He Was Bedridden Twice. Credit Saved Him. Now He Saves Others.

I went through about 5 years of downward spiral. First thing that kicked it off is I had a son that unfortunately passed away. 6 months after that happened with my son, and I couldn't walk. I was stuck in bed for 3 years. During that time when I started healing, then my father passed away. Credit changed my life. I lost it all multiple times over, and credit really did save me. So I want people to understand what they're really getting into. You're not just doing credit, you're changing people's lives.

Our guest today didn't just fix his credit, he rebuilt his entire life financially, emotionally, physically. He went from losing everything to using credit as a weapon to create cash flow, to build businesses, and to teach other people how to take control of their future. And the crazy part is most people would have quit where he started, but he didn't. That is Patrick Sotelo. He's the founder of One Life Quest. And if you want to see what's possible on the other side, this episode is for you. So please welcome to the show Patrick Sotelo. Hey, Patrick.

How you doing, Daniel? How's it going?

Doing awesome. I'm so glad you're here.

Welcome, Patrick.

I'm glad you guys had me. For sure.

And we're also excited you're going to be speaking at Credit Repair Expo coming up in Dallas. How does that feel?

I'm honored. I'm very honored to be speaking there. And thank you for the invite as well.

Well, people are going to love your talk because your story is amazing. I want to know everything. So let's start at the beginning with where did you grow up and where are you now?

Actually born in New York. Moved to Jersey, moved back to New York, now back in Florida. So, you know, I've been in Florida mainly most my life. We moved here to Orlando probably when I was about 13, 14 years old. I did take a trip out to Cali one time where you guys are at, and then I ended up staying out there for about 8 years as well to pursue some opportunities that arose and Now I'm back in Florida on the East Coast. So I did a little bit of traveling in between there.

So, well, I know you've talked about losing everything financially, physically, emotionally, all at once. What was it that happened? What was that rock bottom moment really like?

So I went through about 5 years of downward spiral, I guess you could say, to say the least, right? The first thing that kicked it off is I had a son that unfortunately passed away. Right. That kind of threw me into a loop. And I was heavy into real estate at the time, flipping houses back then. And that kind of put me into like a stagnant mode where I wasn't doing much. Right. Next thing, one day I woke up about 6 months after that happened with my son. And I couldn't walk, right? So I literally, I was in excruciating pain. I couldn't take two steps without falling down. And, you know, doctors couldn't tell me what was going on. Their best advice was surgery that had like a 30% chance of working, right? So, you know, needless to say, that was, uh, that was pretty hard because I went from being extremely active to now I'm bedridden. That lasted 3 years. I was stuck in bed for 3 years, right? I pretty much lived off of the real estate that I had been investing in, which thank God for that. You know, I had some properties that were giving me positive cash flow and I was able to keep moving. But throughout those 3 years, you know, I lost a lot of those properties as well, you know, because I still mentally was not there, you know, emotionally was not there because of what happened with my child. And I started to care a little less about things, you know? So as time went on, I'm selling properties to just maintain. I have 5 children I need to take care of, right? So long story short, I healed myself, right? After those 3 years. And I got to a point where I kind of didn't want to do anything but what I wanted to do, right? During that time when I started healing, then my father passed away. Right? So, you know, all this kind of hit me within that same time frame. I kind of got sick of everything, and I headed over to the West Coast. You know, I had, I had a friend out there that had some opportunities still within real estate. So I'm like, you know what, I need a fresh environment. Let me, let me see what's going on over there, right? Moved out there pretty much with almost nothing. I sold a couple houses, uh, moved out there, and I just started killing it. I started, um, doing investing into commercial property, right? And that went well, very well. And as I'm doing that, one day I'm on a property and I bend over to pick something up, and then once again I fell down. My back was completely gone once again. Fast forward, I'm stuck in bed for 3 years again, okay? So at this point Yeah, it was insane. I, I say it was meant to be though. It was like the turning point of my life. I'm grateful that it happened, as crazy as that might sound, right? Because now I'm down to a few properties left. I gave 5 of them to my mom, so I don't lose those, right? And, um, I started really thinking like, I need to be able to use my mind in order to continue to take care of my family, in order to make money, right? Um, the turning point was when I tried to get a cash-out refinance on some of my properties because I owned them free and clear, and I kept getting turned down because my credit was bad. Hmm. So now here I am with all these properties that I can't even pull equity out of because my credit was bad. I'm like, I never needed credit. I would use hard money loans, investment type of, uh, financing. So now I'm like, okay. I can't get up and work. I can't do nothing from my bed. I can't pull money out of the properties that I own. There's something terribly wrong here. And that's when credit kind of was like, you need this. You know, it doesn't matter what's going on. You need this. So needless to say, I sold another property and I just dove deep into getting mentors on it. I'm like, something's up with this credit. I got to learn it. It's holding me back and I got to be able to do something from my bed if I have to. Right. So that's when I started looking at credit and it just, it was like, um, a, a big spotlight on it because it hit all the marks that I, that I needed. I could do it from anywhere. It was easy to scale. You get to help people and there's really no cap on clientele. Everybody needs some kind of credit help. Um, so that's what got me into credit. That's why I'm grateful for all those things that happened along the way. Right. But, you know, ever since then, um, I focus mainly on that. You know, I came to realize almost that I'm not even in the credit repair industry, as crazy as it sounds. We're more people that you call when you have a goal. We just happen to get you there through credit. So that's kind of how I look at it. That's what kept me sticking with it. I get to help a ton of people along the way and take care of my family as well.

Very cool. How did you start to turn it into a business and how did you get your first client? What did that look like?

So I did it for myself first. I fixed my credit, right? And at this point I'm scrounging for funds. So I started looking into ways of, okay, my credit's right now, but now I need credit, right? I've always been a businessman. I've always had different types of businesses. And I started hearing things about business funding and loans and things of that nature. And at this point I needed them. So I started looking into, um, the whole funding aspect of it. And that just brought another level of how to be more strategic about your credit, how to structure your credit on the personal side and on the business side. And then I got myself a bunch of funding, which thank God, because I was able to kind of even hire doctors to help fix my back. So that kind of led me to like, okay, I did it for myself. This was a lifesaver for me. I can, do it for other people. Because all I kept imagining was, what about the person who worked the regular job that this would happen to? Like, it would be catastrophic, you know, if they had nothing to lean on, you know. And credit was the thing for me to lean on to get me to the next phase. Running a little bit, I used to do things by hand, and then one day the— your software pops up on Google, and I'm like, what is this? Like, I don't have to handwrite things anymore or type it up. And, you know, from there it's history.

How'd you start to turn it into a business and how'd you get your first clients?

Being that I was in real estate, I knew that flaw. I'm like, how can I own 20 properties and do all this? But I knew nothing about credit. So I start talking to a lot of my mentors in the real estate industry, and one of them was a private lender. So they're called hard money lenders. So they basically loan you the cash that you need to buy a house based on its value, right? If it's a good enough deal, they lend you the money. So I was talking to him and he tells me, Patrick, the money I've been lending you was from my credit. I'm like, okay. And then I start thinking, man, if I didn't know anything about credit, how much realtors, how much mortgage brokers, how many investors don't know what they're missing? So I started talking to my network of mortgage brokers, realtors, and A big problem that they had was clients that weren't able to qualify to buy a house. And I'd look at their report, I'm like, by now I knew enough knowledge. I'm like, okay, yeah, they have a couple collections, they have a late payment here and there, their utilization is high. You know, they do a couple of these things and you might be able to get 'em qualified, right? Next thing you know, they were getting qualified and now they started asking me to repair their credit, right? So I'm like, this is perfect. Like, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm, you know, I already got the interest in it. I've got the knowledge. And I've got the, almost the environment to start it. So then from there, it just, that was my transition, you know, from mainly real estate, which I still do, but into full-time credit, you know, everything about credit. Another way is the support from the group. Like the, the group that you guys have on Facebook is great because people answer your questions. You know, I'm big on, there's always somebody on your right that can help you and somebody on your left that you can help. Right? And the group I saw was like that. There was a lot of people that can help you. And even if you were a little bit advanced, you might be more advanced than the person who's just starting that you can help as well. So that also pushed me forward, you know, to have the resources and the environment that supported the business. You know, it's when you're starting out, that's, that's crucial. That's the environment you're in is big. Every time I crack open, um, CRC is a positive quote there, right? And I don't know if people see it the way I do, but the very first thing I'm doing in the morning is I'm jumping on to see whose updates are there, right? And when you get a good quote, they stick out, you know, like, you know, there's one that pops up every once in a while. Well, you know, sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes he eats you. That one, like, that one hit me one time. I'm like, okay, yeah, the bear got me the other day, but you know, I'm feeling kind of hungry today. So. You know, just even those little things that, um, that you guys provide is, is inspirational. And I would say even part of that is what, you know, planted the seed even for me to help more people. So, you know, I appreciate that. I love it.

And how's the business today? How, how many clients are you serving today?

I'd say I have about 150 closing in on maybe 175, somewhere around there. Mm-hmm. And they tend to stick with me, you know, they tend to stick with me. I don't only offer the repair, I offer guidance because once again, we're in the business of getting people to their goals, right? Not just credit repair. People's, as they evolve, their goals do as well. So today it might be to buy a car, but tomorrow it might be to buy a house. The next day it might be to start a business. The next day it might be to, you know, buy their kid a car, right? So, you know, I think a lot of people miss that, that we're here to help them get to their goals and goals are forever, right? So I have people that just retain me just to every month jump on there, see how they're doing. Okay, your utilization's a little bit too high. Now might not be the time to apply for that car, you know, or, hey, what are all these inquiries, man? I thought you were going to hold on on that, right? We can guide them through their journey. They, they, they really appreciate that as well. And that I think is the key to retaining them. You know, a lot of people think it's just about cleaning their credit. It's not about that. It's about getting them to their next goal. You know, I love that.

And can you share us one of your most impactful success stories of a client whose life was changed by your service?

Definitely. I'll give you all of our lives was changed. My clients and my mortgage broker and mine at the same time. Okay. So, You know, and the reason why I focus on affiliates, because they're, they're, they have an abundance of people who need help, right? An abundance of people who will, who have goals. So I just started reaching out to mortgage brokers and saying, hey, look, I'm in real estate myself. I know you guys are losing deals. I know these people's goals aren't getting accomplished. Do not let them walk away. Right? So I would offer, hey, look, gimme the client that you want to help the most that cannot get qualified. And then finally, a mortgage broker was like, yeah, I have this young couple. Husband was in a terrible accident, right? Almost lost his life. He was the breadwinner. Wife is now working to try to take care of the family. Take that file. I looked at the file, you know, I'm like, okay, yeah, I got some things. She signed off for Credit Hero. One thing I always make sure they do is at least take care of their credit monitoring. She signed up, we got started, and then I asked her, well, what about your husband? And she's like, Oh, you know, we didn't want to ask. You're already doing mine. We didn't want to mention his because his is bad too, and we didn't want to ask for nothing. I'm like, you know what, sign them up to Credit Hero, throw him in. We're doing both of you guys, right? Okay, so we fast forward, um, we're probably on round 2. They have like 3 days to close, right? They already had a, um, a deposit down. They had the, the financing contingent, right? And They had 3 days to close. We got the update. Long story short, they were right in the range. They closed on the property. Mortgage broker was like, I can't believe how many deals I've been letting go. She, she told me that she was literally telling people, just go pay down your credit cards and come back to me when you're done. So at that moment, that broker, her whole business changed because she now saw what's possible with credit repair. This young couple that were pretty much, they were down, like they were like, man, we tried like everything we could. Maybe it's not meant for us. They were ecstatic. They had a newborn, you know, not too, not too old. That, you know, I think about them just walking, putting in the key to their new brand new house and flinging the door open, the feeling they must have felt, right? Like they've referred me tons of people already. So the way it changed my life was The mortgage broker was so happy, she blasted me to the entire brokerage. She said, if anybody here has any clients that, that can't get qualified, make sure you talk to Patrick first. That brokerage has over 75 brokers. Wow. From there, she's like, Patrick, do not be surprised if your phone starts ringing off the hook. And it really did. So from that blast that she sent me out, I got at least 10 good affiliates that consistently throw me, um, clients that need help. And it, that's why I say it really did, it changed my whole, it changed my whole life. And that's when I realized like there's a difference between trying to get as many clients as you can versus changing the perspective to how many people can I help? So I always share that story because it really changed everything for me. So, you know, I make it a point that these people do not be scared to help. You know, and to keep in mind that that's really what we're doing.

Patrick, you're talking a lot about getting affiliates and that being really the backbone of your business or the, the thing that's really holding your business together, those affiliates. We know you built a system in the CRC Marketing Hub. Can you tell us a little bit about how you get these mortgage affiliates, realtor affiliates into your business? Can you walk us through a little bit of that process?

A lot of people miss the fact that at the end of the day, people want to do business with who they know, trust, who they like, who they vibrate with, right? So I've reached out to them personally, right? I'll get to know them before I call them. You know, I'll see their page and, and kind of go through their Instagram, see what they like, right, and relate to them a little bit. To get these people into my system, all I do is, this is what I do. You know, this is what I do. And I know you might have a hole in your game, but I'm here to help you out with that. Right. So a lot of times, a lot of my affiliates come from ways, as we just spoke about, I get blasted to the entire brokerage just by helping one of them. Right. So a lot of people think that they have to spend thousands on ads to gain all these affiliates or to gain these leads. No. All you really have to do is gain the appreciation of one person for that to spread like wildfire. So I get a ton of affiliates like that through referrals, but with a ton of affiliates also comes a ton of conversations that, you know, while you're trying to help your clients and trying to build an affiliates list, you're up 24/7. Once the hub came out, I'm like, I knew a little bit, right? Right? I always tell people you need to know enough to know what you need. So I did a little bit of homework on, on what's possible in the hub. And I'm like, okay, there's, there's landing pages and funnels and forms and things like that. Right? I recreated what I did on the daily basis. Right? And this is what I tell everybody with the hub. Take note of what you do on a daily basis repetitively that helps you or gets in your way. Right? Because that's what you can implement in the hub. So I'm like, okay, well, if I can talk in one of these funnels with a video telling the mortgage brokers exactly what I can do for 'em, showing them some results, telling 'em some people I've worked with in the past, now I could talk to 50 of 'em a day without having to open my mouth. Right. And not only that, I don't have to pull out my pen and pad like I used to and write it down. They can fill out a form, it goes to the hub, it creates an opportunity, and then from there it's like automatic, you know? So. That's how I get them in and that's how I expand on it. And it really helps. The hub really helps keep it in order for me. It also creates a way for them to make it easier to refer. So what I've started doing as well with the hub is I'll create some of my top affiliates their own landing pages so they can easily refer me. That's, that's pretty much how I do it. I also deal with like tax professionals. Most don't realize that a lot of the, a lot of people wait for their tax returns to make a significant move in their life, whether it be to start a business, buy a car, put a down payment on the house. And the reason why they wait all year for that tax refund is because their credit might not be up to par. So I've also started, you know, networking and working with tax professionals as well. Right. So I got a, I got the same thing for tax professionals. Hey, my name is Patrick. You guys have a built-in clientele in your stream already. We can do all the work for you. We get, you know, we can help your clients on another level. You can offer them a different service. And from there they fill out the form, they end up in my hub, a reminder goes in, I get the tasks every morning and it's just cake.

Most people wake up every day asking, how do I get clients today? But you've actually built a machine where other people are waking up thinking about sending you clients. It's genius.

You guys, you guys gave the tools. I always say we got the tools we need right there, right? It's just a matter of putting them to use. You know, some people will dwell on the problem instead of thinking of the solution. I love clients that have clients because getting the ones in here and there, the referrals is cool. But when you can help an abundant amount of people that they're already there, that they already have that goal, they already have that deadline, and you can come right in and, and, you know, do what you got to do in order to help them get to their goal. It's just a beautiful thing. The machine was built. I just added a little grease to the wheels, you know, and just, you know, kind of customize it to, to what I got going on.

So he's saying, well, I'd love to take a— I want to geek out on the system you created, but I want to take a step back first because we got a lot of people listening to this podcast that Starting from ground zero, they don't have their first lead, they don't have their first affiliate. So if you were to help coach someone, walk someone through, how would you get, get that first affiliate? Um, what type of outreach, what type of method would you be doing to get the first person through the door?

I got taught by one of my old mentors, make 1,000 friends and do business with your friends. So I'm big on outreach, but my outreach is, for instance, if I'm on Instagram or Facebook and I see somebody, you know, having a picnic in the park with their children, I might say, beautiful picture, man. Enjoy them while they're young. God bless. Have a great day. That was my outreach, right? Maybe next time somebody else that I'm seeing on their story, they're eating a burrito at a restaurant. That burrito looks great, man. I'm getting hungry now. Where'd you get that? Right? So what I'm doing is I call it planting seeds. And I do this with the mortgage brokers as well. I create that connection first because in a world filled with, hey, I got this service, buy it. I'm more like, hey, this is me, but I also do this. I'm big on that. I try to hit up at least 30 people per day. So my advice would be to say some nice things to at least 30 people a day. I've had people call me and literally it happens to me all the time. Um, they'll, they'll sign up and then they'll say, hey, my buddy, uh, Jesus said that, um, that he trusts you and you're the guy to go to for credit repair. So if Jesus trusts you, I trust you. And I'm thinking in my head, but I don't know a Jesus. But then as I go through my DMs, oh, the Jesus, the one I told them, hey, God bless, I see you and your family having a great time. That Jesus, right? So if I tell anybody that's just starting out to not go outside of what they already possess, if you have the tools already with the CRC, that's an abundant amount of resources already. If you have a phone with some contacts in there and Facebook and Instagram, that's resources already. We use what we have. Make people's day, right? Like, make them feel good. Like, care about them. And it comes back when you reach out to somebody on Facebook or Instagram, the first thing they're gonna be is like, who is this guy? Right? Then they go to your page and they're like, oh, okay, I see what he's doing. And they might, they might see me doing some pushups and then they might see me, you know, having a dinner with my kids or something. And then they might see, oh, what's this about credit repair he's talking about? And we all know that a majority of people need help with their credit. That's literally how I've been able to use what I have to really expand, you know. Um, so that is my main advice to anybody starting off. Don't think too much about outside of yourself. Start with what you have.

For someone that had just started to get their first affiliates and they've started to create these connections, I understand it looks like you've created more, uh, more of a systemized system where you have landing pages and ways to help really build more of these relationships faster. So I'd love to hear, like, is there anything else you're doing differently now? Are you any, like, cold calling or texting or emailing of people, or is it the same tactics, just sending people through a funnel?

It's almost the same things over and over again. Like, you know, um, I, I'm, I'm big on growing, like, into it. So you'll hit a ceiling and then that's when you're like, okay, now how do I surpass this ceiling? And that's how I kind of felt with like, okay, calling 'em, text message, email, you know, I used to do it by hand until the hub, right? But then I got into like, okay, this is starting to work. How can I amplify it? So that's when I did create the landing pages with the videos, with everything about how I can help them, how we can form a partnership, you know, and, um, And then I just expand on that, you know, and it, it, you, it starts to almost tell you what you need. So I went from just a straight, the, just the landing page to like, okay, well now they're still calling me to, you know, check up on their clients or whatever. That reminds me, I can set up a quick email. Hey, don't forget you have a client portal that you can go in there and check your client and, and see how they're doing at any given time. As you grow into it, you find the new things to do. So I'm, I'm now finding that, um, um, keeping track of my affiliates is, is way easier now. Now I'm looking more of what I can service them more with, right? So I'm starting to do like first-time homebuyer classes for them so they can now offer this, hey, this guy has experience in real estate and credit and you're a first-time homebuyer. He could teach you a few things, right? So now I just try to be a resource for them. So if you're starting out, don't look at what you can get from them. Look at how much you can do for them, right? How much of a resource can you be? When it comes to credit, you can never promise a timeframe or anything like that. So, you know, what you can't— what they can depend on is that you're you and you're keeping your word. I just expand on that, you know. So if you're providing resources, if you're consistent with them having access to even the portals and all that and reminding them what they can do, educating them. I provide Zoom calls for a lot of these brokerages as well, just to give them those 6 different factors of credit and what influences it, you know. So be a big resource. That's kind of like the newer things that I've done is the Zoom calls, things like that, you know, that, that's also been helping out.

Patrick, could you show us a little bit of the funnels you've created? To help attract those affiliates?

For sure. You know, so I, I developed this funnel in the marketing hub pretty much to explain what I do to the mortgage brokers and also kind of expand on it. So I get a ton of mortgage brokers that ask what we do and how to sign up. I created this to where all they have to do is literally click a button fill out a form, and it goes directly to the marketing hub. I included a video of myself because I feel it's important that you speak to them personally, explaining the process, what we do for them, how we take care of their clients. And, and then it once again sends them back to the hub, marks them as a mortgage broker affiliate, and also begins them on a nurturing campaign. I'm big on in my nurturing campaigns educating the mortgage brokers. So once they do sign up, it automatically creates a tag form as a mortgage broker and begins nurturing them. So, you know, I've, I've had, uh, mortgage brokers sit around for a month or so and then finally hit me back and be like, hey, I've got all your content. I got somebody who I, you know, I'm not able to help out. What can you do for them? So this has helped me a ton. So from before where I would have to have a 30-minute conversation with one affiliate or prospect affiliate, now I can have 200 a day if I wanted to without ever really opening my mouth, you know.

So the— this page really well educates them.

And then they—

I'm assuming most of the people you're— are you sending them social messages on social to check out this page, or how, how are you telling people to get to this?

So, um, so technically I'll, I'll start with one broker in the organization, and they start sharing it for me, you know, because they like to help their own, their, their brokerage out too. Especially if you could get like the owner on the phone of the brokerage, they're big on resources for their people because the more client, the more clients they can close, of course, the better their business does. So I'll target specifically the owners, right? Or the, the manager of the entire office and ask them, hey, What are you guys doing with all the people who don't qualify? Like, I know there's people coming left and right who don't qualify. And either they say, oh, we don't do nothing. Sometimes they have somebody, or sometimes they don't even deal with it. I'm like, well, before you just let these people go away and not achieve their goals or their dreams, take a look at this. You know, this is what I do. And if you feel like you can benefit from it, I'm a resource for you guys. 9 times out of 10, they're, they're They're gonna jump on it because they don't have the time, the expertise, or the resources to even talk to their clients about credit. Once they fill that form out, they get another, um, they get like a text and an email saying, hey, thanks for reaching out. Here's my calendar link if you wanna book a call. A lot of times I'm speed to lead though too. So if they don't book a call, I just call 'em. Hey, I appreciate you, you know, um, showing interest. Is there any questions that I could answer for you in the meanwhile, you know, right now, like, do you got anybody that you're trying to get qualified? And I always offer them that free client. Always, always, always. I don't care if I got 15 new brokers that I gotta do free clients for, right? It's worth it, you know? And the way that I see it, the commission I make on the Credit Hero Score pays for my postage. So I'm not really losing anything, right? So as long as they sign up for Credit Hero Score, I'm good. It's not like I'm coming out of pocket for anything.

This funnel makes a whole— it's incredible what you built here. It makes it really easy to understand the value you deliver. I'd love to kind of jump into the other funnel you're doing, the tax one. Is that, is that a big part of your business, your getting tax professionals?

It's starting to be. Like, I noticed about maybe 6 months ago that that was an untapped market. But if we think about who does their taxes, first of all, most people do their taxes, right? But what do you need when you buy a house? You need credit and you need to show your income, right? So these tax people already have a built-in clientele base of people who want to start a business, buy a house. They need to show their taxes for something. right? So I, I kind of saw the, the loo— the, the hole there that wasn't being filled, and I just started reaching out to tax people, you know? And here's the thing with, uh, tax agents, most of them only are working seasonal, right? So I'm offering them a way to take care of their clients year round and also help their clients get these goals, because instead of you know, the client saying, okay, I got to find a mortgage broker and now I got to go do my taxes and now I got to do a real estate or who's going to do my credit. Each one of these affiliates now have the power to be all of that. And I find myself being the guy they call, oh, do you have a tax person? I have this client, they need to do their taxes so they can get approved. I'm like, yeah, I got a, I got a good handful of them and vice versa. They'll be like, okay, this person's going to buy a house. Or I, I'm big on asking what this person's goal is, right? So even if it comes from a tax person, what's this person's goal? Oh, they wanna start a business. Okay, let's look at their credit. Because as we know, most business owners go outta business because they use their own money, number one. Then they get to a point which we all get to where we're commingling business funds and life funds. And next thing you know, you almost have to pick one. Do I pay my rent this month or do I buy the materials I need for my business, right? And that's where a lot of businesses fall apart. So I'm big on educating them as well. Like, we can get you funding on your business if your credit is right. That way you don't have to commingle that. You already got your taxes done, which we can show to the banks. Get your credit right. Now we can move on forward with all your goals. So, um, it, it really does all go together.

You're not having to run any ads at all, are you?

No. No. And the funny thing is I ran my first ad probably 2 weeks ago and nothing's happening. I'm pretty sure it's probably something on my end, but no, in the years I've been doing this, I've never ran an ad. It's all organic. And I know I'm going to get to the point where I'm going to start running ads consistently, but I feel I haven't reached that ceiling yet. Right. So once I reached that ceiling. Ads it is, you know, the team is there. I can take on the extra workload. I'm already got my affiliates taken care of, my clients taken care of. Now it's ads. I'm, I've learned it's good to grow into things because sometimes I've done this mistake many a times as, as a new business owner, especially the new people that come in, we tend to throw our money at a business thinking it's gonna solve a problem. But if you don't know what you need to know, in the beginning, you're just throwing your money out the window. Because it's funny, like, some people, sometimes people call me for advice and I'll just like say, okay, let's look at this credit report, break it down for me. I got 87% payment history. What's that mean? Oh, you got some late payments. Okay, well, what are you going to tell them? What's the fix here? Okay. You know, I've literally had people tell me, get an extra job and start doing Uber, start doing this and that, right? So, you know, I'm like, you haven't got that part down yet, but yet you want to run ads. So what happens when you run ads and now you get an influx of people that you can't even properly guide? So a lot of times people don't know the holes in their game. I'm big on finding those holes, filling them, finding those holes, filling them, growing into it. And then, you know, kind of working with what you got and expanding on that, doubling down on what works first instead of trying to throw money into something thinking it's going to fix your problem, right? If you can't get a client on your own, how are you going to take care of 50 of them when they, when they come your way?

Makes sense.

We—

it's a lot kind of why we, we tell everyone, work on yourself, work on some family and friends first, get some practice before you really scale, because you don't know what you don't know at the beginning. You, you, you're probably going to suck at the beginning. You're probably not going to be very good. That's why you practice. That's why you get some skills and then you grow from there.

100%. That's the best advice. And I've kind of added a little bit to it, right? That helped me and I'd like to share. It's, it's okay to also be strategic with the help you give, right? Because I've helped friends and family before and they're like, oh cool, you got me up to 700 and then they go and screw it up again. I've had that happen many times or they don't pay their credit monitoring and I was like, I'm trying to help you, but you're not helping yourself. So I've made it big to anybody who asked me for advice on how to start that help, of course, help people. But I've narrowed it down to 4 type of people to help. One is a single mother. We all know that it's, it's rough out here. And if it's a single mother out there that can't afford a nicer car, safer car, one that doesn't break down every once in a while, maybe one that's better on gas, if you could help a single mother get into an apartment maybe that she couldn't before because she had bad credit, the gratitude that she's gonna feel for you is gonna be immense. And then you're gonna get referrals from that. The next person is a mortgage broker, and we kind of touched on that. You help a mortgage broker, you educate them. Now you're helping not only that company, but you're helping this new family or the, this home buyer feel a feeling, right? Like that feeling of I'm a homeowner, they're gonna refer you more people. A business owner, we also kind of touched on that, right? How many business owners do we know that use their own money end up going out of business? If you can help a business owner fix their credit, show 'em strategically maybe how to get funding for their business, now they're not commingling their money. Now they have their reserves safe while using credit. The way it was meant to be for their business, right? What do you think they're going to do? They're going to refer you. And then the last person I like to focus on is somebody between the ages of 18 and 25. These are the people that's going into the next phase of their life. They might have graduated from high school, about to get their first apartment, newlyweds, somebody that's on to the next phase of their life that has their head on their shoulders. Possibly their parents didn't teach them anything about credit. You help those kind of people, they're gonna either refer you to all their friends or you're gonna help them level up into a new status where now they got new friends to refer to you, right? So being strategic about the help that you give is major.

How do you shift your clients from once you've repaired their credit to using their credit as leverage? For instance, with the business funding you've mentioned, I don't know anything about that part of the business. How does that work?

I'm big on identifying their goals from the very beginning. Right. And, you know, and it's not just business funding. It could be personal funding. So what we do is just not credit repair. And I love Credit Hero because that's really what it is, right? You're taking somebody's situation and optimizing it. So the business funding is cool, but sometimes people don't own businesses. So sometimes I'll get people, they're like, I don't need credit repair. I'll look at their file and be like, okay, you're right. You don't need credit repair, but you have a 650 score. Your utilization's at 40%. You have a car note that still has $8K on it. You have 4 credit cards that's halfway maxed. How about we get you a personal loan? You consolidate all that debt, you pay it all off. Your credit score now jumps because now you got paid off credit cards with low utilization. You done paid off your car as well, and now you've consolidated it and you're saving hundreds a month. You might not need credit repair, but you need credit optimization. So I shifted there because it was not just about, hey, let me fix your credit and get you a cool score, right? It's more about let's fix your life a little bit because credit changed my life. Like when I was laying in bed and I couldn't walk, right? I didn't have insurance. Like I didn't know how I was going to take care. And all I kept thinking was, what about that person who worked a regular job and they were in my situation, right? So I use, I use credit as a way to optimize what people have going on in their life, right? So I shifted it from being credit repair to credit optimization to, to credit structuring to business credit. And it's mainly, mainly justified by their goal. So I'm big on their goal. That's what identifies to me which route we're going to take. So if they are a business owner, okay, well then we got to get your credit right. Let's make sure your LLC is structured properly. Let's make sure that the right industry codes is, is being reflected in the banks. Let's get your website done correctly. You know, we're literally leading them down to the path of almost creating a sense of freedom. So that shift is also what helped me. And it just so happens I got all my cards right here. So when I was down and I learned credit and I learned funding, I was able to secure over $400,000 in credit. I had 2 LLCs at the time. I'm like, oh my gosh, like, I wish I would've known this before, before I lost all my houses, right? Like, so that's now, I always have that feeling inside when I'm talking to people. I'll, it's almost like we know things they don't, so we almost see the future of what they can be. So I always tell them I'm like a mirror. So if you're coming to me and you have, I've identified your goal as you're a business owner. Okay. Well, you need business funding. It doesn't reflect on your personal credit. So if you're maxed out on your credit, you start closing doors because you can't buy your house. Your utilization's way too high. You're getting higher interest rates. You can't buy that car. But if you're using business credit for the intention for your business, Now you keep your personal side clean and now you're winning.

Throughout this interview, you've talked about how a lot of people have the tools in front of them here. I think you're one of our big case studies of just using the tools that people pay for within the software, getting credit monitoring with Credit Hero Score, using the marketing hub that's built in for free, using the billing system that's built in for free. Is there anything you'd say to those people that are considering using alternative solutions? Like, why didn't you go with those? Why are you using the ones that are all built in?

I used to be an overthinker. I used to like to control everything, right? I came to a realization that the only thing you can control is yourself. So overthinking tends to lead to people to search outside of their means. What's better? Where can I save a penny? Like, where can I like make things more complex for myself because it makes me feel cool having all these little gadgets? That used to be me. But then I realized, why do I need 4 other programs, a couple of them I used to have to pay for, when this has it all right here? Like, it, like, it doesn't— it became to a point where it did not make sense to go outside of what was already provided. Right? Like you got the billing in place, you got the cloud mailing in place, you got the credit hero score in place, you got the software in place, you got the group in place, you got the support in place. Like, well, what more do you need? It's almost like a self-sabotage some way. Like there's always something more that they can be doing, right? So I think that's sometimes that's why they go that route. So I tell people, look, focus on productivity, not activity. Audit yourself. How much time do you spend going back and forth between all this software? That's activity. That's not being productive. Being productive is consolidating all your work into one space, which is what you guys provide. So that's why I'm big. Whenever I see somebody asking something, I'm like, no, what are you thinking? Just stay right there. Like, it doesn't make sense. And I use it on the daily basis. One thing that— it's almost like people are spoiled. They don't know what they got. I've been in a place where, you know, it was a bit harder for me to run this business. And then when I saw this, I'm like, oh my gosh, the curtains opened up, the sunlight came in. I'm like, it's all right here. I can focus on just helping people now. But people almost like to focus on the, on the activity. Let me tidy up my desk a little bit. Let me organize these folders. And then they, they trick themselves into that was being productive.

We should probably talk about credit repair a little bit. Of all the credit repair strategies you've learned, what's one that's been a real game changer?

I got to go back to focusing on their goals, right? Because there's a million different strategies out there, a million different strategies out there. You know, people talk Metro Tools and factual disputes and this and that. You guys already have all the tools. You have all the letters, you have all the education, you have all that already. I go back to focusing on the goal. What some people don't realize, okay, being that I deal with a lot of mortgage brokers, is that it's easier to buy a house right now than it is to get an American Express.

Okay.

So all you need is a 580 on the low end, but a 620 and you start getting better interest rates, right? Lower down payments. We all know that you have a 620 with a collection on your report. So I'm big on focusing on their goal. Right? Credit repair is helping them get to their goal. Do they need a squeaky clean report all the time? No, they don't. If they want funding, they do. Okay. But most people don't want funding. Most people want to buy a car. Most people want to, you know, put a pool in the back of their house. Most people want to buy a house, right? So the strategy that works best for me is identifying their goal from the beginning and whatever it takes for me to get them there, whether it's calling a mortgage broker, talking on the phone with a realtor, telling them to make a call call for a late payment. Like, a lot of times these people don't know that, hey, you got one late payment, you know, you can call them, tell them it was, you know, a little mistake, and, and ask them to please, as a courtesy, remove it. It works half the time, but if you're one of those that it works for, your, your point— your points are going to jump up 50 to 80 points. You're gonna get a, uh, you know, you're gonna get qualified at better rates, and now your goal was met. I look at things like that. So I'll look at what's the goal? What do we got to do to get you there? That's really my credit repair strategy, you know. So I would tell people once again, do not go crazy looking for the best strategies. You have the letters in place, you have the resources, you got the education in place. Use them. Identify the people's goals. That's your strategy.

It's interesting listening to you talk. All the things that work so well in your business all come back to listening. Everything you're talking to mortgage brokers, finding out what they need, you finding out people's goals. It's, it's really cool. It's really cool.

Never thought about it that way. That's true. So maybe, maybe listening, you know, instead of, instead of talking too much, listen to what they want, listen to what they need, listen to what's going to get them there, and then execute.

Yeah, I love it. And simplicity of Not trying to find the magic letter, but so often a phone call does solve something on a credit report.

100%. When you, when you look at it from a direction of, I need to help these people, you start looking at a credit report a little differently. You know, you look at it like, man, that collection's only $150. They're paying me $100 a month to keep me on. And that's the only thing that's on there. How about you just call them up and offer them $50? See what happens instead of paying me.

And we're so excited you're going to be speaking at Credit Repair Expo. What can people listening to the show here look forward to learning from you on stage at Credit Repair Expo?

Oh man, I think being that I am a simple guy and with— now that you said listening, man, like I'm really starting to realize that is what I do, right? I listen to a lot of people and they are overwhelmed almost by things that aren't really there or aren't really happening. They get discouraged way too fast. You know, they look outside of themselves for what they can do or what they can pay for, right, before they even try. So what they can expect from me is maybe a little bit of mindset training, right? Maybe a little bit of how to use the tools that's already provided. right? A little bit of encouragement. And I'm also a really good mirror. I, I'm just gonna speak mainly about mindset and, and how to really approach it from a sense of trying to help people in this industry because that's what's helped me. I, I, I lost it all multiple times over and credit really did save me, right? Like I never had an aspiration of being the credit guy, right? But I always did like helping people, and it just so happened through credit I get to help people, right? So I want people to understand what they're really getting into. You're not just doing credit, you're changing people's lives. And I know you say it all the time, but when they feel it, when you see that couple buying that house, when you see that single mother crying because they get— now they qualify for a car, then you realize really what we're doing here. Then you approach it a little differently, you know. So I'm gonna just maybe help them see it from that perspective a little bit.

Mic drop. That was awesome. Okay, let's switch gears now because we're coming near the end of our time. I'm going to ask you some rapid questions. Answer with the very first thing that pops into your head, okay?

Okay, cool.

What's your business superpower?

Gratitude.

What's your business kryptonite, meaning the area you had to work the hardest to improve?

Getting in my own way.

What does business ownership mean to you?

Freedom.

What drives and motivates you?

Freedom.

What's your definition of success?

How many people you can help.

And if you could go back in time and tell yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Keep it simple.

And do you have any other advice for someone just starting out with a credit repair business?

Really take a look around at what's being offered. Okay. And know that you're spoiled. In this, within this software, within this group, within this family, you have somebody that on your right that can help you and you have somebody on your left that you can help at all times. All the resources are there for you. Um, don't go too far out trying to create new things when they're already laid out for you. Focus on helping people and use the tools that you have.

And what's next for you? What's the next big goal?

Man, you guys actually helped me, or helping me achieve it, honestly. So, you know, I've had, you know, dreams about speaking in front of people, right? It's a little nerve-wracking, right? But how, how, you know, you can only impact people by being in front of them, right? So that's, that's, that's my main thing. And of course I want my plaque. You know, I want my, I want my Millionaire's Plex. So that's the next one for him.

I think we'll be seeing that really soon.

Yes, sir.

And how can people find your products and your services? How can they reach out to you?

I mainly just have my personal page on Instagram. It's @1LifeQuest and Patrick Sotelo on Facebook. I'm, I'm big on my, I am my business, right? So that's how you'll find me. I, you know, TheCreditSniper.com as well. You can find me there, but reach out to me personally. You know, that's, that's how I do it.

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Patrick. This was amazing.

Thank you guys.

And for everyone out there watching, if you want to learn even more from Patrick Sotelo, he's going to be speaking at Credit Repair Expo in Dallas in April. It's the biggest event in credit repair history. You can learn more about it at CreditRepairExpo.com. My goal is to help to get you from seat to stage. There are people who were here last year at last year's Credit Repair Expo. They were just sitting in their seats, and this year they're going to be on stage getting their Millionaires Club Awards. Seth Mitchell was at last Credit Repair Expo just sitting in his seat. Sandra Ruiz was sitting in her seat last year. Aaron Clark was sitting in his seat last year, and this year they are all going to be on this stage getting their Millionaires Club Awards. Yes, and I want that to happen to you. They went home, they implemented, they did it.

We change lives.

If you truly care and have a passion and a desire to help people and change lives, that is when you are going to have the biggest success. If you want to see exactly how to use the CRC Marketing Hub to generate more clients on autopilot, check out this video right here. And if you'd like to start your very own credit repair business or learn how to earn extra income repairing credit for others, check out my brand new Start Repairing Credit Challenge. So sign up right now at startrepairingcredit.com and keep changing lives.