The Fort - An Entrepreneurship Podcast Chris Powers

Ryan Delk is the CEO and Founder of Primer — a platform that helps the top 1% of teachers launch Microschools in their communities. He’s spent the last decade building tech companies (like Square, Gumroad, and Omni) and was homeschooled K - 8th grade, which served as the early inspiration for Primer. 

We discuss:
- The state of education in America
- Building Primer
- Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links
Ryan on X
Primer

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:07) - Homeschooling & education in America
00:15:21 - Are we getting smarter in the current way we learn in school 
(00:17:27) - Building Primer
(00:25:19) - The process of starting a Microschool
(00:30;15) - Zoning challenges & changing legislation
(00:37:15) - Raising money from iconic investors
(00:41:54) - Do people actively try to stop Primer from existing?
(00:45:30) - Hiring undiscovered talent
(00:52:17) - Ryan’s mission to save San Francisco
(01:00:10) - Problem paralysis
(01:02:28) - Grow SF
(01:10:19) - The vibe shift
(01:16:29) - Getting the most out of your day
(01:21:35) - It’s all fake

Support our Sponsors
Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies
Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Preston Holland is the Chief Commercial Officer of FLYING Finance, which is an aircraft financing company. Before taking over the finance business, Preston ran FLYING Media Group (now known as Firecrown) as Chief Operating Officer. 

We discuss:

When folks should consider flying privately 

Costs of owning a plane

Chartering, jet cards, and fractional ownership

A walkthrough of how to purchase an aircraft


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey


Links
Preston on X
Preston's Newsletter

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:05:33) - Preston’s career
(00:18:44) - When to consider flying private
(00:21:20) - Chartering
(00:36:20) - Costs of plane ownership
(00:48:40) - Dry leases
(00:54:21) - Jet card memberships
(00:59:52) - Fractional ownership
(01:03:45) - Pilots
(01:06:06) - Partnerships
(01:07:50) - The process of buying an aircraft
(01:23:02) - Tax implications
(01:33:58) - How to know ownership is the right path 

Support our Sponsors
Oshman Aviation: https://bit.ly/3Qr9STF
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Mike Beckham is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simple Modern, a leading producer of premium drinkware and lifestyle products. Founded in 2015 and based in Oklahoma, SimpleModern currently generates a nine-figure annual revenue and is committed to generosity, donating at least 10% of annual profits to nonprofit organizations. Under Mike’s leadership, the company has grown into a category leader for Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club.

We discuss:

Building Simple Modern during the peak of Yeti’s domination

Hypergrowth strategies and living in a future with AI

The power of product licensing and building moats

The disadvantages of selling products online


We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Simple Modern
Mike on X

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:48) - Starting Simple Modern
(00:15:46) - How much thought do you need to put into a product as simple as a cup?
(00:17:51) - The Stanley Phenomenon
(00:22:06) - Influencer marketing
(00:24:15) - The pros of hiring your friends
(00:33:21) - Learnings from spending 10 years as a pastor
(00:43:43) - Hypergrowth
(00:48:05) - AI
(00:55:23) - Product Licensing
(01:04:00) - Building moats
(01:09:07) - Does Amazon take more and more margin out of products as you grow?
(01:18:35) - Becoming an ESOP
(01:27:01) - Offshoring and China
(01:34:22) - What are some disadvantages to selling online?

Support our Sponsors
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Mark Hart is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Corriente Advisors and an active investor in private technology companies.
Throughout his career, Mark has developed a unique process and reputation for identifying potentially powerful macro and investment trends and opportunities ahead of consensus. Mark’s contributions and concepts have been widely showcased across various popular media platforms, earning him invitations to speak at prestigious gatherings of investment professionals in the Western world.

We discuss: 
- Betting against the housing market in 2008
- How Mark developed his macro thesis
- Thoughts on China, inflation, bitcoin and AI

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Mark on X
Corriente Advisors

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:54) - Mark’s career 
(00:10:49) - How do you think about research?
(00:15:44) - Betting against the housing market in ’08 (X)
(00:23:52) - The China trade
(00:25:19) - The European sovereign debt crisis
(00:29:00) - How do you research a global trade?
(00:31:52) - Mark on rebuilding his approach to life
(00:37:44) - Thoughts on China in 2024
(00:46:55) - Inflation
(00:53:12) - Bitcoin
(01:00:52) - AI
(01:04:56) - Cannabis

Support our Sponsors:
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Omar Morales is an investment sales broker at Berkadia that sells land & multifamily properties across South Florida. He has sold over $3.3 billion worth of real estate ranging from $130M land deals to $355M multifamily properties, even though his average deal size is roughly $50M. 

In this episode, Chris and Omar discuss:
- The state of the Miami RE market
- Building a world-class network
- The importance of building an online brand

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:34) - The Morales family coming to America
(00:10:49) - What’s the state of the Miami RE market?
(00:13:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: Brickell
(00:19:05) - How have you built a world-class network?
(00:28:11) - Blackstone 
(00:30:40) - How hard is it to enter the Miami market?
(00:35:16) - Are there noticeable differences between domestic and foreign buyers?
(00:36:31) - What’s your activity been like this year?
(00:43:31) - How are people dealing with insurance in your market?
(00:46:25) - The Condo crisis
(00:55:59) - What are the things that get you to a quick ‘no’?
(00:59:01) - Where would invest $20m in Miami and where would you invest $200m?
(01:00:52) - Miami sub-market analysis: The Wynwood market & Design District
(01:03:48) - What characteristics do your smartest clients have that separate them from the rest?
(01:06:54) - What has building a brand online done for you?

Omar Morales:
Follow Omar on X
Omar on LinkedIn
Berkadia

Support our Sponsors
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Elaine Agather is Chairman of the Dallas Region for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She also serves as the Central Region Head and Managing Director of The Private Bank at J.P. Morgan.
Elaine joined Chemical Bank of New York in 1979, working in London, San Francisco, and New York until she relocated to Dallas in 1984. After the 1986 merger of Chemical Bank and Texas Commerce Bank, Elaine was promoted to Chairman of Texas Commerce Bank in Fort Worth in 1992 and joined the Private Bank to manage client advisory groups across the state in 1997. In 1999, she was elected Chairman and CEO of Dallas.

On this episode, Elaine and Chris discuss:
- Working with Jamie Dimon
- Wealth Management 101
- Bank runs, cyber threats, AI, and the state of Banking

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. 

https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:43) - Elaine’s early career in banking
(00:15:40) - Taking over an underperforming bank
(00:18:46) - Elaine’s rodeo career
(00:28:11) - Working with Jamie Dimon
(00:31:17) - Wealth Management
(00:34:08) - How to transition wealth well
(00:39:07) - The process of bringing in a generationally wealthy client
(00:42:19) - The SVB & First Republic bank runs
(00:45:04) - How to find an exceptional wealth manager
(00:46:11) - Cyber threats, crypto & AI
(00:48:40) - The state of banking
(00:51:36) - DFW
(00:55:03) - How do you know you’ve done a good job?
(00:58:29) - Elaine’s 8: Get over it

Support our Sponsors
Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUqFort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd
 
Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO 

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts