Wharton Grad / Naval Officer / Investor / Entrepreneur
I always had an entrepreneurial drive mixed with a desire to serve others.
In my junior year of high school, I told my guidance counselor that I wanted to go to the #1 undergraduate business school in America. He said it was The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. My application was accepted and I spent four years there, majoring in Entrepreneurial Management and minoring in Psychology.
When I graduated, I felt called upon to serve in the Navy. I signed up and volunteered for overseas duty. After three adventurous deployments to combat zones, I decided to return to the U.S. to be a full-time real estate investor.
Little did I know that the adventure was just beginning.
I took huge risks, made big mistakes, and ran straight into The Great Recession.
Fresh out of the Navy, I recklessly bought a run-down 5-unit apartment building in inner-city Philadelphia sight unseen at an auction. The next day, I bought a run-down commercial retail building 150 miles away. Five weeks later I bought a fixer-upper duplex. I ran short on money dealing with major renovations and tenants not paying me.
I teamed up with various business partners and did over 200 transactions, to include wholesale deals, house flips, lease purchases, installment contracts, short sales, subject to deals, and foreclosures.
For an entire decade, I struggled financially as my mistakes and declining property values from the housing crisis hit me hard. I refused to declare bankruptcy, believing that I could work my way out of any mess that I put myself in. I bet on myself repeatedly, and the bet was about to pay off.
My failures set me up for success.
In the midst of my financial struggles, I met my future wife Amira. A man finds out what he's worth when he has no money. Amira loved me when she knew I was in a financial mess. Together, we paid off my bad debts, found ways to make more money, and acquired assets. We used the passive income from the assets to buy even more. People tend to overestimate what they can accomplish in one year but underestimate what they can do in 10 years. We achieved financial freedom, and you can too. You were meant for more, and I know you're capable of achieving more.