and Craigslist chef shaped East Hampton’s early days

- The balance of creativity and discipline in full-service dining

- Building menus for flavor, efficiency, and profitability

- Lessons learned from private equity and selling his first concept

- Why restaurant success is often more about square footage than food


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Support our Sponsors:

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I


Links:

Vandelay Hospitality Group - https://vandelayhospitality.com/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:20) - Dropping out of law school to pursue a career in the restaurant industry

(00:10:31) - Lessons learned from working the back of the house

(00:14:01) - Developing and opening East Hampton Sandwich Co.

(00:23:47) - How to build a menu

(00:29:44) - The importance of seat count

(00:34:57) - How DoorDash killed the fast-casual restaurant

(00:37:02) - Service vs. product in the success of a restaurant

(00:42:21) - Blocking and tackling in the business

(00:44:06) - Where people fail in the restaurant industry

(00:49:56) - Selling East Hampton

(00:52:56) - Cloud Kitchens

(00:54:43) - Developing Hudson House

(00:58:01) - Determining seat count ratios

(01:01:03) - Lessons from working with PE

(01:05:29) - Sources of turnover in restaurants

(01:06:49) - Why certain concepts don’t work in different cities

(01:08:48) - The impact of real estate on restaurants

(01:12:02) - Creating new concepts vs. acquisitions


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts


]]> 4909 #382 - Hiten Samtani - Founder @ ten31 Media - CRE is the Ultimate Business Bloodsport Hiten Samtani is the founder and editorial director of ten31, a new media company focused on market-moving insider coverage of the most important and least understood industries. He is the author of The Promote, a newsletter that readers have likened to commercial real estate's answer to Matt Levine's "Money Stuff," and a publication that has built the most highly engaged audience in B2B media (open rate: 70%). Hiten founded ten31 after a decade at The Real Deal, where he ran the newsroom and shepherded coverage of the most important stories in real estate. Chris and Hiten get into the early days of the brand, what inspired it, and why the real estate world needed a publication that’s bold, sharp, and unapologetically honest. They talk about the stories that hit hardest, what makes for a good scoop, and how Hiten has built trust with sources while keeping the content unfiltered and highly readable. They also cover: Why commercial real estate is full of big personalities and even bigger stakes How operators and investors can actually get covered by the media What it’s like growing a niche media company from scratch Lessons from Hiten’s years at The Real Deal and why he walked away Navigating the gray areas of journalism—anonymity, accuracy, and when to publish Links: Hiten on X The Promote CRE newsletter The Promote Podcast A specialist playbook on how to get ink for your deal or company Understanding the different modes of talking to the press Key industry storylines for 2025 Support our Sponsors: Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch - https://betterpitch.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:33) - Hiten’s journey into real estate journalism (00:08:24) - Lesson from working at the Real Deal (00:12:39) - Who is the audience? (00:16:28) - Is your style of journalism unique to real estate? (00:19:40) - What it took to launch ten31 Media (00:27:55) - Where do you get inspiration, and how do you get access to the information you can get? (00:35:32) - HFCs (00:39:03) - How do you determine what is truth and what isn’t? (00:48:42) - How can CRE companies get press? (00:55:40) - On the record vs. off the record (00:59:12) - CRE themes of 2024 and what to look for in 2025 (01:04:19) - Attending a Jewish circumcision ceremony in a NYC boardroom Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 08 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Hiten Samtani is the founder and editorial director of ten31, a new media company focused on market-moving insider coverage of the most important and least understood industries. He is the author of The Promote, a newsletter that readers have likened to commercial real estate's answer to Matt Levine's "Money Stuff," and a publication that has built the most highly engaged audience in B2B media (open rate: 70%). Hiten founded ten31 after a decade at The Real Deal, where he ran the newsroom and shepherded coverage of the most important stories in real estate. Chris and Hiten get into the early days of the brand, what inspired it, and why the real estate world needed a publication that’s bold, sharp, and unapologetically honest. They talk about the stories that hit hardest, what makes for a good scoop, and how Hiten has built trust with sources while keeping the content unfiltered and highly readable. They also cover: Why commercial real estate is full of big personalities and even bigger stakes How operators and investors can actually get covered by the media What it’s like growing a niche media company from scratch Lessons from Hiten’s years at The Real Deal and why he walked away Navigating the gray areas of journalism—anonymity, accuracy, and when to publish Links: Hiten on X The Promote CRE newsletter The Promote Podcast A specialist playbook on how to get ink for your deal or company Understanding the different modes of talking to the press Key industry storylines for 2025 Support our Sponsors: Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch - https://betterpitch.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:33) - Hiten’s journey into real estate journalism (00:08:24) - Lesson from working at the Real Deal (00:12:39) - Who is the audience? (00:16:28) - Is your style of journalism unique to real estate? (00:19:40) - What it took to launch ten31 Media (00:27:55) - Where do you get inspiration, and how do you get access to the information you can get? (00:35:32) - HFCs (00:39:03) - How do you determine what is truth and what isn’t? (00:48:42) - How can CRE companies get press? (00:55:40) - On the record vs. off the record (00:59:12) - CRE themes of 2024 and what to look for in 2025 (01:04:19) - Attending a Jewish circumcision ceremony in a NYC boardroom Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Hiten Samtani is the founder and editorial director of ten31, a new media company focused on market-moving insider coverage of the most important and least understood industries. He is the author of The Promote, a newsletter that readers have likened to commercial real estate's answer to Matt Levine's "Money Stuff," and a publication that has built the most highly engaged audience in B2B media (open rate: 70%). Hiten founded ten31 after a decade at The Real Deal, where he ran the newsroom and shepherded coverage of the most important stories in real estate.


Chris and Hiten get into the early days of the brand, what inspired it, and why the real estate world needed a publication that’s bold, sharp, and unapologetically honest. They talk about the stories that hit hardest, what makes for a good scoop, and how Hiten has built trust with sources while keeping the content unfiltered and highly readable.


They also cover:

  • Why commercial real estate is full of big personalities and even bigger stakes
  • How operators and investors can actually get covered by the media
  • What it’s like growing a niche media company from scratch
  • Lessons from Hiten’s years at The Real Deal and why he walked away
  • Navigating the gray areas of journalism—anonymity, accuracy, and when to publish

Links:

Hiten on X

The Promote CRE newsletter

The Promote Podcast

A specialist playbook on how to get ink for your deal or company

Understanding the different modes of talking to the press

Key industry storylines for 2025


Support our Sponsors:

Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort

Better Pitch - https://betterpitch.com/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:05:33) - Hiten’s journey into real estate journalism

(00:08:24) - Lesson from working at the Real Deal

(00:12:39) - Who is the audience?

(00:16:28) - Is your style of journalism unique to real estate?

(00:19:40) - What it took to launch ten31 Media

(00:27:55) - Where do you get inspiration, and how do you get access to the information you can get?

(00:35:32) - HFCs

(00:39:03) - How do you determine what is truth and what isn’t?

(00:48:42) - How can CRE companies get press?

(00:55:40) - On the record vs. off the record

(00:59:12) - CRE themes of 2024 and what to look for in 2025

(01:04:19) - Attending a Jewish circumcision ceremony in a NYC boardroom


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4028 #381 - Chris Powers & Jason Baxter - Launching Fostr AI - The Right Way to Use AI at Work Today’s episode is with Co-Founder, Jason Baxter, to introduce our latest venture, FOSTR AI—a company built to solve one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today: how to implement AI in your business in a meaningful, aligned, and scalable way. We unpack the fragmented state of AI adoption across small to mid-sized businesses and explain why most organizations, despite interest, are either stuck in experimentation or using disconnected tools that don’t move the business forward.  FOSTR AI is the answer to that problem—an execution intelligence layer that creates a company's “digital twin,” aligning AI usage with team structure, goals, and strategy from day one. We discuss how FOSTR helps companies: - Onboard and operationalize AI in a matter of minutes - Centralize AI usage across teams while maintaining control, security, and context - Reduce risk from siloed tools and misaligned AI use Links: FOSTR AI - https://fostrai.com/ If you are interested in investing, please email:  chris@fostrai.com If you are interested in becoming a customer or getting involved with/joining the Fostr AI team, please email:  jason@fostrai.com Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:52) - Introducing FOSTR (00:02:40) - The Challenges Businesses Face with AI Today (00:05:14) - How Companies and Employees Are Misusing AI (00:10:29) - Additional Challenges (00:12:33) - How FOSTR Is Creating Alignment Between Companies and AI Solutions (00:25:57) - Where FOSTR Is in Its Life Cycle (00:30:39) - How to Get in Touch With, Work At, or Invest in FOSTR Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 01 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Today’s episode is with Co-Founder, Jason Baxter, to introduce our latest venture, FOSTR AI—a company built to solve one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today: how to implement AI in your business in a meaningful, aligned, and scalable way. We unpack the fragmented state of AI adoption across small to mid-sized businesses and explain why most organizations, despite interest, are either stuck in experimentation or using disconnected tools that don’t move the business forward.  FOSTR AI is the answer to that problem—an execution intelligence layer that creates a company's “digital twin,” aligning AI usage with team structure, goals, and strategy from day one. We discuss how FOSTR helps companies: - Onboard and operationalize AI in a matter of minutes - Centralize AI usage across teams while maintaining control, security, and context - Reduce risk from siloed tools and misaligned AI use Links: FOSTR AI - https://fostrai.com/ If you are interested in investing, please email:  chris@fostrai.com If you are interested in becoming a customer or getting involved with/joining the Fostr AI team, please email:  jason@fostrai.com Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:52) - Introducing FOSTR (00:02:40) - The Challenges Businesses Face with AI Today (00:05:14) - How Companies and Employees Are Misusing AI (00:10:29) - Additional Challenges (00:12:33) - How FOSTR Is Creating Alignment Between Companies and AI Solutions (00:25:57) - Where FOSTR Is in Its Life Cycle (00:30:39) - How to Get in Touch With, Work At, or Invest in FOSTR Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Today’s episode is with Co-Founder, Jason Baxter, to introduce our latest venture, FOSTR AI—a company built to solve one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today: how to implement AI in your business in a meaningful, aligned, and scalable way.


We unpack the fragmented state of AI adoption across small to mid-sized businesses and explain why most organizations, despite interest, are either stuck in experimentation or using disconnected tools that don’t move the business forward. 


FOSTR AI is the answer to that problem—an execution intelligence layer that creates a company's “digital twin,” aligning AI usage with team structure, goals, and strategy from day one.


We discuss how FOSTR helps companies:

- Onboard and operationalize AI in a matter of minutes

- Centralize AI usage across teams while maintaining control, security, and context

- Reduce risk from siloed tools and misaligned AI use


Links:

FOSTR AI - https://fostrai.com/


If you are interested in investing, please email:  chris@fostrai.com

If you are interested in becoming a customer or getting involved with/joining the Fostr AI team, please email:  jason@fostrai.com


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:00:52) - Introducing FOSTR

(00:02:40) - The Challenges Businesses Face with AI Today

(00:05:14) - How Companies and Employees Are Misusing AI

(00:10:29) - Additional Challenges

(00:12:33) - How FOSTR Is Creating Alignment Between Companies and AI Solutions

(00:25:57) - Where FOSTR Is in Its Life Cycle

(00:30:39) - How to Get in Touch With, Work At, or Invest in FOSTR


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 1932 #380 - Paul Hedrick - Founder @ Tecovas - How Tecovas Became A Western Wear Empire Paul Hedrick is the Founder of Tecovas, the leading high-quality western footwear, apparel, and accessories brand.  In today’s episode, we discuss: - the origins of Tecovas and early founding stories, - what it takes to build an incredible brand - Tecovas’ retail “moat” - radical hospitality - how they managed through COVID - and more As Executive Chairman, Paul works with the Tecovas board and executive team on brand, product, and marketplace strategy so that Tecovas fulfills its mission to steward the next generation of western. Tecovas is in its 10th operating year in business and now operates over 40 retail stores in over 30 cities and 20 states, with total annual revenue eclipsing $250 million in 2024. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links:  Tecovas - https://www.tecovas.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:35) - Starting Tecovas (00:13:01) - The Mission of Tecovas (00:16:29) - Finding Manufacturing (00:24:55) - Moving from Online to In-Person Retail (00:32:27) - Store Design (00:38:23) - Radical Hospitality (00:42:22) - "Don’t Say No to the Customer" vs. "The Customer Is Always Right" (00:45:12) - Scaling Radical Hospitality (00:52:47) - Surviving Covid (01:01:27) - Developing a Great Brand Support our Sponsors: BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Paul Hedrick is the Founder of Tecovas, the leading high-quality western footwear, apparel, and accessories brand.  In today’s episode, we discuss: - the origins of Tecovas and early founding stories, - what it takes to build an incredible brand - Tecovas’ retail “moat” - radical hospitality - how they managed through COVID - and more As Executive Chairman, Paul works with the Tecovas board and executive team on brand, product, and marketplace strategy so that Tecovas fulfills its mission to steward the next generation of western. Tecovas is in its 10th operating year in business and now operates over 40 retail stores in over 30 cities and 20 states, with total annual revenue eclipsing $250 million in 2024. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links:  Tecovas - https://www.tecovas.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:35) - Starting Tecovas (00:13:01) - The Mission of Tecovas (00:16:29) - Finding Manufacturing (00:24:55) - Moving from Online to In-Person Retail (00:32:27) - Store Design (00:38:23) - Radical Hospitality (00:42:22) - "Don’t Say No to the Customer" vs. "The Customer Is Always Right" (00:45:12) - Scaling Radical Hospitality (00:52:47) - Surviving Covid (01:01:27) - Developing a Great Brand Support our Sponsors: BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Paul Hedrick is the Founder of Tecovas, the leading high-quality western footwear, apparel, and accessories brand. 


In today’s episode, we discuss:


- the origins of Tecovas and early founding stories,

- what it takes to build an incredible brand

- Tecovas’ retail “moat” - radical hospitality

- how they managed through COVID

- and more


As Executive Chairman, Paul works with the Tecovas board and executive team on brand, product, and marketplace strategy so that Tecovas fulfills its mission to steward the next generation of western.


Tecovas is in its 10th operating year in business and now operates over 40 retail stores in over 30 cities and 20 states, with total annual revenue eclipsing $250 million in 2024.


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links: 

Tecovas - https://www.tecovas.com/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:35) - Starting Tecovas

(00:13:01) - The Mission of Tecovas

(00:16:29) - Finding Manufacturing

(00:24:55) - Moving from Online to In-Person Retail

(00:32:27) - Store Design

(00:38:23) - Radical Hospitality

(00:42:22) - "Don’t Say No to the Customer" vs. "The Customer Is Always Right"

(00:45:12) - Scaling Radical Hospitality

(00:52:47) - Surviving Covid

(01:01:27) - Developing a Great Brand


Support our Sponsors:

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts



]]> 4246 #379 - Steve Cockram - Founder of 5Voices - Know Yourself, Influence, & Building Stronger Relationships Steve Cockram is an inspirational communicator, serial entrepreneur, and confidante to elite leaders worldwide. He is a best-selling author, creator of the 5 Voices communication system, and co-founder of GiANT, a global leadership consultancy working in 143 countries. His latest venture is called the “Relationship Revolution.”  We discuss: - Why successful business people have failed relationships - How to mend failed relationships - How to become self-aware as an entrepreneur - How to lead and gain influence - Why wealth is not a powerful indicator of success We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: 5 Voices - https://5voices.com/   Steve on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevejcockram/ Myers-Briggs - https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/   FIRO-B - https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/FIRO   GiANT - https://www.giantworldwide.com/  Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:55) - The Importance of Relationships (00:05:04) - Steve's Journey to Emotional Intelligence (00:11:06) - The Impact of Self-Awareness on Relationships (00:22:54) - The Value of Meaningful Relationships (00:36:26) - The Entrepreneur's Dilemma: Sharing Fears and Finding Support (00:39:00) - The Breakdown of Relationships: Communication and Trust Issues (00:42:08) - Understanding Personality Differences in Relationships (00:49:22) - The Five Voices: Simplifying Personality Assessments (00:55:41) - The Importance of Humility in Leadership Communication (01:00:41) - Mending Broken Relationships (01:04:18) - Gaining Influence as a Leader (01:06:24) - The True Measure of Wealth (01:10:29) - Legacy and Purpose Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full Chris Powers Steve Cockram is an inspirational communicator, serial entrepreneur, and confidante to elite leaders worldwide. He is a best-selling author, creator of the 5 Voices communication system, and co-founder of GiANT, a global leadership consultancy working in 143 countries. His latest venture is called the “Relationship Revolution.”  We discuss: - Why successful business people have failed relationships - How to mend failed relationships - How to become self-aware as an entrepreneur - How to lead and gain influence - Why wealth is not a powerful indicator of success We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: 5 Voices - https://5voices.com/   Steve on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevejcockram/ Myers-Briggs - https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/   FIRO-B - https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/FIRO   GiANT - https://www.giantworldwide.com/  Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:55) - The Importance of Relationships (00:05:04) - Steve's Journey to Emotional Intelligence (00:11:06) - The Impact of Self-Awareness on Relationships (00:22:54) - The Value of Meaningful Relationships (00:36:26) - The Entrepreneur's Dilemma: Sharing Fears and Finding Support (00:39:00) - The Breakdown of Relationships: Communication and Trust Issues (00:42:08) - Understanding Personality Differences in Relationships (00:49:22) - The Five Voices: Simplifying Personality Assessments (00:55:41) - The Importance of Humility in Leadership Communication (01:00:41) - Mending Broken Relationships (01:04:18) - Gaining Influence as a Leader (01:06:24) - The True Measure of Wealth (01:10:29) - Legacy and Purpose Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Steve Cockram is an inspirational communicator, serial entrepreneur, and confidante to elite leaders worldwide. He is a best-selling author, creator of the 5 Voices communication system, and co-founder of GiANT, a global leadership consultancy working in 143 countries. His latest venture is called the “Relationship Revolution.” 


We discuss:

- Why successful business people have failed relationships

- How to mend failed relationships

- How to become self-aware as an entrepreneur

- How to lead and gain influence

- Why wealth is not a powerful indicator of success


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

5 Voices - https://5voices.com/  

Steve on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevejcockram/

Myers-Briggs - https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/  

FIRO-B - https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/FIRO  

GiANT - https://www.giantworldwide.com/ 


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:55) - The Importance of Relationships

(00:05:04) - Steve's Journey to Emotional Intelligence

(00:11:06) - The Impact of Self-Awareness on Relationships

(00:22:54) - The Value of Meaningful Relationships

(00:36:26) - The Entrepreneur's Dilemma: Sharing Fears and Finding Support

(00:39:00) - The Breakdown of Relationships: Communication and Trust Issues

(00:42:08) - Understanding Personality Differences in Relationships

(00:49:22) - The Five Voices: Simplifying Personality Assessments

(00:55:41) - The Importance of Humility in Leadership Communication

(01:00:41) - Mending Broken Relationships

(01:04:18) - Gaining Influence as a Leader

(01:06:24) - The True Measure of Wealth

(01:10:29) - Legacy and Purpose


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4453 #378 - Kyle Bass - Founder/CIO @ Hayman Capital Management, L.P. - Invest In America Kyle Bass is the Founder/CIO of Hayman Capital Management, L.P., an investment manager of private funds focused on global event-driven opportunities, and the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Equity Management, an impact and natural capital private equity firm.  Kyle is also the Co-Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed Rochefort Management, a private credit firm focused on the Critical Technology Initiative – a joint effort between the Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense to attract private investment into technology areas deemed critical to national and economic security. Mr. Bass is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of the 2019 Foreign Policy Association Medal for his responsible internationalism. Mr. Bass has lectured on global economics, national security, geopolitics, and the architecture of the Chinese financial system at various universities. Mr. Bass is the former Chair of the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), which manages approximately $75 billion.  We discuss: - Predicting the GFC and attempting to warn Bear Stearns and the SEC of the coming collapse - The global state of affairs: China, Taiwan, Russia, Iran and BRICS - How the U.S. and Trump should combat China - The rise of the U.S. Defense-Tech industry - Why Texas is the Growth Engine for the world (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:03) - Introducing Kyle (00:05:58) - Short-Selling Thesis (00:11:45) - Predicting the GFC (00:19:50) - Trying to warn Bear Stearns & the SEC (00:25:39) - How to hire a contrarian (00:29:23) - China-Taiwan (00:33:34) - How Trump can have a successful presidency concerning China (00:44:17) - Iran (00:46:34) - Why some wealthy Americans are pro-China (00:49:32) - The Chinese land grab in America (00:52:41) - Texas: The growth engine of the world (00:58:47) - The Defense-Tech Industry in America (01:02:03) - What Kyle will invest in (01:05:19) - The Texas migration and influence (01:09:23) - What do you want to be known for? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 378 Chris Powers Kyle Bass is the Founder/CIO of Hayman Capital Management, L.P., an investment manager of private funds focused on global event-driven opportunities, and the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Equity Management, an impact and natural capital private equity firm.  Kyle is also the Co-Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed Rochefort Management, a private credit firm focused on the Critical Technology Initiative – a joint effort between the Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense to attract private investment into technology areas deemed critical to national and economic security. Mr. Bass is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of the 2019 Foreign Policy Association Medal for his responsible internationalism. Mr. Bass has lectured on global economics, national security, geopolitics, and the architecture of the Chinese financial system at various universities. Mr. Bass is the former Chair of the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), which manages approximately $75 billion.  We discuss: - Predicting the GFC and attempting to warn Bear Stearns and the SEC of the coming collapse - The global state of affairs: China, Taiwan, Russia, Iran and BRICS - How the U.S. and Trump should combat China - The rise of the U.S. Defense-Tech industry - Why Texas is the Growth Engine for the world (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:03) - Introducing Kyle (00:05:58) - Short-Selling Thesis (00:11:45) - Predicting the GFC (00:19:50) - Trying to warn Bear Stearns & the SEC (00:25:39) - How to hire a contrarian (00:29:23) - China-Taiwan (00:33:34) - How Trump can have a successful presidency concerning China (00:44:17) - Iran (00:46:34) - Why some wealthy Americans are pro-China (00:49:32) - The Chinese land grab in America (00:52:41) - Texas: The growth engine of the world (00:58:47) - The Defense-Tech Industry in America (01:02:03) - What Kyle will invest in (01:05:19) - The Texas migration and influence (01:09:23) - What do you want to be known for? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Kyle Bass is the Founder/CIO of Hayman Capital Management, L.P., an investment manager of private funds focused on global event-driven opportunities, and the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Equity Management, an impact and natural capital private equity firm. 


Kyle is also the Co-Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed Rochefort Management, a private credit firm focused on the Critical Technology Initiative – a joint effort between the Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense to attract private investment into technology areas deemed critical to national and economic security.


Mr. Bass is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of the 2019 Foreign Policy Association Medal for his responsible internationalism. Mr. Bass has lectured on global economics, national security, geopolitics, and the architecture of the Chinese financial system at various universities. Mr. Bass is the former Chair of the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), which manages approximately $75 billion. 


We discuss:

- Predicting the GFC and attempting to warn Bear Stearns and the SEC of the coming collapse

- The global state of affairs: China, Taiwan, Russia, Iran and BRICS

- How the U.S. and Trump should combat China

- The rise of the U.S. Defense-Tech industry

- Why Texas is the Growth Engine for the world


(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:03) - Introducing Kyle

(00:05:58) - Short-Selling Thesis

(00:11:45) - Predicting the GFC

(00:19:50) - Trying to warn Bear Stearns & the SEC

(00:25:39) - How to hire a contrarian

(00:29:23) - China-Taiwan

(00:33:34) - How Trump can have a successful presidency concerning China

(00:44:17) - Iran

(00:46:34) - Why some wealthy Americans are pro-China

(00:49:32) - The Chinese land grab in America

(00:52:41) - Texas: The growth engine of the world

(00:58:47) - The Defense-Tech Industry in America

(01:02:03) - What Kyle will invest in

(01:05:19) - The Texas migration and influence

(01:09:23) - What do you want to be known for?


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4371 #377 - Morgan Housel - The Psychology of Money, Incentives, Investing, & Human Misjudgement Morgan’s books have sold over seven million copies and have been translated into more than 60 languages. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and winner of the New York Times Sidney Award. MarketWatch named him one of the 50 most influential people in markets. He's a partner at The Collaborative Fund and serves on the board of directors at Markel.  We discuss: - Human Psychology and Risk - Tribalism, Anger & Humor - Investing Philosophies - Writing and Book Publishing Lessons - The Drive of Successful Entrepreneurs - Balancing Wealth and Happiness We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:41) - Lessons from a Skiing Tragedy (00:05:51) - The Impact of Personal Experiences on Risk Tolerance (00:08:18) - The Tribal Nature of Human Behavior (00:14:42) - The Role of Anger and Humor in Online Interactions (00:20:16) - Behavior vs. Knowledge in Investing (00:39:44) - The Halo Effect and Perception (00:40:55) - Warren Buffett's Personal Sacrifices (00:42:05) - The Cost of Professional Success (00:43:36) - Balancing Personal and Professional Life (00:45:37) - The Complexity of Wealth (01:02:53) - Teaching Kids About Money (01:13:54) - The End of History Illusion (01:15:35) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Links: Morgan on X - https://x.com/morganhousel The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - https://bit.ly/4gwuu6T Same as Ever by Morgan Housel - https://bit.ly/4jS5ry4\ Collaborative Fund - https://collabfund.com/ Support our Sponsors: Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 377 Chris Powers Morgan’s books have sold over seven million copies and have been translated into more than 60 languages. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and winner of the New York Times Sidney Award. MarketWatch named him one of the 50 most influential people in markets. He's a partner at The Collaborative Fund and serves on the board of directors at Markel.  We discuss: - Human Psychology and Risk - Tribalism, Anger & Humor - Investing Philosophies - Writing and Book Publishing Lessons - The Drive of Successful Entrepreneurs - Balancing Wealth and Happiness We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:41) - Lessons from a Skiing Tragedy (00:05:51) - The Impact of Personal Experiences on Risk Tolerance (00:08:18) - The Tribal Nature of Human Behavior (00:14:42) - The Role of Anger and Humor in Online Interactions (00:20:16) - Behavior vs. Knowledge in Investing (00:39:44) - The Halo Effect and Perception (00:40:55) - Warren Buffett's Personal Sacrifices (00:42:05) - The Cost of Professional Success (00:43:36) - Balancing Personal and Professional Life (00:45:37) - The Complexity of Wealth (01:02:53) - Teaching Kids About Money (01:13:54) - The End of History Illusion (01:15:35) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Links: Morgan on X - https://x.com/morganhousel The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - https://bit.ly/4gwuu6T Same as Ever by Morgan Housel - https://bit.ly/4jS5ry4\ Collaborative Fund - https://collabfund.com/ Support our Sponsors: Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Morgan’s books have sold over seven million copies and have been translated into more than 60 languages.


He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and winner of the New York Times Sidney Award. MarketWatch named him one of the 50 most influential people in markets. He's a partner at The Collaborative Fund and serves on the board of directors at Markel. 


We discuss:

- Human Psychology and Risk

- Tribalism, Anger & Humor

- Investing Philosophies

- Writing and Book Publishing Lessons

- The Drive of Successful Entrepreneurs

- Balancing Wealth and Happiness


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:41) - Lessons from a Skiing Tragedy

(00:05:51) - The Impact of Personal Experiences on Risk Tolerance

(00:08:18) - The Tribal Nature of Human Behavior

(00:14:42) - The Role of Anger and Humor in Online Interactions

(00:20:16) - Behavior vs. Knowledge in Investing

(00:39:44) - The Halo Effect and Perception

(00:40:55) - Warren Buffett's Personal Sacrifices

(00:42:05) - The Cost of Professional Success

(00:43:36) - Balancing Personal and Professional Life

(00:45:37) - The Complexity of Wealth

(01:02:53) - Teaching Kids About Money

(01:13:54) - The End of History Illusion

(01:15:35) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts


Links:

Morgan on X - https://x.com/morganhousel

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - https://bit.ly/4gwuu6T

Same as Ever by Morgan Housel - https://bit.ly/4jS5ry4\

Collaborative Fund - https://collabfund.com/


Support our Sponsors:

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/

Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4604 #376 - Kevin Lavelle - Building Mizzen+Main, Influencer Partnerships, His New Startup Harbor Kevin Lavelle is the CEO & Cofounder of Harbor. He’s also the Founder and Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main, where he invented the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt, ultimately driving it to hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. He successfully raised a growth round from L Catterton and established partnerships with athletes like Phil Mickelson, JJ Watt, and dozens of others. Today, Mizzen+Main has more than ten of its own stores with 1,000 retailers also carrying its products. We discuss: - Starting and growing Mizzen+Main - The intricacies of celebrity-equity deals - The inspiration for founding Harbor - The realities of building physical products vs. software - Stories with Phil Mickelson and J.J. Watt We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Mizzen+Main - https://www.mizzenandmain.com/ Harbor - https://harbor.co/ Kevin on X - https://x.com/kevinslavelle The Phil Mickelson Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45xF1C76I88 Support our Sponsors: BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:49) - Kevin’s early career and inspiration to found Mizzen+Main (00:07:25) - Building the prototype (00:11:38) - The early days of building the brand (00:15:16) - The impact of sponsoring the Tim Ferriss Podcast (x) (00:21:35) - Choosing the name “Mizzen+Main” (00:23:50) - Inventory Management  (00:26:55) - Starting today, what would be your hiring order? (00:28:32) - Celebrity partnership stories: J.J. Watt & Phil Mickelson (00:48:17) - The inspiration for founding Harbor (01:03:17) - Bringing on a Co-Founder and building hardware (01:17:19) - Marketing approaches (01:14:56) - How celebrity equity deals work Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mon, 03 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 376 Chris Powers Kevin Lavelle is the CEO & Cofounder of Harbor. He’s also the Founder and Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main, where he invented the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt, ultimately driving it to hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. He successfully raised a growth round from L Catterton and established partnerships with athletes like Phil Mickelson, JJ Watt, and dozens of others. Today, Mizzen+Main has more than ten of its own stores with 1,000 retailers also carrying its products. We discuss: - Starting and growing Mizzen+Main - The intricacies of celebrity-equity deals - The inspiration for founding Harbor - The realities of building physical products vs. software - Stories with Phil Mickelson and J.J. Watt We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Mizzen+Main - https://www.mizzenandmain.com/ Harbor - https://harbor.co/ Kevin on X - https://x.com/kevinslavelle The Phil Mickelson Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45xF1C76I88 Support our Sponsors: BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:49) - Kevin’s early career and inspiration to found Mizzen+Main (00:07:25) - Building the prototype (00:11:38) - The early days of building the brand (00:15:16) - The impact of sponsoring the Tim Ferriss Podcast (x) (00:21:35) - Choosing the name “Mizzen+Main” (00:23:50) - Inventory Management  (00:26:55) - Starting today, what would be your hiring order? (00:28:32) - Celebrity partnership stories: J.J. Watt & Phil Mickelson (00:48:17) - The inspiration for founding Harbor (01:03:17) - Bringing on a Co-Founder and building hardware (01:17:19) - Marketing approaches (01:14:56) - How celebrity equity deals work Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Kevin Lavelle is the CEO & Cofounder of Harbor. He’s also the Founder and Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main, where he invented the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt, ultimately driving it to hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.


He successfully raised a growth round from L Catterton and established partnerships with athletes like Phil Mickelson, JJ Watt, and dozens of others. Today, Mizzen+Main has more than ten of its own stores with 1,000 retailers also carrying its products.


We discuss:

- Starting and growing Mizzen+Main

- The intricacies of celebrity-equity deals

- The inspiration for founding Harbor

- The realities of building physical products vs. software

- Stories with Phil Mickelson and J.J. Watt


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Mizzen+Main - https://www.mizzenandmain.com/

Harbor - https://harbor.co/

Kevin on X - https://x.com/kevinslavelle

The Phil Mickelson Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45xF1C76I88


Support our Sponsors:

BetterPitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:49) - Kevin’s early career and inspiration to found Mizzen+Main

(00:07:25) - Building the prototype

(00:11:38) - The early days of building the brand

(00:15:16) - The impact of sponsoring the Tim Ferriss Podcast (x)

(00:21:35) - Choosing the name “Mizzen+Main”

(00:23:50) - Inventory Management 

(00:26:55) - Starting today, what would be your hiring order?

(00:28:32) - Celebrity partnership stories: J.J. Watt & Phil Mickelson

(00:48:17) - The inspiration for founding Harbor

(01:03:17) - Bringing on a Co-Founder and building hardware

(01:17:19) - Marketing approaches

(01:14:56) - How celebrity equity deals work


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts


]]> 5077 #375 - Jesse Tinsley - CEO @ Employer.com - Rescuing Bench, TikTok Purchase?, Battle Tested Acquisition Playbook Jesse is a founder who bootstrapped and scaled Employer.com, Recruiter.com, Before You Apply, and BountyJobs.com into a $500M+ HR Tech powerhouse. He built these brands by solving global problems in EOR, payroll, hiring, and workforce management for companies of all sizes. Most recently, Jesse has gone viral for his public bid to acquire TikTok, alongside some of the most influential names on the internet. He also recently acquired Bench within 48 hours of its announced shutdown and was able to keep the company online for the bookkeeping needs of its thousands of users.  We discuss: - Acquiring Bench via X - How Jesse structures his acquisitions and organization - The People’s Bid for TikTok We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Jesse on X - https://x.com/JesseTinsley Bench.co - https://www.bench.co/ Employer.com - https://www.employer.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Bullpen RE - https://www.bullpenre.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:13) - Acquiring Bench (00:21:29) - Jesse’s background (00:24:10) - Talent Density (00:25:57) - Acquisitions and integrations (00:27:55) - Building an ops playbook (00:31:46) - Setting annual goals (00:33:45) - What makes a great VC Partner? (00:36:22) - What kind of acquisitions do you pursue? (00:40:50) - Making the bid for TikTok (00:52:42) - What entrepreneurs do you admire? Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 375 Chris Powers Jesse is a founder who bootstrapped and scaled Employer.com, Recruiter.com, Before You Apply, and BountyJobs.com into a $500M+ HR Tech powerhouse. He built these brands by solving global problems in EOR, payroll, hiring, and workforce management for companies of all sizes. Most recently, Jesse has gone viral for his public bid to acquire TikTok, alongside some of the most influential names on the internet. He also recently acquired Bench within 48 hours of its announced shutdown and was able to keep the company online for the bookkeeping needs of its thousands of users.  We discuss: - Acquiring Bench via X - How Jesse structures his acquisitions and organization - The People’s Bid for TikTok We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Jesse on X - https://x.com/JesseTinsley Bench.co - https://www.bench.co/ Employer.com - https://www.employer.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Bullpen RE - https://www.bullpenre.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:13) - Acquiring Bench (00:21:29) - Jesse’s background (00:24:10) - Talent Density (00:25:57) - Acquisitions and integrations (00:27:55) - Building an ops playbook (00:31:46) - Setting annual goals (00:33:45) - What makes a great VC Partner? (00:36:22) - What kind of acquisitions do you pursue? (00:40:50) - Making the bid for TikTok (00:52:42) - What entrepreneurs do you admire? Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jesse is a founder who bootstrapped and scaled Employer.com, Recruiter.com, Before You Apply, and BountyJobs.com into a $500M+ HR Tech powerhouse. He built these brands by solving global problems in EOR, payroll, hiring, and workforce management for companies of all sizes.


Most recently, Jesse has gone viral for his public bid to acquire TikTok, alongside some of the most influential names on the internet. He also recently acquired Bench within 48 hours of its announced shutdown and was able to keep the company online for the bookkeeping needs of its thousands of users. 


We discuss:

- Acquiring Bench via X

- How Jesse structures his acquisitions and organization

- The People’s Bid for TikTok


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Jesse on X - https://x.com/JesseTinsley

Bench.co - https://www.bench.co/

Employer.com - https://www.employer.com/


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort

Bullpen RE - https://www.bullpenre.com/



Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:13) - Acquiring Bench

(00:21:29) - Jesse’s background

(00:24:10) - Talent Density

(00:25:57) - Acquisitions and integrations

(00:27:55) - Building an ops playbook

(00:31:46) - Setting annual goals

(00:33:45) - What makes a great VC Partner?

(00:36:22) - What kind of acquisitions do you pursue?

(00:40:50) - Making the bid for TikTok

(00:52:42) - What entrepreneurs do you admire?


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3294 #374 - Krish Menon - Founder @ Angry Gods - How The World’s Most Iconic Brands Are Built Krish is the Founder and CEO of Angry Gods, a strategy and creative consultancy. He has been involved in some of the most iconic brand stories of the past two decades, including the launch of the iMac, the resurrection of Adidas Originals, the explosion of Vitaminwater, American Express, and the rebrand of Virgin Galactic.  As a partner at Culture, a next-generation venture incubator, Krish helps the world’s most popular influencers and personalities build efficient business empires from their passion and reach.  Krish recently co-founded Alter, where they believe the coaching, health innovations, and technology available only to professional athletes and the 1% should be accessible to all. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:39) - What is a brand? (00:08:22) - What happens in our brains when we react to a brand? (00:15:34) - Influencer marketing fragility (00:17:21) - Where do people get branding wrong? (00:21:14) - Who should weigh in on brand design? (00:25:18) - The 1-9-90 concept (00:28:37) - Elon vs. Buffet (00:31:30) - CEO Branding + Mark Zuckerberg (00:38:08) - What does working with you look like? (00:42:26) - Everything is solvable (00:44:27) - Where does the most waste happen in the process? (00:45:59) - AI (00:47:21) - The Gift Registry (00:51:27) - Vitamin Water (00:53:05) - Amazon (00:54:26) - Rebranding Mr. Cooper (00:59:13) - Familiar is Failure (01:01:16) - Revelations, not observations (01:05:23) - actions, not ads Links Krish on X - https://x.com/krishmenon Angry Gods - https://www.angrygods.com/ Naming Norman on Chat GPT Wisdm on IG - https://www.instagram.com/wisdm/ Zachirific on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@zachirific Support our Sponsors Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mon, 13 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 374 Chris Powers Krish is the Founder and CEO of Angry Gods, a strategy and creative consultancy. He has been involved in some of the most iconic brand stories of the past two decades, including the launch of the iMac, the resurrection of Adidas Originals, the explosion of Vitaminwater, American Express, and the rebrand of Virgin Galactic.  As a partner at Culture, a next-generation venture incubator, Krish helps the world’s most popular influencers and personalities build efficient business empires from their passion and reach.  Krish recently co-founded Alter, where they believe the coaching, health innovations, and technology available only to professional athletes and the 1% should be accessible to all. We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:39) - What is a brand? (00:08:22) - What happens in our brains when we react to a brand? (00:15:34) - Influencer marketing fragility (00:17:21) - Where do people get branding wrong? (00:21:14) - Who should weigh in on brand design? (00:25:18) - The 1-9-90 concept (00:28:37) - Elon vs. Buffet (00:31:30) - CEO Branding + Mark Zuckerberg (00:38:08) - What does working with you look like? (00:42:26) - Everything is solvable (00:44:27) - Where does the most waste happen in the process? (00:45:59) - AI (00:47:21) - The Gift Registry (00:51:27) - Vitamin Water (00:53:05) - Amazon (00:54:26) - Rebranding Mr. Cooper (00:59:13) - Familiar is Failure (01:01:16) - Revelations, not observations (01:05:23) - actions, not ads Links Krish on X - https://x.com/krishmenon Angry Gods - https://www.angrygods.com/ Naming Norman on Chat GPT Wisdm on IG - https://www.instagram.com/wisdm/ Zachirific on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@zachirific Support our Sponsors Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Krish is the Founder and CEO of Angry Gods, a strategy and creative consultancy. He has been involved in some of the most iconic brand stories of the past two decades, including the launch of the iMac, the resurrection of Adidas Originals, the explosion of Vitaminwater, American Express, and the rebrand of Virgin Galactic. 


As a partner at Culture, a next-generation venture incubator, Krish helps the world’s most popular influencers and personalities build efficient business empires from their passion and reach. 


Krish recently co-founded Alter, where they believe the coaching, health innovations, and technology available only to professional athletes and the 1% should be accessible to all.


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:39) - What is a brand?

(00:08:22) - What happens in our brains when we react to a brand?

(00:15:34) - Influencer marketing fragility

(00:17:21) - Where do people get branding wrong?

(00:21:14) - Who should weigh in on brand design?

(00:25:18) - The 1-9-90 concept

(00:28:37) - Elon vs. Buffet

(00:31:30) - CEO Branding + Mark Zuckerberg

(00:38:08) - What does working with you look like?

(00:42:26) - Everything is solvable

(00:44:27) - Where does the most waste happen in the process?

(00:45:59) - AI

(00:47:21) - The Gift Registry

(00:51:27) - Vitamin Water

(00:53:05) - Amazon

(00:54:26) - Rebranding Mr. Cooper

(00:59:13) - Familiar is Failure

(01:01:16) - Revelations, not observations

(01:05:23) - actions, not ads



Links

Krish on X - https://x.com/krishmenon

Angry Gods - https://www.angrygods.com/

Naming Norman on Chat GPT

Wisdm on IG - https://www.instagram.com/wisdm/

Zachirific on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@zachirific


Support our Sponsors

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4147 #373 - Fernando De Leon - Founder & CEO @ Leon Capital Group Fernando is the Founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, a diversified holding company that operates assets in the real estate, financial services, healthcare, and technology industries. Leon takes the lead in conceiving, developing, owning, and operating businesses through a family-holding structure that oversees $10 billion of its own private assets. We discuss: Social Systems Entrepreneurship The Supply Chain of Money Building Leon Capital Group The State of the Market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Leon Capital Group Fernando on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:51) - Fernando’s career and background (00:13:28) - The impact of Harvard (00:19:48) - Lessons from Goldman Sachs - The Supply Chain of Money (00:28:07) - Building credibility in a new city (00:31:23) - Experiences in the GFC (00:35:47) - Single Tenant Retail (0:39:49) - Building out a team (00:41:41) - Developing a formal growth strategy (00:43:57) - Partnering with Ross Perot (00:46:56) - The Healthcare thesis (00:56:17) - How do you decide what industries to buy into? (00:58:49) - Buying Crexi (01:02:34) - What’s your plan for the next decade? (01:04:33) - Investment Management (01:07:36) - The state of the market Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 17 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 373 Chris Powers Fernando is the Founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, a diversified holding company that operates assets in the real estate, financial services, healthcare, and technology industries. Leon takes the lead in conceiving, developing, owning, and operating businesses through a family-holding structure that oversees $10 billion of its own private assets. We discuss: Social Systems Entrepreneurship The Supply Chain of Money Building Leon Capital Group The State of the Market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Leon Capital Group Fernando on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:51) - Fernando’s career and background (00:13:28) - The impact of Harvard (00:19:48) - Lessons from Goldman Sachs - The Supply Chain of Money (00:28:07) - Building credibility in a new city (00:31:23) - Experiences in the GFC (00:35:47) - Single Tenant Retail (0:39:49) - Building out a team (00:41:41) - Developing a formal growth strategy (00:43:57) - Partnering with Ross Perot (00:46:56) - The Healthcare thesis (00:56:17) - How do you decide what industries to buy into? (00:58:49) - Buying Crexi (01:02:34) - What’s your plan for the next decade? (01:04:33) - Investment Management (01:07:36) - The state of the market Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Fernando is the Founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, a diversified holding company that operates assets in the real estate, financial services, healthcare, and technology industries. Leon takes the lead in conceiving, developing, owning, and operating businesses through a family-holding structure that oversees $10 billion of its own private assets.

We discuss:

  • Social Systems Entrepreneurship
  • The Supply Chain of Money
  • Building Leon Capital Group
  • The State of the Market


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Leon Capital Group

Fernando on LinkedIn


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:51) - Fernando’s career and background

(00:13:28) - The impact of Harvard

(00:19:48) - Lessons from Goldman Sachs - The Supply Chain of Money

(00:28:07) - Building credibility in a new city

(00:31:23) - Experiences in the GFC

(00:35:47) - Single Tenant Retail

(0:39:49) - Building out a team

(00:41:41) - Developing a formal growth strategy

(00:43:57) - Partnering with Ross Perot

(00:46:56) - The Healthcare thesis

(00:56:17) - How do you decide what industries to buy into?

(00:58:49) - Buying Crexi

(01:02:34) - What’s your plan for the next decade?

(01:04:33) - Investment Management

(01:07:36) - The state of the market


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4502 #372 - Pete Ochs - Founder @ Enterprise Stewardship - Stewardship Vs Ownership in Business Pete is the founder and chairman of Capital III, an impact investment company with investments in the US and Central America. Enterprise Stewardship is an initiative of Capital III that equips marketplace leaders with resources to transform their personal LIFE and business enterprises. During his four decades in business, he has invested in and operated companies in the energy, manufacturing, banking, and education sectors, often focusing on places devoid of human flourishing such as prisons and poverty-stricken countries. Pete’s passion is to educate, equip, and empower business leaders worldwide to live for something greater than themselves.  We discuss: Moving his business into a Maximum Security Prison Becoming a Steward of a business rather than an Owner Pursuing Economic, Social and Spiritual Capital We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Enterprise Stewardship Capital III More on Pete Ochs Pete on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:46) - Pete’s background and career (00:07:55) - Moving a business into a maximum security prison (00:22:14) - How did interacting with these prisoners change your belief set? (00:25:04) - Social & Spiritual Capital (00:27:49) - The importance of generosity (00:29:27) - How can you implement this mental model to an existing company? (00:34:37) - What does your work with other companies look like? (00:37:26) - How can a company discover its purpose? (00:39:50) - Being a steward of a business instead of an owner (00:51:30) - Purpose Trusts (00:59:13) - What are some tangible steps folks can take to implement these ideas? (01:02:13) - How long will it take for these changes to materialize? (01:03:37) - The Tattoo Redemption story Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 03 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 372 Chris Powers Pete is the founder and chairman of Capital III, an impact investment company with investments in the US and Central America. Enterprise Stewardship is an initiative of Capital III that equips marketplace leaders with resources to transform their personal LIFE and business enterprises. During his four decades in business, he has invested in and operated companies in the energy, manufacturing, banking, and education sectors, often focusing on places devoid of human flourishing such as prisons and poverty-stricken countries. Pete’s passion is to educate, equip, and empower business leaders worldwide to live for something greater than themselves.  We discuss: Moving his business into a Maximum Security Prison Becoming a Steward of a business rather than an Owner Pursuing Economic, Social and Spiritual Capital We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Enterprise Stewardship Capital III More on Pete Ochs Pete on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:46) - Pete’s background and career (00:07:55) - Moving a business into a maximum security prison (00:22:14) - How did interacting with these prisoners change your belief set? (00:25:04) - Social & Spiritual Capital (00:27:49) - The importance of generosity (00:29:27) - How can you implement this mental model to an existing company? (00:34:37) - What does your work with other companies look like? (00:37:26) - How can a company discover its purpose? (00:39:50) - Being a steward of a business instead of an owner (00:51:30) - Purpose Trusts (00:59:13) - What are some tangible steps folks can take to implement these ideas? (01:02:13) - How long will it take for these changes to materialize? (01:03:37) - The Tattoo Redemption story Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Pete is the founder and chairman of Capital III, an impact investment company with investments in the US and Central America. Enterprise Stewardship is an initiative of Capital III that equips marketplace leaders with resources to transform their personal LIFE and business enterprises. During his four decades in business, he has invested in and operated companies in the energy, manufacturing, banking, and education sectors, often focusing on places devoid of human flourishing such as prisons and poverty-stricken countries. Pete’s passion is to educate, equip, and empower business leaders worldwide to live for something greater than themselves. 


We discuss:

  • Moving his business into a Maximum Security Prison
  • Becoming a Steward of a business rather than an Owner
  • Pursuing Economic, Social and Spiritual Capital


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Enterprise Stewardship

Capital III

More on Pete Ochs

Pete on LinkedIn


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:46) - Pete’s background and career

(00:07:55) - Moving a business into a maximum security prison

(00:22:14) - How did interacting with these prisoners change your belief set?

(00:25:04) - Social & Spiritual Capital

(00:27:49) - The importance of generosity

(00:29:27) - How can you implement this mental model to an existing company?

(00:34:37) - What does your work with other companies look like?

(00:37:26) - How can a company discover its purpose?

(00:39:50) - Being a steward of a business instead of an owner

(00:51:30) - Purpose Trusts

(00:59:13) - What are some tangible steps folks can take to implement these ideas?

(01:02:13) - How long will it take for these changes to materialize?

(01:03:37) - The Tattoo Redemption story


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4050 #371 - Jack Fraker - President, Global Head of Industrial & Logistics @ Newmark - Macro Overview of Industrial Real Estate Jack Fraker is President and Global Head of Industrial & Logistics Capital Markets for Newmark. He is responsible for driving Newmark’s industrial & logistics business, primarily capital markets but also leasing. Jack has personally completed over 1,800 industrial & logistics capital markets transactions totaling 1.5 billion square feet | $85 billion in more than 60 U.S. cities, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and South America. He has also advised on approximately 12,000 acres of development sites and over 300 office/industrial leasing assignments. As a partner with other firms prior to Newmark, Jack was cumulatively involved in over 3.3 billion square feet | $220 billion in various projects. We discuss: The global state of Industrial real estate Development, leasing, and sales trends The Future of Industrial in Texas and Mexico We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Newmark Jack Fraker on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:21) - Nokia ’94-’00 (00:11:20) - “Inventing” investment sales in the industrial world  (00:17:20) - How is industrial positioned globally? (00:20:56) - How is America viewed globally regarding industrial? (00:23:37) - Is it harder to close deals with foreign investors vs. domestic ones? (00:25:39) - What have you experienced in the market in the last 2 years? (00:32:52) - What does a good spec developer look like and what does a bad one look like? (00:38:28) - The pressure of AI on rents (00:39:54) - Mexico (00:41:57) - What does the future of Industrial look like for Texas? (00:44:38 - Development, leasing, sales, and TI (00:50:36) - What data do you pay attention to most when thinking about the industry? (00:53:19) - Retail-to-industrial (00:54:25) - Technology trends (00:57:51) - How do multi-billion dollar deals get done? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 371 Chris Powers Jack Fraker is President and Global Head of Industrial & Logistics Capital Markets for Newmark. He is responsible for driving Newmark’s industrial & logistics business, primarily capital markets but also leasing. Jack has personally completed over 1,800 industrial & logistics capital markets transactions totaling 1.5 billion square feet | $85 billion in more than 60 U.S. cities, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and South America. He has also advised on approximately 12,000 acres of development sites and over 300 office/industrial leasing assignments. As a partner with other firms prior to Newmark, Jack was cumulatively involved in over 3.3 billion square feet | $220 billion in various projects. We discuss: The global state of Industrial real estate Development, leasing, and sales trends The Future of Industrial in Texas and Mexico We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Newmark Jack Fraker on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:21) - Nokia ’94-’00 (00:11:20) - “Inventing” investment sales in the industrial world  (00:17:20) - How is industrial positioned globally? (00:20:56) - How is America viewed globally regarding industrial? (00:23:37) - Is it harder to close deals with foreign investors vs. domestic ones? (00:25:39) - What have you experienced in the market in the last 2 years? (00:32:52) - What does a good spec developer look like and what does a bad one look like? (00:38:28) - The pressure of AI on rents (00:39:54) - Mexico (00:41:57) - What does the future of Industrial look like for Texas? (00:44:38 - Development, leasing, sales, and TI (00:50:36) - What data do you pay attention to most when thinking about the industry? (00:53:19) - Retail-to-industrial (00:54:25) - Technology trends (00:57:51) - How do multi-billion dollar deals get done? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jack Fraker is President and Global Head of Industrial & Logistics Capital Markets for Newmark. He is responsible for driving Newmark’s industrial & logistics business, primarily capital markets but also leasing.


Jack has personally completed over 1,800 industrial & logistics capital markets transactions totaling 1.5 billion square feet | $85 billion in more than 60 U.S. cities, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and South America. He has also advised on approximately 12,000 acres of development sites and over 300 office/industrial leasing assignments. As a partner with other firms prior to Newmark, Jack was cumulatively involved in over 3.3 billion square feet | $220 billion in various projects.


We discuss:

  • The global state of Industrial real estate
  • Development, leasing, and sales trends
  • The Future of Industrial in Texas and Mexico


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Newmark

Jack Fraker on LinkedIn


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:21) - Nokia ’94-’00

(00:11:20) - “Inventing” investment sales in the industrial world 

(00:17:20) - How is industrial positioned globally?

(00:20:56) - How is America viewed globally regarding industrial?

(00:23:37) - Is it harder to close deals with foreign investors vs. domestic ones?

(00:25:39) - What have you experienced in the market in the last 2 years?

(00:32:52) - What does a good spec developer look like and what does a bad one look like?

(00:38:28) - The pressure of AI on rents

(00:39:54) - Mexico

(00:41:57) - What does the future of Industrial look like for Texas?

(00:44:38 - Development, leasing, sales, and TI

(00:50:36) - What data do you pay attention to most when thinking about the industry?

(00:53:19) - Retail-to-industrial

(00:54:25) - Technology trends

(00:57:51) - How do multi-billion dollar deals get done?


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3777 #370 - Paul Renner - Speaker, Florida House of Representatives - Make America Courageous Again Paul Renner is a former Commander in the U.S. Navy, and was deployed in Operation Desert Storm as well as Afghanistan.   We discuss: Reclaiming American Institutions The state of the U.S. Military China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and the Military Industrial Complex Immigration The Future of America We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:02) - How losing an election led to becoming speaker of the house of Florida (00:04:30) - Reclaiming American Institutions (00:10:57) - The uni party (00:13:23) - The state of the Military (00:16:42) - Ukraine and North Carolina (00:20:05) - The military-industrial complex (00:22:13) - China (00:27:39) - Iran (00:29:56) - Russia (00:31:13) - Immigration (00:33:29) - Is it possible to be a true public servant? (00:36:08) - How much impact can you have with term limits? (00:42:11) - Working with Ron DeSantis (00:45:32) - Disney (00:52:43) - Voter ID (00:56:32) - Property Insurance & Florida RE (00:59:57) - The Future of America (01:06:40) - What can the average person do? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 370 Chris Powers Paul Renner is a former Commander in the U.S. Navy, and was deployed in Operation Desert Storm as well as Afghanistan.   We discuss: Reclaiming American Institutions The state of the U.S. Military China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and the Military Industrial Complex Immigration The Future of America We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:02) - How losing an election led to becoming speaker of the house of Florida (00:04:30) - Reclaiming American Institutions (00:10:57) - The uni party (00:13:23) - The state of the Military (00:16:42) - Ukraine and North Carolina (00:20:05) - The military-industrial complex (00:22:13) - China (00:27:39) - Iran (00:29:56) - Russia (00:31:13) - Immigration (00:33:29) - Is it possible to be a true public servant? (00:36:08) - How much impact can you have with term limits? (00:42:11) - Working with Ron DeSantis (00:45:32) - Disney (00:52:43) - Voter ID (00:56:32) - Property Insurance & Florida RE (00:59:57) - The Future of America (01:06:40) - What can the average person do? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Paul Renner is a former Commander in the U.S. Navy, and was deployed in Operation Desert Storm as well as Afghanistan.  

We discuss:

  • Reclaiming American Institutions
  • The state of the U.S. Military
  • China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and the Military Industrial Complex
  • Immigration
  • The Future of America


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:02) - How losing an election led to becoming speaker of the house of Florida

(00:04:30) - Reclaiming American Institutions

(00:10:57) - The uni party

(00:13:23) - The state of the Military

(00:16:42) - Ukraine and North Carolina

(00:20:05) - The military-industrial complex

(00:22:13) - China

(00:27:39) - Iran

(00:29:56) - Russia

(00:31:13) - Immigration

(00:33:29) - Is it possible to be a true public servant?

(00:36:08) - How much impact can you have with term limits?

(00:42:11) - Working with Ron DeSantis

(00:45:32) - Disney

(00:52:43) - Voter ID

(00:56:32) - Property Insurance & Florida RE

(00:59:57) - The Future of America

(01:06:40) - What can the average person do?


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4235 #369 - Craig Hall - Founder & Chairman @ Hall Group Craig Hall is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, vintner, and philanthropist who founded HALL Group in 1968 at age 18 with $4,000 saved from small ventures that began at age ten. HALL Group comprises diverse entities in real estate, lending, winemaking, and startup investments.  We discuss: Surviving the 80’s financial crisis Building Frisco, TX Building a wine business The state of the RE market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links HALL Group Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Building a portfolio of 72,000 apartments and pivoting away from multifamily (00:06:32) - Surviving the 80’s financial crisis  (00:11:15) - What was your plan after divesting from multifamily? (00:14:07) - Becoming your own partner (00:15:36) - Building Frisco, TX (00:24:10) - Mindset changes post-covid (00:29:39) - Planning meeting structures (00:31:55) - Building a wine business (00:39:04) - Leveling the playing field for the American Dream (00:41:03) - The state of the market (00:44:46) - What types of deals are you looking for in this environment? (00:47:12) - Craig’s passion for art Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 22 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 369 Chris Powers Craig Hall is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, vintner, and philanthropist who founded HALL Group in 1968 at age 18 with $4,000 saved from small ventures that began at age ten. HALL Group comprises diverse entities in real estate, lending, winemaking, and startup investments.  We discuss: Surviving the 80’s financial crisis Building Frisco, TX Building a wine business The state of the RE market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links HALL Group Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Building a portfolio of 72,000 apartments and pivoting away from multifamily (00:06:32) - Surviving the 80’s financial crisis  (00:11:15) - What was your plan after divesting from multifamily? (00:14:07) - Becoming your own partner (00:15:36) - Building Frisco, TX (00:24:10) - Mindset changes post-covid (00:29:39) - Planning meeting structures (00:31:55) - Building a wine business (00:39:04) - Leveling the playing field for the American Dream (00:41:03) - The state of the market (00:44:46) - What types of deals are you looking for in this environment? (00:47:12) - Craig’s passion for art Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Craig Hall is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, vintner, and philanthropist who founded HALL Group in 1968 at age 18 with $4,000 saved from small ventures that began at age ten. HALL Group comprises diverse entities in real estate, lending, winemaking, and startup investments. 


We discuss:

  • Surviving the 80’s financial crisis
  • Building Frisco, TX
  • Building a wine business
  • The state of the RE market


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

HALL Group


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:04) - Building a portfolio of 72,000 apartments and pivoting away from multifamily

(00:06:32) - Surviving the 80’s financial crisis 

(00:11:15) - What was your plan after divesting from multifamily?

(00:14:07) - Becoming your own partner

(00:15:36) - Building Frisco, TX

(00:24:10) - Mindset changes post-covid

(00:29:39) - Planning meeting structures

(00:31:55) - Building a wine business

(00:39:04) - Leveling the playing field for the American Dream

(00:41:03) - The state of the market

(00:44:46) - What types of deals are you looking for in this environment?

(00:47:12) - Craig’s passion for art


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3005 #368 - Roe Patterson - Co-Founder @ Marauder Capital / Frmr CEO @ Basic Energy Services - Building & Investing in Oilfield Service Companies Roe Patterson is a 29-year Energy Industry veteran. He has worked in, owned, and operated multiple businesses across the energy spectrum. He owns and invests in numerous companies inside and outside the energy space, playing varying roles in each venture’s governance including CEO, Chairman of the Board, Board Member, and Board Adviser. His latest venture, ClearWell Dynamics, LLC, is now the 4th largest U.S.-based well-servicing company in the United States oil and gas industry. We discuss: - Mitigating risk in Oilfield Services - The loss of knowledge in the industry - How to successfully acquire and integrate companies We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Roe on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:03) - Roe’s career (00:09:20) - Being the son of the boss (00:11:10) - M&A in the Oil and Gas industry (00;17:37) - Mitigating risk in Oilfield services (0:24:26) - Backfilling with technology (00:29:00) - Roe on starting companies and joining Basic (00:34:33) - Acquiring and Integrating companies (00:43:35) - Becoming CEO & Oilfield Booms and busts (01:00:57) - Building ClearWell Dynamics Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 368 Chris Powers Roe Patterson is a 29-year Energy Industry veteran. He has worked in, owned, and operated multiple businesses across the energy spectrum. He owns and invests in numerous companies inside and outside the energy space, playing varying roles in each venture’s governance including CEO, Chairman of the Board, Board Member, and Board Adviser. His latest venture, ClearWell Dynamics, LLC, is now the 4th largest U.S.-based well-servicing company in the United States oil and gas industry. We discuss: - Mitigating risk in Oilfield Services - The loss of knowledge in the industry - How to successfully acquire and integrate companies We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Roe on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:03) - Roe’s career (00:09:20) - Being the son of the boss (00:11:10) - M&A in the Oil and Gas industry (00;17:37) - Mitigating risk in Oilfield services (0:24:26) - Backfilling with technology (00:29:00) - Roe on starting companies and joining Basic (00:34:33) - Acquiring and Integrating companies (00:43:35) - Becoming CEO & Oilfield Booms and busts (01:00:57) - Building ClearWell Dynamics Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Roe Patterson is a 29-year Energy Industry veteran. He has worked in, owned, and operated multiple businesses across the energy spectrum. He owns and invests in numerous companies inside and outside the energy space, playing varying roles in each venture’s governance including CEO, Chairman of the Board, Board Member, and Board Adviser. His latest venture, ClearWell Dynamics, LLC, is now the 4th largest U.S.-based well-servicing company in the United States oil and gas industry.


We discuss:

- Mitigating risk in Oilfield Services

- The loss of knowledge in the industry

- How to successfully acquire and integrate companies


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Roe on LinkedIn


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:03) - Roe’s career

(00:09:20) - Being the son of the boss

(00:11:10) - M&A in the Oil and Gas industry

(00;17:37) - Mitigating risk in Oilfield services

(0:24:26) - Backfilling with technology

(00:29:00) - Roe on starting companies and joining Basic

(00:34:33) - Acquiring and Integrating companies

(00:43:35) - Becoming CEO & Oilfield Booms and busts

(01:00:57) - Building ClearWell Dynamics


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5413 #367 - Robert Allen - CEO @ Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership - Fort Worth, TX Is About to Explode With Growth Robert Allen is the President and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership (FWEDP). A husband, father, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, Allen most recently served as President and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC). His organization’s efforts have helped catapult Texas to a record-breaking number of Governor’s Cups as awarded by Site Selection Magazine. With Texas now home to the most Fortune 500 headquarters in America, Robert launched efforts at TxEDC to showcase all that Texas continues to offer to businesses. We discuss: Building the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership How corporate relocations are negotiated and executed Growing the future of Fort Worth We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links The Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Robert on LinkedIn Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Board Members: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood John Goff - CEO of Goff Capital Robert Isom - CEO of American Airlines Greg Ulmer - Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Dan Berce - President and CEO of GM Financial Lista Atherton - President & CEO of Bell David Endicott - CEO of Alcon Laboratories Katie Farmer - President & CEO of BNSF Railway Elaine Agather - Managing Director & CEO of J.P. Morgan Private Bank in the Central U.S. Marianne Auld - Managing Partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP Rusty Reid - Chairman and CEO of Higginbotham Mayor Mattie Parker Steve Montgomery - President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:22) - Robert’s career in public service (00:06:58) - What does an AG do? (00:08:24) - Robert’s roles as deputy chief of staff for the Governor? (00:09:40) - How does Texas prepare for disasters? (00:13:36) - Becoming President/CEO of the Texas Economic Development (00:15:59) - Marketing Texas (00:19:06) - How does a corporate relocation happen? (00:22:39) - Robert’s work today growing FWTX (00:27:24) - The FW Economic Development Program (00:30:42) - What were your key priorities on day one? (00:37:44) - Who is Fort Worth? (00:47:36) - Strengthening the workforce (00:59:17) - The Election (01:00:54) - How long do projects typically take? (01:04:12) - The Great Bones in Fort Worth (01:07:30) - What do 10k jobs coming in do for a city? (01:09:53) - Fort Worth’s pipeline (01:02:22) - 10-year predictions Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 08 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 367 Chris Powers Robert Allen is the President and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership (FWEDP). A husband, father, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, Allen most recently served as President and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC). His organization’s efforts have helped catapult Texas to a record-breaking number of Governor’s Cups as awarded by Site Selection Magazine. With Texas now home to the most Fortune 500 headquarters in America, Robert launched efforts at TxEDC to showcase all that Texas continues to offer to businesses. We discuss: Building the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership How corporate relocations are negotiated and executed Growing the future of Fort Worth We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links The Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Robert on LinkedIn Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Board Members: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood John Goff - CEO of Goff Capital Robert Isom - CEO of American Airlines Greg Ulmer - Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Dan Berce - President and CEO of GM Financial Lista Atherton - President & CEO of Bell David Endicott - CEO of Alcon Laboratories Katie Farmer - President & CEO of BNSF Railway Elaine Agather - Managing Director & CEO of J.P. Morgan Private Bank in the Central U.S. Marianne Auld - Managing Partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP Rusty Reid - Chairman and CEO of Higginbotham Mayor Mattie Parker Steve Montgomery - President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:22) - Robert’s career in public service (00:06:58) - What does an AG do? (00:08:24) - Robert’s roles as deputy chief of staff for the Governor? (00:09:40) - How does Texas prepare for disasters? (00:13:36) - Becoming President/CEO of the Texas Economic Development (00:15:59) - Marketing Texas (00:19:06) - How does a corporate relocation happen? (00:22:39) - Robert’s work today growing FWTX (00:27:24) - The FW Economic Development Program (00:30:42) - What were your key priorities on day one? (00:37:44) - Who is Fort Worth? (00:47:36) - Strengthening the workforce (00:59:17) - The Election (01:00:54) - How long do projects typically take? (01:04:12) - The Great Bones in Fort Worth (01:07:30) - What do 10k jobs coming in do for a city? (01:09:53) - Fort Worth’s pipeline (01:02:22) - 10-year predictions Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Robert Allen is the President and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership (FWEDP). A husband, father, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, Allen most recently served as President and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC). His organization’s efforts have helped catapult Texas to a record-breaking number of Governor’s Cups as awarded by Site Selection Magazine. With Texas now home to the most Fortune 500 headquarters in America, Robert launched efforts at TxEDC to showcase all that Texas continues to offer to businesses.


We discuss:

  • Building the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership
  • How corporate relocations are negotiated and executed
  • Growing the future of Fort Worth


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

The Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership

Robert on LinkedIn


Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Board Members:

Mike Berry - President of Hillwood

John Goff - CEO of Goff Capital

Robert Isom - CEO of American Airlines

Greg Ulmer - Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin

Dan Berce - President and CEO of GM Financial

Lista Atherton - President & CEO of Bell

David Endicott - CEO of Alcon Laboratories

Katie Farmer - President & CEO of BNSF Railway

Elaine Agather - Managing Director & CEO of J.P. Morgan Private Bank in the Central U.S.

Marianne Auld - Managing Partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP

Rusty Reid - Chairman and CEO of Higginbotham

Mayor Mattie Parker

Steve Montgomery - President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:22) - Robert’s career in public service

(00:06:58) - What does an AG do?

(00:08:24) - Robert’s roles as deputy chief of staff for the Governor?

(00:09:40) - How does Texas prepare for disasters?

(00:13:36) - Becoming President/CEO of the Texas Economic Development

(00:15:59) - Marketing Texas

(00:19:06) - How does a corporate relocation happen?

(00:22:39) - Robert’s work today growing FWTX

(00:27:24) - The FW Economic Development Program

(00:30:42) - What were your key priorities on day one?

(00:37:44) - Who is Fort Worth?

(00:47:36) - Strengthening the workforce

(00:59:17) - The Election

(01:00:54) - How long do projects typically take?

(01:04:12) - The Great Bones in Fort Worth

(01:07:30) - What do 10k jobs coming in do for a city?

(01:09:53) - Fort Worth’s pipeline

(01:02:22) - 10-year predictions


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5350 #366 - Walt Reynolds - Former CEO @ The Reynolds Company - From Family Business to Industry Giant Walt Reynolds is a senior leader in the electrical supply industry with over 30 years of executive experience. In 1998, he became President of The Reynolds Company and drove its explosive growth over the next two and half decades. Under his leadership, the company became one of the largest independent electrical distribution companies in the United States with 34 locations across Texas and Southwest US. We discuss: - Walt’s career and building The Reynolds Company - Acquisitions theses and buying bankrupt companies - ESOPs - Leadership principles - Working with friends We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:30) - To know you is to know your father (00:08:50) - The history of the Reynolds Company and the electrical supply industry (00:20:39) - Walt’s career (00:43:43) - Scaling Reynolds (00:48:29) - Working with your friends (00:52:16) - Pivoting into acquisitions (01:01:47) - Selling the business (01:08:14) - ESOPs (01:11:55) - Walt’s role post-close (01:16:05) - Leadership Principals Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 24 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 366 Chris Powers Walt Reynolds is a senior leader in the electrical supply industry with over 30 years of executive experience. In 1998, he became President of The Reynolds Company and drove its explosive growth over the next two and half decades. Under his leadership, the company became one of the largest independent electrical distribution companies in the United States with 34 locations across Texas and Southwest US. We discuss: - Walt’s career and building The Reynolds Company - Acquisitions theses and buying bankrupt companies - ESOPs - Leadership principles - Working with friends We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:30) - To know you is to know your father (00:08:50) - The history of the Reynolds Company and the electrical supply industry (00:20:39) - Walt’s career (00:43:43) - Scaling Reynolds (00:48:29) - Working with your friends (00:52:16) - Pivoting into acquisitions (01:01:47) - Selling the business (01:08:14) - ESOPs (01:11:55) - Walt’s role post-close (01:16:05) - Leadership Principals Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Walt Reynolds is a senior leader in the electrical supply industry with over 30 years of executive experience. In 1998, he became President of The Reynolds Company and drove its explosive growth over the next two and half decades. Under his leadership, the company became one of the largest independent electrical distribution companies in the United States with 34 locations across Texas and Southwest US.


We discuss:

- Walt’s career and building The Reynolds Company

- Acquisitions theses and buying bankrupt companies

- ESOPs

- Leadership principles

- Working with friends


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:30) - To know you is to know your father

(00:08:50) - The history of the Reynolds Company and the electrical supply industry

(00:20:39) - Walt’s career

(00:43:43) - Scaling Reynolds

(00:48:29) - Working with your friends

(00:52:16) - Pivoting into acquisitions

(01:01:47) - Selling the business

(01:08:14) - ESOPs

(01:11:55) - Walt’s role post-close

(01:16:05) - Leadership Principals


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4986 #365 - Mark Gibson - CEO @ JLL Capital Markets - In-Depth Analysis of Current Real Estate Market (2H 2024 - 2025) Mark is currently the Chief Executive Officer of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He also sits on JLL’s Global Capital Markets Board where he shares responsibility for the strategic direction, growth, and client activities of JLL’s global capital markets business. We discuss: The state of Capital Markets The FED and rate cuts The performance of Office, Retail, Industrial, and Data Center asset classes We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links JLL Capital Markets Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:32) - State of the Capital markets (00:11:24) - How the FED is thinking about rates (00:16:21) - Outcomes of a rate cut (00:21:09) - The Detroit effect (00:23:02) - Migration data (00:25:34) - What types of deals are working in this environment? (00:30:32) - Housing (00:35:29) - The importance of Mexico (00:36:45) - The state of Office (00:46:19) - Foreign vs. Domestic Capital (00:47:31) - The election (00:48:33) - Equity markets (00:54:01) - M&A Activity (00:57:08) - Unique strategies (01:00:12) - Data centers (01:03:00) - Secondary markets (01:05:26) - The Detroit effect in real estate (01:06:57) - AI (01:07:33) - Tenant migration (01:09:07) - 2025 forecasts & trends Corrections: RE the election topic, one statistic was transposed: It was stated 2.3% more in the first quarter in terms of transactions, and in actuality, the number is 3.2%. Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 17 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 365 Chris Powers Mark is currently the Chief Executive Officer of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He also sits on JLL’s Global Capital Markets Board where he shares responsibility for the strategic direction, growth, and client activities of JLL’s global capital markets business. We discuss: The state of Capital Markets The FED and rate cuts The performance of Office, Retail, Industrial, and Data Center asset classes We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links JLL Capital Markets Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:32) - State of the Capital markets (00:11:24) - How the FED is thinking about rates (00:16:21) - Outcomes of a rate cut (00:21:09) - The Detroit effect (00:23:02) - Migration data (00:25:34) - What types of deals are working in this environment? (00:30:32) - Housing (00:35:29) - The importance of Mexico (00:36:45) - The state of Office (00:46:19) - Foreign vs. Domestic Capital (00:47:31) - The election (00:48:33) - Equity markets (00:54:01) - M&A Activity (00:57:08) - Unique strategies (01:00:12) - Data centers (01:03:00) - Secondary markets (01:05:26) - The Detroit effect in real estate (01:06:57) - AI (01:07:33) - Tenant migration (01:09:07) - 2025 forecasts & trends Corrections: RE the election topic, one statistic was transposed: It was stated 2.3% more in the first quarter in terms of transactions, and in actuality, the number is 3.2%. Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mark is currently the Chief Executive Officer of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He also sits on JLL’s Global Capital Markets Board where he shares responsibility for the strategic direction, growth, and client activities of JLL’s global capital markets business.


We discuss:

  • The state of Capital Markets
  • The FED and rate cuts
  • The performance of Office, Retail, Industrial, and Data Center asset classes


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

JLL Capital Markets


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:32) - State of the Capital markets

(00:11:24) - How the FED is thinking about rates

(00:16:21) - Outcomes of a rate cut

(00:21:09) - The Detroit effect

(00:23:02) - Migration data

(00:25:34) - What types of deals are working in this environment?

(00:30:32) - Housing

(00:35:29) - The importance of Mexico

(00:36:45) - The state of Office

(00:46:19) - Foreign vs. Domestic Capital

(00:47:31) - The election

(00:48:33) - Equity markets

(00:54:01) - M&A Activity

(00:57:08) - Unique strategies

(01:00:12) - Data centers

(01:03:00) - Secondary markets

(01:05:26) - The Detroit effect in real estate

(01:06:57) - AI

(01:07:33) - Tenant migration

(01:09:07) - 2025 forecasts & trends


Corrections:

  • RE the election topic, one statistic was transposed: It was stated 2.3% more in the first quarter in terms of transactions, and in actuality, the number is 3.2%.


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4554 #364 - Chico West - Getting Sober, Overcoming Trauma, & Winning Chico West is a LPC therapist, coach, and consultant.  He works with on-site programs and for Construction companies and has a private practice with over 34 years of continuous sobriety. We discuss: - Common themes around addiction - Marriage - Therapy and Counseling in the C-Suite We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Chico West Counseling Chico on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:06) - Be a Buffalo, not a cow (00:03:19) - Life before sobriety (00:13:03) - Believing in Jesus (00:16:58) - Common themes around addiction (00:22:23) - Following a higher power vs. following Christ  (00:24:33) - What does your work look like today? (00:27:34) - What do you tell people who want to quit booze? (00:31:20) - How do you deal with the weight of when people fail at this work? (00:37:28) - Men & Women (00:42:20) - Is addiction nature or nurture? (00:45:37) - Gordon Highlander (00:55:16) - Is mental health overplayed? (00:59:59) - Closing advice Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 29 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 364 Chris Powers Chico West is a LPC therapist, coach, and consultant.  He works with on-site programs and for Construction companies and has a private practice with over 34 years of continuous sobriety. We discuss: - Common themes around addiction - Marriage - Therapy and Counseling in the C-Suite We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Chico West Counseling Chico on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:06) - Be a Buffalo, not a cow (00:03:19) - Life before sobriety (00:13:03) - Believing in Jesus (00:16:58) - Common themes around addiction (00:22:23) - Following a higher power vs. following Christ  (00:24:33) - What does your work look like today? (00:27:34) - What do you tell people who want to quit booze? (00:31:20) - How do you deal with the weight of when people fail at this work? (00:37:28) - Men & Women (00:42:20) - Is addiction nature or nurture? (00:45:37) - Gordon Highlander (00:55:16) - Is mental health overplayed? (00:59:59) - Closing advice Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chico West is a LPC therapist, coach, and consultant.  He works with on-site programs and for Construction companies and has a private practice with over 34 years of continuous sobriety.


We discuss:

- Common themes around addiction

- Marriage

- Therapy and Counseling in the C-Suite


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Chico West Counseling

Chico on LinkedIn


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:06) - Be a Buffalo, not a cow

(00:03:19) - Life before sobriety

(00:13:03) - Believing in Jesus

(00:16:58) - Common themes around addiction

(00:22:23) - Following a higher power vs. following Christ 

(00:24:33) - What does your work look like today?

(00:27:34) - What do you tell people who want to quit booze?

(00:31:20) - How do you deal with the weight of when people fail at this work?

(00:37:28) - Men & Women

(00:42:20) - Is addiction nature or nurture?

(00:45:37) - Gordon Highlander

(00:55:16) - Is mental health overplayed?

(00:59:59) - Closing advice


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3913 #363 - Jason Illian - GP & Co-Founder @ Highmount Capital - Growth Equity, Investing in Dude Perfect, Launching Koch Disruptive Technologies Jason is the General Partner and Co-Founder of Highmount Capital, a unique investment firm focused on growth stage and middle market investments in transformative technology and other growth-related platforms. He is the former Managing Director and founding member of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries, the largest privately-held company in the US with over $130B in revenue. Jason was responsible for helping KDT grow to billions in AUM across 40+ companies. We discuss: - What makes a great venture partner - What venture firms look for in late-stage companies - The process of making a $100mm investment in DudePerfect We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Dude Perfect Highmount Capital Jason on X Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:23) - Jason's Early career (00:10:03) - What makes a great venture partner  (00:13:23) - Joining Koch Industries (00:15:18) - Building the venture framework for Koch (00:19:48) - What does a great late-stage company look like in the eyes of a venture firm? (00:26:40) - Founding Highmount Capital (00:29:56) - Building a great origination engine (00:35:44) - Investing in Dude Perfect (00:40:18) - The craving for family-friendly brands (00:44:10) - How do you think about your role post-investment? (00:46:44) - What are unique ways to make money in the creator economy? (00:54:14) - Are the Dudes a technology business or technology-enabled business? (00:57:34) - How do you find a CEO for a company like DudePerfect?  (01:01:18) - How is Highmount structured? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 27 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 363 Chris Powers Jason is the General Partner and Co-Founder of Highmount Capital, a unique investment firm focused on growth stage and middle market investments in transformative technology and other growth-related platforms. He is the former Managing Director and founding member of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries, the largest privately-held company in the US with over $130B in revenue. Jason was responsible for helping KDT grow to billions in AUM across 40+ companies. We discuss: - What makes a great venture partner - What venture firms look for in late-stage companies - The process of making a $100mm investment in DudePerfect We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Dude Perfect Highmount Capital Jason on X Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:23) - Jason's Early career (00:10:03) - What makes a great venture partner  (00:13:23) - Joining Koch Industries (00:15:18) - Building the venture framework for Koch (00:19:48) - What does a great late-stage company look like in the eyes of a venture firm? (00:26:40) - Founding Highmount Capital (00:29:56) - Building a great origination engine (00:35:44) - Investing in Dude Perfect (00:40:18) - The craving for family-friendly brands (00:44:10) - How do you think about your role post-investment? (00:46:44) - What are unique ways to make money in the creator economy? (00:54:14) - Are the Dudes a technology business or technology-enabled business? (00:57:34) - How do you find a CEO for a company like DudePerfect?  (01:01:18) - How is Highmount structured? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jason is the General Partner and Co-Founder of Highmount Capital, a unique investment firm focused on growth stage and middle market investments in transformative technology and other growth-related platforms. He is the former Managing Director and founding member of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries, the largest privately-held company in the US with over $130B in revenue. Jason was responsible for helping KDT grow to billions in AUM across 40+ companies.


We discuss:

- What makes a great venture partner

- What venture firms look for in late-stage companies

- The process of making a $100mm investment in DudePerfect


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Dude Perfect

Highmount Capital

Jason on X


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:05:23) - Jason's Early career

(00:10:03) - What makes a great venture partner 

(00:13:23) - Joining Koch Industries

(00:15:18) - Building the venture framework for Koch

(00:19:48) - What does a great late-stage company look like in the eyes of a venture firm?

(00:26:40) - Founding Highmount Capital

(00:29:56) - Building a great origination engine

(00:35:44) - Investing in Dude Perfect

(00:40:18) - The craving for family-friendly brands

(00:44:10) - How do you think about your role post-investment?

(00:46:44) - What are unique ways to make money in the creator economy?

(00:54:14) - Are the Dudes a technology business or technology-enabled business?

(00:57:34) - How do you find a CEO for a company like DudePerfect? 

(01:01:18) - How is Highmount structured?


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4070 #362 - Steve Van Amburgh - CEO @ KDC - Developing The BEST Corporate Build-To-Suits in America As the CEO of KDC, Steve Van Amburgh manages the firm’s strategic planning while coordinating new business development efforts. He also oversees KDC’s acquisition and development activities. Under his leadership, KDC completed over 154 corporate build-to-suit office and industrial projects valued at over $11 billion and totaling more than 37 million square feet. We discuss: - The process for developing corporate campuses for the likes of State Farm - The state of the office and construction market - Working with cities and municipalities as a developer We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: KDC Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:06:09) - Steve’s early career (00:14:10) - Buying Koll Company (00:22:47) - The importance of focus (00:25:59) - How corporate campus deals come together (00:33:00) - Negotiating the deal (00:38:48) - Architecture and design (00:42:46) - Budgeting and planning (00:46:27) - The impact of change orders (00:48:26) - When does your work on a project end?  (00:51:05) - The state of the market (00:55:46) - Capital markets (00:58:33) - Is there a market for these assets? (01:00:24) - Max bid deals (01:01:04) - What’s the hardest part of a project? (01:03:19) - Brokers (01:06:25) - How cities can help themselves and developers Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 362 Chris Powers As the CEO of KDC, Steve Van Amburgh manages the firm’s strategic planning while coordinating new business development efforts. He also oversees KDC’s acquisition and development activities. Under his leadership, KDC completed over 154 corporate build-to-suit office and industrial projects valued at over $11 billion and totaling more than 37 million square feet. We discuss: - The process for developing corporate campuses for the likes of State Farm - The state of the office and construction market - Working with cities and municipalities as a developer We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: KDC Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:06:09) - Steve’s early career (00:14:10) - Buying Koll Company (00:22:47) - The importance of focus (00:25:59) - How corporate campus deals come together (00:33:00) - Negotiating the deal (00:38:48) - Architecture and design (00:42:46) - Budgeting and planning (00:46:27) - The impact of change orders (00:48:26) - When does your work on a project end?  (00:51:05) - The state of the market (00:55:46) - Capital markets (00:58:33) - Is there a market for these assets? (01:00:24) - Max bid deals (01:01:04) - What’s the hardest part of a project? (01:03:19) - Brokers (01:06:25) - How cities can help themselves and developers Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts As the CEO of KDC, Steve Van Amburgh manages the firm’s strategic planning while coordinating new business development efforts. He also oversees KDC’s acquisition and development activities. Under his leadership, KDC completed over 154 corporate build-to-suit office and industrial projects valued at over $11 billion and totaling more than 37 million square feet.


We discuss:

- The process for developing corporate campuses for the likes of State Farm

- The state of the office and construction market

- Working with cities and municipalities as a developer


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

KDC


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:06:09) - Steve’s early career

(00:14:10) - Buying Koll Company

(00:22:47) - The importance of focus

(00:25:59) - How corporate campus deals come together

(00:33:00) - Negotiating the deal

(00:38:48) - Architecture and design

(00:42:46) - Budgeting and planning

(00:46:27) - The impact of change orders

(00:48:26) - When does your work on a project end? 

(00:51:05) - The state of the market

(00:55:46) - Capital markets

(00:58:33) - Is there a market for these assets?

(01:00:24) - Max bid deals

(01:01:04) - What’s the hardest part of a project?

(01:03:19) - Brokers

(01:06:25) - How cities can help themselves and developers


Support our Sponsors

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4283 #361 - Jeremiah Donati - Director of Intercollegiate Athletics @ TCU - The Business and Future of College Athletics Jeremiah Donati was appointed as TCU’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on December 11, 2017.  Since his arrival at TCU in 2011, Donati has played a major role in enhancing the TCU student-athlete experience through donor-supported facility upgrades totaling nearly $500 million. During Donati’s tenure as athletics director, the Horned Frogs have won eight team national championships and 11 Big 12 Conference titles. In the 2023-24 athletics season, TCU was one of just five schools nationally to win multiple NCAA Championships with its titles in rifle and men's tennis. The 2022-23 athletics season was the most successful in TCU's 150 years. TCU became the only school in the College Football Playoff era to reach the CFP, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and College World Series in the same academic year.  We discuss: - The changing landscape of NIL, recruiting, and Private Equity entering athletics - The process of raising capital and the business side of college athletics - The future of conference realignment in football, coaching hiring and firing, and more We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:45) - Jeremiah’s career and background (00:10:40) - The evolution of TCU as a University (00:13:05) - Building a Power 5 School mentality (00:16:01) - Raising money for an Athletic department (00:19:41) - Becoming Athletic Director at TCU (00:26:03) - The NIL dilemma (00:33:13) - Transfer Portal issues (00:37:57) - Is PE going to become involved in college athletics? (00:42:52) - How do universities make money via athletics? (00:44:04) - Coaching: Recruiting, hiring, and firing (00:59:02) - The Caitlin Clark effect & the value of winning (01:02:45) - The Big 12 realignment (01:07:21) - The entertainment business within college sports (01:09:31) - Are we moving to super-conferences? Links: Jeremiah on X - https://x.com/JDonati_TCU TCU Athletics - https://gofrogs.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 06 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 361 Chris Powers Jeremiah Donati was appointed as TCU’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on December 11, 2017.  Since his arrival at TCU in 2011, Donati has played a major role in enhancing the TCU student-athlete experience through donor-supported facility upgrades totaling nearly $500 million. During Donati’s tenure as athletics director, the Horned Frogs have won eight team national championships and 11 Big 12 Conference titles. In the 2023-24 athletics season, TCU was one of just five schools nationally to win multiple NCAA Championships with its titles in rifle and men's tennis. The 2022-23 athletics season was the most successful in TCU's 150 years. TCU became the only school in the College Football Playoff era to reach the CFP, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and College World Series in the same academic year.  We discuss: - The changing landscape of NIL, recruiting, and Private Equity entering athletics - The process of raising capital and the business side of college athletics - The future of conference realignment in football, coaching hiring and firing, and more We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:45) - Jeremiah’s career and background (00:10:40) - The evolution of TCU as a University (00:13:05) - Building a Power 5 School mentality (00:16:01) - Raising money for an Athletic department (00:19:41) - Becoming Athletic Director at TCU (00:26:03) - The NIL dilemma (00:33:13) - Transfer Portal issues (00:37:57) - Is PE going to become involved in college athletics? (00:42:52) - How do universities make money via athletics? (00:44:04) - Coaching: Recruiting, hiring, and firing (00:59:02) - The Caitlin Clark effect & the value of winning (01:02:45) - The Big 12 realignment (01:07:21) - The entertainment business within college sports (01:09:31) - Are we moving to super-conferences? Links: Jeremiah on X - https://x.com/JDonati_TCU TCU Athletics - https://gofrogs.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jeremiah Donati was appointed as TCU’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on December 11, 2017. 

Since his arrival at TCU in 2011, Donati has played a major role in enhancing the TCU student-athlete experience through donor-supported facility upgrades totaling nearly $500 million.

During Donati’s tenure as athletics director, the Horned Frogs have won eight team national championships and 11 Big 12 Conference titles. In the 2023-24 athletics season, TCU was one of just five schools nationally to win multiple NCAA Championships with its titles in rifle and men's tennis.

The 2022-23 athletics season was the most successful in TCU's 150 years. TCU became the only school in the College Football Playoff era to reach the CFP, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and College World Series in the same academic year. 


We discuss:

- The changing landscape of NIL, recruiting, and Private Equity entering athletics

- The process of raising capital and the business side of college athletics

- The future of conference realignment in football, coaching hiring and firing, and more


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:45) - Jeremiah’s career and background

(00:10:40) - The evolution of TCU as a University

(00:13:05) - Building a Power 5 School mentality

(00:16:01) - Raising money for an Athletic department

(00:19:41) - Becoming Athletic Director at TCU

(00:26:03) - The NIL dilemma

(00:33:13) - Transfer Portal issues

(00:37:57) - Is PE going to become involved in college athletics?

(00:42:52) - How do universities make money via athletics?

(00:44:04) - Coaching: Recruiting, hiring, and firing

(00:59:02) - The Caitlin Clark effect & the value of winning

(01:02:45) - The Big 12 realignment

(01:07:21) - The entertainment business within college sports

(01:09:31) - Are we moving to super-conferences?


Links:

Jeremiah on X - https://x.com/JDonati_TCU

TCU Athletics - https://gofrogs.com/


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4895 #360 - Andy Weiner - President @ RockStep Capital - Investing in Shopping Malls in Secondary / Tertiary Markets at 15-25% Cap Rates Andy Weiner, President of RockStep Capital, started RockStep Capital Corporation in 1996. Weiner has built or acquired over 9 million square feet of shopping centers throughout the United States. Prior to founding RockStep Capital, Weiner served as Vice President of Operations for Weiner Stores, a chain of 159 family clothing stores with locations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. We discuss:  Andy’s mall thesis A Deal Breakdown of a mall in Small town America Implementing a successful company culture via the Rocksteps We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links RockStep Capital The 25 RockSteps Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:58) - Andy’s background (00:09:09) - Retail pricing structures (00:14:06) - Falling in love with small-town America (00:18:52) - Andy’s mall thesis (00:21:59) - What Andy looks for when underwriting a mall (00:30:19) - What are deal killers for you? (00:33:58) - Capitalizing and Closing deals (00:38:50) - Deal breakdown: Manhaatan, KS (00:45:37) - Zombie malls (00:48:53) - Government funding + battling Amazon (00:52:07) - Alternative ways to monetize mall assets (00:54:27) - The Rockstep way Support our Sponsors Bullpen: https://www.bullpenre.com/ Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 360 Chris Powers Andy Weiner, President of RockStep Capital, started RockStep Capital Corporation in 1996. Weiner has built or acquired over 9 million square feet of shopping centers throughout the United States. Prior to founding RockStep Capital, Weiner served as Vice President of Operations for Weiner Stores, a chain of 159 family clothing stores with locations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. We discuss:  Andy’s mall thesis A Deal Breakdown of a mall in Small town America Implementing a successful company culture via the Rocksteps We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links RockStep Capital The 25 RockSteps Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:58) - Andy’s background (00:09:09) - Retail pricing structures (00:14:06) - Falling in love with small-town America (00:18:52) - Andy’s mall thesis (00:21:59) - What Andy looks for when underwriting a mall (00:30:19) - What are deal killers for you? (00:33:58) - Capitalizing and Closing deals (00:38:50) - Deal breakdown: Manhaatan, KS (00:45:37) - Zombie malls (00:48:53) - Government funding + battling Amazon (00:52:07) - Alternative ways to monetize mall assets (00:54:27) - The Rockstep way Support our Sponsors Bullpen: https://www.bullpenre.com/ Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Andy Weiner, President of RockStep Capital, started RockStep Capital Corporation in 1996. Weiner has built or acquired over 9 million square feet of shopping centers throughout the United States.

Prior to founding RockStep Capital, Weiner served as Vice President of Operations for Weiner Stores, a chain of 159 family clothing stores with locations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

We discuss: 

  • Andy’s mall thesis
  • A Deal Breakdown of a mall in Small town America
  • Implementing a successful company culture via the Rocksteps


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

RockStep Capital

The 25 RockSteps


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:58) - Andy’s background

(00:09:09) - Retail pricing structures

(00:14:06) - Falling in love with small-town America

(00:18:52) - Andy’s mall thesis

(00:21:59) - What Andy looks for when underwriting a mall

(00:30:19) - What are deal killers for you?

(00:33:58) - Capitalizing and Closing deals

(00:38:50) - Deal breakdown: Manhaatan, KS

(00:45:37) - Zombie malls

(00:48:53) - Government funding + battling Amazon

(00:52:07) - Alternative ways to monetize mall assets

(00:54:27) - The Rockstep way


Support our Sponsors

Bullpen: https://www.bullpenre.com/

Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4202 #359 - Michael Levy - CEO @ Crow Holdings - 2008 GFC Stories, Restructuring, View on 2024 RE Market, Life at Crow, A Man of Commerce Today’s episode is full of incredible career stories and deep market insights as we enter the second half of 2024.  Michael Levy is the Chief Executive Officer of Crow Holdings where he is responsible for leading and overseeing the Company’s overall business strategy and activities. The firm’s operations include real estate investment management, real estate development, renewable and traditional energy exploration, and securities management. Before joining Crow Holdings in 2016, Michael had a longstanding career in real estate finance and investment management at Morgan Stanley. He was a member of the Firm’s Management Committee and held a number of leadership positions including COO and Head of Distribution for the Investment Management Division, Head of Traditional Asset Management, COO and CFO for Real Estate Investment Management, and co-head for Real Estate Investment Banking.  We discuss: Michael’s career at Morgan Stanley during the DotCom crash and GFC The experience working for Crow Holdings Analyzing the state of the market, asset classes, and looking to the future of real estate We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Michael Levy on LinkedIn Crow Holdings Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:10) - Days on Wall St. (00:05:47) - Experiences during the DotCom Crash and the GFC (00:21:02) - Advice for someone going into a restructuring (00:24:49) - The worst assets to be in during the GFC and Michael’s time with Morgan Stanley (00:30:44) - Being a man of commerce (00:31:57) - Joining Crow Holdings (00:38:38) - Texas Vs. New York (00:42:25) - Crow Holdings business units & development structures (00:53:57) - Thoughts on the market (00:57:16) - 2008 vs. 2024 (00:59:20) - Interest rates (01:03:58) - Oil and Gas (01:06:05) - Office (01:14:10) - Data centers (01:17:51) - MF & Industrial (01:23:23) - Acquisitions (01:25:00) - Development challenges (01:27:10) - Capital markets (01:31:26) - What are you most proud of from your time with Crow? (01:33:50) - Solar (01:36:48) - Looking at the future of RE Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 09 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 359 Chris Powers Today’s episode is full of incredible career stories and deep market insights as we enter the second half of 2024.  Michael Levy is the Chief Executive Officer of Crow Holdings where he is responsible for leading and overseeing the Company’s overall business strategy and activities. The firm’s operations include real estate investment management, real estate development, renewable and traditional energy exploration, and securities management. Before joining Crow Holdings in 2016, Michael had a longstanding career in real estate finance and investment management at Morgan Stanley. He was a member of the Firm’s Management Committee and held a number of leadership positions including COO and Head of Distribution for the Investment Management Division, Head of Traditional Asset Management, COO and CFO for Real Estate Investment Management, and co-head for Real Estate Investment Banking.  We discuss: Michael’s career at Morgan Stanley during the DotCom crash and GFC The experience working for Crow Holdings Analyzing the state of the market, asset classes, and looking to the future of real estate We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Michael Levy on LinkedIn Crow Holdings Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:10) - Days on Wall St. (00:05:47) - Experiences during the DotCom Crash and the GFC (00:21:02) - Advice for someone going into a restructuring (00:24:49) - The worst assets to be in during the GFC and Michael’s time with Morgan Stanley (00:30:44) - Being a man of commerce (00:31:57) - Joining Crow Holdings (00:38:38) - Texas Vs. New York (00:42:25) - Crow Holdings business units & development structures (00:53:57) - Thoughts on the market (00:57:16) - 2008 vs. 2024 (00:59:20) - Interest rates (01:03:58) - Oil and Gas (01:06:05) - Office (01:14:10) - Data centers (01:17:51) - MF & Industrial (01:23:23) - Acquisitions (01:25:00) - Development challenges (01:27:10) - Capital markets (01:31:26) - What are you most proud of from your time with Crow? (01:33:50) - Solar (01:36:48) - Looking at the future of RE Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Today’s episode is full of incredible career stories and deep market insights as we enter the second half of 2024. 

Michael Levy is the Chief Executive Officer of Crow Holdings where he is responsible for leading and overseeing the Company’s overall business strategy and activities. The firm’s operations include real estate investment management, real estate development, renewable and traditional energy exploration, and securities management.

Before joining Crow Holdings in 2016, Michael had a longstanding career in real estate finance and investment management at Morgan Stanley. He was a member of the Firm’s Management Committee and held a number of leadership positions including COO and Head of Distribution for the Investment Management Division, Head of Traditional Asset Management, COO and CFO for Real Estate Investment Management, and co-head for Real Estate Investment Banking. 

We discuss:

  • Michael’s career at Morgan Stanley during the DotCom crash and GFC
  • The experience working for Crow Holdings
  • Analyzing the state of the market, asset classes, and looking to the future of real estate


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Michael Levy on LinkedIn

Crow Holdings


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:10) - Days on Wall St.

(00:05:47) - Experiences during the DotCom Crash and the GFC

(00:21:02) - Advice for someone going into a restructuring

(00:24:49) - The worst assets to be in during the GFC and Michael’s time with Morgan Stanley

(00:30:44) - Being a man of commerce

(00:31:57) - Joining Crow Holdings

(00:38:38) - Texas Vs. New York

(00:42:25) - Crow Holdings business units & development structures

(00:53:57) - Thoughts on the market

(00:57:16) - 2008 vs. 2024

(00:59:20) - Interest rates

(01:03:58) - Oil and Gas

(01:06:05) - Office

(01:14:10) - Data centers

(01:17:51) - MF & Industrial

(01:23:23) - Acquisitions

(01:25:00) - Development challenges

(01:27:10) - Capital markets

(01:31:26) - What are you most proud of from your time with Crow?

(01:33:50) - Solar

(01:36:48) - Looking at the future of RE


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6185 #358 - Phillip Huffines - Co-Founder @ Huffines Communities - The Art Of Building Award-Winning Master Planned Communities Continuing a practice of three generations of business and community work in the Dallas area, Phillip and his twin brother, Co-Owner Donald, have developed their Land Development and Land Investing legacy by creating superior master-planned communities and multifamily community living styles. The firm has developed over 15,000 single-family homesites, and 2,800 multifamily units in the DFW metroplex, and invested in thousands of acres of land. The Huffines name has become widely esteemed within the industry and the State of Texas. Huffines Communities has assembled over 100 limited partnerships, created hundreds of jobs in North Texas, and generated billions in asset values. In 2021 alone, Huffines Communities invested over $120 MM in land. We discuss: How Huffines creates incredible Master Plan communities City/state incentives  Design, architecture, and amenity strategies after 30 years of building communities We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Huffines Communities Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:10) - Getting kicked out of military school (00:08:47) - Master Plan communities (00:16:00) - Phillip’s secret sauce (00:20:11) - Finding a site for a community (00:24:24) - State and city incentives (00:29:47) - Establishing school districts (00:34:03) - Experiences during the GFC (00:36:28) - Entitlements (00:39:50) - Entrance design & amenities (00:43:13) - Community events (00:45:51) - Planning (00:53:52) - Thoughts on the market (00:57:20) - Home builders and the DFW market (01:02:19) - Nearly going bankrupt in the 80’s (01:07:53) - Does anything concern you in the macro right now? (01:11:10) - The importance of profit Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 358 Chris Powers Continuing a practice of three generations of business and community work in the Dallas area, Phillip and his twin brother, Co-Owner Donald, have developed their Land Development and Land Investing legacy by creating superior master-planned communities and multifamily community living styles. The firm has developed over 15,000 single-family homesites, and 2,800 multifamily units in the DFW metroplex, and invested in thousands of acres of land. The Huffines name has become widely esteemed within the industry and the State of Texas. Huffines Communities has assembled over 100 limited partnerships, created hundreds of jobs in North Texas, and generated billions in asset values. In 2021 alone, Huffines Communities invested over $120 MM in land. We discuss: How Huffines creates incredible Master Plan communities City/state incentives  Design, architecture, and amenity strategies after 30 years of building communities We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Huffines Communities Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:10) - Getting kicked out of military school (00:08:47) - Master Plan communities (00:16:00) - Phillip’s secret sauce (00:20:11) - Finding a site for a community (00:24:24) - State and city incentives (00:29:47) - Establishing school districts (00:34:03) - Experiences during the GFC (00:36:28) - Entitlements (00:39:50) - Entrance design & amenities (00:43:13) - Community events (00:45:51) - Planning (00:53:52) - Thoughts on the market (00:57:20) - Home builders and the DFW market (01:02:19) - Nearly going bankrupt in the 80’s (01:07:53) - Does anything concern you in the macro right now? (01:11:10) - The importance of profit Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Continuing a practice of three generations of business and community work in the Dallas area, Phillip and his twin brother, Co-Owner Donald, have developed their Land Development and Land Investing legacy by creating superior master-planned communities and multifamily community living styles. The firm has developed over 15,000 single-family homesites, and 2,800 multifamily units in the DFW metroplex, and invested in thousands of acres of land. The Huffines name has become widely esteemed within the industry and the State of Texas. Huffines Communities has assembled over 100 limited partnerships, created hundreds of jobs in North Texas, and generated billions in asset values. In 2021 alone, Huffines Communities invested over $120 MM in land.


We discuss:

  • How Huffines creates incredible Master Plan communities
  • City/state incentives 
  • Design, architecture, and amenity strategies after 30 years of building communities


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Huffines Communities


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:10) - Getting kicked out of military school

(00:08:47) - Master Plan communities

(00:16:00) - Phillip’s secret sauce

(00:20:11) - Finding a site for a community

(00:24:24) - State and city incentives

(00:29:47) - Establishing school districts

(00:34:03) - Experiences during the GFC

(00:36:28) - Entitlements

(00:39:50) - Entrance design & amenities

(00:43:13) - Community events

(00:45:51) - Planning

(00:53:52) - Thoughts on the market

(00:57:20) - Home builders and the DFW market

(01:02:19) - Nearly going bankrupt in the 80’s

(01:07:53) - Does anything concern you in the macro right now?

(01:11:10) - The importance of profit


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4682 #357 - Dov Hertz - Founder @ DH Property Holdings, LLC - The Greatest Land Assembler New York City Has Ever Seen Before founding DH Property Holdings, Dov was the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions of Asset Management at Extell Development Company. During his 13+ years at Extell, Dov negotiated and supervised the acquisitions of over $20 billion of New York real estate. Dov was directly responsible for sourcing some of the most notable transactions over the last 10 years, including The Ring Portfolio, One 57, Nordstrom Tower, and One Manhattan Square. We discuss: Stories from Dov’s career assembling iconic NYC sites Pivoting to Class B Industrial How to Negotiate in RE We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:56) - Dov’s early career  (00:05:02) - Land assemblage and zoning in NYC (00:13:12) - Tenant risks (00:16:06) - Assembling Central Park Tower site (00:27:21) - Assembling 1 Manhattan Square site (00:32:45) - The Ring portfolio (00:48:19) - Hiring Japanese actors to finalize a deal (00:56:42) - Venturing into Class B Industrial (01:13:58) - How would outsiders perform in NYC trying to assemble land? (01:15:00) - The power of negotiation Links DH Property Holdings More on Dov Hertz Dov in The Real Deal Dov in Crain's New York Business Dov's Real Estate Investment Blog Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 11 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 357 Chris Powers Before founding DH Property Holdings, Dov was the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions of Asset Management at Extell Development Company. During his 13+ years at Extell, Dov negotiated and supervised the acquisitions of over $20 billion of New York real estate. Dov was directly responsible for sourcing some of the most notable transactions over the last 10 years, including The Ring Portfolio, One 57, Nordstrom Tower, and One Manhattan Square. We discuss: Stories from Dov’s career assembling iconic NYC sites Pivoting to Class B Industrial How to Negotiate in RE We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:56) - Dov’s early career  (00:05:02) - Land assemblage and zoning in NYC (00:13:12) - Tenant risks (00:16:06) - Assembling Central Park Tower site (00:27:21) - Assembling 1 Manhattan Square site (00:32:45) - The Ring portfolio (00:48:19) - Hiring Japanese actors to finalize a deal (00:56:42) - Venturing into Class B Industrial (01:13:58) - How would outsiders perform in NYC trying to assemble land? (01:15:00) - The power of negotiation Links DH Property Holdings More on Dov Hertz Dov in The Real Deal Dov in Crain's New York Business Dov's Real Estate Investment Blog Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Before founding DH Property Holdings, Dov was the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions of Asset Management at Extell Development Company. During his 13+ years at Extell, Dov negotiated and supervised the acquisitions of over $20 billion of New York real estate. Dov was directly responsible for sourcing some of the most notable transactions over the last 10 years, including The Ring Portfolio, One 57, Nordstrom Tower, and One Manhattan Square.


We discuss:

  • Stories from Dov’s career assembling iconic NYC sites
  • Pivoting to Class B Industrial
  • How to Negotiate in RE


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:56) - Dov’s early career 

(00:05:02) - Land assemblage and zoning in NYC

(00:13:12) - Tenant risks

(00:16:06) - Assembling Central Park Tower site

(00:27:21) - Assembling 1 Manhattan Square site

(00:32:45) - The Ring portfolio

(00:48:19) - Hiring Japanese actors to finalize a deal

(00:56:42) - Venturing into Class B Industrial

(01:13:58) - How would outsiders perform in NYC trying to assemble land?

(01:15:00) - The power of negotiation


Links

DH Property Holdings

More on Dov Hertz

Dov in The Real Deal

Dov in Crain's New York Business

Dov's Real Estate Investment Blog


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5191 #356 - Larry Brogdon - Partner @ Four Sevens Oil Company - Tales From The Barnett Shale Larry Brogdon is a geologist and Partner with Four Sevens Oil Company with over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been involved in developing several major oil and gas plays, including the Barnett Shale.  We discuss: - The early days of the Barnett Shale - The impact of horizontal oil wells - The role of natural gas in the world and predictions for the energy industry We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - Larry’s entry into the oil business (00:05:00) - George Mitchell & the Barnett shale (00:19:07) - Capitalizing on the success of horizontal wells (00:26:32) - Building and exiting the business (00:33:21) - The role of natural gas in the world (00:39:55) - Larry’s investing thesis (00:45:40) - 10-year predictions Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 356 Chris Powers Larry Brogdon is a geologist and Partner with Four Sevens Oil Company with over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been involved in developing several major oil and gas plays, including the Barnett Shale.  We discuss: - The early days of the Barnett Shale - The impact of horizontal oil wells - The role of natural gas in the world and predictions for the energy industry We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - Larry’s entry into the oil business (00:05:00) - George Mitchell & the Barnett shale (00:19:07) - Capitalizing on the success of horizontal wells (00:26:32) - Building and exiting the business (00:33:21) - The role of natural gas in the world (00:39:55) - Larry’s investing thesis (00:45:40) - 10-year predictions Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Larry Brogdon is a geologist and Partner with Four Sevens Oil Company with over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been involved in developing several major oil and gas plays, including the Barnett Shale. 


We discuss:

- The early days of the Barnett Shale

- The impact of horizontal oil wells

- The role of natural gas in the world and predictions for the energy industry


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Support our Sponsors:

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:07) - Larry’s entry into the oil business

(00:05:00) - George Mitchell & the Barnett shale

(00:19:07) - Capitalizing on the success of horizontal wells

(00:26:32) - Building and exiting the business

(00:33:21) - The role of natural gas in the world

(00:39:55) - Larry’s investing thesis

(00:45:40) - 10-year predictions


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 2993 #355 - Michael Fishman & Michael Baum - Shareholders of Global RE Practice @ Greenberg Traurig, LLP - Legal Best Practices & The Egoless Partnership In today’s episode I sit down with Michael Fishman & Michael Baum are Co-Chairs of Global RE Practice @ Greenberg Traurig, LLP - one of the world's largest real estate practices. Their practice focuses on real estate, real estate finance, private equity and real estate fund formation. Their clients include institutional investors, investment advisors, public and private real estate companies, REITs, and financial institutions. They’ve worked to form domestic and cross-border real estate funds and joint ventures and regularly represent lenders on real estate projects throughout the United States and globally. In addition, their experience with mezzanine finance, mortgage finance, lease finance, and loan defeasance transactions. They regularly advise clients with regard to the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and management of multi-family, industrial, office, retail, and hotel properties in the United States and globally. We discuss: Fishman and Baum’s cross-border PE work The future of the law profession The state of the RE market Links: Greenberg Traurig A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe Michael Fishman Michael Baum Support our Sponsor: Associated Insurance Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:38) - The egoless partnership (00:12:51) - The process of doing business in Mexico (00:17:27) - What makes a great lawyer? (00:28:17) - Is it fair that most situations could be resolved without litigation? (00:31:46) - Making the jump to Greenberg (00:42:08) - Cowboy ethics (00:45:11) - What does your team look like today? (00:50:23) - Thoughts on AI’s impact on the legal profession (00:58:21) - Are young people wanting to be lawyers? (01:03:42) - What are you seeing in the real estate market? (01:20:43) - Data Centers (01:22:09) - Is there any Federal legislation on the horizon that listeners should be aware of? (01:26:15) - What is the biggest real estate risk people take without knowing? Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 28 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 355 Chris Powers In today’s episode I sit down with Michael Fishman & Michael Baum are Co-Chairs of Global RE Practice @ Greenberg Traurig, LLP - one of the world's largest real estate practices. Their practice focuses on real estate, real estate finance, private equity and real estate fund formation. Their clients include institutional investors, investment advisors, public and private real estate companies, REITs, and financial institutions. They’ve worked to form domestic and cross-border real estate funds and joint ventures and regularly represent lenders on real estate projects throughout the United States and globally. In addition, their experience with mezzanine finance, mortgage finance, lease finance, and loan defeasance transactions. They regularly advise clients with regard to the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and management of multi-family, industrial, office, retail, and hotel properties in the United States and globally. We discuss: Fishman and Baum’s cross-border PE work The future of the law profession The state of the RE market Links: Greenberg Traurig A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe Michael Fishman Michael Baum Support our Sponsor: Associated Insurance Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:38) - The egoless partnership (00:12:51) - The process of doing business in Mexico (00:17:27) - What makes a great lawyer? (00:28:17) - Is it fair that most situations could be resolved without litigation? (00:31:46) - Making the jump to Greenberg (00:42:08) - Cowboy ethics (00:45:11) - What does your team look like today? (00:50:23) - Thoughts on AI’s impact on the legal profession (00:58:21) - Are young people wanting to be lawyers? (01:03:42) - What are you seeing in the real estate market? (01:20:43) - Data Centers (01:22:09) - Is there any Federal legislation on the horizon that listeners should be aware of? (01:26:15) - What is the biggest real estate risk people take without knowing? Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts In today’s episode I sit down with Michael Fishman & Michael Baum are Co-Chairs of Global RE Practice @ Greenberg Traurig, LLP - one of the world's largest real estate practices. Their practice focuses on real estate, real estate finance, private equity and real estate fund formation.

Their clients include institutional investors, investment advisors, public and private real estate companies, REITs, and financial institutions. They’ve worked to form domestic and cross-border real estate funds and joint ventures and regularly represent lenders on real estate projects throughout the United States and globally. In addition, their experience with mezzanine finance, mortgage finance, lease finance, and loan defeasance transactions. They regularly advise clients with regard to the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and management of multi-family, industrial, office, retail, and hotel properties in the United States and globally.


We discuss:

  • Fishman and Baum’s cross-border PE work
  • The future of the law profession
  • The state of the RE market


Links:

Greenberg Traurig

A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe

Michael Fishman

Michael Baum


Support our Sponsor:

Associated Insurance


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:38) - The egoless partnership

(00:12:51) - The process of doing business in Mexico

(00:17:27) - What makes a great lawyer?

(00:28:17) - Is it fair that most situations could be resolved without litigation?

(00:31:46) - Making the jump to Greenberg

(00:42:08) - Cowboy ethics

(00:45:11) - What does your team look like today?

(00:50:23) - Thoughts on AI’s impact on the legal profession

(00:58:21) - Are young people wanting to be lawyers?

(01:03:42) - What are you seeing in the real estate market?

(01:20:43) - Data Centers

(01:22:09) - Is there any Federal legislation on the horizon that listeners should be aware of?

(01:26:15) - What is the biggest real estate risk people take without knowing?


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5320 #354 - Don Tepman (@StripMallGuy) - Strip Malls, Creating Value, Leasing Strategy, X/Twitter, Charlie Munger Don Tepman runs a real estate fund that focuses on buying neighborhood strip centers throughout the United States and also runs the 'StripMallGuy' account on X and LinkedIn. Mr. Tepman started his career in 2002 and led his first strip center purchase in 2006. He has completed 40 purchases and raised over $150M in LP capital. We discuss: Don’s career and mentors What makes a successful strip mall acquisition Building @stripmallguy and the future of the brand We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links StripMallGuy on X Resquared Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:56) - Don’s upbringing and career background (00:08:40) - The dynamics of suburban retail (00:12:42) - Don’s mentor & learnings (00:21:25) - Restaurants in strip centers (00:26:35) - Tenant mixes (00:30:20) - TI (00:35:41) - Where do folks waste money on exteriors? (00:37:18) - Drive-thrus (00:38:36) - Don’s hold period strategy (00:42:39) - Why do you stick to smaller deals? (00:45:26) - What is your approach to entering a new market? (00:53:02) - Why does Price per foot matter so much? (00:53:44) - Leasing (00:59:41) - Taxes and insurance (01:01:19) - StripMallGuy (01:08:45) - Working a deal through the system (01:12:44) - Thoughts on the market (01:18:22) - Luxury retail (01:19:53) - Meeting Charlie Munger (01:27:08) - Plans for SMG in the future Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 21 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 354 Chris Powers Don Tepman runs a real estate fund that focuses on buying neighborhood strip centers throughout the United States and also runs the 'StripMallGuy' account on X and LinkedIn. Mr. Tepman started his career in 2002 and led his first strip center purchase in 2006. He has completed 40 purchases and raised over $150M in LP capital. We discuss: Don’s career and mentors What makes a successful strip mall acquisition Building @stripmallguy and the future of the brand We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links StripMallGuy on X Resquared Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:56) - Don’s upbringing and career background (00:08:40) - The dynamics of suburban retail (00:12:42) - Don’s mentor & learnings (00:21:25) - Restaurants in strip centers (00:26:35) - Tenant mixes (00:30:20) - TI (00:35:41) - Where do folks waste money on exteriors? (00:37:18) - Drive-thrus (00:38:36) - Don’s hold period strategy (00:42:39) - Why do you stick to smaller deals? (00:45:26) - What is your approach to entering a new market? (00:53:02) - Why does Price per foot matter so much? (00:53:44) - Leasing (00:59:41) - Taxes and insurance (01:01:19) - StripMallGuy (01:08:45) - Working a deal through the system (01:12:44) - Thoughts on the market (01:18:22) - Luxury retail (01:19:53) - Meeting Charlie Munger (01:27:08) - Plans for SMG in the future Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Don Tepman runs a real estate fund that focuses on buying neighborhood strip centers throughout the United States and also runs the 'StripMallGuy' account on X and LinkedIn. Mr. Tepman started his career in 2002 and led his first strip center purchase in 2006. He has completed 40 purchases and raised over $150M in LP capital.


We discuss:

  • Don’s career and mentors
  • What makes a successful strip mall acquisition
  • Building @stripmallguy and the future of the brand


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

StripMallGuy on X

Resquared


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:56) - Don’s upbringing and career background

(00:08:40) - The dynamics of suburban retail

(00:12:42) - Don’s mentor & learnings

(00:21:25) - Restaurants in strip centers

(00:26:35) - Tenant mixes

(00:30:20) - TI

(00:35:41) - Where do folks waste money on exteriors?

(00:37:18) - Drive-thrus

(00:38:36) - Don’s hold period strategy

(00:42:39) - Why do you stick to smaller deals?

(00:45:26) - What is your approach to entering a new market?

(00:53:02) - Why does Price per foot matter so much?

(00:53:44) - Leasing

(00:59:41) - Taxes and insurance

(01:01:19) - StripMallGuy

(01:08:45) - Working a deal through the system

(01:12:44) - Thoughts on the market

(01:18:22) - Luxury retail

(01:19:53) - Meeting Charlie Munger

(01:27:08) - Plans for SMG in the future


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5453 #353 - Chris Powers & Jason Baxter - Foster: How Fort Is Harnessing The Power of Advanced Data & Artificial Intelligence I couldn’t be more excited to release today’s episode that shares in great detail how Fort is thinking about and using AI. Jason and I discuss our proprietary operating system, FOS, and how we’re leveraging AI to build Fort's next chapter. We’ve been building this technology for years and now the fun really begins. Jason Baxter joined Fort in 2015, bringing more than 25 years of real estate industry experience, an acute passion for entrepreneurship, and a vision for transforming big ideas into reality. As Chief Executive Officer/President, Jason oversees Fort’s strategic vision and execution of acquisitions, finances, and annual planning. In addition, Jason oversees the Fort Leadership Team and Investment Committee. Chris is a serial entrepreneur with 19 years of real estate development and investment experience. He founded Fort and to date, the company has invested over $2.1B in Class B industrial, commercial, multifamily, student housing, and land development projects throughout the state of Texas and the Sunbelt. In 2016, Chris made the decision to focus on Class B Industrial full time and that is where the firm has dedicated the majority of its resources since. On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss: Finding a single source of truth Building Fort’s AI thesis Examples of Foster at work Links: Fort in the WallStreet Journal - Harnessing the Power of Advanced Data FOS Overview Foster Overview Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:42) - The importance of technology (00:05:00) - Finding the single source of truth (00:09:24) - Building Fort’s AI thesis (00:11:48) - How the world uses AI vs. how Fort uses AI (00:18:15) - Examples of Foster at work (00:28:35) - What does Foster think Foster is? (00:31:46) - Why does all this matter? Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  Tue, 14 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 353 Chris Powers I couldn’t be more excited to release today’s episode that shares in great detail how Fort is thinking about and using AI. Jason and I discuss our proprietary operating system, FOS, and how we’re leveraging AI to build Fort's next chapter. We’ve been building this technology for years and now the fun really begins. Jason Baxter joined Fort in 2015, bringing more than 25 years of real estate industry experience, an acute passion for entrepreneurship, and a vision for transforming big ideas into reality. As Chief Executive Officer/President, Jason oversees Fort’s strategic vision and execution of acquisitions, finances, and annual planning. In addition, Jason oversees the Fort Leadership Team and Investment Committee. Chris is a serial entrepreneur with 19 years of real estate development and investment experience. He founded Fort and to date, the company has invested over $2.1B in Class B industrial, commercial, multifamily, student housing, and land development projects throughout the state of Texas and the Sunbelt. In 2016, Chris made the decision to focus on Class B Industrial full time and that is where the firm has dedicated the majority of its resources since. On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss: Finding a single source of truth Building Fort’s AI thesis Examples of Foster at work Links: Fort in the WallStreet Journal - Harnessing the Power of Advanced Data FOS Overview Foster Overview Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:42) - The importance of technology (00:05:00) - Finding the single source of truth (00:09:24) - Building Fort’s AI thesis (00:11:48) - How the world uses AI vs. how Fort uses AI (00:18:15) - Examples of Foster at work (00:28:35) - What does Foster think Foster is? (00:31:46) - Why does all this matter? Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  I couldn’t be more excited to release today’s episode that shares in great detail how Fort is thinking about and using AI. Jason and I discuss our proprietary operating system, FOS, and how we’re leveraging AI to build Fort's next chapter. We’ve been building this technology for years and now the fun really begins.

Jason Baxter joined Fort in 2015, bringing more than 25 years of real estate industry experience, an acute passion for entrepreneurship, and a vision for transforming big ideas into reality. As Chief Executive Officer/President, Jason oversees Fort’s strategic vision and execution of acquisitions, finances, and annual planning. In addition, Jason oversees the Fort Leadership Team and Investment Committee.

Chris is a serial entrepreneur with 19 years of real estate development and investment experience. He founded Fort and to date, the company has invested over $2.1B in Class B industrial, commercial, multifamily, student housing, and land development projects throughout the state of Texas and the Sunbelt. In 2016, Chris made the decision to focus on Class B Industrial full time and that is where the firm has dedicated the majority of its resources since.


On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss:

  • Finding a single source of truth
  • Building Fort’s AI thesis
  • Examples of Foster at work


Links:

Fort in the WallStreet Journal - Harnessing the Power of Advanced Data

FOS Overview

Foster Overview

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:00:42) - The importance of technology

(00:05:00) - Finding the single source of truth

(00:09:24) - Building Fort’s AI thesis

(00:11:48) - How the world uses AI vs. how Fort uses AI

(00:18:15) - Examples of Foster at work

(00:28:35) - What does Foster think Foster is?

(00:31:46) - Why does all this matter?


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

]]> 2277 #352 - Ryan Delk - Founder @ Primer - Fixing the Broken US Education System & Saving San Francisco Ryan Delk is the CEO and Founder of Primer — a platform that helps the top 1% of teachers launch Microschools in their communities. He’s spent the last decade building tech companies (like Square, Gumroad, and Omni) and was homeschooled K - 8th grade, which served as the early inspiration for Primer.  We discuss: - The state of education in America - Building Primer - Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Ryan on X Primer Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - Homeschooling & education in America 00:15:21 - Are we getting smarter in the current way we learn in school  (00:17:27) - Building Primer (00:25:19) - The process of starting a Microschool (00:30;15) - Zoning challenges & changing legislation (00:37:15) - Raising money from iconic investors (00:41:54) - Do people actively try to stop Primer from existing? (00:45:30) - Hiring undiscovered talent (00:52:17) - Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco (01:00:10) - Problem paralysis (01:02:28) - Grow SF (01:10:19) - The vibe shift (01:16:29) - Getting the most out of your day (01:21:35) - It’s all fake Support our Sponsors Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 07 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 352 Chris Powers Ryan Delk is the CEO and Founder of Primer — a platform that helps the top 1% of teachers launch Microschools in their communities. He’s spent the last decade building tech companies (like Square, Gumroad, and Omni) and was homeschooled K - 8th grade, which served as the early inspiration for Primer.  We discuss: - The state of education in America - Building Primer - Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Ryan on X Primer Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - Homeschooling & education in America 00:15:21 - Are we getting smarter in the current way we learn in school  (00:17:27) - Building Primer (00:25:19) - The process of starting a Microschool (00:30;15) - Zoning challenges & changing legislation (00:37:15) - Raising money from iconic investors (00:41:54) - Do people actively try to stop Primer from existing? (00:45:30) - Hiring undiscovered talent (00:52:17) - Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco (01:00:10) - Problem paralysis (01:02:28) - Grow SF (01:10:19) - The vibe shift (01:16:29) - Getting the most out of your day (01:21:35) - It’s all fake Support our Sponsors Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Ryan Delk is the CEO and Founder of Primer — a platform that helps the top 1% of teachers launch Microschools in their communities. He’s spent the last decade building tech companies (like Square, Gumroad, and Omni) and was homeschooled K - 8th grade, which served as the early inspiration for Primer. 


We discuss:

- The state of education in America

- Building Primer

- Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey



Links

Ryan on X

Primer


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:07) - Homeschooling & education in America

00:15:21 - Are we getting smarter in the current way we learn in school 

(00:17:27) - Building Primer

(00:25:19) - The process of starting a Microschool

(00:30;15) - Zoning challenges & changing legislation

(00:37:15) - Raising money from iconic investors

(00:41:54) - Do people actively try to stop Primer from existing?

(00:45:30) - Hiring undiscovered talent

(00:52:17) - Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco

(01:00:10) - Problem paralysis

(01:02:28) - Grow SF

(01:10:19) - The vibe shift

(01:16:29) - Getting the most out of your day

(01:21:35) - It’s all fake


Support our Sponsors

Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies

Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5188 #351 - Preston Holland - CCO @ FLYING Finance - Private Aviation 101 Preston Holland is the Chief Commercial Officer of FLYING Finance, which is an aircraft financing company. Before taking over the finance business, Preston ran FLYING Media Group (now known as Firecrown) as Chief Operating Officer.  We discuss: When folks should consider flying privately  Costs of owning a plane Chartering, jet cards, and fractional ownership A walkthrough of how to purchase an aircraft We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Preston on X Preston's Newsletter Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:33) - Preston’s career (00:18:44) - When to consider flying private (00:21:20) - Chartering (00:36:20) - Costs of plane ownership (00:48:40) - Dry leases (00:54:21) - Jet card memberships (00:59:52) - Fractional ownership (01:03:45) - Pilots (01:06:06) - Partnerships (01:07:50) - The process of buying an aircraft (01:23:02) - Tax implications (01:33:58) - How to know ownership is the right path  Support our Sponsors Oshman Aviation: https://bit.ly/3Qr9STF Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 02 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 351 Chris Powers Preston Holland is the Chief Commercial Officer of FLYING Finance, which is an aircraft financing company. Before taking over the finance business, Preston ran FLYING Media Group (now known as Firecrown) as Chief Operating Officer.  We discuss: When folks should consider flying privately  Costs of owning a plane Chartering, jet cards, and fractional ownership A walkthrough of how to purchase an aircraft We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Preston on X Preston's Newsletter Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:33) - Preston’s career (00:18:44) - When to consider flying private (00:21:20) - Chartering (00:36:20) - Costs of plane ownership (00:48:40) - Dry leases (00:54:21) - Jet card memberships (00:59:52) - Fractional ownership (01:03:45) - Pilots (01:06:06) - Partnerships (01:07:50) - The process of buying an aircraft (01:23:02) - Tax implications (01:33:58) - How to know ownership is the right path  Support our Sponsors Oshman Aviation: https://bit.ly/3Qr9STF Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Preston Holland is the Chief Commercial Officer of FLYING Finance, which is an aircraft financing company. Before taking over the finance business, Preston ran FLYING Media Group (now known as Firecrown) as Chief Operating Officer. 


We discuss:

  • When folks should consider flying privately 
  • Costs of owning a plane
  • Chartering, jet cards, and fractional ownership
  • A walkthrough of how to purchase an aircraft


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey



Links

Preston on X

Preston's Newsletter


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:05:33) - Preston’s career

(00:18:44) - When to consider flying private

(00:21:20) - Chartering

(00:36:20) - Costs of plane ownership

(00:48:40) - Dry leases

(00:54:21) - Jet card memberships

(00:59:52) - Fractional ownership

(01:03:45) - Pilots

(01:06:06) - Partnerships

(01:07:50) - The process of buying an aircraft

(01:23:02) - Tax implications

(01:33:58) - How to know ownership is the right path 


Support our Sponsors

Oshman Aviation: https://bit.ly/3Qr9STF

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6104 #350 - Mike Beckham - Co-Founder & CEO @ Simple Modern - A Former Pastor Built One Of The Fastest Growing E-Commerce Businesses In The US Mike Beckham is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simple Modern, a leading producer of premium drinkware and lifestyle products. Founded in 2015 and based in Oklahoma, SimpleModern currently generates a nine-figure annual revenue and is committed to generosity, donating at least 10% of annual profits to nonprofit organizations. Under Mike’s leadership, the company has grown into a category leader for Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. We discuss: Building Simple Modern during the peak of Yeti’s domination Hypergrowth strategies and living in a future with AI The power of product licensing and building moats The disadvantages of selling products online We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Simple Modern Mike on X Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:48) - Starting Simple Modern (00:15:46) - How much thought do you need to put into a product as simple as a cup? (00:17:51) - The Stanley Phenomenon (00:22:06) - Influencer marketing (00:24:15) - The pros of hiring your friends (00:33:21) - Learnings from spending 10 years as a pastor (00:43:43) - Hypergrowth (00:48:05) - AI (00:55:23) - Product Licensing (01:04:00) - Building moats (01:09:07) - Does Amazon take more and more margin out of products as you grow? (01:18:35) - Becoming an ESOP (01:27:01) - Offshoring and China (01:34:22) - What are some disadvantages to selling online? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 30 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 350 Chris Powers Mike Beckham is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simple Modern, a leading producer of premium drinkware and lifestyle products. Founded in 2015 and based in Oklahoma, SimpleModern currently generates a nine-figure annual revenue and is committed to generosity, donating at least 10% of annual profits to nonprofit organizations. Under Mike’s leadership, the company has grown into a category leader for Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. We discuss: Building Simple Modern during the peak of Yeti’s domination Hypergrowth strategies and living in a future with AI The power of product licensing and building moats The disadvantages of selling products online We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Simple Modern Mike on X Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:48) - Starting Simple Modern (00:15:46) - How much thought do you need to put into a product as simple as a cup? (00:17:51) - The Stanley Phenomenon (00:22:06) - Influencer marketing (00:24:15) - The pros of hiring your friends (00:33:21) - Learnings from spending 10 years as a pastor (00:43:43) - Hypergrowth (00:48:05) - AI (00:55:23) - Product Licensing (01:04:00) - Building moats (01:09:07) - Does Amazon take more and more margin out of products as you grow? (01:18:35) - Becoming an ESOP (01:27:01) - Offshoring and China (01:34:22) - What are some disadvantages to selling online? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mike Beckham is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simple Modern, a leading producer of premium drinkware and lifestyle products. Founded in 2015 and based in Oklahoma, SimpleModern currently generates a nine-figure annual revenue and is committed to generosity, donating at least 10% of annual profits to nonprofit organizations. Under Mike’s leadership, the company has grown into a category leader for Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club.


We discuss:

  • Building Simple Modern during the peak of Yeti’s domination
  • Hypergrowth strategies and living in a future with AI
  • The power of product licensing and building moats
  • The disadvantages of selling products online


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Simple Modern

Mike on X


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:48) - Starting Simple Modern

(00:15:46) - How much thought do you need to put into a product as simple as a cup?

(00:17:51) - The Stanley Phenomenon

(00:22:06) - Influencer marketing

(00:24:15) - The pros of hiring your friends

(00:33:21) - Learnings from spending 10 years as a pastor

(00:43:43) - Hypergrowth

(00:48:05) - AI

(00:55:23) - Product Licensing

(01:04:00) - Building moats

(01:09:07) - Does Amazon take more and more margin out of products as you grow?

(01:18:35) - Becoming an ESOP

(01:27:01) - Offshoring and China

(01:34:22) - What are some disadvantages to selling online?


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6191 #349 - Mark Hart - CEO/CIO Corriente Advisors - How He Predicted The ‘08 Housing Market Crash (And Won BIG) Mark Hart is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Corriente Advisors and an active investor in private technology companies. Throughout his career, Mark has developed a unique process and reputation for identifying potentially powerful macro and investment trends and opportunities ahead of consensus. Mark’s contributions and concepts have been widely showcased across various popular media platforms, earning him invitations to speak at prestigious gatherings of investment professionals in the Western world. We discuss:  - Betting against the housing market in 2008 - How Mark developed his macro thesis - Thoughts on China, inflation, bitcoin and AI We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Mark on X Corriente Advisors Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:54) - Mark’s career  (00:10:49) - How do you think about research? (00:15:44) - Betting against the housing market in ’08 (X) (00:23:52) - The China trade (00:25:19) - The European sovereign debt crisis (00:29:00) - How do you research a global trade? (00:31:52) - Mark on rebuilding his approach to life (00:37:44) - Thoughts on China in 2024 (00:46:55) - Inflation (00:53:12) - Bitcoin (01:00:52) - AI (01:04:56) - Cannabis Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 25 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 349 Chris Powers Mark Hart is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Corriente Advisors and an active investor in private technology companies. Throughout his career, Mark has developed a unique process and reputation for identifying potentially powerful macro and investment trends and opportunities ahead of consensus. Mark’s contributions and concepts have been widely showcased across various popular media platforms, earning him invitations to speak at prestigious gatherings of investment professionals in the Western world. We discuss:  - Betting against the housing market in 2008 - How Mark developed his macro thesis - Thoughts on China, inflation, bitcoin and AI We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Mark on X Corriente Advisors Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:54) - Mark’s career  (00:10:49) - How do you think about research? (00:15:44) - Betting against the housing market in ’08 (X) (00:23:52) - The China trade (00:25:19) - The European sovereign debt crisis (00:29:00) - How do you research a global trade? (00:31:52) - Mark on rebuilding his approach to life (00:37:44) - Thoughts on China in 2024 (00:46:55) - Inflation (00:53:12) - Bitcoin (01:00:52) - AI (01:04:56) - Cannabis Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mark Hart is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Corriente Advisors and an active investor in private technology companies.

Throughout his career, Mark has developed a unique process and reputation for identifying potentially powerful macro and investment trends and opportunities ahead of consensus. Mark’s contributions and concepts have been widely showcased across various popular media platforms, earning him invitations to speak at prestigious gatherings of investment professionals in the Western world.


We discuss: 

- Betting against the housing market in 2008

- How Mark developed his macro thesis

- Thoughts on China, inflation, bitcoin and AI


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Mark on X

Corriente Advisors


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:54) - Mark’s career 

(00:10:49) - How do you think about research?

(00:15:44) - Betting against the housing market in ’08 (X)

(00:23:52) - The China trade

(00:25:19) - The European sovereign debt crisis

(00:29:00) - How do you research a global trade?

(00:31:52) - Mark on rebuilding his approach to life

(00:37:44) - Thoughts on China in 2024

(00:46:55) - Inflation

(00:53:12) - Bitcoin

(01:00:52) - AI

(01:04:56) - Cannabis


Support our Sponsors:

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4613 #348 - Omar Morales - Investment Sales @ Berkadia - Meet The 30-Year-Old Who’s Sold $3.3B Of Miami Real Estate Omar Morales is an investment sales broker at Berkadia that sells land & multifamily properties across South Florida. He has sold over $3.3 billion worth of real estate ranging from $130M land deals to $355M multifamily properties, even though his average deal size is roughly $50M.  In this episode, Chris and Omar discuss: - The state of the Miami RE market - Building a world-class network - The importance of building an online brand We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:34) - The Morales family coming to America (00:10:49) - What’s the state of the Miami RE market? (00:13:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: Brickell (00:19:05) - How have you built a world-class network? (00:28:11) - Blackstone  (00:30:40) - How hard is it to enter the Miami market? (00:35:16) - Are there noticeable differences between domestic and foreign buyers? (00:36:31) - What’s your activity been like this year? (00:43:31) - How are people dealing with insurance in your market? (00:46:25) - The Condo crisis (00:55:59) - What are the things that get you to a quick ‘no’? (00:59:01) - Where would invest $20m in Miami and where would you invest $200m? (01:00:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: The Wynwood market & Design District (01:03:48) - What characteristics do your smartest clients have that separate them from the rest? (01:06:54) - What has building a brand online done for you? Omar Morales: Follow Omar on X Omar on LinkedIn Berkadia Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 23 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 348 Chris Powers Omar Morales is an investment sales broker at Berkadia that sells land & multifamily properties across South Florida. He has sold over $3.3 billion worth of real estate ranging from $130M land deals to $355M multifamily properties, even though his average deal size is roughly $50M.  In this episode, Chris and Omar discuss: - The state of the Miami RE market - Building a world-class network - The importance of building an online brand We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:34) - The Morales family coming to America (00:10:49) - What’s the state of the Miami RE market? (00:13:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: Brickell (00:19:05) - How have you built a world-class network? (00:28:11) - Blackstone  (00:30:40) - How hard is it to enter the Miami market? (00:35:16) - Are there noticeable differences between domestic and foreign buyers? (00:36:31) - What’s your activity been like this year? (00:43:31) - How are people dealing with insurance in your market? (00:46:25) - The Condo crisis (00:55:59) - What are the things that get you to a quick ‘no’? (00:59:01) - Where would invest $20m in Miami and where would you invest $200m? (01:00:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: The Wynwood market & Design District (01:03:48) - What characteristics do your smartest clients have that separate them from the rest? (01:06:54) - What has building a brand online done for you? Omar Morales: Follow Omar on X Omar on LinkedIn Berkadia Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Omar Morales is an investment sales broker at Berkadia that sells land & multifamily properties across South Florida. He has sold over $3.3 billion worth of real estate ranging from $130M land deals to $355M multifamily properties, even though his average deal size is roughly $50M. 


In this episode, Chris and Omar discuss:

- The state of the Miami RE market

- Building a world-class network

- The importance of building an online brand


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:34) - The Morales family coming to America

(00:10:49) - What’s the state of the Miami RE market?

(00:13:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: Brickell

(00:19:05) - How have you built a world-class network?

(00:28:11) - Blackstone 

(00:30:40) - How hard is it to enter the Miami market?

(00:35:16) - Are there noticeable differences between domestic and foreign buyers?

(00:36:31) - What’s your activity been like this year?

(00:43:31) - How are people dealing with insurance in your market?

(00:46:25) - The Condo crisis

(00:55:59) - What are the things that get you to a quick ‘no’?

(00:59:01) - Where would invest $20m in Miami and where would you invest $200m?

(01:00:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: The Wynwood market & Design District

(01:03:48) - What characteristics do your smartest clients have that separate them from the rest?

(01:06:54) - What has building a brand online done for you?


Omar Morales:

Follow Omar on X

Omar on LinkedIn

Berkadia


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4371 #347 - Elaine Agather - Chairman of DFW Region @ JP Morgan Chase - How A Texas Cowgirl Became The Chairman Of JPMorgan Chase (DFW) Elaine Agather is Chairman of the Dallas Region for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She also serves as the Central Region Head and Managing Director of The Private Bank at J.P. Morgan. Elaine joined Chemical Bank of New York in 1979, working in London, San Francisco, and New York until she relocated to Dallas in 1984. After the 1986 merger of Chemical Bank and Texas Commerce Bank, Elaine was promoted to Chairman of Texas Commerce Bank in Fort Worth in 1992 and joined the Private Bank to manage client advisory groups across the state in 1997. In 1999, she was elected Chairman and CEO of Dallas. On this episode, Elaine and Chris discuss: - Working with Jamie Dimon - Wealth Management 101 - Bank runs, cyber threats, AI, and the state of Banking We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:43) - Elaine’s early career in banking (00:15:40) - Taking over an underperforming bank (00:18:46) - Elaine’s rodeo career (00:28:11) - Working with Jamie Dimon (00:31:17) - Wealth Management (00:34:08) - How to transition wealth well (00:39:07) - The process of bringing in a generationally wealthy client (00:42:19) - The SVB & First Republic bank runs (00:45:04) - How to find an exceptional wealth manager (00:46:11) - Cyber threats, crypto & AI (00:48:40) - The state of banking (00:51:36) - DFW (00:55:03) - How do you know you’ve done a good job? (00:58:29) - Elaine’s 8: Get over it Support our Sponsors Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUqFort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 347 Chris Powers Elaine Agather is Chairman of the Dallas Region for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She also serves as the Central Region Head and Managing Director of The Private Bank at J.P. Morgan. Elaine joined Chemical Bank of New York in 1979, working in London, San Francisco, and New York until she relocated to Dallas in 1984. After the 1986 merger of Chemical Bank and Texas Commerce Bank, Elaine was promoted to Chairman of Texas Commerce Bank in Fort Worth in 1992 and joined the Private Bank to manage client advisory groups across the state in 1997. In 1999, she was elected Chairman and CEO of Dallas. On this episode, Elaine and Chris discuss: - Working with Jamie Dimon - Wealth Management 101 - Bank runs, cyber threats, AI, and the state of Banking We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:43) - Elaine’s early career in banking (00:15:40) - Taking over an underperforming bank (00:18:46) - Elaine’s rodeo career (00:28:11) - Working with Jamie Dimon (00:31:17) - Wealth Management (00:34:08) - How to transition wealth well (00:39:07) - The process of bringing in a generationally wealthy client (00:42:19) - The SVB & First Republic bank runs (00:45:04) - How to find an exceptional wealth manager (00:46:11) - Cyber threats, crypto & AI (00:48:40) - The state of banking (00:51:36) - DFW (00:55:03) - How do you know you’ve done a good job? (00:58:29) - Elaine’s 8: Get over it Support our Sponsors Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUqFort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Elaine Agather is Chairman of the Dallas Region for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She also serves as the Central Region Head and Managing Director of The Private Bank at J.P. Morgan.

Elaine joined Chemical Bank of New York in 1979, working in London, San Francisco, and New York until she relocated to Dallas in 1984. After the 1986 merger of Chemical Bank and Texas Commerce Bank, Elaine was promoted to Chairman of Texas Commerce Bank in Fort Worth in 1992 and joined the Private Bank to manage client advisory groups across the state in 1997. In 1999, she was elected Chairman and CEO of Dallas.


On this episode, Elaine and Chris discuss:

- Working with Jamie Dimon

- Wealth Management 101

- Bank runs, cyber threats, AI, and the state of Banking


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:43) - Elaine’s early career in banking

(00:15:40) - Taking over an underperforming bank

(00:18:46) - Elaine’s rodeo career

(00:28:11) - Working with Jamie Dimon

(00:31:17) - Wealth Management

(00:34:08) - How to transition wealth well

(00:39:07) - The process of bringing in a generationally wealthy client

(00:42:19) - The SVB & First Republic bank runs

(00:45:04) - How to find an exceptional wealth manager

(00:46:11) - Cyber threats, crypto & AI

(00:48:40) - The state of banking

(00:51:36) - DFW

(00:55:03) - How do you know you’ve done a good job?

(00:58:29) - Elaine’s 8: Get over it


Support our Sponsors

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUqFort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4035 #346 - David Perell - How Writing On The Internet Can Change Your Life David Perell is a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He believes writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. David seeks to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. More than 1,500 people from more than 70 countries have participated in David’s Write of Passage programs. The five-week bootcamp draws on David’s experience writing online, building an audience, and his interviews with dozens of great writers on his How I Write Podcast. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: David's upbringing and influences David's writing and creative processes How the Internet has changed the goals of writers The Jetski Theory, the Never Ending "Now" Theory, and other great takes explained We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: David on X How I Write Podcast - YouTube, Apple, Spotify Write of Passage David's website The 11 laws of show running What the hell is going on? By David Perell - https://perell.com/essay/what-the-hell-is-going-on/ Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:32) - David’s upbringing (00:07:43) - The influence of Walt Disney (00:10:48) - The loss of soul and creativity (00:15:18) - David’s creative process (00:17:54) - How David writes (00:25:50) - Why should other people start writing? (00:29:14) - Writing in text vs. Google Docs (00:31:15) - How have people benefitted from your writing program? (00:33:10) - Storytime (00:38:17) - Great writers on Twitter (00:42:38) - How has the internet changed the goals for writers? (00:42:28) - Setting out to prove or disprove the story of Jesus (00:51:51) - The Internal Struggle of American Idolatry  (01:01:24) - David explains various takes (01:22:33) - How will AI impact the world? (01:24:35) - The shiny dime theory Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mon, 08 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 346 Chris Powers David Perell is a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He believes writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. David seeks to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. More than 1,500 people from more than 70 countries have participated in David’s Write of Passage programs. The five-week bootcamp draws on David’s experience writing online, building an audience, and his interviews with dozens of great writers on his How I Write Podcast. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: David's upbringing and influences David's writing and creative processes How the Internet has changed the goals of writers The Jetski Theory, the Never Ending "Now" Theory, and other great takes explained We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: David on X How I Write Podcast - YouTube, Apple, Spotify Write of Passage David's website The 11 laws of show running What the hell is going on? By David Perell - https://perell.com/essay/what-the-hell-is-going-on/ Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:32) - David’s upbringing (00:07:43) - The influence of Walt Disney (00:10:48) - The loss of soul and creativity (00:15:18) - David’s creative process (00:17:54) - How David writes (00:25:50) - Why should other people start writing? (00:29:14) - Writing in text vs. Google Docs (00:31:15) - How have people benefitted from your writing program? (00:33:10) - Storytime (00:38:17) - Great writers on Twitter (00:42:38) - How has the internet changed the goals for writers? (00:42:28) - Setting out to prove or disprove the story of Jesus (00:51:51) - The Internal Struggle of American Idolatry  (01:01:24) - David explains various takes (01:22:33) - How will AI impact the world? (01:24:35) - The shiny dime theory Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts David Perell is a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He believes writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. David seeks to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

More than 1,500 people from more than 70 countries have participated in David’s Write of Passage programs. The five-week bootcamp draws on David’s experience writing online, building an audience, and his interviews with dozens of great writers on his How I Write Podcast.


On this episode, Chris and David discuss:

  • David's upbringing and influences
  • David's writing and creative processes
  • How the Internet has changed the goals of writers
  • The Jetski Theory, the Never Ending "Now" Theory, and other great takes explained


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

David on X

How I Write Podcast - YouTube, Apple, Spotify

Write of Passage

David's website

The 11 laws of show running

What the hell is going on? By David Perell - https://perell.com/essay/what-the-hell-is-going-on/



Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:32) - David’s upbringing

(00:07:43) - The influence of Walt Disney

(00:10:48) - The loss of soul and creativity

(00:15:18) - David’s creative process

(00:17:54) - How David writes

(00:25:50) - Why should other people start writing?

(00:29:14) - Writing in text vs. Google Docs

(00:31:15) - How have people benefitted from your writing program?

(00:33:10) - Storytime

(00:38:17) - Great writers on Twitter

(00:42:38) - How has the internet changed the goals for writers?

(00:42:28) - Setting out to prove or disprove the story of Jesus

(00:51:51) - The Internal Struggle of American Idolatry 

(01:01:24) - David explains various takes

(01:22:33) - How will AI impact the world?

(01:24:35) - The shiny dime theory


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5300 #345 - Chuck Anderson - Co-Founder @ Bandera Ventures Charles Anderson founded Bandera Ventures with Pryor Blackwell and Thomas Leiser in May 2003. The Partners have over 140 years’ of experience in commercial real estate development, encompassing more than 62 million square feet of development and acquisitions throughout the United States and Canada. Bandera’s real estate development expertise includes office, industrial, retail, medical, data centers, and build-to-suit projects. We discuss: How Trammell Crow was able to produce so many successful RE operators Building Bandera Ventures Why DFW is the best real estate market in America We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Bandera Ventures Trammell Crow Company Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:06) - Chuck’s background (00:07:39) - Experiences working at Trammell Crow (00:10:39) - Thoughts on the current market (00:15:20) - How Trammell Crow was able to have so many All-stars under one roof (00:17:58) - Chuck’s role at Trammell Crow (00:19:57) - Ideating Bandera (00:22:35) - Battling cancer & the power of Bible study (00:32:32) - Advice for young folks  (00:34:58) - Inside Bandera (00:40:50) - Data centers (00:47:08) - Bandera’s org structure (00:50:13) - Recourse Debt (00:52:54) - What would it take for you to do an office deal? (00:53:59) - TI (00:57:22) - Super luxury markets (01:00:27) - Capitalizing deals (01:05:42) - Development (01:07:08) - Why DFW is the best market in the country (01:15:43) - Permitting and Zoning (01:18:50) - Market predictions Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 02 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 345 Chris Powers Charles Anderson founded Bandera Ventures with Pryor Blackwell and Thomas Leiser in May 2003. The Partners have over 140 years’ of experience in commercial real estate development, encompassing more than 62 million square feet of development and acquisitions throughout the United States and Canada. Bandera’s real estate development expertise includes office, industrial, retail, medical, data centers, and build-to-suit projects. We discuss: How Trammell Crow was able to produce so many successful RE operators Building Bandera Ventures Why DFW is the best real estate market in America We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Bandera Ventures Trammell Crow Company Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:06) - Chuck’s background (00:07:39) - Experiences working at Trammell Crow (00:10:39) - Thoughts on the current market (00:15:20) - How Trammell Crow was able to have so many All-stars under one roof (00:17:58) - Chuck’s role at Trammell Crow (00:19:57) - Ideating Bandera (00:22:35) - Battling cancer & the power of Bible study (00:32:32) - Advice for young folks  (00:34:58) - Inside Bandera (00:40:50) - Data centers (00:47:08) - Bandera’s org structure (00:50:13) - Recourse Debt (00:52:54) - What would it take for you to do an office deal? (00:53:59) - TI (00:57:22) - Super luxury markets (01:00:27) - Capitalizing deals (01:05:42) - Development (01:07:08) - Why DFW is the best market in the country (01:15:43) - Permitting and Zoning (01:18:50) - Market predictions Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Charles Anderson founded Bandera Ventures with Pryor Blackwell and Thomas Leiser in May 2003. The Partners have over 140 years’ of experience in commercial real estate development, encompassing more than 62 million square feet of development and acquisitions throughout the United States and Canada. Bandera’s real estate development expertise includes office, industrial, retail, medical, data centers, and build-to-suit projects.

We discuss:

  • How Trammell Crow was able to produce so many successful RE operators
  • Building Bandera Ventures
  • Why DFW is the best real estate market in America


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Bandera Ventures

Trammell Crow Company


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:06) - Chuck’s background

(00:07:39) - Experiences working at Trammell Crow

(00:10:39) - Thoughts on the current market

(00:15:20) - How Trammell Crow was able to have so many All-stars under one roof

(00:17:58) - Chuck’s role at Trammell Crow

(00:19:57) - Ideating Bandera

(00:22:35) - Battling cancer & the power of Bible study

(00:32:32) - Advice for young folks 

(00:34:58) - Inside Bandera

(00:40:50) - Data centers

(00:47:08) - Bandera’s org structure

(00:50:13) - Recourse Debt

(00:52:54) - What would it take for you to do an office deal?

(00:53:59) - TI

(00:57:22) - Super luxury markets

(01:00:27) - Capitalizing deals

(01:05:42) - Development

(01:07:08) - Why DFW is the best market in the country

(01:15:43) - Permitting and Zoning

(01:18:50) - Market predictions


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5035 #344 - Rusty Reid - CEO @ Higginbotham - Building An Insurance Business That Has Compounded 20% YoY for 35+ years Rusty Reid was named president and CEO of Higginbotham in 1989 at the age of 27. At that time, he implemented the firm’s defining “single source” service model whereby customers can obtain all their insurance and financial services under one roof. He also had the foresight to establish Higginbotham’s employee ownership structure, aligning all employees’ interests in the success of the firm. Under Rusty’s leadership, Higginbotham has grown to become the nation’s 21st-largest independent insurance brokerage firm and Texas’s largest—one with full property/casualty, financial, and HR service capabilities through offices coast to coast. We discuss: How to recruit well and build a culture Successfully integrating acquired companies Philosophy of generosity We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Higginbotham Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:56) - Infectious energy (00:04:38) - Rusty’s early life and career (00:22:34) - Company growth strategies (00:31:30) - How to recruit well (00:37:35) - Building culture (00:42:15) - Rusty on ‘buying themselves’ (00:56:18) - Going on offense and acquiring companies (01:01:27) - The value in staying busy (01:05:52) - How to value an insurance business (01:11:16) - How do you integrate an acquisition? (01:17:10) - StonePoint partnership (01:20:45) - Thoughts on AI (01:26:51) - Philosophy on generosity Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 26 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 344 Chris Powers Rusty Reid was named president and CEO of Higginbotham in 1989 at the age of 27. At that time, he implemented the firm’s defining “single source” service model whereby customers can obtain all their insurance and financial services under one roof. He also had the foresight to establish Higginbotham’s employee ownership structure, aligning all employees’ interests in the success of the firm. Under Rusty’s leadership, Higginbotham has grown to become the nation’s 21st-largest independent insurance brokerage firm and Texas’s largest—one with full property/casualty, financial, and HR service capabilities through offices coast to coast. We discuss: How to recruit well and build a culture Successfully integrating acquired companies Philosophy of generosity We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Higginbotham Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:56) - Infectious energy (00:04:38) - Rusty’s early life and career (00:22:34) - Company growth strategies (00:31:30) - How to recruit well (00:37:35) - Building culture (00:42:15) - Rusty on ‘buying themselves’ (00:56:18) - Going on offense and acquiring companies (01:01:27) - The value in staying busy (01:05:52) - How to value an insurance business (01:11:16) - How do you integrate an acquisition? (01:17:10) - StonePoint partnership (01:20:45) - Thoughts on AI (01:26:51) - Philosophy on generosity Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Rusty Reid was named president and CEO of Higginbotham in 1989 at the age of 27. At that time, he implemented the firm’s defining “single source” service model whereby customers can obtain all their insurance and financial services under one roof. He also had the foresight to establish Higginbotham’s employee ownership structure, aligning all employees’ interests in the success of the firm. Under Rusty’s leadership, Higginbotham has grown to become the nation’s 21st-largest independent insurance brokerage firm and Texas’s largest—one with full property/casualty, financial, and HR service capabilities through offices coast to coast.


We discuss:

  • How to recruit well and build a culture
  • Successfully integrating acquired companies
  • Philosophy of generosity


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Higginbotham


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:56) - Infectious energy

(00:04:38) - Rusty’s early life and career

(00:22:34) - Company growth strategies

(00:31:30) - How to recruit well

(00:37:35) - Building culture

(00:42:15) - Rusty on ‘buying themselves’

(00:56:18) - Going on offense and acquiring companies

(01:01:27) - The value in staying busy

(01:05:52) - How to value an insurance business

(01:11:16) - How do you integrate an acquisition?

(01:17:10) - StonePoint partnership

(01:20:45) - Thoughts on AI

(01:26:51) - Philosophy on generosity


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5742 #343 - Yossi Levi - Founder @ CarDealershipGuy - Taking the Auto Industry By Storm Car Dealership Guy is currently the fastest-growing automotive media brand in the U.S and has captivated audiences with its top-rated podcast, weekly newsletter, and viral social channels, boasting a combined 80+ million impressions per month. On this episode, Chris and Yossi discuss: Yossi’s early career that lead to CDG How he grew the brand into a full-time business What it takes to drive meaningful growth on social media The state of the car industry in 2024 We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Car Dealership Guy The CDG Podcast Car Dealership Guy on X Yossi on X Who The F*ck is Car Dealership Guy - Reveal Video Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:32) - Yossi’s early career and car industry insights (00:12:39) - Buiding Gettacar (00:26:51) - Building Car Dealership Guy (00:32:24) - Content & growth inflection points (00:41:07) - Deciding to make CDG a full-time business (00:47:07) - The content flywheel (00:51:54) - The value of Podcasts (00:56:12) - What channels matter to you? (01:03:46) - Yossi’s decision to make himself public (01:10:47) - What is the big vision for CDG? (01:15:51) - What does Apple dropping their vehicle project mean? (01:19:57) - What’s captivating you right now in the industry? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 19 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 343 Chris Powers Car Dealership Guy is currently the fastest-growing automotive media brand in the U.S and has captivated audiences with its top-rated podcast, weekly newsletter, and viral social channels, boasting a combined 80+ million impressions per month. On this episode, Chris and Yossi discuss: Yossi’s early career that lead to CDG How he grew the brand into a full-time business What it takes to drive meaningful growth on social media The state of the car industry in 2024 We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Car Dealership Guy The CDG Podcast Car Dealership Guy on X Yossi on X Who The F*ck is Car Dealership Guy - Reveal Video Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:32) - Yossi’s early career and car industry insights (00:12:39) - Buiding Gettacar (00:26:51) - Building Car Dealership Guy (00:32:24) - Content & growth inflection points (00:41:07) - Deciding to make CDG a full-time business (00:47:07) - The content flywheel (00:51:54) - The value of Podcasts (00:56:12) - What channels matter to you? (01:03:46) - Yossi’s decision to make himself public (01:10:47) - What is the big vision for CDG? (01:15:51) - What does Apple dropping their vehicle project mean? (01:19:57) - What’s captivating you right now in the industry? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Car Dealership Guy is currently the fastest-growing automotive media brand in the U.S and has captivated audiences with its top-rated podcast, weekly newsletter, and viral social channels, boasting a combined 80+ million impressions per month.

On this episode, Chris and Yossi discuss:

  • Yossi’s early career that lead to CDG
  • How he grew the brand into a full-time business
  • What it takes to drive meaningful growth on social media
  • The state of the car industry in 2024


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Car Dealership Guy

The CDG Podcast

Car Dealership Guy on X

Yossi on X

Who The F*ck is Car Dealership Guy - Reveal Video


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:32) - Yossi’s early career and car industry insights

(00:12:39) - Buiding Gettacar

(00:26:51) - Building Car Dealership Guy

(00:32:24) - Content & growth inflection points

(00:41:07) - Deciding to make CDG a full-time business

(00:47:07) - The content flywheel

(00:51:54) - The value of Podcasts

(00:56:12) - What channels matter to you?

(01:03:46) - Yossi’s decision to make himself public

(01:10:47) - What is the big vision for CDG?

(01:15:51) - What does Apple dropping their vehicle project mean?

(01:19:57) - What’s captivating you right now in the industry?


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5093 #342 - Dean Macfarlan - Founding Partner @ Macfarlan Capital Partners - 10 Life Lessons Dean Macfarlan is the founder of Macfarlan Capital Partners, a real estate investment sponsor based in Dallas, TX. He has 40 years of industry experience in the development, acquisition, repositioning, and sale of investment properties exceeding the $1.5 billion mark. On this episode, Chris and Dean discuss: Marriage philosophy Life over living Dean’s 10 Life Lessons We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Dean's 10 Life Lessons Macfarlan Capital Partners Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:19) - Who is Dean? (00:12:01) - Coming to Christ (00:18:06) - Marriage (00:29:54) - Life over Living (00:38:19) - 10 Life Lessons Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 12 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 342 Chris Powers Dean Macfarlan is the founder of Macfarlan Capital Partners, a real estate investment sponsor based in Dallas, TX. He has 40 years of industry experience in the development, acquisition, repositioning, and sale of investment properties exceeding the $1.5 billion mark. On this episode, Chris and Dean discuss: Marriage philosophy Life over living Dean’s 10 Life Lessons We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Dean's 10 Life Lessons Macfarlan Capital Partners Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:19) - Who is Dean? (00:12:01) - Coming to Christ (00:18:06) - Marriage (00:29:54) - Life over Living (00:38:19) - 10 Life Lessons Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Dean Macfarlan is the founder of Macfarlan Capital Partners, a real estate investment sponsor based in Dallas, TX. He has 40 years of industry experience in the development, acquisition, repositioning, and sale of investment properties exceeding the $1.5 billion mark.


On this episode, Chris and Dean discuss:

  • Marriage philosophy
  • Life over living
  • Dean’s 10 Life Lessons


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Dean's 10 Life Lessons

Macfarlan Capital Partners


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:19) - Who is Dean?

(00:12:01) - Coming to Christ

(00:18:06) - Marriage

(00:29:54) - Life over Living

(00:38:19) - 10 Life Lessons


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts


]]> 4837 #341 - George Young - CEO @ Pegasus Resources - Stories From an Oil Legend George Young is the CEO of Pegasus Resources, a mineral and royalty company based in Fort Worth, Texas, focused on the acquisition and management of properties primarily located in the Permian Basin. Pegasus is financially backed by a $600 million equity commitment from EnCap Investments L.P. On this episode, Chris and George discuss: George’s career in Oil and Minerals The history of the Texas Oil Fields Leadership stories and philosophies We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Pegasus Resources Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:23) - The Cook Ranch  (00:12:45) - The Young family’s entrance into the oil business (00:18:40) - George’s early life & career (00:40:24) - 10% Ted (00:59:06) - Career stories (01:22:52) - Getting into the mineral world Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 05 Mar 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 341 Chris Powers George Young is the CEO of Pegasus Resources, a mineral and royalty company based in Fort Worth, Texas, focused on the acquisition and management of properties primarily located in the Permian Basin. Pegasus is financially backed by a $600 million equity commitment from EnCap Investments L.P. On this episode, Chris and George discuss: George’s career in Oil and Minerals The history of the Texas Oil Fields Leadership stories and philosophies We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Pegasus Resources Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:23) - The Cook Ranch  (00:12:45) - The Young family’s entrance into the oil business (00:18:40) - George’s early life & career (00:40:24) - 10% Ted (00:59:06) - Career stories (01:22:52) - Getting into the mineral world Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts George Young is the CEO of Pegasus Resources, a mineral and royalty company based in Fort Worth, Texas, focused on the acquisition and management of properties primarily located in the Permian Basin. Pegasus is financially backed by a $600 million equity commitment from EnCap Investments L.P.


On this episode, Chris and George discuss:

  • George’s career in Oil and Minerals
  • The history of the Texas Oil Fields
  • Leadership stories and philosophies


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Pegasus Resources


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:23) - The Cook Ranch 

(00:12:45) - The Young family’s entrance into the oil business

(00:18:40) - George’s early life & career

(00:40:24) - 10% Ted

(00:59:06) - Career stories

(01:22:52) - Getting into the mineral world


Support our Sponsors:

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6013 #340 - Chris Hellgeth aka Gas Biz Guy - Owner @ Vi-Mac - Building a $100M Gasoline Empire Chris, aka @Gas_biz, is the owner of Vi-Mac, Atlanta’s hometown gasoline transportation company, which services approximately 1000+ gas stations throughout the State of Georgia. We discuss: The economics of the gas station business Chris’ career: the rise, the fall, and the comeback How to flip gas stations Where gas stations stand in an EV world We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Chris on X 'Fuel for Thought' Newsletter Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:54) - The family gas business and Chris’ early life (00:08:41) - How is money made in gas stations? (00:12:00) - The perfect site for a gas station (00:14:13) - What is ‘great service’ in gas stations? (00:17:13) - What are the anchor products in the shop? (00:22:34) - Buying 25% of the family business (00:24:33) - The economics of check cashing (00:27:12) - Growing the business (00:30:32) - Making mistakes (00:41:13) - The light at the end of the tunnel (00:50:20) - How do you flip a gas station? (00:52:58) - Selling the business (01:01:14) - Gas station crime (01:03:51) - The trucking business (01:05:48) - Management philosophies (01:06:51) - Running a great trucking company (01:09:14) - The gasoline supply chain (01:10:09) - What do you see as disruptive to the gas station industry? (01:15:15) - Environmental processes (01:17:19) - The video poker industry Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 340 Chris Powers Chris, aka @Gas_biz, is the owner of Vi-Mac, Atlanta’s hometown gasoline transportation company, which services approximately 1000+ gas stations throughout the State of Georgia. We discuss: The economics of the gas station business Chris’ career: the rise, the fall, and the comeback How to flip gas stations Where gas stations stand in an EV world We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Chris on X 'Fuel for Thought' Newsletter Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:54) - The family gas business and Chris’ early life (00:08:41) - How is money made in gas stations? (00:12:00) - The perfect site for a gas station (00:14:13) - What is ‘great service’ in gas stations? (00:17:13) - What are the anchor products in the shop? (00:22:34) - Buying 25% of the family business (00:24:33) - The economics of check cashing (00:27:12) - Growing the business (00:30:32) - Making mistakes (00:41:13) - The light at the end of the tunnel (00:50:20) - How do you flip a gas station? (00:52:58) - Selling the business (01:01:14) - Gas station crime (01:03:51) - The trucking business (01:05:48) - Management philosophies (01:06:51) - Running a great trucking company (01:09:14) - The gasoline supply chain (01:10:09) - What do you see as disruptive to the gas station industry? (01:15:15) - Environmental processes (01:17:19) - The video poker industry Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris, aka @Gas_biz, is the owner of Vi-Mac, Atlanta’s hometown gasoline transportation company, which services approximately 1000+ gas stations throughout the State of Georgia.

We discuss:

  • The economics of the gas station business
  • Chris’ career: the rise, the fall, and the comeback
  • How to flip gas stations
  • Where gas stations stand in an EV world


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Chris on X

'Fuel for Thought' Newsletter


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:54) - The family gas business and Chris’ early life

(00:08:41) - How is money made in gas stations?

(00:12:00) - The perfect site for a gas station

(00:14:13) - What is ‘great service’ in gas stations?

(00:17:13) - What are the anchor products in the shop?

(00:22:34) - Buying 25% of the family business

(00:24:33) - The economics of check cashing

(00:27:12) - Growing the business

(00:30:32) - Making mistakes

(00:41:13) - The light at the end of the tunnel

(00:50:20) - How do you flip a gas station?

(00:52:58) - Selling the business

(01:01:14) - Gas station crime

(01:03:51) - The trucking business

(01:05:48) - Management philosophies

(01:06:51) - Running a great trucking company

(01:09:14) - The gasoline supply chain

(01:10:09) - What do you see as disruptive to the gas station industry?

(01:15:15) - Environmental processes

(01:17:19) - The video poker industry


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4818 #339 - Simon Wagner - Founder @ Granite Oak - Compounding $1M to $250M in 10 years Simon Wagner is the Founder and Managing Partner of Granite Oak, a private investment firm with over $250mm of assets across Real Estate and Venture Capital. His career spans more than 20 years of investing and entrepreneurship in financial markets and alternative investments. On this episode, Chris and Simon discuss: Working in mortgage-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in 2006 Developing his commercial mortgage thesis The Irish real estate market Planning & Entitlements We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Granite Oak Simon on X Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:51) - Meeting Simon and his journey to the United States (00:10:44) - Working in mortgaged-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in ’06 (00:24:35) - Forming the commercial mortgage thesis (00:39:54) - Lending Lessons learned (00:42:26) - Entering the Ireland market (00:45:24) - Simon’s first deal (00:56:25) - Irish vs. American loans (00:57:13) - Simon’s portfolio today (00:59:37) - Ireland’s influx of foreign capital and housing shortages (01:07:21) - Fundraising (01:13:53) - Planning and entitlements Support our Sponsors: RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 22 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 339 Chris Powers Simon Wagner is the Founder and Managing Partner of Granite Oak, a private investment firm with over $250mm of assets across Real Estate and Venture Capital. His career spans more than 20 years of investing and entrepreneurship in financial markets and alternative investments. On this episode, Chris and Simon discuss: Working in mortgage-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in 2006 Developing his commercial mortgage thesis The Irish real estate market Planning & Entitlements We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Granite Oak Simon on X Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:51) - Meeting Simon and his journey to the United States (00:10:44) - Working in mortgaged-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in ’06 (00:24:35) - Forming the commercial mortgage thesis (00:39:54) - Lending Lessons learned (00:42:26) - Entering the Ireland market (00:45:24) - Simon’s first deal (00:56:25) - Irish vs. American loans (00:57:13) - Simon’s portfolio today (00:59:37) - Ireland’s influx of foreign capital and housing shortages (01:07:21) - Fundraising (01:13:53) - Planning and entitlements Support our Sponsors: RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Simon Wagner is the Founder and Managing Partner of Granite Oak, a private investment firm with over $250mm of assets across Real Estate and Venture Capital. His career spans more than 20 years of investing and entrepreneurship in financial markets and alternative investments.


On this episode, Chris and Simon discuss:

  • Working in mortgage-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in 2006
  • Developing his commercial mortgage thesis
  • The Irish real estate market
  • Planning & Entitlements


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Granite Oak

Simon on X


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:51) - Meeting Simon and his journey to the United States

(00:10:44) - Working in mortgaged-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in ’06

(00:24:35) - Forming the commercial mortgage thesis

(00:39:54) - Lending Lessons learned

(00:42:26) - Entering the Ireland market

(00:45:24) - Simon’s first deal

(00:56:25) - Irish vs. American loans

(00:57:13) - Simon’s portfolio today

(00:59:37) - Ireland’s influx of foreign capital and housing shortages

(01:07:21) - Fundraising

(01:13:53) - Planning and entitlements


Support our Sponsors:

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4960 #338 - Jamie Winship - Living Fearless Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas. After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S.  We discuss: How to discover your true identity Separation and Connection world views Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Jamie's website Living Fearless by Jamie Winship Identity Exchange Finding Hope in Depression Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:55) - Jamie’s background and upbringing (00:05:49) - Being recruited into the CIA (00:11:43) - What is identity? (00:15:32) - How can I discover my true identity? (00:27:32) - Separation vs. connection world views (00:35:41) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East (00:52:55) - How to change the mentality of another person (01:06:30) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 338 Chris Powers Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas. After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S.  We discuss: How to discover your true identity Separation and Connection world views Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Jamie's website Living Fearless by Jamie Winship Identity Exchange Finding Hope in Depression Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:55) - Jamie’s background and upbringing (00:05:49) - Being recruited into the CIA (00:11:43) - What is identity? (00:15:32) - How can I discover my true identity? (00:27:32) - Separation vs. connection world views (00:35:41) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East (00:52:55) - How to change the mentality of another person (01:06:30) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas.

After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S. 


We discuss:

  • How to discover your true identity
  • Separation and Connection world views
  • Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East
  • Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Jamie's website

Living Fearless by Jamie Winship

Identity Exchange

Finding Hope in Depression


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:55) - Jamie’s background and upbringing

(00:05:49) - Being recruited into the CIA

(00:11:43) - What is identity?

(00:15:32) - How can I discover my true identity?

(00:27:32) - Separation vs. connection world views

(00:35:41) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East

(00:52:55) - How to change the mentality of another person

(01:06:30) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4757 #337 - Ian Cassel - Founder @ Intelligent Fanatics Capital Mgmt - The Art of Microcap Investing Ian is the founder of MicroCapClub.com, a global community of microcap investors. He is also the founder of Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management LLC, where his team works with private wealth clients to help give them exposure to the smallest public companies in the world. We discuss: The world of microcap investing Why the greatest investors started in microcap Building MicroCap Club Ian’s process for investing in a company We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Ian on X MicroCapClub.com Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:06) - Growing up near the Amish (00:06:31) - Getting into Microcap investing (00:13:42) - Why most microcaps lose money (00:16:02) - The cost of being a public company (00:17:57) - Why the greatest investors started in microcap (00:21:22) - Experiences during the GFC (00:26:29) - Starting MicroCapClub (00:32:20) - Ian’s process (00:49:30) - Do you expect stock movement when you buy into a company? (00:54:40) - Due diligence  (01:02:01) - Finding undervalue (01:03:32) - Emotion in Investing (01:07:05) - Thoughts on the market (01:12:02) - What size does a microcap end? (01:14:06) - What are the best sources of information for mIcrocap? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 337 Chris Powers Ian is the founder of MicroCapClub.com, a global community of microcap investors. He is also the founder of Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management LLC, where his team works with private wealth clients to help give them exposure to the smallest public companies in the world. We discuss: The world of microcap investing Why the greatest investors started in microcap Building MicroCap Club Ian’s process for investing in a company We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Ian on X MicroCapClub.com Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:06) - Growing up near the Amish (00:06:31) - Getting into Microcap investing (00:13:42) - Why most microcaps lose money (00:16:02) - The cost of being a public company (00:17:57) - Why the greatest investors started in microcap (00:21:22) - Experiences during the GFC (00:26:29) - Starting MicroCapClub (00:32:20) - Ian’s process (00:49:30) - Do you expect stock movement when you buy into a company? (00:54:40) - Due diligence  (01:02:01) - Finding undervalue (01:03:32) - Emotion in Investing (01:07:05) - Thoughts on the market (01:12:02) - What size does a microcap end? (01:14:06) - What are the best sources of information for mIcrocap? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Ian is the founder of MicroCapClub.com, a global community of microcap investors. He is also the founder of Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management LLC, where his team works with private wealth clients to help give them exposure to the smallest public companies in the world.

We discuss:

  • The world of microcap investing
  • Why the greatest investors started in microcap
  • Building MicroCap Club
  • Ian’s process for investing in a company


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Ian on X

MicroCapClub.com


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:06) - Growing up near the Amish

(00:06:31) - Getting into Microcap investing

(00:13:42) - Why most microcaps lose money

(00:16:02) - The cost of being a public company

(00:17:57) - Why the greatest investors started in microcap

(00:21:22) - Experiences during the GFC

(00:26:29) - Starting MicroCapClub

(00:32:20) - Ian’s process

(00:49:30) - Do you expect stock movement when you buy into a company?

(00:54:40) - Due diligence 

(01:02:01) - Finding undervalue

(01:03:32) - Emotion in Investing

(01:07:05) - Thoughts on the market

(01:12:02) - What size does a microcap end?

(01:14:06) - What are the best sources of information for mIcrocap?



Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4632 #336 - Bill Cawley - CEO @ Cawley Partners Bill Cawley is the brand and vision behind Cawley Partners, a full-service, Dallas-based real estate company historically focused on commercial office product. Over the course of his career, Bill has owned all classes of commercial real estate in multiple markets across the country. He is continually recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth. Cawley Partners has been the premier office developer along the Dallas North Tollway, developing more than $500 million of Class A office space and totaling more than 1.5 million square feet within the last 5 years.  On this episode, Bill and Chris discuss: Bill's near-death experience and coming to Christ Experiencing the 80's crisis in Dallas The state of the Office market Advice for folks entering RE We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Cawley Partners Avery Capital Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:23) - Bill’s near-death experience and coming to Christ (00:19:10) - Rebuilding burned bridges (00:25:19) - Legacy (00:28:36) - Bill’s mission trip to Cuba (00:31:52) - Bill’s career in real estate (00:40:50) - Being in Dallas during the 80’s crisis  (00:44:13) - How the DFW tollway has evolved (00:52:06) - The state of the Office market (01:02:28) - The buyer market (01:04:33) - Construction (01:06:11) - Reflecting on Bill’s career (01:16:05) - Building Multifamily (01:19:24) - Advice to RE folks Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 13 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 336 Chris Powers Bill Cawley is the brand and vision behind Cawley Partners, a full-service, Dallas-based real estate company historically focused on commercial office product. Over the course of his career, Bill has owned all classes of commercial real estate in multiple markets across the country. He is continually recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth. Cawley Partners has been the premier office developer along the Dallas North Tollway, developing more than $500 million of Class A office space and totaling more than 1.5 million square feet within the last 5 years.  On this episode, Bill and Chris discuss: Bill's near-death experience and coming to Christ Experiencing the 80's crisis in Dallas The state of the Office market Advice for folks entering RE We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Cawley Partners Avery Capital Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:23) - Bill’s near-death experience and coming to Christ (00:19:10) - Rebuilding burned bridges (00:25:19) - Legacy (00:28:36) - Bill’s mission trip to Cuba (00:31:52) - Bill’s career in real estate (00:40:50) - Being in Dallas during the 80’s crisis  (00:44:13) - How the DFW tollway has evolved (00:52:06) - The state of the Office market (01:02:28) - The buyer market (01:04:33) - Construction (01:06:11) - Reflecting on Bill’s career (01:16:05) - Building Multifamily (01:19:24) - Advice to RE folks Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Bill Cawley is the brand and vision behind Cawley Partners, a full-service, Dallas-based real estate company historically focused on commercial office product. Over the course of his career, Bill has owned all classes of commercial real estate in multiple markets across the country. He is continually recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Cawley Partners has been the premier office developer along the Dallas North Tollway, developing more than $500 million of Class A office space and totaling more than 1.5 million square feet within the last 5 years.



On this episode, Bill and Chris discuss:

  • Bill's near-death experience and coming to Christ
  • Experiencing the 80's crisis in Dallas
  • The state of the Office market
  • Advice for folks entering RE


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Cawley Partners

Avery Capital

Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:23) - Bill’s near-death experience and coming to Christ

(00:19:10) - Rebuilding burned bridges

(00:25:19) - Legacy

(00:28:36) - Bill’s mission trip to Cuba

(00:31:52) - Bill’s career in real estate

(00:40:50) - Being in Dallas during the 80’s crisis 

(00:44:13) - How the DFW tollway has evolved

(00:52:06) - The state of the Office market

(01:02:28) - The buyer market

(01:04:33) - Construction

(01:06:11) - Reflecting on Bill’s career

(01:16:05) - Building Multifamily

(01:19:24) - Advice to RE folks


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:


X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4952 #335 - Barry Sternlicht - Chairman & CEO @ Starwood Capital Group Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 that is focused on global real estate. He also serves as Chairman & CEO of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), a leading diversified finance company. For the past 32 years, Barry has structured investments with an asset value of $240B+. Starwood Capital’s investment vehicles have invested in approximately 290,000 residential units, 4,000 hotels, 103M SF of office properties, 75M SF of industrial, 56M SF of retail and 70,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions.  On this episode, Chris and Barry discuss: - Stories of scaling the business to 120k employees in 6 years - The value of “A Shared Pair” REIT - How to take a company from $1B in AUM to $10B - Selling Caesars Palace - Thoughts on the 2024 market Links: Starwood Capital Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY CRE Daily: https://bit.ly/4bteOQw Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - AI & Hotels (00:08:48) - The Midas touch (00:10:46) - Scaling to 120k employees in 6 years (00:15:48) - Shared Pair REITs (00:28:41) - Thoughts on Blackstone (00:36:26) - How to buy a REIT (00:40:39) - Taking a company from $1B in AUM to $10B (00:49:57) - How did you keep Starwood Capital moving while you stepped away? (00:58:42) - Selling Caesars Palace (01:08:01) - Thoughts on the market in 2024 Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 06 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 335 Chris Powers Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 that is focused on global real estate. He also serves as Chairman & CEO of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), a leading diversified finance company. For the past 32 years, Barry has structured investments with an asset value of $240B+. Starwood Capital’s investment vehicles have invested in approximately 290,000 residential units, 4,000 hotels, 103M SF of office properties, 75M SF of industrial, 56M SF of retail and 70,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions.  On this episode, Chris and Barry discuss: - Stories of scaling the business to 120k employees in 6 years - The value of “A Shared Pair” REIT - How to take a company from $1B in AUM to $10B - Selling Caesars Palace - Thoughts on the 2024 market Links: Starwood Capital Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY CRE Daily: https://bit.ly/4bteOQw Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - AI & Hotels (00:08:48) - The Midas touch (00:10:46) - Scaling to 120k employees in 6 years (00:15:48) - Shared Pair REITs (00:28:41) - Thoughts on Blackstone (00:36:26) - How to buy a REIT (00:40:39) - Taking a company from $1B in AUM to $10B (00:49:57) - How did you keep Starwood Capital moving while you stepped away? (00:58:42) - Selling Caesars Palace (01:08:01) - Thoughts on the market in 2024 Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 that is focused on global real estate. He also serves as Chairman & CEO of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), a leading diversified finance company.

For the past 32 years, Barry has structured investments with an asset value of $240B+. Starwood Capital’s investment vehicles have invested in approximately 290,000 residential units, 4,000 hotels, 103M SF of office properties, 75M SF of industrial, 56M SF of retail and 70,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions. 


On this episode, Chris and Barry discuss:

- Stories of scaling the business to 120k employees in 6 years

- The value of “A Shared Pair” REIT

- How to take a company from $1B in AUM to $10B

- Selling Caesars Palace

- Thoughts on the 2024 market


Links:

Starwood Capital


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

CRE Daily: https://bit.ly/4bteOQw

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:07) - AI & Hotels

(00:08:48) - The Midas touch

(00:10:46) - Scaling to 120k employees in 6 years

(00:15:48) - Shared Pair REITs

(00:28:41) - Thoughts on Blackstone

(00:36:26) - How to buy a REIT

(00:40:39) - Taking a company from $1B in AUM to $10B

(00:49:57) - How did you keep Starwood Capital moving while you stepped away?

(00:58:42) - Selling Caesars Palace

(01:08:01) - Thoughts on the market in 2024


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4940 #334.- Chris Powers & Jason Baxter - Fort Capital's 2023 Year in Review In this conversation, I sit down with my partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to talk about our current fundraise, company wins, building out Fort’s custom AI, deal pipelines, profitability, how the team has grown, and an outlook for 2024. Past 'Year in Review' episodes: 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:17) - Reflecting on 2023 (00:08:07) - Fundraising (00:16:16) - Company Wins (AI, Company Challenges, Team Meeting Structures) (00:35:05) - Fort Capital’s custom AI - Foster (00:52:30) - Pipeline (01:00:49) - Profitability (01:07:20) - Highlighting the Team (01:10:33) - 2024 Outlook Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 01 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 334 Chris Powers In this conversation, I sit down with my partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to talk about our current fundraise, company wins, building out Fort’s custom AI, deal pipelines, profitability, how the team has grown, and an outlook for 2024. Past 'Year in Review' episodes: 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:17) - Reflecting on 2023 (00:08:07) - Fundraising (00:16:16) - Company Wins (AI, Company Challenges, Team Meeting Structures) (00:35:05) - Fort Capital’s custom AI - Foster (00:52:30) - Pipeline (01:00:49) - Profitability (01:07:20) - Highlighting the Team (01:10:33) - 2024 Outlook Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts In this conversation, I sit down with my partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to talk about our current fundraise, company wins, building out Fort’s custom AI, deal pipelines, profitability, how the team has grown, and an outlook for 2024.


Past 'Year in Review' episodes:

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:17) - Reflecting on 2023

(00:08:07) - Fundraising

(00:16:16) - Company Wins (AI, Company Challenges, Team Meeting Structures)

(00:35:05) - Fort Capital’s custom AI - Foster

(00:52:30) - Pipeline

(01:00:49) - Profitability

(01:07:20) - Highlighting the Team

(01:10:33) - 2024 Outlook


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5144 #333 - Devon Eriksen - Property Rights, Rent Seekers, AI, Communism, Why Culture is Upstream of Law Devon Eriksen grew up with images of the galaxy and the imagined worlds of the golden age of science fiction. Now a retired software engineer, he writes with one purpose in mind: to give the reader something to love. On this episode, Chris and Devon discuss: Why culture is upstream of law The era of whining being over Property Rights Why we need to push back on bad ideas Artificial Intelligence Rent-Seekers Links: Devon on X Devon's Book: Theft of Fire We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:23) - Devon’s multiple careers (00:03:42) - “Culture is upstream of law, and law affects us.” (00:17:33) - How does the non-left get back into the cultural dialogue? (00:30:54) - The era of whining is over. (00:34:43) - Property Rights (00:41:48) - Pushing back on bad ideas (00:46:13) - Artificial Intelligence (01:00:26) - Predicting the future (01:03:11) - Rent-Seeking (01:07:05) - Who are the fiction gatekeepers? (01:14:18) - Who is ‘they’? (01:16:53) - The Principle-Agent Problem Support our Sponsors: Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 333 Chris Powers Devon Eriksen grew up with images of the galaxy and the imagined worlds of the golden age of science fiction. Now a retired software engineer, he writes with one purpose in mind: to give the reader something to love. On this episode, Chris and Devon discuss: Why culture is upstream of law The era of whining being over Property Rights Why we need to push back on bad ideas Artificial Intelligence Rent-Seekers Links: Devon on X Devon's Book: Theft of Fire We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:23) - Devon’s multiple careers (00:03:42) - “Culture is upstream of law, and law affects us.” (00:17:33) - How does the non-left get back into the cultural dialogue? (00:30:54) - The era of whining is over. (00:34:43) - Property Rights (00:41:48) - Pushing back on bad ideas (00:46:13) - Artificial Intelligence (01:00:26) - Predicting the future (01:03:11) - Rent-Seeking (01:07:05) - Who are the fiction gatekeepers? (01:14:18) - Who is ‘they’? (01:16:53) - The Principle-Agent Problem Support our Sponsors: Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Devon Eriksen grew up with images of the galaxy and the imagined worlds of the golden age of science fiction. Now a retired software engineer, he writes with one purpose in mind: to give the reader something to love.

On this episode, Chris and Devon discuss:

  • Why culture is upstream of law
  • The era of whining being over
  • Property Rights
  • Why we need to push back on bad ideas
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Rent-Seekers


Links:

Devon on X

Devon's Book: Theft of Fire


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:23) - Devon’s multiple careers

(00:03:42) - “Culture is upstream of law, and law affects us.”

(00:17:33) - How does the non-left get back into the cultural dialogue?

(00:30:54) - The era of whining is over.

(00:34:43) - Property Rights

(00:41:48) - Pushing back on bad ideas

(00:46:13) - Artificial Intelligence

(01:00:26) - Predicting the future

(01:03:11) - Rent-Seeking

(01:07:05) - Who are the fiction gatekeepers?

(01:14:18) - Who is ‘they’?

(01:16:53) - The Principle-Agent Problem


Support our Sponsors:

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4846 #332 - Chris Hoffmann - CEO of Hoffmann Brothers - From $10M to $140M: Scaling a Home Services Giant - A Story of Family, Purpose, and Unprecedented Growth Chris Hoffmann currently serves as the CEO at Deutschmann Lane Holdings (DLH), which operates a family of companies including Hoffmann Brothers, Ferguson Roofing & Exteriors, Deutschmann Lane Real Estate, and HBH Investment Company. Before joining DLH, Chris served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, leaving active duty in 2014. On this episode, we discuss: Chris' experience in the Marine Corps Taking over the family business Scaling the business Retaining and training labor The future of the trades Scaling acquired businesses We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Chris Hoffmann on X Chris Hoffmann on LinkedIn Hoffmann Brothers Nexstar Network Tugboat Institute ServiceTitan Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:19) - Chris’ time in the Marines (00:10:17) - Taking over the family business (00:14:41) - Scaling the business (00:19:18) - The first year in the business (00:23:04) - What metrics matter in your industry? (00:25:25) - Scaling the business after $20mm (00:27:30) - Successfully retaining labor & Hoffmann Brothers University (00:32:43) - The future of the trades (00:34:06) - Purpose-driven ownership vs. PE (00:41:09) - What questions should sellers be asking buyers? (00:45:12) - Scaling acquired businesses (00:48:01) - Call centers (00:50:34) - The future of marketing is not paid search (00:51:58) - The importance of Google reviews (00:52:29) - Is B2C harder than B2B? (00:54:13) - Recession resistance (00:57:06) - Business ideas: House managers (00:59:29) - What do the next 10 years look like for Hoffmann Brothers? (01:02:40) - The family dynamic within the business (01:06:19) - Do you have a succession plan? (01:09:03) - Mistakes made (01:12:23) - What do you see for the future of your industry? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 23 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 332 Chris Powers Chris Hoffmann currently serves as the CEO at Deutschmann Lane Holdings (DLH), which operates a family of companies including Hoffmann Brothers, Ferguson Roofing & Exteriors, Deutschmann Lane Real Estate, and HBH Investment Company. Before joining DLH, Chris served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, leaving active duty in 2014. On this episode, we discuss: Chris' experience in the Marine Corps Taking over the family business Scaling the business Retaining and training labor The future of the trades Scaling acquired businesses We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Chris Hoffmann on X Chris Hoffmann on LinkedIn Hoffmann Brothers Nexstar Network Tugboat Institute ServiceTitan Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:19) - Chris’ time in the Marines (00:10:17) - Taking over the family business (00:14:41) - Scaling the business (00:19:18) - The first year in the business (00:23:04) - What metrics matter in your industry? (00:25:25) - Scaling the business after $20mm (00:27:30) - Successfully retaining labor & Hoffmann Brothers University (00:32:43) - The future of the trades (00:34:06) - Purpose-driven ownership vs. PE (00:41:09) - What questions should sellers be asking buyers? (00:45:12) - Scaling acquired businesses (00:48:01) - Call centers (00:50:34) - The future of marketing is not paid search (00:51:58) - The importance of Google reviews (00:52:29) - Is B2C harder than B2B? (00:54:13) - Recession resistance (00:57:06) - Business ideas: House managers (00:59:29) - What do the next 10 years look like for Hoffmann Brothers? (01:02:40) - The family dynamic within the business (01:06:19) - Do you have a succession plan? (01:09:03) - Mistakes made (01:12:23) - What do you see for the future of your industry? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris Hoffmann currently serves as the CEO at Deutschmann Lane Holdings (DLH), which operates a family of companies including Hoffmann Brothers, Ferguson Roofing & Exteriors, Deutschmann Lane Real Estate, and HBH Investment Company. Before joining DLH, Chris served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, leaving active duty in 2014.


On this episode, we discuss:

  • Chris' experience in the Marine Corps
  • Taking over the family business
  • Scaling the business
  • Retaining and training labor
  • The future of the trades
  • Scaling acquired businesses


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Chris Hoffmann on X

Chris Hoffmann on LinkedIn

Hoffmann Brothers

Nexstar Network

Tugboat Institute

ServiceTitan


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:19) - Chris’ time in the Marines

(00:10:17) - Taking over the family business

(00:14:41) - Scaling the business

(00:19:18) - The first year in the business

(00:23:04) - What metrics matter in your industry?

(00:25:25) - Scaling the business after $20mm

(00:27:30) - Successfully retaining labor & Hoffmann Brothers University

(00:32:43) - The future of the trades

(00:34:06) - Purpose-driven ownership vs. PE

(00:41:09) - What questions should sellers be asking buyers?

(00:45:12) - Scaling acquired businesses

(00:48:01) - Call centers

(00:50:34) - The future of marketing is not paid search

(00:51:58) - The importance of Google reviews

(00:52:29) - Is B2C harder than B2B?

(00:54:13) - Recession resistance

(00:57:06) - Business ideas: House managers

(00:59:29) - What do the next 10 years look like for Hoffmann Brothers?

(01:02:40) - The family dynamic within the business

(01:06:19) - Do you have a succession plan?

(01:09:03) - Mistakes made

(01:12:23) - What do you see for the future of your industry?


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4912 #331 - David Moore - Co-Founder & CEO @ Knightvest Capital - Investing in 55,000 Apartment Units: Stories, Lessons Learned, and Insights On Current Apartment Market David Moore is the founder and Managing Partner at Knightvest. Under David’s leadership, Knightvest has acquired over 55,000 units at a total capitalization of approximately $10.0 billion. Since inception, Knightvest has sold over 15,000 units with an average IRR and multiple of over 30% and 2.2x, respectively. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: Making key hires to grow the company The explosion of the Class B multifamily market  A walkthrough of a typical deal The American renter in 2024 Construction & labor cost hikes State of the market update 2022-2024 We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Knightvest Capital - https://knightvestcapital.com/ David on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-moore-03005a39/ Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:45) - David’s first property  (00:13:08) - The decision to focus on multifamily (00:20:46) - Scaling Knightvest (00:24:01) - Multifamily is HARD work (00:27:25) - Becoming the best renovator (00:29:47) - Making key hires to grow the company (00:34:40) - The Class B MF market taking off (00:42:32) - Walkthrough of a typical deal (00:46:20) - The American renter in 2024 (00:54:09) - Thoughts on construction & labor cost hikes (00:58:17) - State of the Market Update 2022-2024 (01:19:22) - Technology innovations (01:21:32) - What do you think about often in multifamily? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 331 Chris Powers David Moore is the founder and Managing Partner at Knightvest. Under David’s leadership, Knightvest has acquired over 55,000 units at a total capitalization of approximately $10.0 billion. Since inception, Knightvest has sold over 15,000 units with an average IRR and multiple of over 30% and 2.2x, respectively. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: Making key hires to grow the company The explosion of the Class B multifamily market  A walkthrough of a typical deal The American renter in 2024 Construction & labor cost hikes State of the market update 2022-2024 We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Knightvest Capital - https://knightvestcapital.com/ David on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-moore-03005a39/ Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:45) - David’s first property  (00:13:08) - The decision to focus on multifamily (00:20:46) - Scaling Knightvest (00:24:01) - Multifamily is HARD work (00:27:25) - Becoming the best renovator (00:29:47) - Making key hires to grow the company (00:34:40) - The Class B MF market taking off (00:42:32) - Walkthrough of a typical deal (00:46:20) - The American renter in 2024 (00:54:09) - Thoughts on construction & labor cost hikes (00:58:17) - State of the Market Update 2022-2024 (01:19:22) - Technology innovations (01:21:32) - What do you think about often in multifamily? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts David Moore is the founder and Managing Partner at Knightvest. Under David’s leadership, Knightvest has acquired over 55,000 units at a total capitalization of approximately $10.0 billion. Since inception, Knightvest has sold over 15,000 units with an average IRR and multiple of over 30% and 2.2x, respectively.

On this episode, Chris and David discuss:

  • Making key hires to grow the company
  • The explosion of the Class B multifamily market 
  • A walkthrough of a typical deal
  • The American renter in 2024
  • Construction & labor cost hikes
  • State of the market update 2022-2024


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Knightvest Capital - https://knightvestcapital.com/

David on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-moore-03005a39/

Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:45) - David’s first property 

(00:13:08) - The decision to focus on multifamily

(00:20:46) - Scaling Knightvest

(00:24:01) - Multifamily is HARD work

(00:27:25) - Becoming the best renovator

(00:29:47) - Making key hires to grow the company

(00:34:40) - The Class B MF market taking off

(00:42:32) - Walkthrough of a typical deal

(00:46:20) - The American renter in 2024

(00:54:09) - Thoughts on construction & labor cost hikes

(00:58:17) - State of the Market Update 2022-2024

(01:19:22) - Technology innovations

(01:21:32) - What do you think about often in multifamily?


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5221 #330 - Billy Quinn - Founder @ Pearl Energy - Navigating the High-Stakes World of Energy Private Equity Billy is the founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Energy Investments and manages the firm. He currently sits on the board of most Pearl portfolio companies including Permian Resources, SLANT Energy, Infinity Natural Resources, and Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. Before founding Pearl, Billy served as Co-Managing Partner of Natural Gas Partners (NGP) for almost 20 years. As Managing Partner, he co-managed NGP’s investment portfolio and played an active role in the full range of NGP’s investment process. In addition, Billy gained valuable investment experience working for Rainwater, Inc. and Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst, Inc. He also worked as an analyst in the investment banking divisions of Bear Stearns & Co. and BT Securities Corporation. On this episode, Chris and Billy discuss: Running due diligence on a fund and operator Predicting the potential success of a company you acquire How to be a great capital partner How the industry has changed over 30 years The future for PE-backed Oil and Gas companies Fundraising, hiring, and building relationships We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Pearl Energy Investments Billy on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:46) - Billy’s career in Oil and Gas PE (00:10:01) - Finding equilibrium in owning oil and buying oil (00:13:21) - Running due diligence on a fund and an operator (00:19:05) - Backing Permian Resources (00:24:05) - The importance of being close to the asset you operate (00:25:12) - How can you predict the potential success of a company you acquire? (00:29:10) - How to know you’re being a good partner (00:33:02) - Experiences during Covid (00:40:22) - Leaving NGP and forming Pearl (00:49:38) - How has the industry changed over 30 years (00:54:00) - What’s the best price for oil? (00:54:59) - Consolidation in the industry (00:56:43) - The Future for PE-backed Oil and Gas Companies (00:59:20) - Is capital coming back into the industry? (01:04:13) - What’s your strategy around fundraising? (01:13:08) - How do you think about hiring and relationships? (01:14:34) - Billy’s love for MMA Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 11 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 330 Chris Powers Billy is the founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Energy Investments and manages the firm. He currently sits on the board of most Pearl portfolio companies including Permian Resources, SLANT Energy, Infinity Natural Resources, and Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. Before founding Pearl, Billy served as Co-Managing Partner of Natural Gas Partners (NGP) for almost 20 years. As Managing Partner, he co-managed NGP’s investment portfolio and played an active role in the full range of NGP’s investment process. In addition, Billy gained valuable investment experience working for Rainwater, Inc. and Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst, Inc. He also worked as an analyst in the investment banking divisions of Bear Stearns & Co. and BT Securities Corporation. On this episode, Chris and Billy discuss: Running due diligence on a fund and operator Predicting the potential success of a company you acquire How to be a great capital partner How the industry has changed over 30 years The future for PE-backed Oil and Gas companies Fundraising, hiring, and building relationships We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Pearl Energy Investments Billy on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:46) - Billy’s career in Oil and Gas PE (00:10:01) - Finding equilibrium in owning oil and buying oil (00:13:21) - Running due diligence on a fund and an operator (00:19:05) - Backing Permian Resources (00:24:05) - The importance of being close to the asset you operate (00:25:12) - How can you predict the potential success of a company you acquire? (00:29:10) - How to know you’re being a good partner (00:33:02) - Experiences during Covid (00:40:22) - Leaving NGP and forming Pearl (00:49:38) - How has the industry changed over 30 years (00:54:00) - What’s the best price for oil? (00:54:59) - Consolidation in the industry (00:56:43) - The Future for PE-backed Oil and Gas Companies (00:59:20) - Is capital coming back into the industry? (01:04:13) - What’s your strategy around fundraising? (01:13:08) - How do you think about hiring and relationships? (01:14:34) - Billy’s love for MMA Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Billy is the founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Energy Investments and manages the firm. He currently sits on the board of most Pearl portfolio companies including Permian Resources, SLANT Energy, Infinity Natural Resources, and Spring Valley Acquisition Corp.

Before founding Pearl, Billy served as Co-Managing Partner of Natural Gas Partners (NGP) for almost 20 years. As Managing Partner, he co-managed NGP’s investment portfolio and played an active role in the full range of NGP’s investment process. In addition, Billy gained valuable investment experience working for Rainwater, Inc. and Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst, Inc. He also worked as an analyst in the investment banking divisions of Bear Stearns & Co. and BT Securities Corporation.

On this episode, Chris and Billy discuss:

  • Running due diligence on a fund and operator
  • Predicting the potential success of a company you acquire
  • How to be a great capital partner
  • How the industry has changed over 30 years
  • The future for PE-backed Oil and Gas companies
  • Fundraising, hiring, and building relationships


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Pearl Energy Investments

Billy on LinkedIn


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:46) - Billy’s career in Oil and Gas PE

(00:10:01) - Finding equilibrium in owning oil and buying oil

(00:13:21) - Running due diligence on a fund and an operator

(00:19:05) - Backing Permian Resources

(00:24:05) - The importance of being close to the asset you operate

(00:25:12) - How can you predict the potential success of a company you acquire?

(00:29:10) - How to know you’re being a good partner

(00:33:02) - Experiences during Covid

(00:40:22) - Leaving NGP and forming Pearl

(00:49:38) - How has the industry changed over 30 years

(00:54:00) - What’s the best price for oil?

(00:54:59) - Consolidation in the industry

(00:56:43) - The Future for PE-backed Oil and Gas Companies

(00:59:20) - Is capital coming back into the industry?

(01:04:13) - What’s your strategy around fundraising?

(01:13:08) - How do you think about hiring and relationships?

(01:14:34) - Billy’s love for MMA


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5334 #329 - Marc Ganzi - CEO @ DigitalBridge ($DBRG) - $70B Company Investing Globally in Digital Infrastructure Marc is Chief Executive Officer at DigitalBridge and has been an investor and operator in the digital infrastructure sector for over 25 years. He has led DigitalBridge’s transformation to become a premier platform for digital infrastructure and real estate investment. Marc founded Digital Bridge Holdings in 2013 and, as its CEO, built the firm into a leading global manager of digital infrastructure assets with more than 20 billion in AUM, until its merger in July 2019 into the current public company, DigitalBridge Group, Inc. On this episode, Marc and Chris discuss: How the industry has evolved over the decades AI's impact on this industry The different verticals of data centers Value add digital Lease structures & Cybersecurity Digital real estate We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: DigitalBridge Marc on LinkedIn DigitalBridge on X Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:36) - Marc’s early career (00:07:28) - The world of cell towers (00:17:05) - Gauging the needs of small providers vs. large ones (00:20:18) - How has the industry changed over the past few decades? (00:24:08) - Is there going to be an increase in demand for AI data centers? (00:26:54) - The different verticals of data centers (00:31:03) - Do Amazon and Microsoft dominate the cloud industry? (00:31:48) - How far out can companies see how far out on how much data they’ll need? (00:33:32) - Is all data equal? (00:36:13) - Value add digital (00:38:15) - Is your work spec build or do customers commit to a location first? (00:40:27) - Data center lease structures (00:41:52) - Cybersecurity (00:43:13) - How do you enhance a fiber optic cable? (00:44:02) - Can offices be converted to data centers? (00:46:01) - Will electric vehicles be an issue regarding power availability? (00:48:30) - Is crypto putting a dent in the industry? (00:49:44) - The US’ strength in cybersecurity (00:51:28) - How do you run your business ops in the Middle East and Asia? (00:54:08) - Digital real estate (00:56:03) - Were there any shifts coming out of covid? (00:57:02) - What’s the bear case for digital? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 09 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 329 Chris Powers Marc is Chief Executive Officer at DigitalBridge and has been an investor and operator in the digital infrastructure sector for over 25 years. He has led DigitalBridge’s transformation to become a premier platform for digital infrastructure and real estate investment. Marc founded Digital Bridge Holdings in 2013 and, as its CEO, built the firm into a leading global manager of digital infrastructure assets with more than 20 billion in AUM, until its merger in July 2019 into the current public company, DigitalBridge Group, Inc. On this episode, Marc and Chris discuss: How the industry has evolved over the decades AI's impact on this industry The different verticals of data centers Value add digital Lease structures & Cybersecurity Digital real estate We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: DigitalBridge Marc on LinkedIn DigitalBridge on X Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:36) - Marc’s early career (00:07:28) - The world of cell towers (00:17:05) - Gauging the needs of small providers vs. large ones (00:20:18) - How has the industry changed over the past few decades? (00:24:08) - Is there going to be an increase in demand for AI data centers? (00:26:54) - The different verticals of data centers (00:31:03) - Do Amazon and Microsoft dominate the cloud industry? (00:31:48) - How far out can companies see how far out on how much data they’ll need? (00:33:32) - Is all data equal? (00:36:13) - Value add digital (00:38:15) - Is your work spec build or do customers commit to a location first? (00:40:27) - Data center lease structures (00:41:52) - Cybersecurity (00:43:13) - How do you enhance a fiber optic cable? (00:44:02) - Can offices be converted to data centers? (00:46:01) - Will electric vehicles be an issue regarding power availability? (00:48:30) - Is crypto putting a dent in the industry? (00:49:44) - The US’ strength in cybersecurity (00:51:28) - How do you run your business ops in the Middle East and Asia? (00:54:08) - Digital real estate (00:56:03) - Were there any shifts coming out of covid? (00:57:02) - What’s the bear case for digital? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Marc is Chief Executive Officer at DigitalBridge and has been an investor and operator in the digital infrastructure sector for over 25 years. He has led DigitalBridge’s transformation to become a premier platform for digital infrastructure and real estate investment.

Marc founded Digital Bridge Holdings in 2013 and, as its CEO, built the firm into a leading global manager of digital infrastructure assets with more than 20 billion in AUM, until its merger in July 2019 into the current public company, DigitalBridge Group, Inc.

On this episode, Marc and Chris discuss:

  • How the industry has evolved over the decades
  • AI's impact on this industry
  • The different verticals of data centers
  • Value add digital
  • Lease structures & Cybersecurity
  • Digital real estate


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

DigitalBridge

Marc on LinkedIn

DigitalBridge on X


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:36) - Marc’s early career

(00:07:28) - The world of cell towers

(00:17:05) - Gauging the needs of small providers vs. large ones

(00:20:18) - How has the industry changed over the past few decades?

(00:24:08) - Is there going to be an increase in demand for AI data centers?

(00:26:54) - The different verticals of data centers

(00:31:03) - Do Amazon and Microsoft dominate the cloud industry?

(00:31:48) - How far out can companies see how far out on how much data they’ll need?

(00:33:32) - Is all data equal?

(00:36:13) - Value add digital

(00:38:15) - Is your work spec build or do customers commit to a location first?

(00:40:27) - Data center lease structures

(00:41:52) - Cybersecurity

(00:43:13) - How do you enhance a fiber optic cable?

(00:44:02) - Can offices be converted to data centers?

(00:46:01) - Will electric vehicles be an issue regarding power availability?

(00:48:30) - Is crypto putting a dent in the industry?

(00:49:44) - The US’ strength in cybersecurity

(00:51:28) - How do you run your business ops in the Middle East and Asia?

(00:54:08) - Digital real estate

(00:56:03) - Were there any shifts coming out of covid?

(00:57:02) - What’s the bear case for digital?


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3715 #328 - Herb Weitzman - Executive Chairman @ Weitzman -The King of Texas Retail Herb is Executive Chairman of Weitzman. In 1990, after nearly 30 years in the real estate business, Weitzman founded the company, a full‐service commercial real estate brokerage firm that now ranks as one of the largest retail‐focused real estate services firms based in Texas. On the brokerage side, Weitzman leases a retail portfolio of approximately 44 million square feet in Austin, Dallas‐Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. As a property manager, Weitzman is responsible for managing a statewide portfolio of more than 22 million square feet of retail and commercial properties. On this episode, Chris and Herb discuss: Herb's real estate career Timeless lessons for success in real estate What makes a great retail deal Leadership philosophies The future of DFW Innovation in retail We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Weitzman Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:06) - Herb’s career in RE (00:16:02) - Timeless lessons for being successful in RE (00;16:42) - Future growth for DFW (00:18:18) - The opportunity to buy 25% of Highland Park Village for $100k (00:22:21) - What it takes to see the future potential of a market (00:24:38) - Starting Weitzman (00:33:10) - Experiencing the 80’s Savings and Loan Crisis (00:42:08) - Raising capital (00:43:45) - Why have you chosen to stay exclusively in Texas? (00:49:30) - Leadership philosophies (00:52:25) - What makes a great retail deal and what do people get wrong? (00:55:01) - Suburban vs. urban retail (00:59:22) - Ikea (01:00:53) - The importance of relationships in retail (01:05:33) - Thoughts on construction pricing (01:10:02) - What areas of DFW are going to explode over the next 10 years? (01:12:50) - Innovation in retail (01:19:44) - What does work look like for you today? The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 02 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 328 Chris Powers Herb is Executive Chairman of Weitzman. In 1990, after nearly 30 years in the real estate business, Weitzman founded the company, a full‐service commercial real estate brokerage firm that now ranks as one of the largest retail‐focused real estate services firms based in Texas. On the brokerage side, Weitzman leases a retail portfolio of approximately 44 million square feet in Austin, Dallas‐Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. As a property manager, Weitzman is responsible for managing a statewide portfolio of more than 22 million square feet of retail and commercial properties. On this episode, Chris and Herb discuss: Herb's real estate career Timeless lessons for success in real estate What makes a great retail deal Leadership philosophies The future of DFW Innovation in retail We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Weitzman Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:06) - Herb’s career in RE (00:16:02) - Timeless lessons for being successful in RE (00;16:42) - Future growth for DFW (00:18:18) - The opportunity to buy 25% of Highland Park Village for $100k (00:22:21) - What it takes to see the future potential of a market (00:24:38) - Starting Weitzman (00:33:10) - Experiencing the 80’s Savings and Loan Crisis (00:42:08) - Raising capital (00:43:45) - Why have you chosen to stay exclusively in Texas? (00:49:30) - Leadership philosophies (00:52:25) - What makes a great retail deal and what do people get wrong? (00:55:01) - Suburban vs. urban retail (00:59:22) - Ikea (01:00:53) - The importance of relationships in retail (01:05:33) - Thoughts on construction pricing (01:10:02) - What areas of DFW are going to explode over the next 10 years? (01:12:50) - Innovation in retail (01:19:44) - What does work look like for you today? The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Herb is Executive Chairman of Weitzman. In 1990, after nearly 30 years in the real estate business, Weitzman founded the company, a full‐service commercial real estate brokerage firm that now ranks as one of the largest retail‐focused real estate services firms based in Texas. On the brokerage side, Weitzman leases a retail portfolio of approximately 44 million square feet in Austin, Dallas‐Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. As a property manager, Weitzman is responsible for managing a statewide portfolio of more than 22 million square feet of retail and commercial properties.


On this episode, Chris and Herb discuss:

  • Herb's real estate career
  • Timeless lessons for success in real estate
  • What makes a great retail deal
  • Leadership philosophies
  • The future of DFW
  • Innovation in retail


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Weitzman


Support our Sponsors

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:06) - Herb’s career in RE

(00:16:02) - Timeless lessons for being successful in RE

(00;16:42) - Future growth for DFW

(00:18:18) - The opportunity to buy 25% of Highland Park Village for $100k

(00:22:21) - What it takes to see the future potential of a market

(00:24:38) - Starting Weitzman

(00:33:10) - Experiencing the 80’s Savings and Loan Crisis

(00:42:08) - Raising capital

(00:43:45) - Why have you chosen to stay exclusively in Texas?

(00:49:30) - Leadership philosophies

(00:52:25) - What makes a great retail deal and what do people get wrong?

(00:55:01) - Suburban vs. urban retail

(00:59:22) - Ikea

(01:00:53) - The importance of relationships in retail

(01:05:33) - Thoughts on construction pricing

(01:10:02) - What areas of DFW are going to explode over the next 10 years?

(01:12:50) - Innovation in retail

(01:19:44) - What does work look like for you today?


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5000 #327 - Micah Lacher - Founder @ Anchor Investments - On A Mission To Be The Most Generous Real Estate Company in the World Micah is the President and Founder of Anchor Investments, which is on a mission to Build America’s Most Generous Real Estate Company. Micah focuses on identifying real estate investment opportunities for Anchor, raising capital, and leading the team.  He is also the founder of Mission Hotels, the only hotel brand in America that gives away the majority of its profits to support underserved communities.  On this episode, Chris and Micah discuss:  Growing up in urban Memphis The need for great schools & father figures The state of retail real estate Building Anchor How to give away money Links: Anchor Investments Micah on LinkedIn Lloyd Reeb on The Fort Die with Zero by Bill Perkins Halftime by Bob Buford We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:07) - Growing up on the wrong side of Memphis (00:07:40) - The working poor (00:09:58) - The importance of good schools (00:17:05) - Micah’s early career (00:19:28) - Experiences in the GFC (00:23:27) - Micah’s job today (00:28:36) - Thoughts on the retail market (00:29:39) - Developing a trait of generosity (00:33:30) - Building America’s Most Generous Real Estate Company (00:41:15) - Buying churches and converting them to hotels (00:47:51) - How to give away money (00:54:06) - What does the inner-city need to change? (00:57:03) - Charter Schools (00:58:20) - How to get people involved in giving (01:02:22) - Raising grounded children   (01:08:55) - Why people with money don’t give (01:12:53) - How to know where to give (01:17:22) - Thoughts on giving across the street vs. across the ocean (01:18:50) - The Halftime Institute (01:24:38) - Final thoughts Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 26 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 327 Chris Powers Micah is the President and Founder of Anchor Investments, which is on a mission to Build America’s Most Generous Real Estate Company. Micah focuses on identifying real estate investment opportunities for Anchor, raising capital, and leading the team.  He is also the founder of Mission Hotels, the only hotel brand in America that gives away the majority of its profits to support underserved communities.  On this episode, Chris and Micah discuss:  Growing up in urban Memphis The need for great schools & father figures The state of retail real estate Building Anchor How to give away money Links: Anchor Investments Micah on LinkedIn Lloyd Reeb on The Fort Die with Zero by Bill Perkins Halftime by Bob Buford We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:07) - Growing up on the wrong side of Memphis (00:07:40) - The working poor (00:09:58) - The importance of good schools (00:17:05) - Micah’s early career (00:19:28) - Experiences in the GFC (00:23:27) - Micah’s job today (00:28:36) - Thoughts on the retail market (00:29:39) - Developing a trait of generosity (00:33:30) - Building America’s Most Generous Real Estate Company (00:41:15) - Buying churches and converting them to hotels (00:47:51) - How to give away money (00:54:06) - What does the inner-city need to change? (00:57:03) - Charter Schools (00:58:20) - How to get people involved in giving (01:02:22) - Raising grounded children   (01:08:55) - Why people with money don’t give (01:12:53) - How to know where to give (01:17:22) - Thoughts on giving across the street vs. across the ocean (01:18:50) - The Halftime Institute (01:24:38) - Final thoughts Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Micah is the President and Founder of Anchor Investments, which is on a mission to Build America’s Most Generous Real Estate Company. Micah focuses on identifying real estate investment opportunities for Anchor, raising capital, and leading the team. 

He is also the founder of Mission Hotels, the only hotel brand in America that gives away the majority of its profits to support underserved communities. 


On this episode, Chris and Micah discuss: 

  • Growing up in urban Memphis
  • The need for great schools & father figures
  • The state of retail real estate
  • Building Anchor
  • How to give away money


Links:

Anchor Investments

Micah on LinkedIn

Lloyd Reeb on The Fort

Die with Zero by Bill Perkins

Halftime by Bob Buford


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:07) - Growing up on the wrong side of Memphis

(00:07:40) - The working poor

(00:09:58) - The importance of good schools

(00:17:05) - Micah’s early career

(00:19:28) - Experiences in the GFC

(00:23:27) - Micah’s job today

(00:28:36) - Thoughts on the retail market

(00:29:39) - Developing a trait of generosity

(00:33:30) - Building America’s Most Generous Real Estate Company

(00:41:15) - Buying churches and converting them to hotels

(00:47:51) - How to give away money

(00:54:06) - What does the inner-city need to change?

(00:57:03) - Charter Schools

(00:58:20) - How to get people involved in giving

(01:02:22) - Raising grounded children  

(01:08:55) - Why people with money don’t give

(01:12:53) - How to know where to give

(01:17:22) - Thoughts on giving across the street vs. across the ocean

(01:18:50) - The Halftime Institute

(01:24:38) - Final thoughts


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5233 #326 - Ed Pitoniak - CEO @ VICI Properties ($VICI) - From the Slopes to Leading a $50B Gaming, Hospitality, and Entertainment REIT Edward Pitoniak is the founding Chief Executive Officer of VICI Properties, one of America’s largest real estate investment trusts and the first American REIT to go from IPO to S&P 500 inclusion in less than 5 years. Since its inception in late 2017, VICI has carried out over $30 billion of transactions. VICI is the largest real estate owner on the Las Vegas Strip, the most economically productive street in America, where VICI owns such iconic assets as The Venetian, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay. VICI also has partnerships with Cabot Destinations, Canyon Ranch, Great Wolf Resorts, and other leading experiential operators.  On this episode, Chris and Ed discuss: - Maximizing the hospitality experience in Vegas - The story of building VICI - Investing in Canyon Ranch - The Inevitable Gaming Future in Texas We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Vici Ed on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Ed’s career (00:07:42) - How career “obsession” has changed since the 1970’s (00:18:05) - The history of the ski industry (00:28:10) - Maximizing the 24-hour experience of Las Vegas (00:30:35) - Are people craving experience more than ever? (00:35:06) - The Las Vegas Sphere (00:39:33) - Risk-taking  (00:42:06) - VICI (00:47:57) - What makes a great purchase for Vici? (00:51:50) - How did you achieve the highest gross margins of any publicly traded company? (00:54:17) - Who else does what you do? (00:55:36) - Project ShitCo (00:56:48) - Canyon Ranch  (01:04:37) - The Fontainblue Las Vegas (01:06:45) - The impact of influencer marketing on in-person casino experiences (01:09:19) - The future of Texas & Gaming Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 21 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 326 Chris Powers Edward Pitoniak is the founding Chief Executive Officer of VICI Properties, one of America’s largest real estate investment trusts and the first American REIT to go from IPO to S&P 500 inclusion in less than 5 years. Since its inception in late 2017, VICI has carried out over $30 billion of transactions. VICI is the largest real estate owner on the Las Vegas Strip, the most economically productive street in America, where VICI owns such iconic assets as The Venetian, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay. VICI also has partnerships with Cabot Destinations, Canyon Ranch, Great Wolf Resorts, and other leading experiential operators.  On this episode, Chris and Ed discuss: - Maximizing the hospitality experience in Vegas - The story of building VICI - Investing in Canyon Ranch - The Inevitable Gaming Future in Texas We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Vici Ed on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Ed’s career (00:07:42) - How career “obsession” has changed since the 1970’s (00:18:05) - The history of the ski industry (00:28:10) - Maximizing the 24-hour experience of Las Vegas (00:30:35) - Are people craving experience more than ever? (00:35:06) - The Las Vegas Sphere (00:39:33) - Risk-taking  (00:42:06) - VICI (00:47:57) - What makes a great purchase for Vici? (00:51:50) - How did you achieve the highest gross margins of any publicly traded company? (00:54:17) - Who else does what you do? (00:55:36) - Project ShitCo (00:56:48) - Canyon Ranch  (01:04:37) - The Fontainblue Las Vegas (01:06:45) - The impact of influencer marketing on in-person casino experiences (01:09:19) - The future of Texas & Gaming Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Edward Pitoniak is the founding Chief Executive Officer of VICI Properties, one of America’s largest real estate investment trusts and the first American REIT to go from IPO to S&P 500 inclusion in less than 5 years. Since its inception in late 2017, VICI has carried out over $30 billion of transactions. VICI is the largest real estate owner on the Las Vegas Strip, the most economically productive street in America, where VICI owns such iconic assets as The Venetian, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay. VICI also has partnerships with Cabot Destinations, Canyon Ranch, Great Wolf Resorts, and other leading experiential operators. 


On this episode, Chris and Ed discuss:

- Maximizing the hospitality experience in Vegas

- The story of building VICI

- Investing in Canyon Ranch

- The Inevitable Gaming Future in Texas


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Vici

Ed on LinkedIn

Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:04) - Ed’s career

(00:07:42) - How career “obsession” has changed since the 1970’s

(00:18:05) - The history of the ski industry

(00:28:10) - Maximizing the 24-hour experience of Las Vegas

(00:30:35) - Are people craving experience more than ever?

(00:35:06) - The Las Vegas Sphere

(00:39:33) - Risk-taking 

(00:42:06) - VICI

(00:47:57) - What makes a great purchase for Vici?

(00:51:50) - How did you achieve the highest gross margins of any publicly traded company?

(00:54:17) - Who else does what you do?

(00:55:36) - Project ShitCo

(00:56:48) - Canyon Ranch 

(01:04:37) - The Fontainblue Las Vegas

(01:06:45) - The impact of influencer marketing on in-person casino experiences

(01:09:19) - The future of Texas & Gaming


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4903 #325 - Craig Fuller - CEO @ FreightWaves - State of Global Freight, China's Impact, Onshoring, Strategy for Buying Media Companies Craig Fuller is the founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Before FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the CEO of FLYING Magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine. Previously, Fuller founded the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress, the leading provider of on-demand expedited truckload services. On this episode, Chris and Craig discuss: What Craig sees in the freight industry today The economic state of China The reshoring renaissance Craig’s media strategy Buying Flying Magazine How to double the size of an established niche media company We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Craig on Twitter FreightWaves FLYING Magazine Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Reflecting on correctly predicting a freight recession (00:06:24) - What are you seeing today in the industry? (00:15:29) - Are supply chains better now than pre-2020? (00:20:44) - China (00:30:54) - The Reshoring renaissance (00:34:42) - The Panama Canal (00:36:11) - The Merger of Canadian Pacific w/ Kansas City Southern (00:42:42) - Yellow’s bankruptcy (00:47:53) - What’s your media strategy? (00:53:49) - Valuing a media business (00:56:36) - Buying Flying Magazine (01:05:38) - How would you double the size of an established niche media company? (01:11:38) - How would you enter the Golf industry? (01:16:11) - Craig on buying an e-commerce business with his son Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 325 Chris Powers Craig Fuller is the founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Before FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the CEO of FLYING Magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine. Previously, Fuller founded the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress, the leading provider of on-demand expedited truckload services. On this episode, Chris and Craig discuss: What Craig sees in the freight industry today The economic state of China The reshoring renaissance Craig’s media strategy Buying Flying Magazine How to double the size of an established niche media company We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Craig on Twitter FreightWaves FLYING Magazine Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Reflecting on correctly predicting a freight recession (00:06:24) - What are you seeing today in the industry? (00:15:29) - Are supply chains better now than pre-2020? (00:20:44) - China (00:30:54) - The Reshoring renaissance (00:34:42) - The Panama Canal (00:36:11) - The Merger of Canadian Pacific w/ Kansas City Southern (00:42:42) - Yellow’s bankruptcy (00:47:53) - What’s your media strategy? (00:53:49) - Valuing a media business (00:56:36) - Buying Flying Magazine (01:05:38) - How would you double the size of an established niche media company? (01:11:38) - How would you enter the Golf industry? (01:16:11) - Craig on buying an e-commerce business with his son Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Craig Fuller is the founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Before FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the CEO of FLYING Magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine. Previously, Fuller founded the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress, the leading provider of on-demand expedited truckload services.


On this episode, Chris and Craig discuss:

  • What Craig sees in the freight industry today
  • The economic state of China
  • The reshoring renaissance
  • Craig’s media strategy
  • Buying Flying Magazine
  • How to double the size of an established niche media company


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Craig on Twitter

FreightWaves

FLYING Magazine


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:04) - Reflecting on correctly predicting a freight recession

(00:06:24) - What are you seeing today in the industry?

(00:15:29) - Are supply chains better now than pre-2020?

(00:20:44) - China

(00:30:54) - The Reshoring renaissance

(00:34:42) - The Panama Canal

(00:36:11) - The Merger of Canadian Pacific w/ Kansas City Southern

(00:42:42) - Yellow’s bankruptcy

(00:47:53) - What’s your media strategy?

(00:53:49) - Valuing a media business

(00:56:36) - Buying Flying Magazine

(01:05:38) - How would you double the size of an established niche media company?

(01:11:38) - How would you enter the Golf industry?

(01:16:11) - Craig on buying an e-commerce business with his son


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4925 #324 - Kaes Van't Hof - President/CFO @ Diamondback Energy ($FANG) - Lessons & Stories From Inside a $30B Oil Company Kaes has worked at Diamondback Energy since July 2016 in various roles and as President and CFO since February 2022. Prior to that, he was CEO of Bison Drilling and Field Services in Midland, TX from September 2012 to June 2016. He began his career at Citigroup as an investment banking analyst, and worked for Wexford Capital prior to joining Bison. On this episode, Chris and Kaes discuss: Learning the Oil & Gas business A timeline of Diamondback Energy The Permian Basin How to get people to love Oil & Gas again We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Diamondback Energy Kaes on Twitter Topics (00:01:48) - Kaes’ career & tennis (00:09:32) - Learning the Oil and Gas business (00:16:37) - Building Windsor (00:26:15) - High yield vs. investment grade businesses (00:31:20) - Diamondback’s merger with Energen Resources (00:34:12) - Experiences during Covid (00:39:03) - How do you source deals? (00:42:18) - The 2021 market (00:45:24) - Hedging (00:46:41) - Thoughts on the Permian basin (00:49:09) - Being a low-cost producer (00:52:07) - Learning to manage people (00:53:43) - Thoughts on the $60b Pioneer acquisition (00:55:28) - Is there a way to make people love OIl & Gas again (00:01:46) - This business is a trade (01:03:06) - Are investors coming back into the space? Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 12 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 324 Chris Powers Kaes has worked at Diamondback Energy since July 2016 in various roles and as President and CFO since February 2022. Prior to that, he was CEO of Bison Drilling and Field Services in Midland, TX from September 2012 to June 2016. He began his career at Citigroup as an investment banking analyst, and worked for Wexford Capital prior to joining Bison. On this episode, Chris and Kaes discuss: Learning the Oil & Gas business A timeline of Diamondback Energy The Permian Basin How to get people to love Oil & Gas again We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Diamondback Energy Kaes on Twitter Topics (00:01:48) - Kaes’ career & tennis (00:09:32) - Learning the Oil and Gas business (00:16:37) - Building Windsor (00:26:15) - High yield vs. investment grade businesses (00:31:20) - Diamondback’s merger with Energen Resources (00:34:12) - Experiences during Covid (00:39:03) - How do you source deals? (00:42:18) - The 2021 market (00:45:24) - Hedging (00:46:41) - Thoughts on the Permian basin (00:49:09) - Being a low-cost producer (00:52:07) - Learning to manage people (00:53:43) - Thoughts on the $60b Pioneer acquisition (00:55:28) - Is there a way to make people love OIl & Gas again (00:01:46) - This business is a trade (01:03:06) - Are investors coming back into the space? Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Kaes has worked at Diamondback Energy since July 2016 in various roles and as President and CFO since February 2022. Prior to that, he was CEO of Bison Drilling and Field Services in Midland, TX from September 2012 to June 2016. He began his career at Citigroup as an investment banking analyst, and worked for Wexford Capital prior to joining Bison.


On this episode, Chris and Kaes discuss:

  • Learning the Oil & Gas business
  • A timeline of Diamondback Energy
  • The Permian Basin
  • How to get people to love Oil & Gas again


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Diamondback Energy

Kaes on Twitter

Topics

(00:01:48) - Kaes’ career & tennis

(00:09:32) - Learning the Oil and Gas business

(00:16:37) - Building Windsor

(00:26:15) - High yield vs. investment grade businesses

(00:31:20) - Diamondback’s merger with Energen Resources

(00:34:12) - Experiences during Covid

(00:39:03) - How do you source deals?

(00:42:18) - The 2021 market

(00:45:24) - Hedging

(00:46:41) - Thoughts on the Permian basin

(00:49:09) - Being a low-cost producer

(00:52:07) - Learning to manage people

(00:53:43) - Thoughts on the $60b Pioneer acquisition

(00:55:28) - Is there a way to make people love OIl & Gas again

(00:01:46) - This business is a trade

(01:03:06) - Are investors coming back into the space?


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4424 #323 - Nancy Lashine - Founder @ Park Madison Partners - Cycles, Crises, and Capital: Navigating The New Normal in Real Estate Nancy is the Founder and Managing Partner of Park Madison Partners. As a leading real estate capital markets firm, Park Madison is an advisor to investment managers and operators and provides capital placement services for institutional investors. The firm has placed over $25 billion of equity in PMP-sponsored vehicles and maintains relationships with over 2500 real estate investors and managers. On this episode, Chris and Nancy discuss: - Nancy’s perspective on the capital markets - Capital allocation - Development valuations - Fundraising structures - Wisdom for folks pursuing a first-time fund We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Park Madison Partners Nancy on LinkedIn Real Estate Capital Podcast hosted by Nancy Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:12) - Nancy’s perspective on the capital markets (00:14:40) - Pref equity in Industrial (00:16:09) - A discussion on the Office class (00:20:40) - Capital allocation (00:22:42) - What do institutional investors care about in contrast to private investors? (00:26:59) - Development valuations (00:29:30) - Fundraising structures (00:43:21) - Wisdom for folks pursuing a first-time Fund Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 05 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 323 Chris Powers Nancy is the Founder and Managing Partner of Park Madison Partners. As a leading real estate capital markets firm, Park Madison is an advisor to investment managers and operators and provides capital placement services for institutional investors. The firm has placed over $25 billion of equity in PMP-sponsored vehicles and maintains relationships with over 2500 real estate investors and managers. On this episode, Chris and Nancy discuss: - Nancy’s perspective on the capital markets - Capital allocation - Development valuations - Fundraising structures - Wisdom for folks pursuing a first-time fund We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Park Madison Partners Nancy on LinkedIn Real Estate Capital Podcast hosted by Nancy Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:12) - Nancy’s perspective on the capital markets (00:14:40) - Pref equity in Industrial (00:16:09) - A discussion on the Office class (00:20:40) - Capital allocation (00:22:42) - What do institutional investors care about in contrast to private investors? (00:26:59) - Development valuations (00:29:30) - Fundraising structures (00:43:21) - Wisdom for folks pursuing a first-time Fund Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Nancy is the Founder and Managing Partner of Park Madison Partners. As a leading real estate capital markets firm, Park Madison is an advisor to investment managers and operators and provides capital placement services for institutional investors. The firm has placed over $25 billion of equity in PMP-sponsored vehicles and maintains relationships with over 2500 real estate investors and managers.

On this episode, Chris and Nancy discuss:

- Nancy’s perspective on the capital markets

- Capital allocation

- Development valuations

- Fundraising structures

- Wisdom for folks pursuing a first-time fund


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Park Madison Partners

Nancy on LinkedIn

Real Estate Capital Podcast hosted by Nancy


Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:12) - Nancy’s perspective on the capital markets

(00:14:40) - Pref equity in Industrial

(00:16:09) - A discussion on the Office class

(00:20:40) - Capital allocation

(00:22:42) - What do institutional investors care about in contrast to private investors?

(00:26:59) - Development valuations

(00:29:30) - Fundraising structures

(00:43:21) - Wisdom for folks pursuing a first-time Fund


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3667 #322 - Reg Zeller - CEO @ CaneKast - Rolling Up Foundries & Making Manufacturing in America Great Again Reg is the founder and CEO of CaneKast, a privately-owned company focused on revolutionizing and rolling up small manufacturing in the US, with a current focus on non-ferrous foundries. We discuss: - The world of foundries - Offshoring & onshoring - How Reg rolls up foundries - Due diligence - Training - The process of closing on a business Links: Reg on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RegZeller CaneKast - https://canekast.com/ Topics: (00:00:00)- Intro (00:00:47) - The world of Foundries (00:05:56 - Offshoring (00:07:48) - Ideals specs of a foundry (00:14:14) - Josh’s impact (00:19:16) - Reg’s big-picture vision (00:25:20) - The process of rolling up a new foundry (00:30:01) - Determining whether to buy part of a foundry or the whole (00:33:16) - Negative margins (00:37:03) - Due diligence (00:38:59) - Pursuing the car deal model (00:42:28) - The nearshoring movement (00:51:11) - Training employees (00:57:02) - Equipment as part of the moat (01:01:44) - 3D printing (01:03:22) - The process of closing on a business Support out Sponsors: Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 322 Chris Powers Reg is the founder and CEO of CaneKast, a privately-owned company focused on revolutionizing and rolling up small manufacturing in the US, with a current focus on non-ferrous foundries. We discuss: - The world of foundries - Offshoring & onshoring - How Reg rolls up foundries - Due diligence - Training - The process of closing on a business Links: Reg on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RegZeller CaneKast - https://canekast.com/ Topics: (00:00:00)- Intro (00:00:47) - The world of Foundries (00:05:56 - Offshoring (00:07:48) - Ideals specs of a foundry (00:14:14) - Josh’s impact (00:19:16) - Reg’s big-picture vision (00:25:20) - The process of rolling up a new foundry (00:30:01) - Determining whether to buy part of a foundry or the whole (00:33:16) - Negative margins (00:37:03) - Due diligence (00:38:59) - Pursuing the car deal model (00:42:28) - The nearshoring movement (00:51:11) - Training employees (00:57:02) - Equipment as part of the moat (01:01:44) - 3D printing (01:03:22) - The process of closing on a business Support out Sponsors: Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Reg is the founder and CEO of CaneKast, a privately-owned company focused on revolutionizing and rolling up small manufacturing in the US, with a current focus on non-ferrous foundries.


We discuss:

- The world of foundries

- Offshoring & onshoring

- How Reg rolls up foundries

- Due diligence

- Training

- The process of closing on a business


Links:

Reg on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RegZeller

CaneKast - https://canekast.com/


Topics:

(00:00:00)- Intro

(00:00:47) - The world of Foundries

(00:05:56 - Offshoring

(00:07:48) - Ideals specs of a foundry

(00:14:14) - Josh’s impact

(00:19:16) - Reg’s big-picture vision

(00:25:20) - The process of rolling up a new foundry

(00:30:01) - Determining whether to buy part of a foundry or the whole

(00:33:16) - Negative margins

(00:37:03) - Due diligence

(00:38:59) - Pursuing the car deal model

(00:42:28) - The nearshoring movement

(00:51:11) - Training employees

(00:57:02) - Equipment as part of the moat

(01:01:44) - 3D printing

(01:03:22) - The process of closing on a business


Support out Sponsors:

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd


Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 4605 #321 - Casey Mericle - The Art of the Deal: Unconventional Deal Structuring in Real Estate Casey Mericle is a real estate investor out of Missouri who specializes in deal structuring, negotiating, and putting people and resources together to solve real estate puzzles. He's been in real estate for about 15 years now and has done hundreds of deals. We discuss: How to find out what a seller wants Note structures Walkable debt Nontraditional negotiating Creative ways to finalize deals We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Casey on Twitter/X Casey's mentor: Jack Shea Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:55) - Poker & real estate (00:05:02) - How do you find out what a seller wants? (00:10:24) - Installment sales (00:14:13) - Characteristics of deals Casey plays in (00:15:33) - Sourcing deals (00:19:31) - Why is now the best time for seller-financing? (00:21:07) - Note structures (00:23:26) - Walkable debt (00:27:18) - Foreclosing on yourself (00:33:32) - Nontraditional negotiating (00:42:25) - What do you know that most people in RE don’t? (00:46:29) - Thoughts on the market (00:49:28) - Paying more to a seller than the asking price (00:51:14) - Creative ways to get things done (01:07:07) - Building trust with people (01:08:30) - Creating debt and making money off the debt rather than the deal Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 21 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 321 Chris Powers Casey Mericle is a real estate investor out of Missouri who specializes in deal structuring, negotiating, and putting people and resources together to solve real estate puzzles. He's been in real estate for about 15 years now and has done hundreds of deals. We discuss: How to find out what a seller wants Note structures Walkable debt Nontraditional negotiating Creative ways to finalize deals We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Casey on Twitter/X Casey's mentor: Jack Shea Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:55) - Poker & real estate (00:05:02) - How do you find out what a seller wants? (00:10:24) - Installment sales (00:14:13) - Characteristics of deals Casey plays in (00:15:33) - Sourcing deals (00:19:31) - Why is now the best time for seller-financing? (00:21:07) - Note structures (00:23:26) - Walkable debt (00:27:18) - Foreclosing on yourself (00:33:32) - Nontraditional negotiating (00:42:25) - What do you know that most people in RE don’t? (00:46:29) - Thoughts on the market (00:49:28) - Paying more to a seller than the asking price (00:51:14) - Creative ways to get things done (01:07:07) - Building trust with people (01:08:30) - Creating debt and making money off the debt rather than the deal Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Casey Mericle is a real estate investor out of Missouri who specializes in deal structuring, negotiating, and putting people and resources together to solve real estate puzzles. He's been in real estate for about 15 years now and has done hundreds of deals.


We discuss:

  • How to find out what a seller wants
  • Note structures
  • Walkable debt
  • Nontraditional negotiating
  • Creative ways to finalize deals


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Casey on Twitter/X

Casey's mentor: Jack Shea


Topics

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:55) - Poker & real estate

(00:05:02) - How do you find out what a seller wants?

(00:10:24) - Installment sales

(00:14:13) - Characteristics of deals Casey plays in

(00:15:33) - Sourcing deals

(00:19:31) - Why is now the best time for seller-financing?

(00:21:07) - Note structures

(00:23:26) - Walkable debt

(00:27:18) - Foreclosing on yourself

(00:33:32) - Nontraditional negotiating

(00:42:25) - What do you know that most people in RE don’t?

(00:46:29) - Thoughts on the market

(00:49:28) - Paying more to a seller than the asking price

(00:51:14) - Creative ways to get things done

(01:07:07) - Building trust with people

(01:08:30) - Creating debt and making money off the debt rather than the deal



Support our Sponsors

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RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

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Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4397 #320 - Real Estate Real Talk: Personal Guarantees, Foreclosures, Bankruptcy, and Bouncing Back with Andrew Kirsh and Zack Streit Artem Tepler sadly passed away on November 2nd, 2023. He visited me in Fort Worth and I'll never forget it. He was funny, and kind, and had a servant's heart. His story was infectious. I know he loved his daughter more than anything. That made up most of our conversation at lunch. Pray for Artem and his family. If you're able to give, there is a GoFundMe set up for his daughter, which can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/artem-tepler On this episode, I am joined by Andrew Kirsh and Zack Streit. Andrew is an experienced commercial real estate transactional attorney, whose clientele includes a broad spectrum of national, regional, and local investors, funds, developers, operators, syndicators, private equity providers, and lenders. Andrew’s practice involves all aspects of the real estate industry, including acquisitions, dispositions, equity investments, syndications, fund formation, development, leasing, financing, note purchases, and foreclosures. Zack has 15 years of multifaceted commercial real estate investment and advisory experience, including as an equity capital provider, a debt capital provider, and a capital advisor. His 8 years of institutional principal investment experience laid the foundation for a career as a capital advisor, where he has co-founded a capital advisory platform and closed billions of dollars in commercial real estate ventures.  We discuss: Personal Guarantees Personal vs. Non-recourse loans What to do when a deal and loan goes bad Foreclosing on a personal guarantee Filing for bankruptcy Links: GoFundMe for Artem's daughter Andrew on Twitter Zack on Twitter SklarKirsh WAY Capital Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:42) Personal Guarantees (00:10:57) Personal vs. non-recourse loans (00:20:14) How lenders are treating covenants in today’s environment (00:25:03) Lookback periods (00:31:18) Capex Busts (00:33:41) Is the banker really my friend? (00:37:28) What to do when a loan goes bad (00:57:54) Deciding to foreclose when you have a personal guarantee (01:00:36) Filing for bankruptcy (01:09:46) Final Thoughts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 320 Chris Powers Artem Tepler sadly passed away on November 2nd, 2023. He visited me in Fort Worth and I'll never forget it. He was funny, and kind, and had a servant's heart. His story was infectious. I know he loved his daughter more than anything. That made up most of our conversation at lunch. Pray for Artem and his family. If you're able to give, there is a GoFundMe set up for his daughter, which can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/artem-tepler On this episode, I am joined by Andrew Kirsh and Zack Streit. Andrew is an experienced commercial real estate transactional attorney, whose clientele includes a broad spectrum of national, regional, and local investors, funds, developers, operators, syndicators, private equity providers, and lenders. Andrew’s practice involves all aspects of the real estate industry, including acquisitions, dispositions, equity investments, syndications, fund formation, development, leasing, financing, note purchases, and foreclosures. Zack has 15 years of multifaceted commercial real estate investment and advisory experience, including as an equity capital provider, a debt capital provider, and a capital advisor. His 8 years of institutional principal investment experience laid the foundation for a career as a capital advisor, where he has co-founded a capital advisory platform and closed billions of dollars in commercial real estate ventures.  We discuss: Personal Guarantees Personal vs. Non-recourse loans What to do when a deal and loan goes bad Foreclosing on a personal guarantee Filing for bankruptcy Links: GoFundMe for Artem's daughter Andrew on Twitter Zack on Twitter SklarKirsh WAY Capital Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:42) Personal Guarantees (00:10:57) Personal vs. non-recourse loans (00:20:14) How lenders are treating covenants in today’s environment (00:25:03) Lookback periods (00:31:18) Capex Busts (00:33:41) Is the banker really my friend? (00:37:28) What to do when a loan goes bad (00:57:54) Deciding to foreclose when you have a personal guarantee (01:00:36) Filing for bankruptcy (01:09:46) Final Thoughts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Artem Tepler sadly passed away on November 2nd, 2023. He visited me in Fort Worth and I'll never forget it. He was funny, and kind, and had a servant's heart. His story was infectious. I know he loved his daughter more than anything. That made up most of our conversation at lunch. Pray for Artem and his family. If you're able to give, there is a GoFundMe set up for his daughter, which can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/artem-tepler

On this episode, I am joined by Andrew Kirsh and Zack Streit. Andrew is an experienced commercial real estate transactional attorney, whose clientele includes a broad spectrum of national, regional, and local investors, funds, developers, operators, syndicators, private equity providers, and lenders. Andrew’s practice involves all aspects of the real estate industry, including acquisitions, dispositions, equity investments, syndications, fund formation, development, leasing, financing, note purchases, and foreclosures.

Zack has 15 years of multifaceted commercial real estate investment and advisory experience, including as an equity capital provider, a debt capital provider, and a capital advisor. His 8 years of institutional principal investment experience laid the foundation for a career as a capital advisor, where he has co-founded a capital advisory platform and closed billions of dollars in commercial real estate ventures. 

We discuss:

  • Personal Guarantees
  • Personal vs. Non-recourse loans
  • What to do when a deal and loan goes bad
  • Foreclosing on a personal guarantee
  • Filing for bankruptcy


Links:

GoFundMe for Artem's daughter

Andrew on Twitter

Zack on Twitter

SklarKirsh

WAY Capital


Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:42) Personal Guarantees

(00:10:57) Personal vs. non-recourse loans

(00:20:14) How lenders are treating covenants in today’s environment

(00:25:03) Lookback periods

(00:31:18) Capex Busts

(00:33:41) Is the banker really my friend?

(00:37:28) What to do when a loan goes bad

(00:57:54) Deciding to foreclose when you have a personal guarantee

(01:00:36) Filing for bankruptcy

(01:09:46) Final Thoughts


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4420 #319 - John Marsh - Taking Wise Counsel, Influence, Our Blind Spots, Forgiveness, & A Little Thing Called Humility John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective, host of the Redemptification Podcast, and investor helping steward over $1.5b in redemptive real estate in 12 small towns (with populations of 800-180k) around America. Over the last 25 years, John and Ashely have guided over 60 startup businesses in various industries, such as Hospitality, Construction, Real Estate Investing, Advertising, and multiple Restaurants. John and his wife have renovated 280+ buildings within ten blocks of downtown Opelika to help save their city. Today, John's current focus is helping others make generational differences in communities and companies. By helping patrons bridge the gap between redeeming vision, financial sustainability, and execution to pioneering a new asset class of real estate which they have coined "Irreplaceable Real Estate." We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey On this episode, Chris and John discuss: The power of influence Humility Blind spots of entrepreneurs Divorce & money Changing the hospitality landscape Links Marsh Collective John and Ash's story John's first appearance on The Fort Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:41) The Power to influence and love (00:10:07) Why is humility so attractive? (00:13:06) Blind spots in the entrepreneur type (00:33:19) Learning forgiveness (00:37:26) Being hard on yourself (00:40:41) Reversing bad momentum (00:44:25) Divorce & money (00:53:13) Taking counsel (00:54:43) Applying these lessons to business partnerships (00:59:21) What’s wrong with hospitality today? Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 07 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000 full 1 319 Chris Powers John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective, host of the Redemptification Podcast, and investor helping steward over $1.5b in redemptive real estate in 12 small towns (with populations of 800-180k) around America. Over the last 25 years, John and Ashely have guided over 60 startup businesses in various industries, such as Hospitality, Construction, Real Estate Investing, Advertising, and multiple Restaurants. John and his wife have renovated 280+ buildings within ten blocks of downtown Opelika to help save their city. Today, John's current focus is helping others make generational differences in communities and companies. By helping patrons bridge the gap between redeeming vision, financial sustainability, and execution to pioneering a new asset class of real estate which they have coined "Irreplaceable Real Estate." We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey On this episode, Chris and John discuss: The power of influence Humility Blind spots of entrepreneurs Divorce & money Changing the hospitality landscape Links Marsh Collective John and Ash's story John's first appearance on The Fort Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:41) The Power to influence and love (00:10:07) Why is humility so attractive? (00:13:06) Blind spots in the entrepreneur type (00:33:19) Learning forgiveness (00:37:26) Being hard on yourself (00:40:41) Reversing bad momentum (00:44:25) Divorce & money (00:53:13) Taking counsel (00:54:43) Applying these lessons to business partnerships (00:59:21) What’s wrong with hospitality today? Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective, host of the Redemptification Podcast, and investor helping steward over $1.5b in redemptive real estate in 12 small towns (with populations of 800-180k) around America.

Over the last 25 years, John and Ashely have guided over 60 startup businesses in various industries, such as Hospitality, Construction, Real Estate Investing, Advertising, and multiple Restaurants. John and his wife have renovated 280+ buildings within ten blocks of downtown Opelika to help save their city. Today, John's current focus is helping others make generational differences in communities and companies. By helping patrons bridge the gap between redeeming vision, financial sustainability, and execution to pioneering a new asset class of real estate which they have coined "Irreplaceable Real Estate."


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


On this episode, Chris and John discuss:

  • The power of influence
  • Humility
  • Blind spots of entrepreneurs
  • Divorce & money
  • Changing the hospitality landscape


Links

Marsh Collective

John and Ash's story

John's first appearance on The Fort


Topics

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:41) The Power to influence and love

(00:10:07) Why is humility so attractive?

(00:13:06) Blind spots in the entrepreneur type

(00:33:19) Learning forgiveness

(00:37:26) Being hard on yourself

(00:40:41) Reversing bad momentum

(00:44:25) Divorce & money

(00:53:13) Taking counsel

(00:54:43) Applying these lessons to business partnerships

(00:59:21) What’s wrong with hospitality today?


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5487 #318 - Jillian Murrish - Co-Founder @ Pier Asset Management - Speciality Finance Makes The World Go Round Jillian Murrish is Co-founder and CEO of Pier Asset Management, where she manages the firm and heads business development. Before founding Pier, Jillian was EVP of Capital Markets at Patch of Land and an investment banker at Houlihan Lokey. On this episode, Chris and Jillian discuss: Senior Credit Facilities Litigation Finance Underwriting risk Consumer Loan defaults Why private credit firms should not be regulated like banks We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Jillian on Twitter Pier Asset Management Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:30) Jillian’s background and career (00:10:39) Getting great prices for great assets vs. great prices for messy assets (00:15:24) Providing senior credit facilities (00:16:39) Why would someone borrow from you vs. a bank? (00:19:28) Do you have a capacity of how much you can lend? (00:21:58) Litigation Finance (00:33:42) How are you sourcing deals? (00:35:11) Are there common traits in deals that allow you to underwrite risk? (00:37:53) Music royalties (00:44:05) What are you seeing in today’s environment? (00:46:14) Is the consumer paying their loans? (00:49:07) What’s the shortest duration you want to be in a loan for? (00:50:39) What’s happening in the auto loan world? (00:56:17) How do you think about secured vs. unsecured notes? (00:58:23) What % of deals do you write that you need to repo?  (00:59:19) Why and why not private credit firms should be regulated like a bank (01:01:43) Do you have a favorite story when it comes to a non-performing loan? (01:03:07) What gave you the entrepreneurial bug? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 02 Nov 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 318 Chris Powers Jillian Murrish is Co-founder and CEO of Pier Asset Management, where she manages the firm and heads business development. Before founding Pier, Jillian was EVP of Capital Markets at Patch of Land and an investment banker at Houlihan Lokey. On this episode, Chris and Jillian discuss: Senior Credit Facilities Litigation Finance Underwriting risk Consumer Loan defaults Why private credit firms should not be regulated like banks We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Jillian on Twitter Pier Asset Management Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:30) Jillian’s background and career (00:10:39) Getting great prices for great assets vs. great prices for messy assets (00:15:24) Providing senior credit facilities (00:16:39) Why would someone borrow from you vs. a bank? (00:19:28) Do you have a capacity of how much you can lend? (00:21:58) Litigation Finance (00:33:42) How are you sourcing deals? (00:35:11) Are there common traits in deals that allow you to underwrite risk? (00:37:53) Music royalties (00:44:05) What are you seeing in today’s environment? (00:46:14) Is the consumer paying their loans? (00:49:07) What’s the shortest duration you want to be in a loan for? (00:50:39) What’s happening in the auto loan world? (00:56:17) How do you think about secured vs. unsecured notes? (00:58:23) What % of deals do you write that you need to repo?  (00:59:19) Why and why not private credit firms should be regulated like a bank (01:01:43) Do you have a favorite story when it comes to a non-performing loan? (01:03:07) What gave you the entrepreneurial bug? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jillian Murrish is Co-founder and CEO of Pier Asset Management, where she manages the firm and heads business development. Before founding Pier, Jillian was EVP of Capital Markets at Patch of Land and an investment banker at Houlihan Lokey.

On this episode, Chris and Jillian discuss:

  • Senior Credit Facilities
  • Litigation Finance
  • Underwriting risk
  • Consumer Loan defaults
  • Why private credit firms should not be regulated like banks


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Jillian on Twitter

Pier Asset Management

Topics

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:30) Jillian’s background and career

(00:10:39) Getting great prices for great assets vs. great prices for messy assets

(00:15:24) Providing senior credit facilities

(00:16:39) Why would someone borrow from you vs. a bank?

(00:19:28) Do you have a capacity of how much you can lend?

(00:21:58) Litigation Finance

(00:33:42) How are you sourcing deals?

(00:35:11) Are there common traits in deals that allow you to underwrite risk?

(00:37:53) Music royalties

(00:44:05) What are you seeing in today’s environment?

(00:46:14) Is the consumer paying their loans?

(00:49:07) What’s the shortest duration you want to be in a loan for?

(00:50:39) What’s happening in the auto loan world?

(00:56:17) How do you think about secured vs. unsecured notes?

(00:58:23) What % of deals do you write that you need to repo? 

(00:59:19) Why and why not private credit firms should be regulated like a bank

(01:01:43) Do you have a favorite story when it comes to a non-performing loan?

(01:03:07) What gave you the entrepreneurial bug?


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4245 #317 - David Gibson - Minister @ Trinity Church - Living Life Backward, Ecclesiastes, Building a Church! David Gibson is the Minister of Trinity Church, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he has lived for the last 19 years. David is passionate about reaching the city where he lives with the gospel, and the Trinity congregation is preparing to restore Aberdeen's largest church building (built in 1904) after decades of neglect. Most recently, he has published in academic and more popular contexts on the beauty of the Wisdom literature in everyday life: Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: Christianity in Europe/The UK vs. The United States Making sense of the Gospel and coming to Christ David's journey buying and restoring a church The book of Ecclesiastes The value of embracing death Introducing your kids to Ecclesiastes We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: TrinityAberdeen.org.uk Trinity Church Aberdeen on YouTube Living Life Backward by David Gibson Remaking the World by Andrew Wilson The Air We Breathe by Glen Scrivener The Pastor by Eugene H. Peterson The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:27) David’s background and career (00:05:32) Christianity in the Europe/UK vs. the United States (00:11:56) Making sense of the Gospel and Coming to Christ (00:15:24) The Christian environment in Ireland (00:20:20) Buying a church (00:25:02) How to help David  (00:28:17) The book of Ecclesiastes  (00:42:09) The value of embracing death (00:54:18) How to NOT become the messiah (00:54:18) Introducing your kids to Ecclesiastes  Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 31 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 317 Chris Powers David Gibson is the Minister of Trinity Church, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he has lived for the last 19 years. David is passionate about reaching the city where he lives with the gospel, and the Trinity congregation is preparing to restore Aberdeen's largest church building (built in 1904) after decades of neglect. Most recently, he has published in academic and more popular contexts on the beauty of the Wisdom literature in everyday life: Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: Christianity in Europe/The UK vs. The United States Making sense of the Gospel and coming to Christ David's journey buying and restoring a church The book of Ecclesiastes The value of embracing death Introducing your kids to Ecclesiastes We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: TrinityAberdeen.org.uk Trinity Church Aberdeen on YouTube Living Life Backward by David Gibson Remaking the World by Andrew Wilson The Air We Breathe by Glen Scrivener The Pastor by Eugene H. Peterson The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:27) David’s background and career (00:05:32) Christianity in the Europe/UK vs. the United States (00:11:56) Making sense of the Gospel and Coming to Christ (00:15:24) The Christian environment in Ireland (00:20:20) Buying a church (00:25:02) How to help David  (00:28:17) The book of Ecclesiastes  (00:42:09) The value of embracing death (00:54:18) How to NOT become the messiah (00:54:18) Introducing your kids to Ecclesiastes  Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts David Gibson is the Minister of Trinity Church, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he has lived for the last 19 years. David is passionate about reaching the city where he lives with the gospel, and the Trinity congregation is preparing to restore Aberdeen's largest church building (built in 1904) after decades of neglect. Most recently, he has published in academic and more popular contexts on the beauty of the Wisdom literature in everyday life: Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End.

On this episode, Chris and David discuss:

  • Christianity in Europe/The UK vs. The United States
  • Making sense of the Gospel and coming to Christ
  • David's journey buying and restoring a church
  • The book of Ecclesiastes
  • The value of embracing death
  • Introducing your kids to Ecclesiastes


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

TrinityAberdeen.org.uk

Trinity Church Aberdeen on YouTube

Living Life Backward by David Gibson

Remaking the World by Andrew Wilson

The Air We Breathe by Glen Scrivener

The Pastor by Eugene H. Peterson

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch


Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:27) David’s background and career

(00:05:32) Christianity in the Europe/UK vs. the United States

(00:11:56) Making sense of the Gospel and Coming to Christ

(00:15:24) The Christian environment in Ireland

(00:20:20) Buying a church

(00:25:02) How to help David 

(00:28:17) The book of Ecclesiastes 

(00:42:09) The value of embracing death

(00:54:18) How to NOT become the messiah

(00:54:18) Introducing your kids to Ecclesiastes 


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4017 #316 - John Goff - Founder @ Goff Capital Partners John C. Goff is an investor based in Fort Worth, Texas. His family office, Goff Capital, invests across multiple sectors including wellness, aerospace, energy, gaming, entertainment, and real estate. Among his holdings are Canyon Ranch – the world’s recognized leader in health and wellness, and Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY), where he serves as Chairman of both companies. John is also Chairman and principal owner of Crescent Real Estate which has assets under management, development, and investment capacity of over $10 billion. On this episode, Chris and John discuss: - John’s career working with Richard Rainwater - Building, selling, and buying back Crescent from Morgan Stanley - Thoughts on the current real estate market - The challenges and opportunities facing the city of Fort Worth We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Crescent Real Estate Canyon Ranch Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:02) Suffering from ADHD (00:05:11) The impact of studying accounting (00:07:35) Richard Rainwater (00:17:41) Building Crescent & selling to Morgan Stanley (00:37:49) Buying Crescent back (00:46:57) Thoughts on the current RE market (00:55:27) The future of work is in the office (01:01:11) Class AA Office opportunities (01:02:35) Raising a GP fund (01:04:16) Thoughts Oil & Gas (01:18:06) Canyon Ranch (01:28:11) The opportunity for Fort Worth (01:43:58) What do you wish you had spent more time doing or less time doing? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 24 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 316 Chris Powers John C. Goff is an investor based in Fort Worth, Texas. His family office, Goff Capital, invests across multiple sectors including wellness, aerospace, energy, gaming, entertainment, and real estate. Among his holdings are Canyon Ranch – the world’s recognized leader in health and wellness, and Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY), where he serves as Chairman of both companies. John is also Chairman and principal owner of Crescent Real Estate which has assets under management, development, and investment capacity of over $10 billion. On this episode, Chris and John discuss: - John’s career working with Richard Rainwater - Building, selling, and buying back Crescent from Morgan Stanley - Thoughts on the current real estate market - The challenges and opportunities facing the city of Fort Worth We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Crescent Real Estate Canyon Ranch Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:02) Suffering from ADHD (00:05:11) The impact of studying accounting (00:07:35) Richard Rainwater (00:17:41) Building Crescent & selling to Morgan Stanley (00:37:49) Buying Crescent back (00:46:57) Thoughts on the current RE market (00:55:27) The future of work is in the office (01:01:11) Class AA Office opportunities (01:02:35) Raising a GP fund (01:04:16) Thoughts Oil & Gas (01:18:06) Canyon Ranch (01:28:11) The opportunity for Fort Worth (01:43:58) What do you wish you had spent more time doing or less time doing? Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts John C. Goff is an investor based in Fort Worth, Texas. His family office, Goff Capital, invests across multiple sectors including wellness, aerospace, energy, gaming, entertainment, and real estate. Among his holdings are Canyon Ranch – the world’s recognized leader in health and wellness, and Crescent Energy (NYSE:CRGY), where he serves as Chairman of both companies. John is also Chairman and principal owner of Crescent Real Estate which has assets under management, development, and investment capacity of over $10 billion.


On this episode, Chris and John discuss:

- John’s career working with Richard Rainwater

- Building, selling, and buying back Crescent from Morgan Stanley

- Thoughts on the current real estate market

- The challenges and opportunities facing the city of Fort Worth


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Crescent Real Estate

Canyon Ranch


Topics

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:03:02) Suffering from ADHD

(00:05:11) The impact of studying accounting

(00:07:35) Richard Rainwater

(00:17:41) Building Crescent & selling to Morgan Stanley

(00:37:49) Buying Crescent back

(00:46:57) Thoughts on the current RE market

(00:55:27) The future of work is in the office

(01:01:11) Class AA Office opportunities

(01:02:35) Raising a GP fund

(01:04:16) Thoughts Oil & Gas

(01:18:06) Canyon Ranch

(01:28:11) The opportunity for Fort Worth

(01:43:58) What do you wish you had spent more time doing or less time doing?


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6500 #315 - Dean Adler - Co-Founder @ Lubert-Adler Partners - Current Market Conditions, Private Credit, Pref Equity for the Win, Office, and Their Best Deal of All Time Dean S. Adler is CEO and Co-Founder of Lubert-Adler Partners, L.P., a real estate equity firm with over $9 billion in equity raised. Dean is the Head of the Investment Committee and is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the team. He is also an Executive Committee Member and Research Sponsor for the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of The Wharton School and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dominion Real Estate Company. On this episode, Chris & Dean discuss: Analyzing the current market How to vet folks looking for private credit Thoughts on Office as an asset Accidentally building a grocery empire We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Lubert-Adler Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:16) What are you thinking right now about capital markets? (00:05:36) Is there another cycle you could compare to today’s environment? (00:07:29) How do you think banks are thinking about upcoming renewals? (00:12:56) What needs to happen to normalize the market? (00:20:08) What are you seeing in fundraising? (00:21:56) How are you vetting folks looking for a private credit deal? (00:34:20) Thoughts on the Office Asset class (00:44:54) Does high levels of institutional investment in office affect the market? (00:49:13) Is there an asset class today that’s dying but no one knows? (00:53:56) How did you end up in the grocery business? (01:04:12) Is it possible to still pursue an opportunity like you did with Albertson’s today? (01:09:58) Looking back, what do you wish you had focused on more? Support our Sponsors Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 315 Chris Powers Dean S. Adler is CEO and Co-Founder of Lubert-Adler Partners, L.P., a real estate equity firm with over $9 billion in equity raised. Dean is the Head of the Investment Committee and is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the team. He is also an Executive Committee Member and Research Sponsor for the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of The Wharton School and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dominion Real Estate Company. On this episode, Chris & Dean discuss: Analyzing the current market How to vet folks looking for private credit Thoughts on Office as an asset Accidentally building a grocery empire We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Lubert-Adler Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:16) What are you thinking right now about capital markets? (00:05:36) Is there another cycle you could compare to today’s environment? (00:07:29) How do you think banks are thinking about upcoming renewals? (00:12:56) What needs to happen to normalize the market? (00:20:08) What are you seeing in fundraising? (00:21:56) How are you vetting folks looking for a private credit deal? (00:34:20) Thoughts on the Office Asset class (00:44:54) Does high levels of institutional investment in office affect the market? (00:49:13) Is there an asset class today that’s dying but no one knows? (00:53:56) How did you end up in the grocery business? (01:04:12) Is it possible to still pursue an opportunity like you did with Albertson’s today? (01:09:58) Looking back, what do you wish you had focused on more? Support our Sponsors Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Dean S. Adler is CEO and Co-Founder of Lubert-Adler Partners, L.P., a real estate equity firm with over $9 billion in equity raised. Dean is the Head of the Investment Committee and is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the team. He is also an Executive Committee Member and Research Sponsor for the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of The Wharton School and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dominion Real Estate Company.


On this episode, Chris & Dean discuss:

  • Analyzing the current market
  • How to vet folks looking for private credit
  • Thoughts on Office as an asset
  • Accidentally building a grocery empire


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Lubert-Adler

Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:03:16) What are you thinking right now about capital markets?

(00:05:36) Is there another cycle you could compare to today’s environment?

(00:07:29) How do you think banks are thinking about upcoming renewals?

(00:12:56) What needs to happen to normalize the market?

(00:20:08) What are you seeing in fundraising?

(00:21:56) How are you vetting folks looking for a private credit deal?

(00:34:20) Thoughts on the Office Asset class

(00:44:54) Does high levels of institutional investment in office affect the market?

(00:49:13) Is there an asset class today that’s dying but no one knows?

(00:53:56) How did you end up in the grocery business?

(01:04:12) Is it possible to still pursue an opportunity like you did with Albertson’s today?

(01:09:58) Looking back, what do you wish you had focused on more?


Support our Sponsors

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4782 #314 - Sieva Kozinsky - Founder @ Enduring Ventures - Permanent Capital HoldCo That Owns 21 Businesses & Counting Sieva is a founder and Managing Partner at Enduring Ventures. Enduring Ventures is a long-term holding company that buys beautiful businesses and holds them forever. Enduring owns a portfolio of 20+ companies across HVAC, B2B Maintenance, Plumbing, Swimming Pool Construction, and Software. Chris and Sieva discuss: Enduring’s structure and how they source opportunities Setting incentives for leaders in companies they acquire How an industry-agnostic HoldCo quickly assesses deals The story of acquiring Scribe via Twitter Links: Enduring Ventures - https://www.enduring.ventures/ Sieva on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SievaKozinsky We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:29) Founding Enduring Ventures (00:12:06) What is the structure of Enduring today? (00:20:58) How do you approach fundraising? (00:22:47) How are you incentivized in your business model? (00:28:26) Is there anything you won’t look at? (00:29:51) How are you able to quickly assess the quality of a deal if you’re industry agnostic? (00:33:09) What are the characteristics of a business that looked great years ago but today would be mediocre? (00:37:14) What do you bring to the table when buying a deal? (00:42:13) How do you source opportunities? (00:44:24) Do you care if the founder or current operator stays on post-close? (00:47:11) How do you incentivize someone to stay on in a long-term hold scenario? (00:48:58) seller-note on full standby (00:51:58)How many businesses do you own today? (00:53:04) How do the businesses you acquire get cash to you? (00:56:59) Finding the line between the what’s the responsibility of an owned business and Enduring (00:59:39) Acquiring Scribe Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 314 Chris Powers Sieva is a founder and Managing Partner at Enduring Ventures. Enduring Ventures is a long-term holding company that buys beautiful businesses and holds them forever. Enduring owns a portfolio of 20+ companies across HVAC, B2B Maintenance, Plumbing, Swimming Pool Construction, and Software. Chris and Sieva discuss: Enduring’s structure and how they source opportunities Setting incentives for leaders in companies they acquire How an industry-agnostic HoldCo quickly assesses deals The story of acquiring Scribe via Twitter Links: Enduring Ventures - https://www.enduring.ventures/ Sieva on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SievaKozinsky We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:29) Founding Enduring Ventures (00:12:06) What is the structure of Enduring today? (00:20:58) How do you approach fundraising? (00:22:47) How are you incentivized in your business model? (00:28:26) Is there anything you won’t look at? (00:29:51) How are you able to quickly assess the quality of a deal if you’re industry agnostic? (00:33:09) What are the characteristics of a business that looked great years ago but today would be mediocre? (00:37:14) What do you bring to the table when buying a deal? (00:42:13) How do you source opportunities? (00:44:24) Do you care if the founder or current operator stays on post-close? (00:47:11) How do you incentivize someone to stay on in a long-term hold scenario? (00:48:58) seller-note on full standby (00:51:58)How many businesses do you own today? (00:53:04) How do the businesses you acquire get cash to you? (00:56:59) Finding the line between the what’s the responsibility of an owned business and Enduring (00:59:39) Acquiring Scribe Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Sieva is a founder and Managing Partner at Enduring Ventures. Enduring Ventures is a long-term holding company that buys beautiful businesses and holds them forever. Enduring owns a portfolio of 20+ companies across HVAC, B2B Maintenance, Plumbing, Swimming Pool Construction, and Software.


Chris and Sieva discuss:

  • Enduring’s structure and how they source opportunities
  • Setting incentives for leaders in companies they acquire
  • How an industry-agnostic HoldCo quickly assesses deals
  • The story of acquiring Scribe via Twitter


Links:

Enduring Ventures - https://www.enduring.ventures/

Sieva on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SievaKozinsky


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:29) Founding Enduring Ventures

(00:12:06) What is the structure of Enduring today?

(00:20:58) How do you approach fundraising?

(00:22:47) How are you incentivized in your business model?

(00:28:26) Is there anything you won’t look at?

(00:29:51) How are you able to quickly assess the quality of a deal if you’re industry agnostic?

(00:33:09) What are the characteristics of a business that looked great years ago but today would be mediocre?

(00:37:14) What do you bring to the table when buying a deal?

(00:42:13) How do you source opportunities?

(00:44:24) Do you care if the founder or current operator stays on post-close?

(00:47:11) How do you incentivize someone to stay on in a long-term hold scenario?

(00:48:58) seller-note on full standby

(00:51:58)How many businesses do you own today?

(00:53:04) How do the businesses you acquire get cash to you?

(00:56:59) Finding the line between the what’s the responsibility of an owned business and Enduring

(00:59:39) Acquiring Scribe


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4648 #313 - Sean Dalfen - CEO @ Dalfen Industrial - Investing in Industrial RE Across North America Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last-mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on in excess of $10 billion On this episode, Chris and Sean discuss: - A deep dive on the state of construction - Predictions for the DFW market - Robotics implementation in industrial spaces - Industrial Outdoor Storage We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Sean's first appearance on The Fort Dalfen Industrial Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:25) Selling stocks in May 2022 (00:07:11) The state of construction (00:14:46) How are you thinking about the next 3 years? (00:21:36) Leasing (00:31:43) Predictions for DFW (00:39:18) Robotics implementation in industrial spaces (00:43:34) Categorizing leasing activity (00:45:49) Lending (00:49:42) Industrial outdoor storage (00:55:28) The evolving supply chain (00:57:45) Thoughts on Amazon (01:01:05) Supply vs. demand (01:04:01) What needs to be in place right now for you to jump on a deal? Support our Sponsors Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 10 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 313 Chris Powers Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last-mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on in excess of $10 billion On this episode, Chris and Sean discuss: - A deep dive on the state of construction - Predictions for the DFW market - Robotics implementation in industrial spaces - Industrial Outdoor Storage We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Sean's first appearance on The Fort Dalfen Industrial Topics (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:25) Selling stocks in May 2022 (00:07:11) The state of construction (00:14:46) How are you thinking about the next 3 years? (00:21:36) Leasing (00:31:43) Predictions for DFW (00:39:18) Robotics implementation in industrial spaces (00:43:34) Categorizing leasing activity (00:45:49) Lending (00:49:42) Industrial outdoor storage (00:55:28) The evolving supply chain (00:57:45) Thoughts on Amazon (01:01:05) Supply vs. demand (01:04:01) What needs to be in place right now for you to jump on a deal? Support our Sponsors Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last-mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on in excess of $10 billion


On this episode, Chris and Sean discuss:

- A deep dive on the state of construction

- Predictions for the DFW market

- Robotics implementation in industrial spaces

- Industrial Outdoor Storage


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Sean's first appearance on The Fort

Dalfen Industrial


Topics

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:04:25) Selling stocks in May 2022

(00:07:11) The state of construction

(00:14:46) How are you thinking about the next 3 years?

(00:21:36) Leasing

(00:31:43) Predictions for DFW

(00:39:18) Robotics implementation in industrial spaces

(00:43:34) Categorizing leasing activity

(00:45:49) Lending

(00:49:42) Industrial outdoor storage

(00:55:28) The evolving supply chain

(00:57:45) Thoughts on Amazon

(01:01:05) Supply vs. demand

(01:04:01) What needs to be in place right now for you to jump on a deal?


Support our Sponsors

Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:


Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4024 #312 - Alex Bridgeman - Host @ Think Like An Owner - Studying CEO's, Data Businesses, & Chief of Staff Roles Alex Bridgeman is the host of Think Like an Owner, a podcast focused on how the most ambitious CEOs grow great companies. He started the podcast in 2018 while still in college, and the show has led to exciting opportunities like becoming Chief of Staff at HW Media in March 2022 which evolved into a Director of Data Strategy role at Altos Research, a data company acquired by HW Media in December 2022.  Alex has a deep passion for content and data and how each can propel a creator into amazing opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise had.  On this episode, Chris and Alex discuss: - The immense benefits of Podcasting - Alex's Chief of Staff role - The content customer acquisition flywheel - The world of Data Businesses Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:38) “If you want to buy a business, don’t start a search fund, start a podcast.” (00:08:22) The Impact of Think Like an Owner (00:12:22) The Chief of Staff role (00:24:33) The content customer acquisition flywheel (00:28:56) What are the structures of data companies? (00:33:26) Are we living in a world where everything we do is creating data for someone else? (00:37:08) Does AI impact the data world? (00:38:43) What would it look like to buy a data business? (00:43:19) Would you implement a content flywheel if you owned a data company? (00:45:17) How would you grow a data business? (00:46:55) What fascinates you about the sales side of data business? (00:51:24) Alex’s Chicken Theory Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Links: Think Like an Owner Podcast - https://tlaopodcast.com/ Alex on Twitter - https://twitter.com/aebridgeman Chenmark weekly newsletter - https://chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts/ HW Media - https://www.hwmedia.com/ Craig Fuller on TLAO - https://tlaopodcast.com/podcasts/craig-fuller-acquiring-flying-magazine-and-building-a-media-playbook/ Craig Fuller on The Fort - https://www.thefortpod.com/212-craig-fuller-founder-of-freightwaves-an-absolute-masterclass-on-global-supply-chain-transportation/ Smith Travel Research - https://str.com/ The economics of data businesses - https://pivotal.substack.com/p/economics-of-data-biz SafeGraph - https://www.safegraph.com/ World of DaaS Podcast - https://www.safegraph.com/podcasts Altos Research - https://www.altosresearch.com/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Thu, 05 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 312 Chris Powers Alex Bridgeman is the host of Think Like an Owner, a podcast focused on how the most ambitious CEOs grow great companies. He started the podcast in 2018 while still in college, and the show has led to exciting opportunities like becoming Chief of Staff at HW Media in March 2022 which evolved into a Director of Data Strategy role at Altos Research, a data company acquired by HW Media in December 2022.  Alex has a deep passion for content and data and how each can propel a creator into amazing opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise had.  On this episode, Chris and Alex discuss: - The immense benefits of Podcasting - Alex's Chief of Staff role - The content customer acquisition flywheel - The world of Data Businesses Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:38) “If you want to buy a business, don’t start a search fund, start a podcast.” (00:08:22) The Impact of Think Like an Owner (00:12:22) The Chief of Staff role (00:24:33) The content customer acquisition flywheel (00:28:56) What are the structures of data companies? (00:33:26) Are we living in a world where everything we do is creating data for someone else? (00:37:08) Does AI impact the data world? (00:38:43) What would it look like to buy a data business? (00:43:19) Would you implement a content flywheel if you owned a data company? (00:45:17) How would you grow a data business? (00:46:55) What fascinates you about the sales side of data business? (00:51:24) Alex’s Chicken Theory Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Links: Think Like an Owner Podcast - https://tlaopodcast.com/ Alex on Twitter - https://twitter.com/aebridgeman Chenmark weekly newsletter - https://chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts/ HW Media - https://www.hwmedia.com/ Craig Fuller on TLAO - https://tlaopodcast.com/podcasts/craig-fuller-acquiring-flying-magazine-and-building-a-media-playbook/ Craig Fuller on The Fort - https://www.thefortpod.com/212-craig-fuller-founder-of-freightwaves-an-absolute-masterclass-on-global-supply-chain-transportation/ Smith Travel Research - https://str.com/ The economics of data businesses - https://pivotal.substack.com/p/economics-of-data-biz SafeGraph - https://www.safegraph.com/ World of DaaS Podcast - https://www.safegraph.com/podcasts Altos Research - https://www.altosresearch.com/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Alex Bridgeman is the host of Think Like an Owner, a podcast focused on how the most ambitious CEOs grow great companies. He started the podcast in 2018 while still in college, and the show has led to exciting opportunities like becoming Chief of Staff at HW Media in March 2022 which evolved into a Director of Data Strategy role at Altos Research, a data company acquired by HW Media in December 2022. 

Alex has a deep passion for content and data and how each can propel a creator into amazing opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise had. 


On this episode, Chris and Alex discuss:

- The immense benefits of Podcasting

- Alex's Chief of Staff role

- The content customer acquisition flywheel

- The world of Data Businesses


Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:38) “If you want to buy a business, don’t start a search fund, start a podcast.”

(00:08:22) The Impact of Think Like an Owner

(00:12:22) The Chief of Staff role

(00:24:33) The content customer acquisition flywheel

(00:28:56) What are the structures of data companies?

(00:33:26) Are we living in a world where everything we do is creating data for someone else?

(00:37:08) Does AI impact the data world?

(00:38:43) What would it look like to buy a data business?

(00:43:19) Would you implement a content flywheel if you owned a data company?

(00:45:17) How would you grow a data business?

(00:46:55) What fascinates you about the sales side of data business?

(00:51:24) Alex’s Chicken Theory


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Links:

Think Like an Owner Podcast - https://tlaopodcast.com/

Alex on Twitter - https://twitter.com/aebridgeman

Chenmark weekly newsletter - https://chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts/

HW Media - https://www.hwmedia.com/

Craig Fuller on TLAO - https://tlaopodcast.com/podcasts/craig-fuller-acquiring-flying-magazine-and-building-a-media-playbook/

Craig Fuller on The Fort - https://www.thefortpod.com/212-craig-fuller-founder-of-freightwaves-an-absolute-masterclass-on-global-supply-chain-transportation/

Smith Travel Research - https://str.com/

The economics of data businesses - https://pivotal.substack.com/p/economics-of-data-biz

SafeGraph - https://www.safegraph.com/

World of DaaS Podcast - https://www.safegraph.com/podcasts

Altos Research - https://www.altosresearch.com/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd


Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 3804 #311 - Susan Gruppi - Co-Founder @ M2G Ventures - Last Mile Industrial, The Stockyards, & Raising Capital Susan Miller Gruppi is the founder and co-president of M2G Ventures, a commercial real estate private equity and advisory development company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Guided by the leadership of Susan and her partner, Jessica Miller Essl, the fast-growing company carefully invests in mixed-use and industrial development projects located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the Austin Central Texas region. On this episode, Chris & Susan discuss: - Fundraising in today's market - Trends in what matters to Family Offices - Making Industrial cool - Revitalizing the Fort Worth stockyards Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:27) Susan’s experience in fundraising in this market (00:13:45) Why did you choose a GP fund? (00:16:25) What trends are you seeing in what matters to Family Offices? (00:17:43) Making Industrial cool (00:25:30) The Archetype in Brookhollow (00:28:16) Thoughts on the debt market (00:32:11) M2G’s Role in the massive success of the Fort Worth Stockyards and lessons learned (00:47:36) How have you seen massive projects like this get screwed up? (00:51:11) How do you handle a tenant who’s the lifeblood of an area but can’t afford a top dollar rent? Links: M2G Ventures - https://www.m2gventures.com/ Susan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-miller-gruppi-14653818/ Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards - https://mulealleyfortworth.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Tue, 03 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 311 Chris Powers Susan Miller Gruppi is the founder and co-president of M2G Ventures, a commercial real estate private equity and advisory development company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Guided by the leadership of Susan and her partner, Jessica Miller Essl, the fast-growing company carefully invests in mixed-use and industrial development projects located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the Austin Central Texas region. On this episode, Chris & Susan discuss: - Fundraising in today's market - Trends in what matters to Family Offices - Making Industrial cool - Revitalizing the Fort Worth stockyards Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:27) Susan’s experience in fundraising in this market (00:13:45) Why did you choose a GP fund? (00:16:25) What trends are you seeing in what matters to Family Offices? (00:17:43) Making Industrial cool (00:25:30) The Archetype in Brookhollow (00:28:16) Thoughts on the debt market (00:32:11) M2G’s Role in the massive success of the Fort Worth Stockyards and lessons learned (00:47:36) How have you seen massive projects like this get screwed up? (00:51:11) How do you handle a tenant who’s the lifeblood of an area but can’t afford a top dollar rent? Links: M2G Ventures - https://www.m2gventures.com/ Susan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-miller-gruppi-14653818/ Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards - https://mulealleyfortworth.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO Susan Miller Gruppi is the founder and co-president of M2G Ventures, a commercial real estate private equity and advisory development company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Guided by the leadership of Susan and her partner, Jessica Miller Essl, the fast-growing company carefully invests in mixed-use and industrial development projects located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the Austin Central Texas region.


On this episode, Chris & Susan discuss:

- Fundraising in today's market

- Trends in what matters to Family Offices

- Making Industrial cool

- Revitalizing the Fort Worth stockyards


Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:27) Susan’s experience in fundraising in this market

(00:13:45) Why did you choose a GP fund?

(00:16:25) What trends are you seeing in what matters to Family Offices?

(00:17:43) Making Industrial cool

(00:25:30) The Archetype in Brookhollow

(00:28:16) Thoughts on the debt market

(00:32:11) M2G’s Role in the massive success of the Fort Worth Stockyards and lessons learned

(00:47:36) How have you seen massive projects like this get screwed up?

(00:51:11) How do you handle a tenant who’s the lifeblood of an area but can’t afford a top dollar rent?


Links:

M2G Ventures - https://www.m2gventures.com/

Susan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-miller-gruppi-14653818/

Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards - https://mulealleyfortworth.com/


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd


Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

]]> 3285 #310 - Isaac French- Founder of Live Oak Lake - Developing World-Class Experiential Hospitality Properties Isaac French designed and built Live Oak Lake, a breathtaking 7-unit nature-immersive retreat located just outside Waco, Texas. In its first year, the property grossed $1 million, with a net profit of $550,000. Thanks to his cultivation of the brand’s social media following of 150K, over 80% of all bookings are direct. Isaac thrives on continuously expanding his repertoire of skills and sharing candidly from his experiences. On this episode, Chris and Isaac discuss: The process of designing and building Live Oak Lake Experiential hospitality Automated cost savings & touchpoint details Building out a social media engine & course We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Isaac on Twitter Isaac's LinkTree to course, newsletter & consulting Live Oak Lake DallasSites101 Topics: (00:02:21) Isaac’s background & career (00:07:24) The love of design (00:09:55) The experiential hospitality model (00:13:32) The process of building Live Oak Lake (00:27:44) What does experiential hospitality mean? (00:32:17) Automated cost savings & touchpoint details that matter (00:41:56) What has changed about the property since you opened? (00:46:11) Can you fake an end-to-end experiential property? (00:48:12) How do you make sure labor is in check in a rural area? (00:53:28) Is there a number of units where you lose out on the magic? (01:00:25) Building a social media engine & course Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 26 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0000 full 1 310 Chris Powers Isaac French designed and built Live Oak Lake, a breathtaking 7-unit nature-immersive retreat located just outside Waco, Texas. In its first year, the property grossed $1 million, with a net profit of $550,000. Thanks to his cultivation of the brand’s social media following of 150K, over 80% of all bookings are direct. Isaac thrives on continuously expanding his repertoire of skills and sharing candidly from his experiences. On this episode, Chris and Isaac discuss: The process of designing and building Live Oak Lake Experiential hospitality Automated cost savings & touchpoint details Building out a social media engine & course We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Isaac on Twitter Isaac's LinkTree to course, newsletter & consulting Live Oak Lake DallasSites101 Topics: (00:02:21) Isaac’s background & career (00:07:24) The love of design (00:09:55) The experiential hospitality model (00:13:32) The process of building Live Oak Lake (00:27:44) What does experiential hospitality mean? (00:32:17) Automated cost savings & touchpoint details that matter (00:41:56) What has changed about the property since you opened? (00:46:11) Can you fake an end-to-end experiential property? (00:48:12) How do you make sure labor is in check in a rural area? (00:53:28) Is there a number of units where you lose out on the magic? (01:00:25) Building a social media engine & course Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Isaac French designed and built Live Oak Lake, a breathtaking 7-unit nature-immersive retreat located just outside Waco, Texas. In its first year, the property grossed $1 million, with a net profit of $550,000. Thanks to his cultivation of the brand’s social media following of 150K, over 80% of all bookings are direct. Isaac thrives on continuously expanding his repertoire of skills and sharing candidly from his experiences.

On this episode, Chris and Isaac discuss:

  • The process of designing and building Live Oak Lake
  • Experiential hospitality
  • Automated cost savings & touchpoint details
  • Building out a social media engine & course


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links:

Isaac on Twitter

Isaac's LinkTree to course, newsletter & consulting

Live Oak Lake

DallasSites101


Topics:

(00:02:21) Isaac’s background & career

(00:07:24) The love of design

(00:09:55) The experiential hospitality model

(00:13:32) The process of building Live Oak Lake

(00:27:44) What does experiential hospitality mean?

(00:32:17) Automated cost savings & touchpoint details that matter

(00:41:56) What has changed about the property since you opened?

(00:46:11) Can you fake an end-to-end experiential property?

(00:48:12) How do you make sure labor is in check in a rural area?

(00:53:28) Is there a number of units where you lose out on the magic?

(01:00:25) Building a social media engine & course


Support our Sponsors

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5231 #309 - Nick Huber - Serial Entrepreneur - Making Your Father Proud & Building a HoldCo To Support His 11 Companies Nick and Chris come together for an intimate conversation that goes beyond their normal public or online discussions. This is Nick's 9th appearance on The Fort. They discuss: Nick's upbringing & his relationship with his father A deep dive into the impact money has on people Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing Parenting & marriage philosophies The pressure on men in today's world and what it means to be influential We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Nick on Twitter – https://twitter.com/sweatystartup You Have What it Takes by John Eldredge Nick's Companies Business Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com/ Personal Brand – https://sweatystartup.com/ Self Storage – https://boltstorage.com/ Bold SEO – https://boldseo.com/ Insurance – https://titanrisk.com/ Recruiting – https://recruitjet.com/ Landing Page / Web Development – https://webrun.com/ Overseas Staffing – https://supportshepherd.com/ Debt and Equity – https://bluekeycapital.com/ Tax Credit – https://taxcredithunter.com/ Cost Segregation – https://recostseg.com/ Performance Marketing – https://adrhino.com/ Pest control – https://spidexx.com/ Topics (00:03:43) Chris and Nick reflect on their relationship and careers (00:08:47) Nick on his father: Starting businesses & their relationship (00:15:16) Thoughts on money (00:23:59) Pivoting to build the Huber Empire (00:35:25) How much does it mean to you that your dad is proud of you? (00:36:35) Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing (00:40:25) Parenting & marriage philosophies (00:58:52) The pressure on men in today’s world and what it means to be influential (01:15:13) How Nick is building his Flywheel (01:20:56) What does this all look like in 5 years if it goes right? (01:25:42) Final thoughts Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 19 Sep 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 309 Chris Powers Nick and Chris come together for an intimate conversation that goes beyond their normal public or online discussions. This is Nick's 9th appearance on The Fort. They discuss: Nick's upbringing & his relationship with his father A deep dive into the impact money has on people Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing Parenting & marriage philosophies The pressure on men in today's world and what it means to be influential We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Nick on Twitter – https://twitter.com/sweatystartup You Have What it Takes by John Eldredge Nick's Companies Business Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com/ Personal Brand – https://sweatystartup.com/ Self Storage – https://boltstorage.com/ Bold SEO – https://boldseo.com/ Insurance – https://titanrisk.com/ Recruiting – https://recruitjet.com/ Landing Page / Web Development – https://webrun.com/ Overseas Staffing – https://supportshepherd.com/ Debt and Equity – https://bluekeycapital.com/ Tax Credit – https://taxcredithunter.com/ Cost Segregation – https://recostseg.com/ Performance Marketing – https://adrhino.com/ Pest control – https://spidexx.com/ Topics (00:03:43) Chris and Nick reflect on their relationship and careers (00:08:47) Nick on his father: Starting businesses & their relationship (00:15:16) Thoughts on money (00:23:59) Pivoting to build the Huber Empire (00:35:25) How much does it mean to you that your dad is proud of you? (00:36:35) Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing (00:40:25) Parenting & marriage philosophies (00:58:52) The pressure on men in today’s world and what it means to be influential (01:15:13) How Nick is building his Flywheel (01:20:56) What does this all look like in 5 years if it goes right? (01:25:42) Final thoughts Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Nick and Chris come together for an intimate conversation that goes beyond their normal public or online discussions. This is Nick's 9th appearance on The Fort.

They discuss:

  • Nick's upbringing & his relationship with his father
  • A deep dive into the impact money has on people
  • Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing
  • Parenting & marriage philosophies
  • The pressure on men in today's world and what it means to be influential


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Nick on Twitter – https://twitter.com/sweatystartup

You Have What it Takes by John Eldredge


Nick's Companies

Business Brokerage – https://nickhuber.com/

Personal Brand – https://sweatystartup.com/

Self Storage – https://boltstorage.com/

Bold SEO – https://boldseo.com/

Insurance – https://titanrisk.com/

Recruiting – https://recruitjet.com/

Landing Page / Web Development – https://webrun.com/

Overseas Staffing – https://supportshepherd.com/

Debt and Equity – https://bluekeycapital.com/

Tax Credit – https://taxcredithunter.com/

Cost Segregation – https://recostseg.com/

Performance Marketing – https://adrhino.com/

Pest control – https://spidexx.com/


Topics

(00:03:43) Chris and Nick reflect on their relationship and careers

(00:08:47) Nick on his father: Starting businesses & their relationship

(00:15:16) Thoughts on money

(00:23:59) Pivoting to build the Huber Empire

(00:35:25) How much does it mean to you that your dad is proud of you?

(00:36:35) Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing

(00:40:25) Parenting & marriage philosophies

(00:58:52) The pressure on men in today’s world and what it means to be influential

(01:15:13) How Nick is building his Flywheel

(01:20:56) What does this all look like in 5 years if it goes right?

(01:25:42) Final thoughts


Support our Sponsors

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5423 #308 - Shiloe Bear - Principal @ Creek Development - RE Development Lessons, Converting Industrial to Lab Space & Bay Area Market As the founder of Creek Development, Shiloe has completed 63 commercial redevelopment projects and 5 land entitlement plays in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leveraging her deep construction expertise, she challenges project assumptions and incorporates impactful design to achieve remarkable outcomes for her clients and investors. On this episode, Chris and Shiloe discuss: - How Shiloe built Creek as an outsourced developer - How Creek converts Industrial space for biotech labs - A deep dive into the Bay Area RE market - Why design is such an important aspect of development Links: Shiloe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shiloebear Creek Development: https://creekdev.com/ Topics: (00:04:37) Shiloe’s upbringing and journey to doing development in the Bay Area (00:11:34) What are the projects you work on the most? (00:14:03) Why is there such a demand for outsourced development? (00:14:44) What makes your firm different? (00:18:09) Tenants not paying rent (00:19:49) Minimum Viable Projects (00:24:27) How early in a project do you need to be brought in? (00:27:48) What are some obvious parts of a project where you can save money? (00:30:05) How would you describe the Bay Area market right now? (00:35:48) Office to Residential (00:39:48) What’s the environment like for Oakland? (00:44:45) How Shiloe is planning to pivot her business into doing their own developments (00:50:19) How important are the relationships you’ve developed in The Bay over the past 10 years? (00:54:51) The BioTech market and development strategy (01:02:19) Why design matters (01:09:50) How far out are labs looking for space? (01:11:02) Lenders, Leases, and hold periods (01:13:48) Why did this become your niche? (01:15:27) Shiloe’s bird-watching skills & long-distance running Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 12 Sep 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 308 Chris Powers As the founder of Creek Development, Shiloe has completed 63 commercial redevelopment projects and 5 land entitlement plays in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leveraging her deep construction expertise, she challenges project assumptions and incorporates impactful design to achieve remarkable outcomes for her clients and investors. On this episode, Chris and Shiloe discuss: - How Shiloe built Creek as an outsourced developer - How Creek converts Industrial space for biotech labs - A deep dive into the Bay Area RE market - Why design is such an important aspect of development Links: Shiloe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shiloebear Creek Development: https://creekdev.com/ Topics: (00:04:37) Shiloe’s upbringing and journey to doing development in the Bay Area (00:11:34) What are the projects you work on the most? (00:14:03) Why is there such a demand for outsourced development? (00:14:44) What makes your firm different? (00:18:09) Tenants not paying rent (00:19:49) Minimum Viable Projects (00:24:27) How early in a project do you need to be brought in? (00:27:48) What are some obvious parts of a project where you can save money? (00:30:05) How would you describe the Bay Area market right now? (00:35:48) Office to Residential (00:39:48) What’s the environment like for Oakland? (00:44:45) How Shiloe is planning to pivot her business into doing their own developments (00:50:19) How important are the relationships you’ve developed in The Bay over the past 10 years? (00:54:51) The BioTech market and development strategy (01:02:19) Why design matters (01:09:50) How far out are labs looking for space? (01:11:02) Lenders, Leases, and hold periods (01:13:48) Why did this become your niche? (01:15:27) Shiloe’s bird-watching skills & long-distance running Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts As the founder of Creek Development, Shiloe has completed 63 commercial redevelopment projects and 5 land entitlement plays in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leveraging her deep construction expertise, she challenges project assumptions and incorporates impactful design to achieve remarkable outcomes for her clients and investors.


On this episode, Chris and Shiloe discuss:

- How Shiloe built Creek as an outsourced developer

- How Creek converts Industrial space for biotech labs

- A deep dive into the Bay Area RE market

- Why design is such an important aspect of development


Links:

Shiloe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shiloebear

Creek Development: https://creekdev.com/


Topics:

(00:04:37) Shiloe’s upbringing and journey to doing development in the Bay Area

(00:11:34) What are the projects you work on the most?

(00:14:03) Why is there such a demand for outsourced development?

(00:14:44) What makes your firm different?

(00:18:09) Tenants not paying rent

(00:19:49) Minimum Viable Projects

(00:24:27) How early in a project do you need to be brought in?

(00:27:48) What are some obvious parts of a project where you can save money?

(00:30:05) How would you describe the Bay Area market right now?

(00:35:48) Office to Residential

(00:39:48) What’s the environment like for Oakland?

(00:44:45) How Shiloe is planning to pivot her business into doing their own developments

(00:50:19) How important are the relationships you’ve developed in The Bay over the past 10 years?

(00:54:51) The BioTech market and development strategy

(01:02:19) Why design matters

(01:09:50) How far out are labs looking for space?

(01:11:02) Lenders, Leases, and hold periods

(01:13:48) Why did this become your niche?

(01:15:27) Shiloe’s bird-watching skills & long-distance running


Support our Sponsors

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4775 #307 - Ana Fábrega - Edupreneur & Chief Evangelist @ Synthesis - Rethinking How We Educate Our Children Ana Lorena Fábrega is an edupreneur, writer, and Chief Evangelist at Synthesis. Growing up, she attended ten schools in seven different countries. She then earned her BS in Childhood Education and Special Education from New York University and taught elementary school in New York, Boston, and Panama. Today, Ana Lorena writes online to over 200,000 readers about the promise of alternative education. On this episode, Chris and Ana discuss: The current state of education Teaching children in a digital world How to teach children to fail The problem in America with ADHD We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links The Learning Game by Ana Lorena Fábrega Ana on Twitter Topics (00:02:22) The problem in America with ADHD (00:13:14) The current state of education (00:22:34) The role of an educator (00:29:38) How can teachers work differently within the school system? (00:35:40) Are tests even necessary? (00:39:36) Teaching kids in a digital world (00:46:53) Learning how to fail (00:59:57) Nature vs. Nurture (01:02:41) Negotiating with your kids (01:06:34) It’s useless to ask kids what they want to be when they grow up (01:09:34) How parents should approach their children’s education (01:13:54) Learning tendencies in single-child households vs. multi-child (01:16:06) How are you planning out your child’s education? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 07 Sep 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 307 Chris Powers Ana Lorena Fábrega is an edupreneur, writer, and Chief Evangelist at Synthesis. Growing up, she attended ten schools in seven different countries. She then earned her BS in Childhood Education and Special Education from New York University and taught elementary school in New York, Boston, and Panama. Today, Ana Lorena writes online to over 200,000 readers about the promise of alternative education. On this episode, Chris and Ana discuss: The current state of education Teaching children in a digital world How to teach children to fail The problem in America with ADHD We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links The Learning Game by Ana Lorena Fábrega Ana on Twitter Topics (00:02:22) The problem in America with ADHD (00:13:14) The current state of education (00:22:34) The role of an educator (00:29:38) How can teachers work differently within the school system? (00:35:40) Are tests even necessary? (00:39:36) Teaching kids in a digital world (00:46:53) Learning how to fail (00:59:57) Nature vs. Nurture (01:02:41) Negotiating with your kids (01:06:34) It’s useless to ask kids what they want to be when they grow up (01:09:34) How parents should approach their children’s education (01:13:54) Learning tendencies in single-child households vs. multi-child (01:16:06) How are you planning out your child’s education? Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Ana Lorena Fábrega is an edupreneur, writer, and Chief Evangelist at Synthesis. Growing up, she attended ten schools in seven different countries. She then earned her BS in Childhood Education and Special Education from New York University and taught elementary school in New York, Boston, and Panama. Today, Ana Lorena writes online to over 200,000 readers about the promise of alternative education.

On this episode, Chris and Ana discuss:

  • The current state of education
  • Teaching children in a digital world
  • How to teach children to fail
  • The problem in America with ADHD


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

The Learning Game by Ana Lorena Fábrega

Ana on Twitter


Topics

(00:02:22) The problem in America with ADHD

(00:13:14) The current state of education

(00:22:34) The role of an educator

(00:29:38) How can teachers work differently within the school system?

(00:35:40) Are tests even necessary?

(00:39:36) Teaching kids in a digital world

(00:46:53) Learning how to fail

(00:59:57) Nature vs. Nurture

(01:02:41) Negotiating with your kids

(01:06:34) It’s useless to ask kids what they want to be when they grow up

(01:09:34) How parents should approach their children’s education

(01:13:54) Learning tendencies in single-child households vs. multi-child

(01:16:06) How are you planning out your child’s education?


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:


Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4854 #306 - Eric Pacifici - Partner @ SMB Law Group - Expert Insights in SMB M&A Eric is a trusted deal lawyer with extensive M&A and capital markets experience. Having worked for elite law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Eric has worked on high-stakes transactions for clients such as Amazon.com, Jerry Jones, Banc of America Securities LLC, Palantir and Greenlane Holdings. On this episode, Eric and Chris discuss: Starting the SMB Attorney Twitter account and launching the first Social Media-driven law firm A walkthrough of the process of closing on a business The realities of SMB searching Holdco's, Rollups and the Silver Tsunami Links: Eric on Twitter SMB Law Group Mundane Millionaires Podcast The Fort w/ Rich Jordan The Fort w/ Josh Schultz Topics: (00:01:57) Starting SMB Law Group - The first social media-driven law firm (00:09:14) How different types of searchers approach acquisitions (00:22:00) The Silver Tsunami (00:23:52) The types of businesses Eric works on and the world of business brokers (00:32:03) What makes a great buyer (00:34:44) The process of closing on a business (00:59:44) Installing a new CEO post-acquisition (01:01:56) Management buy-outs (01:03:17) Holdcos vs. rollups (01:07:03) ChatGPT’s impact on the legal profession (01:10:02) Reps, warranties, and insurance in SMB Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 05 Sep 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 306 Chris Powers Eric is a trusted deal lawyer with extensive M&A and capital markets experience. Having worked for elite law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Eric has worked on high-stakes transactions for clients such as Amazon.com, Jerry Jones, Banc of America Securities LLC, Palantir and Greenlane Holdings. On this episode, Eric and Chris discuss: Starting the SMB Attorney Twitter account and launching the first Social Media-driven law firm A walkthrough of the process of closing on a business The realities of SMB searching Holdco's, Rollups and the Silver Tsunami Links: Eric on Twitter SMB Law Group Mundane Millionaires Podcast The Fort w/ Rich Jordan The Fort w/ Josh Schultz Topics: (00:01:57) Starting SMB Law Group - The first social media-driven law firm (00:09:14) How different types of searchers approach acquisitions (00:22:00) The Silver Tsunami (00:23:52) The types of businesses Eric works on and the world of business brokers (00:32:03) What makes a great buyer (00:34:44) The process of closing on a business (00:59:44) Installing a new CEO post-acquisition (01:01:56) Management buy-outs (01:03:17) Holdcos vs. rollups (01:07:03) ChatGPT’s impact on the legal profession (01:10:02) Reps, warranties, and insurance in SMB Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Eric is a trusted deal lawyer with extensive M&A and capital markets experience. Having worked for elite law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Eric has worked on high-stakes transactions for clients such as Amazon.com, Jerry Jones, Banc of America Securities LLC, Palantir and Greenlane Holdings.

On this episode, Eric and Chris discuss:

  • Starting the SMB Attorney Twitter account and launching the first Social Media-driven law firm
  • A walkthrough of the process of closing on a business
  • The realities of SMB searching
  • Holdco's, Rollups and the Silver Tsunami


Links:

Eric on Twitter

SMB Law Group

Mundane Millionaires Podcast

The Fort w/ Rich Jordan

The Fort w/ Josh Schultz


Topics:

(00:01:57) Starting SMB Law Group - The first social media-driven law firm

(00:09:14) How different types of searchers approach acquisitions

(00:22:00) The Silver Tsunami

(00:23:52) The types of businesses Eric works on and the world of business brokers

(00:32:03) What makes a great buyer

(00:34:44) The process of closing on a business

(00:59:44) Installing a new CEO post-acquisition

(01:01:56) Management buy-outs

(01:03:17) Holdcos vs. rollups

(01:07:03) ChatGPT’s impact on the legal profession

(01:10:02) Reps, warranties, and insurance in SMB


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4354 #305 - Evan Baehr - Managing Partner @ Learn Capital - On A Mission to Advance Human Flourishing Evan Baehr is the managing partner of Learn Capital, a venture capital fund that backs and builds companies that drive human flourishing. He’s Founder of Teneo, a national leadership organization, author of the best-selling book Get Backed from Harvard Business Press, and host of the Arena, a TV show celebrating bold founders. On this episode, Evan and Chris discuss: How Evan is advancing human flourishing The roles of government vs. community in human flourishing How to build and grow communities We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Learn Capital Teneo Evan on Twitter Topics (00:01:36) Human Flourishing (00:14:38) The rise in deaths of despair (00:23:03) The role of government in human flourishing (00:28:52) Teneo (00:34:17) How to build a community (00:41:43) How communities change as they grow (00:54:57) Writing a bill to protect international mail-order brides (00:58:06) Evan’s perspective on ESG Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 29 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 305 Chris Powers Evan Baehr is the managing partner of Learn Capital, a venture capital fund that backs and builds companies that drive human flourishing. He’s Founder of Teneo, a national leadership organization, author of the best-selling book Get Backed from Harvard Business Press, and host of the Arena, a TV show celebrating bold founders. On this episode, Evan and Chris discuss: How Evan is advancing human flourishing The roles of government vs. community in human flourishing How to build and grow communities We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Learn Capital Teneo Evan on Twitter Topics (00:01:36) Human Flourishing (00:14:38) The rise in deaths of despair (00:23:03) The role of government in human flourishing (00:28:52) Teneo (00:34:17) How to build a community (00:41:43) How communities change as they grow (00:54:57) Writing a bill to protect international mail-order brides (00:58:06) Evan’s perspective on ESG Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Evan Baehr is the managing partner of Learn Capital, a venture capital fund that backs and builds companies that drive human flourishing. He’s Founder of Teneo, a national leadership organization, author of the best-selling book Get Backed from Harvard Business Press, and host of the Arena, a TV show celebrating bold founders.

On this episode, Evan and Chris discuss:

  • How Evan is advancing human flourishing
  • The roles of government vs. community in human flourishing
  • How to build and grow communities


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Learn Capital

Teneo

Evan on Twitter


Topics

(00:01:36) Human Flourishing

(00:14:38) The rise in deaths of despair

(00:23:03) The role of government in human flourishing

(00:28:52) Teneo

(00:34:17) How to build a community

(00:41:43) How communities change as they grow

(00:54:57) Writing a bill to protect international mail-order brides

(00:58:06) Evan’s perspective on ESG


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3809 #304 - Joe Shelerud - Co-Founder @ Ad Advance - Creating The Perfect Digital Ads Joe Shelerud is Co-Founder and CEO of Ad Advance, a digital advertising agency and Amazon Advertising Advanced Partner. Joe’s career in business and engineering quickly pivoted into the Amazon space after he started selling on Amazon back in 2014. After scaling his own 7-figure brand, Joe and his business partner founded their agency Ad Advance in 2017. Together with his team, Joe has helped brands all over the globe scale their brands. Joe is also the host of The Ad Project podcast, a show that helps eCommerce brands scale and push their advertising to the next level. On this episode, Joe and Chris discuss: How bidding for online advertising works Amazon vs. Facebook in the battle for king of digital advertisers Dealing with algorithm changes Selling the business to Permanent Equity Links Ad Advance The Ad Project Podcast Joe on Twitter Topics: (00:01:54) Joe’s career (00:07:31) Getting on Amazon’s radar and working with them (00:10:29) How does bidding work? (00:15:08) Is there anything that worries you about increased browser privacy? (00:17:13) Are our devices “listening” to us? (00:18:33) Are you an outsourced ad buyer? (00:19:40) What does a great client look like and who do you screen out? (00:21:18) How do you know if you’re doing an excellent job for the client? (00:22:52) What are sellers prioritizing on Amazon today? (00:25:16) Could Amazon dethrone Facebook as the largest digital advertiser? (00:26:22) Do you plan to expand to retail media? (00:27:20) What have you learned from Amazon about running your business? (Twitter Vid) (00:31:03) Is the winner in e-commerce who can advertise online the best? (00:33:11) How do you deal with algorithm changes? (00:34:30) Who was most affected by the iOS14 update? (00:35:38) What are some big changes you’re seeing from sellers? (00:37:35) How does AI play in your business? (00:44:18)Amazon DSP (00:45:13) Selling to Permanent Equity (00:56:04) Visiting all 50 states with your kids Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 24 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 304 Chris Powers Joe Shelerud is Co-Founder and CEO of Ad Advance, a digital advertising agency and Amazon Advertising Advanced Partner. Joe’s career in business and engineering quickly pivoted into the Amazon space after he started selling on Amazon back in 2014. After scaling his own 7-figure brand, Joe and his business partner founded their agency Ad Advance in 2017. Together with his team, Joe has helped brands all over the globe scale their brands. Joe is also the host of The Ad Project podcast, a show that helps eCommerce brands scale and push their advertising to the next level. On this episode, Joe and Chris discuss: How bidding for online advertising works Amazon vs. Facebook in the battle for king of digital advertisers Dealing with algorithm changes Selling the business to Permanent Equity Links Ad Advance The Ad Project Podcast Joe on Twitter Topics: (00:01:54) Joe’s career (00:07:31) Getting on Amazon’s radar and working with them (00:10:29) How does bidding work? (00:15:08) Is there anything that worries you about increased browser privacy? (00:17:13) Are our devices “listening” to us? (00:18:33) Are you an outsourced ad buyer? (00:19:40) What does a great client look like and who do you screen out? (00:21:18) How do you know if you’re doing an excellent job for the client? (00:22:52) What are sellers prioritizing on Amazon today? (00:25:16) Could Amazon dethrone Facebook as the largest digital advertiser? (00:26:22) Do you plan to expand to retail media? (00:27:20) What have you learned from Amazon about running your business? (Twitter Vid) (00:31:03) Is the winner in e-commerce who can advertise online the best? (00:33:11) How do you deal with algorithm changes? (00:34:30) Who was most affected by the iOS14 update? (00:35:38) What are some big changes you’re seeing from sellers? (00:37:35) How does AI play in your business? (00:44:18)Amazon DSP (00:45:13) Selling to Permanent Equity (00:56:04) Visiting all 50 states with your kids Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Joe Shelerud is Co-Founder and CEO of Ad Advance, a digital advertising agency and Amazon Advertising Advanced Partner. Joe’s career in business and engineering quickly pivoted into the Amazon space after he started selling on Amazon back in 2014. After scaling his own 7-figure brand, Joe and his business partner founded their agency Ad Advance in 2017. Together with his team, Joe has helped brands all over the globe scale their brands. Joe is also the host of The Ad Project podcast, a show that helps eCommerce brands scale and push their advertising to the next level.


On this episode, Joe and Chris discuss:

  • How bidding for online advertising works
  • Amazon vs. Facebook in the battle for king of digital advertisers
  • Dealing with algorithm changes
  • Selling the business to Permanent Equity


Links

Ad Advance

The Ad Project Podcast

Joe on Twitter


Topics:

(00:01:54) Joe’s career

(00:07:31) Getting on Amazon’s radar and working with them

(00:10:29) How does bidding work?

(00:15:08) Is there anything that worries you about increased browser privacy?

(00:17:13) Are our devices “listening” to us?

(00:18:33) Are you an outsourced ad buyer?

(00:19:40) What does a great client look like and who do you screen out?

(00:21:18) How do you know if you’re doing an excellent job for the client?

(00:22:52) What are sellers prioritizing on Amazon today?

(00:25:16) Could Amazon dethrone Facebook as the largest digital advertiser?

(00:26:22) Do you plan to expand to retail media?

(00:27:20) What have you learned from Amazon about running your business? (Twitter Vid)

(00:31:03) Is the winner in e-commerce who can advertise online the best?

(00:33:11) How do you deal with algorithm changes?

(00:34:30) Who was most affected by the iOS14 update?

(00:35:38) What are some big changes you’re seeing from sellers?

(00:37:35) How does AI play in your business?

(00:44:18)Amazon DSP

(00:45:13) Selling to Permanent Equity

(00:56:04) Visiting all 50 states with your kids


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3605 #303 - Chris Hatch - Principal @ NNN Income - Born to Develop NNN Properties Chris is proud to be a 6th generation Utahn and a 3rd generation commercial real estate developer. His career has focused on helping people build their cash flow in commercial real estate and having fun while doing it. Chris has been involved in over 1,000 drive-thru deals throughout the mountain and desert states throughout his career. Chris joined the brokerage community in 2002. He spent tireless hours helping multiple national retailers such as Dollar Tree, Starbucks Coffee, Verizon, Wendy’s, and Wells Fargo expand throughout the Intermountain area. In 2008 he chose to pivot his career into the investment sales side of the shopping center business. From 2008 to present he has been involved in over $2.0 Billion of retail investment sales with a primary focus of representing family offices looking to acquire additional assets for their portfolios. On this episode, Chris and Chris discuss: Why Salt Lake City is a fantastic place to work and live Adopting a child from Tonga How Chris develops sites for national retailers What makes a great development site The science of the Drive-thru We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Chris Hatch on Twitter NNN Income Blog The Net Lease Podcast Topics (00:02:02) The hidden gem of Salt Lake City (00:05:32) “We need to have another baby” (00:14:33) Chris’ role at Triple Net (00:16:07) What makes a great site-selection person? (00:18:14)What are the characteristics of a tenant you want to work with? (00:20:42) How do you get in the door with these tenants to become their developer? (00:25:08) How should one look at buying a Dutch bros. vs. a building that could host multiple tenants (00:28:15) The importance of the Drive-thru (00:31:33) Exclusive use provisions (00:33:02) Best practices for structuring leases (00:35:01) Providing a developer’s perspective (00:37:23) Why would someone buy a building like yours instead of buying treasuries? (00:42:01) The decision to enter MF development (00:45:16) Family breakups (00:52:30) The Red Lobster to Olive Garden story (00:59:18) Modular buildings (01:02:46) Chris on taking 30-day vacations Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 22 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 303 Chris Powers Chris is proud to be a 6th generation Utahn and a 3rd generation commercial real estate developer. His career has focused on helping people build their cash flow in commercial real estate and having fun while doing it. Chris has been involved in over 1,000 drive-thru deals throughout the mountain and desert states throughout his career. Chris joined the brokerage community in 2002. He spent tireless hours helping multiple national retailers such as Dollar Tree, Starbucks Coffee, Verizon, Wendy’s, and Wells Fargo expand throughout the Intermountain area. In 2008 he chose to pivot his career into the investment sales side of the shopping center business. From 2008 to present he has been involved in over $2.0 Billion of retail investment sales with a primary focus of representing family offices looking to acquire additional assets for their portfolios. On this episode, Chris and Chris discuss: Why Salt Lake City is a fantastic place to work and live Adopting a child from Tonga How Chris develops sites for national retailers What makes a great development site The science of the Drive-thru We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Chris Hatch on Twitter NNN Income Blog The Net Lease Podcast Topics (00:02:02) The hidden gem of Salt Lake City (00:05:32) “We need to have another baby” (00:14:33) Chris’ role at Triple Net (00:16:07) What makes a great site-selection person? (00:18:14)What are the characteristics of a tenant you want to work with? (00:20:42) How do you get in the door with these tenants to become their developer? (00:25:08) How should one look at buying a Dutch bros. vs. a building that could host multiple tenants (00:28:15) The importance of the Drive-thru (00:31:33) Exclusive use provisions (00:33:02) Best practices for structuring leases (00:35:01) Providing a developer’s perspective (00:37:23) Why would someone buy a building like yours instead of buying treasuries? (00:42:01) The decision to enter MF development (00:45:16) Family breakups (00:52:30) The Red Lobster to Olive Garden story (00:59:18) Modular buildings (01:02:46) Chris on taking 30-day vacations Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris is proud to be a 6th generation Utahn and a 3rd generation commercial real estate developer. His career has focused on helping people build their cash flow in commercial real estate and having fun while doing it. Chris has been involved in over 1,000 drive-thru deals throughout the mountain and desert states throughout his career. Chris joined the brokerage community in 2002. He spent tireless hours helping multiple national retailers such as Dollar Tree, Starbucks Coffee, Verizon, Wendy’s, and Wells Fargo expand throughout the Intermountain area. In 2008 he chose to pivot his career into the investment sales side of the shopping center business. From 2008 to present he has been involved in over $2.0 Billion of retail investment sales with a primary focus of representing family offices looking to acquire additional assets for their portfolios.


On this episode, Chris and Chris discuss:

  • Why Salt Lake City is a fantastic place to work and live
  • Adopting a child from Tonga
  • How Chris develops sites for national retailers
  • What makes a great development site
  • The science of the Drive-thru


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Chris Hatch on Twitter

NNN Income Blog

The Net Lease Podcast


Topics

(00:02:02) The hidden gem of Salt Lake City

(00:05:32) “We need to have another baby”

(00:14:33) Chris’ role at Triple Net

(00:16:07) What makes a great site-selection person?

(00:18:14)What are the characteristics of a tenant you want to work with?

(00:20:42) How do you get in the door with these tenants to become their developer?

(00:25:08) How should one look at buying a Dutch bros. vs. a building that could host multiple tenants

(00:28:15) The importance of the Drive-thru

(00:31:33) Exclusive use provisions

(00:33:02) Best practices for structuring leases

(00:35:01) Providing a developer’s perspective

(00:37:23) Why would someone buy a building like yours instead of buying treasuries?

(00:42:01) The decision to enter MF development

(00:45:16) Family breakups

(00:52:30) The Red Lobster to Olive Garden story

(00:59:18) Modular buildings

(01:02:46) Chris on taking 30-day vacations


Support our Sponsors

Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4409 #302 - Don Zale - Former Chairman of Zale Corporation - A Great American Business Story That Brought Diamonds To The Masses Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas, Donald Zale watched his father, a Russian Jewish immigrant from an orthodox family, turn a small jewelry store into the Zale Corporation. Don worked alongside his father in the jewelry store and assumed the role of chairman of the board in 1980. In addition to being a successful businessman, Don and his wife, Barbara, became known as a philanthropist, using their wealth to help build hospitals, fund scholarships and aid the homeless. Don works chiefly on his family’s foundation, which funds community services and programs involving health, education, and Jewish heritage across several states.\\ On this episode, Chris and Don discuss: The founding story of Zales and growing up in the family business The diamond industry Managing shareholders within the family alongside external shareholders Zale's hostile takeover and being pushed out Life lessons for listeners We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:02:28) The founding of Zales (00:13:38) The power of relationships (00:15:13) The biggest changes from the 40s to today (00;16:52) Don’s relationship with his father and experiences growing up in the business (00:24:38) When did the business really start to take off?  (00:29:47) The shift to focusing on Diamonds (00:37:21) How do you think about marketing? (00:39:27) Lessons learned growing up in a family business (00:42:32) Managing shareholders within the family as well as external shareholders (00:43:41) Don on Zale’s hostile takeover (01:03:38) The potential in the diamond industry (01:06:59) Life lessons for listeners Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 15 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 302 Chris Powers Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas, Donald Zale watched his father, a Russian Jewish immigrant from an orthodox family, turn a small jewelry store into the Zale Corporation. Don worked alongside his father in the jewelry store and assumed the role of chairman of the board in 1980. In addition to being a successful businessman, Don and his wife, Barbara, became known as a philanthropist, using their wealth to help build hospitals, fund scholarships and aid the homeless. Don works chiefly on his family’s foundation, which funds community services and programs involving health, education, and Jewish heritage across several states.\\ On this episode, Chris and Don discuss: The founding story of Zales and growing up in the family business The diamond industry Managing shareholders within the family alongside external shareholders Zale's hostile takeover and being pushed out Life lessons for listeners We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:02:28) The founding of Zales (00:13:38) The power of relationships (00:15:13) The biggest changes from the 40s to today (00;16:52) Don’s relationship with his father and experiences growing up in the business (00:24:38) When did the business really start to take off?  (00:29:47) The shift to focusing on Diamonds (00:37:21) How do you think about marketing? (00:39:27) Lessons learned growing up in a family business (00:42:32) Managing shareholders within the family as well as external shareholders (00:43:41) Don on Zale’s hostile takeover (01:03:38) The potential in the diamond industry (01:06:59) Life lessons for listeners Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas, Donald Zale watched his father, a Russian Jewish immigrant from an orthodox family, turn a small jewelry store into the Zale Corporation. Don worked alongside his father in the jewelry store and assumed the role of chairman of the board in 1980.

In addition to being a successful businessman, Don and his wife, Barbara, became known as a philanthropist, using their wealth to help build hospitals, fund scholarships and aid the homeless. Don works chiefly on his family’s foundation, which funds community services and programs involving health, education, and Jewish heritage across several states.\\


On this episode, Chris and Don discuss:

  • The founding story of Zales and growing up in the family business
  • The diamond industry
  • Managing shareholders within the family alongside external shareholders
  • Zale's hostile takeover and being pushed out
  • Life lessons for listeners


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Topics

(00:02:28) The founding of Zales

(00:13:38) The power of relationships

(00:15:13) The biggest changes from the 40s to today

(00;16:52) Don’s relationship with his father and experiences growing up in the business

(00:24:38) When did the business really start to take off? 

(00:29:47) The shift to focusing on Diamonds

(00:37:21) How do you think about marketing?

(00:39:27) Lessons learned growing up in a family business

(00:42:32) Managing shareholders within the family as well as external shareholders

(00:43:41) Don on Zale’s hostile takeover

(01:03:38) The potential in the diamond industry

(01:06:59) Life lessons for listeners


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4383 #301 - Emily Holdman - Managing Director @ Permanent Equity - How To Buy Great Businesses Emily Holdman is Managing Director of Permanent Equity - a firm using 30-year funds to invest with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In her role, Emily is principally responsible for leading the firm's origination and investment process, and its marketing. On this episode, Chris and Emily discuss: How to know when a seller is ready, and when to move forward on a business Underwriting businesses Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer How to ask great questions when entering an unfamiliar industry We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Permanent Equity Emily on Twitter Topics (00:02:34) Emily’s background and career (00:06:47) Acquiring MediaCross and growing the business (00:13:00) Moving into Acquisitions at 23 years old (00:18:06) Going three years without acquiring  (00:24:10) How to know when a seller is ready (00:31:50) Emily’s role at PE (00:33:25) When do you know it’s time to move forward with a seller? (00:38:40) How many businesses do you see before moving on one? (00:45:21) Why does everyone disagree over working capital? (00:47:23) How to underwrite a business in Alaska (00:56:21) Why PE loves Texas & Enthusiast Businesses (01:02:02) Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer (01:07:04) What are some questions you ask early on to become familiar with an industry? (01:12:32) How do you know if a seller is giving good answers if you’re unfamiliar with an industry? (01:16:52) Transaction tensions (01:23:46) Why the Twitter sentiment on self-reliance is annoying (01:32:02) Women in Investing (01:39:23) Advice for girls Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 301 Chris Powers Emily Holdman is Managing Director of Permanent Equity - a firm using 30-year funds to invest with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In her role, Emily is principally responsible for leading the firm's origination and investment process, and its marketing. On this episode, Chris and Emily discuss: How to know when a seller is ready, and when to move forward on a business Underwriting businesses Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer How to ask great questions when entering an unfamiliar industry We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Permanent Equity Emily on Twitter Topics (00:02:34) Emily’s background and career (00:06:47) Acquiring MediaCross and growing the business (00:13:00) Moving into Acquisitions at 23 years old (00:18:06) Going three years without acquiring  (00:24:10) How to know when a seller is ready (00:31:50) Emily’s role at PE (00:33:25) When do you know it’s time to move forward with a seller? (00:38:40) How many businesses do you see before moving on one? (00:45:21) Why does everyone disagree over working capital? (00:47:23) How to underwrite a business in Alaska (00:56:21) Why PE loves Texas & Enthusiast Businesses (01:02:02) Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer (01:07:04) What are some questions you ask early on to become familiar with an industry? (01:12:32) How do you know if a seller is giving good answers if you’re unfamiliar with an industry? (01:16:52) Transaction tensions (01:23:46) Why the Twitter sentiment on self-reliance is annoying (01:32:02) Women in Investing (01:39:23) Advice for girls Support our Sponsors Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Emily Holdman is Managing Director of Permanent Equity - a firm using 30-year funds to invest with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In her role, Emily is principally responsible for leading the firm's origination and investment process, and its marketing.

On this episode, Chris and Emily discuss:

  • How to know when a seller is ready, and when to move forward on a business
  • Underwriting businesses
  • Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer
  • How to ask great questions when entering an unfamiliar industry


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links

Permanent Equity

Emily on Twitter


Topics

(00:02:34) Emily’s background and career

(00:06:47) Acquiring MediaCross and growing the business

(00:13:00) Moving into Acquisitions at 23 years old

(00:18:06) Going three years without acquiring 

(00:24:10) How to know when a seller is ready

(00:31:50) Emily’s role at PE

(00:33:25) When do you know it’s time to move forward with a seller?

(00:38:40) How many businesses do you see before moving on one?

(00:45:21) Why does everyone disagree over working capital?

(00:47:23) How to underwrite a business in Alaska

(00:56:21) Why PE loves Texas & Enthusiast Businesses

(01:02:02) Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer

(01:07:04) What are some questions you ask early on to become familiar with an industry?

(01:12:32) How do you know if a seller is giving good answers if you’re unfamiliar with an industry?

(01:16:52) Transaction tensions

(01:23:46) Why the Twitter sentiment on self-reliance is annoying

(01:32:02) Women in Investing

(01:39:23) Advice for girls


Support our Sponsors

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6207 #300 - Chris & Jason Celebrate Episode 300 - Building Our Partnership, Fort Capital, Tech/AI, and the Future Chris is joined by his business partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to celebrate the 300th episode of the Podcast. On this episode, Chris and Jason answer listener-submitted questions regarding: How to build a successful partnership How Fort Capital is navigating the real estate economy Implementing technology and artificial intelligence in a business We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Ego is the enemy by Ryan Holiday Good to Great by Jim Collins Fort Ep.180 - GP Fees and The Pathway to Building a World-Class REPE Operating Platform Jeremy Giffon on Invest like the Best Topics (00:04:13) Reflecting on 300 episodes (00:06:22) Jason and Chris deep dive and answer questions about partnerships (00:46:44) Answering questions about Fort Capital (01:14:10) How Fort Capital is incorporating Artificial Intelligence Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/   Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 300 Chris Powers Chris is joined by his business partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to celebrate the 300th episode of the Podcast. On this episode, Chris and Jason answer listener-submitted questions regarding: How to build a successful partnership How Fort Capital is navigating the real estate economy Implementing technology and artificial intelligence in a business We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Ego is the enemy by Ryan Holiday Good to Great by Jim Collins Fort Ep.180 - GP Fees and The Pathway to Building a World-Class REPE Operating Platform Jeremy Giffon on Invest like the Best Topics (00:04:13) Reflecting on 300 episodes (00:06:22) Jason and Chris deep dive and answer questions about partnerships (00:46:44) Answering questions about Fort Capital (01:14:10) How Fort Capital is incorporating Artificial Intelligence Support our Sponsors RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/   Chris on Social Media: Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd   Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris is joined by his business partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to celebrate the 300th episode of the Podcast.

On this episode, Chris and Jason answer listener-submitted questions regarding:

  • How to build a successful partnership
  • How Fort Capital is navigating the real estate economy
  • Implementing technology and artificial intelligence in a business


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links

Ego is the enemy by Ryan Holiday

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Fort Ep.180 - GP Fees and The Pathway to Building a World-Class REPE Operating Platform

Jeremy Giffon on Invest like the Best


Topics

(00:04:13) Reflecting on 300 episodes

(00:06:22) Jason and Chris deep dive and answer questions about partnerships

(00:46:44) Answering questions about Fort Capital

(01:14:10) How Fort Capital is incorporating Artificial Intelligence


Support our Sponsors

RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

 

Chris on Social Media:

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

 

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys

Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0

Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5463 #299 - Artem Tepler - Co-Founder @ SCHON | TEPLER Partners - Developing Real Estate and Living the American Dream Born in Siberia, Artem immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. In 2009 he formed SCHON | TEPLER Partners to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities in distressed residential real estate during the GFC and has evolved into a full-service, vertically integrated, multi-family real estate development firm. Since his first purchase of a single-family house as an investment for $300k at the age of 23, Artem has been involved as a principal in the development/redevelopment of more than $400m of real estate. On this episode, Chris and Artem discuss: ➡️ life in Siberia under Communism ➡️ immigrating to the United States ➡️ the thread between Jiu Jitsu and Career success ➡️ a walkthrough of putting together a Los Angeles Multifamily project We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉Artem on Twitter 👉Schon Tepler Partners Timestamps (00:04:02) Discovering Zyn (00:05:41) Life in Siberia under Communism (00:13:14) Immigrating to America (00:19:14) Thoughts on Russia/Ukraine (00:27:21) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (00:32:58) Artem’s early RE career (00:48:56) Buying a home from a murderer (00:51:10) Artem’s business today (00:54:10) Self-performing construction vs. outsourcing (01:03:54) Measuring success in construction (01:14:19) How an LA project comes together (01:25:10) Covid’s Impact on Multifamily (01:31:26) Affordable housing (01:34:00) Thoughts on the near-term market Links ➡️ Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 299 Chris Powers Born in Siberia, Artem immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. In 2009 he formed SCHON | TEPLER Partners to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities in distressed residential real estate during the GFC and has evolved into a full-service, vertically integrated, multi-family real estate development firm. Since his first purchase of a single-family house as an investment for $300k at the age of 23, Artem has been involved as a principal in the development/redevelopment of more than $400m of real estate. On this episode, Chris and Artem discuss: ➡️ life in Siberia under Communism ➡️ immigrating to the United States ➡️ the thread between Jiu Jitsu and Career success ➡️ a walkthrough of putting together a Los Angeles Multifamily project We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉Artem on Twitter 👉Schon Tepler Partners Timestamps (00:04:02) Discovering Zyn (00:05:41) Life in Siberia under Communism (00:13:14) Immigrating to America (00:19:14) Thoughts on Russia/Ukraine (00:27:21) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (00:32:58) Artem’s early RE career (00:48:56) Buying a home from a murderer (00:51:10) Artem’s business today (00:54:10) Self-performing construction vs. outsourcing (01:03:54) Measuring success in construction (01:14:19) How an LA project comes together (01:25:10) Covid’s Impact on Multifamily (01:31:26) Affordable housing (01:34:00) Thoughts on the near-term market Links ➡️ Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Born in Siberia, Artem immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. In 2009 he formed SCHON | TEPLER Partners to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities in distressed residential real estate during the GFC and has evolved into a full-service, vertically integrated, multi-family real estate development firm. Since his first purchase of a single-family house as an investment for $300k at the age of 23, Artem has been involved as a principal in the development/redevelopment of more than $400m of real estate.


On this episode, Chris and Artem discuss:

➡️ life in Siberia under Communism

➡️ immigrating to the United States

➡️ the thread between Jiu Jitsu and Career success

➡️ a walkthrough of putting together a Los Angeles Multifamily project


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉Artem on Twitter

👉Schon Tepler Partners


Timestamps

(00:04:02) Discovering Zyn

(00:05:41) Life in Siberia under Communism

(00:13:14) Immigrating to America

(00:19:14) Thoughts on Russia/Ukraine

(00:27:21) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

(00:32:58) Artem’s early RE career

(00:48:56) Buying a home from a murderer

(00:51:10) Artem’s business today

(00:54:10) Self-performing construction vs. outsourcing

(01:03:54) Measuring success in construction

(01:14:19) How an LA project comes together

(01:25:10) Covid’s Impact on Multifamily

(01:31:26) Affordable housing

(01:34:00) Thoughts on the near-term market


Links

➡️ Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6009 #298 - Chris Hutchins - Founder @ All The Hacks - The Life Hacker Chris Hutchins is the host of the award-winning All the Hacks podcast, where he helps listeners upgrade their life, money and travel. Previously, he was the founder/CEO of Grove (acquired by Wealthfront), an investor at Google Ventures, and a co-founder of Milk (acquired by Google). On this episode, Chris & Chris Hutchins discuss: ➡️ Chris' filter for finding hacks in life ➡️ the business of credit card points ➡️ travel hacking ➡️ the business of Podcasting We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 All the Hacks 👉 Chris' Website 👉 Chris on Twitter 👉 How Airlines Quietly Became Banks 👉 AllTheHacks.com/CardValue 👉 AllTheHacks.com/TP 👉Point.me 👉Roame.travel 👉Seats.aero 👉Oceansxyz.com 👉 The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray Timestamps (00:03:03) Chris’s career  (00:07:57) Is it fair to say almost everything is hackable? (00:08:55) What filter do you apply to find a hack? (00:20:22) The business of credit card points (00:33:32) Choosing the right credit card and travel hacking (00:52:31) Business hacks for entrepreneurs (00:57:38) The Business of Podcasting ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 298 Chris Powers Chris Hutchins is the host of the award-winning All the Hacks podcast, where he helps listeners upgrade their life, money and travel. Previously, he was the founder/CEO of Grove (acquired by Wealthfront), an investor at Google Ventures, and a co-founder of Milk (acquired by Google). On this episode, Chris & Chris Hutchins discuss: ➡️ Chris' filter for finding hacks in life ➡️ the business of credit card points ➡️ travel hacking ➡️ the business of Podcasting We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 All the Hacks 👉 Chris' Website 👉 Chris on Twitter 👉 How Airlines Quietly Became Banks 👉 AllTheHacks.com/CardValue 👉 AllTheHacks.com/TP 👉Point.me 👉Roame.travel 👉Seats.aero 👉Oceansxyz.com 👉 The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray Timestamps (00:03:03) Chris’s career  (00:07:57) Is it fair to say almost everything is hackable? (00:08:55) What filter do you apply to find a hack? (00:20:22) The business of credit card points (00:33:32) Choosing the right credit card and travel hacking (00:52:31) Business hacks for entrepreneurs (00:57:38) The Business of Podcasting ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris Hutchins is the host of the award-winning All the Hacks podcast, where he helps listeners upgrade their life, money and travel. Previously, he was the founder/CEO of Grove (acquired by Wealthfront), an investor at Google Ventures, and a co-founder of Milk (acquired by Google).

On this episode, Chris & Chris Hutchins discuss:

➡️ Chris' filter for finding hacks in life

➡️ the business of credit card points

➡️ travel hacking

➡️ the business of Podcasting


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉 All the Hacks

👉 Chris' Website

👉 Chris on Twitter

👉 How Airlines Quietly Became Banks

👉 AllTheHacks.com/CardValue

👉 AllTheHacks.com/TP

👉Point.me

👉Roame.travel

👉Seats.aero

👉Oceansxyz.com

👉 The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray


Timestamps

(00:03:03) Chris’s career 

(00:07:57) Is it fair to say almost everything is hackable?

(00:08:55) What filter do you apply to find a hack?

(00:20:22) The business of credit card points

(00:33:32) Choosing the right credit card and travel hacking

(00:52:31) Business hacks for entrepreneurs

(00:57:38) The Business of Podcasting


➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4078 #297 - Mark Brooks - COO @ Permanent Equity - Managing, Serving, & Incentivizing People Mark Brooks is Chief Operating Officer and Co-President of Permanent Equity - a firm that invests with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In his role, Mark and his team are responsible for the operations of PE's 13 (and counting) portfolio companies spanning multiple industries including aerospace, construction, manufacturing, ad tech, and professional services. On this episode, Mark & Chris discuss: ➡️ what makes a great and a terrible manager ➡️ how Mark manages owners of acquired businesses ➡️ how to create alignment and incentives ➡️ why Management is not a Trade We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Permanent Equity 👉Mark on Twitter 👉The Permanent Equity Podcast Timestamps (00:03:05) Mark’s career at AOL and The Motley Fool (00:08:21) What is a good manager and what is a bad manager? (00:11:29) What does your role look like at PE? (00:17:37) What’s the cadence of communications with the businesses under PE? (00:23:14) Are there cues in conversations with owners of a potential acquisition that put a deal in question? (00:25:07) Do any of the businesses you buy already have a board in place? (00:27:03) How do you handle owners who may not be as open to being managed? (00:31:22) How do you incentivize owners differently than other Private equity shops? (00:39:22) The 'Working with Mark' document (00:43:41) Management is not a trade (00:48:53) Do you agree that people leave managers, not companies? (00:51:23) What’s the difference between a Manager and a Principal? (00:56:03) What do you use in addition to personality tests to identify talent? (01:01:11) How do you play out a scenario when you have two equals in a business and need to have one move up to manage the other? (01:07:23) How do you know you’ve struck a balance between being too flat and being too management-heavy? (01:12:17) How do you create alignment and incentives for teams that may not necessarily be impacting the bottom line? (01:22:39) Why are incentives so much easier to understand in hindsight? (01:27:34) What should the communication cadence between managers and teams look like? (01:30:39) True Management is an inversion ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:09:00 -0000 full 1 297 Chris Powers Mark Brooks is Chief Operating Officer and Co-President of Permanent Equity - a firm that invests with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In his role, Mark and his team are responsible for the operations of PE's 13 (and counting) portfolio companies spanning multiple industries including aerospace, construction, manufacturing, ad tech, and professional services. On this episode, Mark & Chris discuss: ➡️ what makes a great and a terrible manager ➡️ how Mark manages owners of acquired businesses ➡️ how to create alignment and incentives ➡️ why Management is not a Trade We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Permanent Equity 👉Mark on Twitter 👉The Permanent Equity Podcast Timestamps (00:03:05) Mark’s career at AOL and The Motley Fool (00:08:21) What is a good manager and what is a bad manager? (00:11:29) What does your role look like at PE? (00:17:37) What’s the cadence of communications with the businesses under PE? (00:23:14) Are there cues in conversations with owners of a potential acquisition that put a deal in question? (00:25:07) Do any of the businesses you buy already have a board in place? (00:27:03) How do you handle owners who may not be as open to being managed? (00:31:22) How do you incentivize owners differently than other Private equity shops? (00:39:22) The 'Working with Mark' document (00:43:41) Management is not a trade (00:48:53) Do you agree that people leave managers, not companies? (00:51:23) What’s the difference between a Manager and a Principal? (00:56:03) What do you use in addition to personality tests to identify talent? (01:01:11) How do you play out a scenario when you have two equals in a business and need to have one move up to manage the other? (01:07:23) How do you know you’ve struck a balance between being too flat and being too management-heavy? (01:12:17) How do you create alignment and incentives for teams that may not necessarily be impacting the bottom line? (01:22:39) Why are incentives so much easier to understand in hindsight? (01:27:34) What should the communication cadence between managers and teams look like? (01:30:39) True Management is an inversion ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mark Brooks is Chief Operating Officer and Co-President of Permanent Equity - a firm that invests with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In his role, Mark and his team are responsible for the operations of PE's 13 (and counting) portfolio companies spanning multiple industries including aerospace, construction, manufacturing, ad tech, and professional services.

On this episode, Mark & Chris discuss:

➡️ what makes a great and a terrible manager

➡️ how Mark manages owners of acquired businesses

➡️ how to create alignment and incentives

➡️ why Management is not a Trade


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉 Permanent Equity

👉Mark on Twitter

👉The Permanent Equity Podcast


Timestamps

(00:03:05) Mark’s career at AOL and The Motley Fool

(00:08:21) What is a good manager and what is a bad manager?

(00:11:29) What does your role look like at PE?

(00:17:37) What’s the cadence of communications with the businesses under PE?

(00:23:14) Are there cues in conversations with owners of a potential acquisition that put a deal in question?

(00:25:07) Do any of the businesses you buy already have a board in place?

(00:27:03) How do you handle owners who may not be as open to being managed?

(00:31:22) How do you incentivize owners differently than other Private equity shops?

(00:39:22) The 'Working with Mark' document

(00:43:41) Management is not a trade

(00:48:53) Do you agree that people leave managers, not companies?

(00:51:23) What’s the difference between a Manager and a Principal?

(00:56:03) What do you use in addition to personality tests to identify talent?

(01:01:11) How do you play out a scenario when you have two equals in a business and need to have one move up to manage the other?

(01:07:23) How do you know you’ve struck a balance between being too flat and being too management-heavy?

(01:12:17) How do you create alignment and incentives for teams that may not necessarily be impacting the bottom line?

(01:22:39) Why are incentives so much easier to understand in hindsight?

(01:27:34) What should the communication cadence between managers and teams look like?

(01:30:39) True Management is an inversion


➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5687 #296 - Sean Burton - CEO of Cityview - Acquiring, Developing, and Managing Multi-Family in the Western US Sean Burton is CEO of Cityview, a vertically integrated real estate investment management and development firm that specializes in developing, acquiring and operating opportunistic and value-add multifamily projects in gateway markets across the Western U.S. Cityview has invested in more than 130 projects and was named the decade’s largest multifamily developer in LA by Los Angeles Business Journal. On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss: ➡️ land entitling ➡️ an overview of the Los Angeles market ➡️ what makes a great multifamily developer and operator We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉Cityview 👉Sean on LinkedIn Timestamps (00:03:57) Sean's journey into Real estate (00:05:11) Learnings from working in the White House (00:07:26) An Overview of Cityview (00:10:25) What matters to you when considering a market or an asset to acquire? (00:12:02) Are you finding sites that are already entitled or do you need to entitle before closing? (00:14:48) Is it taking longer to entitle land these days? (00:16:05) The desire to build more housing in LA, the homeless crisis, and an overview of the LA market (00:21:38) Where in LA are you looking for sites? (00:22:51) Do you see any similarities between today’s market and the GFC? (00:25:11) Have building costs stabilized? (00:26:56) What would it take for a development deal to make sense right now? (00:31:22) What makes a good tour when showing equity a project? (00:32:47) Is Office to Residential even realistic? (00:35:06) What makes a great MF developer and operator? (00:36:51) Is there any from an amenities standpoint that you’re focusing on? (00:39:21) Is there any technology you’re implementing? (00:41:55) How are you positioning yourself for the next few years? (00:45:47) How do you capitalize deals? (00:48:15) Thoughts on the First Republic Bank takeover  ➡️ RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 296 Chris Powers Sean Burton is CEO of Cityview, a vertically integrated real estate investment management and development firm that specializes in developing, acquiring and operating opportunistic and value-add multifamily projects in gateway markets across the Western U.S. Cityview has invested in more than 130 projects and was named the decade’s largest multifamily developer in LA by Los Angeles Business Journal. On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss: ➡️ land entitling ➡️ an overview of the Los Angeles market ➡️ what makes a great multifamily developer and operator We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉Cityview 👉Sean on LinkedIn Timestamps (00:03:57) Sean's journey into Real estate (00:05:11) Learnings from working in the White House (00:07:26) An Overview of Cityview (00:10:25) What matters to you when considering a market or an asset to acquire? (00:12:02) Are you finding sites that are already entitled or do you need to entitle before closing? (00:14:48) Is it taking longer to entitle land these days? (00:16:05) The desire to build more housing in LA, the homeless crisis, and an overview of the LA market (00:21:38) Where in LA are you looking for sites? (00:22:51) Do you see any similarities between today’s market and the GFC? (00:25:11) Have building costs stabilized? (00:26:56) What would it take for a development deal to make sense right now? (00:31:22) What makes a good tour when showing equity a project? (00:32:47) Is Office to Residential even realistic? (00:35:06) What makes a great MF developer and operator? (00:36:51) Is there any from an amenities standpoint that you’re focusing on? (00:39:21) Is there any technology you’re implementing? (00:41:55) How are you positioning yourself for the next few years? (00:45:47) How do you capitalize deals? (00:48:15) Thoughts on the First Republic Bank takeover  ➡️ RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Sean Burton is CEO of Cityview, a vertically integrated real estate investment management and development firm that specializes in developing, acquiring and operating opportunistic and value-add multifamily projects in gateway markets across the Western U.S. Cityview has invested in more than 130 projects and was named the decade’s largest multifamily developer in LA by Los Angeles Business Journal.


On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss:

➡️ land entitling

➡️ an overview of the Los Angeles market

➡️ what makes a great multifamily developer and operator


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉Cityview

👉Sean on LinkedIn


Timestamps

(00:03:57) Sean's journey into Real estate

(00:05:11) Learnings from working in the White House

(00:07:26) An Overview of Cityview

(00:10:25) What matters to you when considering a market or an asset to acquire?

(00:12:02) Are you finding sites that are already entitled or do you need to entitle before closing?

(00:14:48) Is it taking longer to entitle land these days?

(00:16:05) The desire to build more housing in LA, the homeless crisis, and an overview of the LA market

(00:21:38) Where in LA are you looking for sites?

(00:22:51) Do you see any similarities between today’s market and the GFC?

(00:25:11) Have building costs stabilized?

(00:26:56) What would it take for a development deal to make sense right now?

(00:31:22) What makes a good tour when showing equity a project?

(00:32:47) Is Office to Residential even realistic?

(00:35:06) What makes a great MF developer and operator?

(00:36:51) Is there any from an amenities standpoint that you’re focusing on?

(00:39:21) Is there any technology you’re implementing?

(00:41:55) How are you positioning yourself for the next few years?

(00:45:47) How do you capitalize deals?

(00:48:15) Thoughts on the First Republic Bank takeover 


➡️ RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3101 #295 - Jim O'Shaughnessy - Founder of O'Shaughnessy Ventures - Investing into "The Great Reshuffle" Jim O'Shaughnessy serves as Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of Stability.ai. He is the Founder and CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures, LLC (OSV). O'Shaughnessy Ventures focuses on his deeply rooted interest in art, science, investing, and tech, marrying them with his long-held desire to establish positive sum scenarios through partnerships and investments. OSV focuses on 4 specific areas: Infinite Adventures (venture capital), Infinite Films, Infinite Media, and the O'Shaughnessy Fellowship program. Prior to OSV, Jim was the Founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, LLC (OSAM), an asset management firm that Franklin Templeton acquired in 2022. Jim is the author of four books on investing, was awarded several U.S. Patents on investment strategies and investment technologies, and was called a "Legendary investor" by Forbes.com. On this episode, Chris & Jim discuss: ➡️ the cumulative cultural evolution ➡️ quant investing ➡️ the difference between probabilities and possibilities ➡️ how Jim is navigating O'Shaughnessy Ventures We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Jim on Twitter 👉O'Shaughnessy Ventures 👉Stability.ai 👉Jim's Books 👉The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich 👉 The Flynn Effect 👉Wait but Why by Tim Urban 👉The True Believer by Erif Hoffer 👉 The Internet Contrarian by Jim O'Shaughnessy 👉A Generational Buying Opportunity by Jim O'Shaughnessy 👉Claude Shannon's information theory Timestamps (00:02:17) Jim’s grandfather (00:04:15) “You can always understand the son by the story of his father.” (00:14:00) Cumulative Cultural Evolution (00:26:16) What is Quant Investing? (00:36:54) How does a Quant investor know they have their algorithm right? (00:45:29) How does our emotional predisposition affect our investing approach? (00:50:43) The huge difference between probabilities and possibilities (00:54:43) How TV news devolved into propaganda (01:01:48) How America is distinguished from other countries (01:07:28) The Great Reshuffle (01:22:00) What’s something you’ve done at OSV you wouldn’t have been able to do with LPs? (01:23:13) Why did you invest in Stability AI? (01:28:35) What does success look like for OSV? ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 295 Chris Powers Jim O'Shaughnessy serves as Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of Stability.ai. He is the Founder and CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures, LLC (OSV). O'Shaughnessy Ventures focuses on his deeply rooted interest in art, science, investing, and tech, marrying them with his long-held desire to establish positive sum scenarios through partnerships and investments. OSV focuses on 4 specific areas: Infinite Adventures (venture capital), Infinite Films, Infinite Media, and the O'Shaughnessy Fellowship program. Prior to OSV, Jim was the Founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, LLC (OSAM), an asset management firm that Franklin Templeton acquired in 2022. Jim is the author of four books on investing, was awarded several U.S. Patents on investment strategies and investment technologies, and was called a "Legendary investor" by Forbes.com. On this episode, Chris & Jim discuss: ➡️ the cumulative cultural evolution ➡️ quant investing ➡️ the difference between probabilities and possibilities ➡️ how Jim is navigating O'Shaughnessy Ventures We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Jim on Twitter 👉O'Shaughnessy Ventures 👉Stability.ai 👉Jim's Books 👉The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich 👉 The Flynn Effect 👉Wait but Why by Tim Urban 👉The True Believer by Erif Hoffer 👉 The Internet Contrarian by Jim O'Shaughnessy 👉A Generational Buying Opportunity by Jim O'Shaughnessy 👉Claude Shannon's information theory Timestamps (00:02:17) Jim’s grandfather (00:04:15) “You can always understand the son by the story of his father.” (00:14:00) Cumulative Cultural Evolution (00:26:16) What is Quant Investing? (00:36:54) How does a Quant investor know they have their algorithm right? (00:45:29) How does our emotional predisposition affect our investing approach? (00:50:43) The huge difference between probabilities and possibilities (00:54:43) How TV news devolved into propaganda (01:01:48) How America is distinguished from other countries (01:07:28) The Great Reshuffle (01:22:00) What’s something you’ve done at OSV you wouldn’t have been able to do with LPs? (01:23:13) Why did you invest in Stability AI? (01:28:35) What does success look like for OSV? ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jim O'Shaughnessy serves as Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of Stability.ai. He is the Founder and CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures, LLC (OSV). O'Shaughnessy Ventures focuses on his deeply rooted interest in art, science, investing, and tech, marrying them with his long-held desire to establish positive sum scenarios through partnerships and investments. OSV focuses on 4 specific areas: Infinite Adventures (venture capital), Infinite Films, Infinite Media, and the O'Shaughnessy Fellowship program.

Prior to OSV, Jim was the Founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, LLC (OSAM), an asset management firm that Franklin Templeton acquired in 2022.

Jim is the author of four books on investing, was awarded several U.S. Patents on investment strategies and investment technologies, and was called a "Legendary investor" by Forbes.com.


On this episode, Chris & Jim discuss:

➡️ the cumulative cultural evolution

➡️ quant investing

➡️ the difference between probabilities and possibilities

➡️ how Jim is navigating O'Shaughnessy Ventures


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉 Jim on Twitter

👉O'Shaughnessy Ventures

👉Stability.ai

👉Jim's Books

👉The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich

👉 The Flynn Effect

👉Wait but Why by Tim Urban

👉The True Believer by Erif Hoffer

👉 The Internet Contrarian by Jim O'Shaughnessy

👉A Generational Buying Opportunity by Jim O'Shaughnessy

👉Claude Shannon's information theory


Timestamps

(00:02:17) Jim’s grandfather

(00:04:15) “You can always understand the son by the story of his father.”

(00:14:00) Cumulative Cultural Evolution

(00:26:16) What is Quant Investing?

(00:36:54) How does a Quant investor know they have their algorithm right?

(00:45:29) How does our emotional predisposition affect our investing approach?

(00:50:43) The huge difference between probabilities and possibilities

(00:54:43) How TV news devolved into propaganda

(01:01:48) How America is distinguished from other countries

(01:07:28) The Great Reshuffle

(01:22:00) What’s something you’ve done at OSV you wouldn’t have been able to do with LPs?

(01:23:13) Why did you invest in Stability AI?

(01:28:35) What does success look like for OSV?


➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5634 #294 - Sahil Bloom - The Business of Building a Content Empire That Inspires Millions Sahil Bloom is an inspirational writer and content creator, captivating millions of people every week through his social insights and bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. Sahil is also a successful entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company currently comprised of seven cash-flowing businesses, and the Managing Partner of SRB Ventures, a $10 million venture investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Prior to launching SRB Ventures in January 2022, Sahil was an early-stage investor in 40+ startups across the technology landscape, including multiple unicorns. On this episode, Chris & Sahil discuss: ➡️ Sahil’s upbringing and core influences ➡️ building an audience & spinning up online businesses ➡️ where he’s reinvesting money ➡️ His forthcoming book We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Sahil on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn 👉 The Curiosity Chronicle - Sahil's Newsletter 👉 Sahil's website ➡️ Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:05:12) Sahil’s life in New York (00:07:45) Sahil’s upbringing and core influences (00:20:19) The day Sahil decided to start writing online (00:25:10) How do you explain what you do? (00:28:09) Finding a network on Twitter (00:30:53) Making the decision to not engage in Twitter BS (00:35:17) Realizing this could become a business (00:41:37) Making big decisions requires speed (00:43:50) Spending time simply to think (00:47:13) Sahil’s vision for a future ecosystem (00:54:50) How Sahil spins up new businesses (00:56:33) How would you describe your flywheel? (01:01:53) Writing a book (01:08:12) The power of LinkedIn (01:10:35) How are you reinvesting the money you’re making? (01:17:01) Plans for the future (01:21:06) Is there an infinite amount of things to talk about in your brand? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 11 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 294 Chris Powers Sahil Bloom is an inspirational writer and content creator, captivating millions of people every week through his social insights and bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. Sahil is also a successful entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company currently comprised of seven cash-flowing businesses, and the Managing Partner of SRB Ventures, a $10 million venture investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Prior to launching SRB Ventures in January 2022, Sahil was an early-stage investor in 40+ startups across the technology landscape, including multiple unicorns. On this episode, Chris & Sahil discuss: ➡️ Sahil’s upbringing and core influences ➡️ building an audience & spinning up online businesses ➡️ where he’s reinvesting money ➡️ His forthcoming book We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Sahil on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn 👉 The Curiosity Chronicle - Sahil's Newsletter 👉 Sahil's website ➡️ Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH 💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ 📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:05:12) Sahil’s life in New York (00:07:45) Sahil’s upbringing and core influences (00:20:19) The day Sahil decided to start writing online (00:25:10) How do you explain what you do? (00:28:09) Finding a network on Twitter (00:30:53) Making the decision to not engage in Twitter BS (00:35:17) Realizing this could become a business (00:41:37) Making big decisions requires speed (00:43:50) Spending time simply to think (00:47:13) Sahil’s vision for a future ecosystem (00:54:50) How Sahil spins up new businesses (00:56:33) How would you describe your flywheel? (01:01:53) Writing a book (01:08:12) The power of LinkedIn (01:10:35) How are you reinvesting the money you’re making? (01:17:01) Plans for the future (01:21:06) Is there an infinite amount of things to talk about in your brand? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Sahil Bloom is an inspirational writer and content creator, captivating millions of people every week through his social insights and bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle.

Sahil is also a successful entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company currently comprised of seven cash-flowing businesses, and the Managing Partner of SRB Ventures, a $10 million venture investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Prior to launching SRB Ventures in January 2022, Sahil was an early-stage investor in 40+ startups across the technology landscape, including multiple unicorns.


On this episode, Chris & Sahil discuss:

➡️ Sahil’s upbringing and core influences

➡️ building an audience & spinning up online businesses

➡️ where he’s reinvesting money

➡️ His forthcoming book


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉 Sahil on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn

👉 The Curiosity Chronicle - Sahil's Newsletter

👉 Sahil's website


➡️ Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:05:12) Sahil’s life in New York

(00:07:45) Sahil’s upbringing and core influences

(00:20:19) The day Sahil decided to start writing online

(00:25:10) How do you explain what you do?

(00:28:09) Finding a network on Twitter

(00:30:53) Making the decision to not engage in Twitter BS

(00:35:17) Realizing this could become a business

(00:41:37) Making big decisions requires speed

(00:43:50) Spending time simply to think

(00:47:13) Sahil’s vision for a future ecosystem

(00:54:50) How Sahil spins up new businesses

(00:56:33) How would you describe your flywheel?

(01:01:53) Writing a book

(01:08:12) The power of LinkedIn

(01:10:35) How are you reinvesting the money you’re making?

(01:17:01) Plans for the future

(01:21:06) Is there an infinite amount of things to talk about in your brand?

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5135 #293 - How Fort Capital Executes World-Class Property Management Chris is joined by Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter and Executive Vice President Steve Bailey to discuss how the company has executed on its mission to establish a world-class Property Management arm of the organization. On this episode, they discuss: ➡️ how and why FC got into property management ➡️ cost savings & economies of scale ➡️ how the team utilizes data ➡️ incentivizing folks to think like owners We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Fort Capital 👉 Jason on LinkedIn 👉 Steve on LinkedIn ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq ➡️ Check out Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:04:52) How and why Fort Capital got into Property management (00:10:06) The relationship between FCP and Fort Capital (00:10:57) Fort’s philosophy around tenant retention and tenant relationships (00:13:54) The emphasis on face-to-face interaction (00:15:51) How PM prepares to take over an asset (00:20:20) Operation Paperless (00:25:53) Cost Savings & Economies of Scale (00:30:51) Converting Gross Leases to NNN (00:32:45) Tenant Improvements and appeasing tenants vs. falling back on the lease agreement (00:35:29) Bringing maintenance technicians in-house (00:37:20) Intangible benefit of having in-house PM (00:40:29) The PM team’s role in underwriting new opportunities (00:45:09) Adjusting leasing rates (00:47:46) The Lease Admin team (00:51:34) The reason to bring leasing in-house (00:56:58) How leasing is looking at the data coming in  (00:59:26) Holding 3rd party leasing teams accountable (01:03:19) What to look for when hiring a great PM (01:06:40) Using technology in PM (01:15:32) Re-forecasting (01:19:03) Why a company with an in-house PM team would still take on 3rd-party (01:21:40) Effectively communicating with 3rd parties (01:27:50) The process of onboarding a new 3rd party partner (01:32:10) Why won’t a lot of 3rd parties manage industrial properties? (01:35:57) How to incentivize people to think like owners -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 293 Chris Powers Chris is joined by Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter and Executive Vice President Steve Bailey to discuss how the company has executed on its mission to establish a world-class Property Management arm of the organization. On this episode, they discuss: ➡️ how and why FC got into property management ➡️ cost savings & economies of scale ➡️ how the team utilizes data ➡️ incentivizing folks to think like owners We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Fort Capital 👉 Jason on LinkedIn 👉 Steve on LinkedIn ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq ➡️ Check out Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:04:52) How and why Fort Capital got into Property management (00:10:06) The relationship between FCP and Fort Capital (00:10:57) Fort’s philosophy around tenant retention and tenant relationships (00:13:54) The emphasis on face-to-face interaction (00:15:51) How PM prepares to take over an asset (00:20:20) Operation Paperless (00:25:53) Cost Savings & Economies of Scale (00:30:51) Converting Gross Leases to NNN (00:32:45) Tenant Improvements and appeasing tenants vs. falling back on the lease agreement (00:35:29) Bringing maintenance technicians in-house (00:37:20) Intangible benefit of having in-house PM (00:40:29) The PM team’s role in underwriting new opportunities (00:45:09) Adjusting leasing rates (00:47:46) The Lease Admin team (00:51:34) The reason to bring leasing in-house (00:56:58) How leasing is looking at the data coming in  (00:59:26) Holding 3rd party leasing teams accountable (01:03:19) What to look for when hiring a great PM (01:06:40) Using technology in PM (01:15:32) Re-forecasting (01:19:03) Why a company with an in-house PM team would still take on 3rd-party (01:21:40) Effectively communicating with 3rd parties (01:27:50) The process of onboarding a new 3rd party partner (01:32:10) Why won’t a lot of 3rd parties manage industrial properties? (01:35:57) How to incentivize people to think like owners -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris is joined by Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter and Executive Vice President Steve Bailey to discuss how the company has executed on its mission to establish a world-class Property Management arm of the organization.


On this episode, they discuss:

➡️ how and why FC got into property management

➡️ cost savings & economies of scale

➡️ how the team utilizes data

➡️ incentivizing folks to think like owners


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Additional Resources

👉 Fort Capital

👉 Jason on LinkedIn

👉 Steve on LinkedIn


➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

➡️ Check out Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:04:52) How and why Fort Capital got into Property management

(00:10:06) The relationship between FCP and Fort Capital

(00:10:57) Fort’s philosophy around tenant retention and tenant relationships

(00:13:54) The emphasis on face-to-face interaction

(00:15:51) How PM prepares to take over an asset

(00:20:20) Operation Paperless

(00:25:53) Cost Savings & Economies of Scale

(00:30:51) Converting Gross Leases to NNN

(00:32:45) Tenant Improvements and appeasing tenants vs. falling back on the lease agreement

(00:35:29) Bringing maintenance technicians in-house

(00:37:20) Intangible benefit of having in-house PM

(00:40:29) The PM team’s role in underwriting new opportunities

(00:45:09) Adjusting leasing rates

(00:47:46) The Lease Admin team

(00:51:34) The reason to bring leasing in-house

(00:56:58) How leasing is looking at the data coming in 

(00:59:26) Holding 3rd party leasing teams accountable

(01:03:19) What to look for when hiring a great PM

(01:06:40) Using technology in PM

(01:15:32) Re-forecasting

(01:19:03) Why a company with an in-house PM team would still take on 3rd-party

(01:21:40) Effectively communicating with 3rd parties

(01:27:50) The process of onboarding a new 3rd party partner

(01:32:10) Why won’t a lot of 3rd parties manage industrial properties?

(01:35:57) How to incentivize people to think like owners

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5937 #292 - Ryan Heath - Founding Attorney @ Baker Heath, PLLC - Estate Planning 101 Ryan is a trust and estates attorney. He represents entrepreneurs, families, and financial institutions with a primary focus on shouldering his clients’ problems and helping them achieve their objectives.  On this episode, Ryan and Chris discuss: ➡️ the 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents ➡️ how parents can set up plans for their children ➡️ succession planning for family businesses ➡️ using trusts in PE investments We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Baker Heath 👉 Contact Ryan: 817.769.2745 👉 Email Ryan: Ryan@bakerheath.com 👉 The 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents Deep Dive Videos 👉 Estate Recommendations based on Net Worth ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:03:27) Ryan’s background and career (00:05:15) The 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents (00:08:10) Planning parents can do for their young kids (00:15:27) When you should be revisiting your plan? (00:17:53) Are there any functions within a trust that kick in before a child becomes an adult? (00:19:03) What happens when a beneficiary is incapable of managing money? (00:22:52) Handling planning when you have multiple children (00:30:01) Succession planning for businesses (00:46:26) Adjusting plans when a loose cannon marries into the family (00:53:00) Planning at different levels of net worth (01:02:06) Money by surprise scenarios (01:07:01) Controlling from the grave (01:11:03) Scenarios when you’re worth >$100 million (01:13:48) Transferring Real Estate (01:17:38) Twitter Questions (01:20:47) Using Trusts in PE Investments (01:23:27) Vertical Slicing for Fund Managers -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 29 Jun 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 292 Chris Powers Ryan is a trust and estates attorney. He represents entrepreneurs, families, and financial institutions with a primary focus on shouldering his clients’ problems and helping them achieve their objectives.  On this episode, Ryan and Chris discuss: ➡️ the 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents ➡️ how parents can set up plans for their children ➡️ succession planning for family businesses ➡️ using trusts in PE investments We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Baker Heath 👉 Contact Ryan: 817.769.2745 👉 Email Ryan: Ryan@bakerheath.com 👉 The 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents Deep Dive Videos 👉 Estate Recommendations based on Net Worth ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:03:27) Ryan’s background and career (00:05:15) The 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents (00:08:10) Planning parents can do for their young kids (00:15:27) When you should be revisiting your plan? (00:17:53) Are there any functions within a trust that kick in before a child becomes an adult? (00:19:03) What happens when a beneficiary is incapable of managing money? (00:22:52) Handling planning when you have multiple children (00:30:01) Succession planning for businesses (00:46:26) Adjusting plans when a loose cannon marries into the family (00:53:00) Planning at different levels of net worth (01:02:06) Money by surprise scenarios (01:07:01) Controlling from the grave (01:11:03) Scenarios when you’re worth >$100 million (01:13:48) Transferring Real Estate (01:17:38) Twitter Questions (01:20:47) Using Trusts in PE Investments (01:23:27) Vertical Slicing for Fund Managers -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Ryan is a trust and estates attorney. He represents entrepreneurs, families, and financial institutions with a primary focus on shouldering his clients’ problems and helping them achieve their objectives. 

On this episode, Ryan and Chris discuss:

➡️ the 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents

➡️ how parents can set up plans for their children

➡️ succession planning for family businesses

➡️ using trusts in PE investments

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Additional Resources

👉 Baker Heath

👉 Contact Ryan: 817.769.2745

👉 Email Ryan: Ryan@bakerheath.com

👉 The 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents Deep Dive Videos

👉 Estate Recommendations based on Net Worth

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:03:27) Ryan’s background and career

(00:05:15) The 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents

(00:08:10) Planning parents can do for their young kids

(00:15:27) When you should be revisiting your plan?

(00:17:53) Are there any functions within a trust that kick in before a child becomes an adult?

(00:19:03) What happens when a beneficiary is incapable of managing money?

(00:22:52) Handling planning when you have multiple children

(00:30:01) Succession planning for businesses

(00:46:26) Adjusting plans when a loose cannon marries into the family

(00:53:00) Planning at different levels of net worth

(01:02:06) Money by surprise scenarios

(01:07:01) Controlling from the grave

(01:11:03) Scenarios when you’re worth >$100 million

(01:13:48) Transferring Real Estate

(01:17:38) Twitter Questions

(01:20:47) Using Trusts in PE Investments

(01:23:27) Vertical Slicing for Fund Managers

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5298 #291 - T. Dupree Scovell - CIO @ Woodbine Development Corp. - World Class Hotel & Hospitality Properties Dupree Scovell is the managing partner and chief investment officer at Woodbine Development Corporation, a full-service real estate company that specializes in hospitality. He got his start in the hotel business at the age of 16, working as a dishwasher at Hyatt Regency Dallas. In 2011, Dupree joined Woodbine and expanded its footprint with the opening of a West Coast office in Los Angeles before returning to Dallas in 2019. Currently, he and his brother, King, work together as managing partners to lead the team, cast vision, and provide strategic direction for the company. Dupree is also responsible for Woodbine’s acquisition platform and capital markets efforts, as well as overseeing Woodbine Legacy Investments, a private equity fund dedicated to the acquisition and development of upscale select-service and full-service branded and boutique hotels throughout the United States. On this episode Chris & Dupree discuss: ➡️ the impact of our fathers and great mentors on both of us ➡️ Woodbine's Story and history ➡️ how Woodbine invests and creates world-class experiences ➡️ current market insights We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Woodbine 👉 Dupree on LinkedIn ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:03:05) Dupree’s Background and Career (00:06:11) Lessons learned playing for Mike Leach (00:10:20) The role apprenticeship plays in the success (00:13:12) Fatherhood Lessons (00:31:50) Buying a business from your father (00:36:16) Woodbine and the Hunt Family (00:40:11) Experiences raising from Family Offices (00:49:38) Woodbine’s Approach to Hospitality (01:01:15) Setting prices and booking practices (01:05:40) Thinking differently about Hospitality (01:12:33) Thoughts on Office (01:17:29) Full-Service operations & Food and Beverage (01:21:44) How do STRs play into the whole picture? (01:33:34) Thoughts on the market (01:26:53) Closing advice -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 27 Jun 2023 10:00:00 -0000 full 1 291 Chris Powers Dupree Scovell is the managing partner and chief investment officer at Woodbine Development Corporation, a full-service real estate company that specializes in hospitality. He got his start in the hotel business at the age of 16, working as a dishwasher at Hyatt Regency Dallas. In 2011, Dupree joined Woodbine and expanded its footprint with the opening of a West Coast office in Los Angeles before returning to Dallas in 2019. Currently, he and his brother, King, work together as managing partners to lead the team, cast vision, and provide strategic direction for the company. Dupree is also responsible for Woodbine’s acquisition platform and capital markets efforts, as well as overseeing Woodbine Legacy Investments, a private equity fund dedicated to the acquisition and development of upscale select-service and full-service branded and boutique hotels throughout the United States. On this episode Chris & Dupree discuss: ➡️ the impact of our fathers and great mentors on both of us ➡️ Woodbine's Story and history ➡️ how Woodbine invests and creates world-class experiences ➡️ current market insights We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Woodbine 👉 Dupree on LinkedIn ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:03:05) Dupree’s Background and Career (00:06:11) Lessons learned playing for Mike Leach (00:10:20) The role apprenticeship plays in the success (00:13:12) Fatherhood Lessons (00:31:50) Buying a business from your father (00:36:16) Woodbine and the Hunt Family (00:40:11) Experiences raising from Family Offices (00:49:38) Woodbine’s Approach to Hospitality (01:01:15) Setting prices and booking practices (01:05:40) Thinking differently about Hospitality (01:12:33) Thoughts on Office (01:17:29) Full-Service operations & Food and Beverage (01:21:44) How do STRs play into the whole picture? (01:33:34) Thoughts on the market (01:26:53) Closing advice -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Dupree Scovell is the managing partner and chief investment officer at Woodbine Development Corporation, a full-service real estate company that specializes in hospitality. He got his start in the hotel business at the age of 16, working as a dishwasher at Hyatt Regency Dallas. In 2011, Dupree joined Woodbine and expanded its footprint with the opening of a West Coast office in Los Angeles before returning to Dallas in 2019. Currently, he and his brother, King, work together as managing partners to lead the team, cast vision, and provide strategic direction for the company. Dupree is also responsible for Woodbine’s acquisition platform and capital markets efforts, as well as overseeing Woodbine Legacy Investments, a private equity fund dedicated to the acquisition and development of upscale select-service and full-service branded and boutique hotels throughout the United States.


On this episode Chris & Dupree discuss:

➡️ the impact of our fathers and great mentors on both of us

➡️ Woodbine's Story and history

➡️ how Woodbine invests and creates world-class experiences

➡️ current market insights

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Additional Resources

👉 Woodbine

👉 Dupree on LinkedIn


➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:03:05) Dupree’s Background and Career

(00:06:11) Lessons learned playing for Mike Leach

(00:10:20) The role apprenticeship plays in the success

(00:13:12) Fatherhood Lessons

(00:31:50) Buying a business from your father

(00:36:16) Woodbine and the Hunt Family

(00:40:11) Experiences raising from Family Offices

(00:49:38) Woodbine’s Approach to Hospitality

(01:01:15) Setting prices and booking practices

(01:05:40) Thinking differently about Hospitality

(01:12:33) Thoughts on Office

(01:17:29) Full-Service operations & Food and Beverage

(01:21:44) How do STRs play into the whole picture?

(01:33:34) Thoughts on the market

(01:26:53) Closing advice

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5445 #290 - Bob Knakal - Head of the NY Private Capital Group @ JLL - The $24B Broker Bob is Head of the NY Private Capital Group within JLL Capital Markets in New York City. Bob was Chairman and Founding Partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services, New York’s #1 building sales firm. In 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman & Wakefield, Bob served as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bob joined JLL in September of 2018 as Chairman – NY Investment Sales. Since 2009, Bob has written a regular column on the New York City Real Estate Market called Concrete Thoughts for the Commercial Observer. On this episode, Chris and Bob discuss: ➡️ the techniques Bob has used to do over $24B in business ➡️ stories from over 40 years in the business ➡️ how development projects happen in NYC ➡️ a discussion of the current NYC market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉Bob on Twitter 👉LandGlide 👉NY Private Capital Group ➡️ Visit Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq ➡️ Visit Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:03:13) Bob’s upbringing and early career (00:08:36) Does the playbook you used still work in this industry? (00:10:24) Defining Market Presence (00:13:13) How are you known in the brokerage industry? (00:16:35) Why did you choose to only represent sellers? (00:20:00) Role-playing a scenario (00:25:57) Is cold calling still the most effective way to navigate this business? (00:28:06) The value in following up (00:32:20)Bob’s NYC war room of maps (00:41:22) How selling development sites works in NYC (00:50:36) Trading Air Rights (00:55:34) Development and land assemblage processes (00:58:58) Bob’s most memorable deal (01:06:15) Bob’s experience in the GFC and thoughts on today’s market (01:10:45) Thoughts on Office assets (01:17:09) Why did the market start to tip in 2015? (01:24:00) If you had to invest $1B in NYC what would you do? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 20 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000 full 1 290 Chris Powers Bob is Head of the NY Private Capital Group within JLL Capital Markets in New York City. Bob was Chairman and Founding Partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services, New York’s #1 building sales firm. In 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman & Wakefield, Bob served as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bob joined JLL in September of 2018 as Chairman – NY Investment Sales. Since 2009, Bob has written a regular column on the New York City Real Estate Market called Concrete Thoughts for the Commercial Observer. On this episode, Chris and Bob discuss: ➡️ the techniques Bob has used to do over $24B in business ➡️ stories from over 40 years in the business ➡️ how development projects happen in NYC ➡️ a discussion of the current NYC market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉Bob on Twitter 👉LandGlide 👉NY Private Capital Group ➡️ Visit Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq ➡️ Visit Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:03:13) Bob’s upbringing and early career (00:08:36) Does the playbook you used still work in this industry? (00:10:24) Defining Market Presence (00:13:13) How are you known in the brokerage industry? (00:16:35) Why did you choose to only represent sellers? (00:20:00) Role-playing a scenario (00:25:57) Is cold calling still the most effective way to navigate this business? (00:28:06) The value in following up (00:32:20)Bob’s NYC war room of maps (00:41:22) How selling development sites works in NYC (00:50:36) Trading Air Rights (00:55:34) Development and land assemblage processes (00:58:58) Bob’s most memorable deal (01:06:15) Bob’s experience in the GFC and thoughts on today’s market (01:10:45) Thoughts on Office assets (01:17:09) Why did the market start to tip in 2015? (01:24:00) If you had to invest $1B in NYC what would you do? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Bob is Head of the NY Private Capital Group within JLL Capital Markets in New York City.

Bob was Chairman and Founding Partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services, New York’s #1 building sales firm. In 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman & Wakefield, Bob served as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bob joined JLL in September of 2018 as Chairman – NY Investment Sales.

Since 2009, Bob has written a regular column on the New York City Real Estate Market called Concrete Thoughts for the Commercial Observer.

On this episode, Chris and Bob discuss:

➡️ the techniques Bob has used to do over $24B in business

➡️ stories from over 40 years in the business

➡️ how development projects happen in NYC

➡️ a discussion of the current NYC market


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Additional Resources

👉Bob on Twitter

👉LandGlide

👉NY Private Capital Group


➡️ Visit Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

➡️ Visit Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:03:13) Bob’s upbringing and early career

(00:08:36) Does the playbook you used still work in this industry?

(00:10:24) Defining Market Presence

(00:13:13) How are you known in the brokerage industry?

(00:16:35) Why did you choose to only represent sellers?

(00:20:00) Role-playing a scenario

(00:25:57) Is cold calling still the most effective way to navigate this business?

(00:28:06) The value in following up

(00:32:20)Bob’s NYC war room of maps

(00:41:22) How selling development sites works in NYC

(00:50:36) Trading Air Rights

(00:55:34) Development and land assemblage processes

(00:58:58) Bob’s most memorable deal

(01:06:15) Bob’s experience in the GFC and thoughts on today’s market

(01:10:45) Thoughts on Office assets

(01:17:09) Why did the market start to tip in 2015?

(01:24:00) If you had to invest $1B in NYC what would you do?

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5255 #289 - Brett Hagler - CEO of New Story Homes - Pioneering Solutions to End Global Homelessness Brett is the CEO and Co-Founder of New Story, an organization pioneering market-driven solutions to end global homelessness. Brett is a Y Combinator graduate, and New Story was named among Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World” four times in the last five years. New Story aims to bring life-changing housing solutions to 1M people by 2030. Brett is also a Co-Founder of Hometeam Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on housing innovation. On this episode, Chris and Brett discuss: ➡️ the massive scale of inadequate housing ➡️ how New Story is not only building homes, but creating housing markets ➡️ taking a non-profit through Y-Combinator ➡️ how to approach raising capital as a non-profit We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 New Story 👉 Brett on Twitter 👉 The Builders Program ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets! ➡️ Check out RE Cost Seg ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX (00:05:08) Brett’s career leading up to New Story (00:14:10) What is inadequate housing? (00:16:08) What happens when you introduce a more stable way of living for these families? (00:18:56) Experiences at Y Combinator (00:23:36) Finding problems behind the problems (00:27:21) Where New Story operates and how they develop housing markets (00:36:33) Does your approach change when you enter different markets & cultures? (00:38:28) Why is the issue of adequate housing growing? (00:39:40) Who is in charge of the architecture? (00:41:09) Is any of what you’re doing applicable to the United States? (00:44:05) What are the other benefits of creating a market like this? (00:47:34) How would you advise entrepreneurs wanting to get into the non-profit space? (00:51:27) How should someone do due diligence on a non-profit before giving them money? (00:55:25) How do you approach raising money for philanthropy? (00:59:48) Is there any replacement for people who don’t have the means to do missionary trips? (01:02:37) What’s the best way for people to learn more? newstoryhomes.org -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 15 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000 full 1 289 Chris Powers Brett is the CEO and Co-Founder of New Story, an organization pioneering market-driven solutions to end global homelessness. Brett is a Y Combinator graduate, and New Story was named among Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World” four times in the last five years. New Story aims to bring life-changing housing solutions to 1M people by 2030. Brett is also a Co-Founder of Hometeam Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on housing innovation. On this episode, Chris and Brett discuss: ➡️ the massive scale of inadequate housing ➡️ how New Story is not only building homes, but creating housing markets ➡️ taking a non-profit through Y-Combinator ➡️ how to approach raising capital as a non-profit We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 New Story 👉 Brett on Twitter 👉 The Builders Program ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets! ➡️ Check out RE Cost Seg ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX (00:05:08) Brett’s career leading up to New Story (00:14:10) What is inadequate housing? (00:16:08) What happens when you introduce a more stable way of living for these families? (00:18:56) Experiences at Y Combinator (00:23:36) Finding problems behind the problems (00:27:21) Where New Story operates and how they develop housing markets (00:36:33) Does your approach change when you enter different markets & cultures? (00:38:28) Why is the issue of adequate housing growing? (00:39:40) Who is in charge of the architecture? (00:41:09) Is any of what you’re doing applicable to the United States? (00:44:05) What are the other benefits of creating a market like this? (00:47:34) How would you advise entrepreneurs wanting to get into the non-profit space? (00:51:27) How should someone do due diligence on a non-profit before giving them money? (00:55:25) How do you approach raising money for philanthropy? (00:59:48) Is there any replacement for people who don’t have the means to do missionary trips? (01:02:37) What’s the best way for people to learn more? newstoryhomes.org -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Brett is the CEO and Co-Founder of New Story, an organization pioneering market-driven solutions to end global homelessness. Brett is a Y Combinator graduate, and New Story was named among Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World” four times in the last five years. New Story aims to bring life-changing housing solutions to 1M people by 2030. Brett is also a Co-Founder of Hometeam Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on housing innovation.

On this episode, Chris and Brett discuss:

➡️ the massive scale of inadequate housing

➡️ how New Story is not only building homes, but creating housing markets

➡️ taking a non-profit through Y-Combinator

➡️ how to approach raising capital as a non-profit

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Additional Resources

👉 New Story

👉 Brett on Twitter

👉 The Builders Program


➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets!

➡️ Check out RE Cost Seg

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


(00:05:08) Brett’s career leading up to New Story

(00:14:10) What is inadequate housing?

(00:16:08) What happens when you introduce a more stable way of living for these families?

(00:18:56) Experiences at Y Combinator

(00:23:36) Finding problems behind the problems

(00:27:21) Where New Story operates and how they develop housing markets

(00:36:33) Does your approach change when you enter different markets & cultures?

(00:38:28) Why is the issue of adequate housing growing?

(00:39:40) Who is in charge of the architecture?

(00:41:09) Is any of what you’re doing applicable to the United States?

(00:44:05) What are the other benefits of creating a market like this?

(00:47:34) How would you advise entrepreneurs wanting to get into the non-profit space?

(00:51:27) How should someone do due diligence on a non-profit before giving them money?

(00:55:25) How do you approach raising money for philanthropy?

(00:59:48) Is there any replacement for people who don’t have the means to do missionary trips?

(01:02:37) What’s the best way for people to learn more?

newstoryhomes.org

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3895 #288 - Wilkie Colyer - CEO of Contango Resources Wilkie has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Contango Oil & Gas since 2018. Prior to Contango, he was employed by Goff Capital, the family office of John C. Goff, from 2007 until August 2018. Mr. Colyer was responsible for the firms’ energy investing and has held a material role in public and private investments in sectors including financial services and real estate, among others. On this episode, Chris & Wilkie discuss: ➡️ lessons learned working for John Goff ➡️ story of buying and becoming CEO of Contango ➡️ how they find value in oil & gas assets ➡️ why all energy resources are critical We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Wilkie on LinkedIn 👉Contango Oil & Gas 👉Goff Capital ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:02:18) Wilkie’s career, investment philosophies, and learning under John Goff (00:18:19) Acquiring Contango and becoming the CEO (00:32:07) The Mission of Contango (00:35:58) Acquiring Whitestar at the 11th hour (00:57:03) Crescent (01:14:52) Thoughts on the Fossil Fuel industry (01:21:57) Where do you see supply coming from going forward? (01:26:52) Is there any technology in Upstream that’s on the horizon? (01:29:38) When you’re looking at a business investment opportunity, what sticks out that gets you excited? (01:34:14) What were some biggest takeaways while working under John Goff? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000 full 1 288 Chris Powers Wilkie has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Contango Oil & Gas since 2018. Prior to Contango, he was employed by Goff Capital, the family office of John C. Goff, from 2007 until August 2018. Mr. Colyer was responsible for the firms’ energy investing and has held a material role in public and private investments in sectors including financial services and real estate, among others. On this episode, Chris & Wilkie discuss: ➡️ lessons learned working for John Goff ➡️ story of buying and becoming CEO of Contango ➡️ how they find value in oil & gas assets ➡️ why all energy resources are critical We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Additional Resources 👉 Wilkie on LinkedIn 👉Contango Oil & Gas 👉Goff Capital ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:02:18) Wilkie’s career, investment philosophies, and learning under John Goff (00:18:19) Acquiring Contango and becoming the CEO (00:32:07) The Mission of Contango (00:35:58) Acquiring Whitestar at the 11th hour (00:57:03) Crescent (01:14:52) Thoughts on the Fossil Fuel industry (01:21:57) Where do you see supply coming from going forward? (01:26:52) Is there any technology in Upstream that’s on the horizon? (01:29:38) When you’re looking at a business investment opportunity, what sticks out that gets you excited? (01:34:14) What were some biggest takeaways while working under John Goff? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Wilkie has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Contango Oil & Gas since 2018. Prior to Contango, he was employed by Goff Capital, the family office of John C. Goff, from 2007 until August 2018. Mr. Colyer was responsible for the firms’ energy investing and has held a material role in public and private investments in sectors including financial services and real estate, among others.


On this episode, Chris & Wilkie discuss:

➡️ lessons learned working for John Goff

➡️ story of buying and becoming CEO of Contango

➡️ how they find value in oil & gas assets

➡️ why all energy resources are critical


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Additional Resources

👉 Wilkie on LinkedIn

👉Contango Oil & Gas

👉Goff Capital


➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:02:18) Wilkie’s career, investment philosophies, and learning under John Goff

(00:18:19) Acquiring Contango and becoming the CEO

(00:32:07) The Mission of Contango

(00:35:58) Acquiring Whitestar at the 11th hour

(00:57:03) Crescent

(01:14:52) Thoughts on the Fossil Fuel industry

(01:21:57) Where do you see supply coming from going forward?

(01:26:52) Is there any technology in Upstream that’s on the horizon?

(01:29:38) When you’re looking at a business investment opportunity, what sticks out that gets you excited?

(01:34:14) What were some biggest takeaways while working under John Goff?

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5958 #287 - Scott Everett - Founder & CEO of S2 Capital - On MF Outlook, FED, Banking Crisis, Capital Markets We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 11 years as CEO of S2 Capital, he has built a Real Estate investment company that has transacted on $10B of multifamily assets totaling 45,000 units and 3 operating companies that generate annual revenues in excess of $400M with over 600 employees. This is Scott's second appearance on Fort, if you want to hear his first episode, you can do so here. On this episode, Chris and Scott discuss: ➡️ reflecting on Scott's fixed rate debt claims ➡️ capital markets & slowing rent growth ➡️ bear market predictions ➡️ S2's strategy going forward Additional Resources 👉S2 Capital 👉Scott's First Appearance on Fort ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets!: https://bit.ly/3MGFEJl ➡️ Learn more about Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:06:25) Reflecting on last year: Fixed Rate Debt (00:13:51) Factors creating deal flow in Multifamily (00:16:36) Capital Markets (00:21:57) Slowing Rent Growth (00:23:29) Equity and lending in the next 24 months (00:27:11) What are capital providers wanting to see in the next year? (00:33:31) Debt markets (00:34:40) A Bear-ish market prediction (00:44:35) What metrics matter to you the most? (00:50:19) S2’s strategy going forward (00:55:47) What kills growth markets? (01:00:22) Is the sun belt still the place to be? (01:02:02) How are you thinking about pacing your capital deployment? (01:06:16) How are you leading your company in this environment? (01:08:40) How are you thinking about AI? (01:12:31) How do you generate deal flow that isn’t acquiring assets? (01:16:31) What’s your approach to development? (01:18:49) What will consume your days over the next 10 years? (01:22:33) What do you envision S2 looking like in 10 years? (01:24:26) Why Scott left Twitter -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000 full 1 286 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 11 years as CEO of S2 Capital, he has built a Real Estate investment company that has transacted on $10B of multifamily assets totaling 45,000 units and 3 operating companies that generate annual revenues in excess of $400M with over 600 employees. This is Scott's second appearance on Fort, if you want to hear his first episode, you can do so here. On this episode, Chris and Scott discuss: ➡️ reflecting on Scott's fixed rate debt claims ➡️ capital markets & slowing rent growth ➡️ bear market predictions ➡️ S2's strategy going forward Additional Resources 👉S2 Capital 👉Scott's First Appearance on Fort ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets!: https://bit.ly/3MGFEJl ➡️ Learn more about Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Timestamps (00:06:25) Reflecting on last year: Fixed Rate Debt (00:13:51) Factors creating deal flow in Multifamily (00:16:36) Capital Markets (00:21:57) Slowing Rent Growth (00:23:29) Equity and lending in the next 24 months (00:27:11) What are capital providers wanting to see in the next year? (00:33:31) Debt markets (00:34:40) A Bear-ish market prediction (00:44:35) What metrics matter to you the most? (00:50:19) S2’s strategy going forward (00:55:47) What kills growth markets? (01:00:22) Is the sun belt still the place to be? (01:02:02) How are you thinking about pacing your capital deployment? (01:06:16) How are you leading your company in this environment? (01:08:40) How are you thinking about AI? (01:12:31) How do you generate deal flow that isn’t acquiring assets? (01:16:31) What’s your approach to development? (01:18:49) What will consume your days over the next 10 years? (01:22:33) What do you envision S2 looking like in 10 years? (01:24:26) Why Scott left Twitter -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 11 years as CEO of S2 Capital, he has built a Real Estate investment company that has transacted on $10B of multifamily assets totaling 45,000 units and 3 operating companies that generate annual revenues in excess of $400M with over 600 employees. This is Scott's second appearance on Fort, if you want to hear his first episode, you can do so here.


On this episode, Chris and Scott discuss:

➡️ reflecting on Scott's fixed rate debt claims

➡️ capital markets & slowing rent growth

➡️ bear market predictions

➡️ S2's strategy going forward


Additional Resources

👉S2 Capital

👉Scott's First Appearance on Fort


➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets!: https://bit.ly/3MGFEJl

➡️ Learn more about Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I

➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX


Timestamps

(00:06:25) Reflecting on last year: Fixed Rate Debt

(00:13:51) Factors creating deal flow in Multifamily

(00:16:36) Capital Markets

(00:21:57) Slowing Rent Growth

(00:23:29) Equity and lending in the next 24 months

(00:27:11) What are capital providers wanting to see in the next year?

(00:33:31) Debt markets

(00:34:40) A Bear-ish market prediction

(00:44:35) What metrics matter to you the most?

(00:50:19) S2’s strategy going forward

(00:55:47) What kills growth markets?

(01:00:22) Is the sun belt still the place to be?

(01:02:02) How are you thinking about pacing your capital deployment?

(01:06:16) How are you leading your company in this environment?

(01:08:40) How are you thinking about AI?

(01:12:31) How do you generate deal flow that isn’t acquiring assets?

(01:16:31) What’s your approach to development?

(01:18:49) What will consume your days over the next 10 years?

(01:22:33) What do you envision S2 looking like in 10 years?

(01:24:26) Why Scott left Twitter

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5318 #286 - Joe Pohlen - Co-Founder of Cardinal Senior Living - Building a Better Future For Seniors in Assisted Living We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Joe Pohlen is the Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania. This is Joe's second appearance on The Fort, if you'd like to hear round 1, you can do so here. On this episode, Chris and Joe discuss: ➡️ Family dynamics and American culture towards how we treat our elders ➡️ Why assisted living has been in decline since 2017 ➡️ Joe's ideas to improve assisted living long term ➡️ Discussion on the current market and what he expects in the next few years ➡️ Cardinal's recent sale and how they'll structure the company differently going forward Additional Resources 👉 Live Cardinal 👉 Joe on Twitter ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets! ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube Timestamps (00:04:54) Why is there a decline in care quality within Assisted Living? (00:07:04) Why is the government trying to push people out of Nursing homes? (00:09:46) Why is it so much harder for elderly people to be obese? (00:11:16) Joe’s first day in Assisted Living - Showering the elderly (00:18:45) Why are we seeing fewer people entering the industry? (00:23:06) What can the everyday citizen person do to help our elderly population? (00:26:58) How are your planning on leveraging Cardinal to radically change Assisted Living? (00:46:16) How would you structure a long-term hold? (00:52:50) Are there any national brands in this industry? (00:54:03) How much scale do you need to justify a back-office? (00:58:34) How would you begin to attack expenses and operational issues in the day-to-day? (00:59:50) What happens when a tenant can’t pay rent? (01:00:42) Are there any state or federal support options to help residents? (01:01:46) Are there ways to design buildings in a more efficient way? (01:03:20) Are people waiting longer to move into Assisted living? (01:03:58) Are there any lingering effects of Covid? (01:05:16) Why are you only in PA and MI? (01:06:00) Are there any states you wouldn’t go into? (01:08:45) Who is the ideal investor for Cardinal? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 01 Jun 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 286 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Joe Pohlen is the Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania. This is Joe's second appearance on The Fort, if you'd like to hear round 1, you can do so here. On this episode, Chris and Joe discuss: ➡️ Family dynamics and American culture towards how we treat our elders ➡️ Why assisted living has been in decline since 2017 ➡️ Joe's ideas to improve assisted living long term ➡️ Discussion on the current market and what he expects in the next few years ➡️ Cardinal's recent sale and how they'll structure the company differently going forward Additional Resources 👉 Live Cardinal 👉 Joe on Twitter ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets! ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube Timestamps (00:04:54) Why is there a decline in care quality within Assisted Living? (00:07:04) Why is the government trying to push people out of Nursing homes? (00:09:46) Why is it so much harder for elderly people to be obese? (00:11:16) Joe’s first day in Assisted Living - Showering the elderly (00:18:45) Why are we seeing fewer people entering the industry? (00:23:06) What can the everyday citizen person do to help our elderly population? (00:26:58) How are your planning on leveraging Cardinal to radically change Assisted Living? (00:46:16) How would you structure a long-term hold? (00:52:50) Are there any national brands in this industry? (00:54:03) How much scale do you need to justify a back-office? (00:58:34) How would you begin to attack expenses and operational issues in the day-to-day? (00:59:50) What happens when a tenant can’t pay rent? (01:00:42) Are there any state or federal support options to help residents? (01:01:46) Are there ways to design buildings in a more efficient way? (01:03:20) Are people waiting longer to move into Assisted living? (01:03:58) Are there any lingering effects of Covid? (01:05:16) Why are you only in PA and MI? (01:06:00) Are there any states you wouldn’t go into? (01:08:45) Who is the ideal investor for Cardinal? -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Joe Pohlen is the Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

This is Joe's second appearance on The Fort, if you'd like to hear round 1, you can do so here.


On this episode, Chris and Joe discuss:

➡️ Family dynamics and American culture towards how we treat our elders

➡️ Why assisted living has been in decline since 2017

➡️ Joe's ideas to improve assisted living long term

➡️ Discussion on the current market and what he expects in the next few years

➡️ Cardinal's recent sale and how they'll structure the company differently going forward


Additional Resources

👉 Live Cardinal

👉 Joe on Twitter


➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets!

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


Timestamps

(00:04:54) Why is there a decline in care quality within Assisted Living?

(00:07:04) Why is the government trying to push people out of Nursing homes?

(00:09:46) Why is it so much harder for elderly people to be obese?

(00:11:16) Joe’s first day in Assisted Living - Showering the elderly

(00:18:45) Why are we seeing fewer people entering the industry?

(00:23:06) What can the everyday citizen person do to help our elderly population?

(00:26:58) How are your planning on leveraging Cardinal to radically change Assisted Living?

(00:46:16) How would you structure a long-term hold?

(00:52:50) Are there any national brands in this industry?

(00:54:03) How much scale do you need to justify a back-office?

(00:58:34) How would you begin to attack expenses and operational issues in the day-to-day?

(00:59:50) What happens when a tenant can’t pay rent?

(01:00:42) Are there any state or federal support options to help residents?

(01:01:46) Are there ways to design buildings in a more efficient way?

(01:03:20) Are people waiting longer to move into Assisted living?

(01:03:58) Are there any lingering effects of Covid?

(01:05:16) Why are you only in PA and MI?

(01:06:00) Are there any states you wouldn’t go into?

(01:08:45) Who is the ideal investor for Cardinal?

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4309 #285 - Gabe Bodhi - CEO of Tekton Group - Expert in Sub-Institutional Multi-family investments We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Gabe is responsible for all aspects of the investment process including deal origination, due diligence, financing, investor relations, dispositions, and refinancings. Gabe works closely with the Head of Renovations on building repositioning and the Chief Operating Officer on asset management and property management. Gabe believes that a deep understanding of market and economic fundamentals are key to pricing real estate assets and leverages his 25 years of investment analysis to understand and forecast the risks and cash flows of investing in metro Denver real estate. Gabe has led more than $50mm of multi-family investments in metro Denver, across more than 500 apartment units in Denver, Lakewood, and Aurora. Gabe is also the co-manager of over $25mm of multi-family investments (164 units) in Los Angeles. On this episode, Chris & Gabe discuss: ➡️ His investing principles ➡️ What he learned from years on Wall Street ➡️ Why he chose sub-institutional MF ➡️ How he underwrites opportunities and creates value ➡️ Current market discussion and Tekton's plans for the future Additional Resources 👉 Tekton Group 👉 Gabe on Twitter ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets! ➡️ Learn more about BetterPitch ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:05:02) Gabe’s background and career on Wall St. (00:08:33) Investment principles developed on Wall St. and in Real Estate (00:15:29) Don’t fight the FED! (00:25:58) Only play winnable games (00:33:02) Making the jump from Wall St. to Real Estate (00:36:44) Sourcing deals (00:41:14) What a great deal looks like for Gabe (00:51:02) Creating value on assets (00:57:03) Finding a great 3rd party manager (01:00:49) Unit renovations and turnover times (01:04:14) Landlord horror stories (01:12:29) How are you positioning your company for the next three years? (01:21:51) Syndications and Funds -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 30 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 285 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Gabe is responsible for all aspects of the investment process including deal origination, due diligence, financing, investor relations, dispositions, and refinancings. Gabe works closely with the Head of Renovations on building repositioning and the Chief Operating Officer on asset management and property management. Gabe believes that a deep understanding of market and economic fundamentals are key to pricing real estate assets and leverages his 25 years of investment analysis to understand and forecast the risks and cash flows of investing in metro Denver real estate. Gabe has led more than $50mm of multi-family investments in metro Denver, across more than 500 apartment units in Denver, Lakewood, and Aurora. Gabe is also the co-manager of over $25mm of multi-family investments (164 units) in Los Angeles. On this episode, Chris & Gabe discuss: ➡️ His investing principles ➡️ What he learned from years on Wall Street ➡️ Why he chose sub-institutional MF ➡️ How he underwrites opportunities and creates value ➡️ Current market discussion and Tekton's plans for the future Additional Resources 👉 Tekton Group 👉 Gabe on Twitter ➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets! ➡️ Learn more about BetterPitch ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:05:02) Gabe’s background and career on Wall St. (00:08:33) Investment principles developed on Wall St. and in Real Estate (00:15:29) Don’t fight the FED! (00:25:58) Only play winnable games (00:33:02) Making the jump from Wall St. to Real Estate (00:36:44) Sourcing deals (00:41:14) What a great deal looks like for Gabe (00:51:02) Creating value on assets (00:57:03) Finding a great 3rd party manager (01:00:49) Unit renovations and turnover times (01:04:14) Landlord horror stories (01:12:29) How are you positioning your company for the next three years? (01:21:51) Syndications and Funds -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Gabe is responsible for all aspects of the investment process including deal origination, due diligence, financing, investor relations, dispositions, and refinancings. Gabe works closely with the Head of Renovations on building repositioning and the Chief Operating Officer on asset management and property management. Gabe believes that a deep understanding of market and economic fundamentals are key to pricing real estate assets and leverages his 25 years of investment analysis to understand and forecast the risks and cash flows of investing in metro Denver real estate.

Gabe has led more than $50mm of multi-family investments in metro Denver, across more than 500 apartment units in Denver, Lakewood, and Aurora. Gabe is also the co-manager of over $25mm of multi-family investments (164 units) in Los Angeles.


On this episode, Chris & Gabe discuss:

➡️ His investing principles

➡️ What he learned from years on Wall Street

➡️ Why he chose sub-institutional MF

➡️ How he underwrites opportunities and creates value

➡️ Current market discussion and Tekton's plans for the future


Additional Resources

👉 Tekton Group

👉 Gabe on Twitter


➡️ Go here to save $500 on your Re-Convene Tickets!

➡️ Learn more about BetterPitch

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


Timestamps

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:05:02) Gabe’s background and career on Wall St.

(00:08:33) Investment principles developed on Wall St. and in Real Estate

(00:15:29) Don’t fight the FED!

(00:25:58) Only play winnable games

(00:33:02) Making the jump from Wall St. to Real Estate

(00:36:44) Sourcing deals

(00:41:14) What a great deal looks like for Gabe

(00:51:02) Creating value on assets

(00:57:03) Finding a great 3rd party manager

(01:00:49) Unit renovations and turnover times

(01:04:14) Landlord horror stories

(01:12:29) How are you positioning your company for the next three years?

(01:21:51) Syndications and Funds

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5125 #284 - Kelcey Lehrich - Co-Founder of 365 Holdings - Buying Niche E-Comm Businesses in a Hold-Co Structure We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Kelcey Lehrich is the Co-Founder and CEO of 365 Holdings. 365 Is a vertically integrated owner and operator of consumer product brands focused on eCommerce. On this episode, Chris & Kelcey discuss: ➡️ How they look at investing in niche e-commerce businesses ➡️ Why they've chosen shared services hold-co structure ➡️ The current eCommerce market ➡️ Deep dive into two of their businesses (cloth diapers & good for preppers) Timestamps (00:04:14) Kelcey’s background and 365 Holdings (00:05:14) What does shared services mean? (00:06:39) Acquiring the first eCommerce business (00:07:09 How do you think about your role in the organization? (00:08:12) What’s happening in eCommerce right now? (00:09:44) What happened in your eyes when Apple and Facebook went at it in the Ad space? (00:10:43) What are the best ways to market online today? (00:11:44) What caused the end of the ‘Covid bump’? (00:12:41) What goes through your mind when you want to buy a business? (00:14:00) The business of cloth diapers and emergency food (00:21:41) What have you learned about structuring a deal? (00:22:57) Amazon: A Necessary Evil (00:25:37) What’s your goal for these 9 businesses? (00:26:56) What happens when you sell a business? (00:28:46) - Are the big 3 in eCommerce gaining more dominance? (00:31:06) AI in eCommerce (00:31:57) What type of HoldCo do you run and how would it differ from others? (00:37:10) Why do you have manufacturing here in the US? (00:39:42) How is the business capitalized? (00:41:17) HoldCo Conf (00:53:28) Twitter Additional Resources 👉 Kelcey on Twitter 👉 365 Holdings 👉 HoldCo Conf ➡️ Visit RE Cost Seg for a free proposal to see your potential tax savings ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 23 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 284 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Kelcey Lehrich is the Co-Founder and CEO of 365 Holdings. 365 Is a vertically integrated owner and operator of consumer product brands focused on eCommerce. On this episode, Chris & Kelcey discuss: ➡️ How they look at investing in niche e-commerce businesses ➡️ Why they've chosen shared services hold-co structure ➡️ The current eCommerce market ➡️ Deep dive into two of their businesses (cloth diapers & good for preppers) Timestamps (00:04:14) Kelcey’s background and 365 Holdings (00:05:14) What does shared services mean? (00:06:39) Acquiring the first eCommerce business (00:07:09 How do you think about your role in the organization? (00:08:12) What’s happening in eCommerce right now? (00:09:44) What happened in your eyes when Apple and Facebook went at it in the Ad space? (00:10:43) What are the best ways to market online today? (00:11:44) What caused the end of the ‘Covid bump’? (00:12:41) What goes through your mind when you want to buy a business? (00:14:00) The business of cloth diapers and emergency food (00:21:41) What have you learned about structuring a deal? (00:22:57) Amazon: A Necessary Evil (00:25:37) What’s your goal for these 9 businesses? (00:26:56) What happens when you sell a business? (00:28:46) - Are the big 3 in eCommerce gaining more dominance? (00:31:06) AI in eCommerce (00:31:57) What type of HoldCo do you run and how would it differ from others? (00:37:10) Why do you have manufacturing here in the US? (00:39:42) How is the business capitalized? (00:41:17) HoldCo Conf (00:53:28) Twitter Additional Resources 👉 Kelcey on Twitter 👉 365 Holdings 👉 HoldCo Conf ➡️ Visit RE Cost Seg for a free proposal to see your potential tax savings ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Kelcey Lehrich is the Co-Founder and CEO of 365 Holdings. 365 Is a vertically integrated owner and operator of consumer product brands focused on eCommerce.


On this episode, Chris & Kelcey discuss:

➡️ How they look at investing in niche e-commerce businesses

➡️ Why they've chosen shared services hold-co structure

➡️ The current eCommerce market

➡️ Deep dive into two of their businesses (cloth diapers & good for preppers)


Timestamps

(00:04:14) Kelcey’s background and 365 Holdings

(00:05:14) What does shared services mean?

(00:06:39) Acquiring the first eCommerce business

(00:07:09 How do you think about your role in the organization?

(00:08:12) What’s happening in eCommerce right now?

(00:09:44) What happened in your eyes when Apple and Facebook went at it in the Ad space?

(00:10:43) What are the best ways to market online today?

(00:11:44) What caused the end of the ‘Covid bump’?

(00:12:41) What goes through your mind when you want to buy a business?

(00:14:00) The business of cloth diapers and emergency food

(00:21:41) What have you learned about structuring a deal?

(00:22:57) Amazon: A Necessary Evil

(00:25:37) What’s your goal for these 9 businesses?

(00:26:56) What happens when you sell a business?

(00:28:46) - Are the big 3 in eCommerce gaining more dominance?

(00:31:06) AI in eCommerce

(00:31:57) What type of HoldCo do you run and how would it differ from others?

(00:37:10) Why do you have manufacturing here in the US?

(00:39:42) How is the business capitalized?

(00:41:17) HoldCo Conf

(00:53:28) Twitter


Additional Resources

👉 Kelcey on Twitter

👉 365 Holdings

👉 HoldCo Conf

➡️ Visit RE Cost Seg for a free proposal to see your potential tax savings

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3350 #283 - Levi Benkert - Founder & CEO of Harbor Capital - Building a Class B Industrial Empire in Texas We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Levi Benkert is a proven innovative business leader with 20 years of experience in strategic real estate-related business development. Levi founded Harbor Capital, a private equity firm focused on industrial real estate in Texas. Levi has leveraged his skills to identify unique opportunities, maximize growth, raise capital, and create a lasting vision for companies that he has founded and led. Levi has bought, managed, and developed over $450M in real estate properties in his career. On this episode, Chris & Levi discuss: ➡️ Lessons learned during the 2008/2009 Great Financial Crisis ➡️ Story of moving to Ethiopia to build an orphanage and several businesses ➡️ Why he chose to focus on Class B Industrial throughout Texas ➡️ How Harbor underwrites deals and structures their real deals ➡️ Discussion on current real estate market Learn more about The Fort Podcast by going to https://www.thefortpod.com/ Timestamps (00:04:44) Levi’s career in home building through the GFC (00:22:06) Building an orphanage & 4 different businesses in Ethiopia (00:33:40) Building Harbor Capital with a focus on Class B Industrial (00:36:06) Levi’s focus within Class B Industrial (00:46:21) Doing a deal in Katy, TX that ended up being next to the Tesla Factories (00:52:02) Insights on the Houston & San Antonio markets (00:56:07) “Buy, Refi, Die.” - Long-term holds (00:57:46) Harbor and Fort Capital’s future plans (01:06:36) Harbor’s organizational structure (01:09:30) Twitter Additional Resources 👉 Levi on Twitter 👉 Harbor Capital ➡️ Get $500 off your ticket to Re-Convene! ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square ➡️ Check out The Distribution by Juniper Square Podcast ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 18 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 283 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Levi Benkert is a proven innovative business leader with 20 years of experience in strategic real estate-related business development. Levi founded Harbor Capital, a private equity firm focused on industrial real estate in Texas. Levi has leveraged his skills to identify unique opportunities, maximize growth, raise capital, and create a lasting vision for companies that he has founded and led. Levi has bought, managed, and developed over $450M in real estate properties in his career. On this episode, Chris & Levi discuss: ➡️ Lessons learned during the 2008/2009 Great Financial Crisis ➡️ Story of moving to Ethiopia to build an orphanage and several businesses ➡️ Why he chose to focus on Class B Industrial throughout Texas ➡️ How Harbor underwrites deals and structures their real deals ➡️ Discussion on current real estate market Learn more about The Fort Podcast by going to https://www.thefortpod.com/ Timestamps (00:04:44) Levi’s career in home building through the GFC (00:22:06) Building an orphanage & 4 different businesses in Ethiopia (00:33:40) Building Harbor Capital with a focus on Class B Industrial (00:36:06) Levi’s focus within Class B Industrial (00:46:21) Doing a deal in Katy, TX that ended up being next to the Tesla Factories (00:52:02) Insights on the Houston & San Antonio markets (00:56:07) “Buy, Refi, Die.” - Long-term holds (00:57:46) Harbor and Fort Capital’s future plans (01:06:36) Harbor’s organizational structure (01:09:30) Twitter Additional Resources 👉 Levi on Twitter 👉 Harbor Capital ➡️ Get $500 off your ticket to Re-Convene! ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square ➡️ Check out The Distribution by Juniper Square Podcast ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Levi Benkert is a proven innovative business leader with 20 years of experience in strategic real estate-related business development. Levi founded Harbor Capital, a private equity firm focused on industrial real estate in Texas. Levi has leveraged his skills to identify unique opportunities, maximize growth, raise capital, and create a lasting vision for companies that he has founded and led. Levi has bought, managed, and developed over $450M in real estate properties in his career.

On this episode, Chris & Levi discuss:

➡️ Lessons learned during the 2008/2009 Great Financial Crisis

➡️ Story of moving to Ethiopia to build an orphanage and several businesses

➡️ Why he chose to focus on Class B Industrial throughout Texas

➡️ How Harbor underwrites deals and structures their real deals

➡️ Discussion on current real estate market


Learn more about The Fort Podcast by going to https://www.thefortpod.com/


Timestamps

(00:04:44) Levi’s career in home building through the GFC

(00:22:06) Building an orphanage & 4 different businesses in Ethiopia

(00:33:40) Building Harbor Capital with a focus on Class B Industrial

(00:36:06) Levi’s focus within Class B Industrial

(00:46:21) Doing a deal in Katy, TX that ended up being next to the Tesla Factories

(00:52:02) Insights on the Houston & San Antonio markets

(00:56:07) “Buy, Refi, Die.” - Long-term holds

(00:57:46) Harbor and Fort Capital’s future plans

(01:06:36) Harbor’s organizational structure

(01:09:30) Twitter


Additional Resources

👉 Levi on Twitter

👉 Harbor Capital

➡️ Get $500 off your ticket to Re-Convene!

➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square

➡️ Check out The Distribution by Juniper Square Podcast

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4422 #282 - Matt Doka - Co-Founder & CTO of Fivestars We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Matt began as a top consultant at McKinsey, where he witnessed the power of customer loyalty programs and immediately understood why large companies pay millions of dollars to create them. His vision for Fivestars was to make the power of a Fortune 500 customer loyalty program accessible to local businesses. Fivestars has gone from two guys in a garage to serving thousands of businesses across the country. In October 2021, Fivestars was acquired by global payments leader, SumUp. Matt has led technology at FiveStars since its founding, spearheaded their transformation into a payments company, and drives ongoing business development and payments strategy. Before Fivestars, he volunteered with TechnoServe in Uganda, was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, and an analyst at AVM, a 32-year-old global macro hedge fund. On this episode, Chris & Matt discuss: ➡️ Their process for deciding what startup idea to pursue & why they chose a loyalty program for small businesses ➡️ Lessons learned while building a startup ➡️ The challenge of finding product market fit, even if the business is growing like a rocket ship ➡️ How AI will impact businesses and consumers Timestamps (00:03:00) From El Paso to the Tech world (00:09:26) What does an entry-level person at McKinsey even do? (00:11:17) Did you have a filter for easy no’s while in consulting? (00:12:48) What’s an example prototype you were working on in Technology? (00:15:07) How did you transform your skillsets to become a CTO? (00:17:10) What did you get from Y Combinator and learn from Paul Graham? (00:19:46) What was the origin of Fivetars? (00:24:42) If you were building another company now is there a way to avoid the mistakes you made the first time? (00:26:09) Finding Product Market Fit (00:30:06) How do you avoid the trap of taking on too much overhead? (00:36:13) How were you able to take the credit card fee and turn it into more CRM users? (00:38:56) When did you begin to decide it was time to sell? (00:43:10) What was the transition like going from start-up culture to integrating into a larger organization? (00:47:32) How are you receiving the entrance of AI? (00:50:29) Will the job of the VC change with AI? (00:52:48) How Chris thinks AI will affect RE (00:58:49) How should we simplify all of these different AI languages available? (01:01:44) How is the American Customer right now? (01:05:18) What are you predicting for the Startup scene over the next five years? Additional Resources 👉 Fivestars 👉 Matt on LinkedIn 👉 Matt.Doka@Gmail.com ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 16 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 282 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Matt began as a top consultant at McKinsey, where he witnessed the power of customer loyalty programs and immediately understood why large companies pay millions of dollars to create them. His vision for Fivestars was to make the power of a Fortune 500 customer loyalty program accessible to local businesses. Fivestars has gone from two guys in a garage to serving thousands of businesses across the country. In October 2021, Fivestars was acquired by global payments leader, SumUp. Matt has led technology at FiveStars since its founding, spearheaded their transformation into a payments company, and drives ongoing business development and payments strategy. Before Fivestars, he volunteered with TechnoServe in Uganda, was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, and an analyst at AVM, a 32-year-old global macro hedge fund. On this episode, Chris & Matt discuss: ➡️ Their process for deciding what startup idea to pursue & why they chose a loyalty program for small businesses ➡️ Lessons learned while building a startup ➡️ The challenge of finding product market fit, even if the business is growing like a rocket ship ➡️ How AI will impact businesses and consumers Timestamps (00:03:00) From El Paso to the Tech world (00:09:26) What does an entry-level person at McKinsey even do? (00:11:17) Did you have a filter for easy no’s while in consulting? (00:12:48) What’s an example prototype you were working on in Technology? (00:15:07) How did you transform your skillsets to become a CTO? (00:17:10) What did you get from Y Combinator and learn from Paul Graham? (00:19:46) What was the origin of Fivetars? (00:24:42) If you were building another company now is there a way to avoid the mistakes you made the first time? (00:26:09) Finding Product Market Fit (00:30:06) How do you avoid the trap of taking on too much overhead? (00:36:13) How were you able to take the credit card fee and turn it into more CRM users? (00:38:56) When did you begin to decide it was time to sell? (00:43:10) What was the transition like going from start-up culture to integrating into a larger organization? (00:47:32) How are you receiving the entrance of AI? (00:50:29) Will the job of the VC change with AI? (00:52:48) How Chris thinks AI will affect RE (00:58:49) How should we simplify all of these different AI languages available? (01:01:44) How is the American Customer right now? (01:05:18) What are you predicting for the Startup scene over the next five years? Additional Resources 👉 Fivestars 👉 Matt on LinkedIn 👉 Matt.Doka@Gmail.com ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Matt began as a top consultant at McKinsey, where he witnessed the power of customer loyalty programs and immediately understood why large companies pay millions of dollars to create them. His vision for Fivestars was to make the power of a Fortune 500 customer loyalty program accessible to local businesses. Fivestars has gone from two guys in a garage to serving thousands of businesses across the country. In October 2021, Fivestars was acquired by global payments leader, SumUp.

Matt has led technology at FiveStars since its founding, spearheaded their transformation into a payments company, and drives ongoing business development and payments strategy. Before Fivestars, he volunteered with TechnoServe in Uganda, was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, and an analyst at AVM, a 32-year-old global macro hedge fund.


On this episode, Chris & Matt discuss:

➡️ Their process for deciding what startup idea to pursue & why they chose a loyalty program for small businesses

➡️ Lessons learned while building a startup

➡️ The challenge of finding product market fit, even if the business is growing like a rocket ship

➡️ How AI will impact businesses and consumers


Timestamps

(00:03:00) From El Paso to the Tech world

(00:09:26) What does an entry-level person at McKinsey even do?

(00:11:17) Did you have a filter for easy no’s while in consulting?

(00:12:48) What’s an example prototype you were working on in Technology?

(00:15:07) How did you transform your skillsets to become a CTO?

(00:17:10) What did you get from Y Combinator and learn from Paul Graham?

(00:19:46) What was the origin of Fivetars?

(00:24:42) If you were building another company now is there a way to avoid the mistakes you made the first time?

(00:26:09) Finding Product Market Fit

(00:30:06) How do you avoid the trap of taking on too much overhead?

(00:36:13) How were you able to take the credit card fee and turn it into more CRM users?

(00:38:56) When did you begin to decide it was time to sell?

(00:43:10) What was the transition like going from start-up culture to integrating into a larger organization?

(00:47:32) How are you receiving the entrance of AI?

(00:50:29) Will the job of the VC change with AI?

(00:52:48) How Chris thinks AI will affect RE

(00:58:49) How should we simplify all of these different AI languages available?

(01:01:44) How is the American Customer right now?

(01:05:18) What are you predicting for the Startup scene over the next five years?

Additional Resources

👉 Fivestars

👉 Matt on LinkedIn

👉 Matt.Doka@Gmail.com

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4123 #281 - Kyle Matthews - Founder of Matthews REIS - The Blueprint For Becoming a Successful Broker We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Kyle Matthews is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Matthews Real Estate Investment Services™ and has served in this role since the company’s founding in 2015. Matthews™ is the parent company of a diversified group of real estate service, investment, debt, leasing, and asset management firms. Through Kyle’s leadership, Matthews™ has become one of the country's largest commercial brokerage firms in both transaction volume and by a number of agents and employees. Prior to founding Matthews™, he led Matthews Retail Group, Inc. to become the number one real estate investment sales group at a publicly-traded, global real estate investment service company. Under his guidance, Matthews™ has experienced total revenue growth of 1,225% in the company’s first five years since its founding and has grown from 18 agents and employees to presently over 400. Furthermore, Kyle oversees the expansion of Matthews™ with the footprint having expanded from one office in El Segundo, CA, to over 14 offices nationwide. On this episode Chris & Kyle talk about: ➡️ His story of becoming a broker and eventually starting Matthews ➡️ The characteristics and work ethic of the best brokers ➡️ Why having fun is important in business ➡️ What's going on in the current real estate market Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:28) Kyle’s upbringing in an NFL family, playing football at USC, winning a national title (00:15:33) Lessons learned from playing for Pete Carroll (00:29:27) Kyle’s career in brokerage (00:38:40) Working through the GFC (00:55:24) Starting Matthews REIS (01:14:20) The Matthews Culture (01:29:09) How Matthews is scaling and implementing technology (01:45:25) Work-Life Balance (01:55:37) A Discussion on the RE Market Additional Resources 👉 Follow Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleMatthewsCRE 👉 Matthews REIS: https://www.matthews.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Better Pitch: https://www.betterpitch.com/ ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 09 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 281 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Kyle Matthews is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Matthews Real Estate Investment Services™ and has served in this role since the company’s founding in 2015. Matthews™ is the parent company of a diversified group of real estate service, investment, debt, leasing, and asset management firms. Through Kyle’s leadership, Matthews™ has become one of the country's largest commercial brokerage firms in both transaction volume and by a number of agents and employees. Prior to founding Matthews™, he led Matthews Retail Group, Inc. to become the number one real estate investment sales group at a publicly-traded, global real estate investment service company. Under his guidance, Matthews™ has experienced total revenue growth of 1,225% in the company’s first five years since its founding and has grown from 18 agents and employees to presently over 400. Furthermore, Kyle oversees the expansion of Matthews™ with the footprint having expanded from one office in El Segundo, CA, to over 14 offices nationwide. On this episode Chris & Kyle talk about: ➡️ His story of becoming a broker and eventually starting Matthews ➡️ The characteristics and work ethic of the best brokers ➡️ Why having fun is important in business ➡️ What's going on in the current real estate market Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:28) Kyle’s upbringing in an NFL family, playing football at USC, winning a national title (00:15:33) Lessons learned from playing for Pete Carroll (00:29:27) Kyle’s career in brokerage (00:38:40) Working through the GFC (00:55:24) Starting Matthews REIS (01:14:20) The Matthews Culture (01:29:09) How Matthews is scaling and implementing technology (01:45:25) Work-Life Balance (01:55:37) A Discussion on the RE Market Additional Resources 👉 Follow Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleMatthewsCRE 👉 Matthews REIS: https://www.matthews.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Better Pitch: https://www.betterpitch.com/ ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Kyle Matthews is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Matthews Real Estate Investment Services™ and has served in this role since the company’s founding in 2015. Matthews™ is the parent company of a diversified group of real estate service, investment, debt, leasing, and asset management firms. Through Kyle’s leadership, Matthews™ has become one of the country's largest commercial brokerage firms in both transaction volume and by a number of agents and employees. Prior to founding Matthews™, he led Matthews Retail Group, Inc. to become the number one real estate investment sales group at a publicly-traded, global real estate investment service company. Under his guidance, Matthews™ has experienced total revenue growth of 1,225% in the company’s first five years since its founding and has grown from 18 agents and employees to presently over 400. Furthermore, Kyle oversees the expansion of Matthews™ with the footprint having expanded from one office in El Segundo, CA, to over 14 offices nationwide.


On this episode Chris & Kyle talk about:

➡️ His story of becoming a broker and eventually starting Matthews

➡️ The characteristics and work ethic of the best brokers

➡️ Why having fun is important in business

➡️ What's going on in the current real estate market

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:04:28) Kyle’s upbringing in an NFL family, playing football at USC, winning a national title

(00:15:33) Lessons learned from playing for Pete Carroll

(00:29:27) Kyle’s career in brokerage

(00:38:40) Working through the GFC

(00:55:24) Starting Matthews REIS

(01:14:20) The Matthews Culture

(01:29:09) How Matthews is scaling and implementing technology

(01:45:25) Work-Life Balance

(01:55:37) A Discussion on the RE Market


Additional Resources

👉 Follow Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleMatthewsCRE

👉 Matthews REIS: https://www.matthews.com/

➡️ Learn more about Better Pitch: https://www.betterpitch.com/

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 7515 #280 - Robert Bryce - Power Hungry, Energy, Politics, Nuclear, and Fossil Fuels  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Robert Bryce is an author, podcaster, and film producer. He is the acclaimed author of six books on energy and innovation, including most recently, A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations. Bryce has given more than 400 invited or keynote lectures to groups ranging from the Marines Corps War College to the Sydney Institute as well as to a wide variety of associations, universities, and corporations. He is the host of the Power Hungry Podcast and the co-producer of the feature-length documentary: Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, which is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services. On this episode Chris & Robert discuss: ➡️ Russia and China's influence on global energy ➡️ Europe headed toward de-industrialization? ➡️ Climate becoming a religion based on hopes rather than facts ➡️ Nuclear is on the rise ➡️ Climate NGOs - do as I say, not as I do. Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:54:) We need Energy to live (00:04:00) What’s driving the chaos and uncertainty in the world? (00:06:35) How would we compare Japan to America in regard to energy policy? (00:09:55) Are we going to see more global coal plants being built in the near term? (00:14:50) What is Russia’s role in global energy? (00:19:15) Does America buy natural resources from Russia? (00:20:09) How dependent is Europe on Russia’s resources? (00:21:33) What is the relationship between Russia and China? (00:22:19) Does the Russia/Ukraine conflict end anytime soon? (00:26:25) Is Nuclear gaining popularity? (00:31:36) Why wouldn’t the US subsidize Nuclear energy? (00:33:37) What is a Climate NGO? (00:34:43) Why would billionaires be anti-energy? (00:36:45) Are Carbon Credits a sham? (00:39:10) How is China emerging as a global energy leader? (00:42:02) The USA’s affect on Climate (00:47:18) Control over energy & population (00:50:25) How hydrocarbon cuts cause starvation (00:54:45) Politics: The Disgusted Party (00:58:48) Is there any indication the pendulum is swinging toward pro-energy? (01:01:38) What can America do better? Additional Resources 👉 Robert's Substack 👉 Robert's Podcast: Power Hungry 👉 Robert's Books on Amazon 👉 Robert's website ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 04 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 280 Chris Powers  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Robert Bryce is an author, podcaster, and film producer. He is the acclaimed author of six books on energy and innovation, including most recently, A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations. Bryce has given more than 400 invited or keynote lectures to groups ranging from the Marines Corps War College to the Sydney Institute as well as to a wide variety of associations, universities, and corporations. He is the host of the Power Hungry Podcast and the co-producer of the feature-length documentary: Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, which is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services. On this episode Chris & Robert discuss: ➡️ Russia and China's influence on global energy ➡️ Europe headed toward de-industrialization? ➡️ Climate becoming a religion based on hopes rather than facts ➡️ Nuclear is on the rise ➡️ Climate NGOs - do as I say, not as I do. Topics: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:54:) We need Energy to live (00:04:00) What’s driving the chaos and uncertainty in the world? (00:06:35) How would we compare Japan to America in regard to energy policy? (00:09:55) Are we going to see more global coal plants being built in the near term? (00:14:50) What is Russia’s role in global energy? (00:19:15) Does America buy natural resources from Russia? (00:20:09) How dependent is Europe on Russia’s resources? (00:21:33) What is the relationship between Russia and China? (00:22:19) Does the Russia/Ukraine conflict end anytime soon? (00:26:25) Is Nuclear gaining popularity? (00:31:36) Why wouldn’t the US subsidize Nuclear energy? (00:33:37) What is a Climate NGO? (00:34:43) Why would billionaires be anti-energy? (00:36:45) Are Carbon Credits a sham? (00:39:10) How is China emerging as a global energy leader? (00:42:02) The USA’s affect on Climate (00:47:18) Control over energy & population (00:50:25) How hydrocarbon cuts cause starvation (00:54:45) Politics: The Disgusted Party (00:58:48) Is there any indication the pendulum is swinging toward pro-energy? (01:01:38) What can America do better? Additional Resources 👉 Robert's Substack 👉 Robert's Podcast: Power Hungry 👉 Robert's Books on Amazon 👉 Robert's website ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Robert Bryce is an author, podcaster, and film producer. He is the acclaimed author of six books on energy and innovation, including most recently, A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations. Bryce has given more than 400 invited or keynote lectures to groups ranging from the Marines Corps War College to the Sydney Institute as well as to a wide variety of associations, universities, and corporations. He is the host of the Power Hungry Podcast and the co-producer of the feature-length documentary: Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, which is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services.


On this episode Chris & Robert discuss:


➡️ Russia and China's influence on global energy

➡️ Europe headed toward de-industrialization?

➡️ Climate becoming a religion based on hopes rather than facts

➡️ Nuclear is on the rise

➡️ Climate NGOs - do as I say, not as I do.


Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:54:) We need Energy to live

(00:04:00) What’s driving the chaos and uncertainty in the world?

(00:06:35) How would we compare Japan to America in regard to energy policy?

(00:09:55) Are we going to see more global coal plants being built in the near term?

(00:14:50) What is Russia’s role in global energy?

(00:19:15) Does America buy natural resources from Russia?

(00:20:09) How dependent is Europe on Russia’s resources?

(00:21:33) What is the relationship between Russia and China?

(00:22:19) Does the Russia/Ukraine conflict end anytime soon?

(00:26:25) Is Nuclear gaining popularity?

(00:31:36) Why wouldn’t the US subsidize Nuclear energy?

(00:33:37) What is a Climate NGO?

(00:34:43) Why would billionaires be anti-energy?

(00:36:45) Are Carbon Credits a sham?

(00:39:10) How is China emerging as a global energy leader?

(00:42:02) The USA’s affect on Climate

(00:47:18) Control over energy & population

(00:50:25) How hydrocarbon cuts cause starvation

(00:54:45) Politics: The Disgusted Party

(00:58:48) Is there any indication the pendulum is swinging toward pro-energy?

(01:01:38) What can America do better?


Additional Resources

👉 Robert's Substack

👉 Robert's Podcast: Power Hungry

👉 Robert's Books on Amazon

👉 Robert's website


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3933 #279 - John Andrew Entwistle - Founder & CEO of Wander - Vertically Integrating The STR Industry  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey John Andrew is a Thiel Fellow, recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 award and he was recently named to Business Insider’s Rising Stars of Real Estate. He started his first internet company at age 13, and at age 17 he co-founded Coder.com (“Coder”) - a platform that moves the development environment (where software engineers write code) to an organization’s cloud infrastructure. Coder is backed by Redpoint, GGV, Founders Fund, and Bessemer, with large enterprise customers such as Goldman Sachs and Palantir. After co-founding and running Coder as CEO for six years, he stepped down in 2021 and began his next venture, Wander.com which enjoys the support of QED Investments and Redpoint among others. On this episode, Chris & John discuss: ➡️ Starting his first business at 13 and eventually becoming a Thiel Fellow ➡️ How Wander works and what they're looking to accomplish going forward ➡️ Wander's STR REIT and how the capital markets work in STR ➡️ What travel and hospitality will look like in 10 years Chapters (00:02:40) - John’s upbringing and early career (00:07:02) - The impact John’s father had on him (00:10:56) - The experience of being a Thiel Fellow (00:15:22) - John’s skillset as a Founder (00:19:36) - Wander (00:27:41) - Are you able to capitalize this with Debt? (00:30:05) - What is a great yield on a well-performing STR? (00:30:31) - What makes a great home for Wander? (00:34:28) - How are your homes outfitted to make them stand out? (00:37:52) - How do you work with vendors? (00:40:31) - What are some member benefits? (00:43:48) - What needs to die off in this industry? (00:47:19) - What does the typical customer look like? (00:49:44) - Is there room in your market for hotel-sized homes? (00:51:56) - Do you ever worry about zoning or STR regulations? (00:55:32) - Is there concentration risk? (00:57:39) - How would one value a business like Wander? (01:02:04) - Where will you be in 5 years? (01:07:24) - Where is your favorite Wander? Additional Resources 👉 Follow John on Twitter 👉 Wander 👉 Thiel Fellowship 👉 Bandon Beach, OR ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 02 May 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 279 Chris Powers  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey John Andrew is a Thiel Fellow, recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 award and he was recently named to Business Insider’s Rising Stars of Real Estate. He started his first internet company at age 13, and at age 17 he co-founded Coder.com (“Coder”) - a platform that moves the development environment (where software engineers write code) to an organization’s cloud infrastructure. Coder is backed by Redpoint, GGV, Founders Fund, and Bessemer, with large enterprise customers such as Goldman Sachs and Palantir. After co-founding and running Coder as CEO for six years, he stepped down in 2021 and began his next venture, Wander.com which enjoys the support of QED Investments and Redpoint among others. On this episode, Chris & John discuss: ➡️ Starting his first business at 13 and eventually becoming a Thiel Fellow ➡️ How Wander works and what they're looking to accomplish going forward ➡️ Wander's STR REIT and how the capital markets work in STR ➡️ What travel and hospitality will look like in 10 years Chapters (00:02:40) - John’s upbringing and early career (00:07:02) - The impact John’s father had on him (00:10:56) - The experience of being a Thiel Fellow (00:15:22) - John’s skillset as a Founder (00:19:36) - Wander (00:27:41) - Are you able to capitalize this with Debt? (00:30:05) - What is a great yield on a well-performing STR? (00:30:31) - What makes a great home for Wander? (00:34:28) - How are your homes outfitted to make them stand out? (00:37:52) - How do you work with vendors? (00:40:31) - What are some member benefits? (00:43:48) - What needs to die off in this industry? (00:47:19) - What does the typical customer look like? (00:49:44) - Is there room in your market for hotel-sized homes? (00:51:56) - Do you ever worry about zoning or STR regulations? (00:55:32) - Is there concentration risk? (00:57:39) - How would one value a business like Wander? (01:02:04) - Where will you be in 5 years? (01:07:24) - Where is your favorite Wander? Additional Resources 👉 Follow John on Twitter 👉 Wander 👉 Thiel Fellowship 👉 Bandon Beach, OR ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


John Andrew is a Thiel Fellow, recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 award and he was recently named to Business Insider’s Rising Stars of Real Estate. He started his first internet company at age 13, and at age 17 he co-founded Coder.com (“Coder”) - a platform that moves the development environment (where software engineers write code) to an organization’s cloud infrastructure. Coder is backed by Redpoint, GGV, Founders Fund, and Bessemer, with large enterprise customers such as Goldman Sachs and Palantir. After co-founding and running Coder as CEO for six years, he stepped down in 2021 and began his next venture, Wander.com which enjoys the support of QED Investments and Redpoint among others.


On this episode, Chris & John discuss:

➡️ Starting his first business at 13 and eventually becoming a Thiel Fellow

➡️ How Wander works and what they're looking to accomplish going forward

➡️ Wander's STR REIT and how the capital markets work in STR

➡️ What travel and hospitality will look like in 10 years


Chapters

(00:02:40) - John’s upbringing and early career

(00:07:02) - The impact John’s father had on him

(00:10:56) - The experience of being a Thiel Fellow

(00:15:22) - John’s skillset as a Founder

(00:19:36) - Wander

(00:27:41) - Are you able to capitalize this with Debt?

(00:30:05) - What is a great yield on a well-performing STR?

(00:30:31) - What makes a great home for Wander?

(00:34:28) - How are your homes outfitted to make them stand out?

(00:37:52) - How do you work with vendors?

(00:40:31) - What are some member benefits?

(00:43:48) - What needs to die off in this industry?

(00:47:19) - What does the typical customer look like?

(00:49:44) - Is there room in your market for hotel-sized homes?

(00:51:56) - Do you ever worry about zoning or STR regulations?

(00:55:32) - Is there concentration risk?

(00:57:39) - How would one value a business like Wander?

(01:02:04) - Where will you be in 5 years?

(01:07:24) - Where is your favorite Wander?


Additional Resources

👉 Follow John on Twitter

👉 Wander

👉 Thiel Fellowship

👉 Bandon Beach, OR

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4263 #278 - Moses Kagan & Rhett Bennett - Co-Founders of ReSeed Partners - Building the Y-Combinator for Real Estate Operators  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Moses Kagan is co-founder and partner at Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and property management company with $200MM in AUM and more than 1,000 apartments under management. He is also a co-founder of Re-convene, a real estate private equity un-conference, and ReSeed, which provides mentorship and capital to early-career operators. Rhett leads ReSeed's strategic direction and daily operations. He most recently served as Co-Managing Partner at Minot Capital, LP, where he led real estate investing. Previously, Rhett was President and Director of Research at Stillwater, a long-short hedge fund, and Chief Investment Officer at Arlington Family Offices. Rhett received a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University with a double major in Business Economics and History. On this episode, Chris, Moses and Rhett discuss: ➡️ How ReSeed works ➡️ What ReSeed is looking for in Partners ➡️ How ReSeed empowers Operators to build their own companies ➡️ What success looks like for Operators working with ReSeed ➡️ Thoughts on the state of the Real Estate Market Chapters (00:03:31) - Rhett’s career (00:04:26) - Moses’ evolution in thinking over the past 5 year (00:06:40) - Launching ReSeed Partners (00:19:05) - Defining Subinstitutional (00:20:58) - Cohort #1 (00:34:18) - The ReSeed Partner Track (00:39:35) - Is this a renovation strategy or is there any ground-up involved? (00:40:22) - What does a partnership with y’all look like in the first year? (00:43:58) - What markets are you open to? (0048:28) - How would you determine a successful year for an operator? (00:53:44) - How does the partnership work? What does someone get from y’all and what do they give up? (01:00:20) - Do partners have the opportunity to exit? (01:01:45) - Holding assets for the long term (01:04:40) - Autonomy for the operator (01:07:18) - Is there anything that is off-limits? (01:08:41) - Moses’ playbook (01:11:16) - How are you capitalizing this? (01:17:15) - How many people can be in one market before it's saturated? (01:17:57) - Other members of ReSeed (01:19:04) - Guaranteeing loans (01:22:11) - What are the couple of things people spend the majority of their time on? (01:25:39) - Is there a minimum size deal? (01:27:06) - What can this business look like 10 years from now? (01:29:06) - Thoughts on the current market Additional Resources 👉 ReSeed Partners 👉 Moses on Twitter 👉 Rhett on LinkedIn ➡️ Learn more about BetterPitch ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 25 Apr 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 278 Chris Powers  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Moses Kagan is co-founder and partner at Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and property management company with $200MM in AUM and more than 1,000 apartments under management. He is also a co-founder of Re-convene, a real estate private equity un-conference, and ReSeed, which provides mentorship and capital to early-career operators. Rhett leads ReSeed's strategic direction and daily operations. He most recently served as Co-Managing Partner at Minot Capital, LP, where he led real estate investing. Previously, Rhett was President and Director of Research at Stillwater, a long-short hedge fund, and Chief Investment Officer at Arlington Family Offices. Rhett received a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University with a double major in Business Economics and History. On this episode, Chris, Moses and Rhett discuss: ➡️ How ReSeed works ➡️ What ReSeed is looking for in Partners ➡️ How ReSeed empowers Operators to build their own companies ➡️ What success looks like for Operators working with ReSeed ➡️ Thoughts on the state of the Real Estate Market Chapters (00:03:31) - Rhett’s career (00:04:26) - Moses’ evolution in thinking over the past 5 year (00:06:40) - Launching ReSeed Partners (00:19:05) - Defining Subinstitutional (00:20:58) - Cohort #1 (00:34:18) - The ReSeed Partner Track (00:39:35) - Is this a renovation strategy or is there any ground-up involved? (00:40:22) - What does a partnership with y’all look like in the first year? (00:43:58) - What markets are you open to? (0048:28) - How would you determine a successful year for an operator? (00:53:44) - How does the partnership work? What does someone get from y’all and what do they give up? (01:00:20) - Do partners have the opportunity to exit? (01:01:45) - Holding assets for the long term (01:04:40) - Autonomy for the operator (01:07:18) - Is there anything that is off-limits? (01:08:41) - Moses’ playbook (01:11:16) - How are you capitalizing this? (01:17:15) - How many people can be in one market before it's saturated? (01:17:57) - Other members of ReSeed (01:19:04) - Guaranteeing loans (01:22:11) - What are the couple of things people spend the majority of their time on? (01:25:39) - Is there a minimum size deal? (01:27:06) - What can this business look like 10 years from now? (01:29:06) - Thoughts on the current market Additional Resources 👉 ReSeed Partners 👉 Moses on Twitter 👉 Rhett on LinkedIn ➡️ Learn more about BetterPitch ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey



Moses Kagan is co-founder and partner at Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and property management company with $200MM in AUM and more than 1,000 apartments under management. He is also a co-founder of Re-convene, a real estate private equity un-conference, and ReSeed, which provides mentorship and capital to early-career operators.

Rhett leads ReSeed's strategic direction and daily operations. He most recently served as Co-Managing Partner at Minot Capital, LP, where he led real estate investing. Previously, Rhett was President and Director of Research at Stillwater, a long-short hedge fund, and Chief Investment Officer at Arlington Family Offices. Rhett received a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University with a double major in Business Economics and History.


On this episode, Chris, Moses and Rhett discuss:

➡️ How ReSeed works

➡️ What ReSeed is looking for in Partners

➡️ How ReSeed empowers Operators to build their own companies

➡️ What success looks like for Operators working with ReSeed

➡️ Thoughts on the state of the Real Estate Market


Chapters

(00:03:31) - Rhett’s career

(00:04:26) - Moses’ evolution in thinking over the past 5 year

(00:06:40) - Launching ReSeed Partners

(00:19:05) - Defining Subinstitutional

(00:20:58) - Cohort #1

(00:34:18) - The ReSeed Partner Track

(00:39:35) - Is this a renovation strategy or is there any ground-up involved?

(00:40:22) - What does a partnership with y’all look like in the first year?

(00:43:58) - What markets are you open to?

(0048:28) - How would you determine a successful year for an operator?

(00:53:44) - How does the partnership work? What does someone get from y’all and what do they give up?

(01:00:20) - Do partners have the opportunity to exit?

(01:01:45) - Holding assets for the long term

(01:04:40) - Autonomy for the operator

(01:07:18) - Is there anything that is off-limits?

(01:08:41) - Moses’ playbook

(01:11:16) - How are you capitalizing this?

(01:17:15) - How many people can be in one market before it's saturated?

(01:17:57) - Other members of ReSeed

(01:19:04) - Guaranteeing loans

(01:22:11) - What are the couple of things people spend the majority of their time on?

(01:25:39) - Is there a minimum size deal?

(01:27:06) - What can this business look like 10 years from now?

(01:29:06) - Thoughts on the current market


Additional Resources

👉 ReSeed Partners

👉 Moses on Twitter

👉 Rhett on LinkedIn


➡️ Learn more about BetterPitch

➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6203 #277 - Liberty RPF - Exploration As a Service, Creator Value, Constellation Software, AI/ChatGPT  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Liberty writes about business & investing, science & technology, and the arts. He allows others to leverage his curiosity by sharing the most interesting things that he finds and thinks about in his newsletter and podcast, Liberty’s Highlights. It’s a Serendipity Engine to add some exploration in your life. On this episode, Chris & Liberty discuss: ➡️ His process for discovering the best things on the internet and writing about the to 16,000+ readers ➡️ Why he'd put 100% of his net worth into Constellation Software ➡️ The impacts of ChatGPT & AI ➡️ The value of being a creator and a discussion about Founders Podcast Chapters: (00:03:48) - Coming up with the Liberty RPF name (00:05:07) - How would you describe ‘Exploration as a Service’? (00:07:46) - What have you learned from writing 400+ Newsletters? (00:10:40) - How do you know if you’ve done your best work? (00:11:53) - If you had to invest 100% of your net worth in one company, which would it be? (00:22:44) - How would you value Founders Podcast? (00:27:57) - Is there any pattern you’ve seen that makes a company explode in growth? (00:30:21) - The changing business model of spokespeople having equity or owning the brands they promote (00:36:23) - Is legacy media dead? (00:45:03 - ChatGPT vs. Authenticity (00:50:19) - The hyper growth of AI companies (00:56:38) - The power of the Sauna  (01:02:08) - How can people find you online? Additional Resources 👉 Subscribe to Liberty RPF: https://twitter.com/LibertyRPF 👉 Follow Liberty RPF on Twitter: https://www.libertyrpf.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://bit.ly/XealEnergy ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 20 Apr 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 277 Chris Powers  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Liberty writes about business & investing, science & technology, and the arts. He allows others to leverage his curiosity by sharing the most interesting things that he finds and thinks about in his newsletter and podcast, Liberty’s Highlights. It’s a Serendipity Engine to add some exploration in your life. On this episode, Chris & Liberty discuss: ➡️ His process for discovering the best things on the internet and writing about the to 16,000+ readers ➡️ Why he'd put 100% of his net worth into Constellation Software ➡️ The impacts of ChatGPT & AI ➡️ The value of being a creator and a discussion about Founders Podcast Chapters: (00:03:48) - Coming up with the Liberty RPF name (00:05:07) - How would you describe ‘Exploration as a Service’? (00:07:46) - What have you learned from writing 400+ Newsletters? (00:10:40) - How do you know if you’ve done your best work? (00:11:53) - If you had to invest 100% of your net worth in one company, which would it be? (00:22:44) - How would you value Founders Podcast? (00:27:57) - Is there any pattern you’ve seen that makes a company explode in growth? (00:30:21) - The changing business model of spokespeople having equity or owning the brands they promote (00:36:23) - Is legacy media dead? (00:45:03 - ChatGPT vs. Authenticity (00:50:19) - The hyper growth of AI companies (00:56:38) - The power of the Sauna  (01:02:08) - How can people find you online? Additional Resources 👉 Subscribe to Liberty RPF: https://twitter.com/LibertyRPF 👉 Follow Liberty RPF on Twitter: https://www.libertyrpf.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://bit.ly/XealEnergy ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Liberty writes about business & investing, science & technology, and the arts. He allows others to leverage his curiosity by sharing the most interesting things that he finds and thinks about in his newsletter and podcast, Liberty’s Highlights. It’s a Serendipity Engine to add some exploration in your life.


On this episode, Chris & Liberty discuss:

➡️ His process for discovering the best things on the internet and writing about the to 16,000+ readers

➡️ Why he'd put 100% of his net worth into Constellation Software

➡️ The impacts of ChatGPT & AI

➡️ The value of being a creator and a discussion about Founders Podcast


Chapters:

(00:03:48) - Coming up with the Liberty RPF name

(00:05:07) - How would you describe ‘Exploration as a Service’?

(00:07:46) - What have you learned from writing 400+ Newsletters?

(00:10:40) - How do you know if you’ve done your best work?

(00:11:53) - If you had to invest 100% of your net worth in one company, which would it be?

(00:22:44) - How would you value Founders Podcast?

(00:27:57) - Is there any pattern you’ve seen that makes a company explode in growth?

(00:30:21) - The changing business model of spokespeople having equity or owning the brands they promote

(00:36:23) - Is legacy media dead?

(00:45:03 - ChatGPT vs. Authenticity

(00:50:19) - The hyper growth of AI companies

(00:56:38) - The power of the Sauna 

(01:02:08) - How can people find you online?


Additional Resources


👉 Subscribe to Liberty RPF: https://twitter.com/LibertyRPF

👉 Follow Liberty RPF on Twitter: https://www.libertyrpf.com/


➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://bit.ly/XealEnergy


➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3825 #276 - Jake Wurzak - Founder & CEO of DoveHill Capital Management & President of Wurzak Hotel Group - Building a Hotel Empire  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Jake Wurzak is the Founder and CEO of DoveHill Capital Management, LLC. Jake also serves as the President of Wurzak Hotel Group. Since founding DoveHill in 2011, he has led the investment in over $1.5B of hospitality projects across the United States. Jake aims to differentiate DoveHill by focusing on distinct hospitality assets that create a sense of place and impactful experiences. Jake holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University and earned a BBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Miami. Jake sits on the board of the Broward Center for Performing Arts and the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum. In addition, Jake is a member of the Young Presidents Organization Gateway chapter. Jake is passionate about traveling with his family and one of his favorite destinations is Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. He is an avid skier and once hiked up the Highlands Bowl four times in one day! On this episode, Chris & Jake discuss: ➡️ How he creates an exceptional hospitality experience ➡️ How they underwrite hotel investment opportunities ➡️ Partnering and learning from Barry Sternlicht ➡️ How they add value to different types of hotels Chapters: (00:03:47) - How do you experience hotels? (00:06:00) - What is hospitality? (00:09:03) - Why and how did you get into this business? (00:10:31) - Jake’s companies (00:12:22) - How did Covid affect Hospitality? (00:18:48) - How has the industry changed post-pandemic? (00:20:54) - How did you approach hotel conversions? (00:22:28) - How do branded hotels differentiate from each other? (00:23:58) - What does good operating look like in a branded hotel? (00:25:50) - How are daily rates set & What are the major KPIs? (00:33:25) - AirBnb vs. Hotels (00:36:01) - How do you define Lifestyle? (00:37:07) - Who are great people or companies that are creating amazing lifestyle experiences? (00:39:48) - Are there any emerging brands that will overtake the top luxury hotels like 4 Seasons and St. Regis? (00:41:38) - How would a hotel development come together? (00:45:04) -What are you looking for in a hotel when you want to buy? (00:48:07) - What’s a soft brand? (00:49:05) - Do you need to have experience to partner with a Hilton or Marriott? (00:50:00) - What does upgrading management look like? (00:55:20) - What feedback do you see most often from guests? (00:58:33) - Partnering with Barry Sternlicht (01:04:36) - Experiences at the One in Miami (01:08:42) - How do you approach the Food & Beverage side of your properties? (01:10:16) - What’s the greatest hotel in the world? (01:14:02) - How do you view hotels as an investable asset over the next 5 years? (01:17:05) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make hotels more profitable? Additional Resources: 👉 Follow Jake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWurzak 👉 Jake's Podcast - Masters of Moments: https://mastersofmoments.com/ 👉 Dovehill Capital Management: https://www.dovehillcos.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://bit.ly/XealEnergy ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 18 Apr 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 1 276 Chris Powers  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Jake Wurzak is the Founder and CEO of DoveHill Capital Management, LLC. Jake also serves as the President of Wurzak Hotel Group. Since founding DoveHill in 2011, he has led the investment in over $1.5B of hospitality projects across the United States. Jake aims to differentiate DoveHill by focusing on distinct hospitality assets that create a sense of place and impactful experiences. Jake holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University and earned a BBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Miami. Jake sits on the board of the Broward Center for Performing Arts and the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum. In addition, Jake is a member of the Young Presidents Organization Gateway chapter. Jake is passionate about traveling with his family and one of his favorite destinations is Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. He is an avid skier and once hiked up the Highlands Bowl four times in one day! On this episode, Chris & Jake discuss: ➡️ How he creates an exceptional hospitality experience ➡️ How they underwrite hotel investment opportunities ➡️ Partnering and learning from Barry Sternlicht ➡️ How they add value to different types of hotels Chapters: (00:03:47) - How do you experience hotels? (00:06:00) - What is hospitality? (00:09:03) - Why and how did you get into this business? (00:10:31) - Jake’s companies (00:12:22) - How did Covid affect Hospitality? (00:18:48) - How has the industry changed post-pandemic? (00:20:54) - How did you approach hotel conversions? (00:22:28) - How do branded hotels differentiate from each other? (00:23:58) - What does good operating look like in a branded hotel? (00:25:50) - How are daily rates set & What are the major KPIs? (00:33:25) - AirBnb vs. Hotels (00:36:01) - How do you define Lifestyle? (00:37:07) - Who are great people or companies that are creating amazing lifestyle experiences? (00:39:48) - Are there any emerging brands that will overtake the top luxury hotels like 4 Seasons and St. Regis? (00:41:38) - How would a hotel development come together? (00:45:04) -What are you looking for in a hotel when you want to buy? (00:48:07) - What’s a soft brand? (00:49:05) - Do you need to have experience to partner with a Hilton or Marriott? (00:50:00) - What does upgrading management look like? (00:55:20) - What feedback do you see most often from guests? (00:58:33) - Partnering with Barry Sternlicht (01:04:36) - Experiences at the One in Miami (01:08:42) - How do you approach the Food & Beverage side of your properties? (01:10:16) - What’s the greatest hotel in the world? (01:14:02) - How do you view hotels as an investable asset over the next 5 years? (01:17:05) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make hotels more profitable? Additional Resources: 👉 Follow Jake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWurzak 👉 Jake's Podcast - Masters of Moments: https://mastersofmoments.com/ 👉 Dovehill Capital Management: https://www.dovehillcos.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://bit.ly/XealEnergy ➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Jake Wurzak is the Founder and CEO of DoveHill Capital Management, LLC. Jake also serves as the President of Wurzak Hotel Group. Since founding DoveHill in 2011, he has led the investment in over $1.5B of hospitality projects across the United States. Jake aims to differentiate DoveHill by focusing on distinct hospitality assets that create a sense of place and impactful experiences.

Jake holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University and earned a BBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Miami. Jake sits on the board of the Broward Center for Performing Arts and the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum. In addition, Jake is a member of the Young Presidents Organization Gateway chapter.

Jake is passionate about traveling with his family and one of his favorite destinations is Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. He is an avid skier and once hiked up the Highlands Bowl four times in one day!


On this episode, Chris & Jake discuss:

➡️ How he creates an exceptional hospitality experience

➡️ How they underwrite hotel investment opportunities

➡️ Partnering and learning from Barry Sternlicht

➡️ How they add value to different types of hotels


Chapters:

(00:03:47) - How do you experience hotels?

(00:06:00) - What is hospitality?

(00:09:03) - Why and how did you get into this business?

(00:10:31) - Jake’s companies

(00:12:22) - How did Covid affect Hospitality?

(00:18:48) - How has the industry changed post-pandemic?

(00:20:54) - How did you approach hotel conversions?

(00:22:28) - How do branded hotels differentiate from each other?

(00:23:58) - What does good operating look like in a branded hotel?

(00:25:50) - How are daily rates set & What are the major KPIs?

(00:33:25) - AirBnb vs. Hotels

(00:36:01) - How do you define Lifestyle?

(00:37:07) - Who are great people or companies that are creating amazing lifestyle experiences?

(00:39:48) - Are there any emerging brands that will overtake the top luxury hotels like 4 Seasons and St. Regis?

(00:41:38) - How would a hotel development come together?

(00:45:04) -What are you looking for in a hotel when you want to buy?

(00:48:07) - What’s a soft brand?

(00:49:05) - Do you need to have experience to partner with a Hilton or Marriott?

(00:50:00) - What does upgrading management look like?

(00:55:20) - What feedback do you see most often from guests?

(00:58:33) - Partnering with Barry Sternlicht

(01:04:36) - Experiences at the One in Miami

(01:08:42) - How do you approach the Food & Beverage side of your properties?

(01:10:16) - What’s the greatest hotel in the world?

(01:14:02) - How do you view hotels as an investable asset over the next 5 years?

(01:17:05) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make hotels more profitable?


Additional Resources:

👉 Follow Jake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWurzak

👉 Jake's Podcast - Masters of Moments: https://mastersofmoments.com/

👉 Dovehill Capital Management: https://www.dovehillcos.com/


➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://bit.ly/XealEnergy

➡️ Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4789 #275 - Andy Dunn - Co-Founder of Bonobos - Building an Apparel Co, Future of EComm, and Bipolar Disorder https://www.TheFortPod.com  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Andy Dunn co-founded the menswear brand Bonobos and served as CEO until its 2017 acquisition by Walmart. As an investor, he has backed more than eighty startups, including Warby Parker, Coinbase, Away, Glossier, Real, Parade, SeatGeek, and Alula.  In May, Dunn will release a memoir, titled Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, which explores the intersection of entrepreneurship and mental illness.  Dunn’s next business venture, called Pumpkin Pie, is a social media app currently in beta that aims to detoxify digital culture.   Dunn, a graduate of Northwestern and Stanford's MBA program, also serves on the boards of Monica + Andy, an organic baby apparel company founded by his sister Monica Royer, tech social good nonprofit Raised By Us, and the Network for Executive Women. On this episode Chris & Andy discuss: ➡️ How he's dealt with bipolar disorder and why its something common in entrepreneurs ➡️ Why apparel companies succeed and why they fail ➡️ Selling to Walmart ➡️ The future of e-commerce and brick & mortar Key Takeaways (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:03) - Andy’s experience dealing with mental illness and depression (00:12:18) - What is it about someone with mental illness that would make them a great entrepreneur? (00:19:19) - Elon, autism, and narcissism (00:21:42) - Are these illnesses genetic or nurtured? (00:24:04) - How is mental illness looked upon now vs. when you were diagnosed? (00:28:44) - Andy’s experience working for Mark Lore (Of Walmart??) (00:37:53) - Why did your apparel company succeed and why do so many fail? (00:44:25) - Were people buying the Bonobos brand or a high-quality garment? (00:49:33) - What is the world of e-commerce like in 2023 vs. when you started in ’07? (00:56:07) - Selling Bonobos (01:02:51) - Walmart vs. Amazon Additional Resources 👉 Andy on Twitter 👉 Bonobos 👉 Pumpkin Pie 👉 How I Built This - Bonobos: Andy Dunn 👉 Burn Rate by Andy Dunn (Releases on May 9th) 👉 Monica + Andy ➡️ Learn more about Xeal ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 11 Apr 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Andy Dunn - Co-Founder of Bonobos - Building an Apparel Co, Future of EComm, and Bipolar Disorder full 1 275 Chris Powers  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Andy Dunn co-founded the menswear brand Bonobos and served as CEO until its 2017 acquisition by Walmart. As an investor, he has backed more than eighty startups, including Warby Parker, Coinbase, Away, Glossier, Real, Parade, SeatGeek, and Alula.  In May, Dunn will release a memoir, titled Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, which explores the intersection of entrepreneurship and mental illness.  Dunn’s next business venture, called Pumpkin Pie, is a social media app currently in beta that aims to detoxify digital culture.   Dunn, a graduate of Northwestern and Stanford's MBA program, also serves on the boards of Monica + Andy, an organic baby apparel company founded by his sister Monica Royer, tech social good nonprofit Raised By Us, and the Network for Executive Women. On this episode Chris & Andy discuss: ➡️ How he's dealt with bipolar disorder and why its something common in entrepreneurs ➡️ Why apparel companies succeed and why they fail ➡️ Selling to Walmart ➡️ The future of e-commerce and brick & mortar Key Takeaways (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:03) - Andy’s experience dealing with mental illness and depression (00:12:18) - What is it about someone with mental illness that would make them a great entrepreneur? (00:19:19) - Elon, autism, and narcissism (00:21:42) - Are these illnesses genetic or nurtured? (00:24:04) - How is mental illness looked upon now vs. when you were diagnosed? (00:28:44) - Andy’s experience working for Mark Lore (Of Walmart??) (00:37:53) - Why did your apparel company succeed and why do so many fail? (00:44:25) - Were people buying the Bonobos brand or a high-quality garment? (00:49:33) - What is the world of e-commerce like in 2023 vs. when you started in ’07? (00:56:07) - Selling Bonobos (01:02:51) - Walmart vs. Amazon Additional Resources 👉 Andy on Twitter 👉 Bonobos 👉 Pumpkin Pie 👉 How I Built This - Bonobos: Andy Dunn 👉 Burn Rate by Andy Dunn (Releases on May 9th) 👉 Monica + Andy ➡️ Learn more about Xeal ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts  We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Andy Dunn co-founded the menswear brand Bonobos and served as CEO until its 2017 acquisition by Walmart. As an investor, he has backed more than eighty startups, including Warby Parker, Coinbase, Away, Glossier, Real, Parade, SeatGeek, and Alula. 


In May, Dunn will release a memoir, titled Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, which explores the intersection of entrepreneurship and mental illness. 


Dunn’s next business venture, called Pumpkin Pie, is a social media app currently in beta that aims to detoxify digital culture.

 

Dunn, a graduate of Northwestern and Stanford's MBA program, also serves on the boards of Monica + Andy, an organic baby apparel company founded by his sister Monica Royer, tech social good nonprofit Raised By Us, and the Network for Executive Women.


On this episode Chris & Andy discuss:


➡️ How he's dealt with bipolar disorder and why its something common in entrepreneurs

➡️ Why apparel companies succeed and why they fail

➡️ Selling to Walmart

➡️ The future of e-commerce and brick & mortar


Key Takeaways


(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:03) - Andy’s experience dealing with mental illness and depression

(00:12:18) - What is it about someone with mental illness that would make them a great entrepreneur?

(00:19:19) - Elon, autism, and narcissism

(00:21:42) - Are these illnesses genetic or nurtured?

(00:24:04) - How is mental illness looked upon now vs. when you were diagnosed?

(00:28:44) - Andy’s experience working for Mark Lore (Of Walmart??)

(00:37:53) - Why did your apparel company succeed and why do so many fail?

(00:44:25) - Were people buying the Bonobos brand or a high-quality garment?

(00:49:33) - What is the world of e-commerce like in 2023 vs. when you started in ’07?

(00:56:07) - Selling Bonobos

(01:02:51) - Walmart vs. Amazon


Additional Resources


👉 Andy on Twitter

👉 Bonobos

👉 Pumpkin Pie

👉 How I Built This - Bonobos: Andy Dunn

👉 Burn Rate by Andy Dunn (Releases on May 9th)

👉 Monica + Andy


➡️ Learn more about Xeal


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4100 no #274 - Paul Yancich - Co-Founder of Arcadea Group - Acquiring VSaas Businesses w/ Permanent Capital https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Paul oversees the strategic direction and development of Arcadea across all areas of the firm alongside his partner, Daniel. Paul began his career as a member of the Citigroup Global Analyst program, where he gained exposure to a number of divisions before landing on the high yield and investment grade credit research desk. After Citi, Paul joined Arsenal Growth, a VC & Growth Equity firm in the US with offices in Palo Alto and Orlando. Starting as an Associate and leaving as a Principal, Paul focused on high-growth b2b enterprise software and eCommerce businesses. Paul then joined Constellation Software (“CSI”), where he had a number of executive roles including leading the global investment team of one of CSI’s six operating groups, acting as CEO of a public sector business, and leading a group of businesses in various verticals. On this episode, Chris and Paul discuss: ➡️ Lessons learned from working at Constellation Software ➡️ How they underwrite investment opportunities ➡️ Investing with permanent capital and a long-term horizon ➡️ How Arcadea creates value for their portfolio companies Key Takeaways: (2:55) - Paul’s career and background (6:28) - How was Constellation structured? Why was it 6 operating groups? (8:14) - What’s the benefit of carrying a light corporate office? (10:37) - Thinking in a high-clarity manner (13:19) - Is there anything about your family’s history or your love of classical music that played into your ultimate career in acquiring SAAS companies? (15:15) - How did you end up building Arcadea Group? (17:58) - Does high growth always mean early stage? (19:53) - Have most of these businesses you acquire taken on VC? (24:15) - What is a Vertical SaaS? (26:35) - What can you do differently operationally in VSaas versus other Software services? (27:56) - What is Long-termism and why are you pursuing that route? (32:55) - Do you only offer one injection of cash or do you inject as needed? (36:38) - Who’s making the decision of whether the business needs more capital? (40:16) - Do companies mature to a point where they no longer fit the Arcadea model? (42:11) - What is a quick ‘no’ for you when looking at a company? (44:54) - What happens in the first year of an acquisition? (50:03) - What makes an exceptional operator? (52:32) - How do you make your CEOs think like investors? (54:51) - What are your investors expecting from you as permanent capital? (56:27) - What does it do for your business to have such an accomplished advisor on your board? (59:07) - What happens when a founder or CEO abruptly exits? (1:01:30) - Are you successful because you’ve been in the seat of the CEO and operator? (1:03:22) - What are Kanban and Scrum? Additional Resources 👉 Arcadea Group: https://www.arcadeagroup.com/ 👉 Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pyancich/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/ ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 06 Apr 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Paul Yancich - Co-Founder of Arcadea Group - Acquiring VSaas Businesses w/ Permanent Capital full 1 274 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.  http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Paul oversees the strategic direction and development of Arcadea across all areas of the firm alongside his partner, Daniel. Paul began his career as a member of the Citigroup Global Analyst program, where he gained exposure to a number of divisions before landing on the high yield and investment grade credit research desk. After Citi, Paul joined Arsenal Growth, a VC & Growth Equity firm in the US with offices in Palo Alto and Orlando. Starting as an Associate and leaving as a Principal, Paul focused on high-growth b2b enterprise software and eCommerce businesses. Paul then joined Constellation Software (“CSI”), where he had a number of executive roles including leading the global investment team of one of CSI’s six operating groups, acting as CEO of a public sector business, and leading a group of businesses in various verticals. On this episode, Chris and Paul discuss: ➡️ Lessons learned from working at Constellation Software ➡️ How they underwrite investment opportunities ➡️ Investing with permanent capital and a long-term horizon ➡️ How Arcadea creates value for their portfolio companies Key Takeaways: (2:55) - Paul’s career and background (6:28) - How was Constellation structured? Why was it 6 operating groups? (8:14) - What’s the benefit of carrying a light corporate office? (10:37) - Thinking in a high-clarity manner (13:19) - Is there anything about your family’s history or your love of classical music that played into your ultimate career in acquiring SAAS companies? (15:15) - How did you end up building Arcadea Group? (17:58) - Does high growth always mean early stage? (19:53) - Have most of these businesses you acquire taken on VC? (24:15) - What is a Vertical SaaS? (26:35) - What can you do differently operationally in VSaas versus other Software services? (27:56) - What is Long-termism and why are you pursuing that route? (32:55) - Do you only offer one injection of cash or do you inject as needed? (36:38) - Who’s making the decision of whether the business needs more capital? (40:16) - Do companies mature to a point where they no longer fit the Arcadea model? (42:11) - What is a quick ‘no’ for you when looking at a company? (44:54) - What happens in the first year of an acquisition? (50:03) - What makes an exceptional operator? (52:32) - How do you make your CEOs think like investors? (54:51) - What are your investors expecting from you as permanent capital? (56:27) - What does it do for your business to have such an accomplished advisor on your board? (59:07) - What happens when a founder or CEO abruptly exits? (1:01:30) - Are you successful because you’ve been in the seat of the CEO and operator? (1:03:22) - What are Kanban and Scrum? Additional Resources 👉 Arcadea Group: https://www.arcadeagroup.com/ 👉 Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pyancich/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/ ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Paul oversees the strategic direction and development of Arcadea across all areas of the firm alongside his partner, Daniel. Paul began his career as a member of the Citigroup Global Analyst program, where he gained exposure to a number of divisions before landing on the high yield and investment grade credit research desk. After Citi, Paul joined Arsenal Growth, a VC & Growth Equity firm in the US with offices in Palo Alto and Orlando. Starting as an Associate and leaving as a Principal, Paul focused on high-growth b2b enterprise software and eCommerce businesses.


Paul then joined Constellation Software (“CSI”), where he had a number of executive roles including leading the global investment team of one of CSI’s six operating groups, acting as CEO of a public sector business, and leading a group of businesses in various verticals.


On this episode, Chris and Paul discuss:


➡️ Lessons learned from working at Constellation Software

➡️ How they underwrite investment opportunities

➡️ Investing with permanent capital and a long-term horizon

➡️ How Arcadea creates value for their portfolio companies



Key Takeaways:


(2:55) - Paul’s career and background

(6:28) - How was Constellation structured? Why was it 6 operating groups?

(8:14) - What’s the benefit of carrying a light corporate office?

(10:37) - Thinking in a high-clarity manner

(13:19) - Is there anything about your family’s history or your love of classical music that played into your ultimate career in acquiring SAAS companies?

(15:15) - How did you end up building Arcadea Group?

(17:58) - Does high growth always mean early stage?

(19:53) - Have most of these businesses you acquire taken on VC?

(24:15) - What is a Vertical SaaS?

(26:35) - What can you do differently operationally in VSaas versus other Software services?

(27:56) - What is Long-termism and why are you pursuing that route?

(32:55) - Do you only offer one injection of cash or do you inject as needed?

(36:38) - Who’s making the decision of whether the business needs more capital?

(40:16) - Do companies mature to a point where they no longer fit the Arcadea model?

(42:11) - What is a quick ‘no’ for you when looking at a company?

(44:54) - What happens in the first year of an acquisition?

(50:03) - What makes an exceptional operator?

(52:32) - How do you make your CEOs think like investors?

(54:51) - What are your investors expecting from you as permanent capital?

(56:27) - What does it do for your business to have such an accomplished advisor on your board?

(59:07) - What happens when a founder or CEO abruptly exits?

(1:01:30) - Are you successful because you’ve been in the seat of the CEO and operator?

(1:03:22) - What are Kanban and Scrum?



Additional Resources


👉 Arcadea Group: https://www.arcadeagroup.com/

👉 Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pyancich/


➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4008 no #273 - Bill D'Alessandro - CEO of Natural Dog Company - The Great Pivot! https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Bill D’Alessandro is the Founder and CEO of Elements Brands, one of the original holding companies for direct-to-consumer brands. He has acquired or founded more than a dozen businesses with over $100M of revenue and has realized seven exits in both DTC and SaaS. Bill is also the co-host of the Acquisitions Anonymous podcast. On this episode Chris & Bill discuss: ➡️ Lessons learned from Element Brands and owning 6 businesses ➡️ His pivot to owning Natural Dog Company and why focus is powerful ➡️ How to decide between marketing & product innovation ➡️ Insights on the pet industry and why it's huge Key Takeaways: (3:13) - What was your strategy in 2016 and why have you totally flipped on it in 2023? (4:57) - DTC is not a business model (6:14) - Prioritizing marketing over product innovation (10:36) - Was there ever a time when you thought this massive ad spend was unsustainable? (12:23) - What’s happened in the past 18 months since Apple changed its advertising privacy model? (14:33) - Putting brands on autopilot (16:22) - When did you start to realize only one of your eight brands was worth working on? (19:53) - How has your life changed after consolidating your focus? (22:14) - Is there a way to make the Aggregator model work? (25:46) - How big is the pet industry and where is its potential? (26:59) - What are you going to do with this business now that you’re solely focused on the one instead of 8? (30:14) - Why have you chosen to go into retail? (33:18) - How do you get your product into 4-5k stores? (35:55) - Is there any brand with leverage over Walmart? (36:54) - What could make this move into retail go wrong? (39:35) - What’s your approach to product packaging and design? (42:45) - How did you arrive at the decision to launch 12-16 new products this year and how do you decide what they’ll be? (46:32) - What needs to happen in order to get into Walmart and Target? (48:59) - Would you get a higher valuation on your company if you’re in Walmart/Target and successful there? (49:46) - What has podcasting done for you? Additional Resources 👉 Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillDA 👉 Natural Dog Company: https://naturaldog.com/ 👉 Acquisitions Anonymous Podcast: https://www.acquanon.com/ 👉 BillDA.com: https://billda.com/ 👉 PickFU.com: https://www.pickfu.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/ ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 04 Apr 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Bill D'Alessandro - CEO of Natural Dog Company - The Great Pivot! full 1 273 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Bill D’Alessandro is the Founder and CEO of Elements Brands, one of the original holding companies for direct-to-consumer brands. He has acquired or founded more than a dozen businesses with over $100M of revenue and has realized seven exits in both DTC and SaaS. Bill is also the co-host of the Acquisitions Anonymous podcast. On this episode Chris & Bill discuss: ➡️ Lessons learned from Element Brands and owning 6 businesses ➡️ His pivot to owning Natural Dog Company and why focus is powerful ➡️ How to decide between marketing & product innovation ➡️ Insights on the pet industry and why it's huge Key Takeaways: (3:13) - What was your strategy in 2016 and why have you totally flipped on it in 2023? (4:57) - DTC is not a business model (6:14) - Prioritizing marketing over product innovation (10:36) - Was there ever a time when you thought this massive ad spend was unsustainable? (12:23) - What’s happened in the past 18 months since Apple changed its advertising privacy model? (14:33) - Putting brands on autopilot (16:22) - When did you start to realize only one of your eight brands was worth working on? (19:53) - How has your life changed after consolidating your focus? (22:14) - Is there a way to make the Aggregator model work? (25:46) - How big is the pet industry and where is its potential? (26:59) - What are you going to do with this business now that you’re solely focused on the one instead of 8? (30:14) - Why have you chosen to go into retail? (33:18) - How do you get your product into 4-5k stores? (35:55) - Is there any brand with leverage over Walmart? (36:54) - What could make this move into retail go wrong? (39:35) - What’s your approach to product packaging and design? (42:45) - How did you arrive at the decision to launch 12-16 new products this year and how do you decide what they’ll be? (46:32) - What needs to happen in order to get into Walmart and Target? (48:59) - Would you get a higher valuation on your company if you’re in Walmart/Target and successful there? (49:46) - What has podcasting done for you? Additional Resources 👉 Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillDA 👉 Natural Dog Company: https://naturaldog.com/ 👉 Acquisitions Anonymous Podcast: https://www.acquanon.com/ 👉 BillDA.com: https://billda.com/ 👉 PickFU.com: https://www.pickfu.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/ ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Bill D’Alessandro is the Founder and CEO of Elements Brands, one of the original holding companies for direct-to-consumer brands. He has acquired or founded more than a dozen businesses with over $100M of revenue and has realized seven exits in both DTC and SaaS. Bill is also the co-host of the Acquisitions Anonymous podcast.


On this episode Chris & Bill discuss:


➡️ Lessons learned from Element Brands and owning 6 businesses

➡️ His pivot to owning Natural Dog Company and why focus is powerful

➡️ How to decide between marketing & product innovation

➡️ Insights on the pet industry and why it's huge



Key Takeaways:


(3:13) - What was your strategy in 2016 and why have you totally flipped on it in 2023?

(4:57) - DTC is not a business model

(6:14) - Prioritizing marketing over product innovation

(10:36) - Was there ever a time when you thought this massive ad spend was unsustainable?

(12:23) - What’s happened in the past 18 months since Apple changed its advertising privacy model?

(14:33) - Putting brands on autopilot

(16:22) - When did you start to realize only one of your eight brands was worth working on?

(19:53) - How has your life changed after consolidating your focus?

(22:14) - Is there a way to make the Aggregator model work?

(25:46) - How big is the pet industry and where is its potential?

(26:59) - What are you going to do with this business now that you’re solely focused on the one instead of 8?

(30:14) - Why have you chosen to go into retail?

(33:18) - How do you get your product into 4-5k stores?

(35:55) - Is there any brand with leverage over Walmart?

(36:54) - What could make this move into retail go wrong?

(39:35) - What’s your approach to product packaging and design?

(42:45) - How did you arrive at the decision to launch 12-16 new products this year and how do you decide what they’ll be?

(46:32) - What needs to happen in order to get into Walmart and Target?

(48:59) - Would you get a higher valuation on your company if you’re in Walmart/Target and successful there?

(49:46) - What has podcasting done for you?


Additional Resources


👉 Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillDA

👉 Natural Dog Company: https://naturaldog.com/

👉 Acquisitions Anonymous Podcast: https://www.acquanon.com/

👉 BillDA.com: https://billda.com/

👉 PickFU.com: https://www.pickfu.com/


➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3428 no #272 - Michael Girdley - Chairman of Girdley Enterprises - Becoming a Creator, Building a HoldCo, Going from Idea to Business Launch https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Michael is CEO of Girdley Enterprises, LLC, a diversified holding company of 11 businesses.  In this episode Chris & Michael discuss: ➡️ Becoming a creator and the business of creating ➡️ How he has built a hold-co and keeps everyone accountable ➡️ How he takes a business from idea to a running business ➡️ Why he wants to focus on BIG ideas Key Takeaways: (2:08) - Sudden Deafness & Insights into Girdley’s Persona (6:52) - Why have you chosen to spend so much time building your presence online? (10:05) - What makes for great content on Twitter? (11:38) - How much time is spent on your threads and writing? (17:41) - Building a media team (23:38) - Twitter’s change under Elon (27:44) - Girdley on changing his Twitter strategy (29:33) - Has LinkedIn translated well for you? (31:46) - Girdley on Remote teams (33:10) - How are you able to stay on top of multiple different companies? (37:27) - What do you fail at? (38:44) - Do you teach the EOS or hire someone to implement it? (40:53) - What do you feel like you still have to learn? (41:43) - What does your Chief of Staff do? (45:49) - Was there a pivotal moment when you realized where you were the strongest in your role? (47:06) - What do you mean when you say you only want to work on “big” things? (49:36) - What is your process from formulating an idea, to launching, to stepping back? (56:23) - Are you still involved in VC? (57:16) - How do you approach capital allocation in your HoldCo? (59:41) - What happens when you’re not aligning with a CEO? (1:01:41) - Are there best practices for incentivizing a CEO? (1:02:40) - What is a Holding Company? (1:06:02) - Why did you decide to create a course? (1:10:14) - How do you approach distribution and scaling content? (1:11:59) - How do you see the 4th quarter of your career playing out? (1:13:33) - Why have you chosen podcasting as a medium? Additional Resources 👉 Girdley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/girdley 👉 The Complete HoldCo Course: https://holdco.girdley.com/ 👉 All of Michael's Links: https://links.girdley.com/ 👉 Traction by Gino Wickman ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/ ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 28 Mar 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Michael Girdley - Chairman of Girdley Enterprises - Becoming a Creator, Building a HoldCo, Going from Idea to Business Launch full 1 272 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Michael is CEO of Girdley Enterprises, LLC, a diversified holding company of 11 businesses.  In this episode Chris & Michael discuss: ➡️ Becoming a creator and the business of creating ➡️ How he has built a hold-co and keeps everyone accountable ➡️ How he takes a business from idea to a running business ➡️ Why he wants to focus on BIG ideas Key Takeaways: (2:08) - Sudden Deafness & Insights into Girdley’s Persona (6:52) - Why have you chosen to spend so much time building your presence online? (10:05) - What makes for great content on Twitter? (11:38) - How much time is spent on your threads and writing? (17:41) - Building a media team (23:38) - Twitter’s change under Elon (27:44) - Girdley on changing his Twitter strategy (29:33) - Has LinkedIn translated well for you? (31:46) - Girdley on Remote teams (33:10) - How are you able to stay on top of multiple different companies? (37:27) - What do you fail at? (38:44) - Do you teach the EOS or hire someone to implement it? (40:53) - What do you feel like you still have to learn? (41:43) - What does your Chief of Staff do? (45:49) - Was there a pivotal moment when you realized where you were the strongest in your role? (47:06) - What do you mean when you say you only want to work on “big” things? (49:36) - What is your process from formulating an idea, to launching, to stepping back? (56:23) - Are you still involved in VC? (57:16) - How do you approach capital allocation in your HoldCo? (59:41) - What happens when you’re not aligning with a CEO? (1:01:41) - Are there best practices for incentivizing a CEO? (1:02:40) - What is a Holding Company? (1:06:02) - Why did you decide to create a course? (1:10:14) - How do you approach distribution and scaling content? (1:11:59) - How do you see the 4th quarter of your career playing out? (1:13:33) - Why have you chosen podcasting as a medium? Additional Resources 👉 Girdley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/girdley 👉 The Complete HoldCo Course: https://holdco.girdley.com/ 👉 All of Michael's Links: https://links.girdley.com/ 👉 Traction by Gino Wickman ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/ ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Michael is CEO of Girdley Enterprises, LLC, a diversified holding company of 11 businesses. 


In this episode Chris & Michael discuss:


➡️ Becoming a creator and the business of creating


➡️ How he has built a hold-co and keeps everyone accountable


➡️ How he takes a business from idea to a running business


➡️ Why he wants to focus on BIG ideas



Key Takeaways:


(2:08) - Sudden Deafness & Insights into Girdley’s Persona

(6:52) - Why have you chosen to spend so much time building your presence online?

(10:05) - What makes for great content on Twitter?

(11:38) - How much time is spent on your threads and writing?

(17:41) - Building a media team

(23:38) - Twitter’s change under Elon

(27:44) - Girdley on changing his Twitter strategy

(29:33) - Has LinkedIn translated well for you?

(31:46) - Girdley on Remote teams

(33:10) - How are you able to stay on top of multiple different companies?

(37:27) - What do you fail at?

(38:44) - Do you teach the EOS or hire someone to implement it?

(40:53) - What do you feel like you still have to learn?

(41:43) - What does your Chief of Staff do?

(45:49) - Was there a pivotal moment when you realized where you were the strongest in your role?

(47:06) - What do you mean when you say you only want to work on “big” things?

(49:36) - What is your process from formulating an idea, to launching, to stepping back?

(56:23) - Are you still involved in VC?

(57:16) - How do you approach capital allocation in your HoldCo?

(59:41) - What happens when you’re not aligning with a CEO?

(1:01:41) - Are there best practices for incentivizing a CEO?

(1:02:40) - What is a Holding Company?

(1:06:02) - Why did you decide to create a course?

(1:10:14) - How do you approach distribution and scaling content?

(1:11:59) - How do you see the 4th quarter of your career playing out?

(1:13:33) - Why have you chosen podcasting as a medium?


Additional Resources


👉 Girdley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/girdley

👉 The Complete HoldCo Course: https://holdco.girdley.com/

👉 All of Michael's Links: https://links.girdley.com/

👉 Traction by Gino Wickman


➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5066 no #271 - Peter Askew - Founder of Deep South Ventures - Investing in Domain Names https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Peter Askew runs a bootstrapped, .com domain development business (often solo). He typically sources domains from the expired aftermarket and uses their descriptive nature as inspiration for each venture. Current projects: VidaliaOnions.com | RanchWork.com | DudeRanch.com On this episode Chris & Peter discuss: Investing in domains 101 and why ".com" is king How to build job boards & why they're so valuable How to build businesses from purchased domains Key Takeaways: (2:05) - How did you become a failed domain investor? (6:42) - What does “building a project” mean in your world? (13:30) - How would a common person find these domain marketplaces? (16:36) - How do you value Domains? (21:47) - How did you get from buying a domain for onions to actually selling the onions? (27:05) - Why aren’t you in a hurry to grow the business? (28:30) - The domain industry (31:24) - What makes an amazing domain investor? (33:15) - Can I simply license out domain names? (37:21) - Can people hack and steal domain names? (39:04) - Does AI or Web3 disrupt this space? (40:37) - What’s the most valuable domain name in the industry? (42:14) - Do you have to have a site in order to monetize a domain? (45:47) - How would you build a job board for an industry from scratch? Additional Resources 👉 Peter on Twitter - https://twitter.com/searchbound 👉 Peter on how to build a niche job board 👉 Snap [NAMES] - https://www.snapnames.com/ 👉 DropCatch - https://www.dropcatch.com/ 👉 UDRP - https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/help/dndr/udrp-en 👉 NamesCon - https://namescon.com/ 👉 NameBio - https://namebio.com/ 👉 Sedo.com - https://sedo.com/us/ 👉 Dan.com - https://dan.com/ 👉 GoDaddy Auctions - https://auctions.godaddy.com/beta ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/ ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 23 Mar 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Peter Askew - Founder of Deep South Ventures - Investing in Domain Names full 1 271 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Peter Askew runs a bootstrapped, .com domain development business (often solo). He typically sources domains from the expired aftermarket and uses their descriptive nature as inspiration for each venture. Current projects: VidaliaOnions.com | RanchWork.com | DudeRanch.com On this episode Chris & Peter discuss: Investing in domains 101 and why ".com" is king How to build job boards & why they're so valuable How to build businesses from purchased domains Key Takeaways: (2:05) - How did you become a failed domain investor? (6:42) - What does “building a project” mean in your world? (13:30) - How would a common person find these domain marketplaces? (16:36) - How do you value Domains? (21:47) - How did you get from buying a domain for onions to actually selling the onions? (27:05) - Why aren’t you in a hurry to grow the business? (28:30) - The domain industry (31:24) - What makes an amazing domain investor? (33:15) - Can I simply license out domain names? (37:21) - Can people hack and steal domain names? (39:04) - Does AI or Web3 disrupt this space? (40:37) - What’s the most valuable domain name in the industry? (42:14) - Do you have to have a site in order to monetize a domain? (45:47) - How would you build a job board for an industry from scratch? Additional Resources 👉 Peter on Twitter - https://twitter.com/searchbound 👉 Peter on how to build a niche job board 👉 Snap [NAMES] - https://www.snapnames.com/ 👉 DropCatch - https://www.dropcatch.com/ 👉 UDRP - https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/help/dndr/udrp-en 👉 NamesCon - https://namescon.com/ 👉 NameBio - https://namebio.com/ 👉 Sedo.com - https://sedo.com/us/ 👉 Dan.com - https://dan.com/ 👉 GoDaddy Auctions - https://auctions.godaddy.com/beta ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/ ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Peter Askew runs a bootstrapped, .com domain development business (often solo). He typically sources domains from the expired aftermarket and uses their descriptive nature as inspiration for each venture.


Current projects: VidaliaOnions.com | RanchWork.com | DudeRanch.com


On this episode Chris & Peter discuss:

  • Investing in domains 101 and why ".com" is king
  • How to build job boards & why they're so valuable
  • How to build businesses from purchased domains

Key Takeaways:


(2:05) - How did you become a failed domain investor?

(6:42) - What does “building a project” mean in your world?

(13:30) - How would a common person find these domain marketplaces?

(16:36) - How do you value Domains?

(21:47) - How did you get from buying a domain for onions to actually selling the onions?

(27:05) - Why aren’t you in a hurry to grow the business?

(28:30) - The domain industry

(31:24) - What makes an amazing domain investor?

(33:15) - Can I simply license out domain names?

(37:21) - Can people hack and steal domain names?

(39:04) - Does AI or Web3 disrupt this space?

(40:37) - What’s the most valuable domain name in the industry?

(42:14) - Do you have to have a site in order to monetize a domain?

(45:47) - How would you build a job board for an industry from scratch?



Additional Resources


👉 Peter on Twitter - https://twitter.com/searchbound

👉 Peter on how to build a niche job board

👉 Snap [NAMES] - https://www.snapnames.com/

👉 DropCatch - https://www.dropcatch.com/

👉 UDRP - https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/help/dndr/udrp-en

👉 NamesCon - https://namescon.com/

👉 NameBio - https://namebio.com/

👉 Sedo.com - https://sedo.com/us/

👉 Dan.com - https://dan.com/

👉 GoDaddy Auctions - https://auctions.godaddy.com/beta



➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3893 no #270 - Charlie Light - Founder of Alpha Social - How to use Twitter to build your business & brand https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Charlie started the John W. Rich parody account, which became the springboard for his content agency, Alpha Social. Charlie has helped dozens of clients build up their personal brands with Twitter content, amassing millions of followers for his clients and 190,000+ followers on his John W. Rich account. In June of 2022, Alpha Social was acquired by Workweek. On this episode Chris & Charlie discuss: How starting a parody account on Twitter (John W. Rich) led to launching a ghostwriting agency How to build an online audience The value of twitter for building a business & brand How to use Twitter to launch a business Key Takeaways: (2:02) - Charlie on creating the John W. Rich Twitter account (8:04) - Is there a way to monetize this account to be a full-time business? (10:19) - How’d you select John’s profile photo? (11:22) - How have you leveraged this account into a content agency? (13:10) - What is a client looking for when they come to work with you? (18:02) - What’s the cadence for a client’s content release? (20:09) - Do you encourage your clients to basically “do whatever they want” alongside the content you’re creating for them? (21:57) - What is the value of taking Twitter seriously? (24:07) - How are your clients building up accounts into businesses? (28:15) - How often should you be telling the story that you build your account on? (30:22) - Are there any hacks you’ve learned from Twitter to make it a better experience? (34:53) - Has Twitter gotten worse since Elon took over? (40:21) - Why do you think users enjoy reading threads? (44:59) - Is there any emerging trend you’re seeing that is working for Twitter engagement? (49:38) - Do you think that people can separate the shit post from the shit poster? (55:42) - What was the process of selling your agency to Workweek and what is your role with them now? (57:10) - How will the creator economy evolve over the next 5 years? Additional Resources 👉John W. Rich on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cokedupoptions 👉Charlie Light on Twitter: https://twitter.com/charliewrich 👉Alpha Social Group: https://alphasocialgroup.com/ 👉Workweek: https://workweek.com/ 👉Brett from Designjoy: https://twitter.com/BrettFromDJ ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily: https://www.credaily.com/ ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 21 Mar 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Charlie Light - Founder of Alpha Social - How to use Twitter to build your business & brand full 1 270 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Charlie started the John W. Rich parody account, which became the springboard for his content agency, Alpha Social. Charlie has helped dozens of clients build up their personal brands with Twitter content, amassing millions of followers for his clients and 190,000+ followers on his John W. Rich account. In June of 2022, Alpha Social was acquired by Workweek. On this episode Chris & Charlie discuss: How starting a parody account on Twitter (John W. Rich) led to launching a ghostwriting agency How to build an online audience The value of twitter for building a business & brand How to use Twitter to launch a business Key Takeaways: (2:02) - Charlie on creating the John W. Rich Twitter account (8:04) - Is there a way to monetize this account to be a full-time business? (10:19) - How’d you select John’s profile photo? (11:22) - How have you leveraged this account into a content agency? (13:10) - What is a client looking for when they come to work with you? (18:02) - What’s the cadence for a client’s content release? (20:09) - Do you encourage your clients to basically “do whatever they want” alongside the content you’re creating for them? (21:57) - What is the value of taking Twitter seriously? (24:07) - How are your clients building up accounts into businesses? (28:15) - How often should you be telling the story that you build your account on? (30:22) - Are there any hacks you’ve learned from Twitter to make it a better experience? (34:53) - Has Twitter gotten worse since Elon took over? (40:21) - Why do you think users enjoy reading threads? (44:59) - Is there any emerging trend you’re seeing that is working for Twitter engagement? (49:38) - Do you think that people can separate the shit post from the shit poster? (55:42) - What was the process of selling your agency to Workweek and what is your role with them now? (57:10) - How will the creator economy evolve over the next 5 years? Additional Resources 👉John W. Rich on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cokedupoptions 👉Charlie Light on Twitter: https://twitter.com/charliewrich 👉Alpha Social Group: https://alphasocialgroup.com/ 👉Workweek: https://workweek.com/ 👉Brett from Designjoy: https://twitter.com/BrettFromDJ ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily: https://www.credaily.com/ ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Charlie started the John W. Rich parody account, which became the springboard for his content agency, Alpha Social. Charlie has helped dozens of clients build up their personal brands with Twitter content, amassing millions of followers for his clients and 190,000+ followers on his John W. Rich account. In June of 2022, Alpha Social was acquired by Workweek.


On this episode Chris & Charlie discuss:

  • How starting a parody account on Twitter (John W. Rich) led to launching a ghostwriting agency
  • How to build an online audience
  • The value of twitter for building a business & brand
  • How to use Twitter to launch a business


Key Takeaways:


(2:02) - Charlie on creating the John W. Rich Twitter account

(8:04) - Is there a way to monetize this account to be a full-time business?

(10:19) - How’d you select John’s profile photo?

(11:22) - How have you leveraged this account into a content agency?

(13:10) - What is a client looking for when they come to work with you?

(18:02) - What’s the cadence for a client’s content release?

(20:09) - Do you encourage your clients to basically “do whatever they want” alongside the content you’re creating for them?

(21:57) - What is the value of taking Twitter seriously?

(24:07) - How are your clients building up accounts into businesses?

(28:15) - How often should you be telling the story that you build your account on?

(30:22) - Are there any hacks you’ve learned from Twitter to make it a better experience?

(34:53) - Has Twitter gotten worse since Elon took over?

(40:21) - Why do you think users enjoy reading threads?

(44:59) - Is there any emerging trend you’re seeing that is working for Twitter engagement?

(49:38) - Do you think that people can separate the shit post from the shit poster?

(55:42) - What was the process of selling your agency to Workweek and what is your role with them now?

(57:10) - How will the creator economy evolve over the next 5 years?



Additional Resources


👉John W. Rich on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cokedupoptions

👉Charlie Light on Twitter: https://twitter.com/charliewrich

👉Alpha Social Group: https://alphasocialgroup.com/

👉Workweek: https://workweek.com/

👉Brett from Designjoy: https://twitter.com/BrettFromDJ


➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ CRE Daily: https://www.credaily.com/


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4170 no #269 - Brandon Sedloff Interviews Chris: Reflections On My Career, Fort, Raising Capital, & Lessons Learned https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Brandon Sedloff is Managing Director and Founding SVP of Sales at Juniper Square where he focuses on business development, and strategy and serves some of the world's largest institutional investment managers. Juniper Square empowers GPs and LPs to focus on building enduring relationships and exceptional investment opportunities. Our partnership enablement solutions empower investment partners to connect and communicate seamlessly across every interaction, freeing teams from the disjointed and siloed systems, operations, and processes holding organizations back from realizing their full potential today.  On this episode Chris & Brandon discuss: Chris' story and timeline of career Lessons learned and unique strategy at Fort Capital Discussion on raising capital and why Fort is considering institutional capital Topics (3:02) - Chris’ journey into commercial Real Estate and early career (6:23) - Why do you think Real Estate was your calling? (9:05) - Did your studies at TCU play into your eventual career? (12:24) - When did Fort Capital come into existence? (20:08) - Who’s Jason Baxter and what’s his role? (21:47) - How did you transition out of housing development and into industrial? (26:02) - When you got into industrial, how did you find your niche within this asset class? (34:54) - What are the headline stats on Fort Capital today? (37:05) - What is the process of finding a deal and the syndication model you pursue? (45:20) - How have you become so skilled at raising capital? (51:38) - The power of social media & Twitter (59:43) - What do the next 5 years for FC look like? (1:06:00) - How do you think about transitioning from building trust with non institutional capital to raising from institutional capital? (1:09:42) - How has technology played a role in the success of Fort Capital? (1:20:54) - What are 3 reasons investors should care about Class B Industrial in the Sun Belt? Additional Resources 👉 Brandon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/ 👉 Working Backwards by Bill Carr: https://bit.ly/3FpKQ1I ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Thu, 16 Mar 2023 04:00:00 -0000 Brandon Sedloff Interviews Chris: Reflections On My Career, Fort, Raising Capital, & Lessons Learned full 1 269 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey Brandon Sedloff is Managing Director and Founding SVP of Sales at Juniper Square where he focuses on business development, and strategy and serves some of the world's largest institutional investment managers. Juniper Square empowers GPs and LPs to focus on building enduring relationships and exceptional investment opportunities. Our partnership enablement solutions empower investment partners to connect and communicate seamlessly across every interaction, freeing teams from the disjointed and siloed systems, operations, and processes holding organizations back from realizing their full potential today.  On this episode Chris & Brandon discuss: Chris' story and timeline of career Lessons learned and unique strategy at Fort Capital Discussion on raising capital and why Fort is considering institutional capital Topics (3:02) - Chris’ journey into commercial Real Estate and early career (6:23) - Why do you think Real Estate was your calling? (9:05) - Did your studies at TCU play into your eventual career? (12:24) - When did Fort Capital come into existence? (20:08) - Who’s Jason Baxter and what’s his role? (21:47) - How did you transition out of housing development and into industrial? (26:02) - When you got into industrial, how did you find your niche within this asset class? (34:54) - What are the headline stats on Fort Capital today? (37:05) - What is the process of finding a deal and the syndication model you pursue? (45:20) - How have you become so skilled at raising capital? (51:38) - The power of social media & Twitter (59:43) - What do the next 5 years for FC look like? (1:06:00) - How do you think about transitioning from building trust with non institutional capital to raising from institutional capital? (1:09:42) - How has technology played a role in the success of Fort Capital? (1:20:54) - What are 3 reasons investors should care about Class B Industrial in the Sun Belt? Additional Resources 👉 Brandon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/ 👉 Working Backwards by Bill Carr: https://bit.ly/3FpKQ1I ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ CRE Daily ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Brandon Sedloff is Managing Director and Founding SVP of Sales at Juniper Square where he focuses on business development, and strategy and serves some of the world's largest institutional investment managers. Juniper Square empowers GPs and LPs to focus on building enduring relationships and exceptional investment opportunities. Our partnership enablement solutions empower investment partners to connect and communicate seamlessly across every interaction, freeing teams from the disjointed and siloed systems, operations, and processes holding organizations back from realizing their full potential today. 


On this episode Chris & Brandon discuss:


  • Chris' story and timeline of career
  • Lessons learned and unique strategy at Fort Capital
  • Discussion on raising capital and why Fort is considering institutional capital



Topics

(3:02) - Chris’ journey into commercial Real Estate and early career

(6:23) - Why do you think Real Estate was your calling?

(9:05) - Did your studies at TCU play into your eventual career?

(12:24) - When did Fort Capital come into existence?

(20:08) - Who’s Jason Baxter and what’s his role?

(21:47) - How did you transition out of housing development and into industrial?

(26:02) - When you got into industrial, how did you find your niche within this asset class?

(34:54) - What are the headline stats on Fort Capital today?

(37:05) - What is the process of finding a deal and the syndication model you pursue?

(45:20) - How have you become so skilled at raising capital?

(51:38) - The power of social media & Twitter

(59:43) - What do the next 5 years for FC look like?

(1:06:00) - How do you think about transitioning from building trust with non institutional capital to raising from institutional capital?

(1:09:42) - How has technology played a role in the success of Fort Capital?

(1:20:54) - What are 3 reasons investors should care about Class B Industrial in the Sun Belt?


Additional Resources


👉 Brandon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/


👉 Working Backwards by Bill Carr: https://bit.ly/3FpKQ1I


➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ CRE Daily


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 5175 no #268 - Chad Cook - Founder of Quadrant Investment Properties - Placemaking & Developing Urban Office Properties https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Chad Cook, founder of Quadrant Investment Properties, a Dallas-based real estate investment company specializing in urban office opportunities.  Before founding QIP, Chad was Vice President of Acquisitions at Hillwood Investment Properties, where from 2004 to 2012 he focused on development and acquisition opportunities in numerous markets nationally.  In addition to helping lead the company’s acquisition team, Chad also coordinated over $1 billion in dispositions and played an integral role in the sourcing and structuring of numerous institutional joint ventures and development partnerships. Prior to joining Hillwood, Chad was the Director of Leasing and Disposition at Emerson Partners, a Dallas-based owner, and operator of office and industrial properties.  Today, Chad and Chris talk about their edge in developing urban office properties, how to create places where people want to be, what's happening in the capital markets, converting offices into apartments, Hudson Yards, and what happens to offices that aren't in demand. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Chad’s background (02:46) What happened when Chad left Hillwood (14:40) What Chad is doing today (19:14) The Design District in Dallas (28:38) On offices (37:03) The impact of COVID-19 on the real estate market (42:48) Considering the halo effect when planning (51:34) Office-to-residential conversions (53:38) The secret sauce to creating likable places (1:03:45) On Hudson Yards (1:07:57) Developments that inspire Chad (1:12:35) Outro (1:15:14) Additional Resources: Quadrant Investment Properties: https://quadrantinvestments.com/ Chad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-cook-9a151a/ Fulton Market Chicago: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/fulton-randolph-market-land-use-plan.html Hudson Yards New York: https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud: https://www.relayhumancloud.com/  Learn more about Oshman Aviation: https://www.oshmanaviation.com/ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ Subscribe to The FORT with Chris Powers  on YouTube — The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 14 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 268 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Chad Cook, founder of Quadrant Investment Properties, a Dallas-based real estate investment company specializing in urban office opportunities.  Before founding QIP, Chad was Vice President of Acquisitions at Hillwood Investment Properties, where from 2004 to 2012 he focused on development and acquisition opportunities in numerous markets nationally.  In addition to helping lead the company’s acquisition team, Chad also coordinated over $1 billion in dispositions and played an integral role in the sourcing and structuring of numerous institutional joint ventures and development partnerships. Prior to joining Hillwood, Chad was the Director of Leasing and Disposition at Emerson Partners, a Dallas-based owner, and operator of office and industrial properties.  Today, Chad and Chris talk about their edge in developing urban office properties, how to create places where people want to be, what's happening in the capital markets, converting offices into apartments, Hudson Yards, and what happens to offices that aren't in demand. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Chad’s background (02:46) What happened when Chad left Hillwood (14:40) What Chad is doing today (19:14) The Design District in Dallas (28:38) On offices (37:03) The impact of COVID-19 on the real estate market (42:48) Considering the halo effect when planning (51:34) Office-to-residential conversions (53:38) The secret sauce to creating likable places (1:03:45) On Hudson Yards (1:07:57) Developments that inspire Chad (1:12:35) Outro (1:15:14) Additional Resources: Quadrant Investment Properties: https://quadrantinvestments.com/ Chad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-cook-9a151a/ Fulton Market Chicago: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/fulton-randolph-market-land-use-plan.html Hudson Yards New York: https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud: https://www.relayhumancloud.com/  Learn more about Oshman Aviation: https://www.oshmanaviation.com/ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ Subscribe to The FORT with Chris Powers  on YouTube — The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Chad Cook, founder of Quadrant Investment Properties, a Dallas-based real estate investment company specializing in urban office opportunities. 


Before founding QIP, Chad was Vice President of Acquisitions at Hillwood Investment Properties, where from 2004 to 2012 he focused on development and acquisition opportunities in numerous markets nationally. 


In addition to helping lead the company’s acquisition team, Chad also coordinated over $1 billion in dispositions and played an integral role in the sourcing and structuring of numerous institutional joint ventures and development partnerships.


Prior to joining Hillwood, Chad was the Director of Leasing and Disposition at Emerson Partners, a Dallas-based owner, and operator of office and industrial properties. 


Today, Chad and Chris talk about their edge in developing urban office properties, how to create places where people want to be, what's happening in the capital markets, converting offices into apartments, Hudson Yards, and what happens to offices that aren't in demand.



Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

Chad’s background (02:46)

What happened when Chad left Hillwood (14:40)

What Chad is doing today (19:14)

The Design District in Dallas (28:38)

On offices (37:03)

The impact of COVID-19 on the real estate market (42:48)

Considering the halo effect when planning (51:34)

Office-to-residential conversions (53:38)

The secret sauce to creating likable places (1:03:45)

On Hudson Yards (1:07:57)

Developments that inspire Chad (1:12:35)

Outro (1:15:14)



Additional Resources:


  • Quadrant Investment Properties: https://quadrantinvestments.com/
  • Chad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-cook-9a151a/
  • Fulton Market Chicago: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/fulton-randolph-market-land-use-plan.html
  • Hudson Yards New York: https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/



—

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 4997 no #267 - Collin McLelland - Co-Founder of Digital Wildcatters - Making Energy Great Again https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #267 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Collin McLelland, co-founder of Digital Wildcatters, a community of energy professionals who are changing the way that we think about energy. After leaving high school, Collin knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and decided to learn about the oil and gas industry. He worked on roughnecking oil rigs in West Texas. Collin spent the next 10 years working on every major oilfield across the country, from Alaska all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2018, Collin decided that millennial engineers needed a new way to think about oil and gas, and realizing that there was no way for people to get more information about the industry, and started The Oil and Gas Podcast.  Just before the pandemic in 2020, Collin decided to go full-time on Digital Wildcatters, which tries to educate society and raise their awareness of the energy industry. Today, Collin speaks with Chris about his views on different energy types, why Bitcoin mining is actually good for the environment, and how he thinks about building a community. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Collin’s background (02:55) What Digital Wildcatters is trying to achieve (05:49) Why do oil and gas have such a bad reputation? (12:20) The US energy policy (19:01) What’s interesting about geothermal energy (36:50)  The impact of bitcoin mining around the world (40:23) The future of energy (49:43) Are oil and gas the most prolific energy source? (55:06) Additional Resources 👉 Digital Wildcatters: https://digitalwildcatters.com/ 👉 Collin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-mclelland/ 👉 Collin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FracSlap 👉 DW Podcasts: https://digitalwildcatters.com/podcasts/ 👉 Collin McLelland on The Convergence of Energy and Bitcoin Mining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ctGsfluRs 👉 Collide by DW: https://appadvice.com/app/collide-by-digital-wildcatters/1569044309 ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 07 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0000 full 267 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #267 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Collin McLelland, co-founder of Digital Wildcatters, a community of energy professionals who are changing the way that we think about energy. After leaving high school, Collin knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and decided to learn about the oil and gas industry. He worked on roughnecking oil rigs in West Texas. Collin spent the next 10 years working on every major oilfield across the country, from Alaska all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2018, Collin decided that millennial engineers needed a new way to think about oil and gas, and realizing that there was no way for people to get more information about the industry, and started The Oil and Gas Podcast.  Just before the pandemic in 2020, Collin decided to go full-time on Digital Wildcatters, which tries to educate society and raise their awareness of the energy industry. Today, Collin speaks with Chris about his views on different energy types, why Bitcoin mining is actually good for the environment, and how he thinks about building a community. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Collin’s background (02:55) What Digital Wildcatters is trying to achieve (05:49) Why do oil and gas have such a bad reputation? (12:20) The US energy policy (19:01) What’s interesting about geothermal energy (36:50)  The impact of bitcoin mining around the world (40:23) The future of energy (49:43) Are oil and gas the most prolific energy source? (55:06) Additional Resources 👉 Digital Wildcatters: https://digitalwildcatters.com/ 👉 Collin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-mclelland/ 👉 Collin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FracSlap 👉 DW Podcasts: https://digitalwildcatters.com/podcasts/ 👉 Collin McLelland on The Convergence of Energy and Bitcoin Mining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ctGsfluRs 👉 Collide by DW: https://appadvice.com/app/collide-by-digital-wildcatters/1569044309 ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


EPISODE #267 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Collin McLelland, co-founder of Digital Wildcatters, a community of energy professionals who are changing the way that we think about energy.


After leaving high school, Collin knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and decided to learn about the oil and gas industry. He worked on roughnecking oil rigs in West Texas.


Collin spent the next 10 years working on every major oilfield across the country, from Alaska all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.


In 2018, Collin decided that millennial engineers needed a new way to think about oil and gas, and realizing that there was no way for people to get more information about the industry, and started The Oil and Gas Podcast. 


Just before the pandemic in 2020, Collin decided to go full-time on Digital Wildcatters, which tries to educate society and raise their awareness of the energy industry.


Today, Collin speaks with Chris about his views on different energy types, why Bitcoin mining is actually good for the environment, and how he thinks about building a community.


Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

Collin’s background (02:55)

What Digital Wildcatters is trying to achieve (05:49)

Why do oil and gas have such a bad reputation? (12:20)

The US energy policy (19:01)

What’s interesting about geothermal energy (36:50) 

The impact of bitcoin mining around the world (40:23)

The future of energy (49:43)

Are oil and gas the most prolific energy source? (55:06)


Additional Resources


👉 Digital Wildcatters: https://digitalwildcatters.com/


👉 Collin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-mclelland/


👉 Collin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FracSlap


👉 DW Podcasts: https://digitalwildcatters.com/podcasts/


👉 Collin McLelland on The Convergence of Energy and Bitcoin Mining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ctGsfluRs


👉 Collide by DW: https://appadvice.com/app/collide-by-digital-wildcatters/1569044309


➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 4312 no #266 - Billy McFarland - Fyre Festival Founder - Story Details, Lessons Learned, How to Go Viral, and His New Venture https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #266 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Billy McFarland, the founder of the controversial Fyre Festival event. The Fyre Festival dominated headlines in April 2017 when videos surfaced online promoting the festival featuring celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and others. However, after suffering a series of management and administration problems, the festival was canceled after some guests had arrived, leading to a number of lawsuits and US federal investigations. Just six weeks later, Billy was the subject of an FBI search in his apartment and soon handcuffed and taken to jail, where he was eventually sentenced to 6 years imprisonment before being released early in 2022. Since then, Billy has started his newest venture, PYRT, which he describes as a “virtual immersive decentralized reality.” In today’s episode, Billy and Chris sit down to discuss what happened at the Fyre Festival, stories from his time in prison, why things go viral, and what he’s working on now. Make sure to check it out!  Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How Fyre App began (01:38) What actually happened at Fyre Festival (07:36) What did Billy learn from the event? (14:32) The aftermath (17:38) First day in prison (26:39) How Billy got in trouble in jail (31:47) What did Billy do there? (44:05) Getting a second chance (54:25) The power of virality (59:19) Billy’s new venture (1:05:03) Additional Resources 👉 Check Billy out on Twitter 👉 Check out Billy's latest project: PYRT ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0000 full 266 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #266 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Billy McFarland, the founder of the controversial Fyre Festival event. The Fyre Festival dominated headlines in April 2017 when videos surfaced online promoting the festival featuring celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and others. However, after suffering a series of management and administration problems, the festival was canceled after some guests had arrived, leading to a number of lawsuits and US federal investigations. Just six weeks later, Billy was the subject of an FBI search in his apartment and soon handcuffed and taken to jail, where he was eventually sentenced to 6 years imprisonment before being released early in 2022. Since then, Billy has started his newest venture, PYRT, which he describes as a “virtual immersive decentralized reality.” In today’s episode, Billy and Chris sit down to discuss what happened at the Fyre Festival, stories from his time in prison, why things go viral, and what he’s working on now. Make sure to check it out!  Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How Fyre App began (01:38) What actually happened at Fyre Festival (07:36) What did Billy learn from the event? (14:32) The aftermath (17:38) First day in prison (26:39) How Billy got in trouble in jail (31:47) What did Billy do there? (44:05) Getting a second chance (54:25) The power of virality (59:19) Billy’s new venture (1:05:03) Additional Resources 👉 Check Billy out on Twitter 👉 Check out Billy's latest project: PYRT ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


EPISODE #266 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Billy McFarland, the founder of the controversial Fyre Festival event.


The Fyre Festival dominated headlines in April 2017 when videos surfaced online promoting the festival featuring celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and others.


However, after suffering a series of management and administration problems, the festival was canceled after some guests had arrived, leading to a number of lawsuits and US federal investigations.


Just six weeks later, Billy was the subject of an FBI search in his apartment and soon handcuffed and taken to jail, where he was eventually sentenced to 6 years imprisonment before being released early in 2022.


Since then, Billy has started his newest venture, PYRT, which he describes as a “virtual immersive decentralized reality.”


In today’s episode, Billy and Chris sit down to discuss what happened at the Fyre Festival, stories from his time in prison, why things go viral, and what he’s working on now.


Make sure to check it out! 



Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

How Fyre App began (01:38)

What actually happened at Fyre Festival (07:36)

What did Billy learn from the event? (14:32)

The aftermath (17:38)

First day in prison (26:39)

How Billy got in trouble in jail (31:47)

What did Billy do there? (44:05)

Getting a second chance (54:25)

The power of virality (59:19)

Billy’s new venture (1:05:03)


Additional Resources


👉 Check Billy out on Twitter


👉 Check out Billy's latest project: PYRT


➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 4578 no #265 - Nathan Barry - Founder of ConvertKit - How Creators Are Taking Over The World https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #265 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by the founder of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry. Nathan’s journey to helping creators all around the world began when he was doing web design in high school before expanding into freelance blogging and content creation. But after deciding to launch a book to promote his web design service, Nathan racked up more than $19,000 in sales in just the first week, at which point he decided to go all-in on digital products and building an audience. After a friend introduced him to the power of email marketing in the content creation space, Nathan decided he wanted to start his own software business, ConvertKit, in January 2013. In today’s episode, Nathan sits down with Chris to discuss why email is still king, leveraging AI technology for content creators, and what the most successful creators are doing now. Make sure to check it out! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Nathan’s backstory (02:11) Is email making a resurgence? (11:00) Does everyone need a newsletter? (17:04) The limitations of email (23:34) The dark side of newsletters (28:32) Building trust at scale (36:12) What’s ahead for creators? (46:17) Sticking to one platform (59:17) The power of AI (1:15:09) Additional Resources: 👉 See more about ConvertKit 👉 Follow Nathan on Twitter 👉 See Nathan's Books 👉 Nathan's Website 👉 Founder of Basecamp Jason Fried Keynote 👉 Sparkloop 👉 The Billion Dollar Creator by Nathan Barry 👉 Sahil Bloom on Twitter 👉 Lex Website ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 21 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0000 full 265 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #265 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by the founder of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry. Nathan’s journey to helping creators all around the world began when he was doing web design in high school before expanding into freelance blogging and content creation. But after deciding to launch a book to promote his web design service, Nathan racked up more than $19,000 in sales in just the first week, at which point he decided to go all-in on digital products and building an audience. After a friend introduced him to the power of email marketing in the content creation space, Nathan decided he wanted to start his own software business, ConvertKit, in January 2013. In today’s episode, Nathan sits down with Chris to discuss why email is still king, leveraging AI technology for content creators, and what the most successful creators are doing now. Make sure to check it out! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Nathan’s backstory (02:11) Is email making a resurgence? (11:00) Does everyone need a newsletter? (17:04) The limitations of email (23:34) The dark side of newsletters (28:32) Building trust at scale (36:12) What’s ahead for creators? (46:17) Sticking to one platform (59:17) The power of AI (1:15:09) Additional Resources: 👉 See more about ConvertKit 👉 Follow Nathan on Twitter 👉 See Nathan's Books 👉 Nathan's Website 👉 Founder of Basecamp Jason Fried Keynote 👉 Sparkloop 👉 The Billion Dollar Creator by Nathan Barry 👉 Sahil Bloom on Twitter 👉 Lex Website ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


EPISODE #265 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by the founder of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry.


Nathan’s journey to helping creators all around the world began when he was doing web design in high school before expanding into freelance blogging and content creation.


But after deciding to launch a book to promote his web design service, Nathan racked up more than $19,000 in sales in just the first week, at which point he decided to go all-in on digital products and building an audience.


After a friend introduced him to the power of email marketing in the content creation space, Nathan decided he wanted to start his own software business, ConvertKit, in January 2013.


In today’s episode, Nathan sits down with Chris to discuss why email is still king, leveraging AI technology for content creators, and what the most successful creators are doing now.


Make sure to check it out!



Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

Nathan’s backstory (02:11)

Is email making a resurgence? (11:00)

Does everyone need a newsletter? (17:04)

The limitations of email (23:34)

The dark side of newsletters (28:32)

Building trust at scale (36:12)

What’s ahead for creators? (46:17)

Sticking to one platform (59:17)

The power of AI (1:15:09)


Additional Resources:


👉 See more about ConvertKit


👉 Follow Nathan on Twitter


👉 See Nathan's Books


👉 Nathan's Website


👉 Founder of Basecamp Jason Fried Keynote


👉 Sparkloop


👉 The Billion Dollar Creator by Nathan Barry


👉 Sahil Bloom on Twitter


👉 Lex Website



➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 5215 no #264 - Nick Huber & Mitchell Baldridge - How Twitter Changed Our Lives, Real Estate Market Updates, and the Glorious Cost Segregations https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #264 In today’s episode, Chris sits down with Mitchell Baldridge and Nick Huber to discuss the current real estate market, how Twitter changed their lives, and cost segregation. Nick has been a small business owner since his final year of college when he started a student storage business with his friend, and after expanding to 25 towns over 10 years, he exited for $7 million. Nick has also acquired 42 self-storage facilities with over 1,000,000 square feet under management while raising over $20 million in capital. Mitchell is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in financial planning and corporate accounting. In 2014 he founded Baldridge Financial to achieve his dream of helping other business owners achieve their financial goals. Make sure to listen in! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) The problem with the real estate business right now (01:52) What’s happening in the market right now? (04:44) The impact of supply on rental rates (11:55) The difference between Class A, B, and C buildings (22:19) What’s going on with interest rates? (30:09) Why is cost segregation taking off now? (44:41) How Twitter changes lives (58:28) Building trust with Twitter (1:05:32) Advice on online networking (1:15:50) Additional Resources: ➡️ See Nick's podcast 'The Sweaty Startup' ➡️ See more about the work Mitchell does here: https://baldridgefinancial.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Thu, 16 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0000 full 264 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #264 In today’s episode, Chris sits down with Mitchell Baldridge and Nick Huber to discuss the current real estate market, how Twitter changed their lives, and cost segregation. Nick has been a small business owner since his final year of college when he started a student storage business with his friend, and after expanding to 25 towns over 10 years, he exited for $7 million. Nick has also acquired 42 self-storage facilities with over 1,000,000 square feet under management while raising over $20 million in capital. Mitchell is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in financial planning and corporate accounting. In 2014 he founded Baldridge Financial to achieve his dream of helping other business owners achieve their financial goals. Make sure to listen in! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) The problem with the real estate business right now (01:52) What’s happening in the market right now? (04:44) The impact of supply on rental rates (11:55) The difference between Class A, B, and C buildings (22:19) What’s going on with interest rates? (30:09) Why is cost segregation taking off now? (44:41) How Twitter changes lives (58:28) Building trust with Twitter (1:05:32) Advice on online networking (1:15:50) Additional Resources: ➡️ See Nick's podcast 'The Sweaty Startup' ➡️ See more about the work Mitchell does here: https://baldridgefinancial.com/ ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


EPISODE #264 In today’s episode, Chris sits down with Mitchell Baldridge and Nick Huber to discuss the current real estate market, how Twitter changed their lives, and cost segregation.


Nick has been a small business owner since his final year of college when he started a student storage business with his friend, and after expanding to 25 towns over 10 years, he exited for $7 million.


Nick has also acquired 42 self-storage facilities with over 1,000,000 square feet under management while raising over $20 million in capital.


Mitchell is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in financial planning and corporate accounting. In 2014 he founded Baldridge Financial to achieve his dream of helping other business owners achieve their financial goals.


Make sure to listen in!



Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

The problem with the real estate business right now (01:52)

What’s happening in the market right now? (04:44)

The impact of supply on rental rates (11:55)

The difference between Class A, B, and C buildings (22:19)

What’s going on with interest rates? (30:09)

Why is cost segregation taking off now? (44:41)

How Twitter changes lives (58:28)

Building trust with Twitter (1:05:32)

Advice on online networking (1:15:50)



Additional Resources:


➡️ See Nick's podcast 'The Sweaty Startup'


➡️ See more about the work Mitchell does here: https://baldridgefinancial.com/


➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 5238 no #263 - Troy Robertson - Co-Founder of Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company - Building a World-Class Brand https://www.TheFortPod.com We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #263 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by the co-founder of the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, Troy Robertson. Troy grew up in West Texas in a family that was heavily involved in the oil and gas industry. He studied business at Texas Tech University before going on to spend 10 years in the finance side of oil and gas. Troy took the responsibility of fundraising, structuring, strategy, and operations evaluation for more than 20 portfolio companies, some even reaching a size of $1 billion. But Troy decided to follow his creative entrepreneurial spirit and carved his own path in the business he is passionate about, the whiskey business. In today’s episode, Chris and Troy sit down to discuss behind-the-scenes in the whiskey business, how to build a world-class brand, and the details of building (and exiting) a successful business. Make sure to check it out! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How Troy got started in whiskey (01:11) Why was nobody making whiskey in Texas before? (07:41) Pursuing whiskey full-time (11:09) Coming up with a name (18:03) Making a unique pitch (35:12) Troy’s big influence (39:12) Purchasing a golf course (1:01:11) Mistakes made along the way (1:04:53) Deciding to sell (1:14:16) Did Troy want to sell? (1:20:09) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 14 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0000 full 263 Chris Powers We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash. http://www.thefortpod.com/survey EPISODE #263 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by the co-founder of the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, Troy Robertson. Troy grew up in West Texas in a family that was heavily involved in the oil and gas industry. He studied business at Texas Tech University before going on to spend 10 years in the finance side of oil and gas. Troy took the responsibility of fundraising, structuring, strategy, and operations evaluation for more than 20 portfolio companies, some even reaching a size of $1 billion. But Troy decided to follow his creative entrepreneurial spirit and carved his own path in the business he is passionate about, the whiskey business. In today’s episode, Chris and Troy sit down to discuss behind-the-scenes in the whiskey business, how to build a world-class brand, and the details of building (and exiting) a successful business. Make sure to check it out! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How Troy got started in whiskey (01:11) Why was nobody making whiskey in Texas before? (07:41) Pursuing whiskey full-time (11:09) Coming up with a name (18:03) Making a unique pitch (35:12) Troy’s big influence (39:12) Purchasing a golf course (1:01:11) Mistakes made along the way (1:04:53) Deciding to sell (1:14:16) Did Troy want to sell? (1:20:09) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.


http://www.thefortpod.com/survey


EPISODE #263 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by the co-founder of the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, Troy Robertson.


Troy grew up in West Texas in a family that was heavily involved in the oil and gas industry. He studied business at Texas Tech University before going on to spend 10 years in the finance side of oil and gas.


Troy took the responsibility of fundraising, structuring, strategy, and operations evaluation for more than 20 portfolio companies, some even reaching a size of $1 billion.


But Troy decided to follow his creative entrepreneurial spirit and carved his own path in the business he is passionate about, the whiskey business.


In today’s episode, Chris and Troy sit down to discuss behind-the-scenes in the whiskey business, how to build a world-class brand, and the details of building (and exiting) a successful business.


Make sure to check it out!


Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

How Troy got started in whiskey (01:11)

Why was nobody making whiskey in Texas before? (07:41)

Pursuing whiskey full-time (11:09)

Coming up with a name (18:03)

Making a unique pitch (35:12)

Troy’s big influence (39:12)

Purchasing a golf course (1:01:11)

Mistakes made along the way (1:04:53)

Deciding to sell (1:14:16)

Did Troy want to sell? (1:20:09)


Additional Resources:


➡️ Learn more about Relay Human Cloud


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube


--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 5646 no #261 - Alex Olshansky - Principal at Zenith IOS - Industrial Outdoor Storage 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com EPISODE #261 In today’s episode, we are joined by Alex Olshansky, Principal, and Head of Investments at Zenith IOS. Zenith is one of the largest institutional owners of industrial outdoor storage assets in the US. Alex’s well-decorated CV began with a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, and he received an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. After graduating, Alex worked in acquisitions and asset management for IDS Real Estate Group, with a focus on industrial, office, and retail assets in Southern California and San Francisco. He later joined Abingdon Square Partners in 2017 and was primarily responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities. In today’s episode, Chris and Alex go through what IOS is, how Zenith underwrites IOS deals, and how exactly they decided to go all in on IOS. Make sure to listen in! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) What is IOS? (01:02)  How did Alex get here? (02:14)  How has IOS been maturing? (04:36) What makes a great IOS deal? (11:00) How property management looks (14:10) How is the market developing (15:50) Zenith’s process for new markets (25:05) How Zenith is approaching 2023 (32:56) Driving value (40:07) Episode wrap-up (47:32) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0000 full 261 Chris Powers EPISODE #261 In today’s episode, we are joined by Alex Olshansky, Principal, and Head of Investments at Zenith IOS. Zenith is one of the largest institutional owners of industrial outdoor storage assets in the US. Alex’s well-decorated CV began with a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, and he received an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. After graduating, Alex worked in acquisitions and asset management for IDS Real Estate Group, with a focus on industrial, office, and retail assets in Southern California and San Francisco. He later joined Abingdon Square Partners in 2017 and was primarily responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities. In today’s episode, Chris and Alex go through what IOS is, how Zenith underwrites IOS deals, and how exactly they decided to go all in on IOS. Make sure to listen in! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) What is IOS? (01:02)  How did Alex get here? (02:14)  How has IOS been maturing? (04:36) What makes a great IOS deal? (11:00) How property management looks (14:10) How is the market developing (15:50) Zenith’s process for new markets (25:05) How Zenith is approaching 2023 (32:56) Driving value (40:07) Episode wrap-up (47:32) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! EPISODE #261 In today’s episode, we are joined by Alex Olshansky, Principal, and Head of Investments at Zenith IOS. Zenith is one of the largest institutional owners of industrial outdoor storage assets in the US.


Alex’s well-decorated CV began with a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, and he received an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. After graduating, Alex worked in acquisitions and asset management for IDS Real Estate Group, with a focus on industrial, office, and retail assets in Southern California and San Francisco.


He later joined Abingdon Square Partners in 2017 and was primarily responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities.


In today’s episode, Chris and Alex go through what IOS is, how Zenith underwrites IOS deals, and how exactly they decided to go all in on IOS.


Make sure to listen in!


Key Takeaways:


  • Intro (00:00)
  • What is IOS? (01:02) 
  • How did Alex get here? (02:14) 
  • How has IOS been maturing? (04:36)
  • What makes a great IOS deal? (11:00)
  • How property management looks (14:10)
  • How is the market developing (15:50)
  • Zenith’s process for new markets (25:05)
  • How Zenith is approaching 2023 (32:56)
  • Driving value (40:07)
  • Episode wrap-up (47:32)


Additional Resources:


➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube



--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 2994 no #260 - Brian Good - CEO of iBorrow - How The Lending Market is Changing | The FORT #260 https://www.TheFortPod.com EPISODE #260 In today’s episode, we are joined by Brian Good, the co-founder and CEO of iBorrow. iBorrow is a nationwide real estate lender made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, with an impressive track record of over $1 billion. Brian also founded TenantDirect, the first web-based property management software. Brian has moderated and served on a number of panels during his career, including panels for UCLA, YPO, Bisnow, and IMN. Currently, he sits on the Board of Advisors for the Ziman Center for Real Estate as part of the Anderson School of Business at UCLA. In this episode, we’ll be covering everything from Brian’s backstory and why he moved from equity real estate to debt real estate to how iBorrow underwrites borrowers and how the private lending market has changed going into 2023. Make sure to listen in! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) What brought Brian to debt real estate? (01:39) Why did he want to make the switch? (05:46) The difference between iBorrow and other lenders (08:23) What Are Bad-Boy Carve Outs? (10:12) How has the market changed over the last year? (13:14) How should we plan out the year ahead? (29:12) How leasing activity is looking now (43:07) Episode wrap-up (55:36) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 24 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0000 Brian Good - CEO of iBorrow - How The Lending Market is Changing | The FORT #260 full 260 Chris Powers EPISODE #260 In today’s episode, we are joined by Brian Good, the co-founder and CEO of iBorrow. iBorrow is a nationwide real estate lender made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, with an impressive track record of over $1 billion. Brian also founded TenantDirect, the first web-based property management software. Brian has moderated and served on a number of panels during his career, including panels for UCLA, YPO, Bisnow, and IMN. Currently, he sits on the Board of Advisors for the Ziman Center for Real Estate as part of the Anderson School of Business at UCLA. In this episode, we’ll be covering everything from Brian’s backstory and why he moved from equity real estate to debt real estate to how iBorrow underwrites borrowers and how the private lending market has changed going into 2023. Make sure to listen in! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) What brought Brian to debt real estate? (01:39) Why did he want to make the switch? (05:46) The difference between iBorrow and other lenders (08:23) What Are Bad-Boy Carve Outs? (10:12) How has the market changed over the last year? (13:14) How should we plan out the year ahead? (29:12) How leasing activity is looking now (43:07) Episode wrap-up (55:36) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! EPISODE #260 In today’s episode, we are joined by Brian Good, the co-founder and CEO of iBorrow. iBorrow is a nationwide real estate lender made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, with an impressive track record of over $1 billion.


Brian also founded TenantDirect, the first web-based property management software. Brian has moderated and served on a number of panels during his career, including panels for UCLA, YPO, Bisnow, and IMN. Currently, he sits on the Board of Advisors for the Ziman Center for Real Estate as part of the Anderson School of Business at UCLA.


In this episode, we’ll be covering everything from Brian’s backstory and why he moved from equity real estate to debt real estate to how iBorrow underwrites borrowers and how the private lending market has changed going into 2023.


Make sure to listen in!



Key Takeaways:


Intro (00:00)

What brought Brian to debt real estate? (01:39)

Why did he want to make the switch? (05:46)

The difference between iBorrow and other lenders (08:23)

What Are Bad-Boy Carve Outs? (10:12)

How has the market changed over the last year? (13:14)

How should we plan out the year ahead? (29:12)

How leasing activity is looking now (43:07)

Episode wrap-up (55:36)


Additional Resources:


➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube



--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 3434 no #259 - Aaron Rubin - Founder & CEO of ShipHero - Building a Better Supply Chain | The FORT #259 https://www.TheFortPod.com EPISODE #259 After being bailed out of his first company by his dad 15 years ago while in college, Aaron Rubin learned his lesson and founded ShipHero in 2013 as a warehouse management system for e-commerce shippers.  Since then, ShipHero has gone on to serve around $8 billion per year in orders from e-commerce stores.  In the last 3 years alone, they have opened up 9 warehouses across the country to manage shipping and fulfillment for medium and large businesses including Shopify, Canadian Tire, Glossier and Universal Music Group. Aaron is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization.  In today’s episode, Aaron sits down to discuss his backstory, how he almost went bankrupt in 2008, taking inspiration from Amazon, and what lies ahead in 2023 for the logistics world. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How Aaron got started (01:30) What is ShipHero? (07:32) The problem with copying Amazon (13:25) Everyone hates logistics (22:51) The state of the market (28:08) What’s going on with supply chains (37:15) Is manufacturing leaving China? (43:33) What’s coming up in 2023 (48:44) The future of the workforce (58:36) Episode wrap-up (1:05:07) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 17 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0000 Aaron Rubin - Founder & CEO of ShipHero - Building a Better Supply Chain | The FORT #259 full 259 Chris Powers EPISODE #259 After being bailed out of his first company by his dad 15 years ago while in college, Aaron Rubin learned his lesson and founded ShipHero in 2013 as a warehouse management system for e-commerce shippers.  Since then, ShipHero has gone on to serve around $8 billion per year in orders from e-commerce stores.  In the last 3 years alone, they have opened up 9 warehouses across the country to manage shipping and fulfillment for medium and large businesses including Shopify, Canadian Tire, Glossier and Universal Music Group. Aaron is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization.  In today’s episode, Aaron sits down to discuss his backstory, how he almost went bankrupt in 2008, taking inspiration from Amazon, and what lies ahead in 2023 for the logistics world. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How Aaron got started (01:30) What is ShipHero? (07:32) The problem with copying Amazon (13:25) Everyone hates logistics (22:51) The state of the market (28:08) What’s going on with supply chains (37:15) Is manufacturing leaving China? (43:33) What’s coming up in 2023 (48:44) The future of the workforce (58:36) Episode wrap-up (1:05:07) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/ ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! EPISODE #259 After being bailed out of his first company by his dad 15 years ago while in college, Aaron Rubin learned his lesson and founded ShipHero in 2013 as a warehouse management system for e-commerce shippers. 


Since then, ShipHero has gone on to serve around $8 billion per year in orders from e-commerce stores. 


In the last 3 years alone, they have opened up 9 warehouses across the country to manage shipping and fulfillment for medium and large businesses including Shopify, Canadian Tire, Glossier and Universal Music Group.


Aaron is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. 


In today’s episode, Aaron sits down to discuss his backstory, how he almost went bankrupt in 2008, taking inspiration from Amazon, and what lies ahead in 2023 for the logistics world.



Key Takeaways:


  • Intro (00:00)
  • How Aaron got started (01:30)
  • What is ShipHero? (07:32)
  • The problem with copying Amazon (13:25)
  • Everyone hates logistics (22:51)
  • The state of the market (28:08)
  • What’s going on with supply chains (37:15)
  • Is manufacturing leaving China? (43:33)
  • What’s coming up in 2023 (48:44)
  • The future of the workforce (58:36)
  • Episode wrap-up (1:05:07)


Additional Resources:


➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris


➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/


➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube



--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

]]> 3984 no #258 - Fort Capital’s 2022 Year in Review | The FORT #258 https://www.TheFortPod.com EPISODE #258 In today’s episode, Chris Powers and Jason Baxter take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss the biggest wins of the year. How our team and technology have progressed, how we are looking at the market in 2023, what makes Fort Capital so special, and much, much more. At Fort Capital, our mission is to become the best real estate operator in the entire world. We’re always considering how we can operate better, acquire more real estate, improve our credibility and track record, attract top-tier talent, and drive more profit and returns to our investors. So I’m delighted to say that following off the back of an incredible year in 2021, in which we smashed all of the targets we outlined in last year’s Year in Review, we have stretched even further in 2022 to outperform our initial goals in every metric we set out. Today, I'm excited to discuss and hope you can take something from what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months and carry it with you in 2023. Fort Capital's 2022 Annual Report: https://fortcapitallp.com/2022-annual-report/ Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) The background to 2022 (02:24) Our revamped investor reporting process (12:35) Our underwriting import tool (19:48) Our brand-new deal sourcing tool (29:29) How do we effectively work through markets? (36:55) What sets us apart in our industry? (43:01) How our dashboard utilization has improved so rapidly (52:11) Cash management for 2023 and beyond (1:01:36) What we achieved in 2022 (1:09:20) Fort Capital University (1:17:05) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/   ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris   ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/   ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube     -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! Tue, 10 Jan 2023 05:01:00 -0000 Fort Capital’s 2022 Year in Review | The FORT #258 full 258 Chris Powers EPISODE #258 In today’s episode, Chris Powers and Jason Baxter take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss the biggest wins of the year. How our team and technology have progressed, how we are looking at the market in 2023, what makes Fort Capital so special, and much, much more. At Fort Capital, our mission is to become the best real estate operator in the entire world. We’re always considering how we can operate better, acquire more real estate, improve our credibility and track record, attract top-tier talent, and drive more profit and returns to our investors. So I’m delighted to say that following off the back of an incredible year in 2021, in which we smashed all of the targets we outlined in last year’s Year in Review, we have stretched even further in 2022 to outperform our initial goals in every metric we set out. Today, I'm excited to discuss and hope you can take something from what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months and carry it with you in 2023. Fort Capital's 2022 Annual Report: https://fortcapitallp.com/2022-annual-report/ Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) The background to 2022 (02:24) Our revamped investor reporting process (12:35) Our underwriting import tool (19:48) Our brand-new deal sourcing tool (29:29) How do we effectively work through markets? (36:55) What sets us apart in our industry? (43:01) How our dashboard utilization has improved so rapidly (52:11) Cash management for 2023 and beyond (1:01:36) What we achieved in 2022 (1:09:20) Fort Capital University (1:17:05) Additional Resources: ➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here ➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   ➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/   ➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris   ➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ ➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/   ➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube     -- The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode! EPISODE #258 In today’s episode, Chris Powers and Jason Baxter take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss the biggest wins of the year. How our team and technology have progressed, how we are looking at the market in 2023, what makes Fort Capital so special, and much, much more.


At Fort Capital, our mission is to become the best real estate operator in the entire world. We’re always considering how we can operate better, acquire more real estate, improve our credibility and track record, attract top-tier talent, and drive more profit and returns to our investors.


So I’m delighted to say that following off the back of an incredible year in 2021, in which we smashed all of the targets we outlined in last year’s Year in Review, we have stretched even further in 2022 to outperform our initial goals in every metric we set out.


Today, I'm excited to discuss and hope you can take something from what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months and carry it with you in 2023.


Fort Capital's 2022 Annual Report: https://fortcapitallp.com/2022-annual-report/


Key Takeaways:


  • Intro (00:00)
  • The background to 2022 (02:24)
  • Our revamped investor reporting process (12:35)
  • Our underwriting import tool (19:48)
  • Our brand-new deal sourcing tool (29:29)
  • How do we effectively work through markets? (36:55)
  • What sets us apart in our industry? (43:01)
  • How our dashboard utilization has improved so rapidly (52:11)
  • Cash management for 2023 and beyond (1:01:36)
  • What we achieved in 2022 (1:09:20)
  • Fort Capital University (1:17:05)



Additional Resources:


➡️ Learn more about Juniper Square here


➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

 

➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

 

➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris

 

➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/

 

➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube

 

 

--

The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.


Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!


]]> 5345 no #257: Kyle O'Hehir - Co-Founder of Constitution Lending - Crack Houses, Buying Distressed Debt, & High Yield Loans https://www.TheFortPod.com Kyle started his fixed-income career on a J.P. Morgan trading desk before joining multi-strategy hedge fund Millennium. In 2018, Kyle left Millennium to manage his own capital, emphasizing real estate debt investing. He has experience investing across the real estate capital structure, including first and second-lien mortgages, tax liens, and equity. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Maryland. On this episode Chris & Kyle discuss: what he learned from trading at hedge funds on Wall Street and why he eventually decided to start buying crack houses how to find and buy distressed debt different types of high-yield loans and strategies forward thoughts on the 2023 real estate market and more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/financeguy725 Constitutional Lending: https://constlending.com/invest Topics: (2:05) - How did you get into Wall St. and where did that transform into buying crackhouses? (5:22) - How do you come up with a trade idea? (9:20) - How often do you need to have an idea? (11:08) - How accurate is the show Billions? (13:09) - Why forces people to stay in the Wall St. world? (15:12) - What code do you write? (16:36) - How would you describe what you do today? (19:25) - What are you seeing in lending right now? (24:34) - How would you predict the lending industry’s future in the short to medium term? (27:12) - What’s happening in Office right now? (30:21) - What happens on your end when someone presents a loan for you to buy? (38:31) - What happens when you take control of an asset? (45:03) - Wanting to own a bank  (45:42) - How do you source these non-performing loans? (50:13) - Is your model scalable? (51:40 - What is a Prevent Foreclosure Loan? (54:20 - What’s an Airbnb Loan? (57:02) - Punting assets vs. Running a business (1:00:35) - Do you think sometimes your ability to operate hurts you? (1:03:52) - Will high-yield loans still be 8-12% in ’23? (1:05:06) - What needs to happen for money to start moving again? (1:10:05) - What do you think about in terms of existential risks to your business? (1:12:58) - Ranting about insurance (1:23:07) - Wrapping up Tue, 03 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0000 #257: Kyle O'Hehir - Co-Founder of Constitution Lending - Crack Houses, Buying Distressed Debt, & High Yield Loans full 1 257 Chris Powers Kyle started his fixed-income career on a J.P. Morgan trading desk before joining multi-strategy hedge fund Millennium. In 2018, Kyle left Millennium to manage his own capital, emphasizing real estate debt investing. He has experience investing across the real estate capital structure, including first and second-lien mortgages, tax liens, and equity. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Maryland. On this episode Chris & Kyle discuss: what he learned from trading at hedge funds on Wall Street and why he eventually decided to start buying crack houses how to find and buy distressed debt different types of high-yield loans and strategies forward thoughts on the 2023 real estate market and more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/financeguy725 Constitutional Lending: https://constlending.com/invest Topics: (2:05) - How did you get into Wall St. and where did that transform into buying crackhouses? (5:22) - How do you come up with a trade idea? (9:20) - How often do you need to have an idea? (11:08) - How accurate is the show Billions? (13:09) - Why forces people to stay in the Wall St. world? (15:12) - What code do you write? (16:36) - How would you describe what you do today? (19:25) - What are you seeing in lending right now? (24:34) - How would you predict the lending industry’s future in the short to medium term? (27:12) - What’s happening in Office right now? (30:21) - What happens on your end when someone presents a loan for you to buy? (38:31) - What happens when you take control of an asset? (45:03) - Wanting to own a bank  (45:42) - How do you source these non-performing loans? (50:13) - Is your model scalable? (51:40 - What is a Prevent Foreclosure Loan? (54:20 - What’s an Airbnb Loan? (57:02) - Punting assets vs. Running a business (1:00:35) - Do you think sometimes your ability to operate hurts you? (1:03:52) - Will high-yield loans still be 8-12% in ’23? (1:05:06) - What needs to happen for money to start moving again? (1:10:05) - What do you think about in terms of existential risks to your business? (1:12:58) - Ranting about insurance (1:23:07) - Wrapping up Kyle started his fixed-income career on a J.P. Morgan trading desk before joining multi-strategy hedge fund Millennium. In 2018, Kyle left Millennium to manage his own capital, emphasizing real estate debt investing. He has experience investing across the real estate capital structure, including first and second-lien mortgages, tax liens, and equity. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Maryland.


On this episode Chris & Kyle discuss:

  • what he learned from trading at hedge funds on Wall Street and why he eventually decided to start buying crack houses
  • how to find and buy distressed debt
  • different types of high-yield loans and strategies
  • forward thoughts on the 2023 real estate market
  • and more!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Follow Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/financeguy725

Constitutional Lending: https://constlending.com/invest


Topics:


(2:05) - How did you get into Wall St. and where did that transform into buying crackhouses?

(5:22) - How do you come up with a trade idea?

(9:20) - How often do you need to have an idea?

(11:08) - How accurate is the show Billions?

(13:09) - Why forces people to stay in the Wall St. world?

(15:12) - What code do you write?

(16:36) - How would you describe what you do today?

(19:25) - What are you seeing in lending right now?

(24:34) - How would you predict the lending industry’s future in the short to medium term?

(27:12) - What’s happening in Office right now?

(30:21) - What happens on your end when someone presents a loan for you to buy?

(38:31) - What happens when you take control of an asset?

(45:03) - Wanting to own a bank 

(45:42) - How do you source these non-performing loans?

(50:13) - Is your model scalable?

(51:40 - What is a Prevent Foreclosure Loan?

(54:20 - What’s an Airbnb Loan?

(57:02) - Punting assets vs. Running a business

(1:00:35) - Do you think sometimes your ability to operate hurts you?

(1:03:52) - Will high-yield loans still be 8-12% in ’23?

(1:05:06) - What needs to happen for money to start moving again?

(1:10:05) - What do you think about in terms of existential risks to your business?

(1:12:58) - Ranting about insurance

(1:23:07) - Wrapping up


]]> 5125 no #256: Ryan Eisenman - Co-Founder of Arch - Building The Digital Admin for Private Investments https://www.TheFortPod.com Ryan Eisenman is the co-founder and CEO of Arch, a digital solution utilized by over 180 private investment firms to automate the administration and management of tens of $Bs of alternative investments. Ryan is a Houston native, graduated from Vanderbilt University, and now lives in New York City where Arch is headquartered. On this episode Chris and Ryan discuss: the story of how he got the idea to build and execute on Arch the issues behind managing wealth and private investments how he raised VC capital Ryan asks Chris several questions about his career Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Links: Ryan on Twitter Arch Topics: (2:27) - Ryan’s background and career (3:49) - The Israeli Entrepreneurship scene (6:41) - Ryan’s journey to founding Arch (12:16) - What are you solving with Arch? (14:15) - Who are the customers for Arch? (15:13) - What was your experience raising capital in 2021? (17:14) - What do you lean on VC’s for? (19:20) - How do you break into the VC world and start setting meetings? (20:30) - How long did it take to convince your first major investor? (23:09) - How often do you talk to your investors? (23:25) - What’s “the next stage” of the business? (24:53) - Why was $1mm in revenue the point where you brought in more sales staff? (26:37) - How has your role changed as the company grows? Ryan Interviews Chris (28:17) - Chris’ thoughts on what’s broken in this industry (33:11) - What is and what should your first step be after a major liquidity event? (35:16) - What separates a great advisor from the rest of the pack? (38:27) - Chris’ role as an asset Manager and the purpose of Fort Capital (40:54) - How did you raise your first deals? (42:13) - Where do you see FC in 5 years? 15 years? (43:29) - How is the current market affecting your strategy? (48:43) - Being fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful (52:10)- What would you be building if you had to work somewhere else? Tue, 27 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #256: Ryan Eisenman - Co-Founder of Arch - Building The Digital Admin for Private Investments full 1 256 Chris Powers Ryan Eisenman is the co-founder and CEO of Arch, a digital solution utilized by over 180 private investment firms to automate the administration and management of tens of $Bs of alternative investments. Ryan is a Houston native, graduated from Vanderbilt University, and now lives in New York City where Arch is headquartered. On this episode Chris and Ryan discuss: the story of how he got the idea to build and execute on Arch the issues behind managing wealth and private investments how he raised VC capital Ryan asks Chris several questions about his career Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Links: Ryan on Twitter Arch Topics: (2:27) - Ryan’s background and career (3:49) - The Israeli Entrepreneurship scene (6:41) - Ryan’s journey to founding Arch (12:16) - What are you solving with Arch? (14:15) - Who are the customers for Arch? (15:13) - What was your experience raising capital in 2021? (17:14) - What do you lean on VC’s for? (19:20) - How do you break into the VC world and start setting meetings? (20:30) - How long did it take to convince your first major investor? (23:09) - How often do you talk to your investors? (23:25) - What’s “the next stage” of the business? (24:53) - Why was $1mm in revenue the point where you brought in more sales staff? (26:37) - How has your role changed as the company grows? Ryan Interviews Chris (28:17) - Chris’ thoughts on what’s broken in this industry (33:11) - What is and what should your first step be after a major liquidity event? (35:16) - What separates a great advisor from the rest of the pack? (38:27) - Chris’ role as an asset Manager and the purpose of Fort Capital (40:54) - How did you raise your first deals? (42:13) - Where do you see FC in 5 years? 15 years? (43:29) - How is the current market affecting your strategy? (48:43) - Being fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful (52:10)- What would you be building if you had to work somewhere else? Ryan Eisenman is the co-founder and CEO of Arch, a digital solution utilized by over 180 private investment firms to automate the administration and management of tens of $Bs of alternative investments.


Ryan is a Houston native, graduated from Vanderbilt University, and now lives in New York City where Arch is headquartered.


On this episode Chris and Ryan discuss:

  • the story of how he got the idea to build and execute on Arch
  • the issues behind managing wealth and private investments
  • how he raised VC capital
  • Ryan asks Chris several questions about his career


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 


Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Links:

Ryan on Twitter

Arch


Topics:

(2:27) - Ryan’s background and career

(3:49) - The Israeli Entrepreneurship scene

(6:41) - Ryan’s journey to founding Arch

(12:16) - What are you solving with Arch?

(14:15) - Who are the customers for Arch?

(15:13) - What was your experience raising capital in 2021?

(17:14) - What do you lean on VC’s for?

(19:20) - How do you break into the VC world and start setting meetings?

(20:30) - How long did it take to convince your first major investor?

(23:09) - How often do you talk to your investors?

(23:25) - What’s “the next stage” of the business?

(24:53) - Why was $1mm in revenue the point where you brought in more sales staff?

(26:37) - How has your role changed as the company grows?


Ryan Interviews Chris


(28:17) - Chris’ thoughts on what’s broken in this industry

(33:11) - What is and what should your first step be after a major liquidity event?

(35:16) - What separates a great advisor from the rest of the pack?

(38:27) - Chris’ role as an asset Manager and the purpose of Fort Capital

(40:54) - How did you raise your first deals?

(42:13) - Where do you see FC in 5 years? 15 years?

(43:29) - How is the current market affecting your strategy?

(48:43) - Being fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful

(52:10)- What would you be building if you had to work somewhere else?

]]> 3428 no Welcome to The Fort https://www.TheFortPod.com Welcome to the Fort Podcast. It's my privilege to share with you the stories, ideas, knowledge, and strategies of our era's greatest business leaders. What started as a podcast focused on only real estate has grown to cover all types of businesses, industry breakdowns, leadership and market insights. Since I was a kid, listening to and exploring the stories, wisdom, and unique perspectives of others has been one of my passions. The Fort is the podcast I always wish I'd had. I can't thank you enough for listening, and my hope is you'll find value that you can go out and share with the rest of the world. Enjoy the show. Wed, 21 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0000 Welcome to The Fort trailer 1 1 Chris Powers Welcome to the Fort Podcast. It's my privilege to share with you the stories, ideas, knowledge, and strategies of our era's greatest business leaders. What started as a podcast focused on only real estate has grown to cover all types of businesses, industry breakdowns, leadership and market insights. Since I was a kid, listening to and exploring the stories, wisdom, and unique perspectives of others has been one of my passions. The Fort is the podcast I always wish I'd had. I can't thank you enough for listening, and my hope is you'll find value that you can go out and share with the rest of the world. Enjoy the show. Welcome to the Fort Podcast. It's my privilege to share with you the stories, ideas, knowledge, and strategies of our era's greatest business leaders. What started as a podcast focused on only real estate has grown to cover all types of businesses, industry breakdowns, leadership and market insights.

Since I was a kid, listening to and exploring the stories, wisdom, and unique perspectives of others has been one of my passions. The Fort is the podcast I always wish I'd had. I can't thank you enough for listening, and my hope is you'll find value that you can go out and share with the rest of the world.

Enjoy the show.

]]> 97 no #255: Greg "Gordo" Gordon - Founder/CEO of Gordon Highlander - A Leader On a Mission To Build Something Different https://www.TheFortPod.com Greg Gordon has a rich history in construction as a third-generation builder with over 25 years of industry experience. He started his career in shell construction and eventually transitioned to commercial interiors before founding Gordon Highlander in 2007. Under Greg’s leadership Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous awards as a result. But Greg’s true passion is for people and the relationships developed with both his team and clients. With a servant leadership approach to business, he has built a team of leaders who take ownership and pride in their work. It’s a reflect the organization’s mission of “building a legacy of helping others reach their God-given potential”. Greg attributes Gordon Highlander’s success to this culture model. On this episode Chris and Greg Discuss: a look into the commercial construction industry from 2007-Present what it's like to build for Amazon and how they built a prototype in 6 weeks how Greg views leadership and building a world-class culture leadership above and beyond "HR" Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Juniper Square Links: Gordon Highlander Greg on LinkedIn Topics: (3:22) - Gordo’s experience as 3rd generation in the Construction industry (5:12) - What does Gordon Highlander do? (7:57) - What is a “Gordon Highlander”? (10:03) - How has Industrial Finish-out evolved since ’07? (15:10) - At what point in development does GH get involved? (18:18) - What does a perfect project look like to you? (19:44) - How do you budget a project in this market? (23:45) - Are there any permanent changes to the industry since 2020? (28:00) - What do people need to unlearn? (31:42) - What are you seeing in Industrial innovation? (36:47) - Developing the GH/Amazon relationship (46:25) - How do you think about the final days of a project? (47:15) - What are you seeing in the market? (51:40) - What’s different in building office within industrial and office in a place like Old-Parkland? (54:52) - How do you think about change orders? (56:35) - The headlines vs. reality pertaining to Amazon slowing down development (58:24) - How do you think about legacy, servant leadership and culture? (1:06:51) - Teaching culture at Gordon Highlander (1:11:36) - Advice for young people (1:12:49) - Friendship, business (1:18:00) - Pain distorts your memory (1:19:51) - Treating your employees like people Tue, 20 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #255: Greg "Gordo" Gordon - Founder/CEO of Gordon Highlander - A Leader On a Mission To Build Something Different full 1 255 Chris Powers Greg Gordon has a rich history in construction as a third-generation builder with over 25 years of industry experience. He started his career in shell construction and eventually transitioned to commercial interiors before founding Gordon Highlander in 2007. Under Greg’s leadership Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous awards as a result. But Greg’s true passion is for people and the relationships developed with both his team and clients. With a servant leadership approach to business, he has built a team of leaders who take ownership and pride in their work. It’s a reflect the organization’s mission of “building a legacy of helping others reach their God-given potential”. Greg attributes Gordon Highlander’s success to this culture model. On this episode Chris and Greg Discuss: a look into the commercial construction industry from 2007-Present what it's like to build for Amazon and how they built a prototype in 6 weeks how Greg views leadership and building a world-class culture leadership above and beyond "HR" Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Juniper Square Links: Gordon Highlander Greg on LinkedIn Topics: (3:22) - Gordo’s experience as 3rd generation in the Construction industry (5:12) - What does Gordon Highlander do? (7:57) - What is a “Gordon Highlander”? (10:03) - How has Industrial Finish-out evolved since ’07? (15:10) - At what point in development does GH get involved? (18:18) - What does a perfect project look like to you? (19:44) - How do you budget a project in this market? (23:45) - Are there any permanent changes to the industry since 2020? (28:00) - What do people need to unlearn? (31:42) - What are you seeing in Industrial innovation? (36:47) - Developing the GH/Amazon relationship (46:25) - How do you think about the final days of a project? (47:15) - What are you seeing in the market? (51:40) - What’s different in building office within industrial and office in a place like Old-Parkland? (54:52) - How do you think about change orders? (56:35) - The headlines vs. reality pertaining to Amazon slowing down development (58:24) - How do you think about legacy, servant leadership and culture? (1:06:51) - Teaching culture at Gordon Highlander (1:11:36) - Advice for young people (1:12:49) - Friendship, business (1:18:00) - Pain distorts your memory (1:19:51) - Treating your employees like people Greg Gordon has a rich history in construction as a third-generation builder with over 25 years of industry experience. He started his career in shell construction and eventually transitioned to commercial interiors before founding Gordon Highlander in 2007.


Under Greg’s leadership Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous awards as a result. But Greg’s true passion is for people and the relationships developed with both his team and clients. With a servant leadership approach to business, he has built a team of leaders who take ownership and pride in their work. It’s a reflect the organization’s mission of “building a legacy of helping others reach their God-given potential”. Greg attributes Gordon Highlander’s success to this culture model.


On this episode Chris and Greg Discuss:

  • a look into the commercial construction industry from 2007-Present
  • what it's like to build for Amazon and how they built a prototype in 6 weeks
  • how Greg views leadership and building a world-class culture
  • leadership above and beyond "HR"


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 

Juniper Square


Links:

Gordon Highlander

Greg on LinkedIn


Topics:

(3:22) - Gordo’s experience as 3rd generation in the Construction industry

(5:12) - What does Gordon Highlander do?

(7:57) - What is a “Gordon Highlander”?

(10:03) - How has Industrial Finish-out evolved since ’07?

(15:10) - At what point in development does GH get involved?

(18:18) - What does a perfect project look like to you?

(19:44) - How do you budget a project in this market?

(23:45) - Are there any permanent changes to the industry since 2020?

(28:00) - What do people need to unlearn?

(31:42) - What are you seeing in Industrial innovation?

(36:47) - Developing the GH/Amazon relationship

(46:25) - How do you think about the final days of a project?

(47:15) - What are you seeing in the market?

(51:40) - What’s different in building office within industrial and office in a place like Old-Parkland?

(54:52) - How do you think about change orders?

(56:35) - The headlines vs. reality pertaining to Amazon slowing down development

(58:24) - How do you think about legacy, servant leadership and culture?

(1:06:51) - Teaching culture at Gordon Highlander

(1:11:36) - Advice for young people

(1:12:49) - Friendship, business

(1:18:00) - Pain distorts your memory

(1:19:51) - Treating your employees like people



]]> 5289 no #254: Sarah Kennington - Founder of Thirty-Four Commercial - The Queen of Office Leasing https://www.TheFortPod.com Sarah has 20 years of experience in office brokerage in the DFW region. Prior to founding Thirty-Four Commercial, she was previously a Principal at Peloton Commercial Real Estate (acquired by JLL in 2019) and an Associate at Transwestern. Sarah graduated from Miami University before relocating to Dallas, Texas in 2003. Sarah focuses her life on wellness and balance. In 2018, she obtained a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and children, as well as traveling whenever their schedule allows. On this episode, Chris and Sarah discuss: her career stories and the lessons she learned along the way her view of the current office environment and where we go from here how to lease Class A Office buildings how she leased a Class AA office building from the ground up how she manages a growing family and business Links: Thirty-Four Commercial The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren Topics: (3:21) - Sarah’s career & background (30:11) - What did you learn selling gym memberships that translate to any sales position? (33:01) - What does good training look like for people early in their RE career? (37:53) - How do you build trust with owners? (47:50) - How would you describe the office market today? (59:40) - What’s your process of working in development? (1:01:40) - Where do people waste money in office development? (1:07:53) - How do you approach marketing? (1:11:22) - When are you able to start leasing a building? (1:16:36) - Is there a point where you realize a deal isn’t going to get done? (1:18:43) - What’s your role once a new building is fully leased? (1:20:08) - What needs to happen for a lease to turnover? (1:23:05) - How do you balance building a family and a business? Tue, 13 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #254: Sarah Kennington - Founder of Thirty-Four Commercial - The Queen of Office Leasing full 1 254 Chris Powers Sarah has 20 years of experience in office brokerage in the DFW region. Prior to founding Thirty-Four Commercial, she was previously a Principal at Peloton Commercial Real Estate (acquired by JLL in 2019) and an Associate at Transwestern. Sarah graduated from Miami University before relocating to Dallas, Texas in 2003. Sarah focuses her life on wellness and balance. In 2018, she obtained a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and children, as well as traveling whenever their schedule allows. On this episode, Chris and Sarah discuss: her career stories and the lessons she learned along the way her view of the current office environment and where we go from here how to lease Class A Office buildings how she leased a Class AA office building from the ground up how she manages a growing family and business Links: Thirty-Four Commercial The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren Topics: (3:21) - Sarah’s career & background (30:11) - What did you learn selling gym memberships that translate to any sales position? (33:01) - What does good training look like for people early in their RE career? (37:53) - How do you build trust with owners? (47:50) - How would you describe the office market today? (59:40) - What’s your process of working in development? (1:01:40) - Where do people waste money in office development? (1:07:53) - How do you approach marketing? (1:11:22) - When are you able to start leasing a building? (1:16:36) - Is there a point where you realize a deal isn’t going to get done? (1:18:43) - What’s your role once a new building is fully leased? (1:20:08) - What needs to happen for a lease to turnover? (1:23:05) - How do you balance building a family and a business? Sarah has 20 years of experience in office brokerage in the DFW region. Prior to founding Thirty-Four Commercial, she was previously a Principal at Peloton Commercial Real Estate (acquired by JLL in 2019) and an Associate at Transwestern. Sarah graduated from Miami University before relocating to Dallas, Texas in 2003.


Sarah focuses her life on wellness and balance. In 2018, she obtained a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and children, as well as traveling whenever their schedule allows.


On this episode, Chris and Sarah discuss:

  • her career stories and the lessons she learned along the way
  • her view of the current office environment and where we go from here
  • how to lease Class A Office buildings
  • how she leased a Class AA office building from the ground up
  • how she manages a growing family and business


Links:


Thirty-Four Commercial

The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren


Topics:

(3:21) - Sarah’s career & background

(30:11) - What did you learn selling gym memberships that translate to any sales position?

(33:01) - What does good training look like for people early in their RE career?

(37:53) - How do you build trust with owners?

(47:50) - How would you describe the office market today?

(59:40) - What’s your process of working in development?

(1:01:40) - Where do people waste money in office development?

(1:07:53) - How do you approach marketing?

(1:11:22) - When are you able to start leasing a building?

(1:16:36) - Is there a point where you realize a deal isn’t going to get done?

(1:18:43) - What’s your role once a new building is fully leased?

(1:20:08) - What needs to happen for a lease to turnover?

(1:23:05) - How do you balance building a family and a business?

]]> 5556 no #253: Anthony "Pomp" Pompliano - Founder of Pomp Investments https://www.TheFortPod.com Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano is an entrepreneur and technology investor. He has built and sold numerous companies, ran Product & Growth teams at Facebook, and manages a portfolio valued at more than $500 million in early-stage tech companies. He currently runs his family office, which makes private investments and owns majority stakes in several operating businesses. Anthony also hosts popular conversations on “The Pomp Podcast,” which has been downloaded over 50 million times. Pomp also writes a letter that more than 225,000 investors read each morning. Lastly, Pomp’s interests lie at the intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship, and economics, which he tweets about extensively to his more than 1.6 million followers. On this episode, Chris & Pomp discuss: lessons Pomp learned from serving in the army and running product/growth teams at Facebook the benefits and downsides of being a public figure with large social following what is bitcoin and why is it important and his understanding of current crypto market what happened with FTX and its implications on crypto market Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Links: Pomp on Twitter PompLetter.com The Pomp Podcast (3:40) - Pomp’s time in the Army and lessons learned (9:18) - Experiences working at Facebook (12:31) - Tech company bloat (15:49) - Elon vs. Apple and if there’s a “they” out there (23:53) - How did you build your online presence? (28:19) - Have you self-censored since growing this massive audience? (32:39) - Pomp on shutting down The Best Business Show (35:47) - Is there a pathway that gets us to an internet that doesn’t incentivize ridiculousness? (37:49) - How did crypto enter your life? (41:02) - What is Bitcoin? (47:43) - Is there any version of the “promise” of Bitcoin that is playing out right now? (49:30) - Is there a point where the volatility of Bitcoin stops? (54:32) - Cryptocurrencies and Governments (1:00:13) - How would you pitch Bitcoin to governments? (1:08:05) - Breaking down the FTX fiasco (1:16:59) - Pomp’s experience at a LIV Golf Event Tue, 06 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #253: Anthony "Pomp" Pompliano - Founder of Pomp Investments full 1 253 Chris Powers Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano is an entrepreneur and technology investor. He has built and sold numerous companies, ran Product & Growth teams at Facebook, and manages a portfolio valued at more than $500 million in early-stage tech companies. He currently runs his family office, which makes private investments and owns majority stakes in several operating businesses. Anthony also hosts popular conversations on “The Pomp Podcast,” which has been downloaded over 50 million times. Pomp also writes a letter that more than 225,000 investors read each morning. Lastly, Pomp’s interests lie at the intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship, and economics, which he tweets about extensively to his more than 1.6 million followers. On this episode, Chris & Pomp discuss: lessons Pomp learned from serving in the army and running product/growth teams at Facebook the benefits and downsides of being a public figure with large social following what is bitcoin and why is it important and his understanding of current crypto market what happened with FTX and its implications on crypto market Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Links: Pomp on Twitter PompLetter.com The Pomp Podcast (3:40) - Pomp’s time in the Army and lessons learned (9:18) - Experiences working at Facebook (12:31) - Tech company bloat (15:49) - Elon vs. Apple and if there’s a “they” out there (23:53) - How did you build your online presence? (28:19) - Have you self-censored since growing this massive audience? (32:39) - Pomp on shutting down The Best Business Show (35:47) - Is there a pathway that gets us to an internet that doesn’t incentivize ridiculousness? (37:49) - How did crypto enter your life? (41:02) - What is Bitcoin? (47:43) - Is there any version of the “promise” of Bitcoin that is playing out right now? (49:30) - Is there a point where the volatility of Bitcoin stops? (54:32) - Cryptocurrencies and Governments (1:00:13) - How would you pitch Bitcoin to governments? (1:08:05) - Breaking down the FTX fiasco (1:16:59) - Pomp’s experience at a LIV Golf Event Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano is an entrepreneur and technology investor. He has built and sold numerous companies, ran Product & Growth teams at Facebook, and manages a portfolio valued at more than $500 million in early-stage tech companies. He currently runs his family office, which makes private investments and owns majority stakes in several operating businesses.


Anthony also hosts popular conversations on “The Pomp Podcast,” which has been downloaded over 50 million times. Pomp also writes a letter that more than 225,000 investors read each morning. Lastly, Pomp’s interests lie at the intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship, and economics, which he tweets about extensively to his more than 1.6 million followers.


On this episode, Chris & Pomp discuss:


  • lessons Pomp learned from serving in the army and running product/growth teams at Facebook
  • the benefits and downsides of being a public figure with large social following
  • what is bitcoin and why is it important and his understanding of current crypto market
  • what happened with FTX and its implications on crypto market


Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 


Links:

Pomp on Twitter

PompLetter.com

The Pomp Podcast


(3:40) - Pomp’s time in the Army and lessons learned

(9:18) - Experiences working at Facebook

(12:31) - Tech company bloat

(15:49) - Elon vs. Apple and if there’s a “they” out there

(23:53) - How did you build your online presence?

(28:19) - Have you self-censored since growing this massive audience?

(32:39) - Pomp on shutting down The Best Business Show

(35:47) - Is there a pathway that gets us to an internet that doesn’t incentivize ridiculousness?

(37:49) - How did crypto enter your life?

(41:02) - What is Bitcoin?

(47:43) - Is there any version of the “promise” of Bitcoin that is playing out right now?

(49:30) - Is there a point where the volatility of Bitcoin stops?

(54:32) - Cryptocurrencies and Governments

(1:00:13) - How would you pitch Bitcoin to governments?

(1:08:05) - Breaking down the FTX fiasco

(1:16:59) - Pomp’s experience at a LIV Golf Event

]]> 4847 no #252: Jon Altschuler - Founder of Altschuler + Co - Dallas Office Market Past vs. Current vs. Future & 20+ years of lessons learned https://www.TheFortPod.com Jon Altschuler is the founder of Altschuler and Company and has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its founding in 2009. He started his career with Trammell Crow Company and was the president of Stream Realty Partners. Jon is the chairman of the SMU Dedman College executive board. Jon is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Jon earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.   On this episode, Chris and John discuss:   The current state of the office market and forward-looking thoughts.  Best practices for building a successful career in real estate. Future of co-working and office leases. What will happen to Class B office properties? Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Links: Jon on LinkedIn Altschuler + Co. Topics: (3:18) - Introducing Jon (4:50) - What is it about Trammel Crowe that creates so many all-start caliber RE people? (6:36) - Jon’s career in RE (8:25) - What was your perspective on the GFC? (10:41) - What does Altschuler + Co. do? (11:20) - What was the narrative back in ’07 vs. ’09 from the building-owner perspective? (14:09) - How would you describe the current market for Office? (18:37) - Tech-Giant Sub-leases (20:39) - Stranded Buildings (22:26) - Do you have any insight on the mounting developer debt? (23:33) - What do you predict for development? (24:23) - What are we experiencing in DFW? (26:21) - What does a great future for Office look like? (27:11) - Are you seeing any clustering of businesses similar to Old Parkland? (28:05) - Thoughts on co-working (30:02) - What’s the difference between a great leasing agent and a terrible one? (32:47) - What should tenants with 2 years on their lease left be thinking about? (34:46) - Are there any new amenities that are making buildings more competitive? (36:08) - What markets pique your interest? (37:10) - How does your job change as the tenant gets larger? (38:57) - How are tenants thinking about risk of leasing spaces that aren’t ready? (41:05) - What are you seeing in capital markets for Office? (41:45) - What’s the narrative for Dallas? (42:49) - What would you tell new people in the industry as we stare at a potential downturn? (44:02) - Who developed your marketing strategy? (45:14) - How are you preparing your team for the next 2-3 years? (45:52) - How did you develop your knack to outwork everyone? (48:28) - Becoming a Global Citizen (55:11) - What can Fort Worth do better to attract businesses? Tue, 29 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #252: Jon Altschuler - Founder of Altschuler + Co - Dallas Office Market Past vs. Current vs. Future & 20+ years of lessons learned full 1 252 Chris Powers Jon Altschuler is the founder of Altschuler and Company and has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its founding in 2009. He started his career with Trammell Crow Company and was the president of Stream Realty Partners. Jon is the chairman of the SMU Dedman College executive board. Jon is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Jon earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.   On this episode, Chris and John discuss:   The current state of the office market and forward-looking thoughts.  Best practices for building a successful career in real estate. Future of co-working and office leases. What will happen to Class B office properties? Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Links: Jon on LinkedIn Altschuler + Co. Topics: (3:18) - Introducing Jon (4:50) - What is it about Trammel Crowe that creates so many all-start caliber RE people? (6:36) - Jon’s career in RE (8:25) - What was your perspective on the GFC? (10:41) - What does Altschuler + Co. do? (11:20) - What was the narrative back in ’07 vs. ’09 from the building-owner perspective? (14:09) - How would you describe the current market for Office? (18:37) - Tech-Giant Sub-leases (20:39) - Stranded Buildings (22:26) - Do you have any insight on the mounting developer debt? (23:33) - What do you predict for development? (24:23) - What are we experiencing in DFW? (26:21) - What does a great future for Office look like? (27:11) - Are you seeing any clustering of businesses similar to Old Parkland? (28:05) - Thoughts on co-working (30:02) - What’s the difference between a great leasing agent and a terrible one? (32:47) - What should tenants with 2 years on their lease left be thinking about? (34:46) - Are there any new amenities that are making buildings more competitive? (36:08) - What markets pique your interest? (37:10) - How does your job change as the tenant gets larger? (38:57) - How are tenants thinking about risk of leasing spaces that aren’t ready? (41:05) - What are you seeing in capital markets for Office? (41:45) - What’s the narrative for Dallas? (42:49) - What would you tell new people in the industry as we stare at a potential downturn? (44:02) - Who developed your marketing strategy? (45:14) - How are you preparing your team for the next 2-3 years? (45:52) - How did you develop your knack to outwork everyone? (48:28) - Becoming a Global Citizen (55:11) - What can Fort Worth do better to attract businesses? Jon Altschuler is the founder of Altschuler and Company and has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its founding in 2009. He started his career with Trammell Crow Company and was the president of Stream Realty Partners. Jon is the chairman of the SMU Dedman College executive board.

Jon is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Jon earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

On this episode, Chris and John discuss:

 

  • The current state of the office market and forward-looking thoughts. 
  • Best practices for building a successful career in real estate.
  • Future of co-working and office leases.
  • What will happen to Class B office properties?


Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 


Links:

Jon on LinkedIn

Altschuler + Co.


Topics:

(3:18) - Introducing Jon

(4:50) - What is it about Trammel Crowe that creates so many all-start caliber RE people?

(6:36) - Jon’s career in RE

(8:25) - What was your perspective on the GFC?

(10:41) - What does Altschuler + Co. do?

(11:20) - What was the narrative back in ’07 vs. ’09 from the building-owner perspective?

(14:09) - How would you describe the current market for Office?

(18:37) - Tech-Giant Sub-leases

(20:39) - Stranded Buildings

(22:26) - Do you have any insight on the mounting developer debt?

(23:33) - What do you predict for development?

(24:23) - What are we experiencing in DFW?

(26:21) - What does a great future for Office look like?

(27:11) - Are you seeing any clustering of businesses similar to Old Parkland?

(28:05) - Thoughts on co-working

(30:02) - What’s the difference between a great leasing agent and a terrible one?

(32:47) - What should tenants with 2 years on their lease left be thinking about?

(34:46) - Are there any new amenities that are making buildings more competitive?

(36:08) - What markets pique your interest?

(37:10) - How does your job change as the tenant gets larger?

(38:57) - How are tenants thinking about risk of leasing spaces that aren’t ready?

(41:05) - What are you seeing in capital markets for Office?

(41:45) - What’s the narrative for Dallas?

(42:49) - What would you tell new people in the industry as we stare at a potential downturn?

(44:02) - Who developed your marketing strategy?

(45:14) - How are you preparing your team for the next 2-3 years?

(45:52) - How did you develop your knack to outwork everyone?

(48:28) - Becoming a Global Citizen

(55:11) - What can Fort Worth do better to attract businesses?

]]> 3595 no #251: Kevin Lackey - President of Freedom Powersports - Selling Freedom, Market Overview since COVID, and prioritizing what's important. https://www.TheFortPod.com Kevin Lackey is the President and CEO of Freedom Powersports, a dealership group based out of Fort Worth, Texas with 13 locations spanning three states. His career in the powersports industry started in 1998 where he worked his way up from a porter to manager to general manager and now owner and operator. Through strong leadership skills, dedication to operational excellence, and commitment to the industry he helped grow Freedom Powersports from $34.8M in sales in 2012 to a project of $157M in sales for 2021. Outside of Freedom Powersports, Kevin is on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bank, Motorcycle Industry Council, Yamaha Financial Services Council, BRP Dealer Advisory Council, Yamaha Financial Services Dealer Council, Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association, YPO Fort Worth Chapter Member and is on the Advisory Board for National Center for Middle Market. In 2019 Kevin was named the Entrepreneur of Excellence for the category of retail for Fort Worth Inc. Magazine and in 2016 he was named to the 40 under 40 by the Fort Worth Business Press. With continued growth on his mind, he has also become an active member of his community in Aledo, TX, started a podcast, and is always looking for the next opportunity.  On this episode Chris and Kevin discuss:   Deepdive into powersports industry since COVID.  Best practices learned over the years that helped build a great team and business. What he’s glad he did for the business so that it was easier to sell. (Sold to Rumble On.) Why Kevin has built a life that balances his family life with a demanding work schedule. Links: Kevin on LinkedIn Episode #4 of The Fort with Kevin Lackey The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Topics: (3:25) - Reminiscing (4:54) - How would you describe your business? (6:02) - What happened to Powersports during Covid? (9:20) - Why does focus matter so much? (12:05) - The power of EOS (17:15) - How did you navigate the Pandemic?  (30:23) - Is there anything you learned in the early months that will serve you the rest of your life? (32:58) - When did you start to consider the process of selling the business? (45:29) - What are the things you’re happy you did to get the business ready for a successful sale? (49:27) - How did you delegate duties to your CFO? (51:34) - Net Working Capital (1:02:16) - Are there things you wish you’d done to get the business ready for a successful sale? (1:04:22) - The experience of closing on the sale (1:09:09) - The importance of Fatherhood Tue, 22 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #251: Kevin Lackey - President of Freedom Powersports - Selling Freedom, Market Overview since COVID, and prioritizing what's important. full 1 251 Chris Powers Kevin Lackey is the President and CEO of Freedom Powersports, a dealership group based out of Fort Worth, Texas with 13 locations spanning three states. His career in the powersports industry started in 1998 where he worked his way up from a porter to manager to general manager and now owner and operator. Through strong leadership skills, dedication to operational excellence, and commitment to the industry he helped grow Freedom Powersports from $34.8M in sales in 2012 to a project of $157M in sales for 2021. Outside of Freedom Powersports, Kevin is on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bank, Motorcycle Industry Council, Yamaha Financial Services Council, BRP Dealer Advisory Council, Yamaha Financial Services Dealer Council, Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association, YPO Fort Worth Chapter Member and is on the Advisory Board for National Center for Middle Market. In 2019 Kevin was named the Entrepreneur of Excellence for the category of retail for Fort Worth Inc. Magazine and in 2016 he was named to the 40 under 40 by the Fort Worth Business Press. With continued growth on his mind, he has also become an active member of his community in Aledo, TX, started a podcast, and is always looking for the next opportunity.  On this episode Chris and Kevin discuss:   Deepdive into powersports industry since COVID.  Best practices learned over the years that helped build a great team and business. What he’s glad he did for the business so that it was easier to sell. (Sold to Rumble On.) Why Kevin has built a life that balances his family life with a demanding work schedule. Links: Kevin on LinkedIn Episode #4 of The Fort with Kevin Lackey The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Topics: (3:25) - Reminiscing (4:54) - How would you describe your business? (6:02) - What happened to Powersports during Covid? (9:20) - Why does focus matter so much? (12:05) - The power of EOS (17:15) - How did you navigate the Pandemic?  (30:23) - Is there anything you learned in the early months that will serve you the rest of your life? (32:58) - When did you start to consider the process of selling the business? (45:29) - What are the things you’re happy you did to get the business ready for a successful sale? (49:27) - How did you delegate duties to your CFO? (51:34) - Net Working Capital (1:02:16) - Are there things you wish you’d done to get the business ready for a successful sale? (1:04:22) - The experience of closing on the sale (1:09:09) - The importance of Fatherhood Kevin Lackey is the President and CEO of Freedom Powersports, a dealership group based out of Fort Worth, Texas with 13 locations spanning three states. His career in the powersports industry started in 1998 where he worked his way up from a porter to manager to general manager and now owner and operator. Through strong leadership skills, dedication to operational excellence, and commitment to the industry he helped grow Freedom Powersports from $34.8M in sales in 2012 to a project of $157M in sales for 2021. Outside of Freedom Powersports, Kevin is on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bank, Motorcycle Industry Council, Yamaha Financial Services Council, BRP Dealer Advisory Council, Yamaha Financial Services Dealer Council, Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association, YPO Fort Worth Chapter Member and is on the Advisory Board for National Center for Middle Market. In 2019 Kevin was named the Entrepreneur of Excellence for the category of retail for Fort Worth Inc. Magazine and in 2016 he was named to the 40 under 40 by the Fort Worth Business Press. With continued growth on his mind, he has also become an active member of his community in Aledo, TX, started a podcast, and is always looking for the next opportunity. 


On this episode Chris and Kevin discuss:

 

  • Deepdive into powersports industry since COVID. 
  • Best practices learned over the years that helped build a great team and business.
  • What he’s glad he did for the business so that it was easier to sell. (Sold to Rumble On.)
  • Why Kevin has built a life that balances his family life with a demanding work schedule.


Links:

Kevin on LinkedIn

Episode #4 of The Fort with Kevin Lackey

The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 


Topics:

(3:25) - Reminiscing

(4:54) - How would you describe your business?

(6:02) - What happened to Powersports during Covid?

(9:20) - Why does focus matter so much?

(12:05) - The power of EOS

(17:15) - How did you navigate the Pandemic? 

(30:23) - Is there anything you learned in the early months that will serve you the rest of your life?

(32:58) - When did you start to consider the process of selling the business?

(45:29) - What are the things you’re happy you did to get the business ready for a successful sale?

(49:27) - How did you delegate duties to your CFO?

(51:34) - Net Working Capital

(1:02:16) - Are there things you wish you’d done to get the business ready for a successful sale?

(1:04:22) - The experience of closing on the sale

(1:09:09) - The importance of Fatherhood

]]> 5039 no #250: David Senra - Founders Podcast - The DNA of a Founder https://www.TheFortPod.com David Senra is the Founder of Founders Podcast. David has devoted his career to learning from history's greatest entrepreneurs.  David is on a mission to document the best ideas from the life and work of history’s most formidable people —and share those lessons through his podcast so others can benefit. He lives in Miami with his wife and two children.  On this episode, Chris and David discuss: His story and the challenges he faced growing up that shaped who he is today. Building his pod – a peak inside what an average week looks like. A deep dive discussion on founder characteristics and everything he's learned from reading hundreds of auto-biographies on the world's most extraordinary founders. A discussion on the economics and business of podcasting. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  More on David Senra: David on Twitter Listen to Founders Podcast Links to Books, Apps, Websites, etc. Mentioned on this episode: Sam Walton Autobiography Paul Graham essays Jocko Podcast The Everything Store Kanye West Netflix documentary Michael Arrieta on The Fort (Garden City) Trader Joe’s Autobiography Readwise App Becoming Steve Jobs Charles Kettering Biography A Man For All Markets Dark Genius of Wall Street Topics: (3:58) - Introducing David (6:11) - David’s background (15:32) - David’s passion for reading (17:00) - Reflecting on how we are shaped by our past (22:37) - Do you think it’s possible to build a generational business without childhood trauma? (30:20) - What led to you starting the podcast? (43:36) - What kept you going during your first 2 years when the show wasn’t profitable? (1:06:55) - What does a week in the life of David Senra look like? (1:15:07) - What was it about your appearance on ‘Invest like the Best’ that exploded the show? (1:20:09) - How big is the opportunity for podcasting? (1:50:46)- Of everyone you have studied, who is the #1 person in your eyes? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts  Tue, 15 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0000 #250: David Senra - Founders Podcast - The DNA of a Founder full 1 250 Chris Powers David Senra is the Founder of Founders Podcast. David has devoted his career to learning from history's greatest entrepreneurs.  David is on a mission to document the best ideas from the life and work of history’s most formidable people —and share those lessons through his podcast so others can benefit. He lives in Miami with his wife and two children.  On this episode, Chris and David discuss: His story and the challenges he faced growing up that shaped who he is today. Building his pod – a peak inside what an average week looks like. A deep dive discussion on founder characteristics and everything he's learned from reading hundreds of auto-biographies on the world's most extraordinary founders. A discussion on the economics and business of podcasting. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  More on David Senra: David on Twitter Listen to Founders Podcast Links to Books, Apps, Websites, etc. Mentioned on this episode: Sam Walton Autobiography Paul Graham essays Jocko Podcast The Everything Store Kanye West Netflix documentary Michael Arrieta on The Fort (Garden City) Trader Joe’s Autobiography Readwise App Becoming Steve Jobs Charles Kettering Biography A Man For All Markets Dark Genius of Wall Street Topics: (3:58) - Introducing David (6:11) - David’s background (15:32) - David’s passion for reading (17:00) - Reflecting on how we are shaped by our past (22:37) - Do you think it’s possible to build a generational business without childhood trauma? (30:20) - What led to you starting the podcast? (43:36) - What kept you going during your first 2 years when the show wasn’t profitable? (1:06:55) - What does a week in the life of David Senra look like? (1:15:07) - What was it about your appearance on ‘Invest like the Best’ that exploded the show? (1:20:09) - How big is the opportunity for podcasting? (1:50:46)- Of everyone you have studied, who is the #1 person in your eyes? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts  David Senra is the Founder of Founders Podcast. David has devoted his career to learning from history's greatest entrepreneurs. 


David is on a mission to document the best ideas from the life and work of history’s most formidable people —and share those lessons through his podcast so others can benefit. He lives in Miami with his wife and two children. 


On this episode, Chris and David discuss:


  • His story and the challenges he faced growing up that shaped who he is today.
  • Building his pod – a peak inside what an average week looks like.
  • A deep dive discussion on founder characteristics and everything he's learned from reading hundreds of auto-biographies on the world's most extraordinary founders.
  • A discussion on the economics and business of podcasting.


Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 


More on David Senra:

David on Twitter

Listen to Founders Podcast



Links to Books, Apps, Websites, etc. Mentioned on this episode:

Sam Walton Autobiography

Paul Graham essays

Jocko Podcast

The Everything Store

Kanye West Netflix documentary

Michael Arrieta on The Fort (Garden City)

Trader Joe’s Autobiography

Readwise App

Becoming Steve Jobs

Charles Kettering Biography

A Man For All Markets

Dark Genius of Wall Street



Topics:

(3:58) - Introducing David

(6:11) - David’s background

(15:32) - David’s passion for reading

(17:00) - Reflecting on how we are shaped by our past

(22:37) - Do you think it’s possible to build a generational business without childhood trauma?

(30:20) - What led to you starting the podcast?

(43:36) - What kept you going during your first 2 years when the show wasn’t profitable?

(1:06:55) - What does a week in the life of David Senra look like?

(1:15:07) - What was it about your appearance on ‘Invest like the Best’ that exploded the show?

(1:20:09) - How big is the opportunity for podcasting?

(1:50:46)- Of everyone you have studied, who is the #1 person in your eyes?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts 

]]> 7499 no #249: Cody Campbell - Co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy IV - A $6.4B Transaction, Energy Markets & Policy, NCAA / NIL https://www.TheFortPod.com Cody Campbell is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management, and co-founder of Double Eagle Development.  Campbell began his business career at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts. Campbell is a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), serves on the Advisory Council for the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech, and serves as a Board Member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and four children. On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss: The story of their $6.4B sale to Pioneer. Discussion on current energy markets and policy. Why we need to change the narrative on oil & gas to attract more labor into the industry. We talk about the NCAA & NIL programs and how Texas Tech has built The Matador Club to support athletes. Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Juniper Square Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Topics: (4:31) - Selling Double Eagle 3 to Pioneer (8:33) - Why was the industry valuing on a price per acre vs. EBITDA? (10:21) - What do “bits & pieces” mean and how are you able to do it at scale? (13:12) - Have there been 2 types of oil businesses that emerged since the shale revolution? (14:01) - Was there ever a moment during the pandemic when you considered not drilling? (15:00) - When did it become clear that selling was the best option? (19:20) - What blows up a deal like this? (20:13) - Starting back up again (22:02) - What are you seeing in the current state of the energy market? (30:24) - Is there any shift in the capital markets? (32:29) - Why has the Biden Admin shifted its stance on domestic production? (34:49) - How much of an impact does the Russia/Ukraine conflict have? (36:42) - What are you seeing in the labor market for Energy and Oil & Gas? (38:57) - How can the industry change its marketing efforts to encourage people to work in this field? (40:30) - How does this industry bring the rest of the world out of poverty? (43:21) - What’s happening outside of the US as we globally see energy prices spike? (44:47) - Even if we all flipped to a pro-oil stance instantly, how deep are we in the hole already? (47:19) - What are the different acreage tiers in oil fields? (50:16) - If oil is at $92 today, what’s the rate of return for drilling a well? (51:50) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will make it easier to get oil out of the ground? (53:01) - Why did the Kline Shale flop? (54:55) - Why did the Permian basin end up being such a hit? (55:48) - Where do you think we will peak in 2023? (57:02) - What is the NIL within the NCAA? (1:01:29) - The Matador Club at Texas Tech (1:04:33) - Is there a worry that the schools with the most capital secede and create their own league? (1:06:14) - Focusing athletes on their education (1:08:08) - Who’s making the rules for NIL? (1:09:05) - What is it that continues to motivate you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 08 Nov 2022 10:01:09 -0000 #249: Cody Campbell - Co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy IV - A $6.4B Transaction, Energy Markets & Policy, NCAA / NIL full 1 249 Chris Powers Cody Campbell is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management, and co-founder of Double Eagle Development.  Campbell began his business career at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts. Campbell is a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), serves on the Advisory Council for the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech, and serves as a Board Member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and four children. On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss: The story of their $6.4B sale to Pioneer. Discussion on current energy markets and policy. Why we need to change the narrative on oil & gas to attract more labor into the industry. We talk about the NCAA & NIL programs and how Texas Tech has built The Matador Club to support athletes. Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  Juniper Square Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Topics: (4:31) - Selling Double Eagle 3 to Pioneer (8:33) - Why was the industry valuing on a price per acre vs. EBITDA? (10:21) - What do “bits & pieces” mean and how are you able to do it at scale? (13:12) - Have there been 2 types of oil businesses that emerged since the shale revolution? (14:01) - Was there ever a moment during the pandemic when you considered not drilling? (15:00) - When did it become clear that selling was the best option? (19:20) - What blows up a deal like this? (20:13) - Starting back up again (22:02) - What are you seeing in the current state of the energy market? (30:24) - Is there any shift in the capital markets? (32:29) - Why has the Biden Admin shifted its stance on domestic production? (34:49) - How much of an impact does the Russia/Ukraine conflict have? (36:42) - What are you seeing in the labor market for Energy and Oil & Gas? (38:57) - How can the industry change its marketing efforts to encourage people to work in this field? (40:30) - How does this industry bring the rest of the world out of poverty? (43:21) - What’s happening outside of the US as we globally see energy prices spike? (44:47) - Even if we all flipped to a pro-oil stance instantly, how deep are we in the hole already? (47:19) - What are the different acreage tiers in oil fields? (50:16) - If oil is at $92 today, what’s the rate of return for drilling a well? (51:50) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will make it easier to get oil out of the ground? (53:01) - Why did the Kline Shale flop? (54:55) - Why did the Permian basin end up being such a hit? (55:48) - Where do you think we will peak in 2023? (57:02) - What is the NIL within the NCAA? (1:01:29) - The Matador Club at Texas Tech (1:04:33) - Is there a worry that the schools with the most capital secede and create their own league? (1:06:14) - Focusing athletes on their education (1:08:08) - Who’s making the rules for NIL? (1:09:05) - What is it that continues to motivate you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Cody Campbell is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management, and co-founder of Double Eagle Development. 

Campbell began his business career at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts.

Campbell is a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), serves on the Advisory Council for the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech, and serves as a Board Member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and four children.


On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss:

  • The story of their $6.4B sale to Pioneer.
  • Discussion on current energy markets and policy.
  • Why we need to change the narrative on oil & gas to attract more labor into the industry.
  • We talk about the NCAA & NIL programs and how Texas Tech has built The Matador Club to support athletes.


Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 

Juniper Square


Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Topics:

(4:31) - Selling Double Eagle 3 to Pioneer

(8:33) - Why was the industry valuing on a price per acre vs. EBITDA?

(10:21) - What do “bits & pieces” mean and how are you able to do it at scale?

(13:12) - Have there been 2 types of oil businesses that emerged since the shale revolution?

(14:01) - Was there ever a moment during the pandemic when you considered not drilling?

(15:00) - When did it become clear that selling was the best option?

(19:20) - What blows up a deal like this?

(20:13) - Starting back up again

(22:02) - What are you seeing in the current state of the energy market?

(30:24) - Is there any shift in the capital markets?

(32:29) - Why has the Biden Admin shifted its stance on domestic production?

(34:49) - How much of an impact does the Russia/Ukraine conflict have?

(36:42) - What are you seeing in the labor market for Energy and Oil & Gas?

(38:57) - How can the industry change its marketing efforts to encourage people to work in this field?

(40:30) - How does this industry bring the rest of the world out of poverty?

(43:21) - What’s happening outside of the US as we globally see energy prices spike?

(44:47) - Even if we all flipped to a pro-oil stance instantly, how deep are we in the hole already?

(47:19) - What are the different acreage tiers in oil fields?

(50:16) - If oil is at $92 today, what’s the rate of return for drilling a well?

(51:50) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will make it easier to get oil out of the ground?

(53:01) - Why did the Kline Shale flop?

(54:55) - Why did the Permian basin end up being such a hit?

(55:48) - Where do you think we will peak in 2023?

(57:02) - What is the NIL within the NCAA?

(1:01:29) - The Matador Club at Texas Tech

(1:04:33) - Is there a worry that the schools with the most capital secede and create their own league?

(1:06:14) - Focusing athletes on their education

(1:08:08) - Who’s making the rules for NIL?

(1:09:05) - What is it that continues to motivate you?


The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts


]]> 4427 no #248: Zamir Kazi - Founder & CEO of ZMR Capital - $0 to 1.7B of Multifamily Assets in 9 years https://www.TheFortPod.com Zamir Kazi started his career in Real Estate in 2013 after attending Florida State University buying and flipping duplexes. He formed Berkshire Property Holdings in 2014 (later rebranded to ZMR Capital) to acquire and redevelop multifamily Real Estate. In the past 9 years, as CEO of ZMR Capital, Zamir has acquired over $1.5B of multifamily assets. He has been the recipient of Globe Streets 50 under 40 and is an active investor and board member of multiple early-stage companies. Zamir also contributes significant time and resources to several charities. On this episode Chris and Zamir discuss: How he started his career in real estate. How ZMR Capital creates value in the assets they acquire. How ZMR selects markets to invest in. Current state of the multi-family market. Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  CRE Models Juniper Square Links: Zamir on LinkedIn ZMR Capital Topics: (3:52) - Zamir’s background and career (7:05) - What is it about Indian culture that wants their children to become doctors? (9:17) - How were you financing as you began to do bigger deals and turn this into a firm with employees? (11:22) - Did you manage properties yourself? (12:12) - How did you convince people to give you a deal without a track record? (15:09) - How were sourcing deals and why did you choose the markets you’re in? (16:40) - Have you stayed 3rd party on Property Management? (22:47) - What is an ideal Class A or B deal and how do you add value? (26:02) - Do you outsource construction & asset management? (27:24) - Do you send PM’s the same chart of accounts or do they each account differently? (28:15) - Do you have a 90-day game plan after closing a deal? (29:29) - How do you raise capital today? (30:25) - How are you thinking about the market right now? (32:52) - Is bridge debt still in the mix for you on deals you’re doing right now? (34:29) - Are rents still moving fast? (37:08) - Is there anything you’re seeing that could cause a major correction in MF pricing? (41:10) - Why are people selling right now given market conditions? (42:30) - How are you thinking about the tailwind given to MF by high mortgage interest rates? (43:50) - What do you see for your business over the next decade? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 01 Nov 2022 08:00:02 -0000 #248: Zamir Kazi - Founder & CEO of ZMR Capital - $0 to 1.7B of Multifamily Assets in 9 years full 1 248 Chris Powers Zamir Kazi started his career in Real Estate in 2013 after attending Florida State University buying and flipping duplexes. He formed Berkshire Property Holdings in 2014 (later rebranded to ZMR Capital) to acquire and redevelop multifamily Real Estate. In the past 9 years, as CEO of ZMR Capital, Zamir has acquired over $1.5B of multifamily assets. He has been the recipient of Globe Streets 50 under 40 and is an active investor and board member of multiple early-stage companies. Zamir also contributes significant time and resources to several charities. On this episode Chris and Zamir discuss: How he started his career in real estate. How ZMR Capital creates value in the assets they acquire. How ZMR selects markets to invest in. Current state of the multi-family market. Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  CRE Models Juniper Square Links: Zamir on LinkedIn ZMR Capital Topics: (3:52) - Zamir’s background and career (7:05) - What is it about Indian culture that wants their children to become doctors? (9:17) - How were you financing as you began to do bigger deals and turn this into a firm with employees? (11:22) - Did you manage properties yourself? (12:12) - How did you convince people to give you a deal without a track record? (15:09) - How were sourcing deals and why did you choose the markets you’re in? (16:40) - Have you stayed 3rd party on Property Management? (22:47) - What is an ideal Class A or B deal and how do you add value? (26:02) - Do you outsource construction & asset management? (27:24) - Do you send PM’s the same chart of accounts or do they each account differently? (28:15) - Do you have a 90-day game plan after closing a deal? (29:29) - How do you raise capital today? (30:25) - How are you thinking about the market right now? (32:52) - Is bridge debt still in the mix for you on deals you’re doing right now? (34:29) - Are rents still moving fast? (37:08) - Is there anything you’re seeing that could cause a major correction in MF pricing? (41:10) - Why are people selling right now given market conditions? (42:30) - How are you thinking about the tailwind given to MF by high mortgage interest rates? (43:50) - What do you see for your business over the next decade? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Zamir Kazi started his career in Real Estate in 2013 after attending Florida State University buying and flipping duplexes. He formed Berkshire Property Holdings in 2014 (later rebranded to ZMR Capital) to acquire and redevelop multifamily Real Estate. In the past 9 years, as CEO of ZMR Capital, Zamir has acquired over $1.5B of multifamily assets.


He has been the recipient of Globe Streets 50 under 40 and is an active investor and board member of multiple early-stage companies. Zamir also contributes significant time and resources to several charities.


On this episode Chris and Zamir discuss:


  • How he started his career in real estate.
  • How ZMR Capital creates value in the assets they acquire.
  • How ZMR selects markets to invest in.
  • Current state of the multi-family market.


Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 


Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 


Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ


Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast


Support our Sponsors:


Frank Kent Cadillac


CRE Daily Newsletter 


Fort Capital 


CRE Models


Juniper Square


Links:


Zamir on LinkedIn


ZMR Capital


Topics:


(3:52) - Zamir’s background and career


(7:05) - What is it about Indian culture that wants their children to become doctors?


(9:17) - How were you financing as you began to do bigger deals and turn this into a firm with employees?


(11:22) - Did you manage properties yourself?


(12:12) - How did you convince people to give you a deal without a track record?


(15:09) - How were sourcing deals and why did you choose the markets you’re in?


(16:40) - Have you stayed 3rd party on Property Management?


(22:47) - What is an ideal Class A or B deal and how do you add value?


(26:02) - Do you outsource construction & asset management?


(27:24) - Do you send PM’s the same chart of accounts or do they each account differently?


(28:15) - Do you have a 90-day game plan after closing a deal?


(29:29) - How do you raise capital today?


(30:25) - How are you thinking about the market right now?


(32:52) - Is bridge debt still in the mix for you on deals you’re doing right now?


(34:29) - Are rents still moving fast?


(37:08) - Is there anything you’re seeing that could cause a major correction in MF pricing?


(41:10) - Why are people selling right now given market conditions?


(42:30) - How are you thinking about the tailwind given to MF by high mortgage interest rates?


(43:50) - What do you see for your business over the next decade?


The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 2798 no #247: Will Churchill - Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company - Current State of Auto Industry and the Future of Car Dealerships https://www.TheFortPod.com Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company.  Frank Kent Cadillac has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 – 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. On this episode, Chris and Will discuss: A deep dive on the auto industry. The current state of the auto industry. What the future of buying cars looks like. DTC, EV cars, Hydrogen?! And more! Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  More Info: Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Links: The Fort #50 with Will Churchill Email Will: willc@fk1935.com Topics: (3:18) - Introducing Will (4:51) - Will’s background in the auto business (7:06) - What’s happened in auto over the past two years? (11:16) - Where are we now with the chip shortage? (13:10) - Thoughts on pricing strategies in the industry (17:53) - Where do people get auto loans from? (20:18) - Is there anything that changed through Covid that will be permanent? (22:37) - Moving the car buying experience online (27:43) - Thoughts on Carvana  (31:36) - Focusing on the Wholesale market (34:45) - What do most people do when they’re owing way more than the car is worth? (36:25) - What warranty do people really need? (41:23) - At what point can a car not get a warranty? (42:58) - Why is there a need for car dealerships in the future? (44:41) - Why doesn’t Tesla’s model work for everyone else? (47:03) - Will the Car Dealership look the way it does now in 10 years? (48:50) - What happens if Wall Street moves to a profitability model? (50:23) - Buick’s buyout of their dealers (51:39) - Who dictates investing in a dealership? (53:31) - The process of opening a new dealership (56:33) - What’s the pathway to becoming a dealer? (1:02:25) - Thoughts on the EV revolution (1:08:12) - What happens to the new cars that got wrecked from the recent hurricane in Florida? (1:10:09) - Where do cars go to die? (1:11:29) - Do you see the industry moving to cars-as-a-service rather than traditional ownership model? (1:12:52) - How are auto loans performing right now? (1:13:35) - How many catalytic converters have been stolen from you and are manufacturers looking to fix this? (1:14:33) - How’s the auction market looking right now? (1:15:16) - What’s the single most impactful thing a dealer can do to improve the car buying experience? (1:17:13) - How has ride-share impacted the auto world? (1:18:43)  - Final thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 25 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #247: Will Churchill - Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company - Current State of Auto Industry and the Future of Car Dealerships full 1 247 Chris Powers Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company.  Frank Kent Cadillac has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 – 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. On this episode, Chris and Will... Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company.  Frank Kent Cadillac has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 – 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. On this episode, Chris and Will discuss: A deep dive on the auto industry. The current state of the auto industry. What the future of buying cars looks like. DTC, EV cars, Hydrogen?! And more! Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac CRE Daily Newsletter  Fort Capital  More Info: Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Links: The Fort #50 with Will Churchill Email Will: willc@fk1935.com Topics: (3:18) - Introducing Will (4:51) - Will’s background in the auto business (7:06) - What’s happened in auto over the past two years? (11:16) - Where are we now with the chip shortage? (13:10) - Thoughts on pricing strategies in the industry (17:53) - Where do people get auto loans from? (20:18) - Is there anything that changed through Covid that will be permanent? (22:37) - Moving the car buying experience online (27:43) - Thoughts on Carvana  (31:36) - Focusing on the Wholesale market (34:45) - What do most people do when they’re owing way more than the car is worth? (36:25) - What warranty do people really need? (41:23) - At what point can a car not get a warranty? (42:58) - Why is there a need for car dealerships in the future? (44:41) - Why doesn’t Tesla’s model work for everyone else? (47:03) - Will the Car Dealership look the way it does now in 10 years? (48:50) - What happens if Wall Street moves to a profitability model? (50:23) - Buick’s buyout of their dealers (51:39) - Who dictates investing in a dealership? (53:31) - The process of opening a new dealership (56:33) - What’s the pathway to becoming a dealer? (1:02:25) - Thoughts on the EV revolution (1:08:12) - What happens to the new cars that got wrecked from the recent hurricane in Florida? (1:10:09) - Where do cars go to die? (1:11:29) - Do you see the industry moving to cars-as-a-service rather than traditional ownership model? (1:12:52) - How are auto loans performing right now? (1:13:35) - How many catalytic converters have been stolen from you and are manufacturers looking to fix this? (1:14:33) - How’s the auction market looking right now? (1:15:16) - What’s the single most impactful thing a dealer can do to improve the car buying experience? (1:17:13) - How has ride-share impacted the auto world? (1:18:43)  - Final thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company.  Frank Kent Cadillac has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 – 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country.

On this episode, Chris and Will discuss:

  • A deep dive on the auto industry.
  • The current state of the auto industry.
  • What the future of buying cars looks like.
  • DTC, EV cars, Hydrogen?!
  • And more!

Support our Sponsors:

Frank Kent Cadillac

CRE Daily Newsletter 

Fort Capital 

More Info:

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Links:

The Fort #50 with Will Churchill

Email Will: willc@fk1935.com

Topics:

(3:18) - Introducing Will

(4:51) - Will’s background in the auto business

(7:06) - What’s happened in auto over the past two years?

(11:16) - Where are we now with the chip shortage?

(13:10) - Thoughts on pricing strategies in the industry

(17:53) - Where do people get auto loans from?

(20:18) - Is there anything that changed through Covid that will be permanent?

(22:37) - Moving the car buying experience online

(27:43) - Thoughts on Carvana 

(31:36) - Focusing on the Wholesale market

(34:45) - What do most people do when they’re owing way more than the car is worth?

(36:25) - What warranty do people really need?

(41:23) - At what point can a car not get a warranty?

(42:58) - Why is there a need for car dealerships in the future?

(44:41) - Why doesn’t Tesla’s model work for everyone else?

(47:03) - Will the Car Dealership look the way it does now in 10 years?

(48:50) - What happens if Wall Street moves to a profitability model?

(50:23) - Buick’s buyout of their dealers

(51:39) - Who dictates investing in a dealership?

(53:31) - The process of opening a new dealership

(56:33) - What’s the pathway to becoming a dealer?

(1:02:25) - Thoughts on the EV revolution

(1:08:12) - What happens to the new cars that got wrecked from the recent hurricane in Florida?

(1:10:09) - Where do cars go to die?

(1:11:29) - Do you see the industry moving to cars-as-a-service rather than traditional ownership model?

(1:12:52) - How are auto loans performing right now?

(1:13:35) - How many catalytic converters have been stolen from you and are manufacturers looking to fix this?

(1:14:33) - How’s the auction market looking right now?

(1:15:16) - What’s the single most impactful thing a dealer can do to improve the car buying experience?

(1:17:13) - How has ride-share impacted the auto world?

(1:18:43)  - Final thoughts

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4919 no #246: Holt Lunsford - Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial https://www.TheFortPod.com Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full-service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! Support Our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (3:08) - Holt’s background and career (5:30) - The Great Trammel Crowe generation of Texas Real Estate Operators (19:26) - How much of business success is luck and how much are things that you can control?  (21:28) - Holt’s Growth standards  (24:22) - How long was the business going until you started making hires  (25:24) - What were things you weren’t doing well that people could learn from?  (28:55) - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty  (31:21) - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees  (36:21)- What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting in ’86?  (38:33) - Chris and Holt on life balance   (43:02) - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthday?  (46:19) - What advice would you give your 21-year-old self   Tue, 18 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #246: Holt Lunsford - Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial full 1 246 Chris Powers Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full-service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! ... Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full-service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! Support Our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (3:08) - Holt’s background and career (5:30) - The Great Trammel Crowe generation of Texas Real Estate Operators (19:26) - How much of business success is luck and how much are things that you can control?  (21:28) - Holt’s Growth standards  (24:22) - How long was the business going until you started making hires  (25:24) - What were things you weren’t doing well that people could learn from?  (28:55) - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty  (31:21) - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees  (36:21)- What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting in ’86?  (38:33) - Chris and Holt on life balance   (43:02) - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthday?  (46:19) - What advice would you give your 21-year-old self   Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full-service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy!

Support Our Sponsors:

Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/

Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

(3:08) - Holt’s background and career

(5:30) - The Great Trammel Crowe generation of Texas Real Estate Operators

(19:26) - How much of business success is luck and how much are things that you can control? 

(21:28) - Holt’s Growth standards 

(24:22) - How long was the business going until you started making hires 

(25:24) - What were things you weren’t doing well that people could learn from? 

(28:55) - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty 

(31:21) - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees 

(36:21)- What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting in ’86? 

(38:33) - Chris and Holt on life balance  

(43:02) - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthday? 

(46:19) - What advice would you give your 21-year-old self  

]]> 3327 no #245: Chris Powers - Rant on Fundamentals That Drive Class B Industrial https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode Chris talks about the fundamentals that drive Class B Industrial: Growing demand and no new supply?  Could that be?! The types of tenants that occupy Class B Industrial How we think about Cap Ex & TI. And more! Support Our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Topics: (2:52) - What is Class B Industrial? (4:59) - They aren’t building more of this stuff (7:07) - Serving the function of a business (9:43) - The asset class in 2022 (11:57) - Tenants in Class B Industrial (14:05) - Being close to the customer (15:33) - Predictability of Expenses (16:31) - Class B as Covered Land Plays (17:22) - Leasing (19:58) - Final thoughts on Class B Industrial The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts   Tue, 11 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #245: Chris Powers - Rant on Fundamentals That Drive Class B Industrial full 1 245 Chris Powers On this episode Chris talks about the fundamentals that drive Class B Industrial: Growing demand and no new supply?  Could that be?! The types of tenants that occupy Class B Industrial How we think about Cap Ex & TI. And more! Support Our... On this episode Chris talks about the fundamentals that drive Class B Industrial: Growing demand and no new supply?  Could that be?! The types of tenants that occupy Class B Industrial How we think about Cap Ex & TI. And more! Support Our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Topics: (2:52) - What is Class B Industrial? (4:59) - They aren’t building more of this stuff (7:07) - Serving the function of a business (9:43) - The asset class in 2022 (11:57) - Tenants in Class B Industrial (14:05) - Being close to the customer (15:33) - Predictability of Expenses (16:31) - Class B as Covered Land Plays (17:22) - Leasing (19:58) - Final thoughts on Class B Industrial The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts   On this episode Chris talks about the fundamentals that drive Class B Industrial:

  • Growing demand and no new supply?  Could that be?!
  • The types of tenants that occupy Class B Industrial
  • How we think about Cap Ex & TI.
  • And more!

Support Our Sponsors:

Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/

Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Topics:

(2:52) - What is Class B Industrial?

(4:59) - They aren’t building more of this stuff

(7:07) - Serving the function of a business

(9:43) - The asset class in 2022

(11:57) - Tenants in Class B Industrial

(14:05) - Being close to the customer

(15:33) - Predictability of Expenses

(16:31) - Class B as Covered Land Plays

(17:22) - Leasing

(19:58) - Final thoughts on Class B Industrial

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

 

]]> 1326 no #244: Rayne Austin - Cattle Business 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how the pandemic exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (3:11) - Rayne’s Background (5:08) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next? (8:07) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase? (9:17) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened? (9:39) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase? (10:22) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard? (11:30) - How many calves fit in a truckload? (11:49) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard? (13:25) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase? (13:45) - What’s the pricing model for cattle? (37:05) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like? (39:20) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult? (41:06) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week? (44:00) - How many cattle are there per acre in America? (44:56) - How many cattle are there in America? (45:49) - Who’s the largest cattle rancher in the country? (46:21) - Have genetics improved vastly over time? (47:31) - What about cattle genetics has improved? (48:23) - What’s the rating system for cattle? (50:31) - Why would someone go through you for doing deals? (51:47) - What’s a shrink and slide?  (53:54) - Why do cuts like Wagyu and Kobe sell for so much more? What about grass-fed beef? (55:15) - Why are Midland steaks so much better than other companies? (56:25) - How long does a cow live and how often can they give birth? (58:24) - What are the different breeds of cattle? (1:00:27) - Is the fake meat industry putting a dent into the business? (1:03:31) - Are there other false narratives that folks should know about in the cattle industry? (1:04:29) - How has technology progressed in this industry to create better margins? (1:07:11) - Have numbers shown that people will pay more for the meat of a cow that’s lived a ‘better life’? (1:08:27) - 1031-ing in the Cattle Business (1:10:28) - The JBS Cattle Company (1:10:57) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle? (1:11:23) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID? (1:12:35) - How far out can you hedge? (1:13:51) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business? (1:15:23) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher? (1:16:01) - How would you value a cattle operation? (1:18:09) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China (1:19:15) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it? (1:29:24) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry? (1:30:07) - What’s your favorite cut of beef & what’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 04 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #244: Rayne Austin - Cattle Business 101 full 1 244 Chris Powers Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how the pandemic... Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how the pandemic exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (3:11) - Rayne’s Background (5:08) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next? (8:07) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase? (9:17) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened? (9:39) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase? (10:22) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard? (11:30) - How many calves fit in a truckload? (11:49) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard? (13:25) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase? (13:45) - What’s the pricing model for cattle? (37:05) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like? (39:20) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult? (41:06) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week? (44:00) - How many cattle are there per acre in America? (44:56) - How many cattle are there in America? (45:49) - Who’s the largest cattle rancher in the country? (46:21) - Have genetics improved vastly over time? (47:31) - What about cattle genetics has improved? (48:23) - What’s the rating system for cattle? (50:31) - Why would someone go through you for doing deals? (51:47) - What’s a shrink and slide?  (53:54) - Why do cuts like Wagyu and Kobe sell for so much more? What about grass-fed beef? (55:15) - Why are Midland steaks so much better than other companies? (56:25) - How long does a cow live and how often can they give birth? (58:24) - What are the different breeds of cattle? (1:00:27) - Is the fake meat industry putting a dent into the business? (1:03:31) - Are there other false narratives that folks should know about in the cattle industry? (1:04:29) - How has technology progressed in this industry to create better margins? (1:07:11) - Have numbers shown that people will pay more for the meat of a cow that’s lived a ‘better life’? (1:08:27) - 1031-ing in the Cattle Business (1:10:28) - The JBS Cattle Company (1:10:57) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle? (1:11:23) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID? (1:12:35) - How far out can you hedge? (1:13:51) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business? (1:15:23) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher? (1:16:01) - How would you value a cattle operation? (1:18:09) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China (1:19:15) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it? (1:29:24) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry? (1:30:07) - What’s your favorite cut of beef & what’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how the pandemic exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy! 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

(3:11) - Rayne’s Background

(5:08) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next?

(8:07) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase?

(9:17) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened?

(9:39) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase?

(10:22) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard?

(11:30) - How many calves fit in a truckload?

(11:49) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard?

(13:25) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase?

(13:45) - What’s the pricing model for cattle?

(37:05) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like?

(39:20) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult?

(41:06) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week?

(44:00) - How many cattle are there per acre in America?

(44:56) - How many cattle are there in America?

(45:49) - Who’s the largest cattle rancher in the country?

(46:21) - Have genetics improved vastly over time?

(47:31) - What about cattle genetics has improved?

(48:23) - What’s the rating system for cattle?

(50:31) - Why would someone go through you for doing deals?

(51:47) - What’s a shrink and slide?

 (53:54) - Why do cuts like Wagyu and Kobe sell for so much more? What about grass-fed beef?

(55:15) - Why are Midland steaks so much better than other companies?

(56:25) - How long does a cow live and how often can they give birth?

(58:24) - What are the different breeds of cattle?

(1:00:27) - Is the fake meat industry putting a dent into the business?

(1:03:31) - Are there other false narratives that folks should know about in the cattle industry?

(1:04:29) - How has technology progressed in this industry to create better margins?

(1:07:11) - Have numbers shown that people will pay more for the meat of a cow that’s lived a ‘better life’?

(1:08:27) - 1031-ing in the Cattle Business

(1:10:28) - The JBS Cattle Company

(1:10:57) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle?

(1:11:23) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID?

(1:12:35) - How far out can you hedge?

(1:13:51) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business?

(1:15:23) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher?

(1:16:01) - How would you value a cattle operation?

(1:18:09) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China

(1:19:15) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it?

(1:29:24) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry?

(1:30:07) - What’s your favorite cut of beef & what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5619 no #243: Chris Powers - Incentivizing The Process, Not Just The Outcome https://www.TheFortPod.com Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Chris goes solo to hit hard on a critical aspect of operations that has played so well to the success of Fort Capital: Incentives. On this episode Chris discusses: Why operations are important and how to incentivize them. A relevant scenario to think about when setting incentives. Incentivizing the process, rather than just the outcome. Topics: (1:42) - What is a great operator? (2:38) - Incentivizing the process, not just the outcome The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #243: Chris Powers - Incentivizing The Process, Not Just The Outcome full 1 243 Chris Powers Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: Follow Chris on Twitter:   Follow Chris on LinkedIn:   Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: Chris goes solo to hit hard on a critical aspect of operations that... Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Chris goes solo to hit hard on a critical aspect of operations that has played so well to the success of Fort Capital: Incentives. On this episode Chris discusses: Why operations are important and how to incentivize them. A relevant scenario to think about when setting incentives. Incentivizing the process, rather than just the outcome. Topics: (1:42) - What is a great operator? (2:38) - Incentivizing the process, not just the outcome The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Chris goes solo to hit hard on a critical aspect of operations that has played so well to the success of Fort Capital: Incentives. On this episode Chris discusses:

  • Why operations are important and how to incentivize them.
  • A relevant scenario to think about when setting incentives.
  • Incentivizing the process, rather than just the outcome.

Topics:

(1:42) - What is a great operator?

(2:38) - Incentivizing the process, not just the outcome

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 885 no #242: Michael Arrieta - Founder of Garden City - Buying & Growing Great Companies with Permanent Capital https://www.TheFortPod.com Michael currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven holding company that buys, grows, and permanently holds family-owned companies. Once acquired, Garden City seeks to grow them through culture, technology, and sales. Most recently, Michael was an early employee & executive at DocuSign, serving as Global Vice President, General Manager, and Chief of Staff to the CEO. DocuSign has now achieved a $30B market cap with 5,000 employees. In 2016, he founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital group that has invested in over 100+ companies and multiple funds. Michael also co-founded New Story, a non-profit that has built 2,000+  homes in developing countries and is recognized for creating the world’s first-ever 3D Home Printer. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children. Mike is a follower of Jesus and seeks to honor God in everything he does. On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss: His story and how he learned to be world-class at sales. (He was the #1 CutCo Knife salesman in the US) How Garden City values and ultimately transacts on businesses. How Garden City creates value for the companies they acquire.  Why he chose a permanent capital structure.  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeArrieta Garden City: https://www.joingardencity.com/ (2:10) - Michael’s career and background (4:51) - What did you do that made you the top Knife salesman in the country? (9:45) - What can get someone to believe in their product or company? (12:46) - What does a Chief of Staff do? (16:58) - Why do you have an affinity for boring SMB’s? (19:50) - What led you to the realization that you wanted to start acquiring businesses? (23:30) - What are you tangibly doing to make people the focus of the businesses you buy? (29:21) - What’s your filter for red flags in businesses you look at acquiring? (32:19) - In what capacity do you want the previous owner involved after an acquisition? (33:49) - What do the first 90 days look like post-acquisition? (37:11)  - How do you find the line between letting the business run and being very hands on as owners? (40:20) - When an owner doesn’t stay on, how quickly do you have to get on with replacing the CEO? (43:06) - What are most of these SMB’s lacking generally from a technology standpoint? (46:17) - How do you find someone who is going to be really accountable for making sure tech is adopted? (48:50) - How do you approach Sales training? (53:45) - Why did you choose to pursue Permanent Capital? (57:01) - How do you think about the platform of being able to help people when you’re a business owner? (1:00:58) - Is it possible to instill this mindset in an already existing business? (1:02:33) - How does Permanent Capital work? (1:04:46) - How do you think about cash flowing out of the businesses you own? (1:07:06) - Do you have an example of a Christian Business owner who is killing it in both their career and their faith? Sacred Pace by Terry Looper: https://amzn.to/3qxTMtV (1:10:17) - Why did you consciously decide to slow down? What have been the consequences of that decision? Becoming a King by Morgan Snyder: https://amzn.to/3Lq7GYV The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: https://amzn.to/3ddXrtR The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #242: Michael Arrieta - Founder of Garden City - Buying & Growing Great Companies with Permanent Capital full 1 242 Chris Powers Michael currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven holding company that buys, grows, and permanently holds family-owned companies. Once acquired, Garden City seeks to grow them through culture, technology, and sales. Most... Michael currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven holding company that buys, grows, and permanently holds family-owned companies. Once acquired, Garden City seeks to grow them through culture, technology, and sales. Most recently, Michael was an early employee & executive at DocuSign, serving as Global Vice President, General Manager, and Chief of Staff to the CEO. DocuSign has now achieved a $30B market cap with 5,000 employees. In 2016, he founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital group that has invested in over 100+ companies and multiple funds. Michael also co-founded New Story, a non-profit that has built 2,000+  homes in developing countries and is recognized for creating the world’s first-ever 3D Home Printer. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children. Mike is a follower of Jesus and seeks to honor God in everything he does. On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss: His story and how he learned to be world-class at sales. (He was the #1 CutCo Knife salesman in the US) How Garden City values and ultimately transacts on businesses. How Garden City creates value for the companies they acquire.  Why he chose a permanent capital structure.  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeArrieta Garden City: https://www.joingardencity.com/ (2:10) - Michael’s career and background (4:51) - What did you do that made you the top Knife salesman in the country? (9:45) - What can get someone to believe in their product or company? (12:46) - What does a Chief of Staff do? (16:58) - Why do you have an affinity for boring SMB’s? (19:50) - What led you to the realization that you wanted to start acquiring businesses? (23:30) - What are you tangibly doing to make people the focus of the businesses you buy? (29:21) - What’s your filter for red flags in businesses you look at acquiring? (32:19) - In what capacity do you want the previous owner involved after an acquisition? (33:49) - What do the first 90 days look like post-acquisition? (37:11)  - How do you find the line between letting the business run and being very hands on as owners? (40:20) - When an owner doesn’t stay on, how quickly do you have to get on with replacing the CEO? (43:06) - What are most of these SMB’s lacking generally from a technology standpoint? (46:17) - How do you find someone who is going to be really accountable for making sure tech is adopted? (48:50) - How do you approach Sales training? (53:45) - Why did you choose to pursue Permanent Capital? (57:01) - How do you think about the platform of being able to help people when you’re a business owner? (1:00:58) - Is it possible to instill this mindset in an already existing business? (1:02:33) - How does Permanent Capital work? (1:04:46) - How do you think about cash flowing out of the businesses you own? (1:07:06) - Do you have an example of a Christian Business owner who is killing it in both their career and their faith? Sacred Pace by Terry Looper: https://amzn.to/3qxTMtV (1:10:17) - Why did you consciously decide to slow down? What have been the consequences of that decision? Becoming a King by Morgan Snyder: https://amzn.to/3Lq7GYV The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: https://amzn.to/3ddXrtR The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Michael currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven holding company that buys, grows, and permanently holds family-owned companies. Once acquired, Garden City seeks to grow them through culture, technology, and sales.

Most recently, Michael was an early employee & executive at DocuSign, serving as Global Vice President, General Manager, and Chief of Staff to the CEO. DocuSign has now achieved a $30B market cap with 5,000 employees. In 2016, he founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital group that has invested in over 100+ companies and multiple funds. Michael also co-founded New Story, a non-profit that has built 2,000+  homes in developing countries and is recognized for creating the world’s first-ever 3D Home Printer.

He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children. Mike is a follower of Jesus and seeks to honor God in everything he does.

On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss:

  • His story and how he learned to be world-class at sales. (He was the #1 CutCo Knife salesman in the US)
  • How Garden City values and ultimately transacts on businesses.
  • How Garden City creates value for the companies they acquire. 
  • Why he chose a permanent capital structure. 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeArrieta

Garden City: https://www.joingardencity.com/

(2:10) - Michael’s career and background

(4:51) - What did you do that made you the top Knife salesman in the country?

(9:45) - What can get someone to believe in their product or company?

(12:46) - What does a Chief of Staff do?

(16:58) - Why do you have an affinity for boring SMB’s?

(19:50) - What led you to the realization that you wanted to start acquiring businesses?

(23:30) - What are you tangibly doing to make people the focus of the businesses you buy?

(29:21) - What’s your filter for red flags in businesses you look at acquiring?

(32:19) - In what capacity do you want the previous owner involved after an acquisition?

(33:49) - What do the first 90 days look like post-acquisition?

(37:11)  - How do you find the line between letting the business run and being very hands on as owners?

(40:20) - When an owner doesn’t stay on, how quickly do you have to get on with replacing the CEO?

(43:06) - What are most of these SMB’s lacking generally from a technology standpoint?

(46:17) - How do you find someone who is going to be really accountable for making sure tech is adopted?

(48:50) - How do you approach Sales training?

(53:45) - Why did you choose to pursue Permanent Capital?

(57:01) - How do you think about the platform of being able to help people when you’re a business owner?

(1:00:58) - Is it possible to instill this mindset in an already existing business?

(1:02:33) - How does Permanent Capital work?

(1:04:46) - How do you think about cash flowing out of the businesses you own?

(1:07:06) - Do you have an example of a Christian Business owner who is killing it in both their career and their faith?

Sacred Pace by Terry Looper: https://amzn.to/3qxTMtV

(1:10:17) - Why did you consciously decide to slow down? What have been the consequences of that decision?

Becoming a King by Morgan Snyder: https://amzn.to/3Lq7GYV

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: https://amzn.to/3ddXrtR

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4956 no #241: Tim Ludwig - Partner @ Majority Search - A Deep Dive on Search Funding https://www.TheFortPod.com Tim is a Partner at Majority Search, a private equity firm focused on helping top mid-career professionals pursue entrepreneurship through acquisition (EtA).  He is a veteran search fund investor who has backed over 80 search funds and first-time CEOs since 2007 and purchased three companies directly. Before Tim began investing in search funds, he was an executive at a diversified real estate company, consulted with Arthur Andersen and a middle-market manufacturing company, founded two online publishing companies, and held positions with Dell and a venture-backed start-up. Tim graduated from The College of Wooster, received his MBA from the University of Michigan, and lives in San Diego with his wife and two teenage children. On this episode, Chris and Tim discuss: A deep dive into the search fund industry and how it matured over time. What Tim has learned from interviewing hundreds of CEOs. How Majority Search structures deals that align incentives. Lessons from valuing 1000’s of small businesses. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Links: Majority Search: https://www.majoritysearch.com/ Tim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tsludwig SearchFunder.com: https://www.searchfunder.com/ Who by Geoff Smart: https://amzn.to/3x0vQmD The Threat of a Reference Check: https://bit.ly/3ARu9sH Topics: (2:51) -Tim’s background and career (17:28) - What is a Search Fund in traditional vs. self-funded? (25:42) - How do deal structures work when you begin a Search? (29:25) - How big is the Search Fund community and how can people get in?  (32:47) - EBITish on Discord (34:08) - What are some characteristics of a successful Searcher? (45:46) - Is there a way to sense if someone has common sense and judgment? Chris now acts as the Searcher for the remainder of the episode (52:40) - What are the best practices for finding businesses to buy? (59:43) - What are some industries or business types that really excite you? (1:03:42) - What does the process look like once we’ve got an LOI between a Searcher, Search Fund, and Seller? (1:10:11) - Is there any one reason that causes deals to fall apart? (1:12:14) - Do you prefer if the seller stays on in some capacity during the transition to new owners? (1:15:35) - What kind of returns are you looking for to determine if an acquisition was a success?  (1:18:56) - What are some low-hanging fruit new owners can capitalize on to grow a business they’ve acquired? (1:23:07) - Do you care if owners implement some kind of EOS or other operating systems? (1:24:08) - What should an owner expect to see in their first 30-60 days on the job? (1:27:41) - What does the owner’s relationship look like when working with someone like Majority Search?  (1:31:46) - How are returns made throughout the life of an investment? (1:34:23) - What’s the balance between the portfolio owner and the CEO creating ideas for growth? (1:35:57)- How do you handle unexpected hyper-growth? (1:39:19) - How do you think about the wave of Baby Boomer business owners headed for retirement? (1:41:46) - Who would you back if they came to you as Searchers: Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 13 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #241: Tim Ludwig - Partner @ Majority Search - A Deep Dive on Search Funding full 1 241 Chris Powers Tim is a Partner at Majority Search, a private equity firm focused on helping top mid-career professionals pursue entrepreneurship through acquisition (EtA).  He is a veteran search fund investor who has backed over 80 search funds and first-time... Tim is a Partner at Majority Search, a private equity firm focused on helping top mid-career professionals pursue entrepreneurship through acquisition (EtA).  He is a veteran search fund investor who has backed over 80 search funds and first-time CEOs since 2007 and purchased three companies directly. Before Tim began investing in search funds, he was an executive at a diversified real estate company, consulted with Arthur Andersen and a middle-market manufacturing company, founded two online publishing companies, and held positions with Dell and a venture-backed start-up. Tim graduated from The College of Wooster, received his MBA from the University of Michigan, and lives in San Diego with his wife and two teenage children. On this episode, Chris and Tim discuss: A deep dive into the search fund industry and how it matured over time. What Tim has learned from interviewing hundreds of CEOs. How Majority Search structures deals that align incentives. Lessons from valuing 1000’s of small businesses. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Links: Majority Search: https://www.majoritysearch.com/ Tim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tsludwig SearchFunder.com: https://www.searchfunder.com/ Who by Geoff Smart: https://amzn.to/3x0vQmD The Threat of a Reference Check: https://bit.ly/3ARu9sH Topics: (2:51) -Tim’s background and career (17:28) - What is a Search Fund in traditional vs. self-funded? (25:42) - How do deal structures work when you begin a Search? (29:25) - How big is the Search Fund community and how can people get in?  (32:47) - EBITish on Discord (34:08) - What are some characteristics of a successful Searcher? (45:46) - Is there a way to sense if someone has common sense and judgment? Chris now acts as the Searcher for the remainder of the episode (52:40) - What are the best practices for finding businesses to buy? (59:43) - What are some industries or business types that really excite you? (1:03:42) - What does the process look like once we’ve got an LOI between a Searcher, Search Fund, and Seller? (1:10:11) - Is there any one reason that causes deals to fall apart? (1:12:14) - Do you prefer if the seller stays on in some capacity during the transition to new owners? (1:15:35) - What kind of returns are you looking for to determine if an acquisition was a success?  (1:18:56) - What are some low-hanging fruit new owners can capitalize on to grow a business they’ve acquired? (1:23:07) - Do you care if owners implement some kind of EOS or other operating systems? (1:24:08) - What should an owner expect to see in their first 30-60 days on the job? (1:27:41) - What does the owner’s relationship look like when working with someone like Majority Search?  (1:31:46) - How are returns made throughout the life of an investment? (1:34:23) - What’s the balance between the portfolio owner and the CEO creating ideas for growth? (1:35:57)- How do you handle unexpected hyper-growth? (1:39:19) - How do you think about the wave of Baby Boomer business owners headed for retirement? (1:41:46) - Who would you back if they came to you as Searchers: Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tim is a Partner at Majority Search, a private equity firm focused on helping top mid-career professionals pursue entrepreneurship through acquisition (EtA).  He is a veteran search fund investor who has backed over 80 search funds and first-time CEOs since 2007 and purchased three companies directly. Before Tim began investing in search funds, he was an executive at a diversified real estate company, consulted with Arthur Andersen and a middle-market manufacturing company, founded two online publishing companies, and held positions with Dell and a venture-backed start-up. Tim graduated from The College of Wooster, received his MBA from the University of Michigan, and lives in San Diego with his wife and two teenage children.

On this episode, Chris and Tim discuss:

  • A deep dive into the search fund industry and how it matured over time.
  • What Tim has learned from interviewing hundreds of CEOs.
  • How Majority Search structures deals that align incentives.
  • Lessons from valuing 1000’s of small businesses.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Links:

Majority Search: https://www.majoritysearch.com/

Tim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tsludwig

SearchFunder.com: https://www.searchfunder.com/

Who by Geoff Smart: https://amzn.to/3x0vQmD

The Threat of a Reference Check: https://bit.ly/3ARu9sH

Topics:

(2:51) -Tim’s background and career

(17:28) - What is a Search Fund in traditional vs. self-funded?

(25:42) - How do deal structures work when you begin a Search?

(29:25) - How big is the Search Fund community and how can people get in? 

(32:47) - EBITish on Discord

(34:08) - What are some characteristics of a successful Searcher?

(45:46) - Is there a way to sense if someone has common sense and judgment?

Chris now acts as the Searcher for the remainder of the episode

(52:40) - What are the best practices for finding businesses to buy?

(59:43) - What are some industries or business types that really excite you?

(1:03:42) - What does the process look like once we’ve got an LOI between a Searcher, Search Fund, and Seller?

(1:10:11) - Is there any one reason that causes deals to fall apart?

(1:12:14) - Do you prefer if the seller stays on in some capacity during the transition to new owners?

(1:15:35) - What kind of returns are you looking for to determine if an acquisition was a success?

 (1:18:56) - What are some low-hanging fruit new owners can capitalize on to grow a business they’ve acquired?

(1:23:07) - Do you care if owners implement some kind of EOS or other operating systems?

(1:24:08) - What should an owner expect to see in their first 30-60 days on the job?

(1:27:41) - What does the owner’s relationship look like when working with someone like Majority Search? 

(1:31:46) - How are returns made throughout the life of an investment?

(1:34:23) - What’s the balance between the portfolio owner and the CEO creating ideas for growth?

(1:35:57)- How do you handle unexpected hyper-growth?

(1:39:19) - How do you think about the wave of Baby Boomer business owners headed for retirement?

(1:41:46) - Who would you back if they came to you as Searchers: Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6282 no #240: Wyatt Smith - Founder of UpSmith - On a Mission to Combat America's Growing Skilled Worker Crisis https://www.TheFortPod.com Wyatt is the founder and CEO of UpSmith, a technology company on a mission to combat America’s skilled worker crisis.  UpSmith partners with employers to identify high-demand gaps in their labor force, then sources and screens candidates to fill them. Where necessary, UpSmith connects candidates with affordable, fast, high-quality training to qualify them for placement. Prior to UpSmith, Wyatt led business development for Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-sharing business unit. He served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a corps member with Teach for America, receiving the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award as a national teacher of the year. Wyatt holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human & Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, where he served as student body president and as a young alumni trustee on the Board of Trust. On this episode, Chris and Wyatt discuss: An in-depth view of the emerging blue-collar labor crisis in America and how we got here. The benefits of blue-collar work and why it is worthwhile work.  Upsmith’s plan to employ more blue-collar workers. Why college isn’t for everyone. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (2:43) - What is the labor crisis we are facing right now? (7:40) - Was there an inflection point where we changed the way we look at the trades? (9:02) - Is this labor crisis attributed equally across all blue-collar work? (10:40) - Are we losing people in the trades due to a lack of training from small businesses? (15:33) - Why is it not obvious that people should look into the trades for a viable career? (18:39) - Does the federal government offer financial aid to attend a trade school? (19:55) - How much of this is a laziness problem? UpSmith (21:25) - Wyatt’s launch of UpSmith (24:27) - How are you pitching high school students to have them consider this vs. College? (34:04) - What are the implications for the families of those who choose to enter the trades? (37:30) - Why are you attracted to the words ‘dignity’ and ‘purpose’? (39:57) - Renaming Blue Collar as “The Builder Class” (41:10) - What takes place in the initial 8 weeks of a cohort? (44:13) - What problem is a company having that drives them to UpSmith for candidates? (47:40) - What’s the line when it comes to blue-collar work and candidates with criminal records? (50:30) - Other than pay, what are some non-obvious benefits of a career in trades? (53:40) - Is the path for people to eventually own their own business or just have a steady income? (57:50) Is anyone on social media making this work sexy? @BuildersOfInsta Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs The Make It Movement (1:00:48) - Are city crews looking to UpSmith for help with public infrastructure? (1:01:16) - What does our world look like if we fail to fill these blue-collar positions? HBR Future of Work Initiative (1:05:24) - Where have all these workers gone since Covid? The Mom Project (1:08:41) - Is there a certain characteristic that stands out in high-performers in the trades? (1:09:47) - Where do you envision UpSmith in 5 years? (1:11:40) - What are employers in home health care looking for from UpSmith candidates? (1:13:22) - What’s one thing you've never predicted since you started this business? (1:14:46) - How can people get in touch or partner with you? Forge NOW The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 08 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #240: Wyatt Smith - Founder of UpSmith - On a Mission to Combat America's Growing Skilled Worker Crisis full 1 240 Chris Powers Wyatt is the founder and CEO of UpSmith, a technology company on a mission to combat America’s skilled worker crisis.  UpSmith partners with employers to identify high-demand gaps in their labor force, then sources and screens candidates to... Wyatt is the founder and CEO of UpSmith, a technology company on a mission to combat America’s skilled worker crisis.  UpSmith partners with employers to identify high-demand gaps in their labor force, then sources and screens candidates to fill them. Where necessary, UpSmith connects candidates with affordable, fast, high-quality training to qualify them for placement. Prior to UpSmith, Wyatt led business development for Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-sharing business unit. He served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a corps member with Teach for America, receiving the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award as a national teacher of the year. Wyatt holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human & Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, where he served as student body president and as a young alumni trustee on the Board of Trust. On this episode, Chris and Wyatt discuss: An in-depth view of the emerging blue-collar labor crisis in America and how we got here. The benefits of blue-collar work and why it is worthwhile work.  Upsmith’s plan to employ more blue-collar workers. Why college isn’t for everyone. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (2:43) - What is the labor crisis we are facing right now? (7:40) - Was there an inflection point where we changed the way we look at the trades? (9:02) - Is this labor crisis attributed equally across all blue-collar work? (10:40) - Are we losing people in the trades due to a lack of training from small businesses? (15:33) - Why is it not obvious that people should look into the trades for a viable career? (18:39) - Does the federal government offer financial aid to attend a trade school? (19:55) - How much of this is a laziness problem? UpSmith (21:25) - Wyatt’s launch of UpSmith (24:27) - How are you pitching high school students to have them consider this vs. College? (34:04) - What are the implications for the families of those who choose to enter the trades? (37:30) - Why are you attracted to the words ‘dignity’ and ‘purpose’? (39:57) - Renaming Blue Collar as “The Builder Class” (41:10) - What takes place in the initial 8 weeks of a cohort? (44:13) - What problem is a company having that drives them to UpSmith for candidates? (47:40) - What’s the line when it comes to blue-collar work and candidates with criminal records? (50:30) - Other than pay, what are some non-obvious benefits of a career in trades? (53:40) - Is the path for people to eventually own their own business or just have a steady income? (57:50) Is anyone on social media making this work sexy? @BuildersOfInsta Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs The Make It Movement (1:00:48) - Are city crews looking to UpSmith for help with public infrastructure? (1:01:16) - What does our world look like if we fail to fill these blue-collar positions? HBR Future of Work Initiative (1:05:24) - Where have all these workers gone since Covid? The Mom Project (1:08:41) - Is there a certain characteristic that stands out in high-performers in the trades? (1:09:47) - Where do you envision UpSmith in 5 years? (1:11:40) - What are employers in home health care looking for from UpSmith candidates? (1:13:22) - What’s one thing you've never predicted since you started this business? (1:14:46) - How can people get in touch or partner with you? Forge NOW The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Wyatt is the founder and CEO of UpSmith, a technology company on a mission to combat America’s skilled worker crisis.  UpSmith partners with employers to identify high-demand gaps in their labor force, then sources and screens candidates to fill them. Where necessary, UpSmith connects candidates with affordable, fast, high-quality training to qualify them for placement. Prior to UpSmith, Wyatt led business development for Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-sharing business unit. He served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a corps member with Teach for America, receiving the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award as a national teacher of the year.

Wyatt holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human & Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, where he served as student body president and as a young alumni trustee on the Board of Trust.

On this episode, Chris and Wyatt discuss:

  • An in-depth view of the emerging blue-collar labor crisis in America and how we got here.
  • The benefits of blue-collar work and why it is worthwhile work. 
  • Upsmith’s plan to employ more blue-collar workers.
  • Why college isn’t for everyone.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(2:43) - What is the labor crisis we are facing right now?

(7:40) - Was there an inflection point where we changed the way we look at the trades?

(9:02) - Is this labor crisis attributed equally across all blue-collar work?

(10:40) - Are we losing people in the trades due to a lack of training from small businesses?

(15:33) - Why is it not obvious that people should look into the trades for a viable career?

(18:39) - Does the federal government offer financial aid to attend a trade school?

(19:55) - How much of this is a laziness problem?

UpSmith

(21:25) - Wyatt’s launch of UpSmith

(24:27) - How are you pitching high school students to have them consider this vs. College?

(34:04) - What are the implications for the families of those who choose to enter the trades?

(37:30) - Why are you attracted to the words ‘dignity’ and ‘purpose’?

(39:57) - Renaming Blue Collar as “The Builder Class”

(41:10) - What takes place in the initial 8 weeks of a cohort?

(44:13) - What problem is a company having that drives them to UpSmith for candidates?

(47:40) - What’s the line when it comes to blue-collar work and candidates with criminal records?

(50:30) - Other than pay, what are some non-obvious benefits of a career in trades?

(53:40) - Is the path for people to eventually own their own business or just have a steady income?

(57:50) Is anyone on social media making this work sexy?

@BuildersOfInsta

Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs

The Make It Movement

(1:00:48) - Are city crews looking to UpSmith for help with public infrastructure?

(1:01:16) - What does our world look like if we fail to fill these blue-collar positions?

HBR Future of Work Initiative

(1:05:24) - Where have all these workers gone since Covid?

The Mom Project

(1:08:41) - Is there a certain characteristic that stands out in high-performers in the trades?

(1:09:47) - Where do you envision UpSmith in 5 years?

(1:11:40) - What are employers in home health care looking for from UpSmith candidates?

(1:13:22) - What’s one thing you've never predicted since you started this business?

(1:14:46) - How can people get in touch or partner with you?

Forge NOW

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4637 no #239: Mike Vellano - Founder & CEO of Vortex Companies https://www.TheFortPod.com Mike Vellano is the CEO of Vortex Companies – a trenchless technology company focused on water and sewer infrastructure. As CEO and Founder, Mike's primary focus is fulfilling the corporate mission and ensuring Vortex delivers on its promise of being a solutions-focused, cost-effective trenchless products and services provider ranging from consulting and project management services to the delivery of products, training, and installation. Formerly, Mike was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for one of North America's largest privately held trenchless underground contractors. His primary responsibilities included overseeing all business entities' sales, marketing, and product development functions. He was also in charge of forging strategic business alliances as part of the company's vision of providing its customers with the widest selection of environmentally friendly, trenchless underground repair solutions. During his five-year tenure, Mike used his vision and leadership to help measurably grow the company's revenue. From 2001 to 2009, Mike worked for Albany, New York-based Vellano Brothers, where he rose from the ranks from local Branch Manager to Vice President. He helped streamline operations, grow accounts, and increase sales exponentially during his tenure there. Mike resides in Houston, Texas, with his wife Lettie and two daughters. On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss: What trenchless technology is, why it's essential, and what markets the technology serves. A fantastic story of how he built his company, took on private equity, and continued to acquire company after company. Lessons learned from integrating each company. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Vortex: https://vortexcompanies.com/ (2:36) - Mike’s background & career (4:54) - What is the ‘Trenchless’ industry? (9:50) - Are your customers government contractors or private companies? (10:54) - How old are some of these pipe systems and how much has their design changed over the years? (14:23) - Is there anything Trenchless can do for a city like Austin? (17:04) - Are there areas in the US where your business typically does better? (21:08) - How did you build Vortex? (29:48) - How did you finance your way to $40mm in Revenue? (32:25) - Do you operate as a Holdco or does every acquisition get rolled up under the Vortex brand? (35:34) - What mattered to you when finding capital partners? (44:44) - What’s your playbook for integrating new acquisitions into your company? (49:01) - Do you care if the leaders of an acquired business stay or post-close? (50:27) - How much impact is the Russia-Ukraine situation having on your business in Europe? (52:25) - Does your technology scale well into residential? (53:25) - Why do you think executives have it easy? (54:28) - How do you see the labor market over the next 20 years? (57:56) - Why is family so important to you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 06 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #239: Mike Vellano - Founder & CEO of Vortex Companies full 1 239 Chris Powers Mike Vellano is the CEO of Vortex Companies – a trenchless technology company focused on water and sewer infrastructure. As CEO and Founder, Mike's primary focus is fulfilling the corporate mission and ensuring Vortex delivers on its promise of... Mike Vellano is the CEO of Vortex Companies – a trenchless technology company focused on water and sewer infrastructure. As CEO and Founder, Mike's primary focus is fulfilling the corporate mission and ensuring Vortex delivers on its promise of being a solutions-focused, cost-effective trenchless products and services provider ranging from consulting and project management services to the delivery of products, training, and installation. Formerly, Mike was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for one of North America's largest privately held trenchless underground contractors. His primary responsibilities included overseeing all business entities' sales, marketing, and product development functions. He was also in charge of forging strategic business alliances as part of the company's vision of providing its customers with the widest selection of environmentally friendly, trenchless underground repair solutions. During his five-year tenure, Mike used his vision and leadership to help measurably grow the company's revenue. From 2001 to 2009, Mike worked for Albany, New York-based Vellano Brothers, where he rose from the ranks from local Branch Manager to Vice President. He helped streamline operations, grow accounts, and increase sales exponentially during his tenure there. Mike resides in Houston, Texas, with his wife Lettie and two daughters. On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss: What trenchless technology is, why it's essential, and what markets the technology serves. A fantastic story of how he built his company, took on private equity, and continued to acquire company after company. Lessons learned from integrating each company. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Vortex: https://vortexcompanies.com/ (2:36) - Mike’s background & career (4:54) - What is the ‘Trenchless’ industry? (9:50) - Are your customers government contractors or private companies? (10:54) - How old are some of these pipe systems and how much has their design changed over the years? (14:23) - Is there anything Trenchless can do for a city like Austin? (17:04) - Are there areas in the US where your business typically does better? (21:08) - How did you build Vortex? (29:48) - How did you finance your way to $40mm in Revenue? (32:25) - Do you operate as a Holdco or does every acquisition get rolled up under the Vortex brand? (35:34) - What mattered to you when finding capital partners? (44:44) - What’s your playbook for integrating new acquisitions into your company? (49:01) - Do you care if the leaders of an acquired business stay or post-close? (50:27) - How much impact is the Russia-Ukraine situation having on your business in Europe? (52:25) - Does your technology scale well into residential? (53:25) - Why do you think executives have it easy? (54:28) - How do you see the labor market over the next 20 years? (57:56) - Why is family so important to you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mike Vellano is the CEO of Vortex Companies – a trenchless technology company focused on water and sewer infrastructure. As CEO and Founder, Mike's primary focus is fulfilling the corporate mission and ensuring Vortex delivers on its promise of being a solutions-focused, cost-effective trenchless products and services provider ranging from consulting and project management services to the delivery of products, training, and installation. Formerly, Mike was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for one of North America's largest privately held trenchless underground contractors. His primary responsibilities included overseeing all business entities' sales, marketing, and product development functions. He was also in charge of forging strategic business alliances as part of the company's vision of providing its customers with the widest selection of environmentally friendly, trenchless underground repair solutions. During his five-year tenure, Mike used his vision and leadership to help measurably grow the company's revenue. From 2001 to 2009, Mike worked for Albany, New York-based Vellano Brothers, where he rose from the ranks from local Branch Manager to Vice President. He helped streamline operations, grow accounts, and increase sales exponentially during his tenure there. Mike resides in Houston, Texas, with his wife Lettie and two daughters.

On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss:

  • What trenchless technology is, why it's essential, and what markets the technology serves.
  • A fantastic story of how he built his company, took on private equity, and continued to acquire company after company.
  • Lessons learned from integrating each company.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Vortex: https://vortexcompanies.com/

(2:36) - Mike’s background & career

(4:54) - What is the ‘Trenchless’ industry?

(9:50) - Are your customers government contractors or private companies?

(10:54) - How old are some of these pipe systems and how much has their design changed over the years?

(14:23) - Is there anything Trenchless can do for a city like Austin?

(17:04) - Are there areas in the US where your business typically does better?

(21:08) - How did you build Vortex?

(29:48) - How did you finance your way to $40mm in Revenue?

(32:25) - Do you operate as a Holdco or does every acquisition get rolled up under the Vortex brand?

(35:34) - What mattered to you when finding capital partners?

(44:44) - What’s your playbook for integrating new acquisitions into your company?

(49:01) - Do you care if the leaders of an acquired business stay or post-close?

(50:27) - How much impact is the Russia-Ukraine situation having on your business in Europe?

(52:25) - Does your technology scale well into residential?

(53:25) - Why do you think executives have it easy?

(54:28) - How do you see the labor market over the next 20 years?

(57:56) - Why is family so important to you?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3713 no #238: Wolf of Franchises (Twitter Anon) - Breakdown of the Franchise Industry https://www.TheFortPod.com Twitter Anon "The Wolf of Franchises" aka @franchisewolf on Twitter, is an expert in the franchise industry. The Wolf of Franchises is a franchise industry professional who has helped match top franchise brands with competent owners and operators and source emerging franchisors for investment opportunities. The Wolf is currently building a media organization via Workweek; an Austin-based media startup focused on empowering individual creators. Through The Wolf's newsletter, podcast, and website, he aims to be the most trusted and transparent (as well as entertaining) resource for information on franchises. On this episode, Chris and Wolf discuss: An in-depth analysis of how franchising works What makes a great franchise business How to create a franchise Years of lessons learned from the franchise industry Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Wolf of Franchises on Twitter WolfOfFranchises.com WorkWeek Franchise Empires Podcast - On Apple - On Spotify Spaulding Decon American Family Care The Joint In N Out on Expanding East of Texas Sun Holdings The Flynn Group (1:13) - Building an anonymous Twitter account (4:19) - How are you building a business around your Twitter account? (6:27) - What is a franchise? (9:03)- How does a business owner convert their model to a franchise? (11:19) - Is there a certain level of stores you need to have before a franchise makes sense? (12:29) - How long does it take to put the business on paper that’s ready to franchise? (13:26)  - What big questions should franchisees be thinking about as they go through the process? (16:20) - Are a lot of the people applying to be franchisee’s first-time operators? (21:05) - How would you structure a franchise deal? (24:13) - Is it upon the franchisor to determine the size of an operator’s territory? (25:43) - The Subway Franchise Model (27:43) -How do Franchisors vet potential franchisees? (30:46) - Is there any data on the franchisee being a passive owner vs. working in the business? (33:46)- How do you typically finance a new franchise? (35:40) - How do you do due diligence on a franchisor? (38:30) - How long is the typical franchise agreement? (39:47) - What does the agreement look like when a franchisee approaches a franchisor with a buyer for their locations? (44:23) - What franchises do you love if you were going to go buy a franchise? (50:59) - Are there any tips for finding the right location for a customer-facing franchise? (52:30) -What would you stay away from? (55:08) - What’s the craziest business you’ve seen become a franchise? (55:58) - What’s the best healthcare franchise? (57:53) - Does Real Estate play into someone’s decision to get into franchising? (59:34) - How does an operator get a franchise into a new state? (1:02:37) - Why wouldn’t franchises with cult followings like In-N-Out be in every state? (1:04:16) - Is the nightmare scenario a Franchisee is doing really well but a Franchisor is screwing it up? (1:08:46) - What’s the best way to buy out a franchisee? (1:10:34) - Who’s the largest franchisee in the country? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 30 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #238: Wolf of Franchises (Twitter Anon) - Breakdown of the Franchise Industry full 1 238 Chris Powers Twitter Anon "The Wolf of Franchises" aka @franchisewolf on Twitter, is an expert in the franchise industry. The Wolf of Franchises is a franchise industry professional who has helped match top franchise brands with competent owners and operators and... Twitter Anon "The Wolf of Franchises" aka @franchisewolf on Twitter, is an expert in the franchise industry. The Wolf of Franchises is a franchise industry professional who has helped match top franchise brands with competent owners and operators and source emerging franchisors for investment opportunities. The Wolf is currently building a media organization via Workweek; an Austin-based media startup focused on empowering individual creators. Through The Wolf's newsletter, podcast, and website, he aims to be the most trusted and transparent (as well as entertaining) resource for information on franchises. On this episode, Chris and Wolf discuss: An in-depth analysis of how franchising works What makes a great franchise business How to create a franchise Years of lessons learned from the franchise industry Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Wolf of Franchises on Twitter WolfOfFranchises.com WorkWeek Franchise Empires Podcast - On Apple - On Spotify Spaulding Decon American Family Care The Joint In N Out on Expanding East of Texas Sun Holdings The Flynn Group (1:13) - Building an anonymous Twitter account (4:19) - How are you building a business around your Twitter account? (6:27) - What is a franchise? (9:03)- How does a business owner convert their model to a franchise? (11:19) - Is there a certain level of stores you need to have before a franchise makes sense? (12:29) - How long does it take to put the business on paper that’s ready to franchise? (13:26)  - What big questions should franchisees be thinking about as they go through the process? (16:20) - Are a lot of the people applying to be franchisee’s first-time operators? (21:05) - How would you structure a franchise deal? (24:13) - Is it upon the franchisor to determine the size of an operator’s territory? (25:43) - The Subway Franchise Model (27:43) -How do Franchisors vet potential franchisees? (30:46) - Is there any data on the franchisee being a passive owner vs. working in the business? (33:46)- How do you typically finance a new franchise? (35:40) - How do you do due diligence on a franchisor? (38:30) - How long is the typical franchise agreement? (39:47) - What does the agreement look like when a franchisee approaches a franchisor with a buyer for their locations? (44:23) - What franchises do you love if you were going to go buy a franchise? (50:59) - Are there any tips for finding the right location for a customer-facing franchise? (52:30) -What would you stay away from? (55:08) - What’s the craziest business you’ve seen become a franchise? (55:58) - What’s the best healthcare franchise? (57:53) - Does Real Estate play into someone’s decision to get into franchising? (59:34) - How does an operator get a franchise into a new state? (1:02:37) - Why wouldn’t franchises with cult followings like In-N-Out be in every state? (1:04:16) - Is the nightmare scenario a Franchisee is doing really well but a Franchisor is screwing it up? (1:08:46) - What’s the best way to buy out a franchisee? (1:10:34) - Who’s the largest franchisee in the country? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Twitter Anon "The Wolf of Franchises" aka @franchisewolf on Twitter, is an expert in the franchise industry. The Wolf of Franchises is a franchise industry professional who has helped match top franchise brands with competent owners and operators and source emerging franchisors for investment opportunities. The Wolf is currently building a media organization via Workweek; an Austin-based media startup focused on empowering individual creators. Through The Wolf's newsletter, podcast, and website, he aims to be the most trusted and transparent (as well as entertaining) resource for information on franchises.

On this episode, Chris and Wolf discuss:

  • An in-depth analysis of how franchising works
  • What makes a great franchise business
  • How to create a franchise
  • Years of lessons learned from the franchise industry

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Wolf of Franchises on Twitter

WolfOfFranchises.com

WorkWeek

Franchise Empires Podcast

- On Apple

- On Spotify

Spaulding Decon

American Family Care

The Joint

In N Out on Expanding East of Texas

Sun Holdings

The Flynn Group

(1:13) - Building an anonymous Twitter account

(4:19) - How are you building a business around your Twitter account?

(6:27) - What is a franchise?

(9:03)- How does a business owner convert their model to a franchise?

(11:19) - Is there a certain level of stores you need to have before a franchise makes sense?

(12:29) - How long does it take to put the business on paper that’s ready to franchise?

(13:26)  - What big questions should franchisees be thinking about as they go through the process?

(16:20) - Are a lot of the people applying to be franchisee’s first-time operators?

(21:05) - How would you structure a franchise deal?

(24:13) - Is it upon the franchisor to determine the size of an operator’s territory?

(25:43) - The Subway Franchise Model

(27:43) -How do Franchisors vet potential franchisees?

(30:46) - Is there any data on the franchisee being a passive owner vs. working in the business?

(33:46)- How do you typically finance a new franchise?

(35:40) - How do you do due diligence on a franchisor?

(38:30) - How long is the typical franchise agreement?

(39:47) - What does the agreement look like when a franchisee approaches a franchisor with a buyer for their locations?

(44:23) - What franchises do you love if you were going to go buy a franchise?

(50:59) - Are there any tips for finding the right location for a customer-facing franchise?

(52:30) -What would you stay away from?

(55:08) - What’s the craziest business you’ve seen become a franchise?

(55:58) - What’s the best healthcare franchise?

(57:53) - Does Real Estate play into someone’s decision to get into franchising?

(59:34) - How does an operator get a franchise into a new state?

(1:02:37) - Why wouldn’t franchises with cult followings like In-N-Out be in every state?

(1:04:16) - Is the nightmare scenario a Franchisee is doing really well but a Franchisor is screwing it up?

(1:08:46) - What’s the best way to buy out a franchisee?

(1:10:34) - Who’s the largest franchisee in the country?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4474 no #237: M. Stanfield (Twitter Anon) - Investing in America's Most Challenging Affordable Housing https://www.TheFortPod.com Twitter Anon M. Stanfield aka @mu2myoc on Twitter is an expert in affordable housing.  Over the past 18 months, his firm has acquired $200M+ in affordable housing projects in Texas. They buy distressed value-add deals and spend a pile on CapEx. Before launching his own fund two years ago, he had developed over 3,000 units of affordable housing in multiple states. Prior to that, he was an affordable housing broker. On this episode, Chris and M. Stanfield discuss: An in-depth analysis of the affordable housing industry and how it operates. Stories as a landlord of some of America’s toughest affordable housing communities. How his firm creates value and win/win situations for all involved. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ M. Stanfield on Twitter M. Stanfield's Newsletter (1:47) - The culture around people living in low-income housing (13:06) - What are you buying and what issues are you walking into when looking at a deal? (17:26) - Low Income Housing Tax Credit process (22:18) - Thoughts on Section 8 housing  (32:30) - What drives you to work in this asset class? (39:41) - Serendipitous opportunity vs. “working for it”  (43:59) - How do you turn these properties around from a physical perspective and a resident perspective? (54:58) - Is there any real solution to helping low-income housing? (59:40) - Re-tenanting a property Twitter Questions (1:09:20) - What 2-3 levers can you pull that drive 95% of returns? (1:16:07) - What’s your take on the market right now?  The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 23 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #237: M. Stanfield (Twitter Anon) - Investing in America's Most Challenging Affordable Housing full 1 237 Chris Powers Twitter Anon M. Stanfield aka @mu2myoc on Twitter is an expert in affordable housing.  Over the past 18 months, his firm has acquired $200M+ in affordable housing projects in Texas. They buy distressed value-add deals and spend a pile on CapEx.... Twitter Anon M. Stanfield aka @mu2myoc on Twitter is an expert in affordable housing.  Over the past 18 months, his firm has acquired $200M+ in affordable housing projects in Texas. They buy distressed value-add deals and spend a pile on CapEx. Before launching his own fund two years ago, he had developed over 3,000 units of affordable housing in multiple states. Prior to that, he was an affordable housing broker. On this episode, Chris and M. Stanfield discuss: An in-depth analysis of the affordable housing industry and how it operates. Stories as a landlord of some of America’s toughest affordable housing communities. How his firm creates value and win/win situations for all involved. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ M. Stanfield on Twitter M. Stanfield's Newsletter (1:47) - The culture around people living in low-income housing (13:06) - What are you buying and what issues are you walking into when looking at a deal? (17:26) - Low Income Housing Tax Credit process (22:18) - Thoughts on Section 8 housing  (32:30) - What drives you to work in this asset class? (39:41) - Serendipitous opportunity vs. “working for it”  (43:59) - How do you turn these properties around from a physical perspective and a resident perspective? (54:58) - Is there any real solution to helping low-income housing? (59:40) - Re-tenanting a property Twitter Questions (1:09:20) - What 2-3 levers can you pull that drive 95% of returns? (1:16:07) - What’s your take on the market right now?  The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Twitter Anon M. Stanfield aka @mu2myoc on Twitter is an expert in affordable housing.  Over the past 18 months, his firm has acquired $200M+ in affordable housing projects in Texas. They buy distressed value-add deals and spend a pile on CapEx. Before launching his own fund two years ago, he had developed over 3,000 units of affordable housing in multiple states. Prior to that, he was an affordable housing broker.

On this episode, Chris and M. Stanfield discuss:

  • An in-depth analysis of the affordable housing industry and how it operates.
  • Stories as a landlord of some of America’s toughest affordable housing communities.
  • How his firm creates value and win/win situations for all involved.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

M. Stanfield on Twitter

M. Stanfield's Newsletter

(1:47) - The culture around people living in low-income housing

(13:06) - What are you buying and what issues are you walking into when looking at a deal?

(17:26) - Low Income Housing Tax Credit process

(22:18) - Thoughts on Section 8 housing 

(32:30) - What drives you to work in this asset class?

(39:41) - Serendipitous opportunity vs. “working for it”

 (43:59) - How do you turn these properties around from a physical perspective and a resident perspective?

(54:58) - Is there any real solution to helping low-income housing?

(59:40) - Re-tenanting a property

Twitter Questions

(1:09:20) - What 2-3 levers can you pull that drive 95% of returns?

(1:16:07) - What’s your take on the market right now? 

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5017 no #236: Jilliene Helman - CEO of RealtyMogul - Real Estate Crowdfunding https://www.TheFortPod.com Jilliene Helman is the Founder and CEO of RealtyMogul, an online real estate marketplace that gives everyday investors access to institutional-quality commercial real estate deals in dozens of markets across the country. Since 2012, RealtyMogul members have collectively invested over $850 million into $4.7 billion of real estate nationwide (as of March 31, 2022). Jilliene holds Series 7, 24, and 63 investment licenses and is a Certified Wealth Strategist. She’s been featured as an expert on startups and real estate investing on Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, Yahoo! Finance, and Entrepreneur. On this episode, Chris and Jilliene discuss: A 10-year overview of how crowdfunding has evolved and the tailwinds driving it Building a two-sided marketplace with sponsors and LP’s. How crowdfunding works from a high level What to expect from the crowdfunding industry over the next decade. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (2:02) - Jilliene’s career and background (4:48) - What did crowdfunding in the RE space look like when you got started in your career? (8:29) - If you had to go start a new 2-sided marketplace today, would it be harder to do? (11:47) - Was there an inflection point in the industry where crowdfunding became more mainstream? (15:07) - How distributed is the money coming from crowdfunding? Are there ever a couple of individuals that carry the bulk of a fund? (17:20) - What’s the path forward to become a top brand name over the next decade? (20:12) - Is there any agreement that states the LP needs to go to you instead of the GP for questions or investments? (21:39) - How do you approve and vet sponsors? (24:57) - Have you seen institutional or family office capital get into crowdfunding? (25:55) - How do your REITs work? (29:09) - Is the push to have a more built out secondary market for LP’s something on your radar? (30:55) - How do you approach Capital Call situations? (33:24) - What data are you looking at to prove the massive tailwinds for crowdfunding? (35:33) - Do you have to own a controlling position in the LP stack? (36:17) - How are you seeing most people show up in a deal? (37:44) - What’s something you think deeply about that you want to see in the industry? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 16 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #236: Jilliene Helman - CEO of RealtyMogul - Real Estate Crowdfunding full 1 236 Chris Powers Jilliene Helman is the Founder and CEO of , an online real estate marketplace that gives everyday investors access to institutional-quality commercial real estate deals in dozens of markets across the country. Since 2012, RealtyMogul members have... Jilliene Helman is the Founder and CEO of RealtyMogul, an online real estate marketplace that gives everyday investors access to institutional-quality commercial real estate deals in dozens of markets across the country. Since 2012, RealtyMogul members have collectively invested over $850 million into $4.7 billion of real estate nationwide (as of March 31, 2022). Jilliene holds Series 7, 24, and 63 investment licenses and is a Certified Wealth Strategist. She’s been featured as an expert on startups and real estate investing on Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, Yahoo! Finance, and Entrepreneur. On this episode, Chris and Jilliene discuss: A 10-year overview of how crowdfunding has evolved and the tailwinds driving it Building a two-sided marketplace with sponsors and LP’s. How crowdfunding works from a high level What to expect from the crowdfunding industry over the next decade. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (2:02) - Jilliene’s career and background (4:48) - What did crowdfunding in the RE space look like when you got started in your career? (8:29) - If you had to go start a new 2-sided marketplace today, would it be harder to do? (11:47) - Was there an inflection point in the industry where crowdfunding became more mainstream? (15:07) - How distributed is the money coming from crowdfunding? Are there ever a couple of individuals that carry the bulk of a fund? (17:20) - What’s the path forward to become a top brand name over the next decade? (20:12) - Is there any agreement that states the LP needs to go to you instead of the GP for questions or investments? (21:39) - How do you approve and vet sponsors? (24:57) - Have you seen institutional or family office capital get into crowdfunding? (25:55) - How do your REITs work? (29:09) - Is the push to have a more built out secondary market for LP’s something on your radar? (30:55) - How do you approach Capital Call situations? (33:24) - What data are you looking at to prove the massive tailwinds for crowdfunding? (35:33) - Do you have to own a controlling position in the LP stack? (36:17) - How are you seeing most people show up in a deal? (37:44) - What’s something you think deeply about that you want to see in the industry? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jilliene Helman is the Founder and CEO of RealtyMogul, an online real estate marketplace that gives everyday investors access to institutional-quality commercial real estate deals in dozens of markets across the country. Since 2012, RealtyMogul members have collectively invested over $850 million into $4.7 billion of real estate nationwide (as of March 31, 2022). Jilliene holds Series 7, 24, and 63 investment licenses and is a Certified Wealth Strategist. She’s been featured as an expert on startups and real estate investing on Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, Yahoo! Finance, and Entrepreneur.

On this episode, Chris and Jilliene discuss:

  • A 10-year overview of how crowdfunding has evolved and the tailwinds driving it
  • Building a two-sided marketplace with sponsors and LP’s.
  • How crowdfunding works from a high level
  • What to expect from the crowdfunding industry over the next decade.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

(2:02) - Jilliene’s career and background

(4:48) - What did crowdfunding in the RE space look like when you got started in your career?

(8:29) - If you had to go start a new 2-sided marketplace today, would it be harder to do?

(11:47) - Was there an inflection point in the industry where crowdfunding became more mainstream?

(15:07) - How distributed is the money coming from crowdfunding? Are there ever a couple of individuals that carry the bulk of a fund?

(17:20) - What’s the path forward to become a top brand name over the next decade?

(20:12) - Is there any agreement that states the LP needs to go to you instead of the GP for questions or investments?

(21:39) - How do you approve and vet sponsors?

(24:57) - Have you seen institutional or family office capital get into crowdfunding?

(25:55) - How do your REITs work?

(29:09) - Is the push to have a more built out secondary market for LP’s something on your radar?

(30:55) - How do you approach Capital Call situations?

(33:24) - What data are you looking at to prove the massive tailwinds for crowdfunding?

(35:33) - Do you have to own a controlling position in the LP stack?

(36:17) - How are you seeing most people show up in a deal?

(37:44) - What’s something you think deeply about that you want to see in the industry?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 2455 no #235: Steve Robinson - Former CMO of Chick-Fil-A - 35 years of Timeless Lessons Learned While Building an Iconic Brand & Culture. https://www.TheFortPod.com Steve Robinson is the former CMO of Chick Fil A. and is currently a consultant, author, and speaker on organizational culture design & leadership, brand strategy development, marketing planning, and distinctive advertising principles. He is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc., 1981-2015. Before joining the company, Steve was the director of marketing for Six Flags Over Georgia theme park in Atlanta, Georgia. This role was preceded by marketing positions at two other Six Flags properties and communications manager at Texas Instruments. After beginning his career at Chick-fil-A as director of marketing, Steve went on to serve as vice president of the department before becoming chief marketing officer. In his most recent role, he was responsible for overseeing marketing, advertising, brand development, menu development, and hospitality strategies. In addition to serving on Chick-fil-A’s board of directors from 2016-2018, Steve serves on several boards for organizations and ministries, including FamilyLife, Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Atlanta, Links Players International, and Atlanta Hall Management & College Football Hall of Fame, and the National Football Foundation. He holds an associate degree in business administration from Faulkner State Junior College, a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Auburn University, and a master’s in advertising from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Steve and his wife, Dianne, have two children and four grandchildren. In this episode, Chris and Steve discuss Why every company should have a purpose for existing. Hint: it's used to make decisions ;) The incredible story behind Chick Fil A's growth and the thriving culture that got them there. Hire people through a lens that "you'll work with them forever." Chick Fil A cows, "My Pleasure", and more. And more! Purchase Steve’s Book here Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (2:04) - How Steve got to Chick-fil-A (8:55) - What’s your response to the fast-paced hiring processes of today’s businesses? (11:37) - The purpose statement of Chick-Fil-A (23:21) - Why doesn’t every company have a purpose statement? (27:59) - What do you tell to already established companies who want to totally rebuild their culture? (32:09) - Do you have an example of a major decision that was made or not made based on the company’s purpose statement? (37:40) - Is there something different about today’s culture that would make a culture like Chick-Fil-A’s much harder to implement? (40:14) - Can selflessness be taught? (43:54) - Turnover is the #1 enemy of cultural sustainability (46:00) - How did the cows become the mascots? (53:41) - The CFA operator model (1:06:06) - The origin of “My Pleasure” The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 09 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #235: Steve Robinson - Former CMO of Chick-Fil-A - 35 years of Timeless Lessons Learned While Building an Iconic Brand & Culture. full 1 235 Chris Powers Steve Robinson is the former CMO of Chick Fil A. and is currently a consultant, author, and speaker on organizational culture design & leadership, brand strategy development, marketing planning, and distinctive advertising principles. He is the... Steve Robinson is the former CMO of Chick Fil A. and is currently a consultant, author, and speaker on organizational culture design & leadership, brand strategy development, marketing planning, and distinctive advertising principles. He is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc., 1981-2015. Before joining the company, Steve was the director of marketing for Six Flags Over Georgia theme park in Atlanta, Georgia. This role was preceded by marketing positions at two other Six Flags properties and communications manager at Texas Instruments. After beginning his career at Chick-fil-A as director of marketing, Steve went on to serve as vice president of the department before becoming chief marketing officer. In his most recent role, he was responsible for overseeing marketing, advertising, brand development, menu development, and hospitality strategies. In addition to serving on Chick-fil-A’s board of directors from 2016-2018, Steve serves on several boards for organizations and ministries, including FamilyLife, Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Atlanta, Links Players International, and Atlanta Hall Management & College Football Hall of Fame, and the National Football Foundation. He holds an associate degree in business administration from Faulkner State Junior College, a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Auburn University, and a master’s in advertising from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Steve and his wife, Dianne, have two children and four grandchildren. In this episode, Chris and Steve discuss Why every company should have a purpose for existing. Hint: it's used to make decisions ;) The incredible story behind Chick Fil A's growth and the thriving culture that got them there. Hire people through a lens that "you'll work with them forever." Chick Fil A cows, "My Pleasure", and more. And more! Purchase Steve’s Book here Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (2:04) - How Steve got to Chick-fil-A (8:55) - What’s your response to the fast-paced hiring processes of today’s businesses? (11:37) - The purpose statement of Chick-Fil-A (23:21) - Why doesn’t every company have a purpose statement? (27:59) - What do you tell to already established companies who want to totally rebuild their culture? (32:09) - Do you have an example of a major decision that was made or not made based on the company’s purpose statement? (37:40) - Is there something different about today’s culture that would make a culture like Chick-Fil-A’s much harder to implement? (40:14) - Can selflessness be taught? (43:54) - Turnover is the #1 enemy of cultural sustainability (46:00) - How did the cows become the mascots? (53:41) - The CFA operator model (1:06:06) - The origin of “My Pleasure” The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Steve Robinson is the former CMO of Chick Fil A. and is currently a consultant, author, and speaker on organizational culture design & leadership, brand strategy development, marketing planning, and distinctive advertising principles.

He is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc., 1981-2015. Before joining the company, Steve was the director of marketing for Six Flags Over Georgia theme park in Atlanta, Georgia. This role was preceded by marketing positions at two other Six Flags properties and communications manager at Texas Instruments.

After beginning his career at Chick-fil-A as director of marketing, Steve went on to serve as vice president of the department before becoming chief marketing officer. In his most recent role, he was responsible for overseeing marketing, advertising, brand development, menu development, and hospitality strategies.

In addition to serving on Chick-fil-A’s board of directors from 2016-2018, Steve serves on several boards for organizations and ministries, including FamilyLife, Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Atlanta, Links Players International, and Atlanta Hall Management & College Football Hall of Fame, and the National Football Foundation.

He holds an associate degree in business administration from Faulkner State Junior College, a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Auburn University, and a master’s in advertising from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Steve and his wife, Dianne, have two children and four grandchildren.

In this episode, Chris and Steve discuss

  • Why every company should have a purpose for existing. Hint: it's used to make decisions ;)
  • The incredible story behind Chick Fil A's growth and the thriving culture that got them there.
  • Hire people through a lens that "you'll work with them forever."
  • Chick Fil A cows, "My Pleasure", and more.
  • And more!

Purchase Steve’s Book here

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(2:04) - How Steve got to Chick-fil-A

(8:55) - What’s your response to the fast-paced hiring processes of today’s businesses?

(11:37) - The purpose statement of Chick-Fil-A

(23:21) - Why doesn’t every company have a purpose statement?

(27:59) - What do you tell to already established companies who want to totally rebuild their culture?

(32:09) - Do you have an example of a major decision that was made or not made based on the company’s purpose statement?

(37:40) - Is there something different about today’s culture that would make a culture like Chick-Fil-A’s much harder to implement?

(40:14) - Can selflessness be taught?

(43:54) - Turnover is the #1 enemy of cultural sustainability

(46:00) - How did the cows become the mascots?

(53:41) - The CFA operator model

(1:06:06) - The origin of “My Pleasure”

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4697 no #234: Ryan Broderick - Co-Founder of Darwin Homes - Building the Amazon of Single-Family Property Management https://www.TheFortPod.com Ryan Broderick is the Co-Founder & CEO of Darwin Homes. Darwin Homes is a real estate investment management platform focused on the single-family rental opportunity, enabling investors to invest anywhere simply with confidence. Darwin has raised just under $50m in venture capital from Khosla Ventures, Camber Creek, Fifth Wall, Canvas Ventures, Tony Xu, Ryan Graves, Ryan Roslansky, and other technology leaders. Prior to founding Darwin Homes, Ryan was part of the founding team at DoorDash. During his tenure at DoorDash, he built and led the first Launch team, which was tasked with scaling the DoorDash operation from Silicon Valley to over 250 cities in the US. He then went on to build the Merchant Team responsible for Business Development, Sales, Merchant Products, and Merchant Operations. Before DoorDash, Ryan worked at JUMP Investors, an early-stage VC firm led by Randall Kaplan, the Co-Founder of Akamai Technologies. Ryan holds a B.S from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Pepperdine University. In this episode, Chris and Ryan discuss: Lessons learned from being early at DoorDash and how he applied those principles to property management How they enter a market and all that happens How they've approached single-family property management from first principles to building revolutionary tools for owners Future opportunities that can be done when Darwin hits scale, including new resident monetization strategies Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast    (2:58) - Ryan’s early career with Doordash (16:40) - What was the initial thesis for Darwin Homes? (26:55) - What does scale give Darwin that the local PM will never have? (30:55) - What do you mean by the Surface Area in Property Management? (32:40) - What does a great engineering culture look like? (36:13) - How does the best idea win when you’re first building a product that needs to 10x? (38:58) - What happens from Day 0 of entering a new market?  (42:22) - How do you source vendors in a market? (48:00) - What makes a good city for Darwin to enter? (49:22) - Darwin’s Build-to-rent operation (50:12) - Why do you have an acquisitions team within a property management company? (56:38) - Ryan’s vision for Darwin (1:01:30) - How big is the SFR & BFR market getting?  (1:04:53) - What do institutional owners care about and what do retail owners care about? (1:08:11) - Are we moving to a world where people rent homes sight unseen?  (1:11:38) - Resident Monetization (1:15:10) - Is there room for managing homes for homeowners?  (1:19:31) - Do you have any desire to buy property managers in other markets?  (1:21:06) - Are the people you’re hiring already in the PM industry? (1:23:11) - Thoughts on construction (1:27:03) - What are you seeing going on in VC given everything happening in the economy? (1:36:29) - Thoughts on Blue Collar work (1:47:19) - Shooting the shit and bouncing business ideas off each other Tue, 02 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #234: Ryan Broderick - Co-Founder of Darwin Homes - Building the Amazon of Single-Family Property Management full 1 234 Chris Powers Ryan Broderick is the Co-Founder & CEO of Darwin Homes. Darwin Homes is a real estate investment management platform focused on the single-family rental opportunity, enabling investors to invest anywhere simply with confidence. Darwin has raised... Ryan Broderick is the Co-Founder & CEO of Darwin Homes. Darwin Homes is a real estate investment management platform focused on the single-family rental opportunity, enabling investors to invest anywhere simply with confidence. Darwin has raised just under $50m in venture capital from Khosla Ventures, Camber Creek, Fifth Wall, Canvas Ventures, Tony Xu, Ryan Graves, Ryan Roslansky, and other technology leaders. Prior to founding Darwin Homes, Ryan was part of the founding team at DoorDash. During his tenure at DoorDash, he built and led the first Launch team, which was tasked with scaling the DoorDash operation from Silicon Valley to over 250 cities in the US. He then went on to build the Merchant Team responsible for Business Development, Sales, Merchant Products, and Merchant Operations. Before DoorDash, Ryan worked at JUMP Investors, an early-stage VC firm led by Randall Kaplan, the Co-Founder of Akamai Technologies. Ryan holds a B.S from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Pepperdine University. In this episode, Chris and Ryan discuss: Lessons learned from being early at DoorDash and how he applied those principles to property management How they enter a market and all that happens How they've approached single-family property management from first principles to building revolutionary tools for owners Future opportunities that can be done when Darwin hits scale, including new resident monetization strategies Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast    (2:58) - Ryan’s early career with Doordash (16:40) - What was the initial thesis for Darwin Homes? (26:55) - What does scale give Darwin that the local PM will never have? (30:55) - What do you mean by the Surface Area in Property Management? (32:40) - What does a great engineering culture look like? (36:13) - How does the best idea win when you’re first building a product that needs to 10x? (38:58) - What happens from Day 0 of entering a new market?  (42:22) - How do you source vendors in a market? (48:00) - What makes a good city for Darwin to enter? (49:22) - Darwin’s Build-to-rent operation (50:12) - Why do you have an acquisitions team within a property management company? (56:38) - Ryan’s vision for Darwin (1:01:30) - How big is the SFR & BFR market getting?  (1:04:53) - What do institutional owners care about and what do retail owners care about? (1:08:11) - Are we moving to a world where people rent homes sight unseen?  (1:11:38) - Resident Monetization (1:15:10) - Is there room for managing homes for homeowners?  (1:19:31) - Do you have any desire to buy property managers in other markets?  (1:21:06) - Are the people you’re hiring already in the PM industry? (1:23:11) - Thoughts on construction (1:27:03) - What are you seeing going on in VC given everything happening in the economy? (1:36:29) - Thoughts on Blue Collar work (1:47:19) - Shooting the shit and bouncing business ideas off each other Ryan Broderick is the Co-Founder & CEO of Darwin Homes. Darwin Homes is a real estate investment management platform focused on the single-family rental opportunity, enabling investors to invest anywhere simply with confidence. Darwin has raised just under $50m in venture capital from Khosla Ventures, Camber Creek, Fifth Wall, Canvas Ventures, Tony Xu, Ryan Graves, Ryan Roslansky, and other technology leaders.

Prior to founding Darwin Homes, Ryan was part of the founding team at DoorDash. During his tenure at DoorDash, he built and led the first Launch team, which was tasked with scaling the DoorDash operation from Silicon Valley to over 250 cities in the US. He then went on to build the Merchant Team responsible for Business Development, Sales, Merchant Products, and Merchant Operations. Before DoorDash, Ryan worked at JUMP Investors, an early-stage VC firm led by Randall Kaplan, the Co-Founder of Akamai Technologies. Ryan holds a B.S from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

In this episode, Chris and Ryan discuss:

  • Lessons learned from being early at DoorDash and how he applied those principles to property management
  • How they enter a market and all that happens
  • How they've approached single-family property management from first principles to building revolutionary tools for owners
  • Future opportunities that can be done when Darwin hits scale, including new resident monetization strategies

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

  

(2:58) - Ryan’s early career with Doordash

(16:40) - What was the initial thesis for Darwin Homes?

(26:55) - What does scale give Darwin that the local PM will never have?

(30:55) - What do you mean by the Surface Area in Property Management?

(32:40) - What does a great engineering culture look like?

(36:13) - How does the best idea win when you’re first building a product that needs to 10x?

(38:58) - What happens from Day 0 of entering a new market? 

(42:22) - How do you source vendors in a market?

(48:00) - What makes a good city for Darwin to enter?

(49:22) - Darwin’s Build-to-rent operation

(50:12) - Why do you have an acquisitions team within a property management company?

(56:38) - Ryan’s vision for Darwin

(1:01:30) - How big is the SFR & BFR market getting?

 (1:04:53) - What do institutional owners care about and what do retail owners care about?

(1:08:11) - Are we moving to a world where people rent homes sight unseen? 

(1:11:38) - Resident Monetization

(1:15:10) - Is there room for managing homes for homeowners?

 (1:19:31) - Do you have any desire to buy property managers in other markets?

 (1:21:06) - Are the people you’re hiring already in the PM industry?

(1:23:11) - Thoughts on construction

(1:27:03) - What are you seeing going on in VC given everything happening in the economy?

(1:36:29) - Thoughts on Blue Collar work

(1:47:19) - Shooting the shit and bouncing business ideas off each other

]]> 6795 no #233: Josh Young - Founder & CIO @ Bison Interests - The Macro Implications & Big Picture for Energy Markets - A Bull Case for Oil & Gas https://www.TheFortPod.com Josh Young is the Founder & CIO of Bison Interests.  Josh has built his career concentrating on deep value opportunities for investors. He has over 15 years of experience in investment management, 10 of which were focused on publicly-traded oil and gas securities. Josh became Chairman of the Board of RMP Energy in 2017. After refreshing the board and management team and rebranding the company (Iron Bridge Resources), it was bought out at a 78% premium in 2018. Josh is the author of numerous articles on oil & gas investments and the guest speaker at various energy industry conferences.   He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in economics. Josh was a management consultant to Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms, and then an investment analyst at a private equity fund. Josh worked as an energy investment analyst for a multi-billion dollar, single-family office, which was nominated as Institutional Investor's Single Family Office of the Year in 2008 On this episode Chris and Josh discuss: A historical overview of energy markets from 2014 - present Macro themes that are emerging in the global energy markets A bull case for oil & gas What it will take to rebuild the oil & gas industry in America Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Josh_Young_1 Bison Interests: https://bisoninterests.com/ (2:11) - Josh’s career and background  (7:38) - How big is the investable universe of companies within Oil and Gas? (9:22) - Where is your focus within the industry? (10:54) - What was happening in the world after the crash in 2014? (20:54) - Are the Saudis the largest producers in the world? (21:18) - What do countries like Iran and Venezuela do with their oil when they are shut out of OPEC? (24:53) - What started happening in the market in 2015? (31:48) - As you think about that period of time, how much of it was driven by a lack of fracking knowledge? (36:25) - Market overview from 2018 through the pandemic (44:43) - How underinvested is the industry today? (52:25) - Thoughts on the ESG movement (1:00:39) - Is there anything on the horizon that the narrative around O&G will change either for the better or worse? (1:03:18) - How much impact is the Russia-Ukraine conflict having on the oil markets? (1:05:51) - What are your predictions for the next 4-5 years? (1:19:37) - Thoughts on the current O&G market The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 28 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #233: Josh Young - Founder & CIO @ Bison Interests - The Macro Implications & Big Picture for Energy Markets - A Bull Case for Oil & Gas full 1 233 Chris Powers Josh Young is the Founder & CIO of Bison Interests.  Josh has built his career concentrating on deep value opportunities for investors. He has over 15 years of experience in investment management, 10 of which were focused on... Josh Young is the Founder & CIO of Bison Interests.  Josh has built his career concentrating on deep value opportunities for investors. He has over 15 years of experience in investment management, 10 of which were focused on publicly-traded oil and gas securities. Josh became Chairman of the Board of RMP Energy in 2017. After refreshing the board and management team and rebranding the company (Iron Bridge Resources), it was bought out at a 78% premium in 2018. Josh is the author of numerous articles on oil & gas investments and the guest speaker at various energy industry conferences.   He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in economics. Josh was a management consultant to Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms, and then an investment analyst at a private equity fund. Josh worked as an energy investment analyst for a multi-billion dollar, single-family office, which was nominated as Institutional Investor's Single Family Office of the Year in 2008 On this episode Chris and Josh discuss: A historical overview of energy markets from 2014 - present Macro themes that are emerging in the global energy markets A bull case for oil & gas What it will take to rebuild the oil & gas industry in America Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Josh_Young_1 Bison Interests: https://bisoninterests.com/ (2:11) - Josh’s career and background  (7:38) - How big is the investable universe of companies within Oil and Gas? (9:22) - Where is your focus within the industry? (10:54) - What was happening in the world after the crash in 2014? (20:54) - Are the Saudis the largest producers in the world? (21:18) - What do countries like Iran and Venezuela do with their oil when they are shut out of OPEC? (24:53) - What started happening in the market in 2015? (31:48) - As you think about that period of time, how much of it was driven by a lack of fracking knowledge? (36:25) - Market overview from 2018 through the pandemic (44:43) - How underinvested is the industry today? (52:25) - Thoughts on the ESG movement (1:00:39) - Is there anything on the horizon that the narrative around O&G will change either for the better or worse? (1:03:18) - How much impact is the Russia-Ukraine conflict having on the oil markets? (1:05:51) - What are your predictions for the next 4-5 years? (1:19:37) - Thoughts on the current O&G market The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Josh Young is the Founder & CIO of Bison Interests.  Josh has built his career concentrating on deep value opportunities for investors. He has over 15 years of experience in investment management, 10 of which were focused on publicly-traded oil and gas securities. Josh became Chairman of the Board of RMP Energy in 2017. After refreshing the board and management team and rebranding the company (Iron Bridge Resources), it was bought out at a 78% premium in 2018. Josh is the author of numerous articles on oil & gas investments and the guest speaker at various energy industry conferences.  

He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in economics. Josh was a management consultant to Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms, and then an investment analyst at a private equity fund.

Josh worked as an energy investment analyst for a multi-billion dollar, single-family office, which was nominated as Institutional Investor's Single Family Office of the Year in 2008

On this episode Chris and Josh discuss:

  • A historical overview of energy markets from 2014 - present
  • Macro themes that are emerging in the global energy markets
  • A bull case for oil & gas
  • What it will take to rebuild the oil & gas industry in America

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Josh_Young_1

Bison Interests: https://bisoninterests.com/

(2:11) - Josh’s career and background 

(7:38) - How big is the investable universe of companies within Oil and Gas?

(9:22) - Where is your focus within the industry?

(10:54) - What was happening in the world after the crash in 2014?

(20:54) - Are the Saudis the largest producers in the world?

(21:18) - What do countries like Iran and Venezuela do with their oil when they are shut out of OPEC?

(24:53) - What started happening in the market in 2015?

(31:48) - As you think about that period of time, how much of it was driven by a lack of fracking knowledge?

(36:25) - Market overview from 2018 through the pandemic

(44:43) - How underinvested is the industry today?

(52:25) - Thoughts on the ESG movement

(1:00:39) - Is there anything on the horizon that the narrative around O&G will change either for the better or worse?

(1:03:18) - How much impact is the Russia-Ukraine conflict having on the oil markets?

(1:05:51) - What are your predictions for the next 4-5 years?

(1:19:37) - Thoughts on the current O&G market

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5280 no #232: Apurva Mehta - Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments - Deep Dive Into Current Venture Capital Landscape https://www.TheFortPod.com Apurva Mehta is the Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments.  Apurva graduated with a B.B.A in Finance from The George Washington University. From 2001 to 2004, he was a Senior Investment Analyst for Citi Institutional Consulting in Washington D.C, where he focused on asset allocation and manager due diligence for endowments, foundation, and pension funds. From there, Mehta went on to become a VP at Lehman Brothers in the Investment Banking and Investment Management Divisions, focusing on Global Business Planning and Strategy until 2008. For the next three years, Mehta was the Director of Portfolio Investments at the Juilliard School in New York City. For the next eight years, he was the Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Cook's Children's Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, where he oversaw the management of the portfolio across all asset classes, including strategic and tactical asset allocation, investment manager selection, manager performance evaluation, and operational oversight. Additionally, he led the buildout of the Private Investment portfolio and spearheaded the Venture Capital program. Moreover, in 2012 and 2013 Mehta was named one of the "Top Forty Under Forty" by CIO Magazine and recognized as “Fresh Talent at the World’s Largest Asset Owners”. He was also named a “Rising Star” of Foundations and Endowments and a “Rising Star” of Hedge Funds by Institutional Investor in 2013. Currently, alongside being a  managing partner at Summit Peak, Mehta is also on the board for Interstride. In this episode, Chris and Apurva discuss venture capital's current market environment and analyze Summit Peak's strategy for investing in Pre-See, Seed, and Series A Managers. They also discuss what will matter for starup's going forward and how valuations will be set, Paypal Mafia stories, and more. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Apurva on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehtaaapurva Summit Peak Investments: https://www.summitpeak.com/ (2:32) - What was your experience working at Lehman Brothers in 2008? (6:06) - Apurva’s career and founding Summit Peak Investments (7:40) - How have you chosen to approach Venture? (16:04) -  What qualities do you look for in early-stage investors? (24:07) - What’s happening in the market & VC in your opinion? (39:55) - How often do companies need to renegotiate capital agreements when markets become volatile? (44:54) - Do you predict investors will only look for the most logically profitable businesses going forward? (49:39) - What’s happening in the world of Series-A, Seed, and Pre-Seed investing? (55:25) - What factors would determine a phenomenal seed company in this market?  (58:33) - Thoughts on the PayPal Mafia (1:03:12) - What is your mindset heading into the next 5 years? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 26 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #232: Apurva Mehta - Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments - Deep Dive Into Current Venture Capital Landscape full 1 232 Chris Powers Apurva Mehta is the Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments.  Apurva graduated with a B.B.A in Finance from The George Washington University. From 2001 to 2004, he was a Senior Investment Analyst for Citi Institutional Consulting in... Apurva Mehta is the Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments.  Apurva graduated with a B.B.A in Finance from The George Washington University. From 2001 to 2004, he was a Senior Investment Analyst for Citi Institutional Consulting in Washington D.C, where he focused on asset allocation and manager due diligence for endowments, foundation, and pension funds. From there, Mehta went on to become a VP at Lehman Brothers in the Investment Banking and Investment Management Divisions, focusing on Global Business Planning and Strategy until 2008. For the next three years, Mehta was the Director of Portfolio Investments at the Juilliard School in New York City. For the next eight years, he was the Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Cook's Children's Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, where he oversaw the management of the portfolio across all asset classes, including strategic and tactical asset allocation, investment manager selection, manager performance evaluation, and operational oversight. Additionally, he led the buildout of the Private Investment portfolio and spearheaded the Venture Capital program. Moreover, in 2012 and 2013 Mehta was named one of the "Top Forty Under Forty" by CIO Magazine and recognized as “Fresh Talent at the World’s Largest Asset Owners”. He was also named a “Rising Star” of Foundations and Endowments and a “Rising Star” of Hedge Funds by Institutional Investor in 2013. Currently, alongside being a  managing partner at Summit Peak, Mehta is also on the board for Interstride. In this episode, Chris and Apurva discuss venture capital's current market environment and analyze Summit Peak's strategy for investing in Pre-See, Seed, and Series A Managers. They also discuss what will matter for starup's going forward and how valuations will be set, Paypal Mafia stories, and more. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Apurva on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehtaaapurva Summit Peak Investments: https://www.summitpeak.com/ (2:32) - What was your experience working at Lehman Brothers in 2008? (6:06) - Apurva’s career and founding Summit Peak Investments (7:40) - How have you chosen to approach Venture? (16:04) -  What qualities do you look for in early-stage investors? (24:07) - What’s happening in the market & VC in your opinion? (39:55) - How often do companies need to renegotiate capital agreements when markets become volatile? (44:54) - Do you predict investors will only look for the most logically profitable businesses going forward? (49:39) - What’s happening in the world of Series-A, Seed, and Pre-Seed investing? (55:25) - What factors would determine a phenomenal seed company in this market?  (58:33) - Thoughts on the PayPal Mafia (1:03:12) - What is your mindset heading into the next 5 years? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Apurva Mehta is the Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments.  Apurva graduated with a B.B.A in Finance from The George Washington University. From 2001 to 2004, he was a Senior Investment Analyst for Citi Institutional Consulting in Washington D.C, where he focused on asset allocation and manager due diligence for endowments, foundation, and pension funds.

From there, Mehta went on to become a VP at Lehman Brothers in the Investment Banking and Investment Management Divisions, focusing on Global Business Planning and Strategy until 2008. For the next three years, Mehta was the Director of Portfolio Investments at the Juilliard School in New York City. For the next eight years, he was the Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Cook's Children's Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, where he oversaw the management of the portfolio across all asset classes, including strategic and tactical asset allocation, investment manager selection, manager performance evaluation, and operational oversight. Additionally, he led the buildout of the Private Investment portfolio and spearheaded the Venture Capital program.

Moreover, in 2012 and 2013 Mehta was named one of the "Top Forty Under Forty" by CIO Magazine and recognized as “Fresh Talent at the World’s Largest Asset Owners”. He was also named a “Rising Star” of Foundations and Endowments and a “Rising Star” of Hedge Funds by Institutional Investor in 2013. Currently, alongside being a  managing partner at Summit Peak, Mehta is also on the board for Interstride.

In this episode, Chris and Apurva discuss venture capital's current market environment and analyze Summit Peak's strategy for investing in Pre-See, Seed, and Series A Managers. They also discuss what will matter for starup's going forward and how valuations will be set, Paypal Mafia stories, and more. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Apurva on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehtaaapurva

Summit Peak Investments: https://www.summitpeak.com/

(2:32) - What was your experience working at Lehman Brothers in 2008?

(6:06) - Apurva’s career and founding Summit Peak Investments

(7:40) - How have you chosen to approach Venture?

(16:04) -  What qualities do you look for in early-stage investors?

(24:07) - What’s happening in the market & VC in your opinion?

(39:55) - How often do companies need to renegotiate capital agreements when markets become volatile?

(44:54) - Do you predict investors will only look for the most logically profitable businesses going forward?

(49:39) - What’s happening in the world of Series-A, Seed, and Pre-Seed investing?

(55:25) - What factors would determine a phenomenal seed company in this market? 

(58:33) - Thoughts on the PayPal Mafia

(1:03:12) - What is your mindset heading into the next 5 years?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4145 no #231: Brad Hargreaves - Founder & CEO of Common - Making housing more affordable through co-living and best-in-class property management https://www.TheFortPod.com Brad Hargreaves is the Founder and CEO of Common, the nation’s leading residential brand that designs and manages multifamily apartments with more than 6,000 residents in over 10 markets across the country.   On this episode, Chris and Brad discuss how co-living works and why it's more affordable, how Common works with owners and developers to drive returns and what makes for a great location/market when deciding to develop co-living. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Common: https://www.common.com/ Brad on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhargreaves (2:04) - Brad’s journey into co-living (3:17) - When did co-living get its label and become a true asset class? (4:33) - What does Common do & what is the definition of Co-living? (5:48) - How do your management & lease agreements work? (9:01) - Why are developers approaching you over traditional Property Managers? (10:57) -  - How do you think about designing to separate yourself from other MF developers? (15:29) - What’s the trigger in these jurisdictions that gets you classified into co-living? (17:53) - SRO: Single Room Occupancy dwelling (19:46) - Why are jurisdictions somewhat against co-living? (21:09) - What makes a great market for co-living & how do you decide which markets to pursue? (25:56) - Factors that impact the viability of co-working (30:03) - Understanding the customer (31:38) - What’s your revenue model for a ground-up development? (35:47) - Who is the target customer for co-living? (41:05) - Are you furnishing the co-living units? (43:02) - How does the dynamic of 4 strangers living together work? (47:38) - At what point does management have to get involved in tenant disputes? (49:43) - How much customization can a tenant take upon themselves? (52:09) - How do leases & evictions work? (53:59) - How Common approaches Staffing (55:45) - How do you think about advertising? (56:50) - What are your most common unit configuration and square footage? (57:32) - Thoughts on retrofitting existing structures (1:00:06) - Is there an opportunity for converting office buildings? (1:01:13) - Are there any big needle movers that will have an impact on affordable housing & co-living happening right now? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 19 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #231: Brad Hargreaves - Founder & CEO of Common - Making housing more affordable through co-living and best-in-class property management full 1 231 Chris Powers Brad Hargreaves is the Founder and CEO of Common, the nation’s leading residential brand that designs and manages multifamily apartments with more than 6,000 residents in over 10 markets across the country.   On this episode, Chris and Brad... Brad Hargreaves is the Founder and CEO of Common, the nation’s leading residential brand that designs and manages multifamily apartments with more than 6,000 residents in over 10 markets across the country.   On this episode, Chris and Brad discuss how co-living works and why it's more affordable, how Common works with owners and developers to drive returns and what makes for a great location/market when deciding to develop co-living. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Common: https://www.common.com/ Brad on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhargreaves (2:04) - Brad’s journey into co-living (3:17) - When did co-living get its label and become a true asset class? (4:33) - What does Common do & what is the definition of Co-living? (5:48) - How do your management & lease agreements work? (9:01) - Why are developers approaching you over traditional Property Managers? (10:57) -  - How do you think about designing to separate yourself from other MF developers? (15:29) - What’s the trigger in these jurisdictions that gets you classified into co-living? (17:53) - SRO: Single Room Occupancy dwelling (19:46) - Why are jurisdictions somewhat against co-living? (21:09) - What makes a great market for co-living & how do you decide which markets to pursue? (25:56) - Factors that impact the viability of co-working (30:03) - Understanding the customer (31:38) - What’s your revenue model for a ground-up development? (35:47) - Who is the target customer for co-living? (41:05) - Are you furnishing the co-living units? (43:02) - How does the dynamic of 4 strangers living together work? (47:38) - At what point does management have to get involved in tenant disputes? (49:43) - How much customization can a tenant take upon themselves? (52:09) - How do leases & evictions work? (53:59) - How Common approaches Staffing (55:45) - How do you think about advertising? (56:50) - What are your most common unit configuration and square footage? (57:32) - Thoughts on retrofitting existing structures (1:00:06) - Is there an opportunity for converting office buildings? (1:01:13) - Are there any big needle movers that will have an impact on affordable housing & co-living happening right now? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Common: https://www.common.com/

Brad on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhargreaves

(2:04) - Brad’s journey into co-living

(3:17) - When did co-living get its label and become a true asset class?

(4:33) - What does Common do & what is the definition of Co-living?

(5:48) - How do your management & lease agreements work?

(9:01) - Why are developers approaching you over traditional Property Managers?

(10:57) -  - How do you think about designing to separate yourself from other MF developers?

(15:29) - What’s the trigger in these jurisdictions that gets you classified into co-living?

(17:53) - SRO: Single Room Occupancy dwelling

(19:46) - Why are jurisdictions somewhat against co-living?

(21:09) - What makes a great market for co-living & how do you decide which markets to pursue?

(25:56) - Factors that impact the viability of co-working

(30:03) - Understanding the customer

(31:38) - What’s your revenue model for a ground-up development?

(35:47) - Who is the target customer for co-living?

(41:05) - Are you furnishing the co-living units?

(43:02) - How does the dynamic of 4 strangers living together work?

(47:38) - At what point does management have to get involved in tenant disputes?

(49:43) - How much customization can a tenant take upon themselves?

(52:09) - How do leases & evictions work?

(53:59) - How Common approaches Staffing

(55:45) - How do you think about advertising?

(56:50) - What are your most common unit configuration and square footage?

(57:32) - Thoughts on retrofitting existing structures

(1:00:06) - Is there an opportunity for converting office buildings?

(1:01:13) - Are there any big needle movers that will have an impact on affordable housing & co-living happening right now?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3881 no In Memory of Will Friend - Former CEO of Bisnow. An episode we did together in 2019 that exemplifies what leading a team looks like and many other great lessons. https://www.TheFortPod.com If there was ever a leader to celebrate it is Will Friend. Chris and Will became good friends over the years and talked frequently about the opportunities and challenges in their business and across the real estate industry. Will was an infectious leader who cared deeply about the success of the people around him. He will be dearly missed. In 2019, we were able to record an episode together that is timeless and provides an amazing lesson for us all to learn from. Will was the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (01:50) — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America (09:23) — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old (16:50) — How do you see your experience as CEO so far? (19:33) — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not? (22:22) — Level Up Talent (23:20) — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization? (24:10) — Team vs. Family (26:40) — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment? (31:05) — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow (40:50) — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit? (46:15) — Are these open to be debated and changed? (47:54) — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone? (52:40) — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses? (53:04) — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks (1:00:50) — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line? (1:04:00) — Hitting a Sales Mark (1:08:50) — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk? (1:12:42) — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson? (1:16:46) — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love? (1:19:49) — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question? (1:27:20) — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 14 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000 In Memory of Will Friend - Former CEO of Bisnow. An episode we did together in 2019 that exemplifies what leading a team looks like and many other great lessons. full 1 230 Chris Powers If there was ever a leader to celebrate it is Will Friend. Chris and Will became good friends over the years and talked frequently about the opportunities and challenges in their business and across the real estate industry. Will was an infectious... If there was ever a leader to celebrate it is Will Friend. Chris and Will became good friends over the years and talked frequently about the opportunities and challenges in their business and across the real estate industry. Will was an infectious leader who cared deeply about the success of the people around him. He will be dearly missed. In 2019, we were able to record an episode together that is timeless and provides an amazing lesson for us all to learn from. Will was the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (01:50) — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America (09:23) — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old (16:50) — How do you see your experience as CEO so far? (19:33) — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not? (22:22) — Level Up Talent (23:20) — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization? (24:10) — Team vs. Family (26:40) — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment? (31:05) — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow (40:50) — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit? (46:15) — Are these open to be debated and changed? (47:54) — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone? (52:40) — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses? (53:04) — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks (1:00:50) — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line? (1:04:00) — Hitting a Sales Mark (1:08:50) — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk? (1:12:42) — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson? (1:16:46) — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love? (1:19:49) — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question? (1:27:20) — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts If there was ever a leader to celebrate it is Will Friend. Chris and Will became good friends over the years and talked frequently about the opportunities and challenges in their business and across the real estate industry. Will was an infectious leader who cared deeply about the success of the people around him. He will be dearly missed. In 2019, we were able to record an episode together that is timeless and provides an amazing lesson for us all to learn from.

Will was the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

(01:50) — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America
(09:23) — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old
(16:50) — How do you see your experience as CEO so far?
(19:33) — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not?
(22:22) — Level Up Talent
(23:20) — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization?
(24:10) — Team vs. Family
(26:40) — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment?
(31:05) — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow
(40:50) — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit?
(46:15) — Are these open to be debated and changed?
(47:54) — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone?
(52:40) — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses?
(53:04) — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks
(1:00:50) — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line?
(1:04:00) — Hitting a Sales Mark
(1:08:50) — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk?
(1:12:42) — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson?
(1:16:46) — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love?
(1:19:49) — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question?
(1:27:20) — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5773 no #229: Wes Mabry - Cost Segregation Studies in RE and why they're a beautiful thing https://www.TheFortPod.com Wesley Mabry is an experienced Cost Segregation Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the industry across a wide range of asset classes. Mr. Mabry founded 1245 Consulting in 2017 and services all of the United States. Wes has performed thousands of Cost Segregation Studies analyzing over 8 billion dollars of real estate improvements throughout the United States. His experience includes working closely with Accountants, CPAs, EAs, REITs, Corporations, Partnerships, and individual investors. On this episode, Chris and Wes deep dive into cost seg and how they work, why different asset classes offer different depreciation possibilities and the implications of selling a property with accumulated depreciation through the life of ownership. They also discuss pending legislation and impacts on real estate/cost segs and much more. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow Wes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1245consulting 1245 Consulting: https://www.1245consulting.com/ (03:59) - What is a Cost Segregation Study? (05:20) - How is it different from straight-line depreciation? (06:45) - Is there any reason why someone shouldn’t do a Cost Seg? (08:42) - Can you do this on your own or do you need to hire a professional? (09:34) - Can this be done only on investment properties? (09:57) - Do the rules for Cost Segregation vary from state to state? (10:48) - What happens from the day I call you to get a Cost Seg to the day you send me the report? What then do I do with what you give me? (17:01) - An Industrial Deal example for Cost Segregation (20:13) - Are there any materials or components of a building that fall into gray areas? (22:26) - What are some asset types that receive the most benefit from Cost Seg?  (26:24) - Do you want to do a Study before you do improvements to the property or after? (28:23) - What is a recapture tax? (32:47) - What do owners who are long-term holders do once their depreciable amortization schedule expires? (34:23) - Is there any ongoing legislation that people should be aware of? (36:05) - The importance of Land Value (39:39) - Is everything predicated on the year the Study is done? (40:51) - Can you do another Cost Seg to an office building that you convert to residential? (44:03) - Wrap up and final thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 12 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #229: Wes Mabry - Cost Segregation Studies in RE and why they're a beautiful thing full 1 229 Chris Powers Wesley Mabry is an experienced Cost Segregation Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the industry across a wide range of asset classes. Mr. Mabry founded 1245 Consulting in 2017 and services all of the United States. Wes has performed... Wesley Mabry is an experienced Cost Segregation Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the industry across a wide range of asset classes. Mr. Mabry founded 1245 Consulting in 2017 and services all of the United States. Wes has performed thousands of Cost Segregation Studies analyzing over 8 billion dollars of real estate improvements throughout the United States. His experience includes working closely with Accountants, CPAs, EAs, REITs, Corporations, Partnerships, and individual investors. On this episode, Chris and Wes deep dive into cost seg and how they work, why different asset classes offer different depreciation possibilities and the implications of selling a property with accumulated depreciation through the life of ownership. They also discuss pending legislation and impacts on real estate/cost segs and much more. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow Wes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1245consulting 1245 Consulting: https://www.1245consulting.com/ (03:59) - What is a Cost Segregation Study? (05:20) - How is it different from straight-line depreciation? (06:45) - Is there any reason why someone shouldn’t do a Cost Seg? (08:42) - Can you do this on your own or do you need to hire a professional? (09:34) - Can this be done only on investment properties? (09:57) - Do the rules for Cost Segregation vary from state to state? (10:48) - What happens from the day I call you to get a Cost Seg to the day you send me the report? What then do I do with what you give me? (17:01) - An Industrial Deal example for Cost Segregation (20:13) - Are there any materials or components of a building that fall into gray areas? (22:26) - What are some asset types that receive the most benefit from Cost Seg?  (26:24) - Do you want to do a Study before you do improvements to the property or after? (28:23) - What is a recapture tax? (32:47) - What do owners who are long-term holders do once their depreciable amortization schedule expires? (34:23) - Is there any ongoing legislation that people should be aware of? (36:05) - The importance of Land Value (39:39) - Is everything predicated on the year the Study is done? (40:51) - Can you do another Cost Seg to an office building that you convert to residential? (44:03) - Wrap up and final thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Wesley Mabry is an experienced Cost Segregation Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the industry across a wide range of asset classes. Mr. Mabry founded 1245 Consulting in 2017 and services all of the United States. Wes has performed thousands of Cost Segregation Studies analyzing over 8 billion dollars of real estate improvements throughout the United States. His experience includes working closely with Accountants, CPAs, EAs, REITs, Corporations, Partnerships, and individual investors.

On this episode, Chris and Wes deep dive into cost seg and how they work, why different asset classes offer different depreciation possibilities and the implications of selling a property with accumulated depreciation through the life of ownership. They also discuss pending legislation and impacts on real estate/cost segs and much more.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Follow Wes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1245consulting

1245 Consulting: https://www.1245consulting.com/

(03:59) - What is a Cost Segregation Study?

(05:20) - How is it different from straight-line depreciation?

(06:45) - Is there any reason why someone shouldn’t do a Cost Seg?

(08:42) - Can you do this on your own or do you need to hire a professional?

(09:34) - Can this be done only on investment properties?

(09:57) - Do the rules for Cost Segregation vary from state to state?

(10:48) - What happens from the day I call you to get a Cost Seg to the day you send me the report? What then do I do with what you give me?

(17:01) - An Industrial Deal example for Cost Segregation

(20:13) - Are there any materials or components of a building that fall into gray areas?

(22:26) - What are some asset types that receive the most benefit from Cost Seg? 

(26:24) - Do you want to do a Study before you do improvements to the property or after?

(28:23) - What is a recapture tax?

(32:47) - What do owners who are long-term holders do once their depreciable amortization schedule expires?

(34:23) - Is there any ongoing legislation that people should be aware of?

(36:05) - The importance of Land Value

(39:39) - Is everything predicated on the year the Study is done?

(40:51) - Can you do another Cost Seg to an office building that you convert to residential?

(44:03) - Wrap up and final thoughts

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 2771 no #228: Beth Azor - CEO of Azor Advisory - The Shopping Center Canvassing, Prospecting, and Leasing Queen! https://www.TheFortPod.com Beth Azor is the founder and CEO of Azor Advisory Services (AAS), a leading commercial real estate advisory and investment firm based in Weston, Florida. As its principal, Beth currently owns and manages six shopping centers in Florida valued at over $100 million. She travels the U.S. consulting with, brokering deals for, and training associates in the commercial real estate industry. On this episode, Beth discusses how to drive the most value to a leasing center through leasing best practices, Impulse vs destination tenants, and the best practices for structuring a retail lease from decades of practice. Chris and Beth also chat about what makes the best deal for landlords and a lot more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Beth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bethazor1 Beth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethazor/ Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethazor/ (03:07) - Beth’s Career in Real Estate (14:54) - Why was it so tough to bring in talent horizontally? (18:15) - Where did you develop this leadership style? (19:34) - How do you define canvasing & prospecting? (21:48) - Do most tenants already want to expand when you prospect or do you need to sell them on the idea? (22:52) - What are the critical components of an amazing leasing agent? (25:21) - What’s your solution to someone who is afraid to go talk to a stranger? (28:19) - What are the main reasons a tenant is happy where they are or unhappy where they are? (33:15) - Impulse Tenants vs. Destination Tenants (40:53) - What is Dwell Time? (43:14) - “Your leasing competitor across the street is your best friend” (45:53) - What would be a reason you don’t provide TI knowing the leasing agent across the street does? (47:29) - What is Occupancy Cost Ratio? (49:59) - Sales Reporting in Leases (50:58) - Percentage Rent Deals (53:54) - Relocation Clauses (55:51) - Grace Periods to Pay Rent (58:24) - What else have you learned are must-haves in a lease? (1:00:48) - Are there any lease clauses that linger post-covid? (1:03:22) - Why would a great property be okay with a pop-up shop? (1:08:12) - Is there ever a time when a tenant brings too much traffic? (1:10:38) - How does the delivery economy (Uber Eats, DoorDash) impact shopping centers? (1:14:42) - What is the Circular Economy? (16:02) - What gets you to a quick no when you’re buying a property? (18:17) - Do you have tenants on the hook before you develop a property? (1:19:08) - Are you doing Triple Net leases or Gross? (1:19:26) - What are you responsible for as the landlord that is unique to the asset class? (1:20:48) - Is it true that grocery stores pay less rent? (1:20:58) - Why don’t you like CoStar? Are there any online tools that you do like? (1:22:43) - How do you conduct a market survey? (1:24:26) - Why is traffic count so important? (1:25:12) - How do you respond to the media accusations that retail is dead? (1:29:15) - How can people engage with you online? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 05 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #228: Beth Azor - CEO of Azor Advisory - The Shopping Center Canvassing, Prospecting, and Leasing Queen! full 1 228 Chris Powers Beth Azor is the founder and CEO of Azor Advisory Services (AAS), a leading commercial real estate advisory and investment firm based in Weston, Florida. As its principal, Beth currently owns and manages six shopping centers in Florida valued at over... Beth Azor is the founder and CEO of Azor Advisory Services (AAS), a leading commercial real estate advisory and investment firm based in Weston, Florida. As its principal, Beth currently owns and manages six shopping centers in Florida valued at over $100 million. She travels the U.S. consulting with, brokering deals for, and training associates in the commercial real estate industry. On this episode, Beth discusses how to drive the most value to a leasing center through leasing best practices, Impulse vs destination tenants, and the best practices for structuring a retail lease from decades of practice. Chris and Beth also chat about what makes the best deal for landlords and a lot more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Beth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bethazor1 Beth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethazor/ Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethazor/ (03:07) - Beth’s Career in Real Estate (14:54) - Why was it so tough to bring in talent horizontally? (18:15) - Where did you develop this leadership style? (19:34) - How do you define canvasing & prospecting? (21:48) - Do most tenants already want to expand when you prospect or do you need to sell them on the idea? (22:52) - What are the critical components of an amazing leasing agent? (25:21) - What’s your solution to someone who is afraid to go talk to a stranger? (28:19) - What are the main reasons a tenant is happy where they are or unhappy where they are? (33:15) - Impulse Tenants vs. Destination Tenants (40:53) - What is Dwell Time? (43:14) - “Your leasing competitor across the street is your best friend” (45:53) - What would be a reason you don’t provide TI knowing the leasing agent across the street does? (47:29) - What is Occupancy Cost Ratio? (49:59) - Sales Reporting in Leases (50:58) - Percentage Rent Deals (53:54) - Relocation Clauses (55:51) - Grace Periods to Pay Rent (58:24) - What else have you learned are must-haves in a lease? (1:00:48) - Are there any lease clauses that linger post-covid? (1:03:22) - Why would a great property be okay with a pop-up shop? (1:08:12) - Is there ever a time when a tenant brings too much traffic? (1:10:38) - How does the delivery economy (Uber Eats, DoorDash) impact shopping centers? (1:14:42) - What is the Circular Economy? (16:02) - What gets you to a quick no when you’re buying a property? (18:17) - Do you have tenants on the hook before you develop a property? (1:19:08) - Are you doing Triple Net leases or Gross? (1:19:26) - What are you responsible for as the landlord that is unique to the asset class? (1:20:48) - Is it true that grocery stores pay less rent? (1:20:58) - Why don’t you like CoStar? Are there any online tools that you do like? (1:22:43) - How do you conduct a market survey? (1:24:26) - Why is traffic count so important? (1:25:12) - How do you respond to the media accusations that retail is dead? (1:29:15) - How can people engage with you online? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Beth Azor is the founder and CEO of Azor Advisory Services (AAS), a leading commercial real estate advisory and investment firm based in Weston, Florida. As its principal, Beth currently owns and manages six shopping centers in Florida valued at over $100 million. She travels the U.S. consulting with, brokering deals for, and training associates in the commercial real estate industry.

On this episode, Beth discusses how to drive the most value to a leasing center through leasing best practices, Impulse vs destination tenants, and the best practices for structuring a retail lease from decades of practice. Chris and Beth also chat about what makes the best deal for landlords and a lot more!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Beth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bethazor1

Beth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethazor/

Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethazor/

(03:07) - Beth’s Career in Real Estate

(14:54) - Why was it so tough to bring in talent horizontally?

(18:15) - Where did you develop this leadership style?

(19:34) - How do you define canvasing & prospecting?

(21:48) - Do most tenants already want to expand when you prospect or do you need to sell them on the idea?

(22:52) - What are the critical components of an amazing leasing agent?

(25:21) - What’s your solution to someone who is afraid to go talk to a stranger?

(28:19) - What are the main reasons a tenant is happy where they are or unhappy where they are?

(33:15) - Impulse Tenants vs. Destination Tenants

(40:53) - What is Dwell Time?

(43:14) - “Your leasing competitor across the street is your best friend”

(45:53) - What would be a reason you don’t provide TI knowing the leasing agent across the street does?

(47:29) - What is Occupancy Cost Ratio?

(49:59) - Sales Reporting in Leases

(50:58) - Percentage Rent Deals

(53:54) - Relocation Clauses

(55:51) - Grace Periods to Pay Rent

(58:24) - What else have you learned are must-haves in a lease?

(1:00:48) - Are there any lease clauses that linger post-covid?

(1:03:22) - Why would a great property be okay with a pop-up shop?

(1:08:12) - Is there ever a time when a tenant brings too much traffic?

(1:10:38) - How does the delivery economy (Uber Eats, DoorDash) impact shopping centers?

(1:14:42) - What is the Circular Economy?

(16:02) - What gets you to a quick no when you’re buying a property?

(18:17) - Do you have tenants on the hook before you develop a property?

(1:19:08) - Are you doing Triple Net leases or Gross?

(1:19:26) - What are you responsible for as the landlord that is unique to the asset class?

(1:20:48) - Is it true that grocery stores pay less rent?

(1:20:58) - Why don’t you like CoStar? Are there any online tools that you do like?

(1:22:43) - How do you conduct a market survey?

(1:24:26) - Why is traffic count so important?

(1:25:12) - How do you respond to the media accusations that retail is dead?

(1:29:15) - How can people engage with you online?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5473 no #227: Mike Boyd - Going Deep on the Business of Family and How Families Can Achieve Multi-Generational Success https://www.TheFortPod.com Mike Boyd is an Australian Entrepreneur, CEO & Investor. Mike started his entrepreneurial career at age 11 selling lost golf balls and didn’t look back, going on to cofound no less than 7 businesses before the age of 25. Mike is a relentless innovator and is always trying to find new ways to innovate and solve problems using technology. Mike now dedicates a portion of his time to managing investments in alternative assets via the family's investment vehicle, Mudbrick Capital, and running The Business of Family Podcast. On this episode, Chris and Mike uncover best practices for building a successful multi-generational family and discuss the work that goes into planning for a successful family – it takes work! They also chat about how wealth is transferred from generation to generation without creating entitlement and deep dive into how the Founding Generation interacts with Generation 2. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (02:41) - Mike’s Background and Career (06:15) - Living and Working Abroad VroomVroomVroom (07:59) -  How did you get into the digital side of entrepreneurship? Yellow sunglasses party guy (12:22) - What are trends are you seeing in travel right now? (15:25) - Did Australia provide some kind of governmental assistance during the pandemic? (16:59) - Mike’s ‘The Business of Family’ Podcast (21:21) - Why is this something your are passionate about? (5:17) - Does 3rd generational wealth ever happen by accident? (29:23) - If wealth usually dies in the 3rd generation of a family, how long does it typically take for the next founder generation to come along? (30:41) - Is the loss of generational wealth solely based on an increased number of members in a family? (34:38) - When a family gets to a size of a public company, do decisions still get made within the family, or are there outside decision-makers at play? (36:57) - What are the mechanisms you’ve seen work or not work when a clash within the family happens? (40:41) - Does the legacy operating business normally come from the founder wanting to pass the business down or from the 2nd generation wanting to take over? (43:04) - What are best practices for first-generation families to do if their hope and desire are for the kids to take over the business? Family Wealth by Jay Hughes Jr. (51:03) - When’s the best time to start telling your children that you’re wealthy? The Family Board Meeting by Jim Sheils (58:16) - Do you include your parents in the family enterprise or are you resetting the culture? (1:02:59) - How do you guarantee that the second generation will fail? (1:06:00) - How have you seen families handle an outlier child that is suffering due to drugs or other problems? (1:10:02) - Generational resiliency through divorce (1:12:25) - What’s the best way to set guidelines for the next generation’s behavior that is tied to an inheritance? (1:12:25) - How important is it that the founding patriarch and matriarch are aligned? (1:14:11) - What are the best practices for introducing your children into your business? (1:17:32) - In a situation with multiple kids who are qualified to be the leader of the enterprise, what do you do? (1:20:07) - What would you recommend for people who want to do this for their own families? (1:22:47) - How can people get in touch with you? The Business of Family podcast thebusinessoffamily.net Mike on Twitter The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #227: Mike Boyd - Going Deep on the Business of Family and How Families Can Achieve Multi-Generational Success full 1 227 Chris Powers Mike Boyd is an Australian Entrepreneur, CEO & Investor. Mike started his entrepreneurial career at age 11 selling lost golf balls and didn’t look back, going on to cofound no less than 7 businesses before the age of 25. Mike is a relentless... Mike Boyd is an Australian Entrepreneur, CEO & Investor. Mike started his entrepreneurial career at age 11 selling lost golf balls and didn’t look back, going on to cofound no less than 7 businesses before the age of 25. Mike is a relentless innovator and is always trying to find new ways to innovate and solve problems using technology. Mike now dedicates a portion of his time to managing investments in alternative assets via the family's investment vehicle, Mudbrick Capital, and running The Business of Family Podcast. On this episode, Chris and Mike uncover best practices for building a successful multi-generational family and discuss the work that goes into planning for a successful family – it takes work! They also chat about how wealth is transferred from generation to generation without creating entitlement and deep dive into how the Founding Generation interacts with Generation 2. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (02:41) - Mike’s Background and Career (06:15) - Living and Working Abroad VroomVroomVroom (07:59) -  How did you get into the digital side of entrepreneurship? Yellow sunglasses party guy (12:22) - What are trends are you seeing in travel right now? (15:25) - Did Australia provide some kind of governmental assistance during the pandemic? (16:59) - Mike’s ‘The Business of Family’ Podcast (21:21) - Why is this something your are passionate about? (5:17) - Does 3rd generational wealth ever happen by accident? (29:23) - If wealth usually dies in the 3rd generation of a family, how long does it typically take for the next founder generation to come along? (30:41) - Is the loss of generational wealth solely based on an increased number of members in a family? (34:38) - When a family gets to a size of a public company, do decisions still get made within the family, or are there outside decision-makers at play? (36:57) - What are the mechanisms you’ve seen work or not work when a clash within the family happens? (40:41) - Does the legacy operating business normally come from the founder wanting to pass the business down or from the 2nd generation wanting to take over? (43:04) - What are best practices for first-generation families to do if their hope and desire are for the kids to take over the business? Family Wealth by Jay Hughes Jr. (51:03) - When’s the best time to start telling your children that you’re wealthy? The Family Board Meeting by Jim Sheils (58:16) - Do you include your parents in the family enterprise or are you resetting the culture? (1:02:59) - How do you guarantee that the second generation will fail? (1:06:00) - How have you seen families handle an outlier child that is suffering due to drugs or other problems? (1:10:02) - Generational resiliency through divorce (1:12:25) - What’s the best way to set guidelines for the next generation’s behavior that is tied to an inheritance? (1:12:25) - How important is it that the founding patriarch and matriarch are aligned? (1:14:11) - What are the best practices for introducing your children into your business? (1:17:32) - In a situation with multiple kids who are qualified to be the leader of the enterprise, what do you do? (1:20:07) - What would you recommend for people who want to do this for their own families? (1:22:47) - How can people get in touch with you? The Business of Family podcast thebusinessoffamily.net Mike on Twitter The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Mike Boyd is an Australian Entrepreneur, CEO & Investor. Mike started his entrepreneurial career at age 11 selling lost golf balls and didn’t look back, going on to cofound no less than 7 businesses before the age of 25. Mike is a relentless innovator and is always trying to find new ways to innovate and solve problems using technology. Mike now dedicates a portion of his time to managing investments in alternative assets via the family's investment vehicle, Mudbrick Capital, and running The Business of Family Podcast.

On this episode, Chris and Mike uncover best practices for building a successful multi-generational family and discuss the work that goes into planning for a successful family – it takes work! They also chat about how wealth is transferred from generation to generation without creating entitlement and deep dive into how the Founding Generation interacts with Generation 2. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(02:41) - Mike’s Background and Career

(06:15) - Living and Working Abroad

VroomVroomVroom

(07:59) -  How did you get into the digital side of entrepreneurship?

Yellow sunglasses party guy

(12:22) - What are trends are you seeing in travel right now?

(15:25) - Did Australia provide some kind of governmental assistance during the pandemic?

(16:59) - Mike’s ‘The Business of Family’ Podcast

(21:21) - Why is this something your are passionate about?

(5:17) - Does 3rd generational wealth ever happen by accident?

(29:23) - If wealth usually dies in the 3rd generation of a family, how long does it typically take for the next founder generation to come along?

(30:41) - Is the loss of generational wealth solely based on an increased number of members in a family?

(34:38) - When a family gets to a size of a public company, do decisions still get made within the family, or are there outside decision-makers at play?

(36:57) - What are the mechanisms you’ve seen work or not work when a clash within the family happens?

(40:41) - Does the legacy operating business normally come from the founder wanting to pass the business down or from the 2nd generation wanting to take over?

(43:04) - What are best practices for first-generation families to do if their hope and desire are for the kids to take over the business?

Family Wealth by Jay Hughes Jr.

(51:03) - When’s the best time to start telling your children that you’re wealthy?

The Family Board Meeting by Jim Sheils

(58:16) - Do you include your parents in the family enterprise or are you resetting the culture?

(1:02:59) - How do you guarantee that the second generation will fail?

(1:06:00) - How have you seen families handle an outlier child that is suffering due to drugs or other problems?

(1:10:02) - Generational resiliency through divorce

(1:12:25) - What’s the best way to set guidelines for the next generation’s behavior that is tied to an inheritance?

(1:12:25) - How important is it that the founding patriarch and matriarch are aligned?

(1:14:11) - What are the best practices for introducing your children into your business?

(1:17:32) - In a situation with multiple kids who are qualified to be the leader of the enterprise, what do you do?

(1:20:07) - What would you recommend for people who want to do this for their own families?

(1:22:47) - How can people get in touch with you?

The Business of Family podcast

thebusinessoffamily.net

Mike on Twitter

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5095 no #226: Barrett Linburg - Founder of Savoy Equity Partners - Real Estate Opportunity Zones 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com Barrett is a founding partner of Savoy Equity Partners and oversees the capitalization and structuring of the company’s investments along with deal sourcing. Born and raised in Dallas, he has spent 17 years in the real estate industry crossing multiple product types and service lines. Barrett started investing in real estate in 2012 and enjoys learning about esoteric strategies which can be implemented to create excellent risk-adjusted returns. He has owned over 1,000 units and specializes in transactions with complex structures such as historic tax credits, opportunity zones, low-income restrictions, as well as the deconversion of fractured condos. On this episode, Barret and Chris deep dive into how opportunity zones work for LPs & GPs, the Tax implications of opportunity zones,  and chat about different types of opportunity zone structures. They also take a look inside a specific project they are working on in Dallas, TX, and much more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast CRE Models: https://www.cremodels.com/   (01:52) - Barrett’s Career in RE (07:02) - What was the world like in ’09-’10 when we were just getting back on track? (09:55) - Who were the folks who were still able to borrow during the ’08 crisis? (11:10) - Barrett’s Transition into Buying Deals (15:49) - The Lake Cliff Deal: How Complex Deals Come Together (24:57) - What headaches were you able to avoid with Dallas’ Master Overlay Zoning? (27:14) - How to Develop RE Without Having to be the Developer (30:10) - Now that you own the land and partnered with a developer, what’s your role? (34:08) - What is an opportunity zone? (37:36) - What’s an Opportunity Zone Fund? (43:35) - How long do you have to invest a capital gain into an OZ fund and how long do you have until the capital in the fund needs to be deployed? (50:40) - New Proposed OZ Legislation (53:00) - Do you know if Governors will be able to legislate new OZs in the future? (56:47) - Is everything you’ve bought all listed under one entity? (57:55) - What do you have to do once you’ve acquired a vacant building to get the benefits of an OZ? (1:00:07) - What do you need to do to a piece of land to get the benefits of an OZ? (1:02:19) - What do you have to do once you’ve acquired a decrepit building to get the benefits of an OZ? (1:03:56) - What if you already owned property in an OZ before getting a CO, do you qualify? (1:05:25) - What can people do if they’ve already paid their tax and decide they’d rather start an OZ fund?  (1:06:08) - What is the breakeven point from OZ Fund fees and paying the capital gains tax and investing elsewhere? (1:09:52) - How does a GP take advantage of OZ’s? (1:12:02) - The Disguised Sale Rule (1:12:51) - What’s driving the value for your Lake Cliff deal? (1:14:30) - Thoughts on the Dallas Market The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 21 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #226: Barrett Linburg - Founder of Savoy Equity Partners - Real Estate Opportunity Zones 101 full 1 226 Chris Powers Barrett is a founding partner of Savoy Equity Partners and oversees the capitalization and structuring of the company’s investments along with deal sourcing. Born and raised in Dallas, he has spent 17 years in the real estate industry crossing... Barrett is a founding partner of Savoy Equity Partners and oversees the capitalization and structuring of the company’s investments along with deal sourcing. Born and raised in Dallas, he has spent 17 years in the real estate industry crossing multiple product types and service lines. Barrett started investing in real estate in 2012 and enjoys learning about esoteric strategies which can be implemented to create excellent risk-adjusted returns. He has owned over 1,000 units and specializes in transactions with complex structures such as historic tax credits, opportunity zones, low-income restrictions, as well as the deconversion of fractured condos. On this episode, Barret and Chris deep dive into how opportunity zones work for LPs & GPs, the Tax implications of opportunity zones,  and chat about different types of opportunity zone structures. They also take a look inside a specific project they are working on in Dallas, TX, and much more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast CRE Models: https://www.cremodels.com/   (01:52) - Barrett’s Career in RE (07:02) - What was the world like in ’09-’10 when we were just getting back on track? (09:55) - Who were the folks who were still able to borrow during the ’08 crisis? (11:10) - Barrett’s Transition into Buying Deals (15:49) - The Lake Cliff Deal: How Complex Deals Come Together (24:57) - What headaches were you able to avoid with Dallas’ Master Overlay Zoning? (27:14) - How to Develop RE Without Having to be the Developer (30:10) - Now that you own the land and partnered with a developer, what’s your role? (34:08) - What is an opportunity zone? (37:36) - What’s an Opportunity Zone Fund? (43:35) - How long do you have to invest a capital gain into an OZ fund and how long do you have until the capital in the fund needs to be deployed? (50:40) - New Proposed OZ Legislation (53:00) - Do you know if Governors will be able to legislate new OZs in the future? (56:47) - Is everything you’ve bought all listed under one entity? (57:55) - What do you have to do once you’ve acquired a vacant building to get the benefits of an OZ? (1:00:07) - What do you need to do to a piece of land to get the benefits of an OZ? (1:02:19) - What do you have to do once you’ve acquired a decrepit building to get the benefits of an OZ? (1:03:56) - What if you already owned property in an OZ before getting a CO, do you qualify? (1:05:25) - What can people do if they’ve already paid their tax and decide they’d rather start an OZ fund?  (1:06:08) - What is the breakeven point from OZ Fund fees and paying the capital gains tax and investing elsewhere? (1:09:52) - How does a GP take advantage of OZ’s? (1:12:02) - The Disguised Sale Rule (1:12:51) - What’s driving the value for your Lake Cliff deal? (1:14:30) - Thoughts on the Dallas Market The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Barrett is a founding partner of Savoy Equity Partners and oversees the capitalization and structuring of the company’s investments along with deal sourcing. Born and raised in Dallas, he has spent 17 years in the real estate industry crossing multiple product types and service lines. Barrett started investing in real estate in 2012 and enjoys learning about esoteric strategies which can be implemented to create excellent risk-adjusted returns. He has owned over 1,000 units and specializes in transactions with complex structures such as historic tax credits, opportunity zones, low-income restrictions, as well as the deconversion of fractured condos.

On this episode, Barret and Chris deep dive into how opportunity zones work for LPs & GPs, the Tax implications of opportunity zones,  and chat about different types of opportunity zone structures. They also take a look inside a specific project they are working on in Dallas, TX, and much more!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

CRE Models: https://www.cremodels.com/  

(01:52) - Barrett’s Career in RE

(07:02) - What was the world like in ’09-’10 when we were just getting back on track?

(09:55) - Who were the folks who were still able to borrow during the ’08 crisis?

(11:10) - Barrett’s Transition into Buying Deals

(15:49) - The Lake Cliff Deal: How Complex Deals Come Together

(24:57) - What headaches were you able to avoid with Dallas’ Master Overlay Zoning?

(27:14) - How to Develop RE Without Having to be the Developer

(30:10) - Now that you own the land and partnered with a developer, what’s your role?

(34:08) - What is an opportunity zone?

(37:36) - What’s an Opportunity Zone Fund?

(43:35) - How long do you have to invest a capital gain into an OZ fund and how long do you have until the capital in the fund needs to be deployed?

(50:40) - New Proposed OZ Legislation

(53:00) - Do you know if Governors will be able to legislate new OZs in the future?

(56:47) - Is everything you’ve bought all listed under one entity?

(57:55) - What do you have to do once you’ve acquired a vacant building to get the benefits of an OZ?

(1:00:07) - What do you need to do to a piece of land to get the benefits of an OZ?

(1:02:19) - What do you have to do once you’ve acquired a decrepit building to get the benefits of an OZ?

(1:03:56) - What if you already owned property in an OZ before getting a CO, do you qualify?

(1:05:25) - What can people do if they’ve already paid their tax and decide they’d rather start an OZ fund? 

(1:06:08) - What is the breakeven point from OZ Fund fees and paying the capital gains tax and investing elsewhere?

(1:09:52) - How does a GP take advantage of OZ’s?

(1:12:02) - The Disguised Sale Rule

(1:12:51) - What’s driving the value for your Lake Cliff deal?

(1:14:30) - Thoughts on the Dallas Market

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4644 no #225: Rob Chadwick - Founder of Holdfast Security Group - Best practices for protecting yourself & loved ones https://www.TheFortPod.com Rob Chadwick, Founder of Holdfast Security Group, a consultation and training company, specializing in helping organizations and private individuals understand how to stay safe in today's uncertain world. Rob recently retired as the head of the Tactical Training Program for the FBI. He started as a police officer in 1994 before joining the FBI in 2001. His first assignment for the Bureau was working against Colombian Drug Cartels in Miami. Following assignments to several other cities, Rob served as an Agent In Charge of Attorney General William P. Barr's protection detail. His final assignment was as Chief of the Tactical Training Unit at the FBI Academy where he was responsible for ensuring the operational readiness of all FBI employees. He has traveled the world providing training for local, state, federal, and international law enforcement officers.  On this episode, Chris and Rob discuss the background story of his career in the FBI and other law enforcement roles. They chat about best practices for securing your home or business, data on criminal activity around the US, and the current state of Law & Order in America. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Holdfast Security Group (01:59) - Rob’s Career and Background (05:56) - What’s the difference between the police and the FBI? (8:17) - How the FBI changed after 9/11 (9:32) - How are federal agencies able to gather such massive amounts of intelligence? (12:23) - Is there more physical violence risk or cyber risk in today’s world? (14:16) - Why is it so hard to combat drugs coming over the border? The Fort with Tegan Broadwater (17:11) - What were the core competencies you were teaching in your tactical program at Quantico? (20:15) - Working Security at The Masters in 2021 (25:07) - How Policing Has Changed Since George Floyd The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker (35:35) - What should people know about personal security that matters most?  Master Lock Door Security Bar (45:29) - What’s the most common time of day people’s homes are broken into? (47:18) - Do most burglars go in prepared to be violent? (48:45) - How much time is spent in the planning process for burglarizing a home? (50:09) - Where will a burglar usually enter the home? 3M Window Security (52:09) - Do most burglars act solo or work in teams? (53:13) - Who is the clientele who you work with? (58:00) - How do the civil suits around deadly force usually pan out? (1:06:12) - The Anti-gun Sentiment (1:07:56) - What is the biggest deterrence to those who want to break into your home or business? (1:13:55) - The Current State of Policing and Law Enforcement in the United States The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 16 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #225: Rob Chadwick - Founder of Holdfast Security Group - Best practices for protecting yourself & loved ones full 1 225 Chris Powers Rob Chadwick, Founder of Holdfast Security Group, a consultation and training company, specializing in helping organizations and private individuals understand how to stay safe in today's uncertain world. Rob recently retired as the head of the... Rob Chadwick, Founder of Holdfast Security Group, a consultation and training company, specializing in helping organizations and private individuals understand how to stay safe in today's uncertain world. Rob recently retired as the head of the Tactical Training Program for the FBI. He started as a police officer in 1994 before joining the FBI in 2001. His first assignment for the Bureau was working against Colombian Drug Cartels in Miami. Following assignments to several other cities, Rob served as an Agent In Charge of Attorney General William P. Barr's protection detail. His final assignment was as Chief of the Tactical Training Unit at the FBI Academy where he was responsible for ensuring the operational readiness of all FBI employees. He has traveled the world providing training for local, state, federal, and international law enforcement officers.  On this episode, Chris and Rob discuss the background story of his career in the FBI and other law enforcement roles. They chat about best practices for securing your home or business, data on criminal activity around the US, and the current state of Law & Order in America. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Holdfast Security Group (01:59) - Rob’s Career and Background (05:56) - What’s the difference between the police and the FBI? (8:17) - How the FBI changed after 9/11 (9:32) - How are federal agencies able to gather such massive amounts of intelligence? (12:23) - Is there more physical violence risk or cyber risk in today’s world? (14:16) - Why is it so hard to combat drugs coming over the border? The Fort with Tegan Broadwater (17:11) - What were the core competencies you were teaching in your tactical program at Quantico? (20:15) - Working Security at The Masters in 2021 (25:07) - How Policing Has Changed Since George Floyd The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker (35:35) - What should people know about personal security that matters most?  Master Lock Door Security Bar (45:29) - What’s the most common time of day people’s homes are broken into? (47:18) - Do most burglars go in prepared to be violent? (48:45) - How much time is spent in the planning process for burglarizing a home? (50:09) - Where will a burglar usually enter the home? 3M Window Security (52:09) - Do most burglars act solo or work in teams? (53:13) - Who is the clientele who you work with? (58:00) - How do the civil suits around deadly force usually pan out? (1:06:12) - The Anti-gun Sentiment (1:07:56) - What is the biggest deterrence to those who want to break into your home or business? (1:13:55) - The Current State of Policing and Law Enforcement in the United States The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Rob Chadwick, Founder of Holdfast Security Group, a consultation and training company, specializing in helping organizations and private individuals understand how to stay safe in today's uncertain world. Rob recently retired as the head of the Tactical Training Program for the FBI. He started as a police officer in 1994 before joining the FBI in 2001. His first assignment for the Bureau was working against Colombian Drug Cartels in Miami. Following assignments to several other cities, Rob served as an Agent In Charge of Attorney General William P. Barr's protection detail. His final assignment was as Chief of the Tactical Training Unit at the FBI Academy where he was responsible for ensuring the operational readiness of all FBI employees. He has traveled the world providing training for local, state, federal, and international law enforcement officers. 

On this episode, Chris and Rob discuss the background story of his career in the FBI and other law enforcement roles. They chat about best practices for securing your home or business, data on criminal activity around the US, and the current state of Law & Order in America.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Holdfast Security Group

(01:59) - Rob’s Career and Background

(05:56) - What’s the difference between the police and the FBI?

(8:17) - How the FBI changed after 9/11

(9:32) - How are federal agencies able to gather such massive amounts of intelligence?

(12:23) - Is there more physical violence risk or cyber risk in today’s world?

(14:16) - Why is it so hard to combat drugs coming over the border?

The Fort with Tegan Broadwater

(17:11) - What were the core competencies you were teaching in your tactical program at Quantico?

(20:15) - Working Security at The Masters in 2021

(25:07) - How Policing Has Changed Since George Floyd

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

(35:35) - What should people know about personal security that matters most? 

Master Lock Door Security Bar

(45:29) - What’s the most common time of day people’s homes are broken into?

(47:18) - Do most burglars go in prepared to be violent?

(48:45) - How much time is spent in the planning process for burglarizing a home?

(50:09) - Where will a burglar usually enter the home?

3M Window Security

(52:09) - Do most burglars act solo or work in teams?

(53:13) - Who is the clientele who you work with?

(58:00) - How do the civil suits around deadly force usually pan out?

(1:06:12) - The Anti-gun Sentiment

(1:07:56) - What is the biggest deterrence to those who want to break into your home or business?

(1:13:55) - The Current State of Policing and Law Enforcement in the United States

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4905 no #224: Nick Huber + Chris Powers Vol. 2 https://www.TheFortPod.com Part 2 of the exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Listen to #209 for Part 1 of this episode Topics: (01:46) - If you were a 25-year-old interested in Small Business, what would you do right now? (03:24) - Acquisition Strategies (09:51) - What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in the first 12-24 months of your Real Estate career? (14:33) - How have you identified buildings that are likely to sell? (17:54) - What are the 3 highest-leverage activities in your business? (20:05) - How do you want to maximize your impact on the world? (22:09) - How can a beginner in RE buy a property into their no-history LLC? (25:42) - Can the minimum investment be lowered to allow unaccredited investors to invest with Sweaty Startup or Fort Capital? (26:23) - What would you be betting on over the next 10 years? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #224: Nick Huber + Chris Powers Vol. 2 full 1 224 Chris Powers Part 2 of the exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort... Part 2 of the exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Listen to #209 for Part 1 of this episode Topics: (01:46) - If you were a 25-year-old interested in Small Business, what would you do right now? (03:24) - Acquisition Strategies (09:51) - What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in the first 12-24 months of your Real Estate career? (14:33) - How have you identified buildings that are likely to sell? (17:54) - What are the 3 highest-leverage activities in your business? (20:05) - How do you want to maximize your impact on the world? (22:09) - How can a beginner in RE buy a property into their no-history LLC? (25:42) - Can the minimum investment be lowered to allow unaccredited investors to invest with Sweaty Startup or Fort Capital? (26:23) - What would you be betting on over the next 10 years? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Part 2 of the exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Listen to #209 for Part 1 of this episode

Topics:

(01:46) - If you were a 25-year-old interested in Small Business, what would you do right now?

(03:24) - Acquisition Strategies

(09:51) - What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in the first 12-24 months of your Real Estate career?

(14:33) - How have you identified buildings that are likely to sell?

(17:54) - What are the 3 highest-leverage activities in your business?

(20:05) - How do you want to maximize your impact on the world?

(22:09) - How can a beginner in RE buy a property into their no-history LLC?

(25:42) - Can the minimum investment be lowered to allow unaccredited investors to invest with Sweaty Startup or Fort Capital?

(26:23) - What would you be betting on over the next 10 years?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 1769 no #223: Robert Prather - Founder of Vision Research - A Masterclass in Shorting Equities https://www.TheFortPod.com Robert Prather, Jr, has been with Vision Research for more than 15 years and brings more than 23 years of relevant experience to the team in his role as a member of the senior research staff and President. Vision Research is an independent equity research firm that provides hedge funds with investment ideas. On this episode, Robert discusses his process for uncovering a short idea and what he looks for, why SPACs have recently done so poorly, and the incentives that currently drive them. Chris and Robert also chat about how a short works (Shorting 101) and how he was able to see something off with Enron before the general market did.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Vision Research: https://www.visionro.com/ (01:43) - Roberts’s Career and Background (03:53) - When $50m is missing, where is it? (04:45) - Is it fair to say that people blindly trust public companies for the numbers they put out? (05:47) - Discussions with Leaders in Public Companies vs. Private Companies (0 7:25) - Robert Uncovers the Enron Fraud (14:03) - Robert’s career today in research and shorting equities (22:10) - Deciphering whether a company is going to go to 0 or is simply worth less than its stock price (26:16) - When do CEOs find out about the research you’ve done on them? (29:56) -  How does shorting work? (32:19) - Meme Stocks (39:13) - What happens if everyone takes you up on your ideas at the same time? (40:33) - Thoughts on Tesla (43:01) - How often have you shorted a company and then changed your mind about it? (45:23) - SPACs (1:12:03) - How long does someone predicting a short have to be right? (1:18:16) - What do you predict will happen in the near future? (1:24:22) - Robert’s mantra: Helping others help themselves The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 09 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #223: Robert Prather - Founder of Vision Research - A Masterclass in Shorting Equities full 1 223 Chris Powers Robert Prather, Jr, has been with Vision Research for more than 15 years and brings more than 23 years of relevant experience to the team in his role as a member of the senior research staff and President. Vision Research is an independent equity... Robert Prather, Jr, has been with Vision Research for more than 15 years and brings more than 23 years of relevant experience to the team in his role as a member of the senior research staff and President. Vision Research is an independent equity research firm that provides hedge funds with investment ideas. On this episode, Robert discusses his process for uncovering a short idea and what he looks for, why SPACs have recently done so poorly, and the incentives that currently drive them. Chris and Robert also chat about how a short works (Shorting 101) and how he was able to see something off with Enron before the general market did.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Vision Research: https://www.visionro.com/ (01:43) - Roberts’s Career and Background (03:53) - When $50m is missing, where is it? (04:45) - Is it fair to say that people blindly trust public companies for the numbers they put out? (05:47) - Discussions with Leaders in Public Companies vs. Private Companies (0 7:25) - Robert Uncovers the Enron Fraud (14:03) - Robert’s career today in research and shorting equities (22:10) - Deciphering whether a company is going to go to 0 or is simply worth less than its stock price (26:16) - When do CEOs find out about the research you’ve done on them? (29:56) -  How does shorting work? (32:19) - Meme Stocks (39:13) - What happens if everyone takes you up on your ideas at the same time? (40:33) - Thoughts on Tesla (43:01) - How often have you shorted a company and then changed your mind about it? (45:23) - SPACs (1:12:03) - How long does someone predicting a short have to be right? (1:18:16) - What do you predict will happen in the near future? (1:24:22) - Robert’s mantra: Helping others help themselves The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Robert Prather, Jr, has been with Vision Research for more than 15 years and brings more than 23 years of relevant experience to the team in his role as a member of the senior research staff and President. Vision Research is an independent equity research firm that provides hedge funds with investment ideas.

On this episode, Robert discusses his process for uncovering a short idea and what he looks for, why SPACs have recently done so poorly, and the incentives that currently drive them. Chris and Robert also chat about how a short works (Shorting 101) and how he was able to see something off with Enron before the general market did.

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Vision Research: https://www.visionro.com/

(01:43) - Roberts’s Career and Background

(03:53) - When $50m is missing, where is it?

(04:45) - Is it fair to say that people blindly trust public companies for the numbers they put out?

(05:47) - Discussions with Leaders in Public Companies vs. Private Companies

(0 7:25) - Robert Uncovers the Enron Fraud

(14:03) - Robert’s career today in research and shorting equities

(22:10) - Deciphering whether a company is going to go to 0 or is simply worth less than its stock price

(26:16) - When do CEOs find out about the research you’ve done on them?

(29:56) -  How does shorting work?

(32:19) - Meme Stocks

(39:13) - What happens if everyone takes you up on your ideas at the same time?

(40:33) - Thoughts on Tesla

(43:01) - How often have you shorted a company and then changed your mind about it?

(45:23) - SPACs

(1:12:03) - How long does someone predicting a short have to be right?

(1:18:16) - What do you predict will happen in the near future?

(1:24:22) - Robert’s mantra: Helping others help themselves

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5711 no #222: Student Rental Pro - The Mad Scientist of Student Housing https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris chats with Twitter's Anonymous @StudentRentPro on every trick in the book for how to strategically manage student rental properties. They deep dive into the economics of how to put together a profitable student housing deal, what matters in a student lease, and funny stories from the trenches of managing students. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow Student Rental Pro on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StudentRentPro Support our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Lex Markets Corp: https://www.lex-markets.com/fort (03:15) - Student Rental Pro’s background and RE portfolio (05:12) - How did you get into student rentals? (07:50) - What makes a great location for a student rental? (10:58) - What’s your process for leasing a house for the upcoming school year? (13:31) - What are the big things that matter in a student housing lease? (15:54) - Why do you not include parental guarantors in the lease? (18:59) - Do you do any kind of due diligence or application on the students who want to lease? (20:13) - How do you handle parent complaints & work orders? (26:05) - What’s the process of turning the house over from previous tenants to new tenants? (30:40) - What amenities do you provide? (32:48) - What are the tenants allowed to do in terms of drilling into the walls, painting, etc? (34:35) - Pets or no pets? (35:21) - Do you provide appliances? (36:26) - How do you think about deposits? (50:44) - How do you deal with police being called over a party? (53:23) - How do tenants communicate with you and what is your manager’s job during the year? Appfolio (58:47) - What’s the process of selecting a tenant to be “House Manager”? (59:43) - What stands out to you when looking at properties that will maximize rent? (1:05:55) - Who does the yard work? (1:07:35) - What are the most common maintenance issues you see and are there any preventative measures you take? (1:11:10) - What’s the % increase you’re getting on rent with students as opposed to traditional tenants? (1:13:28) - What’s the direction of your portfolio? Twitter Questions: (1:15:05) - Do you compete against institutional capital? (1:16:20) - What would you prefer if you were to extend into a new market: A college-town or a town with a college in it? (1:20:23) - SRP’s MF acquisition was based on listening to the podcast (1:24:35) - Storytime w/ Student Rental Pro Tue, 07 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #222: Student Rental Pro - The Mad Scientist of Student Housing full 1 221 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris chats with Twitter's Anonymous @StudentRentPro on every trick in the book for how to strategically manage student rental properties. They deep dive into the economics of how to put together a profitable student housing deal,... On this episode, Chris chats with Twitter's Anonymous @StudentRentPro on every trick in the book for how to strategically manage student rental properties. They deep dive into the economics of how to put together a profitable student housing deal, what matters in a student lease, and funny stories from the trenches of managing students. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow Student Rental Pro on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StudentRentPro Support our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Lex Markets Corp: https://www.lex-markets.com/fort (03:15) - Student Rental Pro’s background and RE portfolio (05:12) - How did you get into student rentals? (07:50) - What makes a great location for a student rental? (10:58) - What’s your process for leasing a house for the upcoming school year? (13:31) - What are the big things that matter in a student housing lease? (15:54) - Why do you not include parental guarantors in the lease? (18:59) - Do you do any kind of due diligence or application on the students who want to lease? (20:13) - How do you handle parent complaints & work orders? (26:05) - What’s the process of turning the house over from previous tenants to new tenants? (30:40) - What amenities do you provide? (32:48) - What are the tenants allowed to do in terms of drilling into the walls, painting, etc? (34:35) - Pets or no pets? (35:21) - Do you provide appliances? (36:26) - How do you think about deposits? (50:44) - How do you deal with police being called over a party? (53:23) - How do tenants communicate with you and what is your manager’s job during the year? Appfolio (58:47) - What’s the process of selecting a tenant to be “House Manager”? (59:43) - What stands out to you when looking at properties that will maximize rent? (1:05:55) - Who does the yard work? (1:07:35) - What are the most common maintenance issues you see and are there any preventative measures you take? (1:11:10) - What’s the % increase you’re getting on rent with students as opposed to traditional tenants? (1:13:28) - What’s the direction of your portfolio? Twitter Questions: (1:15:05) - Do you compete against institutional capital? (1:16:20) - What would you prefer if you were to extend into a new market: A college-town or a town with a college in it? (1:20:23) - SRP’s MF acquisition was based on listening to the podcast (1:24:35) - Storytime w/ Student Rental Pro On this episode, Chris chats with Twitter's Anonymous @StudentRentPro on every trick in the book for how to strategically manage student rental properties. They deep dive into the economics of how to put together a profitable student housing deal, what matters in a student lease, and funny stories from the trenches of managing students. Enjoy! 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Follow Student Rental Pro on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StudentRentPro

Support our Sponsors:

Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/

Lex Markets Corp: https://www.lex-markets.com/fort

(03:15) - Student Rental Pro’s background and RE portfolio

(05:12) - How did you get into student rentals?

(07:50) - What makes a great location for a student rental?

(10:58) - What’s your process for leasing a house for the upcoming school year?

(13:31) - What are the big things that matter in a student housing lease?

(15:54) - Why do you not include parental guarantors in the lease?

(18:59) - Do you do any kind of due diligence or application on the students who want to lease?

(20:13) - How do you handle parent complaints & work orders?

(26:05) - What’s the process of turning the house over from previous tenants to new tenants?

(30:40) - What amenities do you provide?

(32:48) - What are the tenants allowed to do in terms of drilling into the walls, painting, etc?

(34:35) - Pets or no pets?

(35:21) - Do you provide appliances?

(36:26) - How do you think about deposits?

(50:44) - How do you deal with police being called over a party?

(53:23) - How do tenants communicate with you and what is your manager’s job during the year?

Appfolio

(58:47) - What’s the process of selecting a tenant to be “House Manager”?

(59:43) - What stands out to you when looking at properties that will maximize rent?

(1:05:55) - Who does the yard work?

(1:07:35) - What are the most common maintenance issues you see and are there any preventative measures you take?

(1:11:10) - What’s the % increase you’re getting on rent with students as opposed to traditional tenants?

(1:13:28) - What’s the direction of your portfolio?

Twitter Questions:

(1:15:05) - Do you compete against institutional capital?

(1:16:20) - What would you prefer if you were to extend into a new market: A college-town or a town with a college in it?

(1:20:23) - SRP’s MF acquisition was based on listening to the podcast

(1:24:35) - Storytime w/ Student Rental Pro

]]> 5513 no #221: Lloyd Reeb - Co-Founder of Halftime Institute - Success to Significance https://www.TheFortPod.com Lloyd was a successful real estate developer and owner of luxury senior housing facilities when his idea of success changed dramatically, and his life’s focus shifted to second-half significance. Together with his mentor, the late Bob Buford, Lloyd helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teaches, coaches, and connects successful men and women in pursuit of significance. For over 20 years, Lloyd has helped leaders make their second half their best half. He has clocked over 20,000 hours of coaching and has taken this message around the world. On this episode, Lloyd and Chat chat about what it means for high capacity leaders to finish well, preparing to live the 2nd half of our lives with significance and best practices early in life and career to set yourself up for success later in life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our Sponsors: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:15) - Lloyd’s Background and Career (16:28) - Partnering with Bob Buford  Halftime by Bob Buford Managing oneself by Peter Drucker (20:37) - What are things you’ve witnessed folks have done early in their life that set them up for success or failure in the second half of their life? (26:46) - Why do we not naturally gravitate toward focusing on the “priceless” things in life? (30:55) - The Crash and Burn Lots of People Experience in the Second Half of Life The Sigmoid Curve (36:15) - How do you begin to decouple yourself from tying your identity to your work? (41:49) - What are some practices or success stories where you’ve seen folks reinventing themselves within their own business? (48:30) - What does The Halftime Institute do? (50:51) - What are some characteristics of leaders who finish well? (56:17) - Are there best practices for finding what your next calling will be? (1:09:25) - What are the characteristics of people who can build a great business and a great family? What I want my children to know before they leave home by Lloyd Reeb The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 31 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #221: Lloyd Reeb - Co-Founder of Halftime Institute - Success to Significance full 1 221 Chris Powers Lloyd was a successful real estate developer and owner of luxury senior housing facilities when his idea of success changed dramatically, and his life’s focus shifted to second-half significance. Together with his mentor, the late Bob Buford, Lloyd... Lloyd was a successful real estate developer and owner of luxury senior housing facilities when his idea of success changed dramatically, and his life’s focus shifted to second-half significance. Together with his mentor, the late Bob Buford, Lloyd helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teaches, coaches, and connects successful men and women in pursuit of significance. For over 20 years, Lloyd has helped leaders make their second half their best half. He has clocked over 20,000 hours of coaching and has taken this message around the world. On this episode, Lloyd and Chat chat about what it means for high capacity leaders to finish well, preparing to live the 2nd half of our lives with significance and best practices early in life and career to set yourself up for success later in life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our Sponsors: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:15) - Lloyd’s Background and Career (16:28) - Partnering with Bob Buford  Halftime by Bob Buford Managing oneself by Peter Drucker (20:37) - What are things you’ve witnessed folks have done early in their life that set them up for success or failure in the second half of their life? (26:46) - Why do we not naturally gravitate toward focusing on the “priceless” things in life? (30:55) - The Crash and Burn Lots of People Experience in the Second Half of Life The Sigmoid Curve (36:15) - How do you begin to decouple yourself from tying your identity to your work? (41:49) - What are some practices or success stories where you’ve seen folks reinventing themselves within their own business? (48:30) - What does The Halftime Institute do? (50:51) - What are some characteristics of leaders who finish well? (56:17) - Are there best practices for finding what your next calling will be? (1:09:25) - What are the characteristics of people who can build a great business and a great family? What I want my children to know before they leave home by Lloyd Reeb The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Lloyd was a successful real estate developer and owner of luxury senior housing facilities when his idea of success changed dramatically, and his life’s focus shifted to second-half significance. Together with his mentor, the late Bob Buford, Lloyd helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teaches, coaches, and connects successful men and women in pursuit of significance. For over 20 years, Lloyd has helped leaders make their second half their best half. He has clocked over 20,000 hours of coaching and has taken this message around the world.

On this episode, Lloyd and Chat chat about what it means for high capacity leaders to finish well, preparing to live the 2nd half of our lives with significance and best practices early in life and career to set yourself up for success later in life. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Support our Sponsors:

www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:15) - Lloyd’s Background and Career

(16:28) - Partnering with Bob Buford 

Halftime by Bob Buford

Managing oneself by Peter Drucker

(20:37) - What are things you’ve witnessed folks have done early in their life that set them up for success or failure in the second half of their life?

(26:46) - Why do we not naturally gravitate toward focusing on the “priceless” things in life?

(30:55) - The Crash and Burn Lots of People Experience in the Second Half of Life

The Sigmoid Curve

(36:15) - How do you begin to decouple yourself from tying your identity to your work?

(41:49) - What are some practices or success stories where you’ve seen folks reinventing themselves within their own business?

(48:30) - What does The Halftime Institute do?

(50:51) - What are some characteristics of leaders who finish well?

(56:17) - Are there best practices for finding what your next calling will be?

(1:09:25) - What are the characteristics of people who can build a great business and a great family?

What I want my children to know before they leave home by Lloyd Reeb

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5088 no #220: Connor Haley - Founder of Alta Fox Capital Management https://www.TheFortPod.com Connor Haley founded Alta Fox in 2018 and is responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s investment process and strategy.  He has over ten years of investing experience and a passion for investing in small-cap equities. Before founding Alta Fox, Connor was an Analyst at Scopia Capital Management LP in New York. Connor is a top-ranked investor on MicroCapClub.com1 and a member of the ValueInvestorsClub.com. Connor was an active investor in college: he was the President of Harvard’s largest undergraduate financial club and led the club to its highest-ever annual return. On this episode, Connor and Chris chat about how Alta Fox performs DD and reaches conviction on a new investment thesis, the benefits of activism and why it's more important than ever before, and the DNA of an exceptional business. Lastly, Connor shares his thoughts on the current investing landscape.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Learn more about Alta Fox: Altafoxcapital.com Connor on Twitter (01:53) - Connor’s Background and Career in Investing (5:40) - Winning Investing and Trading Competitions at Harvard (8:33) - Connor’s Hedge Fund Experience in College (10:25) - What did working on the trading floor do to shape your knowledge in investing? (11:45) - What is your investment philosophy? (13:29) - Activist Investing (15:02) - Alta Fox (16:13) - What does a typical day look like for you? (17:57) - How do you know what to focus on? (22:39) - How quickly do you get to a “no”? (24:40) - Are you contacting a management team before buying their stock? (25:51) - Do public companies have to take a meeting with you? (27:47) - How do you rank your priorities for investments? (29:53) - How many ideas are you usually working on at a given time? (31:25) - Do you have Billions-style idea meetings? (32:18) - What categories are you weighing your decisions on? (34:17) - What are some common characteristics of great CEO’s? (37:59) - What is Capital Allocation and what makes someone good at it? (41:30) - What’s your goal once you’ve decided to buy stock in a company? (44:18) - How long do management calls usually last and do you have a favorite thing to ask them? (47:14) - How has the size of your business and focus changed over the years? (50:37) - How do you decide to sell stocks in your portfolio? (54:09) - What was going through your mind during the first 30 days of Covid? (58:07) - Deep Dive on Activism (1:06:23) - Thoughts on ESG (1:08:45) - How are you thinking about the market right now? (1:11:30) - How do you think we can curb inflation? (1:12:55) - What do you think Warren is thinking right now? (1:14:06) - Do you have an investing idol? Joel Greenblatt's Columbia Business School Notes on Investing (1:16:54) - Why did you choose Fort Worth to run your Hedge Fund? (1:19:29) - Connor’s Case Studies The Makings of a Multibagger (1:21:47) - Thoughts on Trading Options (1:23:20) - What is cheap vs. expensive volatility? (1:24:26) - Betting Against Warren Buffet on Hedge Fund Performances (1:26:33) - Thoughts on the Meme Stock Revolution (1:31:55) - Connor’s Distaste for sushi (1:32:39) - How can people find you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 26 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #220: Connor Haley - Founder of Alta Fox Capital Management full 1 220 Chris Powers Connor Haley founded Alta Fox in 2018 and is responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s investment process and strategy.  He has over ten years of investing experience and a passion for investing in small-cap equities. Before founding... Connor Haley founded Alta Fox in 2018 and is responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s investment process and strategy.  He has over ten years of investing experience and a passion for investing in small-cap equities. Before founding Alta Fox, Connor was an Analyst at Scopia Capital Management LP in New York. Connor is a top-ranked investor on MicroCapClub.com1 and a member of the ValueInvestorsClub.com. Connor was an active investor in college: he was the President of Harvard’s largest undergraduate financial club and led the club to its highest-ever annual return. On this episode, Connor and Chris chat about how Alta Fox performs DD and reaches conviction on a new investment thesis, the benefits of activism and why it's more important than ever before, and the DNA of an exceptional business. Lastly, Connor shares his thoughts on the current investing landscape.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Learn more about Alta Fox: Altafoxcapital.com Connor on Twitter (01:53) - Connor’s Background and Career in Investing (5:40) - Winning Investing and Trading Competitions at Harvard (8:33) - Connor’s Hedge Fund Experience in College (10:25) - What did working on the trading floor do to shape your knowledge in investing? (11:45) - What is your investment philosophy? (13:29) - Activist Investing (15:02) - Alta Fox (16:13) - What does a typical day look like for you? (17:57) - How do you know what to focus on? (22:39) - How quickly do you get to a “no”? (24:40) - Are you contacting a management team before buying their stock? (25:51) - Do public companies have to take a meeting with you? (27:47) - How do you rank your priorities for investments? (29:53) - How many ideas are you usually working on at a given time? (31:25) - Do you have Billions-style idea meetings? (32:18) - What categories are you weighing your decisions on? (34:17) - What are some common characteristics of great CEO’s? (37:59) - What is Capital Allocation and what makes someone good at it? (41:30) - What’s your goal once you’ve decided to buy stock in a company? (44:18) - How long do management calls usually last and do you have a favorite thing to ask them? (47:14) - How has the size of your business and focus changed over the years? (50:37) - How do you decide to sell stocks in your portfolio? (54:09) - What was going through your mind during the first 30 days of Covid? (58:07) - Deep Dive on Activism (1:06:23) - Thoughts on ESG (1:08:45) - How are you thinking about the market right now? (1:11:30) - How do you think we can curb inflation? (1:12:55) - What do you think Warren is thinking right now? (1:14:06) - Do you have an investing idol? Joel Greenblatt's Columbia Business School Notes on Investing (1:16:54) - Why did you choose Fort Worth to run your Hedge Fund? (1:19:29) - Connor’s Case Studies The Makings of a Multibagger (1:21:47) - Thoughts on Trading Options (1:23:20) - What is cheap vs. expensive volatility? (1:24:26) - Betting Against Warren Buffet on Hedge Fund Performances (1:26:33) - Thoughts on the Meme Stock Revolution (1:31:55) - Connor’s Distaste for sushi (1:32:39) - How can people find you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Connor Haley founded Alta Fox in 2018 and is responsible for managing all aspects of the firm’s investment process and strategy.  He has over ten years of investing experience and a passion for investing in small-cap equities. Before founding Alta Fox, Connor was an Analyst at Scopia Capital Management LP in New York. Connor is a top-ranked investor on MicroCapClub.com1 and a member of the ValueInvestorsClub.com. Connor was an active investor in college: he was the President of Harvard’s largest undergraduate financial club and led the club to its highest-ever annual return.

On this episode, Connor and Chris chat about how Alta Fox performs DD and reaches conviction on a new investment thesis, the benefits of activism and why it's more important than ever before, and the DNA of an exceptional business. Lastly, Connor shares his thoughts on the current investing landscape.

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Learn more about Alta Fox: Altafoxcapital.com

Connor on Twitter

(01:53) - Connor’s Background and Career in Investing

(5:40) - Winning Investing and Trading Competitions at Harvard

(8:33) - Connor’s Hedge Fund Experience in College

(10:25) - What did working on the trading floor do to shape your knowledge in investing?

(11:45) - What is your investment philosophy?

(13:29) - Activist Investing

(15:02) - Alta Fox

(16:13) - What does a typical day look like for you?

(17:57) - How do you know what to focus on?

(22:39) - How quickly do you get to a “no”?

(24:40) - Are you contacting a management team before buying their stock?

(25:51) - Do public companies have to take a meeting with you?

(27:47) - How do you rank your priorities for investments?

(29:53) - How many ideas are you usually working on at a given time?

(31:25) - Do you have Billions-style idea meetings?

(32:18) - What categories are you weighing your decisions on?

(34:17) - What are some common characteristics of great CEO’s?

(37:59) - What is Capital Allocation and what makes someone good at it?

(41:30) - What’s your goal once you’ve decided to buy stock in a company?

(44:18) - How long do management calls usually last and do you have a favorite thing to ask them?

(47:14) - How has the size of your business and focus changed over the years?

(50:37) - How do you decide to sell stocks in your portfolio?

(54:09) - What was going through your mind during the first 30 days of Covid?

(58:07) - Deep Dive on Activism

(1:06:23) - Thoughts on ESG

(1:08:45) - How are you thinking about the market right now?

(1:11:30) - How do you think we can curb inflation?

(1:12:55) - What do you think Warren is thinking right now?

(1:14:06) - Do you have an investing idol?

Joel Greenblatt's Columbia Business School Notes on Investing

(1:16:54) - Why did you choose Fort Worth to run your Hedge Fund?

(1:19:29) - Connor’s Case Studies

The Makings of a Multibagger

(1:21:47) - Thoughts on Trading Options

(1:23:20) - What is cheap vs. expensive volatility?

(1:24:26) - Betting Against Warren Buffet on Hedge Fund Performances

(1:26:33) - Thoughts on the Meme Stock Revolution

(1:31:55) - Connor’s Distaste for sushi

(1:32:39) - How can people find you?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5670 no #219: Stephen Bailey- Senior Managing Director @ JLL - DFW Industrial Market Update https://www.TheFortPod.com Stephen Bailey, Senior Managing Director at JLL, joins Chris again to discuss the current state of capital markets and the ideal situation for sellers going to market - hint: Low WALT. They also dive into land prices, forwards, and cost to construct and how the demand continues to rise, despite the volatile market. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (03:15) - The State of the Market Post-2022 and Where Stephen Sees the Opportunity (07:15) - When did you start noticing volatility in the market? (08:59) - How are capital flows reacting to this? (12:03) - Are Lenders getting hesitant? (14:40) - The State of the Capital Markets (15:50) - How many buyers are shifting their focus to industrial from other assets? (18:45) - What due diligence do you conduct on a buyer? (20:23) - What Are Some Interesting Terms You’re Seeing in Leases (23:17) - How is Texas performing compared to other hot markets? (24:32) - Thoughts on Amazon (27:17) - Thoughts on Large Industrial Tenants & Development (33:09) - Land Prices (34:49) - Construction & loan rates (35:44) - Class B Industrial (37:06) - Forwards (38:04) - Thoughts on Industrial Outdoor Storage (41:11) - What happens to debt when you get above a certain purchase price? (42:39) - How Fort Capital is Applying What Stephen is Seeing (54:29) - Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 24 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #219: Stephen Bailey- Senior Managing Director @ JLL - DFW Industrial Market Update full 1 219 Chris Powers Stephen Bailey, Senior Managing Director at JLL, joins Chris again to discuss the current state of capital markets and the ideal situation for sellers going to market - hint: Low WALT. They also dive into land prices, forwards, and cost to construct... Stephen Bailey, Senior Managing Director at JLL, joins Chris again to discuss the current state of capital markets and the ideal situation for sellers going to market - hint: Low WALT. They also dive into land prices, forwards, and cost to construct and how the demand continues to rise, despite the volatile market. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (03:15) - The State of the Market Post-2022 and Where Stephen Sees the Opportunity (07:15) - When did you start noticing volatility in the market? (08:59) - How are capital flows reacting to this? (12:03) - Are Lenders getting hesitant? (14:40) - The State of the Capital Markets (15:50) - How many buyers are shifting their focus to industrial from other assets? (18:45) - What due diligence do you conduct on a buyer? (20:23) - What Are Some Interesting Terms You’re Seeing in Leases (23:17) - How is Texas performing compared to other hot markets? (24:32) - Thoughts on Amazon (27:17) - Thoughts on Large Industrial Tenants & Development (33:09) - Land Prices (34:49) - Construction & loan rates (35:44) - Class B Industrial (37:06) - Forwards (38:04) - Thoughts on Industrial Outdoor Storage (41:11) - What happens to debt when you get above a certain purchase price? (42:39) - How Fort Capital is Applying What Stephen is Seeing (54:29) - Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Stephen Bailey, Senior Managing Director at JLL, joins Chris again to discuss the current state of capital markets and the ideal situation for sellers going to market - hint: Low WALT. They also dive into land prices, forwards, and cost to construct and how the demand continues to rise, despite the volatile market. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(03:15) - The State of the Market Post-2022 and Where Stephen Sees the Opportunity

(07:15) - When did you start noticing volatility in the market?

(08:59) - How are capital flows reacting to this?

(12:03) - Are Lenders getting hesitant?

(14:40) - The State of the Capital Markets

(15:50) - How many buyers are shifting their focus to industrial from other assets?

(18:45) - What due diligence do you conduct on a buyer?

(20:23) - What Are Some Interesting Terms You’re Seeing in Leases

(23:17) - How is Texas performing compared to other hot markets?

(24:32) - Thoughts on Amazon

(27:17) - Thoughts on Large Industrial Tenants & Development

(33:09) - Land Prices

(34:49) - Construction & loan rates

(35:44) - Class B Industrial

(37:06) - Forwards

(38:04) - Thoughts on Industrial Outdoor Storage

(41:11) - What happens to debt when you get above a certain purchase price?

(42:39) - How Fort Capital is Applying What Stephen is Seeing

(54:29) - Final Thoughts

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3434 no #218: Aaron Graft - Vice Chairman & CEO of Triumph Bancorp, Inc. - On a Mission to Change How Truckers Get Paid https://www.TheFortPod.com Aaron Graft is the Founder, Vice Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary TBK Bank, SSB. He also serves as a Director and Vice Chairman of The Bank of the West of Thomas, Oklahoma. Before establishing Triumph, Mr. Graft served as the Founder and President of Triumph Land and Capital Management, LLC. On this episode, Aaron shares the story of how he bought Triumph Bank as a 28-year-old during the GFC. Chris and Aaron deep dive into the trucking industry, how truckers get paid, and building factoring technology that will change the future of the trucking industry.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:14) - Aaron’s Backward Entrance Into the Banking Industry (12:40) - Why did you say a bank should always generate cash flow? (14:42) - What was your original thesis behind acquiring a bank? (19:26) - Would you be approved to buy a bank if you were in the same situation again today? (20:55) - What was your experience on Day 1 as the CEO? (24:29) - How were you offloading assets during your first year of ownership? (25:49) - Buying a Trucking Company (32:02) - Why did it make sense to buy this business inside of a bank as opposed to another venture? (37:31) - How have you scaled the business to where it is now? (40:34) - Are you really a bank? Or are you a transportation company? (42:53) - When did you start building technology for the bank? (45:58) - Would you consider yourself a visionary? (47:49) - The Back-Office Offering For Truckers (50:26) - Is the trucking industry heading towards consolidation? (52:24) - Do you help truckers determine what to charge? (54:16) - Do you finance trucks? (54:40) - How does Triumph Pay work? (1:05:23) - How is Amex different from Visa? (1:06:13) - Do truckers keep deposits with Triumph? (1:07:00) - Do you trade like a bank or a fintech company? (1:08:21) - Why did you go public, to begin with? (1:11:10) - What are you buying these days? (1:12:49) - Why are shipments slowing down? (1:15:04) - How does the trucking industry change in size as more people buy things online? (1:16:48) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night about the trucking industry? (1:20:38) - Is there any other industry you could model what you’re doing in? (1:22:21) - What do you predict for your company in 10 years? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 19 May 2022 04:00:00 -0000 #218: Aaron Graft - Vice Chairman & CEO of Triumph Bancorp, Inc. - On a Mission to Change How Truckers Get Paid full 1 218 Chris Powers Aaron Graft is the Founder, Vice Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary TBK Bank, SSB. He also serves as a Director and Vice Chairman of The Bank of the West of Thomas, Oklahoma. Before establishing Triumph,... Aaron Graft is the Founder, Vice Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary TBK Bank, SSB. He also serves as a Director and Vice Chairman of The Bank of the West of Thomas, Oklahoma. Before establishing Triumph, Mr. Graft served as the Founder and President of Triumph Land and Capital Management, LLC. On this episode, Aaron shares the story of how he bought Triumph Bank as a 28-year-old during the GFC. Chris and Aaron deep dive into the trucking industry, how truckers get paid, and building factoring technology that will change the future of the trucking industry.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:14) - Aaron’s Backward Entrance Into the Banking Industry (12:40) - Why did you say a bank should always generate cash flow? (14:42) - What was your original thesis behind acquiring a bank? (19:26) - Would you be approved to buy a bank if you were in the same situation again today? (20:55) - What was your experience on Day 1 as the CEO? (24:29) - How were you offloading assets during your first year of ownership? (25:49) - Buying a Trucking Company (32:02) - Why did it make sense to buy this business inside of a bank as opposed to another venture? (37:31) - How have you scaled the business to where it is now? (40:34) - Are you really a bank? Or are you a transportation company? (42:53) - When did you start building technology for the bank? (45:58) - Would you consider yourself a visionary? (47:49) - The Back-Office Offering For Truckers (50:26) - Is the trucking industry heading towards consolidation? (52:24) - Do you help truckers determine what to charge? (54:16) - Do you finance trucks? (54:40) - How does Triumph Pay work? (1:05:23) - How is Amex different from Visa? (1:06:13) - Do truckers keep deposits with Triumph? (1:07:00) - Do you trade like a bank or a fintech company? (1:08:21) - Why did you go public, to begin with? (1:11:10) - What are you buying these days? (1:12:49) - Why are shipments slowing down? (1:15:04) - How does the trucking industry change in size as more people buy things online? (1:16:48) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night about the trucking industry? (1:20:38) - Is there any other industry you could model what you’re doing in? (1:22:21) - What do you predict for your company in 10 years? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Aaron Graft is the Founder, Vice Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary TBK Bank, SSB. He also serves as a Director and Vice Chairman of The Bank of the West of Thomas, Oklahoma. Before establishing Triumph, Mr. Graft served as the Founder and President of Triumph Land and Capital Management, LLC.

On this episode, Aaron shares the story of how he bought Triumph Bank as a 28-year-old during the GFC. Chris and Aaron deep dive into the trucking industry, how truckers get paid, and building factoring technology that will change the future of the trucking industry.

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(01:14) - Aaron’s Backward Entrance Into the Banking Industry

(12:40) - Why did you say a bank should always generate cash flow?

(14:42) - What was your original thesis behind acquiring a bank?

(19:26) - Would you be approved to buy a bank if you were in the same situation again today?

(20:55) - What was your experience on Day 1 as the CEO?

(24:29) - How were you offloading assets during your first year of ownership?

(25:49) - Buying a Trucking Company

(32:02) - Why did it make sense to buy this business inside of a bank as opposed to another venture?

(37:31) - How have you scaled the business to where it is now?

(40:34) - Are you really a bank? Or are you a transportation company?

(42:53) - When did you start building technology for the bank?

(45:58) - Would you consider yourself a visionary?

(47:49) - The Back-Office Offering For Truckers

(50:26) - Is the trucking industry heading towards consolidation?

(52:24) - Do you help truckers determine what to charge?

(54:16) - Do you finance trucks?

(54:40) - How does Triumph Pay work?

(1:05:23) - How is Amex different from Visa?

(1:06:13) - Do truckers keep deposits with Triumph?

(1:07:00) - Do you trade like a bank or a fintech company?

(1:08:21) - Why did you go public, to begin with?

(1:11:10) - What are you buying these days?

(1:12:49) - Why are shipments slowing down?

(1:15:04) - How does the trucking industry change in size as more people buy things online?

(1:16:48) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night about the trucking industry?

(1:20:38) - Is there any other industry you could model what you’re doing in?

(1:22:21) - What do you predict for your company in 10 years?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5274 no RE #217: Chris Powers & Drew Pearson - A live mentoring session on how to build a REPE operating company and lessons learned along the way. https://www.TheFortPod.com Drew Pearson, Managing Partner at Pearson Partners, began his commercial real estate career at Latter & Blum in Baton Rouge in 2008. He moved to a boutique firm named Waters & Pettit in 2011 and within a few years became a top-selling agent there. To date he has sold over $100MM dollars of investment property in more than 15 states. In 2015, he began to work at the real estate private equity firm Promanas in Ann Arbor, MI. There he served as head of acquisitions helping the firm to grow to over $250MM of real estate asset value. He considers his time at Promanas instrumental in his growth and development process. On this episode, Drew and Chris sit down for a live mentoring session on how to build a REPE operating company. They discuss how to go from 4-5 people to 20, the benefits of bigger deals over smaller deals, and how to create leverage in your business. Drew ends this session by asking Chris the things he would teach himself 5 years ago. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our sponsors: CRE Models (03:36) - Honoring Friendships (05:28) - Drew’s Evolution Since Meeting Chris (06:29) - What are some major hurdles people have when going from 4-5 employees to 15-20?  (11:47) - Setting Goals & Always Refining Your Process (19:22) - The Dark Side of Pursuing Greatness Relentless by Tim Grover (24:05) - Drew’s Background in Real Estate (27:29) - The New Language of the Next RE Cycle (41:03) - What are some roadblocks you see young GPs make as they advance in their careers? (49:58) - What were some big leverage points in your career? (55:37) - How do you cultivate your relationships? (1:00:15) - Thinking and Reflecting vs. Consuming Information (1:06:10) - What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? (1:11:44) - What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 17 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #217: Chris Powers & Drew Pearson - A live mentoring session on how to build a REPE operating company and lessons learned along the way. full 1 217 Chris Powers Drew Pearson, Managing Partner at Pearson Partners, began his commercial real estate career at Latter & Blum in Baton Rouge in 2008. He moved to a boutique firm named Waters & Pettit in 2011 and within a few years became a top-selling agent... Drew Pearson, Managing Partner at Pearson Partners, began his commercial real estate career at Latter & Blum in Baton Rouge in 2008. He moved to a boutique firm named Waters & Pettit in 2011 and within a few years became a top-selling agent there. To date he has sold over $100MM dollars of investment property in more than 15 states. In 2015, he began to work at the real estate private equity firm Promanas in Ann Arbor, MI. There he served as head of acquisitions helping the firm to grow to over $250MM of real estate asset value. He considers his time at Promanas instrumental in his growth and development process. On this episode, Drew and Chris sit down for a live mentoring session on how to build a REPE operating company. They discuss how to go from 4-5 people to 20, the benefits of bigger deals over smaller deals, and how to create leverage in your business. Drew ends this session by asking Chris the things he would teach himself 5 years ago. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our sponsors: CRE Models (03:36) - Honoring Friendships (05:28) - Drew’s Evolution Since Meeting Chris (06:29) - What are some major hurdles people have when going from 4-5 employees to 15-20?  (11:47) - Setting Goals & Always Refining Your Process (19:22) - The Dark Side of Pursuing Greatness Relentless by Tim Grover (24:05) - Drew’s Background in Real Estate (27:29) - The New Language of the Next RE Cycle (41:03) - What are some roadblocks you see young GPs make as they advance in their careers? (49:58) - What were some big leverage points in your career? (55:37) - How do you cultivate your relationships? (1:00:15) - Thinking and Reflecting vs. Consuming Information (1:06:10) - What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? (1:11:44) - What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Drew Pearson, Managing Partner at Pearson Partners, began his commercial real estate career at Latter & Blum in Baton Rouge in 2008. He moved to a boutique firm named Waters & Pettit in 2011 and within a few years became a top-selling agent there. To date he has sold over $100MM dollars of investment property in more than 15 states. In 2015, he began to work at the real estate private equity firm Promanas in Ann Arbor, MI. There he served as head of acquisitions helping the firm to grow to over $250MM of real estate asset value. He considers his time at Promanas instrumental in his growth and development process.

On this episode, Drew and Chris sit down for a live mentoring session on how to build a REPE operating company. They discuss how to go from 4-5 people to 20, the benefits of bigger deals over smaller deals, and how to create leverage in your business. Drew ends this session by asking Chris the things he would teach himself 5 years ago. Enjoy! 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Support our sponsors:

CRE Models

(03:36) - Honoring Friendships

(05:28) - Drew’s Evolution Since Meeting Chris

(06:29) - What are some major hurdles people have when going from 4-5 employees to 15-20? 

(11:47) - Setting Goals & Always Refining Your Process

(19:22) - The Dark Side of Pursuing Greatness

Relentless by Tim Grover

(24:05) - Drew’s Background in Real Estate

(27:29) - The New Language of the Next RE Cycle

(41:03) - What are some roadblocks you see young GPs make as they advance in their careers?

(49:58) - What were some big leverage points in your career?

(55:37) - How do you cultivate your relationships?

(1:00:15) - Thinking and Reflecting vs. Consuming Information

(1:06:10) - What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?

(1:11:44) - What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4831 no #216: Alex Epstein - The Future is Fossil Fuels https://www.TheFortPod.com Alex Epstein is a philosopher and energy expert who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and the forthcoming Fossil Future.  On this episode, Alex and Chris discuss why being against fossil fuels is being against humanity, what happens in a world with fewer fossil fuels, and the impact of alternative energy sources on the world. Alex explains why "Human flourishing" should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress and why driving a Tesla isn't changing the environment. Enjoy!   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Alex's New Book: Fossil Future (02:07) - Why did you get into writing about fossil fuels? (05:08) - How long were fossil fuels viewed positively and when did that change? (13:11) - The Chaos That Ensues When We Don’t Have Machines That Work (19:39) - Russia’s Role in the Current Fossil Fuel Debate (23:33) - Why does the USA think it’s better to outsource oil production rather than produce it at home? (26:30) - Why is the cost of fertilizer and agriculture going up in relation to fossil fuels? (31:32) - The Benefits vs. Risks of Oil and Fossil Fuels (35:25) - What is the opposition’s biggest reasoning for hating fossil fuels? The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich (40:08) - The Hypocrisy of the Biggest Climate Advocates Apocalypse Never by Michael Shellenberger San Fransicko  by Michael Shellenberger (51:33) - Is there anyone on the left changing their tune on fossil fuels? EnergyTalkingPoints.com Alex@AlexEpstein.com (55:08) - Thoughts on Elon Musk and Electric Vehicles (1:00:06) - Who benefits from the green movement being implemented? People’s Climate March on YouTube The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein Thu, 12 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #216: Alex Epstein - The Future is Fossil Fuels full 1 216 Chris Powers Alex Epstein is a philosopher and energy expert who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and the... Alex Epstein is a philosopher and energy expert who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and the forthcoming Fossil Future.  On this episode, Alex and Chris discuss why being against fossil fuels is being against humanity, what happens in a world with fewer fossil fuels, and the impact of alternative energy sources on the world. Alex explains why "Human flourishing" should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress and why driving a Tesla isn't changing the environment. Enjoy!   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Alex's New Book: Fossil Future (02:07) - Why did you get into writing about fossil fuels? (05:08) - How long were fossil fuels viewed positively and when did that change? (13:11) - The Chaos That Ensues When We Don’t Have Machines That Work (19:39) - Russia’s Role in the Current Fossil Fuel Debate (23:33) - Why does the USA think it’s better to outsource oil production rather than produce it at home? (26:30) - Why is the cost of fertilizer and agriculture going up in relation to fossil fuels? (31:32) - The Benefits vs. Risks of Oil and Fossil Fuels (35:25) - What is the opposition’s biggest reasoning for hating fossil fuels? The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich (40:08) - The Hypocrisy of the Biggest Climate Advocates Apocalypse Never by Michael Shellenberger San Fransicko  by Michael Shellenberger (51:33) - Is there anyone on the left changing their tune on fossil fuels? EnergyTalkingPoints.com Alex@AlexEpstein.com (55:08) - Thoughts on Elon Musk and Electric Vehicles (1:00:06) - Who benefits from the green movement being implemented? People’s Climate March on YouTube The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein Alex Epstein is a philosopher and energy expert who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and the forthcoming Fossil Future. 

On this episode, Alex and Chris discuss why being against fossil fuels is being against humanity, what happens in a world with fewer fossil fuels, and the impact of alternative energy sources on the world. Alex explains why "Human flourishing" should be the guiding principle of energy and environmental progress and why driving a Tesla isn't changing the environment. Enjoy!

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Alex's New Book: Fossil Future

(02:07) - Why did you get into writing about fossil fuels?

(05:08) - How long were fossil fuels viewed positively and when did that change?

(13:11) - The Chaos That Ensues When We Don’t Have Machines That Work

(19:39) - Russia’s Role in the Current Fossil Fuel Debate

(23:33) - Why does the USA think it’s better to outsource oil production rather than produce it at home?

(26:30) - Why is the cost of fertilizer and agriculture going up in relation to fossil fuels?

(31:32) - The Benefits vs. Risks of Oil and Fossil Fuels

(35:25) - What is the opposition’s biggest reasoning for hating fossil fuels?

The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich

(40:08) - The Hypocrisy of the Biggest Climate Advocates

Apocalypse Never by Michael Shellenberger

San Fransicko  by Michael Shellenberger

(51:33) - Is there anyone on the left changing their tune on fossil fuels?

EnergyTalkingPoints.com

Alex@AlexEpstein.com

(55:08) - Thoughts on Elon Musk and Electric Vehicles

(1:00:06) - Who benefits from the green movement being implemented?

People’s Climate March on YouTube

The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein

]]> 4105 no RE #215: Chris Powers on Incentives in Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris discusses incentives that drive companies and people, COR - how to incentive your people to make money and watch expenses, and why it all starts with the culture of your company.  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our Sponsors: www.FortCapitalLp.com/connect www.JuniperSquare.com www.Lex-markets.com/fort www.CREmodels.com (03:22) - You Should Strive to be Profitable  (04:32)  - Culture vs. Incentives  Super Chickens w/ Margaret Heffernan (08:20) - Social Capital (09:20) - Incentivizing a Team Environment The Fort Podcast Episode #65 on COR (10:45) - Using COR as an Incentive (20:10)  - There is No Perfect Incentive The Fort Podcast episode #47 w/ Andrew Segal The Fort Podcast Episode #64 w/ Andrew Segal Twitter Questions: (27:20) -  How do you incentivize at FC based on Promote?  (30:34) - Rolling Bonuses (34:20) - How do you incentivize brokers? (35:50) - How do you incentivize the back office? (38:08) - Incentives are not only about making money The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 10 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #215: Chris Powers on Incentives in Real Estate full 1 215 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris discusses incentives that drive companies and people, COR - how to incentive your people to make money and watch expenses, and why it all starts with the culture of your company.  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort... On this episode, Chris discusses incentives that drive companies and people, COR - how to incentive your people to make money and watch expenses, and why it all starts with the culture of your company.  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Support our Sponsors: www.FortCapitalLp.com/connect www.JuniperSquare.com www.Lex-markets.com/fort www.CREmodels.com (03:22) - You Should Strive to be Profitable  (04:32)  - Culture vs. Incentives  Super Chickens w/ Margaret Heffernan (08:20) - Social Capital (09:20) - Incentivizing a Team Environment The Fort Podcast Episode #65 on COR (10:45) - Using COR as an Incentive (20:10)  - There is No Perfect Incentive The Fort Podcast episode #47 w/ Andrew Segal The Fort Podcast Episode #64 w/ Andrew Segal Twitter Questions: (27:20) -  How do you incentivize at FC based on Promote?  (30:34) - Rolling Bonuses (34:20) - How do you incentivize brokers? (35:50) - How do you incentivize the back office? (38:08) - Incentives are not only about making money The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts On this episode, Chris discusses incentives that drive companies and people, COR - how to incentive your people to make money and watch expenses, and why it all starts with the culture of your company. 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Support our Sponsors:

www.FortCapitalLp.com/connect

www.JuniperSquare.com

www.Lex-markets.com/fort

www.CREmodels.com

(03:22) - You Should Strive to be Profitable 

(04:32)  - Culture vs. Incentives 

Super Chickens w/ Margaret Heffernan

(08:20) - Social Capital

(09:20) - Incentivizing a Team Environment

The Fort Podcast Episode #65 on COR

(10:45) - Using COR as an Incentive

(20:10)  - There is No Perfect Incentive

The Fort Podcast episode #47 w/ Andrew Segal

The Fort Podcast Episode #64 w/ Andrew Segal

Twitter Questions:

(27:20) -  How do you incentivize at FC based on Promote? 

(30:34) - Rolling Bonuses

(34:20) - How do you incentivize brokers?

(35:50) - How do you incentivize the back office?

(38:08) - Incentives are not only about making money

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 2580 no #214: @CarDealershipGuy - Used Car Business 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous @CarDealershipGuy (https://twitter.com/GuyDealership) about the used car business – how it works and how money is made. They also cover how to negotiate the best deal possible when buying a used car and the current state of the used car market and where we go from here. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow CarDealershipGuy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuyDealership (1:35) - Why did you create this twitter account and what’s your angle? (6:06) - All the tips and tricks to know when buying a used car cardealershipguy.org (9:30) - Is there a way to know if your dealership is reputable? YAA SureSale (11:53) - Buying vs. Leasing (14:03) - Why did we see a 40% spike in prices? (16:14) - What’s a depreciation cycle? (18:59) - How do you determine whether a purchase is for lifestyle vs. value? (19:54) - What are folks going to do if they bought at the peak of the market and now depreciation is kicking in? GAP insurance (23:32) - What’s the process of best financing a used car? (25:26) - How do you think about warranties? (33:19) - What are some red flags you might see in the buyer’s journey? CDG’s Negotiation playbook (36:30) - How to Negotiate a Car in Normal Times and How Car Salesmen Are Actually Paid (48:00) - Where do most dealerships get their inventory? (51:03) - How do auctions work? (54:25) - Buying inventory online (55:38) - Can anyone become a used car dealer? (58:42) - What separates the great used car dealers? (1:02:11) - How do car dealers make money? (1:10:39) - How do you define added products? (1:13:10) - How do inventory supply negotiations work? (1:14:13) - Buying Out Your Lease and Then Selling vs. Selling While Under Lease (1:15:07) - Is there a growing demand for electric vehicles? (1:21:28) - Is there anything in the innovation space that will appeal to the average consumer? Thu, 05 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #214: @CarDealershipGuy - Used Car Business 101 full 1 214 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous @CarDealershipGuy (https://twitter.com/GuyDealership) about the used car business – how it works and how money is made. They also cover how to negotiate the best deal possible when buying a used car... On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous @CarDealershipGuy (https://twitter.com/GuyDealership) about the used car business – how it works and how money is made. They also cover how to negotiate the best deal possible when buying a used car and the current state of the used car market and where we go from here. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow CarDealershipGuy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuyDealership (1:35) - Why did you create this twitter account and what’s your angle? (6:06) - All the tips and tricks to know when buying a used car cardealershipguy.org (9:30) - Is there a way to know if your dealership is reputable? YAA SureSale (11:53) - Buying vs. Leasing (14:03) - Why did we see a 40% spike in prices? (16:14) - What’s a depreciation cycle? (18:59) - How do you determine whether a purchase is for lifestyle vs. value? (19:54) - What are folks going to do if they bought at the peak of the market and now depreciation is kicking in? GAP insurance (23:32) - What’s the process of best financing a used car? (25:26) - How do you think about warranties? (33:19) - What are some red flags you might see in the buyer’s journey? CDG’s Negotiation playbook (36:30) - How to Negotiate a Car in Normal Times and How Car Salesmen Are Actually Paid (48:00) - Where do most dealerships get their inventory? (51:03) - How do auctions work? (54:25) - Buying inventory online (55:38) - Can anyone become a used car dealer? (58:42) - What separates the great used car dealers? (1:02:11) - How do car dealers make money? (1:10:39) - How do you define added products? (1:13:10) - How do inventory supply negotiations work? (1:14:13) - Buying Out Your Lease and Then Selling vs. Selling While Under Lease (1:15:07) - Is there a growing demand for electric vehicles? (1:21:28) - Is there anything in the innovation space that will appeal to the average consumer? On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous @CarDealershipGuy (https://twitter.com/GuyDealership) about the used car business – how it works and how money is made. They also cover how to negotiate the best deal possible when buying a used car and the current state of the used car market and where we go from here.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Follow CarDealershipGuy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuyDealership

(1:35) - Why did you create this twitter account and what’s your angle?

(6:06) - All the tips and tricks to know when buying a used car

cardealershipguy.org

(9:30) - Is there a way to know if your dealership is reputable?

YAA

SureSale

(11:53) - Buying vs. Leasing

(14:03) - Why did we see a 40% spike in prices?

(16:14) - What’s a depreciation cycle?

(18:59) - How do you determine whether a purchase is for lifestyle vs. value?

(19:54) - What are folks going to do if they bought at the peak of the market and now depreciation is kicking in?

GAP insurance

(23:32) - What’s the process of best financing a used car?

(25:26) - How do you think about warranties?

(33:19) - What are some red flags you might see in the buyer’s journey?

CDG’s Negotiation playbook

(36:30) - How to Negotiate a Car in Normal Times and How Car Salesmen Are Actually Paid

(48:00) - Where do most dealerships get their inventory?

(51:03) - How do auctions work?

(54:25) - Buying inventory online

(55:38) - Can anyone become a used car dealer?

(58:42) - What separates the great used car dealers?

(1:02:11) - How do car dealers make money?

(1:10:39) - How do you define added products?

(1:13:10) - How do inventory supply negotiations work?

(1:14:13) - Buying Out Your Lease and Then Selling vs. Selling While Under Lease

(1:15:07) - Is there a growing demand for electric vehicles?

(1:21:28) - Is there anything in the innovation space that will appeal to the average consumer?

]]> 5238 no RE #213: Bo Aughtry - Deep Dive into Hotel Development and Lessons Learned Through Many Cycles https://www.TheFortPod.com Bo Aughtry, Chairman & CEO of Windsor Aughtry Commercial, entered the real estate business out of college and in 1975 helped found Small and Aughtry, a real estate development and brokerage firm. In 1980, Bo established The Aughtry Company, a commercial real estate development and brokerage firm, and Aughtry Securities Corporation, an NASD Broker/Dealer, serving as president of both. In 1988 the companies merged with Windsor Properties, Inc., then a Greenville-based home-building firm, thereby forming Windsor/Aughtry Company, Inc. On this episode, Bo discusses lessons learned through many economic cycles and Short Term Rentals as a competitor. Chris and Bo also chat about how WAC develops hotels - selecting markets, sites, construction, and partnering with hotel brands. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast   (02:03) - Bo’s Background and Career in Real Estate (05:41) - Bo’s Experience During the OPEC Oil Embargo (10:40) - When you think back on the cycles you’ve experienced, could you sense them or did they come unexpectedly? (13:33) - What are the chain of events that happen during an unraveling? (17:54) - Are you sensing anything right now? Psychology of money by Morgan Housel (25:13) - When the interest rates went to 21.5% prime, how long did they stay that high and what happened during that period? (28:46) - How did you get into hotel development? (32:03) - How do you select sites when developing a hotel? (35:43) - Who is your average guests when building in a college town? (39:12) - Do you try to sign contracts with universities? (40:57) - How do you select the brand of hotel? (42:28) - What’s the differentiation of risk between you and the hotel brand? (44:58) - Do you have to follow the specs of the hotel brand or do they give you freedom of design? (47:11) - What’s an affinity program? (47:53) - Who purchases the furniture for the hotel? (50:47) - What does Hilton provide to you beyond a booking system and marketing? (52:08) - Thoughts on Construction  (56:43) - Thoughts on AirBnb & STR’s (1:03:29) - Why do you pursue heads-up deals and what matters to you in partnerships? (1:09:39) - If you could go back and tell your 35 year-old self some wisdom, what would it be? Tue, 03 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #213: Bo Aughtry - Deep Dive into Hotel Development and Lessons Learned Through Many Cycles full 1 213 Chris Powers Bo Aughtry, Chairman & CEO of Windsor Aughtry Commercial, entered the real estate business out of college and in 1975 helped found Small and Aughtry, a real estate development and brokerage firm. In 1980, Bo established The Aughtry Company, a... Bo Aughtry, Chairman & CEO of Windsor Aughtry Commercial, entered the real estate business out of college and in 1975 helped found Small and Aughtry, a real estate development and brokerage firm. In 1980, Bo established The Aughtry Company, a commercial real estate development and brokerage firm, and Aughtry Securities Corporation, an NASD Broker/Dealer, serving as president of both. In 1988 the companies merged with Windsor Properties, Inc., then a Greenville-based home-building firm, thereby forming Windsor/Aughtry Company, Inc. On this episode, Bo discusses lessons learned through many economic cycles and Short Term Rentals as a competitor. Chris and Bo also chat about how WAC develops hotels - selecting markets, sites, construction, and partnering with hotel brands. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast   (02:03) - Bo’s Background and Career in Real Estate (05:41) - Bo’s Experience During the OPEC Oil Embargo (10:40) - When you think back on the cycles you’ve experienced, could you sense them or did they come unexpectedly? (13:33) - What are the chain of events that happen during an unraveling? (17:54) - Are you sensing anything right now? Psychology of money by Morgan Housel (25:13) - When the interest rates went to 21.5% prime, how long did they stay that high and what happened during that period? (28:46) - How did you get into hotel development? (32:03) - How do you select sites when developing a hotel? (35:43) - Who is your average guests when building in a college town? (39:12) - Do you try to sign contracts with universities? (40:57) - How do you select the brand of hotel? (42:28) - What’s the differentiation of risk between you and the hotel brand? (44:58) - Do you have to follow the specs of the hotel brand or do they give you freedom of design? (47:11) - What’s an affinity program? (47:53) - Who purchases the furniture for the hotel? (50:47) - What does Hilton provide to you beyond a booking system and marketing? (52:08) - Thoughts on Construction  (56:43) - Thoughts on AirBnb & STR’s (1:03:29) - Why do you pursue heads-up deals and what matters to you in partnerships? (1:09:39) - If you could go back and tell your 35 year-old self some wisdom, what would it be? Bo Aughtry, Chairman & CEO of Windsor Aughtry Commercial, entered the real estate business out of college and in 1975 helped found Small and Aughtry, a real estate development and brokerage firm. In 1980, Bo established The Aughtry Company, a commercial real estate development and brokerage firm, and Aughtry Securities Corporation, an NASD Broker/Dealer, serving as president of both. In 1988 the companies merged with Windsor Properties, Inc., then a Greenville-based home-building firm, thereby forming Windsor/Aughtry Company, Inc.

On this episode, Bo discusses lessons learned through many economic cycles and Short Term Rentals as a competitor. Chris and Bo also chat about how WAC develops hotels - selecting markets, sites, construction, and partnering with hotel brands. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

 

(02:03) - Bo’s Background and Career in Real Estate

(05:41) - Bo’s Experience During the OPEC Oil Embargo

(10:40) - When you think back on the cycles you’ve experienced, could you sense them or did they come unexpectedly?

(13:33) - What are the chain of events that happen during an unraveling?

(17:54) - Are you sensing anything right now?

Psychology of money by Morgan Housel

(25:13) - When the interest rates went to 21.5% prime, how long did they stay that high and what happened during that period?

(28:46) - How did you get into hotel development?

(32:03) - How do you select sites when developing a hotel?

(35:43) - Who is your average guests when building in a college town?

(39:12) - Do you try to sign contracts with universities?

(40:57) - How do you select the brand of hotel?

(42:28) - What’s the differentiation of risk between you and the hotel brand?

(44:58) - Do you have to follow the specs of the hotel brand or do they give you freedom of design?

(47:11) - What’s an affinity program?

(47:53) - Who purchases the furniture for the hotel?

(50:47) - What does Hilton provide to you beyond a booking system and marketing?

(52:08) - Thoughts on Construction 

(56:43) - Thoughts on AirBnb & STR’s

(1:03:29) - Why do you pursue heads-up deals and what matters to you in partnerships?

(1:09:39) - If you could go back and tell your 35 year-old self some wisdom, what would it be?

]]> 4343 no #212: Craig Fuller - Founder of FreightWaves - AN ABSOLUTE MASTERCLASS ON GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN & TRANSPORTATION https://www.TheFortPod.com Craig Fuller is the Founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Prior to FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the CEO of FLYING Magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine. Previously, Fuller founded the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress, the leading provider of on-demand expedited truckload services. On this episode, Chris and Craig discuss how the geopolitical landscape impacts supply chains and why we'll never go back to where we were in a post-covid world. They chat USA vs China - and the implications we're likely to experience going forward, the American consumer and supply chains and how technology impacts better and more efficient supply chains. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:23) - Craig’s Background in Supply Chain & Transportation (04:36) - FreightWaves (08:46) - How would you explain what a supply chain is? (15:42) - What’s happening in the global supply chain right now? (25:05) - Thoughts on China (35:16) - What does China’s activity mean for America long-term? (45:20) - Is there any way we go back to the old relationship with China? (46:32) - What’s the best option for America if we completely pull out of China? (49:40) - Should we expect supply chain issues for the foreseeable future? (51:48) - Do we even have the labor in America if we wanted to bring manufacturing back from China? (55:21) - Predictions For The Future of China (1:00:40) - What’s the most dominant form of supply transportation? (1:01:57) - Why are the ports so congested? (1:06:26) - Is the world going to become more challenging for small businesses as the global supply chain evolves? (1:09:57) - Is what’s happening in China arguably the largest implication in where the world goes? (1:10:41) - What interesting data do you have that is a predictor of where we are today? (1:17:27) - Is it cheaper for a consumer to get a product in person or have it delivered to them? (1:22:02) - The consumer trend favoring experiences over products (1:24:27) - Inflation Predictions (1:26:36) - Is there any breakthrough tech that excites you right now? (1:31:34) - Final Thoughts Thu, 28 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #212: Craig Fuller - Founder of FreightWaves - AN ABSOLUTE MASTERCLASS ON GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN & TRANSPORTATION full 1 212 Chris Powers Craig Fuller is the Founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Prior to FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the... Craig Fuller is the Founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Prior to FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the CEO of FLYING Magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine. Previously, Fuller founded the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress, the leading provider of on-demand expedited truckload services. On this episode, Chris and Craig discuss how the geopolitical landscape impacts supply chains and why we'll never go back to where we were in a post-covid world. They chat USA vs China - and the implications we're likely to experience going forward, the American consumer and supply chains and how technology impacts better and more efficient supply chains. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:23) - Craig’s Background in Supply Chain & Transportation (04:36) - FreightWaves (08:46) - How would you explain what a supply chain is? (15:42) - What’s happening in the global supply chain right now? (25:05) - Thoughts on China (35:16) - What does China’s activity mean for America long-term? (45:20) - Is there any way we go back to the old relationship with China? (46:32) - What’s the best option for America if we completely pull out of China? (49:40) - Should we expect supply chain issues for the foreseeable future? (51:48) - Do we even have the labor in America if we wanted to bring manufacturing back from China? (55:21) - Predictions For The Future of China (1:00:40) - What’s the most dominant form of supply transportation? (1:01:57) - Why are the ports so congested? (1:06:26) - Is the world going to become more challenging for small businesses as the global supply chain evolves? (1:09:57) - Is what’s happening in China arguably the largest implication in where the world goes? (1:10:41) - What interesting data do you have that is a predictor of where we are today? (1:17:27) - Is it cheaper for a consumer to get a product in person or have it delivered to them? (1:22:02) - The consumer trend favoring experiences over products (1:24:27) - Inflation Predictions (1:26:36) - Is there any breakthrough tech that excites you right now? (1:31:34) - Final Thoughts Craig Fuller is the Founder and CEO of FreightWaves, the leading provider of global supply chain market intelligence and news. Prior to FreightWaves, Craig was the founder of TransCard, a major provider of fleet fuel and debit cards. He is also the CEO of FLYING Magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine. Previously, Fuller founded the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress, the leading provider of on-demand expedited truckload services.

On this episode, Chris and Craig discuss how the geopolitical landscape impacts supply chains and why we'll never go back to where we were in a post-covid world. They chat USA vs China - and the implications we're likely to experience going forward, the American consumer and supply chains and how technology impacts better and more efficient supply chains. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(01:23) - Craig’s Background in Supply Chain & Transportation

(04:36) - FreightWaves

(08:46) - How would you explain what a supply chain is?

(15:42) - What’s happening in the global supply chain right now?

(25:05) - Thoughts on China

(35:16) - What does China’s activity mean for America long-term?

(45:20) - Is there any way we go back to the old relationship with China?

(46:32) - What’s the best option for America if we completely pull out of China?

(49:40) - Should we expect supply chain issues for the foreseeable future?

(51:48) - Do we even have the labor in America if we wanted to bring manufacturing back from China?

(55:21) - Predictions For The Future of China

(1:00:40) - What’s the most dominant form of supply transportation?

(1:01:57) - Why are the ports so congested?

(1:06:26) - Is the world going to become more challenging for small businesses as the global supply chain evolves?

(1:09:57) - Is what’s happening in China arguably the largest implication in where the world goes?

(1:10:41) - What interesting data do you have that is a predictor of where we are today?

(1:17:27) - Is it cheaper for a consumer to get a product in person or have it delivered to them?

(1:22:02) - The consumer trend favoring experiences over products

(1:24:27) - Inflation Predictions

(1:26:36) - Is there any breakthrough tech that excites you right now?

(1:31:34) - Final Thoughts

]]> 5648 no RE #211: Nick Clark - President & Founder of Common Desk - The Future of Co-Working & Flexible Office Space https://www.TheFortPod.com Nick Clark founded Common Desk in 2012 after leaving a career in office leasing and management. Common Desk has since become a coworking industry leader in design, hospitality, and asset-light deal structures with office landlords. After scaling the brand to 23 locations throughout Texas and North Carolina, WeWork acquired Common Desk at the beginning of 2022. Common Desk as a brand will remain and Nick is still at the helm of the company's continued growth plan. On this episode, Nick shares why they sold to WeWork and what the future of the company will look like, and why Common Desk chooses management agreements with landlords. He deep dives into why the return to office will come back in a major way, what has changed and how flexible office space going from 2% to 25% of the office market. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Common Desk Nick Clark on LinkedIn (03:12) - What are you seeing now in the world as we emerge from Covid? (05:20) - How are banks and capital markets reacting to the new trend of shorter-term leases?  (07:57) - The Management Agreement Model (10:07) - Do the rest of the building tenants benefit from the flex-office operation or is it only common desk customers? (12:05) - Do you perform better being located on the first or second floor of a building? (12:36) -Is there data that shows a building performs better when all tenants can participate in common desk amenities? (14:15) - Do you only operate off the management agreement model? (19:35) - What services does Common Desk provide within the space? (20:49) - Are you seeing larger companies coming into Common Desk who really want you take care of the amenity side of work? (24:53) -  What are the key things that make a successful Common Desk location? (29:42) - The Process of Selling Common Desk to WeWork (37:30) - How long does it take to open one location? (38:26) - Do you think the changes in the way we work over the past two years are permanent? (42:18) - Is there anything interesting WeWork is doing behind the scenes they’re really focused on? (44:39) - Does Common Desk only work in an office setting or have you thought about occupying other asset classes? (45:55) - Did you learn anything about business or life grinding through Covid as a leader of a company? (48:47) - Nick’s Belief That Lawns Shouldn’t Exist (51:24) - Nick’s Desire To Buy a Waffle House Tue, 26 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #211: Nick Clark - President & Founder of Common Desk - The Future of Co-Working & Flexible Office Space full 1 110 Chris Powers Nick Clark founded Common Desk in 2012 after leaving a career in office leasing and management. Common Desk has since become a coworking industry leader in design, hospitality, and asset-light deal structures with office landlords. After scaling the... Nick Clark founded Common Desk in 2012 after leaving a career in office leasing and management. Common Desk has since become a coworking industry leader in design, hospitality, and asset-light deal structures with office landlords. After scaling the brand to 23 locations throughout Texas and North Carolina, WeWork acquired Common Desk at the beginning of 2022. Common Desk as a brand will remain and Nick is still at the helm of the company's continued growth plan. On this episode, Nick shares why they sold to WeWork and what the future of the company will look like, and why Common Desk chooses management agreements with landlords. He deep dives into why the return to office will come back in a major way, what has changed and how flexible office space going from 2% to 25% of the office market. Enjoy!  Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Common Desk Nick Clark on LinkedIn (03:12) - What are you seeing now in the world as we emerge from Covid? (05:20) - How are banks and capital markets reacting to the new trend of shorter-term leases?  (07:57) - The Management Agreement Model (10:07) - Do the rest of the building tenants benefit from the flex-office operation or is it only common desk customers? (12:05) - Do you perform better being located on the first or second floor of a building? (12:36) -Is there data that shows a building performs better when all tenants can participate in common desk amenities? (14:15) - Do you only operate off the management agreement model? (19:35) - What services does Common Desk provide within the space? (20:49) - Are you seeing larger companies coming into Common Desk who really want you take care of the amenity side of work? (24:53) -  What are the key things that make a successful Common Desk location? (29:42) - The Process of Selling Common Desk to WeWork (37:30) - How long does it take to open one location? (38:26) - Do you think the changes in the way we work over the past two years are permanent? (42:18) - Is there anything interesting WeWork is doing behind the scenes they’re really focused on? (44:39) - Does Common Desk only work in an office setting or have you thought about occupying other asset classes? (45:55) - Did you learn anything about business or life grinding through Covid as a leader of a company? (48:47) - Nick’s Belief That Lawns Shouldn’t Exist (51:24) - Nick’s Desire To Buy a Waffle House Nick Clark founded Common Desk in 2012 after leaving a career in office leasing and management. Common Desk has since become a coworking industry leader in design, hospitality, and asset-light deal structures with office landlords. After scaling the brand to 23 locations throughout Texas and North Carolina, WeWork acquired Common Desk at the beginning of 2022. Common Desk as a brand will remain and Nick is still at the helm of the company's continued growth plan.

On this episode, Nick shares why they sold to WeWork and what the future of the company will look like, and why Common Desk chooses management agreements with landlords. He deep dives into why the return to office will come back in a major way, what has changed and how flexible office space going from 2% to 25% of the office market. Enjoy! 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Common Desk

Nick Clark on LinkedIn

(03:12) - What are you seeing now in the world as we emerge from Covid?

(05:20) - How are banks and capital markets reacting to the new trend of shorter-term leases? 

(07:57) - The Management Agreement Model

(10:07) - Do the rest of the building tenants benefit from the flex-office operation or is it only common desk customers?

(12:05) - Do you perform better being located on the first or second floor of a building?

(12:36) -Is there data that shows a building performs better when all tenants can participate in common desk amenities?

(14:15) - Do you only operate off the management agreement model?

(19:35) - What services does Common Desk provide within the space?

(20:49) - Are you seeing larger companies coming into Common Desk who really want you take care of the amenity side of work?

(24:53) -  What are the key things that make a successful Common Desk location?

(29:42) - The Process of Selling Common Desk to WeWork

(37:30) - How long does it take to open one location?

(38:26) - Do you think the changes in the way we work over the past two years are permanent?

(42:18) - Is there anything interesting WeWork is doing behind the scenes they’re really focused on?

(44:39) - Does Common Desk only work in an office setting or have you thought about occupying other asset classes?

(45:55) - Did you learn anything about business or life grinding through Covid as a leader of a company?

(48:47) - Nick’s Belief That Lawns Shouldn’t Exist

(51:24) - Nick’s Desire To Buy a Waffle House

]]> 3492 no #210: Robin Sharma - Global Leader of Leaders and Personal Mastery Expert https://www.TheFortPod.com Robin Sharma is a humanitarian who has devoted his life to helping people express their highest natural gifts. He is widely regarded as one of the top leadership and personal-mastery experts in the world. His clients include NASA, Microsoft, NIKE, Unilever, GE, FedEx, HP, Starbucks, Oracle, Yale University, PwC, IBM Watson, and the Young Presidents’ Organization. His #1 international bestsellers, such as The 5 AM Club, The Greatness Guide, and Who Will Cry When You Die?, have sold millions of copies in over ninety-two languages, making him one of the most widely read authors on the planet. On this episode, Robin and Chris discuss the characteristics of the top leaders in the world - good and bad. They uncover excerpts from Robin’s latest book - Everyday Hero Manifesto and how to apply them daily. Robin also shares the 20/20/20 rule of getting your day started and how you can parent in a way that inspires kids to become leaders and much more. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast   (01:17) - Robins Career & Background (03:07) - Feeling Angst and Unfulfilled (06:58) - Experiencing Trauma & Understanding our Feelings The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (11:09) - Why does everyone say mindset is the only way to succeed? (12:56) - Optimizing Your Morning: The 20-20-20 Routine The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma (17:59) - How does drinking affect the 20-20-20 opportunity? (19:05) - Can you teach curiosity? (22:02) - Hidden Traits of Billionaires (25:41) - Seeking Validation from a Very Young Age (28:41) - What’s your process when you get negativity on social media? (33:10) - What brings down the largest public figures in society? (37:07) - How do you help the most successful people grow their businesses even more? (42:15) - How much of your life outside of work impacts your business? (44:29) - Legacy is a Waste of Time Who Will Cry When You Die? by Robin Sharma Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (47:35) - The Anti-Hustle Culture (52:18) - Do you have an opinion on WFH? (54:20) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped you? (55:37) - Advice to Young Parents (58:46) - How can people contact you and read your book? The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma Robin on Instagram The Mastery Sessions Podcast RobinSharma.com The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 21 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #210: Robin Sharma - Global Leader of Leaders and Personal Mastery Expert full 1 211 Chris Powers Robin Sharma is a humanitarian who has devoted his life to helping people express their highest natural gifts. He is widely regarded as one of the top leadership and personal-mastery experts in the world. His clients include NASA, Microsoft, NIKE,... Robin Sharma is a humanitarian who has devoted his life to helping people express their highest natural gifts. He is widely regarded as one of the top leadership and personal-mastery experts in the world. His clients include NASA, Microsoft, NIKE, Unilever, GE, FedEx, HP, Starbucks, Oracle, Yale University, PwC, IBM Watson, and the Young Presidents’ Organization. His #1 international bestsellers, such as The 5 AM Club, The Greatness Guide, and Who Will Cry When You Die?, have sold millions of copies in over ninety-two languages, making him one of the most widely read authors on the planet. On this episode, Robin and Chris discuss the characteristics of the top leaders in the world - good and bad. They uncover excerpts from Robin’s latest book - Everyday Hero Manifesto and how to apply them daily. Robin also shares the 20/20/20 rule of getting your day started and how you can parent in a way that inspires kids to become leaders and much more. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast   (01:17) - Robins Career & Background (03:07) - Feeling Angst and Unfulfilled (06:58) - Experiencing Trauma & Understanding our Feelings The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (11:09) - Why does everyone say mindset is the only way to succeed? (12:56) - Optimizing Your Morning: The 20-20-20 Routine The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma (17:59) - How does drinking affect the 20-20-20 opportunity? (19:05) - Can you teach curiosity? (22:02) - Hidden Traits of Billionaires (25:41) - Seeking Validation from a Very Young Age (28:41) - What’s your process when you get negativity on social media? (33:10) - What brings down the largest public figures in society? (37:07) - How do you help the most successful people grow their businesses even more? (42:15) - How much of your life outside of work impacts your business? (44:29) - Legacy is a Waste of Time Who Will Cry When You Die? by Robin Sharma Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (47:35) - The Anti-Hustle Culture (52:18) - Do you have an opinion on WFH? (54:20) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped you? (55:37) - Advice to Young Parents (58:46) - How can people contact you and read your book? The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma Robin on Instagram The Mastery Sessions Podcast RobinSharma.com The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Robin Sharma is a humanitarian who has devoted his life to helping people express their highest natural gifts. He is widely regarded as one of the top leadership and personal-mastery experts in the world. His clients include NASA, Microsoft, NIKE, Unilever, GE, FedEx, HP, Starbucks, Oracle, Yale University, PwC, IBM Watson, and the Young Presidents’ Organization. His #1 international bestsellers, such as The 5 AM Club, The Greatness Guide, and Who Will Cry When You Die?, have sold millions of copies in over ninety-two languages, making him one of the most widely read authors on the planet.

On this episode, Robin and Chris discuss the characteristics of the top leaders in the world - good and bad. They uncover excerpts from Robin’s latest book - Everyday Hero Manifesto and how to apply them daily. Robin also shares the 20/20/20 rule of getting your day started and how you can parent in a way that inspires kids to become leaders and much more.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

 

(01:17) - Robins Career & Background

(03:07) - Feeling Angst and Unfulfilled

(06:58) - Experiencing Trauma & Understanding our Feelings

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

(11:09) - Why does everyone say mindset is the only way to succeed?

(12:56) - Optimizing Your Morning: The 20-20-20 Routine

The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma

(17:59) - How does drinking affect the 20-20-20 opportunity?

(19:05) - Can you teach curiosity?

(22:02) - Hidden Traits of Billionaires

(25:41) - Seeking Validation from a Very Young Age

(28:41) - What’s your process when you get negativity on social media?

(33:10) - What brings down the largest public figures in society?

(37:07) - How do you help the most successful people grow their businesses even more?

(42:15) - How much of your life outside of work impacts your business?

(44:29) - Legacy is a Waste of Time

Who Will Cry When You Die? by Robin Sharma

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

(47:35) - The Anti-Hustle Culture

(52:18) - Do you have an opinion on WFH?

(54:20) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped you?

(55:37) - Advice to Young Parents

(58:46) - How can people contact you and read your book?

The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma

Robin on Instagram

The Mastery Sessions Podcast

RobinSharma.com

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3679 no RE #209: Nick Huber + Chris Powers Vol. 1 https://www.TheFortPod.com Part 1 of the 2-part exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup Nick's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sweaty-startup/id1445260221 (04:50) - Thoughts on Interest Rate Hikes & Covid-19 Learnings (09:04) - Inflation & Deflation (15:16) - Industrial & Storage Rent Rates (20:40) - Outdoor Storage Needs (22:50) - Wealthy vs. Middle Class Consumer Behavior (24:18) - Bitcoin, Crypto & Web3 (29:57) - BREIT (32:41) - Population Growth & Migration (37:36) - In-office vs. Remote work (46:30) - Building a Sustainable RE Private Equity Company (48:48) - Inflation Prredictions (49:58) - Can normies still get into self-storage? (52:39) - Wrap Up The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 19 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #209: Nick Huber + Chris Powers Vol. 1 full 1 209 Chris Powers Part 1 of the 2-part exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort... Part 1 of the 2-part exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup Nick's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sweaty-startup/id1445260221 (04:50) - Thoughts on Interest Rate Hikes & Covid-19 Learnings (09:04) - Inflation & Deflation (15:16) - Industrial & Storage Rent Rates (20:40) - Outdoor Storage Needs (22:50) - Wealthy vs. Middle Class Consumer Behavior (24:18) - Bitcoin, Crypto & Web3 (29:57) - BREIT (32:41) - Population Growth & Migration (37:36) - In-office vs. Remote work (46:30) - Building a Sustainable RE Private Equity Company (48:48) - Inflation Prredictions (49:58) - Can normies still get into self-storage? (52:39) - Wrap Up The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Part 1 of the 2-part exciting webinar session that Nick Huber had with Chris Powers on The Nick Huber Show. They talk about current events, highlights of our acquisition process, the market for GP, and many more!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup

Nick's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sweaty-startup/id1445260221

(04:50) - Thoughts on Interest Rate Hikes & Covid-19 Learnings

(09:04) - Inflation & Deflation

(15:16) - Industrial & Storage Rent Rates

(20:40) - Outdoor Storage Needs

(22:50) - Wealthy vs. Middle Class Consumer Behavior

(24:18) - Bitcoin, Crypto & Web3

(29:57) - BREIT

(32:41) - Population Growth & Migration

(37:36) - In-office vs. Remote work

(46:30) - Building a Sustainable RE Private Equity Company

(48:48) - Inflation Prredictions

(49:58) - Can normies still get into self-storage?

(52:39) - Wrap Up

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3265 no #208: Brom Rector - Founder of Empath Ventures - Psychedelics 101 and Why They're One of the Fastest Growing Industries in the World https://www.TheFortPod.com Brom Rector, Founder, and GP of Empath Ventures. Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher - most recently managing a global macro portfolio for Crabel Capital Management - a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with $8B AUM. After leaving Crabel in 2020, Brom started The Integration Conversation, a long-form video podcast that covers the psychedelics industry from an investing perspective. The research that went into this podcast and the connections it established laid the groundwork for what would become Empath Ventures. On this episode, Brom gives a breakdown on the breakdown of the Psychedelic industry and landscape. They discuss why Brom raised a fund to target psychedelics and how he's investing the money and why it's one of the largest opportunities in the world. Listen to hear Brom’s thoughts on what the next 10 years of psychedelics might look like and much more! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:56) - Brom’s Background and Career in Psychedelics Empath ventures (07:22) - Why have psychedelics been illegal and shunned from society? (11:28) - What’s Big Pharma’s role in this? (12:49) - What is the chemical reaction happening inside the body when one takes psychedelics? (14:38) - Are all psychedelics man-made or are there any occurring in nature? (16:03) - How far back do psychedelics go in human history? (17:20) - How big is this industry from an economic standpoint? Data on funding trends in psychedelics:  https://www.cbinsights.com/research/psychedelic-therapies-funding-startups/ (20:09) - How do we define what is legal and illegal in the psychedelic space? (22:16) - Does FDA approval make it legal or does there need to be a law passed? (22:54) - What needs to happen for the FDA to change their minds on psychedelics after all these years? (24:16) - Would these drugs displace other opiate treatments? (25:25) - The Hype Around Psychedelics in Society (26:42) - What parts of the industry interest you the most? (28:52) - Thoughts on Micro-Dosing (30:14) - Advancements in ways to “stop” the trip (31:31) - Brom’s Personal Experiences with Psychedelics Compass Pathway studies (33:48) - Integration Therapy (34:59) - Do you do any pre-planning or set intentions for psychedelic experiences? (37:29) - Empath’s intentionalities: Receptor Targets, Indications, and Time to Market (41:04) - What does an early-stage psychedelic company look like? (42:26) - What becomes the IP in these companies? (44:07) - Compass Pathways  Freedom Bioscience Partners (45:43) - The Different Experiences from Different Psychedelics (47:25) - Data on effects of psychedelics on minors (49:12) - At what point is testing introduced on humans for new psychedelic molecules? (51:07) - What’s going to happen in this space over the next decade? Wavepaths music (56:30) - Is there any merit in psychedelics as a preventative? (1:00:07) - What’s happened to the brain of people who become depressed? (1:02:01) - What do you predict to be the first mainstream psychedelics? (1:03:25) - How is Oregon doing since decriminalizing drugs? (1:04:01) - How can people track the progress of clinical trials and legislation? (1:04:43) - Wrap Up & Contact Brom on Twitter Empath Ventures The Integration Conversation podcast The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 14 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #208: Brom Rector - Founder of Empath Ventures - Psychedelics 101 and Why They're One of the Fastest Growing Industries in the World full 1 208 Chris Powers Brom Rector, Founder, and GP of Empath Ventures. Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher - most recently managing a global macro portfolio for Crabel Capital Management - a Los Angeles-based... Brom Rector, Founder, and GP of Empath Ventures. Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher - most recently managing a global macro portfolio for Crabel Capital Management - a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with $8B AUM. After leaving Crabel in 2020, Brom started The Integration Conversation, a long-form video podcast that covers the psychedelics industry from an investing perspective. The research that went into this podcast and the connections it established laid the groundwork for what would become Empath Ventures. On this episode, Brom gives a breakdown on the breakdown of the Psychedelic industry and landscape. They discuss why Brom raised a fund to target psychedelics and how he's investing the money and why it's one of the largest opportunities in the world. Listen to hear Brom’s thoughts on what the next 10 years of psychedelics might look like and much more! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:56) - Brom’s Background and Career in Psychedelics Empath ventures (07:22) - Why have psychedelics been illegal and shunned from society? (11:28) - What’s Big Pharma’s role in this? (12:49) - What is the chemical reaction happening inside the body when one takes psychedelics? (14:38) - Are all psychedelics man-made or are there any occurring in nature? (16:03) - How far back do psychedelics go in human history? (17:20) - How big is this industry from an economic standpoint? Data on funding trends in psychedelics:  https://www.cbinsights.com/research/psychedelic-therapies-funding-startups/ (20:09) - How do we define what is legal and illegal in the psychedelic space? (22:16) - Does FDA approval make it legal or does there need to be a law passed? (22:54) - What needs to happen for the FDA to change their minds on psychedelics after all these years? (24:16) - Would these drugs displace other opiate treatments? (25:25) - The Hype Around Psychedelics in Society (26:42) - What parts of the industry interest you the most? (28:52) - Thoughts on Micro-Dosing (30:14) - Advancements in ways to “stop” the trip (31:31) - Brom’s Personal Experiences with Psychedelics Compass Pathway studies (33:48) - Integration Therapy (34:59) - Do you do any pre-planning or set intentions for psychedelic experiences? (37:29) - Empath’s intentionalities: Receptor Targets, Indications, and Time to Market (41:04) - What does an early-stage psychedelic company look like? (42:26) - What becomes the IP in these companies? (44:07) - Compass Pathways  Freedom Bioscience Partners (45:43) - The Different Experiences from Different Psychedelics (47:25) - Data on effects of psychedelics on minors (49:12) - At what point is testing introduced on humans for new psychedelic molecules? (51:07) - What’s going to happen in this space over the next decade? Wavepaths music (56:30) - Is there any merit in psychedelics as a preventative? (1:00:07) - What’s happened to the brain of people who become depressed? (1:02:01) - What do you predict to be the first mainstream psychedelics? (1:03:25) - How is Oregon doing since decriminalizing drugs? (1:04:01) - How can people track the progress of clinical trials and legislation? (1:04:43) - Wrap Up & Contact Brom on Twitter Empath Ventures The Integration Conversation podcast The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Brom Rector, Founder, and GP of Empath Ventures. Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher - most recently managing a global macro portfolio for Crabel Capital Management - a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with $8B AUM. After leaving Crabel in 2020, Brom started The Integration Conversation, a long-form video podcast that covers the psychedelics industry from an investing perspective. The research that went into this podcast and the connections it established laid the groundwork for what would become Empath Ventures.

On this episode, Brom gives a breakdown on the breakdown of the Psychedelic industry and landscape. They discuss why Brom raised a fund to target psychedelics and how he's investing the money and why it's one of the largest opportunities in the world. Listen to hear Brom’s thoughts on what the next 10 years of psychedelics might look like and much more!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(01:56) - Brom’s Background and Career in Psychedelics

Empath ventures

(07:22) - Why have psychedelics been illegal and shunned from society?

(11:28) - What’s Big Pharma’s role in this?

(12:49) - What is the chemical reaction happening inside the body when one takes psychedelics?

(14:38) - Are all psychedelics man-made or are there any occurring in nature?

(16:03) - How far back do psychedelics go in human history?

(17:20) - How big is this industry from an economic standpoint?

Data on funding trends in psychedelics:  https://www.cbinsights.com/research/psychedelic-therapies-funding-startups/

(20:09) - How do we define what is legal and illegal in the psychedelic space?

(22:16) - Does FDA approval make it legal or does there need to be a law passed?

(22:54) - What needs to happen for the FDA to change their minds on psychedelics after all these years?

(24:16) - Would these drugs displace other opiate treatments?

(25:25) - The Hype Around Psychedelics in Society

(26:42) - What parts of the industry interest you the most?

(28:52) - Thoughts on Micro-Dosing

(30:14) - Advancements in ways to “stop” the trip

(31:31) - Brom’s Personal Experiences with Psychedelics

Compass Pathway studies

(33:48) - Integration Therapy

(34:59) - Do you do any pre-planning or set intentions for psychedelic experiences?

(37:29) - Empath’s intentionalities: Receptor Targets, Indications, and Time to Market

(41:04) - What does an early-stage psychedelic company look like?

(42:26) - What becomes the IP in these companies?

(44:07) - Compass Pathways 

Freedom Bioscience Partners

(45:43) - The Different Experiences from Different Psychedelics

(47:25) - Data on effects of psychedelics on minors

(49:12) - At what point is testing introduced on humans for new psychedelic molecules?

(51:07) - What’s going to happen in this space over the next decade?

Wavepaths music

(56:30) - Is there any merit in psychedelics as a preventative?

(1:00:07) - What’s happened to the brain of people who become depressed?

(1:02:01) - What do you predict to be the first mainstream psychedelics?

(1:03:25) - How is Oregon doing since decriminalizing drugs?

(1:04:01) - How can people track the progress of clinical trials and legislation?

(1:04:43) - Wrap Up & Contact

Brom on Twitter

Empath Ventures

The Integration Conversation podcast

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4077 no RE #207: How Investor Relations works at Fort Capital https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris sits down with a few members of the Fort Capital team to discuss all things Investor Relations (IR). They chat about the process Fort goes through to vet potential investors, onboarding, and eventually, what investors can expect throughout the investment process. They also discuss frequently asked questions, ongoing IR items post-investment, and how they utilize Juniper Square. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast   (02:31) - Why Investor Relations Are So Critical (03:41) - Ryan and Lorna’s Role Within Fort Capital (05:05) - What’s the process of signing up an investor? (07:11) - Why would a potential investor not meet our criteria? (07:47) - What’s our process if someone is looking to bring multiple investors with them when coming to Fort Capital? (09:07) - What changes have we made to improve our processes over the past year? (10:35) - What are the characteristics of an investor we’d love to meet? (12:59) - What information do we provide people upfront to get to know Fort Capital better? (14:52) - What are the most frequently asked questions we get upfront from potential investors? (16:44) - Consistency In Information Sharing (19:29) - What’s the investor experience like with juniper Square? (22:10) - What happens from our end when a deal comes in? (29:43) - What does communication look like between us and investors after the capital raise? (30:48) - Who puts our quarterly reports together? (33:00) - How do we calculate waterfall distributions? (34:02) - What happens if someone signs up and doesn’t end up investing? (35:02) - What are three improvements we’ve made to the investor relations process? (36:03) - What happens if we are oversubscribed on a deal? (37:17) - Pre-Commitment Opportunities (38:46) - Emphasis On Timely K1’s and Cost Seg's (40:06) - How many people do we have signing up every month? (41:48) - 1031 Opportunities (43:43) - Delivering Bad News (44:58) - Why do we change our deal structures? (46:17) - How are we improving and maintaining cyber security? (49:40) - The Balance of Maintaining Existing Investors and Having a Healthy Pipeline of New Investors (51:07) - Wrap up The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 12 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #207: How Investor Relations works at Fort Capital full 1 206 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris sits down with a few members of the Fort Capital team to discuss all things Investor Relations (IR). They chat about the process Fort goes through to vet potential investors, onboarding, and eventually, what investors can expect... On this episode, Chris sits down with a few members of the Fort Capital team to discuss all things Investor Relations (IR). They chat about the process Fort goes through to vet potential investors, onboarding, and eventually, what investors can expect throughout the investment process. They also discuss frequently asked questions, ongoing IR items post-investment, and how they utilize Juniper Square. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast   (02:31) - Why Investor Relations Are So Critical (03:41) - Ryan and Lorna’s Role Within Fort Capital (05:05) - What’s the process of signing up an investor? (07:11) - Why would a potential investor not meet our criteria? (07:47) - What’s our process if someone is looking to bring multiple investors with them when coming to Fort Capital? (09:07) - What changes have we made to improve our processes over the past year? (10:35) - What are the characteristics of an investor we’d love to meet? (12:59) - What information do we provide people upfront to get to know Fort Capital better? (14:52) - What are the most frequently asked questions we get upfront from potential investors? (16:44) - Consistency In Information Sharing (19:29) - What’s the investor experience like with juniper Square? (22:10) - What happens from our end when a deal comes in? (29:43) - What does communication look like between us and investors after the capital raise? (30:48) - Who puts our quarterly reports together? (33:00) - How do we calculate waterfall distributions? (34:02) - What happens if someone signs up and doesn’t end up investing? (35:02) - What are three improvements we’ve made to the investor relations process? (36:03) - What happens if we are oversubscribed on a deal? (37:17) - Pre-Commitment Opportunities (38:46) - Emphasis On Timely K1’s and Cost Seg's (40:06) - How many people do we have signing up every month? (41:48) - 1031 Opportunities (43:43) - Delivering Bad News (44:58) - Why do we change our deal structures? (46:17) - How are we improving and maintaining cyber security? (49:40) - The Balance of Maintaining Existing Investors and Having a Healthy Pipeline of New Investors (51:07) - Wrap up The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts On this episode, Chris sits down with a few members of the Fort Capital team to discuss all things Investor Relations (IR). They chat about the process Fort goes through to vet potential investors, onboarding, and eventually, what investors can expect throughout the investment process. They also discuss frequently asked questions, ongoing IR items post-investment, and how they utilize Juniper Square. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

 

(02:31) - Why Investor Relations Are So Critical

(03:41) - Ryan and Lorna’s Role Within Fort Capital

(05:05) - What’s the process of signing up an investor?

(07:11) - Why would a potential investor not meet our criteria?

(07:47) - What’s our process if someone is looking to bring multiple investors with them when coming to Fort Capital?

(09:07) - What changes have we made to improve our processes over the past year?

(10:35) - What are the characteristics of an investor we’d love to meet?

(12:59) - What information do we provide people upfront to get to know Fort Capital better?

(14:52) - What are the most frequently asked questions we get upfront from potential investors?

(16:44) - Consistency In Information Sharing

(19:29) - What’s the investor experience like with juniper Square?

(22:10) - What happens from our end when a deal comes in?

(29:43) - What does communication look like between us and investors after the capital raise?

(30:48) - Who puts our quarterly reports together?

(33:00) - How do we calculate waterfall distributions?

(34:02) - What happens if someone signs up and doesn’t end up investing?

(35:02) - What are three improvements we’ve made to the investor relations process?

(36:03) - What happens if we are oversubscribed on a deal?

(37:17) - Pre-Commitment Opportunities

(38:46) - Emphasis On Timely K1’s and Cost Seg's

(40:06) - How many people do we have signing up every month?

(41:48) - 1031 Opportunities

(43:43) - Delivering Bad News

(44:58) - Why do we change our deal structures?

(46:17) - How are we improving and maintaining cyber security?

(49:40) - The Balance of Maintaining Existing Investors and Having a Healthy Pipeline of New Investors

(51:07) - Wrap up

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3200 no RE #206: Scott Everett - Founder of S2 Capital - 0 to 38,000 MF Units by 32 y/o https://www.TheFortPod.com Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 10 years as CEO of S2 Capital he has built a Real Estate investment company that has acquired over $6B of multifamily assets totaling 40,000 units and 3 operating companies that generate annual revenues in excess of $350M with over 600 employees. On this episode, Scott discusses how he got started in value add MF and grew to 38,000 units, how he underwrites deals, and what matters when underwriting a deal. They chat about how S2 is set up operationally and how his different teams all work together. Scott also shares why he's raising a fund after 10+ years of syndicating deal by deal. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (02:07) - Scott’s RE career (08:42) - Did something happen in your childhood that gave you your sense of confidence? (10:48) - Scott’s first deal for 184 units (15:33) - What are illegitimate reasons a property isn’t performing? (18:11) - How do you think about approaching a deal? (20:55) - How much has the RE landscape changed over the past decade? (23:26) - Being laser focused on one asset (26:38) - How do you think about due diligence? (29:20) - Scott walks us through the entire deal process (35:27) - Why do you renovate units so often? (36:39) - What’s the first 90-180 days after closing look like? (40:41) - How long does a full unit rehab take? (41:22) - When do you talk to folks about renewals? (43:18) - Do you want to get every unit updated within 2 years? (48:09) - What separates you from competition in the construction part of the process? (52:08) - What are you experiencing in the current labor market? (55:33) - How do you think about staying on top with materials supply? (57:20) - Are rents so competitive that class B tenants are moving up to Class A apartments? (58:50) - What do you want your asset managers focused on? (1:02:15) - What’s your ReFi strategy? (1:02:48) - What’s the difference between Fanny & Freddy loans? (1:03:44) - How fluid is the process of getting to your projected NOI number? (1:05:20) - Where do most people miss the boat in terms of Capex? (1:07:10) - How are you refreshing your portfolio today? (1:11:14) - Is there any technology that has your attention right now? Fetch (1:14:25) - Why are you raising a fund? (1:30:44) - Is there anything out there that scares you? (1:33:59) - What’s your words of wisdom on building a great family business? (1:37:53) - What is the S2 foundation? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 05 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #206: Scott Everett - Founder of S2 Capital - 0 to 38,000 MF Units by 32 y/o full 1 207 Chris Powers Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 10 years as CEO of S2 Capital he has built a Real Estate investment company that has acquired over $6B of multifamily assets totaling 40,000 units and 3 operating... Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 10 years as CEO of S2 Capital he has built a Real Estate investment company that has acquired over $6B of multifamily assets totaling 40,000 units and 3 operating companies that generate annual revenues in excess of $350M with over 600 employees. On this episode, Scott discusses how he got started in value add MF and grew to 38,000 units, how he underwrites deals, and what matters when underwriting a deal. They chat about how S2 is set up operationally and how his different teams all work together. Scott also shares why he's raising a fund after 10+ years of syndicating deal by deal. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (02:07) - Scott’s RE career (08:42) - Did something happen in your childhood that gave you your sense of confidence? (10:48) - Scott’s first deal for 184 units (15:33) - What are illegitimate reasons a property isn’t performing? (18:11) - How do you think about approaching a deal? (20:55) - How much has the RE landscape changed over the past decade? (23:26) - Being laser focused on one asset (26:38) - How do you think about due diligence? (29:20) - Scott walks us through the entire deal process (35:27) - Why do you renovate units so often? (36:39) - What’s the first 90-180 days after closing look like? (40:41) - How long does a full unit rehab take? (41:22) - When do you talk to folks about renewals? (43:18) - Do you want to get every unit updated within 2 years? (48:09) - What separates you from competition in the construction part of the process? (52:08) - What are you experiencing in the current labor market? (55:33) - How do you think about staying on top with materials supply? (57:20) - Are rents so competitive that class B tenants are moving up to Class A apartments? (58:50) - What do you want your asset managers focused on? (1:02:15) - What’s your ReFi strategy? (1:02:48) - What’s the difference between Fanny & Freddy loans? (1:03:44) - How fluid is the process of getting to your projected NOI number? (1:05:20) - Where do most people miss the boat in terms of Capex? (1:07:10) - How are you refreshing your portfolio today? (1:11:14) - Is there any technology that has your attention right now? Fetch (1:14:25) - Why are you raising a fund? (1:30:44) - Is there anything out there that scares you? (1:33:59) - What’s your words of wisdom on building a great family business? (1:37:53) - What is the S2 foundation? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Scott Everett founded S2 Capital in 2012 to acquire multifamily Real Estate. In the past 10 years as CEO of S2 Capital he has built a Real Estate investment company that has acquired over $6B of multifamily assets totaling 40,000 units and 3 operating companies that generate annual revenues in excess of $350M with over 600 employees.

On this episode, Scott discusses how he got started in value add MF and grew to 38,000 units, how he underwrites deals, and what matters when underwriting a deal. They chat about how S2 is set up operationally and how his different teams all work together. Scott also shares why he's raising a fund after 10+ years of syndicating deal by deal. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(02:07) - Scott’s RE career

(08:42) - Did something happen in your childhood that gave you your sense of confidence?

(10:48) - Scott’s first deal for 184 units

(15:33) - What are illegitimate reasons a property isn’t performing?

(18:11) - How do you think about approaching a deal?

(20:55) - How much has the RE landscape changed over the past decade?

(23:26) - Being laser focused on one asset

(26:38) - How do you think about due diligence?

(29:20) - Scott walks us through the entire deal process

(35:27) - Why do you renovate units so often?

(36:39) - What’s the first 90-180 days after closing look like?

(40:41) - How long does a full unit rehab take?

(41:22) - When do you talk to folks about renewals?

(43:18) - Do you want to get every unit updated within 2 years?

(48:09) - What separates you from competition in the construction part of the process?

(52:08) - What are you experiencing in the current labor market?

(55:33) - How do you think about staying on top with materials supply?

(57:20) - Are rents so competitive that class B tenants are moving up to Class A apartments?

(58:50) - What do you want your asset managers focused on?

(1:02:15) - What’s your ReFi strategy?

(1:02:48) - What’s the difference between Fanny & Freddy loans?

(1:03:44) - How fluid is the process of getting to your projected NOI number?

(1:05:20) - Where do most people miss the boat in terms of Capex?

(1:07:10) - How are you refreshing your portfolio today?

(1:11:14) - Is there any technology that has your attention right now?

Fetch

(1:14:25) - Why are you raising a fund?

(1:30:44) - Is there anything out there that scares you?

(1:33:59) - What’s your words of wisdom on building a great family business?

(1:37:53) - What is the S2 foundation?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 6150 no #205: Kevin Dahlstrom - Making Money Moves, Compounding, I Join The Board, & Riff on Remote Work / WFH https://www.TheFortPod.com Kevin Dahlstrom, Founder of Swell, joins the podcast for the third time to chat about his career in Fintech and what he's looking to change about how people think about and use money. Chris and Kevin chat about launching Swell, democratizing capital for the 95% of America, and a fun conversation on remote work vs office work. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow Kevin on Twitter (03:08) - Catching up with Kevin: Launching Swell (07:57) - Do fintechs approach banks to partner with or do banks spin up these fintech companies? (09:16) - What is Swell and why now? (14:29) - The Core Tenants Of The Product (22:18) - How do the traditional banks make money in non-obvious ways? (24:22) - What does the climate for traditional banks look like in 10 years? Ramp Swell (26:43) - How many people fall under your TAM? (28:38) - How Affordable Credit Brings Countries Out of Poverty (30:28) - Why does the average American have a poor credit score? (31:46) - The Democratization of Capital Fundrise (38:37) - Building Community  (40:58) - How do people get on the waitlist? SwellMoney.com (41:37) - Chris & Kevin’s Big Announcement Hot Topics: (45:19) - Remote work  (59:44) - Globalization & Moving knowledge workers overseas The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson (1:03:31) - Final thoughts  The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 31 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0000 #205: Kevin Dahlstrom - Making Money Moves, Compounding, I Join The Board, & Riff on Remote Work / WFH full 1 205 Chris Powers Kevin Dahlstrom, Founder of Swell, joins the podcast for the third time to chat about his career in Fintech and what he's looking to change about how people think about and use money. Chris and Kevin chat about launching Swell, democratizing capital... Kevin Dahlstrom, Founder of Swell, joins the podcast for the third time to chat about his career in Fintech and what he's looking to change about how people think about and use money. Chris and Kevin chat about launching Swell, democratizing capital for the 95% of America, and a fun conversation on remote work vs office work. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Follow Kevin on Twitter (03:08) - Catching up with Kevin: Launching Swell (07:57) - Do fintechs approach banks to partner with or do banks spin up these fintech companies? (09:16) - What is Swell and why now? (14:29) - The Core Tenants Of The Product (22:18) - How do the traditional banks make money in non-obvious ways? (24:22) - What does the climate for traditional banks look like in 10 years? Ramp Swell (26:43) - How many people fall under your TAM? (28:38) - How Affordable Credit Brings Countries Out of Poverty (30:28) - Why does the average American have a poor credit score? (31:46) - The Democratization of Capital Fundrise (38:37) - Building Community  (40:58) - How do people get on the waitlist? SwellMoney.com (41:37) - Chris & Kevin’s Big Announcement Hot Topics: (45:19) - Remote work  (59:44) - Globalization & Moving knowledge workers overseas The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson (1:03:31) - Final thoughts  The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Kevin Dahlstrom, Founder of Swell, joins the podcast for the third time to chat about his career in Fintech and what he's looking to change about how people think about and use money. Chris and Kevin chat about launching Swell, democratizing capital for the 95% of America, and a fun conversation on remote work vs office work.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Follow Kevin on Twitter

(03:08) - Catching up with Kevin: Launching Swell

(07:57) - Do fintechs approach banks to partner with or do banks spin up these fintech companies?

(09:16) - What is Swell and why now?

(14:29) - The Core Tenants Of The Product

(22:18) - How do the traditional banks make money in non-obvious ways?

(24:22) - What does the climate for traditional banks look like in 10 years?

Ramp

Swell

(26:43) - How many people fall under your TAM?

(28:38) - How Affordable Credit Brings Countries Out of Poverty

(30:28) - Why does the average American have a poor credit score?

(31:46) - The Democratization of Capital

Fundrise

(38:37) - Building Community 

(40:58) - How do people get on the waitlist?

SwellMoney.com

(41:37) - Chris & Kevin’s Big Announcement

Hot Topics:

(45:19) - Remote work 

(59:44) - Globalization & Moving knowledge workers overseas

The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson

(1:03:31) - Final thoughts 

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3955 no RE #204: Steve Radom - Founder of Radom Capital - Best in Class Urban Infill Developer https://www.TheFortPod.com Steve Radom, Founder of Radom Capital, began his company in 2014 with the vision of creating a best-in-class urban infill redevelopment platform that passionately executes enduring designs and yields differentiated projects. Radom has developed 15 projects ranging from small, retail redevelopments to larger mixed-use projects. Each stabilized project has achieved and maintained 100% occupancy to best-in-class tenants.   On this episode, Chris and Steve chat about the story of how Radom Capital came to be, how Steve selects a location and what matters. They also share stories of how Montrose Collective & MKT came to be and how ultimately, it's all in the details. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:50) - Steve’s Background and Career Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Radom Capital (10:19) - What would you say is your edge? (14:00) - When do you go from really good to absolutely great? (16:49) - How do you think about raising capital? (21:33) - How do you think about hiring architects and landscape designers? (23:40) - What separates a great architect? (24:49) - Building The Montrose Collective (32:44) - What’s your secret to working with City Councils? (37:15) - Learnings From The Early Days Of The Pandemic (43:36) - How are you describing the Houston market right now? (46:59) - What do you think about Houston’s Zoning approach? (48:25) - The MKT Project (57:35) - What’s your tenant buy-in strategy? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 29 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #204: Steve Radom - Founder of Radom Capital - Best in Class Urban Infill Developer full 1 204 Chris Powers Steve Radom, Founder of Radom Capital, began his company in 2014 with the vision of creating a best-in-class urban infill redevelopment platform that passionately executes enduring designs and yields differentiated projects. Radom has developed 15... Steve Radom, Founder of Radom Capital, began his company in 2014 with the vision of creating a best-in-class urban infill redevelopment platform that passionately executes enduring designs and yields differentiated projects. Radom has developed 15 projects ranging from small, retail redevelopments to larger mixed-use projects. Each stabilized project has achieved and maintained 100% occupancy to best-in-class tenants.   On this episode, Chris and Steve chat about the story of how Radom Capital came to be, how Steve selects a location and what matters. They also share stories of how Montrose Collective & MKT came to be and how ultimately, it's all in the details. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (01:50) - Steve’s Background and Career Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Radom Capital (10:19) - What would you say is your edge? (14:00) - When do you go from really good to absolutely great? (16:49) - How do you think about raising capital? (21:33) - How do you think about hiring architects and landscape designers? (23:40) - What separates a great architect? (24:49) - Building The Montrose Collective (32:44) - What’s your secret to working with City Councils? (37:15) - Learnings From The Early Days Of The Pandemic (43:36) - How are you describing the Houston market right now? (46:59) - What do you think about Houston’s Zoning approach? (48:25) - The MKT Project (57:35) - What’s your tenant buy-in strategy? The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Steve Radom, Founder of Radom Capital, began his company in 2014 with the vision of creating a best-in-class urban infill redevelopment platform that passionately executes enduring designs and yields differentiated projects. Radom has developed 15 projects ranging from small, retail redevelopments to larger mixed-use projects. Each stabilized project has achieved and maintained 100% occupancy to best-in-class tenants.  

On this episode, Chris and Steve chat about the story of how Radom Capital came to be, how Steve selects a location and what matters. They also share stories of how Montrose Collective & MKT came to be and how ultimately, it's all in the details.

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(01:50) - Steve’s Background and Career

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Radom Capital

(10:19) - What would you say is your edge?

(14:00) - When do you go from really good to absolutely great?

(16:49) - How do you think about raising capital?

(21:33) - How do you think about hiring architects and landscape designers?

(23:40) - What separates a great architect?

(24:49) - Building The Montrose Collective

(32:44) - What’s your secret to working with City Councils?

(37:15) - Learnings From The Early Days Of The Pandemic

(43:36) - How are you describing the Houston market right now?

(46:59) - What do you think about Houston’s Zoning approach?

(48:25) - The MKT Project

(57:35) - What’s your tenant buy-in strategy?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3748 no RE #203: Jeff Gleiberman - Managing Director at MG Properties - 33,000 Units and counting... https://www.TheFortPod.com Jeff Gleiberman, Managing Director at MG Properties Group is responsible for investment transactions, investment strategies and partner relations. Jeff was previously Director of Investments, responsible for corporate equity and debt strategies and was an Acquisition Manager sourcing and underwriting new investment opportunities. Jeff has also served in asset management, regional management and onsite property management roles. Prior to joining MGPG, Jeff worked in apartment investment sales at CBRE, the country’s largest apartment brokerage firm, where he oversaw the sale of over $500 million in Southern California multifamily properties. On this episode, Jeff shares the story of how MG Properties began and his love for the business at an early age. He discusses nuances of the major markets they participate in, how they raise capital, why 1031's and cost segregation are crucial to their strategy, and how they underwrite and manage their pipeline.   Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aT6Q3nP0rxs (02:49) - Jeff’s Career and MG Properties (04:09) - Did your Dad do anything early on that got you interested in RE?  (06:49) - What is your current day to day? (07:12) - Why are you in the markets you’re in? (08:55) - Why is CA a low-traded market? (10:11) - Do property tax values stay locked in? (10:40) - How early did you know about the Conrad portfolio being up for sale? (12:16) - Do Los Angeles and San Diego have fundamentals that are different? (13:22) - How do you underwrite political risk? (15:08) - What are the pros to investing in Arizona vs. California? (18:22) - Why don’t you play in development? (19:54) - Defining Value-Add and Core-Plus Strategies (21:31) - How many units are you adding per year? (22:17) - MG’s Deal Processes (27:08) - How do you raise capital? (30:11) - The 1031 Exchange (32:27) - What’s the cost seg portion of your business and why is it so important to your investors? (33:40) - What does your playbook look like in the first 90-days post-close? (34:54) - Does rent growth affect your thesis? (35:59) - Why do you visit each property 2 times per year? (39:17) - Are you seeing things loosen up in labor and supply chain? (40:36) - Thoughts on Property Management (41:36) - Is SFR on your radar? (43:36) - The Vegas Market (45:22) - How do you underwrite rent growth going forward? (46:45) - Jeff’s experience at the NMH Conference (National Multi-Housing Conference) (48:08) - More on Financing (49:11) - What amenities matter right now? What doesn’t matter anymore? (51:12) - Is there anything that countries outside of America do in regards of housing that we should adopt? Connect with Jeff: Jeff on LinkedIn MG Properties The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 22 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #203: Jeff Gleiberman - Managing Director at MG Properties - 33,000 Units and counting... full 1 203 Chris Powers Jeff Gleiberman, Managing Director at MG Properties Group is responsible for investment transactions, investment strategies and partner relations. Jeff was previously Director of Investments, responsible for corporate equity and debt strategies and... Jeff Gleiberman, Managing Director at MG Properties Group is responsible for investment transactions, investment strategies and partner relations. Jeff was previously Director of Investments, responsible for corporate equity and debt strategies and was an Acquisition Manager sourcing and underwriting new investment opportunities. Jeff has also served in asset management, regional management and onsite property management roles. Prior to joining MGPG, Jeff worked in apartment investment sales at CBRE, the country’s largest apartment brokerage firm, where he oversaw the sale of over $500 million in Southern California multifamily properties. On this episode, Jeff shares the story of how MG Properties began and his love for the business at an early age. He discusses nuances of the major markets they participate in, how they raise capital, why 1031's and cost segregation are crucial to their strategy, and how they underwrite and manage their pipeline.   Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aT6Q3nP0rxs (02:49) - Jeff’s Career and MG Properties (04:09) - Did your Dad do anything early on that got you interested in RE?  (06:49) - What is your current day to day? (07:12) - Why are you in the markets you’re in? (08:55) - Why is CA a low-traded market? (10:11) - Do property tax values stay locked in? (10:40) - How early did you know about the Conrad portfolio being up for sale? (12:16) - Do Los Angeles and San Diego have fundamentals that are different? (13:22) - How do you underwrite political risk? (15:08) - What are the pros to investing in Arizona vs. California? (18:22) - Why don’t you play in development? (19:54) - Defining Value-Add and Core-Plus Strategies (21:31) - How many units are you adding per year? (22:17) - MG’s Deal Processes (27:08) - How do you raise capital? (30:11) - The 1031 Exchange (32:27) - What’s the cost seg portion of your business and why is it so important to your investors? (33:40) - What does your playbook look like in the first 90-days post-close? (34:54) - Does rent growth affect your thesis? (35:59) - Why do you visit each property 2 times per year? (39:17) - Are you seeing things loosen up in labor and supply chain? (40:36) - Thoughts on Property Management (41:36) - Is SFR on your radar? (43:36) - The Vegas Market (45:22) - How do you underwrite rent growth going forward? (46:45) - Jeff’s experience at the NMH Conference (National Multi-Housing Conference) (48:08) - More on Financing (49:11) - What amenities matter right now? What doesn’t matter anymore? (51:12) - Is there anything that countries outside of America do in regards of housing that we should adopt? Connect with Jeff: Jeff on LinkedIn MG Properties The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Jeff Gleiberman, Managing Director at MG Properties Group is responsible for investment transactions, investment strategies and partner relations. Jeff was previously Director of Investments, responsible for corporate equity and debt strategies and was an Acquisition Manager sourcing and underwriting new investment opportunities. Jeff has also served in asset management, regional management and onsite property management roles. Prior to joining MGPG, Jeff worked in apartment investment sales at CBRE, the country’s largest apartment brokerage firm, where he oversaw the sale of over $500 million in Southern California multifamily properties.

On this episode, Jeff shares the story of how MG Properties began and his love for the business at an early age. He discusses nuances of the major markets they participate in, how they raise capital, why 1031's and cost segregation are crucial to their strategy, and how they underwrite and manage their pipeline.

 

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aT6Q3nP0rxs

(02:49) - Jeff’s Career and MG Properties

(04:09) - Did your Dad do anything early on that got you interested in RE? 

(06:49) - What is your current day to day?

(07:12) - Why are you in the markets you’re in?

(08:55) - Why is CA a low-traded market?

(10:11) - Do property tax values stay locked in?

(10:40) - How early did you know about the Conrad portfolio being up for sale?

(12:16) - Do Los Angeles and San Diego have fundamentals that are different?

(13:22) - How do you underwrite political risk?

(15:08) - What are the pros to investing in Arizona vs. California?

(18:22) - Why don’t you play in development?

(19:54) - Defining Value-Add and Core-Plus Strategies

(21:31) - How many units are you adding per year?

(22:17) - MG’s Deal Processes

(27:08) - How do you raise capital?

(30:11) - The 1031 Exchange

(32:27) - What’s the cost seg portion of your business and why is it so important to your investors?

(33:40) - What does your playbook look like in the first 90-days post-close?

(34:54) - Does rent growth affect your thesis?

(35:59) - Why do you visit each property 2 times per year?

(39:17) - Are you seeing things loosen up in labor and supply chain?

(40:36) - Thoughts on Property Management

(41:36) - Is SFR on your radar?

(43:36) - The Vegas Market

(45:22) - How do you underwrite rent growth going forward?

(46:45) - Jeff’s experience at the NMH Conference (National Multi-Housing Conference)

(48:08) - More on Financing

(49:11) - What amenities matter right now? What doesn’t matter anymore?

(51:12) - Is there anything that countries outside of America do in regards of housing that we should adopt?

Connect with Jeff:

Jeff on LinkedIn

MG Properties

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3307 no RE #202: Richard Fertig - Founder of Stomp Capital - A World-Class Lesson in STR's and Why It Might Be The Best Risk/Reward in Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com Richard Fertig, Founder of Stomp Capital, is an innovative Real Estate Developer focused primarily on the Short Term Rental market, creating branded experiences to delight raving fans with his signature “modern hospitality”. Richard shares his proven strategies that continue to bring him financial success with his 59,000+ YouTube followers and 45,000+ Facebook Group members subscribed to Short Term Rental University. This episode is a Masterclass on how to win BIG in STRs and why it might be the best trade in Real Estate. Richard shares a lesson on vacancy risk & underpriced zoning, how he selects a location and builds pricing power and how he built his worldview on risk/reward at Blackstone. Plus a wild story about Bernie Madoff. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:41) - Richard’s career and his journey into STR’s (9:07) - Do you have a filter for what you’re going to look for when handed a pile of money and told to “go find value”? (12:29) - Firing Bernie Madoff (17:42) - What are some immediate red flags you key in on when raising capital? (19:18) - Why STR’s? (Short Term Rentals) AIRDNA (25:10) - Where are these lenders and capital providers? Host Financial SomeHotelGuy on Twitter (28:32) - Who fits into the customer category for the STR space? (32:03) - What predictions do you have for this space in a decade? (36:40) - Building Edgecamp Sporting Club in the Outer Banks (51:39) - What zoning matters and how do you get comfortable? (1:03:35) - What should the average STR owner be thinking about with ordinance? (1:05:35) - Mispriced Zoning in The Hamptons (1:09:15) - How are you managing your properties? (1:12:48) - Are you hiring 3rd party consultants when you’re cultivating the experience? (1:14:14) - How are people finding and booking your properties? How do you think about the risk from 3rd party booking agencies eating into your margins? (1:18:03) - What matters to you in a market when thinking about experiences? (1:22:54) - How are you structuring your deals? (1:24:33) - Are you building your own tech? (1:25:54) - How do you think about cash flow streams when your properties tend to be seasonal? (1:29:10) - Final Thoughts (1:31:57) - How can people find you? Twitter - @ImRichardFertig YouTube -STR University Facebook - STR University Stomp Capital The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 15 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0000 RE #202: Richard Fertig - Founder of Stomp Capital - A World-Class Lesson in STR's and Why It Might Be The Best Risk/Reward in Real Estate full 1 201 Chris Powers Richard Fertig, Founder of Stomp Capital, is an innovative Real Estate Developer focused primarily on the Short Term Rental market, creating branded experiences to delight raving fans with his signature “modern hospitality”. Richard shares his... Richard Fertig, Founder of Stomp Capital, is an innovative Real Estate Developer focused primarily on the Short Term Rental market, creating branded experiences to delight raving fans with his signature “modern hospitality”. Richard shares his proven strategies that continue to bring him financial success with his 59,000+ YouTube followers and 45,000+ Facebook Group members subscribed to Short Term Rental University. This episode is a Masterclass on how to win BIG in STRs and why it might be the best trade in Real Estate. Richard shares a lesson on vacancy risk & underpriced zoning, how he selects a location and builds pricing power and how he built his worldview on risk/reward at Blackstone. Plus a wild story about Bernie Madoff. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:41) - Richard’s career and his journey into STR’s (9:07) - Do you have a filter for what you’re going to look for when handed a pile of money and told to “go find value”? (12:29) - Firing Bernie Madoff (17:42) - What are some immediate red flags you key in on when raising capital? (19:18) - Why STR’s? (Short Term Rentals) AIRDNA (25:10) - Where are these lenders and capital providers? Host Financial SomeHotelGuy on Twitter (28:32) - Who fits into the customer category for the STR space? (32:03) - What predictions do you have for this space in a decade? (36:40) - Building Edgecamp Sporting Club in the Outer Banks (51:39) - What zoning matters and how do you get comfortable? (1:03:35) - What should the average STR owner be thinking about with ordinance? (1:05:35) - Mispriced Zoning in The Hamptons (1:09:15) - How are you managing your properties? (1:12:48) - Are you hiring 3rd party consultants when you’re cultivating the experience? (1:14:14) - How are people finding and booking your properties? How do you think about the risk from 3rd party booking agencies eating into your margins? (1:18:03) - What matters to you in a market when thinking about experiences? (1:22:54) - How are you structuring your deals? (1:24:33) - Are you building your own tech? (1:25:54) - How do you think about cash flow streams when your properties tend to be seasonal? (1:29:10) - Final Thoughts (1:31:57) - How can people find you? Twitter - @ImRichardFertig YouTube -STR University Facebook - STR University Stomp Capital The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Richard Fertig, Founder of Stomp Capital, is an innovative Real Estate Developer focused primarily on the Short Term Rental market, creating branded experiences to delight raving fans with his signature “modern hospitality”. Richard shares his proven strategies that continue to bring him financial success with his 59,000+ YouTube followers and 45,000+ Facebook Group members subscribed to Short Term Rental University.

This episode is a Masterclass on how to win BIG in STRs and why it might be the best trade in Real Estate. Richard shares a lesson on vacancy risk & underpriced zoning, how he selects a location and builds pricing power and how he built his worldview on risk/reward at Blackstone. Plus a wild story about Bernie Madoff. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:41) - Richard’s career and his journey into STR’s

(9:07) - Do you have a filter for what you’re going to look for when handed a pile of money and told to “go find value”?

(12:29) - Firing Bernie Madoff

(17:42) - What are some immediate red flags you key in on when raising capital?

(19:18) - Why STR’s? (Short Term Rentals)

AIRDNA

(25:10) - Where are these lenders and capital providers?

Host Financial

SomeHotelGuy on Twitter

(28:32) - Who fits into the customer category for the STR space?

(32:03) - What predictions do you have for this space in a decade?

(36:40) - Building Edgecamp Sporting Club in the Outer Banks

(51:39) - What zoning matters and how do you get comfortable?

(1:03:35) - What should the average STR owner be thinking about with ordinance?

(1:05:35) - Mispriced Zoning in The Hamptons

(1:09:15) - How are you managing your properties?

(1:12:48) - Are you hiring 3rd party consultants when you’re cultivating the experience?

(1:14:14) - How are people finding and booking your properties? How do you think about the risk from 3rd party booking agencies eating into your margins?

(1:18:03) - What matters to you in a market when thinking about experiences?

(1:22:54) - How are you structuring your deals?

(1:24:33) - Are you building your own tech?

(1:25:54) - How do you think about cash flow streams when your properties tend to be seasonal?

(1:29:10) - Final Thoughts

(1:31:57) - How can people find you?

Twitter - @ImRichardFertig

YouTube -STR University

Facebook - STR University

Stomp Capital

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 5867 no #201: Conrad Gibbins - Managing Director at Jefferies - Energy Investment Banking - Deep Dive Into Current Energy Markets https://www.TheFortPod.com Conrad Gibbins is a Managing Director of Jefferies, LLC in the Energy Investment Banking Group. Conrad has 12 years of investment banking experience advising primarily upstream oil and gas companies on M&A and financing transactions. Conrad has advised on over $40 Bn in upstream oil and gas M&A transactions and $15 Bn in financings and he has worked on many significant transactions in the upstream oil and gas industry including more than 10 M&A transactions with values over $1 Bn.  On this episode, Chris and Conrad discuss the world's reliance on fossil fuels, today and into the future and the current M&A and deal market in fossil fuels. They look into ESG and alternative energy opportunities. Conrad discusses how Russia / Ukraine is impacting the current environment and how the narrative around fossil fuels has changed since he started in 2009. Enjoy!    Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (02:17) - How has the Oil industry changed over the past 12 years? (8:18) - Why is capital fleeing the industry over the past several years? (14:50) - How undercapitalized is the industry right now? (19:27) - How much of the world is still in the process of getting onto fossil fuels and how much of the world is actually consuming 100 million barrels per day? (22:36) - M&A Activity in Oil and Gas Over the Past Year (26:52) - Is there positive momentum that capital is flowing back into the space? (31:21) - Thoughts on ESG (32:07) - Labor & Employment in Oilfield Services (33:54) - Is the money that’s redirected away from Oil and Gas and into renewables been worth it? (38:07) - Is there any bear case in the short term? (40:06) - Is there any technology you’re seeing that could disrupt oil usage? (42:18) - How is the Russia/Ukraine conflict impacting the world from an energy perspective? (45:04) - How much does the world depend on Russia for oil? (46:22) - Who’s the largest consumer of oil? (46:48) - Thoughts on Nuclear (50:39) - Are there any basins coming back online that have been hibernating? (57:20) - Crypto in the Energy World (59:33) - Conrad’s experience working with Aubrey McClendon (1:01:59) - Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Thu, 10 Mar 2022 10:00:00 -0000 #201: Conrad Gibbins - Managing Director at Jefferies - Energy Investment Banking - Deep Dive Into Current Energy Markets full 1 202 Chris Powers Conrad Gibbins is a Managing Director of Jefferies, LLC in the Energy Investment Banking Group. Conrad has 12 years of investment banking experience advising primarily upstream oil and gas companies on M&A and financing transactions. Conrad has... Conrad Gibbins is a Managing Director of Jefferies, LLC in the Energy Investment Banking Group. Conrad has 12 years of investment banking experience advising primarily upstream oil and gas companies on M&A and financing transactions. Conrad has advised on over $40 Bn in upstream oil and gas M&A transactions and $15 Bn in financings and he has worked on many significant transactions in the upstream oil and gas industry including more than 10 M&A transactions with values over $1 Bn.  On this episode, Chris and Conrad discuss the world's reliance on fossil fuels, today and into the future and the current M&A and deal market in fossil fuels. They look into ESG and alternative energy opportunities. Conrad discusses how Russia / Ukraine is impacting the current environment and how the narrative around fossil fuels has changed since he started in 2009. Enjoy!    Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris  Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast (02:17) - How has the Oil industry changed over the past 12 years? (8:18) - Why is capital fleeing the industry over the past several years? (14:50) - How undercapitalized is the industry right now? (19:27) - How much of the world is still in the process of getting onto fossil fuels and how much of the world is actually consuming 100 million barrels per day? (22:36) - M&A Activity in Oil and Gas Over the Past Year (26:52) - Is there positive momentum that capital is flowing back into the space? (31:21) - Thoughts on ESG (32:07) - Labor & Employment in Oilfield Services (33:54) - Is the money that’s redirected away from Oil and Gas and into renewables been worth it? (38:07) - Is there any bear case in the short term? (40:06) - Is there any technology you’re seeing that could disrupt oil usage? (42:18) - How is the Russia/Ukraine conflict impacting the world from an energy perspective? (45:04) - How much does the world depend on Russia for oil? (46:22) - Who’s the largest consumer of oil? (46:48) - Thoughts on Nuclear (50:39) - Are there any basins coming back online that have been hibernating? (57:20) - Crypto in the Energy World (59:33) - Conrad’s experience working with Aubrey McClendon (1:01:59) - Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Conrad Gibbins is a Managing Director of Jefferies, LLC in the Energy Investment Banking Group. Conrad has 12 years of investment banking experience advising primarily upstream oil and gas companies on M&A and financing transactions. Conrad has advised on over $40 Bn in upstream oil and gas M&A transactions and $15 Bn in financings and he has worked on many significant transactions in the upstream oil and gas industry including more than 10 M&A transactions with values over $1 Bn. 


On this episode, Chris and Conrad discuss the world's reliance on fossil fuels, today and into the future and the current M&A and deal market in fossil fuels. They look into ESG and alternative energy opportunities. Conrad discusses how Russia / Ukraine is impacting the current environment and how the narrative around fossil fuels has changed since he started in 2009. Enjoy! 

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ 

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

(02:17) - How has the Oil industry changed over the past 12 years?

(8:18) - Why is capital fleeing the industry over the past several years?

(14:50) - How undercapitalized is the industry right now?

(19:27) - How much of the world is still in the process of getting onto fossil fuels and how much of the world is actually consuming 100 million barrels per day?

(22:36) - M&A Activity in Oil and Gas Over the Past Year

(26:52) - Is there positive momentum that capital is flowing back into the space?

(31:21) - Thoughts on ESG

(32:07) - Labor & Employment in Oilfield Services

(33:54) - Is the money that’s redirected away from Oil and Gas and into renewables been worth it?

(38:07) - Is there any bear case in the short term?

(40:06) - Is there any technology you’re seeing that could disrupt oil usage?

(42:18) - How is the Russia/Ukraine conflict impacting the world from an energy perspective?

(45:04) - How much does the world depend on Russia for oil?

(46:22) - Who’s the largest consumer of oil?

(46:48) - Thoughts on Nuclear

(50:39) - Are there any basins coming back online that have been hibernating?

(57:20) - Crypto in the Energy World

(59:33) - Conrad’s experience working with Aubrey McClendon

(1:01:59) - Final Thoughts

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3911 no #200: Chris Powers - 200th Episode - Observations About the World Today https://www.TheFortPod.com On this milestone episode, Chris shares the story of how the podcast started and why it's been so impactful. Chris dives into why podcasting is a pure form of communication and why he supports Joe Rogan. He expresses his thoughts on de-platforming and canceling culture and Chris breaks down 50 things he's observed from 17 years in business. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/       Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QzI1b1SD3Uo (01:30) - Welcome to Episode #200! (03:43) - How Chris and Producer Johnny Met (08:46) - The Early Days of the Podcast & Benefits From Doing the Show (13:01) - What Matters in Podcasting (15:50) - Sponsorship Opportunities Email for inquiries at thefortpodcast@gmail.com (16:41) - 50 Thoughts on Business Traction by Gino Wickman (49:52) - Thoughts on Cancel Culture The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 08 Mar 2022 10:00:00 -0000 #200: Chris Powers - 200th Episode - Observations About the World Today full 1 200 Chris Powers On this milestone episode, Chris shares the story of how the podcast started and why it's been so impactful. Chris dives into why podcasting is a pure form of communication and why he supports Joe Rogan. He expresses his thoughts on de-platforming and... On this milestone episode, Chris shares the story of how the podcast started and why it's been so impactful. Chris dives into why podcasting is a pure form of communication and why he supports Joe Rogan. He expresses his thoughts on de-platforming and canceling culture and Chris breaks down 50 things he's observed from 17 years in business. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/       Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QzI1b1SD3Uo (01:30) - Welcome to Episode #200! (03:43) - How Chris and Producer Johnny Met (08:46) - The Early Days of the Podcast & Benefits From Doing the Show (13:01) - What Matters in Podcasting (15:50) - Sponsorship Opportunities Email for inquiries at thefortpodcast@gmail.com (16:41) - 50 Thoughts on Business Traction by Gino Wickman (49:52) - Thoughts on Cancel Culture The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts On this milestone episode, Chris shares the story of how the podcast started and why it's been so impactful. Chris dives into why podcasting is a pure form of communication and why he supports Joe Rogan. He expresses his thoughts on de-platforming and canceling culture and Chris breaks down 50 things he's observed from 17 years in business.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/      

Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ

Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QzI1b1SD3Uo

(01:30) - Welcome to Episode #200!

(03:43) - How Chris and Producer Johnny Met

(08:46) - The Early Days of the Podcast & Benefits From Doing the Show

(13:01) - What Matters in Podcasting

(15:50) - Sponsorship Opportunities

Email for inquiries at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

(16:41) - 50 Thoughts on Business

Traction by Gino Wickman

(49:52) - Thoughts on Cancel Culture

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 3525 no RE #199: Nick Huber - Co-Founder of Bolt Storage - 0-34 self-storage properties in 4 years, Cancel Culture, Remote Labor, Sweaty Startups! https://www.TheFortPod.com Nick Huber, Co-Founder of Bolt Storage, is back on The FORT Podcast to discuss what Nick's learned after going from 0-34 self-storage properties, thoughts around cancel culture, why it exists, and how we might overcome it. On this episode, they also chat about how remote work is changing the workforce, Self Storage market updates, and why blue-collar labor (sweaty startups) offer some of the biggest opportunities in America. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ltkWLjbZLic Links: Nick on Twitter Nick’s first appearance on The Fort: Episode #73 on Spotify & Apple Podcasts Businesses that Nick loves! Topics: (03:03) - Nick’s Transformation Over the Past Few Years (11:10) - Tailwinds in Self-storage (15:12) - Storage Scenario: What’s your 30-day game plan after you buy a facility? (18:11) - Nick’s Weekly Check-Ins (19:06) - How do you source on-site vendors? (19:56) - Nick’s Tenant Base & Thoughts on RV & Outdoor Storage (22:28) - Have you had any major revelations during the last three years? (30:47) - Creating Competitors (41:05) - Is “community” the right way forward? (43:39) - Nick’s Experience Wiith Cancel Culture & the Twitter Mob (58:31) - The Ultimate Net Positive of Twitter (1:02:11) - Re-thinking Blue-collar Work The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 01 Mar 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #199: Nick Huber - Co-Founder of Bolt Storage - 0-34 self-storage properties in 4 years, Cancel Culture, Remote Labor, Sweaty Startups! full 1 199 Chris Powers Nick Huber, Co-Founder of Bolt Storage, is back on The FORT Podcast to discuss what Nick's learned after going from 0-34 self-storage properties, thoughts around cancel culture, why it exists, and how we might overcome it. On this episode, they also... Nick Huber, Co-Founder of Bolt Storage, is back on The FORT Podcast to discuss what Nick's learned after going from 0-34 self-storage properties, thoughts around cancel culture, why it exists, and how we might overcome it. On this episode, they also chat about how remote work is changing the workforce, Self Storage market updates, and why blue-collar labor (sweaty startups) offer some of the biggest opportunities in America. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ltkWLjbZLic Links: Nick on Twitter Nick’s first appearance on The Fort: Episode #73 on Spotify & Apple Podcasts Businesses that Nick loves! Topics: (03:03) - Nick’s Transformation Over the Past Few Years (11:10) - Tailwinds in Self-storage (15:12) - Storage Scenario: What’s your 30-day game plan after you buy a facility? (18:11) - Nick’s Weekly Check-Ins (19:06) - How do you source on-site vendors? (19:56) - Nick’s Tenant Base & Thoughts on RV & Outdoor Storage (22:28) - Have you had any major revelations during the last three years? (30:47) - Creating Competitors (41:05) - Is “community” the right way forward? (43:39) - Nick’s Experience Wiith Cancel Culture & the Twitter Mob (58:31) - The Ultimate Net Positive of Twitter (1:02:11) - Re-thinking Blue-collar Work The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Nick Huber, Co-Founder of Bolt Storage, is back on The FORT Podcast to discuss what Nick's learned after going from 0-34 self-storage properties, thoughts around cancel culture, why it exists, and how we might overcome it. On this episode, they also chat about how remote work is changing the workforce, Self Storage market updates, and why blue-collar labor (sweaty startups) offer some of the biggest opportunities in America. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ltkWLjbZLic

Links:

Nick on Twitter

Nick’s first appearance on The Fort: Episode #73 on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Businesses that Nick loves!

Topics:

(03:03) - Nick’s Transformation Over the Past Few Years

(11:10) - Tailwinds in Self-storage

(15:12) - Storage Scenario: What’s your 30-day game plan after you buy a facility?

(18:11) - Nick’s Weekly Check-Ins

(19:06) - How do you source on-site vendors?

(19:56) - Nick’s Tenant Base & Thoughts on RV & Outdoor Storage

(22:28) - Have you had any major revelations during the last three years?

(30:47) - Creating Competitors

(41:05) - Is “community” the right way forward?

(43:39) - Nick’s Experience Wiith Cancel Culture & the Twitter Mob

(58:31) - The Ultimate Net Positive of Twitter

(1:02:11) - Re-thinking Blue-collar Work

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4352 no RE #198: Eric Weatherholtz - Partner at Healy Weatherholtz Properties - 'Simple little things compound into big things and everybody wins.' https://www.TheFortPod.com Eric Weatherholtz, co-founder of Healey Weatherholtz Properties has worn many hats in his career from leasing agent, property manager, construction manager, financial analyst, framing laborer, electrician's apprentice, and investment manager. Healey Weatherholtz Properties owns and operates a real estate portfolio that includes retail, office, warehouse, residential, parking, and self-storage assets. They invest in private real estate occupiers including a variety of retailers and restaurateurs. As an investment sponsor, HWP has been involved in over 50 projects, all focused on "repairing" properties to better meet the needs of the surrounding community. On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss how to capitalize long-term deals and bring in the first tenants, why every little detail matters, and creating the "halo" effect. Consider this a masterclass in creating a world-class destination everyone wants to hang out at and several funny stories from a career in real estate! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K6BY4pbdUuc (03:20) - How Eric Got into Real Estate and What He Does Within The Space (06:39) - How do you know you’ve found the right spot to start acquiring? What matters? (10:32) - When doing assemblages, do you care about competition coming in? (16:21) - Do you need the commercial first before it can attract residential or vice versa? (18:09) - How do you finance these projects? (25:02) - Are there times when you decide to pass on properties? (30:16) - How do you create the “magic” after buying the building? (40:24) - How are you structuring your leases? (42:30) - Sticking To Your Guns (45:45) - How do you manage these properties? (51:43) - Who stages and programs the hospitality portion of your properties? (54:45) - How do you justify the upfront TI for local tenants? Are you able to identify local businesses w/o a track record who’ll be successful? (58:08) - What do you say to people who think retail is dead? (1:02:24) - What’s your edge?  (1:04:39) - Is this a scalable business model? (1:06:54) - Wild Stories From Eric’s Career The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Tue, 22 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #198: Eric Weatherholtz - Partner at Healy Weatherholtz Properties - 'Simple little things compound into big things and everybody wins.' full 1 198 Chris Powers Eric Weatherholtz, co-founder of Healey Weatherholtz Properties has worn many hats in his career from leasing agent, property manager, construction manager, financial analyst, framing laborer, electrician's apprentice, and investment manager. Healey... Eric Weatherholtz, co-founder of Healey Weatherholtz Properties has worn many hats in his career from leasing agent, property manager, construction manager, financial analyst, framing laborer, electrician's apprentice, and investment manager. Healey Weatherholtz Properties owns and operates a real estate portfolio that includes retail, office, warehouse, residential, parking, and self-storage assets. They invest in private real estate occupiers including a variety of retailers and restaurateurs. As an investment sponsor, HWP has been involved in over 50 projects, all focused on "repairing" properties to better meet the needs of the surrounding community. On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss how to capitalize long-term deals and bring in the first tenants, why every little detail matters, and creating the "halo" effect. Consider this a masterclass in creating a world-class destination everyone wants to hang out at and several funny stories from a career in real estate! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K6BY4pbdUuc (03:20) - How Eric Got into Real Estate and What He Does Within The Space (06:39) - How do you know you’ve found the right spot to start acquiring? What matters? (10:32) - When doing assemblages, do you care about competition coming in? (16:21) - Do you need the commercial first before it can attract residential or vice versa? (18:09) - How do you finance these projects? (25:02) - Are there times when you decide to pass on properties? (30:16) - How do you create the “magic” after buying the building? (40:24) - How are you structuring your leases? (42:30) - Sticking To Your Guns (45:45) - How do you manage these properties? (51:43) - Who stages and programs the hospitality portion of your properties? (54:45) - How do you justify the upfront TI for local tenants? Are you able to identify local businesses w/o a track record who’ll be successful? (58:08) - What do you say to people who think retail is dead? (1:02:24) - What’s your edge?  (1:04:39) - Is this a scalable business model? (1:06:54) - Wild Stories From Eric’s Career The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts Eric Weatherholtz, co-founder of Healey Weatherholtz Properties has worn many hats in his career from leasing agent, property manager, construction manager, financial analyst, framing laborer, electrician's apprentice, and investment manager. Healey Weatherholtz Properties owns and operates a real estate portfolio that includes retail, office, warehouse, residential, parking, and self-storage assets. They invest in private real estate occupiers including a variety of retailers and restaurateurs. As an investment sponsor, HWP has been involved in over 50 projects, all focused on "repairing" properties to better meet the needs of the surrounding community.

On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss how to capitalize long-term deals and bring in the first tenants, why every little detail matters, and creating the "halo" effect. Consider this a masterclass in creating a world-class destination everyone wants to hang out at and several funny stories from a career in real estate!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K6BY4pbdUuc

(03:20) - How Eric Got into Real Estate and What He Does Within The Space

(06:39) - How do you know you’ve found the right spot to start acquiring? What matters?

(10:32) - When doing assemblages, do you care about competition coming in?

(16:21) - Do you need the commercial first before it can attract residential or vice versa?

(18:09) - How do you finance these projects?

(25:02) - Are there times when you decide to pass on properties?

(30:16) - How do you create the “magic” after buying the building?

(40:24) - How are you structuring your leases?

(42:30) - Sticking To Your Guns

(45:45) - How do you manage these properties?

(51:43) - Who stages and programs the hospitality portion of your properties?

(54:45) - How do you justify the upfront TI for local tenants? Are you able to identify local businesses w/o a track record who’ll be successful?

(58:08) - What do you say to people who think retail is dead?

(1:02:24) - What’s your edge? 

(1:04:39) - Is this a scalable business model?

(1:06:54) - Wild Stories From Eric’s Career

The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

]]> 4826 no RE #197: John Marsh - Co-Founder of Marsh Collective - Finding Opportunity in the Broken & Undone https://www.TheFortPod.com John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective and host of the Redemptification Podcast, serial entrepreneur, and consultant helping steward over $1b in redemptive real estate in 9 small towns around America. After spending the last 25 years giving guidance to over 60 startup businesses in various industries, John's current focus is helping others make generational differences in their communities and companies by helping patrons bridge the gap between redeeming vision and execution. On this episode, Chris and John discuss, how Marsh Collective rebuilt the entire city of Opelika, Alabama, buying old historic downtowns as an asset class and how to develop leadership and create flourishing businesses. John also discusses how he completely changed the trajectory of his life and marriage. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xxZ7sbnK5iA Marsh Collective Redemptification Podcast (03:07) - Why do you see brokenness everywhere? (06:09) - What hanged in your life after contemplating suicide? (09:22) - Forgiveness is Suffering (12:01) - What kind of work do you do with the hard-charging entrepreneur in the perspective of their marriage? (15:58) - John’s Real Estate Career in Opelika, Alabama (28:15) - Building Businesses by Pivoting Into Commercial (36:02) - How do you know you’ve found the right leader? (42:29) -  What drives an extraordinary experience? (48:36) - What would make a fantastic multi-family project? (54:37) - Do these tenants pay more and stay longer when you follow this model? (57:04) - Are you bullish on the migration to small towns? (1:00:19) - Small, Historic Towns as an Asset Class (1:04:42) - What needs to be in place from the investors for you to work together successfully? (1:10:55) - What does a contract structure look like when renovating an entire town? (1:14:22) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson Tue, 15 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #197: John Marsh - Co-Founder of Marsh Collective - Finding Opportunity in the Broken & Undone full 1 197 Chris Powers John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective and host of the Redemptification Podcast, serial entrepreneur, and consultant helping steward over $1b in redemptive real estate in 9 small towns around America. After spending the last 25 years giving... John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective and host of the Redemptification Podcast, serial entrepreneur, and consultant helping steward over $1b in redemptive real estate in 9 small towns around America. After spending the last 25 years giving guidance to over 60 startup businesses in various industries, John's current focus is helping others make generational differences in their communities and companies by helping patrons bridge the gap between redeeming vision and execution. On this episode, Chris and John discuss, how Marsh Collective rebuilt the entire city of Opelika, Alabama, buying old historic downtowns as an asset class and how to develop leadership and create flourishing businesses. John also discusses how he completely changed the trajectory of his life and marriage. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xxZ7sbnK5iA Marsh Collective Redemptification Podcast (03:07) - Why do you see brokenness everywhere? (06:09) - What hanged in your life after contemplating suicide? (09:22) - Forgiveness is Suffering (12:01) - What kind of work do you do with the hard-charging entrepreneur in the perspective of their marriage? (15:58) - John’s Real Estate Career in Opelika, Alabama (28:15) - Building Businesses by Pivoting Into Commercial (36:02) - How do you know you’ve found the right leader? (42:29) -  What drives an extraordinary experience? (48:36) - What would make a fantastic multi-family project? (54:37) - Do these tenants pay more and stay longer when you follow this model? (57:04) - Are you bullish on the migration to small towns? (1:00:19) - Small, Historic Towns as an Asset Class (1:04:42) - What needs to be in place from the investors for you to work together successfully? (1:10:55) - What does a contract structure look like when renovating an entire town? (1:14:22) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson John Marsh is the Co-Founder of Marsh Collective and host of the Redemptification Podcast, serial entrepreneur, and consultant helping steward over $1b in redemptive real estate in 9 small towns around America. After spending the last 25 years giving guidance to over 60 startup businesses in various industries, John's current focus is helping others make generational differences in their communities and companies by helping patrons bridge the gap between redeeming vision and execution.

On this episode, Chris and John discuss, how Marsh Collective rebuilt the entire city of Opelika, Alabama, buying old historic downtowns as an asset class and how to develop leadership and create flourishing businesses. John also discusses how he completely changed the trajectory of his life and marriage.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xxZ7sbnK5iA

Marsh Collective

Redemptification Podcast

(03:07) - Why do you see brokenness everywhere?

(06:09) - What hanged in your life after contemplating suicide?

(09:22) - Forgiveness is Suffering

(12:01) - What kind of work do you do with the hard-charging entrepreneur in the perspective of their marriage?

(15:58) - John’s Real Estate Career in Opelika, Alabama

(28:15) - Building Businesses by Pivoting Into Commercial

(36:02) - How do you know you’ve found the right leader?

(42:29) -  What drives an extraordinary experience?

(48:36) - What would make a fantastic multi-family project?

(54:37) - Do these tenants pay more and stay longer when you follow this model?

(57:04) - Are you bullish on the migration to small towns?

(1:00:19) - Small, Historic Towns as an Asset Class

(1:04:42) - What needs to be in place from the investors for you to work together successfully?

(1:10:55) - What does a contract structure look like when renovating an entire town?

(1:14:22) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson

]]> 4699 no RE #196: Marc Gilbert - Managing Partner of Twin Oaks - Seeking Deep Value that most overlook. https://www.TheFortPod.com Marc Gilbert, Managing Partner of Twin Oaks Group, owns and manages a diverse portfolio of property across Northern New Jersey, including multifamily, commercial, and industrial properties. Marc directed financing at New City Management, covered REITs and financials at ING and Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities at Fitch Ratings. Marc specializes in financing and structuring real estate syndicates. On this episode, Marc tells his story of joining the Israeli army and how those lessons shaped how he looks at life. They discuss why Marc buys properties with major environmental issues and the value he creates. Chris and Marc also chat about lessons learned from the 2008-2009 GFC and how Marc creates win/win situations.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Twin Oaks Group Marc on Twitter Marc on LinkedIn (02:30) - Marc’s Travels to Israel and How it Shaped His View of the World (06:41) - Marc’s Journey Into RE (09:05) - Bringing a Depression Era Mindset to Real Estate (11:46) - Marc’s Career Prior to Starting Twin Oaks (20:44) - Do you think the bank system learned anything from the ’08 crisis? (25:07) - Operating in the Northeastern New Jersey Market (28:59) - Why do you take one these gas station deals that 99% of people pass on? (36:24) - What’s the process of cleaning these sites that requires a 5-10 year timeframe? (40:13) - Do you raise capital to clean these sites or use your own capital? (44:47) - Is there any government or tax incentive to de-contaminate these properties? (46:25) - What are you looking for in multi deals and how do you find deeper value in them? (50:19) - Thoughts on Rent Control (52:31) - As a long-term holder, should a building be 100% leased? (56:13) - Providing Housing For Ex-Felons (1:01:31) - How do you deal so well with your local government? (1:09:43) - Why could it be smart to overpay for a 1031 exchange? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson Tue, 08 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #196: Marc Gilbert - Managing Partner of Twin Oaks - Seeking Deep Value that most overlook. full 1 196 Chris Powers Marc Gilbert, Managing Partner of Twin Oaks Group, owns and manages a diverse portfolio of property across Northern New Jersey, including multifamily, commercial, and industrial properties. Marc directed financing at New City Management, covered REITs... Marc Gilbert, Managing Partner of Twin Oaks Group, owns and manages a diverse portfolio of property across Northern New Jersey, including multifamily, commercial, and industrial properties. Marc directed financing at New City Management, covered REITs and financials at ING and Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities at Fitch Ratings. Marc specializes in financing and structuring real estate syndicates. On this episode, Marc tells his story of joining the Israeli army and how those lessons shaped how he looks at life. They discuss why Marc buys properties with major environmental issues and the value he creates. Chris and Marc also chat about lessons learned from the 2008-2009 GFC and how Marc creates win/win situations.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Twin Oaks Group Marc on Twitter Marc on LinkedIn (02:30) - Marc’s Travels to Israel and How it Shaped His View of the World (06:41) - Marc’s Journey Into RE (09:05) - Bringing a Depression Era Mindset to Real Estate (11:46) - Marc’s Career Prior to Starting Twin Oaks (20:44) - Do you think the bank system learned anything from the ’08 crisis? (25:07) - Operating in the Northeastern New Jersey Market (28:59) - Why do you take one these gas station deals that 99% of people pass on? (36:24) - What’s the process of cleaning these sites that requires a 5-10 year timeframe? (40:13) - Do you raise capital to clean these sites or use your own capital? (44:47) - Is there any government or tax incentive to de-contaminate these properties? (46:25) - What are you looking for in multi deals and how do you find deeper value in them? (50:19) - Thoughts on Rent Control (52:31) - As a long-term holder, should a building be 100% leased? (56:13) - Providing Housing For Ex-Felons (1:01:31) - How do you deal so well with your local government? (1:09:43) - Why could it be smart to overpay for a 1031 exchange? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson Marc Gilbert, Managing Partner of Twin Oaks Group, owns and manages a diverse portfolio of property across Northern New Jersey, including multifamily, commercial, and industrial properties. Marc directed financing at New City Management, covered REITs and financials at ING and Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities at Fitch Ratings. Marc specializes in financing and structuring real estate syndicates.

On this episode, Marc tells his story of joining the Israeli army and how those lessons shaped how he looks at life. They discuss why Marc buys properties with major environmental issues and the value he creates. Chris and Marc also chat about lessons learned from the 2008-2009 GFC and how Marc creates win/win situations. 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Twin Oaks Group

Marc on Twitter

Marc on LinkedIn

(02:30) - Marc’s Travels to Israel and How it Shaped His View of the World

(06:41) - Marc’s Journey Into RE

(09:05) - Bringing a Depression Era Mindset to Real Estate

(11:46) - Marc’s Career Prior to Starting Twin Oaks

(20:44) - Do you think the bank system learned anything from the ’08 crisis?

(25:07) - Operating in the Northeastern New Jersey Market

(28:59) - Why do you take one these gas station deals that 99% of people pass on?

(36:24) - What’s the process of cleaning these sites that requires a 5-10 year timeframe?

(40:13) - Do you raise capital to clean these sites or use your own capital?

(44:47) - Is there any government or tax incentive to de-contaminate these properties?

(46:25) - What are you looking for in multi deals and how do you find deeper value in them?

(50:19) - Thoughts on Rent Control

(52:31) - As a long-term holder, should a building be 100% leased?

(56:13) - Providing Housing For Ex-Felons

(1:01:31) - How do you deal so well with your local government?

(1:09:43) - Why could it be smart to overpay for a 1031 exchange?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson

]]> 4433 no RE #195: Nathan Lenahan - A story of working at WeWork until original IPO, His new HVAC roll-up strategy with game-changing tech component https://www.TheFortPod.com Entrepreneur, Nathan Lenahan, has held many titles such as COO of Smart City Apartment Locating and VP & GM of Texas and the Mountain West Regions for WeWork. Nathan is currently working on a roll up of home service businesses beginning with HVAC. Before WeWork Nathan started a property management company that he grew quickly and eventually sold to a private equity-backed real estate company. Nathan also served proudly in the Army for nearly 14 years across active duty and national guard deploying for two years to Iraq. On this episode, Nathan gives incredible insight on working at WeWork from 2015 until IPO, why WeWork is a company that will matter moving forward, and what the army taught Nathan about leadership. They also discuss his new HVAC roll-up strategy and Nathan's tech idea behind it. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/n8lenahan Follow Nathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlenahan/ Nathan's Business: Homework Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCweBL3jSB8 (02:25) - Nathan’s Background and Career with WeWork (06:13) - Leadership Lessons Learned in the Military (09:31) - Nathan’s Property Management Business (11:24) - How was your business valued and how did the transaction happen? (13:28) - Nathan’s Experience at WeWork  (19:04) - How do you build a culture in a hyper-growth company like WeWork where new people are coming aboard every day? (23:11) - How did you know where you should be opening locations and how quickly you needed to open? (26:50) - Was Softbank already involved when you joined and what happens when you get such a massive influx of capital? (33:55) - What does a great location look like for a co-working space? (37:23) - Did it matter at all how close you were to the next WeWork? (38:35) - Was there a goal for consistency in terms of the look and feel of each location? (39:40) - What did you learn about community building between tenants? (41:27) - Was there an inflection point with the circus around the media and the coming IPO where things felt ‘different’? (44:33) - What mattered most to the landlords you worked with? (48:29) - Was this a real estate company or a tech company? (49:54) - Thoughts on Adam Neumann (53:03) - The WeWork IPO (55:38) - How do you keep your team motivated when there’s so much noise about your company going on in the media? (57:59) - What’s the state of WeWork today? (1:00:10) - Nathan’s jump into sweat: HVAC Roll-ups (1:08:36) - Thoughts on the Blue-Collar Industry in Regards to Labor (1:14:00) - How are you building the tech side of your business? (1:16:13) - The Potential for Augmented Reality in the Trades (1:19:54) - How can people get in touch with you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson Tue, 01 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #195: Nathan Lenahan - A story of working at WeWork until original IPO, His new HVAC roll-up strategy with game-changing tech component full 1 195 Chris Powers Entrepreneur, Nathan Lenahan, has held many titles such as COO of Smart City Apartment Locating and VP & GM of Texas and the Mountain West Regions for WeWork. Nathan is currently working on a roll up of home service businesses beginning with HVAC.... Entrepreneur, Nathan Lenahan, has held many titles such as COO of Smart City Apartment Locating and VP & GM of Texas and the Mountain West Regions for WeWork. Nathan is currently working on a roll up of home service businesses beginning with HVAC. Before WeWork Nathan started a property management company that he grew quickly and eventually sold to a private equity-backed real estate company. Nathan also served proudly in the Army for nearly 14 years across active duty and national guard deploying for two years to Iraq. On this episode, Nathan gives incredible insight on working at WeWork from 2015 until IPO, why WeWork is a company that will matter moving forward, and what the army taught Nathan about leadership. They also discuss his new HVAC roll-up strategy and Nathan's tech idea behind it. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/n8lenahan Follow Nathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlenahan/ Nathan's Business: Homework Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCweBL3jSB8 (02:25) - Nathan’s Background and Career with WeWork (06:13) - Leadership Lessons Learned in the Military (09:31) - Nathan’s Property Management Business (11:24) - How was your business valued and how did the transaction happen? (13:28) - Nathan’s Experience at WeWork  (19:04) - How do you build a culture in a hyper-growth company like WeWork where new people are coming aboard every day? (23:11) - How did you know where you should be opening locations and how quickly you needed to open? (26:50) - Was Softbank already involved when you joined and what happens when you get such a massive influx of capital? (33:55) - What does a great location look like for a co-working space? (37:23) - Did it matter at all how close you were to the next WeWork? (38:35) - Was there a goal for consistency in terms of the look and feel of each location? (39:40) - What did you learn about community building between tenants? (41:27) - Was there an inflection point with the circus around the media and the coming IPO where things felt ‘different’? (44:33) - What mattered most to the landlords you worked with? (48:29) - Was this a real estate company or a tech company? (49:54) - Thoughts on Adam Neumann (53:03) - The WeWork IPO (55:38) - How do you keep your team motivated when there’s so much noise about your company going on in the media? (57:59) - What’s the state of WeWork today? (1:00:10) - Nathan’s jump into sweat: HVAC Roll-ups (1:08:36) - Thoughts on the Blue-Collar Industry in Regards to Labor (1:14:00) - How are you building the tech side of your business? (1:16:13) - The Potential for Augmented Reality in the Trades (1:19:54) - How can people get in touch with you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson Entrepreneur, Nathan Lenahan, has held many titles such as COO of Smart City Apartment Locating and VP & GM of Texas and the Mountain West Regions for WeWork. Nathan is currently working on a roll up of home service businesses beginning with HVAC. Before WeWork Nathan started a property management company that he grew quickly and eventually sold to a private equity-backed real estate company. Nathan also served proudly in the Army for nearly 14 years across active duty and national guard deploying for two years to Iraq.

On this episode, Nathan gives incredible insight on working at WeWork from 2015 until IPO, why WeWork is a company that will matter moving forward, and what the army taught Nathan about leadership. They also discuss his new HVAC roll-up strategy and Nathan's tech idea behind it. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/n8lenahan

Follow Nathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlenahan/

Nathan's Business: Homework

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCweBL3jSB8

(02:25) - Nathan’s Background and Career with WeWork

(06:13) - Leadership Lessons Learned in the Military

(09:31) - Nathan’s Property Management Business

(11:24) - How was your business valued and how did the transaction happen?

(13:28) - Nathan’s Experience at WeWork 

(19:04) - How do you build a culture in a hyper-growth company like WeWork where new people are coming aboard every day?

(23:11) - How did you know where you should be opening locations and how quickly you needed to open?

(26:50) - Was Softbank already involved when you joined and what happens when you get such a massive influx of capital?

(33:55) - What does a great location look like for a co-working space?

(37:23) - Did it matter at all how close you were to the next WeWork?

(38:35) - Was there a goal for consistency in terms of the look and feel of each location?

(39:40) - What did you learn about community building between tenants?

(41:27) - Was there an inflection point with the circus around the media and the coming IPO where things felt ‘different’?

(44:33) - What mattered most to the landlords you worked with?

(48:29) - Was this a real estate company or a tech company?

(49:54) - Thoughts on Adam Neumann

(53:03) - The WeWork IPO

(55:38) - How do you keep your team motivated when there’s so much noise about your company going on in the media?

(57:59) - What’s the state of WeWork today?

(1:00:10) - Nathan’s jump into sweat: HVAC Roll-ups

(1:08:36) - Thoughts on the Blue-Collar Industry in Regards to Labor

(1:14:00) - How are you building the tech side of your business?

(1:16:13) - The Potential for Augmented Reality in the Trades

(1:19:54) - How can people get in touch with you?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson

]]> 4920 no RE #194: Chris Powers & Jason Baxter Talk Fort Capital's 2021 Year in Review https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Jason Baxter and Chris Powers take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss how their team evolved and prepared for scale, Jason's transition to CEO, company highlights, and thoughts on their strategy, and why 2021 was a record year for Fort Capital.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OSDF2GK5two Lex Sisney's Organizational Physics (03:09) - Reflecting on Previous Reviews 2018 Year in Review 2019 Year in Review 2020 Year in Review (05:28) -  Transitioning Jason into CEO & Learning from Lex Sisney (11:36) - Jason’s Growth in 2021 (15:53) - Leadership Communication and Structuring Executive Meetings Good 2 Great by Jim Collins (23:54) - Getting Deliberate With How Actions Impact Fort’s Flywheel (30:01) - Fort’s Purchases in 2021 & Improving the Acquisition Process (42:16) - 2022 Deal pipeline (46:57) - Identifying the Need for a Director of Leasing (51:51) - Aligning Incentives Across Departments (56:05) - The Importance of Bringing Fresh Eyes to Look at the Business (1:00:15) - COR’s Impact in 2021  (1:14:03) - Thoughts on Growing Investor Pool (1:18:07) - Growing the Property Management Side of the Business (1:24:26) - Where We are Heading into 2022 The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 25 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #194: Chris Powers & Jason Baxter Talk Fort Capital's 2021 Year in Review full 1 194 Chris Powers On this episode, Jason Baxter and Chris Powers take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss how their team evolved and prepared for scale, Jason's transition to CEO, company highlights, and thoughts on their strategy, and why 2021 was a... On this episode, Jason Baxter and Chris Powers take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss how their team evolved and prepared for scale, Jason's transition to CEO, company highlights, and thoughts on their strategy, and why 2021 was a record year for Fort Capital.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OSDF2GK5two Lex Sisney's Organizational Physics (03:09) - Reflecting on Previous Reviews 2018 Year in Review 2019 Year in Review 2020 Year in Review (05:28) -  Transitioning Jason into CEO & Learning from Lex Sisney (11:36) - Jason’s Growth in 2021 (15:53) - Leadership Communication and Structuring Executive Meetings Good 2 Great by Jim Collins (23:54) - Getting Deliberate With How Actions Impact Fort’s Flywheel (30:01) - Fort’s Purchases in 2021 & Improving the Acquisition Process (42:16) - 2022 Deal pipeline (46:57) - Identifying the Need for a Director of Leasing (51:51) - Aligning Incentives Across Departments (56:05) - The Importance of Bringing Fresh Eyes to Look at the Business (1:00:15) - COR’s Impact in 2021  (1:14:03) - Thoughts on Growing Investor Pool (1:18:07) - Growing the Property Management Side of the Business (1:24:26) - Where We are Heading into 2022 The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Jason Baxter and Chris Powers take a look at the last year for Fort Capital and discuss how their team evolved and prepared for scale, Jason's transition to CEO, company highlights, and thoughts on their strategy, and why 2021 was a record year for Fort Capital. 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OSDF2GK5two

Lex Sisney's Organizational Physics

(03:09) - Reflecting on Previous Reviews

2018 Year in Review

2019 Year in Review

2020 Year in Review

(05:28) -  Transitioning Jason into CEO & Learning from Lex Sisney

(11:36) - Jason’s Growth in 2021

(15:53) - Leadership Communication and Structuring Executive Meetings

Good 2 Great by Jim Collins

(23:54) - Getting Deliberate With How Actions Impact Fort’s Flywheel

(30:01) - Fort’s Purchases in 2021 & Improving the Acquisition Process

(42:16) - 2022 Deal pipeline

(46:57) - Identifying the Need for a Director of Leasing

(51:51) - Aligning Incentives Across Departments

(56:05) - The Importance of Bringing Fresh Eyes to Look at the Business

(1:00:15) - COR’s Impact in 2021 

(1:14:03) - Thoughts on Growing Investor Pool

(1:18:07) - Growing the Property Management Side of the Business

(1:24:26) - Where We are Heading into 2022

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5562 no #193: Chris Pate - Managing Director of True North Advisors - A Masterclass in Capital Allocation https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Pate, Managing Director of independent wealth management firm True North Advisors, spent the first 11 years of his career at a multi-strategy hedge fund. Prior to True North Advisors, Chris spent 8 years managing the investment activities for Western Commerce Group in Fort Worth. Chris oversaw both public markets and private investments within Western’s investment advisory operations, including equities, fixed income, alternatives, and hard assets.  On this episode, they discuss what Chris learned while working at a hedge fund, how True North selects and underwrites GP sponsors. They chat about capital allocation decisions in today's market, best practices when thinking about wealth management, and Chris' thoughts on the market. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:58) - Chris’ Career with Q Investments & the Hedge Fund industry (05:27) - How Hedge Funds Determine Where To Focus Their Attention and When to Move Along (12:15)  - Transition into Wealth Management and Chris’ Current Role with True North (22:25) - What is a Multi-series LP? (24:20) - The Difference Between Private & Public Investments (28:35) - How do you identify good portfolio managers? (38:38) - What are things that are immediate No’s for you? (45:36) - What are some reasons companies want to get into a larger fund? (47:51) - How are some people so good at raising money without a track record? (50:03) - How much time do you spend on references? (52:35) - How much weight goes into due diligence when you are familiar with other folks in a deal? (55:43) - How do you underwrite hedge fund managers vs. private investment managers? (56:52) - How do you think about deal structures? (1:00:47) - How do you think about the movement behind the democratization of capital? (1:03:33) - Does more alpha exist in direct deals than anything public? (1:04:18) - How do you think about capital allocation? (1:10:54) - Is there any reason that would cause you to not continue investing in specific funds? (1:13:24) - What are your thoughts on the current market? (1:21:06) - Final Thoughts on True North and Working With Entrepreneurs The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 20 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0000 #193: Chris Pate - Managing Director of True North Advisors - A Masterclass in Capital Allocation full 1 193 Chris Powers Chris Pate, Managing Director of independent wealth management firm True North Advisors, spent the first 11 years of his career at a multi-strategy hedge fund. Prior to True North Advisors, Chris spent 8 years managing the investment activities... Chris Pate, Managing Director of independent wealth management firm True North Advisors, spent the first 11 years of his career at a multi-strategy hedge fund. Prior to True North Advisors, Chris spent 8 years managing the investment activities for Western Commerce Group in Fort Worth. Chris oversaw both public markets and private investments within Western’s investment advisory operations, including equities, fixed income, alternatives, and hard assets.  On this episode, they discuss what Chris learned while working at a hedge fund, how True North selects and underwrites GP sponsors. They chat about capital allocation decisions in today's market, best practices when thinking about wealth management, and Chris' thoughts on the market. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:58) - Chris’ Career with Q Investments & the Hedge Fund industry (05:27) - How Hedge Funds Determine Where To Focus Their Attention and When to Move Along (12:15)  - Transition into Wealth Management and Chris’ Current Role with True North (22:25) - What is a Multi-series LP? (24:20) - The Difference Between Private & Public Investments (28:35) - How do you identify good portfolio managers? (38:38) - What are things that are immediate No’s for you? (45:36) - What are some reasons companies want to get into a larger fund? (47:51) - How are some people so good at raising money without a track record? (50:03) - How much time do you spend on references? (52:35) - How much weight goes into due diligence when you are familiar with other folks in a deal? (55:43) - How do you underwrite hedge fund managers vs. private investment managers? (56:52) - How do you think about deal structures? (1:00:47) - How do you think about the movement behind the democratization of capital? (1:03:33) - Does more alpha exist in direct deals than anything public? (1:04:18) - How do you think about capital allocation? (1:10:54) - Is there any reason that would cause you to not continue investing in specific funds? (1:13:24) - What are your thoughts on the current market? (1:21:06) - Final Thoughts on True North and Working With Entrepreneurs The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Chris Pate, Managing Director of independent wealth management firm True North Advisors, spent the first 11 years of his career at a multi-strategy hedge fund. Prior to True North Advisors, Chris spent 8 years managing the investment activities for Western Commerce Group in Fort Worth. Chris oversaw both public markets and private investments within Western’s investment advisory operations, including equities, fixed income, alternatives, and hard assets. 

On this episode, they discuss what Chris learned while working at a hedge fund, how True North selects and underwrites GP sponsors. They chat about capital allocation decisions in today's market, best practices when thinking about wealth management, and Chris' thoughts on the market.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:58) - Chris’ Career with Q Investments & the Hedge Fund industry

(05:27) - How Hedge Funds Determine Where To Focus Their Attention and When to Move Along

(12:15)  - Transition into Wealth Management and Chris’ Current Role with True North

(22:25) - What is a Multi-series LP?

(24:20) - The Difference Between Private & Public Investments

(28:35) - How do you identify good portfolio managers?

(38:38) - What are things that are immediate No’s for you?

(45:36) - What are some reasons companies want to get into a larger fund?

(47:51) - How are some people so good at raising money without a track record?

(50:03) - How much time do you spend on references?

(52:35) - How much weight goes into due diligence when you are familiar with other folks in a deal?

(55:43) - How do you underwrite hedge fund managers vs. private investment managers?

(56:52) - How do you think about deal structures?

(1:00:47) - How do you think about the movement behind the democratization of capital?

(1:03:33) - Does more alpha exist in direct deals than anything public?

(1:04:18) - How do you think about capital allocation?

(1:10:54) - Is there any reason that would cause you to not continue investing in specific funds?

(1:13:24) - What are your thoughts on the current market?

(1:21:06) - Final Thoughts on True North and Working With Entrepreneurs

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5322 no RE #192: Tyron McDaniel - Owner of Houston Vintage Homes - A leader on a mission to build Affordable Housing for all https://www.TheFortPod.com Tyron McDaniel is the Owner of Houston Vintage Homes, focused on the Design & Development of Affordable Housing in inner-city communities around the country. With a keen eye for design and historical context, Tyron works with multiple cities and coaches, mentors investors, home builders, and developers from around the country in creating affordable housing solutions to meet the ever-growing need for more affordable housing.  On this episode, Chris and Tyron chat about how Tyron is using his platform to get younger generations interested in service trades, his life mission, and opinions on how to make housing more affordable, at scale. It is a thoughtful conversation about building affordable housing that helps create a positive impact in communities. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Tyron on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/TyronMcDaniel Urban Vintage Designs (02:31) - Tyron’s Background and Career (04:27) - Tyron’s Work in Inner-City Houston (08:27)  - What are you doing differently with these homes that no one else wants? (12:05) - What are you doing with the homes when you’ve finished renovating? (15:26) - Is there something that happens where people start to notice a neighborhood is prime to develop around and are wanting to buy there? (18:01) - Tyron’s Urban Builder School (25:58) - How early do you need to get involved in these inner-city kids’ lives before they head down the wrong path? (27:38) - What does the definition of affordable housing mean to you? (28:56) - What’s your process for underwriting a tenant in the communities you work in? (31:54) - Do prisons give ex-cons any kind of statement that they were “good” people inside? (34:48) - How do you finance your properties? (36:05) - What are some obvious housing changes that we need at the political level? (39:33) - What are you seeing in the market in regards to rising costs and inflation? (41:52) - Are there specifics that you implement into your projects to keep your costs low? (49:02) - How do you think about setting your rents? (53:27) - What are your thoughts on gentrification? (57:41) - A Discussion on the Trades (1:00:45) - Do you have a childhood experience that changed the trajectory of your life? (1:03:38) - What’s the advice you’ve been given? (1:04:34) - Is there a book that’s had an impact on you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 18 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #192: Tyron McDaniel - Owner of Houston Vintage Homes - A leader on a mission to build Affordable Housing for all full 1 192 Chris Powers Tyron McDaniel is the Owner of Houston Vintage Homes, focused on the Design & Development of Affordable Housing in inner-city communities around the country. With a keen eye for design and historical context, Tyron works with multiple cities and... Tyron McDaniel is the Owner of Houston Vintage Homes, focused on the Design & Development of Affordable Housing in inner-city communities around the country. With a keen eye for design and historical context, Tyron works with multiple cities and coaches, mentors investors, home builders, and developers from around the country in creating affordable housing solutions to meet the ever-growing need for more affordable housing.  On this episode, Chris and Tyron chat about how Tyron is using his platform to get younger generations interested in service trades, his life mission, and opinions on how to make housing more affordable, at scale. It is a thoughtful conversation about building affordable housing that helps create a positive impact in communities. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Tyron on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/TyronMcDaniel Urban Vintage Designs (02:31) - Tyron’s Background and Career (04:27) - Tyron’s Work in Inner-City Houston (08:27)  - What are you doing differently with these homes that no one else wants? (12:05) - What are you doing with the homes when you’ve finished renovating? (15:26) - Is there something that happens where people start to notice a neighborhood is prime to develop around and are wanting to buy there? (18:01) - Tyron’s Urban Builder School (25:58) - How early do you need to get involved in these inner-city kids’ lives before they head down the wrong path? (27:38) - What does the definition of affordable housing mean to you? (28:56) - What’s your process for underwriting a tenant in the communities you work in? (31:54) - Do prisons give ex-cons any kind of statement that they were “good” people inside? (34:48) - How do you finance your properties? (36:05) - What are some obvious housing changes that we need at the political level? (39:33) - What are you seeing in the market in regards to rising costs and inflation? (41:52) - Are there specifics that you implement into your projects to keep your costs low? (49:02) - How do you think about setting your rents? (53:27) - What are your thoughts on gentrification? (57:41) - A Discussion on the Trades (1:00:45) - Do you have a childhood experience that changed the trajectory of your life? (1:03:38) - What’s the advice you’ve been given? (1:04:34) - Is there a book that’s had an impact on you? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tyron McDaniel is the Owner of Houston Vintage Homes, focused on the Design & Development of Affordable Housing in inner-city communities around the country. With a keen eye for design and historical context, Tyron works with multiple cities and coaches, mentors investors, home builders, and developers from around the country in creating affordable housing solutions to meet the ever-growing need for more affordable housing. 

On this episode, Chris and Tyron chat about how Tyron is using his platform to get younger generations interested in service trades, his life mission, and opinions on how to make housing more affordable, at scale. It is a thoughtful conversation about building affordable housing that helps create a positive impact in communities. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Tyron on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/TyronMcDaniel

Urban Vintage Designs

(02:31) - Tyron’s Background and Career

(04:27) - Tyron’s Work in Inner-City Houston

(08:27)  - What are you doing differently with these homes that no one else wants?

(12:05) - What are you doing with the homes when you’ve finished renovating?

(15:26) - Is there something that happens where people start to notice a neighborhood is prime to develop around and are wanting to buy there?

(18:01) - Tyron’s Urban Builder School

(25:58) - How early do you need to get involved in these inner-city kids’ lives before they head down the wrong path?

(27:38) - What does the definition of affordable housing mean to you?

(28:56) - What’s your process for underwriting a tenant in the communities you work in?

(31:54) - Do prisons give ex-cons any kind of statement that they were “good” people inside?

(34:48) - How do you finance your properties?

(36:05) - What are some obvious housing changes that we need at the political level?

(39:33) - What are you seeing in the market in regards to rising costs and inflation?

(41:52) - Are there specifics that you implement into your projects to keep your costs low?

(49:02) - How do you think about setting your rents?

(53:27) - What are your thoughts on gentrification?

(57:41) - A Discussion on the Trades

(1:00:45) - Do you have a childhood experience that changed the trajectory of your life?

(1:03:38) - What’s the advice you’ve been given?

(1:04:34) - Is there a book that’s had an impact on you?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4215 no RE #191: Chris Powers - Real Estate Rant on Industrial, Office, and Capital Markets Heading into 2022 https://www.TheFortPod.com On this solo episode, Chris provides an update on industrial fundamentals and how they're holding up to date. He also deep dives into interesting things he is thinking about by way of capital markets and provides insight into what the office data is saying. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Links: Sean Dalfin on The Fort Chris Powers on Why Texas Topics: (02:30) - Thoughts on Industrial for 2022 (04:28) - The Fundamentals of Industrial - Location Premium (6:45) - Class B: A Diminishing Portion Of The Industrial Stock (8:59) - Accelerated Rent Growth & Increasing Tenant Demand (11:10) - Capex Requirements and Operating Expenses Are Changing (12:10) - Is having multiple tenants better than having one tenant? (12:34) - Does there continue to be portfolio premiums? (13:27) - Just In Case Inventory (14:38) - Industrial Price Increases Across Texas & Non-Texas Markets (16:34) - Transaction Volume Increases, E-commerce & CapEx (18:54) - Thoughts on Office (21:34) - The Great Game of Chicken With WFH (24:38) - Thoughts on Commercial Real Estate (25:33) - Dry Powder, Open and Closed Funds, Mega-Funds, and Allocations From Pensions and Institutions (28:18) - Family Offices & Non-Listed REIT Fundraising (30:10) - Debt & Lending (31:30) - (non) Distress in the Private Markets and Cap Rate Compression  (32:20) - Debt Pricing & Proptech (33:50) - Migration (37:32) - Market Liquidity, Inflation, Net Profits interests and Industry Leverage (40:57) - Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 11 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #191: Chris Powers - Real Estate Rant on Industrial, Office, and Capital Markets Heading into 2022 full 1 191 Chris Powers On this solo episode, Chris provides an update on industrial fundamentals and how they're holding up to date. He also deep dives into interesting things he is thinking about by way of capital markets and provides insight into what the office data is... On this solo episode, Chris provides an update on industrial fundamentals and how they're holding up to date. He also deep dives into interesting things he is thinking about by way of capital markets and provides insight into what the office data is saying. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Links: Sean Dalfin on The Fort Chris Powers on Why Texas Topics: (02:30) - Thoughts on Industrial for 2022 (04:28) - The Fundamentals of Industrial - Location Premium (6:45) - Class B: A Diminishing Portion Of The Industrial Stock (8:59) - Accelerated Rent Growth & Increasing Tenant Demand (11:10) - Capex Requirements and Operating Expenses Are Changing (12:10) - Is having multiple tenants better than having one tenant? (12:34) - Does there continue to be portfolio premiums? (13:27) - Just In Case Inventory (14:38) - Industrial Price Increases Across Texas & Non-Texas Markets (16:34) - Transaction Volume Increases, E-commerce & CapEx (18:54) - Thoughts on Office (21:34) - The Great Game of Chicken With WFH (24:38) - Thoughts on Commercial Real Estate (25:33) - Dry Powder, Open and Closed Funds, Mega-Funds, and Allocations From Pensions and Institutions (28:18) - Family Offices & Non-Listed REIT Fundraising (30:10) - Debt & Lending (31:30) - (non) Distress in the Private Markets and Cap Rate Compression  (32:20) - Debt Pricing & Proptech (33:50) - Migration (37:32) - Market Liquidity, Inflation, Net Profits interests and Industry Leverage (40:57) - Final Thoughts The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts On this solo episode, Chris provides an update on industrial fundamentals and how they're holding up to date. He also deep dives into interesting things he is thinking about by way of capital markets and provides insight into what the office data is saying. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Links:

Sean Dalfin on The Fort

Chris Powers on Why Texas

Topics:

(02:30) - Thoughts on Industrial for 2022

(04:28) - The Fundamentals of Industrial - Location Premium

(6:45) - Class B: A Diminishing Portion Of The Industrial Stock

(8:59) - Accelerated Rent Growth & Increasing Tenant Demand

(11:10) - Capex Requirements and Operating Expenses Are Changing

(12:10) - Is having multiple tenants better than having one tenant?

(12:34) - Does there continue to be portfolio premiums?

(13:27) - Just In Case Inventory

(14:38) - Industrial Price Increases Across Texas & Non-Texas Markets

(16:34) - Transaction Volume Increases, E-commerce & CapEx

(18:54) - Thoughts on Office

(21:34) - The Great Game of Chicken With WFH

(24:38) - Thoughts on Commercial Real Estate

(25:33) - Dry Powder, Open and Closed Funds, Mega-Funds, and Allocations From Pensions and Institutions

(28:18) - Family Offices & Non-Listed REIT Fundraising

(30:10) - Debt & Lending

(31:30) - (non) Distress in the Private Markets and Cap Rate Compression 

(32:20) - Debt Pricing & Proptech

(33:50) - Migration

(37:32) - Market Liquidity, Inflation, Net Profits interests and Industry Leverage

(40:57) - Final Thoughts

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2570 no RE #190: Riaz Taplin - Founder of Riaz Capital - Do Well, Do Good - Developing a Billion Dollar Microliving Empire in the Bay Area https://www.TheFortPod.com Principal & Founder Riaz Taplin has been thinking about workforce housing for most of his professional life. Growing up in a real estate family, Riaz detoured early in his career from the family business to develop his own style by founding a design/build firm and developing over 50 ultra-luxury residences in the Bay Area. In successive projects and ventures, Riaz explored co-living, adaptive reuse micro-units, student housing, and traditional ground-up construction – all of which led to the firm’s custom workforce housing solution – the Micro-Living Studio.  Riaz leads Riaz Capital, a vertically integrated workforce housing developer and institutional-grade sponsor with a core team of over fifty professionals managing a portfolio of over 1,300 units, and with over 1,000 residences in the pipeline.  On this episode, Chris and Riaz discuss developing amazing projects in 30 months or less, how Riaz Capital builds units that are 28% more affordable than the competition. They deep dive on why design matters and why the Bay Area matters and will be a strong market for decades to come. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Links: Riaz on LinkedIn Riaz Capital  Topics: (04:10) - Riaz’s Background and Career (12:24) - What is Microliving? (15:12) - How are you able to build these developments in 30 months when other deals take 7 years? (21:22) - Do you self-perform GC? (24:24) - How does zoning work in your market? (27:20) - Affordability Without Public Subsidizing (28:19) - Riaz’s ‘Simple Build’ Model (32:09) - Family households have dropped 69% to 29%, what does that mean for you? (35:54) - What do these units look like inside? (40:34) - Do tenants have to put a deposit down since the unit is pre-furnished? (41:34) - How do people getting into the industry get furniture designed for units? (42:43) - How do you design the layout of your units? (46:35) - Are we headed into a world where everything is smaller and more efficient? (50:39) - What are most people still getting wrong with apartment development? (53:28) - What would you change immediately that would make housing more attainable at scale? (56:10) - Why is the Bay Area still really important at a time when people are trying to write it off? (1:00:52) - Raising Capital, Funds & Opportunity Zones (1:11:33) - Wrap Up The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 04 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0000 RE #190: Riaz Taplin - Founder of Riaz Capital - Do Well, Do Good - Developing a Billion Dollar Microliving Empire in the Bay Area full 1 190 Chris Powers Principal & Founder Riaz Taplin has been thinking about workforce housing for most of his professional life. Growing up in a real estate family, Riaz detoured early in his career from the family business to develop his own style by founding a... Principal & Founder Riaz Taplin has been thinking about workforce housing for most of his professional life. Growing up in a real estate family, Riaz detoured early in his career from the family business to develop his own style by founding a design/build firm and developing over 50 ultra-luxury residences in the Bay Area. In successive projects and ventures, Riaz explored co-living, adaptive reuse micro-units, student housing, and traditional ground-up construction – all of which led to the firm’s custom workforce housing solution – the Micro-Living Studio.  Riaz leads Riaz Capital, a vertically integrated workforce housing developer and institutional-grade sponsor with a core team of over fifty professionals managing a portfolio of over 1,300 units, and with over 1,000 residences in the pipeline.  On this episode, Chris and Riaz discuss developing amazing projects in 30 months or less, how Riaz Capital builds units that are 28% more affordable than the competition. They deep dive on why design matters and why the Bay Area matters and will be a strong market for decades to come. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Links: Riaz on LinkedIn Riaz Capital  Topics: (04:10) - Riaz’s Background and Career (12:24) - What is Microliving? (15:12) - How are you able to build these developments in 30 months when other deals take 7 years? (21:22) - Do you self-perform GC? (24:24) - How does zoning work in your market? (27:20) - Affordability Without Public Subsidizing (28:19) - Riaz’s ‘Simple Build’ Model (32:09) - Family households have dropped 69% to 29%, what does that mean for you? (35:54) - What do these units look like inside? (40:34) - Do tenants have to put a deposit down since the unit is pre-furnished? (41:34) - How do people getting into the industry get furniture designed for units? (42:43) - How do you design the layout of your units? (46:35) - Are we headed into a world where everything is smaller and more efficient? (50:39) - What are most people still getting wrong with apartment development? (53:28) - What would you change immediately that would make housing more attainable at scale? (56:10) - Why is the Bay Area still really important at a time when people are trying to write it off? (1:00:52) - Raising Capital, Funds & Opportunity Zones (1:11:33) - Wrap Up The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris and Riaz discuss developing amazing projects in 30 months or less, how Riaz Capital builds units that are 28% more affordable than the competition. They deep dive on why design matters and why the Bay Area matters and will be a strong market for decades to come. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Links:

Riaz on LinkedIn

Riaz Capital 

Topics:

(04:10) - Riaz’s Background and Career

(12:24) - What is Microliving?

(15:12) - How are you able to build these developments in 30 months when other deals take 7 years?

(21:22) - Do you self-perform GC?

(24:24) - How does zoning work in your market?

(27:20) - Affordability Without Public Subsidizing

(28:19) - Riaz’s ‘Simple Build’ Model

(32:09) - Family households have dropped 69% to 29%, what does that mean for you?

(35:54) - What do these units look like inside?

(40:34) - Do tenants have to put a deposit down since the unit is pre-furnished?

(41:34) - How do people getting into the industry get furniture designed for units?

(42:43) - How do you design the layout of your units?

(46:35) - Are we headed into a world where everything is smaller and more efficient?

(50:39) - What are most people still getting wrong with apartment development?

(53:28) - What would you change immediately that would make housing more attainable at scale?

(56:10) - Why is the Bay Area still really important at a time when people are trying to write it off?

(1:00:52) - Raising Capital, Funds & Opportunity Zones

(1:11:33) - Wrap Up

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4438 no RE #189: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood https://www.TheFortPod.com Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:47) -  Mike's Background and Career (07:22) - The Story of Hillwood (10:02) - How Alliance was Conceived (15:23) - Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world? (17:50) - What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation? (21:22) - Was the Alliance vision originally to become a city? (25:05) - Mike’s job as part of this growth and how he's changed as a leader over time (28:59) - Alliances Mobility Innovation Zone (35:31) - Why DFW/Hillwood Offers More For This Type of Testing Than Other Testing Sites (38:47) - Freight and Human Capital in Autonomous Driving and Autonomous Vehicles (43:45) - What’s it like inside like these forward thinking businesses like Amazon? (47:31) - What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking? (50:01) - The Talent at Hillwood and Adapting to These Changes (51:53) - The Trends in Residential Living and How They Are Changing  (59:37) - How have you been able to balance your family and work? (1:01:13) - What advice would you give your 21 year-old self?  (1:04:25) - Is there anyone you look up to? (1:07:31) - Picking Sides in Today's Society and The Amount of People Work That Goes into Building a Building  (1:11:04) - The NextDoor Analogy with Determining Market Demand and How it Slows The Process   The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 28 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #189: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood full 1 189 Chris Powers Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the... Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:47) -  Mike's Background and Career (07:22) - The Story of Hillwood (10:02) - How Alliance was Conceived (15:23) - Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world? (17:50) - What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation? (21:22) - Was the Alliance vision originally to become a city? (25:05) - Mike’s job as part of this growth and how he's changed as a leader over time (28:59) - Alliances Mobility Innovation Zone (35:31) - Why DFW/Hillwood Offers More For This Type of Testing Than Other Testing Sites (38:47) - Freight and Human Capital in Autonomous Driving and Autonomous Vehicles (43:45) - What’s it like inside like these forward thinking businesses like Amazon? (47:31) - What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking? (50:01) - The Talent at Hillwood and Adapting to These Changes (51:53) - The Trends in Residential Living and How They Are Changing  (59:37) - How have you been able to balance your family and work? (1:01:13) - What advice would you give your 21 year-old self?  (1:04:25) - Is there anyone you look up to? (1:07:31) - Picking Sides in Today's Society and The Amount of People Work That Goes into Building a Building  (1:11:04) - The NextDoor Analogy with Determining Market Demand and How it Slows The Process   The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(02:47) -  Mike's Background and Career

(07:22) - The Story of Hillwood

(10:02) - How Alliance was Conceived

(15:23) - Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world?

(17:50) - What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation?

(21:22) - Was the Alliance vision originally to become a city?

(25:05) - Mike’s job as part of this growth and how he's changed as a leader over time

(28:59) - Alliances Mobility Innovation Zone

(35:31) - Why DFW/Hillwood Offers More For This Type of Testing Than Other Testing Sites

(38:47) - Freight and Human Capital in Autonomous Driving and Autonomous Vehicles

(43:45) - What’s it like inside like these forward thinking businesses like Amazon?

(47:31) - What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking?

(50:01) - The Talent at Hillwood and Adapting to These Changes

(51:53) - The Trends in Residential Living and How They Are Changing 

(59:37) - How have you been able to balance your family and work?

(1:01:13) - What advice would you give your 21 year-old self? 

(1:04:25) - Is there anyone you look up to?

(1:07:31) - Picking Sides in Today's Society and The Amount of People Work That Goes into Building a Building 

(1:11:04) - The NextDoor Analogy with Determining Market Demand and How it Slows The Process  

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4583 no RE #188 BONUS: Chris Powers & Eric Jorgenson on Jorgenson's Soundbox https://www.TheFortPod.com Happy Holidays! We wanted to co-launch a special episode where Chris was interviewed by Eric Jorgenson (guest on episode #152) on Eric's show: Jorgenson's Soundbox. Enjoy! Links:  Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fortworthchris The Fort Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dLKPVTiXWmrFwd43iN2LZ  Chris Powers & Pete Chambers Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X8vKyUIQaIxV5Mr9J5KMv Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Social-Sectors-Business/dp/0977326403/ref=sr_1_4?hvadid=241662136256&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9027256&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7276001728265049979&hvtargid=kwd-362385377706&hydadcr=21909_10171323&keywords=good+to+great%27+by+jim+collins&qid=1639750831&sr=8-4 Owned and Operated Podcast w/ Chris Powers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/21-chris-powers-building-%24600mm-commercial-real-estate/id1560999545?i=1000527344852 Fort Ventures: https://www.fort-ventures.com/ Topics: (3:52) - Who are your heroes? (7:56) - Chris’ upbringing & his father’s impact on him (20:47) - Chris starting his career in RE at age 17 (26:17) - Reflecting on the ’08 financial crisis (35:02) - What was your next big inflection point after graduating college in 2008? (41:02) - You can’t scale when you’re not clear on your path (47:52) - The results of learning to focus (59:22) - What’s role does Fort play in your investor’s portfolios? (1:05:41) - How does an investor recoup their money? (1:09:26) - Compounding business with online content and media (1:13:20) - The divergence of focusing the mission of Fort Capital and the mission of Chris Powers (1:19:31) - What is your day to day like now? (1:25:00) - Chris’ VC investing exposure (1:31:11) - What’s the end goal for you? (1:42:27) - What is the most foundational principle you can offer all entrepreneurs? Tue, 21 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #188 BONUS: Chris Powers & Eric Jorgenson on Jorgenson's Soundbox bonus 1 188 Chris Powers Happy Holidays! We wanted to co-launch a special episode where Chris was interviewed by Eric Jorgenson (guest on ) on Eric's show: Enjoy!  In the last episode, we discussed alternative assets, and in this episode, we take a deep dive into the... Happy Holidays! We wanted to co-launch a special episode where Chris was interviewed by Eric Jorgenson (guest on episode #152) on Eric's show: Jorgenson's Soundbox. Enjoy! Links:  Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fortworthchris The Fort Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dLKPVTiXWmrFwd43iN2LZ  Chris Powers & Pete Chambers Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X8vKyUIQaIxV5Mr9J5KMv Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Social-Sectors-Business/dp/0977326403/ref=sr_1_4?hvadid=241662136256&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9027256&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7276001728265049979&hvtargid=kwd-362385377706&hydadcr=21909_10171323&keywords=good+to+great%27+by+jim+collins&qid=1639750831&sr=8-4 Owned and Operated Podcast w/ Chris Powers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/21-chris-powers-building-%24600mm-commercial-real-estate/id1560999545?i=1000527344852 Fort Ventures: https://www.fort-ventures.com/ Topics: (3:52) - Who are your heroes? (7:56) - Chris’ upbringing & his father’s impact on him (20:47) - Chris starting his career in RE at age 17 (26:17) - Reflecting on the ’08 financial crisis (35:02) - What was your next big inflection point after graduating college in 2008? (41:02) - You can’t scale when you’re not clear on your path (47:52) - The results of learning to focus (59:22) - What’s role does Fort play in your investor’s portfolios? (1:05:41) - How does an investor recoup their money? (1:09:26) - Compounding business with online content and media (1:13:20) - The divergence of focusing the mission of Fort Capital and the mission of Chris Powers (1:19:31) - What is your day to day like now? (1:25:00) - Chris’ VC investing exposure (1:31:11) - What’s the end goal for you? (1:42:27) - What is the most foundational principle you can offer all entrepreneurs? Happy Holidays! We wanted to co-launch a special episode where Chris was interviewed by Eric Jorgenson (guest on episode #152) on Eric's show: Jorgenson's Soundbox. Enjoy!


Links: 

Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fortworthchris

The Fort Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dLKPVTiXWmrFwd43iN2LZ 

Chris Powers & Pete Chambers Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X8vKyUIQaIxV5Mr9J5KMv

Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Social-Sectors-Business/dp/0977326403/ref=sr_1_4?hvadid=241662136256&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9027256&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7276001728265049979&hvtargid=kwd-362385377706&hydadcr=21909_10171323&keywords=good+to+great%27+by+jim+collins&qid=1639750831&sr=8-4

Owned and Operated Podcast w/ Chris Powers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/21-chris-powers-building-%24600mm-commercial-real-estate/id1560999545?i=1000527344852

Fort Ventures: https://www.fort-ventures.com/

Topics:

(3:52) - Who are your heroes?

(7:56) - Chris’ upbringing & his father’s impact on him

(20:47) - Chris starting his career in RE at age 17

(26:17) - Reflecting on the ’08 financial crisis

(35:02) - What was your next big inflection point after graduating college in 2008?

(41:02) - You can’t scale when you’re not clear on your path

(47:52) - The results of learning to focus

(59:22) - What’s role does Fort play in your investor’s portfolios?

(1:05:41) - How does an investor recoup their money?

(1:09:26) - Compounding business with online content and media

(1:13:20) - The divergence of focusing the mission of Fort Capital and the mission of Chris Powers

(1:19:31) - What is your day to day like now?

(1:25:00) - Chris’ VC investing exposure

(1:31:11) - What’s the end goal for you?

(1:42:27) - What is the most foundational principle you can offer all entrepreneurs?

]]> 6451 no #187: Colin Landforce - CTO of Unrivaled Brands - Cannabis Industry 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com Colin Landforce is an entrepreneur and tactical leader with more than 10 years of experience in regulated and emerging consumer product spaces. With deep experience at the intersection of recreational cannabis and CPG, Colin’s thought leadership is widely recognized both inside and out of the cannabis industry. At Unrivaled, Colin drives process and technology innovation, enabling teams and developing proprietary B2B tools and consumer experiences. On this episode, Chris and Colin deep dive into Colin's career beginning with how he got into the Cannabis industry and his first acquisition. They discuss the ins and out of the Cannabis world including what makes a top-shelf Cannabis brand and risks in the industry.  (01:45) - Colin’s Career and Getting into the Cannabis Industry (4:24) - What was your early team like as distributors? (7:02) - Were you primarily selling bulk flower or did you convert them into edibles and oils? (7:35) - What does it cost to make a pre-roll and then what does it wholesale and retail for? (8:35) - What matters when you’re making deals with growers? (10:36) - Do most growers grow outdoors or indoors? (12:09) - Why is indoor growing harder to scale? (13:32) - What checks and balances do growers go through in order to make sure the customer is getting the correct product? (14:55) - How is THC measured? (15:56) - Was there an inflection point where you wanted to grow the company and where did that happen? (18:00) - What are ‘brands’ in cannabis? Sticks Cabana Korova (19:19) - What makes a top-shelf cannabis brand? (20:35) - How did you finance the business early on? (22:34) - Can you get lines of credit or traditional loans? (23:10) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make the industry more bank-friendly? (24:28) - How do you value cannabis companies when thinking about M&A? (25:49) - Colin's First Acquisition (26:41) - Cannabis Extraction (27:47) - What does your line of products look like? (28:47) - How do you get products you can’t make yourself? (29:14) - Colin’s Latest Acquisition & ‘Going Public’ (30:48) - What are the different asset classes in Cannabis? (32:15) - Licensing in Cannabis (33:12) - Medicinal vs. Recreational (35:02) - Non-plant touching companies being allowed on the NASDAQ (35:42) - What is your role as CTO? (37:46) - Creating a Brand Within a Culture vs. One in an Agency (40:14) - Who is your typical customer? (41:29) - What are your thoughts on the boomer generation and their relationship with cannabis? (43:22) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risks in the industry? (44:24) - Is there anything on the horizon that excites you in the next 12-24 months? (46:45) - When do you predict federal legalization? (47:06) - Is CBD a placebo? (49:55) - Is there anything being created in the market that can get rid of someone’s high? (50:56) - Colin’s Experience as a Music Manager (53:47) - Colin’s Email Hack and How To Be Better At It (56:16) -  How can people find you? Colin on Twitter Podcast - Tab Talk The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 16 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0000 #187: Colin Landforce - CTO of Unrivaled Brands - Cannabis Industry 101 full 1 187 Chris Powers Colin Landforce is an entrepreneur and tactical leader with more than 10 years of experience in regulated and emerging consumer product spaces. With deep experience at the intersection of recreational cannabis and CPG, Colin’s thought leadership is... Colin Landforce is an entrepreneur and tactical leader with more than 10 years of experience in regulated and emerging consumer product spaces. With deep experience at the intersection of recreational cannabis and CPG, Colin’s thought leadership is widely recognized both inside and out of the cannabis industry. At Unrivaled, Colin drives process and technology innovation, enabling teams and developing proprietary B2B tools and consumer experiences. On this episode, Chris and Colin deep dive into Colin's career beginning with how he got into the Cannabis industry and his first acquisition. They discuss the ins and out of the Cannabis world including what makes a top-shelf Cannabis brand and risks in the industry.  (01:45) - Colin’s Career and Getting into the Cannabis Industry (4:24) - What was your early team like as distributors? (7:02) - Were you primarily selling bulk flower or did you convert them into edibles and oils? (7:35) - What does it cost to make a pre-roll and then what does it wholesale and retail for? (8:35) - What matters when you’re making deals with growers? (10:36) - Do most growers grow outdoors or indoors? (12:09) - Why is indoor growing harder to scale? (13:32) - What checks and balances do growers go through in order to make sure the customer is getting the correct product? (14:55) - How is THC measured? (15:56) - Was there an inflection point where you wanted to grow the company and where did that happen? (18:00) - What are ‘brands’ in cannabis? Sticks Cabana Korova (19:19) - What makes a top-shelf cannabis brand? (20:35) - How did you finance the business early on? (22:34) - Can you get lines of credit or traditional loans? (23:10) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make the industry more bank-friendly? (24:28) - How do you value cannabis companies when thinking about M&A? (25:49) - Colin's First Acquisition (26:41) - Cannabis Extraction (27:47) - What does your line of products look like? (28:47) - How do you get products you can’t make yourself? (29:14) - Colin’s Latest Acquisition & ‘Going Public’ (30:48) - What are the different asset classes in Cannabis? (32:15) - Licensing in Cannabis (33:12) - Medicinal vs. Recreational (35:02) - Non-plant touching companies being allowed on the NASDAQ (35:42) - What is your role as CTO? (37:46) - Creating a Brand Within a Culture vs. One in an Agency (40:14) - Who is your typical customer? (41:29) - What are your thoughts on the boomer generation and their relationship with cannabis? (43:22) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risks in the industry? (44:24) - Is there anything on the horizon that excites you in the next 12-24 months? (46:45) - When do you predict federal legalization? (47:06) - Is CBD a placebo? (49:55) - Is there anything being created in the market that can get rid of someone’s high? (50:56) - Colin’s Experience as a Music Manager (53:47) - Colin’s Email Hack and How To Be Better At It (56:16) -  How can people find you? Colin on Twitter Podcast - Tab Talk The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Colin Landforce is an entrepreneur and tactical leader with more than 10 years of experience in regulated and emerging consumer product spaces. With deep experience at the intersection of recreational cannabis and CPG, Colin’s thought leadership is widely recognized both inside and out of the cannabis industry. At Unrivaled, Colin drives process and technology innovation, enabling teams and developing proprietary B2B tools and consumer experiences.

On this episode, Chris and Colin deep dive into Colin's career beginning with how he got into the Cannabis industry and his first acquisition. They discuss the ins and out of the Cannabis world including what makes a top-shelf Cannabis brand and risks in the industry. 

(01:45) - Colin’s Career and Getting into the Cannabis Industry

(4:24) - What was your early team like as distributors?

(7:02) - Were you primarily selling bulk flower or did you convert them into edibles and oils?

(7:35) - What does it cost to make a pre-roll and then what does it wholesale and retail for?

(8:35) - What matters when you’re making deals with growers?

(10:36) - Do most growers grow outdoors or indoors?

(12:09) - Why is indoor growing harder to scale?

(13:32) - What checks and balances do growers go through in order to make sure the customer is getting the correct product?

(14:55) - How is THC measured?

(15:56) - Was there an inflection point where you wanted to grow the company and where did that happen?

(18:00) - What are ‘brands’ in cannabis?

Sticks

Cabana

Korova

(19:19) - What makes a top-shelf cannabis brand?

(20:35) - How did you finance the business early on?

(22:34) - Can you get lines of credit or traditional loans?

(23:10) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make the industry more bank-friendly?

(24:28) - How do you value cannabis companies when thinking about M&A?

(25:49) - Colin's First Acquisition

(26:41) - Cannabis Extraction

(27:47) - What does your line of products look like?

(28:47) - How do you get products you can’t make yourself?

(29:14) - Colin’s Latest Acquisition & ‘Going Public’

(30:48) - What are the different asset classes in Cannabis?

(32:15) - Licensing in Cannabis

(33:12) - Medicinal vs. Recreational

(35:02) - Non-plant touching companies being allowed on the NASDAQ

(35:42) - What is your role as CTO?

(37:46) - Creating a Brand Within a Culture vs. One in an Agency

(40:14) - Who is your typical customer?

(41:29) - What are your thoughts on the boomer generation and their relationship with cannabis?

(43:22) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risks in the industry?

(44:24) - Is there anything on the horizon that excites you in the next 12-24 months?

(46:45) - When do you predict federal legalization?

(47:06) - Is CBD a placebo?

(49:55) - Is there anything being created in the market that can get rid of someone’s high?

(50:56) - Colin’s Experience as a Music Manager

(53:47) - Colin’s Email Hack and How To Be Better At It

(56:16) -  How can people find you?

Colin on Twitter

Podcast - Tab Talk

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3541 no RE #186: Moses Kagan - Part 2 | On Value-Add MF, A New Core Strategy, ReConvene, Los Angeles, and How He's Looking at The World https://www.TheFortPod.com Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. Moses joins Chris for his third appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this two-part episode, they discuss the decision to not deploy a fund he raised in early 2020 and his new core strategy. They also explore rent control vs non-rent control. How he talks to his family about wealth and potentially taking over his business, learnings from ReConvene, and where we go from here.... Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:31) - A Discussion on Rent Control (09:25) - Defining Moses’ New Buying Strategy (20:36) -  How have you thought about growing your business over the next decade?  (26:32) - How are you thinking about leaving the businesses to your kids? What if they don’t want to go into it? (35:50) - Thoughts on Growing Third Party Property Management  (38:38) - Is there anything keeping you up at night?  (42:13) - The Slowing Rate of Development (46:01) - Our Collective Tolerance for Emergency (48:28) - If I gave you $1B to put to work by the end of the year where would it go? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts. Tue, 14 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #186: Moses Kagan - Part 2 | On Value-Add MF, A New Core Strategy, ReConvene, Los Angeles, and How He's Looking at The World full 1 186 Chris Powers Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property... Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. Moses joins Chris for his third appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this two-part episode, they discuss the decision to not deploy a fund he raised in early 2020 and his new core strategy. They also explore rent control vs non-rent control. How he talks to his family about wealth and potentially taking over his business, learnings from ReConvene, and where we go from here.... Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:31) - A Discussion on Rent Control (09:25) - Defining Moses’ New Buying Strategy (20:36) -  How have you thought about growing your business over the next decade?  (26:32) - How are you thinking about leaving the businesses to your kids? What if they don’t want to go into it? (35:50) - Thoughts on Growing Third Party Property Management  (38:38) - Is there anything keeping you up at night?  (42:13) - The Slowing Rate of Development (46:01) - Our Collective Tolerance for Emergency (48:28) - If I gave you $1B to put to work by the end of the year where would it go? The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts. Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. Moses joins Chris for his third appearance on The FORT Podcast.

In this two-part episode, they discuss the decision to not deploy a fund he raised in early 2020 and his new core strategy. They also explore rent control vs non-rent control. How he talks to his family about wealth and potentially taking over his business, learnings from ReConvene, and where we go from here....


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(02:31) - A Discussion on Rent Control

(09:25) - Defining Moses’ New Buying Strategy

(20:36) -  How have you thought about growing your business over the next decade? 

(26:32) - How are you thinking about leaving the businesses to your kids? What if they don’t want to go into it?

(35:50) - Thoughts on Growing Third Party Property Management 

(38:38) - Is there anything keeping you up at night? 

(42:13) - The Slowing Rate of Development

(46:01) - Our Collective Tolerance for Emergency

(48:28) - If I gave you $1B to put to work by the end of the year where would it go?

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts.

]]> 3208 no RE #185: Moses Kagan - Part 1| On Value-Add MF, A New Core Strategy, ReConvene, Los Angeles, and How He's Looking at The World https://www.TheFortPod.com Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. Moses joins Chris for his third appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this two-part episode, they discuss the decision to not deploy a fund he raised in early 2020 and his new core strategy. They also explore rent control vs non-rent control. How he talks to his family about wealth and potentially taking over his business, learnings from ReConvene, and where we go from here.... Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ci-4AXwSZOI (2:51) - Moses’ journey through ReTwit (4:24) - What do you think the next 2-3 years look like for you in this online journey? (6:35) - How do you explain this Twitter world you’ve built to people not in the know? (8:04) - What your experience putting on ReConvene and what does it mean for the greater RE industry? (12:54) - Was there anything that stood out from the feedback you got from the event that you’ll be implementing going forward? (14:47) - Thoughts on ‘Quality’ when it comes to Moses’ expectations for doing a deal to lead into his new buy strategy (21:28) - Bank’s attitude toward owning an asset for a year vs. having a loan on the asset (25:36) - Spreadsheets vs. reality: experienced investors are losing out to inexperienced investors (27:07) - How are you processing all of the craziness in the CA real estate market? (29:52) - Moses’ Fund and the investor reactions to not spending any of it over Covid (35:20) - Dealing with the eviction moratorium in LA The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 07 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #185: Moses Kagan - Part 1| On Value-Add MF, A New Core Strategy, ReConvene, Los Angeles, and How He's Looking at The World full 1 184 Chris Powers Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property... Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. Moses joins Chris for his third appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this two-part episode, they discuss the decision to not deploy a fund he raised in early 2020 and his new core strategy. They also explore rent control vs non-rent control. How he talks to his family about wealth and potentially taking over his business, learnings from ReConvene, and where we go from here.... Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ci-4AXwSZOI (2:51) - Moses’ journey through ReTwit (4:24) - What do you think the next 2-3 years look like for you in this online journey? (6:35) - How do you explain this Twitter world you’ve built to people not in the know? (8:04) - What your experience putting on ReConvene and what does it mean for the greater RE industry? (12:54) - Was there anything that stood out from the feedback you got from the event that you’ll be implementing going forward? (14:47) - Thoughts on ‘Quality’ when it comes to Moses’ expectations for doing a deal to lead into his new buy strategy (21:28) - Bank’s attitude toward owning an asset for a year vs. having a loan on the asset (25:36) - Spreadsheets vs. reality: experienced investors are losing out to inexperienced investors (27:07) - How are you processing all of the craziness in the CA real estate market? (29:52) - Moses’ Fund and the investor reactions to not spending any of it over Covid (35:20) - Dealing with the eviction moratorium in LA The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development, and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. Moses joins Chris for his third appearance on The FORT Podcast.

In this two-part episode, they discuss the decision to not deploy a fund he raised in early 2020 and his new core strategy. They also explore rent control vs non-rent control. How he talks to his family about wealth and potentially taking over his business, learnings from ReConvene, and where we go from here....

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ci-4AXwSZOI

(2:51) - Moses’ journey through ReTwit

(4:24) - What do you think the next 2-3 years look like for you in this online journey?

(6:35) - How do you explain this Twitter world you’ve built to people not in the know?

(8:04) - What your experience putting on ReConvene and what does it mean for the greater RE industry?

(12:54) - Was there anything that stood out from the feedback you got from the event that you’ll be implementing going forward?

(14:47) - Thoughts on ‘Quality’ when it comes to Moses’ expectations for doing a deal to lead into his new buy strategy

(21:28) - Bank’s attitude toward owning an asset for a year vs. having a loan on the asset

(25:36) - Spreadsheets vs. reality: experienced investors are losing out to inexperienced investors

(27:07) - How are you processing all of the craziness in the CA real estate market?

(29:52) - Moses’ Fund and the investor reactions to not spending any of it over Covid

(35:20) - Dealing with the eviction moratorium in LA

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2598 no RE #184: Kendal Harazny - Co-Founder/Principal of Wexford Developments - Developing amazing urban projects in Canada & US https://www.TheFortPod.com Kendal Harazny is a Principal and Co-founder of Wexford Developments, a real estate development, investment, and management company. Wexford has completed over $500 million of development, currently has $500 million in assets under management, and has an upcoming development pipeline exceeding $400 million, including over 900 units breaking ground in 2022. Focused on Western Canada and the Southwestern United States, Wexford is primarily involved in urban mixed-use residential projects but has also developed substantial land, retail and industrial assets. In this episode, Kendal and Chris discuss an array of topics such as the differences in Canada vs. the United States and what it takes to develop a generational asset. They also chat about how Wexford identifies and selects projects to work on and why design matters and how to communicate to neighboring stakeholders and much more!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DN61kAEFq-4 (02:08) - Kendal’s Background and Career (04:10) - What are the top things that create bad deals in development? (06:10) - More on Kendal’s Background (10:44) - What are the biggest differences between Canada and the United States? (13:02) - Getting Project Approval in Canada (15:25) - How do you handle emotional opinions from the community when doing development? (17:53) - Incorporating Feedback From the Community & Rezoning (19:48) - How long is the process from submitting to the city for approval? (21:45) - Is everything you do for rent or do you have for sale opportunities? (22:13) - How do you capitalize deals and think about debt? (24:00) - Why don’t you bring US debt into Canada? (25:07) - Cultural Differences in Lending (26:54) - How is recourse structured? (28:28) - How do you think about parking for your projects? (31:35) - Thoughts on Building EV Stalls (33:49) - Is a lot of your equity coming from Canada or is it global? (34:50) - The Toronto & Vancouver Real Estate Market (36:52) - What experiences are you having as it relates to building and the supply issues we’re seeing? (40:27) - What do you look for in markets before entering? (43:16) - How do you know you’re going into the best location? (45:07) - How do you think about hiring architects? (48:49) - The Importance of the Cohesion Between Architects, GC’s and Engineers (52:02) - What matters to you when picking General Contractors? (54:39) - What is ‘crystalizing the promote?’ (1:00:08) - Kendal’s Hunt for an Acquisition Manager The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 30 Nov 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #184: Kendal Harazny - Co-Founder/Principal of Wexford Developments - Developing amazing urban projects in Canada & US full 1 184 Chris Powers Kendal Harazny is a Principal and Co-founder of Wexford Developments, a real estate development, investment, and management company. Wexford has completed over $500 million of development, currently has $500 million in assets under management, and has... Kendal Harazny is a Principal and Co-founder of Wexford Developments, a real estate development, investment, and management company. Wexford has completed over $500 million of development, currently has $500 million in assets under management, and has an upcoming development pipeline exceeding $400 million, including over 900 units breaking ground in 2022. Focused on Western Canada and the Southwestern United States, Wexford is primarily involved in urban mixed-use residential projects but has also developed substantial land, retail and industrial assets. In this episode, Kendal and Chris discuss an array of topics such as the differences in Canada vs. the United States and what it takes to develop a generational asset. They also chat about how Wexford identifies and selects projects to work on and why design matters and how to communicate to neighboring stakeholders and much more!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DN61kAEFq-4 (02:08) - Kendal’s Background and Career (04:10) - What are the top things that create bad deals in development? (06:10) - More on Kendal’s Background (10:44) - What are the biggest differences between Canada and the United States? (13:02) - Getting Project Approval in Canada (15:25) - How do you handle emotional opinions from the community when doing development? (17:53) - Incorporating Feedback From the Community & Rezoning (19:48) - How long is the process from submitting to the city for approval? (21:45) - Is everything you do for rent or do you have for sale opportunities? (22:13) - How do you capitalize deals and think about debt? (24:00) - Why don’t you bring US debt into Canada? (25:07) - Cultural Differences in Lending (26:54) - How is recourse structured? (28:28) - How do you think about parking for your projects? (31:35) - Thoughts on Building EV Stalls (33:49) - Is a lot of your equity coming from Canada or is it global? (34:50) - The Toronto & Vancouver Real Estate Market (36:52) - What experiences are you having as it relates to building and the supply issues we’re seeing? (40:27) - What do you look for in markets before entering? (43:16) - How do you know you’re going into the best location? (45:07) - How do you think about hiring architects? (48:49) - The Importance of the Cohesion Between Architects, GC’s and Engineers (52:02) - What matters to you when picking General Contractors? (54:39) - What is ‘crystalizing the promote?’ (1:00:08) - Kendal’s Hunt for an Acquisition Manager The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Kendal Harazny is a Principal and Co-founder of Wexford Developments, a real estate development, investment, and management company. Wexford has completed over $500 million of development, currently has $500 million in assets under management, and has an upcoming development pipeline exceeding $400 million, including over 900 units breaking ground in 2022. Focused on Western Canada and the Southwestern United States, Wexford is primarily involved in urban mixed-use residential projects but has also developed substantial land, retail and industrial assets.

In this episode, Kendal and Chris discuss an array of topics such as the differences in Canada vs. the United States and what it takes to develop a generational asset. They also chat about how Wexford identifies and selects projects to work on and why design matters and how to communicate to neighboring stakeholders and much more! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DN61kAEFq-4

(02:08) - Kendal’s Background and Career

(04:10) - What are the top things that create bad deals in development?

(06:10) - More on Kendal’s Background

(10:44) - What are the biggest differences between Canada and the United States?

(13:02) - Getting Project Approval in Canada

(15:25) - How do you handle emotional opinions from the community when doing development?

(17:53) - Incorporating Feedback From the Community & Rezoning

(19:48) - How long is the process from submitting to the city for approval?

(21:45) - Is everything you do for rent or do you have for sale opportunities?

(22:13) - How do you capitalize deals and think about debt?

(24:00) - Why don’t you bring US debt into Canada?

(25:07) - Cultural Differences in Lending

(26:54) - How is recourse structured?

(28:28) - How do you think about parking for your projects?

(31:35) - Thoughts on Building EV Stalls

(33:49) - Is a lot of your equity coming from Canada or is it global?

(34:50) - The Toronto & Vancouver Real Estate Market

(36:52) - What experiences are you having as it relates to building and the supply issues we’re seeing?

(40:27) - What do you look for in markets before entering?

(43:16) - How do you know you’re going into the best location?

(45:07) - How do you think about hiring architects?

(48:49) - The Importance of the Cohesion Between Architects, GC’s and Engineers

(52:02) - What matters to you when picking General Contractors?

(54:39) - What is ‘crystalizing the promote?’

(1:00:08) - Kendal’s Hunt for an Acquisition Manager

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3960 no RE #183: Keith Wasserman - Founder of Gelt Inc. https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder of Gelt Inc. which is one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi-family communities, storage facilities, and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email at Keith@geltinc.com or @keith_wasserman on Twitter. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:05) - Keith’s Background and Career Founding Gelt (09:59) -  Investing In The Person vs. The Project (11:14) - Why are you focused on multi-family and mobile home parks as a business model? (15:14) - How do you think about the future of renting and ownership? (18:10) - The Biggest Changes in Tech and Living We See For The Future (23:10) - Other Asset Classes Gelt Focuses On (31:05) - How do you go about entering new markets? (33:49) - Building Relationships  (36:44) - YPO Global Real Estate Fair (37:52) - Gelt's Process of Finding Investors & Securing Deals (45:40) - How has your job changed as the company grows? (50:27) - Where will the company be at the “end”? (52:55) - Keith’s Thoughts on Growth (54:07) - Origins of The Name Gelt, Thoughts On Charity, and Both Their Thoughts On The Future Of Education (1:02:15) - Advice For Folks Thinking About Starting Their Own Business The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 23 Nov 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #183: Keith Wasserman - Founder of Gelt Inc. full 1 183 Chris Powers Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder of Gelt Inc. which is one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi-family communities, storage facilities, and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email... Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder of Gelt Inc. which is one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi-family communities, storage facilities, and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email at Keith@geltinc.com or @keith_wasserman on Twitter. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:05) - Keith’s Background and Career Founding Gelt (09:59) -  Investing In The Person vs. The Project (11:14) - Why are you focused on multi-family and mobile home parks as a business model? (15:14) - How do you think about the future of renting and ownership? (18:10) - The Biggest Changes in Tech and Living We See For The Future (23:10) - Other Asset Classes Gelt Focuses On (31:05) - How do you go about entering new markets? (33:49) - Building Relationships  (36:44) - YPO Global Real Estate Fair (37:52) - Gelt's Process of Finding Investors & Securing Deals (45:40) - How has your job changed as the company grows? (50:27) - Where will the company be at the “end”? (52:55) - Keith’s Thoughts on Growth (54:07) - Origins of The Name Gelt, Thoughts On Charity, and Both Their Thoughts On The Future Of Education (1:02:15) - Advice For Folks Thinking About Starting Their Own Business The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder of Gelt Inc. which is one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi-family communities, storage facilities, and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email at Keith@geltinc.com or @keith_wasserman on Twitter.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(01:05) - Keith’s Background and Career Founding Gelt

(09:59) -  Investing In The Person vs. The Project

(11:14) - Why are you focused on multi-family and mobile home parks as a business model?

(15:14) - How do you think about the future of renting and ownership?

(18:10) - The Biggest Changes in Tech and Living We See For The Future

(23:10) - Other Asset Classes Gelt Focuses On

(31:05) - How do you go about entering new markets?

(33:49) - Building Relationships 

(36:44) - YPO Global Real Estate Fair

(37:52) - Gelt's Process of Finding Investors & Securing Deals

(45:40) - How has your job changed as the company grows?

(50:27) - Where will the company be at the “end”?

(52:55) - Keith’s Thoughts on Growth

(54:07) - Origins of The Name Gelt, Thoughts On Charity, and Both Their Thoughts On The Future Of Education

(1:02:15) - Advice For Folks Thinking About Starting Their Own Business

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4005 no RE #182: Peter Lohmann - CEO of RL Property Mgmt - Building a PM Biz, 'Tasks at Scale', Airbnb in PM? https://www.TheFortPod.com Peter Lohmann is the founder & CEO of RL Property Management, a residential property management company in Columbus, Ohio. Peter graduated with a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering and spent 5 years as a control systems engineer before founding RL Property Management in 2013. RL Property Management now manages over 500 units for central Ohio real estate investors. On this episode, Chris and Peter deep dive into the operations of a residential PM business. They discuss his thoughts on Airbnb entering the PM space, What technology the PM industry needs, and how he bought & valued 2 PM companies. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Ho_tj32xus (02:27) - What brings a person to own a property management business in Ohio? (05:01) - Peter’s Pathway To Breakeven & Profitability (07:10) - What do you mean by “spending time on bigger pockets”? (08:27) - Who was your first hire? (10:09) - Where do you stand today since starting in 2013? (11:44) - Peter’s Flat Fee Model (16:54) - Are there other revenue line items you’re charging outside of that flat fee? (19:03) - Does the client expect you to get a property ‘rent-ready’ or is that on them to do and then come back to you? (20:11) - How much maintenance do you have going on at any given time and what do their days look like? (22:22) - Are the techs ‘jack of all trades’ or do you look for specialists in electrical or plumbing? (23:08) - Thoughts On The Current Labor Market When it Comes to Blue-Collar Trades (27:23) - How do you approach maintenance when it comes to accountability? Is this a landlord responsibility or tenant? (29:51) - Dealing With Owners Leaving You and Then Coming Back (35:32) - What are you doing with automation and technology in your business? Buildium | Airtable | Process Street | Zapier | Lead Simple | Notion (41:50) - Who contributes to the company Wiki and how do you keep it from getting bloated? (44:31) - Is it better to own 5 SFR’s or one 5-unit building? (46:05) - Is your management radically different based on the number of units a client owns? (48:01) - Is there anything that really needs to be built on the software side to better streamline your industry? (52:53) - Peter’s Experience & Processes for Buying Other Property Management Businesses (59:09) - Do you get to speak to clients of a prospective business during due diligence? (1:00:01) - Was there high churn from the acquisitions? (1:01:01) - Thoughts on Airbnb in the Residential Property Management Space (1:07:39) - Twitter: What lessons did you take away from Greg Crabtree & What was the conversation like when your partner stepped away to run your engineering company? Simple Numbers by Greg Crabtree (1:13:40) - Peter’s Side Hobby of Restoring Historic Windows (1:16:53) - What’s the best way for people to get in touch? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PSLohmann Peter's Website: www.Peterlohmann.com Owner occupied Podcast Tue, 16 Nov 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #182: Peter Lohmann - CEO of RL Property Mgmt - Building a PM Biz, 'Tasks at Scale', Airbnb in PM? full 1 182 Chris Powers Peter Lohmann is the founder & CEO of RL Property Management, a residential property management company in Columbus, Ohio. Peter graduated with a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering and spent 5 years as a control systems engineer before... Peter Lohmann is the founder & CEO of RL Property Management, a residential property management company in Columbus, Ohio. Peter graduated with a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering and spent 5 years as a control systems engineer before founding RL Property Management in 2013. RL Property Management now manages over 500 units for central Ohio real estate investors. On this episode, Chris and Peter deep dive into the operations of a residential PM business. They discuss his thoughts on Airbnb entering the PM space, What technology the PM industry needs, and how he bought & valued 2 PM companies. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Ho_tj32xus (02:27) - What brings a person to own a property management business in Ohio? (05:01) - Peter’s Pathway To Breakeven & Profitability (07:10) - What do you mean by “spending time on bigger pockets”? (08:27) - Who was your first hire? (10:09) - Where do you stand today since starting in 2013? (11:44) - Peter’s Flat Fee Model (16:54) - Are there other revenue line items you’re charging outside of that flat fee? (19:03) - Does the client expect you to get a property ‘rent-ready’ or is that on them to do and then come back to you? (20:11) - How much maintenance do you have going on at any given time and what do their days look like? (22:22) - Are the techs ‘jack of all trades’ or do you look for specialists in electrical or plumbing? (23:08) - Thoughts On The Current Labor Market When it Comes to Blue-Collar Trades (27:23) - How do you approach maintenance when it comes to accountability? Is this a landlord responsibility or tenant? (29:51) - Dealing With Owners Leaving You and Then Coming Back (35:32) - What are you doing with automation and technology in your business? Buildium | Airtable | Process Street | Zapier | Lead Simple | Notion (41:50) - Who contributes to the company Wiki and how do you keep it from getting bloated? (44:31) - Is it better to own 5 SFR’s or one 5-unit building? (46:05) - Is your management radically different based on the number of units a client owns? (48:01) - Is there anything that really needs to be built on the software side to better streamline your industry? (52:53) - Peter’s Experience & Processes for Buying Other Property Management Businesses (59:09) - Do you get to speak to clients of a prospective business during due diligence? (1:00:01) - Was there high churn from the acquisitions? (1:01:01) - Thoughts on Airbnb in the Residential Property Management Space (1:07:39) - Twitter: What lessons did you take away from Greg Crabtree & What was the conversation like when your partner stepped away to run your engineering company? Simple Numbers by Greg Crabtree (1:13:40) - Peter’s Side Hobby of Restoring Historic Windows (1:16:53) - What’s the best way for people to get in touch? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PSLohmann Peter's Website: www.Peterlohmann.com Owner occupied Podcast Peter Lohmann is the founder & CEO of RL Property Management, a residential property management company in Columbus, Ohio. Peter graduated with a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering and spent 5 years as a control systems engineer before founding RL Property Management in 2013. RL Property Management now manages over 500 units for central Ohio real estate investors.

On this episode, Chris and Peter deep dive into the operations of a residential PM business. They discuss his thoughts on Airbnb entering the PM space, What technology the PM industry needs, and how he bought & valued 2 PM companies.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Ho_tj32xus

(02:27) - What brings a person to own a property management business in Ohio?

(05:01) - Peter’s Pathway To Breakeven & Profitability

(07:10) - What do you mean by “spending time on bigger pockets”?

(08:27) - Who was your first hire?

(10:09) - Where do you stand today since starting in 2013?

(11:44) - Peter’s Flat Fee Model

(16:54) - Are there other revenue line items you’re charging outside of that flat fee?

(19:03) - Does the client expect you to get a property ‘rent-ready’ or is that on them to do and then come back to you?

(20:11) - How much maintenance do you have going on at any given time and what do their days look like?

(22:22) - Are the techs ‘jack of all trades’ or do you look for specialists in electrical or plumbing?

(23:08) - Thoughts On The Current Labor Market When it Comes to Blue-Collar Trades

(27:23) - How do you approach maintenance when it comes to accountability? Is this a landlord responsibility or tenant?

(29:51) - Dealing With Owners Leaving You and Then Coming Back

(35:32) - What are you doing with automation and technology in your business?

Buildium | Airtable | Process Street | Zapier | Lead Simple | Notion

(41:50) - Who contributes to the company Wiki and how do you keep it from getting bloated?

(44:31) - Is it better to own 5 SFR’s or one 5-unit building?

(46:05) - Is your management radically different based on the number of units a client owns?

(48:01) - Is there anything that really needs to be built on the software side to better streamline your industry?

(52:53) - Peter’s Experience & Processes for Buying Other Property Management Businesses

(59:09) - Do you get to speak to clients of a prospective business during due diligence?

(1:00:01) - Was there high churn from the acquisitions?

(1:01:01) - Thoughts on Airbnb in the Residential Property Management Space

(1:07:39) - Twitter: What lessons did you take away from Greg Crabtree & What was the conversation like when your partner stepped away to run your engineering company?

Simple Numbers by Greg Crabtree

(1:13:40) - Peter’s Side Hobby of Restoring Historic Windows

(1:16:53) - What’s the best way for people to get in touch?

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PSLohmann

Peter's Website: www.Peterlohmann.com

Owner occupied Podcast

]]> 4772 no #181: Alex Lieberman - Co-Founder of Morning Brew - Building & Selling Morning Brew, Transition to Exec Chairman, Crypto / NFT's https://www.TheFortPod.com Alex Lieberman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, a multi-platform business media brand. In October 2020, Alex & his co-founder sold a majority stake of Morning Brew to Business Insider for a reported $75 million. Today, Morning Brew provides quick and digestible business content to more than 3 million users, successfully changing the way young professionals engage with the business world.  On this episode, Chris and Alex deep dive into the founding story of Morning Brew, the future of Morning Brew, and Alex's transition to Chairman from CEO. They also discuss how newsletters and online media companies are valued, how crypto/blockchain/NFT's will impact media, and much more! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:52) - Alex’s Journey Starting & Growing Morning Brew (08:02) - What did the newsletter space look like in 2015? (12:44) - What was the process for putting in a day’s worth of content? (16:09) -  Where did you end your senior year of college and when did you come to the conclusion to go full time into MB? (24:30) - Where was the business at when you decided to leave Morgan Stanley and how did you initially monetize? (31:32) - How did the MB referral program work? (37:20) - Was there an inflection point along the way that caused the balloon effect to happen? (41:22) - How do you price ads today? (44:21) - What was the process to come to the decision to sell MB? (52:34) - Did you do anything wild after you sold? (56:55) - How is a newsletter valued? (58:17) - Alex’s Transition Out of the CEO Role (1:07:28) - What’s the goal for The Brew going forward for your 3 million users? (1:08:44) -  How does Crypto and Blockchain impact MB? (1:17:09) - How do you think about the future of media and truth? (1:21:44) -  How can people get in touch with you? Follow on Alex on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/businessbarista Listen to the Founders Journal Podcast Morning Brew The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 11 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0000 #181: Alex Lieberman - Co-Founder of Morning Brew - Building & Selling Morning Brew, Transition to Exec Chairman, Crypto / NFT's full 1 181 Chris Powers Alex Lieberman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, a multi-platform business media brand. In October 2020, Alex & his co-founder sold a majority stake of Morning Brew to Business Insider for a reported $75 million. Today,... Alex Lieberman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, a multi-platform business media brand. In October 2020, Alex & his co-founder sold a majority stake of Morning Brew to Business Insider for a reported $75 million. Today, Morning Brew provides quick and digestible business content to more than 3 million users, successfully changing the way young professionals engage with the business world.  On this episode, Chris and Alex deep dive into the founding story of Morning Brew, the future of Morning Brew, and Alex's transition to Chairman from CEO. They also discuss how newsletters and online media companies are valued, how crypto/blockchain/NFT's will impact media, and much more! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:52) - Alex’s Journey Starting & Growing Morning Brew (08:02) - What did the newsletter space look like in 2015? (12:44) - What was the process for putting in a day’s worth of content? (16:09) -  Where did you end your senior year of college and when did you come to the conclusion to go full time into MB? (24:30) - Where was the business at when you decided to leave Morgan Stanley and how did you initially monetize? (31:32) - How did the MB referral program work? (37:20) - Was there an inflection point along the way that caused the balloon effect to happen? (41:22) - How do you price ads today? (44:21) - What was the process to come to the decision to sell MB? (52:34) - Did you do anything wild after you sold? (56:55) - How is a newsletter valued? (58:17) - Alex’s Transition Out of the CEO Role (1:07:28) - What’s the goal for The Brew going forward for your 3 million users? (1:08:44) -  How does Crypto and Blockchain impact MB? (1:17:09) - How do you think about the future of media and truth? (1:21:44) -  How can people get in touch with you? Follow on Alex on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/businessbarista Listen to the Founders Journal Podcast Morning Brew The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Alex Lieberman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, a multi-platform business media brand. In October 2020, Alex & his co-founder sold a majority stake of Morning Brew to Business Insider for a reported $75 million. Today, Morning Brew provides quick and digestible business content to more than 3 million users, successfully changing the way young professionals engage with the business world. 

On this episode, Chris and Alex deep dive into the founding story of Morning Brew, the future of Morning Brew, and Alex's transition to Chairman from CEO. They also discuss how newsletters and online media companies are valued, how crypto/blockchain/NFT's will impact media, and much more!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:52) - Alex’s Journey Starting & Growing Morning Brew

(08:02) - What did the newsletter space look like in 2015?

(12:44) - What was the process for putting in a day’s worth of content?

(16:09) -  Where did you end your senior year of college and when did you come to the conclusion to go full time into MB?

(24:30) - Where was the business at when you decided to leave Morgan Stanley and how did you initially monetize?

(31:32) - How did the MB referral program work?

(37:20) - Was there an inflection point along the way that caused the balloon effect to happen?

(41:22) - How do you price ads today?

(44:21) - What was the process to come to the decision to sell MB?

(52:34) - Did you do anything wild after you sold?

(56:55) - How is a newsletter valued?

(58:17) - Alex’s Transition Out of the CEO Role

(1:07:28) - What’s the goal for The Brew going forward for your 3 million users?

(1:08:44) -  How does Crypto and Blockchain impact MB?

(1:17:09) - How do you think about the future of media and truth?

(1:21:44) -  How can people get in touch with you?

Follow on Alex on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/businessbarista

Listen to the Founders Journal Podcast

Morning Brew

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5065 no RE #180: Chris Powers - GP Fees and The Pathway to Building a World-Class REPE Operating Platform https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris does a full deep dive into the world of fees, including what they are, should you be charging fees at all, and when, fee misconceptions, the benefits of a profitable company, and the pathway to building a world-class REPE operating platform. Chris also answers your questions submitted on Twitter and much more! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:16) - Why Fees? (02:45) - Misconceptions: GP’s Charging Fees and Making a Profit is Bad (05:20) - Charging Market Fees and Getting Great Returns (06:49) - What are the benefits of running a profitable company? (10:05) - GP’s That Don’t Charge or Offer Reduced Fees are Hurting their OpCo in the Long-Run (11:01) - The Difference Between OpCo’s and Assets (13:18) - Understand Where Your Company is: Fee Structuring for Young Companies (15:03) - How to Charge Fees and How to Talk About What’s Behind the Fees (17:43) - How do we know what we can charge for and what we cannot? (21:24) - Fort Capital’s Fee Strategy Early On (23:35) - An Outline of How to Think About Fees and Example Scenarios (30:27) - GP’s That Don’t Charge What They’re Worth (31:25) - Ways to Think About What You Should Be Charging (36:04) - Running Your Company as a Break-Even Business vs. a Profit-Generating Business (37:53) - Specific Fees to Think About (49:18) - Real Estate Private Equity: Fees Charged to Allocate Capital to GP’s vs. Fees Charged by GP’s Who Actually Operate (50:47) - Charging the Right Structure of Fees for Your Business (53:50) - Twitter Question: What’s an example of a deal you’ve done and how the fee dollars are allocated? (59:00) - Third-Party Providers  (1:00:32) - Twitter Question: Can an established sponsor with capital charge an acquisition fee that’s equal to their contribution? (1:04:16) - Twitter Question: How have Fort Capital’s fees changed over time? (1:07:56) - Twitter Question: 3rd Party Management & Leasing vs. Vertically Integrating (1:10:14) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 09 Nov 2021 10:00:00 -0000 RE #180: Chris Powers - GP Fees and The Pathway to Building a World-Class REPE Operating Platform full 1 180 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris does a full deep dive into the world of fees, including what they are, should you be charging fees at all, and when, fee misconceptions, the benefits of a profitable company, and the pathway to building a world-class REPE... On this episode, Chris does a full deep dive into the world of fees, including what they are, should you be charging fees at all, and when, fee misconceptions, the benefits of a profitable company, and the pathway to building a world-class REPE operating platform. Chris also answers your questions submitted on Twitter and much more! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:16) - Why Fees? (02:45) - Misconceptions: GP’s Charging Fees and Making a Profit is Bad (05:20) - Charging Market Fees and Getting Great Returns (06:49) - What are the benefits of running a profitable company? (10:05) - GP’s That Don’t Charge or Offer Reduced Fees are Hurting their OpCo in the Long-Run (11:01) - The Difference Between OpCo’s and Assets (13:18) - Understand Where Your Company is: Fee Structuring for Young Companies (15:03) - How to Charge Fees and How to Talk About What’s Behind the Fees (17:43) - How do we know what we can charge for and what we cannot? (21:24) - Fort Capital’s Fee Strategy Early On (23:35) - An Outline of How to Think About Fees and Example Scenarios (30:27) - GP’s That Don’t Charge What They’re Worth (31:25) - Ways to Think About What You Should Be Charging (36:04) - Running Your Company as a Break-Even Business vs. a Profit-Generating Business (37:53) - Specific Fees to Think About (49:18) - Real Estate Private Equity: Fees Charged to Allocate Capital to GP’s vs. Fees Charged by GP’s Who Actually Operate (50:47) - Charging the Right Structure of Fees for Your Business (53:50) - Twitter Question: What’s an example of a deal you’ve done and how the fee dollars are allocated? (59:00) - Third-Party Providers  (1:00:32) - Twitter Question: Can an established sponsor with capital charge an acquisition fee that’s equal to their contribution? (1:04:16) - Twitter Question: How have Fort Capital’s fees changed over time? (1:07:56) - Twitter Question: 3rd Party Management & Leasing vs. Vertically Integrating (1:10:14) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris does a full deep dive into the world of fees, including what they are, should you be charging fees at all, and when, fee misconceptions, the benefits of a profitable company, and the pathway to building a world-class REPE operating platform. Chris also answers your questions submitted on Twitter and much more!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(01:16) - Why Fees?

(02:45) - Misconceptions: GP’s Charging Fees and Making a Profit is Bad

(05:20) - Charging Market Fees and Getting Great Returns

(06:49) - What are the benefits of running a profitable company?

(10:05) - GP’s That Don’t Charge or Offer Reduced Fees are Hurting their OpCo in the Long-Run

(11:01) - The Difference Between OpCo’s and Assets

(13:18) - Understand Where Your Company is: Fee Structuring for Young Companies

(15:03) - How to Charge Fees and How to Talk About What’s Behind the Fees

(17:43) - How do we know what we can charge for and what we cannot?

(21:24) - Fort Capital’s Fee Strategy Early On

(23:35) - An Outline of How to Think About Fees and Example Scenarios

(30:27) - GP’s That Don’t Charge What They’re Worth

(31:25) - Ways to Think About What You Should Be Charging

(36:04) - Running Your Company as a Break-Even Business vs. a Profit-Generating Business

(37:53) - Specific Fees to Think About

(49:18) - Real Estate Private Equity: Fees Charged to Allocate Capital to GP’s vs. Fees Charged by GP’s Who Actually Operate

(50:47) - Charging the Right Structure of Fees for Your Business

(53:50) - Twitter Question: What’s an example of a deal you’ve done and how the fee dollars are allocated?

(59:00) - Third-Party Providers 

(1:00:32) - Twitter Question: Can an established sponsor with capital charge an acquisition fee that’s equal to their contribution?

(1:04:16) - Twitter Question: How have Fort Capital’s fees changed over time?

(1:07:56) - Twitter Question: 3rd Party Management & Leasing vs. Vertically Integrating

(1:10:14) - Wrap Up

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4374 no RE #179: John Blatchford - Owner of Kunst MF - Historic Real Estate Tax Credits 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com John Blatchford is the Owner of Kunst, a real estate developer in Cincinnati, Ohio that renovates historic buildings into city apartments by utilizing historic tax credits and Opportunity Zone investments. This episode is a deep dive into The Historic Real Estate Tax Credit, John breaks down the entire process from what buildings qualify, how to apply, the difference between the state and federal credits, how they use the credits, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ John on Twitter Kunst  (02:09) - John’s Background and Career (05:37) - What are you focused on at Kunst? (06:38) - The Cincinatti Market (08:40) - The Historic Tax Credit (09:47) - How do LP’s benefit from this Tax Credit? (11:35) - How do you use the credit? (12:12) - How do you begin the process of getting the credit? (13:56) - How often does the state approve these credit applications? (14:17) - What work has been done before applying? (15:39) - What are the things you did wrong on the first deal that are easy fixes on deal 14 and onward? (16:49) - Do you have to own the property before submitting an application or can you be under contract? (17:30) - Does anyone actually come to visit the property from SHIPO? (18:07) - How much of the building needs to be ‘saved’ in order to qualify for the tax credit? (19:38) - How vacant are these properties when you acquire them? (20:39) - If a building is totally bombed out, do renovations have to match the aesthetics of the time or can it be built to look more modern? (21:11) - Why do states and federal governments care so much about preserving the historical nature of these buildings? (22:28) - Is there a point where the building is in such poor condition where you have to demo it? (23:07) - Would a ground-up development require a historic-style building to go up? (36:04) - Do you ever sell the credit in whole? (37:12) - Is there an online marketplace where you can list these credits for sale? (40:57) - Is there a place people can go to see all the federal tax credits that were awarded in a year to try and buy them? (42:12) - Who are you usually selling your federal credits to? (51:04) - How often do you see projects that are missing out on these tax credits? (52:18) - What would it cost to hire a consultant to work on getting these credits? (52:45) - How would you find a consultant? (53:23) - Is there anything within landscaping that falls under the criteria? (53:40) - How long does a typical renovation take you? (58:30) - Do you have a lot of competition in your market? (59:26) - Do you have the runway to do a lot of projects in your market? (59:52) - Do you have a favorite historical building? (1:00:26) - John’s Cincinnati Preservation Collective (1:01:00) - Are there any political or governmental risks that keep you up right now? (1:01:56) - How do you project job creation? (1:02:37) - Who is usually the owner of the building before you enter the picture? (1:03:41) - What do conversations with public owners look like? (1:04:20) - Can you get the credit for ground-up dev? (1:04:34) - Is there anything you’ve learned along the way when creating your budget? (1:06:07) - Have you come across any treasures in these old buildings? (1:07:49) - What are the biggest differences in how people used to build things back then? (1:09:50) - What buildings can get these credits? (1:11:21) - Is there a yearly influx of these buildings getting approved with the 50-year existence requirement? (1:12:29) - Can you get a building out of a historic designation? (1:13:02) - What’s your end goal? (1:13:30) - Are there any resources that people can learn more about this industry? The Ohio Dept. of Development The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 02 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #179: John Blatchford - Owner of Kunst MF - Historic Real Estate Tax Credits 101 full 1 178 Chris Powers John Blatchford is the Owner of Kunst, a real estate developer in Cincinnati, Ohio that renovates historic buildings into city apartments by utilizing historic tax credits and Opportunity Zone investments. This episode is a deep dive into The Historic... John Blatchford is the Owner of Kunst, a real estate developer in Cincinnati, Ohio that renovates historic buildings into city apartments by utilizing historic tax credits and Opportunity Zone investments. This episode is a deep dive into The Historic Real Estate Tax Credit, John breaks down the entire process from what buildings qualify, how to apply, the difference between the state and federal credits, how they use the credits, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ John on Twitter Kunst  (02:09) - John’s Background and Career (05:37) - What are you focused on at Kunst? (06:38) - The Cincinatti Market (08:40) - The Historic Tax Credit (09:47) - How do LP’s benefit from this Tax Credit? (11:35) - How do you use the credit? (12:12) - How do you begin the process of getting the credit? (13:56) - How often does the state approve these credit applications? (14:17) - What work has been done before applying? (15:39) - What are the things you did wrong on the first deal that are easy fixes on deal 14 and onward? (16:49) - Do you have to own the property before submitting an application or can you be under contract? (17:30) - Does anyone actually come to visit the property from SHIPO? (18:07) - How much of the building needs to be ‘saved’ in order to qualify for the tax credit? (19:38) - How vacant are these properties when you acquire them? (20:39) - If a building is totally bombed out, do renovations have to match the aesthetics of the time or can it be built to look more modern? (21:11) - Why do states and federal governments care so much about preserving the historical nature of these buildings? (22:28) - Is there a point where the building is in such poor condition where you have to demo it? (23:07) - Would a ground-up development require a historic-style building to go up? (36:04) - Do you ever sell the credit in whole? (37:12) - Is there an online marketplace where you can list these credits for sale? (40:57) - Is there a place people can go to see all the federal tax credits that were awarded in a year to try and buy them? (42:12) - Who are you usually selling your federal credits to? (51:04) - How often do you see projects that are missing out on these tax credits? (52:18) - What would it cost to hire a consultant to work on getting these credits? (52:45) - How would you find a consultant? (53:23) - Is there anything within landscaping that falls under the criteria? (53:40) - How long does a typical renovation take you? (58:30) - Do you have a lot of competition in your market? (59:26) - Do you have the runway to do a lot of projects in your market? (59:52) - Do you have a favorite historical building? (1:00:26) - John’s Cincinnati Preservation Collective (1:01:00) - Are there any political or governmental risks that keep you up right now? (1:01:56) - How do you project job creation? (1:02:37) - Who is usually the owner of the building before you enter the picture? (1:03:41) - What do conversations with public owners look like? (1:04:20) - Can you get the credit for ground-up dev? (1:04:34) - Is there anything you’ve learned along the way when creating your budget? (1:06:07) - Have you come across any treasures in these old buildings? (1:07:49) - What are the biggest differences in how people used to build things back then? (1:09:50) - What buildings can get these credits? (1:11:21) - Is there a yearly influx of these buildings getting approved with the 50-year existence requirement? (1:12:29) - Can you get a building out of a historic designation? (1:13:02) - What’s your end goal? (1:13:30) - Are there any resources that people can learn more about this industry? The Ohio Dept. of Development The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts John Blatchford is the Owner of Kunst, a real estate developer in Cincinnati, Ohio that renovates historic buildings into city apartments by utilizing historic tax credits and Opportunity Zone investments. This episode is a deep dive into The Historic Real Estate Tax Credit, John breaks down the entire process from what buildings qualify, how to apply, the difference between the state and federal credits, how they use the credits, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

John on Twitter

Kunst 

(02:09) - John’s Background and Career

(05:37) - What are you focused on at Kunst?

(06:38) - The Cincinatti Market

(08:40) - The Historic Tax Credit

(09:47) - How do LP’s benefit from this Tax Credit?

(11:35) - How do you use the credit?

(12:12) - How do you begin the process of getting the credit?

(13:56) - How often does the state approve these credit applications?

(14:17) - What work has been done before applying?

(15:39) - What are the things you did wrong on the first deal that are easy fixes on deal 14 and onward?

(16:49) - Do you have to own the property before submitting an application or can you be under contract?

(17:30) - Does anyone actually come to visit the property from SHIPO?

(18:07) - How much of the building needs to be ‘saved’ in order to qualify for the tax credit?

(19:38) - How vacant are these properties when you acquire them?

(20:39) - If a building is totally bombed out, do renovations have to match the aesthetics of the time or can it be built to look more modern?

(21:11) - Why do states and federal governments care so much about preserving the historical nature of these buildings?

(22:28) - Is there a point where the building is in such poor condition where you have to demo it?

(23:07) - Would a ground-up development require a historic-style building to go up?

(36:04) - Do you ever sell the credit in whole?

(37:12) - Is there an online marketplace where you can list these credits for sale?

(40:57) - Is there a place people can go to see all the federal tax credits that were awarded in a year to try and buy them?

(42:12) - Who are you usually selling your federal credits to?

(51:04) - How often do you see projects that are missing out on these tax credits?

(52:18) - What would it cost to hire a consultant to work on getting these credits?

(52:45) - How would you find a consultant?

(53:23) - Is there anything within landscaping that falls under the criteria?

(53:40) - How long does a typical renovation take you?

(58:30) - Do you have a lot of competition in your market?

(59:26) - Do you have the runway to do a lot of projects in your market?

(59:52) - Do you have a favorite historical building?

(1:00:26) - John’s Cincinnati Preservation Collective

(1:01:00) - Are there any political or governmental risks that keep you up right now?

(1:01:56) - How do you project job creation?

(1:02:37) - Who is usually the owner of the building before you enter the picture?

(1:03:41) - What do conversations with public owners look like?

(1:04:20) - Can you get the credit for ground-up dev?

(1:04:34) - Is there anything you’ve learned along the way when creating your budget?

(1:06:07) - Have you come across any treasures in these old buildings?

(1:07:49) - What are the biggest differences in how people used to build things back then?

(1:09:50) - What buildings can get these credits?

(1:11:21) - Is there a yearly influx of these buildings getting approved with the 50-year existence requirement?

(1:12:29) - Can you get a building out of a historic designation?

(1:13:02) - What’s your end goal?

(1:13:30) - Are there any resources that people can learn more about this industry?

The Ohio Dept. of Development

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4585 no RE #178: Chris Powers - Why decisions are made to sell real estate? https://www.TheFortPod.com On this solo episode, Chris breaks down what would cause someone to sell an investment property or cash-flowing asset. He also discusses why different entities will decide to sell, such as funds or merchant developers. He stresses the importance of building a track record of selling, and how that played into the success of Fort Capital. He also discusses the process by which Fort Capita approaches a sale and experiences they've had. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/  (01:57) - Who and what are we selling? (02:30) - What are some reasons to sell? (04:10) - Misalignment & Partnerships (04:59) - You’re Doing Larger Deals (05:43) - Satisfying Estate Issues (06:09) - The Market is High and The Offer is Great (06:38) - There are Better Opportunities for Capital (07:18) - Taking Profits (08:55) - Changing Market Conditions (10:31) - Cross-Collateralized Deals (11:10) - Taking risk Off The Table (11:26) - Real Estate Depreciation (12:05) - Investor’s Preferred Time Horizon (13:13) - Tax Reasons (13:38) - Why funds, REITs, and Merchant Developers Will Sell (15:01) - You’ve Aggregated Enough Assets (16:12) - What does selling do for an investment company? (18:15) - Building a Track Record (23:04) - Ownership Types and Incentive Structures (30:08) -  Fort Capital’s Experience in Selling Portfolios (32:29) - The Process by Which Fort Capital Sells The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts. Tue, 26 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #178: Chris Powers - Why decisions are made to sell real estate? full 1 178 Chris Powers On this solo episode, Chris breaks down what would cause someone to sell an investment property or cash-flowing asset. He also discusses why different entities will decide to sell, such as funds or merchant developers. He stresses the importance of... On this solo episode, Chris breaks down what would cause someone to sell an investment property or cash-flowing asset. He also discusses why different entities will decide to sell, such as funds or merchant developers. He stresses the importance of building a track record of selling, and how that played into the success of Fort Capital. He also discusses the process by which Fort Capita approaches a sale and experiences they've had. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/  (01:57) - Who and what are we selling? (02:30) - What are some reasons to sell? (04:10) - Misalignment & Partnerships (04:59) - You’re Doing Larger Deals (05:43) - Satisfying Estate Issues (06:09) - The Market is High and The Offer is Great (06:38) - There are Better Opportunities for Capital (07:18) - Taking Profits (08:55) - Changing Market Conditions (10:31) - Cross-Collateralized Deals (11:10) - Taking risk Off The Table (11:26) - Real Estate Depreciation (12:05) - Investor’s Preferred Time Horizon (13:13) - Tax Reasons (13:38) - Why funds, REITs, and Merchant Developers Will Sell (15:01) - You’ve Aggregated Enough Assets (16:12) - What does selling do for an investment company? (18:15) - Building a Track Record (23:04) - Ownership Types and Incentive Structures (30:08) -  Fort Capital’s Experience in Selling Portfolios (32:29) - The Process by Which Fort Capital Sells The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts. On this solo episode, Chris breaks down what would cause someone to sell an investment property or cash-flowing asset. He also discusses why different entities will decide to sell, such as funds or merchant developers. He stresses the importance of building a track record of selling, and how that played into the success of Fort Capital. He also discusses the process by which Fort Capita approaches a sale and experiences they've had. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 

(01:57) - Who and what are we selling?

(02:30) - What are some reasons to sell?

(04:10) - Misalignment & Partnerships

(04:59) - You’re Doing Larger Deals

(05:43) - Satisfying Estate Issues

(06:09) - The Market is High and The Offer is Great

(06:38) - There are Better Opportunities for Capital

(07:18) - Taking Profits

(08:55) - Changing Market Conditions

(10:31) - Cross-Collateralized Deals

(11:10) - Taking risk Off The Table

(11:26) - Real Estate Depreciation

(12:05) - Investor’s Preferred Time Horizon

(13:13) - Tax Reasons

(13:38) - Why funds, REITs, and Merchant Developers Will Sell

(15:01) - You’ve Aggregated Enough Assets

(16:12) - What does selling do for an investment company?

(18:15) - Building a Track Record

(23:04) - Ownership Types and Incentive Structures

(30:08) -  Fort Capital’s Experience in Selling Portfolios

(32:29) - The Process by Which Fort Capital Sells

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts.

]]> 2644 no #177: Bill D'Alessandro - CEO of Elements Brands - Building an E-Commerce Holdco Empire https://www.TheFortPod.com Bill D'Alessandro is the Founder / CEO at Elements Brands, a parent brand that owns and acquires e-commerce companies. Bill founded Elements Brands in 2010 and has scaled to 8 figures of revenue, 50+ employees, and 51,000 square feet of office/warehouse. Elements Brands is vertically integrated and they own and operate all their brands. They have a team of in-house experts in digital marketing, branding, wholesale sales, customer retention, and financial analysis. Their supply chain and logistics teams manufacture and ship thousands of orders each day to customers around the world. On this episode, Chris and Bill discuss Elements Brands and why Bill chose vertical integration, with a rabbit hole into how that has played out so well for them given the current supply chain challenges facing the globe. They have a great discussion on the 'Amazon Seller' model and where that plays a role in the companies Bill looks at purchasing. They break down Bill's strategy when acquiring brands and what that process is like for the seller. They also discuss how Bill landed on Petcare and skincare for his core products, Culture Index, digital marketing, and more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_ekX3rEf4iY Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:20) - Bill’s Background and Career  (04:02) - How did reading 4 Hour Work Week impact you? (06:04) - Building KP Elements (08:07) - What is Elements Brands and how is it structured? (09:51) - Element’s Berkshire Hathaway Angle (10:25) - What’s your day-to-day focus as CEO? (11:13) - Why did you choose to pursue vertical integration? (12:51) - Why do more folks not do vertical integration? (15:13) - How did you land on skincare and petcare as your core products? (18:15) - Discussion On The ‘Amazon Seller’ Model (25:49) - Bill’s Process When Buying Businesses and His Ownership Strategy (27:12) - Valuing the Business (30:57) - Are you ever paying a premium for a great brand? (32:20) - How does your deal flow operate? (33:56) - What happens from the initial verbal agreement to the day you own the business? (36:00) - The Financials Side of Deals (38:26) - Organizational Structures (39:55) - Elements’ Employee Makeup (43:10) - Ingesting The Acquired Companies Teams (43:48) -  Culture Index (46:34) - What’s going on with Facebook and Apple and online advertising? (57:50) - How many of your 60 people are Marketing & SEO? (59:50) - How are you thinking about our current supply chain issues? (1:04:03) - Is there a solution on the horizon in terms of having the ports operate longer hours? (1:07:39) - What’s your end goal for Elements Brands? (1:09:54) - What do most people get wrong when starting their first product? (1:11:43) - Is there a way to start sales before putting a lot of advertising dollars at risk? (1:13:20) - Teaching Entrepreneurship Through Action (1:15:28) - What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry? (1:16:11) - Is there a book you would recommend? Plain Talk by Ken Iverson (1:18:36) - How can people reach you or Elements Brands? Bill's Personal Website Elements Brands Bill on Twitter The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 21 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #177: Bill D'Alessandro - CEO of Elements Brands - Building an E-Commerce Holdco Empire full 1 177 Chris Powers Bill D'Alessandro is the Founder / CEO at  a parent brand that owns and acquires e-commerce companies. Bill founded Elements Brands in 2010 and has scaled to 8 figures of revenue, 50+ employees, and 51,000 square feet of office/warehouse.... Bill D'Alessandro is the Founder / CEO at Elements Brands, a parent brand that owns and acquires e-commerce companies. Bill founded Elements Brands in 2010 and has scaled to 8 figures of revenue, 50+ employees, and 51,000 square feet of office/warehouse. Elements Brands is vertically integrated and they own and operate all their brands. They have a team of in-house experts in digital marketing, branding, wholesale sales, customer retention, and financial analysis. Their supply chain and logistics teams manufacture and ship thousands of orders each day to customers around the world. On this episode, Chris and Bill discuss Elements Brands and why Bill chose vertical integration, with a rabbit hole into how that has played out so well for them given the current supply chain challenges facing the globe. They have a great discussion on the 'Amazon Seller' model and where that plays a role in the companies Bill looks at purchasing. They break down Bill's strategy when acquiring brands and what that process is like for the seller. They also discuss how Bill landed on Petcare and skincare for his core products, Culture Index, digital marketing, and more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_ekX3rEf4iY Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:20) - Bill’s Background and Career  (04:02) - How did reading 4 Hour Work Week impact you? (06:04) - Building KP Elements (08:07) - What is Elements Brands and how is it structured? (09:51) - Element’s Berkshire Hathaway Angle (10:25) - What’s your day-to-day focus as CEO? (11:13) - Why did you choose to pursue vertical integration? (12:51) - Why do more folks not do vertical integration? (15:13) - How did you land on skincare and petcare as your core products? (18:15) - Discussion On The ‘Amazon Seller’ Model (25:49) - Bill’s Process When Buying Businesses and His Ownership Strategy (27:12) - Valuing the Business (30:57) - Are you ever paying a premium for a great brand? (32:20) - How does your deal flow operate? (33:56) - What happens from the initial verbal agreement to the day you own the business? (36:00) - The Financials Side of Deals (38:26) - Organizational Structures (39:55) - Elements’ Employee Makeup (43:10) - Ingesting The Acquired Companies Teams (43:48) -  Culture Index (46:34) - What’s going on with Facebook and Apple and online advertising? (57:50) - How many of your 60 people are Marketing & SEO? (59:50) - How are you thinking about our current supply chain issues? (1:04:03) - Is there a solution on the horizon in terms of having the ports operate longer hours? (1:07:39) - What’s your end goal for Elements Brands? (1:09:54) - What do most people get wrong when starting their first product? (1:11:43) - Is there a way to start sales before putting a lot of advertising dollars at risk? (1:13:20) - Teaching Entrepreneurship Through Action (1:15:28) - What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry? (1:16:11) - Is there a book you would recommend? Plain Talk by Ken Iverson (1:18:36) - How can people reach you or Elements Brands? Bill's Personal Website Elements Brands Bill on Twitter The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Bill D'Alessandro is the Founder / CEO at Elements Brands, a parent brand that owns and acquires e-commerce companies. Bill founded Elements Brands in 2010 and has scaled to 8 figures of revenue, 50+ employees, and 51,000 square feet of office/warehouse. Elements Brands is vertically integrated and they own and operate all their brands. They have a team of in-house experts in digital marketing, branding, wholesale sales, customer retention, and financial analysis. Their supply chain and logistics teams manufacture and ship thousands of orders each day to customers around the world.

On this episode, Chris and Bill discuss Elements Brands and why Bill chose vertical integration, with a rabbit hole into how that has played out so well for them given the current supply chain challenges facing the globe. They have a great discussion on the 'Amazon Seller' model and where that plays a role in the companies Bill looks at purchasing. They break down Bill's strategy when acquiring brands and what that process is like for the seller. They also discuss how Bill landed on Petcare and skincare for his core products, Culture Index, digital marketing, and more. Enjoy!

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_ekX3rEf4iY

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:20) - Bill’s Background and Career 

(04:02) - How did reading 4 Hour Work Week impact you?

(06:04) - Building KP Elements

(08:07) - What is Elements Brands and how is it structured?

(09:51) - Element’s Berkshire Hathaway Angle

(10:25) - What’s your day-to-day focus as CEO?

(11:13) - Why did you choose to pursue vertical integration?

(12:51) - Why do more folks not do vertical integration?

(15:13) - How did you land on skincare and petcare as your core products?

(18:15) - Discussion On The ‘Amazon Seller’ Model

(25:49) - Bill’s Process When Buying Businesses and His Ownership Strategy

(27:12) - Valuing the Business

(30:57) - Are you ever paying a premium for a great brand?

(32:20) - How does your deal flow operate?

(33:56) - What happens from the initial verbal agreement to the day you own the business?

(36:00) - The Financials Side of Deals

(38:26) - Organizational Structures

(39:55) - Elements’ Employee Makeup

(43:10) - Ingesting The Acquired Companies Teams

(43:48) -  Culture Index

(46:34) - What’s going on with Facebook and Apple and online advertising?

(57:50) - How many of your 60 people are Marketing & SEO?

(59:50) - How are you thinking about our current supply chain issues?

(1:04:03) - Is there a solution on the horizon in terms of having the ports operate longer hours?

(1:07:39) - What’s your end goal for Elements Brands?

(1:09:54) - What do most people get wrong when starting their first product?

(1:11:43) - Is there a way to start sales before putting a lot of advertising dollars at risk?

(1:13:20) - Teaching Entrepreneurship Through Action

(1:15:28) - What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

(1:16:11) - Is there a book you would recommend?

Plain Talk by Ken Iverson

(1:18:36) - How can people reach you or Elements Brands?

Bill's Personal Website

Elements Brands

Bill on Twitter

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4869 no RE #176: Ayesha Selden - Building a Real Estate & Equity Empire, Owner of Mud2millions.com - 'OWN SOME SHIT' https://www.TheFortPod.com Born and raised in South Philadelphia to a single mother, Ayesha is now a multi-millionaire in Stock, Real Estate, and as a Franchise Business Owner. As an Economic Activist, she encourages everyone to invest their money in themselves and their neighborhoods. On this episode, Ayesha discusses her upbringing and how she was able to escape poverty through Real Estate, and her goals of helping others do the same. She and Chris discuss her RE philosophy, how she manages her assets, the impact of the past 18 months, her #1 message: "Own some shit" and much more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z51ByEcm23M Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:17) - Ayesha’s Childhood in South Philadelphia and Career Background (10:19) - Entrepreneurship By Hook or By Crook (11:12) - Trial and Error: Money Management (13:55) - “You gotta own some shit” (16:39) - Thoughts on Gentrification (21:10) - Mud to Millions (24:55) - How did money play a role in the broader community growing up? (29:33) - What do you mean when you say “change your mindset” when talking about money? (35:44) - How Ayesha Built Her RE Portfolio (41:24) - How do you think about cash flow & appreciation? (44:20) - The Social Impact Mindset When Setting Rents (46:22) - Ayesha’s Online RE Deal in LA and Goals in California (52:44) - Ayesha’s Annual Net Worth Review & What’s Next (59:38) -  Thoughts on NIMBYism and Affordable Housing (1:01:34) - What has the last 18 months taught you about the world? (1:06:16) - How can FORT listeners spread the Mud 2 Millions Message? Mud 2 Millions Book Mud2Millions.com (1:06:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:07:31) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:08:06) - If you had a billboard for the world to see, what would you put? (1:08:22) - How can people find you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/AyeshaSelden Instagram: www.Instagram.com/AyeshaSelden The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 19 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #176: Ayesha Selden - Building a Real Estate & Equity Empire, Owner of Mud2millions.com - 'OWN SOME SHIT' full 1 176 Chris Powers Born and raised in South Philadelphia to a single mother, Ayesha is now a multi-millionaire in Stock, Real Estate, and as a Franchise Business Owner. As an Economic Activist, she encourages everyone to invest their money in themselves and their... Born and raised in South Philadelphia to a single mother, Ayesha is now a multi-millionaire in Stock, Real Estate, and as a Franchise Business Owner. As an Economic Activist, she encourages everyone to invest their money in themselves and their neighborhoods. On this episode, Ayesha discusses her upbringing and how she was able to escape poverty through Real Estate, and her goals of helping others do the same. She and Chris discuss her RE philosophy, how she manages her assets, the impact of the past 18 months, her #1 message: "Own some shit" and much more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z51ByEcm23M Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:17) - Ayesha’s Childhood in South Philadelphia and Career Background (10:19) - Entrepreneurship By Hook or By Crook (11:12) - Trial and Error: Money Management (13:55) - “You gotta own some shit” (16:39) - Thoughts on Gentrification (21:10) - Mud to Millions (24:55) - How did money play a role in the broader community growing up? (29:33) - What do you mean when you say “change your mindset” when talking about money? (35:44) - How Ayesha Built Her RE Portfolio (41:24) - How do you think about cash flow & appreciation? (44:20) - The Social Impact Mindset When Setting Rents (46:22) - Ayesha’s Online RE Deal in LA and Goals in California (52:44) - Ayesha’s Annual Net Worth Review & What’s Next (59:38) -  Thoughts on NIMBYism and Affordable Housing (1:01:34) - What has the last 18 months taught you about the world? (1:06:16) - How can FORT listeners spread the Mud 2 Millions Message? Mud 2 Millions Book Mud2Millions.com (1:06:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:07:31) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:08:06) - If you had a billboard for the world to see, what would you put? (1:08:22) - How can people find you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/AyeshaSelden Instagram: www.Instagram.com/AyeshaSelden The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Born and raised in South Philadelphia to a single mother, Ayesha is now a multi-millionaire in Stock, Real Estate, and as a Franchise Business Owner. As an Economic Activist, she encourages everyone to invest their money in themselves and their neighborhoods.

On this episode, Ayesha discusses her upbringing and how she was able to escape poverty through Real Estate, and her goals of helping others do the same. She and Chris discuss her RE philosophy, how she manages her assets, the impact of the past 18 months, her #1 message: "Own some shit" and much more. Enjoy!

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z51ByEcm23M

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(02:17) - Ayesha’s Childhood in South Philadelphia and Career Background

(10:19) - Entrepreneurship By Hook or By Crook

(11:12) - Trial and Error: Money Management

(13:55) - “You gotta own some shit”

(16:39) - Thoughts on Gentrification

(21:10) - Mud to Millions

(24:55) - How did money play a role in the broader community growing up?

(29:33) - What do you mean when you say “change your mindset” when talking about money?

(35:44) - How Ayesha Built Her RE Portfolio

(41:24) - How do you think about cash flow & appreciation?

(44:20) - The Social Impact Mindset When Setting Rents

(46:22) - Ayesha’s Online RE Deal in LA and Goals in California

(52:44) - Ayesha’s Annual Net Worth Review & What’s Next

(59:38) -  Thoughts on NIMBYism and Affordable Housing

(1:01:34) - What has the last 18 months taught you about the world?

(1:06:16) - How can FORT listeners spread the Mud 2 Millions Message?

Mud 2 Millions Book

Mud2Millions.com

(1:06:54) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:07:31) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:08:06) - If you had a billboard for the world to see, what would you put?

(1:08:22) - How can people find you?

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/AyeshaSelden

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/AyeshaSelden

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4231 no RE #175: Bobby Fijan - Partner @ Form Developers - The Mad Scientist of Floorplans and Complex MF Development https://www.TheFortPod.com Bobby has been involved in startup companies for nearly his entire career. He left graduate school to start his previous company, Cross Properties, with 3 other partners in the basement of a seminary in 2011. He's worn every hat in real estate from finance, capital markets, fundraising, leasing, late-night maintenance, and semi-professional architect. At Cross, he was the Partner in charge of the Development and Design team and was responsible for every project from an empty lot to stabilized building. In 2019, he left day to day operations at Cross to co-found Tailorbird, a construction technology company, and Form Developers. On this episode, Chris and Bobby break down the science behind floor plans and how Bobby looks at apartment development as products that need perfecting. They discuss value add, efficiencies in the industry, the concept of pre-furnished apartments, how Bobby has built his persona as a floor plan consultant on Twitter and much more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hdt2wr5a_YM Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (2:11) - Bobby’s Career in Real Estate (4:22) - How did you make floor plans your niche? (8:03) - What’s the main reason floor plans are afterthoughts in the development process? (10:02) - What would make a great 650 Sqft unit and what makes a terrible one? (14:25) - Are there parts of a floor plan that adds value every time and parts that don’t in the data you’ve seen? (17:48) - What would a second use for a bedroom be? (18:56) - Thoughts on Balconies (19:48) - What makes 2br's more or less valuable? (21:52) - How do preferences change between demos of empty-nesters and millennials? (22:57) - Bobby’s disdain for Value add (26:07) - Creating metrics that people aren’t measuring right now (28:55) - Are you met with resistance when trying to present this way of thinking? (32:32) - What would be the opposite view of yours? (32:59) - “Apartments should be designed furnished” (41:31) - Is there any data to suggest people would rent longer in a pre-furnished scenario (41:59) - What’s your favorite feature in a small apartment? (42:38) - Thoughts on efficiencies in apartments (44:58) - Thoughts on Micro-units (46:56) - What are key things you think about when you take over an existing structure? (50:35) - Are there resources developers can utilize early on when it comes to easily design floor plans? (55:37) - What is a complex deal and what have you done to gravitate towards them? (58:30) - What are common things that the average developer overlooks when reviewing rules & regulations and dealing with surrounding communities? (1:01:39) - What do the majority of your reuse deals look like? (1:06:05) - Is it fair to say there’s more adaptive reuse projects in the Northeast? (1:08:12) - Does anything come to mind of things you’ve been able to pull off that most developers wouldn’t have seen? (1:13:52) - When you enter a new area, do you bring on local consultants to help you create relationships in the city or do you have a specific approach? (1:19:25) - Do you have a favorite floor plan you’ve ever seen? And what’s the worst one you’ve ever seen? (1:23:25) - What’s your favorite development? (1:24:33) - How can people find you Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BobbyFijan Email Bfijan@formdevelopers.com The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts      Tue, 12 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #175: Bobby Fijan - Partner @ Form Developers - The Mad Scientist of Floorplans and Complex MF Development full 1 175 Chris Powers Bobby has been involved in startup companies for nearly his entire career. He left graduate school to start his previous company, Cross Properties, with 3 other partners in the basement of a seminary in 2011. He's worn every hat in real estate from... Bobby has been involved in startup companies for nearly his entire career. He left graduate school to start his previous company, Cross Properties, with 3 other partners in the basement of a seminary in 2011. He's worn every hat in real estate from finance, capital markets, fundraising, leasing, late-night maintenance, and semi-professional architect. At Cross, he was the Partner in charge of the Development and Design team and was responsible for every project from an empty lot to stabilized building. In 2019, he left day to day operations at Cross to co-found Tailorbird, a construction technology company, and Form Developers. On this episode, Chris and Bobby break down the science behind floor plans and how Bobby looks at apartment development as products that need perfecting. They discuss value add, efficiencies in the industry, the concept of pre-furnished apartments, how Bobby has built his persona as a floor plan consultant on Twitter and much more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hdt2wr5a_YM Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (2:11) - Bobby’s Career in Real Estate (4:22) - How did you make floor plans your niche? (8:03) - What’s the main reason floor plans are afterthoughts in the development process? (10:02) - What would make a great 650 Sqft unit and what makes a terrible one? (14:25) - Are there parts of a floor plan that adds value every time and parts that don’t in the data you’ve seen? (17:48) - What would a second use for a bedroom be? (18:56) - Thoughts on Balconies (19:48) - What makes 2br's more or less valuable? (21:52) - How do preferences change between demos of empty-nesters and millennials? (22:57) - Bobby’s disdain for Value add (26:07) - Creating metrics that people aren’t measuring right now (28:55) - Are you met with resistance when trying to present this way of thinking? (32:32) - What would be the opposite view of yours? (32:59) - “Apartments should be designed furnished” (41:31) - Is there any data to suggest people would rent longer in a pre-furnished scenario (41:59) - What’s your favorite feature in a small apartment? (42:38) - Thoughts on efficiencies in apartments (44:58) - Thoughts on Micro-units (46:56) - What are key things you think about when you take over an existing structure? (50:35) - Are there resources developers can utilize early on when it comes to easily design floor plans? (55:37) - What is a complex deal and what have you done to gravitate towards them? (58:30) - What are common things that the average developer overlooks when reviewing rules & regulations and dealing with surrounding communities? (1:01:39) - What do the majority of your reuse deals look like? (1:06:05) - Is it fair to say there’s more adaptive reuse projects in the Northeast? (1:08:12) - Does anything come to mind of things you’ve been able to pull off that most developers wouldn’t have seen? (1:13:52) - When you enter a new area, do you bring on local consultants to help you create relationships in the city or do you have a specific approach? (1:19:25) - Do you have a favorite floor plan you’ve ever seen? And what’s the worst one you’ve ever seen? (1:23:25) - What’s your favorite development? (1:24:33) - How can people find you Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BobbyFijan Email Bfijan@formdevelopers.com The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts      Bobby has been involved in startup companies for nearly his entire career. He left graduate school to start his previous company, Cross Properties, with 3 other partners in the basement of a seminary in 2011. He's worn every hat in real estate from finance, capital markets, fundraising, leasing, late-night maintenance, and semi-professional architect. At Cross, he was the Partner in charge of the Development and Design team and was responsible for every project from an empty lot to stabilized building. In 2019, he left day to day operations at Cross to co-found Tailorbird, a construction technology company, and Form Developers.

On this episode, Chris and Bobby break down the science behind floor plans and how Bobby looks at apartment development as products that need perfecting. They discuss value add, efficiencies in the industry, the concept of pre-furnished apartments, how Bobby has built his persona as a floor plan consultant on Twitter and much more. Enjoy!

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hdt2wr5a_YM

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(2:11) - Bobby’s Career in Real Estate

(4:22) - How did you make floor plans your niche?

(8:03) - What’s the main reason floor plans are afterthoughts in the development process?

(10:02) - What would make a great 650 Sqft unit and what makes a terrible one?

(14:25) - Are there parts of a floor plan that adds value every time and parts that don’t in the data you’ve seen?

(17:48) - What would a second use for a bedroom be?

(18:56) - Thoughts on Balconies

(19:48) - What makes 2br's more or less valuable?

(21:52) - How do preferences change between demos of empty-nesters and millennials?

(22:57) - Bobby’s disdain for Value add

(26:07) - Creating metrics that people aren’t measuring right now

(28:55) - Are you met with resistance when trying to present this way of thinking?

(32:32) - What would be the opposite view of yours?

(32:59) - “Apartments should be designed furnished”

(41:31) - Is there any data to suggest people would rent longer in a pre-furnished scenario

(41:59) - What’s your favorite feature in a small apartment?

(42:38) - Thoughts on efficiencies in apartments

(44:58) - Thoughts on Micro-units

(46:56) - What are key things you think about when you take over an existing structure?

(50:35) - Are there resources developers can utilize early on when it comes to easily design floor plans?

(55:37) - What is a complex deal and what have you done to gravitate towards them?

(58:30) - What are common things that the average developer overlooks when reviewing rules & regulations and dealing with surrounding communities?

(1:01:39) - What do the majority of your reuse deals look like?

(1:06:05) - Is it fair to say there’s more adaptive reuse projects in the Northeast?

(1:08:12) - Does anything come to mind of things you’ve been able to pull off that most developers wouldn’t have seen?

(1:13:52) - When you enter a new area, do you bring on local consultants to help you create relationships in the city or do you have a specific approach?

(1:19:25) - Do you have a favorite floor plan you’ve ever seen? And what’s the worst one you’ve ever seen?

(1:23:25) - What’s your favorite development?

(1:24:33) - How can people find you

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BobbyFijan

Email Bfijan@formdevelopers.com

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts     

]]> 5216 no RE #174: Laird Sparks - Sr. Managing Director, Development at Greystar https://www.TheFortPod.com Laird Sparks is a Senior Managing Director for Greystar Development and Construction Services, with responsibility for multifamily development in the Central North Region. He joined Greystar in 1998, holding various positions across multiple disciplines prior to joining the development team. Laird has been involved in all aspects of the Greystar business, including third-party property management, development, renovation, acquisitions, refinance and dispositions, and the asset management of approximately 20,000 apartment units with a capitalized value of approximately $2.5 billion. On this episode, Chris and Laird discuss the behemoth that is Greystar, their work in Texas, conventional multifamily age-restricted developments, the explosion of Single-Family Rentals, student housing, Industrial, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (03:56) -  Laird’s Career Story and How Greystar Has Evolved Since Being There in 1998 (05:47) - How is Greystar set up from the national level to the regional level? (06:53) -  What does your office do and what’s your role? (07:37) - What’s changed about development over the past 14 years? (09:35) - Are there amenities that are becoming obsolete? (10:41) - Did you primarily do deals in the core during this cycle? (11:37) - What markets do you play in? (12:46) - Are entitlements in suburban markets tougher to get? (14:25) - What are the differences between urban and suburban facilities? (15:48) - Workforce Housing (16:56) - Is there anything from a cost perspective on the horizon that excites you? (20:24) -  What makes up the bulk of cost increases? (21:07) - What are the factors in labor cost increases? (22:09) - What’s driving the massive jump in rents since Covid? (24:53) - Are we anywhere close to meeting demand in apartment developments for DFW? (25:37) -  How much do property taxes impact deals? (27:02) -  Is there anything different about this cycle from the others you’ve experienced?  (28:56) - Are there any permanent changes you're making in your products in light of the pandemic? (30:19) - Why is SFR so hot right now? (34:00) - Is there anyone doing luxury SFR? (36:35) - SFR Tenant Demographics (37:17) - Leasing Factors (37:49) - How are capital markets looking at SFR? (39:36) - Is there talk about not taking the merchant developer route with SFR’s? (42:33) -  How do you define age-restricted deals? (47:13) -  Student Housing (49:38) - Senior vs. Student Demand in Regards To Capital Markets (51:47) - Thoughts on Industrial (56:01) - Is the data you have across different asset classes helpful or is it pretty siloed? (58:55) - How is Texas positioned vs. the rest of the country? (1:00:37) -  Getting a Deal Done in CA vs. TX (1:02:45) - What metrics matter most to you when underwriting a deal? (1:04:41) - Have the basis point spreads between what you’re building to and what you’re exiting on changed drastically? (1:06:30) - How are 10-year hold deals structured if you’re underwriting a Merchant Development deal?  (1:08:20) - Thoughts on Opportunity Zones (1:10:03) - Property Management (1:15:52) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risks in the market? (1:17:41) - Has Social Media been a major player in making the developer a ‘villain’? (1:22:09) - Is crowdsourcing the future? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #174: Laird Sparks - Sr. Managing Director, Development at Greystar full 1 174 Chris Powers Laird Sparks is a Senior Managing Director for Greystar Development and Construction Services, with responsibility for multifamily development in the Central North Region. He joined Greystar in 1998, holding various positions across multiple... Laird Sparks is a Senior Managing Director for Greystar Development and Construction Services, with responsibility for multifamily development in the Central North Region. He joined Greystar in 1998, holding various positions across multiple disciplines prior to joining the development team. Laird has been involved in all aspects of the Greystar business, including third-party property management, development, renovation, acquisitions, refinance and dispositions, and the asset management of approximately 20,000 apartment units with a capitalized value of approximately $2.5 billion. On this episode, Chris and Laird discuss the behemoth that is Greystar, their work in Texas, conventional multifamily age-restricted developments, the explosion of Single-Family Rentals, student housing, Industrial, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (03:56) -  Laird’s Career Story and How Greystar Has Evolved Since Being There in 1998 (05:47) - How is Greystar set up from the national level to the regional level? (06:53) -  What does your office do and what’s your role? (07:37) - What’s changed about development over the past 14 years? (09:35) - Are there amenities that are becoming obsolete? (10:41) - Did you primarily do deals in the core during this cycle? (11:37) - What markets do you play in? (12:46) - Are entitlements in suburban markets tougher to get? (14:25) - What are the differences between urban and suburban facilities? (15:48) - Workforce Housing (16:56) - Is there anything from a cost perspective on the horizon that excites you? (20:24) -  What makes up the bulk of cost increases? (21:07) - What are the factors in labor cost increases? (22:09) - What’s driving the massive jump in rents since Covid? (24:53) - Are we anywhere close to meeting demand in apartment developments for DFW? (25:37) -  How much do property taxes impact deals? (27:02) -  Is there anything different about this cycle from the others you’ve experienced?  (28:56) - Are there any permanent changes you're making in your products in light of the pandemic? (30:19) - Why is SFR so hot right now? (34:00) - Is there anyone doing luxury SFR? (36:35) - SFR Tenant Demographics (37:17) - Leasing Factors (37:49) - How are capital markets looking at SFR? (39:36) - Is there talk about not taking the merchant developer route with SFR’s? (42:33) -  How do you define age-restricted deals? (47:13) -  Student Housing (49:38) - Senior vs. Student Demand in Regards To Capital Markets (51:47) - Thoughts on Industrial (56:01) - Is the data you have across different asset classes helpful or is it pretty siloed? (58:55) - How is Texas positioned vs. the rest of the country? (1:00:37) -  Getting a Deal Done in CA vs. TX (1:02:45) - What metrics matter most to you when underwriting a deal? (1:04:41) - Have the basis point spreads between what you’re building to and what you’re exiting on changed drastically? (1:06:30) - How are 10-year hold deals structured if you’re underwriting a Merchant Development deal?  (1:08:20) - Thoughts on Opportunity Zones (1:10:03) - Property Management (1:15:52) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risks in the market? (1:17:41) - Has Social Media been a major player in making the developer a ‘villain’? (1:22:09) - Is crowdsourcing the future? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Laird Sparks is a Senior Managing Director for Greystar Development and Construction Services, with responsibility for multifamily development in the Central North Region.

He joined Greystar in 1998, holding various positions across multiple disciplines prior to joining the development team. Laird has been involved in all aspects of the Greystar business, including third-party property management, development, renovation, acquisitions, refinance and dispositions, and the asset management of approximately 20,000 apartment units with a capitalized value of approximately $2.5 billion.

On this episode, Chris and Laird discuss the behemoth that is Greystar, their work in Texas, conventional multifamily age-restricted developments, the explosion of Single-Family Rentals, student housing, Industrial, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(03:56) -  Laird’s Career Story and How Greystar Has Evolved Since Being There in 1998

(05:47) - How is Greystar set up from the national level to the regional level?

(06:53) -  What does your office do and what’s your role?

(07:37) - What’s changed about development over the past 14 years?

(09:35) - Are there amenities that are becoming obsolete?

(10:41) - Did you primarily do deals in the core during this cycle?

(11:37) - What markets do you play in?

(12:46) - Are entitlements in suburban markets tougher to get?

(14:25) - What are the differences between urban and suburban facilities?

(15:48) - Workforce Housing

(16:56) - Is there anything from a cost perspective on the horizon that excites you?

(20:24) -  What makes up the bulk of cost increases?

(21:07) - What are the factors in labor cost increases?

(22:09) - What’s driving the massive jump in rents since Covid?

(24:53) - Are we anywhere close to meeting demand in apartment developments for DFW?

(25:37) -  How much do property taxes impact deals?

(27:02) -  Is there anything different about this cycle from the others you’ve experienced? 

(28:56) - Are there any permanent changes you're making in your products in light of the pandemic?

(30:19) - Why is SFR so hot right now?

(34:00) - Is there anyone doing luxury SFR?

(36:35) - SFR Tenant Demographics

(37:17) - Leasing Factors

(37:49) - How are capital markets looking at SFR?

(39:36) - Is there talk about not taking the merchant developer route with SFR’s?

(42:33) -  How do you define age-restricted deals?

(47:13) -  Student Housing

(49:38) - Senior vs. Student Demand in Regards To Capital Markets

(51:47) - Thoughts on Industrial

(56:01) - Is the data you have across different asset classes helpful or is it pretty siloed?

(58:55) - How is Texas positioned vs. the rest of the country?

(1:00:37) -  Getting a Deal Done in CA vs. TX

(1:02:45) - What metrics matter most to you when underwriting a deal?

(1:04:41) - Have the basis point spreads between what you’re building to and what you’re exiting on changed drastically?

(1:06:30) - How are 10-year hold deals structured if you’re underwriting a Merchant Development deal? 

(1:08:20) - Thoughts on Opportunity Zones

(1:10:03) - Property Management

(1:15:52) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risks in the market?

(1:17:41) - Has Social Media been a major player in making the developer a ‘villain’?

(1:22:09) - Is crowdsourcing the future?

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5189 no #173: Andrew Gazdecki - Founder & CEO of Microacquire https://www.TheFortPod.com Andrew Gazdecki is the Founder of Microacquire, an online startup acquisition marketplace. Andrew is also the former CEO & Founder of Bizness Apps and Altcoin (both acquired). On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss the early days of founding Bizness Apps and Altcoin before his jump into Microacquire. They break down the process of how Microacquire works, what types of companies are on the platform, how they engage with potential buyers and advice for founders to be successful in selling their businesses. Finally, Andrew discusses why VC isn't right for everyone, his Bootstrappers platform and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:43) - Andrew’s Career Background Leading into Microacquire (15:31) - Why Andrew Regrets Starting an Ethereum Transaction Company (18:43) - What is MicroAcquire and what are you trying to achieve? (21:05) - How do you make money? (24:03) - What is the range of sellers you’re seeing on the platform? (26:48) - Does the seller have to put the price they want on the platform? (29:08) - What’s the vetting process for sellers to get on? (30:47) - What’s the range of buyers you see on the platform? (32:28) - What do you mean by Corp Dev licenses? (33:24) - Have you had any first-time buyers who just looking to get into entrepreneurship? (35:03) - What would a $10,000 per year revenue business vs. an $8mm company look like on Microacquire? (38:43) - Are you providing resources for new buyers or how do they learn how to acquire businesses? (42:00) - What are the things sellers need to check off the list in order to sell quickly online? (44:49) - Is something like the founder wanting to exit immediately listed on Microacquire or does that only come up in conversations with buyers? (46:56) - Does Microacquire cut out intermediaries like investment bankers? (49:36) - How does the buyer and seller communicate with each other? Do they need to use platform-approved legal templates? (56:15) - How are the smaller buyers financing deals? (59:44) - How are you going to crack the code to get $100+ MM companies onto the platform and do you plan to bring non-traditional companies on to sell? (1:03:44) - Dealing with Team Members Either Knowing or Not Knowing the Business They Work For Is Up For Sale When It’s Listed on Microacquire (1:06:29) - Launching Bootstrappers.com & Beefing with Tech Crunch (1:12:15) - How does a company know if they should go raise from a VC or not? (1:16:57) - The #1 Reason For Start Up Success TED Talk: The Single Biggest Reason why Start Ups succeed (1:18:12) - Why did you choose to build in public and what have been some positives/negatives of the experience? (1:20:01) - How do you build a ‘fun’ company? (1:23:46) - Is it harder to build a fun company when you’re fully remote? (1:26:11) - Is a hotdog a sandwich? (1:26:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:28:44) - How can people find you or Microacquire Website: www.microacquire.com  Email: Andrew@microacquire.com Twitter: www.Twitter.com/agazdecki The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 28 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #173: Andrew Gazdecki - Founder & CEO of Microacquire full 1 173 Chris Powers Andrew Gazdecki is the Founder of , an online startup acquisition marketplace. Andrew is also the former CEO & Founder of Bizness Apps and Altcoin (both acquired). On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss the early days of founding Bizness Apps... Andrew Gazdecki is the Founder of Microacquire, an online startup acquisition marketplace. Andrew is also the former CEO & Founder of Bizness Apps and Altcoin (both acquired). On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss the early days of founding Bizness Apps and Altcoin before his jump into Microacquire. They break down the process of how Microacquire works, what types of companies are on the platform, how they engage with potential buyers and advice for founders to be successful in selling their businesses. Finally, Andrew discusses why VC isn't right for everyone, his Bootstrappers platform and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:43) - Andrew’s Career Background Leading into Microacquire (15:31) - Why Andrew Regrets Starting an Ethereum Transaction Company (18:43) - What is MicroAcquire and what are you trying to achieve? (21:05) - How do you make money? (24:03) - What is the range of sellers you’re seeing on the platform? (26:48) - Does the seller have to put the price they want on the platform? (29:08) - What’s the vetting process for sellers to get on? (30:47) - What’s the range of buyers you see on the platform? (32:28) - What do you mean by Corp Dev licenses? (33:24) - Have you had any first-time buyers who just looking to get into entrepreneurship? (35:03) - What would a $10,000 per year revenue business vs. an $8mm company look like on Microacquire? (38:43) - Are you providing resources for new buyers or how do they learn how to acquire businesses? (42:00) - What are the things sellers need to check off the list in order to sell quickly online? (44:49) - Is something like the founder wanting to exit immediately listed on Microacquire or does that only come up in conversations with buyers? (46:56) - Does Microacquire cut out intermediaries like investment bankers? (49:36) - How does the buyer and seller communicate with each other? Do they need to use platform-approved legal templates? (56:15) - How are the smaller buyers financing deals? (59:44) - How are you going to crack the code to get $100+ MM companies onto the platform and do you plan to bring non-traditional companies on to sell? (1:03:44) - Dealing with Team Members Either Knowing or Not Knowing the Business They Work For Is Up For Sale When It’s Listed on Microacquire (1:06:29) - Launching Bootstrappers.com & Beefing with Tech Crunch (1:12:15) - How does a company know if they should go raise from a VC or not? (1:16:57) - The #1 Reason For Start Up Success TED Talk: The Single Biggest Reason why Start Ups succeed (1:18:12) - Why did you choose to build in public and what have been some positives/negatives of the experience? (1:20:01) - How do you build a ‘fun’ company? (1:23:46) - Is it harder to build a fun company when you’re fully remote? (1:26:11) - Is a hotdog a sandwich? (1:26:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:28:44) - How can people find you or Microacquire Website: www.microacquire.com  Email: Andrew@microacquire.com Twitter: www.Twitter.com/agazdecki The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Andrew Gazdecki is the Founder of Microacquire, an online startup acquisition marketplace. Andrew is also the former CEO & Founder of Bizness Apps and Altcoin (both acquired).

On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss the early days of founding Bizness Apps and Altcoin before his jump into Microacquire. They break down the process of how Microacquire works, what types of companies are on the platform, how they engage with potential buyers and advice for founders to be successful in selling their businesses. Finally, Andrew discusses why VC isn't right for everyone, his Bootstrappers platform and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:43) - Andrew’s Career Background Leading into Microacquire

(15:31) - Why Andrew Regrets Starting an Ethereum Transaction Company

(18:43) - What is MicroAcquire and what are you trying to achieve?

(21:05) - How do you make money?

(24:03) - What is the range of sellers you’re seeing on the platform?

(26:48) - Does the seller have to put the price they want on the platform?

(29:08) - What’s the vetting process for sellers to get on?

(30:47) - What’s the range of buyers you see on the platform?

(32:28) - What do you mean by Corp Dev licenses?

(33:24) - Have you had any first-time buyers who just looking to get into entrepreneurship?

(35:03) - What would a $10,000 per year revenue business vs. an $8mm company look like on Microacquire?

(38:43) - Are you providing resources for new buyers or how do they learn how to acquire businesses?

(42:00) - What are the things sellers need to check off the list in order to sell quickly online?

(44:49) - Is something like the founder wanting to exit immediately listed on Microacquire or does that only come up in conversations with buyers?

(46:56) - Does Microacquire cut out intermediaries like investment bankers?

(49:36) - How does the buyer and seller communicate with each other? Do they need to use platform-approved legal templates?

(56:15) - How are the smaller buyers financing deals?

(59:44) - How are you going to crack the code to get $100+ MM companies onto the platform and do you plan to bring non-traditional companies on to sell?

(1:03:44) - Dealing with Team Members Either Knowing or Not Knowing the Business They Work For Is Up For Sale When It’s Listed on Microacquire

(1:06:29) - Launching Bootstrappers.com & Beefing with Tech Crunch

(1:12:15) - How does a company know if they should go raise from a VC or not?

(1:16:57) - The #1 Reason For Start Up Success

TED Talk: The Single Biggest Reason why Start Ups succeed

(1:18:12) - Why did you choose to build in public and what have been some positives/negatives of the experience?

(1:20:01) - How do you build a ‘fun’ company?

(1:23:46) - Is it harder to build a fun company when you’re fully remote?

(1:26:11) - Is a hotdog a sandwich?

(1:26:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:28:44) - How can people find you or Microacquire

Website: www.microacquire.com 

Email: Andrew@microacquire.com

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/agazdecki

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5481 no RE #172: Vince Knipp - Senior MD Investments at Marcus Millichap - Single Tenant NNN Retail Assets 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com Vincent Knipp is a Senior Managing Director of Investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Dallas office, where he specializes in net lease investment sales across the United States. Knipp has been the #1 Net Lease Agent in Texas and consistently ranks in the Top 10 Nationally within Marcus & Millichap’s National Retail Group. Over the course of his career, he has closed more than 350 transactions totaling nearly $1 billion in volume in 29 states. On this episode, Chris and Vince discuss the market for single-tenant NNN assets, 1031's, what makes a good investment in this asset class, what makes a great broker, and a lot more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:14) - Vince’s Upbringing and Early Career (05:11) - What were your first years as a broker like? (07:06) - What’s the mythical ‘database’ that all Marcus agents build? (08:20) - What did Marcus teach you about making your first calls as a broker? (10:19) - What makes great retail? (12:47) - Why do you put all the multi-tenant buildings with your partner? (15:33) - Who are the typical sellers you work with? (19:56) - Who are the typical buyers you work with? (21:32) - How do you value a property in a major metro vs. a smaller town? (24:14) - In markets where rents are growing quickly, are there a lot of buyers who will buy on a 2 cap and wait it out? (27:01) - Ground Leases vs. Fee Simple Deals (29:04) - What usually happens when a tenant leaves their building? (30:33) - Are all of these leases pretty much the same? (32:51) - Percentage Rent Clauses (33:54) - Rent-to-Sales Ratios (36:44) - Why do people leave? (38:02) - What other factors are there in leases that are desirable? (39:54) - Why do sales go down and is it usually tenant-specific? (41:33) - How much do you pay attention to the specific products your tenants sell? (42:29) - Are there ever demands from tenants that they’ll only sign unless you agree to not sell the building? (43:40) - How much does access matter to you, tenants and customers? (43:35) - All-for-One, One-for-All Scenarios of Tenants (46:26) - What are tenants requesting now that we’ve been through Covid? (48:39) - Has the upsurge in drive-through changed things permanently? (51:52) - Are cosmetic upgrades usually on the operator and not the landlord? (53:24) - What do you tell people in a transaction that costs 2x more than replacement costs?  (54:40) - Are there any up-and-coming tenants you have your eye on? (56:05) - How do you conduct due diligence without ever seeing the property in person? (57:48) - Do ghost kitchens make you nervous? (58:51) - What’s your favorite deal you’ve ever done? (1:01:51) - Will you do deals anywhere or are you only based in Texas? (1:02:32) - Is there a reason you’ve stayed with Marcus for so long? (1:04:17) - Is there a way to share information across all of Marcus’ agents? (1:05:45) - Is there anything in the industry that still really excites you after being in it for 15 years? (1:07:20) - Underwriting Deals with a Franchisee vs. a Franchiser (1:09:16) - What can go wrong once you’re under contract? (1:11:34) - How much volume are you expecting for the rest of 2021? The Knipp Group Mailing list (1:13:20) - How do you sell a ‘party center’ deal? (1:15:31) - What advice would you give to people getting into the industry today? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 21 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #172: Vince Knipp - Senior MD Investments at Marcus Millichap - Single Tenant NNN Retail Assets 101 full 1 172 Chris Powers Vincent Knipp is a Senior Managing Director of Investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Dallas office, where he specializes in net lease investment sales across the United States. Knipp has been the #1 Net Lease Agent in Texas and consistently ranks... Vincent Knipp is a Senior Managing Director of Investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Dallas office, where he specializes in net lease investment sales across the United States. Knipp has been the #1 Net Lease Agent in Texas and consistently ranks in the Top 10 Nationally within Marcus & Millichap’s National Retail Group. Over the course of his career, he has closed more than 350 transactions totaling nearly $1 billion in volume in 29 states. On this episode, Chris and Vince discuss the market for single-tenant NNN assets, 1031's, what makes a good investment in this asset class, what makes a great broker, and a lot more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:14) - Vince’s Upbringing and Early Career (05:11) - What were your first years as a broker like? (07:06) - What’s the mythical ‘database’ that all Marcus agents build? (08:20) - What did Marcus teach you about making your first calls as a broker? (10:19) - What makes great retail? (12:47) - Why do you put all the multi-tenant buildings with your partner? (15:33) - Who are the typical sellers you work with? (19:56) - Who are the typical buyers you work with? (21:32) - How do you value a property in a major metro vs. a smaller town? (24:14) - In markets where rents are growing quickly, are there a lot of buyers who will buy on a 2 cap and wait it out? (27:01) - Ground Leases vs. Fee Simple Deals (29:04) - What usually happens when a tenant leaves their building? (30:33) - Are all of these leases pretty much the same? (32:51) - Percentage Rent Clauses (33:54) - Rent-to-Sales Ratios (36:44) - Why do people leave? (38:02) - What other factors are there in leases that are desirable? (39:54) - Why do sales go down and is it usually tenant-specific? (41:33) - How much do you pay attention to the specific products your tenants sell? (42:29) - Are there ever demands from tenants that they’ll only sign unless you agree to not sell the building? (43:40) - How much does access matter to you, tenants and customers? (43:35) - All-for-One, One-for-All Scenarios of Tenants (46:26) - What are tenants requesting now that we’ve been through Covid? (48:39) - Has the upsurge in drive-through changed things permanently? (51:52) - Are cosmetic upgrades usually on the operator and not the landlord? (53:24) - What do you tell people in a transaction that costs 2x more than replacement costs?  (54:40) - Are there any up-and-coming tenants you have your eye on? (56:05) - How do you conduct due diligence without ever seeing the property in person? (57:48) - Do ghost kitchens make you nervous? (58:51) - What’s your favorite deal you’ve ever done? (1:01:51) - Will you do deals anywhere or are you only based in Texas? (1:02:32) - Is there a reason you’ve stayed with Marcus for so long? (1:04:17) - Is there a way to share information across all of Marcus’ agents? (1:05:45) - Is there anything in the industry that still really excites you after being in it for 15 years? (1:07:20) - Underwriting Deals with a Franchisee vs. a Franchiser (1:09:16) - What can go wrong once you’re under contract? (1:11:34) - How much volume are you expecting for the rest of 2021? The Knipp Group Mailing list (1:13:20) - How do you sell a ‘party center’ deal? (1:15:31) - What advice would you give to people getting into the industry today? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Vincent Knipp is a Senior Managing Director of Investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Dallas office, where he specializes in net lease investment sales across the United States. Knipp has been the #1 Net Lease Agent in Texas and consistently ranks in the Top 10 Nationally within Marcus & Millichap’s National Retail Group. Over the course of his career, he has closed more than 350 transactions totaling nearly $1 billion in volume in 29 states.

On this episode, Chris and Vince discuss the market for single-tenant NNN assets, 1031's, what makes a good investment in this asset class, what makes a great broker, and a lot more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(02:14) - Vince’s Upbringing and Early Career

(05:11) - What were your first years as a broker like?

(07:06) - What’s the mythical ‘database’ that all Marcus agents build?

(08:20) - What did Marcus teach you about making your first calls as a broker?

(10:19) - What makes great retail?

(12:47) - Why do you put all the multi-tenant buildings with your partner?

(15:33) - Who are the typical sellers you work with?

(19:56) - Who are the typical buyers you work with?

(21:32) - How do you value a property in a major metro vs. a smaller town?

(24:14) - In markets where rents are growing quickly, are there a lot of buyers who will buy on a 2 cap and wait it out?

(27:01) - Ground Leases vs. Fee Simple Deals

(29:04) - What usually happens when a tenant leaves their building?

(30:33) - Are all of these leases pretty much the same?

(32:51) - Percentage Rent Clauses

(33:54) - Rent-to-Sales Ratios

(36:44) - Why do people leave?

(38:02) - What other factors are there in leases that are desirable?

(39:54) - Why do sales go down and is it usually tenant-specific?

(41:33) - How much do you pay attention to the specific products your tenants sell?

(42:29) - Are there ever demands from tenants that they’ll only sign unless you agree to not sell the building?

(43:40) - How much does access matter to you, tenants and customers?

(43:35) - All-for-One, One-for-All Scenarios of Tenants

(46:26) - What are tenants requesting now that we’ve been through Covid?

(48:39) - Has the upsurge in drive-through changed things permanently?

(51:52) - Are cosmetic upgrades usually on the operator and not the landlord?

(53:24) - What do you tell people in a transaction that costs 2x more than replacement costs? 

(54:40) - Are there any up-and-coming tenants you have your eye on?

(56:05) - How do you conduct due diligence without ever seeing the property in person?

(57:48) - Do ghost kitchens make you nervous?

(58:51) - What’s your favorite deal you’ve ever done?

(1:01:51) - Will you do deals anywhere or are you only based in Texas?

(1:02:32) - Is there a reason you’ve stayed with Marcus for so long?

(1:04:17) - Is there a way to share information across all of Marcus’ agents?

(1:05:45) - Is there anything in the industry that still really excites you after being in it for 15 years?

(1:07:20) - Underwriting Deals with a Franchisee vs. a Franchiser

(1:09:16) - What can go wrong once you’re under contract?

(1:11:34) - How much volume are you expecting for the rest of 2021?

The Knipp Group Mailing list

(1:13:20) - How do you sell a ‘party center’ deal?

(1:15:31) - What advice would you give to people getting into the industry today?

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4773 no #171: Chris Bloomstran - President & CIO at Semper Augustus - Finding Value in the Public Markets https://www.TheFortPod.com Christopher P. Bloomstran, CFA, is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC. Chris has three decades of professional investment experience with a disciplined, value-driven approach to fundamental equity and industry research. Semper Augustus manages concentrated global equity portfolios of well-run, well-capitalized businesses with share prices trading below conservative appraisals of intrinsic value.  On this episode, Chris dives deep into his journey of founding Semper Augustus and his vast knowledge of Berkshire Hathaway. They also discuss his 2020 investor letter, what he thinks about the current market, value investing, and much more. Enjoy! (03:10) - Chris’ Background & Career at Semper Augustus  (08:07) - Was it a no-brainer to take over this family capital or did you have reservations about it? (14:06) - Has your investment strategy been set by the initial family capital at Semper Augustus? (21:19) - What does ‘fundamental, value-driven investor’ mean to you? (27:55) - What did you mean in your 2020 letter when you said it’s the point of no return? 2020 SAI Letter - The Point of no Return (40:48) - If you were elected to be the Fed Chairman, what would you do? (49:26) - How do you get inspiration for new ideas and how much time do you spend about adding new things to your portfolio vs. thinking about what you already own? (54:39) - How do you help your analysts ‘clean up the universe’? (1:00:42) - Does China’s direction worry you? (1:05:41) - How do you determine whether an org is practicing accounting integrity? (1:16:30) - Is there anything that more people should understand about Berkshire that is often overlooked? (1:24:53) - Is there something you think Warren should be doing with the cash on his balance sheet? (1:33:39) - Are you pleased with how Berkshire handled their covid situation? (1:41:36) - How do you think about a Berkshire without Warren Buffet? (1:51:31) -   What is one business that you wouldn’t invest in, but that you also wouldn’t short? (1:56:47) - How can people follow you and find your business? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 14 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #171: Chris Bloomstran - President & CIO at Semper Augustus - Finding Value in the Public Markets full 1 171 Chris Powers Christopher P. Bloomstran, CFA, is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC. Chris has three decades of professional investment experience with a disciplined, value-driven approach to fundamental equity and... Christopher P. Bloomstran, CFA, is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC. Chris has three decades of professional investment experience with a disciplined, value-driven approach to fundamental equity and industry research. Semper Augustus manages concentrated global equity portfolios of well-run, well-capitalized businesses with share prices trading below conservative appraisals of intrinsic value.  On this episode, Chris dives deep into his journey of founding Semper Augustus and his vast knowledge of Berkshire Hathaway. They also discuss his 2020 investor letter, what he thinks about the current market, value investing, and much more. Enjoy! (03:10) - Chris’ Background & Career at Semper Augustus  (08:07) - Was it a no-brainer to take over this family capital or did you have reservations about it? (14:06) - Has your investment strategy been set by the initial family capital at Semper Augustus? (21:19) - What does ‘fundamental, value-driven investor’ mean to you? (27:55) - What did you mean in your 2020 letter when you said it’s the point of no return? 2020 SAI Letter - The Point of no Return (40:48) - If you were elected to be the Fed Chairman, what would you do? (49:26) - How do you get inspiration for new ideas and how much time do you spend about adding new things to your portfolio vs. thinking about what you already own? (54:39) - How do you help your analysts ‘clean up the universe’? (1:00:42) - Does China’s direction worry you? (1:05:41) - How do you determine whether an org is practicing accounting integrity? (1:16:30) - Is there anything that more people should understand about Berkshire that is often overlooked? (1:24:53) - Is there something you think Warren should be doing with the cash on his balance sheet? (1:33:39) - Are you pleased with how Berkshire handled their covid situation? (1:41:36) - How do you think about a Berkshire without Warren Buffet? (1:51:31) -   What is one business that you wouldn’t invest in, but that you also wouldn’t short? (1:56:47) - How can people follow you and find your business? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Christopher P. Bloomstran, CFA, is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC. Chris has three decades of professional investment experience with a disciplined, value-driven approach to fundamental equity and industry research. Semper Augustus manages concentrated global equity portfolios of well-run, well-capitalized businesses with share prices trading below conservative appraisals of intrinsic value. 

On this episode, Chris dives deep into his journey of founding Semper Augustus and his vast knowledge of Berkshire Hathaway. They also discuss his 2020 investor letter, what he thinks about the current market, value investing, and much more. Enjoy!

(03:10) - Chris’ Background & Career at Semper Augustus 

(08:07) - Was it a no-brainer to take over this family capital or did you have reservations about it?

(14:06) - Has your investment strategy been set by the initial family capital at Semper Augustus?

(21:19) - What does ‘fundamental, value-driven investor’ mean to you?

(27:55) - What did you mean in your 2020 letter when you said it’s the point of no return?

2020 SAI Letter - The Point of no Return

(40:48) - If you were elected to be the Fed Chairman, what would you do?

(49:26) - How do you get inspiration for new ideas and how much time do you spend about adding new things to your portfolio vs. thinking about what you already own?

(54:39) - How do you help your analysts ‘clean up the universe’?

(1:00:42) - Does China’s direction worry you?

(1:05:41) - How do you determine whether an org is practicing accounting integrity?

(1:16:30) - Is there anything that more people should understand about Berkshire that is often overlooked?

(1:24:53) - Is there something you think Warren should be doing with the cash on his balance sheet?

(1:33:39) - Are you pleased with how Berkshire handled their covid situation?

(1:41:36) - How do you think about a Berkshire without Warren Buffet?

(1:51:31) -   What is one business that you wouldn’t invest in, but that you also wouldn’t short?

(1:56:47) - How can people follow you and find your business?

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 7276 no #170: Molson Hart - Founder of VIAHART - ECommerce Mastermind, Selling on Amazon, and Toys https://www.TheFortPod.com Molson Hart is the founder and CEO of VIAHART, an educational toy company, and a co-founder of Edison, an intellectual property-focused litigation financing firm. On this episode, Chris and Molson dive deep into the process of selling on Amazon. They talk about Molson's journey to China and how he was able to learn the manufacturing process and implement that into a successful Amazon store. They also discuss the difference between American and Chinese Business culture, how he chooses products to sell, the good and bad of Amazon, how to know if you're making a 'great' product & more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:47) - Molson’s Story Leading Up to VIAHART and Different Companies He’s Been Involved With (05:10) - Molson’s Experience Going to China to Work With Manufacturers  (14:03) - Was VIAHART launched at this point or were you just a guy selling a few products? (15:00) - Chinese vs. American Business Culture (17:50) - Do you gain more leverage in China the longer you’re there or are you always one step away from being screwed? (19:34) - When did you make the shift away from brick & mortar and into e-commerce? (23:07) - How did you know which products would be most profitable like glassware and towels? (26:35) - What’s the process for ‘launching’ a product on Amazon at scale? (32:15) - What’s your goal for Brain Flakes in terms of growth? (34:42) - How do you add to your roster of 300 products and how do you do that with only 8 people? (37:26) - Why is it a smart business decision to sell plush animals? (39:26) - Is there a reason why you play in the toy category? (40:23) - How do you fight copycats? (43:15) - Is there anything going on in China that the average person getting into e-commerce isn’t thinking about? (45:17) - Molson’s 8-person Distributed Team and How They’re Managed (47:51) - How are your overseas employees different? (49:08) - What’s the process of selling on Amazon? (50:18) - What’s the good & bad about working with Amazon today? (54:47) - Do you worry about Amazon copying your products? (55:56) - Molson’s Story Getting Suspended from Amazon (57:40) - Molson Going to Speak In Front of Congress (59:05) - Are there Amazon alternatives that interest you? (1:01:43) - What’s the process of same-day delivery like? (1:03:05) - What’s your strategy for the business going forward? (1:06:13) - What would make Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger want to buy Brain Flakes? (1:08:35) - What advice would you give someone wanting to get into e-commerce? (1:10:42) - How does someone with 0 product experience know that it’s being built the right way? Twitter Questions (1:12:31) - Why are these ships just sitting there and not coming into port? (1:15:19) - Was China ever as locked down as America? (1:16:46) - Why do you feel comfortable being combative on Twitter? (1:18:13) - “Advice is BS unless it’s from someone who’s been there/done that” is that always true? (1:20:01) - If you couldn’t buy products in China, where would you shift production? (1:21:02) - Can we ever get to a point where automated toy production is possible in the USA? (1:22:30) - How much better are Amazon conversion rates compared elsewhere? (1:23:10) - How can people find you and your business? Twitter: https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart BrainFlakes  VIAHART: https://www.amazon.com/viahart The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 07 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #170: Molson Hart - Founder of VIAHART - ECommerce Mastermind, Selling on Amazon, and Toys full 1 170 Chris Powers Molson Hart is the founder and CEO of , an educational toy company, and a co-founder of , an intellectual property-focused litigation financing firm. On this episode, Chris and Molson dive deep into the process of selling on Amazon. They talk about... Molson Hart is the founder and CEO of VIAHART, an educational toy company, and a co-founder of Edison, an intellectual property-focused litigation financing firm. On this episode, Chris and Molson dive deep into the process of selling on Amazon. They talk about Molson's journey to China and how he was able to learn the manufacturing process and implement that into a successful Amazon store. They also discuss the difference between American and Chinese Business culture, how he chooses products to sell, the good and bad of Amazon, how to know if you're making a 'great' product & more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:47) - Molson’s Story Leading Up to VIAHART and Different Companies He’s Been Involved With (05:10) - Molson’s Experience Going to China to Work With Manufacturers  (14:03) - Was VIAHART launched at this point or were you just a guy selling a few products? (15:00) - Chinese vs. American Business Culture (17:50) - Do you gain more leverage in China the longer you’re there or are you always one step away from being screwed? (19:34) - When did you make the shift away from brick & mortar and into e-commerce? (23:07) - How did you know which products would be most profitable like glassware and towels? (26:35) - What’s the process for ‘launching’ a product on Amazon at scale? (32:15) - What’s your goal for Brain Flakes in terms of growth? (34:42) - How do you add to your roster of 300 products and how do you do that with only 8 people? (37:26) - Why is it a smart business decision to sell plush animals? (39:26) - Is there a reason why you play in the toy category? (40:23) - How do you fight copycats? (43:15) - Is there anything going on in China that the average person getting into e-commerce isn’t thinking about? (45:17) - Molson’s 8-person Distributed Team and How They’re Managed (47:51) - How are your overseas employees different? (49:08) - What’s the process of selling on Amazon? (50:18) - What’s the good & bad about working with Amazon today? (54:47) - Do you worry about Amazon copying your products? (55:56) - Molson’s Story Getting Suspended from Amazon (57:40) - Molson Going to Speak In Front of Congress (59:05) - Are there Amazon alternatives that interest you? (1:01:43) - What’s the process of same-day delivery like? (1:03:05) - What’s your strategy for the business going forward? (1:06:13) - What would make Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger want to buy Brain Flakes? (1:08:35) - What advice would you give someone wanting to get into e-commerce? (1:10:42) - How does someone with 0 product experience know that it’s being built the right way? Twitter Questions (1:12:31) - Why are these ships just sitting there and not coming into port? (1:15:19) - Was China ever as locked down as America? (1:16:46) - Why do you feel comfortable being combative on Twitter? (1:18:13) - “Advice is BS unless it’s from someone who’s been there/done that” is that always true? (1:20:01) - If you couldn’t buy products in China, where would you shift production? (1:21:02) - Can we ever get to a point where automated toy production is possible in the USA? (1:22:30) - How much better are Amazon conversion rates compared elsewhere? (1:23:10) - How can people find you and your business? Twitter: https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart BrainFlakes  VIAHART: https://www.amazon.com/viahart The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Molson Hart is the founder and CEO of VIAHART, an educational toy company, and a co-founder of Edison, an intellectual property-focused litigation financing firm.

On this episode, Chris and Molson dive deep into the process of selling on Amazon. They talk about Molson's journey to China and how he was able to learn the manufacturing process and implement that into a successful Amazon store. They also discuss the difference between American and Chinese Business culture, how he chooses products to sell, the good and bad of Amazon, how to know if you're making a 'great' product & more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:47) - Molson’s Story Leading Up to VIAHART and Different Companies He’s Been Involved With

(05:10) - Molson’s Experience Going to China to Work With Manufacturers 

(14:03) - Was VIAHART launched at this point or were you just a guy selling a few products?

(15:00) - Chinese vs. American Business Culture

(17:50) - Do you gain more leverage in China the longer you’re there or are you always one step away from being screwed?

(19:34) - When did you make the shift away from brick & mortar and into e-commerce?

(23:07) - How did you know which products would be most profitable like glassware and towels?

(26:35) - What’s the process for ‘launching’ a product on Amazon at scale?

(32:15) - What’s your goal for Brain Flakes in terms of growth?

(34:42) - How do you add to your roster of 300 products and how do you do that with only 8 people?

(37:26) - Why is it a smart business decision to sell plush animals?

(39:26) - Is there a reason why you play in the toy category?

(40:23) - How do you fight copycats?

(43:15) - Is there anything going on in China that the average person getting into e-commerce isn’t thinking about?

(45:17) - Molson’s 8-person Distributed Team and How They’re Managed

(47:51) - How are your overseas employees different?

(49:08) - What’s the process of selling on Amazon?

(50:18) - What’s the good & bad about working with Amazon today?

(54:47) - Do you worry about Amazon copying your products?

(55:56) - Molson’s Story Getting Suspended from Amazon

(57:40) - Molson Going to Speak In Front of Congress

(59:05) - Are there Amazon alternatives that interest you?

(1:01:43) - What’s the process of same-day delivery like?

(1:03:05) - What’s your strategy for the business going forward?

(1:06:13) - What would make Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger want to buy Brain Flakes?

(1:08:35) - What advice would you give someone wanting to get into e-commerce?

(1:10:42) - How does someone with 0 product experience know that it’s being built the right way?

Twitter Questions

(1:12:31) - Why are these ships just sitting there and not coming into port?

(1:15:19) - Was China ever as locked down as America?

(1:16:46) - Why do you feel comfortable being combative on Twitter?

(1:18:13) - “Advice is BS unless it’s from someone who’s been there/done that” is that always true?

(1:20:01) - If you couldn’t buy products in China, where would you shift production?

(1:21:02) - Can we ever get to a point where automated toy production is possible in the USA?

(1:22:30) - How much better are Amazon conversion rates compared elsewhere?

(1:23:10) - How can people find you and your business?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart

BrainFlakes 

VIAHART: https://www.amazon.com/viahart

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5171 no #169: Jeff Lamb - President/COO of Vari - The Servant Leader https://www.TheFortPod.com As President and Chief Operating Officer of Vari, Jeff oversees corporate strategy and has led the charge for the development of VariSpace, the company’s new commercial real estate venture. Jeff has 38 years of corporate leadership and board experience, spanning nine industries. His “people first” approach to operational models was born working for Roger Staubach and developed over 12 years working at Southwest Airlines. He began his culture tutelage at Southwest under Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus, and then spent another eight years fine-tuning people-centric strategies for the company’s Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly. On this episode, Jeff dives deep into the concept of Servant Leadership and how it played a critical role in his corporate career. He also discusses his learnings from working under several incredible CEOs, why leaders need to be 'available', his work with Vari, advice for fathers, and more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-ukCn1_iymI Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (03:02) - Jeff’s Background and Career (12:15) - What does ‘Servant Leadership’ mean to you? Halftime by Bob Buford (18:07) - Jeff’s Experience Working at Southwest Airlines (20:39) - Working with Pat Lencioni of The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team (22:26) - The Transition out of Southwest and into Vari (27:00) - Did Vari already have a Servant Leadership path in mind & what did you do to make your mark there? (31:01) - What are workspace solutions? (31:56) - How do you see the office industry going forward? (35:52) - What’s your target market tenant? (37:52) - In-Office as a Competitive Advantage (40:13) - What traits and characteristics make a great CEO? (49:30) - Great Availability Is Better Than a Great Vision  Energy Bus by Jon Gordon No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon (52:01) - How do you convey to your employees that you’re ‘available’? The making of a Corporate Athlete - Harvard Business Review (56:01) - What are your biggest takeaways from working at Southwest? (58:15) - Why do people generally not reach their full potential? (1:00:15) - What have you enjoyed most about mentoring young people and how do you approach it? (1:06:28) - Words of Wisdom for Future Father-in-Laws (1:08:14) - Advice on Being a Good Father (1:12:46) - Advice on Having a Good Marriage (1:15:24) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:18:26) - Is there something you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:22:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:23:41) - What’s the best advice you can give young people? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 31 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #169: Jeff Lamb - President/COO of Vari - The Servant Leader full 1 169 Chris Powers As President and Chief Operating Officer of Vari, Jeff oversees corporate strategy and has led the charge for the development of VariSpace, the company’s new commercial real estate venture. Jeff has 38 years of corporate leadership and board... As President and Chief Operating Officer of Vari, Jeff oversees corporate strategy and has led the charge for the development of VariSpace, the company’s new commercial real estate venture. Jeff has 38 years of corporate leadership and board experience, spanning nine industries. His “people first” approach to operational models was born working for Roger Staubach and developed over 12 years working at Southwest Airlines. He began his culture tutelage at Southwest under Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus, and then spent another eight years fine-tuning people-centric strategies for the company’s Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly. On this episode, Jeff dives deep into the concept of Servant Leadership and how it played a critical role in his corporate career. He also discusses his learnings from working under several incredible CEOs, why leaders need to be 'available', his work with Vari, advice for fathers, and more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-ukCn1_iymI Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (03:02) - Jeff’s Background and Career (12:15) - What does ‘Servant Leadership’ mean to you? Halftime by Bob Buford (18:07) - Jeff’s Experience Working at Southwest Airlines (20:39) - Working with Pat Lencioni of The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team (22:26) - The Transition out of Southwest and into Vari (27:00) - Did Vari already have a Servant Leadership path in mind & what did you do to make your mark there? (31:01) - What are workspace solutions? (31:56) - How do you see the office industry going forward? (35:52) - What’s your target market tenant? (37:52) - In-Office as a Competitive Advantage (40:13) - What traits and characteristics make a great CEO? (49:30) - Great Availability Is Better Than a Great Vision  Energy Bus by Jon Gordon No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon (52:01) - How do you convey to your employees that you’re ‘available’? The making of a Corporate Athlete - Harvard Business Review (56:01) - What are your biggest takeaways from working at Southwest? (58:15) - Why do people generally not reach their full potential? (1:00:15) - What have you enjoyed most about mentoring young people and how do you approach it? (1:06:28) - Words of Wisdom for Future Father-in-Laws (1:08:14) - Advice on Being a Good Father (1:12:46) - Advice on Having a Good Marriage (1:15:24) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:18:26) - Is there something you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:22:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:23:41) - What’s the best advice you can give young people? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts As President and Chief Operating Officer of Vari, Jeff oversees corporate strategy and has led the charge for the development of VariSpace, the company’s new commercial real estate venture.

Jeff has 38 years of corporate leadership and board experience, spanning nine industries. His “people first” approach to operational models was born working for Roger Staubach and developed over 12 years working at Southwest Airlines. He began his culture tutelage at Southwest under Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus, and then spent another eight years fine-tuning people-centric strategies for the company’s Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly.

On this episode, Jeff dives deep into the concept of Servant Leadership and how it played a critical role in his corporate career. He also discusses his learnings from working under several incredible CEOs, why leaders need to be 'available', his work with Vari, advice for fathers, and more. Enjoy!

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-ukCn1_iymI

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(03:02) - Jeff’s Background and Career

(12:15) - What does ‘Servant Leadership’ mean to you?

Halftime by Bob Buford

(18:07) - Jeff’s Experience Working at Southwest Airlines

(20:39) - Working with Pat Lencioni of The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

(22:26) - The Transition out of Southwest and into Vari

(27:00) - Did Vari already have a Servant Leadership path in mind & what did you do to make your mark there?

(31:01) - What are workspace solutions?

(31:56) - How do you see the office industry going forward?

(35:52) - What’s your target market tenant?

(37:52) - In-Office as a Competitive Advantage

(40:13) - What traits and characteristics make a great CEO?

(49:30) - Great Availability Is Better Than a Great Vision 

Energy Bus by Jon Gordon

No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon

(52:01) - How do you convey to your employees that you’re ‘available’?

The making of a Corporate Athlete - Harvard Business Review

(56:01) - What are your biggest takeaways from working at Southwest?

(58:15) - Why do people generally not reach their full potential?

(1:00:15) - What have you enjoyed most about mentoring young people and how do you approach it?

(1:06:28) - Words of Wisdom for Future Father-in-Laws

(1:08:14) - Advice on Being a Good Father

(1:12:46) - Advice on Having a Good Marriage

(1:15:24) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today?

(1:18:26) - Is there something you believe in that most people around you don’t?

(1:22:26) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:23:41) - What’s the best advice you can give young people?

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5398 no RE #168: Sean Breuner - Co-Founder & CEO of AvantStay - World Class Experiences and Management of Short Term Rentals https://www.TheFortPod.com Sean’s been a real estate and technology entrepreneur for 15+ years. Having gone through the launch & sale of a number of early-stage companies, his newest endeavor at AvantStay has him focused on the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and tech to help redefine group travel. On this episode, Sean discusses the Short Term Rental industry and how AvantStay helps both owners and renters overcome a variety of issues faced by other platforms like Airbnb. They also discuss how lenders underwrite deals for Short Term Rentals, how Sean thinks about the best markets for STR, the technology built behind the platform, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:43) - Sean’s Career Leading Up to AvantStay and How the Organization Came to Be (08:22) - For owners of real estate and those looking for a vacation, what’s AvantStay’s offer to them? (14:48) - How do you help individuals decide what and where to buy? (18:35) - What’s the breakdown between institutionally owned and individually owned homes under your banner? (20:26) - How are lenders underwriting these deals? AirDNA (24:28) - What makes a great market for Short Term Rentals? (29:27) - What’s the relationship between an individual homeowner and AvantStay? (32:35) - What Do you Mean by Vertically Integrated and Horizontally Distributed and Describe The Tech That You’ve Built (40:28) - What are things that home rentals can provide that hotels would never be able to match? (45:19) - Do you have any data on short-term rentals with regards to Covid? (52:48) -  What’s your plan for the next 3-5 years for the company? (54:48) - Sean winning an Emmy on Staycation The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 24 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #168: Sean Breuner - Co-Founder & CEO of AvantStay - World Class Experiences and Management of Short Term Rentals full 1 168 Chris Powers Sean’s been a real estate and technology entrepreneur for 15+ years. Having gone through the launch & sale of a number of early-stage companies, his newest endeavor at AvantStay has him focused on the intersection of hospitality, real estate,... Sean’s been a real estate and technology entrepreneur for 15+ years. Having gone through the launch & sale of a number of early-stage companies, his newest endeavor at AvantStay has him focused on the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and tech to help redefine group travel. On this episode, Sean discusses the Short Term Rental industry and how AvantStay helps both owners and renters overcome a variety of issues faced by other platforms like Airbnb. They also discuss how lenders underwrite deals for Short Term Rentals, how Sean thinks about the best markets for STR, the technology built behind the platform, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:43) - Sean’s Career Leading Up to AvantStay and How the Organization Came to Be (08:22) - For owners of real estate and those looking for a vacation, what’s AvantStay’s offer to them? (14:48) - How do you help individuals decide what and where to buy? (18:35) - What’s the breakdown between institutionally owned and individually owned homes under your banner? (20:26) - How are lenders underwriting these deals? AirDNA (24:28) - What makes a great market for Short Term Rentals? (29:27) - What’s the relationship between an individual homeowner and AvantStay? (32:35) - What Do you Mean by Vertically Integrated and Horizontally Distributed and Describe The Tech That You’ve Built (40:28) - What are things that home rentals can provide that hotels would never be able to match? (45:19) - Do you have any data on short-term rentals with regards to Covid? (52:48) -  What’s your plan for the next 3-5 years for the company? (54:48) - Sean winning an Emmy on Staycation The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Sean’s been a real estate and technology entrepreneur for 15+ years. Having gone through the launch & sale of a number of early-stage companies, his newest endeavor at AvantStay has him focused on the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and tech to help redefine group travel.

On this episode, Sean discusses the Short Term Rental industry and how AvantStay helps both owners and renters overcome a variety of issues faced by other platforms like Airbnb. They also discuss how lenders underwrite deals for Short Term Rentals, how Sean thinks about the best markets for STR, the technology built behind the platform, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(02:43) - Sean’s Career Leading Up to AvantStay and How the Organization Came to Be

(08:22) - For owners of real estate and those looking for a vacation, what’s AvantStay’s offer to them?

(14:48) - How do you help individuals decide what and where to buy?

(18:35) - What’s the breakdown between institutionally owned and individually owned homes under your banner?

(20:26) - How are lenders underwriting these deals?

AirDNA

(24:28) - What makes a great market for Short Term Rentals?

(29:27) - What’s the relationship between an individual homeowner and AvantStay?

(32:35) - What Do you Mean by Vertically Integrated and Horizontally Distributed and Describe The Tech That You’ve Built

(40:28) - What are things that home rentals can provide that hotels would never be able to match?

(45:19) - Do you have any data on short-term rentals with regards to Covid?

(52:48) -  What’s your plan for the next 3-5 years for the company?

(54:48) - Sean winning an Emmy on Staycation

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3623 no #167: George Coultress - Managing Director at Western - Everything You Need To Know About Buying/Selling a Business https://www.TheFortPod.com George Coultress is an M&A and Private Equity Advisor for Western Commerce Group. He specializes in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, due diligence, and capital structure analysis.  On this episode, George and Chris deep dive into the process of selling businesses. George details what sellers need to be thinking about, preparations to make internally, navigating multiple buyers, allocating risk, terms & contracts and so much more. George also breaks down industry nuances such as entity types, escrow, reps, warranties, and covenants. This is one of the most detailed insights into the M&A industry you'll find, enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8I2BytNORzQ (01:53) - George’s Career Since TCU and What He’s Doing Today (02:54) - How is Western different from most investment banks? (04:31) - What should someone selling their business for the first time think about beforehand and what expectations should they have? (07:19) - What have people who are ‘really ready to sell’ already thought through? (08:45) - What are the most important things outside of price? (10:44) - Can most entrepreneurs make the transition to an employee? (11:09) - What are the different outcomes post-sale for owners? (12:45) - Do you work with owners who are looking to sell within the family? (13:46) - What’s the process of deciding whether we are selling the business? (17:26) - Do you and the seller usually know who’s going to buy the business? (18:37) - How important is it that the seller has audited their financials before selling? (19:42) - Who’s typically involved in all of these conversations in respect to confidentiality? (21:19) - What happens between agreeing on the price of the business and finding a buyer that’s ready to go under contract? (22:50) - How long does it typically take from going to market and signing with a buyer? (23:27) - Structures and Terms of Contracts (27:51) - Benefits Between C-Corp, S-Corp, and LLC (31:50) - Allocating Risk in an Asset-Sales vs. Stock-Sales (33:16) - Deal Structuring: Cash, Stock, Earn-out (35:08) - What do sellers typically need to achieve in order to secure their earn-out? (36:13) - How long do sellers typically stay on after a sell? (36:34) - Non-Compete’s (39:02) - Escrow (40:15) - Reps and Warranties (42:44) - Covenants (43:31) - Is an earn-out the same as a seller note? (44:32) - Is the purchase price found through a formula? (47:39) - How do you talk to multiple sellers who are all extremely interested while maintaining a level of privacy? (50:16) - What’s the marriage process of finding the ‘right’ buyer? (52:04) - How do you know if you’ve found the right person? (52:52) - What are things you can spot that are red flags in a deal? (54:51) - Fee Structures For Investment Banks (57:25) - Do you treat buyers differently based on their classification like family office, strategic buyer, or private equity? (1:00:16) - What should seller’s ask PE groups to make sure they’ve checked all the boxes? (1:03:18) - How often are you having to give attention to proprietary technology over EBITDA? (1:06:00) - What’s a closing day usually like for the seller? (1:08:14) - What’re your thoughts on the boomer generation selling market? (1:10:01) - Could prices come down if there’s a flood of sellers? (1:10:34) - What happens during a 1+ year relationship getting someone ready to sell? (1:12:46) - What are you seeing in the labor market right now? (1:14:26) - Thoughts on Supply Chain (1:15:32) - If you could sit with Warren Buffet for an hour what would you want to talk with him about? (1:20:26) - What advice would you give to young people getting into M&A and investment banking? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #167: George Coultress - Managing Director at Western - Everything You Need To Know About Buying/Selling a Business full 1 167 Chris Powers George Coultress is an M&A and Private Equity Advisor for Western Commerce Group. He specializes in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, due diligence, and capital structure analysis.  On this episode, George and... George Coultress is an M&A and Private Equity Advisor for Western Commerce Group. He specializes in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, due diligence, and capital structure analysis.  On this episode, George and Chris deep dive into the process of selling businesses. George details what sellers need to be thinking about, preparations to make internally, navigating multiple buyers, allocating risk, terms & contracts and so much more. George also breaks down industry nuances such as entity types, escrow, reps, warranties, and covenants. This is one of the most detailed insights into the M&A industry you'll find, enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8I2BytNORzQ (01:53) - George’s Career Since TCU and What He’s Doing Today (02:54) - How is Western different from most investment banks? (04:31) - What should someone selling their business for the first time think about beforehand and what expectations should they have? (07:19) - What have people who are ‘really ready to sell’ already thought through? (08:45) - What are the most important things outside of price? (10:44) - Can most entrepreneurs make the transition to an employee? (11:09) - What are the different outcomes post-sale for owners? (12:45) - Do you work with owners who are looking to sell within the family? (13:46) - What’s the process of deciding whether we are selling the business? (17:26) - Do you and the seller usually know who’s going to buy the business? (18:37) - How important is it that the seller has audited their financials before selling? (19:42) - Who’s typically involved in all of these conversations in respect to confidentiality? (21:19) - What happens between agreeing on the price of the business and finding a buyer that’s ready to go under contract? (22:50) - How long does it typically take from going to market and signing with a buyer? (23:27) - Structures and Terms of Contracts (27:51) - Benefits Between C-Corp, S-Corp, and LLC (31:50) - Allocating Risk in an Asset-Sales vs. Stock-Sales (33:16) - Deal Structuring: Cash, Stock, Earn-out (35:08) - What do sellers typically need to achieve in order to secure their earn-out? (36:13) - How long do sellers typically stay on after a sell? (36:34) - Non-Compete’s (39:02) - Escrow (40:15) - Reps and Warranties (42:44) - Covenants (43:31) - Is an earn-out the same as a seller note? (44:32) - Is the purchase price found through a formula? (47:39) - How do you talk to multiple sellers who are all extremely interested while maintaining a level of privacy? (50:16) - What’s the marriage process of finding the ‘right’ buyer? (52:04) - How do you know if you’ve found the right person? (52:52) - What are things you can spot that are red flags in a deal? (54:51) - Fee Structures For Investment Banks (57:25) - Do you treat buyers differently based on their classification like family office, strategic buyer, or private equity? (1:00:16) - What should seller’s ask PE groups to make sure they’ve checked all the boxes? (1:03:18) - How often are you having to give attention to proprietary technology over EBITDA? (1:06:00) - What’s a closing day usually like for the seller? (1:08:14) - What’re your thoughts on the boomer generation selling market? (1:10:01) - Could prices come down if there’s a flood of sellers? (1:10:34) - What happens during a 1+ year relationship getting someone ready to sell? (1:12:46) - What are you seeing in the labor market right now? (1:14:26) - Thoughts on Supply Chain (1:15:32) - If you could sit with Warren Buffet for an hour what would you want to talk with him about? (1:20:26) - What advice would you give to young people getting into M&A and investment banking? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts George Coultress is an M&A and Private Equity Advisor for Western Commerce Group. He specializes in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, due diligence, and capital structure analysis. 

On this episode, George and Chris deep dive into the process of selling businesses. George details what sellers need to be thinking about, preparations to make internally, navigating multiple buyers, allocating risk, terms & contracts and so much more. George also breaks down industry nuances such as entity types, escrow, reps, warranties, and covenants. This is one of the most detailed insights into the M&A industry you'll find, enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8I2BytNORzQ

(01:53) - George’s Career Since TCU and What He’s Doing Today

(02:54) - How is Western different from most investment banks?

(04:31) - What should someone selling their business for the first time think about beforehand and what expectations should they have?

(07:19) - What have people who are ‘really ready to sell’ already thought through?

(08:45) - What are the most important things outside of price?

(10:44) - Can most entrepreneurs make the transition to an employee?

(11:09) - What are the different outcomes post-sale for owners?

(12:45) - Do you work with owners who are looking to sell within the family?

(13:46) - What’s the process of deciding whether we are selling the business?

(17:26) - Do you and the seller usually know who’s going to buy the business?

(18:37) - How important is it that the seller has audited their financials before selling?

(19:42) - Who’s typically involved in all of these conversations in respect to confidentiality?

(21:19) - What happens between agreeing on the price of the business and finding a buyer that’s ready to go under contract?

(22:50) - How long does it typically take from going to market and signing with a buyer?

(23:27) - Structures and Terms of Contracts

(27:51) - Benefits Between C-Corp, S-Corp, and LLC

(31:50) - Allocating Risk in an Asset-Sales vs. Stock-Sales

(33:16) - Deal Structuring: Cash, Stock, Earn-out

(35:08) - What do sellers typically need to achieve in order to secure their earn-out?

(36:13) - How long do sellers typically stay on after a sell?

(36:34) - Non-Compete’s

(39:02) - Escrow

(40:15) - Reps and Warranties

(42:44) - Covenants

(43:31) - Is an earn-out the same as a seller note?

(44:32) - Is the purchase price found through a formula?

(47:39) - How do you talk to multiple sellers who are all extremely interested while maintaining a level of privacy?

(50:16) - What’s the marriage process of finding the ‘right’ buyer?

(52:04) - How do you know if you’ve found the right person?

(52:52) - What are things you can spot that are red flags in a deal?

(54:51) - Fee Structures For Investment Banks

(57:25) - Do you treat buyers differently based on their classification like family office, strategic buyer, or private equity?

(1:00:16) - What should seller’s ask PE groups to make sure they’ve checked all the boxes?

(1:03:18) - How often are you having to give attention to proprietary technology over EBITDA?

(1:06:00) - What’s a closing day usually like for the seller?

(1:08:14) - What’re your thoughts on the boomer generation selling market?

(1:10:01) - Could prices come down if there’s a flood of sellers?

(1:10:34) - What happens during a 1+ year relationship getting someone ready to sell?

(1:12:46) - What are you seeing in the labor market right now?

(1:14:26) - Thoughts on Supply Chain

(1:15:32) - If you could sit with Warren Buffet for an hour what would you want to talk with him about?

(1:20:26) - What advice would you give to young people getting into M&A and investment banking?

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5099 no #166: Sarah Means & Lizzie Means Duplantis - Co-Founders of Miron Crosby - Luxury Cowboy Boots https://www.TheFortPod.com Miron Crosby is a bespoke boot brand and store located in Highland Park Village. Founded by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, the collection is inspired by the sisters’ experiences of growing up on their family’s West Texas cattle ranch, and later living and working in New York City. On this episode, Lizzie and Sarah discuss their story of launching the business, what they've learned about building a fashion brand, the process behind their incredible branding and marketing, being a mother-entrepreneur, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kkTNLvx8CnQ (02:36) - Lizzie and Sarah’s Background (07:38) - When was the moment you decided to take the leap to start the business? (12:08) - How do two sisters build a business together? (13:12) - What was the initial goal for the business? (16:02) - How is the business making you better people? (18:39) - How did your upbringing play a role in the success of your business? (22:58) - The Early Days of The Business Getting Started (29:46) - Is there anything looking back that you would’ve done differently? (31:03) - How do you get inspiration for the design? (34:07) - What’s the process of customizing a pair of boots? (35:34) - Why is a boot-shaped the way it is? (36:52) - How much time is coming up with the next design? (38:53) - The Process of Getting The Next Season’s Worth of Product (39:58) - Corporate Gifts & Custom Programs (42:23) - What was it like selling your first pair? (44:43) - Are you ever approached for collaborations? (46:28) - How do you think about marketing and branding? (53:00) - How Business Changed During Covid (55:04) - How do you think about growth? (55:59) - How has covid impacted your supply chain? (57:11) - Are a lot of your customers first-time boot wearers? (1:00:09) - What’s the coolest story you’ve seen behind a pair of boots? (1:02:12) - What are some biggest lessons learned in starting a fashion brand? (1:06:51) - Being a Mother/Entrepreneur (1:10:02) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:14:06) - Have you ever gotten into a fight? (1:17:19) - Is there anyone in the fashion industry that you look up to? (1:20:15) - Will there ever be anything besides boots? (1:21:15) - How can people find you? www.MironCrosby.com Facebook Instagram Info@mironcrosby.com 25 Highland Park Village #201, Dallas, TX 75205 The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 10 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #166: Sarah Means & Lizzie Means Duplantis - Co-Founders of Miron Crosby - Luxury Cowboy Boots full 1 166 Chris Powers Miron Crosby is a bespoke boot brand and store located in Highland Park Village. Founded by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, the collection is inspired by the sisters’ experiences of growing up on their family’s West Texas cattle... Miron Crosby is a bespoke boot brand and store located in Highland Park Village. Founded by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, the collection is inspired by the sisters’ experiences of growing up on their family’s West Texas cattle ranch, and later living and working in New York City. On this episode, Lizzie and Sarah discuss their story of launching the business, what they've learned about building a fashion brand, the process behind their incredible branding and marketing, being a mother-entrepreneur, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kkTNLvx8CnQ (02:36) - Lizzie and Sarah’s Background (07:38) - When was the moment you decided to take the leap to start the business? (12:08) - How do two sisters build a business together? (13:12) - What was the initial goal for the business? (16:02) - How is the business making you better people? (18:39) - How did your upbringing play a role in the success of your business? (22:58) - The Early Days of The Business Getting Started (29:46) - Is there anything looking back that you would’ve done differently? (31:03) - How do you get inspiration for the design? (34:07) - What’s the process of customizing a pair of boots? (35:34) - Why is a boot-shaped the way it is? (36:52) - How much time is coming up with the next design? (38:53) - The Process of Getting The Next Season’s Worth of Product (39:58) - Corporate Gifts & Custom Programs (42:23) - What was it like selling your first pair? (44:43) - Are you ever approached for collaborations? (46:28) - How do you think about marketing and branding? (53:00) - How Business Changed During Covid (55:04) - How do you think about growth? (55:59) - How has covid impacted your supply chain? (57:11) - Are a lot of your customers first-time boot wearers? (1:00:09) - What’s the coolest story you’ve seen behind a pair of boots? (1:02:12) - What are some biggest lessons learned in starting a fashion brand? (1:06:51) - Being a Mother/Entrepreneur (1:10:02) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:14:06) - Have you ever gotten into a fight? (1:17:19) - Is there anyone in the fashion industry that you look up to? (1:20:15) - Will there ever be anything besides boots? (1:21:15) - How can people find you? www.MironCrosby.com Facebook Instagram Info@mironcrosby.com 25 Highland Park Village #201, Dallas, TX 75205 The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Miron Crosby is a bespoke boot brand and store located in Highland Park Village. Founded by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, the collection is inspired by the sisters’ experiences of growing up on their family’s West Texas cattle ranch, and later living and working in New York City.

On this episode, Lizzie and Sarah discuss their story of launching the business, what they've learned about building a fashion brand, the process behind their incredible branding and marketing, being a mother-entrepreneur, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kkTNLvx8CnQ

(02:36) - Lizzie and Sarah’s Background

(07:38) - When was the moment you decided to take the leap to start the business?

(12:08) - How do two sisters build a business together?

(13:12) - What was the initial goal for the business?

(16:02) - How is the business making you better people?

(18:39) - How did your upbringing play a role in the success of your business?

(22:58) - The Early Days of The Business Getting Started

(29:46) - Is there anything looking back that you would’ve done differently?

(31:03) - How do you get inspiration for the design?

(34:07) - What’s the process of customizing a pair of boots?

(35:34) - Why is a boot-shaped the way it is?

(36:52) - How much time is coming up with the next design?

(38:53) - The Process of Getting The Next Season’s Worth of Product

(39:58) - Corporate Gifts & Custom Programs

(42:23) - What was it like selling your first pair?

(44:43) - Are you ever approached for collaborations?

(46:28) - How do you think about marketing and branding?

(53:00) - How Business Changed During Covid

(55:04) - How do you think about growth?

(55:59) - How has covid impacted your supply chain?

(57:11) - Are a lot of your customers first-time boot wearers?

(1:00:09) - What’s the coolest story you’ve seen behind a pair of boots?

(1:02:12) - What are some biggest lessons learned in starting a fashion brand?

(1:06:51) - Being a Mother/Entrepreneur

(1:10:02) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:14:06) - Have you ever gotten into a fight?

(1:17:19) - Is there anyone in the fashion industry that you look up to?

(1:20:15) - Will there ever be anything besides boots?

(1:21:15) - How can people find you?

www.MironCrosby.com

Facebook

Instagram

Info@mironcrosby.com

25 Highland Park Village #201, Dallas, TX 75205

The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5028 no RE #165: Rohun Jauhar Co-Founder JT Capital - Value Add MF, Virtual Assistants & Automation, Working @ FB https://www.TheFortPod.com Rohun is the co-founder of JT Capital, a Real Estate investment firm with 9-figures of acquisitions of multifamily apartment complexes.  JT Capital has purchased over $500 Million in successful Multifamily properties using their time-tested approach of using data, relationships, and work ethic to find great investments for investors. On this episode, Chris and Rohun discuss Rohun's career prior to real estate at various tech companies such as Facebook, his entry into the real estate world, and how he has been able to grow JT Capital without increasing overhead. Rohun details how he utilizes VA's to automate or delegate nearly all aspects of the business, why he invests in primarily Texas & Florida, getting emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am and much more! Enjoy.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Rohun on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y2NKq_w2gDU (02:44) - Rohun’s Background and Career (06:40) - What does a chief of staff role look like? (09:43) - What makes a great executive and what makes a poor executive? (11:25) - Rohun’s Experience Working as an Apprentice When First Getting into RE (15:22) - How is JT Capital structured and how did you land on the thesis for the organization? (18:01) - How do you think about ‘Value-add’? (19:16) - Where are places that ‘lazy’ landlords have bloated costs that can be easily identified? (21:17) - Is there a minimum size you won’t go below and why is that? (21:58) - What’s your process for unit renovations? (25:42) - Do you renovate all your units or is there a certain percentage that you’ll leave for the next owner? (27:00) - What is your asset manager looking to achieve on the lease-up and renovation stage as well as stabilization? (29:43) - How quickly are you trying to turn over a unit? (30:47) - What do discussions with tenants look like when you want to renovate while they’re already living there? (34:12) - Why do you like Texas and Florida? (36:44) - How have you been able to grow while keeping overhead so low? (42:08) - How are you finding your VA’s? Upwork (44:31) - What’s the turnover rate for VA’s? (46:31) - What’s the threshold that someone should be looking for a VA? (47:24) - Is the Philippines a hub for English fluency and writing? (48:49) - What’s an interesting connection you’ve made through Zapier? (52:27) - How do you capitalize deals going in and what are you looking for on a sale? (55:28) - Getting Emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am (59:27) - What makes Zuckerberg such a great leader? (1:03:12) - Is part of FB’s advantage their massive amount of capital they can deploy at any moment? (1:05:09) - (Not financial advice!) Is it still early enough to invest in Facebook? Rohun's Newsletter (1:05:54) - What do you think about the world right now? (1:10:50) - Where are you seeing opportunity in REtech? (1:14:03) - Is there anything you’ve read this year that stood out to you? The Winner Within by Pat Riley The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson Poor Charlie’s Almanack (1:16:25) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:18:09) - How can people get in touch with you? Rohun on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 05 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #165: Rohun Jauhar Co-Founder JT Capital - Value Add MF, Virtual Assistants & Automation, Working @ FB full 1 165 Chris Powers Rohun is the co-founder of JT Capital, a Real Estate investment firm with 9-figures of acquisitions of multifamily apartment complexes.  JT Capital has purchased over $500 Million in successful Multifamily properties using their time-tested... Rohun is the co-founder of JT Capital, a Real Estate investment firm with 9-figures of acquisitions of multifamily apartment complexes.  JT Capital has purchased over $500 Million in successful Multifamily properties using their time-tested approach of using data, relationships, and work ethic to find great investments for investors. On this episode, Chris and Rohun discuss Rohun's career prior to real estate at various tech companies such as Facebook, his entry into the real estate world, and how he has been able to grow JT Capital without increasing overhead. Rohun details how he utilizes VA's to automate or delegate nearly all aspects of the business, why he invests in primarily Texas & Florida, getting emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am and much more! Enjoy.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Rohun on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y2NKq_w2gDU (02:44) - Rohun’s Background and Career (06:40) - What does a chief of staff role look like? (09:43) - What makes a great executive and what makes a poor executive? (11:25) - Rohun’s Experience Working as an Apprentice When First Getting into RE (15:22) - How is JT Capital structured and how did you land on the thesis for the organization? (18:01) - How do you think about ‘Value-add’? (19:16) - Where are places that ‘lazy’ landlords have bloated costs that can be easily identified? (21:17) - Is there a minimum size you won’t go below and why is that? (21:58) - What’s your process for unit renovations? (25:42) - Do you renovate all your units or is there a certain percentage that you’ll leave for the next owner? (27:00) - What is your asset manager looking to achieve on the lease-up and renovation stage as well as stabilization? (29:43) - How quickly are you trying to turn over a unit? (30:47) - What do discussions with tenants look like when you want to renovate while they’re already living there? (34:12) - Why do you like Texas and Florida? (36:44) - How have you been able to grow while keeping overhead so low? (42:08) - How are you finding your VA’s? Upwork (44:31) - What’s the turnover rate for VA’s? (46:31) - What’s the threshold that someone should be looking for a VA? (47:24) - Is the Philippines a hub for English fluency and writing? (48:49) - What’s an interesting connection you’ve made through Zapier? (52:27) - How do you capitalize deals going in and what are you looking for on a sale? (55:28) - Getting Emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am (59:27) - What makes Zuckerberg such a great leader? (1:03:12) - Is part of FB’s advantage their massive amount of capital they can deploy at any moment? (1:05:09) - (Not financial advice!) Is it still early enough to invest in Facebook? Rohun's Newsletter (1:05:54) - What do you think about the world right now? (1:10:50) - Where are you seeing opportunity in REtech? (1:14:03) - Is there anything you’ve read this year that stood out to you? The Winner Within by Pat Riley The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson Poor Charlie’s Almanack (1:16:25) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:18:09) - How can people get in touch with you? Rohun on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Rohun is the co-founder of JT Capital, a Real Estate investment firm with 9-figures of acquisitions of multifamily apartment complexes.  JT Capital has purchased over $500 Million in successful Multifamily properties using their time-tested approach of using data, relationships, and work ethic to find great investments for investors.

On this episode, Chris and Rohun discuss Rohun's career prior to real estate at various tech companies such as Facebook, his entry into the real estate world, and how he has been able to grow JT Capital without increasing overhead. Rohun details how he utilizes VA's to automate or delegate nearly all aspects of the business, why he invests in primarily Texas & Florida, getting emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am and much more! Enjoy. 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Rohun on Twitter

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y2NKq_w2gDU

(02:44) - Rohun’s Background and Career

(06:40) - What does a chief of staff role look like?

(09:43) - What makes a great executive and what makes a poor executive?

(11:25) - Rohun’s Experience Working as an Apprentice When First Getting into RE

(15:22) - How is JT Capital structured and how did you land on the thesis for the organization?

(18:01) - How do you think about ‘Value-add’?

(19:16) - Where are places that ‘lazy’ landlords have bloated costs that can be easily identified?

(21:17) - Is there a minimum size you won’t go below and why is that?

(21:58) - What’s your process for unit renovations?

(25:42) - Do you renovate all your units or is there a certain percentage that you’ll leave for the next owner?

(27:00) - What is your asset manager looking to achieve on the lease-up and renovation stage as well as stabilization?

(29:43) - How quickly are you trying to turn over a unit?

(30:47) - What do discussions with tenants look like when you want to renovate while they’re already living there?

(34:12) - Why do you like Texas and Florida?

(36:44) - How have you been able to grow while keeping overhead so low?

(42:08) - How are you finding your VA’s?

Upwork

(44:31) - What’s the turnover rate for VA’s?

(46:31) - What’s the threshold that someone should be looking for a VA?

(47:24) - Is the Philippines a hub for English fluency and writing?

(48:49) - What’s an interesting connection you’ve made through Zapier?

(52:27) - How do you capitalize deals going in and what are you looking for on a sale?

(55:28) - Getting Emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am

(59:27) - What makes Zuckerberg such a great leader?

(1:03:12) - Is part of FB’s advantage their massive amount of capital they can deploy at any moment?

(1:05:09) - (Not financial advice!) Is it still early enough to invest in Facebook?

Rohun's Newsletter

(1:05:54) - What do you think about the world right now?

(1:10:50) - Where are you seeing opportunity in REtech?

(1:14:03) - Is there anything you’ve read this year that stood out to you?

The Winner Within by Pat Riley

The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson

Poor Charlie’s Almanack

(1:16:25) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t?

(1:18:09) - How can people get in touch with you?

Rohun on Twitter

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4867 no RE #164: Chris Herd & Jonathan Wasserstrum - A Conversation on Remote Work - Pros & Cons https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at Firstbase, which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work. Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of SquareFoot, which helps companies find commercial real estate and office space. Jonathan takes the side of in-person work being most beneficial in the future of work. On this episode, Chris Powers moderates a debate between Chris Herd and Jonathan about which method of running business will lead to greater levels of success. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Jonathan on Twitter Chris Herd on Twitter (02:51) - Jonathan and Chris’ Background and What They’re Doing Today (05:00) - What does remote work mean to each of you and how do you think about the concept? (10:09) - Jonathan - Do you define SquareFoot as a remote-first or office-first company? (12:07) - How are leaders deciding whether they’ll be an office or remote company? (16:36 ) -  Trust Between Employers and Employees (18:56) - What’s the Cadence of Coming Together as a Team and Being Able to Work Remotely (25:40) - How does size or prestige of a company impact the ability of employees to influence the decision on remote vs. in person? (31:20) - Is there any danger to your long term career-worth by choosing to leave a company that’s mandates in-office work? (35:47 ) - Relationship/Friendship Building In-Office vs. Remote No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings (46:27) - What are the signals or data points to see what matters in either taking a company remote or discovering how much time is ‘needed’ in-office over the next 5 years? (51:03) -  Where are a lot of these remote-radicals going to live and work? (55:27) - Data on Where People Want to Start Technology Companies Pre and Post Covid (1:01:19) -  How do you think about the next generation of workers coming out of school and only understanding a remote-work life. Do they miss out on mentorship or human interaction? (1:10:08) - How do promotions get delegated on in-person workers and remote? (1:11:43) - Trust and Tracking within Remote Companies (1:16:25) - Wrap Up & Closing Statements The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 02 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #164: Chris Herd & Jonathan Wasserstrum - A Conversation on Remote Work - Pros & Cons full 1 164 Chris Powers Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at , which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work. Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of , which... Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at Firstbase, which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work. Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of SquareFoot, which helps companies find commercial real estate and office space. Jonathan takes the side of in-person work being most beneficial in the future of work. On this episode, Chris Powers moderates a debate between Chris Herd and Jonathan about which method of running business will lead to greater levels of success. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Jonathan on Twitter Chris Herd on Twitter (02:51) - Jonathan and Chris’ Background and What They’re Doing Today (05:00) - What does remote work mean to each of you and how do you think about the concept? (10:09) - Jonathan - Do you define SquareFoot as a remote-first or office-first company? (12:07) - How are leaders deciding whether they’ll be an office or remote company? (16:36 ) -  Trust Between Employers and Employees (18:56) - What’s the Cadence of Coming Together as a Team and Being Able to Work Remotely (25:40) - How does size or prestige of a company impact the ability of employees to influence the decision on remote vs. in person? (31:20) - Is there any danger to your long term career-worth by choosing to leave a company that’s mandates in-office work? (35:47 ) - Relationship/Friendship Building In-Office vs. Remote No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings (46:27) - What are the signals or data points to see what matters in either taking a company remote or discovering how much time is ‘needed’ in-office over the next 5 years? (51:03) -  Where are a lot of these remote-radicals going to live and work? (55:27) - Data on Where People Want to Start Technology Companies Pre and Post Covid (1:01:19) -  How do you think about the next generation of workers coming out of school and only understanding a remote-work life. Do they miss out on mentorship or human interaction? (1:10:08) - How do promotions get delegated on in-person workers and remote? (1:11:43) - Trust and Tracking within Remote Companies (1:16:25) - Wrap Up & Closing Statements The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at Firstbase, which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work.

Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of SquareFoot, which helps companies find commercial real estate and office space. Jonathan takes the side of in-person work being most beneficial in the future of work.

On this episode, Chris Powers moderates a debate between Chris Herd and Jonathan about which method of running business will lead to greater levels of success. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Jonathan on Twitter

Chris Herd on Twitter

(02:51) - Jonathan and Chris’ Background and What They’re Doing Today

(05:00) - What does remote work mean to each of you and how do you think about the concept?

(10:09) - Jonathan - Do you define SquareFoot as a remote-first or office-first company?

(12:07) - How are leaders deciding whether they’ll be an office or remote company?

(16:36 ) -  Trust Between Employers and Employees

(18:56) - What’s the Cadence of Coming Together as a Team and Being Able to Work Remotely

(25:40) - How does size or prestige of a company impact the ability of employees to influence the decision on remote vs. in person?

(31:20) - Is there any danger to your long term career-worth by choosing to leave a company that’s mandates in-office work?

(35:47 ) - Relationship/Friendship Building In-Office vs. Remote

No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings

(46:27) - What are the signals or data points to see what matters in either taking a company remote or discovering how much time is ‘needed’ in-office over the next 5 years?

(51:03) -  Where are a lot of these remote-radicals going to live and work?

(55:27) - Data on Where People Want to Start Technology Companies Pre and Post Covid

(1:01:19) -  How do you think about the next generation of workers coming out of school and only understanding a remote-work life. Do they miss out on mentorship or human interaction?

(1:10:08) - How do promotions get delegated on in-person workers and remote?

(1:11:43) - Trust and Tracking within Remote Companies

(1:16:25) - Wrap Up & Closing Statements

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5082 no RE #163: Stephen Bailey and Dustin Volz of JLL Industrial Capital Markets https://www.TheFortPod.com Stephen is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and specializes in industrial investment advisory. In this capacity, he represents and advises clients in the sale and acquisition, or development of industrial assets, primarily in Dallas/Fort Worth and throughout the Southwestern United States. Dustin is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. With more than ten years of real estate investment experience, he leads the South Central industrial investment advisory team. In three years at JLL, his team has closed over $2.1 billion in industrial transactions within Texas alone and over the course of his career, Dustin has closed over $3 billion in commercial transactions, working with a number of institutional, corporate and private-client owners. On this episode, Stephen, Dustin & Chris discuss the Texas Industrial market. They dive into all the capital coming into the state, how JLL has helped them become so successful, increasing land prices, DFW vs. Houston, labor issues and more. Enjoy!   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2-GuatD-Ws4   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/   (01:53) - How did you each get into this business? (04:27) - When did you two get partnered up? (05:36) - How would you describe what you do and what markets you cover? (07:36) - What does JLL bring to the table and what do they allow you to do? (12:22) - What’s a job where you’ll work on the equity side? (15:50) - How is Texas performing in your eyes compared to the rest of the country? (19:49) - How much capital is trying to get into Texas Industrial? (21:34) - Is there a percentage of new development that is spec vs. a tenant in tow? (22:54) - The Forward Value Metric (24:32) - Are TI Packages starting to go up? (26:23) - What are the types of tenants leasing the industrial buildings? (27:59) - What’s going on in the market as it relates to capital gains going up? (29:13) - How have you been able to meet so many people & build client relationships? (32:12) - Are the majority of people buying working for companies that pursue market-only deals? (34:50) - What do a dream seller and dream buyer look like? (35:47) - What’s the process of working with you from the decision to sell all the way to closing? (39:33) - IRR's  (40:47) - What’s the dispersion in underwriting vacancy in a market this crazy in Class B and Class A? (43:14) - Why would Amazon ever leave a building? (45:52) -  Are smaller tenants much more location-dependent in Class B? (47:10) - What does the market for land prices look like? (48:54) - How do people with tons of money to spend get into the Texas Industrial Market? (52:51) - On seller/buyer calls, are there any great questions for sellers to ask on vetting a buyer? (54:07) -  At what threshold are tenants not represented by brokers in the market? (55:08) - What are you expecting to see in the next 12-18 months? (55:57) - Are tenants struggling to find labor for warehouses? (55:46) - Debt Pricing and Cost of Capital (58:46) - DFW vs. Houston Market (1:00:16) - What makes DFW such a big hub? (1:01:37) - What happens if interest rates go up? (1:02:42) - If you were getting in the industry today, what’s the playbook to be successful? (1:05:19) - What’s most exciting to you in industrial over the next decade? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 29 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #163: Stephen Bailey and Dustin Volz of JLL Industrial Capital Markets full 1 163 Chris Powers Stephen is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and specializes in industrial investment advisory. In this capacity, he represents and advises clients in the sale and... Stephen is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and specializes in industrial investment advisory. In this capacity, he represents and advises clients in the sale and acquisition, or development of industrial assets, primarily in Dallas/Fort Worth and throughout the Southwestern United States. Dustin is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. With more than ten years of real estate investment experience, he leads the South Central industrial investment advisory team. In three years at JLL, his team has closed over $2.1 billion in industrial transactions within Texas alone and over the course of his career, Dustin has closed over $3 billion in commercial transactions, working with a number of institutional, corporate and private-client owners. On this episode, Stephen, Dustin & Chris discuss the Texas Industrial market. They dive into all the capital coming into the state, how JLL has helped them become so successful, increasing land prices, DFW vs. Houston, labor issues and more. Enjoy!   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2-GuatD-Ws4   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/   (01:53) - How did you each get into this business? (04:27) - When did you two get partnered up? (05:36) - How would you describe what you do and what markets you cover? (07:36) - What does JLL bring to the table and what do they allow you to do? (12:22) - What’s a job where you’ll work on the equity side? (15:50) - How is Texas performing in your eyes compared to the rest of the country? (19:49) - How much capital is trying to get into Texas Industrial? (21:34) - Is there a percentage of new development that is spec vs. a tenant in tow? (22:54) - The Forward Value Metric (24:32) - Are TI Packages starting to go up? (26:23) - What are the types of tenants leasing the industrial buildings? (27:59) - What’s going on in the market as it relates to capital gains going up? (29:13) - How have you been able to meet so many people & build client relationships? (32:12) - Are the majority of people buying working for companies that pursue market-only deals? (34:50) - What do a dream seller and dream buyer look like? (35:47) - What’s the process of working with you from the decision to sell all the way to closing? (39:33) - IRR's  (40:47) - What’s the dispersion in underwriting vacancy in a market this crazy in Class B and Class A? (43:14) - Why would Amazon ever leave a building? (45:52) -  Are smaller tenants much more location-dependent in Class B? (47:10) - What does the market for land prices look like? (48:54) - How do people with tons of money to spend get into the Texas Industrial Market? (52:51) - On seller/buyer calls, are there any great questions for sellers to ask on vetting a buyer? (54:07) -  At what threshold are tenants not represented by brokers in the market? (55:08) - What are you expecting to see in the next 12-18 months? (55:57) - Are tenants struggling to find labor for warehouses? (55:46) - Debt Pricing and Cost of Capital (58:46) - DFW vs. Houston Market (1:00:16) - What makes DFW such a big hub? (1:01:37) - What happens if interest rates go up? (1:02:42) - If you were getting in the industry today, what’s the playbook to be successful? (1:05:19) - What’s most exciting to you in industrial over the next decade? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Stephen is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and specializes in industrial investment advisory. In this capacity, he represents and advises clients in the sale and acquisition, or development of industrial assets, primarily in Dallas/Fort Worth and throughout the Southwestern United States.

Dustin is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. With more than ten years of real estate investment experience, he leads the South Central industrial investment advisory team. In three years at JLL, his team has closed over $2.1 billion in industrial transactions within Texas alone and over the course of his career, Dustin has closed over $3 billion in commercial transactions, working with a number of institutional, corporate and private-client owners.

On this episode, Stephen, Dustin & Chris discuss the Texas Industrial market. They dive into all the capital coming into the state, how JLL has helped them become so successful, increasing land prices, DFW vs. Houston, labor issues and more. Enjoy!

 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2-GuatD-Ws4

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

 

(01:53) - How did you each get into this business?

(04:27) - When did you two get partnered up?

(05:36) - How would you describe what you do and what markets you cover?

(07:36) - What does JLL bring to the table and what do they allow you to do?

(12:22) - What’s a job where you’ll work on the equity side?

(15:50) - How is Texas performing in your eyes compared to the rest of the country?

(19:49) - How much capital is trying to get into Texas Industrial?

(21:34) - Is there a percentage of new development that is spec vs. a tenant in tow?

(22:54) - The Forward Value Metric

(24:32) - Are TI Packages starting to go up?

(26:23) - What are the types of tenants leasing the industrial buildings?

(27:59) - What’s going on in the market as it relates to capital gains going up?

(29:13) - How have you been able to meet so many people & build client relationships?

(32:12) - Are the majority of people buying working for companies that pursue market-only deals?

(34:50) - What do a dream seller and dream buyer look like?

(35:47) - What’s the process of working with you from the decision to sell all the way to closing?

(39:33) - IRR's 

(40:47) - What’s the dispersion in underwriting vacancy in a market this crazy in Class B and Class A?

(43:14) - Why would Amazon ever leave a building?

(45:52) -  Are smaller tenants much more location-dependent in Class B?

(47:10) - What does the market for land prices look like?

(48:54) - How do people with tons of money to spend get into the Texas Industrial Market?

(52:51) - On seller/buyer calls, are there any great questions for sellers to ask on vetting a buyer?

(54:07) -  At what threshold are tenants not represented by brokers in the market?

(55:08) - What are you expecting to see in the next 12-18 months?

(55:57) - Are tenants struggling to find labor for warehouses?

(55:46) - Debt Pricing and Cost of Capital

(58:46) - DFW vs. Houston Market

(1:00:16) - What makes DFW such a big hub?

(1:01:37) - What happens if interest rates go up?

(1:02:42) - If you were getting in the industry today, what’s the playbook to be successful?

(1:05:19) - What’s most exciting to you in industrial over the next decade?

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4259 no #162: Pete Chambers - My Mentor & Partner at Chambers Interests Family Office https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris is on vacation! So please enjoy this re-mastered version of episode #38 of The FORT with guest Pete Chambers. Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (03:35) — How did you plan for the “post-50” life? (07:48)  — Be a Fighter Pilot as an Entrepreneur (09:47) — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship? (13:50) — What did you implement early on that you needed to be intentional about? (14:58) — Pete’s 10 Mile-Radius for Finding a Business to Buy (16:12) — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner due to work? (17:17) — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned? (18:58) — Your CEO is Forrest Gump (21:13) — What does servant leadership mean to you? (25:13) — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees? (28:06) — Pick Out Three Things That Your People Do Well (29:01) — When did you know it was time to sell your business? (32:39) — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers (34:07) — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration (35:15) — The Roadmap (43:47) — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life? (48:32) — Loneliness at the Top (49:57) — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization) (52:27) — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy (56:54) — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage (01:04:17) — Pete’s Painting The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 26 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #162: Pete Chambers - My Mentor & Partner at Chambers Interests Family Office full 1 162 Chris Powers Chris is on vacation! So please enjoy this re-mastered version of episode #38 of The FORT with guest Pete Chambers. Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member.... Chris is on vacation! So please enjoy this re-mastered version of episode #38 of The FORT with guest Pete Chambers. Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (03:35) — How did you plan for the “post-50” life? (07:48)  — Be a Fighter Pilot as an Entrepreneur (09:47) — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship? (13:50) — What did you implement early on that you needed to be intentional about? (14:58) — Pete’s 10 Mile-Radius for Finding a Business to Buy (16:12) — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner due to work? (17:17) — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned? (18:58) — Your CEO is Forrest Gump (21:13) — What does servant leadership mean to you? (25:13) — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees? (28:06) — Pick Out Three Things That Your People Do Well (29:01) — When did you know it was time to sell your business? (32:39) — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers (34:07) — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration (35:15) — The Roadmap (43:47) — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life? (48:32) — Loneliness at the Top (49:57) — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization) (52:27) — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy (56:54) — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage (01:04:17) — Pete’s Painting The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris is on vacation! So please enjoy this re-mastered version of episode #38 of The FORT with guest Pete Chambers.

Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(03:35) — How did you plan for the “post-50” life?

(07:48)  — Be a Fighter Pilot as an Entrepreneur

(09:47) — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship?

(13:50) — What did you implement early on that you needed to be intentional about?

(14:58) — Pete’s 10 Mile-Radius for Finding a Business to Buy

(16:12) — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner due to work?

(17:17) — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned?

(18:58) — Your CEO is Forrest Gump

(21:13) — What does servant leadership mean to you?

(25:13) — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees?

(28:06) — Pick Out Three Things That Your People Do Well

(29:01) — When did you know it was time to sell your business?

(32:39) — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers

(34:07) — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration

(35:15) — The Roadmap

(43:47) — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life?

(48:32) — Loneliness at the Top

(49:57) — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization)

(52:27) — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy

(56:54) — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage

(01:04:17) — Pete’s Painting

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4519 no RE #161: Mark Campbell - Co-Founder of Jasper.io & A Fantastic Story of a European Industrial JV and the Evolution of Jasper https://www.TheFortPod.com Mark Campbell is the Co-CEO of Jasper.io has over 13 years of experience with commercial real estate firms in NZ, UK, and Europe. Most recently, Mark led a commercial real estate joint venture between Blackstone and M7, overseeing assets currently worth more than $12 billion NZD, in seven countries. Mark led the fund since inception and oversaw the acquisition and ongoing asset management of c.1,000 assets. On this episode, Mark deep dives into what JV-ing with Blackstone looks like and how a company of that size operates in real estate. They also talk about the inception of Jasper and the decision to turn down an offer from Blackstone as well as the New Zeland market & more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hN5MwEY92E8 (03:08) - Mark’s Background, Career in Real Estate, Professional Rugby, Blackstone, and Jasper M7 Blackstone (27:30) - Was there something in the M7 and Jasper vs. Blackstone opportunities that drove you to take the more risky decision? (31:19) - What makes Blackstone great and what did you learn working for them that will carry through the rest of your career? (38:48) - How does someone like Blackstone's pump deal flow from a $150m portfolio to 8 Billion? (47:18) - How did Blackstone react when you turned them down to start Jasper? (52:14) - What is Jasper and what are you out to accomplish? (1:00:48) - Are you only doing your own deals or can other operators get on the platform to raise capital? (1:03:01) - How are you finding investors and are your investors local or global? (1:05:58) - How big is the New Zealand Market? (1:07:44) - What’s your process in raising for a deal? (1:09:54) - What’s the investor experience post-investment? (1:00:17) - Are you seeing your investors being seasoned RE investors or are they people with capital who have never had access to get into deals before? (1:19:10) - What are interest rates in New Zealand? (1:20:44) - Has tourism picked up? (1:21:22) - What do people in New Zealand think about Americans? (1:22:51) - Is there something about growing up in New Zealand that’s shaped who you are today? (1:24:44) - What’s the best event/festival in Europe? (1:26:22) - How can people get in touch with you and Jasper? Email - mark.campbell@jasper.io Mark on LinkedIn The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 22 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #161: Mark Campbell - Co-Founder of Jasper.io & A Fantastic Story of a European Industrial JV and the Evolution of Jasper full 1 161 Chris Powers Mark Campbell is the Co-CEO of has over 13 years of experience with commercial real estate firms in NZ, UK, and Europe. Most recently, Mark led a commercial real estate joint venture between Blackstone and M7, overseeing assets currently worth more... Mark Campbell is the Co-CEO of Jasper.io has over 13 years of experience with commercial real estate firms in NZ, UK, and Europe. Most recently, Mark led a commercial real estate joint venture between Blackstone and M7, overseeing assets currently worth more than $12 billion NZD, in seven countries. Mark led the fund since inception and oversaw the acquisition and ongoing asset management of c.1,000 assets. On this episode, Mark deep dives into what JV-ing with Blackstone looks like and how a company of that size operates in real estate. They also talk about the inception of Jasper and the decision to turn down an offer from Blackstone as well as the New Zeland market & more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hN5MwEY92E8 (03:08) - Mark’s Background, Career in Real Estate, Professional Rugby, Blackstone, and Jasper M7 Blackstone (27:30) - Was there something in the M7 and Jasper vs. Blackstone opportunities that drove you to take the more risky decision? (31:19) - What makes Blackstone great and what did you learn working for them that will carry through the rest of your career? (38:48) - How does someone like Blackstone's pump deal flow from a $150m portfolio to 8 Billion? (47:18) - How did Blackstone react when you turned them down to start Jasper? (52:14) - What is Jasper and what are you out to accomplish? (1:00:48) - Are you only doing your own deals or can other operators get on the platform to raise capital? (1:03:01) - How are you finding investors and are your investors local or global? (1:05:58) - How big is the New Zealand Market? (1:07:44) - What’s your process in raising for a deal? (1:09:54) - What’s the investor experience post-investment? (1:00:17) - Are you seeing your investors being seasoned RE investors or are they people with capital who have never had access to get into deals before? (1:19:10) - What are interest rates in New Zealand? (1:20:44) - Has tourism picked up? (1:21:22) - What do people in New Zealand think about Americans? (1:22:51) - Is there something about growing up in New Zealand that’s shaped who you are today? (1:24:44) - What’s the best event/festival in Europe? (1:26:22) - How can people get in touch with you and Jasper? Email - mark.campbell@jasper.io Mark on LinkedIn The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mark Campbell is the Co-CEO of Jasper.io has over 13 years of experience with commercial real estate firms in NZ, UK, and Europe. Most recently, Mark led a commercial real estate joint venture between Blackstone and M7, overseeing assets currently worth more than $12 billion NZD, in seven countries. Mark led the fund since inception and oversaw the acquisition and ongoing asset management of c.1,000 assets.

On this episode, Mark deep dives into what JV-ing with Blackstone looks like and how a company of that size operates in real estate. They also talk about the inception of Jasper and the decision to turn down an offer from Blackstone as well as the New Zeland market & more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hN5MwEY92E8

(03:08) - Mark’s Background, Career in Real Estate, Professional Rugby, Blackstone, and Jasper

M7

Blackstone

(27:30) - Was there something in the M7 and Jasper vs. Blackstone opportunities that drove you to take the more risky decision?

(31:19) - What makes Blackstone great and what did you learn working for them that will carry through the rest of your career?

(38:48) - How does someone like Blackstone's pump deal flow from a $150m portfolio to 8 Billion?

(47:18) - How did Blackstone react when you turned them down to start Jasper?

(52:14) - What is Jasper and what are you out to accomplish?

(1:00:48) - Are you only doing your own deals or can other operators get on the platform to raise capital?

(1:03:01) - How are you finding investors and are your investors local or global?

(1:05:58) - How big is the New Zealand Market?

(1:07:44) - What’s your process in raising for a deal?

(1:09:54) - What’s the investor experience post-investment?

(1:00:17) - Are you seeing your investors being seasoned RE investors or are they people with capital who have never had access to get into deals before?

(1:19:10) - What are interest rates in New Zealand?

(1:20:44) - Has tourism picked up?

(1:21:22) - What do people in New Zealand think about Americans?

(1:22:51) - Is there something about growing up in New Zealand that’s shaped who you are today?

(1:24:44) - What’s the best event/festival in Europe?

(1:26:22) - How can people get in touch with you and Jasper?

Email - mark.campbell@jasper.io

Mark on LinkedIn

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5452 no RE #160: Why Texas is a Smart Place to Invest https://www.TheFortPod.com There's been a ton of talk about Texas with the growth of Austin, the mass migration from other states, and our booming Tech industry. This episode deep dives into why Texas is a great place to invest your future business, real estate plans, and life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:42) - Texas Statistics & Population (04:24) - The Income and property taxes (04:59) - The Housing Market  (06:20) - Texas’ Seaport, Border and labor Trade (07:21) - Oil & Gas  (09:26) - Blooming Tech Industry  (10:14) - Corporate re-locations Tesla, Apple, Uber, Charles Schwab, Toyota,  Goldman Sachs, Samsung, The Vanguard Group, JP Morgan (13:06) - Texas Climate  (13:56) - Cannabis  (14:45) - Farming (15:00) - DFW Airport (15:42) - Colleges & Universities (16:25) - Sports (16:50) - Infrastructure (17:25) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 19 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #160: Why Texas is a Smart Place to Invest full 1 160 Chris Powers There's been a ton of talk about Texas with the growth of Austin, the mass migration from other states, and our booming Tech industry. This episode deep dives into why Texas is a great place to invest your future business, real estate plans, and life.... There's been a ton of talk about Texas with the growth of Austin, the mass migration from other states, and our booming Tech industry. This episode deep dives into why Texas is a great place to invest your future business, real estate plans, and life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:42) - Texas Statistics & Population (04:24) - The Income and property taxes (04:59) - The Housing Market  (06:20) - Texas’ Seaport, Border and labor Trade (07:21) - Oil & Gas  (09:26) - Blooming Tech Industry  (10:14) - Corporate re-locations Tesla, Apple, Uber, Charles Schwab, Toyota,  Goldman Sachs, Samsung, The Vanguard Group, JP Morgan (13:06) - Texas Climate  (13:56) - Cannabis  (14:45) - Farming (15:00) - DFW Airport (15:42) - Colleges & Universities (16:25) - Sports (16:50) - Infrastructure (17:25) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts There's been a ton of talk about Texas with the growth of Austin, the mass migration from other states, and our booming Tech industry. This episode deep dives into why Texas is a great place to invest your future business, real estate plans, and life. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(01:42) - Texas Statistics & Population

(04:24) - The Income and property taxes

(04:59) - The Housing Market 

(06:20) - Texas’ Seaport, Border and labor Trade

(07:21) - Oil & Gas 

(09:26) - Blooming Tech Industry 

(10:14) - Corporate re-locations

Tesla, Apple, Uber, Charles Schwab, Toyota,  Goldman Sachs, Samsung, The Vanguard Group, JP Morgan

(13:06) - Texas Climate 

(13:56) - Cannabis 

(14:45) - Farming

(15:00) - DFW Airport

(15:42) - Colleges & Universities

(16:25) - Sports

(16:50) - Infrastructure

(17:25) - Wrap Up

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 1253 no #159: Harry Croydon - CEO of Microinsurance.com - Global Insurance to 4B underinsured people https://www.TheFortPod.com Harry Croydon is co-founder of Micro Insurance Company (MIC) and is CEO and President of STP Group Holdings. MIC was started to create simple insurance products built around technology based on the principles of straight-through processing. Micro Insurance Company currently operates in 12 countries offering policies to many people living in the third world. On this episode, Harry and Chris deep dive into InsurTech and how Harry is working to make insurance available to a TAM that either can't access coverage or has never even heard of the concept of insurance. They also talk about building a remote team around the world and the leadership struggles that follow such a task, Culture Index, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:23) - Harry’s Background and Career in Tech & InsurTech (06:02) - “Doing One New Thing at a Time Instead of Three or Four.” (07:36) - Why is the insurance industry so slow to adopt new technology? (08:50) - What is Microinsurance.com? (11:16) - What are companies currently doing that don’t have insurance? (13:16) - Is there one over-arching policy that gig workers sign up for or is there a menu-style of coverage the individual chooses from? (14:43) - Is there feedback with consumers to help you decide what kind of coverages might be needed that you don’t already offer? (15:57) - How does your underwriting process work? (18:46) - Do you need to learn the nuances of each countries different culture that you operate in regards to insurance? (21:06) - Are there people out there who have no concept of insurance? (22:22) - Transparency in Coverage (23:28) - How do you determine countries that you want to operate in? (24:16) - Is there one playbook that gets you started in a new country or is it different every time? (25:39) - What is the craziest thing that you insure? (27:47) - Why aren’t there many businesses set up to prosper globally? (30:03) - What are you doing with technology that sets you apart? (32:34) - Does everyone in your markets have access to at least a flip phone? (33:27) - How is your tech team set up? (34:53) - Do you believe that you can long-term create great relationships over Zoom? (35:45) - What is your day-to-day like as the CEO? (36:36) - How do you think about Culture Index in the companies you run? CultureIndex.com (38:57) - Do you think about ‘Float’ at all in your business? (40:13) - How are you capitalized and how do you think about capital when growing? (41:03) - What’s the end goal for the company? (42:30) - How do you think about the process of working on yourself as a leader and the people you surround yourself with?  (44:14) - Is there a great learning experience you can share from years of starting businesses? (45:43) - Did you start this business with people you’ve started other companies with? (46:41) - Is there going to be big impact on your industry due to Covid? (48:46) - What’s one thing you believe in that most around you do not? (49:25) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (49:46) - Is there a book that you recommend? Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman (50:56) - How can people find your business? Harry Croydon on LinkedIn microinsurance.com The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 15 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #159: Harry Croydon - CEO of Microinsurance.com - Global Insurance to 4B underinsured people full 1 159 Chris Powers Harry Croydon is co-founder of Micro Insurance Company (MIC) and is CEO and President of STP Group Holdings. MIC was started to create simple insurance products built around technology based on the principles of straight-through processing. Micro... Harry Croydon is co-founder of Micro Insurance Company (MIC) and is CEO and President of STP Group Holdings. MIC was started to create simple insurance products built around technology based on the principles of straight-through processing. Micro Insurance Company currently operates in 12 countries offering policies to many people living in the third world. On this episode, Harry and Chris deep dive into InsurTech and how Harry is working to make insurance available to a TAM that either can't access coverage or has never even heard of the concept of insurance. They also talk about building a remote team around the world and the leadership struggles that follow such a task, Culture Index, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:23) - Harry’s Background and Career in Tech & InsurTech (06:02) - “Doing One New Thing at a Time Instead of Three or Four.” (07:36) - Why is the insurance industry so slow to adopt new technology? (08:50) - What is Microinsurance.com? (11:16) - What are companies currently doing that don’t have insurance? (13:16) - Is there one over-arching policy that gig workers sign up for or is there a menu-style of coverage the individual chooses from? (14:43) - Is there feedback with consumers to help you decide what kind of coverages might be needed that you don’t already offer? (15:57) - How does your underwriting process work? (18:46) - Do you need to learn the nuances of each countries different culture that you operate in regards to insurance? (21:06) - Are there people out there who have no concept of insurance? (22:22) - Transparency in Coverage (23:28) - How do you determine countries that you want to operate in? (24:16) - Is there one playbook that gets you started in a new country or is it different every time? (25:39) - What is the craziest thing that you insure? (27:47) - Why aren’t there many businesses set up to prosper globally? (30:03) - What are you doing with technology that sets you apart? (32:34) - Does everyone in your markets have access to at least a flip phone? (33:27) - How is your tech team set up? (34:53) - Do you believe that you can long-term create great relationships over Zoom? (35:45) - What is your day-to-day like as the CEO? (36:36) - How do you think about Culture Index in the companies you run? CultureIndex.com (38:57) - Do you think about ‘Float’ at all in your business? (40:13) - How are you capitalized and how do you think about capital when growing? (41:03) - What’s the end goal for the company? (42:30) - How do you think about the process of working on yourself as a leader and the people you surround yourself with?  (44:14) - Is there a great learning experience you can share from years of starting businesses? (45:43) - Did you start this business with people you’ve started other companies with? (46:41) - Is there going to be big impact on your industry due to Covid? (48:46) - What’s one thing you believe in that most around you do not? (49:25) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (49:46) - Is there a book that you recommend? Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman (50:56) - How can people find your business? Harry Croydon on LinkedIn microinsurance.com The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Harry Croydon is co-founder of Micro Insurance Company (MIC) and is CEO and President of STP Group Holdings. MIC was started to create simple insurance products built around technology based on the principles of straight-through processing. Micro Insurance Company currently operates in 12 countries offering policies to many people living in the third world.

On this episode, Harry and Chris deep dive into InsurTech and how Harry is working to make insurance available to a TAM that either can't access coverage or has never even heard of the concept of insurance. They also talk about building a remote team around the world and the leadership struggles that follow such a task, Culture Index, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:23) - Harry’s Background and Career in Tech & InsurTech

(06:02) - “Doing One New Thing at a Time Instead of Three or Four.”

(07:36) - Why is the insurance industry so slow to adopt new technology?

(08:50) - What is Microinsurance.com?

(11:16) - What are companies currently doing that don’t have insurance?

(13:16) - Is there one over-arching policy that gig workers sign up for or is there a menu-style of coverage the individual chooses from?

(14:43) - Is there feedback with consumers to help you decide what kind of coverages might be needed that you don’t already offer?

(15:57) - How does your underwriting process work?

(18:46) - Do you need to learn the nuances of each countries different culture that you operate in regards to insurance?

(21:06) - Are there people out there who have no concept of insurance?

(22:22) - Transparency in Coverage

(23:28) - How do you determine countries that you want to operate in?

(24:16) - Is there one playbook that gets you started in a new country or is it different every time?

(25:39) - What is the craziest thing that you insure?

(27:47) - Why aren’t there many businesses set up to prosper globally?

(30:03) - What are you doing with technology that sets you apart?

(32:34) - Does everyone in your markets have access to at least a flip phone?

(33:27) - How is your tech team set up?

(34:53) - Do you believe that you can long-term create great relationships over Zoom?

(35:45) - What is your day-to-day like as the CEO?

(36:36) - How do you think about Culture Index in the companies you run?

CultureIndex.com

(38:57) - Do you think about ‘Float’ at all in your business?

(40:13) - How are you capitalized and how do you think about capital when growing?

(41:03) - What’s the end goal for the company?

(42:30) - How do you think about the process of working on yourself as a leader and the people you surround yourself with? 

(44:14) - Is there a great learning experience you can share from years of starting businesses?

(45:43) - Did you start this business with people you’ve started other companies with?

(46:41) - Is there going to be big impact on your industry due to Covid?

(48:46) - What’s one thing you believe in that most around you do not?

(49:25) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(49:46) - Is there a book that you recommend?

Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters

Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman

(50:56) - How can people find your business?

Harry Croydon on LinkedIn

microinsurance.com

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3203 no #158: Josh Schultz - Masterclass in Small Business Operations & Execution https://www.TheFortPod.com Josh Schultz is a master of SMB Operations. This episode is a deep dive into SMB Operations and how Josh analyzes businesses in order to optimize operations to greatly scale SMB's. They discuss his journey of joining his father's company, expanding into the Mexico market, living in China to learn the nuances of the international supply chain and manufacturing practices before ultimately leading the sale of the business and his current role as an SMB ops consultant. They also discuss prioritizing KPI's, beneficial softwares for SMB's and his forthcoming cohort for business owners led by him and previous FORT guest Rich Jordan. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E_76qTSmt2g Josh on Twitter The SMB Ops Letter by Josh Schultz (01:52) - Joshua’s Background and Career (05:04) - What was the state of the company when you joined your father? (08:08) - What’s unique about how you look at businesses? (09:30) - What systems did you implement and what things did you change in your father’s company? (12:03) - How did your process of systematizing communication help with growth? (12:45) - How did you implement a culture of adopting technology? (14:44) - Expanding into Mexico (17:44) - Living in China and Learning the International Nature of Supply Chain (22:21) - What’s the playbook for a new business owner that needs to start working with China? (24:12) - What is “The Chinese Way”?  (27:34) - The Process of Selling the Business in 2019 (31:47) - Why does every small business not see these obvious operations optimizations? (36:49) - What type of businesses do you specialize in with your consulting? (40:45) - How do you create an environment where employees feel comfortable bringing operational frustrations to your desk? (42:26) - Prioritizing What to Tackle First (47:33) - Should every business have a way to submit anonymous feedback? (48:36) - How should people decide what software to use in a no-code world with limitless options? Bubble.io  Trello Glide Zapier (50:16) - How do you know what KPI’s matter? The 4 Disciplines of Execution (56:44) - Accountability for KPI’s  (58:19) - Why does nobody look at dashboards? (1:00:07) - SMB Cohort with Rich Jordan - Crucible (1:05:16) - 90% of Business is Boring!! (1:07:57) -  How and Why to Ask Questions (1:11:16) - What’s next for Joshua? (1:16:37) - What are the biggest mistakes from an ops perspective that most SMB’s make? (1:20:03) - What’s the bridge between Sales and Operations? (1:21:11) - What happens at a business where your skillset is no longer valuable? (1:22:43) - Is there a great ops book you recommend? Plain Talk by Ken Iverson The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success By William Thorndike (1:24:41) - Do you have an operational person you look up to? (1:25:28) - If you had a billboard you could put anything on, what would it say? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 12 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #158: Josh Schultz - Masterclass in Small Business Operations & Execution full 1 158 Chris Powers Josh Schultz is a master of SMB Operations. This episode is a deep dive into SMB Operations and how Josh analyzes businesses in order to optimize operations to greatly scale SMB's. They discuss his journey of joining his father's company, expanding... Josh Schultz is a master of SMB Operations. This episode is a deep dive into SMB Operations and how Josh analyzes businesses in order to optimize operations to greatly scale SMB's. They discuss his journey of joining his father's company, expanding into the Mexico market, living in China to learn the nuances of the international supply chain and manufacturing practices before ultimately leading the sale of the business and his current role as an SMB ops consultant. They also discuss prioritizing KPI's, beneficial softwares for SMB's and his forthcoming cohort for business owners led by him and previous FORT guest Rich Jordan. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E_76qTSmt2g Josh on Twitter The SMB Ops Letter by Josh Schultz (01:52) - Joshua’s Background and Career (05:04) - What was the state of the company when you joined your father? (08:08) - What’s unique about how you look at businesses? (09:30) - What systems did you implement and what things did you change in your father’s company? (12:03) - How did your process of systematizing communication help with growth? (12:45) - How did you implement a culture of adopting technology? (14:44) - Expanding into Mexico (17:44) - Living in China and Learning the International Nature of Supply Chain (22:21) - What’s the playbook for a new business owner that needs to start working with China? (24:12) - What is “The Chinese Way”?  (27:34) - The Process of Selling the Business in 2019 (31:47) - Why does every small business not see these obvious operations optimizations? (36:49) - What type of businesses do you specialize in with your consulting? (40:45) - How do you create an environment where employees feel comfortable bringing operational frustrations to your desk? (42:26) - Prioritizing What to Tackle First (47:33) - Should every business have a way to submit anonymous feedback? (48:36) - How should people decide what software to use in a no-code world with limitless options? Bubble.io  Trello Glide Zapier (50:16) - How do you know what KPI’s matter? The 4 Disciplines of Execution (56:44) - Accountability for KPI’s  (58:19) - Why does nobody look at dashboards? (1:00:07) - SMB Cohort with Rich Jordan - Crucible (1:05:16) - 90% of Business is Boring!! (1:07:57) -  How and Why to Ask Questions (1:11:16) - What’s next for Joshua? (1:16:37) - What are the biggest mistakes from an ops perspective that most SMB’s make? (1:20:03) - What’s the bridge between Sales and Operations? (1:21:11) - What happens at a business where your skillset is no longer valuable? (1:22:43) - Is there a great ops book you recommend? Plain Talk by Ken Iverson The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success By William Thorndike (1:24:41) - Do you have an operational person you look up to? (1:25:28) - If you had a billboard you could put anything on, what would it say? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Josh Schultz is a master of SMB Operations. This episode is a deep dive into SMB Operations and how Josh analyzes businesses in order to optimize operations to greatly scale SMB's. They discuss his journey of joining his father's company, expanding into the Mexico market, living in China to learn the nuances of the international supply chain and manufacturing practices before ultimately leading the sale of the business and his current role as an SMB ops consultant. They also discuss prioritizing KPI's, beneficial softwares for SMB's and his forthcoming cohort for business owners led by him and previous FORT guest Rich Jordan. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E_76qTSmt2g

Josh on Twitter

The SMB Ops Letter by Josh Schultz

(01:52) - Joshua’s Background and Career

(05:04) - What was the state of the company when you joined your father?

(08:08) - What’s unique about how you look at businesses?

(09:30) - What systems did you implement and what things did you change in your father’s company?

(12:03) - How did your process of systematizing communication help with growth?

(12:45) - How did you implement a culture of adopting technology?

(14:44) - Expanding into Mexico

(17:44) - Living in China and Learning the International Nature of Supply Chain

(22:21) - What’s the playbook for a new business owner that needs to start working with China?

(24:12) - What is “The Chinese Way”? 

(27:34) - The Process of Selling the Business in 2019

(31:47) - Why does every small business not see these obvious operations optimizations?

(36:49) - What type of businesses do you specialize in with your consulting?

(40:45) - How do you create an environment where employees feel comfortable bringing operational frustrations to your desk?

(42:26) - Prioritizing What to Tackle First

(47:33) - Should every business have a way to submit anonymous feedback?

(48:36) - How should people decide what software to use in a no-code world with limitless options?

Bubble.io 

Trello

Glide

Zapier

(50:16) - How do you know what KPI’s matter?

The 4 Disciplines of Execution

(56:44) - Accountability for KPI’s 

(58:19) - Why does nobody look at dashboards?

(1:00:07) - SMB Cohort with Rich Jordan - Crucible

(1:05:16) - 90% of Business is Boring!!

(1:07:57) -  How and Why to Ask Questions

(1:11:16) - What’s next for Joshua?

(1:16:37) - What are the biggest mistakes from an ops perspective that most SMB’s make?

(1:20:03) - What’s the bridge between Sales and Operations?

(1:21:11) - What happens at a business where your skillset is no longer valuable?

(1:22:43) - Is there a great ops book you recommend?

Plain Talk by Ken Iverson

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success By William Thorndike

(1:24:41) - Do you have an operational person you look up to?

(1:25:28) - If you had a billboard you could put anything on, what would it say?

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5351 no RE #157: Chris Rising - Co-Founder & CEO of Rising Realty Partners https://www.TheFortPod.com Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. On this episode, Chris discusses his early career learning the industry under John Cushman of Cushman & Wakefield before leaving to form his own company. He and Chris also discuss Rising's emphasis on Impact Investing & ESG and how that plays in working with large tenants like Google and Amazon. They also deep dive into their predictions on the future of Office and Work as we exit the pandemic. Finally, they turn the table to ask Powers about his willingness to take risks, Fort Capital's focus on technology adoption, and the future of Texas and California in the midst of the massive migration seen in the United States. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZFdQ6KjbRFM (02:32) - Chris’ background and career (08:08) - Was John Cushman always teeing up his company to be as big as it was? (09:55) - Rising Realty Partners (13:37) - How do you define impact investing and ESG?  (20:51) - Why are office and commercial retail real estate the biggest emitters of carbon? (22:13) - What’s the low-hanging fruit that you can go in to fix their carbon output? (23:59) - How quickly does ESG requirements come up with ‘big-boy’ tenants like Google and Amazon? (26:41) - Biden’s Push for Government Buildings to be ‘Green Certified’ (29:10) -  Rising’s Investment in Office and the Future of Work (37:32) - Crowdfunding  (44:26) - Experience Optimization Services The Tables Turn (47:49) - Chris Powers’ Willingness to Take Risks (52:08) - Powers’ Focus on Technology (54:07) - The Digital Economy Coming to Real Estate (54:50) - Microsoft or Google for operating systems? (55:16) - Maintaining Discipline with Adapting Technology (1:01:54) - The Massive Population Growth in Texas and the Future for the States like California The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 08 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #157: Chris Rising - Co-Founder & CEO of Rising Realty Partners full 1 157 Chris Powers Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is... Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. On this episode, Chris discusses his early career learning the industry under John Cushman of Cushman & Wakefield before leaving to form his own company. He and Chris also discuss Rising's emphasis on Impact Investing & ESG and how that plays in working with large tenants like Google and Amazon. They also deep dive into their predictions on the future of Office and Work as we exit the pandemic. Finally, they turn the table to ask Powers about his willingness to take risks, Fort Capital's focus on technology adoption, and the future of Texas and California in the midst of the massive migration seen in the United States. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZFdQ6KjbRFM (02:32) - Chris’ background and career (08:08) - Was John Cushman always teeing up his company to be as big as it was? (09:55) - Rising Realty Partners (13:37) - How do you define impact investing and ESG?  (20:51) - Why are office and commercial retail real estate the biggest emitters of carbon? (22:13) - What’s the low-hanging fruit that you can go in to fix their carbon output? (23:59) - How quickly does ESG requirements come up with ‘big-boy’ tenants like Google and Amazon? (26:41) - Biden’s Push for Government Buildings to be ‘Green Certified’ (29:10) -  Rising’s Investment in Office and the Future of Work (37:32) - Crowdfunding  (44:26) - Experience Optimization Services The Tables Turn (47:49) - Chris Powers’ Willingness to Take Risks (52:08) - Powers’ Focus on Technology (54:07) - The Digital Economy Coming to Real Estate (54:50) - Microsoft or Google for operating systems? (55:16) - Maintaining Discipline with Adapting Technology (1:01:54) - The Massive Population Growth in Texas and the Future for the States like California The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring.

On this episode, Chris discusses his early career learning the industry under John Cushman of Cushman & Wakefield before leaving to form his own company. He and Chris also discuss Rising's emphasis on Impact Investing & ESG and how that plays in working with large tenants like Google and Amazon. They also deep dive into their predictions on the future of Office and Work as we exit the pandemic. Finally, they turn the table to ask Powers about his willingness to take risks, Fort Capital's focus on technology adoption, and the future of Texas and California in the midst of the massive migration seen in the United States. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZFdQ6KjbRFM

(02:32) - Chris’ background and career

(08:08) - Was John Cushman always teeing up his company to be as big as it was?

(09:55) - Rising Realty Partners

(13:37) - How do you define impact investing and ESG? 

(20:51) - Why are office and commercial retail real estate the biggest emitters of carbon?

(22:13) - What’s the low-hanging fruit that you can go in to fix their carbon output?

(23:59) - How quickly does ESG requirements come up with ‘big-boy’ tenants like Google and Amazon?

(26:41) - Biden’s Push for Government Buildings to be ‘Green Certified’

(29:10) -  Rising’s Investment in Office and the Future of Work

(37:32) - Crowdfunding 

(44:26) - Experience Optimization Services

The Tables Turn

(47:49) - Chris Powers’ Willingness to Take Risks

(52:08) - Powers’ Focus on Technology

(54:07) - The Digital Economy Coming to Real Estate

(54:50) - Microsoft or Google for operating systems?

(55:16) - Maintaining Discipline with Adapting Technology

(1:01:54) - The Massive Population Growth in Texas and the Future for the States like California

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4254 no #156: Kevin Jorgeson - Professional Climber & Conqueror of 'The Dawn Wall' https://www.TheFortPod.com Kevin Jorgeson is an American rock climber. He was one of the first two climbers, alongside his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell, to successfully complete a free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. On this episode, Kevin and Chris talk about climbing the Dawn Wall, the 6 years of preparation leading up to the ascent, and the massive media frenzy that became a full-fledged film. They also touch on Kevin's life after Dawn including the process of a ground-up development for a climbing gym and launching a non-profit called 1Climb which aims to get more kids into the sport of climbing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:33) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (03:14) - Was there a moment you knew you were really talented at climbing? (05:06) - Is there anything unique to climbers that physically give them an advantage? (06:02) - What are the different types of climbing? (08:10) - Bouldering  (09:32) - How do you ‘Win’ a climbing competition? (11:05) - Climbing in the Upcoming Olympics (11:44) - Reaching Out to Tommy Caldwell to Climb the Dawn Wall (16:32) - The Feeling that it Was Time to Pursue the Dawn Wall (24:31) - What was your first day ‘on the job’ with Tommy Caldwell? (32:14) - What was your role in this whole adventure? (34:23) - What does 6 years of prep look like and how did you map out the climb? (41:17) - Did you and Tommy follow the same route or go different ways in your sequences? (44:08) - At what point did you realize you were ready to make the climb? (46:15) - What was the prep like for the 19 day climb and the experience of living on the side of the wall? (50:10) - Pitch 15 and the Pressure of Completing It (1:00:14) - Was there a certain spot in the pitch that caused all the issues? (1:03:17) - What happened when you realized the media frenzy was gathering to watch you? (1:08:31) - Was there a crash after the high from completing the Dawn Wall?  (1:15:51) - Getting Married and Having Children (1:16:48) - Starting a Climbing Gym www.Sessionclimbing.com (1:24:54) - Starting a Non-Profit - 1Climb.org (1:31:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:33:17) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:35:01) - What advice would you give to a beginner climber? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 06 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #156: Kevin Jorgeson - Professional Climber & Conqueror of 'The Dawn Wall' full 1 156 Chris Powers Kevin Jorgeson is an American rock climber. He was one of the first two climbers, alongside his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell, to successfully complete a free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. On this episode, Kevin and... Kevin Jorgeson is an American rock climber. He was one of the first two climbers, alongside his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell, to successfully complete a free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. On this episode, Kevin and Chris talk about climbing the Dawn Wall, the 6 years of preparation leading up to the ascent, and the massive media frenzy that became a full-fledged film. They also touch on Kevin's life after Dawn including the process of a ground-up development for a climbing gym and launching a non-profit called 1Climb which aims to get more kids into the sport of climbing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:33) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (03:14) - Was there a moment you knew you were really talented at climbing? (05:06) - Is there anything unique to climbers that physically give them an advantage? (06:02) - What are the different types of climbing? (08:10) - Bouldering  (09:32) - How do you ‘Win’ a climbing competition? (11:05) - Climbing in the Upcoming Olympics (11:44) - Reaching Out to Tommy Caldwell to Climb the Dawn Wall (16:32) - The Feeling that it Was Time to Pursue the Dawn Wall (24:31) - What was your first day ‘on the job’ with Tommy Caldwell? (32:14) - What was your role in this whole adventure? (34:23) - What does 6 years of prep look like and how did you map out the climb? (41:17) - Did you and Tommy follow the same route or go different ways in your sequences? (44:08) - At what point did you realize you were ready to make the climb? (46:15) - What was the prep like for the 19 day climb and the experience of living on the side of the wall? (50:10) - Pitch 15 and the Pressure of Completing It (1:00:14) - Was there a certain spot in the pitch that caused all the issues? (1:03:17) - What happened when you realized the media frenzy was gathering to watch you? (1:08:31) - Was there a crash after the high from completing the Dawn Wall?  (1:15:51) - Getting Married and Having Children (1:16:48) - Starting a Climbing Gym www.Sessionclimbing.com (1:24:54) - Starting a Non-Profit - 1Climb.org (1:31:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:33:17) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:35:01) - What advice would you give to a beginner climber? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Kevin Jorgeson is an American rock climber. He was one of the first two climbers, alongside his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell, to successfully complete a free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

On this episode, Kevin and Chris talk about climbing the Dawn Wall, the 6 years of preparation leading up to the ascent, and the massive media frenzy that became a full-fledged film. They also touch on Kevin's life after Dawn including the process of a ground-up development for a climbing gym and launching a non-profit called 1Climb which aims to get more kids into the sport of climbing. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:33) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today

(03:14) - Was there a moment you knew you were really talented at climbing?

(05:06) - Is there anything unique to climbers that physically give them an advantage?

(06:02) - What are the different types of climbing?

(08:10) - Bouldering 

(09:32) - How do you ‘Win’ a climbing competition?

(11:05) - Climbing in the Upcoming Olympics

(11:44) - Reaching Out to Tommy Caldwell to Climb the Dawn Wall

(16:32) - The Feeling that it Was Time to Pursue the Dawn Wall

(24:31) - What was your first day ‘on the job’ with Tommy Caldwell?

(32:14) - What was your role in this whole adventure?

(34:23) - What does 6 years of prep look like and how did you map out the climb?

(41:17) - Did you and Tommy follow the same route or go different ways in your sequences?

(44:08) - At what point did you realize you were ready to make the climb?

(46:15) - What was the prep like for the 19 day climb and the experience of living on the side of the wall?

(50:10) - Pitch 15 and the Pressure of Completing It

(1:00:14) - Was there a certain spot in the pitch that caused all the issues?

(1:03:17) - What happened when you realized the media frenzy was gathering to watch you?

(1:08:31) - Was there a crash after the high from completing the Dawn Wall? 

(1:15:51) - Getting Married and Having Children

(1:16:48) - Starting a Climbing Gym

www.Sessionclimbing.com

(1:24:54) - Starting a Non-Profit - 1Climb.org

(1:31:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today?

(1:33:17) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:35:01) - What advice would you give to a beginner climber?

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5979 no #155: TJ Hutchings - 'Health Insurance 101' https://www.TheFortPod.com Soon after joining Higginbotham as a customer service representative in the employee benefits department, TJ Hutchings set a goal to become a managing director within five years, which he accomplished by the end of 2018. Hutchings has maintained a 95%-plus customer retention rate by tirelessly searching for savings solutions for his clients and fostering community relationships to bring them closer to resources that can improve their situation. On this episode, TJ discusses how his Cancer diagnosis led him to this current career path before deep diving into how employers should be approaching health insurance for their teams. He breaks down basic terminologies and best practices for small to medium-sized companies and how employees can make the most of their health plans. Chris and TJ also discuss the concept of businesses having to provide insurance, pre-existing conditions, the rising costs of care, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:46) - TJ’s Background and Early Career (05:42) - What are folks left with when they are continually rejected in their appeals for health coverage? (06:32) - TJ’s Journey of Working with Higginbotham  (08:15) - How do you think about what you do for a living? (10:12) - What are the things that SMB owners should be asking when they’re at the table with you? (10:54) - Defining Markets (11:51) - Who sets rates? (13:55) - What variables can employers negotiate to get better rates or do privately do improve their individual standing? Healthcare Bluebook (16:58) - At what size do you start thinking about self-insuring? (20:06) - Individual Health vs. the Group Plan (20:35) - Why is insurance state-by-state? (21:35) - What are the types of plans and what do they mean? (25:12) - Basic Terminologies Co-Pay Deductible  Premium (26:19) - Why is it on your employer to cover health insurance in America? (27:35) - How do you make the decision on which bucket your company fits in? (31:22) - Dual-Options Plans for Employees (32:17) - Should most employers have their agent on site for open enrollment day? (34:08) - What happens when there are folks on the team with pre-existing conditions? (36:19) - What happens after folks and their companies have picked their policies? (38:39) - Is there any risk the employer takes on selecting a plan? (38:51) - Who are the main companies in this space? (41:00) - How far in advance should employers start thinking about next year’s plan? (42:48) - How do you navigate the constantly changing regulations as politicians revolve in and out of office to change things? (45:21) - Obamacare (46:00) - If I don’t have health insurance, and something terrible happens, who’s paying those bills? (47:06) - Why are health costs continuing to increase? Dr. Bricker Videos - AHealthcareZ (49:40) - Price Differences Between US and Canada for Pharmaceutical Drugs (50:42) - Is it a growing industry to have a company that fights the hospital billing on your behalf? (52:39) - Does the misfortune of a few impact the premium of the whole group?  (54:47) - What questions should companies be asking different agents? (57:30) - What does your dream client look like? (1:00:53) - Is there any technology that could disrupt this industry? (1:03:05) - Are there political issues in healthcare that keep you up at night? (1:07:07) - Was there something that happened in your childhood that shaped your path in life? (1:09:08) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:08) - What is the best advice you’ve been given & What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry? (1:12:56) - How can people find you? LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Website The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 01 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #155: TJ Hutchings - 'Health Insurance 101' full 1 155 Chris Powers Soon after joining Higginbotham as a customer service representative in the employee benefits department, TJ Hutchings set a goal to become a managing director within five years, which he accomplished by the end of 2018. Hutchings has maintained a... Soon after joining Higginbotham as a customer service representative in the employee benefits department, TJ Hutchings set a goal to become a managing director within five years, which he accomplished by the end of 2018. Hutchings has maintained a 95%-plus customer retention rate by tirelessly searching for savings solutions for his clients and fostering community relationships to bring them closer to resources that can improve their situation. On this episode, TJ discusses how his Cancer diagnosis led him to this current career path before deep diving into how employers should be approaching health insurance for their teams. He breaks down basic terminologies and best practices for small to medium-sized companies and how employees can make the most of their health plans. Chris and TJ also discuss the concept of businesses having to provide insurance, pre-existing conditions, the rising costs of care, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:46) - TJ’s Background and Early Career (05:42) - What are folks left with when they are continually rejected in their appeals for health coverage? (06:32) - TJ’s Journey of Working with Higginbotham  (08:15) - How do you think about what you do for a living? (10:12) - What are the things that SMB owners should be asking when they’re at the table with you? (10:54) - Defining Markets (11:51) - Who sets rates? (13:55) - What variables can employers negotiate to get better rates or do privately do improve their individual standing? Healthcare Bluebook (16:58) - At what size do you start thinking about self-insuring? (20:06) - Individual Health vs. the Group Plan (20:35) - Why is insurance state-by-state? (21:35) - What are the types of plans and what do they mean? (25:12) - Basic Terminologies Co-Pay Deductible  Premium (26:19) - Why is it on your employer to cover health insurance in America? (27:35) - How do you make the decision on which bucket your company fits in? (31:22) - Dual-Options Plans for Employees (32:17) - Should most employers have their agent on site for open enrollment day? (34:08) - What happens when there are folks on the team with pre-existing conditions? (36:19) - What happens after folks and their companies have picked their policies? (38:39) - Is there any risk the employer takes on selecting a plan? (38:51) - Who are the main companies in this space? (41:00) - How far in advance should employers start thinking about next year’s plan? (42:48) - How do you navigate the constantly changing regulations as politicians revolve in and out of office to change things? (45:21) - Obamacare (46:00) - If I don’t have health insurance, and something terrible happens, who’s paying those bills? (47:06) - Why are health costs continuing to increase? Dr. Bricker Videos - AHealthcareZ (49:40) - Price Differences Between US and Canada for Pharmaceutical Drugs (50:42) - Is it a growing industry to have a company that fights the hospital billing on your behalf? (52:39) - Does the misfortune of a few impact the premium of the whole group?  (54:47) - What questions should companies be asking different agents? (57:30) - What does your dream client look like? (1:00:53) - Is there any technology that could disrupt this industry? (1:03:05) - Are there political issues in healthcare that keep you up at night? (1:07:07) - Was there something that happened in your childhood that shaped your path in life? (1:09:08) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:08) - What is the best advice you’ve been given & What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry? (1:12:56) - How can people find you? LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Website The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Soon after joining Higginbotham as a customer service representative in the employee benefits department, TJ Hutchings set a goal to become a managing director within five years, which he accomplished by the end of 2018. Hutchings has maintained a 95%-plus customer retention rate by tirelessly searching for savings solutions for his clients and fostering community relationships to bring them closer to resources that can improve their situation.

On this episode, TJ discusses how his Cancer diagnosis led him to this current career path before deep diving into how employers should be approaching health insurance for their teams. He breaks down basic terminologies and best practices for small to medium-sized companies and how employees can make the most of their health plans. Chris and TJ also discuss the concept of businesses having to provide insurance, pre-existing conditions, the rising costs of care, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:46) - TJ’s Background and Early Career

(05:42) - What are folks left with when they are continually rejected in their appeals for health coverage?

(06:32) - TJ’s Journey of Working with Higginbotham 

(08:15) - How do you think about what you do for a living?

(10:12) - What are the things that SMB owners should be asking when they’re at the table with you?

(10:54) - Defining Markets

(11:51) - Who sets rates?

(13:55) - What variables can employers negotiate to get better rates or do privately do improve their individual standing?

Healthcare Bluebook

(16:58) - At what size do you start thinking about self-insuring?

(20:06) - Individual Health vs. the Group Plan

(20:35) - Why is insurance state-by-state?

(21:35) - What are the types of plans and what do they mean?

(25:12) - Basic Terminologies

Co-Pay

Deductible 

Premium

(26:19) - Why is it on your employer to cover health insurance in America?

(27:35) - How do you make the decision on which bucket your company fits in?

(31:22) - Dual-Options Plans for Employees

(32:17) - Should most employers have their agent on site for open enrollment day?

(34:08) - What happens when there are folks on the team with pre-existing conditions?

(36:19) - What happens after folks and their companies have picked their policies?

(38:39) - Is there any risk the employer takes on selecting a plan?

(38:51) - Who are the main companies in this space?

(41:00) - How far in advance should employers start thinking about next year’s plan?

(42:48) - How do you navigate the constantly changing regulations as politicians revolve in and out of office to change things?

(45:21) - Obamacare

(46:00) - If I don’t have health insurance, and something terrible happens, who’s paying those bills?

(47:06) - Why are health costs continuing to increase?

Dr. Bricker Videos - AHealthcareZ

(49:40) - Price Differences Between US and Canada for Pharmaceutical Drugs

(50:42) - Is it a growing industry to have a company that fights the hospital billing on your behalf?

(52:39) - Does the misfortune of a few impact the premium of the whole group? 

(54:47) - What questions should companies be asking different agents?

(57:30) - What does your dream client look like?

(1:00:53) - Is there any technology that could disrupt this industry?

(1:03:05) - Are there political issues in healthcare that keep you up at night?

(1:07:07) - Was there something that happened in your childhood that shaped your path in life?

(1:09:08) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:11:08) - What is the best advice you’ve been given & What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?

(1:12:56) - How can people find you?

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Website

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4567 no #154: Jefferson Davis - Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Co. - 0 to 100+ clients in 3 years https://www.TheFortPod.com Jefferson "Trey" Davis is the Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Company based in Fort Worth, TX. On this episode, Chris and Trey discuss how he decided to make the jump into starting a sweaty business with only one client to over 100 in less than two years. They discuss Davis' day to day schedule and how he balances the actual service with administration work and business growth. The pair also discuss the massive amount of opportunity there is for these types of businesses, and Trey gives an incredible example of how he was making more money cleaning windows for 10 hours a week than he was at his full-time job. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Check out Trey's website: www.davisglassco.com Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0rCtBMzRogg (03:17) - Trey’s Childhood and Starting his Sweaty Business (05:19) - When did you decide to actually pull the trigger on this business? (07:40) - What were you trying to learn in order to launch this business in terms of actual service and the business side of it? (10:15) - What was your experience getting your first customer? (13:44) - What was your initial investment in supplies? (15:37) - What’s been the key for you in continuing to grow your customer base? (17:29) - How did you find Fort Capital? (19:42) - How would you bid a commercial building? (20:32) - What’s the difference between residential and commercial cleaning and how do you contract each?  (23:37) - How many customers do you have now? (23:55) - Have you ever had to fire a customer? (24:49) - How do you set up your booking and schedule? (25:37) - What does a typical day look like for you? (26:18) - How do you split your time between cleaning, admin work and finding customers? (27:08) - What are the biggest things you want help on as you grow? (30:21) - What do you see your job being if you weren’t cleaning anymore? (31:17) - What are some key things you’ve learned that you would tell someone who’s thinking about starting out? (33:50) - How do you handle rejection? (35:20) - What’s your pitch? (37:01) - How often do you need to replenish and replace supplies  (37:31) - How do you clean a window well? (38:09) - Getting Over the Feeling of Shame & Self-Doubt (41:22) - Was there a moment where you knew it was time to go full-time on this? (42:01) - How important was it having a supportive wife? (43:02) - The Massive Opportunity for These Sweaty Businesses (46:08) - What’s been your biggest failure or worst day of work? (49:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (51:52) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (53:13) - How can people find you and your company? www.DavisGlassCo.com Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DavisGlassCleaningCompany The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 28 Jun 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #154: Jefferson Davis - Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Co. - 0 to 100+ clients in 3 years full 1 154 Chris Powers Jefferson "Trey" Davis is the Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Company based in Fort Worth, TX. On this episode, Chris and Trey discuss how he decided to make the jump into starting a sweaty business with only one client to over 100 in less than two... Jefferson "Trey" Davis is the Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Company based in Fort Worth, TX. On this episode, Chris and Trey discuss how he decided to make the jump into starting a sweaty business with only one client to over 100 in less than two years. They discuss Davis' day to day schedule and how he balances the actual service with administration work and business growth. The pair also discuss the massive amount of opportunity there is for these types of businesses, and Trey gives an incredible example of how he was making more money cleaning windows for 10 hours a week than he was at his full-time job. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Check out Trey's website: www.davisglassco.com Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0rCtBMzRogg (03:17) - Trey’s Childhood and Starting his Sweaty Business (05:19) - When did you decide to actually pull the trigger on this business? (07:40) - What were you trying to learn in order to launch this business in terms of actual service and the business side of it? (10:15) - What was your experience getting your first customer? (13:44) - What was your initial investment in supplies? (15:37) - What’s been the key for you in continuing to grow your customer base? (17:29) - How did you find Fort Capital? (19:42) - How would you bid a commercial building? (20:32) - What’s the difference between residential and commercial cleaning and how do you contract each?  (23:37) - How many customers do you have now? (23:55) - Have you ever had to fire a customer? (24:49) - How do you set up your booking and schedule? (25:37) - What does a typical day look like for you? (26:18) - How do you split your time between cleaning, admin work and finding customers? (27:08) - What are the biggest things you want help on as you grow? (30:21) - What do you see your job being if you weren’t cleaning anymore? (31:17) - What are some key things you’ve learned that you would tell someone who’s thinking about starting out? (33:50) - How do you handle rejection? (35:20) - What’s your pitch? (37:01) - How often do you need to replenish and replace supplies  (37:31) - How do you clean a window well? (38:09) - Getting Over the Feeling of Shame & Self-Doubt (41:22) - Was there a moment where you knew it was time to go full-time on this? (42:01) - How important was it having a supportive wife? (43:02) - The Massive Opportunity for These Sweaty Businesses (46:08) - What’s been your biggest failure or worst day of work? (49:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (51:52) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (53:13) - How can people find you and your company? www.DavisGlassCo.com Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DavisGlassCleaningCompany The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Jefferson "Trey" Davis is the Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Company based in Fort Worth, TX. On this episode, Chris and Trey discuss how he decided to make the jump into starting a sweaty business with only one client to over 100 in less than two years. They discuss Davis' day to day schedule and how he balances the actual service with administration work and business growth. The pair also discuss the massive amount of opportunity there is for these types of businesses, and Trey gives an incredible example of how he was making more money cleaning windows for 10 hours a week than he was at his full-time job. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Check out Trey's website: www.davisglassco.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0rCtBMzRogg

(03:17) - Trey’s Childhood and Starting his Sweaty Business

(05:19) - When did you decide to actually pull the trigger on this business?

(07:40) - What were you trying to learn in order to launch this business in terms of actual service and the business side of it?

(10:15) - What was your experience getting your first customer?

(13:44) - What was your initial investment in supplies?

(15:37) - What’s been the key for you in continuing to grow your customer base?

(17:29) - How did you find Fort Capital?

(19:42) - How would you bid a commercial building?

(20:32) - What’s the difference between residential and commercial cleaning and how do you contract each? 

(23:37) - How many customers do you have now?

(23:55) - Have you ever had to fire a customer?

(24:49) - How do you set up your booking and schedule?

(25:37) - What does a typical day look like for you?

(26:18) - How do you split your time between cleaning, admin work and finding customers?

(27:08) - What are the biggest things you want help on as you grow?

(30:21) - What do you see your job being if you weren’t cleaning anymore?

(31:17) - What are some key things you’ve learned that you would tell someone who’s thinking about starting out?

(33:50) - How do you handle rejection?

(35:20) - What’s your pitch?

(37:01) - How often do you need to replenish and replace supplies 

(37:31) - How do you clean a window well?

(38:09) - Getting Over the Feeling of Shame & Self-Doubt

(41:22) - Was there a moment where you knew it was time to go full-time on this?

(42:01) - How important was it having a supportive wife?

(43:02) - The Massive Opportunity for These Sweaty Businesses

(46:08) - What’s been your biggest failure or worst day of work?

(49:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today?

(51:52) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(53:13) - How can people find you and your company?

www.DavisGlassCo.com

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DavisGlassCleaningCompany

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3349 no #153: Nishant Machado - Restructuring Savant, CEO of Macaroni Grill, Timeshares, Cannabis, & Deal Structuring https://www.TheFortPod.com Nishant has extensive restaurant and food industry experience and is currently serving as the President and CEO of Dividend Restaurant Group, parent company to Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Nishant was responsible for the turnaround of both restaurants and the acquisition of Sullivan’s Steakhouse. On this episode, Nishant discusses his childhood growing up in Dubai and working at Mackinac helping distressed companies. They go through the process of what types of companies come to Mackinac, their diagnosis period, and what they look to achieve when working with companies. They also dive deep into running a restaurant during the pandemic, how to fix the labor issue in hospitality, and what pandemic-era changes will stick going forward. Finally, they wrap up talking about Nishant's venture into the Cannabis industry with his premium THC spirit company, Pamos, and the future of VC in the industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit www.pamos.com Mackinac Partners (01:12) - Nishant’s Background, Upbringing in Dubai, and Early Career (04:33) - What is Mackinaw and what do y’all do? (05:47) - What’s the process of working with distressed companies with Mackinaw?  (07:13) - Do most companies that come to you even know what their issues are? (07:41) - How quickly can Mackinaw determine the root issues of a client? (09:30) - How often is it a management team problem where you need to clean house? (10:09) - What are the reasons why companies go into distress? (12:08) - What do capital providers do wrong that start squeezing their businesses? (13:30) - How much forewarning are companies given that a new operator is about to come in and call all the shots? (14:20) - Is it common for family businesses to fail after they sell to PE? (14:56) - What happens after your 60-day diagnosis of a distressed business?  (18:26) - Why do companies not see things as clearly as you’ve explained them? (19:54) - Is there ever a time where you were unable to help a business? (20:50) - How does Mackinaw make money? (21:01) - Nishant’s Experience Building a Time-Share Business (25:34) - Building a Sales Platform from Scratch (30:25) - Is there a business to be had just to sell your time-share easily? (31:56) - How did you know it was time to sell the business? (33:35) - You Can Be Successful in Business Without Working in Your Passion (35:55) - The Difference Between Honesty and Trust (36:25) - Nishant’s Jump into Restaurants (39:52) - How did you source the Macaroni Grill deal? (45:21) -  What’s the goal for Mac Grill with growth? (46:44) - What was your world like during the Pandemic? (53:00) - What were the best and worst decision you made during Covid? (54:51) - What changes will stick in the business? What’s the labor market look like to you? (1:00:14) - What’s the private equity interest in the restaurant industry like right now? (1:02:00) - Nishant’s Work in Cannabis (1:04:57) - Industry Size and Cannabis Statistics (1:07:06) - How far away are we from mainstream acceptance and federal legalization? (1:10:53) - Nishant’s Cannabis Funding Concept  (1:14:09) -  Nishant’s Approach to Building and Implementing Platforms (1:15:53) - The Difference Between a System and a Process (1:16:20) - “You can think more freely when you’ve hit financial freedom” (1:17:04) - What’s something you see a lot of young people get wrong in their careers or early life? (1:17:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? (1:18:46) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped who you’ve become? (1:19:43) - Why do you read so many legal documents? (1:21:58) - How can people find you? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 24 Jun 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #153: Nishant Machado - Restructuring Savant, CEO of Macaroni Grill, Timeshares, Cannabis, & Deal Structuring full 1 153 Chris Powers Nishant has extensive restaurant and food industry experience and is currently serving as the President and CEO of Dividend Restaurant Group, parent company to Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Nishant was responsible for the... Nishant has extensive restaurant and food industry experience and is currently serving as the President and CEO of Dividend Restaurant Group, parent company to Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Nishant was responsible for the turnaround of both restaurants and the acquisition of Sullivan’s Steakhouse. On this episode, Nishant discusses his childhood growing up in Dubai and working at Mackinac helping distressed companies. They go through the process of what types of companies come to Mackinac, their diagnosis period, and what they look to achieve when working with companies. They also dive deep into running a restaurant during the pandemic, how to fix the labor issue in hospitality, and what pandemic-era changes will stick going forward. Finally, they wrap up talking about Nishant's venture into the Cannabis industry with his premium THC spirit company, Pamos, and the future of VC in the industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit www.pamos.com Mackinac Partners (01:12) - Nishant’s Background, Upbringing in Dubai, and Early Career (04:33) - What is Mackinaw and what do y’all do? (05:47) - What’s the process of working with distressed companies with Mackinaw?  (07:13) - Do most companies that come to you even know what their issues are? (07:41) - How quickly can Mackinaw determine the root issues of a client? (09:30) - How often is it a management team problem where you need to clean house? (10:09) - What are the reasons why companies go into distress? (12:08) - What do capital providers do wrong that start squeezing their businesses? (13:30) - How much forewarning are companies given that a new operator is about to come in and call all the shots? (14:20) - Is it common for family businesses to fail after they sell to PE? (14:56) - What happens after your 60-day diagnosis of a distressed business?  (18:26) - Why do companies not see things as clearly as you’ve explained them? (19:54) - Is there ever a time where you were unable to help a business? (20:50) - How does Mackinaw make money? (21:01) - Nishant’s Experience Building a Time-Share Business (25:34) - Building a Sales Platform from Scratch (30:25) - Is there a business to be had just to sell your time-share easily? (31:56) - How did you know it was time to sell the business? (33:35) - You Can Be Successful in Business Without Working in Your Passion (35:55) - The Difference Between Honesty and Trust (36:25) - Nishant’s Jump into Restaurants (39:52) - How did you source the Macaroni Grill deal? (45:21) -  What’s the goal for Mac Grill with growth? (46:44) - What was your world like during the Pandemic? (53:00) - What were the best and worst decision you made during Covid? (54:51) - What changes will stick in the business? What’s the labor market look like to you? (1:00:14) - What’s the private equity interest in the restaurant industry like right now? (1:02:00) - Nishant’s Work in Cannabis (1:04:57) - Industry Size and Cannabis Statistics (1:07:06) - How far away are we from mainstream acceptance and federal legalization? (1:10:53) - Nishant’s Cannabis Funding Concept  (1:14:09) -  Nishant’s Approach to Building and Implementing Platforms (1:15:53) - The Difference Between a System and a Process (1:16:20) - “You can think more freely when you’ve hit financial freedom” (1:17:04) - What’s something you see a lot of young people get wrong in their careers or early life? (1:17:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? (1:18:46) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped who you’ve become? (1:19:43) - Why do you read so many legal documents? (1:21:58) - How can people find you? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Nishant has extensive restaurant and food industry experience and is currently serving as the President and CEO of Dividend Restaurant Group, parent company to Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Nishant was responsible for the turnaround of both restaurants and the acquisition of Sullivan’s Steakhouse.

On this episode, Nishant discusses his childhood growing up in Dubai and working at Mackinac helping distressed companies. They go through the process of what types of companies come to Mackinac, their diagnosis period, and what they look to achieve when working with companies. They also dive deep into running a restaurant during the pandemic, how to fix the labor issue in hospitality, and what pandemic-era changes will stick going forward. Finally, they wrap up talking about Nishant's venture into the Cannabis industry with his premium THC spirit company, Pamos, and the future of VC in the industry. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Visit www.pamos.com

Mackinac Partners

(01:12) - Nishant’s Background, Upbringing in Dubai, and Early Career

(04:33) - What is Mackinaw and what do y’all do?

(05:47) - What’s the process of working with distressed companies with Mackinaw? 

(07:13) - Do most companies that come to you even know what their issues are?

(07:41) - How quickly can Mackinaw determine the root issues of a client?

(09:30) - How often is it a management team problem where you need to clean house?

(10:09) - What are the reasons why companies go into distress?

(12:08) - What do capital providers do wrong that start squeezing their businesses?

(13:30) - How much forewarning are companies given that a new operator is about to come in and call all the shots?

(14:20) - Is it common for family businesses to fail after they sell to PE?

(14:56) - What happens after your 60-day diagnosis of a distressed business?

 (18:26) - Why do companies not see things as clearly as you’ve explained them?

(19:54) - Is there ever a time where you were unable to help a business?

(20:50) - How does Mackinaw make money?

(21:01) - Nishant’s Experience Building a Time-Share Business

(25:34) - Building a Sales Platform from Scratch

(30:25) - Is there a business to be had just to sell your time-share easily?

(31:56) - How did you know it was time to sell the business?

(33:35) - You Can Be Successful in Business Without Working in Your Passion

(35:55) - The Difference Between Honesty and Trust

(36:25) - Nishant’s Jump into Restaurants

(39:52) - How did you source the Macaroni Grill deal?

(45:21) -  What’s the goal for Mac Grill with growth?

(46:44) - What was your world like during the Pandemic?

(53:00) - What were the best and worst decision you made during Covid?

(54:51) - What changes will stick in the business? What’s the labor market look like to you?

(1:00:14) - What’s the private equity interest in the restaurant industry like right now?

(1:02:00) - Nishant’s Work in Cannabis

(1:04:57) - Industry Size and Cannabis Statistics

(1:07:06) - How far away are we from mainstream acceptance and federal legalization?

(1:10:53) - Nishant’s Cannabis Funding Concept 

(1:14:09) -  Nishant’s Approach to Building and Implementing Platforms

(1:15:53) - The Difference Between a System and a Process

(1:16:20) - “You can think more freely when you’ve hit financial freedom”

(1:17:04) - What’s something you see a lot of young people get wrong in their careers or early life?

(1:17:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

(1:18:46) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped who you’ve become?

(1:19:43) - Why do you read so many legal documents?

(1:21:58) - How can people find you?

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5069 no #152: Eric Jorgenson - Creating The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Leverage, and Building Online Courses https://www.TheFortPod.com Eric Jorgenson is the author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, which collects and curates Naval’s wisdom from Twitter, Podcasts, and Essays over the past decade. He is also the founder of the Leverage Course, which was created to help people learn how to accomplish superhuman feats by playing a different game — building leverage. On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss the process for writing the book and the impact that Naval has had on Eric's life. They also go in-depth on creating online courses, including the things that did and didn't work. They finish with a great discussion on creating leverage in a world that could evolve into one where more people operate anonymously online. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PgVUf0pEjeY You can check out Eric's personal site here Eric's Leverage Course is available here (02:37) - Eric’s Background and Bareer (03:42) - Eric’s Daily “If you could complete one thing today, what would it be?” Tweets (05:59) - Monthly Goal Setting (08:23) - The Almanac of Naval Ravikant Poor Charlie’s Almanack (14:21) - What’s a 1-0 Quality filter? (15:22) - How did you decide on the final buckets of the book? (17:20) - Did you have a playbook to rely on for writing this? (18:15) - When do you know you’re done? (20:10) - Did Naval pre-screen and approve the final copy? (21:02) - How did you get Tim Ferriss to write the Forward? (22:22) - How did Naval become Naval? Naval with Shane Parrish Naval with Tim Ferriss Naval with Joe Rogan Naval's thread on how to get rich without getting lucky (25:42) - How did you get interested in these figures like Naval and Charlie Munger? The Munger Recommended Reading List (27:20) - If you asked Naval and Charlie “What is going on in the world?” What would they say? (31:08) - If you were to do a second book, what would you do differently? (34:31) - How do you know if the book is successful right now? (36:04) - What do you mean by “Everybody knows what to do with a book”? (37:57) - Did your course, Leverage, spin from what you learned from writing the book? (39:48) - Eric’s Partner Justin Mikolay  (42:06) - What was something that wasn’t obvious to you that Justin pointed out to make the course great? (44:16) - How do you know what to teach and how to avoid writer’s block when creating the course? (48:06) - What happens at the end of the course? (50:43) - What is an Aspirational Hourly Rate? (54:30) - What are self-imposed obstacles and what is a study group? (57:41) - How do you think about Leverage if we’re headed to an anonymous online world? (1:10:54) - What is one thing you believe that most people do not? (1:11:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:48) - What’s the Best Book You’ve Read The Systems Bible by John Gall (1:12:50) - How can people find you? www.navalmanack.com Jorgenson's Soundbox Eric on Twitter www.EJorgenson.com The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 21 Jun 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #152: Eric Jorgenson - Creating The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Leverage, and Building Online Courses full 1 152 Chris Powers Eric Jorgenson is the author of which collects and curates Naval’s wisdom from Twitter, Podcasts, and Essays over the past decade. He is also the founder of the Leverage Course, which was created to help people learn how to accomplish superhuman... Eric Jorgenson is the author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, which collects and curates Naval’s wisdom from Twitter, Podcasts, and Essays over the past decade. He is also the founder of the Leverage Course, which was created to help people learn how to accomplish superhuman feats by playing a different game — building leverage. On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss the process for writing the book and the impact that Naval has had on Eric's life. They also go in-depth on creating online courses, including the things that did and didn't work. They finish with a great discussion on creating leverage in a world that could evolve into one where more people operate anonymously online. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PgVUf0pEjeY You can check out Eric's personal site here Eric's Leverage Course is available here (02:37) - Eric’s Background and Bareer (03:42) - Eric’s Daily “If you could complete one thing today, what would it be?” Tweets (05:59) - Monthly Goal Setting (08:23) - The Almanac of Naval Ravikant Poor Charlie’s Almanack (14:21) - What’s a 1-0 Quality filter? (15:22) - How did you decide on the final buckets of the book? (17:20) - Did you have a playbook to rely on for writing this? (18:15) - When do you know you’re done? (20:10) - Did Naval pre-screen and approve the final copy? (21:02) - How did you get Tim Ferriss to write the Forward? (22:22) - How did Naval become Naval? Naval with Shane Parrish Naval with Tim Ferriss Naval with Joe Rogan Naval's thread on how to get rich without getting lucky (25:42) - How did you get interested in these figures like Naval and Charlie Munger? The Munger Recommended Reading List (27:20) - If you asked Naval and Charlie “What is going on in the world?” What would they say? (31:08) - If you were to do a second book, what would you do differently? (34:31) - How do you know if the book is successful right now? (36:04) - What do you mean by “Everybody knows what to do with a book”? (37:57) - Did your course, Leverage, spin from what you learned from writing the book? (39:48) - Eric’s Partner Justin Mikolay  (42:06) - What was something that wasn’t obvious to you that Justin pointed out to make the course great? (44:16) - How do you know what to teach and how to avoid writer’s block when creating the course? (48:06) - What happens at the end of the course? (50:43) - What is an Aspirational Hourly Rate? (54:30) - What are self-imposed obstacles and what is a study group? (57:41) - How do you think about Leverage if we’re headed to an anonymous online world? (1:10:54) - What is one thing you believe that most people do not? (1:11:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:48) - What’s the Best Book You’ve Read The Systems Bible by John Gall (1:12:50) - How can people find you? www.navalmanack.com Jorgenson's Soundbox Eric on Twitter www.EJorgenson.com The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Eric Jorgenson is the author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, which collects and curates Naval’s wisdom from Twitter, Podcasts, and Essays over the past decade. He is also the founder of the Leverage Course, which was created to help people learn how to accomplish superhuman feats by playing a different game — building leverage.

On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss the process for writing the book and the impact that Naval has had on Eric's life. They also go in-depth on creating online courses, including the things that did and didn't work. They finish with a great discussion on creating leverage in a world that could evolve into one where more people operate anonymously online. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PgVUf0pEjeY

You can check out Eric's personal site here

Eric's Leverage Course is available here

(02:37) - Eric’s Background and Bareer

(03:42) - Eric’s Daily “If you could complete one thing today, what would it be?” Tweets

(05:59) - Monthly Goal Setting

(08:23) - The Almanac of Naval Ravikant

Poor Charlie’s Almanack

(14:21) - What’s a 1-0 Quality filter?

(15:22) - How did you decide on the final buckets of the book?

(17:20) - Did you have a playbook to rely on for writing this?

(18:15) - When do you know you’re done?

(20:10) - Did Naval pre-screen and approve the final copy?

(21:02) - How did you get Tim Ferriss to write the Forward?

(22:22) - How did Naval become Naval?

Naval with Shane Parrish

Naval with Tim Ferriss

Naval with Joe Rogan

Naval's thread on how to get rich without getting lucky

(25:42) - How did you get interested in these figures like Naval and Charlie Munger?

The Munger Recommended Reading List

(27:20) - If you asked Naval and Charlie “What is going on in the world?” What would they say?

(31:08) - If you were to do a second book, what would you do differently?

(34:31) - How do you know if the book is successful right now?

(36:04) - What do you mean by “Everybody knows what to do with a book”?

(37:57) - Did your course, Leverage, spin from what you learned from writing the book?

(39:48) - Eric’s Partner Justin Mikolay 

(42:06) - What was something that wasn’t obvious to you that Justin pointed out to make the course great?

(44:16) - How do you know what to teach and how to avoid writer’s block when creating the course?

(48:06) - What happens at the end of the course?

(50:43) - What is an Aspirational Hourly Rate?

(54:30) - What are self-imposed obstacles and what is a study group?

(57:41) - How do you think about Leverage if we’re headed to an anonymous online world?

(1:10:54) - What is one thing you believe that most people do not?

(1:11:26) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:11:48) - What’s the Best Book You’ve Read

The Systems Bible by John Gall

(1:12:50) - How can people find you?

www.navalmanack.com

Jorgenson's Soundbox

Eric on Twitter

www.EJorgenson.com

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4533 no #151: Codie Sanchez - Founder of Contrarian Thinking - Helping People Think & Make Money https://www.TheFortPod.com Codie Sanchez is the Founder of Contrarian Thinking, a newsletter dedicated to inspiring mental and financial freedom. She acquires SMB's across different industries as well as investing in the legalized cannabis industry.  On this episode, Codie discusses her early career as a Conflict Journalist on the U.S./Mexico Border, her position on financial freedom, how she was able to build a successful newsletter, and the trend of investors becoming influencers. They also discuss Codie's passion for SM, her process for finding businesses to buy, and implementing her own operators. Chris and Codie wrap up with some hot topics such as college, Twitter trolls, and failure. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Codie on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Codie_Sanchez Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Vw26Z17va9c (02:32) - Codie’s Background (04:31) - What is Conflict Journalism? (08:34) - Codie’s Views on Financial Freedom Read Her Tweet here Newsletter: Contrarian Thinking (12:12) - Venezuela’s Currency Crash and How Currencies Lose Value (14:45) - How did you build your newsletter Contrarian Thinking? (18:46) - When do you write and how do you find inspiration for what to write? Notion (22:35) - What’s the ultimate goal for your newsletter? (24:17) - Investors are Becoming Influencers (28:40) - Is this a bubble or are the fundamentals of investing changing? The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson (31:04) - Robinhood (32:47) - Why do you love SMB and what kinds of businesses interest you? (35:13) - How do you find deals and filter through to the ones that matter? Flippa BizBuySell (37:40) - How long does it take you to make an offer, and when do you find an operator? (39:07) - Are the majority of folks selling looking to exit entirely? (39:51) - How do you find operators? (41:50) - How do you finance your deals? (43:17) - How do you hold people accountable and keep folks incentivized? What role do you play post-sale? (47:10) - Are you buying these businesses with the plan to grow them? How do you receive cash from these businesses? (49:44) - What businesses do you like right now? The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steve Case (53:20) - Wealthy is Healthy (56:52) - College or Not? (58:09) - Dealing with Twitter Trolls (1:02:13) - Time Management  (1:05:21) - What are some of your biggest failures? (1:11:33) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are? (1:14:10) - What is something that you believe in that most do not? (1:15:48) - How can people find you? ContrarianThinking.co Codie on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 17 Jun 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #151: Codie Sanchez - Founder of Contrarian Thinking - Helping People Think & Make Money full 1 151 Chris Powers Codie Sanchez is the Founder of Contrarian Thinking, a newsletter dedicated to inspiring mental and financial freedom. She acquires SMB's across different industries as well as investing in the legalized cannabis industry.  On this episode, Codie... Codie Sanchez is the Founder of Contrarian Thinking, a newsletter dedicated to inspiring mental and financial freedom. She acquires SMB's across different industries as well as investing in the legalized cannabis industry.  On this episode, Codie discusses her early career as a Conflict Journalist on the U.S./Mexico Border, her position on financial freedom, how she was able to build a successful newsletter, and the trend of investors becoming influencers. They also discuss Codie's passion for SM, her process for finding businesses to buy, and implementing her own operators. Chris and Codie wrap up with some hot topics such as college, Twitter trolls, and failure. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Codie on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Codie_Sanchez Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Vw26Z17va9c (02:32) - Codie’s Background (04:31) - What is Conflict Journalism? (08:34) - Codie’s Views on Financial Freedom Read Her Tweet here Newsletter: Contrarian Thinking (12:12) - Venezuela’s Currency Crash and How Currencies Lose Value (14:45) - How did you build your newsletter Contrarian Thinking? (18:46) - When do you write and how do you find inspiration for what to write? Notion (22:35) - What’s the ultimate goal for your newsletter? (24:17) - Investors are Becoming Influencers (28:40) - Is this a bubble or are the fundamentals of investing changing? The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson (31:04) - Robinhood (32:47) - Why do you love SMB and what kinds of businesses interest you? (35:13) - How do you find deals and filter through to the ones that matter? Flippa BizBuySell (37:40) - How long does it take you to make an offer, and when do you find an operator? (39:07) - Are the majority of folks selling looking to exit entirely? (39:51) - How do you find operators? (41:50) - How do you finance your deals? (43:17) - How do you hold people accountable and keep folks incentivized? What role do you play post-sale? (47:10) - Are you buying these businesses with the plan to grow them? How do you receive cash from these businesses? (49:44) - What businesses do you like right now? The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steve Case (53:20) - Wealthy is Healthy (56:52) - College or Not? (58:09) - Dealing with Twitter Trolls (1:02:13) - Time Management  (1:05:21) - What are some of your biggest failures? (1:11:33) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are? (1:14:10) - What is something that you believe in that most do not? (1:15:48) - How can people find you? ContrarianThinking.co Codie on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Codie Sanchez is the Founder of Contrarian Thinking, a newsletter dedicated to inspiring mental and financial freedom. She acquires SMB's across different industries as well as investing in the legalized cannabis industry. 

On this episode, Codie discusses her early career as a Conflict Journalist on the U.S./Mexico Border, her position on financial freedom, how she was able to build a successful newsletter, and the trend of investors becoming influencers.

They also discuss Codie's passion for SM, her process for finding businesses to buy, and implementing her own operators. Chris and Codie wrap up with some hot topics such as college, Twitter trolls, and failure. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Codie on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Codie_Sanchez

Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Vw26Z17va9c

(02:32) - Codie’s Background

(04:31) - What is Conflict Journalism?

(08:34) - Codie’s Views on Financial Freedom

Read Her Tweet here

Newsletter: Contrarian Thinking

(12:12) - Venezuela’s Currency Crash and How Currencies Lose Value

(14:45) - How did you build your newsletter Contrarian Thinking?

(18:46) - When do you write and how do you find inspiration for what to write?

Notion

(22:35) - What’s the ultimate goal for your newsletter?

(24:17) - Investors are Becoming Influencers

(28:40) - Is this a bubble or are the fundamentals of investing changing?

The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson

(31:04) - Robinhood

(32:47) - Why do you love SMB and what kinds of businesses interest you?

(35:13) - How do you find deals and filter through to the ones that matter?

Flippa

BizBuySell

(37:40) - How long does it take you to make an offer, and when do you find an operator?

(39:07) - Are the majority of folks selling looking to exit entirely?

(39:51) - How do you find operators?

(41:50) - How do you finance your deals?

(43:17) - How do you hold people accountable and keep folks incentivized? What role do you play post-sale?

(47:10) - Are you buying these businesses with the plan to grow them? How do you receive cash from these businesses?

(49:44) - What businesses do you like right now?

The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steve Case

(53:20) - Wealthy is Healthy

(56:52) - College or Not?

(58:09) - Dealing with Twitter Trolls

(1:02:13) - Time Management 

(1:05:21) - What are some of your biggest failures?

(1:11:33) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are?

(1:14:10) - What is something that you believe in that most do not?

(1:15:48) - How can people find you?

ContrarianThinking.co

Codie on Twitter

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4727 no RE #150: Step by Step Acquisition Process at Fort Capital - How You Transact Matters! https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris breaks down how Fort Capital transacts and acquires properties. He starts with the company's emphasis on how important their process has been to their success, who's involved, and what type of deals they pursue. Then he breaks down each step of the acquisition from the time a deal is brought to their attention to closing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:12) - How You Acquire Properties Matters (03:03) - Who’s involved in the process? (03:31) - Pursuing Off-Market & Light-Market Deals Instead of Auctions (04:53) - Acquisition Consultants Leads.FortCapitallp.com (06:36) - Running a ‘Quick Check’ (08:00) - Deal Pipeline Folders (08:45) - Weekly Deal Meetings  (12:13) - Investment Committee Meetings (12:53) - Drafting an LOI (13:45) - Project Kick-Off (15:19) - PSA (Purchase Sale Agreement) (15:54) - Writing an Investment Memo Listen to FORT #81 for more details on Investment Memos Fort Capital Free Resources (18:33) - Raising Capital  (21:07) - Bank Financing  (22:50) - Getting Entities Developed (Bank Accounts, Titling, Administrative Tasks) (23:19) - Property Management Due Diligence Listen to FORT #97 for more detail on Due Diligence (23:48) - Huddle-Up Before Going Hard on Our Money (24:38) - Wrap Up  The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 14 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #150: Step by Step Acquisition Process at Fort Capital - How You Transact Matters! full 1 150 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris breaks down how Fort Capital transacts and acquires properties. He starts with the company's emphasis on how important their process has been to their success, who's involved, and what type of deals they pursue. Then he breaks... On this episode, Chris breaks down how Fort Capital transacts and acquires properties. He starts with the company's emphasis on how important their process has been to their success, who's involved, and what type of deals they pursue. Then he breaks down each step of the acquisition from the time a deal is brought to their attention to closing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:12) - How You Acquire Properties Matters (03:03) - Who’s involved in the process? (03:31) - Pursuing Off-Market & Light-Market Deals Instead of Auctions (04:53) - Acquisition Consultants Leads.FortCapitallp.com (06:36) - Running a ‘Quick Check’ (08:00) - Deal Pipeline Folders (08:45) - Weekly Deal Meetings  (12:13) - Investment Committee Meetings (12:53) - Drafting an LOI (13:45) - Project Kick-Off (15:19) - PSA (Purchase Sale Agreement) (15:54) - Writing an Investment Memo Listen to FORT #81 for more details on Investment Memos Fort Capital Free Resources (18:33) - Raising Capital  (21:07) - Bank Financing  (22:50) - Getting Entities Developed (Bank Accounts, Titling, Administrative Tasks) (23:19) - Property Management Due Diligence Listen to FORT #97 for more detail on Due Diligence (23:48) - Huddle-Up Before Going Hard on Our Money (24:38) - Wrap Up  The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris breaks down how Fort Capital transacts and acquires properties. He starts with the company's emphasis on how important their process has been to their success, who's involved, and what type of deals they pursue. Then he breaks down each step of the acquisition from the time a deal is brought to their attention to closing. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(01:12) - How You Acquire Properties Matters

(03:03) - Who’s involved in the process?

(03:31) - Pursuing Off-Market & Light-Market Deals Instead of Auctions

(04:53) - Acquisition Consultants

Leads.FortCapitallp.com

(06:36) - Running a ‘Quick Check’

(08:00) - Deal Pipeline Folders

(08:45) - Weekly Deal Meetings 

(12:13) - Investment Committee Meetings

(12:53) - Drafting an LOI

(13:45) - Project Kick-Off

(15:19) - PSA (Purchase Sale Agreement)

(15:54) - Writing an Investment Memo

Listen to FORT #81 for more details on Investment Memos

Fort Capital Free Resources

(18:33) - Raising Capital 

(21:07) - Bank Financing 

(22:50) - Getting Entities Developed (Bank Accounts, Titling, Administrative Tasks)

(23:19) - Property Management Due Diligence

Listen to FORT #97 for more detail on Due Diligence

(23:48) - Huddle-Up Before Going Hard on Our Money

(24:38) - Wrap Up 

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 1654 no RE #149: Sean Sweeney - Deep Dive on How To Develop Infill Boutique Class-A MF Properties https://www.TheFortPod.com Sean Sweeney is the Co-Founder of Hall Sweeney Properties, a Minnesota-based multi-family development company. On this episode, Sean talks about his journey working as a receptionist in the industry, navigating through the '08 crisis, and ultimately founding his own firm. Sean also breaks down the process of a ground-up development including what to look for in sites, bringing on architects and contractors, his passion for design, terms to look for in contracts, property management, and stabilization. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Sean on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney (02:35) - Sean’s Background and Early Career as a Receptionist at Trammel Crowe (07:52) - What did you do to position yourself as a person to hire for project manager when it was the right time? (10:19) - Sean’s Movement During the ’08 Crisis  (17:01) - Sean’s Jump to Starting His Own Organization and Decision to Focus on Class A Urban Infill  (21:53) - How did you find your partner and what role does he play in the company? (24:03) - Setting the Stage - Are there any other full-time employees in the company or is it just you and Jeff? (26:58) - How long do these deals take from walking the site for the first time to where it’s stabilized? (31:12) - What makes a site ‘great’ for you in a project? (34:33) - Is most of the land you're putting under contract un-entitled for multi-family? (36:16) - How do you find sites? (39:07) - What does your preliminary underwriting process look like? (42:12) - How do you pull rent prices? (42:48) - The LOI Process & 3rd Party Reports (47:06) - What terms matter in contracts and what does the site need to be when you’re ready to close a year later? (50:58) - What stages of the contract do you put up hard money? (52:13) - What city approvals are you typically getting on deals? (54:05) - At what point are you hiring the architect and does the GC participate with them? How do you come up with a budget that fits your design and that you’re comfortable the GC can deliver? (57:03) - Are there any big points in a contract with a GC that matter? (1:00:47) - Who is accountable for the MEP and structural engineers: the architect, the contractor, or you? (1:01:17) - Where do you get inspiration for design? (1:03:35) - Do you spend more on projects because you’re so design-forward? (1:06:03) - Do you get paid premiums in rent because of your design approach? (1:07:27) - Property Management Needs on 45-unit Property vs. a 100+ Unit (1:09:01) - Does your architect mock up your interior as well? (1:09:41) - Who does your common amenity furniture? (1:09:57) - How do you process draw requests? (1:11:04) - How do you finance projects and what happens when you stabilize since you are looking for long-term holds? (1:15:40) - What’s the most popular unit size right now? (1:16:59) - What amenities matter right now? (1:18:59) - Are there any repeat issues you’ve seen from design to breaking ground? (1:20:46) - What are some of the biggest surprises that you weren’t expecting as you look back? (1:22:42) - How did the civil unrest in MN last year affect your business? (1:27:25) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Emotional Intelligence (EQ) - Daniel Goldman (1:29:33) - How can people find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney seandsweeney@gmail.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 10 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #149: Sean Sweeney - Deep Dive on How To Develop Infill Boutique Class-A MF Properties full 1 149 Chris Powers Sean Sweeney is the Co-Founder of Hall Sweeney Properties, a Minnesota-based multi-family development company. On this episode, Sean talks about his journey working as a receptionist in the industry, navigating through the '08 crisis, and ultimately... Sean Sweeney is the Co-Founder of Hall Sweeney Properties, a Minnesota-based multi-family development company. On this episode, Sean talks about his journey working as a receptionist in the industry, navigating through the '08 crisis, and ultimately founding his own firm. Sean also breaks down the process of a ground-up development including what to look for in sites, bringing on architects and contractors, his passion for design, terms to look for in contracts, property management, and stabilization. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Sean on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney (02:35) - Sean’s Background and Early Career as a Receptionist at Trammel Crowe (07:52) - What did you do to position yourself as a person to hire for project manager when it was the right time? (10:19) - Sean’s Movement During the ’08 Crisis  (17:01) - Sean’s Jump to Starting His Own Organization and Decision to Focus on Class A Urban Infill  (21:53) - How did you find your partner and what role does he play in the company? (24:03) - Setting the Stage - Are there any other full-time employees in the company or is it just you and Jeff? (26:58) - How long do these deals take from walking the site for the first time to where it’s stabilized? (31:12) - What makes a site ‘great’ for you in a project? (34:33) - Is most of the land you're putting under contract un-entitled for multi-family? (36:16) - How do you find sites? (39:07) - What does your preliminary underwriting process look like? (42:12) - How do you pull rent prices? (42:48) - The LOI Process & 3rd Party Reports (47:06) - What terms matter in contracts and what does the site need to be when you’re ready to close a year later? (50:58) - What stages of the contract do you put up hard money? (52:13) - What city approvals are you typically getting on deals? (54:05) - At what point are you hiring the architect and does the GC participate with them? How do you come up with a budget that fits your design and that you’re comfortable the GC can deliver? (57:03) - Are there any big points in a contract with a GC that matter? (1:00:47) - Who is accountable for the MEP and structural engineers: the architect, the contractor, or you? (1:01:17) - Where do you get inspiration for design? (1:03:35) - Do you spend more on projects because you’re so design-forward? (1:06:03) - Do you get paid premiums in rent because of your design approach? (1:07:27) - Property Management Needs on 45-unit Property vs. a 100+ Unit (1:09:01) - Does your architect mock up your interior as well? (1:09:41) - Who does your common amenity furniture? (1:09:57) - How do you process draw requests? (1:11:04) - How do you finance projects and what happens when you stabilize since you are looking for long-term holds? (1:15:40) - What’s the most popular unit size right now? (1:16:59) - What amenities matter right now? (1:18:59) - Are there any repeat issues you’ve seen from design to breaking ground? (1:20:46) - What are some of the biggest surprises that you weren’t expecting as you look back? (1:22:42) - How did the civil unrest in MN last year affect your business? (1:27:25) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Emotional Intelligence (EQ) - Daniel Goldman (1:29:33) - How can people find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney seandsweeney@gmail.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sean Sweeney is the Co-Founder of Hall Sweeney Properties, a Minnesota-based multi-family development company. On this episode, Sean talks about his journey working as a receptionist in the industry, navigating through the '08 crisis, and ultimately founding his own firm.

Sean also breaks down the process of a ground-up development including what to look for in sites, bringing on architects and contractors, his passion for design, terms to look for in contracts, property management, and stabilization. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Sean on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney

(02:35) - Sean’s Background and Early Career as a Receptionist at Trammel Crowe

(07:52) - What did you do to position yourself as a person to hire for project manager when it was the right time?

(10:19) - Sean’s Movement During the ’08 Crisis 

(17:01) - Sean’s Jump to Starting His Own Organization and Decision to Focus on Class A Urban Infill 

(21:53) - How did you find your partner and what role does he play in the company?

(24:03) - Setting the Stage - Are there any other full-time employees in the company or is it just you and Jeff?

(26:58) - How long do these deals take from walking the site for the first time to where it’s stabilized?

(31:12) - What makes a site ‘great’ for you in a project?

(34:33) - Is most of the land you're putting under contract un-entitled for multi-family?

(36:16) - How do you find sites?

(39:07) - What does your preliminary underwriting process look like?

(42:12) - How do you pull rent prices?

(42:48) - The LOI Process & 3rd Party Reports

(47:06) - What terms matter in contracts and what does the site need to be when you’re ready to close a year later?

(50:58) - What stages of the contract do you put up hard money?

(52:13) - What city approvals are you typically getting on deals?

(54:05) - At what point are you hiring the architect and does the GC participate with them? How do you come up with a budget that fits your design and that you’re comfortable the GC can deliver?

(57:03) - Are there any big points in a contract with a GC that matter?

(1:00:47) - Who is accountable for the MEP and structural engineers: the architect, the contractor, or you?

(1:01:17) - Where do you get inspiration for design?

(1:03:35) - Do you spend more on projects because you’re so design-forward?

(1:06:03) - Do you get paid premiums in rent because of your design approach?

(1:07:27) - Property Management Needs on 45-unit Property vs. a 100+ Unit

(1:09:01) - Does your architect mock up your interior as well?

(1:09:41) - Who does your common amenity furniture?

(1:09:57) - How do you process draw requests?

(1:11:04) - How do you finance projects and what happens when you stabilize since you are looking for long-term holds?

(1:15:40) - What’s the most popular unit size right now?

(1:16:59) - What amenities matter right now?

(1:18:59) - Are there any repeat issues you’ve seen from design to breaking ground?

(1:20:46) - What are some of the biggest surprises that you weren’t expecting as you look back?

(1:22:42) - How did the civil unrest in MN last year affect your business?

(1:27:25) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) - Daniel Goldman

(1:29:33) - How can people find you?

Twitter - www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney

seandsweeney@gmail.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5543 no #148: Chris Powers - Transitioning from CEO to Chairman, Twitter, Failures, Routines, & Podcastin' https://www.TheFortPod.com On this special bonus episode, Chris is joined once again by Kevin Dahlstrom (Episode #131 of FORT) for a role-reversal interview. Chris talks about his current career transition and how the past 2 years have lead him to his decision regarding his role at Fort Capital. Kevin and Chris also discuss creating space to think, being multi-dimensional, Twitter and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:14) - Chris’ Current Career Transition (10:39) - Do you think of yourself as a ‘Zero to One’ person? (15:15) - Chris’ “Oh, sh*t!” Moment at the Beginning of COVID (19:31) - Was there a specific moment that was the catalyst for making your career change? (24:08) - The Enneagram Test (26:42) - How are you thinking about what’s next for you in life? (32:17) - Creating Space to Just Think (34:09) - Being Multi-Dimensional as a Key to Happiness (36:47) - “Stacking the Pancakes” (40:51) - The Time-Billionaire (41:40) - Chris’ Experience with Twitter (51:55) - Chris’ Habits and Routines  (56:45) - The Letter Writing Exercise (58:34) - Building in Public: Chris and Kevin’s upcoming Brainstorming Trip (1:03:36) - What’s one thing you’re looking forward to? (1:06:53) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 07 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #148: Chris Powers - Transitioning from CEO to Chairman, Twitter, Failures, Routines, & Podcastin' full 1 148 Chris Powers On this special bonus episode, Chris is joined once again by Kevin Dahlstrom () for a role-reversal interview. Chris talks about his current career transition and how the past 2 years have lead him to his decision regarding his role at Fort Capital.... On this special bonus episode, Chris is joined once again by Kevin Dahlstrom (Episode #131 of FORT) for a role-reversal interview. Chris talks about his current career transition and how the past 2 years have lead him to his decision regarding his role at Fort Capital. Kevin and Chris also discuss creating space to think, being multi-dimensional, Twitter and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:14) - Chris’ Current Career Transition (10:39) - Do you think of yourself as a ‘Zero to One’ person? (15:15) - Chris’ “Oh, sh*t!” Moment at the Beginning of COVID (19:31) - Was there a specific moment that was the catalyst for making your career change? (24:08) - The Enneagram Test (26:42) - How are you thinking about what’s next for you in life? (32:17) - Creating Space to Just Think (34:09) - Being Multi-Dimensional as a Key to Happiness (36:47) - “Stacking the Pancakes” (40:51) - The Time-Billionaire (41:40) - Chris’ Experience with Twitter (51:55) - Chris’ Habits and Routines  (56:45) - The Letter Writing Exercise (58:34) - Building in Public: Chris and Kevin’s upcoming Brainstorming Trip (1:03:36) - What’s one thing you’re looking forward to? (1:06:53) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this special bonus episode, Chris is joined once again by Kevin Dahlstrom (Episode #131 of FORT) for a role-reversal interview. Chris talks about his current career transition and how the past 2 years have lead him to his decision regarding his role at Fort Capital. Kevin and Chris also discuss creating space to think, being multi-dimensional, Twitter and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:14) - Chris’ Current Career Transition

(10:39) - Do you think of yourself as a ‘Zero to One’ person?

(15:15) - Chris’ “Oh, sh*t!” Moment at the Beginning of COVID

(19:31) - Was there a specific moment that was the catalyst for making your career change?

(24:08) - The Enneagram Test

(26:42) - How are you thinking about what’s next for you in life?

(32:17) - Creating Space to Just Think

(34:09) - Being Multi-Dimensional as a Key to Happiness

(36:47) - “Stacking the Pancakes”

(40:51) - The Time-Billionaire

(41:40) - Chris’ Experience with Twitter

(51:55) - Chris’ Habits and Routines 

(56:45) - The Letter Writing Exercise

(58:34) - Building in Public: Chris and Kevin’s upcoming Brainstorming Trip

(1:03:36) - What’s one thing you’re looking forward to?

(1:06:53) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4255 no #147: Rhett Bennett - Founder of Black Mountain - A Bull Case for Nickel, Oil & Gas https://www.TheFortPod.com Rhett Bennett is the Founder and CEO of Black Mountain, a private natural resources company with several business units: E&P operations, commercial saltwater disposal, midstream, and in-basin frac sand mining.  On this episode, Chris and Rhett deep dive into the Nickel industry. Black Mountain has recently stepped into the industry by purchasing a mine in Western Australia. Rhett delivers great insight into how Nickel is used in battery metals and will be critical for the Electric Vehicle industry. They also talk about the decreasing investment in Oil & Gas and how that creates a wealth of opportunity for the industry, and some great statistics that knock some reality into the increasing calls for more EV's. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:50) - Rhett’s Background (06:26) - When did you move from friends and family money into institutional money? (07:01) - Do you look at what you do as high-risk?  (08:50) - Is there an education you put yourself through before entering a new venture? (12:11) - How quickly did you hire Hayden Gillespie after meeting him? (13:05) - How did you get into nickel? (21:24) - Global Warming (27:36) - What does 80% more efficient mean when you talk about nickel for an internal combustion engine? (29:55) - Is nickel used for anything other than batteries? (30:20) - What are the two classes of nickel? (30:54) - How do you hire a team in Australia from America? (34:23) - Why did you implement new leadership in the Australian company you acquired? (37:01) - Is there a lot of nickel in the world? (42:20) - Opportunity in Betting Against ESG (44:32) - What brings money back into Oil and Gas? (47:37) - Nickel & Oil and Gas Statistics The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 03 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #147: Rhett Bennett - Founder of Black Mountain - A Bull Case for Nickel, Oil & Gas full 1 147 Chris Powers Rhett Bennett is the Founder and CEO of Black Mountain, a private natural resources company with several business units: E&P operations, commercial saltwater disposal, midstream, and in-basin frac sand mining.  On this episode, Chris and... Rhett Bennett is the Founder and CEO of Black Mountain, a private natural resources company with several business units: E&P operations, commercial saltwater disposal, midstream, and in-basin frac sand mining.  On this episode, Chris and Rhett deep dive into the Nickel industry. Black Mountain has recently stepped into the industry by purchasing a mine in Western Australia. Rhett delivers great insight into how Nickel is used in battery metals and will be critical for the Electric Vehicle industry. They also talk about the decreasing investment in Oil & Gas and how that creates a wealth of opportunity for the industry, and some great statistics that knock some reality into the increasing calls for more EV's. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:50) - Rhett’s Background (06:26) - When did you move from friends and family money into institutional money? (07:01) - Do you look at what you do as high-risk?  (08:50) - Is there an education you put yourself through before entering a new venture? (12:11) - How quickly did you hire Hayden Gillespie after meeting him? (13:05) - How did you get into nickel? (21:24) - Global Warming (27:36) - What does 80% more efficient mean when you talk about nickel for an internal combustion engine? (29:55) - Is nickel used for anything other than batteries? (30:20) - What are the two classes of nickel? (30:54) - How do you hire a team in Australia from America? (34:23) - Why did you implement new leadership in the Australian company you acquired? (37:01) - Is there a lot of nickel in the world? (42:20) - Opportunity in Betting Against ESG (44:32) - What brings money back into Oil and Gas? (47:37) - Nickel & Oil and Gas Statistics The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Rhett Bennett is the Founder and CEO of Black Mountain, a private natural resources company with several business units: E&P operations, commercial saltwater disposal, midstream, and in-basin frac sand mining. 

On this episode, Chris and Rhett deep dive into the Nickel industry. Black Mountain has recently stepped into the industry by purchasing a mine in Western Australia. Rhett delivers great insight into how Nickel is used in battery metals and will be critical for the Electric Vehicle industry. They also talk about the decreasing investment in Oil & Gas and how that creates a wealth of opportunity for the industry, and some great statistics that knock some reality into the increasing calls for more EV's. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:50) - Rhett’s Background

(06:26) - When did you move from friends and family money into institutional money?

(07:01) - Do you look at what you do as high-risk? 

(08:50) - Is there an education you put yourself through before entering a new venture?

(12:11) - How quickly did you hire Hayden Gillespie after meeting him?

(13:05) - How did you get into nickel?

(21:24) - Global Warming

(27:36) - What does 80% more efficient mean when you talk about nickel for an internal combustion engine?

(29:55) - Is nickel used for anything other than batteries?

(30:20) - What are the two classes of nickel?

(30:54) - How do you hire a team in Australia from America?

(34:23) - Why did you implement new leadership in the Australian company you acquired?

(37:01) - Is there a lot of nickel in the world?

(42:20) - Opportunity in Betting Against ESG

(44:32) - What brings money back into Oil and Gas?

(47:37) - Nickel & Oil and Gas Statistics

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3385 no RE #146: Joe Pohlen - Co-Founder of Cardinal Senior Living - 'Assisted Living 101' https://www.TheFortPod.com Today's episode features Joe Pohlen, Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania.  On this episode, Chris and Joe dive into the different levels of senior care and look into how Joe's facilities look and operate. Joe describes the process of acquiring buildings, the sales process of adding residents, and how they focus on maintaining the dignity of the resident above all else. They also have a sobering discussion on just how hard the pandemic hit seniors. Enjoy!  (03:18) - Joe’s Background and Career (15:52) - What are you doing on Day 1 after you close? (18:12) - What kind of work do your salespeople do? (18:50) - Who brought this sales-driven philosophy into the organization?  (19:49) - How does taking over a new property work in terms of existing staff and training? (20:34) - What do your lease-up plans look like? (21:22) - How long have leasers planned on coming to Cardinal before signing? (22:52) - How many people come in against their will? (23:07) - How do you get these people comfortable with living there? (24:18) - What activities can residents participate in? (25:25) - What happens on holidays? (26:32) - How do you get paid? (27:11) - Is there a doctor on staff that prescribes medication and how do staff administer medications? (29:11) - Are there upsells on the sales side of Cardinal? (30:15) - How are residents able to afford this rent? (31:44) - How does medication arrive at pharmacies and then your facilities? (32:22) - What do the resident’s kids care about the most? (34:37) - What are some of the lingo and sandboxes that people don’t understand at the beginning? (35:23) - What are your fixed and variable costs? (36:04) - Is your business a target for legal issues? (37:26) - What are some reasons you could get sued? (38:01) - Why is keeping the resident’s dignity your main focus? (49:23) - What was happening in your world during COVID? (58:30) - What was it like to be a resident the past 6-8 months? (1:00:26) - How did vaccine administrations work? (1:01:36) - What did the past year teach you about leadership? (1:03:46) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a profound impact on your industry? (1:07:22) - Does dating and marriage happen with residents? (1:08:08) - Population and Age Stats of the Boomer & Silent Generation (1:09:07) - With people living longer, how will people be able to afford so many years of care? (1:10:06) - What do the next 10 years look like to you? (1:10:43) - How would you be valued with 50 properties? (1:11:56) - What happens to prisoners when they get really old? (1:12:50) - What’s your perspective on the world when you spend so much time with the elderly? (1:14:50) - How many deals will you do this year? (1:15:02) - Is there more opportunity out there for you right now? (1:15:57) - Do you plan on staying in assisted living or do you want to go into nursing homes or independent living? (1:17:27) - Is there anything from a government standpoint that you would like to see changed? Twitter Questions (1:18:58) - How can people experiencing poverty sustainably afford assisted living? (1:19:39) - How do you approach the distributed nature of your business? (1:20:33) - What’s going to happen in 15 years with the largest population aging into assisted-living eligible? Personal Questions (1:21:47) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:22:33) - Did you have a childhood experience that led you to be such a great leader? (1:23:50) - If someone was getting into your industry, what’s the best advice you can give them? (1:25:02) - How can people reach you? jpohlen@livecardinal.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 31 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #146: Joe Pohlen - Co-Founder of Cardinal Senior Living - 'Assisted Living 101' full 1 146 Chris Powers Today's episode features Joe Pohlen, Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania.  On this episode, Chris and Joe dive into the different levels of senior care... Today's episode features Joe Pohlen, Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania.  On this episode, Chris and Joe dive into the different levels of senior care and look into how Joe's facilities look and operate. Joe describes the process of acquiring buildings, the sales process of adding residents, and how they focus on maintaining the dignity of the resident above all else. They also have a sobering discussion on just how hard the pandemic hit seniors. Enjoy!  (03:18) - Joe’s Background and Career (15:52) - What are you doing on Day 1 after you close? (18:12) - What kind of work do your salespeople do? (18:50) - Who brought this sales-driven philosophy into the organization?  (19:49) - How does taking over a new property work in terms of existing staff and training? (20:34) - What do your lease-up plans look like? (21:22) - How long have leasers planned on coming to Cardinal before signing? (22:52) - How many people come in against their will? (23:07) - How do you get these people comfortable with living there? (24:18) - What activities can residents participate in? (25:25) - What happens on holidays? (26:32) - How do you get paid? (27:11) - Is there a doctor on staff that prescribes medication and how do staff administer medications? (29:11) - Are there upsells on the sales side of Cardinal? (30:15) - How are residents able to afford this rent? (31:44) - How does medication arrive at pharmacies and then your facilities? (32:22) - What do the resident’s kids care about the most? (34:37) - What are some of the lingo and sandboxes that people don’t understand at the beginning? (35:23) - What are your fixed and variable costs? (36:04) - Is your business a target for legal issues? (37:26) - What are some reasons you could get sued? (38:01) - Why is keeping the resident’s dignity your main focus? (49:23) - What was happening in your world during COVID? (58:30) - What was it like to be a resident the past 6-8 months? (1:00:26) - How did vaccine administrations work? (1:01:36) - What did the past year teach you about leadership? (1:03:46) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a profound impact on your industry? (1:07:22) - Does dating and marriage happen with residents? (1:08:08) - Population and Age Stats of the Boomer & Silent Generation (1:09:07) - With people living longer, how will people be able to afford so many years of care? (1:10:06) - What do the next 10 years look like to you? (1:10:43) - How would you be valued with 50 properties? (1:11:56) - What happens to prisoners when they get really old? (1:12:50) - What’s your perspective on the world when you spend so much time with the elderly? (1:14:50) - How many deals will you do this year? (1:15:02) - Is there more opportunity out there for you right now? (1:15:57) - Do you plan on staying in assisted living or do you want to go into nursing homes or independent living? (1:17:27) - Is there anything from a government standpoint that you would like to see changed? Twitter Questions (1:18:58) - How can people experiencing poverty sustainably afford assisted living? (1:19:39) - How do you approach the distributed nature of your business? (1:20:33) - What’s going to happen in 15 years with the largest population aging into assisted-living eligible? Personal Questions (1:21:47) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:22:33) - Did you have a childhood experience that led you to be such a great leader? (1:23:50) - If someone was getting into your industry, what’s the best advice you can give them? (1:25:02) - How can people reach you? jpohlen@livecardinal.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Today's episode features Joe Pohlen, Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania. 

On this episode, Chris and Joe dive into the different levels of senior care and look into how Joe's facilities look and operate. Joe describes the process of acquiring buildings, the sales process of adding residents, and how they focus on maintaining the dignity of the resident above all else. They also have a sobering discussion on just how hard the pandemic hit seniors.

Enjoy! 

(03:18) - Joe’s Background and Career

(15:52) - What are you doing on Day 1 after you close?

(18:12) - What kind of work do your salespeople do?

(18:50) - Who brought this sales-driven philosophy into the organization?

 (19:49) - How does taking over a new property work in terms of existing staff and training?

(20:34) - What do your lease-up plans look like?

(21:22) - How long have leasers planned on coming to Cardinal before signing?

(22:52) - How many people come in against their will?

(23:07) - How do you get these people comfortable with living there?

(24:18) - What activities can residents participate in?

(25:25) - What happens on holidays?

(26:32) - How do you get paid?

(27:11) - Is there a doctor on staff that prescribes medication and how do staff administer medications?

(29:11) - Are there upsells on the sales side of Cardinal?

(30:15) - How are residents able to afford this rent?

(31:44) - How does medication arrive at pharmacies and then your facilities?

(32:22) - What do the resident’s kids care about the most?

(34:37) - What are some of the lingo and sandboxes that people don’t understand at the beginning?

(35:23) - What are your fixed and variable costs?

(36:04) - Is your business a target for legal issues?

(37:26) - What are some reasons you could get sued?

(38:01) - Why is keeping the resident’s dignity your main focus?

(49:23) - What was happening in your world during COVID?

(58:30) - What was it like to be a resident the past 6-8 months?

(1:00:26) - How did vaccine administrations work?

(1:01:36) - What did the past year teach you about leadership?

(1:03:46) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a profound impact on your industry?

(1:07:22) - Does dating and marriage happen with residents?

(1:08:08) - Population and Age Stats of the Boomer & Silent Generation

(1:09:07) - With people living longer, how will people be able to afford so many years of care?

(1:10:06) - What do the next 10 years look like to you?

(1:10:43) - How would you be valued with 50 properties?

(1:11:56) - What happens to prisoners when they get really old?

(1:12:50) - What’s your perspective on the world when you spend so much time with the elderly?

(1:14:50) - How many deals will you do this year?

(1:15:02) - Is there more opportunity out there for you right now?

(1:15:57) - Do you plan on staying in assisted living or do you want to go into nursing homes or independent living?

(1:17:27) - Is there anything from a government standpoint that you would like to see changed?

Twitter Questions

(1:18:58) - How can people experiencing poverty sustainably afford assisted living?

(1:19:39) - How do you approach the distributed nature of your business?

(1:20:33) - What’s going to happen in 15 years with the largest population aging into assisted-living eligible?

Personal Questions

(1:21:47) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:22:33) - Did you have a childhood experience that led you to be such a great leader?

(1:23:50) - If someone was getting into your industry, what’s the best advice you can give them?

(1:25:02) - How can people reach you?

jpohlen@livecardinal.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5228 no RE #145: Stinson Dean, Ali Wolf, & Dustin Jalbert on 'What's Next for Lumber & Housing?' https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris is joined again by Stinson Dean (Founder of Deacon Lumber) as well as Ali Wolf (Chief Economist at Zonda) and Dustin Jalbert (Fastmarkets RISI's Lumber Lead) for another deep dive into the lumber industry with an emphasis on the home building and sawmill side. On this episode, they discuss how the lumber price increase has affected the housing market, labor markets in wood products and residential employment, risks for home building & sawmills, the impact on multi-family, and a ton more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube (02:55) - Introductions (05:32) - Ali: How has the lumber increase affected the housing market? (08:07) - Regional Trends on Housing Prices Realtor.com (10:05) - Dustin: The State of The Union of Canadian Sawmills and Their Perspective on This Insane Price Jump (12:20) - The Labor Markets in Wood Products and Residential Employment National Association of Home Builders (18:59) - Are home builders going to be building spec homes as quickly as before? (20:29) - Data on Demand for Single-Family Homes Driven by Population Migration Over the Past Year (21:32) - Who’s making all the money with labor shortages in sawmills and do they have incentives to go back to full capacity? (24:12) - What’s the barrier to entry for more people starting sawmills? (27:39) - The Logging Situation in the Pacific Northwest (31:37) - Potential Uses for Southern Yellow Pine (35:28) - How many homes can you project that a new sawmill would be able to supply from the get-go? Idaho Forest Group (41:35) - Builders Dealing with Lumber Thieves (43:05) - Why do the Canadians control everything and why hasn’t private equity jumped into this? Do the Canadians have trade secrets that give them the monopoly? (47:11) - How is risk going to reorient itself in housing? (49:38) - How does the size of the home building companies affect the relationships with lumber vendors going forward? (50:54) - What are the mills saying about risk management and price forecasting? (57:54) - What do builders do with their pricing if lumber prices do come down? (59:12) - Major Publics vs. Regional Builders and Their Ability to Compete with Each Other Going Forward (1:07:06) - Are homes getting smaller? (1:11:13) - How has lumber impacted multi-family? (1:17:01) - How do we get more efficient in home building? (1:23:35) - Why does build time keep taking longer and longer? (1:27:34) - Are there opportunities to buy up these older sawmills and implement technology to get them going again? (1:31:07) - How much of our lumber comes from North America and how much of the globe is using North American Lumber? (1:41:16) - What is your prediction for 1,000 board feet of lumber in 12 months? (Recorded on 5.24.2021) (1:43:18) - Is there a range lumber gets to where it's actually bad for the industry? (1:46:37) - Closing Thoughts The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 27 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #145: Stinson Dean, Ali Wolf, & Dustin Jalbert on 'What's Next for Lumber & Housing?' full 1 145 Chris Powers Chris is joined again by (Founder of ) as well as (Chief Economist at ) and ('s Lumber Lead) for another deep dive into the lumber industry with an emphasis on the home building and sawmill side. On this episode, they discuss how the lumber price... Chris is joined again by Stinson Dean (Founder of Deacon Lumber) as well as Ali Wolf (Chief Economist at Zonda) and Dustin Jalbert (Fastmarkets RISI's Lumber Lead) for another deep dive into the lumber industry with an emphasis on the home building and sawmill side. On this episode, they discuss how the lumber price increase has affected the housing market, labor markets in wood products and residential employment, risks for home building & sawmills, the impact on multi-family, and a ton more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube (02:55) - Introductions (05:32) - Ali: How has the lumber increase affected the housing market? (08:07) - Regional Trends on Housing Prices Realtor.com (10:05) - Dustin: The State of The Union of Canadian Sawmills and Their Perspective on This Insane Price Jump (12:20) - The Labor Markets in Wood Products and Residential Employment National Association of Home Builders (18:59) - Are home builders going to be building spec homes as quickly as before? (20:29) - Data on Demand for Single-Family Homes Driven by Population Migration Over the Past Year (21:32) - Who’s making all the money with labor shortages in sawmills and do they have incentives to go back to full capacity? (24:12) - What’s the barrier to entry for more people starting sawmills? (27:39) - The Logging Situation in the Pacific Northwest (31:37) - Potential Uses for Southern Yellow Pine (35:28) - How many homes can you project that a new sawmill would be able to supply from the get-go? Idaho Forest Group (41:35) - Builders Dealing with Lumber Thieves (43:05) - Why do the Canadians control everything and why hasn’t private equity jumped into this? Do the Canadians have trade secrets that give them the monopoly? (47:11) - How is risk going to reorient itself in housing? (49:38) - How does the size of the home building companies affect the relationships with lumber vendors going forward? (50:54) - What are the mills saying about risk management and price forecasting? (57:54) - What do builders do with their pricing if lumber prices do come down? (59:12) - Major Publics vs. Regional Builders and Their Ability to Compete with Each Other Going Forward (1:07:06) - Are homes getting smaller? (1:11:13) - How has lumber impacted multi-family? (1:17:01) - How do we get more efficient in home building? (1:23:35) - Why does build time keep taking longer and longer? (1:27:34) - Are there opportunities to buy up these older sawmills and implement technology to get them going again? (1:31:07) - How much of our lumber comes from North America and how much of the globe is using North American Lumber? (1:41:16) - What is your prediction for 1,000 board feet of lumber in 12 months? (Recorded on 5.24.2021) (1:43:18) - Is there a range lumber gets to where it's actually bad for the industry? (1:46:37) - Closing Thoughts The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris is joined again by Stinson Dean (Founder of Deacon Lumber) as well as Ali Wolf (Chief Economist at Zonda) and Dustin Jalbert (Fastmarkets RISI's Lumber Lead) for another deep dive into the lumber industry with an emphasis on the home building and sawmill side.

On this episode, they discuss how the lumber price increase has affected the housing market, labor markets in wood products and residential employment, risks for home building & sawmills, the impact on multi-family, and a ton more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Watch this episode on YouTube

(02:55) - Introductions

(05:32) - Ali: How has the lumber increase affected the housing market?

(08:07) - Regional Trends on Housing Prices

Realtor.com

(10:05) - Dustin: The State of The Union of Canadian Sawmills and Their Perspective on This Insane Price Jump

(12:20) - The Labor Markets in Wood Products and Residential Employment

National Association of Home Builders

(18:59) - Are home builders going to be building spec homes as quickly as before?

(20:29) - Data on Demand for Single-Family Homes Driven by Population Migration Over the Past Year

(21:32) - Who’s making all the money with labor shortages in sawmills and do they have incentives to go back to full capacity?

(24:12) - What’s the barrier to entry for more people starting sawmills?

(27:39) - The Logging Situation in the Pacific Northwest

(31:37) - Potential Uses for Southern Yellow Pine

(35:28) - How many homes can you project that a new sawmill would be able to supply from the get-go?

Idaho Forest Group

(41:35) - Builders Dealing with Lumber Thieves

(43:05) - Why do the Canadians control everything and why hasn’t private equity jumped into this? Do the Canadians have trade secrets that give them the monopoly?

(47:11) - How is risk going to reorient itself in housing?

(49:38) - How does the size of the home building companies affect the relationships with lumber vendors going forward?

(50:54) - What are the mills saying about risk management and price forecasting?

(57:54) - What do builders do with their pricing if lumber prices do come down?

(59:12) - Major Publics vs. Regional Builders and Their Ability to Compete with Each Other Going Forward

(1:07:06) - Are homes getting smaller?

(1:11:13) - How has lumber impacted multi-family?

(1:17:01) - How do we get more efficient in home building?

(1:23:35) - Why does build time keep taking longer and longer?

(1:27:34) - Are there opportunities to buy up these older sawmills and implement technology to get them going again?

(1:31:07) - How much of our lumber comes from North America and how much of the globe is using North American Lumber?

(1:41:16) - What is your prediction for 1,000 board feet of lumber in 12 months? (Recorded on 5.24.2021)

(1:43:18) - Is there a range lumber gets to where it's actually bad for the industry?

(1:46:37) - Closing Thoughts

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 6718 no RE #144: Value Creation Through Aggregating 'Small' Assets https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris breaks down Fort Capital's strategy of aggregating smaller assets in order to make them more attractive to institutional capital. He defines what would constitute a smaller asset, why institutional capital would be interested in these aggregations, additional margins to be made for the owner, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (00:47) - Fort Capital’s Journey Into Aggregation RE #98: How to Assemble & Entitle Urban Land (02:10) - Asset Type and Market in Aggregation (03:11) - What is a ‘smaller asset’? (04:56) - Larger Institutional Interest in a One-Off Deal vs. Aggregation (06:21) - Additional Margin to be Made for the Owner (06:42) - Lowering the Cost of Capital (08:29) - Different Institutional LP-based Scenario - Raising From Non-Profits (10:44) - Institutions Require Operational Efficiencies (12:17) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 24 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #144: Value Creation Through Aggregating 'Small' Assets full 1 144 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris breaks down Fort Capital's strategy of aggregating smaller assets in order to make them more attractive to institutional capital. He defines what would constitute a smaller asset, why institutional capital would be interested in... On this episode, Chris breaks down Fort Capital's strategy of aggregating smaller assets in order to make them more attractive to institutional capital. He defines what would constitute a smaller asset, why institutional capital would be interested in these aggregations, additional margins to be made for the owner, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (00:47) - Fort Capital’s Journey Into Aggregation RE #98: How to Assemble & Entitle Urban Land (02:10) - Asset Type and Market in Aggregation (03:11) - What is a ‘smaller asset’? (04:56) - Larger Institutional Interest in a One-Off Deal vs. Aggregation (06:21) - Additional Margin to be Made for the Owner (06:42) - Lowering the Cost of Capital (08:29) - Different Institutional LP-based Scenario - Raising From Non-Profits (10:44) - Institutions Require Operational Efficiencies (12:17) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris breaks down Fort Capital's strategy of aggregating smaller assets in order to make them more attractive to institutional capital. He defines what would constitute a smaller asset, why institutional capital would be interested in these aggregations, additional margins to be made for the owner, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

(00:47) - Fort Capital’s Journey Into Aggregation

RE #98: How to Assemble & Entitle Urban Land

(02:10) - Asset Type and Market in Aggregation

(03:11) - What is a ‘smaller asset’?

(04:56) - Larger Institutional Interest in a One-Off Deal vs. Aggregation

(06:21) - Additional Margin to be Made for the Owner

(06:42) - Lowering the Cost of Capital

(08:29) - Different Institutional LP-based Scenario - Raising From Non-Profits

(10:44) - Institutions Require Operational Efficiencies

(12:17) - Wrap Up

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 967 no LIB #143: Starting a Meeting The Right Way - 'What's got your attention?' https://www.TheFortPod.com Today's Lesson in Business (LIB) discusses how to properly start a meeting in order to make sure your team is laser-focused on the agenda. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sat, 22 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 LIB #143: Starting a Meeting The Right Way - 'What's got your attention?' full 1 143 Chris Powers Today's Lesson in Business (LIB) discusses how to properly start a meeting in order to make sure your team is laser-focused on the agenda. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: Follow Chris on LinkedIn: ... Today's Lesson in Business (LIB) discusses how to properly start a meeting in order to make sure your team is laser-focused on the agenda. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Today's Lesson in Business (LIB) discusses how to properly start a meeting in order to make sure your team is laser-focused on the agenda. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 255 no #142: John Schissler - Growing a Chicken Salad Chick Empire in DFW https://www.TheFortPod.com John Schissler is Founder of J&M Hospitality which was created to open and operate Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in the Fort Worth, TX area. John and his wife Meggie currently own and operate 5 locations in North Texas. On this episode, John and Chris discuss the process of franchising a restaurant. John breaks down what conversations with franchisors & founders look like, financing, finding store locations, the hiring and training process, and operations. John tells some great stories about the realities of a franchisee, growth plans, how he navigated the pandemic, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ John on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler (03:12) - John’s Story and Early Career (04:48) - How did the opportunity come up to start franchising Chick Salad Chick? (06:34) - How do you become a franchisee of a restaurant? (09:32) - When did you know that you had found your first location? (10:39) - How did you finance your first location? (13:09) - How do you design locations? (15:23) - How long was it from the day you signed the lease to opening day? (15:38) - What was your and Meggie’s job going to be when you first started? (16:52) - When did you start prepping to hire? (20:01) - Training Staff and Testing Days (20:48) - John’s First Grand Opening Day and Horror Stories (25:33) - What does 200-300lbs of chicken look like and what’s the prep process like? (26:30) - At what point did you know store #1 was going to make it? (27:34) - How long before you moved on to opening stores #2 & #3? (28:59) - Are there any tricks new operators can use to get landlords to pay attention to them when finding a location? (31:16) - How does the relationship work with the franchisor? (32:01) - What resources do franchisors provide to you? (33:45) - Do you ever meet with other franchisees? (35:05) - What do Yelp & Google reviews mean to you? (39:37) - How do you go about getting more stores? (41:44) - How does hiring above-store operators work? (43:53) - How many stores will you open up in the next 24 months? (44:16) - What’s happened in your world since March 2020? (46:24) - How long did it take for you to get to a pandemic way of operating? Good to Great by Jim Collins  (49:03) - How did you staff the restaurant? (50:09) - Why are restaurants having trouble hiring? (51:47) - Are you realizing you can run stores leaner than previously thought? (53:20) - Are there certain cleaning practices that will stick around after the pandemic or new regulations you’ll need to abide by? (54:44) - Were you getting any signals early on from other parts of the country that the pandemic was coming? (56:27) - What have you learned about keeping your staff in tip-top shape to be successful? (57:55) - The Realities of Being a Franchisee (1:13:16) - Do you need corporate approval to sell to private equity? (1:13:59) - What are you seeing in the retail market? The FORT #108: Brady Wood (1:17:10) - How do you mitigate the risk of being in a multi-tenant property where your neighbors suck? (1:18:38) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:19:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? (1:21:13) - How do you separate working, parenting, and marriage with your wife? (1:23:16) - How can people support you? www.Chickensaladchick.com/Locations www.JMHosp.com www.linkedin.com/company/j-m-hospitality/ www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 20 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #142: John Schissler - Growing a Chicken Salad Chick Empire in DFW full 1 142 Chris Powers John Schissler is Founder of J&M Hospitality which was created to open and operate Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in the Fort Worth, TX area. John and his wife Meggie currently own and operate 5 locations in North Texas. On this episode, John and... John Schissler is Founder of J&M Hospitality which was created to open and operate Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in the Fort Worth, TX area. John and his wife Meggie currently own and operate 5 locations in North Texas. On this episode, John and Chris discuss the process of franchising a restaurant. John breaks down what conversations with franchisors & founders look like, financing, finding store locations, the hiring and training process, and operations. John tells some great stories about the realities of a franchisee, growth plans, how he navigated the pandemic, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ John on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler (03:12) - John’s Story and Early Career (04:48) - How did the opportunity come up to start franchising Chick Salad Chick? (06:34) - How do you become a franchisee of a restaurant? (09:32) - When did you know that you had found your first location? (10:39) - How did you finance your first location? (13:09) - How do you design locations? (15:23) - How long was it from the day you signed the lease to opening day? (15:38) - What was your and Meggie’s job going to be when you first started? (16:52) - When did you start prepping to hire? (20:01) - Training Staff and Testing Days (20:48) - John’s First Grand Opening Day and Horror Stories (25:33) - What does 200-300lbs of chicken look like and what’s the prep process like? (26:30) - At what point did you know store #1 was going to make it? (27:34) - How long before you moved on to opening stores #2 & #3? (28:59) - Are there any tricks new operators can use to get landlords to pay attention to them when finding a location? (31:16) - How does the relationship work with the franchisor? (32:01) - What resources do franchisors provide to you? (33:45) - Do you ever meet with other franchisees? (35:05) - What do Yelp & Google reviews mean to you? (39:37) - How do you go about getting more stores? (41:44) - How does hiring above-store operators work? (43:53) - How many stores will you open up in the next 24 months? (44:16) - What’s happened in your world since March 2020? (46:24) - How long did it take for you to get to a pandemic way of operating? Good to Great by Jim Collins  (49:03) - How did you staff the restaurant? (50:09) - Why are restaurants having trouble hiring? (51:47) - Are you realizing you can run stores leaner than previously thought? (53:20) - Are there certain cleaning practices that will stick around after the pandemic or new regulations you’ll need to abide by? (54:44) - Were you getting any signals early on from other parts of the country that the pandemic was coming? (56:27) - What have you learned about keeping your staff in tip-top shape to be successful? (57:55) - The Realities of Being a Franchisee (1:13:16) - Do you need corporate approval to sell to private equity? (1:13:59) - What are you seeing in the retail market? The FORT #108: Brady Wood (1:17:10) - How do you mitigate the risk of being in a multi-tenant property where your neighbors suck? (1:18:38) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:19:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? (1:21:13) - How do you separate working, parenting, and marriage with your wife? (1:23:16) - How can people support you? www.Chickensaladchick.com/Locations www.JMHosp.com www.linkedin.com/company/j-m-hospitality/ www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts John Schissler is Founder of J&M Hospitality which was created to open and operate Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in the Fort Worth, TX area. John and his wife Meggie currently own and operate 5 locations in North Texas.

On this episode, John and Chris discuss the process of franchising a restaurant. John breaks down what conversations with franchisors & founders look like, financing, finding store locations, the hiring and training process, and operations. John tells some great stories about the realities of a franchisee, growth plans, how he navigated the pandemic, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

John on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler

(03:12) - John’s Story and Early Career

(04:48) - How did the opportunity come up to start franchising Chick Salad Chick?

(06:34) - How do you become a franchisee of a restaurant?

(09:32) - When did you know that you had found your first location?

(10:39) - How did you finance your first location?

(13:09) - How do you design locations?

(15:23) - How long was it from the day you signed the lease to opening day?

(15:38) - What was your and Meggie’s job going to be when you first started?

(16:52) - When did you start prepping to hire?

(20:01) - Training Staff and Testing Days

(20:48) - John’s First Grand Opening Day and Horror Stories

(25:33) - What does 200-300lbs of chicken look like and what’s the prep process like?

(26:30) - At what point did you know store #1 was going to make it?

(27:34) - How long before you moved on to opening stores #2 & #3?

(28:59) - Are there any tricks new operators can use to get landlords to pay attention to them when finding a location?

(31:16) - How does the relationship work with the franchisor?

(32:01) - What resources do franchisors provide to you?

(33:45) - Do you ever meet with other franchisees?

(35:05) - What do Yelp & Google reviews mean to you?

(39:37) - How do you go about getting more stores?

(41:44) - How does hiring above-store operators work?

(43:53) - How many stores will you open up in the next 24 months?

(44:16) - What’s happened in your world since March 2020?

(46:24) - How long did it take for you to get to a pandemic way of operating?

Good to Great by Jim Collins 

(49:03) - How did you staff the restaurant?

(50:09) - Why are restaurants having trouble hiring?

(51:47) - Are you realizing you can run stores leaner than previously thought?

(53:20) - Are there certain cleaning practices that will stick around after the pandemic or new regulations you’ll need to abide by?

(54:44) - Were you getting any signals early on from other parts of the country that the pandemic was coming?

(56:27) - What have you learned about keeping your staff in tip-top shape to be successful?

(57:55) - The Realities of Being a Franchisee

(1:13:16) - Do you need corporate approval to sell to private equity?

(1:13:59) - What are you seeing in the retail market?

The FORT #108: Brady Wood

(1:17:10) - How do you mitigate the risk of being in a multi-tenant property where your neighbors suck?

(1:18:38) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today?

(1:19:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

(1:21:13) - How do you separate working, parenting, and marriage with your wife?

(1:23:16) - How can people support you?

www.Chickensaladchick.com/Locations

www.JMHosp.com

www.linkedin.com/company/j-m-hospitality/

www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5167 no #141: James Camp - How to Buy, Operate, Grow, and Flip Websites https://www.TheFortPod.com James Camp is the founder of Nano Flips, which helps people learn how to buy and sell websites. On this episode, James talks about his young career overseas when he decided to pack up and move to Malaysia, the cannabis industry, and his work in digital strategy before his work in website acquisitions.  Then, James dives into the world of website flipping. He talks about what kinds of sites stick out to him, how he sources sites to buy, the due diligence process when buying sites, and changes he implements to make his sites more profitable. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ James on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp James' Website & Newsletter: www.nanoflips.com (02:24) - James’ Background and What Led Him to His Current Career Google Launch Pad  (06:03) - How did you end up picking Malaysia and what were you doing while overseas? (08:53) - What does digital strategy for a McKinsey entail? (10:41) - What’s the state of Cannabis today and how big of an opportunity is it over the next decade? (14:32) - Do you have any insight as to when it becomes federally legalized? (15:42) - What do you do in the world of “Website Flipping”? (19:29) - Can you frame what a really good business looks like to you? (24:05) - James’ Focus on E-Commerce Businesses (26:14) - Are you buying the website that facilitates 3-commerce or the business that only operates online? (30:39) - How do you find the businesses you want to acquire? Flippa Empire Flippers FE International  Quiet Light Product Hunt (33:09) - What does a typical contract look like? (35:34) - Is there hard earnest money when buying a website? (37:36) - What’s the due diligence process to get you comfortable with a deal? (40:29) - If you’re buying a $50k website, how much of your attention is required as the new owner in order to make sure it’s functioning properly? (43:41) - Is it risky to buy something where the new owner is taking over the content creation? (45:40) - What’s a dream $100k website for you? (48:31) - Is there any risk in Google or Amazon deciding to cut revenue unannounced through policy change? (51:42) - What kind of due diligence needs to be done on the code of these websites you’re buying? (53:30) - What transfers in terms of ownership beyond the domain name? (55:19) - In a situation with $1m EBITDA and employees in a 60-day closing period, how do you underwrite the people in a short manner of time and determining their future post-close? (1:00:14) - Do these companies have founder-like people or does all responsibility fall on the FTEs? (Full-time employees) ClearCo (1:03:39) - How do you get your message across to teams in terms of what you want implemented without becoming a day-to-day worker in the business? (1:06:17) - How are deals being financed? (1:09:35) - How can the average person find low-hanging fruit to improve the online marketing of a website? Google Analytics www.NanoFlips.com Codie Sanchez  (1:15:16) - What’s the biggest risk to buying a website at a $100k level with no employees? (1:23:10) - Media Reccomendations The Exit - Flippa Podcast Thrasio (1:26:20) - Contacting James Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp Hi@nanoflips.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 17 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #141: James Camp - How to Buy, Operate, Grow, and Flip Websites full 1 141 Chris Powers James Camp is the founder of Nano Flips, which helps people learn how to buy and sell websites. On this episode, James talks about his young career overseas when he decided to pack up and move to Malaysia, the cannabis industry, and his work in... James Camp is the founder of Nano Flips, which helps people learn how to buy and sell websites. On this episode, James talks about his young career overseas when he decided to pack up and move to Malaysia, the cannabis industry, and his work in digital strategy before his work in website acquisitions.  Then, James dives into the world of website flipping. He talks about what kinds of sites stick out to him, how he sources sites to buy, the due diligence process when buying sites, and changes he implements to make his sites more profitable. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ James on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp James' Website & Newsletter: www.nanoflips.com (02:24) - James’ Background and What Led Him to His Current Career Google Launch Pad  (06:03) - How did you end up picking Malaysia and what were you doing while overseas? (08:53) - What does digital strategy for a McKinsey entail? (10:41) - What’s the state of Cannabis today and how big of an opportunity is it over the next decade? (14:32) - Do you have any insight as to when it becomes federally legalized? (15:42) - What do you do in the world of “Website Flipping”? (19:29) - Can you frame what a really good business looks like to you? (24:05) - James’ Focus on E-Commerce Businesses (26:14) - Are you buying the website that facilitates 3-commerce or the business that only operates online? (30:39) - How do you find the businesses you want to acquire? Flippa Empire Flippers FE International  Quiet Light Product Hunt (33:09) - What does a typical contract look like? (35:34) - Is there hard earnest money when buying a website? (37:36) - What’s the due diligence process to get you comfortable with a deal? (40:29) - If you’re buying a $50k website, how much of your attention is required as the new owner in order to make sure it’s functioning properly? (43:41) - Is it risky to buy something where the new owner is taking over the content creation? (45:40) - What’s a dream $100k website for you? (48:31) - Is there any risk in Google or Amazon deciding to cut revenue unannounced through policy change? (51:42) - What kind of due diligence needs to be done on the code of these websites you’re buying? (53:30) - What transfers in terms of ownership beyond the domain name? (55:19) - In a situation with $1m EBITDA and employees in a 60-day closing period, how do you underwrite the people in a short manner of time and determining their future post-close? (1:00:14) - Do these companies have founder-like people or does all responsibility fall on the FTEs? (Full-time employees) ClearCo (1:03:39) - How do you get your message across to teams in terms of what you want implemented without becoming a day-to-day worker in the business? (1:06:17) - How are deals being financed? (1:09:35) - How can the average person find low-hanging fruit to improve the online marketing of a website? Google Analytics www.NanoFlips.com Codie Sanchez  (1:15:16) - What’s the biggest risk to buying a website at a $100k level with no employees? (1:23:10) - Media Reccomendations The Exit - Flippa Podcast Thrasio (1:26:20) - Contacting James Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp Hi@nanoflips.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts James Camp is the founder of Nano Flips, which helps people learn how to buy and sell websites. On this episode, James talks about his young career overseas when he decided to pack up and move to Malaysia, the cannabis industry, and his work in digital strategy before his work in website acquisitions. 

Then, James dives into the world of website flipping. He talks about what kinds of sites stick out to him, how he sources sites to buy, the due diligence process when buying sites, and changes he implements to make his sites more profitable. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

James on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp

James' Website & Newsletter: www.nanoflips.com

(02:24) - James’ Background and What Led Him to His Current Career

Google Launch Pad 

(06:03) - How did you end up picking Malaysia and what were you doing while overseas?

(08:53) - What does digital strategy for a McKinsey entail?

(10:41) - What’s the state of Cannabis today and how big of an opportunity is it over the next decade?

(14:32) - Do you have any insight as to when it becomes federally legalized?

(15:42) - What do you do in the world of “Website Flipping”?

(19:29) - Can you frame what a really good business looks like to you?

(24:05) - James’ Focus on E-Commerce Businesses

(26:14) - Are you buying the website that facilitates 3-commerce or the business that only operates online?

(30:39) - How do you find the businesses you want to acquire?

Flippa

Empire Flippers

FE International 

Quiet Light

Product Hunt

(33:09) - What does a typical contract look like?

(35:34) - Is there hard earnest money when buying a website?

(37:36) - What’s the due diligence process to get you comfortable with a deal?

(40:29) - If you’re buying a $50k website, how much of your attention is required as the new owner in order to make sure it’s functioning properly?

(43:41) - Is it risky to buy something where the new owner is taking over the content creation?

(45:40) - What’s a dream $100k website for you?

(48:31) - Is there any risk in Google or Amazon deciding to cut revenue unannounced through policy change?

(51:42) - What kind of due diligence needs to be done on the code of these websites you’re buying?

(53:30) - What transfers in terms of ownership beyond the domain name?

(55:19) - In a situation with $1m EBITDA and employees in a 60-day closing period, how do you underwrite the people in a short manner of time and determining their future post-close?

(1:00:14) - Do these companies have founder-like people or does all responsibility fall on the FTEs? (Full-time employees)

ClearCo

(1:03:39) - How do you get your message across to teams in terms of what you want implemented without becoming a day-to-day worker in the business?

(1:06:17) - How are deals being financed?

(1:09:35) - How can the average person find low-hanging fruit to improve the online marketing of a website?

Google Analytics

www.NanoFlips.com

Codie Sanchez 

(1:15:16) - What’s the biggest risk to buying a website at a $100k level with no employees?

(1:23:10) - Media Reccomendations

The Exit - Flippa Podcast

Thrasio

(1:26:20) - Contacting James

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp

Hi@nanoflips.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5371 no LIB #140: The Flywheel https://www.TheFortPod.com Our second LIB dives into the concept of 'The Flywheel.' Chris reads a short excerpt from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great', walks through Fort Capital's Flywheel, gives a personal example of flywheels in his life, and a quick challenge for listeners at the end. Enjoy! Good to Great by Jim Collins Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sat, 15 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 LIB #140: The Flywheel full 1 140 Chris Powers Our second LIB dives into the concept of 'The Flywheel.' Chris reads a short excerpt from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great', walks through Fort Capital's Flywheel, gives a personal example of flywheels in his life, and a quick challenge for listeners... Our second LIB dives into the concept of 'The Flywheel.' Chris reads a short excerpt from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great', walks through Fort Capital's Flywheel, gives a personal example of flywheels in his life, and a quick challenge for listeners at the end. Enjoy! Good to Great by Jim Collins Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Our second LIB dives into the concept of 'The Flywheel.' Chris reads a short excerpt from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great', walks through Fort Capital's Flywheel, gives a personal example of flywheels in his life, and a quick challenge for listeners at the end. Enjoy!

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 552 no #139: Dr. Julie Gurner - Executive Performance Coach - How The Elite Get Their Mind Right https://www.TheFortPod.com Dr. Julie Gurner is an Executive Performance Coach who has been compared to Wendy Rhoades of 'Billions' by The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gurner works with tech giants, real estate executives, and professional athletes to help identify and understand the patterns of behavior, daily decisions, and incremental wins that catapult a small fraction of the population to the very top of their fields. On this episode, Dr. Gurner discusses her background in psychology and working in the maximum-security prison system before getting into Tech Advising and launching her career as an Executive Coach. Then, Chris and Dr. Gurner discuss what makes the top 1% in their field successful, what her clients are looking for when they work with her, building confidence, curing burnout, and more. They wrap the conversation discussing the industry of executive coaching and how they contribute to some of the largest companies in the world. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Connect with Dr. Gurner: www.drgurner.com/ Follow Dr. Julie Gurner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drgurner (02:15) - Dr. Gurner’s Background and Career (04:15) - When did you know you wanted to be in the psychology field? (05:26) - What does ‘advising products in Tech’ mean? (05:57) - Dr. Gurner’s Experience Working with Prisoners (09:44) - How would you describe Performance Coaching? (10:47) - Who’s your clientele and target market? (22:59) - Is there a pattern of thought, behavior, or action that threads the top 1% in their field that can be reverse-engineered? (25:00) - Characteristics Between Successful Men and Women That are Similar and Different  (27:38) - Nature vs. Nurture (28:43) - Do you see successful people having a great network they can be vulnerable with? (29:38) - Why Money Doesn’t Equal Happiness (31:20) - How often does ego play a factor in people’s issues? (32:32) - Do people come to see you to identify blind spots in their life? (33:57) - Dealing With ‘Yes-People’ and Opening Up Feedback Loops (34:52) - Do having habits like a morning routine matter for success? (37:35) - Is there any science or data between people who work early in the morning or late at night? (39:37) - Making the Most of Your Day and Determining What You’re Best at for Leaders (41:19) - Do your international clients struggle differently than Americans? (42:51) - Do people often drift back to old problems? (44:10) - Do you often see identity crises with folks whose business is their whole life? (46:08) - ‘Unwrapping’ Yourself When Your Identity is Your Job (48:26) - How Brain and Body Functionality Lasts With Age as Folks Continue Working and How It Slows Down When They Stop (50:18) - How much has social media impacted the population in positive or negative ways? (52:58) - What can people do to deal with anxiety and decompress? (54:36) - Do you have clients that are similar to Bobby Axelrod? (54:53) - How did the Wall Street Journal Comparison to Wendy from Billions change your career? (56:53) - Do most hedge funds have full-time performance coaches? (57:54) - How much would someone like that make per year? (58:34) - What happens if someone confides that they are committing illegal activity during a session? (1:00:17) - Are there ever situations where you’re working with a risk-averse client that needs to make a specific trade and you have to nudge them to actually do it? (1:11:31) - Has your line of work made you a better investor? (1:13:27) - Who does a performance coach go to if they need a performance coach? (1:14:16) - Books to Challenge Yourself 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene  The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 13 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #139: Dr. Julie Gurner - Executive Performance Coach - How The Elite Get Their Mind Right full 1 139 Chris Powers Dr. Julie Gurner is an Executive Performance Coach who has been compared to Wendy Rhoades of 'Billions' by The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gurner works with tech giants, real estate executives, and professional athletes to help identify and understand... Dr. Julie Gurner is an Executive Performance Coach who has been compared to Wendy Rhoades of 'Billions' by The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gurner works with tech giants, real estate executives, and professional athletes to help identify and understand the patterns of behavior, daily decisions, and incremental wins that catapult a small fraction of the population to the very top of their fields. On this episode, Dr. Gurner discusses her background in psychology and working in the maximum-security prison system before getting into Tech Advising and launching her career as an Executive Coach. Then, Chris and Dr. Gurner discuss what makes the top 1% in their field successful, what her clients are looking for when they work with her, building confidence, curing burnout, and more. They wrap the conversation discussing the industry of executive coaching and how they contribute to some of the largest companies in the world. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Connect with Dr. Gurner: www.drgurner.com/ Follow Dr. Julie Gurner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drgurner (02:15) - Dr. Gurner’s Background and Career (04:15) - When did you know you wanted to be in the psychology field? (05:26) - What does ‘advising products in Tech’ mean? (05:57) - Dr. Gurner’s Experience Working with Prisoners (09:44) - How would you describe Performance Coaching? (10:47) - Who’s your clientele and target market? (22:59) - Is there a pattern of thought, behavior, or action that threads the top 1% in their field that can be reverse-engineered? (25:00) - Characteristics Between Successful Men and Women That are Similar and Different  (27:38) - Nature vs. Nurture (28:43) - Do you see successful people having a great network they can be vulnerable with? (29:38) - Why Money Doesn’t Equal Happiness (31:20) - How often does ego play a factor in people’s issues? (32:32) - Do people come to see you to identify blind spots in their life? (33:57) - Dealing With ‘Yes-People’ and Opening Up Feedback Loops (34:52) - Do having habits like a morning routine matter for success? (37:35) - Is there any science or data between people who work early in the morning or late at night? (39:37) - Making the Most of Your Day and Determining What You’re Best at for Leaders (41:19) - Do your international clients struggle differently than Americans? (42:51) - Do people often drift back to old problems? (44:10) - Do you often see identity crises with folks whose business is their whole life? (46:08) - ‘Unwrapping’ Yourself When Your Identity is Your Job (48:26) - How Brain and Body Functionality Lasts With Age as Folks Continue Working and How It Slows Down When They Stop (50:18) - How much has social media impacted the population in positive or negative ways? (52:58) - What can people do to deal with anxiety and decompress? (54:36) - Do you have clients that are similar to Bobby Axelrod? (54:53) - How did the Wall Street Journal Comparison to Wendy from Billions change your career? (56:53) - Do most hedge funds have full-time performance coaches? (57:54) - How much would someone like that make per year? (58:34) - What happens if someone confides that they are committing illegal activity during a session? (1:00:17) - Are there ever situations where you’re working with a risk-averse client that needs to make a specific trade and you have to nudge them to actually do it? (1:11:31) - Has your line of work made you a better investor? (1:13:27) - Who does a performance coach go to if they need a performance coach? (1:14:16) - Books to Challenge Yourself 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene  The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Dr. Julie Gurner is an Executive Performance Coach who has been compared to Wendy Rhoades of 'Billions' by The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gurner works with tech giants, real estate executives, and professional athletes to help identify and understand the patterns of behavior, daily decisions, and incremental wins that catapult a small fraction of the population to the very top of their fields.

On this episode, Dr. Gurner discusses her background in psychology and working in the maximum-security prison system before getting into Tech Advising and launching her career as an Executive Coach. Then, Chris and Dr. Gurner discuss what makes the top 1% in their field successful, what her clients are looking for when they work with her, building confidence, curing burnout, and more. They wrap the conversation discussing the industry of executive coaching and how they contribute to some of the largest companies in the world. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Connect with Dr. Gurner: www.drgurner.com/

Follow Dr. Julie Gurner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drgurner

(02:15) - Dr. Gurner’s Background and Career

(04:15) - When did you know you wanted to be in the psychology field?

(05:26) - What does ‘advising products in Tech’ mean?

(05:57) - Dr. Gurner’s Experience Working with Prisoners

(09:44) - How would you describe Performance Coaching?

(10:47) - Who’s your clientele and target market?

(22:59) - Is there a pattern of thought, behavior, or action that threads the top 1% in their field that can be reverse-engineered?

(25:00) - Characteristics Between Successful Men and Women That are Similar and Different 

(27:38) - Nature vs. Nurture

(28:43) - Do you see successful people having a great network they can be vulnerable with?

(29:38) - Why Money Doesn’t Equal Happiness

(31:20) - How often does ego play a factor in people’s issues?

(32:32) - Do people come to see you to identify blind spots in their life?

(33:57) - Dealing With ‘Yes-People’ and Opening Up Feedback Loops

(34:52) - Do having habits like a morning routine matter for success?

(37:35) - Is there any science or data between people who work early in the morning or late at night?

(39:37) - Making the Most of Your Day and Determining What You’re Best at for Leaders

(41:19) - Do your international clients struggle differently than Americans?

(42:51) - Do people often drift back to old problems?

(44:10) - Do you often see identity crises with folks whose business is their whole life?

(46:08) - ‘Unwrapping’ Yourself When Your Identity is Your Job

(48:26) - How Brain and Body Functionality Lasts With Age as Folks Continue Working and How It Slows Down When They Stop

(50:18) - How much has social media impacted the population in positive or negative ways?

(52:58) - What can people do to deal with anxiety and decompress?

(54:36) - Do you have clients that are similar to Bobby Axelrod?

(54:53) - How did the Wall Street Journal Comparison to Wendy from Billions change your career?

(56:53) - Do most hedge funds have full-time performance coaches?

(57:54) - How much would someone like that make per year?

(58:34) - What happens if someone confides that they are committing illegal activity during a session?

(1:00:17) - Are there ever situations where you’re working with a risk-averse client that needs to make a specific trade and you have to nudge them to actually do it?

(1:11:31) - Has your line of work made you a better investor?

(1:13:27) - Who does a performance coach go to if they need a performance coach?

(1:14:16) - Books to Challenge Yourself

48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene 

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4690 no RE #138: Real Estate Syndication 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris discusses Real Estate Syndication. He describes the differences between a syndication and a fund, the pros and cons of syndication, breakdowns of GPs and LPs, deal structures, fees, and Twitter questions from listeners. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (00:58) - Real Estate Syndication (01:52) - Syndication vs. a Fund (03:20) - Syndicating vs. Investing Your Own Capital (03:43) - How a Syndication Works (04:24) - General Partners  (06:14) - Limited Partners (08:27) - Advantages of Syndicating (10:17) - Advantages from a GP Perspective (11:25) - Advantages of Syndicating vs. a Fund (12:45) - Setting Terms As a GP (13:59) - Working With Institutional Capital (15:16) - Disadvantages for General Partners (16:43) - Disadvantages of Syndicating (19:09) - What LP’s Should Be Looking For in a General Partner (20:54) - Questions to Ask Potential General Partners (25:17) - Best Practices for Finding a Co-GP (27:59) - Types of Deal Structures and Their Merits (35:28) - Raising from Multiple Investors (36:42) - Creating Liquidity for LPs (43:48) - How Money is Made in the Syndicating Industry (46:56) - Type of Fees You Might See Out of a Syndicator (50:40) - How to Keep Alignment Between the GP & LP (51:50) - How do terms change between acquisitions and a development deal? (53:24) - Lenders  (56:35) - The Fort Capital Investor Onboarding Process  (1:02:54) - Technology Impacts as a Syndicator if You Decide to Use a Software Like Juniper Square (1:07:23) - Biggest Tailwinds in the Industry (1:12:15) - Data and Stats on How GPs and LPs are Looking at the World as it Relates to Syndicators (1:14:28) - Twitter Questions: Adjusting Acquisition and LP Return Criteria Given the Market (1:16:52) - What part of your structure has changed the most over time? (1:18:29) - What's the most surprising thing that investors are interested in? (1:20:25) - Wrap Up & Contact The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 10 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #138: Real Estate Syndication 101 full 1 138 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris discusses Real Estate Syndication. He describes the differences between a syndication and a fund, the pros and cons of syndication, breakdowns of GPs and LPs, deal structures, fees, and Twitter questions from listeners. Enjoy!... On this episode, Chris discusses Real Estate Syndication. He describes the differences between a syndication and a fund, the pros and cons of syndication, breakdowns of GPs and LPs, deal structures, fees, and Twitter questions from listeners. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (00:58) - Real Estate Syndication (01:52) - Syndication vs. a Fund (03:20) - Syndicating vs. Investing Your Own Capital (03:43) - How a Syndication Works (04:24) - General Partners  (06:14) - Limited Partners (08:27) - Advantages of Syndicating (10:17) - Advantages from a GP Perspective (11:25) - Advantages of Syndicating vs. a Fund (12:45) - Setting Terms As a GP (13:59) - Working With Institutional Capital (15:16) - Disadvantages for General Partners (16:43) - Disadvantages of Syndicating (19:09) - What LP’s Should Be Looking For in a General Partner (20:54) - Questions to Ask Potential General Partners (25:17) - Best Practices for Finding a Co-GP (27:59) - Types of Deal Structures and Their Merits (35:28) - Raising from Multiple Investors (36:42) - Creating Liquidity for LPs (43:48) - How Money is Made in the Syndicating Industry (46:56) - Type of Fees You Might See Out of a Syndicator (50:40) - How to Keep Alignment Between the GP & LP (51:50) - How do terms change between acquisitions and a development deal? (53:24) - Lenders  (56:35) - The Fort Capital Investor Onboarding Process  (1:02:54) - Technology Impacts as a Syndicator if You Decide to Use a Software Like Juniper Square (1:07:23) - Biggest Tailwinds in the Industry (1:12:15) - Data and Stats on How GPs and LPs are Looking at the World as it Relates to Syndicators (1:14:28) - Twitter Questions: Adjusting Acquisition and LP Return Criteria Given the Market (1:16:52) - What part of your structure has changed the most over time? (1:18:29) - What's the most surprising thing that investors are interested in? (1:20:25) - Wrap Up & Contact The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris discusses Real Estate Syndication. He describes the differences between a syndication and a fund, the pros and cons of syndication, breakdowns of GPs and LPs, deal structures, fees, and Twitter questions from listeners. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

(00:58) - Real Estate Syndication

(01:52) - Syndication vs. a Fund

(03:20) - Syndicating vs. Investing Your Own Capital

(03:43) - How a Syndication Works

(04:24) - General Partners 

(06:14) - Limited Partners

(08:27) - Advantages of Syndicating

(10:17) - Advantages from a GP Perspective

(11:25) - Advantages of Syndicating vs. a Fund

(12:45) - Setting Terms As a GP

(13:59) - Working With Institutional Capital

(15:16) - Disadvantages for General Partners

(16:43) - Disadvantages of Syndicating

(19:09) - What LP’s Should Be Looking For in a General Partner

(20:54) - Questions to Ask Potential General Partners

(25:17) - Best Practices for Finding a Co-GP

(27:59) - Types of Deal Structures and Their Merits

(35:28) - Raising from Multiple Investors

(36:42) - Creating Liquidity for LPs

(43:48) - How Money is Made in the Syndicating Industry

(46:56) - Type of Fees You Might See Out of a Syndicator

(50:40) - How to Keep Alignment Between the GP & LP

(51:50) - How do terms change between acquisitions and a development deal?

(53:24) - Lenders 

(56:35) - The Fort Capital Investor Onboarding Process 

(1:02:54) - Technology Impacts as a Syndicator if You Decide to Use a Software Like Juniper Square

(1:07:23) - Biggest Tailwinds in the Industry

(1:12:15) - Data and Stats on How GPs and LPs are Looking at the World as it Relates to Syndicators

(1:14:28) - Twitter Questions: Adjusting Acquisition and LP Return Criteria Given the Market

(1:16:52) - What part of your structure has changed the most over time?

(1:18:29) - What's the most surprising thing that investors are interested in?

(1:20:25) - Wrap Up & Contact

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4969 no LIB #137 - People Can Handle Good & Bad News, But Not Surprises https://www.TheFortPod.com Welcome to the first episode in our newest series for The FORT: Lessons in Business (LIB). Our first LIB will cover communicating effectively in Investor Reporting. People love good news, and they're willing to hear bad news, but they hate surprises. Enjoy!  If you have any topic you would like us to cover in future LIBs, please tweet them at Chris or email him at thefortpodcast@gmail.com Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sat, 08 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 LIB #137 - People Can Handle Good & Bad News, But Not Surprises full 1 137 Chris Powers Welcome to the first episode in our newest series for The FORT: Lessons in Business (LIB). Our first LIB will cover communicating effectively in Investor Reporting. People love good news, and they're willing to hear bad news, but they hate surprises.... Welcome to the first episode in our newest series for The FORT: Lessons in Business (LIB). Our first LIB will cover communicating effectively in Investor Reporting. People love good news, and they're willing to hear bad news, but they hate surprises. Enjoy!  If you have any topic you would like us to cover in future LIBs, please tweet them at Chris or email him at thefortpodcast@gmail.com Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Welcome to the first episode in our newest series for The FORT: Lessons in Business (LIB).

Our first LIB will cover communicating effectively in Investor Reporting. People love good news, and they're willing to hear bad news, but they hate surprises. Enjoy! 

If you have any topic you would like us to cover in future LIBs, please tweet them at Chris or email him at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 303 no RE #136: Nick Farris - Partner at MedCore - Deep-Dive on Healthcare & Senior Living Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com Nick Farris has an extensive background in consulting and market analysis for health care real estate and senior living assets. He has functioned in advisory roles nationally with hundreds of developers, hospitals, health systems, healthcare REITs, and medical operators since 2006.  On this episode, Nick and Chris deep dive into Health Care Real Estate and how MedCore works with physicians to locate areas to develop medical facilities across the country. They also discuss Nick's work developing Senior living campuses, how they first met in college, what's next for the boomer generation, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Nick on Twitter: (03:15) - Chris and Nick Meeting in College (07:04) - Nick’s Career Path After College Leading up to Today (14:16) - What’s the spectrum of Health Care as it relates to what you do? (19:16) - Where are you gathering all of the data for physicians? (23:44) - What’s the lead time between folks approaching you and when they need to find a place? (25:46) - Are physicians coming to you with a broad brush in mind or specific locations they want to set up a practice? (30:27) - What room is there for a physician in markets where there’s virtually no insurance coverage? (32:37) - What’s an orthopedic surgeon looking for? (35:02) - Data Availability Via Insurance Providers (35:56) - Are you involved in an ortho’s search for finding physicians to work with in an area they want to go to? (39:00) - What are the big drivers for how facilities are built? (41:30) - What is a client in for when they come to you to build a facility? (44:43) - Are physicians signing leases or joining the ownership group? (45:54) - How does the organization make money? (47:14) - How would a deal go south? (48:15) - Scarcity of Medical Facilities vs. Other Types of Real Estate Leasers (49:08) - What’s considered Elective Surgery? (52:22) - What’s a co-morbidity? (54:24) - Senior Housing (1:00:11) - How big are these campuses? (1:01:54) - How do you raise capital? (1:05:28) - What amenities are you adding to these campuses? (1:07:19) - Are memberships covered by insurance or private pay? (1:07:41) - Is the fact that people are living longer good for your business? (1:09:03) - What’s your reason and process for acquisitions? (1:10:16) - Does the government offer loans for financing in this area? (1:10:47) - What’s the next 10 years look like for the boomer generation? (1:14:22) - Do you have a childhood experience that has shaped who you have become? (1:19:34) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:21:46) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 06 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 RE #136: Nick Farris - Partner at MedCore - Deep-Dive on Healthcare & Senior Living Real Estate full 1 136 Chris Powers Nick Farris has an extensive background in consulting and market analysis for health care real estate and senior living assets. He has functioned in advisory roles nationally with hundreds of developers, hospitals, health systems, healthcare... Nick Farris has an extensive background in consulting and market analysis for health care real estate and senior living assets. He has functioned in advisory roles nationally with hundreds of developers, hospitals, health systems, healthcare REITs, and medical operators since 2006.  On this episode, Nick and Chris deep dive into Health Care Real Estate and how MedCore works with physicians to locate areas to develop medical facilities across the country. They also discuss Nick's work developing Senior living campuses, how they first met in college, what's next for the boomer generation, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Nick on Twitter: (03:15) - Chris and Nick Meeting in College (07:04) - Nick’s Career Path After College Leading up to Today (14:16) - What’s the spectrum of Health Care as it relates to what you do? (19:16) - Where are you gathering all of the data for physicians? (23:44) - What’s the lead time between folks approaching you and when they need to find a place? (25:46) - Are physicians coming to you with a broad brush in mind or specific locations they want to set up a practice? (30:27) - What room is there for a physician in markets where there’s virtually no insurance coverage? (32:37) - What’s an orthopedic surgeon looking for? (35:02) - Data Availability Via Insurance Providers (35:56) - Are you involved in an ortho’s search for finding physicians to work with in an area they want to go to? (39:00) - What are the big drivers for how facilities are built? (41:30) - What is a client in for when they come to you to build a facility? (44:43) - Are physicians signing leases or joining the ownership group? (45:54) - How does the organization make money? (47:14) - How would a deal go south? (48:15) - Scarcity of Medical Facilities vs. Other Types of Real Estate Leasers (49:08) - What’s considered Elective Surgery? (52:22) - What’s a co-morbidity? (54:24) - Senior Housing (1:00:11) - How big are these campuses? (1:01:54) - How do you raise capital? (1:05:28) - What amenities are you adding to these campuses? (1:07:19) - Are memberships covered by insurance or private pay? (1:07:41) - Is the fact that people are living longer good for your business? (1:09:03) - What’s your reason and process for acquisitions? (1:10:16) - Does the government offer loans for financing in this area? (1:10:47) - What’s the next 10 years look like for the boomer generation? (1:14:22) - Do you have a childhood experience that has shaped who you have become? (1:19:34) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:21:46) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Nick Farris has an extensive background in consulting and market analysis for health care real estate and senior living assets. He has functioned in advisory roles nationally with hundreds of developers, hospitals, health systems, healthcare REITs, and medical operators since 2006. 

On this episode, Nick and Chris deep dive into Health Care Real Estate and how MedCore works with physicians to locate areas to develop medical facilities across the country. They also discuss Nick's work developing Senior living campuses, how they first met in college, what's next for the boomer generation, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Nick on Twitter:

(03:15) - Chris and Nick Meeting in College

(07:04) - Nick’s Career Path After College Leading up to Today

(14:16) - What’s the spectrum of Health Care as it relates to what you do?

(19:16) - Where are you gathering all of the data for physicians?

(23:44) - What’s the lead time between folks approaching you and when they need to find a place?

(25:46) - Are physicians coming to you with a broad brush in mind or specific locations they want to set up a practice?

(30:27) - What room is there for a physician in markets where there’s virtually no insurance coverage?

(32:37) - What’s an orthopedic surgeon looking for?

(35:02) - Data Availability Via Insurance Providers

(35:56) - Are you involved in an ortho’s search for finding physicians to work with in an area they want to go to?

(39:00) - What are the big drivers for how facilities are built?

(41:30) - What is a client in for when they come to you to build a facility?

(44:43) - Are physicians signing leases or joining the ownership group?

(45:54) - How does the organization make money?

(47:14) - How would a deal go south?

(48:15) - Scarcity of Medical Facilities vs. Other Types of Real Estate Leasers

(49:08) - What’s considered Elective Surgery?

(52:22) - What’s a co-morbidity?

(54:24) - Senior Housing

(1:00:11) - How big are these campuses?

(1:01:54) - How do you raise capital?

(1:05:28) - What amenities are you adding to these campuses?

(1:07:19) - Are memberships covered by insurance or private pay?

(1:07:41) - Is the fact that people are living longer good for your business?

(1:09:03) - What’s your reason and process for acquisitions?

(1:10:16) - Does the government offer loans for financing in this area?

(1:10:47) - What’s the next 10 years look like for the boomer generation?

(1:14:22) - Do you have a childhood experience that has shaped who you have become?

(1:19:34) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:21:46) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5216 no RE #134 BONUS: Ask Me Anything with Chris Powers & Nick Huber https://www.TheFortPod.com This is a special bonus episode of an AMA that was hosted by Nick Huber featuring Chris Powers on April 22nd, 2021.  Chris and Nick answered questions from a virtual audience about their real estate experience and thoughts on the industry, questions about getting started in Real Estate and more. Enjoy!    Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartUp The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 03 May 2021 18:12:39 -0000 RE #134 BONUS: Ask Me Anything with Chris Powers & Nick Huber bonus 1 134 Chris Powers This is a special bonus episode of an AMA that was hosted by Nick Huber featuring Chris Powers on April 22nd, 2021.  Chris and Nick answered questions from a virtual audience about their real estate experience and thoughts on the industry,... This is a special bonus episode of an AMA that was hosted by Nick Huber featuring Chris Powers on April 22nd, 2021.  Chris and Nick answered questions from a virtual audience about their real estate experience and thoughts on the industry, questions about getting started in Real Estate and more. Enjoy!    Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartUp The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts This is a special bonus episode of an AMA that was hosted by Nick Huber featuring Chris Powers on April 22nd, 2021. 

Chris and Nick answered questions from a virtual audience about their real estate experience and thoughts on the industry, questions about getting started in Real Estate and more. Enjoy! 

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartUp

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3808 no #135: Chris Koerner - Building a 3PL & Fulfillment Behemoth for Small eCommerce Businesses https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Koerner is the Co-Founder and CEO of SendEats.com where they offer 3PL for Ecommerce so that companies can focus on building their brand. On this episode, Chris starts with a great story about his mission to Hungary for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, his entrepreneurial journey starting and selling E-commerce businesses before starting SendEats at the beginning of the pandemic, and some of the ups and downs they've experienced in their year of operation. Finally, Chris tells an incredible story of partnering with the Crypto giant John McAfee, his passion for crypto, and some parenting stories. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Chris Koerner on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/serialtrep (03:19) - Chris’ Background (05:33) - Chris Mission for The Latter-Day Saints in Hungary (09:22) - What is the goal of the Mission? (10:39) - How did you know if you were doing a ‘good’ job on your mission? 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  (13:51) - Were you good at handling rejection before the mission? (14:11) - The Backstory of Starting Sendeats.com (20:08) - What's something you missed at the beginning but you’re working on now? (23:16) - When is someone big enough to outsource their e-commerce? (23:43) - What does your 80-hour week look like? (26:19) - Where does the risk lie in your business? (27:09) - Do you need an insurance policy for each customer? (27:49) - Partnering with Amazon, Shopify vs. Amazon (33:04) - What has COVID done for E-commerce adoption? (34:57) - How are you finding customers? (35:13) - Is there a customer you won’t take? (36:37) - How do you bill customers? (37:21) - What’s the most difficult product you ship right now? (42:11) - How are FedEx and UPS working to protect themselves from Amazon? (42:57) - What do you look for in a building? (43:23) - How well-positioned is DFW from a logistics standpoint? (45:37) - Is physical location the most important factor in logistics? (46:32) - How are you receiving products? (47:05) - What’s the hardest part about the business? How do you tackle these issues? (48:42) - Are there technology opportunities in this space? (49:53) - Who are your competitors? (51:04) - Does Amazon still win? (51:44) - Does faster shipping change actually change anything on the shipping end? (53:19) - What value do you get out of Trends? (54:57) - What’s your plan with this company? (55:47) - Will you end up taking over the insurance side of this business? (56:39) - Cardboard Box Supply  (57:08) - What’s the worst day you’ve had in this business? (59:38) - Partnering with John McAfee (1:13:50) - How does 2017 feel vs. now when it comes to Bitcoin? (1:15:00) - How did you get into Crypto? (1:16:48) - Why do swaps exist? (1:18:02) - Whatever happened to John? (1:19:06) - Are we still early in Crypto? (1:19:34) - Chris’ Crypto Pyramid Scheme Story (1:23:03) - What’s something you think about a lot? (1:24:23) - Was there any experience you had as a child that shaped you? (1:26:30) - Raising Kids & Screen Time (1:30:17) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 03 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000 #135: Chris Koerner - Building a 3PL & Fulfillment Behemoth for Small eCommerce Businesses full 1 135 Chris Powers Chris Koerner is the Co-Founder and CEO of where they offer 3PL for Ecommerce so that companies can focus on building their brand. On this episode, Chris starts with a great story about his mission to Hungary for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, his... Chris Koerner is the Co-Founder and CEO of SendEats.com where they offer 3PL for Ecommerce so that companies can focus on building their brand. On this episode, Chris starts with a great story about his mission to Hungary for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, his entrepreneurial journey starting and selling E-commerce businesses before starting SendEats at the beginning of the pandemic, and some of the ups and downs they've experienced in their year of operation. Finally, Chris tells an incredible story of partnering with the Crypto giant John McAfee, his passion for crypto, and some parenting stories. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Chris Koerner on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/serialtrep (03:19) - Chris’ Background (05:33) - Chris Mission for The Latter-Day Saints in Hungary (09:22) - What is the goal of the Mission? (10:39) - How did you know if you were doing a ‘good’ job on your mission? 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  (13:51) - Were you good at handling rejection before the mission? (14:11) - The Backstory of Starting Sendeats.com (20:08) - What's something you missed at the beginning but you’re working on now? (23:16) - When is someone big enough to outsource their e-commerce? (23:43) - What does your 80-hour week look like? (26:19) - Where does the risk lie in your business? (27:09) - Do you need an insurance policy for each customer? (27:49) - Partnering with Amazon, Shopify vs. Amazon (33:04) - What has COVID done for E-commerce adoption? (34:57) - How are you finding customers? (35:13) - Is there a customer you won’t take? (36:37) - How do you bill customers? (37:21) - What’s the most difficult product you ship right now? (42:11) - How are FedEx and UPS working to protect themselves from Amazon? (42:57) - What do you look for in a building? (43:23) - How well-positioned is DFW from a logistics standpoint? (45:37) - Is physical location the most important factor in logistics? (46:32) - How are you receiving products? (47:05) - What’s the hardest part about the business? How do you tackle these issues? (48:42) - Are there technology opportunities in this space? (49:53) - Who are your competitors? (51:04) - Does Amazon still win? (51:44) - Does faster shipping change actually change anything on the shipping end? (53:19) - What value do you get out of Trends? (54:57) - What’s your plan with this company? (55:47) - Will you end up taking over the insurance side of this business? (56:39) - Cardboard Box Supply  (57:08) - What’s the worst day you’ve had in this business? (59:38) - Partnering with John McAfee (1:13:50) - How does 2017 feel vs. now when it comes to Bitcoin? (1:15:00) - How did you get into Crypto? (1:16:48) - Why do swaps exist? (1:18:02) - Whatever happened to John? (1:19:06) - Are we still early in Crypto? (1:19:34) - Chris’ Crypto Pyramid Scheme Story (1:23:03) - What’s something you think about a lot? (1:24:23) - Was there any experience you had as a child that shaped you? (1:26:30) - Raising Kids & Screen Time (1:30:17) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris Koerner is the Co-Founder and CEO of SendEats.com where they offer 3PL for Ecommerce so that companies can focus on building their brand.

On this episode, Chris starts with a great story about his mission to Hungary for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, his entrepreneurial journey starting and selling E-commerce businesses before starting SendEats at the beginning of the pandemic, and some of the ups and downs they've experienced in their year of operation. Finally, Chris tells an incredible story of partnering with the Crypto giant John McAfee, his passion for crypto, and some parenting stories. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Chris Koerner on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/serialtrep

(03:19) - Chris’ Background

(05:33) - Chris Mission for The Latter-Day Saints in Hungary

(09:22) - What is the goal of the Mission?

(10:39) - How did you know if you were doing a ‘good’ job on your mission?

7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

(13:51) - Were you good at handling rejection before the mission?

(14:11) - The Backstory of Starting Sendeats.com

(20:08) - What's something you missed at the beginning but you’re working on now?

(23:16) - When is someone big enough to outsource their e-commerce?

(23:43) - What does your 80-hour week look like?

(26:19) - Where does the risk lie in your business?

(27:09) - Do you need an insurance policy for each customer?

(27:49) - Partnering with Amazon, Shopify vs. Amazon

(33:04) - What has COVID done for E-commerce adoption?

(34:57) - How are you finding customers?

(35:13) - Is there a customer you won’t take?

(36:37) - How do you bill customers?

(37:21) - What’s the most difficult product you ship right now?

(42:11) - How are FedEx and UPS working to protect themselves from Amazon?

(42:57) - What do you look for in a building?

(43:23) - How well-positioned is DFW from a logistics standpoint?

(45:37) - Is physical location the most important factor in logistics?

(46:32) - How are you receiving products?

(47:05) - What’s the hardest part about the business? How do you tackle these issues?

(48:42) - Are there technology opportunities in this space?

(49:53) - Who are your competitors?

(51:04) - Does Amazon still win?

(51:44) - Does faster shipping change actually change anything on the shipping end?

(53:19) - What value do you get out of Trends?

(54:57) - What’s your plan with this company?

(55:47) - Will you end up taking over the insurance side of this business?

(56:39) - Cardboard Box Supply 

(57:08) - What’s the worst day you’ve had in this business?

(59:38) - Partnering with John McAfee

(1:13:50) - How does 2017 feel vs. now when it comes to Bitcoin?

(1:15:00) - How did you get into Crypto?

(1:16:48) - Why do swaps exist?

(1:18:02) - Whatever happened to John?

(1:19:06) - Are we still early in Crypto?

(1:19:34) - Chris’ Crypto Pyramid Scheme Story

(1:23:03) - What’s something you think about a lot?

(1:24:23) - Was there any experience you had as a child that shaped you?

(1:26:30) - Raising Kids & Screen Time

(1:30:17) - Wrap Up

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5541 no RE #133: Andrew Farah - Co-Founder / CEO of Density.io - Building Tech to Analyze How the Built World is Actually Used https://www.TheFortPod.com Andrew Farah is the CEO of Density, which helps reduce space waste and optimize a building’s occupancy with its combination of people sensors and people counting software. On this episode, Chris and Andrew talk about space utilization and how Density has built its mission around helping people make the most of their leased spaces. Andrew discusses how the company came about with his 5 other co-founders, what kind of data Density provides its users, thinking of the office as a product, and the future of office work as we leave the pandemic. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah (02:58) - Andrew’s Background and What Lead Him to Density.io (04:52) - The Dynamics of Having 6 Co-Founders (08:40) - When was the moment you all decided to turn this into a full-time business? (13:39) - What are the types of things that cities or building owners would want to know where this tech is applicable?  (16:55) - The Efficiency Problem of Real Estate (25:44) - What has Density built to tackle this massive problem? (27:33) - What types of data are you seeing on the dashboard? (30:18) - Do Landlords love you or hate you? (33:07) - How do you get to where you are using a space ‘better’ than it was designed? (35:25) - How long is the data relevant to the user? (37:47) - Using Data to Negotiate Leases (40:31) - Is anyone using this data in real-time or are we looking back on past data? (43:18) - What are some of the ways that businesses are poorly using space? (46:36) - What does 38% utilization vs. 100% mean? (48:25) - Thinking of the Office as a Product and Not a Static Thing (51:38) - What is the state of the office and have you heard what office will look like over the next couple of years? (57:34) - Is space utilization just as important for other asset classes? (1:00:12) - How can people get in touch with you or Density? www.Density.io Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah Andrew on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfarah/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 29 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 RE #133: Andrew Farah - Co-Founder / CEO of Density.io - Building Tech to Analyze How the Built World is Actually Used full 1 133 Chris Powers Andrew Farah is the CEO of , which helps reduce space waste and optimize a building’s occupancy with its combination of people sensors and people counting software. On this episode, Chris and Andrew talk about space utilization and how Density has... Andrew Farah is the CEO of Density, which helps reduce space waste and optimize a building’s occupancy with its combination of people sensors and people counting software. On this episode, Chris and Andrew talk about space utilization and how Density has built its mission around helping people make the most of their leased spaces. Andrew discusses how the company came about with his 5 other co-founders, what kind of data Density provides its users, thinking of the office as a product, and the future of office work as we leave the pandemic. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah (02:58) - Andrew’s Background and What Lead Him to Density.io (04:52) - The Dynamics of Having 6 Co-Founders (08:40) - When was the moment you all decided to turn this into a full-time business? (13:39) - What are the types of things that cities or building owners would want to know where this tech is applicable?  (16:55) - The Efficiency Problem of Real Estate (25:44) - What has Density built to tackle this massive problem? (27:33) - What types of data are you seeing on the dashboard? (30:18) - Do Landlords love you or hate you? (33:07) - How do you get to where you are using a space ‘better’ than it was designed? (35:25) - How long is the data relevant to the user? (37:47) - Using Data to Negotiate Leases (40:31) - Is anyone using this data in real-time or are we looking back on past data? (43:18) - What are some of the ways that businesses are poorly using space? (46:36) - What does 38% utilization vs. 100% mean? (48:25) - Thinking of the Office as a Product and Not a Static Thing (51:38) - What is the state of the office and have you heard what office will look like over the next couple of years? (57:34) - Is space utilization just as important for other asset classes? (1:00:12) - How can people get in touch with you or Density? www.Density.io Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah Andrew on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfarah/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Andrew Farah is the CEO of Density, which helps reduce space waste and optimize a building’s occupancy with its combination of people sensors and people counting software.

On this episode, Chris and Andrew talk about space utilization and how Density has built its mission around helping people make the most of their leased spaces. Andrew discusses how the company came about with his 5 other co-founders, what kind of data Density provides its users, thinking of the office as a product, and the future of office work as we leave the pandemic. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah

(02:58) - Andrew’s Background and What Lead Him to Density.io

(04:52) - The Dynamics of Having 6 Co-Founders

(08:40) - When was the moment you all decided to turn this into a full-time business?

(13:39) - What are the types of things that cities or building owners would want to know where this tech is applicable? 

(16:55) - The Efficiency Problem of Real Estate

(25:44) - What has Density built to tackle this massive problem?

(27:33) - What types of data are you seeing on the dashboard?

(30:18) - Do Landlords love you or hate you?

(33:07) - How do you get to where you are using a space ‘better’ than it was designed?

(35:25) - How long is the data relevant to the user?

(37:47) - Using Data to Negotiate Leases

(40:31) - Is anyone using this data in real-time or are we looking back on past data?

(43:18) - What are some of the ways that businesses are poorly using space?

(46:36) - What does 38% utilization vs. 100% mean?

(48:25) - Thinking of the Office as a Product and Not a Static Thing

(51:38) - What is the state of the office and have you heard what office will look like over the next couple of years?

(57:34) - Is space utilization just as important for other asset classes?

(1:00:12) - How can people get in touch with you or Density?

www.Density.io

Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah

Andrew on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfarah/

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3796 no #132: Lex Sisney - Business Scaling Wizard & Organizational Physics https://www.TheFortPod.com Lex Sisney is a business scaling expert and a wizard at organizational structure and design. He works with CEOs and leadership teams of expansion-stage companies who are committed to growing their business without compromising their values. On this episode, Chris and Lex discuss the work that Lex does with executives and teams to facilitate growth with an emphasis on maintaining their people and culture. Lex also dives deep into 'energy drains' in relationships, business leaders, and how to identify them in the moment before they deteriorate your business. Finally, Chris and Lex discuss why Fort Capital brought Lex in to help with their executive plans and problems companies run into when hiring executives. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Lex & Organizational Physics: www.Organizationalphysics.com Books by Lex Sisney: Organizational Physics How to Think About Hiring Ready for Enlightenment? (01:45) - What’s on your mind right now? (2:43) - Lex’s Background and What Lead Him to Starting Organizational Physics (08:48) - What are the usual characteristics of the companies you work with? (09:55) - How do you know all the management information out there isn’t right? (12:14) - Success = Integration/Entropy (17:07) - Pinpointing Energy Drains in Interpersonal Relationships and as Business Leaders (27:52) - What’s the methodology of re-arranging the playing field if you’re not changing people or culture? (37:42) - The 4 Quadrants  Do the right things to get customers Do things in the right way for customers Do the right thing for the company Keep the company out of harm (44:13) - How does a small business capitalize on Quadrant 4 when they may not have the people resources for it in HR? (46:36) - How do you know that you have the process that’s appropriate for your stage in the business life cycle How do you know when it's deteriorating? (51:26) - What’s more important to business growth: people or processes? (53:41) - What’s Important in a Leadership Team, How a Great Leadership Team is Run, and How to Run a Meeting (1:02:34) - Proposals 101 (1:05:41) - What falls into a Type 1 decision? (1:11:00) - Fort Capital’s Problem When They Brought in Lex and Problems Other Companies Face When Hiring Executives (1:16:36) - Why do you say Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison got it wrong? (1:17:20) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:17:56) - How can people find your business? www.organizationalphysics.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 26 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #132: Lex Sisney - Business Scaling Wizard & Organizational Physics full 1 132 Chris Powers Lex Sisney is a business scaling expert and a wizard at organizational structure and design. He works with CEOs and leadership teams of expansion-stage companies who are committed to growing their business without compromising their values. On this... Lex Sisney is a business scaling expert and a wizard at organizational structure and design. He works with CEOs and leadership teams of expansion-stage companies who are committed to growing their business without compromising their values. On this episode, Chris and Lex discuss the work that Lex does with executives and teams to facilitate growth with an emphasis on maintaining their people and culture. Lex also dives deep into 'energy drains' in relationships, business leaders, and how to identify them in the moment before they deteriorate your business. Finally, Chris and Lex discuss why Fort Capital brought Lex in to help with their executive plans and problems companies run into when hiring executives. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Lex & Organizational Physics: www.Organizationalphysics.com Books by Lex Sisney: Organizational Physics How to Think About Hiring Ready for Enlightenment? (01:45) - What’s on your mind right now? (2:43) - Lex’s Background and What Lead Him to Starting Organizational Physics (08:48) - What are the usual characteristics of the companies you work with? (09:55) - How do you know all the management information out there isn’t right? (12:14) - Success = Integration/Entropy (17:07) - Pinpointing Energy Drains in Interpersonal Relationships and as Business Leaders (27:52) - What’s the methodology of re-arranging the playing field if you’re not changing people or culture? (37:42) - The 4 Quadrants  Do the right things to get customers Do things in the right way for customers Do the right thing for the company Keep the company out of harm (44:13) - How does a small business capitalize on Quadrant 4 when they may not have the people resources for it in HR? (46:36) - How do you know that you have the process that’s appropriate for your stage in the business life cycle How do you know when it's deteriorating? (51:26) - What’s more important to business growth: people or processes? (53:41) - What’s Important in a Leadership Team, How a Great Leadership Team is Run, and How to Run a Meeting (1:02:34) - Proposals 101 (1:05:41) - What falls into a Type 1 decision? (1:11:00) - Fort Capital’s Problem When They Brought in Lex and Problems Other Companies Face When Hiring Executives (1:16:36) - Why do you say Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison got it wrong? (1:17:20) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:17:56) - How can people find your business? www.organizationalphysics.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Lex Sisney is a business scaling expert and a wizard at organizational structure and design. He works with CEOs and leadership teams of expansion-stage companies who are committed to growing their business without compromising their values.

On this episode, Chris and Lex discuss the work that Lex does with executives and teams to facilitate growth with an emphasis on maintaining their people and culture. Lex also dives deep into 'energy drains' in relationships, business leaders, and how to identify them in the moment before they deteriorate your business. Finally, Chris and Lex discuss why Fort Capital brought Lex in to help with their executive plans and problems companies run into when hiring executives. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Learn more about Lex & Organizational Physics: www.Organizationalphysics.com

Books by Lex Sisney:

Organizational Physics

How to Think About Hiring

Ready for Enlightenment?

(01:45) - What’s on your mind right now?

(2:43) - Lex’s Background and What Lead Him to Starting Organizational Physics

(08:48) - What are the usual characteristics of the companies you work with?

(09:55) - How do you know all the management information out there isn’t right?

(12:14) - Success = Integration/Entropy

(17:07) - Pinpointing Energy Drains in Interpersonal Relationships and as Business Leaders

(27:52) - What’s the methodology of re-arranging the playing field if you’re not changing people or culture?

(37:42) - The 4 Quadrants 

  • Do the right things to get customers
  • Do things in the right way for customers
  • Do the right thing for the company
  • Keep the company out of harm

(44:13) - How does a small business capitalize on Quadrant 4 when they may not have the people resources for it in HR?

(46:36) - How do you know that you have the process that’s appropriate for your stage in the business life cycle How do you know when it's deteriorating?

(51:26) - What’s more important to business growth: people or processes?

(53:41) - What’s Important in a Leadership Team, How a Great Leadership Team is Run, and How to Run a Meeting

(1:02:34) - Proposals 101

(1:05:41) - What falls into a Type 1 decision?

(1:11:00) - Fort Capital’s Problem When They Brought in Lex and Problems Other Companies Face When Hiring Executives

(1:16:36) - Why do you say Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison got it wrong?

(1:17:20) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t?

(1:17:56) - How can people find your business?

www.organizationalphysics.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4822 no #131: Kevin Dahlstrom - Disrupting the Banking Industry https://www.TheFortPod.com Kevin Dahlstrom is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Central Pacific Bank. Kevin is also an avid rock climber and Fintech thought leader.  On this episode, Kevin talks about his passion for rock climbing and the importance of having a multi-faceted life. Then, he and Chris discuss the world of banking and Fintech, the differences between them, and how the two can work together to improve the lives of consumers. They also touch on the crypto phenomenon, and Kevin tells a wild story of meeting Masa Son while pitching SoftBank in San Francisco. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Follow Kevin on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/camp4 (03:19) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (06:30) - How did you execute this plan of picking up your family and moving across the country? How did you get your wife on board? (09:05) - Kevin’s Passion for Rock Climbing (11:23) - What's it like having such great friends that don’t even know what you do for a living?  (13:24) - Being the “Real Estate Guy” (15:37) - Free Solo Rock Climbing and Alex Honnold (17:18) - Kevin’s Early Career in Fintech Elevate Net Promoter Score Central Pacific Bank (24:29) - Kevin’s Article: Your Margin is My Opportunity (28:33) - Why hasn’t there been any improvement in the banking world? Square CashApp (33:58) - What’s the difference between banks and Fintech? (36:13) - Could a Fintech company become a bank and vice versa? (37:51) - How would Wells Fargo defend their lack of innovation? (41:20) - Kevin’s Take on Cryptocurrency  (43:11) - What is the ultimate promise of Crypto? Andy Grove on Inflection Points  (46:04) - The Value of Twitter (47:58) - What do 25-50-year-old people wish they had in banking through your research? (50:33) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Manage Money (53:27) - Building a Social Network That Operates Like a Family Office (56:20) - Kevin’s 'Wild Deal Experience with SoftBank’ (1:03:04) - How do you think Masa treated Adam Newman of WeWork based on your experience with him? (1:05:33) - What’s one thing that you believe that most people around you don’t? (1:07:10) - What is your best advice to girl-dads? (1:08:36) - Do you have any book recommendations? Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes (1:10:30) - How can people engage with you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Camp4 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 22 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #131: Kevin Dahlstrom - Disrupting the Banking Industry full 1 131 Chris Powers Kevin Dahlstrom is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Central Pacific Bank. Kevin is also an avid rock climber and Fintech thought leader.  On this episode, Kevin talks about his passion for rock climbing and the... Kevin Dahlstrom is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Central Pacific Bank. Kevin is also an avid rock climber and Fintech thought leader.  On this episode, Kevin talks about his passion for rock climbing and the importance of having a multi-faceted life. Then, he and Chris discuss the world of banking and Fintech, the differences between them, and how the two can work together to improve the lives of consumers. They also touch on the crypto phenomenon, and Kevin tells a wild story of meeting Masa Son while pitching SoftBank in San Francisco. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Follow Kevin on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/camp4 (03:19) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (06:30) - How did you execute this plan of picking up your family and moving across the country? How did you get your wife on board? (09:05) - Kevin’s Passion for Rock Climbing (11:23) - What's it like having such great friends that don’t even know what you do for a living?  (13:24) - Being the “Real Estate Guy” (15:37) - Free Solo Rock Climbing and Alex Honnold (17:18) - Kevin’s Early Career in Fintech Elevate Net Promoter Score Central Pacific Bank (24:29) - Kevin’s Article: Your Margin is My Opportunity (28:33) - Why hasn’t there been any improvement in the banking world? Square CashApp (33:58) - What’s the difference between banks and Fintech? (36:13) - Could a Fintech company become a bank and vice versa? (37:51) - How would Wells Fargo defend their lack of innovation? (41:20) - Kevin’s Take on Cryptocurrency  (43:11) - What is the ultimate promise of Crypto? Andy Grove on Inflection Points  (46:04) - The Value of Twitter (47:58) - What do 25-50-year-old people wish they had in banking through your research? (50:33) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Manage Money (53:27) - Building a Social Network That Operates Like a Family Office (56:20) - Kevin’s 'Wild Deal Experience with SoftBank’ (1:03:04) - How do you think Masa treated Adam Newman of WeWork based on your experience with him? (1:05:33) - What’s one thing that you believe that most people around you don’t? (1:07:10) - What is your best advice to girl-dads? (1:08:36) - Do you have any book recommendations? Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes (1:10:30) - How can people engage with you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Camp4 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Kevin Dahlstrom is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Central Pacific Bank. Kevin is also an avid rock climber and Fintech thought leader. 

On this episode, Kevin talks about his passion for rock climbing and the importance of having a multi-faceted life. Then, he and Chris discuss the world of banking and Fintech, the differences between them, and how the two can work together to improve the lives of consumers. They also touch on the crypto phenomenon, and Kevin tells a wild story of meeting Masa Son while pitching SoftBank in San Francisco. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

 Follow Kevin on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/camp4

(03:19) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today

(06:30) - How did you execute this plan of picking up your family and moving across the country? How did you get your wife on board?

(09:05) - Kevin’s Passion for Rock Climbing

(11:23) - What's it like having such great friends that don’t even know what you do for a living? 

(13:24) - Being the “Real Estate Guy”

(15:37) - Free Solo Rock Climbing and Alex Honnold

(17:18) - Kevin’s Early Career in Fintech

Elevate

Net Promoter Score

Central Pacific Bank

(24:29) - Kevin’s Article: Your Margin is My Opportunity

(28:33) - Why hasn’t there been any improvement in the banking world?

Square

CashApp

(33:58) - What’s the difference between banks and Fintech?

(36:13) - Could a Fintech company become a bank and vice versa?

(37:51) - How would Wells Fargo defend their lack of innovation?

(41:20) - Kevin’s Take on Cryptocurrency 

(43:11) - What is the ultimate promise of Crypto?

Andy Grove on Inflection Points 

(46:04) - The Value of Twitter

(47:58) - What do 25-50-year-old people wish they had in banking through your research?

(50:33) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Manage Money

(53:27) - Building a Social Network That Operates Like a Family Office

(56:20) - Kevin’s 'Wild Deal Experience with SoftBank’

(1:03:04) - How do you think Masa treated Adam Newman of WeWork based on your experience with him?

(1:05:33) - What’s one thing that you believe that most people around you don’t?

(1:07:10) - What is your best advice to girl-dads?

(1:08:36) - Do you have any book recommendations?

Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes

(1:10:30) - How can people engage with you?

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Camp4

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4437 no RE #130: Scott O'Neill - From Broker to Owning $100M of Multi-Family https://www.TheFortPod.com Scott O’Neill is a Principal and Co-Founder of FSO Capital Partners. Scott O’Neill specializes in the acquisition, financing, syndication, and development of multifamily properties throughout Arizona. Since entering the Arizona market, Scott has been directly involved as a principal in the acquisition, development, or disposition of over $15,000,000 of multifamily assets. On this episode, Scott and Chris discuss his career in brokerage before pivoting into principal. Scott details his 100 cold calls per-day strategy to become successful right out of the gate as a broker, the founding of FSO Capital Partners, and his Ice Hockey Career. They also break down what the process of a multifamily deal looks like from acquisition to rehab and management. Scott also gives advice to brokers who are looking to move to the principal side of real estate. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Follow Scott on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 (02:12) - Scott’s Background (06:07) - How did your father’s experience in the ’08 crisis impact you? (08:41) - Scott’s Ice Hockey Career (10:23) - How did you become successful right out of the gate as a broker? (14:31) - Did you come up with this 100 per-day cold call strategy? (17:24) - How do you think the pitch has changed from 2010 to 2021 in a market that’s clearly much better? (19:12) - Is there a reason you were focused on small multi-family deals vs. “Elephant” deals? (20:25) - What’s an All-Inclusive Trust Deed? (21:16) - Carnivores, Omnivores & Herbivores (23:15) - Scott Rounding Out His Broker Journey (23:55) - Was there a deal in brokerage that you’ll never forget? (24:50) - Did you ever run into Moses Kagan? (25:46) - What is the usual ambition toward investing when it came to working with doctors and dentists? (29:20) - What does FSO Capital Partners do? (31:41) - What do you do and what do your partners do? (33:10) - How do you find most of your deals? (34:54) - What are you looking for to decide whether a deal is worth spending your time on? (36:55) - How do you create value for a deal? LIHTC - Low Income Housing Tax Credit (39:46) - The Seller Perspective  (40:36) - How do you get really comfortable with getting restrictions removed on a deed? (42:34) - Why wouldn’t the seller go through this process themselves? (43:39) - What are you doing with all the money you put into a property? (45:46) - How long is the rehab taking? (46:55) - How do you go about re-branding a property?  (47:48) - Utilizing Bridge Debts and Raising Rents  (49:54) - What was the interest rate on this deal and were there any covenants? (51:14) - When do you start engaging with agencies to get a re-finance loan and how long does it take to get the loan? (53:22) - How do you typically structure your deals? (54:22) - 3rd-Party vs. Self-Management (55:37) - How do you select management companies? (56:24) - How do you think about growth going forward  (57:34) - How are you set up to hold your 3rd-party property management partners accountable? (1:01:17) - What excites you about the Phoenix & Arizona market? (1:04:42) - What advice would you give to brokers who want to get in on the principal side? (1:05:49) - Book Recommendations Am I Being Too Subtle? - Sam Zell Principals - Ray Dalio Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki Gary Keller - Millionaire Real Estate Agent The One Thing - Gary Keller (1:06:27) - What’s the best way for people to find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 Email -  Scott@fsocap.com Phone - 310 365 4861 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 19 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 RE #130: Scott O'Neill - From Broker to Owning $100M of Multi-Family full 1 130 Chris Powers Scott O’Neill is a Principal and Co-Founder of FSO Capital Partners. Scott O’Neill specializes in the acquisition, financing, syndication, and development of multifamily properties throughout Arizona. Since entering the Arizona market, Scott... Scott O’Neill is a Principal and Co-Founder of FSO Capital Partners. Scott O’Neill specializes in the acquisition, financing, syndication, and development of multifamily properties throughout Arizona. Since entering the Arizona market, Scott has been directly involved as a principal in the acquisition, development, or disposition of over $15,000,000 of multifamily assets. On this episode, Scott and Chris discuss his career in brokerage before pivoting into principal. Scott details his 100 cold calls per-day strategy to become successful right out of the gate as a broker, the founding of FSO Capital Partners, and his Ice Hockey Career. They also break down what the process of a multifamily deal looks like from acquisition to rehab and management. Scott also gives advice to brokers who are looking to move to the principal side of real estate. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/  Follow Scott on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 (02:12) - Scott’s Background (06:07) - How did your father’s experience in the ’08 crisis impact you? (08:41) - Scott’s Ice Hockey Career (10:23) - How did you become successful right out of the gate as a broker? (14:31) - Did you come up with this 100 per-day cold call strategy? (17:24) - How do you think the pitch has changed from 2010 to 2021 in a market that’s clearly much better? (19:12) - Is there a reason you were focused on small multi-family deals vs. “Elephant” deals? (20:25) - What’s an All-Inclusive Trust Deed? (21:16) - Carnivores, Omnivores & Herbivores (23:15) - Scott Rounding Out His Broker Journey (23:55) - Was there a deal in brokerage that you’ll never forget? (24:50) - Did you ever run into Moses Kagan? (25:46) - What is the usual ambition toward investing when it came to working with doctors and dentists? (29:20) - What does FSO Capital Partners do? (31:41) - What do you do and what do your partners do? (33:10) - How do you find most of your deals? (34:54) - What are you looking for to decide whether a deal is worth spending your time on? (36:55) - How do you create value for a deal? LIHTC - Low Income Housing Tax Credit (39:46) - The Seller Perspective  (40:36) - How do you get really comfortable with getting restrictions removed on a deed? (42:34) - Why wouldn’t the seller go through this process themselves? (43:39) - What are you doing with all the money you put into a property? (45:46) - How long is the rehab taking? (46:55) - How do you go about re-branding a property?  (47:48) - Utilizing Bridge Debts and Raising Rents  (49:54) - What was the interest rate on this deal and were there any covenants? (51:14) - When do you start engaging with agencies to get a re-finance loan and how long does it take to get the loan? (53:22) - How do you typically structure your deals? (54:22) - 3rd-Party vs. Self-Management (55:37) - How do you select management companies? (56:24) - How do you think about growth going forward  (57:34) - How are you set up to hold your 3rd-party property management partners accountable? (1:01:17) - What excites you about the Phoenix & Arizona market? (1:04:42) - What advice would you give to brokers who want to get in on the principal side? (1:05:49) - Book Recommendations Am I Being Too Subtle? - Sam Zell Principals - Ray Dalio Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki Gary Keller - Millionaire Real Estate Agent The One Thing - Gary Keller (1:06:27) - What’s the best way for people to find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 Email -  Scott@fsocap.com Phone - 310 365 4861 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Scott O’Neill is a Principal and Co-Founder of FSO Capital Partners. Scott O’Neill specializes in the acquisition, financing, syndication, and development of multifamily properties throughout Arizona. Since entering the Arizona market, Scott has been directly involved as a principal in the acquisition, development, or disposition of over $15,000,000 of multifamily assets.

On this episode, Scott and Chris discuss his career in brokerage before pivoting into principal. Scott details his 100 cold calls per-day strategy to become successful right out of the gate as a broker, the founding of FSO Capital Partners, and his Ice Hockey Career. They also break down what the process of a multifamily deal looks like from acquisition to rehab and management. Scott also gives advice to brokers who are looking to move to the principal side of real estate. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

 Follow Scott on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21

(02:12) - Scott’s Background

(06:07) - How did your father’s experience in the ’08 crisis impact you?

(08:41) - Scott’s Ice Hockey Career

(10:23) - How did you become successful right out of the gate as a broker?

(14:31) - Did you come up with this 100 per-day cold call strategy?

(17:24) - How do you think the pitch has changed from 2010 to 2021 in a market that’s clearly much better?

(19:12) - Is there a reason you were focused on small multi-family deals vs. “Elephant” deals?

(20:25) - What’s an All-Inclusive Trust Deed?

(21:16) - Carnivores, Omnivores & Herbivores

(23:15) - Scott Rounding Out His Broker Journey

(23:55) - Was there a deal in brokerage that you’ll never forget?

(24:50) - Did you ever run into Moses Kagan?

(25:46) - What is the usual ambition toward investing when it came to working with doctors and dentists?

(29:20) - What does FSO Capital Partners do?

(31:41) - What do you do and what do your partners do?

(33:10) - How do you find most of your deals?

(34:54) - What are you looking for to decide whether a deal is worth spending your time on?

(36:55) - How do you create value for a deal?

LIHTC - Low Income Housing Tax Credit

(39:46) - The Seller Perspective 

(40:36) - How do you get really comfortable with getting restrictions removed on a deed?

(42:34) - Why wouldn’t the seller go through this process themselves?

(43:39) - What are you doing with all the money you put into a property?

(45:46) - How long is the rehab taking?

(46:55) - How do you go about re-branding a property? 

(47:48) - Utilizing Bridge Debts and Raising Rents 

(49:54) - What was the interest rate on this deal and were there any covenants?

(51:14) - When do you start engaging with agencies to get a re-finance loan and how long does it take to get the loan?

(53:22) - How do you typically structure your deals?

(54:22) - 3rd-Party vs. Self-Management

(55:37) - How do you select management companies?

(56:24) - How do you think about growth going forward 

(57:34) - How are you set up to hold your 3rd-party property management partners accountable?

(1:01:17) - What excites you about the Phoenix & Arizona market?

(1:04:42) - What advice would you give to brokers who want to get in on the principal side?

(1:05:49) - Book Recommendations

Am I Being Too Subtle? - Sam Zell

Principals - Ray Dalio

Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki

Gary Keller - Millionaire Real Estate Agent

The One Thing - Gary Keller

(1:06:27) - What’s the best way for people to find you?

Twitter - www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21

Email -  Scott@fsocap.com

Phone - 310 365 4861

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4213 no #129: Austin Rief - Co-Founder of Morning Brew https://www.TheFortPod.com Austin Rief is the Co-Founder & COO of Morning Brew, one of the largest business newsletters with over 2.5 million subscribers.  On this episode, Austin and Chris discuss the journey to founding Morning Brew, how they were able to rapidly acquire subscribers, the process of being acquired by Business Insider, and how they develop content for their readers. They also discuss the current state of decentralization, the future of news and media consumption, BitClout, Austin's rolling fund, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Austin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austin_rief (02:53) - Austin’s Background and What Led Him to Start Morning Brew (04:26) - What was it about Market Corner that caught your eye? (05:15) - What did you do to add value when you joined there? (06:01) - Was there a moment in time where you decided investment banking was not the route for you? (07:29) - When did you know that this had the potential to be a full-time business? (09:41) - What was your pitch to investors? (10:25) - How did you determine what content was important in the early days? Waitbutwhy.com  (12:49) - What did you do with your capital?  (14:40) - What was the most effective way to get subscribers for you and is it still the best way today? (18:15) - Do you have any data as to how much of each newsletter your subscribers consume on each edition? (19:32) - How have you thought about your sub-brews? (21:40) - How do you know the content is staying at the same quality as you get more removed from the daily writing? (23:07) - How do you hire great content writers? (24:03) - How does the relationship between you and Alex help drive the business today? (24:58) - How did the acquisition from Business Insider come about? (25:56) - How long did the deal take from start to finish? (26:35) - Was there ever a moment where you were mentally committed to selling the business and knew there was no going back?  (27:52) - Did the acquisition change anything about your operation strategy? (29:38) - Who were the hirers that were key in taking you to the next level? (33:02) - Are you fully remote or will you become office-centric as we come out of the pandemic? (38:30) - How do you think about delivering the truth and not just click-bait? (44:09) - Have you experienced people coming to MB from these legacy media companies? (44:57) - What’s your thesis on social capital transferring into financial capital? (49:05) - What do you think about the de-centralization of the world with things like crypto and BitClout? (51:45) - Do you think we’re headed toward government regulation as we see people like Elon being able to sway markets with a single tweet? (53:33) - Was the removal of Donald Trump from the Internet a pivotal moment in this new world of decentralization? (55:04) - What is the solution when you can’t actually get on the internet after being ‘removed’ at an AWS level? (57:36) - Has anyone ever tried to cancel MB for something that was written? (58:30) - How does your rolling fund work and how can people learn more about it? (1:01:03) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:02:22) - Is there something that’s weighing heavily on your mind that a lot of other people aren’t thinking about? (1:07:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Austin on Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 15 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #129: Austin Rief - Co-Founder of Morning Brew full 1 129 Chris Powers Austin Rief is the Co-Founder & COO of , one of the largest business newsletters with over 2.5 million subscribers.  On this episode, Austin and Chris discuss the journey to founding Morning Brew, how they were able to rapidly acquire... Austin Rief is the Co-Founder & COO of Morning Brew, one of the largest business newsletters with over 2.5 million subscribers.  On this episode, Austin and Chris discuss the journey to founding Morning Brew, how they were able to rapidly acquire subscribers, the process of being acquired by Business Insider, and how they develop content for their readers. They also discuss the current state of decentralization, the future of news and media consumption, BitClout, Austin's rolling fund, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Austin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austin_rief (02:53) - Austin’s Background and What Led Him to Start Morning Brew (04:26) - What was it about Market Corner that caught your eye? (05:15) - What did you do to add value when you joined there? (06:01) - Was there a moment in time where you decided investment banking was not the route for you? (07:29) - When did you know that this had the potential to be a full-time business? (09:41) - What was your pitch to investors? (10:25) - How did you determine what content was important in the early days? Waitbutwhy.com  (12:49) - What did you do with your capital?  (14:40) - What was the most effective way to get subscribers for you and is it still the best way today? (18:15) - Do you have any data as to how much of each newsletter your subscribers consume on each edition? (19:32) - How have you thought about your sub-brews? (21:40) - How do you know the content is staying at the same quality as you get more removed from the daily writing? (23:07) - How do you hire great content writers? (24:03) - How does the relationship between you and Alex help drive the business today? (24:58) - How did the acquisition from Business Insider come about? (25:56) - How long did the deal take from start to finish? (26:35) - Was there ever a moment where you were mentally committed to selling the business and knew there was no going back?  (27:52) - Did the acquisition change anything about your operation strategy? (29:38) - Who were the hirers that were key in taking you to the next level? (33:02) - Are you fully remote or will you become office-centric as we come out of the pandemic? (38:30) - How do you think about delivering the truth and not just click-bait? (44:09) - Have you experienced people coming to MB from these legacy media companies? (44:57) - What’s your thesis on social capital transferring into financial capital? (49:05) - What do you think about the de-centralization of the world with things like crypto and BitClout? (51:45) - Do you think we’re headed toward government regulation as we see people like Elon being able to sway markets with a single tweet? (53:33) - Was the removal of Donald Trump from the Internet a pivotal moment in this new world of decentralization? (55:04) - What is the solution when you can’t actually get on the internet after being ‘removed’ at an AWS level? (57:36) - Has anyone ever tried to cancel MB for something that was written? (58:30) - How does your rolling fund work and how can people learn more about it? (1:01:03) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:02:22) - Is there something that’s weighing heavily on your mind that a lot of other people aren’t thinking about? (1:07:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Austin on Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Austin Rief is the Co-Founder & COO of Morning Brew, one of the largest business newsletters with over 2.5 million subscribers. 

On this episode, Austin and Chris discuss the journey to founding Morning Brew, how they were able to rapidly acquire subscribers, the process of being acquired by Business Insider, and how they develop content for their readers. They also discuss the current state of decentralization, the future of news and media consumption, BitClout, Austin's rolling fund, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Austin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austin_rief

(02:53) - Austin’s Background and What Led Him to Start Morning Brew

(04:26) - What was it about Market Corner that caught your eye?

(05:15) - What did you do to add value when you joined there?

(06:01) - Was there a moment in time where you decided investment banking was not the route for you?

(07:29) - When did you know that this had the potential to be a full-time business?

(09:41) - What was your pitch to investors?

(10:25) - How did you determine what content was important in the early days?

Waitbutwhy.com 

(12:49) - What did you do with your capital? 

(14:40) - What was the most effective way to get subscribers for you and is it still the best way today?

(18:15) - Do you have any data as to how much of each newsletter your subscribers consume on each edition?

(19:32) - How have you thought about your sub-brews?

(21:40) - How do you know the content is staying at the same quality as you get more removed from the daily writing?

(23:07) - How do you hire great content writers?

(24:03) - How does the relationship between you and Alex help drive the business today?

(24:58) - How did the acquisition from Business Insider come about?

(25:56) - How long did the deal take from start to finish?

(26:35) - Was there ever a moment where you were mentally committed to selling the business and knew there was no going back? 

(27:52) - Did the acquisition change anything about your operation strategy?

(29:38) - Who were the hirers that were key in taking you to the next level?

(33:02) - Are you fully remote or will you become office-centric as we come out of the pandemic?

(38:30) - How do you think about delivering the truth and not just click-bait?

(44:09) - Have you experienced people coming to MB from these legacy media companies?

(44:57) - What’s your thesis on social capital transferring into financial capital?

(49:05) - What do you think about the de-centralization of the world with things like crypto and BitClout?

(51:45) - Do you think we’re headed toward government regulation as we see people like Elon being able to sway markets with a single tweet?

(53:33) - Was the removal of Donald Trump from the Internet a pivotal moment in this new world of decentralization?

(55:04) - What is the solution when you can’t actually get on the internet after being ‘removed’ at an AWS level?

(57:36) - Has anyone ever tried to cancel MB for something that was written?

(58:30) - How does your rolling fund work and how can people learn more about it?

(1:01:03) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today?

(1:02:22) - Is there something that’s weighing heavily on your mind that a lot of other people aren’t thinking about?

(1:07:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you?

Austin on Twitter

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4219 no RE #128: @SomeHotelGuy - Hotel Industry State of the Market https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Some Hotel Guy" (www.Twitter.com/SomeHotelGuy) about the hotel industry. SHG details the nuances of owning & operating both independent and branded hotels, the process of working with "The Big 4" Hoteliers, how the industry was affected by COVID-19, and how he sees the industry moving forward. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (03:04) - What’s your position within the industry? (04:00) - Do you operate under one or multiple brands? (04:49) - What types of hotels are you involved in? (05:47) - Describe Upper Mid-Scale, Upscale and Upper-Upscale Hotels (07:26) - Do you have to get approved as an owner/operator to be associated with one of these brands? (09:26) - Is there ever conflict within owners working under multiple brands? (10:22) - Scenario: I’ve never owned a hotel, but I own a great piece of land for a hotel and I approach Marriott: How does that conversation go? (11:53) - How does the payment structure work as an owner? (13:45) - Do the “Big 4” have a true monopoly over the resources available to hotel owners such as booking software? (17:15) - What’s the difference between an independent hotel and brand affiliated? (17:49) - In an independent scenario, is the owner often the operator? (18:31) - Who’s bearing the risk in a situation of an owner franchising a hotel and hiring an operator? (48:35) - What’s going on at hotels that aren’t open? (51:26) - What’s the state of capital markets? (53:49) - Are you having to underwrite differently now? Twitter Questions (54:57) - What does the hotel industry think about Airbnb and its place in the industry? (57:10) - Is Airbnb going to get into the hotel industry? (59:11) - What are your thoughts on the Kayak hotel opening? (1:00:21) - If you had $100m, what would you go do in the industry? (1:01:53) - Do you see the check-in experience changing? (1:03:02) - Is there any technology that interests you right now? (1:04:42) - What amenities matter in hotels or things on the horizon people want? (1:06:35) - Room Service vs. Uber Eats/DoorDash (1:08:41) - “If I own a 1960’s hotel in Trenton, NJ that is primarily longer stays for low-income folks: Do I sell now and cash out before it’s too late? Or, how long do people with roach motels have before it’s an obsolete asset?” (1:10:17) - What are some common mistakes independent operators make pre-opening? (1:11:57) - What are some common mistakes inexperienced operators make? (1:14:17) - Is there still room for independent boutique hotels in the industry? (1:15:06) - SomeHotelGuy’s Fear of Heights The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 12 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 RE #128: @SomeHotelGuy - Hotel Industry State of the Market full 1 128 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Some Hotel Guy" () about the hotel industry. SHG details the nuances of owning & operating both independent and branded hotels, the process of working with "The Big 4" Hoteliers, how the industry... On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Some Hotel Guy" (www.Twitter.com/SomeHotelGuy) about the hotel industry. SHG details the nuances of owning & operating both independent and branded hotels, the process of working with "The Big 4" Hoteliers, how the industry was affected by COVID-19, and how he sees the industry moving forward. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (03:04) - What’s your position within the industry? (04:00) - Do you operate under one or multiple brands? (04:49) - What types of hotels are you involved in? (05:47) - Describe Upper Mid-Scale, Upscale and Upper-Upscale Hotels (07:26) - Do you have to get approved as an owner/operator to be associated with one of these brands? (09:26) - Is there ever conflict within owners working under multiple brands? (10:22) - Scenario: I’ve never owned a hotel, but I own a great piece of land for a hotel and I approach Marriott: How does that conversation go? (11:53) - How does the payment structure work as an owner? (13:45) - Do the “Big 4” have a true monopoly over the resources available to hotel owners such as booking software? (17:15) - What’s the difference between an independent hotel and brand affiliated? (17:49) - In an independent scenario, is the owner often the operator? (18:31) - Who’s bearing the risk in a situation of an owner franchising a hotel and hiring an operator? (48:35) - What’s going on at hotels that aren’t open? (51:26) - What’s the state of capital markets? (53:49) - Are you having to underwrite differently now? Twitter Questions (54:57) - What does the hotel industry think about Airbnb and its place in the industry? (57:10) - Is Airbnb going to get into the hotel industry? (59:11) - What are your thoughts on the Kayak hotel opening? (1:00:21) - If you had $100m, what would you go do in the industry? (1:01:53) - Do you see the check-in experience changing? (1:03:02) - Is there any technology that interests you right now? (1:04:42) - What amenities matter in hotels or things on the horizon people want? (1:06:35) - Room Service vs. Uber Eats/DoorDash (1:08:41) - “If I own a 1960’s hotel in Trenton, NJ that is primarily longer stays for low-income folks: Do I sell now and cash out before it’s too late? Or, how long do people with roach motels have before it’s an obsolete asset?” (1:10:17) - What are some common mistakes independent operators make pre-opening? (1:11:57) - What are some common mistakes inexperienced operators make? (1:14:17) - Is there still room for independent boutique hotels in the industry? (1:15:06) - SomeHotelGuy’s Fear of Heights The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Some Hotel Guy" (www.Twitter.com/SomeHotelGuy) about the hotel industry. SHG details the nuances of owning & operating both independent and branded hotels, the process of working with "The Big 4" Hoteliers, how the industry was affected by COVID-19, and how he sees the industry moving forward. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

(03:04) - What’s your position within the industry?

(04:00) - Do you operate under one or multiple brands?

(04:49) - What types of hotels are you involved in?

(05:47) - Describe Upper Mid-Scale, Upscale and Upper-Upscale Hotels

(07:26) - Do you have to get approved as an owner/operator to be associated with one of these brands?

(09:26) - Is there ever conflict within owners working under multiple brands?

(10:22) - Scenario: I’ve never owned a hotel, but I own a great piece of land for a hotel and I approach Marriott: How does that conversation go?

(11:53) - How does the payment structure work as an owner?

(13:45) - Do the “Big 4” have a true monopoly over the resources available to hotel owners such as booking software?

(17:15) - What’s the difference between an independent hotel and brand affiliated?

(17:49) - In an independent scenario, is the owner often the operator?

(18:31) - Who’s bearing the risk in a situation of an owner franchising a hotel and hiring an operator?

(48:35) - What’s going on at hotels that aren’t open?

(51:26) - What’s the state of capital markets?

(53:49) - Are you having to underwrite differently now?

Twitter Questions

(54:57) - What does the hotel industry think about Airbnb and its place in the industry?

(57:10) - Is Airbnb going to get into the hotel industry?

(59:11) - What are your thoughts on the Kayak hotel opening?

(1:00:21) - If you had $100m, what would you go do in the industry?

(1:01:53) - Do you see the check-in experience changing?

(1:03:02) - Is there any technology that interests you right now?

(1:04:42) - What amenities matter in hotels or things on the horizon people want?

(1:06:35) - Room Service vs. Uber Eats/DoorDash

(1:08:41) - “If I own a 1960’s hotel in Trenton, NJ that is primarily longer stays for low-income folks: Do I sell now and cash out before it’s too late? Or, how long do people with roach motels have before it’s an obsolete asset?”

(1:10:17) - What are some common mistakes independent operators make pre-opening?

(1:11:57) - What are some common mistakes inexperienced operators make?

(1:14:17) - Is there still room for independent boutique hotels in the industry?

(1:15:06) - SomeHotelGuy’s Fear of Heights

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4910 no #127: Rich Jordan - A Masterclass in Buying, Leading, & Operating a SMB Service Business https://www.TheFortPod.com Rich Jordan is the Owner of Strongpoint Management Group and is a Marine Corps veteran. Strongpoint owns and operates real estate assets and buys small businesses to scale. This episode highlights Garon T Plumbing, an SMB in the Northeast that Rich has grown substantially over the past year. On this episode, Rich discusses his experience in the Marines and doing his first real estate deal before diving deep into his acquisition of Garon T Plumbing. Rich and Chris talk about the most nuanced parts of Rich's journey, including the buying experience, dealing with sellers and brokers, meeting his new team for the first time, implementing incentive programs for his employees, and the decisions made to radically grow the business. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Rich on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/StrongPointRich Check out Strongpoint Management: www.RealStrongPoint.com (02:53) - Rich’s Background in the Marine Corps and What Led Him to His Current Position (08:49) - Did you always want to be a Marine? (10:59) - How many Marines do we have in the Middle East? (11:23) - What did you do with your first RE deal to make it double in value? (15:30) - What was it like being married for several years but living long distance? (17:30) - Was it always the plan to buy a small business? (20:15) - How did you source this deal and how many deals were you looking at? (32:35) - Was there anything you needed to prove to the broker before they got serious with finding you deals? (33:22) - What deal terms mattered to the seller in the LOI that was surprising? (35:12) - How long was it from LOI to closing? (35:50) - What mattered to you during Due Diligence to get you comfortable with the deal? (37:58) - How long does it take to get an SBA loan approved? (39:27) - What was the agreement with the seller in terms of them staying on after the sale? (41:47) - What was their motivation for selling? (42:58) - Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done during due diligence? Gusto Payroll Processing (48:15) - What was the conversation like meeting your employees as the new owner? (51:50) - What was the team’s reaction to the sale? (59:12) - How did you start making your impact on the business?  (1:04:16) - How did you go through the exercise for setting fixed price changes? (1:07:24) - Have you implemented any incentives for employees? Service Titan (1:19:13) - What’s your ultimate goal for this business? (1:23:57) - Is this unique to your area or is this something that can be done everywhere? (1:27:22) - How do we get more people into the blue-collar industry and make it sexy again? (1:33:00) -  What did the Marines teach you that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else? (1:35:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:37:31) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/strongpointrich The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 08 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #127: Rich Jordan - A Masterclass in Buying, Leading, & Operating a SMB Service Business full 1 127 Chris Powers Rich Jordan is the Owner of Strongpoint Management Group and is a Marine Corps veteran. Strongpoint owns and operates real estate assets and buys small businesses to scale. This episode highlights Garon T Plumbing, an SMB in the Northeast that Rich... Rich Jordan is the Owner of Strongpoint Management Group and is a Marine Corps veteran. Strongpoint owns and operates real estate assets and buys small businesses to scale. This episode highlights Garon T Plumbing, an SMB in the Northeast that Rich has grown substantially over the past year. On this episode, Rich discusses his experience in the Marines and doing his first real estate deal before diving deep into his acquisition of Garon T Plumbing. Rich and Chris talk about the most nuanced parts of Rich's journey, including the buying experience, dealing with sellers and brokers, meeting his new team for the first time, implementing incentive programs for his employees, and the decisions made to radically grow the business. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Rich on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/StrongPointRich Check out Strongpoint Management: www.RealStrongPoint.com (02:53) - Rich’s Background in the Marine Corps and What Led Him to His Current Position (08:49) - Did you always want to be a Marine? (10:59) - How many Marines do we have in the Middle East? (11:23) - What did you do with your first RE deal to make it double in value? (15:30) - What was it like being married for several years but living long distance? (17:30) - Was it always the plan to buy a small business? (20:15) - How did you source this deal and how many deals were you looking at? (32:35) - Was there anything you needed to prove to the broker before they got serious with finding you deals? (33:22) - What deal terms mattered to the seller in the LOI that was surprising? (35:12) - How long was it from LOI to closing? (35:50) - What mattered to you during Due Diligence to get you comfortable with the deal? (37:58) - How long does it take to get an SBA loan approved? (39:27) - What was the agreement with the seller in terms of them staying on after the sale? (41:47) - What was their motivation for selling? (42:58) - Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done during due diligence? Gusto Payroll Processing (48:15) - What was the conversation like meeting your employees as the new owner? (51:50) - What was the team’s reaction to the sale? (59:12) - How did you start making your impact on the business?  (1:04:16) - How did you go through the exercise for setting fixed price changes? (1:07:24) - Have you implemented any incentives for employees? Service Titan (1:19:13) - What’s your ultimate goal for this business? (1:23:57) - Is this unique to your area or is this something that can be done everywhere? (1:27:22) - How do we get more people into the blue-collar industry and make it sexy again? (1:33:00) -  What did the Marines teach you that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else? (1:35:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:37:31) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/strongpointrich The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Rich Jordan is the Owner of Strongpoint Management Group and is a Marine Corps veteran. Strongpoint owns and operates real estate assets and buys small businesses to scale. This episode highlights Garon T Plumbing, an SMB in the Northeast that Rich has grown substantially over the past year.

On this episode, Rich discusses his experience in the Marines and doing his first real estate deal before diving deep into his acquisition of Garon T Plumbing. Rich and Chris talk about the most nuanced parts of Rich's journey, including the buying experience, dealing with sellers and brokers, meeting his new team for the first time, implementing incentive programs for his employees, and the decisions made to radically grow the business. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Rich on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/StrongPointRich

Check out Strongpoint Management: www.RealStrongPoint.com

(02:53) - Rich’s Background in the Marine Corps and What Led Him to His Current Position

(08:49) - Did you always want to be a Marine?

(10:59) - How many Marines do we have in the Middle East?

(11:23) - What did you do with your first RE deal to make it double in value?

(15:30) - What was it like being married for several years but living long distance?

(17:30) - Was it always the plan to buy a small business?

(20:15) - How did you source this deal and how many deals were you looking at?

(32:35) - Was there anything you needed to prove to the broker before they got serious with finding you deals?

(33:22) - What deal terms mattered to the seller in the LOI that was surprising?

(35:12) - How long was it from LOI to closing?

(35:50) - What mattered to you during Due Diligence to get you comfortable with the deal?

(37:58) - How long does it take to get an SBA loan approved?

(39:27) - What was the agreement with the seller in terms of them staying on after the sale?

(41:47) - What was their motivation for selling?

(42:58) - Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done during due diligence?

Gusto Payroll Processing

(48:15) - What was the conversation like meeting your employees as the new owner?

(51:50) - What was the team’s reaction to the sale?

(59:12) - How did you start making your impact on the business? 

(1:04:16) - How did you go through the exercise for setting fixed price changes?

(1:07:24) - Have you implemented any incentives for employees?

Service Titan

(1:19:13) - What’s your ultimate goal for this business?

(1:23:57) - Is this unique to your area or is this something that can be done everywhere?

(1:27:22) - How do we get more people into the blue-collar industry and make it sexy again?

(1:33:00) -  What did the Marines teach you that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else?

(1:35:54) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:37:31) - How can people reach you?

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/strongpointrich

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 6055 no #126: Dan Go - Transforming Your Business & Life Through a Focus on Fitness https://www.TheFortPod.com Dan Go is the CEO of High Performance Founder, which aims to get high-achieving entrepreneurs into their ideal body with minimal stress. On this episode, Dan discusses his journey into the world of fitness, diets that work, myths about diets, how the average person can determine what will be best for their health journey, the negatives of having too much body fat, and some great recommendations for maximizing your workouts and sleep. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Dan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FitFounder (02:03) - What lead you to create High Performance Founder? (07:16) - Why do you think you got ‘hooked’ on fitness and stuck with it? Why don’t most people stick with it? (10:12) - What matters most in fitness? (13:33) - Simple vs. Easy (16:27) - What are ‘real’ foods? What’s your philosophy on diet? (22:38) - How does the average person learn about what their body requires as far as food? Macro Calculator  Dexa Scan Fat Free Index If It Fits Your Macros (28:09) - What are some of the biggest misconceptions you see about health? (34:18) - What does fat do to your body and how does that affect your ability to work? (40:15) - What’s the ideal amount of body fat for a person? (41:43) - Is having excessive fat genetic? (44:58) - What does alcohol do to the body? (49:18) - How long does it take to recover from a night of excessive drinking? (50:59) - When is the best time for someone to get their workout in? (53:12) - Is there anything you recommend people do before bed that’s helpful for the body? Blue Light Blockers Chamomile Tea 1 Hour Before Bed Read a Fiction Book Eat Last Meal 3+ Hours Before Bed No Alcohol 3-4 hours Before Bed (58:21) - Going to Masterminds and Seeing Entrepreneurs That are Obese (1:01:30) - How do you know that you’re in a great spot with health and not constantly in a struggle of getting ‘there’? (1:05:05) - What’s your take on the state of the fitness industry? What does the future of fitness look like post-COVID? (1:08:04) - Is there a book you recommend for people? The Leangains Method - Martin Berkhan (1:09:20) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? “If you wanna change your mood: move your body.” (1:10:30) - How can people reach you? www.Twitter.com/FitFounder www.highperformancefounder.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 05 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #126: Dan Go - Transforming Your Business & Life Through a Focus on Fitness full 1 126 Chris Powers Dan Go is the CEO of , which aims to get high-achieving entrepreneurs into their ideal body with minimal stress. On this episode, Dan discusses his journey into the world of fitness, diets that work, myths about diets, how the average person can... Dan Go is the CEO of High Performance Founder, which aims to get high-achieving entrepreneurs into their ideal body with minimal stress. On this episode, Dan discusses his journey into the world of fitness, diets that work, myths about diets, how the average person can determine what will be best for their health journey, the negatives of having too much body fat, and some great recommendations for maximizing your workouts and sleep. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Dan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FitFounder (02:03) - What lead you to create High Performance Founder? (07:16) - Why do you think you got ‘hooked’ on fitness and stuck with it? Why don’t most people stick with it? (10:12) - What matters most in fitness? (13:33) - Simple vs. Easy (16:27) - What are ‘real’ foods? What’s your philosophy on diet? (22:38) - How does the average person learn about what their body requires as far as food? Macro Calculator  Dexa Scan Fat Free Index If It Fits Your Macros (28:09) - What are some of the biggest misconceptions you see about health? (34:18) - What does fat do to your body and how does that affect your ability to work? (40:15) - What’s the ideal amount of body fat for a person? (41:43) - Is having excessive fat genetic? (44:58) - What does alcohol do to the body? (49:18) - How long does it take to recover from a night of excessive drinking? (50:59) - When is the best time for someone to get their workout in? (53:12) - Is there anything you recommend people do before bed that’s helpful for the body? Blue Light Blockers Chamomile Tea 1 Hour Before Bed Read a Fiction Book Eat Last Meal 3+ Hours Before Bed No Alcohol 3-4 hours Before Bed (58:21) - Going to Masterminds and Seeing Entrepreneurs That are Obese (1:01:30) - How do you know that you’re in a great spot with health and not constantly in a struggle of getting ‘there’? (1:05:05) - What’s your take on the state of the fitness industry? What does the future of fitness look like post-COVID? (1:08:04) - Is there a book you recommend for people? The Leangains Method - Martin Berkhan (1:09:20) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? “If you wanna change your mood: move your body.” (1:10:30) - How can people reach you? www.Twitter.com/FitFounder www.highperformancefounder.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Dan Go is the CEO of High Performance Founder, which aims to get high-achieving entrepreneurs into their ideal body with minimal stress.

On this episode, Dan discusses his journey into the world of fitness, diets that work, myths about diets, how the average person can determine what will be best for their health journey, the negatives of having too much body fat, and some great recommendations for maximizing your workouts and sleep. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Dan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FitFounder

(02:03) - What lead you to create High Performance Founder?

(07:16) - Why do you think you got ‘hooked’ on fitness and stuck with it? Why don’t most people stick with it?

(10:12) - What matters most in fitness?

(13:33) - Simple vs. Easy

(16:27) - What are ‘real’ foods? What’s your philosophy on diet?

(22:38) - How does the average person learn about what their body requires as far as food?

Macro Calculator 

Dexa Scan

Fat Free Index

If It Fits Your Macros

(28:09) - What are some of the biggest misconceptions you see about health?

(34:18) - What does fat do to your body and how does that affect your ability to work?

(40:15) - What’s the ideal amount of body fat for a person?

(41:43) - Is having excessive fat genetic?

(44:58) - What does alcohol do to the body?

(49:18) - How long does it take to recover from a night of excessive drinking?

(50:59) - When is the best time for someone to get their workout in?

(53:12) - Is there anything you recommend people do before bed that’s helpful for the body?

  • Blue Light Blockers
  • Chamomile Tea 1 Hour Before Bed
  • Read a Fiction Book
  • Eat Last Meal 3+ Hours Before Bed
  • No Alcohol 3-4 hours Before Bed

(58:21) - Going to Masterminds and Seeing Entrepreneurs That are Obese

(1:01:30) - How do you know that you’re in a great spot with health and not constantly in a struggle of getting ‘there’?

(1:05:05) - What’s your take on the state of the fitness industry? What does the future of fitness look like post-COVID?

(1:08:04) - Is there a book you recommend for people?

The Leangains Method - Martin Berkhan

(1:09:20) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

“If you wanna change your mood: move your body.”

(1:10:30) - How can people reach you?

www.Twitter.com/FitFounder

www.highperformancefounder.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4394 no #125: Michael Barlow - Founder & CEO of Fernish https://www.TheFortPod.com Michael Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Fernish, a furniture rental service that will deliver, assemble and arrange your home or apartment.  On this episode, Michael discusses his journey to founding Fernish, the details of how the service works, his experience hiring, and working with former Amazon standouts. They also discuss the importance of customer obsession, COVID, raising VC money, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/mleebarlow (02:00) - Michaels Background and The Idea for Fernish (06:12) - What happened from having the idea to putting it into action? (10:43) - Who are your customers? (12:45) - How does the contract work with customers? (15:19) - What’s your relationship like with the multi-family owners and what’s the incentive for them? (17:34) - How do you conduct the design consultation? (18:11) - How much is the average person saving on renting furniture vs. buying their own? (20:19) - Are most people needing fully furnished places or just certain pieces? (21:47) - How are they choosing pieces? (22:32) - What did COVID teach you about your business model? (24:05) - How much furniture do Americans buy each year? (25:51) - The Recycling Aspect of the Business and Determining What’s Reusable (28:24) - What are the most common items people rent? (29:31) - How do you think about growth & entering new markets? (31:32) - How have Amazon-ians impacted your business? (35:44) - What does "customer obsession" mean? (38:36) - What are some interesting data points you’ve learned from the customer? (41:03) - How do you handle things that you don’t wanna hear? (42:49) - Is there anything interesting you’ve learned from Jeff Wilke? (45:26) - Raising Capital (46:28) - What do your best VCs do for you? (48:46) - How does the communication dynamic work with VCs? (49:29) - What do you hope to achieve over the next few years? (52:27) - What do local logistics mean for the company? (55:34) - How do you think about the capital intensiveness of buying all this furniture for people? (57:26) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (59:52) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:00:45) - Is there a book that’s had a big impact on you? Against the Gods - Peter Bernstein (1:02:56) - How can people reach you?  www.Fernish.com Email: michael@fernish.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 01 Apr 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #125: Michael Barlow - Founder & CEO of Fernish full 1 125 Chris Powers Michael Barlow is the Founder and CEO of , a furniture rental service that will deliver, assemble and arrange your home or apartment.  On this episode, Michael discusses his journey to founding Fernish, the details of how the service works, his... Michael Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Fernish, a furniture rental service that will deliver, assemble and arrange your home or apartment.  On this episode, Michael discusses his journey to founding Fernish, the details of how the service works, his experience hiring, and working with former Amazon standouts. They also discuss the importance of customer obsession, COVID, raising VC money, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/mleebarlow (02:00) - Michaels Background and The Idea for Fernish (06:12) - What happened from having the idea to putting it into action? (10:43) - Who are your customers? (12:45) - How does the contract work with customers? (15:19) - What’s your relationship like with the multi-family owners and what’s the incentive for them? (17:34) - How do you conduct the design consultation? (18:11) - How much is the average person saving on renting furniture vs. buying their own? (20:19) - Are most people needing fully furnished places or just certain pieces? (21:47) - How are they choosing pieces? (22:32) - What did COVID teach you about your business model? (24:05) - How much furniture do Americans buy each year? (25:51) - The Recycling Aspect of the Business and Determining What’s Reusable (28:24) - What are the most common items people rent? (29:31) - How do you think about growth & entering new markets? (31:32) - How have Amazon-ians impacted your business? (35:44) - What does "customer obsession" mean? (38:36) - What are some interesting data points you’ve learned from the customer? (41:03) - How do you handle things that you don’t wanna hear? (42:49) - Is there anything interesting you’ve learned from Jeff Wilke? (45:26) - Raising Capital (46:28) - What do your best VCs do for you? (48:46) - How does the communication dynamic work with VCs? (49:29) - What do you hope to achieve over the next few years? (52:27) - What do local logistics mean for the company? (55:34) - How do you think about the capital intensiveness of buying all this furniture for people? (57:26) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (59:52) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:00:45) - Is there a book that’s had a big impact on you? Against the Gods - Peter Bernstein (1:02:56) - How can people reach you?  www.Fernish.com Email: michael@fernish.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts Michael Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Fernish, a furniture rental service that will deliver, assemble and arrange your home or apartment. 

On this episode, Michael discusses his journey to founding Fernish, the details of how the service works, his experience hiring, and working with former Amazon standouts. They also discuss the importance of customer obsession, COVID, raising VC money, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/mleebarlow

(02:00) - Michaels Background and The Idea for Fernish

(06:12) - What happened from having the idea to putting it into action?

(10:43) - Who are your customers?

(12:45) - How does the contract work with customers?

(15:19) - What’s your relationship like with the multi-family owners and what’s the incentive for them?

(17:34) - How do you conduct the design consultation?

(18:11) - How much is the average person saving on renting furniture vs. buying their own?

(20:19) - Are most people needing fully furnished places or just certain pieces?

(21:47) - How are they choosing pieces?

(22:32) - What did COVID teach you about your business model?

(24:05) - How much furniture do Americans buy each year?

(25:51) - The Recycling Aspect of the Business and Determining What’s Reusable

(28:24) - What are the most common items people rent?

(29:31) - How do you think about growth & entering new markets?

(31:32) - How have Amazon-ians impacted your business?

(35:44) - What does "customer obsession" mean?

(38:36) - What are some interesting data points you’ve learned from the customer?

(41:03) - How do you handle things that you don’t wanna hear?

(42:49) - Is there anything interesting you’ve learned from Jeff Wilke?

(45:26) - Raising Capital

(46:28) - What do your best VCs do for you?

(48:46) - How does the communication dynamic work with VCs?

(49:29) - What do you hope to achieve over the next few years?

(52:27) - What do local logistics mean for the company?

(55:34) - How do you think about the capital intensiveness of buying all this furniture for people?

(57:26) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life?

(59:52) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:00:45) - Is there a book that’s had a big impact on you?

Against the Gods - Peter Bernstein

(1:02:56) - How can people reach you? 

www.Fernish.com

Email: michael@fernish.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3956 no RE #124 BONUS: Nick Huber Interviews Chris Powers - The Real Estate Entrepreneur's Journey https://www.TheFortPod.com This special Bonus episode is a livestream Chris did with Nick Huber (www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup) on March 22nd, 2021. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital Mon, 29 Mar 2021 08:01:00 -0000 RE #124 BONUS: Nick Huber Interviews Chris Powers - The Real Estate Entrepreneur's Journey bonus 1 125 Chris Powers This special Bonus episode is a livestream Chris did with Nick Huber () on March 22nd, 2021. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: Follow Chris on LinkedIn: Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: This special Bonus episode is a livestream Chris did with Nick Huber (www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup) on March 22nd, 2021. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital This special Bonus episode is a livestream Chris did with Nick Huber (www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup) on March 22nd, 2021. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

]]> 5948 no #123: Stinson Dean - 'Lumber Industry 101' https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Stinson Dean (www.Twitter.com/LumberTrading), the Founder of Deacon Lumber, joins Chris to provide a deep dive into the Lumber industry. Stinson explains his role as a Lumber trader, why most homes in the US are built from Canadian Lumber, the tariff issues between the US and Canada, the Lumber supply chain, and why we are seeing the highest prices ever recorded. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:40) - Stinson’s Journey Into Lumber and What He’s Doing Today Deacon Lumber (08:18) - Why are futures under-utilized? (11:44) - How many people are doing what you do in lumber? (12:39) - Why do a lot of people not participate in lumber as opposed to other commodities? (14:43) - Are there government subsidies for lumber? (16:48) - What’s the shelf life of lumber? The Business Model for Lumber (18:11) - Who are you buying from and where are you storing it? West Fraser Saw Mill (22:34) - Where does your business fit in the supply chain? (23:49) - How does the full supply chain work starting with the tree? (34:14) - How long does it take a tree to grow to a point where it can become lumber? (34:54) - Why are lumber prices skyrocketing right now? (40:50) - Is there still COVID caution in the market? (45:21) - Opportunities in an Inefficient Market (46:15) - Who’s making all the money in a market with historically high prices? (49:05) - Blue Stain Lumber (52:33) - Have the tariffs that are in place been the reason for Canadian sawmills buying mills in the US? (54:53) - Why does Lumber grow better in Canada? Are fires more likely in the US? (57:49) - How do most of these forest fires start? (59:32) - Why aren’t mills adding capacity? (1:00:27) - Is there an opportunity for VC to step in and make a giant change in the industry? (1:02:35) - Are you betting lumber prices will go higher or lower? Types of Lumber & Pricing (1:04:38) - What are the main types of lumber being used? (1:06:42) - The quality of Lumber Being Used in Custom Homes vs. Production Homes (1:09:44) - The Price of Multi-Family Lumber vs. Single-Family (1:12:04) - What % of a typical home is comprised of lumber in single vs. multi-family? (1:14:28) - What are some tips for a regional/small home builder to better hedge this risk? (1:19:55) - What’s the current time frame for locking in prices right now? (1:20:30) - How are smaller builders purchasing their lumber? (1:22:19) - Is there any interesting technology being created within the industry? (1:25:50) - What is the biggest risk right now in lumber? (1:27:38) - How is money made or lost in this industry? What are general risks in your part of the industry? (1:36:32) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:40:00) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:40:27) - What’s your favorite book?  King of Capital by David Carey (1:42:55) - How can people reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #123: Stinson Dean - 'Lumber Industry 101' full 1 123 Chris Powers On this episode, Stinson Dean ( the Founder of Deacon Lumber, joins Chris to provide a deep dive into the Lumber industry. Stinson explains his role as a Lumber trader, why most homes in the US are built from Canadian Lumber, the tariff issues between... On this episode, Stinson Dean (www.Twitter.com/LumberTrading), the Founder of Deacon Lumber, joins Chris to provide a deep dive into the Lumber industry. Stinson explains his role as a Lumber trader, why most homes in the US are built from Canadian Lumber, the tariff issues between the US and Canada, the Lumber supply chain, and why we are seeing the highest prices ever recorded. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:40) - Stinson’s Journey Into Lumber and What He’s Doing Today Deacon Lumber (08:18) - Why are futures under-utilized? (11:44) - How many people are doing what you do in lumber? (12:39) - Why do a lot of people not participate in lumber as opposed to other commodities? (14:43) - Are there government subsidies for lumber? (16:48) - What’s the shelf life of lumber? The Business Model for Lumber (18:11) - Who are you buying from and where are you storing it? West Fraser Saw Mill (22:34) - Where does your business fit in the supply chain? (23:49) - How does the full supply chain work starting with the tree? (34:14) - How long does it take a tree to grow to a point where it can become lumber? (34:54) - Why are lumber prices skyrocketing right now? (40:50) - Is there still COVID caution in the market? (45:21) - Opportunities in an Inefficient Market (46:15) - Who’s making all the money in a market with historically high prices? (49:05) - Blue Stain Lumber (52:33) - Have the tariffs that are in place been the reason for Canadian sawmills buying mills in the US? (54:53) - Why does Lumber grow better in Canada? Are fires more likely in the US? (57:49) - How do most of these forest fires start? (59:32) - Why aren’t mills adding capacity? (1:00:27) - Is there an opportunity for VC to step in and make a giant change in the industry? (1:02:35) - Are you betting lumber prices will go higher or lower? Types of Lumber & Pricing (1:04:38) - What are the main types of lumber being used? (1:06:42) - The quality of Lumber Being Used in Custom Homes vs. Production Homes (1:09:44) - The Price of Multi-Family Lumber vs. Single-Family (1:12:04) - What % of a typical home is comprised of lumber in single vs. multi-family? (1:14:28) - What are some tips for a regional/small home builder to better hedge this risk? (1:19:55) - What’s the current time frame for locking in prices right now? (1:20:30) - How are smaller builders purchasing their lumber? (1:22:19) - Is there any interesting technology being created within the industry? (1:25:50) - What is the biggest risk right now in lumber? (1:27:38) - How is money made or lost in this industry? What are general risks in your part of the industry? (1:36:32) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:40:00) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:40:27) - What’s your favorite book?  King of Capital by David Carey (1:42:55) - How can people reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Stinson Dean (www.Twitter.com/LumberTrading), the Founder of Deacon Lumber, joins Chris to provide a deep dive into the Lumber industry. Stinson explains his role as a Lumber trader, why most homes in the US are built from Canadian Lumber, the tariff issues between the US and Canada, the Lumber supply chain, and why we are seeing the highest prices ever recorded. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:40) - Stinson’s Journey Into Lumber and What He’s Doing Today

Deacon Lumber

(08:18) - Why are futures under-utilized?

(11:44) - How many people are doing what you do in lumber?

(12:39) - Why do a lot of people not participate in lumber as opposed to other commodities?

(14:43) - Are there government subsidies for lumber?

(16:48) - What’s the shelf life of lumber?

The Business Model for Lumber

(18:11) - Who are you buying from and where are you storing it?

West Fraser Saw Mill

(22:34) - Where does your business fit in the supply chain?

(23:49) - How does the full supply chain work starting with the tree?

(34:14) - How long does it take a tree to grow to a point where it can become lumber?

(34:54) - Why are lumber prices skyrocketing right now?

(40:50) - Is there still COVID caution in the market?

(45:21) - Opportunities in an Inefficient Market

(46:15) - Who’s making all the money in a market with historically high prices?

(49:05) - Blue Stain Lumber

(52:33) - Have the tariffs that are in place been the reason for Canadian sawmills buying mills in the US?

(54:53) - Why does Lumber grow better in Canada? Are fires more likely in the US?

(57:49) - How do most of these forest fires start?

(59:32) - Why aren’t mills adding capacity?

(1:00:27) - Is there an opportunity for VC to step in and make a giant change in the industry?

(1:02:35) - Are you betting lumber prices will go higher or lower?

Types of Lumber & Pricing

(1:04:38) - What are the main types of lumber being used?

(1:06:42) - The quality of Lumber Being Used in Custom Homes vs. Production Homes

(1:09:44) - The Price of Multi-Family Lumber vs. Single-Family

(1:12:04) - What % of a typical home is comprised of lumber in single vs. multi-family?

(1:14:28) - What are some tips for a regional/small home builder to better hedge this risk?

(1:19:55) - What’s the current time frame for locking in prices right now?

(1:20:30) - How are smaller builders purchasing their lumber?

(1:22:19) - Is there any interesting technology being created within the industry?

(1:25:50) - What is the biggest risk right now in lumber?

(1:27:38) - How is money made or lost in this industry? What are general risks in your part of the industry?

(1:36:32) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today?

(1:40:00) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:40:27) - What’s your favorite book?

 King of Capital by David Carey

(1:42:55) - How can people reach you?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 6384 no #122: Kenneth Schlenker - Founder of Opal - Take Back Control Over Your Screentime https://www.TheFortPod.com Kenneth Schlenker is the Founder of Opal, an app that was created to give control back to the users of screens. Opal uses a VPN to block access to distracting apps in a way that encourages us to think about the 'why' of what we are doing when we mindlessly pick up our phones.  On this episode, Kenneth explains how Opal works, data on just how addicted we are to our screens, how the scientists hired by social media giants are designing their apps to keep us online as long as possible and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Kenneth on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KSchlenker Check out Opal: www.Opal.so (03:50) - Kenneth’s Story and Career Leading Up to Opal (05:45) - What’s the inflection point that people are starting to realize there’s a problem with our addiction to Social Media? (07:51) - Is there data around how much we don’t know what we’re getting into when we open up social media? (10:06) - Are we becoming conditioned to pull out our phones on instinct? (11:32) - What are these scientists you talk about doing that incentivize us to stay on our phones? Opal on TechCrunch (13:23) - Well-Timed Notifications The Social Dilemma  (19:21) - What data are you seeing with regards to the Zoom'er generation and their usage of social media vs. other age groups? (22:58) - Was there a moment in time where you felt so convicted that you needed to start Opal? (25:25) - How does Opal work? (28:24) - Is there any customer requests you’ve been getting that you didn’t expect? (30:00) - What was your experience raising a seed round during the pandemic? (32:27) - How do you think about the incumbents like Facebook who may not be super excited about your entrance? (34:00) - Is there something you believe that many others don’t? (35:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received  (36:06) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read Indistractable - Nir Eyal Power of Breath - Swami Saradananda  (37:31) - How do people grow up differently in French culture vs. American culture? (40:04) - Which country uses their phones the most? (41:11) - How can people reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 22 Mar 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #122: Kenneth Schlenker - Founder of Opal - Take Back Control Over Your Screentime full 1 122 Chris Powers Kenneth Schlenker is the Founder of Opal, an app that was created to give control back to the users of screens. Opal uses a VPN to block access to distracting apps in a way that encourages us to think about the 'why' of what we are doing when we... Kenneth Schlenker is the Founder of Opal, an app that was created to give control back to the users of screens. Opal uses a VPN to block access to distracting apps in a way that encourages us to think about the 'why' of what we are doing when we mindlessly pick up our phones.  On this episode, Kenneth explains how Opal works, data on just how addicted we are to our screens, how the scientists hired by social media giants are designing their apps to keep us online as long as possible and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Kenneth on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KSchlenker Check out Opal: www.Opal.so (03:50) - Kenneth’s Story and Career Leading Up to Opal (05:45) - What’s the inflection point that people are starting to realize there’s a problem with our addiction to Social Media? (07:51) - Is there data around how much we don’t know what we’re getting into when we open up social media? (10:06) - Are we becoming conditioned to pull out our phones on instinct? (11:32) - What are these scientists you talk about doing that incentivize us to stay on our phones? Opal on TechCrunch (13:23) - Well-Timed Notifications The Social Dilemma  (19:21) - What data are you seeing with regards to the Zoom'er generation and their usage of social media vs. other age groups? (22:58) - Was there a moment in time where you felt so convicted that you needed to start Opal? (25:25) - How does Opal work? (28:24) - Is there any customer requests you’ve been getting that you didn’t expect? (30:00) - What was your experience raising a seed round during the pandemic? (32:27) - How do you think about the incumbents like Facebook who may not be super excited about your entrance? (34:00) - Is there something you believe that many others don’t? (35:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received  (36:06) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read Indistractable - Nir Eyal Power of Breath - Swami Saradananda  (37:31) - How do people grow up differently in French culture vs. American culture? (40:04) - Which country uses their phones the most? (41:11) - How can people reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Kenneth Schlenker is the Founder of Opal, an app that was created to give control back to the users of screens. Opal uses a VPN to block access to distracting apps in a way that encourages us to think about the 'why' of what we are doing when we mindlessly pick up our phones. 

On this episode, Kenneth explains how Opal works, data on just how addicted we are to our screens, how the scientists hired by social media giants are designing their apps to keep us online as long as possible and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Kenneth on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KSchlenker

Check out Opal: www.Opal.so

(03:50) - Kenneth’s Story and Career Leading Up to Opal

(05:45) - What’s the inflection point that people are starting to realize there’s a problem with our addiction to Social Media?

(07:51) - Is there data around how much we don’t know what we’re getting into when we open up social media?

(10:06) - Are we becoming conditioned to pull out our phones on instinct?

(11:32) - What are these scientists you talk about doing that incentivize us to stay on our phones?

Opal on TechCrunch

(13:23) - Well-Timed Notifications

The Social Dilemma 

(19:21) - What data are you seeing with regards to the Zoom'er generation and their usage of social media vs. other age groups?

(22:58) - Was there a moment in time where you felt so convicted that you needed to start Opal?

(25:25) - How does Opal work?

(28:24) - Is there any customer requests you’ve been getting that you didn’t expect?

(30:00) - What was your experience raising a seed round during the pandemic?

(32:27) - How do you think about the incumbents like Facebook who may not be super excited about your entrance?

(34:00) - Is there something you believe that many others don’t?

(35:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received 

(36:06) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read

Indistractable - Nir Eyal

Power of Breath - Swami Saradananda 

(37:31) - How do people grow up differently in French culture vs. American culture?

(40:04) - Which country uses their phones the most?

(41:11) - How can people reach you?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2635 no #121: Andrew Wilkinson - Co-Founder of Tiny Capital https://www.TheFortPod.com Today's episode features the Co-Founder of Tiny Capital, Andrew Wilkinson. Tiny Capital owns 30+ companies and focuses on buying, starting, and investing in internet businesses. On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss his childhood creating MetaLab which led him to help design some of the most well known companies like Slack and CoinBase. They also talk about the process of acquiring businesses, Andrew's habit of starting businesses when he's bored, his experience going public with WeCommerce and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Andrew on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/awilkinson (02:51) - Andrews Background MetaLab The Making of an American Capitalist  (09:50) - How did you think about money at an early age?  (13:54) - Do you consider yourself a designer? How did you learn this? (17:17) - Did you have founder’s guilt when it came time to replace yourself? (19:21) - Doing the Things You Hate Doing in Business (21:35) - Do you actually like reading a P&L and balance sheets? (22:16) - What’s an immediate ‘no’ of all the businesses that cross your desk? (26:00) - Once you’ve agreed to buy a business, what’s the process like going forward to close? (29:32) - Do you negotiate? (30:13) - Structuring CEO Comp and What Questions You’re Trying to Answer When Developing a Plan (32:27) - Will you steer founders to go get a bank loan for a new company project or will you deploy capital? (34:43) - If you had one hour to talk to each of your CEOs per year, what would you discuss with them? Tao of Charlie Munger (36:09) - Twitter Q: What is the key role, or person, to take a company from $500k-1M in revenue to $5-10M? (38:00) - You speak very highly of your partner Chris. What do you do and what does he do? (39:03) - Do y’all have a standing meeting or when do you communicate? (39:51) - WeCommerce  (43:17) - A Traditional IPO vs. a Reverse Takeover  (45:20) - When did you decide it was time to go public? (46:11) - What was your involvement in the Stamped Acquisition? (47:28) - What have you learned from Bill Ackman and how did you meet him? CharityBuzz (51:26) - What's your process like to go from an idea to the launch of a business? (58:19) - What’s the biggest thing content creators are missing when it comes to monetization? Joe Rogan Got Ripped Off by Spotify (1:02:34) - If you were the CEO of Twitter, what would you do to change the company? (1:06:38) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped where you would go in life?  (1:07:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:08:57) - How can people get in touch with you? Twitter: www.twitter.com/awilkinson Thu, 18 Mar 2021 14:00:00 -0000 #121: Andrew Wilkinson - Co-Founder of Tiny Capital full 1 121 Chris Powers Today's episode features the Co-Founder of Tiny Capital, Andrew Wilkinson. Tiny Capital owns 30+ companies and focuses on buying, starting, and investing in internet businesses. On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss his childhood creating MetaLab... Today's episode features the Co-Founder of Tiny Capital, Andrew Wilkinson. Tiny Capital owns 30+ companies and focuses on buying, starting, and investing in internet businesses. On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss his childhood creating MetaLab which led him to help design some of the most well known companies like Slack and CoinBase. They also talk about the process of acquiring businesses, Andrew's habit of starting businesses when he's bored, his experience going public with WeCommerce and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Andrew on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/awilkinson (02:51) - Andrews Background MetaLab The Making of an American Capitalist  (09:50) - How did you think about money at an early age?  (13:54) - Do you consider yourself a designer? How did you learn this? (17:17) - Did you have founder’s guilt when it came time to replace yourself? (19:21) - Doing the Things You Hate Doing in Business (21:35) - Do you actually like reading a P&L and balance sheets? (22:16) - What’s an immediate ‘no’ of all the businesses that cross your desk? (26:00) - Once you’ve agreed to buy a business, what’s the process like going forward to close? (29:32) - Do you negotiate? (30:13) - Structuring CEO Comp and What Questions You’re Trying to Answer When Developing a Plan (32:27) - Will you steer founders to go get a bank loan for a new company project or will you deploy capital? (34:43) - If you had one hour to talk to each of your CEOs per year, what would you discuss with them? Tao of Charlie Munger (36:09) - Twitter Q: What is the key role, or person, to take a company from $500k-1M in revenue to $5-10M? (38:00) - You speak very highly of your partner Chris. What do you do and what does he do? (39:03) - Do y’all have a standing meeting or when do you communicate? (39:51) - WeCommerce  (43:17) - A Traditional IPO vs. a Reverse Takeover  (45:20) - When did you decide it was time to go public? (46:11) - What was your involvement in the Stamped Acquisition? (47:28) - What have you learned from Bill Ackman and how did you meet him? CharityBuzz (51:26) - What's your process like to go from an idea to the launch of a business? (58:19) - What’s the biggest thing content creators are missing when it comes to monetization? Joe Rogan Got Ripped Off by Spotify (1:02:34) - If you were the CEO of Twitter, what would you do to change the company? (1:06:38) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped where you would go in life?  (1:07:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:08:57) - How can people get in touch with you? Twitter: www.twitter.com/awilkinson Today's episode features the Co-Founder of Tiny Capital, Andrew Wilkinson. Tiny Capital owns 30+ companies and focuses on buying, starting, and investing in internet businesses.

On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss his childhood creating MetaLab which led him to help design some of the most well known companies like Slack and CoinBase. They also talk about the process of acquiring businesses, Andrew's habit of starting businesses when he's bored, his experience going public with WeCommerce and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Andrew on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/awilkinson

(02:51) - Andrews Background

MetaLab

The Making of an American Capitalist 

(09:50) - How did you think about money at an early age? 

(13:54) - Do you consider yourself a designer? How did you learn this?

(17:17) - Did you have founder’s guilt when it came time to replace yourself?

(19:21) - Doing the Things You Hate Doing in Business

(21:35) - Do you actually like reading a P&L and balance sheets?

(22:16) - What’s an immediate ‘no’ of all the businesses that cross your desk?

(26:00) - Once you’ve agreed to buy a business, what’s the process like going forward to close?

(29:32) - Do you negotiate?

(30:13) - Structuring CEO Comp and What Questions You’re Trying to Answer When Developing a Plan

(32:27) - Will you steer founders to go get a bank loan for a new company project or will you deploy capital?

(34:43) - If you had one hour to talk to each of your CEOs per year, what would you discuss with them?

Tao of Charlie Munger

(36:09) - Twitter Q: What is the key role, or person, to take a company from $500k-1M in revenue to $5-10M?

(38:00) - You speak very highly of your partner Chris. What do you do and what does he do?

(39:03) - Do y’all have a standing meeting or when do you communicate?

(39:51) - WeCommerce 

(43:17) - A Traditional IPO vs. a Reverse Takeover 

(45:20) - When did you decide it was time to go public?

(46:11) - What was your involvement in the Stamped Acquisition?

(47:28) - What have you learned from Bill Ackman and how did you meet him?

CharityBuzz

(51:26) - What's your process like to go from an idea to the launch of a business?

(58:19) - What’s the biggest thing content creators are missing when it comes to monetization?

Joe Rogan Got Ripped Off by Spotify

(1:02:34) - If you were the CEO of Twitter, what would you do to change the company?

(1:06:38) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped where you would go in life? 

(1:07:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:08:57) - How can people get in touch with you?

Twitter: www.twitter.com/awilkinson

]]> 4295 no #120: Chris Bakke - Freelancer Economy, Startups, & Venture Capital https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Bakke is the co-founder and CEO of Laskie. Previously, he was the co-founder of Interviewed (acquired by Indeed), COO of 42Floors (acquired by Knotel), and managed business development for Zillow and RentJuice (acquired by Zillow). On this episode, Chris discusses his experiences selling his companies and then working for the acquirers such as Zillow and Indeed during the pandemic. He also discusses the growth of the freelancer economy and how companies are starting to think about their approach to full-time employees vs. contract workers. Finally, they talk about founding Laskie, Twitter and the founders-dilemma of deciding whether to sell when an offer comes by or continuing to build. Enjoy! (02:18) - Chris’ Background Working for Early Stage and Public Tech Companies (04:42) - What was it like working at Indeed in the midst of the pandemic? (07:47) - What is it like to transition from a founder of a company to being an employee after an acquisition? (10:09) - When you take on the new role do you know what’s required of you from the jump, or is it expected your role might change? (13:01) - Are there questions that you wish you asked in previous acquisitions to understand what it will be like on the other side? (15:13) - How did the idea for Laskie come about? How do you describe what y’all do? (19:02) - How long does it take to get approved as a vendor? (21:14) - How many times do companies hire full time people when a freelancer would do just fine? Are we entering a world where companies cut down on full time people in exchange for more freelancers? (24:31) - How do you overcome the issue of freelancer loyalty between competitors? (28:23) - Personality Testing in Freelancing (30:40) - Should hirers think about the idea of 1-3 days of working on a project with a potential employee before deciding to hire them? (36:04) - Has there been anything unique in this COVID era in terms of requested services you’ve seen? (39:18) - Chris’ Experience Working With the Same Group of Founders for All of His Companies (40:10) - Are the roles of the group pretty clear each time you start a company together? (45:31) - Was there someone who told you to stop doing founder-led sales and bring someone on or was it something you had to figure out? (47:07) - What is “the game” of being a venture-backed company? (50:19) - Was your goal to be the next billion-dollar company or did you know you wanted in and out in two years? (53:22) - Do you think there’s a lot of companies that should have sold much earlier but keep pushing for that $10B sale? (56:42) - What did it do to your psyche when you saw that first offer from a founder's perspective? (1:01:45) - Why are you bullish on San Francisco/Silicon Valley? (1:05:47) - If you were CEO of Twitter for the next year, what would you do? (1:09:17) - Do you have a childhood experience that put you on your life path? (1:12:20) - If you had a billboard on the busiest highway in Danville, what would it say? (1:23:43) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChrisJBakke LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bakk3/ Mon, 15 Mar 2021 08:01:00 -0000 #120: Chris Bakke - Freelancer Economy, Startups, & Venture Capital full 1 120 Chris Powers Chris Bakke is the co-founder and CEO of Laskie. Previously, he was the co-founder of Interviewed (acquired by Indeed), COO of 42Floors (acquired by Knotel), and managed business development for Zillow and RentJuice (acquired by Zillow). On this... Chris Bakke is the co-founder and CEO of Laskie. Previously, he was the co-founder of Interviewed (acquired by Indeed), COO of 42Floors (acquired by Knotel), and managed business development for Zillow and RentJuice (acquired by Zillow). On this episode, Chris discusses his experiences selling his companies and then working for the acquirers such as Zillow and Indeed during the pandemic. He also discusses the growth of the freelancer economy and how companies are starting to think about their approach to full-time employees vs. contract workers. Finally, they talk about founding Laskie, Twitter and the founders-dilemma of deciding whether to sell when an offer comes by or continuing to build. Enjoy! (02:18) - Chris’ Background Working for Early Stage and Public Tech Companies (04:42) - What was it like working at Indeed in the midst of the pandemic? (07:47) - What is it like to transition from a founder of a company to being an employee after an acquisition? (10:09) - When you take on the new role do you know what’s required of you from the jump, or is it expected your role might change? (13:01) - Are there questions that you wish you asked in previous acquisitions to understand what it will be like on the other side? (15:13) - How did the idea for Laskie come about? How do you describe what y’all do? (19:02) - How long does it take to get approved as a vendor? (21:14) - How many times do companies hire full time people when a freelancer would do just fine? Are we entering a world where companies cut down on full time people in exchange for more freelancers? (24:31) - How do you overcome the issue of freelancer loyalty between competitors? (28:23) - Personality Testing in Freelancing (30:40) - Should hirers think about the idea of 1-3 days of working on a project with a potential employee before deciding to hire them? (36:04) - Has there been anything unique in this COVID era in terms of requested services you’ve seen? (39:18) - Chris’ Experience Working With the Same Group of Founders for All of His Companies (40:10) - Are the roles of the group pretty clear each time you start a company together? (45:31) - Was there someone who told you to stop doing founder-led sales and bring someone on or was it something you had to figure out? (47:07) - What is “the game” of being a venture-backed company? (50:19) - Was your goal to be the next billion-dollar company or did you know you wanted in and out in two years? (53:22) - Do you think there’s a lot of companies that should have sold much earlier but keep pushing for that $10B sale? (56:42) - What did it do to your psyche when you saw that first offer from a founder's perspective? (1:01:45) - Why are you bullish on San Francisco/Silicon Valley? (1:05:47) - If you were CEO of Twitter for the next year, what would you do? (1:09:17) - Do you have a childhood experience that put you on your life path? (1:12:20) - If you had a billboard on the busiest highway in Danville, what would it say? (1:23:43) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChrisJBakke LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bakk3/ Chris Bakke is the co-founder and CEO of Laskie. Previously, he was the co-founder of Interviewed (acquired by Indeed), COO of 42Floors (acquired by Knotel), and managed business development for Zillow and RentJuice (acquired by Zillow).

On this episode, Chris discusses his experiences selling his companies and then working for the acquirers such as Zillow and Indeed during the pandemic. He also discusses the growth of the freelancer economy and how companies are starting to think about their approach to full-time employees vs. contract workers. Finally, they talk about founding Laskie, Twitter and the founders-dilemma of deciding whether to sell when an offer comes by or continuing to build. Enjoy!

(02:18) - Chris’ Background Working for Early Stage and Public Tech Companies

(04:42) - What was it like working at Indeed in the midst of the pandemic?

(07:47) - What is it like to transition from a founder of a company to being an employee after an acquisition?

(10:09) - When you take on the new role do you know what’s required of you from the jump, or is it expected your role might change?

(13:01) - Are there questions that you wish you asked in previous acquisitions to understand what it will be like on the other side?

(15:13) - How did the idea for Laskie come about? How do you describe what y’all do?

(19:02) - How long does it take to get approved as a vendor?

(21:14) - How many times do companies hire full time people when a freelancer would do just fine? Are we entering a world where companies cut down on full time people in exchange for more freelancers?

(24:31) - How do you overcome the issue of freelancer loyalty between competitors?

(28:23) - Personality Testing in Freelancing

(30:40) - Should hirers think about the idea of 1-3 days of working on a project with a potential employee before deciding to hire them?

(36:04) - Has there been anything unique in this COVID era in terms of requested services you’ve seen?

(39:18) - Chris’ Experience Working With the Same Group of Founders for All of His Companies

(40:10) - Are the roles of the group pretty clear each time you start a company together?

(45:31) - Was there someone who told you to stop doing founder-led sales and bring someone on or was it something you had to figure out?

(47:07) - What is “the game” of being a venture-backed company?

(50:19) - Was your goal to be the next billion-dollar company or did you know you wanted in and out in two years?

(53:22) - Do you think there’s a lot of companies that should have sold much earlier but keep pushing for that $10B sale?

(56:42) - What did it do to your psyche when you saw that first offer from a founder's perspective?

(1:01:45) - Why are you bullish on San Francisco/Silicon Valley?

(1:05:47) - If you were CEO of Twitter for the next year, what would you do?

(1:09:17) - Do you have a childhood experience that put you on your life path?

(1:12:20) - If you had a billboard on the busiest highway in Danville, what would it say?

(1:23:43) - How can people reach you?

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChrisJBakke

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bakk3/

]]> 4519 no RE #119: Ray Washburne - Luxury Retail, Tex Mex, Trump, & Texas https://www.TheFortPod.com Ray Washburne is the owner of the Mi Cocina restaurants, Dallas Highland Park Village, and former President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.  On this episode, Chris and Ray talk about Ray's career path in real estate and how he developed Highland Park Village in Dallas into nearly $380 million in annual sales. They also talk about Ray starting one of the most popular Tex Mex chains in Texas, his experience working under President Trump, OPIC, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (02:27) - Ray’s Background and Career (04:14) - How did you get started in real estate? (05:16) - How do you find operating platforms that you want to back? (06:58) - How do you think about getting a deal done? (08:05) - How Chris and Ray Met (08:42) - How Ray Bought Highland Park Village (11:50) - Developing the Property (13:11) - How does it work bringing in super-luxury tenants? (15:10) - What does ‘Retail is Dead’ mean to you? Why is it wrong? (16:35) - How do the personal shoppers work in your spaces? (18:51) - What has Park House done for the center? (20:55) - Why is Dallas winning so much? (22:21) - Understanding the Consumer From a Property Management Perspective (26:00) - The Story of Mi Cocina and Where it is Today (30:40) - Why do brands not travel well? (32:04) - What’s the long-term vision for the brand? (33:20) - What was it like owning a restaurant in 2020? (38:01) - Are there places where you’re now saving money due to COVID? (40:43) - How important is it for a restaurant to have a signature drink or dish that people can rally behind? (43:26) - How do restaurants make money? (44:36) - Is there anything that you’re seeing that anticipates the next roaring 20’s? (46:53) - Thinking About National Competition (48:21) - Are most retailers located in major centers to make money or is it for marketing/branding? (49:12) - What was it like working for President Trump? (53:19) - Is there a time or interaction with him that you’ll never forget? (55:31) - Was the division between Trump and top Democrats just for show or was it real? (56:31) - What is OPIC and why should private business owners be thinking about it? (59:52) - How do you determine which companies\countries have the entrepreneurs to drive capital? (1:01:03) - The Chinese Belt & Road Initiative (1:01:48) - What’s the coolest project you worked on? (1:03:19) - Where is the world growing that we in America aren’t thinking about? (1:04:54) - How are we going to be competitive against China? (1:05:35) - What’s interesting to you going forward now that you’re out of government? (1:07:44) - What’s the pitch of Downtown vs. Uptown Dallas? (1:08:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life? (1:09:52) - What’s one thing you believe that a lot of people do not? (1:11:09) - Can we keep a clean government? (1:11:33) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:12:02) -  If you owned the biggest billboard in DFW and you could put anything on it, what would it say? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 11 Mar 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #119: Ray Washburne - Luxury Retail, Tex Mex, Trump, & Texas full 1 119 Chris Powers Ray Washburne is the owner of the Mi Cocina restaurants, Dallas Highland Park Village, and former President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.  On this episode, Chris and Ray talk about Ray's career path in real estate and... Ray Washburne is the owner of the Mi Cocina restaurants, Dallas Highland Park Village, and former President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.  On this episode, Chris and Ray talk about Ray's career path in real estate and how he developed Highland Park Village in Dallas into nearly $380 million in annual sales. They also talk about Ray starting one of the most popular Tex Mex chains in Texas, his experience working under President Trump, OPIC, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (02:27) - Ray’s Background and Career (04:14) - How did you get started in real estate? (05:16) - How do you find operating platforms that you want to back? (06:58) - How do you think about getting a deal done? (08:05) - How Chris and Ray Met (08:42) - How Ray Bought Highland Park Village (11:50) - Developing the Property (13:11) - How does it work bringing in super-luxury tenants? (15:10) - What does ‘Retail is Dead’ mean to you? Why is it wrong? (16:35) - How do the personal shoppers work in your spaces? (18:51) - What has Park House done for the center? (20:55) - Why is Dallas winning so much? (22:21) - Understanding the Consumer From a Property Management Perspective (26:00) - The Story of Mi Cocina and Where it is Today (30:40) - Why do brands not travel well? (32:04) - What’s the long-term vision for the brand? (33:20) - What was it like owning a restaurant in 2020? (38:01) - Are there places where you’re now saving money due to COVID? (40:43) - How important is it for a restaurant to have a signature drink or dish that people can rally behind? (43:26) - How do restaurants make money? (44:36) - Is there anything that you’re seeing that anticipates the next roaring 20’s? (46:53) - Thinking About National Competition (48:21) - Are most retailers located in major centers to make money or is it for marketing/branding? (49:12) - What was it like working for President Trump? (53:19) - Is there a time or interaction with him that you’ll never forget? (55:31) - Was the division between Trump and top Democrats just for show or was it real? (56:31) - What is OPIC and why should private business owners be thinking about it? (59:52) - How do you determine which companies\countries have the entrepreneurs to drive capital? (1:01:03) - The Chinese Belt & Road Initiative (1:01:48) - What’s the coolest project you worked on? (1:03:19) - Where is the world growing that we in America aren’t thinking about? (1:04:54) - How are we going to be competitive against China? (1:05:35) - What’s interesting to you going forward now that you’re out of government? (1:07:44) - What’s the pitch of Downtown vs. Uptown Dallas? (1:08:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life? (1:09:52) - What’s one thing you believe that a lot of people do not? (1:11:09) - Can we keep a clean government? (1:11:33) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:12:02) -  If you owned the biggest billboard in DFW and you could put anything on it, what would it say? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Ray Washburne is the owner of the Mi Cocina restaurants, Dallas Highland Park Village, and former President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. 

On this episode, Chris and Ray talk about Ray's career path in real estate and how he developed Highland Park Village in Dallas into nearly $380 million in annual sales. They also talk about Ray starting one of the most popular Tex Mex chains in Texas, his experience working under President Trump, OPIC, and much more. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

(02:27) - Ray’s Background and Career

(04:14) - How did you get started in real estate?

(05:16) - How do you find operating platforms that you want to back?

(06:58) - How do you think about getting a deal done?

(08:05) - How Chris and Ray Met

(08:42) - How Ray Bought Highland Park Village

(11:50) - Developing the Property

(13:11) - How does it work bringing in super-luxury tenants?

(15:10) - What does ‘Retail is Dead’ mean to you? Why is it wrong?

(16:35) - How do the personal shoppers work in your spaces?

(18:51) - What has Park House done for the center?

(20:55) - Why is Dallas winning so much?

(22:21) - Understanding the Consumer From a Property Management Perspective

(26:00) - The Story of Mi Cocina and Where it is Today

(30:40) - Why do brands not travel well?

(32:04) - What’s the long-term vision for the brand?

(33:20) - What was it like owning a restaurant in 2020?

(38:01) - Are there places where you’re now saving money due to COVID?

(40:43) - How important is it for a restaurant to have a signature drink or dish that people can rally behind?

(43:26) - How do restaurants make money?

(44:36) - Is there anything that you’re seeing that anticipates the next roaring 20’s?

(46:53) - Thinking About National Competition

(48:21) - Are most retailers located in major centers to make money or is it for marketing/branding?

(49:12) - What was it like working for President Trump?

(53:19) - Is there a time or interaction with him that you’ll never forget?

(55:31) - Was the division between Trump and top Democrats just for show or was it real?

(56:31) - What is OPIC and why should private business owners be thinking about it?

(59:52) - How do you determine which companies\countries have the entrepreneurs to drive capital?

(1:01:03) - The Chinese Belt & Road Initiative

(1:01:48) - What’s the coolest project you worked on?

(1:03:19) - Where is the world growing that we in America aren’t thinking about?

(1:04:54) - How are we going to be competitive against China?

(1:05:35) - What’s interesting to you going forward now that you’re out of government?

(1:07:44) - What’s the pitch of Downtown vs. Uptown Dallas?

(1:08:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life?

(1:09:52) - What’s one thing you believe that a lot of people do not?

(1:11:09) - Can we keep a clean government?

(1:11:33) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:12:02) -  If you owned the biggest billboard in DFW and you could put anything on it, what would it say?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4465 no #118: Chris Torres & Vangeli Gelekas - NFTs 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Torres is an artist and creator of Nyan Cat, one of the most popular memes in internet history. Vangeli Gelekas is currently building the largest NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artist community on the web and helping artists leave the constraints of corporate commissions behind through NFTs.  On this episode, Chris and Van deep dive into NFT's and how the ownership of digital assets is going to change the world as we know it. They talk about the community of artists that currently make up their section of the NFT economy, how the average Joe can get into this world, why transactions are made via cryptocurrency, and more. This is is an episode you may want to listen to more than once, enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Chris Torres on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PRguitarman Vangeli Gelekas on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/NetGenius (02:36) - What is an NFT? (Non-Fungible Token) (04:35) - How did you get into this space? (07:29) - Where are the best communities for NFTs? NBA Top Shot  (09:21) - Is an NFT only digital or can it be for physical assets? (10:52) - If everybody has a screenshot of a piece of art, how is it really that valuable?  (12:37) - What is Nyan Cat? (14:10) - How can you monetize Nyan Cat & NFTs? (15:06) - Why Screenshotting the NFT is What We Want  (18:04) - If I buy Nyan Cat, what do I do with it? (19:44) - How Much Chris Sold Nyan Cat For (20:46) - Who’s buying NFTs right now? (26:18) - How do I join the community? (28:58) - Is there a leader of this community like Shitoshi in Bitcoin? (31:07) - How does the average Joe get into this world with respect? (40:11) - How do you create the NFT and get it on the Blockchain? (44:13) - If I buy Nyan Cat, can I ask you never to sell another one or how does the ownership work? (50:06) - Do you have to display the purchased art anywhere to build momentum? What happens if you don’t? Marketplace: Foundation (55:45) - Do NFTs only live on ETH? (58:05) - The Transition from Physical Asset Value to Digital Asset Value (59:42) - Could we turn this podcast episode into an NFT? (1:01:21) - Can there be fractional ownership of NFTs? (1:04:08) - Where can I go look at NFT freak’s art? (1:05:47) - How did y’all meet each other? (1:08:25) - Chris, why are you doing this? (1:14:02) - Wrap-Up: What do you want people to take away from this episode if they came in with zero knowledge about this space? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 08 Mar 2021 10:01:00 -0000 #118: Chris Torres & Vangeli Gelekas - NFTs 101 full 1 118 Chris Powers Chris Torres is an artist and creator of Nyan Cat, one of the most popular memes in internet history. Vangeli Gelekas is currently building the largest NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artist community on the web and helping artists leave the constraints of... Chris Torres is an artist and creator of Nyan Cat, one of the most popular memes in internet history. Vangeli Gelekas is currently building the largest NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artist community on the web and helping artists leave the constraints of corporate commissions behind through NFTs.  On this episode, Chris and Van deep dive into NFT's and how the ownership of digital assets is going to change the world as we know it. They talk about the community of artists that currently make up their section of the NFT economy, how the average Joe can get into this world, why transactions are made via cryptocurrency, and more. This is is an episode you may want to listen to more than once, enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Chris Torres on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PRguitarman Vangeli Gelekas on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/NetGenius (02:36) - What is an NFT? (Non-Fungible Token) (04:35) - How did you get into this space? (07:29) - Where are the best communities for NFTs? NBA Top Shot  (09:21) - Is an NFT only digital or can it be for physical assets? (10:52) - If everybody has a screenshot of a piece of art, how is it really that valuable?  (12:37) - What is Nyan Cat? (14:10) - How can you monetize Nyan Cat & NFTs? (15:06) - Why Screenshotting the NFT is What We Want  (18:04) - If I buy Nyan Cat, what do I do with it? (19:44) - How Much Chris Sold Nyan Cat For (20:46) - Who’s buying NFTs right now? (26:18) - How do I join the community? (28:58) - Is there a leader of this community like Shitoshi in Bitcoin? (31:07) - How does the average Joe get into this world with respect? (40:11) - How do you create the NFT and get it on the Blockchain? (44:13) - If I buy Nyan Cat, can I ask you never to sell another one or how does the ownership work? (50:06) - Do you have to display the purchased art anywhere to build momentum? What happens if you don’t? Marketplace: Foundation (55:45) - Do NFTs only live on ETH? (58:05) - The Transition from Physical Asset Value to Digital Asset Value (59:42) - Could we turn this podcast episode into an NFT? (1:01:21) - Can there be fractional ownership of NFTs? (1:04:08) - Where can I go look at NFT freak’s art? (1:05:47) - How did y’all meet each other? (1:08:25) - Chris, why are you doing this? (1:14:02) - Wrap-Up: What do you want people to take away from this episode if they came in with zero knowledge about this space? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris Torres is an artist and creator of Nyan Cat, one of the most popular memes in internet history. Vangeli Gelekas is currently building the largest NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artist community on the web and helping artists leave the constraints of corporate commissions behind through NFTs. 

On this episode, Chris and Van deep dive into NFT's and how the ownership of digital assets is going to change the world as we know it. They talk about the community of artists that currently make up their section of the NFT economy, how the average Joe can get into this world, why transactions are made via cryptocurrency, and more. This is is an episode you may want to listen to more than once, enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Chris Torres on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PRguitarman

Vangeli Gelekas on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/NetGenius

(02:36) - What is an NFT? (Non-Fungible Token)

(04:35) - How did you get into this space?

(07:29) - Where are the best communities for NFTs?

NBA Top Shot 

(09:21) - Is an NFT only digital or can it be for physical assets?

(10:52) - If everybody has a screenshot of a piece of art, how is it really that valuable? 

(12:37) - What is Nyan Cat?

(14:10) - How can you monetize Nyan Cat & NFTs?

(15:06) - Why Screenshotting the NFT is What We Want 

(18:04) - If I buy Nyan Cat, what do I do with it?

(19:44) - How Much Chris Sold Nyan Cat For

(20:46) - Who’s buying NFTs right now?

(26:18) - How do I join the community?

(28:58) - Is there a leader of this community like Shitoshi in Bitcoin?

(31:07) - How does the average Joe get into this world with respect?

(40:11) - How do you create the NFT and get it on the Blockchain?

(44:13) - If I buy Nyan Cat, can I ask you never to sell another one or how does the ownership work?

(50:06) - Do you have to display the purchased art anywhere to build momentum? What happens if you don’t?

Marketplace: Foundation

(55:45) - Do NFTs only live on ETH?

(58:05) - The Transition from Physical Asset Value to Digital Asset Value

(59:42) - Could we turn this podcast episode into an NFT?

(1:01:21) - Can there be fractional ownership of NFTs?

(1:04:08) - Where can I go look at NFT freak’s art?

(1:05:47) - How did y’all meet each other?

(1:08:25) - Chris, why are you doing this?

(1:14:02) - Wrap-Up: What do you want people to take away from this episode if they came in with zero knowledge about this space?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5120 no RE #117: Chris Powers - The Barbell Theory in Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris dives into what is known as the 'Barbell Theory' in real estate. He discusses how he came to learn about the theory and how folks in the industry can capitalize on the theory by getting ahead of the growth of an area before it happens. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:00) - How Chris Came to Learn About The Barbell Theory (01:52) - The Barbell Theory Google Earth Example of Fort Worth Barbell Theory (08:25) - Acting on the Barbell Theory/ Buying in Front of the Growth (13:28) - The Time Horizon for Growth (15:09) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 04 Mar 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #117: Chris Powers - The Barbell Theory in Real Estate full 1 117 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris dives into what is known as the 'Barbell Theory' in real estate. He discusses how he came to learn about the theory and how folks in the industry can capitalize on the theory by getting ahead of the growth of an area before it... On this episode, Chris dives into what is known as the 'Barbell Theory' in real estate. He discusses how he came to learn about the theory and how folks in the industry can capitalize on the theory by getting ahead of the growth of an area before it happens. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:00) - How Chris Came to Learn About The Barbell Theory (01:52) - The Barbell Theory Google Earth Example of Fort Worth Barbell Theory (08:25) - Acting on the Barbell Theory/ Buying in Front of the Growth (13:28) - The Time Horizon for Growth (15:09) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris dives into what is known as the 'Barbell Theory' in real estate. He discusses how he came to learn about the theory and how folks in the industry can capitalize on the theory by getting ahead of the growth of an area before it happens. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:00) - How Chris Came to Learn About The Barbell Theory

(01:52) - The Barbell Theory

Google Earth Example of Fort Worth Barbell Theory

(08:25) - Acting on the Barbell Theory/ Buying in Front of the Growth

(13:28) - The Time Horizon for Growth

(15:09) - Wrap Up

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 1079 no #116: Mitchell Baldridge, CFP/CPA - Founder of Baldridge Financial https://www.TheFortPod.com Mitchell Baldridge is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in corporate accounting, business advisory, and financial planning. His passion is building lifelong relationships with business owners to help them thrive.  On this episode, Mitchell and Chris discuss the nuances in financial planning for business owners, best practices to take before selling your business, bulletproof ways for normal people to save on taxes, Twitter and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Mitchell on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BaldridgeCPA (02:51) - Mitchell’s Story and What He Does Today (05:46) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Invest Money (06:40) - Thought Experiment: Family business owner, late in a career, $50 M company w/ three kids & grandkids and no planning. What do you recommend? (16:02) - Is there a certain dollar amount you need to start thinking about this planning? (17:03) - Setting up a Giving Plan (21:10) - The Fractional Family Offices & Creative Planning (24:32) - What technology are you using right now? (25:30) - Twitter Q: Why do most CPAs act like they work for the IRS instead of their client? (28:58) - What’s it like to be so intimately involved with people making incredible amounts of money? (30:22) - If you’re selling your business, are there best practices to do a few years out? (32:35) - What’s a Loan Out Corp? (34:48) - Do they need audited financials years in advance? (35:34) - What is QSBS? (Qualified Small Business Stock) (28:25) - How does a SPAC work? (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) (40:17) - What are some outlandish ways you’ve seen people avoid taxes? (41:36) - Is there a bulletproof way to save on taxes for the average person? (42:59) - What’s a cash balance pension plan? (45:12) - What are the benefits for Multi-Family vs. Commercial asset classes with Cost & Bonus Depreciation? (54:42) - What pieces of real properties (parking areas, concrete on commercial areas, etc.) are often overlooked for bonus depreciation? (56:12) - Is the best practice to call your CPA after every deal? (58:04) - How do you most efficiently structure a holding company with both operating and real estate investments? (1:00:07) - How do you best structure family businesses that will succeed from one generation to another? (1:02:34) - What is the coolest way you’ve seen a family set benchmarks for grandkids to actually earn money from a plan? (1:05:36) - How are you thinking about growing your business going forward? (1:08:46) - Twitter as a Mode for Growth (1:12:55) - Nick Huber (1:16:40) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life? (1:18:50) - Is there something you believe that a lot of people around you don’t? (1:19:38) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:20:30) - Do you have a book that you love? Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Choose yourself by James Altucher (1:21:41) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 01 Mar 2021 10:01:00 -0000 #116: Mitchell Baldridge, CFP/CPA - Founder of Baldridge Financial full 1 116 Chris Powers Mitchell Baldridge is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in corporate accounting, business advisory, and financial planning. His passion is building lifelong relationships with business owners to help... Mitchell Baldridge is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in corporate accounting, business advisory, and financial planning. His passion is building lifelong relationships with business owners to help them thrive.  On this episode, Mitchell and Chris discuss the nuances in financial planning for business owners, best practices to take before selling your business, bulletproof ways for normal people to save on taxes, Twitter and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Mitchell on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BaldridgeCPA (02:51) - Mitchell’s Story and What He Does Today (05:46) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Invest Money (06:40) - Thought Experiment: Family business owner, late in a career, $50 M company w/ three kids & grandkids and no planning. What do you recommend? (16:02) - Is there a certain dollar amount you need to start thinking about this planning? (17:03) - Setting up a Giving Plan (21:10) - The Fractional Family Offices & Creative Planning (24:32) - What technology are you using right now? (25:30) - Twitter Q: Why do most CPAs act like they work for the IRS instead of their client? (28:58) - What’s it like to be so intimately involved with people making incredible amounts of money? (30:22) - If you’re selling your business, are there best practices to do a few years out? (32:35) - What’s a Loan Out Corp? (34:48) - Do they need audited financials years in advance? (35:34) - What is QSBS? (Qualified Small Business Stock) (28:25) - How does a SPAC work? (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) (40:17) - What are some outlandish ways you’ve seen people avoid taxes? (41:36) - Is there a bulletproof way to save on taxes for the average person? (42:59) - What’s a cash balance pension plan? (45:12) - What are the benefits for Multi-Family vs. Commercial asset classes with Cost & Bonus Depreciation? (54:42) - What pieces of real properties (parking areas, concrete on commercial areas, etc.) are often overlooked for bonus depreciation? (56:12) - Is the best practice to call your CPA after every deal? (58:04) - How do you most efficiently structure a holding company with both operating and real estate investments? (1:00:07) - How do you best structure family businesses that will succeed from one generation to another? (1:02:34) - What is the coolest way you’ve seen a family set benchmarks for grandkids to actually earn money from a plan? (1:05:36) - How are you thinking about growing your business going forward? (1:08:46) - Twitter as a Mode for Growth (1:12:55) - Nick Huber (1:16:40) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life? (1:18:50) - Is there something you believe that a lot of people around you don’t? (1:19:38) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:20:30) - Do you have a book that you love? Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Choose yourself by James Altucher (1:21:41) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mitchell Baldridge is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in corporate accounting, business advisory, and financial planning. His passion is building lifelong relationships with business owners to help them thrive. 

On this episode, Mitchell and Chris discuss the nuances in financial planning for business owners, best practices to take before selling your business, bulletproof ways for normal people to save on taxes, Twitter and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Mitchell on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BaldridgeCPA

(02:51) - Mitchell’s Story and What He Does Today

(05:46) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Invest Money

(06:40) - Thought Experiment: Family business owner, late in a career, $50 M company w/ three kids & grandkids and no planning. What do you recommend?

(16:02) - Is there a certain dollar amount you need to start thinking about this planning?

(17:03) - Setting up a Giving Plan

(21:10) - The Fractional Family Offices & Creative Planning

(24:32) - What technology are you using right now?

(25:30) - Twitter Q: Why do most CPAs act like they work for the IRS instead of their client?

(28:58) - What’s it like to be so intimately involved with people making incredible amounts of money?

(30:22) - If you’re selling your business, are there best practices to do a few years out?

(32:35) - What’s a Loan Out Corp?

(34:48) - Do they need audited financials years in advance?

(35:34) - What is QSBS? (Qualified Small Business Stock)

(28:25) - How does a SPAC work? (Special Purpose Acquisition Company)

(40:17) - What are some outlandish ways you’ve seen people avoid taxes?

(41:36) - Is there a bulletproof way to save on taxes for the average person?

(42:59) - What’s a cash balance pension plan?

(45:12) - What are the benefits for Multi-Family vs. Commercial asset classes with Cost & Bonus Depreciation?

(54:42) - What pieces of real properties (parking areas, concrete on commercial areas, etc.) are often overlooked for bonus depreciation?

(56:12) - Is the best practice to call your CPA after every deal?

(58:04) - How do you most efficiently structure a holding company with both operating and real estate investments?

(1:00:07) - How do you best structure family businesses that will succeed from one generation to another?

(1:02:34) - What is the coolest way you’ve seen a family set benchmarks for grandkids to actually earn money from a plan?

(1:05:36) - How are you thinking about growing your business going forward?

(1:08:46) - Twitter as a Mode for Growth

(1:12:55) - Nick Huber

(1:16:40) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life?

(1:18:50) - Is there something you believe that a lot of people around you don’t?

(1:19:38) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:20:30) - Do you have a book that you love?

Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Choose yourself by James Altucher

(1:21:41) - What’s the best way for people to reach you?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5064 no #115: James Beshara - Angel Investing, AirBnb, Clubhouse, & Being Content https://www.TheFortPod.com James Beshara is a full-time Angel Investor & Founder of Magic Mind. He also is the host of the podcast Below the Line.  In his third appearance on The FORT, James and Chris discuss the origins of their friendship, the concept of lives being made on 12 seconds of courage, and the metrics of their first venture fund. James also details his experience building Tilt, which was acquired by Airbnb in 2017, and the downside of that journey that you won't ever hear from other start-ups in the media. He talks about running out of cash while trying to find a suitable buyer for the business, having to lay-off employees, and taking the news of the acquisition to the team as well as transitioning to Airbnb. Finally, James and Chris discuss the ego-centric world of tech, what it means to be happy, the philosophy behind building a business, and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ James Beshara on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara James' Podcast: www.belowthelinepod.com (03:26) - How James and Chris Met (07:22) - Lives Are Made on 12 Seconds of Courage (12:15) - Going to South Africa (16:24) - The Metrics for Chris & James First Fund (Cat Empire) (24:20) - The Process of Deciding to Start a Venture Fund (30:02) - The Downside of Building and Exiting Tilt (Acquired by Airbnb) Below the Line: On Failure  (36:10) - The Last Few Months of Tilt (50:03) - Telling the Team About the Acquisition (59:06) - Initial Experiences at Airbnb (1:02:10) - What’s the process like getting stock in a pre-IPO company? (1:05:12) - Being Made to Create (1:07:20) - Working Alongside AirBnb’s CEO (1:10:55) - When someone is emerging with a start-up, are they getting executive coaches along the way? (1:17:04) - Vulnerability is a Strength  (1:22:33) - Ego in Today’s Society (1:25:27) - Envy (1:30:51) - Eastern Philosophy & Starting a Business (1:33:17) - Wheat does an internal pursuit mean? (1:36:36) - What does it mean to be content? Living life backwards by David Gibson (1:49:08) - Clubhouse and James Being One of the First Investors The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 25 Feb 2021 10:30:00 -0000 #115: James Beshara - Angel Investing, AirBnb, Clubhouse, & Being Content full 1 115 Chris Powers James Beshara is a full-time Angel Investor & Founder of Magic Mind. He also is the host of the podcast Below the Line.  In his third appearance on The FORT, James and Chris discuss the origins of their friendship, the concept of lives being... James Beshara is a full-time Angel Investor & Founder of Magic Mind. He also is the host of the podcast Below the Line.  In his third appearance on The FORT, James and Chris discuss the origins of their friendship, the concept of lives being made on 12 seconds of courage, and the metrics of their first venture fund. James also details his experience building Tilt, which was acquired by Airbnb in 2017, and the downside of that journey that you won't ever hear from other start-ups in the media. He talks about running out of cash while trying to find a suitable buyer for the business, having to lay-off employees, and taking the news of the acquisition to the team as well as transitioning to Airbnb. Finally, James and Chris discuss the ego-centric world of tech, what it means to be happy, the philosophy behind building a business, and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ James Beshara on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara James' Podcast: www.belowthelinepod.com (03:26) - How James and Chris Met (07:22) - Lives Are Made on 12 Seconds of Courage (12:15) - Going to South Africa (16:24) - The Metrics for Chris & James First Fund (Cat Empire) (24:20) - The Process of Deciding to Start a Venture Fund (30:02) - The Downside of Building and Exiting Tilt (Acquired by Airbnb) Below the Line: On Failure  (36:10) - The Last Few Months of Tilt (50:03) - Telling the Team About the Acquisition (59:06) - Initial Experiences at Airbnb (1:02:10) - What’s the process like getting stock in a pre-IPO company? (1:05:12) - Being Made to Create (1:07:20) - Working Alongside AirBnb’s CEO (1:10:55) - When someone is emerging with a start-up, are they getting executive coaches along the way? (1:17:04) - Vulnerability is a Strength  (1:22:33) - Ego in Today’s Society (1:25:27) - Envy (1:30:51) - Eastern Philosophy & Starting a Business (1:33:17) - Wheat does an internal pursuit mean? (1:36:36) - What does it mean to be content? Living life backwards by David Gibson (1:49:08) - Clubhouse and James Being One of the First Investors The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts James Beshara is a full-time Angel Investor & Founder of Magic Mind. He also is the host of the podcast Below the Line. 

In his third appearance on The FORT, James and Chris discuss the origins of their friendship, the concept of lives being made on 12 seconds of courage, and the metrics of their first venture fund. James also details his experience building Tilt, which was acquired by Airbnb in 2017, and the downside of that journey that you won't ever hear from other start-ups in the media. He talks about running out of cash while trying to find a suitable buyer for the business, having to lay-off employees, and taking the news of the acquisition to the team as well as transitioning to Airbnb.

Finally, James and Chris discuss the ego-centric world of tech, what it means to be happy, the philosophy behind building a business, and more. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

James Beshara on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara

James' Podcast: www.belowthelinepod.com

(03:26) - How James and Chris Met

(07:22) - Lives Are Made on 12 Seconds of Courage

(12:15) - Going to South Africa

(16:24) - The Metrics for Chris & James First Fund (Cat Empire)

(24:20) - The Process of Deciding to Start a Venture Fund

(30:02) - The Downside of Building and Exiting Tilt (Acquired by Airbnb)

Below the Line: On Failure 

(36:10) - The Last Few Months of Tilt

(50:03) - Telling the Team About the Acquisition

(59:06) - Initial Experiences at Airbnb

(1:02:10) - What’s the process like getting stock in a pre-IPO company?

(1:05:12) - Being Made to Create

(1:07:20) - Working Alongside AirBnb’s CEO

(1:10:55) - When someone is emerging with a start-up, are they getting executive coaches along the way?

(1:17:04) - Vulnerability is a Strength 

(1:22:33) - Ego in Today’s Society

(1:25:27) - Envy

(1:30:51) - Eastern Philosophy & Starting a Business

(1:33:17) - Wheat does an internal pursuit mean?

(1:36:36) - What does it mean to be content?

Living life backwards by David Gibson

(1:49:08) - Clubhouse and James Being One of the First Investors

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 7182 no #114: Patrick Dossett - Navy SEAL and Founder of Madefor https://www.TheFortPod.com Patrick Dossett is a Navy SEAL and Co-Founder of Madefor, a ten-month program that applies the principles of modern neuroscience, psychology, and physiology to make your brain and body better. On this episode, Patrick talks about his journey of becoming a SEAL and the grueling physical and mental process that develops the greatest soldiers on earth. He also talks about his transition out of the SEAL Teams into business school at Wharton and his time working at Google. Finally, he and Chris discuss launching Madefor right as the pandemic hit, learning from his Co-founder Blake Mycoskie (founder of Tom's Shoes) and how Madefor is aimed to help bring peak potential out of every student. Enjoy! (02:31) - Pat’s Story Growing Up Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko (03:46) - What was it that drove you to want to become a SEAL? (05:36) - Pat's Journey of Starting at the Naval Academy and Getting to BUD/S (08:31) - What’s the breakdown of mental vs. physical toughness in being a SEAL? (13:01) - Hell Week & Focusing on What’s in Front of You (19:20) - Sleep During Hell Week (20:36) - Is there a reason why we aren’t taught more about focusing on the little things in front of us? Why do we only look at the 'big wins’? Growth and Fixed Mindsets - Carol Dweck (25:30) - Was the Dweck research outcome due to more nature or nurture? (26:46) - What’s the main reason a SEAL mission fails? (32:30) - There’s Always an Opportunity to Quit (37:20) - How was your transition out of the teams? What did business school do for you? (40:58) - What was the difference in ‘thinking outside the box’ in the SEALS vs. your time working at Google? (47:25) - How did you get the idea for Madefor? (52:23) - What have you learned from your co-founder, Blake, that’s made him a great businessman? (55:24) - What is the product you’ve built? What’s the curriculum? (1:02:34) - Do people taking the class get to know other students or is there only communication with the company? (1:04:06) - How many people have gone through the program to date? (1:05:09) - What happens during a month of the program? (1:08:35) - What’s the main reason why people show up for this program? (1:14:29) - What’s one thing you believe that most people don’t? (1:15:03) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:18:44) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:19:26) - How can people get in touch with you? (1:20:31) - Wrap Up www.getmadefor.com Madefor on Instagram: @madefor Patrick on Instagram: @Madefor_pat The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 22 Feb 2021 10:01:00 -0000 #114: Patrick Dossett - Navy SEAL and Founder of Madefor full 1 114 Chris Powers Patrick Dossett is a Navy SEAL and Co-Founder of , a ten-month program that applies the principles of modern neuroscience, psychology, and physiology to make your brain and body better. On this episode, Patrick talks about his journey of becoming a... Patrick Dossett is a Navy SEAL and Co-Founder of Madefor, a ten-month program that applies the principles of modern neuroscience, psychology, and physiology to make your brain and body better. On this episode, Patrick talks about his journey of becoming a SEAL and the grueling physical and mental process that develops the greatest soldiers on earth. He also talks about his transition out of the SEAL Teams into business school at Wharton and his time working at Google. Finally, he and Chris discuss launching Madefor right as the pandemic hit, learning from his Co-founder Blake Mycoskie (founder of Tom's Shoes) and how Madefor is aimed to help bring peak potential out of every student. Enjoy! (02:31) - Pat’s Story Growing Up Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko (03:46) - What was it that drove you to want to become a SEAL? (05:36) - Pat's Journey of Starting at the Naval Academy and Getting to BUD/S (08:31) - What’s the breakdown of mental vs. physical toughness in being a SEAL? (13:01) - Hell Week & Focusing on What’s in Front of You (19:20) - Sleep During Hell Week (20:36) - Is there a reason why we aren’t taught more about focusing on the little things in front of us? Why do we only look at the 'big wins’? Growth and Fixed Mindsets - Carol Dweck (25:30) - Was the Dweck research outcome due to more nature or nurture? (26:46) - What’s the main reason a SEAL mission fails? (32:30) - There’s Always an Opportunity to Quit (37:20) - How was your transition out of the teams? What did business school do for you? (40:58) - What was the difference in ‘thinking outside the box’ in the SEALS vs. your time working at Google? (47:25) - How did you get the idea for Madefor? (52:23) - What have you learned from your co-founder, Blake, that’s made him a great businessman? (55:24) - What is the product you’ve built? What’s the curriculum? (1:02:34) - Do people taking the class get to know other students or is there only communication with the company? (1:04:06) - How many people have gone through the program to date? (1:05:09) - What happens during a month of the program? (1:08:35) - What’s the main reason why people show up for this program? (1:14:29) - What’s one thing you believe that most people don’t? (1:15:03) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:18:44) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:19:26) - How can people get in touch with you? (1:20:31) - Wrap Up www.getmadefor.com Madefor on Instagram: @madefor Patrick on Instagram: @Madefor_pat The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Patrick Dossett is a Navy SEAL and Co-Founder of Madefor, a ten-month program that applies the principles of modern neuroscience, psychology, and physiology to make your brain and body better.

On this episode, Patrick talks about his journey of becoming a SEAL and the grueling physical and mental process that develops the greatest soldiers on earth. He also talks about his transition out of the SEAL Teams into business school at Wharton and his time working at Google.

Finally, he and Chris discuss launching Madefor right as the pandemic hit, learning from his Co-founder Blake Mycoskie (founder of Tom's Shoes) and how Madefor is aimed to help bring peak potential out of every student. Enjoy!

(02:31) - Pat’s Story Growing Up

Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko

(03:46) - What was it that drove you to want to become a SEAL?

(05:36) - Pat's Journey of Starting at the Naval Academy and Getting to BUD/S

(08:31) - What’s the breakdown of mental vs. physical toughness in being a SEAL?

(13:01) - Hell Week & Focusing on What’s in Front of You

(19:20) - Sleep During Hell Week

(20:36) - Is there a reason why we aren’t taught more about focusing on the little things in front of us? Why do we only look at the 'big wins’?

Growth and Fixed Mindsets - Carol Dweck

(25:30) - Was the Dweck research outcome due to more nature or nurture?

(26:46) - What’s the main reason a SEAL mission fails?

(32:30) - There’s Always an Opportunity to Quit

(37:20) - How was your transition out of the teams? What did business school do for you?

(40:58) - What was the difference in ‘thinking outside the box’ in the SEALS vs. your time working at Google?

(47:25) - How did you get the idea for Madefor?

(52:23) - What have you learned from your co-founder, Blake, that’s made him a great businessman?

(55:24) - What is the product you’ve built? What’s the curriculum?

(1:02:34) - Do people taking the class get to know other students or is there only communication with the company?

(1:04:06) - How many people have gone through the program to date?

(1:05:09) - What happens during a month of the program?

(1:08:35) - What’s the main reason why people show up for this program?

(1:14:29) - What’s one thing you believe that most people don’t?

(1:15:03) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:18:44) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:19:26) - How can people get in touch with you?

(1:20:31) - Wrap Up

www.getmadefor.com

Madefor on Instagram: @madefor

Patrick on Instagram: @Madefor_pat

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5034 no RE #113: Chris Powers - Executing Your First Real Estate Deal https://www.TheFortPod.com How would you go about doing your first real estate deal with no experience and no capital? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of executing your first deal. He explains why you need to have immense knowledge of your market, understanding how to approach banks, the process of raising capital, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (00:57) - Pick an Asset Class and a Market The FORT Podcast RE #93: How to get your first job in Real Estate (02:24) - Get Your Real Estate License (04:08) - Borrowing From a Bank (FHA Loan) (07:54) - Get to Know Your Market (10:01) - Learn How to Underwrite a Property (16:48) - Raising Money The FORT Podcast RE #81: How to Underwrite (20:39) - Setting Terms with Investors (21:26) - Understanding What a ‘Good Deal’ Looks Like (23:31) - Cold-Calling Properties & Talking to Brokers (25:08) - Finding Sub-Contractors (27:37) - After You Get a Property Under Contract (29:02) - Property Management (32:18) - More on FHA Loans & Chris’ First Deal (33:41) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 18 Feb 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #113: Chris Powers - Executing Your First Real Estate Deal full 1 113 Chris Powers How would you go about doing your first real estate deal with no experience and no capital? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of executing your first deal. He explains why you need to have immense knowledge... How would you go about doing your first real estate deal with no experience and no capital? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of executing your first deal. He explains why you need to have immense knowledge of your market, understanding how to approach banks, the process of raising capital, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (00:57) - Pick an Asset Class and a Market The FORT Podcast RE #93: How to get your first job in Real Estate (02:24) - Get Your Real Estate License (04:08) - Borrowing From a Bank (FHA Loan) (07:54) - Get to Know Your Market (10:01) - Learn How to Underwrite a Property (16:48) - Raising Money The FORT Podcast RE #81: How to Underwrite (20:39) - Setting Terms with Investors (21:26) - Understanding What a ‘Good Deal’ Looks Like (23:31) - Cold-Calling Properties & Talking to Brokers (25:08) - Finding Sub-Contractors (27:37) - After You Get a Property Under Contract (29:02) - Property Management (32:18) - More on FHA Loans & Chris’ First Deal (33:41) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts How would you go about doing your first real estate deal with no experience and no capital? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of executing your first deal. He explains why you need to have immense knowledge of your market, understanding how to approach banks, the process of raising capital, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

(00:57) - Pick an Asset Class and a Market

The FORT Podcast RE #93: How to get your first job in Real Estate

(02:24) - Get Your Real Estate License

(04:08) - Borrowing From a Bank (FHA Loan)

(07:54) - Get to Know Your Market

(10:01) - Learn How to Underwrite a Property

(16:48) - Raising Money

The FORT Podcast RE #81: How to Underwrite

(20:39) - Setting Terms with Investors

(21:26) - Understanding What a ‘Good Deal’ Looks Like

(23:31) - Cold-Calling Properties & Talking to Brokers

(25:08) - Finding Sub-Contractors

(27:37) - After You Get a Property Under Contract

(29:02) - Property Management

(32:18) - More on FHA Loans & Chris’ First Deal

(33:41) - Wrap Up

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2275 no RE #112: Nick Huber - Self Storage, Twitter, & Sweat (Part 2) https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Nick Huber joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT podcast. Nick is the founder of The Sweaty Startup whose mission is to help people do common things uncommonly well. Nick and Chris discuss his massive growth on Twitter over the last 6 months and what kind of value that's brought him. They talk self-storage and Nick's 12 properties under contract as well as how he was able to raise the money for those deals. They touch on the importance of providing value and content online, the steps Chris took in his business career to get where he is now, Nick's Real Estate course, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/  Nick Huber: Bolt Storage The Sweaty Startup Website Nick's Real Estate Masterclass Nick on Twitter (02:43) - Walk Us Through Selling Your Self-Storage Business and What Y’all Went Through in 2020 (03:54) - Was there a moment when you realized that it was time to sell? (04:32) - How long did it take you all to sell? (05:32) - How much has your growth on Twitter changed your world? (06:25) - How were you able to earn $100k in consulting? (07:39) - How Chris and Nick Engage with Potential Investors (10:52) - Nick’s Thread that Was Published on Morning Brew that Led to 30-40k Followers on Twitter The Thread (11:52) - Nick and Chris’ Thoughts on Giving Information Away on Twitter and Handling Trolls (14:38) - How do you meet the really big people on Twitter? (15:07) - Chris’ Twitter & Podcast Goals (17:32) - Nick’s Business Goals and The Steps Chris Took to Get to Where He is Now (22:27) - Thinking of Hiring as an Asset and Not an Expense (25:40) - Clubhouse (27:17) - Twitter Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing real estate?  (31:56) - Nick’s Real Estate Course (The Non-Sales Pitch) (33:58) - Podia (35:35) - What asset class would you jump into if you couldn’t do self-storage? (37:04) - How are you underwriting your expected churn? (38:40) - Why do you continue to focus on the NorthEast? (40:42) - What’s the most common thing you do to increase value when you take over a property? (42:44) - Nick’s Advertising Process (43:09) - Twitter Q: How are you sourcing and getting things under contract so quickly? (44:37) - Working with Brokers (49:41) - Cash-Out Refinancing (51:05) - Demographic Differences Between Rural NE and The Big Cities (51:50) - Customers Taking Advantage of Customer Service Reps (54:50) - What type of person are you hiring? (56:14) - What do the first 2 weeks look like after closing 12 properties? (58:12) - Twitter Q: Buy and Hold forever vs. Buy and Sell in 5-7 years? (1:01:28) - Being an LP (1:05:36) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 15 Feb 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #112: Nick Huber - Self Storage, Twitter, & Sweat (Part 2) full 1 112 Chris Powers On this episode, Nick Huber joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT podcast. Nick is the founder of The Sweaty Startup whose mission is to help people do common things uncommonly well. Nick and Chris discuss his massive growth on Twitter... On this episode, Nick Huber joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT podcast. Nick is the founder of The Sweaty Startup whose mission is to help people do common things uncommonly well. Nick and Chris discuss his massive growth on Twitter over the last 6 months and what kind of value that's brought him. They talk self-storage and Nick's 12 properties under contract as well as how he was able to raise the money for those deals. They touch on the importance of providing value and content online, the steps Chris took in his business career to get where he is now, Nick's Real Estate course, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/  Nick Huber: Bolt Storage The Sweaty Startup Website Nick's Real Estate Masterclass Nick on Twitter (02:43) - Walk Us Through Selling Your Self-Storage Business and What Y’all Went Through in 2020 (03:54) - Was there a moment when you realized that it was time to sell? (04:32) - How long did it take you all to sell? (05:32) - How much has your growth on Twitter changed your world? (06:25) - How were you able to earn $100k in consulting? (07:39) - How Chris and Nick Engage with Potential Investors (10:52) - Nick’s Thread that Was Published on Morning Brew that Led to 30-40k Followers on Twitter The Thread (11:52) - Nick and Chris’ Thoughts on Giving Information Away on Twitter and Handling Trolls (14:38) - How do you meet the really big people on Twitter? (15:07) - Chris’ Twitter & Podcast Goals (17:32) - Nick’s Business Goals and The Steps Chris Took to Get to Where He is Now (22:27) - Thinking of Hiring as an Asset and Not an Expense (25:40) - Clubhouse (27:17) - Twitter Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing real estate?  (31:56) - Nick’s Real Estate Course (The Non-Sales Pitch) (33:58) - Podia (35:35) - What asset class would you jump into if you couldn’t do self-storage? (37:04) - How are you underwriting your expected churn? (38:40) - Why do you continue to focus on the NorthEast? (40:42) - What’s the most common thing you do to increase value when you take over a property? (42:44) - Nick’s Advertising Process (43:09) - Twitter Q: How are you sourcing and getting things under contract so quickly? (44:37) - Working with Brokers (49:41) - Cash-Out Refinancing (51:05) - Demographic Differences Between Rural NE and The Big Cities (51:50) - Customers Taking Advantage of Customer Service Reps (54:50) - What type of person are you hiring? (56:14) - What do the first 2 weeks look like after closing 12 properties? (58:12) - Twitter Q: Buy and Hold forever vs. Buy and Sell in 5-7 years? (1:01:28) - Being an LP (1:05:36) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Nick Huber joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT podcast. Nick is the founder of The Sweaty Startup whose mission is to help people do common things uncommonly well.

Nick and Chris discuss his massive growth on Twitter over the last 6 months and what kind of value that's brought him. They talk self-storage and Nick's 12 properties under contract as well as how he was able to raise the money for those deals. They touch on the importance of providing value and content online, the steps Chris took in his business career to get where he is now, Nick's Real Estate course, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ 

Nick Huber:

Bolt Storage

The Sweaty Startup Website

Nick's Real Estate Masterclass

Nick on Twitter

(02:43) - Walk Us Through Selling Your Self-Storage Business and What Y’all Went Through in 2020

(03:54) - Was there a moment when you realized that it was time to sell?

(04:32) - How long did it take you all to sell?

(05:32) - How much has your growth on Twitter changed your world?

(06:25) - How were you able to earn $100k in consulting?

(07:39) - How Chris and Nick Engage with Potential Investors

(10:52) - Nick’s Thread that Was Published on Morning Brew that Led to 30-40k Followers on Twitter

The Thread

(11:52) - Nick and Chris’ Thoughts on Giving Information Away on Twitter and Handling Trolls

(14:38) - How do you meet the really big people on Twitter?

(15:07) - Chris’ Twitter & Podcast Goals

(17:32) - Nick’s Business Goals and The Steps Chris Took to Get to Where He is Now

(22:27) - Thinking of Hiring as an Asset and Not an Expense

(25:40) - Clubhouse

(27:17) - Twitter Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing real estate? 

(31:56) - Nick’s Real Estate Course (The Non-Sales Pitch)

(33:58) - Podia

(35:35) - What asset class would you jump into if you couldn’t do self-storage?

(37:04) - How are you underwriting your expected churn?

(38:40) - Why do you continue to focus on the NorthEast?

(40:42) - What’s the most common thing you do to increase value when you take over a property?

(42:44) - Nick’s Advertising Process

(43:09) - Twitter Q: How are you sourcing and getting things under contract so quickly?

(44:37) - Working with Brokers

(49:41) - Cash-Out Refinancing

(51:05) - Demographic Differences Between Rural NE and The Big Cities

(51:50) - Customers Taking Advantage of Customer Service Reps

(54:50) - What type of person are you hiring?

(56:14) - What do the first 2 weeks look like after closing 12 properties?

(58:12) - Twitter Q: Buy and Hold forever vs. Buy and Sell in 5-7 years?

(1:01:28) - Being an LP

(1:05:36) - Wrap Up

The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4216 no #111: Tomas Hoyos - Co-Founder & CEO of Airsubs https://www.TheFortPod.com Today's episode features Tomas Hoyos, the Co-Founder & CEO of airsubs, a platform launched in the midst of the pandemic that allows creators to connect virtually with their audience to teach classes, host fitness courses and more all while monetizing as digital creators. Tomas also is the founder of Voro, a healthcare social network where people share doctor recommendations with their friends and neighbors, research doctors, and book appointments. On this episode, Tomas touches on his childhood moving from Venezuela to the United States and the trial his family went through during multiple military coups and the Bay of Pigs. He and Chris also discuss the pivot to launching airsubs during the early days of the pandemic, how COVID affected Voro, and the trend of the creator economy exploding due to the events of the last year. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/   (02:56) - Tomas’ Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Airsubs www.airsubs.com (04:16) - Tomas’ Experience Growing Up in Venezuela (05:36) - What was the inspiration behind Voro? www.Voro.com (10:02) - When did you decide to go all-in with Voro? (10:56) - Did you bring on a co-founder? (11:27) - What happened when the pandemic hit? (16:44) - How do you describe airsubs? (20:29) - Was Mike Maples the main encourager for y’all to ‘try anything’ in the midst of the world turning upside down? (22:13) - What was your mandate to the team in the aftermath of that conversation? How long was it until you launched airsubs from that call? (23:03) - Did you code everything out or go no-code? (23:38) - What was the genesis of getting your first creator onboard? (27:13) - What other types of use-cases are you seeing on the platform? (29:04) - Re-Selling Content (30:14) - Can you embed your profile into a website or do you drive users to the airsubs website? (31:00) - Is there a community aspect within airsubs? (31:41) - What’s the network effect like? (33:24) - What tools do you offer to the creator? (36:14) - How are you getting inspiration for new tools to add? (37:27) - Has there been anything your customers have asked you to build that was surprising? (38:33) - Is there any reason a creator would go back to in-person events after seeing such success online? (40:02) - What are your thoughts on Clubhouse and the idea of monetizing conversations? (43:48) - How many people are working on the business? (44:48) - Is it fair to say you’ve found Product-Market fit with airsubs? (46:04) - How are you thinking about financing going forward? (46:56) - How are you thinking about Voro’s growth amidst airsubs’ success? (47:58) - Is your team completely remote? How do you think about growing the team? (48:40) - What have your investors done for you that you didn’t expect? (50:02) - Did you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (52:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (53:37) - What’s the best book you have ever read? Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Barbarian Days by William Finnegan A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean (54:30) - What’s the best way for people to reach you or find airsubs? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/HomasToyos Instagram: www.Instagram.com/HomasToyos Tomas@airsubs.com   Thu, 11 Feb 2021 10:01:00 -0000 #111: Tomas Hoyos - Co-Founder & CEO of Airsubs full 1 111 Chris Powers Today's episode features Tomas Hoyos, the Co-Founder & CEO of airsubs, a platform launched in the midst of the pandemic that allows creators to connect virtually with their audience to teach classes, host fitness courses and more all while... Today's episode features Tomas Hoyos, the Co-Founder & CEO of airsubs, a platform launched in the midst of the pandemic that allows creators to connect virtually with their audience to teach classes, host fitness courses and more all while monetizing as digital creators. Tomas also is the founder of Voro, a healthcare social network where people share doctor recommendations with their friends and neighbors, research doctors, and book appointments. On this episode, Tomas touches on his childhood moving from Venezuela to the United States and the trial his family went through during multiple military coups and the Bay of Pigs. He and Chris also discuss the pivot to launching airsubs during the early days of the pandemic, how COVID affected Voro, and the trend of the creator economy exploding due to the events of the last year. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/   (02:56) - Tomas’ Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Airsubs www.airsubs.com (04:16) - Tomas’ Experience Growing Up in Venezuela (05:36) - What was the inspiration behind Voro? www.Voro.com (10:02) - When did you decide to go all-in with Voro? (10:56) - Did you bring on a co-founder? (11:27) - What happened when the pandemic hit? (16:44) - How do you describe airsubs? (20:29) - Was Mike Maples the main encourager for y’all to ‘try anything’ in the midst of the world turning upside down? (22:13) - What was your mandate to the team in the aftermath of that conversation? How long was it until you launched airsubs from that call? (23:03) - Did you code everything out or go no-code? (23:38) - What was the genesis of getting your first creator onboard? (27:13) - What other types of use-cases are you seeing on the platform? (29:04) - Re-Selling Content (30:14) - Can you embed your profile into a website or do you drive users to the airsubs website? (31:00) - Is there a community aspect within airsubs? (31:41) - What’s the network effect like? (33:24) - What tools do you offer to the creator? (36:14) - How are you getting inspiration for new tools to add? (37:27) - Has there been anything your customers have asked you to build that was surprising? (38:33) - Is there any reason a creator would go back to in-person events after seeing such success online? (40:02) - What are your thoughts on Clubhouse and the idea of monetizing conversations? (43:48) - How many people are working on the business? (44:48) - Is it fair to say you’ve found Product-Market fit with airsubs? (46:04) - How are you thinking about financing going forward? (46:56) - How are you thinking about Voro’s growth amidst airsubs’ success? (47:58) - Is your team completely remote? How do you think about growing the team? (48:40) - What have your investors done for you that you didn’t expect? (50:02) - Did you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (52:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (53:37) - What’s the best book you have ever read? Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Barbarian Days by William Finnegan A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean (54:30) - What’s the best way for people to reach you or find airsubs? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/HomasToyos Instagram: www.Instagram.com/HomasToyos Tomas@airsubs.com   Today's episode features Tomas Hoyos, the Co-Founder & CEO of airsubs, a platform launched in the midst of the pandemic that allows creators to connect virtually with their audience to teach classes, host fitness courses and more all while monetizing as digital creators. Tomas also is the founder of Voro, a healthcare social network where people share doctor recommendations with their friends and neighbors, research doctors, and book appointments.

On this episode, Tomas touches on his childhood moving from Venezuela to the United States and the trial his family went through during multiple military coups and the Bay of Pigs. He and Chris also discuss the pivot to launching airsubs during the early days of the pandemic, how COVID affected Voro, and the trend of the creator economy exploding due to the events of the last year. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

 

(02:56) - Tomas’ Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Airsubs

www.airsubs.com

(04:16) - Tomas’ Experience Growing Up in Venezuela

(05:36) - What was the inspiration behind Voro?

www.Voro.com

(10:02) - When did you decide to go all-in with Voro?

(10:56) - Did you bring on a co-founder?

(11:27) - What happened when the pandemic hit?

(16:44) - How do you describe airsubs?

(20:29) - Was Mike Maples the main encourager for y’all to ‘try anything’ in the midst of the world turning upside down?

(22:13) - What was your mandate to the team in the aftermath of that conversation? How long was it until you launched airsubs from that call?

(23:03) - Did you code everything out or go no-code?

(23:38) - What was the genesis of getting your first creator onboard?

(27:13) - What other types of use-cases are you seeing on the platform?

(29:04) - Re-Selling Content

(30:14) - Can you embed your profile into a website or do you drive users to the airsubs website?

(31:00) - Is there a community aspect within airsubs?

(31:41) - What’s the network effect like?

(33:24) - What tools do you offer to the creator?

(36:14) - How are you getting inspiration for new tools to add?

(37:27) - Has there been anything your customers have asked you to build that was surprising?

(38:33) - Is there any reason a creator would go back to in-person events after seeing such success online?

(40:02) - What are your thoughts on Clubhouse and the idea of monetizing conversations?

(43:48) - How many people are working on the business?

(44:48) - Is it fair to say you’ve found Product-Market fit with airsubs?

(46:04) - How are you thinking about financing going forward?

(46:56) - How are you thinking about Voro’s growth amidst airsubs’ success?

(47:58) - Is your team completely remote? How do you think about growing the team?

(48:40) - What have your investors done for you that you didn’t expect?

(50:02) - Did you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life?

(52:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(53:37) - What’s the best book you have ever read?

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan

A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean

(54:30) - What’s the best way for people to reach you or find airsubs?

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/HomasToyos

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/HomasToyos

Tomas@airsubs.com

 

]]> 3415 no #110: Matteo Franceschetti - Co-Founder & CEO of Eight Sleep https://www.TheFortPod.com Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, a proprietary technology reinventing the way people sleep. Eight graduated from Y Combinator in the summer 2015 and from Stanford’s StartX program in May 2015. On this episode, Matteo offers insight into the nuances of how and why we sleep. He touches on how various inputs affect our quality of sleep such as food, caffeine, alcohol and supplements. He also describes various levels of sleep: Light, Deep and REM. Finally, Matteo and Chris talk about Eight Sleep's technology and how it has been able to help people improve their sleep. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:42) - Matteo’s Background (02:30) - How did you get the idea to start Eight Sleep? (03:34) - What was your experience like going through Y Combinator? Y Combinator (04:26) -  Why do you characterize sleep as a form of fitness? (05:34) - Why do you suggest compressing your sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours? (06:33) - How do you define light sleep, deep sleep, and REM? (07:58) - What happens to the body when you’re sleeping? Why do we need sleep? (09:51) - Does the amount of total time in bed but not asleep benefit you at all? (10:24) - What effect does alcohol have on sleep? (12:21) - What effect does eating before bed have on sleep? (13:29) - How does caffeine impact sleep? (14:39) - How does exercise and when you exercise affect your sleep? (16:02) - Does having sex before you go to sleep affect your sleep? (16:27) - Do you recommend sleep supplements like Melatonin? (17:35) - What are your thoughts on going to sleep around the same time every day? (20:43) - How does your mood before going to bed impact your sleep and how you wake up? (21:56) - Is there data on sleep quality for couples vs. those sleeping alone? (22:58) - Why do people dream? (24:17) - Why are some people really heavy sleepers and others light sleepers? (24:57) - How does age affect sleep? (26:17) - Does gender affect sleep? (26:40) - How does sleeping on a mattress for most folks affect sleep vs. people in poverty that have worse sleeping conditions? (27:40) - How does light and temperature in the room affect sleep? (28:21) - What is it about the products you offer that make sleep better for people? (30:00) - How are these mattresses able to control body temperature? (30:34) - What type of information do the mattress sensors pick up about the user? (31:53) - Does the mattress differ in terms or softness or firmness? Does it even matter? (32:50) - Do pillows matter? (33:16) - What data do customers get in the morning on the Eight Sleep app? (33:47) - Circulating Water into the Mattress (34:46) - Can you describe the pods and cover you offer? (35:58) - What can folks who travel a lot do to make sleeping better? (36:30) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (37:15) - Do you have a morning routine? (38:05) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (38:14) - If you had a billboard that was on a major highway, what would you put on it? (39:08) - How can people reach you? eightsleep.com Follow Matteo on Twitter Mon, 08 Feb 2021 10:01:00 -0000 #110: Matteo Franceschetti - Co-Founder & CEO of Eight Sleep full 1 110 Chris Powers Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of , a proprietary technology reinventing the way people sleep. Eight graduated from Y Combinator in the summer 2015 and from Stanford’s StartX program in May 2015. On this episode, Matteo offers... Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, a proprietary technology reinventing the way people sleep. Eight graduated from Y Combinator in the summer 2015 and from Stanford’s StartX program in May 2015. On this episode, Matteo offers insight into the nuances of how and why we sleep. He touches on how various inputs affect our quality of sleep such as food, caffeine, alcohol and supplements. He also describes various levels of sleep: Light, Deep and REM. Finally, Matteo and Chris talk about Eight Sleep's technology and how it has been able to help people improve their sleep. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:42) - Matteo’s Background (02:30) - How did you get the idea to start Eight Sleep? (03:34) - What was your experience like going through Y Combinator? Y Combinator (04:26) -  Why do you characterize sleep as a form of fitness? (05:34) - Why do you suggest compressing your sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours? (06:33) - How do you define light sleep, deep sleep, and REM? (07:58) - What happens to the body when you’re sleeping? Why do we need sleep? (09:51) - Does the amount of total time in bed but not asleep benefit you at all? (10:24) - What effect does alcohol have on sleep? (12:21) - What effect does eating before bed have on sleep? (13:29) - How does caffeine impact sleep? (14:39) - How does exercise and when you exercise affect your sleep? (16:02) - Does having sex before you go to sleep affect your sleep? (16:27) - Do you recommend sleep supplements like Melatonin? (17:35) - What are your thoughts on going to sleep around the same time every day? (20:43) - How does your mood before going to bed impact your sleep and how you wake up? (21:56) - Is there data on sleep quality for couples vs. those sleeping alone? (22:58) - Why do people dream? (24:17) - Why are some people really heavy sleepers and others light sleepers? (24:57) - How does age affect sleep? (26:17) - Does gender affect sleep? (26:40) - How does sleeping on a mattress for most folks affect sleep vs. people in poverty that have worse sleeping conditions? (27:40) - How does light and temperature in the room affect sleep? (28:21) - What is it about the products you offer that make sleep better for people? (30:00) - How are these mattresses able to control body temperature? (30:34) - What type of information do the mattress sensors pick up about the user? (31:53) - Does the mattress differ in terms or softness or firmness? Does it even matter? (32:50) - Do pillows matter? (33:16) - What data do customers get in the morning on the Eight Sleep app? (33:47) - Circulating Water into the Mattress (34:46) - Can you describe the pods and cover you offer? (35:58) - What can folks who travel a lot do to make sleeping better? (36:30) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (37:15) - Do you have a morning routine? (38:05) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (38:14) - If you had a billboard that was on a major highway, what would you put on it? (39:08) - How can people reach you? eightsleep.com Follow Matteo on Twitter Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, a proprietary technology reinventing the way people sleep. Eight graduated from Y Combinator in the summer 2015 and from Stanford’s StartX program in May 2015.

On this episode, Matteo offers insight into the nuances of how and why we sleep. He touches on how various inputs affect our quality of sleep such as food, caffeine, alcohol and supplements. He also describes various levels of sleep: Light, Deep and REM. Finally, Matteo and Chris talk about Eight Sleep's technology and how it has been able to help people improve their sleep. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:42) - Matteo’s Background

(02:30) - How did you get the idea to start Eight Sleep?

(03:34) - What was your experience like going through Y Combinator?

Y Combinator

(04:26) -  Why do you characterize sleep as a form of fitness?

(05:34) - Why do you suggest compressing your sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours?

(06:33) - How do you define light sleep, deep sleep, and REM?

(07:58) - What happens to the body when you’re sleeping? Why do we need sleep?

(09:51) - Does the amount of total time in bed but not asleep benefit you at all?

(10:24) - What effect does alcohol have on sleep?

(12:21) - What effect does eating before bed have on sleep?

(13:29) - How does caffeine impact sleep?

(14:39) - How does exercise and when you exercise affect your sleep?

(16:02) - Does having sex before you go to sleep affect your sleep?

(16:27) - Do you recommend sleep supplements like Melatonin?

(17:35) - What are your thoughts on going to sleep around the same time every day?

(20:43) - How does your mood before going to bed impact your sleep and how you wake up?

(21:56) - Is there data on sleep quality for couples vs. those sleeping alone?

(22:58) - Why do people dream?

(24:17) - Why are some people really heavy sleepers and others light sleepers?

(24:57) - How does age affect sleep?

(26:17) - Does gender affect sleep?

(26:40) - How does sleeping on a mattress for most folks affect sleep vs. people in poverty that have worse sleeping conditions?

(27:40) - How does light and temperature in the room affect sleep?

(28:21) - What is it about the products you offer that make sleep better for people?

(30:00) - How are these mattresses able to control body temperature?

(30:34) - What type of information do the mattress sensors pick up about the user?

(31:53) - Does the mattress differ in terms or softness or firmness? Does it even matter?

(32:50) - Do pillows matter?

(33:16) - What data do customers get in the morning on the Eight Sleep app?

(33:47) - Circulating Water into the Mattress

(34:46) - Can you describe the pods and cover you offer?

(35:58) - What can folks who travel a lot do to make sleeping better?

(36:30) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life?

(37:15) - Do you have a morning routine?

(38:05) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(38:14) - If you had a billboard that was on a major highway, what would you put on it?

(39:08) - How can people reach you?

eightsleep.com

Follow Matteo on Twitter

]]> 2503 no #109: Jeff Worn - President & CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company https://www.TheFortPod.com Jeff Worn is President & CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company, the largest nut-sheller in the world.  On this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss taking over his family business, growing the company to $300M in revenue, the domestic and global pecan industry, much of the industry nuances that are influenced by a growing market in China, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:49) - Jeff’s Story Growing Up and What Lead Him to Takeover Southern Georgia Pecan (07:35) - What did your family business look like when you first entered the picture? (12:31) - Why aren’t there government subsidies for pecans but there are for other nuts? (15:34) - What is the dynamic of a contract between you and growers? (18:46) - Verbal Agreements in a Tight-Knit Industry (20:22) - What months are considered ‘Pecan Season’? (24:53) - Is the pecan market relatively new in China? (26:23) - What happens from the day you pick up the pecans all the way to delivering to the final customers? (28:05) - How do you measure the quality of a pecan? (31:25) - How long do they sit in cold storage? (32:09) - How much of the plant-work is done by machines vs. humans? (32:39) - What sets the market for pecans? Why does it fluctuate so much? (34:25) - What causes a bad crop season? (35:17) - Are y'all making the final product in-house or are you just delivering pecans to folks who will make the ice cream, pies, etc.? (36:17) - Is there a pecan allergy or is it just peanut allergies? (37:20) - How long has this business been in your family? (38:08) - Are there a lot of new entrants into the industry or is it largely family-based? (39:28) - What were the big leaps you made since starting off in a sales role? (48:08) - Building a Plant Out in El Paso (50:33) - When did you become President & CEO? (53:01) - What are the top things that stood out to you when you went about changing a 100-year old culture? (56:52) - Do you have an end goal? (58:20) - What does the institutional capital that’s entering the market look like? (58:57) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (1:01:26) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:03:08) - If you owned a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? The FORT with Chris Podcast is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 04 Feb 2021 10:01:00 -0000 #109: Jeff Worn - President & CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company full 1 109 Chris Powers Jeff Worn is President & CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company, the largest nut-sheller in the world.  On this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss taking over his family business, growing the company to $300M in revenue, the domestic and global... Jeff Worn is President & CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company, the largest nut-sheller in the world.  On this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss taking over his family business, growing the company to $300M in revenue, the domestic and global pecan industry, much of the industry nuances that are influenced by a growing market in China, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:49) - Jeff’s Story Growing Up and What Lead Him to Takeover Southern Georgia Pecan (07:35) - What did your family business look like when you first entered the picture? (12:31) - Why aren’t there government subsidies for pecans but there are for other nuts? (15:34) - What is the dynamic of a contract between you and growers? (18:46) - Verbal Agreements in a Tight-Knit Industry (20:22) - What months are considered ‘Pecan Season’? (24:53) - Is the pecan market relatively new in China? (26:23) - What happens from the day you pick up the pecans all the way to delivering to the final customers? (28:05) - How do you measure the quality of a pecan? (31:25) - How long do they sit in cold storage? (32:09) - How much of the plant-work is done by machines vs. humans? (32:39) - What sets the market for pecans? Why does it fluctuate so much? (34:25) - What causes a bad crop season? (35:17) - Are y'all making the final product in-house or are you just delivering pecans to folks who will make the ice cream, pies, etc.? (36:17) - Is there a pecan allergy or is it just peanut allergies? (37:20) - How long has this business been in your family? (38:08) - Are there a lot of new entrants into the industry or is it largely family-based? (39:28) - What were the big leaps you made since starting off in a sales role? (48:08) - Building a Plant Out in El Paso (50:33) - When did you become President & CEO? (53:01) - What are the top things that stood out to you when you went about changing a 100-year old culture? (56:52) - Do you have an end goal? (58:20) - What does the institutional capital that’s entering the market look like? (58:57) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (1:01:26) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:03:08) - If you owned a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? The FORT with Chris Podcast is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Jeff Worn is President & CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company, the largest nut-sheller in the world. 

On this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss taking over his family business, growing the company to $300M in revenue, the domestic and global pecan industry, much of the industry nuances that are influenced by a growing market in China, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


(02:49) - Jeff’s Story Growing Up and What Lead Him to Takeover Southern Georgia Pecan

(07:35) - What did your family business look like when you first entered the picture?

(12:31) - Why aren’t there government subsidies for pecans but there are for other nuts?

(15:34) - What is the dynamic of a contract between you and growers?

(18:46) - Verbal Agreements in a Tight-Knit Industry

(20:22) - What months are considered ‘Pecan Season’?

(24:53) - Is the pecan market relatively new in China?

(26:23) - What happens from the day you pick up the pecans all the way to delivering to the final customers?

(28:05) - How do you measure the quality of a pecan?

(31:25) - How long do they sit in cold storage?

(32:09) - How much of the plant-work is done by machines vs. humans?

(32:39) - What sets the market for pecans? Why does it fluctuate so much?

(34:25) - What causes a bad crop season?

(35:17) - Are y'all making the final product in-house or are you just delivering pecans to folks who will make the ice cream, pies, etc.?

(36:17) - Is there a pecan allergy or is it just peanut allergies?

(37:20) - How long has this business been in your family?

(38:08) - Are there a lot of new entrants into the industry or is it largely family-based?

(39:28) - What were the big leaps you made since starting off in a sales role?

(48:08) - Building a Plant Out in El Paso

(50:33) - When did you become President & CEO?

(53:01) - What are the top things that stood out to you when you went about changing a 100-year old culture?

(56:52) - Do you have an end goal?

(58:20) - What does the institutional capital that’s entering the market look like?

(58:57) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life?

(1:01:26) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(1:03:08) - If you owned a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

The FORT with Chris Podcast is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4001 no RE #108: Brady Wood - Founder of Woodhouse 'A Hospitality Legend' https://www.TheFortPod.com Brady Wood is an influencer and innovator in the entertainment concept and real estate development space. He has the proven ability to “see the unseen” which allows him to navigate the complex and nuanced art of concept creation. On this episode, Brady and Chris discuss his journey from buying bars and restaurants in Dallas to founding Woodhouse and developing major mixed-use projects such as The Star in Frisco facility utilized by The Dallas Cowboys. They also discuss the private membership club industry and how they were able to navigate the pandemic with projects like Park House in Highland Park. Finally, Brady gives his thoughts on concepts like Ghost-kitchens and how to better the relationship between restaurants and leasers to keep these small businesses alive. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:47) - Brady’s Story Owning His First Businesses and Buying Bars in Dallas (07:53) - Did you end up selling all of those businesses or did you hold onto them? (09:08) - What was the next step for you after owning bars and restaurants in Dallas? (13:12) - Can you describe what you do today at Woodhouse? (16:24) -  Working with Jerry Jones to Develop The Star Facility in Frisco (18:58) - What did the developers do right when building The Star that others should think about in terms of bringing someone like you into the fold of a project? (23:13) - When someone like The Cowboys built out The Star, is WoodHouse putting together a plan to present to the family and developing everything once it’s approved? (25:14) - How do you come up with these concepts and gain inspiration? (27:32) - Why are great restaurants great? Why do some fail? (34:17) - Can you describe what a partnership deal between the leaser and the restauranteur looks like? (37:11) - Why aren’t more folks pursuing these types of partnerships? (39:24) - Assuming the partnership is in place, why do restaurants still fail or succeed from an operating standpoint? (43:08) - How did you develop and execute the Park House Club concept in Highland Park, Dallas? (46:39) - How do you deal with such a long waiting list? (4,100 Currently) (47:59) - Is there something unique that the space has been used for that you never expected? (50:07) - Gateway and First-Tier Cities (53:51) - What is the future of private paid membership clubs? (55:28) - Should more restaurants think about the Ghost-Kitchen model? (57:17) - What are some things we should expect in the next year and over the next 5 for hospitality? (1:01:28) - When can we expect music festivals to come back? (1:02:40) - What are the economics of a music festival? (1:04:17) - Do you act as the consultant to the festival or do you own the ones you’re involved with? (1:04:47) - Could the private membership clubs not exist in small marker cities or do they require a certain demographic? Common House Club in Charlottesville (1:06:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (1:09:30) - What’s one thing you believe that most people don’t believe? (1:10:38) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Richard Branson Books Elon Musk’s Biography Empire of the Summer Moon (1:11:43) - If you owned a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:12:14) - What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you? Brady on LinkedIn Woodhouse Online Mon, 01 Feb 2021 15:00:00 -0000 RE #108: Brady Wood - Founder of Woodhouse 'A Hospitality Legend' full 1 108 Chris Powers Brady Wood is an influencer and innovator in the entertainment concept and real estate development space. He has the proven ability to “see the unseen” which allows him to navigate the complex and nuanced art of concept creation. On this episode,... Brady Wood is an influencer and innovator in the entertainment concept and real estate development space. He has the proven ability to “see the unseen” which allows him to navigate the complex and nuanced art of concept creation. On this episode, Brady and Chris discuss his journey from buying bars and restaurants in Dallas to founding Woodhouse and developing major mixed-use projects such as The Star in Frisco facility utilized by The Dallas Cowboys. They also discuss the private membership club industry and how they were able to navigate the pandemic with projects like Park House in Highland Park. Finally, Brady gives his thoughts on concepts like Ghost-kitchens and how to better the relationship between restaurants and leasers to keep these small businesses alive. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:47) - Brady’s Story Owning His First Businesses and Buying Bars in Dallas (07:53) - Did you end up selling all of those businesses or did you hold onto them? (09:08) - What was the next step for you after owning bars and restaurants in Dallas? (13:12) - Can you describe what you do today at Woodhouse? (16:24) -  Working with Jerry Jones to Develop The Star Facility in Frisco (18:58) - What did the developers do right when building The Star that others should think about in terms of bringing someone like you into the fold of a project? (23:13) - When someone like The Cowboys built out The Star, is WoodHouse putting together a plan to present to the family and developing everything once it’s approved? (25:14) - How do you come up with these concepts and gain inspiration? (27:32) - Why are great restaurants great? Why do some fail? (34:17) - Can you describe what a partnership deal between the leaser and the restauranteur looks like? (37:11) - Why aren’t more folks pursuing these types of partnerships? (39:24) - Assuming the partnership is in place, why do restaurants still fail or succeed from an operating standpoint? (43:08) - How did you develop and execute the Park House Club concept in Highland Park, Dallas? (46:39) - How do you deal with such a long waiting list? (4,100 Currently) (47:59) - Is there something unique that the space has been used for that you never expected? (50:07) - Gateway and First-Tier Cities (53:51) - What is the future of private paid membership clubs? (55:28) - Should more restaurants think about the Ghost-Kitchen model? (57:17) - What are some things we should expect in the next year and over the next 5 for hospitality? (1:01:28) - When can we expect music festivals to come back? (1:02:40) - What are the economics of a music festival? (1:04:17) - Do you act as the consultant to the festival or do you own the ones you’re involved with? (1:04:47) - Could the private membership clubs not exist in small marker cities or do they require a certain demographic? Common House Club in Charlottesville (1:06:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (1:09:30) - What’s one thing you believe that most people don’t believe? (1:10:38) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Richard Branson Books Elon Musk’s Biography Empire of the Summer Moon (1:11:43) - If you owned a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:12:14) - What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you? Brady on LinkedIn Woodhouse Online Brady Wood is an influencer and innovator in the entertainment concept and real estate development space. He has the proven ability to “see the unseen” which allows him to navigate the complex and nuanced art of concept creation.

On this episode, Brady and Chris discuss his journey from buying bars and restaurants in Dallas to founding Woodhouse and developing major mixed-use projects such as The Star in Frisco facility utilized by The Dallas Cowboys. They also discuss the private membership club industry and how they were able to navigate the pandemic with projects like Park House in Highland Park. Finally, Brady gives his thoughts on concepts like Ghost-kitchens and how to better the relationship between restaurants and leasers to keep these small businesses alive. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:47) - Brady’s Story Owning His First Businesses and Buying Bars in Dallas

(07:53) - Did you end up selling all of those businesses or did you hold onto them?

(09:08) - What was the next step for you after owning bars and restaurants in Dallas?

(13:12) - Can you describe what you do today at Woodhouse?

(16:24) -  Working with Jerry Jones to Develop The Star Facility in Frisco

(18:58) - What did the developers do right when building The Star that others should think about in terms of bringing someone like you into the fold of a project?

(23:13) - When someone like The Cowboys built out The Star, is WoodHouse putting together a plan to present to the family and developing everything once it’s approved?

(25:14) - How do you come up with these concepts and gain inspiration?

(27:32) - Why are great restaurants great? Why do some fail?

(34:17) - Can you describe what a partnership deal between the leaser and the restauranteur looks like?

(37:11) - Why aren’t more folks pursuing these types of partnerships?

(39:24) - Assuming the partnership is in place, why do restaurants still fail or succeed from an operating standpoint?

(43:08) - How did you develop and execute the Park House Club concept in Highland Park, Dallas?

(46:39) - How do you deal with such a long waiting list? (4,100 Currently)

(47:59) - Is there something unique that the space has been used for that you never expected?

(50:07) - Gateway and First-Tier Cities

(53:51) - What is the future of private paid membership clubs?

(55:28) - Should more restaurants think about the Ghost-Kitchen model?

(57:17) - What are some things we should expect in the next year and over the next 5 for hospitality?

(1:01:28) - When can we expect music festivals to come back?

(1:02:40) - What are the economics of a music festival?

(1:04:17) - Do you act as the consultant to the festival or do you own the ones you’re involved with?

(1:04:47) - Could the private membership clubs not exist in small marker cities or do they require a certain demographic?

Common House Club in Charlottesville

(1:06:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life?

(1:09:30) - What’s one thing you believe that most people don’t believe?

(1:10:38) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Richard Branson Books

Elon Musk’s Biography

Empire of the Summer Moon

(1:11:43) - If you owned a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

(1:12:14) - What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you?

Brady on LinkedIn

Woodhouse Online

]]> 4526 no RE #107: Sean Dalfen - President & CIO of Dalfen Industrial https://www.TheFortPod.com Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Dalfen Industrial and is responsible for the firm’s investment activities, the origination of new business, and implementation of the last mile investment strategy. Sean is also a member of the firm’s Executive Advisory Committee and the General Partner’s Fund IV Investment Committee. On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss his journey into the real estate world with his father, his decision to launch a fund business within the organization, why he's bullish on Industrial, Dalfen's Last Mile analysis, and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Check out Dalfen Industrial: www.dalfen.com Find Sean on LinkedIn (03:15) - Sean’s Story Growing Up and Leading to His Role Today (05:44) - Is there anything that stands out that your father did with you at a young age to keep you hungry and motivated? (07:18) - What did the company look like when you first joined? (08:52) - Why did you decide to launch a fund business? (11:26) - How large was your first fund? (12:17) - Can you paint a picture of the benefits of working with institutional capital vs. private capital? (14:02) - Do you raise institutional funds in-house? (15:02) - What’s a Top-Up? (15:23) - What is your role today as President and CIO? (16:21) - What are the big fundamentals that are appealing to you in looking at the future of Industrial? (20:58) - Last Mile Analysis (24:29) - How do you use the analysis to create deals? (26:02) -  Dalfen’s 4 Buckets (Value-Add, Core, Core-Plus & Development) (27:27) - What are the fundamentals of a Core vs. Value-Add deal? (29:03) - How do you think about development? (31:57) - Do you do any forwards with development? (33:02) - Do you still participate in Co-GP or JV deals? (33:47) - Is there a situation that comes to mind where you would get into a JV deal? (35:02) - Is there a data point that you look for when folks say that Industrial will become over-built? (38:50) - Is there anything interesting about working with Amazon? (40:53) - Do you have any insight on the border trade-market? (43:07) - How are your offices set up across different markets? How do you manage them? (45:10) - How do you describe a full-team setup? (46:00) - Are there different rules and guidelines when it comes to ownership in Canada vs. the USA? (48:01) - Capital Markets for Industrial: where do they sit today vs. pre-COVID? (49:48) - Do you have a childhood experience that helped shape the trajectory of your life? (51:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (51:31) - What’s your favorite book? Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 28 Jan 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #107: Sean Dalfen - President & CIO of Dalfen Industrial full 1 107 Chris Powers Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Dalfen Industrial and is responsible for the firm’s investment activities, the origination of new business, and implementation of the last mile investment strategy. Sean is also a member... Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Dalfen Industrial and is responsible for the firm’s investment activities, the origination of new business, and implementation of the last mile investment strategy. Sean is also a member of the firm’s Executive Advisory Committee and the General Partner’s Fund IV Investment Committee. On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss his journey into the real estate world with his father, his decision to launch a fund business within the organization, why he's bullish on Industrial, Dalfen's Last Mile analysis, and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Check out Dalfen Industrial: www.dalfen.com Find Sean on LinkedIn (03:15) - Sean’s Story Growing Up and Leading to His Role Today (05:44) - Is there anything that stands out that your father did with you at a young age to keep you hungry and motivated? (07:18) - What did the company look like when you first joined? (08:52) - Why did you decide to launch a fund business? (11:26) - How large was your first fund? (12:17) - Can you paint a picture of the benefits of working with institutional capital vs. private capital? (14:02) - Do you raise institutional funds in-house? (15:02) - What’s a Top-Up? (15:23) - What is your role today as President and CIO? (16:21) - What are the big fundamentals that are appealing to you in looking at the future of Industrial? (20:58) - Last Mile Analysis (24:29) - How do you use the analysis to create deals? (26:02) -  Dalfen’s 4 Buckets (Value-Add, Core, Core-Plus & Development) (27:27) - What are the fundamentals of a Core vs. Value-Add deal? (29:03) - How do you think about development? (31:57) - Do you do any forwards with development? (33:02) - Do you still participate in Co-GP or JV deals? (33:47) - Is there a situation that comes to mind where you would get into a JV deal? (35:02) - Is there a data point that you look for when folks say that Industrial will become over-built? (38:50) - Is there anything interesting about working with Amazon? (40:53) - Do you have any insight on the border trade-market? (43:07) - How are your offices set up across different markets? How do you manage them? (45:10) - How do you describe a full-team setup? (46:00) - Are there different rules and guidelines when it comes to ownership in Canada vs. the USA? (48:01) - Capital Markets for Industrial: where do they sit today vs. pre-COVID? (49:48) - Do you have a childhood experience that helped shape the trajectory of your life? (51:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (51:31) - What’s your favorite book? Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Dalfen Industrial and is responsible for the firm’s investment activities, the origination of new business, and implementation of the last mile investment strategy. Sean is also a member of the firm’s Executive Advisory Committee and the General Partner’s Fund IV Investment Committee.

On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss his journey into the real estate world with his father, his decision to launch a fund business within the organization, why he's bullish on Industrial, Dalfen's Last Mile analysis, and more. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Check out Dalfen Industrial: www.dalfen.com

Find Sean on LinkedIn

(03:15) - Sean’s Story Growing Up and Leading to His Role Today

(05:44) - Is there anything that stands out that your father did with you at a young age to keep you hungry and motivated?

(07:18) - What did the company look like when you first joined?

(08:52) - Why did you decide to launch a fund business?

(11:26) - How large was your first fund?

(12:17) - Can you paint a picture of the benefits of working with institutional capital vs. private capital?

(14:02) - Do you raise institutional funds in-house?

(15:02) - What’s a Top-Up?

(15:23) - What is your role today as President and CIO?

(16:21) - What are the big fundamentals that are appealing to you in looking at the future of Industrial?

(20:58) - Last Mile Analysis

(24:29) - How do you use the analysis to create deals?

(26:02) -  Dalfen’s 4 Buckets (Value-Add, Core, Core-Plus & Development)

(27:27) - What are the fundamentals of a Core vs. Value-Add deal?

(29:03) - How do you think about development?

(31:57) - Do you do any forwards with development?

(33:02) - Do you still participate in Co-GP or JV deals?

(33:47) - Is there a situation that comes to mind where you would get into a JV deal?

(35:02) - Is there a data point that you look for when folks say that Industrial will become over-built?

(38:50) - Is there anything interesting about working with Amazon?

(40:53) - Do you have any insight on the border trade-market?

(43:07) - How are your offices set up across different markets? How do you manage them?

(45:10) - How do you describe a full-team setup?

(46:00) - Are there different rules and guidelines when it comes to ownership in Canada vs. the USA?

(48:01) - Capital Markets for Industrial: where do they sit today vs. pre-COVID?

(49:48) - Do you have a childhood experience that helped shape the trajectory of your life?

(51:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(51:31) - What’s your favorite book?

Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl

Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3259 no RE #106: RE Private Equity - Stay Small or Grow a Platform? https://www.TheFortPod.com When starting a career in RE Private Equity, should you stay small or grow a platform? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of growing a real estate company from a one-man band to 25+ people. He explains how your role changes as you do more deals, why hiring is inevitable, the challenges of hiring the right people, implementing processes and operations, and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:27) - When You’re in the Early Stages of a Small Business (1-2 People) (04:03) - Finding and Setting Up Your HQ (04:41) - Determining the Future of Your Company (05:13) - Option 1: Doing 1-2 Deals Per Year Accounting Software - Quickbooks (13:04) - What happens after closing your first deal and you’re looking for your next deal? (14:52) - How will your role change as your company grows? (15:39) - “Doubling” Your Business After Year 1 (17:20) - Hiring a Commercial Loan Assistant (19:11) - Challenges in Hiring Someone (22:08) - Hiring Asset Managers in Year 3 (24:01) - Creating Processes (25:58) - Increasing Your Prices and Preserving Fee Streams (29:09) - Making the Leap from 5-6 People to 25 people (37:31) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 25 Jan 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #106: RE Private Equity - Stay Small or Grow a Platform? full 1 106 Chris Powers When starting a career in RE Private Equity, should you stay small or grow a platform? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of growing a real estate company from a one-man band to 25+ people. He explains how... When starting a career in RE Private Equity, should you stay small or grow a platform? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of growing a real estate company from a one-man band to 25+ people. He explains how your role changes as you do more deals, why hiring is inevitable, the challenges of hiring the right people, implementing processes and operations, and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:27) - When You’re in the Early Stages of a Small Business (1-2 People) (04:03) - Finding and Setting Up Your HQ (04:41) - Determining the Future of Your Company (05:13) - Option 1: Doing 1-2 Deals Per Year Accounting Software - Quickbooks (13:04) - What happens after closing your first deal and you’re looking for your next deal? (14:52) - How will your role change as your company grows? (15:39) - “Doubling” Your Business After Year 1 (17:20) - Hiring a Commercial Loan Assistant (19:11) - Challenges in Hiring Someone (22:08) - Hiring Asset Managers in Year 3 (24:01) - Creating Processes (25:58) - Increasing Your Prices and Preserving Fee Streams (29:09) - Making the Leap from 5-6 People to 25 people (37:31) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts When starting a career in RE Private Equity, should you stay small or grow a platform? On this episode, Chris answers that question as he walks through the process of growing a real estate company from a one-man band to 25+ people. He explains how your role changes as you do more deals, why hiring is inevitable, the challenges of hiring the right people, implementing processes and operations, and more. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:27) - When You’re in the Early Stages of a Small Business (1-2 People)

(04:03) - Finding and Setting Up Your HQ

(04:41) - Determining the Future of Your Company

(05:13) - Option 1: Doing 1-2 Deals Per Year

Accounting Software - Quickbooks

(13:04) - What happens after closing your first deal and you’re looking for your next deal?

(14:52) - How will your role change as your company grows?

(15:39) - “Doubling” Your Business After Year 1

(17:20) - Hiring a Commercial Loan Assistant

(19:11) - Challenges in Hiring Someone

(22:08) - Hiring Asset Managers in Year 3

(24:01) - Creating Processes

(25:58) - Increasing Your Prices and Preserving Fee Streams

(29:09) - Making the Leap from 5-6 People to 25 people

(37:31) - Wrap Up

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2511 no RE #105: RE Private Equity w/ 'The Real Estate God' https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Real Estate God" (www.Twitter.com/TheRealEstateG6) about how and why he launched his online persona to tweet about Real Estate. They also discuss his experience working in Private Equity in San Francisco, the future of the office, retail, and hotels post-COVID, and the appeal of multi-family as an asset class. Finally, they talk about The System, an online course released by The Real Estate God to help both RE newbies and seasoned veterans attain true wealth through real estate. Enjoy! You can become your own Private Equity firm here with TREG's course: The System - www.gumroad.com/l/trdbw Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:06) - The Real Estate God’s Background and How He Got to Where He is Today (02:35) - How did you go about creating your online persona? (03:22) - Can you describe the type of work being done at the PE firm you’re working for? (04:24) - What type of office are you investing in? (05:15) - How do you source deals? (05:49) - Can you describe from your perspective how office, retail, and hotels were affected in 2020 and their future looking forward?  (10:36) - What type of retail do you play in? (11:17) - What’s going on in San Francisco from your perspective? (14:39) - Are you worried about the tech jobs leaving SF due to WFH? (15:25) - Why is the government so restrictive there in regards to office? (17:34) - What’s the leasing activity like in SF right now? (19:08) - Are employees allowed in the offices in SF right now? (19:38) - What’s keeping you in SF? (20:39) - Can you walk us through a recent office deal in this office environment? (22:53) - Can you describe the seller’s mindset in this situation? (23:42) - The Methodology of Underwriting an Office Deal (25:36) - How do you think about mitigating the risk of TI (Tenant Improvement) exposure? (26:46) - Are the capital markets in office starting to open up? (27:24) - Is there any tech or software that’s emerging in office? (27:56) - Can you define Creative Office Building from your point of view? (28:14) - Are the buildings coming with this 'creative' look or are you making a lot of those changes? (29:01) - Why is multi-family an appealing asset class to you? (31:14) - How did your idea for The System come together? How did you go about putting it in motion? (33:36) -  What do the two structures look like if it's an IRR hurdle vs. a Multiple hurdle? Why is Multiple better? (36:24) - Can you summarize your view in your course on how you think someone can turn $50,000 into $1 Million?  (43:06) - How did you go about developing your table of contents for the course? (44:06) - What was the thesis for the course? (45:08) - Have there been any cool testimonials or outcomes from those who have bought your course? (45:40) - Are most of the people buying your course brand new to real estate or is it a seasoned person looking to get more educated? (46:20) - Changing the Future of Education (49:34) - How did you find your mentor? How would you advise listeners on finding someone who can change their life through mentorship? Questions from Twitter: (54:06) - Mindset & Callicrates www.Twitter.com/callicrates_  (55:39) - Do the people you work with know that you’re The Real Estate God? (56:11) - Is there something that’s keeping you from starting your own firm? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 21 Jan 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #105: RE Private Equity w/ 'The Real Estate God' full 1 105 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Real Estate God" () about how and why he launched his online persona to tweet about Real Estate. They also discuss his experience working in Private Equity in San Francisco, the future of the office,... On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Real Estate God" (www.Twitter.com/TheRealEstateG6) about how and why he launched his online persona to tweet about Real Estate. They also discuss his experience working in Private Equity in San Francisco, the future of the office, retail, and hotels post-COVID, and the appeal of multi-family as an asset class. Finally, they talk about The System, an online course released by The Real Estate God to help both RE newbies and seasoned veterans attain true wealth through real estate. Enjoy! You can become your own Private Equity firm here with TREG's course: The System - www.gumroad.com/l/trdbw Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:06) - The Real Estate God’s Background and How He Got to Where He is Today (02:35) - How did you go about creating your online persona? (03:22) - Can you describe the type of work being done at the PE firm you’re working for? (04:24) - What type of office are you investing in? (05:15) - How do you source deals? (05:49) - Can you describe from your perspective how office, retail, and hotels were affected in 2020 and their future looking forward?  (10:36) - What type of retail do you play in? (11:17) - What’s going on in San Francisco from your perspective? (14:39) - Are you worried about the tech jobs leaving SF due to WFH? (15:25) - Why is the government so restrictive there in regards to office? (17:34) - What’s the leasing activity like in SF right now? (19:08) - Are employees allowed in the offices in SF right now? (19:38) - What’s keeping you in SF? (20:39) - Can you walk us through a recent office deal in this office environment? (22:53) - Can you describe the seller’s mindset in this situation? (23:42) - The Methodology of Underwriting an Office Deal (25:36) - How do you think about mitigating the risk of TI (Tenant Improvement) exposure? (26:46) - Are the capital markets in office starting to open up? (27:24) - Is there any tech or software that’s emerging in office? (27:56) - Can you define Creative Office Building from your point of view? (28:14) - Are the buildings coming with this 'creative' look or are you making a lot of those changes? (29:01) - Why is multi-family an appealing asset class to you? (31:14) - How did your idea for The System come together? How did you go about putting it in motion? (33:36) -  What do the two structures look like if it's an IRR hurdle vs. a Multiple hurdle? Why is Multiple better? (36:24) - Can you summarize your view in your course on how you think someone can turn $50,000 into $1 Million?  (43:06) - How did you go about developing your table of contents for the course? (44:06) - What was the thesis for the course? (45:08) - Have there been any cool testimonials or outcomes from those who have bought your course? (45:40) - Are most of the people buying your course brand new to real estate or is it a seasoned person looking to get more educated? (46:20) - Changing the Future of Education (49:34) - How did you find your mentor? How would you advise listeners on finding someone who can change their life through mentorship? Questions from Twitter: (54:06) - Mindset & Callicrates www.Twitter.com/callicrates_  (55:39) - Do the people you work with know that you’re The Real Estate God? (56:11) - Is there something that’s keeping you from starting your own firm? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Real Estate God" (www.Twitter.com/TheRealEstateG6) about how and why he launched his online persona to tweet about Real Estate. They also discuss his experience working in Private Equity in San Francisco, the future of the office, retail, and hotels post-COVID, and the appeal of multi-family as an asset class.

Finally, they talk about The System, an online course released by The Real Estate God to help both RE newbies and seasoned veterans attain true wealth through real estate. Enjoy!

You can become your own Private Equity firm here with TREG's course: The System - www.gumroad.com/l/trdbw

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:06) - The Real Estate God’s Background and How He Got to Where He is Today

(02:35) - How did you go about creating your online persona?

(03:22) - Can you describe the type of work being done at the PE firm you’re working for?

(04:24) - What type of office are you investing in?

(05:15) - How do you source deals?

(05:49) - Can you describe from your perspective how office, retail, and hotels were affected in 2020 and their future looking forward? 

(10:36) - What type of retail do you play in?

(11:17) - What’s going on in San Francisco from your perspective?

(14:39) - Are you worried about the tech jobs leaving SF due to WFH?

(15:25) - Why is the government so restrictive there in regards to office?

(17:34) - What’s the leasing activity like in SF right now?

(19:08) - Are employees allowed in the offices in SF right now?

(19:38) - What’s keeping you in SF?

(20:39) - Can you walk us through a recent office deal in this office environment?

(22:53) - Can you describe the seller’s mindset in this situation?

(23:42) - The Methodology of Underwriting an Office Deal

(25:36) - How do you think about mitigating the risk of TI (Tenant Improvement) exposure?

(26:46) - Are the capital markets in office starting to open up?

(27:24) - Is there any tech or software that’s emerging in office?

(27:56) - Can you define Creative Office Building from your point of view?

(28:14) - Are the buildings coming with this 'creative' look or are you making a lot of those changes?

(29:01) - Why is multi-family an appealing asset class to you?

(31:14) - How did your idea for The System come together? How did you go about putting it in motion?

(33:36) -  What do the two structures look like if it's an IRR hurdle vs. a Multiple hurdle? Why is Multiple better?

(36:24) - Can you summarize your view in your course on how you think someone can turn $50,000 into $1 Million? 

(43:06) - How did you go about developing your table of contents for the course?

(44:06) - What was the thesis for the course?

(45:08) - Have there been any cool testimonials or outcomes from those who have bought your course?

(45:40) - Are most of the people buying your course brand new to real estate or is it a seasoned person looking to get more educated?

(46:20) - Changing the Future of Education

(49:34) - How did you find your mentor? How would you advise listeners on finding someone who can change their life through mentorship?

Questions from Twitter:

(54:06) - Mindset & Callicrates

www.Twitter.com/callicrates_ 

(55:39) - Do the people you work with know that you’re The Real Estate God?

(56:11) - Is there something that’s keeping you from starting your own firm?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3822 no RE #104 - Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter https://www.TheFortPod.com This episode features the audio version of Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter detailing the decisions we made and the processes we followed throughout an unprecedented year. To read the full-text version, click here.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (00:21) - A Year for the Record Books (02:11) - Remaining Focused in 2020 Jim Collin’s - Good to Great (02:47) - Fort Capital’s Flywheel (04:15) - C.O.R. Episode #65 on COR or read about it here. (05:03) - A Focus on Class B Industrial (05:47) - Why We are Focused on Buying and Operating Class B Industrial (08:56) - Strategies for Creating Value Across Our Investments Click here to sign up for our Broker Deal Incentive Program (10:40) - Fort Capital’s Track Record (11:36) - Investors If you’re interested in investing with us or would like to see our more detailed track record, please reach out to investors@fort-companies.com or fill out the ‘I want to invest with Fort Capital’ interest form here. (12:25) - FCP Management For Property Management inquiries, please contact Steve Bailey at sbailey@fort-companies.com (14:08) - A Technology-First Mindset (15:11) - What FOS Does for Our Company (16:11) - Advantages of FOS (17:30) - 2021 Outlook Episode #91 with Spencer Levy of CBRE (20:04) - A Shameless Ask If you know anyone that might have an industrial property to sell, we’d love to meet them. Please get in touch with us here. (20:50) - Get in Touch If you know of someone who would like to invest in industrial real estate across Texas, we’d love to connect with them. They can email investors@fort-companies.com or fill out the ‘I want to invest with Fort’ interest form here. Interested in joining our team? Fill out our two-question survey and submit your resume here. To learn more about our team, check out our portfolio, or read more about how we think. Connect with us on Social Media to stay in the loop on what we’re up to: Follow Chris on Twitter Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn Subscribe to The FORT Podcast Subscribe to our Quarterly Newsletter Mon, 18 Jan 2021 10:01:00 -0000 RE #104 - Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter full 1 104 Chris Powers This episode features the audio version of Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter detailing the decisions we made and the processes we followed throughout an unprecedented year. To read the full-text version, click .   Follow Chris on Twitter: Learn... This episode features the audio version of Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter detailing the decisions we made and the processes we followed throughout an unprecedented year. To read the full-text version, click here.   Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (00:21) - A Year for the Record Books (02:11) - Remaining Focused in 2020 Jim Collin’s - Good to Great (02:47) - Fort Capital’s Flywheel (04:15) - C.O.R. Episode #65 on COR or read about it here. (05:03) - A Focus on Class B Industrial (05:47) - Why We are Focused on Buying and Operating Class B Industrial (08:56) - Strategies for Creating Value Across Our Investments Click here to sign up for our Broker Deal Incentive Program (10:40) - Fort Capital’s Track Record (11:36) - Investors If you’re interested in investing with us or would like to see our more detailed track record, please reach out to investors@fort-companies.com or fill out the ‘I want to invest with Fort Capital’ interest form here. (12:25) - FCP Management For Property Management inquiries, please contact Steve Bailey at sbailey@fort-companies.com (14:08) - A Technology-First Mindset (15:11) - What FOS Does for Our Company (16:11) - Advantages of FOS (17:30) - 2021 Outlook Episode #91 with Spencer Levy of CBRE (20:04) - A Shameless Ask If you know anyone that might have an industrial property to sell, we’d love to meet them. Please get in touch with us here. (20:50) - Get in Touch If you know of someone who would like to invest in industrial real estate across Texas, we’d love to connect with them. They can email investors@fort-companies.com or fill out the ‘I want to invest with Fort’ interest form here. Interested in joining our team? Fill out our two-question survey and submit your resume here. To learn more about our team, check out our portfolio, or read more about how we think. Connect with us on Social Media to stay in the loop on what we’re up to: Follow Chris on Twitter Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn Subscribe to The FORT Podcast Subscribe to our Quarterly Newsletter This episode features the audio version of Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter detailing the decisions we made and the processes we followed throughout an unprecedented year. To read the full-text version, click here.
 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(00:21) - A Year for the Record Books

(02:11) - Remaining Focused in 2020

Jim Collin’s - Good to Great

(02:47) - Fort Capital’s Flywheel

(04:15) - C.O.R.

Episode #65 on COR or read about it here.

(05:03) - A Focus on Class B Industrial

(05:47) - Why We are Focused on Buying and Operating Class B Industrial

(08:56) - Strategies for Creating Value Across Our Investments

Click here to sign up for our Broker Deal Incentive Program

(10:40) - Fort Capital’s Track Record

(11:36) - Investors

If you’re interested in investing with us or would like to see our more detailed track record, please reach out to investors@fort-companies.com or fill out the ‘I want to invest with Fort Capital’ interest form here.

(12:25) - FCP Management

For Property Management inquiries, please contact Steve Bailey at sbailey@fort-companies.com

(14:08) - A Technology-First Mindset

(15:11) - What FOS Does for Our Company

(16:11) - Advantages of FOS

(17:30) - 2021 Outlook

Episode #91 with Spencer Levy of CBRE

(20:04) - A Shameless Ask

If you know anyone that might have an industrial property to sell, we’d love to meet them. Please get in touch with us here.

(20:50) - Get in Touch

If you know of someone who would like to invest in industrial real estate across Texas, we’d love to connect with them. They can email investors@fort-companies.com or fill out the ‘I want to invest with Fort’ interest form here.

Interested in joining our team? Fill out our two-question survey and submit your resume here.

To learn more about our team, check out our portfolio, or read more about how we think.

Connect with us on Social Media to stay in the loop on what we’re up to:

Follow Chris on Twitter

Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn

Subscribe to The FORT Podcast

Subscribe to our Quarterly Newsletter

]]> 1362 no RE #103: Fort Capital's 2020 Year in Review https://www.TheFortPod.com Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, returns to discuss Fort Capital's 2020 'Year in Review'. On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss the processes implemented in 2019 that helped our team through the pandemic in 2020, starting a property management company, doubling down on industrial, key improvements made to the team, the importance of technology & AI for your business, and much more. Click here to read Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (00:52) - What are the things we did as a company as it relates to COVID? What did we do in 2019 that positioned us for success? (04:45) - The Flywheel at Fort Capital Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins (10:13) - The First 2 Months of 2020 and Getting Into Property Management Fort Capital 2018 Year in Review Fort Capital 2019 Year in Review (14:22) - Why We Selected Yardi (16:17) - Onboarding our Properties Pre-COVID and During COVID (16:57) - Doubling Down on Industrial (20:39) - COR Improvements in 2020 [Cutting Costs & Managing Data] (25:33) - Working With the Banks FORT Episode #59 with James Hill (On Banking) (29:02) - What are some key things we did to improve the company on a department level? (34:05) - Improving Investor Reporting (36:38) - The Importance of Technology to Make Your Business Better (41:01) - Some of the Tools We’ve Built and How We’re Thinking About Acquisitions in 2021 (45:05) - The Predictability Score (54:08) - Fort Capital’s Acquisition Consultant Program & Broker Incentive Program (58:27) - Final Stats for 2020 (Closing, Raising, Investors) and Goals for 2021 (1:00:58) - Our Shameless Ask & What Fort Capital is Looking For (1:01:40) - Final Thoughts and Goals Looking at 2021 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 14 Jan 2021 16:00:00 -0000 RE #103: Fort Capital's 2020 Year in Review full 1 103 Chris Powers Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, returns to discuss Fort Capital's 2020 'Year in Review'. On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss the processes implemented in 2019 that helped our team through the pandemic in 2020, starting a property management... Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, returns to discuss Fort Capital's 2020 'Year in Review'. On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss the processes implemented in 2019 that helped our team through the pandemic in 2020, starting a property management company, doubling down on industrial, key improvements made to the team, the importance of technology & AI for your business, and much more. Click here to read Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (00:52) - What are the things we did as a company as it relates to COVID? What did we do in 2019 that positioned us for success? (04:45) - The Flywheel at Fort Capital Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins (10:13) - The First 2 Months of 2020 and Getting Into Property Management Fort Capital 2018 Year in Review Fort Capital 2019 Year in Review (14:22) - Why We Selected Yardi (16:17) - Onboarding our Properties Pre-COVID and During COVID (16:57) - Doubling Down on Industrial (20:39) - COR Improvements in 2020 [Cutting Costs & Managing Data] (25:33) - Working With the Banks FORT Episode #59 with James Hill (On Banking) (29:02) - What are some key things we did to improve the company on a department level? (34:05) - Improving Investor Reporting (36:38) - The Importance of Technology to Make Your Business Better (41:01) - Some of the Tools We’ve Built and How We’re Thinking About Acquisitions in 2021 (45:05) - The Predictability Score (54:08) - Fort Capital’s Acquisition Consultant Program & Broker Incentive Program (58:27) - Final Stats for 2020 (Closing, Raising, Investors) and Goals for 2021 (1:00:58) - Our Shameless Ask & What Fort Capital is Looking For (1:01:40) - Final Thoughts and Goals Looking at 2021 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, returns to discuss Fort Capital's 2020 'Year in Review'. On this episode, Chris and Jason discuss the processes implemented in 2019 that helped our team through the pandemic in 2020, starting a property management company, doubling down on industrial, key improvements made to the team, the importance of technology & AI for your business, and much more. Click here to read Fort Capital's 2020 Annual Letter. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/


(00:52) - What are the things we did as a company as it relates to COVID? What did we do in 2019 that positioned us for success?

(04:45) - The Flywheel at Fort Capital

Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins

(10:13) - The First 2 Months of 2020 and Getting Into Property Management

Fort Capital 2018 Year in Review

Fort Capital 2019 Year in Review

(14:22) - Why We Selected Yardi

(16:17) - Onboarding our Properties Pre-COVID and During COVID

(16:57) - Doubling Down on Industrial

(20:39) - COR Improvements in 2020 [Cutting Costs & Managing Data]

(25:33) - Working With the Banks

FORT Episode #59 with James Hill (On Banking)

(29:02) - What are some key things we did to improve the company on a department level?

(34:05) - Improving Investor Reporting

(36:38) - The Importance of Technology to Make Your Business Better

(41:01) - Some of the Tools We’ve Built and How We’re Thinking About Acquisitions in 2021

(45:05) - The Predictability Score

(54:08) - Fort Capital’s Acquisition Consultant Program & Broker Incentive Program

(58:27) - Final Stats for 2020 (Closing, Raising, Investors) and Goals for 2021

(1:00:58) - Our Shameless Ask & What Fort Capital is Looking For

(1:01:40) - Final Thoughts and Goals Looking at 2021

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3918 no RE #102: Jonathan Wasserstrum - Co-Founder & CEO of SquareFoot https://www.TheFortPod.com Jonathan Wasserstrum is CEO and Co-Founder of SquareFoot, a personal commercial real estate assistant. Prior to business school, Wasserstrum worked in the International Capital Group at Jones Lang LaSalle where he advised foreign and domestic clients on more than $3 billion worth of transactions globally. On this episode, Chris and Jonathan discuss his experience starting his career in capital markets during the financial crash, starting SquareFoot in his parents' attic and the New York office environment through the pandemic. They also discuss the process of raising capital, operating a rolling fund, and the world of Angel Investing. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:30) - Jonathan’s Story  (03:39) - What did the ’07-’08 crisis look like for you as you started your career in real estate? (04:31) - What was your specialty when you worked in capital markets? (06:05) - Do you remember any moments during the crash where it hit you how bad it was going to be? (07:14) - What’s the fulcrum piece of the capital stack? (09:47) - What was the journey like from business school to launching SquareFoot? (11:25) - Did you have a co-founder from the jump? (12:31) - Was the domain name available when you started SquareFoot? (13:08) - How did you go about purchasing the domain? (13:43) - What is SquareFoot? How are you all doing things differently? (16:12) - What’s a management agreement? (20:04) - Do you have a target customer? (21:00) - Is this target market trying to lease within a certain amount of time? (21:56) - What markets are you located in? (23:10) - What’s the office environment like in New York City right now? (25:46) - Are you seeing data of new folks moving to New York or is it an internal movement? (26:39) - What was it like raising capital? How was your experience working with VCs? (30:46) - How many VCs are there in the country that would be interested in something like SquareFoot? (31:28) - What are your thoughts on the office in the future? How will it be different and how will it be the same? (33:36) - Is there a world for the Airbnb home-office? (34:40) - The WFH vs. Office Debate (36:18) - How do you find new customers? (37:20) - What’s the ultimate goal for SquareFoot? (37:49) - Where are the brokers that you hire coming from? (39:55) - What technology do you provide your brokers with to give them a leg up? (41:32) - What was your experience buying PivotDesk? (43:14) - Jonathan’s Night Hobby as an Investor on AngelList (43:45) - How does a rolling fund work? (45:52) - Are you still doing syndicates? (46:58) - How many investments have you made? (47:45) - What’s considered a good performing fund? (49:10) - Do you have a childhood experience that’s shaped who you are today? (51:04) - What’s a book that’s had an impact on you? Danny Meyer - Setting the Table Meditations - Marcus Aurelius  (52:13) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (52:35) - Contact Jonathan: SquareFoot.com PivotDesk.com Jonathan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-wasserstrum-8a77533/ Jonathan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JMwass Link to Jonathan's Rolling Fund: www.angel.co/v/back/jonathan-wasserstrum The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:00:00 -0000 RE #102: Jonathan Wasserstrum - Co-Founder & CEO of SquareFoot full 1 102 Chris Powers Jonathan Wasserstrum is CEO and Co-Founder of SquareFoot, a personal commercial real estate assistant. Prior to business school, Wasserstrum worked in the International Capital Group at Jones Lang LaSalle where he advised foreign and domestic clients... Jonathan Wasserstrum is CEO and Co-Founder of SquareFoot, a personal commercial real estate assistant. Prior to business school, Wasserstrum worked in the International Capital Group at Jones Lang LaSalle where he advised foreign and domestic clients on more than $3 billion worth of transactions globally. On this episode, Chris and Jonathan discuss his experience starting his career in capital markets during the financial crash, starting SquareFoot in his parents' attic and the New York office environment through the pandemic. They also discuss the process of raising capital, operating a rolling fund, and the world of Angel Investing. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:30) - Jonathan’s Story  (03:39) - What did the ’07-’08 crisis look like for you as you started your career in real estate? (04:31) - What was your specialty when you worked in capital markets? (06:05) - Do you remember any moments during the crash where it hit you how bad it was going to be? (07:14) - What’s the fulcrum piece of the capital stack? (09:47) - What was the journey like from business school to launching SquareFoot? (11:25) - Did you have a co-founder from the jump? (12:31) - Was the domain name available when you started SquareFoot? (13:08) - How did you go about purchasing the domain? (13:43) - What is SquareFoot? How are you all doing things differently? (16:12) - What’s a management agreement? (20:04) - Do you have a target customer? (21:00) - Is this target market trying to lease within a certain amount of time? (21:56) - What markets are you located in? (23:10) - What’s the office environment like in New York City right now? (25:46) - Are you seeing data of new folks moving to New York or is it an internal movement? (26:39) - What was it like raising capital? How was your experience working with VCs? (30:46) - How many VCs are there in the country that would be interested in something like SquareFoot? (31:28) - What are your thoughts on the office in the future? How will it be different and how will it be the same? (33:36) - Is there a world for the Airbnb home-office? (34:40) - The WFH vs. Office Debate (36:18) - How do you find new customers? (37:20) - What’s the ultimate goal for SquareFoot? (37:49) - Where are the brokers that you hire coming from? (39:55) - What technology do you provide your brokers with to give them a leg up? (41:32) - What was your experience buying PivotDesk? (43:14) - Jonathan’s Night Hobby as an Investor on AngelList (43:45) - How does a rolling fund work? (45:52) - Are you still doing syndicates? (46:58) - How many investments have you made? (47:45) - What’s considered a good performing fund? (49:10) - Do you have a childhood experience that’s shaped who you are today? (51:04) - What’s a book that’s had an impact on you? Danny Meyer - Setting the Table Meditations - Marcus Aurelius  (52:13) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (52:35) - Contact Jonathan: SquareFoot.com PivotDesk.com Jonathan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-wasserstrum-8a77533/ Jonathan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JMwass Link to Jonathan's Rolling Fund: www.angel.co/v/back/jonathan-wasserstrum The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Jonathan Wasserstrum is CEO and Co-Founder of SquareFoot, a personal commercial real estate assistant. Prior to business school, Wasserstrum worked in the International Capital Group at Jones Lang LaSalle where he advised foreign and domestic clients on more than $3 billion worth of transactions globally.

On this episode, Chris and Jonathan discuss his experience starting his career in capital markets during the financial crash, starting SquareFoot in his parents' attic and the New York office environment through the pandemic. They also discuss the process of raising capital, operating a rolling fund, and the world of Angel Investing. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:30) - Jonathan’s Story 

(03:39) - What did the ’07-’08 crisis look like for you as you started your career in real estate?

(04:31) - What was your specialty when you worked in capital markets?

(06:05) - Do you remember any moments during the crash where it hit you how bad it was going to be?

(07:14) - What’s the fulcrum piece of the capital stack?

(09:47) - What was the journey like from business school to launching SquareFoot?

(11:25) - Did you have a co-founder from the jump?

(12:31) - Was the domain name available when you started SquareFoot?

(13:08) - How did you go about purchasing the domain?

(13:43) - What is SquareFoot? How are you all doing things differently?

(16:12) - What’s a management agreement?

(20:04) - Do you have a target customer?

(21:00) - Is this target market trying to lease within a certain amount of time?

(21:56) - What markets are you located in?

(23:10) - What’s the office environment like in New York City right now?

(25:46) - Are you seeing data of new folks moving to New York or is it an internal movement?

(26:39) - What was it like raising capital? How was your experience working with VCs?

(30:46) - How many VCs are there in the country that would be interested in something like SquareFoot?

(31:28) - What are your thoughts on the office in the future? How will it be different and how will it be the same?

(33:36) - Is there a world for the Airbnb home-office?

(34:40) - The WFH vs. Office Debate

(36:18) - How do you find new customers?

(37:20) - What’s the ultimate goal for SquareFoot?

(37:49) - Where are the brokers that you hire coming from?

(39:55) - What technology do you provide your brokers with to give them a leg up?

(41:32) - What was your experience buying PivotDesk?

(43:14) - Jonathan’s Night Hobby as an Investor on AngelList

(43:45) - How does a rolling fund work?

(45:52) - Are you still doing syndicates?

(46:58) - How many investments have you made?

(47:45) - What’s considered a good performing fund?

(49:10) - Do you have a childhood experience that’s shaped who you are today?

(51:04) - What’s a book that’s had an impact on you?

Danny Meyer - Setting the Table

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius 

(52:13) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

(52:35) - Contact Jonathan:

SquareFoot.com

PivotDesk.com

Jonathan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-wasserstrum-8a77533/

Jonathan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JMwass

Link to Jonathan's Rolling Fund: www.angel.co/v/back/jonathan-wasserstrum

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3306 no RE #101: Chris Weekley - Executive Vice President at David Weekley Homes https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Weekley is the Executive Vice President at David Weekley Homes, one of the largest privately-held home building firms in the country. On this episode, they discuss the culture at DWH, Weekley's different product types in home building, the challenges and opportunities in home building, markets across the country, what 2020 presented for home builders, and what 2021 looks like. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Connect with Chris Weekley: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-weekley-892960/ (02:13) - Chris’ Story Acton School of Business | MBA (06:41) - Growing up, was your father’s work/family separation intentional in light of running a family business? (07:36) - How is 'The Life of Meaning Class' at Acton structured? How do they get the answer out of you? (10:05) - Where did you go after you got your MBA? (12:58) - How does David Weekley Homes's approach to team culture allow it to be able to retain talent for so long? (17:15) - What is David Weekley University and how did it come about? (19:43) - What’s the application process to get into DWU? (20:34) - How many markets are you in? How do you think about moving into new markets? (23:19) - Where are the hottest markets in the country right now? (24:52) - What are the 'Encore and Imagination' projects within David Weekley Homes? (26:36) - Do you focus more on central or suburban living for 'Imagination'? (28:33) - For the active adult communities you develop, do they have to be empty nesters or are they able to have kids with them? (29:31) - What are things that the 55+ age people want in a house & community? (31:17) - Are you anticipating a trend of home-offices being built in light of COVID? (32:44) - Are the millennials buying later in life? Are they requiring different things in their builds? (34:44) - How do you think about designing communities and commuting as Uber and self-driving cars continue to become more popular? (37:20) - How do you think about the growing asset class of single-family rental? (40:55) - What are the specific differences between the single-family rentals and what you normally build? (42:22) - How do you raise money to build all these homes if you aren’t public? (44:04) - How do you think about the year following a sale with home builders having to eat a lot of costs after the fact with different warranties or finishes that arise? (47:27) - How are you thinking about the high cost of lumber? Are you hedging your bet on that? (49:50) - What are the biggest challenges that you think about on a day-to-day basis? (51:53) - Is the USA under-built or over-built? (53:01) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a dramatic impact on the speed of building or cost of homes? (55:01) - Is there any silver bullet to combat the increased difficulty of working with cities? (57:23) - Do you have a childhood experience that has changed the direction of your life? Boy Scouts Outward Bound Amigos De Las Americas (58:57) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:00:16) - Are there any books that have had an impact on you? Clive Cussler - The Dirk Pitt Adventures Grit - Angela Duckworth Shoe Dog - Phil Knight Adam Grant books The Dichotomy of Leadership - Jocko Willink (1:01:37) - Chris’ Book Club w/ His Management Team The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 07 Jan 2021 16:00:00 -0000 RE #101: Chris Weekley - Executive Vice President at David Weekley Homes full 1 101 Chris Powers Chris Weekley is the Executive Vice President at , one of the largest privately-held home building firms in the country. On this episode, they discuss the culture at DWH, Weekley's different product types in home building, the challenges and... Chris Weekley is the Executive Vice President at David Weekley Homes, one of the largest privately-held home building firms in the country. On this episode, they discuss the culture at DWH, Weekley's different product types in home building, the challenges and opportunities in home building, markets across the country, what 2020 presented for home builders, and what 2021 looks like. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Connect with Chris Weekley: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-weekley-892960/ (02:13) - Chris’ Story Acton School of Business | MBA (06:41) - Growing up, was your father’s work/family separation intentional in light of running a family business? (07:36) - How is 'The Life of Meaning Class' at Acton structured? How do they get the answer out of you? (10:05) - Where did you go after you got your MBA? (12:58) - How does David Weekley Homes's approach to team culture allow it to be able to retain talent for so long? (17:15) - What is David Weekley University and how did it come about? (19:43) - What’s the application process to get into DWU? (20:34) - How many markets are you in? How do you think about moving into new markets? (23:19) - Where are the hottest markets in the country right now? (24:52) - What are the 'Encore and Imagination' projects within David Weekley Homes? (26:36) - Do you focus more on central or suburban living for 'Imagination'? (28:33) - For the active adult communities you develop, do they have to be empty nesters or are they able to have kids with them? (29:31) - What are things that the 55+ age people want in a house & community? (31:17) - Are you anticipating a trend of home-offices being built in light of COVID? (32:44) - Are the millennials buying later in life? Are they requiring different things in their builds? (34:44) - How do you think about designing communities and commuting as Uber and self-driving cars continue to become more popular? (37:20) - How do you think about the growing asset class of single-family rental? (40:55) - What are the specific differences between the single-family rentals and what you normally build? (42:22) - How do you raise money to build all these homes if you aren’t public? (44:04) - How do you think about the year following a sale with home builders having to eat a lot of costs after the fact with different warranties or finishes that arise? (47:27) - How are you thinking about the high cost of lumber? Are you hedging your bet on that? (49:50) - What are the biggest challenges that you think about on a day-to-day basis? (51:53) - Is the USA under-built or over-built? (53:01) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a dramatic impact on the speed of building or cost of homes? (55:01) - Is there any silver bullet to combat the increased difficulty of working with cities? (57:23) - Do you have a childhood experience that has changed the direction of your life? Boy Scouts Outward Bound Amigos De Las Americas (58:57) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:00:16) - Are there any books that have had an impact on you? Clive Cussler - The Dirk Pitt Adventures Grit - Angela Duckworth Shoe Dog - Phil Knight Adam Grant books The Dichotomy of Leadership - Jocko Willink (1:01:37) - Chris’ Book Club w/ His Management Team The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris Weekley is the Executive Vice President at David Weekley Homes, one of the largest privately-held home building firms in the country. On this episode, they discuss the culture at DWH, Weekley's different product types in home building, the challenges and opportunities in home building, markets across the country, what 2020 presented for home builders, and what 2021 looks like. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Connect with Chris Weekley: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-weekley-892960/

(02:13) - Chris’ Story

Acton School of Business | MBA

(06:41) - Growing up, was your father’s work/family separation intentional in light of running a family business?

(07:36) - How is 'The Life of Meaning Class' at Acton structured? How do they get the answer out of you?

(10:05) - Where did you go after you got your MBA?

(12:58) - How does David Weekley Homes's approach to team culture allow it to be able to retain talent for so long?

(17:15) - What is David Weekley University and how did it come about?

(19:43) - What’s the application process to get into DWU?

(20:34) - How many markets are you in? How do you think about moving into new markets?

(23:19) - Where are the hottest markets in the country right now?

(24:52) - What are the 'Encore and Imagination' projects within David Weekley Homes?

(26:36) - Do you focus more on central or suburban living for 'Imagination'?

(28:33) - For the active adult communities you develop, do they have to be empty nesters or are they able to have kids with them?

(29:31) - What are things that the 55+ age people want in a house & community?

(31:17) - Are you anticipating a trend of home-offices being built in light of COVID?

(32:44) - Are the millennials buying later in life? Are they requiring different things in their builds?

(34:44) - How do you think about designing communities and commuting as Uber and self-driving cars continue to become more popular?

(37:20) - How do you think about the growing asset class of single-family rental?

(40:55) - What are the specific differences between the single-family rentals and what you normally build?

(42:22) - How do you raise money to build all these homes if you aren’t public?

(44:04) - How do you think about the year following a sale with home builders having to eat a lot of costs after the fact with different warranties or finishes that arise?

(47:27) - How are you thinking about the high cost of lumber? Are you hedging your bet on that?

(49:50) - What are the biggest challenges that you think about on a day-to-day basis?

(51:53) - Is the USA under-built or over-built?

(53:01) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a dramatic impact on the speed of building or cost of homes?

(55:01) - Is there any silver bullet to combat the increased difficulty of working with cities?

(57:23) - Do you have a childhood experience that has changed the direction of your life?

Boy Scouts

Outward Bound

Amigos De Las Americas

(58:57) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(1:00:16) - Are there any books that have had an impact on you?

Clive Cussler - The Dirk Pitt Adventures

Grit - Angela Duckworth

Shoe Dog - Phil Knight

Adam Grant books

The Dichotomy of Leadership - Jocko Willink

(1:01:37) - Chris’ Book Club w/ His Management Team

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4026 no #100: Tommy McGuire - President of Echo Evironmental https://www.TheFortPod.com Tommy McGuire is the President of Echo Environmental, which specializes in electronic recycling, IT asset management, and scrap metal purchasing. Echo Environmental has raised the bar and redefined what it means to be an end-of-life recycler.  On this episode, Chris and Tommy discuss the world of scrap and how Echo has been able to recycle hundreds of thousands of pounds of technology per day to be used again in the American supply chain. They'll talk about what actually happens when these products end up in landfills, the importance of taking initiative when bringing new ideas to leadership, Tommy's meteoric rise at Echo, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:25) - Introduction & Tommy’s Story (04:02) - Tommy’s Experience Working in Insurance & Being a Natural Salesman (05:47) - What did the world of scrap look like in 2012 and what was your role? (07:31) - Where does scrap come from? How do you define it? (08:54) - How much scrap is created in America each year? (10:30) - Who are your typical customers? (11:05) - What do you do when all of this material arrives at your facility? (13:15) - Are you usually getting the same amount of material out of each charter box? (14:15) - What happens to the materials once you’re done processing it all? (15:03) - Is copper pulled from a circuit board still as useful as the first time it was used? (16:31) - What was the process of growth like going from 50-pound sales in 2012 to 100K+ pounds per day now? (18:04) - Are there any other business components besides Echo and ITAD? (19:08) - Do you need licenses to do all of this or could I just start this in my garage? Watch: 60 Minutes Episode of Town in China With Mountains of Old Electronics (23:20) - What actually happens when these products end up in landfills? How does it affect the Earth? (26:29) - How would an individual dispose of these electronics? (28:01) - Is contaminating the groundwater the biggest risk from all of this? (30:06) - Thoughts on ESG (33:19) - Is there any innovation going on that's working against you in technology? (35:32) - Are hard drives ever really wiped? (38:06) - Is there a business to be created that offers a ‘seal of approval’ that something is truly wiped? (42:39) - Is it really cleared in consumer products when an individual does a factory reset? (43:01) - What about smashing a phone? Can that data be retrieved? (44:19) - Has COVID helped your business? (47:10) - How have you managed to make such a progression in your career in going from salesman to President? What’s your playbook? (55:10) - Innovating by Presenting Ideas & Taking Initiative (57:58) - Re-Using Company Products to Make Really Cool Things (1:01:48) - Why did you go to business school? Was it a value-add?  Read: Reed Hastings - Your Company Is Not a Family (1:08:43) - Is there a childhood experience that formed who you are today? (1:10:12) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:12:45) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? Learn more about Echo Environmental: www.echoenvironmental.com Follow Tommy on LinkedIn The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 04 Jan 2021 16:00:00 -0000 #100: Tommy McGuire - President of Echo Evironmental full 1 100 Chris Powers Tommy McGuire is the President of Echo Environmental, which specializes in electronic recycling, IT asset management, and scrap metal purchasing. Echo Environmental has raised the bar and redefined what it means to be an end-of-life recycler.  On... Tommy McGuire is the President of Echo Environmental, which specializes in electronic recycling, IT asset management, and scrap metal purchasing. Echo Environmental has raised the bar and redefined what it means to be an end-of-life recycler.  On this episode, Chris and Tommy discuss the world of scrap and how Echo has been able to recycle hundreds of thousands of pounds of technology per day to be used again in the American supply chain. They'll talk about what actually happens when these products end up in landfills, the importance of taking initiative when bringing new ideas to leadership, Tommy's meteoric rise at Echo, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:25) - Introduction & Tommy’s Story (04:02) - Tommy’s Experience Working in Insurance & Being a Natural Salesman (05:47) - What did the world of scrap look like in 2012 and what was your role? (07:31) - Where does scrap come from? How do you define it? (08:54) - How much scrap is created in America each year? (10:30) - Who are your typical customers? (11:05) - What do you do when all of this material arrives at your facility? (13:15) - Are you usually getting the same amount of material out of each charter box? (14:15) - What happens to the materials once you’re done processing it all? (15:03) - Is copper pulled from a circuit board still as useful as the first time it was used? (16:31) - What was the process of growth like going from 50-pound sales in 2012 to 100K+ pounds per day now? (18:04) - Are there any other business components besides Echo and ITAD? (19:08) - Do you need licenses to do all of this or could I just start this in my garage? Watch: 60 Minutes Episode of Town in China With Mountains of Old Electronics (23:20) - What actually happens when these products end up in landfills? How does it affect the Earth? (26:29) - How would an individual dispose of these electronics? (28:01) - Is contaminating the groundwater the biggest risk from all of this? (30:06) - Thoughts on ESG (33:19) - Is there any innovation going on that's working against you in technology? (35:32) - Are hard drives ever really wiped? (38:06) - Is there a business to be created that offers a ‘seal of approval’ that something is truly wiped? (42:39) - Is it really cleared in consumer products when an individual does a factory reset? (43:01) - What about smashing a phone? Can that data be retrieved? (44:19) - Has COVID helped your business? (47:10) - How have you managed to make such a progression in your career in going from salesman to President? What’s your playbook? (55:10) - Innovating by Presenting Ideas & Taking Initiative (57:58) - Re-Using Company Products to Make Really Cool Things (1:01:48) - Why did you go to business school? Was it a value-add?  Read: Reed Hastings - Your Company Is Not a Family (1:08:43) - Is there a childhood experience that formed who you are today? (1:10:12) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:12:45) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? Learn more about Echo Environmental: www.echoenvironmental.com Follow Tommy on LinkedIn The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Tommy McGuire is the President of Echo Environmental, which specializes in electronic recycling, IT asset management, and scrap metal purchasing. Echo Environmental has raised the bar and redefined what it means to be an end-of-life recycler. 

On this episode, Chris and Tommy discuss the world of scrap and how Echo has been able to recycle hundreds of thousands of pounds of technology per day to be used again in the American supply chain. They'll talk about what actually happens when these products end up in landfills, the importance of taking initiative when bringing new ideas to leadership, Tommy's meteoric rise at Echo, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(02:25) - Introduction & Tommy’s Story

(04:02) - Tommy’s Experience Working in Insurance & Being a Natural Salesman

(05:47) - What did the world of scrap look like in 2012 and what was your role?

(07:31) - Where does scrap come from? How do you define it?

(08:54) - How much scrap is created in America each year?

(10:30) - Who are your typical customers?

(11:05) - What do you do when all of this material arrives at your facility?

(13:15) - Are you usually getting the same amount of material out of each charter box?

(14:15) - What happens to the materials once you’re done processing it all?

(15:03) - Is copper pulled from a circuit board still as useful as the first time it was used?

(16:31) - What was the process of growth like going from 50-pound sales in 2012 to 100K+ pounds per day now?

(18:04) - Are there any other business components besides Echo and ITAD?

(19:08) - Do you need licenses to do all of this or could I just start this in my garage?

Watch: 60 Minutes Episode of Town in China With Mountains of Old Electronics

(23:20) - What actually happens when these products end up in landfills? How does it affect the Earth?

(26:29) - How would an individual dispose of these electronics?

(28:01) - Is contaminating the groundwater the biggest risk from all of this?

(30:06) - Thoughts on ESG

(33:19) - Is there any innovation going on that's working against you in technology?

(35:32) - Are hard drives ever really wiped?

(38:06) - Is there a business to be created that offers a ‘seal of approval’ that something is truly wiped?

(42:39) - Is it really cleared in consumer products when an individual does a factory reset?

(43:01) - What about smashing a phone? Can that data be retrieved?

(44:19) - Has COVID helped your business?

(47:10) - How have you managed to make such a progression in your career in going from salesman to President? What’s your playbook?

(55:10) - Innovating by Presenting Ideas & Taking Initiative

(57:58) - Re-Using Company Products to Make Really Cool Things

(1:01:48) - Why did you go to business school? Was it a value-add? 

Read: Reed Hastings - Your Company Is Not a Family

(1:08:43) - Is there a childhood experience that formed who you are today?

(1:10:12) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:11:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:12:45) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

Learn more about Echo Environmental: www.echoenvironmental.com

Follow Tommy on LinkedIn

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4646 no #99: Abraham Shafi - Co-Founder & CEO of IRL https://www.TheFortPod.com Abraham Shafi is the Co-Founder and CEO of www.IRL.com, one of the fastest growing social networking apps in the world.  IRL was founded along with Henry Khachatryan and PayPal’s first board member Scott Banister. "IRL: Do More Together" has raised a total of $11 million in funding, with five investors backing up the company. The company's goal is to provide a place to discover events and allow users to do those things with other people. On this episode, Chris and Abraham discuss his rise in the tech world after dropping out of college, his previous venture being acquired by Dice, organic growth best practices, working with venture capitalists, how COVID has impacted IRL, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:19) - Abe’s Story (08:38) - When did you formulate the plan for IRL and take the leap? (12:21) - Did you raise VC for IRL? Are you a technical or non-technical founder? (14:18) - What impact did your co-founder Scott have on the company? (17:04) - Are there best practices that come to mind when talking about organic growth? (19:41) - What is IRL? How would you describe it to someone about to download the app? (21:44) - How do you publish events on the platform? (25:05) - How would this be different from something like Twitch? (26:03) - Is there anything that stands out about how people have used the product differently than you imagined? (27:37) - How has COVID impacted you & IRL either positively or negatively? (30:40) - Is there data showing pent-up demand for people to get back into the world? (32:28) - How does your college ambassador program work? Why did you implement it? (36:39) - Is there a unique way someone has used the platform during COVID that was really inspiring? (37:37) - What was your experience raising a series-B during 2020 given the unique challenges of the year? (38:42) - What makes a great Venture Capitalist? (40:59) - How is leadership considered when different VC’s lead different rounds of funding?  (43:00) - What would you tell first-time founders as they deliberate who to approach for raising funds? (44:40) - What is your opinion on the state of social media? How do you think we can get back to it being a positive thing? (52:07) - Do you have a childhood experience that’s shaped who you are today? (57:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (58:16) - Are some of San Francisco’s brightest days ahead? (1:00:51) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:03:16) - What's the best book you’ve ever read? The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (1:06:54) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:09:12) - How can people find you? www.IRL.com www.Twitter.com/Abrashafi The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 #99: Abraham Shafi - Co-Founder & CEO of IRL full 1 99 Chris Powers Abraham Shafi is the Co-Founder and CEO of , one of the fastest growing social networking apps in the world.  IRL was founded along with Henry Khachatryan and PayPal’s first board member Scott Banister. "IRL: Do More Together" has raised a... Abraham Shafi is the Co-Founder and CEO of www.IRL.com, one of the fastest growing social networking apps in the world.  IRL was founded along with Henry Khachatryan and PayPal’s first board member Scott Banister. "IRL: Do More Together" has raised a total of $11 million in funding, with five investors backing up the company. The company's goal is to provide a place to discover events and allow users to do those things with other people. On this episode, Chris and Abraham discuss his rise in the tech world after dropping out of college, his previous venture being acquired by Dice, organic growth best practices, working with venture capitalists, how COVID has impacted IRL, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:19) - Abe’s Story (08:38) - When did you formulate the plan for IRL and take the leap? (12:21) - Did you raise VC for IRL? Are you a technical or non-technical founder? (14:18) - What impact did your co-founder Scott have on the company? (17:04) - Are there best practices that come to mind when talking about organic growth? (19:41) - What is IRL? How would you describe it to someone about to download the app? (21:44) - How do you publish events on the platform? (25:05) - How would this be different from something like Twitch? (26:03) - Is there anything that stands out about how people have used the product differently than you imagined? (27:37) - How has COVID impacted you & IRL either positively or negatively? (30:40) - Is there data showing pent-up demand for people to get back into the world? (32:28) - How does your college ambassador program work? Why did you implement it? (36:39) - Is there a unique way someone has used the platform during COVID that was really inspiring? (37:37) - What was your experience raising a series-B during 2020 given the unique challenges of the year? (38:42) - What makes a great Venture Capitalist? (40:59) - How is leadership considered when different VC’s lead different rounds of funding?  (43:00) - What would you tell first-time founders as they deliberate who to approach for raising funds? (44:40) - What is your opinion on the state of social media? How do you think we can get back to it being a positive thing? (52:07) - Do you have a childhood experience that’s shaped who you are today? (57:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (58:16) - Are some of San Francisco’s brightest days ahead? (1:00:51) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:03:16) - What's the best book you’ve ever read? The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (1:06:54) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:09:12) - How can people find you? www.IRL.com www.Twitter.com/Abrashafi The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Abraham Shafi is the Co-Founder and CEO of www.IRL.com, one of the fastest growing social networking apps in the world.  IRL was founded along with Henry Khachatryan and PayPal’s first board member Scott Banister. "IRL: Do More Together" has raised a total of $11 million in funding, with five investors backing up the company. The company's goal is to provide a place to discover events and allow users to do those things with other people.

On this episode, Chris and Abraham discuss his rise in the tech world after dropping out of college, his previous venture being acquired by Dice, organic growth best practices, working with venture capitalists, how COVID has impacted IRL, and much more. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:19) - Abe’s Story

(08:38) - When did you formulate the plan for IRL and take the leap?

(12:21) - Did you raise VC for IRL? Are you a technical or non-technical founder?

(14:18) - What impact did your co-founder Scott have on the company?

(17:04) - Are there best practices that come to mind when talking about organic growth?

(19:41) - What is IRL? How would you describe it to someone about to download the app?

(21:44) - How do you publish events on the platform?

(25:05) - How would this be different from something like Twitch?

(26:03) - Is there anything that stands out about how people have used the product differently than you imagined?

(27:37) - How has COVID impacted you & IRL either positively or negatively?

(30:40) - Is there data showing pent-up demand for people to get back into the world?

(32:28) - How does your college ambassador program work? Why did you implement it?

(36:39) - Is there a unique way someone has used the platform during COVID that was really inspiring?

(37:37) - What was your experience raising a series-B during 2020 given the unique challenges of the year?

(38:42) - What makes a great Venture Capitalist?

(40:59) - How is leadership considered when different VC’s lead different rounds of funding? 

(43:00) - What would you tell first-time founders as they deliberate who to approach for raising funds?

(44:40) - What is your opinion on the state of social media? How do you think we can get back to it being a positive thing?

(52:07) - Do you have a childhood experience that’s shaped who you are today?

(57:26) - Do you have a morning routine?

(58:16) - Are some of San Francisco’s brightest days ahead?

(1:00:51) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(1:03:16) - What's the best book you’ve ever read?

The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh

(1:06:54) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

(1:09:12) - How can people find you?

www.IRL.com

www.Twitter.com/Abrashafi


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4341 no RE #98: How To Assemble & Entitle Urban Land https://www.TheFortPod.com On today's episode, Chris is joined by Jason Baxter, President and COO of Fort Capital to discuss the ways in which they think about the process around assembling and entitling land. They break down the due diligence work needed, why you need to know the end-user, what it's like entering under contract, and the importance of getting people on your side through zoning.  We’re planning on doing more episodes like these in 2021. If you have any questions on how we operate at Fort Capital, email us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com and we may just make an episode dedicated to it! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (01:59) - What do Entitlements mean? (02:44) - What is the due diligence process we do before buying a property we want to entitle? (04:30) - Which city official do you try to set a meeting with to learn the future plan for an area? (06:10) - Easements in Due Diligence (08:17) - Environmental Issues VCP- Voluntary Clean-Up Process (12:18) - Determining Your Price to Pay and Value (15:37) - Knowing Your End-User (16:58) - Making an Offer that Can Close Quickly and Making Plans to Approach Sellers (27:07) - Moving Quickly to Avoid the Word Getting Out to Other Real Estate Investors (30:14) - Be Willing to Put in the Effort (32:13) - Factors like NextDoor and Your City’s Vision (35:26) - What We Do Once We’ve Bought a Property and What it's Like to Enter into a Contract (38:22) - What do future developers need to be able to close? What does a typical contract look like so expectations are met by both parties? (42:57) - Getting Plans Ready for a Permit & Zoning (45:05) - Getting People on Your Side When Going Through the Zoning Process (52:48) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 28 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #98: How To Assemble & Entitle Urban Land full 1 98 Chris Powers On today's episode, Chris is joined by Jason Baxter, President and COO of Fort Capital to discuss the ways in which they think about the process around assembling and entitling land. They break down the due diligence work needed, why you need to know... On today's episode, Chris is joined by Jason Baxter, President and COO of Fort Capital to discuss the ways in which they think about the process around assembling and entitling land. They break down the due diligence work needed, why you need to know the end-user, what it's like entering under contract, and the importance of getting people on your side through zoning.  We’re planning on doing more episodes like these in 2021. If you have any questions on how we operate at Fort Capital, email us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com and we may just make an episode dedicated to it! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (01:59) - What do Entitlements mean? (02:44) - What is the due diligence process we do before buying a property we want to entitle? (04:30) - Which city official do you try to set a meeting with to learn the future plan for an area? (06:10) - Easements in Due Diligence (08:17) - Environmental Issues VCP- Voluntary Clean-Up Process (12:18) - Determining Your Price to Pay and Value (15:37) - Knowing Your End-User (16:58) - Making an Offer that Can Close Quickly and Making Plans to Approach Sellers (27:07) - Moving Quickly to Avoid the Word Getting Out to Other Real Estate Investors (30:14) - Be Willing to Put in the Effort (32:13) - Factors like NextDoor and Your City’s Vision (35:26) - What We Do Once We’ve Bought a Property and What it's Like to Enter into a Contract (38:22) - What do future developers need to be able to close? What does a typical contract look like so expectations are met by both parties? (42:57) - Getting Plans Ready for a Permit & Zoning (45:05) - Getting People on Your Side When Going Through the Zoning Process (52:48) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On today's episode, Chris is joined by Jason Baxter, President and COO of Fort Capital to discuss the ways in which they think about the process around assembling and entitling land. They break down the due diligence work needed, why you need to know the end-user, what it's like entering under contract, and the importance of getting people on your side through zoning. 

We’re planning on doing more episodes like these in 2021. If you have any questions on how we operate at Fort Capital, email us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com and we may just make an episode dedicated to it!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

(01:59) - What do Entitlements mean?

(02:44) - What is the due diligence process we do before buying a property we want to entitle?

(04:30) - Which city official do you try to set a meeting with to learn the future plan for an area?

(06:10) - Easements in Due Diligence

(08:17) - Environmental Issues

VCP- Voluntary Clean-Up Process

(12:18) - Determining Your Price to Pay and Value

(15:37) - Knowing Your End-User

(16:58) - Making an Offer that Can Close Quickly and Making Plans to Approach Sellers

(27:07) - Moving Quickly to Avoid the Word Getting Out to Other Real Estate Investors

(30:14) - Be Willing to Put in the Effort

(32:13) - Factors like NextDoor and Your City’s Vision

(35:26) - What We Do Once We’ve Bought a Property and What it's Like to Enter into a Contract

(38:22) - What do future developers need to be able to close? What does a typical contract look like so expectations are met by both parties?

(42:57) - Getting Plans Ready for a Permit & Zoning

(45:05) - Getting People on Your Side When Going Through the Zoning Process

(52:48) - Wrap Up


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3312 no RE #97: How Fort Capital Performs DD, Onboarding, & Business Plan Execution on Assets https://www.TheFortPod.com On today's episode, Chris is joined by Corey Price, Director of Asset Management, and Steve Bailey, Director of Property Management & Construction for Fort Capital. They'll discuss how they think about due diligence, onboarding, and execution in the first year of purchasing an asset. They also discuss their roles, the nuances of their day-to-day operations, some of the mistakes they've made, and how they’ve improved.  We’re planning on doing more of these episodes in 2021. If you have any questions on how we operate at Fort Capital, email us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com and we may just make an episode dedicated to it! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (01:21) - A High-Level Overview of Steve’s Role in Property Management in Construction (02:01) - Corey’s Role in Asset Management (03:43) - What happens in each of your worlds from “we’re buying this asset” to the day it actually closes in a multi-tenant industrial deal? (05:07) - How do we continuously keep leveling up and identify red flags as we gain more data about the asset? (06:10) - When we underwrite and put together a Cap-ex plan, how do you think about the projected Cap-ex and build a budget? (07:41) - Are there other things you do during due diligence that fall under the asset management responsibility? (08:46) - How do asset management and property management work together during the due diligence phase? (10:13) - How are things different after bringing property management in-house? What are the advantages of doing so? (12:08) - What are we doing on each side in terms of our due-diligence checklist? (14:06) - Why is it so critical to review each lease individually? (16:51) - Are we interviewing every single tenant with each property? (17:32) - What happens on our team during onboarding now that we own the asset? (19:03) - Do you have any experiences where tenants are much happier after Fort Capital has taken over as property managers? (20:41) - What does day 1 look like for asset management after closing on a property? (22:00) - How do you determine who will be leasing our assets? (23:16) - What is our process for how we continue the relationship with leasing brokers once we acquire an asset? (24:40) - How does information about tenants that won’t re-up their lease flow from leasing broker to asset & property management? (28:20) - Is having knowledge 90 days out before a tenant is leaving a requirement in the lease? (29:53) - Why are we able to lease things that prior owners weren’t able to? (31:33) - Are our TI costs pretty consistent across our portfolio? (33:25) - Is anyone ever putting money into warehouse spaces beyond clean up or is it mostly allocated to office? (34:11) - What is the re-forecasting process like? Why is it valuable? (36:40) - Is it cost-prohibitive for small tenants in an environment where we see 10-15% rent jumps? (38:17) - How do you attempt to stabilize an asset from a tenant perspective? (39:53) - How do you think about creating a budget for the year after purchasing? (41:02) - How valuable is the massive amount of data available to us since bringing these operations in-house? (54:12) - Merrick Park - An Example of ‘How the Sausage is Made’ Between the Property & Asset Management Teams (56:30) - How would this asset process have gone with a third party group? (58:36) - Do we tell our tenants during DD about our plans for the building or do we wait until we close? (59:24) - How do you think about the 9 months after the first 90 days are under our belt? Does anything change? (1:00:45) - What have you learned after 9 months of bringing property management in-house? (1:02:26) - What breakthroughs have we made in Asset Management? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 24 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #97: How Fort Capital Performs DD, Onboarding, & Business Plan Execution on Assets full 1 97 Chris Powers On today's episode, Chris is joined by Corey Price, Director of Asset Management, and Steve Bailey, Director of Property Management & Construction for Fort Capital. They'll discuss how they think about due diligence, onboarding, and execution in... On today's episode, Chris is joined by Corey Price, Director of Asset Management, and Steve Bailey, Director of Property Management & Construction for Fort Capital. They'll discuss how they think about due diligence, onboarding, and execution in the first year of purchasing an asset. They also discuss their roles, the nuances of their day-to-day operations, some of the mistakes they've made, and how they’ve improved.  We’re planning on doing more of these episodes in 2021. If you have any questions on how we operate at Fort Capital, email us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com and we may just make an episode dedicated to it! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (01:21) - A High-Level Overview of Steve’s Role in Property Management in Construction (02:01) - Corey’s Role in Asset Management (03:43) - What happens in each of your worlds from “we’re buying this asset” to the day it actually closes in a multi-tenant industrial deal? (05:07) - How do we continuously keep leveling up and identify red flags as we gain more data about the asset? (06:10) - When we underwrite and put together a Cap-ex plan, how do you think about the projected Cap-ex and build a budget? (07:41) - Are there other things you do during due diligence that fall under the asset management responsibility? (08:46) - How do asset management and property management work together during the due diligence phase? (10:13) - How are things different after bringing property management in-house? What are the advantages of doing so? (12:08) - What are we doing on each side in terms of our due-diligence checklist? (14:06) - Why is it so critical to review each lease individually? (16:51) - Are we interviewing every single tenant with each property? (17:32) - What happens on our team during onboarding now that we own the asset? (19:03) - Do you have any experiences where tenants are much happier after Fort Capital has taken over as property managers? (20:41) - What does day 1 look like for asset management after closing on a property? (22:00) - How do you determine who will be leasing our assets? (23:16) - What is our process for how we continue the relationship with leasing brokers once we acquire an asset? (24:40) - How does information about tenants that won’t re-up their lease flow from leasing broker to asset & property management? (28:20) - Is having knowledge 90 days out before a tenant is leaving a requirement in the lease? (29:53) - Why are we able to lease things that prior owners weren’t able to? (31:33) - Are our TI costs pretty consistent across our portfolio? (33:25) - Is anyone ever putting money into warehouse spaces beyond clean up or is it mostly allocated to office? (34:11) - What is the re-forecasting process like? Why is it valuable? (36:40) - Is it cost-prohibitive for small tenants in an environment where we see 10-15% rent jumps? (38:17) - How do you attempt to stabilize an asset from a tenant perspective? (39:53) - How do you think about creating a budget for the year after purchasing? (41:02) - How valuable is the massive amount of data available to us since bringing these operations in-house? (54:12) - Merrick Park - An Example of ‘How the Sausage is Made’ Between the Property & Asset Management Teams (56:30) - How would this asset process have gone with a third party group? (58:36) - Do we tell our tenants during DD about our plans for the building or do we wait until we close? (59:24) - How do you think about the 9 months after the first 90 days are under our belt? Does anything change? (1:00:45) - What have you learned after 9 months of bringing property management in-house? (1:02:26) - What breakthroughs have we made in Asset Management? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On today's episode, Chris is joined by Corey Price, Director of Asset Management, and Steve Bailey, Director of Property Management & Construction for Fort Capital. They'll discuss how they think about due diligence, onboarding, and execution in the first year of purchasing an asset. They also discuss their roles, the nuances of their day-to-day operations, some of the mistakes they've made, and how they’ve improved. 

We’re planning on doing more of these episodes in 2021. If you have any questions on how we operate at Fort Capital, email us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com and we may just make an episode dedicated to it!


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

(01:21) - A High-Level Overview of Steve’s Role in Property Management in Construction

(02:01) - Corey’s Role in Asset Management

(03:43) - What happens in each of your worlds from “we’re buying this asset” to the day it actually closes in a multi-tenant industrial deal?

(05:07) - How do we continuously keep leveling up and identify red flags as we gain more data about the asset?

(06:10) - When we underwrite and put together a Cap-ex plan, how do you think about the projected Cap-ex and build a budget?

(07:41) - Are there other things you do during due diligence that fall under the asset management responsibility?

(08:46) - How do asset management and property management work together during the due diligence phase?

(10:13) - How are things different after bringing property management in-house? What are the advantages of doing so?

(12:08) - What are we doing on each side in terms of our due-diligence checklist?

(14:06) - Why is it so critical to review each lease individually?

(16:51) - Are we interviewing every single tenant with each property?

(17:32) - What happens on our team during onboarding now that we own the asset?

(19:03) - Do you have any experiences where tenants are much happier after Fort Capital has taken over as property managers?

(20:41) - What does day 1 look like for asset management after closing on a property?

(22:00) - How do you determine who will be leasing our assets?

(23:16) - What is our process for how we continue the relationship with leasing brokers once we acquire an asset?

(24:40) - How does information about tenants that won’t re-up their lease flow from leasing broker to asset & property management?

(28:20) - Is having knowledge 90 days out before a tenant is leaving a requirement in the lease?

(29:53) - Why are we able to lease things that prior owners weren’t able to?

(31:33) - Are our TI costs pretty consistent across our portfolio?

(33:25) - Is anyone ever putting money into warehouse spaces beyond clean up or is it mostly allocated to office?

(34:11) - What is the re-forecasting process like? Why is it valuable?

(36:40) - Is it cost-prohibitive for small tenants in an environment where we see 10-15% rent jumps?

(38:17) - How do you attempt to stabilize an asset from a tenant perspective?

(39:53) - How do you think about creating a budget for the year after purchasing?

(41:02) - How valuable is the massive amount of data available to us since bringing these operations in-house?

(54:12) - Merrick Park - An Example of ‘How the Sausage is Made’ Between the Property & Asset Management Teams

(56:30) - How would this asset process have gone with a third party group?

(58:36) - Do we tell our tenants during DD about our plans for the building or do we wait until we close?

(59:24) - How do you think about the 9 months after the first 90 days are under our belt? Does anything change?

(1:00:45) - What have you learned after 9 months of bringing property management in-house?

(1:02:26) - What breakthroughs have we made in Asset Management?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3980 no RE #96: Sam Sawyer - Founder & CEO of Archetape - Cloud Brokerage for RE Agents https://www.TheFortPod.com Sam Sawyer is the Founder & CEO of Archetape, a full-service cloud brokerage for real estate agents. Before founding Archetape, Sam worked for the Y Combinator graduate and venture-backed start-up ZeroDown in Silicon Valley as their VP of Real Estate Operations.  On this episode, Chris and Sam discuss the issues facing real estate agents and how Archetape is working to transform their experiences. They also discuss Sam's vast experience in real estate and tech, trends in home buying, major players like OpenDoor & Zillow, the process of building a remote company during COVID. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:15) - Sam’s Story and Career (03:54) - What was the acquisition from Compass like? (06:05) - What was your experience like working for a PropTech company ZeroDown in Silicon Valley? (08:07) - What was it like going through Y Combinator? (09:26) - As the only one in the field, were you bringing back all of your experiences and data to share with the software teams to build out necessary widgets? (10:14) - At what point did you realize you needed to go and start your own deal? (11:44) - Was there a co-founder involved? (12:33) - Did you raise any funding? (13:21) - What is Archetape? What’s the spin on brokerage? (16:48) - What software are you building that would make an agent want to come work for your company? (22:03) - Technology Partnerships at Archetape (24:55) - How do you identify what partnerships are needed? How do you vet suitors? (26:53) - Is there any training involved for new agents? (30:47) - Do you use any software to gather Net Promoter Scores? (31:40) - How do you find new agents? (32:51) - Are you looking to recruit seasoned agents or newcomers? (35:35) - What advice would you give to folks looking to become agents? (37:38) - Building Smaller Teams Within Archetape (38:44) - When was the first transaction at Archetape? (39:16) - How are you ending the year as opposed to what you thought it would be like? What’s it like launching a company in the middle of a pandemic? (41:59) - Deeper Dive into the Compass Experience (44:05) - Why would agents be more likely to use the software that's used at Archetape if they generally aren’t open to changing their software habits? (45:49) - How are you thinking about growth? (48:32) - How are you partnering with lenders? (50:25) - How do you use a startup mindset without getting distracted from your core product? (53:12) - What are some trends that you’re seeing in home-buying? (55:33) - What are the top reasons someone buys a home besides location & affordability? (56:46) - What is iBuying? (58:24) - What do OpenDoor and Zillow do when they buy a home? (1:00:10) - Is OpenDoor a direct competitor to you? (1:01:03) - Is the open house experience going to die? (1:01:56) - Did you know that you’d be building your company on the back of platforms like Slack? (1:05:07) - How do you build strong relationships with a fully remote company? (1:06:49) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:07:55) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Book - Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (1:10:01) - What’s a great book you’ve enjoyed? Built to Sell - John Warrilow Elon Musk Biography (1:12:26) - How can people find you and Archetape? Medium Article - Gatekeeper to Superhero archetape.com Email: Sam@archetape.com Subscribe to Sam's Newsletter here Sam's Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #96: Sam Sawyer - Founder & CEO of Archetape - Cloud Brokerage for RE Agents full 1 96 Chris Powers Sam Sawyer is the Founder & CEO of Archetape, a full-service cloud brokerage for real estate agents. Before founding Archetape, Sam worked for the Y Combinator graduate and venture-backed start-up ZeroDown in Silicon Valley as their VP of Real... Sam Sawyer is the Founder & CEO of Archetape, a full-service cloud brokerage for real estate agents. Before founding Archetape, Sam worked for the Y Combinator graduate and venture-backed start-up ZeroDown in Silicon Valley as their VP of Real Estate Operations.  On this episode, Chris and Sam discuss the issues facing real estate agents and how Archetape is working to transform their experiences. They also discuss Sam's vast experience in real estate and tech, trends in home buying, major players like OpenDoor & Zillow, the process of building a remote company during COVID. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:15) - Sam’s Story and Career (03:54) - What was the acquisition from Compass like? (06:05) - What was your experience like working for a PropTech company ZeroDown in Silicon Valley? (08:07) - What was it like going through Y Combinator? (09:26) - As the only one in the field, were you bringing back all of your experiences and data to share with the software teams to build out necessary widgets? (10:14) - At what point did you realize you needed to go and start your own deal? (11:44) - Was there a co-founder involved? (12:33) - Did you raise any funding? (13:21) - What is Archetape? What’s the spin on brokerage? (16:48) - What software are you building that would make an agent want to come work for your company? (22:03) - Technology Partnerships at Archetape (24:55) - How do you identify what partnerships are needed? How do you vet suitors? (26:53) - Is there any training involved for new agents? (30:47) - Do you use any software to gather Net Promoter Scores? (31:40) - How do you find new agents? (32:51) - Are you looking to recruit seasoned agents or newcomers? (35:35) - What advice would you give to folks looking to become agents? (37:38) - Building Smaller Teams Within Archetape (38:44) - When was the first transaction at Archetape? (39:16) - How are you ending the year as opposed to what you thought it would be like? What’s it like launching a company in the middle of a pandemic? (41:59) - Deeper Dive into the Compass Experience (44:05) - Why would agents be more likely to use the software that's used at Archetape if they generally aren’t open to changing their software habits? (45:49) - How are you thinking about growth? (48:32) - How are you partnering with lenders? (50:25) - How do you use a startup mindset without getting distracted from your core product? (53:12) - What are some trends that you’re seeing in home-buying? (55:33) - What are the top reasons someone buys a home besides location & affordability? (56:46) - What is iBuying? (58:24) - What do OpenDoor and Zillow do when they buy a home? (1:00:10) - Is OpenDoor a direct competitor to you? (1:01:03) - Is the open house experience going to die? (1:01:56) - Did you know that you’d be building your company on the back of platforms like Slack? (1:05:07) - How do you build strong relationships with a fully remote company? (1:06:49) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:07:55) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Book - Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (1:10:01) - What’s a great book you’ve enjoyed? Built to Sell - John Warrilow Elon Musk Biography (1:12:26) - How can people find you and Archetape? Medium Article - Gatekeeper to Superhero archetape.com Email: Sam@archetape.com Subscribe to Sam's Newsletter here Sam's Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sam Sawyer is the Founder & CEO of Archetape, a full-service cloud brokerage for real estate agents. Before founding Archetape, Sam worked for the Y Combinator graduate and venture-backed start-up ZeroDown in Silicon Valley as their VP of Real Estate Operations. 

On this episode, Chris and Sam discuss the issues facing real estate agents and how Archetape is working to transform their experiences. They also discuss Sam's vast experience in real estate and tech, trends in home buying, major players like OpenDoor & Zillow, the process of building a remote company during COVID. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:15) - Sam’s Story and Career

(03:54) - What was the acquisition from Compass like?

(06:05) - What was your experience like working for a PropTech company ZeroDown in Silicon Valley?

(08:07) - What was it like going through Y Combinator?

(09:26) - As the only one in the field, were you bringing back all of your experiences and data to share with the software teams to build out necessary widgets?

(10:14) - At what point did you realize you needed to go and start your own deal?

(11:44) - Was there a co-founder involved?

(12:33) - Did you raise any funding?

(13:21) - What is Archetape? What’s the spin on brokerage?

(16:48) - What software are you building that would make an agent want to come work for your company?

(22:03) - Technology Partnerships at Archetape

(24:55) - How do you identify what partnerships are needed? How do you vet suitors?

(26:53) - Is there any training involved for new agents?

(30:47) - Do you use any software to gather Net Promoter Scores?

(31:40) - How do you find new agents?

(32:51) - Are you looking to recruit seasoned agents or newcomers?

(35:35) - What advice would you give to folks looking to become agents?

(37:38) - Building Smaller Teams Within Archetape

(38:44) - When was the first transaction at Archetape?

(39:16) - How are you ending the year as opposed to what you thought it would be like? What’s it like launching a company in the middle of a pandemic?

(41:59) - Deeper Dive into the Compass Experience

(44:05) - Why would agents be more likely to use the software that's used at Archetape if they generally aren’t open to changing their software habits?

(45:49) - How are you thinking about growth?

(48:32) - How are you partnering with lenders?

(50:25) - How do you use a startup mindset without getting distracted from your core product?

(53:12) - What are some trends that you’re seeing in home-buying?

(55:33) - What are the top reasons someone buys a home besides location & affordability?

(56:46) - What is iBuying?

(58:24) - What do OpenDoor and Zillow do when they buy a home?

(1:00:10) - Is OpenDoor a direct competitor to you?

(1:01:03) - Is the open house experience going to die?

(1:01:56) - Did you know that you’d be building your company on the back of platforms like Slack?

(1:05:07) - How do you build strong relationships with a fully remote company?

(1:06:49) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:07:55) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Book - Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

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Built to Sell - John Warrilow

Elon Musk Biography

(1:12:26) - How can people find you and Archetape?

Medium Article - Gatekeeper to Superhero

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The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4501 no #95: Michael Girdley - The One-Man Venture Studio https://www.TheFortPod.com Michael Girdley (www.Twitter.com/Girdley) is a serial entrepreneur and investor based in San Antonio. He is the chairman and co-founder of Dura Software, owner of Codeup, Toro Coffee, Alamo Fireworks, and the tech-venture fund Geekdom.  On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss Michael's experience moving to San Francisco during the late '90s and what it was like in the 'tech bubble', and then leaving the tech world to take over his father's firework business where technology was almost non-existent. Michael discusses the process of helping found and scale his various companies and implementing executive teams so he can step away from their day to day operations.  They also dive into the workings of Michael's various companies, the pitch for the future of San Antonio, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:30) - Michael’s Background and What Led Him to Today (04:00) - What is cryptography? (04:35) - How did you get into your passion for computer technology? (06:11) - When did you move out to the Bay Area? (06:30) - What was Silicon Valley before the Dotcom bust? What was it like going through that bust? (08:12) - Did people see the crash coming or did it come out of nowhere? (09:55) - Was revenue actually growing when the stock price jumped or was it all part of just the bubble? (11:28) - Were most of these businesses VC-backed before they went public? (12:02) - What was the culture shift like going from Silicon Valley to running a family firework business? (13:57) - What was the transition like when taking the business over from your father? (16:03) - Did you already have an executive team in place or was that a process to implement before you transitioned out? (16:46) - What was the process like of finding a CEO? (17:43) - How do you set up a compensation system to incentivize those who aren’t the owners in a family business? (19:28) - How does the current CEO communicate business strategy with you? (20:43) - What are you accountable for as a semi-active owner? (29:52) - How do you find the right people to bring into the business? (31:11) - What were your roles in getting the business off the ground if you weren’t going to be involved in the day-to-day? (34:08) - Is this a business that will require funding to scale quickly or do you want to go the self-funded route? (35:08) - What is Codeup? (36:24) - How do you define ‘not getting a job’ in terms of Codeup’s policy to refund the student? (38:23) - What’s the process of education in Codeup? (39:23) - How long is the process and how much does it cost? (40:02) - Is it a full-time job or can students work while they’re in the courses? (40:36) - Is there always going to be a need for code in a world where no-code is a growing movement? (41:53) - What is Dura Software? (43:44) - Is this similar to a Berkshire model? (44:50) - What’s the difference between vertical and horizontal market software? (46:15) - Are you designing the third phase of your career where you can keep adding businesses or is there a limit? (47:02) - What does Culture Index mean to you? How has it impacted your career? (49:14) - Do you require the companies you buy to adopt Culture Index? (52:05) - What’s your 2-minute pitch for the city of San Antonio? (53:45) - How has the growth of Austin impacted San Antonio? (54:59) - Do you have a morning routine? (55:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (56:38) - If you owned a billboard and could put anything on it, what would it be? (59:24) - How can people get in touch with you? Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Girdley Learn more about Michael Girdley here www.Girdley.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 17 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 #95: Michael Girdley - The One-Man Venture Studio full 1 95 Chris Powers Michael Girdley () is a serial entrepreneur and investor based in San Antonio. He is the chairman and co-founder of Dura Software, owner of Codeup, Toro Coffee, Alamo Fireworks, and the tech-venture fund Geekdom.  On this episode, Chris and... Michael Girdley (www.Twitter.com/Girdley) is a serial entrepreneur and investor based in San Antonio. He is the chairman and co-founder of Dura Software, owner of Codeup, Toro Coffee, Alamo Fireworks, and the tech-venture fund Geekdom.  On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss Michael's experience moving to San Francisco during the late '90s and what it was like in the 'tech bubble', and then leaving the tech world to take over his father's firework business where technology was almost non-existent. Michael discusses the process of helping found and scale his various companies and implementing executive teams so he can step away from their day to day operations.  They also dive into the workings of Michael's various companies, the pitch for the future of San Antonio, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:30) - Michael’s Background and What Led Him to Today (04:00) - What is cryptography? (04:35) - How did you get into your passion for computer technology? (06:11) - When did you move out to the Bay Area? (06:30) - What was Silicon Valley before the Dotcom bust? What was it like going through that bust? (08:12) - Did people see the crash coming or did it come out of nowhere? (09:55) - Was revenue actually growing when the stock price jumped or was it all part of just the bubble? (11:28) - Were most of these businesses VC-backed before they went public? (12:02) - What was the culture shift like going from Silicon Valley to running a family firework business? (13:57) - What was the transition like when taking the business over from your father? (16:03) - Did you already have an executive team in place or was that a process to implement before you transitioned out? (16:46) - What was the process like of finding a CEO? (17:43) - How do you set up a compensation system to incentivize those who aren’t the owners in a family business? (19:28) - How does the current CEO communicate business strategy with you? (20:43) - What are you accountable for as a semi-active owner? (29:52) - How do you find the right people to bring into the business? (31:11) - What were your roles in getting the business off the ground if you weren’t going to be involved in the day-to-day? (34:08) - Is this a business that will require funding to scale quickly or do you want to go the self-funded route? (35:08) - What is Codeup? (36:24) - How do you define ‘not getting a job’ in terms of Codeup’s policy to refund the student? (38:23) - What’s the process of education in Codeup? (39:23) - How long is the process and how much does it cost? (40:02) - Is it a full-time job or can students work while they’re in the courses? (40:36) - Is there always going to be a need for code in a world where no-code is a growing movement? (41:53) - What is Dura Software? (43:44) - Is this similar to a Berkshire model? (44:50) - What’s the difference between vertical and horizontal market software? (46:15) - Are you designing the third phase of your career where you can keep adding businesses or is there a limit? (47:02) - What does Culture Index mean to you? How has it impacted your career? (49:14) - Do you require the companies you buy to adopt Culture Index? (52:05) - What’s your 2-minute pitch for the city of San Antonio? (53:45) - How has the growth of Austin impacted San Antonio? (54:59) - Do you have a morning routine? (55:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (56:38) - If you owned a billboard and could put anything on it, what would it be? (59:24) - How can people get in touch with you? Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Girdley Learn more about Michael Girdley here www.Girdley.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Michael Girdley (www.Twitter.com/Girdley) is a serial entrepreneur and investor based in San Antonio. He is the chairman and co-founder of Dura Software, owner of Codeup, Toro Coffee, Alamo Fireworks, and the tech-venture fund Geekdom. 

On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss Michael's experience moving to San Francisco during the late '90s and what it was like in the 'tech bubble', and then leaving the tech world to take over his father's firework business where technology was almost non-existent. Michael discusses the process of helping found and scale his various companies and implementing executive teams so he can step away from their day to day operations. 

They also dive into the workings of Michael's various companies, the pitch for the future of San Antonio, and much more. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(02:30) - Michael’s Background and What Led Him to Today

(04:00) - What is cryptography?

(04:35) - How did you get into your passion for computer technology?

(06:11) - When did you move out to the Bay Area?

(06:30) - What was Silicon Valley before the Dotcom bust? What was it like going through that bust?

(08:12) - Did people see the crash coming or did it come out of nowhere?

(09:55) - Was revenue actually growing when the stock price jumped or was it all part of just the bubble?

(11:28) - Were most of these businesses VC-backed before they went public?

(12:02) - What was the culture shift like going from Silicon Valley to running a family firework business?

(13:57) - What was the transition like when taking the business over from your father?

(16:03) - Did you already have an executive team in place or was that a process to implement before you transitioned out?

(16:46) - What was the process like of finding a CEO?

(17:43) - How do you set up a compensation system to incentivize those who aren’t the owners in a family business?

(19:28) - How does the current CEO communicate business strategy with you?

(20:43) - What are you accountable for as a semi-active owner?

(29:52) - How do you find the right people to bring into the business?

(31:11) - What were your roles in getting the business off the ground if you weren’t going to be involved in the day-to-day?

(34:08) - Is this a business that will require funding to scale quickly or do you want to go the self-funded route?

(35:08) - What is Codeup?

(36:24) - How do you define ‘not getting a job’ in terms of Codeup’s policy to refund the student?

(38:23) - What’s the process of education in Codeup?

(39:23) - How long is the process and how much does it cost?

(40:02) - Is it a full-time job or can students work while they’re in the courses?

(40:36) - Is there always going to be a need for code in a world where no-code is a growing movement?

(41:53) - What is Dura Software?

(43:44) - Is this similar to a Berkshire model?

(44:50) - What’s the difference between vertical and horizontal market software?

(46:15) - Are you designing the third phase of your career where you can keep adding businesses or is there a limit?

(47:02) - What does Culture Index mean to you? How has it impacted your career?

(49:14) - Do you require the companies you buy to adopt Culture Index?

(52:05) - What’s your 2-minute pitch for the city of San Antonio?

(53:45) - How has the growth of Austin impacted San Antonio?

(54:59) - Do you have a morning routine?

(55:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(56:38) - If you owned a billboard and could put anything on it, what would it be?

(59:24) - How can people get in touch with you?

Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Girdley

Learn more about Michael Girdley here www.Girdley.com


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3721 no #94: Milo Ramirez - Building an Empire. 1 Taco at a Time. https://www.TheFortPod.com Today's guest is Milo Ramirez, the Founder & Owner of Salsa Limon, a quick service Taqueria serving some of the best Mexican food in Texas. Milo's Oaxacan roots and upbringing of farm-to-table Hispanic cuisine led him to found Salsa Limon after an unbelievably successful career in media and advertising where his clientele included McDonald's and GM.  In this episode, Milo tells the story of how his unique experience inspired Salsa Limon, his career before becoming a restauranteur, the immense amount of work that goes into creating a successful brand, finding your target customer, and more. Milo and Chris will also touch on how COVID has affected the service industry, the government response, and the downside of food delivery apps. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:30) - Milo’s Story and What Led to Salsa Limon (24:22) - How much time passed between meeting with Andrew Segal to opening the first Salsa Limon? (26:38) - What are the things you did right when planning a restaurant? What were some of your early mistakes? (29:29) - What makes a great restaurant location? (32:27) - How can business owners become really fine-tuned into who their target customer is? (36:20) - The ‘Pizza’ Pie Chart Concept of Food Margins (40:22) - The 4 Step Process for Salsa Employees (43:39) - What makes the best restaurant operators so great? (4-4-9) (50:33) - Is there truth to the idea that beverages are where you make all your money? (51:46) - How do you keep your recipes proprietary? (52:49) - What has it been like owning 7 restaurants during a pandemic? What did you do right? (55:53) - Do you think the government has left the service industry out to dry in all of this? (1:00:21) - Is there any kind of stimulus that’s just for the service industry? (1:01:35) - Do the food delivery apps help or hurt you? (1:03:47) - What’s your favorite restaurant in the US? (1:05:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:05:21) - If you had a billboard on a major highway that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:07:03) - How can people reach you? Visit Salsa Limon: www.salsalimon.com Connect with Milo on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/milo17ramirez  The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:00:00 -0000 #94: Milo Ramirez - Building an Empire. 1 Taco at a Time. full 1 94 Chris Powers Today's guest is Milo Ramirez, the Founder & Owner of Salsa Limon, a quick service Taqueria serving some of the best Mexican food in Texas. Milo's Oaxacan roots and upbringing of farm-to-table Hispanic cuisine led him to found Salsa Limon after an... Today's guest is Milo Ramirez, the Founder & Owner of Salsa Limon, a quick service Taqueria serving some of the best Mexican food in Texas. Milo's Oaxacan roots and upbringing of farm-to-table Hispanic cuisine led him to found Salsa Limon after an unbelievably successful career in media and advertising where his clientele included McDonald's and GM.  In this episode, Milo tells the story of how his unique experience inspired Salsa Limon, his career before becoming a restauranteur, the immense amount of work that goes into creating a successful brand, finding your target customer, and more. Milo and Chris will also touch on how COVID has affected the service industry, the government response, and the downside of food delivery apps. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:30) - Milo’s Story and What Led to Salsa Limon (24:22) - How much time passed between meeting with Andrew Segal to opening the first Salsa Limon? (26:38) - What are the things you did right when planning a restaurant? What were some of your early mistakes? (29:29) - What makes a great restaurant location? (32:27) - How can business owners become really fine-tuned into who their target customer is? (36:20) - The ‘Pizza’ Pie Chart Concept of Food Margins (40:22) - The 4 Step Process for Salsa Employees (43:39) - What makes the best restaurant operators so great? (4-4-9) (50:33) - Is there truth to the idea that beverages are where you make all your money? (51:46) - How do you keep your recipes proprietary? (52:49) - What has it been like owning 7 restaurants during a pandemic? What did you do right? (55:53) - Do you think the government has left the service industry out to dry in all of this? (1:00:21) - Is there any kind of stimulus that’s just for the service industry? (1:01:35) - Do the food delivery apps help or hurt you? (1:03:47) - What’s your favorite restaurant in the US? (1:05:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:05:21) - If you had a billboard on a major highway that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:07:03) - How can people reach you? Visit Salsa Limon: www.salsalimon.com Connect with Milo on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/milo17ramirez  The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Today's guest is Milo Ramirez, the Founder & Owner of Salsa Limon, a quick service Taqueria serving some of the best Mexican food in Texas. Milo's Oaxacan roots and upbringing of farm-to-table Hispanic cuisine led him to found Salsa Limon after an unbelievably successful career in media and advertising where his clientele included McDonald's and GM. 

In this episode, Milo tells the story of how his unique experience inspired Salsa Limon, his career before becoming a restauranteur, the immense amount of work that goes into creating a successful brand, finding your target customer, and more. Milo and Chris will also touch on how COVID has affected the service industry, the government response, and the downside of food delivery apps. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:30) - Milo’s Story and What Led to Salsa Limon

(24:22) - How much time passed between meeting with Andrew Segal to opening the first Salsa Limon?

(26:38) - What are the things you did right when planning a restaurant? What were some of your early mistakes?

(29:29) - What makes a great restaurant location?

(32:27) - How can business owners become really fine-tuned into who their target customer is?

(36:20) - The ‘Pizza’ Pie Chart Concept of Food Margins

(40:22) - The 4 Step Process for Salsa Employees

(43:39) - What makes the best restaurant operators so great? (4-4-9)

(50:33) - Is there truth to the idea that beverages are where you make all your money?

(51:46) - How do you keep your recipes proprietary?

(52:49) - What has it been like owning 7 restaurants during a pandemic? What did you do right?

(55:53) - Do you think the government has left the service industry out to dry in all of this?

(1:00:21) - Is there any kind of stimulus that’s just for the service industry?

(1:01:35) - Do the food delivery apps help or hurt you?

(1:03:47) - What’s your favorite restaurant in the US?

(1:05:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(1:05:21) - If you had a billboard on a major highway that you could put anything on, what would it say?

(1:07:03) - How can people reach you?

Visit Salsa Limon: www.salsalimon.com

Connect with Milo on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/milo17ramirez 

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4167 no RE #93: Chris Powers - How to Get Your First Job In Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers discusses the ins and outs of finding a job in the real estate industry for those graduating college. He discusses the top 3 things people should know when looking for a job, the importance of networking, what to look for in companies when you start to narrow your search, preparing for the interview, big vs. small company experiences, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:56) - Disclaimer to College Students (02:29) - The 3 Things College Graduates Should Know When Looking for a Job (03:59) - #1 Picking the Right Asset Class to Work In (05:24) - #2 Pick a Market You Want to Be In (06:45) - #3 Picking a Line of Work (14:58) - Proptech (18:01) - Networking and Honing in on Places to Work (21:00) - Reaching Out to Folks You May Want to Work With/For (25:32) - Things to Think About When Analyzing Potential Companies You May Work For (28:41) - Find Out How a Company is Using Technology (31:28) - What are some red flags in employers? (33:51) - Getting a Masters Degree vs. Work Experience (36:11) - Things to Be Prepared for in an Interview Situation (37:07) - Things that Catch our Eye for New Hires Coming Out of College (42:26) - Big Company vs. small company: Which do you join? (51:49) - What is an entry-level position that gives you the most optionality as you move through your career? (1:02:36) - Other Things to Think About (1:02:51) - Internships for Current Students, Argus Course, Utilizing Free Online Resources, Getting a Real Estate License (1:04:14) - Sitting in on City Hall Developer Meetings and Zoning Commissions (1:04:43) - Find Physical Places that are Interesting to You (1:08:00) - Wrap Up Did this help you find a job, or maybe you have a question that wasn’t answered? Email Chris at thefortpodcast@gmail.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #93: Chris Powers - How to Get Your First Job In Real Estate full 1 93 Chris Powers Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers discusses the ins and outs of finding a job in the real estate industry for those graduating college. He discusses the top 3 things people should know when looking for a job, the importance of networking, what to look for... Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers discusses the ins and outs of finding a job in the real estate industry for those graduating college. He discusses the top 3 things people should know when looking for a job, the importance of networking, what to look for in companies when you start to narrow your search, preparing for the interview, big vs. small company experiences, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:56) - Disclaimer to College Students (02:29) - The 3 Things College Graduates Should Know When Looking for a Job (03:59) - #1 Picking the Right Asset Class to Work In (05:24) - #2 Pick a Market You Want to Be In (06:45) - #3 Picking a Line of Work (14:58) - Proptech (18:01) - Networking and Honing in on Places to Work (21:00) - Reaching Out to Folks You May Want to Work With/For (25:32) - Things to Think About When Analyzing Potential Companies You May Work For (28:41) - Find Out How a Company is Using Technology (31:28) - What are some red flags in employers? (33:51) - Getting a Masters Degree vs. Work Experience (36:11) - Things to Be Prepared for in an Interview Situation (37:07) - Things that Catch our Eye for New Hires Coming Out of College (42:26) - Big Company vs. small company: Which do you join? (51:49) - What is an entry-level position that gives you the most optionality as you move through your career? (1:02:36) - Other Things to Think About (1:02:51) - Internships for Current Students, Argus Course, Utilizing Free Online Resources, Getting a Real Estate License (1:04:14) - Sitting in on City Hall Developer Meetings and Zoning Commissions (1:04:43) - Find Physical Places that are Interesting to You (1:08:00) - Wrap Up Did this help you find a job, or maybe you have a question that wasn’t answered? Email Chris at thefortpodcast@gmail.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers discusses the ins and outs of finding a job in the real estate industry for those graduating college. He discusses the top 3 things people should know when looking for a job, the importance of networking, what to look for in companies when you start to narrow your search, preparing for the interview, big vs. small company experiences, and much more. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(01:56) - Disclaimer to College Students

(02:29) - The 3 Things College Graduates Should Know When Looking for a Job

(03:59) - #1 Picking the Right Asset Class to Work In

(05:24) - #2 Pick a Market You Want to Be In

(06:45) - #3 Picking a Line of Work

(14:58) - Proptech

(18:01) - Networking and Honing in on Places to Work

(21:00) - Reaching Out to Folks You May Want to Work With/For

(25:32) - Things to Think About When Analyzing Potential Companies You May Work For

(28:41) - Find Out How a Company is Using Technology

(31:28) - What are some red flags in employers?

(33:51) - Getting a Masters Degree vs. Work Experience

(36:11) - Things to Be Prepared for in an Interview Situation

(37:07) - Things that Catch our Eye for New Hires Coming Out of College

(42:26) - Big Company vs. small company: Which do you join?

(51:49) - What is an entry-level position that gives you the most optionality as you move through your career?

(1:02:36) - Other Things to Think About

(1:02:51) - Internships for Current Students, Argus Course, Utilizing Free Online Resources, Getting a Real Estate License

(1:04:14) - Sitting in on City Hall Developer Meetings and Zoning Commissions

(1:04:43) - Find Physical Places that are Interesting to You

(1:08:00) - Wrap Up

Did this help you find a job, or maybe you have a question that wasn’t answered? Email Chris at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4394 no #92 Cody Campbell: Co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III https://www.TheFortPod.com Cody Campbell is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management and co-founder of Double Eagle Development. Campbell began his business career as a student at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts. On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss the early days of building Double Eagle, the state of oil & gas and its opportunities and challenges ahead, what things might look like under a Biden administration, how they were able to partner with Apollo, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:15) - Cody’s Background and Business Career to Date (11:12) - What’s an option of a lease? (13:45) - How long would you anticipate you’d have to sit on a lease before it sells? (15:57) - When did you formalize that Double Eagle would be your full-time job? (18:39) - When did you partner with Apollo? How did that relationship start? (23:31) - What was it like working with Aubrey McClendon? (25:45) - Was Double Eagle #2 similar to Double Eagle #1? (28:00) - How long did Double Eagle #2 take from start to finish? (28:50) - When were you able to get away from the scrutiny of being able to purchase deals? (29:43) - Why did you choose the Midland over the Delaware? Are there major differences between them? (31:09) - How many transactions does it take to put together 70,000 acres in the Midland? (31:55) - When you’re buying thousands of leases, how often are you committing to a lease that you know still needs some work? (33:47) - What’s the minimum amount of acreage needed to be able to drill? (35:01) - You’ve sold Double Eagle #2, so what does Double Eagle #3 look like? (37:32) - With today’s technology, how many drilling sites could you have? How much oil can you get from these 96,000 acres? (39:06) - Do you hedge your oil? Are you able to decide that or does Apollo choose? (39:42) - Do you put the hedge in before you drill a well or during? (40:29) - How big is your team now? (40:48) - How do you see where we are today vs. previous downturns? What's different this time? (41:47) - What gives people a reason to think that the industry wouldn’t exist in the future? (43:35) - What does ESG mean? (50:40) - Is there any light at the end of the tunnel to get us past this? (52:50) - Is it a good thing for oil prices to go back up? (55:25) - Do you have any comments on our relationship with other oil-producing countries? (56:03) - What happens if we don’t keep drilling? (57:36) - Have we found all the energy in the world? (58:06) - Is there any technology on the horizon to get more out of the ground? (58:51) - What are your thoughts on the new presidential administration's impact on the industry? (1:00:21) - How long is a drilling permit good for? (1:01:22) - Why is the Permian Basin the most prolific in the country? (1:02:02) - How are things valued deal to deal? (1:02:46) - What was it like to host POTUS at one of your wells? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 07 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 #92 Cody Campbell: Co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III full 1 92 Chris Powers Cody Campbell is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management and co-founder of Double Eagle Development. Campbell began his business career as a student at Texas Tech... Cody Campbell is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management and co-founder of Double Eagle Development. Campbell began his business career as a student at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts. On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss the early days of building Double Eagle, the state of oil & gas and its opportunities and challenges ahead, what things might look like under a Biden administration, how they were able to partner with Apollo, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:15) - Cody’s Background and Business Career to Date (11:12) - What’s an option of a lease? (13:45) - How long would you anticipate you’d have to sit on a lease before it sells? (15:57) - When did you formalize that Double Eagle would be your full-time job? (18:39) - When did you partner with Apollo? How did that relationship start? (23:31) - What was it like working with Aubrey McClendon? (25:45) - Was Double Eagle #2 similar to Double Eagle #1? (28:00) - How long did Double Eagle #2 take from start to finish? (28:50) - When were you able to get away from the scrutiny of being able to purchase deals? (29:43) - Why did you choose the Midland over the Delaware? Are there major differences between them? (31:09) - How many transactions does it take to put together 70,000 acres in the Midland? (31:55) - When you’re buying thousands of leases, how often are you committing to a lease that you know still needs some work? (33:47) - What’s the minimum amount of acreage needed to be able to drill? (35:01) - You’ve sold Double Eagle #2, so what does Double Eagle #3 look like? (37:32) - With today’s technology, how many drilling sites could you have? How much oil can you get from these 96,000 acres? (39:06) - Do you hedge your oil? Are you able to decide that or does Apollo choose? (39:42) - Do you put the hedge in before you drill a well or during? (40:29) - How big is your team now? (40:48) - How do you see where we are today vs. previous downturns? What's different this time? (41:47) - What gives people a reason to think that the industry wouldn’t exist in the future? (43:35) - What does ESG mean? (50:40) - Is there any light at the end of the tunnel to get us past this? (52:50) - Is it a good thing for oil prices to go back up? (55:25) - Do you have any comments on our relationship with other oil-producing countries? (56:03) - What happens if we don’t keep drilling? (57:36) - Have we found all the energy in the world? (58:06) - Is there any technology on the horizon to get more out of the ground? (58:51) - What are your thoughts on the new presidential administration's impact on the industry? (1:00:21) - How long is a drilling permit good for? (1:01:22) - Why is the Permian Basin the most prolific in the country? (1:02:02) - How are things valued deal to deal? (1:02:46) - What was it like to host POTUS at one of your wells? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Cody Campbell is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management and co-founder of Double Eagle Development.

Campbell began his business career as a student at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts.

On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss the early days of building Double Eagle, the state of oil & gas and its opportunities and challenges ahead, what things might look like under a Biden administration, how they were able to partner with Apollo, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:15) - Cody’s Background and Business Career to Date

(11:12) - What’s an option of a lease?

(13:45) - How long would you anticipate you’d have to sit on a lease before it sells?

(15:57) - When did you formalize that Double Eagle would be your full-time job?

(18:39) - When did you partner with Apollo? How did that relationship start?

(23:31) - What was it like working with Aubrey McClendon?

(25:45) - Was Double Eagle #2 similar to Double Eagle #1?

(28:00) - How long did Double Eagle #2 take from start to finish?

(28:50) - When were you able to get away from the scrutiny of being able to purchase deals?

(29:43) - Why did you choose the Midland over the Delaware? Are there major differences between them?

(31:09) - How many transactions does it take to put together 70,000 acres in the Midland?

(31:55) - When you’re buying thousands of leases, how often are you committing to a lease that you know still needs some work?

(33:47) - What’s the minimum amount of acreage needed to be able to drill?

(35:01) - You’ve sold Double Eagle #2, so what does Double Eagle #3 look like?

(37:32) - With today’s technology, how many drilling sites could you have? How much oil can you get from these 96,000 acres?

(39:06) - Do you hedge your oil? Are you able to decide that or does Apollo choose?

(39:42) - Do you put the hedge in before you drill a well or during?

(40:29) - How big is your team now?

(40:48) - How do you see where we are today vs. previous downturns? What's different this time?

(41:47) - What gives people a reason to think that the industry wouldn’t exist in the future?

(43:35) - What does ESG mean?

(50:40) - Is there any light at the end of the tunnel to get us past this?

(52:50) - Is it a good thing for oil prices to go back up?

(55:25) - Do you have any comments on our relationship with other oil-producing countries?

(56:03) - What happens if we don’t keep drilling?

(57:36) - Have we found all the energy in the world?

(58:06) - Is there any technology on the horizon to get more out of the ground?

(58:51) - What are your thoughts on the new presidential administration's impact on the industry?

(1:00:21) - How long is a drilling permit good for?

(1:01:22) - Why is the Permian Basin the most prolific in the country?

(1:02:02) - How are things valued deal to deal?

(1:02:46) - What was it like to host POTUS at one of your wells?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4109 no RE #91: Spencer Levy - Chairman of Americas Research & Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE https://www.TheFortPod.com Spencer Levy is Chairman of Americas Research and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE. He plays an integral role in the development and implementation of the global research strategy and business plan. On this episode, Spencer and Chris discuss what COVID has done across multiple asset classes and markets and why he's bullish on cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They also talk office and retail, Spencer's 2021 predictions, interest rate environments, technologies that are coming in the near future that will massively impact real estate, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:28) - Spencer’s Background and Business Career (03:44) - How does research funnel up at CBRE? (05:33) - Were you seeing COVID and its implications before the rest of the USA? Did something, in particular, stand out to you? (07:21) - As it stands today, what pops out at you in your research that we should be thinking about in the US in terms of opportunities and challenges? (09:22) - COVID Vaccines and Their Effect on Short Term Thinking (10:23) - Is there an indicator that people are heading back to the office? (13:32) - What stands out to you in retail? (16:01) - Is there any hope for the regional mall? (17:52) - Are you expecting to see a distressed market or will we skip it entirely? (20:22) - What does your research tell you about the supposed exodus of major cities like LA, NYC, and SF? (22:14) - Does any of this exodus have to do with the extremism of governmental response to COVID? (24:52) - What are some overlooked markets across the US that will be robust cities in the near future? (27:39) - Is there a technology we will see over the next decade that will be transformational? (29:27) - What are the impacts of self-driving cars when it comes to real estate values? (31:04) - How do they affect parking garages in downtown areas? (32:45) - What are some of the major impacts the new white house administration will have on CRE? (34:48) - Are we going to be in a low rate environment for quite a while? (36:42) - What are some data points to look at when scoping the viability of a new market? (40:00) - Do you have any comments on data centers and their demand? (42:48) - What does responsive real estate mean? (44:30) - What are your predictions for 2021? (45:33) - Do you have a morning routine? (46:38) - What is the best advice you’ve ever received? (47:48) - Is there a book that has had a significant impact on you? (49:08) - Places to Learn More About CBRE CBRE Website The Weekly Take Podcast Interested in investing with Fort Capital? Contact us here. The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 03 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #91: Spencer Levy - Chairman of Americas Research & Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE full 1 91 Chris Powers Spencer Levy is Chairman of Americas Research and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE. He plays an integral role in the development and implementation of the global research strategy and business plan. On this episode, Spencer and Chris discuss what... Spencer Levy is Chairman of Americas Research and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE. He plays an integral role in the development and implementation of the global research strategy and business plan. On this episode, Spencer and Chris discuss what COVID has done across multiple asset classes and markets and why he's bullish on cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They also talk office and retail, Spencer's 2021 predictions, interest rate environments, technologies that are coming in the near future that will massively impact real estate, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:28) - Spencer’s Background and Business Career (03:44) - How does research funnel up at CBRE? (05:33) - Were you seeing COVID and its implications before the rest of the USA? Did something, in particular, stand out to you? (07:21) - As it stands today, what pops out at you in your research that we should be thinking about in the US in terms of opportunities and challenges? (09:22) - COVID Vaccines and Their Effect on Short Term Thinking (10:23) - Is there an indicator that people are heading back to the office? (13:32) - What stands out to you in retail? (16:01) - Is there any hope for the regional mall? (17:52) - Are you expecting to see a distressed market or will we skip it entirely? (20:22) - What does your research tell you about the supposed exodus of major cities like LA, NYC, and SF? (22:14) - Does any of this exodus have to do with the extremism of governmental response to COVID? (24:52) - What are some overlooked markets across the US that will be robust cities in the near future? (27:39) - Is there a technology we will see over the next decade that will be transformational? (29:27) - What are the impacts of self-driving cars when it comes to real estate values? (31:04) - How do they affect parking garages in downtown areas? (32:45) - What are some of the major impacts the new white house administration will have on CRE? (34:48) - Are we going to be in a low rate environment for quite a while? (36:42) - What are some data points to look at when scoping the viability of a new market? (40:00) - Do you have any comments on data centers and their demand? (42:48) - What does responsive real estate mean? (44:30) - What are your predictions for 2021? (45:33) - Do you have a morning routine? (46:38) - What is the best advice you’ve ever received? (47:48) - Is there a book that has had a significant impact on you? (49:08) - Places to Learn More About CBRE CBRE Website The Weekly Take Podcast Interested in investing with Fort Capital? Contact us here. The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Spencer Levy is Chairman of Americas Research and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE. He plays an integral role in the development and implementation of the global research strategy and business plan.

On this episode, Spencer and Chris discuss what COVID has done across multiple asset classes and markets and why he's bullish on cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They also talk office and retail, Spencer's 2021 predictions, interest rate environments, technologies that are coming in the near future that will massively impact real estate, and more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(02:28) - Spencer’s Background and Business Career

(03:44) - How does research funnel up at CBRE?

(05:33) - Were you seeing COVID and its implications before the rest of the USA? Did something, in particular, stand out to you?

(07:21) - As it stands today, what pops out at you in your research that we should be thinking about in the US in terms of opportunities and challenges?

(09:22) - COVID Vaccines and Their Effect on Short Term Thinking

(10:23) - Is there an indicator that people are heading back to the office?

(13:32) - What stands out to you in retail?

(16:01) - Is there any hope for the regional mall?

(17:52) - Are you expecting to see a distressed market or will we skip it entirely?

(20:22) - What does your research tell you about the supposed exodus of major cities like LA, NYC, and SF?

(22:14) - Does any of this exodus have to do with the extremism of governmental response to COVID?

(24:52) - What are some overlooked markets across the US that will be robust cities in the near future?

(27:39) - Is there a technology we will see over the next decade that will be transformational?

(29:27) - What are the impacts of self-driving cars when it comes to real estate values?

(31:04) - How do they affect parking garages in downtown areas?

(32:45) - What are some of the major impacts the new white house administration will have on CRE?

(34:48) - Are we going to be in a low rate environment for quite a while?

(36:42) - What are some data points to look at when scoping the viability of a new market?

(40:00) - Do you have any comments on data centers and their demand?

(42:48) - What does responsive real estate mean?

(44:30) - What are your predictions for 2021?

(45:33) - Do you have a morning routine?

(46:38) - What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

(47:48) - Is there a book that has had a significant impact on you?

(49:08) - Places to Learn More About CBRE

CBRE Website

The Weekly Take Podcast

Interested in investing with Fort Capital? Contact us here.

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3095 no RE #90: Evan Kasper - Founder of ELK Development - Co-Living Pioneer https://www.TheFortPod.com Evan Kasper, Founder/CEO of ELK Development, is an established leader in the furnished rental sector. Before starting ELK Development, Evan was the co-founder of the Medici Group, the largest co-living company globally with thousands of units under management. In 2016, he launched Medici Group’s US division and grew it to a $100MM operating business.  On this episode, Chris and Evan dive into the world of co-living real estate. Evan describes the three pillars of co-living: affordability, flexibility, and convenience. Evan also touches on how co-living has been affected by the pandemic, and then Evan breaks down the pros and cons of the three structural practices in this space: master leasing, management partnerships & owner-operators. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:18) - Evan’s Background (03:47) - Evan’s First Experience in Co-Living Spaces Quarters.com (06:33) - How did you cut a billion dollars of the GSA from the government? Was it easy? (08:19) - How long were you at Medici and when did you leave to start ELK? (09:48) - At Medici, would you master lease a developed building, or would you go into apartments and convert them into co-living spaces? (10:41) - How many buildings were empty and simply ready to be occupied? (12:00) - In general, how do you define co-living? How does that relate to what you’re doing at ELK? (15:04) - Three Pillars of Co-Living: Affordability, Flexibility, Convenience (17:03) - How big is a micro-unit or co-living unit? (18:14) - What are the advantages of owning this kind of real estate as an operator? How would each party make money if they’re separate (owners and operators)? (20:38) - As the operator/owner, are you signing a master lease to yourself to provide this flexibility or is it done lease by lease?  (20:57) - Are you designing these units to be able to furnish them with the demand in each lease? (21:56) - The Difference Between Micro-Units and Co-Living Spaces (22:56) - What's the percentage of people requesting furnished vs not furnished? Has that changed at all through COVID? (24:08) - Are you renting the furniture provided in units or purchasing it? (24:18) - What amenities do you see in co-living that you don’t see in a traditional multifamily community? (27:08) - Is the sharing economy still an amenity in 2020? (29:01) - How are these assets financed? How did the lenders look at it? (32:07) - Why would you be getting less in rent if you’re converting these into bigger units? (54:50) - How do you think about the potential for discrimination lawsuits or fair housing issues as it relates to curating a unit mix? (56:42) - Is there any personality profiling to help see who would be good fits together? (Similar to dorm room housing in college) (57:42) - What are your thoughts on the DC co-living project that doesn’t have locks on bedroom doors to create more trust? (58:37) - What questions should an owner or developer be asking when deciding between a master lease or management agreement? How do you detect their financial strength? (1:00:35) - Are there best practices for converting existing units into co-living? (1:02:15) - Are there any zoning challenges that come up within these conversions? (1:03:32) - Why did you choose the LA market? The Weekly Take Podcast with Spencer levy (1:07:39) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:08:24) - Is there a book you would recommend? Principals: Ray Dalio (1:08:54) - If you owned a billboard, what would you put on it? (1:09:56) - How to Contact Evan Evan on LinkedIn Website Email: Info@ElkDevelopment.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 30 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #90: Evan Kasper - Founder of ELK Development - Co-Living Pioneer full 1 90 Chris Powers Evan Kasper, Founder/CEO of ELK Development, is an established leader in the furnished rental sector. Before starting ELK Development, Evan was the co-founder of the Medici Group, the largest co-living company globally with thousands of units under... Evan Kasper, Founder/CEO of ELK Development, is an established leader in the furnished rental sector. Before starting ELK Development, Evan was the co-founder of the Medici Group, the largest co-living company globally with thousands of units under management. In 2016, he launched Medici Group’s US division and grew it to a $100MM operating business.  On this episode, Chris and Evan dive into the world of co-living real estate. Evan describes the three pillars of co-living: affordability, flexibility, and convenience. Evan also touches on how co-living has been affected by the pandemic, and then Evan breaks down the pros and cons of the three structural practices in this space: master leasing, management partnerships & owner-operators. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:18) - Evan’s Background (03:47) - Evan’s First Experience in Co-Living Spaces Quarters.com (06:33) - How did you cut a billion dollars of the GSA from the government? Was it easy? (08:19) - How long were you at Medici and when did you leave to start ELK? (09:48) - At Medici, would you master lease a developed building, or would you go into apartments and convert them into co-living spaces? (10:41) - How many buildings were empty and simply ready to be occupied? (12:00) - In general, how do you define co-living? How does that relate to what you’re doing at ELK? (15:04) - Three Pillars of Co-Living: Affordability, Flexibility, Convenience (17:03) - How big is a micro-unit or co-living unit? (18:14) - What are the advantages of owning this kind of real estate as an operator? How would each party make money if they’re separate (owners and operators)? (20:38) - As the operator/owner, are you signing a master lease to yourself to provide this flexibility or is it done lease by lease?  (20:57) - Are you designing these units to be able to furnish them with the demand in each lease? (21:56) - The Difference Between Micro-Units and Co-Living Spaces (22:56) - What's the percentage of people requesting furnished vs not furnished? Has that changed at all through COVID? (24:08) - Are you renting the furniture provided in units or purchasing it? (24:18) - What amenities do you see in co-living that you don’t see in a traditional multifamily community? (27:08) - Is the sharing economy still an amenity in 2020? (29:01) - How are these assets financed? How did the lenders look at it? (32:07) - Why would you be getting less in rent if you’re converting these into bigger units? (54:50) - How do you think about the potential for discrimination lawsuits or fair housing issues as it relates to curating a unit mix? (56:42) - Is there any personality profiling to help see who would be good fits together? (Similar to dorm room housing in college) (57:42) - What are your thoughts on the DC co-living project that doesn’t have locks on bedroom doors to create more trust? (58:37) - What questions should an owner or developer be asking when deciding between a master lease or management agreement? How do you detect their financial strength? (1:00:35) - Are there best practices for converting existing units into co-living? (1:02:15) - Are there any zoning challenges that come up within these conversions? (1:03:32) - Why did you choose the LA market? The Weekly Take Podcast with Spencer levy (1:07:39) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (1:08:24) - Is there a book you would recommend? Principals: Ray Dalio (1:08:54) - If you owned a billboard, what would you put on it? (1:09:56) - How to Contact Evan Evan on LinkedIn Website Email: Info@ElkDevelopment.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Evan Kasper, Founder/CEO of ELK Development, is an established leader in the furnished rental sector. Before starting ELK Development, Evan was the co-founder of the Medici Group, the largest co-living company globally with thousands of units under management. In 2016, he launched Medici Group’s US division and grew it to a $100MM operating business. 

On this episode, Chris and Evan dive into the world of co-living real estate. Evan describes the three pillars of co-living: affordability, flexibility, and convenience. Evan also touches on how co-living has been affected by the pandemic, and then Evan breaks down the pros and cons of the three structural practices in this space: master leasing, management partnerships & owner-operators. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(01:18) - Evan’s Background

(03:47) - Evan’s First Experience in Co-Living Spaces

Quarters.com

(06:33) - How did you cut a billion dollars of the GSA from the government? Was it easy?

(08:19) - How long were you at Medici and when did you leave to start ELK?

(09:48) - At Medici, would you master lease a developed building, or would you go into apartments and convert them into co-living spaces?

(10:41) - How many buildings were empty and simply ready to be occupied?

(12:00) - In general, how do you define co-living? How does that relate to what you’re doing at ELK?

(15:04) - Three Pillars of Co-Living: Affordability, Flexibility, Convenience

(17:03) - How big is a micro-unit or co-living unit?

(18:14) - What are the advantages of owning this kind of real estate as an operator? How would each party make money if they’re separate (owners and operators)?

(20:38) - As the operator/owner, are you signing a master lease to yourself to provide this flexibility or is it done lease by lease? 

(20:57) - Are you designing these units to be able to furnish them with the demand in each lease?

(21:56) - The Difference Between Micro-Units and Co-Living Spaces

(22:56) - What's the percentage of people requesting furnished vs not furnished? Has that changed at all through COVID?

(24:08) - Are you renting the furniture provided in units or purchasing it?

(24:18) - What amenities do you see in co-living that you don’t see in a traditional multifamily community?

(27:08) - Is the sharing economy still an amenity in 2020?

(29:01) - How are these assets financed? How did the lenders look at it?

(32:07) - Why would you be getting less in rent if you’re converting these into bigger units?

(54:50) - How do you think about the potential for discrimination lawsuits or fair housing issues as it relates to curating a unit mix?

(56:42) - Is there any personality profiling to help see who would be good fits together? (Similar to dorm room housing in college)

(57:42) - What are your thoughts on the DC co-living project that doesn’t have locks on bedroom doors to create more trust?

(58:37) - What questions should an owner or developer be asking when deciding between a master lease or management agreement? How do you detect their financial strength?

(1:00:35) - Are there best practices for converting existing units into co-living?

(1:02:15) - Are there any zoning challenges that come up within these conversions?

(1:03:32) - Why did you choose the LA market?

The Weekly Take Podcast with Spencer levy

(1:07:39) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(1:08:24) - Is there a book you would recommend?

Principals: Ray Dalio

(1:08:54) - If you owned a billboard, what would you put on it?

(1:09:56) - How to Contact Evan

Evan on LinkedIn

Website

Email: Info@ElkDevelopment.com


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4349 no #89: Trent and Tyler Leon - Co-Founders of Tilden Capital - 'Mineral Business 101' https://www.TheFortPod.com On today's episode of The FORT, Chris is joined by Trent and Tyler Leon, Co-Founders of Tilden Capital, which was formed to acquire mineral & royalty assets across the United States. Since its inception, they have acquired 160,000 net royalty acres. Tyler and Trent are also former professional golfers and have been as close as brothers with Chris for nearly a decade. Today they'll discuss their journey into the mineral business, evaluating the worth of minerals, vertical and horizontal drilling, leasing vs. buying minerals, the oil and gas industry in light of the election and COVID, and much more! Enjoy.    Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (02:45) - Tyler and Trent’s Story (06:13) - Were oil and gas always part of your life? (07:06) - Was there a moment that The Eagleford came up on your radar as something that would be important? (09:19) - Did you start in the Permian Basin? (10:14) - What triggered you to be in the Delaware Basin? (12:32) - Why was no one else seeing what you were seeing? (13:41) - How do you evaluate what a mineral is worth? (14:32) - How do you find out if and when something will be drilled? (15:56) - Why doesn't it matter to the mineral owner how much it costs to drill? (16:49) - Why can you drill so much more in some areas than others? (17:48) - Do you shoot for things that produce more oil or more gas? (19:56) - What’s the differences between the Permian and Delaware basin? Why do people prefer one over the other? (21:00) - What are the main reasons people will sell their minerals? (24:20) - Do you think Vertical Drilling will make a comeback? (25:20) - Leasing vs. Buying Minerals (27:00) - Three Ways to Make Money in Minerals (28:17) - What happens legally when a person passes away without a plan to transfer ownership of minerals? (29:09) - What’s the difference in buying between Texas and New Mexico? (31:00) - What does the change in The White House mean for the industry? (33:51) - Is there a rush of operators getting a permit to beat the inauguration? (34:13) - How did your partnership with EnCap impact your career? (35:48) - What have you learned since working with one of the best oil and gas PE firms in the world? (37:16) - How has your strategy evolved since 2015? (38:06) - What amount of oil are you getting when you drill? (39:18) - If you’re going to sell, is it better before the first well is drilled or after a year when 80% of the oil is taken out? (41:16) - If you get someone to sell, how do you get the deal to closing? (43:54) - How do you confirm you get every drop of oil that you deserve? (46:58) - What do you think the industry for mineral owners will be going forward beyond ‘buy it, flip it’? (48:33) - Is it fair to say Royalty Trusts have not out-performed in the public markets? (49:43) - What gets capital flowing back into the industry again? (52:09) - Is Wall Street out of touch with how this industry impacts the world? (52:40) - Does it bode well for oil prices that there's a hampering of drilling? (53:29) - What was the peak rig count vs. today? (54:26) - What’s one of the biggest misnomers about the industry? (57:11) - What does ESG mean and why is it a big thing to talk about? (59:01) - Is there a new revolution coming to get more oil out of the ground? (1:00:51) - How has golf impacted your career? (1:03:08) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 26 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 #89: Trent and Tyler Leon - Co-Founders of Tilden Capital - 'Mineral Business 101' full 1 89 Chris Powers On today's episode of The FORT, Chris is joined by Trent and Tyler Leon, Co-Founders of Tilden Capital, which was formed to acquire mineral & royalty assets across the United States. Since its inception, they have acquired 160,000 net royalty... On today's episode of The FORT, Chris is joined by Trent and Tyler Leon, Co-Founders of Tilden Capital, which was formed to acquire mineral & royalty assets across the United States. Since its inception, they have acquired 160,000 net royalty acres. Tyler and Trent are also former professional golfers and have been as close as brothers with Chris for nearly a decade. Today they'll discuss their journey into the mineral business, evaluating the worth of minerals, vertical and horizontal drilling, leasing vs. buying minerals, the oil and gas industry in light of the election and COVID, and much more! Enjoy.    Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (02:45) - Tyler and Trent’s Story (06:13) - Were oil and gas always part of your life? (07:06) - Was there a moment that The Eagleford came up on your radar as something that would be important? (09:19) - Did you start in the Permian Basin? (10:14) - What triggered you to be in the Delaware Basin? (12:32) - Why was no one else seeing what you were seeing? (13:41) - How do you evaluate what a mineral is worth? (14:32) - How do you find out if and when something will be drilled? (15:56) - Why doesn't it matter to the mineral owner how much it costs to drill? (16:49) - Why can you drill so much more in some areas than others? (17:48) - Do you shoot for things that produce more oil or more gas? (19:56) - What’s the differences between the Permian and Delaware basin? Why do people prefer one over the other? (21:00) - What are the main reasons people will sell their minerals? (24:20) - Do you think Vertical Drilling will make a comeback? (25:20) - Leasing vs. Buying Minerals (27:00) - Three Ways to Make Money in Minerals (28:17) - What happens legally when a person passes away without a plan to transfer ownership of minerals? (29:09) - What’s the difference in buying between Texas and New Mexico? (31:00) - What does the change in The White House mean for the industry? (33:51) - Is there a rush of operators getting a permit to beat the inauguration? (34:13) - How did your partnership with EnCap impact your career? (35:48) - What have you learned since working with one of the best oil and gas PE firms in the world? (37:16) - How has your strategy evolved since 2015? (38:06) - What amount of oil are you getting when you drill? (39:18) - If you’re going to sell, is it better before the first well is drilled or after a year when 80% of the oil is taken out? (41:16) - If you get someone to sell, how do you get the deal to closing? (43:54) - How do you confirm you get every drop of oil that you deserve? (46:58) - What do you think the industry for mineral owners will be going forward beyond ‘buy it, flip it’? (48:33) - Is it fair to say Royalty Trusts have not out-performed in the public markets? (49:43) - What gets capital flowing back into the industry again? (52:09) - Is Wall Street out of touch with how this industry impacts the world? (52:40) - Does it bode well for oil prices that there's a hampering of drilling? (53:29) - What was the peak rig count vs. today? (54:26) - What’s one of the biggest misnomers about the industry? (57:11) - What does ESG mean and why is it a big thing to talk about? (59:01) - Is there a new revolution coming to get more oil out of the ground? (1:00:51) - How has golf impacted your career? (1:03:08) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On today's episode of The FORT, Chris is joined by Trent and Tyler Leon, Co-Founders of Tilden Capital, which was formed to acquire mineral & royalty assets across the United States. Since its inception, they have acquired 160,000 net royalty acres. Tyler and Trent are also former professional golfers and have been as close as brothers with Chris for nearly a decade. Today they'll discuss their journey into the mineral business, evaluating the worth of minerals, vertical and horizontal drilling, leasing vs. buying minerals, the oil and gas industry in light of the election and COVID, and much more! Enjoy. 

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

(02:45) - Tyler and Trent’s Story

(06:13) - Were oil and gas always part of your life?

(07:06) - Was there a moment that The Eagleford came up on your radar as something that would be important?

(09:19) - Did you start in the Permian Basin?

(10:14) - What triggered you to be in the Delaware Basin?

(12:32) - Why was no one else seeing what you were seeing?

(13:41) - How do you evaluate what a mineral is worth?

(14:32) - How do you find out if and when something will be drilled?

(15:56) - Why doesn't it matter to the mineral owner how much it costs to drill?

(16:49) - Why can you drill so much more in some areas than others?

(17:48) - Do you shoot for things that produce more oil or more gas?

(19:56) - What’s the differences between the Permian and Delaware basin? Why do people prefer one over the other?

(21:00) - What are the main reasons people will sell their minerals?

(24:20) - Do you think Vertical Drilling will make a comeback?

(25:20) - Leasing vs. Buying Minerals

(27:00) - Three Ways to Make Money in Minerals

(28:17) - What happens legally when a person passes away without a plan to transfer ownership of minerals?

(29:09) - What’s the difference in buying between Texas and New Mexico?

(31:00) - What does the change in The White House mean for the industry?

(33:51) - Is there a rush of operators getting a permit to beat the inauguration?

(34:13) - How did your partnership with EnCap impact your career?

(35:48) - What have you learned since working with one of the best oil and gas PE firms in the world?

(37:16) - How has your strategy evolved since 2015?

(38:06) - What amount of oil are you getting when you drill?

(39:18) - If you’re going to sell, is it better before the first well is drilled or after a year when 80% of the oil is taken out?

(41:16) - If you get someone to sell, how do you get the deal to closing?

(43:54) - How do you confirm you get every drop of oil that you deserve?

(46:58) - What do you think the industry for mineral owners will be going forward beyond ‘buy it, flip it’?

(48:33) - Is it fair to say Royalty Trusts have not out-performed in the public markets?

(49:43) - What gets capital flowing back into the industry again?

(52:09) - Is Wall Street out of touch with how this industry impacts the world?

(52:40) - Does it bode well for oil prices that there's a hampering of drilling?

(53:29) - What was the peak rig count vs. today?

(54:26) - What’s one of the biggest misnomers about the industry?

(57:11) - What does ESG mean and why is it a big thing to talk about?

(59:01) - Is there a new revolution coming to get more oil out of the ground?

(1:00:51) - How has golf impacted your career?

(1:03:08) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3937 no RE #88: Chris Jackson - President of Stream Realty https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Jackson serves as President for Stream Realty. He oversees the company’s business units and is responsible for the growth and expansion of Stream’s businesses nationally. With twelve regional operating platforms nationwide, over 200,000,000 square feet of commercial buildings under leasing and/or management, and $2.9 billion in transaction volume annually, Stream is one of the fastest-growing commercial real estate firms in the country. On this episode, Chris and Chris discuss the Industrial Real Estate Market, the growth of Stream since Chris J. joined, Stream's process of expanding into new markets, market intelligence, and the explosive growth of data centers. Enjoy. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   (01:24) - Chris’ Story and Career (02:31) - What was it about Trammell Crow that created inspiration for the next generation of businesses? (03:39) - What's the difference between the industrial market in the 90’s vs. today?  (05:22) - Are you seeing these big bombers being built in the center city or a smaller product being developed? (6:23) - Is it safe to say the industrial market is better in a post-COVID world vs. in Jan and Feb? (07:37) - Where did you go after leaving Trammell Crow? (09:15) - Why do you think Robert Lynn always comes up in conversation as a fantastic Junior Program? (10:08) - What was your first day like at Stream? (11:36) - What has Stream grown to offer since you joined? (12:13) - What markets are you in today and what’s your job like now as President? (13:39) - Where is the hub located? (14:02) - How often do you open in a new market? (14:53) - How do you know it's time to get into a new market? (16:04) - Does each city have its own ownership or do they report back to Dallas? (17:20) - Do you hire from within to expand to keep culture aligned? (19:36) - What does Market Intelligence mean? (21:56) - How would you tell a recent grad to learn a market? (24:19) - What type of technology are you using to get the tons of information you have access to out to people that need it? (26:09) - Were you early to the game in developing Data Centers? How did you get into it? (27:36) - How big of a business is it now? (27:55) - Is it fair to say the anticipated demand for data centers is endless right now? (28:36) -  What makes a great ownership group? What do they all have in common? (29:41) - What do you think about the nationwide real estate industry? How do you manage all of the data you have? (31:47) - The Industrial Business for Stream (33:08) - What will happen to office from your perspective? (35:50) - Are you seeing leasing activity pick up at all or are is it all still on pause for the moment? (37:33) - Comments on Retail (40:19) - Is there any market in the US that people aren't aware could potentially boom? (41:32) - When you’re developing industrial across the country, is it easiest to accomplish in Texas? (42:27) - Development Fees for Markets with Long Lead Times (43:51) - Are you seeing any multi-level projects go up? (44:27) - Cold-Storage Development (46:45) - How big is your marketing team? When did it become apparent how important marketing was for Stream? (48:54) - How do you think about the consolidation of the industry? (51:30) - What did your world look like when COVID hit? (55:57) - Do you have a morning routine? (56:50) - What is the best advice you’ve ever received? (57:50) - If you owned a billboard, what would you put on it? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #88: Chris Jackson - President of Stream Realty full 1 88 Chris Powers Chris Jackson serves as President for Stream Realty. He oversees the company’s business units and is responsible for the growth and expansion of Stream’s businesses nationally. With twelve regional operating platforms nationwide, over 200,000,000... Chris Jackson serves as President for Stream Realty. He oversees the company’s business units and is responsible for the growth and expansion of Stream’s businesses nationally. With twelve regional operating platforms nationwide, over 200,000,000 square feet of commercial buildings under leasing and/or management, and $2.9 billion in transaction volume annually, Stream is one of the fastest-growing commercial real estate firms in the country. On this episode, Chris and Chris discuss the Industrial Real Estate Market, the growth of Stream since Chris J. joined, Stream's process of expanding into new markets, market intelligence, and the explosive growth of data centers. Enjoy. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   (01:24) - Chris’ Story and Career (02:31) - What was it about Trammell Crow that created inspiration for the next generation of businesses? (03:39) - What's the difference between the industrial market in the 90’s vs. today?  (05:22) - Are you seeing these big bombers being built in the center city or a smaller product being developed? (6:23) - Is it safe to say the industrial market is better in a post-COVID world vs. in Jan and Feb? (07:37) - Where did you go after leaving Trammell Crow? (09:15) - Why do you think Robert Lynn always comes up in conversation as a fantastic Junior Program? (10:08) - What was your first day like at Stream? (11:36) - What has Stream grown to offer since you joined? (12:13) - What markets are you in today and what’s your job like now as President? (13:39) - Where is the hub located? (14:02) - How often do you open in a new market? (14:53) - How do you know it's time to get into a new market? (16:04) - Does each city have its own ownership or do they report back to Dallas? (17:20) - Do you hire from within to expand to keep culture aligned? (19:36) - What does Market Intelligence mean? (21:56) - How would you tell a recent grad to learn a market? (24:19) - What type of technology are you using to get the tons of information you have access to out to people that need it? (26:09) - Were you early to the game in developing Data Centers? How did you get into it? (27:36) - How big of a business is it now? (27:55) - Is it fair to say the anticipated demand for data centers is endless right now? (28:36) -  What makes a great ownership group? What do they all have in common? (29:41) - What do you think about the nationwide real estate industry? How do you manage all of the data you have? (31:47) - The Industrial Business for Stream (33:08) - What will happen to office from your perspective? (35:50) - Are you seeing leasing activity pick up at all or are is it all still on pause for the moment? (37:33) - Comments on Retail (40:19) - Is there any market in the US that people aren't aware could potentially boom? (41:32) - When you’re developing industrial across the country, is it easiest to accomplish in Texas? (42:27) - Development Fees for Markets with Long Lead Times (43:51) - Are you seeing any multi-level projects go up? (44:27) - Cold-Storage Development (46:45) - How big is your marketing team? When did it become apparent how important marketing was for Stream? (48:54) - How do you think about the consolidation of the industry? (51:30) - What did your world look like when COVID hit? (55:57) - Do you have a morning routine? (56:50) - What is the best advice you’ve ever received? (57:50) - If you owned a billboard, what would you put on it? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris Jackson serves as President for Stream Realty. He oversees the company’s business units and is responsible for the growth and expansion of Stream’s businesses nationally. With twelve regional operating platforms nationwide, over 200,000,000 square feet of commercial buildings under leasing and/or management, and $2.9 billion in transaction volume annually, Stream is one of the fastest-growing commercial real estate firms in the country.

On this episode, Chris and Chris discuss the Industrial Real Estate Market, the growth of Stream since Chris J. joined, Stream's process of expanding into new markets, market intelligence, and the explosive growth of data centers. Enjoy.

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

 

(01:24) - Chris’ Story and Career

(02:31) - What was it about Trammell Crow that created inspiration for the next generation of businesses?

(03:39) - What's the difference between the industrial market in the 90’s vs. today? 

(05:22) - Are you seeing these big bombers being built in the center city or a smaller product being developed?

(6:23) - Is it safe to say the industrial market is better in a post-COVID world vs. in Jan and Feb?

(07:37) - Where did you go after leaving Trammell Crow?

(09:15) - Why do you think Robert Lynn always comes up in conversation as a fantastic Junior Program?

(10:08) - What was your first day like at Stream?

(11:36) - What has Stream grown to offer since you joined?

(12:13) - What markets are you in today and what’s your job like now as President?

(13:39) - Where is the hub located?

(14:02) - How often do you open in a new market?

(14:53) - How do you know it's time to get into a new market?

(16:04) - Does each city have its own ownership or do they report back to Dallas?

(17:20) - Do you hire from within to expand to keep culture aligned?

(19:36) - What does Market Intelligence mean?

(21:56) - How would you tell a recent grad to learn a market?

(24:19) - What type of technology are you using to get the tons of information you have access to out to people that need it?

(26:09) - Were you early to the game in developing Data Centers? How did you get into it?

(27:36) - How big of a business is it now?

(27:55) - Is it fair to say the anticipated demand for data centers is endless right now?

(28:36) -  What makes a great ownership group? What do they all have in common?

(29:41) - What do you think about the nationwide real estate industry? How do you manage all of the data you have?

(31:47) - The Industrial Business for Stream

(33:08) - What will happen to office from your perspective?

(35:50) - Are you seeing leasing activity pick up at all or are is it all still on pause for the moment?

(37:33) - Comments on Retail

(40:19) - Is there any market in the US that people aren't aware could potentially boom?

(41:32) - When you’re developing industrial across the country, is it easiest to accomplish in Texas?

(42:27) - Development Fees for Markets with Long Lead Times

(43:51) - Are you seeing any multi-level projects go up?

(44:27) - Cold-Storage Development

(46:45) - How big is your marketing team? When did it become apparent how important marketing was for Stream?

(48:54) - How do you think about the consolidation of the industry?

(51:30) - What did your world look like when COVID hit?

(55:57) - Do you have a morning routine?

(56:50) - What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

(57:50) - If you owned a billboard, what would you put on it?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3595 no #87: Sam Parr - Hiring a CEO, Trends.co, and the Future of Media https://www.TheFortPod.com Sam Parr, Co-Founder and CEO of The Hustle, joins Chris for round 2 on The FORT. (Listen to Part 1 here) On this episode, Sam explains the process of hiring a new CEO to replace himself, what his role at The Hustle and Trends.co will be going forward, his exodus from San Francisco, the Austin real estate market, the impact of the Trends community and the future of media through the lens of the public's distrust of mainstream news. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:52) - Why did you replace yourself as CEO? (03:31) - How long between having this realization and actually pulling the trigger? (03:57) - How many people did you interview along the way? (04:39) - Starting vs. Scaling (05:13) - What is the CEO you’re hiring going to do differently than you? (06:20) - What are your growth expectations from a new CEO? (07:20) - In those 14 interviews, how many times did you talk to the person you ultimately hired? (07:41) - Was there a silver bullet that told you this was the one? (08:18) - Who on your team was involved in the process? (08:52) - How is the business structured now? (10:06) - Who reports to who? (10:56) - What would this person say their expectation is of you? (12:19) - When will this hire go public? (12:38) - Can you give any insight as to how you’re paying this person? (13:33) - How do you describe what Trends is? (15:12) - What’s your position within this community? (16:42) - How can people get the most value out of Trends? (18:16) - Is there anything that comes to mind that you didn’t expect to grow out of Trends? (19:38) - Are people pitching deals there or are they just meeting online and then making deals outside of it? (19:51) - The Importance of Facebook Groups & Communities (21:37) - Are you permanently out of SF? (22:18) - Would you consider yourself a remote company? (22:42) - Do you enjoy the new way things are structured? (23:25) - What’s your opinion on the future of SF? (26:10) - Austin & Real Estate (28:59) - Sam’s Spontaneity (30:30) - Sam's Wife (34:00) - The Newsletter Industry (37:20) - How expensive is it to acquire a customer today? (37:39) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night as to what could make the business fail? (39:02) - What do you think about the decline of trust in news media as it pertains to your operation? (47:17) -   Are we about to enter a new wave of media? (48:59) - Is it even possible to build a news station that only puts out good, positive news? Sam’s Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts   Thu, 19 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 #87: Sam Parr - Hiring a CEO, Trends.co, and the Future of Media full 1 87 Chris Powers Sam Parr, Co-Founder and CEO of The Hustle, joins Chris for round 2 on The FORT. (Listen to Part 1 ) On this episode, Sam explains the process of hiring a new CEO to replace himself, what his role at The Hustle and Trends.co will be going forward, his... Sam Parr, Co-Founder and CEO of The Hustle, joins Chris for round 2 on The FORT. (Listen to Part 1 here) On this episode, Sam explains the process of hiring a new CEO to replace himself, what his role at The Hustle and Trends.co will be going forward, his exodus from San Francisco, the Austin real estate market, the impact of the Trends community and the future of media through the lens of the public's distrust of mainstream news. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:52) - Why did you replace yourself as CEO? (03:31) - How long between having this realization and actually pulling the trigger? (03:57) - How many people did you interview along the way? (04:39) - Starting vs. Scaling (05:13) - What is the CEO you’re hiring going to do differently than you? (06:20) - What are your growth expectations from a new CEO? (07:20) - In those 14 interviews, how many times did you talk to the person you ultimately hired? (07:41) - Was there a silver bullet that told you this was the one? (08:18) - Who on your team was involved in the process? (08:52) - How is the business structured now? (10:06) - Who reports to who? (10:56) - What would this person say their expectation is of you? (12:19) - When will this hire go public? (12:38) - Can you give any insight as to how you’re paying this person? (13:33) - How do you describe what Trends is? (15:12) - What’s your position within this community? (16:42) - How can people get the most value out of Trends? (18:16) - Is there anything that comes to mind that you didn’t expect to grow out of Trends? (19:38) - Are people pitching deals there or are they just meeting online and then making deals outside of it? (19:51) - The Importance of Facebook Groups & Communities (21:37) - Are you permanently out of SF? (22:18) - Would you consider yourself a remote company? (22:42) - Do you enjoy the new way things are structured? (23:25) - What’s your opinion on the future of SF? (26:10) - Austin & Real Estate (28:59) - Sam’s Spontaneity (30:30) - Sam's Wife (34:00) - The Newsletter Industry (37:20) - How expensive is it to acquire a customer today? (37:39) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night as to what could make the business fail? (39:02) - What do you think about the decline of trust in news media as it pertains to your operation? (47:17) -   Are we about to enter a new wave of media? (48:59) - Is it even possible to build a news station that only puts out good, positive news? Sam’s Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts   Sam Parr, Co-Founder and CEO of The Hustle, joins Chris for round 2 on The FORT. (Listen to Part 1 here) On this episode, Sam explains the process of hiring a new CEO to replace himself, what his role at The Hustle and Trends.co will be going forward, his exodus from San Francisco, the Austin real estate market, the impact of the Trends community and the future of media through the lens of the public's distrust of mainstream news. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(01:52) - Why did you replace yourself as CEO?

(03:31) - How long between having this realization and actually pulling the trigger?

(03:57) - How many people did you interview along the way?

(04:39) - Starting vs. Scaling

(05:13) - What is the CEO you’re hiring going to do differently than you?

(06:20) - What are your growth expectations from a new CEO?

(07:20) - In those 14 interviews, how many times did you talk to the person you ultimately hired?

(07:41) - Was there a silver bullet that told you this was the one?

(08:18) - Who on your team was involved in the process?

(08:52) - How is the business structured now?

(10:06) - Who reports to who?

(10:56) - What would this person say their expectation is of you?

(12:19) - When will this hire go public?

(12:38) - Can you give any insight as to how you’re paying this person?

(13:33) - How do you describe what Trends is?

(15:12) - What’s your position within this community?

(16:42) - How can people get the most value out of Trends?

(18:16) - Is there anything that comes to mind that you didn’t expect to grow out of Trends?

(19:38) - Are people pitching deals there or are they just meeting online and then making deals outside of it?

(19:51) - The Importance of Facebook Groups & Communities

(21:37) - Are you permanently out of SF?

(22:18) - Would you consider yourself a remote company?

(22:42) - Do you enjoy the new way things are structured?

(23:25) - What’s your opinion on the future of SF?

(26:10) - Austin & Real Estate

(28:59) - Sam’s Spontaneity

(30:30) - Sam's Wife

(34:00) - The Newsletter Industry

(37:20) - How expensive is it to acquire a customer today?

(37:39) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night as to what could make the business fail?

(39:02) - What do you think about the decline of trust in news media as it pertains to your operation?

(47:17) -   Are we about to enter a new wave of media?

(48:59) - Is it even possible to build a news station that only puts out good, positive news?

Sam’s Twitter


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

 

]]> 3190 no RE #86: Brandon Laughridge - Owner of North Terrace Property Management https://www.TheFortPod.com Today Chris chats with Brandon Laughridge, President of North Terrace Property Management (NTPM) located in Kansas City. Brandon is accountable for doubling the business' units since acquiring the business in 2017. On this episode, he and Chris discuss Brandon's background working in SEO, starting a digital marketing firm, his process of acquiring NTPM, the explosive growth of Kansas City, and some property management horror stories. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:39) - Brandon’s Background (05:27) - Did you have any SEO experience walking into that first job? (06:00) - When you left in 2009, did you start your own company or move into another job? (08:03) - How did you come to the decision that it was right to walk away from the business at such a young age? (09:00) - What was Spread Effect? (10:25) - How long after you stepped away from the business did you decide to sell? (11:16) - What did you learn from that experience? (13:21) - Why did you decide to buy a property management company? (20:32) - How big was the business at the time you bought it? How did you value it when deciding what to pay? (22:32) - What was the first day like after you purchased the business and stepped in as the operator? (25:06) - What was it like surprising everyone as the true undercover boss? How were you able to smooth things over with folks who might've been resentful? (26:40) - Did the owner have an earn-out of any kind? (26:56) - Was the previous owner engaged for those last 9 months? How did that relationship pan out? (28:18) - What is the size of the business today? (28:25) - Why is managing a single-family home harder than managing multi-family units? (29:37) - Has it been organic growth or was there a strategy in place? (31:15) - Are most of your clients professional investors or would they be 'mom and pop' style? (32:02) - Do you take a long-term approach when buying? (34:30) - Is there any technology you’ve implemented that is making the business more profitable? (37:28) - Is there anything that COVID has presented that forced you to either temporarily or permanently shift? (40:38) - How do you think about the business for the next ten years? (42:34) - Do you have a property management horror story? (45:11) - Are you on the Kansas or Missouri side of KC? (45:54) - Why do people choose to live on one side or the other? (46:37) - Why is Kansas City experiencing the success that it has lately? (50:00) - Is there a main industry that is the draw to that city? (51:23) - Do you have a morning routine? (53:10) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (55:38) - Do you have a book you’d recommend? Book: King of Cash - Christopher Winans (56:33) - What's the best way to contact you?  Brandon's Twitter    Mon, 16 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #86: Brandon Laughridge - Owner of North Terrace Property Management full 1 86 Chris Powers Today Chris chats with Brandon Laughridge, President of North Terrace Property Management (NTPM) located in Kansas City. Brandon is accountable for doubling the business' units since acquiring the business in 2017. On this episode, he and Chris... Today Chris chats with Brandon Laughridge, President of North Terrace Property Management (NTPM) located in Kansas City. Brandon is accountable for doubling the business' units since acquiring the business in 2017. On this episode, he and Chris discuss Brandon's background working in SEO, starting a digital marketing firm, his process of acquiring NTPM, the explosive growth of Kansas City, and some property management horror stories. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:39) - Brandon’s Background (05:27) - Did you have any SEO experience walking into that first job? (06:00) - When you left in 2009, did you start your own company or move into another job? (08:03) - How did you come to the decision that it was right to walk away from the business at such a young age? (09:00) - What was Spread Effect? (10:25) - How long after you stepped away from the business did you decide to sell? (11:16) - What did you learn from that experience? (13:21) - Why did you decide to buy a property management company? (20:32) - How big was the business at the time you bought it? How did you value it when deciding what to pay? (22:32) - What was the first day like after you purchased the business and stepped in as the operator? (25:06) - What was it like surprising everyone as the true undercover boss? How were you able to smooth things over with folks who might've been resentful? (26:40) - Did the owner have an earn-out of any kind? (26:56) - Was the previous owner engaged for those last 9 months? How did that relationship pan out? (28:18) - What is the size of the business today? (28:25) - Why is managing a single-family home harder than managing multi-family units? (29:37) - Has it been organic growth or was there a strategy in place? (31:15) - Are most of your clients professional investors or would they be 'mom and pop' style? (32:02) - Do you take a long-term approach when buying? (34:30) - Is there any technology you’ve implemented that is making the business more profitable? (37:28) - Is there anything that COVID has presented that forced you to either temporarily or permanently shift? (40:38) - How do you think about the business for the next ten years? (42:34) - Do you have a property management horror story? (45:11) - Are you on the Kansas or Missouri side of KC? (45:54) - Why do people choose to live on one side or the other? (46:37) - Why is Kansas City experiencing the success that it has lately? (50:00) - Is there a main industry that is the draw to that city? (51:23) - Do you have a morning routine? (53:10) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (55:38) - Do you have a book you’d recommend? Book: King of Cash - Christopher Winans (56:33) - What's the best way to contact you?  Brandon's Twitter    Today Chris chats with Brandon Laughridge, President of North Terrace Property Management (NTPM) located in Kansas City. Brandon is accountable for doubling the business' units since acquiring the business in 2017. On this episode, he and Chris discuss Brandon's background working in SEO, starting a digital marketing firm, his process of acquiring NTPM, the explosive growth of Kansas City, and some property management horror stories. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(02:39) - Brandon’s Background

(05:27) - Did you have any SEO experience walking into that first job?

(06:00) - When you left in 2009, did you start your own company or move into another job?

(08:03) - How did you come to the decision that it was right to walk away from the business at such a young age?

(09:00) - What was Spread Effect?

(10:25) - How long after you stepped away from the business did you decide to sell?

(11:16) - What did you learn from that experience?

(13:21) - Why did you decide to buy a property management company?

(20:32) - How big was the business at the time you bought it? How did you value it when deciding what to pay?

(22:32) - What was the first day like after you purchased the business and stepped in as the operator?

(25:06) - What was it like surprising everyone as the true undercover boss? How were you able to smooth things over with folks who might've been resentful?

(26:40) - Did the owner have an earn-out of any kind?

(26:56) - Was the previous owner engaged for those last 9 months? How did that relationship pan out?

(28:18) - What is the size of the business today?

(28:25) - Why is managing a single-family home harder than managing multi-family units?

(29:37) - Has it been organic growth or was there a strategy in place?

(31:15) - Are most of your clients professional investors or would they be 'mom and pop' style?

(32:02) - Do you take a long-term approach when buying?

(34:30) - Is there any technology you’ve implemented that is making the business more profitable?

(37:28) - Is there anything that COVID has presented that forced you to either temporarily or permanently shift?

(40:38) - How do you think about the business for the next ten years?

(42:34) - Do you have a property management horror story?

(45:11) - Are you on the Kansas or Missouri side of KC?

(45:54) - Why do people choose to live on one side or the other?

(46:37) - Why is Kansas City experiencing the success that it has lately?

(50:00) - Is there a main industry that is the draw to that city?

(51:23) - Do you have a morning routine?

(53:10) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(55:38) - Do you have a book you’d recommend?

Book: King of Cash - Christopher Winans

(56:33) - What's the best way to contact you? 

Brandon's Twitter 

 

]]> 3535 no #85: John Owen - President & CEO of Airshare - Private Aviation https://www.TheFortPod.com John joined Airshare as CFO in 2016 and became President and CEO in March 2018. He originally fine-tuned his consultative skills and financial acumen working in progressively higher roles at State Street, Accenture, and KPMG. On this episode, Chris and John discuss the industry of private aviation, misnomers about flying private, aviation throughout COVID, what the next ten years might look like, technology making aviation more affordable and safer, and John's career path. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:07) - John's Story (05:58) - What was your life like in the consulting role? (06:28) - Why do you have a passion for the organizational and operational side of business? (07:07) - What was the series of events that landed you in the CEO role? (07:51) - How would you describe AirShare? (10:07) - What are the advantages of a JetCard? (11:03) - What are some advantages to fractional ownership? (12:08) - What are the ongoing costs once you’ve bought a fraction of a plane? (14:50) - How did you choose the Phenom 100 & 300? (16:19) - Do pilot licenses allow you to fly multiple types of planes? (16:50) - How many jets do you have? (17:09) - Do plane owners that allow you to manage their aircraft let you lease it out to shareowners? (17:36) - If I owned 100% of a Phenom 300, what does it cost to maintain it per year? (18:18) - What are the most common maintenance issues aircraft owners will run into? (19:14) - How are you set up around the country with where you can land and store planes? (20:04) - How many customers do you have?  (20:57) - What do you tell someone not located in density that wants to be a customer? (21:19) - What’s the market like for a private pilot? What are their rates? (21:46) - Where are your pilots coming from? (22:34) - When is a good time for a business owner to consider private aviation? (26:33) - How long do you keep a plane in the fleet? (27:13) - Who’s the typical buyer on the way out? (28:05) - What’s your ownership structure at AirShare? (28:48) - How do you think about growth? (30:59) - Do you host customer events? (31:57) - Having Patrick Mahomes as a Client (32:49) - Can you charter something by the day for a larger group? (33:53) - What's the difference between AirShare and Warren Buffet’s NetJets? (36:04) - What were the first few months of COVID like for the private air industry? (38:02) - Is there a permanent shift of people flying private? (40:03) - Are there states that are harder to fly into than others right now? (40:33) - Is there anything you’re watching for economically that will give people hope in the coming months? (41:57) - Is a COVID vaccine the key to opening everything back up? (48:24) - What do you think the industry will look like in 10 years? (50:34) - What do your gas contracts look like? (51:00) - How much fuel do you buy per year? (51:24) - Are there any other risks you look out for besides a crash? (1:02:54) - Do you plan on being part of the consolidation of the industry? (1:05:18) - How does a Maintenance Contract work? (1:05:55) - Reading Habits (1:06:35) - If you could put anything up on a billboard, what would you say? Contact John at www.flyairshare.com Wed, 11 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 #85: John Owen - President & CEO of Airshare - Private Aviation full 1 85 Chris Powers John joined Airshare as CFO in 2016 and became President and CEO in March 2018. He originally fine-tuned his consultative skills and financial acumen working in progressively higher roles at State Street, Accenture, and KPMG. On this episode,... John joined Airshare as CFO in 2016 and became President and CEO in March 2018. He originally fine-tuned his consultative skills and financial acumen working in progressively higher roles at State Street, Accenture, and KPMG. On this episode, Chris and John discuss the industry of private aviation, misnomers about flying private, aviation throughout COVID, what the next ten years might look like, technology making aviation more affordable and safer, and John's career path. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:07) - John's Story (05:58) - What was your life like in the consulting role? (06:28) - Why do you have a passion for the organizational and operational side of business? (07:07) - What was the series of events that landed you in the CEO role? (07:51) - How would you describe AirShare? (10:07) - What are the advantages of a JetCard? (11:03) - What are some advantages to fractional ownership? (12:08) - What are the ongoing costs once you’ve bought a fraction of a plane? (14:50) - How did you choose the Phenom 100 & 300? (16:19) - Do pilot licenses allow you to fly multiple types of planes? (16:50) - How many jets do you have? (17:09) - Do plane owners that allow you to manage their aircraft let you lease it out to shareowners? (17:36) - If I owned 100% of a Phenom 300, what does it cost to maintain it per year? (18:18) - What are the most common maintenance issues aircraft owners will run into? (19:14) - How are you set up around the country with where you can land and store planes? (20:04) - How many customers do you have?  (20:57) - What do you tell someone not located in density that wants to be a customer? (21:19) - What’s the market like for a private pilot? What are their rates? (21:46) - Where are your pilots coming from? (22:34) - When is a good time for a business owner to consider private aviation? (26:33) - How long do you keep a plane in the fleet? (27:13) - Who’s the typical buyer on the way out? (28:05) - What’s your ownership structure at AirShare? (28:48) - How do you think about growth? (30:59) - Do you host customer events? (31:57) - Having Patrick Mahomes as a Client (32:49) - Can you charter something by the day for a larger group? (33:53) - What's the difference between AirShare and Warren Buffet’s NetJets? (36:04) - What were the first few months of COVID like for the private air industry? (38:02) - Is there a permanent shift of people flying private? (40:03) - Are there states that are harder to fly into than others right now? (40:33) - Is there anything you’re watching for economically that will give people hope in the coming months? (41:57) - Is a COVID vaccine the key to opening everything back up? (48:24) - What do you think the industry will look like in 10 years? (50:34) - What do your gas contracts look like? (51:00) - How much fuel do you buy per year? (51:24) - Are there any other risks you look out for besides a crash? (1:02:54) - Do you plan on being part of the consolidation of the industry? (1:05:18) - How does a Maintenance Contract work? (1:05:55) - Reading Habits (1:06:35) - If you could put anything up on a billboard, what would you say? Contact John at www.flyairshare.com John joined Airshare as CFO in 2016 and became President and CEO in March 2018. He originally fine-tuned his consultative skills and financial acumen working in progressively higher roles at State Street, Accenture, and KPMG. On this episode, Chris and John discuss the industry of private aviation, misnomers about flying private, aviation throughout COVID, what the next ten years might look like, technology making aviation more affordable and safer, and John's career path. Enjoy!


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(02:07) - John's Story

(05:58) - What was your life like in the consulting role?

(06:28) - Why do you have a passion for the organizational and operational side of business?

(07:07) - What was the series of events that landed you in the CEO role?

(07:51) - How would you describe AirShare?

(10:07) - What are the advantages of a JetCard?

(11:03) - What are some advantages to fractional ownership?

(12:08) - What are the ongoing costs once you’ve bought a fraction of a plane?

(14:50) - How did you choose the Phenom 100 & 300?

(16:19) - Do pilot licenses allow you to fly multiple types of planes?

(16:50) - How many jets do you have?

(17:09) - Do plane owners that allow you to manage their aircraft let you lease it out to shareowners?

(17:36) - If I owned 100% of a Phenom 300, what does it cost to maintain it per year?

(18:18) - What are the most common maintenance issues aircraft owners will run into?

(19:14) - How are you set up around the country with where you can land and store planes?

(20:04) - How many customers do you have? 

(20:57) - What do you tell someone not located in density that wants to be a customer?

(21:19) - What’s the market like for a private pilot? What are their rates?

(21:46) - Where are your pilots coming from?

(22:34) - When is a good time for a business owner to consider private aviation?

(26:33) - How long do you keep a plane in the fleet?

(27:13) - Who’s the typical buyer on the way out?

(28:05) - What’s your ownership structure at AirShare?

(28:48) - How do you think about growth?

(30:59) - Do you host customer events?

(31:57) - Having Patrick Mahomes as a Client

(32:49) - Can you charter something by the day for a larger group?

(33:53) - What's the difference between AirShare and Warren Buffet’s NetJets?

(36:04) - What were the first few months of COVID like for the private air industry?

(38:02) - Is there a permanent shift of people flying private?

(40:03) - Are there states that are harder to fly into than others right now?

(40:33) - Is there anything you’re watching for economically that will give people hope in the coming months?

(41:57) - Is a COVID vaccine the key to opening everything back up?

(48:24) - What do you think the industry will look like in 10 years?

(50:34) - What do your gas contracts look like?

(51:00) - How much fuel do you buy per year?

(51:24) - Are there any other risks you look out for besides a crash?

(1:02:54) - Do you plan on being part of the consolidation of the industry?

(1:05:18) - How does a Maintenance Contract work?

(1:05:55) - Reading Habits

(1:06:35) - If you could put anything up on a billboard, what would you say?

Contact John at www.flyairshare.com

]]> 4185 no RE #84: Jonathan Brinsden - CEO of Midway & Chairman of ULI Americas https://www.TheFortPod.com As CEO of Midway, Jonathan Brinsden guides the overall business strategy and operations which have led to the company’s creation of a $2B portfolio of core mixed-use assets. On this episode, Jonathan and Chris talk about Jonathan's journey up to joining Midway, they discuss the Houston market as it navigates the COVID crisis, where retail and hospitality will go in the future, and Jonathan's experience with ULI and the Midway Foundation. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:50) - Jonathan’s Background and Journey to Midway (06:54) - Can you describe how the Town & Country Village deal came about and what the last 15 years of working on that project have been like? (10:29) - What was the draw to this property back in 2004? (12:12) - When you bought it, did you have to force the tenants out or let their leases run dry? (14:00) - How do you arrive at a 'final plan’ with a deal that big?  (17:11) - Where do you stand today with Town & Country Village? (17:51) - How do you program the experiential factor of your properties? (20:55) - What makes an amenity have longevity? (22:34) - How is Houston holding up in a post-COVID world? (24:03) - Is Houston as dependent on oil and gas today as it was 20 years ago? (24:54) - Is it ultimately a good thing for developers that the city of Houston doesn’t have a lot of zoning Laws? (26:37) - What are you seeing in retail now and how has it progressed since March? (28:56) - The Hospitality Side of Retail (30:08) - Are tenants out in the market or is everything just dead? (31:18)  - Is there anything you’re seeing in lease proposals that you hadn’t seen before? (32:36) - Are Houston office tenants going back? Is there permanent damage to office usage with the realization of WFH? (38:09) - Is there anything in terms of new technology that will make things safer for the next few years? (39:55) - Will you be aggressively looking to acquire if the opportunity presents itself? (41:57) - What's the state of new development for retail and hospitality projects? (42:52) - Are your developments public/private or just private? (45:35) - In a public/private partnership, which side is the first to approach a project and present to the other side for consideration? (49:00) - Do you have any opinion on the rising property taxes in TX? (51:05) - What has ULI meant to you and why do you think it’s important? (53:41) - What’s the Midway Foundation? (57:48) - Do you have a morning routine? (59:43) - What's the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:02:25) - If you could put any message on a billboard, what would it be? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 04 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0000 RE #84: Jonathan Brinsden - CEO of Midway & Chairman of ULI Americas full 1 84 Chris Powers As CEO of Midway, Jonathan Brinsden guides the overall business strategy and operations which have led to the company’s creation of a $2B portfolio of core mixed-use assets. On this episode, Jonathan and Chris talk about Jonathan's journey up to... As CEO of Midway, Jonathan Brinsden guides the overall business strategy and operations which have led to the company’s creation of a $2B portfolio of core mixed-use assets. On this episode, Jonathan and Chris talk about Jonathan's journey up to joining Midway, they discuss the Houston market as it navigates the COVID crisis, where retail and hospitality will go in the future, and Jonathan's experience with ULI and the Midway Foundation. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:50) - Jonathan’s Background and Journey to Midway (06:54) - Can you describe how the Town & Country Village deal came about and what the last 15 years of working on that project have been like? (10:29) - What was the draw to this property back in 2004? (12:12) - When you bought it, did you have to force the tenants out or let their leases run dry? (14:00) - How do you arrive at a 'final plan’ with a deal that big?  (17:11) - Where do you stand today with Town & Country Village? (17:51) - How do you program the experiential factor of your properties? (20:55) - What makes an amenity have longevity? (22:34) - How is Houston holding up in a post-COVID world? (24:03) - Is Houston as dependent on oil and gas today as it was 20 years ago? (24:54) - Is it ultimately a good thing for developers that the city of Houston doesn’t have a lot of zoning Laws? (26:37) - What are you seeing in retail now and how has it progressed since March? (28:56) - The Hospitality Side of Retail (30:08) - Are tenants out in the market or is everything just dead? (31:18)  - Is there anything you’re seeing in lease proposals that you hadn’t seen before? (32:36) - Are Houston office tenants going back? Is there permanent damage to office usage with the realization of WFH? (38:09) - Is there anything in terms of new technology that will make things safer for the next few years? (39:55) - Will you be aggressively looking to acquire if the opportunity presents itself? (41:57) - What's the state of new development for retail and hospitality projects? (42:52) - Are your developments public/private or just private? (45:35) - In a public/private partnership, which side is the first to approach a project and present to the other side for consideration? (49:00) - Do you have any opinion on the rising property taxes in TX? (51:05) - What has ULI meant to you and why do you think it’s important? (53:41) - What’s the Midway Foundation? (57:48) - Do you have a morning routine? (59:43) - What's the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:02:25) - If you could put any message on a billboard, what would it be? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts As CEO of Midway, Jonathan Brinsden guides the overall business strategy and operations which have led to the company’s creation of a $2B portfolio of core mixed-use assets. On this episode, Jonathan and Chris talk about Jonathan's journey up to joining Midway, they discuss the Houston market as it navigates the COVID crisis, where retail and hospitality will go in the future, and Jonathan's experience with ULI and the Midway Foundation. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:50) - Jonathan’s Background and Journey to Midway

(06:54) - Can you describe how the Town & Country Village deal came about and what the last 15 years of working on that project have been like?

(10:29) - What was the draw to this property back in 2004?

(12:12) - When you bought it, did you have to force the tenants out or let their leases run dry?

(14:00) - How do you arrive at a 'final plan’ with a deal that big? 

(17:11) - Where do you stand today with Town & Country Village?

(17:51) - How do you program the experiential factor of your properties?

(20:55) - What makes an amenity have longevity?

(22:34) - How is Houston holding up in a post-COVID world?

(24:03) - Is Houston as dependent on oil and gas today as it was 20 years ago?

(24:54) - Is it ultimately a good thing for developers that the city of Houston doesn’t have a lot of zoning Laws?

(26:37) - What are you seeing in retail now and how has it progressed since March?

(28:56) - The Hospitality Side of Retail

(30:08) - Are tenants out in the market or is everything just dead?

(31:18)  - Is there anything you’re seeing in lease proposals that you hadn’t seen before?

(32:36) - Are Houston office tenants going back? Is there permanent damage to office usage with the realization of WFH?

(38:09) - Is there anything in terms of new technology that will make things safer for the next few years?

(39:55) - Will you be aggressively looking to acquire if the opportunity presents itself?

(41:57) - What's the state of new development for retail and hospitality projects?

(42:52) - Are your developments public/private or just private?

(45:35) - In a public/private partnership, which side is the first to approach a project and present to the other side for consideration?

(49:00) - Do you have any opinion on the rising property taxes in TX?

(51:05) - What has ULI meant to you and why do you think it’s important?

(53:41) - What’s the Midway Foundation?

(57:48) - Do you have a morning routine?

(59:43) - What's the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:02:25) - If you could put any message on a billboard, what would it be?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3893 no #83 : Stanton Williams - Using Data To Put The Right People in The Right Seats https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Stanton Williams, Executive Advisor at Culture Index, a personality profiling system and process that allows leaders to determine where their staff is best suited within an organization as well as hiring the best possible people for a role. On this episode, Chris and Stanton break down every aspect of the Culture Index, Chris elaborates on how much this has helped him personally as well as the Fort Capital team, some experiences Stanton has had in helping organizations move from the 'Start' phase into the 'Scale' phase, and what kind of traits are among folks who are elected to high political office. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (04:19) - Stanton's Background (11:38) - What is the Culture Index? (13:20) - Who created the Culture Index? (16:44) - Breaking Down the 7 Traits Measured in the Culture Index (17:07) - Autonomy (18:26) - Sociability (19:59) - Pace (22:21) - Conformity (24:15) - Energy Units (24:54) - Logic (25:49) - Ingenuity (26:43) - The Culture Index Survey (28:04) - The Combinations of Traits and Patterns (28:37) - The 4 Types of People (28:51) - Visionaries (29:36) - Technical People (30:25) - Social People (31:15) - Organizational People (31:53) - Complementary People that Should Surround You and What Buckets Pair Up Well Together (33:22) - When you meet with a company for the first time and they hire you, what happens from there? (35:12) - What do you say if people say you’re full of shit? (37:30) - How often do you see people that have reverse polarity? (38:53) - Do you ever see patterns with someone being in the same role in multiple companies and yet they still fall under reverse polarity? (40:03) - Assuming a company is able to scale but stays small, are there common themes that serve as the reason they stay small? (42:06) - What category do inventors typically fall in? (43:44) - What do you tell the person who’s able to start the company but doesn't realize they can't scale it? (45:40)  - Do most small businesses even know what they want? (47:27) - The two types of CEOs: The Starter and The Scaler (49:31) - When does The Starter know that their time is up? (51:33) - The “C Job” (56:18) - The Cost of Turnover (57:26) - Do you have any Culture Index success stories? Book: The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Wilink (1:03:20) - The Personality Traits of a Politician (1:07:55) - Why don’t companies use this? (1:10:35) - Is there really no way for people to change who they are? (1:13:39) - What would you tell someone who says they want to change? (1:14:50) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:16:03) - What's the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:16:29) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:17:40) - What is the best way for people to contact you? Email Stanton: swilliams@cultureindex.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 28 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #83 : Stanton Williams - Using Data To Put The Right People in The Right Seats full 1 83 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Stanton Williams, Executive Advisor at Culture Index, a personality profiling system and process that allows leaders to determine where their staff is best suited within an organization as well as hiring the best possible people... Chris sits down with Stanton Williams, Executive Advisor at Culture Index, a personality profiling system and process that allows leaders to determine where their staff is best suited within an organization as well as hiring the best possible people for a role. On this episode, Chris and Stanton break down every aspect of the Culture Index, Chris elaborates on how much this has helped him personally as well as the Fort Capital team, some experiences Stanton has had in helping organizations move from the 'Start' phase into the 'Scale' phase, and what kind of traits are among folks who are elected to high political office. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (04:19) - Stanton's Background (11:38) - What is the Culture Index? (13:20) - Who created the Culture Index? (16:44) - Breaking Down the 7 Traits Measured in the Culture Index (17:07) - Autonomy (18:26) - Sociability (19:59) - Pace (22:21) - Conformity (24:15) - Energy Units (24:54) - Logic (25:49) - Ingenuity (26:43) - The Culture Index Survey (28:04) - The Combinations of Traits and Patterns (28:37) - The 4 Types of People (28:51) - Visionaries (29:36) - Technical People (30:25) - Social People (31:15) - Organizational People (31:53) - Complementary People that Should Surround You and What Buckets Pair Up Well Together (33:22) - When you meet with a company for the first time and they hire you, what happens from there? (35:12) - What do you say if people say you’re full of shit? (37:30) - How often do you see people that have reverse polarity? (38:53) - Do you ever see patterns with someone being in the same role in multiple companies and yet they still fall under reverse polarity? (40:03) - Assuming a company is able to scale but stays small, are there common themes that serve as the reason they stay small? (42:06) - What category do inventors typically fall in? (43:44) - What do you tell the person who’s able to start the company but doesn't realize they can't scale it? (45:40)  - Do most small businesses even know what they want? (47:27) - The two types of CEOs: The Starter and The Scaler (49:31) - When does The Starter know that their time is up? (51:33) - The “C Job” (56:18) - The Cost of Turnover (57:26) - Do you have any Culture Index success stories? Book: The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Wilink (1:03:20) - The Personality Traits of a Politician (1:07:55) - Why don’t companies use this? (1:10:35) - Is there really no way for people to change who they are? (1:13:39) - What would you tell someone who says they want to change? (1:14:50) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:16:03) - What's the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:16:29) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? (1:17:40) - What is the best way for people to contact you? Email Stanton: swilliams@cultureindex.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris sits down with Stanton Williams, Executive Advisor at Culture Index, a personality profiling system and process that allows leaders to determine where their staff is best suited within an organization as well as hiring the best possible people for a role. On this episode, Chris and Stanton break down every aspect of the Culture Index, Chris elaborates on how much this has helped him personally as well as the Fort Capital team, some experiences Stanton has had in helping organizations move from the 'Start' phase into the 'Scale' phase, and what kind of traits are among folks who are elected to high political office. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

(04:19) - Stanton's Background

(11:38) - What is the Culture Index?

(13:20) - Who created the Culture Index?

(16:44) - Breaking Down the 7 Traits Measured in the Culture Index

(17:07) - Autonomy

(18:26) - Sociability

(19:59) - Pace

(22:21) - Conformity

(24:15) - Energy Units

(24:54) - Logic

(25:49) - Ingenuity

(26:43) - The Culture Index Survey

(28:04) - The Combinations of Traits and Patterns

(28:37) - The 4 Types of People

(28:51) - Visionaries

(29:36) - Technical People

(30:25) - Social People

(31:15) - Organizational People

(31:53) - Complementary People that Should Surround You and What Buckets Pair Up Well Together

(33:22) - When you meet with a company for the first time and they hire you, what happens from there?

(35:12) - What do you say if people say you’re full of shit?

(37:30) - How often do you see people that have reverse polarity?

(38:53) - Do you ever see patterns with someone being in the same role in multiple companies and yet they still fall under reverse polarity?

(40:03) - Assuming a company is able to scale but stays small, are there common themes that serve as the reason they stay small?

(42:06) - What category do inventors typically fall in?

(43:44) - What do you tell the person who’s able to start the company but doesn't realize they can't scale it?

(45:40)  - Do most small businesses even know what they want?

(47:27) - The two types of CEOs: The Starter and The Scaler

(49:31) - When does The Starter know that their time is up?

(51:33) - The “C Job”

(56:18) - The Cost of Turnover

(57:26) - Do you have any Culture Index success stories?

Book: The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Wilink

(1:03:20) - The Personality Traits of a Politician

(1:07:55) - Why don’t companies use this?

(1:10:35) - Is there really no way for people to change who they are?

(1:13:39) - What would you tell someone who says they want to change?

(1:14:50) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:16:03) - What's the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(1:16:29) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say?

(1:17:40) - What is the best way for people to contact you?

Email Stanton: swilliams@cultureindex.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4803 no RE #82: Zach Aarons & Aaron Block - Co-Founders of MetaProp VC https://www.TheFortPod.com Zach Aarons & Aaron Block are the Co-Founders of MetaProp VC, the most active early-stage real estate and PropTech investor globally with 125+ investments under their portfolio. On this episode, Chris talks with Aaron and Zach about their journey to becoming partners, the NYC venture capital world, the emergence of PropTech as an investable asset class, their processes for investing in companies, what early-stage founders do well when raising capital, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:44) - Zach’s Background  (09:52) - Why do you say you weren’t capable of building and scaling a tech company? (13:21) - Aaron’s Background (16:48) - What ultimately led you to raise capital and start a fund? (18:08) - How large was the first fund? What are some things looking back that you didn’t expect? (20:48) - Did Zak Schwarzman have a VC background or institutional money experience? (24:23) - How large was your second fund? (24:28) - How much is being invested in PropTech globally? (25:02) - How many deals do you see per year vs. how many you ultimately invest in? (25:52) - Which things within deals jump out to you that immediately cause you to say 'no'? (29:50) - What are good founders doing well while they’re raising money? (34:17) - Do you require founders to have a co-founder? (36:10) - Do you care if the founder has a real estate background? (39:42) - What would a founder say is the value given to you from MetaProp post-funding? (41:56) -  How often do you communicate with the founders you work with? (46:59) - What's the difference between leading a round vs. just participating in a round? (50:12) - What does a typical project look like for your consulting and advisory side of the business? (51:27) - Is there a certain asset type that is getting more investment than others? (54:02) - What kind of technology is around single-family and multi-family? (55:35) - Is PropTech aiding in the effort to get people back into the office or the WFH situation? (56:33) - Do you think the idea of COVID Cleaning & thermal scanning could be seen as short-sighted? (59:55) - Do you have a crazy 5-10 year prediction? (1:00:49) - Do you have a crazy investment that got away? (1:03:29) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:04:03) - If you owned a billboard on a major highway and could put whatever you wanted on there, what would it say? (1:04:48) - How can people reach you? Email Zach: zaarons@metaprop.vc Book: PropTech101 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 22 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #82: Zach Aarons & Aaron Block - Co-Founders of MetaProp VC full 1 82 Chris Powers Zach Aarons & Aaron Block are the Co-Founders of MetaProp VC, the most active early-stage real estate and PropTech investor globally with 125+ investments under their portfolio. On this episode, Chris talks with Aaron and Zach about their journey... Zach Aarons & Aaron Block are the Co-Founders of MetaProp VC, the most active early-stage real estate and PropTech investor globally with 125+ investments under their portfolio. On this episode, Chris talks with Aaron and Zach about their journey to becoming partners, the NYC venture capital world, the emergence of PropTech as an investable asset class, their processes for investing in companies, what early-stage founders do well when raising capital, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:44) - Zach’s Background  (09:52) - Why do you say you weren’t capable of building and scaling a tech company? (13:21) - Aaron’s Background (16:48) - What ultimately led you to raise capital and start a fund? (18:08) - How large was the first fund? What are some things looking back that you didn’t expect? (20:48) - Did Zak Schwarzman have a VC background or institutional money experience? (24:23) - How large was your second fund? (24:28) - How much is being invested in PropTech globally? (25:02) - How many deals do you see per year vs. how many you ultimately invest in? (25:52) - Which things within deals jump out to you that immediately cause you to say 'no'? (29:50) - What are good founders doing well while they’re raising money? (34:17) - Do you require founders to have a co-founder? (36:10) - Do you care if the founder has a real estate background? (39:42) - What would a founder say is the value given to you from MetaProp post-funding? (41:56) -  How often do you communicate with the founders you work with? (46:59) - What's the difference between leading a round vs. just participating in a round? (50:12) - What does a typical project look like for your consulting and advisory side of the business? (51:27) - Is there a certain asset type that is getting more investment than others? (54:02) - What kind of technology is around single-family and multi-family? (55:35) - Is PropTech aiding in the effort to get people back into the office or the WFH situation? (56:33) - Do you think the idea of COVID Cleaning & thermal scanning could be seen as short-sighted? (59:55) - Do you have a crazy 5-10 year prediction? (1:00:49) - Do you have a crazy investment that got away? (1:03:29) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:04:03) - If you owned a billboard on a major highway and could put whatever you wanted on there, what would it say? (1:04:48) - How can people reach you? Email Zach: zaarons@metaprop.vc Book: PropTech101 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Zach Aarons & Aaron Block are the Co-Founders of MetaProp VC, the most active early-stage real estate and PropTech investor globally with 125+ investments under their portfolio. On this episode, Chris talks with Aaron and Zach about their journey to becoming partners, the NYC venture capital world, the emergence of PropTech as an investable asset class, their processes for investing in companies, what early-stage founders do well when raising capital, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:44) - Zach’s Background 

(09:52) - Why do you say you weren’t capable of building and scaling a tech company?

(13:21) - Aaron’s Background

(16:48) - What ultimately led you to raise capital and start a fund?

(18:08) - How large was the first fund? What are some things looking back that you didn’t expect?

(20:48) - Did Zak Schwarzman have a VC background or institutional money experience?

(24:23) - How large was your second fund?

(24:28) - How much is being invested in PropTech globally?

(25:02) - How many deals do you see per year vs. how many you ultimately invest in?

(25:52) - Which things within deals jump out to you that immediately cause you to say 'no'?

(29:50) - What are good founders doing well while they’re raising money?

(34:17) - Do you require founders to have a co-founder?

(36:10) - Do you care if the founder has a real estate background?

(39:42) - What would a founder say is the value given to you from MetaProp post-funding?

(41:56) -  How often do you communicate with the founders you work with?

(46:59) - What's the difference between leading a round vs. just participating in a round?

(50:12) - What does a typical project look like for your consulting and advisory side of the business?

(51:27) - Is there a certain asset type that is getting more investment than others?

(54:02) - What kind of technology is around single-family and multi-family?

(55:35) - Is PropTech aiding in the effort to get people back into the office or the WFH situation?

(56:33) - Do you think the idea of COVID Cleaning & thermal scanning could be seen as short-sighted?

(59:55) - Do you have a crazy 5-10 year prediction?

(1:00:49) - Do you have a crazy investment that got away?

(1:03:29) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:04:03) - If you owned a billboard on a major highway and could put whatever you wanted on there, what would it say?

(1:04:48) - How can people reach you?

Email Zach: zaarons@metaprop.vc

Book: PropTech101


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4042 no RE #81: Chris Powers - How to Underwrite an Industrial Deal & Create Investment Memos LP’s Love https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers outlines the underwriting process on industrial deals from start to finish making it simple to understand whether you’re green or a seasoned veteran. This episode will provide an outline for how these deals get done and the mistakes that a lot of people make along the way so you can deal smarter in the future.  Enjoy!  For more on Underwriting, visit the Fort Capital website here.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (01:07) - What is Underwriting? (02:14) - Variables that Contribute to the Value in Underwriting (02:40) - Market, Demographic and their Respective Trends (03:50) - Purchase Price (04:15) - Expenses (05:04) - Modeling Expenses Out in a 5-Year Model (05:21) - Taxes & Insurance (06:15) - Tenants (07:03) - Where Rent is Today vs. the Market Rate (07:59) - Tenant Renewal Probability (09:55) - Current Vacancies (10:42) - Capital Expenditure Requirements (11:44) - Tenant Improvement Costs (12:26) - Underwriting the Capital Structure & Refinance Scenarios (13:49) - What does an exit scenario look like? (15:15) - Things People Miss and Mistakes We’ve Missed Along the Way (18:45) - How Fort Capital Thinks About the Process of Doing a Deal (19:59) - How Long the Underwriting Process Should Take (20:42) - Where We Get Most of Our Data (21:12) - Where does information live when underwriting? How is it communicated to the team & non-team? (22:58) - Final Thoughts on Underwriting (23:58) - Writing an Investment Memo (25:10) - What We Think about Presenting in Our Memos (26:12) - Reasons to Acquire (26:38) - Location Overview (27:09) - The Property Itself (27:35) - Tenant Overview (28:10) - Sources and Uses of Funds (29:02) - Financial Summary & What Investors Can Expect in Return (30:22) - Partnership Terms (31:48) - Models & Return Summary (32:17) - Property Photos & Market Map (33:02) - Conclusion & Free Resources from Fort Capital The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight up Podcasts Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #81: Chris Powers - How to Underwrite an Industrial Deal & Create Investment Memos LP’s Love full 1 81 Chris Powers On this episode, Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers outlines the underwriting process on industrial deals from start to finish making it simple to understand whether you’re green or a seasoned veteran. This episode will provide an outline for how these... On this episode, Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers outlines the underwriting process on industrial deals from start to finish making it simple to understand whether you’re green or a seasoned veteran. This episode will provide an outline for how these deals get done and the mistakes that a lot of people make along the way so you can deal smarter in the future.  Enjoy!  For more on Underwriting, visit the Fort Capital website here.  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (01:07) - What is Underwriting? (02:14) - Variables that Contribute to the Value in Underwriting (02:40) - Market, Demographic and their Respective Trends (03:50) - Purchase Price (04:15) - Expenses (05:04) - Modeling Expenses Out in a 5-Year Model (05:21) - Taxes & Insurance (06:15) - Tenants (07:03) - Where Rent is Today vs. the Market Rate (07:59) - Tenant Renewal Probability (09:55) - Current Vacancies (10:42) - Capital Expenditure Requirements (11:44) - Tenant Improvement Costs (12:26) - Underwriting the Capital Structure & Refinance Scenarios (13:49) - What does an exit scenario look like? (15:15) - Things People Miss and Mistakes We’ve Missed Along the Way (18:45) - How Fort Capital Thinks About the Process of Doing a Deal (19:59) - How Long the Underwriting Process Should Take (20:42) - Where We Get Most of Our Data (21:12) - Where does information live when underwriting? How is it communicated to the team & non-team? (22:58) - Final Thoughts on Underwriting (23:58) - Writing an Investment Memo (25:10) - What We Think about Presenting in Our Memos (26:12) - Reasons to Acquire (26:38) - Location Overview (27:09) - The Property Itself (27:35) - Tenant Overview (28:10) - Sources and Uses of Funds (29:02) - Financial Summary & What Investors Can Expect in Return (30:22) - Partnership Terms (31:48) - Models & Return Summary (32:17) - Property Photos & Market Map (33:02) - Conclusion & Free Resources from Fort Capital The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight up Podcasts On this episode, Fort Capital CEO Chris Powers outlines the underwriting process on industrial deals from start to finish making it simple to understand whether you’re green or a seasoned veteran. This episode will provide an outline for how these deals get done and the mistakes that a lot of people make along the way so you can deal smarter in the future.  Enjoy! 

For more on Underwriting, visit the Fort Capital website here. 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

(01:07) - What is Underwriting?

(02:14) - Variables that Contribute to the Value in Underwriting

(02:40) - Market, Demographic and their Respective Trends

(03:50) - Purchase Price

(04:15) - Expenses

(05:04) - Modeling Expenses Out in a 5-Year Model

(05:21) - Taxes & Insurance

(06:15) - Tenants

(07:03) - Where Rent is Today vs. the Market Rate

(07:59) - Tenant Renewal Probability

(09:55) - Current Vacancies

(10:42) - Capital Expenditure Requirements

(11:44) - Tenant Improvement Costs

(12:26) - Underwriting the Capital Structure & Refinance Scenarios

(13:49) - What does an exit scenario look like?

(15:15) - Things People Miss and Mistakes We’ve Missed Along the Way

(18:45) - How Fort Capital Thinks About the Process of Doing a Deal

(19:59) - How Long the Underwriting Process Should Take

(20:42) - Where We Get Most of Our Data

(21:12) - Where does information live when underwriting? How is it communicated to the team & non-team?

(22:58) - Final Thoughts on Underwriting

(23:58) - Writing an Investment Memo

(25:10) - What We Think about Presenting in Our Memos

(26:12) - Reasons to Acquire

(26:38) - Location Overview

(27:09) - The Property Itself

(27:35) - Tenant Overview

(28:10) - Sources and Uses of Funds

(29:02) - Financial Summary & What Investors Can Expect in Return

(30:22) - Partnership Terms

(31:48) - Models & Return Summary

(32:17) - Property Photos & Market Map

(33:02) - Conclusion & Free Resources from Fort Capital


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight up Podcasts

]]> 2205 no #80: Barry Davis - CEO & Chairman of EnLink Midstream https://www.TheFortPod.com Barry Davis is the CEO of EnLink Midstream, one of the largest midstream energy companies in the United States. On this episode, he and Chris discuss an emphasis on hard work and relationships in business, the state of oil & gas in 2020, the Better Man organization, as well as the importance of faith in business leadership. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (02:17) - Barry’s Story (05:14) - How did that early emphasis on hard work and relationships influence your teen years and intro into the business world? (06:22) - How did you go from being a landman to starting your first company? (09:09) - Was there a certain opportunity or experience that made you to take the leap? (10:01) - How would you describe the Midstream business in 2020? (11:08) - What was the outside capital environment? What did the first day in the office look like? (12:32) -  Can you paint a picture of where the company is today? (14:10) - What’s life like as a private CEO vs. a public CEO? (16:25) - Do things like strategy and vision evolve when you go from 50 employees to 1,000+? (17:48) - What's the state of oil & gas today and is this different from cycles in the past? (22:09) - What are the businesses that will survive COVID doing right now? (23:26) - How do you view ESG? (Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance) (25:54) - How Chris and Barry Met and the Significance of this Episode (26:59) - How did thinking about a balanced life and doing things differently from others in business captivate you? (29:25) - How are you able to incorporate faith with business leadership? (32:04) - Are there certain things someone in their 30's can do that will set them up for their 2nd half of life? (34:18) - What is the Better Man organization? (37:52) - What is biblical manhood vs. how manhood is defined by today’s culture? (39:16) - What’s the experience like in the curriculum? (40:54) - When did you get involved with the Halftime Institute and how has it impacted you? (43:17) - How do you plan on spending the 2nd half of your life? (44:38) - Do you have a morning routine? (45:41) - What does ‘do the right thing and you’ll always be able to go back to where you’ve been’ mean? (47:06) - What’s a book you’ve read that has had an impact on you? The Bible Halftime by Bob Beuford 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller (48:53) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on for the world to see, what would you put? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 15 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #80: Barry Davis - CEO & Chairman of EnLink Midstream full 1 80 Chris Powers Barry Davis is the CEO of EnLink Midstream, one of the largest midstream energy companies in the United States. On this episode, he and Chris discuss an emphasis on hard work and relationships in business, the state of oil & gas in 2020, the... Barry Davis is the CEO of EnLink Midstream, one of the largest midstream energy companies in the United States. On this episode, he and Chris discuss an emphasis on hard work and relationships in business, the state of oil & gas in 2020, the Better Man organization, as well as the importance of faith in business leadership. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com (02:17) - Barry’s Story (05:14) - How did that early emphasis on hard work and relationships influence your teen years and intro into the business world? (06:22) - How did you go from being a landman to starting your first company? (09:09) - Was there a certain opportunity or experience that made you to take the leap? (10:01) - How would you describe the Midstream business in 2020? (11:08) - What was the outside capital environment? What did the first day in the office look like? (12:32) -  Can you paint a picture of where the company is today? (14:10) - What’s life like as a private CEO vs. a public CEO? (16:25) - Do things like strategy and vision evolve when you go from 50 employees to 1,000+? (17:48) - What's the state of oil & gas today and is this different from cycles in the past? (22:09) - What are the businesses that will survive COVID doing right now? (23:26) - How do you view ESG? (Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance) (25:54) - How Chris and Barry Met and the Significance of this Episode (26:59) - How did thinking about a balanced life and doing things differently from others in business captivate you? (29:25) - How are you able to incorporate faith with business leadership? (32:04) - Are there certain things someone in their 30's can do that will set them up for their 2nd half of life? (34:18) - What is the Better Man organization? (37:52) - What is biblical manhood vs. how manhood is defined by today’s culture? (39:16) - What’s the experience like in the curriculum? (40:54) - When did you get involved with the Halftime Institute and how has it impacted you? (43:17) - How do you plan on spending the 2nd half of your life? (44:38) - Do you have a morning routine? (45:41) - What does ‘do the right thing and you’ll always be able to go back to where you’ve been’ mean? (47:06) - What’s a book you’ve read that has had an impact on you? The Bible Halftime by Bob Beuford 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller (48:53) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on for the world to see, what would you put? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Barry Davis is the CEO of EnLink Midstream, one of the largest midstream energy companies in the United States. On this episode, he and Chris discuss an emphasis on hard work and relationships in business, the state of oil & gas in 2020, the Better Man organization, as well as the importance of faith in business leadership. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com


(02:17) - Barry’s Story

(05:14) - How did that early emphasis on hard work and relationships influence your teen years and intro into the business world?

(06:22) - How did you go from being a landman to starting your first company?

(09:09) - Was there a certain opportunity or experience that made you to take the leap?

(10:01) - How would you describe the Midstream business in 2020?

(11:08) - What was the outside capital environment? What did the first day in the office look like?

(12:32) -  Can you paint a picture of where the company is today?

(14:10) - What’s life like as a private CEO vs. a public CEO?

(16:25) - Do things like strategy and vision evolve when you go from 50 employees to 1,000+?

(17:48) - What's the state of oil & gas today and is this different from cycles in the past?

(22:09) - What are the businesses that will survive COVID doing right now?

(23:26) - How do you view ESG? (Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance)

(25:54) - How Chris and Barry Met and the Significance of this Episode

(26:59) - How did thinking about a balanced life and doing things differently from others in business captivate you?

(29:25) - How are you able to incorporate faith with business leadership?

(32:04) - Are there certain things someone in their 30's can do that will set them up for their 2nd half of life?

(34:18) - What is the Better Man organization?

(37:52) - What is biblical manhood vs. how manhood is defined by today’s culture?

(39:16) - What’s the experience like in the curriculum?

(40:54) - When did you get involved with the Halftime Institute and how has it impacted you?

(43:17) - How do you plan on spending the 2nd half of your life?

(44:38) - Do you have a morning routine?

(45:41) - What does ‘do the right thing and you’ll always be able to go back to where you’ve been’ mean?

(47:06) - What’s a book you’ve read that has had an impact on you?

The Bible
Halftime by Bob Beuford
7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey
Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller

(48:53) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on for the world to see, what would you put?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3099 no #79: Rayne Austin - Cattle Business 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, the VP of Stronghold Resource Partners, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how COVID-19 exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   (03:46) - Rayne’s Background (05:43) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next? (08:42) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase? (09:52) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened? (10:14) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase? (10:57) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard? (12:05) - How many calves fit in a truckload? (12:24) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard? (14:00) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase? (14:20) - What’s the pricing model for cattle? (16:40) - What do cows look like at the end of the stocker phase? What happens when they move to the feed yard? (17:50) - How long do they stay in the feed yard? (18:06) - Where does all that feed come from? (18:41) - Do they go to slaughter from the feed yard? (19:05) - Why don’t folks complete all three phases under one roof? (20:22) - What are the biggest risks in the industry? (21:33 ) - What are the biggest upsides to the business? (22:31) - Why were the packing houses doing well but not the cattle ranchers during COVID? (24:08) - What happens when you have cattle ready to leave the feed yard but packers not willing to take them? (25:28) - Can a cow get ‘too big’ to where it affects the meat? (26:19) - How is veal made? (27:25) - Rayne’s Experience Working at the Largest Virtual Auctioneering House (29:34) - Does everyone buy in the business hedge or is it case by case? (30:41) - Why are calves who haven’t been weened high risk? (31:36) - Why do some people hedge and some don’t? (33:04) - How is the majority of this business made up from an ownership perspective? (37:39) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like? (39:56) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult? (41:41) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week? (44:35) - How many cattle are there per acre in America? (1:11:31) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle? (1:11:58) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID? (1:13:10) - How far out can you hedge? (1:14:26) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business? (1:15:58) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher? (1:16:35) - How would you value a cattle operation? (1:18:44) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China (1:19:49) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it? (1:21:45) - What is a day like for a ranch hand? (1:24:01) - What does it cost to lease land to put your cattle on? (1:26:25) - We’ve found ways to make food for cheaper and less. At what point have we gone too far and we’re just making bad beef? (1:28:02) - Do cattle ranchers pay insurance on the cattle? (1:29:58) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry? (1:30:42) - What’s your favorite cut of beef? (1:31:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 14 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #79: Rayne Austin - Cattle Business 101 full 1 79 Chris Powers Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, the VP of Stronghold Resource Partners, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big... Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, the VP of Stronghold Resource Partners, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how COVID-19 exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   (03:46) - Rayne’s Background (05:43) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next? (08:42) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase? (09:52) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened? (10:14) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase? (10:57) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard? (12:05) - How many calves fit in a truckload? (12:24) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard? (14:00) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase? (14:20) - What’s the pricing model for cattle? (16:40) - What do cows look like at the end of the stocker phase? What happens when they move to the feed yard? (17:50) - How long do they stay in the feed yard? (18:06) - Where does all that feed come from? (18:41) - Do they go to slaughter from the feed yard? (19:05) - Why don’t folks complete all three phases under one roof? (20:22) - What are the biggest risks in the industry? (21:33 ) - What are the biggest upsides to the business? (22:31) - Why were the packing houses doing well but not the cattle ranchers during COVID? (24:08) - What happens when you have cattle ready to leave the feed yard but packers not willing to take them? (25:28) - Can a cow get ‘too big’ to where it affects the meat? (26:19) - How is veal made? (27:25) - Rayne’s Experience Working at the Largest Virtual Auctioneering House (29:34) - Does everyone buy in the business hedge or is it case by case? (30:41) - Why are calves who haven’t been weened high risk? (31:36) - Why do some people hedge and some don’t? (33:04) - How is the majority of this business made up from an ownership perspective? (37:39) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like? (39:56) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult? (41:41) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week? (44:35) - How many cattle are there per acre in America? (1:11:31) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle? (1:11:58) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID? (1:13:10) - How far out can you hedge? (1:14:26) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business? (1:15:58) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher? (1:16:35) - How would you value a cattle operation? (1:18:44) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China (1:19:49) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it? (1:21:45) - What is a day like for a ranch hand? (1:24:01) - What does it cost to lease land to put your cattle on? (1:26:25) - We’ve found ways to make food for cheaper and less. At what point have we gone too far and we’re just making bad beef? (1:28:02) - Do cattle ranchers pay insurance on the cattle? (1:29:58) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry? (1:30:42) - What’s your favorite cut of beef? (1:31:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, the VP of Stronghold Resource Partners, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how COVID-19 exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

 

(03:46) - Rayne’s Background

(05:43) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next?

(08:42) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase?

(09:52) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened?

(10:14) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase?

(10:57) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard?

(12:05) - How many calves fit in a truckload?

(12:24) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard?

(14:00) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase?

(14:20) - What’s the pricing model for cattle?

(16:40) - What do cows look like at the end of the stocker phase? What happens when they move to the feed yard?

(17:50) - How long do they stay in the feed yard?

(18:06) - Where does all that feed come from?

(18:41) - Do they go to slaughter from the feed yard?

(19:05) - Why don’t folks complete all three phases under one roof?

(20:22) - What are the biggest risks in the industry?

(21:33 ) - What are the biggest upsides to the business?

(22:31) - Why were the packing houses doing well but not the cattle ranchers during COVID?

(24:08) - What happens when you have cattle ready to leave the feed yard but packers not willing to take them?

(25:28) - Can a cow get ‘too big’ to where it affects the meat?

(26:19) - How is veal made?

(27:25) - Rayne’s Experience Working at the Largest Virtual Auctioneering House

(29:34) - Does everyone buy in the business hedge or is it case by case?

(30:41) - Why are calves who haven’t been weened high risk?

(31:36) - Why do some people hedge and some don’t?

(33:04) - How is the majority of this business made up from an ownership perspective?

(37:39) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like?

(39:56) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult?

(41:41) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week?

(44:35) - How many cattle are there per acre in America?

(1:11:31) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle?

(1:11:58) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID?

(1:13:10) - How far out can you hedge?

(1:14:26) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business?

(1:15:58) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher?

(1:16:35) - How would you value a cattle operation?

(1:18:44) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China

(1:19:49) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it?

(1:21:45) - What is a day like for a ranch hand?

(1:24:01) - What does it cost to lease land to put your cattle on?

(1:26:25) - We’ve found ways to make food for cheaper and less. At what point have we gone too far and we’re just making bad beef?

(1:28:02) - Do cattle ranchers pay insurance on the cattle?

(1:29:58) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry?

(1:30:42) - What’s your favorite cut of beef?

(1:31:01) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5676 no RE #78: Antonia Botero - Founder & Principal at MADD Project https://www.TheFortPod.com On today's episode, Antonia Botero, the Founder and Principal at MADD Project, joins Chris to discuss her experience in large scale multi-family conversions and ground-up development construction in Manhattan. They'll discuss project & construction management in the real estate industry, how to hire a General Contractor, how to make a great contract, early things to do to make a project more successful, ways to save on project costs, holding contractors accountable, negotiating and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   (02:35) - How did you become a wizard in project & construction management? (06:31) - What does studying architecture mean from your perspective and do you recommend others do the same? (09:57) -  How has technology opened the ecosystem for people to quickly study architecture? (11:45) - What does ‘getting into the field’ mean to you? Why were you drawn to it? (12:37) - Designing Feasible Buildings vs. Buildings that Simply Look Good in a Rendering (15:29) - What is MADD Project? (15:57) - Why is having an owner's rep useful? (19:45) - When is the best time to hire an owner’s rep in a project? (22:35) - What is it like getting a project done in a mega-city like New York and dealing with community boards? (27:32) - What’s the difference in breakdowns on the consulting side of MADD Project? (30:53) - What’s the best way to hold contractors accountable to their timeline? (33:29) - What are three things that make for a really strong contract? (35:32) - Are you usually the GC on a project or do you help hire a GC?  (38:25) - What does bonding mean? (39:29) - Which incentive structures work best with contractors? (42:42) - What is a GMP?  (Guaranteed Maximum Price) (45:20) - When entering a brand new market, what are things you want to hear from a GC before doing business with them? (47:08) - What do drawings look like in a good place vs. a bad place? (48:40) - How do you know who’s worked on a certain project when talking to GCs? (49:25) - Have you learned any major lessons following big mistakes? (58:07) - How do you deal with change orders if there’s ambiguity in the contract? (1:00:12) - What next-gen construction form do you see having the most viable cost savings over the next 5-10 years? (1:02:41) - Are you seeing signs that construction costs will come down? (1:04:30) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:06:03) - What’s the best advice you’ve received? (1:06:22) - What is the best book you’ve read recently? The Art of Asking - Amanda Palmer (1:07:05) - How has twitter impacted you and your business? (1:09:14) - If you owned a billboard on the side of the road, what would you put on it for the world to see? (1:10:12) - Antonia's Contact Information Antonia's Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 08 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #78: Antonia Botero - Founder & Principal at MADD Project full 1 78 Chris Powers On today's episode, Antonia Botero, the Founder and Principal at MADD Project, joins Chris to discuss her experience in large scale multi-family conversions and ground-up development construction in Manhattan. They'll discuss project &... On today's episode, Antonia Botero, the Founder and Principal at MADD Project, joins Chris to discuss her experience in large scale multi-family conversions and ground-up development construction in Manhattan. They'll discuss project & construction management in the real estate industry, how to hire a General Contractor, how to make a great contract, early things to do to make a project more successful, ways to save on project costs, holding contractors accountable, negotiating and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com   (02:35) - How did you become a wizard in project & construction management? (06:31) - What does studying architecture mean from your perspective and do you recommend others do the same? (09:57) -  How has technology opened the ecosystem for people to quickly study architecture? (11:45) - What does ‘getting into the field’ mean to you? Why were you drawn to it? (12:37) - Designing Feasible Buildings vs. Buildings that Simply Look Good in a Rendering (15:29) - What is MADD Project? (15:57) - Why is having an owner's rep useful? (19:45) - When is the best time to hire an owner’s rep in a project? (22:35) - What is it like getting a project done in a mega-city like New York and dealing with community boards? (27:32) - What’s the difference in breakdowns on the consulting side of MADD Project? (30:53) - What’s the best way to hold contractors accountable to their timeline? (33:29) - What are three things that make for a really strong contract? (35:32) - Are you usually the GC on a project or do you help hire a GC?  (38:25) - What does bonding mean? (39:29) - Which incentive structures work best with contractors? (42:42) - What is a GMP?  (Guaranteed Maximum Price) (45:20) - When entering a brand new market, what are things you want to hear from a GC before doing business with them? (47:08) - What do drawings look like in a good place vs. a bad place? (48:40) - How do you know who’s worked on a certain project when talking to GCs? (49:25) - Have you learned any major lessons following big mistakes? (58:07) - How do you deal with change orders if there’s ambiguity in the contract? (1:00:12) - What next-gen construction form do you see having the most viable cost savings over the next 5-10 years? (1:02:41) - Are you seeing signs that construction costs will come down? (1:04:30) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:06:03) - What’s the best advice you’ve received? (1:06:22) - What is the best book you’ve read recently? The Art of Asking - Amanda Palmer (1:07:05) - How has twitter impacted you and your business? (1:09:14) - If you owned a billboard on the side of the road, what would you put on it for the world to see? (1:10:12) - Antonia's Contact Information Antonia's Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On today's episode, Antonia Botero, the Founder and Principal at MADD Project, joins Chris to discuss her experience in large scale multi-family conversions and ground-up development construction in Manhattan. They'll discuss project & construction management in the real estate industry, how to hire a General Contractor, how to make a great contract, early things to do to make a project more successful, ways to save on project costs, holding contractors accountable, negotiating and much more. Enjoy!


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

 

(02:35) - How did you become a wizard in project & construction management?

(06:31) - What does studying architecture mean from your perspective and do you recommend others do the same?

(09:57) -  How has technology opened the ecosystem for people to quickly study architecture?

(11:45) - What does ‘getting into the field’ mean to you? Why were you drawn to it?

(12:37) - Designing Feasible Buildings vs. Buildings that Simply Look Good in a Rendering

(15:29) - What is MADD Project?

(15:57) - Why is having an owner's rep useful?

(19:45) - When is the best time to hire an owner’s rep in a project?

(22:35) - What is it like getting a project done in a mega-city like New York and dealing with community boards?

(27:32) - What’s the difference in breakdowns on the consulting side of MADD Project?

(30:53) - What’s the best way to hold contractors accountable to their timeline?

(33:29) - What are three things that make for a really strong contract?

(35:32) - Are you usually the GC on a project or do you help hire a GC? 

(38:25) - What does bonding mean?

(39:29) - Which incentive structures work best with contractors?

(42:42) - What is a GMP?  (Guaranteed Maximum Price)

(45:20) - When entering a brand new market, what are things you want to hear from a GC before doing business with them?

(47:08) - What do drawings look like in a good place vs. a bad place?

(48:40) - How do you know who’s worked on a certain project when talking to GCs?

(49:25) - Have you learned any major lessons following big mistakes?

(58:07) - How do you deal with change orders if there’s ambiguity in the contract?

(1:00:12) - What next-gen construction form do you see having the most viable cost savings over the next 5-10 years?

(1:02:41) - Are you seeing signs that construction costs will come down?

(1:04:30) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:06:03) - What’s the best advice you’ve received?

(1:06:22) - What is the best book you’ve read recently?
The Art of Asking - Amanda Palmer

(1:07:05) - How has twitter impacted you and your business?

(1:09:14) - If you owned a billboard on the side of the road, what would you put on it for the world to see?

(1:10:12) - Antonia's Contact Information
Antonia's Twitter


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4360 no RE #77: Sce Pike - Founder & CEO of IOTAS - Smart Home Technology https://www.TheFortPod.com Sce Pike is the Founder and CEO of IOTAS, a complete smart apartment ecosystem with simple installation giving residents the best user experience for their Smart Apartments. On this episode, she and Chris talk about the early days of the startup, the importance of getting right in front of your customers, how IOTAS is helping users at the property management level, Sce's experience during the DotCom Bubble, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapital.com (01:42) - Sce’s Story (03:40) - What did IOTAS look like early on as a startup? (05:49) - Are there things about IOTAS that might have been different if you hadn’t started the company in an actual apartment? (08:19) -  Can you explain the IOTAS product from a software perspective and how it integrates with hardware? (10:33) - Are you a better fit for someone building brand new units or are you able to integrate with an already established apartment? (12:14) - For fully operating complexes, what is IOTAS' process for coming in and integrating everything? (13:28) - What are the most common ways that tenants are using the product? (15:08) - What does it look like at the property management level? (16:37) - Is there data on the average savings amount you’ll present to potential customers? (17:17) - Do you provide reports on efficiencies? (17:59) - What’s the long term vision for how the IOTAS set up works? (18:36) - Is there anything that the IOTAS product is doing that you didn't expect? (22:42) - What are the biggest bottlenecks for your ability to scale? (24:50) - How did the partnership with Amazon come about and why did you choose them? (28:46) - What’s the difference between using Alexa without linking their account and actually linking it? (29:31) - When are potential tenants interacting with Alexa? (30:36) - Is this an exclusive partnership with Amazon? (30:52) - What’s it like working with Amazon? (31:51) - Is Apple trying to get into this space? (32:26) - What does an exit look like in this space? (33:26) - What’s the definition of a TelCo from your perspective? (33:55) - How did you get into this industry? (35:46) - What was your web design business like in college? (36:19) - What was the DotCom Bubble like in the early 2000s? (37:18) - What was it that ended the company you were employed with during the bust? (40:00) - What is "creative destruction"? (41:18) - How were you able to create self-guided tours and have them ready in 4 weeks? (43:07) - How does the self-guided tour work? (44:52) - Where have you learned your leadership style? (45:45) - What’s the reality of Portland right now? (47:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (49:19) - What’s the best advice someone’s ever given you? (49:59) - Any books that have inspired you? The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horrowitz Measure What Matters - John Doerr (50:53) - If there was a billboard that you could put anything on for the world to see, what would it show? (51:14) - What's the best way to reach you or find IOTAS? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 05 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #77: Sce Pike - Founder & CEO of IOTAS - Smart Home Technology full 1 78 Chris Powers Sce Pike is the Founder and CEO of IOTAS, a complete smart apartment ecosystem with simple installation giving residents the best user experience for their Smart Apartments. On this episode, she and Chris talk about the early days of the startup, the... Sce Pike is the Founder and CEO of IOTAS, a complete smart apartment ecosystem with simple installation giving residents the best user experience for their Smart Apartments. On this episode, she and Chris talk about the early days of the startup, the importance of getting right in front of your customers, how IOTAS is helping users at the property management level, Sce's experience during the DotCom Bubble, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapital.com (01:42) - Sce’s Story (03:40) - What did IOTAS look like early on as a startup? (05:49) - Are there things about IOTAS that might have been different if you hadn’t started the company in an actual apartment? (08:19) -  Can you explain the IOTAS product from a software perspective and how it integrates with hardware? (10:33) - Are you a better fit for someone building brand new units or are you able to integrate with an already established apartment? (12:14) - For fully operating complexes, what is IOTAS' process for coming in and integrating everything? (13:28) - What are the most common ways that tenants are using the product? (15:08) - What does it look like at the property management level? (16:37) - Is there data on the average savings amount you’ll present to potential customers? (17:17) - Do you provide reports on efficiencies? (17:59) - What’s the long term vision for how the IOTAS set up works? (18:36) - Is there anything that the IOTAS product is doing that you didn't expect? (22:42) - What are the biggest bottlenecks for your ability to scale? (24:50) - How did the partnership with Amazon come about and why did you choose them? (28:46) - What’s the difference between using Alexa without linking their account and actually linking it? (29:31) - When are potential tenants interacting with Alexa? (30:36) - Is this an exclusive partnership with Amazon? (30:52) - What’s it like working with Amazon? (31:51) - Is Apple trying to get into this space? (32:26) - What does an exit look like in this space? (33:26) - What’s the definition of a TelCo from your perspective? (33:55) - How did you get into this industry? (35:46) - What was your web design business like in college? (36:19) - What was the DotCom Bubble like in the early 2000s? (37:18) - What was it that ended the company you were employed with during the bust? (40:00) - What is "creative destruction"? (41:18) - How were you able to create self-guided tours and have them ready in 4 weeks? (43:07) - How does the self-guided tour work? (44:52) - Where have you learned your leadership style? (45:45) - What’s the reality of Portland right now? (47:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (49:19) - What’s the best advice someone’s ever given you? (49:59) - Any books that have inspired you? The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horrowitz Measure What Matters - John Doerr (50:53) - If there was a billboard that you could put anything on for the world to see, what would it show? (51:14) - What's the best way to reach you or find IOTAS? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Sce Pike is the Founder and CEO of IOTAS, a complete smart apartment ecosystem with simple installation giving residents the best user experience for their Smart Apartments. On this episode, she and Chris talk about the early days of the startup, the importance of getting right in front of your customers, how IOTAS is helping users at the property management level, Sce's experience during the DotCom Bubble, and much more. Enjoy!


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapital.com

(01:42) - Sce’s Story

(03:40) - What did IOTAS look like early on as a startup?

(05:49) - Are there things about IOTAS that might have been different if you hadn’t started the company in an actual apartment?

(08:19) -  Can you explain the IOTAS product from a software perspective and how it integrates with hardware?

(10:33) - Are you a better fit for someone building brand new units or are you able to integrate with an already established apartment?

(12:14) - For fully operating complexes, what is IOTAS' process for coming in and integrating everything?

(13:28) - What are the most common ways that tenants are using the product?

(15:08) - What does it look like at the property management level?

(16:37) - Is there data on the average savings amount you’ll present to potential customers?

(17:17) - Do you provide reports on efficiencies?

(17:59) - What’s the long term vision for how the IOTAS set up works?

(18:36) - Is there anything that the IOTAS product is doing that you didn't expect?

(22:42) - What are the biggest bottlenecks for your ability to scale?

(24:50) - How did the partnership with Amazon come about and why did you choose them?

(28:46) - What’s the difference between using Alexa without linking their account and actually linking it?

(29:31) - When are potential tenants interacting with Alexa?

(30:36) - Is this an exclusive partnership with Amazon?

(30:52) - What’s it like working with Amazon?

(31:51) - Is Apple trying to get into this space?

(32:26) - What does an exit look like in this space?

(33:26) - What’s the definition of a TelCo from your perspective?

(33:55) - How did you get into this industry?

(35:46) - What was your web design business like in college?

(36:19) - What was the DotCom Bubble like in the early 2000s?

(37:18) - What was it that ended the company you were employed with during the bust?

(40:00) - What is "creative destruction"?

(41:18) - How were you able to create self-guided tours and have them ready in 4 weeks?

(43:07) - How does the self-guided tour work?

(44:52) - Where have you learned your leadership style?

(45:45) - What’s the reality of Portland right now?

(47:54) - Do you have a morning routine?

(49:19) - What’s the best advice someone’s ever given you?

(49:59) - Any books that have inspired you?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horrowitz
Measure What Matters - John Doerr

(50:53) - If there was a billboard that you could put anything on for the world to see, what would it show?

(51:14) - What's the best way to reach you or find IOTAS?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3220 no RE #76: Mark Duclos - Co-Founder/President at Sentry Commercial & President of SIOR https://www.TheFortPod.com Mark Duclos is the Co-founder & President of Sentry Commercial and the President of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Sentry focuses on brokerage, property management, and construction management based in the Hartford and Western Massachusetts area. On this episode, they discuss the future of the office, working on deals with massive companies like Amazon, technology in real estate, Mark's experience in SIOR, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:58) - Mark’s Story (07:26) - Which markets are you focused on and where are they located? (08:55) - What’s going on in the Western Mass/Connecticut market right now within the asset classes you work in? (12:50) - Are people that are leaving Connecticut staying in New England or are they leaving the area completely? (13:39) - What’s your take on office in the next 12 months? (16:51) - Do you think that NYC will come back stronger than ever or is there more permanent damage that people are overlooking? (18:14) -  Are you seeing an influx of demand for E-commerce? (19:56) - Is there anything different about working with Amazon compared to other clients? (21:36) - Is the 3.8 million square feet all under one roof or how is that broken out? (22:45) - Are you involved in any of the Amazon moves to purchase defunct malls, JC Penny, Sears, etc.? (23:40) - What is SIOR and why did you become so involved? (26:02) - How do you become a member of SIOR? (26:57) - What kind of insights does SIOR provide its members? (28:11) - What is your role as president of SIOR? (30:24) - What have you learned in this leadership role through the past year? (32:16) - How does your business use technology and why is it so important as we move forward? (36:27) - Why did you decide to get into Residential & then into Multi-Family? (37:44) - Do you have a morning routine? (40:10) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (41:46) - Is there a book that has had an impact on you? - Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi - Feedly: The News Aggregator (42:44) - If there was a billboard you could put anything on for the world to see, what would you put? (44:09) - How can people contact you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts   Wed, 30 Sep 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #76: Mark Duclos - Co-Founder/President at Sentry Commercial & President of SIOR full 1 76 Chris Powers Mark Duclos is the Co-founder & President of Sentry Commercial and the President of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Sentry focuses on brokerage, property management, and construction management based in the Hartford and... Mark Duclos is the Co-founder & President of Sentry Commercial and the President of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Sentry focuses on brokerage, property management, and construction management based in the Hartford and Western Massachusetts area. On this episode, they discuss the future of the office, working on deals with massive companies like Amazon, technology in real estate, Mark's experience in SIOR, and much more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:58) - Mark’s Story (07:26) - Which markets are you focused on and where are they located? (08:55) - What’s going on in the Western Mass/Connecticut market right now within the asset classes you work in? (12:50) - Are people that are leaving Connecticut staying in New England or are they leaving the area completely? (13:39) - What’s your take on office in the next 12 months? (16:51) - Do you think that NYC will come back stronger than ever or is there more permanent damage that people are overlooking? (18:14) -  Are you seeing an influx of demand for E-commerce? (19:56) - Is there anything different about working with Amazon compared to other clients? (21:36) - Is the 3.8 million square feet all under one roof or how is that broken out? (22:45) - Are you involved in any of the Amazon moves to purchase defunct malls, JC Penny, Sears, etc.? (23:40) - What is SIOR and why did you become so involved? (26:02) - How do you become a member of SIOR? (26:57) - What kind of insights does SIOR provide its members? (28:11) - What is your role as president of SIOR? (30:24) - What have you learned in this leadership role through the past year? (32:16) - How does your business use technology and why is it so important as we move forward? (36:27) - Why did you decide to get into Residential & then into Multi-Family? (37:44) - Do you have a morning routine? (40:10) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (41:46) - Is there a book that has had an impact on you? - Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi - Feedly: The News Aggregator (42:44) - If there was a billboard you could put anything on for the world to see, what would you put? (44:09) - How can people contact you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts   Mark Duclos is the Co-founder & President of Sentry Commercial and the President of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Sentry focuses on brokerage, property management, and construction management based in the Hartford and Western Massachusetts area. On this episode, they discuss the future of the office, working on deals with massive companies like Amazon, technology in real estate, Mark's experience in SIOR, and much more. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(01:58) - Mark’s Story

(07:26) - Which markets are you focused on and where are they located?

(08:55) - What’s going on in the Western Mass/Connecticut market right now within the asset classes you work in?

(12:50) - Are people that are leaving Connecticut staying in New England or are they leaving the area completely?

(13:39) - What’s your take on office in the next 12 months?

(16:51) - Do you think that NYC will come back stronger than ever or is there more permanent damage that people are overlooking?

(18:14) -  Are you seeing an influx of demand for E-commerce?

(19:56) - Is there anything different about working with Amazon compared to other clients?

(21:36) - Is the 3.8 million square feet all under one roof or how is that broken out?

(22:45) - Are you involved in any of the Amazon moves to purchase defunct malls, JC Penny, Sears, etc.?

(23:40) - What is SIOR and why did you become so involved?

(26:02) - How do you become a member of SIOR?

(26:57) - What kind of insights does SIOR provide its members?

(28:11) - What is your role as president of SIOR?

(30:24) - What have you learned in this leadership role through the past year?

(32:16) - How does your business use technology and why is it so important as we move forward?

(36:27) - Why did you decide to get into Residential & then into Multi-Family?

(37:44) - Do you have a morning routine?

(40:10) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(41:46) - Is there a book that has had an impact on you?

- Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
- Feedly: The News Aggregator

(42:44) - If there was a billboard you could put anything on for the world to see, what would you put?

(44:09) - How can people contact you?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

 

]]> 2813 no RE #74: Chris Powers - Why Fort Capital Buys Class B Industrial https://www.TheFortPod.com On today's episode, Chris breaks down why Fort Capital has spent so much time and energy in the Class B Industrial space over the past 4+ years. He lists the four most important reasons for pursuing Class B Industrial as well as why he believes this asset class has a promising future. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:09) - Episode Agenda (01:40) - The “ah-ha” Moment in 2016 and 4 Big Ideas (02:07) - Idea 1: Do we think online sales will increase or decrease? (02:49) - Idea 2: Class B Industrial is Infill in Nature (03:29) - Idea 3: How Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber, Goes on to Found Cloud Kitchens Using Industrial Space (05:16) - Idea 4: The Depleting Supply Class and Growing Tenant Base (10:21) - Why Class B Industrial is Sticky (12:02) - The Cannabis Opportunity for Class B Industrial (13:00) - The Historical Ownership of Class B Industrial & Flying Under the Institutional Radar (14:25) - Class B Industrial Has a Predictable CapEx (16:16) - Management in Class B Industrial (17:16) - The Value Add and Their Un-Sexiness (18:13) - The Wrap Up (19:36) - Call Out to Owners & Brokers Looking to Chat/Sell Industrial Fort Capital's Deal Incentive Program The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 16 Sep 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #74: Chris Powers - Why Fort Capital Buys Class B Industrial full 1 74 Chris Powers On today's episode, Chris breaks down why Fort Capital has spent so much time and energy in the Class B Industrial space over the past 4+ years. He lists the four most important reasons for pursuing Class B Industrial as well as why he believes this... On today's episode, Chris breaks down why Fort Capital has spent so much time and energy in the Class B Industrial space over the past 4+ years. He lists the four most important reasons for pursuing Class B Industrial as well as why he believes this asset class has a promising future. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (01:09) - Episode Agenda (01:40) - The “ah-ha” Moment in 2016 and 4 Big Ideas (02:07) - Idea 1: Do we think online sales will increase or decrease? (02:49) - Idea 2: Class B Industrial is Infill in Nature (03:29) - Idea 3: How Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber, Goes on to Found Cloud Kitchens Using Industrial Space (05:16) - Idea 4: The Depleting Supply Class and Growing Tenant Base (10:21) - Why Class B Industrial is Sticky (12:02) - The Cannabis Opportunity for Class B Industrial (13:00) - The Historical Ownership of Class B Industrial & Flying Under the Institutional Radar (14:25) - Class B Industrial Has a Predictable CapEx (16:16) - Management in Class B Industrial (17:16) - The Value Add and Their Un-Sexiness (18:13) - The Wrap Up (19:36) - Call Out to Owners & Brokers Looking to Chat/Sell Industrial Fort Capital's Deal Incentive Program The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On today's episode, Chris breaks down why Fort Capital has spent so much time and energy in the Class B Industrial space over the past 4+ years. He lists the four most important reasons for pursuing Class B Industrial as well as why he believes this asset class has a promising future. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(01:09) - Episode Agenda

(01:40) - The “ah-ha” Moment in 2016 and 4 Big Ideas

(02:07) - Idea 1: Do we think online sales will increase or decrease?

(02:49) - Idea 2: Class B Industrial is Infill in Nature

(03:29) - Idea 3: How Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber, Goes on to Found Cloud Kitchens Using Industrial Space

(05:16) - Idea 4: The Depleting Supply Class and Growing Tenant Base

(10:21) - Why Class B Industrial is Sticky

(12:02) - The Cannabis Opportunity for Class B Industrial

(13:00) - The Historical Ownership of Class B Industrial & Flying Under the Institutional Radar

(14:25) - Class B Industrial Has a Predictable CapEx

(16:16) - Management in Class B Industrial

(17:16) - The Value Add and Their Un-Sexiness

(18:13) - The Wrap Up

(19:36) - Call Out to Owners & Brokers Looking to Chat/Sell Industrial

Fort Capital's Deal Incentive Program
The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 1344 no RE #73: Nick Huber - Self Storage & Sweaty Businesses https://www.TheFortPod.com Today's episode features Nick Huber, the founder of The Sweaty Startup - a podcast packed with the principles, strategies, and methods used to grow successful companies and Storage Squad which provides student storage, self storage, and moving services. Today, Nick and Chris discuss the importance of the 'un-sexy' jobs that keep the country running, Nick's additional startup Storage Squad that he founded during college, his unique capital structure when doing deals, how Nick incorporates technology into his business, the benefits they both have gotten from Twitter & more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:23) - Nick’s Journey (03:09) - How did you come up with the idea for Storage Squad? (06:11) - Is Storage Squad still running today? (06:34) - Where do you see that business going? (07:21) - How did you meet Dan? How did he become your business partner? (08:06) - What was it like being a decathlete and training for the Olympics? (09:31) - How do you describe your podcast The Sweaty Startup? (12:22) - What are you thinking about in terms of ‘Sweaty’ businesses that can do really well in this unique COVID environment? (14:30) - What’s it going to take to get this next generation of people excited about blue collar work? (16:05) - Nick’s Twitter Rebuttals to the VC/Tech World (16:58) - When did you buy your first self-storage deal? (19:03) -  Why did you choose to develop a deal in this market? (19:45) - What factors play into analyzing a market you are interested in? (21:13) - When do you go boots on the ground while finding deals? (22:04) - Why are you hyper-focused on tertiary markets instead of core markets? (23:13) - What’s the difference between a Class A storage unit and what you are buying? (23:52) - What makes you bullish about self-storage? (26:00) - Nick Explains His ‘Weird’ Capital Structure (29:33) - When you’re buying a deal, are you calling local banks in that market or do you have a go-to bank that will travel with you? (30:11) - Are you planning to turn this into a franchise? (31:05) - Nick’s Family Values and Living Frugally (34:49) - One of the Most Interesting Deals Nick has Done (38:47) - What do you actually have to do to evict someone from a storage unit? (39:53) - Do you see the selling of left over stuff as a profit center or a pain in the ass? (40:46) - The Gloversville Deal (44:53) - The Technology Nick Uses to Remotely Manage Properties (47:44) - What’s the average length of a lease in your portfolio? (48:16) - What does an average unit lease for? (49:19) - What’s the craziest thing you've seen left behind and the most expensive thing left behind in a unit? (50:08) - Nick’s Crazy 10-Year Prediction for the Future (52:37) - How do you incorporate digital marketing into your business? (54:42) - How do you think about risk? (57:21) - Where do you want your business to be in 10 years? (58:46) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:01:35) - The Pros and Cons of Twitter and Media (1:05:53) - What’s the best advice you have ever received? (1:07:27) - How can people contact you? Contact Nick: @sweatystartup Books Mentioned: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry  The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 09 Sep 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #73: Nick Huber - Self Storage & Sweaty Businesses full 1 73 Chris Powers Today's episode features Nick Huber, the founder of The Sweaty Startup - a podcast packed with the principles, strategies, and methods used to grow successful companies and Storage Squad which provides student storage, self storage, and moving... Today's episode features Nick Huber, the founder of The Sweaty Startup - a podcast packed with the principles, strategies, and methods used to grow successful companies and Storage Squad which provides student storage, self storage, and moving services. Today, Nick and Chris discuss the importance of the 'un-sexy' jobs that keep the country running, Nick's additional startup Storage Squad that he founded during college, his unique capital structure when doing deals, how Nick incorporates technology into his business, the benefits they both have gotten from Twitter & more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:23) - Nick’s Journey (03:09) - How did you come up with the idea for Storage Squad? (06:11) - Is Storage Squad still running today? (06:34) - Where do you see that business going? (07:21) - How did you meet Dan? How did he become your business partner? (08:06) - What was it like being a decathlete and training for the Olympics? (09:31) - How do you describe your podcast The Sweaty Startup? (12:22) - What are you thinking about in terms of ‘Sweaty’ businesses that can do really well in this unique COVID environment? (14:30) - What’s it going to take to get this next generation of people excited about blue collar work? (16:05) - Nick’s Twitter Rebuttals to the VC/Tech World (16:58) - When did you buy your first self-storage deal? (19:03) -  Why did you choose to develop a deal in this market? (19:45) - What factors play into analyzing a market you are interested in? (21:13) - When do you go boots on the ground while finding deals? (22:04) - Why are you hyper-focused on tertiary markets instead of core markets? (23:13) - What’s the difference between a Class A storage unit and what you are buying? (23:52) - What makes you bullish about self-storage? (26:00) - Nick Explains His ‘Weird’ Capital Structure (29:33) - When you’re buying a deal, are you calling local banks in that market or do you have a go-to bank that will travel with you? (30:11) - Are you planning to turn this into a franchise? (31:05) - Nick’s Family Values and Living Frugally (34:49) - One of the Most Interesting Deals Nick has Done (38:47) - What do you actually have to do to evict someone from a storage unit? (39:53) - Do you see the selling of left over stuff as a profit center or a pain in the ass? (40:46) - The Gloversville Deal (44:53) - The Technology Nick Uses to Remotely Manage Properties (47:44) - What’s the average length of a lease in your portfolio? (48:16) - What does an average unit lease for? (49:19) - What’s the craziest thing you've seen left behind and the most expensive thing left behind in a unit? (50:08) - Nick’s Crazy 10-Year Prediction for the Future (52:37) - How do you incorporate digital marketing into your business? (54:42) - How do you think about risk? (57:21) - Where do you want your business to be in 10 years? (58:46) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:01:35) - The Pros and Cons of Twitter and Media (1:05:53) - What’s the best advice you have ever received? (1:07:27) - How can people contact you? Contact Nick: @sweatystartup Books Mentioned: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry  The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Today's episode features Nick Huber, the founder of The Sweaty Startup - a podcast packed with the principles, strategies, and methods used to grow successful companies and Storage Squad which provides student storage, self storage, and moving services.

Today, Nick and Chris discuss the importance of the 'un-sexy' jobs that keep the country running, Nick's additional startup Storage Squad that he founded during college, his unique capital structure when doing deals, how Nick incorporates technology into his business, the benefits they both have gotten from Twitter & more. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

(02:23) - Nick’s Journey

(03:09) - How did you come up with the idea for Storage Squad?

(06:11) - Is Storage Squad still running today?

(06:34) - Where do you see that business going?

(07:21) - How did you meet Dan? How did he become your business partner?

(08:06) - What was it like being a decathlete and training for the Olympics?

(09:31) - How do you describe your podcast The Sweaty Startup?

(12:22) - What are you thinking about in terms of ‘Sweaty’ businesses that can do really well in this unique COVID environment?

(14:30) - What’s it going to take to get this next generation of people excited about blue collar work?

(16:05) - Nick’s Twitter Rebuttals to the VC/Tech World

(16:58) - When did you buy your first self-storage deal?

(19:03) -  Why did you choose to develop a deal in this market?

(19:45) - What factors play into analyzing a market you are interested in?

(21:13) - When do you go boots on the ground while finding deals?

(22:04) - Why are you hyper-focused on tertiary markets instead of core markets?

(23:13) - What’s the difference between a Class A storage unit and what you are buying?

(23:52) - What makes you bullish about self-storage?

(26:00) - Nick Explains His ‘Weird’ Capital Structure

(29:33) - When you’re buying a deal, are you calling local banks in that market or do you have a go-to bank that will travel with you?

(30:11) - Are you planning to turn this into a franchise?

(31:05) - Nick’s Family Values and Living Frugally

(34:49) - One of the Most Interesting Deals Nick has Done

(38:47) - What do you actually have to do to evict someone from a storage unit?

(39:53) - Do you see the selling of left over stuff as a profit center or a pain in the ass?

(40:46) - The Gloversville Deal

(44:53) - The Technology Nick Uses to Remotely Manage Properties

(47:44) - What’s the average length of a lease in your portfolio?

(48:16) - What does an average unit lease for?

(49:19) - What’s the craziest thing you've seen left behind and the most expensive thing left behind in a unit?

(50:08) - Nick’s Crazy 10-Year Prediction for the Future

(52:37) - How do you incorporate digital marketing into your business?

(54:42) - How do you think about risk?

(57:21) - Where do you want your business to be in 10 years?

(58:46) - Do you have a morning routine?

(1:01:35) - The Pros and Cons of Twitter and Media

(1:05:53) - What’s the best advice you have ever received?

(1:07:27) - How can people contact you?

Contact Nick: @sweatystartup
Books Mentioned: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry 

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4304 no #72: Charlie Royer - Co-Owner & Business Development at Royer Commercial https://www.TheFortPod.com Charlie Royer is the 4th generation to take up leadership at Royer Commercial Interiors (RCI), an office interiors supplier for the DFW metroplex. On this episode, Charlie and Chris discuss what it's like being in a company that has lasted 4 generations, what businesses of all sizes should be thinking about when working with their interiors supplier, and how RCI, and offices across the US, are adapting to the current business environment. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Fort Capital & Chris Powers: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:13) - Charlie’s Story Before Working in the Family Business (03:52) - What is it like being part of a 4th generation business? (05:41) - Is there something your family did differently to get to the 4th generation of ownership? (06:57) - How big is the office interior furniture market nationwide vs. in DFW? (08:00) - How often do you go to Haworth (furniture manufacturer) and what is that experience like? (08:53) - What do you consider a large project to look like? Is there a difference between working on a $1M deal vs. a $20M? (09:57) - How far in advance of a big job do you need to start working on it? (10:28) - What should small or medium sized business owners think about to avoid a stressful process? (12:49) - What are you and your clients saying about the world today vs. 1 year ago? (16:33) - Is there anything that companies are doing now that others should think about? (19:00) - Are you seeing potential for a WFH line of furniture? (20:34) - Which idea wins going forward? - A heavily remote team or a more spaced out office environment? (22:32) - Are you expecting more offices to abandon the open floor concept? (23:44) - Are there any COVID-era lines of furniture coming out? (26:12) - Do you get to see the company surveys showing what employees are asking for furniture wise? (27:42) - Is anything happening in government/health/education office trends that are different from traditional offices? (28:30) - Do you only sell new furniture or do you offer repurposed items? (31:13) - What has been the biggest change in office since the 1950’s? (33:35) - Is there a ‘godfather’ in the industry that everyone looks toward? (35:02) - What is the ‘all’ that you do for your clients? (37:37) - What are the coolest office features that you’ve seen that people love? (39:35) - Charlie’s Experience Working on Fort Worth’s Dickie’s Arena (43:55) - What does RCI look like 10 years from now? (47:03) - How does the scope of work change when you work with a 5,000+ person companies? (49:44) - How long would an installation for a company that big take? (51:18) - What do you tell companies to expect the day after installation? (52:41) - Why does the "furniture guy" always catch the flack? (53:04) - How did you learn business development? (55:48) - What crazy prediction would you make about the industry 10 years from today? (57:10) - What’s the best advice you have ever received? (57:16) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? (57:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Charlie's Favorite Books: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Traction Contact Charlie: charlier@royer-furn.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Fri, 04 Sep 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #72: Charlie Royer - Co-Owner & Business Development at Royer Commercial full 1 72 Chris Powers Charlie Royer is the 4th generation to take up leadership at Royer Commercial Interiors (RCI), an office interiors supplier for the DFW metroplex. On this episode, Charlie and Chris discuss what it's like being in a company that has lasted 4... Charlie Royer is the 4th generation to take up leadership at Royer Commercial Interiors (RCI), an office interiors supplier for the DFW metroplex. On this episode, Charlie and Chris discuss what it's like being in a company that has lasted 4 generations, what businesses of all sizes should be thinking about when working with their interiors supplier, and how RCI, and offices across the US, are adapting to the current business environment. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Fort Capital & Chris Powers: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:13) - Charlie’s Story Before Working in the Family Business (03:52) - What is it like being part of a 4th generation business? (05:41) - Is there something your family did differently to get to the 4th generation of ownership? (06:57) - How big is the office interior furniture market nationwide vs. in DFW? (08:00) - How often do you go to Haworth (furniture manufacturer) and what is that experience like? (08:53) - What do you consider a large project to look like? Is there a difference between working on a $1M deal vs. a $20M? (09:57) - How far in advance of a big job do you need to start working on it? (10:28) - What should small or medium sized business owners think about to avoid a stressful process? (12:49) - What are you and your clients saying about the world today vs. 1 year ago? (16:33) - Is there anything that companies are doing now that others should think about? (19:00) - Are you seeing potential for a WFH line of furniture? (20:34) - Which idea wins going forward? - A heavily remote team or a more spaced out office environment? (22:32) - Are you expecting more offices to abandon the open floor concept? (23:44) - Are there any COVID-era lines of furniture coming out? (26:12) - Do you get to see the company surveys showing what employees are asking for furniture wise? (27:42) - Is anything happening in government/health/education office trends that are different from traditional offices? (28:30) - Do you only sell new furniture or do you offer repurposed items? (31:13) - What has been the biggest change in office since the 1950’s? (33:35) - Is there a ‘godfather’ in the industry that everyone looks toward? (35:02) - What is the ‘all’ that you do for your clients? (37:37) - What are the coolest office features that you’ve seen that people love? (39:35) - Charlie’s Experience Working on Fort Worth’s Dickie’s Arena (43:55) - What does RCI look like 10 years from now? (47:03) - How does the scope of work change when you work with a 5,000+ person companies? (49:44) - How long would an installation for a company that big take? (51:18) - What do you tell companies to expect the day after installation? (52:41) - Why does the "furniture guy" always catch the flack? (53:04) - How did you learn business development? (55:48) - What crazy prediction would you make about the industry 10 years from today? (57:10) - What’s the best advice you have ever received? (57:16) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? (57:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Charlie's Favorite Books: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Traction Contact Charlie: charlier@royer-furn.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Charlie Royer is the 4th generation to take up leadership at Royer Commercial Interiors (RCI), an office interiors supplier for the DFW metroplex. On this episode, Charlie and Chris discuss what it's like being in a company that has lasted 4 generations, what businesses of all sizes should be thinking about when working with their interiors supplier, and how RCI, and offices across the US, are adapting to the current business environment. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Fort Capital & Chris Powers: www.FortCapitalLP.com


(02:13) - Charlie’s Story Before Working in the Family Business

(03:52) - What is it like being part of a 4th generation business?

(05:41) - Is there something your family did differently to get to the 4th generation of ownership?

(06:57) - How big is the office interior furniture market nationwide vs. in DFW?

(08:00) - How often do you go to Haworth (furniture manufacturer) and what is that experience like?

(08:53) - What do you consider a large project to look like? Is there a difference between working on a $1M deal vs. a $20M?

(09:57) - How far in advance of a big job do you need to start working on it?

(10:28) - What should small or medium sized business owners think about to avoid a stressful process?

(12:49) - What are you and your clients saying about the world today vs. 1 year ago?

(16:33) - Is there anything that companies are doing now that others should think about?

(19:00) - Are you seeing potential for a WFH line of furniture?

(20:34) - Which idea wins going forward? - A heavily remote team or a more spaced out office environment?

(22:32) - Are you expecting more offices to abandon the open floor concept?

(23:44) - Are there any COVID-era lines of furniture coming out?

(26:12) - Do you get to see the company surveys showing what employees are asking for furniture wise?

(27:42) - Is anything happening in government/health/education office trends that are different from traditional offices?

(28:30) - Do you only sell new furniture or do you offer repurposed items?

(31:13) - What has been the biggest change in office since the 1950’s?

(33:35) - Is there a ‘godfather’ in the industry that everyone looks toward?

(35:02) - What is the ‘all’ that you do for your clients?

(37:37) - What are the coolest office features that you’ve seen that people love?

(39:35) - Charlie’s Experience Working on Fort Worth’s Dickie’s Arena

(43:55) - What does RCI look like 10 years from now?

(47:03) - How does the scope of work change when you work with a 5,000+ person companies?

(49:44) - How long would an installation for a company that big take?

(51:18) - What do you tell companies to expect the day after installation?

(52:41) - Why does the "furniture guy" always catch the flack?

(53:04) - How did you learn business development?

(55:48) - What crazy prediction would you make about the industry 10 years from today?

(57:10) - What’s the best advice you have ever received?

(57:16) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

(57:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you?

Charlie's Favorite Books:
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters
Traction
Contact Charlie: charlier@royer-furn.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3597 no RE #71: Linda Day Harrison - Founder of theBrokerList.com https://www.TheFortPod.com Linda Day Harrison is the founder of theBrokerList.com, an interactive, collaborative community of CRE brokers and other professionals. Today they discuss Linda's experience in Real Estate as technology was becoming a major part of the industry, how she was able to build a tech company without any technical experience, the importance of building relationships both in-person and online, and how theBrokerList has impacted deals in the industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital www.FortCapitalLP.com Check out theBrokerList www.theBrokerList.com Contact Linda: linda@thebrokerlist.com Linda's Favorite Book: Feel The Fear...And Do It Anyways (01:56) — Linda’s Start in Real Estate (04:17) — How did you market your properties to brokers before the technology we have now? (10:45) — How did the idea for theBrokerList come about? (16:06) — How did you get started building the tech side of theBrokerList? (19:13) — How many brokers are on the list today? How do you continue to grow it? (20:23) — How has theBrokerList grown beyond just being a list? (22:17) — Linda's Deals & Experiences as a Result of theBrokerList (25:27) — Looking back, what would you have done differently? (28:08) — The Importance of Both Technology-Based Relationships and In-Person Relationships (32:41) — What info has stood out from your community marketing discussions throughout COVID? (34:38) — What are your thoughts on office use in the next year or so? (38:45) — How do you keep theBrokerList's tech up to speed without a full-time tech team? (41:28) — What is your ultimate goal for theBrokerList? (43:06) — Do you think about how your business is valued? (45:53) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (47:47) — What’s the best book you’ve ever read? (49:04) — How can people reach you and find theBrokerList? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 26 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #71: Linda Day Harrison - Founder of theBrokerList.com full 1 71 Chris Powers Linda Day Harrison is the founder of theBrokerList.com, an interactive, collaborative community of CRE brokers and other professionals. Today they discuss Linda's experience in Real Estate as technology was becoming a major part of the industry, how... Linda Day Harrison is the founder of theBrokerList.com, an interactive, collaborative community of CRE brokers and other professionals. Today they discuss Linda's experience in Real Estate as technology was becoming a major part of the industry, how she was able to build a tech company without any technical experience, the importance of building relationships both in-person and online, and how theBrokerList has impacted deals in the industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital www.FortCapitalLP.com Check out theBrokerList www.theBrokerList.com Contact Linda: linda@thebrokerlist.com Linda's Favorite Book: Feel The Fear...And Do It Anyways (01:56) — Linda’s Start in Real Estate (04:17) — How did you market your properties to brokers before the technology we have now? (10:45) — How did the idea for theBrokerList come about? (16:06) — How did you get started building the tech side of theBrokerList? (19:13) — How many brokers are on the list today? How do you continue to grow it? (20:23) — How has theBrokerList grown beyond just being a list? (22:17) — Linda's Deals & Experiences as a Result of theBrokerList (25:27) — Looking back, what would you have done differently? (28:08) — The Importance of Both Technology-Based Relationships and In-Person Relationships (32:41) — What info has stood out from your community marketing discussions throughout COVID? (34:38) — What are your thoughts on office use in the next year or so? (38:45) — How do you keep theBrokerList's tech up to speed without a full-time tech team? (41:28) — What is your ultimate goal for theBrokerList? (43:06) — Do you think about how your business is valued? (45:53) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (47:47) — What’s the best book you’ve ever read? (49:04) — How can people reach you and find theBrokerList? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Linda Day Harrison is the founder of theBrokerList.com, an interactive, collaborative community of CRE brokers and other professionals. Today they discuss Linda's experience in Real Estate as technology was becoming a major part of the industry, how she was able to build a tech company without any technical experience, the importance of building relationships both in-person and online, and how theBrokerList has impacted deals in the industry. Enjoy!


Follow Chris on Twitter www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital www.FortCapitalLP.com

Check out theBrokerList www.theBrokerList.com
Contact Linda: linda@thebrokerlist.com
Linda's Favorite Book: Feel The Fear...And Do It Anyways


(01:56) — Linda’s Start in Real Estate

(04:17) — How did you market your properties to brokers before the technology we have now?

(10:45) — How did the idea for theBrokerList come about?

(16:06) — How did you get started building the tech side of theBrokerList?

(19:13) — How many brokers are on the list today? How do you continue to grow it?

(20:23) — How has theBrokerList grown beyond just being a list?

(22:17) — Linda's Deals & Experiences as a Result of theBrokerList

(25:27) — Looking back, what would you have done differently?

(28:08) — The Importance of Both Technology-Based Relationships and In-Person Relationships

(32:41) — What info has stood out from your community marketing discussions throughout COVID?

(34:38) — What are your thoughts on office use in the next year or so?

(38:45) — How do you keep theBrokerList's tech up to speed without a full-time tech team?

(41:28) — What is your ultimate goal for theBrokerList?

(43:06) — Do you think about how your business is valued?

(45:53) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

(47:47) — What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

(49:04) — How can people reach you and find theBrokerList?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3147 no #70: Megan Hodges - Founder of The Dowry https://www.TheFortPod.com On today's episode, Chris interviews Megan Hodges, founder of The Dowry - an ethically-minded wedding gift registry and curated artisan marketplace. They discuss Megan's journey as a business owner, the transition of skills from a corporate career to a start up company, the mission behind The Dowry, and Megan's experience in digital marketing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Visit The Dowry: www.TheDowry.co Contact Megan: megan@meganhodges.org Megan's Favorite Book: Soft Selling in a Hard World (01:47) — Megan’s Career Before Founding The Dowry (07:22) — What was the inefficiency you addressed at your previous job? Do you think there are many employees who notice inefficiencies at big companies but never say anything? (09:56) — Why have you gravitated toward marketing and sales? (12:52) — Was there a moment when the lightbulb went off to start The Dowry? (18:36) — The Dowry and Its Mission (23:52) — When did you officially launch The Dowry? (28:52) — Are people spending more on gifts since they are not spending money on weddings (due to COVID)? (30:20) — What was the process of building out The Dowry website? (33:56) — How has the process of finding artisans evolved? (38:34) — Do you remember the first artisan who finally said "yes"? (40:00) — How do you find artisans? (43:19) — What does your criteria for finding artisans look like? (45:51) — Do most artisans sell their goods on other platforms as well? (47:46) — Are the majority of people buying gifts actually invited to the wedding? (51:36) — How did you pivot to raise capital in March when COVID hit? (56:32) —  When do you think weddings will start to take place again? What do you see a year from today? (1:00:07) — Who taught you digitally market? (1:05:30) — What is a naming convention? (1:07:39) — What is the best way to reach your customer? (1:10:43) — What does digital marketing look like for your company specifically? (1:13:35) — How do you feel about Amazon? (1:16:30) — How big is your target market? (1:18:29) — What advice would you give to a potential entrepreneur? (1:20:20) — Do you have a morning routine? (1:20:51) — What is the best advice you have ever received? (1:21:50) — What is the best book you have ever read? (1:23:14) — How can people contact you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 19 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #70: Megan Hodges - Founder of The Dowry full 1 70 Chris Powers On today's episode, Chris interviews Megan Hodges, founder of The Dowry - an ethically-minded wedding gift registry and curated artisan marketplace. They discuss Megan's journey as a business owner, the transition of skills from a corporate career to... On today's episode, Chris interviews Megan Hodges, founder of The Dowry - an ethically-minded wedding gift registry and curated artisan marketplace. They discuss Megan's journey as a business owner, the transition of skills from a corporate career to a start up company, the mission behind The Dowry, and Megan's experience in digital marketing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Visit The Dowry: www.TheDowry.co Contact Megan: megan@meganhodges.org Megan's Favorite Book: Soft Selling in a Hard World (01:47) — Megan’s Career Before Founding The Dowry (07:22) — What was the inefficiency you addressed at your previous job? Do you think there are many employees who notice inefficiencies at big companies but never say anything? (09:56) — Why have you gravitated toward marketing and sales? (12:52) — Was there a moment when the lightbulb went off to start The Dowry? (18:36) — The Dowry and Its Mission (23:52) — When did you officially launch The Dowry? (28:52) — Are people spending more on gifts since they are not spending money on weddings (due to COVID)? (30:20) — What was the process of building out The Dowry website? (33:56) — How has the process of finding artisans evolved? (38:34) — Do you remember the first artisan who finally said "yes"? (40:00) — How do you find artisans? (43:19) — What does your criteria for finding artisans look like? (45:51) — Do most artisans sell their goods on other platforms as well? (47:46) — Are the majority of people buying gifts actually invited to the wedding? (51:36) — How did you pivot to raise capital in March when COVID hit? (56:32) —  When do you think weddings will start to take place again? What do you see a year from today? (1:00:07) — Who taught you digitally market? (1:05:30) — What is a naming convention? (1:07:39) — What is the best way to reach your customer? (1:10:43) — What does digital marketing look like for your company specifically? (1:13:35) — How do you feel about Amazon? (1:16:30) — How big is your target market? (1:18:29) — What advice would you give to a potential entrepreneur? (1:20:20) — Do you have a morning routine? (1:20:51) — What is the best advice you have ever received? (1:21:50) — What is the best book you have ever read? (1:23:14) — How can people contact you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On today's episode, Chris interviews Megan Hodges, founder of The Dowry - an ethically-minded wedding gift registry and curated artisan marketplace. They discuss Megan's journey as a business owner, the transition of skills from a corporate career to a start up company, the mission behind The Dowry, and Megan's experience in digital marketing. Enjoy!


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Visit The Dowry: www.TheDowry.co
Contact Megan: megan@meganhodges.org
Megan's Favorite Book: Soft Selling in a Hard World

(01:47) — Megan’s Career Before Founding The Dowry

(07:22) — What was the inefficiency you addressed at your previous job? Do you think there are many employees who notice inefficiencies at big companies but never say anything?

(09:56) — Why have you gravitated toward marketing and sales?

(12:52) — Was there a moment when the lightbulb went off to start The Dowry?

(18:36) — The Dowry and Its Mission

(23:52) — When did you officially launch The Dowry?

(28:52) — Are people spending more on gifts since they are not spending money on weddings (due to COVID)?

(30:20) — What was the process of building out The Dowry website?

(33:56) — How has the process of finding artisans evolved?

(38:34) — Do you remember the first artisan who finally said "yes"?

(40:00) — How do you find artisans?

(43:19) — What does your criteria for finding artisans look like?

(45:51) — Do most artisans sell their goods on other platforms as well?

(47:46) — Are the majority of people buying gifts actually invited to the wedding?

(51:36) — How did you pivot to raise capital in March when COVID hit?

(56:32) —  When do you think weddings will start to take place again? What do you see a year from today?

(1:00:07) — Who taught you digitally market?

(1:05:30) — What is a naming convention?

(1:07:39) — What is the best way to reach your customer?

(1:10:43) — What does digital marketing look like for your company specifically?

(1:13:35) — How do you feel about Amazon?

(1:16:30) — How big is your target market?

(1:18:29) — What advice would you give to a potential entrepreneur?

(1:20:20) — Do you have a morning routine?

(1:20:51) — What is the best advice you have ever received?

(1:21:50) — What is the best book you have ever read?

(1:23:14) — How can people contact you?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 5131 no #69: Goran Krndija - The American Dream: Underdog to CEO https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris interviews Goran Krndija and learns of his incredible story growing up as a refugee in the United States and ultimately founding his tech company, Gozova, here in Fort Worth. They discuss the process of raising capital, the experience of a bootstrapped start up, entering new markets, and advice for founders. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Gozova: https://gozova.co/ (01:15) — How Goran's Family Survived the Bosnian War in the 90’s (06:30) — What was it like living in a fish warehouse for a year? (08:15)  — What was your initial experience like in America? (09:25) — What does America mean to you? (09:50) —  Where were you doing in life at the age of 18? (11:00) — How did you come up with Gozova and what is it? (13:10) — What was the process of developing an app like? (14:42) — What was the business like before the app was fully developed? (15:12) — How did the first year go after everything was functional? (17:20) — Were you prepared for your first rush of growth? (18:19) — What’s something you've learned about the moving industry that you didn’t know before? (19:07) — How were you hiring drivers back in the day vs. now? (20:19) — What does your fleet look like today? (21:18) — How do you think of your business in terms of tech vs. service? (21:48) — Are Gozova's 150 drivers doing this full time? (22:36) — What was your first round of fundraising like? (26:24) — How did you feel after completing your fundraising? (27:07) — What did you do with the $500k you raised? (29:43) — Why do you now want to raise $2M? (31:05) — Why are commercial partnerships important and what do those relationships look like? (33:17) — When was the last time you made a delivery? (33:49) — How does Gozova get into a new market and become profitable so quickly? (34:41) — Insurance for this Industry (35:30) — How has COVID affected the business? (36:35) — How many customers have you served to date? (37:26) — Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (37:55) — Why are you getting involved with real estate owners and property managers as a means of business growth? (40:06) — Do you have a morning routine? (40:30) — Goran’s Family (41:19) — How important is it to find a wife that’s supportive? (42:16) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (42:49) — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? (44:00) — What’s your favorite book? (44:26) — What’s the best way for people to reach you or contact Gozova? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #69: Goran Krndija - The American Dream: Underdog to CEO full 1 69 Chris Powers Chris interviews Goran Krndija and learns of his incredible story growing up as a refugee in the United States and ultimately founding his tech company, Gozova, here in Fort Worth. They discuss the process of raising capital, the experience of a... Chris interviews Goran Krndija and learns of his incredible story growing up as a refugee in the United States and ultimately founding his tech company, Gozova, here in Fort Worth. They discuss the process of raising capital, the experience of a bootstrapped start up, entering new markets, and advice for founders. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Gozova: https://gozova.co/ (01:15) — How Goran's Family Survived the Bosnian War in the 90’s (06:30) — What was it like living in a fish warehouse for a year? (08:15)  — What was your initial experience like in America? (09:25) — What does America mean to you? (09:50) —  Where were you doing in life at the age of 18? (11:00) — How did you come up with Gozova and what is it? (13:10) — What was the process of developing an app like? (14:42) — What was the business like before the app was fully developed? (15:12) — How did the first year go after everything was functional? (17:20) — Were you prepared for your first rush of growth? (18:19) — What’s something you've learned about the moving industry that you didn’t know before? (19:07) — How were you hiring drivers back in the day vs. now? (20:19) — What does your fleet look like today? (21:18) — How do you think of your business in terms of tech vs. service? (21:48) — Are Gozova's 150 drivers doing this full time? (22:36) — What was your first round of fundraising like? (26:24) — How did you feel after completing your fundraising? (27:07) — What did you do with the $500k you raised? (29:43) — Why do you now want to raise $2M? (31:05) — Why are commercial partnerships important and what do those relationships look like? (33:17) — When was the last time you made a delivery? (33:49) — How does Gozova get into a new market and become profitable so quickly? (34:41) — Insurance for this Industry (35:30) — How has COVID affected the business? (36:35) — How many customers have you served to date? (37:26) — Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (37:55) — Why are you getting involved with real estate owners and property managers as a means of business growth? (40:06) — Do you have a morning routine? (40:30) — Goran’s Family (41:19) — How important is it to find a wife that’s supportive? (42:16) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (42:49) — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? (44:00) — What’s your favorite book? (44:26) — What’s the best way for people to reach you or contact Gozova? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris interviews Goran Krndija and learns of his incredible story growing up as a refugee in the United States and ultimately founding his tech company, Gozova, here in Fort Worth. They discuss the process of raising capital, the experience of a bootstrapped start up, entering new markets, and advice for founders. Enjoy!


Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLp.com

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Gozova: https://gozova.co/


(01:15) — How Goran's Family Survived the Bosnian War in the 90’s

(06:30) — What was it like living in a fish warehouse for a year?

(08:15)  — What was your initial experience like in America?

(09:25) — What does America mean to you?

(09:50) —  Where were you doing in life at the age of 18?

(11:00) — How did you come up with Gozova and what is it?

(13:10) — What was the process of developing an app like?

(14:42) — What was the business like before the app was fully developed?

(15:12) — How did the first year go after everything was functional?

(17:20) — Were you prepared for your first rush of growth?

(18:19) — What’s something you've learned about the moving industry that you didn’t know before?

(19:07) — How were you hiring drivers back in the day vs. now?

(20:19) — What does your fleet look like today?

(21:18) — How do you think of your business in terms of tech vs. service?

(21:48) — Are Gozova's 150 drivers doing this full time?

(22:36) — What was your first round of fundraising like?

(26:24) — How did you feel after completing your fundraising?

(27:07) — What did you do with the $500k you raised?

(29:43) — Why do you now want to raise $2M?

(31:05) — Why are commercial partnerships important and what do those relationships look like?

(33:17) — When was the last time you made a delivery?

(33:49) — How does Gozova get into a new market and become profitable so quickly?

(34:41) — Insurance for this Industry

(35:30) — How has COVID affected the business?

(36:35) — How many customers have you served to date?

(37:26) — Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

(37:55) — Why are you getting involved with real estate owners and property managers as a means of business growth?

(40:06) — Do you have a morning routine?

(40:30) — Goran’s Family

(41:19) — How important is it to find a wife that’s supportive?

(42:16) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(42:49) — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?

(44:00) — What’s your favorite book?

(44:26) — What’s the best way for people to reach you or contact Gozova?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2844 no RE #68: Edward Manuel - Founder & Principal of Pershing Capital https://www.TheFortPod.com Pershing Capital is a real estate investment, development and advisory firm with a focus on single tenant and multi-tenant retail assets with E-commerce and recession resistant tenant bases. Today, you'll listen as Chris interviews Edward about his deep dive into the retail sector of real estate. Edward will describe what retail has looked like over the last decade, how retailers have had to adjust during the pandemic and what opportunities lie ahead for the industry. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com 01:45 — Edward’s Background and Career with Trademark Property Company & Pershing Capital 11:56 — When did you start getting ‘scared’ that e-commerce was becoming a thing? 13:39 — How do you create the mouse-trap of finding retailers to lease spaces? 15:16 — What is the timeline of pulling together a huge retail development?  15:57 — Why did you start Pershing Capital? 17:09 — What was your first deal at Pershing? 17:56 — What does the advisory side of the business look like? 18:45 — Do you outsource development? 19:30 — Why are certain aspects of development getting harder? 23:03 — What is going on in retail since COVID hit? 25:34 — How have tenants responded to the pandemic? 27:03 — Edward's Thoughts on the Mall Business 31:09 — Why should e-commerce companies like Amazon also become brick & mortar businesses? 33:54 — Who is putting the majority of the investment into these properties for retail projects? 36:52 — What is a 'co-tenancy clause' and how do you feel about it? 41:07 — Have we discovered what our ‘sweet spot’ cost is for retail space per square foot? 41:47 — What is the zoning like to re-position these developments for a totally different use? 44:33 — Is there a time horizon that shows decreasing prices for retail spaces? 46:15 — Can a retail project be financed right now? 48:59 — If a real estate opportunity presented itself, how would you go about financing it? 51:47 — How can businesses occupy these retail spaces again? 52:55 — What opportunities within retail are you excited about going forward? 53:57 — What is the best advice you have ever received? 55:46 — What advice would you give to your 21 year-old self? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #68: Edward Manuel - Founder & Principal of Pershing Capital full 1 68 Chris Powers Pershing Capital is a real estate investment, development and advisory firm with a focus on single tenant and multi-tenant retail assets with E-commerce and recession resistant tenant bases. Today, you'll listen as Chris interviews Edward about his... Pershing Capital is a real estate investment, development and advisory firm with a focus on single tenant and multi-tenant retail assets with E-commerce and recession resistant tenant bases. Today, you'll listen as Chris interviews Edward about his deep dive into the retail sector of real estate. Edward will describe what retail has looked like over the last decade, how retailers have had to adjust during the pandemic and what opportunities lie ahead for the industry. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com 01:45 — Edward’s Background and Career with Trademark Property Company & Pershing Capital 11:56 — When did you start getting ‘scared’ that e-commerce was becoming a thing? 13:39 — How do you create the mouse-trap of finding retailers to lease spaces? 15:16 — What is the timeline of pulling together a huge retail development?  15:57 — Why did you start Pershing Capital? 17:09 — What was your first deal at Pershing? 17:56 — What does the advisory side of the business look like? 18:45 — Do you outsource development? 19:30 — Why are certain aspects of development getting harder? 23:03 — What is going on in retail since COVID hit? 25:34 — How have tenants responded to the pandemic? 27:03 — Edward's Thoughts on the Mall Business 31:09 — Why should e-commerce companies like Amazon also become brick & mortar businesses? 33:54 — Who is putting the majority of the investment into these properties for retail projects? 36:52 — What is a 'co-tenancy clause' and how do you feel about it? 41:07 — Have we discovered what our ‘sweet spot’ cost is for retail space per square foot? 41:47 — What is the zoning like to re-position these developments for a totally different use? 44:33 — Is there a time horizon that shows decreasing prices for retail spaces? 46:15 — Can a retail project be financed right now? 48:59 — If a real estate opportunity presented itself, how would you go about financing it? 51:47 — How can businesses occupy these retail spaces again? 52:55 — What opportunities within retail are you excited about going forward? 53:57 — What is the best advice you have ever received? 55:46 — What advice would you give to your 21 year-old self? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Pershing Capital is a real estate investment, development and advisory firm with a focus on single tenant and multi-tenant retail assets with E-commerce and recession resistant tenant bases. Today, you'll listen as Chris interviews Edward about his deep dive into the retail sector of real estate. Edward will describe what retail has looked like over the last decade, how retailers have had to adjust during the pandemic and what opportunities lie ahead for the industry. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

01:45 — Edward’s Background and Career with Trademark Property Company & Pershing Capital

11:56 — When did you start getting ‘scared’ that e-commerce was becoming a thing?

13:39 — How do you create the mouse-trap of finding retailers to lease spaces?

15:16 — What is the timeline of pulling together a huge retail development? 

15:57 — Why did you start Pershing Capital?

17:09 — What was your first deal at Pershing?

17:56 — What does the advisory side of the business look like?

18:45 — Do you outsource development?

19:30 — Why are certain aspects of development getting harder?

23:03 — What is going on in retail since COVID hit?

25:34 — How have tenants responded to the pandemic?

27:03 — Edward's Thoughts on the Mall Business

31:09 — Why should e-commerce companies like Amazon also become brick & mortar businesses?

33:54 — Who is putting the majority of the investment into these properties for retail projects?

36:52 — What is a 'co-tenancy clause' and how do you feel about it?

41:07 — Have we discovered what our ‘sweet spot’ cost is for retail space per square foot?

41:47 — What is the zoning like to re-position these developments for a totally different use?

44:33 — Is there a time horizon that shows decreasing prices for retail spaces?

46:15 — Can a retail project be financed right now?

48:59 — If a real estate opportunity presented itself, how would you go about financing it?

51:47 — How can businesses occupy these retail spaces again?

52:55 — What opportunities within retail are you excited about going forward?

53:57 — What is the best advice you have ever received?

55:46 — What advice would you give to your 21 year-old self?


The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3579 no #67: Michael Moore - President of Lockton Fort Worth https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris tackles the complex topic of Insurance as he interviews Michael Moore, an 8th generation Texan and President of Lockton's Fort Worth office. Michael shares a fascinating story about his family's influence in Texas, a break down of the insurance industry in the midst of COVID-19, and Michael's new podcast: The Climb. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com Listen to Michael's Podcast Here   02:00 — Michael’s Family History and Journey to Lockton 15:28 — How did your family get into organic farming and what was it like working with Whole Food’s before they became popular? 17:38 — What is the difference between the Waldorf educational system and a traditional American education? 21:27 — What is the difference between email marketing back in 2001 versus 2020? 22:51 — The Loaded Question: How does the insurance industry work? 24:57 — Why is the American employer encouraged to provide employee benefits vs. an employee signing up on their own as they would with car insurance? 28:10 — How much does the average employee’s age affect the overall insurance rates for the company? 30:01 — Why aren't property and casualty rates going down? 31:02 — What’s a “Hard Market”? 34:12 — How does a "Hard Market" end? 35:40 — Is there anything happening in the industry that can change the direction of these prices such as technology? 40:10 — Is there a 'black swan' within the insurance industry that a court can demand coverage for? 43:14 — Has the pandemic coverage become more solidified in pricing models? 44:05 — Have insurance rates increased because people are more likely to sue someone at the drop of a hat? 48:23 — What does an underwriter's shop look like? 52:50 — Is there one company crunching all the numbers and putting out the risk to carriers & underwriters or is this data collected individually? 53:34 — Grandfathering in Policy Pricing 57:03 — How did you go about building the Lockton brand in Fort Worth? 1:01:57 — How did Lockton react to the initial outbreak? 1:04:15 — Did you receive more early warning signs of COVID than most since Lockton is an international company? 1:04:42 — From a company leader's perspective, what does the rest of the year look like for Lockton? 1:06:40 — Is there something that Texas is doing that gives you hope vs. the challenges others are facing in markets that are hit harder like LA, NYC, etc.? 1:08:52 — What has hosting a podcast been like and what can listeners expect from the show? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #67: Michael Moore - President of Lockton Fort Worth full 1 67 Chris Powers Chris tackles the complex topic of Insurance as he interviews Michael Moore, an 8th generation Texan and President of Lockton's Fort Worth office. Michael shares a fascinating story about his family's influence in Texas, a break down of the insurance... Chris tackles the complex topic of Insurance as he interviews Michael Moore, an 8th generation Texan and President of Lockton's Fort Worth office. Michael shares a fascinating story about his family's influence in Texas, a break down of the insurance industry in the midst of COVID-19, and Michael's new podcast: The Climb. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com Listen to Michael's Podcast Here   02:00 — Michael’s Family History and Journey to Lockton 15:28 — How did your family get into organic farming and what was it like working with Whole Food’s before they became popular? 17:38 — What is the difference between the Waldorf educational system and a traditional American education? 21:27 — What is the difference between email marketing back in 2001 versus 2020? 22:51 — The Loaded Question: How does the insurance industry work? 24:57 — Why is the American employer encouraged to provide employee benefits vs. an employee signing up on their own as they would with car insurance? 28:10 — How much does the average employee’s age affect the overall insurance rates for the company? 30:01 — Why aren't property and casualty rates going down? 31:02 — What’s a “Hard Market”? 34:12 — How does a "Hard Market" end? 35:40 — Is there anything happening in the industry that can change the direction of these prices such as technology? 40:10 — Is there a 'black swan' within the insurance industry that a court can demand coverage for? 43:14 — Has the pandemic coverage become more solidified in pricing models? 44:05 — Have insurance rates increased because people are more likely to sue someone at the drop of a hat? 48:23 — What does an underwriter's shop look like? 52:50 — Is there one company crunching all the numbers and putting out the risk to carriers & underwriters or is this data collected individually? 53:34 — Grandfathering in Policy Pricing 57:03 — How did you go about building the Lockton brand in Fort Worth? 1:01:57 — How did Lockton react to the initial outbreak? 1:04:15 — Did you receive more early warning signs of COVID than most since Lockton is an international company? 1:04:42 — From a company leader's perspective, what does the rest of the year look like for Lockton? 1:06:40 — Is there something that Texas is doing that gives you hope vs. the challenges others are facing in markets that are hit harder like LA, NYC, etc.? 1:08:52 — What has hosting a podcast been like and what can listeners expect from the show? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris tackles the complex topic of Insurance as he interviews Michael Moore, an 8th generation Texan and President of Lockton's Fort Worth office. Michael shares a fascinating story about his family's influence in Texas, a break down of the insurance industry in the midst of COVID-19, and Michael's new podcast: The Climb. Enjoy!


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitallp.com

Listen to Michael's Podcast Here

 

02:00 — Michael’s Family History and Journey to Lockton

15:28 — How did your family get into organic farming and what was it like working with Whole Food’s before they became popular?

17:38 — What is the difference between the Waldorf educational system and a traditional American education?

21:27 — What is the difference between email marketing back in 2001 versus 2020?

22:51 — The Loaded Question: How does the insurance industry work?

24:57 — Why is the American employer encouraged to provide employee benefits vs. an employee signing up on their own as they would with car insurance?

28:10 — How much does the average employee’s age affect the overall insurance rates for the company?

30:01 — Why aren't property and casualty rates going down?

31:02 — What’s a “Hard Market”?

34:12 — How does a "Hard Market" end?

35:40 — Is there anything happening in the industry that can change the direction of these prices such as technology?

40:10 — Is there a 'black swan' within the insurance industry that a court can demand coverage for?

43:14 — Has the pandemic coverage become more solidified in pricing models?

44:05 — Have insurance rates increased because people are more likely to sue someone at the drop of a hat?

48:23 — What does an underwriter's shop look like?

52:50 — Is there one company crunching all the numbers and putting out the risk to carriers & underwriters or is this data collected individually?

53:34 — Grandfathering in Policy Pricing

57:03 — How did you go about building the Lockton brand in Fort Worth?

1:01:57 — How did Lockton react to the initial outbreak?

1:04:15 — Did you receive more early warning signs of COVID than most since Lockton is an international company?

1:04:42 — From a company leader's perspective, what does the rest of the year look like for Lockton?

1:06:40 — Is there something that Texas is doing that gives you hope vs. the challenges others are facing in markets that are hit harder like LA, NYC, etc.?

1:08:52 — What has hosting a podcast been like and what can listeners expect from the show?


The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4359 no #66: Michael Beckerman - Founder & CEO of CRETech https://www.TheFortPod.com CRETech is the the largest international community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector. On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss the chaos in the event-industry as they navigate COVID-19, launching a consulting business mid-pandemic, the trend of venture arms popping up in the world's largest companies, and the future of Real Estate Technology. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/fortworthchris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Subscribe to Michael's Blog: https://www.cretech.com/michael-beckerman/   01:50 — How Michael got into Real Estate Technology and the Current State of the Industry 04:55 — How did you start building this online community back in 2012? 06:50 — Can you describe what the entrepreneur’s mindset looks like over the last few months? 12:10 — What are the upfront costs that you risk when putting on a RET conference? 15:13 — How would the current social environment have to change in order for you to feel comfortable hosting an event again? 22:06 — How did you come up with the idea to launch a consulting business helping connect people in the Real Estate Tech world during COVID? 27:38 — What are your thoughts on major companies creating in-house venture arms to invest in emerging technologies rather than building it themselves? 30:51 — Fort Capital’s Adoption of Technology and its Role in Creating an Innovative Culture 39:50 — What new tech ideas are you seeing come out of the pandemic? 42:53 — The Future of the Real Estate Technology Industry 45:37 — Has COVID caused a radical change in how people think about higher education? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 15 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #66: Michael Beckerman - Founder & CEO of CRETech full 1 66 Chris Powers CRETech is the the largest international community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector. On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss the chaos in the event-industry as they navigate COVID-19, launching a... CRETech is the the largest international community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector. On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss the chaos in the event-industry as they navigate COVID-19, launching a consulting business mid-pandemic, the trend of venture arms popping up in the world's largest companies, and the future of Real Estate Technology. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/fortworthchris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Subscribe to Michael's Blog: https://www.cretech.com/michael-beckerman/   01:50 — How Michael got into Real Estate Technology and the Current State of the Industry 04:55 — How did you start building this online community back in 2012? 06:50 — Can you describe what the entrepreneur’s mindset looks like over the last few months? 12:10 — What are the upfront costs that you risk when putting on a RET conference? 15:13 — How would the current social environment have to change in order for you to feel comfortable hosting an event again? 22:06 — How did you come up with the idea to launch a consulting business helping connect people in the Real Estate Tech world during COVID? 27:38 — What are your thoughts on major companies creating in-house venture arms to invest in emerging technologies rather than building it themselves? 30:51 — Fort Capital’s Adoption of Technology and its Role in Creating an Innovative Culture 39:50 — What new tech ideas are you seeing come out of the pandemic? 42:53 — The Future of the Real Estate Technology Industry 45:37 — Has COVID caused a radical change in how people think about higher education? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts CRETech is the the largest international community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector. On this episode, Chris and Michael discuss the chaos in the event-industry as they navigate COVID-19, launching a consulting business mid-pandemic, the trend of venture arms popping up in the world's largest companies, and the future of Real Estate Technology. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/fortworthchris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Subscribe to Michael's Blog: https://www.cretech.com/michael-beckerman/

 

01:50 — How Michael got into Real Estate Technology and the Current State of the Industry

04:55 — How did you start building this online community back in 2012?

06:50 — Can you describe what the entrepreneur’s mindset looks like over the last few months?

12:10 — What are the upfront costs that you risk when putting on a RET conference?

15:13 — How would the current social environment have to change in order for you to feel comfortable hosting an event again?

22:06 — How did you come up with the idea to launch a consulting business helping connect people in the Real Estate Tech world during COVID?

27:38 — What are your thoughts on major companies creating in-house venture arms to invest in emerging technologies rather than building it themselves?

30:51 — Fort Capital’s Adoption of Technology and its Role in Creating an Innovative Culture

39:50 — What new tech ideas are you seeing come out of the pandemic?

42:53 — The Future of the Real Estate Technology Industry

45:37 — Has COVID caused a radical change in how people think about higher education?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3253 no #65: Jason Baxter - The Importance of COR Culture https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with business partner and Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, to discuss the concept of Cost Reduction, Overhead Management & Revenue Generation (COR) and how it has given their team a voice and the ability to think like company owners. They'll discuss how they were able to successfully implement COR within the culture of the business and avoiding the 'revenue creep'. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com 01:08 — COR: The Meaning, Defining Success and How We Implemented it at Fort Capital 05:24 — Fort Capital’s 2019 COR Challenge and What it Revealed 07:36 — How COR Became Part of Fort Capital’s Culture 09:26 — The Problem With Focusing Too Much on Revenue and 'The Creep' 13:06 — Company Goals During COVID-19 15:18 — Rewarding the Team for Achieving Wins and How We Keep COR at the Top of Everyone's Minds 18:08 — A Deep Dive into the Overhead Management Piece of COR 21:44 — How Fort Capital Identifies Imbalances in Processes, OKR’s, and Setting Overhead Management Goals 24:28 — The Importance of the Team Having a Voice as a Company Grows 27:52 — Setting Budgets and Fort Capital's Re-Forecasting Tools 32:44 — Being Patient When Implementing a Process like COR The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #65: Jason Baxter - The Importance of COR Culture full 1 65 Chris Powers Chris sits down with business partner and Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, to discuss the concept of Cost Reduction, Overhead Management & Revenue Generation (COR) and how it has given their team a voice and the ability to think like company... Chris sits down with business partner and Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, to discuss the concept of Cost Reduction, Overhead Management & Revenue Generation (COR) and how it has given their team a voice and the ability to think like company owners. They'll discuss how they were able to successfully implement COR within the culture of the business and avoiding the 'revenue creep'. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com 01:08 — COR: The Meaning, Defining Success and How We Implemented it at Fort Capital 05:24 — Fort Capital’s 2019 COR Challenge and What it Revealed 07:36 — How COR Became Part of Fort Capital’s Culture 09:26 — The Problem With Focusing Too Much on Revenue and 'The Creep' 13:06 — Company Goals During COVID-19 15:18 — Rewarding the Team for Achieving Wins and How We Keep COR at the Top of Everyone's Minds 18:08 — A Deep Dive into the Overhead Management Piece of COR 21:44 — How Fort Capital Identifies Imbalances in Processes, OKR’s, and Setting Overhead Management Goals 24:28 — The Importance of the Team Having a Voice as a Company Grows 27:52 — Setting Budgets and Fort Capital's Re-Forecasting Tools 32:44 — Being Patient When Implementing a Process like COR The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Chris sits down with business partner and Fort Capital COO, Jason Baxter, to discuss the concept of Cost Reduction, Overhead Management & Revenue Generation (COR) and how it has given their team a voice and the ability to think like company owners. They'll discuss how they were able to successfully implement COR within the culture of the business and avoiding the 'revenue creep'. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com


01:08 — COR: The Meaning, Defining Success and How We Implemented it at Fort Capital

05:24 — Fort Capital’s 2019 COR Challenge and What it Revealed

07:36 — How COR Became Part of Fort Capital’s Culture

09:26 — The Problem With Focusing Too Much on Revenue and 'The Creep'

13:06 — Company Goals During COVID-19

15:18 — Rewarding the Team for Achieving Wins and How We Keep COR at the Top of Everyone's Minds

18:08 — A Deep Dive into the Overhead Management Piece of COR

21:44 — How Fort Capital Identifies Imbalances in Processes, OKR’s, and Setting Overhead Management Goals

24:28 — The Importance of the Team Having a Voice as a Company Grows

27:52 — Setting Budgets and Fort Capital's Re-Forecasting Tools

32:44 — Being Patient When Implementing a Process like COR


The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2155 no RE #63: Sarah LanCarte - Founder of LanCarte Commercial https://www.TheFortPod.com Sarah LanCarte is the founder of LanCarte Commercial, a commercial real estate company specializing in tenant representation, leasing, and sales and acquisitions for properties in DFW. On this episode, Chris and Sarah talk about the early days of her career, her mentors, working with Fort Capital and ultimately what led her to founding LanCarte Commercial. They also talk about the current state of commercial real estate in DFW in the wake of COVID-19 and trends she predicts going forward. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapital.com Follow Chris on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 01:49 — Sarah’s Background and Starting LanCarte Commercial 08:18 — Did cold calling come naturally to you or was it uncomfortable at first? 09:56 — Was there a point in time where you thought “Okay, I’ve arrived in this industry.”? 12:08 — The First Deal Sarah Closed 12:43 — When did you start to become self sufficient at finding and doing deals? 14:53 — How Chris started working with Sarah and how she transitioned from the broker world into principal 18:15 — What was the journey like in starting your own business? 21:08 — How do you split your time between running the business and being a broker? 23:20 — What do you say to young brokers to prepare them for both the exciting and frustrating part of CRE? 24:54 — What is the difference between a great broker and a bad one? 28:21 — How is LanCarte Commercial's team different than other companies in the industry?  29:50 — What was your experience as a small business owner during the very early days of COVID-19? 33:30 —  What are you observing in the Fort Worth market as we come out of COVID-19? 37:33 — Do you know of any big office tenants that might be moving into Fort Worth for the first time? 38:50 — Do you have any predictions on how places like Shopping Malls and Big Box Retail could be converted? 40:48 — What are your thoughts on Multi-Story Industrial Innovation in DFW? 42:53 — Is the demand there for all the Spec being built around DFW? 44:38 — How far in advance are tenants looking to lease in the Class B Space? 47:02 — Have you seen an upgrade with places like Amazon in their infill as they move to delivery methods like Sprinter vans? 48:08 — What are your 5-year goals for LanCarte Commercial? 48:52 — Why is CREW important and why should more females in the industry be a part of it? 50:07 — How can people get in touch with you? The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 24 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #63: Sarah LanCarte - Founder of LanCarte Commercial full 1 63 Chris Powers Sarah LanCarte is the founder of LanCarte Commercial, a commercial real estate company specializing in tenant representation, leasing, and sales and acquisitions for properties in DFW. On this episode, Chris and Sarah talk about the early days of her... Sarah LanCarte is the founder of LanCarte Commercial, a commercial real estate company specializing in tenant representation, leasing, and sales and acquisitions for properties in DFW. On this episode, Chris and Sarah talk about the early days of her career, her mentors, working with Fort Capital and ultimately what led her to founding LanCarte Commercial. They also talk about the current state of commercial real estate in DFW in the wake of COVID-19 and trends she predicts going forward. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapital.com Follow Chris on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris 01:49 — Sarah’s Background and Starting LanCarte Commercial 08:18 — Did cold calling come naturally to you or was it uncomfortable at first? 09:56 — Was there a point in time where you thought “Okay, I’ve arrived in this industry.”? 12:08 — The First Deal Sarah Closed 12:43 — When did you start to become self sufficient at finding and doing deals? 14:53 — How Chris started working with Sarah and how she transitioned from the broker world into principal 18:15 — What was the journey like in starting your own business? 21:08 — How do you split your time between running the business and being a broker? 23:20 — What do you say to young brokers to prepare them for both the exciting and frustrating part of CRE? 24:54 — What is the difference between a great broker and a bad one? 28:21 — How is LanCarte Commercial's team different than other companies in the industry?  29:50 — What was your experience as a small business owner during the very early days of COVID-19? 33:30 —  What are you observing in the Fort Worth market as we come out of COVID-19? 37:33 — Do you know of any big office tenants that might be moving into Fort Worth for the first time? 38:50 — Do you have any predictions on how places like Shopping Malls and Big Box Retail could be converted? 40:48 — What are your thoughts on Multi-Story Industrial Innovation in DFW? 42:53 — Is the demand there for all the Spec being built around DFW? 44:38 — How far in advance are tenants looking to lease in the Class B Space? 47:02 — Have you seen an upgrade with places like Amazon in their infill as they move to delivery methods like Sprinter vans? 48:08 — What are your 5-year goals for LanCarte Commercial? 48:52 — Why is CREW important and why should more females in the industry be a part of it? 50:07 — How can people get in touch with you? The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts Sarah LanCarte is the founder of LanCarte Commercial, a commercial real estate company specializing in tenant representation, leasing, and sales and acquisitions for properties in DFW. On this episode, Chris and Sarah talk about the early days of her career, her mentors, working with Fort Capital and ultimately what led her to founding LanCarte Commercial. They also talk about the current state of commercial real estate in DFW in the wake of COVID-19 and trends she predicts going forward. Enjoy! 


For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapital.com

Follow Chris on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris


01:49 — Sarah’s Background and Starting LanCarte Commercial

08:18 — Did cold calling come naturally to you or was it uncomfortable at first?

09:56 — Was there a point in time where you thought “Okay, I’ve arrived in this industry.”?

12:08 — The First Deal Sarah Closed

12:43 — When did you start to become self sufficient at finding and doing deals?

14:53 — How Chris started working with Sarah and how she transitioned from the broker world into principal

18:15 — What was the journey like in starting your own business?

21:08 — How do you split your time between running the business and being a broker?

23:20 — What do you say to young brokers to prepare them for both the exciting and frustrating part of CRE?

24:54 — What is the difference between a great broker and a bad one?

28:21 — How is LanCarte Commercial's team different than other companies in the industry? 

29:50 — What was your experience as a small business owner during the very early days of COVID-19?

33:30 —  What are you observing in the Fort Worth market as we come out of COVID-19?

37:33 — Do you know of any big office tenants that might be moving into Fort Worth for the first time?

38:50 — Do you have any predictions on how places like Shopping Malls and Big Box Retail could be converted?

40:48 — What are your thoughts on Multi-Story Industrial Innovation in DFW?

42:53 — Is the demand there for all the Spec being built around DFW?

44:38 — How far in advance are tenants looking to lease in the Class B Space?

47:02 — Have you seen an upgrade with places like Amazon in their infill as they move to delivery methods like Sprinter vans?

48:08 — What are your 5-year goals for LanCarte Commercial?

48:52 — Why is CREW important and why should more females in the industry be a part of it?

50:07 — How can people get in touch with you?


The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3120 no #62: Mackenzie Todd - Founder & CEO of Urban Golf Performance https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode, Chris chats with his lifelong friend Mackenzie Todd, Founder and CEO of Urban Golf Performance. This 5-star golf performance club uses a holistic approach to help golfers reach their goals as efficiently as possible. They'll discuss Mackenzie's golf career and how it led to the the incredible growth of UGP as well as the transition from a player himself to teaching some of the world's top golfers. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLP.com Learn more about Urban Golf Performance Listen to Mackenzie's podcast: The Urban Golf Podcast 02:00 — Mackenzie's Backstory Leading to UGP 06:06 — Mackenzie’s First Major Investor 07:11 — What would I experience after walking into a UGP location? 07:49 — How has fitness progressed as a major staple in the game of golf? 10:05 — What is the fitness process like at UGP? 12:24 — What does a top golfer like Collin Morikawa try to get out of his fitness routines? 14:16 — How does a player transition into a teacher/coach? 17:31 — Bringing on The Founder of TOMS as a Partner 21:43 — Is there one piece of information since having him as a mentor that you latched onto? 23:12 — What's your emotional journey as an entrepreneur been like over the last 90 days in LA? 27:09 — Are you optimistic for the remainder of the year? 28:50 — What’s the vision for UGP over the next decade? 29:52 — What prevents great amateur players from going pro? 32:02 — What separates the top 25 in the world from the rest of the pros? 34:52 — Are you a believer in taking the length out of the game? 36:20 — Who’s your favorite player? 36:44 — Who has the best swing in the game? 36:49 — Who's the best player no one has heard of yet? 37:28 — Is Matt Wolff's swing going to hold up for 20 years? 38:14 — Does Tiger Woods need to get to 18 majors to be the GOAT and do you think he will get there? The FORT is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 17 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0000 #62: Mackenzie Todd - Founder & CEO of Urban Golf Performance full 1 62 Chris Powers On this episode, Chris chats with his lifelong friend Mackenzie Todd, Founder and CEO of Urban Golf Performance. This 5-star golf performance club uses a holistic approach to help golfers reach their goals as efficiently as possible. They'll discuss... On this episode, Chris chats with his lifelong friend Mackenzie Todd, Founder and CEO of Urban Golf Performance. This 5-star golf performance club uses a holistic approach to help golfers reach their goals as efficiently as possible. They'll discuss Mackenzie's golf career and how it led to the the incredible growth of UGP as well as the transition from a player himself to teaching some of the world's top golfers. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLP.com Learn more about Urban Golf Performance Listen to Mackenzie's podcast: The Urban Golf Podcast 02:00 — Mackenzie's Backstory Leading to UGP 06:06 — Mackenzie’s First Major Investor 07:11 — What would I experience after walking into a UGP location? 07:49 — How has fitness progressed as a major staple in the game of golf? 10:05 — What is the fitness process like at UGP? 12:24 — What does a top golfer like Collin Morikawa try to get out of his fitness routines? 14:16 — How does a player transition into a teacher/coach? 17:31 — Bringing on The Founder of TOMS as a Partner 21:43 — Is there one piece of information since having him as a mentor that you latched onto? 23:12 — What's your emotional journey as an entrepreneur been like over the last 90 days in LA? 27:09 — Are you optimistic for the remainder of the year? 28:50 — What’s the vision for UGP over the next decade? 29:52 — What prevents great amateur players from going pro? 32:02 — What separates the top 25 in the world from the rest of the pros? 34:52 — Are you a believer in taking the length out of the game? 36:20 — Who’s your favorite player? 36:44 — Who has the best swing in the game? 36:49 — Who's the best player no one has heard of yet? 37:28 — Is Matt Wolff's swing going to hold up for 20 years? 38:14 — Does Tiger Woods need to get to 18 majors to be the GOAT and do you think he will get there? The FORT is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode, Chris chats with his lifelong friend Mackenzie Todd, Founder and CEO of Urban Golf Performance. This 5-star golf performance club uses a holistic approach to help golfers reach their goals as efficiently as possible. They'll discuss Mackenzie's golf career and how it led to the the incredible growth of UGP as well as the transition from a player himself to teaching some of the world's top golfers. Enjoy! 


Follow Chris on Twitter

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLP.com

Learn more about Urban Golf Performance

Listen to Mackenzie's podcast: The Urban Golf Podcast



02:00 — Mackenzie's Backstory Leading to UGP

06:06 — Mackenzie’s First Major Investor

07:11 — What would I experience after walking into a UGP location?

07:49 — How has fitness progressed as a major staple in the game of golf?

10:05 — What is the fitness process like at UGP?

12:24 — What does a top golfer like Collin Morikawa try to get out of his fitness routines?

14:16 — How does a player transition into a teacher/coach?

17:31 — Bringing on The Founder of TOMS as a Partner

21:43 — Is there one piece of information since having him as a mentor that you latched onto?

23:12 — What's your emotional journey as an entrepreneur been like over the last 90 days in LA?

27:09 — Are you optimistic for the remainder of the year?

28:50 — What’s the vision for UGP over the next decade?

29:52 — What prevents great amateur players from going pro?

32:02 — What separates the top 25 in the world from the rest of the pros?

34:52 — Are you a believer in taking the length out of the game?

36:20 — Who’s your favorite player?

36:44 — Who has the best swing in the game?

36:49 — Who's the best player no one has heard of yet?

37:28 — Is Matt Wolff's swing going to hold up for 20 years?

38:14 — Does Tiger Woods need to get to 18 majors to be the GOAT and do you think he will get there?

The FORT is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2522 no RE #61: Clayton Collins - President & CEO of HousingWire https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode of The FORT, Clayton and Chris discuss Clayton's journey from the banking world to discovering entrepreneurship via search funds. They discuss his acquisition of HousingWire.com and housing/construction trends over the last 90 days. As president and CEO, Clayton Collins leads HousingWire’s corporate strategy, product and editorial roadmap, while building a world-class team of business media professionals. He is also the founder and managing partner of Riomar Capital, an entrepreneurial investment firm that acquired HousingWire in 2016. His drive to increase HousingWire’s impact earned him a spot on the 2018 Folio: 100, a prestigious list of thought leaders in the magazine and media industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com 02:27 — Clayton’s Story Leading Up to HousingWire.com 03:18 — Why did you leave the banking world and purchase a media company? 05:44 — What was the search fund model experience like? 08:16 — How long was your search and how many businesses did you look at? 10:53 — Why did you choose HousingWire and how did the transaction go? 15:25 — Have you made any other acquisitions since? 16:38 — How do you value a media business? 17:48 —  How much has the business grown since you bought it? 18:43 — How is the team structured? 21:19 — How do you convince someone to use your paid service versus the many free options available? 23:34 — Who is your target market? 24:27 — What’s the environment around housing-lending like right now? 28:36 — Do you see the housing market doing well coming out of COVID-19? 32:27 — Are you able to track where the demand is? 35:37 — Do you see a wave of people motivated to sell right now? 36:48 — Has COVID shined a light on any new housing innovations? 38:58 — Do you have any insight on changes in residential construction costs? 40:00 — Are there any companies that you have your eye on in Fintech or REtech? 42:38 — Do you have any insight on the single-family rental sector? 44:35 — First-Time Homebuyer Trends 48:10 — Smaller Home Trends 50:18 — Clayton's Thoughts on Airbnb Post-COVID The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 10 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #61: Clayton Collins - President & CEO of HousingWire full 1 61 Chris Powers On this episode of The FORT, Clayton and Chris discuss Clayton's journey from the banking world to discovering entrepreneurship via search funds. They discuss his acquisition of HousingWire.com and housing/construction trends over the last 90 days. ... On this episode of The FORT, Clayton and Chris discuss Clayton's journey from the banking world to discovering entrepreneurship via search funds. They discuss his acquisition of HousingWire.com and housing/construction trends over the last 90 days. As president and CEO, Clayton Collins leads HousingWire’s corporate strategy, product and editorial roadmap, while building a world-class team of business media professionals. He is also the founder and managing partner of Riomar Capital, an entrepreneurial investment firm that acquired HousingWire in 2016. His drive to increase HousingWire’s impact earned him a spot on the 2018 Folio: 100, a prestigious list of thought leaders in the magazine and media industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com 02:27 — Clayton’s Story Leading Up to HousingWire.com 03:18 — Why did you leave the banking world and purchase a media company? 05:44 — What was the search fund model experience like? 08:16 — How long was your search and how many businesses did you look at? 10:53 — Why did you choose HousingWire and how did the transaction go? 15:25 — Have you made any other acquisitions since? 16:38 — How do you value a media business? 17:48 —  How much has the business grown since you bought it? 18:43 — How is the team structured? 21:19 — How do you convince someone to use your paid service versus the many free options available? 23:34 — Who is your target market? 24:27 — What’s the environment around housing-lending like right now? 28:36 — Do you see the housing market doing well coming out of COVID-19? 32:27 — Are you able to track where the demand is? 35:37 — Do you see a wave of people motivated to sell right now? 36:48 — Has COVID shined a light on any new housing innovations? 38:58 — Do you have any insight on changes in residential construction costs? 40:00 — Are there any companies that you have your eye on in Fintech or REtech? 42:38 — Do you have any insight on the single-family rental sector? 44:35 — First-Time Homebuyer Trends 48:10 — Smaller Home Trends 50:18 — Clayton's Thoughts on Airbnb Post-COVID The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode of The FORT, Clayton and Chris discuss Clayton's journey from the banking world to discovering entrepreneurship via search funds. They discuss his acquisition of HousingWire.com and housing/construction trends over the last 90 days.

As president and CEO, Clayton Collins leads HousingWire’s corporate strategy, product and editorial roadmap, while building a world-class team of business media professionals. He is also the founder and managing partner of Riomar Capital, an entrepreneurial investment firm that acquired HousingWire in 2016. His drive to increase HousingWire’s impact earned him a spot on the 2018 Folio: 100, a prestigious list of thought leaders in the magazine and media industry. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter
For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com


02:27 — Clayton’s Story Leading Up to HousingWire.com

03:18 — Why did you leave the banking world and purchase a media company?

05:44 — What was the search fund model experience like?

08:16 — How long was your search and how many businesses did you look at?

10:53 — Why did you choose HousingWire and how did the transaction go?

15:25 — Have you made any other acquisitions since?

16:38 — How do you value a media business?

17:48 —  How much has the business grown since you bought it?

18:43 — How is the team structured?

21:19 — How do you convince someone to use your paid service versus the many free options available?

23:34 — Who is your target market?

24:27 — What’s the environment around housing-lending like right now?

28:36 — Do you see the housing market doing well coming out of COVID-19?

32:27 — Are you able to track where the demand is?

35:37 — Do you see a wave of people motivated to sell right now?

36:48 — Has COVID shined a light on any new housing innovations?

38:58 — Do you have any insight on changes in residential construction costs?

40:00 — Are there any companies that you have your eye on in Fintech or REtech?

42:38 — Do you have any insight on the single-family rental sector?

44:35 — First-Time Homebuyer Trends

48:10 — Smaller Home Trends

50:18 — Clayton's Thoughts on Airbnb Post-COVID

The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3536 no RE #60: Chris' 60 Day Update on Commercial Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com On this episode of The FORT, Chris provides a 60-day COVID-19 update where he'll touch on topics like the reopening of capital markets and the effects we are seeing in the multifamily & industrial sectors. Chris also shares the latest changes and updates happening at Fort Capital such as their property management integration and new software tools built by the team. Enjoy!  Learn more about Fort Capital and Chris at www.FortCapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter 00:49 — Capital Markets Opening Back Up 02:10 — New Deals in the Multifamily & Industrial Space 03:36 — Update on the State of Texas 05:35 — Rents & Reliefs 08:14 — Industrial Sector in Texas 09:04 — The Fort Capital Portfolio & The Rush to Texas From The Coasts 10:55 — Multifamily & Industrial Collections 12:05 — Construction is Still Booming 13:41 — 'Work From Home' Becoming the New Future 15:57 — Fort Capital's Buying Plan 18:00 — What Fort Capital Has Done the Last 30 Days Operationally 19:28 — CORE in Fort Capital’s Culture 21:08 — Construction Costs & Predictions for Oil & Gas 22:12 — Fort Capital Property Management 23:38 — Fort Capital's Use of the FOS Platform 26:41 — Go Watch 'The Last Dance' on ESPN The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Fri, 29 May 2020 14:00:00 -0000 RE #60: Chris' 60 Day Update on Commercial Real Estate full 1 60 Chris Powers On this episode of The FORT, Chris provides a 60-day COVID-19 update where he'll touch on topics like the reopening of capital markets and the effects we are seeing in the multifamily & industrial sectors. Chris also shares the latest changes and... On this episode of The FORT, Chris provides a 60-day COVID-19 update where he'll touch on topics like the reopening of capital markets and the effects we are seeing in the multifamily & industrial sectors. Chris also shares the latest changes and updates happening at Fort Capital such as their property management integration and new software tools built by the team. Enjoy!  Learn more about Fort Capital and Chris at www.FortCapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter 00:49 — Capital Markets Opening Back Up 02:10 — New Deals in the Multifamily & Industrial Space 03:36 — Update on the State of Texas 05:35 — Rents & Reliefs 08:14 — Industrial Sector in Texas 09:04 — The Fort Capital Portfolio & The Rush to Texas From The Coasts 10:55 — Multifamily & Industrial Collections 12:05 — Construction is Still Booming 13:41 — 'Work From Home' Becoming the New Future 15:57 — Fort Capital's Buying Plan 18:00 — What Fort Capital Has Done the Last 30 Days Operationally 19:28 — CORE in Fort Capital’s Culture 21:08 — Construction Costs & Predictions for Oil & Gas 22:12 — Fort Capital Property Management 23:38 — Fort Capital's Use of the FOS Platform 26:41 — Go Watch 'The Last Dance' on ESPN The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts On this episode of The FORT, Chris provides a 60-day COVID-19 update where he'll touch on topics like the reopening of capital markets and the effects we are seeing in the multifamily & industrial sectors. Chris also shares the latest changes and updates happening at Fort Capital such as their property management integration and new software tools built by the team. Enjoy! 


Learn more about Fort Capital and Chris at www.FortCapitallp.com
Follow Chris on Twitter


00:49 — Capital Markets Opening Back Up

02:10 — New Deals in the Multifamily & Industrial Space

03:36 — Update on the State of Texas

05:35 — Rents & Reliefs

08:14 — Industrial Sector in Texas

09:04 — The Fort Capital Portfolio & The Rush to Texas From The Coasts

10:55 — Multifamily & Industrial Collections

12:05 — Construction is Still Booming

13:41 — 'Work From Home' Becoming the New Future

15:57 — Fort Capital's Buying Plan

18:00 — What Fort Capital Has Done the Last 30 Days Operationally

19:28 — CORE in Fort Capital’s Culture

21:08 — Construction Costs & Predictions for Oil & Gas

22:12 — Fort Capital Property Management

23:38 — Fort Capital's Use of the FOS Platform

26:41 — Go Watch 'The Last Dance' on ESPN

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 1795 no RE #59: James Hill - The Borrower/Lender Relationship 101 https://www.TheFortPod.com James Hill is the Chief Strategy Officer / Fort Worth Market President at Access Bank. He has 12+ years of expert banking experience, specializing in commercial and real estate lending. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, James is a graduate of the Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin as well as TCU, receiving his MBA in the Accelerated Program. He is currently adjunct faculty in the finance department of the business school at TCU and was elected to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in May 2017.  On this episode of The FORT, James and Chris dive deep into the world of banking, lending, and the importance of having a great relationship with your banker. Chris also touches on how the pandemic brought him to James for an in-depth "Banking 101" class in order to be as informed as possible when navigating the future. They also answer some questions from Twitter! Enjoy.  For more information on Chris Powers & Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter 02:26 — James’ Background  03:53 — Not Being the “Prototypical” Banker 05:40 — Relationships Are Important During COVID 07:13 — How do you view your relationship with borrowers and how should borrowers think about their relationships with their bank?  10:25 — How do banks set their reserve methodology? 12:30 — If a loan is going into default, are the banks the first to lose out but also make interest? 13:11 — How does the bank approach a potentially bad situation? 15:59 - What happens when you have a good relationship with a bank but you're about to be in a default situation? 21:02 — If a bank has a lot of bad loans on its balance sheet, does that affect its ability to borrow from the Federal Government? 21:44 — If you have personal recourse on a loan, and the delta was not met, how do they figure out how it's paid out over time? 23:55 —   How do non-recourse loans work? 28:28 —  Should I move everything over to one bank or should I use multiple banks? 29:33 — When were you notified about the idea of PPP, what did the process of implementing it into your daily life look like as a banker? 32:36 — Question from Twitter for James: “To what extent does the reputation of the borrower matter? 34:37 — What are the 'C’s' in your credit program?  35:14 — What might change in banking coming out of the crisis? 36:57 — What does it mean for a bank to be more well-capitalized now vs. during the ’08 crash? 38:24 — Foreclosure Protocols Across Different States 40:34 — Pinpointing Value In This Climate 42:05 — If I have a loan maturing in the next 4-5 months, how does one evaluate whether to extend their loan? 48:21 — Given the current environment, when are banks suggesting is a good time to buy again? 50:55 — How do you start a bank and how much liquidity do you need to get one up and running? 53:07 — Where is the banking industry headed over the next decade? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 25 May 2020 17:46:15 -0000 RE #59: James Hill - The Borrower/Lender Relationship 101 full 1 59 Chris Powers James Hill is the Chief Strategy Officer / Fort Worth Market President at Access Bank. He has 12+ years of expert banking experience, specializing in commercial and real estate lending. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, James is a graduate of the... James Hill is the Chief Strategy Officer / Fort Worth Market President at Access Bank. He has 12+ years of expert banking experience, specializing in commercial and real estate lending. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, James is a graduate of the Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin as well as TCU, receiving his MBA in the Accelerated Program. He is currently adjunct faculty in the finance department of the business school at TCU and was elected to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in May 2017.  On this episode of The FORT, James and Chris dive deep into the world of banking, lending, and the importance of having a great relationship with your banker. Chris also touches on how the pandemic brought him to James for an in-depth "Banking 101" class in order to be as informed as possible when navigating the future. They also answer some questions from Twitter! Enjoy.  For more information on Chris Powers & Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter 02:26 — James’ Background  03:53 — Not Being the “Prototypical” Banker 05:40 — Relationships Are Important During COVID 07:13 — How do you view your relationship with borrowers and how should borrowers think about their relationships with their bank?  10:25 — How do banks set their reserve methodology? 12:30 — If a loan is going into default, are the banks the first to lose out but also make interest? 13:11 — How does the bank approach a potentially bad situation? 15:59 - What happens when you have a good relationship with a bank but you're about to be in a default situation? 21:02 — If a bank has a lot of bad loans on its balance sheet, does that affect its ability to borrow from the Federal Government? 21:44 — If you have personal recourse on a loan, and the delta was not met, how do they figure out how it's paid out over time? 23:55 —   How do non-recourse loans work? 28:28 —  Should I move everything over to one bank or should I use multiple banks? 29:33 — When were you notified about the idea of PPP, what did the process of implementing it into your daily life look like as a banker? 32:36 — Question from Twitter for James: “To what extent does the reputation of the borrower matter? 34:37 — What are the 'C’s' in your credit program?  35:14 — What might change in banking coming out of the crisis? 36:57 — What does it mean for a bank to be more well-capitalized now vs. during the ’08 crash? 38:24 — Foreclosure Protocols Across Different States 40:34 — Pinpointing Value In This Climate 42:05 — If I have a loan maturing in the next 4-5 months, how does one evaluate whether to extend their loan? 48:21 — Given the current environment, when are banks suggesting is a good time to buy again? 50:55 — How do you start a bank and how much liquidity do you need to get one up and running? 53:07 — Where is the banking industry headed over the next decade? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts James Hill is the Chief Strategy Officer / Fort Worth Market President at Access Bank. He has 12+ years of expert banking experience, specializing in commercial and real estate lending. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, James is a graduate of the Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin as well as TCU, receiving his MBA in the Accelerated Program. He is currently adjunct faculty in the finance department of the business school at TCU and was elected to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in May 2017. 

On this episode of The FORT, James and Chris dive deep into the world of banking, lending, and the importance of having a great relationship with your banker. Chris also touches on how the pandemic brought him to James for an in-depth "Banking 101" class in order to be as informed as possible when navigating the future. They also answer some questions from Twitter! Enjoy. 


For more information on Chris Powers & Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com
Follow Chris on Twitter

02:26 — James’ Background 

03:53 — Not Being the “Prototypical” Banker

05:40 — Relationships Are Important During COVID

07:13 — How do you view your relationship with borrowers and how should borrowers think about their relationships with their bank? 

10:25 — How do banks set their reserve methodology?

12:30 — If a loan is going into default, are the banks the first to lose out but also make interest?

13:11 — How does the bank approach a potentially bad situation?

15:59 - What happens when you have a good relationship with a bank but you're about to be in a default situation?

21:02 — If a bank has a lot of bad loans on its balance sheet, does that affect its ability to borrow from the Federal Government?

21:44 — If you have personal recourse on a loan, and the delta was not met, how do they figure out how it's paid out over time?

23:55 —   How do non-recourse loans work?

28:28 —  Should I move everything over to one bank or should I use multiple banks?

29:33 — When were you notified about the idea of PPP, what did the process of implementing it into your daily life look like as a banker?

32:36 — Question from Twitter for James: “To what extent does the reputation of the borrower matter?

34:37 — What are the 'C’s' in your credit program? 

35:14 — What might change in banking coming out of the crisis?

36:57 — What does it mean for a bank to be more well-capitalized now vs. during the ’08 crash?

38:24 — Foreclosure Protocols Across Different States

40:34 — Pinpointing Value In This Climate

42:05 — If I have a loan maturing in the next 4-5 months, how does one evaluate whether to extend their loan?

48:21 — Given the current environment, when are banks suggesting is a good time to buy again?

50:55 — How do you start a bank and how much liquidity do you need to get one up and running?

53:07 — Where is the banking industry headed over the next decade?


The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3530 no #58: Adam Blake - Starting, Scaling, and Exiting Ventures https://www.TheFortPod.com Adam Blake is a real estate and technology entrepreneur that has started, scaled, and exited multiple ventures and private equity-backed companies. He and Chris met early in their studies at Texas Christian University as they developed their own real estate careers.   Adam has played a huge role in Chris's life as he served as the inspiration and provided the mentorship that led Chris to make his first real estate purchase during his freshman year at TCU.  They have since held a close relationship over the last 16 years.  On this pod, they talk about Adam building his first real estate company in college, his first million dollar deal, pivoting into Solar software, the process of exiting multiple companies, and his thoughts on a future with COVID-19. Enjoy!  To learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris 02:05 — Adam’s Story and What Lead Him to Be an Entrepreneur 06:32 — Adam’s Father and The Impact His Death Had on Him 07:38 — How did your first real estate company come together while you were at TCU? 11:08 — When was the first time you did a deal that made you a significant amount of money? 12:34 — How did you raise the money for that deal at only 18 years old? 13:34 — Adam’s Experience Winning The Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award & Meeting Chris Powers 15:41 — Adam’s First Million Dollar Deal 17:18 — Adam’s Journey Through The '08 Recession and His Success Through a Dallas Condo Deal 21:31 — Moving to Kansas City and Pivoting Away From Real Estate and Into the Solar industry 23:51 — What did you like about the solar industry and what was your experience like growing & exiting this company? 28:50 — You started building software at Brightergy yet how does a non-technically oriented leader create a software culture? 32:32 — Why did you exit the solar industry? What mistakes were made during this process that you’ll never forget? 37:23 — Is there anything you would’ve done differently in the selling process? 39:16 — How did you get the inspiration for your next company, Zego? 42:10 — What made you decide to sell Zego at an early stage? 46:05 — Should more people take the route you did in selling Zego? 47:57 — What is it about Vista that makes them such a great PE company? 49:17 — How do you develop an "awesome" product? 50:52 — How has your perspective changed over time with a wife, 4 children, and a son with Autism? 53:58 — Adam’s Son 56:17 — Adam’s Core Values in His Weekly Rundown and How He Came Up With This Concept 58:36 — What are you thinking, seeing, and feeling right now as it relates to the COVID-19 situation? 1:01:49 — What do you see happening for yourself in the next year? 1:06:05 — Does this give you a different perspective as to what your next career move will be? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Thu, 07 May 2020 17:18:46 -0000 #58: Adam Blake - Starting, Scaling, and Exiting Ventures full 1 58 Chris Powers Adam Blake is a real estate and technology entrepreneur that has started, scaled, and exited multiple ventures and private equity-backed companies. He and Chris met early in their studies at Texas Christian University as they developed their own real... Adam Blake is a real estate and technology entrepreneur that has started, scaled, and exited multiple ventures and private equity-backed companies. He and Chris met early in their studies at Texas Christian University as they developed their own real estate careers.   Adam has played a huge role in Chris's life as he served as the inspiration and provided the mentorship that led Chris to make his first real estate purchase during his freshman year at TCU.  They have since held a close relationship over the last 16 years.  On this pod, they talk about Adam building his first real estate company in college, his first million dollar deal, pivoting into Solar software, the process of exiting multiple companies, and his thoughts on a future with COVID-19. Enjoy!  To learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris 02:05 — Adam’s Story and What Lead Him to Be an Entrepreneur 06:32 — Adam’s Father and The Impact His Death Had on Him 07:38 — How did your first real estate company come together while you were at TCU? 11:08 — When was the first time you did a deal that made you a significant amount of money? 12:34 — How did you raise the money for that deal at only 18 years old? 13:34 — Adam’s Experience Winning The Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award & Meeting Chris Powers 15:41 — Adam’s First Million Dollar Deal 17:18 — Adam’s Journey Through The '08 Recession and His Success Through a Dallas Condo Deal 21:31 — Moving to Kansas City and Pivoting Away From Real Estate and Into the Solar industry 23:51 — What did you like about the solar industry and what was your experience like growing & exiting this company? 28:50 — You started building software at Brightergy yet how does a non-technically oriented leader create a software culture? 32:32 — Why did you exit the solar industry? What mistakes were made during this process that you’ll never forget? 37:23 — Is there anything you would’ve done differently in the selling process? 39:16 — How did you get the inspiration for your next company, Zego? 42:10 — What made you decide to sell Zego at an early stage? 46:05 — Should more people take the route you did in selling Zego? 47:57 — What is it about Vista that makes them such a great PE company? 49:17 — How do you develop an "awesome" product? 50:52 — How has your perspective changed over time with a wife, 4 children, and a son with Autism? 53:58 — Adam’s Son 56:17 — Adam’s Core Values in His Weekly Rundown and How He Came Up With This Concept 58:36 — What are you thinking, seeing, and feeling right now as it relates to the COVID-19 situation? 1:01:49 — What do you see happening for yourself in the next year? 1:06:05 — Does this give you a different perspective as to what your next career move will be? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Adam Blake is a real estate and technology entrepreneur that has started, scaled, and exited multiple ventures and private equity-backed companies. He and Chris met early in their studies at Texas Christian University as they developed their own real estate careers.  

Adam has played a huge role in Chris's life as he served as the inspiration and provided the mentorship that led Chris to make his first real estate purchase during his freshman year at TCU.  They have since held a close relationship over the last 16 years.  On this pod, they talk about Adam building his first real estate company in college, his first million dollar deal, pivoting into Solar software, the process of exiting multiple companies, and his thoughts on a future with COVID-19. Enjoy! 


To learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris


02:05 — Adam’s Story and What Lead Him to Be an Entrepreneur

06:32 — Adam’s Father and The Impact His Death Had on Him

07:38 — How did your first real estate company come together while you were at TCU?

11:08 — When was the first time you did a deal that made you a significant amount of money?

12:34 — How did you raise the money for that deal at only 18 years old?

13:34 — Adam’s Experience Winning The Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award & Meeting Chris Powers

15:41 — Adam’s First Million Dollar Deal

17:18 — Adam’s Journey Through The '08 Recession and His Success Through a Dallas Condo Deal

21:31 — Moving to Kansas City and Pivoting Away From Real Estate and Into the Solar industry

23:51 — What did you like about the solar industry and what was your experience like growing & exiting this company?

28:50 — You started building software at Brightergy yet how does a non-technically oriented leader create a software culture?

32:32 — Why did you exit the solar industry? What mistakes were made during this process that you’ll never forget?

37:23 — Is there anything you would’ve done differently in the selling process?

39:16 — How did you get the inspiration for your next company, Zego?

42:10 — What made you decide to sell Zego at an early stage?

46:05 — Should more people take the route you did in selling Zego?

47:57 — What is it about Vista that makes them such a great PE company?

49:17 — How do you develop an "awesome" product?

50:52 — How has your perspective changed over time with a wife, 4 children, and a son with Autism?

53:58 — Adam’s Son

56:17 — Adam’s Core Values in His Weekly Rundown and How He Came Up With This Concept

58:36 — What are you thinking, seeing, and feeling right now as it relates to the COVID-19 situation?

1:01:49 — What do you see happening for yourself in the next year?

1:06:05 — Does this give you a different perspective as to what your next career move will be?


The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 4219 no #57: Brent Beshore - COVID-19: Impact on Small Businesses https://www.TheFortPod.com Brent Beshore is the Founder & CEO of Permanent Equity, a family of companies investing in family-owned companies.  Permanent Equity invests with no intention of selling and with little to no debt.  Brent published "The Messy Marketplace" in 2019 as a resource to "demystify the buyers, the process, and the inevitable emotional journey that is selling a company".  Permanent Equity has been a leader providing valuable content and resources to small businesses all over - especially in the midst of the COVID crisis.  In this episode, Brent and Chris discuss Permanent Equity's navigation through the pandemic, Brent's Safe Harbor project, 'The Small Business Toolbox', outlooks for life after COVID-19, and much more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris 01:04 — Can you recall the specific moment when you realized how real COVID-19 was? 02:33 — What data are you seeing that’s most alarming to you? 06:24 — How do you invest in a market like this where it’s a win-win right now? 10:48 — Are there any additional filters that you’re adding into the questions for buying a business right now? 13:30 — Can you explain what Safe Harbor is and what interesting things have come of it? 16:13 — What is the 'Small Business Toolbox' and how do you decide what to write next? 18:37 — What is the biggest challenge you’re facing today that you feel you lack wisdom on? 21:03 — If you could consult a crystal ball about the future, what would you like to know so you can change your trajectory? 23:35 — What happens when a business shuts down but needs to start back up again? 28:45 — What's your outlook on the rest of the year? 33:43 — Is there anything you want to see come out of Washington? 36:45 — What do you think is going through Warren Buffet’s head right now? 38:40 — What is your haircut going to be? Books Mentioned:  Living Life Backward by David Gibson The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by Neil Howe and William Strauss For more on Permanent Equity: www.permanentequity.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Wed, 29 Apr 2020 15:55:55 -0000 #57: Brent Beshore - COVID-19: Impact on Small Businesses full 1 57 Chris Powers Brent Beshore is the Founder & CEO of Permanent Equity, a family of companies investing in family-owned companies.  Permanent Equity invests with no intention of selling and with little to no debt.  Brent published "The Messy... Brent Beshore is the Founder & CEO of Permanent Equity, a family of companies investing in family-owned companies.  Permanent Equity invests with no intention of selling and with little to no debt.  Brent published "The Messy Marketplace" in 2019 as a resource to "demystify the buyers, the process, and the inevitable emotional journey that is selling a company".  Permanent Equity has been a leader providing valuable content and resources to small businesses all over - especially in the midst of the COVID crisis.  In this episode, Brent and Chris discuss Permanent Equity's navigation through the pandemic, Brent's Safe Harbor project, 'The Small Business Toolbox', outlooks for life after COVID-19, and much more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris 01:04 — Can you recall the specific moment when you realized how real COVID-19 was? 02:33 — What data are you seeing that’s most alarming to you? 06:24 — How do you invest in a market like this where it’s a win-win right now? 10:48 — Are there any additional filters that you’re adding into the questions for buying a business right now? 13:30 — Can you explain what Safe Harbor is and what interesting things have come of it? 16:13 — What is the 'Small Business Toolbox' and how do you decide what to write next? 18:37 — What is the biggest challenge you’re facing today that you feel you lack wisdom on? 21:03 — If you could consult a crystal ball about the future, what would you like to know so you can change your trajectory? 23:35 — What happens when a business shuts down but needs to start back up again? 28:45 — What's your outlook on the rest of the year? 33:43 — Is there anything you want to see come out of Washington? 36:45 — What do you think is going through Warren Buffet’s head right now? 38:40 — What is your haircut going to be? Books Mentioned:  Living Life Backward by David Gibson The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by Neil Howe and William Strauss For more on Permanent Equity: www.permanentequity.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Brent Beshore is the Founder & CEO of Permanent Equity, a family of companies investing in family-owned companies.  Permanent Equity invests with no intention of selling and with little to no debt.  Brent published "The Messy Marketplace" in 2019 as a resource to "demystify the buyers, the process, and the inevitable emotional journey that is selling a company".  Permanent Equity has been a leader providing valuable content and resources to small businesses all over - especially in the midst of the COVID crisis.  In this episode, Brent and Chris discuss Permanent Equity's navigation through the pandemic, Brent's Safe Harbor project, 'The Small Business Toolbox', outlooks for life after COVID-19, and much more. Enjoy! 

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com
Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris

01:04 — Can you recall the specific moment when you realized how real COVID-19 was?
02:33 — What data are you seeing that’s most alarming to you?
06:24 — How do you invest in a market like this where it’s a win-win right now?
10:48 — Are there any additional filters that you’re adding into the questions for buying a business right now?
13:30 — Can you explain what Safe Harbor is and what interesting things have come of it?
16:13 — What is the 'Small Business Toolbox' and how do you decide what to write next?
18:37 — What is the biggest challenge you’re facing today that you feel you lack wisdom on?
21:03 — If you could consult a crystal ball about the future, what would you like to know so you can change your trajectory?
23:35 — What happens when a business shuts down but needs to start back up again?
28:45 — What's your outlook on the rest of the year?
33:43 — Is there anything you want to see come out of Washington?
36:45 — What do you think is going through Warren Buffet’s head right now?
38:40 — What is your haircut going to be?

Books Mentioned:  Living Life Backward by David Gibson
The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by Neil Howe and William Strauss
For more on Permanent Equity: www.permanentequity.com

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 2481 no RE #56: Cullen Aderhold - COVID-19: Capital Markets & Lending Trends https://www.TheFortPod.com Cullen Aderhold is the Senior Director of Capital Markets at JLL. JLL is a global commercial real estate service across all major asset classes.  JLL provides tenant-rep/leasing solutions, property management, project design/management, capital markets solutions, and technology/it solutions to companies across the globe.  In this episode, Chris and Cullen discuss the most recent trends in capital markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lender strategies, private fund structures vs. REIT structure, hotel & retail loans, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com 01:03 — If you had to describe your job, what do you do? How did you get to where you are today? 02:17 — What asset classes do you work with? Are they nationwide? 03:28 — Did you know you would get into this line of work, or did you stumble upon it? 06:20 — Are there certain things that great real estate investors do that set them apart from the rest? 10:27 — What has the last month been like in capital markets as an owner? 13:58 — Did you have a signed deal before this situation started? Did it move forward or could the lender rescind? 16:44 — Is anyone acquiring debt right now? If lenders are moving forward, are they borrower-dependent or asset-dependent? 19:21 — How are lenders pricing right now? 24:43 — Is a private fund structure similar to the mortgage REIT structure? 25:42 — Hotels and retail have been hit hardest—will they be the last loans to come back? 29:39 — What things are people getting loans for that we wouldn't have seen before? 31:15 — Is there a pent up demand for refinancing as soon as things recover? 33:02 — What will happen to loans that were going to be refinanced or sold? 35:40 — Do you or JLL deal with distressed debt situations? What happens to distressed debt that comes to market? 37:05 — Do you remember the moment that the COVID-19 pandemic began to feel very real? Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:15:48 -0000 RE #56: Cullen Aderhold - COVID-19: Capital Markets & Lending Trends full 1 56 Chris Powers Cullen Aderhold is the Senior Director of Capital Markets at JLL. JLL is a global commercial real estate service across all major asset classes.  JLL provides tenant-rep/leasing solutions, property management, project design/management, capital... Cullen Aderhold is the Senior Director of Capital Markets at JLL. JLL is a global commercial real estate service across all major asset classes.  JLL provides tenant-rep/leasing solutions, property management, project design/management, capital markets solutions, and technology/it solutions to companies across the globe.  In this episode, Chris and Cullen discuss the most recent trends in capital markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lender strategies, private fund structures vs. REIT structure, hotel & retail loans, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com 01:03 — If you had to describe your job, what do you do? How did you get to where you are today? 02:17 — What asset classes do you work with? Are they nationwide? 03:28 — Did you know you would get into this line of work, or did you stumble upon it? 06:20 — Are there certain things that great real estate investors do that set them apart from the rest? 10:27 — What has the last month been like in capital markets as an owner? 13:58 — Did you have a signed deal before this situation started? Did it move forward or could the lender rescind? 16:44 — Is anyone acquiring debt right now? If lenders are moving forward, are they borrower-dependent or asset-dependent? 19:21 — How are lenders pricing right now? 24:43 — Is a private fund structure similar to the mortgage REIT structure? 25:42 — Hotels and retail have been hit hardest—will they be the last loans to come back? 29:39 — What things are people getting loans for that we wouldn't have seen before? 31:15 — Is there a pent up demand for refinancing as soon as things recover? 33:02 — What will happen to loans that were going to be refinanced or sold? 35:40 — Do you or JLL deal with distressed debt situations? What happens to distressed debt that comes to market? 37:05 — Do you remember the moment that the COVID-19 pandemic began to feel very real? Cullen Aderhold is the Senior Director of Capital Markets at JLL. JLL is a global commercial real estate service across all major asset classes.  JLL provides tenant-rep/leasing solutions, property management, project design/management, capital markets solutions, and technology/it solutions to companies across the globe.  In this episode, Chris and Cullen discuss the most recent trends in capital markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lender strategies, private fund structures vs. REIT structure, hotel & retail loans, and much more. Enjoy!

Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris
For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com

01:03 — If you had to describe your job, what do you do? How did you get to where you are today?
02:17 — What asset classes do you work with? Are they nationwide?
03:28 — Did you know you would get into this line of work, or did you stumble upon it?
06:20 — Are there certain things that great real estate investors do that set them apart from the rest?
10:27 — What has the last month been like in capital markets as an owner?
13:58 — Did you have a signed deal before this situation started? Did it move forward or could the lender rescind?
16:44 — Is anyone acquiring debt right now? If lenders are moving forward, are they borrower-dependent or asset-dependent?
19:21 — How are lenders pricing right now?
24:43 — Is a private fund structure similar to the mortgage REIT structure?
25:42 — Hotels and retail have been hit hardest—will they be the last loans to come back?
29:39 — What things are people getting loans for that we wouldn't have seen before?
31:15 — Is there a pent up demand for refinancing as soon as things recover?
33:02 — What will happen to loans that were going to be refinanced or sold?
35:40 — Do you or JLL deal with distressed debt situations? What happens to distressed debt that comes to market?
37:05 — Do you remember the moment that the COVID-19 pandemic began to feel very real?

]]> 2585 no RE #55: Matt Lasky - Managing Partner & Senior Vice President of Equity Velocity Funds https://www.TheFortPod.com Matt Lasky serves as Managing Partner and Senior Vice President of Equity Velocity Funds. He has advised clients nationally on over 1.3 million square feet of retail, mixed-use, and medical property since 2011. At Equity, he leads a team whose focus is on providing customized analytics and financial solutions to market strategy and capital markets clients nationally. The team brings deep experience in both multi-unit rollouts and acquisition/disposition work. In today's episode, he and Chris discuss lender attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt's perspective on working as a principal owner in the medical real estate world, and much more. Enjoy!   For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris  01:18 — Matt’s Background and His Career Up to This Point 04:41 — What was it about healthcare that intrigued you and brought you to Equity? 05:32 — What is it like focusing on both the service side and principal owner side of the business? 10:34 — How does a deal in this space come together? 13:10 — Is your fund a generalist fund or does each have its own mandate? 16:20 — What are you seeing on the front lines of Retail that you can share? 19:04 — Are lenders changing their attitudes during this COVID-19 crisis vs. the ’08 crash? 20:24 — Are there any best practices for handling rent relief? 23:55 — What is the difference between borrowing from CMBS vs. borrowing from a bank? 26:05 — Is there anything that's been permanently damaging for retailers? 28:33 — What worries you going forward after COVID-19? 32:30 — Are insurers paying receivables quicker to close the gap? 33:09 — Did you go into this pandemic with anything under contract? Has anything with these contracts changed due to COVID-19? 36:03 — Is Equity on pause with acquisitions? What’s would your plan be if a deal presented itself right now? 39:27 — Where do you see the rest of 2020 and 2021 going? When do we get back to ‘normal’? 42:17 — Are you seeing any leasing activity or has it halted? 45:12 — Do you see retail rents taking a huge hit w/ social distancing or will a new player come in and take advantage of it? 47:54 — Is there anything interesting you suspect we might see 18 months from now?   The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts  Thu, 23 Apr 2020 18:30:51 -0000 RE #55: Matt Lasky - Managing Partner & Senior Vice President of Equity Velocity Funds full 1 55 Chris Powers Matt Lasky serves as Managing Partner and Senior Vice President of Equity Velocity Funds. He has advised clients nationally on over 1.3 million square feet of retail, mixed-use, and medical property since 2011. At Equity, he leads a team whose focus... Matt Lasky serves as Managing Partner and Senior Vice President of Equity Velocity Funds. He has advised clients nationally on over 1.3 million square feet of retail, mixed-use, and medical property since 2011. At Equity, he leads a team whose focus is on providing customized analytics and financial solutions to market strategy and capital markets clients nationally. The team brings deep experience in both multi-unit rollouts and acquisition/disposition work. In today's episode, he and Chris discuss lender attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt's perspective on working as a principal owner in the medical real estate world, and much more. Enjoy!   For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris  01:18 — Matt’s Background and His Career Up to This Point 04:41 — What was it about healthcare that intrigued you and brought you to Equity? 05:32 — What is it like focusing on both the service side and principal owner side of the business? 10:34 — How does a deal in this space come together? 13:10 — Is your fund a generalist fund or does each have its own mandate? 16:20 — What are you seeing on the front lines of Retail that you can share? 19:04 — Are lenders changing their attitudes during this COVID-19 crisis vs. the ’08 crash? 20:24 — Are there any best practices for handling rent relief? 23:55 — What is the difference between borrowing from CMBS vs. borrowing from a bank? 26:05 — Is there anything that's been permanently damaging for retailers? 28:33 — What worries you going forward after COVID-19? 32:30 — Are insurers paying receivables quicker to close the gap? 33:09 — Did you go into this pandemic with anything under contract? Has anything with these contracts changed due to COVID-19? 36:03 — Is Equity on pause with acquisitions? What’s would your plan be if a deal presented itself right now? 39:27 — Where do you see the rest of 2020 and 2021 going? When do we get back to ‘normal’? 42:17 — Are you seeing any leasing activity or has it halted? 45:12 — Do you see retail rents taking a huge hit w/ social distancing or will a new player come in and take advantage of it? 47:54 — Is there anything interesting you suspect we might see 18 months from now?   The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts  Matt Lasky serves as Managing Partner and Senior Vice President of Equity Velocity Funds. He has advised clients nationally on over 1.3 million square feet of retail, mixed-use, and medical property since 2011. At Equity, he leads a team whose focus is on providing customized analytics and financial solutions to market strategy and capital markets clients nationally. The team brings deep experience in both multi-unit rollouts and acquisition/disposition work. In today's episode, he and Chris discuss lender attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt's perspective on working as a principal owner in the medical real estate world, and much more. Enjoy!   For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris  01:18 — Matt’s Background and His Career Up to This Point 04:41 — What was it about healthcare that intrigued you and brought you to Equity? 05:32 — What is it like focusing on both the service side and principal owner side of the business? 10:34 — How does a deal in this space come together? 13:10 — Is your fund a generalist fund or does each have its own mandate? 16:20 — What are you seeing on the front lines of Retail that you can share? 19:04 — Are lenders changing their attitudes during this COVID-19 crisis vs. the ’08 crash? 20:24 — Are there any best practices for handling rent relief? 23:55 — What is the difference between borrowing from CMBS vs. borrowing from a bank? 26:05 — Is there anything that's been permanently damaging for retailers? 28:33 — What worries you going forward after COVID-19? 32:30 — Are insurers paying receivables quicker to close the gap? 33:09 — Did you go into this pandemic with anything under contract? Has anything with these contracts changed due to COVID-19? 36:03 — Is Equity on pause with acquisitions? What’s would your plan be if a deal presented itself right now? 39:27 — Where do you see the rest of 2020 and 2021 going? When do we get back to ‘normal’? 42:17 — Are you seeing any leasing activity or has it halted? 45:12 — Do you see retail rents taking a huge hit w/ social distancing or will a new player come in and take advantage of it? 47:54 — Is there anything interesting you suspect we might see 18 months from now?   The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts 

]]> 3231 no RE #54: Moses Kagan - COVID-19: Impact on LA Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com Moses Kagan, CEO of Adaptive Realty, joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this episode, they discuss how COVID-19 has affected the real estate market in Los Angeles. Moses gives his perspective on best practices providing rent relief to tenants, the effectiveness of Adaptive's all-cash buying strategy in this environment, capital markets, financing, opportunity zones, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 01:00 — Multifamily and COVID-19 in Los Angeles 02:30 — How is Los Angeles handling this compared to other parts of the country? 04:45 — How are you offering relief to tenants? 06:36 — What does “you don't have to pay rent” really mean? 07:23 — What could others learn from the way you’re providing rent relief? 11:35 — Now Until July: Worse, Better, or Same? 13:21 — What does the leasing experience look like now? 13:51 — Will this situation lead to an influx of tenants who were originally planning to buy? 15:03 — Did you have anything under contract prior to the pandemic? 15:54 — With an all-cash purchase strategy, has financing worked in your favor? 16:58 — What are you seeing in capital markets right now? 20:13 — How does getting a loan look different now versus 60 days ago? 22:08 — Has your underwriting process changed in terms of becoming comfortable with a price? 26:10 — 15% Drop in Rent vs. Purchase Price 27:08 — What does your equity environment look like? Are you currently raising capital? 31:29 — What are you doing in opportunity zones? 33:15 — Is there a specific time frame when capital needs to be deployed into an opportunity zone? 34:55 — If a deal walked in today, what would it have to look like for you to pursue it? 38:00 — Are you making distributions to investors or are you holding back to create a safety margin? 40:08 — What is different between now and ’08-’09? 43:11 — Are you changing your focus at all with hotel and retail becoming so cheap? 46:06 — Is there anything you're hoping to hear from Washington that you haven’t already? 49:24 — If you had to make a bold prediction for the end of 2021, what would most people not agree with you on? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Mon, 20 Apr 2020 23:49:54 -0000 RE #54: Moses Kagan - COVID-19: Impact on LA Real Estate full 1 54 Chris Powers Moses Kagan, CEO of Adaptive Realty, joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this episode, they discuss how COVID-19 has affected the real estate market in Los Angeles. Moses gives his perspective on best practices providing rent... Moses Kagan, CEO of Adaptive Realty, joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this episode, they discuss how COVID-19 has affected the real estate market in Los Angeles. Moses gives his perspective on best practices providing rent relief to tenants, the effectiveness of Adaptive's all-cash buying strategy in this environment, capital markets, financing, opportunity zones, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 01:00 — Multifamily and COVID-19 in Los Angeles 02:30 — How is Los Angeles handling this compared to other parts of the country? 04:45 — How are you offering relief to tenants? 06:36 — What does “you don't have to pay rent” really mean? 07:23 — What could others learn from the way you’re providing rent relief? 11:35 — Now Until July: Worse, Better, or Same? 13:21 — What does the leasing experience look like now? 13:51 — Will this situation lead to an influx of tenants who were originally planning to buy? 15:03 — Did you have anything under contract prior to the pandemic? 15:54 — With an all-cash purchase strategy, has financing worked in your favor? 16:58 — What are you seeing in capital markets right now? 20:13 — How does getting a loan look different now versus 60 days ago? 22:08 — Has your underwriting process changed in terms of becoming comfortable with a price? 26:10 — 15% Drop in Rent vs. Purchase Price 27:08 — What does your equity environment look like? Are you currently raising capital? 31:29 — What are you doing in opportunity zones? 33:15 — Is there a specific time frame when capital needs to be deployed into an opportunity zone? 34:55 — If a deal walked in today, what would it have to look like for you to pursue it? 38:00 — Are you making distributions to investors or are you holding back to create a safety margin? 40:08 — What is different between now and ’08-’09? 43:11 — Are you changing your focus at all with hotel and retail becoming so cheap? 46:06 — Is there anything you're hoping to hear from Washington that you haven’t already? 49:24 — If you had to make a bold prediction for the end of 2021, what would most people not agree with you on? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Moses Kagan, CEO of Adaptive Realty, joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. In this episode, they discuss how COVID-19 has affected the real estate market in Los Angeles. Moses gives his perspective on best practices providing rent relief to tenants, the effectiveness of Adaptive's all-cash buying strategy in this environment, capital markets, financing, opportunity zones, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 01:00 — Multifamily and COVID-19 in Los Angeles 02:30 — How is Los Angeles handling this compared to other parts of the country? 04:45 — How are you offering relief to tenants? 06:36 — What does “you don't have to pay rent” really mean? 07:23 — What could others learn from the way you’re providing rent relief? 11:35 — Now Until July: Worse, Better, or Same? 13:21 — What does the leasing experience look like now? 13:51 — Will this situation lead to an influx of tenants who were originally planning to buy? 15:03 — Did you have anything under contract prior to the pandemic? 15:54 — With an all-cash purchase strategy, has financing worked in your favor? 16:58 — What are you seeing in capital markets right now? 20:13 — How does getting a loan look different now versus 60 days ago? 22:08 — Has your underwriting process changed in terms of becoming comfortable with a price? 26:10 — 15% Drop in Rent vs. Purchase Price 27:08 — What does your equity environment look like? Are you currently raising capital? 31:29 — What are you doing in opportunity zones? 33:15 — Is there a specific time frame when capital needs to be deployed into an opportunity zone? 34:55 — If a deal walked in today, what would it have to look like for you to pursue it? 38:00 — Are you making distributions to investors or are you holding back to create a safety margin? 40:08 — What is different between now and ’08-’09? 43:11 — Are you changing your focus at all with hotel and retail becoming so cheap? 46:06 — Is there anything you're hoping to hear from Washington that you haven’t already? 49:24 — If you had to make a bold prediction for the end of 2021, what would most people not agree with you on? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3244 no RE #53: Rob Gandy - COVID-19: Impact on CRE in Austin https://www.TheFortPod.com In this episode, Chris sits down with Rob Gandy—the Founding Principal of Cielo Property Group in Austin, TX. Rob is responsible for capital market engagement, financing, and acquisitions for Cielo. Prior to founding Cielo, Rob built a $60 million commercial real estate loan portfolio as a banker and previously served as a Vice President for Sandler O’Neill and Partners in New York where he traded municipal debt, agency debentures and collateralized mortgage obligations. They discuss Cielo's massive development in downtown Austin, entitlement risk in real estate deals, the effect of COVID-19 on Austin, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 01:44 — Founding Cielo Property Group and Rob’s Background 05:31 — A Single Tenant Focus 06:07 — Chapter 380 Development: Was Sam’s Club a distress deal? 09:02 — What should an owner think if the borrower knows there is an issue with the bank? 11:56 — Were you living in Austin during this deal? 13:59 — What was your source of capital? 16:23 — What was the original intent of the Austin Music Hall development and how did it become this ‘creative office’? 22:38 — What data gave you the confidence to build a spec office building? 26:22 — Are there any indicators that Austin is being over-built? 30:55 — When you buy a deal like this, is it fully-entitled or are you taking on the risk? 33:15 — Is single-tenant NNN something you’ve always done? 34:20 — What is the status of leasing / transacting in Austin right now? Is it paused due to COVID-19? 36:49 — How are retail tenants responding to the current climate? 38:54 — Are office tenants responding any differently? 40:12 — What are your best practices for providing rent relief to tenants? 42:04 — What is your outlook for the remainder of 2020? Is Cielo going to be actively seeking opportunities? 43:48 — When do you see normal activity resuming? Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:46:23 -0000 RE #53: Rob Gandy - COVID-19: Impact on CRE in Austin full 1 53 Chris Powers In this episode, Chris sits down with Rob Gandy—the Founding Principal of Cielo Property Group in Austin, TX. Rob is responsible for capital market engagement, financing, and acquisitions for Cielo. Prior to founding Cielo, Rob built a $60 million... In this episode, Chris sits down with Rob Gandy—the Founding Principal of Cielo Property Group in Austin, TX. Rob is responsible for capital market engagement, financing, and acquisitions for Cielo. Prior to founding Cielo, Rob built a $60 million commercial real estate loan portfolio as a banker and previously served as a Vice President for Sandler O’Neill and Partners in New York where he traded municipal debt, agency debentures and collateralized mortgage obligations. They discuss Cielo's massive development in downtown Austin, entitlement risk in real estate deals, the effect of COVID-19 on Austin, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 01:44 — Founding Cielo Property Group and Rob’s Background 05:31 — A Single Tenant Focus 06:07 — Chapter 380 Development: Was Sam’s Club a distress deal? 09:02 — What should an owner think if the borrower knows there is an issue with the bank? 11:56 — Were you living in Austin during this deal? 13:59 — What was your source of capital? 16:23 — What was the original intent of the Austin Music Hall development and how did it become this ‘creative office’? 22:38 — What data gave you the confidence to build a spec office building? 26:22 — Are there any indicators that Austin is being over-built? 30:55 — When you buy a deal like this, is it fully-entitled or are you taking on the risk? 33:15 — Is single-tenant NNN something you’ve always done? 34:20 — What is the status of leasing / transacting in Austin right now? Is it paused due to COVID-19? 36:49 — How are retail tenants responding to the current climate? 38:54 — Are office tenants responding any differently? 40:12 — What are your best practices for providing rent relief to tenants? 42:04 — What is your outlook for the remainder of 2020? Is Cielo going to be actively seeking opportunities? 43:48 — When do you see normal activity resuming? In this episode, Chris sits down with Rob Gandy—the Founding Principal of Cielo Property Group in Austin, TX. Rob is responsible for capital market engagement, financing, and acquisitions for Cielo. Prior to founding Cielo, Rob built a $60 million commercial real estate loan portfolio as a banker and previously served as a Vice President for Sandler O’Neill and Partners in New York where he traded municipal debt, agency debentures and collateralized mortgage obligations. They discuss Cielo's massive development in downtown Austin, entitlement risk in real estate deals, the effect of COVID-19 on Austin, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 01:44 — Founding Cielo Property Group and Rob’s Background 05:31 — A Single Tenant Focus 06:07 — Chapter 380 Development: Was Sam’s Club a distress deal? 09:02 — What should an owner think if the borrower knows there is an issue with the bank? 11:56 — Were you living in Austin during this deal? 13:59 — What was your source of capital? 16:23 — What was the original intent of the Austin Music Hall development and how did it become this ‘creative office’? 22:38 — What data gave you the confidence to build a spec office building? 26:22 — Are there any indicators that Austin is being over-built? 30:55 — When you buy a deal like this, is it fully-entitled or are you taking on the risk? 33:15 — Is single-tenant NNN something you’ve always done? 34:20 — What is the status of leasing / transacting in Austin right now? Is it paused due to COVID-19? 36:49 — How are retail tenants responding to the current climate? 38:54 — Are office tenants responding any differently? 40:12 — What are your best practices for providing rent relief to tenants? 42:04 — What is your outlook for the remainder of 2020? Is Cielo going to be actively seeking opportunities? 43:48 — When do you see normal activity resuming?

]]> 2893 no #52: Bryan Perkins - COVID-19: Impact on Aerospace Industry https://www.TheFortPod.com Bryan Perkins joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. Bryan is the CEO of Novaria Group, a manufacturer in the aerospace industry that makes parts for airlines and government defense groups—an industry that has clearly been hit hardest by COVID-19. Bryan is offering great insight into how Novaria has responded, the landscape his industry finds itself in right now, Bryan's recent sale to KKR, the future of M&A in the airline industry, the Boeing situation, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris 01:46 — How has COVID-19 impacted your world and your industry? 03:55 — How does this impact compare to the impact of 9/11? 04:33 — How does this impact an airline? 06:44 — What has the transformation been in new aircraft transactions? 09:24 — Have you seen any declines in the defense industry? 11:26 — What have you seen, in terms of making new parts, over the last 30 days? 13:48 — Selling the Business to KKR 16:16 — How did you pick a banker to lead the charge on the deal? 18:00 — With KKR as a partner, is this situation more strategic and agile? 22:24 — What does KKR provide that allows you to obtain more robust data? 24:10 — What is the role of people who are solely finding lean solutions? 26:24 — What will the M&A landscape look like for Novaria as you navigate COVID-19? 31:08 — You were optimistic in ’09, do you have that same outlook now? Are sellers more interested in selling now because of this environment? 33:35 — If I was a seller, how long would it take me to sell my business to Novaria? 34:33 — Is the Boeing 737 MAX issue less impactful because of the current environment? 37:36 — With this paradigm shift in consumer behavior, are people going to figure out that they don’t need to fly as often? 40:44 — What are your thoughts on private aviation? Will it be the last to come back? 43:53 — Do you see an opportunity from this situation that will strengthen the aviation industry? 46:37 — What information does the public need to hear in order to become comfortable flying again? 49:52 — What did you tell everyone after you won the Gilbert W. Speed Award? 51:50 — How have you shifted operations in a manufacturing factory to practice social distancing? 53:21 — How are you, as a leader, communicating with your team throughout this? Mon, 13 Apr 2020 18:13:42 -0000 #52: Bryan Perkins - COVID-19: Impact on Aerospace Industry full 1 52 Chris Powers Bryan Perkins joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. Bryan is the CEO of Novaria Group, a manufacturer in the aerospace industry that makes parts for airlines and government defense groups—an industry that has clearly been hit... Bryan Perkins joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. Bryan is the CEO of Novaria Group, a manufacturer in the aerospace industry that makes parts for airlines and government defense groups—an industry that has clearly been hit hardest by COVID-19. Bryan is offering great insight into how Novaria has responded, the landscape his industry finds itself in right now, Bryan's recent sale to KKR, the future of M&A in the airline industry, the Boeing situation, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris 01:46 — How has COVID-19 impacted your world and your industry? 03:55 — How does this impact compare to the impact of 9/11? 04:33 — How does this impact an airline? 06:44 — What has the transformation been in new aircraft transactions? 09:24 — Have you seen any declines in the defense industry? 11:26 — What have you seen, in terms of making new parts, over the last 30 days? 13:48 — Selling the Business to KKR 16:16 — How did you pick a banker to lead the charge on the deal? 18:00 — With KKR as a partner, is this situation more strategic and agile? 22:24 — What does KKR provide that allows you to obtain more robust data? 24:10 — What is the role of people who are solely finding lean solutions? 26:24 — What will the M&A landscape look like for Novaria as you navigate COVID-19? 31:08 — You were optimistic in ’09, do you have that same outlook now? Are sellers more interested in selling now because of this environment? 33:35 — If I was a seller, how long would it take me to sell my business to Novaria? 34:33 — Is the Boeing 737 MAX issue less impactful because of the current environment? 37:36 — With this paradigm shift in consumer behavior, are people going to figure out that they don’t need to fly as often? 40:44 — What are your thoughts on private aviation? Will it be the last to come back? 43:53 — Do you see an opportunity from this situation that will strengthen the aviation industry? 46:37 — What information does the public need to hear in order to become comfortable flying again? 49:52 — What did you tell everyone after you won the Gilbert W. Speed Award? 51:50 — How have you shifted operations in a manufacturing factory to practice social distancing? 53:21 — How are you, as a leader, communicating with your team throughout this? Bryan Perkins joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. Bryan is the CEO of Novaria Group, a manufacturer in the aerospace industry that makes parts for airlines and government defense groups—an industry that has clearly been hit hardest by COVID-19. Bryan is offering great insight into how Novaria has responded, the landscape his industry finds itself in right now, Bryan's recent sale to KKR, the future of M&A in the airline industry, the Boeing situation, and more. Enjoy!

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.
Follow Chris on Twitter @FortWorthChris

01:46 — How has COVID-19 impacted your world and your industry?
03:55 — How does this impact compare to the impact of 9/11?
04:33 — How does this impact an airline?
06:44 — What has the transformation been in new aircraft transactions?
09:24 — Have you seen any declines in the defense industry?
11:26 — What have you seen, in terms of making new parts, over the last 30 days?
13:48 — Selling the Business to KKR
16:16 — How did you pick a banker to lead the charge on the deal?
18:00 — With KKR as a partner, is this situation more strategic and agile?
22:24 — What does KKR provide that allows you to obtain more robust data?
24:10 — What is the role of people who are solely finding lean solutions?
26:24 — What will the M&A landscape look like for Novaria as you navigate COVID-19?
31:08 — You were optimistic in ’09, do you have that same outlook now? Are sellers more interested in selling now because of this environment?
33:35 — If I was a seller, how long would it take me to sell my business to Novaria?
34:33 — Is the Boeing 737 MAX issue less impactful because of the current environment?
37:36 — With this paradigm shift in consumer behavior, are people going to figure out that they don’t need to fly as often?
40:44 — What are your thoughts on private aviation? Will it be the last to come back?
43:53 — Do you see an opportunity from this situation that will strengthen the aviation industry?
46:37 — What information does the public need to hear in order to become comfortable flying again?
49:52 — What did you tell everyone after you won the Gilbert W. Speed Award?
51:50 — How have you shifted operations in a manufacturing factory to practice social distancing?
53:21 — How are you, as a leader, communicating with your team throughout this?

]]> 3406 no RE #51: Chris Powers - COVID-19: Impact on Commercial Real Estate https://www.TheFortPod.com In this episode, Chris is sharing his thoughts about commercial real estate as we cross the 30-day mark with Coronavirus. He talks about his experience coming to terms with this new reality, offers advice on working with banks, the impact across different asset classes, his predictions for the future of Industrial, and much more. Enjoy—and stay safe.  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  00:00 — Chris’ Personal Experience Coping with the Outbreak 07:00 — Living in a Zero-Demand World 08:22 — Capital Markets for Real Estate 09:09 — Low Interest Rates 10:16 — The Halt of All Transactions 11:22 — Advice on Working with Banks 17:58 — Property Taxes & Real Estate Valuation 18:43 — How Different Asset Classes Are Impacted 30:30 — Buying a Home in 2020 31:17 — The Need for a Standard Office 34:48 — The Strong Industrial Asset Class 39:44 — Senior Housing, Student Housing & Fundraising 43:15 — Construction & Technology in Real Estate 48:30 — Why Landlords Can’t Be the Liquidity for American Businesses 51:11 — Closing Thoughts Mentioned Resources: — Read Tom Barrack's article on Preventing COVID-19 From Infecting the Commercial Mortgage Market at https://bit.ly/mentioned-article. — Email Chris for more information on Property Tax Relief at TheFortPodcast@gmail.com. Thu, 09 Apr 2020 19:04:26 -0000 RE #51: Chris Powers - COVID-19: Impact on Commercial Real Estate full 1 51 Chris Powers In this episode, Chris is sharing his thoughts about commercial real estate as we cross the 30-day mark with Coronavirus. He talks about his experience coming to terms with this new reality, offers advice on working with banks, the impact across... In this episode, Chris is sharing his thoughts about commercial real estate as we cross the 30-day mark with Coronavirus. He talks about his experience coming to terms with this new reality, offers advice on working with banks, the impact across different asset classes, his predictions for the future of Industrial, and much more. Enjoy—and stay safe.  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  00:00 — Chris’ Personal Experience Coping with the Outbreak 07:00 — Living in a Zero-Demand World 08:22 — Capital Markets for Real Estate 09:09 — Low Interest Rates 10:16 — The Halt of All Transactions 11:22 — Advice on Working with Banks 17:58 — Property Taxes & Real Estate Valuation 18:43 — How Different Asset Classes Are Impacted 30:30 — Buying a Home in 2020 31:17 — The Need for a Standard Office 34:48 — The Strong Industrial Asset Class 39:44 — Senior Housing, Student Housing & Fundraising 43:15 — Construction & Technology in Real Estate 48:30 — Why Landlords Can’t Be the Liquidity for American Businesses 51:11 — Closing Thoughts Mentioned Resources: — Read Tom Barrack's article on Preventing COVID-19 From Infecting the Commercial Mortgage Market at https://bit.ly/mentioned-article. — Email Chris for more information on Property Tax Relief at TheFortPodcast@gmail.com. In this episode, Chris is sharing his thoughts about commercial real estate as we cross the 30-day mark with Coronavirus. He talks about his experience coming to terms with this new reality, offers advice on working with banks, the impact across different asset classes, his predictions for the future of Industrial, and much more. Enjoy—and stay safe. 

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 
Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 

00:00 — Chris’ Personal Experience Coping with the Outbreak
07:00 — Living in a Zero-Demand World
08:22 — Capital Markets for Real Estate
09:09 — Low Interest Rates
10:16 — The Halt of All Transactions
11:22 — Advice on Working with Banks
17:58 — Property Taxes & Real Estate Valuation
18:43 — How Different Asset Classes Are Impacted
30:30 — Buying a Home in 2020
31:17 — The Need for a Standard Office
34:48 — The Strong Industrial Asset Class
39:44 — Senior Housing, Student Housing & Fundraising
43:15 — Construction & Technology in Real Estate
48:30 — Why Landlords Can’t Be the Liquidity for American Businesses
51:11 — Closing Thoughts

Mentioned Resources:
— Read Tom Barrack's article on Preventing COVID-19 From Infecting the Commercial Mortgage Market at https://bit.ly/mentioned-article.
— Email Chris for more information on Property Tax Relief at TheFortPodcast@gmail.com.

]]> 3201 no #50: Will Churchill - COVID-19: Impact on Automotive Industry https://www.TheFortPod.com Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company, as well as several restaurants in Fort Worth, including Heim BBQ. Frank Kent Company has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 - 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. In this episode, Will and Chris discuss the family history of Frank Kent, how the automotive industry has been hit by COVID-19, how Frank Kent has battled the pandemic's effect, the specific impact on Fort Worth, and more. Enjoy and stay safe! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:08 — How did you become involved with Frank Kent and the automotive industry? 03:25 — Did you always know you would get into the industry, or were you forced to join the family business? 04:22 — Can you shed some light on what a car dealership would've been like in the ‘20s and ‘30s? Were the leading manufacturers the same? 06:33  — What are some of the manufacturers that you own and operate? 07:20 — What is the process of becoming ‘worthy’ to take on a new car brand? 08:50 — Can you shed some light on accessories / distribution and how you’ve become successful with that side of the business? 10:35 —When did you begin to see demand decline due to COVID-19? 13:28 — Are cars still selling? 16:05 — Do you have a person in charge to monitor changes from COVID-19? How do you distribute information to your team? 17:23 — Has demand actually decreased? Is the automotive industry included in the stimulus package? 18:45 — Is there a difference between the 2008 recession and the current situation? 21:27 — If more people are buying online, do you think this will permanently change the car buying process? 25:10 — How do car dealerships make money? 28:06 — The Lack of Auto Technicians 30:16 — You were Chairman of the Cadillac Dealer Council and sat on the GM Dealer Advisory Group Board, what did you learn through that experience? 33:04 — Are there silver linings in this situation that will make the auto industry better? 35:10 — There was a $1B acquisition that fell through today, do you expect automobile mergers and acquisitions to be on hold? 36:43 — What are you looking for that will indicate the industry is picking back up? 38:08 — What makes a great car salesman? What makes the best, the best? Why does that role get a negative reputation? 41:43 — Is the car dealership postcard actually effective? How often does someone show up to a dealership to browse and end up leaving with a brand-new car? 45:53 — The food and beverage industry is on life support, can you shed some light on what you’re hearing? 49:21 — How many of these restaurants do you think will close indefinitely from this pandemic? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts. Mon, 30 Mar 2020 21:19:59 -0000 #50: Will Churchill - COVID-19: Impact on Automotive Industry full 1 50 Chris Powers Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company, as well as several restaurants in Fort Worth, including Heim BBQ. Frank Kent Company has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 - 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers... Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company, as well as several restaurants in Fort Worth, including Heim BBQ. Frank Kent Company has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 - 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. In this episode, Will and Chris discuss the family history of Frank Kent, how the automotive industry has been hit by COVID-19, how Frank Kent has battled the pandemic's effect, the specific impact on Fort Worth, and more. Enjoy and stay safe! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:08 — How did you become involved with Frank Kent and the automotive industry? 03:25 — Did you always know you would get into the industry, or were you forced to join the family business? 04:22 — Can you shed some light on what a car dealership would've been like in the ‘20s and ‘30s? Were the leading manufacturers the same? 06:33  — What are some of the manufacturers that you own and operate? 07:20 — What is the process of becoming ‘worthy’ to take on a new car brand? 08:50 — Can you shed some light on accessories / distribution and how you’ve become successful with that side of the business? 10:35 —When did you begin to see demand decline due to COVID-19? 13:28 — Are cars still selling? 16:05 — Do you have a person in charge to monitor changes from COVID-19? How do you distribute information to your team? 17:23 — Has demand actually decreased? Is the automotive industry included in the stimulus package? 18:45 — Is there a difference between the 2008 recession and the current situation? 21:27 — If more people are buying online, do you think this will permanently change the car buying process? 25:10 — How do car dealerships make money? 28:06 — The Lack of Auto Technicians 30:16 — You were Chairman of the Cadillac Dealer Council and sat on the GM Dealer Advisory Group Board, what did you learn through that experience? 33:04 — Are there silver linings in this situation that will make the auto industry better? 35:10 — There was a $1B acquisition that fell through today, do you expect automobile mergers and acquisitions to be on hold? 36:43 — What are you looking for that will indicate the industry is picking back up? 38:08 — What makes a great car salesman? What makes the best, the best? Why does that role get a negative reputation? 41:43 — Is the car dealership postcard actually effective? How often does someone show up to a dealership to browse and end up leaving with a brand-new car? 45:53 — The food and beverage industry is on life support, can you shed some light on what you’re hearing? 49:21 — How many of these restaurants do you think will close indefinitely from this pandemic? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts. Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company, as well as several restaurants in Fort Worth, including Heim BBQ. Frank Kent Company has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 - 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. In this episode, Will and Chris discuss the family history of Frank Kent, how the automotive industry has been hit by COVID-19, how Frank Kent has battled the pandemic's effect, the specific impact on Fort Worth, and more. Enjoy and stay safe! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:08 — How did you become involved with Frank Kent and the automotive industry? 03:25 — Did you always know you would get into the industry, or were you forced to join the family business? 04:22 — Can you shed some light on what a car dealership would've been like in the ‘20s and ‘30s? Were the leading manufacturers the same? 06:33  — What are some of the manufacturers that you own and operate? 07:20 — What is the process of becoming ‘worthy’ to take on a new car brand? 08:50 — Can you shed some light on accessories / distribution and how you’ve become successful with that side of the business? 10:35 —When did you begin to see demand decline due to COVID-19? 13:28 — Are cars still selling? 16:05 — Do you have a person in charge to monitor changes from COVID-19? How do you distribute information to your team? 17:23 — Has demand actually decreased? Is the automotive industry included in the stimulus package? 18:45 — Is there a difference between the 2008 recession and the current situation? 21:27 — If more people are buying online, do you think this will permanently change the car buying process? 25:10 — How do car dealerships make money? 28:06 — The Lack of Auto Technicians 30:16 — You were Chairman of the Cadillac Dealer Council and sat on the GM Dealer Advisory Group Board, what did you learn through that experience? 33:04 — Are there silver linings in this situation that will make the auto industry better? 35:10 — There was a $1B acquisition that fell through today, do you expect automobile mergers and acquisitions to be on hold? 36:43 — What are you looking for that will indicate the industry is picking back up? 38:08 — What makes a great car salesman? What makes the best, the best? Why does that role get a negative reputation? 41:43 — Is the car dealership postcard actually effective? How often does someone show up to a dealership to browse and end up leaving with a brand-new car? 45:53 — The food and beverage industry is on life support, can you shed some light on what you’re hearing? 49:21 — How many of these restaurants do you think will close indefinitely from this pandemic? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts.

]]> 3467 no #49: Patrick Coddou - Founder & CEO of Supply https://www.TheFortPod.com Patrick Coddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a men's shaving and grooming direct-to-consumer business, who appeared on Shark Tank in late 2019. This Part 2 episode recaps Patrick's experience on the show (or at least what he can share!) and how the show has radically helped his business. Chris and Patrick also discuss the power of Shopify, pulling products off Amazon, the power of Facebook and SEO. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Follow Patrick on Twitter @SoundslikeCanoe 02:24 — How far in advance was your Shark Tank episode filmed and how hard was it to keep it a secret? 04:56 — How long does it take to perfect the pitch for the Sharks? 06:24 — What was the day of the pitch like? 10:29 — How long was the pitch to the Sharks? 11:21 — Was there a point where you doubted getting a deal? 16:04 — What did you do to celebrate? 17:12 — How did you prepare your site and supply chain prior to the episode airing? 19:55 — What was the immediate aftermath of the airing? 22:15 — Did you have any issues with the site during the rush of sales? 23:37 — Did you close the deal with Robert the Shark? 25:36 — Has the Coronavirus affected your business? What are you hearing from a supply chain/e-commerce perspective? 27:40 — What makes Shopify so great? 29:28 — Why is Shopify better than other platforms? 31:00 — Why did you stop selling on Amazon? 35:27 — Why are you more worried about Facebook than Shopify? 36:04 — How do you reach customers on the internet? How do you utilize SEO tools? 39:03 — What does the rest of the year look like? How has your strategy changed since going on Shark Tank? 41:07 — Did other investors reach out after Shark Tank? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts  Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:59:39 -0000 #49: Patrick Coddou - Founder & CEO of Supply full 1 49 Chris Powers Patrick Coddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a men's shaving and grooming direct-to-consumer business, who appeared on Shark Tank in late 2019. This Part 2 episode recaps Patrick's experience on the show (or at least what he can share!) and how... Patrick Coddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a men's shaving and grooming direct-to-consumer business, who appeared on Shark Tank in late 2019. This Part 2 episode recaps Patrick's experience on the show (or at least what he can share!) and how the show has radically helped his business. Chris and Patrick also discuss the power of Shopify, pulling products off Amazon, the power of Facebook and SEO. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Follow Patrick on Twitter @SoundslikeCanoe 02:24 — How far in advance was your Shark Tank episode filmed and how hard was it to keep it a secret? 04:56 — How long does it take to perfect the pitch for the Sharks? 06:24 — What was the day of the pitch like? 10:29 — How long was the pitch to the Sharks? 11:21 — Was there a point where you doubted getting a deal? 16:04 — What did you do to celebrate? 17:12 — How did you prepare your site and supply chain prior to the episode airing? 19:55 — What was the immediate aftermath of the airing? 22:15 — Did you have any issues with the site during the rush of sales? 23:37 — Did you close the deal with Robert the Shark? 25:36 — Has the Coronavirus affected your business? What are you hearing from a supply chain/e-commerce perspective? 27:40 — What makes Shopify so great? 29:28 — Why is Shopify better than other platforms? 31:00 — Why did you stop selling on Amazon? 35:27 — Why are you more worried about Facebook than Shopify? 36:04 — How do you reach customers on the internet? How do you utilize SEO tools? 39:03 — What does the rest of the year look like? How has your strategy changed since going on Shark Tank? 41:07 — Did other investors reach out after Shark Tank? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts  Patrick Coddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a men's shaving and grooming direct-to-consumer business, who appeared on Shark Tank in late 2019. This Part 2 episode recaps Patrick's experience on the show (or at least what he can share!) and how the show has radically helped his business. Chris and Patrick also discuss the power of Shopify, pulling products off Amazon, the power of Facebook and SEO. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Follow Patrick on Twitter @SoundslikeCanoe 02:24 — How far in advance was your Shark Tank episode filmed and how hard was it to keep it a secret? 04:56 — How long does it take to perfect the pitch for the Sharks? 06:24 — What was the day of the pitch like? 10:29 — How long was the pitch to the Sharks? 11:21 — Was there a point where you doubted getting a deal? 16:04 — What did you do to celebrate? 17:12 — How did you prepare your site and supply chain prior to the episode airing? 19:55 — What was the immediate aftermath of the airing? 22:15 — Did you have any issues with the site during the rush of sales? 23:37 — Did you close the deal with Robert the Shark? 25:36 — Has the Coronavirus affected your business? What are you hearing from a supply chain/e-commerce perspective? 27:40 — What makes Shopify so great? 29:28 — Why is Shopify better than other platforms? 31:00 — Why did you stop selling on Amazon? 35:27 — Why are you more worried about Facebook than Shopify? 36:04 — How do you reach customers on the internet? How do you utilize SEO tools? 39:03 — What does the rest of the year look like? How has your strategy changed since going on Shark Tank? 41:07 — Did other investors reach out after Shark Tank? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts 

]]> 2611 no #48: Travis Heim - The Journey to the 'Best Ribs in Texas' https://www.TheFortPod.com Travis Heim is the founder and pitmaster of Heim Barbeque, one of the most successful barbeque restaurants in Fort Worth! Heim was also recently voted as having the "Best Ribs in Texas" by Food Network. In this episode, Chris and Travis discuss how Travis discovered his passion for cooking, starting out selling brisket from the trunk of his '99 Civic, the 'Impossible Meat' trend in his industry, opening up a Dallas location and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  02:05 — Travis’ Background and The Story of Heim BBQ 03:02 — How did you realize you were great at cooking BBQ? 05:44 — What were your previous jobs before you started Heim? 13:13 — Chris’ First Brisket from Travis in a Dive Bar 14:48 — Travis’ Wife Joins the Team 15:25 — How long did it take to create a full menu beyond brisket? (Ft. The invention of Bacon Burnt Ends) 16:22 — What was the first day of business like? (Selling BBQ out of the back of a ’99 Civic) 20:40 — When did you meet your business partner, Will Churchill? 24:00 — Heim has been incredible at Marketing, especially on social media. Did someone teach you this or how did it come about? (You can follow Travis on Twitter @HeimBBQ) 27:50 — What does a day look like running the food truck? 31:11 — How has your day-to-day changed in the last 5 years? 34:53 — How do you keep your IP a secret, especially with employees leaving? 38:39 — When you opened the truck, were you sourcing the meat you have now? What's the process of selecting the meat you serve? 45:26 — How far in advance do orders need to be placed? 47:22 — What do you think about the ‘Impossible Meat' phenomenon? 48:56 — What trends are you seeing from delivery apps vs. coming into the store? 51:26 — If someone was starting a restaurant, what are some words of wisdom you would have for them? 54:25 — What's the biggest brisket mistake you can make and the easiest way to improve your brisket? 56:36 — Do you have a mentor that has helped you along the way or someone that you haven’t met that you’d love to meet? 59:55 — Do you have a favorite interview question?  The Fort with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Tue, 10 Mar 2020 01:43:41 -0000 #48: Travis Heim - The Journey to the 'Best Ribs in Texas' full 1 48 Chris Powers Travis Heim is the founder and pitmaster of Heim Barbeque, one of the most successful barbeque restaurants in Fort Worth! Heim was also recently voted as having the "Best Ribs in Texas" by Food Network. In this episode, Chris and Travis discuss how... Travis Heim is the founder and pitmaster of Heim Barbeque, one of the most successful barbeque restaurants in Fort Worth! Heim was also recently voted as having the "Best Ribs in Texas" by Food Network. In this episode, Chris and Travis discuss how Travis discovered his passion for cooking, starting out selling brisket from the trunk of his '99 Civic, the 'Impossible Meat' trend in his industry, opening up a Dallas location and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  02:05 — Travis’ Background and The Story of Heim BBQ 03:02 — How did you realize you were great at cooking BBQ? 05:44 — What were your previous jobs before you started Heim? 13:13 — Chris’ First Brisket from Travis in a Dive Bar 14:48 — Travis’ Wife Joins the Team 15:25 — How long did it take to create a full menu beyond brisket? (Ft. The invention of Bacon Burnt Ends) 16:22 — What was the first day of business like? (Selling BBQ out of the back of a ’99 Civic) 20:40 — When did you meet your business partner, Will Churchill? 24:00 — Heim has been incredible at Marketing, especially on social media. Did someone teach you this or how did it come about? (You can follow Travis on Twitter @HeimBBQ) 27:50 — What does a day look like running the food truck? 31:11 — How has your day-to-day changed in the last 5 years? 34:53 — How do you keep your IP a secret, especially with employees leaving? 38:39 — When you opened the truck, were you sourcing the meat you have now? What's the process of selecting the meat you serve? 45:26 — How far in advance do orders need to be placed? 47:22 — What do you think about the ‘Impossible Meat' phenomenon? 48:56 — What trends are you seeing from delivery apps vs. coming into the store? 51:26 — If someone was starting a restaurant, what are some words of wisdom you would have for them? 54:25 — What's the biggest brisket mistake you can make and the easiest way to improve your brisket? 56:36 — Do you have a mentor that has helped you along the way or someone that you haven’t met that you’d love to meet? 59:55 — Do you have a favorite interview question?  The Fort with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts Travis Heim is the founder and pitmaster of Heim Barbeque, one of the most successful barbeque restaurants in Fort Worth! Heim was also recently voted as having the "Best Ribs in Texas" by Food Network. In this episode, Chris and Travis discuss how Travis discovered his passion for cooking, starting out selling brisket from the trunk of his '99 Civic, the 'Impossible Meat' trend in his industry, opening up a Dallas location and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  02:05 — Travis’ Background and The Story of Heim BBQ 03:02 — How did you realize you were great at cooking BBQ? 05:44 — What were your previous jobs before you started Heim? 13:13 — Chris’ First Brisket from Travis in a Dive Bar 14:48 — Travis’ Wife Joins the Team 15:25 — How long did it take to create a full menu beyond brisket? (Ft. The invention of Bacon Burnt Ends) 16:22 — What was the first day of business like? (Selling BBQ out of the back of a ’99 Civic) 20:40 — When did you meet your business partner, Will Churchill? 24:00 — Heim has been incredible at Marketing, especially on social media. Did someone teach you this or how did it come about? (You can follow Travis on Twitter @HeimBBQ) 27:50 — What does a day look like running the food truck? 31:11 — How has your day-to-day changed in the last 5 years? 34:53 — How do you keep your IP a secret, especially with employees leaving? 38:39 — When you opened the truck, were you sourcing the meat you have now? What's the process of selecting the meat you serve? 45:26 — How far in advance do orders need to be placed? 47:22 — What do you think about the ‘Impossible Meat' phenomenon? 48:56 — What trends are you seeing from delivery apps vs. coming into the store? 51:26 — If someone was starting a restaurant, what are some words of wisdom you would have for them? 54:25 — What's the biggest brisket mistake you can make and the easiest way to improve your brisket? 56:36 — Do you have a mentor that has helped you along the way or someone that you haven’t met that you’d love to meet? 59:55 — Do you have a favorite interview question?  The Fort with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

]]> 3869 no RE #46: Moses Kagan - Co-Founder & Head of Adaptive Realty https://www.TheFortPod.com Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. He and Chris discuss finding LP's that align with your vision, Adaptive's business model with cash-only financing, building a successful property management company, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:35 — Background on Moses and Adaptive Realty 07:25 — How do you find LP’s that really enjoy your idea of holding onto assets vs. worrying about IRR? 11:18 — Do you think your model is scalable? Do you want to scale? 15:27 — Are you able to sell? What is the agreement like with your LP’s? 17:44 — Why do you capitalize everything with all equity up-front? 23:15 — Using Fanny / Freddy to Re-Finance a Loan 26:24 — What does your perfect deal look like? How do you find those deals? 36:16 — What makes a successful Property Management business? 41:51 — Are you keeping a reserve line item for cap-ex to build up over time? 45:39 — Where are mistakes made in the multifamily value-add space? 49:25 — What is your favorite book? 51:55 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 55:27 — What is your 10-year prediction for the future? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts. Mon, 03 Feb 2020 19:55:22 -0000 RE #46: Moses Kagan - Co-Founder & Head of Adaptive Realty full 1 46 Chris Powers Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property... Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. He and Chris discuss finding LP's that align with your vision, Adaptive's business model with cash-only financing, building a successful property management company, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:35 — Background on Moses and Adaptive Realty 07:25 — How do you find LP’s that really enjoy your idea of holding onto assets vs. worrying about IRR? 11:18 — Do you think your model is scalable? Do you want to scale? 15:27 — Are you able to sell? What is the agreement like with your LP’s? 17:44 — Why do you capitalize everything with all equity up-front? 23:15 — Using Fanny / Freddy to Re-Finance a Loan 26:24 — What does your perfect deal look like? How do you find those deals? 36:16 — What makes a successful Property Management business? 41:51 — Are you keeping a reserve line item for cap-ex to build up over time? 45:39 — Where are mistakes made in the multifamily value-add space? 49:25 — What is your favorite book? 51:55 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 55:27 — What is your 10-year prediction for the future? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts. Moses Kagan is the Co-Founder and Head of Adaptive Realty, a Los Angeles-based development and property management group. Since 2018, Moses has overseen the repositioning of 80 properties in Los Angeles and grown Adaptive from $0 to $110M of property under management. He and Chris discuss finding LP's that align with your vision, Adaptive's business model with cash-only financing, building a successful property management company, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:35 — Background on Moses and Adaptive Realty 07:25 — How do you find LP’s that really enjoy your idea of holding onto assets vs. worrying about IRR? 11:18 — Do you think your model is scalable? Do you want to scale? 15:27 — Are you able to sell? What is the agreement like with your LP’s? 17:44 — Why do you capitalize everything with all equity up-front? 23:15 — Using Fanny / Freddy to Re-Finance a Loan 26:24 — What does your perfect deal look like? How do you find those deals? 36:16 — What makes a successful Property Management business? 41:51 — Are you keeping a reserve line item for cap-ex to build up over time? 45:39 — Where are mistakes made in the multifamily value-add space? 49:25 — What is your favorite book? 51:55 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 55:27 — What is your 10-year prediction for the future? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts.

]]> 3636 no RE #45: Jason Baxter - Fort Capital's 2019 in Review https://www.TheFortPod.com Jason Baxter returns to The FORT Podcast to discuss the year of 2019 for Fort Capital. Jason and Chris discuss the importance of building out Objectives & Key Results, offering a wonderfully simple example of how OKRs can be implemented across any organization. They also discuss the influence of Jim Collins' Good to Great, their venture into property management, lessons learned from the industrial asset class, C.O.R., and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:30 — Building Out OKRs 16:09 — OKRs Explained: The Super Bowl Example 21:15 — Fort Capital’s Objectives & Key Results for 2020 22:57 — Good to Great by Jim Collins 30:28 — Property Management 38:47 — Investing in Class B Industrial 45:45 — C.O.R. Implementation in 2019 52:17 — F.O.S. (Fort Operating System) 59:53 — Fort Capital Highlights The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts. Mon, 13 Jan 2020 20:24:24 -0000 RE #45: Jason Baxter - Fort Capital's 2019 in Review full 1 45 Chris Powers Jason Baxter returns to The FORT Podcast to discuss the year of 2019 for Fort Capital. Jason and Chris discuss the importance of building out Objectives & Key Results, offering a wonderfully simple example of how OKRs can be implemented across any... Jason Baxter returns to The FORT Podcast to discuss the year of 2019 for Fort Capital. Jason and Chris discuss the importance of building out Objectives & Key Results, offering a wonderfully simple example of how OKRs can be implemented across any organization. They also discuss the influence of Jim Collins' Good to Great, their venture into property management, lessons learned from the industrial asset class, C.O.R., and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:30 — Building Out OKRs 16:09 — OKRs Explained: The Super Bowl Example 21:15 — Fort Capital’s Objectives & Key Results for 2020 22:57 — Good to Great by Jim Collins 30:28 — Property Management 38:47 — Investing in Class B Industrial 45:45 — C.O.R. Implementation in 2019 52:17 — F.O.S. (Fort Operating System) 59:53 — Fort Capital Highlights The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts. Jason Baxter returns to The FORT Podcast to discuss the year of 2019 for Fort Capital. Jason and Chris discuss the importance of building out Objectives & Key Results, offering a wonderfully simple example of how OKRs can be implemented across any organization. They also discuss the influence of Jim Collins' Good to Great, their venture into property management, lessons learned from the industrial asset class, C.O.R., and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:30 — Building Out OKRs 16:09 — OKRs Explained: The Super Bowl Example 21:15 — Fort Capital’s Objectives & Key Results for 2020 22:57 — Good to Great by Jim Collins 30:28 — Property Management 38:47 — Investing in Class B Industrial 45:45 — C.O.R. Implementation in 2019 52:17 — F.O.S. (Fort Operating System) 59:53 — Fort Capital Highlights The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts.

]]> 4002 no #44: Chris Huckabee - CEO of Huckabee Architecture https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris Huckabee is the CEO of Huckabee Architecture, delivering thoughtful facility solutions to meet the evolving needs of education. They discuss the transformation of education, Chris' experience as Chair of the Board at Texas Tech, and his amazing manifesto that he provided to the members of YPO when he transitioned out. This manifesto is applied to the group to this day! Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:22 — Chris’ Background 05:24 — Did you know all along that working at Huckabee was the right path? 06:47 — What has changed over the last 30 years for Huckabee? 11:42 — What is a bold prediction for the future of education? 13:24 — Is public education focused on the shortage of coders and computer engineers? 17:19 — What is it like being Chair of the Board at a public university? 22:30 — Cost of Education and Family Impact 25:19 — How can the average citizen improve education in their city? 32:34 — When people come to work at Huckabee, what do new employees have to realize? 35:00 — Why did you create a strategic plan and how did you handle new ideas brought to the table? 39:23 — Why was your relationship with your CFO so special? 47:13 — Does anyone care how rich you are or how many social events you attend? 49:39 — Give Away More Than You Keep 53:50 — Raising Great Kids 56:21 — Living on a Budget 1:01:52 — Finding Time for Yourself 1:03:47 — Giving Your Kids Handwritten Notes 1:07:42 — Being a Great Parent Mon, 09 Dec 2019 19:00:10 -0000 #44: Chris Huckabee - CEO of Huckabee Architecture full 1 44 Chris Powers Chris Huckabee is the CEO of Huckabee Architecture, delivering thoughtful facility solutions to meet the evolving needs of education. They discuss the transformation of education, Chris' experience as Chair of the Board at Texas Tech, and his amazing... Chris Huckabee is the CEO of Huckabee Architecture, delivering thoughtful facility solutions to meet the evolving needs of education. They discuss the transformation of education, Chris' experience as Chair of the Board at Texas Tech, and his amazing manifesto that he provided to the members of YPO when he transitioned out. This manifesto is applied to the group to this day! Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:22 — Chris’ Background 05:24 — Did you know all along that working at Huckabee was the right path? 06:47 — What has changed over the last 30 years for Huckabee? 11:42 — What is a bold prediction for the future of education? 13:24 — Is public education focused on the shortage of coders and computer engineers? 17:19 — What is it like being Chair of the Board at a public university? 22:30 — Cost of Education and Family Impact 25:19 — How can the average citizen improve education in their city? 32:34 — When people come to work at Huckabee, what do new employees have to realize? 35:00 — Why did you create a strategic plan and how did you handle new ideas brought to the table? 39:23 — Why was your relationship with your CFO so special? 47:13 — Does anyone care how rich you are or how many social events you attend? 49:39 — Give Away More Than You Keep 53:50 — Raising Great Kids 56:21 — Living on a Budget 1:01:52 — Finding Time for Yourself 1:03:47 — Giving Your Kids Handwritten Notes 1:07:42 — Being a Great Parent Chris Huckabee is the CEO of Huckabee Architecture, delivering thoughtful facility solutions to meet the evolving needs of education. They discuss the transformation of education, Chris' experience as Chair of the Board at Texas Tech, and his amazing manifesto that he provided to the members of YPO when he transitioned out. This manifesto is applied to the group to this day! Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:22 — Chris’ Background 05:24 — Did you know all along that working at Huckabee was the right path? 06:47 — What has changed over the last 30 years for Huckabee? 11:42 — What is a bold prediction for the future of education? 13:24 — Is public education focused on the shortage of coders and computer engineers? 17:19 — What is it like being Chair of the Board at a public university? 22:30 — Cost of Education and Family Impact 25:19 — How can the average citizen improve education in their city? 32:34 — When people come to work at Huckabee, what do new employees have to realize? 35:00 — Why did you create a strategic plan and how did you handle new ideas brought to the table? 39:23 — Why was your relationship with your CFO so special? 47:13 — Does anyone care how rich you are or how many social events you attend? 49:39 — Give Away More Than You Keep 53:50 — Raising Great Kids 56:21 — Living on a Budget 1:01:52 — Finding Time for Yourself 1:03:47 — Giving Your Kids Handwritten Notes 1:07:42 — Being a Great Parent

]]> 4457 no RE #43 - Bennett Washabaugh & Mike Zei - Co-Founders of TenantBase https://www.TheFortPod.com In this episode of The FORT Podcast, Chris is sitting down with Bennett Washabaugh (CEO / Co-Founder) and Mike Zei (COO / Co-Founder) of TenantBase. TenantBase's team has come together from the commercial real estate and technology industries for a single purpose—helping clients find a home for their startup or small business. Their free online service allows business owners to be paired with local brokers to find the best deal for office needs. Chris, Bennett, and Mike discuss the journey of their hypergrowth company, trying to solve every problem at once, raising capital, and determining roles to find the best path to success. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:57 — What are your roles? How did TenantBase come to be? 03:13 — What was the moment that you decided to attack this opportunity? 06:46 — How different is building software versus building a traditional business? 08:29 — How are your products shipped before the masses see them? 09:13 — What were the core issues when you were getting started? 11:16 — Was there a moment when you decided to focus on solving a few things and not everything? 13:16 — If I was a tenant entering the market, what are some things I would experience had I not worked with TenantBase? 16:00 — Is there a fundamental reason why someone would decide not to sign a lease? 17:42 — For office tenants, does access to amenities play a major factor in their decision to lease? 18:44 — Has anything that has happened with WeWork in the past few months affected your business? 20:52 — How do you get started in a new city? How do you identify new markets? 24:28 — How do you keep a consistent culture as you open up this quickly in different cities? 25:48 — Raising Capital Early On 28:50 — What’s it like having a board? 31:43 — How critical was going through an incubator in this journey? 35:04 — Is there someone along the way you read or listened to that helped you become great leaders? 37:13 — What is your ten-year prediction for this space? 38:59 — What are tenants asking for today that has changed recently? 42:18 — Are tenants needing space so quickly because of their failure to forecast growth, or is it because of a problem in the industry? 43:27 — How did you transition from doing the same thing to finding different things for each of you to focus on? 47:08 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? Mon, 02 Dec 2019 19:52:20 -0000 RE #43 - Bennett Washabaugh & Mike Zei - Co-Founders of TenantBase full 1 43 Chris Powers In this episode of The FORT Podcast, Chris is sitting down with Bennett Washabaugh (CEO / Co-Founder) and Mike Zei (COO / Co-Founder) of TenantBase. TenantBase's team has come together from the commercial real estate and technology industries for a... In this episode of The FORT Podcast, Chris is sitting down with Bennett Washabaugh (CEO / Co-Founder) and Mike Zei (COO / Co-Founder) of TenantBase. TenantBase's team has come together from the commercial real estate and technology industries for a single purpose—helping clients find a home for their startup or small business. Their free online service allows business owners to be paired with local brokers to find the best deal for office needs. Chris, Bennett, and Mike discuss the journey of their hypergrowth company, trying to solve every problem at once, raising capital, and determining roles to find the best path to success. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:57 — What are your roles? How did TenantBase come to be? 03:13 — What was the moment that you decided to attack this opportunity? 06:46 — How different is building software versus building a traditional business? 08:29 — How are your products shipped before the masses see them? 09:13 — What were the core issues when you were getting started? 11:16 — Was there a moment when you decided to focus on solving a few things and not everything? 13:16 — If I was a tenant entering the market, what are some things I would experience had I not worked with TenantBase? 16:00 — Is there a fundamental reason why someone would decide not to sign a lease? 17:42 — For office tenants, does access to amenities play a major factor in their decision to lease? 18:44 — Has anything that has happened with WeWork in the past few months affected your business? 20:52 — How do you get started in a new city? How do you identify new markets? 24:28 — How do you keep a consistent culture as you open up this quickly in different cities? 25:48 — Raising Capital Early On 28:50 — What’s it like having a board? 31:43 — How critical was going through an incubator in this journey? 35:04 — Is there someone along the way you read or listened to that helped you become great leaders? 37:13 — What is your ten-year prediction for this space? 38:59 — What are tenants asking for today that has changed recently? 42:18 — Are tenants needing space so quickly because of their failure to forecast growth, or is it because of a problem in the industry? 43:27 — How did you transition from doing the same thing to finding different things for each of you to focus on? 47:08 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? In this episode of The FORT Podcast, Chris is sitting down with Bennett Washabaugh (CEO / Co-Founder) and Mike Zei (COO / Co-Founder) of TenantBase. TenantBase's team has come together from the commercial real estate and technology industries for a single purpose—helping clients find a home for their startup or small business. Their free online service allows business owners to be paired with local brokers to find the best deal for office needs. Chris, Bennett, and Mike discuss the journey of their hypergrowth company, trying to solve every problem at once, raising capital, and determining roles to find the best path to success. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:57 — What are your roles? How did TenantBase come to be? 03:13 — What was the moment that you decided to attack this opportunity? 06:46 — How different is building software versus building a traditional business? 08:29 — How are your products shipped before the masses see them? 09:13 — What were the core issues when you were getting started? 11:16 — Was there a moment when you decided to focus on solving a few things and not everything? 13:16 — If I was a tenant entering the market, what are some things I would experience had I not worked with TenantBase? 16:00 — Is there a fundamental reason why someone would decide not to sign a lease? 17:42 — For office tenants, does access to amenities play a major factor in their decision to lease? 18:44 — Has anything that has happened with WeWork in the past few months affected your business? 20:52 — How do you get started in a new city? How do you identify new markets? 24:28 — How do you keep a consistent culture as you open up this quickly in different cities? 25:48 — Raising Capital Early On 28:50 — What’s it like having a board? 31:43 — How critical was going through an incubator in this journey? 35:04 — Is there someone along the way you read or listened to that helped you become great leaders? 37:13 — What is your ten-year prediction for this space? 38:59 — What are tenants asking for today that has changed recently? 42:18 — Are tenants needing space so quickly because of their failure to forecast growth, or is it because of a problem in the industry? 43:27 — How did you transition from doing the same thing to finding different things for each of you to focus on? 47:08 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?

]]> 2992 no RE #42: Terry Montesi - Consumer Values Changing Retail https://www.TheFortPod.com As founder and CEO, Terry Montesi has led Trademark Property Company through 26 years of innovative, community-focused development. Under his leadership, Trademark has developed more than $3.4B and 14.6M square feet of some of the most stakeholder-centric retail and mixed-use properties from coast to coast. He and Chris sit down to discuss Terry's journey of founding companies, the current state of mixed-use retail spaces, what they see for the future of retail, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:54 — How did your career guide your entry into the retail world? 05:47 — Is there anything you learned at Blockbuster that is still relevant today? 08:52 — Do you and your team have to determine the trade area? 09:29 — Was there a moment you turned from being scared to being optimistic about the buying process? 12:49 — What was Trademark doing in 1992? How does that compare to today’s focus? 18:51 — What triggered the change in consumers and the value of physical retail spaces? 24:38 — What makes a great public space? 33:46 — What is so valuable about your focus on mixed-used public / retail spaces? 45:33 — Is there a reason you would tell an institution "no"? 49:07 — What do you think about CloudKitchens? 49:53 — How do you know if you’ve found the right person for the job? 52:30 — If you had to give your 21-year-old self advice, what would it be? 53:15 — What is your bold prediction for the future ten years from now? Mon, 25 Nov 2019 16:44:30 -0000 RE #42: Terry Montesi - Consumer Values Changing Retail full 1 42 Chris Powers As founder and CEO, Terry Montesi has led Trademark Property Company through 26 years of innovative, community-focused development. Under his leadership, Trademark has developed more than $3.4B and 14.6M square feet of some of the most... As founder and CEO, Terry Montesi has led Trademark Property Company through 26 years of innovative, community-focused development. Under his leadership, Trademark has developed more than $3.4B and 14.6M square feet of some of the most stakeholder-centric retail and mixed-use properties from coast to coast. He and Chris sit down to discuss Terry's journey of founding companies, the current state of mixed-use retail spaces, what they see for the future of retail, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:54 — How did your career guide your entry into the retail world? 05:47 — Is there anything you learned at Blockbuster that is still relevant today? 08:52 — Do you and your team have to determine the trade area? 09:29 — Was there a moment you turned from being scared to being optimistic about the buying process? 12:49 — What was Trademark doing in 1992? How does that compare to today’s focus? 18:51 — What triggered the change in consumers and the value of physical retail spaces? 24:38 — What makes a great public space? 33:46 — What is so valuable about your focus on mixed-used public / retail spaces? 45:33 — Is there a reason you would tell an institution "no"? 49:07 — What do you think about CloudKitchens? 49:53 — How do you know if you’ve found the right person for the job? 52:30 — If you had to give your 21-year-old self advice, what would it be? 53:15 — What is your bold prediction for the future ten years from now? As founder and CEO, Terry Montesi has led Trademark Property Company through 26 years of innovative, community-focused development. Under his leadership, Trademark has developed more than $3.4B and 14.6M square feet of some of the most stakeholder-centric retail and mixed-use properties from coast to coast. He and Chris sit down to discuss Terry's journey of founding companies, the current state of mixed-use retail spaces, what they see for the future of retail, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:54 — How did your career guide your entry into the retail world? 05:47 — Is there anything you learned at Blockbuster that is still relevant today? 08:52 — Do you and your team have to determine the trade area? 09:29 — Was there a moment you turned from being scared to being optimistic about the buying process? 12:49 — What was Trademark doing in 1992? How does that compare to today’s focus? 18:51 — What triggered the change in consumers and the value of physical retail spaces? 24:38 — What makes a great public space? 33:46 — What is so valuable about your focus on mixed-used public / retail spaces? 45:33 — Is there a reason you would tell an institution "no"? 49:07 — What do you think about CloudKitchens? 49:53 — How do you know if you’ve found the right person for the job? 52:30 — If you had to give your 21-year-old self advice, what would it be? 53:15 — What is your bold prediction for the future ten years from now?

]]> 3527 no RE #41: Sanjay Chandra - Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group https://www.TheFortPod.com Sanjay Chandra serves as Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group and its affiliated companies in a variety of roles. He also serves as a Board Member for American Leather, which he co-founded in 1990, and where he was formerly president and CFO. Chris and Sanjay discuss Sanjay's life as a founder, his family's immigration to the United States, pivoting into real estate, and his experience in the world of private equity. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:17 — Sanjay’s Story 05:53 — How did you turn your engineering background into founding American Leather? 09:28 — How does system and process design play into the company? 12:47 — How does process affect the growth of a business? 14:37 — How do you encourage people to take ownership and make processes better? 21:16 — Is there a weekly or monthly meeting where you continuously try to improve your processes? 23:02 — Sanjay’s Entry into Private Equity in 2006 31:20 — How get your start in the real estate community and convince people to do deals with you? 34:12 — Did you always want to focus on residential? 35:25 — How can you be a really good operator in multifamily? 41:19 — If I were a business looking to take on private equity, what things would you tell me to think about? 43:49 — Are your time horizons with private equity the same as your real estate deals? 45:42 — What is the mentality of a founder who takes on private equity? What does the transition to life with a board look like? 48:12 — What is it like to live under the guidance of a board? 49:04 — How does a business go from being founder-run to not? 50:45 — What would happen if you bought a business and realized the founder is the issue? 54:48 — What is a question you ask before investing in a business today that you wouldn’t have when you first started? 57:42 — What was the biggest challenge in your career? 59:37 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:04:54 — What will the world look like in 2030? 1:07:52 — Do you have a favorite interview question? Tue, 29 Oct 2019 16:16:38 -0000 RE #41: Sanjay Chandra - Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group full 1 41 Chris Powers Sanjay Chandra serves as Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group and its affiliated companies in a variety of roles. He also serves as a Board Member for American Leather, which he co-founded in 1990, and where he was formerly... Sanjay Chandra serves as Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group and its affiliated companies in a variety of roles. He also serves as a Board Member for American Leather, which he co-founded in 1990, and where he was formerly president and CFO. Chris and Sanjay discuss Sanjay's life as a founder, his family's immigration to the United States, pivoting into real estate, and his experience in the world of private equity. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:17 — Sanjay’s Story 05:53 — How did you turn your engineering background into founding American Leather? 09:28 — How does system and process design play into the company? 12:47 — How does process affect the growth of a business? 14:37 — How do you encourage people to take ownership and make processes better? 21:16 — Is there a weekly or monthly meeting where you continuously try to improve your processes? 23:02 — Sanjay’s Entry into Private Equity in 2006 31:20 — How get your start in the real estate community and convince people to do deals with you? 34:12 — Did you always want to focus on residential? 35:25 — How can you be a really good operator in multifamily? 41:19 — If I were a business looking to take on private equity, what things would you tell me to think about? 43:49 — Are your time horizons with private equity the same as your real estate deals? 45:42 — What is the mentality of a founder who takes on private equity? What does the transition to life with a board look like? 48:12 — What is it like to live under the guidance of a board? 49:04 — How does a business go from being founder-run to not? 50:45 — What would happen if you bought a business and realized the founder is the issue? 54:48 — What is a question you ask before investing in a business today that you wouldn’t have when you first started? 57:42 — What was the biggest challenge in your career? 59:37 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:04:54 — What will the world look like in 2030? 1:07:52 — Do you have a favorite interview question? Sanjay Chandra serves as Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group and its affiliated companies in a variety of roles. He also serves as a Board Member for American Leather, which he co-founded in 1990, and where he was formerly president and CFO. Chris and Sanjay discuss Sanjay's life as a founder, his family's immigration to the United States, pivoting into real estate, and his experience in the world of private equity. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:17 — Sanjay’s Story 05:53 — How did you turn your engineering background into founding American Leather? 09:28 — How does system and process design play into the company? 12:47 — How does process affect the growth of a business? 14:37 — How do you encourage people to take ownership and make processes better? 21:16 — Is there a weekly or monthly meeting where you continuously try to improve your processes? 23:02 — Sanjay’s Entry into Private Equity in 2006 31:20 — How get your start in the real estate community and convince people to do deals with you? 34:12 — Did you always want to focus on residential? 35:25 — How can you be a really good operator in multifamily? 41:19 — If I were a business looking to take on private equity, what things would you tell me to think about? 43:49 — Are your time horizons with private equity the same as your real estate deals? 45:42 — What is the mentality of a founder who takes on private equity? What does the transition to life with a board look like? 48:12 — What is it like to live under the guidance of a board? 49:04 — How does a business go from being founder-run to not? 50:45 — What would happen if you bought a business and realized the founder is the issue? 54:48 — What is a question you ask before investing in a business today that you wouldn’t have when you first started? 57:42 — What was the biggest challenge in your career? 59:37 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:04:54 — What will the world look like in 2030? 1:07:52 — Do you have a favorite interview question?

]]> 4317 no #40: Tuur Demeester - The Future of Bitcoin https://www.TheFortPod.com Tuur Demeester is the Founding Partner of Adamant Capital and the #11 Worldwide Crypto Influencer. Tuur is known for his work on crypto valuation, market analysis, trading calls, ETH debates, and the study of tech history. He and Chris discuss the history of Bitcoin, the process of crypto becoming an everyday consumer currency, Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:06 — How did you discover Bitcoin in 2012? 06:08 — Tuur’s Background 09:40 — The Nature & Scarcity of Bitcoin 14:33 — What is the limit on 21 million Bitcoins? 17:03 — What is Bitcoin to you? Why do you commit to the progression of it? 19:32 — 4 Steps to Becoming a Currency & Everyday Consumer Use 22:33 — Where are we in making Bitcoin an institutionally viable asset? 26:28 — Bitcoin Changing Courses 30:27 — Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? 32:20 — Facebook’s Libra 38:05 — Can the government stop Bitcoin? 44:26 — Bitcoin in Authoritarian or Underdeveloped Nations 46:42 — How was 2018 for Bitcoin? 49:26 — Listener Question: How will a decentralized currency economy regulate factors typically regulated by the government? 52:17 — Bitcoin & Criminals 55:37 — How does Twitter play a role in your daily life and work? 59:37 — The Future of Bitcoin The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts. Mon, 21 Oct 2019 17:29:44 -0000 #40: Tuur Demeester - The Future of Bitcoin full 1 40 Chris Powers Tuur Demeester is the Founding Partner of Adamant Capital and the #11 Worldwide Crypto Influencer. Tuur is known for his work on crypto valuation, market analysis, trading calls, ETH debates, and the study of tech history. He and Chris discuss the... Tuur Demeester is the Founding Partner of Adamant Capital and the #11 Worldwide Crypto Influencer. Tuur is known for his work on crypto valuation, market analysis, trading calls, ETH debates, and the study of tech history. He and Chris discuss the history of Bitcoin, the process of crypto becoming an everyday consumer currency, Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:06 — How did you discover Bitcoin in 2012? 06:08 — Tuur’s Background 09:40 — The Nature & Scarcity of Bitcoin 14:33 — What is the limit on 21 million Bitcoins? 17:03 — What is Bitcoin to you? Why do you commit to the progression of it? 19:32 — 4 Steps to Becoming a Currency & Everyday Consumer Use 22:33 — Where are we in making Bitcoin an institutionally viable asset? 26:28 — Bitcoin Changing Courses 30:27 — Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? 32:20 — Facebook’s Libra 38:05 — Can the government stop Bitcoin? 44:26 — Bitcoin in Authoritarian or Underdeveloped Nations 46:42 — How was 2018 for Bitcoin? 49:26 — Listener Question: How will a decentralized currency economy regulate factors typically regulated by the government? 52:17 — Bitcoin & Criminals 55:37 — How does Twitter play a role in your daily life and work? 59:37 — The Future of Bitcoin The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts. Tuur Demeester is the Founding Partner of Adamant Capital and the #11 Worldwide Crypto Influencer. Tuur is known for his work on crypto valuation, market analysis, trading calls, ETH debates, and the study of tech history. He and Chris discuss the history of Bitcoin, the process of crypto becoming an everyday consumer currency, Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:06 — How did you discover Bitcoin in 2012? 06:08 — Tuur’s Background 09:40 — The Nature & Scarcity of Bitcoin 14:33 — What is the limit on 21 million Bitcoins? 17:03 — What is Bitcoin to you? Why do you commit to the progression of it? 19:32 — 4 Steps to Becoming a Currency & Everyday Consumer Use 22:33 — Where are we in making Bitcoin an institutionally viable asset? 26:28 — Bitcoin Changing Courses 30:27 — Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? 32:20 — Facebook’s Libra 38:05 — Can the government stop Bitcoin? 44:26 — Bitcoin in Authoritarian or Underdeveloped Nations 46:42 — How was 2018 for Bitcoin? 49:26 — Listener Question: How will a decentralized currency economy regulate factors typically regulated by the government? 52:17 — Bitcoin & Criminals 55:37 — How does Twitter play a role in your daily life and work? 59:37 — The Future of Bitcoin The FORT with Chris Powers is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts.

]]> 3987 no #39: Patrick Coddou - Founder & CEO of Supply https://www.TheFortPod.com Patrick Caddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a direct-to-consumer company specializing in single-blade razors for men as well as other cosmetic goods. Patrick and Chris discuss his journey of leaving the corporate world to become a founder, the ups and downs of manufacturing a product that people will love to use, and the how Twitter and freelance platforms have been so instrumental in businesses. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:38 — What is Supply and how did you get started? 04:00 — Did you discover something new yourself when you went full-time with Supply? 05:08 — What was your experience launching a product on KickStarter? 07:30 — What risks come with manufacturing a product? 08:40 — What is the biggest factor in customer loyalty? 09:15 — Designing a Product, Sourcing Materials, and Customer Delivery 11:20 — Razorpedia.com and Supply 14:29 — How did you deal with issues with manufacturers? 17:18 — How are you dealing with poor supplier relationships right now? 18:53 — Are there consultants for sourcing suppliers? 20:44 — What will your trip to China be like? 22:12 — If a supplier drops the ball on a major purchase order, how does it put you at risk? 27:16 — What led to the launch of Razorpedia? 29:06 — Negative Social Media Feedback 33:06 — Slowly & Methodically Growing a Company 38:18 — What does “pushing the lever” mean? 41:50 — When did you realize the importance of digital advertising? 44:30 — Ben & Jerry’s vs. Amazon 50:10 — What makes a great shave? 52:50 — How focused were you on doing one thing really well? When did you decide to expand the product line? 55:25 — Do you have a mentor or group that advises you? 58:38 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:01:50 — How do you know if you had a good day? How do you define success? Mon, 14 Oct 2019 17:48:15 -0000 #39: Patrick Coddou - Founder & CEO of Supply full 1 39 Chris Powers Patrick Caddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a direct-to-consumer company specializing in single-blade razors for men as well as other cosmetic goods. Patrick and Chris discuss his journey of leaving the corporate world to become a founder, the... Patrick Caddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a direct-to-consumer company specializing in single-blade razors for men as well as other cosmetic goods. Patrick and Chris discuss his journey of leaving the corporate world to become a founder, the ups and downs of manufacturing a product that people will love to use, and the how Twitter and freelance platforms have been so instrumental in businesses. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:38 — What is Supply and how did you get started? 04:00 — Did you discover something new yourself when you went full-time with Supply? 05:08 — What was your experience launching a product on KickStarter? 07:30 — What risks come with manufacturing a product? 08:40 — What is the biggest factor in customer loyalty? 09:15 — Designing a Product, Sourcing Materials, and Customer Delivery 11:20 — Razorpedia.com and Supply 14:29 — How did you deal with issues with manufacturers? 17:18 — How are you dealing with poor supplier relationships right now? 18:53 — Are there consultants for sourcing suppliers? 20:44 — What will your trip to China be like? 22:12 — If a supplier drops the ball on a major purchase order, how does it put you at risk? 27:16 — What led to the launch of Razorpedia? 29:06 — Negative Social Media Feedback 33:06 — Slowly & Methodically Growing a Company 38:18 — What does “pushing the lever” mean? 41:50 — When did you realize the importance of digital advertising? 44:30 — Ben & Jerry’s vs. Amazon 50:10 — What makes a great shave? 52:50 — How focused were you on doing one thing really well? When did you decide to expand the product line? 55:25 — Do you have a mentor or group that advises you? 58:38 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:01:50 — How do you know if you had a good day? How do you define success? Patrick Caddou is the Founder and CEO of Supply, a direct-to-consumer company specializing in single-blade razors for men as well as other cosmetic goods. Patrick and Chris discuss his journey of leaving the corporate world to become a founder, the ups and downs of manufacturing a product that people will love to use, and the how Twitter and freelance platforms have been so instrumental in businesses. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 01:38 — What is Supply and how did you get started? 04:00 — Did you discover something new yourself when you went full-time with Supply? 05:08 — What was your experience launching a product on KickStarter? 07:30 — What risks come with manufacturing a product? 08:40 — What is the biggest factor in customer loyalty? 09:15 — Designing a Product, Sourcing Materials, and Customer Delivery 11:20 — Razorpedia.com and Supply 14:29 — How did you deal with issues with manufacturers? 17:18 — How are you dealing with poor supplier relationships right now? 18:53 — Are there consultants for sourcing suppliers? 20:44 — What will your trip to China be like? 22:12 — If a supplier drops the ball on a major purchase order, how does it put you at risk? 27:16 — What led to the launch of Razorpedia? 29:06 — Negative Social Media Feedback 33:06 — Slowly & Methodically Growing a Company 38:18 — What does “pushing the lever” mean? 41:50 — When did you realize the importance of digital advertising? 44:30 — Ben & Jerry’s vs. Amazon 50:10 — What makes a great shave? 52:50 — How focused were you on doing one thing really well? When did you decide to expand the product line? 55:25 — Do you have a mentor or group that advises you? 58:38 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:01:50 — How do you know if you had a good day? How do you define success?

]]> 4035 no #38: Pete Chambers - Being Someone Worthy to Follow https://www.TheFortPod.com Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that, “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  03:50 — How did you plan for the “post-50” life? 08:03 — Fighter Pilot 10:00 — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship? 13:30 — What did you implement early that you needed to be intentional about? 15:16 — Pete’s Radius 16:26 — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner? 17:30 — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned? 19:13 — Forrest Gump 21:28 — What does servant leadership mean to you? 25:28 — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees? 28:22 — Pick out three things… 29:17 — When did you know it was time to sell your business? 32:50 — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers 34:20 — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration 35:30 — The Roadmap 44:00 — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life? 48:48 — Loneliness at the Top 50:10 — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization) 52:42 — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy 57:09 — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage 1:04:33 — Pete’s Painting Tue, 08 Oct 2019 16:45:17 -0000 #38: Pete Chambers - Being Someone Worthy to Follow full 1 38 Chris Powers Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students... Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that, “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  03:50 — How did you plan for the “post-50” life? 08:03 — Fighter Pilot 10:00 — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship? 13:30 — What did you implement early that you needed to be intentional about? 15:16 — Pete’s Radius 16:26 — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner? 17:30 — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned? 19:13 — Forrest Gump 21:28 — What does servant leadership mean to you? 25:28 — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees? 28:22 — Pick out three things… 29:17 — When did you know it was time to sell your business? 32:50 — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers 34:20 — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration 35:30 — The Roadmap 44:00 — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life? 48:48 — Loneliness at the Top 50:10 — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization) 52:42 — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy 57:09 — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage 1:04:33 — Pete’s Painting Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that, “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy! 

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.
Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris
Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 

03:50 — How did you plan for the “post-50” life?
08:03 — Fighter Pilot
10:00 — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship?
13:30 — What did you implement early that you needed to be intentional about?
15:16 — Pete’s Radius
16:26 — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner?
17:30 — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned?
19:13 — Forrest Gump
21:28 — What does servant leadership mean to you?
25:28 — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees?
28:22 — Pick out three things…
29:17 — When did you know it was time to sell your business?
32:50 — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers
34:20 — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration
35:30 — The Roadmap
44:00 — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life?
48:48 — Loneliness at the Top
50:10 — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization)
52:42 — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy
57:09 — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage
1:04:33 — Pete’s Painting

]]> 4503 no RE #37: Brandon Sedloff - Investment Management & Technology https://www.TheFortPod.com Brandon Sedloff is the Vice President of Sales and Managing Director of Juniper Square. Juniper Square is an easy-to-use, all-in-one investment management software designed specifically for real estate. Chris and Brandon sit down to discuss the great partnership between Fort Capital and Juniper Square, dealing with change in a hyper-growth startup, and Brandon's journey as a salesman. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:06 — What is Juniper Square? How did you get to where you are today? 06:26 — Do all investors want / need the same things? 09:18 — Fort Capital and Juniper Square, How to Provide a Great Experience, Why Investment Management was Archaic Before Juniper Square 19:36 — How has utilizing Juniper Square impacted Fort’s current and future hiring plans? 25:55 — How do you follow the customer? What is the process of innovation at Juniper Square? 30:00 — How do you define the goal and vision for Juniper Square? 31:47 — How do you streamline the frictional cost of doing a deal? How has Juniper Square made life easier for Fort Capital and its investors? 35:04 — How do things change in a hyper-growth start up? 39:57 — How did you find your career in sales? Does it come natural to you? 43:27 — What is the difference between selling technology and selling real estate? 45:45 — Do most SaaS businesses build their own internal tools, or do most use third party software? 47:45 — How do you hold people accountable to using these tracking tools? 51:08 — Do you use software during meetings to ensure productivity? 54:52 — Did someone teach you “great salesmanship”? 59:43 — If I were new to your team, what would my first month look like? 1:02:45 — Brandon’s Favorite Interview Question Tue, 01 Oct 2019 00:55:29 -0000 RE #37: Brandon Sedloff - Investment Management & Technology full 1 37 Chris Powers Brandon Sedloff is the Vice President of Sales and Managing Director of Juniper Square. Juniper Square is an easy-to-use, all-in-one investment management software designed specifically for real estate. Chris and Brandon sit down to discuss the great... Brandon Sedloff is the Vice President of Sales and Managing Director of Juniper Square. Juniper Square is an easy-to-use, all-in-one investment management software designed specifically for real estate. Chris and Brandon sit down to discuss the great partnership between Fort Capital and Juniper Square, dealing with change in a hyper-growth startup, and Brandon's journey as a salesman. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:06 — What is Juniper Square? How did you get to where you are today? 06:26 — Do all investors want / need the same things? 09:18 — Fort Capital and Juniper Square, How to Provide a Great Experience, Why Investment Management was Archaic Before Juniper Square 19:36 — How has utilizing Juniper Square impacted Fort’s current and future hiring plans? 25:55 — How do you follow the customer? What is the process of innovation at Juniper Square? 30:00 — How do you define the goal and vision for Juniper Square? 31:47 — How do you streamline the frictional cost of doing a deal? How has Juniper Square made life easier for Fort Capital and its investors? 35:04 — How do things change in a hyper-growth start up? 39:57 — How did you find your career in sales? Does it come natural to you? 43:27 — What is the difference between selling technology and selling real estate? 45:45 — Do most SaaS businesses build their own internal tools, or do most use third party software? 47:45 — How do you hold people accountable to using these tracking tools? 51:08 — Do you use software during meetings to ensure productivity? 54:52 — Did someone teach you “great salesmanship”? 59:43 — If I were new to your team, what would my first month look like? 1:02:45 — Brandon’s Favorite Interview Question Brandon Sedloff is the Vice President of Sales and Managing Director of Juniper Square. Juniper Square is an easy-to-use, all-in-one investment management software designed specifically for real estate. Chris and Brandon sit down to discuss the great partnership between Fort Capital and Juniper Square, dealing with change in a hyper-growth startup, and Brandon's journey as a salesman. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:06 — What is Juniper Square? How did you get to where you are today? 06:26 — Do all investors want / need the same things? 09:18 — Fort Capital and Juniper Square, How to Provide a Great Experience, Why Investment Management was Archaic Before Juniper Square 19:36 — How has utilizing Juniper Square impacted Fort’s current and future hiring plans? 25:55 — How do you follow the customer? What is the process of innovation at Juniper Square? 30:00 — How do you define the goal and vision for Juniper Square? 31:47 — How do you streamline the frictional cost of doing a deal? How has Juniper Square made life easier for Fort Capital and its investors? 35:04 — How do things change in a hyper-growth start up? 39:57 — How did you find your career in sales? Does it come natural to you? 43:27 — What is the difference between selling technology and selling real estate? 45:45 — Do most SaaS businesses build their own internal tools, or do most use third party software? 47:45 — How do you hold people accountable to using these tracking tools? 51:08 — Do you use software during meetings to ensure productivity? 54:52 — Did someone teach you “great salesmanship”? 59:43 — If I were new to your team, what would my first month look like? 1:02:45 — Brandon’s Favorite Interview Question

]]> 3945 no #36: Ashton Gustafson - Public Speaker, Nationally Recognized Realtor, and Artist https://www.TheFortPod.com Ashton Gustafson is a highly sought-after public speaker, nationally recognized Realtor, artist, musician, poet, and amateur cosmologist—in a pursuit to becoming more. He sits down with Chris to discuss the importance of making your life about "less", the benefits of reading, teaching what you learn, and the power of enneagrams and personality testing in the workplace. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:18 — Ashton’s Journey 05:30 — Did you have a moment of clarity that led you to something ‘better’? 07:25 — Making Your Life More and More About Less and Less 10:09 — 3 Hinges of Suffering in Life 11:45 — Ashton’s Path to Public Speaking 16:10 — Benefits of Reading, What to Read, and How Often to Read 18:27 — Learning from Real Estate Companies and Its Impact on Teams 23:00 — How do you manage a calendar with four businesses under your belt? 25:36 — How do you find the right people? 27:20 — What is the residential brokerage industry like right now? What will it look like in ten years? 34:40 — Wichita Falls Landscape: Growing? 35:46 — Enneagram Retreats, Personality Testing, Ashton’s Coaching, and Writing Poetry 44:15 — If I became aware… Tue, 24 Sep 2019 18:00:00 -0000 #36: Ashton Gustafson - Public Speaker, Nationally Recognized Realtor, and Artist full 1 36 Chris Powers Ashton Gustafson is a highly sought-after public speaker, nationally recognized Realtor, artist, musician, poet, and amateur cosmologist—in a pursuit to becoming more. He sits down with Chris to discuss the importance of making your life about... Ashton Gustafson is a highly sought-after public speaker, nationally recognized Realtor, artist, musician, poet, and amateur cosmologist—in a pursuit to becoming more. He sits down with Chris to discuss the importance of making your life about "less", the benefits of reading, teaching what you learn, and the power of enneagrams and personality testing in the workplace. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:18 — Ashton’s Journey 05:30 — Did you have a moment of clarity that led you to something ‘better’? 07:25 — Making Your Life More and More About Less and Less 10:09 — 3 Hinges of Suffering in Life 11:45 — Ashton’s Path to Public Speaking 16:10 — Benefits of Reading, What to Read, and How Often to Read 18:27 — Learning from Real Estate Companies and Its Impact on Teams 23:00 — How do you manage a calendar with four businesses under your belt? 25:36 — How do you find the right people? 27:20 — What is the residential brokerage industry like right now? What will it look like in ten years? 34:40 — Wichita Falls Landscape: Growing? 35:46 — Enneagram Retreats, Personality Testing, Ashton’s Coaching, and Writing Poetry 44:15 — If I became aware… Ashton Gustafson is a highly sought-after public speaker, nationally recognized Realtor, artist, musician, poet, and amateur cosmologist—in a pursuit to becoming more. He sits down with Chris to discuss the importance of making your life about "less", the benefits of reading, teaching what you learn, and the power of enneagrams and personality testing in the workplace. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:18 — Ashton’s Journey 05:30 — Did you have a moment of clarity that led you to something ‘better’? 07:25 — Making Your Life More and More About Less and Less 10:09 — 3 Hinges of Suffering in Life 11:45 — Ashton’s Path to Public Speaking 16:10 — Benefits of Reading, What to Read, and How Often to Read 18:27 — Learning from Real Estate Companies and Its Impact on Teams 23:00 — How do you manage a calendar with four businesses under your belt? 25:36 — How do you find the right people? 27:20 — What is the residential brokerage industry like right now? What will it look like in ten years? 34:40 — Wichita Falls Landscape: Growing? 35:46 — Enneagram Retreats, Personality Testing, Ashton’s Coaching, and Writing Poetry 44:15 — If I became aware…

]]> 3555 no #35: Will Friend - CEO of Bisnow https://www.TheFortPod.com Will Friend is the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he has implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America 09:23 — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old 16:50 — How do you see your experience as CEO so far? 19:33 — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not? 22:22 — Level Up Talent 23:20 — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization? 24:10 — Team vs. Family 26:40 — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment? 31:05 — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow 40:50 — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit? 46:15 — Are these open to be debated and changed? 47:54 — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone? 52:40 — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses? 53:04 — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks 1:00:50 — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line? 1:04:00 — Hitting a Sales Mark 1:08:50 — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk? 1:12:42 — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson? 1:16:46 — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love? 1:19:49 — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question? 1:27:20 — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work Mon, 16 Sep 2019 19:59:25 -0000 #35: Will Friend - CEO of Bisnow full 1 35 Chris Powers Will Friend is the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he has implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and... Will Friend is the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he has implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America 09:23 — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old 16:50 — How do you see your experience as CEO so far? 19:33 — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not? 22:22 — Level Up Talent 23:20 — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization? 24:10 — Team vs. Family 26:40 — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment? 31:05 — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow 40:50 — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit? 46:15 — Are these open to be debated and changed? 47:54 — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone? 52:40 — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses? 53:04 — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks 1:00:50 — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line? 1:04:00 — Hitting a Sales Mark 1:08:50 — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk? 1:12:42 — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson? 1:16:46 — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love? 1:19:49 — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question? 1:27:20 — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work Will Friend is the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he has implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital.

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.
Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris
Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.

01:50 — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America
09:23 — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old
16:50 — How do you see your experience as CEO so far?
19:33 — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not?
22:22 — Level Up Talent
23:20 — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization?
24:10 — Team vs. Family
26:40 — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment?
31:05 — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow
40:50 — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit?
46:15 — Are these open to be debated and changed?
47:54 — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone?
52:40 — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses?
53:04 — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks
1:00:50 — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line?
1:04:00 — Hitting a Sales Mark
1:08:50 — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk?
1:12:42 — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson?
1:16:46 — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love?
1:19:49 — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question?
1:27:20 — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work

]]> 5798 no #34: Mark Flood - Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming https://www.TheFortPod.com Mark Flood is the Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming, a team of professional e-sports players and content developers located across the United States, Canada, UK, and Italy. Disrupt has established a strong presence with teams playing Tekken 7 and Rainbow Six: Siege. They discuss how Mark got into the world of gaming, how players like ‘Ninja’ can make a seven-figure salary playing games, the process of putting together a team, raising capital, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:51 — Mark’s Background, The Industry, Disrupt Gaming 11:36 — Technical vs. Non-Technical Relationships in Early Stage Start Ups 14:55 — Staying Focused for Long Periods of Time 16:17 — Did you look into the legalities of what you were doing? 18:57 — How many people were using GamerWall once you made the shift from WagerWall? 20:46 — The Acquisition Process 23:56 — What did you do when you sold the business? 26:00 — What is Disrupt? How do you select which games to compete in? 32:36 — Do you pick the game first or seek out players first? How do you find these players and put together teams? 37:28 — Are these teams remote or are you paying to fly them? 39:00 — How many players are on Disrupt? How do coaches factor in with scouting and practice? 42:22 — How often do people reach out to try out? How do you fire a player? 48:28 — Mark’s New Documentary 51:08 — How does a player know if they’re pro-level talent? 53:30 — Where do pro gamers get the majority of their money? 58:20 — Do gamers workout and stay physically fit? 1:00:00 — The Younger Generation, Increasing Popularity of Being a Pro Gamer, the Social Effect on Gaming in the Real World 1:04:08 — Creating a Fully Remote Team 1:07:36 — What software helps you run a remote business? 1:10:00 — What is your goal with Disrupt? Growth, Content Development, Fundraising, and Advantages Over Traditional Sports 1:20:08 — The Importance of Social Media and Staying in the Conversation 1:25:36 — Twitter Highlights, The Shift of Twitter Culture Mon, 09 Sep 2019 18:03:28 -0000 #34: Mark Flood - Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming full 1 34 Chris Powers Mark Flood is the Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming, a team of professional e-sports players and content developers located across the United States, Canada, UK, and Italy. Disrupt has established a strong presence with teams playing Tekken 7 and Rainbow... Mark Flood is the Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming, a team of professional e-sports players and content developers located across the United States, Canada, UK, and Italy. Disrupt has established a strong presence with teams playing Tekken 7 and Rainbow Six: Siege. They discuss how Mark got into the world of gaming, how players like ‘Ninja’ can make a seven-figure salary playing games, the process of putting together a team, raising capital, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:51 — Mark’s Background, The Industry, Disrupt Gaming 11:36 — Technical vs. Non-Technical Relationships in Early Stage Start Ups 14:55 — Staying Focused for Long Periods of Time 16:17 — Did you look into the legalities of what you were doing? 18:57 — How many people were using GamerWall once you made the shift from WagerWall? 20:46 — The Acquisition Process 23:56 — What did you do when you sold the business? 26:00 — What is Disrupt? How do you select which games to compete in? 32:36 — Do you pick the game first or seek out players first? How do you find these players and put together teams? 37:28 — Are these teams remote or are you paying to fly them? 39:00 — How many players are on Disrupt? How do coaches factor in with scouting and practice? 42:22 — How often do people reach out to try out? How do you fire a player? 48:28 — Mark’s New Documentary 51:08 — How does a player know if they’re pro-level talent? 53:30 — Where do pro gamers get the majority of their money? 58:20 — Do gamers workout and stay physically fit? 1:00:00 — The Younger Generation, Increasing Popularity of Being a Pro Gamer, the Social Effect on Gaming in the Real World 1:04:08 — Creating a Fully Remote Team 1:07:36 — What software helps you run a remote business? 1:10:00 — What is your goal with Disrupt? Growth, Content Development, Fundraising, and Advantages Over Traditional Sports 1:20:08 — The Importance of Social Media and Staying in the Conversation 1:25:36 — Twitter Highlights, The Shift of Twitter Culture Mark Flood is the Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming, a team of professional e-sports players and content developers located across the United States, Canada, UK, and Italy. Disrupt has established a strong presence with teams playing Tekken 7 and Rainbow Six: Siege. They discuss how Mark got into the world of gaming, how players like ‘Ninja’ can make a seven-figure salary playing games, the process of putting together a team, raising capital, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:51 — Mark’s Background, The Industry, Disrupt Gaming 11:36 — Technical vs. Non-Technical Relationships in Early Stage Start Ups 14:55 — Staying Focused for Long Periods of Time 16:17 — Did you look into the legalities of what you were doing? 18:57 — How many people were using GamerWall once you made the shift from WagerWall? 20:46 — The Acquisition Process 23:56 — What did you do when you sold the business? 26:00 — What is Disrupt? How do you select which games to compete in? 32:36 — Do you pick the game first or seek out players first? How do you find these players and put together teams? 37:28 — Are these teams remote or are you paying to fly them? 39:00 — How many players are on Disrupt? How do coaches factor in with scouting and practice? 42:22 — How often do people reach out to try out? How do you fire a player? 48:28 — Mark’s New Documentary 51:08 — How does a player know if they’re pro-level talent? 53:30 — Where do pro gamers get the majority of their money? 58:20 — Do gamers workout and stay physically fit? 1:00:00 — The Younger Generation, Increasing Popularity of Being a Pro Gamer, the Social Effect on Gaming in the Real World 1:04:08 — Creating a Fully Remote Team 1:07:36 — What software helps you run a remote business? 1:10:00 — What is your goal with Disrupt? Growth, Content Development, Fundraising, and Advantages Over Traditional Sports 1:20:08 — The Importance of Social Media and Staying in the Conversation 1:25:36 — Twitter Highlights, The Shift of Twitter Culture

]]> 5393 no RE #33: Edward Bogel - Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel https://www.TheFortPod.com Edward Bogel is the Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel, a boutique land investment advisory group and brokerage firm. The company’s base principal is exceptional client service with investment and development of land throughout Texas and Oklahoma. They discuss the journey of founding a company, what makes a great land broker, and the future of development in the DFW area. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:30 – Life Before Davidson Bogel 04:00 – Did you decide to focus on land, instead of building on the land? 07:40 – How long did it take you to actually start the business from when you decided you wanted to do it? What was the first year of business like? 12:00 – If someone wanted to become a broker, what would you tell them to keep in mind? 13:00 – How do you train people who want to be in the business? 17:25 – What are the most important aspects for buyers and sellers to think about when transacting? 19:26 – The Process of Working a Deal 24:34 – What are the main reasons deals fall apart? 25:39 – Do you see things continuing to expand in Dallas/Fort Worth or will there be more turnover of urban sites? 27:44 – Do urban developers look at things differently than others? 28:56 – What are the characteristics of a great developer? 30:48 – The Future of Parking and Development in Dallas/Fort Worth 33:29 – The Trend of Single-Family Rentals 36:26 – How do you consume information? 39:03 – How can cities speed things up for land development projects? 47:28 – What is the best advice you have ever received? What is your favorite interview question? Tue, 03 Sep 2019 19:12:46 -0000 RE #33: Edward Bogel - Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel full 1 33 Chris Powers Edward Bogel is the Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel, a boutique land investment advisory group and brokerage firm. The company’s base principal is exceptional client service with investment and development of land throughout Texas and Oklahoma. They... Edward Bogel is the Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel, a boutique land investment advisory group and brokerage firm. The company’s base principal is exceptional client service with investment and development of land throughout Texas and Oklahoma. They discuss the journey of founding a company, what makes a great land broker, and the future of development in the DFW area. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:30 – Life Before Davidson Bogel 04:00 – Did you decide to focus on land, instead of building on the land? 07:40 – How long did it take you to actually start the business from when you decided you wanted to do it? What was the first year of business like? 12:00 – If someone wanted to become a broker, what would you tell them to keep in mind? 13:00 – How do you train people who want to be in the business? 17:25 – What are the most important aspects for buyers and sellers to think about when transacting? 19:26 – The Process of Working a Deal 24:34 – What are the main reasons deals fall apart? 25:39 – Do you see things continuing to expand in Dallas/Fort Worth or will there be more turnover of urban sites? 27:44 – Do urban developers look at things differently than others? 28:56 – What are the characteristics of a great developer? 30:48 – The Future of Parking and Development in Dallas/Fort Worth 33:29 – The Trend of Single-Family Rentals 36:26 – How do you consume information? 39:03 – How can cities speed things up for land development projects? 47:28 – What is the best advice you have ever received? What is your favorite interview question? Edward Bogel is the Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel, a boutique land investment advisory group and brokerage firm. The company’s base principal is exceptional client service with investment and development of land throughout Texas and Oklahoma. They discuss the journey of founding a company, what makes a great land broker, and the future of development in the DFW area. Enjoy!

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.
Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris
Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.

01:30 – Life Before Davidson Bogel
04:00 – Did you decide to focus on land, instead of building on the land?
07:40 – How long did it take you to actually start the business from when you decided you wanted to do it? What was the first year of business like?
12:00 – If someone wanted to become a broker, what would you tell them to keep in mind?
13:00 – How do you train people who want to be in the business?
17:25 – What are the most important aspects for buyers and sellers to think about when transacting?
19:26 – The Process of Working a Deal
24:34 – What are the main reasons deals fall apart?
25:39 – Do you see things continuing to expand in Dallas/Fort Worth or will there be more turnover of urban sites?
27:44 – Do urban developers look at things differently than others?
28:56 – What are the characteristics of a great developer?
30:48 – The Future of Parking and Development in Dallas/Fort Worth
33:29 – The Trend of Single-Family Rentals
36:26 – How do you consume information?
39:03 – How can cities speed things up for land development projects?
47:28 – What is the best advice you have ever received? What is your favorite interview question?

]]> 3257 no RE #32: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood https://www.TheFortPod.com Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  03:25 — Mike’s Journey Before Hillwood 08:00 — The Story of Hillwood 10:40 — Creation of AllianceTexas 16:00 — Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world? 18:27 — What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation? 22:00 — Was the AllianceTexas vision originally to become a city? 25:40 — Growth of Mike’s Leadership 29:36 — Alliance’s Mobility Innovation Zone (This is really, really cool!) 36:09 — Why DFW/Hillwood Offers a Better Testing Site 39:25 — Freight & Human Capital in Autonomous Driving/Vehicles 43:23 — What is it like to be inside these forward-thinking businesses, like Amazon? 48:09 — What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking? 50:39 — Talent at Hillwood 52:31 — New Trends in Residential Living 1:00:16 — How have you been able to balance work and your family? 1:01:50 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 1:05:03 — Mike’s Role Models 1:08:09 — Picking Sides & Effort to Build a Building 1:11:40 — The NextDoor Analogy: Determining Market Demand & Slowing the Process Mon, 26 Aug 2019 20:29:42 -0000 RE #32: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood full 1 32 Chris Powers Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the... Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  03:25 — Mike’s Journey Before Hillwood 08:00 — The Story of Hillwood 10:40 — Creation of AllianceTexas 16:00 — Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world? 18:27 — What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation? 22:00 — Was the AllianceTexas vision originally to become a city? 25:40 — Growth of Mike’s Leadership 29:36 — Alliance’s Mobility Innovation Zone (This is really, really cool!) 36:09 — Why DFW/Hillwood Offers a Better Testing Site 39:25 — Freight & Human Capital in Autonomous Driving/Vehicles 43:23 — What is it like to be inside these forward-thinking businesses, like Amazon? 48:09 — What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking? 50:39 — Talent at Hillwood 52:31 — New Trends in Residential Living 1:00:16 — How have you been able to balance work and your family? 1:01:50 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 1:05:03 — Mike’s Role Models 1:08:09 — Picking Sides & Effort to Build a Building 1:11:40 — The NextDoor Analogy: Determining Market Demand & Slowing the Process Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy! 

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.
Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris
Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 

03:25 — Mike’s Journey Before Hillwood
08:00 — The Story of Hillwood
10:40 — Creation of AllianceTexas
16:00 — Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world?
18:27 — What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation?
22:00 — Was the AllianceTexas vision originally to become a city?
25:40 — Growth of Mike’s Leadership
29:36 — Alliance’s Mobility Innovation Zone (This is really, really cool!)
36:09 — Why DFW/Hillwood Offers a Better Testing Site
39:25 — Freight & Human Capital in Autonomous Driving/Vehicles
43:23 — What is it like to be inside these forward-thinking businesses, like Amazon?
48:09 — What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking?
50:39 — Talent at Hillwood
52:31 — New Trends in Residential Living
1:00:16 — How have you been able to balance work and your family?
1:01:50 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
1:05:03 — Mike’s Role Models
1:08:09 — Picking Sides & Effort to Build a Building
1:11:40 — The NextDoor Analogy: Determining Market Demand & Slowing the Process

]]> 4609 no RE #31: Jason Baxter - How Fort Capital Drives Innovation https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris is sitting down with Jason Baxter, President & COO of Fort Capital, to go in-depth on ways that Fort Capital is growing with a focus on speed and innovation. They dive into the importance of “C.O.R.”, using Culture Index for hiring great talent, as well as Fort Operating System. They also discuss how their use of artificial intelligence and outsourcing software systems allows them to monitor new deals in real time without manually searching for each one. Listen in on their conversation about the process of raising a fund, the idea that bigger is not necessarily better, and how Fort is leveraging remote talent to expand to new regions without opening new offices.  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.   01:46 – What is C.O.R.? How do you encourage a team to adopt the C.O.R. mindset? 13:14 – The Culture Index for Hiring 19:15 – Use of Fort Operating System (F.O.S.) 23:30 – Watson, Stemmons, and Streamlining Communication 36:13 – Getting Smarter About Raising a Fund 38:14 – False Precision in Real Estate Investments 53:05 – Profitability > Size Tue, 13 Aug 2019 01:25:47 -0000 RE #31: Jason Baxter - How Fort Capital Drives Innovation full 1 31 Chris Powers Chris is sitting down with Jason Baxter, President & COO of Fort Capital, to go in-depth on ways that Fort Capital is growing with a focus on speed and innovation. They dive into the importance of “C.O.R.”, using Culture Index for hiring great... Chris is sitting down with Jason Baxter, President & COO of Fort Capital, to go in-depth on ways that Fort Capital is growing with a focus on speed and innovation. They dive into the importance of “C.O.R.”, using Culture Index for hiring great talent, as well as Fort Operating System. They also discuss how their use of artificial intelligence and outsourcing software systems allows them to monitor new deals in real time without manually searching for each one. Listen in on their conversation about the process of raising a fund, the idea that bigger is not necessarily better, and how Fort is leveraging remote talent to expand to new regions without opening new offices.  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.   01:46 – What is C.O.R.? How do you encourage a team to adopt the C.O.R. mindset? 13:14 – The Culture Index for Hiring 19:15 – Use of Fort Operating System (F.O.S.) 23:30 – Watson, Stemmons, and Streamlining Communication 36:13 – Getting Smarter About Raising a Fund 38:14 – False Precision in Real Estate Investments 53:05 – Profitability > Size Chris is sitting down with Jason Baxter, President & COO of Fort Capital, to go in-depth on ways that Fort Capital is growing with a focus on speed and innovation. They dive into the importance of “C.O.R.”, using Culture Index for hiring great talent, as well as Fort Operating System. They also discuss how their use of artificial intelligence and outsourcing software systems allows them to monitor new deals in real time without manually searching for each one. Listen in on their conversation about the process of raising a fund, the idea that bigger is not necessarily better, and how Fort is leveraging remote talent to expand to new regions without opening new offices. 

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 
Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 
Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  

01:46 – What is C.O.R.? How do you encourage a team to adopt the C.O.R. mindset?
13:14 – The Culture Index for Hiring
19:15 – Use of Fort Operating System (F.O.S.)
23:30 – Watson, Stemmons, and Streamlining Communication
36:13 – Getting Smarter About Raising a Fund
38:14 – False Precision in Real Estate Investments
53:05 – Profitability > Size

]]> 3660 no RE #30: Ari Firoozabadi - President & CEO of Greysteel https://www.TheFortPod.com Ari Firoozabadi has a simple philosophy: clients are best served by a tightly-integrated, collaborative, and conflict-free platform. This philosophy defines Greysteel and ensures all interests are aligned so full resources and relationships of the firm and its professionals are leveraged on each engagement. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Firoozabadi is responsible for defining and implementing Greysteel’s strategic vision as well as overseeing the company’s operations.    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.    01:40 – Life Before Greysteel  08:34 – What makes Greysteel different from your competition?   13:24 – How long did you spend building the Greysteel platform?  15:41 – How did you handle another company trying to ruin you?  21:05 – What advice were you given that prepared you for “going up against Goliath” in this litigation?  24:41 – What does it take to be a top producer in the industry for a young person just starting out?  28:19 – Did you have a mentor to teach you about working to be this knowledgeable or was it your natural instinct?  29:19 – What was your first deal?  32:19 – How do you think about going into a new market? How do you get culture from a place like Washington D.C. to Fort Worth if the office has never visited? 40:00 – How did you build everything you needed for Greysteel?  42:05 – How do you think technology will impact the brokerage industry over the next ten years?  44:20 – What does your job consist of today?  46:00 – Do you have a favorite interview question?  48:25 – Do you have an in-house content development team?   48:25 – Is there someone that comes to mind when you think about the beginnings of Greysteel?  50:30 – Are there certain qualities that make the best real estate investors?  53:09 – What are some of the biggest reasons deals fall apart?  56:17 – If you had to bet on one asset type for the next five years, what would it be? Mon, 29 Jul 2019 17:43:21 -0000 RE #30: Ari Firoozabadi - President & CEO of Greysteel full 1 30 Chris Powers Ari Firoozabadi has a simple philosophy: clients are best served by a tightly-integrated, collaborative, and conflict-free platform. This philosophy defines Greysteel and ensures all interests are aligned so full resources and relationships of the... Ari Firoozabadi has a simple philosophy: clients are best served by a tightly-integrated, collaborative, and conflict-free platform. This philosophy defines Greysteel and ensures all interests are aligned so full resources and relationships of the firm and its professionals are leveraged on each engagement. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Firoozabadi is responsible for defining and implementing Greysteel’s strategic vision as well as overseeing the company’s operations.    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.    01:40 – Life Before Greysteel  08:34 – What makes Greysteel different from your competition?   13:24 – How long did you spend building the Greysteel platform?  15:41 – How did you handle another company trying to ruin you?  21:05 – What advice were you given that prepared you for “going up against Goliath” in this litigation?  24:41 – What does it take to be a top producer in the industry for a young person just starting out?  28:19 – Did you have a mentor to teach you about working to be this knowledgeable or was it your natural instinct?  29:19 – What was your first deal?  32:19 – How do you think about going into a new market? How do you get culture from a place like Washington D.C. to Fort Worth if the office has never visited? 40:00 – How did you build everything you needed for Greysteel?  42:05 – How do you think technology will impact the brokerage industry over the next ten years?  44:20 – What does your job consist of today?  46:00 – Do you have a favorite interview question?  48:25 – Do you have an in-house content development team?   48:25 – Is there someone that comes to mind when you think about the beginnings of Greysteel?  50:30 – Are there certain qualities that make the best real estate investors?  53:09 – What are some of the biggest reasons deals fall apart?  56:17 – If you had to bet on one asset type for the next five years, what would it be? Ari Firoozabadi has a simple philosophy: clients are best served by a tightly-integrated, collaborative, and conflict-free platform. This philosophy defines Greysteel and ensures all interests are aligned so full resources and relationships of the firm and its professionals are leveraged on each engagement. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Firoozabadi is responsible for defining and implementing Greysteel’s strategic vision as well as overseeing the company’s operations. 

 

For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. 

Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 

Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 

 

01:40 – Life Before Greysteel 

08:34 – What makes Greysteel different from your competition?  

13:24 – How long did you spend building the Greysteel platform? 

15:41 – How did you handle another company trying to ruin you? 

21:05 – What advice were you given that prepared you for “going up against Goliath” in this litigation? 

24:41 – What does it take to be a top producer in the industry for a young person just starting out? 

28:19 – Did you have a mentor to teach you about working to be this knowledgeable or was it your natural instinct? 

29:19 – What was your first deal? 

32:19 – How do you think about going into a new market? How do you get culture from a place like Washington D.C. to Fort Worth if the office has never visited?

40:00 – How did you build everything you needed for Greysteel? 

42:05 – How do you think technology will impact the brokerage industry over the next ten years? 

44:20 – What does your job consist of today? 

46:00 – Do you have a favorite interview question? 

48:25 – Do you have an in-house content development team?  

48:25 – Is there someone that comes to mind when you think about the beginnings of Greysteel? 

50:30 – Are there certain qualities that make the best real estate investors? 

53:09 – What are some of the biggest reasons deals fall apart? 

56:17 – If you had to bet on one asset type for the next five years, what would it be?

]]> 3993 no #29: Sean Conway - Launching Brands & Being on Shark Tank https://www.TheFortPod.com Sean Conway is an avid traveler and former CEO of Pillow, a company he co-founded. Pillow partners with Multifamily property owners to provide short-term rentals as an amenity to their residents. Pillow's turn key software makes hosting easy, profitable, and compliant. Sean held leadership positions from conception to $17.5 million in funding and a successful acquisition by the Expedia Group in September 2018. Prior to Pillow, Sean was the Co-Founder of Notehall, an online class and study notes provider, which was acquired by Chegg in 2011. For Sean’s ingenuity, he was named one of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25″ by Business Week in 2009. Sean is an active angel investor and enjoys mentoring startups/programs, such as BUILD. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:18 – Sean’s “Snag Your Ticket Aboard the Magic School Bus” Blog Post  05:30 – Sean and Chris’ Experience Traveling to Other Countries  11:11 – How does the meaning of entrepreneurship change as you start more companies? 12:44 – Sean’s Experience on Shark Tank  17:07 – Notehall 19:00 – What is it like to exit a business in the technology industry?  30:28 – Do you fall out of love with your business when the opportunity to sell becomes a reality?  33:35 – How was your experience selling Pillow and Notehall? How did you tell employees? 42:05 – Do you want to stay in a similar industry, or are you moving on?  44:00 – Meditation and Journaling 45:49 – Expedia & Sean’s Goal to Not Start a Company for 3+ Years  46:23 – Employee Turnover When You Sell a Company 48:18 – Favorite Interview Questions & Using Executive Recruiters   56:07 – Growth Hacking a Network Wed, 24 Jul 2019 15:38:29 -0000 #29: Sean Conway - Launching Brands & Being on Shark Tank full 1 29 Chris Powers Sean Conway is an avid traveler and former CEO of Pillow, a company he co-founded. Pillow partners with Multifamily property owners to provide short-term rentals as an amenity to their residents. Pillow's turn key software makes hosting easy,... Sean Conway is an avid traveler and former CEO of Pillow, a company he co-founded. Pillow partners with Multifamily property owners to provide short-term rentals as an amenity to their residents. Pillow's turn key software makes hosting easy, profitable, and compliant. Sean held leadership positions from conception to $17.5 million in funding and a successful acquisition by the Expedia Group in September 2018. Prior to Pillow, Sean was the Co-Founder of Notehall, an online class and study notes provider, which was acquired by Chegg in 2011. For Sean’s ingenuity, he was named one of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25″ by Business Week in 2009. Sean is an active angel investor and enjoys mentoring startups/programs, such as BUILD. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:18 – Sean’s “Snag Your Ticket Aboard the Magic School Bus” Blog Post  05:30 – Sean and Chris’ Experience Traveling to Other Countries  11:11 – How does the meaning of entrepreneurship change as you start more companies? 12:44 – Sean’s Experience on Shark Tank  17:07 – Notehall 19:00 – What is it like to exit a business in the technology industry?  30:28 – Do you fall out of love with your business when the opportunity to sell becomes a reality?  33:35 – How was your experience selling Pillow and Notehall? How did you tell employees? 42:05 – Do you want to stay in a similar industry, or are you moving on?  44:00 – Meditation and Journaling 45:49 – Expedia & Sean’s Goal to Not Start a Company for 3+ Years  46:23 – Employee Turnover When You Sell a Company 48:18 – Favorite Interview Questions & Using Executive Recruiters   56:07 – Growth Hacking a Network Sean Conway is an avid traveler and former CEO of Pillow, a company he co-founded. Pillow partners with Multifamily property owners to provide short-term rentals as an amenity to their residents. Pillow's turn key software makes hosting easy, profitable, and compliant. Sean held leadership positions from conception to $17.5 million in funding and a successful acquisition by the Expedia Group in September 2018. Prior to Pillow, Sean was the Co-Founder of Notehall, an online class and study notes provider, which was acquired by Chegg in 2011. For Sean’s ingenuity, he was named one of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25″ by Business Week in 2009. Sean is an active angel investor and enjoys mentoring startups/programs, such as BUILD. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:18 – Sean’s “Snag Your Ticket Aboard the Magic School Bus” Blog Post  05:30 – Sean and Chris’ Experience Traveling to Other Countries  11:11 – How does the meaning of entrepreneurship change as you start more companies? 12:44 – Sean’s Experience on Shark Tank  17:07 – Notehall 19:00 – What is it like to exit a business in the technology industry?  30:28 – Do you fall out of love with your business when the opportunity to sell becomes a reality?  33:35 – How was your experience selling Pillow and Notehall? How did you tell employees? 42:05 – Do you want to stay in a similar industry, or are you moving on?  44:00 – Meditation and Journaling 45:49 – Expedia & Sean’s Goal to Not Start a Company for 3+ Years  46:23 – Employee Turnover When You Sell a Company 48:18 – Favorite Interview Questions & Using Executive Recruiters   56:07 – Growth Hacking a Network

]]> 3995 no #28: Abhijeet Dwivedi - Co-Founder & CEO of ZeroDown https://www.TheFortPod.com Abhijeet Dwivedi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroDown, the smartest way to buy a home in San Francisco. They discuss Abhijeet's experience growing up in the education system in India, the influence of Paul Graham, life in a hyper-growth company and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 – What has happened in your life which led you to ZeroDown? 11:30 – Gratefulness is one of your most appealing traits. What has helped you adopt this mindset? 14:35 – How did you get into designing video games when you were younger? 20:20 – Were you exposed to these advanced topics at an early age or was this more your nature? 23:40 – What is the difference between education in India and the United States? 26:20 – How did you find the Paul Graham essays? What about them changed your life? 29:14 – What was it like working at such a fast growing company such as Zenefits? 34:03 – How do you prioritize goals in a hyper-growth company and gain buy in? 37:00 – What your experience as Head of Operations? What did you learn? 41:22 – Overview of ZeroDown   54:10 – What are “loyalty points”? How do they incentivize customers to make their mortgage payments on time? 57:32 – Growth Hacking with Slack 1:03:57 – Is there anything that has shocked you about customers or business since starting ZeroDown? Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:41:10 -0000 #28: Abhijeet Dwivedi - Co-Founder & CEO of ZeroDown full 1 28 Chris Powers Abhijeet Dwivedi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroDown, the smartest way to buy a home in San Francisco. They discuss Abhijeet's experience growing up in the education system in India, the influence of Paul Graham, life in a hyper-growth company and... Abhijeet Dwivedi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroDown, the smartest way to buy a home in San Francisco. They discuss Abhijeet's experience growing up in the education system in India, the influence of Paul Graham, life in a hyper-growth company and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 – What has happened in your life which led you to ZeroDown? 11:30 – Gratefulness is one of your most appealing traits. What has helped you adopt this mindset? 14:35 – How did you get into designing video games when you were younger? 20:20 – Were you exposed to these advanced topics at an early age or was this more your nature? 23:40 – What is the difference between education in India and the United States? 26:20 – How did you find the Paul Graham essays? What about them changed your life? 29:14 – What was it like working at such a fast growing company such as Zenefits? 34:03 – How do you prioritize goals in a hyper-growth company and gain buy in? 37:00 – What your experience as Head of Operations? What did you learn? 41:22 – Overview of ZeroDown   54:10 – What are “loyalty points”? How do they incentivize customers to make their mortgage payments on time? 57:32 – Growth Hacking with Slack 1:03:57 – Is there anything that has shocked you about customers or business since starting ZeroDown? Abhijeet Dwivedi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroDown, the smartest way to buy a home in San Francisco. They discuss Abhijeet's experience growing up in the education system in India, the influence of Paul Graham, life in a hyper-growth company and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 – What has happened in your life which led you to ZeroDown? 11:30 – Gratefulness is one of your most appealing traits. What has helped you adopt this mindset? 14:35 – How did you get into designing video games when you were younger? 20:20 – Were you exposed to these advanced topics at an early age or was this more your nature? 23:40 – What is the difference between education in India and the United States? 26:20 – How did you find the Paul Graham essays? What about them changed your life? 29:14 – What was it like working at such a fast growing company such as Zenefits? 34:03 – How do you prioritize goals in a hyper-growth company and gain buy in? 37:00 – What your experience as Head of Operations? What did you learn? 41:22 – Overview of ZeroDown   54:10 – What are “loyalty points”? How do they incentivize customers to make their mortgage payments on time? 57:32 – Growth Hacking with Slack 1:03:57 – Is there anything that has shocked you about customers or business since starting ZeroDown?

]]> 4122 no #27: Ryan Reeves - Founder & CEO of Investing City https://www.TheFortPod.com Ryan Reeves is the Founder and CEO of Investing City and is also the host of the Investing City podcast. They discuss the power of value investing, the world of an investor, the hype around cryptocurrency and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  01:46 – Ryan’s Background and Investing City 05:37 – Growth Investing vs. Value Investing 07:00 – How to Get Better at Utilizing Search Engines 09:25 – A Typical Day in the World of an Investor 13:53 – Is there a method to the madness when reading an S2 or a quarterly earnings report? 16:54 – Do you look at companies who hemorrhage cash differently in terms of the money they could make in the future? 19:30 – Is there a time horizon for how you look at things? 23:14 – How much time do you spend stress testing an idea as opposed to looking for new ones? 24:50 – Do you think Berkshire is set up for companies in the modern era? 29:30 – Ryan’s Research as a Service (RAAS) 37:14 – Ryan’s Core Portfolio Policy 39:00 – How do you know when you “actually know something”? 41:27 – How do you get to know employees in the companies that you look to invest in? 45:08 – Are you a believer in the Bitcoin revolution? 50:38 – What are the biggest mistakes a novice investor makes? 53:07 – Books Influential on Ryan’s Journey Mon, 24 Jun 2019 14:31:41 -0000 #27: Ryan Reeves - Founder & CEO of Investing City full 1 27 Chris Powers Ryan Reeves is the Founder and CEO of Investing City and is also the host of the Investing City podcast. They discuss the power of value investing, the world of an investor, the hype around cryptocurrency and more. Enjoy!  For more information on... Ryan Reeves is the Founder and CEO of Investing City and is also the host of the Investing City podcast. They discuss the power of value investing, the world of an investor, the hype around cryptocurrency and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  01:46 – Ryan’s Background and Investing City 05:37 – Growth Investing vs. Value Investing 07:00 – How to Get Better at Utilizing Search Engines 09:25 – A Typical Day in the World of an Investor 13:53 – Is there a method to the madness when reading an S2 or a quarterly earnings report? 16:54 – Do you look at companies who hemorrhage cash differently in terms of the money they could make in the future? 19:30 – Is there a time horizon for how you look at things? 23:14 – How much time do you spend stress testing an idea as opposed to looking for new ones? 24:50 – Do you think Berkshire is set up for companies in the modern era? 29:30 – Ryan’s Research as a Service (RAAS) 37:14 – Ryan’s Core Portfolio Policy 39:00 – How do you know when you “actually know something”? 41:27 – How do you get to know employees in the companies that you look to invest in? 45:08 – Are you a believer in the Bitcoin revolution? 50:38 – What are the biggest mistakes a novice investor makes? 53:07 – Books Influential on Ryan’s Journey Ryan Reeves is the Founder and CEO of Investing City and is also the host of the Investing City podcast. They discuss the power of value investing, the world of an investor, the hype around cryptocurrency and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  01:46 – Ryan’s Background and Investing City 05:37 – Growth Investing vs. Value Investing 07:00 – How to Get Better at Utilizing Search Engines 09:25 – A Typical Day in the World of an Investor 13:53 – Is there a method to the madness when reading an S2 or a quarterly earnings report? 16:54 – Do you look at companies who hemorrhage cash differently in terms of the money they could make in the future? 19:30 – Is there a time horizon for how you look at things? 23:14 – How much time do you spend stress testing an idea as opposed to looking for new ones? 24:50 – Do you think Berkshire is set up for companies in the modern era? 29:30 – Ryan’s Research as a Service (RAAS) 37:14 – Ryan’s Core Portfolio Policy 39:00 – How do you know when you “actually know something”? 41:27 – How do you get to know employees in the companies that you look to invest in? 45:08 – Are you a believer in the Bitcoin revolution? 50:38 – What are the biggest mistakes a novice investor makes? 53:07 – Books Influential on Ryan’s Journey

]]> 3406 no #26: Jeff Richards - Founder of Mooala https://www.TheFortPod.com Jeff Richards is the Founder of Mooala, the fastest growing plant based milk product in the industry. They discuss Jeff's journey from a corporate job to entrepreneurship, the highs and lows of starting a company, the trend of non dairy milk products and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  01:28 – How did Mooala start?  04:48 – Aptitude Testing 06:56 – Why is dairy-free taking off faster than dairy? 09:50 – The Process of Making Almond Milk 12:55 – Is almond milk expanding internationally? 15:23 – What was the turning point for leaving an established job in finance to start a company? How were the early days? 24:43 – How do you know you’re successful when acquiring new clients and expanding to new markets beyond Texas? 31:07 – Finding a Broker 33:16 – The Process of Raising Money 36:10 – When did you start hiring more people? 39:36 – What is the process of innovating new products? Who was instrumental in building Mooala? 46:54 – What do the next five years look like? 53:40 – What conferences should newcomers to the food and beverage industry be in? 55:02 – Does it bother you that this might not be a long-lasting trend? Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:00:00 -0000 #26: Jeff Richards - Founder of Mooala full 1 26 Chris Powers Jeff Richards is the Founder of Mooala, the fastest growing plant based milk product in the industry. They discuss Jeff's journey from a corporate job to entrepreneurship, the highs and lows of starting a company, the trend of non dairy milk products... Jeff Richards is the Founder of Mooala, the fastest growing plant based milk product in the industry. They discuss Jeff's journey from a corporate job to entrepreneurship, the highs and lows of starting a company, the trend of non dairy milk products and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  01:28 – How did Mooala start?  04:48 – Aptitude Testing 06:56 – Why is dairy-free taking off faster than dairy? 09:50 – The Process of Making Almond Milk 12:55 – Is almond milk expanding internationally? 15:23 – What was the turning point for leaving an established job in finance to start a company? How were the early days? 24:43 – How do you know you’re successful when acquiring new clients and expanding to new markets beyond Texas? 31:07 – Finding a Broker 33:16 – The Process of Raising Money 36:10 – When did you start hiring more people? 39:36 – What is the process of innovating new products? Who was instrumental in building Mooala? 46:54 – What do the next five years look like? 53:40 – What conferences should newcomers to the food and beverage industry be in? 55:02 – Does it bother you that this might not be a long-lasting trend? Jeff Richards is the Founder of Mooala, the fastest growing plant based milk product in the industry. They discuss Jeff's journey from a corporate job to entrepreneurship, the highs and lows of starting a company, the trend of non dairy milk products and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  01:28 – How did Mooala start?  04:48 – Aptitude Testing 06:56 – Why is dairy-free taking off faster than dairy? 09:50 – The Process of Making Almond Milk 12:55 – Is almond milk expanding internationally? 15:23 – What was the turning point for leaving an established job in finance to start a company? How were the early days? 24:43 – How do you know you’re successful when acquiring new clients and expanding to new markets beyond Texas? 31:07 – Finding a Broker 33:16 – The Process of Raising Money 36:10 – When did you start hiring more people? 39:36 – What is the process of innovating new products? Who was instrumental in building Mooala? 46:54 – What do the next five years look like? 53:40 – What conferences should newcomers to the food and beverage industry be in? 55:02 – Does it bother you that this might not be a long-lasting trend?

]]> 3559 no RE #25: Craig Lashley - President of Valiant Residential https://www.TheFortPod.com Craig Lashley is the President of Valiant Residential, a property management firm based out of DFW that leverages the best in next-generation technological advances to make clients’, residents’ and potential residents’ experiences as rich as possible. They discuss the phases a company will go through as it grows, what separates a great property manager, the idea of buying time and the process of working out a deal and what can kill it. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com   1:54 - The early days of valiant  4:30 - The process of hiring and finding leaders 6:23 - phases and changes of a company as the number of people grow 7:52 - First big kahuna (SEGMENT IN QUESTION) 9:18 - Craig’s evolving day to day job 12:20 - How do you identify units to service/manage?  15:05 - What separates a good property manager from a bad one? 17:09- are there any easy fruit to get things in line to make a property more profittable when you take it over? 20:40 - Are people living differently now than they were 5-10 years ago? 22:46 - Buying time in the urban core vs. mving out to the suburbs 29:04 - Time 32:16 - is there an average of how many communities a renter will look at before making a decision? 35:33- Are people moving more frequently than they used to? 38:05 - Different impacts on what will affect rents and underwriting deals (pay increases, weather, recessions) 43:38 - Supply component and development in different markets 48:07 - different ways of living in different cities in the US 50:10 - Work/Life balance 51:08- The process of working out a deal and the things that kill a deal The FORT is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts, for more information on starting a podcast for your business, brand or creative project, visit www.straightuppodcasts.com Mon, 10 Jun 2019 16:00:00 -0000 RE #25: Craig Lashley - President of Valiant Residential full 1 25 Chris Powers Craig Lashley is the President of Valiant Residential, a property management firm based out of DFW that leverages the best in next-generation technological advances to make clients’, residents’ and potential residents’ experiences as rich as... Craig Lashley is the President of Valiant Residential, a property management firm based out of DFW that leverages the best in next-generation technological advances to make clients’, residents’ and potential residents’ experiences as rich as possible. They discuss the phases a company will go through as it grows, what separates a great property manager, the idea of buying time and the process of working out a deal and what can kill it. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com   1:54 - The early days of valiant  4:30 - The process of hiring and finding leaders 6:23 - phases and changes of a company as the number of people grow 7:52 - First big kahuna (SEGMENT IN QUESTION) 9:18 - Craig’s evolving day to day job 12:20 - How do you identify units to service/manage?  15:05 - What separates a good property manager from a bad one? 17:09- are there any easy fruit to get things in line to make a property more profittable when you take it over? 20:40 - Are people living differently now than they were 5-10 years ago? 22:46 - Buying time in the urban core vs. mving out to the suburbs 29:04 - Time 32:16 - is there an average of how many communities a renter will look at before making a decision? 35:33- Are people moving more frequently than they used to? 38:05 - Different impacts on what will affect rents and underwriting deals (pay increases, weather, recessions) 43:38 - Supply component and development in different markets 48:07 - different ways of living in different cities in the US 50:10 - Work/Life balance 51:08- The process of working out a deal and the things that kill a deal The FORT is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts, for more information on starting a podcast for your business, brand or creative project, visit www.straightuppodcasts.com Craig Lashley is the President of Valiant Residential, a property management firm based out of DFW that leverages the best in next-generation technological advances to make clients’, residents’ and potential residents’ experiences as rich as possible. They discuss the phases a company will go through as it grows, what separates a great property manager, the idea of buying time and the process of working out a deal and what can kill it. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com   1:54 - The early days of valiant  4:30 - The process of hiring and finding leaders 6:23 - phases and changes of a company as the number of people grow 7:52 - First big kahuna (SEGMENT IN QUESTION) 9:18 - Craig’s evolving day to day job 12:20 - How do you identify units to service/manage?  15:05 - What separates a good property manager from a bad one? 17:09- are there any easy fruit to get things in line to make a property more profittable when you take it over? 20:40 - Are people living differently now than they were 5-10 years ago? 22:46 - Buying time in the urban core vs. mving out to the suburbs 29:04 - Time 32:16 - is there an average of how many communities a renter will look at before making a decision? 35:33- Are people moving more frequently than they used to? 38:05 - Different impacts on what will affect rents and underwriting deals (pay increases, weather, recessions) 43:38 - Supply component and development in different markets 48:07 - different ways of living in different cities in the US 50:10 - Work/Life balance 51:08- The process of working out a deal and the things that kill a deal The FORT is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts, for more information on starting a podcast for your business, brand or creative project, visit www.straightuppodcasts.com

]]> 3645 no #24: Sam Parr - Co-Founder and CEO of Hustle Con Media https://www.TheFortPod.com Sam Parr is CEO and co-founder of Hustle Con Media, which includes one of the most popular daily newsletters at over a million readers. They discuss Sam's journey to Silicon Valley, how to build a media company, the correlation of money:happiness and more. Enjoy! You can subscribe to The Hustle at https://thehustle.co For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 2:00 - How did you end up in the Bay area and how did The Hustle come to be?  4:40 - How did you go from working with American Pickers to starting a hot dog stand to an online liquor store? 6:18 - How did Bunk change your life? 8:46 - What is the common theme that you see from founders coming through HustleCon? 11:48 - Chris’ biggest experience at HustleCon 14:26 - The Hustle newsletter  19:00 - How do you develop content? 20:10 - How did you learn growth hacking and finding this non-filtered voice? 22:44 - How does living in Silicon Valley without this politically correct filter affect you? 24:14 - The key things people can do to grow an online media brand 27:08 - How do you know what a user is worth? 28:17- Do you need a certain number of users to become profitable or is it based on the type of content? 31:15 - How the world is shifting in terms of accessability to online content 33:30 - popular media companies becoming less and less relevant, Chris’ newsletters and new media companies like Barstool 39:30 - Feedback from readers at The Hustle 40:38 - How do you judge what content is published and what gets filed away 41:50 - Hosting profitable events  46:22 - Building The Hustle to sell vs. growing into a media empire, investing and starting businesses, and the correlation between money and happieness 54:40 - handling money and success 56:50 - What is Trends and why did you decide to start it? 1:00:00 - Sam’s thinking process  Mon, 03 Jun 2019 15:44:43 -0000 #24: Sam Parr - Co-Founder and CEO of Hustle Con Media full 1 24 Chris Powers Sam Parr is CEO and co-founder of Hustle Con Media, which includes one of the most popular daily newsletters at over a million readers. They discuss Sam's journey to Silicon Valley, how to build a media company, the correlation of money:happiness and... Sam Parr is CEO and co-founder of Hustle Con Media, which includes one of the most popular daily newsletters at over a million readers. They discuss Sam's journey to Silicon Valley, how to build a media company, the correlation of money:happiness and more. Enjoy! You can subscribe to The Hustle at https://thehustle.co For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 2:00 - How did you end up in the Bay area and how did The Hustle come to be?  4:40 - How did you go from working with American Pickers to starting a hot dog stand to an online liquor store? 6:18 - How did Bunk change your life? 8:46 - What is the common theme that you see from founders coming through HustleCon? 11:48 - Chris’ biggest experience at HustleCon 14:26 - The Hustle newsletter  19:00 - How do you develop content? 20:10 - How did you learn growth hacking and finding this non-filtered voice? 22:44 - How does living in Silicon Valley without this politically correct filter affect you? 24:14 - The key things people can do to grow an online media brand 27:08 - How do you know what a user is worth? 28:17- Do you need a certain number of users to become profitable or is it based on the type of content? 31:15 - How the world is shifting in terms of accessability to online content 33:30 - popular media companies becoming less and less relevant, Chris’ newsletters and new media companies like Barstool 39:30 - Feedback from readers at The Hustle 40:38 - How do you judge what content is published and what gets filed away 41:50 - Hosting profitable events  46:22 - Building The Hustle to sell vs. growing into a media empire, investing and starting businesses, and the correlation between money and happieness 54:40 - handling money and success 56:50 - What is Trends and why did you decide to start it? 1:00:00 - Sam’s thinking process  Sam Parr is CEO and co-founder of Hustle Con Media, which includes one of the most popular daily newsletters at over a million readers. They discuss Sam's journey to Silicon Valley, how to build a media company, the correlation of money:happiness and more. Enjoy! You can subscribe to The Hustle at https://thehustle.co For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 2:00 - How did you end up in the Bay area and how did The Hustle come to be?  4:40 - How did you go from working with American Pickers to starting a hot dog stand to an online liquor store? 6:18 - How did Bunk change your life? 8:46 - What is the common theme that you see from founders coming through HustleCon? 11:48 - Chris’ biggest experience at HustleCon 14:26 - The Hustle newsletter  19:00 - How do you develop content? 20:10 - How did you learn growth hacking and finding this non-filtered voice? 22:44 - How does living in Silicon Valley without this politically correct filter affect you? 24:14 - The key things people can do to grow an online media brand 27:08 - How do you know what a user is worth? 28:17- Do you need a certain number of users to become profitable or is it based on the type of content? 31:15 - How the world is shifting in terms of accessability to online content 33:30 - popular media companies becoming less and less relevant, Chris’ newsletters and new media companies like Barstool 39:30 - Feedback from readers at The Hustle 40:38 - How do you judge what content is published and what gets filed away 41:50 - Hosting profitable events  46:22 - Building The Hustle to sell vs. growing into a media empire, investing and starting businesses, and the correlation between money and happieness 54:40 - handling money and success 56:50 - What is Trends and why did you decide to start it? 1:00:00 - Sam’s thinking process 

]]> 3976 no RE #23: Holt Lunsford - Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial https://www.TheFortPod.com Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  1:40 - Holt Lunsford 4:00 - The generation of Texas Real Estate 16:40 - how much of business success is luck and how much is things that you can control 18:55 - Growth standards 21:40 - How long was the business going until you started making hires 22:40 - what were things you werent doing well that people could learn from? 26:12 - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty 28:37 - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees 33:36 - What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting off in ’86? 35:49 - Chris and Holt on life balance  40:20 - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthdays 43:35 - What advice would you give your 21 year old self   Mon, 27 May 2019 16:00:00 -0000 RE #23: Holt Lunsford - Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial full 1 23 Chris Powers Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers.... Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  1:40 - Holt Lunsford 4:00 - The generation of Texas Real Estate 16:40 - how much of business success is luck and how much is things that you can control 18:55 - Growth standards 21:40 - How long was the business going until you started making hires 22:40 - what were things you werent doing well that people could learn from? 26:12 - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty 28:37 - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees 33:36 - What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting off in ’86? 35:49 - Chris and Holt on life balance  40:20 - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthdays 43:35 - What advice would you give your 21 year old self   Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  1:40 - Holt Lunsford 4:00 - The generation of Texas Real Estate 16:40 - how much of business success is luck and how much is things that you can control 18:55 - Growth standards 21:40 - How long was the business going until you started making hires 22:40 - what were things you werent doing well that people could learn from? 26:12 - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty 28:37 - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees 33:36 - What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting off in ’86? 35:49 - Chris and Holt on life balance  40:20 - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthdays 43:35 - What advice would you give your 21 year old self  

]]> 3177 no #22: Tegan Broadwater - From Undercover Narcotics to Entrepreneurship https://www.TheFortPod.com Tegan Broadwater is the Founder and President of Tactical Systems Network, a security and investigations firm located in Forth Worth TX. Tegan is also the author of "Life in the Fish Bowl: The true story of how a white cop infiltrated and took down 41 of the nation's most notorious CRIPs. They discuss Tegan's undercover work in narcotics, his inspiration for starting TSN and how he is helping change the systemic lack of opportunity in the inner-city. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  Questions for Chris? Ask us anything and Chris may answer your question on the podcast! click the link to leave us a message: https://anchor.fm/thefortpodcast/message 1:53 - Tegan’s Story from rockstar to deep undercover gang infiltration 15:29 - When you’re undercover, do you start changing as a person? 16:38 - How “normal” are one of these drug dealers you deal with?/Heirarchy of gangs 20:33 - Was your goal not to stop until you got to the top guy? 23:45- Tegan’s experience writing “Life in the Fishbowl” 25:54 - moving from FWPD to Entrepreneurship, the relationship between his undercover work and business 27:40 - the similarites of the functions of a gang heirarchy and business organizations 30:09 - How do you move up in the gang system? 33:50 - was there sadness as you reached the end of the operation? 39:25 - What are options for former-convicts to be able to re-enter society, specifically in business? 45:26- what are things people do that contribute to this systemic issue that they may not necessarily recognize 47:50 - How microfinance could play a role in alleviating these systemic problems 51:40 - the idea for starting Tactical  54:20 - Investigations by Tactical 58:38 - The fluidity of running a business and the importance of always learning 1:03:50 - Are you drafting off the success of businesses that lead to needing security? 1:08:28 - is it harder to get away with a crime today with technological advancement? 1:10:40 - Cybersecurity and AI ethics 1:13:25 - does looking through the lens of the bad guy ever work to your disadvantage? 1:16:08 - How many clients that call with a suspicion that something bad will happen end up happening vs. being paranoid 1:17:45 - consulting with developers on security meausres in real estate 1:19:50 - Is there anything besides the current business you are thinking about or working on? Mon, 13 May 2019 16:00:00 -0000 #22: Tegan Broadwater - From Undercover Narcotics to Entrepreneurship full 1 22 Chris Powers Tegan Broadwater is the Founder and President of Tactical Systems Network, a security and investigations firm located in Forth Worth TX. Tegan is also the author of "Life in the Fish Bowl: The true story of how a white cop infiltrated and took down 41... Tegan Broadwater is the Founder and President of Tactical Systems Network, a security and investigations firm located in Forth Worth TX. Tegan is also the author of "Life in the Fish Bowl: The true story of how a white cop infiltrated and took down 41 of the nation's most notorious CRIPs. They discuss Tegan's undercover work in narcotics, his inspiration for starting TSN and how he is helping change the systemic lack of opportunity in the inner-city. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  Questions for Chris? Ask us anything and Chris may answer your question on the podcast! click the link to leave us a message: https://anchor.fm/thefortpodcast/message 1:53 - Tegan’s Story from rockstar to deep undercover gang infiltration 15:29 - When you’re undercover, do you start changing as a person? 16:38 - How “normal” are one of these drug dealers you deal with?/Heirarchy of gangs 20:33 - Was your goal not to stop until you got to the top guy? 23:45- Tegan’s experience writing “Life in the Fishbowl” 25:54 - moving from FWPD to Entrepreneurship, the relationship between his undercover work and business 27:40 - the similarites of the functions of a gang heirarchy and business organizations 30:09 - How do you move up in the gang system? 33:50 - was there sadness as you reached the end of the operation? 39:25 - What are options for former-convicts to be able to re-enter society, specifically in business? 45:26- what are things people do that contribute to this systemic issue that they may not necessarily recognize 47:50 - How microfinance could play a role in alleviating these systemic problems 51:40 - the idea for starting Tactical  54:20 - Investigations by Tactical 58:38 - The fluidity of running a business and the importance of always learning 1:03:50 - Are you drafting off the success of businesses that lead to needing security? 1:08:28 - is it harder to get away with a crime today with technological advancement? 1:10:40 - Cybersecurity and AI ethics 1:13:25 - does looking through the lens of the bad guy ever work to your disadvantage? 1:16:08 - How many clients that call with a suspicion that something bad will happen end up happening vs. being paranoid 1:17:45 - consulting with developers on security meausres in real estate 1:19:50 - Is there anything besides the current business you are thinking about or working on? Tegan Broadwater is the Founder and President of Tactical Systems Network, a security and investigations firm located in Forth Worth TX. Tegan is also the author of "Life in the Fish Bowl: The true story of how a white cop infiltrated and took down 41 of the nation's most notorious CRIPs. They discuss Tegan's undercover work in narcotics, his inspiration for starting TSN and how he is helping change the systemic lack of opportunity in the inner-city. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  Questions for Chris? Ask us anything and Chris may answer your question on the podcast! click the link to leave us a message: https://anchor.fm/thefortpodcast/message 1:53 - Tegan’s Story from rockstar to deep undercover gang infiltration 15:29 - When you’re undercover, do you start changing as a person? 16:38 - How “normal” are one of these drug dealers you deal with?/Heirarchy of gangs 20:33 - Was your goal not to stop until you got to the top guy? 23:45- Tegan’s experience writing “Life in the Fishbowl” 25:54 - moving from FWPD to Entrepreneurship, the relationship between his undercover work and business 27:40 - the similarites of the functions of a gang heirarchy and business organizations 30:09 - How do you move up in the gang system? 33:50 - was there sadness as you reached the end of the operation? 39:25 - What are options for former-convicts to be able to re-enter society, specifically in business? 45:26- what are things people do that contribute to this systemic issue that they may not necessarily recognize 47:50 - How microfinance could play a role in alleviating these systemic problems 51:40 - the idea for starting Tactical  54:20 - Investigations by Tactical 58:38 - The fluidity of running a business and the importance of always learning 1:03:50 - Are you drafting off the success of businesses that lead to needing security? 1:08:28 - is it harder to get away with a crime today with technological advancement? 1:10:40 - Cybersecurity and AI ethics 1:13:25 - does looking through the lens of the bad guy ever work to your disadvantage? 1:16:08 - How many clients that call with a suspicion that something bad will happen end up happening vs. being paranoid 1:17:45 - consulting with developers on security meausres in real estate 1:19:50 - Is there anything besides the current business you are thinking about or working on?

]]> 5189 no #21: Brent Beshore - Investing in 'Boring' Small Businesses https://www.TheFortPod.com Brent Beshore is the Founder and CEO of adventur.es, a company investing in family-owned businesses. Brent is also the author of The Messy Marketplace: Selling Your Business in a World of Imperfect Buyers. They discuss the history of the company, doing deals, mentorship and tons more, enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  2:10 - How did you start this business? 2:55 - What are the benefits of running your company out of Columbia, MO vs. a major market? 5:13- What are the common characteristics of companies that you acquire? 9:27 - When talking with these founders, what is the relationship like in terms of selling them later on?  14:10 - Do you find that as you grow, you see the people that come to you are more aligned with what you are looking for?  16:28 - is your traffic inbound or are you doing outbound marketing? 18:07 - How has “The messy Marketplace” been recieved, and has it led to more growth for Adventures? 20:02- The experience of writing a book 21:58- What are some of the questions you love to ask potential businesses early on? 27:10 - What is your role in getting a deal done? 28:35 - How do you learn about buying a business and keeping everyone on board motivated to keep running it the same way? 30:50 - Once you buy a business, how is it determined how long current management will stay on? 32:16 - How do you define the “line” of we are here for you but you are your own company and need to run it? 34:57 - Have you ever recalled a time where the company was caught in conflict and how are those conflicts resolved? 37:05 - What are common tools that you use to work on with companies?  41:44 - Is there a common thing that small businesses arent doing well in marketing that can be easily fixed? 44:26- What does Google Analytics do for a business 47:02 - Owner Earnings vs. EBITDA 53:40- How do you determine what a ‘boring business’ is, and what industries are you interested in these days? 58:05 - When you start redistributing to investors, does it ever come off as a sign of weakness? 1:01:36 - How much time do you spend reading? 1:02:50 - How important is your morning routine to you? 1:03:58 - Do you have a favorite book 1:04:25 - What is something you believe that few people believe?  1:07:49 - What advice would you give your 21-year old self? 1:08:45 - Do you have a mentor(s)? Mon, 06 May 2019 16:00:00 -0000 #21: Brent Beshore - Investing in 'Boring' Small Businesses full 1 21 Chris Powers Brent Beshore is the Founder and CEO of adventur.es, a company investing in family-owned businesses. Brent is also the author of The Messy Marketplace: Selling Your Business in a World of Imperfect Buyers. They discuss the history of the company,... Brent Beshore is the Founder and CEO of adventur.es, a company investing in family-owned businesses. Brent is also the author of The Messy Marketplace: Selling Your Business in a World of Imperfect Buyers. They discuss the history of the company, doing deals, mentorship and tons more, enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  2:10 - How did you start this business? 2:55 - What are the benefits of running your company out of Columbia, MO vs. a major market? 5:13- What are the common characteristics of companies that you acquire? 9:27 - When talking with these founders, what is the relationship like in terms of selling them later on?  14:10 - Do you find that as you grow, you see the people that come to you are more aligned with what you are looking for?  16:28 - is your traffic inbound or are you doing outbound marketing? 18:07 - How has “The messy Marketplace” been recieved, and has it led to more growth for Adventures? 20:02- The experience of writing a book 21:58- What are some of the questions you love to ask potential businesses early on? 27:10 - What is your role in getting a deal done? 28:35 - How do you learn about buying a business and keeping everyone on board motivated to keep running it the same way? 30:50 - Once you buy a business, how is it determined how long current management will stay on? 32:16 - How do you define the “line” of we are here for you but you are your own company and need to run it? 34:57 - Have you ever recalled a time where the company was caught in conflict and how are those conflicts resolved? 37:05 - What are common tools that you use to work on with companies?  41:44 - Is there a common thing that small businesses arent doing well in marketing that can be easily fixed? 44:26- What does Google Analytics do for a business 47:02 - Owner Earnings vs. EBITDA 53:40- How do you determine what a ‘boring business’ is, and what industries are you interested in these days? 58:05 - When you start redistributing to investors, does it ever come off as a sign of weakness? 1:01:36 - How much time do you spend reading? 1:02:50 - How important is your morning routine to you? 1:03:58 - Do you have a favorite book 1:04:25 - What is something you believe that few people believe?  1:07:49 - What advice would you give your 21-year old self? 1:08:45 - Do you have a mentor(s)? Brent Beshore is the Founder and CEO of adventur.es, a company investing in family-owned businesses. Brent is also the author of The Messy Marketplace: Selling Your Business in a World of Imperfect Buyers. They discuss the history of the company, doing deals, mentorship and tons more, enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  2:10 - How did you start this business? 2:55 - What are the benefits of running your company out of Columbia, MO vs. a major market? 5:13- What are the common characteristics of companies that you acquire? 9:27 - When talking with these founders, what is the relationship like in terms of selling them later on?  14:10 - Do you find that as you grow, you see the people that come to you are more aligned with what you are looking for?  16:28 - is your traffic inbound or are you doing outbound marketing? 18:07 - How has “The messy Marketplace” been recieved, and has it led to more growth for Adventures? 20:02- The experience of writing a book 21:58- What are some of the questions you love to ask potential businesses early on? 27:10 - What is your role in getting a deal done? 28:35 - How do you learn about buying a business and keeping everyone on board motivated to keep running it the same way? 30:50 - Once you buy a business, how is it determined how long current management will stay on? 32:16 - How do you define the “line” of we are here for you but you are your own company and need to run it? 34:57 - Have you ever recalled a time where the company was caught in conflict and how are those conflicts resolved? 37:05 - What are common tools that you use to work on with companies?  41:44 - Is there a common thing that small businesses arent doing well in marketing that can be easily fixed? 44:26- What does Google Analytics do for a business 47:02 - Owner Earnings vs. EBITDA 53:40- How do you determine what a ‘boring business’ is, and what industries are you interested in these days? 58:05 - When you start redistributing to investors, does it ever come off as a sign of weakness? 1:01:36 - How much time do you spend reading? 1:02:50 - How important is your morning routine to you? 1:03:58 - Do you have a favorite book 1:04:25 - What is something you believe that few people believe?  1:07:49 - What advice would you give your 21-year old self? 1:08:45 - Do you have a mentor(s)?

]]> 4407 no #20: Kari Crowe - Training for Business and a 100-Mile Race https://www.TheFortPod.com Kari Crowe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Melt Ice Cream. She and Chris discuss Kari's journey across the country meeting with Ice Cream makers, her early days of the company, handling criticism as well as her experiences running a 100-mile race. Enjoy! Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 2:30 - How the idea of Melt came to be 4:24 - Were you looking to start a business or looking to solve a problem? 5: 22 - Did someone give you a playbook for researching Ice Cream/Melt? 6:20 - was there ever any moments of doubt on this trip? 7:35 - How long was the journey from the research trip to signing the lease? 10:23- How did you decide on flavors? 11:05- How did you know where to spend your money 13:35 - how did customers shape Melt in the early days? 15:20 - When did you hire your first employee?  16:28 - What did a day for you look like when it was only you running things? 18:20 - did someone teach you about customer service value or was it self-learned? 20:40 - Whats something that comes to mind thats important when starting a customer service business 21:50 - How do you train employees? 25:08 - Do you have a favorite interview question? 26:06 - How many locations are open? 30:19 - was there ever a time you thought about outsourcing ice cream making rather than making it in-house? 33:00 - #1 sellers at Melt 33:20 - What was the process of bringing your husband into the business? 35:46 - How valuable has EOS been?  38:30 - 5 year growth plan for Melt 39:40 - How impactful has social media been for Melt? 40:55 - handling negative criticism 44:07 - Mentorship 44:45 - Kari’s journey running a 100- mile race 51:40- What does Fort Worth mean to you? "The FORT" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:00:00 -0000 #20: Kari Crowe - Training for Business and a 100-Mile Race full 1 20 Chris Powers Kari Crowe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Melt Ice Cream. She and Chris discuss Kari's journey across the country meeting with Ice Cream makers, her early days of the company, handling criticism as well as her experiences running a 100-mile race. Enjoy!... Kari Crowe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Melt Ice Cream. She and Chris discuss Kari's journey across the country meeting with Ice Cream makers, her early days of the company, handling criticism as well as her experiences running a 100-mile race. Enjoy! Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 2:30 - How the idea of Melt came to be 4:24 - Were you looking to start a business or looking to solve a problem? 5: 22 - Did someone give you a playbook for researching Ice Cream/Melt? 6:20 - was there ever any moments of doubt on this trip? 7:35 - How long was the journey from the research trip to signing the lease? 10:23- How did you decide on flavors? 11:05- How did you know where to spend your money 13:35 - how did customers shape Melt in the early days? 15:20 - When did you hire your first employee?  16:28 - What did a day for you look like when it was only you running things? 18:20 - did someone teach you about customer service value or was it self-learned? 20:40 - Whats something that comes to mind thats important when starting a customer service business 21:50 - How do you train employees? 25:08 - Do you have a favorite interview question? 26:06 - How many locations are open? 30:19 - was there ever a time you thought about outsourcing ice cream making rather than making it in-house? 33:00 - #1 sellers at Melt 33:20 - What was the process of bringing your husband into the business? 35:46 - How valuable has EOS been?  38:30 - 5 year growth plan for Melt 39:40 - How impactful has social media been for Melt? 40:55 - handling negative criticism 44:07 - Mentorship 44:45 - Kari’s journey running a 100- mile race 51:40- What does Fort Worth mean to you? "The FORT" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC Kari Crowe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Melt Ice Cream. She and Chris discuss Kari's journey across the country meeting with Ice Cream makers, her early days of the company, handling criticism as well as her experiences running a 100-mile race. Enjoy! Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 2:30 - How the idea of Melt came to be 4:24 - Were you looking to start a business or looking to solve a problem? 5: 22 - Did someone give you a playbook for researching Ice Cream/Melt? 6:20 - was there ever any moments of doubt on this trip? 7:35 - How long was the journey from the research trip to signing the lease? 10:23- How did you decide on flavors? 11:05- How did you know where to spend your money 13:35 - how did customers shape Melt in the early days? 15:20 - When did you hire your first employee?  16:28 - What did a day for you look like when it was only you running things? 18:20 - did someone teach you about customer service value or was it self-learned? 20:40 - Whats something that comes to mind thats important when starting a customer service business 21:50 - How do you train employees? 25:08 - Do you have a favorite interview question? 26:06 - How many locations are open? 30:19 - was there ever a time you thought about outsourcing ice cream making rather than making it in-house? 33:00 - #1 sellers at Melt 33:20 - What was the process of bringing your husband into the business? 35:46 - How valuable has EOS been?  38:30 - 5 year growth plan for Melt 39:40 - How impactful has social media been for Melt? 40:55 - handling negative criticism 44:07 - Mentorship 44:45 - Kari’s journey running a 100- mile race 51:40- What does Fort Worth mean to you? "The FORT" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

]]> 3445 no #19: Natalie & Caleb Ebel - Co-Founders of BackDrop https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris talks with Natalie and Caleb Ebel, Co-founders of BackDrop, a paint company looking to change the way we paint our homes, backdrops and offices. They chat about the struggles of launching a company, working with your spouse, raising capital and how their previous employment prepared them for starting a company. You can visit their website at https://www.backdrophome.com Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 1:57 - How did you decide to start BackDrop? 6:30 - How did your previous jobs prepare you for starting BackDrop? 8:35 - Not needing a huge budget to build an amazing brand 9:31 What is different about BackDrop and how are they changing the industry? 17;38 - WHat are some o the biggest things you’ve learned sinced launching BackDrop? 20:51 - Has your supply chain changed as the business changed? 22;30 - Manufacturing Processes 26:09 - whats it like to work day in and day out with your spouse? (27:34 potential Intro)  30:20- Was there a “we are going to do this” moment for starting a company?  33:17 - What was the process of raising capital like?  37:27 - What was launch day like? 39:40 - what channels are available to you for growth? 41:48 - What does the customer experience look like? 43:50 - How did you determine the process finding best practices? 48:30 - Mentorship 56:00 What are the biggest challenges you face today  58:07 - Framework for setting goals? 1;00;12 - what do you look for in adding people to the company 1;01;50 - How do you learn? 1:05:05 - What's the best advice you have ever received?   "The FORT" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC Mon, 15 Apr 2019 16:54:58 -0000 #19: Natalie & Caleb Ebel - Co-Founders of BackDrop full 1 19 Chris Powers Chris talks with Natalie and Caleb Ebel, Co-founders of BackDrop, a paint company looking to change the way we paint our homes, backdrops and offices. They chat about the struggles of launching a company, working with your spouse, raising capital and... Chris talks with Natalie and Caleb Ebel, Co-founders of BackDrop, a paint company looking to change the way we paint our homes, backdrops and offices. They chat about the struggles of launching a company, working with your spouse, raising capital and how their previous employment prepared them for starting a company. You can visit their website at https://www.backdrophome.com Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 1:57 - How did you decide to start BackDrop? 6:30 - How did your previous jobs prepare you for starting BackDrop? 8:35 - Not needing a huge budget to build an amazing brand 9:31 What is different about BackDrop and how are they changing the industry? 17;38 - WHat are some o the biggest things you’ve learned sinced launching BackDrop? 20:51 - Has your supply chain changed as the business changed? 22;30 - Manufacturing Processes 26:09 - whats it like to work day in and day out with your spouse? (27:34 potential Intro)  30:20- Was there a “we are going to do this” moment for starting a company?  33:17 - What was the process of raising capital like?  37:27 - What was launch day like? 39:40 - what channels are available to you for growth? 41:48 - What does the customer experience look like? 43:50 - How did you determine the process finding best practices? 48:30 - Mentorship 56:00 What are the biggest challenges you face today  58:07 - Framework for setting goals? 1;00;12 - what do you look for in adding people to the company 1;01;50 - How do you learn? 1:05:05 - What's the best advice you have ever received?   "The FORT" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC Chris talks with Natalie and Caleb Ebel, Co-founders of BackDrop, a paint company looking to change the way we paint our homes, backdrops and offices. They chat about the struggles of launching a company, working with your spouse, raising capital and how their previous employment prepared them for starting a company. You can visit their website at https://www.backdrophome.com Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 1:57 - How did you decide to start BackDrop? 6:30 - How did your previous jobs prepare you for starting BackDrop? 8:35 - Not needing a huge budget to build an amazing brand 9:31 What is different about BackDrop and how are they changing the industry? 17;38 - WHat are some o the biggest things you’ve learned sinced launching BackDrop? 20:51 - Has your supply chain changed as the business changed? 22;30 - Manufacturing Processes 26:09 - whats it like to work day in and day out with your spouse? (27:34 potential Intro)  30:20- Was there a “we are going to do this” moment for starting a company?  33:17 - What was the process of raising capital like?  37:27 - What was launch day like? 39:40 - what channels are available to you for growth? 41:48 - What does the customer experience look like? 43:50 - How did you determine the process finding best practices? 48:30 - Mentorship 56:00 What are the biggest challenges you face today  58:07 - Framework for setting goals? 1;00;12 - what do you look for in adding people to the company 1;01;50 - How do you learn? 1:05:05 - What's the best advice you have ever received?   "The FORT" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

]]> 4132 no #18: Brandom Gengelbach - The Future of Fort Worth https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Brandom Gengelbach, Executive Vice President of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. They discuss what chambers do, how they help businesses, what he sees for the city of Fort Worth as well as cities around the country. Enjoy! Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 2:06 - What do you do at the Chamber? 2:35 - what are businesses asking for today thats changed? 5:35 - how do cities differentiate in terms of what they can offer? 7:55 - What do people love about Fort Worth when visitng for the first time? 10:15 - whats the process of a company making a deal with the city 13:27 - What did the Amazon HQ 2 deal teach chambers around the country?  16:11- Did Amazon help you learn more about the city and did Amazon bring more attention to these cities? 21:51 - Why do suburban cities have the ability to make these “better” offers than larger cities 29:03 - Is city growth dependent on bringing in large established businesses or growing internally existing businesses in the city?  32:15- for small businesses, when is it the right time to go to the city chamber for the next move? 34:28 - What is Fort worth doing to be progressive in furthering economic development? Mon, 01 Apr 2019 16:00:00 -0000 #18: Brandom Gengelbach - The Future of Fort Worth full 1 18 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Brandom Gengelbach, Executive Vice President of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. They discuss what chambers do, how they help businesses, what he sees for the city of Fort Worth as well as cities around the country. Enjoy!... Chris sits down with Brandom Gengelbach, Executive Vice President of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. They discuss what chambers do, how they help businesses, what he sees for the city of Fort Worth as well as cities around the country. Enjoy! Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 2:06 - What do you do at the Chamber? 2:35 - what are businesses asking for today thats changed? 5:35 - how do cities differentiate in terms of what they can offer? 7:55 - What do people love about Fort Worth when visitng for the first time? 10:15 - whats the process of a company making a deal with the city 13:27 - What did the Amazon HQ 2 deal teach chambers around the country?  16:11- Did Amazon help you learn more about the city and did Amazon bring more attention to these cities? 21:51 - Why do suburban cities have the ability to make these “better” offers than larger cities 29:03 - Is city growth dependent on bringing in large established businesses or growing internally existing businesses in the city?  32:15- for small businesses, when is it the right time to go to the city chamber for the next move? 34:28 - What is Fort worth doing to be progressive in furthering economic development? Chris sits down with Brandom Gengelbach, Executive Vice President of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. They discuss what chambers do, how they help businesses, what he sees for the city of Fort Worth as well as cities around the country. Enjoy! Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com  Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 2:06 - What do you do at the Chamber? 2:35 - what are businesses asking for today thats changed? 5:35 - how do cities differentiate in terms of what they can offer? 7:55 - What do people love about Fort Worth when visitng for the first time? 10:15 - whats the process of a company making a deal with the city 13:27 - What did the Amazon HQ 2 deal teach chambers around the country?  16:11- Did Amazon help you learn more about the city and did Amazon bring more attention to these cities? 21:51 - Why do suburban cities have the ability to make these “better” offers than larger cities 29:03 - Is city growth dependent on bringing in large established businesses or growing internally existing businesses in the city?  32:15- for small businesses, when is it the right time to go to the city chamber for the next move? 34:28 - What is Fort worth doing to be progressive in furthering economic development?

]]> 2747 no RE #17: Keith Wasserman - Founder & CEO of Gelt Inc. https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder and CEO of Gelt Inc, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi family communities, storage facilities and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email at Keith@geltinc.com or @keith_wasserman on Twitter. Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 1:15 - How was Gelt started? 9:50 - Investing in the person vs. the project 11:23 - Why multi family and mobile home parks as a business model? 15:23 - How do you think about the future of renting and ownership? 17:20 - The biggest changes in tech and living we see for the future 23:20 - other asset classes Gelt focuses on 31:15 - How do you go about entering new markets? 34:00 - building relationships  36:54- YPO global real estate fair 38:00 - the process of finding investors/securing deals 45:50 - how has your job changes as the company grows? 50:38 - Where will the company be at the “end”? 53:05 - Keith’s thoughts on growth 54:14 - What does Gelt stand for, charity, Chris and Keith’s thoughts on the future of eduction 1:02:25 - advice for success Mon, 18 Mar 2019 16:00:00 -0000 RE #17: Keith Wasserman - Founder & CEO of Gelt Inc. full 1 17 Chris Powers Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder and CEO of Gelt Inc, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi family communities, storage facilities and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email... Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder and CEO of Gelt Inc, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi family communities, storage facilities and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email at Keith@geltinc.com or @keith_wasserman on Twitter. Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 1:15 - How was Gelt started? 9:50 - Investing in the person vs. the project 11:23 - Why multi family and mobile home parks as a business model? 15:23 - How do you think about the future of renting and ownership? 17:20 - The biggest changes in tech and living we see for the future 23:20 - other asset classes Gelt focuses on 31:15 - How do you go about entering new markets? 34:00 - building relationships  36:54- YPO global real estate fair 38:00 - the process of finding investors/securing deals 45:50 - how has your job changes as the company grows? 50:38 - Where will the company be at the “end”? 53:05 - Keith’s thoughts on growth 54:14 - What does Gelt stand for, charity, Chris and Keith’s thoughts on the future of eduction 1:02:25 - advice for success Chris chats with Keith Wasserman, Founder and CEO of Gelt Inc, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country. Gelt focuses on purchasing multi family communities, storage facilities and RV parks. You can connect with Keith by email at Keith@geltinc.com or @keith_wasserman on Twitter. Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on twitter! @fortworthchris 1:15 - How was Gelt started? 9:50 - Investing in the person vs. the project 11:23 - Why multi family and mobile home parks as a business model? 15:23 - How do you think about the future of renting and ownership? 17:20 - The biggest changes in tech and living we see for the future 23:20 - other asset classes Gelt focuses on 31:15 - How do you go about entering new markets? 34:00 - building relationships  36:54- YPO global real estate fair 38:00 - the process of finding investors/securing deals 45:50 - how has your job changes as the company grows? 50:38 - Where will the company be at the “end”? 53:05 - Keith’s thoughts on growth 54:14 - What does Gelt stand for, charity, Chris and Keith’s thoughts on the future of eduction 1:02:25 - advice for success

]]> 4015 no #16: Joe Du Bey - Founder & CEO of Eden https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Joe Du Bey, Founder and CEO of Eden, a management solutions company based in San Francisco. They discuss the process of raising capital, finding investors, the life of a start-up CEO and more. They also discuss mentorship, learning, their favorite podcasts and social media. You can see more about Joe and Eden at www.eden.io Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com 7:02 - How did you meet your co-founder 9:24- How does someone without a tech background find a great engineer 11:00-  What did YC do for you 18:14 - what did you decide to do with your first round of investment 19:18- smart marketing with a start up 21:30- How much has OKR helped you 22:57- How do Vc encourage growth 25:11- Whats the best advice you’ve received from one of your investors 26:28- Being the CEO of a startup 31:46- Determining the best metrics 32:33- The notion that you don’t need to be in SF to start a tech company 35:06- The perfect customer for Eden 37:27- Biggest problems people face in their office 40:53- The future of Eden 44:27- Joe’s experience raising capital 46:45- What does a good VC do for a startup 50:23- Pressures in the start up world 52:00 Mentorship, learning, podcasting, social media and life balance Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:00:00 -0000 #16: Joe Du Bey - Founder & CEO of Eden full 1 16 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Joe Du Bey, Founder and CEO of Eden, a management solutions company based in San Francisco. They discuss the process of raising capital, finding investors, the life of a start-up CEO and more. They also discuss mentorship,... Chris sits down with Joe Du Bey, Founder and CEO of Eden, a management solutions company based in San Francisco. They discuss the process of raising capital, finding investors, the life of a start-up CEO and more. They also discuss mentorship, learning, their favorite podcasts and social media. You can see more about Joe and Eden at www.eden.io Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com 7:02 - How did you meet your co-founder 9:24- How does someone without a tech background find a great engineer 11:00-  What did YC do for you 18:14 - what did you decide to do with your first round of investment 19:18- smart marketing with a start up 21:30- How much has OKR helped you 22:57- How do Vc encourage growth 25:11- Whats the best advice you’ve received from one of your investors 26:28- Being the CEO of a startup 31:46- Determining the best metrics 32:33- The notion that you don’t need to be in SF to start a tech company 35:06- The perfect customer for Eden 37:27- Biggest problems people face in their office 40:53- The future of Eden 44:27- Joe’s experience raising capital 46:45- What does a good VC do for a startup 50:23- Pressures in the start up world 52:00 Mentorship, learning, podcasting, social media and life balance Chris sits down with Joe Du Bey, Founder and CEO of Eden, a management solutions company based in San Francisco. They discuss the process of raising capital, finding investors, the life of a start-up CEO and more. They also discuss mentorship, learning, their favorite podcasts and social media. You can see more about Joe and Eden at www.eden.io Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com 7:02 - How did you meet your co-founder 9:24- How does someone without a tech background find a great engineer 11:00-  What did YC do for you 18:14 - what did you decide to do with your first round of investment 19:18- smart marketing with a start up 21:30- How much has OKR helped you 22:57- How do Vc encourage growth 25:11- Whats the best advice you’ve received from one of your investors 26:28- Being the CEO of a startup 31:46- Determining the best metrics 32:33- The notion that you don’t need to be in SF to start a tech company 35:06- The perfect customer for Eden 37:27- Biggest problems people face in their office 40:53- The future of Eden 44:27- Joe’s experience raising capital 46:45- What does a good VC do for a startup 50:23- Pressures in the start up world 52:00 Mentorship, learning, podcasting, social media and life balance

]]> 4278 no #15: Alex Snodgrass - Founder of The Defined Dish https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Alex Snodgrass, Health& Wellness Blogger/Influencer with over 225k followers and founder of The Defined Dish. You can check out her content at http://www.thedefineddish.com and @thedefineddish on Instagram.  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com 3:00 - The start of Alex's journey as an influencer 7:12 -  The process of becoming an influencer 10:20 - Having a family as an influencer 12:00 - Planning out content  14:45 - The importance of being yourself 17:20 - Alex's relationship with her followers 19:04 - The Whole 30 Diet 21:45 - Things to avoid in food 22:53 - The future of food 24:52 - Partnering with brands 31:18 - How metrics matter in being an influencer 33:44 - Influencer agencies 37:02 - Monetizing the influencer business  38:05 - Alex meeting with her community 40:22 - How food affects the mind 42:38 - Fad diets and consistency 43:58 - Apps for influencers to use 46:20 - Setting Goals 48:22 - Mentorship 51:47 - How technology allows influencers to control their content Mon, 04 Mar 2019 23:28:01 -0000 #15: Alex Snodgrass - Founder of The Defined Dish full 1 15 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Alex Snodgrass, Health& Wellness Blogger/Influencer with over 225k followers and founder of The Defined Dish. You can check out her content at http://www.thedefineddish.com and @thedefineddish on Instagram.  Follow Chris... Chris sits down with Alex Snodgrass, Health& Wellness Blogger/Influencer with over 225k followers and founder of The Defined Dish. You can check out her content at http://www.thedefineddish.com and @thedefineddish on Instagram.  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com 3:00 - The start of Alex's journey as an influencer 7:12 -  The process of becoming an influencer 10:20 - Having a family as an influencer 12:00 - Planning out content  14:45 - The importance of being yourself 17:20 - Alex's relationship with her followers 19:04 - The Whole 30 Diet 21:45 - Things to avoid in food 22:53 - The future of food 24:52 - Partnering with brands 31:18 - How metrics matter in being an influencer 33:44 - Influencer agencies 37:02 - Monetizing the influencer business  38:05 - Alex meeting with her community 40:22 - How food affects the mind 42:38 - Fad diets and consistency 43:58 - Apps for influencers to use 46:20 - Setting Goals 48:22 - Mentorship 51:47 - How technology allows influencers to control their content Chris sits down with Alex Snodgrass, Health& Wellness Blogger/Influencer with over 225k followers and founder of The Defined Dish. You can check out her content at http://www.thedefineddish.com and @thedefineddish on Instagram.  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com 3:00 - The start of Alex's journey as an influencer 7:12 -  The process of becoming an influencer 10:20 - Having a family as an influencer 12:00 - Planning out content  14:45 - The importance of being yourself 17:20 - Alex's relationship with her followers 19:04 - The Whole 30 Diet 21:45 - Things to avoid in food 22:53 - The future of food 24:52 - Partnering with brands 31:18 - How metrics matter in being an influencer 33:44 - Influencer agencies 37:02 - Monetizing the influencer business  38:05 - Alex meeting with her community 40:22 - How food affects the mind 42:38 - Fad diets and consistency 43:58 - Apps for influencers to use 46:20 - Setting Goals 48:22 - Mentorship 51:47 - How technology allows influencers to control their content

]]> 3315 no #14: Jason Baxter - Fort Capital's 2018 in Review https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris and Jason sit down for a 2018 in review. They discuss how their business relationship has developed, the growth of Fort Capital and how their lives changed over the past year. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:13 — The Fort Operating System 07:09 — What do you think is the biggest thing as an individual that you learned in 2018? 15:03 — Expansion into The River District 24:39 — How do you think about the price that can be paid for land? What are things that can add value to land? 31:15 — Why did you decide to go to Harvard? 31:57 — What has been the most beneficial part of deciding to go back and get that education? 32:43 — What We Don’t Think About 39:24 — Trends in Retail 45:00 — The Upside of Industrial 45:37 — What is the biggest change you have recognized in yourself since becoming a dad? 48:46 — If you could have a billboard for a month in Times Square that the whole world would see, what would it say? 54:25 — The Power of Decision Making 56:05 — Biggest Reflection of 2018 — Importance of a Good Business Partner Mon, 18 Feb 2019 23:10:30 -0000 #14: Jason Baxter - Fort Capital's 2018 in Review full 1 14 Chris Powers Chris and Jason sit down for a 2018 in review. They discuss how their business relationship has developed, the growth of Fort Capital and how their lives changed over the past year. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make... Chris and Jason sit down for a 2018 in review. They discuss how their business relationship has developed, the growth of Fort Capital and how their lives changed over the past year. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:13 — The Fort Operating System 07:09 — What do you think is the biggest thing as an individual that you learned in 2018? 15:03 — Expansion into The River District 24:39 — How do you think about the price that can be paid for land? What are things that can add value to land? 31:15 — Why did you decide to go to Harvard? 31:57 — What has been the most beneficial part of deciding to go back and get that education? 32:43 — What We Don’t Think About 39:24 — Trends in Retail 45:00 — The Upside of Industrial 45:37 — What is the biggest change you have recognized in yourself since becoming a dad? 48:46 — If you could have a billboard for a month in Times Square that the whole world would see, what would it say? 54:25 — The Power of Decision Making 56:05 — Biggest Reflection of 2018 — Importance of a Good Business Partner Chris and Jason sit down for a 2018 in review. They discuss how their business relationship has developed, the growth of Fort Capital and how their lives changed over the past year. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com

02:13 — The Fort Operating System

07:09 — What do you think is the biggest thing as an individual that you learned in 2018?

15:03 — Expansion into The River District

24:39 — How do you think about the price that can be paid for land? What are things that can add value to land?

31:15 — Why did you decide to go to Harvard?

31:57 — What has been the most beneficial part of deciding to go back and get that education?

32:43 — What We Don’t Think About

39:24 — Trends in Retail

45:00 — The Upside of Industrial

45:37 — What is the biggest change you have recognized in yourself since becoming a dad?

48:46 — If you could have a billboard for a month in Times Square that the whole world would see, what would it say?

54:25 — The Power of Decision Making

56:05 — Biggest Reflection of 2018 — Importance of a Good Business Partner

]]> 3816 no #13: Rhett Carter - Founder & CEO of Heights Investment Partners https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Rhett Carter, Founder and CEO of Heights Investment Partners. They discuss the market, generating ideas, entrepreneurship, as well as how the world of investing and stocks work. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:29 — Rhett’s Background 05:26 — How has having a mentor in your life changed you? 08:55 — What was the tipping point to start your own business? 11:03 — What was it that you felt like you could offer that you weren’t seeing in the market? 12:36 — Does getting larger push you farther away from the original thesis? 15:19 — How do you begin to think about an idea? 19:22 — How do you think about valuing tech stocks? 20:48 — Once you figure out a theme that you like, how do you learn? 23:43 — What was the experience getting to meet with Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos? 26:10 — How do you determine when something that was a good idea that is in your portfolio is no longer a good idea? 29:22 — How much time do you spend thinking about new ideas vs. ideas that you already have in your portfolio? 31:00 — How many new companies do you bring in on a given year? 31:57 — How do you think about un-learning? 35:47 — How do you think about a successful year? 38:42 — Do you think the temperament of investing can be learned? 39:44 — Was raising the initial capital difficult for you? 41:51 — Are you always raising capital? 43:05 — What is the most influential book that you have ever read? 44:53 — Do you put more emphasis on the future or the past when investing in companies? 45:40 — What trends are you seeing in the world? 49:53 — Rhett’s Thoughts on the Market 54:33 — How do you not get caught in groupthink? Mon, 11 Feb 2019 18:41:30 -0000 #13: Rhett Carter - Founder & CEO of Heights Investment Partners full 1 13 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Rhett Carter, Founder and CEO of Heights Investment Partners. They discuss the market, generating ideas, entrepreneurship, as well as how the world of investing and stocks work. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter:... Chris sits down with Rhett Carter, Founder and CEO of Heights Investment Partners. They discuss the market, generating ideas, entrepreneurship, as well as how the world of investing and stocks work. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:29 — Rhett’s Background 05:26 — How has having a mentor in your life changed you? 08:55 — What was the tipping point to start your own business? 11:03 — What was it that you felt like you could offer that you weren’t seeing in the market? 12:36 — Does getting larger push you farther away from the original thesis? 15:19 — How do you begin to think about an idea? 19:22 — How do you think about valuing tech stocks? 20:48 — Once you figure out a theme that you like, how do you learn? 23:43 — What was the experience getting to meet with Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos? 26:10 — How do you determine when something that was a good idea that is in your portfolio is no longer a good idea? 29:22 — How much time do you spend thinking about new ideas vs. ideas that you already have in your portfolio? 31:00 — How many new companies do you bring in on a given year? 31:57 — How do you think about un-learning? 35:47 — How do you think about a successful year? 38:42 — Do you think the temperament of investing can be learned? 39:44 — Was raising the initial capital difficult for you? 41:51 — Are you always raising capital? 43:05 — What is the most influential book that you have ever read? 44:53 — Do you put more emphasis on the future or the past when investing in companies? 45:40 — What trends are you seeing in the world? 49:53 — Rhett’s Thoughts on the Market 54:33 — How do you not get caught in groupthink? Chris sits down with Rhett Carter, Founder and CEO of Heights Investment Partners. They discuss the market, generating ideas, entrepreneurship, as well as how the world of investing and stocks work. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris   Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com

02:29 — Rhett’s Background

05:26 — How has having a mentor in your life changed you?

08:55 — What was the tipping point to start your own business?

11:03 — What was it that you felt like you could offer that you weren’t seeing in the market?

12:36 — Does getting larger push you farther away from the original thesis?

15:19 — How do you begin to think about an idea?

19:22 — How do you think about valuing tech stocks?

20:48 — Once you figure out a theme that you like, how do you learn?

23:43 — What was the experience getting to meet with Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos?

26:10 — How do you determine when something that was a good idea that is in your portfolio is no longer a good idea?

29:22 — How much time do you spend thinking about new ideas vs. ideas that you already have in your portfolio?

31:00 — How many new companies do you bring in on a given year?

31:57 — How do you think about un-learning?

35:47 — How do you think about a successful year?

38:42 — Do you think the temperament of investing can be learned?

39:44 — Was raising the initial capital difficult for you?

41:51 — Are you always raising capital?

43:05 — What is the most influential book that you have ever read?

44:53 — Do you put more emphasis on the future or the past when investing in companies?

45:40 — What trends are you seeing in the world?

49:53 — Rhett’s Thoughts on the Market

54:33 — How do you not get caught in groupthink?

]]> 3547 no #12: Naman Trivedi - Founder & CEO of Wattbuy https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Naman Trivedi, CEO and founder of Wattbuy. They discuss renewable energy, the future of electricity, resilience of entrepreneurs and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:11 — Naman’s Background 06:24 — Has renewable energy always been something you were passionate about? 07:17 — Was your first start-up, Grid Potential, the pivot that got you into Wattbuy? 11:06 — How are you thinking about getting your product out to the masses? 14:03 — Are we going to see more de-regulation among previously regulated states? 16:15 — How do you know what the right data is? 18:25 — What constant feedback or data are you getting from your customers? 21:57 — Where are we in the story of solar? What do the next five years look like? it 26:10 — What is something super interesting that you are working on? 28:40 — For the utility companies that sign up with you, is the network effect at play? 30:18 — How does the electric company that is feeding the line into my house know whose electricity it is? 32:30 — Why would one utility provider be able to charge more than the other? 33:52 — What has been your experience in building a start-up? 37:28 — When you are hiring, do the early employees buy into the transparency and vision? 38:28 — What has your experience been raising capital? 40:30 — Would you recommend to anyone starting a start-up to go through an accelerator program? 42:21 — Was there one moment that changed the course of Wattbuy? 44:50 — What is the best book you have ever read and why? 45:27 — What is the best advice you have ever received? 46:12 — When do you take time to think? 48:16 — Is the sprint a short-term goal that needs to get done quickly? 49:18 — When you are building something new for the first time, is it difficult to communicate what you want? Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:28:28 -0000 #12: Naman Trivedi - Founder & CEO of Wattbuy full 1 12 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Naman Trivedi, CEO and founder of Wattbuy. They discuss renewable energy, the future of electricity, resilience of entrepreneurs and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT:... Chris sits down with Naman Trivedi, CEO and founder of Wattbuy. They discuss renewable energy, the future of electricity, resilience of entrepreneurs and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:11 — Naman’s Background 06:24 — Has renewable energy always been something you were passionate about? 07:17 — Was your first start-up, Grid Potential, the pivot that got you into Wattbuy? 11:06 — How are you thinking about getting your product out to the masses? 14:03 — Are we going to see more de-regulation among previously regulated states? 16:15 — How do you know what the right data is? 18:25 — What constant feedback or data are you getting from your customers? 21:57 — Where are we in the story of solar? What do the next five years look like? it 26:10 — What is something super interesting that you are working on? 28:40 — For the utility companies that sign up with you, is the network effect at play? 30:18 — How does the electric company that is feeding the line into my house know whose electricity it is? 32:30 — Why would one utility provider be able to charge more than the other? 33:52 — What has been your experience in building a start-up? 37:28 — When you are hiring, do the early employees buy into the transparency and vision? 38:28 — What has your experience been raising capital? 40:30 — Would you recommend to anyone starting a start-up to go through an accelerator program? 42:21 — Was there one moment that changed the course of Wattbuy? 44:50 — What is the best book you have ever read and why? 45:27 — What is the best advice you have ever received? 46:12 — When do you take time to think? 48:16 — Is the sprint a short-term goal that needs to get done quickly? 49:18 — When you are building something new for the first time, is it difficult to communicate what you want? Chris sits down with Naman Trivedi, CEO and founder of Wattbuy. They discuss renewable energy, the future of electricity, resilience of entrepreneurs and more. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com

02:11 — Naman’s Background

06:24 — Has renewable energy always been something you were passionate about?

07:17 — Was your first start-up, Grid Potential, the pivot that got you into Wattbuy?

11:06 — How are you thinking about getting your product out to the masses?

14:03 — Are we going to see more de-regulation among previously regulated states?

16:15 — How do you know what the right data is?

18:25 — What constant feedback or data are you getting from your customers?

21:57 — Where are we in the story of solar? What do the next five years look like?

it

26:10 — What is something super interesting that you are working on?

28:40 — For the utility companies that sign up with you, is the network effect at play?

30:18 — How does the electric company that is feeding the line into my house know whose electricity it is?

32:30 — Why would one utility provider be able to charge more than the other?

33:52 — What has been your experience in building a start-up?

37:28 — When you are hiring, do the early employees buy into the transparency and vision?

38:28 — What has your experience been raising capital?

40:30 — Would you recommend to anyone starting a start-up to go through an accelerator program?

42:21 — Was there one moment that changed the course of Wattbuy?

44:50 — What is the best book you have ever read and why?

45:27 — What is the best advice you have ever received?

46:12 — When do you take time to think?

48:16 — Is the sprint a short-term goal that needs to get done quickly?

49:18 — When you are building something new for the first time, is it difficult to communicate what you want?

]]> 3204 no #11: Bryan Perkins - How to Build a Conglomerate https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Bryan Perkins, CEO and President of Novaria Group which is an aerospace manufacturing company. They discuss the aerospace business, buying other businesses, life management and the power of thought. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:43 — Bryan’s Background in Aerospace 05:12 — Why hadn’t the consolidation of the big companies already occurred when you became an entrepreneur? 06:34 — What is aerospace? 07:55 — What is a small business to you? 09:52 — Novaria’s Business Model 11:31 — Do you have the same playbook for every company that you buy? 12:14 — Do you ask businesses to do business with each other? 13:31 — How do you source opportunities? 15:55 — Who contacts you about buying a business? 17:00 — Does the leadership and ownership usually stay on board post-close? 18:35 — What information makes you comfortable to buy? 19:22 — How many businesses do you think you have underwritten? 20:15 — What are the most common challenges across small businesses? 24:06 — Have you asked a majority of the questions before making an agreement to buy? 25:16 — How do you get the previous owners on to the plan? 26:02 — How many businesses have you bought to date? 27:01 — What is the biggest difference between owning 4 businesses vs. 14? 28:18 — What does buying a manufacturing company mean? 30:10 — How many parts do you make across all 14 businesses? 33:45 — Do you think the manufacturing equipment of the future will be more agile? 36:20 — How would you describe what 3-D printing looks like? 37:33 — What will be the biggest surprise in aerospace to the average consumer? 39:45 — Is your business going to go after consumer drones? Is that even considered aerospace? 41:03 — What is the end game for Novaria? 42:40 — How far in advance do you know that aerospace companies are buying your parts? 44:01 — Is it possible today to start a bolt building business from scratch? 45:45 — How has being in Fort Worth played a role in your business? 47:39 — If you had to give your 21-year old advice, what would it be? 57:42 — What’s the biggest difference between 100 and 800 employees? 59:57 — What is your favorite interview question? 1:01:22 — When do you find time to think? 1:13:16 — How has being a Dad changed your view on business and life? 1:15:16 — How has your relationship with your wife affected your business? What is a tip for someone looking to do better in their marriage? Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:07:22 -0000 #11: Bryan Perkins - How to Build a Conglomerate full 1 11 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Bryan Perkins, CEO and President of Novaria Group which is an aerospace manufacturing company. They discuss the aerospace business, buying other businesses, life management and the power of thought. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter:... Chris sits down with Bryan Perkins, CEO and President of Novaria Group which is an aerospace manufacturing company. They discuss the aerospace business, buying other businesses, life management and the power of thought. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:43 — Bryan’s Background in Aerospace 05:12 — Why hadn’t the consolidation of the big companies already occurred when you became an entrepreneur? 06:34 — What is aerospace? 07:55 — What is a small business to you? 09:52 — Novaria’s Business Model 11:31 — Do you have the same playbook for every company that you buy? 12:14 — Do you ask businesses to do business with each other? 13:31 — How do you source opportunities? 15:55 — Who contacts you about buying a business? 17:00 — Does the leadership and ownership usually stay on board post-close? 18:35 — What information makes you comfortable to buy? 19:22 — How many businesses do you think you have underwritten? 20:15 — What are the most common challenges across small businesses? 24:06 — Have you asked a majority of the questions before making an agreement to buy? 25:16 — How do you get the previous owners on to the plan? 26:02 — How many businesses have you bought to date? 27:01 — What is the biggest difference between owning 4 businesses vs. 14? 28:18 — What does buying a manufacturing company mean? 30:10 — How many parts do you make across all 14 businesses? 33:45 — Do you think the manufacturing equipment of the future will be more agile? 36:20 — How would you describe what 3-D printing looks like? 37:33 — What will be the biggest surprise in aerospace to the average consumer? 39:45 — Is your business going to go after consumer drones? Is that even considered aerospace? 41:03 — What is the end game for Novaria? 42:40 — How far in advance do you know that aerospace companies are buying your parts? 44:01 — Is it possible today to start a bolt building business from scratch? 45:45 — How has being in Fort Worth played a role in your business? 47:39 — If you had to give your 21-year old advice, what would it be? 57:42 — What’s the biggest difference between 100 and 800 employees? 59:57 — What is your favorite interview question? 1:01:22 — When do you find time to think? 1:13:16 — How has being a Dad changed your view on business and life? 1:15:16 — How has your relationship with your wife affected your business? What is a tip for someone looking to do better in their marriage? Chris sits down with Bryan Perkins, CEO and President of Novaria Group which is an aerospace manufacturing company. They discuss the aerospace business, buying other businesses, life management and the power of thought. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris  Make contact with The FORT: thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com

02:43 — Bryan’s Background in Aerospace

05:12 — Why hadn’t the consolidation of the big companies already occurred when you became an entrepreneur?

06:34 — What is aerospace?

07:55 — What is a small business to you?

09:52 — Novaria’s Business Model

11:31 — Do you have the same playbook for every company that you buy?

12:14 — Do you ask businesses to do business with each other?

13:31 — How do you source opportunities?

15:55 — Who contacts you about buying a business?

17:00 — Does the leadership and ownership usually stay on board post-close?

18:35 — What information makes you comfortable to buy?

19:22 — How many businesses do you think you have underwritten?

20:15 — What are the most common challenges across small businesses?

24:06 — Have you asked a majority of the questions before making an agreement to buy?

25:16 — How do you get the previous owners on to the plan?

26:02 — How many businesses have you bought to date?

27:01 — What is the biggest difference between owning 4 businesses vs. 14?

28:18 — What does buying a manufacturing company mean?

30:10 — How many parts do you make across all 14 businesses?

33:45 — Do you think the manufacturing equipment of the future will be more agile?

36:20 — How would you describe what 3-D printing looks like?

37:33 — What will be the biggest surprise in aerospace to the average consumer?

39:45 — Is your business going to go after consumer drones? Is that even considered aerospace?

41:03 — What is the end game for Novaria?

42:40 — How far in advance do you know that aerospace companies are buying your parts?

44:01 — Is it possible today to start a bolt building business from scratch?

45:45 — How has being in Fort Worth played a role in your business?

47:39 — If you had to give your 21-year old advice, what would it be?

57:42 — What’s the biggest difference between 100 and 800 employees?

59:57 — What is your favorite interview question?

1:01:22 — When do you find time to think?

1:13:16 — How has being a Dad changed your view on business and life?

1:15:16 — How has your relationship with your wife affected your business? What is a tip for someone looking to do better in their marriage?

]]> 4833 no #10: James Beshara - Using Your Time to Enhance Potential https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris and James Beshara sit down for part 2 of their conversation. James is the former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb exec. They discuss motivating as a leader, dealing with layoffs, negativity in the media and the importance of how you spend your time. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:06 — What are some of the things that might get in the way of living a life of laughter? 08:33 — How Failure Breeds Friendship 13:23 — Story of Laughter on One of the Hardest Days 17:32 — “How to Lay Off 30% of Your Staff and Get Hugs” 35:20 — A Positive Thought About Laying-off in Tech 38:20 — How the Fundraising Process is Similar to Lay-Offs 41:11 — What are the kinds of things that the people who came back asked you? 51:14 — Journalism and Reviews on Business Leaders 57:51 — What needs to happen to get journalism back to the center and more factual? 1:09:08 — Do you agree with what Peter Thiel did to Gawker? 1:13:52 — The Length of the News 1:19:09 — Network Theory 1:24:19 — Choosing What Leads Your Conversations 1:28:14 — “Breaking” News 1:29:40 — What is a topic or area of your life that you think or talk a lot about? 1:38:39 — Spirituality and Time 1:44:00 — James’ New Year Ritual Fri, 11 Jan 2019 18:56:48 -0000 #10: James Beshara - Using Your Time to Enhance Potential full 1 10 Chris Powers Chris and James Beshara sit down for part 2 of their conversation. James is the former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb exec. They discuss motivating as a leader, dealing with layoffs, negativity in the media and the... Chris and James Beshara sit down for part 2 of their conversation. James is the former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb exec. They discuss motivating as a leader, dealing with layoffs, negativity in the media and the importance of how you spend your time. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com 02:06 — What are some of the things that might get in the way of living a life of laughter? 08:33 — How Failure Breeds Friendship 13:23 — Story of Laughter on One of the Hardest Days 17:32 — “How to Lay Off 30% of Your Staff and Get Hugs” 35:20 — A Positive Thought About Laying-off in Tech 38:20 — How the Fundraising Process is Similar to Lay-Offs 41:11 — What are the kinds of things that the people who came back asked you? 51:14 — Journalism and Reviews on Business Leaders 57:51 — What needs to happen to get journalism back to the center and more factual? 1:09:08 — Do you agree with what Peter Thiel did to Gawker? 1:13:52 — The Length of the News 1:19:09 — Network Theory 1:24:19 — Choosing What Leads Your Conversations 1:28:14 — “Breaking” News 1:29:40 — What is a topic or area of your life that you think or talk a lot about? 1:38:39 — Spirituality and Time 1:44:00 — James’ New Year Ritual Chris and James Beshara sit down for part 2 of their conversation. James is the former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb exec. They discuss motivating as a leader, dealing with layoffs, negativity in the media and the importance of how you spend your time. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com

02:06 — What are some of the things that might get in the way of living a life of laughter?

08:33 — How Failure Breeds Friendship

13:23 — Story of Laughter on One of the Hardest Days

17:32 — “How to Lay Off 30% of Your Staff and Get Hugs”

35:20 — A Positive Thought About Laying-off in Tech

38:20 — How the Fundraising Process is Similar to Lay-Offs

41:11 — What are the kinds of things that the people who came back asked you?

51:14 — Journalism and Reviews on Business Leaders

57:51 — What needs to happen to get journalism back to the center and more factual?

1:09:08 — Do you agree with what Peter Thiel did to Gawker?

1:13:52 — The Length of the News

1:19:09 — Network Theory

1:24:19 — Choosing What Leads Your Conversations

1:28:14 — “Breaking” News

1:29:40 — What is a topic or area of your life that you think or talk a lot about?

1:38:39 — Spirituality and Time

1:44:00 — James’ New Year Ritual

]]> 6605 no #9: Mayor Betsy Price - Small Business Growth in Fort Worth https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth. They discuss all the great things happening in Fort Worth such as education and the tech scene in the city. Mayor price also talks about plans for the future of the city and how being the Mayor has changed her life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:20 — What has it been like to be the Mayor of Fort Worth? 04:04 — What is something that you wish you knew before becoming Mayor? 06:04 — How has social media changed your position? 07:18 — Have you built thicker skin with some of the negativity that come through social media? 08:02 — When did you know that you were going to run for Mayor? 09:04 — What do you think Texas is going to do about property taxes? 10:57 — What is going on across our city to make our public-school system better? 11:46 — How can citizen help Read Fort Worth? 12:58 — How impactful is the parent or guardian in the success of kids? 15:13 — How would you know if a city has a good workforce pipeline? 16:21 — What is the tech scene and start-up culture like in Fort Worth? 17:12 — How has Facebook moving into Fort Worth affected the city? 20:46 — How is the medical scene? Are we looked at as a medical dominant city? 22:02 — How has the change in mobility and transportation affected how we will grow in the future? 24:27 — Do you think the majority of the growth in Fort Worth will occur in the urban center or more spread out? 25:38 — What are our hopes and dreams for how downtown space will be filled? 27:49 — What are the great qualities of a leader? 29:03 — What is the best advice that you have ever been given? 30:30 — What does Fort Worth look like in 10 years? 34:17 — What events will be held at Dickies Arena? 35:18 — Can you give us one typical day for you? Wed, 02 Jan 2019 20:36:27 -0000 #9: Mayor Betsy Price - Small Business Growth in Fort Worth full 1 9 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth. They discuss all the great things happening in Fort Worth such as education and the tech scene in the city. Mayor price also talks about plans for the future of the city and how being the Mayor... Chris sits down with Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth. They discuss all the great things happening in Fort Worth such as education and the tech scene in the city. Mayor price also talks about plans for the future of the city and how being the Mayor has changed her life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:20 — What has it been like to be the Mayor of Fort Worth? 04:04 — What is something that you wish you knew before becoming Mayor? 06:04 — How has social media changed your position? 07:18 — Have you built thicker skin with some of the negativity that come through social media? 08:02 — When did you know that you were going to run for Mayor? 09:04 — What do you think Texas is going to do about property taxes? 10:57 — What is going on across our city to make our public-school system better? 11:46 — How can citizen help Read Fort Worth? 12:58 — How impactful is the parent or guardian in the success of kids? 15:13 — How would you know if a city has a good workforce pipeline? 16:21 — What is the tech scene and start-up culture like in Fort Worth? 17:12 — How has Facebook moving into Fort Worth affected the city? 20:46 — How is the medical scene? Are we looked at as a medical dominant city? 22:02 — How has the change in mobility and transportation affected how we will grow in the future? 24:27 — Do you think the majority of the growth in Fort Worth will occur in the urban center or more spread out? 25:38 — What are our hopes and dreams for how downtown space will be filled? 27:49 — What are the great qualities of a leader? 29:03 — What is the best advice that you have ever been given? 30:30 — What does Fort Worth look like in 10 years? 34:17 — What events will be held at Dickies Arena? 35:18 — Can you give us one typical day for you? Chris sits down with Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth. They discuss all the great things happening in Fort Worth such as education and the tech scene in the city. Mayor price also talks about plans for the future of the city and how being the Mayor has changed her life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:20 — What has it been like to be the Mayor of Fort Worth?

04:04 — What is something that you wish you knew before becoming Mayor?

06:04 — How has social media changed your position?

07:18 — Have you built thicker skin with some of the negativity that come through social media?

08:02 — When did you know that you were going to run for Mayor?

09:04 — What do you think Texas is going to do about property taxes?

10:57 — What is going on across our city to make our public-school system better?

11:46 — How can citizen help Read Fort Worth?

12:58 — How impactful is the parent or guardian in the success of kids?

15:13 — How would you know if a city has a good workforce pipeline?

16:21 — What is the tech scene and start-up culture like in Fort Worth?

17:12 — How has Facebook moving into Fort Worth affected the city?

20:46 — How is the medical scene? Are we looked at as a medical dominant city?

22:02 — How has the change in mobility and transportation affected how we will grow in the future?

24:27 — Do you think the majority of the growth in Fort Worth will occur in the urban center or more spread out?

25:38 — What are our hopes and dreams for how downtown space will be filled?

27:49 — What are the great qualities of a leader?

29:03 — What is the best advice that you have ever been given?

30:30 — What does Fort Worth look like in 10 years?

34:17 — What events will be held at Dickies Arena?

35:18 — Can you give us one typical day for you?

]]> 2378 no #8: James Beshara - Selling a Business to Airbnb https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with friend James Beshara, former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb Exec. They discuss the founding of Tilt, entrepreneurship, philosophy and friendship. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:42 — James’ Background 04:38 — How James got into His First Startup 11:32 — What happened to make this first startup end? 13:30 — What did you do when you came back to the US? 19:20 — The Goal for any Rational Human Being — A Long Life Full of Laughter 25:07 — Happiness = Expectation – Reality 27:44 — The Downside of Social Media 32:49 — How did the culture of Silicon Valley affect you and your business? 36:36 — Was there a shift where you were told to focus on a business model and not just on growth? 43:05 — Why do you think it is that Silicon Valley cheers for raising money as opposed to making Money? 48:26 — What is it like to work for another company after running your own? 50:45 — Do you think the culture at Airbnb is similar to Amazon? 53:14 — Do you think some of the fate of Tilt had to do with the market? 1:03:30 — Advice for an Inspiring Entrepreneur 1:05:28 — The Hard Times as an Entrepreneur 1:09:57 — The Art of Knowing Where to get Involved as a Leader 1:18:46 — The Importance of Genuine Friendship and How it Relates to Business 1:35:13 — James’ Last Advice for Listeners 1:36:49 — Chris and James’ Funniest Story Wed, 26 Dec 2018 21:48:34 -0000 #8: James Beshara - Selling a Business to Airbnb full 1 8 Chris Powers Chris sits down with friend James Beshara, former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb Exec. They discuss the founding of Tilt, entrepreneurship, philosophy and friendship. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris... Chris sits down with friend James Beshara, former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb Exec. They discuss the founding of Tilt, entrepreneurship, philosophy and friendship. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:42 — James’ Background 04:38 — How James got into His First Startup 11:32 — What happened to make this first startup end? 13:30 — What did you do when you came back to the US? 19:20 — The Goal for any Rational Human Being — A Long Life Full of Laughter 25:07 — Happiness = Expectation – Reality 27:44 — The Downside of Social Media 32:49 — How did the culture of Silicon Valley affect you and your business? 36:36 — Was there a shift where you were told to focus on a business model and not just on growth? 43:05 — Why do you think it is that Silicon Valley cheers for raising money as opposed to making Money? 48:26 — What is it like to work for another company after running your own? 50:45 — Do you think the culture at Airbnb is similar to Amazon? 53:14 — Do you think some of the fate of Tilt had to do with the market? 1:03:30 — Advice for an Inspiring Entrepreneur 1:05:28 — The Hard Times as an Entrepreneur 1:09:57 — The Art of Knowing Where to get Involved as a Leader 1:18:46 — The Importance of Genuine Friendship and How it Relates to Business 1:35:13 — James’ Last Advice for Listeners 1:36:49 — Chris and James’ Funniest Story Chris sits down with friend James Beshara, former Founder of Tilt.com (acquired by Airbnb) and former Airbnb Exec. They discuss the founding of Tilt, entrepreneurship, philosophy and friendship. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:42 — James’ Background

04:38 — How James got into His First Startup

11:32 — What happened to make this first startup end?

13:30 — What did you do when you came back to the US?

19:20 — The Goal for any Rational Human Being — A Long Life Full of Laughter

25:07 — Happiness = Expectation – Reality

27:44 — The Downside of Social Media

32:49 — How did the culture of Silicon Valley affect you and your business?

36:36 — Was there a shift where you were told to focus on a business model and not just on growth?

43:05 — Why do you think it is that Silicon Valley cheers for raising money as opposed to making Money?

48:26 — What is it like to work for another company after running your own?

50:45 — Do you think the culture at Airbnb is similar to Amazon?

53:14 — Do you think some of the fate of Tilt had to do with the market?

1:03:30 — Advice for an Inspiring Entrepreneur

1:05:28 — The Hard Times as an Entrepreneur

1:09:57 — The Art of Knowing Where to get Involved as a Leader

1:18:46 — The Importance of Genuine Friendship and How it Relates to Business

1:35:13 — James’ Last Advice for Listeners

1:36:49 — Chris and James’ Funniest Story

]]> 5974 no #7: Jason Fox - From the NFL to Starting a Tech Company https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Jason Fox, former NFL player and founder of Earbuds. They discuss the process of starting a tech company, building an app, life in the NFL and meeting Warren Buffet. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:51 — Jason’s Background 03:20 — What is Earbuds? When did the idea come to fruition? 09:48 — When can listeners get the app and try it for themselves? 11:23 — Moving His Tech Company out of Fort Worth 15:04 — What is your advice for someone wanting to launch a tech company in Fort Worth? 17:19 — Would you recommend having a team member build the software/app or outsourcing that to a third-party company? 22:06 — When did you think you would launch the app? When are you launching the app? 30:19 — Would you recommend the incubator route to those first entering into the tech world? 33:09 — How do you build a team? 37:12 — What is your favorite interview question? 39:13 — How hard was it to fundraise? What was your experience like? 43:39 — What did you have to offer in your second round that you didn’t have in your first round? 45:10 — Who is the right legal team for you these days? 45:56 — What does a great 2019 look like for Earbuds? 51:14 — What is your role? How do you get all of these deals? 55:22 — True or false — Starting a start-up is like jumping off a cliff and trying to build an airplane before you hit the ground? 58:36 — If you could give advice to your 21-year old self, what would it be? 1:00:55 — What is your favorite app on your phone? 1:01:59 — Is bitcoin going to make it? 1:03:30 — What is the last book that you read? 1:07:29 — If you could meet anybody who would it be? Fri, 21 Dec 2018 18:21:26 -0000 #7: Jason Fox - From the NFL to Starting a Tech Company full 1 7 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Jason Fox, former NFL player and founder of Earbuds. They discuss the process of starting a tech company, building an app, life in the NFL and meeting Warren Buffet. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital,... Chris sits down with Jason Fox, former NFL player and founder of Earbuds. They discuss the process of starting a tech company, building an app, life in the NFL and meeting Warren Buffet. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:51 — Jason’s Background 03:20 — What is Earbuds? When did the idea come to fruition? 09:48 — When can listeners get the app and try it for themselves? 11:23 — Moving His Tech Company out of Fort Worth 15:04 — What is your advice for someone wanting to launch a tech company in Fort Worth? 17:19 — Would you recommend having a team member build the software/app or outsourcing that to a third-party company? 22:06 — When did you think you would launch the app? When are you launching the app? 30:19 — Would you recommend the incubator route to those first entering into the tech world? 33:09 — How do you build a team? 37:12 — What is your favorite interview question? 39:13 — How hard was it to fundraise? What was your experience like? 43:39 — What did you have to offer in your second round that you didn’t have in your first round? 45:10 — Who is the right legal team for you these days? 45:56 — What does a great 2019 look like for Earbuds? 51:14 — What is your role? How do you get all of these deals? 55:22 — True or false — Starting a start-up is like jumping off a cliff and trying to build an airplane before you hit the ground? 58:36 — If you could give advice to your 21-year old self, what would it be? 1:00:55 — What is your favorite app on your phone? 1:01:59 — Is bitcoin going to make it? 1:03:30 — What is the last book that you read? 1:07:29 — If you could meet anybody who would it be? Chris sits down with Jason Fox, former NFL player and founder of Earbuds. They discuss the process of starting a tech company, building an app, life in the NFL and meeting Warren Buffet. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:51 — Jason’s Background

03:20 — What is Earbuds? When did the idea come to fruition?

09:48 — When can listeners get the app and try it for themselves?

11:23 — Moving His Tech Company out of Fort Worth

15:04 — What is your advice for someone wanting to launch a tech company in Fort Worth?

17:19 — Would you recommend having a team member build the software/app or outsourcing that to a third-party company?

22:06 — When did you think you would launch the app? When are you launching the app?

30:19 — Would you recommend the incubator route to those first entering into the tech world?

33:09 — How do you build a team?

37:12 — What is your favorite interview question?

39:13 — How hard was it to fundraise? What was your experience like?

43:39 — What did you have to offer in your second round that you didn’t have in your first round?

45:10 — Who is the right legal team for you these days?

45:56 — What does a great 2019 look like for Earbuds?

51:14 — What is your role? How do you get all of these deals?

55:22 — True or false — Starting a start-up is like jumping off a cliff and trying to build an airplane before you hit the ground?

58:36 — If you could give advice to your 21-year old self, what would it be?

1:00:55 — What is your favorite app on your phone?

1:01:59 — Is bitcoin going to make it?

1:03:30 — What is the last book that you read?

1:07:29 — If you could meet anybody who would it be?

]]> 4387 no #6: Riley Kiltz - CEO of Craftwork Coffee Co. https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Riley Kiltz, friend and CEO of Craftwork Coffee Co. They discuss Riley’s transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, his passions for coffee and customer service as well as his impactful advice for living in the moment. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:46 — Importance of Positive Customer Interactions at Craftwork 04:21 — How did Craftwork’s culture manifest itself? 07:03 — How did you find yourself in Fort Worth between NYC and Sao Paulo? 09:47 — When did you decide to make the leap from corporate life to Craftwork? 12:22 — Why are you thankful that you made that leap? 14:38 — Are you still a fan of Conscious Capitalism? 16:23 — What do you tell people who are on the fence about starting a business? 19:06 — What have you learned about coffee? What is the future of coffee? 23:08 — Do you wholesale any of your coffee? 24:28 — The Process from Buying the Bean to Serving the Customer 25:45 — How do you split your time between roasting coffee and running coffee shops? 27:10 — What is your favorite interview question? 30:53 — Where is Craftwork in 10 years? Where are you in 10 years? 37:20 — Through being in the shop, has anything struck you about how people work? 40:02 — Are you aware of any businesses or ideas or marriages that have occurred because of Craftwork? 41:40 — If you had to give your 21-year old some advice, what would it be? 50:14 — What is the biggest mistake you have made since starting Craftwork? 57:30 — The Book Chris Gave Riley Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:05:48 -0000 #6: Riley Kiltz - CEO of Craftwork Coffee Co. full 1 6 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Riley Kiltz, friend and CEO of Craftwork Coffee Co. They discuss Riley’s transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, his passions for coffee and customer service as well as his impactful advice for living in the... Chris sits down with Riley Kiltz, friend and CEO of Craftwork Coffee Co. They discuss Riley’s transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, his passions for coffee and customer service as well as his impactful advice for living in the moment. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:46 — Importance of Positive Customer Interactions at Craftwork 04:21 — How did Craftwork’s culture manifest itself? 07:03 — How did you find yourself in Fort Worth between NYC and Sao Paulo? 09:47 — When did you decide to make the leap from corporate life to Craftwork? 12:22 — Why are you thankful that you made that leap? 14:38 — Are you still a fan of Conscious Capitalism? 16:23 — What do you tell people who are on the fence about starting a business? 19:06 — What have you learned about coffee? What is the future of coffee? 23:08 — Do you wholesale any of your coffee? 24:28 — The Process from Buying the Bean to Serving the Customer 25:45 — How do you split your time between roasting coffee and running coffee shops? 27:10 — What is your favorite interview question? 30:53 — Where is Craftwork in 10 years? Where are you in 10 years? 37:20 — Through being in the shop, has anything struck you about how people work? 40:02 — Are you aware of any businesses or ideas or marriages that have occurred because of Craftwork? 41:40 — If you had to give your 21-year old some advice, what would it be? 50:14 — What is the biggest mistake you have made since starting Craftwork? 57:30 — The Book Chris Gave Riley Chris sits down with Riley Kiltz, friend and CEO of Craftwork Coffee Co. They discuss Riley’s transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, his passions for coffee and customer service as well as his impactful advice for living in the moment. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:46 — Importance of Positive Customer Interactions at Craftwork

04:21 — How did Craftwork’s culture manifest itself?

07:03 — How did you find yourself in Fort Worth between NYC and Sao Paulo?

09:47 — When did you decide to make the leap from corporate life to Craftwork?

12:22 — Why are you thankful that you made that leap?

14:38 — Are you still a fan of Conscious Capitalism?

16:23 — What do you tell people who are on the fence about starting a business?

19:06 — What have you learned about coffee? What is the future of coffee?

23:08 — Do you wholesale any of your coffee?

24:28 — The Process from Buying the Bean to Serving the Customer

25:45 — How do you split your time between roasting coffee and running coffee shops?

27:10 — What is your favorite interview question?

30:53 — Where is Craftwork in 10 years? Where are you in 10 years?

37:20 — Through being in the shop, has anything struck you about how people work?

40:02 — Are you aware of any businesses or ideas or marriages that have occurred because of Craftwork?

41:40 — If you had to give your 21-year old some advice, what would it be?

50:14 — What is the biggest mistake you have made since starting Craftwork?

57:30 — The Book Chris Gave Riley

]]> 3926 no RE #5: Mike Sroka - Advancing Commercial Real Estate Technology https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Mike Sroka, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealpath. They discuss how Dealpath has been able to help Fort Capital as well as numerous other real estate development companies. Dealpath is one of the fastest growing companies out of Silicon Valley looking to streamline work for companies across the country. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:00 — How did Dealpath come to be? 04:30 — Have you found that the software is better for a smaller or bigger business? 08:10 — Have you found that a company that has a higher number of assets under management uses it differently than one that has less? 09:06 — What can you do with the fact that you have everyone’s attention as Dealpath is seen by every member of the company? 12:33 — Have you had people attempt to use the platform for reasons other than real estate? Is the platform capable of this? 14:57 — When did you see a lot of people showing interest in CRE Technology? 19:16 — What was the tipping point when you decided you were going to start your own company? 21:03 — How hard is it to start a tech company if you do not have a tech background? 25:25 — How do you find a co-founder or tech talent if tech is not your world? 28:31 — What were some of the early challenges you faced starting Dealpath? What are some of the challenges that you face today? 33:59 — How are you hiring for engineering-type roles to ensure you get the best talent? 36:51 — What has the fundraising process been like? 40:16 — Is there a big difference that you see between an angel investor and a Series B investor? 42:43 — What is the best and worst advice that you have ever received? 46:28 — Who needs to be thinking about using DealPath and how can they get in touch with you? Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:05:23 -0000 RE #5: Mike Sroka - Advancing Commercial Real Estate Technology full 1 5 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Mike Sroka, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealpath. They discuss how Dealpath has been able to help Fort Capital as well as numerous other real estate development companies. Dealpath is one of the fastest growing companies out of Silicon... Chris sits down with Mike Sroka, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealpath. They discuss how Dealpath has been able to help Fort Capital as well as numerous other real estate development companies. Dealpath is one of the fastest growing companies out of Silicon Valley looking to streamline work for companies across the country. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:00 — How did Dealpath come to be? 04:30 — Have you found that the software is better for a smaller or bigger business? 08:10 — Have you found that a company that has a higher number of assets under management uses it differently than one that has less? 09:06 — What can you do with the fact that you have everyone’s attention as Dealpath is seen by every member of the company? 12:33 — Have you had people attempt to use the platform for reasons other than real estate? Is the platform capable of this? 14:57 — When did you see a lot of people showing interest in CRE Technology? 19:16 — What was the tipping point when you decided you were going to start your own company? 21:03 — How hard is it to start a tech company if you do not have a tech background? 25:25 — How do you find a co-founder or tech talent if tech is not your world? 28:31 — What were some of the early challenges you faced starting Dealpath? What are some of the challenges that you face today? 33:59 — How are you hiring for engineering-type roles to ensure you get the best talent? 36:51 — What has the fundraising process been like? 40:16 — Is there a big difference that you see between an angel investor and a Series B investor? 42:43 — What is the best and worst advice that you have ever received? 46:28 — Who needs to be thinking about using DealPath and how can they get in touch with you? Chris sits down with Mike Sroka, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealpath. They discuss how Dealpath has been able to help Fort Capital as well as numerous other real estate development companies. Dealpath is one of the fastest growing companies out of Silicon Valley looking to streamline work for companies across the country. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:00 — How did Dealpath come to be?

04:30 — Have you found that the software is better for a smaller or bigger business?

08:10 — Have you found that a company that has a higher number of assets under management uses it differently than one that has less?

09:06 — What can you do with the fact that you have everyone’s attention as Dealpath is seen by every member of the company?

12:33 — Have you had people attempt to use the platform for reasons other than real estate? Is the platform capable of this?

14:57 — When did you see a lot of people showing interest in CRE Technology?

19:16 — What was the tipping point when you decided you were going to start your own company?

21:03 — How hard is it to start a tech company if you do not have a tech background?

25:25 — How do you find a co-founder or tech talent if tech is not your world?

28:31 — What were some of the early challenges you faced starting Dealpath? What are some of the challenges that you face today?

33:59 — How are you hiring for engineering-type roles to ensure you get the best talent?

36:51 — What has the fundraising process been like?

40:16 — Is there a big difference that you see between an angel investor and a Series B investor?

42:43 — What is the best and worst advice that you have ever received?

46:28 — Who needs to be thinking about using DealPath and how can they get in touch with you?

]]> 3030 no #4: Kevin Lackey - CEO & President of Freedom Powersports https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with Kevin Lackey, CEO and President of Freedom Powersports and fellow YPO Fort Worth member. Kevin and Chris talk about Kevin’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the leader of a $150 million dollar enterprise. Kevin has an amazing story and we hope you enjoy hearing how is hunger for success has helped him become who he is today. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:13 — Kevin’s Background 03:02 — What was your childhood like? 11:34 — Was there a moment when you gained the confidence to overcome insecurity? 21:53 — What has the book Traction and EOS meant to you? 33:45 — How did you get into the motorcycle business? 39:26 — When did it become apparent that there was an opportunity to buy a dealership? 41:33 — Becoming Service Manager 43:46 — New Owners and Structure at the Dealership 52:44 — First Attempt at Ownership 1:06:53 — Working as General Manager 1:08:39 — Second Attempt at Ownership 1:15:18 — The Obvious Next Choice 1:21:02 — What is the end goal for Freedom Powersports? 1:27:22 — What is your advice for people who are on the fence about doing something? 1:34:45 — Dark Side of Social Media Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:04:54 -0000 #4: Kevin Lackey - CEO & President of Freedom Powersports full 1 4 Chris Powers Chris sits down with Kevin Lackey, CEO and President of Freedom Powersports and fellow YPO Fort Worth member. Kevin and Chris talk about Kevin’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the leader of a $150 million dollar enterprise. Kevin has an... Chris sits down with Kevin Lackey, CEO and President of Freedom Powersports and fellow YPO Fort Worth member. Kevin and Chris talk about Kevin’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the leader of a $150 million dollar enterprise. Kevin has an amazing story and we hope you enjoy hearing how is hunger for success has helped him become who he is today. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:13 — Kevin’s Background 03:02 — What was your childhood like? 11:34 — Was there a moment when you gained the confidence to overcome insecurity? 21:53 — What has the book Traction and EOS meant to you? 33:45 — How did you get into the motorcycle business? 39:26 — When did it become apparent that there was an opportunity to buy a dealership? 41:33 — Becoming Service Manager 43:46 — New Owners and Structure at the Dealership 52:44 — First Attempt at Ownership 1:06:53 — Working as General Manager 1:08:39 — Second Attempt at Ownership 1:15:18 — The Obvious Next Choice 1:21:02 — What is the end goal for Freedom Powersports? 1:27:22 — What is your advice for people who are on the fence about doing something? 1:34:45 — Dark Side of Social Media Chris sits down with Kevin Lackey, CEO and President of Freedom Powersports and fellow YPO Fort Worth member. Kevin and Chris talk about Kevin’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the leader of a $150 million dollar enterprise. Kevin has an amazing story and we hope you enjoy hearing how is hunger for success has helped him become who he is today. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:13 — Kevin’s Background

03:02 — What was your childhood like?

11:34 — Was there a moment when you gained the confidence to overcome insecurity?

21:53 — What has the book Traction and EOS meant to you?

33:45 — How did you get into the motorcycle business?

39:26 — When did it become apparent that there was an opportunity to buy a dealership?

41:33 — Becoming Service Manager

43:46 — New Owners and Structure at the Dealership

52:44 — First Attempt at Ownership

1:06:53 — Working as General Manager

1:08:39 — Second Attempt at Ownership

1:15:18 — The Obvious Next Choice

1:21:02 — What is the end goal for Freedom Powersports?

1:27:22 — What is your advice for people who are on the fence about doing something?

1:34:45 — Dark Side of Social Media

]]> 6291 no #3: John Peterson - Life in Fort Worth & on the PGA Tour https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with longtime friend and former PGA Golfer John Peterson. John talks about his journey as a young professional golfer, from his time growing up in Fort Worth, setting golf balls on fire at his local club, winning a national championship at LSU and more stories from his time on the tour. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:33 — John’s Background 03:03 — What made family so important to you? 04:19 — What gave you the drive to work hard? 06:30 — John’s Relationship with His Grandfather 08:57 — When did you realize your talent for golf? 11:50 — John’s Story of Lighting Golf Balls on Fire 16:03 — Why did you pick LSU? 19:11 — Was there a moment in college where it started to click? 21:32 — How do you get half a shot off? 22:14 — Would you agree that messing up is an opportunity to learn and gain maturity? 27:16 — How do you deal with negative comments? 38:38 — What happened your senior year of college? 44:00 — John’s First Professional Events 50:57 — John’s Hole in One at the US Open 52:23 — How hard is the US Open? 55:08 — How do you build the mental toughness for golf? 59:31 — What is the one thing young golfers can work on to take them to the next level? 1:02:30 — How was Augusta National as a player? 1:05:16 — What is in store for you now that golf is done? 1:08:33 — Why do you love Fort Worth? What does it mean to you? 1:10:37 — What is your favorite place to eat? 1:12:01 — John’s Family 1:13:42 — Do you have any words of wisdom for young people getting into their careers? Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:04:35 -0000 #3: John Peterson - Life in Fort Worth & on the PGA Tour full 1 3 Chris Powers Chris sits down with longtime friend and former PGA Golfer John Peterson. John talks about his journey as a young professional golfer, from his time growing up in Fort Worth, setting golf balls on fire at his local club, winning a national... Chris sits down with longtime friend and former PGA Golfer John Peterson. John talks about his journey as a young professional golfer, from his time growing up in Fort Worth, setting golf balls on fire at his local club, winning a national championship at LSU and more stories from his time on the tour. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 01:33 — John’s Background 03:03 — What made family so important to you? 04:19 — What gave you the drive to work hard? 06:30 — John’s Relationship with His Grandfather 08:57 — When did you realize your talent for golf? 11:50 — John’s Story of Lighting Golf Balls on Fire 16:03 — Why did you pick LSU? 19:11 — Was there a moment in college where it started to click? 21:32 — How do you get half a shot off? 22:14 — Would you agree that messing up is an opportunity to learn and gain maturity? 27:16 — How do you deal with negative comments? 38:38 — What happened your senior year of college? 44:00 — John’s First Professional Events 50:57 — John’s Hole in One at the US Open 52:23 — How hard is the US Open? 55:08 — How do you build the mental toughness for golf? 59:31 — What is the one thing young golfers can work on to take them to the next level? 1:02:30 — How was Augusta National as a player? 1:05:16 — What is in store for you now that golf is done? 1:08:33 — Why do you love Fort Worth? What does it mean to you? 1:10:37 — What is your favorite place to eat? 1:12:01 — John’s Family 1:13:42 — Do you have any words of wisdom for young people getting into their careers? Chris sits down with longtime friend and former PGA Golfer John Peterson. John talks about his journey as a young professional golfer, from his time growing up in Fort Worth, setting golf balls on fire at his local club, winning a national championship at LSU and more stories from his time on the tour. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

01:33 — John’s Background

03:03 — What made family so important to you?

04:19 — What gave you the drive to work hard?

06:30 — John’s Relationship with His Grandfather

08:57 — When did you realize your talent for golf?

11:50 — John’s Story of Lighting Golf Balls on Fire

16:03 — Why did you pick LSU?

19:11 — Was there a moment in college where it started to click?

21:32 — How do you get half a shot off?

22:14 — Would you agree that messing up is an opportunity to learn and gain maturity?

27:16 — How do you deal with negative comments?

38:38 — What happened your senior year of college?

44:00 — John’s First Professional Events

50:57 — John’s Hole in One at the US Open

52:23 — How hard is the US Open?

55:08 — How do you build the mental toughness for golf?

59:31 — What is the one thing young golfers can work on to take them to the next level?

1:02:30 — How was Augusta National as a player?

1:05:16 — What is in store for you now that golf is done?

1:08:33 — Why do you love Fort Worth? What does it mean to you?

1:10:37 — What is your favorite place to eat?

1:12:01 — John’s Family

1:13:42 — Do you have any words of wisdom for young people getting into their careers?

]]> 4772 no #2: Jason Baxter - Pursuing Passions with Discipline & Focus https://www.TheFortPod.com Chris sits down with business partner and friend Jason Baxter. They discuss the city Fort Worth and it’s future, personal insights on success and growth as well as advice for people looking to pursue their passions. Jason discusses how his focus and personal discipline helped him grow Fort Capital into what it has become today. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 00:51 — Jason’s Background 01:29 — Why Real Estate? 08:11 — How did you realize that you wanted to get out of sales? 11:30 — Chris and Jason’s First Experience Working Together 13:10 — What is the narrative around urban infill in Fort Worth? 17:13 — What are the things that are currently challenging about urban development in Fort Worth? What needs to change to make it easier to develop? 24:41 — How is technology driving the future of Fort Worth and other cities? 29:00 — Why is Fort Worth the “Land of Opportunity?” Where do you see the biggest opportunities here? 34:49 — Where did you learn about culture? Why is it important? 42:00 — What is something a leader can do to start the discussion about culture? 44:39 — What are some things that are exciting to you about the future? 51:40 — Jason’s Mindset about Controlling His Choices 55:25 — What advice would you give your 21-year old self? 59:09 — What defines success? What are some of your goals over the next ten years? 1:01:47 — What is your favorite quote? 1:02:52 — Is there anyone that you enjoy learning from? Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:04:18 -0000 #2: Jason Baxter - Pursuing Passions with Discipline & Focus full 1 2 Chris Powers Chris sits down with business partner and friend Jason Baxter. They discuss the city Fort Worth and it’s future, personal insights on success and growth as well as advice for people looking to pursue their passions. Jason discusses how his focus and... Chris sits down with business partner and friend Jason Baxter. They discuss the city Fort Worth and it’s future, personal insights on success and growth as well as advice for people looking to pursue their passions. Jason discusses how his focus and personal discipline helped him grow Fort Capital into what it has become today. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com 00:51 — Jason’s Background 01:29 — Why Real Estate? 08:11 — How did you realize that you wanted to get out of sales? 11:30 — Chris and Jason’s First Experience Working Together 13:10 — What is the narrative around urban infill in Fort Worth? 17:13 — What are the things that are currently challenging about urban development in Fort Worth? What needs to change to make it easier to develop? 24:41 — How is technology driving the future of Fort Worth and other cities? 29:00 — Why is Fort Worth the “Land of Opportunity?” Where do you see the biggest opportunities here? 34:49 — Where did you learn about culture? Why is it important? 42:00 — What is something a leader can do to start the discussion about culture? 44:39 — What are some things that are exciting to you about the future? 51:40 — Jason’s Mindset about Controlling His Choices 55:25 — What advice would you give your 21-year old self? 59:09 — What defines success? What are some of your goals over the next ten years? 1:01:47 — What is your favorite quote? 1:02:52 — Is there anyone that you enjoy learning from? Chris sits down with business partner and friend Jason Baxter. They discuss the city Fort Worth and it’s future, personal insights on success and growth as well as advice for people looking to pursue their passions. Jason discusses how his focus and personal discipline helped him grow Fort Capital into what it has become today. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: @Fortworthchris Make Contact with The FORT at thefortpodcast@gmail.com

00:51 — Jason’s Background

01:29 — Why Real Estate?

08:11 — How did you realize that you wanted to get out of sales?

11:30 — Chris and Jason’s First Experience Working Together

13:10 — What is the narrative around urban infill in Fort Worth?

17:13 — What are the things that are currently challenging about urban development in Fort Worth? What needs to change to make it easier to develop?

24:41 — How is technology driving the future of Fort Worth and other cities?

29:00 — Why is Fort Worth the “Land of Opportunity?” Where do you see the biggest opportunities here?

34:49 — Where did you learn about culture? Why is it important?

42:00 — What is something a leader can do to start the discussion about culture?

44:39 — What are some things that are exciting to you about the future?

51:40 — Jason’s Mindset about Controlling His Choices

55:25 — What advice would you give your 21-year old self?

59:09 — What defines success? What are some of your goals over the next ten years?

1:01:47 — What is your favorite quote?

1:02:52 — Is there anyone that you enjoy learning from?

]]> 3922 no