

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

Feb 27, 2024 • 1h 20min
#340 - Chris Hellgeth aka Gas Biz Guy - Owner @ Vi-Mac - Building a $100M Gasoline Empire
Explore the gas station industry with insights on flipping stations, gas station economics, and the impact of EVs. Learn about the speaker's journey in the family business, making mistakes, and overcoming financial challenges. Discover strategies for success in the trucking business and insights on disruptive factors in the industry.

10 snips
Feb 22, 2024 • 1h 23min
#339 - Simon Wagner - Founder @ Granite Oak - Compounding $1M to $250M in 10 years
Simon Wagner shares his journey from Morgan Stanley to founding Granite Oak, focusing on mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage thesis, Irish real estate market, planning & entitlements. Delve into Ireland's housing shortages, fundraising, and the challenges in European housing development.

43 snips
Feb 20, 2024 • 1h 19min
#338 - Jamie Winship - Living Fearless
Discover your true identity and explore separation vs. connection world views with Jamie Winship. Hear about his experiences working in the Middle East and bringing terrorists to convert to Christianity. Learn about identity exchange and finding hope in depression.

Feb 15, 2024 • 1h 17min
#337 - Ian Cassel - Founder @ Intelligent Fanatics Capital Mgmt - The Art of Microcap Investing
Ian Cassel, founder of MicroCapClub.com and Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management, discusses the world of microcap investing, why the greatest investors started in microcap, building MicroCap Club, and his process for investing in a company.

Feb 13, 2024 • 1h 23min
#336 - Bill Cawley - CEO @ Cawley Partners
Bill Cawley, CEO @ Cawley Partners, discusses his near-death experience and finding faith, navigating the 80's crisis in Dallas, the evolving office market, and advice for those entering real estate.

41 snips
Feb 6, 2024 • 1h 22min
#335 - Barry Sternlicht - Chairman & CEO @ Starwood Capital Group
Barry Sternlicht, Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, discusses scaling the business to 120k employees in 6 years, the value of 'A Shared Pair' REIT, taking a company from $1B in AUM to $10B, and selling Caesars Palace.

33 snips
Feb 1, 2024 • 1h 26min
#334.- Chris Powers & Jason Baxter - Fort Capital's 2023 Year in Review
Chris Powers and Jason Baxter reflect on Fort Capital's 2023 achievements, fundraising goals, custom AI development, deal pipelines, profitability, team growth, and the outlook for 2024. They discuss the successful implementation of document AI in improving the invoice process, the renewal rockstar initiative to boost tenant renewals, and the adoption of company-wide AI challenge. They also cover their acquisition pipeline in 2023, expansion of the team and opening new offices, and the challenges in finding affordable land and meeting construction costs.

Jan 30, 2024 • 1h 21min
#333 - Devon Eriksen - Property Rights, Rent Seekers, AI, Communism, Why Culture is Upstream of Law
Devon Eriksen, a retired software engineer and science fiction writer, joins Chris to discuss topics such as culture's influence on law, pushing back on bad ideas, property rights, artificial intelligence, and rent-seeking. They also explore gatekeeping institutions in fiction and the profitability of green energy.

9 snips
Jan 23, 2024 • 1h 22min
#332 - Chris Hoffmann - CEO of Hoffmann Brothers - From $10M to $140M: Scaling a Home Services Giant - A Story of Family, Purpose, and Unprecedented Growth
Chris Hoffmann, CEO of Hoffmann Brothers, shares his experience in the Marine Corps, taking over the family business, scaling the business, retaining and training labor, and the future of the trades. He also discusses purpose-driven ownership vs. PE, scaling acquired businesses, call centers, the future of marketing, and the importance of Google reviews.

Jan 16, 2024 • 1h 27min
#331 - David Moore - Co-Founder & CEO @ Knightvest Capital - Investing in 55,000 Apartment Units: Stories, Lessons Learned, and Insights On Current Apartment Market
David Moore, Founder and Managing Partner at Knightvest, discusses making key hires to grow the company, the explosion of the Class B multifamily market, a walkthrough of a typical deal, the American renter in 2024, construction and labor cost hikes, and a state of the market update 2022-2024.