Foreign. You ever notice the people doing the most aren't asking for advice? This is Built Without Permission. I'm Matthew Mac. Before I ever drew a blueprint or signed a business deal, I was folding suits, hauling snow and washing glasses until 2am Then came architecture, tow trucks, and a built business from the ground up with my partner. No blueprint, no safety net, no approval. Just real stories, hard pivots and what it actually takes to build something from nothing. Let's get to work. Steve, thank you for joining me on Built Without Permission. So I would like to know the 62nd version of who you are and what you built. Just the real story. All right, well, who I am is a, is a husband and a dad. And professionally I've always been a problem solver and, and I did that for someone else for a long time, for 15 years, solved a lot of problems, scaled the company, learned a ton of things. And what we've built from that time when I left that corporate career is we're like, let's, if we're going to do this, let's, let's really actually get after it and set some goals that are insane. And so we've been building a short term rental company across. We're in four markets and we took our two hobby Airbnbs that we had last May and we've ballooned it to 27 units in the last basically one year. Nice. We built something from, we just went after it really. And then we, and we built something that fully took over my income after six months and is now took over my wife's income and so we're both retired and building something new. Awesome. Awesome. And when you meet short term rentals, can you define that a little bit because. Yeah, yeah, short term rentals, everybody most, most familiar with the term Airbnb for sure. But we're like on VRBO and Wednesday and we have our own private booking site and the idea is to capture shorter term stays kind of like at a higher margin than long term stays. And that's great for a couple of reasons, but mostly for us. Quick turnovers, make sure we keep the property pristine. And so a lot of these property managers we work with, that's one of our main things. Like the property has to be pristine because we reviews and, and you just, the revenue is higher on shorter term stays versus longer term stays and a lot less wear and tear on the property. So. Yeah. Cool. And that's awesome. Yeah. Because I was actually gonna say on a side note, we'll, we'll talk more about that because there is some interest in it as well. Yeah, man, it's awesome. It's a great. Yeah, it was a great. And it's turned to be a great business. Yeah. And congrats again for your. Your wife's retirement on her job. So long, long time coming. Yeah. Rooting for you guys big time. Thanks. And then so yeah. What is it or did you ever have a moment or moments where you almost quit and what is it that stopped you? It's really interesting. I heard somebody today, I was actually watching a reel this morning about a lady that left her corporate job and she not realize how long it would take her body to reset and be ready for something new. And I, I experienced something similar. Like I, I walked into my business or my career after 15 years and one day I said I'm done. No two weeks notice, nothing else. Like for my own sanity and health, I just had to be done. And so even doing. I almost quit on that decision. I almost talked myself into staying. So it. The next three months, from three to six months from that point was just me talking myself through tremendous seasons of fear around not being employed anymore, not having insurance anymore, not having a 401k anymore. And then we have to build something. We don't know what it is and if we don't figure it out, then we're going to be in the poor house. And like it was really rocky. The first three months were really rocky. I don't. I would like to say that I don't think there was ever a moment I thought I was going to quit. It was way more like moments of tremendous self doubt that had me frozen, that I had to push through. So yeah, we, it was not an option to quit. So we didn't think that way. But, but emotionally and mentally there were days that I'm like, I'm gonna go lay in bed. Yeah, yeah. No, for sure. And I find that like. And I'm sure like we talk about this a lot is the subconscious. Right. Especially in, especially in the elites too. Right. It's where that subconscious that always tries to get the better of us and downplays us on things that aren't true. Yeah. Just in the name of protection, you know, of like your brain trying to protect you from a thing. And yeah. I learned that that fear is the gap between who you need to become and you can see who you need to become in your brain season. It's like that's scary. And versus who you are today. So when I adopted the fear is actually a signal that I'M moving the right direction and that the solution is to, is to basically get a coach and start learning new skills that allow me to move towards being that person and then relentlessly pursue it regardless of the fear. That was a big unlock. Yeah. Awesome. And like, did you ever think that, like brush up about coaching and all, did you ever think that you would ever end up looking for a coach? I have been an athlete my entire life. You would have thought it would have translated. It didn't translate from sports to business for me. Yeah. And it was. I, I consider myself to be one of the most coachable people I've ever met. And it's like, hey, basketball coach, show me exactly what to do. I will do it and I'll be whatever that does for me. And when I found a business coach and he could just tell me exactly what to do and I could go do it, that changed everything. Everything, eh? Yeah. I'll be honest, for me, I would have never expected to, but then I did. I'm glad I've taken that leap as well. And definitely one of the biggest things is to be able to network with like minded people. Right. That's the biggest thing for me because it's just really true to the word of your, your network is your net worth. Right. Did you find that to be a really happy side effect that you weren't expecting when you joined the coaching? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And it just, it's just, it felt like that there's also a lot of things for, for myself that it's like I always knew it or know it in my, in my mind. But there's things that are shared that are verifying that I'm on the right mindset. Right. It just confirms that. Okay, I'm not odd or off or whatnot in my thinking. But okay, so it is true. So I'm not off steering off my path. I'm, I'm, I'm going way. Right. Yeah. And the right way for us always seems counterintuitive. Yes. So then we're like, then we wonder if we're crazy and then we're just in a room full of other crazies that are other crazies. So we must be doing the right crazy thing, right? Oh yeah. No, and it's great too that it's like we all get to learn things and support one another regardless of what paths we're taking and what we're doing in our work and what we. All our skills are completely different. Completely similar, but still works. Right. Like the ethics and Everything behind it, which is really cool. Yep. And now. So let's see, what is it that your biggest failure that you actually happen to feel that it costs you the most? Right, but. Okay, wait, let me rephrase that. My mind's all gibberish right now. Okay, tell me about your biggest failure. What actually happened and what did it cost you? Sorry. Oh, man. The one that comes to mind instantly is the one I'll jump on. At the end of 2018, I bought a gym at Anytime Fitness. Okay. And it started off in failure. They were hemorrhaging members. They were leaving in droves. I had no idea. And the financials that I had two experts look at didn't quite show the real picture. So Instead of being 3,000 ahead, it was like 4,000 behind each point. And I stepped into it. No business acumen, except for what I'd learned over the 15 years. And we kind of built it up and we got it to even after one full year. And I spent too much money, I did too many things that I thought I should have, didn't reserve cash. Tons of failures in this whole thing. And then Covid hit and we were in. And you know, in the states, we had some states that fully shut down and we had open. Well, I live in a state that stayed open, but my gym was in a state that fully shut down. And so then we just. We just got hammered, right? Yeah, more. And so at that time, if I knew what I knew now, I would have. I would have kept the gym and I would have got it rolling again because I have better skills now. But I didn't and I bailed and I sold it at a loss and I got out of it, which I think ultimately was the right decision for where I ended up today. Yeah. But I was running a full time job at that time. We just bought a duplex and we're remodeling it. We had our second child. My wife and I were getting like very distant because I was gone from 6 in the morning to 8 or 9pm every single night. Yeah. Daytime job, gym. And so that just taught me so many things about will I bounce back? Will I let that bring me down? And it let. It brought me down for a time and I let it do that. And so that. That was definitely one of the largest failures, is the most monetary big fail. I think I failed my family during that time frame. But it's funny we use the word failure now, because now when I think about it, I actually think about it as a tremendous learning opportunity. And thank goodness for the tremendous lessons learned about family, about what I. What my capacity is and. And what I learned about finances and pandemics and how to get through. Like, there was so much learning. So that's been the reframe for me. But holy smokes. Was at a tough time at that time. Yeah. And you made it through it. Right. You made it through it, and that just made you stronger as a person who you are today. Right. And that's what's interesting too. Like, it's like when you're like, if you go back to that time when everything was happening, this is what you knew, this is what you thought was right. You know, you're not realizing the effect that you're causing towards the time for your family and everything. Right. And I feel like that's where we become victims upon that because I feel the same thing happens to me. I get so overworked or for times where it's. They're the ones that are suffering, not so much us, because we're just thinking that we're doing the right thing to, you know, build that family, build that income, build all that right stuff in our mind. Right. But really not realizing until afterwards, once you're outside of that, like, bubble or that zone or that, you know, in that moment that you really see what real effects have been happening around you. When we've bought into the grind culture lie, which I think is a total lie. Yeah. Get two or three side hustles, you know, grind and grind and grind. Sacrifice now for a future reward. And that. I've not seen that work out. People are sick, they're divorced, their kids don't know them. Like, it's a horrible. And I think the reason we're all in the community that we're in now is because our coach says you can build it in a way that doesn't make you need to take a vacation that you don't need to retire from. It becomes just life. It's not work and life, it's just life. Yeah. I think that's a big thread, and I've talked to a lot of elites and I hear that over and over and over. Yes, that really resonates big time. Yeah, I really like that. Yeah. So, yeah, you. You did pretty much blend into the second question on your last take there, which is all. So let's jump to. Let's say, you know, if it were someone that is still working the nine to five, right. And they're. They wanted to make that step forward and doing something of their own, but they don't know how or whatnot. Like, what advice would you give them? Oh, man. It's interesting you asked this. It's very timely because somehow my Instagram, even though I'm very slow growth, I've got people asking me this question now. I actually finally feel like I have an answer now. I don't. I don't know if it's the answer, but I have an answer. Okay, look, here's the frame. If you could leave your 9 to 5, you would have done it. So if you can't leave your 9 to 5 yet, that means there's a skill gap between who you are today and who you need to become to be able to leave your nine to five. And so what I've learned over the last year is you have to invest in you. And it feels so woo woo. And like. But the neuroscience is backing it now. Neuroplasticity and all of the studies around it are backing it now. You go out and you get better context from a mentor, from a podcast, from a book. And you pursue better skills. How to grow a business, how to do sales, how to do your finances, whatever those skills are that would take it so that you could leave your 9 to 5. Go pursue them relentlessly and build a better this. Yeah. And as you build a better this, you'll start to see the opportunities that will allow you to leave your 9 to 5. I think people think the opportunity is going to come. They'll see it and jump. And I'm saying you can't see it until you change this. Because if you could see it, you'd have seen it already. Yes. That's my advice. So invest in yourself. I like that. So a lot of people don't have that gift given to them right away to foresee that. Right. And interesting enough so for myself just to share a little bit, I got to see what I wanted to be. And I still remember it when I was in grade five. Wow. And it's like fast forward everything that I ever wanted to this point happened and now further. So that's where I. I'm a big believer on the whole vision of when you believe where you are in 10 years from now and you envision it, you will be there. You will get that Right. So that's where part of the verifying and all being on the elites too. And what Dan says, like, it just blows my mind. Right. And then now speaking with the Dan AI was like that, like refreshed the whole thing saying, Matt, what you discovered at that age, people take freaking A lifetime to even discover that. Yep. Right. So I feel like it's, it's pretty amazing and I feel fortunate for that. But yeah, it's really cool. One of my biggest roadblocks to what you got at five years old was I always believed that I was never allowed to set a goal unless I could see how to achieve it. Yeah. And that always kept me back. So I'm like, well, I can't say I want to be a millionaire or I can't see it going to be a millionaire if I can't see how to get there. And my whole life is flipped upside down on that. I'm now like, I just set it out there and I don't. It doesn't matter if I will or won't get there. It's solving for how to get there and then pursuing that relentless thing and seeing where you fall. And then there's whole other ways to make it even more powerful. I don't know if you've read the Science of Scaling by Benjamin Hardy, but he talks about taking people's 10 year goal that they can totally see how to get to and shrinking it to three and solving for that after they get over their emotions about how impossible it is. And then you solve for it. You're like, oh my gosh, I could do it in three. And then he's like, do it in one. And you try to solve for one year and that, that actually leap for. It's like a time warp. So it takes the truth that you just said and the thing you uncovered when you were five and then it's like you can actually put it on rocket fuel. Yeah. And even get there faster. Which has been fascinating for someone who is totally nonbeliever. Yeah. A year ago. Yeah. Which is amazing. Right. Like, and, and that's how actually I felt like I feel not both like that book, but like just being part of the group with dan was that 10 years feels like it's shorter for me. The same idea. It's a, it just. I know I can be there in 10 years, but now I can get there in five. You know, same same concept. Right. It's just, it's just you're finding that you're seeking that knowledge that at times, let's say you know you need or you didn't know you need, but you get that certain knowledge that you needed to help you advance further. Yep. Yeah. And. And because you did the mind work and you have the future vision out there, I think I saw something on the neuroscience that your brain will actually seek to make evidence for the thing, for it to be real, which is so cool. It's super. Yeah, super cool. Nor can we ever explain it, but you just got to believe it. You just got to do it. And that's where I think I'm coachable. It's like Dan said, just go do it this way. And I'm like, okay, I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm just gonna go do it. And that is, I think that's a big reason why we've had so much success. Yeah, cool. And like in. Around what you, what you do right now currently. So for the short term rentals and all, like, do you base it off of certain areas in the states or do you go like, is there, is there a limitation of where you're. You're getting the properties or no. Or do you just go wherever there is possibilities? Yeah, there's several things to consider actually. So you've got major markets like Kissimmee, Orlando, Vegas, sort of Nashville, another, another, like larger metropolitan area where, where STRs have really taken off. And you're like, okay, if I want to go compete in those markets, I definitely have to be the top 10%. And you have to have killer design. You've got to have like themed units that are over the top and great experience. So that's kind of one layer. And then you have to consider the state level regulations. So different states have different regulations on the STRs. And so you're like, what do I want to navigate there? Honestly, we stepped into one of the heaviest regulated areas, which is shocking for our state. But our city said you can only have one short term rental per building per complex. So if there's 300 rooms in the building one, you only can one. Wow. And so we were first to that market. So we got the one which was amazing, which kind of blocks everybody out. Now, Idaho has changed a bunch more of the regulations so that the cities can't control it that way anymore, which is great for us. So you have to consider those things. And then you're like, do you want to go to a major market or a submarket? And then there's a whole bunch of research you've got to do on what amenities you need to have in place to at least compete. Is that market up to speed on the standards of design and customer service? If they're not, that's a great market to enter into. So it's like my wife handles a lot of this part and she did all the research and Found the best places to go. Yeah. And so there's a whole lot to consider, and it's what keeps a lot of people out of it. Because at the end of the day, we did a lot less considering to start with, and we did a lot more just going and meeting with property managers and places, learning, do it again, face on a face. Learn, do it again until it hit. Yeah, so then. Yeah, so then. And that's the thing. Like, you're. You're going to see the places yourself, meeting the people and. And whatnot. Before closing those deals, we did early, and eventually Nicole was making phone calls and just taking virtual tours, and then we go down and see him. So. Okay, cool. Yeah. Nice. And now with the fun of. I know a lot of us are dipping into the AI and stuff. So you have a whole thing set up internally that you guys built or what? Oh, don't get me started on this. So I jumped in, manufactured a couple apps that allow our cleaning team to have greater success and our communications team to have greater success. So rapid development. Right. But my brain is going nuts. I'm like, what if we had Haven by design is our company name? I'm like, what if we had a Haven brain like Dan AI, but haven AI and the VAs can just ping that. How would I respond to this? What tone should I do? We've got a guest that wants this discount. Do we do that? And, like, build that thing? And then there's even more, like, something that monitors our Slack channels. I haven't even touched all of it yet, but I have lots and lots and lots of ideas that I. I believe if we put into place, would allow us to do a lot more and be, like, the best STR company in the nation. Yeah. What's holding you back? It's time. Yeah. We went from. We went from $4,000 a month, April, and then last May, we made $6,000 a month. This month, our rental revenue was$122,000. Nice. So our business is at such a. A large scale that, like, we had an EA and we pushed ourselves to the limit of all that. And then, like, it's too much. And so we're not having to go back and, like, rebuild a bunch of systems to buy the time back. Yeah. Invest back into these. Some of these things that matter. And that's. We're right in the middle of all that. Right in the middle of. You'll get there. We will. We will be relentless. Yes. Awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. It's like, I think I kind of mentioned to you that I started like building for my, my business like internal software. And I think that this is something that's going to take off pretty well. And what I do, I'm really excited about it. Like I have already implemented for my, for my team and my staff to use which counts inventory, all this stuff that we don't have to now pay a third party company for this type of software for organization, logistics, all that stuff which gets really freaking expensive. Right. So now being, being able to and like for yourself as well when you have, let's say the expertise of being on the ground as well, knowing exactly what you need and you can build now a software for that. It's a game changer. So crazy. It's so crazy. Right? And I'm ready to bring. I'm. I have guy in mind we met last night to just come on and run with it. Yeah. So we'll see what happens. Awesome. All right, so now Steve, built without permission. What does that mean to you? How's that resonate with you? Okay, it's interestingly you'd asked that as your last question because the answer to this question is the very first start that changed everything for me. Yes. I was sitting on my couch totally stressed out about the job that I'm in and I'm flipping through and I, and I keep watching, I watch Myron golden and I'm watching Dan Martell constantly. They're just speaking to me. Right. This video comes up from Dan and this little kid asks him, Dan, what's the best advice you give? And he, and Dan looks at the kid and he goes over your life. You're going to have people in your life that you're going to wish did something for you. You're going to wish your teacher would have given you better grades. You're going to wish your dad would have taught you how to build a business. You're going to wish these people did things for you. And he goes, the moment that you realize that you don't need anyone to do anything for you to win, the world opens up to you. And that is what changed everything. Because I was giving permission for my future to the person I was building the business for. I've tied my wagon to his thing. I said I didn't know I was doing this. Yeah. But I said my financial future is in your hands and I'll work my butt off for you. And when I realized that no, it's in my hands, I don't need you to do anything for me to go to the Million dollar run rate and beyond. That changed everything. And so I went back to that job and I said, this is how we take this company from 8 million to 50 million. It was totally rejected because the culture wasn't ready for it. And I said, peace out. And I went build my own thing. And it changed everything. So life without permission, your whole podcast and the entire thing is literally my genesis story. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. And that's what I felt like when I was putting this together. So with the support of Sebastian Rusk, he's the podcast coach that I'm using. And when we got this name, it just, just sat. Because I said this can relate to so many people. Right. And that's where what I loved about it and it's just such a powerful meaning and it's shocking the self reflection that you have to come to to realize where you are giving away your power. Yeah. And some things seem like. But that's just what you do. Like it's societal that you kind of, you kind of have to overcome. Yep. To reflect back on yourself and realize, no. Where. Where is my place in this and how much control am I giving away because I'm too scared of holding all of it. Yeah. And you know what? That's what defines us from where the rest of the world. Right. We were all trained and, and, and taught through school and everything just to be like sheep. Right. Until you find that there's more to life or something. And when you start getting that feeling and that's where you start breaking through slowly but surely. Right. Even just the way we're taught about how success comes in school. You learn this thing, you regurgitate it, you get a good grade, you win. There's a formula to winning there. Yes. Formula to winning out here is F, F D plus D plus A, F A. That's how this works all out here. That as soon as you possibly can. 100%. Oh, man. Well, Steve, I really do appreciate you joining me on this. If anyone were to look out for you, how do they find you? Steve? Yeah. So if you feel like there's something I might be able to help you with, just. I don't have anything that I'm selling on my, on my Instagram, but on my Instagram at scale with Stephen. S T E P H E N. Get on there, send me a message. Send the word permission and I'll give you the top. I'll give you the top five books that I listened to on repeat that literally changed. Changed this. Those skills I talked about earlier. That's what changed it. So if anybody feels like they resonate, happy to share what I know. Awesome. I'll be sending you a message, seeing permission. All right, Steve, well, thanks for coming on here. Built without permission. We'll talk soon. Thank you, man. I appreciate it. All right, take care. Cheers. If you're waiting for permission, you're already behind. The life you're building starts with the decisions you make today. So stop thinking and start moving. Subscribe, share this with someone still thinking about it. And start building something of your own. No blueprint, no approval, no excuses. I'm Matthew Mac. This is built without permission.