Today’s guest is Joanna Kinsman. We met her on the 4th of July as she skated into a little house party on San Diego’s Boardwalk, that famous two-mile stretch of sidewalk that runs along the Pacific Ocean. There she was skating the boardwalk on a holiday (and most weekdays!) while running her growing business, Kini Bands. The path to success wasn’t all roses for Joanna, but her story shows that anyone with the ambition can achieve what they want. We love Joanna’s story for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that she teaches us that what you do at a regular old job can eventually translate into a business that you own and control. Grab your skates, a boom box, a red-white-and-blue headband, and of course, a kini band bracelet to tie your hair up. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/joanna-kinsman Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Our guest is Ryan McKenna.  He’s a real estate syndicator from Chicago, who’s been on his own for a little while now.  He’s in his mid-30s, has a young family, and works most days in his own place, on his own time.  Ryan’s built a mini-empire over the course of his young career by investing in his own real estate deals, building passive income, and freeing up his options. What’s cool about Ryan’s story is he very deliberately invested not only in property but also in his personal network and his own knowledge and experience while working in a more traditional career in commercial real estate. Listen along as we talk about the nitty-gritty of what the heck a “syndicated multifamily deal” is in the real estate investing world, how relationships lead to opportunity, and how a health scare earlier in life turned this college baseball player onto a different, yet still very audacious, goal to accomplish.  More at optoutlife.com/podcast/ryan-mckenna Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

If you are old enough, you’ll remember back when your old cell phone would end up in a drawer after you bought the hottest, newest thing. Maybe you’d hock it on Craigslist or hand it down to your brother. Enter John Beane, an entrepreneur with some serious technical chops and the boldness to take on engineering problems that others might think impossible.  John designed ATM style dispensers for hospitals to disburse medicine. And then somewhere along his journey - and we’ll say it was probably at least 5 companies into that journey - John joined up with a group of partners who thought, “Why not use an ATM to buy people’s old cell phones?” That’s exactly what John helped them do, as they founded EcoATM, He was determined to make this one work. And it did. The sale of the company made he and his co-founders one of San Diego’s big success stories. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/john-beane Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Some of us are born entrepreneurs, and some of us discover it by happenstance.  Today’s guest is Brett Fogle, he’s the serial type of entrepreneur, who started as a kid by selling “Mailbox beautification” services around his neighborhood. From those beginnings, he grew up and each new venture has brought him a new lesson, and by now, Brett has compiled those hard earned lessons into a system that any entrepreneur can use to make money without the risks that cause most ventures to fail. That system is the basis for Brett’s book, Click and Grow Rich. The book is an outgrowth of Brett’s work as a mentor, and business partner, with entrepreneurs launching their first online brand or business. And its contents are a full-on playbook of both the opportunities that exist online, and how to take advantage of them, no matter who you are. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/brett-fogle Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

In today’s episode, we’re going to see that the green grass on this side of the fence is more like a MIX of green, brown and everything in between. Our guest is Nate Spees. He’s the owner of an agency called Made by Grizzly. And, his forest themed tattoos show that he’s a modern-day Grizzly Adams, although his humor is apparent when you notice that one of his tattoos is his own gravestone, carved with the words “No Ragrets”, intentionally misspelled. Listen to Nate’s story of going from the corporate world, to starting his own successful agency, to running one of the largest networking groups in San Diego. We get personal (and vulnerable) in this one - so enjoy! More at optoutlife.com/podcast/nate-spees Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Many years ago, a 5 year old decided he was going to become an airline pilot. He grew up, as little boys do, and eventually served in the military. Then went to college. Then to flight school. At 23, he was a professional airline pilot. He’d spend a day at home, but for the most part, his home was the sky. On a dead head flight home, a much older pilot handed him a book, and said “Get out while you still can.” Our guest is Vinny Giglio. He’s a former pilot, who took some advice and a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and restarted his life’s journey with an eye on financial freedom and owning his time. Vinny’s a guy who makes bold moves to get the things he wants in life, including uber fancy cars and money-producing real estate. So pull up his Instagram, gaze at those fancy cars, and then listen closely on how it’s accomplished. Because it’s really not about the cars, after all. But you already knew that. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/vinny-giglio Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

One of the things most people love about the Opt Out Life is that we don’t sell the Silicon Valley Kool Aid. Today’s guest is Parand Darugar. What we loved about his story is that he didn’t decide to go big or swing for the fences. His success came after he slowly and deliberately built a small venture down by the beach, and circumstances brought him into a merger with a larger company and eventually the “sought after” IPO. Parand’s journey wasn’t smooth...not by a long shot. He went through a couple of serious failures with his previous ventures. Failures that soured him on venture capital and angel investment. So, he built an opt out business that was just intended to empower him to live life on his terms. His story would have been just as satisfying for us if Parand’s business was still just what he set out to do. More at optoutlife.com/podcast/parand-darugar Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Our guest is Jim Wang.  Jim is world famous personal finance blogger who started, grew and sold his first blog, Bargaineering, to Bankrate to the tune of a few million dollars.  He’s still in the personal finance game today, as the name, face, and voice behind Best Wallet Hacks.  It’s a long ways away from his initial career path, coming out of Carnegie Mellon with a degree in software engineering and a salaried job at a big defense firm. It’s cool that he’s made big money doing something most people would consider a goofy side project.  But it’s the thought process, discipline, and clear vision that Jim deploys in every decision he makes as it relates to his business and his lifestyle that put him in our Hall of Fame.  I wouldn’t be the first one to realize that I’ve got a lot to learn from Jim Wang.  More at optoutlife.com/podcast/jim-wang   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Tell us if you’ve heard this story.  Dana Robinson, co-host of this podcast, decides to sell everything and move to Bali on a one-way ticket.  He sets off in search of adventure, and peace of mind.  And the very first stop once he lands is at a guest house in some local’s backyard. The owner of that home is a guy named Wayan. Wayan Suyadnya is the kind of guy you often hear about on this podcast….he runs a business, he has a couple of side gigs.  he does short term vacation rentals, and has hustled his way out of poverty to be a successful entrepreneur. Wayan dropped out of college to open a restaurant, became a self employed tour guide, and pioneered the Airbnb business in his area. He took his family from being subsistence rice farmers who couldn’t afford a motor scooter to owning 35 motor scooters that he rents, multiple properties, and a life that he controls.  More at optoutlife.com/podcast/wayan-suyadnya Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com