My guest today is Mike Zlotnik, CEO of TF Management Group and host of Big Mike Fund Podcast. In this episode Mike reflects on his upbringing in the Soviet Union, his journey from Moldova to New York, and his shift from a technology career to real estate investing. He and Ken discuss how chess and poker develop critical skills vital for investing and business, and highlight the challenges of real estate investing, particularly maintenance costs and leveraging in the current market.

Please enjoy my conversation with Mike Zlotnik.

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For more episodes of Compound Ideas, visit Compoundideasshow.com

For more insights like these and to contribute to the conversation go to: https://www.ridgewoodinvestments.com/insights-from-our-founder

Follow Ken Majmudar on:

Linkedin @kenmajmudar

YouTube - Investing with Ken Majmudar

Instagram - @kenmajmudar

Twitter @kmajmudar

Resources

bigmikefund.com

https://tempofunding.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mzlotnik/

https://thecollectivegenius.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-George-Orwell/dp/0451526341

Show Notes

• [00:01:17] -Reflecting on his upbringing in the Soviet Union, Mike describes the hardships his family endured.
• [00:09:14] -Ken and Mike discuss how chess and poker teach critical thinking, adaptability, and decision-making, skills vital for investing and business.
• [00:17:33] - Mike recounts his journey from Moldova to New York, highlighting his family's immigration, education, technology career, and transition to real estate investing.
• [00:20:36] - Mike shares lessons from real estate investing, focusing on the challenges of maintenance costs and leveraging in the current market.
• [00:27:01] - Highlighting his path in the industry, Mike’s shares his transition from personal real estate investing to joining Tempo Funding.
• [00:32:22] - Ken & Mike discuss the Tempo Advantage Fund, designed to provide mezzanine financing for real estate projects facing difficulties due to higher interest rates.
• [00:37:11] - Recounting Tempo Funding's evolution from short-sale flip financing to hard money lending and eventually to launching commercial investment funds and syndications.
• [00:43:32] - Discussing the obstacles confronting recent real estate investments amid market shifts and increasing interest rates, highlighting investor communication and the unpredictability of market timing.

My guest today is Dustin Stout, entrepreneur and founder of Magai - An AI Software As A Services Tool that he developed. In this episode, Dustin shares his journey from acting school to creating a successful freelance agency and the SaaS product Social Warfare, discusses influential books on content creation, explores the transformative impact of AI tools on business productivity with his AI platform Magai, and emphasizes the cultural shift towards AI adoption and the importance of hands-on experimentation to harness its full potential.

Please enjoy my conversation with Dustin Stout.

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For more episodes of Compound Ideas, visit Compoundideasshow.com

For more insights like these and to contribute to the conversation go to: https://www.ridgewoodinvestments.com/insights-from-our-founder

Follow Ken Majmudar on:

Linkedin @kenmajmudar

YouTube - Investing with Ken Majmudar

Instagram - @kenmajmudar

Twitter @kmajmudar

Resources

https://dustinstout.com/

https://magai.co/

https://fullfocusstore.com/collections/books/products/platform-get-noticed-in-a-noisy-world

https://www.jaybaer.com/books

https://jonahberger.com/

https://10xeasierbook.com/

Show Notes

[00:01:30] - Dustin reflects on his upbringing in Sharon, Pennsylvania, highlighting the town's location and cultural diversity.

[00:05:12] - Comparing acting school's practical approach to traditional academics, Dustin underscores the importance of focusing on vital skills necessary for his career in acting.

[00:06:44] - The progression from sharing insights and strategies on a personal blog to the establishment of a thriving freelance agency.

[00:12:12] - Dustin discusses the books that shaped his content creation strategy, stressing the importance of delivering value tailored to the audience's needs and interests.

[00:18:22] - Dustin recounts Social Warfare, his first successful venture in the realm of SaaS products.

[00:21:32] - Inspired by the potential of ChatGPT, Dustin discusses the conception of Magai, an integrated all-in-one AI platform.

[00:32:52] - Comparing the strengths of AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and unmoderated models, while previewing the anticipated capabilities of Google Gemini Pro.

[00:40:59] - Exploring the capabilities of image AI models like Dall-E 3, Leonardo AI, Midjourney, and the upcoming LensGo, while noting challenges in adding text to images.

[00:48:05] - Dustin examines the transformative impact of AI tools on business productivity, showcasing real-world applications like real-time data analysis and efficient task automation.

[00:52:19] - Dustin and Ken discuss the cultural shift towards AI adoption, emphasizing the need for hands-on experimentation to fully realize its potential.

My guest today is Rob Hunter, a seasoned entrepreneur, educator and the visionary behind Speaker Ventures. Our discussion includes a dive into Rob’s fascinating journey into entrepreneurship from a young age, exploring the challenges of failed ventures to the triumphs of successful ones, including the experience of being a Y combinator entrepreneur and invaluable insights and experiences gleaned from his entrepreneurial journey.

Please enjoy my conversation with Rob Hunter.

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For more episodes of Compound Ideas, visit Compoundideasshow.com

For more insights like these and to contribute to the conversation go to: https://www.ridgewoodinvestments.com/insights-from-our-founder

Follow Ken Majmudar on:

Linkedin @kenmajmudar

YouTube - Investing with Ken Majmudar

Instagram - @kenmajmudar

Twitter @kmajmudar

Resources

https://www.speakerventures.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robhunter7/?originalSubdomain=ca

https://www.amazon.com/Ping-Frog-Search-New-Pond/dp/1557046824

Show Notes

[00:01:30] - Unconventional ventures that provided valuable lessons and a taste of entrepreneurship at a young age.

[00:03:51] - Rob recalls a middle-class upbringing with his entrepreneurial father, fostering mutual empathy and contributing to a generally happy life in a small town.

[00:05:05] - The motivational materials that sparked a lasting, formative journey of self-improvement.

[00:08:37] - Rob contemplates how the business program at Western University aided him in self-discovery and cementing his career trajectory.

[00:12:37] - The unsuccessful ice cream franchise that served as a pivotal moment in Rob's life, prompting him to reevaluate his goals and aspirations.

[00:16:39] - An idea conceived by Rob during an internship evolved into his greatest accomplishment, giving rise to Hire Me.

[00:20:06] - Rob shares his journey through Y Combinator, highlighting the ups and downs of tech entrepreneurship.

[00:28:38] - Recognizing the valuable lessons it provided for his future ventures, Rob reflects on challenges with his first franchise, Marble Slab.

[00:31:05] - Ken and Rob discuss the potential of franchising as an entrepreneurial venture, stressing strong brands and the benefits of being franchisor over a franchisee.

[00:35:56] - Rob offers insights gained from his adventures in establishing a business.

[00:43:17] - Deep dive into Rob’s latest endeavor, Speaker Ventures.

[00:50:16] - Rob offers some parting thoughts and words of advice to the listeners.