What if the thing holding your business back isn't your strategy, your team, or your market... but a belief that was programmed into you when you were 5 years old?

In this episode, Deven sits down with Mike Wood, COO of a company that scaled from $2.5 million to $95 million in just 13 years. But here's what makes Mike different: he went from being so crippled by anxiety he was afraid to walk into a gas station... to leading 350+ employees and building a company culture that prints money.

Mike breaks down the exact process he used to rewrite over 200 of his own limiting beliefs, and shares the surprisingly simple framework any business owner can use to finally break through their invisible ceiling.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The 4 "master" limiting beliefs that ALL other negative beliefs funnel down to (and why "unworthy" is the silent killer of business growth)
• Why achieving your goals will NEVER make you happy if you skip this critical inner work
• The one-hour writing exercise that can permanently eliminate a limiting belief (Mike walks through the exact steps)
• How to tell the difference between a "skill gap" and a "belief gap" that's keeping you stuck
• The "double-check system" Mike uses to scale operations without micromanaging
• Why most therapy keeps you stuck (and what actually works to heal the ROOT of the problem)
• The 3-week mental reprogramming method that trains your brain to automatically turn negative thoughts into positive ones
• How taking "Extreme Ownership" of problems you didn't cause actually makes your team perform better

Key Quotes from This Episode:

"Your business is only going to do what you are capable of bringing to the table. You are the leader. If you're stuck, it's you that's holding your business back."

"Most people weren't afraid to miss the game-winning shot. They were afraid to make it."

"If you have to yell at everybody every day, you've got the wrong people."

"The thoughts in your head are not yours. They're just regurgitated stuff from the past."

About the Guest:

Mike Wood is the COO of a construction company that has grown from $2.5M to $95M+ in annual revenue over the past 13 years. After battling severe anxiety and depression for most of his adult life, Mike developed a systematic approach to eliminating limiting beliefs that he now teaches through his program "Learn to Love Being You." He specializes in helping people identify and rewrite the core beliefs that are silently sabotaging their success.

Resources Mentioned:

• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
• Jim Rohn's philosophy on personal development
• Mike's program: LearnToLoveBeingYou.com

Connect with Mike:

Website: LearnToLoveBeingYou.com (Free coaching call available)

Instagram: LearnToLoveBeingYou

Tiktok: LearnToLoveBeingYou

In this episode, real estate veteran Jay Patel breaks down exactly how to grow your wealth through real estate investing — even if you don't want the hassle of dealing with tenants, repairs, or property management. With 25+ years of experience and millions in assets, Jay reveals the insider strategies behind his PropTex Income Advantage Fund, including how to earn consistent 11% returns backed by real assets.

If you've ever wondered how to make your money work FOR you (instead of the other way around), this episode is a must-listen.

What You'll Learn:

• The 2 biggest mistakes people make when getting into real estate investing (and how to avoid them)
• Why real estate beats the stock market for long-term wealth building
• The 3 types of real estate investments Jay uses to generate consistent double-digit returns
• How to earn passive income without ever dealing with tenants, repairs, or vacancies
• The "tortoise strategy" that turns $100K into nearly $300K in 10 years
• What to look for (and watch out for) when investing in a real estate fund
• How to protect your nest egg while still getting strong returns
• The compounding strategy that lets you retire on interest alone — without touching your principal

About the Guest:

Jay Patel is a seasoned real estate investor with over 25 years of experience across flipping, multi-family, Airbnb, tax liens, and fund management. He's the Fund Manager of PropTex (Property + Technology + Expertise), a real estate income fund designed to deliver consistent 11% preferred returns for investors seeking passive income and capital preservation.

Resources Mentioned:

• PropTex Income Advantage Fund 1
• The "tortoise vs. hare" investing philosophy
• Residential assisted living centers as cash-flow assets
• Tax deed and tax lien investing
• 401K rollover options for fund investing

Connect with Jay Patel:

• Website: proptex.com
• Email: jp@proptex.com

Most businesses are bleeding money because they're focused on driving MORE traffic instead of fixing what happens AFTER someone clicks. In this episode, Deven sits down with Shamir Duverseau, co-founder of Smart Panda Labs, who reveals the exact mistakes enterprise companies making $100M-$2B are making with their post-click experience—and how fixing them can dramatically increase conversions, profitability, and company valuation.

Shamir has spent 15 years helping major brands turn complex buying decisions into simple choices. If you've ever wondered why your ads aren't converting the way they should, this episode breaks down the real reasons (hint: it's not your ad creative).

Key Takeaways

The Grocery Store Analogy That Changes Everything Shamir explains how even customers who KNOW what they want will abandon the purchase when they hit friction. Just like you'd drop that box of cereal and walk out if the checkout lines are too long—your website visitors are doing the same thing when your site makes buying difficult.

The 3 Biggest Mistakes Killing Your Conversions

1. Taking your customers for granted — Businesses underestimate how quickly people will bail when they hit ANY friction. People have zero patience for confusion.
2. Technical neglect — Slow page loads, clunky checkout processes, and errors cause people to bounce before they ever see your offer. The tech side gets ignored because it's "not sexy" like advertising.
3. No experimentation culture — Companies aren't testing different versions of their pages, copy, and offers to see what actually works. They're guessing instead of measuring.

Why "Just Spend More on Ads" is a Losing Strategy Shamir breaks down why throwing more money at Meta, Google, or any ad platform won't fix a broken post-click experience. You're just pushing more water through a leaky hose.

The Hidden Communication Problem One of the biggest reveals: Most companies lose tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars because their marketing team and IT team can't speak the same language. No one is translating between what marketing wants and what IT needs to build.

How This Impacts Your Company Valuation Revenue is a vanity metric. Investors and acquirers look at profitability, cash flow, customer retention, and lifetime value. All of these are directly impacted by your post-click experience—not your ad spend.

Quotable Moments

"People have a very low tolerance for friction. The biggest mistake companies make is underestimating how easily people will bail on things."

"We take those things for granted because those errors or a page that loads slowly can cause friction. Not even because something's wrong—but because people's patience is very low."

"Learn from the big boys. Amazon, Google, Meta—they invest heavily in their post-click experiences. That's why they control the marketplace."

Who This Episode Is For

• Business owners spending money on paid ads but not seeing the ROI they expected
• CMOs and marketing leaders at companies doing $10M+ in revenue
• Founders preparing for acquisition or looking to increase company valuation
• Anyone selling high-consideration products or services online (anything over $1,000)

Connect With Shamir (Free Consultation)

Shamir offers a free initial conversation to see if they're even the right fit for your business. No pressure, no pitch — just a straightforward chat to understand your goals and whether Smart Panda Labs can actually help.

Website: smartpandalabs.com

LinkedIn: Shamir Duverseau — Follow him for regular insights on conversion optimization