Ryan Stewman - Incarcerated to closing over $150,000,000 in sales

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Money and got incarcerated and had all these hardships, I had to learn to do all this myself. I didn't have anybody that I could pay to do it for me. I didn't know people. I literally had to learn every piece. And while again, I seemed like a curse at the time. Yeah, nobody business like I do.

What's going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. On today's episode, I am very excited to announce not only someone that I've been following for a long time, but now a partner of mine, AKA Hardcore Closer. Thanks so much for coming on, Ryan.

What's up, man? Glad to be here, Casey, and glad for all the big things that we got going on right now. We had an exciting talk before we got live on the podcast here.

Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. No, so number one, I know the other day we had an event together in Scottsdale. You came out from Dallas, you just, you crushed the stage. We had a small little mastermind. But I want to touch on something real quick because not only our relationship moving forward, but I, I heard your story and I, I remember I asked a question in front of the room and I said, hey, like, what were you doing at 19 years old? And like, that story really impacted me. And for. And for the people listening, before we get into the story, before we get into the business, I want you to bring them current to what you're currently working on, working on, and overall, what you do on a day to day basis when it comes to running your business well.

So for right now, like, my life's pretty darn good, you know, I'm married, I have three kids. I drove to work at a Rolls Royce. I had a choice this morning between Lamborghini, a Rolls Royce and a McLaren or pickup truck. You know, it is, yeah, yeah, I work in the same building where YouTube and Google and Hilton and like other huge brands are in a huge complex over here. And I have multiple companies that do eight figures and that have done eight figures of business in the last. Multiple big ass companies.

Yeah, yeah, right.

I really don't like talking about my financials online too much. Just know that I got, I got a lot of things going and I would trade places with Bill Gates, man. I wouldn't trade places with Jeff Bezos. Like, first of all, neither one of them's wife. It's as hot as mine. Second of all, I trade bank accounts with them, though, you know what I'm saying? But, but I love my life.

I really do.

You know, people say they got to look for success and figure out what success is, and I'm still on the chase for what's next, but I sure am grateful for what's now.

Yeah, absolutely, man. No, I love it. And I think for the people listening today, you know, it's the one reason why I love doing podcasts is because I've learned, right. That's not how everyone started. Right. And I know your journey. People will tell after listening today, but for the people listening, like, my main audience is 18 to 25, and I want to sort of start this podcast off with the question that I asked you the other day, and that was when you were 18, 19 years old, like, what was your reality back then? And how did you really get put along this journey as an entrepreneur?

Well, I want you to know this before I tell this story is in you, Casey, and everybody watching. It's like no matter where you are in life right now, if you're 18, 19, 20, 21 years old, you have some advantages. If you don't have debt, you have some advantages. If you haven't gone to school, you have some advantages. If you haven't been molded and shaped and disabled society's way of doing things. But you have some disadvantages. People around you that don't know any better are going to judge you and everything else. When I was 18 years old, you know, I was on drugs to the point to where I had. By the time I was 19, I overdosed on cocaine and was arrested and put under arrest. They, like brought me back to life. Like I was dead. They brought me back to life. And because you asked me the other day, so where were you at 19? I said I was in prison and like, I was literally, I was dead. They brought me back to life so that they could arrest me. And I had like maybe $200 worth of drugs. It wasn't very much money, you know what I mean? But you'd have thought I was Scarface, you know? These guys arrested me and searched my apartment. I got kicked out of my apartment. And it was. I was only 19, dude, so it was like my first apartment. And, dude, it was a complete nightmare. I woke up the next morning, like, chained to the hospital bed. And by the time I was 21, I would see eight different prisons because of that incident.

Wow.

Right? And so.

But.

But here's the thing. Before I go on with that story, okay? Here's. Here's the big takeaway. I'm glad you started it the way you did first, right. Drove a nice car, great family. Wouldn't trade places with Bill Gates. I wouldn't trade this story I'm about to tell you with Bill Gates story either. Because I guarantee you, the two of us gather around a campfire.

They.

They gonna want to hear his shit. They're gonna love Uncle Stewman's fucking talk. I got some stories, man. I see shit in my lifetime. So I go to eight different prisons. And you know how, like, in the movies when you see people and they walk, like, down the three tier prison? Shawshank Redemption stuff. So, dude, I'm gonna murder you in the shower or whatever they're saying in the. Yeah, do that eight times. Eight times. Like, I had to be the new guy in a maximum security prison. Eight different fricking. Talk about learning a lesson.

Yeah.

I promise you, for a mere mortal. Right? For a mere mortal, one time is all you need.

Yeah, yeah.

Go through eight, you become hard. That's why they call me the hardcore closer, man. It's not because I'm necessarily that good of a salesperson. I am. But I'm. But it's more of the hardcore lifestyle.

Yeah, yeah.

Live, you know, and you kind of hear the pain in my voice sometimes when I get to talking about it. And I think that's one of the reasons I'm so funny. They say Navy SEALs are usually hilarious because that's how crazy people deal with stress. And. And, like, putting things down and making jokes about it seems to be our way of letting it out.

Yeah. Yeah.

So I get out of prison at, like, 21 and a half. Okay, so get arrested at 19. I spend, like a year and a half out on bond, and then they give me this story. Got me to sign for two years in prison. Had this public defender, this asshole, he didn't care for me. I didn't really care about myself either. You could probably tell, you know what I mean? In all reality, he's a lawyer. He probably. Probably like, this kid doesn't care. I don't care.

Whatever.

He goes, look, man, they're gonna give you two years in prison. First time offender, they're gonna give you two years in prison. It's your first time. You sign for the two years, what will happen is you do three or four months in the county jail. It's pretty clean there. Small county. It's like pretty clean there. Three or four months won't be so bad. You'll make first parole, you'll go home. You'll never see the inside of a penitentiary. Just sign right here. Thank God, you know what I mean? Dude, I signed my life away without even asking or questioning or I thought he had my best interest. Dude, about three weeks later, they got me butt naked and shackles, like, like, literally nuts to butts with other. Because you got to get naked before you go from, like county jail to prison. I don't know why that's the rules there, but that's the rules there. You got to get naked, right? Yeah, like, just like, you couldn't imagine the embarrassment. Some stuff that they show you, like Guantanamo Bay stuff back when that happened, right? We got to go, but it's just normal. You just got to go through it. And we're on this bus, man, and, dude, the guy handcuffed to me was detoxing on heroin. He kept using the restroom on himself stuff, dude, man, it's like every nightmare. We got to that first prison, the first dude off the bus and have no legs. He's got in a DWI accident and he killed a family of six. And the guards made him crawl on his elbows. They threw his fucking wheelchair to the side. It made him crawl on his elbows and sprayed him with water because they couldn't get him to stand up in the shower. Dude, it was nuts.

Wow.

Right out of the damn, we just got here. Is that guy an actor? Please tell me this is part of a act. Yeah, like, dude, it was nuts, man. Like nuts, dude. And I'm sure whatever that dude did, he had that coming. I don't. You know what I'm saying?

Like, whatever.

None of my business, but 20 years old and thinking that you're going to stay in this, like, cushy county jail that's basically brand new, the one that they had there to like being in a place with no air conditioning in Texas. 107 degrees, right? Like rolling up in there, they're beating up handicapped People, what are they going to do to me? Like, dude, it was nuts.

That's insane.

And I repeat that process eight times, y', all, that's how, that's like, that's. It's crazy. But I get out, I tell myself two things. Never knew I loved ice cream so much. That's like the only pleasure you get in there once a week. If you got a little money, you might get some ice cream.

Yeah, yeah.

And second, I will never break the law again. Never. I learned my lesson, right? Like, dude, I was everything but raped in there, you know, and, and the only reason I didn't get raped because I didn't get involved, right? And gamble. I mind my own business. I wasn't in a gang, I didn't join a gang. I didn't go in there with other co conspirators. I didn't know anybody from the neighborhood. I was laser focused, right? And did, did I think 18 months out of the 24, got lots of fights. You go to eight different damn places and move me around, you know, and then you get fights and then they move you from the place you fought to the next one. Like, dude, I would quit fighting if you would just lay me somewhere.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, I don't want to fight. I'm a nice guy. Yeah, dude, I was like 140 pounds. I was in no shape. I'm like 140 pound white, no shape to be. Like fighting people that have been like doing push ups for the last 10 years in prison.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stretch the imagination. I'm not prepared for this. So I get out, promise I'll never get in trouble again, right? A lot of people say that. Very few people do it. But I have one choice in my life. It's all I know. I can go wash cars and sell car washes and it ain't much, but it'll keep my ass out of prison and it'll keep my parole officer happy. So that's what I did. I went and got a job to car wash my stepfather had. And long story short, man worked my ass off there. 22 years old, 22 and a half maybe. I was 23. This regular customer asked me one day. So I've been coming here for forever. You work hard and you always pitch me and you always try to sell me a hand wax. She goes, you realize you wax my car like 12 times, right? Oh, I'm gonna hit you up every time too. But I appreciate it, you know? Yeah, yeah, come work for me. And I said, well, what do you do? I've never been offered a job before, ever in my life. It's like, what do you do? She goes, well, I'm a banker working finance. Like, dude, that sounds awesome. She goes, you love it. I was like, I don't know anything about finance. I said, that truck back there, the green one, smile. Paid cash for it, saved up for forever drug money. You know what I mean? I didn't tell her that, but. And I'm like, you know, I. I just. I don't know anything about credit.

I don't.

I don't have a credit card or anything. She's like, I'll teach you.

I'll teach you.

I was like, listen, the truth is I'm a convicted fellow, you know, I'm on parole now. She's, you'll be fine.

Right?

And so I took her up on the offer. I quit my job right there on the spot, went to work for the next.

Really? It was like that?

It was like that, dude. She said this. She was a real closer. She passed away a couple years ago, but Monica Hubbard was her name, God bless her. First person to ever take a chance on me in my life, man.

Wow.

Forget it. She said this. Worst case scenario, car wash, always take you back. They took you back straight out of prison. They'll take you back straight out of the bank, baby, come on and work for us, man. Have you ever watched Entourage? Yeah, I've seen a couple just like Babs in Entourage. Like Ari Gold's partner. Yeah, yeah, Monica, like wherever. Whoever made that character knew Monica.

Okay, okay.

Looks just like her too. But she was exactly like that, right? Not scared to say whatever was on her mind. She was a closer. And so. So she takes a chance on me. The first day that I come in there, I know nothing. I show up. I look like a guy that works the car wash, and I'm in a bank where people wearing like, you know, kicko boss suits. Yeah, right. And she teaches me a few things throughout the week. Has this guy trained me, and he's let me just look over his shoulders. And basically he's a nice guy, but he's like, don't get in the way. Just watch what I'm doing. I'll narrate it out loud. Right? Okay, cool. And then in the nighttime, I studied and took my test. Well, that weekend, my buddy still worked for that car wash, so I was at his parents house, right? Because when you're car wash, you live with your parents because. Yeah, yeah, Making no money there, right? You some loser shit.

Right?

And so I'm over there at the car wash at Dude's parents house. And they lived there for forever. And I was, I would just happen to ask him. I was like. They said, do you want a beer? I said, no, thanks, I'm not drinking. I'm focused on this new job I got. And they said, oh, tell us about your job. And I said, oh, I got a job doing something called mortgages. I don't know shit about it. But wait, you guys lived here for a long time, right? Like, if I could get my lady to talk to you and everything was cool, maybe she can do something for you. It's almost Christmas, I don't know. I saw her give some dude like a check for 30 grand last week. Maybe you guys can get something like that. And they're like, yeah, well, whatever, we'll talk to her. They're just being nice, right? Well, I told you Monica's closer, right? Monica got on the phone with a Monday and like, dude, they tried to crawfish every way they could, dude. And I watched Monica box them in and get them and then send me over there to get paper signed immediately, dude.

Oh my Lord.

But I don't know what any of that meant, you know what I mean? I just watched Monica say a bunch of things. She might as well have been speaking Russian for all I knew, you know, but, but I, I learned. And I listened to them ask questions. Like when I got there, I turned my old flip phone upside down, like 2003, and put it on speakerphone and let them ask her questions while I just sat there and made sure they signed all the papers she flagged. Right? Yeah, that kind of situation. And three weeks later, she gave me a check for 8,600 bucks.

Oh, yeah, right out the gate.

Yeah, dude, I might as well been, you know, Steve Jobs at that point.

Yeah, yeah.

And right out of the gate, dude, two or three days after that guy calls me that mows the yard at the car wash, he goes, dude, I was just at the car wash, man. You ain't there. Dude, it ain't never going to be the same without you. They said, you're doing banking stuff, man, I need a mortgage. He goes, you think you can do it for me? I never got one before. And I was like, sure, why not? They bought like a $700,000 home. So again, I made like $21,000 or $14,000 or so. Ridiculous amount of money in a couple weeks because Monica locked him down. I show back over there with the speakerphone, he's asking Questions. And I'm like, dude, I'm just a courier. They had no idea was making all that money because who would assume that I was going to make any money?

Yeah. Yeah.

On the phone. So within about 45 days, I made 21, $28,000. Like a significant amount of money.

Yeah.

You know, boom. I'm in at that point. You know what I mean? It's just like drug game for me. 100%, dude. I go like, I don't even drink alcohol no more, man. I'm so dialed in and focused. But, dude, it starts to catch up with me, man. By 2005, I'm, you know, I made $770,000 that year.

Wow. And the year before you were. You said it was. You were in prison. And the next year you get out.

So.

Wow.

I'm in prison. 2003, I'm at the car wash. 2004.

Got it.

I made $96,000 my first year in the mortgage business. I only, I started though, in like September, October, so remember, I made that money pretty quick.

So. Yeah. Yeah.

And so then in 2005, it was 770 something thousand.

Wow.

And I bought all these houses. So I have people come because, man, listen, youngsters don't be buying Gucci and Louis Vuitton and all that stuff, man. 40 years old. I just bought a Rolex, man. I'm telling you, like. And this Rolex, this has been paid for by Rolex after Rolex after Rolex, you know what I mean? Like, it's paid for from flipping stuff. These cars that I have. Yeah. Flipping stuff from other investments. I'm not buying them with my W2 income and stuff like that. I'm not walking in and paying cash for them. Do I flip my way into these cars from Infinities and Chevys and Fords up to Maseratis and then finally McLaren's all the way to where I'm at now, dude. I flipped my way into these cars, right?

Yeah.

And so I'm a big. I'm a deal maker. I come from a poor family. I'm a deal maker. I'm wearing $10 shirt at the most. You know what I mean?

Yep.

So I'm still that way. And I got a lot of money now, right? Like, a lot. And so. And I'm saying that to the audience, not so much as you, because I want you guys to know that, like, looking flashy now is fine. But let me tell you something for us dudes. Ladies, cover your ears. Guys. The one thing that we got going for Us is if you take care of yourself. And I'm not saying you have to be David Goggins. Right? But if you take care of yourself, we look better the older we get, even when we go bald. And if you have enough money, you just get hair transplants.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? If you just take care of yourself, exercise a few times a week, right? Don't eat like a pig so you don't turn into one of those. Those big old fat guys like. And chicks will like you, right? We look better like chicks love George Clooney. That guy's like 400 years old.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

We look better as we're older. Right. And I could go on to subliminally why. The reason why I say that, you ain't got all the you're trying to do for the people you're trying to impress in your 20s. They don't got any experience to know what's impressive. Anyway.

Yeah. Yeah.

I can tell you it feels a lot better after 35.

Okay? Okay.

I promise you.

Yeah, yeah.

But if you'll get focused. I'm also a person that's sitting here telling you these results after 35 and 40.

Yeah.

Right. And so I get out, start making all this money, dude. Cops thought I was selling drugs again. They raid my house. The cops raid my house, man, and they don't find any drugs. But I had guns in. In Texas, you can have guns once you are off of parole. This is long time after I'm off parole, so. In Texas, you can have guns after you're off parole. And so I beat the case they charged me with. Fell in possession of firearms. I beat the case. The damn ATF picked it up. And apparently they don't believe in the same rules. So, like, if you live in Colorado, you get caught with pot. You don't get caught with pot. If you're in Colorado, it's like whatever. It's like with alcohol, you just have pot, right? But the DA catches you with pot in Colorado, auto, you still going to federal prison.

Really?

That's what happened to me. There's state laws and federal laws, right? State laws, so you can have weed.

The feds just.

They're like, whatever. We're just not paying attention. But the federal law says that marijuana is still illegal. So if the DEA wanted to raid every dispensary right now, they surely could. And there ain't nothing anybody could do about it in the state, right? So that's what happened to me, Right. Small time. One guy I'm caught up. Double jeopardy. I'm in with the feds, and you don't beat a federal case unless you're like John Gotti. So I signed for. Well, it's about to be 20 years and. Right.

Just from the firearms.

Yeah, yeah.

After making. After making. After getting out of prison, making money, successful, like doing your thing.

Proving it that I paid taxes and own property. And.

Yeah. To the courts, like, you're at the high of your high. Like, you're rolling. You're killing it. Yeah. That's crazy.

Twenty years. But my lawyer, great dude. This is a guy named Craig Watkins. Now, this is important, this story. I'm gonna tell you these details I'm about to drop on you because 2019, everybody go, oh, you're racist. He's a black dude, okay? It was a Democrat from South Dallas. Now, if you're from Dallas, you know that those three things are very significantly, like, dark, right? Like I'm saying, there's this, like, South Dallas, the black part of town. He is a very dark person, and he's a Democrat lawyer. That's not how the Dallas court system works.

Yeah.

Dallas court system was designed by white dudes that are Republicans for other white people. Right. That's just how it was up until like maybe five years ago. Right. Actually, until 11 years ago with this, what I'm about to tell you happened. Craig says he's gonna run for Dallas district attorney of Dallas county. Right. There's never been a black dude in history in any judicial spot in Dallas county. Right. And it's 2008.

Yeah.

2006. There's no history. Black dudes in that. Non Democrats never even voted a Democrat in. Right. And so we go to. With this, we realize that not that many people vote for district attorney. Right. It's just not a popular spot. So we go to work in South Dallas, man. We put together a campaign to get everybody from the hood on buses to the polls, man. And there's a lot more poor people in the hood than there is rich people, and they're nice houses in. So we got old Craig elected first ever. Now, I'm not a Democrat or a Republican, but that day I was a Democrat. You know what I mean? But I got team Craig. He's my attorney, and we made it happen. And he got elected. We made history, and they still want to give me 20 years. Shit, man. Damn.

Wow.

Some strings for me. They had somebody they wanted from Dallas, and he wouldn't turn them loose. And he pulled some strings for me and him and Senator Royce west got me 15 months federal time inside another maximum security prison, but assigned for it. And in the feds, maximum security is not that big deal. You're inside a bunch of fences and stuff. But this white collar folks, you know what I mean? I went in there with killers that I felt like anyway. I'm sure they were in there. But yeah, yeah, I went to 15 months. No AC again, right? One prison this time. I did seven in the state, one in the fed. So I go stay there for 15 months. Well, before I go in, I get married. I turn all my money and houses and everything over to my wife so she can hold the fort down, man. She leaves me for the landscape or about 90 days into this thing and spends all my money. I come out of prison. I walked in a millionaire. I come out of prison 15, 13 and a half months later to the halfway house with $25 to my name.

Wow.

And two things are really cool, though. The first day they let me out of the halfway house to go look for a job, I went downtown to a high rise and I pretended like I could afford it, and they let me up there. And I looked around and I gave myself. I said, you know what? You screwed up. You're 30 years old. You're supposed to be a millionaire while you're 30 and you hadn't lost it. This is your future. Look, right now, this building, this life, these cars are in the park lot. This is your future. You got to get to work. And so I went and applied for this job, Casey. And a few days later applied for this job, this credit. Man, I know I told you this story Saturday, but applied for this job at this place called Credit Solutions or Debt Solutions, something like that, right? It was perfect. It was gonna lead me to that high rise. I was gonna be able to buy my Ferrari with that credit. I saw the energy in the office. Like, sometimes you go places you like, dude, that's the culture. I saw the energy in the office. Yeah. Red bull and headsets, TVs in their cubicle. Dude, it was dope.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm gonna take over this place. I've been top producer at the car wash in the bank that I work for, right? Like, it ran circles around everybody else. I knew I was just gonna do the same thing there. I get the second interview because they do two interviews. They tell me I got the job on a Thursday, Monday, before I go in, they. They call me early in the morning. They say, don't come in. We ran your background check. You lied to us. I Checked no for felon dream. And so I didn't get the job. That was hard work. I want you guys, before I tell you the rest of the story, I want you guys to think of how many setbacks I've been. In my 20s, right? Divorced, incarcerated twice. Dream job out the window, right? The dream job that I had, that was making me 700 grand out the window. The dream job that I want. Because the whole time I was in prison, I'm watching them talk about the mortgage industry fall apart. 2007, 2008. Dude, most people won. If not one quarter of those setbacks would have stopped them in their tracks. I'd have a choice, man. I'm not gonna be homeless. I have to go somewhere. So I go get a job back in the mortgage business. I commit this company to give me a job, and of course, I become top producer. The next two years, make about 300 grand. But about four, four or five months after I take this job, when I'm working late and I walk past the break room, the TV's on at the mortgage place, and I see that the feds were raiding the credit solutions place, arresting the owners, the sales people. Like, arrested them. Had I got that job, I would have for sure been the top salesperson. Yeah, that job, I would have for sure had three strikes. Had I got that job, I would for sure not be here right now.

That's insane.

Sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, everything that breaks your heart, that hurts right there in that moment, man, that makes you cry, that makes you feel like a loser. It makes you feel like a chance just not supposed to happen. Is working for you behind the scenes, man. And if I hadn't just walked in front of that tv, I'd never know that. But I feel like God was like, hey, man, just take. I don't even watch tv. Like, take a glance over at the tv. Let me. Let me. Let me look out for my boy a little bit, you know?

Yeah, Yeah.

I feel like that's what's happening. Like, at that moment, he set his hand on my shoulder, goes look at the tv, son. I'm looking out for you. Yeah, I use that as a sign to be like, oh, man, it's like 50 Cent says, you know, like, I'm here for a real reason. Like, I got hit, but they ain't breathing. Yeah, Yeah, I really felt that, you know? And because of that, dude, I'm just. I kept pushing on. But guess what, man? In 2010, Obama, he signed this law that said that. It's called the Dodd Frank act that said you can't work in the financial services anymore. Boom. Like, damn, I'm back. I ain't even had that long back in the game. I only had enough time to make about 300 grand and shit. I owed 150 of it because I've been behind on my Damn bills for 15 months.

Yeah.

And so, you know, now I don't have a job. And that's how I got into Internet marketing and coaching.

Yeah, I'm gonna say that like real quick. Like how, what was the transition from, you know, you're in prison, you get out, you make, you make a lot of money, then they find you with guns, and then there you're back there, then you get out, you get this job. And now obviously, like we're talking about, you've had a podcast since 20, 2011. You're, you're super tied into all of these world class people, Andy, Frisella, Bradley, and all these different people in terms of like the social media space, digital marketing. Like, I want to know. And I think you were just about to get there. Like, what was the pivot from like, what you were doing there to like, how you got to where you are today?

Well, so I don't know that there was a pivot, man. I think a lot of people pivot when sometimes just have to keep charging forward.

Okay.

My buddy Ali's money, he always says, like, you know, be a rhino preneur, just like breaking through the walls, you know. And, and so for me, I just kept moving forward. Like, you ever seen like the football tryouts were like the dudes running down the field. One person hits him with a bag and he has to like, spin around.

Yeah, yeah.

And then the next person hits him with the bag. Right. Like, I just felt like that's life for us entrepreneurs and us like people that aren't like, conform as like normal, go get a job at the factory type?

Yeah, yeah.

And so I don't think there was a pivot point. I think there was just no point where I ever pivoted. There was no point where I ever stopped. And here's the great thing again, man, I'm telling you, I feel like God really had his hand on me because, you know, I didn't always feel that way. Now I do sometimes at the time I'm like, damn, God, why you cursing me like this, man? Now I realize when I was in the mortgage business, I met a dude named Mike Reese, still a really good friend of mine, and he was the top real estate agent in the Area. And I did all of his mortgages. Well, when I lost my job in the mortgage business, I went to hit Mike up to work for him. Well, Mike had no idea. I mean, Mike knew I made good money, so he had no idea we want to come work for him. And he didn't know I lost my job yet. But when I told him, before I could ask him for a job, he said, dude, you need to look into Internet marketing. No license, no boss. Write your own paychecks. The wild, wild west. You walk in, clean out the cash register, walk out, nobody even cares.

Yeah.

He goes, I have these $8,000 DVDs I'll give you. And I went, dude, you have eight grand. You're like the cheapest bastard I've ever met.

Right?

And he goes, dude, I paid eight grand for these.

Yeah.

If somebody parked you and it's been an eight GS, I want to know what's in that information.

Yeah.

You know what I Learned in those DVDs?

Let's hear it.

How to make a sales funnel. And from that point, once I got my first lead and my first sale, I just never stopped, dude. I had to go sell cars for a little while. I had to move in with. I got remarried, had a kid, had to move in with my in laws. Dude, I had to make ultimate sacrifices. But flash forward, because we ain't got all year to talk on this podcast. Like I said in the beginning, I drove to work in a Rolls Royce. All my kids are in private school. There's nothing you could do that I would ever go broke. I have a skill that's unstoppable. Once you can generate leads, close sales, and negotiate a deal, no matter what, I can go get a job, go get my own money, write my own paycheck, anytime, any place, anywhere. All because I never stopped. But because I lost money and got incarcerated and had all these hardships, I had to learn to do all this shit myself. I didn't have anybody that I could pay to do it for me. I didn't know people. I literally had to learn every piece. And while, again, that seemed like a curse at the time.

Yeah.

Business like I do.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, so. So break it down. I want to know this. So, like, getting into Internet marketing, where it was like, obviously things have changed within that time frame in terms of where we are today. I want to bring people some, like, some current, some value in terms of, like, in 2019, the businesses are operating. Like, if people are getting into this space today, like, what would you say the things they should look out for, what should they, where should they spend their time if they're getting into this social media, Internet marketing world?

Well, there's so many different things that you can do. But what I would recommend is do one thing and until become a millionaire from that one thing, don't do anything else.

Got it.

Until I was a millionaire from that one funnel I never started implementing or from that one product, I never started implementing other stuff.

Got it.

A lot of times we do what you say, we pivot. Really what we should do is keep charging forward. It'd be really easy for somebody go, my website's not working. It's a lot easier than like, what's it gonna take to make this website work? And that's, that's the mindset I had. It's like shipping, it's not delivering leads. What's it gonna take to deliver leads?

Yep.

Because advertising and having a funnel and Internet marketing, it's a scientific test. You have variables and controls. Variables might be the audience, it might be the offer, but then you have to base it against controls or you don't know what works and what don't. Man, people think you just push a button and get something in front of somebody and they shell out money. In 2019, you can do all those things a lot faster. That's the beauty about doing it now versus back then. But it's not that easy. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

All the people that tell you it is, they're lying, asking for a check, stuff.

Real work. Yeah, yeah. So. So one thing I want to talk about too is you talk a lot about like charging forward and just maintaining that drive. So when it comes to like building a team and building a community that you've built, what would you say is the most important thing you've done to maintain culture and build a tribe that is always on the same page?

In a sense, man, I lead by example, you know, like there's nobody talking behind my back going, yeah, Stubman acts all that way on camera and stuff. But behind scenes, why we're doing draw drugs still and shady deals like, that ain't me, man, I've been in this business 11 years. I'm not even on the rip off report. I'm not even on the salty droid, you know, and yeah, because I delivered, you know, 100 of the time, I have delivered or made things right. That's just like, you know, not everybody's gonna be happy. Just make things right.

Yeah.

And. And you know, I think that's played like a huge role is just, you know, just making sure that I always deliver what I said. I was going to forget the audience. I mean, a lot of people miss that these days. I say it's real easy to sell, but it's super hard to deliver, man. But I like, when I build this culture, I always joke and say, hey, you know, I was adopted. I've been to prison and divorced. I have, like, you know, abandonment issues. Like, if you come and you work with me, if you become a client, we're in this for life. You can't leave me. I will find you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I have you pixeled. I will find you.

Yeah.

And. But because that's like, when you become part of our sales Talk with sales pros group on Facebook, it's like you're into this, like, one big family. You might have a cousin rough you.

Up a little bit.

That's how it is sometimes.

Family.

But you're a part of this big family culture, you know what I mean? Where people can say what they want and, you know, as long as it's not, like, insane, crazy stuff, people can say what they want and have a good time and talk about their problems and stuff like that. So I think what I'm saying, the big key to building that culture is being the leader that leads by example. I'm that person that needs to say, hey, man, he's been through every setback that I've been through and some. And he lives that life. I want to be that guy. And that's how I built it.

Yeah. Yeah. I think something important to you, you've. You've brought up in terms of family, like, how is having a family and kids changed how you look at life and look at business and manage your time, in a sense.

Well, my wife has made me a softy. They say the more money you make, the more your true character is revealed. When I'm poor, you don't want to know me. You know, when I ran the streets and didn't have money, I was a very bad character. And I was a bad character then. I can only imagine how bad I would be with what I know now if it came to that, you know? And what I find out is the more money I have, the nicer guy I am, the more loving and giving. I give a lot of money to charity and help out a lot of people, good bonuses to my employees and stuff like that, man. Take care of our clients and all that stuff, man. And that's a huge deal for me, you know? It's just able to, you know, being able to give back and all that other stuff, man. And I. Money's allowed me to become this better person. It doesn't always do that to somebody. But I'm so happy for where I'm at right now. But having a family, the reason why I tell you that is, like, having a family. My wife's made me a big softie because I grew up hard person. Eight prisons, all this other shit, right? Like adopted, you know, selling drugs, running the streets, homeless. All these things, right, that, like, create this tough topic here that makes it harder for me to love somebody, and it makes it hard for me to trust somebody. But, you know, when you have kids, you realize, like, dude, they don't know all that. And they're like. They're down, like, four flat tires for whatever, you know, like, birth. They're literally from birth. They're like, me and you, we're lifers.

You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.

And. And you just kind of know that. You're like, dude, this guy, my son Jack's me. Been riding with me for eight years now.

You know what I mean?

I got friends that und dropped off at that time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My wife I'm married to now hadn't even been around that long, you know, and so that's just like, you know, he's with me for life. No matter what I do, man, I can mess up. He's going to be disappointed, but he's with me.

Yeah.

My job is to not disappoint him. I look at all the, like, my dad gave me up. I was adopted. So always sacred, the dad I never had. All the things that nobody understood about me. I may not understand about them, but I'm not going to go slap them on medicine. I'm not going to do all those things. I just want to be a good person and level.

Yeah.

Because of that, it's made me love my customers, it's made me love my employees. It's made me a lot. I used to hire and fire people all the time, so it's just hard, man.

Yeah, for sure. For sure.

And now, man, I like, I'll give you, you know, a second chance, train you, take my time with you. I have a lot more patience. That's definitely come from being a parent.

Got it. Now that makes sense. I have, like, two more questions, too, before we wrap it up. So, like, the other day at the event, you spoke about what you talk about in your book. It was like the first four levels of an entrepreneur Correct. I'd love you to walk you through that to the people listening, because I think the people that ask that question and the way you answer that was very beneficial to the crowd on Saturday. So I'd love you to just give them like the four step basis that you've written in your book when it comes to being an entrepreneur.

Yeah. So there's four levels. When people take, man, I gotta level up in business, right? We say this, but it doesn't ever happen for a lot of people because there's no clear vision to equate what that means. There's no clear vision to see when you've leveled up, right? You say leveled up, you think, what means more money? What's the dollar amount? I don't know, just more, right? It's more business, more. It's like, so you have to have you truly going to level up in life if you're truly going to beat distractions. The fourth barrel, you have to have clarity. That's why vision boards matter so much, right? But so now once I'm about to give you the clarity in what leveling up in business means, there's only four levels, right? And you're on one of these levels, you're going to either make it to level three or four or drop off somewhere along the way. But when you say leveled up, it isn't more money, it's the steps that's needed to make this next level. And the more money is a byproduct of that. Level one is being a sales professional, right? When you're a salesperson, you're in commission only. You care about yourself. You go out, you sell someone else's product. You might be an employee, you might be a 1099 contractor, but either way, you're a salesperson for someone else's company. Level two is self employed, right? A good salesperson will save up enough money to start their own business. Nobody should stay employed for another company and make that company money forever. You should save up your commission. Don't buy Rolexes, wear a Fitbit, don't go buy Seven jeans, buy express jeans. Just little hacks like that make all the difference and go out there, save up that money, start your own business. Level up to level two, self employed. Now, when you are a salesperson and self employed, it's all about you, right? You get paid, it's your money, chore company, your decision. You get to level three, that changes. Level three is CEO. Okay? So when you're self employed and you say you need to level up, that doesn't mean that you need to become self employed in five different LLCs. That means that you need to become CEO in at least one. A CEO is a person that has employees, clients, systems, and a scalable business with assets. Right. Just because you have one person in a single member LLC with the title CEO does not mean you are a real CEO, at least in this equation. You have to have a functioning business. Okay. When you have a CEO though, things change. Because when you're self employed and yourself and you're a salesperson, you get paid first. When you're the CEO, you get paid last.

Yep.

I take one paycheck a year since the end of the year. Right. All year long I got to live on that paycheck. I get paid last according to how we did for the company. Now, some people take salaries out, but I think a good CEO, when you get to a position gets paid last and think of the company first. There's plenty of times where I could like go to company money and go buy another car or something like that. That's not good for the company. I have to truly have the company's best interest, you know. And so you start thinking different. Right. You start thinking of others first when you become a CEO. And the fourth level is when you become an investor. And that's when you hire CEOs to run the companies that you buy. Okay. So right now I am between 3 and 4. I have some companies that I have invested in and I have other jockeys and CEOs running and then I have companies that I run myself. So I'm about a three and a half on the scale at 40 years old. And so when I know that I need to level up, my goal is to get these companies running, replace myself as citizens CEO so that I'm just strictly the investor owner at that time. And then what that case you think, okay, well good. So investor, you have somebody else doing the business. You're chilling on the beach, right. Maybe. But you're probably reading financial sheets. You're probably looking for other companies to spend your money with. You're probably looking at high level things that you maybe can advise and coach the CEO on. That's my plan. Yeah, I do. Right. So never. There's no level four retirement people.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's level four. You know, put your money to work for you and. But you still got to look at that money. You still got to be the shepherd of your finances.

Yep, yep, for sure. So, so real quick, just to really, to wrap it up, I think it's just for the people listening, just hearing how we just ended. On that note, of the systems and the business models and the investors, coming from someone that 19 years old has this insane story. I want you to, if you can, like, looking back along your journey, like, what would you want to tell someone that's 18, 19 years old that's just hearing this podcast and they're just starting their journey? Like, what would be one of the things that maybe you've learned just not only in prison, but running companies to meeting people, to getting to where you are now? What would be something you'd like to hand off to that someone? Just getting started in the game.

Yeah. So a few pieces of advice I always give people, man, Young folks. Like, number one, stay out of debt. You'll hear Grant Cardone and other guys talk about it. They're older, they know what to do with it. You don't know what to do with it yet. I'm not, I'm not trying to be an asshole. I'm just saying stay out of debt, right?

Yes.

Later on in life, when you want to make moves, that debt will hold you in place. If you get a house early and that job offer comes up in somewhere else and you got to sell the house and you can't sell the house and you can't afford to make that move, that opportunity, don't let go somebody else, right? So stay out of debt first and foremost, right? Stay low, low, low. Like, low cost of living. Don't get married, right? Like, dude, you love her. That's cool. Things will change in your 30s. Just don't get married, right?

Yeah.

Live together, whatever. Don't get married. And I know that, like, you're not supposed to say that from a religious sense, but it's 20. It's almost 2020, dude. It's okay to live with somebody. Most people are doing it anyway. It's okay, Right? But don't get married, man. Because when you get married, you got to give half your stuff away. And do that can set you back so much when you're young. Next, don't have any kids, right? It's not going to be fun raising kids. So you're in your 30s anyway because you can't afford it, right? In your 20s, it will cripple your ability to do anything. It'll make you to where your hours aren't as flexible. It'll make it to where your finances aren't as flexible. Don't do that. You're in your 30s and you can afford it. I have my kid 1231. Thank God.

Yeah.

The only smart thing I've done in my life, and I think it was by accident.

Let's go.

And so if you don't have any debt, kids are bills, right? You don't have any debt, any bills, you haven't lost your entire fortune to be divorce, then that allows you to be nimble, right? You got to up and move because the opportunities in New York City and your girlfriend can't go. It's like, you know, I love you, it's cool, but I'm on the path for greatness and I can't just be here and settle.

I'm sorry.

You're either with me or you can't, you know, and if she's meant to be, she'll find a job up in New York. If he's meant to be, he'll find a job in New York. My wife was making 200 plus thousand dollars a year in Scottsdale, Arizona, and I'm like, dude, I'm in Dallas. I can't move anywhere else. I got kids here, businesses here, like, and your business ain't here. So if you come here, you got to find something else. She did, you know, and now thankfully I'm fortunate enough to where she runs my business instead of somebody else's. But she, the wife that I'm spending the rest of my life with, was willing to make that jump and I wouldn't rip sip I couldn't afford. We needed her income, you know what I mean? But that was the case that it made me so, man, those things will really help you out because when you're in those situations, you don't have a lot of bills. So you can go mentor. You can go work for a mentor as a kid that's here working for me for $12 an hour. Yeah, he does the first thing I.

Show up in the morning.

He's got, you know, my breakfast for me in the afternoon. He sits in my office and listens to me. Most of the time just write notes. Learning, right? I got him for me, right? He don't have any college debt. He don't have nothing. By the time he's 25, he'll probably be a millionaire.

Yeah, I love it.

Debt free millionaire.

I love it. I love it. So, Ryan, to really wrap it up, I know before we started, you said you've had a podcast since 2011, you've been doing content and you've been in this game for a while. And I want people, if this was their first time hearing of you today, I want them to not only follow you, but really get in tune with what you're doing. Listen to the Rewire podcast and just go in depth. Because I know we're excited to announce a lot of the things that we have working on together, and we won't spoil it yet, but I want people to truly take the time to follow you. So people are wanting to know where they can follow you, where they can get in touch with you, where's the best place they should go to really stay in contact and just understand what you're doing.

Yeah, it's all at Hardcore Closer. Calm. Everything you know, podcast, blog posts, videos.

Yep.

Everything I do is@ hardcore closer.com and the most active social media channel that I'm on is Instagram. It's at Hardcore Closer there. Yeah, definitely Hardcore closer dot com. That's. You can find everything. Do that search bar on that site is your friend. There's over 2500 blog posts, 1900 videos, over a thousand podcasts. Like, that site is content rich.

Let's go.

It's all free.

Yeah, let's go. So, that being said, everyone listening, I just want to say thank you so much for tuning in to the rise of the young podcast, Ryan, AKA Hardcore Closer. Thank you so much for being on, man. I'm looking forward to build this empire with you, brother.

Yeah, man, same here. And I'll be on the conference call with you in a couple of days. Thanks for having me on.

Yep. Thanks so much.

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