The Fort

Ashton Gustafson is a highly sought-after public speaker, nationally recognized Realtor, artist, musician, poet, and amateur cosmologist—in a pursuit to becoming more. He sits down with Chris to discuss the importance of making your life about "less", the benefits of reading, teaching what you learn, and the power of enneagrams and personality testing in the workplace. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:18 — Ashton’s Journey 05:30 — Did you have a moment of clarity that led you to something ‘better’? 07:25 — Making Your Life More and More About Less and Less 10:09 — 3 Hinges of Suffering in Life 11:45 — Ashton’s Path to Public Speaking 16:10 — Benefits of Reading, What to Read, and How Often to Read 18:27 — Learning from Real Estate Companies and Its Impact on Teams 23:00 — How do you manage a calendar with four businesses under your belt? 25:36 — How do you find the right people? 27:20 — What is the residential brokerage industry like right now? What will it look like in ten years? 34:40 — Wichita Falls Landscape: Growing? 35:46 — Enneagram Retreats, Personality Testing, Ashton’s Coaching, and Writing Poetry 44:15 — If I became aware…

Will Friend is the CEO of Bisnow, an online real estate publication and event firm, where he has implemented an incredible culture through Bisnow’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Will and Chris discuss the journey of becoming the CEO of a company and why there's no "step-by-step" process, company structure as a family versus a team, why it is important to love what you do, and Chris reflects on this conversation and his role at Fort Capital. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 — Will’s Journey Before Bisnow, Growing Up in the UK, The Desire for the American Dream, and Moving to America 09:23 — The Journey to Becoming a CEO at 27 Years Old 16:50 — How do you see your experience as CEO so far? 19:33 — What did you expect to be part of the role as CEO that actually are not? 22:22 — Level Up Talent 23:20 — How can you know if you’ll keep the role? How do you evaluate yourself and the organization? 24:10 — Team vs. Family 26:40 — Were these values already set or was it an “ah-ha!” moment? 31:05 — Deciding on a Vision and Values for Bisnow 40:50 — How do you make your Vision and Values a habit? 46:15 — Are these open to be debated and changed? 47:54 — How is a private equity buy-out a learning experience for everyone? Is this the right thing for everyone? 52:40 — What do private equity firms do for family-owned businesses? 53:04 — 3 Failures That Changed the Way Will Thinks 1:00:50 — How does culture affect a company’s bottom line? 1:04:00 — Hitting a Sales Mark 1:08:50 — What does it take for an issue to make it to your desk? 1:12:42 — What is it like to run a sales team? What makes a successful salesperson? 1:16:46 — What do you say to people who are not doing what they love? 1:19:49 — What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? What is your favorite interview question? 1:27:20 — How Chris Critiques Himself and What Makes a Company's Mission, Vision, and Values Work

Mark Flood is the Co-Founder of Disrupt Gaming, a team of professional e-sports players and content developers located across the United States, Canada, UK, and Italy. Disrupt has established a strong presence with teams playing Tekken 7 and Rainbow Six: Siege. They discuss how Mark got into the world of gaming, how players like ‘Ninja’ can make a seven-figure salary playing games, the process of putting together a team, raising capital, and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 02:51 — Mark’s Background, The Industry, Disrupt Gaming 11:36 — Technical vs. Non-Technical Relationships in Early Stage Start Ups 14:55 — Staying Focused for Long Periods of Time 16:17 — Did you look into the legalities of what you were doing? 18:57 — How many people were using GamerWall once you made the shift from WagerWall? 20:46 — The Acquisition Process 23:56 — What did you do when you sold the business? 26:00 — What is Disrupt? How do you select which games to compete in? 32:36 — Do you pick the game first or seek out players first? How do you find these players and put together teams? 37:28 — Are these teams remote or are you paying to fly them? 39:00 — How many players are on Disrupt? How do coaches factor in with scouting and practice? 42:22 — How often do people reach out to try out? How do you fire a player? 48:28 — Mark’s New Documentary 51:08 — How does a player know if they’re pro-level talent? 53:30 — Where do pro gamers get the majority of their money? 58:20 — Do gamers workout and stay physically fit? 1:00:00 — The Younger Generation, Increasing Popularity of Being a Pro Gamer, the Social Effect on Gaming in the Real World 1:04:08 — Creating a Fully Remote Team 1:07:36 — What software helps you run a remote business? 1:10:00 — What is your goal with Disrupt? Growth, Content Development, Fundraising, and Advantages Over Traditional Sports 1:20:08 — The Importance of Social Media and Staying in the Conversation 1:25:36 — Twitter Highlights, The Shift of Twitter Culture

Edward Bogel is the Co-Founder of Davidson Bogel, a boutique land investment advisory group and brokerage firm. The company’s base principal is exceptional client service with investment and development of land throughout Texas and Oklahoma. They discuss the journey of founding a company, what makes a great land broker, and the future of development in the DFW area. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:30 – Life Before Davidson Bogel 04:00 – Did you decide to focus on land, instead of building on the land? 07:40 – How long did it take you to actually start the business from when you decided you wanted to do it? What was the first year of business like? 12:00 – If someone wanted to become a broker, what would you tell them to keep in mind? 13:00 – How do you train people who want to be in the business? 17:25 – What are the most important aspects for buyers and sellers to think about when transacting? 19:26 – The Process of Working a Deal 24:34 – What are the main reasons deals fall apart? 25:39 – Do you see things continuing to expand in Dallas/Fort Worth or will there be more turnover of urban sites? 27:44 – Do urban developers look at things differently than others? 28:56 – What are the characteristics of a great developer? 30:48 – The Future of Parking and Development in Dallas/Fort Worth 33:29 – The Trend of Single-Family Rentals 36:26 – How do you consume information? 39:03 – How can cities speed things up for land development projects? 47:28 – What is the best advice you have ever received? What is your favorite interview question?

Mike Berry is the President of Hillwood, one of the top industrial, commercial, and residential real estate developers in the country. He has been the leader of development efforts in AllianceTexas, one of the largest global logistics hubs in the world. They discuss how Alliance developed from concept to reality, the future of transportation for both people and freight in the next decade, autonomous vehicles, and buying your home online. This is one of our most fascinating episodes—enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  03:25 — Mike’s Journey Before Hillwood 08:00 — The Story of Hillwood 10:40 — Creation of AllianceTexas 16:00 — Could something like this deal ever come together in today’s world? 18:27 — What is a foreign trade zone, and how do you get a foreign trade zone designation? 22:00 — Was the AllianceTexas vision originally to become a city? 25:40 — Growth of Mike’s Leadership 29:36 — Alliance’s Mobility Innovation Zone (This is really, really cool!) 36:09 — Why DFW/Hillwood Offers a Better Testing Site 39:25 — Freight & Human Capital in Autonomous Driving/Vehicles 43:23 — What is it like to be inside these forward-thinking businesses, like Amazon? 48:09 — What is something you would say the world will have in 10 years that people will find shocking? 50:39 — Talent at Hillwood 52:31 — New Trends in Residential Living 1:00:16 — How have you been able to balance work and your family? 1:01:50 — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 1:05:03 — Mike’s Role Models 1:08:09 — Picking Sides & Effort to Build a Building 1:11:40 — The NextDoor Analogy: Determining Market Demand & Slowing the Process

Chris is sitting down with Jason Baxter, President & COO of Fort Capital, to go in-depth on ways that Fort Capital is growing with a focus on speed and innovation. They dive into the importance of “C.O.R.”, using Culture Index for hiring great talent, as well as Fort Operating System. They also discuss how their use of artificial intelligence and outsourcing software systems allows them to monitor new deals in real time without manually searching for each one. Listen in on their conversation about the process of raising a fund, the idea that bigger is not necessarily better, and how Fort is leveraging remote talent to expand to new regions without opening new offices.  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.   01:46 – What is C.O.R.? How do you encourage a team to adopt the C.O.R. mindset? 13:14 – The Culture Index for Hiring 19:15 – Use of Fort Operating System (F.O.S.) 23:30 – Watson, Stemmons, and Streamlining Communication 36:13 – Getting Smarter About Raising a Fund 38:14 – False Precision in Real Estate Investments 53:05 – Profitability > Size

Ari Firoozabadi has a simple philosophy: clients are best served by a tightly-integrated, collaborative, and conflict-free platform. This philosophy defines Greysteel and ensures all interests are aligned so full resources and relationships of the firm and its professionals are leveraged on each engagement. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Firoozabadi is responsible for defining and implementing Greysteel’s strategic vision as well as overseeing the company’s operations.    For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.    01:40 – Life Before Greysteel  08:34 – What makes Greysteel different from your competition?   13:24 – How long did you spend building the Greysteel platform?  15:41 – How did you handle another company trying to ruin you?  21:05 – What advice were you given that prepared you for “going up against Goliath” in this litigation?  24:41 – What does it take to be a top producer in the industry for a young person just starting out?  28:19 – Did you have a mentor to teach you about working to be this knowledgeable or was it your natural instinct?  29:19 – What was your first deal?  32:19 – How do you think about going into a new market? How do you get culture from a place like Washington D.C. to Fort Worth if the office has never visited? 40:00 – How did you build everything you needed for Greysteel?  42:05 – How do you think technology will impact the brokerage industry over the next ten years?  44:20 – What does your job consist of today?  46:00 – Do you have a favorite interview question?  48:25 – Do you have an in-house content development team?   48:25 – Is there someone that comes to mind when you think about the beginnings of Greysteel?  50:30 – Are there certain qualities that make the best real estate investors?  53:09 – What are some of the biggest reasons deals fall apart?  56:17 – If you had to bet on one asset type for the next five years, what would it be?

Sean Conway is an avid traveler and former CEO of Pillow, a company he co-founded. Pillow partners with Multifamily property owners to provide short-term rentals as an amenity to their residents. Pillow's turn key software makes hosting easy, profitable, and compliant. Sean held leadership positions from conception to $17.5 million in funding and a successful acquisition by the Expedia Group in September 2018. Prior to Pillow, Sean was the Co-Founder of Notehall, an online class and study notes provider, which was acquired by Chegg in 2011. For Sean’s ingenuity, he was named one of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25″ by Business Week in 2009. Sean is an active angel investor and enjoys mentoring startups/programs, such as BUILD. For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:18 – Sean’s “Snag Your Ticket Aboard the Magic School Bus” Blog Post  05:30 – Sean and Chris’ Experience Traveling to Other Countries  11:11 – How does the meaning of entrepreneurship change as you start more companies? 12:44 – Sean’s Experience on Shark Tank  17:07 – Notehall 19:00 – What is it like to exit a business in the technology industry?  30:28 – Do you fall out of love with your business when the opportunity to sell becomes a reality?  33:35 – How was your experience selling Pillow and Notehall? How did you tell employees? 42:05 – Do you want to stay in a similar industry, or are you moving on?  44:00 – Meditation and Journaling 45:49 – Expedia & Sean’s Goal to Not Start a Company for 3+ Years  46:23 – Employee Turnover When You Sell a Company 48:18 – Favorite Interview Questions & Using Executive Recruiters   56:07 – Growth Hacking a Network

Abhijeet Dwivedi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroDown, the smartest way to buy a home in San Francisco. They discuss Abhijeet's experience growing up in the education system in India, the influence of Paul Graham, life in a hyper-growth company and more. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com. 01:50 – What has happened in your life which led you to ZeroDown? 11:30 – Gratefulness is one of your most appealing traits. What has helped you adopt this mindset? 14:35 – How did you get into designing video games when you were younger? 20:20 – Were you exposed to these advanced topics at an early age or was this more your nature? 23:40 – What is the difference between education in India and the United States? 26:20 – How did you find the Paul Graham essays? What about them changed your life? 29:14 – What was it like working at such a fast growing company such as Zenefits? 34:03 – How do you prioritize goals in a hyper-growth company and gain buy in? 37:00 – What your experience as Head of Operations? What did you learn? 41:22 – Overview of ZeroDown   54:10 – What are “loyalty points”? How do they incentivize customers to make their mortgage payments on time? 57:32 – Growth Hacking with Slack 1:03:57 – Is there anything that has shocked you about customers or business since starting ZeroDown?

Ryan Reeves is the Founder and CEO of Investing City and is also the host of the Investing City podcast. They discuss the power of value investing, the world of an investor, the hype around cryptocurrency and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com.  Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris   Connect with The FORT by emailing us at thefortpodcast@gmail.com.  01:46 – Ryan’s Background and Investing City 05:37 – Growth Investing vs. Value Investing 07:00 – How to Get Better at Utilizing Search Engines 09:25 – A Typical Day in the World of an Investor 13:53 – Is there a method to the madness when reading an S2 or a quarterly earnings report? 16:54 – Do you look at companies who hemorrhage cash differently in terms of the money they could make in the future? 19:30 – Is there a time horizon for how you look at things? 23:14 – How much time do you spend stress testing an idea as opposed to looking for new ones? 24:50 – Do you think Berkshire is set up for companies in the modern era? 29:30 – Ryan’s Research as a Service (RAAS) 37:14 – Ryan’s Core Portfolio Policy 39:00 – How do you know when you “actually know something”? 41:27 – How do you get to know employees in the companies that you look to invest in? 45:08 – Are you a believer in the Bitcoin revolution? 50:38 – What are the biggest mistakes a novice investor makes? 53:07 – Books Influential on Ryan’s Journey