POWERS

Rohun is the co-founder of JT Capital, a Real Estate investment firm with 9-figures of acquisitions of multifamily apartment complexes. JT Capital has purchased over $500 Million in successful Multifamily properties using their time-tested approach of using data, relationships, and work ethic to find great investments for investors. On this episode, Chris and Rohun discuss Rohun's career prior to real estate at various tech companies such as Facebook, his entry into the real estate world, and how he has been able to grow JT Capital without increasing overhead. Rohun details how he utilizes VA's to automate or delegate nearly all aspects of the business, why he invests in primarily Texas & Florida, getting emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am and much more! Enjoy. Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Rohun on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y2NKq_w2gDU (02:44) - Rohun’s Background and Career (06:40) - What does a chief of staff role look like? (09:43) - What makes a great executive and what makes a poor executive? (11:25) - Rohun’s Experience Working as an Apprentice When First Getting into RE (15:22) - How is JT Capital structured and how did you land on the thesis for the organization? (18:01) - How do you think about ‘Value-add’? (19:16) - Where are places that ‘lazy’ landlords have bloated costs that can be easily identified? (21:17) - Is there a minimum size you won’t go below and why is that? (21:58) - What’s your process for unit renovations? (25:42) - Do you renovate all your units or is there a certain percentage that you’ll leave for the next owner? (27:00) - What is your asset manager looking to achieve on the lease-up and renovation stage as well as stabilization? (29:43) - How quickly are you trying to turn over a unit? (30:47) - What do discussions with tenants look like when you want to renovate while they’re already living there? (34:12) - Why do you like Texas and Florida? (36:44) - How have you been able to grow while keeping overhead so low? (42:08) - How are you finding your VA’s? Upwork (44:31) - What’s the turnover rate for VA’s? (46:31) - What’s the threshold that someone should be looking for a VA? (47:24) - Is the Philippines a hub for English fluency and writing? (48:49) - What’s an interesting connection you’ve made through Zapier? (52:27) - How do you capitalize deals going in and what are you looking for on a sale? (55:28) - Getting Emails from Mark Zuckerberg at 4 am (59:27) - What makes Zuckerberg such a great leader? (1:03:12) - Is part of FB’s advantage their massive amount of capital they can deploy at any moment? (1:05:09) - (Not financial advice!) Is it still early enough to invest in Facebook? Rohun's Newsletter (1:05:54) - What do you think about the world right now? (1:10:50) - Where are you seeing opportunity in REtech? (1:14:03) - Is there anything you’ve read this year that stood out to you? The Winner Within by Pat Riley The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson Poor Charlie’s Almanack (1:16:25) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:18:09) - How can people get in touch with you? Rohun on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at Firstbase, which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work. Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of SquareFoot, which helps companies find commercial real estate and office space. Jonathan takes the side of in-person work being most beneficial in the future of work. On this episode, Chris Powers moderates a debate between Chris Herd and Jonathan about which method of running business will lead to greater levels of success. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Jonathan on Twitter Chris Herd on Twitter (02:51) - Jonathan and Chris’ Background and What They’re Doing Today (05:00) - What does remote work mean to each of you and how do you think about the concept? (10:09) - Jonathan - Do you define SquareFoot as a remote-first or office-first company? (12:07) - How are leaders deciding whether they’ll be an office or remote company? (16:36 ) - Trust Between Employers and Employees (18:56) - What’s the Cadence of Coming Together as a Team and Being Able to Work Remotely (25:40) - How does size or prestige of a company impact the ability of employees to influence the decision on remote vs. in person? (31:20) - Is there any danger to your long term career-worth by choosing to leave a company that’s mandates in-office work? (35:47 ) - Relationship/Friendship Building In-Office vs. Remote No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings (46:27) - What are the signals or data points to see what matters in either taking a company remote or discovering how much time is ‘needed’ in-office over the next 5 years? (51:03) - Where are a lot of these remote-radicals going to live and work? (55:27) - Data on Where People Want to Start Technology Companies Pre and Post Covid (1:01:19) - How do you think about the next generation of workers coming out of school and only understanding a remote-work life. Do they miss out on mentorship or human interaction? (1:10:08) - How do promotions get delegated on in-person workers and remote? (1:11:43) - Trust and Tracking within Remote Companies (1:16:25) - Wrap Up & Closing Statements The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Stephen is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and specializes in industrial investment advisory. In this capacity, he represents and advises clients in the sale and acquisition, or development of industrial assets, primarily in Dallas/Fort Worth and throughout the Southwestern United States. Dustin is a Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. With more than ten years of real estate investment experience, he leads the South Central industrial investment advisory team. In three years at JLL, his team has closed over $2.1 billion in industrial transactions within Texas alone and over the course of his career, Dustin has closed over $3 billion in commercial transactions, working with a number of institutional, corporate and private-client owners. On this episode, Stephen, Dustin & Chris discuss the Texas Industrial market. They dive into all the capital coming into the state, how JLL has helped them become so successful, increasing land prices, DFW vs. Houston, labor issues and more. Enjoy! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2-GuatD-Ws4 Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:53) - How did you each get into this business? (04:27) - When did you two get partnered up? (05:36) - How would you describe what you do and what markets you cover? (07:36) - What does JLL bring to the table and what do they allow you to do? (12:22) - What’s a job where you’ll work on the equity side? (15:50) - How is Texas performing in your eyes compared to the rest of the country? (19:49) - How much capital is trying to get into Texas Industrial? (21:34) - Is there a percentage of new development that is spec vs. a tenant in tow? (22:54) - The Forward Value Metric (24:32) - Are TI Packages starting to go up? (26:23) - What are the types of tenants leasing the industrial buildings? (27:59) - What’s going on in the market as it relates to capital gains going up? (29:13) - How have you been able to meet so many people & build client relationships? (32:12) - Are the majority of people buying working for companies that pursue market-only deals? (34:50) - What do a dream seller and dream buyer look like? (35:47) - What’s the process of working with you from the decision to sell all the way to closing? (39:33) - IRR's (40:47) - What’s the dispersion in underwriting vacancy in a market this crazy in Class B and Class A? (43:14) - Why would Amazon ever leave a building? (45:52) - Are smaller tenants much more location-dependent in Class B? (47:10) - What does the market for land prices look like? (48:54) - How do people with tons of money to spend get into the Texas Industrial Market? (52:51) - On seller/buyer calls, are there any great questions for sellers to ask on vetting a buyer? (54:07) - At what threshold are tenants not represented by brokers in the market? (55:08) - What are you expecting to see in the next 12-18 months? (55:57) - Are tenants struggling to find labor for warehouses? (55:46) - Debt Pricing and Cost of Capital (58:46) - DFW vs. Houston Market (1:00:16) - What makes DFW such a big hub? (1:01:37) - What happens if interest rates go up? (1:02:42) - If you were getting in the industry today, what’s the playbook to be successful? (1:05:19) - What’s most exciting to you in industrial over the next decade? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Chris is on vacation! So please enjoy this re-mastered version of episode #38 of The FORT with guest Pete Chambers. Pete Chambers is the past President of the West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization and continues to be an active member. He is also Chairman of the Board at Rivertree Academy, a private, Christian school serving under-resourced students in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth. His favorite quote is Robert Greenleaf’s statement that “Good leaders must first become good servants.” Chris and Pete sit down to discuss Pete's development of "The Roadmap", the process of selling a business, The Young Presidents' Organization, and being a father. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (03:35) — How did you plan for the “post-50” life? (07:48) — Be a Fighter Pilot as an Entrepreneur (09:47) — What did you do with the discovery of Bob Buford and the bell curve of entrepreneurship? (13:50) — What did you implement early on that you needed to be intentional about? (14:58) — Pete’s 10 Mile-Radius for Finding a Business to Buy (16:12) — How close do you walk the line with being home in time for dinner due to work? (17:17) — How do you allow your faith to guide you in business? How can you keep these two aligned? (18:58) — Your CEO is Forrest Gump (21:13) — What does servant leadership mean to you? (25:13) — What is the one thing that will set companies up to fail? How do you give recognition to employees? (28:06) — Pick Out Three Things That Your People Do Well (29:01) — When did you know it was time to sell your business? (32:39) — Words of Wisdom for First-Time Sellers (34:07) — Pete’s Mission Statement and Inspiration (35:15) — The Roadmap (43:47) — What are the things that people often struggle with in the second half of life? (48:32) — Loneliness at the Top (49:57) — The Power of YPO (Young President’s Organization) (52:27) — Pete’s Relationship with Rivertree Academy (56:54) — Being a Father, Father-Daughter Trips, and Managing Your Marriage (01:04:17) — Pete’s Painting The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Mark Campbell is the Co-CEO of Jasper.io has over 13 years of experience with commercial real estate firms in NZ, UK, and Europe. Most recently, Mark led a commercial real estate joint venture between Blackstone and M7, overseeing assets currently worth more than $12 billion NZD, in seven countries. Mark led the fund since inception and oversaw the acquisition and ongoing asset management of c.1,000 assets. On this episode, Mark deep dives into what JV-ing with Blackstone looks like and how a company of that size operates in real estate. They also talk about the inception of Jasper and the decision to turn down an offer from Blackstone as well as the New Zeland market & more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hN5MwEY92E8 (03:08) - Mark’s Background, Career in Real Estate, Professional Rugby, Blackstone, and Jasper M7 Blackstone (27:30) - Was there something in the M7 and Jasper vs. Blackstone opportunities that drove you to take the more risky decision? (31:19) - What makes Blackstone great and what did you learn working for them that will carry through the rest of your career? (38:48) - How does someone like Blackstone's pump deal flow from a $150m portfolio to 8 Billion? (47:18) - How did Blackstone react when you turned them down to start Jasper? (52:14) - What is Jasper and what are you out to accomplish? (1:00:48) - Are you only doing your own deals or can other operators get on the platform to raise capital? (1:03:01) - How are you finding investors and are your investors local or global? (1:05:58) - How big is the New Zealand Market? (1:07:44) - What’s your process in raising for a deal? (1:09:54) - What’s the investor experience post-investment? (1:00:17) - Are you seeing your investors being seasoned RE investors or are they people with capital who have never had access to get into deals before? (1:19:10) - What are interest rates in New Zealand? (1:20:44) - Has tourism picked up? (1:21:22) - What do people in New Zealand think about Americans? (1:22:51) - Is there something about growing up in New Zealand that’s shaped who you are today? (1:24:44) - What’s the best event/festival in Europe? (1:26:22) - How can people get in touch with you and Jasper? Email - [email protected] Mark on LinkedIn The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

There's been a ton of talk about Texas with the growth of Austin, the mass migration from other states, and our booming Tech industry. This episode deep dives into why Texas is a great place to invest your future business, real estate plans, and life. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:42) - Texas Statistics & Population (04:24) - The Income and property taxes (04:59) - The Housing Market (06:20) - Texas’ Seaport, Border and labor Trade (07:21) - Oil & Gas (09:26) - Blooming Tech Industry (10:14) - Corporate re-locations Tesla, Apple, Uber, Charles Schwab, Toyota, Goldman Sachs, Samsung, The Vanguard Group, JP Morgan (13:06) - Texas Climate (13:56) - Cannabis (14:45) - Farming (15:00) - DFW Airport (15:42) - Colleges & Universities (16:25) - Sports (16:50) - Infrastructure (17:25) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Harry Croydon is co-founder of Micro Insurance Company (MIC) and is CEO and President of STP Group Holdings. MIC was started to create simple insurance products built around technology based on the principles of straight-through processing. Micro Insurance Company currently operates in 12 countries offering policies to many people living in the third world. On this episode, Harry and Chris deep dive into InsurTech and how Harry is working to make insurance available to a TAM that either can't access coverage or has never even heard of the concept of insurance. They also talk about building a remote team around the world and the leadership struggles that follow such a task, Culture Index, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:23) - Harry’s Background and Career in Tech & InsurTech (06:02) - “Doing One New Thing at a Time Instead of Three or Four.” (07:36) - Why is the insurance industry so slow to adopt new technology? (08:50) - What is Microinsurance.com? (11:16) - What are companies currently doing that don’t have insurance? (13:16) - Is there one over-arching policy that gig workers sign up for or is there a menu-style of coverage the individual chooses from? (14:43) - Is there feedback with consumers to help you decide what kind of coverages might be needed that you don’t already offer? (15:57) - How does your underwriting process work? (18:46) - Do you need to learn the nuances of each countries different culture that you operate in regards to insurance? (21:06) - Are there people out there who have no concept of insurance? (22:22) - Transparency in Coverage (23:28) - How do you determine countries that you want to operate in? (24:16) - Is there one playbook that gets you started in a new country or is it different every time? (25:39) - What is the craziest thing that you insure? (27:47) - Why aren’t there many businesses set up to prosper globally? (30:03) - What are you doing with technology that sets you apart? (32:34) - Does everyone in your markets have access to at least a flip phone? (33:27) - How is your tech team set up? (34:53) - Do you believe that you can long-term create great relationships over Zoom? (35:45) - What is your day-to-day like as the CEO? (36:36) - How do you think about Culture Index in the companies you run? CultureIndex.com (38:57) - Do you think about ‘Float’ at all in your business? (40:13) - How are you capitalized and how do you think about capital when growing? (41:03) - What’s the end goal for the company? (42:30) - How do you think about the process of working on yourself as a leader and the people you surround yourself with? (44:14) - Is there a great learning experience you can share from years of starting businesses? (45:43) - Did you start this business with people you’ve started other companies with? (46:41) - Is there going to be big impact on your industry due to Covid? (48:46) - What’s one thing you believe in that most around you do not? (49:25) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (49:46) - Is there a book that you recommend? Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman (50:56) - How can people find your business? Harry Croydon on LinkedIn microinsurance.com The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Josh Schultz is a master of SMB Operations. This episode is a deep dive into SMB Operations and how Josh analyzes businesses in order to optimize operations to greatly scale SMB's. They discuss his journey of joining his father's company, expanding into the Mexico market, living in China to learn the nuances of the international supply chain and manufacturing practices before ultimately leading the sale of the business and his current role as an SMB ops consultant. They also discuss prioritizing KPI's, beneficial softwares for SMB's and his forthcoming cohort for business owners led by him and previous FORT guest Rich Jordan. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E_76qTSmt2g Josh on Twitter The SMB Ops Letter by Josh Schultz (01:52) - Joshua’s Background and Career (05:04) - What was the state of the company when you joined your father? (08:08) - What’s unique about how you look at businesses? (09:30) - What systems did you implement and what things did you change in your father’s company? (12:03) - How did your process of systematizing communication help with growth? (12:45) - How did you implement a culture of adopting technology? (14:44) - Expanding into Mexico (17:44) - Living in China and Learning the International Nature of Supply Chain (22:21) - What’s the playbook for a new business owner that needs to start working with China? (24:12) - What is “The Chinese Way”? (27:34) - The Process of Selling the Business in 2019 (31:47) - Why does every small business not see these obvious operations optimizations? (36:49) - What type of businesses do you specialize in with your consulting? (40:45) - How do you create an environment where employees feel comfortable bringing operational frustrations to your desk? (42:26) - Prioritizing What to Tackle First (47:33) - Should every business have a way to submit anonymous feedback? (48:36) - How should people decide what software to use in a no-code world with limitless options? Bubble.io Trello Glide Zapier (50:16) - How do you know what KPI’s matter? The 4 Disciplines of Execution (56:44) - Accountability for KPI’s (58:19) - Why does nobody look at dashboards? (1:00:07) - SMB Cohort with Rich Jordan - Crucible (1:05:16) - 90% of Business is Boring!! (1:07:57) - How and Why to Ask Questions (1:11:16) - What’s next for Joshua? (1:16:37) - What are the biggest mistakes from an ops perspective that most SMB’s make? (1:20:03) - What’s the bridge between Sales and Operations? (1:21:11) - What happens at a business where your skillset is no longer valuable? (1:22:43) - Is there a great ops book you recommend? Plain Talk by Ken Iverson The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success By William Thorndike (1:24:41) - Do you have an operational person you look up to? (1:25:28) - If you had a billboard you could put anything on, what would it say? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. On this episode, Chris discusses his early career learning the industry under John Cushman of Cushman & Wakefield before leaving to form his own company. He and Chris also discuss Rising's emphasis on Impact Investing & ESG and how that plays in working with large tenants like Google and Amazon. They also deep dive into their predictions on the future of Office and Work as we exit the pandemic. Finally, they turn the table to ask Powers about his willingness to take risks, Fort Capital's focus on technology adoption, and the future of Texas and California in the midst of the massive migration seen in the United States. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZFdQ6KjbRFM (02:32) - Chris’ background and career (08:08) - Was John Cushman always teeing up his company to be as big as it was? (09:55) - Rising Realty Partners (13:37) - How do you define impact investing and ESG? (20:51) - Why are office and commercial retail real estate the biggest emitters of carbon? (22:13) - What’s the low-hanging fruit that you can go in to fix their carbon output? (23:59) - How quickly does ESG requirements come up with ‘big-boy’ tenants like Google and Amazon? (26:41) - Biden’s Push for Government Buildings to be ‘Green Certified’ (29:10) - Rising’s Investment in Office and the Future of Work (37:32) - Crowdfunding (44:26) - Experience Optimization Services The Tables Turn (47:49) - Chris Powers’ Willingness to Take Risks (52:08) - Powers’ Focus on Technology (54:07) - The Digital Economy Coming to Real Estate (54:50) - Microsoft or Google for operating systems? (55:16) - Maintaining Discipline with Adapting Technology (1:01:54) - The Massive Population Growth in Texas and the Future for the States like California The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Kevin Jorgeson is an American rock climber. He was one of the first two climbers, alongside his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell, to successfully complete a free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. On this episode, Kevin and Chris talk about climbing the Dawn Wall, the 6 years of preparation leading up to the ascent, and the massive media frenzy that became a full-fledged film. They also touch on Kevin's life after Dawn including the process of a ground-up development for a climbing gym and launching a non-profit called 1Climb which aims to get more kids into the sport of climbing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:33) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (03:14) - Was there a moment you knew you were really talented at climbing? (05:06) - Is there anything unique to climbers that physically give them an advantage? (06:02) - What are the different types of climbing? (08:10) - Bouldering (09:32) - How do you ‘Win’ a climbing competition? (11:05) - Climbing in the Upcoming Olympics (11:44) - Reaching Out to Tommy Caldwell to Climb the Dawn Wall (16:32) - The Feeling that it Was Time to Pursue the Dawn Wall (24:31) - What was your first day ‘on the job’ with Tommy Caldwell? (32:14) - What was your role in this whole adventure? (34:23) - What does 6 years of prep look like and how did you map out the climb? (41:17) - Did you and Tommy follow the same route or go different ways in your sequences? (44:08) - At what point did you realize you were ready to make the climb? (46:15) - What was the prep like for the 19 day climb and the experience of living on the side of the wall? (50:10) - Pitch 15 and the Pressure of Completing It (1:00:14) - Was there a certain spot in the pitch that caused all the issues? (1:03:17) - What happened when you realized the media frenzy was gathering to watch you? (1:08:31) - Was there a crash after the high from completing the Dawn Wall? (1:15:51) - Getting Married and Having Children (1:16:48) - Starting a Climbing Gym www.Sessionclimbing.com (1:24:54) - Starting a Non-Profit - 1Climb.org (1:31:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:33:17) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:35:01) - What advice would you give to a beginner climber? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Soon after joining Higginbotham as a customer service representative in the employee benefits department, TJ Hutchings set a goal to become a managing director within five years, which he accomplished by the end of 2018. Hutchings has maintained a 95%-plus customer retention rate by tirelessly searching for savings solutions for his clients and fostering community relationships to bring them closer to resources that can improve their situation. On this episode, TJ discusses how his Cancer diagnosis led him to this current career path before deep diving into how employers should be approaching health insurance for their teams. He breaks down basic terminologies and best practices for small to medium-sized companies and how employees can make the most of their health plans. Chris and TJ also discuss the concept of businesses having to provide insurance, pre-existing conditions, the rising costs of care, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:46) - TJ’s Background and Early Career (05:42) - What are folks left with when they are continually rejected in their appeals for health coverage? (06:32) - TJ’s Journey of Working with Higginbotham (08:15) - How do you think about what you do for a living? (10:12) - What are the things that SMB owners should be asking when they’re at the table with you? (10:54) - Defining Markets (11:51) - Who sets rates? (13:55) - What variables can employers negotiate to get better rates or do privately do improve their individual standing? Healthcare Bluebook (16:58) - At what size do you start thinking about self-insuring? (20:06) - Individual Health vs. the Group Plan (20:35) - Why is insurance state-by-state? (21:35) - What are the types of plans and what do they mean? (25:12) - Basic Terminologies Co-Pay Deductible Premium (26:19) - Why is it on your employer to cover health insurance in America? (27:35) - How do you make the decision on which bucket your company fits in? (31:22) - Dual-Options Plans for Employees (32:17) - Should most employers have their agent on site for open enrollment day? (34:08) - What happens when there are folks on the team with pre-existing conditions? (36:19) - What happens after folks and their companies have picked their policies? (38:39) - Is there any risk the employer takes on selecting a plan? (38:51) - Who are the main companies in this space? (41:00) - How far in advance should employers start thinking about next year’s plan? (42:48) - How do you navigate the constantly changing regulations as politicians revolve in and out of office to change things? (45:21) - Obamacare (46:00) - If I don’t have health insurance, and something terrible happens, who’s paying those bills? (47:06) - Why are health costs continuing to increase? Dr. Bricker Videos - AHealthcareZ (49:40) - Price Differences Between US and Canada for Pharmaceutical Drugs (50:42) - Is it a growing industry to have a company that fights the hospital billing on your behalf? (52:39) - Does the misfortune of a few impact the premium of the whole group? (54:47) - What questions should companies be asking different agents? (57:30) - What does your dream client look like? (1:00:53) - Is there any technology that could disrupt this industry? (1:03:05) - Are there political issues in healthcare that keep you up at night? (1:07:07) - Was there something that happened in your childhood that shaped your path in life? (1:09:08) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:08) - What is the best advice you’ve been given & What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry? (1:12:56) - How can people find you? LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Website The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Jefferson "Trey" Davis is the Owner of Davis Glass Cleaning Company based in Fort Worth, TX. On this episode, Chris and Trey discuss how he decided to make the jump into starting a sweaty business with only one client to over 100 in less than two years. They discuss Davis' day to day schedule and how he balances the actual service with administration work and business growth. The pair also discuss the massive amount of opportunity there is for these types of businesses, and Trey gives an incredible example of how he was making more money cleaning windows for 10 hours a week than he was at his full-time job. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Check out Trey's website: www.davisglassco.com Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0rCtBMzRogg (03:17) - Trey’s Childhood and Starting his Sweaty Business (05:19) - When did you decide to actually pull the trigger on this business? (07:40) - What were you trying to learn in order to launch this business in terms of actual service and the business side of it? (10:15) - What was your experience getting your first customer? (13:44) - What was your initial investment in supplies? (15:37) - What’s been the key for you in continuing to grow your customer base? (17:29) - How did you find Fort Capital? (19:42) - How would you bid a commercial building? (20:32) - What’s the difference between residential and commercial cleaning and how do you contract each? (23:37) - How many customers do you have now? (23:55) - Have you ever had to fire a customer? (24:49) - How do you set up your booking and schedule? (25:37) - What does a typical day look like for you? (26:18) - How do you split your time between cleaning, admin work and finding customers? (27:08) - What are the biggest things you want help on as you grow? (30:21) - What do you see your job being if you weren’t cleaning anymore? (31:17) - What are some key things you’ve learned that you would tell someone who’s thinking about starting out? (33:50) - How do you handle rejection? (35:20) - What’s your pitch? (37:01) - How often do you need to replenish and replace supplies (37:31) - How do you clean a window well? (38:09) - Getting Over the Feeling of Shame & Self-Doubt (41:22) - Was there a moment where you knew it was time to go full-time on this? (42:01) - How important was it having a supportive wife? (43:02) - The Massive Opportunity for These Sweaty Businesses (46:08) - What’s been your biggest failure or worst day of work? (49:27) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (51:52) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (53:13) - How can people find you and your company? www.DavisGlassCo.com Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DavisGlassCleaningCompany The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Nishant has extensive restaurant and food industry experience and is currently serving as the President and CEO of Dividend Restaurant Group, parent company to Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Nishant was responsible for the turnaround of both restaurants and the acquisition of Sullivan’s Steakhouse. On this episode, Nishant discusses his childhood growing up in Dubai and working at Mackinac helping distressed companies. They go through the process of what types of companies come to Mackinac, their diagnosis period, and what they look to achieve when working with companies. They also dive deep into running a restaurant during the pandemic, how to fix the labor issue in hospitality, and what pandemic-era changes will stick going forward. Finally, they wrap up talking about Nishant's venture into the Cannabis industry with his premium THC spirit company, Pamos, and the future of VC in the industry. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit www.pamos.com Mackinac Partners (01:12) - Nishant’s Background, Upbringing in Dubai, and Early Career (04:33) - What is Mackinaw and what do y’all do? (05:47) - What’s the process of working with distressed companies with Mackinaw? (07:13) - Do most companies that come to you even know what their issues are? (07:41) - How quickly can Mackinaw determine the root issues of a client? (09:30) - How often is it a management team problem where you need to clean house? (10:09) - What are the reasons why companies go into distress? (12:08) - What do capital providers do wrong that start squeezing their businesses? (13:30) - How much forewarning are companies given that a new operator is about to come in and call all the shots? (14:20) - Is it common for family businesses to fail after they sell to PE? (14:56) - What happens after your 60-day diagnosis of a distressed business? (18:26) - Why do companies not see things as clearly as you’ve explained them? (19:54) - Is there ever a time where you were unable to help a business? (20:50) - How does Mackinaw make money? (21:01) - Nishant’s Experience Building a Time-Share Business (25:34) - Building a Sales Platform from Scratch (30:25) - Is there a business to be had just to sell your time-share easily? (31:56) - How did you know it was time to sell the business? (33:35) - You Can Be Successful in Business Without Working in Your Passion (35:55) - The Difference Between Honesty and Trust (36:25) - Nishant’s Jump into Restaurants (39:52) - How did you source the Macaroni Grill deal? (45:21) - What’s the goal for Mac Grill with growth? (46:44) - What was your world like during the Pandemic? (53:00) - What were the best and worst decision you made during Covid? (54:51) - What changes will stick in the business? What’s the labor market look like to you? (1:00:14) - What’s the private equity interest in the restaurant industry like right now? (1:02:00) - Nishant’s Work in Cannabis (1:04:57) - Industry Size and Cannabis Statistics (1:07:06) - How far away are we from mainstream acceptance and federal legalization? (1:10:53) - Nishant’s Cannabis Funding Concept (1:14:09) - Nishant’s Approach to Building and Implementing Platforms (1:15:53) - The Difference Between a System and a Process (1:16:20) - “You can think more freely when you’ve hit financial freedom” (1:17:04) - What’s something you see a lot of young people get wrong in their careers or early life? (1:17:56) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? (1:18:46) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped who you’ve become? (1:19:43) - Why do you read so many legal documents? (1:21:58) - How can people find you? The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Eric Jorgenson is the author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, which collects and curates Naval’s wisdom from Twitter, Podcasts, and Essays over the past decade. He is also the founder of the Leverage Course, which was created to help people learn how to accomplish superhuman feats by playing a different game — building leverage. On this episode, Chris and Eric discuss the process for writing the book and the impact that Naval has had on Eric's life. They also go in-depth on creating online courses, including the things that did and didn't work. They finish with a great discussion on creating leverage in a world that could evolve into one where more people operate anonymously online. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PgVUf0pEjeY You can check out Eric's personal site here Eric's Leverage Course is available here (02:37) - Eric’s Background and Bareer (03:42) - Eric’s Daily “If you could complete one thing today, what would it be?” Tweets (05:59) - Monthly Goal Setting (08:23) - The Almanac of Naval Ravikant Poor Charlie’s Almanack (14:21) - What’s a 1-0 Quality filter? (15:22) - How did you decide on the final buckets of the book? (17:20) - Did you have a playbook to rely on for writing this? (18:15) - When do you know you’re done? (20:10) - Did Naval pre-screen and approve the final copy? (21:02) - How did you get Tim Ferriss to write the Forward? (22:22) - How did Naval become Naval? Naval with Shane Parrish Naval with Tim Ferriss Naval with Joe Rogan Naval's thread on how to get rich without getting lucky (25:42) - How did you get interested in these figures like Naval and Charlie Munger? The Munger Recommended Reading List (27:20) - If you asked Naval and Charlie “What is going on in the world?” What would they say? (31:08) - If you were to do a second book, what would you do differently? (34:31) - How do you know if the book is successful right now? (36:04) - What do you mean by “Everybody knows what to do with a book”? (37:57) - Did your course, Leverage, spin from what you learned from writing the book? (39:48) - Eric’s Partner Justin Mikolay (42:06) - What was something that wasn’t obvious to you that Justin pointed out to make the course great? (44:16) - How do you know what to teach and how to avoid writer’s block when creating the course? (48:06) - What happens at the end of the course? (50:43) - What is an Aspirational Hourly Rate? (54:30) - What are self-imposed obstacles and what is a study group? (57:41) - How do you think about Leverage if we’re headed to an anonymous online world? (1:10:54) - What is one thing you believe that most people do not? (1:11:26) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:11:48) - What’s the Best Book You’ve Read The Systems Bible by John Gall (1:12:50) - How can people find you? www.navalmanack.com Jorgenson's Soundbox Eric on Twitter www.EJorgenson.com The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Codie Sanchez is the Founder of Contrarian Thinking, a newsletter dedicated to inspiring mental and financial freedom. She acquires SMB's across different industries as well as investing in the legalized cannabis industry. On this episode, Codie discusses her early career as a Conflict Journalist on the U.S./Mexico Border, her position on financial freedom, how she was able to build a successful newsletter, and the trend of investors becoming influencers. They also discuss Codie's passion for SM, her process for finding businesses to buy, and implementing her own operators. Chris and Codie wrap up with some hot topics such as college, Twitter trolls, and failure. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Codie on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Codie_Sanchez Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Vw26Z17va9c (02:32) - Codie’s Background (04:31) - What is Conflict Journalism? (08:34) - Codie’s Views on Financial Freedom Read Her Tweet here Newsletter: Contrarian Thinking (12:12) - Venezuela’s Currency Crash and How Currencies Lose Value (14:45) - How did you build your newsletter Contrarian Thinking? (18:46) - When do you write and how do you find inspiration for what to write? Notion (22:35) - What’s the ultimate goal for your newsletter? (24:17) - Investors are Becoming Influencers (28:40) - Is this a bubble or are the fundamentals of investing changing? The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson (31:04) - Robinhood (32:47) - Why do you love SMB and what kinds of businesses interest you? (35:13) - How do you find deals and filter through to the ones that matter? Flippa BizBuySell (37:40) - How long does it take you to make an offer, and when do you find an operator? (39:07) - Are the majority of folks selling looking to exit entirely? (39:51) - How do you find operators? (41:50) - How do you finance your deals? (43:17) - How do you hold people accountable and keep folks incentivized? What role do you play post-sale? (47:10) - Are you buying these businesses with the plan to grow them? How do you receive cash from these businesses? (49:44) - What businesses do you like right now? The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steve Case (53:20) - Wealthy is Healthy (56:52) - College or Not? (58:09) - Dealing with Twitter Trolls (1:02:13) - Time Management (1:05:21) - What are some of your biggest failures? (1:11:33) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are? (1:14:10) - What is something that you believe in that most do not? (1:15:48) - How can people find you? ContrarianThinking.co Codie on Twitter The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this episode, Chris breaks down how Fort Capital transacts and acquires properties. He starts with the company's emphasis on how important their process has been to their success, who's involved, and what type of deals they pursue. Then he breaks down each step of the acquisition from the time a deal is brought to their attention to closing. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (01:12) - How You Acquire Properties Matters (03:03) - Who’s involved in the process? (03:31) - Pursuing Off-Market & Light-Market Deals Instead of Auctions (04:53) - Acquisition Consultants Leads.FortCapitallp.com (06:36) - Running a ‘Quick Check’ (08:00) - Deal Pipeline Folders (08:45) - Weekly Deal Meetings (12:13) - Investment Committee Meetings (12:53) - Drafting an LOI (13:45) - Project Kick-Off (15:19) - PSA (Purchase Sale Agreement) (15:54) - Writing an Investment Memo Listen to FORT #81 for more details on Investment Memos Fort Capital Free Resources (18:33) - Raising Capital (21:07) - Bank Financing (22:50) - Getting Entities Developed (Bank Accounts, Titling, Administrative Tasks) (23:19) - Property Management Due Diligence Listen to FORT #97 for more detail on Due Diligence (23:48) - Huddle-Up Before Going Hard on Our Money (24:38) - Wrap Up The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Sean Sweeney is the Co-Founder of Hall Sweeney Properties, a Minnesota-based multi-family development company. On this episode, Sean talks about his journey working as a receptionist in the industry, navigating through the '08 crisis, and ultimately founding his own firm. Sean also breaks down the process of a ground-up development including what to look for in sites, bringing on architects and contractors, his passion for design, terms to look for in contracts, property management, and stabilization. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Sean on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney (02:35) - Sean’s Background and Early Career as a Receptionist at Trammel Crowe (07:52) - What did you do to position yourself as a person to hire for project manager when it was the right time? (10:19) - Sean’s Movement During the ’08 Crisis (17:01) - Sean’s Jump to Starting His Own Organization and Decision to Focus on Class A Urban Infill (21:53) - How did you find your partner and what role does he play in the company? (24:03) - Setting the Stage - Are there any other full-time employees in the company or is it just you and Jeff? (26:58) - How long do these deals take from walking the site for the first time to where it’s stabilized? (31:12) - What makes a site ‘great’ for you in a project? (34:33) - Is most of the land you're putting under contract un-entitled for multi-family? (36:16) - How do you find sites? (39:07) - What does your preliminary underwriting process look like? (42:12) - How do you pull rent prices? (42:48) - The LOI Process & 3rd Party Reports (47:06) - What terms matter in contracts and what does the site need to be when you’re ready to close a year later? (50:58) - What stages of the contract do you put up hard money? (52:13) - What city approvals are you typically getting on deals? (54:05) - At what point are you hiring the architect and does the GC participate with them? How do you come up with a budget that fits your design and that you’re comfortable the GC can deliver? (57:03) - Are there any big points in a contract with a GC that matter? (1:00:47) - Who is accountable for the MEP and structural engineers: the architect, the contractor, or you? (1:01:17) - Where do you get inspiration for design? (1:03:35) - Do you spend more on projects because you’re so design-forward? (1:06:03) - Do you get paid premiums in rent because of your design approach? (1:07:27) - Property Management Needs on 45-unit Property vs. a 100+ Unit (1:09:01) - Does your architect mock up your interior as well? (1:09:41) - Who does your common amenity furniture? (1:09:57) - How do you process draw requests? (1:11:04) - How do you finance projects and what happens when you stabilize since you are looking for long-term holds? (1:15:40) - What’s the most popular unit size right now? (1:16:59) - What amenities matter right now? (1:18:59) - Are there any repeat issues you’ve seen from design to breaking ground? (1:20:46) - What are some of the biggest surprises that you weren’t expecting as you look back? (1:22:42) - How did the civil unrest in MN last year affect your business? (1:27:25) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Emotional Intelligence (EQ) - Daniel Goldman (1:29:33) - How can people find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/SeanDSweeney [email protected] The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this special bonus episode, Chris is joined once again by Kevin Dahlstrom (Episode #131 of FORT) for a role-reversal interview. Chris talks about his current career transition and how the past 2 years have lead him to his decision regarding his role at Fort Capital. Kevin and Chris also discuss creating space to think, being multi-dimensional, Twitter and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:14) - Chris’ Current Career Transition (10:39) - Do you think of yourself as a ‘Zero to One’ person? (15:15) - Chris’ “Oh, sh*t!” Moment at the Beginning of COVID (19:31) - Was there a specific moment that was the catalyst for making your career change? (24:08) - The Enneagram Test (26:42) - How are you thinking about what’s next for you in life? (32:17) - Creating Space to Just Think (34:09) - Being Multi-Dimensional as a Key to Happiness (36:47) - “Stacking the Pancakes” (40:51) - The Time-Billionaire (41:40) - Chris’ Experience with Twitter (51:55) - Chris’ Habits and Routines (56:45) - The Letter Writing Exercise (58:34) - Building in Public: Chris and Kevin’s upcoming Brainstorming Trip (1:03:36) - What’s one thing you’re looking forward to? (1:06:53) - Wrap Up and Final Thoughts The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Rhett Bennett is the Founder and CEO of Black Mountain, a private natural resources company with several business units: E&P operations, commercial saltwater disposal, midstream, and in-basin frac sand mining. On this episode, Chris and Rhett deep dive into the Nickel industry. Black Mountain has recently stepped into the industry by purchasing a mine in Western Australia. Rhett delivers great insight into how Nickel is used in battery metals and will be critical for the Electric Vehicle industry. They also talk about the decreasing investment in Oil & Gas and how that creates a wealth of opportunity for the industry, and some great statistics that knock some reality into the increasing calls for more EV's. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:50) - Rhett’s Background (06:26) - When did you move from friends and family money into institutional money? (07:01) - Do you look at what you do as high-risk? (08:50) - Is there an education you put yourself through before entering a new venture? (12:11) - How quickly did you hire Hayden Gillespie after meeting him? (13:05) - How did you get into nickel? (21:24) - Global Warming (27:36) - What does 80% more efficient mean when you talk about nickel for an internal combustion engine? (29:55) - Is nickel used for anything other than batteries? (30:20) - What are the two classes of nickel? (30:54) - How do you hire a team in Australia from America? (34:23) - Why did you implement new leadership in the Australian company you acquired? (37:01) - Is there a lot of nickel in the world? (42:20) - Opportunity in Betting Against ESG (44:32) - What brings money back into Oil and Gas? (47:37) - Nickel & Oil and Gas Statistics The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Today's episode features Joe Pohlen, Founder and Partner of Cardinal Senior Management, an assisted living company operating facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania. On this episode, Chris and Joe dive into the different levels of senior care and look into how Joe's facilities look and operate. Joe describes the process of acquiring buildings, the sales process of adding residents, and how they focus on maintaining the dignity of the resident above all else. They also have a sobering discussion on just how hard the pandemic hit seniors. Enjoy! (03:18) - Joe’s Background and Career (15:52) - What are you doing on Day 1 after you close? (18:12) - What kind of work do your salespeople do? (18:50) - Who brought this sales-driven philosophy into the organization? (19:49) - How does taking over a new property work in terms of existing staff and training? (20:34) - What do your lease-up plans look like? (21:22) - How long have leasers planned on coming to Cardinal before signing? (22:52) - How many people come in against their will? (23:07) - How do you get these people comfortable with living there? (24:18) - What activities can residents participate in? (25:25) - What happens on holidays? (26:32) - How do you get paid? (27:11) - Is there a doctor on staff that prescribes medication and how do staff administer medications? (29:11) - Are there upsells on the sales side of Cardinal? (30:15) - How are residents able to afford this rent? (31:44) - How does medication arrive at pharmacies and then your facilities? (32:22) - What do the resident’s kids care about the most? (34:37) - What are some of the lingo and sandboxes that people don’t understand at the beginning? (35:23) - What are your fixed and variable costs? (36:04) - Is your business a target for legal issues? (37:26) - What are some reasons you could get sued? (38:01) - Why is keeping the resident’s dignity your main focus? (49:23) - What was happening in your world during COVID? (58:30) - What was it like to be a resident the past 6-8 months? (1:00:26) - How did vaccine administrations work? (1:01:36) - What did the past year teach you about leadership? (1:03:46) - Is there any technology on the horizon that will have a profound impact on your industry? (1:07:22) - Does dating and marriage happen with residents? (1:08:08) - Population and Age Stats of the Boomer & Silent Generation (1:09:07) - With people living longer, how will people be able to afford so many years of care? (1:10:06) - What do the next 10 years look like to you? (1:10:43) - How would you be valued with 50 properties? (1:11:56) - What happens to prisoners when they get really old? (1:12:50) - What’s your perspective on the world when you spend so much time with the elderly? (1:14:50) - How many deals will you do this year? (1:15:02) - Is there more opportunity out there for you right now? (1:15:57) - Do you plan on staying in assisted living or do you want to go into nursing homes or independent living? (1:17:27) - Is there anything from a government standpoint that you would like to see changed? Twitter Questions (1:18:58) - How can people experiencing poverty sustainably afford assisted living? (1:19:39) - How do you approach the distributed nature of your business? (1:20:33) - What’s going to happen in 15 years with the largest population aging into assisted-living eligible? Personal Questions (1:21:47) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:22:33) - Did you have a childhood experience that led you to be such a great leader? (1:23:50) - If someone was getting into your industry, what’s the best advice you can give them? (1:25:02) - How can people reach you? [email protected] The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Chris is joined again by Stinson Dean (Founder of Deacon Lumber) as well as Ali Wolf (Chief Economist at Zonda) and Dustin Jalbert (Fastmarkets RISI's Lumber Lead) for another deep dive into the lumber industry with an emphasis on the home building and sawmill side. On this episode, they discuss how the lumber price increase has affected the housing market, labor markets in wood products and residential employment, risks for home building & sawmills, the impact on multi-family, and a ton more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Watch this episode on YouTube (02:55) - Introductions (05:32) - Ali: How has the lumber increase affected the housing market? (08:07) - Regional Trends on Housing Prices Realtor.com (10:05) - Dustin: The State of The Union of Canadian Sawmills and Their Perspective on This Insane Price Jump (12:20) - The Labor Markets in Wood Products and Residential Employment National Association of Home Builders (18:59) - Are home builders going to be building spec homes as quickly as before? (20:29) - Data on Demand for Single-Family Homes Driven by Population Migration Over the Past Year (21:32) - Who’s making all the money with labor shortages in sawmills and do they have incentives to go back to full capacity? (24:12) - What’s the barrier to entry for more people starting sawmills? (27:39) - The Logging Situation in the Pacific Northwest (31:37) - Potential Uses for Southern Yellow Pine (35:28) - How many homes can you project that a new sawmill would be able to supply from the get-go? Idaho Forest Group (41:35) - Builders Dealing with Lumber Thieves (43:05) - Why do the Canadians control everything and why hasn’t private equity jumped into this? Do the Canadians have trade secrets that give them the monopoly? (47:11) - How is risk going to reorient itself in housing? (49:38) - How does the size of the home building companies affect the relationships with lumber vendors going forward? (50:54) - What are the mills saying about risk management and price forecasting? (57:54) - What do builders do with their pricing if lumber prices do come down? (59:12) - Major Publics vs. Regional Builders and Their Ability to Compete with Each Other Going Forward (1:07:06) - Are homes getting smaller? (1:11:13) - How has lumber impacted multi-family? (1:17:01) - How do we get more efficient in home building? (1:23:35) - Why does build time keep taking longer and longer? (1:27:34) - Are there opportunities to buy up these older sawmills and implement technology to get them going again? (1:31:07) - How much of our lumber comes from North America and how much of the globe is using North American Lumber? (1:41:16) - What is your prediction for 1,000 board feet of lumber in 12 months? (Recorded on 5.24.2021) (1:43:18) - Is there a range lumber gets to where it's actually bad for the industry? (1:46:37) - Closing Thoughts The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this episode, Chris breaks down Fort Capital's strategy of aggregating smaller assets in order to make them more attractive to institutional capital. He defines what would constitute a smaller asset, why institutional capital would be interested in these aggregations, additional margins to be made for the owner, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ (00:47) - Fort Capital’s Journey Into Aggregation RE #98: How to Assemble & Entitle Urban Land (02:10) - Asset Type and Market in Aggregation (03:11) - What is a ‘smaller asset’? (04:56) - Larger Institutional Interest in a One-Off Deal vs. Aggregation (06:21) - Additional Margin to be Made for the Owner (06:42) - Lowering the Cost of Capital (08:29) - Different Institutional LP-based Scenario - Raising From Non-Profits (10:44) - Institutions Require Operational Efficiencies (12:17) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Today's Lesson in Business (LIB) discusses how to properly start a meeting in order to make sure your team is laser-focused on the agenda. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

John Schissler is Founder of J&M Hospitality which was created to open and operate Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in the Fort Worth, TX area. John and his wife Meggie currently own and operate 5 locations in North Texas. On this episode, John and Chris discuss the process of franchising a restaurant. John breaks down what conversations with franchisors & founders look like, financing, finding store locations, the hiring and training process, and operations. John tells some great stories about the realities of a franchisee, growth plans, how he navigated the pandemic, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ John on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler (03:12) - John’s Story and Early Career (04:48) - How did the opportunity come up to start franchising Chick Salad Chick? (06:34) - How do you become a franchisee of a restaurant? (09:32) - When did you know that you had found your first location? (10:39) - How did you finance your first location? (13:09) - How do you design locations? (15:23) - How long was it from the day you signed the lease to opening day? (15:38) - What was your and Meggie’s job going to be when you first started? (16:52) - When did you start prepping to hire? (20:01) - Training Staff and Testing Days (20:48) - John’s First Grand Opening Day and Horror Stories (25:33) - What does 200-300lbs of chicken look like and what’s the prep process like? (26:30) - At what point did you know store #1 was going to make it? (27:34) - How long before you moved on to opening stores #2 & #3? (28:59) - Are there any tricks new operators can use to get landlords to pay attention to them when finding a location? (31:16) - How does the relationship work with the franchisor? (32:01) - What resources do franchisors provide to you? (33:45) - Do you ever meet with other franchisees? (35:05) - What do Yelp & Google reviews mean to you? (39:37) - How do you go about getting more stores? (41:44) - How does hiring above-store operators work? (43:53) - How many stores will you open up in the next 24 months? (44:16) - What’s happened in your world since March 2020? (46:24) - How long did it take for you to get to a pandemic way of operating? Good to Great by Jim Collins (49:03) - How did you staff the restaurant? (50:09) - Why are restaurants having trouble hiring? (51:47) - Are you realizing you can run stores leaner than previously thought? (53:20) - Are there certain cleaning practices that will stick around after the pandemic or new regulations you’ll need to abide by? (54:44) - Were you getting any signals early on from other parts of the country that the pandemic was coming? (56:27) - What have you learned about keeping your staff in tip-top shape to be successful? (57:55) - The Realities of Being a Franchisee (1:13:16) - Do you need corporate approval to sell to private equity? (1:13:59) - What are you seeing in the retail market? The FORT #108: Brady Wood (1:17:10) - How do you mitigate the risk of being in a multi-tenant property where your neighbors suck? (1:18:38) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:19:43) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? (1:21:13) - How do you separate working, parenting, and marriage with your wife? (1:23:16) - How can people support you? www.Chickensaladchick.com/Locations www.JMHosp.com www.linkedin.com/company/j-m-hospitality/ www.Twitter.com/JohnmSchissler The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

James Camp is the founder of Nano Flips, which helps people learn how to buy and sell websites. On this episode, James talks about his young career overseas when he decided to pack up and move to Malaysia, the cannabis industry, and his work in digital strategy before his work in website acquisitions. Then, James dives into the world of website flipping. He talks about what kinds of sites stick out to him, how he sources sites to buy, the due diligence process when buying sites, and changes he implements to make his sites more profitable. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ James on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp James' Website & Newsletter: www.nanoflips.com (02:24) - James’ Background and What Led Him to His Current Career Google Launch Pad (06:03) - How did you end up picking Malaysia and what were you doing while overseas? (08:53) - What does digital strategy for a McKinsey entail? (10:41) - What’s the state of Cannabis today and how big of an opportunity is it over the next decade? (14:32) - Do you have any insight as to when it becomes federally legalized? (15:42) - What do you do in the world of “Website Flipping”? (19:29) - Can you frame what a really good business looks like to you? (24:05) - James’ Focus on E-Commerce Businesses (26:14) - Are you buying the website that facilitates 3-commerce or the business that only operates online? (30:39) - How do you find the businesses you want to acquire? Flippa Empire Flippers FE International Quiet Light Product Hunt (33:09) - What does a typical contract look like? (35:34) - Is there hard earnest money when buying a website? (37:36) - What’s the due diligence process to get you comfortable with a deal? (40:29) - If you’re buying a $50k website, how much of your attention is required as the new owner in order to make sure it’s functioning properly? (43:41) - Is it risky to buy something where the new owner is taking over the content creation? (45:40) - What’s a dream $100k website for you? (48:31) - Is there any risk in Google or Amazon deciding to cut revenue unannounced through policy change? (51:42) - What kind of due diligence needs to be done on the code of these websites you’re buying? (53:30) - What transfers in terms of ownership beyond the domain name? (55:19) - In a situation with $1m EBITDA and employees in a 60-day closing period, how do you underwrite the people in a short manner of time and determining their future post-close? (1:00:14) - Do these companies have founder-like people or does all responsibility fall on the FTEs? (Full-time employees) ClearCo (1:03:39) - How do you get your message across to teams in terms of what you want implemented without becoming a day-to-day worker in the business? (1:06:17) - How are deals being financed? (1:09:35) - How can the average person find low-hanging fruit to improve the online marketing of a website? Google Analytics www.NanoFlips.com Codie Sanchez (1:15:16) - What’s the biggest risk to buying a website at a $100k level with no employees? (1:23:10) - Media Reccomendations The Exit - Flippa Podcast Thrasio (1:26:20) - Contacting James Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JamesonCamp [email protected] The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Our second LIB dives into the concept of 'The Flywheel.' Chris reads a short excerpt from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great', walks through Fort Capital's Flywheel, gives a personal example of flywheels in his life, and a quick challenge for listeners at the end. Enjoy! Good to Great by Jim Collins Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Dr. Julie Gurner is an Executive Performance Coach who has been compared to Wendy Rhoades of 'Billions' by The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gurner works with tech giants, real estate executives, and professional athletes to help identify and understand the patterns of behavior, daily decisions, and incremental wins that catapult a small fraction of the population to the very top of their fields. On this episode, Dr. Gurner discusses her background in psychology and working in the maximum-security prison system before getting into Tech Advising and launching her career as an Executive Coach. Then, Chris and Dr. Gurner discuss what makes the top 1% in their field successful, what her clients are looking for when they work with her, building confidence, curing burnout, and more. They wrap the conversation discussing the industry of executive coaching and how they contribute to some of the largest companies in the world. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Connect with Dr. Gurner: www.drgurner.com/ Follow Dr. Julie Gurner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drgurner (02:15) - Dr. Gurner’s Background and Career (04:15) - When did you know you wanted to be in the psychology field? (05:26) - What does ‘advising products in Tech’ mean? (05:57) - Dr. Gurner’s Experience Working with Prisoners (09:44) - How would you describe Performance Coaching? (10:47) - Who’s your clientele and target market? (22:59) - Is there a pattern of thought, behavior, or action that threads the top 1% in their field that can be reverse-engineered? (25:00) - Characteristics Between Successful Men and Women That are Similar and Different (27:38) - Nature vs. Nurture (28:43) - Do you see successful people having a great network they can be vulnerable with? (29:38) - Why Money Doesn’t Equal Happiness (31:20) - How often does ego play a factor in people’s issues? (32:32) - Do people come to see you to identify blind spots in their life? (33:57) - Dealing With ‘Yes-People’ and Opening Up Feedback Loops (34:52) - Do having habits like a morning routine matter for success? (37:35) - Is there any science or data between people who work early in the morning or late at night? (39:37) - Making the Most of Your Day and Determining What You’re Best at for Leaders (41:19) - Do your international clients struggle differently than Americans? (42:51) - Do people often drift back to old problems? (44:10) - Do you often see identity crises with folks whose business is their whole life? (46:08) - ‘Unwrapping’ Yourself When Your Identity is Your Job (48:26) - How Brain and Body Functionality Lasts With Age as Folks Continue Working and How It Slows Down When They Stop (50:18) - How much has social media impacted the population in positive or negative ways? (52:58) - What can people do to deal with anxiety and decompress? (54:36) - Do you have clients that are similar to Bobby Axelrod? (54:53) - How did the Wall Street Journal Comparison to Wendy from Billions change your career? (56:53) - Do most hedge funds have full-time performance coaches? (57:54) - How much would someone like that make per year? (58:34) - What happens if someone confides that they are committing illegal activity during a session? (1:00:17) - Are there ever situations where you’re working with a risk-averse client that needs to make a specific trade and you have to nudge them to actually do it? (1:11:31) - Has your line of work made you a better investor? (1:13:27) - Who does a performance coach go to if they need a performance coach? (1:14:16) - Books to Challenge Yourself 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this episode, Chris discusses Real Estate Syndication. He describes the differences between a syndication and a fund, the pros and cons of syndication, breakdowns of GPs and LPs, deal structures, fees, and Twitter questions from listeners. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (00:58) - Real Estate Syndication (01:52) - Syndication vs. a Fund (03:20) - Syndicating vs. Investing Your Own Capital (03:43) - How a Syndication Works (04:24) - General Partners (06:14) - Limited Partners (08:27) - Advantages of Syndicating (10:17) - Advantages from a GP Perspective (11:25) - Advantages of Syndicating vs. a Fund (12:45) - Setting Terms As a GP (13:59) - Working With Institutional Capital (15:16) - Disadvantages for General Partners (16:43) - Disadvantages of Syndicating (19:09) - What LP’s Should Be Looking For in a General Partner (20:54) - Questions to Ask Potential General Partners (25:17) - Best Practices for Finding a Co-GP (27:59) - Types of Deal Structures and Their Merits (35:28) - Raising from Multiple Investors (36:42) - Creating Liquidity for LPs (43:48) - How Money is Made in the Syndicating Industry (46:56) - Type of Fees You Might See Out of a Syndicator (50:40) - How to Keep Alignment Between the GP & LP (51:50) - How do terms change between acquisitions and a development deal? (53:24) - Lenders (56:35) - The Fort Capital Investor Onboarding Process (1:02:54) - Technology Impacts as a Syndicator if You Decide to Use a Software Like Juniper Square (1:07:23) - Biggest Tailwinds in the Industry (1:12:15) - Data and Stats on How GPs and LPs are Looking at the World as it Relates to Syndicators (1:14:28) - Twitter Questions: Adjusting Acquisition and LP Return Criteria Given the Market (1:16:52) - What part of your structure has changed the most over time? (1:18:29) - What's the most surprising thing that investors are interested in? (1:20:25) - Wrap Up & Contact The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Welcome to the first episode in our newest series for The FORT: Lessons in Business (LIB). Our first LIB will cover communicating effectively in Investor Reporting. People love good news, and they're willing to hear bad news, but they hate surprises. Enjoy! If you have any topic you would like us to cover in future LIBs, please tweet them at Chris or email him at [email protected] Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Nick Farris has an extensive background in consulting and market analysis for health care real estate and senior living assets. He has functioned in advisory roles nationally with hundreds of developers, hospitals, health systems, healthcare REITs, and medical operators since 2006. On this episode, Nick and Chris deep dive into Health Care Real Estate and how MedCore works with physicians to locate areas to develop medical facilities across the country. They also discuss Nick's work developing Senior living campuses, how they first met in college, what's next for the boomer generation, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Nick on Twitter: (03:15) - Chris and Nick Meeting in College (07:04) - Nick’s Career Path After College Leading up to Today (14:16) - What’s the spectrum of Health Care as it relates to what you do? (19:16) - Where are you gathering all of the data for physicians? (23:44) - What’s the lead time between folks approaching you and when they need to find a place? (25:46) - Are physicians coming to you with a broad brush in mind or specific locations they want to set up a practice? (30:27) - What room is there for a physician in markets where there’s virtually no insurance coverage? (32:37) - What’s an orthopedic surgeon looking for? (35:02) - Data Availability Via Insurance Providers (35:56) - Are you involved in an ortho’s search for finding physicians to work with in an area they want to go to? (39:00) - What are the big drivers for how facilities are built? (41:30) - What is a client in for when they come to you to build a facility? (44:43) - Are physicians signing leases or joining the ownership group? (45:54) - How does the organization make money? (47:14) - How would a deal go south? (48:15) - Scarcity of Medical Facilities vs. Other Types of Real Estate Leasers (49:08) - What’s considered Elective Surgery? (52:22) - What’s a co-morbidity? (54:24) - Senior Housing (1:00:11) - How big are these campuses? (1:01:54) - How do you raise capital? (1:05:28) - What amenities are you adding to these campuses? (1:07:19) - Are memberships covered by insurance or private pay? (1:07:41) - Is the fact that people are living longer good for your business? (1:09:03) - What’s your reason and process for acquisitions? (1:10:16) - Does the government offer loans for financing in this area? (1:10:47) - What’s the next 10 years look like for the boomer generation? (1:14:22) - Do you have a childhood experience that has shaped who you have become? (1:19:34) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:21:46) - What’s the best advice you’ve been given? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

This is a special bonus episode of an AMA that was hosted by Nick Huber featuring Chris Powers on April 22nd, 2021. Chris and Nick answered questions from a virtual audience about their real estate experience and thoughts on the industry, questions about getting started in Real Estate and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Nick Huber on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartUp The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Chris Koerner is the Co-Founder and CEO of SendEats.com where they offer 3PL for Ecommerce so that companies can focus on building their brand. On this episode, Chris starts with a great story about his mission to Hungary for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, his entrepreneurial journey starting and selling E-commerce businesses before starting SendEats at the beginning of the pandemic, and some of the ups and downs they've experienced in their year of operation. Finally, Chris tells an incredible story of partnering with the Crypto giant John McAfee, his passion for crypto, and some parenting stories. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Chris Koerner on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/serialtrep (03:19) - Chris’ Background (05:33) - Chris Mission for The Latter-Day Saints in Hungary (09:22) - What is the goal of the Mission? (10:39) - How did you know if you were doing a ‘good’ job on your mission? 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (13:51) - Were you good at handling rejection before the mission? (14:11) - The Backstory of Starting Sendeats.com (20:08) - What's something you missed at the beginning but you’re working on now? (23:16) - When is someone big enough to outsource their e-commerce? (23:43) - What does your 80-hour week look like? (26:19) - Where does the risk lie in your business? (27:09) - Do you need an insurance policy for each customer? (27:49) - Partnering with Amazon, Shopify vs. Amazon (33:04) - What has COVID done for E-commerce adoption? (34:57) - How are you finding customers? (35:13) - Is there a customer you won’t take? (36:37) - How do you bill customers? (37:21) - What’s the most difficult product you ship right now? (42:11) - How are FedEx and UPS working to protect themselves from Amazon? (42:57) - What do you look for in a building? (43:23) - How well-positioned is DFW from a logistics standpoint? (45:37) - Is physical location the most important factor in logistics? (46:32) - How are you receiving products? (47:05) - What’s the hardest part about the business? How do you tackle these issues? (48:42) - Are there technology opportunities in this space? (49:53) - Who are your competitors? (51:04) - Does Amazon still win? (51:44) - Does faster shipping change actually change anything on the shipping end? (53:19) - What value do you get out of Trends? (54:57) - What’s your plan with this company? (55:47) - Will you end up taking over the insurance side of this business? (56:39) - Cardboard Box Supply (57:08) - What’s the worst day you’ve had in this business? (59:38) - Partnering with John McAfee (1:13:50) - How does 2017 feel vs. now when it comes to Bitcoin? (1:15:00) - How did you get into Crypto? (1:16:48) - Why do swaps exist? (1:18:02) - Whatever happened to John? (1:19:06) - Are we still early in Crypto? (1:19:34) - Chris’ Crypto Pyramid Scheme Story (1:23:03) - What’s something you think about a lot? (1:24:23) - Was there any experience you had as a child that shaped you? (1:26:30) - Raising Kids & Screen Time (1:30:17) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Andrew Farah is the CEO of Density, which helps reduce space waste and optimize a building’s occupancy with its combination of people sensors and people counting software. On this episode, Chris and Andrew talk about space utilization and how Density has built its mission around helping people make the most of their leased spaces. Andrew discusses how the company came about with his 5 other co-founders, what kind of data Density provides its users, thinking of the office as a product, and the future of office work as we leave the pandemic. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah (02:58) - Andrew’s Background and What Lead Him to Density.io (04:52) - The Dynamics of Having 6 Co-Founders (08:40) - When was the moment you all decided to turn this into a full-time business? (13:39) - What are the types of things that cities or building owners would want to know where this tech is applicable? (16:55) - The Efficiency Problem of Real Estate (25:44) - What has Density built to tackle this massive problem? (27:33) - What types of data are you seeing on the dashboard? (30:18) - Do Landlords love you or hate you? (33:07) - How do you get to where you are using a space ‘better’ than it was designed? (35:25) - How long is the data relevant to the user? (37:47) - Using Data to Negotiate Leases (40:31) - Is anyone using this data in real-time or are we looking back on past data? (43:18) - What are some of the ways that businesses are poorly using space? (46:36) - What does 38% utilization vs. 100% mean? (48:25) - Thinking of the Office as a Product and Not a Static Thing (51:38) - What is the state of the office and have you heard what office will look like over the next couple of years? (57:34) - Is space utilization just as important for other asset classes? (1:00:12) - How can people get in touch with you or Density? www.Density.io Andrew on Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewfarah Andrew on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfarah/ The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Lex Sisney is a business scaling expert and a wizard at organizational structure and design. He works with CEOs and leadership teams of expansion-stage companies who are committed to growing their business without compromising their values. On this episode, Chris and Lex discuss the work that Lex does with executives and teams to facilitate growth with an emphasis on maintaining their people and culture. Lex also dives deep into 'energy drains' in relationships, business leaders, and how to identify them in the moment before they deteriorate your business. Finally, Chris and Lex discuss why Fort Capital brought Lex in to help with their executive plans and problems companies run into when hiring executives. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Lex & Organizational Physics: www.Organizationalphysics.com Books by Lex Sisney: Organizational Physics How to Think About Hiring Ready for Enlightenment? (01:45) - What’s on your mind right now? (2:43) - Lex’s Background and What Lead Him to Starting Organizational Physics (08:48) - What are the usual characteristics of the companies you work with? (09:55) - How do you know all the management information out there isn’t right? (12:14) - Success = Integration/Entropy (17:07) - Pinpointing Energy Drains in Interpersonal Relationships and as Business Leaders (27:52) - What’s the methodology of re-arranging the playing field if you’re not changing people or culture? (37:42) - The 4 Quadrants Do the right things to get customers Do things in the right way for customers Do the right thing for the company Keep the company out of harm (44:13) - How does a small business capitalize on Quadrant 4 when they may not have the people resources for it in HR? (46:36) - How do you know that you have the process that’s appropriate for your stage in the business life cycle How do you know when it's deteriorating? (51:26) - What’s more important to business growth: people or processes? (53:41) - What’s Important in a Leadership Team, How a Great Leadership Team is Run, and How to Run a Meeting (1:02:34) - Proposals 101 (1:05:41) - What falls into a Type 1 decision? (1:11:00) - Fort Capital’s Problem When They Brought in Lex and Problems Other Companies Face When Hiring Executives (1:16:36) - Why do you say Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison got it wrong? (1:17:20) - What’s one thing you believe in that most people around you don’t? (1:17:56) - How can people find your business? www.organizationalphysics.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Kevin Dahlstrom is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Central Pacific Bank. Kevin is also an avid rock climber and Fintech thought leader. On this episode, Kevin talks about his passion for rock climbing and the importance of having a multi-faceted life. Then, he and Chris discuss the world of banking and Fintech, the differences between them, and how the two can work together to improve the lives of consumers. They also touch on the crypto phenomenon, and Kevin tells a wild story of meeting Masa Son while pitching SoftBank in San Francisco. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Kevin on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/camp4 (03:19) - Kevin’s Story Growing Up and What Led Him to Today (06:30) - How did you execute this plan of picking up your family and moving across the country? How did you get your wife on board? (09:05) - Kevin’s Passion for Rock Climbing (11:23) - What's it like having such great friends that don’t even know what you do for a living? (13:24) - Being the “Real Estate Guy” (15:37) - Free Solo Rock Climbing and Alex Honnold (17:18) - Kevin’s Early Career in Fintech Elevate Net Promoter Score Central Pacific Bank (24:29) - Kevin’s Article: Your Margin is My Opportunity (28:33) - Why hasn’t there been any improvement in the banking world? Square CashApp (33:58) - What’s the difference between banks and Fintech? (36:13) - Could a Fintech company become a bank and vice versa? (37:51) - How would Wells Fargo defend their lack of innovation? (41:20) - Kevin’s Take on Cryptocurrency (43:11) - What is the ultimate promise of Crypto? Andy Grove on Inflection Points (46:04) - The Value of Twitter (47:58) - What do 25-50-year-old people wish they had in banking through your research? (50:33) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Manage Money (53:27) - Building a Social Network That Operates Like a Family Office (56:20) - Kevin’s 'Wild Deal Experience with SoftBank’ (1:03:04) - How do you think Masa treated Adam Newman of WeWork based on your experience with him? (1:05:33) - What’s one thing that you believe that most people around you don’t? (1:07:10) - What is your best advice to girl-dads? (1:08:36) - Do you have any book recommendations? Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes (1:10:30) - How can people engage with you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Camp4 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Scott O’Neill is a Principal and Co-Founder of FSO Capital Partners. Scott O’Neill specializes in the acquisition, financing, syndication, and development of multifamily properties throughout Arizona. Since entering the Arizona market, Scott has been directly involved as a principal in the acquisition, development, or disposition of over $15,000,000 of multifamily assets. On this episode, Scott and Chris discuss his career in brokerage before pivoting into principal. Scott details his 100 cold calls per-day strategy to become successful right out of the gate as a broker, the founding of FSO Capital Partners, and his Ice Hockey Career. They also break down what the process of a multifamily deal looks like from acquisition to rehab and management. Scott also gives advice to brokers who are looking to move to the principal side of real estate. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Scott on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 (02:12) - Scott’s Background (06:07) - How did your father’s experience in the ’08 crisis impact you? (08:41) - Scott’s Ice Hockey Career (10:23) - How did you become successful right out of the gate as a broker? (14:31) - Did you come up with this 100 per-day cold call strategy? (17:24) - How do you think the pitch has changed from 2010 to 2021 in a market that’s clearly much better? (19:12) - Is there a reason you were focused on small multi-family deals vs. “Elephant” deals? (20:25) - What’s an All-Inclusive Trust Deed? (21:16) - Carnivores, Omnivores & Herbivores (23:15) - Scott Rounding Out His Broker Journey (23:55) - Was there a deal in brokerage that you’ll never forget? (24:50) - Did you ever run into Moses Kagan? (25:46) - What is the usual ambition toward investing when it came to working with doctors and dentists? (29:20) - What does FSO Capital Partners do? (31:41) - What do you do and what do your partners do? (33:10) - How do you find most of your deals? (34:54) - What are you looking for to decide whether a deal is worth spending your time on? (36:55) - How do you create value for a deal? LIHTC - Low Income Housing Tax Credit (39:46) - The Seller Perspective (40:36) - How do you get really comfortable with getting restrictions removed on a deed? (42:34) - Why wouldn’t the seller go through this process themselves? (43:39) - What are you doing with all the money you put into a property? (45:46) - How long is the rehab taking? (46:55) - How do you go about re-branding a property? (47:48) - Utilizing Bridge Debts and Raising Rents (49:54) - What was the interest rate on this deal and were there any covenants? (51:14) - When do you start engaging with agencies to get a re-finance loan and how long does it take to get the loan? (53:22) - How do you typically structure your deals? (54:22) - 3rd-Party vs. Self-Management (55:37) - How do you select management companies? (56:24) - How do you think about growth going forward (57:34) - How are you set up to hold your 3rd-party property management partners accountable? (1:01:17) - What excites you about the Phoenix & Arizona market? (1:04:42) - What advice would you give to brokers who want to get in on the principal side? (1:05:49) - Book Recommendations Am I Being Too Subtle? - Sam Zell Principals - Ray Dalio Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki Gary Keller - Millionaire Real Estate Agent The One Thing - Gary Keller (1:06:27) - What’s the best way for people to find you? Twitter - www.Twitter.com/Scottyo21 Email - [email protected] Phone - 310 365 4861 The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Austin Rief is the Co-Founder & COO of Morning Brew, one of the largest business newsletters with over 2.5 million subscribers. On this episode, Austin and Chris discuss the journey to founding Morning Brew, how they were able to rapidly acquire subscribers, the process of being acquired by Business Insider, and how they develop content for their readers. They also discuss the current state of decentralization, the future of news and media consumption, BitClout, Austin's rolling fund, and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Austin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austin_rief (02:53) - Austin’s Background and What Led Him to Start Morning Brew (04:26) - What was it about Market Corner that caught your eye? (05:15) - What did you do to add value when you joined there? (06:01) - Was there a moment in time where you decided investment banking was not the route for you? (07:29) - When did you know that this had the potential to be a full-time business? (09:41) - What was your pitch to investors? (10:25) - How did you determine what content was important in the early days? Waitbutwhy.com (12:49) - What did you do with your capital? (14:40) - What was the most effective way to get subscribers for you and is it still the best way today? (18:15) - Do you have any data as to how much of each newsletter your subscribers consume on each edition? (19:32) - How have you thought about your sub-brews? (21:40) - How do you know the content is staying at the same quality as you get more removed from the daily writing? (23:07) - How do you hire great content writers? (24:03) - How does the relationship between you and Alex help drive the business today? (24:58) - How did the acquisition from Business Insider come about? (25:56) - How long did the deal take from start to finish? (26:35) - Was there ever a moment where you were mentally committed to selling the business and knew there was no going back? (27:52) - Did the acquisition change anything about your operation strategy? (29:38) - Who were the hirers that were key in taking you to the next level? (33:02) - Are you fully remote or will you become office-centric as we come out of the pandemic? (38:30) - How do you think about delivering the truth and not just click-bait? (44:09) - Have you experienced people coming to MB from these legacy media companies? (44:57) - What’s your thesis on social capital transferring into financial capital? (49:05) - What do you think about the de-centralization of the world with things like crypto and BitClout? (51:45) - Do you think we’re headed toward government regulation as we see people like Elon being able to sway markets with a single tweet? (53:33) - Was the removal of Donald Trump from the Internet a pivotal moment in this new world of decentralization? (55:04) - What is the solution when you can’t actually get on the internet after being ‘removed’ at an AWS level? (57:36) - Has anyone ever tried to cancel MB for something that was written? (58:30) - How does your rolling fund work and how can people learn more about it? (1:01:03) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:02:22) - Is there something that’s weighing heavily on your mind that a lot of other people aren’t thinking about? (1:07:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Austin on Twitter The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this episode, Chris talks with the anonymous "Some Hotel Guy" (www.Twitter.com/SomeHotelGuy) about the hotel industry. SHG details the nuances of owning & operating both independent and branded hotels, the process of working with "The Big 4" Hoteliers, how the industry was affected by COVID-19, and how he sees the industry moving forward. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (03:04) - What’s your position within the industry? (04:00) - Do you operate under one or multiple brands? (04:49) - What types of hotels are you involved in? (05:47) - Describe Upper Mid-Scale, Upscale and Upper-Upscale Hotels (07:26) - Do you have to get approved as an owner/operator to be associated with one of these brands? (09:26) - Is there ever conflict within owners working under multiple brands? (10:22) - Scenario: I’ve never owned a hotel, but I own a great piece of land for a hotel and I approach Marriott: How does that conversation go? (11:53) - How does the payment structure work as an owner? (13:45) - Do the “Big 4” have a true monopoly over the resources available to hotel owners such as booking software? (17:15) - What’s the difference between an independent hotel and brand affiliated? (17:49) - In an independent scenario, is the owner often the operator? (18:31) - Who’s bearing the risk in a situation of an owner franchising a hotel and hiring an operator? (48:35) - What’s going on at hotels that aren’t open? (51:26) - What’s the state of capital markets? (53:49) - Are you having to underwrite differently now? Twitter Questions (54:57) - What does the hotel industry think about Airbnb and its place in the industry? (57:10) - Is Airbnb going to get into the hotel industry? (59:11) - What are your thoughts on the Kayak hotel opening? (1:00:21) - If you had $100m, what would you go do in the industry? (1:01:53) - Do you see the check-in experience changing? (1:03:02) - Is there any technology that interests you right now? (1:04:42) - What amenities matter in hotels or things on the horizon people want? (1:06:35) - Room Service vs. Uber Eats/DoorDash (1:08:41) - “If I own a 1960’s hotel in Trenton, NJ that is primarily longer stays for low-income folks: Do I sell now and cash out before it’s too late? Or, how long do people with roach motels have before it’s an obsolete asset?” (1:10:17) - What are some common mistakes independent operators make pre-opening? (1:11:57) - What are some common mistakes inexperienced operators make? (1:14:17) - Is there still room for independent boutique hotels in the industry? (1:15:06) - SomeHotelGuy’s Fear of Heights The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Rich Jordan is the Owner of Strongpoint Management Group and is a Marine Corps veteran. Strongpoint owns and operates real estate assets and buys small businesses to scale. This episode highlights Garon T Plumbing, an SMB in the Northeast that Rich has grown substantially over the past year. On this episode, Rich discusses his experience in the Marines and doing his first real estate deal before diving deep into his acquisition of Garon T Plumbing. Rich and Chris talk about the most nuanced parts of Rich's journey, including the buying experience, dealing with sellers and brokers, meeting his new team for the first time, implementing incentive programs for his employees, and the decisions made to radically grow the business. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Rich on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/StrongPointRich Check out Strongpoint Management: www.RealStrongPoint.com (02:53) - Rich’s Background in the Marine Corps and What Led Him to His Current Position (08:49) - Did you always want to be a Marine? (10:59) - How many Marines do we have in the Middle East? (11:23) - What did you do with your first RE deal to make it double in value? (15:30) - What was it like being married for several years but living long distance? (17:30) - Was it always the plan to buy a small business? (20:15) - How did you source this deal and how many deals were you looking at? (32:35) - Was there anything you needed to prove to the broker before they got serious with finding you deals? (33:22) - What deal terms mattered to the seller in the LOI that was surprising? (35:12) - How long was it from LOI to closing? (35:50) - What mattered to you during Due Diligence to get you comfortable with the deal? (37:58) - How long does it take to get an SBA loan approved? (39:27) - What was the agreement with the seller in terms of them staying on after the sale? (41:47) - What was their motivation for selling? (42:58) - Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done during due diligence? Gusto Payroll Processing (48:15) - What was the conversation like meeting your employees as the new owner? (51:50) - What was the team’s reaction to the sale? (59:12) - How did you start making your impact on the business? (1:04:16) - How did you go through the exercise for setting fixed price changes? (1:07:24) - Have you implemented any incentives for employees? Service Titan (1:19:13) - What’s your ultimate goal for this business? (1:23:57) - Is this unique to your area or is this something that can be done everywhere? (1:27:22) - How do we get more people into the blue-collar industry and make it sexy again? (1:33:00) - What did the Marines teach you that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else? (1:35:54) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:37:31) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/strongpointrich The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Dan Go is the CEO of High Performance Founder, which aims to get high-achieving entrepreneurs into their ideal body with minimal stress. On this episode, Dan discusses his journey into the world of fitness, diets that work, myths about diets, how the average person can determine what will be best for their health journey, the negatives of having too much body fat, and some great recommendations for maximizing your workouts and sleep. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Dan on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FitFounder (02:03) - What lead you to create High Performance Founder? (07:16) - Why do you think you got ‘hooked’ on fitness and stuck with it? Why don’t most people stick with it? (10:12) - What matters most in fitness? (13:33) - Simple vs. Easy (16:27) - What are ‘real’ foods? What’s your philosophy on diet? (22:38) - How does the average person learn about what their body requires as far as food? Macro Calculator Dexa Scan Fat Free Index If It Fits Your Macros (28:09) - What are some of the biggest misconceptions you see about health? (34:18) - What does fat do to your body and how does that affect your ability to work? (40:15) - What’s the ideal amount of body fat for a person? (41:43) - Is having excessive fat genetic? (44:58) - What does alcohol do to the body? (49:18) - How long does it take to recover from a night of excessive drinking? (50:59) - When is the best time for someone to get their workout in? (53:12) - Is there anything you recommend people do before bed that’s helpful for the body? Blue Light Blockers Chamomile Tea 1 Hour Before Bed Read a Fiction Book Eat Last Meal 3+ Hours Before Bed No Alcohol 3-4 hours Before Bed (58:21) - Going to Masterminds and Seeing Entrepreneurs That are Obese (1:01:30) - How do you know that you’re in a great spot with health and not constantly in a struggle of getting ‘there’? (1:05:05) - What’s your take on the state of the fitness industry? What does the future of fitness look like post-COVID? (1:08:04) - Is there a book you recommend for people? The Leangains Method - Martin Berkhan (1:09:20) - If you had a billboard that you could put anything on, what would it say? “If you wanna change your mood: move your body.” (1:10:30) - How can people reach you? www.Twitter.com/FitFounder www.highperformancefounder.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Michael Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Fernish, a furniture rental service that will deliver, assemble and arrange your home or apartment. On this episode, Michael discusses his journey to founding Fernish, the details of how the service works, his experience hiring, and working with former Amazon standouts. They also discuss the importance of customer obsession, COVID, raising VC money, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Michael on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/mleebarlow (02:00) - Michaels Background and The Idea for Fernish (06:12) - What happened from having the idea to putting it into action? (10:43) - Who are your customers? (12:45) - How does the contract work with customers? (15:19) - What’s your relationship like with the multi-family owners and what’s the incentive for them? (17:34) - How do you conduct the design consultation? (18:11) - How much is the average person saving on renting furniture vs. buying their own? (20:19) - Are most people needing fully furnished places or just certain pieces? (21:47) - How are they choosing pieces? (22:32) - What did COVID teach you about your business model? (24:05) - How much furniture do Americans buy each year? (25:51) - The Recycling Aspect of the Business and Determining What’s Reusable (28:24) - What are the most common items people rent? (29:31) - How do you think about growth & entering new markets? (31:32) - How have Amazon-ians impacted your business? (35:44) - What does "customer obsession" mean? (38:36) - What are some interesting data points you’ve learned from the customer? (41:03) - How do you handle things that you don’t wanna hear? (42:49) - Is there anything interesting you’ve learned from Jeff Wilke? (45:26) - Raising Capital (46:28) - What do your best VCs do for you? (48:46) - How does the communication dynamic work with VCs? (49:29) - What do you hope to achieve over the next few years? (52:27) - What do local logistics mean for the company? (55:34) - How do you think about the capital intensiveness of buying all this furniture for people? (57:26) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (59:52) - Do you have a morning routine? (1:00:45) - Is there a book that’s had a big impact on you? Against the Gods - Peter Bernstein (1:02:56) - How can people reach you? www.Fernish.com Email: [email protected] The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts

This special Bonus episode is a livestream Chris did with Nick Huber (www.Twitter.com/SweatyStartup) on March 22nd, 2021. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital

On this episode, Stinson Dean (www.Twitter.com/LumberTrading), the Founder of Deacon Lumber, joins Chris to provide a deep dive into the Lumber industry. Stinson explains his role as a Lumber trader, why most homes in the US are built from Canadian Lumber, the tariff issues between the US and Canada, the Lumber supply chain, and why we are seeing the highest prices ever recorded. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (02:40) - Stinson’s Journey Into Lumber and What He’s Doing Today Deacon Lumber (08:18) - Why are futures under-utilized? (11:44) - How many people are doing what you do in lumber? (12:39) - Why do a lot of people not participate in lumber as opposed to other commodities? (14:43) - Are there government subsidies for lumber? (16:48) - What’s the shelf life of lumber? The Business Model for Lumber (18:11) - Who are you buying from and where are you storing it? West Fraser Saw Mill (22:34) - Where does your business fit in the supply chain? (23:49) - How does the full supply chain work starting with the tree? (34:14) - How long does it take a tree to grow to a point where it can become lumber? (34:54) - Why are lumber prices skyrocketing right now? (40:50) - Is there still COVID caution in the market? (45:21) - Opportunities in an Inefficient Market (46:15) - Who’s making all the money in a market with historically high prices? (49:05) - Blue Stain Lumber (52:33) - Have the tariffs that are in place been the reason for Canadian sawmills buying mills in the US? (54:53) - Why does Lumber grow better in Canada? Are fires more likely in the US? (57:49) - How do most of these forest fires start? (59:32) - Why aren’t mills adding capacity? (1:00:27) - Is there an opportunity for VC to step in and make a giant change in the industry? (1:02:35) - Are you betting lumber prices will go higher or lower? Types of Lumber & Pricing (1:04:38) - What are the main types of lumber being used? (1:06:42) - The quality of Lumber Being Used in Custom Homes vs. Production Homes (1:09:44) - The Price of Multi-Family Lumber vs. Single-Family (1:12:04) - What % of a typical home is comprised of lumber in single vs. multi-family? (1:14:28) - What are some tips for a regional/small home builder to better hedge this risk? (1:19:55) - What’s the current time frame for locking in prices right now? (1:20:30) - How are smaller builders purchasing their lumber? (1:22:19) - Is there any interesting technology being created within the industry? (1:25:50) - What is the biggest risk right now in lumber? (1:27:38) - How is money made or lost in this industry? What are general risks in your part of the industry? (1:36:32) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped who you are today? (1:40:00) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:40:27) - What’s your favorite book? King of Capital by David Carey (1:42:55) - How can people reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Kenneth Schlenker is the Founder of Opal, an app that was created to give control back to the users of screens. Opal uses a VPN to block access to distracting apps in a way that encourages us to think about the 'why' of what we are doing when we mindlessly pick up our phones. On this episode, Kenneth explains how Opal works, data on just how addicted we are to our screens, how the scientists hired by social media giants are designing their apps to keep us online as long as possible and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Kenneth on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KSchlenker Check out Opal: www.Opal.so (03:50) - Kenneth’s Story and Career Leading Up to Opal (05:45) - What’s the inflection point that people are starting to realize there’s a problem with our addiction to Social Media? (07:51) - Is there data around how much we don’t know what we’re getting into when we open up social media? (10:06) - Are we becoming conditioned to pull out our phones on instinct? (11:32) - What are these scientists you talk about doing that incentivize us to stay on our phones? Opal on TechCrunch (13:23) - Well-Timed Notifications The Social Dilemma (19:21) - What data are you seeing with regards to the Zoom'er generation and their usage of social media vs. other age groups? (22:58) - Was there a moment in time where you felt so convicted that you needed to start Opal? (25:25) - How does Opal work? (28:24) - Is there any customer requests you’ve been getting that you didn’t expect? (30:00) - What was your experience raising a seed round during the pandemic? (32:27) - How do you think about the incumbents like Facebook who may not be super excited about your entrance? (34:00) - Is there something you believe that many others don’t? (35:27) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (36:06) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read Indistractable - Nir Eyal Power of Breath - Swami Saradananda (37:31) - How do people grow up differently in French culture vs. American culture? (40:04) - Which country uses their phones the most? (41:11) - How can people reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Today's episode features the Co-Founder of Tiny Capital, Andrew Wilkinson. Tiny Capital owns 30+ companies and focuses on buying, starting, and investing in internet businesses. On this episode, Chris and Andrew discuss his childhood creating MetaLab which led him to help design some of the most well known companies like Slack and CoinBase. They also talk about the process of acquiring businesses, Andrew's habit of starting businesses when he's bored, his experience going public with WeCommerce and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Andrew on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/awilkinson (02:51) - Andrews Background MetaLab The Making of an American Capitalist (09:50) - How did you think about money at an early age? (13:54) - Do you consider yourself a designer? How did you learn this? (17:17) - Did you have founder’s guilt when it came time to replace yourself? (19:21) - Doing the Things You Hate Doing in Business (21:35) - Do you actually like reading a P&L and balance sheets? (22:16) - What’s an immediate ‘no’ of all the businesses that cross your desk? (26:00) - Once you’ve agreed to buy a business, what’s the process like going forward to close? (29:32) - Do you negotiate? (30:13) - Structuring CEO Comp and What Questions You’re Trying to Answer When Developing a Plan (32:27) - Will you steer founders to go get a bank loan for a new company project or will you deploy capital? (34:43) - If you had one hour to talk to each of your CEOs per year, what would you discuss with them? Tao of Charlie Munger (36:09) - Twitter Q: What is the key role, or person, to take a company from $500k-1M in revenue to $5-10M? (38:00) - You speak very highly of your partner Chris. What do you do and what does he do? (39:03) - Do y’all have a standing meeting or when do you communicate? (39:51) - WeCommerce (43:17) - A Traditional IPO vs. a Reverse Takeover (45:20) - When did you decide it was time to go public? (46:11) - What was your involvement in the Stamped Acquisition? (47:28) - What have you learned from Bill Ackman and how did you meet him? CharityBuzz (51:26) - What's your process like to go from an idea to the launch of a business? (58:19) - What’s the biggest thing content creators are missing when it comes to monetization? Joe Rogan Got Ripped Off by Spotify (1:02:34) - If you were the CEO of Twitter, what would you do to change the company? (1:06:38) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped where you would go in life? (1:07:49) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:08:57) - How can people get in touch with you? Twitter: www.twitter.com/awilkinson

Chris Bakke is the co-founder and CEO of Laskie. Previously, he was the co-founder of Interviewed (acquired by Indeed), COO of 42Floors (acquired by Knotel), and managed business development for Zillow and RentJuice (acquired by Zillow). On this episode, Chris discusses his experiences selling his companies and then working for the acquirers such as Zillow and Indeed during the pandemic. He also discusses the growth of the freelancer economy and how companies are starting to think about their approach to full-time employees vs. contract workers. Finally, they talk about founding Laskie, Twitter and the founders-dilemma of deciding whether to sell when an offer comes by or continuing to build. Enjoy! (02:18) - Chris’ Background Working for Early Stage and Public Tech Companies (04:42) - What was it like working at Indeed in the midst of the pandemic? (07:47) - What is it like to transition from a founder of a company to being an employee after an acquisition? (10:09) - When you take on the new role do you know what’s required of you from the jump, or is it expected your role might change? (13:01) - Are there questions that you wish you asked in previous acquisitions to understand what it will be like on the other side? (15:13) - How did the idea for Laskie come about? How do you describe what y’all do? (19:02) - How long does it take to get approved as a vendor? (21:14) - How many times do companies hire full time people when a freelancer would do just fine? Are we entering a world where companies cut down on full time people in exchange for more freelancers? (24:31) - How do you overcome the issue of freelancer loyalty between competitors? (28:23) - Personality Testing in Freelancing (30:40) - Should hirers think about the idea of 1-3 days of working on a project with a potential employee before deciding to hire them? (36:04) - Has there been anything unique in this COVID era in terms of requested services you’ve seen? (39:18) - Chris’ Experience Working With the Same Group of Founders for All of His Companies (40:10) - Are the roles of the group pretty clear each time you start a company together? (45:31) - Was there someone who told you to stop doing founder-led sales and bring someone on or was it something you had to figure out? (47:07) - What is “the game” of being a venture-backed company? (50:19) - Was your goal to be the next billion-dollar company or did you know you wanted in and out in two years? (53:22) - Do you think there’s a lot of companies that should have sold much earlier but keep pushing for that $10B sale? (56:42) - What did it do to your psyche when you saw that first offer from a founder's perspective? (1:01:45) - Why are you bullish on San Francisco/Silicon Valley? (1:05:47) - If you were CEO of Twitter for the next year, what would you do? (1:09:17) - Do you have a childhood experience that put you on your life path? (1:12:20) - If you had a billboard on the busiest highway in Danville, what would it say? (1:23:43) - How can people reach you? Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChrisJBakke LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bakk3/

Ray Washburne is the owner of the Mi Cocina restaurants, Dallas Highland Park Village, and former President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. On this episode, Chris and Ray talk about Ray's career path in real estate and how he developed Highland Park Village in Dallas into nearly $380 million in annual sales. They also talk about Ray starting one of the most popular Tex Mex chains in Texas, his experience working under President Trump, OPIC, and much more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital (02:27) - Ray’s Background and Career (04:14) - How did you get started in real estate? (05:16) - How do you find operating platforms that you want to back? (06:58) - How do you think about getting a deal done? (08:05) - How Chris and Ray Met (08:42) - How Ray Bought Highland Park Village (11:50) - Developing the Property (13:11) - How does it work bringing in super-luxury tenants? (15:10) - What does ‘Retail is Dead’ mean to you? Why is it wrong? (16:35) - How do the personal shoppers work in your spaces? (18:51) - What has Park House done for the center? (20:55) - Why is Dallas winning so much? (22:21) - Understanding the Consumer From a Property Management Perspective (26:00) - The Story of Mi Cocina and Where it is Today (30:40) - Why do brands not travel well? (32:04) - What’s the long-term vision for the brand? (33:20) - What was it like owning a restaurant in 2020? (38:01) - Are there places where you’re now saving money due to COVID? (40:43) - How important is it for a restaurant to have a signature drink or dish that people can rally behind? (43:26) - How do restaurants make money? (44:36) - Is there anything that you’re seeing that anticipates the next roaring 20’s? (46:53) - Thinking About National Competition (48:21) - Are most retailers located in major centers to make money or is it for marketing/branding? (49:12) - What was it like working for President Trump? (53:19) - Is there a time or interaction with him that you’ll never forget? (55:31) - Was the division between Trump and top Democrats just for show or was it real? (56:31) - What is OPIC and why should private business owners be thinking about it? (59:52) - How do you determine which companies\countries have the entrepreneurs to drive capital? (1:01:03) - The Chinese Belt & Road Initiative (1:01:48) - What’s the coolest project you worked on? (1:03:19) - Where is the world growing that we in America aren’t thinking about? (1:04:54) - How are we going to be competitive against China? (1:05:35) - What’s interesting to you going forward now that you’re out of government? (1:07:44) - What’s the pitch of Downtown vs. Uptown Dallas? (1:08:39) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life? (1:09:52) - What’s one thing you believe that a lot of people do not? (1:11:09) - Can we keep a clean government? (1:11:33) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:12:02) - If you owned the biggest billboard in DFW and you could put anything on it, what would it say? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Chris Torres is an artist and creator of Nyan Cat, one of the most popular memes in internet history. Vangeli Gelekas is currently building the largest NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artist community on the web and helping artists leave the constraints of corporate commissions behind through NFTs. On this episode, Chris and Van deep dive into NFT's and how the ownership of digital assets is going to change the world as we know it. They talk about the community of artists that currently make up their section of the NFT economy, how the average Joe can get into this world, why transactions are made via cryptocurrency, and more. This is is an episode you may want to listen to more than once, enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Chris Torres on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/PRguitarman Vangeli Gelekas on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/NetGenius (02:36) - What is an NFT? (Non-Fungible Token) (04:35) - How did you get into this space? (07:29) - Where are the best communities for NFTs? NBA Top Shot (09:21) - Is an NFT only digital or can it be for physical assets? (10:52) - If everybody has a screenshot of a piece of art, how is it really that valuable? (12:37) - What is Nyan Cat? (14:10) - How can you monetize Nyan Cat & NFTs? (15:06) - Why Screenshotting the NFT is What We Want (18:04) - If I buy Nyan Cat, what do I do with it? (19:44) - How Much Chris Sold Nyan Cat For (20:46) - Who’s buying NFTs right now? (26:18) - How do I join the community? (28:58) - Is there a leader of this community like Shitoshi in Bitcoin? (31:07) - How does the average Joe get into this world with respect? (40:11) - How do you create the NFT and get it on the Blockchain? (44:13) - If I buy Nyan Cat, can I ask you never to sell another one or how does the ownership work? (50:06) - Do you have to display the purchased art anywhere to build momentum? What happens if you don’t? Marketplace: Foundation (55:45) - Do NFTs only live on ETH? (58:05) - The Transition from Physical Asset Value to Digital Asset Value (59:42) - Could we turn this podcast episode into an NFT? (1:01:21) - Can there be fractional ownership of NFTs? (1:04:08) - Where can I go look at NFT freak’s art? (1:05:47) - How did y’all meet each other? (1:08:25) - Chris, why are you doing this? (1:14:02) - Wrap-Up: What do you want people to take away from this episode if they came in with zero knowledge about this space? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

On this episode, Chris dives into what is known as the 'Barbell Theory' in real estate. He discusses how he came to learn about the theory and how folks in the industry can capitalize on the theory by getting ahead of the growth of an area before it happens. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:00) - How Chris Came to Learn About The Barbell Theory (01:52) - The Barbell Theory Google Earth Example of Fort Worth Barbell Theory (08:25) - Acting on the Barbell Theory/ Buying in Front of the Growth (13:28) - The Time Horizon for Growth (15:09) - Wrap Up The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Mitchell Baldridge is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with vast experience in corporate accounting, business advisory, and financial planning. His passion is building lifelong relationships with business owners to help them thrive. On this episode, Mitchell and Chris discuss the nuances in financial planning for business owners, best practices to take before selling your business, bulletproof ways for normal people to save on taxes, Twitter and more. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Follow Mitchell on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BaldridgeCPA (02:51) - Mitchell’s Story and What He Does Today (05:46) - Knowing How to Make Money vs. Knowing How to Invest Money (06:40) - Thought Experiment: Family business owner, late in a career, $50 M company w/ three kids & grandkids and no planning. What do you recommend? (16:02) - Is there a certain dollar amount you need to start thinking about this planning? (17:03) - Setting up a Giving Plan (21:10) - The Fractional Family Offices & Creative Planning (24:32) - What technology are you using right now? (25:30) - Twitter Q: Why do most CPAs act like they work for the IRS instead of their client? (28:58) - What’s it like to be so intimately involved with people making incredible amounts of money? (30:22) - If you’re selling your business, are there best practices to do a few years out? (32:35) - What’s a Loan Out Corp? (34:48) - Do they need audited financials years in advance? (35:34) - What is QSBS? (Qualified Small Business Stock) (28:25) - How does a SPAC work? (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) (40:17) - What are some outlandish ways you’ve seen people avoid taxes? (41:36) - Is there a bulletproof way to save on taxes for the average person? (42:59) - What’s a cash balance pension plan? (45:12) - What are the benefits for Multi-Family vs. Commercial asset classes with Cost & Bonus Depreciation? (54:42) - What pieces of real properties (parking areas, concrete on commercial areas, etc.) are often overlooked for bonus depreciation? (56:12) - Is the best practice to call your CPA after every deal? (58:04) - How do you most efficiently structure a holding company with both operating and real estate investments? (1:00:07) - How do you best structure family businesses that will succeed from one generation to another? (1:02:34) - What is the coolest way you’ve seen a family set benchmarks for grandkids to actually earn money from a plan? (1:05:36) - How are you thinking about growing your business going forward? (1:08:46) - Twitter as a Mode for Growth (1:12:55) - Nick Huber (1:16:40) - Do you have a childhood experience that shaped the direction of your life? (1:18:50) - Is there something you believe that a lot of people around you don’t? (1:19:38) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? (1:20:30) - Do you have a book that you love? Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Choose yourself by James Altucher (1:21:41) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts