POWERS

Andrew Farah is the CEO of Density, which helps reduce space waste and optimize a building’s occupancy with its combination of people sensors and people counting software. On this episode, Chris and Andrew talk about space utilization and how Density has built its mission around helping people make the most of their leased spaces. Andrew discusses how the company came about with his 5 other co-founders, what kind of data Density provides its users, thinking of the office as a product, and the future of office work as we leave the pandemic. 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/ Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah (02:58) - Andrew’s Background and What Lead Him to Density.io (04:52) - The Dynamics of Having 6 Co-Founders (08:40) - When was the moment you all decided to turn this into a full-time business? (13:39) - What are the types of things that cities or building owners would want to know where this tech is applicable?  (16:55) - The Efficiency Problem of Real Estate (25:44) - What has Density built to tackle this massive problem? (27:33) - What types of data are you seeing on the dashboard? (30:18) - Do Landlords love you or hate you? (33:07) - How do you get to where you are using a space ‘better’ than it was designed? (35:25) - How long is the data relevant to the user? (37:47) - Using Data to Negotiate Leases (40:31) - Is anyone using this data in real-time or are we looking back on past data? (43:18) - What are some of the ways that businesses are poorly using space? (46:36) - What does 38% utilization vs. 100% mean? (48:25) - Thinking of the Office as a Product and Not a Static Thing (51:38) - What is the state of the office and have you heard what office will look like over the next couple of years? (57:34) - Is space utilization just as important for other asset classes? (1:00:12) - How can people get in touch with you or Density? www.Density.io Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah Andrew on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfarah/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Lex Sisney is a business scaling expert and a wizard at organizational structure and design. He works with CEOs and leadership teams of expansion-stage companies who are committed to growing their business without compromising their values. On this episode, Chris and Lex discuss the work that Lex does with executives and teams to facilitate growth with an emphasis on maintaining their people and culture. Lex also dives deep into 'energy drains' in relationships, business leaders, and how to identify them in the moment before they deteriorate your business. Finally, Chris and Lex discuss why Fort Capital brought Lex in to help with their executive plans and problems companies run into when hiring executives. 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/ Learn more about Lex & Organizational Physics: www.Organizationalphysics.com Books by Lex Sisney: Organizational Physics How to Think About Hiring Ready for Enlightenment? (01:45) - What’s on your mind right now? (2:43) - Lex’s Background and What Lead Him to Starting Organizational Physics (08:48) - What are the usual characteristics of the companies you work with? (09:55) - How do you know all the management information out there isn’t right? (12:14) - Success = Integration/Entropy (17:07) - Pinpointing Energy Drains in Interpersonal Relationships and as Business Leaders (27:52) - What’s the methodology of re-arranging the playing field if you’re not changing people or culture? (37:42) - The 4 Quadrants  Do the right things to get customers Do things in the right way for customers Do the right thing for the company Keep the company out of harm (44:13) - How does a small business capitalize on Quadrant 4 when they may not have the people resources for it in HR? (46:36) - How do you know that you have the process that’s appropriate for your stage in the business life cycle How do you know when it's deteriorating? (51:26) - What’s more important to business growth: people or processes? (53:41) - What’s Important in a Leadership Team, How a Great Leadership Team is Run, and How to Run a Meeting (1:02:34) - Proposals 101 (1:05:41) - What falls into a Type 1 decision? (1:11:00) - Fort Capital’s Problem When They Brought in Lex and Problems Other Companies Face When Hiring Executives (1:16:36) - Why do you say Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison got it wrong? (1:17:20) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:17:56) - How can people find your business? www.organizationalphysics.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Kevin Dahlstrom is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Central Pacific Bank. Kevin is also an avid rock climber and Fintech thought leader.  On this episode, Kevin talks about his passion for rock climbing and the importance of having a multi-faceted life. Then, he and Chris discuss the world of banking and Fintech, the differences between them, and how the two can work together to improve the lives of consumers. They also touch on the crypto phenomenon, and Kevin tells a wild story of meeting Masa Son while pitching SoftBank in San Francisco. 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 Kevin on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/camp4 (03:19) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (06:30) - How did you execute this plan of picking up your family and moving across the country? How did you get your wife on board? (09:05) - Kevin’s Passion for Rock Climbing (11:23) - What's it like having such great friends that don’t even know what you do for a living?  (13:24) - Being the “Real Estate Guy” (15:37) - Free Solo Rock Climbing and Alex Honnold (17:18) - Kevin’s Early Career in Fintech Elevate Net Promoter Score Central Pacific Bank (24:29) - Kevin’s Article: Your Margin is My Opportunity (28:33) - Why hasn’t there been any improvement in the banking world? Square CashApp (33:58) - What’s the difference between banks and Fintech? (36:13) - Could a Fintech company become a bank and vice versa? (37:51) - How would Wells Fargo defend their lack of innovation? (41:20) - Kevin’s Take on Cryptocurrency  (43:11) - What is the ultimate promise of Crypto? Andy Grove on Inflection Points  (46:04) - The Value of Twitter (47:58) - What do 25-50-year-old people wish they had in banking through your research? (50:33) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Manage Money (53:27) - Building a Social Network That Operates Like a Family Office (56:20) - Kevin’s 'Wild Deal Experience with SoftBank’ (1:03:04) - How do you think Masa treated Adam Newman of WeWork based on your experience with him? (1:05:33) - What’s one thing that you believe that most people around you don’t? (1:07:10) - What is your best advice to girl-dads? (1:08:36) - Do you have any book recommendations? Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes (1:10:30) - How can people engage with you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Camp4 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Scott O’Neill is a Principal and Co-Founder of FSO Capital Partners. Scott O’Neill specializes in the acquisition, financing, syndication, and development of multifamily properties throughout Arizona. Since entering the Arizona market, Scott has been directly involved as a principal in the acquisition, development, or disposition of over $15,000,000 of multifamily assets. On this episode, Scott and Chris discuss his career in brokerage before pivoting into principal. Scott details his 100 cold calls per-day strategy to become successful right out of the gate as a broker, the founding of FSO Capital Partners, and his Ice Hockey Career. They also break down what the process of a multifamily deal looks like from acquisition to rehab and management. Scott also gives advice to brokers who are looking to move to the principal side of real estate. 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 Scott on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 (02:12) - Scott’s Background (06:07) - How did your father’s experience in the ’08 crisis impact you? (08:41) - Scott’s Ice Hockey Career (10:23) - How did you become successful right out of the gate as a broker? (14:31) - Did you come up with this 100 per-day cold call strategy? (17:24) - How do you think the pitch has changed from 2010 to 2021 in a market that’s clearly much better? (19:12) - Is there a reason you were focused on small multi-family deals vs. “Elephant” deals? (20:25) - What’s an All-Inclusive Trust Deed? (21:16) - Carnivores, Omnivores & Herbivores (23:15) - Scott Rounding Out His Broker Journey (23:55) - Was there a deal in brokerage that you’ll never forget? (24:50) - Did you ever run into Moses Kagan? (25:46) - What is the usual ambition toward investing when it came to working with doctors and dentists? (29:20) - What does FSO Capital Partners do? (31:41) - What do you do and what do your partners do? (33:10) - How do you find most of your deals? (34:54) - What are you looking for to decide whether a deal is worth spending your time on? (36:55) - How do you create value for a deal? LIHTC - Low Income Housing Tax Credit (39:46) - The Seller Perspective  (40:36) - How do you get really comfortable with getting restrictions removed on a deed? (42:34) - Why wouldn’t the seller go through this process themselves? (43:39) - What are you doing with all the money you put into a property? (45:46) - How long is the rehab taking? (46:55) - How do you go about re-branding a property?  (47:48) - Utilizing Bridge Debts and Raising Rents  (49:54) - What was the interest rate on this deal and were there any covenants? (51:14) - When do you start engaging with agencies to get a re-finance loan and how long does it take to get the loan? (53:22) - How do you typically structure your deals? (54:22) - 3rd-Party vs. Self-Management (55:37) - How do you select management companies? (56:24) - How do you think about growth going forward  (57:34) - How are you set up to hold your 3rd-party property management partners accountable? (1:01:17) - What excites you about the Phoenix & Arizona market? (1:04:42) - What advice would you give to brokers who want to get in on the principal side? (1:05:49) - Book Recommendations Am I Being Too Subtle? - Sam Zell Principals - Ray Dalio Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki Gary Keller - Millionaire Real Estate Agent The One Thing - Gary Keller (1:06:27) - What’s the best way for people to find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 Email -  Scott@fsocap.com Phone - 310 365 4861 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Austin Rief is the Co-Founder & COO of Morning Brew, one of the largest business newsletters with over 2.5 million subscribers.  On this episode, Austin and Chris discuss the journey to founding Morning Brew, how they were able to rapidly acquire subscribers, the process of being acquired by Business Insider, and how they develop content for their readers. They also discuss the current state of decentralization, the future of news and media consumption, BitClout, Austin's rolling fund, 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/ Follow Austin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austin_rief (02:53) - Austin’s Background and What Led Him to Start Morning Brew (04:26) - What was it about Market Corner that caught your eye? (05:15) - What did you do to add value when you joined there? (06:01) - Was there a moment in time where you decided investment banking was not the route for you? (07:29) - When did you know that this had the potential to be a full-time business? (09:41) - What was your pitch to investors? (10:25) - How did you determine what content was important in the early days? Waitbutwhy.com  (12:49) - What did you do with your capital?  (14:40) - What was the most effective way to get subscribers for you and is it still the best way today? (18:15) - Do you have any data as to how much of each newsletter your subscribers consume on each edition? (19:32) - How have you thought about your sub-brews? (21:40) - How do you know the content is staying at the same quality as you get more removed from the daily writing? (23:07) - How do you hire great content writers? (24:03) - How does the relationship between you and Alex help drive the business today? (24:58) - How did the acquisition from Business Insider come about? (25:56) - How long did the deal take from start to finish? (26:35) - Was there ever a moment where you were mentally committed to selling the business and knew there was no going back?  (27:52) - Did the acquisition change anything about your operation strategy? (29:38) - Who were the hirers that were key in taking you to the next level? (33:02) - Are you fully remote or will you become office-centric as we come out of the pandemic? (38:30) - How do you think about delivering the truth and not just click-bait? (44:09) - Have you experienced people coming to MB from these legacy media companies? (44:57) - What’s your thesis on social capital transferring into financial capital? (49:05) - What do you think about the de-centralization of the world with things like crypto and BitClout? (51:45) - Do you think we’re headed toward government regulation as we see people like Elon being able to sway markets with a single tweet? (53:33) - Was the removal of Donald Trump from the Internet a pivotal moment in this new world of decentralization? (55:04) - What is the solution when you can’t actually get on the internet after being ‘removed’ at an AWS level? (57:36) - Has anyone ever tried to cancel MB for something that was written? (58:30) - How does your rolling fund work and how can people learn more about it? (1:01:03) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:02:22) - Is there something that’s weighing heavily on your mind that a lot of other people aren’t thinking about? (1:07:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Austin on Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Some Hotel Guy" (www.Twitter.com/SomeHotelGuy) about the hotel industry. SHG details the nuances of owning & operating both independent and branded hotels, the process of working with "The Big 4" Hoteliers, how the industry was affected by COVID-19, and how he sees the industry moving forward. Enjoy!Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChrisLearn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.comFollow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital(03:04) - What’s your position within the industry?(04:00) - Do you operate under one or multiple brands?(04:49) - What types of hotels are you involved in?(05:47) - Describe Upper Mid-Scale, Upscale and Upper-Upscale Hotels(07:26) - Do you have to get approved as an owner/operator to be associated with one of these brands?(09:26) - Is there ever conflict within owners working under multiple brands?(10:22) - Scenario: I’ve never owned a hotel, but I own a great piece of land for a hotel and I approach Marriott: How does that conversation go?(11:53) - How does the payment structure work as an owner?(13:45) - Do the “Big 4” have a true monopoly over the resources available to hotel owners such as booking software?(17:15) - What’s the difference between an independent hotel and brand affiliated?(17:49) - In an independent scenario, is the owner often the operator?(18:31) - Who’s bearing the risk in a situation of an owner franchising a hotel and hiring an operator?(48:35) - What’s going on at hotels that aren’t open?(51:26) - What’s the state of capital markets?(53:49) - Are you having to underwrite differently now?Twitter Questions(54:57) - What does the hotel industry think about Airbnb and its place in the industry?(57:10) - Is Airbnb going to get into the hotel industry?(59:11) - What are your thoughts on the Kayak hotel opening?(1:00:21) - If you had $100m, what would you go do in the industry?(1:01:53) - Do you see the check-in experience changing?(1:03:02) - Is there any technology that interests you right now?(1:04:42) - What amenities matter in hotels or things on the horizon people want?(1:06:35) - Room Service vs. Uber Eats/DoorDash(1:08:41) - “If I own a 1960’s hotel in Trenton, NJ that is primarily longer stays for low-income folks: Do I sell now and cash out before it’s too late? Or, how long do people with roach motels have before it’s an obsolete asset?”(1:10:17) - What are some common mistakes independent operators make pre-opening?(1:11:57) - What are some common mistakes inexperienced operators make?(1:14:17) - Is there still room for independent boutique hotels in the industry?(1:15:06) - SomeHotelGuy’s Fear of HeightsThe FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Rich Jordan is the Owner of Strongpoint Management Group and is a Marine Corps veteran. Strongpoint owns and operates real estate assets and buys small businesses to scale. This episode highlights Garon T Plumbing, an SMB in the Northeast that Rich has grown substantially over the past year. On this episode, Rich discusses his experience in the Marines and doing his first real estate deal before diving deep into his acquisition of Garon T Plumbing. Rich and Chris talk about the most nuanced parts of Rich's journey, including the buying experience, dealing with sellers and brokers, meeting his new team for the first time, implementing incentive programs for his employees, and the decisions made to radically grow the business. 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 Rich on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/StrongPointRich Check out Strongpoint Management: www.RealStrongPoint.com (02:53) - Rich’s Background in the Marine Corps and What Led Him to His Current Position (08:49) - Did you always want to be a Marine? (10:59) - How many Marines do we have in the Middle East? (11:23) - What did you do with your first RE deal to make it double in value? (15:30) - What was it like being married for several years but living long distance? (17:30) - Was it always the plan to buy a small business? (20:15) - How did you source this deal and how many deals were you looking at? (32:35) - Was there anything you needed to prove to the broker before they got serious with finding you deals? (33:22) - What deal terms mattered to the seller in the LOI that was surprising? (35:12) - How long was it from LOI to closing? (35:50) - What mattered to you during Due Diligence to get you comfortable with the deal? (37:58) - How long does it take to get an SBA loan approved? (39:27) - What was the agreement with the seller in terms of them staying on after the sale? (41:47) - What was their motivation for selling? (42:58) - Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done during due diligence? Gusto Payroll Processing (48:15) - What was the conversation like meeting your employees as the new owner? (51:50) - What was the team’s reaction to the sale? (59:12) - How did you start making your impact on the business?  (1:04:16) - How did you go through the exercise for setting fixed price changes? (1:07:24) - Have you implemented any incentives for employees? Service Titan (1:19:13) - What’s your ultimate goal for this business? (1:23:57) - Is this unique to your area or is this something that can be done everywhere? (1:27:22) - How do we get more people into the blue-collar industry and make it sexy again? (1:33:00) -  What did the Marines teach you that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else? (1:35:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:37:31) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/strongpointrich The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Dan Go is the CEO of High Performance Founder, which aims to get high-achieving entrepreneurs into their ideal body with minimal stress. On this episode, Dan discusses his journey into the world of fitness, diets that work, myths about diets, how the average person can determine what will be best for their health journey, the negatives of having too much body fat, and some great recommendations for maximizing your workouts and sleep. 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 Dan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FitFounder (02:03) - What lead you to create High Performance Founder? (07:16) - Why do you think you got ‘hooked’ on fitness and stuck with it? Why don’t most people stick with it? (10:12) - What matters most in fitness? (13:33) - Simple vs. Easy (16:27) - What are ‘real’ foods? What’s your philosophy on diet? (22:38) - How does the average person learn about what their body requires as far as food? Macro Calculator  Dexa Scan Fat Free Index If It Fits Your Macros (28:09) - What are some of the biggest misconceptions you see about health? (34:18) - What does fat do to your body and how does that affect your ability to work? (40:15) - What’s the ideal amount of body fat for a person? (41:43) - Is having excessive fat genetic? (44:58) - What does alcohol do to the body? (49:18) - How long does it take to recover from a night of excessive drinking? (50:59) - When is the best time for someone to get their workout in? (53:12) - Is there anything you recommend people do before bed that’s helpful for the body? Blue Light Blockers Chamomile Tea 1 Hour Before Bed Read a Fiction Book Eat Last Meal 3+ Hours Before Bed No Alcohol 3-4 hours Before Bed (58:21) - Going to Masterminds and Seeing Entrepreneurs That are Obese (1:01:30) - How do you know that you’re in a great spot with health and not constantly in a struggle of getting ‘there’? (1:05:05) - What’s your take on the state of the fitness industry? What does the future of fitness look like post-COVID? (1:08:04) - Is there a book you recommend for people? The Leangains Method - Martin Berkhan (1:09:20) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? “If you wanna change your mood: move your body.” (1:10:30) - How can people reach you? www.Twitter.com/FitFounder www.highperformancefounder.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Michael Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Fernish, a furniture rental service that will deliver, assemble and arrange your home or apartment.  On this episode, Michael discusses his journey to founding Fernish, the details of how the service works, his experience hiring, and working with former Amazon standouts. They also discuss the importance of customer obsession, COVID, raising VC money, 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 Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/mleebarlow (02:00) - Michaels Background and The Idea for Fernish (06:12) - What happened from having the idea to putting it into action? (10:43) - Who are your customers? (12:45) - How does the contract work with customers? (15:19) - What’s your relationship like with the multi-family owners and what’s the incentive for them? (17:34) - How do you conduct the design consultation? (18:11) - How much is the average person saving on renting furniture vs. buying their own? (20:19) - Are most people needing fully furnished places or just certain pieces? (21:47) - How are they choosing pieces? (22:32) - What did COVID teach you about your business model? (24:05) - How much furniture do Americans buy each year? (25:51) - The Recycling Aspect of the Business and Determining What’s Reusable (28:24) - What are the most common items people rent? (29:31) - How do you think about growth & entering new markets? (31:32) - How have Amazon-ians impacted your business? (35:44) - What does "customer obsession" mean? (38:36) - What are some interesting data points you’ve learned from the customer? (41:03) - How do you handle things that you don’t wanna hear? (42:49) - Is there anything interesting you’ve learned from Jeff Wilke? (45:26) - Raising Capital (46:28) - What do your best VCs do for you? (48:46) - How does the communication dynamic work with VCs? (49:29) - What do you hope to achieve over the next few years? (52:27) - What do local logistics mean for the company? (55:34) - How do you think about the capital intensiveness of buying all this furniture for people? (57:26) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (59:52) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:00:45) - Is there a book that’s had a big impact on you? Against the Gods - Peter Bernstein (1:02:56) - How can people reach you?  www.Fernish.com Email: michael@fernish.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

This special Bonus episode is a livestream Chris did with Nick Huber (www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup) on March 22nd, 2021. 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: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital