Ep. #48: Ben Jordan – From 400 LBS to an $85 Million Plumbing Empire

Ep. #48: Ben Jordan – From 400 LBS to an $85 Million Plumbing Empire

What happens when a two-man plumbing operation evolves into an $85 million multi-state trade empire? In this episode, I sit down with Ben Jordan, one of the owners behind Action Plumbing, to dissect the exact moments that took his business from a localized contractor shop to a corporate heavyweight. We pull back the layers on Ben’s absolute masterpiece of personal transformation: shedding an astonishing 204 pounds while shifting his corporate focus toward radical self-development. We map out his journey through the trades, covering his early days running calls out of a beat-up Camry to buying out his partner, rebranding to own the sewer niche, and engineering an unbelievable shift from $4 million to $17 million in revenue within just 10 months. I also reveal exactly how I use real estate tax shields—like cost segregation and real estate professional status (REPS)—to eliminate our active tax burdens and re-inject millions of liquid dollars right back into our businesses. * The Camry Grind to Buyout: How Ben saved a failing plumbing operation and successfully navigated a partner shake-up. * The Rebranding Playbook: Why Ben specialized strictly as "Utah's Number One Sewer Company" to dominate the regional market. * Aggressive Tax Shields: A detailed look at how accelerated depreciation and cost segregation allow active business owners to erase massive tax obligations. * The 200-Pound Blueprint: The radical link between leading yourself physically and commanding authority over a multi-million dollar corporate operation. * The "I Am Third" Philosophy: A masterclass in putting your relationship with God first, family values second, and personal ego third to unlock true power. True wealth isn't just about the scale of your business—it's about setting uncompromised standards across your fitness, family, and financial structures. Hit that subscribe button, drop a comment with your biggest breakthrough, and step up your own lifestyle framework today.

Ep. #47: Madison – Tax Strategy Masterclass: Keep More of What You Make Using Advanced IRS Strategies

Tax strategist Madison is on a mission to help high-earners stop funding the government’s crusade and start building their own legacy. In this focused masterclass, Madison breaks down advanced, domain-specific strategies that go far beyond standard depreciation, detailing how custom corporate structures and privately-owned qualified plans can legally protect up to 75% of your active income. In this episode, Madison shares: * The Pension Edge: How to leverage privately-owned cash balance plans and the Pension Protection Act to create massive, top-line business deductions. * Corporate Tax Architecture: Utilizing C Corp strategies to safeguard capital and lower your effective tax bracket through optimized distribution channels. * The "Be Your Own Bank" Concept: Structuring your business with asset-backed revolving doors to maintain liquidity and stabilize your quality of life. * The Reality of Scrappiness: A raw account of navigating a massive life transition with babies in diapers, using online systems and grit to survive and scale. If you are tired of working hard just to give the bulk of your earnings to Uncle Sam, this conversation is your guide to legally playing the game. Hit that subscribe button, leave a comment with your biggest tax strategy question, and find your own Winning Balance.

Ep. #46: Invest Like the 0.01%: Asset Allocation, My Six-Figure Losses, and Portfolio Diversification

Are you too heavily exposed to a single asset class? In this solo masterclass, I break down what I’ve learned from spending six figures on my own education to discover how the top 0.01% of investors manage their wealth. I share my personal wake-up call when I realized my own net worth was 97% real estate heavy, prompting me to check my pride, eliminate emotion, and intelligently diversify my portfolio based on history's greatest investment minds. I walk through the tactical approaches of investment legends—contrasting Warren Buffett's "buy quality and hold forever" philosophy with Benjamin Graham's strict, zero-emotion focus on under-market asset pricing and downside protection. I detail Ray Dalio’s famous All Weather Portfolio, breaking down the exact macroeconomic allocations across stocks, bonds, and commodities designed to survive any financial storm. I also reveal the exact portfolio mix of self-development icon Tony Robbins, contrasting institutional private equity plays with retail strategies. About Your Host I am a seasoned Utah real estate investor, advisor, and agent who has closed over $50 million in transactional volume. After starting my career grinding through cold calls and building a portfolio of 13 rental doors, I shifted my focus to portfolio optimization and tax strategies for high earners. I use my platform, the Winning Balance podcast, to openly document my path to wealth, sharing both high-leverage investment wins and raw, unfiltered lessons from my largest financial failures. Key Topics Discussed: * The Frugality vs. Quality Debate: Why I skip Warren Buffett’s extreme penny-pinching but completely adopt his rule of prioritizing prime market assets over cheap, high-headache properties. * The 18% Yield Trap: A warning on high-yield, uncollateralized hard money loans in the door-to-door solar and pest control spaces, and how investors blindingly chase upside while ignoring a 100% downside risk. * Ray Dalio’s All Weather Allocation: A detailed look at Dalio's recommended framework: 40% long-term bonds, 30% US stocks, 15% intermediate bonds, 7.5% commodities, and 7.5% gold. * Tony Robbins’ Portfolio Breakdown: Highlighting how Robbins structures his capital with 52% in private equity, 25% in private real estate, and 23% in hedge funds. * My $300k+ Learning Curve: A transparent review of my biggest losses, including a $40k automated Amazon store scam, a $40k mobile home flip failure, and a $200k loss on my first creative finance deal that forced me to master real estate contracts. * The Reality of Net Worth Tracking: How a mentor's advice to audit personal financial habits helped me reduce my real estate exposure down to a safer 80% baseline. * The Set-it-and-Forget-it Core: How I use low-fee index funds (VOO) and asset-backed hard money funds (Copa Capital at 11% compounded monthly) to build stress-free, automated wealth outside of my active real estate transactions. If you are under 35 and have only built wealth in a bull market, this episode is a vital check on your downside risk. True wealth optimization isn't about getting rich quick—it's about buying what you understand, vetting operations, and building a portfolio that stands the test of time. Hit that subscribe button and start optimizing your financial framework today.

Ep. #45: Jaylon Vickers – Earn Your Spot: Building a Cleaning Empire While Putting Family First

Jaylon Vickers is the founder and CEO of MVP Cleaning, a company on track to hit $2 million in annual revenue by scaling aggressively into the commercial cleaning space. A former walk-on football player at BYU, Jalen applies that same "earn your spot" grit to the business world. In this episode, Jalen shares: * The Tech Sales Transition: Why he walked away from a comfortable tech salary to build a service-based business from the ground up. * The Power of "Presence": Why being a present father is the ultimate antidote to the "poverty trap" and how to stay grounded in a Utah bubble. * Scaling with Focus: How joining a high-level coaching framework helped him increase revenue by $30k–$40k a month just by cutting out the fluff. * Faith as the Foundation: Why a relationship with a higher power is the key to navigating the high-pressure seasons of entrepreneurship. If you’ve ever wrestled with the fear of "starting over" or wondered how to maintain a high-growth business without losing your connection to your spouse and kids, Jalen’s story of resilience and intentionality will give you the blueprint to level up.

Ep. #44: Joe – Scaling Tech, Beating Burnout, and Why Family Is Your Only Non-Negotiable

Burnout, and the "Dumb Kid" Success Story Joe is more than a veteran of the Utah tech scene—he’s a founder, a father of four, and a marathon runner who recently transformed his life by losing 65 pounds. After serving as a key early employee at Simple Nexus and witnessing its rise to a $1.2 billion valuation, Joe stepped out on his own to found Social Coach. In this episode, Joe shares: * The cost of an exit: The raw reality of moving his family every 18 months across the country and the toll of traveling three weeks out of every month to scale a massive tech company. * The power of spousal support: How his wife Natalie’s belief in him served as the bedrock for his career, even during the years he went without a paycheck while betting on himself. * Social media as the great equalizer: Why consistent, niche video content is currently driving 22% year-over-year growth for modern loan officers and real estate agents. * Non-negotiable family time: The exact practices Joe uses to stay present for birthdays and swim meets while managing a national enterprise, and why "no success in the workplace can substitute for failure in the home." If you’ve ever felt like you had to choose between being a top-tier professional and a present parent, Joe’s journey from being the "dumb kid" in class to a high-level executive will give you a fresh perspective on how to embrace the changes that matter most.