Oz Konar:
Hey everyone, Oz Konar here with Business Lending Blueprint. So today I wanted to give you a testimonial from one of our veteran students who’ve been in our community for a long time. But I actually did interview him when he first started. You’re going to see a link to my first interview with him above this video. So sometimes if they get the questions as to, hey, these testimonials are great, but what has been happening with these members since then? But I wanted to kind of give you a glimpse of his journey.
Oz Konar:
When he first started out, as he mentions in the video, he was already in the industry, but he was kind of struggling to have consistency because there are a lot of brokers who try to do it on their own, but the problem is the financial rollercoaster, right? If you’re relying on hitting the phones all day long and you don’t follow a system, when you’re keeping busy, you might get a couple of deals. But when you’re working on the deals, trying to figure out who the lenders are and what to offer them, then you’re not marketing because you have very limited time. So that you pay the price for that the following month or the following cycle. So then you have this rollercoaster. One month, you’re doing fine. The second month, you’re like, “Oh crap, what’s going on? I got to hustle again.” So it becomes a constant grind and hustle. And hustling is not a real long term business strategy.
Oz Konar:
When you start something new, it is definitely okay to work really, really hard and hustle and grind to get it off of the ground. Right? Because when you think about the rocket ships, they spend most of their energy taking off. They’re fighting against the gravity. And things get easier as you go and scale. Same thing in business as well. But that can’t be your all time strategy, right? You need a system. So that’s what was happening with Nick. He was doing his own thing, it was doing okay. But then he was noticing, “Hey man, I can’t just keep doing this.” And he joined the Blueprint. Now, he started following this system and he started funding deals. And that’s what that first interview of me, him about.
Oz Konar:
Then now, fast forward today, he has become a partial lender. Not only he’s been helping other customers get funding, now his and his company and his partner have built their own firm with employees and there’s funding some of the deals themselves. And he picked his own niche. So it’s such a transformation. We have many students that way because sometimes I get the question as to, “Hey, it’s great to be broker. I want to be making a $1000, $5000, $20,000, $30,000, $50,000. And what’s next? Can I start lending money? Is that a part of the scaling? Absolutely. So you can become a partial lender or a syndication model that you’re funding certain businesses based on your criteria. Or you can open yourself to receive investments from bigger firms because they now see that you have a working system, you have the team, you have the staff, you know what you’re doing, you’re offering multiple products. So it’s really, really important to be able to get yourself in that position if that’s what you want to accomplish.
Oz Konar:
So most people, their initial goal is for survival. The second is growth so they can get out of what’s not working right now. That could be a job, or they might be trying to do this themselves and failing. Or they might be involved with a failing business. But once you get through those two levels, that kind of sky opens up and you see the sun and then you notice, “All right, what am I going to do? What’s next? Do I just settle where I am, making 15, 20, 30 grand? Or do I take it to the next level? Then if I take it to the next level, what is the next level?” Right? So Nick is a testament to that. So I’m going to share his story.
Oz Konar:
And also, it shows you the power of a niching down. Because Blueprint is not just about learning one product. We’re teaching the entire alternative lending industry from providing short term financing to personal financing, real estate backed type of financing, or helping real estate investors get funding. We have lenders available for that. Long term financing, you can provide long term financing. Credit-based financing, collateral based financing, anything that the banks are not really doing. You have access to all those opportunities that can allow you to grow and sustain and scale that business. So without further ado, I’m going to start Nick’s testimony of what’s been happening and what he thinks of the community and the Blueprint. Take care, now.
Nick Picarello:
Name of the business. My name is Nick Picarello. Name of the business is named after the second most famous bridge in Brooklyn, although I think it’s the most famous, the Verrazano Bridge. My business is called the Verrazano Business Advisors. And why I joined is I was having success before I was aware of your program. But I was having success, but I knew I wanted to reach another level with some of the innovative marketing that you’re known for. So once I had some success, I joined the group. And what you taught me didn’t disappoint. And there was also an added value that I’d never expected. I never expected it to be as good as it was. So again, I was having success. I needed some help getting to the next level with some of the new innovative marketing. So I took the course and I applied those teachings to my business. And it definitely helped. I’m still growing. And the top side, I have no idea where it is, but it’s very bright.
Nick Picarello:
I didn’t use all the techniques. You don’t need all the techniques, but you give a wealth of information. Certain techniques suited my personality, some didn’t. So, I mean, it’s really, if you’re not tech savvy, I’m kind of in between tech savvy, social media weak, but tech savvy, but no matter where you are in that whole degree of technology, you’ll fit in. You’ll fit in and you’ll be fine.
Nick Picarello:
So why I joined is because I just wanted to take it to a new level, and you didn’t disappoint. My experiences so far has been exactly what you stated. The benefit is the group. The group is incredibly generous. I learned from new people, I learned from the seasoned people. I share what I can. And it’s really a remarkable experience, or it’s a great, great value added.
Nick Picarello:
I said this before publicly in the video, the team takes on the personality of the leader. And the generosity, the dedication, the passion of this group is just really a testament to what you’re creating here. So if anyone’s thinking about doing this, I highly recommend it. It’s not a get rich quick scheme. It’s a great living. You could see last time you videotaped me, I was overlooking some yachts in Florida. Today, I’m overlooking some nice, wonderful weather here in summer in New Jersey. And so you could work right from your desktop. I can’t beat that. I love what I do. I bring value to clients. So what better way to make a good living?
Nick Picarello:
So if you’re thinking about doing it, again, it’s not a get rich quick scheme. The best advice I could offer is pick a niche and work it consistently. You got to work it consistent. But no matter what you do, just be consistent. Learn from the group. If I could help you out, learn from me. Please teach me something. This is not a free lunch so I expect you to teach me something too. Let me know about your experiences. But it is a wonderful experience. And again, you haven’t disappointed.