24 Year Old Drug Addict Turned Millionaire | Unbelievable True Story

Now, what I was told about that, Chris, was that they called you the vending machine because you were just open to doing anything and everything. But you said there's a different reason why they called you that.

Well, yes, because I was at the time selling drugs. And so, you know, whatever someone needed to, they could. I could sell it to them. Therefore, I was the vending machine.

Okay, so you're like that guy. Like, I don't know if you've ever seen, because I'm old, but, like, the movie Shellshank Redemption is like, the guy who can get you things.

Everyone talks about that. I've never seen it.

Oh, my God.

I know, I know. I need to see it.

You had to. It's really good movie. Anyway, there's a guy in jail. It's Morgan Freeman, and he's like, the guy you go to who can get you things. You were like, you're like the Morgan Freeman at your college.

Well, I'll take that.

Okay, so. So you're going to college, you're being a businessman. Okay. You got a brand, the vending machine. Okay. What happened that led from that going on to you having to come to see us? Like, where did things go wrong?

Yeah. So my whole addiction story kind of began in high school, and then I started selling drugs just to be able to afford to use them. And in college, it kind of became a little bit more than that. And I was rushing a fraternity, which is the start of every good story, I feel like.

Right.

And we. Long story short, we're going on a trip, and some of my friends wanted me to bring drugs for them on the trip, etc. And long story short, on our way back from this trip, we ended up getting pulled over. Cops searched the vehicle because he could smell drugs, and I ended up claiming them getting arrested. And this was October of 2017 when I got arrested. And so I got arrested, was in there for, I don't know, two days maybe, and then got bailed out, had to wait an entire year for my court date. So October of 2018 is when I actually went to court. And once I got. I don't know the terminology for it, but I got put on probation, and that's when I moved.

Part of the requirement was like having to go.

Yes, I had some kind of program.

Or something like that. Okay. That's how you got to us.

Yes, exactly.

Okay. All right. So you got that legal charge. That's ultimately what kind of put the halt to it. Was there. Was it causing any other trouble in your life? Like, did it cause trouble? Your grades? Did it cause relationship trouble? Did it, you know, all the above.

But at the time, I was unaware of that. And I ultimately ended up dropping out of college. So, I mean, yeah, it definitely impacted college. And I said it just. I wasn't focused on squad. So much other stuff going on, and it just wasn't really a priority to me. And in terms of relationships with other people, I never really, like, did anyone wrong because I never, like, stole from anyone or anything like that because fortunately, I had capital, but I started to neglect relationships around me. Absolutely. And they just stopped becoming a priority.

Okay, so the friends or the, you know, relatives or whoever just kind of fell away.

That's right.

Stop nurturing.

I can remember my brother one time calling me in college, and I would always ignore his calls, and not intentionally, but I was just, you know, doing stuff or whatever, caught up in the lifestyle. And I think it was maybe he was calling me probably once every few days. And three months of me not answering. He texted or I text him, I said, hey, like, I'm in the middle of something. What's up? He's like, hey, I'm just trying to get in touch with you because I haven't heard from you in months. Been trying to call you. And that kind of just highlighted to me, like, holy cow. Like, I just don't even talk to my family or. Or care, in a sense, when I'm caught up in that. That lifestyle. So that's more of how it impacted relationship.

Just completely disconnected.

Exactly. Yes.

Now, did your family have any idea what was going down?

My brother.

Yes, your brother. Okay.

But my parents, not really. I think at one point my brother actually told my mom, like, I was going down a pretty bad path in terms of what I was using. But I. I don't think she. She didn't know the full extent of it, and I still don't even think she knows the full extent. Jen, I love you. If you watch this, she does not get you.

Okay. Okay. So she kind of heard from your brother. Hey, Chris is like, get. You know, getting in some bad situations or whatever, but didn't really know, like, the details of it exactly. Okay, okay. Did she say anything to you about it?

Well, yeah. Yeah. I can remember one time I was at the lake, and I think she, like, went through my bag after Andrea told her about this. I think she, like, found some. Some pills or something I had. I can't fully remember it, but she knew. But it was also kind of like, what can you do?

Right? Plus, it's like, who's in college? He's probably just.

That's right. And so she lived up here in Greenville and I was going to school down in Atlanta, so she stayed away. And it was. I mean, you can't really prevent it from. From happening, right?

What'd she say to you about the bills? Did she say anything?

Honestly, I don't really remember.

You don't remember?

No, it was just, you know, just living in the days all the time. You don't. I don't fully remember what, what transpired with that. I think she just kind of was like, you know, piss and. Yeah, like as a parent, you just said you can't do this. And then.

Yeah, like regular mom, like, what the crowd. What are you doing down there? Yeah, exactly. Okay, so. Okay, so we'll fast forward a little bit.

Sure.

You, you have this legal charge. It finally goes court. And then part of what you have to do is get some treatment. So you come to Greenville and you see us. What did you. What'd you think about us?

I enjoyed going to Groove. It was always fun. To me it sounds terrible, but, you know, everyone's airing out their drama and it's like, wow, that's a crazy story. And it really is like that. I mean, I, I enjoyed it and I, I am one of those people that I enjoy growth and becoming more. And so I actually would go into the group sessions or even the one on one sessions and want to become better.

Okay.

So, yeah, I enjoyed it and I.

Okay, so the group he was in just. We ran an intensive outpatient program. And so you had to come to group like three times a week? Yeah, I mean, it's a commitment. Like it was a big deal. Right, but you're right. I mean, our group was fun and you, you get invested in the characters and you kind of keep having show up because you gotta find out, like, did so and so get trouble with their mom? Did so and so tell his wife or whatever. It's like your show. You can't miss the episode. It kind of rings you in there. Right? Okay, so you're in there and you didn't not enjoy going, but you did. I mean, from what I remember, you, you had a different spin on the recovery process.

You weren't like, yeah, I didn't subscribe to the 12 step and all that. And it was, it was different for me because getting arrested and put on probation was kind of a wake up call for me. And when I moved up here, I had never lived here before and I didn't have any friends here. I didn't know anyone here. I, you know, had no connections here. And so at first it was kind of difficult because I'd be watching my friends and in college still, like, on social media, like, having a big part, it's like, damn, I wish I was there kind of thing.

Right.

But I think between being on probation and being away from that environment, I kind of got to the point where addiction was no longer really an option for me. Because I said that and I said, well, I don't even know where to find anything, like to buy drugs from someone. And I'm also on probation. I don't want to violate that because I don't want to go back to jail.

Right.

And so that, I think, scared scared me out of addiction. In a sense. That became a larger priority to me than doing drugs. It's staying out of trouble.

Right.

Because I had. I think if I violated probation, I think I was going to be put in jail for, like, 10 years. And I was like, yeah. So I was like, you know, I'd rather not do that.

Rather not. Good choice.

Yeah.

So you, you, you know, you bring up a good point because you're saying, like, I came and then basically I didn't have any access to it. And I had this big consequence hanging over my head. So eventually I just sort of came around to the idea of not using drugs.

Exactly. It didn't seem like an option in a way.

When you first came back or came to Greenville or whatever, in your mind, did you think, okay, I'll be sober because I got to get through this probation, or were you like, whatever, I'm just going to do, I'm just going to check these boxes. What were you thinking?

It was definitely, you know, when I first got up here, I think it was more of, I'm going to be sober until I'm off probation and I'll go back kind of doing whatever I want to do. And that later changed. But starting out, that's. That's kind of the mindset I had, was I'm just going to do my time while I have to and then go back to being a party animal after that.

Okay, I just got to get through this. I gotta do what I'm supposed to do, get out of this trouble, and then I'm going back to the same lifestyle.

Exactly. Yeah.

The reason I think that's important for you guys to hear is because I say this all the time, like, you don't have to want recovery. And a lot of people don't decide that they want to stay sober until they already are sober. So whatever it is, that kind of puts you in that situation where you're sober long enough for your thinking to clear, then most people stop to say sober after they've gotten somewhere, usually because they had to for some reason.

Yeah, yeah, sure.

Right. Okay. Okay. So now this is the. This is the funny part of your story that. Where it sort of diverges from a lot of stories. Right. Okay, so Chris is in group now. Let me ask you this. I've never asked you. When you were in college, were you studying business? Surely you had to be because you're like, a businessman at heart.

I didn't really go to class, to.

Be honest with you, officially. Did you have a major, though?

I switched around, like, three times. I don't remember where. I think I landed on, like, finance or something. Okay, so along the same lines.

Okay, that's what I figured. Because you kind of. You just sort of like that kind of an entrepreneur at heart, I would say.

Yeah, sure. Okay.

So you come to group and everybody be talking about the drama, and you'd be talking about making money, and everyone made fun of you. And people would actually confront you and get on your case and be like, this isn't about that. You know, they get, like, the hardcore, like, recovery, and they would come at you, and I try to have your back. I'm like, no, dude, he can make money.

Yeah, sure, absolutely.

And so then. And then I was like, I got this book which I had read before, and it's called Millionaire Fast Lane. And I was like, chris, I want you to read this book.

Yeah.

So then what happened? So you read the book?

Yeah, I read that book. And I don't remember how I really got on the whole I want to be successful train. I. I think I was probably just bored and sober. I was like, I need something to do. And so I read that book, and they. In that book, I think you missed it, but they have a forum, and he sends you to a website. You know, go check it out. So I joined the forum and was reading a lot of people's stories and things like that, and I. I don't know what really piqued my interest in it, but I was like, wow, you know, I want to be successful. I want to find a way to make this happen. And at that point, I mean, I dropped out of college. I had been arrested. I was sitting in my mom's basement. I was like, 20 years old. What in the world am I doing here?

Yeah.

So, yeah, then that kind of became, I guess, my outlet or an obsession in a way.

Yeah. You got like jazzed up and then you would come to group and you'd be like, I'm being millionaire by 30.

Yeah.

And you were like, I'm gonna go to the Tony Robbins conference. Like, this is my like dream. I'm gonna do it. And keeping group. Didn't even know who that.

That's right. Yeah.

They were just like, this kid is crazy.

Yeah.

And they were just kind of like laugh at you.

That's right. A lot of that.

Well, not like mean, but like laugh and just giggle at you.

Yeah, yeah. Right. Okay, dude, like you're delusional or how you could think you're gonna do that. And, and it took me, I think, a long time to realize they were really just expressing their own limiting beliefs because they don't believe that you can.

I love it. That's right. Limiting beliefs.

That's. Yeah. And that's a lot of it. And. But yeah, I would go in there and be. I think they thought I was talking in Chinese. They'd be talking about Tony Robbins and, you know, where I wanted to go in life. And I don't think a lot of people resonated with that. And it wouldn't even pass. I mean, I had a part time job at the time and I would talk to them about it and be like, dude, shut up. Like I was working with like 40 year olds and they were like, dude, you're not going to be a millionaire by like 25 or whatever.

It was like millennials.

Yeah, yeah, right. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah. Okay, so you, you come to group and everybody else would be talking about their drama. And then I remember you, you said, I'm gonna start a business. And then you're like, it's going to be a pressure washing business. And you would kind of agree. We talk about the pressure washing business, all the things you were doing, and almost like became like a mastermind brainstorming for your business or whatever.

Yeah. Not the best advisors. I wouldn't recommend brainstorming in group therapy.

Okay.

But yeah, that was, that was kind of the start of it for me. I wanted to start something that was. Didn't require a lot of funds, it was easy to do and I don't know, I saw it as an easy barrier to entry. So I started that. I would go to group, talk about people laugh at me and I say I was silly and all that. And I think that was 2019. Summer of 2019 is when I started the pressure washing business. And I Was still working a part time job, like I said. And so I would like take my pressure washer to work with anyone. Like take a pressure washer.

You guys, he is a hustler.

Yeah.

You looked at Chris, he was hustling a deal.

That's right. I mean, yeah, because I would go to work, but I would get off it too. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna go pressure wash this house afterwards. And so I'd like take my pressure washer. I worked at this like hardware store and so I would like to roll my pressure in and put it back. I'm like, sorry guys, I gotta use it later today. And so I was doing that for a little while. And December, well, actually January 2020, I like quit the part time job to do pressure washing full time, which is the worst time to be a full time pressure washer.

In the middle of the winter.

Well, that too, but in the middle of winter. I mean, come on, house wash when it's 30 degrees out there.

True.

And so, yeah, so I was doing that and I didn't really know where I was going with it. And, you know, one thing kind of led to another. And one of those guys on the forum from that fast lane book, he was like a marketing guy. And so I was posting on there about my pressure washing business. And at this time, I think I was like, I don't know, making $2,000 a month, like not a lot of money. And I was like, I need to figure out how to grow this. And so I made a post on that forum saying, I'm trying to learn how to market this company, blah, blah, blah, blah. And this guy reaches out to me, he said, hey, I saw your post on there and I'm starting a marketing company. Would you be interested if I could do Facebook ads for you? You pay for the ad spend and. And I just want at the end of this to do a case study on your results to help me grow my company. Yeah, well, fair enough. Let's do it.

Yeah, it's a great deal.

And so he, he crafted the ad and all that. And I was paying. I said, dude, I'm kind of broke, so I'll do $10 a day, which is 300amonth, is what I would spend on Facebook ads. The first month, it was March of 2020 when we started this. The first month, I think I made two 50s. I lost 50 bucks.

Okay.

And I was like, dude, something's got to change. And so I saw this guy, like one of my competitors, his Facebook ad. And it was a video of him, like, talking about how he was washing a house, and he showed the people how he does it, and he had, like, hundreds of comments of like, hey, come do my house. You know, blah, blah, blah. And so I was talking. This guy's name was Rich. And I said, rich, look at this guy's ad. Something's working here. And so he's like, okay, let's do another one.

Yeah, they call that content marketing.

Exactly. And so I went in there, and I basically copied this guy's ad. So I did a video of me washing a house and telling people how I did it and all that. And then next month, I think I did, like, $8,000 in business.

Wow.

I was like, whoa, dude, I'm gonna spend 300 bucks to make eight grand. That's pretty awesome.

That's like, four times.

Yeah.

Wow.

And so from there, it just kind of exploded from that Facebook ad. And anyways, I don't know how long you want me to carry on about this, but I ultimately started washing this guy's house that owned a lot of real estate. And he one day sat down with me, like, you're a young guy. What are your goals? Kind of thing. And I said, well, I think it'd be cool to make $100,000 in a year. And he's like, dude, you're going to be a tired boy if you're doing that pressure washing. That's a lot of houses to wash. And he's like, you should look at real estate. And so, long story short, I ended up sitting down in his office. And I didn't know this at the time, but he was trying to recruit me to become a realtor.

Okay.

And he was working. Yeah, he wanted to recruit me, and I didn't know that, but along the way, I learned a lot about the investment side of real estate, because that's what really piqued my interest. Not so much listing someone's house, but owning a house. And he kind of planted the seed in me. And from there. And at the Same time, in March 2020, when the world shut down, I took that time to also start learning about real estate. So I was reading books and listening to podcasts. You know, all that. And so that guy kind of opened my eyes to the world of real estate. That's ultimately where I ended up.

And that's how. And then real estate thing happened. Happened. And then you sent me a text last week that says, amber, I made my goal, but I made it by 24 and not 30. I'm like, you made a million dollars?

Yep.

And I was like, what? And then I was going to text. I was like, no, I'm gonna have to call him. And then I called because I was so excited for you.

Yeah, well, Amber was, like, one of the few people that actually believed in me at the time.

Oh, yeah. I was all about it.

And you gave me the book that kick started everything. So I was like, I gotta let Amber know.

Yeah, yeah.

But, yeah. So I was washing houses 2020, and then August of 2020, I bought my first house. And I basically saved up all my money pressure washing, and I bought a duplex. And this, for those that don't know, it's basically two units, one on each side of the house. And it's like, I'm gonna buy this. I'm gonna live in one side, and I'm gonna rent out the other, and they'll cover my mortgage. And so my mortgage, like, eleven hundred dollars. So I lived in one side and rented out the other, like, 10, 50 bucks. So I had to spend $50 a month to live there. And I was like, man, this is kind of cool. Like, if I move out, I could rent my side and maybe make eight or nine hundred dollars a month. And so that once I bought that, it was like, whoa. Like, this is really, really cool. And from there, I went back to that realtor guy that kind of introduced me to it. He helped me buy that house. And then I was telling them, you know, I want to. I want to own more houses. I don't necessarily want to list them. How can I?

You're like, I want to go big.

Yeah, I want to buy them.

I'm big. Okay.

Exactly. And so that was August of 2020. And then in November of 2020, I bought a mobile home park, which was the second. Yeah. I went from a duplex to a mobile home park.

And. Okay, you're like, how old in 20?

20? 22.

Okay.

So.

So I just want to slow down for a second here. In 2019, you have to drop out of college and.

Yeah.

Come to Iop with us, right?

Yeah.

And this. So this is three years later. Two years. I'm not gonna.

Three years.

Three years. Yeah. Okay. You bought a mobile home park.

Yeah.

This is like. And. And I. You did this by yourself? Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Like, he did this. He figured it out. He researched. He. He hustled you guys. He was going door to door. He was leaving cars. Like, this kid put the work in.

Yeah, it was.

Yeah, you did.

It was. I mean, but it was a lot of frustration along the way because it was. I was, I was very impatient. I still am. You know, I want to get it right now and find a way to make it happen. And I think that that was actually one of my positive traits because I think that's what gets me up every day. Say I need to go figure out how to get. And. Yeah, so with the mobile home park, I didn't qualify for bank financing because I didn't have two years of tax returns doing my pressure washing, baby. Yeah. And I. Yeah, I don't have any credibility. And so I was like, okay, I need to, like, find a way to leverage other people. And so I would get some people to co sign on loans at the bank for me, or I would borrow their money to buy houses. And that's a whole nother story. Um, so I. I got my. My girlfriend at the time to co sign on the loan to get me the mobile home park. And that thing turned out to be a disaster. I mean, I still own it, but at the time it was a disaster because I didn't know what I was doing.

Okay.

You know, I'm just. I'm just young, and these guys are, you know, I mean, you're dealing with old people sometimes too, and they're like, how old are you, son?

You know, like, they don't even take you serious.

Yeah, no, not at all. Anyway, so, yes, I bought that in November of 2020, and I @ the same time got my real estate license because that guy talked me into it. And so I got license, and for, I don't know, from November 2020 to February 2021, I was trying to be a real estate agent. And I quickly discovered I did not like that. It was just. It was not fun. I like sitting there, like, putting deals together. I don't like talking to granny about this nice kitchen and why she should buy this house. You know, I.

Mean.

Right. That just wasn't my speed. And so at the brokerage that I was working at, I met this. This older lady that she did a lot of investment stuff as well. And so she was kind of telling me about this thing called wholesaling real estate. And to make a long story short, what it is, is if you find a house for $100,000, I go get that under contract to buy it. And I may have an investor that wants to buy that house for 110,000. And so I can sell him the right to buy. I can sell him the.

Contract. Like a.

Middleman. Exactly. Okay, so I'm under contract at 100. I sell it to him for 110. I make 10 grand. And I was like, that's.

Cool. Now you're.

Excited. Yeah, now I was.

Excited.

Okay. And so February 2021, I started working with this lady. Her name was Maria. And she kind of helped show me the ropes. Here's how you do it. You know, blah, blah. And so I would then cold call every day. Just different homeowners around the area trying to get their property and. And buy it at a discount and sell it to someone else at a higher.

Price. Are you, like, the guy? Like, when I drive around and I see these, like, signs, it says we.

Buy. Literally, that's.

What. That's you. When I see the signs, I.

Don'T put the signs out, but that's what I do.

Okay.

Okay. Yeah, that's what these people are doing.

That.

Okay. And so I would, like, you know, I would talk to some old lady, like, yeah, I'll sell my house. You know, I want a hundred thousand for it. And I would go to Maria and say, hey, like, this person wants a hundred. I don't know if that's a good deal or not. I don't really know what I'm doing. And so Maria kind of helped guide me for a few months there. And so we did, I think, like, three transactions, and I made, I think, like, 25 grand. I was like, whoa. Like, yeah. I was like, wow, I'd have to wash, like, a hundred houses to make this. And so I, like, I got pretty hooked on it. And so, August of 2021. So exactly a year ago, I said, okay, well, like, I'm going to start doing this on my own, kind of. And so I continued to call around. That was like, my main thing was just cold calling people. And it was terrible. But I had to, like, discipline myself every morning to show up, sit down, and call these.

People. Okay, if y' all don't know what cold calling means, tell it, because it is freaking. Like, tell.

Them. Yeah. So basically, you can get a list of property owners, and that's another discussion. And what I would do is sit down and call them, and they don't know who I am. I don't know who they are. And I just, hey, Amber, I saw your property on one two three Main Street. You know, would you consider possibly selling.

That? Okay. I've been getting these texts recently from all these people. Hey, Amber, like, do you want to sell? And they'd say, my address. I'm like. Like, they knew.

Me. I'm like, that actually might be me. Texting.

You. But yeah, yeah, they don't say the name.

Chris. Okay. But yeah.

Exactly. This.

Person. Yeah, that's what was happening. And so a lot. I mean, 90% of the people you call, it's f. You leave me alone. Why are you calling me? Blah, blah, blah, blah is awful. And so I'd be like, oh, my God. Just rejection after rejection after rejection. And so I was like, okay, I know that if I cold call for three hours a day, five days a week, I'll typically get one deal. And so I say, okay, 9am to noon, every single day, I'm going to sit my ass in this chair and I'm going to make the calls I need to.

Make. Dude, that is some self.

Discipline. And, yeah, no. And so I would, I would do that. And like I said, I mean, my average deal, I was making ten grand on it. And so I was like, wow, you know, if I could do this once a week, that's 40 grand a month. That's a pretty good month. And so I quickly got addicted to that. And so that was August of 2021 that I was like, okay, like I'm gonna do this. And up until this point, I was still pressure washing.

Also. You're still pressure.

Washing? Yeah. So I would do a deal and then I would go like, wash a house. And because I was kind of afraid to let go of it because it was steady income, I had my Facebook ad going still from that same dude that made that a year prior. And it was generating a lot of business. And so I just kept doing that. And so I stopped doing that. October of 2021, I said, I'm going to dive fully into real estate. No more pressure washing, no shenanigans. And so I had called this guy that had a house that we ended up buying and actually flipping it. And he also had an apartment building that he wanted to sell. And I was like, okay, like, I want to buy your apartment complex. And he said, I'll take 1.2 million for it. And I, I don't know, I maybe had 20 grand at the time. I said, well, I'm a little far off. And so I was like, would you sell or finance it to me? Basically be the bank. And he's like, okay, you know what, I'll do that, but I need you to give me $200,000 down and then I'll finance the other million. I was like, okay, now I gotta find 200.

Grand. Oh, my God. Wait a second. You're 21 and you're financing a million.

Dollars. I was.

22. 22. 22. And you're financing a million dollar apartment.

Complex. That's.

Right. Oh my gosh. Is your mind blown? Mine is like.

Blown. Well, yeah. And so at this time I would go to a lot of networking events and things like that. And so I met this guy. Guy. And he was like 28 years old, so he was a young guy too. And he was like, you know, I'm looking to get into real estate. My dad has a lot of capital though, and we want to flip a house together. And so I met this guy. I don't know, it might have been July of 2021. And so we kind of would talk every now and again, like, hey, what's going on? What are you up to? Blah, blah, blah, blah. And so when I got this apartment building or when I found it, I called that guy up and I said, you know what, instead of flipping a house, what if we just bought an apartment building together? And like, well, we might do that, you know, whatever. And long story short, I ended up talking his dad into putting up the 200 grand. So this guy's dad puts up the 200 grand. The seller financed the other million, and we bought this apartment complex. And so the dad and I were both owners in the building. And that was October 1st of 2021 is when we bought that. And that was the same day I said, I'm doing real estate full time and not pressure washing anymore. And so from there it's kind of just exploded. And that same guy, his name's Jim, that, that did that deal with me, we bought another apartment complex. Since then, we just bought 22 houses last week, like portfolio of them. Yeah. And it's crazy. And so it was mind boggling to me as well because, you know, throughout a lot of this, I never really believed in myself. I just kind of did it. And like the work kind of comes before the.

Belief. That's.

Right. And.

For. Same way for recovery, just so you know, go.

Ahead. But you know, I sat there and thought, there's no way I can find 200 grand or there's no way I can go raise this money and, and, and buy these things or whatever. And I don't know, it was just interesting. I don't know where I was going with that, but I found that it's really more of a belief system problem than, Than a resource.

Problem. That's right. Right. It's like the sort of limited mindset. What do they. There's a term for that.

There. Growth.

Mindset. Yeah. I Forget that. Anyways, if you're like, follow all that kind of culture, there's like a word of it. But the. The reason why I want you guys to hear this story, number one, because it's amazing story, and we're super happy. But. But a big thing is I want you guys to hear this story, is this. This whole process. Let's listen to you talk through what you were thinking and what you did. You know what that is? That's addict thinking, people. That's addict thinking put to good use. It's that, like, I want more. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get it. I'm gonna obsess about it until I figure it out and make it happen, and there's nothing that's going to stop me. And that is addict thinking. And. And that's what I love about working with people. Addictions. Because sometimes people say, why do you, like. I'm like, dang. People. Addictions are actually, like, usually motivated, like, driven. It's that addicted personality. And all you have to do is use your superpower for the good. That's all you did. Yeah, you were doing. You were hustling in college. You're just using your superpower for the.

Bad. That's.

Right. And sometimes it's a bad business went like, literally. I have sat down with kids and said, okay, let's figure this out. You sell them weed. Let's run the numbers. All right. How much are you paying or selling for? Okay. You got to drive to them. Okay. You got to answer your phone in the middle of the night. Like, what's your.

Roi? That's.

Right. And if you shift from. If you use that same thing that you're putting into addiction, which, you know, when you're in addiction, it's. It's 247 obsession. It's, how am I going to get it? It's how am I going to sneak by? How am I going to pass this drug test? I'm gonna constantly. If you put that thinking into anything else that you want, whether you want to be a millionaire like Chris or you want to create art, you want to write a book, whatever it is you want to do, if you will, just shift your energy into that, there's no.

Limits. That's right. Real estate's a better ROI than weed, for.

Sure. Can you say that one more.

Time? Real estate's a better ROI than weed. Thank.

You. Thank you. Oh, my gosh. Can I get, like, an amen or something? Yes. It's so true. And I think for a lot of you out there, if you're, if you're wondering about recovery and you just don't love this whole what's wrong with me model, then, then maybe consider the what's right with me model. And I think that's, that's what I call a strengths based approach to recovery. Now if you're not sure maybe what your thing is, I feel like for you, I knew you were business owner kind of great. That's why I gave you. I'm like, this is a businessman. And so I gave you the book and I just knew. And everyone doesn't have to be a businessman. But you do have something inside of you that you need to unleash. And I promise you, you got better things to do than chase a substance. And everybody, you've got something inside of you that you can be doing that's worth way more than, than chasing a substance. Now one of the things we do in our office is we do Enneagram. What's your enneagram.

Number? I don't know. Still. People told me.

Three. Yeah. And I think I can see that three or seven. Three or seven. But I.

Think. I don't think I'm a.

Seven. Yeah, I think I was gonna say three. Other day in the kitchen count was like three. So he sold three or.

Whatever.

Yeah. So if you, you guys have heard me talk about that a little bit. Enneagram is just understanding your personality type. And I think that's a really good way too to figure out what is the best method for my recovery. It's about understanding who you are and what your strengths are, what drives you and what motivates you. And maybe that's a good way to think about how am I going to shift my focus. Right. For you it was business, but for other people it's music. It's. It's something. But if you've got that obsessive ability to chase a substance, you have the obsessive ability to chase whatever you.

Want. Yeah, that's.

Right. That's.

Right. Yeah, I. And I think I also didn't really subscribe to the. It has power over anything. I think that also kind of rubbed me the wrong.

Way. Like the.

Powerlessness. Yeah. And I think I was kind of like. It was almost like I was going to prove to myself that no, I'm actually, I've got the power over this. And yeah, I can remember when I moved up here, I mean, the probation thing I think kind of scared me straight in a lot of ways. I think I like ruled it out in my Mind as an option. I was like, I can't do drugs. I'm either going to go back to jail for 10 years or get my life together. And I'm very all or nothing. And so, and I still am. And so for me at that time it was like, I'm just not gonna do anything. Like I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm done. Like I'm throwing in the towel and forget I'm move on and figure something else out. And I can remember it wasn't really that difficult once I made the decision that it was, it was done. And I think what happens, and I see this in a lot of areas of life, even with fitness or business or anything, usually people have one foot in and one foot out and they say, well I'll be sober for a week. And you know, I earned it, you know, this weekend because I had a good week. Or you know, even with working out, people say, oh you know, I don't need to go to the gym today. I went the past two days so like I can take the day off. And it's that rationalizing and that one foot in one without mentality that I think keeps a lot of people stuck in that cycle. And at some point you just got to make the decision and say that's it and cut off all of their.

Options. I love that because it's not that long ago I did a video, Chris, about the idea, you know, the whole one day at a time recovery idea. And I was talking about how that's not always the best way to think because sometimes you're just like waiting till the next time you use and it, if you make the decision in your head, this not who I am anymore. I'm a non drinker, I'm a whatever. And you see yourself different, it's so much easier. You don't battle with yourself. You don't say will I should, I wanna, my mom's not here, I've got some extra money. You just don't even go down that route because you see yourself differently. And I like that because you, you just, you shifted initially because you had to. Yeah.

Basically. Yeah. Yeah, right.

Absolutely. You're like, I'm done. But, but it was like a, I'm not trying to weasel around it, I'm just done for.

Now. Yeah. And I mean people in places thing helped a lot. Never lived there, didn't know anyone that really did.

It.

True. Right? That definitely helped a ton. I don't think I could have done it if I, if I didn't move up.

Here. But then when I. When you text me last week and then I called you and I was like, oh, my gosh, tell me about it. You were telling me. And I said, well, well, what about. What about the recovery? So what about drugs and alcohol? I loved your answer. Do you remember what you.

Said?

No. You said, amber, I got time for that mess. Oh, I love.

It. It's true. No, and see, that's the thing. So last October, I got off of probation, and I think. And at that point, I bought that apartment building and, you know, was kind of on my way doing my thing. And I can remember when I got off, I was like, man, I can't even, like, go back to that. You know, there's just. There's no way. Like, I have way too much going on. And it kind of became like, what do I want more? You know, do I. Do I want to go back into this dark hole or continue to do what I'm.

Doing? Right. But you, at that point, you got probation. It did. It was a choice. You had to sort of think to yourself, like, I can. Should I or should I? You had to make a.

Choice.

Absolutely. Okay. And now that I'm proud of you, but good Lord, I'm glad that you met this other choice because you're such a businessman. Salesman. You would have brought the whole freaking college.

Down.

Yeah. You had to come out of there, because if you're selling that instead of real estate, I'm scared. Seriously. Seriously. Okay, so use super good. Chris is a wonderful example about it. And I'll. I'll remember to go back in and put the link to that book somebody asked, I saw earlier. It's called Millionaire Fast Lane. I can't remember who wrote it, but I've. I would say I read it. I don't read books. I listen. I listened to it twice. It's a good one. If you have questions, do you have a couple minutes to take a.

Question?

Okay. If you have a question or a comment for Chris, if you're on live, you can put that in the chat and we'll take a couple of questions. But if you're watching on the replay or you just don't let Chris know, like, give him like, a thumbs up so he knows you're excited for him. Just like I'm excited for him. All right, let's see who's here. It was. Jennifer is asking, what's the name of the book? It's Millionaire Fast Lane. I'm just scrolling back up here. Hey, Anthony. Hey, Melanie. Thank you. For telling us about the sound. Melanie. I would not have known that. We would have just kept talking. All right, Anthony's on here. See what you have to say. Anthony. Anthony said, good afternoon, everyone. I hope everyone's doing well, enjoying the day today. I'm thankful for my sobriety. I'm blessed to be with all of you here watching in Buffalo, New York, favorite channel. My life is so much better than it ever was before. I want to thank you. Well, thank you. And thank you for sharing that with us. That's right. Is your life. Is your life better? I don't even need to ask that.

Right. Yeah. I mean, it's different, you know, It's a lot different, but absolutely. I mean, even. Even before this. So I can remember when I first got clean, it was getting your mind back. And I don't think you really realize how far gone you are until you're kind of back in this world. You're like, holy. I did all that, you know? Like, I don't.

Know. Yeah, I think that's another. A big part of the reason why people have to get sober to want to be sober. Because you don't even see.

It. Oh.

Yeah. I mean, you're just like, in this storm and your point of view is all.

Skewed.

Absolutely. It's a mess. Yeah. It's like. I don't know if you can remember this, but when you run group and you're in group and you have the new person coming in and you're like, on the outside looking, and you're like, oh, I know what they're gonna say next. I know what they're thinking right now. They're thinking this because you can just see it, that. That kind of thinking. I don't know if you saw that in.

Group. Oh.

Absolutely. Yeah. You can see it over and.

Over. Usually the same thought patterns.

Yeah. You're like, oh, I know what that person's gonna say next. And then they get irritated, but you still know. Okay, let's see here if we have any questions. Susan says, wow, this is amazing and intelligent young man you are. We should be proud of you and your accomplishments. Anthony says he's an enneagram 8. I didn't know that about you, Anthony. Enneagram eights are, like, large and in charge. They're also all or nothing people. But they're the defenders of justice, and threes are the defenders of champion the world. They just won't, like, win the.

World. That's.

Right. Yes. Okay, here's a question. Oh, let's see. It's a couple of questions here. The meat based kitchen says, why did the guy who financed you, who financed 200,000k do it? He could have gone in alone.

Because I found the opportunity. And so a lot of the times, this guy in particular, he is one of those people. He wasn't in real estate ever. This. His only real estate transactions he's ever done are with me. And so he was, he owns a business and he was good at making money, but he doesn't know how to invest it. And so I basically brought him an opportunity where, hey, instead of your money sitting in the bank just losing to inflation and making half a percent of return every year in the savings, you can put it in this apartment building and, and make money with it. And so to answer your question, I mean, usually if you find an opportunity in real estate, people will fund it. And if you get it under contract, that means you have the right to purchase it and no one else can. So essentially I had the opportunity to purchase it. And so he put up the.

Capital. I don't, I don't know if you noticed this, but the real answer to your question is you kind, you talked him into it. You salesman him and hey, you'd be better off to finances for me because you would make more money. And so you're like, yeah, a little bit of.

That. Yeah, yeah, there's an element of that.

Too. See, another good use of those.

Attic skills, but that I didn't like hoodwink them.

In. Yeah, you weren't trying to get and do anything.

Bad. Yeah, no, not at.

All. You said this is why this is a good route for you to.

Go. That's right. And afterwards, and even to this day, he'll still be like, man, I wouldn't have these opportunities without you. I mean, he's grateful that I come to him with these opportunities because, you know, he's running his own business. He doesn't have time to sit here and find.

These. Right. And so it's about putting superpowers.

Together.

Exactly. Yeah, I love.

It.

Exactly. Okay, let's see. Do for someone college age, it sounds like you are an advocate for changing your environment. If you're an addict, won't you find drugs wherever you are? Good.

Question. And I think that's where the probation element came in. I think that I was in a place where I said, you know, I don't want to go back to jail more than anything. And I think if I didn't have that looming over my head, it would have been a lot more Difficult. And I think that that kind of, that really deterred me from doing it. Because like I said earlier, I mean, originally I thought, you know, I'll get off probation and just go back to the same thing I was.

Doing. Do.

It. And then that later changed. But in the beginning, I think the only thing that kept me out of trouble was the fact that I was already in.

Trouble.

Okay. You know, otherwise I think I would have had a much harder.

Time. Really hot water. That's right, really hot. Not just like a little bit, a.

Lot.

Exactly. Okay. Yeah, I think that was an excellent question. Because there's this, there's this idea a lot of times for people who are struggling in addiction, in recovery, call it geographical cure. And it's this idea that, like, it's just this town, it's just this school, it's just these people. It's my job. And if I just get away from it, I'm going to be okay. They call it geographical cure. And in and of itself, if you just change your town, your location or whatever, and you think that's going to make the problem go away, that will not make the problem go away. The problem will follow you. Just like what you're saying, if you have it in your head, I want to change and you understand what the problem is, or you have like serious accountability like Chris, and you pair that with a new location and a fresh start. Now that's a good.

Combination. Yeah, yeah, it's. I think even the reason that you start using drugs plays, plays a role also. I mean, I think sometimes, especially when you're young, I mean, a lot of it's just I want to have fun with my friends or I want to feel like the man because I'm selling drugs to everyone. So everyone kind of becomes your friend then. But I think that some people that are running from something bigger, it can be harder to, to get out of that mindset because like you said, it does follow.

You. Well, I think that's a good point. Like sometimes people are maybe using to self medicate something, I think is what you're saying. And that can be hard to get away from. But even with what you're saying, which I'm. I'm glad you said that, which is I like to feel like the man or whatever. A lot of people have as much trouble giving up the lifestyle as they do the substance. Like, because there's a lure to the lifestyle. Right. Like the thought of I'm gonna sell drugs and make money in theory sounds kind of cool.

Right?

Yeah. In reality, it's not so great because you get them lawyer.

Fees. That's right. Yeah. I think I ultimately lost money after paying for attorneys and.

Stuff. That's right. You got to calculate that in or like when someone one steals from you or something. I mean, yeah, you got to calculate all that in if you're trying to businessman.

That. Yeah, that's right. And you can't even spend the money because you can't report it, you.

Know. That's.

Right. You can't really put it in the.

Bank. You got to get like Jesse Pinkman and.

Log. That's right. Yeah, that's.

Right. Okay, so is there anything or what, What? Would you want anyone to watch this? Is there any message you want out there? Something you want.

People? Yeah, I think the biggest thing is I think something that stuck with me forever, that I got this from Tony Robbins. The story you tell yourself becomes your reality. And I think that everyone, no matter what it is, is telling themselves a story about it. Whether it's, hey, I think that girl's cute, but she probably won't like me because of X, Y and Z or I can't lose weight because I'm big boned and X, Y and Z or I can't be successful because I don't know how. And so everyone has some sort of story that they're telling themselves. And from the beginning, even when I would go into group and talk about my grandiose ideas, the story that I was telling myself, for better or worse, was, I'm going to be successful. I'm going to figure it out. I don't care what, I can.

Do it, I'm going to do.

It. Exactly. And still today I tell myself that same story because that I, I know that the message I tell myself is what's going to ultimately.

Happen. It's 100 true what you're saying. And a story that I hear a lot for people struggling using this is, is the story you're telling yourself is life's gonna suck without it. You're telling yourself that you're going to be missing out. You're telling yourself everybody else gets to and you feel left out. You're telling yourself like you're missing something great. That's the story you're telling yourself that you believe in and that's why you're staying.

Stuck.

Absolutely. And you can, you can easily decide to shift that story to know, like, I'm leaving this behind so I can have all this other great stuff so I don't have to miss out. It's a Mind.

Shift. Absolutely. Yeah. I think.

That.

And on the. In terms of the success side of it, again, I didn't like, the belief did not come until actually recently. And I think that it was a lot of frustration. I think a lot of people think that, like, oh, man, you made it and you're young and. But it was not easy and it was not, especially mentally, because it's a lot of, can I actually do this? Like, I had a lot of times where the story I started to tell myself was, you know, maybe I can't do this or maybe I'm not right for this, or, you know, I see these guys on YouTube doing it, but that's not really.

Me. And it's like, I'm not Gary.

Vaynerchuk. Yeah, right. A lot of that. And it's just a lot of frustration trying to figure out how to make it happen. And anyways, I don't think a lot of people ever talk about that side of it, but it's very.

Real. Yeah. It's not all just uphill. There's ups and downs, there's doubt that comes in, but there's a commitment. And if you stay in the commitment, you're going to get.

There. That's right. And even, you know, when you reflect back, you can say, oh, I met that guy and he led me to this and this, and this happened because of that. But when you're in that moment, when you're meeting that guy, you don't realize that's what's happening. And so that's what. A lot of the time I thought I wasn't going anywhere, really, because I was only making, you know, I don't know, five grand a month or whatever. It was pressure washing. I was like, dude, I'm not going to make a million sitting here getting 60 grand a year. And. But I was. That led me to meeting the people that I needed to meet. And at that time, I didn't realize that's what was happening. And I was so frustrated. But I didn't know that I was on the journey the whole time. And that was kind of. I wish I was more aware of that, that the journey's unfolding. You just don't really.

Realize. Right. And I want to say this because some people might be hearing you say that and then maybe think, oh, he's just lucky. He met that guy who was new and then he met that guy on Facebook. That's not true. Let me tell you the truth about that. The truth about that is you have to have your mindset in Such a way that you're open to seeing those opportunities. It's not just luck. It's because you're looking for it. You find it. It's not just this person appeared. Because if you don't have the right mindset, all those people appear in your life, but you don't realize that's an opportunity to.

Take. That's.

Right. Or you tell yourself, like, that's ridiculous. I can't like finance a million dollars. The limiting beliefs, like you said. So it's, it's luck. I mean, yeah, you got these people, but it's mindset and it's openness. It's being able to see it happen.

Too. That's right. And I mean, those people are everywhere, though. And it. And I, I can remember I met with a lot of people. I was like, oh, this is going to turn into something. They're going to lend me money. And it didn't happen. I mean, it was. That wasn't the first guy I talked to and it turned into something. I mean, prior to that was hundreds of people that were. I was trying to raise money or just trying to network with successful people to hopefully pick something, you know, pick something or take something away from them or whatever. But yeah, I do think there's a small element of luck, but I do think the more intentional you get about things that luckier you.

Get. Right. Right. You may. Luck comes to those people who work hard. That's the thing I've heard. All right, thank you so much, everyone for joining us. Thank you, Chris, for being here. I have put the link in the description for RecoveryU. If you're interested in finding out your personality type and how do you apply that to recovery and how you can kind use your own strengths to maximize your life and get where you want to get. It's all in there. All right, thank you so.

Much. Thank you.

Guys. See you guys next.