“Owning your own business” – Bernie’s $90,000 Week

Oz:
Hey everyone, Oz here. We’re doing another member interview today. Bernie Dunn’s with me. Hey, Bernie.
Bernie Dunn:
Hey, Oz, how are you doing today?
Oz:
I am doing great man. I’m super excited about this interview. We’ve been planning to do this for a long, long time to be honest. Bernie’s schedule has been crazy busy in a good way and same as mine. But I thank you Bernie. I know we’ve been going through a ton of stuff that we’re going to be talking about, but you made it here today, so I appreciate your time.
Bernie Dunn:
Well, my pleasure.
Oz:
Awesome. So I’ve done a lot of interviews over the past two year and before that. Yours is super inspiring, I think more than anyone has gone through. You’ve been going through some stuff that pushes any person to its limit and it makes it very difficult to come back and cling to something to climb back up. It was before you’d gotten to know me and the program. So what have you been going through recently? Let’s talk about that.
Bernie Dunn:
Well, I ran into some medical issues a couple of years ago and related to diabetes, and I was hospitalized with pancreatitis. Unfortunately, as a result, I lost everything. I couldn’t work. I found myself almost in… Like we just talked, when you and I first talked, I was actually living in a tent and didn’t have much to my name, and I’ve been looking at this business for a while knowing that it was viable and talked to a lot of people. But I got to tell you, Oz, when I talked to you, I found you was a real person and really willing to help and I put my faith in what you were going to teach me, and it’s really worked out. My gut usually works well for me and I’m proud to be part of the membership, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Oz:
Yeah. Thank you, man. I definitely remember the conversation because I almost couldn’t believe it. Sometimes I’ve talked to people and they go through a financial hardship and things like that, and when you said you’re actually really homeless at that moment, I honestly didn’t know what to tell you. Yeah, I knew that joining The Blueprint would help you, but in such a dire situation, you want to make sure that you’re dealing with the right person who’s going to take what is being given to them and make the best out of it because that’s what it comes down to. I think we have the best program in the industry, but it comes down to an individual to make use of that, to change their current situation. I applaud you for taking that massive action. I know it’s not easy for most people to pull themselves out of a situation like that, especially after dealing with health problems, financial problems, and losing almost everything you got. You certainly are a champion. After that you’ve gotten quite busy and things have been changing. What’s been going on?
Bernie Dunn:
Well, I started The Blueprint in November and like I said, I was living in a tent. I was still suffering the side effects of severe pancreatitis. It took me a while, but it was trial and error, but I also had some other things I had to overcome when, like I said, being homeless, I had no internet access. I had to get my phone turned back on. There were a lot of things. I put really every last dime that I had, I put into the program knowing it would work. Just give you a little bit of background, I’ve been successful before, but just because you’re successful before doesn’t mean that you’re not subject to hardships and everything else like the rest of the world.
Bernie Dunn:
I was in the mortgage business for years and was successful at it, but the mortgage industry crashed and then other hard times, like I said happened. So I started following The Blueprint the best I could with the sporadic internet and some other things that slowed me down, but I could see steady growth and I saw our opportunities. Some failed, but we just kept the course, filling the pipeline, and it’s been life changing for me. It really has. We were talking just off camera how I’m ready to scale my business now of having my best month ever. It took slow progression.
Oz:
Of course.
Bernie Dunn:
Just following the steps along the way. I’m thrilled. My life has really changed.
Oz:
Yeah, man. Many people take things for granted, such as having access to internet and phone. We don’t even think about it a lot of times. You just have them. That’s the part of your essentials like having bread and milk and things like that, but you’re trying to build a business online without having access to internet. [crosstalk 00:05:09].
Bernie Dunn:
[crosstalk 00:05:09].
Oz:
I’m sorry, go ahead.
Bernie Dunn:
I really started on a cell phone at a Dunkin’ Donuts, jumping on their free Wi-Fi, and that’s how I got started.
Oz:
Well that shows that there’s really no excuse for someone who has goals to hit. Through that process you and I had been communicating back and forth because I was like dying to know what was happening with you, your situation and things like that. I think at some point you were telling me that you’re sometimes going to your friend’s house to use their internet to log in and things like that. That’s been happening, right?
Bernie Dunn:
Yep. Whatever it takes, wherever I can get it. We were having problems today, we’re on the cell phone right now because I’m still using public Wi-Fi right now because I haven’t been in a position to get a place of my own. I’ve got a friend of mine that’s helping me out, but the Wi-Fi is down today. We had some storms this morning and it plays with the public Wi-Fi.
Oz:
Perfect. You’ve been funding some deals but this week you said was your biggest week. What happened this week?
Bernie Dunn:
Well like we were talking, it’s just steady progression, keep filling the pipeline. I’ve got deals out there that I’ve got to go back to that might not have worked before. This week so far I’ve got $95,000 funded for the week, which [inaudible 00:06:37]. Now it puts me in a position where I can really start scaling the business to what I want and start investing some other things that are going to grow the business even more. I’m thrilled.
Oz:
This is not your first successful week, right? You’ve been funding deals. How many deals have you funded so far?
Bernie Dunn:
I’ve been funding one to two a month, some small deals. Actually one of these deals, is actually my first renewal, and we actually did a third position on this one. I’ve got a second and a third with this gentleman now and then another brand new deal. As we were speaking, he had called me and he’s sending over an invoice for an excavator he needs for his business as well.
Oz:
Nice.
Bernie Dunn:
That’s another nice deal. I’ve got some other pretty big deals in the works right now. So again, I can’t count on that money. I just got to keep on filling the pipeline, and these things are starting to work out.
Oz:
Oh yeah. You know better. Guys, for those of you who are not from the industry, when Bernie says renewal, that means that he actually funded a client back then, and that client came back wanting to work with him again and he’s funding that client again. For those of you who follow me, I talk quite a bit about my being a true consultant, caring for your clients and they’re going to choose to come back for you than someone who’s been dialing with them all day long through telemarketing, or through cold calling, and things like that. That’s actually living proof that it does happen. He’s talking about equipment leasing of the product that we teach about. Having access to multiple products what makes you a real consultant to be honest, because if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, right? You can’t just make everyone fit into one product. Bernie, how difficult would it be for you if you if all you had was merchant cash advance for all of these people?
Bernie Dunn:
It would make it more difficult because it’s not everything for everyone. Like I said, I’ve been in sales for a long time. I was very successful in the mortgage industry. I trained a lot of people as well. Just like you were just talking about, it’s all about relationships. People like to do business with people they like and trust. That’s the most important thing. The other thing, and I see a lot of things on the Facebook page, and the one thing that I always used to say to the people that I train is, “Don’t be afraid.” You go through this training, you’re going to know more about business loans than anyone you’re ever going to talk to, so don’t be nervous about it. If you don’t know the answer just say, “Let me check, I’ll find out for you.” I’m still learning and I’m going to continue to learn, and I think that brings a lot of credibility for myself to my clients that I’m not just trying to ram something down their throat. I’m really trying to do what’s best for them in their company.
Oz:
100% man, that’s gold mine. A lot of reasons people do not get to where they want to go to has to do with their self image, right?
Bernie Dunn:
[inaudible 00:09:54].
Oz:
You give them the information, but they still think that they don’t know enough or they have the perfectionist mindset. They think they need to know everything about everything before they take action, which is just an excuse for not doing the actual work. But when we talk to people, we’re all people. No one is expecting you to know everything. When you come across situations, if you’re a consultor, it’s okay to say, “You know what? Good question. I don’t know the answer, but I can find out.” That’s why we have the community, so you can come back, which you had done in the past and now you’re helping other people. You come back and say, “Hey guys, we have a situation like this. What do I do?” Someone who has more experience or have funded deals like that, they can help you through that process. A lot of times we get in our own way pretty much to start the grow process because once you get it rolling, sometimes it takes one deal. It gives you the confidence that you need. Just like you said, like once you go through a solid training program, you know more than 99% of the people that you’ll ever meet. Don’t assume that they understand this. They don’t. Even if they’ve gotten funding before, I would just say that they have no idea what’s going on. A lot of times like you, they’re relying on you for your help.
Bernie Dunn:
Absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of them, the one that just renewed with me had a loan with someone else, but he was never explained anything. No one took the time with him, and he loves doing business with me. When I did this renewal, he got a call from the previous company, and what the person did was called me and said, “Hey, they offered me this. Can we do something?” I said, “I’m not sure, but let’s try.” We obviously got the documentation we needed and it all worked out.
Oz:
That’s awesome. I want to go back to this big week. We don’t want to just brush it off. So $90,000 in funding, for those who are not from the industry, what does that mean? What does that equate to for money in your pocket?
Bernie Dunn:
Just under $9,000.
Oz:
Wow. That’s just one week of funding. Then you have other stuff in the pipeline. You’re talking about a couple of deals that you’re not even counting. That’s just awesome. That’s amazing income. Talk about your goal from this point on is obviously to improve your life, but scaling. So what plans do you have? What’s your plan moving forward?
Bernie Dunn:
Well, we’re going to start scaling forward. I’m looking to hire a couple people right now. I already have a few people in mind that looked at this awhile ago and failed because they didn’t have the right training.
Oz:
Sure.
Bernie Dunn:
When I started doing this, I’m old school, you can tell from my gray hair. The way we sold when I started was walking, talking, knocking, and you talk an awful lot about that as well. You get your name out there, but it takes an awful lot of walking, talking, and knocking to get a couple loans, especially with businesses, they don’t like people just walking in the door. I’m taking some of those people and building my staff up there as well. I’m also investing in some other marketing materials. I’ve got a couple opportunities right now. I developed a relationship with a regional manager for one of the largest companies that does equipment sales in the Northeast, and we’ve become very close friends. He’s starting to refer all of his employees to send me their business.
Oz:
Nice.
Bernie Dunn:
This could be really huge. It will be really huge. And you know, I’m just so grateful for it. It’s unbelievable. It’ll get me back to the lifestyle I was at. I ended up having to leave the mortgage business at the end of the boom when the market crashed. I went through a divorce at the same time, so it was like everything that could go wrong went wrong.
Oz:
Yeah.
Bernie Dunn:
Now I’ve got an opportunity to get back to that same lifestyle I lived before and provide better for my family and that’s really my ultimate goal. Helping other people is really the way to do it. I’m a firm believer in that saying by Zig Ziglar. If you help enough people get what they want, you can have everything that you want.
Oz:
Absolutely. What you get paid is in direct proportion to the size of the problem you solve for people, right? If you’re getting someone $60,000, $70,000 that they would not have gotten otherwise and that solves a huge problem for their business, well you’re going to be compensated handsomely. That’s just the way it works.
Bernie Dunn:
[crosstalk 00:00:14:22].
Oz:
This industry is very lucrative because you’re solving a big problem. You’re not trying to convince someone of getting something that they might not have a need or they might not have known about. At the end of the day, we’re selling the sexiest product on earth. It’s money for those who need it. You can make it happen and you get paid handsomely for that. So those are very true words and you’ve been working really hard to make that happen. That’s definitely awesome.
Oz:
You’re like the definition of what the full life cycle of a consultant. You started from, not from this industry, you didn’t even know about the industry. You’ve been doing some research and dabbling in and out, but then you started without any background in it, funded a couple of deals, got yourself to a better situation. Now you’re talking about scaling, meaning that you’re going to hire more people, you’re going to build strategic alliances and partnerships. From this point on, I guess the next step is once you get those in place down the line, you might even get an office and hire more staff and have you own broker shop. Is that the goal?
Bernie Dunn:
Absolutely. Yep. I’m already looking at a couple offices locally. That’s probably a month or two down the road.
Oz:
Sure.
Bernie Dunn:
I don’t want to get too ahead of my self. I want to keep a prudent reserve and scale appropriately and grow this business in the right way.
Oz:
Wow. People contact me and my team and they have so many different situations going on, and of course they might feel like we might not be able to relate their problems. What would you say to someone that might be going through some kind of hardship, but they want to dig themselves out of that place and start their own business because you and I know the best way to fix your situation is to build a successful business.
Bernie Dunn:
[crosstalk 00:16:06].
Oz:
You can get a job, but that’s very time demanding and there’s always a ceiling. It’ll save the day maybe, but the best place to be is owning your own business. For someone who’s been recently going through a lot of hardship, what would you recommend someone who might be going something similar first or better?
Bernie Dunn:
Well, I’ve always been an independent person myself. I’ve not been one to work for other people. I’ve been this way for a long time. But you have to have faith in your own abilities, find the right training, the right type of people that can guide you, and that’s what I found in you, and like I said, right from our first conversation, I knew that you were the guy that could help. Just stay the course. Commit to the training. It’s really step-by-step if you just do what is asked. Of course, we have that closed Facebook page where if you get stuck you can ask a question and there’s plenty of people to help and assist, which has just been terrific as well. I’ve reached out to other people both on the site and personally just by developing relationships. That’s what business is built on, whether you need help or you’re trying to grow your business. It’s all about relationships, and my clients know that, too.
Oz:
Absolutely. And the funny thing is since you mentioned, our community pretty much through Facebook, and we’re getting to a point that people are having their local meetups. Actual members are meeting with each other and helping each other out and things like that. It eliminates that scarcity mindset of “Oh yeah, so there’s not enough for everybody.” No, if you look at our community, I can’t keep track of how many people post, the deals they get, and they ask for help, and someone else jumps in, although there’s no financial benefit to them just for the sake of helping that person so that that person grows the business.
Bernie Dunn:
[crosstalk 00:18:04].
Oz:
I could not have done that myself, I can’t get to enough people, but our community feeds each other and we all grow together that way. So that’s been the most amazing experience that I’ve ever experienced since inception of this program. Bernie, I know it was not easy to make yourself available for this. You’re working really hard and you’re achieving great things. I appreciate you for being a part of this community and I appreciate your time. Anything I can do for you?
Bernie Dunn:
Not at this point. You’ve done enough. I’m grateful and I’m always here to help, too. Anything you need, I’m definitely here to help you.
Oz:
Oh, Bernie, thanks so much, man. I truly appreciate your presence in this community, and I’m definitely proud to get to know you.
Bernie Dunn:
From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Oz.
Oz:
Thank you. Bye-bye now.
Bernie Dunn:
Bye-bye.