Good Nuggets

How to Have a Sh*t Year with Fred Rea (Bonus Episode)

Some years scale you, some years humble you, and most years do both. In this special episode, Rain City Capital Founder Fred Rea talks through the swings of 2025 and what they taught him about running a company when the market, the team, and the world won’t sit still.  Fred talks goal setting, market predictions, Keanu Reeves, and why culture is still the thing he protects the hardest after all these years.  Key Nuggets: 00:53 - What it means to have a sh*t year 02:34 - On keeping the culture 03:42 - Market pain, DSCR losses, and a 2008 flashback 08:35 - Big rocks and the "one word" exercise to keep you grounded 13:04 - Focus in 2026 14:36 - "The whim of a madman!" 19:06 - Growing up and letting go About Fred Rea Founder of Rain City Capital and host of Good Nuggets. Fred brings unfiltered conversations to the mic, pulling lessons from the trenches of entrepreneurship, lending, and leadership. From Good Nuggets: Happy Holidays Thanks for tuning in this year. We’re grateful you’re here and grateful you care about real conversations with real people who are trying to build things that matter. Enjoy the downtime, hug the people you love, raise a glass, and we’ll see you in 2026 for more stories, more lessons, and more good nuggets. Mentioned in this episode: At 14:36, Fred talks about the 1994 classic 'Speed', starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock and says Dustin Hoffman plays the villain, but actually it's Dennis Hopper. His impression, however, is dead-on. Watch full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@GoodNuggetsPodcast Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/goodnuggets.podcast Listen on all platforms: goodnuggets.buzzsprout.com

The Work That Lasts with Buster Brown

True longevity in business comes from relationships that outlast the hard seasons. In this episode of Good Nuggets, Fred Rea sits down with Buster Brown, Rain City’s former CFO and one of its first investors. Together, they trace the quiet, steady work that built Rain City from the early scrappy years into the company it is today. Not through hype or shortcuts, but through discipline, humility, and sticking around long enough to matter. This conversation feels less like a highlight reel and more like two people looking back on a decade of decisions, trust, and growth...the kind of “work that lasts” because it’s been earned day after day. 🎧 Listen to more Good Nuggets for unfiltered conversations about the real side of entrepreneurship: the grind, the growth, and the people who keep showing up, year after year. Guest: Buster Brown — Retired Rain City CFO. Pragmatic Thinker. Trusted compass and board member extraordinaire.  Watch full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@GoodNuggetsPodcast Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/goodnuggets.podcast Listen on all platforms: goodnuggets.buzzsprout.com

The Power of Showing Up with Dalton Elliott

Sometimes the biggest changes come from simply showing up. Fred Rea sits down with Dalton Elliott—architect of Rain City’s broker program—to talk about how presence, discipline, and trust reshaped his life and work. From a Muay Thai fight camp in Thailand to rebuilding culture and relationships back home, Dalton shares what happens when you stop chasing success and start showing up for it. Dalton gets into the details on: * Walking away from a “successful” career and rebuilding from scratch * How a Muay Thai fight camp in Thailand changed the way he thinks about work and discipline * The two principles that guide everything he does: be present and control what you can control * Why trust—not deals—is the real currency in lending * How to build a culture people actually choose to show up for Guest: Dalton Elliott - Broker program boss. Discipline junkie. Knows the value of showing up (and getting punched in the face).  Host: Fred Rea - Founder of Rain City Capital and host of Good Nuggets. Fred brings unfiltered conversations to the mic, pulling lessons from the trenches of entrepreneurship, lending, and leadership. Mentioned in this episode: * At 05:49, the hoodies Fred mentions are Rain City’s annual employee gift. You can see this years' design on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/goodnuggets.podcast]. * At 36:27, Fred notes that the DSCR loan market has “doubled every year for the past three years.” Industry data shows strong growth, though not quite at that rate—most sources report 50–100% year-over-year increases depending on the segment and timeframe. Watch full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@GoodNuggetsPodcast Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/goodnuggets.podcast Listen on all platforms: goodnuggets.buzzsprout.com

Life and Law with Katherine Christofilis

What does it take to balance legal risk, leadership, and life inside a fast-moving company? In this episode of Good Nuggets, Fred sits down with Rain City’s General Counsel, Katherine Christofilis, to talk about the unseen side of entrepreneurship, where every decision carries risk. From navigating the 2008 recession to building the legal backbone of Rain City, Katherine shares hard-won lessons on trust, resilience, and keeping your side of the street clean. Katherine opens up about: * Graduating law school in the recession and finding her way through compliance and bankruptcy work * How in-house counsel actually thinks about risk (and when to just “pay it and move on”) * Why being the calm in the storm matters more than being the loudest in the room * Building systems that let founders stay entrepreneurial and stay out of trouble * Why the best stories in law are the ones you don’t have to tell (and how to avoid becoming one) Don’t miss this one, it’s a reminder that the real work of law is helping people steer through risk, not just avoid it. Guest: Katherine Christofilis — Attorney. Operator. Swiftie. Voice of reason in a business that moves fast. Host: Fred Rea - Founder of Rain City Capital and host of Good Nuggets. Fred brings unfiltered conversations to the mic, pulling lessons from the trenches of entrepreneurship, lending, and leadership. ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re taking a short mid-season break to bring you even more great stories. Good Nuggets will be back with a brand-new episode on Monday, 10/27.  Watch full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@GoodNuggetsPodcast Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/goodnuggets.podcast Listen on all platforms: goodnuggets.buzzsprout.com

The Dirtbag Entrepreneur with Jared Prevost

When Jared first jumped into real estate, he thought he’d be a millionaire in a year. Instead, he found himself broke, managing a mobile home park, and losing money on his first flip. But out of those struggles came lessons that reshaped how he does business. Today, Jared has a thriving book of business, a reputation for protecting his clients, and a bigger vision that merges entrepreneurship with the dirtbag lifestyle. In this candid conversation, Jared and Fred unpack: * How failure and struggle forged Jared's approach to business * Why protecting your borrowers builds more than deals; it builds trust * The difference between “dirtbag” and “scumbag” and why he proudly claims the former * What to look for in your dream team (and why rock stars hang with rock stars) * Where the lending industry is headed as Wall Street plays a bigger role Whether you’re flipping your first property, building a lending business, or just trying to align your work with your values, Jared’s story will hit home. Guest: Jared Prevost - Tampa market insider. Social media savvy. Total dirtbag (the good kind). Follow Jared on Instagram @jared_does_hardmoney [https://www.instagram.com/jared_does_hardmoney] Host: Fred Rea - Founder of Rain City Capital and host of Good Nuggets. Fred brings unfiltered conversations to the mic, pulling lessons from the trenches of entrepreneurship, lending, and leadership. 👉 Mentioned in this episode: * "Abundance mindset" - originally coined by Steven R. Covey in 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' * The Dirtbag article [https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/outdoor-survival/podcast-653-the-dirtbags-guide-to-life/] that Jared doesn't remember sending  Subscribe to Good Nuggets on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for more authentic conversations and practical takeaways. Watch full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@GoodNuggetsPodcast Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/goodnuggets.podcast Listen on all platforms: goodnuggets.buzzsprout.com