SHOW TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:05] Speaker 1 Welcome to another episode of the Go with John Show. I’m John Jorgenson and this is our 50th episode. So there’s an old saying that we’ve all heard that it’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun. Seems like just yesterday was the beginning of COVID and we were sitting around. My team and I on a video meeting. I was in the basement of my home in McLean, Virginia. My team was all at their respective homes, and we were trying to figure out what the world was going to look like and what business was going to look like going forward. Right? March of 2020, nobody really had a handle on what was going to happen in the world. So we had a project that we were working on that was shelved in 2013. And when when COVID struck, I went into my files and I started digging around in that project, and the first thing that surprised me was how long that project had been on the shelf. So we’re March 2020. We shelved the project in 2013 because the real estate market was just so crazy. The the Stanley Martin homes were occupying an enormous amount of time. And I was having a lot of fun working with with our buyers and working with the team at Stanley Martin and there just wasn’t time to put a podcast together. But we had done a lot of work. We had probably spent maybe two years putting together concepts and putting together outlines and plans for the show. And so here we are, March 2020. We dig it all up and we start looking at it again and we say, You know what? This is a great time to do this because who knows how long we’re all going to be trapped in our homes, and who knows how long business is going to be slow. Right at the very beginning of COVID, nobody was calling us, right? Everybody was trying to figure out how they were going to survive in their homes and get the food and necessities into their home. And nobody was calling anybody to buy anything or talk about building a home, no less. So so we put a lot of effort into what we wanted to do and how we were going to do it and what kind of programs we were going to use. And we got the concept of the show together pretty quickly, and once we figured out more or less the direction we wanted to go, we started trying to figure out, okay, well, how are we going to do these recordings with COVID? So we started looking for places where we could be in a big room with great ventilation, where we could sit very far apart from each other, and we were able to find a couple of places to do that. And we started reaching out to people to see if we could get them to come sit down with me. And it was really very, very difficult because we had nothing right. There was there was no website, there was no format for the show. There were no historical episodes that people could go listen to. So, you know, I was I was trying to get my mom to sit down with me. And shockingly, was she was very reluctant, was talking to Boomer Foster and talking to Jeff Detwiler. So Boomer Foster is the president of Long and Foster Real Estate. Jeff Detweiler is the president of Long and Foster Companies. And, you know, after, you know, many efforts reaching out to them, they agreed to sit down with me and help me get the show started. And I’m forever grateful for those folks because they opened the door for me to sit down and have these conversations with other people that would come along after them. So I really want to give a quick, heartfelt thank you to the first three folks that agreed to come on the show when I had no show to show them, you know, and that’s my mom, Lillian Jorgensen of Long and Foster Realtors. You can learn more about her at Lilly Incom. Throw in a little plug there. We have Boomer Foster, president of Long and Foster Real Estate, and Jeff Detwiler, who was president of long and foster companies and still is. So it was really great that they had the confidence in me to come and sit down and have a conversation. And it’s been a lot of fun and it’s been a lot of fun since then. So the show is now kind of rolling and we start to get some traction and we’ve been reaching out to lots and lots and lots of people to have them on as guests. And all of a sudden the phone started ringing at Stanley Martin Custom Homes, and all of a sudden people start calling and they want to move and they want to sell their house. And all the whole world just exploded and. And we had to figure out how to manage the activity that was coming in and keep the show going. So the team and I got together and we said, There’s just no way we’re going to shelve this thing again. We’re rolling, we’ve got the ball rolling, we’re going to keep going. And we did. And we’ve been able to bring in an additional 47 guests and record an additional 47 episodes. So today’s the 50th episode. So actually it would be 46 not counting this one. And the show now is existing kind of as a side passion and the entire team, we’re all working, doing our day job and we have time to to reach out and get people in and continue to record these episodes. And it’s just fantastic. So what’s happening is the show is taking on a life of its own. And we now have a full time show coordinator, Jessica, who’s on board with us. And she’s doing a fantastic job reaching out to folks and getting guests on the show and scheduling all the recording events and reaching out to sponsors and advertisers. We need revenue to support the show, so we really appreciate our sponsors and thank them all very much. But what’s really important is the content that we are going to be bringing to you, the listener. So we know without listeners we are nothing and we know we now have thousands and thousands of people who are listening to the material that we’re putting out there. And looking back at the last 49 episodes and analyzing what we’ve done, we now have a very clear vision of what we want to do in the future going forward. So it’s we had to record the first 49 to figure out what we want the next 49 to look like. And we’re going to be dialed in on, you know, Stanley Martin, custom home building. We’re going to be dialed in on real estate transactions. We’re going to be dialed in on the legal issues. They come up in real estate, and our show is going to be focused in the areas where I have expertize. So building a new home, I can tell you everything there is to know about building a new home, navigating a real estate transaction. I may not be able to tell you everything, but I certainly have the contacts to bring in that can tell you everything. So we’re going to have an attorney come on in a rotating basis. We’re going to have my mom, Lillian Jorgensen, come on and talk about real estate transactions and things that come up and things you need to do to sell your house. And maybe you’ve heard it all and maybe you haven’t. So there’ll be some good conversations there. We’re going to have Michael Schnitzer coming back, who’s the president of Stanley Martin Custom Home. And we’re going to talk about all the nuances of building a new home. So our process at Stanley Martin Custom Homes for building a new home will most likely never change. We’ve got it down to a science, but the surrounding environment changes all the time. I mean, look what’s happening right now with the supply chain. Look what’s happening with interest rates. Look, there’s there’s different materials and different building techniques that are evolving as time goes on. So there’s plenty for us to talk about in the new homebuilding space. So we’re going to be focused on home building and real estate and entrepreneurship. So I love business, I love building businesses, and I especially love starting a business from scratch with nothing. I love when you got a couple of folks sitting around just like Michael Schnitzer and I did back in 22,006. We had to sit down and come up with a concept and what did we want this to look like? And it was a lot of fun and I just get a lot of energy when we start something from from zero. So we’re going to have some entrepreneurs on and we’ll talk about some business, but mainly we’re going to stay focused on, on real estate. So it’s going to be a lot of fun. So another item that the team came up with and I take absolutely no credit for this one is a patriotic count. So they’re in the process of launching a patriotic count. For those of you out there who want to support the show, we’re going to have, you know, extra topics and extra recordings on this patriotic count. And you’re going to be able to take polls. There’s going to be lots of interactive extras. And we want to we want to, you know, bring some of my life lessons that I’ve learned in business and in life to this part. Of our show. So, for example, one of the things the team wants to do, which I’m pushing back on but I think they’re going to win, is they they want to bring my kids on and talk about some of the things that that we do in our household as kind of household management that aligns with kind of business management. So I hope that will happen. I’m still reluctant to do that, but those are the types of things that we’re going to be doing on the Patreon account. I’ll talk about some of the disciplines that I practice with, with managing processes, and I’ll share stories good, bad and ugly that have happened over the years so other folks can learn from my mistakes, which is the way I like to learn. I like to learn from other people’s mistakes, but unfortunately I learn more from my own mistakes. And I think that’s just human nature. So the show is taking on a life of its own. We’re having a lot of fun. We’ve got a lot of great folks that are involved in the show, and it’s, like I said, taken on a life of its own. And I think that we are going to continue to crank out episodes. We want to make every single episode meaningful, and we want to bring material and content to you that you need. If you’re going to build a new home and if you’re going to buy a new home or buy an existing home or sell your home or be involved in a real estate transaction where there are legal things that are going to come up that you should know. So we want to get that focus out there. We’re going to get the focus out there and we’re going to have fun along the way. So we’re going to take a quick break and get in a word from our sponsors, which, again, we are nothing without our sponsors and we are nothing without our listeners. So we are the man in the middle. And we’ll be right back with one more segment from your host at the Go with John Show, John Jorgenson. All right. Welcome back. And we’re concluding this 50th episode of the Go with John Show. I just want to, you know, touch on a couple things here before we wrap this up. So, you know, the first thing I want to do is I want to also thank one other guest who is Frank Stedman. And, you know, it’s hard to call out a few people when you’ve had, you know, 47 great people on your show to call out a few and thank them. But Frank was one of the early guests on the show, and he’s he was featured in episode six, you know, and Frank really shared some personal stories about bankruptcy and recovery. And it was it was really touching. But not only that, I think Frank Frank put a lot of energy into helping us bring some guests on to the show. And he brought his son, Joey, on where, again, Joey spoke about his personal troubles that he had and how he overcame them. And Frank also introduced us to Jimmy Lang, who was a great guest, a professional boxer who came on this show. And, you know, it was it was really nice to have frank support. So I wanted to say a quick thank you to Frank for that. We’ve also had just so many incredibly funny and great stories from the folks that have been on on our episodes. And I think there’s there’s a couple that really stand out. We do have a best of episode where I think a lot of these stories are featured. But, you know, Boomer Foster in episode three told some great stories about college football and growing up in a small town, and he talked a lot about his dad and what a great role model his dad was. You know, Mike Zell came on and spoke about his early days in the in the lending industry, and there’s some great lessons there. Michael Schnitzer has been on many times and, you know, spoke spoken a lot about Stanley Martin Custom Homes. But in episode five, he he shared, you know, some of his stories about how his his career evolved. And that was that was great. You know, we’ve had a lot of great people on with a lot of great stories. I really enjoyed Mike Thornburgh, who’s the president of Emblematic Corporation. And Mike, his company is actually the company that bought my company back in 2004. I had a company for sale marketing mania, and Mike and I have remained friends over the years. But, you know, he tells a story about how he broke into a UPS facility. I don’t know if broken is the right word, but he certainly went in to a UPS facility and before he did that, he ran into a couple of police officers on the way in and he told them, hey, if you get a call about somebody in that facility, I just want you to know it’s me. So certainly worth a listen. Episode 17 And that story is certainly in our on our best of episode. Another one of my favorites on episode 19, Jeff Detweiler talks about his early days at Long and Foster, where he literally thought that his new job was an effort to punk him. So that’s that’s certainly worth a listen. And some some great laughs there. So another amazing story. Episode 29 Dr. Canary, as she tells us how she started her own practice. It’s an incredibly wonderful story, and it’s amazing that she just went out on her own and started her own practice. I’m just so impressed with that. Most folks spend years and years and years planning and and thinking about how they are going to do it. And she just dove in and got it done. Hunt Burke, chairman of Burke and Herbert Bank, came on and talked about some great history with Burke and Herbert Bank and some of the amazing items that were found in their vault over the years. It’s it’s an honor to have all of these folks on the show also appreciate all the support from the Long and Foster organization. Justin Messer, CEO at Prosperity Mortgage. Tim Wilson, Chief Officer of Prosperity Mortgage were great guests. Daniel Amador from Citizens One Mortgage came on and shared some important information with us on financing Patrick Bain, Long and foster companies. He’s the president of the Property Services Group, where they focus on property management and home inspections. And that was a great episode. A lot of great. Stories from him. And, you know, we had Raymond Greenstreet on, who was the owner and president of Green Street Growers, one of our sponsors, certainly grateful for their support of the show, Theresa Shadel, who’s been on talking about some legal issues. We talked about easements with her. She’s a Virginia attorney and the regional director for Argosy title. She’ll be back on future episodes. Next one we’re going to be recording with her is about fraud. Chris, Bryan and Christopher. Boy, that was a fun episode. You know, you get a father and two sons together. They really they really brought it and shared a lot of great information with us. And, you know, it’s really interesting to hear Chris talk about preparing his boat for fishing in kind of the same way you have to prepare your business for success. So some great parallels there. John Esposito, owner of Personal Touch Jewelers, had a lot of fun talking with him about motorcycles and jewelry. And he chats with us about moving his business from New York down to Virginia. And, you know, I would just say I’m not catching everybody here. But last but not least, I got to mention Rachel Foster. She is you know, she she came on the show reluctantly, early on and shared her story about donating a kidney. So I don’t know how you top that. And it’s really amazing that all of these folks took time out of their lives to come in and sit down with us and share a story. We’ve had so much fun. We appreciate every last one of the folks that have been on the show with us. So in concluding, you know, I want to say, in an effort to bring you the material that you want to hear, we are going to get active on our Facebook page. We’ve had a Facebook page for the show. Haven’t really done anything with it till now. So find us on Facebook like us on Facebook. And if you have topics or if you have questions or comments or more importantly, if you’ve heard an episode and we didn’t explain something thoroughly or we left you with questions, hit us up on the Facebook page, get it posted there, will answer you, and maybe it’ll even trigger a thought for another episode. Or maybe we need to do a whole episode around what what you’re asking. So we’re looking forward to engaging with our listeners on Facebook and certainly join our subscriber mailing list. You can do that on the website. We are going to communicate via Facebook and we’re going to communicate via our email list. So when new things are happening or coming out, or if we have special items or events coming out on our Patreon account, we’re going to be communicating through Facebook and our subscriber list. So this concludes the 50th episode of the Go It John Show. It’s hard to believe it, but it’s true. And thank you so much to every one of you for listening and go out there and build something extraordinary.