The Passionate Few

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In this episode, we sit down with Paul Rodriguez (P-Rod), ten-time signature Nike SB pro athlete and one of the most decorated street skateboarders in history. Paul opens up about going from zero to pro in five years, what it was like to get a "Welcome P-Rod" sign at Nike's campus at age 19, and why ten signature shoes later, the feeling still hasn't gotten old. He gets honest about the knee injury at 33 that put his entire career in doubt, working out five days a week for two years straight just to find out if his skating would ever come back, and the breakup that reignited the obsessive, all-in version of himself he thought he'd lost. This isn't just a skateboarding story. It's a masterclass on obsession, identity, fear, and what it actually takes to turn a dream into a life.
💬 What We Cover:
- Going from zero to pro in five years and what made him different from every other kid with the same dream
- Why skateboarding felt like a calling, not a hobby, from day one
- Every trick is a puzzle: why progression, not the trick itself, is the real addiction
- Traveling to over 100 countries through skateboarding and what seeing real poverty taught him about gratitude
- Ten signature Nike shoes and the handful of athletes in history who've hit that number
- Fighting Nike to get a signature shoe in the first place, and winning within weeks
- The Nike signing story: being flown to campus at 19 and walking in to a "Welcome P-Rod" sign
- Growing up watching his father, comedian Paul Rodriguez Sr., live his dream and what that normalized
- His uncle funding his first board company, Mirage Skateboards, and pitching it to shops on consignment
- Being named to Transworld's 30 Most Influential Skateboarders alongside Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen
- The lemon ranch gamble: converting his grandfather's 40-acre property rather than selling it
- His knee injury at 33 and the moment he realized it could take two years just to find out if his skating would return
- The breakup that reignited his obsession after a comfortable post-injury plateau
- Rational vs. irrational fear and why failure at the pro level is a sign you're still pushing
- Rich vs. miserable: why chasing money alone will leave you empty
- His advice for anyone who hasn't found their thing yet: explore relentlessly until something consumes you
- "What got you there will keep you there": the best advice his father ever gave him
- Why he'd tell his 12-year-old self to start developing grit earlier
Follow Us:
📲 Omar's IG: https://www.instagram.com/omar_therockstar/
📲 The Passionate Few's IG: https://www.instagram.com/passion/
📲 P-Rod's IG: https://www.instagram.com/prodskate/
🎧 Listen on Spotify:
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro & Welcome
01:20 - Looking Back at 20 Years Pro
02:08 - The 12-Year-Old Still Inside Him
03:35 - Zero to Pro in Five Years
04:02 - An Obsession, Not a Hobby
05:20 - Passion Disguised as Fearlessness
08:22 - Progression Is the Real Addiction
10:57 - Still Skating After 20 Years and the Anxiety of What Comes Next
14:20 - Favorite Places He's Traveled
16:25 - What Seeing Real Poverty Taught Him About Gratitude
25:07 - The Nike Signing Story: Flown to Campus at 19
27:41 - Studying His Heroes and the Law of Attraction
29:26 - His Uncle Funding His First Board Company, Mirage Skateboards
32:01 - Paul Rodriguez Sr. and Growing Up Watching His Father Live His Dream
36:21 - Fighting Nike for a Signature Shoe and Winning
40:43 - From Skate Shop to Launching Primitive Skateboards in 2014
42:54 - Investor, Not Entrepreneur
44:10 - When Sponsor Demands Started Crowding Out Actual Skating
46:02 - Recovery as a Non-Negotiable With Age
47:11 - Fear as a Friend: He's a Scaredy Cat, Not a Daredevil
49:12 - Failure Is a Sign of Progress
52:00 - The Comedy Comparison: Even Seinfeld Had to Bomb First
54:18 - Safe Investments vs. Passion Investments
56:52 - Trusting Your Experts Over Your Own Instincts
1:10:47 - Only One Major Injury in 20 Years
1:11:29 - His Goal to Put Out a New Video Part
1:20:38 - Finding Your Thing: Explore Until Something Consumes You
1:28:41 - Realizing He Lacked Grit Because So Much Came Easily
1:36:24 - The Relationship That Reignited the Fire
1:38:30 - First Things First: Rapid-Fire Round
1:39:09 - Money, Passion, and the Best Advice His Father Ever Gave Him
1:40:31 - The Day He Turned Pro: A Voicemail From Eric Koston
1:43:22 - Biggest Career Highlight: Transworld's 30 Most Influential Skateboarders
1:47:19 - Seeing His Name on a Nike Shoe for the First Time
1:49:12 - Advice to His 12-Year-Old Self
2:00:03 - Five Days a Week for Two Years: The Rehab Regimen
2:02:15 - If Life Were Perfect
2:03:11 - Legacy: What He Hopes People Take From His Story
2:05:25 - Paul's Gratitude to the Fans

💰 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
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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

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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

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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