Stefan: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the show, Respect The Grind, with Stefan Aarnio. This is the show we interview people who’ve achieved mastery and freedom through discipline. We interview entrepreneurs, athletes, authors, artists, real estate investors, anyone who’s achieved mastery and examine what it took to get there.
Stefan: Today on the show we have a friend of mine, a new friend of mine, Bryan Casella. He is a coach. He’s a real estate broker. He’s a real estate agent. Ex professional basketball player, and he’s grown a pretty big YouTube channel. 110,000 subscribers, which is super, super impressive. So, Bryan, welcome to the show, Respect The Grind. Thanks so much for joining me, man.
Bryan: Stefan, thanks for having me bro. I’m excited to be here and ready to drop some knowledge.
Stefan: You’re a young guy, 32 years old. I’m 32 as well. You’ve done a lot of things in your short life. Tell me Bryan, looks like it’s pretty good today. Was it always like this or where did you get started?
Bryan: No, man. Growing up, my family is actually from South America. I’m the first one from my family. Born in LA in the states and growing up, I wouldn’t say that we were terribly poor but I didn’t have a lot either. So we were very just meager, but okay. Barely above poor, we can say. I remember growing up and seeing a lot of scarcity around me from being told that Lamborghinis and nice things just weren’t going to be a part of my life. I still remember to this day being three, four or five years old and just telling myself, “It can’t be like this. I have to break out of this. I wasn’t meant to live this way.”
Bryan: So, growing up around age 10 or 11 is when I got into basketball like we were talking a little bit off the air, and I just really dedicated myself to that and I had dreams and aspirations of getting to the NBA. By age 14, 15, I really just started grinding every day. People would be on vacation, people would go party, I would be in the gym working out and getting some shots up. I went into college, I got a scholarship, I played in college. You fast forward after that, I played professionally in Europe and South America for three years. My last year I injured my left ankle the second time and had a second surgery on it, at which point it took a toll on me mentally and it really affected my ability to play. So, at that point I said, “Okay, that’s it, I’m done. No more basketball.” At that point, I’m age 24, 25.
Bryan: Getting out of that I fell into a year of just being completely lost, didn’t know what I wanted to do, felt almost borderline depressed and sorry for myself until one day I decided, you know what, I have to change something. From that moment on, I just kind of, you can say, put the switch on to look for something outside of basketball because I did basketball from age 10 or 11 until 25, and I came across one of those cliche signs we see in front of the real estate buildings that says, make 100,000 your first year as a real estate agent. And in my mind, I said, okay, everybody’s not doing that for sure, but there’s probably one guy who’s done it and he’s cracked that code, let me go talk to him.
Bryan: So, I walked in, long story short, I talked to the broker for two hours, I signed up, got my real estate license and I just never stopped, man. I just grinded my first couple years, then I’ve built my team and I got to where I’m at today. But that decision to do it changed my life to get into real estate for sure.
Stefan: I love the stories about the athletes turn business people. It’s always like the most rewarding for me. I used to be a captain of volleyball team in high school, I played basketball. I’m not a very good basketball player, most not a very good singer, but I love seeing the transfer of athletics to business. Why do you think it transfers so easily, Bryan?
Bryan: Well, I think a lot of the core fundamentals if you apply them, you’ll do great because I would say most athletes, especially if we get to a high level, we have a very high level of discipline and commitment to the sports. All we need to do is transfer what we’re doing on the field or on the court into the business world. And more than anything, I think we’re all super competitive. We want to be number one, we want to beat everybody else and that’s ultimately the drive that keeps us going and I think allows most athletes to transition into sales jobs or the business world, it gives them a much better headstart or opportunity than everybody else.
Stefan: Yeah, it’s really all about discipline. Now, Bryan, we talk to all different people on this show, and we sometimes have actors, artists, authors, real estate people, why is real estate so attractive? Like, it seems to me that everybody on this show has either made it in real estate, they’re holding in real estate and all millionaires in the world are either made or held in real estate, why is real estate so attractive?
Bryan: Well, at the time, man, when I looked at it, especially, I would say, anybody under the age of 35, it seems from the outside like a very low barrier to entry type career with a huge upside. Meaning, you can get licensed especially here in California, you can do your three courses and state test and be licensed within, I believe, three, four months. So, it’s really quick, you spend maybe $1,500 max and now you can sell a home which out here in Southern California the average price point now is around 600,000 or 700,000, and you can make 15,000, 20,000 depending on what commission you get. That alert to people, just the dollar is I think really what attracts them.
Bryan: Now, they get slapped in the face right when they start in the reality of how difficult it is to put these deals together and actually build a business with it, but I think that’s really what attracts people is the fact that you can create this business where you’re kind of like an entrepreneur and by yourself and you can make a lot of money right away. I think that’s really the ultimate attraction for most people at least below the age of 35.
Stefan: I’ve heard a lot of times, “I don’t love real estate, but I love the benefits.” Would you say that’s true?
Bryan: Absolutely. Yeah. 100%.
Stefan: Yeah, lots of benefits. Now, something you said there is like really, I think, important that people need to hear is, people get excited about the money and they get excited about the 100 Grand or whatever the thing is, and then you said, it’s a lot harder to put a deal together than you think. Tell me, why isn’t it just magic and why can’t everybody just make 100 Grand in real estate? I’m a real estate investor. So, my background is I came from raising capital and flipping homes. That’s what I do. I’d flip homes, sell more money. Never been an agent, bought the course three times, but always been pure investor. I teach people now how to be investors and go full-time if they want to raise capital, build their brand. It’s funny because I think a lot of people get in and they go, “Shit, it’s harder than it looks.” Why isn’t it just so easy to put deals together on the agent side or the investor side?
Bryan: Well, especially from the agent side, man, we watch shows like Million Dollar Listing where these guys just show up in suits to the office and they get a call, “Hey, I want to buy a $20 million house, come show it.” And then they negotiate it over the phone in five minutes and the deal is closed, supposedly. When I got in and what most people fail to realize is when you get in, most brokerages and companies don’t hold your hand and help you. They’re just like, “There’s your desk, there’s your phone, get to work. Good luck.” Again, most people getting into real estate don’t have a sales background and it’s a direct sales job. Unless you’re spending thousands and thousands of dollars on marketing to bring people in, you’re going to have to get out there and talk to people. Whether it’s-
Stefan: You still going to close it, bro. You marketing, you got to close it, man. You’re paying for the leads. It’s like jacked up version of that now.
Bryan: … Yeah, exactly. Yeah, because you’re right. Even if I pay for the leads and they come in, I still have to make a phone call and go meet with them and still speak with them. So, I’m going door to door and making phone calls like Wolf of Wall Street on steroids and those deals don’t come easy. I mean, you have to go through a lot of rejection. You have to face your own insecurities that a lot of people are not willing to do. And there’s really no guarantee per se that you’re going to get it because even my first couple of deals, when I sat down with those people, they were interviewing two or three other agents and I had to win them over.
Bryan: So, it’s not this glitz and glamour. “Oh, yeah. Hi, Bryan. I’m going to sell my house. Come on in, we’re going to pay you 10%.” It’, “Okay, I’m interviewing you and three other guys. Why should I pick you?” And you’re sitting there brand new, sweating with your cheap suit on trying to make ends meet and you’re now trying to convince somebody to hire you to sell their $500,000 home or a million dollar home and that reality slaps people on the face very quickly as soon as they start.
Stefan: Right. It’s not cheap. It’s not easy. I think it’s interesting. I’ve sort of creating a course curriculum here over the last six years and we teach sales, negotiation, marketing, wealth, and raising capital. And it’s funny because four out of those five things really is sales, and the ability to negotiate and sit there and sweat it out when you’re going to get the contract. How important is it to be able to sell and negotiate in this world?
Bryan: It’s 100% vital, man. You said something earlier, most people say they’re not passionate about real estate or love it, they just love the money. One other kind of angle that I took on it is I said, “Well, I may not per se be passionate about real estate, but if I get into this game of real estate,” what you just said about sales, “that’s something I’m going to dive into and learn.” And that to me was an essential life tool. I still believe that people look at sales, maybe it’s because of Instagram, man, and all this stuff we’re seeing on social media, they still look at it as like some gimmicky thing, when it’s like one of the most vital skills you can have in life because everything we do, we’re negotiating all the time. Everything is sales, but people fail to look at it that way, so, I think it’s 100% vital.
Bryan: Like if I had a son right now, the first thing I would teach them is about sales and I’d have his head in books, and I would be like, probably doing mock negotiations with them and I’d be teaching them so by the time he’s 10, he’d be like a master negotiator.
Stefan: Yeah. One thing I want to do in our kids is I want to say like, “Okay, look, here’s the deal. Rent starts at age three, it’s one penny a month, you got to pay your rent. And then there’s chores in the kitchen on a big board and the kids can do the chores, invoice mom. Invoices get paid on first and the 15th.” And then if they’re like, “Dad, I want money.” I’m like, “Okay, you got to write me a business plan and then I’m going to give you a loan at 7% and you get some chocolate almonds, you bag them up, you go selling them door to door.” You got to get the hustle on early. You got to be selling early because otherwise people will do … One thing I see too a lot, Bryan, with coaching people is, negative view on sales is usually a negative view on money. If someone is negative on selling or being sold, they’re just not going to have any money. Would you say that’s true?
Bryan: Absolutely, man. A lot of that programming comes into us at a young age. Like I mentioned in the beginning, I was brought up to fear the salesman, to be afraid of contracts, to look at rich people as if they were evil. I remember when I started this process of kind of reprogramming my brain, that was what I had burned into my mind was money is the root of all evil, and now let’s say I get into your coaching program and you’re teaching me and giving me these tools to now start making money and have sales skills, well, my own mind doesn’t conflict with that because it tells me money is the root of all evil. So, I mean, I’m not going to ever get it or if I do get it, it’s going to be gone very quickly. Just like I always tell people the classic example of somebody winning the lottery and hitting 50 million or 100 million, and a year later, they’re broke or in a worse position than they were before they got the $50 million payout or whatever it was.
Stefan: Well, it’s interesting, and a lot of it comes down to changing that broke programming. I remember when I started being interested in money, I was a guitar teacher making 10 Grand a year, and teaching guitar at my mom’s house in university. That’s what I did. I would save 70% of my money because I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, a little book called Rich Dad Poor Dad. It says, start saving your money and take a real estate investment course. I thought, shit, that’s great. So, I started saving 70% of my money, the rest went to my rent for my mom. So, I paid rent to my mom, and then I had this like sliver of money. It was like $20 a week for entertainment and bus pass. I was like, bus pass, bagels for 99 cents, and like rent to mom and the rest went into savings.
Stefan: It took a long time for me to shake that broke mentality. I tried to save my way to freedom. Usually in the modern world today, you can’t just save your way to freedom. The currency is always inflating, the money is always devaluing. What I’ve found is I had to go … Actually, what got me out of that mentality, the poverty mentality was throwing down on some big coaches and mentors. I spent 300 Grand on coaches and mentors in the last eight years. And that really got me, it forced me into the abundance mentality and out of the scarcity mentality. What are some ways that someone can get out of scarcity and into abundance?
Bryan: That’s a great question. What you mentioned about investing yourself, man, I mean, I think I’ve spent probably 300 Grand in the last three or four years alone.
Stefan: Damn, dude.
Bryan: Yeah, and it’s one of those things where I’ve just doubled down on it because it’s so important. Part of that is not just, I think, most of the times the coaches and the mentors, but the people that we meet with and within those programs that has really helped evolve me because when I’ve put together these masterminds or I’ve met with coaches and gone to their events and I’ve been able to make new relationships and new friendships, I’ve been fortunate enough to get around people who don’t exhibit that mindset who are way ahead of me or closer to where I want to be in the future that getting a taste of that in real time is what started shifting me mentally a bit. And I sort of, “Well, my relationship with money is so different than them. Like, let me pick their brain. Let me just even observe them for an hour and see how they sit down at this restaurant, how they look at the menu, how they interact with people, even how they tip.”
Bryan: I really just started making mental notes and just witnessing it. That’s when I first started making the connection. Another thing I started doing that I can’t remember who taught me this, otherwise, I’d give him credit. I started doing little things to get me out of that broke mindset. Like, for example, I’d go to a hotel and I pull up and I’d asked myself, “What would a millionaire do here? Would he do the self parking or would he balle and pay an extra five Bucks?” And I’m like, “Well, obviously, he’s going to pay an extra five bucks and balle because time is money.”
Bryan: So, I would do little stuff like that. I’d spend the extra five bucks to balle just to get the experience. And the more I did that and really immerse myself not only in the coaching but with these other people who already were farther ahead than I was, it really started changing me. A lot of times I didn’t even realize that change was happening until I was presented with a new situation and then I responded to it differently. Like when a bill came and I went to tip, it became automatic for me to tip 20%, instead of pulling pennies together and tipping a couple of bucks.
Stefan: Right. That’s interesting. When I was broke, I remember I flew down to Palm Springs. I had five grand in the bank I’d saved up. So, I’m a guitar teacher, saved up five grand in the bank was like all the money in the world and I was going to buy myself a good duplex, like a rental property. That was my goal, of 50 grand at the time in my town. I remember I flew down to Palm Springs … Well, I went to a seminar and there was a guy there named Bill Barton. He was a self made billionaire. It was 2008 and I guess the banks were crashing in the states and he said, “Look, last time I got rich the banks are crashing and I bought up all this credit card debt for a penny, two pennies, three pennies, four pennies, five pennies on the dollar. Come down with me.”
Stefan: I remember watching and I was like, “I’m not signing up for that. I’m going to stick to my rental property.” My friend said to me, he’s like, “Stefan, if anybody was going to do this, I thought it would be you.” So, I threw down all my five grand on this course with this guy and I went down to Palm Springs, I had no money to my name, but I went and booked a super nice hotel. And it was like the Omni Rancho Las Palmas or whatever in Palm Springs, gorgeous hotel. Four and a half stars. I remember being there and I’m like, wow, beautiful marble. Beautiful girls at the pool, beautiful view, nice wood on the walls, or whatever they’re doing there. And I was like, “Oh, man, I want to get back here. I want to do this. I want to live this life.” And I remember eating like a lobster club at the restaurants like a $30 lobster club sandwich and I see bill that’s eaten a $5 foot long from subway behind the stage. The actual billionaire he’s eating a $5 foot long … I mean, the $30 lobster club being broke.
Stefan: And I went 10 Grand into debt, further debt at that seminar. So, of course, they can’t teach you everything in industry in three days. We all know that. So, do you want to really learn at this time? It’s $10,000, 10 Grands. Not 10 Grand in the whole going in on this thing? And I’m like, “Oh my god.” But I’ll never forget spending a week with a billionaire when I was 21 and that classroom was totally worth it. Learning to make them a loan proposal, learning to make a business plan, learning how to pitch, learning how to ask for money, learning what it’s like to live in a nice hotel for a little bit. All those images stayed in my mind and Bill, he died I think two years ago. But he went and he jacked up a new company. First time it was called CFS, Commercial Financing Services. And His Second CFS two. When he went out to raise money, Bryan, for his second company, he raised 400 million in the first round.
Bryan: Wow.
Stefan: So, watching him for a week, invaluable, living in that space for a week, invaluable. Just tasting it because in your mind you just want to get back to that. Would you say that that’s a powerful thing?
Bryan: Yeah, man, because then you have that reference. We dream all the time. For example, before I bought my Lamborghini, I can’t tell you how many times in my mind I had driven in it, seen it in the garage, could practically taste the leather in there and the suede, but when I really sat in one, and I started going to the dealerships and then talking to the sales people, and then meeting some of the other owners, that’s really when everything started accelerating, and it really just fired me up even more. So, having that real life reference point, like you just described, I think, is invaluable for sure.
Stefan: Yeah, absolutely. It’s just like, I find with people, and I’m in the house flipping business teaching people how to flip houses, until they fly to the city where their coach lives and they watch their coach flip a house, they watch their coach make the calls, they just don’t do it. And I don’t know what it is. It’s just like, you need the evidence in your brain, and it’s like you need someone to do it right in front of you. It’s almost like sex. Like you have to do sex to know sex. You can’t just read a book about it. You got to like get in there and see someone do it, right?
Bryan: Absolutely, man. Yep. Experience.
Stefan: So, Bryan, one thing that I think is super impressive are your 110,000 YouTube subscribers, bro. That’s amazing. Good for you. How did you build such a big channel? What got you that kind of following?
Bryan: Thank you, man. I appreciate it. It’s really been consistent effort over time, but more than anything, I believe it came down to a few key points. Number one is, this is the first thing I did, even when I got into real estate, and it was right before I started doing video and social media. I started going around just asking people, what does a realtor look like? The average realtor in your mind? What do they look like? What do they sound like? What do they do? And pretty much everybody unanimously was giving me the same description. Older person with a briefcase, black suit, white shirt, very boring, no energy, life
Bryan: And I was like, man, I have an opportunity here because the way I am, if I can transcend this boredom and the stereotypical image of what a realtor is, that already is going to get me a step ahead and get me attention. That’s kind of what I did, man. I went to a lot of seminars too, real estate seminars, everybody was kind of walking on eggshells. Everyone’s afraid to curse and everyone is so wound up and just so tight. I said, I’m the opposite. You know what, I’m just going to bring my personality into this and not be afraid to break these barriers. That was the first thing that I did that initially was kind of like a shock to everybody, but very quickly started attracting and garnering a lot of attention.
Bryan: The second thing was I wasn’t afraid to show my personal life. When I even go on my Facebook and see people who follow me, especially the ones who are in real estate, or any type of brick and mortar, “real life business” outside of online, all they really show is their business. Oh, I closed this deal. Oh, I flipped this house. Oh, I just listed this home. Oh, I sold this home to this buyer. But we don’t really know anything about the individual and I knew, “Hey, I’m watching these people.” Just like we used to watch people on TV back in the day, we’re just genuinely curious about finding out, what stores do they shop that?
Bryan: What clothes do they wear? Do they wear the same shoes as I do? What kind of toothpaste do they use” I started getting more intimate details about my life, how I think, what I did on a day to day basis, what my hobbies were, and that alongside what I just told you about kind of breaking barriers, really just opened up the floodgates, man. Because then I started collaborating with other people, people from different walks of life started following me, and what I wanted to establish in everybody’s brain that I was in real estate and the businessman who was always there, it was just communicated in a different way. And that really is what got a lot of attention because at the end of the day, if we do stuff on social media, there has to be an element of entertainment, and most people forget that. You can be super educational, super informative, but if you’re boring and you don’t entertain people, they’re not going to stick around, and I think that-
Stefan: You just got yourself a gong bro. Entertainment, man. So, what’s some of the things that make your content entertaining that makes people want to come back?
Bryan: Let’s see. Well, one thing I started doing about a year ago that really helped me out was collaborating with people outside of my space and bringing that element into my social media. Because, you know, I do what most people do in my space. I travel and speak, I talk about real estate and that kind of stuff, but I really started interviewing and collaborating and doing things like people outside of my industry. For example, I’m a huge car nut. I love cars. Because I own like six, but I’m going to buy like 10 more the next couple years. I’m just a car nut. I’m very good friends with a lot of people not just locally but internationally who are in the cars, and because of that I now have connections with the people who have been the, we can say like the forefathers to the Fast and Furious franchise. I know Paul Walker’s family like very intimately now, and I’ve gone opportunities outside of that, whether it’s in the real estate business to sell homes, let people invest or whatever it is, or other business opportunities because of that.
Bryan: That alone brings an element of entertainment to my channel and what I do because they know, hey, if I go to Bryan, I’m not just going to be hearing about real estate and how to sell a home and negotiate, dude, he’s over here hanging out with the guys on the beach, cruising down PCH with six Lamborghinis and Ferraris. That’s cool. He’s doing this, he’s doing that. Today, man, I just sat down with a guy who I actually just recently found him but I thought the story was incredible. He spent 10 years in the penitentiary here in the United States and he’s turned around and he’s a multi millionaire within four to four and a half years of being fresh out of prison. And now he’s a multi millionaire. So I interviewed him.
Bryan: Being able to put him now on my channel, which I’ll be posting that video on Instagram and YouTube tomorrow. No one else in the real estate industry that’s doing social media would ever even think about doing that because they would say, “Oh, I can’t associate with somebody who has tattoos and who’s been to prison, that’s going to ruin my image.” That part, that uniqueness, that mystery like, “Oh, what’s Bryan going to do next?” That’s one of the biggest pillars that I have for sure as far as entertainment on my channel because they can come into my channel and not show up for a week, and when they show up the next week, someone’s going to slap them in the face because I’m doing something new.
Stefan: So, you’re pretty much a rapper. You’re like a rapper of real estate. It’s interesting. I used to have a rock band and I wanted to be a rock star, and I think rock had one of the fatal flaws that the bands wouldn’t collaborate. Like a rock band was just a rock band and they had their album and that was it. But rappers would always get like, M&M would get 50 cent on his album. And Jay Z would get, you know someone else on his album. So, there’s all these collabs going on. Would you say collabs is the key to growing that audience?
Bryan: Absolutely. What I think and it totally is, I think some people are afraid because they think, well, if I collaborate, people are going to forget that I’m a realtor or a real estate investor, whatever it is, they’re not. Anywhere I go, I’m known as a real estate agent, the leader of my team. That’s going to transcend whatever space that you’re in, and it just opens up you to a new audience. I can’t tell you how many people now have turned into clients or students that I’ve taken from the car community.
Bryan: For example, I have another group of friends that are dating coaches, and I do stuff with them. So that opens up another audience for me. So, just between that and the car community, I would say that’s contributed to an additional 20%, 30% of my growth and just brand awareness because I’ve been able to open those doors which I know other people would want to do, but there’s this fear saying, “Well, I’m the real estate guy, I can’t talk to the car guy.” Because it doesn’t make any sense when I think that’s one of the key is to really grow your brand.
Stefan: Okay, we’re growing the brand. Now, let’s come back to it. So, growing a brand is expensive, dude. I’ve been doing that for like, almost 10 years now. Growing a brand costs money. There’s a reason why there’s not a million brands out there because it’s expensive to grow a brand. You got to monetize it somehow. So, I guess you’re monetizing through real estate skills. And then you’re also doing a coaching program. Right?
Bryan: Yeah.
Stefan: Cool. So talk about the coaching program, Bryan, what’s some of the things that are in there? Like, you said, you got all different types of people joining your coaching. Who joins Bryan’s coaching and what types of things are you teaching them?
Bryan: Yeah, man. Modern Success, which is the name of the program. I started it like I told you seven, eight months ago. And it started because I was getting so many requests. “Hey, man, do you have any products on this or new coach and this and that?” And it became such a regular thing to get text messages and emails and DMs on Instagram. And I said, why not start something? So, what I do now is I created a private group on Facebook. We do one weekly live call on zoom just like this for about an hour, an hour and a half depending on how many questions people have. We’re all pick a topic and lecture on it for 30, 45 minutes and then I’ll open it up to Q&A. And then throughout the week, I also put four to five videos in the group teaching something, whether it’s a skill or a little mindset thing to help people make a mental shift, but the focus is really, I would say mainly on three pillars.
Bryan: One would be the business aspect, learning sales, some sales skills. Number two, being able to handle your finances and then eventually build wealth, and three getting your mind right. I think so many people, especially younger people now who grew up with social media will look at you, me and some other people who maybe have been putting in work for a long time, but they’ll think that there’s such a big gap between us and them that they can’t do it. All these limitations coming. “I’m too young. I’m not from the right place. I don’t live in LA. I can’t do it.” I feel like people have literally mentally crippled themselves into the point of what we were just talking about, where they’ll see you doing it, they’ll be on your program and they still won’t take any action as I said. So, my whole basis of building that program was to get people off their ass and into action, and the kind of testimonials I’m getting and the results that I’m seeing are just out of this world.
Stefan: That’s amazing, man. I got the same problem now in my Instagram. I think I got to 60,000 followers and I got all these like, kids. 12 years old, 13, 14. I’ve this one girl, this girl from India she’s like, “Hey, I have a crush on this boy. What should I do?” She’s like, “Should I tell him how I feel?” I’m like, “Yeah, why not?” I said, “Ask him out to lunch or something and if he says, no, he wasn’t yours to begin with.” And then today, she texted me. She goes, “He said, no, he rejected me.” I’m like, “Big deal. Fuck up. Move on girl.” So, it’s crazy. You got all these people, and monetizing that traffic can be cumbersome. Especially I got 12 year old kids in India checking out my stuff now. Well, they can’t even afford $199 audio books. So, what is your coaching cost if someone wants to join that kind of thing? What’s the price point?
Bryan: It’s $97 a month. I wanted to keep it affordable because I know, especially with my audience being people between 18 and 35, most of them being aspiring to become an entrepreneur or a business person that money is tight for them, and I wanted to keep it simple that way if somebody is getting in. 97 Bucks a month for most people is something they can scrape together if they really take a look at their expenses and get some basic finances in order, they can do it. I wanted to find that sweet spot. I will be raising it later on, but I thought 97 a month was the perfect introductory price for somebody.
Stefan: Yeah. No, that’s wicked man. I mean, that’s 1,200 Bucks a year. I think it’s a magical thing and you know, some people would say like the negative people like, “Oh, man, you’re ripping those people off.” But there’s probably guys out there you’re totally changing their life, you’re totally changing their mindset, and you got to pay for curated content. If they want good curated, branded stuff, it costs money to put that on. I really appreciate that. Yeah, go ahead, Bryan.
Bryan: Yeah, man. And think about all the money you’ve spent too, and I, and that I’ve spent and anybody above us. They’ve spent that money. They paid their dues to get that information and a lot of times I feel like if I was to take this precious piece of knowledge, that maybe I’ve saved for my paid group and I just give it out for free, people aren’t going to appreciate it. If we hold an event. Let’s say me and you hold an event and we make it free. How many excuses that are going to come up the day [inaudible 00:28:30] for people not to show up. “Oh, sorry, guys. It’s snowing a little bit today, I’m going to sleep in I’ll catch the next one.” You best believe if we charge them 500 Bucks or 1,000 Bucks to show up, I don’t care if the world is ending, they’re going to show up to that event because they forked out their money and they’ve put some skin in the game. And that’s-
Stefan: The gong. The Gong came on for that, bro. Give me an instant replay on that, Bryan.
Bryan: You got to put your money where your mouth is, man. If you want to learn from the best and get the best knowledge, you got to be able to put either your credit card down, the cash down, the check down, whatever it is, or we’ll go back to the dumb and dumber days, an IOU, whatever it takes, you got to put something down. I mean, a lot of times, like I even mentioned earlier, maybe at the event I got, yeah, one or two pieces of information, but I met that one person who then later on gave me a connection or introduced me to somebody else, who then gave me that next breakthrough. So, you never know how it’s going to happen. But you got to pay to play. You got to pay to play.
Stefan: You got to pay to play. You know I love that, man. I think you’re bang on. You go to what you pay for. It’s funny. I do an event called Blueprint to Cash, and it used to be called Self Made Live and Self Made was like I would sell my book, and people get the book and they get two tickets for like 50 Bucks. That’s how it works. So, they’re overpriced book but underpriced tickets. So, you get the $50 book and the two tickets to the event and that’s cool. I remember we do these events and [inaudible 00:29:47] 100 people and then like the afternoon comments that people leave, it’s people leave the next day. They weren’t committed. But as soon as we turned that event and is like a Blueprint to Cash, we sold for 2,000 Bucks now, same event, and we include their flight, we include their hotel.
Stefan: So it’s like a great experience. We got a limousine driving thing to like a dinner at either, like a flip, or my house, or whatever. And it’s amazing man because people show up, they don’t quit, they stick through it, they have a great experience. It’s just, you can be in the free line, but it’s kind of like going to Costco and eating those free winners. It’s not really a meal, dude. You can go there and eat those little baby winners, but you might as well spend the $85 and get the hot dog and the drink. Get the real thing.
Bryan: Exactly, man. Yeah, I agree.
Stefan: Now, Bryan, let me ask you this. You’re successful in a lot of things. Did it in sports, doing it on YouTube, you got a coaching mastermind group successful, real estate salesperson. Now, what’s your obsession?
Bryan: My obsession, man, and this sounds weird to a lot of people is just simply me pushing, we can say, barriers on my own potential. That’s really what it boils down to because I’ve thought about that a lot myself. Like, well, what’s this drive in me? What’s this spark in me? It’s really, part of it maybe it’s because I grew up being told I couldn’t do anything, and that I would be average. So now maybe because of that my quest is just, what else can I do? Like I’m already talking to one of my clients right now who we’re about four months we’re about to close this new development over here by the beach for like 5 million. It’s going to be a sick, sick house, man.
Bryan: And we’re talking about going in together to open up a sports bar because I’ve always wanted to open up a bar. That thought wasn’t really in my mind until a year or two ago, but I’m like, “Fuck it. Let’s do it.” So I’m all about pushing the envelope and just seeing, maybe it’s not worth it, but what I can get away with [inaudible 00:31:39]. Like somebody said, let’s try this. I’m going to do it. Another idea pops up in my mind you know what, let’s go for it.
Bryan: Thrill seeker, we can say. I really don’t know what it is, man. But I think that is the best way to sum it up because I’ve gone in so many different directions that that seems to be the most concrete definition I can give as far as what keeps me going because that fire is always there. I wake up every day like, let’s make it happen. I don’t like sitting idly. I don’t take vacations. I’m just like, let’s keep going. Let’s keep hunting like a lion waking up every day and just looking for the deer and the gazelle and saying, “Okay, I’m getting this one.” Just being relentless.
Stefan: I love that. Being obsessed with being relentless and being obsessed with what I can get away with. I got a similar feeling in me, man. I think we’re similar dudes. What motivates you to be great at what you do? You could show up, Bryan, and you could be like average, you could be like a seven out of 10, you could be like an okay kind of guy. What motivates you to take it over the top and be great?
Bryan: Great question. Even when I was a kid, like if we played video games and you were beating me I’d throw the control at you. I was like, “Okay, we’re playing again.” I never was okay being second place. One thing I hear now is that kids are getting like participation trophies, just like, I’m a dude. That completely belittles the guy who worked hard to get first place.
Stefan: That’s we’re all fair, man. That’s it. That’s we’re fair.
Bryan: That’s what I was thinking. I was like, when I got the trophies in basketball or whatever it is, I put in the work. If we were to look at my life and the other kids life preparing for that game, let’s say was like a one on one tournament, you would see that I put in the work to get first. So, with me it was about being the King of the Hill, not so much for the recognition but to myself to say, “Yes, I could be first.” It’s more like a personal achievement thing, and just having a high standard for myself because when somebody says average, in my mind I’m looking down to average and it’s like why would I be down there when first place is, okay, this is where I’m at. Like, why would I look down and be like, “Let me step down to average.” That just doesn’t line up with me mentally, you know.
Stefan: I love what Napoleon said. He said, men will die for little pieces of medal. Guys like me and you we want the trophy, we want the medal, we want the first place, and I love what you said about, when they give up the participation trophy, it ruins the whole thing. It’s interesting I was watching a psychologist and he was talking about how men when they’re with other men will compete, but then when you introduce women into the competition, the men stop competing. Like when women are competing alongside men, the men don’t try as hard, and then what ends up happening in like the case of school right now, like the school system, is like men are competing as women and then the men actually, the boys in university and in high school, they don’t even try anymore. So the girls get the high marks, the boy is like, “Whatever, I don’t want to compete with a girl.” And next thing you know, they’re out being entrepreneurs or something like that.
Stefan: Now, let me ask you this, Bryan. What’s one moment where you thought you’d fail and this whole thing would come crashing down and it’d be over for Bryan?
Bryan: Oh, man. Early on, dude. I mean, I dealt with those demons a lot in my first year in real estate especially, dude. I think my first year in real estate alone as an agent, I was probably in tears at least on three separate occasions. This is coming from somebody who until that point, bro, I can’t remember the last time I cried besides, maybe when my grandma passed away when I was like 11. So, this tough guy who hadn’t shed a tear in, I don’t know how many years, 20 years almost, breaks down three times in one years.
Bryan: I remember when I got my license, a buddy of mine bought a house so I got a deal right away. Like literally the day that I got my license, boom, I ended up helping him buy a house. I got another deal a week after that. I got a listing that ended up selling, but after that there was probably this three and a half four month period where I was just grinding man. Just nose to the grindstone like six and a half, seven days a week just nonstop in just the business with that coming, and dude, I went through every emotional up and down in those three or four months and every thought, every negative opinion that somebody had expressed when I said I was getting into real estate and going down that route, that image was vivid and clear in my mind and I could hear their voice nagging in my ears, “I told you, I knew you weren’t going to make it.” Man, it was tough.
Bryan: But I’m so glad that I went through it, but I would say that was probably one of the darkest times because now that’s when your own mind starts becoming your worst enemy. And that’s a very pivotal point where you hit the fork in the road for most people, and they say, I think 87% of real estate people fail the first two years. I think it’s because when they hit that fork in the road, they just succumb to the negative imagery and the negative voices in their mind instead of just pushing through because in those dark moments, what saved me was, every single person I had looked up to, studied, conversed with, and sat down with in that beginning process told me, you will go through that.
Bryan: Like you will be in moments where you’re going to cry, you’re going to feel like quitting, you’re going to feel like the world is against you, what are you going to do? How are you going to respond? And if you respond like everybody else, your results are going to be like everybody else. But if you keep going and you understand that, hey, this is going to work. People have done it before you, then you’ll make it to the other side. But so few people can make it through that. Those voices, man, for my mentors and people I looked up to is really what saved me.
Stefan: You know I’ve noticed during this show, Bryan, is that every single person comes on this show who’s successful, we usually have only successful people. Sometimes we get a dud, but everybody who comes on this show and is successful usually has a really dark moment. And what’s cool about the dark moment is usually the worst that moment is, the higher they jump after. Like, I had one lady, young lady. She’s 29 years old. She was living in her car when she was like 18. I remember she was working at Cheesecake Factory and she made no tip. She made like $2. Couldn’t pay her rent. That same young lady who is in $100 million development right now at age 29 because she was able to go in there and face the demons and face the darkness. Whoever’s on this show, the darker it is and the worse it goes, the higher they jump. Why do you think that is?
Bryan: I tell people you have to go through that. You have to experience that to really get to the other side. I believe in polarity too, to the degree that you swing this way you’re going to swing the other way. For me, another way I looked at it mentally too was, everything that I’m encountering right now is a test. So, if I’m willing to experience the lowest of the lows, I’m now deserving of the highest of the high because I was willing to be in the black hole and swim in it with a smile on my face and not succumb or be afraid of it like everybody else. Because all those moments really are, if we break it down it’s just unknown because we’re not sure what’s going to happen. We’re not sure if that deal is going to go through. I tell people, you have to be willing to dance and have fun in the unknown like you’re dancing in the rain. Because to the degree that you can go into that black hole and into that unknown and darkness, you’re going to get that much more light on the other side. And I just think there’s a direct correlation with being able to withstand.
Bryan: Like, we’ve heard some really crazy inspirational stories like Oprah, for example, and to see where they’re at now. It’s like, well, look what they went through and look what they overcame. So to me, it’s just basically like a video game, and if I’m willing to go through this, I’m unlocking that next level that other people aren’t willing to unlock.
Stefan: Right. I love what you’re saying there, man. You are really unlocking the next level all the time. There’s a great book I read was called What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Have you read that book?
Bryan: Haven’t read that one yet, no.
Stefan: You got to check it out. It’s about a guy and he’s like a business coach. He’s coaching executives. What he noticed was that the skills that got a guy into an executive suite like a C suite, CEO, CFO, COO, or whatever, would inhibit him from going to the next level of leadership. They’d be salty, they’d be mean, they would be harsh, all these things, and his job in his program was what got you here won’t get you there. His job is to undo all those things and then teach you the next level of leadership, which is being a statesman instead of being a warrior and being somebody who has compassion and things like that, but still is strong. Would you agree? That’s like a really big thing, is unlearning your last level to go to your next level?
Bryan: Yeah, man, absolutely. I could even think of a lot of people in the real estate space who wants to start as a solo agent and then eventually build a team and ship more into a leadership role and position. Two completely different things. You could be, I know so many people who are superstar agents who are doing millions in commissions, but when it comes to running a team of being a leader, they can’t do it. Because that next level for them to get to that level, it’s a different skill set and know how. A different blueprint. I think a lot of people can’t navigate that and I think athletes fall into this category too. We’re so stubborn sometimes and hard headed where it’s like, oh, no, we have to do it this way. We want to be a perfectionist, and we’re not willing to listen to that next person or pick up that new book to teach us that stuff.
Bryan: I think one of the main reasons that I was able to make this transition so seamless as it seem to people was because I embraced what you just said. I didn’t read that book, but what you’re talking about, I think I’ve gotten from somewhere else, maybe that story or the kind of like that teaching because that popped into my head immediately as I started growing my team was, I need to understand that I need to unlearn some of that old stuff to really break through to the next level.
Stefan: Yeah, I think one of the biggest things too with an entrepreneur or somebody who’s like hustling on their own dime is to go to that next level, you have to take a massive pay cut. Like you pretty much, you probably got to hire a coach because you probably can’t figure it on your own. If you could, you would have done it on your own. So, you probably have to hire somebody so you take a pay cut on that. And then when you go into management, you’re not making the commissions now. You’re trying to get other guys to make commissions and they’re not making money right away. So now they’re not making money and you’re not making money and you’re living off your savings, you’re living off your credit cards and it’s all really scary. Then what people do is they go back to just being a hustler because it’s what they know and building stuff is tough.
Stefan: Now, let me ask this, Bryan, what do you think is the biggest cause of failure in people?
Bryan: Biggest cause of failure. It would be this. A lot of people, let’s say they want to be an investor or they want to be a real estate agent, whatever it is. I ask this to people, how long are you willing to fail? It’s like a test. And if they give me a date, like, “Well, I’m going to give this a shot for 30 days or 60 days.” If anybody gives me a finite date to how long they’re going to try something I know they’re going to fail. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons, is when I got into real estate I remember people asking me, what’s your plan B? How long you going to give it a shot? I’m like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to make this shit happen no matter what.”
Bryan: Hearing people who give that date, I’ve asked in the last couple of years, six people that have given me dates and all of them have quit or they’re not doing what they’re doing. So, I really think that’s number one thing is, if you go in with the mindset that, “Oh, I’m just going to give this a shot for 30 days,” and you have that date, it’s not going to work.
Stefan: Right. Yeah, it’s like the, I’m ready to jump out of the boat kind of thing. I think it’s interesting when I coach people and we do real estate. So, buy, fix, sell houses, and we teach them to raise money and stuff, whenever we get somebody’s like, “Oh, I’m wondering payment plan can I pay.” I’m like, “Bro, you’re not going to make it. You got to be in, you got to be committed.” Because when you try to call it, when you try to go to something on a payment plan, that’s just the license to quit. Halfway through, you think you’re going to save money by quitting while you’re actually just losing all your money at this point.
Stefan: So, Bryan, if you can go back to the beginning and talk to let’s say 15 year old Bryan, let’s go back half your life about 15 year old Bryan, what’s a piece of advice you give yourself?
Bryan: I would say you have to learn very quickly to stop living your life based on what other people want you to be like and what their opinion is of what it should be like. The last couple of years for me especially have been the most revolutionary because of that. The moment I was able to really detach from other people’s opinions, what they had to say about me, how they saw my life and how they wanted me to live my life, it’s like I could see the light and everything changed from that moment. So, I would say stop worrying about what other people say, live your life not someone else’s.
Stefan: That’s getting a gong man. That’s like a big thing for young people. Young people are always trying to please people and I’ve read a quote somewhere I was like, by the time you get to 40 you don’t care anymore. You’re just like, “Whatever man.” When you when you get a little older.
Stefan: Now, Bryan, top three books to change your life, what are they man?
Bryan: Top three books. Thinking and Grow Rich [inaudible 00:44:03]. One book by Anthony Robbins, Unlimited Power was fantastic, and the book by Oren Klaff, Pitch Anything a little bit better.
Stefan: Oh, Oren Klaff, yeah bro. He’s from Cali too.
Bryan: Yeah.
Stefan: Yeah, Pitch Anything. Why do you say Pitch Anything? I think that’s one of my favorites for teaching people to raise money for sure.
Bryan: It just offers a very … It’s kind of like we were discussing earlier right. Unlearning some other stuff and really unlocking that next level and what he teaches in that book I believe, after you have a basic understanding of sales will take me to the next level for sure.
Stefan: Yeah, there’s some powerful stuff in their. Power framing, time framing, analyst frame, he’s got some stuff. Oren is one of the best.
Stefan: Now, Bryan, I got to ask everyone this question on the show. This is like my number one. Everybody gets this question and it happens to be one of the last questions. What’s the one thing that young people need to succeed these days?
Bryan: More commitment. I think people, no matter what space they’re going into, especially now with social media as much as it’s a blessing it’s a curse, there are too many fucking options, they need to pick one thing and just stick with it. So, if they go to , they need to go all in and just stick with it and commit to the process. Everyone’s one foot in and one foot out. “Oh, I’m going to try this then I’m going to try that.” What do they call it? Jack of all trades, master of none more commitment. You need to double down and commit and say, “I’m doing this and that’s it. Regardless what mommy says daddy says what he says or she says, I don’t care if I’m not going to get any likes on Facebook or Instagram, I’m going to do this.” If people would commit like that, just that sheer commitment like a lot of athletes give where they commit their lives to the sport, they’re going to make it to the other side for sure.
Stefan: I love what you’re saying, man. You’re preaching the gospel here in the church of The Grind. Now, Bryan, if people want to get in touch with you, how can they get ahold of you to interact, be a part of your brand, maybe get into coaching.
Bryan: I’m all over the place, man. Bryancasella.com, B-R-Y-A-N C-A-S-E-L-L-A. That’s my website. It has everything. My handles for Instagram and Twitter and everything else is just @bryancasella. It’s really simple. Same thing with YouTube. Bryan Casella.
Stefan: Awesome, man. Thank you so much for being on the show, Bryan, Respect the Grind, and we will see you in the future, man.
Bryan: I really appreciate it.
