In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I’m breaking down one of the most powerful forces behind everything I’ve built in business and life: networking. This conversation was recorded the morning after hosting our very first Deal Maker Hampton Roads event, and it gave me a fresh perspective on just how differently people experience rooms full of strangers.

I share why networking has always been my biggest strength, how it’s shaped my career, and why being “resourceful” often just means knowing who to call. But more importantly, I talk about introverts—the anxiety they feel walking into events, the courage it takes just to show up, and a simple question that can completely change the experience. If you’ve ever avoided networking because it feels uncomfortable, intimidating, or draining, this episode is for you.

This isn’t about collecting business cards or forcing sales conversations. It’s about creating environments, building real relationships, extracting value, and giving value—no matter your personality type.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Why networking events don’t have to be big or expensive

01:15 Why this is a solo episode after hosting our first Deal Maker event

02:03 JJ’s Joke of the Week

02:54 Why networking has been my biggest professional advantage

04:16 How networking both energizes and drains me

05:13 Being resourceful by knowing who to call—not how to do everything

06:08 Building trust by doing what you say you’ll do

07:18 The power of long-term relationship building

08:16 Why curating environments brings me the most joy

12:08 Hosting events—from backyard cookouts to 60-person meetups

13:53 The introvert moment that changed my perspective

14:27 Half the room identifying as introverts

15:15 Understanding anxiety through someone else’s lens

16:41 Vulnerability required just to show up

17:11 The simple question that breaks the ice: “Where are you from originally?”

23:59 Extracting value without chasing money

25:25 Why avoiding networking limits opportunity

26:14 Bill Phillips as the introvert example—and why it still works

27:26 Joining our first mastermind and jumping into the deep end

33:10 How Amanda Holbrook became our financial strategist

34:15 Building our brand through relationships, not transactions

35:45 How every major piece of our business came from networking

36:48 Two mindsets to bring into every event: give value + extract value

38:08 The junk removal example—and why showing up matters

39:35 Why free local events can change everything

40:39 How real conversations actually build trust

41:21 The joy of watching connections happen

42:47 Why facilitating relationships is the real reward

44:12 Why impact matters more than direct profit

46:16 Gratitude after seeing it all come together

47:04 The (true) mom story and empty brewery joke

51:35 Final encouragement to get in the room—even if it’s uncomfortable

52:38 Closing thoughts on networking, perspective, and growth

Quotables

“Networking isn’t about being the smartest person in the room—it’s about knowing who to call.”

“Half the room is uncomfortable, even if it doesn’t look that way.”

“If you’re an introvert, ask one question and let curiosity do the rest.”

“Go to events with the intent to give value and extract value.”

“The best opportunities in my life came from rooms I almost didn’t walk into.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Bryce Matheson—founder of Lender, a fast-growing software platform built specifically for private and hard money lenders. Bryce’s story is a perfect example of how real businesses are built: through trial and error, painful lessons, and the willingness to take action before everything feels “ready.”

We walk through Bryce’s journey from house hacking and rentals, to flipping homes, to losing money on a deal that changed everything—and ultimately to becoming a lender himself. Along the way, Bryce explains how his tech background naturally led him to build systems to solve his own problems, why most lending software misses the mark, and how Lender was born out of pure necessity rather than some grand startup vision.

This conversation goes deep into entrepreneurship, resilience, capital raising, lending risk, family sacrifice, and building tools that actually serve real operators. If you’re in real estate, private lending, tech, or trying to build a scalable business without losing your sanity, this episode is packed with real-world insight.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 The internal struggle every entrepreneur faces: work vs. family guilt

01:16 Introducing Bryce Matheson and his move from Idaho to Arizona

02:52 How Bryce and I first connected through private lending

04:19 Early entrepreneurial instincts and selling candy as a kid

05:21 Starting the “traditional” path: college, tech job, and early rentals

06:21 Buying his first house in 2016 and accidentally house hacking

07:17 Scaling rentals, then burning out as a landlord

07:55 Transitioning into flipping houses—and why they loved it

08:38 The flip that went wrong during COVID and lost $50K

09:59 The moment Bryce realized: “I need to be the bank”

11:05 Moving into private lending with his own capital

12:32 Why underwriting is easier when you’ve flipped houses yourself

14:21 Seeing operational gaps and naturally building software to fix them

15:32 Building and selling an early QuickBooks-style tool

17:02 Are entrepreneurs born or built? Bryce’s take

18:59 The role of resilience in every successful entrepreneur

37:27 Managing loans with phone notes—and why that couldn’t last

38:42 Demoing existing lending software and deciding to build his own

40:07 Launching Lender as an MVP—and letting customers shape it

41:28 Our experience transitioning 60+ active loans into Lender

44:26 How customer feedback directly drives product development

45:15 Growth strategy, conferences, and expanding the team

49:13 Using AI to automate document review and insurance tracking

50:14 The future of AI-powered underwriting

52:23 How Lender replaces full-time employees and reduces risk

53:28 Building trust with investors through systems and safeguards

Quotables

“You can’t fail if you don’t quit.”

“If I’m going to live in a system all day, it better be built well—and built for real operators.”

“Most people underestimate how important underwriting experience is in lending.”

“Capital always finds a home if you keep your marketing turned on.”

“Every business starts messy. The ones that survive are the ones that build systems.”

Links

Lender Software

https://lender.com

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I talk about something that drives nearly every decision I make: the example I’m setting for my kids. This isn’t about parenting hacks, discipline strategies, or telling your kids how to live—it’s about modeling the life you hope they grow into by how you show up every single day.

I walk through how my wife and I think about love, gratitude, kindness, health, work ethic, independence, and emotional safety inside our home—and why actions will always matter more than words. From how we treat strangers, to how we handle adversity, to how we take care of our bodies and pursue non-traditional paths, this episode is a reflection on what kids really absorb when they’re watching us closely.

If you’re a parent (or planning to be one), this episode will challenge you to take a hard look at whether your behavior aligns with what you’re asking your kids to become.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Why my kids never see me be rude to anyone

01:48 Why this is another solo episode to close out the year

02:54 JJ’s Joke of the Week

03:22 Introducing my kids: Emma (14) and JJ (9)

04:22 The reality of parenting: none of us get it exactly right

05:15 Why kids model behavior more than they follow instructions

05:59 Making our home the safest place on the planet

07:06 Modeling emotional safety, vulnerability, and expression

07:59 Why “I love you” is said constantly in our house

09:36 The long-term impact of growing up in a loving home

11:12 Teaching kids that love should be expressed, not withheld

12:00 Gratitude as a daily practice, not a concept

13:13 Why gratitude protects against a “woe is me” mindset

14:49 Avoiding a culture of complaining inside the home

16:36 Turning negative situations into positive reframes

17:57 Why modeling behavior doesn’t guarantee outcomes—but it increases the odds

18:38 Natural traits vs. behaviors I have to work at

19:42 Why health and wellness are non-negotiables for me as a dad

25:53 The difference between coaching and leading by example

27:13 Why my wife models health through constant movement

29:23 Changing my own habits so I could set a better example

31:09 Modeling healthy eating through moderation, not restriction

33:24 Showing kids there’s more than one path in life

34:58 Why I want my kids to see both corporate success and entrepreneurship

38:53 Modeling generosity, tipping, and respect for service workers

40:11 The danger of preaching what you refuse to practice

41:20 Why kids follow examples—not expectations

42:32 Closing thoughts on intentional parenting and personal accountability

Quotables

“Your kids won’t become what you tell them to be—they’ll become what you show them.”

“I don’t preach kindness. I model it.”

“If you want your kids to be healthy, loving, and disciplined, you better be those things first.”

“Our house is their safest place—and everything starts there.”

“You can’t ask your kids to live a life you refuse to live yourself.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I’m wrapping up the year with a raw, unfiltered conversation about the single most powerful skill that has shaped my life, my business, and this podcast: consistency. This episode also marks a milestone I didn’t even realize we had hit—200 episodes over two years—and that realization sparked a deeper reflection on why showing up matters more than talent, metrics, or motivation.

I talk about why I intentionally avoid obsessing over podcast numbers, rankings, and downloads, how chasing attention early on pulled me off track, and why I ultimately came back to doing this podcast the only way I know how—authentically. From mindset and positivity, to business adversity, fitness, and long-term habits, this episode is about how consistency compounds quietly in the background and eventually changes everything.

If you’ve ever struggled with staying the course, felt frustrated by slow progress, or questioned whether showing up really matters when results aren’t immediate—this episode is for you.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 The mindset that nothing can ruin my day

01:36 Why this is the final episode of 2025

02:08 JJ’s Joke of the Week

03:00 Why I intentionally avoid podcast metrics and rankings

05:05 Realizing we quietly crossed 200 episodes

06:24 Why chasing numbers can sabotage authenticity

07:28 The temptation to chase “big” guests and social media reach

09:30 Why I stopped trying to game growth and refocused on being myself

11:13 Why I’ve refused outside sponsors (so far)

12:22 Why consistency is the most underrated human skill

13:53 Skills vs. consistency—and why consistency wins

15:21 Obsession, focus, and staying consistent until interest fades

16:12 Positivity as a learned, practiced habit

18:08 How adversity in childhood shaped my mindset

19:46 Why daily problems don’t knock me down anymore

20:45 A real-time business challenge—and how I approach it

21:55 “Good.” Turning problems into puzzles

23:35 Why positivity becomes automatic through repetition

24:04 Consistency as the reason this podcast still exists

25:05 Beating 99% of podcasts by simply not quitting

26:25 How fitness became a daily non-negotiable

27:05 Working out every single day since September 1, 2021

28:11 The compounding effects of health and energy

29:07 How consistency masks weaknesses and creates “luck”

30:06 Why most people quit right before results show up

31:28 Final thoughts on consistency and carrying it into 2026

Quotables

“Consistency is the number one skill a human being can have.”

“Nothing is going to ruin my day—I won’t allow it.”

“I don’t win because I’m the best at things. I win because I show up longer than most people.”

“Consistency masks all the things I’m not good at.”

“You don’t need motivation. You need repetition.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Joe Jones—the inventor of the Roomba and one of the most fascinating engineers and thinkers I’ve ever had on the show. Joe’s story isn’t just about robotics; it’s about curiosity, patience, resilience, and spending decades chasing meaningful work without ever obsessing over fame, money, or an “exit.”

Joe walks through his journey from growing up in a small rural town, to discovering robots at MIT’s AI Lab, to getting fired for building a robot vacuum cleaner—twice—before finally helping launch what would become one of the most successful consumer robots of all time. We talk about why most ideas are bad, why passion matters more than payoff, why price matters more than technology, and why Joe has never believed in the concept of retirement.

This conversation goes far beyond Roomba. It’s about building things that matter, sticking with ideas for years when there’s no guarantee of success, filtering out shiny distractions, and finding work so meaningful you never want to stop doing it.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Joe’s philosophy on ideas: assume they’re bad until proven otherwise

01:00 Introducing Joe Jones, inventor of the Roomba

02:00 Growing up in rural Missouri with a passion for the future

03:30 Discovering robotics at MIT’s AI Lab in the early 1980s

05:00 Building the first robot vacuum cleaner as a personal side project

08:50 Rebuilding the robot vacuum concept years later—and getting buy-in

10:20 Launching Roomba in 2002 and creating the first affordable home robot

12:00 Why price—not technology—was the real breakthrough

14:30 Managing creativity vs. economics when building products

17:30 Why most robotics attempts failed before Roomba succeeded

20:00 The importance of leadership that understands creative people

29:45 Joe’s contrarian take on humanoid robots and AI hype

32:00 Why demos are easy—and real products are brutally hard

33:30 Passion, persistence, and working for decades without guaranteed payoff

35:30 Why Joe never planned for retirement

38:00 Writing Dancing with the Roomba and telling the untold story

41:00 The danger of chasing shiny ideas

49:00 Advice for parents raising curious, future-focused kids

51:00 What Joe wants to build next—and why the work never ends

Quotables

“Almost all ideas are bad. Your job is to kill them as quickly as possible.”

“People don’t want robots. They want clean floors.”

“It’s easy to make a demo. It’s incredibly hard to build a product that earns its keep every day.”

“I never thought about retirement. I just want to keep doing fun, meaningful work.”

“If there’s a cheaper, simpler way to solve the problem than using a robot, that way will win.”

Links

Joe Jones – Dancing with the Roomba

https://dancingwiththeroomba.com

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with my business partner and longtime friend, Bill Phillips, for a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what the last year has really been like inside 608B Capital Funding. Bill has been buried deep in the operational trenches—underwriting loans, managing the chaos of fast growth, and keeping the machine running while we’ve scaled from “hoping for one good loan a month” to consistently funding fifteen at a time.

We recorded this at the end of 2025, which gave us the perfect chance to reflect on everything: our transition from corporate life, the mindset required to survive those quiet early months, the hockey-stick moments of growth, the pressure of supporting our families through uncertainty, and the honest realities of partnership. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to leave a stable career, build a business from scratch, raise capital, build systems, hire a team, and keep your sanity—this episode is for you.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

01:13 Welcoming Bill back on the podcast after months behind the scenes

01:33 Why Bill has been buried in loan processing for most of 2025

06:03 Managing the deceiving quiet of the early operational days

07:07 What our revenue graph would really look like from day one

09:29 Hiring Ted through a military transition program & scaling operations

11:33 The realization that inefficiencies were costing time and growth

12:16 Brandon joining the team & why it changes everything

12:33 The “800 steps a day” problem: grinding so hard you don’t move

17:28 Explaining our business model for new listeners: how 608B works

18:08 The simple structure: we raise money from investors & lend to flippers

20:32 The unseen complexity: legal work, protection, servicing, and underwriting

24:40 The difference between having runway and becoming complacent

25:21 How family responsibility created healthy pressure to succeed

26:22 The fear of giving your kids a better life…and then losing it

31:36 Why afternoons/evenings are Jason’s highest-energy work time

35:32 Hitting the pause button at $20M in capital to strengthen operations

36:31 Making the company more efficient before raising another dollar

39:47 Creating a foundation strong enough to scale vertically

42:31 Shutting down capital raising even when ego wanted to keep going

47:24 Why renewals aren’t part of our growth metric

47:52 Dividing the company into two teams: Operations vs. Sales/Marketing

48:43 Breaking down KPIs for daily and weekly action

52:13 Understanding growth through efficiency, not just more capital

53:21 Increasing profitability without raising a single extra dollar

54:15 Transitioning into partnerships & why most fail before they begin

1:01:00 Leaving corporate life & losing the social environment of coworkers

Quotables

“Growth is easy—you just keep pouring gas on the fire. But responsible growth? That’s where real business discipline shows up.”

“We never once let the thought cross our minds that we might have to go back to work. That belief is what kept us moving.”

“Raising capital is great, but raising too much capital too fast will put you out of business.”

“Our kids are proud of 608B, and that alone keeps the fire lit every single day.”

“Partnerships work when adversity shows you who the other person really is.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I’m breaking down one of the most important topics in our business: raising capital. Instead of interviewing a guest this week, I’m pulling back the curtain on how we built 608B Capital Funding from an idea to a $20 million debt fund in under two and a half years—without sales gimmicks, without shortcuts, and without ever losing sight of consistency.

I walk through the real story of how we started from zero, why we spent four months preparing before taking in a single investor, and what it really took to build a pipeline that compounds. If you’ve ever wanted to understand how private lending works, how to attract investors, or how to scale a business by simply doing the fundamentals extremely well, this episode gives you the playbook I’ve lived by.

Whether you’re in real estate, sales, entrepreneurship, or just trying to level up your consistency and belief, this is a transparent look at how I’ve raised capital, how we’ve grown 608B, and how you can apply these same principles in your own ventures.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Welcome back + why this week is a solo episode

00:29 Sponsor reminder: 608B Capital

01:13 Why I cut back to one episode per week

03:24 What 608B Capital actually does

05:23 How Bill and I started the company eight years ago

06:39 Leaving our W2 careers & shifting into lending

08:00 Bringing on consultant Kelly Garrett and launching the fund

09:19 How our lending model works & how investors earn

10:03 Why raising capital became my primary role

11:09 Taking on our first investor in July 2023

12:27 Lessons learned from moving from sales to capital raising

13:46 Hitting $20M in under 2.5 years

14:27 Why I don’t use conventional sales tactics

16:12 Belief + genuine passion as the foundation of effective selling

17:34 The mattress shopping analogy: selling without passion vs. selling with purpose

22:06 The pipeline analogy that changed everything

23:50 Why most people fail: inconsistent pipeline activity

25:32 Understanding long decision cycles in capital raising

27:15 Why our pipeline kept growing even when people weren’t funding yet

31:25 The moment of “pipe pressure” when capital began pouring in

36:14 Hitting pause to stabilize the business

38:49 Tactical day-to-day: how I fill the pipeline

41:28 Social media, networking, wearing the brand everywhere

44:15 How constant visibility brings daily inbound interest

46:01 Why follow-up is the ultimate lever

47:59 Lessons from Amanda Compton: follow up until the hard no

49:44 How I track every conversation, every touchpoint

50:07 The compounding effect of consistency in action

52:22 Why this process works for anyone—if they believe in the product

53:45 Visualizing the pipeline and knowing every next step

54:55 Final thoughts and what’s coming next

Quotables

“People don’t invest because you’re slick—they invest because you believe in what you’re doing.”

“If your pipeline runs empty, your business runs empty.”

“I’ve never had a week—not one—where I didn’t put new people into the pipeline.”

“If you’re passionate and consistent, you don’t need sales tactics.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

Description

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with my friend and mentor, Mary Hart—retired attorney, real estate investor, and founder of Fair Oaks Funding to talk about private lending, abundance, and legacy. We unpack how Mary went from practicing law to running a zero-foreclosure lending company, why she believes collaboration beats competition, and how she’s helping investors all over the country build true financial freedom.

We get into the nuts and bolts of private lending, self-directed IRAs, and raising capital the right way, but we also go deep on purpose—what it means to be “rewired, not retired,” to teach what you’ve learned, and to leave more in people than you leave to them.

If you’re serious about real estate investing, wealth building, and doing it all with integrity and empathy, this conversation is going to hit home.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

01:15 JJ’s Joke of the Week

02:49 Collaboration over competition: Bringing people together to collaborate

04:34 Why collaboration is important to your success

07:38 Mary’s backstory: from North Carolina to Alaska to the courtroom

10:35 The meaning behind the name “Fair Oaks” and how it ties to her mentor and values 13:15 Why conservative underwriting and doing good deals matter more than doing more deals

15:40 How Mary went from a handful of loans to millions in originations 17:55 Debt Funds vs. Equity Funds: What’s the difference?

20:45 How 30+ years as an attorney gave Mary an edge in lending 23:55 The danger of over-lawyering deals and overcomplicating documents 25:29 Teaching, self-directed IRAs & learning from Dyches Boddiford

27:46 Passion for helping investors use retirement accounts to do deals, lend money, and build wealth 31:05 Mary’s plans for evergreen content: Estate law and lending

33:01 AIM Higher Academy: Alternative Investing Movement

34:49 The importance of staying in your zone of genius

36:04 Rewired, not retired: The difference between working for money and working from purpose 38:15 Shutting down the law practice to focus on passion and spontaneity

44:30 Wealth, giving, and redefining legacy

48:47 How empathy changes the way you do deals, handle conflict, and build a team

50:31 The reminder that everyone is carrying a story you can’t see 53:12 How to get in touch with Mary

Quotables

“Legacy is less about what you leave to people and more about what you leave in their hearts and in their minds.”

“I’m not retired; I’m rewired into doing things I love.”

“Private lending, done right, is about creating real win-wins for both the borrower and the investor.”

Links

Mary Hart

mary@fairoaksfunding.com

(828) 618 - 4442

Fair Oaks Funding

https://www.fairoaksfunding.com/

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com