Brad Sumrock was 14 years into corporate America with an MBA, an engineering degree, and a boss who told him he'd never amount to anything because he took his lunch break and used his paid vacation. He got fired six months after closing the second-biggest deal in company history. Today he owns over 11,000 apartment units, has bought (and sold) his own $7 million private jet, and hasn't paid federal tax in 6 of the last 8 years - all of it legally.This one goes deep. Brad shares the four kinds of millionaire (and the one he actually wanted to become, until his CPA showed him a better path), how he hit a hockey-stick in 2018 that took him from a $1M tax bill to zero, and what 24 years of cycles taught him about where multifamily is heading in 2026. But the back half of this conversation is where it really opens up — Brad gets honest about being functionally depressed in 2023, the divorce, the first investor loss in 24 years, food addiction, and what success actually looked like once the achievement chase stopped working.We get into:- The boss who said he'd never amount to anything (and the irony of how that ended)- The four types of millionaires, and why "paying $1M in tax" was Brad's original goal- How Brad went from owing a million in taxes to paying zero — legally- Why the multifamily cycle of 2023–2025 was the worst Brad's seen in 24 years- The 2026 outlook: "it's time to have your foot on the gas"- Buying the jet, naming it Sumrock Air, and what it actually felt like- Jesse Itzler, the donut hack at conferences, and how he sold a jet company to Warren Buffett with no jets- The 7-day keto fast, the food pyramid lie, and what 36 pounds of weight loss in 92 days actually took- What Brad felt when his mom died, the divorce, and the year he describes as "dead inside"What's something you were told you couldn't do, and then did anyway? Drop it in the comments.CHAPTERS00:00 — Intro01:00 — From Pittsburgh engineer to apartment investor04:30 — The boss who said he'd never amount to anything08:00 — Getting fired six months after the biggest deal12:00 — Why he's spent $2M on mentors over 25 years18:00 — The hockey-stick years (2018–2022)25:00 — The four types of millionaires30:00 — How he stopped paying federal tax (legally)38:00 — Buying Sumrock Air, the $7M private jet45:00 — Surviving the worst multifamily cycle in 24 years55:00 — The 7-day keto fast and the food pyramid flip68:00 — Jesse Itzler, the donut hack, and selling no-jets to Warren Buffett80:00 — What "dead inside" actually felt like90:00 — Mom dying, divorce, and learning to feel pain98:00 — Where multifamily is heading in 2026GUESTBrad Sumrock - Sumrock Apartment MentorInstagram: bradsumrokhttps://bradsumrok.com 🎧 New episodes bi-weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.📲 More on Instagram: @justsayanpodcast#multifamilyrealestate #realestateinvesting #entrepreneurship #apartmentinvesting #podcast #justsayanpodcast #realestatepodcast
