The Passionate Few

💰 Evan Rugen is revealing how he scaled Let's Get Funded past $100K/month, live and free. Seats are limited. Save yours → webinar.letsgetfunded.com Skool Community: https://skool.letsgetfunded.com 💼 Grow Your Business w/ GoHighLevel? Get Your FREE 30-Day Trial NOW: https://www.gohighlevel.com/passionate/?fp_ref=omar-elattar-productions39 ✅ Want To Be Interviewed On This Podcast? → https://forms.gle/vS5X5cPdV1i2nMo79 In this episode, we sit down with Evan Rugen for round two: CEO of Let's Get Funded, who went from a struggling real estate developer close to bankruptcy to building a $1 million per month business in just 36 months. Evan breaks down exactly how he discovered 0% business funding, how he used it to save his own real estate portfolio before turning it into a business, and the four-quadrant model that took him from $0 to $1M/month. He also gets into AI chatbots, stacking recurring revenue streams, the limit-transfer strategy that let him borrow $275K from Chase over five years without ever paying interest, and the mindset that keeps him pushing like the opportunity could disappear tomorrow. 💬 What We Cover: Going from a struggling real estate developer to $1M/month in 36 months How he accessed $200K-$300K in 0% business funding without tax returns or bank statements Using that funding to save his own real estate portfolio before building a business around it The consulting fee model and how the business actually makes money The four quadrants: advertising, setting, closing, and fulfillment 18 months to $100K/month, then progressively faster growth to $1M/month Case study: taking a former bottle-service worker to $20K/month in three months, then $150K/month AI chatbot as a major competitive advantage and early adoption before it was obvious Stacking recurring revenue: $97/month community plus affiliate income from credit monitoring referrals Starting with zero attendees on weekly calls and growing to 60+ through two years of consistency The limit-transfer strategy: cycling 0% financing indefinitely before the promo period ends Borrowing $275K from Chase across five years without ever paying interest Credit hacks: reporting rent payments, requesting limit increases, freezing interest on maxed cards Why giving away equity under $500K is a mistake when 0% bank financing exists Spending $8,000 a day on ads with a 7-8x return How bringing on his first fulfillment hire unlocked growth from $50K to $100K/month The pre-call trust video that cuts no-shows before every Zoom call ITIN and tax services as the next divisions to scale Free LexisNexis report (normally $6,000/month to access) for listeners who mention "Omar the Rockstar" Why urgency and spite are the two biggest drivers separating winners from quitters Follow Us: 📲 Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/ 📲 The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/ 📲 Evan's IG: https://www.instagram.com/boweryboi/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: Timestamps: 01:52 – Intro & Welcome Back: Round Two with Evan Rugen 03:11 – From Struggling Real Estate Developer to Funding Insider 05:01 – Turning Personal Success Into a Business 05:30 – How the Business Model Actually Works 08:23 – The Four Quadrants and the Path to $1M/Month 11:23 – Who Succeeds in This Business 13:08 – Case Study: Taking a Former Bottle-Service Worker to $150K/Month 17:09 – The Monopoly Framework and Why Quality Sells Itself 18:29 – Stacking Recurring Revenue Streams 21:16 – Betting on AI Before It Was Obvious 23:29 – Zero Attendees to 60+ Through Two Years of Consistency 25:16 – Why Funded Clients Actually Pay and 1,000+ Five-Star Reviews 27:34 – How Fast Is Approval? Two to Three Days 29:09 – The Lawrence Taylor Story: Focus Over Noise 31:15 – The Funding Deal Math 33:01 – Running $250K/Month in 0% Cards for His Own Ad Spend 34:04 – The Limit-Transfer Strategy: Borrowing $275K Without Paying Interest 36:41 – Underused Credit Hacks Most People Don't Know 39:12 – Becoming the Money Guy in Your Circle 40:04 – Overcoming Self-Doubt and the First $2,000 Deal in 25 Minutes 41:12 – Debt vs. Equity: Why Give Away Ownership? 42:14 – How Close He Came to Bankruptcy Before Discovering Funding 43:33 – Urgency and Spite: What Separates Winners From Quitters 45:12 – Busier Broke, Freer Rich 46:02 – The First Key Hire That Unlocked $50K to $100K/Month 48:05 – What's Next: ITIN and Tax Services 48:49 – Inside a Funding Manager's Job 50:03 – Spending $8,000/Day on Ads With a 7-8x Return 52:08 – The Pre-Call Trust Video That Cuts No-Shows 53:06 – Treating the Opportunity Like It Could Disappear in Six Months 53:37 – The Two Moments That Convinced Him This Was a Real Business 54:20 – Where to Find Evan and the Bowery Boy Origin Story 56:17 – LG Silver Program and Free LexisNexis Report Offer 58:00 – Final Words and Closing  

💼 Grow Your Business w/ GoHighLevel? Get Your FREE 30-Day Trial NOW: https://www.gohighlevel.com/passionate/?fp_ref=omar-elattar-productions39 ✅ Want To Be Interviewed On This Podcast? → https://forms.gle/vS5X5cPdV1i2nMo79 In this episode, we sit down with Joel Mercado, an NLP practitioner, hypnotherapist, and business coach who has helped 100+ contractors generate over $100M in revenue. Joel opens up about growing up with a paranoid schizophrenic father, becoming homeless at 16, having a gun put to his head at 17, and spending his 20s drinking heavily to numb the pain. He breaks down how hypnotherapy helped him forgive his father after 13 years of estrangement, how he nearly lost his home and had his cars repossessed multiple times, and how his wife almost left him before he finally hit his real turning point. He also shares the mindset tools, frameworks, and coaching methods that helped him go from rock bottom to helping other business owners build multi-million dollar companies. 💬 What We Cover: - Growing up with a paranoid schizophrenic father: abuse, paranoia, and multiple personalities - Not seeing his father for 13 years, and how hypnotherapy finally healed it - Becoming homeless at 16 after dropping out of high school - Moving to Arizona at 20, too shy to even order pizza over the phone - Making $200K a year in his 20s, and spending every dollar of it - A gun put to his head at 17 during an armed robbery - A hidden drinking problem that lasted from age 16 through his 30s - Nearly losing his home, having cars repossessed, and hitting rock bottom - Working from a hospital bed on morphine after ulcerative colitis - His wife almost leaving him: his real turning point - The AVR sales framework and the MAVEN coaching methodology - Why 19 of 21 one-on-one clients hit seven figures last year - Why your subconscious processes self-deprecating jokes as literal truth - Losing 30 pounds and going fully sober for the first time since age 16 - Face everything and rise vs. fear everything and run Follow Us: 📲 Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/ 📲 The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/ 📲 Joel's IG: https://www.instagram.com/joelmercadoofficial/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro & Welcome 00:34 - Growing Up With a Paranoid Schizophrenic Father 02:10 - 13 Years of Estrangement From His Father 03:21 - His Mother's Belief in Him & His Brother's Influence 04:34 - Moving to Arizona at 20 05:12 - Cold-Calling From a Dirt-Floor Trailer to Sell Gym Memberships 06:05 - Becoming Homeless at 16 08:17 - The Tony Robbins Seminar That Changed Everything 09:08 - Selling $30K Solar Systems Door-to-Door on 100% Commission 11:02 - The AVR Sales Framework: Acknowledge, Validate, Reverse 15:45 - Why Most People Don't Believe in Themselves 17:35 - 19 of 21 One-on-One Clients Hit Seven Figures Last Year 18:31 - Why Business Strategy Alone Isn't Enough 19:50 - The MAVEN Framework 23:39 - A Hidden Drinking Problem That Lasted Decades 26:35 - His Wife of 17 Years as His Emotional Anchor 27:38 - Finding His Business Mentor 31:20 - Making $200K in His 20s and Spending Every Dollar 31:59 - Building the Painting Business From Scratch on Ramen Noodles 34:46 - Suicidal Thoughts at Rock Bottom 35:05 - How Hypnotherapy Helped Him Heal 36:28 - Healing His Relationship With His Father 40:12 - What NLP Actually Is and How It Works 43:37 - Your Subconscious Can't Take a Joke 50:41 - His Wife Almost Leaving Him 52:17 - Working From a Hospital Bed on Morphine 54:02 - Nearly Losing His Home to Foreclosure 55:23 - A Gun to His Head at 17 56:35 - His Real Rock Bottom 1:00:15 - Losing 30 Pounds and Going Fully Sober 1:15:17 - The Power of Journaling to Find Clarity 1:17:14 - Face Everything and Rise vs. Fear Everything and Run 1:18:16 - The Bison and the Storm Analogy 1:21:34 - First Things First: Rapid-Fire Round 1:23:12 - Legacy: One Plus One Equals Three 1:24:23 - The 1% Better Every Day Philosophy 1:27:01 - Final Words & Closing

💰 Evan Rugen is revealing how he scaled Let's Get Funded past $100K/month — live and free. Seats are limited. Save yours → webinar.letsgetfunded.com Skool Community: https://skool.letsgetfunded.com 💼 Grow Your Business w/ GoHighLevel? Get Your FREE 30-Day Trial NOW: https://www.gohighlevel.com/passionate/?fp_ref=omar-elattar-productions39 ✅ Want To Be Interviewed On This Podcast? → https://forms.gle/vS5X5cPdV1i2nMo79 In this episode, we sit down with Evan Rugen — CEO of Let's Get Funded — to break down exactly how he went from -$300,000 in credit card debt at 27 to unlocking $1.8 million in 0% interest business funding, all without ever handing over a tax return. Evan walks through the credit repair and business-credit system he built to save his own real estate portfolio, why he'll never pay a dollar of interest on that $1.8M, and the mindset blocks (plus a hypnosis session) that had to break before the money did. He also gets into the industries that lean on this kind of funding most, the red flags that get people denied on the spot, and why he thinks real income freedom starts at $50K a month. 💬 What We Cover: • From real estate developer to -$300,000 in credit card debt at 27 • The Covid-era credit hit that started his credit repair journey • The six levels: fixing credit, building your file, non-doc funding, bank statement loans, tax-return loans, and SBA lending • How he's accessed $1.8 million at 0% interest without ever providing a tax return • The Chase credit-limit "transfer trick" that keeps compounding his 0% access • Why business credit beats personal credit for real leverage • Getting non-US talent (Philippines, Colombia, Egypt) approved for American credit through an ITIN • Why Wells Fargo, Flagstar, and Chase are lending aggressively right now — and why • The biggest misconception that stops people from using 0% business credit • The three biggest red flags that get people denied by bank tellers • How LexisNexis identity verification can make or break a funding application • The realistic timeline to go from sub-500 credit to 700+ (2–6 months) • Real client stories: identity theft, a "dead business partner" on an LLC, and worse • Requesting credit limit increases before you need them • The three-trait pattern he's seen in every highly successful client • Getting hypnotized to fix his relationship with money — and what happened the next day • Why he thinks real financial freedom starts at $50,000/month • Inside the Let's Get Funded school community: free credit repair, ITIN help, and daily calls Follow Us: 📲 Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/ 📲 The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/ 📲 Evan's IG: https://www.instagram.com/boweryboi/   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro & Meet Evan Rugen, CEO of Let's Get Funded 00:45 – From Real Estate Developer to Credit Repair 01:04 – The Covid Car Purchase That Wrecked His Credit 01:51 – Level 1: Fixing Your Own Credit 02:40 – Level 2: Building Out Your Credit File 02:57 – Level 3: Non-Doc Business Funding & $1.8M at 0% 06:25 – The Chase Limit-Transfer Trick Explained 09:15 – Why Business Credit Beats Personal Credit 10:32 – Levels 4–6: Bank Statement, Tax-Return & SBA Loans 11:12 – His Worst Credit Score Ever (550 in 2022) 11:31 – Step 1, 2, 3 to Start Fixing Your Credit 13:11 – Craziest Credit Horror Stories He's Seen 14:40 – Realistic Timeline: Sub-500 to 700+ 15:52 – His Entrepreneurial Roots & Family Background 16:47 – First Real Estate Deal: $58K to $450K 18:47 – Funding $1M a Week in 0% Business Credit 19:16 – Best Banks & Cards for 0% Offers 19:41 – Getting Americans Credit Access via ITIN 21:33 – Why Wells Fargo, Flagstar & Chase Are Lending Aggressively 23:32 – The Biggest Misconception About Business Credit Cards 24:11 – Going -$300,000 in Credit Card Debt at 27 28:08 – The Industries That Use This Funding Most 31:24 – How LexisNexis Verification Can Make or Break You 33:32 – Line of Credit vs. Credit Card: What's the Difference 34:56 – Minimum Credit Score Needed for Business Funding 38:46 – The Biggest Leverage for Growing Your Score 40:22 – Best & Worst Financial Decisions With Credit 41:42 – Real Estate vs. Digital Recurring Revenue, Compared 42:46 – Inside the Let's Get Funded School Community 44:55 – The 3-Trait Pattern in Every Successful Client 46:26 – Overleveraging Himself & Hitting Rock Bottom 48:25 – Getting Hypnotized to Fix His Relationship With Money 52:59 – Investing in Himself Instead of Real Estate 54:32 – His First Hustles: Skate Lessons to Reselling Shirts 1:04:38 – First Things First: Rapid-Fire Round 1:06:47 – Best Advice to His Younger Self 1:11:08 – Final Words & Where to Find Evan

💰💵 Your business could be one of three backed with $1 million. Apply now before December 31, 2026: https://www.founderfindsfuture.com/pages/fff-landing-page 💼 Grow Your Business w/ GoHighLevel? Get Your FREE 30-Day Trial NOW: https://www.gohighlevel.com/passionate/?fp_ref=omar-elattar-productions39 ✈️ Entrepreneurs & Executives: Ready to fly private or explore full-service aircraft management with HAVEN ASG? ✅ Book a Risk-FREE Call Now: https://havenasg.com/contact/ ✅ Want To Be Interviewed On This Podcast? https://forms.gle/vS5X5cPdV1i2nMo79 In this episode, we sit down with Matt Wright, a nine-figure entrepreneur who scaled his online car-buying company in Australia to nearly $500 million in annual revenue and exited to Toyota for $120 million at just 33 years old. Matt gets brutally honest about dropping out at 15, moving to Australia broke at 20, turning $40K in crypto into $3–4 million, and why receiving $120 million felt completely empty. He also opens up about the chronic depression that followed, not seeing his daughter for three and a half years due to COVID, and his new founder fund backing three founders worldwide with $1M each. 💬 WHAT WE COVER: • Dropping out at 15 in the UK and moving to Australia at 20 with $4–5K saved • Becoming the #1 sales rep out of 70 people at a Telstra call center • Running someone else's car-buying business for five years and getting nothing at the exit • Turning $40K into $3–4M in crypto while locked out of the account for six years • Making $391K in 11 days on the SpaceX IPO • Borrowing $200K from his father and starting at 27 with an exit in mind from day one • Becoming the largest online car-buyer in Australia within 60 days of launch • Scaling to 450 cars a week, $500K/month in ads, and 15,000 leads a month • Revenue year by year: $182M, $253M, and $356M with 220 full-time staff • Rejecting three Australian offers of $50–65M to find an overseas buyer • Having two final offers on the table, with one $30M higher, and signing at 3 a.m. on Christmas Eve • Getting $120M wired all at once and feeling absolutely nothing • Chronic depression for five to six weeks after the exit • Not seeing his daughter, Elsie, for three and a half years due to COVID border closures • The four non-negotiables: obsession, money motivation, endurance, and focus • His A-player hiring secret: Watch how fast they walk down the corridor • Why passion follows competence, not the other way around • The founder fund: $1M each into one founder in the UK, US, and Australia FOLLOW US: 📲 Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/ 📲 The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/ 📲 Matt's IG: https://www.instagram.com/realmattwright/ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Intro & The $120M Exit Story 00:40 – What It's Like Getting a $120M Wire at 33 01:39 – Growing Up in the UK & Dropping Out at 15 04:01 – Moving to Australia at 20 With $4–5K Saved 05:49 – Becoming the #1 Sales Rep Out of 70 People at Telstra 07:29 – Running Someone Else's Business for Five Years With Nothing at the Exit 08:42 – The Anger That Lit the Fire to Start His Own Company 11:08 – Borrowing $200K From His Father to Start at 27 11:50 – Turning $40K Into $3–4M in Crypto 13:26 – Making $391K in 11 Days on the SpaceX IPO 15:28 – Starting the Business at 27 With an Exit in Mind From Day One 19:03 – Becoming the Largest Online Car-Buyer in Australia Within 60 Days 19:54 – Scaling to 450 Cars a Week & $500K/Month in Ad Spend 23:42 – Revenue Year by Year: $182M, $253M & $356M 27:01 – Flying to Portugal and Telling His Father, "I Can't Do This Anymore" 28:37 – The 18-Month Sale Process and Three Australian Offers of $50–65M 35:11 – Two Final Offers, One $30M Higher, and Choosing Toyota's Clean Exit 39:24 – Signing at 3 a.m. on Christmas Eve 40:07 – Getting $120M Wired All at Once and Feeling Nothing 42:37 – Chronic Depression After the Exit 44:08 – Not Seeing His Daughter for Three and a Half Years Due to COVID 46:37 – The Four Non-Negotiables for Every Founder 52:06 – The New Founder Fund: $1M Each Into Three Founders Worldwide 54:31 – What He'd Do Differently: Hire Better People Earlier 57:44 – Passion Follows Competence, Not the Other Way Around 01:00:06 – The A-Player Hiring Secret: Watch How Fast They Walk 01:03:46 – The Founder Fund: Who He's Looking For & How to Apply 01:07:35 – Advice for People Who Feel Stuck: Call Your Shot Publicly 01:09:16 – First Things First: Rapid-Fire Round 01:11:11 – The Best Moment of His Life: Closing the Deal With His Father 01:17:37 – Final Words: Stop Dreaming, Start Doing

💼 Grow Your Business w/ GoHighLevel? Get Your FREE 30-Day Trial NOW: https://www.gohighlevel.com/passionate/?fp_ref=omar-elattar-productions39 ✅ Want To Be Interviewed On This Podcast? → https://forms.gle/vS5X5cPdV1i2nMo79 In this episode, we sit down with Peter Roth, serial entrepreneur and founder of Scalefy, the go-to expert for building outsourced call centers for seven and eight-figure home services companies. Peter opens up about immigrating from Ukraine at age 2, growing up working as a pin boy in his father's bowling alley until a gang shooting ended it overnight, getting fired from every job he ever had, and building a cigar bar that generated just under $3M a year — a business he still owns today. He also tells the wild story of a trusted employee who sent a Sunday night extortion email demanding $22,000 a week, hijacked the company Slack account, deleted Peter's access, and began contacting clients as the new "owner." Peter breaks down how he responded, what it cost him, and the hard lessons that came from it. Plus, why call centers are one of the most underrated lead generation tools in business — and why federal robocalling laws prevent AI from ever fully replacing human cold callers. 💬 What We Cover: - Immigrating from Ukraine at age 2 and growing up with a hustle-or-starve mentality - His father's journey: two dry cleaners → a repossessed 40-lane bowling alley bought for pennies on the dollar - Working as a pin boy — ended by a gang shooting in the parking lot - Getting fired from every job after college — and realizing he wasn't built to work for anyone - Opening a cigar kiosk at 24 with wedding and bar mitzvah money — still owns it 25+ years later - How a fraudulent eviction lawsuit accidentally pulled him into HVAC - Selling his HVAC company to a private equity-backed buyer around age 42 - How nearly $250K in losses made him the call center expert he is today - A trusted employee sending a Sunday night extortion email: $22K a week or he'd seize the clients - How the employee hijacked the company Slack, deleted Peter's access, and posed as the new owner - Why he opened an FBI case but chose not to pursue litigation - The "trust but verify" rule he now lives by for every critical business system - Why federal robocalling laws prevent AI from fully replacing human cold callers - Why he hires exclusively from Latin America — and the cultural and demographic advantage - His dirty joke interview requirement — and why bold personalities make the best cold callers - The business growth ladder: sales to $100K, marketing to $1M, brand to $3–5M, culture beyond that - A $4,500 discount on call center build-outs for the first six listeners who book a call - His biggest fear: getting tired before reaching his goals Follow Us: 📲 Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/ 📲 The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/ 📲 Peter's IG: https://www.instagram.com/officialpeterroth/   Timestamps: 00:01 – Intro & Welcome 00:26 – What Peter Does Today: Building Call Centers for 7 & 8-Figure Companies 02:09 – What a Call Center Actually Is 02:52 – Why Lead Generation Is Every Business Owner's Core Problem 04:19 – How the Call Center Business Was Born by Accident 04:49 – Born in Ukraine, Immigrated to the U.S. at Age 2 05:27 – The Immigrant Hustle Mentality His Parents Modeled 06:36 – His Father's Journey: Dry Cleaners to a 40-Lane Bowling Alley 07:37 – Working as a Pin Boy — Until a Gang Shooting Ended It 09:01 – His Father's Biggest Limitation: Never Learning to Delegate 10:26 – Getting Fired From Every Job After College 10:53 – Opening a Cigar Kiosk at 24 With Wedding Money 12:24 – The Fraudulent Lawsuit That Pulled Him Into HVAC 14:47 – Selling His HVAC Company to Private Equity Around Age 42 19:48 – The Cigar Bar That Generated Just Under $3M a Year 20:23 – How the First Call Center Started by Accident 32:13 – Nearly $250K in Losses Learning the Hard Way 33:16 – A Trusted Employee's Betrayal 34:31 – The Sunday Night Extortion Email: $22K a Week or Else 38:23 – The Account Hijacking and Client Fallout 43:15 – The New Rule: Trust But Verify Everything 45:16 – Why He Didn't Pursue Legal Action Despite Opening an FBI Case 46:21 – Why Overseas Talent Performs Just as Well With the Right Structure 47:27 – Using AI to Build Better SOPs 53:36 – Why Federal Robocalling Laws Prevent AI From Replacing Cold Callers 55:45 – Go Where Others Are Ignoring: Underutilized Channels 1:00:33 – The 1 in 5 Demographic Advantage 1:01:17 – Sales Is a Personality Test 1:02:08 – "A Laughing Jury Is Never a Hanging Jury" 1:02:24 – The Dirty Joke Interview Requirement 1:04:05 – Call Center Build-Out Size, Costs & Turnaround Time 1:05:55 – The Business Growth Ladder: Sales, Marketing, Brand, Culture 1:08:24 – Where to Find Peter & the Listener Discount Offer 1:09:16 – First Things First: Rapid-Fire Round 1:12:37 – Legacy: Inspiring People to Do Bigger Things