What happens when you’re wealthy on paper but the opportunity in front of you requires cash right now?

In Episode 58 of Built by Margin, Laurie sits down with Dewey Burke, founder and CEO of Luxury Asset Capital, to explore the intersection of liquidity, risk, entrepreneurship, and disciplined decision-making.

Dewey explains how Luxury Asset Capital built a billion-dollar lending business by helping entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals access capital against assets such as luxury cars, fine art, watches, jewelry, and collectibles. He shares why speed can dramatically change the value of a financing decision, including the story of a borrower who needed $600,000 in just 48 hours to close a real estate transaction.

The conversation also goes behind the numbers of scaling a financial services company: from raising institutional capital and acquiring competitors to evaluating loan portfolios, EBITDA, acquisition multiples, geography, and perhaps the hardest part of M&A: integrating people and culture.

Dewey also shares one of the biggest lessons he has learned as a founder: being entrepreneurial doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. As Luxury Asset Capital matured, he discovered that institutional investors often value clearly defined boundaries, repeatability, and discipline more than a willingness to pursue every possible opportunity.

Laurie and Dewey also discuss where AI belongs and where human judgment still matters. They explore the risks of relying too heavily on AI for legal, financial, and regulatory decisions, why accountability still ultimately sits with people, and how technology can support decision-making without replacing experienced professionals.

Finally, the conversation turns to basketball. A former walk-on at the University of North Carolina, Dewey shares the leadership lessons he learned from Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, including the philosophy of treating people fairly, but not necessarily equally. He also tells an unforgettable story about hearing Michael Jordan speak privately to UNC players about how Carolina helped shape his belief that he could become one of the greatest players ever.

This episode is about more than capital. It’s about knowing when to move quickly, when to stay disciplined, how to lead different people differently, and why the best decisions still require human judgment.

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Dewey Burke

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deweyburke/

Luxury Asset Capital: Luxury Asset Capital

What does it take to lead an organization where the decisions you make can directly affect people on the worst day of their lives?

In episode 57 of Built by Margin, Laurie sits down with Justin Chase, CEO of Solari, to talk about leadership, risk, financial sustainability, and scaling crisis-response systems without losing sight of the people they exist to serve. Justin began his career as a social worker and has spent more than 20 years in behavioral health, including 12 years leading Solari. Today, the organization has nearly 800 employees and manages approximately 40,000 crisis calls each month.

Justin explains why managing risk in crisis care isn’t about eliminating risk altogether, but about identifying the factors that matter most and balancing speed, safety, outcomes, and stewardship. He shares how Solari uses transparent operational dashboards to track metrics like response times, abandonment rates, call outcomes, and whether a caller’s immediate need was actually resolved. He also discusses one of the biggest challenges of scaling across multiple states: technology may scale quickly, but trust and relationships do not.

The conversation also dives into the financial realities of running a large nonprofit organization. Justin explains how government reimbursement structures can create 120- to 180-day delays in cash flow and why nonprofit leaders still have to think seriously about margins, reserves, and long-term sustainability. His guiding principle is simple: “No margin, no mission.” Without financial health, an organization cannot continue delivering on its purpose for the long term.

Laurie and Justin also explore how Solari is investing in AI and technology ahead of demand. Rather than replacing human interaction, Justin sees AI as a way to reduce administrative work, improve efficiency, and give crisis counselors more time to spend directly with people. He shares how Solari is using technology to streamline post-call documentation, improve scheduling and analytics, and ultimately make human-to-human interactions more valuable.

Justin also opens up about board governance, organizational culture, and the philosophy behind his book, Heart-Led Leadership. He explains why strong leadership requires both compassion and accountability, and why listening to employee feedback, maintaining transparency, and setting clear expectations become even more important as an organization grows.

Finally, Justin explains what many people misunderstand about 988. Unlike 911, which frequently results in dispatching emergency responders, more than 80% of 988 calls can be resolved directly over the phone by trained crisis counselors. He argues that crisis care should be viewed as essential infrastructure, not only because it helps people in moments of need, but because effective early intervention can also reduce downstream costs associated with emergency rooms, hospitalization, and the criminal justice system.

This episode is a conversation about what happens when mission, margin, technology, and human-centered leadership all have to work together, and how leaders can build organizations that are both financially sustainable and capable of making a meaningful impact.

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Justin Chase

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnchase/

Order Heart-Led Leadership on Amazon: Heart-Led Leadership

In Episode 56 of Built by Margin, Laurie sits down with Antonia Blanco, founder of Trusty Transactions, to explore what it means to build a business through fear and discover a renewed sense of purpose along the way.

What would you build if you stopped worrying about what other people might think?

As her children grew older and she entered a new season of life, Antonia found herself searching for an identity beyond the roles of wife and mother. Starting Trusty Transactions gave her a new mission: helping small-business owners access the tax knowledge, financial guidance, and professional resources that are often reserved for larger companies.

Antonia shares how her father’s 40 years as a business owner shaped her entrepreneurial foundation and inspired her to serve the mom-and-pop businesses she considers the backbone of America. Her work is especially focused on first-generation and immigrant entrepreneurs in Southern California who may be building businesses without a clear understanding of entity selection, bookkeeping, tax compliance, or the importance of separating business and personal finances.

Laurie and Antonia discuss the difference between tax preparation and proactive tax strategy, the importance of setting clear client boundaries, and why forming an S corporation is not automatically the right decision for every business. They also explore tax resolution, ITIN-related challenges, California’s layered tax requirements, and the growing role of AI in the accounting profession.

On the business-building side, Antonia opens up about finding the right clients, learning marketing and sales through trial and error, and tripling her book of business through trust, retention, and referrals. She also shares her long-term ambition to pursue a law degree so she can bring even more sophisticated resources to the small-business community.

At the center of Antonia’s story is a risk nearly every entrepreneur understands: the risk of being seen. Starting the business, creating content, appearing on podcasts, and putting her ideas into the world all required her to move beyond the fear of failure and judgment.

This conversation is a reminder that courage doesn’t always mean feeling ready. Sometimes it means taking the first step, putting yourself out there, and choosing to build it scared.

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Antonia Blanco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antonia_trusty_transactions/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toni-blanco-672616173/