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- [00:00]
Host
Foreign.
- [00:15]
Interviewer
We have Brody Fawcett. I'm so excited to jump into this one. Brody sold in the door to door space for eight years, achieved financial freedom, and then transitioned out of the space to do real estate full time. Why he's been doing real estate. He also started a real estate coaching business. Who I've talked to multiple people that have gone through his program. Besides that, he's an incredible human being. It's been so fun to follow Brody and his story. It's been very inspirational and so let's jump into it. Brody, what's up, man? Thanks for coming on, dude.
- [00:50]
Brody Fawcett
What's up? I'm happy to be here. I'm stoked to do this. So thanks for the, the official invite.
- [00:56]
Interviewer
Living the good life. And in Maui right now, is it at a place you own or rental or what?
- [01:04]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, a place I own. Yeah.
- [01:06]
Interviewer
It's sick.
- [01:07]
Brody Fawcett
I was going to say both because that's how we do things, right. If you own it, it has. It has the potential to be a rental. And it's funny, cuz actually bought it. Not planning on moving out here. There's like three separate kind of kitchens to this house. And in Hawaii they call them ohanas.
- [01:25]
Host
Yeah.
- [01:25]
Brody Fawcett
In. In the mainland, I guess call them studios, I guess is what you. What you would say. But there's the main house and then there's two studio apartments attached to it. And so we're like, oh, this is going to be an awesome investment. And then one thing led to another and kind of on a whim, we're like, you know what, we're not tied down anywhere. Let's just move into the house as soon as we got done modeling it. So that's.
- [01:46]
Interviewer
So as of right now, like, do you guys have plans to stay there forever? Are you just kind of winging it and stay for a month or two, see how it feels or what?
- [01:54]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. So when we came out, we're like, we're committed to six months. So we're like, let's go out for six months and let's see, kind of go from there. And it was fun. My wife said to me the other week, she's like, do you see us leaving at the end of the year? And I'm like. She's like, because I don't. I'm loving it here. So I don't know, man, we'll. We'll see. We're just kind of playing it by ear. We still, you know, have a house in Utah that we can bounce back and forth to whenever. But right now it feels good and enjoying it. And it's kind of like it's part of the. It's been on the, like the vision board for a long time.
- [02:26]
Host
Right.
- [02:27]
Brody Fawcett
To have a second home somewhere on an island. And so we're just. I love the idea of like flexibility and freedom and I feel like I have that. And so right now we're happy here, loving it here. And our nanny lives in one of the studios and then the other studio we just use as an office. And so it's working out awesome so far.
- [02:47]
Interviewer
So that's so cool. So my sister, she lives on Oahu on the North Shore, and they have a house that's right by the beach. And their home, they can house hack too. So, like part of it, they can rent out in just a separate unit that's part of the same house.
- [03:02]
Host
Yeah.
- [03:03]
Interviewer
And they were doing that for a while and then got a little bit more tricky with the Airbnb laws there. But anyways, if they rented out the part that they lived in, they could do really, really well. Well enough that my brother in law, her husband wouldn't have to work. And so they just took six months off and just took the kids and went and traveled.
- [03:22]
Host
Why?
- [03:22]
Interviewer
They rented out their house and made like phenomenal money enough to cover the travel. So, you know, finding a really valuable property that's valuable to you, chances are it's probably really valuable to other people as well and works out really well.
- [03:37]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. And that's one of the reasons why I'm sure we'll jam on real estate more. But one of the reasons why I love real estate investing is because you can get creative and do stuff like that, you know, And I think this house was a perfect example because a lot of people, I think they like, who doesn't want a second home in Hawaii somewhere, Right. But then you're back from, from doing that, it comes down to like, oh, I don't have enough money right now is usually the thing.
- [04:02]
Host
Right.
- [04:02]
Brody Fawcett
Or I don't have the flexibility to go and use it, which might be another thing, which are two things I'm passionate about.
- [04:09]
Host
Right.
- [04:09]
Brody Fawcett
Creating that time freedom and that financial freedom. But what's so cool about real estate and like this house is a perfect example, is like, I bought it for a million bucks, it appraised for 1.55. And so you have this equity that's created in there because you went and got a good deal on it.
- [04:25]
Host
Right.
- [04:25]
Brody Fawcett
And so it worked out perfectly to where I bought it using hard money, refinanced it Actually cash out and got money in my pocket plus money for the rehab.
- [04:36]
Host
So.
- [04:37]
Brody Fawcett
And so it didn't cost me any money to like get this house. And then on top of all of that, both of the studios rented out, right? They cover, just about COVID the mortgage of the main house.
- [04:47]
Host
Wow.
- [04:48]
Brody Fawcett
Wow. And so anyhow, it's just crazy. Like you stop and like it's so easy I think, to be like, oh yeah, one day someday. I've been obsessed with this concept lately of like dreaming bigger, faster. And I think so many times we hold ourselves back from how fast we think something's possible. And it's like, I'm going to put that on the back burner and that's on my vision board and I'll get there at some point. I'll live that lifestyle. And I think it hurts us in a lot of ways because it actually holds us back from getting it sooner because mentally we have these roadblocks of, you know, I don't have enough money or I don't have enough skills to be able to do that yet. When you probably do, it's just a matter of getting creative and finding a way to make it, make it happen.
- [05:31]
Interviewer
Well, that's so cool. That's really inspiring that you're doing that. So I'm glad we, we touched on it. Let's jump into your door to door history. How long did you do door to door? How old were you when you started in the industry? Just want to understand a little bit more about your background there.
- [05:45]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, so I was in the door door space for about nine years. Eight to nine years. And all with one company, Vivint, the entire time. The last few years kind of shifted more to the, to the solar stuff, but still, you know, with the same company. And yeah, I got, I got recruited in, in college. I was walking down campus and I think it was the, the pickup line at the time, which actually worked. So maybe this is a good tip. But this guy's like, hey, are you on the track team? And, and I wasn't. But I'm like, oh, maybe he thinks I'm fast or something, you know, stroking my ego. And so I started talking to him. It's like I ran track in high school. Is that why you ask? And anyhow, so that was good. And we got, we got on the topic and I was very like entrepreneur minded at the time. And so I'm like, hey, I have this app that I'm developing and I want to spend my time doing this and so the summer won't work. Out for me because I got this plan, right? We've, we've heard that a thousand times. Just talking to reps and recruiting people, right? They have it all figured out, but kind of sold me was like, well, that's cool, keep doing that. But if you could come do this for a summer and a few months and it can allow you to, to build up some capital so that you can dive into that and really invest into your company, and wouldn't that be awesome? And so kind of led to that road. And then I went and did that my first summer and it was like, oh, wow, this is actually better than my original business idea. And I saw, I want to go all in on this thing. And yeah, that's how it kind of got started. And all the way up until, and I did that was when I was single. I got engaged that, that first summer. But I have one semester left for my finance degree. And it's been that way for, I think, I don't know, six years now. And so it led me all the way up until I'm like, all right, I'm either going to finish school or, or drop out and kind of take this more seriously. And so I did that and yeah, blessed my life completely. And I think, like, throughout the whole time, right, I. I had the vision of, like, I'm doing this so that, you know, I can build up capital so that I can create more freedom in my life rather than the opposite of like, living to live another summer.
- [08:00]
Host
Right.
- [08:00]
Brody Fawcett
Living to work another summer.
- [08:02]
Interviewer
And so, so I want to talk about that because the way, like, when I have friends or family that call me up and they're like, what do you think? I'm thinking about going out, whatever. And the number one piece of advice I always give is make sure that you have an exit plan. And if you have an exit plan, then I think it's really worth it because even if you don't make a lot of money, there's so many skills that you'll get from the experience. But you and I have both seen a lot of people that live another year, another year, another year, and then all of a sudden they're 20 years deep and there is no exit plan. And so that's why I think it's so important to have an exit plan. And it sounded like you kind of had that from day one.
- [08:40]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because, like, I, I think it was because I saw it right from the get go. I looked around and I'm like, I, I see these People that, no offense, you know, they've been doing it for, you know, eight, nine, ten years and they've, they keep saying, like, this is my last year, this is my last year, this is my last. And then they come and do it another year. And there's nothing wrong with doing it another year. But ultimately these were people that they didn't want to be doing it. And so I wanted to be in a situation where I didn't mind hard work. I actually like thrive off of it.
- [09:11]
Host
Right.
- [09:11]
Brody Fawcett
I love it, but I like working hard with a purpose in mind and knowing that it's setting me up. Like a hard today is setting me up for an easier tomorrow, not a hard today, just so I can go and have another hard today. And I think seeing people around me that like, didn't want to be in the situation they were, but they were forced to because they weren't smart with their money or smart financially, it just made me from the beginning be like, okay, one who's making like good money. Okay. It's people that are managing okay. What do I need to do to manage next year? You know, so that was like early on in my radar from just not selling, but actually recruiting and building around that. And then the other piece was like, how do I take as much money off the table now and be smart with that and invest it in cash flow passive income producing assets that when the time comes, when I want to be done, I can leave on my terms. Because. Because I want to leave. Yeah.
- [10:06]
Interviewer
You said two things that I want to dive into from that. The first was, and I think it's good to clarify, it's not that another year is bad. It's a very lucrative industry and there's so much self development that comes from it. I think it is a hard job with a family and can be hard to do sustainably for, you know, 20 years. But I do think that a lot of people have other passions, like to start other companies and they want to get outside of that.
- [10:33]
Host
Right.
- [10:34]
Interviewer
And that's where I think it's a tremendous vehicle. But the second thing is, is when you're 22, 21, 20, whenever it is that people get into the space, I mean, it's really hard to know that you should be producing or investing in starting to produce cash flow assets. So sounds like you kind of had that vision early on. So how did you have that vision? I know, like, is it something your dad taught you? Did you have a mentor to. Did you have a real estate team that was helping you? Like, you had that vision. And that's, that's really incredible that you had it at an early age.
- [11:08]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, no, I've thought a lot about this as well.
- [11:12]
Host
Right.
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Brody Fawcett
And I think it's a, a mixture of a couple things. Like, the first one is I go back to all the jobs that I had leading up to, you know, before I got into the sales world. And, you know, at first it started out like I worked at. I worked for my grandpa before I was 16 and he had a ranch. And so one thing that was ingrained in me early on was there was so much work to do, and so I could ultimately work as many hours as I wanted to.
- [11:38]
Host
Right.
- [11:39]
Brody Fawcett
And so, like, there was this little switch in my head that said, like, okay, Brody, you know, you're getting paid 12 bucks an hour. If you can put in 12 hours a day instead of 8 hours a day, that's going to add up at the end of the week to a lot more money. And so I'm like, cool, I have control over that. I can work harder to and be in control my paycheck a little bit. And then, and then that kind of like, I got a job working at a car wash and did that for a long time all through high school and made a lot of money through, like, tips, right? And so I'm like, I had control of if I provided a little bit extra, you know, customer service or if someone came through and I washed their windows just because. Or just little things. Like, I knew I could be in control of making a little bit more money because people would ultimately tip me more money. And so these little things that started to like, give me control over, hey, I'm going to do these little things because ultimately I'm buying myself time, right? And then as you know, like, like sales and commission, commission based jobs, like the mecca of that, right? Where you figure out, like, holy smokes, I'm not getting paid per hour. I'm getting paid per the work that I get done. And so if I can get better at sales and I can, you know, ultimately overrides are introduced to that as well. When you start growing a team, right? And then equity, you're starting to play a bigger role in a company. And so it's like, dude, if I can go and like, work really hard and take part in all of these things to where my time ends up being worth more money, then that's a great, great thing, right? And so I think I saw a lot of that. I saw the freedom that created and then to me, naturally, that kind of led into real estate. And I bought my first house actually before I went out for the summer for that first year. And that was kind of like a learning experience because I didn't get into it knowing that it was going to give me passive income. It was more from all my friends paying rent, me living in one of the bedrooms and then all of a sudden realizing that as I'm working, you know, part time at Gold's Gym and on the flip side, all my friends are paying rent, I'm not paying any money. And then I go pay all the expenses, the mortgage on the property and, and there's still all this money left over. And it was equal to the same amount that I was making actually putting in time and trading time.
- [13:53]
Host
Yeah.
- [13:54]
Brody Fawcett
And so I'm like crazy. I'm not trading time for money here. And over here I am and it's the same amount of money. And so I think it's just like this light bulb moment of like how can I go create more of this income and is there a situation where I can go double down on this and I can do it again and again and again and build up this passive income to where I'm working hard right now.
- [14:16]
Host
Right.
- [14:16]
Brody Fawcett
I'm taking the capital I'm making and being smart with it. But all it's doing is it's buying me freedom for my future lifestyle. And I don't know, I don't know what about that. That makes me like fired up. But I just, I love, love, love the idea of being in control of life and being ahead and getting decide what you do when you do it with, who you do it.
- [14:38]
Host
Right.
- [14:39]
Brody Fawcett
All those things. Like I think it just fills my cup and it just gets me super excited to go grind. Yeah.
- [14:45]
Interviewer
It's so interesting because I remember before I had never worked a commission based job. That the weekly paycheck that was a set amount that just felt so good in my mind. Process that very well. Right. And I remember getting that first commission only sales job and it scared the crap out of me. Is so scary. Right. But it's so interesting now, like fast forwarding the last, you know, 20 years of my life. That's all I've had pretty much 17 years actually. And like there's no way I'd ever go back. Right. And it's interesting. I was talking with somebody in their 30s this week and they did sales for a little bit and then they took a really high end engineering job. And the whole reason he wants to quit his job is because he's like no matter how good I do at my job, I get paid the exact same amount of money. If I kill it on a project and this client really loves me and I really move the needle for my company, I get paid the exact same amount of money. And so, like, there's something so wrong with that. And you really don't feel that until you've done the full commission. And then I think once you've done the full commission, I think you're ruined. But in a good way, because you want to be compensated for your efforts, right?
- [16:01]
Brody Fawcett
100%.
- [16:02]
Host
Yeah.
- [16:03]
Brody Fawcett
That's what keeps people coming back year after year, right? That's why they, they do it. Even if they don't want to come back, they come back because. Yeah, that's where you get the, the whole wrap of the golden handcuffs.
- [16:14]
Host
Right?
- [16:15]
Interviewer
So one thing that I'm kind of interested in is like, you said you sold for nine years. I think I heard on a podcast that you were 26 when you hit financial freedom. Is that right?
- [16:25]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, 25.
- [16:26]
Interviewer
25. So are you open to walking us through, like, how many doors that you accumulated, like, throughout that process? Because I think from a rest perspective, to try and recreate this, it's helpful to know, okay, Brody had a couple doors or at this many doors when he had true financial freedom. And then why did you keep selling for a couple years after you hit that till you exited?
- [16:49]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, yeah, great question. So I, I think the first thing just to touch on is like, I think a lot of times, especially in the real estate space, we hear like the word doors, right? How many doors do you have? How many units do you have? And in a way, right, it's almost like asking like, how many, how many bills do you have in your wallet?
- [17:08]
Host
Right.
- [17:09]
Brody Fawcett
I don't care if they're hundred dollar bills or $1 bills, but, like, let's all compare how many bills we have, right? And you might have somebody that has, you know, $51 bills and someone else that has one $100 bill, and we're like, dude, you have 50 bills. That's amazing. Right? And we, we overlooked the other side. So I always just love pointing that out because it, like, it makes it easier too, because it's more of like a quality over quantity type thing. And it totally. You realize that, like, financial freedom really isn't that far out of reach. You don't have to go have a hundred doors to make it happen.
- [17:42]
Interviewer
Yeah, I want to hurry and say two things on that one, please. Is like, I, I really don't Even think about that in my life at all. Because I, I have what, two doors? Because most of my money has just gone into investing in real estate, but I don't want to manage that real estate.
- [17:57]
Host
Right.
- [17:57]
Interviewer
And so a lot of different funds and all that. I was talking with Casey bought last week and he's like, I don't have any doors. Like, I, I don't want to talk about doors. And obviously he's done like incredibly well. And so I just want to echo your point. You just brought up.
- [18:12]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, yeah. And on the flip side too, like, like I was on a, on a plane a couple months ago and I started talking to this guy and he's like, Yeah, I have 200 units. And I'm like, it's awesome, man. And then like toward the end of the flight, realized he invested in a syndication that was a 200 unit apartment complex.
- [18:31]
Host
Oh, wow.
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Interviewer
Yeah, so he just, he had like a small portion of that or whatever portion of that, but he's claiming the whole thing.
- [18:41]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, yeah. Which is a whole nother thing.
- [18:43]
Host
Right.
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Brody Fawcett
But it's just like, yeah, it's so important. It's like, yeah, dollars over doors.
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Host
Right.
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Brody Fawcett
And results over roofs. And that's what I always say. But. But yeah, to kind of like go, go back to it. The reason I bring that up too is because that's really a part of my investing strategy is I want to use the least amount of my own money to build the most amount of, of passive income through real estate. And so there's different ways to do that, but having that as a baseline one I love because it, it doesn't allow, it allows you to get in the game.
- [19:16]
Host
Right.
- [19:16]
Brody Fawcett
Usually what's holding most people back is capital, or so they think. And so like I need money in order to make money. I need money and make money. And so I love like focusing on, hey, how do I use the strategies and the tactics that require the least amount of my own personal capital while the exact same time build the most amount of passive income? And so that's what like we focus a lot on in real estate investing school and teaching. And that's what I've used my strategies around is like, how do I get into these deals that have a lot of passive income but don't require a ton of upfront cash and capital? And so like my first deal, I kind of talked about it, one that I bought on accident because none of my buddies could find a place to rent. Getting ready to go to college, and it was my mom's idea. And she was a real estate agent. She's like, well, you could just buy a house and let them live there, and they'll pay you rent. And I didn't understand how that worked at all. I was like, I don't have that much money. I really legit thought you had to go, you know, save up that much money in cash, the price of the house, and buy the house. Cash in order to buy a house. I didn't understand you could get a loan. I didn't understand why someone would give you a loan. And so I learned a lot through that process. And, and even then, I didn't think real estate was that cool until a few months in. Like, I'm like, holy smoke. I'm actually collecting these checks and I'm making this mailbox money, and it's not requiring any work. Like, this is really, really cool. And so, you know, that was my first deal that I bought. And like, the reason I bring up, like, quality over quantity is for me talk a lot about, like, this freedom number, right? And I'm like, okay, what's. I remember googling it where I was living. What's the. What's the average income in my county, right? And it wasn't anything crazy. I think it was like 42,000 bucks or something like that. But I'm like, cool, let me reverse engineer this. Because if I can make that much money, you know, as a college kid and passive income, then technically I could retire, right? That's what average person's making. That's enough to cover all my expenses, plus some. It's not expensive for me to live. And so I remember just like reverse engineering that and being like, okay, that's going to be this much money per month. And then I remember looking at the current real estate deal that I had. I'm like, how many more of these do I need, right? And at that time, it was making me a little over like 800 bucks a month. And I still have that house today, actually. And it's closer to like eighteen hundred dollars a month because rent's gone up. I moved out. I can now rent out my room, right? And so that was kind of the start of all of it was like, what are those numbers that I need to hit? And then how can I go find those deals that are going to make up for the that? And so I think, like, my first four properties all average right around $900 of cash flow after all the expenses. Whereas, like, a lot of people, right, they'll. They'll buy a. A unit or a Door that, that might cash flow 100 or $200 is probably more average for people.
- [22:09]
Host
Right.
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Brody Fawcett
So totally.
- [22:10]
Interviewer
You came out swinging with some huge wins for your first couple of properties.
- [22:15]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. Yep, that was my focus. And. And so that's been good. And then it's kind of like, evolved a lot since then and doing some like, bigger stuff now, which is fun. We're building a tiny home resort, some apartment complexes, and some bigger deals that now, like the last three deals that I've done are all around like the 10,000, 8 to 10,000 dollars a month on the cash flow side.
- [22:38]
Host
Right.
- [22:38]
Brody Fawcett
They spit out. And so it's the same principles and do the same things, like, hey, I don't want to use a ton of my cash, but I want to go create these deals. Deals, but it's just on a larger scale. And so it's been cool to kind of like, see that. That evolve as well.
- [22:52]
Host
Yeah.
- [22:53]
Interviewer
So when you were. What number were you targeting to try and get that financial freedom? Was it an actual number? Was it more of like an average number that you were thinking ahead with a family?
- [23:03]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. So. So really, like. So I like, I always have like, three numbers.
- [23:08]
Host
Right.
- [23:08]
Brody Fawcett
The first one is, is like, bear, like, expenses, like, just to like, bare minimum to where you could really say, like, hey, I've. I'm financially free. Like, this is what it cost me to live and like, survive.
- [23:21]
Host
Right.
- [23:22]
Brody Fawcett
Food, shelter, all that stuff. But like, that's bare minimum. That's not living, you know, maybe this luxurious lifestyle with a lot of extra stuff. And so that's like the first phase. And that's where I hit when I was, when I was 25.
- [23:33]
Host
Right.
- [23:33]
Brody Fawcett
That's what I was talking about. The 40, $42,000 and looking up what, you know, the average was and reverse engineering that. So to me, that's like the first phase of financial freedom. And then the next one is like maybe a little bit of a stretch goal.
- [23:49]
Host
Right.
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Brody Fawcett
That, that like, so for me at the time, it was like, okay, I want be financially free where my expenses are covered. My stretch goal was like a hundred, a hundred thousand dollars a year right. In passive income. And I hit that a few years ago. And then you have one more goal that's like your, your big, big goal where it's like, almost hard to like, picture that you're chasing down. And so I think that's been kind of the, the process of, of all of it. And yeah, I don't know how I'm pretty open about most things. Yeah. Just because.
- [24:23]
Interviewer
So when you were 25 and you hit the, you hit the bare minimum. That's why you kept selling for another couple hundred years. Because you're like, probably working towards that stretch goal of a really like, comfortable lifestyle. Probably, I'm guessing. Is that, Was that the thought process?
- [24:38]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, yeah, 100%. And like, that's the thing. Like, I was. Even when I. Even when I, I say quit, I don't know if quit's a good word. Retired, maybe that sounds transition from door to door. Yeah, transition. There we go. But even when I transitioned, like, it was a, it was a pay cut, right? Like I was taking a step back. Like I. Sure it was leaving a lot. Like, I left, I left equity. I left, you know, eight years of building up residual that, that was like come in every single month.
- [25:05]
Host
Right.
- [25:06]
Brody Fawcett
I left sales reps that were really, really like talented sales reps, you know, some of the top in the company. And like walking away from all of that, it's not like you still get paid on it. You know, that was one of the incentives of, of the company keeping you there.
- [25:20]
Host
Right?
- [25:21]
Brody Fawcett
Is like that. That's why I stayed, for the perks I did.
- [25:23]
Host
Right?
- [25:24]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. You're like, I've worked so hard to build this up. Like me leaving, I'm letting go a lot of that. Not to mention, you know, like, you get so good at the job too, where it doesn't feel commission based, right? Because it's kind of plug and play and you know what, you know what you're worth. And so I felt like I got to the point where I was coasting and like making really, really good money. But the biggest thing for me was I felt, I felt like I was doing something really good and I had something really good and that's what was keeping me there. But that good thing was keeping me from doing something great. And I didn't know what that was at the time, but like, I felt it, right? I'm like, dude, I'm just not. Like, even though I'm being paid well, like, I'd rather take a step back. And I could do that because of my passive income. Even though it wasn't more than what I was making actively in sales, I still felt like I could do that to find something that has the potential to be great.
- [26:18]
Interviewer
So is that what it came down to? Is that how you knew you needed to transition was you just weren't feeling as fulfilled?
- [26:24]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. Yeah. And it wasn't that I was. Cause like, and it was still hard, right? Like leaving the job, it. It was Hard. And I didn't realize, you know, how much it was probably taking a toll on me. My wife did, but I didn't until, like, I was completely, like, out of it. But I looked at it as, like, hey, I only. I only really need to work a few months out of the year. I have my schedule down. I don't need to knock doors anymore. Like, everything's. Everything's there. Why would I. Why would I leave? This makes no sense, you know? And I was like, I think it's taking a bigger toll on you than what you realize. And. And now being out, like, I. I realize it was.
- [27:00]
Host
Yeah.
- [27:00]
Brody Fawcett
But, yeah, that was the biggest thing because, like, I. I stuck around for, like, the people, and I love the energy. I watch. I love watching people grow and what it does for their lives. And they're all the same things, you know, all this stuff.
- [27:12]
Host
Right?
- [27:14]
Brody Fawcett
But, like, really what came down to for me was like, I feel like I'm capable of doing something bigger, badder, better. And. And I think, too, like, looking. We get so. We get so focused on. It's kind of like the bubble, right? Like the. Our company or just the industry in general? Like, we get stuck in this bubble. And I'm so grateful for everybody. Like, the network, the. The money that it produced allow me to do certain things. The skill set, right, of learning how to sell and read people and, like, all those things. Most importantly, the network of, like, you mentioned Casey Ball, Right? Like, being around people like that, that absolutely change your paradigm and the way you think about life and you think about what you're personally capable of accomplishing in life, like, that's. That's the number one thing that I got from. From my whole experience with sales, and.
- [28:07]
Interviewer
That'S why I think everybody should do it. Is all those things you just mentioned a hundred percent?
- [28:11]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. And I'm. I'm still. Like, a lot of people think because I'm. Because I'm out of. And I've transitioned right, from sales, that I'm like, oh, you need to get out. You need to do this. No, Like, I'm a huge advocate of it. And you even mentioned, like, it is hard moving your family. And, dude, I would, like, revolt anytime people would say that. Like, oh, you. It's a lot on your family. I'm like, no, it's not. Like, do you know the freedom that my family enjoys? We work for a few months. Who cares if I move them and they want to move and they experience something different? It's not that bad. Like, it almost like would peeve me when people were like, oh, yeah, you. You got to get out soon. You're like, what are you talking about? I like, this is amazing, right? And so I still stand behind a lot of those things. But on the flip side of that, we get stuck in this bubble of thinking like, oh, this person went out his first year and made a hundred grand, or like, this, this and this. This sounds bad, me even saying it right, but it's like, you know, this regional manager, like, you know, he. He made half a million bucks, or like, this guy, you know, made a million dollars last year. And I think, because we look at things that way, I'm not saying that's not good or that's not amazing or any of those things at all, but I think because it's. It's almost looked at as, dude, like, that's the top of the top. That's the 1% of the 1% of the 1%. Like, if I get to be X amount of skilled, like, that's what I'm gonna aspire to be. And I started looking around, and I'm like, okay, what are all the top employees in the company making? And I'm like, not that that's not good, or not that it's all about money, but I'm like, I'm capable of more than that, you know, like, why. Why do I want to go grind for the next eight to ten years and. And still, even then, not probably be at the level that some of these guys are at, right? With the way things worked out and how. How great they are and still, like, fall short of what I feel like I can go create if I were to step back and go build something else.
- [30:05]
Interviewer
How long have you been out now?
- [30:08]
Brody Fawcett
I mean, officially off payroll? Probably a year, a little less than.
- [30:14]
Interviewer
So looking back in that year of reflection, how do you feel like your timing was like. Like knowing what, you know now was. Was nine years the right amount? Do you wish you would have transitioned at 6 to 7? I mean, when you look at all the skill sets of network like you. You look at everything that you got out of it. How do you feel about your timing?
- [30:34]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, it's such a good question, man, because. And I got. I got a message on. On Instagram today, actually. The question was, hey, I'm in sales. I'm trying to figure out. I've been doing real estate as well. Um, like, I'm trying to figure out the best time to transition out. And it got me thinking about it as well. And it's so hard Right. I mean, it's. Looking back, it's always. It's always easier to. To put the picture together. But, like, in the time, like, I almost forgot how year three, I was already thinking about, like, okay, what's the process to get off the doors? Right. Or what, what does this look like to eventually be done? And I think just that's the best way I can explain it is like, every single year, even though that was on my mind, it was just like, all it did was help. So it wasn't like that I couldn't have left earlier. 100 I could, but it just built up a little bit more of a cushion or a little bit more of a cushion. And so, yeah, it's. So it's so hard to say. Like, I know for certain, like, I'm grateful for the people and the experiences that I had, and I'm grateful that I did it as long as I did. Um, and at the exact same time, like, I don't.
- [31:44]
Host
I don't know.
- [31:44]
Brody Fawcett
I don't know that if, if I would have left sooner that things would have been different, um, or if I would have stayed in longer, that things would have been different. But overall, I just. I feel really good about it.
- [31:53]
Interviewer
Cool. Maybe tell us about your. Your coaching a little bit. You've already mentioned some of the things that you learned there. Who's a good candidate for it? Like, what are you looking to accomplish going through your coaching program? How much, how often do you meet? How does it all work?
- [32:10]
Host
Yeah.
- [32:10]
Brody Fawcett
Thanks for asking. So that was like my, my transition, right, from doing, like, full time door to door stuff. I'm like, hey, what am I actually really passionate about? And then what am I really good at? And it was, it was easy. Like, real estate was the, the clear solution.
- [32:26]
Host
Right.
- [32:27]
Brody Fawcett
And I think that, like, because I saw so many people that are like, hey, I'm. I'm ready to transition and get off the doors. I'm ready to be done. But, like, I can't because I'm stuck. Like, I have nothing to fall back on. It gave me even more like fire to like, hey, I want to help create a program to where people, like, they can enroll in the program and all of their questions get answered. Like, they get kind of like the handheld process of how do I go build my retirement? How do I go take whatever resources I have, even if those aren't resources of actual money or cash, and go build my retirement through investing in real estate. And so it was really, like, combination of all the things that I wish I would have had when I got started, you know, because you make so many mistakes that cost you time and they cost you money and you like eventually learn it and you figure it out the hard way. And you have to sift through so much information like, because there's information everywhere.
- [33:23]
Host
Right.
- [33:23]
Brody Fawcett
Like you have so many good things, but it's also can be a problem because it takes time to go through that and to figure out what works. And this might work really well, but it's not going to work the best for you because you're in a different situation than that person. And so ultimately that's why I wanted to create the, the school and the program to where we have a bunch of coaches who have like been there, done that, who have become financially free and they're, they're specialized in certain categories. And so the way the program works is basically one, it's for anybody, any, any experience level, whether you're just barely getting started. I'd say half of our students are like just brand new, like they don't have any program properties. The other, the other half are intermediate to advanced. But based on your experience, we put you with a coach, based on your resources, we put you with the coach and you go through the entire program. So it's a mixture of like live calls, it's a mixture of one on one coaching calls, mixture of group coaching. We put you in a pod so you're working with other people and the whole thing is like, how do we take your end goal of like, hey, I want, you know, to be financially free by this day. This is how much money I want to be able to have. And we just reverse engineer that and then look at that and say, cool. If this is your goal and this is where you are now and this is what you have to work with, let's help build this path for you and then let's help hold you accountable so you stay on that path.
- [34:47]
Host
Yeah.
- [34:49]
Interviewer
What's your thoughts on. Because obviously you're doing real estate full time now, right? Let's say, yeah, somebody is knocking full time and they're going to be for the next couple years. They eventually want to get to a situation where they're doing real estate full time but they're not there yet. And maybe they're doing insurance full time or they're a real estate agent or 9 to 5, whatever. What's your thoughts on investing in funds versus like owning the house? Like we talked about doors. Right. Because they're. I see pros and cons with both. And, and unless you have Time carved out to manage it and be hands on. Then I think there's certain situations that are right for certain people. So what's your thoughts on that?
- [35:28]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, yeah, great question. So the way I look at it, there's, there's three different types of investors, right? You have like the active investor who's more of the person that's going to be like boots on the ground. They're flipping the house. They're, you know, they're maybe they're wholesaling properties. They're actively doing it. They might be doing it full time, right? Like they might be a full time investor that's still, it's active. They're using their time very, very actively to build their real estate portfolio. And then you have a passive investor. That's more what you're talking about. It's, it's very, very passive, right? It's a lot of the real estate deals that you're saying that you do where it's cool. I just, I invest in this fund, I cut the check, I don't have to stress about it. And then there's a third type, which I'll tell you in a second, but with the first two, like obviously you're getting rewarded differently, right? Like with a passive investor, your return's gonna be different, right? Which is understandable because you're not putting in as much time, you're just putting in money, right? Whereas like an active investor, they're putting in a lot of time, so they're probably gonna get a little bit better of a return, but it also costs them a lot more time. And so you kind of like you balance between the two, what makes the most sense there. And it's gonna make different sense for, for different people. But the third type, and this is why I think like everybody should fall in this bucket. And it's the active passive investor, right? Which means they actively understand real estate. They actively understand like the principles of it, but they invest in it passively for the passive outcome, right? Meaning they don't have to do a deal, that maybe they flip a house and it pays them a big paycheck, but then that money is gone, they have to go flip another house. They want to make more money, right? And so I think a lot of it just comes down to it depends on the, on the person and the bandwidth they have. Like if you're, if your superpower is selling solar and you crush it and you do really, really well at it, then it's like, yeah, go, go all in on that. Great, save up your Money, be smart with it and invest it in more of these, these passive, you know, opportunities to invest. But also realize like you might get a 10% return on your investment versus if you're maybe an active passive investor who you actually really understand the investment and you're not afraid to maybe create the investment and dive into it a little bit, then you can get a return that you know, might be 50, 60, 70% return on your money. But you're also trading more times, you're, you're trading some of that solar time.
- [38:03]
Host
Right.
- [38:04]
Brody Fawcett
You're not selling as many accounts type thing. So sure, I think there's a balance with all of it. But ultimately I think it is really important to, to understand the, the principles of investing. Even if you're going to do a lot of the syndications and just invest in funds and stuff like that, it's still so important to like develop like that base education because you'll be able to make more money. Yeah.
- [38:28]
Interviewer
Um, what are your thoughts on, you know, looking back if you had like a little brother or a nephew or cousin and they're just coming in and they're going to start knocking, like what advice do you have for those people on how to start in their real estate career? For example? Like one of the pieces of advice I'd give to myself is like, hey, while you're going to school, you're paying rent either way, house hack, like to me that's the biggest no brainer ever.
- [38:53]
Host
Yeah.
- [38:53]
Interviewer
Instead of paying rent, just go buy the house and rent it out to your buddies. Like that's the first step. But how do you feel about that?
- [39:01]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, I mean, house hacking in general, like 100. Yeah, for sure. And that's, that's also what I mean by becoming an active passive investor because some like house hacking, it, it's, it's almost really hard to not make the numbers work for all the different reasons and mostly because you don't need that much money to actually go and do it right. And have this asset. But like in a scenario like that, even if you're making good money and you're gonna invest it in these funds and just write the checks, I still think you need to go house hack.
- [39:32]
Host
Right.
- [39:32]
Brody Fawcett
Because it's not gonna be that hard. You can do a house and then, and then worry about that passively but like, might as well take advantage of that.
- [39:40]
Host
Right.
- [39:40]
Brody Fawcett
It's the same thing when someone's like, hey, I don't own my own my house, but I'm gonna go put 25% down on this, this fourplex and go buy it. I'm like that's fine, do that but might as well house hack. You know, put 5% down on a property or 3 and a half percent down, live there and then take 20 and go buy that 4 plex like you're already going to do, right? Might as well do both. So I love house hacking. But yeah, I mean my little brother does still sell. He's, he's in the door to door grind right now. Yeah.
- [40:12]
Interviewer
So what are you helping him do? What kind of stuff are you helping him do in real estate?
- [40:16]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, so and it, and like it's cool to see him and, and my brother in law as well. He's still on the door to your grind and he just barely bought his first property.
- [40:28]
Host
Nice.
- [40:28]
Brody Fawcett
A couple months ago and he's been house hacking that and it's been awesome. He's been crushing it. And my other little brother that's in the sale, that's why he's doing it. He already has the vision of both of them actually. And you can ask any of them this and they're like yeah, no, I'm doing this to make money to invest it in real estate. So essentially like I can build up more money and retire. And I think it's that cycle of like most people, they make money and then they spend it.
- [40:55]
Host
Right.
- [40:56]
Brody Fawcett
And then sure over they invest it which usually isn't very much money.
- [41:00]
Host
Right.
- [41:01]
Brody Fawcett
And so that's why they go back to making more money because they didn't have very much left over to invest. Whereas if you can make the money, invest it and then take the cash flow from the investments and kind of live off of that, it just creates a much better, better cycle. And, and so I think they have that ingrained where they're like, hey, like if, if you want like instead of buying the nice truck, instead of like buying the boat or the razor, like the fun toys, still do that but just be a little bit disciplined and say like hey, I'm going to only buy that with cash flow money from real estate.
- [41:35]
Host
Right.
- [41:35]
Brody Fawcett
First I'm going to invest my paycheck and then spend what's left over. And so I think like they, they would say like yeah, that's ingrained in my mind, like I'm going to focus on that and building that. And that's what I would tell anybody else to do.
- [41:49]
Interviewer
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. That's one thing I want to talk about is get the assets to pay for the liabilities. And I think Sometimes people think that it's one or the other, like, well, can I have all this stuff or do I need to invest? And it's like, you can do both. And for me, like, and you probably really relate to this, but every year I had to have something that was going to push me or motivate me or reward or whether it's a thing or a trip, whatever. But it's like, if you want that sick car, how much is that monthly payment? Take that same amount of cash. Instead of paying cash for the truck, whatever, go buy the property and make it have enough cash flow where the payment can cover itself. And now you just got both, so it's not one or the other. Now you're progressing in, in your financial freedom track, but you're also getting to have fun along the way. And I just see so many times, like, it's a trade off for a lot of people, and it doesn't have to be that way. Just get the assets to pay for the liabilities.
- [42:44]
Brody Fawcett
Yes. I think, like, if the world understood that concept, things would be a lot different.
- [42:50]
Host
Right?
- [42:51]
Brody Fawcett
But it just makes things so much more fun too. Like, you don't feel guilty when you go by it. You actually, like, really get to reward yourself.
- [42:59]
Interviewer
Totally.
- [42:59]
Brody Fawcett
And that's what would, like, fire me up on the door is like, literally, I'd be thinking about it, you know, Know, between doors is like, okay, if I hit this goal or if I do this many accounts that equals this much money, that means I can buy this property, which means I can get this. Right? That was the whole, like, cycle. It wasn't just like, hey, I'm, I'm knocking doors. It's the whole concept of. If you heard that analogy with the bricklayer, you have three different people laying bricks. And kind of like the rundown version of it. Right. Is like somebody asked the first guy, like, they're all working on the same project, like, what are you doing? You know, he's like, I'm a masonry. Like, I'm. I'm laying bricks. What does it look like I'm doing? You know? And yeah, I love this.
- [43:40]
Interviewer
I just got to say real quick, Brody, since you're explaining this like, this is so applicable, if you're in sales, it doesn't matter if it's door to door. It could be your cold calling for real estate insurance. Like, this is it. So keep going.
- [43:52]
Brody Fawcett
Maybe you should tell a story. Maybe I feel like I'm going to butcher it now.
- [43:55]
Interviewer
No, just keep going. You got this. It's just perspective. Like what you're doing along the way. Because real estate isn't sexy. You know, if you. If you do a deal and you get $500 of cash flow, like, that's not crazy sexy. And if you're. If you're doing cold calls and whatever to save up money to buy a property, sometimes you don't get that same dopamine release as you do when you get that new car. Right. But it's all on your perspective and how you perceive the work that you're doing and what it's actually doing for you. And that's where I think this brick story is so applicable. So sorry to interrupt. You keep going with it.
- [44:29]
Brody Fawcett
No, no, you're good. Yeah. Just kind of wrap it up, right? And they ask. They asked the. The next guy, like, hey, what are you doing? You know, he's like, well, I'm. I'm laying bricks because I'm building this building, you know? And then they asked the last guy, like, what are you doing? And obviously, he's doing the best job at it. You know, he's laying them particular, and he's also having the most fun and, like, enjoying it as he's doing it. It's like, what are you doing? And his whole thing was like, well, I'm laying bricks because I'm building this. This. Building this church so I can go and worship my God.
- [44:57]
Host
Right, right.
- [44:58]
Brody Fawcett
And the whole point is, like, he had a bigger purpose behind what he was doing, and therefore, it changed the way he was doing what he was doing and how much enjoyment and fulfillment he got out of it. And so I. I think going back to, like, taking that and like, how, you know, you should look at things with the industry. And, like, when I'm talking about how I was on the doors, it wasn't, hey, what are you doing? Oh, I'm knocking doors because my manager told me to, you know, or because I don't have anything to do this summer, or because I need to make money, but instead it's like, no, I'm. I'm knocking doors because I'm going to hit my goals. Because if I hit my goals, I'm going to make this much money. If I make this much money, I'm going to buy this asset that's going to pay me this much money passively, that's going to allow me to do what I want, when I want, where I want with my fan. Like, it's all part of the plan and the vision. Who do you think is going to enjoy what they're doing more? Do A better job at it.
- [45:48]
Host
Right.
- [45:49]
Brody Fawcett
And be able to. To be fulfilled. And I think that it. Yeah, it all comes full circle.
- [45:54]
Interviewer
I love it because that's, like, what you just described. Your little brother and how he views real estate is the story of the bricklayers, right? He's the third guy. And. And that's really cool. So one question I have for you, Brody, is like, I love looking at people once they've achieved. Achieved that financial freedom, then they're kind of going into their next stages of life. So I think somebody from the outside looking in at you would be like, dude, what's next?
- [46:19]
Brody Fawcett
Like, you.
- [46:19]
Interviewer
You transitioned, and that was such a cool thing, right? You worked so hard for nine years and built up a lot of income that you invested that provided this financial freedom. So now you can go to Maui and be like, yeah, I don't even know how long we're gonna stay here. We're just, like, enjoying life. But it's like, now what. What are you working towards? And I'm sure coaching is really fulfilling, and anytime you're helping people grow, it's awesome. But, like, what. What are you looking forward to? What's kind of the next goals?
- [46:46]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah. So good you asked that question, even just for me, right? Because it. It forces. It's like one of the questions, like, I hope no one asks me that, because, you know, you have to. That's one of the things you have to. You can't, like, make up on the spot. You have to have, like, thought it through and. And have a. Have a mission and have a purpose. And it. It is so true because, like, you get to a certain stage, and it's like, all right, what now? What next? And you hear it all the time, especially financially, you know, like. Like, not a lot. Not a lot changes, really, going from, you know, 500 grand a year to a million dollars or, like a million dollars to. To 1.5 million, like, not. Lifestyle doesn't change, right? Yeah, for the most part. And so it. Like, it. I think it's good hitting different metrics, because then it forces you to be like, what's next? What's, like, my bigger purpose? And. And I think a couple of things. Like, this morning, I was on the phone with the contractor, and anyhow, we're looking at, like, just rehabbing this. I don't want to say too much because, like, we haven't fully, like, announced it and everything, but, yeah, it's not locked down yet. Yeah, it's not locked down yet. But basically, this family, like, in the Community. It's been struggling really bad, like in a lot of different areas, but just such a good family is having some issues with like their house. And so we're just right now like figuring all the logistics out. What would it look like to basically build them a whole new house and get enough people to like donate enough money to where we can like provide this for them. And so like that was something super fun and just like, like fired me up, right? Like how do I go solve this problem even though there's nothing, you know, in it, like financially speaking, but like it's such a fun thing to do and I think it's cool because I.
- [48:37]
Interviewer
Can.
- [48:39]
Brody Fawcett
One, help fund things like that, but then like two, I can dedicate time and energy to go do these things that are super fun and fulfilling. So that's one thing that's like got me fired up right now is like being able to give back in certain ways. I love like real estate, investing, school, the company. I'm, I'm super bullish on just like building a company. I think you go from sales or you're like, hey, I'm, I'm building my downline, I'm building this, this thing up, you know, and recruiting and that like, that doesn't leave that whole sales thing. And like growth is fun, right? And personal growth is fun. There's a reason that we're fulfilled when like we're getting stronger and in more shape and growing as a person and growing spiritually. Right. Like there's no, it's no coincidence that as we're growing, that's also when we're the most happy and the most fulfilled.
- [49:25]
Interviewer
Totally.
- [49:26]
Brody Fawcett
And so, and so, and I think like God designed things to, to be that way on purpose because we're supposed to maximize our, our potential. And so I think like for me it's been a lot of like self reflection and different things like that. Like how can I go grow more in all these levels of my life? But I do get excited about.
- [49:45]
Host
Yeah.
- [49:45]
Brody Fawcett
Building a company and, and like right now it's been a, a big focus of like what does things look like for 2023 and how do we go from really like make a statement and go make a splash instead of it being like, oh, this is just a. Yeah. A company that teaches real estate on the side, but actually like creating this awesome, awesome, well known brand. And that definitely fires me up too, so.
- [50:07]
Interviewer
Well, dude, it's so fun watching you. And so I think it's really inspirational. I mean one of the moments I had when I'VE just been watching you on social that I'm like, this is so sick. Is especially hearing that you've been doing this like off payroll less than or around a year, right? It's pretty crazy. Like, but I remember this one time when Brandon Turner was there, you know, with you, and it's just crazy to think that. And I wonder if you thought that like, within one year off being off payroll that you could be hanging out with the biggest dude in real estate in the world and like working on stuff. It's just crazy. And then just like how much is exploded with your brand and, and the real estate coaching. It's just so cool, man. So love watching it.
- [50:49]
Brody Fawcett
Thanks, dude. Yeah, it's. It's like I, I love stuff like this just because like, I'm a very, I don't know, vision driven person. Like, I love the concept of like dreaming big, right? And like writing my goals down and like, and, and Casey's helped with that a ton over the years with like instilling the top 10 and all these different things, right? But like, it's, it's really cool like to see a lot of those things start to like, turn into reality, right? And the same thing with brand Brandon. And like, like most of my pat. I didn't know know Brandon before this year, but now we're like super good friends and, and he lives pretty close to me right now on, on Maui. But like, a lot of that was intentional, you know, like, so intentional of like, hey, I want to get to know this person. Like, I think it could be good on so many different levels. I like what this guy stands for. And so being intentional about that to the point where it's like something I wrote down, you know, every. We did a, A, I did a goal setting retreat. I do one with my wife every year and we've invited different couples. It's been fun. But I did one with my friends this last year. It was super fun. There was like 15 of us who went to Vegas, got like this, this awesome hotel suite and we just spent the whole day like mapping out all of our goals and writing down like, really? We left with like, hey, what are our top three goals for 2022? And you ask anyone that was in my, my group, like, one of those goals was become friends with Brandon Turner, right? And so it's just like, even though it's such a little concept, you know, and I love Brandon, he's awesome, but like, it's, I love the idea, more importantly, above all of that, of just like, hey, what do you want? What does life look like if you were to design it? Like, what's your perfect day like? I love talking to people. Hey, where would you wake up? Where would you live? What would you do? What time would you go to bed? Who would you be around? Like, well, if you know what you want, you have clarity around that. Like, how cool would it be if you felt like you had the power to go and design that and create that and turn that into reality. And I just think there's something special about knowing what you want and then putting it into practice. And I'm not saying I'm there by any means at all, but it's just something so cool to go in a create and build.
- [52:59]
Interviewer
Well, you are there because I'm sure Maui just didn't happen by mistake. Right? I'm sure it was probably one of those things. Yeah, it was intentional, I'm sure. So it's really cool to see that. Well, thanks for coming on, Brody. If people want to follow your you and find out more about the school, what's the best way for them to look you up?
- [53:19]
Brody Fawcett
Yeah, so you can either go to realestate investingschool.com we have an Instagram page, Real estate investing school, my personal one, just Brody Fawcett, but, but yeah, always happy to jam, always happy to help out and add value however I can. And I just want to say thanks to you as well. I, I, I was following you on social media before, even before you reached out about this. I didn't want you to know this, you know, because I didn't, I'm like, ah, I don't know if I've heard of the podcast, but sure, let's jump on. When really I'm like, oh, no, this guy's a, this guy's a stud. So it's been fun following you too. And just like seeing your lifestyle, it's different. People catch your eye for different reasons, right? You see the way they live and the things that they're doing and you're like, oh, that's cool. Like, who's this guy? That's. It doesn't happen very often, by the way. You know, you see so many people on your feed and different things and you're like, okay, this person's probably trying a little too hard or I don't know if that's legit, but every once in a while they're like, oh, this guy resonates with me the way he's living his life, the way he values certain things and treats certain people and books that he's reading, and. And so you caught my eye because of that. So I knew exactly who you are and reached out. So I appreciate it. Awesome, man.
- [54:26]
Interviewer
Well, thank you. I appreciate you carving out some time while you're out in Maui for us. This was very helpful and very inspirational, so thanks for living a life by design.