In this powerhouse episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with my buddy Loren Wernette—husband, father of four, and founder of a rapidly growing hard money lending business in North Carolina.
Loren shares how a health scare sparked a radical transformation, not only in his wellness journey but also in his professional path from a W-2 ladder climber to full-time entrepreneur. We dive into his evolution from flipping homes and acquiring 66 rental units to launching a unique second-position lending product that’s flipping the script on hard money lending.
This is more than real estate, this is about building a life worth living.
Key Talking Points of the Episode
00:00 Introduction
00:13 JJ’s Joke of the Week
01:06 Who is Loren Wernette?
06:15 Loren’s background: from crop consulting to sales to real estate
08:52 The COVID epiphany that changed Loren’s life
13:04 Going from 0 to 66 units during COVID
14:43 Strategies to scale: buying in C-D areas, seller financing, JV deals, and more
17:40 Balancing two full-time jobs without sacrificing family
24:20 The shift from the W-2 mindset to entrepreneurial fire
30:47 The journey to discovering hard money lending
36:39 Designing a second-position lending product that actually works
41:26 Case Study: Unlocking equity without the need to refinance
45:57 Raising capital vs. finding deals
51:33 The fuel behind the success: family first
55:37 Daily discipline and fitness: The 1000 day commitment
01:00:50 Where to find Loren on social media
Quotables
“There’s no point in building all this if I ruin the thing I’m building it for.”
“The moment I saw the power of structuring deals and raising capital, I realized lending was my game.”
“It’s not just about extreme success. It’s about sustainable success with your priorities intact.”
Links
Brick By Brick
https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/brick-by-brick-wealth-building-conversations/id1796460495
Loren Wernette
https://www.facebook.com/loren.wernette
https://www.instagram.com/investwithloren/
REI Double Close
https://www.reidoubleclose.com/Doubleclose
608B Capital
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