He's 17 and Makes $300/Hour Flipping Couches - Ep. #323

I picked up this one couch for free that I talked the guy down from $100. I picked it up for free, resold it. That's like $1,000 coming in.

That's so cool.

Moving sale. This is a side hustle that you can do at any age. It's a great opportunity, especially if you don't have time. Just can go out for 20 minutes like I did today and make $300 off a couch.

You're averaging $200 to $300 an hour.

Yeah, it's crazy. Two couches later, I'm learning quick. I'm dialing it in. I picked up this one couch for $100.

Yeah.

I snap a picture of it, upload it into AI, just gives it a whole background and makes it look perfect. I listed it. For $1,780. $1,780 bucks. Yeah. That night I got a message and this guy, he's like, did you do like $1,580 for him?

I'm like, geez, can I 15x my money?

Yeah, I know. He's like, can I Venmo you just to lock it in? He sent me $1,580 and I was like, geez, are you kidding me? It doesn't take that long and there's always people that are wanting to get rid of their stuff.

Yeah. And I feel like this opportunity of couch flipping will be around in 20 years and in 5 years The CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK said, as long as pianos weigh 700 pounds, we're going to be in business. Yeah. Right. AI is not about to disrupt that. Yeah. This is going to be an opportunity.

100%.

Right.

Get started. Don't sit around wasting your time playing video games, watching TV, waiting for something to happen good to you. You got to take action and you got to figure it out yourself and you got to get the job done.

Okay. So my team just texted me and said there's this kid named Bentley outside of Salt Lake City. 17 years old and he's flipping couches. Supposedly he's a hustler making thousands of dollars. So we're going to head up to Highland, Utah. We're in Lyndon, Utah right now and see if we can interview Bentley last minute. I don't have my crew with me, but we're just going to MIH, make it happen. Let's go meet Bentley. Okay. Bentley, thanks for having me. Of course. Uh, how old are you?

17.

Going into your senior year?

Going into senior year.

All right. And your dad tells me you've been an entrepreneur your whole life.

Yeah.

When did that start? What was the first hustle?

Oh, I mean, you know, when I was 5, I've been, been at carnivals and stuff. I would sit out there with my little cooler, have a little sign. I mean, it's a little timid at that point, but it was a good time. Just sat out there and just kind of waited for, for the sales to come in. And then as I continued growing, you know, I got into door-to-door and selling random little products and stuff like that. And then ultimately found the couch flipping business from your podcast and it's grown from there. Okay.

So when you're door to door, what type of things were you selling? Were you just going to your neighbors and like what age?

Ooh. So, um, when I was going door to door, this was, this was actually a couple of years ago. So it was pretty, it was pretty recent. So I'd say I did this, I did this last summer and the two summers before that. So my dad actually had a buddy that he imported a bunch of these, um, like slow kids playing signs from China.

Okay.

I don't know if you can picture this. So they're like little circles and they like pop up. It says like slow kids playing, stick out in your driveway. So he's like, maybe you should just hit him up, try selling these. Because I mean, my daddy's like, just go door to door trying that. So I actually bought a bunch of those from him. I went and started doing that, selling them for $20 apiece. And, you know, I sold a bunch of them. I was selling out, selling out. So I kept picking more and more and more. And then I actually, I knocked on this one door and then this guy, he's like, you know what, look, I've got another option or whatever. I like, something that you could sell that I think would do well. And he pulled me into his garage and he had these little grill scrapers that were like packaged in a little nice box and had like a little ribbon around them. I was like, you know what, I'll try. He gave me 3 to go sell. First 3 doors I knocked, I sold each of them for $15. First doors that answered.

100% close rate.

100% close rate. So then I was like, geez, give me some more of these. So I bought a bunch and then I just went and tried them and I was like, boom, boom, boom. I was making like $120 an hour.

And then— And how old were you again?

This was, I was probably 15.

Okay.

15 when I—

And was this your neighborhood?

I was going—

The one you were in?

No, so I actually, I would ride my little scooter cause I couldn't drive yet. So I ran my scooter to other neighborhoods cause I mean, my mom didn't want me talking to the neighbors and putting pressure on her. So, you know, just, just doing whatever I could to get out. And so yeah, I went and sold those and then I upped the price to $20 and it was just banging, boom, boom, boom.

Yeah.

So I was making, anywhere from $60 to $180, $200.

Yeah.

Like close to there. I mean, $200 on a good day, but you know, um, and then I started selling. Once I ran out of those, I completely bought him out. He couldn't get any more. So I, um, so I started selling ties. My mom had imported these ties from China. She's like, go sell these. Like, you're a missionary. Well, you're going to be a missionary, blah, blah, blah. So I was like, whatever. I went and sold some of those. And you know, after 3 years of doing that, I mean, it's, it's pretty mentally draining going out on the doors.

I mean, well, you're going to be ready for a mission though.

Oh, I know for sure. But yeah, you know, just tired walking around all day, you know? So I was like, okay, I got to find something else. And that's where I ultimately found the couch flipping business.

Yeah. I'm just thinking of this from the perspective of the guy who had the grill scrapers. Like he probably was doing some Amazon hustle that didn't go well. And he had like way too much product in his garage that he was about to throw away. You were probably a godsend to him.

Oh, I know.

Perfect win-win.

Yeah.

You're happy. He's happy. Yeah. Okay.

So.

How did you like learn to sell though? Did you have any like first principles? Like did your dad train you or were you just like?

Yeah, so I mean, I would always like in the winters I would go shovel driveways and stuff like that. And my dad would always help me out with the pitch of things and stuff. And then over time, you know, I just kind of developed it and found what worked best for me and how I can make the most money. So, I mean, even if I didn't get a sale, I was, I was getting like a $1 to $5 tips every time I go out, just kind of inching money out of people and stuff like that. So. You know, just kind of developing it and just getting a feel for things over time.

Anytime I talk to a young person, and I use that word relatively young, like, yeah, 10 years old, 20, 30, whatever, like, they're often likely to, like, shrink from their age because they feel, like, insecure about it. But, like, that's your biggest selling point.

Yeah.

If you're 12, like, I'm 12. Like, if you're 32 years old trying to support your, your family, I'm 32 years old trying to support my family. My wife just had a kid. Like, sell your story. Yeah, like use your youth to your advantage because it like if you were to go out today and go to the same homes, like if you had this perfect like A/B test, your close rate probably wouldn't be as high just because you're a little older. Like even if you did everything else the same and if you were to go out 10 years from now, your close rate would be even lower. Like, sure, youth is an advantage.

Yeah.

Okay, so you're 15, you're selling the stuff door to door, you're making good money, and then Tell me how couch flipping started to come into it.

Yeah, for sure. So I mean, after I got sick of kind of the door-to-door, I mean, I was so good at it. I was closing a bunch of deals. I'm like, Dad, how can I make more money? Like, I need to be making more money. I mean, like, I want to be, I want to be a millionaire when I'm older. Like, even in the next couple of years, I got to figure out some just ways to keep growing and becoming better, you know? So I was like, I was just kind of pissed one day. I was just like, geez, what? Like, I was scrolling KSL. I was like looking on the free section.

And KSL is like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, but for Utah.

Yeah, for sure. So I mean, you could use any of those platforms. So I was looking through there on the free section. I saw a couple of couches. I was like, geez, like people buy couches. Like, can I just go pick one of these up and resell it? I asked my dad about it and he was like, he's like, I don't know. He's like, look, I know this guy, he's Chris Koerner or whatever. He's like, he's got a podcast. Go watch some of these. He's got tons of business ideas, endless. You can watch. And so we hopped on there together and he scrolled down. He's like, look, there's a couch flipping idea right there. He's so I went and watched that. I was like, sweet. I'm going to, I'm going to try this out. I was like, it can't hurt to try it out. So I picked up my first couch. I actually paid $75 for it. Okay. So this, this wasn't one of my best deals.

Looking back, would you not have done that now?

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't have because it was, it was a small loveseat. I mean, I still talked him down from like $150. I think I ended up flipping that couch for— I made $70 or $90 profit. So I doubled plus a little extra, which was still pretty good, but definitely nowhere near what I'm doing now and how my flips are now. So yeah, I was just up from there.

How much time did you put into that first flip, give or take?

Yeah, so this was actually where I learned the most and kind of my dad helped me out. I mean, he's making me rent his truck. He's making me pay for gas, all that stuff. So I had, I, this couch was like 30 minutes away and I was just excited. I was like, I just got to try it, get going, see how it works out, you know? So I drove like 30 minutes to go pick this up, 30 minutes back.

You drove yourself? Yeah.

So me and my buddy went and then Yeah, so I, I picked it up in, in like an hour and then I brought it in the house right over here by the fireplace, staged it. Like it, it took, it took too long and it wasn't like I said, I had to pay for gas. I had to rent the truck. It's like by the end, like it wasn't, it wasn't too much money. So I was like, okay, so that's when I kind of dialed things in. I'm like, okay, so I need to be staying within a certain radius, so now I don't go. I try my best not to go in a, like, more than a 10-mile radius. So, so yeah, that's where I, I learned the most and, um, kind of what I need to go after and stuff. And, um, yeah.

So if you could go back in time, do you think you could get that couch, that same couch for free using what you know?

You know, the couch, it was, it was almost a brand new couch.

So I mean, so it was a good price.

Yeah. So I still, I still talked it down like $75. Okay. So it was still a decent price, but I mean, just not enough margins on the flip to really justify it. So, um, 2 couches later after like I've learned this, like I'm learning quick, I'm dialing it in. I picked up this one couch for free that I talked the guy down from $100. I picked it up for free, resold it for $100. So that's easy, $100. And then the next deal I did, I scrolled all the way down on KSL, just trying to find images that were poor quality, like made the couches not very look very good and different things like that. So I went, this was, it was like 10, 15 minutes away. I picked it up. Um, and this like, like the pictures were super like that poor quality, which is a good indicator, which is a really good indicator. So I'm just looking really dissecting it. Um, super dark lighting. The couches weren't fluffed. They were like all put down, you know, they didn't look very good. I was showing my parents. I was like, look at these, cause I'm just getting started. They're like, yeah, go pick that up. So I go over there. I talked the guy down from $200 to $100. I kept trying to go. He's like, 100 is good. I get over there. I'm like, geez, these things are nice. Perfectly white and everything. And it's like two separate couches. And so I get them, I bring them back here, I set them up in the living room and I set them up like a sectional because they can be set up like here. And then I put like different—

and he didn't have them pictured like that.

No, he didn't.

You want to show people the potential, like the vision of what this picture—

and these ones. Yeah, it was, it was, it was a steal. So I listed it. So I got him for $100.

Yeah.

I listed it for $1,780. $1,780.

Yeah.

The next, that night or the, yeah, that night I got a message and he's like, he's like, all right, bro. He's like, this guy, he's like, did you do, did you do like $1,580 for him? I'm like, I'm like, Jesus.

Can I 15x my money?

Yeah. But I know he's like, he's like, can I Venmo you just to lock it in kind of secure? I'm like, Yeah, my dad thinks it's a freaking scam. He's like, what? What's going on right here? So then I was, I sent him my Venmo. I was like, yeah, he sends me $1,500.

I was like, he freaking paid for all of it. Like in advance.

Yeah. He paid for all of it. So he came and picked it up like the next week, but he, yeah, he sent me $1,580 and I was like, geez, are you kidding me?

Was that the only message you got about it?

Yeah. I sold it a day later.

But were you getting other outreaches about it at all? Or just that one guy?

Just the one guy. Cause I mean, it was, it was, it was only on there for a couple hours and I got the message that night. I was like, geez, okay.

What told you to list it for that price? Like, what did you see out there?

I mean, you know, for me, when I, when I'm evaluating couches and stuff, I kind of just look at it and see how nice it is. I'm like, like, what would I pay for this myself? Like, if I'm looking at something like what looks high end, like, if like, I feel like I just have that inner sense where it's like, this looks high end. I can like, um, what I do when I'm flipping couches, I list like highest price possible, see if there's any interest. If not, like I have time, I have garage space. I mean, just, I can lower the price if I need to and just see what happens from there. So yeah, I just listed it for that. He talked me down like $100. I mean, I, I was like, okay, freaking, yeah, I'm making $1,480 right here. So yeah, come take it.

It's funny when you mentioned like talking the guy down from $200, $100, I was picturing that meme of like the Spider-Mans all like pointing their fingers. Oh yeah. Because we're in Utah, which is like home of the cheapest people in the world. And I say that respectfully as someone who's lived here for like a third of my life. And it's like, he's cheap. He doesn't want to come down. You're cheap. You want to buy it for cheap, but like you won. And ultimately his biggest undoing arguably was his poor pictures and poor description. He didn't sell vision. Um, like that's, I mean, you could have paid $200 and still made a ton.

I know for sure.

So were you able to, like, did you do much research on the brand of the sectional or did you look it up on Facebook Marketplace to see what other people were selling it for? Or you just like, I paid $1,500 for that.

I mean, I looked at some sectionals and stuff like that and like obviously sectionals sell for more. So I mean, I just looked and I didn't, I don't even know the brand of the couch. I mean, it just looked nice. I staged it super well. And so yeah, I mean, just listed it for high. I was like, let's see what happens, you know? So yeah, that's kind of how I went from things. And then, um, on the other side of things, when I've been, I've been staging these, that would take like 20 minutes to stage them kind of. I'd have to carry them in the house, carry them out, you know? So for the past couple weeks, in the past couple flips, I've actually, I found a way to make it a lot quicker. So it's like, it's only the time of pickup that really contributes into it. So I'm taking the couch, I'm bringing it back, I unload it into the driveway, and then in the garage, I snap a picture of it, upload it into AI, say, AI, like, give me a good looking background with a home that's furnished and make it look super good. Keep the couch exactly the way it is though. And then it just gives it a whole background and makes it look perfect. Just as if it were.

It's real. Are you using ChatGPT Image 2?

Yeah, I'm using ChatGPT for that.

Because Image 2 is like, that's the best image generation model right now in my opinion. Awesome. Because I think people might be watching this like, oh, well, yeah, you got a beautiful living room. So easy for you to just do. Anyone could do that.

I know.

With a $20 tool.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's like, obviously I have these resources. I have garage space. I have a truck. I have this, but like, there's so many different ways to be able to do it. Like, dude. You need a truck, it's like pay a neighbor $20.

Home Depot rents trucks for $30 a day.

I know, I know. And even if you don't want to drive there and do that, it's like you got neighbors, you got people that, like I just paid a kid $40 the other day. I talked the couch down enough so that I could justify paying him to go pick it up. So I got, in total it was $80. He picked it up for me, brought it back to the garage. And you know, I just, I was like, yo, send me a picture. I'm on vacation. I upload it to ChatGPT, get a nice setting for it. List it. Yeah. And then it's just getting, getting traction from there.

And so are you using Facebook Marketplace as well or just KSL?

So I was on Facebook Marketplace and then I got kicked off because my— I'm underage. You have to be 18 and over. So I was just—

I didn't know that.

So I was just on KSL. So that's kind of why I'm just doing that right now.

So you're buying on KSL and selling on KSL?

Yeah. Yeah.

So you'd be doing even better if you had—

Oh yeah. Yeah, for sure. So You know, I mean, I turn 18 in the next couple months, you know, so then once it gets that far, I mean, you can go from there. But yeah, it's like, you can see, you can list, like, if you're older, even just like on Craigslist and stuff like that, you can list it on 3 different platforms and have that much traction. It's like, I'm making thousands of dollars just from listing it on KSL. And it's like, that's like, you can see how much potential there is in this business.

Well, more armbells equals more money every time.

100%, right?

Like if you have a, an ugly, like a terrible couch and you try to sell it, you might get $200. Now Elon Musk tries to sell it and he tweets about it to 60 million people. He could sell for whatever he wants. More eyeballs. That's it, right? So how much of this is speed to lead, right? Like how much of making money in this is being the first to get to a listing that is really well priced?

Yeah. So I think there's, I think there's different like sections or ways you can think about this. Like there's the couches that that have been on there a while that are poor pictures and images and stuff like that, that you can pick up and sell for a good price. And then what I've found within the business is that I feel like people need at least 2 days to kind of figure out, like a lot of people, like you get a lot of likes on a post and stuff, but it's like they're not messaging. It's like they're thinking about it and stuff like that. So I think within those first few days, because I mean, I don't even have to look very long. I can pop on for 10 minutes a day, go find a couple deals. Message them and then they respond, yeah, of course it's still available. I mean, like these things aren't going quick unless it's something crazy where it's like a pottery barn couch that they're just like, here, just take it for like $50 or something.

So that's encouraging then, like you don't have to, you don't have to like troll it all day long.

Yeah. Yeah. So you don't, you don't have to be on it all day. Like I just, I just hop on whenever I can. And to me it's like social media and just scrolling like this. It's like fun for me now. And so I just hop on whenever I want and like, yeah, you Yeah, so heads up, this segment is sponsored by BlueVine.

And the reason I get behind BlueVine is because almost half of small business owners that are using AI are getting back at least 4 hours every single week. That is a real number from a new study that BlueVine just put out, and honestly, it's kind of low. I see even more than 4 hours of savings every week. But here's the thing, when you have a small business, you don't have a big team to just hand everything off to. So when a tool gives you back 4 hours per week, that's like a whole Friday afternoon that you didn't have before. It's 4 hours you could spend hunting down the next opportunity instead of just doing the stuff you already hate doing. And the stuff you hate is the stuff you want to hand off first. Sorting through numbers, drafting the same email for the 10th time, and tracking down who owes you what. None of that actually grows your business. It just eats your day. And that's the exact category that people are handing to AI first because it's low risk and it's the stuff that quietly steals your evenings from you. What I like about this study is that it's specific. It actually looks at how small business owners are actually using AI in their regular lives. These are real people running real businesses, like a lot of you watching this video right now. 74% of small business owners are already testing or using these AI tools. So if you've been sitting on the sidelines and realizing that this whole AI thing isn't for you, just know that your competitor right down the street is stealing your business and they're doing it because they're implementing AI. So yes, it's worth spending 20 minutes a week seeing what this one tool can actually do for you and your business. BlueVine put this report together because they are in the corner of small business owners like you and I. It's worth your time. There's real data. It's a quick read, and it will probably make you rethink how you run your business. So go check out the full BlueVine study this week. The link is in the description. Read it, find the one thing that applies to you, and transform your business. All right, let's get back to the episode. What do you look for? Like when you log on to KSL or whatever, what are like some triggers that you see? Like, oh, I'm going to dig into this. Not necessarily that it's a good buy, but like What do you dig into?

Yeah, for sure. So when I'm looking, um, so I filter within like a 10-mile radius for sure. And then, um, I'm looking for poor images, things like need gone ASAP.

Yeah.

Um, moving sale.

Do you search for those keywords?

No, I don't. I don't search. I mean, cause there's, there's, um, still a bunch of ways to find couches and stuff. It's like, I'm not looking at this super, like the stuff that's like $800 for a couch. It's like, people are buying couches around like $400 and stuff like that. So I'm looking recently, I've been looking for the package deals where I get like, like a, a couch and a loveseat. And like, I just went and picked one of those up, sold it for $400, like 3, 5 days later or something like that. It's like, so, and it was like poor images and stuff. So those are definitely the first things to look for. And then, like, I know that I can get Like this morning, I just got a deal, $300 couch. I talked her down $100, like, and it's a nice couch too that I'm going to go pick up today. So, um, I, I think just at, at first I was looking for deals that were already low. And so it really limited my search, but now that I've been doing it a while, I've found that I can talk them down like hundreds of dollars and stuff like that. And then just resell it, make it look better, resell it for exactly what they were selling it for and just have a couple hundred bucks in my pocket.

Would you be able to show, like later, not this second, but screenshots or a screen recording of like you chatting with them so we could kind of see and put at the end of this video, like how you're massaging people down in price?

Yeah. Yeah. 100%. Um, but yeah, I mean, it's a good process. I definitely have a way of doing it and kind of starting it, but yeah, it's just, it's like casual, just messaging and, um, just kind of working your way through. 'Cause like a lot of time, like this lady today, I was like, what's the absolute lowest you could go today? Like I could come pick it up today kind of thing. Yeah, she's like, she's like, ooh, I could do, I could do $225. I'm like, yeah, I was like, no chance you could get close to $100.

That's what you're saying?

Yeah, I said no chance you could get close to $100. I was like, I was like, I can, like, what you say is kind of, I can, you got to provide reasons for why you should do it for that. So I'm like, I can pick it up today. She's like, I'll do, I'll do $150 for you today. But she's like, I would do $125 by, by the end of the week. Uh, if it's not sold, if it's not sold, I'm like, look, I can come pick it up today. You don't have to deal with any other buyers. It's out of your house and you don't have to deal with anything. And she's like, I could do $150,000. And then I was just like, look, I got to come pick it up today. I'll be quick. I'll come pick it up in the next 2 hours and we'll be good to go. And you just keep, you got to have some persistence. It's like, I've found that there's so many other deals on there. It's okay if you don't get that one deal. So I messaged so many people, I inch it out of them. I get them down like $100. I'm like, I still want a little more. Even if they don't do it, go to the next deal. It's like it doesn't take that long. And there's always people that are wanting to get rid of their stuff.

Yeah, it's such an art form. Like, and I feel like this opportunity of couch flipping will be around in 20 years, in 5 years. Yeah. The CEO of like, I think it was 1a.m. You Got Junk or someone said, as long as pianos weigh 700 pounds, we're going to be in business. Yeah, right. As long as couches are hard to move.

Yeah.

AI is not about to disrupt that.

Yeah.

This is going to be an opportunity.

100%, right?

So in any business, there's ugly parts, right? Like we're talking about all the high points and all the fun parts, but there's a lot of like dark days in a business owner's life and just like very unglamorous things. But I like to say everything is figureoutable. 100%. What experience or story do you have where that proved to be true for you, that everything was figureoutable?

Yeah. So I mean, that's actually funny because I have a story from, I believe this was last week. So I messaged this lady, I messaged her while I was on vacation. And she had two, so she had a leather loveseat, a leather couch, and an ottoman. I think it was priced for like $250. I was like, all right, let's see what I can do with this. So I messaged her. I was talking her down, you know? So I got her to $100. So then I come home, I'm like, okay, I can pick it up this time. And then she's like, okay. So I meet her over at the house. And I go to pick it up and I was like, I was like, okay, so I was examining the couches and one of the biggest things that I do is I like to find little tiny things to just keep inching the price down. So I was like, I was just talking out loud to myself and I was recording this too, because I was going to like post it. I asked her if it was okay. And then, so I was like feeling the couch. I was like, okay. I was like looking here. I was like, all right, this is nice. I was like, oh shoot. I mean, there's some scratches right here on it. And I started walking around back and like pulled the cushions out. I was like, oh, we got a lot of, got a hair, fur in there. What's that? Is that cat or dog? She's like, you know, that's probably from the people before me. I go, I was like, all right. I was like, okay, let's just, so I was like, can you do $60? She's like, she's like, you know, I really, I really don't want to give it away like for free, you know, like just, I mean, I could do $80, like $100. Can we just stay with that? I'm like, look, I was like, I was like, it's just really prom, like this is going to need a really good cleaning, you know, like It's got the fur, you know, like this, like, like what can we do? She's like, she's like, we could do $80. I was like, and I was holding the video. I go, I was like, it's like, all right guys, let's do $70 for the video. Come on. We got it right here. $70. You got to find a way.

You don't even know if you're going to post this at this point. Yeah.

I don't even know. I was just videoing.

You are videoing.

Yeah. It's like, I was just sitting there. I was like, all right guys, for the video, let's do this. $70. She's like, okay, for the video. I was like, sweet, let's do it. And then she goes, uh, do you need me to help you lift it? I was like, uh, she's like, cause that's going to be an extra $20.

Oh, I was like, this is back to the Spider-Man.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Who's the cheapest person? I just laughed. I was like dying. I was like, oh my gosh. I was like, I was like, okay. Yeah.

Got me there.

Yeah. So I mean, from there we go to, we go to lift the couches. So sorry. I actually, so I. She said she would do $60, but then she said $20 to help lift it. So it would have been $80.

And was that for her to help lift or like her?

That was for her to help lift.

Okay.

I was like, okay. And that's when I said, let's do $70. So sorry about that. But, and then we go to lift it up. I was like, okay, these things are freaking heavy. She couldn't lift it up. So I was like, I was like, you for real right now? She's like, okay, let me call my nephew that's like next door. And he didn't answer. She went and knocked on his door. I was like, it's like, all right guys, so. She's like, okay, so I'm going to have you pull out. And then I would say, just go find some friends and stuff that can come back and help. I'm not going to go drive 20 minutes to get my friends. I was like, I'm going to go knock on your neighbor's doors. I go start pounding doors.

You didn't ask her. You told her.

No, I did. I was like, can I just go like talk to your neighbors or something? She's like, yeah, they should be pretty nice. She didn't know who they even were. I was like, okay, sweet. I started knocking. I asked one guy, he's like, I can't even help lift. I was like, okay, whatever. Kept going. I knocked on door, she's, a lady answered. She's like, okay, let me get, let me get my husband. And then another dude came out and they just came over, helped me lift it. And then I was like, oh, can I pay you guys like $10, anything? They're like, nah, it's good. So, um, I got them to lift it. So I was supposed to pay this lady $80 and then I come over, I was like, I was like, look, I was like, I got these guys to lift it for me. And I was like, so let's do $60 because she didn't help me lift it.

Yeah.

So she's like, she's like, okay, $60 forever. She's like, she took the money, loaded them up, and then come to find out these couches we found on the bottom, that these are genuine leather couches.

So you didn't know this at the time?

We didn't know this. She told me they were faux leather. And so I was like, okay, I mean, I could still flip them for a bunch because it's like a set. It's looking good. So, so yeah, I take these home and I mean, I listed them for $1,200, had a couple of messages. I've got time to sit around, so I'm just going to keep lowering it until I get someone to bite, you know? But yeah, I mean, that's like $1,000 coming in. I paid $60 for these. That's so good. Moving sale.

Did you pay the neighbors at all?

I mean, I offered. They're like, no, it's good. Let's go. Like, we're all good.

What kind of a neighborhood was this?

It wasn't— I mean, it wasn't like the nicest neighborhood.

I mean, like just middle class.

Yeah, just middle class, average houses. I mean, just a nice little neighborhood. The house was like, we're a little smaller and stuff, but she just had the couches in her garage. She was moving. She's, she's kind of needed them gone. I mean, that's another key element to where you can talk them down because they need something gone, you know? So I think she just kind of wanted to get rid of it. But yeah, so that's so good.

How much, like, when you're, when you're browsing Facebook Marketplace or KSL, how much does the price play into you clicking into something or not?

Yeah. So honestly, like, I've, I message for couches that are like $800 trying to get them down. I mean, it doesn't always work every time, but, you know, I'd say, I'd, I'd say I probably look around like the $400 range and then I talk them down. Okay. Like $100, $200, $300, you know, and then try and get some and then just resell it for $400 or $500, you know.

So if you were to take like the preview of a post and break it down to 3 things like the title, the picture, and the price. What, like, what percentage importance do you ascribe to each one of them? Right?

Yeah.

Like if you were to remove one of those three things, would you be okay? Like if, if there were no prices and you had to click in before seeing the price, as long as you have the picture and the title, like what matters the most when you actually click into a listing to learn more? So are you saying when, when the viewers, like when you're just like scrolling and you see like a picture, like, oh, you see the title is like Brown Used Leather Sectional.

Yeah.

See a picture of it and then you see the price. What causes you to click the most?

Picture definitely caused me.

Not the price.

Yeah, pictures. So I go picture and then price. If I look at the picture, I see it's poor quality or even if it's good quality, that quality picture, not poor quality couch. Yes. So this is, this is another thing. So when I'm looking like even if it's a good picture, I'm like, okay, this looks nice, good picture and stuff. I look at the price. If it's like price at $300, I'm like, all right, let's see what I can do. I message them and this is usually earlier in the process because I mean, it's already like a good deal. And so that's when I messaged this lady about her leather couches. Actually, this was like the little area that I was in. I messaged her because of the picture and then I went to the price and then it's because I'm in that like 2-day gap from when they post it that it's like people haven't like started to message. Yeah. So that's when I get them. And it's like, I talk them down.

They're unsure about it. Did I overprice this?

Like, that's when you— Yeah, they're unsure. So I'm like, can you help me out? Like, what's the lowest price? So first, the number one thing I would say is you never want to say how much you'll pay for it. You always want them to give you a number. So I say, what's your lowest price? And then I've had people come down $100 right from there. And then I know I can get them down at least another $50. So it's like, you always get them to say their price first. And then you can just work from there and just keep inching down.

Yeah. So you obviously don't need my advice, but I found one way of asking that question be a little better.

Yeah.

In buying anything, instead of what's your lowest price, when you ask that, you know, we're like prideful, egotistical. Yeah, yeah, right. And if we say a price that's not actually our lowest, we might never go below that just because we're like, I already said it's my lowest. Yeah, I would take 100, but I said 200. So like, I like to say, use the word ballpark. Like, all right, like, what's the ballpark? Like, give or take, like, what's the best you can do? Yeah, that gives some flexibility for you to come down even more.

No, for sure. I love that. Yeah. So I mean, maybe that can help me with some even more deals, but yeah. Yeah. So that's kind of what I was— what I have.

So picture, picture, then price, then title, because the title is just regurgitating what you see in the picture.

Yeah. I mean, title, I'll just look at, like, just make sure, like, sometimes it'll be like, oh, this, this is another big thing. If you're looking for couches, it'll— they'll have just one picture of a loveseat. And then like if you swipe over, it's like they have a couch and an ottoman too.

So then some people think it's like, oh, they should put that as the first picture.

Yeah. Or they need to like list it as like all together. So it's like you see that and it's like, geez, $300 for this loveseat.

Yeah.

And then it's like you scroll over and you're like, oh my gosh, this is set. You message them. Nobody else has messaged them. It's like it's way overpriced.

Yeah.

You get them down, go pick that up and then flip it for a ton because you picture the whole thing and you're like, look at this whole set. Yeah.

Well, I want to say like that principle works in any industry, any category. My friend just bought a second home on the Kenai River in Alaska and he was just browsing Zillow and he saw this home that had been listed in November, which nobody in Alaska buys homes from like October to March, right? So they listed at the worst possible time. The pictures were terrible.

Yeah.

And he's like, this, this home is like $400,000 underpriced. And he went and flew and saw in person and he's like, holy crap. Like, not only are the pictures bad, but they don't do this house justice. So he said he ended up like lowballing them and saved like $600,000 on this house because of the pictures.

Yeah.

And the time it was listed and like these simple things that you're using to make a few hundred bucks an hour.

Yeah.

You could apply to anything throughout the rest of your life for sure. Right. Do you tell people when you're messaging back and forth that like, I'm 17, I'm saving for college, or does that not even come into the Into the conversation. Obviously when you get there in person, they see that you're younger, but.

Yeah, no, for sure. So when I'm selling and when I'm buying, I mean, I never mentioned that. I mean, the only time I've ever mentioned that was in the one deal today that I'm going to pick up just because of that. But yeah, I never mentioned it. And then once they come, it's like, are you Bentley? Yeah. Yeah, I'm Bentley. I'm like, let's get this deal done.

So there's no 45-year-old named Bentley.

Yeah. Yeah. So it's just, it's like funny. Sometimes I'll get weird looks and stuff like that, but it's like. You know, I mean, I don't typically mention that. It's like, that's why this is, this is a, like a side hustle that you can do at any age.

Yeah.

Because I mean, they can't see your face behind the, behind the phone. So it's like you secure the deal before they even come.

Yeah.

Yeah. And then, yeah, if they're coming and they're trying to negotiate, you, you know, they want it. And then it's like, most of the time I stay firm. I'm like, look, like you find reasons to get them to keep it. Like, this is really good condition. Like, look, it's all leather. It's, it's this, it's super nice. It's been preserved. I just cleaned it, you know?

So yeah, I feel like you would do even better if you leaned on your age in the messaging as well. You think so? Yeah. I love that you said that because it's encouraging to the people watching this because most people watching this are probably over 20. Yeah. So if you're 75, 25, like you could do just as well as Bentley. But if you personally, if you're like, I'm 17, I'm saving for college, just trying to pass the time this summer. I don't want to be on a screen all day. Like you will get them down even more. Right?

Oh, for sure.

How much of this like cat and mouse of you going like with the store with the $80 to $60 to $70, how much of it is you trying to make more money and how much of it is just like a game to you and it's just fun?

I would say, I mean, I'm always trying to make more money and stuff and grow my portfolio and invest in stocks and stuff like that. But I mean, this is all a game. It's like, this is the funnest thing I've done. You have variety every time you're picking up a couch, you meet new funny people and it's like, I mean, it doesn't take long either. So it's like the reason I'm able to do this, like I'm a baseball player. I've, I've been gone this entire summer. So like the 2 days that I'm home, like I have a gap to go get this, get the couch and sell it. But so it's like I can just go out for an hour, pick up a couch and it's just fun. Like, ooh, I found, I found a new couch, new listing. Yeah, yeah. Let's talk them down. It's like a game. Like, let's see how low I can get it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So that's amazing. What do you want to be doing at age 25 or 30? Where do you see yourself?

You know, I'm actually super excited. I mean, I'd love to pursue the baseball career, but As that's going on, like, I really want to scale this business actually. So yeah, I think the next step from here with the couch business, once I have more time and maybe get back from a mission, is opening up a warehouse and, you know, just finding as many deals as possible and just keeping them in there. And, and then like paying, getting employees or even having AI kind of just do the searching on KSL for me. And yeah, just utilizing AI to my advantage because It's growing like crazy here.

So what position are you in baseball?

I'm a catcher.

Okay, and did you play like travel baseball for your high school, both?

Yeah, so I played travel and high school ball. So right now it's, it's summer ball and club, club season. So, um, so yeah, we're playing right now and I've been gone nearly every week of the summer. And if not baseball, then a vacation with the family or like 3 days off at home. So that's why, that's why I'm able to do this couch business and Um, it's a great opportunity, especially if you don't have time. And that's why I'm kind of trying to help people learn how to kind of couch flip and stuff that don't have much time, or high school athletes like me as well, or just high schoolers with no time that are like doing homework and stuff and just can go out for 20 minutes like I did today and make $300 off a couch.

How much money have you made in this business?

Um, so yeah, with— I just started this a couple months ago, so Um, with me being gone and stuff, um, I've maybe put like 12 hours, 11, 12 hours total into this, and I've made near $3,500.

Holy crap.

So yeah, I mean, with—

is that profit or revenue?

That's profit.

Wow. So like you're averaging $200 to $300 an hour of time?

Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. So I mean, that's what I have right now. And then in the garage, I just picked up a ton of new couches and stuff. I probably have $2,000 worth of worth of couches in there that I'm going to be selling in the next couple weeks because I've had more time to pick them up and stuff. And that's why this business is awesome.

That's amazing. How much effort do you put into like the description on the listing, or is it mostly about the pictures and the staging?

I would say it's definitely the pictures, staging, and then I feel like people look at the price. I, I used to like spend so much time on descriptions, having AI help me with the descriptions and stuff like that, but I found over time that it's not really about the description. And if you do, then it's like, I like to put something like 'need gone' because it kind of creates urgency, like he needs it gone, like I'm gonna, I'm gonna get on this deal quick before it's gone kind of a thing. So that's one thing I found that's maybe a little tip that I think has worked for me that— but I'm just going to keep trying new things and stuff and yeah, finding new ways to do it.

Any tips, tricks, anything you haven't mentioned? I know this has been very thorough, but what words of encouragement would you give? To people?

For words of encouragement, I would say the biggest thing is get started. Don't sit around, around wasting your time playing video games, watching TV, waiting for something to happen good to you. You gotta take action and you gotta figure it out yourself and you gotta get the job done.

Um, shoot. Bentley, where can we, where can we find you if we wanna learn more? Yeah.

Awesome. So I actually just got an Instagram account up, um, just a couple, like a week or two ago. Um, So it's called Bentley Hustles, B-E-N-T-L-E-Y H-U-S-T-L-E-S. So you can look that up and then you can DM me on Instagram and I'll answer any questions you guys have got. But yeah, go follow that and it'll show my journey and just how I keep progressing with the couch business.

Thank you, Bentley.

Thank you so much, Chris. All right.

We'll link to Bentley in the description. Hey guys, if you're still listening to this, it's probably because you haven't had a chance to take your AirPods out. You're still mowing the lawn, you're still driving, what have you. If you're still here with me, I would really, really love and appreciate a 5-star review on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. It would mean a lot. If you want to go the extra mile, share this episode with a friend that might have an interest in starting a business.

It would mean a ton.

Hope you have the best day of your life today.