He Built a Real Estate Empire Without Spending a Cent

Summary

Living The Red Life: He Built a Real Estate Empire Without Spending a Cent

Host: Rudy Mawer (with Ray Gutierrez)
Guest: David Webb (“No Money Millionaire”)
Date: October 20, 2025

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Overview

In this candid and energetic episode, Ray Gutierrez sits down with David Webb, the self-described “No Money Millionaire,” to explore how David built a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio—without ever using his own money. Webb shares his transformational journey from growing up in inner-city Detroit, overcoming personal financial hardship, and breaking the myth that wealth creation is only for those with capital, good credit, or conventional credentials. The conversation covers practical strategies, mindset shifts, the power of relationships, and David’s passion for sharing his roadmap through his new book and online presence.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. David Webb’s Origin Story: From Detroit to Empire-Building

• Webb hails from inner-city Detroit, a background that he explains shaped his early beliefs about money.
• He recalls thinking he’d need to “save up,” hold a steady job, and have perfect credit—until late in life he realized otherwise.
  • “It took me until I was like 50 years old…before I learned otherwise.” (05:18)

2. Changing the Narrative Around Wealth Creation

• Webb’s journey demonstrates it’s possible to build significant wealth without personal capital or bank approval.
• The release of his book, "No Money Millionaire," is motivated by wanting to spread this knowledge to others still stuck in limiting beliefs.
  • “If I learned this when I was 30, the last 20 years would have been a lot more fun.” (05:20)

3. Practical Strategies for Investing with No Money Down

• Webb’s process starts with leveraging relationships and creative deal structures, such as private money and seller financing.
  • “I just started putting [relationships] together...that was without any of my own capital. But the way I structure them, after a certain time period, I own the property 100%.” (07:17)
• Key elements:
  • Use initial outside funding.
  • Reward backers upfront (good deals, good returns).
  • Transition ownership fully to himself over time.
• Not reliant on banks for initial growth:
  • “You can build wealth without using banks…the banks are where you want to get to, but you don’t have to start there.” (06:09)

4. Building Your Tribe and Attracting Investment Partners

• Ray asks how Webb finds partners and builds his support network:
  • “You have the people around you. You do. You just have to know how to present it to them. You have to make it attractive for one…There’s not a shortage of money out there.” (08:29)
• David emphasizes the importance of making deals attractive in the short term for partners in exchange for long-term benefits for himself.

5. Portfolio Overview and Day-to-Day Operations

• David’s holdings include:
  • Mixed-use buildings (e.g., retail at street level, apartments above).
  • Convenience stores.
  • Single-family homes, duplexes, and multifamily properties. (09:28)
• On how much time to invest:
  • “The more time you put in, the more you get out. It’s a simple formula.” (10:21)

6. Notable Transformational Stories

• Webb relates how his methods helped a formerly homeless acquaintance buy a triplex with “no money out of pocket, no credit check” and start collecting rent on closing day. (10:57–11:44)
• Personal stories of hardship:
  • Multiple evictions, struggling with utilities, and a creative deal to buy his father’s house that netted $20,000 at closing—all without personal funds.
    • “I walked in broken. I came out with the property and 20,000 in my pocket.” (15:32)

7. Mindset, Energy, and the Real Driver of Wealth

• Both David and Ray underscore the role of mindset, intention, and energy in manifesting wealth and opportunity.
  • “Our thoughts are energy. I’m very careful with those…I try to channel everything into the direction that I want to go.” (12:36)
  • “It’s not so much the money, it’s the freedom that it provides…” (12:42)

8. Advice to Aspiring Investors

• David’s system is designed for all levels—including those with “absolutely nothing” to start.
• Emphasizes persistence, continuous networking, and being open to creative deal structures.
• "Just keep doing it till you get it right." (03:29)

9. Where to Find David Webb and His Work

• Book: "No Money Millionaire" available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
• Online: nomoneymillionaire.com, YouTube, Facebook (@nomoneymillionaire). (16:56–17:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On overcoming hardship:
  “I’ve been evicted more times than I can count…I’ve done the whole cliche heating my house from the stove.” (14:02)

• On breaking through limiting beliefs:
  “You’d think that would have hit the light switch…But I was still stuck with the mindset.” (15:39)

• On why he wrote his book:
  “There’s a lot of people I know that still where I’m from…that don’t know another way.” (05:20)

• On energy and intention:
  "Money is energy…but it’s not so much the money, it’s the freedom that it provides." (12:42)

• Summary from Ray:
  "That's incredible. That's quite the inspiration, my friend. You showed up in my life at the exact moment when I needed you." (16:35)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00–05:20: David Webb’s background, upbringing in Detroit, and initial beliefs about wealth.
• 06:00–08:30: Strategies for building wealth with no personal capital and the importance of relationships.
• 09:28–10:49: David’s portfolio breakdown; advice on how much time to commit.
• 10:57–11:44: Success stories from those helped by David’s methods.
• 12:36–13:28: Perspectives on energy, mindset, and the non-financial rewards of wealth-building.
• 14:02–16:29: David’s personal stories of hardship, early deals, and the persistence needed to shift mindset.
• 16:56–17:13: How to connect with David and access his resources.

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Conclusion

This episode with David Webb is packed with actionable wisdom and inspiration for anyone—regardless of their current situation—interested in building wealth through real estate. Webb’s grounded, energetic approach, focus on mindset, and clear demonstration of creative funding methods make this a must-listen (or read) for aspiring entrepreneurs and legacy-makers.

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Find David Webb:

• Book: "No Money Millionaire" (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
• Website/Social: nomoneymillionaire.com, YouTube, Facebook

Host Contact:

• Rudy Mawer, “Living The Red Life” podcast

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Transcript

[David Webb]

Closing on a million dollar property right now. I'm not using a dime of my money.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

My whole thing is about creating wealth without having to use your own money, you know, so where I come from, you know, I grew up in the inner city of Detroit. I thought, you know, I had to save up to get a lot of money. I had to have the W2s, right. The taxes, my credit, all of those pieces. And, you know, it took me until I was like 50 years old. Wow. Before I learned otherwise.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

And I wish this is what the whole motivation for was for the book, because there's a lot of people I know that still where I'm from and.

[Ray Gutierrez]

How do I build a reputation as a client with you to build my wealth?

[David Webb]

The way that I got started, the way that I learned was I had accumulated the pieces that I thought was necessary. Sure. And I was able to get my first property, but I wanted to do more. My money only went so far, but my ambition went a lot further. So I.

[Rudy Moore]

My name is Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast, and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill. Take the red pill. Join me in wonderland and change your life.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Legacy Makers podcast, the Red Life edition. For inside Success, I'm Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is the no Money millionaire himself, David Webb. All the from Detroit. How are you, my friend?

[David Webb]

I'm doing great, Ray. Thank you for asking.

[Ray Gutierrez]

David, how are things back in Detroit? Welcome to Miami.

[David Webb]

Well, I'm not in Detroit anymore.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Okay.

[David Webb]

It's been a journey from Detroit, I've. From there I went out to California. Cool. Palm springs for about 20 years, I can tell. And right. And right now I'm. I'm in. Doing the Oklahoma thing, right. I'm. We're in Oklahoma right outside Tulsa, dude.

[Ray Gutierrez]

I was, I lived in the bay for about five years working at PlayStation, the Patreon, that the whole Bay Area, I think between 2009-2014, Trump won and I'm like, well, party's over.

[David Webb]

Over.

[Ray Gutierrez]

And moved out to Tulsa, Oklahoma. And I loved it. I love, I was there for a year and I loved it.

[David Webb]

Really.

[Ray Gutierrez]

It was a great cleanse being in the Bay in the west coast for quite a minute. Being born and raised in Miami. The reason why I'm gonna come back to the Detroit question, moved out to the Bay and then found. Found a nice home, a way to retreat and kind of find myself until. So Oklahoma.

[David Webb]

I went to Oklahoma thinking it was going to be a short thing. Yeah, I was just gonna get there and then get right back to California.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

And that's changed. Yeah, I'm going to be there for a while. Yeah. I actually think I'm in Oklahoma at the right time.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah. I was just going to say you're in the right time and.

[David Webb]

Yeah, it seems like it, There's a lot for what I'm doing. It seems like the growth is there. I, I foresee a lot happening in the short future.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, for sure, for sure. It's like, don't overlook the Bible bell. I know it's one of those flyover states, but I, I really enjoyed my time in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I moved to Austin, Texas afterwards. I really enjoyed Bastrop. I really enjoyed Austin. But there was that vibe of Tulsa where I was just like, it ain't quite Tulsa. So I'm really happy that you're, you're part of that energy. We're east coast kids. Detroit, Miami.

[David Webb]

Sure.

[Ray Gutierrez]

We were designed to fail. How does it feel not to fail?

[David Webb]

You know, it is, is awesome. Yeah, it's been a, it's been a long time getting here. You know, same. The whole thing. It was a Thomas Edison quote. You know, I, you know, I haven't failed. I've just learned 10,000 ways of how not to do it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah. You're the second person that's quoted that today.

[David Webb]

That's funny.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Our morning session, our morning legacy miracle was like, Well, I asked 17 girls out and 16 of them said no until I married the 17th one.

[David Webb]

Yeah, yeah. So that's, that's what it is. You know, you just keep doing it till you get it right.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on. So where, where do you begin? I know we can talk about portfolios and all the fun, boring money making stuff, but I'm talking about your heart. Like, you know, when you're back in Detroit. What, what was it like back then before it became the Detroit of today?

[David Webb]

Detroit of today is amazing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Is it?

[David Webb]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

It's, you know, when I lived there, downtown, I think the statistic was downtown was like 80 to 90% vacant.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

And now I don't think there's any vacancies.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Really.

[David Webb]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

People really turned around.

[David Webb]

Dan Gilbert from Quicken Loans.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure, sure, sure.

[David Webb]

He, he, he had the vision and he came and it's turned it around and it's amazing. It's not the Detroit that I, that I'm from.

[Ray Gutierrez]

That's Amazing.

[David Webb]

Yeah. And it's beautiful. It's awesome. Yeah, it's awesome there. But, you know, I love going back. It's, it's. And you know what I say about Detroit is it's a great place to be from. You know, what I've learned there. You carry on. You don't, you don't, you know, see.

[Ray Gutierrez]

The birthplace of techno.

[David Webb]

Yeah. You see it, it is. A lot of people don't know that it is. That's true. So the whole electronic music scene came out of Detroit. Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

The, the, the techno may have come from Eastern Europeans, but the warmth, the warmth of the analog sound came from Detroit. How. Yeah, for sure. 100%. What's your day today, man? Like, what are we going to learn on your episode of Legacy Makers that, that, that folks should tune into?

[David Webb]

You know, my day to day is my whole thing is about creating wealth without having to use your own money. You know, so where I come from, you know, I grew up in the inner city of Detroit and it, you know, I thought you had to have the standard pieces. I thought, you know, I had to save up to get a lot of money. I had to have the, the W2s. Right. The taxes, my credit, all of those p. You know, it took me until I was like 50 years old.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

Before I learned otherwise.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

And I wish this is what the whole motivation for was for the book because there's a lot of people I know that still where I'm from and you know, had I learned this when I was 30, you know, the last 20 years would have been a lot more fun.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh, sure.

[David Webb]

You know, so, so that's, that's what I, my day to day is just building wealth, finding, finding other properties, you know, trying to put deals together. You know, I still to this day do it without using any of my own capital. I'm closing on a million dollar property. I was talking to the banker on the way here. Closing on a million dollar property right now. I'm not using a dime of my money.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

And so, you know, that's what I do day to day.

[Ray Gutierrez]

How much of it is technicalities and paperwork and zeros versus building a repertoire with a banker and building a relationship?

[David Webb]

You know, in my, my book, my book lays it out that it is not all with a banker. Bankers, when you get so far, the banks get involved. They're, they're the ultimate. And you know, I guess and even beyond my level, there's things beyond the bank and I, you know, the grant cardone levels and stuff They're. They're working with other levels of the banks, but the banks are where you want to get to, but you can build wealth without using banks. You.

[Ray Gutierrez]

You're right up my alley. Like, I'm always curious because I've got Rudy as a mentor. I'm always stacking up my mentors. But when it comes to building wealth, I've got my own property. But I always speak to other. Other legacy makers and folks that come on this podcast. I'm too afraid to make a move because it's such a vulnerable, Vulnerable position to be in because now I'm introducing strangers into my nest. I'm like, I've got a property. I'm very blessed. It's the house I grew up in. I know I can see the kingdom in the horizon, but. But I just don't know who to. To. To. To recruit into my village and go, all right, I'm on Ray's side. How do I build a reputation as a client with you to build my wealth?

[David Webb]

The way that I got started, the way that I learned was I had accumulated the pieces that I thought was necessary.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure.

[David Webb]

And I was able to get my first property, but I wanted to do more. Sure. And my money only went so far, but my ambition went a lot further. Right. So I. It's like, how am I going to do this? I don't want to have to wait another 10, 15 years to get that nest egg to be able to invest in another property. So that's when I started understanding relationships. And so then, you know, I went to. Just went to people that I knew and just started putting the relationships together. I'd find the deal. I knew what the pieces were at this point, and I'm like, I need a B to get C. And so I just started putting them together. And that was without any of my own capital. Wow. But the way I structure them, after a certain time period, I. I own the property 100%. So, you know, initially I have private money or however you raise the money. I have that in, but only for the initial period, and then after that, they're. They're recouped. I keep the property 100%, and I did it without any of my own money.

[Ray Gutierrez]

How do you find your clients? How do you find your. Your. Your. Your tribe? How do you recruit, you know, the people that are essential, want to be you and want to wear that. That. That sweater?

[David Webb]

Sure, sure. You know, it's not as hard as you. As you would think. You that come to me now all the time, and I And I tell them, I say, you know, you have the people around you. You do. It's just, you know, you have to know how to present it to them. You have to make it attractive for one. And, and you know, people want to make money. There's not a shortage of money out there.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Money's energy.

[David Webb]

Yeah. And so you just have to be able to present it right. You gotta make it attractive. And like I said, everything that I'm building for myself, mine's on the long term, mine's on the back end. So on the front end, all the attractiveness, I present it to the investors, the partners, whoever's coming in, and let them get a nice return on their money up front for sure. Because in the back end, I retain the property.

[Ray Gutierrez]

So what does your portfolio look like? Is it commercial? Is it single family homes? What does it look like?

[David Webb]

I have a mix, you know, I have a mixed use building, and it's commercial stores at the bottom, and it's 16 cool units up. Up top. And then I, I put a little convenience store, a little beer and wine store down in one of the empty units. So I have that going as well. And then the rest of them are all, all residential. A couple single family homes and then duplexes and multifamily.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah. If you're up for it, I can introduce you to Troy. He's our neighbor down the hall. He owns half of South Beach. He's just like, chill. He's like, yeah, I own. And I'm like, dude, I'd love to introduce you. He's pretty cool, dude.

[David Webb]

That'd be great.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, yeah. His name is Troy. He's our neighbor. So how does one get started? Like, I'm clearly in my vertical. Like, I do this thing, but I want to hop in and kind of expand my legacy. How much energy should I be spending a week kind of like carving out my space when I'm reading your book?

[David Webb]

You know, the more time you put in, the more you get out. It's a simple formula.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure.

[David Webb]

So, you know, it's just at the pace that you want it to grow at. So you can apply a little time and still gain, or you can go in full time and make it, you know, everything that you're doing. But I mean, with what you got going on here, I don't think I'd advise that. But, you know, and in my book, I lay it out. It's. It's designed for every level. It's designed for somebody who's starting with absolute nothing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[David Webb]

And I just Had a person just the beginning of the month that I knew from Detroit and at one point he was homeless.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

He was living in Oklahoma and didn't have, would not have been able to rent a property. He needed to move from where he was and he would not had been able to rent a property. Just all the structure, everything he had, he wouldn't have been able to rent. But working together with me and following my method, he found a triplex. Whoa. No money out of pocket.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

No credit check. Really no credit. Get out of here. No money out of pocket. No.

[Ray Gutierrez]

W2S America 100%.

[David Webb]

And he closed. He's going to now live in one of the, one of the units. Yeah, he closed on the first. So the other two was paying him his rent the day he closed. So he went in with no money and got paid rent on closing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

A friend of mine, well, acquaintance that I met through one of Rudy's masterminds, we're having a drink and he goes, you know what you should be doing with your properties? Exactly what you just mentioned. He's like, you got to find someone that's going to be able to just fix up your house and then just make it into a rental and then have like a timeshare or something on property as like your make good. I'm like, that sounds overly complicated. But if you're confident that you can just make that happen. And I can just smile and nod, sure. Like I've, I've even contrived like ideas, well, I haven't yet to pitch to Rudy. I'm like, we really should have like our own like home makeover series where it's like paint a town red. And like, dude, we can start with my house and just paint the house red and I'll film it and we'll make a whole 12 piece episode out of it. So I'm like figuring out clever ways to make this a reality. And you're clearly one of those ways, my friend. Just with the way we've spoken in our trajectory, which goes back to energy, you know, what are your thoughts on money being energy, time being energy, your time being energy. Like what are your philosophies on this?

[David Webb]

I'm a firm believer in energy. I, I, I think our thoughts are energy. I'm very careful with those.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh yeah.

[David Webb]

I try to channel everything into the direction that I want to go. And so, you know, money is energy. But you know, a lot of people, they hear about the pursuit of wealth and all of this and some of them will look at money as A negative energy. And you know, it's not so much the money, it's the freedom that it provides. You know, it's, you know, the time with your family, being able to call your own schedule, being able to do it. You know, I work hard.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh, yeah.

[David Webb]

But I work when and where I want to. Yeah. You know, so I dictate that schedule and so I can be careful with my energy and I am. I'm very thoughtful of it, for sure. So.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, I completely agree. I like to brag that I lead with fire, but yeah, it's very powerful when you put something out to the universe and how it manifests and converts into something very positive. What lies have you transformed? Like, let's talk about some of the folks that you've. You've binarily changed to off to on. Like.

[David Webb]

Sure. You know, my book is a brand new release and so I've just started doing where I'm helping people.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

You know, I did it to my. For myself first. You know, I, you know, I tell the story. I've been evicted more times than I can count.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

I really have. You know, I come.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Your credit score must be amazing.

[David Webb]

Exactly, exactly. You know, I've been through it. You know, I've, I've done the whole cliche heating my house from the stove. You know, I had even a period where I couldn't get the electricity turned back on.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Look at that. Look at all those pain points. Look at that arc.

[David Webb]

So and so, you know, I had to rig a little like type of generator, run wires through the house because Edison wouldn't work with me. And I just couldn't, I couldn't get it turned on. So I've been through all of those. And so, you know, like I said, when I turned 50, I was able to start putting the pieces together. You know, in, in some of my stories I tell so ingrained with what you think those pieces have to be that, you know, back in the. I think I was like mid-20s, 26. I did a no money deal. A creative financing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Cool.

[David Webb]

I was, you know, I didn't have any money. No money. Yeah, exactly. No money.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Millionaire. I see we did there.

[David Webb]

And I didn't have any money. And I walked into my father's house one day and he said, I'm going to sell the home. And I said, well, I want to buy it. And he looked at me and he laughed. He said, how the hell are you going to buy the house? He knew I didn't have any money. And I'm like, but I want to buy it. And so I was just relentless, you know, I was relentless. And I eventually found a way to do it in a creative structure.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

And I walked away with 20 grand at closing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Nice.

[David Webb]

So I went in broken. I came out with the property and 20,000 in my pocket. Now, you would think that that would have hit the light switch.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[David Webb]

And I'd have been off and run it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah. 20.

[David Webb]

But no, no, no. I was still stuck with the. The mindset. The mindset had to have all these pieces. And so even though I did it, I still was under the mindset that I have to get my money right and get my credit and do all that.

[Ray Gutierrez]

And that's where I'm at right now.

[David Webb]

And then about 10 to 15 years later, I did it again.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh.

[David Webb]

And so now this put me in my, you know, my mid-30s. And so I found a seller. Finance. No credit check, small amount of money in the house. Needed a lot of work. Yeah. But I was fine. I moved into it. I was doing the work, and I eventually flipped that and did well with that. Still didn't change the mindset.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

I was still stuck in that. I had to have all of these pieces. And then another 15 years later.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[David Webb]

I'm where I'm at. And now I understand. And now I never use any of my own money, you know.

[Ray Gutierrez]

That's incredible. That's quite the inspiration, my friend. You showed up in my life at the exact moment when I needed you. I can't wait to talk to you after we film your episode.

[David Webb]

Excellent.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, but this is what's all about, like, networking, relationships, and let. Just let the universe do its thing and the science project called life will blossom. How can folks find you, man? How can folks find your book? Find your dot com?

[David Webb]

Well, the books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. So you can get the no money millionaire at either of those. You know, the web. The YouTube is no money millionaire websites, no money millionaire.com, facebook, also no money millionaire. So.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[David Webb]

Yeah. It just seemed, you know, it's. I. I don't know how often you've looked to get a website, Facebook, you know, all of these, a YouTube account, and you come up with something and you check it, and it's just available.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh, yeah. Trust me, I know that the.

[David Webb]

All of it. All of it was available. It was just like it was meant to be. Yeah, it was meant to be.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Speaking of techno and coincidences and finding these dot coms, would you go, Would you ever party in a basement in Detroit if you went to go see a techno techno DJ called Murder Palace. Yeah. Okay. That's what I thought. Cool. And that with that David Webb, the no money with money millionaire author. Great energy. I appreciate your time, my friend.

[David Webb]

Thank you.

[Ray Gutierrez]

We're going to rock your interview. We're literally going to step into the next room and do his legacy makers interview. And with that concludes yet legacy makers podcast, Red life edition with inside success. I'm Rigatiers.