Unscripted with Spencer Lodge

This is a story of the triumph of optimism and hard work in the face of adversity. Liam Ryan is a property investor, entrepreneur, trainer, and host of The Deal Maker Podcast. Facing the depths of drug addiction and alcohol abuse early on in his life forced Liam to make some tough decisions that changed the course of his life completely. Liam now, with the help of his business partner, Jay Munoz, is teaching people how to invest and grow a property portfolio by practicing what they preach. His ability to diversify and leverage within the realms of business has made Liam a force to be reckoned with.

Mahmoud AlBurai has one of the most incredible stories I have ever had the privilege of hearing. Born in Palestine and destined for greatness one way or another - through tireless work and self-improvement, Mahmoud's journey has taken him across the globe; earning him 5 masters degrees, a Phd, and the recognition from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai as a leader of future generations of the Arab world. He is currently serving as a Senior Advisor at Real estate Regulatory Agency of Dubai manadated to work on a plan to make Dubai more competitive. Before this role Mahmoud has served as the CEO of Dubai Real Estate Institute for 10 years in which the institute qualified 80,000 real estate professionals from the region. Amongst his prolific ventures, Mahmoud is FIABCI representative at the United Nations Economic Commission for West Asia (UNESCWA) and UNECE (Geneva). He is also the Chairman of UN Global Compact UAE since 2015 and represent MENA region in UN Global Compact advisory board since two years.

As the CEO of Azizi Developments, Farhad Azizi isn't following in his father's footsteps. He's changing course. With the help of his learnings of doing business in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and having studied in the United States - he's got a world view that is allowing him to guide Azizi Developments to new heights. I really enjoyed this episode, as Farhad is an incredibly down to earth guy who really has such an incredible vision and belief in where he can take the company; and when you've got the animation film, Monsters Inc., for inspiration, then you know something special is going to happen!

Greg Secker is a self-made millionaire, having worked in foreign exchange and financial trading, before setting up Learn to Trade in 2003 to provide forex workshops and courses. Greg also owns SmartCharts software and the regulated brokerage, Capital Index. This episode of the podcast delves into Greg's background as an enterprising youngster - hiring his mates to wash cars when he was a child, how he borrowed five thousand pounds from his mum after learning about foreign exchange on trading floors in Toronto, and how being a magician that always revealed his tricks lead to him building a business teaching the world about forex trading.   

Will working in a Chinese takeaway joint make you your first million? No, but the drive to break free from the rat race will. From minimum wage to multi-millionaire - John Lee - CEO and Founder of Wealth Dragons, has made it his mission to free people from the 9-5 routine. Hear him elaborate on overcoming hurdles in life and business, and the importance of social media to multiply your wealth.

This is one of my favourite episodes of the Spencer Lodge Podcast so far. Grant's first podcast interview in the region certainly didn't disappoint, but I'm not going to give anything away just yet. All I'm going to say is if you want the real secret to 10X thinking - then put this episode on immediately! Grant Cardone is a New York Times Bestselling Author, the #1 Sales Trainer in the world, and an internationally renowned speaker on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance.

Raza Jafar is a serial entrepreneur and a philanthropist. His focus is on investments with a fervent pursuit of economic, environmental and social sustainability. He's also the founder of the Global Sustainability Network - a community and platform that's passionate and committed to delivering Goal 8 of the 17 Global Goals: promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. This is one of my absolute favourite interviews with an incredibly inspiring person, that I have the privilege to call my friend.

Firas Al Msaddi is the Chief Executive Officer of fäm Properties, one of the largest, most successful real estate brokerage firms in the UAE, and Executive Chairman of the fäm Group. At the age of 25, he founded the agency in 2009, built in the midst of the global economic crisis, and was driven by his unfaltering belief in the sustainability and endurance of Dubai. There are few people that have the kind of tenacity and drive that Firas does. A story of a young man that moved to Dubai to work in retail sales, eventually working his way into Real Estate and now leading an empire. I'm not going to give anything away about this interview - there are SO many incredible points in here. You have to listen to this.

With the Bayut Big Broker Event coming up next week here in Dubai, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview their Chief Executive Officer - Haider Ali Khan. With a fascinating background in tech and engineering, a knack for understanding the way that consumers behave, and knowing how to solve problems with the way we engage with real estate - this conversation was one that gave some great insights into Bayut and why they're so successful.

They say that it's a sign of a true entrepreneur when someone is able to fail, stand up, brush themselves off, and keep going. There aren't many "Entrepreneurs" that I know of these days that are really able to live that in their day to day. Umar Bin Farooq, Founding Partner of One Broker Group, is one of those people who after spending many years in Dubai truly embodies the spirit of Entrepreneurship in this city, facing failure, betrayal, ups, and downs to grow his business into what it is today. This is a must listen for anyone interested in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship, packed with lessons and take-aways.