He Sold Pokemon Cards to China, Ran 35 Miles for Fun, and Built a Multifamily Empire

He Was Told He'd Never Amount to Anything, Bought a Private Jet, and Built an Apartment Empire

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

He Sold Pokemon Cards to China, Ran 35 Miles for Fun, and Built a Multifamily Empire

Dustin Miles ran a candy business out of his backpack at eight years old. By college, he was shipping Pokemon cards to buyers in China and New Zealand to pay for ramen. By his thirties, he was an engineer at Lockheed Martin. Now he owns multifamily real estate across Texas and the Midwest, runs Momentum Multifamily with his partner Hayden, and recently ran 35 miles from Fort Worth to downtown Dallas just to see if he could. This one's about the long version of "success" - the unsexy parts, the misfires (he tried forex, MLM, and lost money to a coach who ghosted him), and the mindset that takes a kid hustling Laffy Taffy to a $1.6M real estate raise. None of it was a straight line. We get into: - The Pokemon-to-China side hustle that funded a ramen-noodle college life - Watching a friend's family own a skyscraper and deciding "why not me" - The first $1.6M raise and how he stacked the cards in his favor — Where multifamily actually is right now — concessions, fraud, leasing season - The "build the airplane as you're falling out of the sky" Covid raise - What he tells his 14-year-old son Henry about staying coachable What's the longest you've ever run, walked, or pushed yourself for no good reason? Drop it in the comments. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - The Candy Man at 8, Pokemon dealer at 20 04:10 - Engineering, Lockheed Martin, and picking the hardest path 06:30 - Running 35 miles from Fort Worth to Dallas 13:20 - The skyscraper that changed everything 17:00 — Why the four-minute mile mindset matters 19:00 - Taking action before you're ready 25:20 - Hiring coaches, getting ghosted, and what actually works 29:00 - The state of multifamily right now 32:30 - The wildest concession he's ever seen 34:30 - What's kept him in the game through this cycle 40:30 - Covid, preferred equity, and pivoting under pressure 42:30 - Advice for his son Henry GUEST Dustin Miles - Momentum Multifamily 🎧 New episodes on the 1st and 15th. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. 📲 More on Instagram: @justsayanpodcast

Wire Fraud at Closing, a Seller Who Died Before Signing, and the Truth About the Housing Market

Veronica Warwick started her real estate career right as her husband was deployed overseas - no support system, a brand new license, and two kids still in school. She figured it out.In this episode, Veronica and her partner Jeanette Feliciano pull back the curtain on what real estate actually looks like - the stuff nobody tells you. A seller who passed away an hour before his signing. A young couple who wire-transferred their closing funds to a scammer. And a market that's making it harder every year for first-time buyers to get in.They also get into how they're using AI to analyze client calls in real time, why the highest offer almost never wins, and what they tell every new agent who's about to quit.If you're thinking about buying, selling, or getting into real estate yourself - this one's worth your time.Veronica's IG: https://www.instagram.com/warwickrealtygroup/Veronica's Website: https://www.warwickrealtygroup.com

He Slept 4 Hours a Night, Got Paid in Guitars, and Built an Agency That's Lasted 20+ Years

On this episode of the JustSayan Podcast, we're joined by Jon Simpson, founder of Criterion.B, a marketing agency focused on Multi-Family properties, and Be Swity, a SAAS for multifamily marketing. He shares stories of how he first got started in the industry 20+ years ago an how his companies are still flourishing today.

He Left the Philippines at 5, Rejected His Parents' Dream, & Built a 6 Figure Business

In this episode of The JustSayan Podcast, we sit down with Bryan Bea - a Filipino immigrant who came to the US at 5 years old with a path already laid out for him: go to school, become a nurse, take care of the family. But a Gary Vee video in high school changed everything. Bryan shares how he went from garage sale flipping to getting caught up in an MLM, to eventually building a real marketing and production company. He talks about the pressure from immigrant parents, why he believes all successful people are selfish, and the story about losing his childhood dog that became his fuel to never be in that position again.If you've ever felt stuck between what your family wants for you and what you want for yourself, this one's for you. Drop a comment below - what's the most inspiring part of Bryan's story? 🎙️ Follow Brian: @theebryanbea