Respect The Grind with Stefan Aarnio

Self-Made Series: Mar Lou Merilles from Isaw stand to Self Made Real Estate Investor

Mar Lou is a father of three wonderful boys and a husband to a supportive wife. Mar Lou joined the Blackcard community 2 years ago as a Bronze Student. He was then coached by Sean Lacap and now being coached by Jason Greschuk as a Platinum Student. Mar Lou is a whale for wholesale deals. He has the talent and perseverance to get things done accordingly. He is humble and knowledgeable, being a young father he took advantage of it to relate with the sellers, gaining their utmost trust. Now he is teaching and exposing his eldest son on what real estate really is and the knowledge and value they can gain from it. Of course all success stories have a rather unpalatable past. Before he began this journey, Mar Lou had spent his saved up money to buy his own property and use it as a rental after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad. Being a landlord was not easy and simply not a pleasant experience for him. He was losing more-than gaining from it. That’s when he told himself he had to take a different route. “and then I heard about Stefan Aarnio, curiosity got the best of me, I searched who he was and now I am here!” He now has almost a dozen doors of rental properties, gaining him almost a million in equity in such a short amount of time. In addition he also built a multi six figure wholesaling business. Mar Lou believes that not limiting the knowledge you’re willing to share with people to achieve such success in life would be an honour to look forward to.

Money People Deal: Chapter 37

It is better to sell one $1,000 hot dog than to sell one thousand $1 hot dogs. That’s why Stefan Aarnio chose to get into real estate. Selling one hot dog for $1,000 makes so much more profit, requires less effort, and has less customers and overhead than a high-volume business. In this chapter of Money, People, Deal, you’ll learn all about the three business models: the horizontal, the vertical, and the diagonal. You have no idea where thinking big could take you, so there is nothing wrong with asking for more dollars for a single hot dog. Compare a $1 hot dog to a $1,000 hot dog, which cart would you rather own? “I got into real estate because in music I was selling hundreds of $1 “hot dogs,” whereas in real estate, I could sell a few $1,000 “hot dogs” and make a much better living.”

Money People Deal: Chapter 36

Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, and believe it or not, baseball and entrepreneurship have many things in common. Many baseball terms are also used in business, and today, Stefan Aarnio will be focusing on his favorite terms: “single” and “home run”. In this chapter of Money, People, Deal, you’ll learn how business and baseball are closely intertwined. You’ll be taking a lot of value with you as well, for you’ll be having a glimpse at business and the entrepreneurship world from a fresh and fun perspective. Are you ready to switch to the major leagues? “In my own business, I decided to swing for a home run at the start of my career; the payoff was high if I succeeded, but defeat would absolutely crush my investors and myself if I failed.”

Money People Deal: Chapter 35

Cash flow is the goal of most long-term, buy-and-hold investors. Cash flow is the dream and the allure of real estate. Even though cash flow is a concept that excites most people, it is often what makes people leave the business as well. In this chapter of Money, People, Deal, Stefan Aarnio breaks down the glorified “cash flow” concept for you. You’ll understand what it really is, why it is not a synonym for profit, and how you can make money from all the information in this chapter. “Everyday in every market, there are new investors who absolutely hate real estate. They are in pain and want to get out of the market. Find these investors; relieve their pain, and get paid handsomely to take their pain away.”

Money People Deal: Chapter 34

Flipping real estate is one of the most sensationalized forms of real estate investing around today. This is a very popular and romanticized real estate strategy, but many flippers are uneducated, unsophisticated investors who can lose their shirts if they play the game wrong. In this chapter of Money, People, Deal, you’ll learn about the one biggest calculation mistake flippers and new investors make, spoiler alert: if used, it will absolutely kill you. Stefan will provide you with his 15% rule to appropriately calculate profit. From the final sale price to the financing, carrying and insurance, this formula will make everyone happy, especially you. “If your deal still makes sense after applying the 15% rule, you have a great deal.”