Codie A. Sanchez

I have no energy for hate. Love you, wish you well, or hope you heal. That's it.

How to win in 2026:

1. Don’t be woke. 
2. Work. Hard.
3. No victim mentality allowed.
4. Have strong opinions, loosely held.
5. Take strategic bets with your $.
6. Protect your time.
7. Be curious and a good human.

Doesn't matter who you are. Who you share a bed with. Or the color of your skin.

Anybody can win. (Btw this was from 2023).

Underrated superpower:

Just dumb enough to believe in yourself, just smart enough to execute.

You don’t have anxiety because you think you CAN’T do it.

You have anxiety because deep down you know you CAN be doing bigger things.

People overestimate business plans and “genius.” They underestimate irrational inability to quit.

Dumber people than you have done it.

Let's get after it 💥

Follow for more & repost if you need this to be your new mantra.

I remind myself of this often...

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- I remember when I first got to hire a family member
- Then do deals with a second
- How I got to work with my dad at Contrarian Thinking
- How I took family on my first private plane
- How we gave my dad a truck

Not ever a brag such a blessing.

Builders, you building is the blessing. At least that’s what we believe at Contrarian Thinking… you!

(And if you're not a builder yet... come to MSM live and I'll teach you how to start: https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF)

You can flatter & pander.

Or you can become ACTUALLY likable:

• Do what you say you’re going to do
• Show your results, not your intentions
• Your job isn’t done until THE job is done
• Communicate - less words, more meaning
• Bring solutions, not complaints
• Do the dirty work
• Don’t be boring

The truth:

People like competence.

So does money.

(Feel free to share if this resonates♻️)

Real status can’t be bought.

You don’t get lucky.

You make your luck.

There are 3 ways to increase your odds of luck:

1. Do, repeatedly. Try, then iterate.
2. Be consistent. Resist the urge to give up.
3. Gain knowledge. Invest in yourself.

Knowledge without action is worthless. So is acting without knowing what you’re doing.

Say you want to buy a business.

You could get the best advice in the world from the smartest people in acquisitions… But if you don’t act, you’ll never buy one.

OR

Your could have all the drive in the world, the right mindset… But ruin yourself financially because you didn’t learn the right tactics.

A reminder to myself and you this Saturday...

It’s really just you against the mirror. You vs you. No one else can win at a game of one. I know it’s hard not to get distracted, race horses wear blinders for a reason. Your lane you’re game. LFG.

A hard truth I've learned in business.

It's always who not how.

1. There's only so much time in the day.
2. There's always going to be someone smarter and better than you.

These aren't problems. They're levers.

Every time you struggle with an issue, don't try to figure out how to solve it. Instead, ask yourself what type of person could solve it for you.

You don’t have a HOW problem, you have a WHO problem.

Solve that and you solve everything.

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This is a strategy I think of as “stealing someone’s 10,000 hours.”

And I’m letting you take my 10,000 hours for free at my Main Street Millionaire Live Event…

I’ve bought & sold 20+ small businesses. I’ve failed a couple, scaled several, and I’m sharing a condensed version of how to buy a biz over 3 days.

It’ll be beginner-friendly and perfect if you're still in your 9-5.

Save your spot here today → https://lnkd.in/g7mjjqYQ

The best advice that no one follows:

- Wake up at 5:45am.
- Marriage done well is a huge superpower.
- Trust God.
- Be careful what you read, it becomes the way you think.
- No going out on a school night.
- If you have to drink to hang out with someone, you probably shouldn't be buds.

Feel free to share if you agree ♻️

The only statistic you should care about is time-to-action.

Improving your urgency redefines your ability to get sh*t done.

If:

- Next quarter becomes next month
- Next month becomes next week
- Next week becomes tomorrow...

You will make more money.

Follow today (not tomorrow 😉) if you need more of this energy in your life → Codie A. Sanchez

You will make 10x more money if you present ideas like this to your clients or leaders.

Best part of your business? The people.

Worst part? The people.

Business horror story time:

I hired an exec, paid her $200k a year + $200k in bonus.

She secretly launches 2 side businesses, tries to take our clients to one, and was secretly launching a competing product all within the first 6 months.

Yikes.

We found out, let her go (obviously), but I had to chuckle because she bankrupted her last company... and then changed her name since she now claims it was a success.

Moral of the story...

If you're in business, expect it.

Protect your house because your biggest costs will always be wrong people trusted.

Just me... or have you also had business horror stories?

I asked my mom & dad for advice recently from raising me and my brother...

This is what they told me, maybe you’ll find it useful too:

1. Your kids are not your friends. They’re yours to safeguard and support, but set rules. Biggest problem with most kids in our generation, their parents wanted to be liked not respected.

2. Psy ops are underrated. My mom had this line for whenever I got into trouble. She’d say, “When I ask you a question like this, I already know the answer. I am giving you a chance to come clean...” At which point I’d sing like a canary because I’m a scaredy cat. I found out today she rarely knew the answers. Brilliant and maniacal.

3. Always on the same page. My mom and dad rarely fought in front of my brother and I. They would never go back on the word of the other. United front to deal with us mini terrorists.

4. Make time. My dad had this silly line that is actually not silly: “You can make money, you can make a cake, but you can’t make time.” So they made allllll the time for us.

5. Four chairs. We have these four chairs in our living room, no tv. Growing up, we’d sit and debate and talk for hours. Politics. Opinions. Our days. Only thing not allowed was an opinion you couldn’t defend unemotionally. We still do this today.

6. Mi Sangre mi siempre. They’d always say, blood comes first. They meant it. I hired my brother, my dad, my mom, my cousin at times. We stick together and we may fight like hell but never in front of others.

7. Once you decide, you don’t quit. We could play any sport or instrument BUT if we committed we had to play the full year all out. No 3 lessons and quit. Taught us to choose thoughtfully and keep going even when it hurt.

8. Always call. They still pick up the phone nearly every time it’s family. My dad in a meeting will pause to answer my mom. My husband taught me this too, and I try to do the same. If they’re your first priority this is an easy way to prove it.

9. You’re not a princess, you’re a president. My dad always used to say that line. He told me this week that I lived up to it. Gutted me. He taught us we didn’t need to be saved, instead we could save ourselves and help others.

10. Hug often and seriously. If you’ve ever hugged my parents, they mean it when they do it. Such a simple, free gesture. My mom always gives you a hug and says vaya con dios… go with God. How can you not do big things with parents that hold you like that?

Just some Lessons from the Road from parents I happen to think are some of the best in the world.

Moms and dads everywhere, I’m in awe of you.

Hardest job I’ve ever seen.

*This is one of my favorite pics of me and my dad. Doesn’t get old.

There's a woman in our business buying Academy who bought 6 pack-and-ship stores across Texas without ever leaving her W-2.

Nguyet Luong had zero business ownership experience.

Her first acquisition: an 18-year-old store in Austin.

She’s now at 6 stores. 
7-figure business portfolio. 
And still full-time at her corporate job.

Perfect example that you don’t need to quit your job to become an owner.

Nguyet uses her Big Tech salary to fund the acquisitions. And the businesses make her better at her day job.

Both things feed each other.

Love stories like this.

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Read Nguyet's full story here:) https://lnkd.in/gGUV_-eg

Wall Street has one rule:

Never start what you can buy.

Here’s everything you need to know about buying a biz in 2025:

While 90% of startups fail, 80% of acquisitions survive the first year.

88% of people worth $30M+ have done at lease one acquisition.

That means the best way to get rich isn’t to start a business like they love to tell us.

The best way to wealth with the highest degree of certainty is through acquisitions.

Right now, the average small business owner in the US is 67 years old. When you’ve run a business for 10+ years, you're bound to be exhausted.

These owners are motivated to sell by what I call the 7 D's:

• Departure
• Divorce
• Disease
• Disagreement
• Distress
• Death
• Dullness

They’re desperate to exit the game but don't know how.

Most people think they need millions in capital to buy a businesses.

But they don't realize 60% of all business sales involve seller financing.

Instead of going to a bank for a loan, the seller becomes your bank.

You put some money down, and they get paid over time from the business profits.

There are 3 reasons why a seller would agree to this:

1. Cash

Let’s say the bank offered the seller $750,000 for their biz but you offered the seller $1.15 million paid over time.

They’ll make an extra $400,000 by being the bank.

2. Taxes

Lump sum payments hit the seller with massive tax bills.

Installment payments spread over 10 years means lower tax brackets and potentially hundreds of thousands saved.

3. Speed

Bank loans take 3-9 months to close. Seller financing can close in 2-3 weeks.

Now which businesses to target?

Ones under $10 million in revenue with at least 15% profit margins.

Blue-collar service businesses fit this bill - HVAC, landscaping, cleaning services.

They're cash-flowing, recession-resistant, and boring enough that private equity ignores them.

BUT, before searching anywhere, create what I call a deal box. Define exactly:

• How much cash flow you need annually
• Maximum purchase price
• Geographic preferences
• Industry focus
• Must-haves and can't-stands

If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’ll never find it.

Next up, how to find businesses to buy?

1. Venmo Challenge

Pull your payment history and filter out friends and big companies. What's left are small businesses you already pay - cleaning services, handymen, landscapers.

2. Personal P&L Review.

Open your credit card statements and look at small businesses you spend with. These are owners you can reach out to.

3. The 9-5 Strategy:

One of our community members bought her coworker's $1.5M business with full seller financing after he decided to retire to go skiing with his wife.

↓ ↓ ↓

As a thank you for sticking around to the end, I want you give my "Deal Clarity Workbook."

It helps you figure out what business is right for you.

Grab it here: https://lnkd.in/enPdVi_D

Underrated quality of awful leaders:

They try to please everyone & lead by committee.

The hardest parts about leadership:

• Telling truths people don’t want to hear
• Watching decisions people will regret
• But you can’t force mentorship
• No one cares about your business as much as you do
• Micromanaging means YOU hired wrong

Doesn't mean you have to be a jerk.

But often trying to please everyone is the worst thing you can do for your people.

What do you think?

Happy Sunday.. this popped up as a reminder to me. On a day I needed it. Maybe you do too?

3 tips for scaling a business from $1:


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But what if you're trying to scale past $1M?

A 2-minute social media post isn't going to give you the clarity and freedom you're craving with your business.

That's why I'm running a free workshop tomorrow. The topic? How to pull strategic levels in your biz to find hidden cash.

Not for everyone, but if it sounds interesting, grab your spot here: https://lnkd.in/gSfvX_AF

I wish this for you…

Harsh truth:

Running a company is simply a game of prioritizing problems.

Here’s how to become the Chief Problem Solver in your business:

Want to know Elon Musk's "secret" to running Tesla, SpaceX, and 3+ other billion-dollar companies?

According to Marc Andreessen, it's simple:

"He shows up every week, identifies the biggest problem, fixes it, and does that 52 weeks in a row."

Most companies hide from problems:

• They reframe them as "challenges"
• They create layers of abstraction
• They delegate them into oblivion

But problems aren't biohazards—they're your biggest opportunities.

Bigger the problem? Bigger the potential.

There’s a reason SpaceX is able to send a 400-foot skyscraper into the sky knowing it might explode.

Because they want to know exactly what breaks, when, and why.

Every failure incapacitates dozens of future problems.

This approach works because running a company is simply prioritizing problems.

Your earnings directly reflect what you solve...

Big problems pay better.

Another great example of this is Brad Jacobs.

He built 7 billion-dollar companies in logistics, waste, and warehousing - industries most people find boring until they see his bank account.

Here’s how he evaluates risk vs reward on different deal sizes:

• Small, low-risk deals: exist but limited reward
• Small, high-risk deals: limited reward with high risk (avoid)
• Big, low-risk deals: unicorns (don't exist)
• Big, high-risk deals with solvable problems: "the bingo quadrant"

One of my favorite lines from his book is:

"If you want to win, you have to rearrange your brain to lean into those big, hairy problems and figure out how to cut off the hair and de-risk."

This is exactly what your job is as a CEO.

It’s simple: hire the smartest people in the world... and solve the problems they can't figure out.

That's it. That's the whole job.

Not avoiding problems, but identifying and selecting the right ones to solve.

Becoming a Chief Problem Solver requires you to create your own weekly problem-solving loop:

1. Identify your single biggest constraint
2. Focus all resources on solving it
3. Measure the result
4. Repeat next week

1 problem. 1 solution. 52 weeks in a row.

The best entrepreneurs don't just "think differently" about problems. They actively build muscles for problem identification and execution.

Then they do it again and again.
Fair warning though, this isn't glamorous work. It means:

• Living inside friction
• Facing uncomfortable truths
• Fixing things no one else wants to touch

But it's where all the leverage is.

If your business is stuck, your unlock is often solving ONE big problem.

Maybe you know exactly what it is, but don't know how to solve it. Or maybe you're not sure what the problem is yet...

P.S. If you want to see how we think about solving these problems for our own businesses, you might want to check this out: https://lnkd.in/enaBvipE

Oddly unpopular take:

Don't apologize for chasing money.

If you are out there hustling... don't apologize for it.

You don't have to be interested in brunch.

You don't have to slow down and chill.

You don't need to say yes to everyone.

It's okay if you're in your hustle season.

It's okay to be obsessed.

It is very hard to change the world when you are broke. It’s okay to ignore everything else until you fix that.

Work-life balance when you can afford life.

Power of place > product.

How to be unrecognizable in 90 days:

1. Be obsessed

Every outsized outcome I’ve seen came from people who genuinely enjoy the pressure. Not motivated people. Obsessed people. It’s almost impossible to compete with someone who treats the thing you dread as fun.

2. Clean out your closet

Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit the person you’re becoming. Cluttered space creates cluttered thinking, and cluttered thinkers don’t make money. Changing how you show up physically is one of the fastest ways to change how you behave.

3. Clarify your ONE thing

Not five ideas. One. Put a number on it and give yourself 90 days to get there. You have to prove to yourself that you keep your word.

4. Tell a better story about yourself

Not a vision board. Write down the words. If your life were a book, what’s supposed to happen next? What goes wrong and how do you react to it? When challenges show up, it’s much easier to keep going if you already decided they were part of the plot.

5. Start a not-to-do list

Becoming elite means cutting distractions aggressively and doing fewer things better.

6. Eliminate distractions

Most distraction is optional so make it harder to waste time and easier to focus. Small changes here create outsized results.

7. Outwork people

If you wake up earlier, protect the first part of your day, and eliminate distractions, you will get ahead faster than you think. Because most people just aren’t willing to work hard.

8. Move in silence

When you’re actually changing your life, you don’t need an audience. Do cool shit. Then talk after the result.

Do this for 90 days and your life will look different.

Because you WILL be different.

“Follow your passion” is great advice...

If you don’t care about being rich.

If you DO care about being rich, then the better advice is: Follow the money.

- 70% of millionaires are self made.
- 68% of millionaires own a business (or as high as 88% depending on what criteria you use).
- The 10 richest men in the world hold 89% of their net worth in companies.

If you want to be financially free, you need skin in the game.

Good news is you don't have to be Warren Buffett or Jeff Bezos to figure this out.

You likely just need someone to show you the steps to take.

So I gathered up some of the smartest business buyers I know, and we're putting on a virtual intensive:

- Set YOUR business-buying goals
- Learn all the secrets of the process
- Do laser coaching on real deals

Grab your ticket to join here: https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

My advice to most:

Don't start, buy.

Entrepreneurship is incredibly hard.

- Failure rate: 90% failure rate
- Avg salary: $46k

Instead go buy a profitable business using SBA loans just like you would a mortgage.

Fastest way to own a $1M rev biz? Buy

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P.S. Want me to bully you into buying a biz?

Sign up here and I'll get it done in 72 hours: https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

13 other unreasonably simple habits to change your life:

1. Waking up at 5:45am solves 99.9% of daily issues.

2. Grab your to-do list. Do the thing you want to do least, first.

3. Stop all 60 min meetings, make them 45 minutes. Tighter meetings, more time.

4. No social media, email, or text when you wake up. Write something, read something, or create something before you get sucked in.

5. Do the $1,000/hr Test. Group work in 3 buckets based on return: $10, $100, $1,000. Offload one low ROI task per day.

6. Change one meeting a week to a walking call. Watch how excited the other meeting member becomes.

7. Add a How vs Won't check-in. When you say, "that WON'T work." Instead ask, "How could that work?"

8. Be the dumbest one in your friend group, then move on when you’re not. As they say, if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

9. Take a picture of your net worth. What gets measured gets managed. Check finances daily.

10. Always the stairs, never the elevator. Pick the hard option. See how much stronger you are than you think.

11. Never write to-dos in stone. You're 10x more productive if you reprioritize daily.

12. Meditate. 10 minutes a day. For a twofer - do it in the sauna. Sometimes hacking culture gets it right.

13. Get intimidated. Everything you want is on the other side of fear. Do something every day that scares you a little bit.

Life is the small things repeated daily.

Change one daily habit, and beautiful things start to happen...

So pick one.

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Also...build the habit of getting ownership, not income.

Come to MSM Live to learn how: https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

What I wish I was told before I had success.

The “Hate Us ‘Cuz They Ain’t Us” Curve:

When you first start out, they tell you...

You’re lame.
You’re crazy.
That’ll never work.
Oh, she’s a one-hit wonder.
She probably has a rich dad.
Or slept her way there.

THEN, we hit the top of the curve. Your success is obvious. And things start to change... They say…

Oh yeah, I know her.
Hey, long time no talk!
Love to meet up and pick your brain.
How did you do that?

And the grand finale...
They ask you for a job.

If success is your goal, expect people to talk a lot of crap for a long time. Let them. Because one day, you’ll just get to point at the scoreboard.

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FYI

If you're ready to step out of your comfort zone this year and buy a business, come to my live event this week.

I'll teach you how (over 3 days): https://lnkd.in/eEye_qd6

Business scaling isn't rocket science.

But it is a science.

After working with 100s of companies, I can tell you the difference between the ones that plateau and the ones that explode comes down to these 3 levers:

Every scalable business needs:

- The right people (who)
- The right systems (how)
- The right focus (what)

Miss any one, and you'll hit a ceiling.Let's break down each piece (and I'll share what most get wrong):

1. Let's start with PEOPLE

Most owners hire too fast, fire too slow, and expect a miracle in between.

A bad executive hire will cost you $200-300K+ and waste 6-12mos of momentum.

But get it right? You start to own your business instead of being owned by it.

To make sure we only hire A-players, every hire goes through this matrix:

• Known Candidate: Team vouches for them
• Proven Experience: Done exact job before
• Proven Industry: Worked in your sector
• Proven Problem Set: Solved your problem
• Proven Scale: Built at your size

2. Next up: SYSTEMS

5 systems all successful companies have:

• Executive Vision (where you're going)
• KPIs/Goals (what success looks like)
• Performance Dashboards (tracking what matters)
• Communication (keeping us aligned)
• Strong Culture (making it all work together)

Most businesses build these 5 system chains separately.

But we noticed that connecting them through a framework makes scaling more predictable...

This reduces the inevitable bottlenecks that re-appear as you grow:

• Executive planning feeds into →
• Sales metrics which optimize →
• Operations processes which enable →
• Team communication which improves →
• Financial performance

This doesn’t eliminate all growing pains.. but it brings a method to the madness of building.

3. The final lever: FOCUS.

Most owners try to solve 27 problems at once.

The best solve ONE problem exceptionally well – and they pick the RIGHT problem.

Something I constantly hear is: "My prospects can't afford my product."But it's rarely a pricing problem. It's almost always a persona problem…

When prospects "can't afford" your product, run these 3 tests:

• Competitive analysis: How does your pricing compare?
• Marketing analysis: Is your value prop clear?
• Avatar analysis: Are you targeting the right people?

99% of the time, your problem is an avatar mismatch.

You're trying to sell snow to Eskimos, instead of hot chocolate to skiers.

The most valuable exercise for any owner is building a detailed customer avatar.

Define who NEEDS your solution, not who you wish would buy it.

I've just scratched the surface of these frameworks today...and implementing them properly is where most owners struggle.

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If you’d like to learn how to apply these frameworks in your business to find hidden cash...check out our workshop next week.

It's the only thing on the agenda: https://lnkd.in/gZaAQkpT

6 other traits of rich people no one tells you:

1. Rich people want you to sell them something.

2. Something 99% of rich people have in common: they own. Most often, they own businesses & real estate.

3. Most people complain about taxes, then pay them. Rich people study taxes then outsmart them.

4. In my experience, almost all successful people are competitive. More competitive you are, more likely you are to succeed.

5. Most rich people I know don't care about their title at all. Business owner > visionary, industry disrupter, startup CEO

6. You'll learn the most from asking rich people this question: "When did you almost lose it all? What did you learn?"

💥 For more like this, feel free to follow me → Codie A. Sanchez

The #1 killer of businesses is bad cashflow.

15 other harsh business truths for you:

1. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency. Bureaucracy is business poison.

2. Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Everything changes.

3. Never sacrifice reputation in the name of business. You can always start another company. You can never create a new reputation.

4. Long-term games and long-term people compound. Resist shiny objects.

5. Hire smart people, pay them well, set them up for success... Then leave them the hell alone.

6. “There’s nothing worse than being sick, fat, tired and trying to run your business.” - Dana White

7. The highest ROI investment founders & owners can make is in themselves. Health shapes mindset. Mindset shapes action.

8. You're better off learning negotiation than financial modeling. Business is less spreadsheets than words.

9. The best business of all time has only you, a computer, and the send button.

10. Every additional employee increases complexity. Hiring is a last resort.

11. The best advice comes from those just a couple steps ahead of you. These people still vividly remember the problems you're facing today.

12. Sell painkillers, not vitamins. There's more money in needs than wants.

13. No discounts. Compete on value, not price. Any biz with $$$ can enter your market and bleed you out. Differentiate beyond commodity.

14. A happy customer is the most powerful marketing. Prioritize reviews. Humans are social animals.

15. If no one thinks you’re crazy, you’re too late. If everyone thinks your idea is good? Even worse. Outsized returns lie in non-conformism.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. I'm running a free masterclass for business owners (next week).

What we'll cover? 4 growth levers to increase cash flow in your biz.

Grab your spot here (for free): https://lnkd.in/gSfvX_AF

If you’re in your 20s, I’m gonna tell you the truth that nobody told me.

I’m in my 30s now, and I wish someone would’ve told me that your 20s actually suck.

Everybody TELLS you this is the best time in your life, but when you’re in it, it feels the opposite of that.

You are hotter than you’ll ever be, and you have more energy, BUT:

- You’re kind of broke.
- You can’t figure out what you want to “do” with your life
- You feel lost, you work nonstop, you have a miserable job
- You’re single, dating, with crazy emotions
- You go out drinking more than you should

But here’s the thing:

Everybody’s been there. It’s totally normal. And honestly, at the end of the day, your 30s are AWESOME.

Coming into your mid 30s is a blast:

- You have money finally
- You kinda have an idea of what you wanna do with your life
- You’re not so emotionally volatile
- People are slightly more mature, you don’t have to date idiot 20-year-olds

Just know, it gets better.

If it sucks right now, guess what? It’s supposed to.

This is the real rich life. Don’t buy into the consumerism the world wants you to.

3 harsh truths I've been thinking about a lot lately...

1. Most successful people I've met aren't that smart. They move fast, they take risk, they work a lot. That's it.
2. The world is run by C students & failed employees. You can't underestimate yourself.
3. Managing what you choose to sell, do and focus on is more important than how hard you work or how smart you are.

Example:

You can, for the next 40 years:
• Climb up the corporate ladder
• Grind for a mission you don't believe in
• Spend 50hrs/wk+ away from your family

All for a 401k and a white picket fence at the end to show for it.

OR

You can learn how to buy a business and:
• Own a cashflowing biz in your community
• Touch your work with your own two hands
• Disconnect your money from your time
• Spend more time on the things that matter
• Become one of the few... an Owner.

Ownership is not for everyone.

But it could be for you. Want to learn how? Here are 13 creative income ideas → https://lnkd.in/eVduxB7e

Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done.

Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

3 harsh truths I've been thinking about a lot lately...

1. Most successful people I've met aren't that smart. They move fast, they take risk, they work a lot. That's it.

2. The world is run by C students & failed employees. You can't underestimate yourself.

3. Managing what you choose to sell, do and focus on is more important than how hard you work or how smart you are.

Example:

You can, for the next 40 years:

- Climb up the corporate ladder
- Grind for a mission you don't believe in
- Spend 50hrs/wk+ away from your family

All for a 401k and a white picket fence at the end to show for it.

OR

You can learn how to buy a business and:

- Own a cashflowing biz in your community
- Touch your work with your own two hands
- Disconnect your money from your time
- Spend more time on the things that matter
- Become one of the few... an Owner.

Ownership is not for everyone.

But it could be for you.

I don’t blame you if you're nervous to take the first step on your own.

If that’s you, I’m hosting an event that's just what you need to start acting on business-buying…

Get details & sign-up here → https://lnkd.in/gmD2RqG5

How to profit from the AI boom without writing a single line of code:

1. Get into a trade or service-based business

-HVAC
-Plumbing
-Electrical
-Pest control
-Window cleaning

These need a licensed body on-site. Nobody has figured out how to automate a clogged drain at 11pm on a Tuesday.

2. Become the person who services AI's dirty work

$455 billion was invested in data centers in 2024. Those buildings get dirty. HEPA filters clog. Cables disconnect. Fire hazards go undetected.

Those are all real (expensive) problems that require trained electricians, plumbers, HVAC technician.

3. Use AI to become the smartest person in your current job

Amjad Masad, CEO of Replit, told me about a guy at a skincare company who needed to automate 30-40 hours of weekly ops work.

He was quoted $150,000 by a software vendor, so he spent $400 on Replit and built it himself in two weeks.

His boss now pays him $30,000 a year for the software. He never quit his job, he just became indispensable.

4. Buy a cash-flowing boring business instead of building from scratch

Two Contrarian Academy members, Anthony and Alex, just bought a 45-year-old window distribution company in San Diego.

-High single-digit millions in revenue
-Virtually no inventory
-15-20% margins
-4 employees

That business has been running since before most AI companies existed. It'll still be running when the next model drops.

5. Do the unscalable human thing everyone else is automating away

Every competitor you have is about to flood every scalable channel with 700 automated messages a day that nobody reads.

The bar for standing out is getting embarrassingly low.

A business that shows up, remembers names, and sends the handwritten note will out-loyalty every automated competitor in its zip code.

6. Get into the right rooms

Anthony and Alex met in a mastermind. That one relationship led to a hotel, a hard lesson on cash flow, and eventually a business that replaced both their W-2 incomes…

Every single thing on this list is easier when you're around people who are actually doing it rather than just talking about it.

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I'm putting on a live event in June for people who want to own something. I will you teach you how to find a trade business, how to buy it, and how to run it with AI

I couldn't be more excited for this. Hope to see you there: https://lnkd.in/gubmPaBM

The best founders do one thing brilliantly...

Hire.

It sounds easy. It’s not.

Here are 7 hiring principles we go by:

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P.S.

Tomorrow I'm running a workshop for business owners (for free).

We will cover 4 distinct levers anyone can pull to unlock "hidden" cash in your business.

Hope to see you there!

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gZaAQkpT

You need ownership.

The best way to achieve it? Buying...

Building = years with no profit.
Buying = cashflow from day one.

When you buy a business, you're not gambling on potential. You're getting proven profits, existing customers, and someone else's 10,000 hours of work... Made yours overnight.

The wealth-building playbook has changed.

Old way: Build a startup, pray for funding, burn cash, hope to be the 1 in 100 that succeeds.

New way: Buy a business, use existing cashflow, own your time.

Less sexy? Maybe. But it works.

What type of business is smart to buy? You can use the SOWS shorthand:

S - Stale (little to no innovation)
O - Old (been around forever)
W - Weak (fragmented competition)
S - Simple (services people need daily)

These businesses are:
• Too small for PE firms..
• Not right for competitors..
• But the Goldilocks fit for someone like you.

And the timing is right on this opportunity:

→ Baby boomers are in the process of retiring en masse: 75M predicted by 2030
→ Millions of them are small business owners with no succession plan.
→ So what if you buying their business grants them retirement?

You can buy a business WITHOUT:
• Risking your savings
• Sacrificing your lifestyle
• Having previous ownership experience

Is it easy? No.
Is it worth it? I say yes.

If you want to learn the fundamentals (and find out if biz-buying is worth it for YOU)…come to my 3 day live event MSM LIVE.

I’ve helped 15,000 people become owners and would love you to join the list.

Just last year we helped 9 members of our Academy buy 7-figure businesses.

If you want more information, click here: https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

Everyone should be obsessed with chasing their first $500k.

Capitalism has pulled more people out of poverty than any system ever created.

Stop pretending it’s evil.

↓↓↓

And one of the most important skills to learn to hit your first $500k?

Sales.

Read this to learn why now is the perfect time to get great at sales: https://lnkd.in/eqESyABe

The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

Shrink your timelines...

When you say next quarter, push for next 60 days.

When you say next month, push for 2 weeks.

When you say next week, push for 24 hours.

Not everything will get done on the new timeline, but you'll build a habit that will make you more successful than other people.

Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Everything changes.

↓ ↓ ↓

If you want to push forward serious financial goals in 2026, you should look into this…

It’s live event on what I think is the single greatest skill you could learn this year to change your financial future forever.

It’s called a 3 day live event called Main Street Millionaire where we’re going deep on exactly how to find, buy, run, and scale a profitable small business.

If this sounds remotely interesting, save your spot here → https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

The average person thinks having a job is safer than starting a company.

They're wrong:

Let me be clear though, having a job isn’t bad.

In fact, a high-paying job is one of the only ways you can eventually get to a position where you can invest.

But you will never have true:

- Freedom
- Security
- Wealth

Without ownership.

↓↓↓

If this post made you change your perspective on your job...

I have something for you to start learning the possibilities of business buying:

A virtual 3-day event with me and the smartest business buyers I know.

The goal? Collapse a decade of solo business-buying learning into 72 hours.

Get details & your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

There’s no such thing as the right or wrong business.

There’s only the business that’s right or wrong for you.

One of the most common DMs I get is:

"Should I buy a laundromat, car wash, or storage units?"

But that's totally the wrong question to begin with...because everyone has different goals.

That’s why I created the Contrarian Deal Clarity Framework to help first time owners buy a biz.

You need to define 5 components:

1. Your Ideal Owner Experience

Saying “I want to leave my 9-5” is too wishy-washy.

To trade in your W2 form, your vision board needs to be specific on three things:

- Personal goals (do you want more family time or grind for yourself)
- Income goals (replace your $75k salary or build an empire)
- Business goals (be a hands-on operator or absentee owner)

2. Your Zone of Genius

Think of this as the intersection between:

- Passion (what you love)
- Skills & Experience (what you’re good at)
- Network (who you know)

Most people ignore this and buy businesses they eventually hate running.

Don’t be most people.

3. Business Size

It’s easy to fantasize about buying a Fortune 500 company.

But we’re not playing the billionaire game here.

As a first-time time buyer, look for micro acquisitions:

- <$1M cost
- $50K-$200K profits
- 1-3X multiples

Less competition, more opportunity, fewer headaches.

4. Profit

Remember...you’re not just buying a business for the sake of it.

Your acquisition MUST be an income stream that can cover:

1. Debt service
2. Operator salary (if relevant)
3. Growth/working capital
4. Your earnings

Use these two tests to evaluate if a deal is worth looking at:

The SOWS Test

Before I buy anything, I ask if the business is:

- Stale - Does the owner still use fax machines
- Old - Is it 5+ years old with repeat customers
- Weak - Does competition suck at marketing
- Simple - Can an 8-year-old could understand it

The more boxes it checks, the better.

The BRIT Test

Then I check to see if it’s BRIT:

- Buy - Must be a cashflow, not cash-suck businesses
- Resist - Recession-proof
- Increase - Can I raise prices (most owners undercharge by 30%)
- Tech - Can I add simple technology to improve it?

5. Industry

There are certain industries you should avoid for your first biz.

Think restaurants or hotels...

On the flip side, these are my favorite businesses for first-time buyers:

- Digital Businesses (build once, sell forever)
- Home Services (roof repair / lawn care)
- Professional Services (e.g CPAs)
- Real Estate Enhanced (laundromats/car washes)

Once you get clear on your Deal Box, you stop wasting time on deals that don’t fit your criteria and get closer to buying the biz that FEELs right.

↓↓↓

Want to go even deeper than this post did?...

Next week, I'm running a Masterclass breaking down exactly how to buy the perfect business for YOU.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gmD2RqG5

If you have had:

• a terrible boss
• workplace ptsd
• a bankruptcy
• a huge failure

GOOD.

Chips on shoulders > easy roads.

The more you do hard things, the more you'll get what you want.

Because doing hard things, makes hard things easier.

If you're doing it right, the failure that leveled you last year, won't even register this year.

↓ ↓ ↓

If you're ready to seek out your next hard thing, let's buy a business this year ;)

Here's a list of 130 boring biz's I'd start with → https://lnkd.in/eGpHZtx3

Why you never get what you want...

- You don’t ask.
- You don’t make it a win-win.
- You don’t know when to walk away.

Here's how to avoid these negotiation mistakes (& get the deal you deserve):

If you want to fail in negotiating and alway overpay... don’t read this.

Buyers with experience only negotiate on three variables that determine the value of a business.

Most sellers don't even understand these concepts, which gives you a massive advantage if you can educate them on how deals really work:

1. EBITDA/SDE

Contrary to popular belief, this isn't about the number on their P&L.

It's about the cash flow you’ll actually get when you take over.

Here’s an example:

If a seller says "we made $500k last year" but half of that came from a one-time contract that won't renew…

You can't pay for income that won't exist for you.

That's like buying a house and paying for the furniture they're taking with them.

Most buyers get destroyed here because they don't adjust for:

- Salary to replace owner
- Revenue concentration risks
- One-time events that won't repeat
- Expenses that will increase under new ownership

2. Multiple

Think of this as a direct reflection of risk.

Everything that increases risk lowers the multiple. Everything that decreases risk raises it.

That’s why some businesses trade at 15x while others struggle to get 2x.

Lower multiples come from:

- Revenue trending downward
- Business depends entirely on the seller
- Messy financials
- High employee turnover

These are red flags screaming "this could fall apart tomorrow."

Conversely, higher multiples come from the opposite:

- Documented systems and processes
- Diversified revenue streams
- Strong management team
- Clean books
- Consistent YOY growth

You can’t negotiate the multiple arbitrarily. It’s calculated with hard numbers.

But you can influence it by identifying and addressing the risks contractually rather than just pushing for a lower price.

You're buying the future but paying for the past.

The multiple reflects how confident you are in that future.

3. Terms

Price is what you pay, terms are how you pay.

You can give a seller their price IF you get your terms. Or you can give them their terms if you get your price.

But you CAN’T give them both.

It’s the law of price and terms:

Terms are how you hedge against every risk you identified in the deal. For example:

- If there’s key employee risk → Add retention bonuses to the deal
- Seller wants higher valuation? → Use seller financing
- Documentation not in place? → Long transition and training period

The idea is to use the contract to protect against your biggest fears.

At the end of the day, negotiation isn’t about winning.

It’s about getting what you want while keeping the other side happy enough that they don’t sabotage the deal.

It’s an art and next week I’ll be teaching everything I’ve learned about deal making LIVE, more info in the comments...

You eventually start to realize, no job is safe.

21 tips to be the first gen wealth builder in your family:

1. The Law of Two Hours: 2 hours of dedicated work is worth more than most people’s 8 hours.

2. How to never fail with a business: Start as a side project. Keep your job. Use your salary to fund. Quit when you have enough cashflow.

3. It's not about time. It's about the F word. Focus. You don’t need 24 hours a day to build a business.

4. Think about your salary like a Silicon Valley investor. Treat every single dollar you give to your side business like an investor would.

5. Hope is not a strategy. “Pray like it’s up to God, but work like it’s up to me.”

6. You don't need more time, you need a deadline.

7. Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

8. Small & consistent beats big & sporadic. Long hours at a desk is counterproductive.

9. If you want to make more money, be more useful to people who have more money.

10. It is very hard to change the world when you are broke. So don't apologize for chasing money.

11. Nobody cares about your life...They think about you for one second and then think about themselves again. So you might as well do what you want.

12. You must be just dumb enough to believe in yourself, just smart enough to execute.

13. If you say you will do a thing, then actually do the thing. 90% do not do this.

14. No one is coming to save you. You want a better life, go build it.

15. You must learn to be disliked or you’ll find yourself stuck in a prison of other people's desires.

16. Tasting freedom can make you unemployable. Get that initial momentum, and watch your life start to change.

17. You are paid exactly as much as the problems you solve are worth. Bigger problems = bigger $$$

18. Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the available time. Just because you quit your job doesn't mean you'll magically have all of these hours.

19. If you're not currently doing whatever that thing is inside of you, you're not going to do it after you quit your job.

20. Startups are for masochists. If you want that life, I commend you. If you want a slightly less rocky path to ownership, buy a business instead of starting one.

And lastly, there are 2 types of people:

Those who build wealth through ownership. and those who work to make others wealthy.

The dividing line isn’t talent or luck. It’s action.

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P.S. If you have yet to take action in 2026 but are interested in becoming an owner...

Come to my business buying masterclass tomorrow.

It's free. 90 minutes long. And walks you through how to find the right business for you.

Find all the details here: https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

You guys keep asking when the next Main Street Millionaire Live is happening… and after seeing all the people who bought businesses, are making moves, and joining Owner Nation, I knew I had to bring it back ASAP.

But this time? We’re going even bigger. Bigger speakers. Tools and frameworks you can use immediately. Real players. Everything you need to get a part of Owner Nation ASAP.

If you’re ready to stop dreaming and start owning, head over to this link to grab your ticket: https://lnkd.in/g7mjjqYQ