

POWERS
Chris Powers
POWERS brings you inside the minds of world-class leaders who have built, battled, and succeeded at the highest levels.POWERS digs beyond the surface with questions driven by curiosity, uncovering stories and insights rarely shared publicly. Each episode delivers timeless wisdom and hard-earned lessons that apply across business and life.The show has earned a reputation for asking the right questions at the right moment. The focus is on timeless principles, proven through years of discipline and risk, not on shortcuts. Each conversation is direct, deliberate, and designed to leave listeners sharper than when they arrived. The aim is simple: to deliver insights that matter and can be carried into business and life.Since its launch, POWERS has drawn a high-caliber audience of builders, investors, and decision makers. Past guests have represented companies such as Starwood Capital, JLL, Hillwood Capital, Chick-fil-A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit.At its core, POWERS is a celebration of leadership, of work that matters, and of the American spirit that makes it possible.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 28, 2021 • 1h 31min
#173: Andrew Gazdecki - Founder & CEO of Microacquire
Andrew Gazdecki is the Founder of Microacquire, an online startup acquisition marketplace. Andrew is also the former CEO & Founder of Bizness Apps and Altcoin (both acquired). On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss the early days of founding Bizness Apps and Altcoin before his jump into Microacquire. They break down the process of how Microacquire works, what types of companies are on the platform, how they engage with potential buyers and advice for founders to be successful in selling their businesses. Finally, Andrew discusses why VC isn't right for everyone, his Bootstrappers platform and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:43) - Andrew’s Career Background Leading into Microacquire (15:31) - Why Andrew Regrets Starting an Ethereum Transaction Company (18:43) - What is MicroAcquire and what are you trying to achieve? (21:05) - How do you make money? (24:03) - What is the range of sellers you’re seeing on the platform? (26:48) - Does the seller have to put the price they want on the platform? (29:08) - What’s the vetting process for sellers to get on? (30:47) - What’s the range of buyers you see on the platform? (32:28) - What do you mean by Corp Dev licenses? (33:24) - Have you had any first-time buyers who just looking to get into entrepreneurship? (35:03) - What would a $10,000 per year revenue business vs. an $8mm company look like on Microacquire? (38:43) - Are you providing resources for new buyers or how do they learn how to acquire businesses? (42:00) - What are the things sellers need to check off the list in order to sell quickly online? (44:49) - Is something like the founder wanting to exit immediately listed on Microacquire or does that only come up in conversations with buyers? (46:56) - Does Microacquire cut out intermediaries like investment bankers? (49:36) - How does the buyer and seller communicate with each other? Do they need to use platform-approved legal templates? (56:15) - How are the smaller buyers financing deals? (59:44) - How are you going to crack the code to get $100+ MM companies onto the platform and do you plan to bring non-traditional companies on to sell? (1:03:44) - Dealing with Team Members Either Knowing or Not Knowing the Business They Work For Is Up For Sale When It’s Listed on Microacquire (1:06:29) - Launching Bootstrappers.com & Beefing with Tech Crunch (1:12:15) - How does a company know if they should go raise from a VC or not? (1:16:57) - The #1 Reason For Start Up Success TED Talk: The Single Biggest Reason why Start Ups succeed (1:18:12) - Why did you choose to build in public and what have been some positives/negatives of the experience? (1:20:01) - How do you build a ‘fun’ company? (1:23:46) - Is it harder to build a fun company when you’re fully remote? (1:26:11) - Is a hotdog a sandwich? (1:26:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:28:44) - How can people find you or Microacquire Website: www.microacquire.com Email: Andrew@microacquire.com Twitter: www.Twitter.com/agazdecki The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Sep 21, 2021 • 1h 20min
RE #172: Vince Knipp - Senior MD Investments at Marcus Millichap - Single Tenant NNN Retail Assets 101
Vincent Knipp is a Senior Managing Director of Investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Dallas office, where he specializes in net lease investment sales across the United States. Knipp has been the #1 Net Lease Agent in Texas and consistently ranks in the Top 10 Nationally within Marcus & Millichap’s National Retail Group. Over the course of his career, he has closed more than 350 transactions totaling nearly $1 billion in volume in 29 states. On this episode, Chris and Vince discuss the market for single-tenant NNN assets, 1031's, what makes a good investment in this asset class, what makes a great broker, and a lot more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:14) - Vince’s Upbringing and Early Career (05:11) - What were your first years as a broker like? (07:06) - What’s the mythical ‘database’ that all Marcus agents build? (08:20) - What did Marcus teach you about making your first calls as a broker? (10:19) - What makes great retail? (12:47) - Why do you put all the multi-tenant buildings with your partner? (15:33) - Who are the typical sellers you work with? (19:56) - Who are the typical buyers you work with? (21:32) - How do you value a property in a major metro vs. a smaller town? (24:14) - In markets where rents are growing quickly, are there a lot of buyers who will buy on a 2 cap and wait it out? (27:01) - Ground Leases vs. Fee Simple Deals (29:04) - What usually happens when a tenant leaves their building? (30:33) - Are all of these leases pretty much the same? (32:51) - Percentage Rent Clauses (33:54) - Rent-to-Sales Ratios (36:44) - Why do people leave? (38:02) - What other factors are there in leases that are desirable? (39:54) - Why do sales go down and is it usually tenant-specific? (41:33) - How much do you pay attention to the specific products your tenants sell? (42:29) - Are there ever demands from tenants that they’ll only sign unless you agree to not sell the building? (43:40) - How much does access matter to you, tenants and customers? (43:35) - All-for-One, One-for-All Scenarios of Tenants (46:26) - What are tenants requesting now that we’ve been through Covid? (48:39) - Has the upsurge in drive-through changed things permanently? (51:52) - Are cosmetic upgrades usually on the operator and not the landlord? (53:24) - What do you tell people in a transaction that costs 2x more than replacement costs? (54:40) - Are there any up-and-coming tenants you have your eye on? (56:05) - How do you conduct due diligence without ever seeing the property in person? (57:48) - Do ghost kitchens make you nervous? (58:51) - What’s your favorite deal you’ve ever done? (1:01:51) - Will you do deals anywhere or are you only based in Texas? (1:02:32) - Is there a reason you’ve stayed with Marcus for so long? (1:04:17) - Is there a way to share information across all of Marcus’ agents? (1:05:45) - Is there anything in the industry that still really excites you after being in it for 15 years? (1:07:20) - Underwriting Deals with a Franchisee vs. a Franchiser (1:09:16) - What can go wrong once you’re under contract? (1:11:34) - How much volume are you expecting for the rest of 2021? The Knipp Group Mailing list (1:13:20) - How do you sell a ‘party center’ deal? (1:15:31) - What advice would you give to people getting into the industry today? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Sep 14, 2021 • 2h 1min
#171: Chris Bloomstran - President & CIO at Semper Augustus - Finding Value in the Public Markets
Christopher P. Bloomstran, CFA, is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC. Chris has three decades of professional investment experience with a disciplined, value-driven approach to fundamental equity and industry research. Semper Augustus manages concentrated global equity portfolios of well-run, well-capitalized businesses with share prices trading below conservative appraisals of intrinsic value. On this episode, Chris dives deep into his journey of founding Semper Augustus and his vast knowledge of Berkshire Hathaway. They also discuss his 2020 investor letter, what he thinks about the current market, value investing, and much more. Enjoy! (03:10) - Chris’ Background & Career at Semper Augustus (08:07) - Was it a no-brainer to take over this family capital or did you have reservations about it? (14:06) - Has your investment strategy been set by the initial family capital at Semper Augustus? (21:19) - What does ‘fundamental, value-driven investor’ mean to you? (27:55) - What did you mean in your 2020 letter when you said it’s the point of no return? 2020 SAI Letter - The Point of no Return (40:48) - If you were elected to be the Fed Chairman, what would you do? (49:26) - How do you get inspiration for new ideas and how much time do you spend about adding new things to your portfolio vs. thinking about what you already own? (54:39) - How do you help your analysts ‘clean up the universe’? (1:00:42) - Does China’s direction worry you? (1:05:41) - How do you determine whether an org is practicing accounting integrity? (1:16:30) - Is there anything that more people should understand about Berkshire that is often overlooked? (1:24:53) - Is there something you think Warren should be doing with the cash on his balance sheet? (1:33:39) - Are you pleased with how Berkshire handled their covid situation? (1:41:36) - How do you think about a Berkshire without Warren Buffet? (1:51:31) - What is one business that you wouldn’t invest in, but that you also wouldn’t short? (1:56:47) - How can people follow you and find your business? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Sep 7, 2021 • 1h 26min
#170: Molson Hart - Founder of VIAHART - ECommerce Mastermind, Selling on Amazon, and Toys
Molson Hart is the founder and CEO of VIAHART, an educational toy company, and a co-founder of Edison, an intellectual property-focused litigation financing firm. On this episode, Chris and Molson dive deep into the process of selling on Amazon. They talk about Molson's journey to China and how he was able to learn the manufacturing process and implement that into a successful Amazon store. They also discuss the difference between American and Chinese Business culture, how he chooses products to sell, the good and bad of Amazon, how to know if you're making a 'great' product & more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:47) - Molson’s Story Leading Up to VIAHART and Different Companies He’s Been Involved With (05:10) - Molson’s Experience Going to China to Work With Manufacturers (14:03) - Was VIAHART launched at this point or were you just a guy selling a few products? (15:00) - Chinese vs. American Business Culture (17:50) - Do you gain more leverage in China the longer you’re there or are you always one step away from being screwed? (19:34) - When did you make the shift away from brick & mortar and into e-commerce? (23:07) - How did you know which products would be most profitable like glassware and towels? (26:35) - What’s the process for ‘launching’ a product on Amazon at scale? (32:15) - What’s your goal for Brain Flakes in terms of growth? (34:42) - How do you add to your roster of 300 products and how do you do that with only 8 people? (37:26) - Why is it a smart business decision to sell plush animals? (39:26) - Is there a reason why you play in the toy category? (40:23) - How do you fight copycats? (43:15) - Is there anything going on in China that the average person getting into e-commerce isn’t thinking about? (45:17) - Molson’s 8-person Distributed Team and How They’re Managed (47:51) - How are your overseas employees different? (49:08) - What’s the process of selling on Amazon? (50:18) - What’s the good & bad about working with Amazon today? (54:47) - Do you worry about Amazon copying your products? (55:56) - Molson’s Story Getting Suspended from Amazon (57:40) - Molson Going to Speak In Front of Congress (59:05) - Are there Amazon alternatives that interest you? (1:01:43) - What’s the process of same-day delivery like? (1:03:05) - What’s your strategy for the business going forward? (1:06:13) - What would make Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger want to buy Brain Flakes? (1:08:35) - What advice would you give someone wanting to get into e-commerce? (1:10:42) - How does someone with 0 product experience know that it’s being built the right way? Twitter Questions (1:12:31) - Why are these ships just sitting there and not coming into port? (1:15:19) - Was China ever as locked down as America? (1:16:46) - Why do you feel comfortable being combative on Twitter? (1:18:13) - “Advice is BS unless it’s from someone who’s been there/done that” is that always true? (1:20:01) - If you couldn’t buy products in China, where would you shift production? (1:21:02) - Can we ever get to a point where automated toy production is possible in the USA? (1:22:30) - How much better are Amazon conversion rates compared elsewhere? (1:23:10) - How can people find you and your business? Twitter: https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart BrainFlakes VIAHART: https://www.amazon.com/viahart The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Aug 31, 2021 • 1h 30min
#169: Jeff Lamb - President/COO of Vari - The Servant Leader
As President and Chief Operating Officer of Vari, Jeff oversees corporate strategy and has led the charge for the development of VariSpace, the company’s new commercial real estate venture. Jeff has 38 years of corporate leadership and board experience, spanning nine industries. His “people first” approach to operational models was born working for Roger Staubach and developed over 12 years working at Southwest Airlines. He began his culture tutelage at Southwest under Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus, and then spent another eight years fine-tuning people-centric strategies for the company’s Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly. On this episode, Jeff dives deep into the concept of Servant Leadership and how it played a critical role in his corporate career. He also discusses his learnings from working under several incredible CEOs, why leaders need to be 'available', his work with Vari, advice for fathers, and more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-ukCn1_iymI Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (03:02) - Jeff’s Background and Career (12:15) - What does ‘Servant Leadership’ mean to you? Halftime by Bob Buford (18:07) - Jeff’s Experience Working at Southwest Airlines (20:39) - Working with Pat Lencioni of The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team (22:26) - The Transition out of Southwest and into Vari (27:00) - Did Vari already have a Servant Leadership path in mind & what did you do to make your mark there? (31:01) - What are workspace solutions? (31:56) - How do you see the office industry going forward? (35:52) - What’s your target market tenant? (37:52) - In-Office as a Competitive Advantage (40:13) - What traits and characteristics make a great CEO? (49:30) - Great Availability Is Better Than a Great Vision Energy Bus by Jon Gordon No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon (52:01) - How do you convey to your employees that you’re ‘available’? The making of a Corporate Athlete - Harvard Business Review (56:01) - What are your biggest takeaways from working at Southwest? (58:15) - Why do people generally not reach their full potential? (1:00:15) - What have you enjoyed most about mentoring young people and how do you approach it? (1:06:28) - Words of Wisdom for Future Father-in-Laws (1:08:14) - Advice on Being a Good Father (1:12:46) - Advice on Having a Good Marriage (1:15:24) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:18:26) - Is there something you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:22:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:23:41) - What’s the best advice you can give young people? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Aug 24, 2021 • 1h
RE #168: Sean Breuner - Co-Founder & CEO of AvantStay - World Class Experiences and Management of Short Term Rentals
Sean’s been a real estate and technology entrepreneur for 15+ years. Having gone through the launch & sale of a number of early-stage companies, his newest endeavor at AvantStay has him focused on the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and tech to help redefine group travel. On this episode, Sean discusses the Short Term Rental industry and how AvantStay helps both owners and renters overcome a variety of issues faced by other platforms like Airbnb. They also discuss how lenders underwrite deals for Short Term Rentals, how Sean thinks about the best markets for STR, the technology built behind the platform, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (02:43) - Sean’s Career Leading Up to AvantStay and How the Organization Came to Be (08:22) - For owners of real estate and those looking for a vacation, what’s AvantStay’s offer to them? (14:48) - How do you help individuals decide what and where to buy? (18:35) - What’s the breakdown between institutionally owned and individually owned homes under your banner? (20:26) - How are lenders underwriting these deals? AirDNA (24:28) - What makes a great market for Short Term Rentals? (29:27) - What’s the relationship between an individual homeowner and AvantStay? (32:35) - What Do you Mean by Vertically Integrated and Horizontally Distributed and Describe The Tech That You’ve Built (40:28) - What are things that home rentals can provide that hotels would never be able to match? (45:19) - Do you have any data on short-term rentals with regards to Covid? (52:48) - What’s your plan for the next 3-5 years for the company? (54:48) - Sean winning an Emmy on Staycation The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Aug 17, 2021 • 1h 25min
#167: George Coultress - Managing Director at Western - Everything You Need To Know About Buying/Selling a Business
George Coultress is an M&A and Private Equity Advisor for Western Commerce Group. He specializes in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, due diligence, and capital structure analysis. On this episode, George and Chris deep dive into the process of selling businesses. George details what sellers need to be thinking about, preparations to make internally, navigating multiple buyers, allocating risk, terms & contracts and so much more. George also breaks down industry nuances such as entity types, escrow, reps, warranties, and covenants. This is one of the most detailed insights into the M&A industry you'll find, enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8I2BytNORzQ (01:53) - George’s Career Since TCU and What He’s Doing Today (02:54) - How is Western different from most investment banks? (04:31) - What should someone selling their business for the first time think about beforehand and what expectations should they have? (07:19) - What have people who are ‘really ready to sell’ already thought through? (08:45) - What are the most important things outside of price? (10:44) - Can most entrepreneurs make the transition to an employee? (11:09) - What are the different outcomes post-sale for owners? (12:45) - Do you work with owners who are looking to sell within the family? (13:46) - What’s the process of deciding whether we are selling the business? (17:26) - Do you and the seller usually know who’s going to buy the business? (18:37) - How important is it that the seller has audited their financials before selling? (19:42) - Who’s typically involved in all of these conversations in respect to confidentiality? (21:19) - What happens between agreeing on the price of the business and finding a buyer that’s ready to go under contract? (22:50) - How long does it typically take from going to market and signing with a buyer? (23:27) - Structures and Terms of Contracts (27:51) - Benefits Between C-Corp, S-Corp, and LLC (31:50) - Allocating Risk in an Asset-Sales vs. Stock-Sales (33:16) - Deal Structuring: Cash, Stock, Earn-out (35:08) - What do sellers typically need to achieve in order to secure their earn-out? (36:13) - How long do sellers typically stay on after a sell? (36:34) - Non-Compete’s (39:02) - Escrow (40:15) - Reps and Warranties (42:44) - Covenants (43:31) - Is an earn-out the same as a seller note? (44:32) - Is the purchase price found through a formula? (47:39) - How do you talk to multiple sellers who are all extremely interested while maintaining a level of privacy? (50:16) - What’s the marriage process of finding the ‘right’ buyer? (52:04) - How do you know if you’ve found the right person? (52:52) - What are things you can spot that are red flags in a deal? (54:51) - Fee Structures For Investment Banks (57:25) - Do you treat buyers differently based on their classification like family office, strategic buyer, or private equity? (1:00:16) - What should seller’s ask PE groups to make sure they’ve checked all the boxes? (1:03:18) - How often are you having to give attention to proprietary technology over EBITDA? (1:06:00) - What’s a closing day usually like for the seller? (1:08:14) - What’re your thoughts on the boomer generation selling market? (1:10:01) - Could prices come down if there’s a flood of sellers? (1:10:34) - What happens during a 1+ year relationship getting someone ready to sell? (1:12:46) - What are you seeing in the labor market right now? (1:14:26) - Thoughts on Supply Chain (1:15:32) - If you could sit with Warren Buffet for an hour what would you want to talk with him about? (1:20:26) - What advice would you give to young people getting into M&A and investment banking? The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Aug 10, 2021 • 1h 24min
#166: Sarah Means & Lizzie Means Duplantis - Co-Founders of Miron Crosby - Luxury Cowboy Boots
Miron Crosby is a bespoke boot brand and store located in Highland Park Village. Founded by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, the collection is inspired by the sisters’ experiences of growing up on their family’s West Texas cattle ranch, and later living and working in New York City. On this episode, Lizzie and Sarah discuss their story of launching the business, what they've learned about building a fashion brand, the process behind their incredible branding and marketing, being a mother-entrepreneur, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kkTNLvx8CnQ (02:36) - Lizzie and Sarah’s Background (07:38) - When was the moment you decided to take the leap to start the business? (12:08) - How do two sisters build a business together? (13:12) - What was the initial goal for the business? (16:02) - How is the business making you better people? (18:39) - How did your upbringing play a role in the success of your business? (22:58) - The Early Days of The Business Getting Started (29:46) - Is there anything looking back that you would’ve done differently? (31:03) - How do you get inspiration for the design? (34:07) - What’s the process of customizing a pair of boots? (35:34) - Why is a boot-shaped the way it is? (36:52) - How much time is coming up with the next design? (38:53) - The Process of Getting The Next Season’s Worth of Product (39:58) - Corporate Gifts & Custom Programs (42:23) - What was it like selling your first pair? (44:43) - Are you ever approached for collaborations? (46:28) - How do you think about marketing and branding? (53:00) - How Business Changed During Covid (55:04) - How do you think about growth? (55:59) - How has covid impacted your supply chain? (57:11) - Are a lot of your customers first-time boot wearers? (1:00:09) - What’s the coolest story you’ve seen behind a pair of boots? (1:02:12) - What are some biggest lessons learned in starting a fashion brand? (1:06:51) - Being a Mother/Entrepreneur (1:10:02) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:14:06) - Have you ever gotten into a fight? (1:17:19) - Is there anyone in the fashion industry that you look up to? (1:20:15) - Will there ever be anything besides boots? (1:21:15) - How can people find you? www.MironCrosby.com Facebook Instagram Info@mironcrosby.com 25 Highland Park Village #201, Dallas, TX 75205 The FORT is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

Aug 5, 2021 • 1h 21min
RE #165: Rohun Jauhar Co-Founder JT Capital - Value Add MF, Virtual Assistants & Automation, Working @ FB
Rohun is the co-founder of JT Capital, a Real Estate investment firm with 9-figures of acquisitions of multifamily apartment complexes. JT Capital has purchased over $500 Million in successful Multifamily properties using their time-tested approach of using data, relationships, and work ethic to find great investments for investors. On this episode, Chris and Rohun discuss Rohun's career prior to real estate at various tech companies such as Facebook, his entry into the real estate world, and how he has been able to grow JT Capital without increasing overhead. Rohun details how he utilizes VA's to automate or delegate nearly all aspects of the business, why he invests in primarily Texas & Florida, getting emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am and much more! Enjoy. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Rohun on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y2NKq_w2gDU (02:44) - Rohun’s Background and Career (06:40) - What does a chief of staff role look like? (09:43) - What makes a great executive and what makes a poor executive? (11:25) - Rohun’s Experience Working as an Apprentice When First Getting into RE (15:22) - How is JT Capital structured and how did you land on the thesis for the organization? (18:01) - How do you think about ‘Value-add’? (19:16) - Where are places that ‘lazy’ landlords have bloated costs that can be easily identified? (21:17) - Is there a minimum size you won’t go below and why is that? (21:58) - What’s your process for unit renovations? (25:42) - Do you renovate all your units or is there a certain percentage that you’ll leave for the next owner? (27:00) - What is your asset manager looking to achieve on the lease-up and renovation stage as well as stabilization? (29:43) - How quickly are you trying to turn over a unit? (30:47) - What do discussions with tenants look like when you want to renovate while they’re already living there? (34:12) - Why do you like Texas and Florida? (36:44) - How have you been able to grow while keeping overhead so low? (42:08) - How are you finding your VA’s? Upwork (44:31) - What’s the turnover rate for VA’s? (46:31) - What’s the threshold that someone should be looking for a VA? (47:24) - Is the Philippines a hub for English fluency and writing? (48:49) - What’s an interesting connection you’ve made through Zapier? (52:27) - How do you capitalize deals going in and what are you looking for on a sale? (55:28) - Getting Emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am (59:27) - What makes Zuckerberg such a great leader? (1:03:12) - Is part of FB’s advantage their massive amount of capital they can deploy at any moment? (1:05:09) - (Not financial advice!) Is it still early enough to invest in Facebook? Rohun's Newsletter (1:05:54) - What do you think about the world right now? (1:10:50) - Where are you seeing opportunity in REtech? (1:14:03) - Is there anything you’ve read this year that stood out to you? The Winner Within by Pat Riley The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson Poor Charlie’s Almanack (1:16:25) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:18:09) - How can people get in touch with you? Rohun on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Aug 2, 2021 • 1h 25min
RE #164: Chris Herd & Jonathan Wasserstrum - A Conversation on Remote Work - Pros & Cons
Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at Firstbase, which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work. Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of SquareFoot, which helps companies find commercial real estate and office space. Jonathan takes the side of in-person work being most beneficial in the future of work. On this episode, Chris Powers moderates a debate between Chris Herd and Jonathan about which method of running business will lead to greater levels of success. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Jonathan on Twitter Chris Herd on Twitter (02:51) - Jonathan and Chris’ Background and What They’re Doing Today (05:00) - What does remote work mean to each of you and how do you think about the concept? (10:09) - Jonathan - Do you define SquareFoot as a remote-first or office-first company? (12:07) - How are leaders deciding whether they’ll be an office or remote company? (16:36 ) - Trust Between Employers and Employees (18:56) - What’s the Cadence of Coming Together as a Team and Being Able to Work Remotely (25:40) - How does size or prestige of a company impact the ability of employees to influence the decision on remote vs. in person? (31:20) - Is there any danger to your long term career-worth by choosing to leave a company that’s mandates in-office work? (35:47 ) - Relationship/Friendship Building In-Office vs. Remote No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings (46:27) - What are the signals or data points to see what matters in either taking a company remote or discovering how much time is ‘needed’ in-office over the next 5 years? (51:03) - Where are a lot of these remote-radicals going to live and work? (55:27) - Data on Where People Want to Start Technology Companies Pre and Post Covid (1:01:19) - How do you think about the next generation of workers coming out of school and only understanding a remote-work life. Do they miss out on mentorship or human interaction? (1:10:08) - How do promotions get delegated on in-person workers and remote? (1:11:43) - Trust and Tracking within Remote Companies (1:16:25) - Wrap Up & Closing Statements The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts