Freedom Blueprint Show Jon Carcone, Ryan Robson, Gabe Garcia

Ryan Robson, Jon Carcone, and Gabe Garcia are all real estate investors that have created an impactful lifestyle within their business. To kick off the first-ever episode, your three co-hosts share a little bit about themselves and how they got into real estate.
 
Key Takeaways:
Who is Jon and how did he get started in business? Jon is not a risk guy, so when he started in real estate, he was still working his full-time job. It took him three years before he felt comfortable enough to quit. Who is Gabe and how did he get started in business? Gabe went to school for music and quickly realized he didn’t want to be a starving musician. Who is Ryan and how did he get started in business? Ryan wanted to get into real estate and was told that the best way to start was learning how to underwrite deals. He spent two years in an office with a window determining the values of properties. What’s the pain you’re feeling right now and is the reward you’re striving after worth the pain? Pain is an important motivator to change the way you’re currently living.  
Resources:
Freedomblueprintshow.com
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss
The Richest Man in Babylon, by George Samuel Clason
Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
 

It can be a dream for a lot of entrepreneurs to run a multi-seven figure business, but what most people don’t see is how much profit that business actually makes. With so many employees on staff, you could end up making less money than someone who runs an incredibly lean business. Don’t fall into the scaling-up trap! Your three co-hosts, Gabe, Ryan, and Jon discuss some of the pitfalls they fell into when they tried to grow their businesses.
 
Key Takeaways:
What have been some of the traps Jon and Ryan have fallen into when trying to scale their businesses? Jon was terrified of having overhead expenses and hiring his first employee. He went six years before making his first hire. Ryan thought he was being smart when he negotiated his employees lower than what they were asking for. Ryan now tries to pay his employees more than what they’re asking for. One good person, one rockstar, is better than three average people. Ryan wants a lean organization with the best people ever. Gabe has seen hiring people on 100% commission just doesn’t work. What’s the mindset behind scaling your business? Just because someone has a multi-million dollar business doesn’t mean they are netting more than someone making under a million a year and running a lean business model. Our growth as an entrepreneur is directly linked to our willingness to let go of control. The main stress of the business comes from the employees. What’s your sales process? Ryan had one sales guy corrupt their entire sales team. One bad apple caused the business over 80% in revenue loss. When Gabe tried to scale, he was just pouring cash in and his bank account became incredibly slim. It’s important to try and scope out all the things that can go wrong in your business.  
Resources:
Freedomblueprintshow.com
Joinhandshake.com
Symplicity.com

Jon Carcone, Gabe Garcia, and Ryan Robson sit down to discuss the why behind your goals. Goals can be great, but they can also work against you if you’re not conscious about where you want to go in life. The guys discuss the acronym HEART and how you can apply it to your goals, drilling deep into the purpose behind your goals, and defining your overall mission in life in this week’s episode.
 
Key Takeaways:
Goals can get you where you want to go, but at the same time, they can distract you. A goal without a finish date is just a wish! How do you know if you’re winning or losing when you set a goal? How do you define a “next-level” goal? Your goal should be enhancing your purpose in life. The goals that you currently have, really look at them and make sure they’re not just “vanity” goals. What drives people more? To avoid pain or the satisfaction of accomplishing something? You have to have a powerful why behind your goals. What are HEART goals? It’s incredibly important to bring your significant other on this goal journey with you. Right now, Ryan is not being challenged. He has a high-achieving goal just so he can say he did it. Retirement is overrated. Why retire when you keep on doing what you love? Gabe shares a story of a mastermind buddy striving so intensely for a monetary goal, and not really realizing why it was so important to him.  
Resources:
Freedomblueprintshow.com

Your three co-hosts, Gabe, Ryan, and Jon, discuss why it’s so critical to know your numbers and what you should be thinking about when it comes to tracking key metrics. You should know your ROI on each of your marketing channels. Do not chalk it up to “branding.” If you’re spending time or money on it, there’s a way for you to track it.
 
Key Takeaways:
How well do you know your numbers? Unfortunately, our education system doesn’t teach us accounting. Don’t aim for perfect; aim for good enough. A huge number of businesses don’t know how much they make per marketing channel. You also want to narrow down and see if it’s a lead gen issue or a closing issue. People love knowing if they’re winning or losing. The basketball coach, John Wooden, never focused on winning. His focus was getting the best out of everyone. Focus on what you can control. Even if you’re a solopreneur, you still need to know your numbers. How can you scale or even grow if you are in the dark about your margins?  
Resources:
Freedomblueprintshow.com
 

Gabe, Ryan, and Jon understand all too well how distractions can really derail your entire day. If you feel like you’re getting pulled in a ton of different directions that aren’t moving the needle, then it’s important that you listen to this episode! The guys share how they minimize their distractions by being conscious of what they decide to take on.
 
Key Takeaways:
Gabe manages his distractions by having an assistant. It’s a game-changer. Gabe knows that email is a huge time-waster for him and so his assistant tracks how much time he spends on email. The biggest trick is that Gabe doesn’t even look at his email. His assistant does and they do a call about it. Jon agrees. The first hire he does is a personal assistant. What’s the best communication platform the guys use to communicate with the team? Why does Jon love Google Voice? The least responsive employees tend to be the most productive. Callrail can be a great tool to use when you have a potential sales lead coming in. There is software called Robokiller which won’t allow spam calls to come through. Ryan has a hard time letting go and filtering his messages/phone calls. “Do you have a minute” meetings are killers. Jon really doesn’t like to be contacted. You have to get your day-to-day time down to 10 hours a week. Look into why you have so many distractions. Is it because you haven’t empowered your team enough to make decisions? How does Ryan best manage his distractions?  
Resources:
Freedomblueprintshow.com
Robokiller.com
Voice.google.com
Callrail.com
No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners, Guide to Time, Productivity, and Sanity, by Dan Kennedy
Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself, by Mike Michalowicz
Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders, by L. David Marquet

Do you feel like you have to grind 24/7 before you can really enjoy the empire you’re building? Gabe, Ryan, and Jon say no. In fact, it’s better you pop your head out of the hustle every now and again and spend it with family, spend it with friends, so you can reward yourself and remind yourself what it is you’re working so hard to achieve. Don’t wait for a divorce or to be completely isolated before you feel like you’ve “made it” in your business.
 
Key Takeaways:
Get out of the weeds in your business and start thinking more about the future picture. When you’ve built your business consciously, you can travel and live life more spontaneously. What structures did Ryan put in place so that he could go traveling for 120 days? People are either motivated by money or by others. What did Ryan have to give in order for him to leave his businesses to go traveling? You need to get away from the daily grind so your mind can open up and grow and, most importantly, brainstorm. Ryan’s employees have a mandatory two-week vacation. This allows Ryan to see what happens when they leave and what holes start to come up when someone tries to fill in. You’ve got to build memories with your family and friends when you’re grinding. Make sure you take time for your hobbies. How does Gabe live his best life? Creativity flows when you’re relaxed, not when you’re stressed. You really do need time to think and reflect. The things that are easy to do are also the things that are easy not to do. Try changing your environment and work outside. When you work outside, it does not feel like work. You don’t have to wait 10 years to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Give yourself little rewards here and there.  
Resources:
Freedomblueprintshow.com