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Travis
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What's going on everybody? Welcome back to the Travis makes Money podcast where it's our mission to help you make some more money. Today on the show I have a new friend, Garrett Sutton. He's the best selling author of start your own corporation, run your own Corporation. The ABCs of getting out of debt or writing winning business plans, buying and selling a business, the loopholes of real estate and scam proof your assets in Robert Kiyosaki's rich dads advisor series. He is a prolific author as you can hear about basically all things, running businesses, starting businesses, having great businesses, which is kind of a little bit about what we talk about here at podcast. So, Garrett, what's up? Welcome to the show.
Garrett Sutton
Thanks for having me, Travis. Good to be here.
Travis
And you recently, if I've heard correctly, you recently released a audiobook and a documentary. Can you tell us a little bit more about those projects? Sure.
Garrett Sutton
I became friends with Bill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN, 14 years ago and he knew that I wrote books and he wanted to tell the story of the founding of espn. It's a terrific story and you know, we got around to updating his book with his entrepreneurial lessons in it. And we worked with ESPN to create the origin story for ESPN called Sports Heaven, the birth of espn. And it's just been a great project to work on. And the story of how ESPN got started is one of the most unlikely entrepreneur stories you're ever going to hear because back in 1979, if you wanted to watch sports, you could see two minutes at the 6:00 clock or 11:00 clock news, maybe half an hour on ABC's Wide World of Sports. But there was no channel just for sports and no one really believed that there was an interest in having such a channel. And Bill and his son Scott were just single minded and focused on it and they had plenty of detractors, but they got it going and they needed money at the very end. And Getty Oil came in. And how Getty Oil dealt with the founder is an interesting story in itself. But the lessons learned and explained by Bill in the audiobook Sports Heaven are really great for your listeners, Travis. I mean, it's just a great entrepreneur story.
Travis
How do you find your time, Garrett, doing those types of projects where you are essentially just doing A deep dive. Research into the story of the entrepreneurial spirit. How do you find your time doing those things?
Garrett Sutton
Well, I like getting up in the morning and writing. I get up at 4:30 and work for a couple hours and then go into work. So it's just part of my day. I enjoy doing it. So you find the time, right?
Travis
Sure. And you say you go into work. So is writing to you more of the thing that brings in the business, or how do you view what you do for work versus writing?
Garrett Sutton
Well, writing brings in the business, absolutely. And I do most of my writing at home or up at Lake Tahoe. But work is an office building. We're in. In Reno. We set up and maintain corporations and LLCs through our company called Corporate Direct. But the writing part for me, I mean, yeah, setting up entities and talking to people around the country, around the world, about what they're doing, what their entrepreneurial journey is. It's really interesting. But I do the highlight of my day is the writing about it all.
Travis
Let's go back in time a little bit, Garrett, if you will allow me to. What was the first time in your career where you felt excited that you just earned a dollar? Like the, like, where you were just amazed or surprised that somebody actually paid you money to do this thing?
Garrett Sutton
I would have to say when I was mowing the neighbor's lawn, I mean, you know, I had to mow our own lawn for free. So when the neighbor paid me a buck to mow the lawn, that was really a great experience.
Travis
Would. Would you say that that was like the richest you ever felt? Like the.
The.
Just the realization, the moment where you go like, wow, so if I just offer to do this thing for somebody, they'll pay me money. Like, I didn't have a job. They. They didn't hire me. I didn't go through an interview process, you know. So is that the richest you ever felt? And if not, when. When is the richest you ever felt?
Garrett Sutton
Well, I. I'd have to say, Travis, that that was a. A time where I felt pretty rich, you know, to have a dollar in your pocket at a young age.
Travis
Yeah.
Garrett Sutton
You know, when a dollar bought 10 candy bars, you know, it was. It felt pretty good.
Travis
Yeah, it went a little bit further back then, I think. Yeah.
Garrett Sutton
Yeah, it did. It certainly does. It rather. Yeah.
Travis
Yeah. It took my. My son maybe, I don't know, a year or two ago. He's six now, so he was probably four or five, and he did his first, like, chore, you know, when the backyard picked up Some dog poop or something like that and gave him, I gave him a few bucks and then we, we went to a gas station and I let him spend the money at the gas station to start, you know, reinforcing that a little bit. And it was funny because, like the first thing that candy that he pointed at he couldn't afford with his like 2 bucks that he had. And I was like, oh, maybe I underestimated how much this was going to cost him. You know what I mean? So I think I, I subsidized the first purchase, I think for and gave him the extra like 78 cents or something.
Garrett Sutton
Right.
Travis
But yeah, yeah, those lessons are really important early on.
Garrett Sutton
I agree.
Travis
Where, where in your life or career did you decide that this was the path for you? Obviously you made a little bit of money doing those types of things when you were young, but did that translate
into like high school, college, or were
you kind of positioned to take another career path at first?
Garrett Sutton
Well, in, in high school and college, I always made movies. And that's, you know, why now and then, well, after that you have to go to college and you have to go to law school and be responsible. But now at the end of my career, my son has taken over my practice. I'm able to make movies. So that's kind of a nice full circle journey for me. So I've made six movies and this one on ESPN is just terrific. Your viewers are going to love it. It's such a great story.
Travis
So you obviously had the creator creative bug in you, but you went almost like directly opposite of that with being an attorney. Right. What pulled you in that direction?
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Garrett Sutton
You know, my dad was a judge and so, you know, when you, your dad is a father figure and a judge and you know it's time to go to law school, that's what you do. But I enjoyed the law and I always took to corporations and LLC and you know, being able to help people in their business to protect their assets. That for me has been important and I've done it for the last, you know, 35 plus years and have enjoyed doing so. But you know, later in my career I was able, I became very fortunate to become associated with Robert Kiyosaki and the rich dad, poor dad group. And they asked me to write books for their series and that's been very rewarding. And so that allowed me to, you know, continue to do some writing and then allowed me to eventually get into making some documentary movies that I've always wanted to make.
Travis
We've already touched on a couple of these types of relationships with Bill Rasmussen and Robert Kiyosaki who are some other relationships that you had in your career that you look at as like, man, I don't, I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for the influence or the mentorship or the connection with this other person.
Garrett Sutton
Well, Robert Kiyosaki is certainly one of them. He has such a unique message, and we have traveled the world together preaching financial education. My role in the group is to talk about asset protection and how to protect yourself as you start to grow a business. You know, Robert is one who, when I first started with him, encouraged me to buy real estate. And that was one of the best mentor tips ever. I'm. My wife is especially glad that I bought real estate back then. So, you know, that was just. I was very fortunate to become associated with Robert Kiyosaki. And then when we talk about Bill Rasmussen, I used to go around the country teaching these Rich dad classes on asset protection, and Bill Rasmussen came to one of my classes in Seattle.
Travis
No way.
Garrett Sutton
So it was through Rich dad that I met Bill Rasmussen, the founder of espn.
Travis
Would you say in life, Garrett, that who you know or what you know is more important and why.
Garrett Sutton
I think who you know is certainly important. And I think that a lot of people tend to overlook that. You need to have the EQ skills you need. You need to have those people skills to succeed in business. There are a lot of people out there that know a lot of things. But, for example, Bill Rasmussen, I met him, he is just a terrific guy. Warm, funny, great stories, and he used that winning personality to create espn. You know, other people could have done it, but he had the vision and he had the personality and the perseverance to move it forward. So I think who you are will allow you to meet who you need to know. And that's something that, you know, younger people should think about as they're, you know, moving into their careers. I have a daughter who works in a large corporation, and a lot of her friends like to work from home, and she goes in. And that is extremely valuable when you're getting to know your mentors, the people in your business community. I think that working from home is very limiting for young people. Yeah.
Travis
What are some other ways besides going back into the office? What are some other ways that you found are helpful to improve your communication skills or your eq?
Garrett Sutton
Well, I think a lot of my friends, I didn't do it for some reason, but a lot of my friends were in Toastmasters and were able to learn how to present with Kiyosaki, you know, again, we traveled the world, and you are forced to learn how to present. And he's a master at controlling an audience and knowing how, you know, feeling out the audience.
Travis
Yeah.
Garrett Sutton
And so in so many cases now, you have to be able to present. And it's more than just having a PowerPoint up on a screen, you've got to be able to communicate in a clear way that engages your audience. You can't just put a screen up and recite what's on the deck. You need to be able to connect with people. And so that's an important skill, and I hope people are utilizing it. I see some younger kids. I say kids. I see, you know, younger professionals who are focusing on it to their benefit.
Travis
Yeah, yeah. Not to mention, I don't know if you've felt like this, Garrett, presenting as often as you have, but there always seems to be something wrong with the tech, you know, and so like, you know, I've watched this happen in real time where I'm at an event or something and the tech just stops working for whatever reason. And. But then the. To your point, though, the speaker is lost. Like they just have to kind of stare awkwardly at the audience until they cross their fingers hard enough that the tech guy in the back can figure it out. Whereas I've seen the opposite effect of that happen where I've. I've had slides go out of me before, but it's. But if you are well practiced and over prepared, then you can continue the conversation as normal while they work on it. And then if they don't ever figure it out, then they don't ever figure it out. But I'm not going to rely on that to be the way for me to communicate this message clearly to this audience.
Garrett Sutton
Well, that's a good point, Travis, because I was in a situation where the tech went out and I didn't have the PowerPoint in front of me, but I had made copies of the PowerPoint presentation and I had them up on the stage there. So I was able to easily just look at my notes and then communicate to the audience. But I think communicating directly to the audience is really important. The PowerPoint should be secondary.
Travis
Yeah, right, right. Well, it just speaks to the. Oh, the preparation process that goes into it. And on that note, what do you do to prepare to speak in front of an audience?
Garrett Sutton
Well, I used to prepare quite a bit, but now I am so comfortable with it that. Yeah, well versed, kind of. Kind of know what to do. It's funny, Travis, I guess we all have our ways of doing things, but for me, I always need to see the room the night before. You know, I'll get the janitor to open up the convention room. I just want to see the room the night before. It just helps me understand things, get
Travis
a lay of the land.
Garrett Sutton
So to speak.
Travis
Do you think that your experience in writing helps you articulate your thoughts clearly when you're in front of a crowd?
Garrett Sutton
Yes. When I write, I tell stories. The way to explain legal concepts for me is through stories. And so if you can tell a story that holds the reader's attention and then apply the legal principles to it, that's a good way to communicate things. And I try to incorporate that into my presentations. But sometimes you only have half an hour, and you've got to. You've got to get the knowledge out there quickly. But if you have time and you're a speaker, telling stories is a great
Travis
way to go, especially for somebody like you, talking about things that would normally, you know, be not necessarily difficult concepts, but at least dry material. Like, they tend to be like, my gosh, are we going to hear about this legal precedent from 1964 that. You know what I mean? Like, so you have to be more engaging if you want the audience to actually pick anything up from what you're trying to communicate to them.
Garrett Sutton
Exactly. And so, you know, we'll use stories involving, you know, a rock band that went out on the road or, you know, something that the audience can relate to. Because you're right. I mean, law can be extremely boring. It's important. My son has written a book for kids called Greenback's Book of Law, and it teaches the law to high school and middle schoolers as told by a dog called Greenback. So, you know, he is telling a story that. Well, the dog is telling the story of certain activities within the neighborhood that involve the law. And so he's really taken the idea of using stories to explain the law to a great extent. It's a great book. It comes out in about a month.
Travis
Oh, nice. Awesome. You can answer this question however you want to because I know it's sort of like picking your favorite child, but is there one of the books that you've written that not necessarily, like, did the best or was the most successful, but just had a level of meaning to you comparatively to the other books that you wrote?
Garrett Sutton
Well, I just happen to have it. It's called Loopholes of Real Estate, and it's, you know, involves the. The tax and legal strategies for investing in real estate. And, you know, a lot of this information, Travis, is. It's out there, but it's hard to gain, and they don't teach it in school. And it can be presented in a simple format for people to understand. You know, when you get involved in investing in real estate, sure, you can. You can buy three properties and make all the mistakes in the world. But if you could have one book that gives you a heads up, you know you're going to make mistakes, but it gives you a heads up of the mistakes that can be made. That is, for me, useful. And I've had, you know, most people who've read Loopholes of Real Estate have really enjoyed it. So that. That's my favorite one. You're right, I shouldn't be picking a favorite book, but that's the one.
Travis
Speaking of mistakes, you've obviously had a very long and successful career doing multiple things that. That are important to you. Yet anybody who's had any layer or level of success in their life is inevitably come with some degree of failure or obstacles. Can you tell us a story about a time where there was an obstacle presented in your path that you weren't really sure how to overcome?
Garrett Sutton
Oh, boy. Well, I mean, one obstacle was. I was a lawyer in California and I decided it was time to move. This was 1989, and California and Nevada had no reciprocity for bar admissions. So I had to take the bar exam 12 years after I took the California exam. So, you know, everything had changed. Criminal procedure had changed entirely. Yeah, and that was really a bad summer. But it all worked out. I. In the review course, I met a guy and met. He introduced me to his sister and we got married. So I. Something came out of the bar exam.
Travis
Wow, that's awesome. That's a crazy story. Also another example of why who, you know, seems to be pretty important. It's like, met a guy who introduced me to this person, who introduced me to this person. She became my wife, you know, met this guy who put me on tour speaking who. This other guy came to one of those events and now we did a documentary for that guy. You know, it's like you obviously have to have a level of the what right. You have to be competent at what you do. You got to be good at what you do. You have to have bring some sort of skill or something to the table. But once you have that, the opportunities come from the people that you meet along the way.
Garrett Sutton
Well, and Travis, I just. I go to restaurants and I see people, their, you know, their head is in their phone and they're not meeting people, they're not connecting with people. It. It's a serious issue. So I think you just have to be open to new relationships, new friendships. You just never know where it will come from. But you're not going to meet anybody if you're just Staring in your phone.
Travis
That's right. Yeah. You got to pick up your. Pick up your head a little bit and just say one more thing. You know, that's what I try to live by, is just like whatever the normal interaction would be. Say one thing extra. If you can squeeze something out, man, you never know what's going to happen from that.
And a lot of times nothing's going
to come from it. But sometimes something's going to come from it and it could be your wife, you know?
Garrett Sutton
Right. No, and I agree. I think sometimes people just have this cursory conversation and just that one thing. You never know, Travis, you're right. You just never know. And where it will lead. So be open to. To new friendships and new acquaintances even.
Travis
How has your time now producing movies differed from other entrepreneurial ventures that were maybe more set in stone and predictable?
Garrett Sutton
Good question. So, you know, when you're on the set of a movie, I've done two narratives and four documentaries. But when you're on the set of a narrative movie, it's really a great team effort. I mean, everybody wants the movie to do well in part because it will help their career. You know, if you're, if you hook up with a movie that becomes successful, that's a great credit for you. So there's this great energy on the set and there's always problems and there are people who are very valuable to be on the set who overcome these problems, who put out fires, and it's just. It's really great to see. And the movie, the two movies we did, we filmed them each in 15 days. So you're there in a concentrated period of time and everybody's working together trying to create the best product they can. It's one of the more enjoyable team efforts I've ever been involved with.
Travis
Yeah. Garrett, I appreciate you taking the time to come on the show and share a little bit about you, your journey. Where can people go to connect with you a little bit more?
Garrett Sutton
Well, our main website is corporatedirect.com and we offer a free 15 minute consult with incorporating specialists if you want to set up a corporation. If you want to watch the Sports Heaven documentary, that's at Tenero tv. T E N E R O tv. And then the audiobook with all the voices, including Chris Berman, George Grand. All the voices are in the audiobook and that's available on Amazon Sports Heaven.
Travis
You can go get the. The audiobook from Audible and then. And then check out the documentary as well. You guys heard it here first. Garrett, thank you so much for taking the time. I know you're a busy guy. Do not take that for granted. Everybody else listening. Remember, money only solves your money problems. But it's easier to solve the rest of your problems when you got money in the bank. So let's solve that one first here on the Travis Makes Money podcast. Thanks for tuning, everybody. Catch you next time. Peace.
Host: Travis Chappell
Guest: Garrett Sutton
Date: April 11, 2026
In this episode, Travis Chappell interviews Garrett Sutton, best-selling author, attorney, entrepreneurial advocate, and Rich Dad Advisor. They discuss the value of leveraging relationships, protecting assets, and the art of entrepreneurial storytelling. Garrett shares his journey, highlights from his new projects, strategies for business success, and hard-earned lessons about people, money, and opportunity.
[01:01 – 02:35]
[02:35 – 03:45]
[03:45 – 05:35]
[05:40 – 06:24]
[11:01 – 11:56]
[11:56 – 14:35]
[14:35 – 17:03]
[17:14 – 19:37]
[19:37 – 20:56]
[21:19 – 21:59]
[22:32 – 23:37]
[23:37 – 24:42]
On entrepreneurship:
“So if I just offer to do this thing for somebody, they’ll pay me money... I didn’t go through an interview process, you know...” – Travis Chappell [04:20]
On business relationships:
“Who you are will allow you to meet who you need to know, and that’s something younger people should think about.” – Garrett Sutton [13:40]
On adapting to challenges:
"There are always problems (on a film set) and there are people who are very valuable to overcome these problems, who put out fires, and it's just... great to see." – Garrett Sutton [24:08]
On people skills:
“I see people, their head is in their phone and they’re not meeting people, they’re not connecting with people. It’s a serious issue.” – Garrett Sutton [22:32]
This episode is energetic and practical, blending inspiring stories with actionable advice. Garrett’s career exemplifies curiosity, relationship-building, and continuous learning. The throughline: Success isn’t just about what you know, but who you meet, how you communicate, and how open you are to opportunity—sometimes even in unexpected places.